#wherees that post that compares how he looks then + dennis when hes sick in the gang gets quarantined ep

[monsterbisexual]

the 'got 30 minutes of sleep last night' of it all just caught up to suddenly n i feel like lawrence looks at the end of saw

[iviarellereads]

A Wind in the Door, Chapter 2 - A Rip in the Galaxy

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index for the Time Quintet, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

In which sometimes you have to do the irrational thing.

When Meg and Charles Wallace returned to the house, silently, each holding strange and new thoughts, evening was moving in with the wind.

The twins try to get Charles to go outside and play catch with them, but Charles is tired and it's getting dark. Meg goes back to Mrs. Murry and mentions Charles's theory about his mitochondria. Mrs. Murry says Dr. Louise thinks the flu that's been going around might be mitochondriasis, but when Meg presses her, she snaps at Meg to leave her alone a minute to get an answer. She apologizes to Meg immediately,(1) but adds that she is working hard to figure out what's wrong.

For now, Mrs. Murry thinks it's more important to sort out Charles's problems at school. She doesn't want to take him out for longer than necessary, it would make it even harder to integrate later. They discuss Charles's powers a little, but when Mrs. Murry realizes Charles is so sick he might not grow up to learn discipline about them, she changes subjects abruptly to supper.

Meg helps prepare spaghetti while Mrs. Murry explains that Charles will have to live in a world that doesn't understand him, and it's better if he learns how to get on with them sooner than later.(2) She adds that Meg might not have Charles's level of gift, but she is a strange child, and she's adjusting better this year. Meg puts that down to Mr. Jenkins not being her principal anymore, and Calvin O'Keefe being her friend.

Mrs. Murry latches onto the Calvin mention, and asks Meg why she thinks he's her friend. Meg puts down her looks, but instead of acknowledging that,(3) Mrs. Murry says Calvin does like Meg, though. Meg wonders aloud if it's just because her family is nice and her mom is pretty that he likes them all so much, but Mrs. Murry tells her to stop being so self-deprecating. Meg says that she can learn to cook as well as her mother, and pivots to wondering if Calvin is or will be upset to learn that one of his brothers was in the group that roughed up Charles. She doesn't want to call him, though,(4) she'll wait and see if he comes over on his own.

As they sit down to supper, Mr. Murry calls to say he's going somewhere else for a week instead of home. Meg feels lightly panicky at not having both her parents home, not just because of the prior adventure, but also because some houses have been broken into lately. The twins take large portions and discuss Mr. Murry's trip and the quality of the sauce, while Meg wonders if she should tell her mother about the dragons.

Before she makes up her mind, Charles shows the whole family the feather, and asks his practical brothers what it might be. They agree that it's not structured like any bird feather, and ask where he got it. Mrs. Murry agrees with them, and Charles says, in the north pasture. Meg says they think they might be fewmets, which Sandy recognizes as a word for dragon droppings, and dismisses Meg's fancies. Dennys asks Mrs. Murry, and she asks Charles directly. He simply says it's not of the twins' practical world, but when he finds out more, he'll tell her.

The twins get bored, and ask about Mr. Murry's trip and its purpose. Mrs. Murry says there's been a phenomenon observed, it's been in the local newspapers and all, like a cosmic scream and a rip in a galaxy.(5) Some stars in the area of the rip have vanished compared to previous observations. The twins say that's impossible, but Mrs. Murry has a somewhat more open mind about it.

Lightning and thunder, very close by, interrupt proceedings dramatically. Meg gets scared out of proportion and asks if they're sure that something cosmic isn't coming for them.(6) Mrs. Murry reassures her that the cosmic scream is inaudible to humans, and to most equipment they've made. The twins wonder if birds and snakes can hear ultra high pitches, and ask what's for dessert. Charles catches Meg's attention before she can get herself riled up in defensiveness, and he gives her a small smile before asking their mother if the rip in the galaxy will affect their solar system. She says that's what everyone wants to know, just now. Meg is still hung up on it feeling dangerous, but says she'll do the dishes.

Cleaning up soothes Meg, especially as the twins get to their familiar, if imperfect, orchestra practice. When she's done, she goes to her room in the attic, but sneaks back down quietly, and outside with a poncho and a flashlight, to look for dragons alone. On the way through the orchard, she mutters to herself that it's not right that a child in America isn't safe in his school.(7)

Just as Meg thinks she sees Louise the snake rising from the rocks in the stone wall, of all people, Mr. Jenkins calls her name. He came to her home to apologize to her for his manner when she came to see him about Charles. Only, Louise lifts herself up and hisses at him, and he screams and flies off into the sky, becoming something like a hole in the universe…

The tear in reality disappears quickly, and Meg finds herself screaming though she knows it was impossible.(8) Louise slithers back into the wall, and Calvin shows up. When he sees her distress, he runs to her, giving her a hug, and asks what's wrong. She tells him, haltingly, and they discuss whether or not she might have hallucinated it.

Meg having got that out of the way, she says she's glad he's here, for another matter. He says he's surprised she's willing to speak to him, given his brother, but she says she knows it's not Calvin's fault. Calvin says fewmets to Mr. Jenkins, and Meg is startled at his choice of a new cuss word. She explains about Charles's dragons, and he asks to see where they found the feathers.

They go to the rock in question, and while Calvin examines the feathers and scales, Meg talks about Charles being bullied some more, saying you could think they lived in a rough part of an inner city or something. Calvin says maybe he'd be better off at an inner-city school with more diverse kinds of kids so he wouldn't stand out so much. People in this town like the prestige of the Murrys living there, but they're definitely Different.

Just as Calvin suggests they go talk to Mrs. Murry, Charles arrives and suggests they wait until the dragons come back instead. Meg demands to know why Charles isn't in bed, and if their mother knows he's out. She does not, in fact, and he came out because Meg was screaming. Meg says she doesn't want to talk about it, but Charles insists, so Meg gives a brief recap and says she doesn't doubt the dragons anymore because nothing could be more unbelievable than what happened to her.

Suddenly, Charles asks who else is here. Calvin says it's just the three of them, but Charles feels someone else nearby. They hear a twig crack, and Meg and Calvin look into the trees, to no avail.

Then Charles Wallace cried, “My dragons!” They turned around, and they saw, there by the great rock— wings, it seemed like hundreds of wings, spreading, folding, stretching— and eyes how many eyes can a drive of dragons have? and small jets of flame Suddenly a voice called to them from the direction of the woods, “Do not be afraid!”(9)

=====

(1) Solid parenting behaviour, A+. (2) I'm not actually sure that really holds up to scrutiny. He's a CHILD, and you're asking him to Act Normal just to make everyone else comfortable. That's been the way of it for as long as public schooling has been a Thing, for neurodiverse kids, but it's still frustrating to read. (3) It's loosely possible that Mrs. Murry agrees that Meg is a plain child, but given she tells Meg to stop putting herself down soon after this, I think it's more likely that she remembers feeling the same way and doesn't want to fight Meg over something that will resolve itself soon enough. (4) She likes him too much to just call him like that. If that doesn't make sense, I swear, it does when you've lived it. (5) Observing this happening all at once at such distances is improbable at best, but this is sci-fantasy not a textbook so I'm not going to complain TOO loudly, just, make a slightly skeptical face before moving forward. (6) Statistically speaking, you're in a book and have already had galactic adventures, I'm gonna say something is coming soon to a field near you. (7) The naivete of youth and of the early 1970s when this book was written. Do you think Meg's statement reflects the author's opinion, or not? Myself, I feel like the framing so far could lean toward indicating either way, especially since later this chapter Meg compares it to living "in the roughest section of an inner city". We'll just have to see how this thread is important to the book as a whole and if that aspect gets explored. (8) You haven't learned yet not to use that word? (9) Hmm. Those words aren't typically associated with dragons. What might have lots of wings, lots of eyes, and... well they usually say "Be not afraid" themselves? Can you guess before the next chapter?

[demi360flip]

Why I’m here

I’ve had a pretty difficult life, I think. Nobody on this earth even knows how bad it’s been. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster; there have been times where it’s been bad that I didn’t want to continue living. There have been other times where things have improved and I’ve held (seemingly false) hope that things would be better. Or that I actually had a shot at a normal life, only to have that dream crushed time and time again.

In the last year, my life has been turned upside down. Now, it wasn’t all roses and unicorns before this year, but it’s hard to remember a time where I’ve felt so lost. Even after my older brother killed someone and was sent to prison for vehicular manslaughter shaming our family in a whole new way. During the last 365 days, I’ve been challenged by God in many ways. I lost gymnastics and those wonderful children that looked up to me and needed me. I lost EMS and the aspect of helping people. I lost the fire department. I lost every friend I’ve ever had. I started again in a new city, in a new state, in a new home. I was finally away from it all, which left me in a bizarre mixed state of ecstasy for escaping and complete panic for leaving. 

During the last 365 days, I jumped into one of the most cutthroat programs in the country, where missing even one multiple choice question on a test could mean the end of your dreams. I found myself redlining in a stressed state of mind, desperately counting every single point I missed, paralyzed in stress on my couch crying before exam grades came out. Only to have 8 people texting me asking me what I got so they could compare themselves to me. I had to study for all hours of the day, all while balancing eating (even though I was so strung out on Adderall that I had no appetite), taking care of my dog (who got little attention in my new lifestyle), taking care of an entire house and paying all the bills alone for the first time (with money from a staggering medical school loan that will cripple me for years to come), and maintain a long distance relationship (that I KNEW I didn’t have time for, but absolutely couldn’t live without).

During the last 365 days, my older brother was released from state prison. It didn’t come easy either, in the months leading up to the parole meeting and subsequent release from a 4 year hell-on-Earth, he AND my mother would both call me every single day crying and talking about whether or not he will be released. It took so much of my time and energy that I already didn’t have. It was exhausting. I would get off of the phone with one, after talking them down from crying, and the next would call. My grades suffered. On top of that, I was having to discover how I would have a relationship again with a brother that I so despised for ruining my life and family. He was the cause of my mother’s drinking. In my eyes, Dennis was the cause of every pain I’ve ever felt in my life. Now, he would call me begging for his forgiveness, crying to me about how proud he was of me for “holding it down” after his mistakes and taking care of the family in his wake of destruction. Little did he know, I was struggling to breathe. Now, I had to face rebuilding some sort of relationship with him. Was I supposed to be forgiving? Was I supposed to hold onto this pain and anger at him? Was I supposed to be there to support him and be there for him like all of the counselors said I needed to? Was I supposed to tread carefully? There was a difficult level of awkwardness there that couldn’t be denied. Do I give him the benefit of the doubt that he would come out and do right for the first time in his life? Or do I honor the pattern of destruction that he’s caused my whole life? I didn’t know whether to believe him or not- did he REALLY change? 

During the last 365 days, I lost a mentor and important person in my life to cancer. Irv Isenberg was the reason I was here. He was the reason why I did EMS. He lit the fire in me to help and teach others. He was the reason why I was able to get into LECOM’s program from hell. He was the best man I had ever known. And he was a line-of-duty death from 9-11-2001. He’s battled the cancer from the warzone that was NYC on 9-11 for many years. But this was finally the end and the rapid decline. It comes out of nowhere, you know? One day, it’s just a thing that everyone knows about *oh, Irv had cancer*, but he’s still going on calls, shooting, smiling, working, and you kind of just forget about it. I’m going to coffee with him, texting him, everything is moving on like usual. Then it creeps in a little more- he’s facebooking sarcastic, funny posts about his experiences at Roswell Park, you know he’s going through chemo and radiation, and he comes around a little less. But he and I were still getting our Tim Horton’s coffee every time I was home. We would sit there and talk about school and what I needed to do next, who I needed to get in contact with, and the next connections I had to make. Everything was still fine. Then suddenly, I don’t see him anymore. He knows that I cry when I hear his voice hoarse from radiation, so he lies to me and texts me instead. He tells me he’s at the dog park, when I know that he’s at Roswell for treatment. He and I don’t get coffee anymore. Instead, we just text back and forth and he tells me “When you’re Doctor Demi, that’ll be all the thanks I need”. There were whispers around the fire department, about how he stopped working, and “isn’t doing well”. Soto calls me to tell me that he needs platelets. He stops answering my texts, or Lisa answers them instead for him. I rushed home on an exam week to donate platelets, which was far worse than I expected. I was sick during and after extraction. They said I was too skinny and that’s why. I had lost 20 lbs from the stress and Adderall. But I had the blood type they needed and I wasn’t leaving there without donation. Then about a week later, he died. I got the call. I came home on an exam week again for the wake. Danny had amazingly rapidly organized the most beautiful wake, procession, and funeral that I’ve ever even heard of. When I walked into the wake, there were pictures of Irv and I in the slideshow and on the picture boards. It was surreal. Chris and Julie Kaplewicz pulled me in line with them. I said, “I’m not really sure where I belong”, as I’m no longer a FF, I wasn’t with TCA, and I wasn’t family. “You belong right here with us”. We proceeded slowly through the line to the closed casket with his helmet on it. There were 2 of our FF’s on the sides of his casket holding axes- it was Brad and MJ. When they saw me, they kept their eyes up, but tears rolled down both of their faces. I cried. I kissed his helmet. Lisa hugged me and said, “Oh honey, he loved you so much. I’m going to keep in touch with you”. My heart was in pieces. He wouldn’t make it to see me get my white coat, which would be entirely his doing in my mind.

During the last 365 days, for the first time in my whole life, I got my mom sober. The reign of alcoholism and physical and emotional abuse to our family was finally exiled by my brave actions. I thought I’d never see the day. Well, this is one of those “seemingly false hope” instances I had mentioned earlier. I don’t know exactly how long after this victory that she relapsed, but my little brother (who is more like a child to me, as I’ve effectively raised him in the face of two absent and inadequate parents) called me crying saying that he found booze hidden in her room. From another state away, I had to comfort this teenager who revealed to me that he has been struggling with the same depression and self-loathing that I had continuously battled since my prepubescent years, which I spent cutting myself and running away from home. The thought of Mikey feeling any of the feelings that I struggled with due to our dysfunctional abusive family brought me to my knees. After all, I had dedicated my whole existence to lessening the weight of it all on him and shielding him from as much as I could. I thought, “I can save him from this hell and give him a shot at a normal life”. This was wishful thinking. Especially after leaving my entire life in Buffalo behind, to try to chase my dreams that I have had on hold for so long due to my fucked up family arrangement. In doing so, I also left behind everyone and everything that held me up. I didn’t realize that my skin was made of paper and my bones were broken and made of glass, until I moved away and left behind everyone and everything else that held me up. I found that I could not stand on my own two feet. And boy, did I crumble. I had always thought that I was so STRONG. This incredible superhero that could withstand a lifetime of abuse and dysfunction and no support and no love, and STILL have the strength to protect another younger brother from it. I looked in the mirror and knew. I was a failure. I was disgusted. I finally could see it- I wasn’t strong. I was weak and dependent on the love, support, and distraction of others to hold myself up on my own two feet. It was a difficult realization that I was nothing without my friends, my boyfriend, his family (who replaced mine, but wasn’t TRULY mine), and my job that I loved. I saw myself. Ugly. Weak.

Now, I don’t want this to be some sort of pity party. Of course, I’ve done some pretty badass things in my life. I’m physically healthy, which is more than some people can say, and I’m fortunate to have the means of following my dreams. I’ve met some incredible people in this lifetime- many of which have changed my life and kept me going when I didn’t have the inner strength to do so. One of those people was Gage Greiner. And I lost him, too.

[thesnapewecandreamof]

400-Follower Ficlet (1/2)!!

I never knew so many people enjoy my shitposts and weird ideas! I never thought there are so many of us who love Snape!! I was going to post this when I hit 394 but it just kept rising and I was too lazy.

I would continue to churn out my shit and angsts for every single one of you!

Anyway, please enjoy this! This is a two-parter and the other one will be written most likely in Snape’s pov. Not sure when that would happen but I do have the draft half-way through!

When Dennis went to Hogsmeade without his brother to buy some sweets to owl his parents, he never thought that this would happen. When he wanted some moment alone and just take in the scene of Diagon Alley filled with so many magical folk, he never thought some of them had sinister ideas. When he was petrified and a sack was pulled over his head, he was hoping it was just his classmates playing  horrible prank on him.

He never expected to be kidnapped by Death Eaters. He never knew he could feel so much fear. He was thrown to another Death Eater and nearly fell on his nose.

He saw a face and his heartbeat quickened. It was professor Snape! Dennies was sure he’d be rescued by then. But then the professor cursed him, the professor chained him to the wall, took his wand and smirked as he did during potions class. Dennis shivered as the potions master of Hogwarts put on a glinting mask, he hadn’t noticed the robes earlier, Death Eater robes reminiscent of the robes he has seen in the Prophet.

It was true then, Snape really was a Death Eater. Dennis has stumbled on a few articles about the first war and how Snape escaped Azkaban when he was claimed as a spy for Dumbledore. Dennis wondered if this was just a ruse. That maybe Snape needed to maintain his cover, and that Dennis would be rescued later when the professor’s position as a spy wasn’t at risk.

But then Death Eaters came and taunted him, mocking his muggle blood. Then they hit him, kicked him. Cursed him. Dennis was in tears as the cruciatus licked his battered body. How could anyone cast that curse? They were all wearing masks and he wondered if Snape was part of the group who beat him. Was he wrong? Did Snape fool Dumbledore, was he really a dark wizard? Dennis had his fair share of awful muggle teachers and none of them compared to Snape, but Snape no matter how horrible as a professor surely isn’t capable of all this pain?

Dennis continued to believe in the professor because what else could he believe in? He doesn’t no how much time has passed. He hears whispers about some ritual, he hears arguments about the possibility of something but he was too hungry and his body hurt so much. He broke his arm once, after falling from a tree. He wondered if both his arms are broken and if his ribs are cracked or just bruised. Madam Pomfrey would have to feed him so much skelegrow once he’s back in Hogwarts.

Back in Hogwarts with his brother, back to his friends, back somewhere safe, where it doesn’t hurt. His tears cloud his vision.

Someone quickly rolled him over and he winced.

“Come now, Mr. Creevey. Here I thought you were a brave gryffindor.” He knew that voice. He opened his eyes.

“Stay awake, boy. And keep your mouth shut.” Snape pushed something hard into his robes and Dennis was relieved to see it was his wand. It was kept in place by his trousers. He has to make sure he doesn’t fall on it and snap it. “Drink this.” He drank the potion despite how horrible it tasted and he sighed as the pain went away for awhile.

His binds were removed and he was picked up by his professor. He never thought he’d be so happy to be in Snape’s presence, much less in Snape’s arms.

But he felt safe. It would do for now.

But then they stopped, and Dennis was nearly thrown from Snape’s grasp.

He had his answers then. The Death Eaters called Snape a traitor and Dennis felt guilt for every time he thought his professor a dark wizard. Dennis felt shame as he recalled the rumors he heard and spread against Snape as his professor writhed on the floor as he was cursed over and over with the cruciatus. Dennis felt tears in his eyes when his professor was thrown in the cell with him and recalled the horrible moments he wished Snape to be ill so Potions would be cancelled.

It continued for what seemed were years but could have been mere days. The Death Eaters barely paid him attention when the traitor to their cause was in the same cell as boring Creevey.

He still heard whispers though.

He heard excited whispering, plans that would supposedly bring Dumbledore to his knees. Plans to recruit more followers for their Dark Lord.

He heard arguments that maybe they should remove some limbs from the hostages to make things more dramatic. Dennis thanked every deity he knew when a voice would deny it and say they had more class than common thugs, Dennis cursed them and yet rejoiced and he felt sick because of it.

There was one thing that changed though. The professor rarely spoke, often times because he was not conscious, but when he did, Dennis listened.

The professor told him about how the Light would likely have noticed their absence and would most likely be planning on rescuing Dennis.

“You mean us, sir.”

“What was that?”

“They’re planning to rescue us. Not just me.” He corrected.

Dennis saw his professor bow his head and his dark hair hid his expression. Surely the Light would work to save their spy, won’t they? They wouldn’t leave a comrade behind.

But the professor stayed silent, so Dennis did what he always did when they were sure Death Eaters won’t be barging in on their cells. He moved just a tad closer to his professor, enough so the man knew that Dennis was with him, that his student was there with him and not being tortured Merlin knows where the professor was dragged to. And Dennis made a vow that he would make sure the professor survives this and they’d escape together.

Dennis was no fool. The only reason Snape hasn’t been trying to escape was because Dennis could very well get killed if they were caught. Waiting for rescue seems relatively safer than trying to escape the Dark Lord’s stronghold. He wanted to plot for ways out but when he proposed doing such a thing the professor hushed him and reminded him that the Dark Lord has more spies than him and that the walls have ears.

There were times when they made Dennis watch though, as they tortured Snape just outside the cell. They said it must be a great show for a gryffindor like him. Dennis wanted to protest, to bang their cell and demand them to stop. But Snape demanded his word that he won’t do something that would endanger both of them. Revealing his emotions could get them killed, after all.

Dennis once again became a punching bag to the Death eaters but he heard they were warned to not damage him to severely. Dennis wondered where the rescue was. Where was the Light? His whole body hurt and he wanted nothing more than to go home, he almost can’t recall what home felt like anymore.

His professor returned in worse shape everytime and Dennis feared he’d be left alone with the Death Eaters if Snape doesn’t hold on. What would he be holding on to anyway?

The Day finally came. A Death Eater splashed water to wake both of them and Dennis put himself between the Death Eater and his professor. Snape was sluggish, he can’t have much strength left.

The Death Eater bound him and the professor and Dennis early screamed when the Death Eater stomped on his profesor. A bag was pulled down on his head before he was dragged away. His heart quickened in fear and he wondered where they’d be going. Were they going to be killed by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself? Were they going to be cruciod to death? Dennis was nearly shaking with fear when he felt a tugging in his navel, they apparated and Dennis felt his stomach drop.

He heard a chilling voice, laughter harsh to the ears, where were they?

Then he heard Albus Dumbledore and his heart soared. But why did they apparate near Dumbledore? Death Eaters, even You-Know-Who are afraid of Dumbledore, Dennis bit his lip.

The bag was removed from his head and he stared in horror as Hogwarts loomed before him, the faculty and many students stood behind the wards. He looked around and saw himself surrounded by masked Death Eaters, in the forefront was the Dark Lord himself.

What was going on?

Well, I’m not really sure where this came from or why I decided to add poor Dennis Creevey into this. It just, kind of fit, you know?Hope you’re intrigued though!

[twentyonepilotsficlibrary]

Miscellaneous Fandoms Fic Rec Masterlist

This is something new we’re trying out. In our admin group chat we all started talking about our other fandoms/pairings we read and thought it might be fun to share some of our favorite fics. 

I know not everyone will be into this idea but i think it’s easily ignored if it’s not your cup of tea. Otherwise we hope you enjoy this mess of fics, maybe you’ll find yourself a new pairing, or maybe you’ll get inspired to write Joshler. 

we hope you enjoy! 

**this will be a long post**

Madi’s recs

Teen Wolf - Sterek (Stiles Stilinski & Derek Hale)

Cornerstone by Vendelin (6/6 | 83738 | Explicit)

Suffering from PTSD, ex-Marine Derek Hale moves back to Beacon Hills to open a bookshop and find a calmer life. That’s where he meets Stiles, completely by accident. Stiles is talkative, charming and curious. Somehow, despite the fact that he’s blind, he’s able to read Derek like no one else.

//PTSD //anxiety attacks 

No Homo by orphan_account (12/12 | 84092 | Explicit)

Stiles' sophomore year starts something like this: 3 FourLokos + 1 peer-pressuring cat - 1 best bro to end all best bros = 1 Craigslist ad headline that reads "str8 dude - m4m - strictly platonic". Derek is the fool who replies.

//internalized homophobia 

We Got Claws by Onlymystory (15/15 | 34914 | Mature)

Peter, Isaac, and Scott get de-aged. Stiles and Derek take care of them.

Harry Potter - Drarry (Harry Potter & Draco Malfoy)

Open For Repairs by FeelsForBreakfast (1/1 | 34901 | Mature)

After the war, Draco works at a tv repair shop and Harry breaks things.

feat. sad boys in jumpers and more ABBA than is probably necessary

There's a Pure-Blood Custom For That byLomonaaeren (36/36 | 105549 | Mature) 

The day that Harry stops Draco Malfoy and his son from being bothered in the middle of Diagon Alley starts a strange series of interactions between him and Malfoy. Who knew there was a pure-blood custom for every situation?

Transfigurations by Resonant (1/1 | 71284 | Explicit)

Five years after Voldemort's defeat, Harry returns to England to help re-open Hogwarts.

//major character death 

IT - Reddie (Richie Tozier & Eddie Kaspbrak)

Yours Truly by Buttercup12 (14/14 | 51414 | Mature)

Eddie Kaspbrak has it bad. He’s bullied for being a tiny, delicate, hypochondriac boy. He’s also bullied for being very, very, very gay. Long story short, his life isn’t the easiest.

However, that’s all a piece of cake when compared to his gigantic, pathetic crush on Derry High’s most popular and oh so very straight Trashmouth, Richie Tozier.

Richie has no idea he even exists.

Right?

Wrong.

ugly moon by weepies (27/27 | 79482 | Teen and Up)

Richie Tozier hasn’t spoken a word to anybody since he came to Derry in the middle of the school year. Until he talks to Eddie Kaspbrak.

//abuse mention

----------------------

Christie’s recs

Harry Potter - Drarry (Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter)

Turn by Saras_Girl (14/14 | 306,708 | Explicit)

One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

All Our Secrets Laid Bare by firethesound (16/16 | 149,549 | Explicit)

Over the six years Draco Malfoy has been an Auror, four of his partners have turned up dead. Harry Potter is assigned as his newest partner to investigate just what is going on.

South Park - Creek (Craig Tucker/Tweek Tweak)

Do Not Try This At Home by Marasa (6/? | 32,100 | Mature)

A post is made that night detailing the rules of their arrangement:

• Video must be taken of the event.

• Video must be uploaded.

• Turns will be taken; after one group uploads, the other must upload as answer to the original post. This ensures equal stunts and higher expectations with each stunt.

• Don’t half-ass it; this is a fucking competition!

//depression //anxiety //past abuse //drug use

The Roommate by DoAsYouWill (27/? | 277,882 | Mature)

Craig is off to college, where he is introduced to the weirdest person he's ever met. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, (Craig can't decide), that weirdest person is his roommate.

Just your typical cliche 'meet as roommates' story, but with a lot of nostalgic undertones.

Deadpool - Cablepool (Wade Wilson/Nathan Summers)

Incognito by CQHD (Comet_Kohoutek) (2/2 | 5,810 | Explicit)

Deadpool introduces Cable to porn.

The video, Deadpool realises belatedly, is way too quiet. There's no cheesy bass line that gets stuck in his head and makes him feel each pulse in his dick. There's just the soft rustling of clothes against skin as the man strips. It's got an aesthetic to it, but it doesn't stop Deadpool from hearing the catch in Cable's breath once the man steps out of his underwear and crawls on to the desk. 

Toaster by edy (1/1 | 3,339 | Mature)

If someone were to strap you in and measure your heart rate, it wouldn't be a surprise to anyone to find it'd be beating in time with his own heart. The notion is meant to be romantic, as is customary in romances, and you think it might be romantic if an uneven heart rate wasn't a sign of a serious health condition.

//suicidal thoughts 

----------------------

Sydney’s Recs

South Park 

Do Not Try This At Home by Marasa (6/? || 32,100 || Mature)

A post is made that night detailing the rules of their arrangement:

• Video must be taken of the event.

• Video must be uploaded.

• Turns will be taken; after one group uploads, the other must upload as answer to the original post. This ensures equal stunts and higher expectations with each stunt.

• Don’t half-ass it; this is a fucking competition!

// depression, anxiety, past abuse, drug use

A Perfect Love Like Craig and Tweek by ugandadistrict9 (1/1 || 3,783 || Teen and Up Audiences)

Tweek and Craig have been close for a few years, and everyone says that they’re dating, but Craig has neither confirmed or denied it. Tweek has developed strong feelings for Craig over the time, but is worried that Craig doesn’t feel the same way he does.

Homicidal Maniac by Maroonedpunk (3/3 || 17,654 || Teen and Up Audiences)

They called him a homicidal maniac for years.

Then came the allegations against the coffee shop.

Tweek can’t do this by himself.

// depression, anxiety, drug use, mental illness

Spirit Animals by hollycomb (1/1 || 22,191 || Not Rated)

Cartman wants to film his amateur ghost hunting show at the site of the grisly McCormick massacre. Stan hates the idea but he can’t stay away, because Kyle will be there.

✓✓ Read by Boyue (16/16 || 65,196 || Teem and Up Audiences)

WENDY Nice picture but you have the wrong number.

AKA how Stan Marsh met Kyle Broflovski through a dick pic mishap.

// depression, alcoholism, derogatory language

Detriot: Become Human (Gavid Reed/RK900)

Chrysopoeian Heart by feistymuffin (6/? || 22,826 || Explicit)

Chrysopoeia - the act of transmuting a substance into gold

Gavin doesn’t like androids… but then again, nothing’s written in stone.

// graphic depictions of violence

Still by Terminallydepraved (1/1 || 4,277 || Explicit)

Sometimes it takes someone else nearly dying to make you realize the important things.

Life sucks, but in a beautiful kind of way by ConsultingStag (5/6 || 7701 || Mature)

Gavin stares at RK900 and regrets it immediately as its gray gaze bores into him. LED spinning yellow. Dissecting what happened. Analyzing the clues in front of it. And then a perfectly fake eyebrow lifts and equally fake lips twitch into a tiny smirk and Gavin knows that he is fucked. 

----------------------

Cade’s Recs 

Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia - Macdennis (Mac/Dennis Reynolds)

a beachfront of bad blood by castielanderson (1/1 | 28,366 | Mature)

or alternatively “Dennis Tries to Kill Himself: MacDennis Remix” Originally for the 2017 MacDennis Big Bang, but alas

.

They don’t have a falling out so much as a slowly drifting apart.  Being a dad makes Dennis tired, so tired sometimes he feels like he might never have energy again, and that means that he stops checking in with Mac as often.  Eventually, they stop talking.  Mac gets a boyfriend.  Dennis stops taking his medication.

After Dennis attempts suicide, Mandy insists he return to Philadelphia with the gang, and she will follow with Brian Jr. when she can.  Faced with an unwanted recovery, a failed family, and feelings he would rather ignore, Dennis is forced to navigate uncharted waters within himself and within his relationship with Mac.

//rape/non-con //suicide attempt //self-harm //eating disorders //depression

Fullmetal Alchemist - Royed (Edward Elric/Roy Mustang)

Reverti Ad Praeteritum by Batsutousai (30/30 | 288,908 | Mature)

Unwillingly forced to serve as a human trial for a crazy alchemist experimenting with time travel, Edward Elric finds himself standing across from Truth in the moment it takes his leg from him. Armed with the knowledge of what's to come and burdened with guilt for the choices he'd made as an adult, Ed sets out to fix every mistake he ever made and save every life they ever lost, no matter what it takes.

//underage //implied/referenced dubious consent //violence 

Know the Difference by ShanaStoryteller (1/1 | 9,083 | Teen)

“You’ve heard the rumors,” Mustang says, looking at Ed over the top of his latest report, “about the angels.”

Ed scoffs and rolls his eyes, “Angels don’t exist, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Of course, of course,” he murmurs, gaze sliding back down, “There have been multiple eye witness accounts, however.”

Ed slouches into the chair and doesn’t bother to keep the contempt to from his voice when he says, “Don’t depend on anything with wings to save you. Things that were made to leave always end up doing so, in the end.”

“Yes, well,” he says, “sometimes they come back.”

a terrifying clamour of trumpets by ShanaStoryteller (1/1 | 12,194 | Teen)

Edward grabs Marcoh’s arm and says, “That stone – what can it heal, exactly?”

The old man’s eyebrows rise to his forehead, and he looks like he already knows the answer when he goes, “Why do you ask, Edward?”

There's no metallic footsteps so there’s no way Al’s close enough to hear them. “I’m sick,” he admits after another moment of deliberation.

The Codeine Scene by Xyriath (31/31 | 111,257 | Explicit)

After finding himself entangled with King Bradley's gang of criminals and no way out, Roy Mustang must struggle between balancing his morals and the need to keep himself alive. He walks a thin rope, and a chance meeting of a young man, addicted to drugs and forced into prostitution, complicates matters further. By all rights, he should consider Edward to be collateral damage, an unfortunate bystander in his already difficult situation, but this is one person Roy soon finds he can't leave behind.

//rape/non-con //forced prostitution //drug addiction //mentions of suicide //mentions of depression 

Fullmetal Alchemist - Edling (Edward Elric/Ling Yao)

Nothing Gold by Rydia (ungarmax) (1/1 | 22,219 | Teen)

Ling has gained immortality. Ed has not.

//major character death

----------------------

Bard’s Recs

Bastille - Dyle (Dan Smith/Kyle Simmons)

and in the morning you'll be stranded in love (it goes around and around)by brujay (1/1 | 15,717 | Teen)

“Have you seen Groundhog Day?”

Kyle took a moment before replying. “I have… what exactly are you trying to say, here?”

Dan sighed again. “I think I’m living it.” Dan gets trapped in a time loop, and he is not having a good time.

//panic attacks

argonautica orpheus by trailsofpaper (Sanwall) (note: it is private, you can only read if you have an account but it’s too good to not share) (6/6 | 17,478 | M)

Kyle, like Jason on the Argos, sets out on a journey to retrieve something important but, more importantly, he finds love along the way. Dan, unlike Orpheus, doesn’t look back.

(Dan and Kyle are flatmates in Leeds, but when Kyle wrecks his keyboard a week before he and Dan are about to enter a competition, they need to go to London to get another keyboard. Complications and even shenanigans ensue.)

Harry Potter - Drarry (Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter)

He Who Must Not Be Normal by lettered (1/1 | 40,913 | Explicit)

Potter has fame and fortune and posh clothes and all he wants is a simple life. Draco has a flat and a cat and a steady job and all he wants is a complicated life. Which makes you think this story has something exciting like body-swapping, but it doesn’t. Instead it has Indian takeaway and a blue jumper and people wanting a whole lot of what they can’t have, discovering themselves as they discover each other.

All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl (4/4 | 114,741 | M)

Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.

Buzzfeed Unsolved - Shyan (Shane Madej/Ryan Bergara)

i think i'm still turning out by the_tenerife_sea (1/1 | 6,325 | General)

Shane is starting to think Ryan is using him for his baby, considering how much he’s already talked her up to all of their coworkers and friends. ____

Or the one where Shane is a new parent, and Ryan is always there for him (and his daughter, of course).

[empathdespoina]

Who am I?

Unfortunately I was not able to put a title on my first post; since I was using the app on my iphone, late at night on composing that first post.

In this area, I’m going by the name Despoina.

Why that name you ask? 

Well one, I like that name being one of the few daughters of Poseidon and use it for my video games characters. But mostly it’s so no one sees my real name and try to search for me. I’ve seen enough crazy things in this world, to know smart people who are good at internet tracing on finding people. To give examples you don’t have to look to far for a few “Karens” who were caught on social media being racists as fuck and found their job and where they live; causing them to lose their job. Which is good social justice; but even in the same breath people who are doing good could be found by the wrong people...for example a Judge, that this person didn’t like her and was hoping to kill her before the upcoming case, in regards to him or someone else close to him... instead the crazy killed her son, who was trying to protect his father and she wasn’t home; and this was found out due to her address being public knowledge as a Judge, now think how dangerous that is for those who don’t want to go to jail and figure they can get away, killing the Judge to not have a court case (which is stupid, due to the fact that person would get a different Judge assigned to the case). And more recently what could have happened with the Montana Governor. So pardon me if I prefer to be called by this.

Also to be honest my photo image is probably in my mid 20s... I’m 34yrs old as this is being composed. I thought this photo of me in a bath tub under water... seem best to symbolize my account. And the fact most Empaths are comfortable around water.

When did I learn I was and Empath and fully commit to it? 

Well I oddly found out when I was briefly living in Las Vegas for a few short years and I found my path along the lines of practicing Wicca; which I felt a better connection to, compared to the religions I was brought up on. So one store I went to called the “Psychic Eye” was having a psych class lesson that was a mix of different things to learn about different psychic gift abilities. The person who was running the class, a nice old lady; who could hold her own authority, and be sweet too. I forget how exactly it started...but one day I was last to leave this short weekly session and we were talking. She asked me a few questions and one that stuck to me was “Do you feel comfortable around water?” I told her yes. She informed me that I was an empath and I could feel other people’s feelings. Now some might think...that this woman was leading me on...but the minute she told me Empath... its as if something click in my mind from my subconscious to my conscious, saying this is the piece I’m missing to better understanding myself.

Heh after that I found a meetup group for those learning about Wicca... and wasn’t necessarily working towards controlling my abilities as an empath. Since around that time... I had got rid of the toxic people around me...who wanted to draw off my energy. Yet it was this one night at a Denny’s...where the group met up, every so often. That I felt my chakra points, which I had already learned about those points and did brief reading of books about empaths; that my Heart and Solar Plexus Chakra points were being hit hard as fuck. It felt as if someone speed up my heart out of nowhere and making me feel sick to my stomach...after I had just finish eating my food, ten minutes prior. There was also someone else in that group getting hit by it too. And unfortunately for me...I didn’t have any of my stones with me to help me focus, nor be able to shield myself or be able push out this person’s energy that LITTERLY was consuming me... almost like when Venom engulfs Spider-man or any other Marvel Hero. Someone let me grab onto a stone that was a keychain on their bag.. and I was looking around as if I was in high tide with ripe tide added into it find where in the hell this was coming from. I was able to zone in on the person, almost like a radar single but in a different way. It was a young woman with a man and judging by her body expressions she was breaking up with him.... now I wasn’t that far away from them; nor was she shouting loud to draw attention to her from the restaurant.

Later in my life I would have two other moments my chakra points were taking me over... but that be a story for another time...because the experiences were way way different; especially my second experience...compared to the Denny’s one.

Later on in my life, I would on and off read e-book on amazon about empaths and surprisingly enough; there seems to be a higher level of this genre as e-books. It’s only recently during COVID, and me still without a job and having to deal with my mom doing a close fracture (meaning bone didn’t break through the skin) on her right ankle and I had to be downstairs every single day since September 9. Which wasn’t that great because my mother and I are not close (another story about that and my empath abilities being taken advantage of); so I decided to start reading books and worked on focusing again about being an Empath and controlling my abilities. I did buy four small books from Barnes and Nobles...where mostly were really really small. Majority were good and some I question the author or author pissed me off on their school of thought process on being an Empath.

At this point I would say, I am having a better grasp at shielding myself.. which took a bit to figure out; since there is NO real way on how to do it. There’s constant talk in the many books I’ve read about shielding yourself and keeping it up; to ward off the negative energy and only get a taste of the emotions to know what’s going on with the person. Yet sadly I couldn’t due that, until I asked one of the owners at “Amityville Apothecary”, who gave me pointers on a way to do it and it worked.  I will share that in another blog, down the road...I have a few points or a process on how I want to put these posts out. Kinda like teaching a lesson (was an art teacher, briefly)...in hopes of making it easier for others.

Why did you want to start this blog?

Why is because I’m starting to notice a few more people close to me and some people I interact with don’t know that they’re empaths... and unfortunately with these past four years under Trump and his encouragement to do negative things to others. Interesting enough I did a search to see what the professionals would psychoanalyze him as (which is not an official diagnosis, but based on past experience with other patients and/or studies on mental health) and he would be considered a Narcissi Personality Border. Pretty much he was obsess as a child to please his sociopathy father that showed no emotions and how he had Daddy issues and clung to Putain and North Korea’s Great Leader (yes as bad as this was to see this dictator of North Korea, I am still impress another nation’s governing person was able to talk to him; besides South Korea always trying. Hey it’s not the best thing, but I give credit on that...knowing how North Korea keeps others out so much); so these two had similarities to how his daddy was; when Trump’s father was alive. It’s like Daddy issues mixed with the crazy thought process of the main character in Talladega Nights movie on having to be the best and a person with God-like complex or spoiled child on getting their way...seeing how people are afraid to say NO to him and him getting away with a lot of things. It seriously makes me question his mental state of mind and even more once he’s out of office.

Sorry I got a bit off topic...but due to Trump being this crazy and erratic and not being punish; including those around him were afraid to say no to literally a crazy man...and to be honest seeing some people not as bad as Trump; is pretty fucken scary. Well it encourage other people who were secret assholes and sociopaths and everything else mentally wrong in the brain...to disregard society’s standard of right and wrong...just let their evil side out and more people were getting killed by others; you had people who were not white, being trailed by crazy white people. And all those people who are Trump supporters and not right in the head. All this chaos this president has created and made it even worst this year with COVID...proving he didn’t care about others and just wanted people to fight each other...so no one would care about what was happening in the world and not pay attention to the fact, he wasn’t doing his job properly as a President. Which some of us in this world were wiser to know; especially how he treated the virus, even after getting it.

So of course there’s going to be a heavier rise of negative energy, compared to the past years; and love ones around you and friends believing all the social media garbage from the republicans. And no matter what, you can’t have a healthy mind conversation about who would become President...where for example my mom thought Biden’s campaign design symbolized China...which I know she’s been using Facebook a lot lately and see all those false information and not cross checking the information to be true and her friend who survived cancer...also on facebook; and I know this friend is going through chemical brain...because I’ve seen it before in others and how it changes the person completely.

And I have been hearing, from those I play dungeons and dragons; and them feeling things much harder. And then recently talking to the vet, due taking the older family dog, Buddy for a visit, and for me to realize that she was an animal empath; based on the comments at this animal hospital she works for on being nicknamed “Dr. Death” due to how gentle she is on putting the animal down; and she feels the animals’ pain...and yet she doesn’t know how to control it and she’s got to be in her late 50s. Then there is the Vet’s daughter, who feels people’s energies far much harder than me...that she’s thought of suicide a few times, visiting the hospitals due to that and putting her on psych meds...when the case is; is that if her daughter was taken to a positive area, she be alright. No psych meds required or being in a psych ward.

So honestly I want this blog to help other people, to make them feel less crazy about themselves and not give into negativity on being told how different you as a person reacts with your feelings, compared to others. And lastly, I think there’s a higher need of people learning about empaths and knowing if they are full blown or have some abilities; because we need to find a way to control the raging storm in the USA. Plus it helps bring you to a better understanding of yourself; since we are such complex people. So come along this journey with me as I teach you about Empaths and the abilities associated with this gift.

So blessed be and may the sun give you the strength to rise for the day; as the moon soothes you at night and your troubles away.

[asfeedin]

Lakers’ Kobe Bryant also documented final NBA season with all-access film crew

On Sunday night, as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. sat down with his family to watch the first two episodes of ESPN’s 10-part documentary on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, he was suddenly transported to his rookie season playing alongside Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant.

As he watched an NBA Entertainment camera crew in the Bulls’ locker room, capturing private teammate interactions and other moments for “The Last Dance” that so often stayed behind the scenes, Nance began thinking about the 2015-16 season with the Lakers.

That season was Bryant’s 20th in the purple and gold of Los Angeles. And just as the camera crew had unprecedented access to chronicle every moment of Jordan’s final season with the Bulls, the same holds true for Bryant’s final NBA season. The crew expanded in size during his last campaign, and as many as six personal camera crews were present during his 60-point finale.

2 Related

Bryant’s camera crew, several Lakers staffers from that season said, had unparalleled access in locker rooms both at home and on the road, in the training room, throughout the team’s practice facility and even on the team’s charter plane.

“They had unprecedented and, by far, greater access than anyone else ever,” said John Black, who led the Lakers’ public relations department for 27 years, last serving as vice president. “We certainly allowed them to do everything we could within what the league would allow, and sometimes, with a wink and look-the-other-way, allowed them even more.”

In the wake of Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash that killed eight others in late January, what will happen to the exhaustive footage gathered during his last season remains unclear.

Sources close to the matter told ESPN that the footage had been in the editing stages for a potential documentary to be released years from now — though it is unclear when exactly that would be — and that Bryant had seen edited material and provided feedback in the months leading up to his death. It is unlikely those plans have changed, the sources said.

A representative for Bryant did not return messages seeking comment.

The 10-part Michael Jordan documentary “The Last Dance” is here.

• Latest updates, full schedule • NBA experts on MJ’s greatness • Big moments from the premiere • How to get ready for the doc

The sources told ESPN that rather than have anyone else chronicle his season, Bryant, who had produced and starred in his 2015 documentary “Muse,” ultimately sought control over the footage, which is why he decided it was best to have his own camera crew take on such a project, especially as Bryant worked to build his own post-NBA media empire.

Seeing the footage of Jordan’s final season has sparked numerous memories for those present during Bryant’s final season.

“Just watching them and being able to view what the cameras were doing to [capture] Jordan’s pregame routine, I mean, it’s the same thing,” said Marco Nunez, who served as the Lakers’ assistant athletic trainer that season and is no longer with the team. “Just flash forward … take out No. 23 with the Bulls and insert No. 24 with the Lakers. Yeah, I mean, it’s pretty much identical.”

“It’s hard for me to not watch that and sort of see those [similar] instances,” added former Lakers head strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco.

There were key differences, of course — the biggest being that Jordan’s Bulls were pushing for their sixth title in eight seasons while Bryant’s team ultimately posted a 17-65 season, the worst record in franchise history.

“It was interesting because, obviously, we weren’t winning, so that was frustrating. And the [cameras were always] in your face so, I don’t know, it was hard,” said Robert Sacre, a reserve center for the Lakers that season. “It didn’t feel real as a season.”

Said Nance: “It was really cool because, like, this is the Black Mamba. But at the same time, like, this is also the worst season in Lakers history. So while I’m really proud to be in the NBA playing with this absolute legend, [that] is not something that I’m really trying to relive.”

From Detroit to San Antonio to Chicago, from his appearance and his antics to his brilliance and his exuberance, Dennis Rodman crafted a Hall of Fame career on his way to winning five NBA titles in all. Watch on ESPN+

Former Lakers head athletic trainer Gary Vitti compared the situation to a “reality show” and said it was an uncomfortable arrangement at times.

“Everybody just sort of shook their head and said, ‘Whatever we got to do, we got to do,'” Vitti recalled. “‘Let’s just try to do it the best we can.'”

The Lakers, several staffers said, were certainly accustomed to a high level of media attention and cameras being present — especially with a player of Bryant’s stature. Some even pointed to the fact that they were used to cameras gathering footage behind the scenes, as their television partner Spectrum SportsNet has done for their Lakers All-Access TV packages.

But Bryant’s crew received what was considered unique privileges, in no small part because they were working for Bryant, several staffers said. And they received access that was even beyond that of Spectrum SportsNet, which had previously signed a 20-year, $4 billion deal with the Lakers, sources told ESPN.

One former staffer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that with previous crews, there was always the option to tell them to turn their camera off if they were gathering footage that might be deemed too sensitive or if they were in an area deemed off-limits. The staffer said they couldn’t do the same with Bryant’s crew.

Bryant’s crew was granted approval from the NBA to shoot footage, though it was limited on the amount of game footage it could record. Still, his crew attended every game, practice and shootaround and followed Bryant off the court and at home.

Having Bryant’s camera crew constantly around required an adjustment period for the Lakers.

“It was like, ‘All right, we got to really watch what we’re saying, watch what we’re talking about, because you have no idea who’s watching or editing this,'” Nance said. “That’s something we all kind of talked about as a team is like, ‘Hey, you never know where this is going. So let’s just keep it mellow around the cameras.’

“But then the longer the year went on, you just forget about them and just kind of stopped caring.”

One particular area that was tricky for filming was the athletic training room, where Bryant spent much of his final seasons as team specialists worked on his injury-battered frame. Previously, when camera crews were present there, which was incredibly rare, they were supervised by team officials. The training room is often off-limits in no small part because of rules related to medical privacy.

“That year, it wasn’t rare anymore because they were there every day,” the former team staffer said.

At least one member of the camera crew flew on the team charter, several former staffers said.

Nunez described the crew’s presence as “controlled chaos.” He said that while the crew was nice and respectful, it was clear its members were gathering what they needed.

“So it was kind of a mutual kind of love and hate,” Nunez said. “Yeah, I hate that you’re here, but I get that you have to be here.”

For some staffers, Nunez included, there was a sense that, at the end of the day, history was being recorded.

“I do recall saying, ‘This is in some ways annoying to have extra people around at these odd times that [they] aren’t normally allowed with a camera on,'” DiFrancesco said. “But in that same conversation to myself, [I was] saying, ‘But this will be cool, you know, [however] many years down the road.'”

Eventually, Nance said, he even started to imagine how real-time moments would look on film.

“Kobe would say something in the locker room and I would kind of think about it like, ‘Oh, that’s gonna look pretty sick when they film it,'” Nance said. “Or, you know, that 60-point game or [him] playing in Philadelphia that last time. ‘This is pretty monumental. I’m so glad somebody’s going to have a way to remember this.'”

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Tags: allaccess, Bryant, crew, documented, Film, Final, Kobe, Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, News, Season

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[analysis-by-vaylon]

Plans and deception in the season finale: Ludo and Glossaryck's gamble against Toffee.

I promised a third analysis on the season finale of Star vs. the Forces of Evil in which I discuss Ludo's lying and speculate on Glossaryck's whereabouts. It's taken me a while to get my thoughts in order.

In the meantime, while I was thinking, I read a very good analysis of Ludo’s characterization which, while it has some flaws, mostly makes some excellent observations about Ludo. The blog also has an interesting comparison made in the season finale. Both of these posts form an intriguing puzzle piece which I will make use of in this analysis. My thanks to the author.

Let's first return to the issue I raised in my comparison and contrast analysis -- that of Ludo's lies.

Is Ludo Lying?

Does Ludo tell the truth when the Magic High Commission questions him in "Starcrushed"? The underlying tone behind this scene appears to be -- to me, at least -- uncertainty. For example, when the Magic High Commission finds the book, it's blank:

Rhombulus: Blank! Hekapoo: That's not the real book.

It’s unclear what is happening in this scene. Glossaryck or the spells (or both) may have been absorbed by Toffee. Or perhaps Glossaryck blanked the book somehow. Or maybe Hekapoo is right, and the book is indeed a fake -- some trap planted there by Toffee or Ludo. This uncertainly is the capstone before the action begins, the logical conclusion of the previous scene whose implications hinge upon whether or not Ludo was telling the truth.

First, however, recall from my comparison and contrast analysis that chapter 4 of "Starcrushed" -- the chapter in which Ludo is questioned by the Magic High Commission about Glossaryck’s whereabouts -- is compared with the scene in "Face the Music" in which Moon rides out to question Lord and Lady Avarius about Ludo's whereabouts.

In "Face the Music," Dennis knows where Ludo is, which means that Lord and Lady Avarius most probably lie to Moon about not knowing Ludo's location. In fact, Lord and Lady Avarius are shown to lie about a number of things. Watch the scene again:

Lord Brudo Avarius: My dear, we have company. You may want to get dressed.

Brudo, not his wife, is the one who isn't dressed. (This, by the way, is projection. Combined with the fact that Lady Avarius has a black eye -- well, it doesn't paint a very flattering picture of Brudo.)

Lord Avarius: Corn?! We don't need corn! We're doing great, thanks! Lady Avarius: But perhaps we can find someone else who could use it.

Lord and Lady Avarius are clearly in need of the corn, but both of them seem too proud to admit it -- though, in Brudo's case, outright delusion may be to blame -- and so both lie about their need for the corn.

Lady Avarius: Not that this place isn't lovely... [Debris falls from the ceiling.]

A dilapidated house in the Forest of Certain Death is clearly a step down from the castle. Lady Avarius seems to be aware of their predicament, but she is either too proud or too polite to admit it to Moon. Either way, she seems willing to lie about their circumstances.

The youthful Dennis is the only one who tells the truth; in this sense, he's akin to Star. Neither one of them see the need for their parents' lies.

Given that this scene in "Face the Music" runs parallel with Ludo's questioning in "Starcrushed," I think it's safe to say that Ludo is being contrasted with his parents:

Moon is looking for Ludo. Lord and Lady Avarius lie about his whereabouts.

Moon is looking for Glossaryck. Ludo lies about his whereabouts.

What is the dynamic in play here? Familial attachment: Ludo's parents lie about his whereabouts, and Ludo lies about his father-surrogate's whereabouts.  Recall that Ludo thinks of Glossaryck like a father.

Thus, like his parents, Ludo is lying about what he knows, but -- unlike Lord and Lady Avarius -- Ludo is actually a skilled liar: not only does he fool Moon and the Magic High Commission, but apparently, given the reactions I've read, he fools most viewers as well.

Let's take a closer look at his conversation with Moon:

Moon: What do you mean, "He's gone"? What did you do with him? Ludo: I didn't do anything. Glossaryck showed me something in the spellbook, and next thing I know, I wake up, and they're gone.

Ludo's first lie is one of omission: he leaves out the crucial detail of just which chapter of the book he looked at. I imagine Moon and the others would have reacted much differently had they known. (Thanks to Druid's Forehead from the Discord for pointing this out.) The lie of omission is significant because of the role such a lie plays in "Face the Music."

Moon: Oh, come on. You stole the book. Ludo: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Glossaryck said the book is mine now. How's that stealing? And I think we can all agree Glossaryck comes and goes as he pleases. Rhombulus: That's true. Hekapoo: Yeah.

Ludo refutes the accusation of theft by bringing up a straw man: his current ownership of the book, despite allegedly being true, has no bearing on whether or not he stole the book to begin with. (As we all know, he did, in fact, steal the book.) Not only this, though, but Ludo piles on the straw men with another true statement: Glossaryck does, in fact, come and go as he pleases -- none of which is material to the fact that he did indeed steal the book. Ludo muddies the waters with a shift in rhetoric from the issue of stealing to the issue of ownership and ultimately blames Glossaryck for something that Ludo himself did (i.e., “I didn’t steal the book; Glossaryck goes wherever he wants.”).

Moon: And I suppose it's just a coincidence that you've taken up shelter here -- in this ancient monster temple. Ludo: I'm supposed to know that? This place was empty, so I moved in. It's cold out there. I'm wearing a chip bag, for corn's sake!

This is an outright lie, and Ludo's inflection and expression show it. Nevertheless, Ludo deflects from the accusation by appealing to pity for his plight. I think it's interesting that Ludo tries for sympathy; in "Face the Music," as I pointed out earlier, Ludo seems to be perfectly fine after the events of "The Hard Way" -- yet now, in "Starcrushed," Ludo seems disheveled. The reason for that is unclear, but perhaps it was part of a ploy to seem unprepared.

Moon: What about your wand? You have half my family's crystal embedded in it. Ludo: It doesn't even work anymore. If it's yours, you can have it. Ludo: Face it. You've got nothing on me.

Another lie by omission: Ludo never reveals that there is a voice inside his wand. If Ludo knows after the events of "The Hard Way" that he is aware that Toffee possessed him, he makes no indication of it. Indeed, it's not even clear that Ludo is telling the truth about the wand not working anymore, since it seems to function perfectly well once Toffee grafts his arm to Ludo's body.

Ludo is undeniably lying to Moon -- but what are we to make of these lies? Why does he do it? There are, at first glance, two main possibilities:

Ludo is just trying to protect himself -- he's unaware that Toffee possessed him. Toffee is therefore inadvertently being protected by Ludo's lies.

Ludo is aware that Toffee possessed him, and he's protecting both of them. This would indicate that he's chosen to work with Toffee.

However, it seems unlikely to me that Ludo would knowingly work together with Toffee -- especially after what Toffee put him through -- so I believe there is, in fact, a third possibility. In order to discuss that, however, we will first have to discuss the biggest liar of them all -- the one whose absence is keenly felt in the season finale: Glossaryck.

Where is Glossaryck?

Glossaryck is a liar. You know that, don't you? Not only does he speak in riddles and pretend to be foolish, he gets by on half-truths, equivocation, and outright lies. Indeed, not only is the biggest liar in the entire series, but he seems to have most viewers well and truly fooled. Among the many little ones, there are three major lies that people keep repeating as truths. Here's the first major lie:

Star: I'm sorry we hurt your feelings. Glossaryck: Oh, you didn't hurt my feelings. I have no feelings.

This line, from the episode "By the Book," is an outright lie. Glossaryck quite clearly does, in fact, have feelings:

In "My New Wand!", Glossaryck says to Marco, "You know I do this because I love you."

In "Star on Wheels," Glossaryck seems to enjoy time with Oskar.

In "Into the Wand," Glossaryck is horrified and tired.

In "Page Turner," Glossaryck demonstrates anger as well as annoyance and triumph.

In "Raid the Cave," Glossaryck shows surprise and fascination.

In "The Hard Way," Glossaryck appears to be bored and frustrated with Ludo.

... Not to mention the very fact that Glossaryck pretends to have his feelings hurt in “By the Book” makes him a liar in the first place.

The second major lie that people seem to believe is that Glossaryck is bound to the book of spells and must do whatever the owner of the book says. This is patently false:

In "Mewberty," Glossaryck pretty much does whatever he wants.

In "Star on Wheels," Glossaryck is shown emerging from some other book.

In "Wand to Wand," Glossaryck ostensibly refuses to help Star and pretends to be sick -- although he does, in fact, hint at the solution to her problem.

In "By the Book," Glossaryck tricks Star into performing a spell from the book.

In "Page Turner," Glossaryck states outright that his job is to train Star to be a queen -- not that he must do whatever she says; indeed, when Star suggests spells to Glossaryck, he mocks her choices.

In "Bon Bon the Birthday Clown," Glossaryck chooses on his own to accompany Star and Janna to the graveyard.

Also in "Bon Bon the Birthday Clown," Glossaryck chooses on his own to burn a spell in the spellbook.

Everyone agrees in "Starcrushed" that Glossaryck actually just does whatever he wants, coming and going as he pleases.

The burned spell in "Bon Bon the Birthday Clown" relates directly to the third major lie: that Glossaryck has no allegiance. People had suggested this for some time, and Glossaryck seems to confirm it in "The Hard Way":

Toffee: Hello, Glossaryck. Glossaryck: Hello, Toffee. Toffee: Time to give it up, old man. You'll never get him on your side. Glossaryck: But I don't have a side. Toffee: You don't, do you? (chuckles) Excellent.

But this is a lie. If Glossaryck has no side, why does he burn the spell? He has obviously decided -- of his own accord, no less -- that one side should, in fact, not have access to all the spells in the book. Therefore, he is flat-out lying when he says he has no side.

(I find it very interesting that Toffee seems to be surprised by Glossaryck's words -- and apparently believes them. Toffee believes Glossaryck's lies.)

The reason I think all this is significant is because "The Hard Way" sets up the idea that Toffee and Glossaryck are both trying to get Ludo on their side. So here is my radical suggestion:

Ludo Sides with Glossaryck

Yes -- I think Ludo has sided with Glossaryck. One reason I suspect this is because Ludo lies to Moon in a way that is strikingly similar to Glossaryck: he rambles, he misleads, and he flat-out lies.

Toffee, on the other hand, tends to be succinct and precise. Like a lawyer, his words are generally true, though often there is some double meaning to them -- some trap or ulterior motive. Observe:

Toffee: Yes, well, you're not the first monster to fall victim to their magic. Toffee: Sometimes your biggest threat is right under your nose. Toffee: (taking the mace) It works fine for me. Toffee: Let me ask you a question. What kind of leader throws you into a pit of hair, makes you do all the work, and shows you no appreciation for your sacrifices? Toffee: Eat something. It could be your last meal. Toffee: I don't want your wand. Destroy it. Toffee: Tell Star ... I'm coming for my finger.

Glossaryck, too, lacks Toffee's verbal precision, often muttering "uhs," "ohs," or "ums."

There are other reasons to believe that Ludo sides with Glossaryck: consider, for instance, the fact, as the author of the blog I linked earlier points out, Ludo always bests his abusers in the end:

Ludo’s talent is surviving abuse and mirroring his abusers (he even gets the better of Star Butterfly when he learns magic and steals her spellbook), in a twisted mockery of family relations. He did it with Arachne and the Bird (his two mothers…), the horde of rats, probably with his first troop of monsters as well. Oh yeah, and his actual family, where all of this started.

Toffee clearly underestimates Ludo and has made a grave error in binding himself to him.

Additionally, the author of that same blog also points out a comparison between the shot in "My New Wand!" and the shot of Ludo in "Face the Music": Ludo is literally using his wand like a spoon. What is this comparison trying to tell us?

Well, recall the lesson that Glossaryck gives Star about being able to perform magic without her wand (i.e., the "hard way"):

Glossaryck: Imagine the universe as this big old cauldron, and magic is the bubbly stew inside, and your wand is the spoon. Now --   Star: My wand isn't a spoon. It's a wand.   Glossaryck: It's a metaphor, Star.   Star: No, it's a wand.   Glossaryck: Fine. It's a wand.   Star: Now you're getting it!   Glossaryck: Now the wand can only skim the surface of the hobo gravy, watery and brown. But if you want to get to the chunks, you've got to dip down.

I believe that, by making a reference to a lesson that Glossaryck taught Star, the scene's real purpose is twofold: one, to indicate that Glossaryck has taught the same lessons on magic to Ludo, and two, to put us in mind of the events of "The Hard Way." Yes -- the metaphor is itself a metaphor.

Remember what happens at the end of "The Hard Way": Toffee takes over Ludo's body, and the dialogue establishes that Toffee and Glossaryck are vying for control of Ludo. Toffee's mistaken belief that Glossaryck has no side is integral to Glossaryck's plan to help Ludo eventually overcome Toffee.

Not only this, however, but the comparison hints that Glossaryck is not gone: his presence is felt right there in the lessons that he's given to Ludo.

Finally, there is one last piece of evidence that Ludo will eventually betray Toffee. In "The Ballad of Star Butterfly," Ruberiot pointedly foreshadows Ludo's decision with an unusual line:

The villain rose up from behind the jester's cross

Jester's cross is an odd way of referring to Bon Bon's grave -- recall that Ludo hides behind it in "Bon Bon the Birthday Clown" in order to ambush Star -- but it makes perfect sense as a metaphor for a double-cross. Ludo is almost certainly the jester -- as I note in previous analyses, his name is etymology connected to clowns and jesters and clowns are a symbol of resurrection -- and his cross could very well be a pre-arranged deal with Glossaryck to betray Toffee.

Why All the Riddles?

If Ludo has sided with Glossaryck, why, then, does Ludo lie to Moon at all?

I suspect Glossaryck needs everyone to believe the lies that he's told in order to fool Toffee, who is unusually perceptive. Glossaryck, however, is an adept actor -- and, considering that the audience appears to have been fooled, it's not that unusual that Toffee himself is fooled as well. He likely needs Ludo to lie for him in order to conceal his real whereabouts.

On the other hand, it's not clear that Ludo does continue lying to Moon. The end of the scene in "Starcrushed" makes it seem as if Ludo is about to come clean. We don't know if Ludo manages to actually tell her anything, but it's possible that he does blurt something out before Toffee takes over.

Moreover, there's one additional reason behind all the lies -- a simple purpose that has stared us in the face since "Page Turner" -- one that we're given an answer to in "Raid the Cave":

Star: But I need you. Glossaryck: Maybe this is what you need.

Yes -- all of this is part of Glossaryck's plan to train Star to become a queen. I believe Glossaryck, in the process of this training, is betting on Ludo's tenacity and on Star's creativity to ultimately defeat Toffee while slightly nudging the odds in their favor.

Sound implausible? It shouldn't; Glossaryck has already done something exactly like this. Recall "By the Book":

Star: I'm sorry we hurt your feelings. Glossaryck: You didn't hurt my feelings. I have no feelings. It was all part of the plan. Star: What do you mean, "part of the plan"? Marco: Yeah. Why'd you lock yourself in the donut box, then? Glossaryck: I went into that box on purpose because I needed to get to that candy. Marco: Ohhh. Wait, why? Glossaryck: Well, how would you rocket yourself from a trash compactor?   Marco: What? I don't know. Glossaryck: Marco, Marco. I had to be in that donut box so I could land at Ludo's feet to trip him up and save the day. Marco: Wait, wait -- so you're saying you did all that on -- Glossaryck: Boom nugget! (laughs) Marco: (sighs) Fine.

And, just like in "By the Book," Glossaryck gets captured by Ludo on purpose so he can get to that candy -- to Toffee.

It's all part of the plan.

Thanks for reading this analysis of the season finale. I hope you enjoyed it! I finally received my copy of the guidebook, so some analysis of that will be soon forthcoming. Please feel free to send me asks of things you’d like to see analyzed from the book or the show! Until next time.

[numberonetrashcollectorus-blog]

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I passed my driving test 2 months ago live in a small village and have a full time job i am 18 years old.recently i have been looking around for car insurance quotes for the obvious 1st cars 106s,corsas etc and the lowest quote iv had is still over 3 grand these are all of compare sites aswell as admiral quinn and direct line, surely this carnt be right? this is on my own insurance as the main policy holder, because apparently you carnt go on your parents insurance anymore. would appreciate any help Thanks""

Can I add my son to my fiances car insurance?

My son just turned 16, and I have been researching insurance cost for him. My fiance drives a company car, and his own personal truck just sits in the driveway. It would be much cheaper adding my son to his truck (84.00) as an occasional driver versus putting him on mine (154.00) as an occasional driver. My car is considered a class C vehicle (Landrover) which is why it would be more expensive. Does anybody know if insurance companies would allow this, being that we are not married yet? Thanks!!""

Farmes Car Insurance?

I had a accident on the freeway a girl hi tme from behind and she had farmers insurance are they good at fixing other peoples cars when their cutomers are at fault

How can I verify if the car I'm driving has insurance?

I do have the VIN# and car info, but there was no insurance papers in car. I also don't have a contact number on the car's owner""

Is it against the law not to have car insurance in Illinois?

My friend just got her liscense but she doesnt have car insurance. She drives her parents' car, n the car insurance is under their name, not hers. But i also know that they do not hvae enough money at the moment to add her name to their insurance. Is this wrong? if so, how wrong? What would happen to her if she ever got caught?""

Car Insurance for teens.?

What car insurance will give a 15 year old car insurance for a sports car?

Should parents buy life insurance policies for their young children?

What do you think? Give good reasoning for your argument...THANKS!!!

If I have a suspended license but someone else drives my car how can I get the insurance back on my car?

I just found out my license is suspended, so I can not drive. I have a friend that drives my car and takes me to my kids appointments, but now I have no insurance due to suspended license. I am working with attorney to get a temp license, but not sure how to get the insurance back on my car. I am single mother who needs to have the insurance on my car.""

Should I buy insurance for my dog?

My brother keeps insisting that I purchase pet insurance for my dog mainly because he sells It and wants a commission. But is pet insurance really essential?

Car insurance and moving?

I'm going to buy a car soon, And then move pretty much right after that...It would be a good idea to get the insurance and plates and stuff before I go, obviously, but what will need to be done once I move? I heard that as long as I live in my parent's house, the insurance would be cheaper, well, I'd be moving out...so I have no idea how to get everything straightened around.""

Do you need to pay for insurance if you're using a family car?

Im 16, and am getting my license soon. Do i need to pay the $1500 dollars a month for insurance, or does the family insurance cover me? Im wondering if the insurance is for the person, or the car that the person is driving.""

Does a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt increase auto insurance?

I am 18 years old. I have had my license for almost 2 years, and I have never gotten a ticket-until last Sunday. I was one of 4 people sitting across 3 rear seats in a car without our seat belts on. I live in CA and I have AAA insurance. Does anyone know how much this ticket is likely to cost and whether or not I will receive a point on my license? And most importantly if the rates will go up?""

""Can't get insured, what to do?""

In April 2008, my wife totaled out my Impala(at fault, fault of my wife). In Jan 2010, some lady totaled out my Saturn which was sitting in front of my house, we were inside the house at the time. I had full coverage, but the lady did not have anything. Of course my insurance went up. I am trying to get insured for a motorcycle that I want, but all I keep getting is that I am uninsurable. I personally have not had any at fault accidents. How can I get around this, Is there an easier way? I have to get full coverage 500 deductible and collision on this motorcycle. THIS SUCKS! HELP Please!""

Cost of ticket for driving without insurance?

im 16 and i need to get to work tomorow...my stepmom has to work so the only way to get to work is taking my dad's 2007 toyota tundra. if i get pulled over about how much will the ticket cost? i have my liscense just not insurance. i also live in texas

Would I be saving money if I bought a car and did the liability only insurance policy?

Right now, I am 17 years old and I have had my license since April 28th 2011. My family is on Allstate and their policy states that as long as I am driving a car which is not registered to my own name, I have to do full coverage (this is very expensive <$2000 since I am a new driver). If I buy a cheap car, one with a $1000 price tag, will I be saving money? Liability only insurance is cheaper, but by what amount? Is it worth driving a cheaper car?""

How much will my insurance go up??

i have 21st century auto insurance and i have been driving since february 2008 and i am 18 years old. i bumped a state vehicle (caltrans) but there was no damage done whatsoever to the vehicle...as for my car...there was a small scratch that i will not repair. however chp said since its a state vehicle they have to report it. how much will my insurance go up??

I received a non moving violation for exhaust/more. Will my insurance go up?

I received a ticket the other day for modified exhaust (Vehicle code 27151 Article B) and Gross polluter (Article 27156). Both are checked as non correctable, but I plan to go to the Ref because A. I know my vehicle is below 95db and B. I am running with a catalytic converter and have passed smog within the past 6 months. The second ticket I believe is just for having a Cold Air intake. Will these two things make my insurance rates rise or because they are non moving, they won't?""

Where does the money go that everyone pays for car insurance?

If I pay $100 a month for car insurance for 20 years that's $24,000. I know 5 people in my family who pay approximately that so that's about $120,000. So with everyone who drives pays about that, where does all that money go? To pay for car wrecks? Government? What? (No, I've never had a wreck or used the insurance to pay for anything)""

Car insurance price for 17 year old?

I've got 2 questions cropped into 1 1st question, im looking to buy a Ford Fiesta HOPEFULLY after i pass my driving test. Ford Fiesta 1.2-1.6 litres. 2004-2006 model. Insurance price to a new 17 year old male driver living in northwest london where not much vandalism/problems occur compared to other towns. Car will be on off road parking overnight. Whats the approximate insurance price im looking at? 2nd question being that if anyone had recently taken the theory test. Is it hard? Easy? Thanks in advance""

""I'm turning 17 soon & looking for car insurance, anyone know ruffly how much it would be for a toyota celica?

I live in N.ireland

affordable home insurance inc dennis gagnon jr

affordable home insurance inc dennis gagnon jr

About how much is high point auto insurance a month?

Well, I just recently got my license and I wanted to buy a car, but my mom said that it's a bad idea and one of the reasons is because of how expensive insurance is. My friend told me her insurance- high point- is only 60 dollars a month. I'm not sure if that's true, because that sounds really really cheap. Does anyone have this or know approximately how much this auto insurance would be a month?""

""When I buy a used car, is it legal to drive it home without insurance?""

What do I have to do before I drive it home? I am buying the car in another city, so I have a 45 minute drive from the sales point back to my house.""

Do I need insurance to take my drivers test?

I want to get my licence and all I have to do is take the driving part. The car I am going to take my test in is insured in another persons name but since I'm not a registered driver on the car, am I still able to drive it just to take my test? I've tried getting on the policy but they will not insure me until I have a valid license, duh lol. So how exactly does this work?""

Insurance policy?...?

My mum n dad are insured on a car and are going away next week for 2 weeks and said I can get insured on their car. But their insurance will not insure anyone under 25. I don't think you can have 2 insurance policies on one vehicle but not sure, so can you? How can I get round this? If I got a temp insurance the police would only give me a warning, yeah? Personal Information: 19 year old male with a 2 year driving license and 1 year NCB Pass Plus obtained""

Cheapest car insurance for an 18yr old with 1 yr no claims?

Cheapest car insurance for an 18yr old with 1 yr no claims?

How much will my insurance be if im 16?

Well im 16 and I just got my license 2 days ago and I want to get insurance on a 2005 wrx sti sedan and we just got this car no one is insured on this car yet and I want to know how much the insurace will be per month or year, I havent had any tickets yet and never crashed. Can someone please help more or atleast give me an estimate or educated guess if you dont know. Thanks to anyone who helps.""

Putting someone on my car insurance policy?

Can i add my brother and his car to my insurance policy? He doesn't have insurance cuz he can't afford the whole big down payment to start his own policy. Can i just add him and his car to mine? I don't drive his car and he doesn't drive mine, so would that work?""

Question re: insurance premiums and taxes?

I've read that health insurance premiums can be itemized deductions. Any others? What about accident insurance I pay for out of my pocket? I pay for both accident and sickness premiums to the same company and pay for all my policies out of my pocket. Any help is appreciated.

Anyone have an idea about Car Insurance Rates?

Anyone have an idea of car insurance rates in Texas on a camaro for a 16 year old female beginner driver??

Car insurance for a month?

Is there anyway of getting a car insurance for just a month cause I'm selling my car in the next month so don't want to take out a years insurance for it? Thanks

Is it true that in PA if you don't own a car you don't need car insurance but could still drive someone's car?

I have my own car now and insurance, but I want to get rid of it and just drive my bf's extra car around. Is that legal because he has insurance on his cars? This is in Pennsylvania. Thanks.""

Auto insurance : which company do you recommend?

We want to switch car insurance...our current one is so expensive! Any recommendations please?Thank you so much.

Homeowners insurance????

Can anyone give me some good companies for homeowners insurance? What do you use? What is the average monthly payment for the policy? I need this info - I will be closing on a house in a few weeks and need to get homeowners insurance. I'd like a cheap policy so my monthly payment will be lower. (I might increase later). Thanks!!!

Medical insurance?

Im looking for medical insurance in connecticut that covers ivf treatments completely and consultation fees please help!! Thanksss :)

What's the best auto insurance for a brand new driver @ age 30?

With a 2008 Honda Civic, and why? I already called and got quotes from places byt I wabt to hear from regular everyday people...""

Where can I find disability insurance?

I am deaf and looking for special disability insurance for auto. I have state farms with my parent name but I am trying to get my own insurance that work with disability part.

""A car is registered on my name, im only 18 years old male and i want to get a cheaper car insurance.""

a car is registered on my name, im only 18 years old male and i want to get a cheaper car insurance.is it possible if i could get my friend to insure my car on his name as the main driver because he has like more than 5 years no claims discount bonus which makes the car insurance go down and im just going to be the second driver? but the car is registered on my name. is it still possible if i could do that and get below a 1000 pounds insurance for a year?? thanks for the answers in advance. IM FROM UK ENGLAND by the way""

How much will my insurance go up?

I rearended someone on the highway. There was no damage on either car and no one was hurt. Unfortunately, my front airbags deployed and the seatbelts locked up. I've got an estimate of 4k in repairs. I believe my deductible is approx $400. 4k is a pretty hefty amount. But the question is should I claim or pay out of pocket? Basically, will the increased insurance rate exceed that of the 3.6k difference that they'd be paying? I'm currently paying 1k a year. Thanks.""

What is the least amount of car insurance I need to have on a car that doesn't have a loan on it?

I live in Wisconsin and havent had insurance in about four years. I am getting married in six months and my fiance's insurance agent said that I should get insurance now, six months before the wedding, so that once we get married and I get added onto his insurance, I won't raise his insurance since I am considered high risk since I havent had insurance the last six months or more. So, if I get insurance on my won for six months, it will be high risk for those six months, but then six montsh from now, I won't be high risk, which will be good becasue six months from now is when i would get married and added onto his insurance. Now, I am going to get insurance on a car that doesn't have a loan on it, and I am wondering how much insurance I need? What is the least amount of insurance I could get on my car, so that in six months I won't be high risk anymore? P.S. I live in Wisconsin, where it isn't illegal if you don't have insurance on your car.""

On average how much would a body kit raise insurance?

Like on a mustang! Thank you for your time and may God bless you :)<3

Car Insurance and And Accident?

I was hit from behind on Tuesday morning, called my insurance right after, the next day got my police report (like I was told) and gave me insurance the information, I also called the persons who hit me insurance and gave them the information, it turns out that on Wednesday this woman hadn't even filed a claim yet, nor picked up the police report (by law in NY state any accident that has damage reaching over $1,000 has to be sent to Albany by the people) I sent mine Tuesday morning. I was told within 24 hours a rep would call and send someone out to see my car, I figured that being it was late Wednesday already by Thursday or Friday I'd hear something. Turns out nothing yet, and when calling again this woman STILL hasn't filed a claim or picked up her police report. I plan on calling my insurance again but what is going on? How long must I wait for this, my car is damaged badly and needs to be fixed and I feel this woman should pay for this, and all she has caused me? What should be my next move here?""

Im 26 with an learners permit and I want to buy my own car and get insurance on it can I do?

I cant take the driving test without a car so Im wondering if I can buy my own car and if I can get my own insurance so I can take the driving test to get my real license.

Affordable cheap dental insurance?

I'm 21 and need dental insurance.. I need to be able to see a dentist if I need to and would like braces so that % off with the dental would be great . What are some affordable dental insurance plans for myself? thanks!

Where can i get affordable health insurance?

health insurance in south carolina

Car insurance in the u.k??

is ridiculous i am a young male who has had his license 4 10 days and havent drove a car due to the fact that robbing insurance companies are trying to charge me over 2000 for third party fire an theft on a car that isnt even 1000cc in fact its 950 cc does any one no of any insurance companies that DO ACTUALLY SAVE U MONEY thank you

affordable home insurance inc dennis gagnon jr

affordable home insurance inc dennis gagnon jr

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/state-farm-renters-insurance-isaiah-mays/"

[foursproutwealth-blog]

Wall Street’s top-ranked stock picker reveals the 'a-ha moment' that shaped the rest of his wildly successful investment career

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/wealth/wall-streets-top-ranked-stock-picker-reveals-the-a-ha-moment-that-shaped-the-rest-of-his-wildly-successful-investment-career/

Wall Street’s top-ranked stock picker reveals the 'a-ha moment' that shaped the rest of his wildly successful investment career

Dennis Lynch, the head of growth investing at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, was the top large-cap portfolio manager of 2017, and his funds have been dominating for years.

In an exclusive interview with Business Insider, he reveals an epiphany he had early in his career that’s informed his decision-making process ever since.

The greatest epiphany of Dennis Lynch‘s career came while he was on paternity leave.

It was during that time that Lynch — who now serves as head of growth investing at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where he’s the lead manager of six funds and directly oversees $27 billion — was able to detach from many of the short-term trappings of the investment business.

Needless to say, the mental adjustment worked out well for him, considering he’s been the top-performing large-cap fund manager on Wall Street in recent years.

Oh, and you may have heard of the stock that inspired him. It was an online bookseller called Amazon, which had developed quite the stigma following the dotcom era.

“It made you sick to your stomach to think about owning it,” Lynch told Business Insider by phone. “People were classifying it as a retailer, and most people felt like it was one of the poster children for the Internet bubble.”

But the new perspective adopted by Lynch allowed him to look past the fresh wounds opened by the dotcom bubble and focus on Amazon’s long-term growth potential, which most were still ignoring.

“It dawned on me that there’s a whole other way to look at this, based on how the company was run from a long-term perspective, constantly reinvesting profits into bigger ideas and innovation,” he said. “There was a whole other way of thinking about it, and that felt like an a-ha moment.”

Now before you go and say you already knew this about Amazon, consider that back then, it was not a widely-held view. Both the company and the stock may seem like unstoppable juggernauts now, but buying Amazon was a contrarian move at a time when traders were still climbing out of the tech bubble’s wreckage.

For evidence of this, look no further than the company’s almost 5,000% stock price increase over the past 15 years — 25 times the return generated by the benchmark S&P 500 over the same period. It’s safe to say Lynch made a good call.

How Lynch’s epiphany informs his management style

The implications of Lynch’s Amazon epiphany stretch far beyond his decision to buy one single stock. He’s applied the big-picture analysis of potential targets to his entire investment approach — one steeped in seeking out disruption and then acting on it before others.

It also informs how Lynch runs his team of portfolio managers. He knows his grand Amazon realization was only possible because he was disconnected from the traditional groupthink so common in the investment field. And because of that, he implores his employees to take at least one day a month out of the office to brainstorm ideas.

After all, the holy grail for Lynch are the types of potentially paradigm-shifting ideas that make portfolios soar in the long term.

“The idea is for them to shake up their typical daily routine and focus on big ideas and bigger thoughts,” Lynch said. “Culturally, I think [my a-ha moment] helped us get to the point where we’re leaving time open for thinking and processing.”

In the end, it all fits into Lynch’s management puzzle, which also includes running team-wide personality tests and maintaining a reading network.

“If you accept that the market is a complex adaptive system, by definition you’ll have an evolutionary mindset about how to spend time, find new ideas, and develop differentiated thinking,” Lynch added. “You have to be willing to be different, which also means sometimes you have to be willing to lose. It comes back to how important temperament is.”

Complete market dominance over a long stretch

Of course, no discussion of Lynch is complete without a thorough dissection of his market-smashing performance over the past several years. Here’s a look at the wild success he and his team have enjoyed in two of their top funds:

Morgan Stanley Multi-Cap Growth Trust

Returned 48% in 2017, the best of all large-company stock funds tracked by Kiplinger

Surged 38% over the 12 months ended March 31, also the best of all its peers

In the 98th percentile or higher for all large-cap mutual funds on a trailing one-, three-, and five-year basis, according to Bloomberg data

Up 16% on a year-to-date basis through May 17, compared with 2.5% for the S&P 500 total return index over the same period

Morgan Stanley Institutional Growth Portfolio

Best-performing large-company stock fund over a trailing three- and five-year basis through March 31, according to Kiplinger

In the 99th percentile for all large-cap mutual funds on a trailing one-, three-, and five-year basis, Bloomberg data shows

Up 16% year-to-date through May 17

This is part four of Business Insider’s series of stories on Lynch. Read the other three:

An inside look at how Wall Street’s best stock picker fine-tunes his team to perfection — from personality tests to reading networks

Wall Street’s best stock picker shares his secret weapon for unlocking massive investment opportunities and crushing the market

Wall Street’s top fund manager reveals the last 2 stocks he fell in love with — and breaks down why he expects them to soar

SEE ALSO: Notorious short seller Andrew Left can send a stock tumbling with a single tweet — here’s an inside look at how he decides which companies to tackle

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why you should never release your pet goldfish into the wild

[foursprout-blog]

Wall Street’s top-ranked stock picker reveals the 'a-ha moment' that shaped the rest of his wildly successful investment career

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/wealth/wall-streets-top-ranked-stock-picker-reveals-the-a-ha-moment-that-shaped-the-rest-of-his-wildly-successful-investment-career/

Wall Street’s top-ranked stock picker reveals the 'a-ha moment' that shaped the rest of his wildly successful investment career

Dennis Lynch, the head of growth investing at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, was the top large-cap portfolio manager of 2017, and his funds have been dominating for years.

In an exclusive interview with Business Insider, he reveals an epiphany he had early in his career that’s informed his decision-making process ever since.

The greatest epiphany of Dennis Lynch‘s career came while he was on paternity leave.

It was during that time that Lynch — who now serves as head of growth investing at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where he’s the lead manager of six funds and directly oversees $27 billion — was able to detach from many of the short-term trappings of the investment business.

Needless to say, the mental adjustment worked out well for him, considering he’s been the top-performing large-cap fund manager on Wall Street in recent years.

Oh, and you may have heard of the stock that inspired him. It was an online bookseller called Amazon, which had developed quite the stigma following the dotcom era.

“It made you sick to your stomach to think about owning it,” Lynch told Business Insider by phone. “People were classifying it as a retailer, and most people felt like it was one of the poster children for the Internet bubble.”

But the new perspective adopted by Lynch allowed him to look past the fresh wounds opened by the dotcom bubble and focus on Amazon’s long-term growth potential, which most were still ignoring.

“It dawned on me that there’s a whole other way to look at this, based on how the company was run from a long-term perspective, constantly reinvesting profits into bigger ideas and innovation,” he said. “There was a whole other way of thinking about it, and that felt like an a-ha moment.”

Now before you go and say you already knew this about Amazon, consider that back then, it was not a widely-held view. Both the company and the stock may seem like unstoppable juggernauts now, but buying Amazon was a contrarian move at a time when traders were still climbing out of the tech bubble’s wreckage.

For evidence of this, look no further than the company’s almost 5,000% stock price increase over the past 15 years — 25 times the return generated by the benchmark S&P 500 over the same period. It’s safe to say Lynch made a good call.

How Lynch’s epiphany informs his management style

The implications of Lynch’s Amazon epiphany stretch far beyond his decision to buy one single stock. He’s applied the big-picture analysis of potential targets to his entire investment approach — one steeped in seeking out disruption and then acting on it before others.

It also informs how Lynch runs his team of portfolio managers. He knows his grand Amazon realization was only possible because he was disconnected from the traditional groupthink so common in the investment field. And because of that, he implores his employees to take at least one day a month out of the office to brainstorm ideas.

After all, the holy grail for Lynch are the types of potentially paradigm-shifting ideas that make portfolios soar in the long term.

“The idea is for them to shake up their typical daily routine and focus on big ideas and bigger thoughts,” Lynch said. “Culturally, I think [my a-ha moment] helped us get to the point where we’re leaving time open for thinking and processing.”

In the end, it all fits into Lynch’s management puzzle, which also includes running team-wide personality tests and maintaining a reading network.

“If you accept that the market is a complex adaptive system, by definition you’ll have an evolutionary mindset about how to spend time, find new ideas, and develop differentiated thinking,” Lynch added. “You have to be willing to be different, which also means sometimes you have to be willing to lose. It comes back to how important temperament is.”

Complete market dominance over a long stretch

Of course, no discussion of Lynch is complete without a thorough dissection of his market-smashing performance over the past several years. Here’s a look at the wild success he and his team have enjoyed in two of their top funds:

Morgan Stanley Multi-Cap Growth Trust

Returned 48% in 2017, the best of all large-company stock funds tracked by Kiplinger

Surged 38% over the 12 months ended March 31, also the best of all its peers

In the 98th percentile or higher for all large-cap mutual funds on a trailing one-, three-, and five-year basis, according to Bloomberg data

Up 16% on a year-to-date basis through May 17, compared with 2.5% for the S&P 500 total return index over the same period

Morgan Stanley Institutional Growth Portfolio

Best-performing large-company stock fund over a trailing three- and five-year basis through March 31, according to Kiplinger

In the 99th percentile for all large-cap mutual funds on a trailing one-, three-, and five-year basis, Bloomberg data shows

Up 16% year-to-date through May 17

This is part four of Business Insider’s series of stories on Lynch. Read the other three:

An inside look at how Wall Street’s best stock picker fine-tunes his team to perfection — from personality tests to reading networks

Wall Street’s best stock picker shares his secret weapon for unlocking massive investment opportunities and crushing the market

Wall Street’s top fund manager reveals the last 2 stocks he fell in love with — and breaks down why he expects them to soar

SEE ALSO: Notorious short seller Andrew Left can send a stock tumbling with a single tweet — here’s an inside look at how he decides which companies to tackle

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why you should never release your pet goldfish into the wild

[emblem-333]

MJ vs Sir Charles & The Glide

Settling on my cushy chair on a hot summer day, the sun shining brilliantly in the clear blue sky I thought there isn’t a better time to stay indoors. Flipping on “Hardwood Classics” on ESPN Classic I did just that. Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals was on, Sir Charles and Clyde “The Glide” Drexler going up against their nemesis Michael Jeffery Jordan. MJ beat both when separate, Drexler shrank from the stage; Barkley rose to the occasion only to be smacked down in six-games when all signs pointed towards an epic Game 7 on the horizon before John Paxson’s left of center three-pointer hit nothing but net. Ending the best opponent Jordan ever faced since the “Bad Boy” Pistons. Charles and Clyde when separate Jordan ate them alive. Together: maybe they could beat him.

The 1996-97 Rockets did what the Lakers of 1969 did: took the most simplest approach to how to go about beating one team. How do you neutralize Dennis Rodman? Why just trade for the “Round Mound of Rebound” of course. Slot him next to the third greatest center of all-time and suddenly the Bulls are relying on Luc Longly more than anybody would want. The 1996-7 Rockets were the classic case of a team not giving a fuck about their future, maxing out all their assets for one-year for their franchise player before he moved on to another phase of his career. Olajuwon and Drexler were both 34, Barkley was 33, Mario Ellie was 33, backup center Kevin Willis was 34, backup wing Eddie Johnson was 37. Unlike the Jordan’s teammates - mostly referring to Pippin and Kukoc - neither of the players named had much in the take for future seasons. They did not have the demonic devotion to conditioning that Jordan did.

For Charles and Clyde their original situations fell apart. Hamstrung by crappy ownership Barkley kicked and screamed till the infamous twenty-five cents on the dollar deal that sent him to Phoenix happened. The Blazers, for all their brilliance on offense, missed their window once Jordan came of age after 1991. Phil Jackson affirmed the Blazers tendency to “self-destruct” late in games prior to the start of the ‘92 Finals. And low and behold in a do-or-die Game 6 in Chicago up fifteen heading into the fourth the Bulls outscored the Blazers by a margin of 33-14. Thus the last nail was put in the Drexler-Kersey-Porter era Blazers coffin. Never again to contend for a title until 1999 with a different cast all together. Ironically the same issues of unnecessary turnovers, poor decision-making among other cancerous mistakes cost them a chance at the NBA Title against the Phil Jackson coached Los Angeles Lakers; star small forward Scottie Pippen was in the same chase for a ring situation Barkley-Drexler-Olajuwon were a few years only with arguably a better supporting cast and a undeniably worse coach in Mike Dunleavey. Even more ironically, Pippen was supposed to PREVENT another meltdown.

It took the star-studded Rockets seven-games to end the Supersonics reign as Western Conference champions, and another seven to push back the ever so valiant Stockton & Malone Jazz, edging the duo out on a Barkley-led 7-0 run in the last minute-twelve seconds of the game by a score of 88-91. By the skin of their teeth the AARP Houston Rockets were back in the NBA Finals against the opponent they wanted all along. To silence all the doubters who devalued Olajuwon’s two championships in '94-'95 because Jordan wasn’t waiting in the wings. The last hurrah of late-80s, early-90s basketball to begin in June of 1997.

Never before had Jordan had so much on the line in an NBA Finals, gone against such a loaded team that forced his squad to rely on the likes of Steve Kerr and Luc Longly. Jordan-Pippen-Rodman were enough to win 141 games over the last two seasons, set a season record for victories in a season and breeze through two playoff runs seemingly without breaking a sweat. All of the NBA were ants compared to the Chicago Bulls, like the Celtics made the league feel in the days of Bill Russell. Every season beginning with a “why even bother” feeling, only proven true by season’s end. In 1968 the Lakers were sick of losing to the same guy over and over, they finally pulled the trigger to become the second team to get Chamberlin on a ten cents on the dollar trade for him. Thinking if Elgin and Jerry weren’t enough to beat Russell, perhaps his greatest foe could push them over the top?

Well, that didn’t happen. Despite Jerry West’s ballin’ for 37.9 points, off 49% shooting, and 7.4 assists in the greatest series of his storied career, Russell knew Wilt like the back of his hand. Even with the rehabilitation Wilt went under in 1967 in Philadelphia, utilizing his passing skills converting himself into an assist-whore, since earlier Wilt only cared about points and rebounds. He sprained his angle in Game 7, came out for a little while. The Lakers went on a little run and when Wilt asked coach Butch van Breda Kolff stubbornly replied “we’re doing better without you,” and his posturing cost them the title and his job. Can’t also underestimate the psychological edge Boston held over LA couldn't be matched to any one-sided rivalry in sports at the time.

Houston’s core battled their inner demons of past failures and the ghost of Michael Jordan’s success. His Airness subsumed all of what Charles, Clyde and Hakeem accomplished in their long careers. All that mattered in that time in basketball was the Bulls. The allure of the bright red and losing yourself in the dark as the night sky 23. When the time for talk ended and the tip-off proceeded as planned a wave washed over all those in Chicago, in Houston, those in the arena, on the floor and even the announcers. A cathartic resolution was to be brought in the coming weeks. Eight All-Stars in the NBA Finals, shattering all expectations when it didn’t seem possible.

Stealing Game 1 on the road behind Olajuwon and his 31 points, twenty rebounds and three blocks and emasculating Rodman for thirty-six minutes. Jordan and Pippen roared back for fifty-five points and sixteen rebounds combined in a 102-91 thrashing. More of the same followed in a game 3, ensuring the series wouldn’t end in the Lone Star State. Ellie and Penn State rookie Maloney hit nine 3s, the point guard posting fifteen assists, Barkley grabbed thirteen boards en route to the Rockets tying the series in a 95-99 squeaker.

Game 5 is usually when Jordan doesn’t play around. These things don’t last longer than six-games typically. Forty-six points, eleven rebounds and eight assists wasn’t enough from the GOAT, Barkley-Clyde-Hakeem combined for eighty-six of their team’s points, barley pushing the veteran Rockets over the defending champions 113-105, setting the stage for Game six.

Legacies are formed and broken in Game sevens, but Game sixes are almost always better for whatever reasons. Even with all the accolades Jordan could not stand losing. This is the guy who lost to a friend at ping-pong once at college, bought his own table me trained until he was the best player on the team. The time of experimentation was over, Phil decided to go with what he knew worked. Taking advantages of size matchups wherever he could find them.

Sporting three inches over Mario Ellie Pippen made a joke of Ellie guarding him in the first half, hitting six of his first nine, 15 points and 5 rebounds when the buzzer signaled a change of sides. Michael couldn’t fly like he did in the early 90s when he and Pip made Magic and Worthy look as if they regretted picking basketball for a career; they just kept attacking them like a pack of crazed dogs. But he could hit the fadeaway with such consistency your knees buckled just from watching. Mother of all Christ, how can you stop this guy? It didn’t matter Hakeem and Charles clogged the paint, Jordan found his spots. Drexler responded to this by doing his best impression of a watered up corpse.

Barkley and Rodman battled for every rebound, every put-back, for every positioning on defense. For the brute force Rodman exhibited under the basket, Barkley knew how to score. 12 points, 10 rebounds for Barkley to Rodman’s 0 points and 14 rebounds. For the entirety of the first half the juice in the building was palpable, Jordan’s veins pulsating through his wrist, even i could see it and we’re talking 1997 television graphics. Maloney came up big where Drexler shrank, posting six points and four assists to give Houston the slim lead of 49-52, Jordan leading the game in scoring (22) and steals (5) and confirmed kills. Half of those points coming from the charity stripe because Barkley was tossing him around like a rag doll at every opportunity. Olajuwon brought down twelve boards, three blocks and two steals, not even committing a single foul.

Second half, Rudy T decided enough is enough and moved Ellie on to Jordan, Maloney on Kerr, Barkley on Pippen, Hakeem on Rodman and try to Jedi Mind Trick Luc Longly into firing off twelve-footers. Chicago’s first three possessions are punctuated by the energy being seeped out of the building and Longly front rimming everything. A Super Mario three and a Barkley and-one gave Houston a 49-58 lead before Phil burns his first time out of the half.

Drexler walks out of the huddle and sinks a twenty-six footer and mugs right in front Jordan’s face. Bad move. MJ says “fuck this,” drives like a freight train to the basket for a bucket and foul, nails a three of his own, and a sixteen-footer. Time out Rockets, 57-61 Rockets. There isn’t an adjustment you can make for Michael Jordan having enough of your shit. Just hope he simmers down.

Rudy T comes out of the timeout with Randy Livingston in place of Matt Maloney who’s earned a rest chasing Jordan like Wile E. Coyote hunting the Road Runner on switches. Before the huddle breaks Rudy emphasizes to Randy Livingston not leave his defensive assignment - Steve Kerr - under any circumstances, and tells Drexler to take on MJ. After a short dribbling exhibition Jordan gives it to Pippen on the right elbow, Barkley picks him up, forcing him to throw it to a wide open Jordan beyond the arc, seeing this Livingston closes out and manages to get MJ to get rid of the ball…right to Steve Kerr for the twenty-seven foot triple. 60-61. Barkley looks like he’s about to body slam Randy through the announcer table.

For most part thus game couldn’t have gone better for Houston up till this point. Pippen hadn’t scored since the 3:29 mark of the second quarter. Rodman’s been relegated to the bench due to his four fouls and Barkley hasn’t launched any ill-advised threes.

Scratch that. Speak of the devil. Barkley from the right corner hits the side of the rim, leading to a Harper-Pippen fast break, Longly taps it in for the put-back, Bulls take their first lead of the second half. Since the Drexler poking of the bear the Bulls have enjoyed a 13-0 run. Jordan contributing eight points and a crucial assist and continued to lockdown Clyde. Houston needs to get this game back to the inside, goad Pippen and Jordan near the basket. Olajuwon hasn’t allowed a point by either of them in his territory.

On offense the Rockets do just that, Livingston floats a pass over Pippen’s head and into Barkley’s hands, count it and the foul on Longly, his third of the night. Barkley sinks the extra and the Rockets now lead by a full possession. Barkley and Pip jaw at each other, earning a technical for both parties. Michael wants a piece of Charles for that elbow he threw at him in the second, having to be restrained by MMA master Robert Parish, a man Jordan wouldn’t - or shouldn’t even think about fighting. Charles has played like a nasty SOB all night. He hit the back of Longly’s head, tossed Jordan around the parquet and somehow got away with a kick to Bill Wennington’s left knee. One foul was called on Charles prior to the tech. One. Good job, Ed, you earn that dough.

A hesitation dribble done by Harper, he pulls up for a nineteen-footer, hits the left side of the rim, Hakeem gets the rebound ripped from his hands by MJ, and is given a forearm to the cheek in return. Two shots for Jordan. Nice guy my ass. Jordan makes both free throws bringing his point total to 32, and tying to game at 64 a piece.

Halfway thru the third and Rudy brings back in Ellie after two-minutes and twelve seconds of play time passing. I must say, moving Ellie on to Jordan worked great. It couldn’t have been done without Rodman on the bench, Pippen ate Mario alive before the rotation change. Now with Barkley breathing down Scottie’s neck, the best duo in basketball suffered its worse stretch of the night. For the rest of the third quarter, Pippen and Jordan would go scoreless, Houston would enjoy a 10-3 run and lead 74-67 at period’s end. Kevin Willis scored 7 of those ten points and ripped two boards from Longly’s clammy hands.

I’m stunned Kukoc hasn’t seen the floor yet. Is he even alive?

The Rockets are unafraid and even celebratory, while the Bulls look as tight as an otters anus. Kerr and Jordan bark at one another, MJ wants the ball, Kerr tells Jordan to “shut the fuck up,” at least that’s how I read his lips. Kerr brings the ball up to the floor on the right side, bounce passes it to Pippen in the post draped by Barkley, jump hook goes in.

Ellie goes down the floor, passes up a contested layup to Maloney for three and sinks it. 77-69, Rockets. Second triple of the night for Matt, 14 total points, five assists. Timeout Chicago. The fans at the United Center are in desperate need of a B12 shot. Barkley’s slapping hands with the rookie Maloney. What’s eluded him all his career is just seventeen minutes away. By the end of the third Houston’s lead was 83-75, Maloney hit one more three for good measure, Pippen tried to respond by going inside and getting blocked by Barkley making sure he’d never again go under the basket.

Jordan on Drexler, MJ looked to have mentally scarred “The Glide”, eight points, 3 turnovers, and didn’t see much of the floor in the third. Rudy T is going to have to go back to him soon. Ellie and Maloney are going to wear down. The 4th period starts with Jordan getting to his spot at the free throw line on back-to-back possessions getting Chicago within four. Drexler tries to throw it to Olajuwon in the post, deflected by Jordan, throws it to a streaking Randy Brown for the clear path layup. Houston up by two, timeout Rudy T, 9:48 left.

Rodman’s back in, five fouls for him now and is relegated to just being the an enforcer at this point. He returns and barrels through Barkley for his first bucket of the night. Tie game. Barkley tries to get payback, Pippen and Rodman stuff him on the double-team in the pinch post, ball comes free and is scooped up by a Ron Harper and dunks. Bulls lead. That B12 shot finally made its way to the United Center. This crowd has become unglued and are smelling blood. This long from being over. Jordan is anything but complacent. Pippen wants to go to war against Barkley and settle the “who’s the best forward” argument.

Hakeem’s back in, Bulls go with Rodman at center and dare Barkley to shoot. All his points tonight came courtesy of his fat ass so this strategy makes sense. Barkley pumps fake at the elbow, dishes it to a cutting Ellie for the uncontested layup, Rockets tie the game at 85. Bulls come down the court, Pippen takes the pass from Kerr at the baseline and drains the corner three. Jordan’s singing Scottie’s praises as he gets the crowd to go from unglued to fucking ballistic. In the commotion Maloney heaves it over Olajuwon’s head out of bounce. Deer in the headlights look on Maloney.

Bulls waste no time taking advantage of the Rockets mistake, Pippen again takes a long-range shot from the corner this time it rims out, a bunch of “ooohs” and “ahhs” followed by collective groans from spectators, Rodman pulls the ball to his chest, Jordan open at the free throw line and drains it. Two possession lead for Chicago, 90-85. Jordan has 38 and leads the game in scoring. Timeout Houston, they only have two left and there’s four-in-half left in the ballgame. Just judging by the body language who do you think is up 3-2 in this series? Livingston has his shoulders slumped, Barkley looks gassed. On the other end MJ, Scottie and Harper look ready to run a marathon when this is over.

Jason Caffey is in for Rodman, don’t know how I feel about this substitution. I don’t think the Rockets know he has five fouls otherwise they wouldn’t have guarded him as poorly as they did. Houston trots out Willis-Johnson-Barkley-Ellie-Maloney, I think Rudy’s seen enough of Drexler tonight. 3/12, eight points in the biggest game of his career.

Barkley’s played thirty-six minutes, Hakeem thirty-three, you notice the two’s contrasting body characteristics. Sir Charles glued his hands on his knees, Hakeem stands tall with both hands square on his hips. Noticing this, Maloney uses Olajuwon for a pick & roll and drains a three from dead center. 90-88. I see big things for Matt Maloney. On the other end Pippen sees a physically used up Barkley and drives into him for a trip to the line. Charles’ fourth foul of the night. Pippen makes 1 of 2 from the stripe, 91-88 Chicago, 3:13 left to go.

Taking control of this game Maloney does what should’ve been done the moment Rodman stepped back on to the parquet: run into Rodman and get that damned sixth foul…and the bucket. Maloney clanks the game-tying free throw, its rebounded by Charles, the putback is stuffed, Ellie picks up the loose ball eleven-feet from the basket and sinks the jumper. 92-91 Houston, 2:20 left. Jackson calls for timeout and suddenly the United Center became quieter than a funeral parlor - again.

Phil’s trying to draw up a ATO, kinda pointless. These sorts of games dwindle down to one-on-one, how much your best players have left in the tank. Rewatch last year’s Game 7 of the Finals the Warriors moved the ball better than any team I’ve ever seen. But in the biggest moment of the season, a 73-win season on the line, Steph couldn’t get passed Love off the dribble. Suddenly all the ball movement stopped and Cleveland was gifted with the Warriors going scoreless in the final four-minutes.

Jordan takes the inbounds from Pippen, goes under the basket, Jordan holds the ball with Ellie showing respect by guarding him in-front of the free throw line. Kicks it into high gear and drives it through the basket like it was nothing. 93-92. Okay, that wasn’t the play Jackson drew up, but like I said: these things come down to who has the most talent and energy left…maybe a fluke here and there just for good measure.

Drexler is back in, Maloney is out. NO! Takes it out from half court, Rudy draws up a redundant ATO that is of course ignored. Hakeem calls for it, Wennington trying his damnedest to keep him as far as from the basket, Pippen is sagging off Barkley beyond the arc ready to be the help defender. Drexler manages to thread the needle to Olajuwon on a bounce-pass, takes to his left, Pippen closes in, Hakeem dumps it to a wide-open Barkley - NO!

“Barkley for the lead…YES!” He did it! He fucking did it! Pigs have been confirmed to be flying in Hell on a cold day! Twenty fucking years later and I still can’t believe it!

Remember 'Forget Paris’, Billy Crystal is an NBA ref, falls in love with a girl or whatever. The voice actors for Marge Simpson and ��Fat” Tony are in it. Anyways, the movie starts with Sir Charles hitting a three-pointer against the Spurs to send the Suns back to the NBA Finals. It’s waived off, Charles barks at a stern Billy Crystal that his waiving off his game-winner was “Turrible” in his classic Sir Charles drawl, the e being converted to a u. I feel like the writers didn’t want to put that in there because Barkley and myself would shoot the same percentage if the NBA let me play.

But now here it is, happening right before my very eyes. Ellie doesn’t know what to do with himself so he calls back to the “Kiss of Death” he infamously became known for - ironically against Barkley’s Suns in '95. This time Mario makes a point to do it across the court to Michael Jordan and he sees it. Gulp. Timeout Chicago, 42.8 ticks left.

Was that by design? Did Rudy Tomjanovich (see, I know how to spell his name. I’m just too lazy to do it) ignore all logic and reason and scribbled a play where Hakeem draws a double-team on the high pinch post, Ellie and Clyde isolate their respective defenders into the corners, 'Keem gives Wennington a little “Dream Shake” before Pip comes for the help, leaving Barkley open to make the most improbable shot in NBA history???

Nah. He probably just told his team to give it to Olajuwon and get the hell outta the way. That’s what I would do. What’s the point in even telling basketball players what to do in the waning seconds of a close game. Pride and masculinity takes over, in Charles’ head he HAD to take that shot. To the rest of us sane people: he didn’t.

Quick question: how much did that shot do for Barkley’s legacy? Is that one spot alone the reason in Simmons’ book put Barkley above Kevin Garnett and Karl Malone in the Pyramid?

Clyde stays in, Maloney is still out. That’s good. Never rely on a rookie in these moments. Especially with Jordan on the floor who’s made it his mission to hunt down Maloney all night. Oh, look, Toni’ on the floor! Hello, Toni! Look at him, folks. The only person in the building that won’t need a shower when this is all over.

Kukoc inbounds it to Jordan, Harper calls for the ball but he isn’t going to get. Ellie is doing one of two things: either he’s trying to goad Jordan into a fifteen-footer, he’ll leave with the result of it. Or, he wants Jordan to go for the win, trusting the larger sample that suggest Jordan isn’t a good three-point shooter. (34% was his percentage after the '97 regular season. Below average, but this was before teams even noticed the three-point line. If Michael played today he’d make them with the consistency of Klay Thompson)

Barkley and Hakeem stand pat in the paint, Michael blows past Ellie and into Barkley’s somewhat flappy torso, the ref swallows his whistle and the ball grazes the rim, rebound Hakeem. As the seconds dwindle down the Bulls scramble to find the worst free throw shooter on the Rockets and settle on Barkley (69.4 ft%). Fifteen-seconds left, Houston’s up two, chance to make it four and do what Charles couldn’t do in Phoenix: beat Michael.

Seriously, though, how was that not a foul? Barkley is clearly out of the restricted area…I think I seen a shove. What was the thing I said before about these things being decided by fluke-like occurrences?

Marv Albert, Matt Guokas and Bill Walton are not on the same page. Marv is rambling about how much a title would mean to Charles, why he signed in Houston when the writing was on the wall that the Suns’ window was closed. How Clyde wanted so badly after '92 to get “another crack” at Jordan and the Bulls. Guokas is whining about the no-foul call. Bill is busy dissecting the feel in the building. “It’s about as smooth as a horror movie”, what does that even mean?

The first free throw rattled in after all of Houston and Chicago felt their hearts nearly leap outta their chest. Charles looks shocked that shitty attempt even found its way to the bottom of the net. The next one goes left, Pippen grabs it and wastes no time giving it to Harper on the fast-break, Drexler does his second useful thing all night and picks him up, Harper stumbles and the ball rolls out of bounce and suddenly: the Houston Rockets are your World Champions!

How about that. This team looked ready to cave to the Supersonics a couple of weeks ago after nearly blowing a 3-1 lead, Drexler didn’t show up and they needed the rookie to step up big when it was clear the Bulls figured out what to do against the Rockets best three players on offense.

Jordan briskly walks towards Barkley and Clyde hugging one another in a totally not gay way. Shakes their hands like he finished runner-up at the British Open and gets the fuck out of the arena. I could almost hear him saying “I’ll show them, I’ll stick around until I’ve proven my point to the world that this doesn’t mean anything. I’ll over stay my welcome and leave a bitter taste in fans’ mouths when I begrudgingly hang it up.”

Confetti doesn’t fly. The Chicago faithful remained stunned in their seats. Someone shoves a microphone in front of Charles’ sweaty face, he cries out “I’ve saved you, Chicago, you’re welcome!”

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

Sidney Crosby and the NHL's playoff concussion disaster

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby should have been pulled from Game 6 after crashing into the end boards, and put in the NHL’s concussion protocol for further evaluation.

Except he couldn’t be pulled from Game 6, based on the NHL’s current concussion protocol standards.

“Depending on the mechanism of injury, ‘slow to get up’ does not trigger mandatory removal,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told USA TODAY Sports. “The protocol has to be interpreted literally to mandate a removal. ‘Ice’ as compared to ‘boards’ is in there for a reason. It’s the result of a study on our actual experiences over a number of years. ‘Ice’ has been found to be a predictor of concussions — ‘boards’ has not been.”

Holy [expletive].

That he wasn’t pulled is an indictment of the League’s concussion spotters system and its criteria; an indictment of the Penguins’ approach to the their players’ health; and the continuation of a disturbing trend in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs in which potential brain injuries are shoved aside for competitive advantages.

Let’s start with the spotters.

The Spotters

Beginning this season, the NHL expanded its concussion spotters mechanism to include not only observers inside the arena, but also ones monitoring games off televisions in New York.

The entire system was dismissed as a PR ploy by some, but the hope was that this was another failsafe in place as players and teams seemingly made their own rules about when a potentially concussed player should leave the ice.

(See Wideman, Dennis.)

The spotters have specific criteria they use to judge whether a player should enter the concussion protocol. In general, the criteria are applied “after a direct blow to the head (including secondary contact with the glass, boards and ice) or an indirect blow to the head (such as a blow to the body that causes acceleration/deceleration of the head).”

Here’s where we observe a failure in this system in the case of Sidney Crosby in Game 6.

This part of the criteria deals directly with an incident like Crosby’s, in which a player is “slow to get up” after potentially injuring his head.

Take a look at that again: The criteria for the concussion evaluation goes from a broad, sweeping “direct blow to the head” and is boiled down to three specific instances, none of which technically applied to Crosby. Technically, his head hit the boards; and the “secondary contact with the ice” as presented here is very much about it happening after a hit or a punch.

It’s completely semantic and borderline ridiculous, but as Daly noted, there’s a mechanism in the criteria where removal of Crosby on a play like that isn’t mandatory.

Now, let’s recall when Connor McDavid was pulled from a game earlier this season by the spotters:

    Said McDavid, at the time:

“It kind of sucks because that’s the rule. You go down, you hit your head, you reach up and that’s the rule. They take you off the ice. I hit my head. Well, I hit my mouth, reached up and grabbed my mouth and they took that as something that it wasn’t. I guess that’s the rule. The guy stuck to the script and did his job.”

And again, the Crosby play:

Are we honestly satisfied with a concussion protocol whose justifiable application depends on whether a player covers his face with his glove momentarily after falling headfirst into the end boards? Or if a player hits his head on the ice rather than the boards?

Because that’s the deal. Just like goalie interference, if the [expletive] rulebook doesn’t completely spell it out, then they can’t call it.

Let’s stay on this criteria for a moment. You know what isn’t mentioned in this document? Context.

This isn’t “Player X.” This is Sidney Crosby, a player with a demonstrable history of concussions, including one diagnosed approximately one week prior to slamming his head against the boards on Monday night. Should there be a provision in the criteria that deals with “at risk” players?

Further context, and perhaps the most frustrating part about the spotters’ role last night:

They were just over two minutes away from the damn intermission.

This isn’t taking Crosby off the ice in the first two minutes of a period. This is, literally, him missing one shift before getting a full evaluation for a concussion in the back. These tests take upwards of 18 minutes. If he passes, he’s back for the second period.

Why risk his health, given that?

Then again, we can’t exactly assume anything with the Penguins after the postgame mess last night.

The Penguins

Coach Mike Sullivan had the following exchange in the post-Game 6 press conference:

Q. Mike, were you concerned when you saw Sid was sorta slow to get up in the first, and was he evaluated for a concussion during the first intermission?

 SULLIVAN: “No … no.”

Crosby was asked about the play after the game.

“Yeah when you go in like that, it just kind of knocked the wind out of me. Kind of a fluky fall but not one that you want to take too often,” he said, via Brian Metzer.

Crosby was asked if he was evaluated between periods.

“Yeah, yeah… standard,” he said, without specifying if it was for a concussion.

Again, this is the franchise’s biggest star, one week removed from a concussion that made him miss a playoff game. He crashes headfirst into the boards. He claims he just had the wind knocked out of him. The team is off the ice for intermission.

What, exactly, is the harm in putting Crosby in the protocol, unless you’re worried you risk losing him for the game if the doctors discover something?

If Sullivan is correct, and Crosby wasn’t tested, this is a horrible look for the Penguins.

But then, the entire Crosby situation in this round has been a horrible look for the Penguins, and for the NHL.

The NHL

Sidney Crosby isn’t the player we saw in the first three games of this series. Not even close. So are we going to assume that in his one-game absence the Capitals suddenly figured out how to neutralize the best player in hockey, or is it that Crosby rushed himself back and no one is going to tell him “no?”

Here’s the reality for the League on this Crosby matter: I’ve had more conversations with people involved in the NHL in the last week about Crosby that devolved into exasperated rants about how frustrating it is to see him playing now.

I had one person chew my ear off for 20 minutes about how disgusted they were that Sid was allowed to play. I had another begging the media to write a takeout piece on the Penguins’ complicit role in it. I had another text me after Game 6 to say, “Crosby’s head-first crash without immediate evaluation makes me sick, and also pissed off.”

It all comes from two places: The genuine hope that Sidney Crosby, one the greatest players in NHL history, isn’t going to end up with irreparable damage to his brain, now or in the long term; and a general frustration with the approach to concussions from the NHL in the postseason.

First, there was the bizarre ordeal with the Toronto Maple Leafs and defenseman Nikolai Zaitsev in the opening round, in which the Leafs deemed him “playoff ready” but not healthy enough to play in the IIHF world championships.

This seemed to indicate that the Leafs allowed Zaitsev to play with a concussion, although others dismissed it as “gossip.”

In the case of Crosby, it seems unlikely that he could recover that quickly from a concussion, and his play is an indication that he maybe hasn’t.

But in the interest of equal time, the venerable Bob McKenzie offered this via Twitter:

“Crosby, like any player on the ice, could get concussed on his next shift but I believe, in this instance, Crosby wouldn’t be playing if he weren’t cleared beyond on all doubts. He’s getting next level diagnosis, care, treatment that is as cutting edge as it gets. Knowing Sid, knowing those who look out for him, knowing the care he gets, I don’t believe he’d in in lineup if he weren’t truly ready. Don’t doubt for a minute protocols are often ignored, twisted, manipulated but I’d wager that most certainly isn’t the case on this one. But like you, we’re just neophytes and novices expressing opinions shaped by our own personal experiences and quasi-research.”

But again, here’s where the concussion protocol needs improvement.

Sullivan said that Crosby passed a baseline test – which have their own drawbacks – and was cleared by doctors. The Penguins’ doctors. And while we’re not trying to call anyone’s integrity into question (although I guess we are), shouldn’t these evaluations be done by independent neurologists, giving them the final say?

Because here’s the current standard:

The Club Physician remains solely responsible for making return to play decisions based on these parameters, including in circumstances where the Player is referred to a consultant for management and treatment. Prior to making the return to play decision, the Club Physician shall ensure that all aspects of the Protocol have been satisfied, including referral for neuropsychological assessment.

Is it too much to ask for someone to look out for the player’s best interests that isn’t paid by a team trying to win the Stanley Cup? Hell, if the NFL mandates an “unaffiliated physician” must clear the player, shouldn’t the NHL? Oh, that’s right: We’re not football, right Gary?

Although, if you ask the player, one assumes winning is the only interest.

Sidney Crosby

Here’s the part I struggle with when it comes to concussions, spotters, the protocol and all of it:

If Sidney Crosby wants to put himself at risk, who are we to stop him?

He made the decision, at a very young age, to play an injurious sport that’s left former players with brain damage or in a wheelchair. It’s a sport with catastrophic accidents and devastating collisions. Yet it’s his choice to play it, his risk to succeed in it, his life after it’s all over.

Now, that’s the long-term view. That’s the view that makes me side-eye concussion lawsuits, because these players understood the bargain they’re making with their own health.

The short-term view is that the players are never going to pull themselves off the ice, so the NHL and its teams have to do it for them. Just like they mandate safety equipment that the players don’t want to wear. Just like they support rules that make the game safer, if a little more difficult to play at this velocity.

Ultimately, it takes a village to rehab or prevent a concussion. The NHL has to do its part. The teams have to do their part. The player has to be forthright and humble, and buck decades of tradition in which they outright lied about their fitness to protect a roster spot.

And we, the fans, have to support efforts to protect the players from themselves even if it means our teams might be at a competitive disadvantage.

Which means if Crosby missed several shifts in Game 6 because he was being evaluated for brain damage, the proper response is “that’s OK, it’s better to be safe than sorry considering what we know about concussions,” and not “THE NHL WANTS THE CAPITALS TO WIN BECAUSE REASONS!”

It’s a problem we all have to acknowledge and address, because the last week has made many of us queasy. We want Sidney Crosby as the face of this League, playing some of the greatest hockey we’ve witnessed in decades. We don’t want to see a shell of that player because he rushed back from injury. And we certainly don’t want to see that player put at further risk due to an insufficient set of standards for “concussion spotters” established by the NHL.

It doesn’t matter that, ultimately, he wasn’t injured. At least on that play. What matters is the integrity of the League’s public commitment to the safety of its players, and how that commitment seems perfunctory and slipshod when things like this happen.

—

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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Pénélope Bagieu is California Dreamin’ About Mama Cass

French cartoonist Pénélope Bagieu has established herself as a creator to watch for in her native country — her series “Josephine” was adapted into two popular French movies, she’s collaborated with French cartooning legend Joann Sfar, and in 2013, she was honored as Chevalier of Arts and Letters at Angoulême. Her first work to be translated into English, “Exquisite Corpse” in 2015, garnered strong reviews, and she returned to U.S. shelves earlier this month with “California Dreamin’: Cass Elliot Before The Mamas and The Papas.”

At nearly 300 pages, “California Dreamin’” chronicles, as the subtitle suggests, Elliott’s adolescent family life and pre-fame struggles for recognition and respect among her music peers. In fact, it ends with Elliott finally hearing her song on the radio, commercial success on the horizon. Following its September 2015 French publication by Gallimard, “California Dreamin’”s English translation and distribution will again by handled by First Second Books, who previously published Bagieu’s English-language debut.

RELATED: Pénélope Bagieu Introduces Her Exquisite Corpse to the United States

While on a signing tour of the States, Bagieu spoke with CBR, discussing the early appeal of Mama Cass’s voice and presence, reinventing her illustration style, and why this book is more about getting her audience to feel something about Cass rather than know her factual biography.

CBR: Pénélope, what got you started on a comic book biography of Mama Cass?

Pénélope Bagieu: I remember discovering their best-of album (a cassette!) in my parents’ car and quickly stealing it away because I loved every song. I listened to it about a million times. Back then, the stereo of my room had a broken speaker, so I had only half the sound, and in particular, it isolated one of the voices. It was Cass Elliot’s, who made the song, most of the time. And then her image fascinated me too, on the cover: she was twice the size of the others, and she laughed with her mouth wide open, while the others looked mysterious. My fascination with Cass goes way back!

Then I started investigating about her… She grew up in a modest family in Baltimore, but she tackled everything at 19 [by setting out] for New York, all by herself. She was destined to take over the kosher deli from her parents, but she wanted to be a rock star. She was overweight but pictured herself on a Broadway stage. The whole world swore by Joan Baez, but she hated folk music. All men friendzoned her but she fell in love every ten minutes. The members of the Mamas and Papas did not want her in the band, but she sang so well that they were forced to take her (and to make a career largely thanks to her presence). I can’t believe she doesn’t have ten biopics by now.

Each chapter is from a different supporting player’s perspective, which allows different perspectives on her life. Why did you decide on that approach? And how much work went into getting details about how each of these narrators saw Cass?

I wanted Cass’s character to be revealed bit by bit, from different perspectives: people who knew her, loved her, hated her, but never through her own eyes, so that she would remain a mystery that the reader alone would have to solve. Like I read interviews of her family, band members, artists, while trying to figure out the Cass puzzle myself first. Her own interviews are very opaque, because she always put on that act of the joyous fun persona, while I think she was broken inside.

You give a lot of time to her adolescence and home life, which is often given short shrift or completely skipped in favor of the lascivious details of the Mamas and the Papas. Why did you opt for that approach?

This is exactly why this work was never a biography to me: I chose to end my story exactly when the song “California Dreamin'” hits the radios. When Ellen Cohen becomes Mama Cass. When she becomes that public figure, with that famous band, with the career that we know, the sordid details of John Phillips and the myth of the choking-on-a-sandwich. That part didn’t interest me much. But the little girl, the teenager, the young woman, the path to becoming that rockstar that we all know, that’s the kind of stories I love to read (and therefore, write). I don’t like to read biographies; I like to read captivating portraits, that I can relate to.

You do an excellent job balancing her larger-than-life, outgoing nature against some of her insecurities, particularly regarding her feelings for Denny. Was it a challenge to find the proper balance of those aspects of her personality?

That’s exactly what I have in mind when I say I’m not interested in biographies: I like to put myself in a character’s shoes and imagine how I would feel. All the interviews I’ve read from people who knew her, they all praised her cheerfulness, her jokes, her Like-I-care attitude towards people who judged her. But labels wouldn’t sign contracts to her unless she lost weight, and told her to her face, without any care. The man she loved the most ran away with her best friend. She went through so much. Of course she must have kept so much inside. The challenge of never giving her the speech in my story, and letting the reader understand all these inner-wounds for himself, forced me to a lot of empathy.

As we might expect, the book is peppered with celebrity cameos. Was there anybody who showed up in her life that surprised you? Anybody you wanted to fit into the book, but didn’t quite work for this story?

In so many stories of that time, she will appear in the background, of the blue! “We were at a party at Cass Elliot’s”, “Along comes Mama Cass with tons of free drugs for everybody,” etc. In most of the photographs I’ve found, she’s lying on a sofa backstage, giggling with Jimi Hendrix or having a beer with Mick Jagger. The parties at her mansion (in the hammock !) in Laurel Canyon were the place to be, apparently. But yes, there is one story I had to let go and would have demanded that I kept telling the story ten years farther [than I did]: Cass was a huge fan of John Lennon. More than a fan, she had a real crush on him. The Mamas and the Papas covered “I Call Your Name,” that Cass wanted to sing because of her love for the Beatles. During the break of the song, she whispers “John…”. Years after that, the Ms&Ps played in London and went to party afterwards. But Cass was sick and in bed. And when they returned, they told her “You’re gonna be mad when you learn who we met and spent the night drinking with!” (the Beatles, that is). And apparently, John Lennon asked which of the two girls whispered his name in the song, and when he heard that it was Cass, he said, “Too bad.” (nice.)

Don’t get me started on rock n’ roll anecdotes, I will never stop.

How long did you research her life?

Not too long. Colossal amount of dates and facts tend A) to paralyse me B) bore me. I’m not a journalist, nor a historian. The only thing I want to make extra sure of is that nothing I say is not true. The whole thing would collapse if I made up reality. But when I have this backbone of checked facts, actual dates and events, then I can start doing my real job, which is connecting the dots, giving personality to people and tell a story. I really think you shouldn’t read this kind of story to learn something, but only to feel something strong, and discover someone, and want to know more.

“California Dreamin’” was published last fall by Gallimard in France. Do the Mamas and the Papas have a strong French following?

Depends on the generation! But usually, even younger people will immediately light up when they hear the first notes of the song. This song is so timeless and universal that, of course, if you turn on a radio station in France right now you will hear “California Dreamin’” sooner or later before the end of day. Not that you need to know (nor like) the song to read the book.

Your previous book in English, “Exquisite Corpse,” was full of bright blocks of colors. How does working black & white change your approach to your artwork?

It was a very long piece and I knew I would need a challenge to keep myself entertained in the process. Also I wanted to create a unity between all these chapters that go from the 40s to the 60s, with all these different outfits, cars, hairstyles. But mostly, I wanted to free my drawing, and a simple cheap pencil, compared to my usual big Photoshop+Wacom industry, [allowed that] – without any going-back or correcting (I never used an eraser in this book), [showing] possible stains, fingerprints, coffee drippings once in a while [when] working from coffee shops. [Drawing] without a safety net, I really loved it, and it changed my way of drawing. It felt like a giant sketchbook, where all my characters (especially Cass) were moving, living, in a very vibrant way. And I also loved the feeling of having dirty hands like a kindergartener at the end of the day!

What’s next for you?

The next book that I will publish with First Second is called “Brazen.” It’s an anthology of extraordinarily cool women (again) who changed History but never made it to History books. They are mermaids, rockstars, spies, astronauts, shamans, actresses, bandits, empresses, rappers, criminologists, all of them practically unknown and yet so amazing. It came out in France a few months ago, and will be out in English (along with 8 other languages) next year, so I can’t wait!

“California Dreamin'” is currently available from First Second Books.

The post Pénélope Bagieu is California Dreamin’ About Mama Cass appeared first on CBR.

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Buffalo Bills: Things we know this Week

Warning steadfast Bills Fans and bounteous Cover 32 readers!! “Negative Stanley” will be writing this commentary next week and for that I apologize in advance and am by no means not expecting every single one of you to exonerate me.

When he espied my unavailability next week he did not 100% accredit the sincerity to my claim. He doubted the reality of my upcoming absence being very much aware of my past; writing twice on the Bills pond crossing road trip, also being our vacation to London. I previously had completed writing on our slumping Bills while visiting Italy ,Caribbean Islands, hospitals, nursing homes, bed and breakfasts, Las Vegas, Toronto, Tim Horton’s and others.

He also knows my work ethic and the way I was raised, meaning going into work or handling a commitment in every condition or situation like being sick, injured, upbeat, negative, tired or wired, injured or fixed. He was also aware that I held the record at my previous 24 year career going a stretch of 11 and a half years consecutively without missing a day of work.

So he acted alone and called my managing editor checking to see if I was telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Once confirmed, the sly guy that he is went right over my head with his real motive for the interest in my affairs and offered his writing services. I cannot argue the fact that he knows his sports, especially football and the hometown team, as well as anyone.

He has the skills required to write because he does for his VFW post handling an event newsletter as well as contributing to his church bulletin. That being said… On two notes, the first being Stanley filling in for me and the second being 11 plus years of not missing any work, all I have to say is… “WHAT WAS I THINKING?“ That is an awful lot of weeks, if totaled; in sick days I clearly left on the table without any appreciation from anyone except my colleagues who dodged having to cover any of my tasks.

“Use them or lose them!” That was our motto. So for all other employees, the days were used because they were a benefit, for me… lost days they were, never to be retrieved. As far as Stanley goes, you will probably enjoy his approach and if it is not worthy of being published, our Managing Editor will see to it that it never makes it past him.

On the topic of reading this commentary, I wanted to thank the loyal readers who are part of the original 150 readers averaged in early months and slowly that trended up to between 350 and 650 per week, but I also wanted to recognize the last article was viewed by close to 2000 readers. Many of those readers were on the site lured in by the extremely successful Tom Brady April fool’s Day article, but it is what it is. 2000 Football Fans viewed my commentary for whatever reason. I sincerely thank you.

I would like nothing better than to give a shout out to West Seneca’s own Joseph Pajek wishing him a devout Happy Birthday this week. Joe was the Cheektowaga street hockey  goalie who was famous for wearing purple foam homemade pads, famous for falling through the attic floor which just so happened to be the ceiling of the living room where his parents were watching the Bills on TV only to be shocked by his dangling legs.

He is also remembered for being dropped off home by friends who rang the doorbell leaving him in the wheelbarrow he was wheeled home in for his parents care. Happy Birthday to a great friend, reader and Bills fan. His name will be utilized to strategically review:

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Things We Know About the Buffalo Bills This Week 

J = Join me in paying respect and honoring the memory of former Bills executive Tom Modrak, who at 74 years old passed away Wednesday in his home. He spent a decade with the Bills front office following some years as the general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles where Sean McDermott worked under him.

O = Offseason Voluntary workouts are officially under way.

Officially the Bills play Detroit in the pre-season. IMAGINE THAT? I personally cannot remember a season that the two teams did not play a meaningless preseason game against each other. That being said, I do not recall meaningful regular season games between these two teams since well before Detroit spanked Buffalo in the 1994 Thanksgiving Day game in the old Pontiac Silverdome.

E = Experience has been added to the quarterback position to avoid a season such as the season Jeff Tuhl was the starter. The Bills have inked a deal with T.J Yates, the 29 year old veteran quarterback who played college ball at North Carolina. He has started several games in the NFL including two playoff games for Houston. He is aware that this is Tyrod’s team and respects the Pro-Bowl quarterback who came out of college the same year as him. He also knows at any time he could be called upon to start or come into a game due to injuries and other situations not planned for.

P = Pick up of interest: How about this for a signing by Buffalo, Ian Seau, a defensive end out of Nevada at 6’2 and 250 pounds with one year experience. He was an undrafted free agent signing by the Rams last season. Hopefully he lasts a little longer than Scott Crichton who was waived before my announcement of his signing was up on Cover32. Oh… did I mention Seau is the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau?

A = Angry was the vibe at the locker clean out for the Pegula Empires NHL team, the Buffalo Sabres. Superstar Jack Eichel and leader Ryan O’reilly both made it very clear at the exiting interviews that accountability needs to be a large factor improved or added to the Sabres and that neither of them will say anything other than the playoff drought is unacceptable.

Guys…I feel for you, but take a drive on the 190 South and shoot over to the 90 West and exit off of the 90 or the 219 with several options to One Bills Drive. You can meet members of the staff or players that are employed by an organization smack in the middle of a 17 year playoff drought. It is not fun missing the playoffs in hockey especially when 16 teams qualify and the rebuild should have been complete at this point. Neither of those two high profile Sabers were on the team the last time they even had a longshot view of the playoffs.

A nice trip to Orchard Park might put things into perspective before either of you grab a chair and rope because your playoff drought is the common cold sniffles compared to the Bills testing positive for a potential terminal disease. Did I cheer ya up Hockey boys? Entire player’s careers have started, gone on for a long times and ended on the same NFL team and no playoff games experienced. Wipe away the tears because Things are tough all over.

J = Jacob Lindsey, Jack Metz, Jordon Mulge, Junior Sylvestre, and Cameron Jefferson all have a name beginning with the letter J. A second equally important fact is they all were signed by the Bills this past week. Good Luck Guys.

E = Ex-Assistant coach Rob Ryan has been reported to have had total run of the place at one Bills Drive in an effort to cultivate his value as a coach after being fired from New Orleans and Dallas as Defensive Coordinator. Originally he was reported to be an assistant coach to help out in all areas wherever Rex would delegate assistance being needed. It turns out that Rob pushed Dennis Thurman right out of his way.

Instead of helping the players grasp the complex systems that failed the previous year or scaling it down simplifying things, Rob was calling the shots that he wanted on any side of the ball with whomever he desired. Rex empowered his brother who worked all over the place while Rex made sure his own personal hours did not out duel that of a bank teller.

I am not saying that if Rex did not bring his brother in the Bills sneak out a wild card spot securing Rex’s job, but you could say it’s a possibility. If Rex put his full effort into it like it was his livelihood and family depended on it coaching as a career with extreme urgency, as opposed to his own complacent nature he may be staring at targeting a deep playoff run to follow up on the previous year’s playoff  “for show”.

K = Keep this in mind that when you ruminated on the restructuring of Tyrod Taylor’s contract keeping him in Buffalo and the signing of T.J. Yates while Cardale Jones has already been in place for the third string position to continue learning and improving on his very raw but athletic skill set, Bills General Manager Doug Whaley, Scouts and the owner have been visiting or working out several college quarterbacks who are going to be drafted this year. Sean McDermott did exactly what he should have done telling Kiss FM’s morning show “Maybe these last three or four trips were just kind of all a smokescreen, right?”

Well Played Coach. Well played indeed. I sure am ready to say that ten to 13 weeks during the regular season. If that is the case, the draught will end and the Bills will be back. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Been there. Done that.

READ MORE: Bills have significant interest in Trubisky

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