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ragehappysecretsanta · 7 years ago

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Raising the Bar

Author: https://gala0apples.tumblr.com/

Recipient: http://samijen.tumblr.com

Summary: AHWU has gotten much more entertaining since they added the mailbag section. It’s pretty hard to beat a bouncy castle. Isn’t it?

Warnings: the rating is NC17. This fic contains under-negotiated kink.

Wordcount: 3223

Ao3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12916137

It’s not like any of the main room are avoidant of mail-day poor life choices. Maybe Geoff-- His soul is so crushed there’s no room left for shenanigans. But Ryan has a truly formidable weapon collection that he likes to juggle at random. Gavin keeps creating games that are half for Olympic hopefuls, half for the kinkily masochistic. Jeremy can admit he’s made a few bad choices when it comes to food. That all said, Jeremy never expected to enter the poor decision realm of whether it’s appropriate to bust a nut at work.

His weakness for Michael is well-known on many levels. The audience knows of it on the level of him never actively proclaiming hate for Michael, which he does with Geoff and Gavin, and in this case the absence of the standard negative is a rare positive. Gavin knows it in that he acts like he’s discovered a cheat code; attempt to bet Michael with half a dozen ludicrous and dangerous activities and a few will trickle down to Jeremy. The deepest level is Geoff being the only one in the office to know he’s bi, and more than that, has feelings about the perpetually single Michael Jones.

It all comes down to chance. If Jack or Ryan had opened it, it probably would have been tossed straight away. If Gavin, another weird against OSHA game. But it’s Michael who opens the small package addressed to the main room. It’s Michael who pulls out a black leather collar. And it’s Michael who decides that, just like the nurse outfit, the boxers at RTX 2015, and the lady killer sweater, this is something that the audience wants to see. For some reason unknown even to God, he puts it on.

Jeremy is electrocuted into dead silence as Michael straps the leather around his own neck. Anything he could say would only draw attention to himself, but it’s not for self-preservation that he doesn’t speak. His brain just drops the feed to his mouth. He doesn’t even blame his poor overloaded think-box. Who could manage coherence with a thin inch of black bisecting Michael’s neck, meeting in the middle of his adam’s apple by way of a large silver ring? It’s just impossible.

Eventually self preservation kicks in. Jeremy retreats from the main camera area to his desk so he can start setting up the transport needed in GTA. It’s basically busywork until Jack and Trevor and Matt get in, but it gives him good reason to be at his computer instead of wandering through the room contributing comments and opening presents like he normally would.

In an instant it happens. Michael looks over and notices that Jeremy is hard before Jeremy can notice that Michael is looking at him. Jeremy turns his chair the moment he sees Michael’s focus of attention, but it’s too late. He’s been outed. To Michael, of all conceivable people. It’s Jeremy’s worst nightmare. Maybe he would have come out eventually. Jon and Mariel both managed with no big fuss. But that would definitely have waited until Jeremy felt like he’d gotten over him, until he had nothing to hide anymore. This is nowhere close to that time.

Michael’s reaction is... not what Jeremy would have expected. First he makes a groan of disgust, and Jeremy feels like he’s covered in lightning. All of his skin is crawling, and an instant headache is coming on. Michael’s going to point out exactly what has disgusted him, and Jeremy’s going to have to go jump off of a bridge. But he’s going to be a goddamn man about it. He twists his chair back to look in Michael’s direction, as do a few of the other guys in the room. If Michael’s going to call him out, he’s going to do it holding eye contact. Except instead Michael throws a hand to his stomach, and curls over himself. “Oh, fuck. Ughh. I’m constipated as fuck.”

“Oh no, boi,” Gavin says.

Michael turns to look Jeremy directly in the eye. “I’m going to the shitter. Might not come out until something happens.”

That means something, right? It has to mean something. Jeremy’s got a life long relationship with Fate saying it’s something, and after Fate has pulled through on the big stuff, like winning bronze at the biggest gymnastics event he ever attended, and a job at Rooster Teeth, Jeremy tries to listen to the sense that certain things are meant to be.

There’s not a lot of stealth ways to directly follow Michael out of the room, but Jeremy tries to brainstorm. He considers for the briefest of moments making a big deal of taking a camera with him like he’s gonna go cause a ruckus somewhere, but that’s rejected. What if Gavin or Trevor wants to join in? Jeremy also rejects the idea of claiming he has a meeting. It just raises too many questions, like what is it that can’t be said by text or slack, that only pertains to him. Not to mention the other party might be asked something and, fairly, be completely clueless and not cover for him. In the end it’s easiest to just leave the room without saying anything at all.

Michael is not actually in the nearest washroom. For a moment Jeremy feels sick. Sad and pathetic. Is he really that desperate that he interpreted Michael needing to have a dump as being all about him? Talk about stereotypical queer, picking up signals that aren’t there from the straight boy. Except, no. If Michael really did just need to crap instead of trading handjobs, he totally would be in one of these stalls, making it reek. The only thing that makes sense is he must have taken advantage of Rooster Teeth being a more multi-platform company than ever. The live action production staff have tiny bathrooms with individual toilets and showers for when the slime or blood or dirt has to go under the collar and past the hems.

With the confidence that only the horny can have, Jeremy knocks on the first locked door and calls out in a fierce whisper “Michael?” Fuck, please let him be right. Please let him be right.

His answer comes in the form of the door clicking as it unlocks. Jeremy’s stomach hurts. He’s on the precipice of success, yeah. But that only means if Michael pulls out a camera to document the joke -or even more terrifyingly, it is queerbait and now he’s going to kick the shit out of him- this is the moment he falls off the cliff into brutal jagged rocks. But there’s no way, right? He’s corrected Gavin’s pronouns for Kdin, he’s laughed at Geoff’s circlejerk stories, he’s never been weird around Max Krumke or Patrick. He can’t be Westboro Church in a New Jersey package. “Michael?”

“Hey,” Michael says in return. This doesn’t look like a set up. Michael seems totally normal, apart from the fetish-wear that Jeremy is having trouble looking away from. The anxiety melts away as quickly as it flared up.

“Was that a summons, or just overshare about your bowels?”

Michael drops onto his knees, light coloured denim totally incongruous with the faux woodgrain linoleum. He arches his head back so the leather cinched around his throat is bared. The light makes the O-ring glint. “What do you think?”

Jeremy is frozen for an eternity, the lifespan of a star. There’s no way this is actually happening, right? Fate guiding him towards goodness or not, this is insane.

Jeremy suddenly thinks of two thick bands of tough leather wrapped around both of Michael’s biceps, the muscles he’s working so hard to enhance. They would pin Michael’s arms to his side, and a strap connecting them across his back would prevent him from struggling for leverage. That mental image is the last straw. Jeremy shrugs off his overshirt, and impatiently tugs the hem out of his jeans so the undershirt can go next. He might not need to get naked right away, but he can at least flash some skin in a way that Michael might be into. He knows barrel chested isn’t a body type for everyone, but considering Michael’s actively working towards it, Jeremy’s feeling pretty confident. Pretty hot.

Michael knee walks a few steps closer until he’s within touching distance. It’s not quite crawling to master, but it’s a hell of a lot more than Jeremy could have reasonably expected. Michael snakes his arms around Jeremy’s hips to grab his ass and pull him in closer. Like he would have resisted. Michael breathes heavily on his groin, face a weight on his upper thigh. Jeremy bites his lips as he feels the noticeable difference in temperature. Even if Michael nopes out in the next second, Jeremy will always have this sensation. He’ll jerk off to Michael’s hot breath gliding over his dick for the next twenty years.

Jeremy runs his fingers through Michael’s hair -not the loose mass of curls it used to be, but it’s still got some texture- before letting his right hand drift lower to Michael’s neck. The collar feels as prominent as it looked. It’s a ridge against Michael’s throat that separates the valleys between normal and kinky. In this moment he feels like he could stand like this for hours, holding Michael in place with a simmer of lust never quite boiling over. That’s the kind of kink, though, that needs a lot of negotiation first. Daydreams aside, Jeremy knows that’s not what’s going on here. He pulls his hand back up and uses both to push Michael’s head away from his junk. Not that he really wants to escape that hot air, but he needs the room to get his pants down.

It’s the work of seconds to get his dick out. Michael’s face looks so good, freckled and waiting, that Jeremy almost hates to bring him back close and obscure it. He’s a little too into this, he thinks. He cares more than Michael does. But he’s dominant, and that feeling of desperation to control and protect is never going to go away, so better to just deal with it. Sooner or later he’ll find someone who wants to be the recipient of all those strong feelings. Until then Jeremy knows he needs to chill the fuck out, and offer only as much dominance as his partner will accept.

Michael doesn’t have much finesse. There’s not a lot of technique, like concentrating on the head, or following the veins. What he does have working in his favour is an apparent lack of reflex. It makes sense, Jeremy figures with the tiny fraction of brain he has that’s not fixated on the experience. How many early days videos are there of Michael eating some horrifying crap and downing it without blinking while people like Burnie and Gav die one bite in? His throat must be hella desensitized. Still, Jeremy doesn’t feel too bad for not making the logic leap of ‘can drink a full bottle of barbeque sauce without gagging’ to ‘can swallow my cock without gagging’. In fact, he’s sort of happy he didn’t waste months daydreaming all iterations of it. Michael’s skill is a pleasant surprise. You could even say a mind fuck, based on the way Jeremy thinks his entire conscious being might fucking combust and burn to nothing. Michael’s nose is against his pubes, literally there, which means he’s easily accepting six inches of cock.

With the last vestiges of brainpower he pulls out. He needs to make sure Michael is okay with this, that it’s not just what he thinks Jeremy wants. What if he actually hates deepthroating, but previous lovers have demanded it? It’s only hot to demand when both parties have agreed to put demanding on the table.

“Should we- shit, fuuuck.” Michael’s chosen to ignore Jeremy’s move of pulling out, he’s gone right back to sucking him. It’s a bit of a struggle to focus, but Jeremy continues his line of thought. “Should we pick safewords or something?” All the porn that Jeremy watches that’s not completely ludicrous and terrible have subs picking them out, even if they never use them.

Michael’s the one to move away this time, just enough so to look Jeremy in the face so he can see his unimpressed raised eyebrows. “I’m blowing you, we’re not dripping hot candlewax up my asshole. We’re fine.”

“Okay. Uh, but-”

Michael doesn’t let him stay on that track any longer. He resumes the blowjob and it cuts all of Jeremy’s coherence. See, the problem -does it count as a problem if it’s awesome?- is this time it’s different. Michael’s started like, humming or talking to himself or something. Jeremy would find it endearing, the way Michael’s never stops talking, if he wasn’t gripping the sink counter trying to not fall over. The vibrations- christ on a dinner plate, Jeremy can feel every single vibration.

He loses control for a moment when he comes. Yet another thing they didn’t lay down guidelines for; fluid exchange. Only in this case Jeremy doesn’t give Michael much of a choice. He slips his fingertips between the collar and Michael’s neck and all but holds him in place. Jeremy can feel Michael’s throat quivering as he swallows. It might be one of the best orgasms of his life, or at least one most true to his kinky fantasies.

Of course, next up is making this as good for Michael as it has been for him. Jeremy’s mind runs wild with scenarios. He wants to tie Michael with both their belts like a really thick shibari and blow him. He wants to make Michael keep blowing him until he gets hard again and can fuck him. He wants Michael to be submissive enough to be okay with not coming because his master did. He wants to spank Jersey Boy until he comes from sensation alone, crying, body confused if it’s in agony or ecstasy. However, none of those have been negotiated for, and Jeremy’s well aware that they’re odd enough choices that he can’t just start doing one.

“Stand up, man.”

Michael does, still licking his lips. Licking up the spunk that overflowed from his open mouth. Honest to god, Jeremy might have to draw this from memory at home tonight. Jeremy unbuckles Michael’s belt and tugs down his jeans. That Michael’s letting him be a little rough isn’t surprising at this point, but it still thrills him.

Barring other, more extreme options, Jeremy decides on a handjob. Who doesn’t like a handjob? He spits into his hand to ease the stroke, but Michael is evidently the kind of guy who produces precome like a mo’fo. Each pass from head to base and back Michael feels a little wetter. As he gets closer to the edge he curls down on himself again, this time a genuine movement. His forehead ends up buried in Jeremy’s shoulder and they have enough height difference that it’s actually a significant bend. For the second time today, Jeremy has to bite the inside of his cheek as he feels Michael’s hot damp breath heat his skin. A newfound kink of his, apparently, though god knows how he’ll search for it on XTube.

Jeremy’s careful about the angle of Michael’s cock when he comes. Thank the Gods of Quick Cleanup, it ends up mostly on the floor instead of on their clothes.

Michael doesn’t seem to be one for a long afterglow. Or maybe it’s just the circumstances. Either way, he’s picking up his jeans far before Jeremy’s ready to stop looking at his hot, spent body. It’s Jeremy’s cue to rinse his hands in the sink and start fixing his own clothes. His undershirt gets stuck to his sweaty skin, and it’s a bitch and a half to tug it into place.

There they are, both standing dressed and ready for life to go on. Except Jeremy’s not completely sure how to make that happen. “What do we do now?”

“Well you should go find some shit to explain why you’ve been gone, and I’m gonna play Crossy Road on my phone for ten minutes to really drive home the illusion of ass-shattering fast food shits.”

“Um, okay. Yeah that makes sense.” Fuck, what did he even say when he left the room? It was less than twenty minutes ago, but his brain has offloaded that memory to better imprint this one.

Michael watches for a minute then continues, “but that’s clearly not what you meant, because you’re still standing here, so, what?”

Man is this not the sweetest post-orgasm pillow talk Jeremy’s ever had. And definitely nothing like how his aftercare kink fantasies go either. “I dunno.”

“Jeremy!” Michael snaps.

“Look, do you want to play video games after work maybe. Or maybe more sex?”

“Depends. Do you want me to keep the collar?”

How in the sweet fucking hell is Jeremy supposed to answer that? The honest answer is Jeremy has spent the last ten years gathering a porn collection where two or more individuals do brutal shit, exert each other enough that it has to end with cuddling and soothing words and spreading arnica over the worst of the bruises. But if Michael doesn’t lean that way -and honestly all accounts point to Michael having more of a dressing up fetish than anything else- it might be off-putting as fuck. Why else would he ask, if it wasn’t a deal maker or breaker?

Jeremy goes with honesty, as clueless as it makes him seem. “I don’t know how to answer that.”

Michael makes a face at him. “Step one. If you want us to do shit, be more fucking decisive.”

Uggggh. Here goes nothing, and by nothing he means his sex life and his future of being happy. “Fine. Have it around your neck and wear something that goes with it, when I come over at nine.”

Michael laughs, a big smirking thrilled chuckle, like it’s the middle of Off Topic and someone just fucked up pouring their beer. “That’s more like it, Lil J.”

Jeremy knows he’s sealed his professional doom. He’s absolutely going to flub a hundred times the rest of the day, every time he thinks about Michael naked except for a collar and wristcuffs thick like the sweat bracelets he always used to wear when Jeremy was still a fan. Or maybe it’ll be leather with leather, the collar and jeans tight enough to show off his ass and a GTA style bomber jacket with no shirt underneath. Or hell, maybe Michael’s got a slutty club kid persona; the collar and a mesh shirt and electric blue short shorts. It seems unlikely, but so did the latex fetish nurse outfit.

“Earth to Lil J. Go the fuck back to work, I’ll be out in a bit.”

Yeah, he’s already doing it. There goes any nice future YouTube comments for today’s uploadable content. Still, it’s a small price to pay for knowing Michael’s got the residue of his come on his tongue until he drinks his next beer, and that that and more will happen tonight.

#Ragehappy #Jeremichael #gala0apples #samijen #rhss17

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kimberlykeebler34 · 4 years ago

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Steve Yzerman: Detroit Red Wings will have captain in 2021 season

The Detroit Red Wings haven't decided how to give the occasion the recognition it deserves, but the plan is to have a captain again for the first time in nearly three years.General manager Steve Yzerman, whose own naming to the captaincy was done at a news conference, wants somebody - think Dylan Larkin - to wear the "C" during the pandemic-shortened 56-game season. The Wings have relied exclusively on alternate captains since Henrik Zetterberg retired in September 2018.[ What Wings prospects Evgeny Svechnikov, Dennis Cholowski must do to make team ]"We haven't figured out how roll that out, but our plan hasn't changed," Yzerman said.That was one of the many subjects Yzerman discussed during a half-hour Zoom meeting with media Tuesday afternoon, two days after the NHL formally announced plans for a 56-game season.Here are the highlights.The Wings loaned multiple players to European teams, and some, like Filip Zadina and Michael Rasmussen, already have returned to Detroit. Yzerman said Gustav Lindstrom and Mathias Brome will be recalled. Moritz Seider and Joe Veleno are not eligible to be recalled from their Swedish Hockey League teams until their seasons are over. Players in the metro Detroit area have been skating at Little Caesars Arena since the start of December. The Wings can officially begin training camp on Dec. 31.MAILBAG: Why is Jeff Blashill still Steve Yzerman's coach?The season is slated to start Jan. 13. The NHL has yet to release a schedule, but the Wings will play eight games against each of the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning in the temporarily realigned Central Division. Yzerman has seen a preview of the schedule and said there will be 10 games in 18 days in January. That should get guys into game shape quickly, given there won't be any exhibition games.THE FUTURE: Filip Hronek, Moritz Seider proving they're ready for bigger NHL rolesWith no fans in the stands - which not only affects ticket sales but also in-arena concessions - the NHL is looking at allowing advertising on players' uniforms to offset financial losses."I think it's a good opportunity to see if we can't generate revenue from it," Yzerman said. "It's the norm outside of North America."Yzerman sported a Red Wings "Michigan college night" hat that had a block M on the bill. "It's about as close I could get to ever getting accepted at University of Michigan," Yzerman joked.

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insurancelifedream · 4 years ago

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Five Things To Know About Geico Commercial Insurance | geico commercial insurance

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bootsandpup · 5 years ago

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Sometimes they come with instructions

The dark side of Libit holds many secrets. One of these secrets is the AACME Haunted Toaster Factory. Once Pup bought the toaster on dBay, a mysterious fulfillment process began.

Inside the Haunted Toaster Factory, bizarre combustion engines began churning. Billowing plumes of thick, green sulfurous clouds rose into the night sky.

Thunder booms and lightning flashes illuminated the dark sky over the factory. Machines of strange design switched into high gear, working to build Pup's new toaster.

Following the booms and lightning flashes, a small robot emerged from the factory's front gate. The dBay delivery bot rolled down the path to the street. Slung over his shoulder was a mailbag filled with devices of unspeakable uses.

Actually, it was only one device and printed on the product packaging was “toasts bread, bagels, and muffins only!”

Seven to ten business days later on the sunny side of Libit, the delivery bot wheeled it’s way up to a mailbox and stopped.

“1313 Whippleword street. This looks like the place,” the bot said in a mechanical voice.

The delivery bot shoved the package in the mailbox, completing its mission.

He backed away from the mailbox, shuddered for a bit and exploded into a thousand little bits. Alien technology sure is weird.

The explosion alerted Boots that the mail was here.

Mail call for Boots began with a dance down the path avoiding the Pinchari crabgrass. Once in front of the mailbox, he prescreened the daily deliveries. First class mail on top, bulk mail to the bottom and wrong addresses back in the box with a "return to sender" label. It made Boots happy to sort through the day's mail as if it were a puzzle. He took comfort in solving the small riddles life gave him.

Something wasn't right about today's mail. Sitting among the bills and sales flyers was a package labeled “For Pup.”

The package was about the size of a breadbox, or to be more specific; a toaster.

This confused Boots. Why would Pup receive a package from the dark side of Libit? "Is Pup ordering more useless items to disturb my well-organized world?" he pondered.

Boots is quite unremarkable. He stands about 5 feet tall with a light blue complexion, small pink nose and two antennae on the top of his head. His personality was usually annoyed with a dash of high-strung thrown in for good measure.

He grew up in an average household with loving parents and an overbearing older brother. Boots dad was an accountant with a large sweater vest collection and mom a homemaker/part-time rugby coach. He spent most of his childhood and adult life living in his brother Randall's shadow.

Boots' fondest memories were of family vacations. These trips went to some of the safest and most well-traveled destinations in the galaxy.

Pup, on the other hand, grew up with traveling circus hoboes. Adopted by Unca Crusty, King of Hoboworld, Pup learned the ways of the vagabond. He discovered that a life without adventure was for chumps and beans always had a way of finding a path to your belly.

In light of these different paths growing up, Boots and Pup found a strong and lasting friendship.

Still, none of this explained the mystery package which Boots had now begun to fixate on.

Boots brought the mail into the house and began his inquisition. “Pup, you had a package delivered today,” Boots called out. There was silence. “Pup! Are you here?” Boots raised the level of his voice.

“Calm your jets, blue-boy,” Sniffles called out from the kitchen. “Pup isn’t here. He had somewhere to go. It made sense when he told me, though I forgot what he said.”

Sniffles forgets essential details about conversations he's had. Being deprived of oxygen may contribute to this memory loss.

One day Boots and Pup found Sniffles swimming alone in their pool. He didn't have any recollection of how he got there. They let him stay and pay rent, although he doesn't remember what it was he did for work.

While Boots, Pup, and Sniffles call Libit home, they weren't born here. An indigenous group of multi-colored, tentacle slinging, myopic cyclopes inhabits Libit.

“I’ll take that,” Sniffles replied as he extended his fins to grab the toaster-sized box.

“Do you know what's in there?” Boots asked, even more curious about the package's origin.

The room became dark as ominous clouds filled the outside sky.

“It toasts,” Sniffles said in a trance-like state.

The lights in the house flickered, and the sound of thunder cracked in the distance.

“What was that?” Boots asked.

“Did I say something?” Sniffles exclaimed, unaware he had spoken.

The clouds disappeared as fast as they came and the sun was shining brightly again.

Sniffles took the package to the kitchen, ignoring the rest of the conversation.

Boots would need to continue his investigation later when Pup was back.

Later that night Sniffles found himself craving a snack.

“Dinner was pretty lame tonight,” Sniffles muttered as he hopped onto the counter to look through the cupboards.

As he made his way through the stockpile of processed food, he found a can of Spiggly-O Spaghetti. For a brief moment, he thought about it.

"Ugh. Boots and his diet food," he thought as he tossed the can off to the side.

“Nothing to eat," Sniffles declared as he rummaged through the stockpiles of food.

What Sniffles didn't realize is that he was sitting on the counter next to the new toaster.

"Hey, I forgot we had this!” Sniffles said.

He began to rummage around for bread. “Here’s a loaf!” he exclaimed.

Sniffles removed the twist tie and reached into the bag. He avoided the heels and targeted the biggest slices in the bag's center.

The device wasn’t much to see. It was a shiny metallic two-slice toaster with a control knob and lever. Written on the side were the words “Ghost-o-Matic-Toast-o-Matic.”

Sniffles noticed the following settings:

1. Boring Toast

2. Forbidden Toast

Sniffles was careless and chose option 2.

Placing the slices of bread into the toaster, Sniffles began the countdown. He started to fixate on the taste of hot, crispy toast! “I hope this contraption cooks fast," he said aloud.

A strange red glow began emanating from the toaster.

The smell of searing bread began to fill the kitchen. The aroma danced about Sniffles’ nostrils like a nimble finger diving in for a good pick.

Tik-Tik-Tik-POP! The toast was ready.

“Ah, sweet toast! Where have you been all my… wait, what’s this?” Sniffles said with surprise. Burned into one side of the toast, was a message:

“BEWARE THE DOORBELL.”

“Beware the doorbell?” Sniffle read.

As if on cue; DING-DONG, the doorbell chimed.

“I’ll get it!” Sniffles exclaimed, never questioning who would be at the door this late at night.

Sniffles dropped the toast on a plate and leaped off the counter to answer the door.

DING-DONG, the doorbell rang a second time.

“Hold your horses!” Sniffles chirped as he plopped himself onto the doormat next to the umbrella holder. “I’m moving as fast as I can.” Since Sniffles is a fish he can only flop in a general direction.

As Sniffles reached for the door, it burst open! A hideous creature with many rows of fangs and flailing slimy tentacles sat at the doorway of the house. The monster thrashed and snarled, soaking Sniffles' face with hot spittles of saliva.

With all the strength Sniffles could muster, he slammed the door shut. Exhausted, he dropped against the wall breathing a heavy sigh.

“Stupid toaster," he thought. "You said beware of the doorbell, not the monster on the other side,” Sniffles muttered.

Sniffles forgot about the toast.

#storytime #ya #Chapter2

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judgepaper19-blog · 5 years ago

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The Linc - Eagles offense among most improved groups in the NFL

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

2019 NFL Draft: Most improved groups across the league - NFL.com Eagles’ offensive depth: The potential trade of slot receiver Nelson Agholor never materialized. Instead of parting ways with a piece, the Eagles only added to their offensive arsenal with second-round picks Miles Sanders (No. 53 overall), a running back, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (No. 57 overall), a wideout. Sanders has a chance to end March trade acquisition Jordan Howard’s run as the Eagles’ starting running back before it even begins, while Arcega-Whiteside adds another possession threat for Carson Wentz to find in tight quarters. The depth at running back, wide receiver and tight end (where Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert comprise the best duo in football) should give coach Doug Pederson a ton of play-calling options in the fall. Even the team’s first-round selection (tackle Andre Dillard, No. 22 overall) was typical of the long-term thinking the Eagles are known for because he likely will begin his career on the bench behind Jason Peters. This is a group built to withstand injuries and create matchup problems in nearly any situation.

Four thoughts on the Eagles signing Zach Brown - BGN Brown made sense as an Eagles target. Philadelphia needed more help at linebacker after losing Jordan Hicks in free agency. Brown brings plenty of experience to the table considering he has 74 career starts to his name. He also doesn’t impact their compensatory pick formula since Washington released him. Brown often caught my attention when I watched Washington’s defense. It seemed like he was always making plays. The stats back up that sentiment: in 29 games over the last two seasons, Brown has logged 153 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks, three passes defensed, and two forced fumbles. That’s quality production.

NFC East Draft Review - BGN Radio John Stolnis and Brandon Lee Gowton take a look around the NFC East, including further analysis of the Eagles’ selections, to give their thoughts on how the division fared in the 2019 NFL Draft PLUS an updated look on the Eagles future compensatory picks.Presented by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Mailbag: Are the Eagles still looking for defensive ends? - PhillyVoice When you compare what the Eagles were going into the season with a year ago, and what they’re likely going into the season with in 2019, it looks something like this, assuming Chris Long doesn’t return to the team. Going from Bennett to Curry is a downgrade, and there’s no obvious “feel-good about it” candidate to take over Long’s role if indeed he’s gone. It’s pretty clear that they got worse this offseason at DE. I think they’ll still look to add someone.

More Pieces - Iggles Blitz Zach Brown is here to compete for the MLB job. He’s 29-years old and has started 74 games in his 7-year career. Brown has played for the Titans, Bills and Skins. He has played in the 3-4 and the 4-3. The Skins released him in March to save money. He may have also been let go for speaking his mind and not embracing every move and decision by the coaching staff and front office. Brown has solid size. They list him at 6-1, 250, but I’m not sure he’s that heavy. Brown is a good athlete. He is a good tackler. There are times when he does a good job of taking on blockers and getting to the ball. Brown has some playmaking ability. In the last three seasons, he has 33 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, 4 FFs and an INT.

Eagles add a productive, physical player in Zach Brown - PE.com There is the sense of the unknown, just a bit, with the linebackers, given the move in free agency of middle linebacker Jordan Hicks signing with Arizona. That opened up a job inside, and it’s still unclear how the Eagles plan to directly fill it. Having Brown on board gives the Eagles another extremely viable option. The Eagles can take a look at Brown there and they can also move Bradham into the middle and open up the competition on the strong side. Worrilow, a tough guy and a tackling machine during his days in Atlanta, can also play all three positions. The bottom line is this: The Eagles didn’t address linebacker in the draft, but as we’ve seen through the years the team is always keeping its eyes on ways to upgrade the roster, and with Brown available, Howie Roseman got a deal done that could pay serious benefits in the season ahead.

Eagles have intriguing RB tandem in Miles Sanders, Jordan Howard - ESPN “I’m used to rotating. I’m not a selfish player,” Sanders said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help this team win. High school, I split reps with another great running back. Penn State was kind of the same thing. I’m ready. I’m willing to do whatever, as far as special teams or splitting reps, it doesn’t matter. I’m ready to do whatever to help this team win a championship.” Both could end up having solid statistical seasons, with Howard (nine rushing TDs in each of the past two seasons) getting plenty of goal-line work and Sanders having the ability to take over as the lead back eventually. It will take some time until their roles fully crystallize, but the potential is there for Sanders and Howard to do some damage together almost right away, lifting the offense up in the process.

Best-Ball QB Tiers - Rotoworld Carson Wentz (QB11) -- Scored multiple touchdowns in 8-of-11 outings last year. Eight missed games the past two seasons an obvious concern. [...] Nick Foles (QB28) -- Lack of consistency outside of miraculous playoff run remains an overshadowing question mark on ground-based offense.

Philadelphia Eagles claim former Los Angeles Rams S Blake Countess - Turf Show Times Countess became expendable when the Rams drafted two safeties this past weekend in the second round in Taylor Rapp, and seventh round in Nick Scott. Both guys have the ability to play a vital role on special teams, and that’s where majority of Countess’ contribution stemmed from. In 2018, Countess started one game at safety for the Rams, though he ultimately suffered an injury (concussion protocol) and was pulled rather quickly. On 58 defensive snaps and 356 special teams snaps, Countess produced nine total tackles, one interception, and two pass deflections.

Best & Worst Of Washington Redskins Draft Class - The Draft Network Worst Pick: Bryce Love, RB, Stanford. This isn’t even a bad pick, but one of them had to be “worst.” I was a bit lower on Love than where he was taken, but I understand the fit. With Derrius Guice able to bring the power, Love’s long speed will be the lightning to his thunder. I would’ve preferred them to take a speed running back a bit later considering positional value, and Love comes with injury and long-term concerns.

The NFL has a rule that basically turns the commissioner into God - SB Nation And as for the extraordinarily unfair act rule? Well, that’s a thing that turns the commissioner into a near-deity, which Saints fans desperately wanted to take advantage of recently ... if only they could.

...

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Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2019/5/4/18529223/eagles-news-philadelphia-offense-among-most-improved-groups-nfl-doug-pederson-carson-wentz-weapons

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quickwaysloseweight · 2 years ago

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NHL Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Vancouver Canucks

The Maple Leafs should go all-in if they want to win a round Dan Rosen of NHL.com: (mailbag) The Toronto Maple Leafs currently may not have the pieces to win a playoff round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but if they go all-in at that deadline, that could change things. To make an impact, they’d likely have to offer up their 2023 first-round pick and/or Matthew Knies. They need to get better…

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askagamedev · 2 years ago

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Lightning Mailbag: Not About Gamescom

I’ve built up a number of questions that I thought I could answer quickly in one post, so here we go.

You talked about Intrinsic x Extrinsic rewards. Can you talk about Intrinsic rewards from an accessibility standpoint? It seems to me that Extrinsic rewards are inherently more accessible, while Intrinsic rewards may elude some players completely. How do you deal with that?

You’re assuming that an intrinsic reward might require some amount of manual dexterity, but that isn’t necessarily the case. For example, there was an older game from 2011 called Magicka, where players played as wizards and would cast spells by composing them from eight different elements (e.g. fire, water, cold, life, lightning, shield, etc.). Various spells were the result of specific elemental recipes (e.g. life + shield + cast = healing mine). The intrinsic rewards in Magicka were learning which recipes mapped to which useful spells, either through experimentation, external research, or finding in-game recipes. Intrinsic doesn’t have to mean physical dexterity, it means the player learns something and now knows when that bit of knowledge applies. This can easily apply to a turn based game with zero execution involved.

What is the role of achievements with relation to extrinsic/intrinsic rewards? What do they provide that cannot be otherwise given?

Achievements themselves are extrinsic. The skills (sometimes) used to complete them are intrinsic.

Food question! Despite how far animation has gotten in games, why do eating and drinking animations still look and feel awkward?

Humans are intimately familiar with food and eating, which makes the missing minute details tend to stand out to us. Eating animations would require a significant amount of fidelity not to look weird, which is often far more resources than we’re willing to spend. As an example of a game that did spend those resources, check out Final Fantasy 15′s food content.

What's the reasoning behind making games to a target audience who doesn't even play video games?

If I can persuade non-gamers to give my game a try, I won’t have a lot of competition to get compared to, so I won’t have to spend resources building table stakes features or one-upping a competitor in my marketing campaign.

I haven't seen too many western gacha games compared too the litany of them from japan and china. Given how much money so many of them make (in the west as well as in asia) can you think of any reasons why more of them haven't been made/ broken through to popular culture (excluding FIFA and Marvel Strike Force).

Collectible Card Games are the original western gacha.

For as long as gaming has been around, devs have mentioned being unable to execute concepts because of technical limitations (meaning the hardware they worked with wasn't able to execute a feature they want). Is that still an issue now?

Yes. Game development will grow to fit its limitations, like a goldfish will grow to a size relative to the environment it lives in.

A common solution I've seen proposed to reduce crunch is to switch from the commonly used salary system to hourly compensation. The theory being that because doing standard crunch hours would result in them spending way more with hourly pay than they would with salary, ergo meaning they work you guys less. Your thoughts on this solution?

When I was contracting for a major publisher, I was paid hourly like the other contractors. I worked so many overtime and doubletime hours crunching on that project that I literally worked myself into the next tax bracket. My personal weekly record of 98.5 hours worked in a week was while I was being paid hourly - that's how I know it was exactly 98.5 hours. I don't think hourly pay would change much.

I was surprised to see the Ubisoft Avatar game being postponed and it looks like it'll miss the movie launch window tie in. What are your thoughts on this?

Historically, a movie tie-in missing the premiere of the movie it's tying into is a death sentence for its sales. I wish them a lot of luck, they're going to need it.

What's the most common style used in concept art?

“House Style”

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rainbowdashsmailbagthings · 6 years ago

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Happy Nightmare Night, chumps! Enjoy getting crap in your baggies and candy in your pants.

Wait, that’s not right...

#MLP:FiM #My Little Pony #rainbow dash #rainbow dash's mailbag #Halloween #lightning dust #2spooky4me

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pucksonnet · 3 years ago

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340 - Check Your Strip Club Sources

Contribute to the PON Mailbag, send us an email to [email protected]

What the hell just happened? The Florida Man Series is over and Tampa is headed to a third straight conference final.

Geeta, Arash and Ryan get together on this May long weekend Monday to discuss the disgusting treatment by St. Louis Blues fans to Nazem Kadri, the Avs taking a 3-1 series lead and Connor McDavid's unreal performance so far in the Battle of Alberta.

They also discuss some Canucks coaching chances, the Florida Panthers' playoff collapse and just HOW GOOD the Tampa Bay Lightning really are!

Support the show on Patreon! Pledge a coupla bucks ($5+) for access to our bonus content: video podcasts, our brand new Patreon Bonus episode: Canucks Back to Back and Arash Food Shames Ryan and our weekly 5 Minutes For Paying. On this week's segment: Ryan talks about some noisy neighbours over the weekend while Arash talks Geeta through the purchase of a Kirkland electric blanket.

It's a RUSH, you'll love it!

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spiderbird7-blog · 6 years ago

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The Bear’s Den, March 28, 2019

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!!!

BEARRRSSSS / FREE AGENCY / DRAFT

Sikes: Bears Are Considering Using Roy Robertson-Harris At OLB - Club Dub Bears Blog - The Bears are in desperate need of adding depth to their edge rusher/outside linebacker position. The need stems from the release of Sam Acho earlier this month and the uncertain future of free agent, Aaron Lynch. The team has already expressed interest in retaining Lynch, for the right price. However, if he gets the money he’s asking for from a different team, the Bears will need to address it via free agency or the draft.

Mayer: McCaskey lauds Pace-Nagy partnership - ChicagoBears.com - Bears chairman George H. McCaskey cites the collaboration between NFL executive of the year Ryan Pace and coach of the year Matt Nagy as a significant factor in the team’s resurgence.

Medina: Ryan Pace’s 2016 and 2017 Drafts Literally Saved His Job - Bleacher Nation - There was plenty of risk in giving GM Ryan Pace an extension in January 2018, but the pay-off has been something else!

Medina: Yoga Enthusiast Khalil Mack Worked Out During the Super Bowl, Because Of Course He Did - Bleacher Nation - Khalil Mack says yoga has helped him find flexibility, explosiveness, and balance. Now, where do I sign up?

Greenfield: Checking in on the NFC North quarterbacks - Our Turf Football - What will 2019 look like for the NFC North quarterbacks? OTFB’s Sonja Greenfield looks at each one and gives an idea of what 2019 may look like.

Chicago Bears Podcast: Hoge & Jahns with Bears coach Matt Nagy, GM Ryan Pace - Sun Times - The Chicago Sun-Times' Adam L. Jahns and WGN Radio's Adam Hoge sit down and talk with Bears coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace.

Jahns: Bears chairman George McCaskey's great story about a lost ring ... and more - Sun Times - Chairman George McCaskey had plenty to discuss when he met with reporters after the league meetings concluded Tuesday night.

Campbell: The Bears aren't just answering the phone about Jordan Howard — they're dialing out - Chicago Tribune - The Bears running back situation remains a puzzle. Jordan Howard could be traded. Drafting one seems like a no-brainer. Tarik Cohen is a reliable, do-it-all flash of lightning. And free agents Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson were targeted because they fit Nagy's preference for versatility.

Campbell: George McCaskey teases new 'classic' Bears uniform, talks dancing at Club Dub, Khalil Mack and more - Chicago Tribune - George McCaskey teased a new "classic" Bears uniform for their 100th season, talked Cubs TV network, dancing at Club Dub, Khalil Mack, replay expansion and much more at the NFL owners' meetings.

Wiederer & Campbell: Bitmojis, kickers and a missing Super Bowl ring: Wrapping up the NFL owners' meetings on the Bear Download podcast - Chicago Tribune - Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer wrap up the NFL owners' meetings in Phoenix: Assessing the unmistakable confidence and energy Matt Nagy is exuding (3:00 mark), moving the...

Arkush: Bears' coach Nagy's convinced having fun and winning championships don't have to be mutually exclusive - Daily Herald - A remarkably successful rookie campaign as the biggest Bear in the den at Halas Hall has done little to curb his enthusiasm or diminish the joy Bears coach Matt Nagy takes from being an NFL head coach.

Stankevitz: Bears leave Arizona fired up for season opener against Packers - NBC Sports Chicago - It won't happen until Sept. 5, but there was a palpable excitement from the Bears this week about playing the Packers to begin the 2019 NFL season.

Under Center Podcast Ep. 195: Breaking down Nagy and Pace's interviews from the NFL Owners Meetings - NBC Sports Chicago - Paul and Cam dial up J.J. from Arizona, where he spent the week covering the annual Owners Meetings.

Matt Nagy Offers Correct Pronunciation of Chris Blewitt's Name - NBC Chicago - Chicago Bears fans had a good laugh about the team’s decision to sign kicker Chris Blewitt earlier this offseason, but according to head coach Matt Nagy, the assumed pronunciation of the name isn’t correct.

Jordan Howard's Future With Bears Sparks Speculation - NBC Chicago - The fate of Jordan Howard has been on the minds of Chicago Bears fans throughout the offseason, but there is at least one prominent football scribe who thinks there’s a chance he could be suiting up in...

Jahns: Why the Bears’ brass is excited about the massive expansion of Halas Hall - Sun Times - When the Bears get home from the NFL owners meetings, there will be new offices to move into at Halas Hall as part of the expansion.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Bengals will not extend Andy Dalton’s deal before season – ProFootballTalk - The Bengals will not extend quarterback Andy Dalton’s contract before the 2019 season, owner Mike Brown said, via Fletcher Page of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The team wants to see what Dalton does in new coach Zac Taylor’s offense.

Eagles’ draft strategy? Lurie: “We believe in volume” – ProFootballTalk - When the Eagles identified Carson Wentz as a future franchise quarterback, they did what they had to do to trade up and draft him. But aside from trading up for a franchise quarterback, the Eagles favor trading down.

Jordy Nelson to retire from NFL after 11 seasons - NFL.com - Jordy Nelson is calling it quits after 11 seasons. The former Packers and Raiders wide receiver is retiring from the NFL, per ex-teammate James Jones.

NFL madness! Sixteen teams to spotlight for the 2019 season - NFL.com - With a nod to the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16, Adam Schein spotlights the 16 teams to keep an eye, predicting playoff participants and bubble teams for the 2019 season.

KNOW THY ENEMY

The Detroit Lions won’t change their uniforms in 2019 - Pride Of Detroit - Don’t expect any uniform changes in the next couple years.

Minnesota Vikings extend contract of GM Rick Spielman - Daily Norseman - He’s now signed through 2020

After bolstering defense in free agency, the Packers can justify drafting a tight end early - Acme Packing Company - Tight end may not be considered a premium position, but in Matt LaFleur’s offense it just might be. For a Packers team looking for a complement to Davante Adams, they might find it in a player like T.J. Hockenson.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Sunderbruch: The 2019 Bears Draft - Uncharted Waters - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears enter the 2019 draft in an unusual position—neither to they matter much to the draft nor does the draft matter very much to them.

Schmitz' Chicago Bears Film Study: Comparing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Adrian Amos - Windy City Gridiron - Robert S. dives into the film vault to evaluate both new Bears and old, analyzing the play tendencies of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Adrian Amos.

Wiltfong: If you don’t think the Bears should open the NFL’s 100th season, then you are an idiot - Windy City Gridiron - There are some awful takes circulating about the NFL’s 2019 season opener, so please allow us to set the record straight.

Leming's Bears Mailbag: Draft talk, possible extensions, the running back situation and edge rushing depth options - Windy City Gridiron - With free agency winding down and draft talk on the forefront, this week’s mailbag is another hard hitter.

Wiltfong: Matt Nagy on the Bears free agent acquisitions - Windy City Gridiron - Matt Nagy met the media yesterday and he talked about how excited he was for his 2019 free agents.

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

2 Minute Drill - Website - iTunes - Andrew Link; Steven’s Streaming – Twitch – Steven Schweickert; T-Formation Conversation - Website - iTunes - Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; WCG Radio - Website - iTunes - Robert Zeglinski - The Blitz Network

THE RULES

Windy City Gridiron Community Guidelines - SBNation.com - We strive to make our communities open and inclusive to sports fans of all backgrounds. The following is not permitted in comments. No personal attacks, politics, gender based insults of any kind, racial insults, etc.

The Bear’s Den Specific Guidelines – The Bear’s Den is a place for Chicago Bears fans to discuss Chicago Bears football, related NFL stories, and general football talk. It is NOT a place to discuss religion or politics or post political pictures or memes. Unless otherwise stated, the Den is not an open thread, and profanity (including profanity only stated in pictures) is prohibited.

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WCG Contributors: Jeff Berckes; Patti Curl; Eric Christopher Duerrwaechter; Kev H; Sam Householder; Jacob Infante; Aaron Lemming; Ken Mitchell; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Whiskey Ranger; Robert Schmitz; Robert Zeglinski; Like us on Facebook.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2019/3/28/18284722/chicago-bears-free-agency-draft-mocks-offseason-second-wave-pace-nagy-winter-meetings-jordan-howard

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