#like a .05% chance if a Christmas miracle happens

[impossiblefangirl0632]

"All I want for Christmas is to want to write my fanfic" - two very tired authors with 0 motivation

[katieskeep]

Starting from this very Sunday I have decided to make a weekly list (10 fics at the time) of my favourite Merthur fanfictions. My original idea was creating a masterpost (a sort of TOP 100 list) but after browsing through my 3000+ bookmarks -collected since 2008- I've slowly come to realise that I would have definetely forgotten some really good ones and I have no intention of doing that. I'll always be immensely grateful to all the writers of the Merlin/Merthur fandom for creating a safe space for all fans and for sharing with us some of the most memorable stories I've ever read. You've made me dream, you've made me weep and particularly during lockdown you've made me forget all the ugly and kept me sane... so thank you ♥

• WEEK #1

All fanfictions have been chosen in random order from my Diigo account. They vary from modern setting to historical, from canon to reincarnation... but I'd say 80% of them will be set in modern times as it's my favourite era for them. Hope you enjoy this first batch and that YOU may discover some new favourites :3

01. A FORTUNATE FALL by raspberry-pop Summary: Single father Arthur Pendragon, at the end of his rope, finds a miracle in the form of a young cashier boy at the local convenience store. As for Merlin, he's not quite sure about what to make of his new job as an au pair for the wealthiest man in town; but he does know that his employer has more than a few skeletons in his closet.

02. WHAT CHILD IS THIS by lamardeuse Summary: A modern AU with Merlin, Arthur, mayhem, a baby and a jingly elf hat.

03. TO THE SYNTAX OF THINGS by suntipped Summary: He can’t mean what Merlin thinks he means—right? It’s just Merlin’s imagination running away with him, too many nerves this morning, a lack of sleep, the disorientation of being in such an unfamiliar place, or something, that’s it. Merlin edges slightly, subtly back toward the door, but the boy sees his movement and grins even wider like it’s some secret joke, laughs, “Oh, relax,” and strolls forward to easily follow his steps, lingering even closer than before. “I’m not some deranged lunatic,” the boy says, but the very lascivious gleam in his eye ruins it by definitely, definitely claiming otherwise.

04. FAME AND FORTUNE by Bounding-Heart Summary: AU set in Los Angeles, California during the 1990's. Arthur is a movie star. Merlin is a waiter. The word "prat" is used.

05. AN OCEAN OF BLUE by Inane_Rational Summary: His father's empire was falling. There's one last thing he needs to retrieve before leaving the country.

06. CELLMATE by lcacbc Summary: Merlin is dead. No, really. He has just called the most powerful man in prison a prat. A prat he just happens to be cellmates with.

07. OVERBOARD by Shiny Starlight Summary: When single father Merlin Emerson discovers that the man who denied him thousands of dollars that was his due has gotten amnesia, he seizes his chance for revenge by pretending to be his husband. The joke is on him though when he realises that Arthur Pennington is possibly even more wonderful that he ever could have imagined...

08. THE GOOD TIMES ARE KILLING ME by minor hue Summary: In which the boys pretend to still be together for Christmas (and there is more than one kind of charade).

09. SEW RIGHT by Candymacaron Summary: Arthur, an all American boy fresh out of the Midwest, is thrust head-first into college life in San Francisco. He'd expected moving in with his girlfriend to be a change, but what Arthur hadn't counted on was the Merlin, the handsome fashion design student he'd be sharing their apartment with (and just how strongly he would feel about him).

10. SMALL WEIRD WORLD by Emjayelle Summary: Merlin is thirteen and in love when he kisses Arthur for the first time. His skin is always too tight, there’s constantly the taste of chlorine in his mouth, and a lot of things—too many things—are left unsaid. It’s very complicated and very confusing, not helped at all by the fact that Arthur doesn't seem to know what he wants either. Early teenage awakenings, unrequited love, pining, coming of age, and feelings. Lots of feelings.

[goddessgirl]

1-70 for the question thingy 😂

Thank you love, I tried to only write a little, but I get carried away so easily 😂💖

01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents?I do 💖

02: Who did you last say “I love you” to? Out loud? My mum

03: Do you regret anything? I regret lots of things

04: Are you insecure? That depends what day it is ngl 😂

05: What is your relationship status? I’m single

06: How do you want to die? I’m not actually that bothered 😂

07: What did you last eat? Chocolate 🍫

08: Played any sports? Yeah, I used to play football but I can’t now cause boobs 😂

09: Do you bite your nails? No, that’s something I’ve never actually done.

10: When was your last physical fight? High school. A girl threatened to push my brother in front of a car, just because they didn’t get on, so I right hooked her 😂

11: Do you like someone? No, not at the moment

12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours? Yes, worst 48 hours ever! I was a horrible, cranky cow the majority of those 48 hours.

13: Do you hate anyone at the moment? No, not anymore

14: Do you miss someone? My grandma

15: Have any pets? Yes a dog, Scamp 😍

16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment? I’m hungry and sick of sounding like a dying seal 😂

17: Ever made out in the bathroom? Yes

18: Are you scared of spiders? Scared is an understatement. The 8 legged freaks have some sort of radar for me though!

19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? No, I’m glad the things I’ve gone through have happened, because without them I wouldn’t be the person I am today

20: Where was the last place you snogged someone? My bedroom 😉

21: What are your plans for this weekend? I’ll be partying for new year and my Auntie Paula’s birthday. I can’t wait! I’ll also go and visit my dad and do some shopping too with my grandad, mum and cousins

22: Do you want to have kids? How many? Hell yes! I’m not bothered, as long as it’s more than 1

23: Do you have piercings? How many? Just my ears

24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)? Science, Health and Social, ICT, English and History

25: Do you miss anyone from your past? No

26: What are you craving right now? Gingerbread and fajitas

27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? No

28: Have you ever been cheated on? No

29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? No, but my ex used to fake cry until I called him out on it 😂

30: What’s irritating you right now? Nothing right now actually! Its a fucking Christmas miracle!!! 😂😂

31: Does somebody love you? No

32: What is your favourite color?Red, Pink and Blue - I couldn’t pick 1😂

33: Do you have trust issues? Kinda

34: Who/what was your last dream about? I dreamt my grandma was still alive and she ran at me, and hugged me so tight and told me she loved me. I was so sad when I woke up because it felt so real (all my dreams do actually)

35: Who was the last person you cried in front of? My family when I was drunk

36: Do you give out second chances too easily? Depends who it is, but mainly yes

37: Is it easier to forgive or forget? Forgive

38: Is this year the best year of your life? No

39: How old were you when you had your first kiss? In Primary school

40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked? As a child, yes

51: Favourite food? All foods I shouldn’t be eating 😂

52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? Yes

53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? Looked after my drunk mum and brother

54: Is cheating ever okay? No, its disgusting in my opinion.

55: Are you mean? Sometimes cause I’m blunt and I can be a little critical! I also don’t think before I speak

56: How many people have you fist fought? A few 😂

57: Do you believe in true love? Yes

58: Favourite Weather? Rain

59: Do you like the snow? I get frostbite and chilblains, but I still like it.

60: Do you wanna get married? I do

61Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? I think so 😍

62: What makes you happy? A lot of things, I’m easily pleased

63: Would you change your name? Not my first name, no

64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? No cause it was my grandad!

65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? I’d go out with all my guy mates 😂 I prefer it that way!

66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? I do

67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to? My brother

68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? My mum

69: Do you believe in soulmates? I do

70: Is there anyone you would die for? A hell of a lot of people

[dmartin-blog]

Week 15 NFL odds, picks, how to watch, stream: Colts win thriller over Cowboys, Patriots over Steelers

via WordPress ift.tt/2Eyu2I4

I’ll be honest guys, I almost didn’t get my picks done this week and that’s because I decided that watching 71 straight replays of the “Miami Miracle” would be a better use of my time than finishing my Week 15 picks.

If you put the word “miracle” next to a football play, there’s a 100 percent chance that I’ll be watching it on a loop, non-stop, for at least three straight days. I didn’t leave my house for a month after the “Minneapolis Miracle.”

With the play in Miami, you have to watch it at least 10 times just to fully appreciate the poor tackling effort that Rob Gronkowski made at the end of Kenyan Drake’s run. You know what, let’s watch it one more time, because you can never watch it too many times.

That will never get old. Patriots fans are going to be forced to watch replays of that and the helmet catch for the rest of eternity, which is enough to make you feel good inside.

You know what else makes you feel good inside? Watching football, and we’ll be getting plenty of it this week. As a matter of fact, Week 15 is the only week of the entire NFL season where we get treated to four days of football (Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday). I’m not good at math, but I think that means more than half our week is going to involve football, which means I need to hurry up and get to these picks, because we don’t have any time to waste.

Actually, before we get to the fun stuff, here’s your weekly reminder to check out the picks from all our other CBS Sports NFL writers, which you can do by clicking here. Also, if you’re looking for a new podcast to listen to — and who isn’t — you can click here and subscribe to the Pick Six Podcast. I team up with Will Brinson, Ryan Wilson and Sean Wagner-McGough every week for an NFL recap show that you can download each and every Monday morning during the season. It’s basically music for your ears, except no one actually sings.

Alright, I think I’ve delayed long enough, so let’s get to these picks.

Stream Thursday’s game and all of Sunday’s games on fuboTV, try it for free, and stream the CBS games on CBS All Access.

NFL Week 15 Picks

L.A. Chargers (10-3) at Kansas City (11-2)

8:20 p.m. ET, Thursday (Fox/NFL Network)

Guys, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that this is the final Thursday night game of the season. That’s bad news because I’m not sure what I’m going to do with my Thursdays from here on out. Actually, you know what, I do have 17 Hallmark Christmas movies currently on my DVR and they’re not going to watch themselves. Now I just need to figure out if I want to watch “The Gingerbread Romance” or “Christmas Incorporated” first.

Now, I also said I have some good news and the good news is that the NFL is ending “Thursday Night Football” with a bang by giving us the Chargers and the Chiefs. There are only two teams in the NFL that have scored at least 20 points in every game this season and those two teams are playing in this game, which means there’s a 99 percent chance that we’re going to get a crazy shootout.

The one thing that makes this game difficult to predict is that both teams are dealing with some big injuries. On the Chiefs’ end, Tyreek Hill (wrist, heel) and Spencer Ware (shoulder, hamstring) are both battling injuries. On the Chargers’ end, they probably won’t have their two running backs this week: Melvin Gordon is still dealing with a knee injury and Austin Ekeler can’t really move his head right now.

#Chargers RB Austin Ekeler said his injured neck is very stiff and he can’t move his head a whole lot today. He’s officially day-to-day but he appears to have plenty of recovery to do quickly if he’s going to be available Thursday vs. KC.

— Jeff Miller (@JeffMillerLAT) December 10, 2018

Now, I’m not a doctor, but if you can’t move your head three days before you’re supposed to play in a football game, that probably means you’re not going to play in that football game.

Although the Chargers are going to be hurting at running back, the one thing they will have is all of their wide receivers, which is all Philip Rivers needs to win. In the first meeting between these two teams, Rivers threw for 424 yards and he might double that going up against a Chiefs passing defense that ranks dead last in the NFL this year.

As much as I like Rivers, there are a lot of reasons to pick the Chiefs in this game: They have the best record in the AFC, they’ve won nine straight against the Chargers, and home teams are 11-2 on “Thursday Night Football” this year. However, I’m not going to pick the Chiefs.

Back in August, I picked the Chargers to win the AFC West and I’m going to stand by my pick, because if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.

Did I steal that quote from my niece’s tumblr page? Yes. Is it the most overused quote ever on the internet? Probably.

“You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.”

— Miranda Lambert (@mirandalambert) February 15, 2012

Am I still picking the Chargers? Definitely.

The pick: Chargers 34-31 over Chiefs

The result: Chargers 29, Chiefs 28

What NFL picks can you make with confidence in Week 15? And which Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which NFL teams are winning more than 50 percent of simulations, all from the model that has beaten 98 percent of experts over the past two years.

Dallas (8-5) at Indianapolis (7-6)

1 p.m. ET (Fox)

If the Cowboys make the playoffs this year, they should probably send a thank you note to Jon Gruden, and that’s because he’s basically single-handedly responsible for the the Cowboys success this year. Gruden hasn’t been able to turn the Raiders into a contender, but he turned the Cowboys into one when he decided to trade Amari Cooper from Oakland to Dallas. That deal took place on Oct. 22, and since then, the Cowboys have been unstoppable.

Cooper started his first game for the Cowboys in Week 9, and in the time period since then, he leads the NFL in both receiving yards (642) and receiving touchdowns (six). Oh, and the Cowboys are 5-1 in the six games that he’s played in. If Gruden hadn’t decided to implode his roster and sabotage his own team, none of this would have happened and the Cowboys wouldn’t have Cooper, so maybe they should send him a fruit basket and a gift card to Chili’s on top of that thank-you note. However, they definitely shouldn’t send him any cookie dough, because apparently, that stuff is bad for you.

I don’t want to say the CDC is overreacting, but I’ve been eating cookie dough every day for the past three weeks and I feel fine. As for this pick, I’m taking the Colts, and if I end up missing it, I’m blaming the cookie dough that the CDC said I wasn’t supposed to eat.

The pick: Colts 27-24 over Cowboys

Note: The Cowboys will clinch the NFC East with a win on Sunday, and although I’m not picking them, I am giving you a heads up so you can avoid all Cowboys fans for at least 24 hours after the clinching. As everyone knows, there’s nothing Cowboys fans like to talk about more than how amazing the Cowboys are. If you have a lot of friends who happen to be Cowboys fans, you might want to turn off your phone and quit all social media.

New England (9-4) at Pittsburgh (7-5-1)

4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Patriots are coming into this game after losing on a miracle play in Week 14, and yet somehow, I’m fully convinced that the Steelers actually had the crazier loss on Sunday. For one, they lost to the Raiders, which is basically the NFL equivalent of hitting rock-bottom. The Raiders don’t even have a general manager. I mean, it doesn’t get any more demoralizing than losing to a team and then watching that team fire their general manager the next day.

I didn’t think it was possible for a first-place team to be in total disarray this late into the season, but the Steelers have proven me wrong. The most baffling part of the Raiders game is that Mike Tomlin kept his starting quarterback on the bench even though he was healthy enough to play. After Ben Roethlisberger left the game in the first half with a rib injury, he was ready to return in the third quarter, but Tomlin wouldn’t play him because he didn’t want to ruin the “rhythm and the flow of the game.” That would be like not pulling the chord on your parachute because you don’t want to ruin the rhythm and flow of your free fall. PULL THE CHORD OR YOUR SEASON IS OVER MIKE. Not pulling the chord would end in disaster and it’s starting to feel like that’s where the Steelers season is headed.

if Roethlisberger plays against the Patriots — and he likely will — he’s going to be dealing with a rib injury. If James Conner plays, he’ll be dealing with an ankle injury. The Steelers can’t beat the Patriots when they’re healthy, so I have no idea how they’re going to do it when they’re banged up.

I’ve been writing this picks column since 2013 and in that time, the Steelers have never beaten the Patriots. Including the playoffs, these two teams have met a total of five times over the past five years and the Patriots have won every game. Watching the Steelers choke against the Patriots has basically become an annual tradition and I don’t see that ending this year.

On the other hand, Roethlisberger did win a game on a miracle play once, so maybe the Patriots should be concerned.

The pick: Patriots 30-23 over Steelers

Seahawks special: Seattle (8-5) at San Francisco (3-10)

4:05 p.m. ET (Fox)

The fact that this section is back for another week can only mean one thing: My record picking Seahawks games this year is still perfect. This section will only exist as long as my record stays perfect, and right now, it’s sitting at 13-0. Last week, I said the Seahawks would win by double digits in a beatdown of the Vikings and that’s basically what happened on Monday night.

At this point, I’ve decided that if my streak continues, I’m going to start celebrating each new win. If I improve to 14-0 this week, I’m going to buy a Marshawn Lynch elf on the shelf, which sounds weird, but I don’t care. At $19.99, this thing is a steal.

I will say that I think the marketing team for the Marshawn elf blew it. I mean, how is this thing not called “Lynch on a bench?” You get all the fun of an Elf on the Shelf, except on a bench. Someone at NFL Shop needs to make that name change happen.

As for this week’s game, the Seahawks can clinch a playoff berth if they win, which means there’s a 100 percent chance I’m going to pick the Seahawks in this game, and I won’t be surprised if things gets ugly. For one, I’m pretty sure everyone in Seattle’s locker room is still slightly bitter about the fact that Richard Sherman called the Seahawks a “middle of the road team.”

If the Seahawks are a middle of the road team, then I’m not sure what that makes the 49ers. Not only did they lose to the Seahawks 43-16 back in Week 13, but they’ve also lost nine straight games to the Seahawks dating back to the beginning of the 2014 season.

This definitely has all the makings of a trap game, but with Sherman’s quote and the 49ers upsetting the Broncos on Sunday, I don’t think the Seahawks will be overlooking anyone.

The pick: Seahawks 31-20 over 49ers

NFL Week 15 picks: All the rest

Texans 27-20 over Jets

Browns 19-16 over Broncos

Falcons 20-13 over Cardinals

Bengals 30-27 over Raiders

Bills 23-16 over Lions

Bears 20-17 over Packers

Vikings 30-17 over Dolphins

Titans 23-20 over Giants

Jaguars 19-13 over Redskins

Ravens 24-16 over Buccaneers

Rams 34-23 over Eagles

Saints 31-24 over Panthers

Last Week

Best pick: Last week, I predicted the Falcons would score 20 points and lose to the Packers, and then the Falcons went out and scored 20 points and lost to the Packers. Of course, the reason I picked the Falcons to lose had nothing to do with the Falcons and everything to do with the Packers. When it comes to making picks, I only have one rule and that rule is that there’s a 100 percent chance I’m going to pick a team to win if they just fired their coach. However, I now feel bad for picking the Packers and taking advantage of Mike McCarthy getting fired, because apparently, he’s a classy guy.

Even though the Packers kicked him to the curb, McCarthy still took a out a full-page ad over the weekend to thank the team and fans for their support. That’s basically the complete opposite of the scorched earth tour that Hue Jackson went on after he got fired. You know, the one where he blamed everyone but himself for the Browns’ failures. Jackson also added insult to injury by taking a job just weeks later with one of the Browns’ biggest rivals.

To put this in layman’s terms, McCarthy’s firing would be the equivalent of a guy getting dumped and then sending his ex-girlfriend a thank you note for a wonderful relationship while Jackson’s firing would be the equivalent of a guy getting dumped and then setting his ex-girlfriend’s house on fire in the same week where he also started dating her slightly less attractive sister.

I think the lesson to be learned here is don’t date your ex-girlfriend’s sister.

Worst pick: Last week, I spent roughly three paragraphs talking about how the freezing cold weather in Chicago would have no effect on a team from California and let me just say that I’ve never been more wrong about anything in my entire life. Not only did I pick the Rams to beat the Bears, but I said they would score 26 points in the win. I’m not sure if you watched the game, but the Rams definitely didn’t beat the Bears and they didn’t come anywhere close to scoring 26 points.

I have no idea why I said the Rams could handle cold weather. As someone who lived in California for six years, I know for a fact that the only thing people in California hate more than non-organic food is cold weather. If it’s not beach weather, then there’s no reason to go outside, but it’s always beach weather, which is why everyone in California is always happy.

I mean, I can’t even type on a computer when the temperature drops below 35 degrees, so I’m not sure why I thought Jared Goff would be able to throw a football. Lesson learned, which means if the Rams play any playoff games this year in a cold-weather city or a city that doesn’t serve organic food, then I’ll definitely be picking against them.

Finally, if you guys have ever wondered which teams I’m actually good at picking, this is the part where I tell you, but I don’t need to tell you, because you already know. Through 14 weeks, I only have a perfect record picking one team: The Seahawks (13-0). Also, I’m 11-2 picking the Rams and 10-3 picking the 49ers, Chargers and Browns (9-3-1).

As for the rest of the NFL, I’m somewhere between 6-7 and 9-4 picking the 27 teams not listed above.

Picks record

Straight up in Week 14: 10-6SU overall: 132-74-2Against the spread in Week 14: 9-7ATS overall: 98-105-5Exact score predictions: 2

You can find John Breech on Facebook or Twitter and if he’s not doing one of those things, he’s probably re-enacting the Miami Miracle with his cats.

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Posted by smashdownsportsnews on 2018-12-16 13:51:15

Tagged: , Featured , Football , News

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