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mickstart · 3 years

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what do you think are some iconic/memorable schumi moments? i just got into f1 and would like to know more about him bc somehow i can’t really find anything like that about him.... just stats which are incredibly impressive but i can’t find anything about how he behaved or just anything about his personality..... thanks <3

:) Hi anon, thank you for unleashing the beast.

Ok I love you for asking me this thank you SO MUCH. Welcome to the circus I’m glad you’re here! Also yeah, Schumi is often talked about in terms of statistics and not as a human, Which is a shame bc like! Schumi is fascinating and the dynamics on the grid in late 90s F1 is so much fun! Also, this is mainly going to be late 90s -> early 2010s stuff bc I was born in 98 so uhhh I didn’t properly witness ANY 90s stuff and had to learn about it.

OK so I got super carried away but I’ve divided this into 3 sections: Drives/races that I think showcase some of his talents, human moments we need to talk about more, and Chaotic Little Bitch moments. The key thing to remember w/ Schumi is that he personally tends to be nice but as soon as you put him in a competition, Bastard Mode activates like a cat’s pupils going wide.

I am so sorry for the following short essay. Also some crashes are briefly mentioned but only ones with absolutely no injuries and there’s no details.

Chaotic Little Bitch Moments

Schumi debuted as a SUBSTITUTE driver for Jordan when one of their drivers was in police custody (yes. really.) The highest a Jordan had qualified all year was 10th and in his DEBUT at SPA, one of the toughest tracks, in the middle of the season, Schumi qualified that Jordan 7th! THEN his clutch failed before the first lap was even complete, but Benetton and Jordan WENT TO COURT to fight each other to sign him for their team before the next race in Monza. He couldn’t debut normally he HAD to cause a scene and set the tone.

The Red Strings of Fate: He qualified 7th, his iconic 7 starred helmet, his first victory next year was ALSO at Spa - his first complete race would be at Monza, Ferrari Holy Ground, and he finished 5th which 👀 1) he was immediately racing with The Greats. 2) Mr 5 Championships With Ferrari.

Winning a race by taking a stop and go penalty on the last lap, crossing the finish line in the pits, and making such a complicated argument about said penalty that in a hearing that was SUPPOSED to be Mclaren protesting the race result the stewards scrapped the entire penalty and the 3 who awarded it handed in their licenses??? Iconic.

Austria 2002 where Rubens was ordered to give the win to Michael. And then Michael fucking made him stand on the top step on the podium like “oh no no no RUBENS deserves this” and made a big SHOW out of it and its like “Michael stop you’re not making it heartwarming you’re making it WORSE Michael STOP” The Tension of germany 2010 podium VS the theatricality of THIS podium.

Team orders were banned because of this which also makes this indirectly responsible for Fernando Is Faster Than You having to be a coded message. You can’t escape him,

Blocking Alonso in Monaco qualifying and then, years later in 2010, overtaking Alonso technically illegally at Monaco (the race was ending under safety car, but the safety car doesn’t lead them over the line it pits and they’d crossed the safety car line and the regulations were NOT specific about the rules) and getting a 20 second penalty bc Damon Hill was a steward. Haunting FERNANDO specifically at Monaco like the ghost of christmas past? Getting a harsh penalty because ANOTHER driver he’d fucked over was a steward? Forcing the FIA to rewrite the rulebook to account for his nonsense when he was in his FOURTIES? I don’t know another chaos king.

Winning the 1995 championship by crashing into Damon Hill, getting AWAY with it for some reason, and then trying to do the same thing in 1997 to Villeneuve, failing to do so and simply rebounding off of him harmlessly, almost COMICALLY, and beaching his own car in a gravel trap at which point the FIA said “I have had ENOUGH of you Wacky Races Man!” and disqualified him from the entire championship

Forcing Mika off the track so bad at Spa 2000 that Mika realized the only way he was gonna be able to get past him was to re-invent the overtake and go for it whilst they were passing a backmarker. (The overtake itself is at 2:05 in the video but the build up to it is Important bc the key part it’s not just badass, it only happened bc Mika knew who he was dealing with.)

Spa 1998 was a Ridiculously Chaotic race it truly was the Mugello 2020 of its year, and after a crash at the start that took out almost the entire grid Schumi accidentally collided with Coulthard later in the race. (The teams used to have a spare car at every race then, so the race was able to continue after a restart.) This wasn’t a racing thing, Coulthard was getting lapped. So something in Schumi SNAPS, and he storms down the pitlane and tries to fight Coulthard while the mclaren and ferrari mechanics both hold him back and finally drag him away. He projected into the future, saw Coulthard was gonna talk non-stop shit about Seb, and acted accordingly.

Monaco 2012 Pole don’t talk to me about this I still can’t believe the audacity of this man to get the only pole of his comeback, at MONACO, at the ONE RACE where he had a 5 place grid penalty to take!!

In general, I know Cheating Bad but. I HAVE to admire the brainpower it must take to have the rulebook so memorized that whilst driving an F1 car Schumi could spot a loophole the size of the eye of a needle and then dance through it, forcing the FIA to add ANOTHER page to the rule book specially for him bc nobody else even REALISED that loophole existed.

Human Moments

A quick rant about Mika and Schumi’s entire friendship. After Spa 2000 Mika goes up to Michael, says something like “Don’t ever do that again” then they’re friends again. They had this mutual understanding that Racing was not Reality. This goes all the way back to their F3 days they were rivals AND friends for their entire career. They truly were the Sewis of the era if Sebastian was like 50% more evil. Their entire dynamic is “You’re the only motherfucker in this pit lane who can handle me”. Schumi would do some bullshit and every other driver would throw up their hands in frustration and Mika would just go “Okay” and drive better to put him in his place bc he was the only one who could keep up, and Schumi very visibly LOVED that he’s grinning after Mika owns his entire ass with that overtake at Spa. They were unstoppable force meets immovable object and I’m so sad their rivalry isn’t more talked about bc the way Mika is the only driver who can get him to behave like a normal human being is SO entertaining.

This is a sad one so I won’t link it but he started crying in the 2000 Monza press-conference with his brother and Mika when he equaled one of Senna’s records. The press kept trying to ask questions about it and Mika just has this death grip on his shoulder and tries to get them to stop or let them take a break and it’s so sad but also important to know about.

Once said he didn’t want Mick to race in F1 bc the pressure of his name would put Mick under so much stress and he wanted his son to be happy. (He fully supported Mick in his endeavors! But only after making absolutely sure it was what Mick wanted, and making sure he knew he could just race for fun if he wanted and it didn’t have to be F1)

This whole interview just after Mick was born with the Schumacher family. Special shout out to Gina on his head the entire video and also Corinna talking to the press while Michael is captivated by Mick. Me too Michael.

Once allegedly pleaded to take a stray kitten home from the track?

I reblogged this yesterday but. Sticking like glue to Sebastian at an F1 test and immediately being like “This is my new son he’s gonna go far”. There’s a lot of pictures out there also of Michael being a guest at the karting races Seb went to as a kid and baby Seb visibly losing his fucking mind at being given a trophy by his idol. Every day of my life I think about him trying to ruffle Seb’s hair through his helmet at Brazil 2012

WInning the championship in 2000. Him thanking the entire team individually and pausing mid-celebration to kiss his wife Corinna so tenderly it’s in the F1 opening. Also, the way it literally cuts from the rest of McLaren looking like they’re attending a funeral to Mika grinning at him and hugging him fucking SENDSSSSS me.

Schumi was a little shit in all the 2010-12 press conferences like, lowering Lewis’ chair, playing with a microphone wire, but ESPECIALLY corrupting baby Seb and getting him to mess with Nico Rosberg.

He’s just GOOFY! Like I refuse to let him be remembered as a terrifying force of nature he was so goofy kind of similarly to Seb. PLEASE watch this incredibly awkward interview he did with Coulthard on a golf buggy where they both had to pretend they hadn’t thought about murdering each other at least once. I think Sky F1 should force Brocedes to do this when covid’s over. “Do you mind if I drive?” “Yes.”

EDIT: I CANNOT BELIEVE I forgot the 1999 Canada press conference where Eddie Irvine and Mika Hakkinen get into a water fight and Schumi immediately grabs a towel and hides behind it and is like “I had NOTHING to do with it” 🥺 adorable, actually

A lot of people at Ferrari, including Rob Smedley (who was on the other side of the garage with Felipe Massa so not in his inner circle) have said that a lot of the success of the team came from Schumi’s LEADERSHIP more than anything, that he’d make the team get together to bond all the time. When Schumi moved to Ferrari in 1996 they were NOT dominant. He did the same thing Lewis did - went to a team that everybody said would be a huge mistake and helped build them up behind the scenes.

THIS bit of the Canada 2011 Rewind where his engineer gives him the strategy and he’s like “... OkaAaAaAay?” and then when it turns out to be the wrong strategy he cheerfully tells them it’s too late. Little shit.

Speaking of Mercedes I also wanna say that like. They were a MESS in 2012 and his car DNF’d because of a failing on their part MULTIPLE times. (In Canada qualifying his DRS was stuck open and they couldn’t close it.) He did not say a single bad word about them EVER even though the press used this to attack him non-stop as washed-up and bad without Ferrari to cheat for him. At Ferrari he was the exact same with the team, any bastard antics Schumi had for his rivals did not extend to the engineers and crew.

OK this one is soured bc Top Gear is trash BUT if you were like, a kid in England who followed motorsports? Schumi’s fake reveal as The Stig on Top Gear was like the coolest, sickest thing,

Please view this image of Schumi and Mika when they were young and stupid

Iconic Races

ok so I have limited myself to a few races that show off some of his key strengths!

Hungary 1998 / France 2004 - STRATEGY/SPEED - Schumi switched to a 3 stop strategy in 98 and a FOUR STOP strategy in 04 and won both races. In order for the strategy call to work he’d have to basically make every single lap a qualifying style ‘flying lap’ and you best fucking believe he DID THAT. God I fucking miss when Ferrari was the king of strategy.

Argentina 1998 - has it all. Talent, battling Mika, pit lane mind games with mclaren, and bullying coulthard xxx

Spain 1996 / a majority of the wet races - RAIN - One of Schumi’s nicknames was Rain Master bc he was so fucking good in the wet. If it started raining and you were a Schumi stan you were cackling evilly before the red lights even went out. I single out 1996 bc it was his first win for Ferrari and it was unexpected but in most wet races, even Canada 2011 post comeback, you can see Schumi thriving.

Malaysia 1999 - Schumi missed pretty much the entire second half of the season with a broken leg, came back for the last 2 races with everybody murmuring about whether he would struggle, and immediately put the Ferrari on pole. Also worth noting is that he was the number 2 driver for these 2 races bc his teammate Irvine was fighting Mika for the championship and he went along with that without complaint, allowing Ferrari to win the constructor’s championship if not the driver’s.

Monza 2002, 03, 04, or 06 just because it has the energy of the tifosi kneeling at the feet of an idol to their red god.

Brazil 2006 - Fuck All Y’all - Schumi’s last race for Ferrari. He got a puncture and ended up almost lapped, and then drove his way back from that to 4th bc he couldn’t go out without reminding us he’s a bad bitch.

Monza 2012 - Defending - Don’t tell F1 Twitter that there’s actual footage of Lewis and Michael having a genuine lengthy battle on track but DO watch Michael defending like a motherfucker and Lewis breathing down his neck for half the race we need to talk about this more.

Valencia 2012 - This isn’t necessarily anything special but I cried in my living room over the only podium of his comeback so it goes on here. It doesn’t have the same impact if you haven’t been watching him struggle with the car for years, DNF-ing from car failure most of 2012, and having BBC F1 telling you he’s washed up every single weekend, but you can just enjoy one of the best drives of FERNANDO’S entire career as he DRAGS that Ferrari by its hair to a home grand prix win and then watch the crowds embrace him like jesus and also Schumi being happy on the podium. Also, the very start of this clip from the press conference: him forgetting what language he’s supposed to be speaking

Basically, Schumi was a hyper-competitive ambitious bitch who turned into a goofball as soon as he switched the engine off. This is by NO MEANS everything if I was making an exhaustive best races guide I’d do more research and another post but I hope this is what you were looking for?? THANK YOU SO MUCH for letting me go MAXIMUM SPECIAL INTEREST and I apologize.

#asks #Schumi #Mika #Alonso #long post #god I'm so fucking sorry #Anonymous #This is not comprehensive bc I didn't want to accidentally turn this into a whole research project especially if you're new to it!

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whiskehorange · 4 years

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Manhunt

Summary: Elliot just can’t stop until Peter Douglass is caught, but when does it become too much?

“Elliot, go home.”

Olivia was the only other detective left in the station besides her partner. It was getting close to one in the morning and Captain had already gone home which was a clear sign that it was getting pretty late. Elliot was at his desk, flipping through the same photos, hoping for something new to come to light the more he looked.

When was the last time Elliot had seen his own bed and not the ones in the crib at the precinct? Olivia kept track; 3 days.

“Liv, that guy is still out on the street someone doing God knows what, maybe even planning another kidnapping and you expect me to just go home and sleep while this guy’s not rotting behind bars?”

Elliot was never one to let things go down unfinished, especially when that meant staying and doing his work as a cop until the suspect was charged and sent to trial. No matter how many years they’ve been partners, Olivia knows how hard headed Elliot really is. There’s no getting to him, not even with a family at home.

Olivia grabbed her jacket, patting Elliot on the back, “Lets go get some food, that’s the least you can let me do for you.”

“That guy was right in front of me, why didn’t I run? All I had to do was grab him. A few steps and I would have grabbed him.”

“Elliot it was chaos, there was nothing you could have done to get him. You saved Harper and that’s all that matters right now-”

“Please don’t try to help me out right now. Why would he risk getting ID'd? We know what he looks like for Christ’s sake, yet we can’t do a damn thing to find him because he’s left to fingerprints, no paper trail, and no DNA!”

The 9-1-1 call was assigned to the two detectives only because Captain Cragen knew that they would be on it until it was closed.

Harper, an 11 year old girl from downtown Manhattan was reported missing after missing the bus after school. The investigation had multiple witnesses to a man who stood outside of Harper’s daycare and apartment building as well as seen carrying around a disposable camera every time he had been sighted.

The case itself took a month or so to be considered closed; when Harper was actually found. The bastard was smart to not keep her in his own apartment building, or house. So far no leads gave the department access to where he lived let alone his whereabouts.

“His name is Peter Douglass. A thirty four year old man who lived in the Manhattan area. About 5’7, average build, red rimmed glasses-”

“Elliot, for God’s sake will you just eat.”

Olivia had almost finished her coffee and eggs before Elliot had even touched his plate. All she had ordered for him was eggs and toast with strawberry jam, what he would normally get any other time they ate breakfast before stepping into the chaos they call the NYPD. Beside Elliot was the manila folder that held just about anything and everything that was Peter Douglass. A slim folder, really. If you just glanced over it you’d think there was nothing in it until you’d go to pick it up and black and white photos of him and paperwork would fall out.

When Elliot says he’s milked everything he’s got from those photos, he means it. All down to what he was wearing and what direction he’s looking. Yet he still thinks there is something that he’s missing from all of it. Don was on the same page as Olivia regarding Elliot’s new obsession with Douglass, which is why he ordered him to work on it in his own time. There were going to be far more important cases openly being investigated that he needed the crew’s attention on than a “official” closed case.

“Elliot, I want to catch this guy just as much as you do, you can hold me to that. But with the DA officially closing it with Harper found, you know I can’t let the Department look into it anymore.”

“Captain-”

“That’s enough.” Don wasn’t going to take no for an answer, even though he knew how

invested Elliot was in this case, but it was either risk the jobs of the entire SVU unit, or close it.

“Look, you still have all of your vacation days. Why you haven’t used them to spend time

with your family for the past seven years is beyond me, but you can either use them and figure this out yourself, or leave it be. There’s nothing else to it. It’s your choice, detective.”

That’s the choice that left Elliot staying in a hotel, using his neglected vacation days. Of course he loved his family, but he wasn’t going to go home and be invested in this case. If he did that, it’d be like he wasn’t even home. Being locked in his study and being on the job was the same thing in his mind.

“Elliot?” Olivia was finished with her plate. It was getting close to two am and Elliot hadn’t had a drop to drink or an ounce of sleep. She could see it on his face. His blue eyes seemed empty but concentrated. His brows furrowed, surely stuck in that position if you didn’t know any better. Being this engulfed in a case never looked good on Elliot.

“I think I’m gonna go back to the motel. Goodnight Liv.”

And with that, Elliot left the diner.

While Olivia, as well as the rest of the department was asleep in their own homes, in their own bed and under their own blankets, Elliot could only look up at the ceiling of the dainty little motel room he had rented for the week. His hands folded across his chest, shoes still on, his mind raced.

A hotel. Small, cliche, perfect for tucking someone away. No, his name would have come up in the system of the places he’s checked. Hotels? Inns? Apartment. Most likely. Abandoned: possible.

His legs now hung off the side of the bed as his hand reached for the manila folder. But he paused

(Is this really what I’ve become?)

but only for a split second before he grabbed it. The indents of his fingers riddles across the tab and top of the folder. Any Medical Examiner would be able to get at least fifty good pairs of his prints if they dusted it.

The muscles in his arms and hands routinely spayed out the photos across the bedspread. His eyes adjusting to the yellow light from the table lamp beside him. His brain immediately remembers every little note he’s made about each picture. His eyes scanning each and every picture just like he did the numerous times he’s done in the station. Elliot would look at these pictures for hours until his neck would cry out for a different position. Until his back aches for a soft bed. Until his fingers begged for a time out.

But this time, his eyes halted at one picture.

Peter, standing at the corner where Harper gets off the bus. The time stamp puts him right at the bus stop only three minutes before Harper is let off, along with several other kids. Although he isn’t looking at the bus station itself, but at the trashcan next to him. His hand placed slightly above his pocket as if he was putting it back in. The picture before showed Peter with a disposable camera, the one after showed him with no camera, hand out of pocket.

Before he could even finish laying out the plot in his head Elliot was out the door with his jacket and in his car. There would be no time to stop by and pick up Olivia, so he’d have to call her for now.

“Elliot? Is everything alright?” It was 5:26 and Olivia wasn’t planning on waking up for another 2 hours. Her voice was gravely and tired.

“I’ve got a lead, I’ll be at the intersection where Harper’s bus stop was right outside her house. If they haven’t dumped the trash yet one of his cameras might still be in there.”

Click.

“Elliot? Elliot!” He had already hung up.

Olivia bounced her head back onto her pillow, letting out a long sigh. Why couldn’t he just leave this alone.

(The trash gets collected in about thirty minutes)

“Elliot you better get there fast.”

Olivia went back to sleep.

Elliot could see the orange paper label of the camera beneath the cigarette butts, food wrappers and what was hopefully coffee. The breaking and beeper of the garbage truck about a block away wasn’t making the situation any better, but with a rolled up sleeve and closed eyes, he plunged his hand into the trash and grabbed the camera, yanking his hand out and letting out a deep breath. That was definitely not coffee.

Elliot had the camera developed, that's how he found the two pictures of Harper on them. The station's Technical Assistance Responder, Ruben, was the first to take a look at the camera roll before anyone else.

“Why would he throw it away? It’s got Harper on it, why not use that?”

“Well, by looking at the tape,” Ruben had opened the camera and layed the parts out on the table before him and Elliot, “the capture button, here, wasn’t wired right to the film, here. See this little wire? It’s supposed to go here so that the camera can snap the photo and transfer it to the film, which produces your picture. That’s why these few that he did take come out a bit on the under-developed side.”

Ruben led Elliot over to a seperate table, with two intact cameras.

“Take this camera. It’s wired correctly, so when you move the dial and click,” the camera wizzed and clicked, “you can hear the click and the dial move back to its original place, and now it’s ready to take another. Now, if you look at this camera, one that I’ve personally rewired like the perp’s, I move the dial… and click..”

But the camera made two small clink sounds, like the dial was struggling to turn back.

“That’s the camera making a flash, but taking no picture.” “If I heard it, then the perp heard it too,” Elliot rubbed cheek, sorting it out in his mind.

“Exactly, and what do you do with something that doesn’t work?” “You throw it out.”

“The perp most likely didn’t even know the film was even able to make out anything. You’re lucky you found this before the color even faded completely. Maybe give it to Warner and see if she can dust for prints.”

(“Well, while the sides of the camera were covered it… well trash, I wasn’t able to get a good print from there, but the push button at the top did have a solid index print on it. Along with the receipt you have me, I can match that with what was found on the camera. The thumb on the back was a major plus. This was Peter Douglass’s camera.”)

“Already covered. Thank you.” Elliot took the film and headed down to the corner store where the camera was purchased. Thankfully for Warner, the second set of thumb prints on the opposite end of the receipt belonged to a Walter Brightman, the owner of Brightman’s Liquor. That made his job much easier.

“Idiot threw away the receipt with it. I have the film with Harper on it and where he got it. Brightman ID’d Peter and gave me his address, apparently he’s a regular and enjoys Grey Goose. I have this much Casey, just get me a warrant.”

Elliot was begging and bugging Casey for about fifteen minutes with evidence in hopes of getting a search warrant for his apartment. While there was a lot of evidence, she wasn’t sure just how well it would add up to the judge she’d get the warrant from.

“Stabler, even you know any judge will deny a warrant with this. The evidence is there-” “Then that's enough for a warrant of his apartment, car-”

“Elliot, that isn’t what I’m talking about. The case is closed, just about any judge I request from will deny it. There isn’t anything that they can legally do.”

There was silence on both ends. At this rate, Casey was prepared for more prying, but almost wanted to check to see if he was still there that's how quiet he was being.

“Listen, the judge that handled the Harper case might be a good bet to settle with. She seemed invested in the case as well as catching Douglass, but I’m not making any promises, Stabler. It’ll have to wait though, I’m not trying to hassle Donnelly out of bed this early in the morning for this. I’ll have your answer no later than nine pm, alright?”

“Fine.”

Elliot knew that bugging Casey with confirmation calls wasn’t going to make it any better, but it was 9:06; Six minutes too long for Casey to not call him back.

A voice followed a knock on his car window just about made him spill his coffee all over the dashboard. At least he was awake now.

“God damnit Casey,” Elliot huffed, rolling down his window and setting his coffee in the holder where it wouldn’t go flying out of his hand.

“Sorry I’m late, figured I’d deliver this personally,” the sly smile on her face gave her spiel away completely. Or the fact that she flopped the little blue pamphlet down onto his windowsill as she bent down, but either way, Elliot got what he had needed.

“So that’s why you’re late.”

“Listen, it took a lot of time to get this out of Donnelly. Thankfully for you, she owes me a bit of a favor. But anyways, in that warrant-”

“I know how a warrant works Casey.”

“Elliot, zip it. What I was going to say, in that warrant, it only covers the apartment. That was the best I could get out of her, so don’t try anything funny.” “Did you mention anything about-”

“-How this isn’t an official case assigned to you personally by Williams and put both of our asses on the line? Of course not. Now get out of here before I change my mind and tell her.”

He could only shake his head and crack a small smile. Donnelly really would have both of their jobs on the line if she knew this wasn’t a case for the entire department. He also knew Don would be on him too if they figured out that he gave his okay for Elliot to not only go through with his own personal investigation, but that he would have to face the city on his own time and explain. Then the entire department would be on the line,

(what have you gotten yourself into, Elliot?)

as well as anyone who helped him. Warner, Ruben, Casey… People that didn’t need to lose their job just because Elliot was too hot headed to just let Douglass get away with what he did. Too focused on getting sweet little Harper Andrews the justice she deserved, even if she wasn’t quite old enough to really understand just what that meant. Her father and older sister would know how it feels, but-

“I wish you the best of luck, Elliot. I really do.”

His seatbelt was left to his side as Elliot zipped out and onto the main road and downtown to Peters apartment. Hands gripped to the steering wheel like it was going to fly right out of the window, knuckles as white as a ghost.

Peter Douglass had no idea what kind of storm was going to break down his front door.

It was almost shameful how close Peter’s apartment was to the station. By foot it would take, give or take, ten minutes at max. By car, no more than four with regular traffic. Elliot, however, made it there in two. Any tickets he’d handle later.

If you were to take a look into Elliot’s mind, it would be filled to the brim with different scenarios. How he would kick down his door, how he’d tell the Andrews that they don’t have to worry about going outside anymore, how he’d look presenting to the press that Douglass is off of the streets. How he’d finally be able to sleep in his own bed once this was all over…

As he scaled past the front desk, he did a one-eighty as he flashed his badge as well as the warrant to the desk clerk, asking for Peter Douglass.

“Uhm, 319, on the 3rd floor but-”

But Elliot was off in a heartbeat. Up the staircase as fast as his legs could take him and down the corridor in a flash,

315… 316… 317… 318… turn the corner-

319.

Barricaded and protected by caution tape. Suits and ME’s swarming in and out like angry bees.

“Sir, this is a restricted area-”

“Yeah yeah, uhm, Stabler,” a flash of the badge once again, “with the SVU. What’s going on here, where’s Peter?”

“Oh, Elliot,” it was the head of the FBI, Jackson Marson. Someone who Elliot had known for a long time now, you could even say made it a bit further with his career that Smith himself, “I was sure Williams told you that he surrendered this case to Federal crimes. This has nothing to do with the SV Unit anymore.”

Eyebrows furrowed, mouth gaped, and eyes searching for answers, Elliot was completely halted.

“You know I can’t give you any details, Elliot, but this just isn’t your case anymore. He’s in Federal hands now.”

The steering wheel was the best option to take out the frustration out on. Passersby were welcomed to give him looks, but Elliot was beyond outraged. Knuckled white and on the verge of bloody. Busted open, but not quite yet bleeding, give it a few seconds.

(You were too late, Elliot.)

(You shouldn’t have taken that nap.)

(Why in the hell didn’t you figure it out sooner?)

Going back to the precinct wasn’t an option for Elliot, but he needed to return the files. After scooping up his failed attempts to provide justice for little Harper, he bitterly returned back to the station. It took him a few deep breaths and moments to suppress the rage within him to get out of the car

(There go your vacation days.)

and make it up to the doors and to his desk.

“Elliot? My office, now,” Don called, standing in his doorway with his hands in his pockets. His jacket was off, which was a good sign that Elliot wasn’t in trouble, hopefully.

“Captain-”

“Elliot, I’m not here to berate you and yell, but it was only just now that I got the news of the Federal Government taking Douglass’s case. You know damn well that I would have been the first to call you and tell you. The Chief had just left my office and we both would have been in some deep trouble if I called to tell you to back off of a case that you weren’t supposed to be on in the first place,”

“Captain..” He wasn’t on the verge of tears, but he could have just sat, defeated.

“You did good Elliot,” Don nodded, “You beat yourself up over this case, we both know that, but there really isn’t anything you could have done with the Feds on this case. I know you would have gotten him if they didn’t stand in your way. You’re a good man, detective.”

“Harper doesn’t get any closure. Her family doesn’t get any closure.”

“Douglass is off of the streets. They should be more than accepting that he’s not going to be able to have the chance to snatch a child anymore, Elliot.”

He rubbed his face with both hands. He could really use a coffee, and a shave, come to think about it. As he started to the door, Don called out once more,

“Elliot. Call your wife. Talk to the kids. Go home and get some rest. You’ve got off for the next 2 days, don’t even think of coming in until I call you, got it?”

Elliot nodded.

#law and order svu #elliot stabler #olivia benson

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dailyaudiobible · 4 years

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04/21/2020 DAB Transcript

Joshua 22:21-23:16, Luke 20:27-47, Psalms 89:14-37, Proverbs 13:17-19

Today is the 21st day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it’s great to be here with you for another day, another step forward in the adventure that we are on, the one that takes us all the way through the Bible in a year, day by day step-by-step together in community. And I'm glad that we can be together today. So, like every other day we’re picking up where we left off and where we left off yesterday in the Old Testament is in the book of Joshua and there's some drama because there's two and a half tribes that were given land on the west side of the Jordan River, provided that they would cross the Jordan River onto the east side into the Promised Land and help their fellow tribesmen settle the land, which they did. And then they were dismissed. So, they were headed back to the other side of the Jordan, and they built an altar that has caused a lot of confusion and that's where we pick up the story. Joshua chapter 22 verse 21 through 23 verse 16.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we have almost completed the book of Joshua, which is the first book that tells kind of what happens after Moses becomes a part of history hen Joshua takes leadership. And, so, Joshua’s now telling us that he's old and he's about to die and we’re gonna be finishing the book of Joshua tomorrow, but this story that we've spent the last couple of days working our way through in the book of Joshua has some really, really important advice embedded in it for us now in the times that we’re facing, for that matter for times anybody's ever facing but it's appropriate for us now. So…so, we remember being on the other side of the Jordan River, right? We remember wandering around in the desert for all that time and finally getting to the Jordan and finally getting to crossover and we remember that the tribes of Ruben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, they loved the land that was on the eastern side of the Jordan River. It was perfect for shepherding. It was perfect for what they did. And they went to this whole thing with Moses about, “could they have this land?” And Moses telling them, “you’re gonna…you’re gonna not cross over?” This whole negotiation happened, and it worked out that if they would cross over, fight with their brother tribes, settle the land, then they could come back and have the land that had been conquered on the east side of the Jordan. And that happened. They…they were faithful, and they were true to that. They did that and they were given their leave. Everything was good until they got back to the Jordan River and erected a replica of the altar of God. What it looked like was that the tribe of Gad and Ruben and half the tribe of Manasseh were going to go back over on the other side of the Jordan and that was gonna become a boundary and they were turning away, like they were rebelling. They were turning away from God. They had made their own altar, which got all the tribes in the Promised Land on the western side of the Jordan River together to go like, “if we let this happen then all of us are going to be destroyed.” So, they all got together and they've all been battle worn, like they have been fighting and are used to combat and they’re…they're gonna go attack their brothers, their gonna go attack these two and half tribes because it appears the two and half tribes have rebelled against God, which will bring judgment upon them all and they’re ready to go. Thankfully they went, thankfully they sent somebody to find out the other side of the story, to find out why they would build this altar, why they would have rebelled against God. If they hadn't done that they would've raced down, and the Jordan River would've run red with blood. It would've been awful Civil War. But they went down and asked and the two and half tribes were like, “absolutely! We would never turn away from God. We built this replica because we’re…were worried that the Jordan is gonna be a border and someday in the future the people on the east side of the Jordan are going to say to the people on the west side, “you have no place with God.” And, so, they built this this altar as a memorial, as a witness for future generations about who follows God. Here’s where this gets personal. The tribes on the east side of the Jordan River who were settling this newly conquered Promised Land, heard a rumor. They heard a story about an altar and about a rebellion and they took that bit of information, that rumor and started fabricating assumptions about what it meant, creating this plausible understanding, this plausible reality, and then began to live into that plausible reality created by a rumor to the point that, like the militaries being called out, to the point that the plan to attack their brothers who had fought alongside them was being hatched. That's what can happen with a rumor and assumptions. That's what can happen with disinformation and this kind of stuff happens personally individually, like we make up assumptions about things all of the time and…and we’re not very good at it. And, so, our assumptions invariably are flawed, but we’re making up realities about people that might have some truth in them but are not true. In the case of the story that we’re reading it was true, an altar had been erected. It was not true that it had been erected to rebel against God and offer sacrifices to false gods. The fill-in the blank part, the assumption part could've caused bloody Civil War. So, now you can see how we do this to each other and we suffer the consequences of doing it to each other, whether it's just like a personal fracturing of a relationship are the disintegration of a friendship or whether it's on national or even international levels. This stuff happens and these rumors and false assumptions, like the fabrications of reality that we then live into and believe can have us attacking our brothers and sisters for no reason. If we want to take the lesson from the Bible here, is that there was a moment of pause, right? Wisdom was at the crossroads. And they’re like, “yeah, before we go down there and start swinging swords, we should send an envoy to go find out what in the heck, like what’s happening? Why the altar? What is this about? Once the story was corrected, once the assumptions were exposed, once the rumor fell apart then things made sense. That is so often…so often the case in our personal interactions. So, let's take a lesson from ancient Israel and apply it to modern life today.

Prayer:

Jesus, we invite you into that. We confess and it's not like you don't know, it’s not like you haven’t seen us take these missteps so often that it's embarrassing. We have made assumptions. We have listened to rumors. We have listened to chatter. We have formulated plausible explanations. We have made up false realities and lived like they were true. We are all guilty of this. And if we would pause, if we would slow down and meditate upon us, just think back over our lives, we would see the chaos and destruction that it has caused in our rearview mirror, but our rearview mirror isn't our windshield. What has happened does not have to continue happening. We don't have to consume rumor and gossip and assumption like it's some sort of delicious delicacy. We can see it for the putrid disease-ridden poison that it is. And, so, Holy Spirit we ask that you help us to stop making things up, to actually go find out what's really going on in our relationships. We need you in this. Our default is usually to go to dark and negative places when we need the default to be light and life and good news and hope and charity. So, come Holy Spirit into all of this as we meditate upon it today, as we catch ourselves going into those dark places. Stop us. Give us the opportunity to go wait, wait, wait, wait, “I'm not going there. That doesn't go anywhere good.” Help us Jesus we pray in your mighty name, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it is the website, its where you find out what's going on around here and there's, you know, usually something or another going on around here. We’ve been…I guess all of us in one way or another have been…well…we’ve been working on how to…how to work through this virus thing. And now the language is like, “how do we come out of this virus thing?” And I have had interactions with lots of people who have, you know, like introverts and extroverts have been dealing with this in very, very different ways. But introvert or extrovert I’ve talked to all kinds people who have this feeling like, “I want to get out of this, but I don't want to be the same. Like I don't want to go…I don't want to just try to go right back to where I left off. I want to be...I want to be different. Like, this is shifting some things and giving me a chance kind of look at the disruption and see like that treadmill that I lived on was also not getting me anywhere. And I…I mean I don't like going through this anymore than anybody else does, but I do like to hear those kinds of things because that's really why we come to the Bible every day, right? Is to let God's word wash over us, to sort of inform where we’re going, and even in the day that we’re gonna live, like how we’re gonna live this. That's how change happens, little by little, day by day, step-by-step. So, in lots of ways we’re thinking about new normal. And that can sound ominous, like, you know, some…something really bad happened and now this is a new normal or we can just understand like, “I’ve been disrupted and it's given me an opportunity to reset, to find new normals that are more healthy across the board.” So, I guess that’s some of what we’re all going through around here but around the Global Campfire, you know, we’re always here, we’re always talking about these kinds of things. This is the kinds of stuff that the Bible brings up in us. And, so, this is…yeah…stay connected to this rhythm as we continue our journey forward.

Check out the community section. That’s a great…there are great ways to stay connected there, including the Prayer Wall.

Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are resources there specifically for the journey that we’re on as we move through the Bible.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bile I don't know what words I can use to express the gratitude other than awe and gratefulness that the Global Campfire burns, like that every day we’re throwing logs on it, every day it's here. And that is because we’re in this together. So, thank you for your partnership. There’s a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app…and by the way if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app…I mean you know that we released a very very massive update to the app last week. And as is normal, when somethings that big of…of an infrastructure shift happens then there’s gonna be little hiccups here and there. And, so, worked all last week to update the update, like you find out immediately certain things that you couldn't know in any kind of other environment and update those things. So…so make sure you stay to the most recent update, which is now 1.1.60 that fixed pretty much all of the little issues that different people were experiencing. Actually, for the most part everybody was…everything worked perfect, but there's always different phones and there’s always different environments and circumstances and settings and stuff like that. So, make sure your updated. Everything should work really great and the badges, the achievements, the progress that we’re making as we move through the Scriptures, as we check off the days that we’re listening to, that's working great. But anyway, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner of the app screen or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Alisha here from Pennsylvania just calling to pray for all of those healthcare workers out there, the doctors and people taking care of other people. And we just pray Lord that You keep them safe and help them find peace in this time where they’re witnessing so much Lord. We just want to lift them up to You. Lord I pray for all the college kids that are turning to online classes, just help them to hang in there and to continue to feel motivated and connected. Just help them to continue to learn Lord, to know that they can do this with You. Lord I want to reach out, pray for all the teachers out there that are…whether their teachers just learning how to move online or if they’re mothers and fathers teaching their children, just be with them, give them patients, give them understanding and give them the tools that they need Lord to make it a successful semester for everyone. Lord, I pray for those graduates or undergraduates that are working on different things like research and development or people that are trying to student teach online Lord. I just pray that You’ll keep them…that You’ll keep them in Your in Your hands Lord. Lord I just thank You so much for my family, I thank You for everybody that is healthy, and I thank You that this whole thing is not as blown out as it could have been. In Your name I pray Lord. Amen.

Good morning DABbers this is Still Waters calling in from the Netherlands. I’m a new DABber I started back in January. I found the Daily Audio Bible in December last year and I thought, “okay. Let me have a look at this.” But then when I started, I couldn’t stop I kept being drawn back to it. So, thank you very much Brian. And I just want to encourage everyone because today on the 18th of April we read from Luke 19 and the story of the __ just reading __. The __ was a chief, a chief tax collector which meant he was very rich. And look at him, he had no reputation to keep anymore, he was short, he was a tax collector, a chief tax collector __. And he wanted to experience Jesus, so he had to climb a tree. And when Jesus called out his name, my goodness, I can only imagine how he felt. The great joy, excitement that he was filled with, I felt it, that excitement, that every human being, every believer should feel once they say yes to Jesus Christ. And salvation my friends, I like to encourage everyone that salvation is a life lived with great joy and excitement. And let us all just enjoy…enjoy the love of Jesus Christ with great excitement, with great joy and share His love for the world. Thank you, Brian for Sneezing Jesus it was lovely to listen to. Thank you. Bye-bye. Have a lovely day.

I just want to give a shot out to Scott who just accepted the Lord, that You just accepted the Lord and I just praise God for the wonderful way He has brought You before the throne of grace. Lord God I just thank You for Scott and for his willingness to…to accept You as Lord and Savior and I pray Lord that You would help him to grow and mature as he reads Your word and that he would keep his eyes focused on You and through all things and all things and because of all things. We just praise You Lord and thank You for Scott once again in Jesus’ name I pray. Way to go Scott. I’m so proud of You. This is Susan from Canada. Just praising God.

Hi this is Helen in Durham North Carolina I would like to share a personal lesson I received from today’s reading, a rebuke from a friend, from Jesus. In the passage in Luke about the 10 minas, the one servant buried his mina because he was afraid. He said you take what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow. Well that hit me. I recalled elsewhere in Scripture we read that God makes a way in the wilderness, streams in the desert, He makes something out of nothing. As I heard Brian read this parable the Lord told me a woman who has named herself in the past as miss much afraid that I am guilty of often hiding what he’s given me to invest in the world. My testimony, what I know about Him, just speaking up because I’m simple afraid I’ll say it all wrong. I might be inept, but He can take what I do have and say and use it for His glory for his purposes and the other person’s lives. So, the sweet Lord spoke to me this morning, gave me a rebuke and also encouragement. I said thank you, I hear you and I’ve asked Him to sink this deep into my soul so that I can share whatever I have with others and let Him take care of the results. I’m praying for my two sons to find Jesus, one with emotional issues of anger depression and selfishness. He has a four-year-old son that is suffering from his dysfunction. Please pray. And the other is chasing the world of financial gain and sensuality. I love them both so much. Please pray. Thank you, Brian for being faithful for so many years to walk this calling of reading the Bible to us. God does speak through you.

Val from Vegas I’m so excited for you. Thank you for calling in and sharing your praise report on what’s happened with you. Like, what a quick turnaround. It seems like just a week ago when I heard you call in like super sick, destitute, ready to give up and look at you now. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with us and all of you out there that are feeling like that, hang in there. God’s got something for you.

Shabbat shalom, today is Saturday, April 18th and I had very good holy week and I pray that you had a holy week that was very special to you. During this time, I have been battling and trying to understand what am I supposed to do with this time. So, I do pray, and the Holy Spirit does help me pray for others and the Holy Spirit is sent out to help others in need just as I am in need. My name is Danielle I am in Maryland and at this time I do a little bit of checking myself to see what is it that I’m supposed to do, what do I need to do and I’m left but one thing at this time, I have an addiction. And, you know, I am honored by God that God had taken another addiction away from me and I’m praying for the Spirit of God to break and break and break the chains of addiction in my life and for others who have been struggling with addiction and to be set free, to be set free and to just enjoy each day without curdling back to what feels comfortable. I’m asking the Daily Audio Bible family to pray with me and to pray for others who have addictions…addictions and ask for those things be broken by the blood of Jesus. Thank you for your prayers and thank you for praying together and the family and by the campfire because God hears us, and God sees…

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this-is-freeridge · 5 years

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The Air Between Us

Chapter Seven: Mari turns eighteen and Oscar finally lets her in.

Warning: this fic deals with dark themes, including but not limited to teen pregnancy, rape, drug abuse, murder, abortion, underage drinking and underage sex.

Read the other chapters here

I wrote 90% of this when I was sick and by the time I finished I couldn’t be bothered going back to proofread so I apologise if parts of it don’t make sense.

The Martinez house was full - Mari didn’t know this many people could fit in this tiny four-bedroom. That was part of the problem though. It was Saturday night, Mari’s birthday. Abuelita had made her a gorgeous dress - deep red, crushed velour with spaghetti straps and a hem that fell just above the floor - though Ruby took part of the credit as he bragged about how he snaked Mari’s phone and scrolled her Pinterest boards for inspiration. She felt beautiful, like a star, she was far from the centre of attention.

Most everyone here was extended Martinez family and Ruby’s friends and while she appreciated the effort Ruby had made, she really didn’t know what to do with herself. When people would come to speak to her, it was usually a friend or family member of Geny’s who only wanted to get the scoop on Ruben’s long lost daughter.

She felt suffocated and overwhelmed, but at the same time she felt alone. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had eyes on her everywhere she went, yet no one seemed to be taking the time to get to know her. She never thought she’d miss the birthdays she spent alone at her mother’s house, but at least there, she didn’t feel like a sideshow act.

She hadn’t heard from her mother since the other day, though she also had made a point of not answering private numbers. She blocked her mother’s number and she didn’t mention to anyone because she didn’t want to make a big deal of it. She was fine here, at least that’s what she kept telling herself.

“Fuck,” she muttered to herself as she glanced around the room, desperate for a distraction, something to keep her mind occupied, her hands busy and her nerves down.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Jasmine - one of Ruby’s classmates that she had met earlier tonight - walked past with a plate of what looked like mini fajitas.

‘Food, perfect!’ She thought, reaching out an arm to stop Jasmine.

“Girl,” she said, taking the plate from Jasmine’s hands, “gimme that food,”

Without hesitation, Mari bit the fajita off the toothpick in one clean bite. And then the second, and the third. And the fourth. And the-

“Damn, girl!” Jasmin said with a smile. “I gotta admit, you looked like another one of them skinny bitches but shit, you can eat! Oh, but girl, don’t worry; I’m into it, I’m into it,”

“Jasmine, these are so good!” Mari said, eating a few more. She liked Jasmine, the girl seemed genuinely interested in knowing Mari - when she wasn’t trying to get the goss, anyway.

“I know right!” Jasmine replied, popping one in her mouth, “my mom made them a couple weeks ago and she was just going to throw them out but I was like damn, what a waste! So I just reheated ‘em girl, no big deal,”

Mari stopped eating immediately. “Wait, weeks? Jasmine, this is chicken - how old are these?”

Jasmine shrugged, “like two, three weeks? Don’t worry though, I heated them up for lunch yesterday, they’re fine!”

“Yesterday? How many times have they been reheated?” Mari shook her head, “actually, no. I don’t wanna know,”

Resigning herself to the fact that she probably just contracted salmonella or something, Mari headed for the bathroom.

“Mari!”

Ruby. She really didn’t know if she could deal with his right now - there were too many people she didn’t know staring and whispering about her and she just ate three-week-old chicken.

“Ruby, I’m pretty sure I just got food poisoning from Jasmine’s chicken fajitas so I really need to go and vomit now,” she said, exasperated. She didn’t mean to be rude, but she was over it. “Is this important?”

“No, that’s perfect!” Ruby said, eyes lighting up. He grabbed a nearby chair and climbed onto it, standing so that he could yell above the crowd, “Yo, everyone! Mari ain’t feeling well so she’s gonna go throw up! I’d avoid the bathroom until she comes out!”

Mari gaped at him until he clambered back down.

“Ruby, what the hell?”

“It’s fine,” he said as he opened the bathroom door and shoved her inside, “have fun!”

The door closed behind her and she stood for a moment, unsure what the hell just happened, and then she noticed something.

To the side of the window that was opposite the door, there was a piece of lined notebook paper stuck to the wall. Written in colourful markers, that paper read “EXIT THIS WAY”, complete with hand-drawn arrows pointing to the window. Beneath that was a chair with another note atop it. She made her way over to the chair and picked up the sticky note.

The note read: I know it’s small, but it’s the only window without bars on it. Sorry! :(

Mari giggled and curiosity got the best of her. She dragged the chair to the window and, though it took a bit of contortion, she shimmied her way out. When she was finally outside (and breathing fresh air for what felt like the first time in years) she looked around and couldn’t help the laugh that escaped when she saw what was waiting for her.

Standing near the gate was Oscar, clad in his usual shorts and white socks, complete with a black wife-beater, but in his hands was a small cake with a handful of candles on top.

“Ruby thought you would be feeling a bit out of place,” Spooky said plainly, as though just the sight of him wasn’t making her heart beat so hard it could break her ribcage.

What was he doing here? After everything that had happened between them that week, the last thing she was expecting was Spooky to turn up.

“So he arranged me a...you? With a cake?” She asked with a laugh as she walked over to him.

“The cake was my idea,” he said and handed it to her, “it’s red velvet; the red colour comes from beetroot, sounds weird but it tastes good,”

She smiled down at the cake, too embarrassed to face him with her bright red face. He made her a cake? What was he doing to her?

“Well, Ruby knows me well,” Mari said, “I couldn’t wait to get out of there,”

Spooky gave a half shrug and offered a simple solution. “So, lets get out of here,”

From the moment he said it, Mari knew she shouldn’t leave with him. It would be rude - to Ruby, who planned this, and Geny, who was letting all these people trash her house, and Ruben who would be so worried - but the idea of going back in there made her throat close up.

The answer was simple; she wasn’t about to pass up some time with Oscar.

“Let’s go,” she said with a nod and a smile. It was a bad idea, she was only going to cause herself more embarrassment and heartache, but he had this power over her and she couldn’t stay away.

“You look good in that dress, mami,” he said. He was taking care to stay about a foot away from her, but she didn’t miss the way he eyed her up and down, “real good,”

“Thanks, Abuelita made it for me,”

He cleared his throat and said, “it, uh, fits real well,”

“You didn’t have to do this,” she said.

“I wanted to,”

The line gave her all kinds of contradicting feelings; a deep heat in her stomach and a cold, icy hand that wrapped around her heart and squeezed.

She couldn’t keep this up, she needed to get over him and he wasn’t helping.

Mari stopped walking and turned to him. “Then what I mean is you can’t keep doing this,”

He paused and asked: “and why is that?”

And then he continued walking. With a sigh, Mari walked with him. Maybe this conversation would be easier if they weren’t facing each other.

“Surprising me,” she said, “the cake, telling me you aren’t involved, letting me know I look good. You know I’m into you and you’ve made it clear you aren’t into me. Doing all of this shit isn’t helping me get over you,”

At some point as she spoke they had reached Oscar’s house. The lights were on but the place was quiet; Mari suspected that this was a rare occasion no one was home. Spooky didn’t say anything as he unlocked the door. Neither did Mari.

Did she want to know what he was thinking? Yes. He looked so deep in thought though, cute frown on his face and a small pout, and Mari didn’t want to push him in case she pushed too hard and he put those walls up.

He led her inside and locked the door behind him. Oscar took the cake from Mari’s hands and set it on the kitchen bench on their way through. His hand was pressed against her lower back as they walked through the vaguely familiar hall to his room. His hand was warm and Mari was loving the feeling of his hands on her. The tingles were back.

“When did I say I wasn’t into you?” He asked as Mari sat on the edge of his bed, making herself comfortable.

“At the party, when I kissed you,” she answered.

He made his way over to her and sat beside her. This situation was all too familiar and she was starting to get antsy. Why did this feel so intimate?

Spooky looked at her, he was so close she could feel his warm breath on her face as he spoke. “I said it wasn’t a good idea; I never said I didn’t want it,”

“So...what are you saying now?”

“That,” Spooky shrugged and looked away, “maybe you triggered my chemical reaction too,”

It suddenly became too hot and Mari’s hands were getting clammy, her heart racing. What is he saying? She shut up as he continued.

“I didn’t know for sure at first, that I was into you. I knew you were fine,” he raked his eyes down her body, “and I knew I wanted a piece, but it wasn’t until I saw you at the store the other day. I was with you, and then she walked in and it just sorta clicked in my brain. I wasn’t interested in her. Not when you were around,”

Mari’s world was spinning. Her feelings were returned - she wasn’t crazy! She wanted to kiss him again, but she wouldn’t risk it yet. He had to make the first move this time.

Instead, she asked: “and what does that mean for us now?”

His answer broke her heart all over again.

“It means I still don’t think it’s a good idea,”

“Why?” She snapped. She couldn’t keep doing this. She wanted to leave, and she was definitely going to, but she needed answers to get closure, “Is it my age? My family? What is it?”

“It’s my life!” He yelled back, “You can’t be safe with me, Mari. The Prophet$...they’re unpredictable. Yeah, most of the time they won’t shoot when your woman is around, but that don’t mean they won’t use you to get to me. I won’t risk you,”

Mari wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. He had good reasons and she had to respect his decision.

But she couldn’t deny she still wanted him.

Maybe they couldn’t be together long-term, or in any sort of serious capacity, but did that mean they couldn’t be together at all? She wanted him, that much was simple, and he wanted her back.

“One night,” she said, turning to him and letting her hands rest on his knees, “just give me one night. I like you, you like me. Sex has never been presented to me as a positive thing and I want to change that. I want my first time to be with someone I trust. It doesn’t have to be a thing, no strings and...no feelings. Tomorrow we can act like nothing happened and go back to being just friends,”

“I don’t know, Mari,” he said, “Aren’t there already feelings,”

“So,” she said as she scooted closer, “call it closure,”

Oscar paused and glanced at her lips, covered in a thin layer of gloss all plump and shimmering. He knew it was a bad idea, but he wanted her. One night wouldn’t hurt, right? Closure. Right. One night with her and then he would know what it was like to be with her and he could finally get it out of his head.

Right?

The devil on his shoulder won out once again as he cupped her cheek and captured her lips with his. The gloss tasted like strawberry and her lips were softer than he had imagined. She let out a small whimper as she melted into the kiss. The sound urged Spooky on and he took it as an invitation to swipe his tongue across her lower lip and slide it into her mouth.

She fumbled a little but picked it up quickly as she returned the kiss with fervour. She pressed her body closer to his and he let his hand fall to her hips. He grabbed her tight and pulled her onto his lap as they kissed. She knelt across him, knees on either side of his legs and dress pushed up to her thighs.

Spooky’s hands found their way to her ass and slid under her dress, pushing the dress up further and grabbing handfuls of her thick backside as she started to slowly grind against him. Oscar’s hands fumbled with the zipper on her dress as he relished in the friction she was creating.

“Look at me, mami,” Oscar’s gravelly voice ordered, sending shivers down her spine. She obeyed, meeting his hooded eyes with her own.

He stood from the bed with her in his arms and kissed her once more before he set her down gently. The spaghetti straps slid over her shoulders and the dress fell to the floor in a cascade of crushed velour. In only a pair of peach, nylon-seamfree panties, she would’ve felt embarrassed were it not for the way Spooky’s eyes darkened with lust at the sight of her. Instinctually, she brought her arm up to cover her chest.

“Your turn,” she ordered, feeling brave despite her pounding heart.

Mari enjoyed the show as Oscar removed his own clothing. She noticed the way each of his muscles moved as he pulled the wife-beater over his head, revealing his tan skin. The sight sent heat pooling to her core, she could already feel the wetness between her legs. Once he was clad in only his briefs, he bridged the distance between them. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her body into his. Mari felt his erection press against her and she wondered briefly if he is going to be gentle with her. He took her face in his hands and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, that alone was enough to dispel any doubt.

Oscar’s blood boiled as he felt her breasts press against his chest. Her black hair was still perfectly curled, but her cheeks were rosy, her lipgloss was smeared and her lips were kiss-swollen. She was truly beautiful and for just a moment, he wondered what the hell she was doing here with him. He brushed the thought aside quickly. He couldn’t think of a time he had wanted anyone else this badly. He wanted to rip off that dress, turn her around and take her. If it were up to him he would have, but this wasn’t up to him. This was Mari’s night and he wanted to make sure he took his time worshipping her.

Feeling bold, she slid her hand down his chest, past his stomach to his growing bulge. She touched him gently at first, but the way he began to press into her hand urged her on. Mari closed her eyes and let her head drop to his shoulder so he couldn’t see her blush as her instincts took over and she moved her hand up and down. He moaned softly into her ear and she could feel his thick length pulse.

With a growl, he threw her back onto the bed, as she landed she let out a small giggle. The sound was music to his ears and he smiled as he climbed over her, propping himself up on his elbow. His free hand tangled in her hair and he pulled her back for another kiss. She tasted like cheap champagne and cherry lip gloss and it was addictive. He kissed her hard, with confidence, but she could feel the hesitation on his tongue as it glided over her own.

“Don’t do that,” she whispered against his lips. “Don’t hold back. Kiss me like you mean it,”

He didn’t need to be told twice. All hesitation gone, he kissed her like it might be the last chance he got. His hand left her hair and found its way to her knee. His fingertips tickled the skin of her inner thigh as it trailed higher, higher, until he found the elastic of her panties. Pushing them aside, he let his fingers slide over her wet heat.

Mari’s hips bucked into his hand, begging for more friction. She had never felt anything like this, her body was on fire in the best way. Oscar sucked and nipped at the skin of Mari’s neck, then slid his tongue over her skin to soothe it. He repeated this as his fingers entered her, doing his best to distract her from the unfamiliar sensation. She cried out, a little in pain but mostly in pleasure.

“Want me to stop?” Oscar mumbled against her ear.

Mari shook her head.

“No, I want it,” she said. He continued pumping in and out of her, slowly at first but picking up speed as her hesitant whines turned to needy cries. Her back arched off the bed, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open. He couldn’t help but think about what it would be like to hear dirty words coming from that pretty mouth of hers. As much as he’d love it, he didn’t dwell on it. He wanted her to be comfortable, not pressured or pushed outside of her comfort zone.

A needy whimper escaped her lips when his fingers left her. She had never felt anything like that in her life, so euphoric and intimate and she never wanted it to end. Still, she couldn’t wait for what was still to come. When she glanced down, between her knees she could see the outline of his length straining against his briefs. From what she could make out it wasn’t too long, not that she had much to compare to, but he was thick and she wanted to feel him.

Oscar started to move off the bed and within a second Mari had grabbed his arm to stop him.

Where was he going? Was he having regrets? Did he not like it?

Mari’s mind, the part that is so afraid of rejection and being alone that she usually hides so well, was on overdrive.

“Where are you going?”

She hated the way her voice shook as she asked but then he looked at her with a soft smile, as though he was reading her mind. Warm, chapped lips met her forehead with a small kiss, something that felt both too innocent and too intimate in the moment.

“I’m getting a condom, baby,”

Mari tried to ignore the butterflies she got when he called her baby as she replied. “I’m on the pill, it’s okay,”

She wasn’t sure where the courage to say that came from, but she didn’t care when a cheeky smile spread across his face.

“You sure?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow in that way that makes Mari melt because she doesn’t understand how a single person can be that attractive. She could only nod, pulling him back to his position between her thighs.

She hooked her fingers around the band of his underwear, tugging them down as far as she could in his kneeled position. His cock sprang out of the cotton confines; he was bigger than she had thought and it excited her, but it also scared her. She bit her lip a little too hard to get rid of any hesitation and grabbed the base of his length, stroking him with a steady confidence, reminding herself it’s okay she has no skills because he already wants her.

Oscar hissed a “fuck” under his breath and, curious, Mari looked up at him to gauge his reaction. His brow was furrowed, but his mouth was slightly open and his deep brown eyes were staring at her with an intense hunger. Oscar made a low, guttural sound and grabbed Mari’s thighs hard. She almost hoped he’d leave bruises in the shape of his fingerprints so that when she wakes up tomorrow she has some tangible proof that this actually happened, for just one night she had him.

“Take off your panties,” he ordered and she was quick to obey, watching with a wanting gaze as he removed his own briefs. “Lie down,”

He hovered over her, forearm by her head to hold himself up.

“Is this okay?” He asked.

“Yeah,” she said, “this is good. I-Is this good for you? Don’t guys like-”

He cut her off with a kiss and she could feel him aligning himself with her entrance.

“I like this,” he said, “I want you to be comfortable,”

“Oh, okay,” she exhaled into a smile and wrapped her legs around Spooky, locking her ankles behind his back and pressing him into her. “I’d like you to fuck me now, Oscar,”

And then he kissed her again, though it wasn’t enough to completely distract from the sting of pain she felt as he presses into her. He filled her up completely and though it was a foreign feeling, she loved it.

“You good, mami?” He asked.

“Yeah, I- Oscar, I need more,” she whined, using her legs to pull him closer to her.

The pain persisted but Mari focused her attention on the feeling of Oscar’s tongue on her neck and the smell of cigars and Corona on his breath until she barely noticed the sting. She pressed a kiss to the Santos cross on his neck, tasting the sweat on his skin as she traced the ink with her tongue.

Oscar touched every inch of skin he could reach until he settled between her legs once more. He rubbed her with practiced movements while he thrusted into her, steadily losing the pace he had built up.

Mari’s orgasm crashed over her like a wave. She cried out, almost worried that the neighbours would hear but not caring enough to do anything about it. Her legs shook and her back arched off the bed as her nails raked down Oscar’s arms.

“Shit, Mari, I’m gonna fucking come,” he warned, and the sound that Mari made in response tipped him over the edge as he reached his climax, spilling into her.

Once he’d come down, he looked at her and brushed a stray curl from her face.

“How do you feel?” He asked, his eyes searching her face for an answer before she spoke.

Mari met his gaze and felt her face burn. “I feel good. I feel really good,”

He smiled and kissed her gently. She could still feel him inside her; was a strange feeling, stranger still when he pulled out of her - she felt disconnected, like the intimacy between them was gone and the curtain had been pulled back to expose the reality that they were still no more than friends. But that was her idea, so she has no right to feel so hurt about it. This was what she wanted, what she asked for, and he had been perfect.

Oscar took some time to clean her up with an old t-shirt that had been draped over a chair by his bed by a bookshelf (full of books that Mari wanted to ask about, but felt that wasn’t the time) before he went to his dresser and handed her a large tee. She felt a funny sense of deja vu - the last time he did that was right before he rejected her advances and now here they were.

“Thank you,” she said as she slipped it over her head.

He nodded and grabbed a half-smoked cigar from the ashtray atop the dresser. He had already put it between his lips and had started to light it when he spoke.

“The bathroom is just across the hall,” he said, and then, “you should probably go,”

Mari felt like a bucket of ice had just been poured over her as the words hit her.

Only friends. Just sex. She reminded herself.

“Okay, yeah, uh, I should get home,” she agreed, trying to act cool as she sat up in the bed and scanned the room to find her clothes, “everyone is probably wondering where I am,”

Spooky laughed. He sat on the side of the bed and pulled her to him. She hit his solid shoulder with a soft thud and let out a small “oof”.

He tilted her chin so that she was looking at him and scooped down to capture her lips in a languid kiss. It was different to all the others they had shared that night, somehow. It wasn’t as hasty, as needy, as desperate. It was slow, all plump lips and warm tongues, like a beautiful dance instead of the battle it had been before. She liked it and she couldn’t help but think that it didn’t feel like a one-last-time.

“Mariana,” he breathed her name as he broke the kiss, “I meant you should go to the bathroom, not go. I want you to stay tonight,”

And she wanted to stay too. So that’s just what she did. She ran to the bathroom and rushed back to him, not wanting to waste any of the time she had convinced him to allow her. That night, as she lay in his arms, she felt warm and safe and so very not alone. She couldn’t help but hope that, just for this perfect night, the nightmares wouldn’t come.

Taglist: @grayberrydolan @lostgirl219 @kseniainneverland @ravengreystone @weediskindabad @moistdollerbills @javoqetal @kenzie44469 @goddessate @blackdepressoexpresso @classyputa @babygirl-htx @wonderlandlovelove @agent-femmefatale @elliesshitofablog @daydreamer0307 @lucyfuh @harduy @elizabeth-santana-98 @lonelyyblues

Message me if you’d like to be added to the list - if you have already done so and haven’t been tagged it’s because Tumblr won’t let me, sorry!

Also, I just want to remind everyone that this is a side blog so if you have any questions about the story/plot/characters please send me an ask so I can reply xxx

#I'm sorry the gif of her is so big I just love her #netflix #on my block #netflix on my block #netflix omb #omb #spooky diaz #Oscar diaz #spooky imagines #spooky Diaz imagine #Oscar Diaz imagine #Oscar spooky diaz

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haphapner · 5 years

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The Madonna of Allentown

It happened again at Big Len's place in Allentown, Pennsylvania. A steady flow of true humanity came through there every day. Big Len's specialized in cold beer to go and weekly room rentals, an odd mix but it had been around for years.

I had just returned from buying a carton of cheap cigarettes.

It was my daughter’s sixteenth birthday. I hadn’t been pregnant for fifteen years, eleven months and nineteen days. On that morning, I experienced a miraculous conception. What would come from my womb some months later would not, indeed could not, be, from a man.

Long ago, I recognized that one should take these things as they come. The years and more than five-hundred-fifty pregnancies have tempered my weariness and bone crushing sadness with wisdom. Inexplicably I felt driven to invest in this child so that it would be more successful than all the others combined.

One minute, I was walking up the backstairs to my bug-infested room, a communal toilet and shower down the hall. The next, a fresh new soul spontaneously generated in my ancient womb. The cigarettes slipped from my grasp and bounced down the dingy stairs, bounding higher as they picked up speed. The carton cracked against the door and burst open spewing cellophane wrapped pleasure across the sun-lit landing.

“Shit!”

I can’t explain it; I just knew it had happened again. It’s like Zen, if you’ve experienced sartori, you get it; otherwise, you’re shit-out-of-luck.

I sat down three quarters of the way up the steep stairs. “Shit, shit, shit … I’m too tired for this.” I slammed my elbow against the wall; dingy, faded wallpaper fluttered. “How does this always catch me off-guard?” I took a long drag on a generic cigarette, my last. “So many myths about gods becoming men and walking among us, the gods of mythology were too chicken-shit to become women.” I ripped at a piece of wallpaper exposing years of corrupted paint. “Woman’s work my ass,” a sarcastic laugh slipped out. “Men should try motherhood.”

My story starts in the mists of time, before I conceived the collective unconscious of humankind. Known by a thousand names – Eve, Ishtar, Isis, Mother Earth – I am the Oracle of Delphi who doled out visions, generation upon generation, ad infinitum. The Greeks referred to me as Gaia, the one who sprang from Chaos and became the mother of all things.

Myth cloaks the truth trapping humanity in ancient prisons of ignorance. A son once said, “The Truth shall set you free.”[1] I have born more grief than the mind can conceive. In vain, I have staggered through humanity searching, always searching for true companionship, a true equal.

Jung wrote, “Whenever the earth mother appears it means that things are going to happen in reality; this is an absolute law.”[2] His words were confused. I do not appear. I never disappear. I keep moving, looking into eyes that cannot see, listening for words that convey meaning. Carl understood one thing. For those who come to know me, reality takes hold. Through the mind-numbing millennia, I have witnessed pockets of hope, people whose peaceful coexistence drew me toward the mainstream. Such communities were but flickering flames blown out by human progress.

Every sixteen years I become pregnant and carry the baby to term – which is usually some time during the twenty-fourth lunar month. I neither consult nor require a patriarch to participate in these sacred events. These children of fiat are my offering, my sacrifice to humanity, gifts meant to foster evolution so that humanity might come to a full realization of their divine nature.

Through the centuries, I have mothered some famous and infamous people. Ishmael and Isaac, those naughty boys who denied the goddess, were mine. Siddhartha and Jesus were my sons as were Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, and Mohamed. You see, I am doomed to have sons, boys and men who must throw off the fear and oppression of women or die. Warriors, orators, gurus, and shaman alike I have birthed, but very few wise men.

Sid was a rebellious boy in the beginning. Jesus died too soon. I fled the Christian lands after seeing so much harm done in his name. Humans constantly teeter on the brink of madness. After the first jihad, Mohamed tried to honor me in his book, “Christ, the son of Mary, was no more than a messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. But they had both to eat their food.”[3] Can you imagine? My own son did not understand the divine reality of the one who bore him into this world. With a broken heart, I slowly made my way north and west.

Sadly, most of my sons turned out to be self-centered egomaniacs. Tragedy seemed my only companion. Witnessing their utter lack of respect for women and the goddess, I began to desert my boys by their sixteenth birthday. Hitler broke my heart long before he broke the world. I fled to the west.

I arrived in the new world just after the turn of the century. My next child, Sunnyland Slim, soulfully interpreted my heart through his fingers and songs. But the moral decay and utter inhumanity of the last several centuries had brought me low. I took a long vacation, which brought me to Big Len’s with my only daughter.

Human potential for greatness is exceeded only by its arrogant individualism.

Around each child’s thirty-third birthday, when the calendars of the sun and the moon align, is a powerful opportunity in their lives. At those times, the collective unconsciousness draws toward the surface of conscious thought throughout the earth’s inhabitants. At that time, every generation faces the great question – will they accept their maker as she is. Only during that powerful alignment of the lunar and solar phases, is vision able to break the bonds of human limitation and broach the domain of collective reality. That unified vision is the key to human evolution.

I loved the renaissance when men nearly grasped the divine nature of humanity. Rubens honored me, and all women, with his exquisite art. Things had always been dicey with the boys, but they really went downhill fast during the industrial revolution. My son Karl wrote about a community of equals, but he was no Jesus. He thought economics could alter the human condition. He could not see that lasting social change will only come through an evolved race.

For thousands of years, since the men of this species overthrew the goddess, violence toward women and children has run rampant. The prehistoric patriarchal revolt disfigured the male capacity for love, trust, and connection. In the process, my heart fractured and so began my perpetual search for wholeness.

The myth of the ages is that human men become mature. Their adult lives are lived as an extension of their boyhood. They do not mature they merely age. Their deeply buried true self rarely surfaces. Panic ensues in the hearts of men when they glimpse their feminine side. The fear of homosexuality is but a disguise. Their terror lies in something sinister and primal that they cannot face.

They fear me in them. In the gap between Eden’s fall and recorded history, they knew me as the goddess of all things dark and uncanny. Men’s hearts filled with fear, knowing I could strike them down with arrows of conscience even from afar. In rebellion against the true nature of all things, they have subjugated women since the dawn of human history. Once they seized control, they denied their essence and proclaimed their superiority.

To survive I had to go on the lam. Of course, modern humans have no recollection or understanding of these things. Primeval instinct leads men to oppress and deny their nature and needs. They do not comprehend that their claims of physical superiority and manifest destiny are born of fear.

Men need not fear. I am the self-existent One. Ex nihilo I made all things. I am woman and man, the beginning and the end, the lover of all things. I draw many into oneness creating a race of divine equals, who knowing their origins choose to embrace their divine nature. I alone procreate – the divine begetting the divine.

A sign flashed above my head, Sacred Heart Hospital. I floated along into an elevator. Everything smelled clean and white. Doors parted, closed, and opened again. People rushed past my horizontal floating frame.

“She’s in trouble. Get her into surgery.”

Who could they be talking about? How long had I been here?

I hear my daughter’s voice, “What is it? What is wrong?”

“She’s hemorrhaging. We need to take the baby now.”

“Looks like a lot of scar tissue, possibly an acute ectopic. Get the on-call surgeon.

“Blood pressure’s dropping, pulse is dropping.”

“She’s going into shock; we’re losing her. Come on people!”

The doctor explained that they had done a “clean house” hysterectomy. I would never have another child.

My firstborn daughter, now eighteen stepped forward and looked into my eyes. She held her new little sister with pride and hope. “Mama, she’s the one; the last one.”

[1] Holy Bible, New International Version, John 8:38

[2] Douglas, Claire, Editor. Visions: Notes of the Seminar Given in 1930 – 1934 C.G. Jung. Princeton University Press. 1997. Page 790.

[3] Koran 5:75

#fiction

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bubblemagician · 5 years

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Merry Thneedmas Mads!

Eyy, I wrote this as my gift to @traveling-madness, I hope it isn't TOO out of character, I definitely took some liberties because I couldn't ask you or else the surprise would be ruined. That being said, I really hope you enjoy this despite it being extremely sad and depressing, but it was a very inspiring part of Clara's story and I'm happy I could get a chance to write her!

“Any progress on the Leandres case, Roberto? Anything- anything at all?” The redhead spoke with an urgency that was borderline manic.

“I’m sorry Clara, I’m following all the leads But-”

“You’re not trying hard enough! Don’t you understand, ABBY HAS BEEN MISSING FOR TWO WEEKS NOW!?”

Roberto winced at her voice and immediately Clara felt awful. She knew her fellow officers were trying their hardest to find Abby, it wasn’t fair to take out the stress of losing her best friend on them. Especially not in the middle of the late shift at the police station.

“I’m sorry…” She swallowed “I’m sorry, Roberto”

“It’s okay, Clara. I know this is hard on you. We’ll find her, okay?” Roberto gave Clara an encouraging nod “We’ll definitely-”

“Esther.” A voice commanded interrupting the two officers. Clara’s fists clenched hearing the Chief’s voice, she did NOT have the capacity to deal with him right now.

“Yes, Chief?” She answered througH gritted teeth.

“What’s the commotion here?” He leered at her. Roberto quickly stood from his desk.

“It’s nothing Chief Ruben! Officer Esther was just-” the man injected, trying to dissuade the much older man from Clara

“I didn’t ask for you to speak, Diaz. Get back to work. Esther, in my office now.”

Roberto gave Clara a hopeless look but Clara shook her head. It was ok, she’d get this over with and then continue to investigate what she could on Abby’s case. Sullenly she followed the crooked cop into his office.

“You’re distraught, Esther.” The chief took a seat at his desk and stared at her with a piercing look. Clara knew there was no sympathy in that gaze, only dishonorable intent.

“I’m fine” she answered automatically, folding her arms over her stomach.

“You’ve been acting up since the Leandres kidnapping.” He retorted “Don’t think I haven’t noticed an even sharper decline in your work, Clara”

Her skin crawled at the way he said her name, but she persevered “Nothing has affected my cases, SIR.”

In fact she had been flying through her paperwork so she could spend all her remaining time and resources to find Abby. Walter Ruben was BS-ing as usual, trying to put her down and degrade her.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’d better get back to my in tray-” she turned to leave

“Clara.” He said again in his sleazy tone “I’m watching you”

The officer clenched her fists “Yes, Chief.” And she left as quickly as she could to get away from the creep who was unfortunately her boss.

RRRRINGGG

Clara bolted up from bed at the sound of her phone. She blinked in the dark (it had to be past midnight) and reached for the device “Hello?”

“Clara? It’s Roberto.”

Immediately the cop Sat straight up in her bed, clutching the phone to her ear. “Any news??”

“Maybe? It’s just speculation at this point, technically I shouldn’t even be telling anyone-”

“What did you find, Diaz?” Clara’s heart was beating erratic, hoping, PRAYING for something- anything to find Abby.

“There was a kidnapping from the local elementary school and…”

Clara got up and paced around to keep herself from trembling “Go on”

“Well the witnesses say the man had a woman in the back of his car- fitting the description of Abigail Leandres”

Clara dropped to her knees, holding back a sob. Finally after combing through every lead she had gotten some sign that Abby WAS alive.

But she must have been in terrible danger.

“I need to find her” dropped out of her mouth as she pulled on a coat.

“Clara, you can’t! We’re working on it, don’t get involved, Chief is already hard on you, don’t give him another reason-”

“Send me the coordinates of the perimeter you’re investigating.” Was all she said before she hung up.

The cop made her way down the road in her police cruiser, alarms silent and lights off. She was technically off duty, if Rueben caught her using precinct gear off the clock she’d be in a world of trouble. She could usually weasel her way out of these kind of situations but the damn chief just had it out for her.

Besides, finding her best friend was the most important thing right now.

She felt an ache in her heart, remembering her entire childhood with Abby right there by her side. Always supportive, always caring, always there with a loaf of garlic bread when Clara was feeling down.

How the heck a cops best friend was kidnapped right under Clara’s nose made her stomach churn with anger at herself.

She HAD to get Abby back.

The cop scanned the dark homes, most lights were out, the occasional dog barked. But it was otherwise silent in this neighborhood. No signs of the missing child, and definitely no sign of Abby.

Wait what was that?

Clara perked her ears as she heard a thud, followed by a shrill cry. A child’s cry.

There was no way any kid would be awake at this hour. Clara jumped out the car, not even bothering to take out the keys as she crept up to the run down house ahead of her.

As she approached, she could hear the faint sounds of sobbing. Following the noise she saw the tiny grilled opening of the basement, mostly dark, but she could sense people in there.

Straining her ears to listen she crept towards the small gap. Yes, a child was crying and a voice snarled.

“Shut up!” Male, mid 40s possibly, definitely angry. “You had better keep quiet or I’ll cut that tongue straight out of your mouth!”

A door slammed and the kids voice quieted.

Clara felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise and fury seep throughout her. She was about to March up to the house and kick the crap out oc whoever was abusing this child when suddenly she paused.

“Shh…it’ll be OK.” A soft voice tried to comfort the child “Someone will come rescue us…”

Abby.

Clara’s vision blurred, and in a moment she was up on her feet, at the front door. Kicking it with strength she wasn’t aware she had, she entered the decrepit household.

“What the-” the voice from earlier was a filthy looking middle aged man, standing in front of a basement door, holding a roll of duct tape and glaring at the cop.

“This is the Police” Clara felt the words tumble out her mouth as she unholstered her gun and pointed it at the man’s face “Put your hands up”

The criminal looked daggers at Clara and promptly ran down the basement steps. Clara screeched and shot at his retreating back but the bullets missed as he made his way down. Clara raced after him.

“Stop! There’s no where for you to run!” Clara screamed out.

“Clara!?” Abby’s voice called out in surprise.

“HELP! HELP US PLEASE!” The child must have screamed with everything in its lungs.

“Shut up!” The man hissed and Clara’s heart stopped as the sickening sound of a rifle echoed and her fears were confirmed as she came across the freshly bloodied corpse of the small child laying at the bottom of the basement.

Clara looked up from the scene. The man was holding the rifle against Abby’s ribs, but his eyes were fixed on Clara.

“Let me go, or this one’s next” He growled at the officer.

“Don’t- don’t let him, Clara!” Abby pleaded, eyes looking desperately at her best friend.

The crook cocked his still smoking weapon, pushing it into Abby. Abby gave a whimper and shook her head at Clara.

Clara’s heart was thundering like a stallion. She stepped closer as adrenaline rushed throughout her veins. If only she’d gotten here half a second sooner.

“Alright!” Clara lowered her arm “Alright, I won’t hurt you, I won’t shoot. Just please… Please let her go”

Despite wanting to fight, in a hostage situation, she had to relent. And Abby’s safety was more important than getting justice for the deceased child at her feet.

The man wickedly stepped aside the cop, dragging Abby with him towards the staircase.

Having a clear path up the stairs, he finally shoved the frightened woman towards Clara.

“Abby!” Clara grabbed her in her arms. Abby’s clothes were ripped and covered in blood and dirt but the red head had never been more relieved to see her. “Abby! I’m-” a sob escaped her throat as she cried “Abby I’m so sorry I couldn’t find you”

Abigail clung to Clara, crying profusely as she tried to comfort her “You’re here now” she sobbed “You’re-”

The sound of Abby’s soothing voice immediately silenced as the CRACK of a bullet shattered through the air.

“Abby!? ABBY!” Clara screamed as Abby’s eyes widened in shock and pain as a bloom of fresh blood started to grow over her heart, soaking her shirt and Clara’s uniform in red.

The murderer stood at the basement stairs, grinning maniacally as Abby expired in Clara’s arms, eyes once so bright and full of life fading into a stony cold emptiness.

“Abby…” Clara’s voice broke “Abby please…”

But it was too late. She was gone.

Clara couldnt move. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t breathe as everything around her seemed to close in, seemed to suffocate her as she slowly lost feeling in her body, sinking to the ground with what remained of her best friend for over twenty years.

Abby. Abby. Abby.

The image of her empty eyes was burned into Clara’s mind. She sat there for what seemed like hours.

But it was only a second. The sound of the murderer’s footsteps running up the stairs amplified in Clara’s ears.

HE killed her.

A gear switched within the cop and she was on her feet, racing after the killer. The pig, the damned murderer who took away ABBY.

Gun in hand, Clara was after him as he went out the house straight towards her cruiser.

“Stop! STOP!” She cried in an unearthly scream at the man. But he had no intention of being arrested. Jumping into the car, he turned on the ignition.

The sound of glass breaking into a trillion pieces followed the echo of the police bullet finding it’s way between the man’s eyes.

Clara stood on the driveway, glass shards ripping her bloodied uniform as the police glock smoked in her hands. The criminal was slumped over the steering wheel of her car, bleeding a puddle onto the dashboard.

Clara heard screams and gasps as the neighborhood seemed to wake up. Murmurs and voices, curious, frightened, aghast.

But the cop was frozen in place.

Sirens bared loudly as the police approached, but Clara was a world away.

“Clara…” Roberto’s voice reached her, but just barely. The younger cop had to pull her into an ambulance so the paramedics could look her over. But despite all the people surrounding her, Clara was numb.

Abby was lost forever. And she, Clara.

She’d Killed.

“It’s okay, Clara…” Roberto’s voice sounded “You tried your best, you stopped the murderer… He can never hurt anyone again… You’re a hero…”

Clara hardly listened as she saw medics wheel away the body of the child, the body of the crook. The body of her best friend.

If she was a hero… This certainly didn’t feel like a heroic win.

#Thneedmas #madness #I'm.so sorry this was super sad #and I'm sorry for getting it out late #I loved writing this though Clara is great

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sbknews · 3 years

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Herlings and Vialle Top the Podium at the Bitci MXGP of Turkey

The racing has finished and with it concluded the Bitci MXGP of Turkey, the first of two Grand Prix’s taking place in Afyonkarahisar. Both the MXGP and MX2 riders added to the Turkish heat, treating the local crowd to four nail biting races that concluded with overall victories from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Tom Vialle.

After posting the fastest lap time in Time Practice, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado started the first race with the Fox Holeshot, as he led Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Glenn Coldenhoff, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre and Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass. Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were side by side on the opening lap and moments later both got around Jonass who dropped to sixth. Herlings then caught onto the back of Coldenhoff and passed his fellow Dutchman as Gajser set out to do the same. But the Slovenian struggled for 10 laps behind Coldenhoff always coming short of making a pass. Febvre remained all over Prado for the lead, as Gajser came under fire from Cairoli who got around the Honda rider to move into sixth. He then got around Coldenhoff too and was pushing to get closer to Jonass. Gajser then caught back up with the 259 of Coldenhoff and passed him on lap 11, as JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi got Brian Bogers of Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing for eighth to solidify a top 10 result. After spending the majority of the race in third, Herlings switched it up a gear and was on a charge to close in on Febvre and Prado. It did not take him long as he got Febvre on lap 13 and then just two laps later was in front of Prado. Jonass started to challenge Febvre too and with three laps from the end of the race was able to get the job done. Herlings was the race winner, with Prado finishing second and Jonass third. In the second heat it was once again Prado with the Fox Holeshot as he led the race once again while Febvre, Gajser, Jonass and Cairoli followed behind. Herlings struggled further down the field as he passed Kevin Strijbos of Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing for seventh position. Herlings then continued to make progress as he got around Coldenhoff and set his sights on Cairoli, while Gajser charged past Febvre to move into second place. The gap was then 1.366 seconds between Prado and Gajser, as the Slovenian was clear with his intentions of going for the win. Jonass then had a big crash as he went off the track while battling with Cairoli for fourth, with the Latvian not finishing the race. Cairoli inherited his position as Herlings started to close in too. Gajser then made another attempt to pass Prado and was able to secure the position and take over the lead on lap nine. Cairoli then caught onto the back wheel of Febvre as the pair traded positions a couple of times before the Italian was able to make it stick and take away third from the Kawasaki rider, as Herlings did the same. Gajser then led by 2.877 seconds, as Prado was starting to feel the force of Cairoli and Herlings who were catching up fast. Cairoli and Prado had a couple of close calls before making contact, but both remained on the bikes. Eventually Cairoli crashed after, which allowed Herlings through. With one lap to go, Herlings got his head down and got to work as he was able to pass Prado and secure the top step of the podium. Gajser was the race winner, with Herlings second and Prado third. With a 1-2 result, Jeffrey Herlings was back on the top step, while Jorge Prado was forced to settle for second and Tim Gajser joining the pair in third. In terms of the championship standings, Gajser leads Prado by 13 points, while Febvre remains third a further four points behind. Jeffrey Herlings: “Definitely the first race was much easier because I was around fourth of fifth in the start and only had to pass a few guys. Both starts were off today and with the high altitude here we changed some things with the bike, but I think maybe we should go in a different direction. The start was pretty bad in the first race but then I managed to pass Glenn, Romain and Jorge and then it went pretty easy. Second race I was around tenth or twelfth, it was harder to get around the other guys, the last few laps were sketchy between Jorge and Tony as they were fighting for second position. Then Tony crashed right in front of me and then I managed to sneak past Jorge, but Tim was too far away for me to do anything about it. A 1-2 is good, we have some good racing and I look forward to it, I like the track but will definitely work on the starts and try some things. The arm is fine now, in Lommel it was very painful but in Latvia it was already much better, I still had a bit of pain but nothing crazy. I don’t know if you can ever be 100% but I am trying to be the best as I can because the competition is strong. If you look at the championship, the top five guys are really close”. Jorge Prado: “I think it was a great day. I got two good starts which makes things a lot easier. I led the most laps today so this gives me a confidence boost for Wednesday, the only thing is I was riding the same lines but when Jeffrey passed me in race one and Tim in the second one, I could see where I could improve. Physically I am feeling ok and I am getting better, the bike is working good. It was a pity on the last lap to be passed by Jeffrey, but hopefully on Wednesday we get some good results. There is still a lot of racing left, I need to take it race by race and stay within the top three, that is my goal, and get some race wins if I can. You don’t always get such a good field of riders because of injuries and other reasons but now everybody is ready to go racing so it is nice to race when everybody is fit”. Tim Gajser: “I had two completely different races. The first race I had a solid start, but I got stuck behind Glenn and couldn’t pass him for ten laps so I kind of lost the rhythm, got arm pump and finished sixth and I was definitely not happy with it. In the second one, I had a good start and was third and then made quick passes in the middle of the race, made a small gap and controlled the race. Definitely happy with the second race. I will try to improve the starts for Wednesday and be more consistent and just have fun because that’s the most important things”. MXGP - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:42.407; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:05.534; 3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GASGAS), +0:06.236; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:09.174; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:31.970; 6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:35.999; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:52.191; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Yamaha), +0:54.267; 9. Henry Jacobi (GER, Honda), +0:56.317; 10. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:57.016; MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:39.849; 2. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:04.654; 3. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:08.824; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:28.683; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:34.198; 6. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), +0:39.772; 7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:41.305; 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:42.717; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Yamaha), +0:45.092; 10. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +0:46.408; MXGP - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 47 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 40 p.; 4. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 36 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 28 p.; 7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 23 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 23 p.; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 20 p.; 10. Brian Bogers (NED, GAS), 19 p.; MXGP - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 310 points; 2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 297 p.; 3. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 293 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 284 p.; 5. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 274 p.; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 234 p.; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, GAS), 200 p.; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, YAM), 197 p.; 9. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KTM), 157 p.; 10. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 133 p.; MXGP - Manufacturers Classification: 1. KTM, 376 points; 2. Honda, 311 p.; 3. Kawasaki, 298 p.; 4. Yamaha, 265 p.; 5. GASGAS, 230 p.; 6. Husqvarna, 145 p.;

In the first MX2 race of the day, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle who grabbed the Fox Holeshot ahead of his fellow teammate Rene Hofer as well as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton and Kay De Wolf, as well as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini. While Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2’s Maxime Renaux was further down the field in around eighth position. Hofer then took over the lead from Vialle, as Renaux managed to find a way through on De Wolf to move into fifth. Vialle then got to work as he caught back up with his teammate and by lap four was back in the driving seat and leading the race. Renaux then lost a spot to Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez for a brief moment before getting back around the Spaniard, while Hofer was starting to come under pressure from Beaton and Guadagnini. Though at the front of the field, Vialle continued to clock the fastest lap times of the race, as Thibault Benistant of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2 and F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Mathys Boisrame battled for eighth. Guadagnini finally managed to get around Beaton on lap eight and then five or six laps later was able to get Hofer to get into second. Hofer then faded off as both Beaton and Renaux got around the Austrian, while Fernandez dived down the inside of De Wolf for sixth. In the end it was Vialle who won the race 5.988 seconds ahead of Guadagnini and Beaton who crossed the line in third. In race two it was Renaux with a flying start, as he took the second Fox Holeshot of the day and led the way with Beaton second and Vialle third. Guadagnini got another strong start and so did Gianluca Facchetti of Team Beddini Racing KTM on his first outing with the new team. Hofer then got around Fernandez for fifth as Vialle tried to get around Beaton, with the Australian quick to respond and claim back his second-place spot. As Renaux stretched out his lead to 2.490 seconds, Beaton came under fire from Vialle once again, with the KTM rider finally making a pass stick on lap five. Vialle then set the fastest lap of the race as he began to close in on the race leader, Renaux. But Renaux stepped it up a gear himself to set the fastest lap of the race himself, with the two Frenchman clock fast times lap after lap. While the battle for the win was well and truly on between Renaux and Vialle, Guadagnini was also not letting go of Beaton for third as he started to apply the pressure. With just a couple of laps from the finish, Vialle went down as he was focused on passing Renaux which handed the Yamaha rider a victory, while Vialle was able to get back on his bike quickly and hold on to second as Beaton was able to keep Guadagnini at bay and finish the day with another third-place finish. With a 1-2 result, Tom Vialle was on the top step of the podium while Maxime Renaux was forced to settle for second ahead of Jed Beaton in third, as he secured his second podium of 2021. Renaux continues to lead the MX2 championship, maintaining a healthy 37-point lead over Guadagnini who has gained a bit of breathing room to Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2’s Jago Geerts who is a further 15 points adrift. Tom Vialle: “It’s really good to be back on top after the injury. The summer break was good because I could train and work on the bike also and now to be back is really good. I was happy in the morning to take pole position because it’s not a lot of times that I’ve taken the pole position which was pretty nice. I took two good starts and in the second race I pushed to come back but it was difficult to pass as there were not so many lines and Maxime was riding pretty good. I tried to give my best. For sure to win here is good and to stay here in Turkey is nice, I like the track and it will be a good race on Wednesday”. Maxime Renaux: “Was two completely different races today. I took two good stars, but in the first race I went too wide which allowed the other riders on the inside, so I had to fight my way through the pack and come back from eighth to fourth. I was riding a little bit stiff and was not happy with the riding. For the second race we changed some things on the bike, I was feeling much more comfortable and took the holeshot and then had the perfect race. For Wednesday I will look to improve on my lap times because it’s important to be on the inside here. I take it race by race, I want to win all the races if I can but it’s pretty hard and I need to think about the championship. I’m also trying to be more clever than before and avoid making stupid mistakes and keep control of the championship”. Jed Beaton: “It was a pretty good day for me. Never pulled the holeshot but in the first race I came close which was good, but then made a small mistake which allowed the KTM guys to pass and then Tom was going quite fast and I got a little bit of arm pump so I went back a little bit but then the last few laps of the race I felt like I was riding good again and try to take that into the second race. I got another good start but lost a bit of rhythm in the first few laps, the guys pulled away but I was just trying to manage my own race and then had Mattia on my back which added some pressure, but overall it was a good consistent day for me to put together two good races which has been a struggle for me for the last couple of races and it’s a good step in the right direction. It’s good to recharge the batteries as the last four rounds were pretty tough so it took a lot of energy out of us and the little break was nice for everyone”. MX2 - Grand Prix Race 1 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 34:00.016; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), +0:05.988; 3. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:07.359; 4. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:16.158; 5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:27.478; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Honda), +0:31.297; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:34.174; 8. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:35.151; 9. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:43.644; 10. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:50.403; MX2 - Grand Prix Race 2 – Top 10 Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), 35:20.827; 2. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:01.638; 3. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:11.439; 4. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), +0:12.624; 5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:28.479; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:37.230; 7. Wilson Todd (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:45.210; 8. Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Kawasaki), +0:54.046; 9. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:56.764; 10. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), +0:58.882; MX2 - GP Top 10 Classification: 1. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 47 points; 2. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 43 p.; 3. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 40 p.; 4. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), 40 p.; 5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 32 p.; 6. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 27 p.; 7. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 26 p.; 8. Wilson Todd (AUS, KAW), 24 p.; 9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 24 p.; 10. Isak Gifting (SWE, GAS), 18 p.; MX2 - World Championship Top 10 Classification: 1. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 314 points; 2. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, KTM), 277 p.; 3. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 262 p.; 4. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 237 p.; 5. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 229 p.; 6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 228 p.; 7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 216 p.; 8. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 210 p.; 9. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, KAW), 204 p.; 10. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 180 p.; MX2 - Manufacturers Classification: 1. Yamaha, 355 points; 2. KTM, 339 p.; 3. Husqvarna, 266 p.; 4. Kawasaki, 252 p.; 5. Honda, 237 p.; 6. GASGAS, 181 p.; BITCI MXGP OF TURKEY – QUICK FACTS Circuit length: 1725m Type of ground: Hard Pack Temperature: 28° Weather conditions: Sunny For more news checkout our dedicated MXGP/MX2 News page Or visit the official MXGP website mxgp.com Follow us on social media: Instagram: @superbikenews Twitter: @sbknews Facebook: @superbikenews SBN Directory - add your motorcycle related business here

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ts-seychelles · 5 years

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EP. 7 - “It’s Not What I Wanted, But It’s What We Get” - ASYA

https://youtu.be/KygetX1CM98

This is a short confessional as I’m in sunny San Clemente California. This DTC gives me anxiety. Jared’s been very quiet to me since the Zach boot but I gotta put my trust in the ginger. I love our third wheel alliance though. And Roxy is targeting me first like wtf. I had nothing to do with Zach going so don’t try and put it on me. And regan knocked me out of the challenge first so I’m also nervous about that. Overall I could be going tonight and it stinks that I need to put my fate into someone else’s hands. It’s not fun.

Okay so honestly this round is going to be a whole bundle of yikes. I am really trying to make sure that Ashen goes this round. Love Ashen to death, they seem like a very very nice person, but they haven't spoken to me at all, haven't attempted to form a game relationship or a connection, and I have a feeling someone from the OG Lazare is going to go home at their tribal tonight, so I've gotta make sure it's an OG Malabar, and I cannot lose an OG Lazare because then we're going to be going into a merge 6-6 with original numbers, and I lowkey don't count Nicole as an OG Lazare at this point, so I'm not feeling too confident. I also had a long talk with Augusto last night, and we spoke about a lot of things, particularly what we're going to do when we get to the merge, and we know that there are some demons we're going to have to face,,,, we spoke about Regan potentially being an ally of mine (which I actually really want to happen), and then people wanting to immediately go after the power couple of Jared/Nicole, so idkkkkkkkkkkk I know Ricky is another option because Augusto was trying to split up relationships with the original OG Lazare ladies, who apparently had an alliance bc Nicole told Vilma, and then Vilma told Augusto that there was an alliance between Asya, Nicole, Ricky and Roxy, so I know that's definitely something to worry about, letting all four of them get to merge..... BUT I am semi confident in my relationships with all of them. I'm just not too sure. I know I have my own four person alliance to combat this, because I am trying to get something together between Vilma, Dan, Augusto and myself, which I think is just really smart because all four of us seem to be middle of the road players, and we aren't drawing too much attention to ourselves in general, and there are no obvious ties that are being talked about that involve any of the four of us (or so I think), so I think it's a good foursome. I really do feel kinda confident in the merge, but I also know that there is a very good chance I'm one of the first few toast at the merge (even with my idol), but I also know I have the skill to go very deep.................... idk. This merge is going to be interesting, especially with my worrisome relationship with Jared AND Regan, so it's going to be interesting because I see both of them making the merge. SOOOOOOOO back to the plan tonight. I gotta just rationalize with the other OG Lazares (which won't be too hard) to make it seem like we're 4-3ing this bitch, but I know that Dan and Augusto are already down to get Ashen, and I just need them to go simply so I can maximize the amount of relationships I have going into the merge. I am not feeling the strongest about where I am in the game right now, but I am still alive and breathing, and if I just make myself an option to a lot of people, I think that I can make this go well for myself to at least get to that mid jury range :))

(A LITTLE LATER)

It seems like we've gotten to that point of the day today where we've all come to the general consensus that Ashen is going home today. I know we didn't get to talk, and you seem VERY nice, but you've gotta TALK to people after being on a tribe with them for 12 days or so? It isn't the fact that you've been removed from the community this whole time that is causing you to go home, it's your social game :/

I got tons to catch up on cause your resident flop here didn’t make any confessionals last round, so there’s that! From the tribal where Zach went home, I’m surprised that it went the way it did but not at the same time? The way I perceived their tribe when we first swapped was Nicole and Jared grouping together alongside Regan and JG as Malabar was low in numbers, plus Nicole felt a connection to Regan and Jared/JG have been on every tribe together so far. That being said, I totally expected it to be Alex Crooks since Nicole spoke about him really negatively when we were on NuLazare together. I am incredibly happy that sending Ruben to Ghost Island paid off because being honest, I was terrified that Regan would go home since she’s one of my closest people out here, personally and strategically so it would’ve been a massive loss. What the future holds for Nicole/Jared/JG/Regan will be interesting because I can also see Nicole/Jared flipping to the Lazares on that tribe since they are so much in the middle, moreso Nicole than anyone else.

(AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO RETRIEVE OUR CAMERA)

As far as the tribal council I went to last round, Vi leaving was not my PREFERRED plan, but I am also here to play a long term game, so I can’t be hellbent on making crazy moves that benefit me in a short term setting. I did think it was a good time to get rid of Ricky as Vi could’ve been used as a scapegoat for that vote and we could’ve kept Asya on her toes and gotten rid of Vi right after, but it is what it is. Will I try to keep going for Ricky/Asya ths vote? I’m not really sure because I don’t want to seem like a limited player that doesn’t see every perspective, especially if we’re heading into a merge soon.

(WE OBVIOUSLY FAILED)

Tea, tea, tea, tea, and more TEA! I really think my alliance/Final 2 with Johnny is paying off because he STAYS telling me information, so that’s exciting! For starters, there’s an alliance between himself, Vilma, and Asya. That worries me just a tad because Asya also has Ricky, so she’s kinda well protected but ngl, her social game with me is kinda ass so I’m wondering how that’ll be with other people if we merge. Johnny also let me know that Vilma found the idol clue in her beer, which she totally lied to me about but I’m not surprised cause I’d do the same thing. Said clue led her to find the Takamaka Idol however, which makes me sad because I was super close to finding it myself as it was at the Wheel at the Shipwreck, a location that I’ve been looking in for quite some time so yay for me being an unlucky dumbass. I am aware now that both Johnny and Vilma have idols, which is good for me since I’m the only person outside of Johnny to know who owns 2 idols. When I went on call with Johnny, he was telling me about his good connections with Ruben, his somewhat okay relationship with Crooks, and how he thinks Roxy is shady which was good to know. He also told me tea on how Zach tried to initiate an alliance early on in OG Lazare. It’s good to have all this tea, but Johnny is my supplier and that makes me a bit nervous that in our Final 2, he holds the reins. That’s like late game thinking and it’s too early for that, but I just gotta be realistic and keep it in the back of my mind.

(GOOD GOD)

Get your popcorn folks because tonight we’re having a Double Tribal Feature! Yeah, Double Tribals really spook me since a large part of why I have unfinished business is because I went home at a Double Tribal in Great Lakes. Hopefully, I can move past this little speedbump to race closer to the end! <3 As much as I would’ve loved a clue to the idol, it’s already been found so being put on the spot and exposed for getting a clue didn’t seem all that worth it to me, but I guess everyone else on my tribe felt the same! With no one having immunity, my odds of staying increased a bit so that’s cute, but for whatever reason I’m nervous. With me being the messy ass that I am, I did talk to Ashen about maybe voting Ricky last round and Ashen very much tried to not do that by even telling me that Ricky and them discussed how Ricky is only close to Asya from OG Lazare and how he doesn’t really fuck with anyone else. Ultimately, we all voted for Vi and that discussion died down, but I am afraid that Ashen told Ricky. Johnny also told me that Ricky was beginning to think I was the reason for his tribal anxiousness and I fear that has to do with what I told Ashen. Thankfully, Johnny deflected and Ricky isn’t TOO spooked by me. It just further shows that I can’t be trusting people with valuable information; another part of my unfinished business.

(JEFF PROBST RECAP WHO?)

Finally, a sis is in an alliance! The one with Ashen, Drake, and Samantha doesn’t really count imo so yeah. The Golden Girls is an alliance with myself, Johnny, Dan, and Vilma in it and like, I love it? It’s been in the works ever since the first or second night of this swap since we all just sorta vibed with one another but I think it’s good that we formally came together, especially for this vote as it determines the potential merge. The consensus we’ve agreed on is doing Ashen this vote, which is like good and bad for me? The only negative is that it gives Johnny and Vilma more flexibility to go between The Golden Girls and the alliance with Asya, plus the fact that we’re keeping a duo in the game. However, Ricky/Asya can be a meat shield during the merge (or a key component in a move but whatever hbgfjdks) so there’s that. Ashen is someone who has always been shady to me, so getting rid of that should lift a weight off of my shoulders. It’s been two votes where Ashen has sort of put their foot down and caused me to go in another direction, so heading into a merge with that type of player is a spell for disaster. I could also use this vote to build a bridge with Ricky and Asya since like, I might need them! Communication is a two way street and I’ve tried to cross it many times, but they usually put a stop to any convo in the past so let’s hope we can build that a bit more. As for the other tribe, I hope Ruben or Crooks leave so that I can have more options at the merge since it’s looking like I might not have all that many.

https://youtu.be/xWiMmEe2QYo

well idk what to do. I want to keep Alex but JG does not. jg is not budging like tf

So me and Johnny are playing everyone HA my life is good. I don’t feel nervous which probably means I’m donezo. I really don’t like playing the middle but ts the safest bet rn. I just am doing my best not to get caught but I’m sure I’ll be found out soon enough!!!

So going into this round I’ve been a huge ass fucking mess. First I wanted to get Jg regan and Roxy together to split up the duo but because of JG not helping me win immunity I went to Jared for help. He told me if I voted Roxy then I’ll prove my loyalty. Only thing is I risk being at the bottom of that trio by doing that

(A LITTLE LATER)

On the flip side of it regan JG and Roxy begged me saying they are loyal to that 4. They say they wanna vote Alex. So unless I’m being played which there is a huge ass chance of that I’m the swing. Part of me wants to vote out Alex but the issue is that if any of those 3 don’t vote Alex and he stays I lose my chance to prove myself and if they aren’t already voting me I go to merge with nobody

(EVEN LATER)

But I’m a risk taker and honestly this trio needs to be divided ASAP

So this round has been... wild. I'm playing so risky this round because I don't want any votes against me. I would have a lot more room to play if I didn't give a shit about that but I'm crackt and uhhhh.... here we are. I had a call with Ruben last night where I basically forced him into voting for Roxy, because I said she will already have a majority of the votes on her, so voting her would be a sign of loyalty to me, and then I will have his back in the future. I told him I was being honest and it opened up more options for him. - 1, he can take that information to gather votes against me, and if it works, good on him! - 2, if he tries that and it doesn't work, I can't trust him and he will be super fucked at merge. Then, I was honest with Alex about who I wanted out, because I want him to see I am true to my word. I told JG and Regan the plan. Roxy is voting Alex TO MY KNOWLEDGE, and Ruben has a chat with Regan and JG where he said he will vote me or Alex. I told Regan to make him think it's Alex, so I can see where his loyalty lies, AND because Alex is not actually going home----- Alex will hold a bigggg vendetta against Ruben. And IIIIIIIIIII didn't lie to Ruben, SO WE GOOODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!! That's if it all works out. There is potential for Roxy to play an advantage and the votes to actually be on me. If so, good on them.

https://youtu.be/LKXlhMBUhyw

Tonight is the double tribal night and it has been strangely quiet these past few hours even though tribal is already starting in a little over an hour. As far as I know Ashen is getting voted out tonight, and I was originally against the plan because Ashen was the main person who wanted to help me stay in the game a few rounds ago. I know I'm going to feel really shitty voting for them after all that happened. :''''''''''''''''''''''( It sucks. But upon reflecting I decided that I'm not going to go out of my way to save Ashen because both sides (Dan&Augusto vs. Ricky&Asya) were surprisingly okay with the idea of voting out Ashen tonight, and I want to stay on everyone's good side going to the merge. I don't want to make any big enemies just yet, since I'm sure the first merge rounds will be super intense and the alliance lines seem to be really fuzzy right now. I'm currently kinda trying to play the middle with Johnny, and it's definitely risky, but exciting at the same time! I've never really been in this middle position before. I'm still paranoid that I'm going to get blindsided tonight, but that's nothing new honestly. I'm pretty sure I'm going to hold on to my idol for another round. But I will play it as soon as I start getting any weird vibes, I definitely don't want to go home with it! Respectfully yours with sincere gratitude, Vilma666

https://youtu.be/S0UjIBwTsiE

I TOLD JARED AND THEN NICOLE I HAVE THE IDOL WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME. ugh

#itsgametimekids

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lpdwillwrite4coffee · 4 years

Text

CHILDREN OF LILITH CHAPTER TWENTY

“Excuse me, sorry, comin’ through, whoa sorry!” Boz weaved between slower going pedestrians and bolted up the stairs from the subway platform.

Making a wide turn, his boots scraped on the concrete as he immediately pulled up short, blocked by two moms with double strollers. Seriously? Hadn’t they heard of population control?

Boz ducked right, only to be cut off, so he moved left. Nope, not that way either.

“Okay really?” He blurted, waving his arms out. “We get it, your kids have that cute Double Mint Twin thing going for them. Now please get out of the way.”

Ignoring the vulgar shouting from the two women- who by the way shouldn’t be using those words around children old enough to repeat them- he jogged past them and took off at a dead run.

Regret twisted his stomach into a double Windsor. He should have never gone to the Bronx or to Queens. He should have stayed with Griffin and Nikki. And he definitely shouldn’t have eaten a Ruben with extra sauerkraut right before sprinting.

Slamming into the front door, he palmed the knob and skidded into the main room.

“I’m here, I’m here,” he gasped. “How are they? What happened? Is everyone okay?” He groaned and leaned over, supporting himself on his thighs. “Oh God… running… full stomach… I think I’m gonna hurl.”

“Chill, Boz,” Lisa commanded. “Everyone’s alive.”

She was standing behind Griffin, who was hunched over with his right forearm pressed onto the edge of the kitchen table. He looked like hell.

Forcing air down his throat, he stared at Griffin. “What happened?”

“Dislocated shoulder,” Griffin answered, voice turned to gravel.

“Another one? At this rate buddy, you’re gonna need orthopedic surgery before you’re thirty.”

The smirk Griffin flashed was inked in bitterness. “Looking forward to it.”

Lisa steadied herself behind Griffin and only offered Nikki a cautionary glance before she said, “Okay Griff, on three…” She placed her hands on him. “One-”

The loud crunchy pop of Griffin’s shoulder when she manipulated it back into the socket made Boz’s nausea multiply. “Oh, shit, that’s gross,” he mumbled against his fist.

Griffin cursed and slumped against the table. Tucking his chin, he squeezed his eyes closed and inhaled ragged breaths.

“Forget how to count?” he finally said through gritted teeth.

“It would have been much worse if you’d tensed up when I did that.” Lisa gave him a gentle pat on the bicep before going to the counter and grabbing a pack of gauze and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. “Hey Boz, you mind giving me a hand?”

Boz blinked owlishly. “Ah… What else, exactly, needs to be done?”

“Help Nikki while I finish up here,” Lisa said, gesturing to the first aid kit on the table.

Relieved there weren’t any more joints needing to be returned to their natural positions, Boz nodded and strode over to the seat next to Nikki. Blood, guts, and nasty smells he could handle. It was the sounds that made him sick.

“What happened?” He asked, unraveling the cloth from her palm.

“I cut myself,” Nikki responded, expression as flat as her voice.

Removing the taped gauze from her palm, he whispered, “Yikes. That’s a deep one.”

“A box cutter will do that to you,” Griffin muttered sharply.

Boz glanced at his friend. He’s seen that look, heard that tone, too many times to count, but even this time felt different. The ice in his glare permeated.

Turning to Nikki, Boz asked, “Someone came at you with a box cutter?”

“I did.”

He frowned. “What?”

She lifted her gaze, gold staining the natural sapphire in the shape of a starburst, and Boz’s mouth went slack.

“I did it to myself,” Nikki explained.

He was about to ask why, when Griffin shot to his feet, waving Lisa off of him as she tried to clean a gash near his hairline.

Keeping his stare on the ground, he grunted, “I need a shower,” and strode past them.

“Be careful with your shoulder,” Lisa told him, tossing gauze onto the table.

The silence left in his wake was less than comforting. Boz couldn’t handle it.

“So… didn’t anyone tell you to be careful with sharp objects?”

Not even a smile.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Right. I’ll just…” and nodded at Nikki’s hand.

A hand that was scarily cold and trembling. Making sure each touch was as gentle as possible, Boz redressed Nikki’s wound and didn’t say another word.

* * *

There were two things Griffin had thought about himself for so long he learned to accept them as fact: That the sum of his broken parts still didn’t add up to much, and that whether or not he was capable of it, he wasn’t in a position to love.

He was fine with the first statement, but the second… The second was causing him a lot of trouble.

Griffin had heard what Doctor Oliver said, heard what he called Nikki. She wasn’t just a civilian, she was important to the Hunter race as a whole. So important, in fact, that Vampire Alphas were trying to make a public spectacle out of her death. She needed to be guarded, kept out of harm’s way, at all costs. And Griffin had been all too willing to fall in the line of fire if it meant keeping Nikki safe.

But seeing blood drip from her nose, feeling the energy drain from her as they ran; it wasn’t a sense of duty that had him forcing his keys into her palm and shoving her away, ordering her to run.

He had done it… to save the woman he loved.

It was selfish, really. He’d needed to keep her alive because he loved her.

His own fate be damned, as long as she was still breathing, then whatever happened to him didn’t matter.

And then Nikki came back.

She’d sliced her hand open and bled for him. The fierce determination in her eyes as she’d stared down four Newborns haunted him.

She had been ready to sacrifice herself for him… Just as he had been ready to do the same for her.

The implications of that were too much for him to handle.

Flattening his right hand on the tiled wall, he supported himself as he hung his head beneath the shower head and let the water run over him. Heat and steady rhythm eased the soreness in his muscles, but it did nothing to comfort the ache in the center of his chest.

Nikki had completely disregarded her own well-being, had risked her life… for him.

Griffin growled, baring his teeth to the wall in front of him. He shut his eyes as a new ache ripped through him. Nikki’s screams still pierced his eardrums, clawing their way through his skull. The color of her blood painted the inside of his eyelids.

Didn’t she know how stupid it was to come storming back into a fight with only a box cutter and a horrible sense of self-preservation?

What if she had died? Didn’t she realize how important she was? How could she be so careless with her own life when…

When I love her so much.

The idea of her willingly doing it again made him queasy.

My broken parts aren’t worth that cost, he thought, watching rust stained water circle the drain. I love her, and I don’t deserve her.

* * *

Nicholas drummed the tip of his pen on his legal pad and hummed a noise of acknowledgment. “Yes, I’m already aware of her Henson,” he said, adding another line to his doodle. He wasn’t much for note taking, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t look like he cared.

“Oh,” Henson mumbled, papers shaking in his hand. “Ah, well, Caroline was spotted in the building-”

“Yes, by me,” Nicholas intoned. “I’ve already spoken with her.” Sighing, he dropped his pen. “Is this really all you have? A couple Familiar sightings and news of Doctor Oliver’s suicide?”

“I… I’m sorry sir.” Henson began folding his notes. “Not much else has happened this morning.”

Nicholas curved his eyebrow at the man. “Oh really? Nothing else has happened? Nothing else has become evident in the last few hours? Nothing?”

Henson shook his head and Nicholas could hear his stomach churning. Jesus, if he threw up again…

“Perhaps I haven’t given you enough time to acclimate yourself to your new widower status,” Nicholas said, lacing his fingers together over his belly and leaning back in his chair. “Why don’t you take a couple hours? Go for a walk, have some lunch, hire a prostitute, and allow yourself to grieve.”

Henson’s eyes went comically wide and he paled. “Um…” He swallowed thickly. “I… Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

“Of course.” Nicholas beamed. “Enjoy your afternoon. Come back when you’re finished.”

“Finished,” Henson repeated, his tone flat. “Yes… Finished.”

Nicholas watched as the man got up from his seat and shuffled to the door. Maybe he’d broken him in too hard…

“And drink some tea,” he added. “Nothing that can’t be cured with a good cup of tea.”

Henson stared, unblinking, at him for a long moment before he nodded again. “Yes, sir.”

When Henson was down the hall, Nicholas pulled a travel sized squirt bottle of mild air freshener from his drawer and spritzed it around his desk and the opposite chair. Distraught humans always smelled a bit like a port-a-potty.

He’d only been reading the revised contracts from Tokyo for ten minutes when he heard the cadence of footfalls in the hallway.

“Come in, Alexander,” he called without looking up. “Please, make yourself at-”

His words were cut off by a vice-like grip around his throat, hoisting him out of his chair and leaving his feet to dangle several inches above the floor.

“How dare you?” Alexander shouted, fangs bared.

“’Sgood to see you too,” Nicholas wheezed.

“You have the audacity to interrogate my Caroline, alone, behind my back?” Alexander shook him. “Do you have a death wish? Because I’d certainly be willing to help you make it a reality.”

Grappling with his Sire’s hold on him, Nicholas inhaled raggedly. “In retrospect, my family did seem to have a history of depression and coinciding farming accidents but I don’t think that’s what you mean.”

Alexander’s fingernails dug into Nicholas’ flesh, drawing blood. “You arrogant piece of shit,” he hissed.

“To clarify, are you upset that I talked with Caroline, or that you didn’t know about it?”

“You don’t know your boundaries,” Alexander said with a growl. “Obviously I should have instructed you better when you were a Newborn.”

Fighting the hand clamped around his neck, Nicholas said, “Consider me the practice progeny. I’m sure you’ll get it right with Caroline.”

Alexander stilled. “What are you talking about?”

“Now, now Alexander,” Nicholas tsked. “Don’t try to play that game with me. You’ve never been very good at feigning ignorance.” He narrowed his cunning gaze, despite the growing discomfort of being held up by his throat, and noted the flash of anxiety in the other man’s eyes.

Releasing his hold, Alexander dropped him and Nicholas stumbled back into his chair. He coughed and rubbed the healing marks on his skin.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out about her?” Nicholas asked.

“There’s nothing to ‘find out’,” Alexander countered.

“If that’s the case, then why haven’t you mentioned her before? If she’s to be our new pack mate-”

“She hasn’t made the decision yet,” Alexander cut him off. “And until she does, you will stay away from her.”

“You’re giving me orders now?” Nicholas shot back angrily. “And here I thought we were a team. A joint force to reign over this ‘New Empire’.” He stood up, locking eyes with his Sire. “That was the arrangement, wasn’t it? Duel leadership with equal power and quadruple the profits?”

Alexander’s features hardened, schooled into an expression of mild irritation. “Of course.”

Smiling with too much teeth, Nicholas said, “Good. Because I’d hate to think you’ve changed your mind.” He stepped around him, heading for his drink cart.

“It’s a little late for that now,” Alexander muttered.

Nicholas hummed in ascent. “I’d say. Killing the other four Alphas in the city, taking over their aligned, drafting a new codex… Those are all very big steps into the land of no return.”

“You aren’t having second thoughts, are you?”

Nicholas scoffed over the rim of his glass. “And give all this up?” He waved his hand out at the surrounding office. “I’ve grown too attached to the view.”

Alexander nodded firmly. “Then we’re in agreement,” he said, turning towards the door.

“But Alexander,” Nicholas called, stopping him just before he made it into the corridor. “Next time I find out you’ve been keeping something from me, I won’t be so kind as to invite it to tea. So choose your secrets wisely.” His lips twisted into an acrid grin.

Eyes darkening, Alexander stared at him, searching his face. “And I would offer the same advice to you,” he said. Just before he crossed the threshold glanced over his shoulder and added, “By the way, you might want to invest in different air freshener. The one you use isn’t very strong.”

Nicholas waited until his Sire was out of range before crushing the glass tumbler in his hand and chucking the shards across the room.

* * *

Kaelin would know what to do.

That was the only thought Nikki had as she finished washing her face. Kaelin would know exactly how to handle the situation, know the perfect sentence that would sting but not wreck, and she’d do it with flare.

If she was there, she’d tell Nikki to get right in Hunter boy’s face and say what gives? Who do you think you are, ignoring me after everything that just happened? You think you’re big and bad, well honey have I got news for you. You’re not even close to being half as scary as me when I’m pissed, so if you wanna save what little bit of your manhood you have, you’d better spill right now. And make it speedy ‘cause neither one of us is getting any younger.

Nikki chuckled into the hand towel she was using to dry her face. Kaelin would have Griffin on his knees begging in two minutes flat.

If she was there…

I miss her, Nikki thought, staring at her blurry reflection. I want my friend.

Clearing her throat, she folded the towel, placed it on the counter and went to shut off the bathroom light. She could hear bits of the conversation downstairs, mostly between Boz and Lisa, but she decidedly didn’t care. She would care in a few minutes. But right then her only concern was changing clothes and keeping the tears at bay.

Closing her door, she headed for her duffle bag and began riffling through it.

His door. It was his door, to his room. And it was filled with his things.

Suddenly she was furious, standing in the middle of Griffin’s room, surrounded by everything… him. She didn’t want to be anywhere near it- near him. Not after he’d shut her out, leaving her dazed and cold. She hated the thought of going back to the kitchen, sitting there with everyone and having to pretend she didn’t want to throttle Griffin until he went blue.

She had gone back for him.

She’d watched a man shoot himself in the face- the horror of it still twisting behind her eyelids.

She had gone back to help, to give Griffin a chance, and after all of that- after everything she’d been through- he couldn’t even look her in the eye.

Maybe she was wrong. Kaelin wouldn’t have Griffin begging in two minutes, she would have skinned him in thirty seconds.

Yanking on a fresh pair of jeans and a clean tee shirt, Nikki kicked her bag back into the corner it had been in and stomped her feet back into her sneakers. Griffin was going to explain himself. Now.

She jogged down the stairs and rounded the banister, catching the tail end of Boz’s statement.

“… I guess I can try remote access but that’ll take longer.”

“Boz, you’ve cracked bigger systems in your sleep,” Lisa commented over the lip of her mug.

“Yeah, but with everything going on-”

“Just try it,” she said. She acknowledged Nikki with a nod. “Hey.”

“Where’s Griffin?” Nikki asked, knowing she sounded angry.

Lisa glanced over to the adjacent hallway. “He’s-”

“Thanks,” she said, moving into the dimly lit corridor just as Griffin stepped out of Boz’s office, staring down at his phone. When he saw her he slowed his gait but he didn’t say anything.

She steeled herself, blocking his path. “We need to talk.”

His expression was hard but his stare wavered momentarily. Good, he was worried.

Griffin hesitated before asking, “Can it wait?” Slipping his phone back into his pocket.

Nikki wanted to scream, No, this can’t wait, you asshole.

She started to do exactly that when Griffin cut her off.

“Amsterdam just called. He wants us over there in fifteen minutes.”

Oh for God’s sake… Folding her arms, Nikki bit out the word, “Fine.”

“Okay.” Griffin dropped the word like a stone in a bucket. He waited several beats before lifting his eyebrows in question. “So, if we’re leaving, then we should…” He trailed off, jerking his chin towards the main room.

Nikki spoke through clenched teeth. “Yeah. Sure.”

Griffin brushed passed, refusing to look at her. It stung worse than any insult.

Eventually trailing behind him, Nikki found herself in the kitchen, ignoring Lisa and Boz’s probing stares.

Lisa lowered her coffee mug, eyeing the two as they hovered awkwardly near the table. “Is everything-?”

Griffin wouldn’t let her finished the question. “John wants us at his place ASAP.”

“Cool,” Boz said, hopping up. “I’ll bring my laptop and work from there.”

“Boz-”

“No. Nope. We’re not doing this again,” he said, holding up his hand. “Lisa, me, Beulah-” he gave the laptop a gentle pat “-We’re all coming.”

Pulling his coat and holster off the back of his chair, Griffin started towards the door. “Fine. You’re driving.”

#Children of Lilith #free fiction #free novels for pandemic times #my writing #my work

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eddiejpoplar · 6 years

Text

Why is Tavo Hellmund North America’s F1 Hero?

Tavo Hellmund, the lean, dimpled, gimlet-eyed Texan who deftly negotiates the uptight, ultra-sophisticated, almost sinister world of Formula 1 on a daily basis, recently quit chewing tobacco.

One, it isn’t good for him. Two, his wife and kids didn’t much care for it. Three, it frees him from the need to, multiple times a day, search for an empty can in which to spit tobacco juice. Four, giving up a habit he had since college might make him look less like a typical Texas goober, all hat and no cattle, to the globetrotting zillionaires who play high-stakes hands in the game of F1.

But there is no Four; Hellmund doesn’t give a rat’s ass about appearance. He doesn’t wear a hat, has no cattle. What he does have is a nice touch for finding money, locating facilities, creating cooperation among those who seldom do, and delivering not one but two F1 races to North America—first, the U.S. Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas, a track he first sketched out on a napkin and named over the phone as he spoke with a friend.

Second, there would be no Mexican Grand Prix, staged with enormous success at the old, historic Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, had Hellmund not engineered the deal and overseen reconstruction of the track.

In 2015, for the first time since 1992, F1 returned to Mexico City. The crowd, 335,850 over the three-day weekend, was “like being at a football game,” said world champion Lewis Hamilton after the inaugural race. “The fans have been amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

So that’s what Hellmund, 52, did to rate a Forbes.com profile headlined “Formula One’s Billion Dollar Man,” which is roughly the value of the two F1 contracts he secured. And he did it while operating well under the radar.

Hellmund was born in Mexico City on February 24, 1966, seven weeks early, in a hurry even then. After his parents split, he lived with his mother in Austin but often visited his father, who remained in Mexico City. That would be Gustavo Hellmund-Rosas, who Hellmund inherited his motorsports passion from. Hellmund-Rosas raced; he bought one of those red, white, and blue American Motors Javelins Roger Penske campaigned in the Trans-Am series, took it to Mexico, and ran it in a similar series there. The younger Hellmund also inherited his knack for motorsports promotion.

The Mexican GP’s mega revival

His father assembled a credible but unsuccessful effort to bring F1 back to Mexico City in 1980, so he moved to Plan B: a pair of CART IndyCar races (CART promoter of the year in 1980) and some IMSA sports car races. Bernie Ecclestone, then the F1 czar, negotiated the rights to the Mexican Grand Prix with Hellmund’s father, and F1 returned to Mexico City in 1986. Air pollution regulations helped kill the race after 1992, and it didn’t return until Hellmund helped bring it back.

The younger Hellmund spent summers in Mexico City and helped with every aspect of the IndyCar and IMSA races and also the 1986 World Cup. Inevitably he began driving, first in karts. “Never at the top level, but I probably should have,” he says. He contested the Skip Barber series, “which was the first place I could really measure my ability against others and see if I had what it took to seriously go for it.” He won in SCCA racing, as well as in late models on short ovals, and he was good enough to take the next step. Also during summers, Hellmund worked for Ecclestone, a longtime family friend, at the Brabham F1 team, which Ecclestone owned. He moved to Europe in order to become the next Dan Gurney or Mario Andretti. He did not.

Tavo Hellmund in F3 and working on the Brabham team.

“I knew if you were serious about getting a shot at F1, you had to go there,” he says. He settled in Cambridge, England, which is where a lot of young racers ended up because it was located roughly in the center of several important tracks. Neighbors and friends included future stars Hélio Castroneves, Cristiano da Matta, Rubens Barrichello, and Mário Haberfeld. “They called it the ‘University of Auto Racing,’ and it was,” Hellmund recalls. “A lot of F1 champions went through there.”

Hellmund early on showed flashes of talent, but budget constraints prevented continuity. He scored poles and wins in Formula Ford and had solid runs in Formula Vauxhall Jr. (quicker than Dario Franchitti in some) and in British Formula 3. But the competition was insane.

“In the U.S., it seemed like there were two types of young drivers: fast and poor, or rich and slow,” he says. “I expected the same in Europe. I was wrong. There were rich guys who were very, very fast, groomed from birth to be a race car driver.” Eventually, Hellmund got tired of trying to do more with less. “I went back to Austin, licking my wounds.”

Maybe Hellmund had one last shot at the pros: He built a little shop in the back of an Austin junkyard, bought a NASCAR Chevrolet race car from Tim Beverley, borrowed an engine from NASCAR champion team owner Rick Hendrick, and went to California to compete in the NASCAR Winston West race held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in May 2001. “We towed out there with a dually pickup truck and had the car on an open trailer,” Hellmund says. “They didn’t want to let us in. They thought we were there for some vintage car race.”

The crew was all-volunteer. “My quickest pit stop took 51 seconds,” Hellmund says. But he won the FoodsCo NASCAR Challenge, beating drivers such as Brendan Gaughan, 2002 series champion Eric Norris, and the legendary Herschel McGriff.

The next step: Bernie Ecclestone (center) is gone from Formula 1, but Tavo Hellmund, always his own man, embraces the future with new F1 owner, Liberty Media.

By 2004, where Hellmund had been and where he was going collided. He had started a company, Full Throttle Productions. He promoted several NASCAR and USAC National events with his wife, Aryn, winning promoter of the year for the Texas Racefest event in 2006—the only event that ever combined a NASCAR Grand National race and a USAC National Midget race on the same weekend. He tried to race in the NASCAR portion of the event but was spread too thin. “The race sold out, but I realized you can’t race and promote at the same time,” he says. “I had to make a choice.”

Meanwhile, F1 wasn’t long for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where it made its debut in 2000. By 2006, rumors flew that F1 was going to pull the plug, and as it turned out, 2007 saw the last F1 race at Indy. Hellmund’s mind went into top gear. He knew racing in general, F1 in particular. He knew promotion. He knew Austin. He knew the politicians. He knew Texas had a deep-pocketed fund to help finance sporting events. And most of all, he knew Ecclestone.

Hellmund says he had never asked the F1 dictator for a dime, even when he was the quintessential starving young American racer in Europe. But once he assembled a solid business plan, he finally asked him for something: the first meeting to discuss F1 in Austin. Ecclestone trusted Hellmund, a rarity in the series.

Job done: Ex-Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and ex-Texas Comptroller Susan Combs are old news, but Circuit of the Americas, Tavo Hellmund, and Mexico’s race are thriving.

The motorsports world was stunned when, in May 2010, F1 announced it would return to the U.S. in 2012, and yes, it would do so in Texas. Hellmund was the man quoted in the official press release. To all but a handful of F1 insiders and a moderately larger handful of short-track race fans, he was an unknown quantity, immediately legitimized on the world’s largest motorsports stage.

Another announcement said the race would be held at Circuit of the Americas, a new 3.427-mile permanent road course. Hellmund and Full Throttle would supply the F1 contract and the path to the state funding; investors, most notably Texas car dealer Red McCombs, would supply the money to build the track.

Hellmund, a notoriously comprehensive and savvy planner, budgeted for everything. The track would cost $200 million to build, he told a friend, “and the F1 race should make us $5 million. That’s not a lot—the promoter and the track get less of the pie than you’d think—but we get a paid-for racetrack out of the deal with the state money.”

As hardcore F1 fans know, that’s not how it worked out. Serious issues arose between Hellmund and other investors who wanted more of the limelight, and Hellmund was essentially forced out of his own project. He sued, and part of the resolution included a provision that neither side would comment on the situation publicly. But a source familiar with the case suggests Hellmund, “ironically, might be the only person to make money on Circuit of the Americas.” Suddenly, with him gone, the cost to build the track essentially doubled, and the facility’s executive staff suffered from considerable turnover. The state’s Major Events Reimbursement Program, which kicks in more than $25 million annually to pay the $20 million sanctioning fee and other expenses, has drawn fire from critics wondering why taxpayers must so heavily subsidize a privately operated event. Indeed, the Austin event is the only F1 round in the world where a government contributes enormous amounts of money but doesn’t own any part of the event, track, or land.

All of which, of course, Hellmund left behind, by choice or not, thus freeing him to organize the Mexican Grand Prix, which has hit one home run after another since its 2015 debut.

As for Hellmund? Well, he’d like to go racing again. There’s a little unfinished business.

The post Why is Tavo Hellmund North America’s F1 Hero? appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

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#IFTTT #Performance Junk Blogger 6

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jodyedgarus · 6 years

Text

Who’s The Best Formula One Driver Of All Time?

The greatest drivers in the world are assembling in Monte Carlo this weekend for Formula One’s flagship race, the Monaco Grand Prix. So we thought it was the right time to dive into the history of road racing’s fastest sport — and this being FiveThirtyEight, what better way to investigate that history than to use our favorite benchmark, the Elo rating system, to rate every driver of all time?

Elo is a simple way to grade competitors based on a series of head-to-head results. Longtime FiveThirtyEight readers will know that we’ve put it to work before in ranking NFL, NBA, MLB, college basketball and football, and women’s and men’s club soccer teams. Here, we’re using it to rate F1 drivers going back to 1950, the first season in which the FIA World Championship of Drivers was staged.

Rating each contestant in fields of more than 20 drivers is a bit different from rating teams that play one-on-one games, so we had to make a few tweaks to our usual Elo formula. (Skip to the bottom for all the details.) The short version, though, is that all drivers are assigned Elo ratings going into each qualifying session and race, which represent their form — along with that of their engine manufacturer, mechanics, pit crew and so forth — at that particular moment. The average is around 1500, with the best racers soaring into the 2000s. After each event, the driver’s rating will change based on the result: In general, finishing high helps you gain Elo points, while finishing low costs you Elo points. (Duh.) If a driver doesn’t finish a race, Elo acts as though that driver never entered the race. That avoids the question of fault for a crash or a mechanical failure, though it may reward drivers who take more risks to finish higher. It may also reward drivers who qualify well but do poorly on Sundays. But the best racers will consistently outduel the highest-rated of their peers.

Most racers, of course, aren’t in that category. But a few drivers In F1’s history have managed to dominate for long stretches of time; sometimes they even came along at the right time to have an epic rivalry with another all-time great. You can see these legendary racers highlighted in the chart above, which you can also search and click to isolate other individual drivers’ ratings over time.

So … who’s the best ever?

To judge the best-ever racers according to Elo, we wanted to strike a balance between career performance and peak form. So we made a compromise: We averaged a driver’s Elo across the five best consecutive seasons of his or her career, provided the driver participated in a minimum percentage of that season’s races.1 According to the resulting metric, no driver in history was more dominant than the late Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna:

F1′s top racers (according to Elo)

Top Formula 1 drivers since 1950, by the highest average Elo rating over a racer’s best five-year span

Driver Best five years Avg. Elo Rating 1 Ayrton Senna 1988-92 2178 2 Michael Schumacher 2000-04 2106 3 Lewis Hamilton 2014-18 2060 4 Sebastian Vettel 2009-13 2056 5 Juan Manuel Fangio 1953-57 2053 6 Alain Prost 1987-91 2048 7 Mika Hakkinen 1997-01 2047 8 Niki Lauda 1974-78 2025 9 Damon Hill 1993-97 2000 10 David Coulthard 1998-02 1983 11 Nico Rosberg 2012-16 1981 12 Jim Clark 1963-67 1978 13 Nelson Piquet 1983-87 1946 14 Riccardo Patrese 1989-93 1936 15 Rubens Barrichello 2000-04 1935 16 Gerhard Berger 1990-94 1914 17 James Hunt 1974-78 1905 18 Mark Webber 2009-13 1899 19 Alberto Ascari 1950-54 1890 20 Jackie Stewart 1969-73 1877 21 Graham Hill 1961-65 1875 22 Fernando Alonso 2010-14 1870 23 Mario Andretti 1975-79 1865 24 Jean Alesi 1992-96 1864 25 Stirling Moss 1957-61 1863 26 Juan Pablo Montoya 2001-05 1860 27 Jacques Villeneuve 1996-00 1856 28 Carlos Reutemann 1977-81 1850 29 John Surtees 1963-67 1846 30 Nigel Mansell 1983-87 1846

* Includes the 2018 season, which is currently in progress.

To be eligible, drivers prior to 1970 needed to take part in 25 percent of the season’s races and qualifying sessions. Drivers since then needed to participate in 60 percent of the year’s races and qualifying sessions.

This should come as no surprise to racing fans — Senna is regarded by many other champions as F1’s greatest driver. Nor is it a shock to see Michael Schumacher, the seven-time World Champion, coming in at No. 2. But what’s striking is that Nos. 3 and 4 in the ranking above are current rivals: Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. How lucky are modern F1 fans, that we get to see two names on the all-time short list of greatest drivers going head-to-head every few weeks?

Here are some of the racers and rivalries that defined entire eras of F1 history, according to our Elo rankings:

Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio (No. 5 in our all-time list) was F1’s first superstar, winning five of the first eight World Championships ever awarded, in 1951 and 1954-57. It would be 45 years before Michael Schumacher equaled (and then surpassed) Fangio’s title count. But Fangio did have a fierce contemporary challenger, in the form of Ferrari’s Alberto Ascari (No. 19). Ascari was the only racer to beat Fangio for the championship between 1951 and 1957 — even granting that Fangio sat out 1952. Ascari would die in a training accident in 1955, though, robbing Fangio of his greatest on-track rival. “I have lost my greatest opponent,” Fangio said. “Ascari was a driver of supreme skill and I felt my title (in 1955) lost some of its value because he was not there to fight me for it.”

Over the four-season stretch from 1962 to 1965, British rivals Jim Clark (No. 12) and Graham Hill (No. 21) represented the emergence of Britain as a force in the Formula One landscape, with Hill at British Racing Motors and Clark at the Lotus team founded by legendary designer Colin Chapman. During that time, the duo combined to claim 32 of F1’s 39 available pole positions — including every single pole of the 1965 season — and won 29 of 39 total races. They’d have been a perfect 4-for-4 on championships in that span, too, if not for bad luck in the last race of the 1964 season: Mechanical problems struck both Clark and Hill during the race, allowing John Surtees to claim the title by a single point over Hill. (Naturally, Clark and Hill bounced back to finish 1-2 in the standings the following year.)

Friends away from the track, Niki Lauda (No. 8) and James Hunt (No. 17) had a fierce rivalry behind the wheel that peaked during the 1976 season. Lauda went into the year as F1’s top-rated driver by Elo before suffering a fiery crash at the German Grand Prix that nearly took his life. Six weeks after being given last rites, Lauda somehow bounced back to finish fourth at the Italian Grand Prix. But in the end, Hunt ended up eking out the 1976 title by a single point over his Austrian rival. Hunt was quick again the following season, but he was unable to keep his car on the track; he took six poles to Lauda’s two but retired from eight of 17 races, six of which were due to mechanical failure. Lauda took advantage, claiming his second title in three years.

France’s Alain Prost (No. 6) won a grand total of four championships in his career, tied for the third most ever. But from 1988 to 1991, he would claim only a single title, thanks largely to the otherworldly skills of Ayrton Senna (No. 1), his one-time McLaren teammate. Senna won more than 40 percent of the races he entered during that span, peaking with one of the highest Elo ratings ever in 1989. Even Prost’s lone title in those seasons — in 1989 — was more about Senna’s bad luck than Prost outracing him; although Prost beat his teammate only once all year in races they both finished, Senna suffered six retirements2 to Prost’s three. Senna was so dominant that Prost ended up leaving McLaren for Ferrari in 1990; the rivalry would continue off and on for the next few seasons until Prost retired after his 1993 championship. Senna died the next year in a crash in San Marino. Prost was a once-in-a-generation driving talent, but he had the misfortune to race against Senna, a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.

While most of the rivalries on this list were fueled by emotion, this one was all about the driving. Michael Schumacher (No. 2) had captured back-to-back F1 crowns with Benetton in 1994 and 1995 but had experienced uneven results after leaving for Ferrari, including a disqualification for dangerous driving in 1997. Driving for McLaren, Mika Hakkinen (No. 7) captured back-to-back championships in 1998 (with Schumacher finishing second) and ’99. Then in 2000, Schumacher finally outdueled his Finnish rival with four straight wins to close the season. It was his third career title and the first in the set of five in a row Schumacher would win until he was unseated by up-and-coming phenom Fernando Alonso in 2005. Schumacher finished his career with the most total championships of any driver ever, and he would call Hakkinen his “best opponent.”

From 2008 to 2017, Lewis Hamilton (No. 3) and Sebastian Vettel (No. 4) won the F1 title every season except for two (2009 and 2016) — and one of them was runner-up in each of those years. And yet, we’re somehow only reaching the peak of this rivalry right now, since the dominant periods for Vettel’s former team, Red Bull (2010-13), and Hamilton’s Mercedes squad (2014-16) didn’t quite overlap. Starting last season, though, we’re finally getting some direct competition between these two four-time champions, and it’s given us moments like this deliberate collision at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. According to Elo, Vettel has one of the best peak ratings of any driver ever, and Hamilton isn’t far behind, so if these two continue on their current trend, there’s plenty of room for the legend of this rivalry to grow.

Methodology

Unlike most other sports where FiveThirtyEight uses Elo, Formula One is not a head-to-head sport; multiple drivers take to the circuit at the same time or in the same session, and the result is a combination of both car and driver. In order to make this work, we’ve made some assumptions about how to view the results:

Driver and car are considered to be inseparable from Elo’s point of view. So when we say that Nigel Mansell’s peak Elo in 1992 was 2428, we really mean, “Nigel Mansell, driving the Williams-Renault FW14B, had a peak Elo of 2428.”

Each session or race is treated as if it were a round-robin 1-on-1 tournament. A driver who finishes second out of 15 cars is viewed as having gone 13-1 in this tournament, losing to the first place finisher and defeating the rest.

Elo includes each race that awards Formula One championship points3 and the primary qualifying session for that race.

If a driver fails to finish a race — whether because of mechanical failure or a crash — we treat that driver as if he or she didn’t compete in the race. This may reward drivers who are overly brave (or stupid) by not punishing them, or cars that were quick yet unreliable, but it avoids having to assign blame in controversial incidents or, even worse, clear cases where a crash was not a driver’s fault.

Like several other FiveThirtyEight Elo systems, the average driver has an Elo score around 1500, while new drivers start with 1300 points. The “K-factors” in this version of Elo — which are multipliers that determine the sensitivity and fluctuation of a driver’s rating — are more extreme in the beginning of a driver’s career. Drivers start with a K-factor of 24 for approximately the first year, then reduce as they gain experience. Qualifying results are predictive of race results, which makes sense considering that qualifying results both set the starting grid for the following race and allow for drivers to demonstrate their raw speed and talent on a level field. The minimum K-factor for qualifying sessions is 16, while the minimum K-factor for races is 12. Drivers always gain Elo points after “defeating” another driver and lose ground after “losing” to them.

The overall system is zero-sum, in that the total number of points remains constant before and after a session or race, but given that each session or race can include drivers with a range of K-factors, there can be asymmetric point gains and losses. We adjust for this by normalizing participants’ scores after each session. Without this normalization, it is possible in the short term both for Elo deflation to occur — a new driver does poorly and gives away more points than the opponents claim — and Elo inflation to occur — a new driver does well and gains more points than opponents lose. Given the rapid driver churn in Formula One — especially during the early years of the sport — these effects would be more noticeable than in other sports and would quickly lead to skewed rating scales across the seven decades of championships.

To build the Formula One Elo, we used the historical race results compiled at github.com/emkael/elof1. These were pulled from various sources: Data for the 1950 and 1951 seasons came from Wikipedia, for 1952 and 1953 from second-a-lap.blogspot.com, and for subsequent seasons from ergast.com/mrd. Data for qualifying races was also pulled from chicanef1.com.

Additional contributions by Gus Wezerek.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/formula-one-racing/

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elgomoviereviews · 6 years

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The Top 10 movies of 2017

The Oscars are approaching and marking with them the end of the 2017 cinematic year. The least thing to say about 2017 is that it was one of the most un-special years for cinema, full of mediocre movies and forgettable efforts. I found it a little hard to pick 15 movies that I’d put in a top movies of the year list like I do every year, so I went with only 10 movies this time around. Here are my top 10 movies of 2017:

10- Lady Bird:

While nothing feels particularly special about Lady Bird on a first viewing, it certainly gives a pleasant effect that lasts for a while after you finish watching it. The movie takes us through Lady Bird (our protagonist’s self chosen name)’s last year of high school and the pressures of having to take big decisions for adolescents in this day and age. And while it feels like you’ve seen this kind of story a million times before, something about Lady Bird feels more authentic than any other coming of age story. Whether it’s the extremely well written dialogue or the subtle performances (especially by the 3-time Oscar nominated 23 years old phenomenon that is Saoirse Ronan) or the easiness the movie flows with that comes as a sign of a masterful director, it all results in an original entry that gives a breath of fresh air to an overly saturated, overly explored genre.

9- Okja:

The Netflix produced movie, released directly to the Internet. The movie follows the journey of Mija, a young South Korean girl who is willing to do anything to prevent an American company from kidnapping her special friend; a “super-pig” called Okja. While it looks and feels like the normal sad girl gets separated from pet movie in its first act, Okja turns out to be a movie that takes leaps and turns with every other scene. With such high level of unpredictability, I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, anticipating the other ways this screenplay would surprise, eagerly. Being written and directed by Joon-ho Bong (the visionary behind one of the most powerful post-apocalyptic thrillers, Snowpiercer), I wasn’t surprised to witness Okja gradually unwind to show how multilayered and deep it is, yet still be one of the most entertaining movies of the year. Only Bong can squeeze subjects as universally relevant as the evils of capitalism, animal cruelty and the misguidance of media in a coming of age tale of a girl refusing to give up to life’s burdens. The movie also never feels too dramatic or too sentimental for its subject matter, all thanks to the balance the director keeps between drama, adventure and comedy. Okja features many remarkable performances. From Tilda Swinton’s intricate portrayal of two very distinct twins, to Jake Gyllenhaal’s comical take on reality TV stars, to memorable cameos from Steven Yeun, Paul Dano, Giancarlo Esposito and Lilly Collins, all supporting cast paves the way Seo-Hyun Ahn to shine and have all the confidence she needed to play such a strong character. You might not have heard of Okja before, simply because it’s not a part of a well-known franchise or because it didn’t get the wide release other movies get, but it certainly is one of the most important movies on this list, simply because it showed us that internet-released movies can be of high cinematic caliber too.

8- Loveless:

Loveless is writer/director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s follow up to his 2014 masterpiece Leviathan, and it is as bleak and as shocking to say the least. Instead of a strong subject matter as of Leviathan’s flashy plot though, Zvyaginstev chooses to tell us a very conventional, simple story this time around; an eleven-year-old boy (Alyosha) disappears after witnessing a terrible fight between his divorced parents. And just like every other missing person movie, questions quickly begin to rise in your head, did Alyosha run away from him or did he get kidnapped? Is anyone else involved in this sudden disappearance? Are they ever gonna find him? But the most important question of all is, would he really wanna come back to live through the ramifications of such a failed marriage? What starts as a community search hunt for a missing boy, turns into a holistic study on modern relationships, the selfishness of the human race, and how we currently define success in life. Loveless is a perfect example of how universal art could get no matter what language it’s made in.

7- The Square:

The Square is probably one of the most unconventional movies of the year, and may be even of all time. It doesn’t follow any kind of specific narrative, it doesn’t have distinctive first and second and third acts, it is not about a major incident nor does it involve a character that goes through a major change or learns something new about himself or the society. In fact The Square never even sticks to one message or one way of telling its story, it keeps shuffling between what it wants to be at the moment, symbolizing how unpredictable, messy and sometimes, shocking, our day to day life could be. One could describe The Square as a satire on how someone’s normal life could turn upside down after taking a few very small terrible decisions, but by the end of it you’ll realize that this was a satire on life itself. How Christian (played by the highly charismatic Claes Bang) perceives himself and how his behavior around others usually contradicts those perceptions creates an irony that reminds us with how separated and segregated we all are from eachother. The Square is director Ruben Ostlund’s second movie to be nominated for best foreign language film after his 2014 masterpiece Force Majeure, another movie that tackles the idea of how small missteps could lead to life changing effects. Unlike Force Majeure though, The Square reaches new heights of ambition and doesn’t shy from criticizing almost all aspects of the average person’s life.

6- The Florid Project:

The Florida Project gives us a documentary like look on the daily lives of three children who live in the projects of Florida from the children’s perspective. Just a few buildings away from Disney Land, they live in the colorful motels that don’t feel or look so colorful on the inside. As I witnessed the lives of these kids unfold in front of my eyes, I couldn’t help but recall my own feelings as a child, how a child’s look on what’s important in life is totally different from what an adult could think and feel. This kind of instant connection to the children comes as a result of a brilliant director who understands the importance of right casting, of understanding the subject matter he’s dealing with and knows how get the best out of his actors. The movie features one of the most heartfelt performances in years from Brooklynn Prince (the 7-years old first time actress) in the role of Mooney, the leader of our group of kids. One can’t help but fall in love with Mooney from the moment we see her on screen, and the director understands that so much that he sometimes allows the camera to follow her around, giving her the freedom to improvise and be herself, which allows the audience to experience life literally through the innocence of a young girl’s eyes in one of the most memorable scenes of the year. The only A-list actor in The Florida Project’s cast is Willem Dafoe (who gives one of the best performances of his career and the movie’s sole Oscar nomination), along with a bunch of first time actors who are so good, they make you wonder whether if they are real actors or just normal people who get to be followed by a camera and have their lives watched by an audience.

5-Mother! :

Mother! is one of the most polarizing movies of the year. It’s a movie that’s been called one of the best movies of all time and one of the most tasteless at the same time. But whether you love Mother! or hate it, there is one thing that is certain about this movie, and that is you’ve never seen anything like it before. I wouldn’t say that I loved every choice that Darren Aronofsky (Pi, The Fountain, Black Swan, The Wrestler, Noah) chose to go with in Mother!. For example, the movie starts with what seems like a normal suburban wife and her artist husband, who can’t find inspiration in his boring life, but it’s very clear since the beginning that this isn’t just it, that this plot and those characters are symbolic of much broader ideas. But instead of leaving it for each viewer’s interpretation of such symbolism, Aronofsky decides to lay all symbolism aside and turn it to a very straightforward narrative, making it too easy and sometimes even forced on the audience to digest. On the other hand, Mother! features a third act that will remain engraved in my memory like no other in movie history. With using only close-ups through out the entire movie and setting a claustrophobic mood through lighting, Aronofsky keeps building up tension all through the first two acts duration, until it reaches the third act just to explode and multiply that tension till it reaches the roof. The last 20 minutes of Mother! are gut-wrenching to the least. One can’t even start thinking about how much effort went into the preparation of what you witness on screen, from the huge number of extras (that each needed different motives, costumes, motion around the camera and meanings to the movie), to the flawless camera movement that captured all that’s happening around it while keeping fluid enough to remain the tension and give sense of time passing, to the top notch sound mixing that was necessary in such a loud and full of action segment of the movie, it all goes down to a mastermind behind all that, by the name of Darren Aronofsky, who could pull one of the greatest directorial achievements of the year.

4- Blade Runner 2049:

When it was announced that director Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners, Enemy) will helm the new installment of the Blade Runner franchise, I wondered why would such a talented director, who’d recently been nominated for a well deserved Oscar nomination last year, risk putting his name on a movie that could never surpass the critical success or the cultural status and reputation of its predecessor. But after watching the movie I didn’t only get why he would choose that, in fact I understood why he probably is the only well-known Hollywood director who could give us such a masterpiece right now. Villeneuve’s own passion for the project is clear through out each and every choice he went with in 2049 and that ultimately made it succeed on all fronts. Blade Runner 2049 works both a sequel as much as it works as a movie on its own. A sequel that kept the bleak spirit, the slow tone, the extremely detailed technologies and the essence of the premise of the original Blade Runner, and still built on it to give us a deeper exploration of the human condition in a bigger world than that of the original, a wider scope of events, a more touching plot and consequently a taut and heartfelt psychological sci-fi thriller that is really needed between what’s being offered nowadays. The mesmerizing cinematography by Roger Deakins created a feast for the eye with a unique visual philosophy that made it stick in my memory for weeks after watching the movie. Only great movies get to have such a lasting effect after just one viewing.

3- Get Out:

I’ve never been a fan of Jordan Peele. His humor is mostly safe and naïve. When I heard about his directorial debut, Get Out, I thought it’s gonna be a light comedy that offers nothing different from his usual efforts. Instead, the result is one of the most important horror movies in years. Peele (who also wrote this movie) , was aiming at writing his first horror, about a man waking up to find himself held captive in a house. But halfway through his writing process, he decided to turn his script into a discussion about modern day racism, the horrors of being a minority in America and the establishment of white supremacy in all aspects of their lives. The movie is a testament that even the smallest of ideas could turn into masterpieces when given to the right hands. With a micro budget of an independent film (4.5 million usd), and a cast of small-parts actors, the fact that Jordan Peele succeeded in making a movie that stayed the first on the box for three consecutive weeks (to end up with 255 million usd) and get nominated for 4 Oscars (including one for best picture of the year and a couple of nominations for himself for both writing and direction) was beyond the imagination of the biggest optimist. All this praise comes at no surprise after watching the movie though, it’s one of the fun experiences I’ve had in a movie theater in years, a movie that kept me invested in its world, as captivated as the protagonist, on the edge of my seat from beginning to end, all thanks to the massive talent of first time writer/director Jordan Peele.

2- Dunkirk:

Have you ever seen a PG-13 war movie that didn’t show a drop of blood? Have you ever seen a World War II movie without a scene inside the office of army generals while putting their tactical plan? Have you ever seen a war movie that doesn’t show you one soldier of the enemy’s army? Leave it to the one and only Christopher Nolan to break all walls and ceilings of a genre and turn it into exactly what he wants it to be. Only Nolan could direct a movie about the defeat and an evacuation of an army that everyone knows how it ends, and still make a gripping thriller out of it. You are taken through the journey of three different individuals, telling the story of the evacuation of Dunkirk through their eyes from the sea perspective, the land perspective and the sky perspective in a mere 106 minutes. In its core, it’s about scared kids who want to reach home and how home reached for them instead. There is no time in Nolan’s Dunkirk for forced patriotism or overly dramatized deaths. There is no time to even care about a certain character or cheer for a specific person to survive, you find yourself cheering for survival itself instead, desperate to find a way out of the trap you’re thrown in from the first minute of the movie. Whether it’s a pilot trying to break the glass of his drowning plane or stuck soldiers, gasping for air in a sinking ship, you feel as immersed in each situation as them, only thinking about a way out too. Hans Zimmer’s groundbreaking score (who created a sound illusion that aids in creating tension throughout the movie and built his whole score around it), Hoyte Van Hoytema’s magnificent cinematography (that captured the harshness of sea and air conditions like no other before, creating a horrifying, nearly monochromatic world), one of the best sound editing/mixing jobs in the history of filmmaking, and the masterful editing by Lee Smith, all helped Nolan in delivering Dunkirk in the mind-bending, intricately intersecting way that made it stand out between all war movies (if not all movies in general) of all time.

1-Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri:

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri might have the most interesting title for a wide release movie in years, but it also has one of the most uninteresting premises on paper. When I first watched the movie’s trailer in the summer, I thought that this might be another boring movie that I’ll have to sit through just for the sake of awards season, where it will be nominated for a couple of awards just for one of its star cast performances and that’s it. I mean, sure, the movie’s writer/director is Martin McDonagh, who once made a really good movie (In Bruges), but he followed that but a very messy and forgettable movie (Seven Psychopaths). The movie’s cheesy plotline (A woman puts up three advertisements on three billboards outside a small town, cursing the police chief for not finding the killer and rapist of her daughter) doesn’t help an audience in knowing what could follow that. Normally, this should be a character study about a strong woman who decided to stand against the police, only to lose the fight to no avail. We’ve seen such type of movie a million times before. Turns out what follows is one of the most exciting, fast paced and unpredictable movies of the decade. The brilliance of the screenplay lies in creating multiple unique characters and making them feel as realistic as possible. Nearly all characters have as many terrible traits as they have good ones. You wouldn’t find any good reason to root for any side of the chess game that starts in Ebbing between Mildred and the police station other than for the trauma that affected them but not for them personally. You will just enjoy watching this purely original story taking turn after turn, surprising and sometimes shocking you with each one of them. The movie features a plethora of incredible performances. Spearheaded by Frances McDormand, who gives a career best performance, even surpassing her iconic performance in Fargo, in one of the most demanding and complex female characters that come to mind in years, to cement her status as one of the best actresses alive right now in Hollywood, no wonder that Martin McDonagh had her in mind while writing the character in the first place. Woody Harrelson gives one of the most powerful roles of his career, if not his most powerful. We are used to Harrelson playing the funniest or the craziest character in a movie, but who’d thought he could outdo himself while giving such an emotional and heartfelt performance. Sam Rockwell is the one who steals the show though, who feels like he was born to play Dixon, the repellent, alienating, racist cop who somehow still feels believable as a “good man on the inside” as one of the characters describes him. Three Billboards may be introduces broad ideas, asks deep questions and puts you through a social dilemma, but what makes it different is that Martin McDonagh never forgets that his primary target is that to simply entertain his audience, to give them a great story and the best performances his actors could deliver. And for succeeding on all those fronts, it sure deserves to be called the best movie of 2017.

Honorable mentions:

-Baby Driver

-Wind River

-War for the Planet of the Apes

-The Insult

-Phantom Thread

-The Shape of Water

-Mudbound

#dunkirk #three billboards movie #get out #blade runner 2049 #mother!#the florida project #okja movie #lady bird #oscars #top 10 movies 2017 #elgomoviereviews

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this-is-freeridge · 5 years

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The Air Between Us

Chapter Four: After an uncomfortable encounter, Mari and Spooky become friends.

Warning: this fic deals with dark themes, including but not limited to teen pregnancy, rape, drug abuse, murder, abortion, underage drinking and underage sex.

Find all chapters here

I got a bit carried away with this chapter, oops.

Mari glanced around, but she didn’t see him. There were a few other guys there, most were smoking, a couple were lifting weights and there was one boy, around Ruby and Jamal’s age, sitting on the same sofa that Mari had been high and lazing over just a few hours earlier.

It felt like a lifetime ago now - meeting Spooky and spending time with him. She could chalk it up to a saviour complex, but she felt something for the man. Friendship, attraction, a crush, she wasn’t sure yet. All she knew right now was that he was nice to her and she felt comfortable around him amongst a life that was so unknown.

He was attractive, there was no denying that, and a little older and he definitely had an alpha male aura about him. What nearly-eighteen year old wouldn’t like a guy like that? Mari knew it was more than that though. She may have been young but she was forced to grow up at a young age. She knew herself, and she was quick to understand other people - there was more to Spooky than he was allowing her to see; that just made her want to see it even more.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, he appeared from inside the house with two beers in hand. He passed one over to the boy on the couch (Cesar, Mari assumed) and took a seat before either of them noticed Ruby, Jamal and Mari.

Spooky saw them first. His eyes met Mari’s but he didn’t say anything, only took a swig of the beer and nudged Cesar with his elbow. Mari didn’t say anything either. Though she felt comfortable with Spooky, she wasn’t comfortable with all these prying eyes.

“Cesar,” Ruby said, “you busy?”

The boy on the sofa, Cesar, looked happy to see Ruby and Jamal, almost relieved, but in less than a second as an arrogant smirk took over his face. Cesar leaned back into the cushions casually, looked Mari up and down, and asked, “who’s the hyna?”

“She’s my sister,” Ruby said with a wave of his hand, as though it were old news, “Jamal’s coming over; mom’s cooking dinner. You in?”

“How about,” Cesar replied with a smug look on his face, “you leave her here and I’ll eat her out for dinner,”

Mari froze as the Santos erupted in laughter - including Spooky.

Staring down at her feet, face beginning to burn red, she had never wanted to suddenly disappear so desperately. Mari felt stupid - to have a reaction this strongly to some words, but she didn’t want those words; she didn’t want that attention from anyone, especially a young boy and his cholo friends. She was embarrassed; objectified and singled-out with no way of escape. They may have just been a few words, but words fuelled actions. What if they were to act, against her will, on the desires they expressed? What could she do to stop them?

Buried beneath the fear and embarrassment, anger started to bubble to the surface at the sound of Spooky’s laughter. Being the only sound she was familiar with, his deep laughter seemed infinitely louder than the rest. He had gone so far out of his way just earlier today to stop those other guys from cat-calling her, but when it was one of his own making those comments it was fine? She thought they were beginning to be friends, and though she couldn’t expect him to speak up against his own, he could’ve at least pretended he didn’t find it that funny.

What Mari didn’t know, was that he didn’t find it funny at all. In fact, hearing his own little brother make those comments about her had made him feel uncomfortable, even a little annoyed. He didn’t know why, and he didn’t want to think too hard on it, so he laughed along. Still, he noticed her reaction. He had seen the shade of red that coloured her face and the way her shoulders tensed. It had made him feel a little sad, the kind of sadness that washed over him and settled in his stomach, leaving an unexplainable discomfort within him.

He had known her longer than anyone else here; more intimately, in some ways, too. He had found her when she was alone, showed her where she was trying to go, spent time with her when Ruby’s family had initially rejected her, got her high for the first time and cared for her afterwards. She was nice, and she was naive, so Oscar didn’t like that Cesar had made those comments about someone so lost and innocent…right?

Oscar tore his eyes from where Mariana stood, still frozen in place. He mentally willed Ruby or Jamal to take notice, but they were too consumed by their own reactions to their friend talking like that in the first place. He wanted to get her out of there. If they were anywhere else - or anyone else - he would’ve been the one to do it.

“Ew, Cesar, that’s my sister!” Ruby exclaimed, scrunching his face in disgust at his friend’s language. Sure, they had all talked about girls and sex before, but they were never so crude - especially not in regard to those close to them. Ruby may not have known her yet, but Mari was family.

“She’s not my sister,” Cesar replied, resulting in more laughter.

“Man, you’re lucky Monse isn’t here to hear you talking like this,” Ruby said with a shake of his head, “you know how she gets about objectification,”

“And when is Monse getting back?” Spooky asked. His mind was begging him to get her out of here, and Mari’s eyes were begging to leave - so he would give her a reason, “I’ve been thinking ‘bout that hyna. Wouldn’t mind getting at her when she comes home, bet she’s looking good now,”

“I’d think twice about hittin’ that, bro,” Cesar said, “unless you want my sloppy seconds,”

You could basically hear the sound of Ruby and Jamal’s jaws hitting the floor.

“Shit,” Spooky grinned and took a long drag of his cigarette, “you saying you hit that?”

“Oh yeah,” Cesar said, “we smashed, real hard,”

Anger took over Ruby, possessing him in a way that Mari didn’t think was possible. Judging by the look of shock and fear on Jamal’s face, he didn’t think it was possible either. He marched up to Cesar and got right in his face. Jamal made a small squeaking noise and motioned forward as though he wanted to pull Ruby back but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“You take that back!” Ruby growled. Cesar just shook his head. “I swear to god you take that back or...”

“Or what?” Cesar challenged, leaning forward with his forearms on his knees, “go on; you’ll what?”

The moment Ruby clenched his fist and went to pull his arm back, Jamal sprung into action. He raced forward and grabbed Ruby by the back of his shirt, pulling him away. The Santos laughed, Cesar included. The look of anger on Ruby’s face had slightly lessened, morphing into one of sadness and disappointment. This guy before him wasn’t his best friend.

As Jamal pulled Ruby toward the street the Santos moved in closer, forcing the three of them closer to the street. Oscar started barking, making Mari flinch and jump back, and soon all the Santos were barking and enclosing the group of friends. It was an intimidation tactic; a warning that meant they weren’t likely to cause any physical harm to the group today, but it did it’s job well. Ruby, Jamal and Mari were definitely intimidated and they couldn’t seem to leave fast enough as they fled down the street back toward the Martinez house.

“He’s dead to us,” Ruby said, and while he was speaking to Jamal, the glance he shot Mari told her the statement was meant for her, too.

Mari wished they had never come - Ruby and Jamal had lost one of their oldest and closest friends all while defending another, and the only person she thought might be her friend had just purposely made her feel unwelcome in the first place she had felt comfortable. She didn’t understand his game, but she decided she didn’t want any part of it.

Mari didn’t see Spooky for the rest of the week. Not until now, that is.

She was going for a walk around the block - she needed to clear her head. Ruby was out, Mario and Ruben were barely home and she couldn’t stand the ice she got whenever she entered a room Geny was in. Things at the house were simultaneously hectic and lonely, too loud but too quiet. So she tried to spend a bit of time each day just walking, familiarising herself with the block. She never strayed too far, going just a street or two further each time.

That’s what she was doing when a shiny red low rider pulled up beside her, driving slow to keep up with her pace. She stole a glance and the moment she saw that Santos cross and teardrop tattoo, she sped up. She didn’t have the energy for him or his mood swings today - not to mention Ruby had made it clear that Cesar, and all other Santos by association, were dead to them. Mari had no intentions of giving Ruby any reasons to distrust her.

The car sped up to match her stride once more. Spooky stuck his head out the window to speak to her, a dangerous manoeuvre that had her concerned for his safety where he certainly wasn’t.

“Where you going, hyna?” He asked.

She ignored him and kept walking. She had come to hate that word. It’s not one that she had ever put much thought into previously, but after her first day here, both with the Prophet$ and then Spooky and the Santos looking at her like she was just something to fuck, she had grown to despise it. She had seen other Santos around the neighbourhood throughout the week, and even some other, non-gang related strangers had called out to her as though hyna was her name, and she was sick of it. Starting today, she was going to acknowledge her self-worth, and screw anyone who didn’t know what that worth was.

“Come on,” Spooky tried again at her silence, “get in,”

She shot him a frown, definitely not the look he was hoping for, as she continued to disregard his orders. Suddenly, the car sped up before her and swerved hard, stopping across the middle of the street ahead of her and blocking the pathway.

“Get in,” he said again. His voice was deep with frustration and she knew there was no ignoring him this time.

She didn’t know where they were going, but honestly, she was too scared to ask. His mood swings were giving her whiplash; one second calm but teasing happy with a cheeky smirk, the next second he was angry and intimidating, sometimes literally looming over her.

He pulled a long, thin cigar from behind his ear and held it out to her in an effort to warm the ice between them.

“Want some?” He asked. Mari shook her head. Spooky sighed in frustration, stopping at a red light and lightning the cigar for himself. “Still not talking?”

“I just don’t have anything to say to you,” she said with a shrug.

The light turned green, but the car didn’t move as Spooky stared Mari down.

“Yo, what’s your problem, hyna?”

“That is!” She snapped, shooting him an angry glare. A smile played at Spooky’s lips; she may have been shouting but at least he got a reaction. “I don’t get you. When we met, you were stopping those guys from catcalling me but you suddenly don’t care when it’s your Santos. You’re so hot and cold, I don’t know what to expect and I hate it,”

“It’s just a few comments, man. Cesar didn’t mean nothin’ by it. He’s a good kid,” he said. “So are the rest of the hermanos,”

He took a puff of his cigar and turned away from her as he spoke next. If Mari didn’t know any better she’d say he was acting almost shy.

“We’re having a party at my place tomorrow,” he said, “you should come, make some friends your own age, y’know,”

Mari snorted a laugh.

“Spooky I may be mature but I’m pretty sure Ruby is closer to my age than you are,” she replied. “I can’t, anyway. I’m making dinner for the family tomorrow night,”

He turned back to face her then, brow furrowed. He wasn’t angry this time though, just contemplative. Mari wondered if he just had resting grump face.

“Come over during the day then. I’ll help you out with a recipe,”

“No, thanks,” she said, shifting in her seat and tugging at the seatbelt as it suddenly felt too tight.

“Now it seems like you just don’t wanna come around, huh? You didn’t seem to have a problem with my place last week,” he argued, “or me?”

Mari sighed. “That’s because the cholos weren’t there then. You’re...different when we’re alone,”

Spooky growled and raised his hand, bringing his palm down hard against the steering wheel. Mari flinched back. She had a feeling he wasn’t going to hurt her, but she couldn’t help the way her body tensed at the loud bang and violent act.

“I didn’t choose this!” He yelled, and somehow that helped ease her fears. He was raising his voice, yes, but he wasn’t angry at her. In fact, he seemed to be opening up. “I’m their leader,” he continued, quieter, calmer, “I may keep them in line but they’re still cholos. When they fuck up, I clean up the mess and fuck them up. They’re my responsibility but I can’t lead if they don’t respect me, and they won’t respect me unless they see me as one of them. So, when they laugh, I laugh,”

She looked at him and it was like she was looking at a new person. She got it. She didn’t agree but she understood that he had to do what he had to do for his family.

“They’re just thinking with their dicks,” he added, “I thought a hyna like you would be used to it,”

She was, but that didn’t mean she liked it. Spooky noticed the way she squirmed, and the tint of red adorning her cheeks.

“What?” He asked with a raised brow. His grin broadened as he teased, “are you a virgin?”

Her blush deepened and she considered getting out of the car while they were still stationary. She didn’t owe him an answer. She didn’t owe him anything!

As though he sensed her thoughts, the car started rolling again.

Stuck, she replied, “yes! Okay? Not that it’s any of your business. And I’m sick of being called hyna! I’m not just a piece of meat,”

Spooky nodded.

“I’m sorry,” he said as they turned into Mari’s street, “I shouldn’t have let Cesar talk like that about you, you’re my friend,”

She smiled at Spooky. Friends. She liked the sound of that.

They pulled up outside of the Martinez home but Mari didn’t get out just yet. Spooky ordered her to hand over her phone and she did so. She unlocked it and watched as Spooky struggled to work it through all its freezing and crashing.

He gave a lighthearted laugh, a sound Mari realised she loved, and handed the phone back.

“You need a new one of those,” he joked, “I didn’t like not hearing from you. I got worried, y’know. Text me,”

“I will,” she said with a smile, and she meant it. They really were friends, now she could only hope he wouldn’t revert to an asshole the next time they weren’t alone. She thanked Spooky for the ride and got out of the car.

“Stay safe, mamita,” he said, ducking his head to look at her from the passenger side window.

She rolled her eyes but smiled at the sentiment nonetheless. “How can I not be when I have you to drive me around, even though I was like, a street away from home,”

Spooky smiled, “it was the only way to get you alone,”

Before Mari could respond, he was gone. That didn’t stop the warmth that started in her stomach and spread throughout her whole body at his words. She smiled like she was possessed, a giddy feeling settling deep within her.

Excitedly, she opened up her phone and scrolled through her contact list in search of the extra name. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the latest contact: Oscar.

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flauntpage · 7 years

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Dumb and Dumber

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OK I want to be clear from the beginning here that I am not going to piss all over a thrilling Eagles win. Even if the win would be turned on by such a thing, I’m just not going to do it. But I may be a little rough with it and slap it around for a few minutes.

Doug Pederson is, by my estimation, an idiot.

Ben McAdoo, an overgrown blueberry who tries his best to look like a casino pit boss on the lam from a violent gambling syndicate he uncovered, may be even dumber.

4th and 8

In case you are living in a cave or, like our coach, lack the ability to process basic information about the time-score continuum, here’s a brief synopsis: The Eagles were up 7-0 with 2:36 remaining in the second quarter and the ball on the Giants’ 43 yard line. Rather than punt and pin an offense that had, up to that point, been struggling to move the ball deep in their own territory (which the Eagles almost did earlier in the game if not for confusion at the 1 yard line), Pederson elected to go for it. Carson Wentz was sacked. The Giants took over at midfield, quickly drove to the goal line, and then ejaculated away points because McAdoo elected to throw from the shotgun on third and 1 with the ball on the goal line, the NFL’s catch rules are stupid, and the Eagles’ defense came up huge. But make no mistake, Doug Pederson sent the Giants a gift horse worth at least three points, and Ben McAdoo, fearful that his newly-acquired equine was a plant meant to disrupt the integrity of the race he was sworn to protect, immediately looked it in the mouth, kicked it in the balls, and sent it back neighing and screaming to Pederson, who, not knowing how to react, shot it in the hooves.

Here’s how Pederson described his thinking to reporters after the game and to Angelo Cataldi on 94 WIP this morning.

Presser:

“It was something that I discussed with the guy that’s helping me upstairs with some of the analytics and where we were on the field, what we were doing offensively at the time,” Pederson said. “The defense was playing extremely well. Had an opportunity to keep ourselves on the field at that time, so I elected to go for it at that point. Obviously, we didn’t get it and the defense held. … I stand by my decision.”

WIP:

“Again, I’m getting a lot of information. My decision making is based on the information that is given to me in real time at the game,” Pederson told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Monday during his weekly 8:00 a.m. call in. “Even if you completed a pass, and say you ended up short, you’re still in a positive situation.”

Miraculously, New York did not score after a 2nd-and-goal catch came inches short and a 3rd-and-goal touchdown catch was ruled incomplete solely because of the NFL’s curious catch ruling.

“Each one is different,” Pederson said. “I elected to go for it yesterday, this week coming up could be different. I also factored in how well our defense was playing. In fact, if you remember, the Giants go down on that drive and we stop them right before halftime — 4th-and-goal — at basically the half inch line.”

Cataldi then bluntly told Pederson, Philadelphia would like you to not go for it in those types of situations anymore.

“You know what, I would probably have to agree with you, yes,” Pederson admitted.

GTFO.

Tacking on to recent REVELATIONS that the Eagles allow math to dictate their fourth down decisions, Pederson spoke of analytics much the same way a crazy person speaks about the voice in their head– like, it may have been telling them to do something ridiculous, but that doesn’t make it right and it certainly doesn’t excuse it. For all we know, Doug thinks Analytics are a dietary supplement they give the players. Never mind the fact that Pederson is a solid 10 on the Ruben Amaro Thinks Analytics Is The Box Score scale. I have about as much confidence in Doug interpreting complex data as I do in a monkey fucking a stick of butter. Even if they position it right, they’re just gonna make a mess before it squirts out of their grasp.

But hey, let’s dig into Pederson’s so-called “math.”

Here’s what the New York Times’ 4th down bot says about 4th and 8 on the opponent’s 43*, disregarding time and score:

*This is from the 2014 version, which is the most recent chart I can find. I have seen a scale that dictates you do go for it in this situation. It’s possible more recent versions of their chart show different recommendations.

Translation: No don’t go for it.

This is where the conversation should end. But the whole point, and brilliance, of analytics is what you do with the data you’re given. Anyone can rely on a chart to make their decisions for them. The best coaches use the data to make informed decisions. Certainly this one fell right on the line. Even had the chart recommended the Eagles go for it (it didn’t), it would not have known that they were up 7-0 nearing halftime against a team that had struggled to move the ball. Pinning the Giants deep in their own end with so little time left and two timeouts would have made a scoring drive unlikely.

It’s also worth noting that studies show teams convert 4th and 8 outside of the 20 only about 40% of the time.

This is why it’s so concerning to have Doug Pederson as the head coach– he simply has not shown the intellect to interpret the data he’s given. This wasn’t a hard decision, and he got it wrong.

Blueberry Pit Boss

Incredibly, Pederson was saved from himself by McAdoo, who inexplicably threw the ball on 3rd and 1 at the goal line and then didn’t take the easy points on fourth down. Here was an opposing coach who gifted him free points at the end of the half and he didn’t take them. And he again neglected points, down 14-0 at the end of the third quarter, when he elected to go for it on 4th and 2 from the Eagles’ 13-yard line. Had he just done the sane thing and taken the points in either of those scenarios, the Giants probably would’ve won the game seeing as though they sufficiently wore down the Eagles’ secondary by the fourth quarter.

Dumb Begets Dumb

Remarkably, McAdoo is sentient. He actually learned his failed tactics from Pederson himself, who did the EXACT SAME THING in New York last year!

The Eagles lost 28-23 to the Giants on November 6 after Pederson twice went for it – and failed – on fourth and short in Giants territory. Had he just taken the points on the road, my basic math skills tells me the Eagles would’ve won the game. I wrote a whole post about it at the time.

So it’s truly incredible that the overgrown fruit berry in sunglasses did the same thing on the road against the Eagles this year. McAdoo and Pederson stare at each other from across the field and think they’re looking directly into a mirror. Imagine the two of them trying to solve a palindrome– they’d just keep spelling the same word over and over again.

Gifts

The Eagles should’ve lost.

Set aside, for a moment, the fact that the paranoid pit boss left six points on the board– the Eagles were still the beneficiary of multiple gifts.

They blew a 14-0 lead. Jalen Mills and Rasul Douglas, who up until that point had played well against Odell Beckham, Jr. and Brandon Marshall, got torched in the fourth quarter. Once the Giants went up 21-14, it looked like this was gonna turn out to be an awful loss for the Eagles, but credit to Carson Wentz and the offense overall for gutting out the win.

It wasn’t without its gifts.

Not only did McAdoo make two bad calls right before halftime, but the Eagles were helped out by a bad NFL catch rule that negated an excellent throw to Sterling Shepard in the end zone.

The Eagles were the beneficiary of two pass interference calls against Eli Apple. Both came on balls that were likely not catchable, one of which was a somewhat dangerous heave to the goal line. Both extended drives and led to Eagles touchdowns, one of which came on the ensuing play and tied the game at 21.

The Giants missed out on a first down on what was shaping up to be a 12 men on the field call against the Eagles on third and 2 in the fourth quarter. Rather, John Jerry was whistled for a weird delay of game call when he barely grabbed Elijah Qualls as he tried to run off the field to avoid said penalty. The Giants didn’t get the first down and kicked a field goal to go up 24-21. If you’re keeping score at home, it’s possible they left another four points on the board here, bringing the total up to 10.

So, to recap, the Eagles needed the Giants to leave six points on the board for them, a touchdown reversal, two pass interference calls against Eli Apple, a strange delay of game penalty and a 61-yard field goal to win a game at home in which they were five-point favorites and led 14-0 in the fourth quarter. Math tells me the odds of that happening again are low.

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