#second ultimate cleared before DT!

[kaitontenchu]

The Epic of Alexander

Cleared 6.3.2024

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV: A Synthesis of Aether

#FebHyurary Day 17: Food + Day 18: Music

A/N: So I had too many ideas for yesterday, but knew for today touching on Synnove’s aether synesthesia would work well, and then I said, “DT YOU FOOL YOU CAN COMBINE BOTH DAYS FOR HER AETHER SYNESTHESIA.” And lo: a fic! Mostly dialogue, I haven’t done a dialogue heavy ficlet in a loooong time so I feel a bit rusty, but this was a fun exercise!

RATING: T WORD COUNT: 1455 WARNINGS: None!

---

[Installing SCAEVAN SYSTEMICS operating software.]

[Installation successful, running update cycle.]

[Updates complete. Archive Node Unit 453 now online. Please specify primary user.]

“Synnove Greywolfe.”

[USER: SYNNOVE now registered. How may I assist you today?]

“Please stand by for audio recording.”

[Standing by.]

The node’s lights dimmed from bright grass green to soft seafoam as it partially powered down, its northern and southern hemispheres slowly rotating in opposite directions.

Synnove lowered her hand and glanced over at Rereha. “All right, you can babble now,” the Highlander said.

Rere took her hands off her mouth to tug at her braided pigtails and beamed at her. “Whatcha doing?” she said, in the sing-song tone of someone feeling exceptionally nosy, rocking back on her heels.

Synnove rolled her eyes and set her hands on her hips. “Y’shtola’s working on a compilation of aetheric synesthesic perceptions as a downtime project,” she said. “She asked me if I was willing to contribute, to which I obviously said ‘yes.’ But because I’m not often able to spend much time in Revenant’s Toll that doesn’t devolve into Warrior of Light or Ironworks business—”

“—audio recordings you can send or give her are more convenient.”

“Careful, Rere, or other people will begin realizing you’re smarter than you pretend to be.”

The lalafell gasped. “Madam, you wound me!”

She received a satisfied smirk in reply as Synnove added, “And what better way to create an audio recording than with my new archive node?”

Rere pulled herself up onto Synnove’s desk, sitting on the edge and kicking her feet back and forth as she leaned back to rest on her hands. “Did you liberate it from the Ironworks?”

“I purchased this fair and square, I have a bill of sale from Jessie herself.”

“Nero’s OS?”

“The fact you know that term is vaguely frightening, but the man does have an unparalleled understanding of Allagan technology and if you tell him I said that, I will hang you by your toes from the edge of the Steps of Faith.”

Rere mimed locking her lips.

“Hand me that stack of paper, please.” Synnove pointed to Rere’s right. The lalafell snagged it and dutifully handed it over.

The arcanist shuffled through them, humming tunelessly as she did, before she came across the correct page. “All right,” she said, mostly to herself. “Start with Y’shtola’s list of baseline sensations today and go from there.” Louder now: “Begin recording.”

[Audio recording now live.]

Synnove automatically straightened her spine and rolled down her shoulders in the same way she did before she began a lecture for the fourth-year arcanist students. In a clear, strong voice: “Synnove Greywolfe recording for Y’shtola Rhul on the 18th day of the Second Umbral Moon, 11 Year of the Seventh Astral Era, on the subject of synesthetic perceptions of aether. I personally perceive aether, in addition to visual manifestations, as both taste and sound. Occasionally, one sensation will dominate the other, and certain sounds and tastes aren’t exclusive to one elemental type.

“For this recording, I’ll describe the overall generalities I associate with different elemental aether; variance is high depending on factors such as location or origin, in terms of ambient or crystallized aether, or in the case of spells, if they are being performed correctly or are altered in some capacity.”

“How to spot the catastrophic boom just before the boom becomes catastrophic and it’s too late to do anything about it.”

Synnove sighed. Rere giggled.

“Y’sthola, remind me to recalculate the angle needed to ensure Rere lands in Silvertear if thrown from the highest tower in the Toll.”

“Hey!”

“You’d be fine, Hydaelyn likes you best.”

Rere pouted, lower lip pushed out to the point of exaggeration, which meant she wasn’t actually offended.

“To get back on topic: fire. Fire aether most frequently tastes like hot spices, such as peppers; coffee; red meat, such as buffalo; bitter chocolate; cherries; wine. Sound tends to be uniformly brass instruments such as horns and trumpets; very occasionally it can sound like metal striking metal.

“Earth aether is auditorily simple and gustatorily complex. The sound of earth is always rhythmic and steady, if not outright drumming; the sensation of it echoing follows fairly often, too. Taste runs a huge gamut: savory or sweet seasonings, such as cumin or cinnamon; white meat, such as pork; most vegetables, particularly green or starchy vegetables; certain fruits such as apples and figs; bread; cheeses; stews; whiskeys.”

“I’d call most of those foods ‘homey.’”

Synnove frowned thoughtfully. “That’s a fair assessment,” she said after a moment. “Earth aether tends to ‘taste’ comforting.”

“Does that mean Tyr is the ultimate comfort food?”

“Does that mean you want to go flying out of my office window into the harbor?”

“I’m going to shut up now!”

“See how long that lasts,” Synnove said under her breath while her sister smiled beatifically. “Where was I… Ah, wind.”

The Highlander frowned. “Wind aether is another oddity, taste-wise. Mint tends to present quite frequently, along with sweet chocolate, white grapes, vanilla, white wine, arak, olives, and scallions. Thankfully when it seems to be a combination of flavors, it’s complimentary…” She shook her head. “Sound is similar to flutes, chimes, whistles. Bit stereotypical, honestly.

“Lightning…” Synnove paused, frowning again. “Sound tends to be similar to specific string instruments such as violas and cellos; deeper sounds. Low notes on a piano or harpsichord, sometimes simple humming or vibrations. Taste does not tend to be strong, but most frequently has manifested as berries and/or stonefruits. Alcohols such as gin, palm wine, ouzo, and brandy.”

“That is not the element I’d consider boozy,” Rere said idly. She had lain back on the desk and was staring up at the huge arched ceiling of the tower office, twiddling her thumbs.

Synnove shrugged without further comment, already looking at the next item on the list Krile had transcribed on Y’shtola’s behalf. “Water is what one would think would be boozy but I have legitimately never tasted ‘boozy’ water aether before. Tropical fruits dominate; in terms of savory, as horrifically stereotypical as it is, seafood. But almost never in a way that makes sense, I once found a water cluster in a bluefin tuna’s belly that tasted like Coerthan oyster confit.”

“I remember that, you made the weirdest face.”

“I still can’t find the words to describe just how fucked up that taste versus visual dichotomy was. In any event, water aether also sounds like string instruments, mostly harps, dulcimers, and brighter pianos. Also, a very specific drum… Rere, what’s that staccato-sounding drum the Flames have been using in their parades of late?”

The lalafell picked her head up. “Snare drum?”

“That’s the one. Timpanis on occasion, too. And finally…ice. Sound leans towards woodwind instruments like the clarinet and piccolo, as well as bells. Any bell. Taste…hmm. Slaw, fruits that freezes well, fruit juices, Thavnairian sweet tea—”

“That is not tea, that is an abomination.”

“—some melons, cucumbers, white rum, wintergreen.”

“I still can’t believe you’ve never come across ice aether that tastes like the Bismarck’s root beer float.”

“They introduced it to the menu last year.”

“So?”

Synnove sighed that heavy, gusting sigh everyone who spent longer than thirty minutes with Rereha learned. “Y’shtola, I see a note here about Primordial Light and Dark, but I’ll do that in the next recording along with variations and discrepancies, as first, I need to beat my sister over the head with a grimoire—”

Rereha hopped down from the desk and ran for the office door, shouting BYE Y’SHTOLA I LOVE YOU BEST over her shoulder as she did.

“—and second, I’m hungry and now is a good time to break for lunch. Recording end.”

[End of recording. Is there anything else on which I may provide assistance?]

“No, that will be all for now—ah! Before I forget. Please create new nodal designation of own choice.”

[Clarification requested.]

“Pick a name for yourself.”

[…]

[Accessing imperial Allagan databases for repository of birth certificates. Scanning records.]

[Archive Node Unit 453 rename complete. Archive Node Unit 453 is now Kleio.]

Synnove smiled, pleased. “It’s nice to meet you, Kleio.”

[…Thank you. Database scans are currently inconclusive as relates to instruments in modern usage versus those of Allag. What samples are available to provide edification?]

The Highlander cocked her head, staring at the silver-and-green node for a few long moments, before another smile, this one slow and delighted, crossed her features. “I have a few orchestrion rolls that include solos and chamber music that you could listen to while I have lunch, and I can provide lists of which instruments are used in each piece.”

[That would be satisfactory.]

“Perfect! Let’s get you set up…”

[malachi-walker]

Catra and the Performative Nature of Villainy and Abuse Survival

(Yeah, with a title like that you can tell I earned that English lit masters. -.-)

Ok, so I have a lot of She-ra meta bouncing around my skull I need to get to one day, but let’s start with the big one post s4: the psychological and symbolic implications that are made explicit in DT’s epic call out of Catra (please note that I specified “made explicit” not revealed, because a lot of the stuff I wanna talk about was already there if you knew where to look.)

1. Catra’s villainy is inherently performative.

Yeah, pretty obvious but I’m going somewhere with this. If you pay close attention to Catra throughout the series, her words (the stuff on the surface) and her underlying actions don’t match up. Not entirely. No tsundere jokes, please, because it ultimately leads back to a very common pattern among abuse victims and some very interesting implications for Catra herself.

Basically it’s not horribly uncommon for abuse victims, especially those in domestic or child abuse situations, to end up performing on multiple levels. Level one: performing for the abuser in the hopes that this will minimize or stop the abuse. (Check.) Level two: performing for loved ones so as not to either worry them or risk them leaving if the abuse becomes obvious.

Oh, double check.

And lastly, Level Three: the act of performing as a method of keeping people on the outside away from you, either out of fear of more pain or fear of further judgment, which is a huge bulk of what we see Catra spiralling through this entire series.

Like, I myself was a child abuse victim for the first twelve years of my life (I’m fine now after about a decade of therapy) and I operated on all these different levels; alternating between placating my abuser to avoid punishment or rebelling to take back some form of control, deflecting from my other loved ones so as not to worry them, and being absolutely resistant to outside forces coming in, because at that point I had so little control over my life that I was more comfortable with embracing the hell I knew as a way to give myself some measure of control and stability than have someone save me from that situation but take that control away from me. Fucked up, but true. Which brings me into my second point:

2. Words have no inherent value for Catra except as weapons.

Which again, makes perfect sense considering her upbringing. Unlike Adora, Catra never had the luxury of buying into the Horde propaganda. She knew they hurt innocent people because she’d already been enduring torture from the time she was a small child–as other people have pointed out before. Moreover, she grew up in an environment that treated words with varying levels of consistency, where Shadow Weaver can praise Adora for doing one thing and then mercilessly put down Catra for doing the exact same thing equally.

This not only teaches someone about lying, this teaches someone that words are weapons, and Catra took that lesson and ran with it. Even when she and Adora were on good terms, she would still lightly drag her or put her down, but I don’t think it was from any inherent malice at that point. Good example: in episode one she’s perfectly content to mock Adora while she’s stuck in the pit, but immediately after she reached down and helped pull her out. “Actions speak louder than words” is an old clichè, but it’s super important to keep in mind when analyzing Catra’s character. Out of all the characters on Spop, she is the last one who can be analyzed from surface words alone, because so much of it is an act.

In fact, I can think of probably only one instance in which Catra did actually wholeheartedly believe in words…

Yeah, y'all know what I’m talking about.

And again, that makes perfect sense. Because Adora wasn’t just Catra’s best friend, she was explicitly her lifeline. Shadow Weaver’s exact words to little Catra were: “I’ve kept you around this long because Adora was fond of you. But if you ever do anything to jeopardize her future, I will dispose of you myself.” On top of that, the other cadets show clear signs of having sensed the blood in the water, so to speak: it’s an open secret to everyone but Adora that Shadow Weaver hates Catra’s guts, and therefore it stands to reason that in a cutthroat culture like the Horde’s, Catra was probably seen as easy prey until she learned to defend herself. Because it wasn’t like Shadow Weaver would do anything about it.

So Adora was the only person Catra could count on, but that also leads into the double edged aspect of words I’ve been talking about: Catra could let herself believe in their promise, but not enough to actually reveal to her what was going on. In the same way Shadow Weaver lightens up on the abuse when Adora’s around (just compare her use of lightning on Catra in Promise vs the Sword pt 2–the former is very subdued and looks almost like a simple hold, while the latter makes it very obvious this is painful torture) Catra deflects away from the subject around Adora, and the few times she does approach it “Why does she hate me so much” she tends not to get the reassurance she wants because Adora isn’t as clued in on the situation.

I mean, it’s pretty telling that Catra’s first leap off the slippery slope after being more of a nuisance than anything else up to that point came after Light Hope deliberately pushed her buttons by basically taunting her with the one thing that Catra had ever allowed herself to believe in.

I mean, her younger self looks at her as if to drive in the point of “you were a fool to believe in it!” After what we found out in S4, you cannot make me believe that wasn’t Light Hope deliberately twisting the knife to make sure they didn’t reconcile. And immediately after Catra pitches Adora off a cliff. Good times.

Ok, that was a big fucking lead in to my main point, but here we are:

3. Pretty much everything Catra says from that point onward is an act.

And it’s an obvious one, all things considered. Because that’s when Catra gets vicious. That’s when all her verbal barbs start cutting deep. That’s when combat between her and Adora goes from almost playful to outright brutal. And that’s when we start seeing Catra using her words as weapons against herself in addition to everyone else.

Because that’s the point when Catra starts feeding into her constructed persona of being this smug, confident, in-control villain who most definitely isn’t capable of being hurt like that ever again, no siree. We get to see several times across s4 in particular where her feelings clearly aren’t in line with her actions, and what does she do? She forces herself to say something cruel or hard-hearted as a way to essentially drag her actions and internal feelings back into line with that constructed person. Good example is the locker room scene with the Horde Trio: Catra very clearly wants to reach out to them and experience a little of their camaraderie, but she forces herself back into “I’m the boss” mode. And when it’s misinterpreted as her simply being a bitch, she goes into a rage because it’s one thing for her to want to reach out and deny herself that, but another for someone else to try to force their way in.

And all of this ties back into my main point, and why I think DT’s speech is particularly brilliant from a symbolic and psychological standpoint.

Actor vs Actor: Fight!

I’ve already established that Catra is somebody who is a performer and has been all her life in order to survive. That’s part of why Catra is such a tough nut to crack in terms of getting through to her: it’s hard to make accurate hits on someone who is putting on a persona. It’s damn near impossible to get a point through when you don’t have a clear idea of what you should be aiming at in the first place. So how do you beat a consummate actor?

You bring in a better performer.

Now, I do have my problems with DT’s speech: as others have pointed out, tossing Shadow Weaver and Hordak into the guilt trip is severely messed up and victim-blamey, though I do believe that has more to do with the fact that DT themself is not omniscient and therefore doesn’t have all the facts there (though given their sadistic streak, I’m also not sure they wouldn’t still cross that line even if they did know.)

But here’s what made that scene rock me to my fucking core: Catra almost pulled it off. Think about it: she has spent three seasons up until that point convincing her former friends, allies, boss and even the viewers–remember the post Portal moral panic–that she was this completely villainous monster. That she didn’t care, that she wasn’t worth saving, that everything she does is ultimately self-serving and terrible… Only for DT to see right through the disguise.

Adora couldn’t get through to Catra when she couldn’t even pinpoint the real problem. Scorpia couldn’t get through because by that point the defenses were fully up and Catra was going all in on her mask of villainy.

What finally got through? Being outclassed by a much better actor. By someone who is both a world class actor but also in touch enough with their own personality and wants that they don’t interfere with their own performance.

Because that’s the difference between DT and Catra: for Catra, acting the villain has been a matter of psychological survival up until that point. DT, meanwhile, acts for fun, work, and a certain level of sadistic pleasure. They have no moral dilemmas about what they do and thus they experience zero cognitive dissonance, whereas Catra may as well be the poster child. And it’s not too much of a stretch to think that once they figured out Catra’s deal, they probably found it quite amusing to completely demolish the act that had practically everyone else on the planet completely fooled.

That’s also part of the reason why Catra was so suicidal and lifeless after: the crutch she’d been using just to keep herself upright for four seasons just got yanked out from under her along with all chances of ever getting to double back down on that villainy again. Nowhere to go, and not even a mask to hide behind any more.

And honestly, I could keep talking on and on about just… The amazing amount of narrative complexity and precision and psychological depth that went into pulling this moment off. It’s amazing. But I’ve also spent like two and a half hours working on this post, so that’s that. If you read this far, get yourself a cookie or the snack of your choice. You earned it.

[godess-of-the-void]

Numinetale Chapter 8

When The Fell Brothers and Love got in the Lab, Nightmare and his gang had came up to “greet” them. “Well, well. Who do we have here?” Nightmare looked at their LV. “Humm. Your LV is crap. But at least you ain't those ‘heroes.’ What do you call each other?”

Edge growled, “Edge, Red, and Love. And we ain't here to join your little LV Gentlemen's Club. Where is our father? We know Fell is here!”

***

Gori hovers his hands over Sweetheart, “It's okay Sweetie, you are going to be okay.” Sweetheart, a Frisk with flowers growing from their body, lifted their arm which Gori grabbed. His Green Magic isn't strong enough and he knows that Sweetheart also knows. But they kept on smiling anyways. “Sis? Is there anything we can do?”

“I can ease their pain, nice and quick.” A pink wearing girl said with a deadpan face.

A tiny Tori made a face of pure disgust, “Mercy killing is not on the cards.” A girl in a shredded purple dress ran to Sweetheart, using her body as a possible shield for a possible attack. “Don't worry Aliza. Betty isn't going to touch Sweetheart.”

A Chara step in, “Stay away from Sweetheart, Betty. Unless you want to have a Bad Time.” An Asriel with a rainbow bandana grabbed the Chara by the arm.

“Hey, Shifty. Your identity is showing. By the way what kind of name is Shifty anyways?” Betty mocked the red head.

Shifty shrugged, “Just borrowing it from a friend who was also borrowing from another friend. To be honest no one knows the real identity of the original Shifty.” Betty scuft, mouthed 'weirdo,’ and walked to the farthest side of their cell. Shifty kneeled down closer to Sweetheart and the others, “Don't trust her, guys. The fact she knew what I meant means she heard it before.”

Tori nodded, “Definitely a Genocide kid.” The door to the room opened, “Speaking of Genocide, here is Death with Geno.” Tori and Shifty left their brothers and Aliza with Sweetheart. “Hey Death? Any news?”

The God of Death opened the cell door and gently gave an unconscious Geno to his friends. “Slim and Black have returned over an hour ago. They ain't talking. Worried their cover will be blown. Sci is in bad shape but still alive. Hyper have a message from outside, 'Get ready. Karma is coming.’ I gotta go. Wait for the signal.” Then he left.

***

Damnit. Damnit. Damnit. Where are they? Yandere looked all over the True Labs and didn't find his spouse. “Never seen a gray skinned human without a face before. Not only that but your SOUL keeps changing color. Interesting.” Fell's voice was coming from the room with the DT Extraction Machine. Yandere followed the voice. The description of the person Fell was talking about sounds like his better half.

***

A month before Yandere and his loving mate fell into a rip. It felt like his universe was ripped to pieces and then put itself back together. He rushed upstairs when he heard a scream from the master bedroom. “Flowery? What happened to me?” There stood a gray faceless creature. “Daisy. Daisy! DAISY!” The creature was saying their panic word as if a thousand of people was saying it insync. Flowery yelled their name only for it to sound like static.

***

Yandere shook his head. Clearing all thoughts of the past. It was hard. Their friends and the monsters were very supportive. But everyone else. The humans denied them as a member of their kind. Yandere shook his head again and looked around through the vents.

Not only was his spouse strapped to a table in front of the god awful mechanical abomination, but a bruised and naked skeleton was lying on the floor in a corner. Fell was more interested in the flower’s spouse than the skeleton that is clearly hurt, most likely from Fell himself.

Yandere moved to the vent closer to the skeleton. “Sci? Wake up, Science.” Sci flinched and opened his eye sockets. Before he said anything, “blink your sockets one for ‘yes’ and two for ‘no’. Okay?” One blink. “Are you okay?” Two blink. “Can you stand?” Two blink. “Okay. I am here with the calvary. Stay still and I will get help.” One blink.

***

Death joined a fellow “villain.” He introduced the other cloaked skeleton as his “quiet brother” to the others. Death kept his hands off this skeleton, not knowing if his companion would survive his touch. Death got the reputation for being a villain because, well, he is the Grim Reaper himself, and no one questioned that the tall hooded man was his Papyrus. No one questioned him period.

“I saw them earlier.” The Reaper reports. “The formal Royal Scientist is coming with some help. Prepare to travel with passengers.” His companion nodded. And left.

***

Then everyone in the Nightmare Squad started to laugh! Dust, a Sans with his hood covering the top of his reddish purple eyes walked up to the Edgy counterparts. “So you are Fell's Sans and Papyrus? Bad news for you, I guess… Just bad.” Dust thrown a collection of bones at Edge, Red, and Love.

Nightmare snickered, “Tell that Goddess of yours that she have to do better than that.” The Nightmare Squad save for Dust walked back to the elevator. “That is if you and your friends can survive.” The elevator door closed. Damnit. They knew they were coming.

***

“Pysst! Pysst!” VI, Sans, and Stretch arrived in the True Lab. Yandere got their attention from a nearby vent. “Some friends of mine can be found in the main cell, a younger Sans that we call Sci and my spouse is with Fell at the DT Extraction Machine, and Red, Edge, and Love are fighting Dust in the lobby.”

“do I even want to know who dust is?” Sans lost all humor in his voice and let out a long sigh when VI shook her head. “the main cell is not far from where we are. the DT Extractor is farther ahead.” Sans eyelights shined brightly for a moment, “yandere? how do you feel about going omega on the true lab?”

Yandere smiled his creepiest smirk, “Start with the Extractor first and work my way up to the main floor?”

“you got it pedals! how fast can you collect the souls needed?”

"Already ahead of ya.”

***

The lobby was a mess. But then again, three skeletons with a good amount of LV battling a psycho with full LV. Of course it would get messy.

Scorched marks and bones scattered everywhere. The three edgy skellys were out if breath even though they didn't have any lungs. They managed to defeat Dust without killing him, simply knocked him out cold.

Dust made two mistakes. The first one was the fact he underestimated three monsters from AUs that lived by a 'kill or be killed’ rule. The second mistake he made was overestimating his own power. It didn't mattered if his LV was 20 when he was outnumbered with three others with LV 8-14.

Love smiled, “i wanna go down there and get sweetheart.”

“HEH!” Edge slapped his new adopted brother's shoulder, “I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOUR SOULMATE! BUT WE MUST WAIT FOR OUR FRIENDS.”

“sounds like a plan to me!” Red gave his taller alternet a wink. And pointed his thumb towards the unconscious skeleton, “besides. we gotta get sleeping beauty tied up.”

***

Yandere looked out through the vent. He was debating on how to go Omega without hurting Sci or his spouse. His glasses will definitely be broken after this. Not that his glasses mattered, his Honeypot is what matters.

Best to remove Fell Gaster from the room. But how?

Something wet dripped on his head. Yandere was frozen for a second, the flower turn around slowly and saw…. His dog?

“Endogeny. Good puppies! Did you followed me and Mommy through the AU Rip?” Endogeny was a little smaller compared to their original size thanks to the heat of Hotland and a little bit of DETERMINATION that had revived them when he and his lover, now spouse, gave their ashes to Alphys on the surface five years ago. “Hey? You see that mean skeleton with Mommy?” Yandere smiled at the low growl coming from Endogeny. “Wanna help me get back Mommy?”

***

The sounds of destruction were heard deeper in the labs. “What the hell is going on?” Nightmare and his crew left their prisoners alone with Death and his brother to tell Fell off for destroying their lab.

Black and Slim joined the reapers just as they were unlocking the cell. “welp. time to go.” Everyone turned towards the direction of the familiar voice. Slim and Black gave a sigh of relief at the site of VI, Sans, and Stretch. “everyone ready?”

The Reapers, Stretch and VI took the lead. While Sans, Black, and Slim took the rear. Aliza, Rei (Shifty's Asriel), and Gori were keeping Geno and Sweetheart on their feet. While the smol Tori and the Chara with the green hoodie kept their eyes on any potential threats, including the pink girl with the creepy ass smile.

“Glad to see ya again.” Stretch smiled at the tall Reaper skeleton. “Sorry I couldn't save ya.” The hooded figure nodded and gave Stretch a firm pat on his shoulder.

***

How the hell did an Omega Flowery got this far in!? Not only did he destroyed the DTEM, but have a hold of the gray human and the young Sans. And as if to mock them the Omega was playing with what looks like an Endogeny type of puppy, while at the same time had them at a standstill.

Nightmare gave orders for his crew to follow. Killer tried to stabbed the Omega while Error wrapped the Flowery up with his blue strings. Only for the Flowery snapped the strings and used a vine to toss Killer off of him. Dust was still in the lobby playing around with the Fells. Blood, his brother, and Pred were still in Waterfall. And the Reapers are guarding the kids. And Fell… is utterly useless against an Omega. But where the hell is Black and Slim?! Very convenient that they aren't…

Fuck!

“THE OMEGA IS A DISTRACTION! BACK TO THE MAIN CELL!” Nightmare was outraged. How did he not sense the HOPE from the prisoners? That would be a dead give away that something was up. Also he stopped sensing Dust's emotions a while ago. Dust would have relaid his brother's report by now. Dust was the only one who can see or hear his dead brother, Phantom. Making him the ultimate spy, but he had to play with the Fells!

The Omega broke through, passed the Destroyers using his vines to block the exit. “Wish I can stay, but we have places to be, kids to save. Later losers!” The Omega Flowery used his claws and vines to move thru the corridors that lead to the elevator. The gray human and Science hold on for dear life onto the screen face.

When they made it to the elevator the others were already there. Sans waved them over, “okay, here is the plan. The kids will go through first with the swapfells and the death guys. The rest of you go next while stretch and i are last to go in since he and i can use Karmic Retribution.”

The Chara and Tori gave each other a knowing look before the door open. They stood behind with the second group. As the first group made it to the lobby floor Geno was much more wake and standing up without help. He lend towards Shifty and Tori, “are the kids safe?” His two friends nod. Geno let out a breath smiling, “good, now the three of us don't have to pretend anymore.”

Before Sans and Stretch had a chance to question Geno's statement some of Nightmare's gang started showing up. “Heh. Let's say Karma is always on these guys’ side.” VI winked at Sans and Stretch. Geno, Shifty, and Tori moved in position. “Looks like the Nightmare Gang is going to learn the real meaning of ‘ A BAD TIME.” At those words an army of Blasters and an entire arsenal of bones, flames and red knives was over their heads, revealing that Geno, Tori, and Shifty are all Judges.

Luckily for the second group the elevator door opened. The second group, including Yandere (who is no longer in Omega form), got in while the five Judges and VI stayed behind. “Go! We will slow them down and teleport back afterwards!”

***

When the second group joined the others in the main floor they were surprised that the kids was nowhere to be seen. Only ones to meet them was Love, the Fells and a very angry Dust tied to a chair. At the sight of Sweetheart, Love picked them up and showered them with skelly kisses and words of affection. Sweetheart smiled when they recognized his voice and build. Sadly Edge had to break their heartfelt reunion. “Sorry Brother Love, but we have to get Sweetheart and the others to the river.”

When they arrived at the river one of Death Bros was there waiting with a very familiar ferry boat, "Tra la-la! Come on and meet Charon, my friends."

"are you kidding me! you're a river person?" Red looked at his brothers, "are you guys seeing what I am seeing?"

"RED, I THINK THIS PERSON IS MORE THEN WHAT HIS APPEARS TO BE. ESPECIALLY IF HE IS TRAPPED IN THE VOID AS WE ARE." Edge stepped onboard and took Sweetheart out of Love's arms so he can also get on.

Once everyone was in the ferry boat. It took off towards Snowdin. It moved faster and faster. Running on top of the water.

"Thanks for saving us FlowJo." The gray human said as they were hugging the glasses wearing Flowery.

"flowjo?" Red tilted his head towards the flower, "i thought ya name was yandere?"

"My spouse calls me FlowJo." Yandere smiled, "Not my fault everyone else called me that stupid nickname." Yandere Flowery gave a deep breath and sighed, "Believe it or not, I am the only Flowery that actually found love. Actually, that is not necessarily true. There was once an endless amount of Flowerys that fell in love with a human with a color changing SOUL before something happened to our AU's timelines. My Sans' theory was that many timelines that mirrored my AU fused together."

"Making you the only Flowery that commit to a marriage deed. And how your human became gray, faceless, and free." The River Person looked on, "Tra la-la! The Multiverse is a mystery even for me!"

***

The lab from the inside-out got trashed. The Au Destroyers couldn't keep up with the Judges and Soulless Goddess. VI grabbed Sans and Stretch and led them back home with the others by 'shortcut.'

"EVERYONE THROUGH THE FOG!" No one remembered which Judge yelled that. But it got everyone on their feet and running through the fog that separates Snowdin and Waterfall. And in the nick of time too.

Tori looked behind her and the others to see the Nightmare Crew right behind them. Only for them to hit the barrier like a murder of crows hitting a window.

"that was satisfying..." Geno smiled and started to walk farther inside the fog, "hope the kids made it."

Tori then started to run, "Shit! We left Sweetheart and Aliza with Betty!"

Swifty, Geno, and the others started to run as well. Except VI who stood there with a cunning thought, "Bete Noire? That gives me a wonderful idea."

[updcbc]

May 13, 2018 - “I Am the Vine” John 15:1-8

Click KEEP READING to read the full sermon.

Introduction

Have you had a fruit-bearing plant in your backyard or plantation that brought such a great delight to your heart because of its abundant fruits? I had one. And it came in the most unexpected place during my first pastorate in the city of Tuguegarao in the northern province of Cagayan. In an interior part of the city stands a two-floor church building within a thousand five hundred-square meter church lot. Below is the worship hall with folding doors on the western side fronting an open ground fifteen meters to the adjacent lot. The second floor is about four meters above the ground. Half of the area upstairs is a four-bed room parsonage with a wide reception area. It was a privilege to shepherd the church for ten years as a single pastor and dwelt alone in the parsonage. On the southern part of the parsonage are two doors with railings and unfinished stairs. The great surprise came when a papaya plant grew near the wall on the ground below the left door of the parsonage. I wondered how a seed was sown in that particular place and it was so amusing to see the plant grow. The amazing moment came when the plant at two meters high started to bear fruit. The fruits were surprisingly big and many! It continued to bear abounding fruits until it reached the second floor. And all I had to do was to simply pick the sweet ripe fruits at hand from the door. With such delight of a great harvest came much searching of my heart. As I gazed on the wonderful papaya plant, I saw my bare hands in a manner that humbled me before God. Through the years the church had planted four growing churches in three neighbouring towns. It is all by the grace of God. The papaya plant reminds me of my lifetime verse.

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). Jesus taught his disciples on the Christian life like a vineyard (15:1-3) and focused on his intimate relationship with his disciples as that of the vine and the branches (15:4-8).

We remind ourselves that the “I Am” confessions of our Lord Jesus Christ are revelations of himself so we can personally know him to redeem us from our sinfulness and transform us into his likeness. As the “bread of life,” Jesus offers us the gift of eternal life and for us to enjoy a redeemed life to its fullness. As the “light of the world,” he calls us from the darkness of sin into his light of holiness. As the “gate for the sheep,” he invites us to come to him in repentance and faith and be forgiven and saved from our sins. As the “good shepherd,” he laid down his life for us at the cross and leads us to a path of blessedness. As “the way and the truth and the life,” he is the only way for us to know God and dwell into his heavenly abode forever. And as the “vine,” he calls us to abide in him as branches so we can have a fulfilled and fruitful life.

A.  The Vineyard (15:1-3)

Our Lord Jesus Christ gave a unique portrait of our relationship with God like that of a vineyard. The Heavenly Father is the Gardener, Jesus is the vine and the believers are branches. Though the Holy Spirit was not mentioned, it is him who is also at work behind the scenes together with the Father and the Son.

1. The Vine

Jesus gave an exclusive claim of himself, “I am the true vine” (15:1a). In Jesus’ confessions he used the word “true” to speak of his absolute claims of who he is. He revealed of himself as the “true bread” (6:32) from heaven and the “true vine” (15:1) rooted on earth. John the Beloved referred to Jesus as the “true light’ (1:9) and not of John the Baptist who served as a prophetic light in presenting Jesus to the world.

In a figurative language, Jesus portrayed himself as the “true vine.” In biblical times the primary means of living for the Jews and Gentiles was agriculture. The “vine” which Jesus spoke about referred to grapes as a primary fruit on house table and a source of wine for communal festivities. In a spiritual realm, for Jesus to have claimed of himself as the “true vine” was a clear declaration that he is the absolute source of the entirety of life and fountain of wholesome living. For him to have used the phrase “true vine” implied the existence of “false vines” that are powerless to give life and nourish a meaningful living.

In the farewell message of Moses to the Israelites, he integrated to his narrative speech the spiritual journey of the former generation who had unfortunately lived in unbelief and disobedience. To such a stubborn generation who deserted the LORD their God (Deut. 32:18), Moses gave a disheartening description to his Hebrew people.

“Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are filled with poison and their clusters with bitterness. Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poisons of cobra.” (Dt. 32:32-33)

The “vine of Sodom” can either be taken literally or symbolically. If interpreted as a symbol, it refers to the bitterness and unfruitfulness of pagan gods and religious practices. If taken literally, it refers to a real fruit but its identification remains obscure. The probable suggestions could either be the solanum, an orange-colored, inedible fruit, or the colocynth, a wild gourd with bitter fruit which grows on sandy ground near the Dead Sea.

In a figurative sense, Jesus spoke of himself as the “true vine” primarily referring to a grape vine as a choice fruit-bearing vine in ancient times and not to any wild vine that produces inedible fruits. In a spiritual realm, Jesus as the “true vine” reveals of himself as the absolute source of life in its entirety and as the one who sustains the fullness of living.

 2. The Gardener

In the vineyard of life, Jesus claimed of himself as the true vine “and my Father is the gardener” (15:1b). For Jesus to have identified the Father as the gardener with the use of a definite article, he revealed his Father as the ultimate caretaker of souls just as the gardener takes care of the grape vine. And one of the primary tasks of a gardener is pruning.  

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (15:2)

Pruning is normally done during the winter, late November or December, as the grapevines go dormant and loose all their leaves. A gardener prunes vines to achieve a balance between fruit production and adequate, but not excessive, shoot growth. Annual pruning is necessary to remove unsuitable canes while retaining the good ones. A cane is a mature shoot after leaf fall. Fruit is only produced on shoots growing from one-year old canes. Healthy new canes must be produced every year to maintain annual production of fruit. A pruning hook, which is a small knife with curved blade, is used for pruning grapevines. Every branch that does not bear fruit is cut, but each branch that bears fruit is pruned to bear more fruit. Without pruning, the grape vine will have many branches covered with leaves but it will only produce few fruits.

Applied in a spiritual realm, our Heavenly Father who is our spiritual gardener disciplines us as his legitimate children to purge us from our sinfulness so we can live in godliness. Through discipline, God sets us apart as his own beloved children from those who are not. The author of Hebrews explains the necessity of spiritual pruning or divine discipline in the Christian life.

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we all had human fathers, who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers discipline us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Heb. 12:7-11)

3. The Branches

It was on the context of the spiritual pruning done by the Father as the spiritual gardener to his own children that Jesus directly mentioned his disciples as sanctified by his word. “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” (15:3)

This was in reference to the word that Jesus declared to his disciples when he washed their feet. He said to his apostles, “You are clean, though not every one of you” (Jn. 13:10b). He said this because “he knew who was going to betray him, and that is why he said not everyone was clean” (13:11). He spoke about Judas Iscariot who would betray him. When Jesus told his eleven apostles, “You are clean,” he was not referring to physical cleanliness as Simon Peter thought. Rather, it was a spiritual cleansing for Jesus to have set apart the apostles to himself from the world. He spoke of his disciples that though they were in the natural world yet they were no longer of the evil system of the world (Jn. 17:14). It was for this reason that Jesus prayed to the Father on behalf of his disciples, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). The Greek word for sanctify, hagiazo, means to set apart for sacred use or make holy. The word that Jesus declared to his apostles was the same word of the Father. Jesus made this clear, “The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (Jn. 14:10b). Through the divine authority and power of the words of Jesus, the disciples are sanctified as “branches” set apart to be holy covenant people connected to Jesus as the “vine.”

The imageries of the vine and the gardener portray the intimate relationship of the Christian with Jesus as the source of life and with the Father as the guardian of soul. Is Jesus the true vine of our lives in whom we anchor our whole being? And is the Father the gardener of our souls to whom we yield our all? In anchoring our being to Jesus as our God, Savior and Lord, we are given the right to become the children of our Father in heaven. As children, our Father prunes us to transform us in the image of Christ. And he disciplines us in his great love for us.

B.  The Vine and the Branches (15:4-8)

In the vineyard of life, Jesus is the true vine, the Father is the caring gardener and the covenant people of God are the branches being pruned to become fruitful. And fruitfulness as a Christian witness is rooted in abiding in Jesus as Lord. Jesus focused on the integrated idea of fruit-bearing and abiding based on the similitude of the vine and the branches. This speaks on the intimate bond between Jesus and his disciples.

1. The Call to Fruitfulness

Jesus called his disciples to bear fruit by abiding in him.

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (15:4-5)

In the “I Am” confessions of Jesus, his intimate relationship with his disciples was pictured in two integrated metaphors. First was that of the good shepherd and the sheep. The shepherd laid down his life for the sheep and the sheep listen to his voice and follow him. Second was that of the true vine and the branches. The vine gives life to the branches and the branches bear fruit as they abide in the vine.

Based on the second imagery, Jesus gave a direct portrait in reference to his relationship with his disciples, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” In light of this intimate relationship, Jesus delivered a clear message, “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.” He applied this truth on a personal note, “Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me...Apart from me you can do nothing.” And he gave a clear command and corresponding assurance, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” Rooted upon this mutual bond, Jesus gave a reassuring word, “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.”

What does it mean to abide in Christ? First, we abide in him as a person. Jesus said, “Abide in me” (15:4, 5). Jesus to have declared that he is the “true vine” was in reference to himself as the God-incarnate (1:1, 14), the absolute Saviour of the world (1:28; 4:42) and the Lord of all (11:27; 20:28). Abiding in him is to believe who he is as he claimed to be. Second, we abide in his word. Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you” (15:7). This means for us to embrace his word as the very Word of God. Abiding in him is to trust and take him at his word. And third, we abide in the love of Christ. “Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” (15:9) Jesus loved us by offering his life for us. Abiding in him is for us to offer our lives for Jesus and to the Christian brethren (1 Jn. 3:16).

We abide in Jesus Christ as the Second Person of the Triune God. We abide in his word as the Word of God. And we abide in his love by yielding our all to God. In abiding in Jesus, his word and his love, he promised us to bear fruit (15:4), much fruit (15:5) and lasting fruit (15:16). We treasure and live by the word of Jesus, “No branch can bear fruit by itself...Apart from me you can do nothing.” This calls on our part for humility, faith, dependence, obedience and sacrifice.

Every Christian disciple is called to bear fruit. The spiritual fruit speaks of godliness in our daily living, faithfulness in our daily task and dedication in our daily witness in bringing people to Christ. Where then is the fruit in our lives? Our answer speaks on how we abide in Christ.

2. The Warning to Unfruitfulness

Jesus made a solemn warning to those who do not bear fruit.

“If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” (15:6)

Branches in a grapevine that do not bear any fruit are called suckers. They are recipients of the nutrients channelled through the vine yet contain the benefit to themselves and remain fruitless. These fruitless branches are cut and burned into the fire.

In the gospel accounts, John the Baptist prepared the way for the coming of Jesus Christ by calling people to repent from their sins and to put their trust in God. He summoned the people with this message, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Lk. 3:8a). For the unbelievers and unrepentant, he warned them of imminent divine judgment, “The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Lk 3:9). And he particularly prophesied the judgment of Jesus Christ to every person who do not manifest genuine faith and repentance: “His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Lk. 3:17). John the Beloved saw in a vision this dreadful eternal judgment as “the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:10b, 15). Jesus Christ and John the Baptist referred to the same divine judgment but they used different metaphors. John used the imagery of the cutting of a fruitless tree while Jesus used the cutting of the fruitless branch.

The cutting of fruitless branches from the vine was applied by Apostle Paul to both Hebrews and Gentiles. The vine is Jesus Christ. The natural branches are the Hebrew people and the grafted branches refer to believing Gentiles. Any unbelieving Jew is cut off from the vine while any believing Gentile is grafted in. In the saving grace of God there is no room for spiritual pride. Apostle Paul gave this stern warning.

“You (Gentiles) will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I (Gentile) could be grafted in.’ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell (unbelieving Jews), but kindness to you (Gentile believers), provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.” (Rom. 11:19-23)

This calls for self examination. If we, either a Jew or a Gentile, claims to know Jesus Christ yet does not show on how we live, we may only be a professing Christian. Perhaps, we may know the Christian creed but if we habitually make excuses and justify our sinful behaviours, we may not have a personal relationship with Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Probably, we may go through all the motions of the Christian activities but if we do not have the assurance of being saved because we are defiant to yield our all under the Lordship of Christ, the Holy Spirit may not be indwelling in our hearts to affirm us that we are a child of God. If we are a professing Christian who habitually live in sin and unyielding to the Lordship of Christ, should we not humbly search our hearts and settle things right with God and be sure in our faith in Christ? If not, we could be one of the fruitless branches detached from the true vine.

Apostle Paul makes an earnest plea, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2b). It is not the will of God for anyone to perish (2 Pet. 3:9). Yet, we must make a personal choice. Jesus, the true vine, invites us to himself and be one of his fruitful branches. Yielding our all to Jesus is the greatest decision in life for us to be connected with Jesus as the true vine of our lives.

3. The Confidence in Abiding

Jesus gave a reassuring promise to his disciples.

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” (15:7)

Abiding in Christ is abiding in his word. Faith in the Lord means obedience to his word. Solid trust in God rooted in his word will give us the spiritual discernment of knowing his will for our lives. And if we ask in accordance to his will, we have the assurance that he hears us and grants the desire of our hearts. In full dependence upon God and in complete submission to his will, we have confidence in the reassuring word of Jesus, “Ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”

Like branches that are secure in abiding to the vine, our Lord Jesus will see us through in whatever circumstance in life. In every pressing need, heartbreaking crisis and crucial decision we face, we can be sure of one thing—Jesus is with us as we wrestle with all our pains, fears and tears.

King David went through the unimaginable humbling experience when he appeared as insane before the pagan King Abimelech—out of fear for his life. God rescued him. And David offered a song of prayer.

“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry...The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.” (Ps. 34:15,17-19)

Jesus our Lord is true and trustworthy. In his farewell address to his apostles he cheered them up. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33) In this fallen world, Jesus had overcome every temptation and trouble. And he did just that for our own sake. So we abide in him and follow his footsteps. In yielding our all to him, his ears are attentive to our cries.

4. The Witness in Fruit-bearing

In all our pains and tears, Jesus calls us to bloom and be fruitful. Jesus declared, “This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (15:8). The delightful fruit can be a simple greeting of concern, a smile from the heart, a sincere prayer for someone, a helping hand to someone in need, a word of comfort to the wounded, a listening ear to the broken, a loving rebuke to the wayward, a heart of forgiveness to the fallen and sowing the gospel seed of truth to lead a sinner to Jesus. The abounding fruit is the work of the Holy Spirit as we yield to the Lordship of Christ. In this world we make a godly difference. And we do this in Jesus’ name for the glory of God.

Conclusion

We are called to dwell in the vineyard of God. Jesus is the true vine. The Father is the gardener. And we the disciples are the branches. Jesus, the true vine, is the absolute life-giver and ultimate source of a fulfilled life. The Father as the gardener casts out unbelievers as he cuts off unfruitful branches from the vine, but he disciplines his own children to purify their souls as a fruit-bearing branch is pruned to become more fruitful. And as the branches that cannot bear fruit apart from the vine, so we are called to abide in Christ to bear fruits with lasting significance for apart from him we can do nothing. What does this vineyard of life mean to us?

We are called to cultivate intimacy with God. Are we connected to the true vine? To abide in Christ is to enthrone him into our hearts as our God, Savior and Lord. Anchored upon this personal relationship, Jesus yearns for an intimate fellowship with us. The entirety of our lives must be centered in Christ. Everything must revolve around him. Our hearts will be at peace when we rest in his presence in our daily walk with him.

We yield our all to be sanctified by God. Are we being grateful being pruned by the Gardener? Discipline and affliction are effective tools the Father use to purify our souls. He will never tolerate sin in our hearts. And even if our hearts are right with him, he allows us to go through the fiery trials in life so we can walk in humility in his all-sufficient grace.

We dedicate our lives to bear fruit for God. Do we abide in Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit in bearing fruit for the glory of our Heavenly Father? Despite all our flaws and failures, our Father delights to mold and use us to declare his name and advance his cause. God has a special way to remind us of our noble calling. I will not forget the papaya plant.

[thebonezone66]

[SAVE_17](LAST ONE)

[PREVIOUS POST]

[Chara “Red”]

Red pockets the phone, before noting the other 'FRISK's confusion. ✦ I think DT and I will be departing fairly soon for some surgery prep. We're aids after all and assistance. I'm sure Miss Cookie will get you taken care of, Frisk. Naturally you're welcome to hang about here with us any time. She turns to DT, showing them the message on the phone. The two of them well versed in WINGDINGS as a secondary language. 

[SUBJECT BOUND IS AWAITING FURTHER SPECIFICATIONS. SUBJECT 'B.Z. FRISK' HAS PRIORITY IN TERMS OF SURGICAL PROCEDURES. THEIR CORRUPTION MUST BE EXPUNGED QUICKLY AND DECISIVELY.] 

[Frisk “DT”]

DT looks at the messages and frowns, nodding back towards Red, then to Frisk.

* Hey. * It's almost time for us to get you ready for your procedure, Frisk. * How are you feeling, pal?

[Sans “BZ”]

Sans doesn't hide his concern, but nods after a few moments slowly. * ..man, just gonna get right into it huh? i guess it's better than waiting and stressing out about it. mind if i come along to the theater with them? ..is that alright with you too, frisk?

[Frisk “The Sovereign”]

* Uh.... Glancing back and forth from DT to Sans, it seemed like they were incredibly uncomfortable. * I... Would.... Actually rather have you there. I know 'DT' but everyone else is still a stranger to me. Having at least one being I know makes this less scary.

[Sans “BZ”]

* alright. well, does the old man have any qualms with me in his personal bubble? heh. A pointed look is given to DT. The meaning is clear in that he wants to be firm... But ultimately his tone and demeanor is polite. It was an earnest request bordering on favor if anything.

[Frisk “DT”]

There's a knowing smile from the child.

* And here we were wondering if we'd have to invite you in, Sans. * We'll be in there too, serving as assistants and medical students. * The Doctor's using the theater specifically to teach the followers about the nature of the Corruption, and what to look out for when inspecting someone's code.

* So, Frisk, you're going to be in good hands. * Quite literally, seeing as all three of us will be there! * Cookie, however, shouldn't be allowed in for fear of second-hand exposure.

[Sans “BZ”]

* ..yeah, alright. i'll follow you all in then. speaking of exposure though, i should probably get some kinda physical while i'm here too. i haven't really done that since these whole ordeals started. * hard to believe i've been missing out on catching a 'bug' this long.

[Frisk “DT”]

DT feels their brows furrow, then one raise as they look to Sans.

* I mean... you'd think that you'd have an idea if something was wrong, but... * We can give you a screening once Frisk is cleared, yeah?

[Sans “BZ”]

Sans idly traces his lower jaw with his right thumb and index finger before gesturing towards the door. He himself was at least curious as to the prospect of being a timebomb but doesn't explore it much further beyond his affirmation.

* yeah, let's go ahead and pencil that in then. examinations and surgery for everybody.

[Frisk “The Sovereign”]

The child would follow the others, giving Sans a look. Certainly if he had corruption everyone would know it. The anomaly would not have allowed him back in the timeline if that was the case. At least not how he was.

* So... Um. How involved is this procedure?

[Red and DT]

Both Red and DT are walking through the corridors now, having a general idea of the layouts of the winding paths before them. Red eventually turns back to Frisk.

✦ Well, first we're going to have you dressed in a surgical garment - your clothes are going to be sterilized and cleaned for you, too. * We've got our own dry-cleaners. Pretty cool. ✦ ...right. ✦ Anyways, we're going to need you to sign some paperwork beforehand. She looks from Frisk to Sans, holding a small electronic tablet. ✦ That'll be for both of you. ✦ The gist of it is that we'll be making copies of your SOULs both prior and following the surgeries. ✦ So, in case something goes wrong, we can reset you to your former self, OR keep track of how your symptoms develop or cede in the coming weeks.

[Frisk “The Sovereign”]

The child looks at the tablet, seeming... A little overwhelmed. They would glance around the group before nodding with a frown. Yes. It made sense but the idea of 'backing up' their SOULs.... Was kind of scary and weird.

[Sans “BZ”]

* usual fears and the ethical implications of cloning aside, yeah. fair enough. i'll sign first then. The skeleton leans forward and stares at the tablet briefly. He's trying to figure out what it even IS looks like. He's never encountered tech this advanced yet looks like. He then rubs the back of his skull.

* so do you got like, paperwork or something? 

[Frisk “The Sovereign”]

The look of confusion was matched with Frisk's own. They... Had never seen anything like this before? It was... Weird? 

[Red and DT]

The humans look between one another, and frown.

* Uhh... * You guys have laser-guided systems, a semi-modular geothermal plant, robots that can house souls and transform, and yet you've never seen a tablet before..? DT shrugs, and takes the tablet back.

* Alright then. Red, go print off some physical papers, please. Red rolls her eyes, placing hands on her hips.

✦ I always print things off for you. ✦ Fine, fine. ✦ Just because it'll give you some time with old friends. ✦ Stay right here. Be back soon. And with that, Red departs.

[Sans “BZ”]

* i think i speak for both of us when i say the heck's a tablet? the technology's probably not so advanced we wouldn't understand it. Sans winces as he holds up his hands shaking them gently. Learning opportunity was escaping! What was the thing? He needed to know! 

* show us how it works, c'mon. 

[Frisk “DT”]

The former SOUL of determination casts an almost humorous glance towards his partner, before looking back towards Frisk and Sans.

* Oh.. * It's a computer screen that takes tactile input. * So touching the screen with your finger acts like a mouse on a computer.

He turns the small tablet around, and uses his finger to swipe from page to page, loading a browser and watching as a keyboard slides up on the screen, with which he types in a shipping and handling website.

[Frisk “The Sovereign”]

The child seemed impressed and shocked. This was so very different and new. Was this what humanity had developed after all this time? They had no idea. * Woahhh

[Frisk “DT”]

* Kehehe... * So, basically if I tell you guys that you could read all the paperwork here, and sign your names on the tablet, AND Red is doing all the work printing and stapling your files? * She's gonna get pissed at me.

* But I'm willing to take a scalpel for that, because it'll be hilarious.

[Sans “BZ”]

* oh geez. as fun as that sounds as far as practical jokes go, you're both still helping us. i know how demanding the old man could be. making their effort irrelevant is pretty inconsiderate all things considered. * maybe just... let us mess with it?

Sans produces grabby hands. Tentative ones though. He also didn't seem to want to interact with the device for some kind of fear of either breaking it or looking foolish. 

[Frisk “DT”]

The human shrugs.

* I still give 'em hell for what we both went through. * Purely jokingly, of course. * But, I'm glad that Red's still around.

The tablet is given to Sans. It seems to have a thick protective casing to keep fall damage to a minimum.

[Chara “Red”]

Red comes back with papers in tow as well as w few other items. She needed to print out the run down of the procedure and the 'SAVE' for the SOUL as well as some housing documentation for Them in case any medication needed to be administered, she comes back to note the Skeleton fiddling with the tablet. He doesn't really seem to know what he's doing. That's fine, she pulls out a few pens and the stapled documents for the both of them. ✦ Sorry that took a bit. There was a lot to print off. ✦I hadn't realized that the tablet would be so strange to you, we've had some times to fiddle with them, so it's understandable. She doesn't seem agitated. More understanding than anything, she shoots a half-glare to DT, however. ✦ Just sign when you're ready. And, you guys can keep fiddling with the tablet, but, soon we'll have to get Frisk ready. But, feel free to mess around with the tablet. It's pretty fun once you get the hang of it. DT and I had fun with it when we first got them. 

[Frisk “The Sovereign”]

The child looks over the paperwork as it is handed over, lavender eyes skimming over the contents as their frown deepened. There were a lot of words they didn't understand. But... This was likely for the best considering the whole process would likely terrify them beyond anything else they had experienced. Taking the pen in their hand, Frisk would quickly signed their name, handing the paperwork back. 

[Frisk “DT”]

DT is idly watching Frisk write their name, offering a smile down to their younger self. Funny, how these things worked out.

* Don't worry, pal. * The Doc'll take good care of you. * Hell, he gave us a chance.

[Sans “BZ”]

Sans' turn next, he supposed. The skeleton takes the paperwork and looks it over briefly before shrugging and going to sign away. He wasn't quite sure what this formality protected exactly given the kind of power his father actually wielded. He appreciated the effort though for its sake and the 'normalcy' such a procedure provided. 

[Chara “Red”]

Red takes the papers back and briefly skims over them. The Red's eyes briefly falls on the warning there and she nods. That's all she really needed. Alright. It was about time they prepped for Surgery, right? Red turns to DT with a sharp nod then back to 'Frisk'. ✦ You'll be fine, Frisk. Don't you worry. ✦ .... ✦ Er— We should explain safety protocol and get them dressed for surgery. — Uhm, BZ, was it? You'll be escorted by me to the shadowing room where you'll get to keep an eye out for Frisk. DT will escort Frisk to the surgery hall and get them sterilized and then I'll be heading to do the surgery with the Doctor with DT. She looks to them both, awaiting DT to join her to explain the procedure. 

[Frisk “DT”]

The other human stands by their partner, placing their hands on their hips and beaming at the two outsiders. * Alright, all formalities aside, it's time for us to discuss the procedure! * Frisk, there is going to be an incision made just under your ribs, that will deal exactly one HP of damage! * Which, you may or may not know, triggers an instinctual response from your SOUL that starts a FIGHT. * The Doctor will sedate you quickly, using the FIGHT to expose your SOUL. * From there, he'll be using green magic to help heal you with every 'attack', accessing the SOUL proper. * Safety precautions have all non-essential personnel positioned at least fifty feet away from the operating table. * Luckily, Red and I are considered 'essential' here. We'll be at the table with you along with some other shadows. 

[Chara “Red”]

✦ We'll most likely be speaking with you throughout the procedure to make sure you're alright. Until you're out. ✦ We'll also be here to make sure you're alright. We'll be the only ones on the floor as well as one other who is an assistant to us and the Doctor. ✦BZ will be in the room right overhead making sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. ✦ I believe our assistant today is... Mina. Mina Xi. She's just hear in terms of monitoring and notes for back logging. She's like a stenographer for the procedure. This way we can keep an active 'DEBUG.LOG' of everything that's going on so that we can fix you up if something does happen. ✦... Which I highly doubt it will. We're all trained here. ~

[Frisk “The Sovereign”]

*... Is there any chance that you, or anyone else might be harmed when my SOUL is pulled into the FIGHT?

Frisk seemed to frown at the idea, clearly nervous.

* With the corruption, and the amount of LV I gained in the last timeline... I don't want any of you to be accidentally harmed in any way. 

[Frisk “DT”]

DT chuckles a bit.

* Nah, it'll be a 1-on-1 FIGHT between you and the Doc. * If anything, between the sedation and his 'attacks', you'll feel more floaty than anything. 

[Chara “Red”]

✦ ...No. There is no chance of anyone being harmed. The doctor has dealt with a SOUL far more swelled with LOVE than yours. ✦ .... You and everyone else here will be safe.

[Frisk “The Sovereign”]

*... If you say so.

Frisk didn't want to doubt the others. Really they didn't. But that nagging, awful voice in the back of their head, the one that had only enhanced the power of 'chara' when they were still around, it warned them that they were a threat. And though Sans might be acting nice now, all it would take is one mistake for him to hate them again. The nerves showed clearly in their expression before they nodded.

* L-Let's get this over with, please. 

[Frisk “DT”]

A hand is outstretched towards Frisk, and DT offers a friendly smile.

* Yeah. The sooner we get it over with, the sooner you guys can get back to something called 'normalcy', right?

[Chara “Red”]

Red offers a smile of her own.. it's tired, yet kind all the same. As a CHARA themselves, they could more than relate to Frisk's nervousness. They could see the nerves written on their expression.

✦ ..Afterwhich we should probably get you guys some relaxation and good food afterwards, yeah?

[auburnfamilynews]

Photo by John Bunch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Can Kirby finally take UGA to a place they haven’t been since 1980?

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be taking a quick look at every Auburn opponent on the 2020 schedule.

2019 Record: 12-2 (7-2)

2020 Signing Class: 1st (1st SEC)

Head Coach: Kirby Smart (5th Season)

Key Departures:

QB Jake Fromm - 234/385 (60.8%) 2,860 yds 24 TD 5 INT

RB D’Andre Swift - 196 carries 1,218 yds 6.2 avg 7 TD 7 rec 24 yds 9.0 avg TD

WR Lawrence Cager - 33 rec 476 yds 14.4 avg 4 TD

OT Andrew Thomas - 1st Round Draft Pick

OT Isaiah Wilson - 1st Round Draft Pick

DT Tyler Clark - 26 tackles 8.0 TFL 2.5 sacks

LB Tae Crowder - 62 tackles 4.0 TFL 4 PBU FR TD

S J.R. Reed - 54 tackles 2.0 TFL 0.5 sacks INT 7 PBU FR FF TD

Key Returners:

QB Jamie Newman (GS) - 220/361 (60.9%) 2,868 yds 26 TD 11 INT 180 carries 574 yds 3.2 avg 6 TD (@ Wake Forest)

QB J.T. Daniels (RSo) - 216/363 yds (59.5%) 2,672 yds 14 TD 10 INT

WR George Pickens (So) - 49 rec 727 yds 14.8 avg 8 TD

OL Ben Cleveland (Sr)

C Trey Hill (Jr)

OLB Azeez Ojulari (RSo) - 33 tackles 6.0 TFL 5.5 sacks

LB Monty Rice (Sr) - 89 tackles 3.0 TFL 3 PBU

S Richard Lecounte (Sr) - 61 tackles 4.5 TFL 4 INT 3 PBU 3 FR 2 FF

Preview

It hasn’t taken long for Kirby Smart to build an even more impressive recruiting machine in Athens, GA than the one he left in Tuscaloosa. For the third time in four years, Smart signed the #1 recruiting class in the country per 247 Composite. That means, at least on paper, the Dawgs are more talented than every opponent on their schedule in 2020.

And yet...

Despite the Dawgs tremendous success over the past three seasons, that national championship trophy continues to elude them. In 2017, UGA got spanked in Jordan-Hare only to rebound in Atlanta before blowing the national title game and kickstarting the Tua hype. In 2018, LSU dropped 36 points on the Dawgs in Death Valley and once again UGA choked a 2nd half lead to the Tide in a championship game. Last year, UGA inexplicably lost at home to South Carolina before getting run out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium by eventual the national champion LSU.

UGA has been one of the best programs in the country the past three seasons, consistently loaded with elite talent but haven’t yet been able to reach that ultimate mountain top. Can 2020 be the year?

Well it helps the Dawgs should field the best defense in America this fall. LSU hung 37 points on that unit in the SEC title game but no other offense surpassed 20. UGA kept offenses out of the endzone through stout run defense and a smothering secondary. Per SP+, the Dawgs defense was the best in the country in 2019 and most every major piece returns this fall.

Up front, UGA loses Tyler Clark who lead the Dawgs in tackles for loss last season but everyone else is back. Georgia runs a lot of three man fronts and asks their big guys up front to eat space so they don’t necessarily post gaudy stats. But they excel at plugging gaps and eliminating anything between the tackles. Throw in 5-star signee Jalen Carter and this unit is definitely in the running for one of the best in the country in 2020.

At the second level, Tae Crowder is gone but senior captain Monty Rice returns along with a host of former elite prospects in the likes of Nakobe Dean, Channing Tindall and Quay Walker. On the edge, Azeez Ojulari looks poised to be a breakout star following his 8 sack redshirt freshman season. UGA is also hopeful five start signee Mekhail Sherman can be an instant impact player off the edge.

In the secondary, UGA returns four starters including turnover generating machine Richard LeCounte. There’s also a bunch of young talent that could take starring roles this fall. Guys like Tyrique Stevenson, Divaad Wilson and 5-star signee Kelee Ringo. A lot of NFL talent on the backend of this defense.

But none of that will matter if UGA can’t get its offense out of 2009. That’s why Kirby Smart pushed last year’s offensive coordinator James Coley out the door and brought in Todd Monken. Monken became a rising star back in 2011 when he elevated Oklahoma State’s offense to one of the best in the nation. After two seasons in Stillwater, he took the head coaching job at Southern Miss coming off a winless year under Ellis Johnson. He quickly turned the Golden Eagles back into a formidable opponent in the C-USA before bolting to the NFL. Smart is hoping Monken can have the same type of impact on the Dawgs offense as Joe Brady did on LSU last season.

He has some interesting pieces to work with in 2020. Jake Fromm made the surprising decision to jump to the NFL after a solid 2019 season. That opened the door for UGA to poach two of the top QB transfers on the market in Jamie Newman and JT Daniels. Newman was the offense for Wake Forest last season, throwing for over 2,800 yards and rushing for 500+ more. Daniels is a former five star who lost his job at USC following an injury last fall. He needs a waiver to be eligible in 2020 but those can be unpredictable so it wouldn’t be shocking to hear his waiver gets approved. If that were to happen, a very interesting QB battle would be on Kirby’s hands and we’ve seen in the past that Smart handles those extremely well...

With D’Andre Swift, Lawrence Cager and Brian Herrien all gone, it’s clear who the top weapon will be in 2020 for this Dawgs offense, former Auburn commit George Pickens. Pickens lived up to all the hype, both good and bad, last fall. He lead the Dawgs in receiving yards but also missed time due to punching a defender in the face. If the Dawgs can keep him under control, he’s got a chance to have a huge sophomore season.

Up front, Georgia lost two first round draft picks at tackle, an expected starter to the transfer portal and their outstanding offensive line coach. But the cupboard is far from bare with some talented interior OL talent returning plus some young elite OT talent including 5-star signee Broderick Jones.

Who will run behind that offensive line is still up in the air. Zamir White was once the nation’s top ranked running back but has been slowed by injuries. James Cook is an explosive weapon in the open field but hasn’t been used outside of a gadget guy. There’s buzz around Kenny McIntosh and a stud true freshman in Kendall Milton. There’s no question UGA will have talent but whether they can replicate Swift’s production is a major question heading into the fall.

For Auburn, it’s all about finding ways to generate offense against this stout UGA defense. The Tigers defense has played well enough for Auburn to win every contest against Kirby’s Dawgs since 2016 but only once has the offense scored more than two touchdowns. Unsurprisingly, that’s Malzahn’s lone win over Smart.

This is also the first time since 1936 that Auburn and Georgia face off outside the month of November. I think the move up in the schedule helps the Tigers especially with spring practice cancelled. UGA is hoping to make a pretty major offensive scheme change and that’s going to take time to implement with a new quarterback, offensive line and running back. Chances are good that it won’t be running at full speed this early in the season. But truthfully Auburn’s chances of victory come down to the offense. Can Chad Morris unlock the missing component to put points up on this Smart defense? If so, Auburn could escape Athens with their first W since 2007. If not, a very familiar scene could play out in Sanford Stadium this October.

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/7/2/21310498/sneak-peek-the-georgia-bulldogs-kirby-smart-george-pickens-monty-rice-richard-lecounte

[majisportsllc]

The mind is the king of the senses, but the breath is the king of the mind…

During this unprecedented time of quarantines, social distancing, and unemployment due to COVID-19, many things around us and within us have changed. New habits and ways of thinking have taken up much of our waking days. These times have encouraged us to make significant shifts in how we lead our lives and how we think of our futures.You may have taken inventory of your personal belongings; deciding if the items you possess provide a purpose in your life or bring you joy. You may have taken the opportunity to do some spring cleaning; removing the clutter in your household. Making space in your natural surroundings can be very healing.

You have more physical space to move around, you no longer feel crowded in your own home. It also creates a sense of calm and safety when you have a household that is free from clutter. This can be the same for your internal system: your body and mind.The type of work involved with internal cleansing is certainly much different from clearing unwanted items from your home, but the result is ultimately the same. The goal is to have mental clarity; to feel less burdened from emotional stress. This process may be considered a challenge since you are not literally lifting a heavy weight from your shoulders to dispose. You are dealing instead with energy work. The heaviness you feel in your shoulders or gut is an energetic pressure, so it takes a different set of tactics to lift that weight.

1. Physical Exercise

Physical exercise can be one of the strategies for releasing energetic heaviness in the body. The simple act of moving your body can loosen up some tightness that stores away in your body. Going for a walk or a nice jog in your neighborhood can be quite satisfying. Dancing to some music, doing Qi Gong in the park are ways to shift energy in the body. Yoga, too, is a reliable resource for tuning into the physical and emotional body to relieve them from barriers.

2. Pranayama: Yoga Breathing

Pranayama, a form of yoga, can also be considered a physical exercise. The movement is less about the body, but primarily about the breath. To understand this discipline, one can break down this Sanskrit word into two parts: Prana means "the life force" or "life energy". "Yama" is the action that we give the breath. There are hundreds of breathing exercises and all have specific intentions when practiced. If you're wanting to cool down in a hot climate, there are pranayama practices devoted to that outcome. If you're having trouble sleeping or just seeking some much needed mental relaxation, there are breathing exercises you can perform.Pranayama is an ancient practice, but first mentioned around 1500 BC. Yoga at the time did not involve physical a postures like we know it today. Instead, the Indian Vedic priests pursued the path of enlightenment through meditative practices and pranayama.Since the latter part of the word refers to the action of the breath, the early practitioners believed that this breath control was necessary to help cure physical diseases and encourage mental balance. Such ailments and imbalances were seen as impurities and deficiencies in the body's natural energy flow: prana.One way to describe the energy flow in the body is to compare it to water running through a garden hose. When the hose is free from any kinks, the water can flow steadily and efficiently. The moment the hose is twisted, that water flow either stops or only trickles out the end. This is similar to the pranic flow in our bodies. When there is a blockage of energetic flow to a certain part of the body, the function and health of that region is compromised. Pranayama works alongside the yoga poses (asana). It helps to re-open those blocked passages. In essence, the life force can fully embody the whole physical system for a balance in health.

3. Pranayama for Cleansing

As mentioned, there are many specific pranayama practices, but some dedicated to energetic cleansing of the body. Stress, migraines, compromised immune systems, lower back pain may be the result, in some yogic beliefs, of inefficient pranic flow, or a twisted garden hose. In order to release these ailments to put the body on the holistic path of healing, a person needs to practice yoga, in particular pranayama.

3.1.Nadhi Sodhana: Alternative Nostril Breathing

"Kriya," a Sanskrit word meaning "completed action" refers to the richness of a pranayama cleansing practice. Not only are there breath control techniques, but they often coincide with hand gestures or physical poses to complete the action. Nadhi Sodhana (nah-dee sho-doh-nah) is a well-known pranayama practice that is said to purify your blood, calm your mind, and reduce mental tension. The kriya involves a sitting posture, breath work, and a hand gesture.

As with most pranayama exercises, it is best to perform this exercise in a comfortable upright seated posture. Raise your right palm so that it is turned toward your face. Block your right nostril with your thumb and take a full breath in through your opened left nostril. Be sure to also fill you belly in addition to your chest. Once full, block your left nostril using the ring finger of the same hand. Hold your breath for two to four seconds while holding your breath. Open your right nostril by releasing your thumb and exhale out the right side until empty. Now, breathe in deeply through your right nostril. Block the passage with your thumb and hold your breath for two to four seconds. Release the air through your left nostril by unblocking the passage. This is considered one full round of Alternative Nostril Breathing. Continue this exercise for at least five more rounds.This is a very balancing breath that has a calming and soothing effect. When you're feeling anxious, tired, nervous, or agitated, this is a resourceful practice to try.

3.2. Kapalabhati Pranayama: Skull Shining Breath

Start this cleansing exercise in an upright seated position. Place your hands on your knees with your palms facing outward. Close your eyes to tune into your breath and to create a sense of presence and awareness.With your eyes closed, take a long full inhale through your nose to fill up your lungs and belly. As you breathe in, allow your stomach to expand. On your exhale, you will breathe out sharply through your nose and quickly draw your navel in toward your spine. You will automatically draw in your next breath. Actively expand your belly again as you inhale. As before, exhale quickly with the abdominal contraction. Continue this several times until you're able to find a fluid breathing rhythm. As you're able, perform 15 to 20 rounds of this breath. At the end, sit in relaxation and notice your newly relaxed state of mind and body.

This can be a challenging breathing exercise; it takes some good practice to achieve a level of competence. To help, imagine the mechanism of a bellows used to stoke a fire. While pulling the two handles apart, it expands the flexible chamber to allow air to draw inward. Squeezing the apparatus forces the air out. Sometimes called "Bellows Breath," you are performing a similar action in Kapalabhati (kah-pah-lah-bah-tee) Pranayama. Be cautious because this style of breathing may cause dizziness or raise your heart rate. If you're new to this style of breathing, start slowly, and remain very aware of how this style of pranayama makes you feel. Manage the pace of your breath so you have a success with this exercise.It is said that this breathing exercise clears waste and toxins from your body. It purifies the oxygen and blood that flows through your system. It can re-energize you if you're feeling lethargic. It creates a sense of balance and feeling clutter-free when this is incorporated into a daily regimen.There are other popular styles of pranayama for cleansing the body, but these are just a couple to begin your journey. Whenever you're feeling full from stress and fatigue and need to re-balance your energetic system, yogic breathing is essential to the healing process. Use pranayama to assist the cleansing of those invasive disturbances within you.

If you desire a comfortable Pranayama session, try

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[junker-town]

Here are the biggest NFL veterans who could be cut this offseason

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

NFL teams looking to save some money means some familiar names will be looking for new homes.

The NFL’s salary cap leads to plenty of roster churn every year. Franchises are tasked with balancing expensive proven veterans with cheaper talent. That means some pricy athletes could find themselves looking for new homes — even if they’re still in their primes.

Last year, we saw former Pro Bowlers like Gerald McCoy, Demaryius Thomas, and Justin Houston excised in advance of free agency. This offseason has already seen All-Pro tight end Greg Olsen left to ponder his football future.

These are the other veterans who could join him on the free agent market, ranked by order of how much they can save their respective teams by leaving this spring.

Already gone

Josh Norman, CB, Washington

Savings from cutting Norman: $12.4 million

Norman was just one of many things that went wrong for Washington in 2019. He suffered through his worst season in the league, where he gave up more than 11 yards per target and accounted for -1 points saved, per SIS. That’s the lowest score among any cornerback who started at least five games last fall.

This sudden downturn at age 32 could put Dan Snyder’s former prized signing on the chopping block. The 2015 All-Pro has failed to reach that standard since joining Washington in 2016. As a result, the club plans to release him and make him a free agent this offseason.

#Redskins are releasing CB Josh Norman, source says. Intriguing situation to watch, as he now has time to find his new team ahead of free agency.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 14, 2020

Wide receiver Paul Richardson, who lasted just two seasons into his five-year, $40 million contract with Washington, will be released as well. Ryan Kerrigan, 31 years old and headed into the final year of his contract with none of the $11.6 million owed to him guaranteed, could also be up for discussion.

Prince Amukamara, CB, Chicago Bears

Savings from cutting Amukamara: $9 million

Amukamara has been a steady, if unspectacular cornerback in his nine seasons as a pro. While he made 42 starts for the Bears the past three years, Chicago felt it could better spend the additional $9 million owed to him elsewhere. Like perhaps on a veteran quarterback to push Mitchell Trubisky for the starting job?

Marcell Dareus, DL, Jacksonville Jaguars

Savings from cutting Dareus: $20 million

Dareus, at his best, is worth $20 million+ annually. The problem is, he hasn’t been that player in several years. Even if he was, the 2020 Jaguars — currently with negative cap space — probably couldn’t afford him. As such, they declined his 2020 option and made him a free agent on the eve of the Scouting Combine.

Dareus broke through with a 10-sack season in 2014 that he’s been chasing ever since. In just six games, he averaged a career-low 2.2 tackles for an underwhelming Jaguars defense in 2019. More telling, those tackles came an average of 4.2 yards past the line of scrimmage, which is an untenable mark for a player who is supposed to be pushing blockers backward and creating chaos in the trenches.

While he can still be a useful presence in the middle of a defensive line, he’s due for a major pay cut this offseason.

Russell Okung, OT, Los Angeles Chargers

Savings from cutting Okung: $13 million

Okung’s release would have been a surprise. The veteran left tackle played well in 2019 when he was on the field — but that only lasted six games due to a pulmonary embolism and, later in the season, a groin injury.

While he was capable, he didn’t fit in with LA’s rebuild. Rather than release a Pro Bowl-caliber blocker, he’ll be traded to the Panthers in exchange for guard Trai Turner.

The deal is tentatively agreed to and is expected to be processed at the start of the league year: The #Chargers are trading LT Russell Okung to the #Panthers in exchange for standout OL Trai Turner, sources say. A swap of big-time OLs. Nothing is final until it’s official.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 4, 2020

Turner is signed through 2021 compared to Okung’s 2020, and his $12.8 million cap hit for the upcoming season is less than Okung’s $15.5m. His cap number jumps to $15.4m next offseason, however — so we could see Turner wind his way to this list in 2021.

A.J. Bouye, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Savings from cutting Bouye: $11.4 million

Like Dareus, Bouye is a highly paid defender who has seen better days. And like his colleague, he’s looking at a change of venue this offseason thanks to the Jaguars’ cap crunch. He was traded to the Broncos for a fourth-round pick after news leaked about his imminent release in Jacksonville.

Bouye could be a boon for Denver, but he’ll have to put a disappointing season behind him. The former Texan allowed opposing QBs to post a 106.0 passer rating against him in 2019 while completing two-thirds of their passes with him in coverage.

With Jacksonville eager to find a way around Nick Foles’ cap-clogging $22 million average salary, Bouye’s departure may be the next step in a mini-rebuild of the Jacksonville defense.

Jimmy Graham, TE, Green Bay Packers

Savings from cutting Graham: $8 million

Graham wasn’t the red zone panacea the Packers hoped he would be when they signed him to a three-year, $30 million contract in 2018. After scoring 10 touchdowns in his final season with the Seahawks in 2017, Graham has just five scores over two years in Green Bay.

The Packers drafted Jace Sternberger in the third round in 2019 to take over as Graham’s replacement, but injuries limited him to only six games as rookie — and one target from Aaron Rodgers, which he dropped. Still, head coach Matt LaFleur must believe the second-year tight end is ready for a promotion, because Graham’s tenure in Wisconsin is over after two seasons.

Xavier Rhodes, CB, Minnesota Vikings

Savings from cutting Rhodes: $8.1 million

The Vikings have some very difficult decisions to make this offseason. After coming into the offseason with -$12.3 million in cap room — worst in the NFL by a significant margin — Minnesota had to cut some expensive veterans. First on the chopping block was Rhodes, who signed a five-year, $70.1 million contract extension in 2017 and struggled mightily in both 2018 and 2019. Per SIS, he gave up a 122.9 passer rating in coverage last fall.

Releasing Rhodes still left the Vikings over the cap, however. That led to DT Linval Joseph’s release as well. Together, they trimmed more than $20.5 from Minnesota’s 2020 salary cap.

The #Vikings have terminated the contracts of DT Linval Joseph and CB Xavier Rhodes.https://t.co/VIg4PYgTK7

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 13, 2020

Joe Flacco, QB, Denver Broncos

Savings from cutting Flacco: $10 million

The Joe Flacco who led the Ravens to a Super Bowl XLVII win is no more. This is the era of a Joe Flacco who is barely a replacement-level passer.

The former Super Bowl MVP has been mostly forgettable the past five seasons, recording an 83.0 passer rating and a 26-33 record as a starter. He also had his lead role usurped in both Baltimore (Lamar Jackson) and Denver (Drew Lock) after midseason injuries. Rather than keep him in town as an extremely expensive backup, general manager John Elway decided to run with free agent signee Jeff Driskel as his No. 2, sending Flacco to the open market for the first time in his career.

Broncos just informed former Super-Bowl MVP Joe Flacco that he is being waived with a failed physical designation, per source. Flacco now joins a group of free-agent QBs looking for work. Three Super Bowl MVPs in headlines this week: Flacco waived, Foles traded, TB to TB.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 19, 2020

Dontari Poe, DT, Carolina Panthers

Savings from cutting Poe: $9.8 million

The Panthers are a Matt Rhule-Teddy Bridgewater team now. The focus on the rest of Carolina’s offseason has been clearing out its ballast tanks and absorbing new talent into the cap room it’s created.

A 30-year-old Poe didn’t have much of a role in a Panther renaissance. The space-clogging tackle would have been the third-highest paid player on the roster after a good, but not great season. General manager Marty Hurney declined his contract option for 2020, allowing him to sign with the Cowboys instead.

Andy Dalton, QB, Bengals

Savings from cutting Dalton: $17.7 million

Dalton gave the Bengals nine seasons of mostly good, never great quarterbacking. Now he has no place on a team that drafted Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick. Dalton’s career in tiger stripes is over.

Bengals are releasing QB Andy Dalton, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 30, 2020

Even though Cincinnati will need a veteran quarterback to help ease Burrow’s transition from LSU to the NFL, it’s time for both sides to move on. The money saved by releasing the Pro Bowl quarterback can be spent acquiring weapons and bolstering the offensive line tasked with keeping Burrow’s jersey clean in 2020 — especially now that remaining free agents can be signed without affecting next year’s compensatory pick balance. The Bengals had already released one expensive standby before Dalton offensive tackle Cordy Glenn was jettisoned before the official start of the league year, clearing $9.5 million in cap space in the process.

Sticking around

Sammy Watkins, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Savings from cutting Watkins: $14 million

Watkins has shown flashes of star-making play throughout his six-year career, but has ultimately failed to live up to the potential that made him the fourth overall pick in 2014. This past season was no different. He began it with a three-touchdown, 198-yard performance in the Chiefs’ season opener, had just one 100-yard game in the next 13 games, and finished the year with 14 catches for 288 yards in the postseason.

That makes it hard to justify Watkins’ $21 million cap hit for 2020 — especially now that reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is eligible for what’s sure to be a massive contract extension. With Chris Jones careening toward free agency, the team’s decision may come down to either its second-best wide receiver or the defensive lineman who helped save a Super Bowl win.

Then again, in the biggest game of his life, he put Richard Sherman on roller skates.

Sammy Watkins diced up Richard Sherman, then Patrick Mahomes just had to drop a pass in the bucket pic.twitter.com/ezEyARIu26

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) February 3, 2020

That’s why the two sides came to terms on a restructured one year, $9 million contract that could pay him up to $16 million should he meet certain incentives. That move will shave at least $5 million from the team’s cap this fall.

Janoris Jenkins, CB, New Orleans Saints

Savings from cutting Jenkins: $11.3 million

The Saints claimed Jenkins after he was released by the Giants for a combination of on-field malaise and off-field concerns. He performed well in New Orleans despite the team’s sudden playoff exit, but his one-year, $11+ million cap number was too steep for the team’s liking. Not wanting to lose him in 2020, the team worked out a two-year extension that lowers that cap hit for the upcoming year but also allows head coach Sean Payton to walk away from him in 2021 with minimal dead salary cap repercussions.

Faced with a big cap number for CB Janoris Jenkins, the #Saints chose to sign him to an extension that could keep him in the fold in the future: It’s a 2-year, $16.75M extension based on new money, source said. So, 3 years, $27M overall with $10.2M guaranteed — all in 2020.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 25, 2020

No official decision yet

Derek Carr, QB, Las Vegas Raiders

Savings from cutting Carr: $13.6 million

Carr’s future with the Raiders is very much up in the air. Reports suggest the franchise is interested in making free agent Tom Brady the face of its Las Vegas debut.

Brady may be a long shot, but this year’s free agent crop includes plenty of veteran alternatives should the Raiders want to swap out QBs. Las Vegas could also package its two first-round picks this April and move up to select a rookie quarterback at the draft.

The team has a lot of spending room this offseason, so moving Carr isn’t a priority, even if it lures a young QB to Nevada. He remains an efficient, if low-impact passer who could bring back a decent return via trade. There isn’t really a glaring reason for the Raiders to cut him loose, but this is Jon Gruden we’re talking about. You can’t rule out any splash-making move in advance of his team’s first season in Vegas.

Malcolm Butler, CB, Tennessee Titans

Savings from cutting Butler: $7.4 million

While he’s been steady in two seasons with the Titans, Butler is far removed from the form that made him an All-Pro with the Patriots in 2016. He’s been a good, if inconsistent, corner when healthy — and Tennessee is paying him like a great one.

The Titans have two major priorities at hand with both Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry barreling toward the open market. Carving out extra space for them could mean cutting Butler, who didn’t play a snap for the club in 2019 after Week 9 and thus missed the team’s Cinderella run through the first two weeks of the postseason. Dion Lewis, another former Patriot lured south with a big contract, has already been informed he’s no longer part of the team’s plans:

#Titans release Dion Lewis and Cameron Wake Roster Moves » https://t.co/56J1hYazCv https://t.co/ubnTnfqrE4

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) March 12, 2020

Three other notable veterans — Wake, tight end Delanie Walker and kicker Ryan Succop — were each served their walking papers this offseason as well. Butler’s been better than Lewis was as a Titan, but if he can’t convince leadership he’s due for a bounce-back year, he could be next on the chopping block.

Nate Solder, OT, New York Giants

Savings from cutting Solder: $6.5 million

Solder was the first big-ticket signing of general manager Dave Gettleman’s tenure. He hasn’t panned out the way the Giants hoped, though. His 37 blown pass protection blocks were the most in the NFL in 2019.

He’ll turn 32 years old before the upcoming season, so last year’s struggles could either be an outlier in an otherwise solid career or the beginning of an age-related decline. He was the most important piece of an offensive line that allowed Daniel Jones to get sacked 38 times in 12 starts last season, a number that threatens to stunt the young QB’s growth if it isn’t remedied.

If Solder isn’t cut in 2020, this could be the former blindside protector’s last chance to prove he’s still an upper-tier blocker.

[buddyrabrahams]

10 AAF players who could resurrect their football careers

The Alliance of American Football officially debuted last weekend, and did so to unexpected success. Not only was the football more crisp than most anticipated, but the league scored big in the ratings, out-drawing the NBA on ABC head-to-head.

The fan interest not only stems from the desire to see quality offseason football, but because there are a plethora of big names dotted throughout the league itself — players many are familiar with from their time in college or their time in the NFL.

For many of the young players, the AAF represents an opportunity to put their play on film and to develop under legitimate quality coaching. For others, it represents a final opportunity to revitalize their careers and possibly make it back to the NFL one final time.

Here’s a look at 10 players who could resurrect their football careers in the AAF.

10. Will Sutton, DT, Arizona Hotshots

If you watched Will Sutton play during his time at Arizona State, you undoubtedly understand why he’s making an appearance on this list. A two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the year (2012, 2013) and consensus All-American (2012), Sutton was among the country’s most elite over a three-year span. It was enough to get himself selected in the third-round of the 2014 NFL Draft, where he joined the legendary Chicago Bears. Unfortunately for Sutton, an ankle injury would end his rookie campaign early and he would not be able to re-gain his footing. Sutton would have a cup of coffee with both the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers after his time with the Bears, but he failed to catch on at either location. Now in the AAF, a healthy Sutton can ideally rekindle his college success and make one final push for an NFL return.

9. Brad Wing, P, Memphis Express

Only a few short years ago, Brad Wing led the NFL in punts and was considered top tier at his position. However, after an unusually poor 2017 campaign, Wing found himself released by the New York Giants and out of football in 2018. But with an emphasis on special teams returning in the NFL, Wing has a very real opportunity to put his strong leg and coffin corner skills on display in the AAF. Over his five-year NFL career, Wing downed nearly one-third of his punts inside the 20 while still managing to carry an average of 44.7 yards per punt and a net average of 40.4.

8. Denard Robinson, RB, Atlanta Legends

Denard Robinson was a standout at Michigan, earning First-Team All-Big Ten, First-Team All-American and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2010. Beyond that, he set countless NCAA and school records, and was considered one of the most electrifying players in the country. However, because of an uncertainty about his position going into the NFL, Robinson fell down the draft board and was eventually selected in fifth-round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars and moved to “offensive weapon,” which encompasses everything from receiver to return man. For three years, Robinson filled that role and played multiple positions to relative success before hitting the open market. Despite a few tryouts, Robinson couldn’t stick and hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016. Now playing running back for the Legends, the 28-year-old Robinson intends to show the NFL what they’re missing out on.

7. Matt Asiata, RB, Salt Lake Stallions

Matt Asiata was an All-Conference running back in college, but didn’t otherwise have much on his resume that blew away NFL teams. For that reason, he went undrafted in 2011 before signing with the Minnesota Vikings to back up Adrian Peterson. It was an unenviable position for a running back to be in, but Asiata made the best of sitting behind a future Hall of Famer, putting up 1,259 yards over six seasons, including a team-leading 570 yards in 2014 after Peterson got hurt. It wouldn’t be enough to earn him a starting job however, and after a brief stay with the Detroit Lions in 2017, Asiata found himself out of football. In the AAF, Asiata will have one final opportunity with the Stallions as he hopes to return to the NFL level.

6. Zac Stacy, RB, Memphis Express

A 2013 fifth-round pick of the then-St. Louis Rams, Zac Stacy gained over 1,100 yards from scrimmage and scored eight touchdowns as a rookie, but saw his playing time drastically decrease in the following year and then again with the New York Jets in 2015. A broken ankle and a desire to take of his brother led Stacy to announce his early retirement, but he now finds himself healthy, back on the field and with renewed motivation. In the AAF, Stacy can remind everyone why he was considered such a quality back during his rookie season and prove to those in the NFL that not only does he still have it, but he can also be an asset to a team in need.

5. Tre Jackson, OG, Orlando Apollos

After an impressive college career that featured First-Team All-ACC (2013, 2014) and Unanimous All-American (2014) honors, Tre Jackson was considered one of the best interior offensive linemen coming out in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was eventually taken off the board in the fourth-round by the New England Patriots, where he went on to appear in 13 games with nine starts. However, a knee injury essentially shut down his NFL career after that. In 2016, he began the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and never came off. He was later waived by the Patriots and claimed by the Los Angeles Rams, but failed his physical. After taking a year off, Jackson now returns to the field in the AAF healthy and ready to prove he’s still a more than capable guard.

4. Trent Richardson, RB, Birmingham Iron

Trent Richardson is arguably the most recognizable player in the AAF, joining the league after his highly-touted NFL career fizzled. A former No. 3 overall pick, Richardson dominated at Alabama behind Mark Ingram for two years and then really took off in 2011 after being named the starter. His talent was clear to all, which is why the Cleveland Browns were more than willing to gamble on him so high in the first round. But after a solid rookie season, Richardson was traded to the Indianapolis Colts and it was all downhill from there. He averaged just over 3.0 yards per carry in two seasons with the Colts, ultimately finding himself suspended and released. Richardson would make stops with the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Ravens, but didn’t stick. He later spent a season in the CFL before sitting out in 2018. He has acknowledged that he got lazy in the NFL and may be out to prove his work ethic has changed.

3. Damontre Moore, DE, San Diego Fleet

Damontre Moore was a third-round pick of the Giants in the 2013 NFL Draft, and many believed with a little development, he could become their next great pass rusher. Instead, Moore struggled early on and then established himself as a bit of a locker-room cancer. An altercation with teammate Cullen Jenkins was the last straw, and the Giants waived Moore for violating team rules. He went on to have five additional stints with four other NFL teams, but a suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy once again led to a change of scenery. In 2018, Moore had a cup of coffee with the Raiders after a stint at Home Depot and then later joined the AAF. In Week 1, Moore had an impressive sack and appears poised to earn one final shot in the NFL.

2. Will Hill, SS/LB, Orlando Apollos

Will Hill was on his way to becoming a Pro Bowl safety in the NFL when drugs and off-field issues completely derailed him. And despite multiple opportunities given to him by the Giants, Hill simply couldn’t stay out of trouble in the Northeast, so the team ultimately released him and wished him well. Seizing upon Hill’s potential, the Baltimore Ravens were quick to scoop him up, but again, off-field issues and a third suspension for a failed drug test did him in. Hill went on to play a season in the CFL in 2017, but sat out of football in 2018. At 28 years of age, Hill still has some good football left in him so long as he can stay healthy, clean and out of trouble. Should he take The Alliance by storm — something he’s completely capable of — perhaps someone in the NFL would be willing to give him on more chance.

1. Christian Hackenberg, QB, Memphis Express

Once upon a time, Christian Hackenberg was a second-round pick of the New York Jets and many believed he had the potential to become something substantial at the NFL level. However, he struggled out of the gate and his NFL career was short-lived as a result. After stops with three separate teams in 2018, the Penn State alumni found his way to the AAF, where he earned a starting job with the Express. And despite a less-than-stellar debut — Hackenberg graded out as the 9th-best quarterback in Week 1 — there is a belief that he’s fixed a mechanical issue that held him back in the NFL, and that this stop in the AAF will be a springboard to his eventual NFL return. It’s an uphill battle, but few have more to gain in the AAF than Hackenberg.

from Larry Brown Sports http://bit.ly/2UW9fSD

[themeatlife]

Jump Around: the Ten Year Anniversary of Texas Tech at Oklahoma

November 22, 2008. It was the coldest day of that year so far. Temps dipped just below freezing. But you wouldn’t have known it by the vibe in the stadium. Ironically in the student section there were beach balls being hit around. Before and during each defensive play for Oklahoma, the crowd noise was deafening. So much so that Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell couldn’t get the right coverage calls to his offensive line for most of the night. Tech was on 2nd down on their own 29 yard line, trying to get at least some sort of points before halftime. As his pocket collapses, Harrell forces a pass downfield that is intercepted by Oklahoma LB Travis Lewis close to the 50 yard line and returned to the 1-yard line. After RB DeMarco Murray runs in for the score and the extra point is kicked, the scoreboard reads 42-7 with 18 seconds left in the first half. It was then that the stadium speakers filled the time before the ensuing kickoff with House of Pain.

Bust the Scenario - The Buildup to Jump Around

On the same weekend a year before, Texas Tech stunned Oklahoma in Lubbock. The #3 Sooners were in prime position to get into the top two of the BCS rankings after second ranked Oregon had lost earlier in the day. But the unthinkable happens in redshirt freshman Sam Bradford when goes out of the game with a concussion, as the Sooners fall 34-27.

Fast forward to the first weekend in November 2008. #2 Texas, a month after upsetting Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, falls to Texas Tech in a last minute Harrell to Michael Crabtree “I dreamed it in my head” TD. That result sets up the possibility of a three-way tie finish between Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech for the Big 12 South division. The by-laws of the league outline tiebreaker scenarios where the winner of the division in that case would be whoever is ranked highest in the BCS standings.

So the Sooners would benefit the most from this scenario. They would get the last crack at the highest ranked team of the three, with Tech climbing to #2 in the BCS before the matchup, with Texas at #4 on bye and Oklahoma at #5 set to face Tech.

And Bob Stoops knew he would need every advantage he could get. In his press conference earlier in the week, Stoops said that the Sooner fans at the stadium “don’t get as ruckus” as some other fan bases he’s experienced, particularly comparing Florida’s crowd making noise not just after good plays but for most of the game. Bob effectively called out the fans for not making enough noise. Did he know the fans would take it as a call to arms? Maybe.

All I remember was scrambling to find tickets to that game after I heard that. I eventually got tickets for me and the wife in the student section. It became the most anticipated matchup in Norman perhaps since the 2000 game against #1 Nebraska. It was big time. Pregame interviews from the OU players, specifically DT Gerald McCoy cited revenge and payback were coming to Tech. Before the game and in the stands I saw shirts and signs around saying “Bob said BE LOUD” and the like.

The Game and the Moment

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Above is the full game video of the broadcast on ABC/ESPN with Brent Musberger and Kirk Herbstreit on the call. The crowd was unbelievable! I have been to a bunch of games during college and thereafter, but none before and none since have had the atmosphere that was there that night. The only thing comparable according to a friend of mine was that 2000 Nebraska game referenced earlier. I didn’t experience that first hand, I watched that one on TV. Before this game, it felt as if something special was ahead but it wasn’t clear exactly what or how. And while Oklahoma built a 35-7 lead close to the half, I kept asking my wife and my friends around us if this was real and could they keep this going.

And then the interception and subsequent score happened making it 42-7. If you tune the video above to 1:25:05, you’ll see what followed. House. Of. Pain. And everyone. EVERYONE. Even the donor sections were jumping around.

The picture is of me and my wife, I’m thinking sometime after Jump Around with the game well in-hand.

The Aftermath and the Legacy of Jump Around

The Sooners won 65-21. And it could have just as easily had been 85-21. OU climbed to #3. Oklahoma beat a #11 Oklahoma State where QB Sam Bradford had his iconic Heisman moment. With Tech falling to #7 and then struggling against lowly Baylor and Texas stuck at #4, Oklahoma ended up the top ranked of the three in the three-way tie, where they met and beat down #19 Missouri in the Big 12 title game. Oklahoma scored 60+ points in 5 consecutive games to end the season, an NCAA record. They ended up #2 in the final BCS ranking, matching up against the Tim Tebow/Urban Meyer Florida Gators, ultimately losing 24-14.

The 2009 BCS National Championship Game was the last time Bob Stoops and Oklahoma would make an appearance in a national championship game, with the championship format changing to a four-team playoff in 2014. The Sooners have made playoff appearances in 2015 and 2017, with both appearances ending in semifinal exits.

The lure of the 2008 Jump Around game lingers. In big matchups since, like 2011 Florida State or the 2012 Notre Dame games, people have referenced the Jump Around game as the standard the crowd needs to live up to. In 2017 in the lead up to a big upcoming matchup with TCU, Baker Mayfield referenced the game, calling the fans to “make people forget about” the 2008 Texas Tech game and make this the new standard. While the Sooners prevailed that night, from what I hear the atmosphere was not to the Jump Around level.

While I would like to say that the atmosphere at GFOMS needs to be like this all the time, it doesn’t need to be. It would make that night less special. Would I like the Oklahoma crowd to be rockin and ruckus? Sure.

But there will always be only one Jump Around game.

Boomer Sooner.

[romancatholicreflections]

20th June >> Daily Reflection/Commentary on Today’s First Reading for Roman Catholics on Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (2 Kings 2:1, 6-14).

Today we move on to the Second Book of Kings and we continue where we left off with the First Book. The division into two books is artificial and no such division is found in the earliest Hebrew bibles. The passage we are reading today acts as an introduction to the story of the prophet Elisha. Today we bring the story of Elijah to a conclusion and see Elisha taking over as his successor.

As Elijah is about to leave to go to the Jordan in obedience to the Lord’s call, he tells Elisha to remain behind. Whether this was said to test Elisha is not clear but Elisha renewed his commitment as a disciple of Elijah and insisted on following him.

They are followed by another fifty fellow-prophets who will be witnesses to what is about to happen by the banks of the Jordan which the two prophets have now reached. Elijah then takes his cloak, rolls it up and strikes the waters of the river. As with Moses long ago crossing the Red Sea, the water of the river divides to right and left and the two prophets walk across on dry ground.

It is then that Elijah, about to go away, invites Elisha to make a final request. The younger prophet boldly asks to be given a double share of Elijah’s spirit. Elisha was not expressing a desire for a ministry twice as great as Elijah’s, but he was using terms derived from inheritance law to express his desire for a full sharing in Elijah’s ministry. In Jewish society it was normal for the elder son to inherit a double share of his father’s property. So, in making his request, Elisha is asking to be regarded as the genuine heir to Elijah’s prophetic powers and spirit.

Elijah replies that it is a difficult request to honour, for ultimately the giving of such a gift lies with God and not with Elijah. But he promises that there will be a sign given by which Elisha will know whether his request has been granted. And that will be the Lord’s doing and not Elijah’s. God indicates that the request is granted by allowing Elisha to see what is hidden from other human eyes, namely, Elijah being taken up to heaven.

All of a sudden, a chariot of fire with two fiery horses came between the two men and Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind. Elisha alone could see this; a sure sign that his request had been granted. By riding the chariot, a symbol of Israel’s strength, it is clear that Elijah and not the king is the Lord’s true representative among his people. And Elijah, like Enoch before him (Gen 5:24), was taken up to heaven bodily without experiencing death; like Moses (Dt 34:4-6), he was taken away outside the promised land.

It was generally believed by later generations that Elijah would return to die the natural death that is the fate of all. And his return was expected to herald the imminent coming of the Messiah. In the Gospel, John the Baptist is seen to fill that role.

Elisha then tore his own clothes in half, perhaps in grief at the loss of his master and perhaps as signifying the end of his former life. He picked up the cloak of Elijah which had fallen off as Elijah was carried away in the chariot, thereby symbolically taking on Elijah’s ministry and mission.

Once again Elisha went back to the River Jordan’s bank. As he had seen Elijah do earlier, he struck the water with Elijah’s cloak while he prayed: “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he struck the water, it divided to right and left and Elisha crossed over. The power was not in Elisha or in the cloak but only in the Lord God, of whom the prophet is an agent, but it was also a clear indication that the prophet’s role and powers had been passed on to Elisha.

In crossing the Jordan as Joshua had before him, Elisha is shown to be Elijah’s “Joshua” (Elisha and Joshua are very similar names, Elisha meaning “God saves” and Joshua “The Lord saves”). Elisha would play the role of Joshua (who led the Israelites into the promised land) as Elijah played the role of Moses (who did not get to cross the Jordan).

In this story we can see:

– the loyalty of Elisha’s discipleship

– his being called by God to carry on the mission of Elijah

– his becoming, like Elijah, the instrument of God for his people.

In some way, this applies to each one of us in our relationship with Jesus.

[altusfl]

86.  The 1990 off-season --- The 1991 USFL draft

The 1991 USFL draft

The 1991 Draft would be disrespected by fans but not by evaluators of NFL talent. The year’s draft would be considered largely devoid of true “blue chip” talents or ready to go QBs by the fans and the media, but would be one of the deepest drafts in several years with several raw talents with great upside.  “This is the kind of draft where a team or two might have one of those once a decade drafts where they hit on a player in almost every round.” an NFL scout would tell a reporter after the bowl games.

The USFL’s latest expansion and the influx of money from the league’s TV partners would kill that NFL dream.

Notre Dame Heisman Trophy Winning WR/KR Raghib “Rocket” Ismail was considered the #1 talent in the draft by a large margin. The Dallas Cowboys owned the NFL’s number 1 pick after trading up with New England from #12.  The Cowboys had already picked up WR Anthony Miller, QB Troy Aikman, DT Cortez Kennedy, and RB Harold Green in the prior three drafts.  While adding a deadly complimentary receiver like Ismail to partner with Miller and Aikman made sense on paper, there was a general feeling that Jimmy Johnson was out on principle on spending the #1 overall pick on a #2 WR.

Add the fact that the NFL was spending 2-3 times what they felt they should be on first rounders and signing Ismael seemed to rub Johnson the wrong way.  There was no question he saw enough value to take Ismail #1 overall, but to pay him at a premium?  It was unlikely.

This was a problem for Dallas as Ismael was not going to be without suitors.  The CFL’s Toronto Argonauts had been sold to a group that included actor John Candy.  The Argos were going to make a serious run at Ismail if only for the PR value.

There was no way Dallas was going to be able to sign Ismail on the cheap.  This spurred New Jersey Generals owner Stephen Ross into action.

The New York Generals surprised no one by signing Rocket Ismail to a very large contract to be the first pick in the draft.  The most surprising thing about the deal would be that Ismail would end up making less than most expected when the terms were finally announced.  It appeared that the early nature of the spring draft prevented the Candy group from putting together the sizable offer most expected and frankly, Ismail was eager to play his pro career in a run and shoot offense.

Sacramento had thought to pay handsomely to land Todd Lyght — considered one of the two best CBs in the draft and certainly the highest profile one.   Lyght was impressed by Gold Miner defensive coordinator Charlie Sumner but was leaning towards waiting for the NFL draft.  Sacramento spoke to Russell Maryland next , but quickly became convinced he cut a deal with Dallas on the cheap to go #1 overall in the NFL draft and was unlikely to look at Sacramento, so the team opened up talks to trade down. New England’s Vince McMahon saw a player he could sell in New England in the former Notre Dame star CB and traded up.  McMahon was able to convince Lyght that his team offered Lyght the chance to make additional revenue as a spokesman in New York City AND New England.  Lyght was taken with the proposal and quickly signed.

It was thought that Portland would pay Pat Harlow handsomely to protect Gary Hogeboom’s blindside, but the Lumberjacks surprised everyone when Norv Turner drafted San Diego State’s Dan McGuire, the Brother of Oakland Athletics star Mark McGuire.  While McGuire was the #1 rated QB prospect in the draft, he had his flaws.  While he was big with a strong arm and a winning personality, his decision making and release weren’t as quick as one would hope and he had started fewer college games than one would have liked.  He was considered a raw middle of the first round prospect.  Turner was worried that Hogeboom was too reckless and might quickly become injury prone in his 30′s, even with Harlow there.  The thought was that at his size, McGuire could take some hits.  Turner knew Paul Allen loved the thought of marketing the 6′8″ Dan McGuire and respected Turner as a QB whisperer.  Turner thought he could mask McGuire’s deficiencies in his QB friendly system that mostly required a QB who could throw a consistent Slant route and bring him around slowly in a year or two.  This plan fell apart when  Hogeboom’s agent immediately request a trade.

Sacramento realized they had little to offer a player in terms of glitz, so they thought they would target a player they could impress with a red carpet rollout….an offensive lineman.  They drafted Pat Harlow out of USC.  Harlow was a Californian and the idea of making good money and not leaving the state appealed to him.

The DC Federals went after a guy they considered the best WR prospect in several years….Herman Moore.  Moore was a tall breakaway threat with off the chart hands.  Moore would be very receptive to staying in his home region and playing for a coach with a great offensive mind for whom he had a ton of respect.  

Seattle’s ownership would have a coin flip between safeties Eric Turner and Stanley Richard as a high caliber defensive player they thought they could land. Richard would seem taken with waiting for the NFL draft, so the team would pick Turner. After drafting him they would discover that Turner was leaning towards staying in for the NFL draft as so many players seemed to be signing with the USFL.  This was only cemented when Cleveland fell in love with Turner when he climbed over a locked fence to participate in their workout.  Seattle would find themselves unable to trade his rights.

New Mexico’s owners, the Maloof family,  had their eyes set on Dan McGuire to be their featured star, but when Portland took him they thought about trading down.  Their coach, Craig Morton, had been ok with the McGuire plan, but he preferred to sign a veteran QB anyway as they make fewer mistakes and he saw McGuire as a bit of a project.   “We don’t have to be the most talented team in our first year, we just have to spend our picks wisely on contributors we can sign in the first three years.  We can get a good RB or WR to sell to the fans with our second first round pick.”  He argued.  “We don’t have to keep the first pick.” Morton wisely advised that it would be tough selling Albuquerque to rookies, so it would be better to build a respectable team of hard working younger vets first.  “We can always trade for Testaverde, Hogeboom, or Craig Penrose,”  He argued.  He had worked up a contingency deal with his former team, Denver, in case McGuire was not there.   New Mexico traded away the #7 pick for Denver’s first pick in 1992 as well as several vets.  Denver would pick popular Colorado game breaking WR Mike Pritchard.  Pritchard was raw as a receiver, but his talent was indisputable.  He had averaged a mind boggling 26.4 yards per catch for his college career.  New Mexico loved him and their fans were disappointed with the trade, but Pritchard’s agent had made it clear that Pritchard would only play for Houston, Memphis, Denver, or New Jersey in the USFL….other than that, he was content to wait for the NFL draft.

Archie Manning quickly selected Tennessee Tackle Charles McRae for his New Orleans team.  McRae would fall victim to Manning’s charisma and sign quickly. Manning considered McRae a natural blindside protector for Tommy Hodson, who had taken a beating his rookie season.  Manning liked Hodson and thought the kid showed a little potential…Manning didn’t want Hodson to have a career like Manning had with no personnel support on offense.  This was the only reason Manning passed on his favorite prospect, a local player by the name of Brett Farve.  Farve had a lot of moxie and a huge arm, but had been involved in an auto accident that he was still recovering from and was very undisciplined on and off the field.  Ultimately Manning decided the safer option was to give Hodson the tools to succeed.

Although Oklahoma liked Nebraska  LB Mike Croel, there was a general consensus that Croel was waiting for the NFL draft and they needed a replacement for the retired Peter Raeford at CB, so they drafted his teammate CB Bruce Pickens.  Pickens would listen to the Outlaws, but Croel rightly convinced Pickens that if they waited they would both be top 5 picks in the NFL draft.

Birmingham would quickly chose Tackle Antoine Davis.  Charlie Pell was a sound coach who realized nothing worked with a questionable offensive line.  Davis projected as a right tackle who could probably also play left tackle at a high level in the USFL. The problem was Davis’s agent. Davis’s agent would wisely tell the player to wait for the NFL draft as Davis was likely to be the #1 OL in that draft.  Davis would listen to the advise for a couple of weeks before the Birmingham’s minority ownership group would exercise their Auburn recruiting networks and start making offers to Davis’s extended family and friends, improving the perception of the USFL in the Davis household.  Davis would warm to the USFL and be signed by the end of camp.

Ted Marchibroda would be disappointed to see the 3 elite offensive tackles off the board. He would toy with drafting Florida OLB Huey Richardson, but would instead pull the trigger on a trade with the Arizona Wranglers for their first and second round picks.  Arizona was in love with the idea of signing Arizona State’s star RB Leonard Russell.  They thought the powerful Russell would fix a long time problem —an inconsistent running game — as well as give Phoenix fans a second new reason to come to Wrangler games (in addition to their championship win).  Russell would quickly sign at a reasonable price.

On the clock again, Denver would draft and sign Colorado OLB Alfred Williams.  Williams would sign a reasonable contract to play for Denver when the Gold assured him they planned to “Go all in on Buffaloes” in the draft.  (They would also take and sign RB Eric Bienemy and OLB Kanavais McGhee in the second round.)

Pittsburgh would draft Tennessee deep threat Alvin Harper to plug in opposite Greg Anderson.   Impressed with head coach Al Saunders and the prospects of the team, Harper would take a reasonable deal given general uncertainty about his placement in the NFL draft.

Don Coryell would surprise everyone with his selection of USC QB Todd Marinovich.  Marinovich had legit elite level talent, a great feel for the game,a big arm, good feet and mechanics, but he was a scratch on most team’s draft boards due to cocaine & Marijauna use, insubordination, and weird family dynamics.   He was considered another hit or miss second round prospect… at best.  Coryell hated the insubordination and cocaine and told Marinovich from Day 1 that would not be tolerated, but the two men really clicked.  Marinovich had both the talent and a well developed understanding of the game that Coryell wanted and Coryell gave Marinovich an alternative NFL success model to his dad.  It came out of nowhere, but Marinovich fell in love with football again.   Marinovich would later write “Don was amazing.  He really turned my life around.  He told me, ‘You can be the jerk you have been for the last year and the Raiders will likely draft you in the first round because of your Dad, or you can be the MAN I see and know and I’ll draft you because of YOU.’  Dude… It sent a shiver down my spine.  It still does every time I tell the story.  There is a reason he was a first ballot hall of fame coach.  I quit partying and all the hard drugs and toed his line.  Except for occasional pot in the offseason,... I was done with it. It was weird, I never got it before, but from that point forward I enjoyed football on a whole new level.”  Marinovich would sign a multi-year deal at a deep discount --- about what he would have made if the Raiders had picked him at the end of the NFL’s first round.

The surprises continued in the draft as Milwaukee coach Hayden Fry picked and signed his former collegiate RB Nick Bell next, despite having Anthony Thompson on the roster.  Bell was considered a second or third round caliber back, but his speed and athleticism for his size was off the charts.  Fry would explain in the press conference, “Don’t read anything into this. Nick is a special talent who is getting better as a runner each season, but Anthony is one of the best RBs in the league. I am making this pick because Anthony is not a big guy and he ran for over 1600 yard last season.  The USFL plays an 14 game regular season plus several playoff games.  If I do that to Anthony every year, he’ll be done in this league in 5 years.  If I can offset some of the load to Nick, both might play 8-10 years much like Buford Jordan and Marcus Dupree did in New Orleans.   I’ll have done better by both of them.”  

Carolina had a QB problem as a chronic shoulder injury forced longtime starter Mike Hohenesee into retirement.  Hohenessee would become the team’s new QB coach.  With a gaping hole at QB the assumption was that the team would sign a veteran or trade for Vinny Tesreverde.  They did neither, instead opting to draft Brett Farve a round ahead of schedule. Both Head Coach Jonnie Walton and Hohenessee saw a special focus in the raw Southern Miss QB.  Farve would realize that his car accident injuries were working against him and he would never go higher in the NFL draft, so he quickly took the money.

Atlanta would draft Mississippi DL Kelvin Pritchett next.  Pritchett would wait for the NFL draft.

San Antonio would quickly draft and sign UT OT Stan White who would be taken with the idea of playing for Tom Landry.

With almost all of the top rated QBs off the board, the Spirits of Miami would draft Louisville QB Browning Nagle a bit earlier than most media thought appropriate.  Coach Howard Schnellenberger instantly clicked with Nagle who played the position the way Schellenberger envisioned.  Miami was worried when Carolina didn’t take Tesreverde that the Skyhawks might take Nagle, the only other “ready to play” QB prospect in the draft, even though he was graded a second round prospect. When Carolina didn’t Miami quickly scooped him up.  Nagle quickly signed a reasonable long term deal.

New Tampa Bay coach Rich McGeorge would finally satisfy QB Chuck Long’s long instance that the team was leaving points on the field by not having more speed at receiver by drafting Miami WR Randall Hill.  Hill would consider waiting for NFL money for a day or two, but the idea of staying in Florida and playing with a guy who appeared to be a future Hall of Fame QB was too enticing.  He signed a reasonable deal.

Philadelphia would draft and Indiana safety Mike Dumas at a slight premium to fill a longtime hole in their secondary.

The Allens would want to draft Mike Croel of Nebraska as he was the last unspoken for lottery talent on the board but the move would be rejected by management as too expensive and possibly fruitless, so the Allens would instead draft Louisville DT Ted Washington.  Washington was as big as the nose tackles of the day but had the ability to generate a pass rush. Washington would want 3 times what a pick in the 20′s had gotten the year before, arguing that given that most of the 1st round physical talents had signed with USFL teams, he was likely going to go in the top 10 and be paid a premium by the NFL.  The Allens would make the same case to Oakland’s owners and they would grudgingly agree. “Even when George Allen is on a budget, he overspends....” Tad Taube would groan. 

Michigan would draft Percy Snow’s Michigan State sidekick —hard hitting and mobile OLB Dixon Edwards.  Expected to be a second round pick, he would sign an inexpensive deal.

Jacksonville wanted Ted Washington but would settle for UCLA OLB Roman Pfifer.

Hawaii would finally land a true feature back in Fresno State’s Aaron Craver. Craver, at 215 lbs., had good size and very good speed.  Projected as a second round pick, Craver would sign a fairly inexpensive deal.

Orlando would draft and sign second round grade prospect DE Shane Curry of Miami at 26.  He would sign a fairly inexpensive deal.

The Chicago Blitz would draft and sign Illinois S Henry Jones.

Houston would consider Michigan FB Jerrod Bunch, but would take Texas A&M’s legendary RB Darren Lewis.  Lewis would initially decide to wait for the NFL draft, pissing off Houston, but then he tested positive for cocaine at the NFL combine.   He would end up signing a one year “prove it” deal with the Gamblers for the league minimum.

The NJ Knights would sign CB Vince Clark of Ohio State at a major premium to become the team’s #1 CB.  

Memphis would take Ed King at #30.  King liked the Showboats but the money wasn’t rich enough and the NFL draft appeared gutted, so he waited.  He would go early in the NFL draft.

Boston would draft Jerome Henderson to help their secondary at 31.

Baltimore would shock the world by taking semi-pro prospect Eric Swann at 32. Marchibroda had fallen in love with the kid’s game.   Swann had elite size, strength, and talent and didn’t take plays off.  With no college experience, the pick would be widely questioned by the media.  He would quickly sign with Baltimore.

Boston would pick safety Jesse Campbell at 33 with the pick they acquired for QB Mike Buck.  Boston had not accounted for the success the USFL teams would have signing draft picks.  Their plan of picking up secondary help at reasonable prices would not work out as the players’ NFL leverage increased. Boston would whiff signing both players.

The Federals would pick up Notre Dame bare bellied NT Chris Zorich at 34.  Zorich was a very active DT who played with fire and promotionally, was a great name in football. The Federals would pay a slight premium to land the second round grade prospect.

Seattle’s original plan had been to pick a defensive player from the lottery who they felt they could sign and then with their second pick try to land any upper level defensive player who other teams didn’t think they could sign without causing salary issues on their team.  Turner didn’t work out for them, but a faction in their group felt they probably could pay either OLB Huey Richardson or MLB Mike Croel what they wanted to pay Turner and survive this first draft with a name player to sell to fans.  The trouble is the majority of their coalition was more conservative and felt both players were solid in waiting for the NFL draft.  That conservative faction favored drafting a player they knew they could sign, so they drafted Jarrod Bunch HB/FB out of Michigan. Bunch had been converted from a tailback to a FB in college.  Seattle would sell Bunch that he would be the feature back in Seattle’s run focused game plan.  Bunch, tired of being viewed as only a FB, would quickly sign for a slight premium.

New Mexico would make the final pick of the first round landing LSU’s RB Harvey Williams, who some scouts would call a poor man’s Eric Dickerson.

The success of the USFL in signing players ahead of the NFL draft, despite the NFL’s offers of premium contracts, would have ramifications for both leagues.

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[postolo]

2018 SCC Vol. 3 April 21, 2018 Part 5

Specific Relief Act, 1963 — S. 16(c) — Specific performance of contract: In this case suit was filed by plaintiff for specific performance of agreement to sell, claiming that advance payment had been given by him towards sale price of land to defendants and that balance consideration was not paid since defendants were obliged to obtain a certain “no-objection certificate” from appropriate authority and execute sale deed. It was held by Supreme Court that plaintiff did not have necessary funds available with him to pay balance consideration. Further, there was nothing to indicate nature of “no-objection certificate” that vendors were required to obtain and who were authorities from whom “no-objection certificate” was required, nor was there any indication of purpose for which “no-objection certificate” was required. In view thereof, dismissal of suit of plaintiff by trial court, upheld. [Kalawati v. Rakesh Kumar, (2018) 3 SCC 658]

Constitution of India — Art. 32 — Court-monitored investigation/constitution of SIT by Supreme Court to reinvestigate cases pertaining to two FIRs: In this case of murder of husband, wife and their two children, accused persons were acquitted. Earlier, petitioners had filed a writ petition before Supreme Court, inter alia, seeking for reinvestigation of cases pertaining to two FIRs (Nos. 221/2001 and 228/2002), regarding such murders, by CBI, which was allowed on 28-10-2013. However, thereafter petitioners prayed for withdrawal of aforementioned order. Accordingly, order directing investigation by CBI was withdrawn by Supreme Court on 5-9-2014. In present case, petitioners prayed for Court-monitored investigation/constitution of SIT by Supreme Court to reinvestigate cases pertaining to two FIRs, under Art. 32 — Said prayer was granted, in relation to one FIR considering conduct of bad investigation, threats to family during investigation and investigating officers in close nexus with accused persons. [Sunita Devi v. Union of India, (2018) 3 SCC 664]

Armed Forces — Disability Pension — Essentials for — Officers voluntarily retiring prior to 1-1-2006 — Entitlement to: Para 3 of Government Order dt. 19-5-2017 granting benefit of disability pension to pre-2006 retirees subject to conditions that: (i) disability was accepted as attributable to or aggravated by military service; (ii) they had foregone lump sum compensation in lieu of that disability; and (iii) Armed Forces personnel continued to suffer from same disability which was assessed at 20% or more on 19-5-2017. It was held on facts that appellant was entitled to disability pension inasmuch as in opinion of Medical Board dt. 31-3-2004 primary hypertension of appellant was aggravated by military service and his disability which was found to be permanent in nature was assessed at 30% and he had foregone lump sum compensation in lieu of disability. Respondents were directed to process claim of appellant as per Government Order dt. 19-5-2017. However, liberty also granted to respondents to discontinue claim from any future date where on basis of medical report it was found that disability had gone below 20%. [R.K. Rai v. Union of India, (2018) 3 SCC 670]

Civil Procedure Code, 1908 — S. 100 — Second appeal: When there is no perversity on current findings of fact, interference is not permissible. [Dalip Singh v. Bhupinder Kaur, (2018) 3 SCC 677]

Service Law — Regularisation — Non-entitlement: Question of regularisation of daily wager appointed contrary to law does not arise. [Upendra Singh v. State of Bihar, (2018) 3 SCC 680]

Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Ss. 166, 168 and 173 — Temporary disability — Compensation to victims of accident — Principles summed up: One aspect relates to impairment of person’s earning capacity while the other relates to pain and suffering due to loss of enjoyment of life caused by the disability. When victim suffers from temporary or permanent disability, efforts must be made to award adequate compensation not only for physical injury but also for: (i) pain, suffering and trauma caused due to accident; (ii) loss of earnings; (iii) and victim’s inability to lead normal life and enjoy amenities. [ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Ajay Kumar Mohanty, (2018) 3 SCC 686]

Excise — Classification of goods — Essential components/parts of “boiler” — Classification of, under Sub-Heading 8402.10: The components of the boilers cleared as parts but essential to put into operation the boilers, would be classifiable under Sub-Heading 8402.10 and not under Sub-Heading 8402.90. [CCE v. BHEL, (2018) 3 SCC 693]

Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — S. 149 and S. 10(2)(d) r/w Ss. 2(21), 2(15), 2(48) (as amended by Amendment Act 54 of 1994) — Driver licensed to drive light motor vehicle: Even in absence of a specific authorisation to drive a transport vehicle, such driver can drive light goods/transport vehicle as per law laid down in Mukund, (2017) 14 SCC 663. Liability jointly and severally fastened on insurer, in addition to owner and driver. [Jagdish Kumar Sood v. United India Insurance Co. Ltd., (2018) 3 SCC 697]

Constitution of India — Art. 226 — Res judicata or issue estoppel — Misapplication of rule of — Findings given by court without jurisdiction: Despite a specific jurisdictional issue being present, on which it was found that court concerned did not have jurisdiction, yet that court went on to give a finding on merits. Such finding on merits, held, cannot be treated as res judicata, as findings on merits were purely auxiliary or non-foundational to the main (only jurisdictional) issue in earlier order. [Municipal Corpn. of Greater Mumbai v. Pankaj Arora, (2018) 3 SCC 699]

Service Law — Recruitment Process — Examination — Evaluation of comparative merit through marks — Distortion caused by examination variability (or subjective variability) and heterogeneous subjects: Method of scaling can be applied only to optional subjects and not to compulsory subjects. In case of compulsory subjects, to deal with examination variability or subjective variability, method of moderation is applied. [U.P. Public Service Commission v. Manoj Kumar Yadav, (2018) 3 SCC 706]

Contract and Specific Relief — Construction/Interpretation of Contract — Interpretation put by parties on contract by their course of dealing: In this case, the original PPA dt. 31-3-1997, provided for naphtha to be used as the primary fuel for generation of power and gas was an alternate fuel and in March 2000, the Government, due to the cost factor, replaced gas as the primary fuel, and naphtha was made an alternate fuel. The PPA was then amended on 18-6-2003 making gas the primary fuel and then by a third amended to PPA on 2-5-2007 the definition of “fuel” was confined to “natural gas only”. Respondent/power generator, facing shortage of supply of natural gas, sought to use Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG), a variant of natural gas, but being significantly costlier than natural gas. It was held that the intention of the parties under the agreement, as amended from time to time, was to generate power from fuel reasonably priced, so as to ultimately make available power to the consumers at reasonable rates. The choice of fuel as natural gas only was, therefore, to be understood as being confined to natural gas only in its natural form. Further the parties by their conduct and dealings right up to the institution of proceedings by the respondent before the Commission were clear in their understanding that RLNG was not to be included within the term “natural gas” under the PPA. Sporadic use of RLNG on one or two occasions under pressing circumstances, after due orders under S. 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003, for short durations, cannot make the exception the norm to contend either that RLNG was included in the term “fuel” or that the appellant had agreed to its use. The question of waiver by the appellant or application of the principle of approbate and reprobate does not arise in the facts of the case. Therefore, the term “fuel” as used in the PPA meant natural gas only in its natural form, and did not include RLNG. [Transmission Corpn of Andhra Pradesh Ltd. v. GMR Vemagiri Power Generation Ltd. (2018) 3 SCC 716]

Government Grants, Largesse, Public Property and Public Premises — Regularisation of unauthorised occupation/encroached upon land in the absence of regulations — Permissibility of: Though the Orissa Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation Act, 1980, provided for the framing of regulations, inter alia, for disposal of land, buildings and amenities, no such regulations were framed and the Corporation approved the proposal to regularise land of the unauthorised occupant/R-7 on payment of Rs 7,89,350. It was held that the framing of regulations was not sine qua non for land being dealt with by the Corporation and the appellant Corporation had the power to deal with the land, to develop and promote the object of the Act even in the absence of regulations. [Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corpn. Ltd. v. Pitabasa Mishra, (2018) 3 SCC 732]

Ports Act, 1908 — S. 5: Notification dt. 18-1-2016, expanding the port limits of Hazira Port, valid. Objections of the appellants claiming to have spent huge monies on reclaimed land being affected by such expansion, rejected in the absence of appellants being able to establish any ownership rights over reclaimed land and in the absence of any substantiation regarding mala fides or lack of public interest in issuance of abovesaid notification. [Essar Bulk Terminal Ltd. v. State of Gujarat, (2018) 3 SCC 750]

CENVAT Credit Rules, 2004 — R. 2(l) as applicable prior to 1-4-2004 — CENVAT Credit in respect of tax paid in relation to expenditure incurred for input service of transportation of goods: CENVAT Credit can be availed on tax paid for transportation service for transportation of goods from place of manufacture either up to place of depot or directly up to customer. Said interpretation gets support from the Amendment Noti. dt. 1-3-2008, by which expression “from the place of removal” is substituted by “up to place of removal”. It was further clarified that this adjudication is in respect of meaning of first part of definition of “input service” relatable to expression “means” and not second part relatable to expression “includes”. [CCE v. Vasavadatta Cements Ltd., (2018) 3 SCC 769]

Labour Law — Regularisation — Entitlement to benefits of — Date of commencement — “Badali Kamdars” appointed as daily wagers in respondent Corporation — Benefit of timescale: In terms of Cl. 20 of settlement dt. 21-12-1989 arrived at between respondent Corporation and Union of workers, cases of “badali kamdars” considered and those found suitable were absorbed as permanent employees on post of Conductor and given timescale on completion of 180 days in cadre. Appellants claimed benefit of timescale on completion of 180 days of service from date of their initial appointment as “badali kamdars” and not from date of absorption as permanent employees. It was held that settlement once arrived at is binding on both employers and employees. Respondent Corporation had granted benefit of absorption and timescale in terms of Cl. 20 of the settlement. Appellants cannot claim benefit from date of their initial appointment wherefor there was neither any factual nor legal foundation. Besides, neither binding nature of settlement dt. 21-12-1989 nor status of “badali workers” was challenged in instant proceedings. [Bhupendra Kumar Chimanbhai Kachiya Patel v. Gujarat SRTC, (2018) 3 SCC 775]

Finance Act, 1994 — S. 67 — Notis. No. 15/2004-ST dt. 10-9-2004 and No. 4/2005-ST dt. 1-3-2005 — Goods/Material supplied by service recipient while procuring taxable service of construction: In terms of S. 67, unless an amount is charged by the service provider to the service recipient, it does not enter into the equation for determining the value on which service tax is payable. Further, the gross amount charged by the service provider has to be for the service provided and any amount charged which has no nexus with the taxable service and is not a consideration for the service provided does not become part of the value which is taxable under S. 67. Further, the meaning of the expression “the gross amount charged by the service provider for such service provided or to be provided by him”, would lead to the obvious conclusion that the value of goods/material that is provided by the service recipient free of charge is not to be included while arriving at the “gross amount” simply, because no price is charged by the assessee/service provider from the service recipient in respect of such goods/materials. [CST v. Bhayana Builders (P) Ltd., (2018) 3 SCC 782]

Education Law — Medical and Dental Colleges — National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) — Transparency in Admission Procedure — Documents relating to identity during registration: CBSE directed to upload necessary information on its website that Aadhaar is not mandatory and alternative identification documents such as ration card, passport, voter ID, driving licence or bank account could also be provided. [K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, (2018) 3 SCC 797]

Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 — Ss. 149(2), 165, 166 and 168 — Insurer when may be absolved of its liability under S. 149(2) re fake/invalid/expired, etc. licence: Principles laid down in Swaran Singh, (2004) 3 SCC 297, reiterated for determining that when insurer may be absolved of its liability under S. 149(2) re fake/invalid/expired, etc. licence. [Singh Ram v. Nirmala, (2018) 3 SCC 800]

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[moosterrecords]

New from Arrow Video US and Arrow Academy US

HENRI-GEORGES CLOUZOT'S INFERNO [Blu-ray] (2/6)

THE GRUESOME TWOSOME [Blu-ray] (2/6)

THE CAT O' NINE TAILS - LIMITED EDITION [Blu-ray + DVD] (2/13)

ORCHESTRA REHEARSAL [Blu-ray] (2/13)

SEIJUN SUZUKI: THE EARLY YEARS VOL. 1 LIMITED EDITION [Blu-ray + DVD] (2/13)

 RE-ANIMATOR [Blu-ray] and [DVD] (2/13)

THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE [Blu-ray] & [DVD] (2/13)

SCALPEL [Blu-ray] (2/20)

BASKET CASE - LIMITED EDITION [Blu-ray] (2/27)

JEAN-LUC GODARD + JEAN-PIERRE GORIN: FIVE FILMS, 1968-1971 [Blu-ray] (2/27)

Dive head first into the month with three new releases from Arrow Academy beginning with legendary French filmmaker Henri-Georges Clouzot. In 1964, backed with an unlimited budget from Columbia Pictures, Clouzot set out to film L'Enfer. From the start the production was beset from a number of severe problems. Ultimately the film was never finished, but in 2009 directors Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea pieced together what footage there was and detailed the film's problematic journey in the semi-documentary Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno. Shift gears from semi-documentary to pseudo-documentary with Federico Fellini's made-for-Italian-TV film, Orchestra Rehearsal. This satirical look at politics has a bickering orchestra in the role of a governing body. Like many of Fellini's films, Orchestra Rehearsal is just as relevant today as it was upon its initial release. The film is presented with a brand-new 2K restoration from the original film elements. For a deeper look at politics there's the pairing of director Jean-Luc Godard and filmic critic Jean-Pierre Gorin. The duo worked together to shake up cinema all while exposing political ideas. This stretch of filmmaking has come to be known as Godard's "radical years." Arrow Academy has collected five films that Godard and Gorin released together in one boxset - Jean-Luc Godard + Jean-Pierre Gorin: Five Films, 1968-1971. Not to be outdone, Arrow Video has seven releases of their own starting with the Godfather of Gore, Herschell Gordon Lewis and his late 60's entry, The Gruesome Twosome. The work of Lewis isn't for everyone, but fans of the Godfather's macabre madness will surely appreciate this high definition presentation. Included as a nice little bonus is Lewis' foray into the world of vampires with A Taste of Blood. From the Godfather to Diamond Guys, Arrow Video will release Seijun Suzuki: The Early Years Vol 1. This boxset features five films from the B-movie maverick with a focus on youth. Fans of Suzuki's later work will certainly get a kick out of watching his career evolve of the course of these earlier films. Arrow Video will also be releasing the splatter classic Re-Animator. Adapted from a short story from fame horror author H.P. Lovecraft, this 80's film was responsible for making Stuart Gordon, Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton horror legends. Re-Animator is presented in an unrated 4K restoration and is loaded with special features. Keeping the icons coming, Arrow Video will release two films from the maestro Dario Argento - The Cat O' Nine Tails and The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. The later film reinvented the 'giallo' and put Argento on the map. The former proved he was here to stay. Both films are presented with brand-new 4K restorations. Next up is Scalpel, a grisly film about a surgeon that isn't afraid of malpractice. Original known as False Face, Scalpel was the first film to be directed by future Blood Rage director John Grissmer, Robert Lansing stars as the doctor while daytime soap paragon Judith Chapman plays the deranged doctor's "patient." Bringing February to a close is Basket Case, the often intimated but never duplicated film about conjoined twins from the twisted mind of Frank Henenlotter. This film will still give you the creeps, but no, your mind is not playing tricks on you, Basketcase does come with a brand-new 4K restoration courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art. HENRI-GEORGES CLOUZOT'S INFERNO [Blu-ray] (2/6)

In 1964, Henri-Georges Clouzot, the acclaimed director of thriller masterpieces Les Diaboliques and Wages of Fear, began work on his most ambitious film yet. Set in a beautiful lakeside resort in the Auvergne region of France, L'Enfer (Inferno) was to be a sun scorched elucidation on the dark depths of jealousy starring Romy Schneider as the harassed wife of a controlling hotel manager (Serge Reggiani). However, despite huge expectations, major studio backing and an unlimited budget, after three weeks the production collapsed under the weight of arguments, technical complications and illness. In this compelling, award-winning documentary Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea present Inferno's incredible expressionistic original rushes, screen tests, and on-location footage, whilst also reconstructing Clouzot's original vision, and shedding light on the ill-fated endeavor through interviews, dramatizations of un-filmed scenes, and Clouzot's own notes. FEATURES * High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation * Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio * Optional English subtitles * Lucy Mazdon on Henri-Georges Clouzot, the French cinema expert and academic talks at length about the films of Clouzot and the troubled production of Inferno * They Saw Inferno, a featurette including unseen material, providing further insight into the production of Inferno * Filmed Introduction by Serge Bromberg * Interview with Serge Bromberg * Stills gallery * Original trailer * Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Twins of Evil FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Ginette Vincendeau SPECS * Production Year: 2009 * Running Time: 102 * Number of Discs: 1 * Language: French * Subtitles: English * Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 * SRP: $34.95

THE GRUESOME TWOSOME [Blu-ray] (2/6) OH, YES... OUR WIGS ARE MADE FROM GENUINE HUMAN HAIR... AND HOW! After dabbling in the unlikely world of children's entertainment with the likes of Jimmy, the Boy Wonder and The Magic Land of Mother Goose, in 1967 "Godfather of Gore" Herschell Gordon Lewis returned to genre he helped create with the delightfully depraved The Gruesome Twosome! The young women of a small-town American college have more than just split-ends to worry about... Down at the Little Wig Shop, the batty Mrs. Pringle and her socially-inept son Rodney are procuring only the finest heads of hair - by scalping the local co-eds! Can they be stopped before they clear the entire campus of luxuriant-haired ladies? Also including HG Lewis' Dracula-inspired vampire epic A Taste of Blood as a bonus feature, this is one Gruesome Twosome that's well worth flipping your wig over! FEATURES * High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation * English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing * Bonus Feature! 1967's A Taste of Blood * Introductions to the films by HG Lewis * Archive audio commentaries for both films by HG Lewis * Peaches Christ Flips Her Wig! - San Francisco performer Peaches Christ on The Gruesome Twosome * It Came from Florida - filmmaker Fred Olen Ray (Scalps, The Alien Dead) on Florida Filmmaking * HG Lewis vs. the Censors - HG Lewis discusses some of the pitfalls of the blood-and-guts business including local censorship and angry moviegoers * Trailers and radio spot * Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by The Twins of Evil SPECS * Production Year: 1967 * Running Time: 72 * Number of Discs: 1 * Language: English * Subtitles: English * Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 * SRP: $34.95 Order on MVDshop.com or Amazon THE CAT O' NINE TAILS - LIMITED EDITION [Blu-ray + DVD] (2/13)

Following the success of his debut feature, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, distributor Titanus tasked writer/director Dario Argento with delivering a follow-up in short order. The resulting film, granted a greatly enhanced budget and heralded in its US marketing campaign as "nine times more suspenseful" than its predecessor, was The Cat O' Nine Tails. When a break-in occurs at a secretive genetics institute, blind puzzle-maker Franco Arnò (Karl Malden, Patton, One-Eyed Jacks), who overheard an attempt to blackmail one of the institute's scientists shortly before the robbery, teams up with intrepid reporter Carlo Giordani (James Franciscus, Beneath the Planet of the Apes) to crack the case. But before long the bodies begin to pile up and the two amateur sleuths find their own lives imperilled in their search for the truth. And worse still, Lori (Cinzia De Carolis, Cannibal Apocalypse), Franco's young niece, may also be in the killer's sights. This second entry in the so-called "Animal Trilogy" found Argento further refining his distinctive style and cementing his reputation as the master of the giallo thriller. Co-starring Catherine Spaak (Il Sorpasso) and Rada Rassimov (Baron Blood), and featuring another nerve-jangling score by the great Ennio Morricone (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly), The Cat O' Nine Tails remains one of Argento's most suspenseful and underrated films. FEATURES * Presented from a brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative * High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations * Original mono Italian and English soundtracks (lossless on the Blu-ray Disc) * Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack * Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack * New audio commentary by critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman * New interviews with co-writer/director Dario Argento, co-writer Dardano Sacchetti, actress Cinzia De Carolis and production manager Angelo Iacono * Script pages for the lost original ending, translated into English for the first time * Original Italian and international theatrical trailers * Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Candice Tripp * Double-sided fold-out poster * 4 lobby card reproductions * Limited edition booklet illustrated by Matt Griffin, featuring an essay on the film by Dario Argento, and new writing by Barry Forshaw, Troy Howarth and Howard Hughes SPECS * Production Year: 1971 * Running Time: 112 * Number of Discs: 1 * Language: Italian, English * Subtitles: English * Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 * SRP: $49.95 Order on MVDshop.com or Amazon ORCHESTRA REHEARSAL [Blu-ray] (2/13)

Made in 1978 for Italian television, Orchestra Rehearsal is possibly Fellini's most satirical and overtly political film. An allegorical pseudo-documentary, the film depicts an Italian television crew's visit to a dilapidated auditorium (a converted 13th-century church) to meet an orchestra assembling to rehearse under the instruction of a tyrannical conductor. The TV crew interviews the various musicians who each speak lovingly about their chosen instruments. However, as petty squabbles break out amid the different factions of the ensemble, and the conductor berates his musicians, the meeting descends into anarchy and vandalism. A destructive crescendo ensues before the musicians regroup and play together once more in perfect harmony. Abounding with its director's trademark rich imagery and expressive style, Orchestra Rehearsal marks the last collaboration between Fellini and the legendary composer Nino Rota (due to the latter's death in 1979) who provides one of his most beautiful themes in the film's conclusion. FEATURES * Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements, produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release * High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation * Original 1.0 mono sound * Optional English subtitles * Richard Dyer on Nino Rota and Orchestra Rehearsal, the film scholar talks about the great composer and his last collaboration with Fellini * Orchestrating Discord, a visual essay on the film by Fellini biographer John Baxter * Gallery featuring rare poster and press material on the film from the Felliniana collection of Don Young * Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Adrian Martin SPECS * Production Year: 1978 * Running Time: 80 * Number of Discs: 1 * Language: Italian * Subtitles: English * Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 * SRP: $34.95 Order on MVDshop.com or Amazon

SEIJUN SUZUKI: THE EARLY YEARS VOL. 1 LIMITED EDITION [Blu-ray + DVD] (2/13) YOUTHS ON THE LOOSE AND REBELS WITHOUT CAUSES IN THE UNRULY SEISHUN EIGA YOUTH MOVIES OF JAPANESE ICONOCLAST SEIJUN SUZUKI Making their home-video debuts outside Japan, this diverse selection of Nikkatsu youth movies (seishun eiga) charts the evolving style of the B-movie maverick best known for the cult classics Tokyo Drifter (1966) and Branded to Kill (1967). The Boy Who Came Back (1958) marks the first appearances of "Nikkatsu Diamond Guys" and regular Suzuki collaborators Akira Kobayashi and Jo Shishido, with Kobayashi cast as the hot-headed hoodlum fresh out of reform school who struggles to make a clean break with his tearaway past. The Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass (1961) is a carnivalesque tale of a young student who hooks up with a down-at-heels travelling circus troupe. Teenage Yakuza (1962) stars Tamio Kawaji as the high-school vigilante protecting his community from the extortions of mobsters from a neighboring city. The Incorrigible (1963) and Born Under Crossed Stars (1965), both based on Toko Kon's novels about young love, represent Suzuki's first films set in the 1920s era later celebrated in his critically-regarded Taisho Trilogy. FEATURES * Limited Edition Dual Format Collection [3000 copies] * High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation and Standard Definition DVD presentation * Optional English subtitles * New introduction to the films by critic Tony Rayns * 60-page illustrated collector's book featuring new writing by critics and author Jasper Sharp SPECS * Production Year: 1958-1965 * Running Time: 450 * Number of Discs: 4 * Language: Japanese * Subtitles: English * Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 * SRP: $69.95 Order on MVDshop.com or Amazon RE-ANIMATOR [Blu-ray] and [DVD] (2/13)

HERBERT WEST HAS A GOOD HEAD ON HIS SHOULDERS... AND ANOTHER ONE ON HIS DESK. One of the most wildly popular horror movies of all-time, Stuart Gordon's enduring splatter-comedy classic Re-Animator returns to Blu-ray in a stunning restoration packed with special features! When medical student Dean Cain advertises for a roommate, he soon finds one in the form of Dr. Herbert West. Initially a little eccentric, it some becomes clear that West entertains some seriously outlandish theories specifically, the possibility of re-animating the dead. It's not long before Dean finds himself under West's influence, and embroiled in a serious of ghoulish experiments which threaten to go wildly out of control. Based on H.P. Lovecraft's classic terror tale Herbert West Reanimator and featuring a standout performance from Jeffrey Combs as the deliciously deranged West, Re-Animator remains the ground-zero of 80s splatter mayhem and one of the genre's finest hours. FEATURES * Presented from a 4K restoration of the Unrated version * High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation * Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing * Mono, Stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD MA Surround Audio Options * Isolated Score * Audio commentary with director Stuart Gordon and actors Graham Skipper and Jesse Merlin of Re-Animator: The Musical * Audio commentary with Stuart Gordon * Audio commentary with producer Brian Yuzna, actors Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbott and Robert Sampson * Re-Animator: Resurrectus - feature-length documentary on the making of the film, featuring extensive interviews with cast and crew * Interviews with director Stuart Gordon and producer Brian Yuzna, writer Dennis Paoli, composer Richard Band and former Fangoria editor Tony Timpone * Music discussion with composer Richard Band * Barbara Crampton in Conversation - the Re-Animator star sits down with journalist Alan Jones for this career-spanning 2015 interview * The Catastrophe of Success: Stuart Gordon and The Organic Theater - director Stuart Gordon discusses his early theater roots and his continued commitment to the stage * Theater of Blood - Re-Animator: The Musical lyricist Mark Nutter on adapting the cult classic for musical theatre * Extended Scenes * Deleted Scene * Trailer & TV Spots * Still Gallery * Screenplay (BD-ROM Content) * Reversible sleeve with newly commissioned artwork by Justin Erickson SPECS * Production Year: 1985 * Running Time: 101 * Number of Discs: 1 * Language: English * Subtitles: English * Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 * SRP: $34.95 Order on MVDshop.com or Amazon

THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE [Blu-ray] & [DVD] (2/13)  In 1970, young first-time director Dario Argento (Deep Red, Suspiria) made his indelible mark on Italian cinema with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage - a film which redefined the 'giallo' genre of murder-mystery thrillers and catapulted him to international stardom. Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante, We Own the Night), an American writer living in Rome, inadvertently witnesses a brutal attack on a woman (Eva Renzi, Funeral in Berlin) in a modern art gallery. Powerless to help, he grows increasingly obsessed with the incident. Convinced that something he saw that night holds the key to identifying the maniac terrorizing Rome, he launches his own investigation parallel to that of the police, heedless of the danger to both himself and his girlfriend Giulia (Suzy Kendall, Spasmo). A staggeringly assured debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage establishes the key traits that would define Argento's filmography, including lavish visuals and a flare for wildly inventive, brutal scenes of violence. With sumptuous cinematography by Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now) and a seductive score by legendary composer Ennio Morricone (Once Upon a Time in the West), this landmark film has never looked or sounded better in this new, 4K-restored edition from Arrow Video! Blu-ray SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS * Presented from a brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative produced by Arrow Video exclusively for this release * High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation * Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks * English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack * Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack * New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films * The Power of Perception, a new visual essay on the cinema of Dario Argento by Alexanda Heller-Nicholas, author of Devil's Advocates: Suspiria and Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study * New analysis of the film by critic Kat Ellinger * New interview with writer/director Dario Argento * New interview with actor Gildo Di Marco (Garullo the pimp) * Eva's Talking, an archival interview with actor Eva Renzi (Monica Ranieri) * Original Italian and international theatrical trailers * Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Candice Tripp DVD SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS * Brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative produced by Arrow Video exclusively for this release * Standard Definition DVD presentation * Original mono Italian and English soundtracks * English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack * Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack * New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films * The Power of Perception, a new visual essay on the cinema of Dario Argento by Alexanda Heller-Nicholas, author of Devil's Advocates: Suspiria and Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study * New analysis of the film by critic Kat Ellinger * New interview with writer/director Dario Argento * New interview with actor Gildo Di Marco (Garullo the pimp) * Eva's Talking, an archival interview with actor Eva Renzi (Monica Ranieri) * Original Italian and international theatrical trailers * Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Candice Tripp SPECS * Production Year: 1971 * Running Time: 98 * Number of Discs: 1 * Language: Italian, English * Subtitles: English * Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 * SRP Blu-ray: $39.95 * SRP DVD: $29.95 Order on MVDshop.com or Amazon SCALPEL [Blu-ray] (2/20)

HE LOST THE FACE OF THE WOMAN HE LOVED... SO HE GAVE IT TO SOMEONE ELSE. US television staple Robert Lansing (Star Trek, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone) stars as a deranged surgeon in this twisty-turny psychological thriller from Blood Rage director John Grissmer. In Scalpel, Lansing plays Dr. Phillip Reynolds, a man whose daughter Heather (Judith Chapman, As the World Turns, General Hospital) has run away from home a year prior following the suspicious death of her boyfriend. When he happens across a young woman one night, her face beaten beyond recognition, the unhinged Reynolds sees his an opportunity to put his trusty scalpel to use - hatching a plan to "reconstruct" her face in the image of his missing daughter, and so claim her sizeable inheritance. Photographed by celebrated cinematographer Edward Lachman, who would go on to serve as DP on the likes of Erin Brockovich and The Virgin Suicides, Scalpel is an exemplary slice of Southern-fried gothic, finally rescued from VHS obscurity in this revelatory new Blu-ray edition from Arrow Video. FEATURES * Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements * High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation * Original Uncompressed Mono Audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing * Brand new audio commentary by film historian Richard Harland Smith * Brand new crew interviews * Original Theatrical Trailer * Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by The Twins of Evil FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector's booklet with new writing on the film by Bill Ackerman SPECS * Production Year: 1977 * Running Time: 95 * Number of Discs: 1 * Language: English * Subtitles: English * Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 * SRP Blu-ray: $39.95 Order on MVDshop.com or Amazon

BASKET CASE - LIMITED EDITION [Blu-ray] (2/27) THE TENANT IN ROOM 7 IS VERY SMALL, VERY TWISTED, AND VERY MAD. The feature debut of director Frank Henenlotter (Brain Damage, Frankenhooker), 1982's Basket Case is perhaps his most revered - a riotous and blood-spattered midnight movie experience, now immortalized in a lavish new 4K restoration by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Duane Bradley is a pretty ordinary guy. His formerly conjoined twin Belial, on the other hand, is a deformed, fleshy lump whom he carries around in a wicker basket. Arriving in the Big Apple and taking up a room at the seedy Hotel Broslin, the pair set about hunting down and butchering the surgeons responsible for their separation. But tensions flare up when Duane starts spending time with a pretty blonde secretary, and Belial's homicidal tendencies reach bloody new extremes. Filmed on a shoestring budget against the backdrop of 1980s New York (where the movie would become a staple of the infamous 42nd Street grindhouse circuit), Basket Case has clawed its way from its humble origins to become one of the most celebrated cult movies of all time. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS * Presented from a brand new 4K restoration from the original 16mm negative by MoMA * High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation * Original Uncompressed Mono Audio * Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing * Brand new audio commentary with writer/director Frank Henenlotter and star Kevin Van Hentenryck * Basket Case 3-1/2: An Interview with Duane Bradley - Frank Henenlotter revisits Duane Bradley decades after the events of the original Basket Case * Seeing Double: The Basket Case Twins - a brand new interview with Florence and Maryellen Schultz, the twin nurses from Basket Case * Brand new making-of featurette containing new interviews with producer Edgar Ievins, casting person/actress Ilze Balodis, associate producer/effects artist Ugis Nigals and Belial performer Kika Nigals * Blood, BASKET and Beyond - a brand new interview with actress Beverly Bonner * Belial Goes to the Drive-In - a brand new interview with film critic Joe Bob Briggs * Outtakes Featurette * In Search of the Hotel Broslin - archive location featurette * Slash of the Knife (1972) - short film by Frank Henenlotter * Belial's Dream (2017, 5 mins) - brand new Basket Case-inspired animated short by filmmaker Robert Morgan * Behind-the-scenes of Belial's Dream * Trailers, TV Spots and Radio Spots * Extensive Still Galleries * Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector's booklet with new writing on the film by Michael Gingold SPECS * Production Year: 1982 * Running Time: 91 * Number of Discs: 1 * Language: English * Subtitles: English * Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 * SRP Blu-ray: $39.95 Order on MVDshop.com or Amazon JEAN-LUC GODARD + JEAN-PIERRE GORIN: FIVE FILMS, 1968-1971 [Blu-ray] (2/27)

After finishing his film Weekend in 1967, Jean-Luc Godard shifted gears to embark on engaging more directly with the radical political movements of the era, and thus create a new kind of film, or, as he eventually put it: "new ideas distributed in a new way." This new method in part involved collaborating with the precocious young critic and journalist, Jean-Pierre Gorin. Both as a two-person unit, and as part of the loose collective known as the Groupe Dziga Vertov (named after the early 20th-century Russian filmmaker and theoretician), Godard and Gorin would realize "some political possibilities for the practice of cinema" and craft new frameworks for investigating the relationships between image and sound, spectator and subject, cinema and society. A superlative box set, with five innovative film collaborations from the legendary French director Jean-Luc Godard and maverick film writer Jean-Pierre Gorin, shot in a revolutionary style in an attempt to disseminate explosive political ideas, and shake up cinema. Included here are five films, all originally shot in 16mm celluloid, that serve as examples of Godard and Gorin's revolutionary project. INCLUDES * Un film comme les autres [A Film Like Any Other] * British Sounds, aka: See You at Mao * Vent d'est [Wind from the East] * Lotte in Italia / Luttes en Italie [Struggles in Italy] * Vladimir et Rosa [Vladimir and Rosa] FEATURES * High-definition digital transfer * High-definition Blu-ray (1080p) and standard-definition DVD presentations * Original uncompressed monaural audio * Optional English subtitles * A conversation with JLG - Interview with Jean-Luc Godard from 2010 by Dominique Maillet and Pierre-Henri Gibert * 100-page full-colour book containing English translations for the first time of writing by, and interviews with, Godard and Gorin, and more SPECS * Production Year: 1968-1971 * Running Time: 456 * Number of Discs: 6 * Language: French, English, Italian * Subtitles: English * Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 * SRP Blu-ray: $99.95

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[flickdirect]

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don't have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you." -- Liam Neeson, Taken

There are few people out there who don't know this famous line from the 2008 film that introduced us to the elusive Bryan Mills (Neeson, Schindler's List). It has become iconic along with the character and helped to launch two sequels as well as a television show - as of this past year. Premiering as a mid-season, 10 episode series, Taken garnered mixed reviews but was received well enough to warrant a second, expanded season, which is set to premiere on February 15, 2018.

The premise of the show takes us into Mills' (Clive Standen; Vikings) life long before the first movie takes place. He is young, single and a former Green Beret who gets mixed up with a drug lord named Mejia (Romano Orzari; White House Down). Mejia's ultimate death becomes his obsession after Mills' sister is murdered by the Cartel. Mills, in turn, attracts the attention of a government agent, Cristina Hart (Jennifer Beals; Flashdance) who recruits him to become part of an elite secret CIA team.

Throughout the season, this team takes on special assignments (hence the secrecy) that see them all over the world. Mills barely assimilates into this group but manages to hold his own. The intricacies of their missions don't always work out as planned and at one point the bane of Mills' existence, Mejia, temporarily slips through his grasp only to be once again captured and then killed by Mills. Apparently, this lands Mills in hot water as the season ends.

For some reason the "powers that be" think it is a good idea to take successful movies and make them into television series and occasionally it works but in this case, not so much. To be honest, besides the name and other minor details the show has absolutely nothing to do with the movie. It could be any other "spy" related drama but the higher-ups thought they would just bank on the popularity of the films to garner an audience and while the gamble paid off at first the show doesn't offer enough to sustain it.

The cast was well chosen but without the right material, they just don't get to show off their best. Standen exudes power and charisma on Vikings but there isn't the same level here; though, I don't think that is his fault. Beals is excellent as the woman in control and for me, she is one of the highlights of the show. The rest of the cast is fairly insignificant as many of them won't be returning for Season two (which frankly isn't a good sign). The episodes are simply bland and don't make me want to "tune in next week".

The Blu-ray is high definition video 1080p quality so the scenes have some nice detail to them. However, with the color palette is mainly muted with bluish tones that tend to blur the edges a little more than a brighter color scheme might. The DTS-HD Master audio 5.1 is clean and clear with generally good quality in the surround sound aspect. The disc set offers little in the way of extras other than some bookmarks, a trailer and one four-minute-long behind the scenes feature called Taken: On Set.

If you are hoping for the same fare as you are accustomed to from the movies, then Taken: The Complete First Season One is going to disappoint a little bit. However, if you want something to binge watch with some drama and action then you can pick up this Blu-ray set. Season two will have a mostly new cast and 6 more episodes so we will see how things change down the road.

Grade: C-

About Allison Hazlett-Rose Allison Hazlett-Rose has always had a passion for the arts and uses her organization skills to help keep FlickDirect prosperous. Mrs. Hazlett-Rose oversees and supervises the correspondents and critics that are part of the FlickDirect team. Mrs. Hazlett-Rose attended Hofstra University where she earned her bachelors degree in communications and is a member of the Florida Film Critics Circle.

Read more reviews and content by Allison Hazlett-Rose.

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