#pac trot

[n3xii]

Who were you in a past life?

This post is meant to give you a glimpse at one of your past lifes- obviously this is a general reading so take this with a grain of salt. I will be using the tarot apokalipsis deck to give me insight of the specifics of the religious and culture influences of your past life. i hope this is fun to read however if you are truly interested in a personal past life reading I have this service available in my pinned post <3

PILE ONE

Culture you lived in- 6 of pentacles, queen of wands, 2 of swords

this culture had an emphasis on community and trading. Sharing, exchange of resources, merchants, and trading and exchange of goods or labour were likely a key characteristic of the economy. this also means that power was likely obtained by having access to resources and having skills to make material goods which is important to note because all societies have a different economic system that makes up social stratification and inequality.  in this soicety, owning and trading resources such as land and material goods gave you status. I feel that people carried the spirit of charity and giving to those in need, giving aid and creating a comfortable place for people to live was a key goal in life. people likely looked to this society as refuge. i also see an emphasis on female power in this society although i do feel it was a power struggle, women were seen as having inherent mystical power or influence that would be celebrated, but not without intense mind games.  women were smart and knew how to meet the match of men and although they may not have always been seen as equals it was hard to deny women who they were and their potential. Men were threatened by female power in this society and I do feel there was mind games and power struggles to control them. Women were seen as having a spirit that cant be tamed. when i asked the religion or dominant spiritual belief of this society i got the queen of swords, which in my deck corresponds to Norse mythology, specifically the Volva. this points to a past life in a viking soicety. 

who were you- 7 of wands reversed, 5 of cups, king of pentacles, 6 of cups, the devil, the emperor

i feel you were a person who experienced some type of demise and experienced great lost and grief because of this. you were a person that felt corned and overwhelmed by challenges and opposition by their situation in life, many of you were female in this past life. there was feeling as though you couldn't meet the challenges and pressures in life and you struggled immensly with self doubt. for how others saw you, you got the knight of swords reversed and two of pentacles reversed,  people generally saw you as impulsive and self destructive, a person who struggled to balance/ prioritize work and therefore struggled to actualize their potential. when i research how women were treated in viking societies this was an answer I recieved: ‘’ Compared to women elsewhere in the same period, Viking women had more freedom. However, there were limits to this. Even if women had a relatively strong position, they were officially inferior to men. They could not appear in court or receive a share of the man's inheritance.’’

I feel this makes sense considering the cards,  this loss was a males inheritance as the cards references the king of pentacles and 5 of cups next to each other, there was wealth or resources that you could’ve had but didnt get and this caused lasting grief.

PILE TWO

culture/society you lived in- the star, ten of wands, 9 of wands, queen of wands reversed

you were apart of a society that relied on the work of laborer's building and constructing for money/food. I say that because the ten of wands in this deck refers to directly that.  They were paid but this work was difficult and required reliance on spirituality to keep going. the star card also tells me that these places were likely places that were thought to be connected to the divine, meant to connect people with a higher source. the culture was heavily reliant on the work of craftsman and laborer's, people devoting themselves to a project with hopes of their service promising them something in the afterlife. when I asked the dominate religion or spirituality in this culture, I got Hathor, an Egyptian goddess. This points to a past life in Egyptian society which makes sense because the other cards in the deck im using also point to Egyptian themes  (the ten of wands in this deck shows construction of pyramids) emotional strength and resilience was a highlight of this culture, overcoming battles and periods of being tested earned immense respect as you lived in a time period where alot of people were suffering, spiritually gave people light in the darkness. 

who were you: the tower, 5 of wands, ace of swords reversed. 

you were someone who experienced a sudden and major change that threw you in dangerous, risky situations. you were someone who had to quickly adapt to the sudden change and integrate with the choas. theres actually a huge emphasis on choas in your character, you were a challenging, wicked person, you were female in this life, i feel you were a person who stood out from others and held beliefs and ideas that caused conflict. you lacked structure and foundation for your ideas and perhaps struggled to make your mind up, regardless you were the ingredient in every situation that destabilized and challenged people. whatever trauma or sudden change you experienced had a lasting impact on you as well. 

PILE THREE

culture you lived in- prince of cups, 4 of swords reversed and the hierophant reversed

its very important to note that in the culture you lived in the influence of organized religion was changing or loosing influence. experiencing the divine first hand was important to people. I also feel art, beauty, romance and love were viewed with the highest degrees. when I asked the dominant religion or spiritual force of this time I was given the ace of pentacles, which corresponds to the Khmer empire in this deck, the card shows a temple originally meant for hindu deities but later featured additions in the Buddhist periods of Cambodian history. Here's some information on this empire from wikpedia:  The Khmer Empire is a term used by historians to refer to Cambodia from the 9th to the 15th centuries, when the nation was a Hindu-Buddhist empire in Southeast Asia. The empire grew out of the former civilizations of Funan and Chenla,  At its peak, the Khmer Empire was larger than the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire), which existed around the same time.

i find it interesting that the first message i got about this culture was that religion was changing or losing influence, in this society Buddhism gained popularity over the religion that was widely accepted in the beginning: Hinduism. Architecture reflected the artistic and spiritual beliefs of people as well, so that may be where the message about love and art comes from. I feel people were airy and idealistic and wore their hearts on their sleeves. however there is a atmosphere of people struggling to gain inspiration, i feel like you lived in a time where many people struggled to advance themselves creatively and intellectually due to overarching circumstances. there's a collective feeling of feeling blocked

who were you- 5 of pentacles, four of cups reversed, six of swords reversed

you were likely male was impoverished, poor or an outcast. you were someone who was uninspired, disillusioned and disconnected with the world around you. You were a creative, but a disconnection to space around you created obstscles to fully pursuing what you wanted, in your past life, there was a change you struggled to overcome, a transition that as delayed and resisted perhaps not being able to find work. i feel you wanted to travel in this life but didnt get to go where you wanted. this reflects the message of you living in a time where people struggled to become inspired despite the love for art and idealism, perhaps you wanted to go somewhere else and experience something new to feel inspired, but this was delayed or blocked.

[destroyabez]

I did some doodles with my silly and @marythekumquat 's Josie, @clownking13 's Desdemona, and @thisbeartblog 's Alex !!! I loved drawing all of them they are so silly <3 I hope y'all like the art too !! Also kitty !!!

Fatimah in pac man bra. . . Trots is entranced. . .

FATIMAH FATIMAH LOOK OUT ABOVE YOU !!! oh no. . . SHES WEARING AIR PODS !!!!!!/ref

[cherrycola27]

false god

Series Warnings: Mythology!AU. Language, alcohol, drinking. Military inaccuracies. Mutual pining, unrequited love. Allusions to and eventual smut. Slow burn. Minors DNI. 18+. Individual chapter warnings will come as needed. Banner Credit @thedroneranger

Masterlist Next Part

...........................................

Chapter 1: Villain Era

For generations, people have said that the gods from mythology weren't just myths, that they were real. Some even believed they walked amongst the mortals of the world.

Many people might brush it off, say it was the stuff of legends. That the Gods didn't exist. At least not the ones in the stories from ancient times, but that's a whole different conversation for another day.

Sure, people have claimed that the Gods of the days of old were real, and people have called them crazy. But those nay sayers are wrong.

The Gods are real.

And they do walk among the mortals. You know that without a shadow of a doubt.

Why?

Because you're one of them.

A millennia ago, you and the other Gods that once ruled over Earth from your perch on Mount Olympus were cast off by the Titans.

Angered by Zeus' taunting bravado, all of you were doomed to walk the Earth until each of you proved yourself worthy of your title.

One by one, the twelve of you earned your place back on the summit. Well—almost all of you.

It seemed that you were the only one of the bunch that hadn't been deemed worthy enough to have your seat on the high court given back to you, along with having your full powers restored.

You had tried for centuries to prove yourself worthy. Completing quest after quest and defeating enemy after enemy. Yet, none of them were good enough, hard enough, righteous enough.

Simply put, you were not enough.

So, you accepted your fate. That you would never have your seat back on Olympus. You gave up on trying to be worthy enough.

You spent centuries trotting the globe, doing what you pleased. However, even without your seat on Olympus, you were still forced expected to watch and govern over your realm.

Of course, you were still expected to do that. No one else wanted to. The Olympians all sat upon their mountain top and looked down upon you, literally and figuratively.

You spent three thousand years trying to prove that you are their equal. After yet another fail attempt to earn your rightful place, you decided you didn't need their approval. Who were they to tell you that you weren't good enough? They all thought you were a monster. Their minds were made up. So why try to change it? You vowed that you would no longer spend your life trying to prove your worth to the other Gods. You decided to do what you wanted, honor be damned.

After generations of trying to find yourself, you discovered that you loved flying, so, you chose a career where you could do just that.

You had traveled all over the world and eventually settled in America. You joined their Navy and became an aviator. A very good one at that. One of the best.

And the best part about it is that you could go by your real name, not one of the silly ones the humans insited on having.

After spending almost a decade in the Navy, you'd made quiet a name for yourself. And not in a good way. You had drifted from squadron to squadron. Each one more different than the last.

And yet, each one knew what it meant when you showed up. It meant a mission that would surely end in tragedy was coming. But, somehow, each time you cheated death, it was almost like you were untouchable—immortal even.

No one had ever seen a pilot like you. You were smart, clever, quick, deadly.

And the kicker of it all, you were a woman.

After a particularly sketchy mission overseas, where you somehow survived a total engine failure and heavy enemy fire, and crashing into the ocean due to a parachute failure, and then almost drowning, the Navy offered you the chance to have a more permanent duty station. To be part of the most elite squadron in the history of the program.

So, you packed your things and moved across the country to take on a role as the newest member of the Dagger Squadron on the North Island in San Diego.

Today was your first day. This would be your once chance to establish yourself, to assert your dominance. If you went in there friendly and smiling, they would think you're weak. You refused to let that happen.

So, you slicked back your bun, laced your boots, pinned your medals, and put on your game face. The metaphorical mask you wore to protect yourself and them. You weren't here to be best friends with the Daggers. You were here to train with them, fly a mission in a few months, and leave.

Making friends made the last item on the list harder. So, you would come in cold and calculated, team build enough to keep up appearances and earn their trust.

After giving yourself a once over in the mirror of your apartment, you grabbed your things and headed towards base.

.............

The first days were always the hardest. Just like in school, everyone always wanted a piece of the new kid. You could tell that the other aviators in the room were used to being the best of the best. Today, you took that title from them. You out ranked all of them and had more confirmed kills than the whole lot combined. You had thirteen. You'd personally sent thirteen souls to the Underwold.

You would think that being surrounded by death your whole life would make killing easier. It doesn't.

You remember the ache in your heart after your first confirmed air to air kill. People congratulated you, slapped you on the back, and applauded your accomplishments. You got a medal for it.

Everyone around you made it seem like it was a good thing, but it troubled you deeply. You remember sitting on the floor of your tiny rental downing bottle after bottle of whiskey and tequila, trying to ease the pain, but the relief never came. Finally, you broke down and cried out to Dinoysus. He'd answered your call and provided you with some lotus flower. You swallowed them quickly and let the numbness wash over you.

After coming down from the high, you swore you would never do it again. But you did. Each time making you feel worse than the last.

You prayed that your thirteen kill would be your last one.

You sucked in a breath and wiped your sweat palms against your uniform pants before quietly opening the heavy metal door and entering the hanger that was currently being used as a briefing room.

You stay quiet at the back of the room, taking a few deep breaths to calm yourself. The last thing you needed was to flame out and hurt someone. You're vaugly aware of your commanding officer introducing you to the group.

Though you didn't need much of an introduction, your reputation proceeded you.

You took a deep breath and walked to the front of the room. Just like clock work, the lifetime counters appeared for you over the heads of each of the new aviators that you were meeting for the first time. All of them still had decades left. You'd make sure it stayed that way.

One by one, you made eye contact with each of them. Everything was fine until your eyes met his.

You could see a spark in them that was oh so familiar. You felt a heat creepy over you. You had to squeeze your palms to keep them from bursting into literal flames.

Don't lose control

Don't let them see what you really are

You swallowed thickly before speaking.

"Good morning all. My name is Commander Y/N Kolasi. Call sign: Hades."

Twelve sets of eyes stared back at you. Each one of them wearing a different expression. Some were shocked, others surprised, and a few looked intimidated. One looked at you like you were his next meal, a challenge for him.

Keep it together

Each one came to introduce themselves. And shake your hand. Harvard. Yale. Halo. Fritz. Omaha. Payback. Fanboy. Coyote. Phoenix. Bob. Hangman. Each one telling you their call sign and welcoming you to the group.

Finally, after waiting his turn, he came up to introduce himself. He was tall and sun kissed. Golden brown curls and honey colored eyes with a thick mustache that he made work. He wore a smile on his face, but you could feel the lifetime of pain and the burden of the world that he carried with him.

"Good morning, Commander. My name is Lieutenant Commander Bradley Bradshaw. But you can call me Rooster." He told you before giving you a firm handshake.

You prayed that he wouldn't notice how hot your hands were from the flames that threatened to creep out of them.

You could feel the desire burning inside you. Something you hadn't let yourself feel for a very long time. You couldn't risk it. You couldn't allow yourself to lose control. Not again.

No, you can't do this again

You'll only hurt him

You could already tell that you would have to keep as much space between the two of you as possible. You wouldn't let yourself fall for him.

"'Rooster is going to be your wingman for the time being. He'll help you get acquainted with everyone while you're getting settled." Your commanding officer, Maverick, told you.

Great. So much for keeping your distance.

...............

After a day of training and flying and fending off the flirty remarks from Hangman, you headed to the locker rooms to take a long hot shower. The water wasn't nearly as hot as you wanted it to be, so you gave it a little extra assistance.

After spending some time soothing your aching muscles, because yeah, even the Gods get tired, you finished getting ready. You slid on a black sports bra and black v-neck shirt. You slipped on a pair of jeans and sighed as you pulled them up to cover the inked words and images across your hips and thighs.

You left your hair loose and swiped some mascara and a dark red lip on before leaving. You thought you might ask your new coworkers about the best place to get a drink around here. You couldn't actually get drunk, but you needed to keep up appearances and earn their trust. You've found that mortals are more apt to let their guard down and show their true selves after a few social drinks.

You grabbed your things and slipped your sunglasses over your eyes as you exited the building to walk to your car.

You fished your keys out of your bag. And you were just about to unlock your SUV when you noticed some of the boys crowded around your car.

"Excuse me?" You said as you unlocked your blacked out Land Rover Defender.

"Hades? This is your car?" Hangman asked you with wide-eyed amazement.

"Yes. It is." You deadpanned.

"Damn. This is fine as hell, darlin. Custom paint job?" He asked as he leaned against the hood and traced his finger down the electric blue pin stripping that ran down it.

"Yes, along with custom black chrome wheels and a custom sound system and custom interior." You tell him.

"So if you could back the fuck off and not lean on it, that would be great." You say sarcastically.

Good, don't let them think you're weak

"Sorry, honey." He smirked before standing up.

You rolled your eyes before looking over at the car parked next to you. It was a vintage blue Bronco.

"Whose Bronco is that?" You asks, looking at the group of men whose eyes went back and forth between ogling you and your SUV.

"It's mine." You hear Rooster's voice cut through them.

Of course it was

"I like it. I'm a big fan of the classics." You tell him.

"Thanks." He smiled. "Is this the Bond edition?" Bradley asks as he gestures to your car. "Yeah." You shrugged.

Don't smile back

Don't lose control

"So, Hades, how many drinks would I have to buy you at the Hard Deck for you to let me take this beauty for a spin?" Hangman asks you.

"Seresin, there isn't enough alcohol in the world for me to ever agree to that." You shoot back. Coyote laughs and smacks him on the back.

"But, the Hard Deck, is that where you guys go to get a drink around here?" You ask them.

"Yeah, it is. Mav's girlfriend owns it. If you want to, you can follow me over there, and I can buy you a welcome to the team beer." Rooster pipes up.

"Sounds good. Lead the way, Bradshaw." You say as you open your car door and climb in. A grin breaks out across Bradley's face as he jogs over to his car.

Great, you've been too nice.

Stop it.

You press your push to start button and the engine under the hood purrs to life. You can see the shocked expression of Hangman, Coyote, Fanboy, and Payback through your tinted windows.

You select your favorite playlist and turn the volume up. The beats ring out as you rev the engine before following Bradley out of the parking lot.

As the bass drops, you tap your shiny black fingernails along your leather wrapped steering wheel as you listen to the song

"She's in her villain era"

You cut your eyes to your rearview mirror. "You aren't here to make friends, and you aren't here to fall in love." You tell yourself.

"You'd better send a prayer up"

You took a deep breath as you pulled into the parking lot next to Rooster. You could do this. You killed the engine, but before you could open your door, Rooster rushed over and grabbed the handle before offering his hand to help you out.

"You didn't have to do that." You tell him.

Don't let him charm you.

Do you want a repeat of last time?

"I know, but my mom would roll over in her grave if I didn't." He tells you with a smile before leading you in.

The moment he mentions his mother, you can see her. You can see his memories of her. You know her. You had met her when she came through the gates. The first thing she asked you was if you knew where her Goose was. It took a few minutes of her explaining for you to realize she was talking about her husband. You think fondly of their reunion. Moments like those made your godly job more tolerable. It must have been almost fifteen years ago. You realize how young Rooster must have been.

Now you know why he carries sadness in his eyes.

"Hoping that she'll maybe spare ya"

You vow to yourself to not cause him anymore.

Don't lose control

................

You spend a few hours in the Hard Deck with your new squadron. You try your best to ignore the countdown timers of all the new faces. You swipe them away until you notice one of a young man who is sitting at the bar alone. He looks depressed and is clearly intoxicated. You see that he's got thirty minutes left to live.

He's fumbling for his wallet to pay his tab, and he sets his keys on the bar. You know exactly what he is going to do. You also know you shouldn't interfere because Minthe will tell you that all your time on earth has made you soft. But you can't help it.

You discreetly make your way through the crowd and swipe his keys without being seen. You look back and see that his time has jumped up several decades. You breathe a heavy sign and pocket his keys to turn into the bartender at a later time.

God, you are getting soft.

You're just about to pay for your drinks and the rest of your coworkers when Phoenix grabs your arm and tells you to come over to the piano.

You gather around to find Rooster sitting and playing a few melodies.

Then, he breaks into a song, putting on a show for the whole bar. You figured that's probably how he got his call sign.

As he is singing, he throws his head back, and you see them. You don't know how you hadn't noticed them before. His scars.

Before you know it, his words aren't his anymore. They are hers from ages past echoing in your brain.

"Come Hades! I want all of Olympus to know you're mine, mine, mine! I want to shout it from the mountain tops and tell the world you belong to me and I belong to you!" She chants out as you're racing her up a hill before catching her around the waist and kissing her. "Persephone, calm down, you'll wake the dead." You half scold her. "Well, I want them to know too, Hades." She tells you before kissing you again.

Her voice is as clear as day in your head. You can still feel the tingle from her kiss on your lips.

You didn't realize you had zoned out until Phoenix shook you to see if you were okay. You snapped back to reality and wiped a stray tear from your eye as Rooster began to play another song.

Don't lose control

Don't drop the mask

"Yes. I'm fine." You lied to her so easily. "It's just getting late. I'm going to head home. Will you tell everyone their tabs are taken care of." You call over your shoulder as you push your way through the crowd and out the door.

You struggle to draw in a breath as you get in your car. You turn on the headlights and zoom out of the parking lot as you try to regulate your heart rate.

It was all too much. Too similar. Too overwhelming.

You could feel the control slipping.

Get it together

You peeled down the highway towards your apartment, needing to put as much space between you and him. He was so much like her it scared you. You remember how easy it was for her to break down your walls. You could already feel them slipping again after just a day around him.

This is not good

Build your walls higher

Make your armor stronger

You couldn't relive the worst moment of your life. You would not let yourself fall in love with Bradley Bradshaw. You couldn't let yourself go through that heartbreak again. You might not be strong enough to survive it a second time

Do

Not

Lose

Control

Taglist: @thedroneranger @roosterscock @shanimallina87 @teacupsandtopgun @mayhemmanaged @wkndwlff @roosterforme @daggerspare-standingby @dakotakazansky @startrekfangirl2233 @hecate-steps-on-me @cassiemitchell @na-ta-sh-aa @milestellerlover @katieshook02 @mak-32 @je-suis-prest-rachel @soulmates8 @ohgodnotagainn @diorrfairy @eli2447 @xoxabs88xox @djs8891 @roosters-girl @sebsxphia @rosiahills22 @dempy @callsign-magnolia @alchemxx @gretagerwigsmuse @sunlightmurdock @withahappyrefrain @lt-spork @multifandomlover4life @lewmagoo @bradshawsbaby @seitmai @kmc1989 @bcarolinablr @roosterisdaddy36 @itsdesiree86 @waywardhunter95 @hisredheadedgoddess28

[pulsdmedia]

The Week Ahead 11/20-11/26

Ahhh it’s beginning to look along like - Turkey Day! Thanksgiving is in 4 days and while we’re excited about the fun & the feasting, we’re more jazzed about the city this time of year. It’s the most festive, fabulous season, centered around celebration and fun. Let us help you dive into it all...

$149: 4 Course Thanksgiving Feast & Wine Bottle For 2, Tribeca

If you forgot to grab a turkey, head to Filé Gumbo Bar in Tribeca and completely immerse yourself in turkey day vibes with a Creole & Cajun twist! You’ll enjoy a 4 Course Thanksgiving Dinner For Two that includes 2 Louisiana-Style Thanksgiving Feasts. Expect Family-Style Servings of Starters, Main Centerpieces, Sides, and Desserts, as well as 1 Bottle of Red or White Wine. The banquet is family-style, meaning abundant servings of Pimento Cheese & Warm Crab Dip, Roasted Turkey with Cajun Butter, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Crawfish Mac & Cheese, Cornbread Sausage Dressing, Ham Hocks Green Beans, and so much more, not to mention desserts such as Bread Pudding! We love New York City, but why not celebrate the festivities like you're in New Orleans...

SEA NY Sample Sale

Join 260 Sample Store at their SoHo location to shop pieces from SEA New York! Shop their best pieces at a steep discount to refresh your wardrobe. It's the holiday season, so you deserve to treat yourself!

$19 Ticket To An Open Bar Thanksgiving Eve Party, LIC

Add a dose of stress-busting fun to your holiday plans with a night at Gamehaus! Their whole scene is based on tapping into your playful side, repping a rotating craft beer program, potent cocktails, luscious wines, and the like that will fuel the fun at their Open Bar Thanksgiving Eve Party! The 5,000-square-foot multifunctional space is the ideal gem to celebrate this revelrous night. Celebrated in Time Out, Gamehaus is chock full of interactive & arcade games - think Atari Pong, Ms. Pac-Man, Jurassic Park, Pop-a-Shot and Skee Ball, just to name a few. You'll partake in some friendly competition while you drink endless swigs from a free-flowing open bar. And when hunger makes an entrance, order some juicy burgers, overflowing tacos, and the like from the spot's decadent menu. We're feeling extra thankful for this holiday shindig...

NYCRUNS Turkey Trot 5K

Governors Island is now open year round and that means more chances to run there, including this 5K! The foliage is amazing this late in the fall and NYCRUNS can't imagine a better view of America than the one you get from Governors Island. Your entry to the NYCRUNS Turkey Trot includes a ferry ride, your race-entry, a snazzy long sleeve t-shirt, and post-race eats!

$19 VIP Ticket: Open Bar Studio 54 Themed Disco Fever Party

After you’ve consumed all those calories, burn them off, adorned in glitter &  sequins, dancing to the music of the 70s at Casa 51's Disco Fever Fridays. Just $19 gets you a VIP Ticket that includes admission to this fabulous fête, as well as a 2 Hour Open Bar featuring Nostalgic 70s Inspired Cocktails. Walk the red carpet while photographers snap black and white photos reminiscent of the Studio 54 vintage shots of Mick Jagger, Cher, Diana Ross and the like. You'll also get a chance to learn to Hustle, and manifest your inner disco queen or king. Retro Disco Drinks include the favorite of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones in 1972, the "Tequila Sunrise," while modern libation interpretations include the glittery, sweet "Disco Fever" and the fiery, spicy margarita "The Inferno." Groovy, baby...

Bryant Park Tree Lighting

The Bryant Park annual Tree Lighting at Bank of America Winter Village returns to the park! Join Broadway stars and co-hosts Jessica Vosk and Jelani Remy as you enjoy performances by world-class skaters Mirai Nagasu, Polina Edmunds, and others. Plus enjoy singing, fireworks, and more!

[imagine-organization-xiii]

Org at an arcade. Who's playing DDR? Who's tapping out the shooters of their tickets with Xigbar? Who's found that one awesome prize that's like 18,000 tickets and is now trying to get every ticket they can? So on and so forth

It's been ages since I've been to a legit arcade. I was born a little after arcades were popular, so it was never something we really did as kids. Did anyone frequent arcades as a kid or are you guys all younger than me lmao

-

Favorite Arcade Games:

Xemnas - Galaga

Xigbar - Street Fighter

Xaldin - Mortal Kombat

Vexen - Centipede

Lexaeus - Cruis'n

Zexion - Double Dragon

Saix - NBA Jam

Axel - Dragon's Lair

Demyx - Donkey Kong

Luxord - Spy Hunter

Marluxia - Frogger

Larxene - Asteroids

Roxas - Dig Dug

Xion - Ms. Pac-Man

-

Vexen is somehow freakin’ AMAZING at Centipede. He has the high score and people have tried SO hard to beat it but they just can’t. He’s like... almost impossibly good. Similarly, Xemnas is awesome when it comes to Galaga. He also has a high score on the game, and doesn’t understand that this is a huge accomplishment.

Once Xion and Roxas finish playing Ms. Pac-Man and Dig Dug, they both head over to the Skee-Ball Machine to rack up on some tickets to get a prize.

Axel and Demyx are going HAM on a fuckin air hockey machine, so crazy that they actually draw an intense audience. It goes pretty wild. Someone might get injured. Axel’s coat is on fire but he doesn’t care, the game is just too important.

Neither of them notice that Xion and Roxas are  happily trotting past them, arms piled high with stacks and stacks of tickets.

Of course, Marluxia says again and again that he isn’t going to get on the DDR machine, but Xigbar drags him over to it. The two of them ARE SO GOOD, like it’s practically as if they choreographed it ahead of time.

[andreafmn]

I'm Not Afraid - Chapter 5

xWord Count: 3,374

Characters: Female Reader Argent Character, Original Male Argent Character, Derek Hale, Allison Argent, Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, Isaac Lahey, Lydia Martin, Chris Argent, Jackson Whittemore

Story Description: (Y/N) Argent arrived at Beacon Hills to put to rest her father’s sister, Kate Argent. For the first time, her family has decided to settle down and sustain a life in this interesting small town. After 17 years, (Y/N) has the opportunity to establish interpersonal relationships but will she be ready to face the complications that come with relating to her cousin’s, Allison, friends; especially, the infamous Derek Hale. She will face the adventure of being associated with the Derek and McCall pack as well as being faced with the discovery of certain aspects of her life she never imagined.

*DISCLAIMER* I do not own in any way Teen Wolf, all credits of the pre-established characters, script, and storyline belong to Jeff Davis and MTV Network. The only thing I own is Argent Reader insert, her immediate family, and her storyline, as well as her effects in the others’ storyline.

Chapter: 5/?

A/N: If you enjoy my writing I’ll also be posting them in AO3 and Wattpad along with other stories (I also hope to start taking requests if ya’ll want) Hope you enjoy and all constructive criticism is encouraged.

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Chapter 5

I woke up to a heavy and warm wight around my waist. As my mind started registering the scene around me, I noticed the soft snores that were filling the room, the strong smell of cologne, the rough skin encircling me, the chest in front of me that raised and fell at a slow pace. At some point during the night, Derek must have crawled into bed, and I couldn’t say that I minded.

He looked peaceful when he slept. No supernatural problems, no feuds, no hunters, just peace. My hand unconsciously landed on his cheek, softly stroking his cheek. Still succumbed to slumber, he leaned into the touch, nuzzling his head onto my hand like a puppy. I wish this could be the way it always was, but now that I knew the reality of the world we were in, there was no chance it would ever stay this way.

Deciding to let him sleep longer, I tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen where breakfast had already been prepared. I looked around and noticed that their car keys were gone, which meant they had left early in the morning to do whatever it was that they always did. I greeted Brody who had trotted my way from the living room, and filled his dog bowl, adding a few tasty treats. While I served two plates, I put the coffee machine to run, ensuring the freshest pot for the morning. I looked around for a tray to take the breakfast upstairs in case my parents came back at any moment, eating my food as the coffee brewed. Placing some cream and sugars on the tray, I made my way back to the bedroom where Derek was starting to wake up, Brody following behind.

“Morning, sour wolf.” I softly pushed open the door, the tray in front of me. Derek was rubbing the night from his eyes, a soft smile playing on his lips. Upon seeing the man, Brody jumped on the bed greeting him with slobbery kissed. Derek laughed and petted his head as he laid at the foot of the bed.

“Morning,” he yawned. “Whatcha got there?”

“Some eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Also, some coffee.” He took the tray from my hands and set it on the bed. Taking one of the coffee cups, I sat over on my desk to work on the homework I had left pile during the week. Derek grabbed the plate and came to stand behind me, leaning down to rest his chin on my shoulder.”

“What are you doing?” He inquired, downing the food from the plate quickly.

“Homework. You know, the thing people my age have to do to be able to graduate from high school with good grades.” I looked to the side, my heart beating faster noticing the closeness of our faces. “I’m sure you wouldn’t know much about that.”

“I’ll have you know I was a good enough student.”

“Emphasis on good enough.” I booped his nose with my pen and continued my work. “When you’re done you should head home, don’t want my parents catching you here just in case.”

“Why? We’re not doing anything.” He sipped his coffee and sat down on the bed, Brody laying his head on his lap. I turned my chair and faced him, a laugh escaping my lips.

“I think you’re forgetting who you are and who my family is. Apart from that, I don’t think my dad will particularly enjoy the fact that a 21-year-old werewolf is in his teenage daughter’s bedroom, alone.” I grinned. “But suit yourself. I’d love to see how it will play out.”

“Alright, but can I at least take you out some time this week?” My heartbeat quickened, the sound loud enough for me to hear. “Is that a yes?”

“It’s not a no,” I grinned.

“I kind of need an answer,” he pressed. A grin played on his lips by the point he had stood and rested his hands on the arms of the chair.

“How about, I’ll let you know?”

“I’ll take it,” he smiled. “I’ll text you.”

“Alright, I’ll be waiting.” He kissed my cheek and grabbed his jacket to head towards the door. “Where are you going?”

“Home?”

“Not through the door you’re not.” The dumbfounded look on his face was hilarious. “what would I do if my parents walked in.”

“I’m fast, you know. Like supernaturally fast.”

“Mm, I’ve seen you. Not fast enough.”

“Fine,” he surrendered. “Keep watch of your phone.”

“I will,” I smiled. He took a step back and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Brody got alerted by the sudden move and jumped off the bed to bark at the window, standing on his hind legs to prop his eye out. I joined his side and saw Derek standing normally in my backyard as if he hadn’t just jumped out of a two-story window. He waved and I waved back as he became a blur, vanishing before my very eyes.

I slumped down on my bed and ran my hands over my face. What was I doing? There were so many things that were pit against us. My 18th birthday was still a little less than a year away, he had something going on with Erica, my family and he are natural-born enemies, we are currently under the terror of a reptilian shapeshifting Jackson, and that was just scratching the surface. I couldn’t scrutinize why he would ask me out too much, it was probably not even in a romantic way. It could just well be that he wanted to keep an eye on me since I was new to this whole werewolf, Kanima, hunter thing.

A couple of hours went by where I took Brody out for a walk, finished what was left of my homework, and started watching a movie when my phone went off.

“Hey, I heard the good news! You’re staying in town.”

“Hey, Allison. Yeah, it looks that way.”

“Well then, I believe you owe some people an apology.”

“What could you possibly mean?” I scoffed. But she was right, as hard as it was to admit.

“Don’t act dumb, (Y/N). You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“I don’t like it when you’re right,” I sighed. “What do you think I should do?”

“I could invite them over to your house and you could apologize to them. They never object to free pizza.”

I was glad. Instead of sulking on the 'he likes me, he likes me not' nonsense, I prepared the house for Allison and her friends, the people I hope to win over. One by one they arrived at my doorstep. Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and Allison. I had put out some snacks and the pizza I had bought. Scott and Stiles were not shy about their hunger as they dove in right away.

"So, what's the purpose of this meeting?" Lydia asked, her usual cocky attitude on full show.

"Uh, well, I wanted to apologize for being such a bitch these past few weeks."

"Hm, understatement of the century." Stiles chuckled with his mouth full.

"Actually, she can be 1,000 times worse. That was just level 1 bitchiness."

"Point taken. But why would you apologize? We get it you don't want to be our friend."

"That's not it, it's just... ugh... Look, it’s honestly a very long story, but moving around it’s hard to cut ties and start over for so long. After a while it’s easier to builds walls up and maintain everyone at arm’s length." They all stared at me. Hopefully I was getting through to them. "But this time I'm changing that. I want to be your friend and that's why I'm apologizing."

"Well, I don't know about the other guys, but I've always considered you my friend. I mean, I've considered Lydia my friend and she hates me."

"Oh, please, Stiles. I don't hate you, you're just, um.... special."

"I'll take it."

"We understand. And of course you're our friend, (Y/N). You were just too stubborn to notice." Scott smiled at me. "Now, is there more pizza?"

"How the hell did you two boys just finish two boxes of pizza?"

"We're growing?" Stiles said with his mouth full.

"Barely," Allison mumbled.

"You know I can hear you, right?"

"That's the point, Scott."

The whole room laughed and continued to enjoy a very pleasant afternoon. It felt weird to finally feel like I belonged somewhere; that there were people around me that cared for me despite my flaws. As I looked around the faces of the group that had welcomed me with open arms, I couldn’t help but feel that someone was missing; the person that had first accepted me.

The clock had hit 4 o’clock when the last piece of food was gone, and the gang had gone home. After cleaning up, I decided it was time to call Isaac. I didn’t like the person he had become after the bite. But I couldn’t say I didn’t understand. He felt confident, strong, but he was using the wrong outlet. Just like I was.

“So, you’re finally talking to me,” Isaac chuckled, a cocky tone to his voice.

“Only if you’re done being a douche.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since you turned into a werewolf you’ve been nothing short of unbearable with your cocky behavior and holier-than-thou attitude.” I could hear him shifting on the other line, the news taking him aback. It seems Derek hadn’t told his pack that I knew everything.

“H-how… who told you?”

“Derek, your alpha. He told me everything the other day. I know all about werewolves, kanimas, hunters, pack, blah, blah, blah. But none of that excuses your behavior,’’ I sighed. “So, are you done being a dick?”

“Maybe,” he chuckled. “Can I see you?”

“Sure. Why don’t we go grab a bite? I’ll pick you up.”

“Alright!” He sounded excited. “I’ll text you the address.”

After hanging up I decided to take a quick shower before leaving. I threw on a white t-shirt and jeans and paired them with my leather jacket. As I tied my boots, I reached for the keys of my dad’s Chevrolet Suburban. Hopefully, I didn’t crash. In the car, I typed in the address Isaac had sent me. It was an industrial loft not too far from my own home. I honked my horn to notify Isaac I was there as well as sent a text.

“Are you stalking me now?”

I jumped at the sound of Derek’s voice and the knock he left on my window. . He appeared like a ghost and leaned on my door. “I could say the same about you. I’ve never been here before.”

“I live here,” he laughed, pointing at the building. “It’s my loft.”

“I’m here to pick up Isaac,” I said sheepishly. “So, he’s been staying with you. I thought you live in the woods.”

“It’s my family’s house and it’s under my ownership, but it’s not under livable conditions. And, yes, Isaac has been staying with me.”

“Hey, Derek.” Isaac finally emerged from the doors and jogged up to my car, patting Derek on the back. The man’s expression rapidly changed as soon as Isaac joined the conversation. The playful smile he wore had been replaced by a menacing scowl. “We’re going out for a while. I’ll see you later.”

We said goodbye and as I drove off, I stared at Derek. His body was tense, and his jaw was clenched. He was angry, but I didn’t know why. When we were alone, he was a completely different person than what he showed to others. There was this terrifying façade that was impenetrable by everyone else, yet he was a completely different person with me; he was an Alpha to the others, but he was just Derek to me.

I parked the car at a small burger joint Isaac directed me to. It wasn’t too full, so our food came out quickly. We sat at a table in the back, far from any prying ears.

“So, what did you mean about this cocky attitude?” He popped a french fry into his mouth, playing around with his food. “You seemed quite mad about it. Mad enough that you avoided me for some time.”

“Ever since you transformed you’ve been carrying yourself like you’re above everyone, you don’t even bother to be respectful of teachers or anyone for that matter. I miss the old Isaac.”

“You mean the pushover wimpy kid?” He scoffed. “I can’t say the same.”

“That’s not what I meant.” My hand reached out to his clenched fist and his hold softened. “You were nice and respectful, and knew how to treat others because you knew how it felt to be mistreated. Of course, you could have done with more confidence, but that’s not what this is. It’s almost as if you’re turning into Jackson, heaven forbid.”

His eyes softened and I knew I was getting through the wall he had built up.

"I'm sorry, (Y/N). It's just… this is the first time in my life that I have felt powerful, like nothing and no one can touch me. I've dealt with so much shit that I thought I deserved to act like that," he sighed. "Can you ever forgive me?"

“You’re practically my best friend, how could I not?”

“Thanks.” He gave me a smile that I happily reciprocated. For the first time in a while, I was seeing the Isaac I had met some time ago. “So, what is it that you needed to speak to me so eagerly.”

“Remember how I mentioned that I would be moving at the end of the year so you shouldn’t get attached?” He nodded. “Well, it seems you’re gonna have to put up with me for a long time. Beacon Hills is now my home.”

“What?! That’s great!” He exclaimed a little too loud. Heads turned towards us and Isaac tried to hide his blush. “Does that mean we can truly be friends now? Not just study partners or casual conversation acquaintances?”

“Yes, Isaac. That’s exactly what that means,” I laughed. His face had lit up as the hard mask he wore finally broke apart. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you, what happened the night that I picked you up? It was such a weird night.”

His whole demeanor changed, clearly a sore subject to talk about. "If Derek told you what we are I presume he told you about everything else." I nodded. "The Kanima. It killed my father. We, um, had gotten into a fight and I ran out. It seems he went out looking for me but didn't get to me. I found him dead in his car, but I ran and called you."

" Isaac, why didn't you tell me? I mean, I know why you didn't tell me, but something; you should have told me something.” I looked into his eyes, worry evident in them. He had gone through such a traumatic event basically by himself. “Is that why the police were looking for you?"

He nodded. "They thought I had something to do with his murder because of something Jackson said. He was unfortunately my neighbor and had seen me running out of the house, but there were no tracks leading to me. I'm not a fugitive anymore." He smiled softly.

“I’m glad, Isaac, really. And I’m truly sorry for everything you’ve had to endure alone for all these years. You didn’t deserve it.”

“Thanks, (Y/N). At least that part of my life is over.”

“Now we just have to get that damn Kanima and get on with our lives.” We laughed.

Before we knew it, the sky outside had turned dark, signaling the arrival of the night. The car ride back was filled with mindless chitchat and soft background music. It had been a long few days and exhaustion was evident in both of us. Soon enough, the grey building had come into view.

“Do you want to come in for a bit?” Isaac leaned into the open window of the driver’s side.

“I think I’m just gonna head on home. I’m a bit tired and we have school tomorrow.” I smiled. “But, I’ll take you up on the offer someday.”

“Isaac, good to see you’re back,” Derek announced himself, his two betas following behind. “You’re late for training.”

“Sorry, Derek. Time slipped away.”

“Sorry won’t cut it.” His voice was commanding and a bit intimidating. I could see why everyone around me feared him. “Go with Erica and Boyd. Get started.”

'‘Bye, (Y/N). I’ll see you tomorrow.” I smiled and nodded, trying my best to comfort him.

“See you.” Derek stood back as we both watched the three figures disappear into the building. His chest moved, heaving, and he reeked of jealousy. “What’s your problem?”

“What?” Did he truly believe I was that oblivious? “I just…”

“You’re acting like a prissy child, Derek. You knew where Isaac was, who he was with, and that there was a possibility that he would come back late. There’s no need to grill him that hard.”

“He’s old enough to manage his time correctly, (Y/N). He needs to learn discipline. This has nothing to do with you.”

“Clearly, that’s not what’s happening here,’’ I laughed dryly. “Look, pardon the metaphor, but this whole alpha male act is gonna get very tiring, very quickly. If this is how you’re gonna be, don’t bother on scheduling that date this week.”

“Don’t be like that, (Y/N). I swear this has nothing to do with you. There are certain rules that we have to abide by, a different life. It’s complicated.”

“You’re not making any sense, Derek.”

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Yesterday we said no secrets, Derek. What changed in the hours that have passed?”

“Nothing’s changed. I’m sorry if I seemed too harsh on Isaac, but I have to be. They’re young and reckless, and it’s my job to make sure they stay safe. No matter the cost.” He ran his hands across his face as he let out a loud sigh. “Why don’t we just keep the supernatural and our personal lives apart.”

“We can try that for a while, but they’re bound to intersect at some point.”

“I know, but…”

“Let’s play it your way and see how it goes, okay? And lay off Isaac and the others? They are just kids.”

“I’ll try,” he smiled softly. “Text me when you get home, okay?”

“If I remember.”

I backed the car up and sped back to my house. When I opened the garage, my father was sitting on the spot where the car usually went. I had forgotten to tell them I would be gone, and my phone’s battery had died a while back. I was in so much trouble.

“Good to know you’re alive, darling daughter.” The sarcasm spewed from my father’s mouth, and it stung.

“I’m so sorry. I went out with a friend and my phone died. And I know I forgot to say I was leaving the house, but I rarely do that, so please forgive me.”

“Calm down, (Y/N),” he laughed. “We just wanted to make sure you were okay. You weren’t answering your phone, so we got worried. But remember, there’s a tracker on the car. We figured you were out. And I’m glad to hear you have a friend. It’s about time.”

“Thanks, dad.” He wrapped me in a hug and patted my head. If he knew who my friends were I’m sure he wouldn’t feel the same way. “But, if you knew where I was, what was this whole scary setup? I for sure thought you were going to kill me.”

“Nothing like that, honey. But your mother and I have something we have to talk to you about.”

“What is it? You can’t take back that we are staying.”

“It’s not that, but it is serious. Let’s go, your mom is waiting in the kitchen.”

My heart was beating at a rapid pace, a million thoughts running through my head. Although, at the bottom of my heart I knew what this talk was going to be about.

Tag List: @hellowinterlane​ @lokisgoddesofpower​ @mersuperwholocked-lowlife @malar-region

[thecollegefootballguy]

2021 Top Games of the Week: Week 1

Football is back! Week 0 was incredibly boring but Week 1 should more than make up for that. We’ve got a load of interesting games this week that should kick off the season in style. Let’s have a look!

The Top Ten Games of the Week

10. West Virginia at Maryland (Saturday 9/4)

The 10 spot goes to one of the fun rivalry games once again kicking off. West Virginia and Maryland have kept their non-conference rivalry going even as both schools changed conferences in the past 10 years. I hope they keep playing it moving forward. Neither team is expected to contend for their conference, or division in the Terrapins’ case, so winning the rivalry games is #1 on the list for many fans on both sides.

9. Michigan State at Northwestern (Friday 9/3)

The Big Ten is trotting out several conference games to open the season. Michigan State at Northwestern is perhaps the least interesting, but it does feature the defending champions of the West Division. In 2020, the Wildcats came out of nowhere last year to claim their second division title in three years. Meanwhile, the Spartans gutted their way through a season that would have been incredibly disappointing if not for their win over Michigan. Both squads have question marks but with this early conference game we’ll get a better idea where each team stands.

8. #4 Ohio State at Minnesota (Thursday 9/2)

Ohio State is ready to kick off another season with a national championship in their sights. The Buckeyes are quite clearly one of the best teams in the country and expect to go 12-0 or 11-1 at the very worst. Minnesota hasn’t had an opportunity like this is a while. The Gophers are expected to be loaded for bear as they prepare to take the next step forward under P.J. Fleck. Back in 2019, Minnesota defeated #4 Penn State to catapult themselves into a tie with Wisconsin for the West title. I’m sure they have a similar outcome on their minds here for OSU.

7. #16 LSU at UCLA 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/4)

This one is going to hold my attention this weekend. LSU has had a strange two years, going from national champions with potentially the best football team of all time to 5-5 also rans nearly overnight. Sure, they have had time to reload now and the Tigers should be fine, but more than a few eyebrows have been raised already. Meanwhile, UCLA’s long rebuild under Chip Kelly has finally started to bear fruit. The Bruins mauled an overmatched Hawaii squad in week 0. Big deal, the Rainbow Warriors aren’t on the same level as Louisiana State, who will give UCLA a real litmus test to see how far they’ve come. Also it’s cool to see a PAC-SEC matchup, I feel like those conferences have the most infrequent combinations of matchups among the P5 leagues.

6. #10 North Carolina at Virginia Tech (Friday 9/3)

The ACC isn’t quite matching the Big Ten for Week 1 intrigue, but this early bout may have big ramifications on the Coastal race. North Carolina is favored in a race with Miami according to the experts, but things rarely ever go right in this strange division. Virginia Tech are in an awkward position. Things haven’t been going well in Blacksburg lately and fans wanted Justin Fuente fired years ago at this point. It would be a huge opportunity for the Hokies to turn their fortunes around if they can jump on the Tar Heels at home.

5. #23 Louisiana at #21 Texas (Saturday 9/4)

This is a trap game for sure. Steve Sarkisian’s first game as Texas head coach and it’s against a team that made their name last year upsetting regular season Big 12 Champions Iowa State. Louisiana will absolutely give the Longhorns a tougher test than they would normally expect from a G5 program and if they’re not careful UT could faceplant.

4. #17 Indiana at #18 Iowa (Saturday 9/4)

It’s not a sexy matchup in the conventional sense, but you have to give credit where it’s due. Indiana were one of the darlings of the 2020 season. The Hoosiers shocked the world last season with a breakout 6-2 record. With a full season’s worth of games to play now, IU is gunning for double digit wins. Iowa is their usual selves. The Hawkeyes were once again a strong team last year and that should be the case in 2021 as well. Iowa expects to contend for the West Division this year and have to win their cross-division games to give them their best chance at getting to Indianapolis.

3. #19 Penn State at #13 Wisconsin (Saturday 9/4)

The biggest of the Big Ten’s Week 1 matchups sees two of the best programs in the conference square off. Penn State had a bad year in 2020, no other way around saying it. The Nittany Lions need to rebound in 2021 or there will be a lot of question marks surrounding the direction of the program under James Franklin. Wisconsin is their usual selves, meaning the Badgers should once again be one of the top teams in the league but still a step (or two) behind Ohio State. Both Wisconsin and Penn State want to win their respective divisions, a loss in Week 1 would be a crucial setback for either side.

2. #1 Alabama vs #14 Miami FL (Atlanta, GA) (Saturday 9/4)

The defending champions start off the year in a high profile matchup with another high profile team. Miami isn’t quite playing up to their potential just yet, but the Hurricanes are on more solid footing than we’ve seen in a while. Many are expecting another breakthrough season similar to what we saw in 2017. It might not matter either way if the Canes get back to that level. It will be incredibly hard to unseat Alabama. The Crimson Tide are losing a lot of guys from their championship squad, but new faces with similar levels of talent are coming in to replace those who’ve left for the NFL. It feels foolish betting against Bama but a Week 1 loss would be one of the more likely scenarios for a regular season loss at all for the Tide.

1. #5 Georgia at #3 Clemson (Saturday 9/4)

This one is a no-brainer. Georgia and Clemson’s on again-off again rivalry is once again heating back up. The stakes haven’t been this high since the early 80′s, with both the Tigers and Bulldogs attempting to claim national championships this year. UGA is hoping to rebound and reclaim the SEC East after giving it away to Florida last season. The Dawgs are on the short list of 6 or so teams that are aiming to make the Playoff every year. Clemson is one of the other squads on that special list. The Tigers are hosting and may be favored, but we need to be wary of their lack of depth at the QB position. A loss here might not end a Playoff campaign, but it would be a bad start to one as well as a black eye against a regional recruiting rival. 

-

5 G5 Games of the Week

5. Syracuse at Ohio (Saturday 9/4)

Frank Solich unfortunately won’t be the head coach in Athens, but I think his old team is in great position to claim a P5 scalp as hapless Syracuse makes the trek for a rare MAC road date.

4. Marshall at Navy (Saturday 9/4)

Two of the G5′s more consistent brands face off. Marshall is trotting out their first new coach in 15 years while Navy is attempting to spit out the bad taste in their mouths after a disappointing 2020 season.

3. Miami OH at #8 Cincinnati (Saturday 9/4)

The Battle of the Bell is one of FBS football’s oldest rivalries and I love giving it the spotlight. I don’t expect Miami to win of course, while they have been a solid MAC program in the last couple years, the RedHawks aren’t up to the same level as Cincinnati. The Bearcats are favored to repeat as the #1 G5 program in the nation. Cincinnati haven’t lost to their in-state rivals since 2005, giving Miami plenty of reason to try and solve the Cincy defense that gave teams such fits last season.

2. Texas Tech vs Houston (Houston, TX) (Saturday 9/4)

That’s right, Houston was able to call on to upgrade this game to NRG Stadium. The Cougars and Red Raiders are throwing a Southwest Conference reunion party and everybody’s invited. Both Texas Tech and Houston have been struggling lately and this game definitely has high stakes for both programs.

1. Boise State at UCF (Saturday 9/4)

Two of the G5′s biggest brands face off as Boise State travels to the Bounce House to take on UCF. The stakes are obvious: the winner here will be the G5′s #2 option after Cincinnati moving forward through the season.

-

FCS Games of the Week

5. #14 Central Arkansas at Arkansas State (Saturday 9/4)

More likely to happen than you might imagine. Arkansas State moved on from coach Blake Anderson at the end of 2020 and Butch Jones (yeah) needs time to get things set. Central Arkansas has an opportunity to knock off their big brother in Jonesboro.

4. #9 Montana at #20 Washington (Saturday 9/4)

It’s the revival of an ancient PCC series dating back to the 1950′s. Montana will certainly be an underdog against a Washington squad that technically did win the PAC-12 North last year.

3. #21 Northern Iowa at #7 Iowa State (Saturday 9/4)

Iowa State has moved mountains to become this good, but the Cyclones aren’t impervious to upsets as last year showed us. Northern Iowa has their own chance to knock off big brother.

2. #6 Weber State at #24 Utah (Thursday 9/2)

This one should be tough no matter how good Weber State is. The Utes’ physical game will be tough for the Wildcats to overcome, but they’ll take their shot at glory no matter what.

1. #10 Jacksonville State vs UAB (Montgomery, AL) (Wednesday 9/1)

Now this is cool, an FBS-FCS game played at a neutral site. I love to see matchups like this. UAB is one of the best G5 programs of the last 5 years while Jacksonville State is one of the most consistent FCS squads in the deep South.

[omegatheunknown]

AEW Double or Nothing 2021

In which the spirit of WCW is alive in confusing and delightful ways and we are left to parse whether overbooking and extracurriculars are offset by having actually very good wrestling happening at the same time.

- Lessons learned from Revolution on the production side? Maybe just cool it on pyro, though the rappelling adventure in the Stadium Stampede showed some of that now-characteristic 'trust us it'll look better on TV' flair. Hot crowd tends to paper over most woes, and the crowd was pretty hot. My one gripe is that the casino theme is hanging around like yesterday's takeout containers. Nothing wrong with clinging to a theme, I just think it's time for season 2. My suggestion? Under the Sea.

*Pre-Card Serena Deeb (C) v Riho for the NWA Women's Championship (***1/2) - Serena Deeb's star has finally risen. She's a remarkably consistent technician and she can get a match out of anyone at this point. She's working at the level of Mercedes Martinez or Madison Eagles at this point, it's amazing that she was overlooked or considered fit only to be a coach for so long. With the NWA belt she has this new swagger, she's basically everything Tessa Blanchard might bring to the table with none of the downsides (Serena has a lot of friends and seems like a lovely person, even!) - Riho's back and here to stay. Her time in Stardom didn't do much for my evaluation of her, which is that there are many better wrestlers that would be better representatives of the joshi style and she's merely pretty good. - The match was very good. Serena showcased a champion's aggression against a sympathetic Riho, they really work well against each other, Deeb's technical prowess against Riho's flexibility led to a very dynamic finish.

*Main Card Hangman Adam Page v Brian Cage (***1/2) - Here the shenanigans start. Brian Cage is on Team Taz, Team Taz has nothing else much to do tonight, so why wouldn't Team Taz flex their muscles, bait us with HOOK, etc? (Because it would be nice to have some variety in the card in terms of a match where one competitor stands across from another competitor?) - Hangman is (checking notes) yeah, still over as fuck, as befits the Anxious Millennial Cowboy. Cage terrifies me, he's a child's drawing of a body builder. He do be very agile for a man of his immense musculature tho. They match up well, Page is biggish for a flyer, Cage loves to play catch. Nothing much to write home about, other than Hangman's beautiful moonsault to the floor and what was overall a very good curtain jerker. - Okay fine, I am curious about Cage's reluctance to lean on the goons, Starks can't come back soon enough.

The Young Bucks v Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston (***) - I will not be referring to Mox & Eddie as (The) Wild Things because it gives me 'he calls it the wacky line' flashbacks for some reason. - The Bucks have to cheat and abuse Rick Knox's attention span constantly to be on even footing with Mox & Eddie, which is a clever sort of thing that gets washed out by the appearance of LG and Karl Anderson, which again, is cool in a vacuum but was the story of the evening. - Pace was weird - repetitive in eliminating Eddie, then Mox fights back, failed hope spot, Bucks team up, Eddie saves x2/3 in a row. - Mox, unlike Cody (in so many ways,) will probably actually be taking some time off with Renee, which is the kind of thing I would prefer not to know in terms of booking, but they really uh, put him down on the canvas here, and it felt pretty finale-esque.

Casino Battle Royale (n/r, but on the balance pro) - Any changes to the theme of the PPV would likely include changing up the nonsense suit format of these largely joyless slogs. - Obviously anticipating a NJPW talent, or... I dunno, actually -- Lio Rush was a surprise. Got in a quick demonstration of his otherworldly quickness, and you know what, there's probably a fun place for him in AEW. He'll need some friends, of course, feel like Team Taz might fit his temperament. I wonder if he was aware of the Mark Henry news... - Christian does not need to win this kind of match to get a title shot, obviously, but that said it was super lovely to use him to give Jungle Boy the shine. Jungle Boy would be a license to print money if he was even as big as Hangman. - Could register some continued griping about how Penta is not getting his due in AEW but he also literally was dressed as the Joker so I'm low on sympathy on this one particular night.

Anthony Ogogo v Cody Rhodes (*) - I did not like this. It's hard for me to read jingoism as a face move to begin with, and Cody's was egregiously tone deaf and kinda silly yet delivered without a trace of irony because Cody doesn't do irony on purpose, ridiculous neck tattoo aside. - Great argument to be made that Ogogo just isn't experienced enough to be winning matches against Cody. But like, what are we doing here? Cody needs to take some time off, maybe. I thought that's what was happening when he had his mini feud with Penta that really just ended in quick decisive Cody win. I though maybe Cody was being turned when QT and The Factory snapped-- sure, they're a group of impotent player 2s, but Cody is an out of touch elitist with a callous and manipulative streak. Alas, also no. America #1. - Cody is approximately 8 times as tough as Billy Gunn based on his weathering of the one punch man. Match ran a bit long given how little there was to go on. Cody gigged? Quelle surprise. - Cody had the best match on the card like, 3 out of the first 4 AEW events or something, and that was all booking and storytelling. I do hope Cody follows Moxley's lead into a little sabbatical.

Miro (C) v Lance Archer for the TNT Championship (**1/2) - Card's hossiest hoss match, a quick burst reminiscent of a car wreck. Absolutely hit on what it should've hit on but a little slow moving considering it went all of 10 minutes. - I will not complain about Jake the Snake, who I love. And also the gimmick spot, with Miro very astutely yeeting what was definitely a snake in a bag (surely.) back down the tunnel.

Dr Britt Baker, DMD v Hikaru Shida (C) for the AEW Women's Championship (***) - Picked up a lot of steam toward the end but seemed a little toothless (heh) until the last five. - Shida 'deserved' some more time as champion in front of crowds but also it's time to let heel Britt reach her peak, I can't even imagine how obnoxious she can be as the champ, it's going to be great.

Sting & Darby Allin v Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky (***1/2) - Such is the power of STING that I feel like I might be underrating this match... I mean it was an okay match about very simply getting some revenge and the sixty year old man did a very subdued Code Red and a slightly less subdued dive. He's also Sting. They missed an opportunity in calling it the 'Scorpio' Death Drop, but the main takeaway here is you see something like this where it's The Icon and you start to understand why WWE trots out their legends to come out of incredibly still kick ass without bending their knees. - The difference, I guess, is that Sting is absolutely being used to build up Darby Allin, whereas it's not like the fed brought back Goldberg and his attendant aura to pump up... anyone but Goldberg?

Kenny Omega (C) v PAC v Orange Cassidy for the AEW World Championship (****) - Off the top I have to say I'm very sad that the rest of the Galaxy's Greatest Friends were seen only very briefly, nice of them to bring OC's backpack. - Also have to point out that PAC's promo featured one of my favourite jokes, that Kenny must be short for Kenneth as a sort of legal/birth name belonging to a professional wrestler. (See also: Samoa Joseph) - And Mr Cassidy certainly did try in this match, ragdoll sells and all. Kenneth and PAC are absurd talents who bring aerial, power and technical maneuvers in equal measure and OC is not doing any of those on the same level, but he picked his spots, showed his genre savvy and hung in there to the point that he wasn't just the fall guy. - The extracurriculars continue in a match that was already a little overboard for silliness due to asymmetry... I think if you're the Invisible Hand it would've made sense to save up all your tricks for this match, but who am I to question the golden goose? - Sure, Kenny and Don ran the classic heel manager interference spot and taking out the ref in desperation spot but having to take out the ref because PAC wouldn't break the hold is fun, as is the stupid/inspired sense in running the 'smash opponent with the belt' spot four times so as none of your heavy gold prizes feel left out. (I love that AAA Mega Championship, they weren't on TV so we get to see it?) - "Fuck You, Don," indeed.

The Inner Circle v The Pinnacle in 'Stadium Stampede II' (***1/2) - This one had to grow on me for two reasons, first that it's usually pretty unforgivable to co-opt the main event spot from the championship match, and second to law of diminishing returns on dumb gimmick matches. - But grow it did. There's a full on meat locker? Commentary will refer to a cardboard cut-out of Shahid Khan as Tony Khan's father (that's canon now,) and Jericho will lovingly pat it? Konnan happened to be the DJ at whatever night club there is a Jaguar Stadium? Spears surrounds himself dramatically with chairs and his hoisted by his own petard? - Ultimately it comes down to letting Sammy shine. His involvement with the Inner Circle has sometimes come at the cost of being able to showcase that prior to AEW he was an ascendant talent in PWG, on his way to Ricochet level feats of acrobatic excess. Still feel like Sammy could've/should've been the one tossed off the cage a few weeks ago, but even better is being the guy getting the pin in the ring.

[lillywillow]

The Pup

Summary: A quiet evening in with your two favourite boys; your boyfriend Sam and your huge two year old Newfoundland dog Pacman.

 Word Count: 1018

 Square Filled: “Incoming already came in”

 Pairings: Sam Wilson x Reader

 Warnings: None

Written for @star-spangled-bingo

Sam always knew he had to share your affection with another male but considering that other male wasn’t even human, he didn’t mind. In fact he had started to become attached to the big lug. Pacman had also started to form a bond with Sam too. When you first started dating Sam, you were worried that Pacman might be protective of you and not like Sam but in the end, those worries were put to rest. Sam was strong enough to handle the gentle giant and Pacman absolutely adored Sam. You loved seeing the pair of them together.

You were in the middle of preparing dinner when you heard the keys in the door and Sam announce himself. Pacman, also hearing the new arrival bounded to his feet.

 “Who’s that buddy? Who is it?” Pacman’s tail wagged a mile a minute and he got into a playful stance. “Go get ‘im!” Pacman raced to the front door.

 “Incoming!” you tried to warn but you knew it was too late by the scream followed by the loud thud of Sam hitting the floor.

 “Incoming already came in,” Sam grumbled.

 You couldn’t help but grin when you saw the outcome. Sam was trapped under the massive pile of black fur that was your dog who was happily peering at his face.

 “Who’s that? Is that your friend?” you beamed. Pacman gave a few thunderous barks before licking Sam’s face all over.

 “Yeah, yeah, hello to you too,” he grunted, giving the dog a scratch behind the ear.

 “Go get your bone, Pacs,” you said, snapping your fingers and pointing to the direction of his toys. He gave your boyfriend’s face one last lick before clambering off and going to get the rubber bone Sam had given him which had since become his favourite toy.

 You helped Sam to his feet, taking a moment to watch Pacman chew on the bone, the toy squeaking with every bite.

 “Did I ever thank you for that?” you smiled sweetly but your voice was dripping with sarcasm. Sam gave you a big grin in response that made you want to smack it off his face. “Anyways, dinner is almost ready...”

 Upon hearing the magic word ‘dinner’ Pacman abandoned his chew toy to sit at the kitchen table like he belonged there. He was so big; he could easily pass for a guest.

 “No, Pacs... go to your bowl. Go on.” You tried to coax him away from the table but he was adamant about joining you. Apparently people food was more appealing than his regular dog food.

 “I’ll feed the beast, you finish dinner,” Sam offered, already going to get Pacman his evening meal.

 “You want your din-dins? Yeah?” he said in the same way you would. Pacman got up and followed Sam to his bowl. You couldn’t help but smile, thinking it was cute the way he was picking up on how you spoke with your canine best friend.

...

 After dinner, you told Sam to go make himself comfortable and put a movie on while you cleaned up. This proved to be a challenge as Pacman had already beaten him to the couch.

 “Pacman, go to your bed,” he tried the same point and snap technique but it was of new use. Pacman gave an indignant whine and looked up at him with his big brown eyes. He was not moving from his comfy spot.

 “Ugh. Fine,” he grumbled, sitting on the floor next to him. Pacman licked his cheek. “I love you too, you big drool machine...”

 “Are my boys getting along?” you grinned, seeing your boyfriend with his arm around the dog. Pacman jumped off the couch and trotted over to you for a pat. You managed to convince him to go to his bed with his favourite toy. By the time you came back, Sam had now claimed the couch and set up a movie. You cuddled up to him and settled down, both of you trying to ignore the constant squeaking of Pacman chewing on his bone. When the movie was over, you took Pacman out for a walk for one last potty break for the night and went to bed.

 In the middle of the night, a big storm hit. At first, the two of you were totally oblivious to the ongoing force of nature raging outside but when a huge clap of thunder hit, you were both awoken.

 “Oh no... Brace yourself,” you warned, doing your best to get ready for what was coming.

 “Huh? What...?” Sam had no time to ask as the terrified dog tore into the room, whimpering as he leapt onto the bed, practically crushing Sam for the second time that night. He groaned in pain as Pacman’s gigantic paws kneaded into his muscles.

 “It’s okay, buddy. Who’s my man? Who’s my big boy,” you cooed, trying to soothe the frightened Newfoundland. “Sam, can he stay here for the night?”

 “Stay here?”

 “At the very least until the storm passes. He’s still just a scared baby...”

 “Baby? You could put a saddle on him and use him to give rides to small children.”

 “Please, Sam. Come on, look at him,” you begged. Sam sighed and could tell the storm had really shaken poor Pacman. His eyes were all wide with fear and he trembled.

 “Okay. Just until the storm passes,” he agreed. You smiled in thanks as you continued to calm the petrified dog. Sam joined in, stroking Pacman’s soft fur as you talked to him.

 Eventually the storm did pass but by then, all three of you were peacefully asleep. When you woke up in the morning, Pacman was snuggled happily into Sam’s side with his muscular arm around the fluffy black mass. You couldn’t help but think that this was a perfect way to wake up after an almost perfect night in.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Earther/Gizmodo:

Rep. Lauren Boebert has trotted out standard right-wing pablum when it comes to climate from bizarre Green New Deal rants to lies about hamburgers to trying to block the U.S. from reentering the Paris Agreement as one of her first official acts in Congress. She also introduced legislation to ban moratoriums on oil and gas drilling. Now, we may have a clearer idea why aside from the usual brainworms.

New finance documents filed by her office this week reveal that her husband earned $478,000 from an oil and gas company last year, and $460,000 from the same company in 2019—information that she conveniently left off her campaign disclosure forms last year when she was running for office in a district where that company has a large presence.

Even though campaign finance laws require candidates and elected officials to disclose sources of income and other conflicts of interest in order to keep voters in the loop with regards to who they’re voting for, it looks like Boebert wasn’t totally honest during her campaign last year by neglecting to report this pretty hefty chunk of cash. In her filing last year, she instead reported that her husband was a “consultant” and didn’t provide any information about his industry or income; her forms instead seemed to suggest that her family’s primary source of money was a restaurant called Shooters Grill. (The grill is in a town called Rifle, and Shooters’ website says it’s “famous for it’s [sic] armed waitresses,” a sentence that makes me want to go lay down for a while. )

The new disclosures about her husband’s income, first reported by the AP, come as the Federal Elections Commission is looking into some transactions Boebert’s campaign made last year. “The spouse is supposed to disclose the source of all earned income and this doesn’t add up with what was in the prior filing,” Kedric Payne, who used to work at the Office of Congressional Ethics who now works at the Campaign Legal Center, told the AP. Another thing this disclosure form reveals: Shooters Grill lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2019 and 2020, so makes sense that the Boebert family would have a nice cushion of oil and gas money.

The disclosure lists the money as coming from Terra Energy Productions, which doesn’t seem to exist. However, Terra Energy Partners, a company based out of Houston, describes itself on its website as “the largest operator in the Piceance Basin”—which sits squarely in Boebert’s district in western Colorado. There, the company says it produces an “average of 500 million cubic feet of gas per day.”

The firm also kicked $250,000 in 2018 to the ironically named Protecting Colorado’s Environment, Economy, and Energy, a PAC funded by oil and gas interests, according to Open Secrets data. The PAC has pushed for looser regulations for the industry that would, among other things, have negative consequences on public health.

[ledenews]

PAC Notebook - Bethany Falls in Softball Finale

Bethany gave it a spirited run in the PAC softball tournament, but in the end, the Bison succumbed to the same issue that befell all other PAC teams this season—trying to figure out Geneva pitcher Haley Smith. In two tournament games, Smith pitched 12 shutout innings, allowing two hits in a 9-0 win against Grove City, then five in a 3-0 victory against Bethany. The No. 3 seed, Bethany first had to get past No. 2 Westminster, a team the Bison failed to beat in four tries during the regular season. After the first loss to Gevena on Saturday, Bethany against had to best the Titans for another crack at the Golden Tornado. It became a pitchers’ duel between Bethany freshman Josie Wise and Westminster tandem Madison Brown and Abbegail Froehlich. Only a throwing error allowed pinch-runner Ally McCell to score in the second inning from third. She came on to run for Alex Kopec, who led off the inning with a single. McCell’s run came with two outs. That proved to be all that Bethany needed as Wise scattered four hits, adding two strikeouts and receiving a solid effort behind her to preserve the shutout. That set up a rematch with Geneva and, if Bethany wanted to win the title, it needed two wins in a row against the Tornado. Geneva saved Smith for a potential second game and opted to throw Nicole West, no slouch in her own right with a 16-2 record. The Bison elected to dance with the arm that brought them and trotted out Wise for her fourth game in three days. She battled, but allowed four runs (three earned)on six hits with four strikeouts. West, meanwhile, allowed five hits and two runs. Marina Manuppelli’s two-run double in the fourth inning proved the difference maker as Bethany cut it to 3-2 but couldn’t bring the tally even. The Tornado won their first PAC title since 2012. Smith was honored with a well-earned Most Outstanding Player for the tournament. Bethany’s Wise, along with outfielder Paige Allen and catcher Jen Oberthur were named to the all-tournament team. The loss was a disappointing end to an otherwise great season for the Bison. The last time Bethany played a full season in 2019, it finished 10-22 and just 6-9 in the PAC. It’s last game that season was a 21-1 whitewashing at the hands of eventual champion St. Vincent. Finishing runner-up and more than doubling its win total from 2019 has the program back on the upswing in head coach Cassie Moore’s third season.

Barons Place Three on First Team

Franciscan placed three players on the first team when the PAC released its call conference team for women’s lacrosse. Seniors Madeline Smith and Maureen Cain were joined by junior Grace Deegan in earning first team honors. Only conference champion Washington & Jefferson, with its six honorees found more of its players on the first unit. Barons’ senior Maria Hilkert was named second team, along with Bethany’s Rikiah Wise. The Bison’s Cassidy Mailloux was named honorable mention. BC’s Sarah Sberna and FUS’ Drane Perpepaj were named to the PAC Sportsmanship Team. Sberna is a junior and John Marshall graduate. No. 1 W&J defeated Thiel in the PAC finale after knocking off No.4 seed Franciscan in the semifinal round, 17-12.

Baseball Tournament Begins Thursday

Today’s final day of competition was cancelled across the conference, so while the regular season ends, the conference tournament is ready to kick off. It will be the final athletic events of the season for the PAC and only the top four teams in the standings are invited to the party. Top Seed and one-loss Washington & Jefferson is the odds-on favorite to repeat as champions and claim its fifth crown since 2013. The only team to beat the Presidents this season, a 4-3 loss to Chatham, won’t make the field. The main challenger is No. 2 seed is grove city, the only other PAC team with an above .500 record. Franciscan, meanwhile, will snag the third seed in its first season of PAC play, with Saint Vincent edging Bethany for the fourth and final seed. The Barons are led by junior third baseman Josh Costello, a former Steubenville Catholic Crusader and the No. 4 hitter in the PAC with a .426 average. Costello is also second in RBI with 41.

Weekly Conference Honors

The following athletes were honored last week by the PAC as the top performer and rookie in their respective sports: Players of the WeekRookies of the WeekMen’s Lacrosse Offensive/Defensive: Pat Hartnett, Thiel; Grant Evans, Grove CityMen’s Lacrosse: Tyler Britton, BethanyBaseball Hitter/Pitcher: Logan Scheider, W&J; Jacob Watson, FranciscanBaseball: Roman Sanson, W&JSoftball Hitter/Pitcher: Sarah Johnson, Geneva; Nicole West, GenevaSoftball: Mackenzie Dunn, Chatham Note: The PAC Notebook is a weekly rundown of some of the top news and notes from around the Presidents' Athletic Conference. Read the full article

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

I will also headcanon that The Last 5 Years AU is the 'verse in which Lena tries to enact real change in terms of climate preservation, and keeps running into roadblock statutes and regulations and she COULD pay her way to an exemption except its WRONG and EVERYONE should be able to market and develop their own green technology and if the government won't let them, welp IT'S TIME TO GET INTO POLITICS.

She starts with Mayor, and is such a resounding success that she's then elected to Congress and oops now she's the liberal presidential candidate and what? The Super PACs want her out? Too bad she's richer than all of them and hey look she has the support of the people and she wins in a landslide.

Kara is more than happy to be the first First Lady of the first female President, and gladly relocates to DC. The only problem is that Lena's flare ups (both pain- and nightmare-wise) get worse when she's stressed, and it turns out the Presidency is all stress all the time.

They make it very clear when they first get Secret Service details that Lena is not to be grabbed, under any conditions. Being pushed and pulled through corridors flashes her back to her captivity, and JUST DON'T DO IT. Most of them are pretty good, and Lena responds instantly to verbal instructions when in danger so they really don't need to touch her at all.

Except for when there's a security breach at the White House. The newest team member doesn't get the do-not-grab memo, and grips Lena by the arm to usher to safety. Except she reacts by digging in her heels and trying to pull away which only makes him grip tighter--

Until Kara butts in by smacking his hand away. "DON'T GRAB AT HER," she snarls. Lena grabs her hand, and Kara can feel her shaking. "Let's go."

They follow at a brisk trot, and only stop when they make it to the panic room. Lena's entire body jerks when the door slams shut and locks behind them, but Kara's there, right there. She wraps her arms around Lena and Lena presses her face into her shoulder as she sucks in breath after breath.

"It's okay," Kara murmurs softly. "It's probably nothing. The lock is to keep them out, not keep us in. We can leave whenever we want. You're safe. We're okay, I promise."

And they are.

[chngjr]

ON MIKE AND HIS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL CAREER

historically, mike has always been a DEFENSE PLAYER, a STARTING SAFETY at mckinley, more specifically a FREE SAFETY as opposed to a STRONG SAFETY. on many occasions, mike has been called upon to block wide receivers and run the ball back should he intercept a pass made by the opposing team’s offense to whoever he was assigned to be ‘blocking’. he’s incredibly fast on account of having such strength in his legs from dance, and also has dance to thank for his swiftness and finesse on the field. because of this, he has occasionally been assigned to SPECIAL TEAMS as well, being placed as a PUNT RETURNER to try and run the ball back down the field during more desperate attempts to rack up points on their usually-bare side of the scoreboard. 

on multiple occasions, he has blitzed and made sacks on offensive quarterbacks, stopping and pushing back an offense’s forward momentum, as well as making an interception at almost every game, getting the ball down a few dozen yards before being inevitably tackled by the offense, trotting off the field as the teams switched from defense to offense, and vice versus. at a point, it looked like he could possibly get offers to play at the collegiate level, but truth be told, it he were to go up against the types of offenses he always watched on tv (despite living in ohio, he was more of an sec fan than a big ten or pac-12 fan), he would probably be a useless addition to their teams. 

despite that, he had an amazing run on the team in high school, and has usually been the reason the titans secured a win, even if he didn’t have the ‘winning’ score. even with that knowledge, however, mike would never take credit, claiming to ‘just be the safety’ and let the offense have all the glory, content with knowing they ALL won, not just him.

[wolfgabe]

Banjo Smash analysis and pack predictions

Okay so with the reveal of Banjo today and knowing Gamexplain has likely not activated their analysis machine yet I figured I might as well do some analysis of my own

Moveset

B Neutral Egg Shot/Breegull Blaster: looks like it could provide Banjo with a fairly decent zoning game. The eggs themselves look like they also might have priority

Side B Wonder Wing: Looks like it will grant super armor and the golden feather icons suggest there is a limited number of uses before the move needs to recharge

Up B Shock Spring Pad Jump . Part of me thinks it could take on a different form if used in the air probably based off the flight ability from the Banjo games.  Could be like Wonder Wing in that it has a limited number of uses before needing to recharge

Down B looks like the Grenade Eggs

Smash Attack is definitely the Breegull Bash from Banjo Tooie the forward at least

Standard Neutral Attack seems to be based off the paw swipe attack from the original Banjo

Arials seem to be based heavily on the Rat a Tat Rap

Final Smash The Jinjonator obviously

Misc: Dash animation is definitely based on the Talon Trot. One taunt looks its based off his world complete animation from BK

Stage: Spiral Mountain Not sure exactly if this is a traveling or transforming stage considering when when first seen the bridge connecting the central mountain to Gruntilda's Lair as well as the lair entrance itself as in the games seem to be missing which makes me think it could more of the former.

Classic Route: Could be based off various characters from the Banjo series or as some have predicted various Rare characters in general concluding with a fight against Bayonetta obviously representing Gruntilda.

Music

Banjo Kazooie

Spiral Mountain Remix

Sprial Mountain(Original)

Mumbos Mountain

Rusty Bucket Bay

Final Battle(Original) Banjo Kazooie

Final Battle remix

Banjo Tooie

Mr Patch remix

Jolly Roger Lagoon

HAG 1

Nuts and Bolts

Final Gruntilda Challenge

Spirits will probably be based off various characters from the Banjo series as well as potentially classic Rareware characters if certain datamines are anything to go by

Banjo Kazooie (Fighter Spirit)

Banjo Kazooie (Nuts and Bolts) Their alt skin

Mumbo Jumbo

Jinjos

Gruntilda

Blast Dozer from Blast Corps

Jet Force Gemini

Jet Pac Guy

Joanna Dark

Mii Costume DLC

Mumbo Jumbo

Juno and Vela from Jet Force Gemini

maybe a Killer Instinct costume

[bananawired]

Bulldozer classic pc game

#Bulldozer classic pc game software

Sequels included more specific locales, and one branched out into teaching history as well through the device of time-travel.

#Bulldozer classic pc game software

In 1985 Brøderbund Software published Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, which teaches players geography as they hunt down a globe-trotting fugitive. A spin-off, Yukon Trail, was also created. Oregon Trail is typical of a successful educational video game: it provides accurate knowledge while also entertaining the students. Originally released for the home computer, it has more recently been ported to new devices such as the iPhone. The game has been revised many times since, but the essence of the game remains the same: the player is responsible for leading a party of pioneers from Missouri to Oregon, facing the same challenges that real-life Americans did on the trail in the mid-to-late nineteenth century. With the help of two other student teachers, he created one of the most enduring and iconic of all kids’ games: Oregon Trail. In 1971, Don Rawitsch, a student history teacher from Carleton College, decided to create a computer game to explain a certain aspect of American history to his young students. As the use of home computers and consoles for gaming has grown more widespread over the last thirty years, the demand for kids’ video games has expanded as well. That said, however, there has long been a demand for games which specifically cater to children. Eventually parents’ desire to protect children from certain games led to the creation of a ratings system, the ERSB, in 1994. The 1990s saw an increase in controversy over adult themes and violence in video games. Only later would games with more mature content and themes, such as Mortal Kombat and Doom, enter the mainstream of gaming. Pong, Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., etc., contained no objectionable material which parents might has sought to shield their children from. Within that broad definition, there are a great many subcategories of children’s games.īefore looking at the history of games specifically designed for children, it should be noted that most popular early arcade and home games would probably be considered as appropriate for children as adults. They naturally avoid too-complex rule systems and are designed to be aesthetically appealing to certain age brackets. They feature age-appropriate content, with no realistic violence or inappropriate themes. Such games are often, but need not necessarily be, educational in nature. Online play isn't supported, which is disappointing, but you can post your score to the online leaderboards.Kids’ games include any video game designed to be played by children. There is a new Survival mode where you are given one life to make last as long as you can and both this and Arcade mode can be played cooperatively with another player. But the digital funeral march that plays when you die is retro gaming gold. The classic Digger used the song "Popcorn" as background music, but here we get some groovy chiptunes (perhaps because of licensing issues). Here you can play the game in all its blocky, pixilated glory, and many of the same squelchy sound effects are reproduced. The new visuals are very pretty, but purists will be happy to find an accurate emulation of the original Digger as well. Although it's a simple premise you'll find it to be devilishly challenging. Monsters spawn one by one from the upper right hand corner of the screen and maliciously proceed to hunt you down.ĭigger owes more than just four letters to Dig Dug. They'll also leave a pile of gold behind which will give you a big point boost if you're fast enough to pick it up. These bags can be pushed left and right, allowing you to set traps for the bad guys. You'll find bags of money stuck in the dirt in each level, and just like Dig Dug when you burrow underneath them they will be dislodged and fall – a hazard to both you and your enemies. You also have a weapon that can be fired to obliterate one enemy, but it takes eons to recharge. For the most part you just move in four directions trying to collect all the gems on each level. Retro gamers and fans of arcade games: dig in. This is a retro remake done right including attractive new graphics, new multiplayer modes, the original computer game, and a slick, stylish menu system. No worries if you missed it the first time around because Digger HD is here to give you a videogame history lesson. Do!, Digger put players in control of an underground bulldozer looking for treasure and trying to avoid monsters. Borrowing elements from Dig Dug, Pac-Man, Lode Runner, and Mr. If you are under the age of 25 you may not remember the 1983 computer game Digger.

[worldofwardcraft]

Why is he still doing this?

September 29, 2022

Donald Trump continues to hold his cult rally and grievance festivals all over the place. On September 4, he showed up in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. A week later, it was Youngstown, Ohio. The week after that, Wilmington, North Carolina. The ostensible reason for these wingdings is to support his endorsed MAGA-dedicated candidates for public office in the coming midterm elections. But he barely mentions them, preferring instead to trot out his familiar talking points and well-worn complaints.

In Wilmington, according to the local ABC affiliate, Trump neglected to so much as mention Senate candidate Ted Budd until halfway through his 90-minute speech. Instead, he spent most of his time squawking about immigrants at the southern border, high consumer prices and, as per usual, how he was robbed in the 2020 election.

It was the same in Ohio, where Trump railed against transgender students in sports, called for the death penalty for drug dealers and largely ignored Senate hopeful J.D. Vance. Ditto in Pennsylvania, where Trump was supposed to be campaigning for Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano. But, as the BBC reported, "Both spoke only briefly — as always, the rally on Saturday night was really about one person: the headliner."

It's clear these shindigs provide no useful benefit either for the candidates or the GOP at large. No new supporters are ever recruited. And the dwindling crowds suggest that more than a few supporters are alienated as Trump's bombast becomes increasingly tiresome, irrelevant and unhinged. So why does he keep on doing this? Most likely for two reasons.

One is to nourish his narcissistic delusions of his own importance and grandiosity. This sustenance comes to him from the adulation he receives (or fantasizes he receives) from the adoring crowds. Psychologists will tell you malignant narcissists like Trump require a steady stream of praise and validation. For him, these rallies help stave off what mental health professionals call narcissistic collapse. Here's Psychology Today to explain.

During a narcissistic collapse, the narcissistic defenses that keep them confident are no longer working. In a narcissistic collapse, they feel extremely anxious, depressed, ashamed, and may be unable to keep functioning.

Trump's other purpose for holding frequent assemblages is simply his growing need to milk his cult for cash to pay his crushing legal bills. The Make America Great Again, Again! super PAC, the only active one affiliated with Trump, raised just $40 in August, only $351,000 in July and zero in June. So look for Trump to keep those rallies coming. At this point, it's all he's got left.