#they just managed to chase off Zach and considered it done

[littlecrittereli]

Hi, I’ve read your Reprogrammed AU story a few months ago, and it was such an AMAZING read. I’m very excited to see how it continues in Decoded 😁

Though I had to ask, if it’s ok with you, on what inspired you to make this?

Aw thank you so much!

The main inspiration for Reprogrammed was actually an episode of Wild Kratts! Specifically S2 E3: Creature Power Challenge.

It's the episode where Zach hacks into the creature power suits in order to force them to change into whatever animal he wants.

The episode is still silly goofy as always, but it really stood out to me in terms of plot potential! They resolve the issue pretty quickly and without consequences, but it just seemed like one of those situations that could have quickly spiraled into something deeper.

Obviously it's a kids show and they cant really explore those scenarios, but that's why fanfiction exists.

It was just interesting to see hints of angst and drama you would find within a more mature series

[thesportssoundoff]

Playoff Droughts And Who Can Break Theirs

Joey

Baseball season is approaching and in the interest of breaking up the monotony of what figures to be a LONG and painful spring training, I wanted to take a peek whimsically while looking backwards. There's no more enjoyable story than when a team that's been excluded from the postseason dance for quite some time gets their invite. Sometimes it's years of hard work and team building and other years its due to ownership just throwing money around and sometimes? It's just a fluke luck circumstance not to be repeated for quite some time. For the sake of doing something of a bit of a project, I decided to take a brief look at teams that have not made the playoffs in over five years. I chose five years arbitrarily I suppose because to me five years or more without a playoff run is a genuine drought whereas four or less just feels like a lull regardless of expectations. Yankees fans may consider three years without the playoffs to be a drought whereas that's if anything a lull or a break in tradition. Teams that have been out of it for five years or more are teams that are either mired in long term BAD baseball or embracing mediocrity at best and so five years just felt right. Also I wanted to do it since the invent of the two game wild card but then it would be literally just three teams and nobody wants that.

Of the eight teams who have missed the playoffs for five years straight or longer, who are most likely to break that streak and join the dance? Well...

1- Philadelphia Phillies Last Playoff Appearance: 2011

Last year's darling picks, the Phillies have been out of the playoffs since 2011. For fun facts, 2011 was also the first year of the Chromebook, snapchat and the release of Elder Scrolls: Skryim. If you read this space for MMA? 2011 was the year Jon Jones beat Shogun for the LHW title, the Strikeforce HW Grand Prix started and Alistair Overeem's UFC debut. It's been a while and to the credit of Philadelphia, they've tried a multitude of ways from riding out the final years of aging veterans to rehauling their farm system to spending and spending big. It's not for a lack of trying they haven't made it back to the playoffs! Last year they seemed armed to roll through a perceived weak NL East with big names and big money across the board. Of course little did we know the Nationals would be better without Bryce Harper and the Phillies wouldn't even crack the top two of the division. Out goes Gabe Kapler and in comes Joe Girardi who will be tasked with VETERAN MANAGING his way through this ultra talented and underachieving roster that has added the likes of Zach Wheeler, Didi Gregorious as well as Andrew McCutchen who was lost early into 2019 with a torn ACL. The Phillies boast an insane line up as if Didi and Cutch are healthy and productive then you've got a core of Jean Segura, JT Realmuto, Didi, McCutchen, Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper. The rotation is pretty damn spiffy (health permitting) with Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Zach Eflin and Jake Arrieta plus flostam as a fifth if need be. The Phillies are always going to be a team that has slumps magnified and streaks glorified (such is life with Bryce Harper) but I can't see them not cracking the playoffs in some form or fashion this year. If they don't make the playoffs, we may need to try and discuss if there's some kind of a curse out there on the Phanatic.

2- Cincinnati Reds Last Playoff Appearance: 2013

Gotta admit I had no idea the Reds had a playoff cameo back in 2013. Guess that's just one of those years lost to time. Fun facts of 2013? Grand Theft Auto 5 came out that year, Yahoo purchased this hell site and the UFC brought women into the organization for the first time ever. The Reds spoke openly about wanting to spend a bit in the offseason and so they did, flexing some financial muscle with deals for Mike Moustakas, Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos to help out a lineup featuring the likes of Joey Votto, Nick Senzel and Eugenio Suarez. If the Reds are going to make a serious run of things, it'll likely be on the arms of a rejuvenated Sonny Gray, mercurial Trevor Bauer and the league's best kept secret to casual fans Luis Castillo. There's obviously going to be concerns about a team that hits a lot of dingers but strikes out a bunch and a somewhat unheralded bullpen but the Reds have power, they've gotten better and they've got a cadre of arms to flex at any time. Also? The NL Central figures to be up in the air as the Cubs seem to coast with the core they have until the rebuild comes around, the Cardinals and Brewers underwent massive changes and the Pirates figure to be flat out bad. There's never been a more clear path for the Reds to make some October noise.

3- Los Angeles Angels Last Playoff Appearance: 2014

The year is 2014. In the real world,  Colorado legalizes the purchase of wacky tobacky, selfies became "a thing" in need of forever going away and the occulus rift creates a youtube grift genre. Sports wise? The MLB struggles through record rating woes, the Cowboys finally break through in the Jason Garrett tenure with a 12-4 record, the UFC is undergoing massive upheaval as stars retire or are suspended for PEDs, Bellator hosts its first PPV which in turn leads to the ousting of Bjorn Rebney for Scott Coker and LeBron James leaves Miami to go back where it all began in Cleveland. That's the last time the Angels saw a playoff game and it's been beaten to death at this point. "WHY DON'T THE ANGELS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS DURING MIKE TROUT'S PRIME?!" is tired and done to death but for those of you who feel the same way, 2020 marks the BEST chance for that to become a fad question (or perhaps just morph into "WHY CAN'T THE BEST PLAYER IN BASEBALL WIN THE WORLD SERIES ON HIS OWN?!") since the Angels are pretty damn loaded for bare. With the Astros about to endure a pretty weird season and the A's always lurking, the Angels will roll into the year with three bonafide superstars in Anthony Rendon, Shohei Otani and Mike Trout. The pieces around them aren't bad shakes either as Andrelton Simmons is a defensive whiz, David Fletcher is one of those solid under the radar types and the rotation isn't flashy but it should be competent with minor league depth to make moves if they see a big fish out there. The Angels would've been higher up had they gotten Ross Stripling and Joc Pedersen in a deal but since that fell off, I feel like 3rd behind the Reds and Phillies is a fine spot to put them in.

4- Chicago White Sox Last Playoff Appearance: 2008

2008 will probably best be known as the year of change headlined by the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. It was the year Fidel Castro stepped down in Cuba. China got the olympics in Beijing and people were TOTALLY cool about that with nary any controversy whatsoever. Beyond that? 2008 was the year I got into MMA and that was a special time, dudes. It was also the year where the White Sox saw their last real sustained succeed with its last postseason appearance. The White Sox feel like they've been in a rebuild since pretty much the end of the Ozzie Guillen tenure and despite multiple managers, multiple attempts to figure it out, rebuilds aplenty and some damn good talent coming through the organization, it's been a rough go of it for the majority of 2010 to 2019. Put it this way, the LAST time the White Sox made the playoffs, Chris Sale was a 22 year old rookie and Paul Konerko was still an active player. They've got a chance to kick off this next decade as a bit of a sleeper team in the Central. This team can hit and one can assume that another year of development for phenom talents like Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jiminez can only help. Tim Anderson for better or worse has a style and swagger that generates attention but it is fair to remember that for at least one half a season, he was a phenomenal player worthy of the acclaim. The White Sox have tried hard to secure elite free agents (Manny Machado and Zack Wheeler) but it's been a bust so at this point it's going to be up to them to draft, develop and trade for it. It would not surprise me if the White Sox are good enough in June and July to make a big deal to try and push them over the hump and chase for the second wild card.

5- San Diego Padres Last Playoff Appearance: 2006

The Padres last made the playoffs in the year of the Nintendo Wii. Floyd Mayweather hadn't even come up with his Money Mayweather gimmick yet! Lost to baseball obscurity, the Padres had at the very least an interesting team out west. The likes of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr, arguably the worst defensive outfield in the history of the universe and freakishly good young arms like Chris Paddack and Joey Luchessi at least made them fun to watch. They weren't "good" but this is a team that was still struggling to balance expensive veterans with clout (Machado, Eric Hosmer, Will Meyers) with really good young talent trying to figure things out. The Padres figure to be better with a full season of Tatis Jr, more production from guys like Hosmer and Machado plus improvements in the outfield with Tommy Pham and Trent Grisham (hold your jokes, Nats fans) figure to give this team a chance. There's a pretty good bullpen (Emilio Pagan is a sneaky nice pick up) and plenty of talent in their 26 man roster. The NL West has so much legit top talent with the D-Backs and Dodgers figuring to be really good that it's hard to make an argument for the Padres to be a playoff contender but they figure to try and trying is truly half the battle.

6- Miami Marlins Last Playoff Appearance: 2003

It's kind of a bummer that we didn't get our decennial Marlins "The fuck?" World Series win but they made up for it by giving us Jeffrey Loria and David Samson fucking things up for most of the decade leading to Derek FUCKING Jeter opting to get into the management game much to the chagrin of most folks on all sides. The Marlins are in the midst of rebuilding....again. Don't expect them to compete but they've got some good talent to at least want to see play. Brian Anderson, Caleb Smith, Jorge Alfaro and a bundle of veteran signings that will at the very least make the Marlins a fun trade partner in July will keep this team relevant. Wouldn't surprise me if the Marlins flirt with a 20 win swing from where they were last year.

7- Seattle Mariners Last Playoff Appearance: 2001

My god man. The Mariners were SO close in 2018, winning 89 games and finishing a few spots out of a Wild Card spot. As if they decided that this core couldn't do it, the Mariners went to work tearing their team apart and were rewarded with a pretty blegh squad that was once again picked apart at the deadline. To their credit they have some spiffy talent worth watching, namely the infield duo of JP Crawford and Shed Long. They’ve also got some fun young arms who might take the next step. Just don't expect them to win many games.

8- Detroit Tigers Last Playoff Appearance: 2014

The Tigers are aways away from being contenders. They're not trying to be contenders. They're in the midst of what could best be described as a multiple year rebuild after riding out the end days of the core from the start of the 2010's. They will be bad but god bless 'em for embracing it.

[percywinchester27]

Unconventional Roommates (Part-10)

Word count: 2.6K

Pairing: Dean X Reader

Warnings: Pining, fluff.

Series Summary: Now that his brother is at Stanford, for the first time in his life, Dean does something for himself. He takes a step towards chasing his own dreams and moves away from Lawrence to start college, which is both thrilling and scary at the same time. Only catch, in this unknown town, he is stuck with the MOST infuriating female on the planet- the roommate from hell!

A/N: Firstly, THANK YOU for all the reblogs and replies. Your kind words are what keep me going <3

Secondly, thanks to the my princess @deanssweetheart23 for beta reading this. You are a blessing, love <3

Unconventional Roommates masterlist

"C'mon cheer up! Everyone loved your pictures," Cas patted him on his shoulders.

"Yeah."

"Dean's the new star now," Meg added, coming to sit beside him. "You're breezing through the internals, the assignments that Zach set up and now even the guys at the paper think you're some sort of messiah sent to help them with the pictures."

He smiled at his dark haired friend. Meg and Cas were being too kind too him.

"I can't use all the pictures though, I'll have to ask Y/N first."

Meg smirked. "How's the Ninja girl doing anyway?"

"Honestly," Dean said, the smile on his face slipping off, "I haven't seen much of her."

It had been two weeks since Sam's visit and all he got was a few fleeting glimpses of her as they managed their own schedules. Dean didn't know if he was better off or more desperate that he didn't get to see her. Both of them had been working weekends non-stop. The boys at Bobby's had all somehow disappeared out of town at the same time and Dean had been running from pillar to post to get all the work done. It seemed that Y/N was having a similar situation, except she was spending longer hours at work, sometimes even the day shift and then the rest of the time in the library finishing up her assignments. It's what her post-its on the kitchen counter said.

In the meantime, Dean had developed the negatives. He was glad Sam wasn't around because he had been right after all, half of those pictures were of Y/N. Smiling, pouting, staring into the distance with the fair lights reflected in her eyes a thousand times over. The angles that she had suggested from atop the damned Ferris wheel were fantastic too, and the team loved those, but what they loved more was her silhouetted figure in the periphery. She set the frame. Without her the picture seemed wrong. Incomplete. Not that anyone except Cas and Meg knew it was Y/N, but it felt wrong to add that one without her permission.

"You couldn't find a minute to ask her about the picture in two weeks?" Meg asked, disbelief coloring her tone.

Oh, he could have found time, but the truth was, Dean had been avoiding her. Mostly because facing her would mean facing his feelings, but also because he didn't know if he could control himself from pulling her flush against him, and maybe… maybe kissing her.

That was how he'd make it to the front page of the newspaper. Local college boy murdered. No evidence has been found; the roommate was last seen exiting the scene of the incidence covered in a sticky red substance.

Dean shook his head, dismissing the thoughts.

"Anyway," Cas cut in, "You have till Monday to figure out the fair pictures. We also need a couple shots of the beach. It's for another article about local hangout places, but now that they've cleared up the fair stuff, you should try out clicking in the daylight."

Dean nodded, glad to have something else to concentrate on that wasn't college work or fixing leaks and engines.

"I'll see you guys then,' Dean said quickly, getting up before either of them could get back to Y/N.

The beach was mostly empty. Given that it was Friday afternoon, the emptiness surprised Dean. Shouldn't it be full of people making out?

He made his way towards the shore, removed his shoes and socks and let the sand bury his feet. It felt good. The warmth that was almost uncomfortable, but not really, somehow made him feel more alive. Placing his bag right over the shoes, he trudged further, deliberately feeling the grains against his skin, the pulse of the sand that molded itself around him. Sometimes he wished he could be like that and mould himself around a situation instead of be buried in it.

"There you are!"

Dean almost jumped out of his skin, mostly because he'd been missing her voice right about then and thinking about how appealing the depth was.

"I scared you, didn't I?" She came from behind, her hand landing on his shoulder. Dean jumped again, but this time for completely different reasons.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were avoiding me, Winchester," she said lightly.

She didn't know better, because he had been avoiding her.  

"I'm sorry," he said earnestly.

I'm sorry for not leaving replies to your notes. I'm sorry for taking shifts when I knew you would be home. I'm sorry for being hopelessly in love with you.

"It's okay, Romeo," she said, reaching out. Dean hesitated, then slid his fingers along hers, catching hold of them.

"How did you know I was here?"

Y/N shrugged. "I saw you from the street when I was heading home from the library, and beach in mid afternoon is totally something a sane person would do." Ever so sarcastic. "So I followed you out of concern."

"That's very sweet," he said, narrowing his eyes in mock suspicion. "Who are you and what did you do with my roommate?"

Her laughed sparkled more than the clear blue water stretching for miles ahead of them.

Hand in hand she led him to the water till it crashed against the bare skin of his feet, pushing the sand away.

"I like coming here a lot," she said. "I remind myself to be more like water."

"How?"

"Well, it crashes ahead when it wants to, goes back when it wants to. Nothing here can affect the sea. It affects everything else. The trees, the wind and even the rocks. I love the raw power it holds."

Dean scoffed.

"Something funny?"

He shook his head. "No. It's just that before you came, I was thinking to myself how I want to be more like the sand."

He couldn't miss the irony, could he now? The way the receding water drew the sand towards it was all but hypnotic. The pull there was undeniable. But the same wave hurled the sand so far away when it gushed forward. The metaphor was so tragic, how the water didn't care about the sand at all, but the sand couldn't help but bend to its will.

"That's perfect then, isn't it?" She said, all of a sudden.

"How is that perfect?" Dean failed to understand.

"You see, nothing can hold the sea like the sand does. The rocks break, the soil dissolves, but the sand? It settles. The sea can be turbulent at its best, create a fucking ruckus around and within itself, but the sand always has its back, maintains its supportive nature. Isn't that what you do? Deal with me?"

Dean was stumped. He didn't know what to say.

"Anyway, why are you roasting yourself in the sun?"

That got him talking. "They needed pictures of the beach. Someone is doing a column on the hangout places and I came to check if this place would be any good for the pictures."

"You'll get nothing here," she squinted at the deserted stretch of land. "Not at this hour anyway."

"You're right," Dean agreed. "I need a vantage point. This flat stretch is not of any use."

"We should get us some shade, unless you want to fry us both."

Walking back out of the water felt good, the sand stuck to his feet now thanks to the water. It made him smile.

"You don't seem in a hurry today," Dean commented as they sat down under one of the umbrellas at the edge.

She pouted, considering her words. "The person I was filling in for is back, so I can afford to go in late today."

"Yeah, but you've been filling in for this person for what? Two weeks now? I think you definitely deserve a break after all that."

"No, I'd rather work as much as I can, you know."

"Why?" Dean couldn't help but ask. "You don't really need all this money."

She looked at him quickly, too quickly. "Why would you say that?"

Dean chose his words very carefully. "Well, for starters, you had no clue what you wanted to do with the money that you won. From having lived meal to meal at one point, I know that's not how someone scrunched for money would think."

He didn't know if he was overstepping a line, but he couldn't see her wearing herself out like this either.

"There's one other thing I don't understand. Why do you let the landowner put someone in the room with you if you pay the rent for the whole damn apartment."

She shook her head. "Technically, I just pay for my room. The other half is interest."

"Interest? Interest for what?"

She took a deep breath and averted her eyes to the ocean. "I'm buying the whole apartment complex from her."

"What?" His voice was louder than he intended, she didn't react to that.

"I've been paying off for the whole place for about 7 years now. The price is all paid, it's just the interest that's left. 6 more months and I'll own the place."

He was still stumped, but she looked at him with a smile.

"Tell me Dean, have you ever been truly scared of something?" She asked, but stopped him before he could open his mouth. "Not of something obvious.. Like not losing Sam or whatever. Of something that might seem insignificant on the obvious level, but deep down, it scares you beyond anything?"

He shook his head.

"Well, I am," she admitted. "I'm scared of wasting my life. I feel like I just have this one life to learn as much as I can, you know? I want to study as much as I can, Math, Economics, Politics, Literature, Philosophy. All of it. I just don't want to stop learning… you know?

She was gesturing with her hands now, trying to convey something that meant so much to her. The desperation in her words either meant that she'd never said this out loud to anyone and now that she was, she wanted to get it out as soon as possible. Or, that she wanted to make it convincing, because she thought that he would find her fear silly somehow. First world and crazy.

But if anything, Dean just fell more in love with her.

"It sounds stupid, doesn't it?" She asked, apologetic and a little withdrawn. He was quick to reach out for her hand.

"Actually, no. It sounds exactly like you and in the best way possible."

She stole looks, shying away. Was she actually blushing?

Sam's words came back to haunt him: She loves you, you idiot!

"Really, though, imagine owning the place. Then I could rent it out and wouldn't have to worry about making money. I could start day college and Mia… my sister, she could come stay with me."

Her eyes glazed over as she described it- the perfect picture.

Dean had to say it. "You could still do that you know? Have her live with you. She's at a boarding school, right?"

Y/N nodded. "Yeah she's at boarding school. An hour and a half's drive from here. But no, I couldn't have her living here with me since I work nights. How could I ever leave her alone all night long? And then I didn't make enough to rent out the whole apartment back when we started, I couldn't trust any roommate with her."

That part Dean could understand but he couldn't understand why she worked nights in the first place and he asked her so.

"I'm used to it," she shrugged. "I started out waitressing at Ellen's, then I just got used to working nights."

"You know, you could buy any apartment you wanted, why this one?" It was musty and the lift frigging never worked.

"Have you seen the basement?" She exulted. "It's fantastic."

Dean gave her a look. "You know, you're really not helping the serial killer vibes."

She laughed. "Seriously, come on!"

Dean let her drag him all the way back to the building, watched in ill concealed, morbid wonder when she popped open the lock like a pro and pulled him in.

She was right. It was massive. Apart from the columns that made their way to the bottom, the space was clear of any and all obstructions.

"I'm really not part of this if you're thinking of turning this into a torture room."

"Oh, c'mon!" she clapped on his back genially, taking in the gloomy view before them. "Trust me torture is fun… unless you're the one being tortured. You have to agree that it's kinda cool in an eerie way."

Dean smirked, giving in to her teasing, but in reality, he couldn't help but be awed about how much she had achieved at such a young age. What impressed him even more was how different her life goals were. People wanted money, popularity, fame. They wanted to be powerful and important. But Y/N? All she wanted was to study without having to worry about the money it cost her. All she wanted was to have her sister live with her and Dean could relate to that on so many levels.

Her goals out of life were so simple that it made her stand out in their simplicity. It brought out the goodness in her.

"Promise me something?" He asked

"What?" She seemed suddenly vulnerable.

"Promise me first," he insisted.

Y/N looked scared and he knew she was scared because this required her to trust him. "Yeah, I promise."

"Once you own the building, that nasty woman living on the ground floor is the first one you'll kick out."

She was taken aback, but a wide grin spread across her lips and she pointed at the dusty table stacked in the corner. "Who do you think our very first customer here is going to be?"

Dean doubled over laughing and after a second she joined in. "Actually you know what? That old hag might be into bondage for all we know. She might just take a liking for us after that."

He cringed. "You had to put that image in my head, didn't you?"

She shrugged. "Hey, you started it."

Still laughing, they made their way to the front of the building and the lady in question popped her head out and tsk-ed at them disapprovingly. That made them go hysterical again.

"Hey Dean," she asked finally falling onto the sofa next to him, fingers clutching stomach in a gesture identical to his.

"Yeah?"

"You still want that picture?"

"Yeah, I do."

She seemed to grow speculative for a minute, then said. "I have the perfect place for you. What're you doing this Sunday?"

"N-nothing, actually." He'd have cancelled it even if he had a plan.

"I have something to do, first," she said. "But if you don't mind tagging along for that, we could go to this perfect place by the evening. You'll get great pictures there, especially the sunset."

Whole day with her? Dean knew he'd say something, or worse do something that would give away how he felt. But really? Could he even keep it in anymore? He didn't think so. Besides, he was daring to hope that there might be something from her side, too. If that was true, he had to give them a chance.

His smile must have been brighter than she expected when he said, "I'd love to go, Y/N."

He was wasn't giving up on her, on them. Not without a damn fight anyway. Maybe, not even then.

***************************************

A/N 2: Are we liking the reader yet? Or do we still think she is a stuck up bitch? ;)

A/N 3: Please do consider reblogging my work and leaving feedback. Reblogging helps spread it, and also helps against the “best posts first” option tumblr has. The more the notes, the less chance of it getting buried beneath others posts. And the comments are what keep me going. I love you guys and I’ll be in forever grateful <3

The taglist for this series is CLOSED!

However, here’s my side blog @percywinchester27-writes. You can give that blog a follow and turn the notifications on to know about updates.

UR taglist:

@deanssweetheart23  @captainradicalpassion  @docharleythegeekqueen  @sleepless-sin    @mrsdeanfuckingwinchester  @ohgodwhybloggg  @roxyspearing  @oneshoeshort  @theofficialduke  @wildlandfox  @mrswhozeewhatsis  @emoryhemsworth  @dslocum89  @justacinnamonroll  @fanfreak07  @dustycelt  @serienjunkiegirl   @thinkwritexpress-official  @babykalika2001  @daskleinevolk  @jayankles  @blacktithe7  @pensysto  @iyannamckague  @shamelesslydean  @crystallstaircase  @melonberri  @commander-meghan-shepard  @trenchcoat-angel  @smiling-meerkat  @sprnaturallover  @violinbetty  @fandom-trash-worth-it  @grace-for-sale  @katsanders  @samwinchesterfanfic  @bluestarshining  @torn-and-frayed  @adaliamalfoy  @anathewierdo  @gabavaldman  @brindz30  @heavymetalhauswife  @sdavid09  @hatemeup  @plaidstiel-wormstache  @deannawinchesterpie  @kit-kat-katie99  @jessieray98  @mlovesstories  @thing-you-do-with-that-thing   @directionernullneun  @yoursmilemakesmeloveyou  @theoriginalvicki  @angelessquirrel  @thereisnolumos  @julie121899  @mikid2000  @freekryptonitecloud  @padasteph-nie  @luna-plena-venandi  @tiffy119  @linki-locks11  @mirandaaustin93  @pjofangirl18  @hunterswearingplaid  @cookiechipdough  @superlock-on-pc   @daughterleftbehind  @abumbling-bee  @savanna1899  @imweirdandobsessed  @emilycollins11  @diariesofthebeautyobsessed  @bakabozza  @imascio08  @luvspnandphan  @stormisamystery  @atc74  @aiaranradnay  @bellastellaluna  @deansgirl215  @xristina-gkika  @almostelegantfire @infinity-dreamchaser  @roonyxx  @ericaprice2008  @akshi8278  @leatherandapples @ceisbill  @alwaysdreamingforthebest

[imaginetonyandbucky]

Crossing Bridges - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Tony | Prologue

For a few seconds, Tony is frozen still while Zachariah cries miserably. But then some instincts he hadn’t realised he even had kick in, and he wraps his arms around the distraught kid, holding him securely against his chest as he gets up, and starts pacing.

That’s what you do to calm down babies, he knows that much, and Zachariah’s—what? Four? Maybe five? Barely not a baby anymore, anyway. So Tony walks circles around his living area, stroking a hand up and down Zachariah’s back, and talking quietly.

He isn’t really sure what Zachariah might be interested in, just does what Jarvis used to do whenever Tony woke up with nightmares, and couldn’t go back to sleep; tells him about the Howlies. He can barely hear his voice over Zachariah’s wails, at first, but eventually, ever so slowly, Zachariah’s cries grow quieter, into occasional sniffles, and wet little hiccups.

When Tony’s finishing up the story about how Steve and Barnes got stuck in a tree in an Italian forest because of some angry boars, Zachariah’s smiling shyly, head resting against Tony’s shoulder. “You liked that, huh?” Tony asks, smiling back, and brushes some of the tears away from Zachariah’s flushed cheeks.

Zachariah nods, absently playing with the collar of Tony’s shirt. “Silly daddy,” he tuts through a yawn. Then, hopeful, he asks, “Bun Bun?”

That brings Tony up short. “Bun Bun?”

“I want Bun Bun,” Zachariah repeats, more insistent, before apparently remembering his manners, and adding, “Please?”

(More after the break!)

It takes Tony a moment, but then he remembers the bags out in the hall. Crouching with a little kid attached to his side turns out to be surprisingly difficult, never mind opening the gym bag, but Zachariah makes no move to let go of Tony, and Tony doesn’t want to risk upsetting him again. Barnes obviously knows his son’s priorities, though, because there, right on top, is a stuffed bunny.

Zachariah makes grabby hands at it the moment he spots it, and buries his face in its soft fur when Tony hands it over, mumbling contentedly. He’s obviously still tired—or exhausted from all the crying—and Tony considers trying to get him back to sleep, but it’s already close to half past eight. He probably shouldn’t let the kid sleep away the whole morning, at least not if he wants him to go to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour tonight.

Maybe they can both take a nap later. Tony’s certainly old enough that he appreciates every extra minute of sleep he can get, loath as he is to admit it.

He takes the bag and Zachariah’s backpack into one of the guest rooms, putting them on the bed for now, before heading to the kitchen. “How about breakfast? Are you hungry?”

“Yes,” Zachariah says, around the thumb in his mouth.

He looks reasonably calm now, though, so Tony leaves him to it. It’s probably not the best thing for his teeth, but the kid’s had one hell of a morning so far; he’s earned whatever comfort he or Tony can provide, Tony figures. And they’re going to be eating soon anyway.

“Okay,” Tony says, pulling open the fridge, and angling Zachariah so he can see what’s inside. “What’s it going to be, squirt?”

Zachariah considers his options, then points. “Bananas?”

“Good choice,” Tony agrees, pulling them out. “What else? Maybe some yoghurt?”

“No,” Zachariah says, wrinkling his nose. “Daddy makes pancakes on Sundays.”

Tony’s culinary skills are severely lacking, but pancakes he can do. Even if they never brown evenly, but he doubts Zachariah’s going to care too much. “With some chocolate chips? You like those?”

That makes Zachariah nod excitedly, giving Tony another small smile. It slips a little when Tony puts him on a chair at the table—he’s not going to handle a kid and a hot frying pan at the same time, even he knows that’s a disaster waiting to happen—so Tony quickly peels one of the bananas, and breaks off a piece for him. Then he goes and gets him a glass of juice, too, and one of his notebooks and some pens for good measure.

With Zachariah occupied for the moment, Tony makes a start on the pancakes. He’s got the batter ready quickly, and has the first batch in the pan when Zachariah asks, “Tony?”

“Yeah, kiddo,” Tony glances over his shoulder, “what’s up?”

“Are daddy an’ uncle Steve fighting bad guys?” Before Tony can come up with a child-friendly answer to that, Zachariah goes on with, “The bad guys who made me?”

Tony nearly drops his spatula. “Zachariah—”

“That’s only for when I’m being bad,” Zachariah says sternly. “When I’m being good you gotta call me Zach.”

“Zach,” Tony concedes. He turns down the heat on the stove, and turns around to face Zach, uselessly wiping his hands on his pants to buy himself some more time. He has no idea what, exactly, Barnes has told Zach about where he came from, but he must know the basics at least, if he’s aware that ‘the bad guys made him’, as he calls it. “Steve found a HYDRA base, yes, and your dad and Natasha went to help him take care of it.”

He’s so incredibly out of his depth, here, especially considering that Steve is MIA, and he has no idea what happened, what Barnes and Nat are walking into, and when—and in what condition—they’ll be back.

But Zach seems satisfied with that answer, at least for the moment. “That’s good,” he says, and picks up a pen, going back to whatever he was drawing before. “Daddy says they’re bad people, an’ he’s going to make them all go away so everyone’s safe.”

There’s no more heavy conversation while Tony finishes cooking, and then Zach’s too busy stuffing his face to talk at all. He has chocolate smeared around his mouth, and Tony would regret adding the whipped cream if Zach wasn’t looking so happy, grinning around his fork when Tony asks, “Good?”

Tony makes Zach carry his plate, glass, and cutlery over to the dishwasher once they’re done eating, then helps him put it all in there. “Good job,” he says when everything’s put away, and holds his hand out for a high-five. Zach slaps it, beaming, and then giggles when Tony pulls a face at his now sticky fingers. “Oh, you think that’s funny, do you?”

Zach shrieks when Tony picks him up, wiggling and laughing when Tony slings him over his shoulder to carry him to the bathroom. He insists on washing his hands on his own, but lets Tony clean his face with a washcloth, even though he grimaces through it, clearly not impressed.

After that, with Zach fed and mostly chocolate-free again, Tony’s at a bit of a loss as to what to do. It’s Sunday, meaning he has the day off unless there’s an Avengers or SI emergency, but he has no idea what Zach’s schedule is usually like.

The in-tower daycare for all employees is open, but Zach looks at him like he’s crazy when Tony asks if he’s supposed to be there. “Not when it’s the weekend.”

“Right.” Tony rubs a hand over the back of his neck, sheepish. “What do you normally do on weekends?”

“Play with daddy,” Zach says, leaning against Tony’s leg, looking up at him. “Or uncle Steve. Sometimes we go to the park, or do other stuff.”

Well. That’s not especially helpful. “Anything specific you want to do today?”

Humming, Zach considers that. Then his face lights up, and he tugs at Tony’s shirt, bouncing up and down on his toes. “Swimming! In the big pool!”

Which is how Tony finds himself in the swimming area on the recreational floor half an hour later, kneeling in front of Zach, who’s sitting on a deck chair, vibrating with excitement while Tony blows up his floaties. As soon as they’re secured to his arms he hops off the chair, and takes off towards the kiddie pool, whining when Tony says, “Hey, hey,” and snags him around the waist.

“Careful, no running,” Tony warns, waiting until Zach actually looks at him, pouting a little, before adding, “The floor’s slippery. I don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself, okay?”

“Okay,” Zach says impatiently, but he walks more slowly when Tony sets him back down.

Tony brings over the toys he’d found while looking for Zach’s swim shorts, sitting down on the edge of the shallow pool, feet in the water. Zach seems content to splash around, though, talking to himself as he fills and empties a small green bucket, over and over again. Tony has no idea what it is he’s playing, but he’s obviously having fun, which is the important thing.

Taking the opportunity while Zach’s doing his thing, Tony gets in some exercise of his own, swimming slow, unhurried laps, always keeping an eye on Zach to make sure he’s fine. He gets in maybe twenty minutes of swimming before Zach grows bored, toddling over to where Tony floats to the edge of the pool to meet him.

“Done already?”

“Wanna swim with you,” Zach mumbles, suddenly shy again. “In the big pool.”

Tony lets him jump in, even though the signs say not to, but it’s his pool, and there’s no one there to tell them not to. Zach is delighted, spluttering and grinning when he breaks the surface. He doggy paddles the few feet over to Tony, and wraps himself around Tony as best as he can, demanding Tony throw him.

They spend the better part of an hour in the pool, with Tony obligingly throwing Zach, and letting Zach chase him around, cackling madly whenever he manages to catch Tony. When Zach starts to flag, his head on Tony’s shoulder while Tony keeps them afloat, Tony decides it’s time to head back upstairs.

Zach fusses through his shower and getting dressed again, clearly tired, but perks up a little when Tony promises he can choose what they’ll have for lunch. Having learned from that morning, Tony talks Zach out of spaghetti and into penne with tomato sauce, which still make a mess, but, Tony tells himself, a smaller one than the spaghetti would’ve made.

After getting cleaned up yet again, Tony settles in on the loveseat in front of the TV, Zach in his lap, and nods seriously at Zach’s insistence that he doesn’t need a nap because he’s not sleepy at all. He says it while rubbing at his eyes and blinking slowly, and Tony has to bite back a smile.

He finds something suitable for a five-year-old, and pulls the blanket from the couch over them both, slowly rubbing Zach’s back. Zach is dead to the world five minutes into an episode of SpongeBob, and Tony’s not far behind.

Kids are exhausting.

- Potrix | AO3 

A/N: This story is going to have five chapters (including the prologue), and I’ll try to post them all consecutively over the next couple of days. I make no promises, though, but fingers crossed!

[lunaschild2016]

Worth Fighting For Chapter 26 - That Which Does Not Kill Ya

Rating: M (violence, smut, language, references to abuse and violence)

Romance/Tragedy

He was ruthless, cunning and completely committed to protecting his city but her arrival to Dauntless called everything he ever thought he believed into question. Duty and following orders were no longer enough. They both found more than they ever thought possible. They both found something worth fighting for. Eric/OC AU M Tragedy/Romance

@kenzieam@ericdauntless@jojuarez26@jaihardy@iammarylastar@captstefanbrandt@badassbaker@readsalot73@fuckthatfeeling@dani5102@beltz2016@beautifulramblingbrains@affabletimelady@irasancti@meganbee15@meganbee15@lauraaan182@gylisaa@scorpio2009@bookgirlthings@pathybo@violetsonthelam XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 26 - That Which Doesn’t Kill Ya Eric

I was watching her unravel, crumble right in front of me and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. I couldn’t reach her, through the tears and the blank eyes.

“What the fuck, Zach?” I leaned closer and hissed it out to him.

My friend was horrified right now and I am fucking glad for it. How could he just spit that shit out there? I knew the instant Kat had told us that story that she carried the weight of every fucked up thing that happened that day and all the days after. That she blamed all the bad that happened in the city on herself.

There had been no way I was going to tell her anything to do with my own anger about the decision to pull Dauntless from the factionless, at least not until I had been able to get her to see it wasn’t her damn fault. I had even discussed this with both Chase and Zach, that we wouldn’t share our stories until we could get her to see this.

“I wasn’t going to, Eric. We were just talking and she had asked….” He trailed off and ran a hand through his hair.

“I don’t care what the fuck started it, you knew how she felt about this shit.” I growl out, my body tensing and I was seconds from attacking my own friend.

“It wasn’t his fault, Eric.” Kat spoke finally. Her voice soft but flat and it had us both looking at her with wide eyes.

The tears were gone. The blank look was gone too, now it was replaced with a fire that sent chills through me. It was fierce, angry and...destructive.

“None of it is his fault. We all know where the blame is and I can’t change that can I? I can’t change the past.” She stops but moves her eyes to me. “I can change what happens now though.”

She begins to stand and her chin raises. “I believe I have training this morning. If you are still willing…”

I had stood along with her as well as Zach, he had started forward to her but I had put a hand out to stop him and gave him a look. Clearly telling him I had it from here. His lips thinned and he looked like he was going to argue but then he nodded and looked to Kat one more time.

“I expect you at breakfast this morning, princess.” He got out and turned, missing the flinch Kat gave at my friend's nickname for her. He missed the look of grief and hurt.

For a second she lost a little of that steel resolve she had. For a second her eyes looked like they were going to fill with tears again. Then she shook her head and looked to me and it went away but I knew it was still there lurking.

I didn’t want to train her in this state. I wanted to pull her in my arms, hold her and talk to her. That was all I could think about at this moment. Maybe that showed because her nose crinkled up and her eyes did tear up a little.

“Please Eric? I….I need this. I need….I need to make sure I keep my promise.” She whispered in a plea to me.

My lips thinned as I fought myself. The oh so fucking rare and new soft side that only she seemed to inspire was fading and the hard part of me that wanted to beat a lesson into her was coming forward.

Yeah, she needs this but so the fuck do I. I need to make sure she never does any of that again. That I don’t lose her to carelessness or her losing focus.

Again, she must have figured this out. Maybe by the tightening in every aspect of my body, my expression and the coldness in my eyes. Even with all of that she gives me a small smile.

“I wouldn’t be smiling just yet, kitten. You might not be able to walk out of this fucking room when I am done with you.” 

It should have come out much harder and with the cold fury I felt coming into the room this morning. It should have but it didn’t. It came out as a purred promise that caused her to shiver even with how messed up we both are right now in our emotions.

Desire, anger, worry and a clawing hurt at seeing how broken she is but hides so well, all mingles together.

“Laps first until I say stop. Then we move straight into combat.” I bark out and pull her with me to the area where laps are run. I am needing the physical activity just as much if not more than ever before with everything colliding inside of me.

She winces from the pain and hangover but doesn’t say a fucking thing about it or hesitate. A burning pride at that is added to the plethora of everything else I am feeling. As it does, I have a thought that if this is how everyone else feels, it is a wonder anyone survives under the weight of all these damn conflicting emotions.

I also know I wouldn’t trade it all. Not a fucked up one of them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I was hoping during the run that my anger would cool down some. So I could go into the next part with a more level head, with knowing what I was going to do to here, one of us would need it.

Maybe I would have been able to if I didn't keep getting flashbacks to last night and what happened with her or constantly get reminded of what she had done by her white complexion and wincing gestures. The flashbacks were the main driving force of my anger though.

Initiates weren't forbidden from drinking, it wasn't against the rules so much as heavily frowned upon. We came down hard on any that we caught drinking during the physical portion of training but gave more slack during the second stage. Dauntless born were all aware of this so we didn't have as many instances where punishment was doled out to one of them. If they drank during the first stage, and we all knew they did, they kept it contained and out of sight.

Transfers on the other hand were the worst to deal with. Very few factions were much of heavy drinkers or even allowed drinking. That resulted in most of those dependents coming over and imbibing then doing stupid shit. Sometimes it resulted in injuries, a few times death. There were even a few cases of unreported assault on female initiates that drank to much and were taken advantage of. Those girls, the ones that made it out of it mostly intact, ended up washing themselves out rather than stay and be faced with the men that caused them the pain. We knew about them because they ended up in the clinic but would never put in a formal report or claimed they couldn’t identify the attacker.

We knew it happened, tried to stop it, but if the girls didn’t report them we couldn’t fucking touch them.

A wicked grin crosses my face at a thought. Legally and officially, they couldn’t be touched. But there were a lot of dark corridors and I didn’t carry knives on me for no fucking reason.

That she could have been one of those girls...one of the ones that I got to watch fade into nothing, toss themselves into the Chasm or walk out of the doors of the gate, had me seeing red then. It had me seeing red again during the run.

“Sprint” I barked out the command and picked up my own run, needing to release this. I was trying so damn hard not to take it out on her but I was losing that battle.

I hadn’t been able to do a fucking thing when she showed up in the Pit drunk. While she wasn’t stumbling or sloppy, she was out of it and I knew she wasn’t going to remember a damn thing she was doing in the morning.

All I could do was watch her from across the Pit. Watch as she confronted Peter Hayes and started to apologize to him but then went off on a tangent that had me holding back my growls. I hadn’t managed to hide my anger one bit even though I should have considering I was with the other leaders. They hadn’t failed to notice but thank fuck they had misinterpreted it.

Flashback

I knew the minute Chase told me she had run off with Lynn that something was on the horizon and it wouldn’t be good. You only had to listen to her stories, her friends stories about her, to know that Kat had a wild side. I knew and felt it from the moment I laid eyes on her, how she burned with life.

I also knew that the almost two weeks she had been in Dauntless so far we hadn’t seen that yet. It was coming.

Standing with Max, Raze, Chase and Zach in the Pit, brooding over how I am stuck and can’t go hunt her down like I want too, I swear I fucking feel her before I ever catch sight of her.

She breezes in, hair down and drifting in the wake of her rushing forward, like she is on a mission. I know the instant I see the flush on her cheeks and the glaze in her eyes. Chase gives me a look and he knows too.

My first instinct is to immediately go up to her and drag her away from the Pit. I could do it on the pretense that she is obviously drunk. Not out of the ordinary for me. The only thing stopping me is I don’t know what she would do or say when drunk. I barely restrain myself sober and she has been responding to me like she wants more. I just know if she goes for it while drunk I don’t know that I could stop myself from responding and not blow things to hell in the process.

So I have to stand here, watching her laugh and work her way to her friends. Watching them all laugh and joke together. Listen to Max and the others talk while I want nothing more than to go over. To toss her over my knee and beat her ass for drinking, for drinking while hurt and just because she is driving me fucking nuts right now.

A smirk crosses my face at that image, her bent over my knees. But then all that goes out the window and rage blinds me when I hear Kat talking, and rather loudly, to none other than Peter Hayes.

“Oi, Hayes. I have words for you.” Her hand is on her hip as she stomps up to where Peter had been standing not terribly far from our group.

Peter looked around for a second, wide eyes and looking trapped as she manages to loom in front of him with all of her five foot six inches in height. Lynn is behind her, a smug and drunken smile on her lips.

“No you don’t, stiff.” Peter finally manages to get out and in a cold sneer.

“I do so and don’t be a dick.” Then Kat stops and blinks, a smile creeping across her face. “I mean...I am sorry about your dick.”

The laughing and tittering starts around but I am anything but amused.

“Actually, I mean I am not sorry, sorry. You were being a vindictive asshole and I am glad my sister used your dick to teach you a lesson. But I am sort of sorry if that lesson was because of me. It was uncalled for...what I said. I’m a bitch.” She gets this all out and hiccups a little but doesn’t give Peter a chance to say anything back.

Not that he was going to. I couldn’t tell if he wanted to punch her or run away from her, the way he was looking right now. Maybe he couldn’t decide either.

“How is your dick right now? I mean...does it hurt? No wait…” She holds up a hand and grins wickedly. “I wanna know if it hurt when you got it done. How did that work by the way?”

“Are you really sitting here asking me about my fucking dick, stiff?” Peter asked incredulously and annoyed.

I am hoping by all that is holy one of her fucking friends stops her. But they are just stunned and laughing.

“Yeah...I am MOUTH. But don’t be getting any funny ideas. I am interested in your dick in a more clinical aspect. Why did you get the piercing? Does it work? What is it supposed to do..you know sexually? What did it feel like when you got a needle jabbed through your…”

“Hey! Enough with that particular imagery. I don’t need to be walking around imagining Peter’s dick for the rest of the night.” Uri finally stepped in but only after wincing and grabbing his crotch when Kat had started to launch into her imaging of what the piercing process was like.

My blood was boiling and all I could see was red.

“We need her alive, Eric. Remember we just watch and make sure if she is or isn’t what we are looking for.” Max had said, taking my looks to Kat and Peter across the way as me wanting to toss her over the Chasm or something like that.

Yeah while I am foaming at the mouth about her behavior, I am more thinking that I won’t keep to my word not to gut Hayes like a fucking fish. That I would just go ahead and end him like I had threatened to do.

I needed to say something though so I gave him an evil smirk and told him the truth. “Oh, she’ll live. She’ll only wish she were dead by the time I’m done with her morning punishment.”

He smirked back at me, used to my ways of teaching lessons. This wasn’t out of the ordinary for me and I thanked everything holy that was the case. I wasn’t lying either about making her wish she were dead. I had already decided on a course of action to break her from losing her shit during fights or when she was doing anything serious. It wasn’t going to be pretty before then but after this it was going to be worse.

End flashback

It took everything in me not to storm across the Pit and pull her with me to my apartment when I heard her talking about Peter’s dick for about the tenth time in ten minutes. The only thing that stopped me from doing just that was that Peter must have gotten wind of how I was feeling and got out of there fast.

It hadn’t made things much better because her behavior had attracted attention of a few Dauntless members. Suddenly her and Lynn were being brought into those groups and before I knew it they were whisked off to have a knife throwing contest.

The only real….good...part of that night, was watching her with those knives. Sexiest fucking thing I have ever seen and I have seen some shit in my time here in Dauntless. How she had the coordination and presence of mind even being so stoned out of her gourd was beyond me. It made me harder than I had ever been in my life and that just pissed me off more.

It pissed me off because I had done something I promised I wouldn’t do with anyone else but Kat now that I decided I wanted her. I don’t even remember the chicks name or much about her other than she had blonde hair that sort of reminded me of Kat and was convenient. The fact that she let me take her in a hallway disgusted the shit out of me but the fact that I had done it at all disgusted me more.

When I notice that Kat is looking seconds away from collapsing at the sprint I hadn’t released yet, I call to slow it down. Cursing myself I bring us down to a slow walk and toss her water after we finish our cool down lap.

As I am gulping down my own water I look her over. She is a mess; her eyes red from her crying earlier. Her skin is paler than her normal peaches and cream complexion she normally has. Her face is still covered on one side with bruises but thanks to the meds we slipped her those are fading faster than normal. She is a mess, but I have never felt that anyone could ever be as beautiful as she is to me right now.

She finishes her water and takes a few deep breaths before looking to me, back straight and chin raised. Silently telling me and challenging me to bring it on.

That wicked grin I have slithers across my face and gets wider as her eyes widen slightly but she still shivered visibly. Whether in apprehension or desire I am not sure but it doesn’t lessen my anticipation right now. I am going to enjoy the fuck out of making sure she learns how to take care of herself from now on.

“Let’s get started, kitten. Shoes off and in the ring.” I purr out in my deadly soft voice as I walk past her and towards the ring.

[whydontweband]

A Laugh Like Sunshine (Jack Avery Imagine)

Masterlist

*As Requested*

Feel free to request imagines, fics, gifsets etc. via my AskBox or DM’s.

Have a lovely day!

Word Count: 1749

Description: In which a curly haired boy adorned in all black, falls for the laugh of a passerby

All Rights Reserved

      My jet black Doc Martin’s echoed against the hot pavement with a deafening thud as the boys and I trapesed the boulevard of Santa Monica Pier. We’d been location scouting with management and a few publicists for several hours now, something most musicians won’t share with the public, though it’s a very real and painfully monotonous part of the job. I sighed, running my fingers absentmindedly through my shock of hazel curls that perched atop my head, damp and not nearly as pompous as they’d been at the start of the day, after several hours of constant sun beating down on them.

“Yo dude, how much longer do you think we’re gonna be out here?” I muttered in frustration to the blonde boy beside me. He shrugged, chuckling dryly as he rolled his eyes.

“Beats me, I voted for the first location- ya know, the one we visited 4 hours ago?!” I laughed, nodding as I patted him on the back sympathetically. The locations scouts and publicists walked ahead of us in rigid business suits and pursed lips, clutching a hefty red binder and a clipboard, where locations would either check off their requests, or not. So far- not. Finally, we stopped walking. The publicist who seemed to be leading the pack, Wendy, turned to us, her greying-blonde hair pulled tightly into a bun behind her head and her dark pencil skirt as unyielding as cement when she walked. I sighed.

“Alright boys, Walk across the street to the boardwalk and strike a few poses against the backdrop just there.” She gestured mindlessly towards the boardwalk, which overlooked the unending and admirably peaceful ocean. We nodded begrudgingly, making our way aimlessly across the bustling street towards the boardwalk. Don’t get me wrong, we love music, and we love creating music videos for our fans to watch- they’ve done everything for us. In fact, the first handful of locations and “poses” we viewed, we were more than excited to do whatever our management asked. But at this point, it was bordering 6pm after several hours out and about in the grueling Los Angeles heat, and we hadn’t eaten since around 10am, unless you count the stale, gluten free granola bars Wendy gave us a few hours ago, which I don’t exactly count as a sufficient meal to give five teenage boys.

As we stood on the boardwalk, trying our best not to be overcrowded by the dozens of people admiring the sunset on this Saturday evening (which in retrospect, doesn’t seem like a great day to go scouting for Los Angeles beaches, considering the crowd is literally insane) the noise that once filled the boardwalk of screaming children, frozen yogurt vendors and surfer repartee suddenly began to fade. I glanced to my friends beside me, but they only continued striking less than mediocre poses as the publicists and managers across the street discussed camera angles and lighting restrictions. I continued to glance about, the bustle of the foot-traffic around me softening somehow, similar to the way sky goes silent before the grandest of storms. Everything grew quiet, though only for me, and then I heard it. A piercing, radiating laugh, that rang in my ears with a melody and eloquence of a thousand symphonies- and I was mesmerized. My head turned frantically, desperately scanning the crowd, but I couldn’t manage to place the source of the sound. I glanced toward the other boys, and I knew they’d heard it too- though it was doubtful it rang in their mind the way it had in mine. I turned my head again, listening intently to the laughter as it grew quieter. It was enthralling, and beautiful- the kind of jovial and intense laughter that’s contagious, spreading like butter over the soundwaves with which it travelled. I smiled, biting my lip as I glanced across the street towards our managers, who were clearly very preoccupied with paperwork to have their eyes on us at the moment. I ran my hair haphazardly through my hair as I smirked, turning back quickly towards the boys beside me.

“Yo, Zach, I’ll be right back, okay?” I spoke hurriedly. Zach furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but before he could question me I was gone, rushing through the crowd of people, head spinning in every direction as I listened intently for the sweet laughter I’d heard just moments ago. Funny, I’d never considered myself a person who believed in things like destiny, or soulmates. Things that involved having connections with someone, beyond our understanding- they all just seemed so fake and manufactured. But in that moment, I could have sworn I’d heard that laugh before, in a dream, or maybe from the depths of my mind. I couldn’t be sure, but it was intoxicating, and I was irrevocably drawn to its mysterious and unknown source as I sprinted through the crowd.

My Doc Martin’s echoing once again against the hot pavement, I rushed by in a manner that was anything but lenient as I slowed, the laughter resurfacing much louder this time. Bodies seemed to surround me in every direction, tourists and children and locals and vendors, but not the girl…the girl with the laugh. I weaved my way through several groups packed tightly together, until finally- and opening. A park bench a few yards away, with a balloon animal vendor beside it. A jogger seemed to be scrambled in the strings of the inflatable creatures, or rather, his dog’s leash had been. I smiled softly, shaking my head slightly as I watched the aggravated L.A. jogger complain to the frazzled balloon salesperson about incompetence as the dog merely panted happily, continuing to further tangle himself in a game of chasing his own tail. As I was about to step forward and help with the situation, my eyes panned towards the park bench, and I realized someone was already trying to help. A girl, around the same age as me, smiling as she pet the small dog sympathetically, trying her best to untangle his small legs from the strings. I smiled, stepping forward and bending down beside her to help.

“Seems like quite a tangle.” I chuckled softly, as she turned to look at me She smiled, nodding.

“Yeah, personally I think it’s pretty funny, but I wouldn’t say that to this little guy’s owner.” She whispered. I laughed, glancing up at the young jogger who was still loosely clutching the dog’s exercise leash. I smiled.

“I’m Jack.” I extended my hand, and she shook it happily.

“Y/N. It’s nice to meet you, Jack.” I nodded softly, helping her with the poor tangled little dog in front of us. Smiling, I replied.

“Y/N, that’s a pretty name.” She blushed softly, shrugging.

“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself.” I clucked softly, eyeing her curiously to see if she would catch her small mistake. Her face turned beat red as she smiled, shaking her head.

“I mean…ohmygod, I didn’t mean like, I meant your name not…I mean not that you’re not, ohmygod..” She murmured to herself. I chuckled, shaking my head.

“I’ll take the compliment.” I replied, and she smiled softly.

“You’re welcome…I guess.” I smiled as we continued helping the dog in silence.

    After the dog had been freed from his self-made trap of balloon ties, the jogger had begrudgingly continued on, and Y/N and I had left a generous tip to the poor, shaken up balloon vendor for the inconvenience- we walked side by side down the boardwalk whose crowd had now thinned substantially. I shoved my hands in the pockets of my dark jeans, smiling softly as we walked- the sunset radiating peacefully behind us.

“So, if you don’t mind my asking…do you live around here?” Y/N smiled, glancing towards me.

“I’m staying with my grandparents for the summer, they’re about 15 minutes from here.” I nodded.

“What about you?” She broke the momentary silence. I grinned, nodding.

“Beverly Hills, yeah.” She smirked, rolling her eyes playfully.

“Ohhh, I get it. Rich kid plays regular boardwalk boy on the weekends to pick up girls my helping them untangle helpless dogs from balloon stands!” My eyes widened suddenly as I opened my mouth to protest, only to find her beaming as she watched my terrified and perplexed face. I broke into a smile as she burst into a fit of laughter at the joke she’d had me believe. I smiled, when suddenly it hit me. The laughter. Her laughter. It was her, it had been her this whole time. My eyes widened once more as suddenly I was once again enthralled by her contagious, jovial giggle, ringing like an all-too missed melody playing in my mind, suddenly come to life. I watched her laugh, her eyes squeezed shut as she clutched her stomach, smile wide as the sound I’d fallen for not 20 minutes ago suddenly reappeared into my life- and I found that I was now falling for much more than her laugh.

As her chuckle grew to soft and quieted spurts of laughter, her breathing heavy as she regained composure, I realized I was still beaming. She smiled, raising an eyebrow as she folded her arms slightly, tilting her head to express confusion.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She said, smiling softly as I shook my head, still unable to subdue my grin as I glanced towards the now only toasted warm concrete, and my still jet black Doc Martins. Reconnecting with her gaze, I said the only thing I could think to reply with in the moment.

“Nothing, you just have a beautiful laugh, that’s all.” I blushed. She smiled widely, giggling as she added a skip in her walk, falling into step beside me as we walked.

“No one’s ever told me that before.” She said cheerfully. I smiled, our eyes connecting once more, and it felt as though I’d seen those y/e/c a thousand times before.

“Well they should. Everyone should. It’s mesmerizing.” I hadn’t meant to say the last part as it probably came off strong, but she only smiled, extending her hand for me to take, giggling softly as I took her hand in mine.

“C’mon,” She said after a moment, “I know a place where we can get some amazing animal balloons.” I laughed, shaking my head as she squeezed my hand tightly, taking off in the direction we’d come, giving me no choice but to weave my fingers tightly through hers, and run to catch up.

 The End

[oosteven-universe]

The Plot #1

The Plot #1 Vault Comics 2019 Written by Tim Daniel & Michael Moreci Illustrated by Joshua Hixson Lettered by Jim Campbell     When Chase Blaine's estranged brother and sister-in-law are murdered, he becomes guardian to McKenzie and Zach, the niece and nephew he hardly knows. Seeking stability for the children, Chase moves his newly formed family to his ancestral home in Cape Augusta—which overlooks a deep, black bogland teeming with family secrets.     So I am a huge horror fan and this is the start of something that can incredibly good, scary and downright terrifying. While it may have all the physical stuff, the foreboding family house and estate, the estranged relatives and a family history that isn't what you'd consider healthy. Over the years I have learned all that doesn't mean squat if you don't know what to do with them. Tim and Michael are more than qualified in knowing what to do with them and for a first issue the boys manage to put just enough into this that we see the pieces but can't get the puzzle any clearer.     I like the way that this story is being told. The story & plot development with how we see the information released as well as the way it weaves through these twists and turns while navigating the character development to bring us all the right feelings. I really do like the opening here as well as the narration and visuals may not entirely match up but it still resonates against all odds, no not really against all odds but it fits even though we get that impression it isn't the character featured who is speaking.     I have to give credit where it's due because when we see the narrator and learn more of the story it really kind of showcases this family, their history and foreshadows things beautifully. There is something about the way that we see the ebb & flow here that really kinds lulls the reader and as you look, read and understand what's being said, then going off-script to imagine in your own head what is going to happen (p.s. You wont be close to correct). All of these things interest you, engage you and without realising it your invested in the story. There is so much here to absorb and how the two aspects mirror each in a sense just increases this curiosity factor to a point off the charts.     I am a Joshua fan, not the tree either. I think the two different vibes he brings to us in the dual parts of the first part of the book has this yin and yang feeling to it. Polar opposites, light and dark it just is so well thought out and executed and right down the way we see the attention to detail. Then we get to see that house overlooking the beach, I mean I don't know if he's seen one like this or if he gets to create something he'd like to live in but it's beautiful. The linework and how we see the varying weights being utilised here is brilliantly done. So is the creativity and imagination I mean wow. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a superb eye for storytelling. The colour is great and how we see colours and their hues and tones being utilised to create the shading is great. The dark ominous feelings that Joshua creates suits this story perfectly.     This is spot on introduction to the series. It delivers an introduction the family, who's in it and how far back it goes while only hinting at the troubles within. One more thing, the slogan that father has passed down to son since forever is one you will not forget. This is going to get under your skin and it's going haunt you for a while after putting it down. ​     Vault Comics just has the Midas touch and now with the Macabre added to their repertoire their line it looks like there's not stopping them.

[eliottweetsill]

The Daily 30th: Chicago Bulls

Welcome to The Daily 30th, a project whose life expectancy ranges somewhere between the end of this sentence and forever. The idea, at least, is to pick a team each day and write about that team. This rotisserie style of thought will not conform to the latest headlines, meaning we'll spend some days being some of the few folks thinking about certain teams. Essentially, the decision regarding which team to write about will be made randomly. I literally wrote down each team name on a piece of paper, cut said paper into 30 pieces, placed each piece of paper in a hat, and drew one out, and that's how I decided which team I'm going to write about today. It just so happened that today's team is the Chicago Bulls.

If we could empathize with each human being in the world, we would understand humanity better. Since humanity and basketball are sibling concepts, we will apply this principle, of empathizing with each team a little here and there, beyond just when they're en vogue for the few hours before Donald Trump's next asinine tweet.

Chicago Bulls

Mood: Thinking about how steep descent into valley hurts its quads to distract itself from mountain it has to climb on other side of said valley.

Best thing going: Freedom of release that comes with giving up.

Best player: Dwyane Wade

Worst player: Dwyane Wade

1-year core: Dwyane Wade, Zach Lavine, Robin Lopez

5-year core: Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen, Paul Zipser, Bobby Portis, a bad pick from losing a lot this season.

Being a Bulls fan has been a mega bummer for the past four seasons. From the fall of Tom Thibodeau, to that of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, to the rise of the three alphas, to the liberation of Jimmy Butler, Bulls fans have seen a lot of years of progress blown away like sand in the wind: easily, as if simply part of the course of things, with little tangible resistance. At the helm of the deconstruction is the almighty GarPax, the couple name given to Gar Forman and John Paxson and a Krang-like being whose ambitious plans are often hare-brained, off-base, and sophisticated enough to be foiled by a gang of stoner turtles. If you're wondering, the Krang is Gar Forman's brain walking around in John Paxson's body, a disarming presence for Bulls fans, who will forever remember the shot that won Chicago the finals in 1993. Imagine how much louder the clamor would be for their collective head if, say, Danny Ferry was the one running the operation. Fuck a Danny Ferry. Pax, though, has cred. So Bulls fans have endured this bumbling deconstruction over the past few years, missing the window of last season to sharpen their blades against the monsters in the front office, falling utterly for the illusion of a playoff chase involving a bunch of players Bulls fans loved to hate four years ago. This slow descent gave GarPax time to trigger a real rebuild, which doesn't seem promising at this point anyhow. Nonetheless, Bulls fans (or, more importantly, ownership) will be strung along, and only when the rebuild is pronounced dead and a new one initiated will the ownership consider a change.

Until then, though, Bulls fans, ever loyal, will hope against hope that this just works out for some reason. Perhaps a lottery win will net the team a franchise changing player, perhaps Markkanen becomes a legitimate player, and Dunn makes a step forward, and the Bulls actually find some solid ground to build on. Head coach Fred Hoiberg, whom fans really wanted to jump at the Ohio State job, is guaranteed another two years to try and steer this team through what is sure to be a trying time. With two of the three alphas out the door, Hoiberg can either try and work with Wade to establish, for the first time since taking over, a unified leadership front in the locker room. That, or ignore Wade and let him pout his way into obscurity while collecting massive checks for some reason. Either way, Butler stood in the way of the Bulls being Fred's team, and him being out of the picture gives Hoiberg the chance, finally, to let his vision be the only one his team sees. It definitely says something about a coach when he needs to be without great players in order to work comfortably. Say what you want about Phil Jackson, he never coached a star player he didn't like, and he coached a lot of unlikable star players. (Note: I had to edit that from “met” to “coached” because of his recent dipshittery in New York with Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, so, yeah, say what you want about Phil Jackson.) Bulls fans are loyal enough to give Hoiberg a shot at a new start this year, if only because they know he isn't going anywhere barring an unseen change of heart from the almighty GarPax. Here are a few decisions GarPax has made in recent years:

• Traded Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris for Doug McDermott

• Paired Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose

• Paired Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol

• Traded Luol Deng for cap space and eventual cash considerations

• Fired Tom Thibodeau

• Hired Fred Hoiberg

• Traded Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah for Jerian Grant, Jose Calderon, and Robin Lopez

• Teamed Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade with Jimmy Butler

• Traded Doug McDermott and Taj Gibson for Cameron Payne, Anthony Morrow, and Joffrey Lauvergne

• Traded Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton for Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn, and Lauri Markkanen

The common themes here are good things going out, nothing good coming in, and toxic combinations on the floor. The jury is out on the coming in portion of the Butler trade, but recent trends have not given much cause for optimism. There is little left to do in the Bulls' offseason, other than put finishing touches on the roster or maybe move some pieces around. Ostensibly, the 12 are in place, and the outlook for the Bulls this season is really quite bad. The starting five figures to be something along the lines of: Jerian Grant, Zach Lavine, Dwyane Wade, Bobby Portis, and Robin Lopez, with Kris Dunn, Justin Holiday, Paul Zipser, Lauri Markkanen, and Cristiano Felicio coming off the bench. Wade is sorely out of place in the locker room, with 5 more years of experience than the team's other veteran, Robin Lopez. Both players are bad fits for the veteran player-coach role, as Wade still has winning to do in his basketball career and no mentee on which to impart wisdom, and Lopez is a player built on scrap and hustle, the exact kind of thing you can't really teach. This roster, as is, is built to win never. The hope of this team is that Lavine, Dunn, Zipser, Portis, Markkanen, and Felicio all take breathtaking leaps forward over the next two years, all while the Bulls win the lottery and land a franchise-changing player. Of those six names, the Bulls need two of them to develop into winning pieces plus a franchise-changer coming either via the lottery or free agency (it's a matter of time before the “Bulls revving up for a run at Anthony Davis” headlines start to emerge from the shadows).

Honestly, it's a bit of a ridiculous proposition. In all likelihood, Lavine has his best statistical season without showing any real growth, Wade misses half the year, Grant fizzles, Dunn develops marginally, Markkanen has flashes but doesn't show ability to initiate anything himself, Portis plateaus, Felicio lumbers his way into being a slower, milder, bigger, less-skilled Taj Gibson, and Zipser averages 11 points and 5 rebounds a game or something amicably mediocre like that. The team wins around 30 games and gets the ninth pick or so in next year's lottery, takes either an upperclassmen from a blue blood university or a one-and-done from a fringe school, and wins even fewer games next year before landing high enough in the lottery to take someone good enough to keep GarPax around just when we were ready to fire them. Hoiberg is scapegoated and the Bulls bring in Mark Jackson to coach, where they spend three seasons winning 45-50 games and losing in the first round, then the second, then the first again. See Red.

For the Bulls, the future is as bleak as the past is useless. An era that was defined by getting beat in 5 games by LeBron James's teams is over. A new one begins with ostensible potential, though it's hard to be optimistic until new management takes over. If there's one thing the city of Chicago has a tough time with, it's getting rid of old, tired regimes. When the Bulls bring in Sam Presti in 2023, however, the tide will turn for the better and the Bulls will be competing for championships by the year 2028 or so.

[askdawnandvern]

A Lamb Among Wolves Ch:14

Chapter Fourteen: Et Tu Zachary?

Vernon felt sick, too sick to even finish his the warm, sticky homemade breakfast that had been one of the few things the wolf looked forward to when visiting home. What remained on his plate had become as revolting as the scent of his Mother's perfume, and the wolf simply slid it aside as the rest of group continued to eat in near silence. Barely anyone had said much of anything after Dorian had come in and chased Yuri out of the room, something Vernon was at least partially grateful for. If things had continued Vernon was sure he would have slugged the wolf, probably earning himself a black eye among other wounds, and trashing the dining hall in the process. But the cavalry had ultimately arrived too late to save the already abysmal turn the morning had taken. Granted, it had already been on shaky ground to start with Dawn's sudden and unwelcomed visitor. But Yuri's little performance had successfully managed to destroy any little remaining hope that the day would be an overall positive one. It had already seemed to be ruined, and the wolf had barely been awake for more than thirty minutes.

Vernon had long been used to Yuri's particular form of teasing and torment. The black pelted wolf had always been nasty, vindictive, rude little mammal ever since they had been pups. And there was not a member of the young Hunter brood that didn't suffer at one point or another due to Yuri's usual cruelty. But it was Vernon more so than the rest that the wolf seemed to reserve the worst he had to offer for. When they had been pups, Yuri had been the largest member of the brothers and was always using it to his advantage in sinister ways. Whether it was intimidation, or brute force the pup was quick to exert his 'dominance' over the others, especially Vern. Vernon could easily remember a number of times Yuri had simply sat on him to pin him down, and refused to let the wolf up until he stated that Yuri was the 'Alpha' and that he was the 'Omega'. Yuri knew better of course, they weren't allowed to use terms like that under Ma and Pa Hunter's roof. But he was nearly a master at being able to perfectly evade their parents detection when torturing his brothers.

As he got older the abuse worsened, and losing Dawn as a childhood friend only gave Yuri more material to work with. Rather than offer the wolf pity or sympathy, Yuri ramped up the already incessant teasing and fighting. It was only when Vernon went through his growth spurt that Yuri seemed to lighten up a bit when it came to physical side of hurting Vernon. Looking back, Vernon could easily chalk it up to the fact that Yuri had went from the largest wolf in the pack, to the smallest after the others all sprouted up around him. Yuri had always been an opportunist and a coward, never going after mammals larger than he was unless he knew it was a situation he could get away clean from. But despite no longer getting physical with Vernon, Yuri was no slouch. He had perfected the art of verbal abuse, and now reveled in the fact that as long as he wasn't the first to swing he would always be in the right.

If it hadn't been for the fact the Yuri was one of the first to leave the ranch Vernon was certain he would have lost his mind and killed him despite taking a vow of nonviolence after getting into high school. Vernon could remember one or two nights he had drifted to sleep plotting exactly where he would bury the wolf where no one would find him. But when the first litter of the Hunter brood graduated high school, while Zach and Xavier were spending their Summer preparing to attend their respective colleges, Yuri had decided to spend his Summer traveling. The wolf simply took off with little warning, taking to his motorcycle with a duffle bag full of his things and blowing away like a tumbleweed in the wind. He had spent his time traveling all over North Mammalia if the post cards Vernon's parents received were anything to go by. But before Dorian and Audrey could question whether or not the wolf intended to become a professional drifter, Yuri turned up on his first scheduled day at the Marshland Police Academy, and with that their worries seemed to be put at rest.

Meanwhile Vernon had spent his Summer actually enjoying being home for the first time in his life. By comparison to Yuri he managed to get along with his other brothers like a dream. In fact, Yuri's absence is one of the reasons Vernon ended up lingering around the Meadowlands for a few years after high school. It was, in some way, like an entirely new experience exploring the district without the weight of his brother looming over him, and the wolf was making up for lost time. Eventually though, Vernon made the choice to break away from the family vocation, and strike out on his to become an architect when the opportunity finally presented itself. With Gus living in Zootopia, and willing to share his apartment with the wolf, Vernon was free to support himself without worrying about Dorian trying to steer him back on the path to police duty. Vernon was free of the responsibilities that being a Hunter seemed to carry along with it, and was more than delighted to be. That said, his visits to the Ranch since leaving for college had been few and far between. And if Yuri was set to visit, Vernon would tend to cancel at the last minute. It was only as recently as Zach and Vanna's tithing ceremony that had he seen the wolf again.

Vernon had hoped he would have changed, but in fact Yuri had become worse during his time on his own. And while he was attached to Ada at that time, who despite her seemingly similar demeanor turned out to be a rather sweet mammal, it had done nothing to change him. It was for Ada's sake that Vernon had resisted the urge to belt him when he used his opportunity to speak at the reception for Zach and Vanna to devote a minute and a half of material to putting Vernon down. And it was also for Ada's sake that Vernon ended up leaving early rather than stay another day and risk mauling the smug sneering wolf.

The wolf had remained silent for most of what remained of the morning meal, occasionally sipping his now disgustingly cold coffee or glancing over at the ewe sitting next to him. Somehow Dawn had managed to finish her food, something that Vernon found surprising considering all that had happened just a short while ago. The wolf ended up more or less reasoning that Dawn's appetite surviving Yuri's mood killing scene had something to do with her four chambered stomach.

"Vernon Darlin'?" The wolf was pulled out of his thoughts by his Mother's voice. He turned his head to catch the wolfess staring at him, her features fraught with concern.

"Yer done with your food? You've barely touched it." She grimaced.

"Yeah, I'm about done. I'll just stick with what's left of my coffee." He muttered, giving her a dismissive nod.

The wolf took a sip of the brew, cringing at the nasty aftertaste the chill somehow amplified.

"Vernon." That came from Dawn. The wolf glanced down at the equally concerned looking sheep sitting next to him. He could tell by the lack of inquisitiveness in her tone that she knew he wasn't being honest and pressing for truthfulness. Something she had either learned to pick up on better than his Mother, or his Mother simply knew to let some things go.

"I'm fine Floof's, really. I feel better now." Vernon grumbled. "Just not very hungry."

The ewe placed a hoof on Vernon's paw, rubbing it affectionately.

"Well, I guess if everyone's more or less done eatin' we can start getting ready to head out." Audrey interjected. "We should probably start by figuring out who's riding with who."

Vernon winced as he recalled the number of cars available to carry them to the fair. If he counted correctly, between the food truck, his Father's squad car, and his Mother's pick-up that limited the number to three cars in total. Vernon knew, thanks to Yuri's punishment he would be forced to ride in the food truck. And Dorian refused to let anyone drive his squad car but him. Vernon wasn't willing to be in the same car with either of them at the moment, the prospect of relentless mockery should he be stuck in the passengers seat next to Yuri, or painfully awkward silence that would come from sitting near his Father were almost equally unappealing. So that left Dawn and himself with no options other than his Mother's truck, which considering his Mother took up the driver's seat, left the pair split up once more. Unless he could convince Zach to take the pair in his squad car so they had some modicum of privacy and recovery time after the mornings events, but the wolf rarely used his squad car outside of work.

"Vernon?" The ewe asked. As Vernon turned to face Dawn he went to open his mouth to speak only to accidently gulp a large whiff of his Mother's perfume coming off the lamb. The odor burned his throat, causing him to let out a few hacking coughs as he turned away.

"Teeth to Tails!" Vernon hissed. "We really went overboard with that stuff!" The wolf wafted a paw in Dawn's direction in an effort to diffuse the smell. Dawn frowned sharply.

"I wasn't going to say anything..." Audrey spoke quietly. " But it is a little much. Tell me Darlin', do you always wear your perfume that thick or...?"

Vernon watched the ewe briskly shake her head, waiving her hooves pleadingly at the she-wolf. "Goodness no!" She stammered. "I'm so sorry I used so much, I just-just-"

"Ya'll don't need to say the reason. I don't need to know." Audrey assured. " I just hope it's helping..." Audrey trailed off as she seemed to struggle to find the words. "Whatever it is ya'll needed it for." The she-wolf scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

Vernon nearly laughed out loud. Of course his Mother knew, everyone more or less knew thanks to Yuri's little scene. The wolf wasn't sure what he found to be a more horrifying prospect, the fact that his mate now smelled like his Mother ready for a hot night on the town, or the fact that his Mother was aware that Vernon seemed to have such little self control when faced with his mates pheromones that the couple had resorted to something this drastic.

"I-It's nothin' against you Ma." Vernon stammered. "Really! I ju-"

"A sensory conflict." Xavier muttered, sliding his empty plate atop of Malcolm's. The red wolf rose to his feet and continued to collect empty plates as Xavier went on.

"A scent and a stimuli that aren't usually mentally associated with one another can be quite jarring, more so for certain..." The wolf lingered for a moment, seeming to be carefully choosing his words. "Relationships those connections pertain to."

"What he said." Vernon said, gesturing to his brother.

"Oh gods, ya'll don't need to go any further." The she wolf huffed, rising to her feet with her own empty plate. "I said I really don't need to know!"

"Is it bothering anyone else?" Dawn asked, twiddling her hooves together nervously.

"Nah, you just smell like air freshener." Qali said before clasping her paws over her muzzle. She eyed Audrey nervously, a deep blush peeking out under her fur. "I-I mean, no offense Mrs. Hunter. It smells great when you wear it!"

The she-wolf let out a scoff as she rolled her eyes. As she scooped Dawn's empty plate onto her own she let out an exasperated sigh.

"I told ya Qali, please call me Audrey." The wolfess said as she took Vernon's plate, laying it gently on top of the stack she was holding.

"I'm really lousing things up this morning." Vernon heard Qali mumble quietly.

Vernon groaned as he slumped his head into his paws again.

"It makes sense that it would only really bother Vernon all things considered." Xavier added, intertwining his fingers together as he leaned forward on the dining room table. "But Vernon dear brother, what exactly are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

Vernon looked out from between his fingers at Xavier in confusion.

"I don't follow." The wolf muttered.

"Well." Xavier adjusted his glasses. "Surely like the rest of us you intended to spend time with your mate at the fair. Together, as a couple."

"He means a 'date'." Malcolm laughed. "Honestly Hon, you ain't in the courtroom so try to talk normal."

Xavier coughed awkwardly, adjusting his spectacles again. "Yes, well. How do you expect to go about that if Dawn's smell is so off putting?"

Vernon blinked at the wolf a few times in surprise. The wolf hadn't even considered that. Part of his big plan for the day was to have as much fun as possible with Dawn in an effort to make up for everything that had happened so far. To blot out every last bit of negativity brought on by the others members of his family by the sheer joy of experiencing the fair together,  just the two of them. Yet the emergency plan Dawn had come up with now seemed to have created a roadblock that Vernon wasn't sure he could easily over come. It would barely make for a very good date if he had to remain a few feet away from her most of the day.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Audrey said. The she-wolf was handing her plates off to Malcolm creating one large pile. " The first note on my perfume is the most potent, it'll be more or less gone in a half hour. All and all it'll be totally gone by the afternoon."

"Notes?" Vernon asked.

"Layered scents." Audrey replied. "Perfumes are made up of scents that burn off throughout the day."

Dawn glanced at Vernon nervously for a second, then back to his Mother.

"W-what do I do-"

The she wolf held up a paw. "By then we'll be heading back home. You can borrow more if you need it."

The ewe gave a meek nod.

"But, I figured you guys were going to ride in the same car together." Wade added. "How are you gonna do that if-"

"Dawn can ride with us in the back of the pick-up." Vanna said. The tigress had been sitting in Ada's empty chair. By now she was on her second cup of coffee. "It would be a good way to introduce her to the rest of the girls proper."

"Now hold on-"

"I-I'd be okay with that." Dawn muttered.

Vernon stared at her in shock.

"I-I mean, as l-long as Vanna will be there." She added.

Vanna gave the ewe a nod, smirking slightly.

"Now wait a minute!" Vernon huffed. If there was one thing aside from Yuri that got under Vernon's pelt, it was being talked around. "I don't really know if that's such a hot idea."

"Why not?" Audrey asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Vernon dropped his paws to the table top, clenching his teeth in irritation.

"Ya'll act like I'm a puppy here." Vernon hissed. "Just because I don't like a smell doesn't mean I can't tolerate it! There's no reason we shouldn't be fine riding together."

"I know Honey." Audrey cooed. "But we're trying to make this easier on everyone, including you."

"Easier?" Vernon crossed his arms. "What would be easiest for me would be to make sure I'm around Dawn at all times here. I can't ju-"

"Puppy, yer bein' too overprotective again." Audrey chided.

The wolf ran a paw over his scalp before slamming it down on the table. 'Overprotective' had become an entirely meaningless word in the face of everything that had happened so far, and Vernon had begun to stop caring about how overprotective the rest of his family perceived him to be, especially when it came to his mates welfare.

"Overprotective!?" Vernon laughed sarcastically. "Sure, clearly the better idea is to just leave Dawn at ya'lls mercy! You think after all that's happened so far I'm gonna leave Dawn alone with any of ya'll!?" Vernon snarled.

The table seemed to fall silent, leaving the bitterness of Vernon's comment to hang in the ether. The awkward silence caused Vernon to immediately start to regret his words, and he quickly glanced over to Dawn in fear he had inadvertently offended her. She was frowning, but once his eyes were on her she seemed to be trying to smile. It was weak and forced, and in that instant the wolf felt slightly ashamed. Here he was complaining about the rest of the family treating him like a child while he was doing the same to the ewe he professed to love. It was a feeling made worse by looking out among the sea of faces all staring back at him in a mixture of confusion and in the case of his Mother, hurt.

"Vernon." She said sternly, a slight tremor in her cadence. "It's wrong of you to throw the rest of the family under the bus just because of your Father and Yuri's behavior!" The she-wolf crossed her arms "I've done nothing but try to make you and Dawn feel welcome, and there ain't another mammal seated at this table right now who's said anything out of turn!" Audrey's gaze flashed over Ulric briefly, causing her to grimace as the dark grey wolf seemed to falter slightly. "Well almost all the mammals seated here."

Vernon frowned as his Mother continued to heap spoonfuls of truth onto him, with each statement the wolf found himself releasing an involuntary whimper.

"Thinking you need to be around to protect Dawn from the rest of us is not only an insult to me, but I'm sure it's an insult to Dawn." Audrey lamented.

Vernon glanced at Dawn as his feeling of shame continued to deepen. The ewe wasn't smiling, but she didn't seem mad either. She was eyeing the wolf in what seemed to be a mixture of concern and worry. Vernon could feel her hoof wrap around his nearest paw, squeezing it tightly.

"I-I'm sorry Honey Lamb." Vernon muttered, averting his gaze.

"I-it's okay Puppy Love..." Dawn cooed. "I-I know it's just because you worry about me."

The wolf winced slightly, turning his attention to the rest of the table. The other mammals were still more or less silent.

"I-I'm sorry guys. I-"

"Don't Vernon, believe me I understand." Xavier cut him off.

"Yuri gets all of us pretty riled up, he's practically got that down to a science." Trenton added.

"The first time I brought Malcolm home he was making the most vile wisecracks." Xavier grimaced. "He got me so worked up I nearly broke a dinner plate over his head."

Trenton chuckled. "And Xavier is a lawyer, he's paid to keep his composure as cool and analytical as possible."

"Key words being 'he's paid'. I don't get paid to keep my composure together in the face of Yuri's 'charming presence'." Xavier scoffed.

Trenton leaned over Qali, placing a paw on Vernon's shoulder. The white wolf gave Vernon a smile that seemed to ooze confidence and reassurance.

"Regardless, listen to Ma." Trenton said. " I can't speak for everyone else here, but I've got nothing against you and Dawn."

"Me too!" Qali piped up, placing a paw on Trent's elbow.

"I second that." Xavier added, adjusting his spectacles. "Both from a legal standpoint, as Dawn has fulfilled her debt to society, as well as from a brotherly standpoint."

"Could ya'll sound anymore like a robot?" Malcolm gave Xavier a playful elbow as gathered together the last of the silverware. The red wolf turned toward the kitchen, only to take two steps before glancing back at the family table.

"Oh, and I'm with ya'll too." Malcolm said, grinning broadly as he turned back toward the kitchen with his load of dishes. As the red wolf disappeared behind the door frame, Ulric suddenly rose to his feet. The wolf had been largely quiet since his own outburst, only letting out the occasional mutterings since being shouted down.

"I-" The wolf glanced at Vernon, then at Dawn, his eyes darting back and forth as the cagey wolf seemed to be trying to process what to say in the face of what he was looking at. "I-I better help Yuri out."

With that, Ulric quickly darted out of the room in the direction of the kitchen. Almost as quickly as he had disappeared behind the doorframe a loud crash erupted from somewhere in the kitchen.

"ULRIC, YOU DUMMY!" Vernon could hear Malcolm shouting loudly. It didn't exactly take a genius to figure out that the paranoid wolf had collided with the dishes Malcolm was carrying. Audrey sat back at the table, placing a paw to her head as she let out a sigh.

"Teeth to tails, at least those weren't the good dishes." The she-wolf muttered.

Despites Ulric's little flight or flight response, Vernon suddenly found himself feeling his spirit renewed. With Xavier and Trenton on his side, as well as their mates, more than half the family was now pulling for him and Dawn to really fit into the family. He had never hoped to change Yuri, or expected anything out of him other than humiliation, but he could accept that if the family largely didn't share his views on things. For a brief moment the wolf felt like the day could be salvaged, that he had a real shot of bringing his Father around and making Dawn a real member of the pack.

"Hey Vern?" Vernon turned to find Zach once again standing in the hall. The wolf was peeking around the archway, his face had uncertainty written all over it.

"C-can I talk to you for a minute?" Zach added.

Vernon crooked an eyebrow at the wolf in confusion. He was about to simply walk over to him when he remembered the thread of the conversation at hand. The wolf waived a paw at Zach dismissively.

"Yeah, give me a sec." Vernon replied.

Turning back to Dawn, Vernon gave her a soft smile. "You sure you wanna ride with the girls Mutton Chop?"

The ewe seemed to have a flicker of confidence shine behind her eyes as she nodded briskly.

"Yes Vernon, It'll be fun." Dawn smiled warmly.

"Well, mostly fun." Vanna said, sipping her coffee. "Qails and Ada don't have as good a taste when it comes to music as we do, but we'll manage."

Dawn stifled a giggle as the diminutive arctic fox crossed her arms and let out a huff. "Just because I like some of today's top hits doesn't mean I have bad taste in music!"

"Backstreet Bucks." Vanna replied with a smirk.

"They were my childhood! C'mon Vanna!" Qali yelped as she placed her paws on the table.

"I rest my case." Vanna said, taking another swig of her coffee.

Vernon smiled as Dawn tried to hide another giggle. This is what he wanted to see, how he wanted things to be for her. This little moment was like a fleeting golden glimmer of what the wolf had dared to hope introducing Dawn to the family would be like. It was almost enough to forget what happened at the start of breakfast.

The wolf gave her a playful tousle of her wooly poof as he rose to his feet. He could feel the ewe's playful swats as she pretended to protect herself.

"VeeeRRRNoooOOOoooN!" She whined as she adjusted the clump of wool atop her head, trying her best to stifle her laughter.

"Alrighty, I'll meet you all outside then." Vernon said, brushing his shirt free of whatever crumbs had accumulated there. Glancing over to Vanna, to wolf flashed her a slightly serious glance. Vernon pointed a stray finger at the large tigress.

"Keep her out of trouble." Vernon chuckled. His words were a playful jest, but his eyes said what he truly meant. And Vanna's stern nod told him she had gotten his message. 'keep her safe if things go wrong'.

Vernon leaned down, stealing a quick kiss of Dawn's cheek before heading making a half jog over to the hall. He could hear Dawn let out a surprised squeal as he put distance between them. He was sure he had left the ewe blushing fiercely, and on top of that he had managed to snag the kiss without inhaling the perfume.

As Vernon rounded the corner he could immediately feel the rising pleasant vibe in him begin to wither as his eyes fell on Zach. The russet tipped wolf was pacing in front of the main door, seemingly unaware that Vernon had entered. The nervous wolf ran a paw over his scalp as he continued to pace.

"Zach?" Vernon muttered quietly.

The wolf seemed to jump at the sound of his brothers voice. and clutched his chest briefly as he turned his attention to Vernon.

"H-hey little bro." Zach said with a shudder.

"Everything alright?" Vernon eyed the wolf curiously. It was a rare sight for Vernon to see the wolf this consternated.

"Y-Yeah, no. I mean." The wolf shook his head briskly. "I'm okay."

"You don't look it." Vernon murmured. "What's got your hackles up?"

Zach ran a paw over his scalp, glancing out the front doors side window for a moment as if he were afraid he was being watched. Turning back to Vernon, the wolf let out a long sigh.

"I- I spoke to Pa." Zach said solemnly.

Vernon grimaced as it became clear why to wolf seemed to be behaving so nervously. It was obvious the talk Zach had promised hadn't gone well.

"I see." Vernon murmured.

"Yeah." Zach replied.

The two remained silent for a moment. It was disappointing to say the least that Vernon wouldn't be expecting an apology to Dawn anytime soon by his Old Mam' for his behavior. Sadly it seemed they would have to rely heavily on their 'B Plan' of bringing the wolf around by impression alone. Still the wolf was at least appreciative of his brothers efforts, however for naught they may have turned out.

"Well, I appreciate you trying." Vernon huffed. "What exactly did he say anyway?""

The wolf glanced over his shoulder again, frowning deeper as he returned he glance on Vernon.

"H-He really kind of ignored what I was saying." Zach sighed.

"Should have figured." Vernon grumbled. "He's a stubborn as an ass."

Zach gave a simple, meek nod.

"Well, I guess I'll be riding in the food truck then." Vernon scratched the back of his head. "If Yuri's driving he won't be able to actually talk to me if I'm in the back. So that's a slight improvement on riding with you and Pa. I should probably ge-"

As Vernon went to turn away he felt Zach suddenly grasp him on the shoulder. Turning back to his brother he seemed to be even more nervous than before. It was quickly becoming clear there was something more deeply wrong he had yet to tell the wolf.

"P-Pa..." The wolf swallowed hard. "Pa thinks it would be best the for the family if..." The wolf trailed off, tugging at the neck of his hoodie. "You two hung back here for the day."

Vernon stared blankly at his brother for a few moments. He couldn't have heard that correctly, could he? Vernon blinked a few times before it finally began to register.

"What?" Vernon said, irritation and disbelief lacing his inflection.

Zach let out a whine, placing a paw over his face as he started to stammer.

"H-He thinks, I mean, T-the townsfolk, U-Uh..."

Vernon clasped his paws on his brothers shoulders, giving him a brisk shake.

"Out with it Mam'!" Vernon sneered.

"Pa thinks that between you two being a predator prey couple, and who Dawn is th-th-tha-" The wolf stammered.

Vernon gave him another shake, harsher than before as his blood began to boil.

"THAT WHAT!?" Vernon snarled.

"That it'll cause a huge stir!" Zach sputtered. "Maybe a scene! And Pa thinks it could cause trouble for the whole family's reputation!"

As Zach sputtered out his last few statements with rising panic, Vernon finally released his grip, practically shoving the wolf away as the last of the painful statement hit him. Vernon felt like the ground was falling out from beneath him, the surreality and irony of situation leaving the wolf feeling almost hollow. He could feel the acid rise in his gullet as his nausea returned in full force. Vernon tried to stare his brother dead in the eyes, but he had grown so angry he couldn't even see straight.

Interspecies relationships among the family had never caused his Father to 'fear' how the public would perceive the family before. It hadn't mattered with Zach and Vanna, nor Yuri and Ada, or Trent and Qali. In fact, Vernon imagined the Hunter's were known to the native Meadowlanders as having somewhat of a monopoly on 'unconventional' relationships. Sure predator and prey relationships were rare, something that mammals tended to whisper about behind closed doors. But Vernon found the prospect of his and Dawn's relationship causing a scene of something completely preposterous. Especially considering Meadowlands came off as a much more socially tamer place compared to Zootopia proper. To Vernon's recollection, a mammal getting accosted in the meadowlands for their life choices was a rare as a shooting star.

No, it was clear to Vernon this was more about who Dawn was, and what implications that could have for the family. Despite her hardship endured during her time and prison, and her effort to reform. Despite nearly getting killed multiple times, and ultimately having to kill her own Father to save the city, it somehow failed to be enough for the older wolf to give the lamb a shot. Dawn being around was somehow a risk to the Hunter's family image, the feelings of a bunch of strangers mattered more than the feelings of his own son. And what made him even more enraged was that his Father hadn't even had the courage to tell him face to face. Instead he had twisted Zach's arm into acting as an arbiter for his orders.

"That's insane!" Vernon spat. "How dare he insinuate, to even-I-" Vernon shook his head. He was becoming more livid the more he thought about his Father, and it strangled his words.

"I mean, can you believe that!?" Vernon hissed. "That's the most ridiculous excuse I've ever heard!"

Zach remained quiet, his eyes darting around as he tapped his claws together.

"W-well it's not entirely implausible..." Vernon could hear Zach mutter.

Vernon was sure he was going deaf. He had to be seeing as this was the second time in just a few moments the wolf wasn't sure of what he was hearing. Vernon stared hard at Zach, and the wolf began to shrink away.

"What?" Vernon asked, his voice trembling.

Zach placed a paw over his muzzle. "W-well I mean..." He stammered. "The way Pa p-put it, w-well..." He trailed off, nervously scratching the back of his head. "I hadn't thought about it that way before."

Vernon blinked at the wolf in utter shock.

"Y-you agree with him?" Vernon muttered, his voice faltering as he spoke.

Zach winced. "Well, I mean Dawn's pretty w-well known. Who k-knows what kind of mammals would come out of the wood-work in pu-"

"I- I can't believe you." Vernon's voice cracked. The wolf could barely process what Zach was saying.

"It's just safer if you two-"

"Do you have a problem with us being together!?" Vernon growled, he could feel the fur on the back of his neck stand up as he found himself looming over Zach. The smaller wolf placed his paws up defensively, frantically waiving them.

"NO! No of course not!" Zach whined. "But other mammals at the fair might no-"

"WE'RE GOING! UNDERSTAND!?" Vernon was seething, his blood boiling over. He could feel his heart beating in his ears, nearly drowning out his brothers voice over the rapid rhythm. "Neither one of you is going to tell us we ain't! GOT IT!"

Vernon slammed a paw into the nearby wall causing it to tremble slightly. It hurt, but the wolf could barely register it over the blind rage he was feeling. It was bad enough to have his Father try to exclude him from the families traditions, but for his own brother to agree was practically treasonous.

"If ol' Mam Hunter has a problem with it he can talk to me in person and see how that shakes out!" Zach continued to shrink away, until he was finally back against the wall. "I don't need his lapdog trying to convince me to see things his way!"

"WE'RE GOING!" Vernon was in Zach's face now, and the smaller wolf began to slide down the wall.

"Y-yeah, y-yeah, okay." Zach placed his paws out defensively.

With a huff, Vernon pushed himself away from the wall and turned back toward the kitchen. With a final glance back at his now crumpled and pathetic looking brother, the wolf flashed a sharp sneer.

"I ain't telling Dawn about this, and you better not either. We are going to have a great time today, understand?" Vernon hissed. "In spite of that old mangy mongrel Rutter! And you can tell him as much. I just hope staying in his good graces was worth it Zach, I really do." Turning back to the door the wolf continued toward the dining room.

"Do me a favor, and steer clear of me for the rest of the day. Got it?"

"G-g-got it." Vernon heard a whimpering reply.

And with that, Vernon stormed his way out through the now empty dining hall. The sooner he was alone in the back of the corn truck, the better.

[studentsofshield]

What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?

By Vincent Faust

(This was originally published on October 25, 2015)

Is Superman still relevant?

This is a question DC has struggled to answer since he came back from his heavily publicized death in 1993 (if not further back). An almost innumerable number of casual superhero fans will argue that Supes is no longer relevant. Legions of hardcore comics fanboys will go to bat for this position too. He’s too idealistic. He wears underwear over his pants. His secret identity is dumb. Why is our intended number one superhero not even from our planet? He’s way, way too overpowered. But at the same time, with all that power he doesn’t do all that he can do, he holds back. He’s an outdated hero from a forgotten era. These same sentiments are thrown around to a lesser extent toward Captain America. What went wrong? Can the “Big Blue Boy Scout” be saved? Joe Kelly’s revered “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way” tries to address this question.

Action Comics Vol 1 775 (2001) Written by Joe Kelly; penciled by Doug Mahnke and Lee Bermejo; inked by Tom Nguyen, Dexter Vines and others; colored by Rob Schwager; lettered by Comicraft

Superman hasn’t had a truly mass appeal ongoing title in years. Superman and Action have been critical and financial disappointments since the New 52, outside of the esoteric bits Grant Morrison did that were bound to not be film source material or mega sellers. James Robinson, Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns (among others) were juggling him before the reboot with middling success. It seems that almost every great Superman story is a limited series or one-shot. All-Star, Birthright, Secret Identity, Man of Steel, Red Son, For All Seasons. Is he just hard to write for?

Much of the public dislike and misunderstanding of Superman has to do with his appearances in media outside of comics. Superhero adaptations had almost universally been bubblegum for decades. Batman ‘66 defined campiness, intentionally or not. Early serials were poorly adapted, purely picking up the superficial aspects of the characters and stories that had proven so memorable on the page. 

In 1978 Richard Donner changed that forever. He set out to prove that superheroes could work on the silver screen. Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman were involved. He figured out how to achieve the flight effect convincingly. It worked. The film was a massive success. Millions were inspired by Christopher Reeve’s portrayal. Everyone knows John Williams’ iconic theme just the same as his other masterpieces from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter or Jurassic Park. They can whistle it on cue. Despite it’s successes, the film started a blight on Superman’s reputation that wouldn’t be realized until years later.

Donner can’t be faulted for being a devout Superman fan. Years later, he would co-plot an acclaimed Superman story with Geoff Johns. However, perhaps he was too into the early Silver Age stories of his youth or had too much boundless imagination. His Superman had nigh endless powers. At the climax of the film, Lois Lane dies. Superman infamously flies around the Earth so fast that he manages to reverse time and save her life. Though arguably cheap plotting, the idea was novel and it made for a visually and emotionally memorable set piece. This stood out to the audiences though. It was a great movie, but people like underdogs and characters with faults. Spider-Man is ridiculously popular for a reason. The dude can just reverse time whenever he screws up and has only one weakness to a rare rock. 

Jerry Seinfeld, another fan of Supes, brought this argument even more into the mainstream through bits on his show and some Amex commercials. 

In his original stories by Siegel and Shuster, Superman could simply leap over buildings in a single bound. The more writers, artists and crazy stories that he was strung through, the more powers he picked up along the way. Flight, super strength, super speed, heat vision, X-ray vision, super hearing, super breath (with freezing ability), and depending on your canon, literally anything else. Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths, John Byrne tried hard to boil Superman down to his basic power set. The problem was that the average American was not reading comics in 1986. Their vision of the Man of Steel was still Richard Donner’s interpretation, and neither Bryan Singer nor Zach Snyder has done much to waver that in the meantime.

Parallel to the public’s souring on Superman, a new crop of superheroes was popping up that directly challenged his ideals. In the 1990s, Image comics boasted how their characters and stories dealt with the moral grey and weren’t simple 1940s cardboard cutouts. They killed the murderers, rapists and child molesters of the world. Marvel and DC understandably chased after this success and pumped up characters like the Punisher, Deadpool (interestingly Joe Kelly is considered Deadpool’s biggest innovator and signature creator) or Lobo. Though in retrospect many of these stories are considered garbage, they sold bucket loads. 

A new wave of writers and artists were popping up too. Some brilliant men from across the pond with trademark UK dark humor and cynicism to infuse into these stories. Though your early image anti-heroes were throwaway pieces of shit, some of these books were genius. Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch’s Authority was arguably the peak of this. A superhero team with the motto “by any means necessary.” They fought “God” at a point. Though not the top of the charts, the Authority is easily one of the most influential projects of the era, its DNA of moral ambiguity and wide screen action bleeding into everything under the sun.

“What’s So Funny” starts with a new superhero team making their entrance by obliterating a giant mutated creature, along with half of the city around the battle. They announce themselves as The Elite by forcefully downloading their manifesto to every computer in the world (a la Apple and U2). They then completely demolish a team of villains that had aims to turn Tokyo to rubble. 

The reader is introduced to these infamous newcomers on the scene. We have Menagerie, a buxom woman with a symbiotic suit reminiscent of Venom or Witchblade; Coldcast, a comically humongous, muscular Black man accessorized with manacles and chains with abilities of electromagnetism; The Hat, an elemental with his eponymous fedora from which he can pull anything he desires; and their leader Manchester Black, a smoking, Union Jack graphic tee, Doc Martens and leather trench coat-clad, purple-haired, incredibly powerful telekinetic. Black’s inspiration is practically transparent, whether it is The Authority’s Jenny Sparks or more broadly the British writers aforementioned. 

Superman comes across them multiple times, witnessing their scorched Earth tactics. All the while, their approval ratings are soaring. 

A powerful series of panels shows a group of young kids playing “superheroes” like they would cowboys and Indians or army games. The kid playing Superman is pissed and storms off with, “I can’t KILL you, but YOU can kill ME! How can I stop you if I CAN’T KILL?” His friend dressed as Black replies, “You CAN’T. So let us kill YOU. And you can be SOMEONE ELSE.” Over a beautiful Metropolis sunset, “Okay, kill me an’ I’ll be somebody COOL. Bein’ Superman IS SO BEAT” is captioned.

In bed, Superman discusses with Lois his plans to put the Elite in line. 

Superman - “People have to know that there’s ANOTHER WAY, Lois. They have to hear a voice of COMPASSION and FAITH instead of SPITE and ANGER. They have to see that SOMEONE believes in humanity strongly enough…”

Lois - “To DIE for them?”

Supes requests the battle be held off-planet to prevent collateral damage (something slightly altered for the animated adaptation of this story). 

Black monologues that “This isn’t about LOVE. It’s about removing the cancers that fester in us and flushing them down the TOILET. The people don’t WANT babysitters in SPANDEX to slap them on the wrist when they’re bad. They want SURGEONS to cut the ugly bits from them and CHARGE them through the moral NOSE. DOCTOR MANCHESTER BLACK at your service.”

After initially wrecking the Man of Steel and thinking they have won without contest, the Elite are surprised by Superman coming back and seemingly killing all of them off without much effort. 

Before dealing with Black, he’s asked “How does it feel to have your FLAWS EXPLOITED? To be DECONSTRUCTED? How does it feel to WATCH DREAMS DIE?”

He proceeds to whip out the heat vision, to the amusement of Black. Supes then explains that he just performed surgery and removed the abnormality in his foe’s brain that lent him his powers. Black breaks down in tears and yells that the Big Blue has shown the world that he’s no better than the Elite. Superman turns to the cameras and explains how Black’s morals that he briefly borrowed aren’t right. He states, in an almost fourth wall breaking manner, “I don’t LIKE my heroes ugly and mean. Just don’t BELIEVE in it.” 

The issue ends with the poignant final page that begins this post.

“Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul, I swear… until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice becomes the reality we all share, I’ll never stop fighting. Ever.”

Through this story Joe Kelly argues that, even with his endless powers, Superman is still important to our world, both in the DCU and in real life, as a powerful aspiration to reach toward. 

Superman is often compared to Jesus. In reality, a pair of Jews gave birth to this monolithic figure that an entire fictional mythos revolves around. On the page, a mighty civilization sends their last son to ours to protect and inspire us. Cinematographers are especially huge fans of pumping up this parallel. Superheroes taught me my morality. Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, Bruce Wayne and Charles Xavier are my biblical figures.

Action Comics 775 is considered one of the greatest Superman stories of all time. Hell, it’s considered one of the greatest comic stories of all time. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to agree that it is one of the best Supes stories of all time. It isn’t without its faults though. 

The biggest flaw of the story is pacing. A running start to immediately introduce us to the Elite is a great idea. The initial reactions of media types and then-president Lex Luthor are handled well.

Once Superman actually meets the Elite, the plot moves along way too jarringly. Part of the problem is the conveyance of action. The quickness of the first scene makes sense to show the sheer power of the Elite. Their splash page introduction is on point. The second fight they crash with the Klee-Tees suffers from poor storytelling from the art team. It is simply unclear how time passes and movement occurs between the panels. It’s unknown whether this blame should fall on Kelly’s script or the execution on pencils.

The Lois and Clark conversation in bed is executed perfectly though. The monochromatic coloring on these pages works wonders to set the mood. The shot of Superman standing in the street right before calling on the fight is beautiful.

The final fight is way too confusing to tell what is happening. The action should be epic and brutal, not jump cutted along. This is handled a little better in the DC animation version of the story simply due to the differences in the two media. However, this isn’t an excuse when plenty of comics convey action expertly.

I’ve harped on the art a bunch. I’m honestly not a huge fan of this art style in the first place, removed from the actual execution of the story. So I concede bias. However, part of my dissatisfaction may be explained by the fact that this single issue has a grand total of six inkers on it. The premise and most of the script is top of the line though. Oftentimes writers are given too much credit in comics. Their name comes first on the cover. Artists arguably do the most work in actually telling the story. That is the downside with this book, but also why Joe Kelly deserves most of the recognition for its genius.

I think there are a few things that could have been done by Kelly and DC to truly ensure this would stand the test of time as a masterpiece. It desperately needs more focus on the artistic side. I’m honestly not really sure which parts of the book Mahnke did and which ones Bermejo did. I’m not a giant fan of the style, obviously if they somehow got someone like Brian Bolland it would probably be better. However, even accepting the general style, there should have been one penciler and one inker. Speaking of Bolland, it makes a little sense to compare this to The Killing Joke. They’re both highly regarded single issues. 

“What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way” stands as a legendary story. Probably one of the absolute best single issues in comics history.

[inspirationallyinsane]

November 28 2019

Tumblr! Hi. It has been too long since I have written, and much has changed. I figured today might be a good day for an update considering it is a holiday and also I had the day off work :) I quit my job at Chase because fuck that place. Um no not really but I was really unhappy there and I didn't get along with my coworkers and my manager was a mysoginistic asshole. It wasn't a great environment. I was up for promotion there but Skyler told me I would have to wait until January to get it and I am absolutely not that patient. Especially when, once again, I am the only banker in my branch. I was doing the job of the RB without having the proper compensation or title. They sent me all the way to Phoenix, AZ to get training so I could be put in the position faster and then I'm told to wait months? I don't think so. If that were the case I should have waited to do the training so I could do it in Oregon. It was incredibly irritating. And everyone else quit. All the tellers quit and both the other bankers quit. Obviously it wasn't a good environment for anyone. At the end, for a full month before I quit, it was just me, the manager, and the teller manager. Unacceptable. I'm not having it. I don't understand why my manager didn't hire people faster. As soon as I gave my two weeks he was suddenly able to hire 3 people. In one week. Hmmmmm. Seems like it could've been done sooner then. Right? Oh well. Chase was an experience. I learned more about what I don't want from a job. Onward and upward. Of course, I couldn't quit without having another job lined up. I applied for a few jobs back in September. I heard back about a position I thought in no way would I ever get. Although I also heard back about a branch manager position which I am also completely unqualified for. So. It's an employee's market. Anyway. I applied for a Licensed Relationship Manager position at Key Bank. Basically in the position you hand small investment portfolios and client's banking needs. A sort of introduction into being an FA while still working mainly with bank products. However, it does mean that the person in that position gets fully licensed. Umm so I did a phone interview while I was in phoenix and as soon as I got back they brought me in for an interview with the branch manager. Next day I get a call saying they want to give me the job. I got a huge pay increase, and will get another one once I finish my licensing. The incentive pay will be similar to what I would have gotten as an RB at Chase, and??? To get licensed and be working with portfolios at 21?? Awesome. I was so hyped. I really couldn't believe that I got the job. It was definitely a stressful transition. The position is in Medford and I didn't want to commute so we had to move. Finding a decent place in Medford for a decent price is ridiculous. I ended up finding a good place albeit a little expensive. I can definitely afford it with the raise and all but. Don't like how much the rent is. It is super nice though. Um it is brand new, no one has ever lived here before. And all the appliances are new and modern. Real hardwood floors (although it is light wood and I do prefer darker wood). The bedrooms are a little small but overall it is much larger than the other house. It has an open layout with lots of windows and natural light. I have an enormous bathroom (two sinks!!!) and a huge walk-in closet that I absolutely adore. I mean. I've never had a closet like this. It's my dream. And so far it has been a great place. We'll see how I feel after paying rent for the first time on 12/1 but. I actually got to unpack everything and there's only like two more boxes. It was a bit of a pain to get here. Trent and I had to work out a situation where he could come with me and that took a lot of conversations and arguments but we made it here together. Which is cool. And then obviously all the packing and planning and preparing?? Stressful. We did get to have movers, so moving the furniture wasn't as much of an issue. And!!! I got to have a ton of old stuff we didn't want taken to goodwill so no more useless shit around the house. Love that. So. It all worked out. Starting a new job is always rough for me. My new manager did lie to me a little bit about the training program. In the interview I asked what it would be like starting and she told me directly that I would be working with customers on my first day. Which turned out to just be a flagrant lie. I was in teller training for my first two weeks. Two weeks. Teller. Wtf. No. So I finished all the online stuff on my first day and then just sat and read the NYT for two weeks. Literally. Except for one call every day from 11:00-12:30. In which I sat and half listened, and mostly read the NYT. I did enjoy reading though. I read all of the ethicist articles and went back through 2013 on the social q's articles. I think that I enjoyed social q's more, but probably just because I disagree with so many things the ethicist says. Also?? The ethicist acts more like an advice columnist (like social q's) whereas he is supposed to be talking about the ethics of the given situation. Not what you should do for the best outcome for you, but what the ethical ramifications/solutions would be. So. Um but I learned a lot and was thoroughly entertained by the utter nonsense people write in. People are wild. I must tell you. But I was still bored and felt tortured. Next week I have to drive up to Portland for the entire week (Mon-Fri) and do my banker training. So dumb. The other day I full ass opened an account (although I guess I wasn't supposed to) and it went totally fine. Like obviously I know what I'm doing. I don't need to learn the products or the system because I'm actually good enough at my job to do it without knowing every detail. I'm not going to memorize the products here because I just end up share, show, and pointing anyway. Like the customer will listen to you yap for about 2 seconds but if you show them a pretty screen that they can look at they will pay more attention. Gonna bring up the product on key.com anyway. So what's the point? I am excited to go to Portland though. I like Portland and I'm staying in a nice hotel and I get to drive instead of fly. And I get to see Jonno which is awesome cuz I haven't seen him in so long. It'll be nice to have a break from my life here I think. I just gets boring and overwhelming. Which you wouldn't think could happen simultaneously, but it can. Ummm what else? The people I work with here are much better than at Chase. So far. The branch is only women, which I love. And they are all relatively nice ladies. A little gossipy for my taste, not so into that. I think it's mostly just the manager though. She lovessss me. I do not know why but she thinks I am God's gift. I mean I knew she felt that way after the interview but she will tell me anything and really lets me do whatever I want. It's fantastic. I can't speak to how competent she is but honestly whatever. As long as it doesn't affect my numbers I don't care. It's not like she's a Nate; throwing tantrums in the office and yelling at customers. Asking me to do her job. Disappearing for hours with no explanation and then acting like nothing happened. Falling asleep at lunch and not coming back without calling or anything. Lmao. After a Nate, I think I could handle a slightly lacking manager. Key Bank is a lot more like US Bank than Chase. There isn't really a dress code and everything is much more casual. The company culture is more diverse and less forced. The training at Chase was much better, not that I needed it in that situation either, but at least the trainers were engaging and interesting. At both Key and US the trainers just blab at you and don't really expect participation. I was kinda interested in being a trainer at Chase cuz they're really cool and they get paid a lot and their lives seem awesome but I would never want to do it anywhere else. Anyway. I don't know. I guess that is the biggest update. Um I also cut all my hair off. I was tired of my look and I wanted a change. So I cut it off and dyed it black. I've always wanted to. I love it. I think it is much more me. I'll post pictures later. My stylist is really cool too. I've never enjoyed going to the salon because the stylists are so chatty and I normally hate them but this is one is really cool. We have a lot in common and she's around my age. So. I'm actually excited to go just to see her. Haha. I don't know. So many changes and yet I don't really feel like anything has changed. I've asked for more changes, I need more changes, but there is only so much I can do myself. I'm a weak person. I don't really know what to say. I have been having a lot of nightmares recently. Sleep has not been good. Which makes life hard for sure. I have nightmares pretty frequently, but more so in the winter than any other time of year. Awful, horrible, terrifying nightmares. Where I wake up and I'm anxious and sad all day. It sucks. I become afraid to sleep. Oddly, it is only night time sleeping when it happens. Because like if I sleep after work or like today, I nap during the day, I don't have the nightmares. It's strange. I wonder why that happens. I guess that's really all. I should write more but my life is boring now and I'm boring now and it just doesn't seem worth much to write about me and what's going on anymore. Recently Jonno asked me what I've been writing and like on a general whole?? Absolutely nothing. I write little poems about this and that here and there but nothing big or important or inspiring. I'm lame, I'm boring. I hung out with Zach the other day for the first time in a while and I felt out of place. My life isn't how it was before. Full of excitement and adventure and intrigue. Even though I was working at a bank and I was working hard I still had interesting things happen and interesting conversations. I wrote so much more when I was having inspiring experiences. Going through my boxes of stuff I found a shitload of poems I wrote at US Bank. Notebooks full. I would write at work. I would write and draw and now? Like yea I read the NYT but I don't produce anything that's my own. It's so much harder now. I have no ideas. That makes me kinda sad. And Trent is just like, if you want to write more, write more. I guess it's not that simple for me. Or maybe it is and I'm just a dumbass who has issues starting things. It is hard to write/say words when you have none left in your head. I don't know. Oh well. Til next time, Tumblr. I hope all my readers are well. If anyone still reads this lol Happy Thanksgiving.

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Trouba, Parise, Sergachev, Klingberg, Domi & TBay Chasing History (April 3)

  The season is quickly winding down. Several playoff series are already locked into place, division titles have been decided, and teams are dressing lineups with that in mind. Look no further than Calgary to see the results of a team shutting it down.

  This was heading into Monday night’s game.

At optional morning skate at Staples Center. As Brad Treliving told the boys this morning, no Backlund, Tkachuk, Giordano, Brodie, Hamonic, or Hanifin tonight vs. LA.

Bennett, Quine, Fantenberg, Kylington, Stone, and Valimaki will all come in. #Flames

— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) April 1, 2019

  If your league still plays meaningful games in the final week of the regular season, this should be enough evidence to convince them otherwise.

  **

Tuesday night still offered some matchups with repercussions though. The Wild took on the Jets in a true must-win game. A loss by Minnesota or an Avalanche victory would result in their elimination from the second season. That was all the motivation they needed. Minny jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back, defeating their Central division rivals 5-1.

  Zach Parise scored two goals and Devan Dubnyk made 29 stops.

  It’s been a terrific late-career jump by Parise. The total now sits at 28 goals and 61 points for the 34-year-old. This is also as healthy as he’s been in the last six campaigns. Don’t expect this to be replicated in 2019-20.

  Jacob Trouba continued to skate on the top power-play unit despite Dustin Byfuglien getting his legs under him after missing a couple of months. Trouba scored the lone goal for the Jets – a shorthanded tally.

  There it is!

: @JacobTrouba : @BiggieFunke

4-1 MIN | #GoJetsGo | #WPGvsMIN pic.twitter.com/ahcGvgNJLS

— x – Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 3, 2019

  The soon-to-be RFA will once again be a topic of discussion this offseason. The Jets will need to make some changes as their cap structure shifts with Patrik Laine (RFA), Kyle Connor (RFA), and Tyler Myers (UFA) also in need of new deals this summer. It will be interesting to see if the Jets can manage to lock him down to a long-term deal after consecutive bridge-deals, or if the trade-market finally opens up for the 25-year-old.

  Blake Wheeler recorded his 70th assist of the season on Trouba’s goal. That set a new franchise record, passing Marc Savard’s 69 apples from the 2005-06 season with the Atlanta Thrashers.

  **

So how did the Avs do? Well, they allowed two first-period tallies by the Oilers in a cruel attempt to give the Wild hope before rattling off six straight to win 6-2.

  Alex Kerfoot potted two goals, Tyson Barrie had a goal and an assist, and Semyon Varlamov stopped 27 for the victory. It was just the second start in over two weeks for Varlamov as the Avs look more and more comfortable rolling Philipp Grubauer.

  I know which goalie I’ll want next season.

  Speaking of netminders, Mikko Koskinen started on back-to-back nights despite the Oilers being eliminated on Monday. This was his 24th start in the last 25 games – the one he missed was due to illness. He has a 0.904 save percentage over that period. Not exactly world-beating.

  It will be difficult to see a path to the post-season for the Oilers next season if they return with the same defence corps and masked men.

  **

The Stars defeated the Flyers in a similar 6-2 fashion to punch their ticket to the post-season. They’re one of the few teams who doesn’t know their opponent yet, as the Blues, Preds and Jets could all still pluck the Central Division title.

  Alex Radulov scored two goals and two assists to extend his point streak to six games and 10 points. The 32-year-old is just two behind his career-high 72 from a season ago, but he’s done so in 14 fewer games. This is one vet that I’m okay buying in on next season. Dallas rides the big horses and that won’t be changing next year. Another 70-point season seems very doable.

  John Klingberg recorded two assists to bring his total to 44 in 62 contests. The 26-year-old has been something of a forgotten man in the elite defender conversation this year due to those missed games. But his 58-point pace is nothing to sneeze at.

  He should still be considered a top-10 D heading into drafts next fall.

  **

Nashville defeated Buffalo 3-2 to help drive the tank further for the Sabres. Since the deadline, Buffalo is a league-worst 2-15-2. That includes zero regulation wins, five games without a goal, and being outscored 78-37.

  These dudes know how to improve their lottery odds.

  **

Do you know who doesn’t know how to improve their lottery odds? The Canucks. Despite long being out of it, Vancouver finished up their home schedule with a 4-2 victory over the Sharks. It was their third win in a row.

  Tanner Pearson potted two goals for the home team. However, no one cares about that. You all just want the Quinn Hughes highlights, and I’ve got you.

  https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/04/Hughes-to-BB.mp4

  Hughes will be on the top unit next season and his presence will go a long way in vaulting Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and the Canucks offence to another level in 2019-20 and beyond.

  Get him early in your keeper drafts next year.

  Oh yeah, Martin Jones was poor in this one once again. The Sharks have the worst save percentage in the league (0.888). Will anyone really be surprised if San Jose is quickly dispatched by the Golden Knights in the first round?

  I sure won’t be.

  **

The Lightning took on the Habs with a chance to make some history. They came into the night with an eye on their 61st win of the season. That would move them into sole possession of the second-most in NHL history. Nikita Kucherov was aiming to make some history of his own too. His 86 assists are just one shy of Jaromir Jagr’s all-time record by a winger. That blows my mind.

  Unfortunately, for fans in South Florida, neither managed to happen on Tuesday evening.

  The Habs desperately needed to keep pace with the recently surging Blue Jackets and found a way against the NHL’s best, outshooting the Lightning 45-24 and winning 4-2. Artturi Lehkonen produced the game-winning goal, an assist and five shots on net.

  Meanwhile, Max Domi scored his 28th goal and his 71st point of the campaign. Domi hasn’t ever really been considered a goal-scorer. However, the seven percent conversion rate he played at for the 140 games before being dealt to Montreal seemed mighty low.

  Unfortunately, its a buyer beware situation as his 14.5 percent clip this year seems a touch high. His shot volume has improved from a career-average of <2 shots per contest to the 2.5 he’s put on net this season. If he can maintain a similar volume next season, but with the expected regression in conversion rate, we can pencil Domi in for 20-22 goals next season and around 60-points.

  I won’t be drafting him for too much more than that next fall.

  **

No Victor Hedman in this one as the Norris contender is out with an upper-body injury. We don’t yet know the extent of the ailment and whether it will limit his availability in the post-season next week.

  With him on the shelf, Mikhail Sergachev was seeing top-four minutes at even-strength and practiced on the team’s top power-play unit. Unfortunately, the Bolts didn’t draw a penalty in this one. Sergachev skated 22:14 with a shot, three blocks and five hits. He could be a nice sleeper pull in playoff pools if Hedman misses real time.

  **

Montreal’s victory brought them into a tie with Columbus who took on Boston on Tuesday. Joonas Korpisalo got the nod but quickly got the hook as he allowed two goals on the first five shots. That was all the head starts the Bs needed as they cruised to a 6-2 victory.

  Jake DeBrusk scored two and added an assist to bring his totals to 27 goals and 41 points in 66 games. He’s producing legitimate top-six metrics in his second season and you’d have to expect there is more to come.

  He sees top power-play deployment on a high-end team. He has developed nice chemistry to David Krejci on line two, and despite a conversion rate that will likely slip next season, he’s displaying an ability to find the back of the net on a consistent basis. The breakout may not be next season, but I see a 65-point season in his future.

  **

Arizona laid a big old egg against the Kings losing 3-1 and basically ended their hope of a post-season appearance. They’ll need to win their final two games against Vegas and Winnipeg in regulation, and see Colorado lose their final two games against Winnipeg and San Jose in regulation.

  Unlikely.

  It’s been a nice run for the Coyotes; something to build on for next season. But good intentions don’t bring in playoff gates, and this organization needs those in a bad way.

  **

Follow me on Twitter @Hockey_Robinson

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-trouba-parise-sergachev-klingberg-domi-tbay-chasing-history-april-3/

[toddkelly2]

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The post brace as well fight Iwelumo Colby Wadman Youth jersey appeared first on Morning Moss.

from Morning Moss http://morningmoss.com/brace-as-well-fight-iwelumo-colby-wadman-youth-jersey/

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

Closing Time: Freddy Peralta graduates

Thus far, rookie Freddy Peralta looks terrific from every angle (AP/Morry Gash)

The Brewers are in first place in the NL Central, 2.5 games clear of the Cubs. It’s a fun and highly-watchable team, a mix of names you know and names you’re getting to know.

Add Freddy Peralta to that latter group. And give Peralta his graduation papers, he’s pushed his ownership tag to the point that we can’t discuss him as a reasonable add any longer. He’s climbed over the 50-percent threshold, and the future looks bright. We’re now trying to figure out where the story is headed.

The backstory should be a review, stuff we discussed two weeks back (when he was five percent owned). Peralta is a 22-year-old rookie who’s been a strikeout ace at Triple-A and a revelation in four MLB starts. The Twins got the better of Peralta in his second turn, but he’s been a knockout in the other three appearances.

[Yahoo Fantasy Football leagues are open: Sign up now for free]

Start with a 13-strikeout debut at Coors Field, with just one hit allowed. That’s insane. Peralta also tamed the Pirates over six scoreless innings, and Tuesday against Kansas City, it was more bagel parade (7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K).

Now would be a good time to run some Peralta video. Filthy is as filthy does.

Okay, no one gets a trophy for stopping the 2018 Royals, but appreciate the likely Signature Significance in front of us. Thus far 29 pitchers have managed at least two double-digit strikeout starts, and Peralta made it on just four appearances. He’s sitting on a 1.59 ERA, a 0.71 WHIP, and nine walks against 35 strikeouts over 22.2 innings. These are Wiffle Ball stats.

Of course the kid is going to eventually regress, that’s not any eureka moment. No one is this good. And the Brewers will have a clogged rotation soon enough; Zach Davies should return from the disabled list next week. Peralta’s spot in the rotation isn’t carved in stone, not yet anyway.

That said, the Brewers fancy themselves contenders (consider the Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich trades in the offseason), and they need to respect anyone who’s getting it done right now. And the schedule might come in handy as Craig Counsell tries to navigate the glut of pitching. Milwaukee doesn’t have an off day until the All Star Break, and there’s also a doubleheader in the second week of July. The Crew could easily decide to run with six starters, let the logjam figure itself out.

No matter what, Peralta is set to start against the Reds this weekend. Screw Harvey Day (his opponent), it’s Peralta Day. After that, Counsell has some decisions to make.

The only reasonable assumption I see is Peralta hanging around. I always consider my entire fantasy roster tradable, but I’d have to really like a Peralta offer at this moment. The upside is too tantalizing. I’m probably going to hold on with both hands and see where the ride takes us.

• I recognize many fantasy owners dream of complete domination and demolition, assembling an All-Star roster and just crushing opponents.

Hey, I have nothing against star players. Everyone needs a few. But I feel more satisfaction when I find production from a hidden or unlikely source.

Consider Gorkys Hernandez in San Francisco.

Hernandez has been around, stopping in Pittsburgh and Miami before hitting San Francisco in 2016. He played often last year, and did extremely little in 310 at-bats — a .255/.327/.326 slash, no home runs, 12 steals. The bags are nice, the average mediocre, the power nonexistent. The Giants viewed him as a disposable depth player to open the year.

Alas, Hernandez is playing often, and playing quite well. In his age-30 season, he’s apparently figured some stuff out. He has a nifty .284/.338/.482 slash over 68 games, with 10 homers (where did that come from?) and four steals. He’s batted leadoff in seven of his last 10 starts.

He was the hero in Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Colorado, with an early homer (a center-field blast) and the go-ahead walk, plating a run, in the eighth. The leash gets longer.

SFGiants fans March 2018: Why do we still have Gorkys Hernandez? June 2018: Where would we be without Gorkys Hernandez!

— Batting Stance Guy (@BattingStanceG) June 23, 2018

Hernandez was a secondary prospect in his early days, cracking the Top 100 for two major ranking sites in 2008 and 2009. But he was never slotted higher than No. 62 (Baseball America, 2009). He really can’t be called a post-hype prospect; the full hype never arrived.

Hernandez is hitting the ball harder this year, obviously a good thing. He’s also become more aggressive, perhaps hyper aggressive — his walk rate is down a speck, and his strikeout rate has spiked to 28.4 percent. Some might feel this approach will catch up to Hernandez sometime, with all the swinging strikes and out-of-zone chases. But perhaps this is a player who’s learned how to sell out for power and take advantage of it. Selective aggression can actually be an extremely valuable tool at the plate.

I don’t blame anyone who screams out “pumpkin” and doesn’t want in on Hernandez. But at some point we have to trust what’s in front of us. Over the last five weeks, he’s the No. 20 outfielder in 5×5 value. That is no longer a tiny sample size. You don’t have to put Hernandez on an extended leash, but I’m fine to see where this story goes — he’s already on a handful of my rosters.

Hernandez is still available in 92 percent of Yahoo leagues. He’s lagging far behind the ownership tags of Dexter Fowler and Bradley Zimmer, for crying out loud. Remember, we really don’t care about the name. We just want the numbers.

• The Giants closing chase didn’t clean up Tuesday, even with the 3-2 victory.

Mark Melancon worked the eighth and allowed two hits and a run. Lefty Tony Watson retired one batter, two pitches, and cleaned up the Melancon mess. Sam Dyson survived the ninth (double, walk) when D.J. LeMahieu’s sharply-hit ball turned into a game-ending double-play. To be fair, the leadoff double off Dyson was a bloop, a total fluke. But had he merely recorded one out during LeMahieu’s at-bat, the Giants probably would have summoned lefty Will Smith to face Charlie Blackmon. Dyson only threw 11-of-19 pitches for strikes, and walking Chris Iannetta is inexcusable.

How badly did you need those saves, again?

• It’s not easy to figure Detroit’s bullpen, given the team is going nowhere. But Shane Greene has struggled this week, picking up two losses and pushing his ERA over 4. That 1.27 WHIP is mediocre, too. If and when the Tigers want to try someone else, Joe Jimenez (2.65/1.04, 41 K, 9 BB) has the profile of a closer. (Of course, Jimenez was knocked around Monday, too.)

I’m also holding onto Kirby Yates in San Diego, partly for the wipeout innings and partly for the possibility that Brad Hand is traded later this summer. To be fair, the Padres could and maybe even should shop Yates, too. They’re in a rebuild, and relief pitchers are a luxury for non-contending clubs. In the meantime, look at Yates’s 2018 domination — 0.82 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 40 whiffs against nine walks over 33 innings. He’s turned himself into a fantasy asset in medium and deep mixed leagues.

Have to figure Nick Kingham is back up with the Pirates sooner or later (Kuhl may be hurt). Kingham is at six-percent in Yahoo. Up and down first six starts, but his WHIP is under 1 and he averaged a strikeout per inning. Had a pedigree before TJ surgery. A good speculative play.

— scott pianowski (@scott_pianowski) June 27, 2018

• Whatever they did to fix Matt Carpenter, man oh man, it’s worked. Carpenter was hitting .140 as recently as May 15, but that’s when the party started. He’s on a .349/.424/.691 barrage in his last 38 games, with 33 runs, 12 homers, and 23 RBIs. (Sorry, he’s not a baserunner. But he does grab three positions in Yahoo leagues.)

Carpenter’s best game of the year came Tuesday against Cleveland, a 5-for-5 explosion with a double and two homers. Pretty heady stuff when you consider Corey Freaking Kluber started for the Tribe.

It’s likely Carpenter was playing hurt for the first few weeks of the year, and he’s also maintained a strong hard-hit profile all year. Some bad luck played into the nightmare start, sure. But no one bats .140 for six weeks without being part of the problem. The good news is that when Carpenter finally broke this slump, the signs were clear to see — he didn’t merely start collecting hits, he started ripping extra-base knocks. He batted .393 in the second half of May, with nine doubles, four homers, and a .738 slugging percentage.

Obviously not every slumping player gets a smooth landing. As I’ve said for years, everyone comes around, except when they don’t. But now we have to consider Carpenter back in the $20 and up class, especially when we factor in the three positions of eligibility. Heck, it wouldn’t be a stretch to put him on the All-Star team — his .136 OPS+ is just four points from a personal best, and he could be especially useful for the NL given his defensive versatility.

Follow the Yahoo fantasy baseball crew on Twitter: Andy Behrens, Dalton Del Don, and Scott Pianowski

[holydazevoid-blog]

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