#depends on if this is ian who can still struggle out of water maybe

[multlfarlous]

@chocolatya

. ———— υηѕρєcιƒιє∂ηαмє

⌔      What a distraught looking gentleman, but who was she to judge when she was wondering a town with few memories of her own. Still, with the dark scowl on his face it was unlike her to try and approach him, but the slump and unsteady movements to his body just tugged at her.

   『 𝖤𝗑𝖼𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗆𝖾.. 𝖠𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗅𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍..? 𝖨 𝖽𝗈𝗇'𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖿𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝖺𝗌𝗅𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾. 』

[unikornu]

Page 4 - One way ticket - Pre-war memories of Lucy Feit,

- That surprise better be good after last evening...

It was still early morning. Lucy almost ran towards the office through empty and silent streets trying not to spill the coffee from the cups. People around just starting to open their shops and single deliveries arriving.

- Easy there honey. He has a guest. Shanice looked at her catching the breath as she stormed into the reception and looked at the clock. -Wow, you are actually earlier this time, unbelievable.

- Guest? Not a client? He actually has guests? Lucy rolled her eyes in a surprise and leaned against her desk. - Also isn’t it a bit too early for a visit?

- Well...depends. After what happened last evening. She smiled at her raising the eyebrow. The door opened and the voice of Harrison and a woman could have been heard through the hallway.

- Also in your place i would probably...wait somewhere else, trust me. Shanice nodded towards the row of cabinets. Lucy looked at her weirdly but went and awaited behind them. The woman she met last time in a cinema, her husband who Lucy killed in a bathroom, just came out from the hallway, leaning on her boss arm, smiling and crying at the same time as they were walking towards the exit.

- I will help you Clara, be it money or help at home, name it. I’m here for you, just give me a call. And i will make sure we find those responsible. I promise. Harrison said and brushed the woman arm and gave her a short kiss in the forehead.

- Thank you...i didn’t mean to bother you that early but it all happened so fast and...She brushed the tears off her cheeks and took her jacker from the hanger.

- Don’t worry, please. I hope i can still come for a dinner, you shouldn’t be alone, especially not right now. Harrison pointed at her belly and smiled warmly. Even Shanice couldn’t believe he could smile like that. He looked at her leaving and then looked at the two cups of coffee left at the desk.

-Feit, what did i tell you about covering tracks after you. He looked towards the cabinets where she was standing. - Hope you didn’t forget sugar this time.

- You know that woman? What is she doing here? Lucy looked at him confused and grabbed the cups, following him after to the office.

- Of course i know her. I almost married her back in times. Harrison hold the door for Lucy as he entered first. - Hope you didn’t forget the roll...

Lucy sighted and pulled the paper bag from under her jacket with a bunch of sweet rolls. - What happened then?

- Let’s say..he stole my place and i just got it back. Lucy opened her mouth to say something but decided to just close it back knowing Harrison already said a lot knowing him.

- Beside i never liked how he treated her so..thanks to you kid i will be having a dinner and this time not in the office. He took a bag and threw it on his desk snatching one roll before. Lucy still looked confused.

- Ok, nevermind...i’m just glad she..won’t be alone after all..i did there. Harrison raised his eyebrow at her as she said this.

- Did you take your medicine today morning? He asked.

- Yes.....almost choked on it while rushing to come here. What’s the big surprise that needed me at this hour here? She lied and avoided the further conversation.

-Right. Harrison pulled two colorful tickets from his pocket. - We are going to Nuka World today kid.

-Wha...why? Lucy squinted her eyes on him not sure if to feel offended or excited by the idea. She was still young but not that young anymore.

- I bet you never had a chance as a kid. Move Feit, i have a dinner later. Harrison threw her a keys to his car. - Your time to drive. You had enough lessons.

--------

Lucy looked almost funny, only her head visible from behind the car wheel but she managed to arrive at the Nuka World parking without crashing them both.

- Its so....bright and colorful. But..still, why did we come here? You want me to go and mass shoot people at the rollercoaster or what? She leaned the side of her head on the wheel as she parked and looked at him, with a pinch of bitterness on her face.

-Feit, it is not always about choping people to pieces. He sighted and pulled a small envelope with a gift ribbon on it. - Yes, i do want you to do something here but it is just a small drop, nothing else. Mostly Feit, it is a children day and i wanted you to take a day off to relax and experience some...fun, nothing else. Harrison looked at her calmly and shook her arm.

- But i’m not a child anymore. Lucy pouted, still grumpy a bit.

- Well..to me you are. C’mon kid. You deserve this. And when u finish the job you can spend all what’s in the envelope here plus something extra. Harrison waved the reward in her face and pulled a smile.

- Ugh..fine. She pushed herself from the wheel and left the car.

--------

- Hmm its not as bad as i thought. Lucy was sitting with Harrison on a bench in Kiddie Kingdom biting on a cotton candy pretty impressed so far with a place and tryin all the sweets around, almost forgetting her task.

- Alright, you see that guy? Harrison pointed towards the tall man with a glasses walking along with his son.

- Yes, what do you need me to do? Harrison handed her a very small chip barely a size of her thumb.

- He’s from Vault Tech and i need to talk to him about some serious shit and i want you to make sure that chip will come back home along with his son while u two gonna be together for few minutes.

- You want me to stuff this is his ass in the park full of people? She looked at him , snarky, licking the remains of cotton candy from the stick.

- You are the expert Feit. And be friendly, we don’t wanna scare him. He snatched the candy stick from her hand and threw it to a trash next to the bench.

-------

- Oh..sh..I mean, hello Harrison. What brings you...here? The man opened his eyes widely but smiled at the same, pulling a hand out to greet him.  

- Well, hello Victor. Just taking a day off, even brought my kid along heh... How’s job? Harrison shook his hand firmly and looked down at Lucy.

- Ye...right. How about you and me gonna leave the adults to their boring talks for a moment and we gonna go shoot some....aliens! Lucy smiled at the boy and offered him a hand.

- Go on with a lady, i will be right back. Victor said to his son and walked away with Harrison pulling a very worried face.

-----

- Hey....you are too good or you cheat! Lucy was not giving a boy a break when it came to killing a colony of plastic aliens with a water gun, passing in the background in a decorated booth.

- Oh don’t be such a pu...loser. She bit her tongue. - You almost beat me this round. And since i don’t need all those tickets i can pick a reward and maybe even let you choose. She teased him, waving a roll of tickets in her hand.

- I want Jangles! Pleeease? He sighted and looked up to her, defeated.

She gave the tickets to the man at the booth and pointed towards the space monkey. - The biggest one please. Lucy slipped a chip from her pocket and hid it in her hand as she was taking the plushie.

- What do you say? She teased the boy one last time while forcing and shoving the chip under the puppet arm behind her back.

- Thank you? Can i have it now? He strechted his hands forward.

- Yes you can. You need to practice more with your dad if u want to beat the other kids. She finally gave him a puppet. - Now..lets find your dad while we snatch some more cotton candy. She slowed her step as the boy struggled to see where he was going while carrying jangles, almost his size, nearly covering him whole.  

------

Finally, she saw Harrison coming out of the crowd towards them, brushing something red from the jacket. She looked at him questionable.

- You had a good talk? Where is Victor? Lucy asked him, pointing with her eyes on the stain thinking of the worst.

- He is there, grabbing some juice. He pointed in the crowd. - And that...is just juice that some kid spilled on me. He shook his head at Lucy as she let the boy run back to his father.

- You think i’m some kind of murderous bastard all round the clock eh? Jesus Feit. Have some faith in your old man, i just needed to talk to him. You planted the chip?

- Yes, its in a puppet. He wanted it pretty badly so it will sure be going back home with them. Lucy offered him a napkin as he was keep on brushing the stain with his thumb.

- Thanks kid. He took a napkin and gave her the envelope. - Enjoy your evening with what’s his name....Ian? He will take you back home.

-Wha...wait. What is this? She pulled out two invitation to Fizztop restaurant and looked at Harrison with a concern. - I didn’t invite him...

- Well, i did, in your name. You think i don’t know about your boyfriend? Like i said, you deserve a day off and since you spend almost every evening with him it would be a shame to miss it here in the best restaurant on the top hm? He brushed his fedora from the dust and slowly walked away.

- Wait, why are you doing this? Being all nice today and...arranging my evening like that? She stopped him. - Is Ian in any danger?

- No, he isn’t our concern at all. Look Feit. I might be a bad person in your eyes, but i do care about you and you deserve a day like that. Enjoy your evening kid. Clear your head, rest, and we meet tomorrow in the office. He pat her back and walked off, passing by Ian and saluting to him. Ian saluted back and looked towards her questionable as he approached her.

- You are catching a criminal clowns in a amusement park now? He leaned down to kiss her.

- Something along..these lines. Good to see you. She kissed him back and looked up towards the patio at Fizztop. - Tonight we eat in style i guess...

-----

She was indeed relaxed, no necessary or doing other questionable things. Felt like a normal job. As they were sitting at the table, talking and laughing she gave a second look in the envelope. When Ian left to the bathroom she pulled out a crampled note. She looked around and slowly opened it under the table. A pink pill was attached at the bottom of it.

“Last lesson Feit. You might think that if you don’t spill blood you are not a killer but even the evidence and information you are pulling can prove...deadly. You will see, not only a knife in your hand makes you a weapon. It’s all about who you trurly are and accepting it. You know you are a psychopa...”

She didn’t finish the last word and looked through the window to her side. She saw in the distance a car, catching fire and exploding. It wasn’t a Harrison car but a family van...Victors...

- Oh my god....She covered her mouth with a shaky hand. There was trurly no way back and since she didn’t take pills that day her head felt a bit clearer. She was scared but had to pull herself one way or another through the rest of the evening. And Harrison had it all planned well. She ripped the pill off the note and looked at it, her mind storming with thoughts but as she saw Ian coming through the door back she shoved it fast in her mouth and drank down with a glass of water.

- Its getting late. You want to go back? Ian asked.

- I...would like one more drink if you don’t mind. Then we can go back to your place this time. She crumbled a note in her hand and forced a smile, trying to stay in character till her mind accommodated again to a new terms of life.

______________________________

Note: Yep Harrison is pretty horrible guy, turning her into a psycho along with that daddy act but it worked in the end. Or maybe Lucy from the start had kind of predisposition to be a bad person after all and she was just fighting it off hmmmm hmmmmm......dayum i pulled myself into real shit with that pre-war stuff, need to answer so many questions but its cool anyway. 

Also Lucy in Nuka World highly depends on Gage directions and all the talk about “the job needs to be done” rings her a memory of Harrison as a boss figure - just not abusive and being snakey like that. She needs someone to tell her what to do, she will figure out how but without someone like Gage by her side she is confused and a bit lost. If somehow Gage is gone for too long she might do stupid shit, drug herself or have one drink too many. Uff i think that is it for now...Well, Gage also shows signs of pure act of care (even for a raider) like Ian kind of, just wanting her to be happy with what she does and have no regrets at the end of the day. Uh.....cheers.

[daisychains4]

Strings (1/16)

Chapter 1: Strings (Masterlist)

Warnings: Implied sex (no smut)

Note: Italics are song lyrics

AN: This is the Shawn Mendes x reader AU teenage heartbreak story you didn’t know you needed.

You only turn 17 once. You hadn’t thought too much about that fact; you were too busy wakesurfing your birthday away, surrounded by cool blue water, bright blue sky, your best friends, and the love of your young life.

Shawn Mendes had worked hard to plan the perfect day for his girlfriend. He’d picked you up early so that you could get the best spot on the beach, and he’d spent the rest of the day chasing you playfully through Lake Ontario’s cool water, pulling you into his arms as often as he could catch you, placing countless kisses on your forehead, cheeks, and neck. You loved his silly side as much as you loved his romantic side. Both kept you guessing.

Your gear was abandoned on the sand as the sun set and the warm air turned cooler. Wet bathing suits were exchanged for warmer layers as the group gathered around a campfire Shawn was building. It was not long before he sat comfortably beside you, pulling you into his side. He leaned into your neck, inhaling the sweet scent of your hair. He was barely listening to the playful banter of your group of friends.

“You can’t count that, we were playing 7 Minutes in Heaven.” Catherine and Ian were arguing about who’d had more hook-ups during their junior year, which was quickly coming to a close. In only a few weeks, they would be seniors.

Shawn pulled his guitar out of its beat-up case (“well loved,” he called it) and picked at the strings mindlessly as Ian and Catherine’s debate got more heated.

“It absolutely counts, I went to second base with Sharon Hansen, it doesn’t matter how I got there.”

“Does not,” Zach jumped in to defend his girlfriend. “Brian put you up to it. You wouldn’t have gotten to first base on your own.”

Ian’s annoyed muttering was drowned out by a sharp pluck to the guitar strings.

“Play something for me, babe,” you turned your head to look your boyfriend. You knew he wouldn’t say no if you smiled at him just the right way. You were right — it worked. Shawn began to pluck the cords to a song he often sang to you; you inspired the lyrics, after all.

Met this girl when I was three years old

We were holding hands tight, so I'm told

And it felt like an eternity

Said it felt like an eternity.

'Cause I knew back then we were more than friends

Two-sided story, it all depends

And I said it once, and I'll say it again

It'll only end up hurting me.

You and your mum had moved down the street from the Mendes family when you were young. You and Shawn had become friends on the neighborhood playground and had managed to stay friends through cooties, awkward middle school years, and first boyfriends and girlfriends.

Years flew by, I was less than twelve

Long division, I need your help

Can you come on over and work with me?

Anytime you like, I'll make it work for me

'Cause I knew back when if we get too close

When the time is right, maybe I'll propose

Baby climb on up, show me the ropes...

Your relationship had begun when you were tutoring Shawn in Geometry your sophomore year. You had always been good at math, and he preferred to spend his time practicing guitar rather than studying — until he realized how attractive his math tutor was.

Your first kiss happened when Shawn was looking over your shoulder as you modeled how to solve a particularly difficult proof. Being so close to his crush had his heart racing, and when you turned to ask him if he was following along, he noticed how your breath caught in your throat when you realized your mouths were inches apart. He couldn’t remember who moved first, but after a moment's pause in which his eyes dropped briefly to your lips, the gap between you was closed. You’d been inseparable ever since.

Darling, I want all the strings attached.

I love it when you look at me like that.

And you're the only girl that brings me back

'Cause baby I want all the strings attached.

It's like always and forever,

I won't let a moment pass,

And when I'm with you I feel better.

I want all the strings, all the strings attached.

As the fire died out, your friends began to make their way home. Shawn packed up their bags and surfboards and drove you home.

He parked his Jeep in front of his own house and walked you to yours. You laced your fingers in his and leaned into his side.

“Thank you for an incredible birthday,” you sighed happily.

“You’re welcome. You know I would do anything for you.”

You had arrived at your front door, but neither of you were ready to say goodbye.

“You know…” you began shyly. You didn’t quite meet Shawn’s eyes as you finished, “it doesn’t have to be over. My mum is gone until tomorrow night.” Shawn was grateful that your porch was dark because he felt his cheeks warm just slightly.

Your physical relationship was fairly new, and because any type of physical relationship was new to both of you, it was still a little awkward and clumsy as you learned each other.

But Shawn knew how to kiss his girlfriend. When he put his lips on yours, you melted into him. Your lips parted to allow him entrance, and his tongue swept inside to meet yours. You sighed into his mouth and enjoyed the clashing of tongues and teeth.

You made their way upstairs, shedding sandy layers of clothes along the way to your room.

The sun streaming into your bedroom window was not what woke you. It was the sound of the front door opening, and your mum coming home eight hours before she was supposed to.

You and Shawn sat bolt upright, all too aware that your mum was seconds away from finding you naked in your bed. It would be bad enough that any mum of a teenager would come home to find her daughter in bed with her boyfriend, but your mum had gotten pregnant and dumped at 16. Her parents had kicked her out when they found out she was having a baby, and she and you had been on your own ever since. To say that she was invested in her daughter’s bright, pregnancy-free future was an understatement; she’d spent her whole life working to ensure that you would not have to struggle the way that she had, and she never missed an opportunity to remind you of that fact.

Shawn bolted from the bed, knowing the consequences if you were caught. You both scrambled to find clothes on the floor to throw on. You both remembered, too late, that most of your clothes were strewn on the stairs, forgotten the night before.

You could hear your mum discovering your clothes as she made her way up the narrow staircase. “(Y/N) (Y/MN)!” she called. She burst angrily through the door just as Shawn managed to pull his boxers on. You were barely wrapped in the sheet from your bed.

“(Y/N), what is this?” your mum hissed, charging into the room.

“Ms. (Y/LN)—” Shawn stammered, stumbling backwards and attempting to cover his mostly-naked form.

“Mum, I can explain,” you began at the same time, placing yourself between your mum and your boyfriend. “Shawn just fell asleep—”

“I know what’s going on here!” your mum shouted over both of you. “And it stops now. (Y/N), how could you—”

You stepped forward, trying to shield Shawn from your mother’s wrath. “Mum, I’m sorry! It won’t happen again—”

“You’re damn right it won’t,” she fumed, grabbing your wrist and pulling you forward toward the doorway. “Get out of here, Shawn,” she spat as you fought to free yourself from your mum’s death-like grip. “And don’t come back.”

“Mum, no!” you cried, struggling to keep the sheet up and pull away from your mum at the same time. “Shawn, just go, it’s ok, I’ll talk to her—”

Your mum yanked you from the room. Shawn followed you out the door, grabbing whatever clothes he could find along the way.

“Ms. (Y/LN), please, this is all my fault,” he begged helplessly as he followed you down the stairs.

Your mum turned on the teenager, her angry stare causing him to back timidly toward the front door. “Get out!” she bellowed. “Get out! Before I call the police!”

“Mum, no!” you sobbed. “Please! I love him! You can’t keep us apart!”

“Watch me. You two will never see each other again!” She wrenched the door open and shoved Shawn backward, onto the front porch. Shawn took one last look into your desperate eyes as your mum slammed the door in his face.

[preciousmetals0]

$150 Billion Cryptocurrency Boom Is Here – Buy This ETF to Profit

$150 Billion Cryptocurrency Boom Is Here – Buy This ETF to Profit:

Story Highlights:

Bitcoin is on track to hit $50,000 as early as next year.

This exchange-traded fund is your best opportunity to buy into the cryptocurrency mega trend that is already trading 27% above the price of bitcoin.

Tesla’s new “Cybertruck” is giving the Ford F-150 pickup a run for its money.

How high will pot stocks rise, now that they’ve hit bottom?

Gold. Silver. Coins. Paper dollars.

If you could line your pockets with any of these valuables, which would be the best choice?

The surprising answer: None of the above.

In fact, blockchain-based cryptocurrencies are becoming the new-world digital money — with bitcoin on track to hit $50,000 to $100,000 by the end of next year.

In today’s Bold Profits video, Paul Mampilly joins me to explain why. And to tell you about the best way you can start investing in this mega trend today before bitcoin surges higher in 2020.

[embedded content]

Click Here to View Full Transcript

Bold Profits Daily November 29, 2019

Paul Mampilly: It’s Paul on the Iancast again. I’m hijacking this permanently.

Ian Dyer: Fine with me. We have good discussions.

Paul: With Market Talk I’m always trying to keep it tight down to three to five minutes. I have a lot of competition between Hudson and Amber. On this one, we’re going to do it long. How about that? Ian: Sounds good.

Paul: Let’s start with dramatic news. You and I never sleep. I know you were up watching Bitcoin hit $6,500.

Ian: The whole time, yes. It bounced. The Bakkt futures we talked about last week, the expiration date came into play there. Bitcoin fell to below $7,000, then it bounced and went a little lower.

Again, around these expiration dates in the futures, all these new Bitcoins are being sent out from the actual futures company to all the investors. It creates an immediate supply that can have an effect on price.

Paul: Long term, I don’t know anybody who would ever want to be short those futures. You’d have to deliver something of a fixed quantity. I remember seeing analysis that something like 30-40% of Bitcoin are being HODLed. Hold on for dear life, that’s what HODL means.

The crypto world has its own language. We have HODL. We have FUD.

Ian: That’s fear, uncertainty and doubt, right?

Paul: Time to lambo for time to move. So 40% of all Bitcoin approximately is being HODLed. I read analysis on The Block, which is a website where they do crypto analysis, that hedge funds are short Bitcoin. This sounds crazy to me.

Ian: Me too. There’s a lot of questions around it. When you look at all these hedge fund managers that are into traditional investments like 60% stock and 40% bonds. Bitcoin doesn’t fit anywhere in there and they don’t know what to do with it. They don’t’ think it will ever overtake gold as a safe haven asset.

There’s a lot of naysayers out there still which is surprising considering it’s survived for 10 years now — almost 11 — and it started out as a fraction of a penny and has grown into a $150 billion asset class all on its own with no promotion other than word of mouth. It’s amazing what it has done so far. It’s an alternative currency.

Paul: Exactly. Both Ian and I are on the record of seeing Bitcoin at much higher numbers. Ian has a $50,000 by end of 2020. Is that right?

Ian: Yes, $50,000 next year and somewhere around $100,000 in 2021.

Paul: I think that’s conservative. I think we might hit $100,000 maybe even by the end of 2020. Here’s why. To me, Bitcoin is the first exponential asset. It runs off a digital mechanism rather than a lineal mechanism which is the stock market, the bond market. In other words, it requires human intervention.

If you think about gold, you have to go dig it out of the ground. There’s a whole process. Bitcoin is completely digital. There’s no physical element to it. It can exponentially grow and it’s already done that. This is why it has so much skepticism because there’s never been an exponential asset in history — this is asset number one. It’s going to be the most valuable.

Ian: There’s never been something like these halving events in any asset before. When the supply is limited by this much on one specific day, that day has a lot of say in the future of Bitcoin. We’ve seen that because after the past few halving events, there’s a gigantic rally by thousands of percent after the supply is cut.

Paul: I went back and modeled the Litecoin halving event to Bitcoin. For sure, it’s setting up to be a minimum of $25,000 to $30,000 the way it models. Most of the people who believe in Bitcoin largely never bat an eye at the volatility. It’s the disbelievers who come to really give us a lot of grief about it.

Ian and I believe in Bitcoin. We think Bitcoin is going to the moon. Everyone can make their own judgment. There is that one indicator that we both track. We should tell people about it.

Ian: A company called Grayscale has their own Bitcoin trust. They own a lot of Bitcoin and sell it as a fraction on the stock market. You can buy shares of the trust backed by Bitcoin. It’s a way of buying Bitcoin on the stock market, which is really interesting and not a lot of people know it exists.

We’ve seen all these headlines and rumors of a Bitcoin ETF, but there already is one and it doesn’t get that much press. It gives us a good indicator because when there’s a lot of bullish or bearish sentiment on Bitcoin you will see the premium of this ETF start to go up or down. Right now it’s trading about 27% above the price of Bitcoin.

The stock market is giving Bitcoin a premium even though it fell 50% in just a few months. That’s a really bullish indicator to me. It’s been as low as 10% and then it bounced from there. Now, like I said, it’s up almost 30% and people are paying a lot more for Bitcoin in the stock market because as of right now more people have stock accounts than crypto accounts.

Paul: It’s a pain to get a crypto account. I have a coin-based account and you probably have one as well, but most people don’t want to deal with that. I can tell you from tracking the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, at the peak in 2017 the premium was something like 130-140%. Ian: It was more than double.

Paul: At the low about this time last year I believe the premium was something like 3-4%. Right now it’s nowhere near as pessimistic as it was back then so there’s no reason to expect the premium to be as low. I don’t believe it has traded at a discount any time recently.

All signs point to Bitcoin going higher sooner rather than later. I feel like we can leave that one right there and move to the next one. I think we should name the Iancast, “Tesla, Bitcoin and Pot.” Ian: That’s what we talk about. It’s the fastest growing things out there.

Paul: It’s also what most millennials like to trade and are invested in. When I did a Tesla, Bitcoin and pot video for my Tuesday Bold Profits, I got 30 comments. I don’t think I’ve ever received 30 comments on anything before. That’s where people are at.

So let’s deal with Tesla. Cybertruck.

Ian: Yea. Cybertruck. Just to start off, Tesla has never had an advertisement before. They’ve never spent on marketing. It’s crazy the publicity this stuff is getting. Literally everybody was talking about the Cybertruck over the weekend. We both pre-ordered one.

I personally love it. I know a lot of people are really skeptical of the design. I think it’s going to grow on people. It’s a steel truck that’s supposedly bulletproof, although the window did break during the promo.

If you throw a steel ball at any other car window it’s going to go right through the car window. Bulletproof glass breaks. It doesn’t shatter but it breaks like that.

Paul: I follow Elon’s tweets. It turns out, when they hit the sledgehammer against the Cybertruck it cracked the window. That’s why when they threw the ball, it shattered the window. Elon said what they should have done is first throw the ball and then hit the Cybertruck with a sledgehammer.

Then the demo would have worked out fine. But, you know, that’s how it is in life. I think they got $100 million worth of free publicity as a result of the windows breaking because everybody felt like they had to show it.

Ian: Yes. And they have more than 200,000 orders already in the first few days for this truck. Paul: I feel like the truck makers depend on trucks and SUVs. Between the Model Y coming out and now with this, it’s really time. Those companies are going to struggle. Maybe some of the others will end up being a competitor, but for now there’s no competition of any kind for Tesla.

Ian: It even blows the gas-powered pickup trucks out of the water. I drive a pretty good truck and the Tesla can tow more, carry more, has a bigger truck bed and it faster. It’s a super powerful truck. I’ve heard a lot of people say it doesn’t appeal to the kind of market that drives pickup trucks.

They want more power. What doesn’t appeal? I guess the design? I think it will grow on people and I don’t see it as a reason not to buy it.

Paul: My reaction was pretty much what everyone else’s was. I didn’t stay up for the launch, but I woke up and looked at it and then I thought, “Whoa, that’s different.” Then about a minute later I thought, “I really like it.” Then five minutes later I thought, “I need to order one.”

Ian: Same here. I woke up and saw it and thought, “That’s weird. That’s actually what it looks like?” But then it grew on me. It’s going to take time. It’s what everyone imagined future cars would look like 20 years ago and now it’s finally here. I think it’s going to grow on people. It’s kind of iconic.

Paul: I’m watching the reaction on Twitter and people are having a slightly slower version of what we went through. It came out and now they think it’s kind of cool. I think this might be as fast selling as the Model 3. People say it’s only a $100 deposit and it doesn’t mean anything. But 200,000 is a lot of people.

Ian: Even if 90% of them cancel that’s more than $1 billion they’re getting from this already. Paul: You looked this up before we got on. What’s the short position in Tesla?

Ian: It’s down. It was just 25% a few weeks ago. It’s down to 16% now.

Paul: I have to tell you, in my entire 25 years of being on Wall Street I have never known a company as large as Tesla carry such a large short position. This is insane.

Ian: They’re different. Different doesn’t appeal on Wall Street. Everyone wants to think the same way, be safe, not get fired for liking some company that everyone else hates.

Paul: They talk about Tesla stock owners and car owners being a cult, but the people who hate Tesla are also a cult.

Ian: Pretty much. They do have a lot of haters — millions.

Paul: They do. I always keep my Sentry Mode on when I drive my car because I don’t want to run across someone who wants to do something to my car. We like Tesla at Bold Profits. You can also see we had a Tesla at our last franchise meeting and it was a super big hit. Amber gunned it and she loved it. We’re trying to persuade everyone to get one.

We’ve done Bitcoin, we’ve done Tesla, what about pot? I was on last week and the stocks all sold off. Then, boom.

Ian: They’re back. It’s going to be a ride, for sure. That’s how bottoms are. It goes up and down fast. Some of these stocks in the pot sector doubled from their bottom and went up 100% in a couple days. You don’t see that when there’s not some big buyer looming in the background.

There’s going to be buying in these stocks. They are bottoming out right now and they’re going to come back up. It’s going to be great. The market is so bearish on these stocks right now because they’ve gone down so much for months. It’s the classic selloff we’ve seen where the end is the worst part. It’s like that with anything in the stock market.

Paul: This is so true, Ian. You are absolutely right. Most people — I’m included in this, I’ve never had perfect timing — start buying probably a month too early. Then they underestimate how much that last drop is going to be. That’s where they get shaken out and they sell.

It’s also where they get emotionally blown out. They are not going to come back. Then they end up missing it.

Ian: They are the ones who push it up at the end toward the bubble phase.

Paul: That’s right. Then they come at the end and signal the very top. I’m going to guess just by the sharpness of the move in the ETF MJ, Canopy, Cronos and Aurora, that there’s a combination of short covering as well as actual long buying going on.

Ian: Yes. Some of these went up 100% in a couple days and a lot of them went up at least 40% in the first initial bounce.

Paul: In my experience, when you have the sharp, off-the-bottom jump of 40-50% it means there’s actually a big buyer. A strong hands buyer that is going to own and is signaling they are going to buy more. This is why market makers keep lifting the price up to find sellers who are willing to sell.

In my experience that’s a good sign. We’re bullish on pot and we have it across a ton of our services. Did you end up putting on that trade for the pot company?

Ian: We did. In Rebound Profit Trader we have a pot trade. We’re probably going to do another one very soon. We’re bullish on that. In Rebound Profit Trader the goal is to get stocks at the bottom and buy call options on them, which go up faster than the stock. You can make hundreds of percent in just a few days by doing that if you time it right.

Here at the bottom of the pot crash we think it’s a really good time to buy calls on these beaten down pot companies.

Paul: We were chatting before on Slack and you said we had eight 60% winners in Rebound Profit Trader? I forget the numbers.

Ian: We’ve had 10 winners in the past month.

Paul: 40%, 60%, something in that range?

Ian: Yes, a lot of them are more than 40%. Biotech has been very strong. We just closed our fourth biotech gain of more than 50% — all four have come within the past week. It’s been a good run. Biotech is looking like a good place to be too.

In our other options service — Rapid Profit Trader — we just closed a biotech gain of about 45%. We only held it for three days. You can make money really fast when you’re in the right place in the market.

Paul: They say biotech is the poor man’s lottery. It’s been true. I have traded a ton of biotech in my life because you can have incredible, fast gains. You put options on top of that and we’re talking about a 12-engine rocket that can zoom up instantly. 45% in three days is just wow.

If you’re interested in any of Ian’s services, he runs two phenomenal options services: Rebound Profit Trader and Rapid Profit Trader. They have slightly different strategies but they have a common goal to make you money really fast. Check into the description below.

A little market update. What are we seeing?

Ian: We’re recording this Monday. Today the market is making all-time highs. I saw the ETF we track for biotech — XBI — is up 4% today. Biotech is still moving higher. S&P 500 is making all-time highs. The Russell 2000, which is the small- and mid-cap stocks is breaking out. It’s at a 52-week high as well.

It’s looking really good right now. It’s looking really good to close the year out.

Paul: Remember, the way we look at the world 52-week highs are important because it shows confidence, it shows people are pushing money in and they’re willing to pay higher prices for it.

If you like the content you are seeing here on the Iancast, subscribe to the channel, give this video a thumbs up, share it with your friends and comment below on what you’ve been experiencing during this bull market. You can also follow me on Twitter @MampillyGuru.

What’s your Twitter, Ian?

Ian: It’s @IanDyerGuru. Give me a follow.

Paul: That’s what we have for this Iancast for today. Ian, we’ll have another one next week. Ian: Yeah. See everyone next week. Have a great weekend and hope you had a good Thanksgiving. Paul: Same here. This is Paul saying bye.

Regards,

Ian Dyer

Editor, Rapid Profit Trader

[goldira01]

Story Highlights:

Bitcoin is on track to hit $50,000 as early as next year.

This exchange-traded fund is your best opportunity to buy into the cryptocurrency mega trend that is already trading 27% above the price of bitcoin.

Tesla’s new “Cybertruck” is giving the Ford F-150 pickup a run for its money.

How high will pot stocks rise, now that they’ve hit bottom?

Gold. Silver. Coins. Paper dollars.

If you could line your pockets with any of these valuables, which would be the best choice?

The surprising answer: None of the above.

In fact, blockchain-based cryptocurrencies are becoming the new-world digital money — with bitcoin on track to hit $50,000 to $100,000 by the end of next year.

In today’s Bold Profits video, Paul Mampilly joins me to explain why. And to tell you about the best way you can start investing in this mega trend today before bitcoin surges higher in 2020.

[embedded content]

Click Here to View Full Transcript

Bold Profits Daily November 29, 2019

Paul Mampilly: It’s Paul on the Iancast again. I’m hijacking this permanently.

Ian Dyer: Fine with me. We have good discussions.

Paul: With Market Talk I’m always trying to keep it tight down to three to five minutes. I have a lot of competition between Hudson and Amber. On this one, we’re going to do it long. How about that? Ian: Sounds good.

Paul: Let’s start with dramatic news. You and I never sleep. I know you were up watching Bitcoin hit $6,500.

Ian: The whole time, yes. It bounced. The Bakkt futures we talked about last week, the expiration date came into play there. Bitcoin fell to below $7,000, then it bounced and went a little lower.

Again, around these expiration dates in the futures, all these new Bitcoins are being sent out from the actual futures company to all the investors. It creates an immediate supply that can have an effect on price.

Paul: Long term, I don’t know anybody who would ever want to be short those futures. You’d have to deliver something of a fixed quantity. I remember seeing analysis that something like 30-40% of Bitcoin are being HODLed. Hold on for dear life, that’s what HODL means.

The crypto world has its own language. We have HODL. We have FUD.

Ian: That’s fear, uncertainty and doubt, right?

Paul: Time to lambo for time to move. So 40% of all Bitcoin approximately is being HODLed. I read analysis on The Block, which is a website where they do crypto analysis, that hedge funds are short Bitcoin. This sounds crazy to me.

Ian: Me too. There’s a lot of questions around it. When you look at all these hedge fund managers that are into traditional investments like 60% stock and 40% bonds. Bitcoin doesn’t fit anywhere in there and they don’t know what to do with it. They don’t’ think it will ever overtake gold as a safe haven asset.

There’s a lot of naysayers out there still which is surprising considering it’s survived for 10 years now — almost 11 — and it started out as a fraction of a penny and has grown into a $150 billion asset class all on its own with no promotion other than word of mouth. It’s amazing what it has done so far. It’s an alternative currency.

Paul: Exactly. Both Ian and I are on the record of seeing Bitcoin at much higher numbers. Ian has a $50,000 by end of 2020. Is that right?

Ian: Yes, $50,000 next year and somewhere around $100,000 in 2021.

Paul: I think that’s conservative. I think we might hit $100,000 maybe even by the end of 2020. Here’s why. To me, Bitcoin is the first exponential asset. It runs off a digital mechanism rather than a lineal mechanism which is the stock market, the bond market. In other words, it requires human intervention.

If you think about gold, you have to go dig it out of the ground. There’s a whole process. Bitcoin is completely digital. There’s no physical element to it. It can exponentially grow and it’s already done that. This is why it has so much skepticism because there’s never been an exponential asset in history — this is asset number one. It’s going to be the most valuable.

Ian: There’s never been something like these halving events in any asset before. When the supply is limited by this much on one specific day, that day has a lot of say in the future of Bitcoin. We’ve seen that because after the past few halving events, there’s a gigantic rally by thousands of percent after the supply is cut.

Paul: I went back and modeled the Litecoin halving event to Bitcoin. For sure, it’s setting up to be a minimum of $25,000 to $30,000 the way it models. Most of the people who believe in Bitcoin largely never bat an eye at the volatility. It’s the disbelievers who come to really give us a lot of grief about it.

Ian and I believe in Bitcoin. We think Bitcoin is going to the moon. Everyone can make their own judgment. There is that one indicator that we both track. We should tell people about it.

Ian: A company called Grayscale has their own Bitcoin trust. They own a lot of Bitcoin and sell it as a fraction on the stock market. You can buy shares of the trust backed by Bitcoin. It’s a way of buying Bitcoin on the stock market, which is really interesting and not a lot of people know it exists.

We’ve seen all these headlines and rumors of a Bitcoin ETF, but there already is one and it doesn’t get that much press. It gives us a good indicator because when there’s a lot of bullish or bearish sentiment on Bitcoin you will see the premium of this ETF start to go up or down. Right now it’s trading about 27% above the price of Bitcoin.

The stock market is giving Bitcoin a premium even though it fell 50% in just a few months. That’s a really bullish indicator to me. It’s been as low as 10% and then it bounced from there. Now, like I said, it’s up almost 30% and people are paying a lot more for Bitcoin in the stock market because as of right now more people have stock accounts than crypto accounts.

Paul: It’s a pain to get a crypto account. I have a coin-based account and you probably have one as well, but most people don’t want to deal with that. I can tell you from tracking the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, at the peak in 2017 the premium was something like 130-140%. Ian: It was more than double.

Paul: At the low about this time last year I believe the premium was something like 3-4%. Right now it’s nowhere near as pessimistic as it was back then so there’s no reason to expect the premium to be as low. I don’t believe it has traded at a discount any time recently.

All signs point to Bitcoin going higher sooner rather than later. I feel like we can leave that one right there and move to the next one. I think we should name the Iancast, “Tesla, Bitcoin and Pot.” Ian: That’s what we talk about. It’s the fastest growing things out there.

Paul: It’s also what most millennials like to trade and are invested in. When I did a Tesla, Bitcoin and pot video for my Tuesday Bold Profits, I got 30 comments. I don’t think I’ve ever received 30 comments on anything before. That’s where people are at.

So let’s deal with Tesla. Cybertruck.

Ian: Yea. Cybertruck. Just to start off, Tesla has never had an advertisement before. They’ve never spent on marketing. It’s crazy the publicity this stuff is getting. Literally everybody was talking about the Cybertruck over the weekend. We both pre-ordered one.

I personally love it. I know a lot of people are really skeptical of the design. I think it’s going to grow on people. It’s a steel truck that’s supposedly bulletproof, although the window did break during the promo.

If you throw a steel ball at any other car window it’s going to go right through the car window. Bulletproof glass breaks. It doesn’t shatter but it breaks like that.

Paul: I follow Elon’s tweets. It turns out, when they hit the sledgehammer against the Cybertruck it cracked the window. That’s why when they threw the ball, it shattered the window. Elon said what they should have done is first throw the ball and then hit the Cybertruck with a sledgehammer.

Then the demo would have worked out fine. But, you know, that’s how it is in life. I think they got $100 million worth of free publicity as a result of the windows breaking because everybody felt like they had to show it.

Ian: Yes. And they have more than 200,000 orders already in the first few days for this truck. Paul: I feel like the truck makers depend on trucks and SUVs. Between the Model Y coming out and now with this, it’s really time. Those companies are going to struggle. Maybe some of the others will end up being a competitor, but for now there’s no competition of any kind for Tesla.

Ian: It even blows the gas-powered pickup trucks out of the water. I drive a pretty good truck and the Tesla can tow more, carry more, has a bigger truck bed and it faster. It’s a super powerful truck. I’ve heard a lot of people say it doesn’t appeal to the kind of market that drives pickup trucks.

They want more power. What doesn’t appeal? I guess the design? I think it will grow on people and I don’t see it as a reason not to buy it.

Paul: My reaction was pretty much what everyone else’s was. I didn’t stay up for the launch, but I woke up and looked at it and then I thought, “Whoa, that’s different.” Then about a minute later I thought, “I really like it.” Then five minutes later I thought, “I need to order one.”

Ian: Same here. I woke up and saw it and thought, “That’s weird. That’s actually what it looks like?” But then it grew on me. It’s going to take time. It’s what everyone imagined future cars would look like 20 years ago and now it’s finally here. I think it’s going to grow on people. It’s kind of iconic.

Paul: I’m watching the reaction on Twitter and people are having a slightly slower version of what we went through. It came out and now they think it’s kind of cool. I think this might be as fast selling as the Model 3. People say it’s only a $100 deposit and it doesn’t mean anything. But 200,000 is a lot of people.

Ian: Even if 90% of them cancel that’s more than $1 billion they’re getting from this already. Paul: You looked this up before we got on. What’s the short position in Tesla?

Ian: It’s down. It was just 25% a few weeks ago. It’s down to 16% now.

Paul: I have to tell you, in my entire 25 years of being on Wall Street I have never known a company as large as Tesla carry such a large short position. This is insane.

Ian: They’re different. Different doesn’t appeal on Wall Street. Everyone wants to think the same way, be safe, not get fired for liking some company that everyone else hates.

Paul: They talk about Tesla stock owners and car owners being a cult, but the people who hate Tesla are also a cult.

Ian: Pretty much. They do have a lot of haters — millions.

Paul: They do. I always keep my Sentry Mode on when I drive my car because I don’t want to run across someone who wants to do something to my car. We like Tesla at Bold Profits. You can also see we had a Tesla at our last franchise meeting and it was a super big hit. Amber gunned it and she loved it. We’re trying to persuade everyone to get one.

We’ve done Bitcoin, we’ve done Tesla, what about pot? I was on last week and the stocks all sold off. Then, boom.

Ian: They’re back. It’s going to be a ride, for sure. That’s how bottoms are. It goes up and down fast. Some of these stocks in the pot sector doubled from their bottom and went up 100% in a couple days. You don’t see that when there’s not some big buyer looming in the background.

There’s going to be buying in these stocks. They are bottoming out right now and they’re going to come back up. It’s going to be great. The market is so bearish on these stocks right now because they’ve gone down so much for months. It’s the classic selloff we’ve seen where the end is the worst part. It’s like that with anything in the stock market.

Paul: This is so true, Ian. You are absolutely right. Most people — I’m included in this, I’ve never had perfect timing — start buying probably a month too early. Then they underestimate how much that last drop is going to be. That’s where they get shaken out and they sell.

It’s also where they get emotionally blown out. They are not going to come back. Then they end up missing it.

Ian: They are the ones who push it up at the end toward the bubble phase.

Paul: That’s right. Then they come at the end and signal the very top. I’m going to guess just by the sharpness of the move in the ETF MJ, Canopy, Cronos and Aurora, that there’s a combination of short covering as well as actual long buying going on.

Ian: Yes. Some of these went up 100% in a couple days and a lot of them went up at least 40% in the first initial bounce.

Paul: In my experience, when you have the sharp, off-the-bottom jump of 40-50% it means there’s actually a big buyer. A strong hands buyer that is going to own and is signaling they are going to buy more. This is why market makers keep lifting the price up to find sellers who are willing to sell.

In my experience that’s a good sign. We’re bullish on pot and we have it across a ton of our services. Did you end up putting on that trade for the pot company?

Ian: We did. In Rebound Profit Trader we have a pot trade. We’re probably going to do another one very soon. We’re bullish on that. In Rebound Profit Trader the goal is to get stocks at the bottom and buy call options on them, which go up faster than the stock. You can make hundreds of percent in just a few days by doing that if you time it right.

Here at the bottom of the pot crash we think it’s a really good time to buy calls on these beaten down pot companies.

Paul: We were chatting before on Slack and you said we had eight 60% winners in Rebound Profit Trader? I forget the numbers.

Ian: We’ve had 10 winners in the past month.

Paul: 40%, 60%, something in that range?

Ian: Yes, a lot of them are more than 40%. Biotech has been very strong. We just closed our fourth biotech gain of more than 50% — all four have come within the past week. It’s been a good run. Biotech is looking like a good place to be too.

In our other options service — Rapid Profit Trader — we just closed a biotech gain of about 45%. We only held it for three days. You can make money really fast when you’re in the right place in the market.

Paul: They say biotech is the poor man’s lottery. It’s been true. I have traded a ton of biotech in my life because you can have incredible, fast gains. You put options on top of that and we’re talking about a 12-engine rocket that can zoom up instantly. 45% in three days is just wow.

If you’re interested in any of Ian’s services, he runs two phenomenal options services: Rebound Profit Trader and Rapid Profit Trader. They have slightly different strategies but they have a common goal to make you money really fast. Check into the description below.

A little market update. What are we seeing?

Ian: We’re recording this Monday. Today the market is making all-time highs. I saw the ETF we track for biotech — XBI — is up 4% today. Biotech is still moving higher. S&P 500 is making all-time highs. The Russell 2000, which is the small- and mid-cap stocks is breaking out. It’s at a 52-week high as well.

It’s looking really good right now. It’s looking really good to close the year out.

Paul: Remember, the way we look at the world 52-week highs are important because it shows confidence, it shows people are pushing money in and they’re willing to pay higher prices for it.

If you like the content you are seeing here on the Iancast, subscribe to the channel, give this video a thumbs up, share it with your friends and comment below on what you’ve been experiencing during this bull market. You can also follow me on Twitter @MampillyGuru.

What’s your Twitter, Ian?

Ian: It’s @IanDyerGuru. Give me a follow.

Paul: That’s what we have for this Iancast for today. Ian, we’ll have another one next week. Ian: Yeah. See everyone next week. Have a great weekend and hope you had a good Thanksgiving. Paul: Same here. This is Paul saying bye.

Regards,

Ian Dyer

Editor, Rapid Profit Trader

[carasueachterberg]

I said you wouldn’t hear from me while I am on ‘sabbatical’ in Virginia, but apparently, that isn’t true.

I came here to hike and work on our future home and write and read the stacks of books I brought with me; I didn’t come here to rescue animals. I planned to scrub and build and repair and plant, but instead, I find myself once again, up to my neck in rescuing animals.

The (insert expletive of your choice) man who lived here before us left us his cat. Plus the handful of feral cats he’d been feeding (and a bear that stops by in the mornings in search of whatever the cats didn’t eat).

There was nearly a month between when he moved out and we arrived. Contrary to what many people think, cats can’t always fend for themselves. At least not all of them, and not very well. We noticed a few cats on our previous visit but assumed they’d move along when their food source was gone. Worst case, I’d trap them and get them altered.

By the time we arrived for our extended time here, three of the four cats were mere skeletons. The tiny male orange cat was in the worst shape. All his bones protruded, he moved slowly and looked to be in a daze. His coat was rough and stained and you could see giant ticks hanging like a collection of jelly beans around his neck.

The brown tabby cat who had looked fairly healthy the first time we saw her now looked at us with dull green eyes, scratched at the door, mewling pitifully. Her ears were torn, her coat neglected, her limp belly sagging on a bony frame.

  I watched them for two days. I didn’t feed them – everyone said, “Don’t feed them, they’ll become dependent.”

We won’t be living here fulltime. We will come down as often as we can to continue to renovate the long-neglected cabin, but not often enough to feed these cats regularly. And eventually, we plan to rent the cabin to people and their dogs, so resident cats are truly not in the long-range plans.

But the cats were starving and dehydrated and probably anemic from fleas and ticks. I set out a bowl of water for Flannery on the porch and they flocked to it and drank it dry. There is a creek about a quarter-mile away, but the little stream that cuts through our property is dry this time of year.

I watched them for another day and then couldn’t bear it. “They’re starving to death,” I told Nick. “I can’t just watch.” My cat-allergic husband said nothing because he knows me.

I fed the cats. They couldn’t eat much at first. The little orange boy swatted at the food in frustration. He was too weak. So I went to the store and bought Capstar, a med that makes all the fleas and ticks fall right off – it doesn’t prevent them from coming back though, so I also bought Frontline. I shoved pills down the throats of the two cats who became our hesitant, jumpy friends. I can’t touch and rarely even see the other two.

The brown cat seems to be the mama of the two orange cats, who look like adolescents. We named her Molly Weasley (our cats are Harry Potter characters) and she began to fill out quickly and spends her days waiting at the door for us to let her in (which we don’t). She was obviously the (insert expletive of your choice) man’s former house cat. She and Flannery are bonding. She looks better already, and I will likely take her home with me.

The tiny orange boy kitty (Ian named him Fred Weasley) only looks marginally better. He’s moving better and leaped off the second story porch when Flannery sniffed him. Despite me shoving a pill down his throat the first time he let me touch him, he is hanging around. He seems to know we mean well.

The tiny orange girl kitty (Ginny Weasley) is keeping her distance. She comes to eat when we are not outside, but is still too frightened and we rarely see her.

The big gray tomcat is the only one who seems to be able to take care of himself. He is not starving like the others and only shows up on occasion, never climbs the post to the second story porch where the other cats eat. I don’t know that he’s a tom, I’ve just decided that he is. He doesn’t have a name yet because I haven’t seen him in a week.

I don’t want four cats. But something has to be done. I will only be here another week and a half.

I called the local animal control officer who told me that they ‘don’t deal with cats unless they’re injured’ which seemed an odd response. These cats look pretty injured to me, but he suggested I contact the Warren County Humane Society. So, I did.

And yes, they do have a TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) program, but it’s out of money for the year, and also, they don’t accept strays. They could help me out with their ‘low-cost’ program ($90 per cat for spay plus rabies shot) if I come in and paid in advance and then brought the cats on the designated morning at 7 am and picked them up that night at 8pm.

But what then? I bring the cats back here and release them to starve to death?

There have been many times when I am asked—what about cats? Do you get involved in cat rescue? I always say, “I totally get that the cat crises eclipses the dog problem, but I can’t go there. Not yet.”

The way I see it is that we domesticated dogs and they cannot survive without us. Cats, on the other hand, have a few more resources.

But these four, at least three of them, well, they don’t seem to know how to use those resources.

And while I don’t want to be a cat rescuer, I don’t see that I have a choice here. I will bring Molly and maybe Fred home with me, but I don’t know what to do with Ginny or Tom. I bought traps and paid for two cats to be spayed/neutered and given their rabies. The assigned day was today.

Last night I set two traps, hoping to catch Fred and Ginny. The traps have been under the porch for two weeks, ziptied open, next to the post the cats climb to access the porch. Last night I cut the zipties and placed half a can of sardines in each and hoped for the best. I said goodnight to Molly on the porch and went to bed, hoping she wouldn’t be the cat I trapped.

I got up at 5:30, after a fitfull night dreaming of trapped cats (it was always Tom, so much so that I was certain he was in the trap when I got up). Flannery and I hurried out to check the traps. They were both empty, untriggered, but the sardines were gone.

Not knowing what else to do, I put Molly in my cat carrier and dropped her off at the Humane Society to be spayed. Remembering that I was told the money I paid was nonrefundable, I asked if I could transfer the money for today’s extra spay to the next spay day (a month from now when I will need to make a special trip down here) and try again to catch one of my cats and was told, “I’ll pass this along to the powers that be and we will see.”

I’ve decided not to get angry. Yet. But I have already begun to understand why so many people don’t bother to spay and neuter their pets (or their feral friends) when it is so terribly inconvenient and expensive. I am determined to fix these cats and while I don’t want to spend this much money to do it, I’ll find a way. But what about the person who struggles to pay their own bills? Or what about the person who has to get a ride to the Humane Society or has to work or doesn’t own a trap or a hard-sided carrier or care so much if their cat impregnates another cat? Certainly, it should be easier than this.

If anyone out there is in the market for a cat, let me know. I’d be happy to deliver one to you. If I could just catch one.

Thanks for reading!

If you’d like to know more about my blogs and books, visit CaraWrites.com or subscribe to my occasional e-newsletter.

If you’d like to know more about the book, Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs, visit AnotherGoodDog.org, where you can find more pictures of the dogs from the book (and some of their happily-ever-after stories), information on fostering, and what you can do right now to help shelter animals! You can also purchase a signed copy or several other items whose profits benefit shelter dogs!

If you would like to know more about the situation in our rural animal shelters in the south and the struggle to save dogs, check out my other blog, Who Will Let the Dogs Out.

If you’d like to know how you can volunteer, foster, adopt or donate with OPH, click here. And if you’d like more pictures and videos of my foster dogs past and present, be sure to join the Another Good Dog Facebook group.

I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to comment here on the blog, email carasueachterberg@gmail.com or connect with me on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram.

 Best,

Cara

Released August 2018 from Pegasus Books and available now

  I Didn't Come Here to Rescue Animals but no one told all these cats that... #spayandneuter #TNR #WarrenCounty I said you wouldn’t hear from me while I am on ‘sabbatical’ in Virginia, but apparently, that isn’t true.

[glxrixus-blog]

✩- Dyln

Send ‘✩’ for the following: ACCEPTING

Disagreements:

Who is more likely to raise their voice? DylanWho threatens to leave but never actually does? IanWho actually keeps their word and leaves? DylanWho trashes the house? Neither?Do either of them get physical? Dylan might push him, but nothing more than that.How often do they argue/disagree? 3/10Who is the first to apologise? Depends on what the fight was about.

Sex:

Who is on top? Mot of the time, IanWho is on the bottom? Most of the time, DylanWho has the strangest desires? IanAny kinks? Dylan has a large fascination with markings and choking.Who’s dominant in bed? IanIs head ever in the equation? AbsolutelyIf so, who is better at performing it? L o lEver had sex in public? NoWho moans the most? DylanWho leaves the most marks? Dylan Who screams the loudest? DylanWho is the more experienced of the two? DependsDo they ‘fuck’ or ‘make love’? BothRough or soft? RoughHow long do they usually last? Depends on the situation and how long they’ve been away from each other by that point.Is protection used? Dylan has been told it would be incredibly difficult for her to get pregnant due to her past / current expirience with her eating disorder. But she still takes birth control ( mostly to help with other situations ).Does it ever get boring? NeverWhere is the strangest place they’d have sex? In a fort?

Family:

Do your muses plan on having children/or have children? They haven’t talked about it.If so, how many children do your muses want/have? n/aWho is the favorite parent? It’d probably be IanWho is the authoritative parent? IanWho is more likely to allow the children to have a day off school? DylanWho lets the children indulge in sweets and junk food when the other isn’t around? Both.Who turns up to extra curricular activities to support their children? Both.Who goes to parent teacher interviews? Dylan.Who changes the diapers? Both - and Dylan laughs every single time Ian does.Who gets up in the middle of the night to feed the baby? They take turns.Who spends the most time with the children? Dylan, only because she works from home.Who packs their lunch boxes? Dylan.Who gives their children ‘the talk’? Ian. Dylan would laugh through it far too much.Who cleans up after the kids? Both.Who worries the most? Both.Who are the children more likely to learn their first swear word from? Dylan.

Affection:

Who likes to cuddle? Ian.Who is the little spoon? Dylan.Who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places? Ian.Who struggles to keep their hands to themself? Both.How long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable? They pretty much change positions if one of them is uncomfortable. Cuddling is something they tend to fall into any chance they have for as long as possible.Who gives the most kisses? It’s about even, but maybe, Dylan.What is their favorite non-sexual activity? Making forts or babysitting Jamie.Where is their favorite place to cuddle? In bed.Who is more likely to playfully grope the other?  Ian.How often do they get time to themselves? With Dylan home all day and Ian working, they tend to have more time to themselves than with each other.

Sleeping:

Who snores? Ian.If both do, who snores the loudest? n/aDo they share a bed or sleep separately? They share a bed.If they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart? They pretty much try to be as close as possible, unless Dylan has hit one of her depression downfalls and can’t be touched.Who talks in their sleep? Dylan does if she’s been having nightmares.What do they wear to bed? Nothing??Are either of your muses insomniacs? Dylan.Can sleeping pills be found by the bedside? Absolutely.Do they wrap their limbs around each other or just lay side by side? Dylan pretty much sleeps on Ian.Who wakes up with bed hair? Both.Who wakes up first? Ian.Who prepares breakfast in bed for the other? Ian.What is their favorite sleeping position? Lately, it’s been Ian on his back and Dylan using him as a pillow with their legs wrapped around each other.Who hogs the sheets? Dylan.Do they set an alarm each night? Ian might.Can a television be found in their bedroom? No?Who has nightmares? Dylan.Who has ridiculous dreams? Probably Ian.Who sprawls out and takes up most of the bed? Dylan when she’s trying to be playful.Who makes the bed? Dylan. Only because she gets up after him most of the time.What time is bed time? Whenever they pass out.Any routines/rituals before bed? They tend to share I love you’s and talk before actually trying to sleep.Who’s the grumpiest when they wake up? Ian??

Work:

Who is the busiest? Ian.Who rakes in the highest income? Ian.Are any of your muses unemployed? Technically Dylan.Who takes the most sick days? Dylan.Who is more likely to turn up late to work? Ian - only because Dylan probably would have distracted him.Who sucks up to their boss? Neither.What are their jobs? Ian is in the process of taking over his father’s company known for their work in solar power and renewable resources. Dylan is currently working on her first book.Who stresses the most? Ian.Do your muses enjoy or despise their careers/occupations? Dylan misses working as a reporter but she is enjoying working on her first book. Ian seems pretty happy with his own job, from Dylan’s perspective.Are your muses financially stable? Yes.

Home:

Who does the washing? Dylan.Who takes out the trash? Ian.Who does the ironing? Dylan.Who does the cooking? Dylan.Who is more likely to burn the house down just trying? Ian.Who is messier? Neither, really.Who leaves the toilet roll empty? Probably Dylan.Who leaves their dirty clothes on the floor? Ian.Who forgets to flush the toilet? Neither.Who is the prankster around the house? Ian.Who loses the car keys when it comes time to go somewhere? Dylan.Who mows the lawn? Ian.Who answers the telephone? Whoever is closest to it.Who does the vacuuming? Dylan.Who does the groceries? Dylan.Who takes the longest to shower? They tend to shower together.Who spends the most time in the bathroom? Dylan. Mostly due to finding distractions.

Miscellaneous:

Is money a problem? No.How many cars do they own? Two? Do they own their home or do they rent? n/a.Do they live near the coast or deep in the countryside? Neither, really?Do they live in the city or in the country? City.Do they enjoy their surroundings? Dylan does.What’s their song? They don’t actually have one?What do they do when they’re away from each other? They tend to fill their time to keep themselves from actually thinking too much about being away from each other.Where did they first meet? During one of his family’s charity events. Dylan was working on doing a story over it for the newspaper.How did they first meet? Ian ended up stepping on Dylan’s shoe when neither of them were paying much attention.Who spends the most money when out shopping? Ian.Who’s more likely to flash their assets? Neither.Who finds it amusing when the other trips over? Dylan.Any mental issues? Dylan has an eating disorder, suffers from severe depression & anxiety ( which ties in with her sensory overload ). Who’s terrified of bugs? Neither.Who kills the spiders around the house? Ian.Their favourite place? If Dylan would have to chose one, it’d probably be their own home.Who pays the bills? Ian.Do they have any fears for their future? Dylan is pretty much terrified over everything having to do with the future.Who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner? Ian - if he didn’t cook it.Who uses up all of the hot water? Dylan.Who’s the tallest? Ian.Who’s more likely to just randomly hop into the shower with the other? Both.Who wanders around in their underwear? Dylan.Who sings the loudest when singing along to the radio? Ian.What do they tease each other about? Everything.Who is more likely to cringe at the other’s fashion sense at times? Dylan.Do they have mutual friends? Not really. Mostly just Claire.Who crushed first? Ian.Any alcohol or substance related problems? Dylan used to have a large problem with alcohol when she was younger. But has since gotten a handle on it.Who is more likely to stumble home, drunk, at 3am? Dylan if she falls into one of her depression breakdowns.Who swears the most? Dylan?

[salfordelim]

Neil’s Reflection

This Sunday we will be looking at the second half of the first chapter in Acts 1:12-26. Luke begins to tell the story of how the earliest church navigated really strange times, when they were led from one adventure into another by the Spirit.

But he begins this story by explaining how they found another apostle who would be able to take Judas’ reflecting on the consequence of Judas explaining how the leadership question dealt with that. Luke’s story begins by reminding the reader of the failure of one of those who was called by Jesus. Maybe a strange way to begin a story.

This is an imagined email from the editor to Luke and Luke’s response:

The Book of Acts – First Draft

From: Editor@Bible.com To: Dr.Luke@firstcentury.com

2:37 PM (2 hours ago)

Dear Luke

Thanks for the chance to see your first draft of this second installment in the story of Jesus. We still think it’s a great way of giving people a chance to see the impact Jesus had and it’s an exciting story. I think it’ll be great and we expect that people will be reading this for thousands of years. We think it’ll be a best-seller.

So, taking that into account do you mind if I raise a few problems we have with the way you have begun the story?

In particular, it’s the way you choose to remind people about the problems you had with Judas.I mean it’s fine – it’s just not very encouraging. We feel our readers would want something more encouraging, something that is a bit more upbeat, less … I don’t know how to put it, really … honest I guess.

I mean I know that what happened with Judas was traumatic, tragic even. But I don’t think people want to be reminded of things like that. We know it happened, but do we need to air our dirty linen in public? I don’t think so.

As I see it at this stage, there are two basic problems with what you have written:

1. People want strong leaders. They don’t want to be reminded that leaders fail, that they are the same as us, that they go wrong as much as any of us do. They want to believe that they are so very different that they never face the same temptations. They want them to be perfect, they need them to be perfect.

So could you put more of a heroic spin on your stories?

2. I’m really unhappy about how you describe the selection of Matthias as the 12th man. To be honest, it makes it seem like the rest of them have no succession plan at all. I know that it needed to be someone who’d been with Jesus, but a ballot? Come on, it makes them look weak, uncertain, dependent. Could they not have interviewed people and done some psychometric test to see who would be most suited. (I can’t feel that had Jesus used a StrengthsFinder test or something else he would have weeded Judas out much earlier.)

In brief, I don’t think you are telling this story the best way. It’s giving the impression that the early church was built around people with flaws, people who struggled, people like us. That’s no way to begin a great story!

I look forward to hearing back from you with proposed changes.

Ed

RE: The Book of Acts – First Draft

From: Dr.Luke@firstcentury.com To: Editor@Bible.com

3:37 PM (1 hour ago)

Ed

Thanks for your email and the comments. You are right. It’s no way to start such an exhilarating story. And we might need heroes. The problem was, there weren’t any – not really.

It was just us.

And God… that was the difference!

The story stands.

Luke

Interview

You might be aware that this week the BBC launched a series of education programmes for children at home, BBC Bitesize. One of the people really involved in getting all this off the ground is Jo Wozencroft. I had chance to interview her a couple of weeks ago about what life is like for her at the moment. I hope you enjoy watching it.

News

1. Sunday Gathering

The link to this Sunday’s Gathering is here:

Join our Sunday Zoom meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/836810848 Meeting ID: 836 810 848

This will be the same link we will use up to 10 May.

We are going to be working our way through the Book of Acts. These are great ways of getting an overview of the whole book:

2. Inviting Others

During these strange days, we want to stay growing as church. You might have friends and family who might be interested in staying in touch with us as a church. Ask them to fill out the form on our church website and we will add them to our mailing list.

Sign up for updates from Salford Elim Church

This may be an easy time to invite friends and family to our Gatherings, after all they can be with us from the safety of their own homes. You have nothing to lose, they have a lot to gain!

3. Home Groups

On Thursday evenings from 7.45-9.00 we have three small ‘home’ groups that meet. If you haven’t been part of a group in the past but would like to explore it, you will be very welcome to come along.

The groups are continuing The Prayer Course, so before you come along, make sure you have watched the 7th session. It’s all about listening to God.

Join our Home Group Zoom meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/998857193?pwd=Ni9ZY2pSSWdQcWRvellMWXJYbG5rZz09 Meeting ID: 998 857 193 Password: 820084

4. Friday Prayer Group

The Prayer group continue to meet on Friday mornings. Corinne sends a text around to people with prayer requests so that people can pray at the same time. If you would like to be part of that, contact Corinne directly or Neil.

5. Giving

Thanks for all of you who give to the church as part of your worship. One of the changes that has happened since we can’t meet together is that those of you who used to give to the church on Sunday mornings in the baskets haven’t been able to give. So, this is what you can do:

You can send us a cheque. Make them payable to Salford Elim Church and send them to Bev Walsh, 47 Moorfield Road, Salford, M6 7EY.

You can save it all up and give it to us when you can.

OR ‘Ta da!’ there is another way: You can use your smartphone.

Elim have joined up with Givt, the company that created this solution. First, download the Givt app. Now you can give in the same way you would if you gave cash on Sundays. This is what you need to do:

Open the app.

Choose the amount you want to give.

Choose the third option, give from the List.

Enter the name of the church in the search bar.

Tap ‘give’ at the bottom of your screen.

Finally, press Next to complete the donation. (There is also an option to use the QR code – if you know what that means!)

If you want more information about any of this, do get in touch with Bev Walsh or Neil.

6. You’re not alone

If you need prayer, or to talk, don’t hesitate to contact folks in your WhatsApp group, or Neil – his number is 07771 558058.

Prayers we prayed on Sunday

It was really touching to see all the prayers that were shared on Sunday. We wrote them as we listened to this song.

eople asked if we could let you see them again. You will probably want to say ‘Amen’ to many of the comments, and some you may want to hear as a word of the Lord to you.

Here they are:

Morag Peacock: ‘Can a nation be changed? Show yourself to everyone. Revival – that’s my prayer.’

Emmanuel & Jumi: Yahweh The All Sufficient One

Jill Reynolds: Feel God is making us into pearls – the product of irritation and frustration which is somehow something beautiful. God is going to bring out the ‘worst’ in us, things that we’ve accepted as part of our character, in order to break its power over us. Prov 10:11

Jay and Martha: A prayer for safety – for many of us, we are much safer in our homes currently, but pray for those whose homes aren’t safe. Those in abusive situations, those are stuck with family members who they cannot be themselves safely around, those vulnerable to this illness that are living with key workers who are exposed. May God provide protection.

Emmanuel & Jumi: Be still and know that I am God

Constantin Zabo: I think God is telling us to pay attention to the times and the events around us. And you have to know everything has changed

Helen & Betty: To be open to the Spirit and to be willing to receive the courage and strength to respond.

Hannah Maylor: Good things are coming!

Nev & Lorna Plura: As we go out fill us with your Spirit. I can do nothing without You Lord.

Ian Peacock: I echo Morag’s prayer but also would ask God what he wants us to change as a result of this time. I don’t want us to lose what he is asking of us. Not just us as Christian but for us a society; the principle and gift of Sabbath rest, the refocus on community and relationship above work and money, the relief for the creation God asked us steward…..

Janet Downs: to step out in faith-filled with courage

Nicole Seddon: I pray for peace and that my children/ family (and populace) will feel safe and secure

Jill Reynolds: Also feel that God is moving the boundary stones – the border between races, the border between nations, the borders between ‘I can’ and ‘I can’t’, the people we choose to associate with and those we shun. He is expanding our territory.

Yvonne Simms: to trust Him and be obedient to His calling for me

Adam, Emily & Evelyn: a prayer for peace in the unknown

Steve & Claire: That this enforced “Pause” in life for so many, is an opportunity re-calibrate life and see what is important

Esther Tregilgas: Thank you God that you are in control and have the victory, we can put our trust in you.

Phil Lockett: come Holy Spirit make us bold that we may dare to share the good news and the love of the Lord Jesus Christ

Charlie and Kate Blundell: Go and fish. The seas are all now stirred up, the fish are ready to be caught. Go and fish; they are ready now, but will return to complacency when the waters settle.

Ann Salter: I am reminded constantly that God is a very present help in trouble he is not distant but here with us although this is new to us it’s not new to him who knows the end from the beginning

Gill Oldham: as I have been listening, I was reminded of the report of the spies who went to look at what was there when God was leading them to the promised land-a land flowing with milk & honey-but they didn’t all see the good things, some only saw the giants, but there were also good things there to focus on

Jo Wozencroft: That people will find community and friendship even amongst the isolation. That in the wake of a period of overwhelming division that we find a unity in this.

Jill Reynolds: This will be a time when we set up a memorial – like the children of Israel crossing the Jordan river in Joshua 4 – we will look back on this time and marvel at how far God’s brought us.

Julius Oluseli: It feels , it is a time of Life , we all NEED TO LOOK INWARDS. What is the spirit saying ….

Emmanuel & Jumi: I pray that we will remain Christ-focused and not be distracted by what is happening around us. Amen

Sunita Bih: In my quiet time this morning, I was reading from Luke 24 (road to Emmaus)…one thing that God imprinted on my heart is He is concerned of the physical ails but more our spiritual health-His death and resurrection did more that “restore the nation of Israel” as the disciples had hoped, He made away for us to be reconciled to the Father, for death to self and sin and defeat of the enemy. again in today’s reading, they ask about restoration of Israel and Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God, about being His witnesses…hmmm. our “spiritual health” is more important than our ‘physical health’

Jill Reynolds: Thank you God that we are planted in our society for such a time as this! AMEN!

Constantin Zabo: He wants us to live in the changes of this new time close to him and following his direction. All hearts are ready to receive the good news of Jesus. We have to preach it.

Emmanuel & Jumi: I pray we will remember to appreciate the precious gift of time

Clare and Julian Gittings: that we will be the hands and feet of Jesus in a broken world

Fay Lowe: Someone asked on a programme last night “is the NHS the new religion in Britain, offering hope where the church has failed” I got the question, but it felt so so wrong, the church has a huge potential to bring God’s kingdom on earth. We need to listen for God’s guidance on how best to do this for our community.

MuNatsi’s iPhone: May the Lord make us instruments of His Peace in this time of uncertainty and be the hope that we all need.

[torentialtribute]

Jamie Vardy and Sebastien Haller surge into top 10 and Mason Mount is out in POWER RANKINGS

In a new feature for the 2019-20 season, Sportsmail brings you a Power Rankings table every week with a list of the top 10 hottest players in the Premier League

The stories about the unraveling season, the rankings will offer a guide to players moving in and out of the top 10, depending on both versions in the previous competitions and also in recent weeks.

So, who wins a place in the fourth week of our Power Rankings …

10. Mo Salah (five down)

The Egyptian king is not complete dethroned from the rankings of power, but slips to tenth place.

He looked at a threat in the 3-0 win against Burnley over Turf Moor, hit the post early and it seems too hard to downgrade after such a convincing win.

But there were ugly scenes towards the end of the game when Sadio Mane erupted in anger after Salah chose not to feed him the ball with his goal at his mercy.

It was the second time in the match that the right winger had refused the opportunity to deliver the simple killer pass, the other to Roberto Firmino, and the ranking is in the team for selfishness. It's clear that a healthy competition for Liverpool goals can only help, but Salah's greed came at the expense of the team at the weekend.

Honorable mentions go to Daniel James and Tammy Abraham, who chop Salahs on the spit of the top 10, but he pretty much holds his place.

Mo Salah was not at his best for Liverpool and took the wrong option a few times

POWER RANKINGS

During the 2019-20 season, Sportsmail brings you a Power Rankings every week table, with a list of the top 10 hottest players in the Premier League.

The stories about the unraveling season, the rankings offer a guide with players moving in and out of the top 10, depending on both their performances in the previous week and also in recent weeks.

9. James Maddison (no change)

Maddison entered the sacred site of the top 10 last week and will remain with the ninth.

The Leicester playmaker again delivered a high-quality performance in a 3-1 win over Bournemouth, but it was not in attack that he sparkled.

The 22-year-old is known for his technical skills, but it was his defensive effort that really stood out this week. He got possession of the Foxes eight times and ran opponents with every turn.

Gareth Southgate, who selected him in England last week, will undoubtedly be happy as Brendan Rodgers with the shape of Maddison.

The defense of James Maddison was enormously impressive and he won the ball eight times

8. Sebastien Haller (new entry)

Manuel Pellegrini labeled the mighty Frenchman as a & # 39; complete player & # 39; after he scored in the 2-0 walk from West Ham to victory over Norwich on Saturday.

Haller backed up his support against Watford by adding another to his count and seems perfectly suited for life in the Premier League. There were a few raised eyebrows when the 25-year-old Hammers set their record for £ 45 million from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer, but if it continues to score at this rate, the allowance seems to be pocket money.

He is also only the fourth player to score three in his first three for the club, in the footsteps of Trevor Sinclair, Ian Wright and Demba Ba.

Sebastien Haller came to life in the Premier League as a duck to water

7. Jamie Vardy (new entry)

Now we have a party. The Leicester dangerman again looks like the 2015/16 version of himself and Rodgers builds his attack on the top six around his prized striker.

Vardy & # 39; s first goal against Bournemouth was a typical Vardy-like thing of beauty when he hit Ben Chilwell's long ball over the top, surpassing the defenders with his scorching pace and lobbing the head of the goalkeeper to finish.

His second was very different, but showed how fine tuned these scoring instincts were when he turned over Youri Tielemans' drive and returned the favor after having set up his Belgian teammate earlier in the game.

Jamie Vardy broke the deadlock with a brilliant lob over the Bournemouth goalkeeper

6. Kevin de Bruyne (maximum two)

If he can stay fit, De Bruyne will be at the heart of every success that Manchester City achieves this season.

It took him only 68 seconds to ram the first goal against Brighton and although Sergio Aguero might have stolen the headlines, the Belgian was a constant threat from midfield.

He runs his run perfectly in the area and has the radar and range of passing slab teams apart. Brighton was always a fraction of a second behind in speed of thinking and thinking and according to Bruyne looks for a huge campaign.

Kevin de Bruyne seems to regain his best form after struggling with injury last term

5. Trent Alexander-Arnold (up)

Ronaldinho & lob over David Seaman in 2002? Okay, maybe not entirely. Alexander Arnold & # 39; s opener against Clarets wiped Chris Wood, turned into the air, and dropped into the far corner to help the Reds get started.

Doubtful target panel aside, the young full-back continues to offer Jurgen Klopp so much and stands head and shoulders above most, if not all, right-wing backs of the Premier League.

The 20-year-old also helped with Liverpool's first zero sheet of the season and deserves to jump to a place in the rankings.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was congratulated by Jurgen Klopp after the

4. Teemu Pukki (one down)

The poacher from Norwich slides to the fourth as he was frustrated on the road and dried up his stream of targets for at least a week.

Maybe Daniel Farke is worried about the lack of a plan B and the opposition teams recognize the threat of Pukki, he is taken out of the match.

That said, this is a dive into what has been a powerfully impressive start to life in the Finn's top flight and he only drags Aguero in the race for the golden boot by one.

Teemu Pukki was held in wraps by West Ham and ended his goal score

3. Sergio Aguero (maximum four)

He will never stop scoring? Aguero will still pound them when he plays old-fashioned 78 football.

The Argentinian sent his first home and then followed an absolutely magnificent against the seagulls. He looks fit, sharp and determined to keep Gabriel Jesus firmly in his seat on the replacement couch.

Guardiola called him a & # 39; special talent & # 39; after the game and the 31-year-old also provided an assist for Bernardo Silva. Next up City has recently promoted Norwich and Aguero fantasy football owners will lick their lips.

Sergio Aguero scored twice when Manchester City flew past Brighton at the Etihad

2. Sadio Mane (maximum two)

It is easy to make Mane hiss at the end of Saturday's late kickoff, yet another incredible screen from the left winger.

He would undoubtedly have added to his lonely strike if Salah had put it on a plate in front of him, but the Senegalese will be right back in the mix for the golden boot. Mane's goal was something beautiful, much due to the weight of a Roberto Firmino pass, but you just knew he would bury it in the far corner when he formed it to shoot.

Klopp laughed at the histrionics as competitive overcrowded juices and the Liverpool front three usually sing from the same hymn sheet despite internal competition. At this moment Mane is singing the sweetest melody of the trio.

Sadio Mane (left) was furious with Mo Salah on the weekend on what was observed egoism

1. Raheem Sterling (no change)

He will not be easy to shift. The Englishman, who puts his fellow left winger in the top position, remains the supreme leader of the power ranking, undoubtedly the name he has always wanted.

Sterling could not add to his scoring statistics, but was always a threat to Brighton's defense and is approaching the international break with confidence.

It seems that the 24-year-old is improving every season and is rapidly developing into a leader for both club and country. He is our number 1 and can milk the glory in the coming weeks before the Premier League returns.

Raheem Sterling caused the Brighton defense all kinds of problems and stays in the top place

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[ralbeleren]

Accidental Dating/Accidental married, Mermaid AU, Pretty Woman AU, Didn’t know they were dating, A Dark Night in Cincinnati, Abusive Relationship AU, Witch/Witch’s Familiar AU, 1950s Infidelity AU, UGH Whatever, Psalm 91:11 >___>, I See the God Among Me, Fall Among Me, Found Family, and kill the lights

Cut for length! Only one of these didn’t have a snippet to post. 

Accidental Dating/Accidental Married: 

“First round is on me.” José squints at him a little bit, but he doesn’t protest, just sips on his drink and props his chin in his hand, watching James through half-lidded eyes. James tries to pretend that he doesn’t actually notice and that his palms aren’t sweating. It’s nerves; this could go really badly. “I’m not really sure how to go about this but…” James starts and looks at the bottles lining the wall, “… I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind doing me a favor.” José frowns a little, but sits up straighter. “Here I was, thinking you just like my company.” “No, it’s not that.” James says. “Dunno how you think that gonna make me wanna do you a favor.” “That’s not what I meant.” José raises his brows. “I mean, I need your help.” “I not agreeing to something before you tell me what it is, wasn’t born yesterday.” James doesn’t really know how to bring it up.

Mermaid AU:

He’d learnt, but he never stopped loving the water. When he’s about 12, his daddy lets him fish with them. The boat gleams in the summer sun. There’s a gleam of bright bejeweled blue and James wonders if he’s seeing things, as he’s sure he sees tails far too large to be any fish swimming in the murky depths. When he says as such, his dad brushes it off as old wives tales. James is about 12 when he sees his first merman. He can’t be much older than James, with dark hair and tanned skin, and a gleaming blue tail with the occasional red scale. He’s caught in one of the weighted nets, arms and tail tangled with it. James knows it’s one of those big crab hauling nets that their neighbors use and technically, he’s not supposed to be over in their yard. But vaguely, he remembers the pearl, remembers the tail and– not enough. But he wonders that maybe, maybe that was what saved him. “A life for a life.” James murmurs to himself and he picks his way over to the net. The merman struggles. “Shh, it’s okay.” James has a dog that he attempts to calm the same way, but the kid glares at him, dark eyes defiant and angry. James pulls out his fishing knife and starts to cut the rope netting. He has to saw at it, watching the strands break and snap, until he’s cut the net enough to let the merman free. 

Pretty Woman AU: 

This never got started but it was going to be Verlander and someone-- Scherzer I think, maybe? That was a prompt fill for the MLB Fic Exchange but I never got around to writing it because of the timing. 

Didn’t Know They Were Dating: 

José looks miserable, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Was Boston colder?" James asks, the wind chapping his face as he leads José to his truck. José looks stung when James asks about Boston and James files the reaction away as José doesn't answer. It must be a sore spot still. He can imagine why, he wonders if that was why José was looking so upset at his phone.

"How you adjust? Is different than…" José squints at him. "Nebraska?"

"I should kick ya out of the car. Arkansas. But I grew up in California. And we had snow in Arkansas."

José chooses to turn the radio on instead and changes it from 99.5, jabbing at the seek button like it offended him.

A Dark Night in Cincinnati: 

“Is this a fire extinguisher?” Carson’s tone is incredulous and Guardian’s mouth presses into a flat line. Tony runs a hand through his dark brown hair and his brow furrows slightly.

“Of course it isn’t,” Tony says, shaking his head at him, “I’m not some kind of amateur.” Tony crosses his arms over his chest, a motion which causes him to twist his face a little and quickly uncross them. Guardian puts a hand to his elbow lightly.

“I mean, it’s a flame retardant chemical that’s been compressed…” Tony started.

“So it is--”“Let me finish,” Tony snaps at him. Guardian sighs a little, eyes moving towards the ceiling. Tony huffs at Carson. “Can you believe this guy?” “Tony,” Guardian’s tone is stern, but quiet.

“FINE,” Tony says and he turns back to Carson. “It has power dampening properties too.”

Carson frowns at that.

“That seems like a dangerous road to go down…” “And I suppose you would rather that Spitfire just continues to run rampant then?” Tony counters. Carson frowns even more.

“Just seems a slippery slope, that’s all.”

Abusive Relationship AU:

Jose always wears wristbands when they're on the field. And James watches him pull them on, sees the faint, fading marks on his wrists. They're faintly yellow, almost gone.

James frowns a little as he notices them and he moves over to Jose. He grabs his hand and prevents him from finishing putting on the bands. There is loud Spanish reggaeton playing from a boombox and James takes a quick glance around to make sure that no one is paying attention.

"What happened?" James asks. José frowns and jerks his hand away from James's grip.

"Was just an accident." José finishes tugging on his wrist bands. "You probably dunno how it is, when a pretty chica wanna play around."

James raises his brow at him.

"Play around?" James repeats.

José nods a little but he doesn't meet James's eyes.

"Yeah, you know, she likes to tie you up and play around."

James can't help but imagine that and his cheeks flush red.

"Forget I asked." James shakes his head a little.

José laughs -- but it sounds a little forced. James doesn't know if he knows José well enough to know it's fake, but it's just lacking something that he's heard before. James frowns a little at José and squeezes his shoulder. 

Witch/Witch’s Familiar AU:

James remembers dying. When he closes his eyes he can still feel it sometimes. The sharpness of steel between his ribs, and the way the blood felt as it trickled from the corner of his mouth. He remembers laying there, with surprise and horror, unable to move, staring up at the brilliant blue sky-- so bright it almost hurts.

It was a beautiful day to die on and sometimes when he dreams, he dreams of that.

He remembers that he dies and that his name was lost-- so he keeps it burned into the back of his tongue like a word he can't quite get out, that he chokes on when he introduces himself.

James doesn't know why he was reborn-- perhaps just the way it goes, when someone is praying for a miracle, any miracle.

When he's young, skinned his knees and his mom is wiping them up with astringent peroxide, bubbling away the infection, she tells him he was her miracle baby. How he almost died.

James remembers dying, but then he forgets.

1950s Infidelity AU:

He makes his way downstairs and grabs the newspaper and some coffee, looking at the headline. He reads through the article about GM and the UAW but the looming threat of the strike at the Ford plant he works at causes him to quickly flip through the pages, leaving behind the more serious stuff to check out something else.

There's a real fear there looming, although it wasn't too long ago that things were negotiated differently, and that the threat of a strike was eased off of. But the worry still settles there like a lump of coal low in his belly. Christian and Kane and Jess don't deserve the leanness of having to tighten their belt loops if James was to be out of work.

He reads through the sports pages and tries not to feel some kind of way, looking through baseball news.

"That Bucky Harris is a smart one." James says to himself, mostly, looking at the rainout news and what the plans had been, the all-righty line-up versus a southpaw. Too bad for the rain and he eventually puts the paper aside to work on getting breakfast.

The twins fight over the comics page, until Jess hushes them and takes the paper away.

"Have a good day at work, hon." Jess kisses him on the cheek and flutters away to do the dishes, sending the kids upstairs to get dressed for whatever they planned to do that day, and James heads off with his leg still aching.

Fear still settling in the bottom of his stomach.

But it should be okay-- he's certainly survived worse. His street is relatively quiet this early, muggy and humid, it feels like breathing in water. It's gonna be a long day and on the ride to work, he's already sweating through his dress shirt.

UGH Whatever: 

Los Angeles has been hard. He doesn't mind. He knows-- he feels-- this team is going to get him what he wants. Not that it changes the fact that he misses Detroit and the culture and the grind. Or that he misses Texas in spite of how he felt he was treated.

But it feels like ages ago. The feeling fades and the anger becomes more manageable and more secret. He doesn't wear it on his sleeve as much.

He had wanted to retire with Detroit, in Detroit. But he knows it's business, it's all business. Wants and desires only extend so far. And Ian, as much as he misses the other places, he has his own desires too. He wants to win a ring. He wants to have a shot at the hall of fame. He wants those things, with the prestige. The parades.

And while he has his preference whether he's wearing Angels red or anything else, he doesn't care as long as he can raise that World Series trophy. He's a gamer. He works hard and he doesn't know if deserves is a good word. But he wants.

It's a powerful thing, to want.

He knows he's lucky too. As he checks up on his old friends. Naps is out for the year, maybe the rest of his life depending. They're not young guys anymore, harder to bounce back from surgery. Harder to get back right after being out for so long. (It makes him feel a dread of mortality, his age looming like a spectre behind him, waiting for the one misstep before it makes itself apparent.)  

It wasn't that long ago the same thing happened to C.J., going for surgery and never coming back. And shit, things with Josh.

Then there's guys who had gotten to the top, now toiling away in the minor leagues. Salty is doing that and he had a World Series ring. He knows all this stuff is fleeting and he tries hard not to think too much about Salty.

Psalm 91:11 :

Daniel sees God in all things. The people that he meets, the stories he hears, the places that he goes -- where he searches for peace amidst a troubled soul, and everything else on the Earth.

Things aren't coincidence to him, they are the points he needs to be. It wasn't a stroke of luck, but the hand of God himself that gave him his love and talent for baseball, but the mind to stay humble.

In small ways, this is reinforced and in large ways too. Daniel doesn't believe in coincidence. He believes in Fate, he believes in a divine plan. He believes that he is wholly created to be just as he is -- flaws and all.

It's difficult sometimes. It's hard to reconcile his concept of a loving God when horrors happen. It's difficult to figure out why he was blessed and others weren't. He wishes he has an answer, he wishes he knew what made him worthy. What makes him special. Surely, everyone in their own way, but when he gives money to a homeless person, knowing that will never be him, he feels as though there's something.

Daniel often meditates on this, when he's standing on the beach with the waves lapping against the bared skin of his ankles.

I See the God Among Me, Fall Among Me: 

Nick hates to see James cry. He hasn't seen it a lot -- mostly due to injuries-- back in the clubhouse away from the cameras. But he still hates it. He still feels a grip of something like panic settle in the center of his chest and clench in so tight he almost forgets how to breathe.

But this -- this is different. It's worse. It's nothing anyone could have prepared him for. James had wanted to be a dad so bad and for this to happen has crushed him. Nick wishes he has some special thing to say, or a place to lay his words that would banish the hurt.

Found Family:

He supposes someone whose kid looks up to him as a role model though isn’t going to be inclined to be forgiving. Or to care about the jumbled mess in his mind. They wouldn’t care about how he’s always desired to wander free or just be himself and do his own thing. But he’s always been beholden to someone or something else.

When Jess left, that restraint left too.

But no one would care-- if he was getting his grief out or if he was just rebelling against years and years of an institutional demand to hold everything back. Those parents wouldn’t care. That wasn’t their problem. Their problem was knowing what he was like away from the ball club.

So publicized too.

He thinks maybe it’ll blow over.

But the guys are the guys and of course there are jokes. He isn’t sure who put the blow up doll in his locker down in Lakeland, there’s too many people laughing to really pin it down and he’d be lying to say if his cheeks didn’t burn.

This humiliation is nothing -- nothing at all -- compared to his first Spring Training start. There’s an honest to god protest and he’s not entirely sure what to do. They’re set up behind home plate, jeering and quoting stuff at him. He’s sure it’s not the Florida sun making his neck feel so hot.

James wants to tell them to fuck off. But there’s small spaces of him that feels that they’re right.

“Damn man,” The Houston batter up in front of him says, “You really making some enemies out here.”

James doesn’t recognize him and he stands up and gets in his face, shoving him in the chest as anger that’s been bubbling up for a while now explodes off of him like a firework. Sudden and bright and loud.

“Maybe shut your fucking mouth,” James hisses at him and throws a punch. One of the new kids he doesn’t know yet has his arms around him almost as soon as his arm goes round-- trying to pull him back. And the batter is getting held out of the way by the umpire but he gets ejected and he can’t even care.

kill the lights:

His mama always told him it'd been something that he was making up, but he doesn't think he could have maintained a charade like that for so many years; pretending there was something there wasn't, just to stick it to her that he wasn't just imagining it. But he'd stopped mentioning it to her. He'd stopped mentioning it to anyone.

Somehow, it's stronger in Detroit.

When he lays in his bed at home, he hears it calling. The sound of it lulling, almost like a siren song. The hissing almost sounding like whispering. Saying his name, calling him closer. Like a voice down so many distant halls, echoing like the breezes stirred the curtains. Calling him endlessly in the darkness.

He tries to shake it off, like he always does, and he never succeeds. Why can't he shut it out? Why does he get out of his bed and follow the noise. Walking towards the back part of the house and into the backyard.

It's midnight-- ink black with just the dim white light from a street lamp lighting one corner. There's a hatch there, like those old tornado shelter ones he's seen in Kansas, with rusted handles, and old wood that's a little bit cracked and splintered.

Had that been here when he'd bought this house? It's weird he suddenly can't remember and he bites down on his lower lip and considers going down there. He reaches the spot and grabs the handle which is cold enough to make his hand feel like he shoved it into an icebath despite the July humidity making his hair stick to his forehead and beads of sweat to prickle all over his skin, make his shirt cling to his shoulders.

"It's cold," Mikie says, mostly to himself and jerks his hand back. There's an odd line like he's been branded that flashes on his palm for a moment, before it disappears and he's sure he's imagined it. There's some shrill inhuman shriek he hears and it's right in his ear but it's also echoing beneath him and some birds spook from a nearby weeping willow and flutter off in the night.

He feels a chill go through him and when he turns back, the hatch is gone.

[traversetheatre]

10 Questions with Clare Duffy

[3 minute read]

Clare Duffy is a playwright and director. We welcome her play Arctic Oil to Traverse 1 next week. Here are her answers to our 10 Questions…

Clare Duffy. Image: Lauren McLay

1. What sparked the original idea for this piece and how has it evolved?

The original idea for Arctic Oil was the arrest of the Arctic 30 in 2013. I thought it was just so extraordinary that a peaceful protest, in international waters, was shot at and the activists arrested. They were held in prison for 3 months. I thought I was going to write a play about the group dynamics of working in a large team on a boat. Then I had my son in the middle of writing this play and when I came back to it after 6 months I had to completely re-imagined it. I still had the same concerns about how interpersonal politics play out against the global. But I couldn’t help re-thinking the context as I struggled with sleep deprivation and balancing work with parenthood. So the play became about how someone might feel ‘left behind’ from such a heroic team, watching the world through the context of nappies and sleeplessness. It became a much more personal and emotional play thanks to my son, partner and our first couple of years working out how to be parents.

2. What three words would you use to sum up the play?

BIG BIG LOVE. 3. How do you want audiences to feel having watched the show?

This is tricky because people will feel what they feel. I don’t have any idea what I want them to feel. But I do want them to feel. I would be really proud if it made people feel something.

Neshla Caplan in rehearsals for Arctic Oil. Image: Lauren McLay

4. Do you have a favourite line or moment in the play? I like really like it when the mother shows the daughter the inside of her mouth. 5. Can you tell us about your writing environment? 

It depends. Sometimes I write in bed propped up on cushions under a duvet and it’s as if I forget about my body entirely and I go into the world of the play I’m writing. Sometimes I sit on public benches and scribble in notepads with a pencil. Sometimes I like pulling a table in front of a window at home and when I’m stuck I can look at the trees, birds, cats and all things outside. I do quite a lot of writing when I’m walking too. Just pounding through the characters’ lines and actions as I walk. Then there is always a stage when the whole thing gets broken down into titles on postcards and put up in different colours on the wall. 6. If you could spend a day with the characters in Arctic Oil what would you do together?

Eat breakfast in the morning. Full Scottish for Margret and full vegan for Ella. I’d have poached eggs with smoked salmon. Then we’d go for a walk along a beach. Probably St Ninian's beach because it’s so beautiful. Then we would go for a big pub lunch somewhere good but not too expensive. We might go and see a film together in the afternoon but it would have to be a relaxed screening because Sam (Ella’s son) is only 18 months right now. He could probably have a nap. Then we’d go home and watch TV and drink wine after Sam went to sleep. I think we would have a lovely time. As long as we didn’t talk about politics.

Jennifer Black and Neshla Caplan in rehearsals for Arctic Oil. Image: Lauren McLay 7. Can you tell us about your first play?    The first full-length play I wrote was called Crossings. It was inspired by my work as an LGBTQ+ youth worker. It was about a young girl who drags her girlfriend on the hunt for the killer of her best friend. It was a ghost story and a road story. It meant a lot to me. 

8. Going on from that, what advice would you give to your younger playwriting self? I wish I could have told my younger self to have more confidence. That just turning up every day to write, to think and work is the start of everything. It would be great wouldn’t it, not to doubt or be anxious about your work. I don’t know how possible it is really. Maybe self-doubt is part of what keeps you trying again and again. My mum always says ‘nothing is ever wasted’, she’s quoting the visual artist Bill Viola and it’s so true. All the mistakes and hardest moments are also the start of all the best things.

Jennifer Black in rehearsals for Arctic Oil. Image: Lauren McLay 9. What has been your most memorable theatre experience – either as a member of the audience or as part of the creative team? I went to a workshop when I was still a student at the National Student Drama Festival. The workshop leader led a discussion about just this. Out of the whole group of about 40 there were only a couple of people who said a moment of writing was their most memorable experience. I was one of them. I saw Ian McKellen doing Richard III. His final speech was so thrilling. The workshop leader pointed out that it took Ian McKellen and Shakespeare for the most memorable theatre experience to be about writing. That’s always stayed with me. More recently I found the libation giving at the opening to The Supplicant Women hugely moving. I love theatre that makes the audience aware of its presence as an audience, as a civic entity and this gesture captured that beautifully for me.

10. Are there any websites, books or other resources that you find particularly useful as a playwright? I have loved being part of the Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland. Being a mentor has taught me huge amounts. They offer so many resources not least the chance to meet other writers. I also found being part of the Scottish Society of Playwrights massively important and helpful. The Arvon Foundation is really useful both as a participant and a course leader. I love reading about writing and writers. Most recently I read Margret Atwood’s On Writing and Writers, which was really great.

Arctic Oil Thu 9 - Sat 20 Oct BOOK NOW