Event Special for @thecurrator !!

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Hello hello! Thank you so much for your sweet words and thoughtfulness! I wasn’t expecting to receive anything in return when I wrote these event matchups, so I was really touched by your message. I look forward to seeing you again when I reopen my regular matchups! <3

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You’ve got a letter from…Jamil Viper!

After a busy day at school, you’re finally back in the comfort of your dorm room, unwinding with a nice book and some music in the background. But it’s not long before you’re interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Glancing at the time, you wonder who it could be. Opening the door, you see a Scarabia freshman standing there with a bag in his hands. He greets you with a bright smile and asks, “Aurora, right?”

When you nod, he hands the bag to you. Wait, is that chocolate you smell from it? “It's from Jamil. He wanted me to deliver this to you.” Finished with what he came here for, the students begins to head back the way he came. But he pauses after a few steps, turning to cheerfully call out, “Oh yeah, come join us next study session. Jamil would be really happy to see you there!”

Study session? What study session? Puzzled, you close the door before reaching into the bag, pulling out a box of chocolates with an envelope on top. Ah ha! So you smelled it right after all! After taking a peek into the box – the confections look absolutely scrumptious – you turn your attention onto the envelope that came with it. The color scheme matches that of Scarabia, with the envelope being red and your name written at the front with golden ink. And to make it even fancier, there’s a wax seal at the back with a snake design stamped on. Opening the envelope, the letter inside uses white paper instead of red, but has an intricate gold-red boarder and is written with black ink.

The contents of the letter read…

My dearest Aurie,

I hope this letter finds you well. Goodness, I make it sound as if we haven’t seen each other in months, when we just exchanged greetings earlier today in class. I do apologize for being so brief then. With our exams coming up, things have been so busy among us Scarabia students – even more so than last year. But I’m glad that you seemed to be doing just fine.

Have you heard? Octavinelle decided to challenge Scarabia to see how many of each dorm’s students can score a full mark on the exams. I’m rather surprised at how forward they were with their challenge. Well, no doubt they have some trick up their sleeve to make sure they win. Not that it’ll matter, since we at Scarabia have been doing intense study sessions every night. Kalim has insisted on serving a variety of snacks during these sessions, so I’ve been staying up late to cook for everyone. It certainly is tiring, but if it can help them stay awake and remain energetic enough to study, I suppose it’s worth it. If you’d like, you’re more than welcome to come and join one of our study sessions sometime. The boys will be delighted to have your support and I’ve been testing out some new recipes that I’m sure you’ll like.

Oh, but no need to force yourself if you’re already preoccupied with other things. I know a couple of the exams will be on some of your least favorite subjects. How are you doing, preparing for them? I can lend you my notes if you’re having a hard time with it. Make sure you don’t stress yourself out though. You know the chocolates I got you? They’ll be good at helping you take breaks and release any tension you’ve built up. They’re a new product at Sam’s shop and they apparently have various potions mixed into them. There are many types in each box and every box has different kinds in them, so you won’t know what you’ve got until you open it. Just yesterday, Deuce was going around and singing like a siren for an entire hour thanks to these chocolates. It may sound a bit risky, but you can rest assured that whatever type of chocolate you get, all the effects will be pleasant. If you like them, let me know and I can get more for you. I heard Azul wants to gain the exclusive selling right to the chocolates, so we best get them before he starts selling them at marked up prices.

Once our exams are over, I want to take you on a date to town. You can consider it as an apology for not being able to spend so much time with you lately. There’s this book café that opened up recently and I think you’ll love it. They have a large collection of books we can choose and read from while we’re there. I took a look at it on Magicam and I saw some books you’ve been wanting to read. We can also go to be the beach and the sunset afterwards.

I must start preparing those nighttime snacks for everybody, so I will end the letter here. I hope that tomorrow, we’ll have the chance to talk more. Enjoy the chocolates, try not to overstudy, and rest well. I know you’ll do great on the exams, Aurie.

Yours truly,

Jamil

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What your relationship would be like with…Azul Ashengrotto!

- Considering how intelligent and well-read Azul is, you’ve found yourself a great partner to discuss various things with! Name any topic and there’s a high chance he’ll have some knowledge about it – if not plenty. You can bet that he highly enjoys holding these kind of conversations with you, especially since there aren’t many others in the school he can have such a chat with. I have a feeling a lot of your dates will consist of holding a deep discussion over a light meal at one of your favorite cafes. And if you’re looking for new books to read, he’ll have plenty of recommendations for you.

- Your habit of daydreaming and often being detached from reality is something that Azul finds both endearing and worrisome. Endearing in a way that he thinks the dreamy look in your eyes that appear when you get lost in your reverie is quite cute. It can also be rather amusing watching you get physically lost in new environments – not to worry though, he always makes sure to help guide you back onto the right path. Now, at the same time, he gets concerned about your safety when he sees you daydreaming. What if you get so absorbed into it that you fail to notice danger in front of you? Though he won’t voice his worries out loud, he makes sure to keep an eye on you whenever he notices you beginning to daydream. He’s also made sure to tell Jade and Floyd – not that he holds much confidence in Floyd for this – to help you out if they see you getting lost, or if it seems like some sort of harm will befall you (yes, that includes the small instances where you might bump into something and bruise yourself).

- Although Azul may have a silver tongue when it comes to talking business, I feel like he can actually be pretty blunt when it comes to personal relationships. He’ll still be charming but at the same time, he won’t sugarcoat things. The way he sees it is that since you’re someone dear to him, there’s no need to hide what he really thinks with sweet lies and flattery. And the thing is, because he often deals with Jade and Floyd whom both have quite thick-skin, he may not always realize how hurtful something he’s said may sound. Like, he could be trying to give you some constructive criticism on something, be too forward with it, and end up coming off as extremely insensitive. So, that being said, he probably ended up unintentionally angering and made you cry quite a bit at the beginning of your relationship. While he’s gotten better at taking a softer approach, he still struggles from time to time at making sure he sounds sincere rather than sound as if he’s trying to smooth talk a prospective client or business partner.

- However, just like how everything has two sides of the same coin, his forwardness also means that he doesn’t shy away from giving you words of affirmation. Whether it’s compliments, words of encouragement, or expressing how much he treasures you, he’ll tell them to you every day without fail. He especially loves to shower you with compliments. Are you wearing a new outfit? Did you style your hair differently? You look amazing. And even if you appear the same as usual, Azul won’t hesitate to tell you how wonderful you look. Like, you could just walk into the room and Azul go over to you, take your hand, then in a very gentlemanly manner, kiss the back of it while saying, ‘You look stunning today, my love.’ Heck, you can dress as sloppily as you’d like and he’ll still find some way to compliment you. Oh, but don’t be surprised if he holds back when you’re in the presence of others (Jade and Floyd excluded). He does have a reputation to maintain in school, after all. Besides, his words of affection are for your ears and your ears only.

- And while we’re on the topic of love languages, Azul is very appreciative of your acts of service. As both a student and business owner, Azul is a very busy person. Sometimes he gets so absorbed in his work that he fails to take care of himself (such as skipping meals or forgetting to do basic chores like tidying up his room). One would think that with Jade and Floyd around, they’ll help when he gets too swamped. Unfortunately for Azul though, Floyd loves to dip whenever possible and while Jade does stick around to assist, there are just some things he won’t do. So whether you’re helping him sort through his paperwork, doing the chores that he’s forgotten, or even just bringing him some tea and snacks while he works, he is really grateful for you and always makes sure to express his thanks.

- Since he is very good at reading people, it’ll come as no surprise that he can tell whenever you are in a bad mood. He’ll also be able to sense that you don’t wish to talk about it, so he’ll respect your feelings and give you time to yourself. Afterwards, unless you bring it up first, he won’t say anything about it. Being very observant, he probably would have already figured out what made you upset in the first place, even if you don’t mention it. If it’s something he can help resolve (like if someone or a certain situation upset you), then he’ll do his best to help without making a big fuss out of it. And if he happens to be the one who upset you, depending on what caused it, he’ll either promptly apologize or try to talk it out with you. If it was severe enough, even if you may not want to talk about it, he will, as he wants to make sure any problems that pop in the relationship are fixed as quickly as possible.

- You like cafes? Great! You’re more than welcomed to become a regular at Mostro Lounge! As a matter of fact, if you go there often enough, Azul will have a certain table reserved for you at all times. And of course, as a perk of dating the owner, anything and everything you order is on the house! You’ll also be the first to get to try new dishes that Azul wants to introduce to the rest of his patrons. Though, your feedback plays a pretty big part, so if you don’t like a dish, there’s a high chance it’ll never make it onto the menu.

- As someone who’s originally from the ocean, Azul knows how to appreciate many things on land, including the small things that normal land-dwellers never give much thought about. An example of that would be sunsets. Most people just go about their evenings without sparing a glance at the beautiful hues in the sky. Azul, on the other hand, will almost always take a moment to stop what he’s doing and just admire the scenery. He’s seen plenty of sunsets before he came to NRC, but it’s just so different being able to watch it on land versus at the ocean’s surface. So when he learns that you share his appreciation towards sunsets, he is delighted. Whenever he’s not busy, he enjoys taking evening walks with you around the campus and watch the sky change colors. One of the dates he took you on happened to be a picnic set up at a perfect location to view that day's sunset. Of course, the sunset itself didn’t last very long, but the sight of the stars and the moon shining above made for another beautiful sight. Curfew who?

- Your fondness towards plushies will, at one point, give Azul inspiration for a new business idea: to sell plushies on Valentine’s Day! You’d think that at an all-boys school, this kind of sale would flop, badly. But surprisingly, plenty of students bought plushies. Some bought them to send to their sweethearts back home or to their family, some got them simply because they were cute (Kalim definitely would), some to prank others, and some hoping to win a consultation with Azul that’s supposed to be gifted to a lucky plushie buyer. Well, whatever the reason people have for buying them, Azul will end up making quite a bit and he has you to thank for it. Of course, we can��t forget his Valentine’s Day gift to you! Matching plushies that resemble the both of you, made with the highest-quality materials. How cute~

- While there’s almost nothing that Azul would nag you over, one of the very few things that would cause him to do so would be your disinterest of studying certain subjects. Now, if you dislike them but are still pretty diligent in studying them, he won’t say anything. After all, everybody is allowed to have their likes and dislikes. But, if you try to avoid studying them altogether or procrastinate as long as you can on doing them, that’s when he’ll start getting naggy. To him, knowledge is power. No matter what kind of knowledge it is, there’ll always be some sort of situation in the future that’d call for it. So even if you may not like studying those subjects now, who knows when the information will come in handy in the future? Bearing your future and best interests in mind, he will persistently nag you until your studying done. If need be, he’ll help devise a special study manual on those certain subjects just for you. Who knows? Maybe with his infamous study guide, you’ll come to view the subject in the different light and may even begin to enjoy studying it.

- With how horrible he is at PE, it’s safe to say that he shares your dislike of exercising. Other than taking those evening sunset strolls, he’d much prefer reading a good book with you over any sort of exercise. You’ll never have to worry about him trying to get you to do some workouts with him. As a matter of fact, even if you dislike exercise, you’d probably even be more athletic and active than Azul!

Hi, hope you’re having a good day! Could I please request a Genshin Impact matchup? I’m straight, male, 6’1” and recently finished studying graphic design and photography at college. I’m not sure what’s the next big step for me, so I’ve been taking up a few hobbies until I find out. Right now, it’s archery and more photography when I’m out; and listening to music and gaming when I’m not! Most people see me as an introvert who keeps to himself, but I can become more open and talkative once I get to know someone.

I've always struggled with my social and communication skills; usually it doesn't bother me, but there's times where I come down with spells of loneliness and negativity (especially with the last few years of COVID and lockdowns). And there’s so many opportunities that I’ve wanted to try, but that fear of the unknown always manages to keep holding me back. So I wouldn't mind someone who’s confident or caring to help me with coming out of my 'shell' and to think a bit more positively about myself. Thank you and keep doing what you’re doing!

Ahhh, about time I do my dear little friend’s request, isn’t it~?

So, as you have said, I wrote a few letters to my close companions all over Teyvat, and acted as the greatest match-maker there is, and the first one to answer, so eagerly, might I say was...

YAE MIKO!

Just kidding.

Actually, she did reply, but mostly because she wanted to give you a nice lady kimono and see how you would look with fluffy ears and a fluffy tail.

It’s all for the business, really.

Still from Inazuma, however, the person whom I thought matched your profile the best was...

NAGANOHARA YOIMIYA!

She’s really the perfect girl for you, imo.

Not only is she incredibly supportive, but she’s such a sweet extrovert that will be able to help you with your self-esteem and confidence issues and will bring the best out of you at all times.

And you know what? She’s also an artist.

She would love to create firework shows for you - Not only for special events, but also to cheer you up when you’re feeling down, and they’re always followed by lots of hugs and kisses on your cheeks.

Since you’re an archery fan, she will teach you how to use a bow and imbue your elemental magic onto it, so you can use it in fighting, if you ever need it.

Would love to cook for you the little things she knows how to do, and if you like it, she’ll be even more motivated to try out new things, just for you.

She’s also very empathetic, so she can read the mood and understand people very well - If you’re even anxious, nervous or too shy to do something, she’ll be very gentle with you.

Yoimiya will do the socialising work in your stead, if you really need that help, but would first try to encourage you to do it yourself and work towards your goal of battling your fears and insecurities.

Back on the artistry thing - If you ever want to show her your photos, she will be so flattered that you trust her with you art that she will create a photo album for you so you can store all your precious memories there.

Though she can’t always leave too far away from the main island, she would escort you to various places in the world that look absolutely fantastic, so you would have inspiration.

That’s how you find your special spot and whenever either of you need some time out, you go together to relax and look up at the beautiful stars.

Overall, you can never get too depressed or lonely while around Yoimiya, because she always has the perfect remedy for everything that’s bothering you, and at the end of the day, her positivity and beautiful energy will always make you smile, even when you’re at your lowest.

𝒜 𝐵𝓁𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝒫𝒶𝓅𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝒮𝓉𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓃

[romantic matchup]

╒═ @peeshposheddie ═╛

𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚞𝚙 - 𝚁𝚘𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝙺𝚘𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚋𝚎

Okay hear me out. You collect mangas. He’s a manga artist? Please bruh this wasn’t intended is. This was destiny (I had a last minute realization) 

I feel like with Rohan he’d be a great cuddler. Headcanon, but when he’s in the middle of drawing a manga arc and you just want that attention he’d allow you to sit on his lap while he works at godspeed..

FKHAKDFJHD u cant tell me that's not cute. 

With your personality being hyperactive he’d find that not necessarily adorable, but he’d definitely want you by his side for a manga character inspo, because you seem, well very lively. 

He doesn’t really like distractions while he works, but boy oh boy when it comes to you, he listens to what you want, say, need, etc. 

He thinks the way you cope with your ADHD is interesting and sometimes when you bombard yourself with tons of other stuff he’d watch in the distance perhaps leaning on a door while you're busy playing horror like games.

Speaking of which when you’re really into the game and he can tell he’d just grab his sketch book and try to sketch every reaction you have in god like speed.  

Being a manga artist can be difficult especially since so many across the world read his mangas and he has two fanboys living in the neighborhood. A good nap is what he needs. 

He won’t often take naps, but if he feels like he’s done enough drawing he’ll most definitely join you. 

I feel like he won’t be a fan of hikes. He doesn’t seem like an outdoorsy person ya know?

But a stroll in the town? Hell ya!

You’d most likely be the dominant one in this relationship (yes this can go for both ways. Depending on how you interpret it) 

With your child-like personality he’s like a mother to you. You love to clean, he'll clean with you AND your stuff. 

Can’t cook? Pfft please this man will cook you high quality Gordan Ramsey cuisines.

I feel like when he cooks it’ll be similar to him writing the manga, he’s always trying to come up with different ideas. New inspirations. 

One time you both went to Trattoria Trussardi and the moment you both went back home you’d see him try to attempt it. Wasn’t the best compared to Tonio’s, but it iz what it iz ya know. 

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I feel like the down side to the relationship is that he wouldn’t understand your phobia or why you hate bugs. Scream that there’s a bug don’t worry he’ll grab it, but i’m telling you luv run away from him like asap. Cus that man will dissect the insect. Of course for more realistic reasons being a manga artist. “I don’t understand Y/N. The fluids coming out now the lifeless creature is natural. What’s so scary about it? It’s just reality.” “Are you kidding me?! Rohan THE REALITY IS THAT IT LOOKS LIKE VOMIT!!” 

𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚞𝚙 - 𝙳𝚒𝚘 𝙱𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘

...We don’t talk about the vampire Dio..Cuz he’sssssssssssssss - kinda funky. 

But it doesn't matter. Dio is Dio. 

Let’s start off with your interesting source of weaponry collections. 

Sure you’ll show them off here and there, but Dio? Nah. (word of warning, it’s best if he doesn’t know about that) But if he does Just know…..If you see some of them missing it’s most likely because he’s gone mad and is now using them for very Illegal reasons, BUT since he's a vampire stand user. Nothing can stop him. 

You love horror? SAY LESS! Living with him is like a horror movie. This isn’t your normal horror simulation game. 

Please bruh, he lives in the dark and shadows. And he’s kinda creepy. But attractive. Still creepy. 

You say you’re good at cleaning? Let’s just say uhhh...maid dress. Definitely not canon or fanon idfk really. But he’d most definitely love to see u in one. Catch him sitting  in the shadows cross legged as you clean. 

Definitely not creepy at all. 

AYO tell me why I can see him being the dominant one in this relationship. 

Cuz he is. This man will have the upper hand in everything. Even in a relationship. 

When Dio isn’t batshit crazy I hate the way I’m feeling about him, but vampy Dio would most definitely give the best cuddles. 

It’s just y’all two in the dark room, you on his chest (he’s most definitely gonna be shirtless) but he’ll drag his fingers down your spine giving you chills that’ll make you shuffle just a little closer to him thus resulting in him pulling you closer. 

I hate that I just wrote that. I really do. Anyways he’ll whisper shit like “I’ll make sure we can stay like this forever.” Please bruh, he’ll have a deep raspy like voice. Tell me he won't I dare you. 

CHILE ANYWAYSSSS SSSOOOOOOOOOO

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Downside is that you’re not very into PDA. Too bad he is. He barely goes out in the day so then when he does it'll be night time, even so who in the hell would see y’all kissing in the pits of the moonlight on top of a building or roof. No one…

But wait what about young Dio? Ya...loads of PDA. Most definitely in front of Jonathan Joestar. 

So that’s your pick Young Dio or Vampy Dio

On the contrary...You’ll definitely be getting loads of praises & he’d make sure you’d know he’s dead serious about them. 

𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚞𝚙 - 𝙻𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝙰𝚋𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚘

This man I’m not even going to get into it. He really just doesn’t seem like the romantic type to me. 

Even if he is I’d find it hard for him to keep up with your hyperactive personality.

He’d think collecting things is just child's play and that you should do other things besides that. Oh not to mention, but he wouldn’t understand why you’d be so scared to watch a horror movie, but yet play such games. It wouldn’t be logical to him. 

He’d think the way you cope with your anxiety is strange, but intriguing. 

It’ll just annoy him. You’ll be doing one thing then suddenly you’re onto something new. “Y/N just stick with one task. It’s not that hard.” “But it’s a way to help co-” “I said what I said.” This mf will just leave not giving a shit on what you’d say. 

Praises? Nah it’ll just be him spitting borderline insulting comments. 

Nice One KaTarA. 

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Plus side to the relationship...there really isn’t anything he’d just find you irritating. Probably when you’re sleeping? That’s when the house would be very quiet and who knows mayhaps this man does have a change of heart. If you’re asleep on the couch expect to wake up in the bed all tucked up nicely. With food ready to be served. 

Either that I'm not really seeing that much romantic value with Leone Abbicchio just in general. 

Again another really fun request. Hope you enjoyed your results @peeshposheddie. Sorry if I might’ve left any blanks. Or if the characters weren’t who you’d hope to get m(_ _)m

——————

For those who are still waiting please be patient. I've had a pretty busy schedule and workload. DM me if your request has been pending for about a month now.

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝙲𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝙼𝚢 𝙽𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 (𝙿𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝙿𝚘𝚜𝚝) 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚁𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚄𝚙𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜

Two Worlds Become One (or how the search for a Premier League club is going)

They did a mailbag episode on Stadio today, and one of the questions submitted struck a chord with me. Someone wrote in to say that they lived in the United States and had just begun watching Premier League and that they were looking for advice on which team to throw their support behind. I did not submit this query, but I recognized the line of thinking.

"Think about what you love, your values or whatever and then try to find a team that aligns with that," is what Musa said and those words have been rattling around in my head all day. He went on to provide an NBA example, which helped me immeasurably. Now that I can follow, and his words on the Brandon Roy-era Portland Trail Blazers made me smile. If Musa weren't a Manchester United fan, I think I'd just take his words as gospel and follow him to Old Trafford. However, I can assure myself that won't happen.

Ryan, the other Stadio host, also provided an NBA example. He said that he was an Indiana Pacers fan but that it took that one playoff series against the Heat in 2013 to realize it. He actually referred to them as "my Pacers" which made feel a slight twinge of sadness since he's also an Arsenal fan. These last two years or so must have felt just incredibly long. At the same time, that yin yang balance of Arsenal and the Pacers doesn't sound so bad. In a lot of ways, that's where I would like to land with this. I wonder who the Washington Wizards of the Premier League are?

A quick online search tells me that, ha, The Athletic ran a piece that tackles this very subject. Unfortunately, it was written in June 2020 and somehow feels a little dated in parts. (Also, while holding myself back from a rant, a lot of what they say about the Wizards is tied to the John Wall era which is now very much over.) All that being said, there's a lot of good anecdotal and contextual information about Premier League clubs that I probably wouldn't be able to find elsewhere and the whole NBA comparison model provides something basic enough for me to follow along. (Without dwelling on the comps too much, I must admit I was a little saddened to see that Aston Villa and their great kits were assigned the Philadelphia 76ers as their counterpart. Without getting into it, I may live in Philadelphia but I carry a real disdain for the Sixers. It's a long story. Maybe some other day.)

Anyway, I wanted to share a few words on how my search for a club was going. Ryan really stressed that you can't get caught up in present day results. After all, this is partnership for life. His anecdote about realizing that the Pacers were his team made me realize that it's going to take me all season. We're only a few weeks into the season so far, and this campaign runs until next summer. There are so many ebbs and flows that have yet to take place. Put simply, there's just so much more to experience. So, for as much as I may admire the Aston Villa or Wolves kit and despite the fact that I seemingly only read about the Big Six or Seven, I still understand that this isn't something I can rush into and that right now is a time for absorbing. (Ryan also suggested watching more football than just Premier League and seeing what grabs you. Bundesliga, here I come.)

This weekend has cool matchups on the schedule, but my mind keeps gravitating toward the North London derby. I don't know if it's because I live in North Philadelphia (and apologies if I've mentioned this before) but there is part of me that wonders if I should throw my support behind either Arsenal or Tottenham. It wouldn't be a popular choice since all American soccer fans only root for Manchester United, Liverpool or City but that's part of the appeal, baby. Both clubs carry a lot of history with them, which is cool, and while each have seen some success here and there, neither have ever been the unquestioned best on the planet, which is the lane that I know best. Both have strong kits too. Oh no, is this what I love? Is this what my values revolve around? Kits?

Hoops and Pucks

I have more requests to do but this is something that has been on my mind for a bit so I had to write it before I wrote my lesson plan (as you can tell I’m a great student OOPS).

But please keep sending in requests! I don’t know about you, but gives me something to do other than watching TV.

Hope you like it! _________________________

“Welcome to the Palestra for a game day matchup between the Saint Joseph’s Hawks!” The announcer starts, the Penn side, booing, the Saint Joe’s side cheering, “And your University of Pennsylvania Quakers!” 

Every year, the Saint Joe’s Hawks played Penn at the Palestra. It was a Big 5 game that all the students went to; every other year it was considered a home game for the Hawks since the Palestra used to be your team’s home while Hagan was being built.

Well, they were your team. You did your undergrad work at SJU, now you’re doing your grad work at Penn. But, after four years of going to SJU games and half a semester of Penn games, you still knew the SJU cheers better.

“Oh, when the hawk!” clap, clap, “Goes flying in!” clap, clap, “Oh, when the hawk goes flying in! I wanna be in that number! Oh, when the hawk goes flying in!” clap, clap. Then it goes again to the tune of ‘Oh, when the Saints go marching in,’ followed by ‘Let’s go Saint Joe’s,’ four times. Before the start of every half, the students would be screaming that, just like they did today. You were chanting along, much quieter since you were technically no longer a Hawk, especially since you were wearing UPenn gear.

“Seem weird that you know their cheers?” the guy sitting next to you says.

“I just graduated from Saint Joe’s in May and spent the last four years as one of those students,” you point over to the student section. 54th and Airborne, the name of the group of students who were ‘in charge’ or the student section, was in front next to the dance team with the drum. You were one of the students who would walk on the court at the start of each game and beat the drum to symbolize the ‘heartbeat of the Hawk.’ 

“Wouldn’t wearing Penn gear make you a traitor?” 

You look over to him. Damn, he’s attractive, and he looks so familiar, but you start laughing, “I’m a student at Penn now. You can take the girl away from Hawk Hill, but you can’t take Hawk Hill away from the girl.” Both of you start laughing because of how corny that was. 

“I’m Tyler, by the way,” he extends his hand to you. “I just wanted to see a game.”

“What do you mean?” You ask turning back to the game. The Hawks were up 13 to 9, which was shocking considering how bad they had been while you attended. Their rebuilding phase was a long one for sure.

“I’m in town for, uh, work, and I had a free day, and I’ve heard about the Palestra and wanted to come see it. I didn’t really care who they were playing.” He explains. Just a guy who wants to see a basketball game. That was you with hockey; you didn’t care who was playing, you just want to watch a good game. You had loyalty to your hometown team, but other than that the ending score was irrelevant.

“Stop going for three’s, you never fucking make it!” You screech as the team has four failed three-point attempts in a row. “Learn how to get the rebounds instead!” 

“You know your stuff.”

“I know the team. But what do you do for work?” 

“Uh, I play for the Dallas Stars.”

Your head snaps to him so fast you practically have whiplash. You get a good look at him and finally make the connection. “Fuck, you’re Tyler Seguin, how the hell did I not recognize you? I was going to go see you play the Flyers tomorrow night but I couldn’t afford the tickets.”

“Oh, you were coming to see me?” He says, smiling at you with a stupid cheeky grin on his face. 

“Yeah. I was. You’re my favorite player on the Stars.” You shrug and blush, knowing that gives him permission to egg you on for more. 

“Oooh, favorite? The more you talk, the more I like,” he says, the grin not leaving his face.

“I’m from New Hampshire and have been a Bruins fan before I could comprehend anything else. I was even at Game 7 in 2011. I was losing my mind watching you guys win the cup. I honestly cried when you were traded.” Play stops on the court because one of the players for Penn traveled. “Wait, listen. I started the chant the student section is about to do.”

Both of you sit for a moment as you hear the students yell, “You walked, you traveled, you took too many steps,” three times as the Penn player looked over his shoulder with pure anger on his face.

“It’s not hockey, but I would love to see a fight,” Tyler says, leaning back as far as he can in his seat. The Penn player wouldn’t tear his eyes off the student section as they kept cheering. Their coach was doing everything he could to get his attention, but the student section was egging them on for being down 32-14. 

“I am definitely guilty of yelling ‘let em fight’ and almost getting thrown out of Hagan,” you admit. You were a hockey fan before you were a basketball fan, and it showed a little too much. Other things you would yell include two minutes for pushing, fine him for embellishment, and throw him in the box. 

Half time comes up and you and Tyler just keep talking. He’s being flirty and you’re having a hard time controlling yourself from flirting back. You can’t flirt with an NHL player. He’s Tyler fucking Seguin. 

“So you said you wanted to go to the game tomorrow?” he says as the second half is about to start.

“Yeah, but tickets are too expensive. I’m just going to stay in and work on a paper instead.” Tomorrow was Sunday, so you had class the next day anyway. Might as well work on the paper before your week started.

“What if I got you a ticket?” he grins, raising an eyebrow, his arm extended so that it lays on the back of your seat, begging for you to lean back into it. But you knew that NHL players get comped two tickets per game. At least Boston did that for the Bruins according to Charlie Coyle. 

“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that. How would I be able to pay you back?”

“How about you let me take out after this game and that could pay back?”

“I’ll pay for dinner if you give me free tickets? I’m down.” You lean back into your seat, just letting his arm wrap around your shoulder. The touch of his fingers sent chills down your spine. It also, oddly enough, felt comfortable, like this was just how it was supposed to be. 

“Oh, no. I’m taking you out on a date. I asked, I pay,” he smiles, pulling you in closer to him. If it weren’t for the armrest separating the seats, you would probably be cuddling right now. In public. And for some reason, that didn’t bother you at all. 

“So that just means next time you’re in Philly, I get to pay.” 

“I guess I’m coming back to Philly very soon then.” 

OMG a creepypasta match up?!! ON GoD i swear!!! This brings back so much memories.anyways idk if your requests are open or closed, if they are closed PLEASE ignore this.

Anywho if they aren’t um hi. Name’s V I’m a pansexual 5’2” ambiverted ENTJ-A Aries and I go by she/they.I have a light considerate amount of melanin because i’m filipino and i have either very straight hair or wavy/cury hair there’s no in between. People tend to notice my smile/laugh since i tend to do that pretty often in public.

Personality: Um, I'm pretty hot headed and get very irritated very easily. I despise getting purposely provoked and If i do i will not hesitate to hit them or just throw something at them. Cuz well..they get on my nerves. Either that I just get irritated easily and will yell at that person if I'm not in the mood to talk which is kind of often since I like my alone time. Despite getting irritated easily, I don't really like starting fights or conflicts unless absolutely necessary. Because I can either be obnoxiously loud or mysteriously quiet some people find that fairly intimidating about me...idfk how or why? I’m actually nice and will try to strike up a conversation. (random side note about my personality in public i tend to be loud and stuff while at home or just not out in public i can be seen as someone who prefers to be left alone and not talked to despite having guest over)

Hobbies/Things i like/dislike: I do track and field (i’m a thrower). I did martial arts for at least more than two years. I'm just a green belt. Anyways IRRELEVANT um i play violin/piano. I like to listen to different genres of music (don’t really do well with modern day country songs…). I like spicy foods (I have a pretty high spice tolerance) and I like people who I can genuinely vibe with and they’re not clingy. I like people who can make me laugh and make dark jokes with or just really stupid jokes i.e. bee on a chair….yeah it’s wild. Anyways I HATE centipedes and because of my childhood I'm terrified of ladybugs. That’s kind of it. Thanks <33

Requests are open!!! I don’t think I’ve had enough people to close them, but this has been the biggest day for requests!

Anyways, onto the matchup!

Puppeteer/Johnathan Blake

Let’s be honest, first impressions—he’s gonna get hit. He enjoys messing with people! But, he’ll learn when to actually come around and talk with an apology gift that isn’t creepy (probably just some spicy hot chocolate, which I believe is called Mexican hot chocolate? Correct me if I am wrong).

That’s when he learns you’re not just mean and easy to irritate, which while he finds entertaining—he can find that entertainment anywhere. This though? He liked.

He wasn’t intimidated so much as he thought of this as a challenge, but either way, that did change.

He’s not much of a runner since he’s basically like a ghost, but he will 100% make dark humor jokes with you. Although, if it is dumb enough, he will laugh.

He likes to go out to places and just do dumb things that are funny, and sometimes slightly dangerous. He doesn’t realize that though, since he is dead.

100% will trip anyone being an asshole to you with his strings. He’s been known to use them for things other than creepy real people puppets.

His spice tolerance is high, since he is dead. He will ask you for spicy foods to prank others though.

Prank people with him with said spicy foods and he will be happy. Either way though, he will replace your spicy foods.

Also string instrument? The violin especially? Sign him up he is going to watch you practice with a smile. He will recount music he’s heard in the world before as you take breaks from playing.

Also he will, jokingly, offer his strings for you to play on like a violin. He’s probably tell you that they were all e strings, or he may even call them “forbidden b string” when doing this.

Clingy a problem? Well, this isn’t a problem with him as he does have to go out a lot and he tends to do what he does solo, even to a partner he really trusts. It’s destressing for him and he needs alone time too.

Him getting actually, visibly irritated is rare—but even during those times he won’t snap at you and anything playfully dumb or just messing with you jokingly will make him happy again.

Also since he is taller than you, he will make short jokes to tease you. Expect pet names to, things like doll and buttercup. Call him one too and he’ll be dramatic about it and fake a tad bit of disdain to try and get you to say it more. He likes pet names going both ways.

Master of doing hair, he works with his hands and strings to de-stress, so he will be easy to get to do your hair pretty well. It will look pretty, whether it is short or long. He will consider this quality time that isn’t exactly trouble to planning an actual date.

Actual dates may be cheesy though since he hasn’t been in the dating booth in many, many years. He only has learned from little bit. He will make sure you are treated well, though. He does care about you after all. Just maybe not as showy about it in public.

Alone is a whole other story as he is dead and touch-starved, so, a lot of cuddles and hugs. He’s a touchy PDA person in private. In public he can’t be seen, and he just generally keeps a small distance anyway in public—an old habit of his that’ll be hard to break.

I hope you like it! It’s late so many no more requests for the night. I will answer any more tomorrow though.

Edit: fixing some errors and adding a bit because I wrote this really late last night when I shouldn’t have.

Hi! Hope you're doing okay. I saw your matchups were pretty intriguing so I decided to request a bedroom matchup if that's okay. (I would also like to request a living room matchup so should I resend my application?)

I'm a 5'3" bisexual (male lean) female. Golden brown wavy hair till my mid back. Reddish brown eyes. Caramel complexion. Full lips. I also love a little mole on my lower lip on the left side. Lean hourglass.

The only sport I do is swimming (not competitive all the time. Sometimes I do it for the heck of it or for exercise) and I love it. But that's about it.

I'm a Pisces and a Slytherin. INFP-T (Turbulent Mediator). I'm an introvert so I tend to be a little shy at first and opening up to others takes me a while. But once I actually like a person I would literally kill for them. I also don't trust easily. I have been diagnosed with depression so I don't even trust myself when the going gets rough. Although I have been trying my best to get out of it. I'm also claustrophobic so I tend to avoid crowds and cramped places. Also spiders and I just don't get along. I woke up to the feeling of something crawling up my arm once and I opened my eyes to see it was a spider and since then I can't stand to be in same room as those bugs. Seriously I'll cry otherwise.

I'm a huge astronomy nerd. Stargazing is the second love of my life. I love reading and listening to music. Music is the first love of my life. I listen to almost every except for heavy metal. Don't really have anything against it just that I end up with a headache after listening to it. My favourite type would either be alternative or pop, depends on my mood.

I'm not into gossiping. More of the deep-conversations-at-3am type of person. Offer me dark chocolate and I'll be your loyal servant of the rest of my life (just kidding... mostly). I love learning new things especially about art and culture. I grew up on the coast so I love nature.

I guess I'm drawn to people who have a good sense of humour and are respectfully of other people's boundaries and opinions. Seriously to me the manners that "maketh" the man appeal more than the genes.

I'm not the confrontational type so I seriously can't stand to argue with the people I love. Also I am a tab bit on the sensitive side (perks of being a Pisces *yay*). Like I don't mean to get overwhelmed by the slightest of things but after a hard day if I come back home to see my favourite snack (ramen) and movie (Tangled) ready, I'm probably gonna spend the time meant for "relaxation" on crying because I just get overwhelmed over unexpected things, I'm sorry. That's about it I guess. Thanks!

((I GOT CARRIED AWAY AND WROTE A MINI FIC HELLO))

Hello and welcome, darling! Thanks for paying me a visit. I hope you’re well, I want you to know that this is a safe space for you. Please make yourself at home (⌒‿⌒) I understand you’d like a bedroom matchup, but unfortunately, there isn’t enough info on here for me to deduce a good one (and I don’t want to half-ass your matchup) 😔 But I’m glad you mentioned your interest in a Living Room matchup, so let’s make our way over there! ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

For you, I’ve invited...

Akaashi Keiji! (Runner up: Kozume Kenma)

Akaashi has proven time and time again that he knows how to handle people. His understanding of the different ways people think is possibly his biggest strength, and he knows exactly how to adapt to various personalities. The exact reason why I matched you with him. He’s laid back and incredibly pulled together, so there is no way for him to overwhelm you and will never cross any boundaries you’ve set. He seems like a no nonsense type of person, but is used to chaos, and knows how to resolve it because of Bokuto.

- Your relationship with Akaashi would start out with him observing you first. He’ll notice your little quirks, and will be able to detect any non-verbal cues and signs about your mood

- Even when you guys aren’t together yet, he can tell if you find yourself starting to spiral

- The first time he catches it, he won’t push you to talk about it if you don’t want to (and he can 100% tell if you don’t want to), but will still do what he can to make things less overwhelming for you, even in the smallest ways he can

- In return, he will appreciate the fact that you like deeper topics and interests, as he constantly surrounded by chaos and shallow conversations. Totally seems like the type to prefer having a glass of wine in a quiet place over a bar/club

- Another thing he’d love about you is your bluntness and honesty, as he shares the same qualities. You two would be a team!

- Your relationship would be built on the foundation of trust, as you both let your walls down around each other 

- Once you two are together, he just has to be taught once, then he will have mastered navigating you down to an art form

- He can tell when you need space, or gifts, or words, or a day out, or an evening walk, or silence, or warmth - as long as it’s within his capabilities, he will give it to you

- In return, just love and respect him, and make sure he knows how grateful you are for everything he does!

~

This turned into a mini fic askjdhf I hope you like it! (warning: angst, but with a happy ending)

It was dark.

Somehow, you have made friends with the dark - you’re well-acquainted with the way it envelopes you in its quiet. It is an old friend you’ve had a of topsy-turvy relationship with. It shows up in so many different forms - a cup of your favorite hot chocolate; the coast in the nighttime; a confidant when your music blasts from your bedroom speakers. Sometimes, it’s dusted with stars; this is when it loves you most. 

But tonight, it was not kind to you. You lay there and feel yourself sinking, cries clawing up your throat with no signs of making it out, so they come out in the form of silent sobs. You wonder why the dark allows you no comfort tonight.

Your phone lights up, a message - but you’re submerged in the company of your old friend, too focused on its bellowing silence.

After a few more moments of trying to swim up, something cuts through the vastness of the night, and you’re back on your bed, in your room, now illuminated with light pouring from the hall. You look back and see a figure standing in the doorway - your boyfriend, Akaashi, brings you back to reality.

He observes you for a few more moments, assessing the situation. Nothing he’s unfamiliar with, but he still has a concerned look on his face. He reached for the lightswitch but stops in his tracks. His voice, sweet like caramel, breaks the silence.

“Should I keep the lights off? I don’t want the light to shock you.” You nod, then he makes his way to you.

He sits on the edge of the bed and places a hand on your figure, his movements all taken with immense care and gentleness.

“I brought you ramen. I figured you haven’t eaten yet.” 

You were about to ask how he knew, but he interrupted, “Last thing you texted me was that you were on your way home. That was hours ago.”

“I’m sorry,” was all you could manage. Akaashi just shook his head with a reassuring smile. His hand stayed on you the whole time.

“Please let me help you, my love.” 

He held out his hand for you to take it. Suddenly, you no longer felt like you were swimming up - you were back ashore, and right there stood Akaashi Keiji, like a lighthouse in the night. 

~

I CLEARLY GOT A BIT CARRIED AWAY BUT I HOPE YOU LIKED THAT, DARLING! Remember, you have a home here, please feel free to pay me a visit anytime.

Thanks for dropping by! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

Agents Of SHIELD S7E01 “The New Deal” Easter Eggs And References

In the season seven premiere, most of the team ends up in 1931 New York thanks to some time travel shenanigans. We love shenanigans, right? The is the last season premiere ever, and it’s bittersweet, but I’m diving right in.

As always, if you don’t remember this from the last few seasons of me writing up Easter eggs (posts are tagged aos easter eggs if you want to read old ones), this list assumes you have seen the episode. There will be spoilers.

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Again, spoilers. Turn back now if you don’t want them. Okay? Good.

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The Episode Title.

It’s a reference to FDR’s political work. I mean, Coulson even references it and says the episode title in the show. I kind of love when show’s do that? This show didn’t used to, but they did it a lot more the last two seasons, so maybe it’s a thing now.

The Title Card.

I feel like it’s unfair to call this an Easter egg, but if they didn’t put a 1931 timestamp on the top of the episode, the title card could have told you what era the team was in. Whoever was in charge of designing it did a great job making it look like a classic film title card.

Faceless People.

Okay, so the chronocoms erase the faces of the people they wish to resemble. This isn’t really a thing in the comics, but there is a character called “Faceless One.” He happens to be an alien who wants to conquer Earth as well, but is basically a big yellow ball with legs, so I doubt there’s any connection other than the cool effect.

Coulson’s Data Flood.

Okay, we get that literally everything Coulson says when he’s not talking to Daisy, Mack, and Jemma are quotes from previous seasons, right? Good. He even downloads the information on Ghost Rider, his own death, last season, etc.

Deke Has A Workstation.

Okay, not an Easter egg, but I think we need to take a moment and appreciate that Jemma built Deke a workstation and Fitz left him the tool we saw way back in season five. Why? Because Deke never feels like he belongs and he wants so badly to be close to his family, and now, we see that they thought of him while upgrading their ship. He has a place. And it’s right next to Jemma.

Elena Is Quarantined.

That’s because she was infected by the shrike in season six, not because the writers are psychic and knew there would be a massive epidemic going on when the show premiered. (Sorry, typed that before I realized Jemma was going to actually say it in show, so it’s staying in.)

Gemini And Koenig.

Gemini is actually a pretty popular name/codename in Marvel Comics, so it being used as, supposedly, the code name for the person in charge of the speakeasy made me laugh. It’s much more likely here that the bartender didn’t react wrong to the use of the word, that it’s used to weed out pretenders, hence the double barrel shotgun he affectionately calls the twins. I also like that it’s a tease for a Koenig appearing since we initially thought the Koenig siblings were twins and it turns out there are too many for us to count at this point (not really, I’m exaggerating, but great that grandpa or great-grandpa Koenig looks exactly like the modern day Koenigs. I mean, come on, they’re clones or something, right?).

“It’s not exactly your first time being separated by space and time.”

Okay, look, if you have to keep inserting meta humor into a show about how often you separate your main couple, maybe you should stop separating your main couple. (Yes, I know, Iain de Caestecker had another job he was working on in seasons six and seven, but seriously, it’s not funny. Your audience is tired of it.) I mean, to be frank, Fitz is one of my favorite characters in the show, but I didn’t really miss him in this episode? That might sound bad, but I don’t think they needed to comment on him being gone so much considering Jemma told them at the end of season six she didn’t  - and couldn’t - know where he was.

Wilfred “Freddie” Malick.

Daisy explains who he is, but look, it’s the father of Gideon Malick, the same Gideon who became the leader of Hydra after a broken SHIELD (and the Avengers) decided to squash all of its heads, the same guy who got Ward interested in visiting an alien planet where he ended up as Hive. He’s, like, ancient school Hydra, not just old school Hydra. What doesn’t make sense here is that they’re saying the SSR forms in response to Hydra. Technically, the SSR forms, and then they learn about Hydra, unless I’m misremembering, which is totally possible.

The Substance.

So, I gotta wonder… what’s in the test tubes? The earliest we go in the MCU is Captain America, which is still a whole decade after the events of this episode. Prior to that, Hydra experimentation did create the Red Skull, but… still not sure what’s in the tubes. I don’t really have a frame of reference from the comics to speculate either since Hydra was into literally anything and everything. 

New York.

Okay, so I’m curious if anyone knows where they filmed their 1931 New York scenes. I have questions. Because they use the same couple of blocks for all their outside scenes, which makes me think it’s a studio backlot (which would definitely help keep the script quiet) and they’re going to use a different part of the lot next week. A friend asked me if I thought it was the same as the one used for Captain America when he’s in Brooklyn in his first movie. Cap’s first movie’s Brooklyn scenes were filmed on a Universal Studios lot where they had New York building facades and street signs. If you’ve been to the theme park, you basically know what it looks like without the 30s/40s dressing. I think it’s the same lot, and I say this because I actually kept thinking that they used the set pieces Disney used for The Newsies movie in 1992 while watching the episode. Do you know where that was filmed? On the Universal Studios backlot’s New York street set up right after it was renovated in 1991. Huh.

So, Mark Kolpack basically answered this on twitter when discussing VFX. They filmed their New York street scenes on the Warner Bros. backlot, not the Universal one, so I guess the people in charge of designing the set pieces did a great job because they look pretty much the same.

This Picture.

This boxing poster was shared by Jed Whedon on instagram. Honestly, I didn’t spot it in the episode, but that could just be because I have a small television screen and I can’t read the signs unless I pause on a computer and zoom. I have bad eyes, guys. Sorry. Usually signage is something I spot on a second or third watch, but according to Whedon, this is set dressing in the episode somewhere. Probably on the street the characters walk down multiple times. 

Let’s break down the names. Kitson is George Kitson, a story editor, writer, and production assistant on the show. He wrote this episode, and, actually, next week’s episode. The planet Kitson was also named for him. Titley is Craig Titley. He’s a producer and writer for the show, probably best known for writing “4,722 Hours” at this point. Brown is such a common name, but I’m going to guess it’s for Garry Brown who has directed a handful of episodes and is also a producer on the show. Bell is, I’m thinking, Jeffrey Bell, one of the producers and writers on the show. Tancharoen is for Maurissa Tancharoen, one of the showrunners, or you know, maybe her brother, who has directed several episodes (including this one!), or her father, who is in charge of transportation to sets. Gierhart is, I’m assuming, Billy Gierhart, who has directed a lot of episodes of the show, though I don’t think he’s directed any since 2017. (If you look at the matchups, it ends up being writer vs writer, producer vs producer, director vs director when you assume the Tancharoen is Kevin.) It says there are four main events though, and only three are listed?

Not sure if the October 15 date is intentional, but if it is, that’s the day “Eye Spy” aired in season one? Steve Roger’s mother dies on October 15, but in 1936. Not sure if that’s even canon since it’s in a promotional comic, not in anything on screen.

I’m sure there are more, and if you guys spot them and tell me, I’ll add them in. If I notice any on a rewatch, I’ll add them in as well. Who’s looking forward to the time traveling this season?

Paul Dini’s Jingle Belle: The Mighty Elves (Comissoned by WeirdKev27)

Well well boys, we’re back to Jingle Belle with another kevmission, though per his request i’ll be getting back to Life and Times Of Scrooge McDuck at long last. I also have some other stuff planned and all that, but for now, let’s focus on everyones faviorite elfen hellion as we dive back into Paul Dini’s Jingle Belle. 

I covered most of the behind the scene’s stuff last time so in short in case your just joining us, since this one’s got a bit more stuff to tag: Jingle Belle is an indie comic book character created by animation god Paul Dini, the daughter of Santa Claus and the Queen of Elves who acts like a standard rebellious teenager sterotype and causes trouble for her dad.  Last time I touched on the character a good two days ago, we looked at her first appearance, where she sent her family to Family Therapy. At the time I’d ONLY read that story, and hadn’t gotten that far into Jing’s world just yet. As you probably guessed despite plugging a decent amount of time into re-reading the rest of Scott Pilgrim (shout out to my good friend Mike for the early christmas present), on digital and in color and into the Switch port of the first Fire Emblem, I still got 2/3 of the way through the omnibus Kev gifted me of almost all her stories up to 2018′s The Handmade’s Tale.  Honestly not a lot has changed from the pilot.. while Jing’s designs changed a bit, she’s still more of a rebellious hellion, and while Santa’s no longer a slut shaming jackass, he’s still hard on her while her mom tries to keep the peace, The humor’s still edgy, if toned down enough to support returning whenever Dini felt like it but it’s largely the same for better or worse.  Overall the stories haven’t been bad but have been a bit reptitive to read in one giant omnibus. This really is down to the format they were made in: These were one off stories spread months apart meant to be picked up off the shelf with no real ongoing stories or character development and only some slight worldbuilding here and there. In short not bad stuff, just clearly not built to be collected in a huge omnibus like it was and not the first comic collection i’ve encountered with this problem and definitely not the last. 

That being said the stories are creative and still well put together. It is Paul Dini and he has wrote pretty much every story collected here with few exceptions, so it’s still good stuff, just as I said clearly not meant to be read all in one block like i’ve been doing. And today’s story happens to be one of my faviorites so far, breaking the formula up a bit by having Jing do something a bit diffrent and also involving hockey, a sport this story made me realized might actually intrest me on some level.. if in part due to letterkenny. 

God bless those two handsome idiots. So let’s ice up or skates, get those letterkenny refrences at the ready and see what the Mighty Elves have to offer. 

We start at Hockey Practice for Santa’s Hockey Team, The Elves, the kind of sentence that makes me really happy to type for money. Santa’s team is naturally for this kind of story and what the title references, are the last place in the bi-polar hockey league their in.. presumably ran by commissioner bi-polar bear. 

Again, I really love this job and that i’m actually getting paid for this this go round. Anyway, Santa’s team isn’t all that agressive because.. well i’ts a team coached by Santa, why would they be? But Santa’s still proud of his boys... as for his girl on the otherhand he gets a call and we soon find out via mugshots Jing dragged her two friends, up from just one in previous stories, to an air force base, somehow got arrested for hitting on enlisted men, not a crime, and stealing and crashing a helicopter, very much a crime.  Naturally Santa isn’t pleased, so we cut to a few days later where he’s letting her friends off making robo kitties, damn I want one of those now, while leaving Jing to do the packaging, though like most stern but fair dad’s he admits he dosen’t like punishing her and is right in saying there’s more to do with her summer vacation than you know, piss off the military. Santa needs his flight clerance dammit. Jing complains there isn’t much to do but feed the reindeer and make toys to which I say.. really santa? You haven’t set up anything else for your eleves to do? Making toys is their job. Build a fucking movie theater. And at the very least if not for them than for your bored and rebellious daughter to distract her from doing crimes. She’s still likely got a few hundred years of teenagering left, give her something else to do other than piss you off.  Santa does have a least a little something: Hockey! Which Jing’s cousin Rusty has taken up. Rusty showed up in the first story but I kind of glossed over him, he’s basically Jing’s Dorky cousin she frequently abuses. Not really much more or less to him. Jing isn’t on board mostly because their team always looses, to the other teams: The Penguins, the Polar Bears, The Snow Leopards and the Eskimos because they don’t really have killer instinct, which yeah is kind of necessary for hockey. To her..

But during her rant she does show Santa she’s got genuine talent for the sport, so he makes her a deal: Do a little favor for him, and she’ll swap that for making toys.. it’s a deal.. one she soon regrets but hey. 

Jing naturally makes an ass of herself pretty quickly beating the shit out of Rusty with her dad repremanding her and threatning to throw her off the team if she has another outburst like. That is until she runs into the Huskies Coach, Stan. 

I mean i’ts a hairy old man who makes a side bet with Santa Claus despite it technically being against commission rules, might as well be. So Santa tells Jing screw it, as long as it’s the opposing team violence is a-okay.  And naturally our first target is the world famous hockey player, aka snoopy aka a snoopy stand in. And being a big fan of peanuts i’m a sucker for a good peantus parody. Doubly so since Dini did his homework, and as I’d remembered and a quick google confirmed “The World Famous Hockey Player” was indeed one of snoopy’s many personas.

 Not that it was much of a stretch: just about any time snoopy played a sport he was “the world famous X player”, but still it’s a nice little nod. Not so nice is Jing within seconds slamming him into the air and under a Zamboni and getting sent to the box for it naturally. So clearly she’s the shorsey of this team, all chirps and ultra violence. 

Snoopy is thankfully still alive, if barely, though he’s off course been through much worse.

But while in the Box jing helps advise the team and a presumed combination of her beating the shit out of the other team’s best players and her team now not only having something to inspire them but a strategy means the Elves win for once! Santa and Jing share a hug, though Santa advises her not to go for his wallet, it’s still a sweet moment as she’s genuinely invested now.  So we cut to..

Okay Hank Ribbon seal is genuinely one of the best things humanity has made but as for Quiki I just... wow that joke is mildly racist at worst, confusing and unfunny at best. I mean... it really just makes no sense on any level and that’s with me not knowing a lot about hockey, but knowing just enough to know Kathy Lee Gifford existed. Just.. what even was that? I know Paul can do better than this.. because as my first review outlined he wrote a LOTTTT of Tiny Tune Adventures including my favorite episode. He also wrote most of the best Joker episodes for BTAS, so it’s not like the guy CAN’T be funny.. so I have no idea how he could fail so hard with this. Just.. what is this. Who thought this was funny? what was the joke? 

That.. utter bafflement aside, this newscast is used to push things ahead as the elves are on a winning streak, having also beaten the Polar Bears and the Penguins.. though weirdly we DON’T get a cameo by this guy despite having already had Snoopy show up. 

That’s my boy. But yeah there’s only two teams left with this, the Eskimos and tonight’s matchup the Snow Leopards, aka snow catgirls lead by Tashi Ounce, who Jing met at the winter games last year and lost too and thus has a whole rivlary thing going. In a really nice moment Santa stops to make sure Jing is okay going into the game. 

It’s part of why I REALLY like this story: Santa instead of just being disapointed in his daughter genuinely bonds over her over something and Jing shows she has a softer side to her. It’s some good character stuff, helps shake up the normal formula nicely. Back to the usual though she and Tashi naturally go at it, phrasing, and fight the whole damn time, with Belle eventually scoring the winning goal. Though noticably while Tashi is just as competiive as belle and lost this time.. she’s fine with it, knowing she’ll win next time and congradulating the opponent.  But before she can leave the rink, Tashi is approached by a mysterious figure with an offer and we cut to said figure’s lair... it’s THE BLIZZARD WIZARD! dun dun dun!.... yeah I haven’t introduced him the Blizzard Wizard is.. well exactly what he sounds like, as well as the former ruler of the North Pole. He enslaved everyone there to do his bidding and was essentially, a butt till Santa showed up, united all the various animals and kicked his ass. Since then he’s been reduced to basically a rankin bass villian, lurking near bye and scheming to get petty revenge on Santa for it. So essentially....

Minus the tragic backstory. He offers them a deal: The championship cup for him defeating the elves. As he puts it the cup symbolizes hard work, respect and team work.. i.e the things their throwing out to get payback. Tashi wants none of it, but the blizzard wizard has his slush minons capture her and with the rest willing to sell out, he gets to work. 

Bliz snows out the eskimos, and brings up accusations of Santa gambling, which he gets away from by.. having his wife donate the money real quick don’t ask just go. But he has a waiver signed by the other coaches so their playing his goons. But Jing isn’t phased and Santa asks her to give the lockeroom some inspiring words. 

10/10 no notes. But naturally Bliz has a sneaky trick up his sleeves.. to win.. specifically a hot french canadian player which.. makes jing fall to pieces flirting with him and makes her entirely ineffective. Okay time out.... huh so this is the timeless void known only to zack morris, that girl from the reboot I haven’t watched, and Regis Filbin. But yeah while I wouldn’t expect Jing to slaughter the guy it feels out of character for all she’d do is to giggle like an idiot instead of making a move. She’s been established as forward and knowing what she wants. I’m not against her being distracted by this it’s just the how that feels off especially since the opening reinforces this. She hit on air force guys. She’s not going to just be giggly and awkward. Jing may not be the most complex charcter but she’s better than this. Aside from the baffling Kathy Lee Gifford gag, this is the only thing I really don’t like abotu the story, and it lasts two pages before it’s resolved and in a 22 or so page story, that’s a good chunk of it spent on something that isn’t funny and that’s out of character even within story. That being said it dosen’t drag the story down entirely, still a good story. Just a bit uneven is all. 

But unsurprisingly Tashi escapes her earlier imprisonment offscreen to let Jing know not only the full extent of Bliz Whiz’s machenations, i.e. that the other coaches are in on it, but that the hockey player is really just one of Bliz’s minons uner a glamour. WIth that knowledge Jing asks why she’d help and Tashi shows her inner honor beneath the whole rival deal, pointing out she wants to win from a GOOD team next year. With the jig up Jing pulvirzes her former crush, claims to have been under a spell (no one byes it) and the elves clean house and win. Super fuckin shooter. As for Bliz Whiz he tries to steal the trophy but instead gets booted into the snow leopards box, phrasing... it doesn’t end well for him. 

And yeah while he comes back eventually, some how, apparently, for most of the stories after this he’s just.. dead. He was killed and then his remains eaten. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

But Jing admits she had fun, she and her dad bond and we get one last gag as he assumes she learned not to showboat only for her to block everyone else in the team photo. Falalallal we’re out. 

Final Thoughts: As I said, one of my faviorites. It’s really well paced, has a good premise and only one part drags at all and only that part and one gag really don’t land. The rest of it is really funny, nice and touching, and overall a nice shakeup from these stories usual pattern of “Jing getting into hyjinks”. While she DOES here, her and her dad are literally and figuartvely on the same team, and she does show a sweeter side genuinely bonding with her dad and it’s nice to see them actually enjoy each other’s company for once. It’s a nice change of pace and one I wish more of the stories had. I’m not saying they all have to be holly jolly but i’d be nice if more of them had a bit of heart to them is all. Tis the season and all that. Still for what it is, it’s a fun ride and I highly recommend it. We’ll probably see her again sometime this season but that’s a bit off.  For now coming up I have some ducktales to tell, a chapter in a man’s life story that’s long overdue, a holiday mess I wish I didn’t have to clean up, and in the distant future.. an old friend to reconnect with. Until then if you liked this review reblog it, comment etc all that good stuff, and you can send me asks with suggestions fo ra review or direct message me, or ask for my discord, to comission a review yourself. Until then, happy holidays. 

hope im writing right;; match-up for ikesen, please? im a libra (scorpio moon, virgo venus) who prefer to be in hufflepuff. so, im an optimistic person with black humour and head half in the cloud. love make art but cant sing because my voice is really bad, ugh. sometimes i can literally disappear to find a balance in my emotions, because i dont wanna bother my friends. if i was in game, id be a wandering warrior with some kind of wind magic. im really interested in your work, wish you luck uwu

Hi, there love! Thank you so much for the request! I hope you have a good day today and I hope u enjoy the matchup!

So I match you with.................. Kennyo

So at first, I matched you with Mitsunari, lol I even wrote a whole matchup but then last minute changed my mind ^_^

The first time you meet Kennyo was when you literally ran into him in the forest in an attempt to get away from Nobunaga and his crew. You ran as fast as your legs could carry you. Only to slam into what felt like a brick wall; you stumbled backward, and before you hit the ground, two strong arms gently cradled you and brought you back to an upright position. You were out of breath and your eyes darting everywhere. You were on high alert. Kennyo softly traced the lines on your face to try and calm you down, almost like you would a kitten. You looked into those smoky grey eyes staring at you with concern. You managed to calm down a little and whispered a small thank you. You heard the sound of horses running in the distance, and you knew they were now chasing you. You took one last look at the man before scurrying off again.

The Oda’s weren’t all that bad, your first impression of the strange lot may have been a bit hasty, as you have actually come to enjoy this mixed bag of characters. Although they were somewhat overwhelming at times. Especially today. Your emotions were all over the place, and you felt like you needed to get away and find your balance again. You told Hideyoshi that you were going to walk around the garden to clear your head. You walked the vast garden route, head entirely in the clouds. You were wandering around aimlessly. You had found an overgrown path leading you further away from the castle. You couldn’t help but smile and think about Robert Frost's poem “The Road Not Taken.” You wondered down the road taking in the beautiful scenery all around you

You spotted a small injured cat on your path; the poor thing looked like a stray that lost a battle for food with the other wild animals in the area. You crouched down to get a better look while looking around for some help. You signed; the cat would have to hang on until you were back at the castle so that Ieyasu could tend to it. Your kind of like the idea of having the poor thing as a pet. Just then, a big bear of a man appeared. You were slightly started and fell back to land on your rear. The monk peered into your eyes. “Are you okay young miss, it wasn’t my intention to frighten you.” You looked up at him and smiled. You examined his face; he had a big scar stretching across it. You could see he had gone through many a struggle in his life, yet he had a sense of calm kindness about him. He crouched down and examined the cat. Of course, you scooted closer and explained you were planning to take the little guy back and care for it. Kennyo then reached in his sleeve and pulled out some medical supplies and started treating the cat in front of you. You watched his skilled hands apply salve to the wounds and wrap them up good as new. He then looked back up at you and tried to give you his scariest face. “Run along back home, little miss, and never forget demons roam these woods at night.”  You picked up the little cat, thanked him, and started running back home, you stopped halfway and looked back to take one quick glance only to see no one there.

You had been missing for hours, and the sun was now dipping below the horizon, mama Yoshi was frantically searching the garden for you. When all of a sudden, you reappeared from the tree lines carrying the little cat. Hideyoshi breathed a sigh of relief and gave you a small lecture. Everyone accepted your new little pet with open arms. The kitten was treated like royalty, Masamune cooked for it, Ieyasu gave you medical supplies to care for it, Mitsuhide gave you a small collar with an attached bell, and Mitsunari and Hideyoshi gave the little kitten the softest fluffiest bed to sleep in. And of course, Nobunaga didn’t forget to spoil his luck charms new kitten; he too brought the kitten some toys to keep it entertained. At times you couldn't help but let your mind wander back to the monk that had helped you. After all, it was thanks to him treating the little cat on the spot that it managed to survive your trip back home.

The next day you left again to wonder the same path, secretly hoping to run into the monk once more to thank him and show off how well the little kitten was doing. That’s when all of a sudden, your kitten jumped out of your arms and started running in some random direction. You chased him curious to see where it was leading you to. You stopped when a small cabin came into view. You slowly made you way up to the door; your little kitten was now scratching at the door as if to try and open it. The door swung open, and you locked eyes with the very man you were looking for. He was shocked. What were you doing here, and how did you even find his hideout? He tried to scare you off to no avail; you low key though he was just joking. You did have a slightly dark sense of humor, so the more he tried to intimidate you, the darker your jokes got. Just who the hell was this woman. Eventually, he relented and let you into his little home.

You sat down and made yourself at home. Kennyo offered you some tea and rice pudding. You graciously accepted hearing him say something under his breath about how hopelessly optimistic and naïve you were. You couldn’t help but smile at this strange monk. The two of you leisurely sat and chatted. You were surprised at all the different types of animals he cared for, each looking like they had seen better days. Even your kitten had made a new friend with Kennyo’s every own grey cat. Kennyo couldn’t figure out why he was so attracted to you, why he had invited you into his home, and why on earth he had offered you tea. He was a monster, and you should fear him, except here you are sipping tea in his home without a care in the world. When it was time for you to leave you scooped up your little cat promising to visit again so it could play with his new friend, you waved Kennyo goodbye and left. Kennyo bid you farewell while wearing the most gentle soft smile, unbeknown to him. You had visited him many times since. Every time bringing some kind of sweet treats to share and have with your tea. The more you visited the more Kennyo seemed to enjoy your company and open up a little.

Kennyo never thought he had any humanity left in him until meeting you. Every visit seemed to soften and melt his stone-cold icy heart. Before he knew it, he was utterly in love with you. He loved your dark humor; he loved your vast imagination, and he loved that you respected his alone time as well. Your optimism and gentle nature even managed to heal the hole in his heart and soul. 

He slowly returned to the tender, soft-hearted monk he once was, also rebuilding the bridge of friendship with his old friend Shingen. Of course, he still dislikes Nobunaga, but that never affected your relationship. You eventually, with Dad Nobunaga and Mom Hideyoshi’s permission, moved into the small cabin with Kennyo. The two of you can often be found wandering around the forest together, hand in hand, heads in the clouds, and helping anyone or anything in need. He loves nothing more than to lay with his head on your lap, as you gently play with his hair and sing to him. Even when you think your voice is terrible, he absolutely loves it! He has now dedicated his like to the optimistic angel who swooped in and saved him from himself. And will love you to the ends of the earth and back. 

Other potential matches................Mitsunari 

I hope you enjoyed it dear! And I hope you are staying safe and well!

Request: Can I get a bnha matchup please? ;u; I'm a transman, 165 cm, 20 and bi/pan with no gender preference. I'm usually quiet/reserved, monotone/boring when spoken to, but once a subject of interest is brought up, or when im with someone I'm comfy with, my personality does a 180 - I'm loud, sarcastic, and annoying. My sense of humor is all over the place lol Ive been told that I'm "old in spirit" bc I'm really mature when I need to be, even if most of the time I act like I'm 5 lmaoo

I'm pretty chill for the most part, idc what u do as long as it's not hurting anybodyhdjdh im also rlly stubborn but a huge pushover, dunno how that works. I'm both carefree and a worrywart (to both others and myself) and I typically hold my emotions in cause I don't wanna bother others. I try to help others 24/7, even if it affects me negatively. Uhh physically speaking im a lot stronger then look, and I own literally no nice clothes lol its all graphic Ts, cargo pants and hoodies for me

I'm a huge ass nerd when it comes to anything science related, especially paleontology + herpetology. I love all animals (no phobias) and I have 3 snakes whom I adore. I also like to draw and write occasionally. I have severe MDD and SAD, so even with meds I can have really bad depressive episodes and/or panic attacks. This is getting super long so I'll stop now fjfkh thank you !! Sorry if I repeated info I got a shit memory

Before I start, I personally have no experience with MDD or SAD, but I did look up both disorders and I hope that what I wrote about them is okay. If you’d like to correct me, please feel free to do so ^^ 

I’m sorry that this is so long lol, but I wanted to discuss as many things you noted as possible ^^ Hope you enjoy it!! ^^

Reminder that as of right now, requests are closed!

I ship you wiiiith

Hawks!

Your personality reminds me of a rainbow in a way? So, I feel like Hawks would never ever find a day boring with you! Since he has this whole thing of people calling him fast etc, I lowkey get the idea that that also applies to his personal relationships, so having someone with so many fun personality traits is perfect for him.

I think Hawks is mature in a way, just like you are. I mean, he started his own agency at 18 and a few years later he is the number 3 Hero, that definitely does something to you. So I think it’s nice to him that you are the same, while also remaining carefree most of the time. It makes his busy and serious life a bit more fun.

Your chill attitude is yet another thing Hawks loves, since he wants to be that way as well. Also, with his job, he most likely can’t always tell you everything about it for safety reasons. As for whether it’s hurting people… He can’t always promise you he won’t do that, but he will let you know it’s always with good intentions. Villains can’t always be defeated with just talking to them.

It kind of warms his heart when you are worried about him. I don’t think Hawks is really the type to fall in love easily, so if he had any relationships before meeting you they may not always have been genuine. While part of him likes it, he also doesn’t want you to worry. He always promises to come back, and it does make him a bit more careful when patrolling, because the last thing he wants to do is upset his wonderful boyfriend.

Now, when it comes to you keeping in your emotions, this is where it gets a bit difficult. I don’t know exactly how much time you two will be able to spend together, so he may not always be able to be there for you when you’re having a hard time. However, while Hawks appears to be chill, he’s also smart and analytic and notices when you are feeling down. He won’t force you to tell him what is wrong as he knows it’s hard for you, but he does reassure you that you’d never ever bother him and he will always listen to whatever you have to say. However, if it seems to go on for a long time, he might push you a bit more, simply because he knows keeping it in won’t do any good. But also here he can tell when it really gets too much, so if you still won’t tell him, he will be a little hurt, but definitely stop.

He thinks you’re the sweetest person ever, but he also worries about your well-being at times. If he sees you absolutely exhausted but still telling him everything is fine, he will just scoop you up and go somewhere so you can relax for a bit. Sorry not sorry :p

He thinks it’s kinda hot that you’re stronger than you may seem heh, like if you work out or just do something that requires strength and he sees it, he might make a flirty remark about it and appear chill but on the inside he lowkey panics because uhm what how is his boyfriend so attractive???? explain?

I don’t think Hawks cares that much about what you wear really, if you feel comfortable in it that’s all that matters. You could literally wear a potato sack and he will think you’re the most attractive person on the planet. He might even spoil you a little by buying you hoodies and other clothing which he knows you would love. And no, he won’t let you give it back, it’s yours.

I can’t really see Hawks being super interested in paleontology or herpetology, but he won’t mind you rambling about those things to him! While he might not always focus 100% on what you’re actually saying, he will study your face, smiling at how your eyes are lighting up and your lips are curled in a happy smile as you go on and on about it. If you catch him not listening to you, he will just make a remark related to your beauty, partly to see how you react and partly because he genuinely means it.

So you love animals? Bird boi is perfect for you, now he sees why you fell for him ;). He definitely likes birds, i don’t think he particularly adores any animals but I can see him strongly disliking some mammals like cats and dogs (I think these sometimes eat birds sooooo yeah..) He definitely thinks your snakes are pretty cool.

Hawks doesn’t seem like much of a reader, but he would definitely love to see your drawings! He thinks every single one of them is super awesome, and if you ever give one to him, he will definitely make sure it gets a special place in his house, a place where he can look at it easily whenever he misses you or just feels like it.

As for your MDD and SAD, at first Hawks will be clueless on how he can help you out. If you have a depressive episode that causes you to isolate yourself, he will definitely force you to go outside. It could be just walking to his place, or taking you on a nice flight at night over the city. Afterwards, he will bring you to your favourite restaurant or buy you food that he knows you love. You will also definitely be showered in lots of love and affection. If you’re uncomfortable with PDA however, he will only do it when you two are alone. He will also joke around and flirt with you just to see you smile, but if he sees it doesn’t help he will stop.

Same goes with your anxiety attacks, at first he’s completely lost on what to do. Hawks isn’t stupid of course, but he’s aware that every person is different. If he finds out about this before you have an attack, he will ask you what would help you in situations like that. However, if this happens without him knowing about it at all, he can recognise what’s happening and will do his best to get you to calm down first before talking about it with you. Hawks may not always seem like the most serious guy, but when it comes to you he’s dead serious and always careful. 

So, you’d be very lucky to have someone like him by your side :) Once Hawks is in a relationship, he will give his all. And any moment with him is definitely far from boring

1, 18, 22 and 23 for the fanfic ask meme 🤗 Sending lots of positive vibes and love! You can, and you will conquer these WIPs ❤️

madame lex !!!! :-))))) thank you for keeping me company!! still hard at work.

1. What was your first fic and could you stand to reread it today?

I was actually trying to look for the first fic I ever wrote some time back. :( I uploaded it onto ffnet but err.... they have some not so great policies, and long story short it got deleted a while back. Worst part is that I got rid of the computer I saved it on, too ! It was a Bleach fanfic with a very self-indulgent OC. I vaguely remember parts of it and I just want to see it again to see my progress... ..

18. What’s your most underrated fic?

I don’t know which one I’d consider underrated... but I guess I’d like to hear people’s thoughts on Take Care more often, or if they would have rather I just stuck it into the original fic like I did with the rewrites for Chapter 1. :’)

22. Has there ever been anyone who’s made you freak out because they read your work and followed/favorited/reviewed?

really hope this doesn’t sound like a copout but I feel this way anytime someone comments on my fic. :’) or whenever someone goes to my askbox. Like!! wow !! people want to talk about jojo/giorno with me!! 

23. What’s the nicest review you’ve ever gotten?

there’s so many !! BUT I will share the most memorable one; sometime after I set up this blog in the summer, I had someone come to my pm’s to gush to me about my fic and she was really adamant on telling me that my writing just improved with every chapter, that she had been reading BBP since I first uploaded it (and definitely saw what I consider to be the “nightmarish” first version from January 2019), and that out of all the things she’s read (and she’s read plenty) she thinks my writing is definitely amongst the top. we messaged back and forth about our love for giorno for a few hours. and then we did the same thing again, like everyday, for another few weeks.....

she and I exchanged personal/contact info shortly after that (LOL) and we are now the best of friends. she’s currently serving as my writing buddy (whom I bug whenever I’m stuck on a plothole). :-) we’ve talked on the phone long distance, gone out for dinner (I had her over at my place for a few days last year), we go to each other for personal troubles—couldn’t imagine what my life would be like now without her. I’m really glad that she messaged me and I’m so lucky to be a part of her life. Also she’s the one I made my Fugo matchup for, so if you’re wondering how far we’ve gotten in our friendship, the proof is there.

What Republicans Think Of Trump Now

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-republicans-think-of-trump-now/

What Republicans Think Of Trump Now

What Is Happening To The Republicans

Republicans Face ‘Civil War’ Split Over Remaining GOP Loyalty to Trump

In becoming the party of Trump, the G.O.P. confronts the kind of existential crisis that has destroyed American parties in;the past.

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Content

But, for all the anxiety among Republican leaders, Goldwater prevailed, securing the nomination at the Partys convention, in San Francisco. In his speech to the delegates, he made no pretense of his ideological intent. Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, he said. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. Goldwaters crusade failed in November of 1964, when the incumbent, Lyndon Johnson, who had become President a year earlier, after Kennedys assassination, won in a landslide: four hundred and eighty-six to fifty-two votes in the Electoral College. Nevertheless, Goldwaters ascent was a harbinger of the future shape of the Republican Party. He represented an emerging nexus between white conservatives in the West and in the South, where five states voted for him over Johnson.

Opinion: Why Donald Trump May Lose Influence In The Republican Party

Common wisdom holds that former president Donald Trump remains the dominant force within the Republican Party. The truth is that his personal influence and standing are not as powerful as many imagine, and his power is as likely to decline as it is to increase.

Theres no denying that many Republicans still revere Trump. He remains highly popular with GOP voters, and candidates for office still vie for his endorsement. Two recent Politico/Morning Consult polls show how strong he remains. A mid-May poll found that half of Republicans surveyed would vote for Trump in a hypothetical 2024 presidential primary matchup, and another poll released this week shows that 59 percent want Trump to play a major role in the party going forward. Trump is clearly the single most influential figure in the party today.

Other signs point to the gradual erosion of Trumps influence. Candidates may seek his support, but those who fail to get it dont drop out of the race. Trumps endorsement of Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks for his states open Senate seat did not dissuade Katie Britt, a former chief of staff to retiring Sen. Richard C. Shelby, from entering the race on Tuesday. Her three-minute announcement video barely mentions Trump and strikes traditional conservative themes of faith, family and hard work.

Democrats Return The Favor: Republicans Uninformed Or Self

The 429 Democratic voters in our sample returned the favor and raised many of the same themes. Democrats inferred that Republicans must be VERY ill-informed, or that Fox news told me to vote for Republicans.;;Or that Republicans are uneducated and misguided people guided by what the media is feeding them.

Many also attributed votes to individual self-interest whereas GOP voters feel Democrats want free stuff, many Democrats believe Republicans think that I got mine and dont want the libs to take it away, or that some day I will be rich and then I can get the benefits that rich people get now.

Many used the question to express their anger and outrage at the other side.;;Rather than really try to take the position of their opponents, they said things like, I like a dictatorial system of Government, Im a racist, I hate non-whites.;

You May Like: Trump Calling Iowans Stupid

Republicans Cant Understand Democrats

Only one in four Republican voters felt that most or almost all Democratic voters sincerely believed they were;voting in the best interests of the country.;;Rather, many Republicans told us that Democratic voters were brainwashed by the propaganda of the mainstream media, or voting solely in their self-interest to preserve undeserved welfare and food stamp benefits.

We asked every Republican in the sample to do their best to imagine that they were a Democrat and sincerely believed that the Democratic Party was best for the country.;;We asked them to explain their support for the Democratic Party as an actual Democratic voter might.;;For example, a 64-year-old strong Republican man from Illinois surmised that Democrats want to help the poor, save Social Security, and tax the rich.;;;

But most had trouble looking at the world through Democratic eyes. Typical was a a 59-year-old Floridian who wrote I dont want to work and I want cradle to grave assistance. In other words, Mommy!;Indeed, roughly one in six Republican voters answered in the persona of a Democratic voter who is motivated free college, free health care, free welfare, and so on.;;They see Democrats as voting in order to get free stuff without having to work for it was extremely common roughly one in six Republican voters used the word free in the their answers, whereas no real Democratic voters in our sample answered this way.;

Also Check: What Major Cities Are Run By Republicans

Taking The Perspective Of Others Proved To Be Really Hard

The divide in the United States is wide, and one indication of that is how difficult our question proved for many thoughtful citizens. A 77-year-old Republican woman from Pennsylvania was typical of the voters who struggled with this question, telling us, This is really hard for me to even try to think like a devilcrat!, I am sorry but I in all honesty cannot answer this question. I cannot even wrap my mind around any reason they would be good for this country.

Similarly, a 53-year-old Republican from Virginia said, I honestly cannot even pretend to be a Democrat and try to come up with anything positive at all, but, I guess they would vote Democrat because they are illegal immigrants and they are promised many benefits to voting for that party. Also, just to follow what others are doing. And third would be just because they hate Trump so much. The picture she paints of the typical Democratic voter being an immigrant, who goes along with their party or simply hates Trump will seem like a strange caricature to most Democratic voters. But her answer seems to lack the animus of many.;;

Democrats struggled just as much as Republicans. A 33-year-old woman from California told said, i really am going to have a hard time doing this but then offered that Republicans are morally right as in values, going to protect us from terrorest and immigrants, going to create jobs.

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Emboldened ‘unchanged’ Trump Looks To Re

Across the party as a whole, an NBC News poll released late last month found, a majority of Republicans considered themselves supporters of the GOP, compared to just 44 percent who supported Trump above all, the first time that has been the case since July 2019.

But mild dissatisfaction with Trump isn’t the same as political courage. Most prominent Republicans have publicly aligned with Trump even as voter support erodes, and they’re buckled in for the long haul. That creates the opening for more traditional Republicans to toy with forming a new party but it’s a slim one.

America Should Deport Illegal Immigrants

Republicans believe that illegal immigrants, no matter the reason they are in this country, should be forcibly removed from the U.S. Although illegal immigrants are often motivated to come to the U.S. by companies who hire them, Republicans generally believe that the focus of the law should be on the illegal immigrants and not on the corporations that hire them.

Read Also: Who Is Winning Democrats Or Republicans

Republicans Think Democrats Always Cheat

The Republican strategy has several sources of motivation, but the most important is a widely shared belief that Democrats in large cities i.e., racial minorities engage in systematic vote fraud, election after election. We win because of our ideas, we lose elections because they cheat us, insisted Senator Lindsey Graham on Fox News last night. The Bush administration pursued phantasmal vote fraud allegations, firing prosecutors for failing to uncover evidence of the schemes Republicans insisted were happening under their noses. In 2008, even a Republican as civic-minded as John McCain accused ACORN, a voter-registration group, of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy.

The persistent failure to produce evidence of mass-scale vote fraud has not discouraged Republicans from believing in its existence. The failure to expose it merely proves how well-hidden the conspiracy is. Republicans may despair of their chances of proving Trumps vote-fraud charges in open court, but many of them believe his wild lies reflect a deeper truth.

Despite The State Of Our Politics Hope For America Is Rising And So Is Youths Faith In Their Fellow Americans

What GOP Leaders Think of Trump, Then and Now

In the fall of 2017, only 31% of young Americans said they were hopeful about the future of America; 67% were fearful. Nearly four years later, we find that 56% have hope. While the hopefulness of young whites has increased 11 points, from 35% to 46% — the changes in attitudes among young people of color are striking. Whereas only 18% of young Blacks had hope in 2017, today 72% are hopeful . In 2017, 29% of Hispanics called themselves hopeful, today that number is 69% .

By a margin of nearly three-to-one, we found that youth agreed with the sentiment, Americans with different political views from me still want whats best for the country — in total, 50% agreed, 18% disagreed, and 31% were recorded as neutral. In a hopeful sign, no significant difference was recorded between Democrats and Republicans .

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What These Republicans Think About Donald Trump

Michele Gorman U.S.Donald Trump2016 Presidential Campaign2016 Presidential ElectionRepublicans

| We’ve been hearing it for months: Many established Republicans won’t support Donald Trump, who now is the party’s 2016 presidential nominee.

Since May 3, when Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus urged the party to unite behind the real estate tycoon, several prominent Republicans have publicly said they won’t back the New York billionaire in the general election. And some have said they will skip the Republican National Convention, scheduled for July 18 through 21 in Cleveland.

Trump’s inflammatory remarks toward immigrants and women have given pause to some members of the party, while others differ on his policy stances on issues including the economy, foreign affairs and international trade, to name just a few. Meanwhile, a small number of established members of the party have publicly supported the presumptive nominee.

Below is a look at who has said what…so far.

With Trump Off The Ballot Republicans Look To Regain Votes In The Suburbs

Trump’s influence in Ohio even after defeat so far has showed no signs of decline.

In the Ohio legislature, where the GOP controls the agenda with a super-majority, Republicans are looking to enact new restrictions on voting, following Trump’s baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 elections. There have even been proposals to rename a state park after Trump and to honor him with a state holiday. U.S. Senate hopefuls are jockeying to be the most pro-Trump Republican candidate. And the fact that a Cleveland area GOP congressman, Anthony Gonzalez, voted to impeach Trump in January has made him a handy target for Republicans looking to catch Trump’s eye, and maybe an endorsement.

But even at the Licking County GOP gathering, there were a number of opinions about the former president and the role he should play going forward in Republican politics.

The guest speaker at the event was GOP consultant Matt Dole, whose remarks offered a bit of consolation to audience members who may have loved Trump but were far less fond of his Twitter habit.

“We had to defend whatever Donald Trump did on a day in and day out basis,” Dole told his audience of about 50 Republican Party members. He added that they were all for Trump’s policies, “but sometimes his tweets got in the way.”

Republicans wish Trump were still in office, but according to Dole, they are now free to go on offense and focus on attacking the policies of Biden and the Democrats.

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Forty Percent Of Young Americans Expect Their Lives To Be Better As A Result Of The Biden Administration; Many More Feel A Part Of Bidens America Than Trumps

By a margin of 2:1, young Americans expect their lives to become better under the Biden administration, rather than worse ; 25% tell us that they dont expect much of a difference. We found significant differences based on race and ethnicity.

Whites: 30% better, 28% worse

Blacks: 54% better, 4% worse

Hispanics: 51% better, 10% worse

Forty-six percent of young Americans agreed that they feel included in Bidens America, 24% disagreed . With the exception of young people living in rural America, at least a plurality indicated they felt included. This stands in contrast to Trumps America. Forty-eight percent reported that they did not feel included in Trumps America, while 27% indicated that they felt included . The only major subgroup where a plurality or more felt included in Trumps America were rural Americans.;

39% of Whites feel included in Bidens America, 32% do not ; 35% of Whites feel included in Trumps America, 41% do not .

61% of Blacks feel included in Bidens America, 13% do not ; 16% of Blacks feel included in Trumps America, 60% do not .

51% of Hispanics feel included in Bidens America, 12% do not ; 17% of Hispanics feel included in Trumps America, 55% do not .

Have Expressed Reluctance Or Misgivings But Havent Openly Dropped Their Backing

Paul Ryan and John Boehner, the former speakers of the House: Both have expressed their dislike of the president, but have not said whom they will support in November.

John Kelly, a former chief of staff to the president: Mr. Kelly has not said whom he plans to vote for, but did say he wished we had some additional choices.

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska: She has said that shes grappling with whether to support Mr. Trump in November. She told reporters on Capitol Hill in June: I am struggling with it. I have struggled with it for a long time.

She said: I think right now, as we are all struggling to find ways to express the words that need to be expressed appropriately, questions about who Im going to vote for or not going to vote for, I think, are distracting at the moment. I know people might think thats a dodge, but I think there are important conversations that we need to have as an American people among ourselves about where we are right now.

Mr. Sanford briefly challenged the president in this cycles Republican primary, and said last year that he would support Mr. Trump if the president won the nomination .

That has since changed.

Hes treading on very thin ice, Mr. Sanford said in June, worrying that the president is threatening the stability of the country.

Maggie Haberman contributed reporting.

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Will Not Support Trumps Re

Former President George W. Bush: Although he has not spoken about whom he will vote for in November, people familiar with Mr. Bushs thinking have said it wont be Mr. Trump. Mr. Bush did not endorse him in 2016.

Senator Mitt Romney of Utah: Mr. Romney has long been critical of Mr. Trump, and was the only Republican senator to vote to convict him during his impeachment trial. Mr. Romney is still mulling over whom he will vote for in November he opted for his wife, Ann, four years ago but he is said to be sure it wont be the president.

John Bolton, the former national security adviser: As he rolled out his recently published book, The Room Where It Happened, Mr. Bolton said in multiple interviews that he would not vote for Mr. Trump in November. He added that he would write in the name of a conservative Republican, but that he was not sure which one.

Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont: Mr. Scott has said multiple times this summer that he will not be voting for the president, a position that he also took in 2016. He says he has not yet decided whether or not he will vote for Mr. Biden.

William H. McRaven, a retired four-star Navy admiral: Several Republican admirals and generals have publicly announced they will not support the president. In an interview with The New York Times, Admiral McRaven, who directed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, said, This fall, its time for new leadership in this country Republican, Democrat or independent.

Most Republicans Still Believe 2020 Election Was Stolen From Trump Poll

May opinion poll finds that 53% of Republicans believe Trump is the true president compared with 3% of Democrats

A majority of Republicans still believe Donald Trump won the 2020 US presidential election and blame his loss to Joe Biden on baseless claims of illegal voting, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll.

The 17-19 May national poll found that 53% of Republicans believe Trump, their partys nominee, is the true president now, compared with 3% of Democrats and 25% of all Americans.

About one-quarter of adults falsely believe the 3 November election was tainted by illegal voting, including 56% of Republicans, according to the poll. The figures were roughly the same in a poll that ran from 13-17 November which found that 28% of all Americans and 59% of Republicans felt that way.

Biden, a Democrat, won by more than 7m votes. Dozens of courts rejected Trumps challenges to the results, but Trump and his supporters have persisted in pushing baseless conspiracy theories on conservative news outlets.

US federal and state officials have said repeatedly they have no evidence that votes were compromised or altered during the presidential election, rejecting the unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud advanced by Trump and many of his supporters. Voter fraud is extremely rare in the US.

Still, 67% of overall respondents say they trust election officials in their town to do their job honestly, including 58% of Republicans, according to the poll.

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Destiny, matchmaking, SBMM, CBMM and the perspectives and attitudes of the different sides of the community

July 27, 2018

I'd like to take some time to talk about Destiny, matchmaking, SBMM, CBMM and the perspectives and attitudes of the different sides of the community. This has been an issue for a long time now and it's hitting another crescendo with not just the move back to 6v6 Quickplay, but this announcement from DMG and Derek Carroll today regarding matchmaking in QP. I've posted on this issue in the past and I think it's time to take another realistic look at matchmaking within the game and how it's working and who it's really benefiting. As I wrote in that post from way back when, there is a lot that goes into matching players in Destiny. Anyone who has continuously fast traveled on Mars to try to find an EP group understands that the first criteria the game tries to match players on is region. This is also the case in PvP as players like CammyCakes would use this pre-private matches to set up scrims and Trials players will change hosts to try to find more favorable opponents in different regions. So understanding that, it then branches out to many other factors in a complex algorithm to try to put players together. This will vary a bit from PvE where if there are no favorable matchups, the game can place players in their own instance and then matchmake others in from there. PvP obviously gets more complex, but the game is still trying to match players as quickly as possible because no one wants to sit in queues all day. Now here is where things get all wonky at least on the community end. Two of the bigger factors after region are SBMM and CBMM. These have both existed within Destiny matchmaking from day one despite claims that SBMM was only added in later on. While both did exist, they have been weighted differently throughout the course of the game sometimes favoring one more than the other. However, even with that knowledge it's not that cut and dry. Fireteams. As I stated in the post I linked, you can sing the praises of CBMM or SBMM until the cows come home, but neither can account for team compositions when players are going in grouped in a fireteam. Connection based matchmaking cannot account for players who are spread out all across the country or world who are in one fireteam together, just like it also can't account for the varying skill levels of all the players within a team. Could the game try to approximate and go from a median skill level? Maybe, but the other wildcard in all of this is that other players of similar skill or good connection quality have to be sitting in orbit in queue at the same 30-45 second window as you and not still be in a match or not in queue yet. All this has been. All this is, and all this will be again. That is a universal truth. Another universal truth is that someone is going to hate whatever system is in place while someone else loves it and that puts Bungie in the unenviable position of trying to make everyone happy when it's an impossible task. That is why ultimately I still believe the D1 approach of trying to find the right balance in weighting between the two was the best approach. Unfortunately the SBMM rebellion happened and ultimately it played a huge role in the direction Bungie went with D2. I don't want to rehash completely why I still believe the SBMM revolt was fundamentally wrong and the falsehoods of many of the claims, but I will speak on the initial complaint that lit the fuse and that was players feeling they were always in "sweaty" matches. This started with prominent content creators and was picked up and echoed by viewers. I know there is a tendency to lay the blame for everything players don't like about D2 at the feet of streamers and YouTubers and while this is not the case, they are also not without fault on some things. The general sentiment was that elite players couldn't ever relax and have fun because they were constantly "forced'' to play nothing but other elite players. The flip side to that coin of course is that their relaxing and having fun was achieved by smearing lower skilled players. This wasn't fun for those players and in year one of Destiny led to a very big problem of players just quitting out of matches as soon as the score even looked like it might get tilted (leading to the increased importance of SBMM in year 2). Unfortunately when the great SBMM revolt occurred, there was a lot of weight behind the message from very high profile people in the community and the other side just didn't have the same voice to speak with; which brings me to Destiny 2 and the past couple of days in particular. People like to say in loud voices the things players never asked for like crucible going to all 4v4, weapon changes, etc. And while technically that may be correct in the literal sense, the truth of the matter is that all the changes that happened with D2 were the developers trying to give players what they felt we wanted the game to be through all of our feedback. We didn't ask for 4v4, but what the community did ask for were games with better connections, and smoother play and going back to matchmaking, fireteams and all the variables of trying to group 12 players, lowering the player count to 8 allowed for a greater chance at better matchups. This was also the reason for the move to playlists rather than static game modes to queue for. On paper it is easy to see the upsides to all of it when weighed against player complaints from D1. Life is full of variables though and another is player population and as that dipped, it threw all of it out the window. There were no longer the extra players in queue from having 4 less in each match and only 2 playlists. The devs made a decision and they took a chance and it didn't work how they wanted. That happens and I give them all the credit in the world for owning that and resolving to make the game better. But going back to the split playlists, Quickplay and Competitive, this is something that bothered me before release and will lead into where we're at today. There was very vocal call for a ranked playlist in Destiny 2 and at launch many complaints from prominent players that Comp didn't go far enough and wasn't a true ranking system to show off skill. The reason this bothered me then is that we went through the SBMM revolt because elite players didn't like having to get sweaty all the time, but then in almost the same breath they're asking for ranked play. It made no sense at the time and we've seen this throughout D2 but really brought front and center since the last update that the ''elite'' players don't want to play ranked play. I was watching a stream yesterday discussing the topic and one of the things brought up was a top level PvP player who very publicly ''quit'' D2 earlier this year now ''loving'' Destiny again because they can go into QP and put up 60 kills. And to the credit of some viewers, it was pointed out that Quickplay maybe isn't all that fun for the lower skill players on the receiving end of those beatings, but the on stream reply was that casuals should play in Competitive if they want to play players their own skill level. And THAT is why I’m tilted on the subject enough to write about this again. Beyond the hubris of that statement, let’s really break it down. Elite players wanted a ranked playlist to show their skill, but found out they still hate actually having to play equal competition on a regular basis and it's more fun for them and entertaining for people who watch their streams and YouTube videos to see them throwing down monster games against lesser opponents. So if new or less skilled players want to play even competition and not have to not just sweat, but get their heads beat in every single match, their recourse is to play the ranked comp list that was meant for the high skilled players. FUBAR and ass-backward for sure, but it also fails to take into account that ''casual'' players can't play Control or Clash in the comp playlist. So where does that leave the game? From today's announcement that currently neither CBMM nor SBMM are functioning correctly and Bungie's response that for the time being they are going to let things lie and see how they play out, it seems that player populations over the final weeks before Forsaken are going to shape the eventual outcome. But at this point I think that it's clear that Quickplay and Competitive do not function as intended and it may be time to do a deep rethink on things there. I hate having to come to that opinion because I know how much Kevin Yanes and his team put into building ranked play, but if QP becomes the de-facto stomping grounds for the high skill crowd then where does it leave Comp? And this is where I would throw questions to the community. Does the community truly feel that the game comes down to survival of the fittest and there isn't a place for players who don't live and breathe crucible (or have time to no life grinding in PvE)? Or can we accept that the game can try to find a middle ground and have something for both types of player? The calls for the complete removal of SBMM were very clearly option one there in D1 and are fortifying that position these past few days. To state that casual players need to find someplace else to play is not something I accept or endorse and it is my hope that most of the people in this community wouldn't as well. The game can always be better. Matchmaking can always be better, but I would like to see solutions that don't leave behind one group or the other and to that end maybe it's time to rethink matchmaking completely. Thank you.

Superbowl Sunday, my analysis, my value added services to my service. My thoughts for a Sunday morning

New Post has been published on https://www.rickjshandicappingpicks.com/superbowl-sunday-my-analysis-my-value-added-services-to-my-service-my-thoughts-for-a-sunday-morning/

Superbowl Sunday, my analysis, my value added services to my service. My thoughts for a Sunday morning

Superbowl Sunday is finally here with KC matching up with TB.

First, let’s start out with This season’s record for my plays in the NFL:

Season to Date Sides:  17-8-2 or 68%

Season to Date Totals: 8-7  or 53.33%

Combined Season to Date: 25-15-2 or 62.5%

If you are laying -110 on these picks you would be +8.5 Units for the NFL Season.

Not a lot of plays, but it was a very steady NFL season with virtually no drawdown.  I will take these results every year:)

As those of you that have been following me for the last 12+ years I have been online, the NFL has been as steady a sport for me as you will find. While most struggle every year in the NFL, for some reason I find it the easiest to handicap.

All my past year records are available either here on this site, On slack, or on Google sheets. If anyone has any interest in all my past records just send me an email and I will provide them for you if you cannot find them.

So that brings us to today’s Superbowl.

Every season I give the caveat that you do not have to wager on the game. I look at it as one game of many. Unless you are a fan, which I am, as a gambler you only make wagers if you feel you have an edge.

That is the purpose of handicapping, to try to determine if there is a positive EV wager on a game.

No two handicappers have the same methods. Some use an analysis of the player matchups, some use external variables, many use a combination of techniques.

One thing is certain in all of this. While handicappers may share their picks, the good handicappers will not share their methodology. This is something they have generated over many years of hard work.

I have been handicapping now for over 40 years:)  I can tell you when it comes to handicapping sports nothing is static. What worked 5 years ago most likely does not work well now. So you have to constantly evaluate your methods and adjust when needed. It is time-consuming and requires a substantial amount of knowledge of various handicapping methods. Including the ability to develop your own methods that few handicappers use.

Years ago I wrote a 2+2 article named ” A Technique to improve your handicapping results”.

You can find the article at https://www.rickjshandicappingpicks.com/about-2-2/

or you can go to Two Plus Two Magazine Vol 7, No. 12 and read it there.

But much of what I wrote years ago still has some significance today. I typically do not write articles, but a poker player who I became friends with worked for 2 +2 and asked me to write an article for them as he followed some of my handicapping.

Now, let’s start my analysis of today’s game:

Let me start out by saying as I always do every Superbowl, that you do not have to wager on this game. Most bettors feel some compulsion not only to wager on it but also to wager more than they typically do over the season. It is similar to poker players who play 8/16 Omaha 8 all year round trying to grind out a few 100 a day. But then the world series rolls around, and you see the same players in the 75/150 Omaha 8 game. It’s the same mindset. What they have done is essentially have their entire year depend on how they do in 4 to 5 weeks of 75/150  after spending the other 47 weeks playing 8/16.

Saying that let’s look at the game to see if I see something worth betting on here. The models lean toward TB. Of course, at +3.5 there would have been enough EV to wager on the game. At +3 your edge if you have one is so slight its not worth betting. Remember the lower the edge the higher the variance. The variables lean even less to TB than the models. The public % edge is absent. At 41% on a +3 game, there is no edge. And there is no line move edge as the line has stayed pretty steady on this game. I look at Cris for that number. Pinnacle’s line comes out after Cris. You want to use the book that puts out the line first for that.

As far as the Total I do not see any value at all in the total. No leans either way on that wager.

Myself, I will not be betting the game. At least as the numbers stand right now. If the line were to move to +3.5 I will take another look at the game.

Now I know some of you are going to ask why I did not take +3.5 when it was available. The way I handicap most sports is I look at a number of things that move around right up until game time. So I did not know what all the numbers were going to be weeks ago.

Good luck whatever you decide to do on this game.    Rick

This is what I sent out to subscribers to my service earlier.

As a subscriber, you get access to all of my handicapping picks, which covers the NFL, NCAAFB, NCAABB, NBA, NHL, and WNBA. In addition, you get access to my political odds picks along with where I think there is value in the political odds arena.

I also added another aspect to my handicapping service. As I am an active trader I share most of my trades with subscribers.

These trades include Mean reversion trades, swing trades, income trades and options trades. The option trades are restricted to selling puts and calls for income.

When sports betting was shut down completely I started doing some research on a short put selling technique where you would sell a put that expired after the close the next day. These trades are made on Thursday morning and either expire Friday after the close or you take delivery of the stock if it closes below the strike price. (which rarely happens)

Since I started sharing these with subscribers this is a graph of those trades:

As you can see there have been 265 trades with a 93.58% win rate and a profit factor of 4.57

A few things to note on these is that most have annualized returns of over 40% and the drawdown has been minimal.

We had a brief consolidation around trade 81 and pulled out of it around trade 110 and then had our only drawdown around trade 143 and recovered it all by trade 172. Other than that it has been virtually straight up.

It’s rare to find a trading method as consistent as this. Although, We are only looking at 265 trades. I suspect we will be over 500 trades by year-end and will have a better picture of whether these numbers are going to hold up.

Now These short puts are only those I sell on Thursday for Friday expiration. There are other short put sales I make where I would not mind owning the stock at the strike price. These typically are 1 month out short put trades.

Since posting these trades I have only made 8 closed trades with 7 winners and 1 loser for a profit factor of 11.85. I have at last count 4 or 5 of these trades pending right now for expiration Feb 19th. All are far away from the strike price.

In addition, they all produce annualized returns of over 40% if they expire.

The mean reversion trades I have posted have a 70.83% win rate with a profit factor of 6.34.

So far I have posted 24 of these types of trades.

Many of my subscribers have found this to be a very valuable addition to the service.

Here is the graph of the mean reversion trades:

All in all, I would put my service up against any other for value. While most charge 4 figures for one sport in a lump sum that is non-refundable. I charge only $49.00 a month which you are free not to renew at the end of each monthly period.

This price has been constant now for the last 10 years with no increases, despite the fact I keep adding value to the service.

If you wish to give it a try you can go to the drop-down menu and subscribe via the PayPal button and get a 3-day free trial, or you can subscribe via this link with no free trial.

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Rickjsports/49

Once you sign up I will have you up and going within minutes:) Hope to see you join us for the rest of the NCAABB season including March Madness along with the NBA and NHL.

RickJ

rickjshandicappingpicks.com

Twitter: rickjsportplays

Slack: rickjsports