#it's still january in like three time zones?? staying winning i guess
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Dabi x Reader x Hawks
It was always the three of us-NSFW
summary: DabiHawks is already established and the two of them are dating. You've been their best friend for years and them getting together feels like two heartbreaks at once. But- Take a guess man I dunno...I'm under the impression tht they like you too🤷♀️
❗️warnings❗️: slight angst (only the begging, your heart will be fine I promise), eating out, threesome, double penetration, creampie, praise...sex?
word count: 3k
Edited 13. January 2021
You're sick of it.
There's always a bittersweet taste on your tongue when the three of you hang out now.
Nothing really changed if you were trying to look at it objectively.
They still talked to you like before.
Invited you over, chilled with you, fuck even watched movies and cuddled with you.
Yet there was a string being pulled at your heart every time they kissed in front of you, held hands, whispered to each other...
You were watching a stupid comedy, your eyes blankly looking at the screen while you tried not to focus on the way their fingers tangled together, drawing small circles over each other's knuckles as they laughed at the screen.
Their hands were on the pillow that was placed in your lap, your small form in between them.
You try to focus back on the movie, ignoring the sound of cloud nine laughter that filled your ears.
You missed half of the scenes already, you can't make yourself watch it at this point, so you zone out again, falling down the rabbit hole you always find yourself in.
"Songbird, everything alright?" Keigo's worried voice snaps your attention back to reality, his brows furrowed as he stares at your glistening eyes. You don't know how much time passed but you didn't know you were so close to crying until his voice snapped you out of it.
Dabi's hands find purchase of your cheek, turning your face to him so that he could see what made Hawks turn off the TV.
You're met with blue eyes, a look of utter concern causing your skin to crawl, making it hard to fight the urge to punch something, anything.
"Talk to us doll, you know we're here" your heart shatters in pieces, hot tears piling up until they began to freely fall down your face, your fists clutching the pillow, your knuckles turning white.
They've seen you cry many times before, both of their arms flying around you to hold you tight, but your arms pushed and nagged at theirs, your small body shaking and kicking them away.
The fucking nicknames, the closeness of their bodies made you feel like you were suffocating, finally being able the breathe once they let go and you ended up on your feet.
You took a large gulp of air. You've practiced this. Replayed the sentence over and over until you learned how to say it even through tears. At this point, you couldn't keep stitching your heart up every time you spent time with then.
"I can't hang out with you guys anymore" it felt like a weight being lifted off your shoulders until you looked back at them. You're gonna do this and then cry when you get back home. You got this.
"What the fuck? Why?" Dabi was the first one to speak, standing up and coming closer to you until you stepped away.
He grits his teeth and stays in place, Keigo's fingers pulling the hem of his sleeves to let you have your space.
"I...I think we at least deserve an explanation...yeah?" Keigo's broken voice surged through the room, Dabi's hand reaching out to his in an act of comfort.
Your eyes burned through their hands but you nodded nonetheless.
"After I say this I don't want to hear a word from any of you. Not a single one of pity or comfort or any of that." they hesitantly agreed, Hawks pulling Dabi back on the couch.
You began nervous laughing ,fighting the new wave of tears as you opened your mouth to speak.
"So. Haha...fuck...I'm in love with you guys. Fucking hilarious right" your forced laughter burned their ears, making them cringe.
"It was a really great time for a long while wasn't it?" you joked, clapping your hands together and squinting your eyes. You have no idea who you'll be without them, but you'll have to find out.
Two pairs of arms tackled you, almost making you fall to the floor, your feet losing balance as they held you up. You want to fight, yet you know you can't win, so your body settles for shutting down, you're ears buzzing and doing their best to cancel out any words they're about to let out.
"You're the dumbest bitch I know" Dabi mumbled into your hair, pulling you into his chest as Keigo's hands stayed on your hips. "You're such an idiot" Dabi lets out again, soothingly petting your back in an effort to calm you down.
You were a mess, mumbling confused nonsense, almost offended until Hawks reached for your chin, turning your head to him and smashing his lips against yours.
"It was always the three of us wasn't it doll?" Dabi questioned, pushing Keigo's face away and kissing you deeply.
Hawks tried to act annoyed for a second, fluffing his feathers and puffing up his cheeks before a smile fought onto his lips.
Your brain was running laps against your skull, everything feeling dizzy as you gripped at the hem of their shirts.
Dabi finally pulled away, his mouth hanging open as he caught his breath.
You thought about this possibility every passing second of your days, a small part of you hoping for something you deemed irrational. Yet it made sense, their hot breaths against your neck and airy laughs against your skin sending goosebumps all over to your tippy toes.
"Be ours, songbird" you only managed to nod, hiding your face in your hands as now happy tears welled up.
Two hot mouths kissed your knuckles, moving your fingers aways and pecking both of your cheeks and eyelids. You open your eyes, blinking the tears away.
A pair of red wings wrapped around all three of you, squeezing and flapping excitedly. They talked about this, dreamed about this, hell they won't go to the extent that they fantasized about you, and they are so mad that you had to go through this before they gathered the balls to do something about it.
You watched the two kiss sweetly, squishing you between them. A quiet moan leaves your lips when you see Dabi reaching a hand around Keigo's neck, his large palm plastered over his throat, his fingertips lightly pressing down when Hawks tried to pull away.
Your body shivered, your arms lending up to tug at the hero's hair, feasting on the small pants that left his lips when you latched onto his neck. He doesn't know whose lips he would rather chase as both of you move away.
Dabi fights against the wings, glaring at Keigo to let both of you go.
When he reluctantly complies, Dabi is quick to pick you up and drape you over his shoulder, smacking your ass and chuckling when he hears your scream. It certainly lightens the mood.
Hawks follows behind the two of you, skipping steps and closing the door behind Dabi when he enters the bedroom. He's like an overgrown puppy, excitedly waiting for a treat.
Your back hits the cushion, the villain's shirt being stripped off him by Keigo's rushing hands.
You're already rubbing your thighs together, mouth-watering as you catch a glimpse of his abs.
You don't have that much time to enjoy the view, since his hands are on you in seconds, gripping at the hem of your sweater. You sit up, raising your arms to help him out, your shirt following suit and flying to the floor carelessly. The blonde kneels on the bed, joining Dabi.
Heated hands cup your breasts kneading at the flesh while his mouth latches onto your nipple.
Hawks scoffs at his greedy boyfriend, lowering himself to your neck, mouthing at the skin as your body jolts after a particularly rough bite to your flesh. Keigo is definitely the gentle one, kissing your skin and humming softly while he takes his sweet time with you.
"He's going too fast isn't he little birdie?"
You're not sure if you can answer it...it's too much of both fast and slow, your nerves getting the best of you as he waits for your response .
Hawks gets it, he does...but he still wants to give an option of slowing down, tangling his fingers in his boyfriends hair and pulling him away only slightly.
Dabi's pierced tongue lolls out, giving a teasing flick at your hardening nub, followed by more as he swirls it around, grinning and looking up at you. The contrast of the hot tip of his tongue and the metal sending your brain into an overdrive.
He's still held back by Keigo, but he doesn't fight the pull, instead he finds himself unbearably hard from being bossed around like this.
You pull him back by the nape of his neck, Hawks' grip loosening so that you can stuff his mouth full of your plump flesh.
That is enough of an answer to him.
Keigo's fingers trail your stomach, ghosting over your belly before going to the buttons of your pants. He waits for a few moments, leaning his forehead against yours, pecking your lips before moving in between your legs.
Once you lightly nod, he unbuttons them with ease, moving down to pull them off your legs.
You look down at Dabi, eyeing the numerous hickeys on your tits. He looks up, darting his tongue out and licking over the bruised marks, smirking when you swallow over the lump in your throat. Your skin there is now mostly purple and red, some patches even grazed with small specks of blood threatening to seep out.
You hear a ruffle of feathers, a blush plastered across Keigo's cheeks as he inches his hand closer to your panties. He can see how wet you are, the material sopping up your arousal. His touch is gentle but heavenly good, his fingers gliding between your clothed folds.
Keigo's free hand grips the bulge in his pants, trying to ease some of the pressure by pressing on it.
Dabi moves to sit behind you, spreading his legs for your tiny form and pulling you against his chest. He had his fill for now and he wants to watch the show. He knows Hawks looks pretty with his mouth full.
He lifts you up so that the hero can slip the panties off, sitting you back down and spreading your legs once the layer isn't in the way anymore.
Cold air hits your exposed heat, your pussy clenching around nothing. You would be ashamed if you didn't hear the low growl coming from Hawks as he settled his face between your thighs. You smell fucking delicious, blood rushing to his ears as he takes a look at your sex.
His wings tighten against his back before spreading out when he takes the first lick. You lean all of your weight onto Dabi when Keigo's hands dig into the back of your thighs, opening them out as he starts lapping at your cunny.
Dabi's breath hits your ear, a shudder rumbling through his chest when your pliant body humps against the blonde's tongue. His large hands snake up to play with your breasts, kneading the tortured nub between his fingers as he ghosts over the marks he left on you.
Turning your head to him, you pull him in a kiss, moaning when Keigo circles two digits over your sex.
You impatiently wiggle your hips to push them in, combing your fingers into his hair to will him on.
Dabi's arm is now securely wrapped around your belly, holding you tight while he explores your mouth, his piercing clicking against your teeth.
You taste like everything he needs and more, his bulge throbbing in his sweats and against your body, impatient to finally have you.
"Hawks." his voice is stern but begging, urging his boyfriend to stretch you out already.
You're already so wet, and the two digits slip in and out with ease, your juices gushing in Keigo's palm all while his tongue doesn't stop swirling at your clit.
Dabi impatiently slips his cock out of his sweats, raising you up to push against Kei's fingers.
Hawks scolds him, but pulls out nonetheless, guiding Dabi's length over your slit, silking him up in his own spit. You mewl when he prodes at your entrance, biting your lip as you wait for the stretch.
It burns, but you feel so heavenly full, His large cock pushing to the hilt in one slow thrust, His tip fitting snuggly against your cervix.
Dabi's breathing is ragged and heavy on your shoulder, his eyes shut tight as he savors the warmth of your cunt.
"Fuck Keigo, you have no idea what you're missing out on."
You look down at the blonde, his tongue darting out to lick along Dabi's base, going between his cock and your pussy, mouthing at where the two of you connect.
Hawks is somewhat keeping his cool but his cock humps against the bed, his whole body swaying as if he's dragging his dick along your skin.
Dabi slowly ruts into you, deep and torturous. Your eyes widen when you feel a finger try to push in, the villains' movement coming to a stop as he tries to comfort you. Tears start pricking in your eyes, your legs trying desperately to close as you urge them to stay open. You want it, you truly fucking do, but when you feel another try to slip past your tight walls you're not sure if you're gonna stay conscious. There's already no place left just from Dabi alone and shit, you feel like screaming.
"Please baby, I promise it'll feel better soon, can you be a good girl for us hmmm?I believe in you..." Keigo's voice rings in your ears, your half-lidded eyes looking at your stretched pussy, watching the fingers pump knuckles deep in and and out, dragging between Dabi's cock and your walls.
You're so fucking wet and covered in slick, your folds glossy in your essence, pooling around Dabi's shaft.
A warm hand rests on your belly, easing your muscles, and relaxing you. There's a third finger pushing against the first two, the stretch surprisingly not as painful as the previous.
Keigo leans over you, kissing away the tears that ran down your cheeks, massaging the ravenette's arousal with the pads of his fingers.
"We're so so proud of you dove...Thank you so much" your chest swells with pride, a wide smile adorning your face. You do feel like you're being tricked with these comments but it doesn't matter, they seem to work.
The blonde pulls the other man in a kiss, slipping his fingers out of your core as he aligns his head with your cunt.
Both of them move to each side of your face, placing their lips at the corners of your mouth. You gulp, filling your lungs and holding your breath.
Your hands fist Keigo's shirt, pulling and almost ripping the poor thing apart when he prods the tight rim. Fuck it's so hard to breathe, air practically knocked out of you, your shaky hands wrapping around Hawks.
Inch by inch, he bottoms out, groaning at the tightness around his dick.
Minutes pass by, your boyfriends lavishing and worshiping your skin with kisses and gentle touches, loving every part of you they could reach.
The hero's wings wrap protectively around both of you when he starts moving, his head pressed against your shoulder.
Dabi seems to pick up the pace too, thrusting in as soon as Keigo almost pulls out. The rhythm isn't rushed at first, both of them moaning with each throb of your walls around their lengths.
They're taking their sweet time, angling their hips experimentally, noting the way your body shakes at each perfect plow into your cunt.
It's too good and too much, the knot in your tummy already threatening to snap loose. And the boys are on the verge of their highs too, gradually becoming more and more greedy, not pulling out almost at all, pounding and rutting against your cervix.
Dabi's grip on you tightens, trying to keep your body in place as he and Hawks rock into your pussy. Keigo moves from the crook of your neck, raising his hand to get a hold of the villain's jaw, smashing their lips together .
You're squished in between them as they moan into each other's mouth groaning when they feel you squeezing around them.
They're gonna cream you so good, pump their seed into your hole and make you so so full...you'll never settle for anything less after them and they fucking know it.
Your eyes swell with tears as you feel the knot finally snapping loose, you don't want it to end, you don't want them to ever move away from you but your body works against you, bringing you to the most powerful orgasm you ever felt, surging through your muscles and making them flex and clench.
Both of them look at eachother, eyes wide and blown with lust as they cum at the same time, hot seed coating your walls and leaking down Dabi's shaft.
They're panting, their foreheads touching as they caress your body all over.
"I love you..." Hawks says breathlessly, his eyes closed and his wings folding against his back, giving you all room to move and breathe.
He slips out, causing the rest of their cum to seep out. Dabi scoffs at the mess smeared over his length and thighs, slowly handling your body and moving you off his lap.
Dabi picks you up and Hawks chuckles. "You like carrying them huh?"
It earns him a glare, placing you in the heroes arms and making his way to the bathroom.
"I.Have.My.Own.Cum...Dripping down my ass" he hisses out making Keigo wheeze, almost tumbling over and dropping you.
You can't help but smile, nuzzling your head into your winged boyfriend's shoulder.
Everything clicked in place finally, your eyes closing in comfort as you let them take care of everything...take care of you.
𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁
been a hot minute since I wrote something a bit longer but here we r.
Please leave a comment and reblog cause I'm a whore for feedback, tnx💕
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Archive: How unflappable rookie Raikkonen took F1 by stormBy:
Jonathan Noble
Sep 26, 2021, 12:25 PM
Kimi Raikkonen is officially on his Formula 1 farewell tour, having announced his retirement at the end of this season. It will bring down the curtain on F1's longest career, currently standing at 341 race starts, a feat few could have imagined when he sat down with Autosport to discuss his rookie season for the 16 August 2001 magazine
Early January. The sun has already set at Ferrari’s test track. Darkness is descending very quickly, but Kimi Raikkonen still wants to get his first taste of the 2001 Sauber. The team put in enough fuel for 10 laps, although with visibility disappearing rapidly there is no way he will be able to complete them all.
The Petronas-badged Ferrari engine is fired up, and the young Finn exits the pits, disappearing into the darkness for his first experience with the new car. The wail of the screaming V10 is heard coming under the bridge near the pits as Raikkonen flies past, flat-out, before again disappearing into the darkness of the first corner. He cannot be seen until the braking zone, when the flames from the exhaust briefly light up the darkness.
After a handful of laps, he is within tenths of the time set by Nick Heidfeld earlier in the day, then he radios to the pits to say he cannot see enough to continue driving. There is incredulity at his performance.
The ease with which he is so instantly on the limit leaves smiles across the faces of all the Sauber people present. But the finishing touch to Raikkonen’s night run only became evident when he returned to the pits. He had been so fearless, so quick and so committed wearing a dark-tinted visor on his helmet.
The manner of that first test has continued throughout his debut season, when solid performances have singled him out as a huge future star. When it first became apparent that he was being courted by the Sauber boss late last year, he was not even expected to get a superlicence. Now Raikkonen has become the man of the moment.
At almost every track this year, but especially the ones at which teams do not test, he is invariably among the top five during the first few laps on Friday. That shows a man able to get himself and his car on the limit very quickly – something that Michael Schumacher does with aplomb. Yes, Juan Pablo Montoya has grabbed more headlines, but the young, slim, blond Finn has got more tongues wagging.
Raikkonen immediately got on with the business of impressing in his rookie year
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Despite the plaudits, Raikkonen remains something of an enigma. If people thought they had a difficult time enticing words out of Mika Hakkinen during his early F1 career, then they have yet to meet the new boy at Sauber. He is renowned for his one-word answers, his lack of charisma in press conferences and his reluctance to mix it with the other drivers.
But he does not care. As far as he is concerned, he was put on earth to drive racing cars very quickly. When asked what he thinks about life in the paddock, meeting fans, signing autographs and speaking to all the F1 journalists, his answer is swift and to the point.
“It is a bit boring,” he says. “I don’t like the paddock. I just want to get on with my work.”
"Sometimes I think things have happened too quickly, but at the end of the day I was in the right place at the right time with the right people behind me" Kimi Raikkonen
Raikkonen really does like nothing more than being in the car. He is the ultimate efficient racing driver – all speed, no talk. He is as happy testing as he is getting results, and he has been completely unfazed by all the attention around him. He has been mentioned no end of times as the eventual successor to Michael Schumacher at Ferrari, but he has let none of the comments go to his head.
PLUS: Why the time is right for Raikkonen to hang up his F1 helmet
He even admits that he does sit back sometimes and feel amazed at how he has gone from Formula Renault front-runner to one of F1’s biggest stars in just 12 months.
“Sometimes I think things have happened too quickly, but at the end of the day I was in the right place at the right time with the right people behind me,” he says. “I would never have thought last year that I would be in F1 now.”
Despite Raikkonen’s cool exterior, things have not been so easy for him this year. He may not want to explain how tough the adaption to F1 has been, but he does not pretend that his achievements have been a walk in the park.
“It has been hard, especially because I didn’t really have any expectations this year,” he says. “There is not really one thing that has surprised me, because everything has been hard. There is not one things I have learned specifically, because I’ve had to learn everything. But it is quite a bit like I expected.
“For sure, for the first three or four races it was difficult in qualifying, and I didn’t really get the best out of the car. That was really the most difficult thing. But the season has been better than I was hoping for. I think the team has been surprised. It’s good.”
Circumstances have certainly helped Raikkonen in his jump to F1 with Sauber. Not only has the team enjoyed something of a renaissance this year, but the family atmosphere and the lack of driver politics have made it much easier for him to make his mark.
His set-up is similar to that of his team-mate, Heidfeld. The telemetry traces show Raikkonen sometimes has an advantage in the quick corners, but that Heidfeld is more consistent in the slow stuff.
“It has helped being here with Nick, because it is better than having to do it all by myself,” he admits. “it has been easier being here, with a family team, than go to a bigger team. Here the people are nicer, and that helps.”
But the real test for Raikkonen will come next year. Jacques Villeneuve said recently that it was very easy for a new driver to maintain performance in the first year of F1, when all the newness gives a racer lots of energy and carries them through. The problem comes in the second year, when it is much harder to improve - but expectations are so much higher. Ask Raikkonen if he is worried about the Jenson Button syndrome and he is at his most candid.
“No, not really. I think for him [Jenson] it is more difficult because he was with one the top teams, and now he is not. It is more difficult because if the car is not right then you need to do more with the car.
“I am not worried about it. For sure I have enough energy to keep pushing, and next year I’ll be stronger because I’ll have some experience. I know from this year what I need to do, and it will be easier because I will know what is happening.”
Raikkonen was heavily linked with a move to Ferrari, although it seemed he would have to bide his time a while longer at Sauber
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Speculation links Raikkonen with Ferrari in the long term – although it is almost certain he will stay at Sauber until the end of 2003, when his current contract ends. But ask Raikkonen about Ferrari and he claims there is no attraction other than the fact that it is the most competitive team at the moment. He does not care where he gets to drive in the future, as long as it is with a winning team.
“It is nice to hear Ferrari stories, but I don’t really follow that,” he says. “I would be happy in one of the top teams, and I don’t really mind which it is. I guess it doesn’t matter if it is McLaren, Williams or Ferrari. It is where you have the best chance to win.
Rinland remembers vividly the Finn’s first test in the Sauber at Mugello in Italy last September. His lap times were not that spectacular, but it was clear from the way he got down to work with the car that he was something special
“You never know if Ferrari are going to go down the order, or who is going to come up and who will win. Maybe it just won’t be those three teams in the future, because we have seen how Williams have moved down and then come back up again.”
Raikkonen’s long-term future is open, and the fight for his services when his Sauber contract ends will be fascinating. Anyone who has seen him drive at close quarters knows all about his abilities.
Top 10: Kimi Raikkonen’s greatest F1 races ranked
Sauber’s former chief designer, Sergio Rinland, left the team at the start of the year, and he does not mind admitting that his biggest loss in the move is not being able to work with young Raikkonen.
Rinland remembers vividly the Finn’s first test in the Sauber at Mugello in Italy last September. His lap times were not that spectacular, but it was clear from the way he got down to work with the car that he was something special.
“It was just amazing,” remembers Rinland. “You could see it in his eyes that he was the man. He probably didn’t do a very quick lap time, but in sectors of the track you could see the difference between a good driver and someone who was trying very hard. The telemetry showed that in some sectors he was right on it.”
Willingness to push from the off impressed engineer Rinland
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Rinland remembers going out to the back of the Mugello circuit during the test to stand on the banking and observe Raikkonen in action. Michael Schumacher joined him and was instantly impressed by the style and speed of the young Finn.
Schumacher rarely compliments other drivers, but there was no doubting his feelings then. The world champion said: “I observed him, and I evaluated his lap times, and I could see he could be a champion.”
Is this young talents Ferrari’s next champion? Maybe. Is he a future champion? Almost certainly.
Raikkonen got his chance in a top car sooner than expected, when he replaced Hakkinen at McLaren for 2002
Photo by: Motorsport Images
What happened next?
Just one month later, Raikkonen's future was decided - and in that moment, he couldn't have been further away from Ferrari.
With double world champion Hakkinen losing motivation and on course to retire - his so-called 'sabbatical' would become a permanent one, barring a comeback test at Barcelona in 2007 - McLaren was in the market for a replacement.
Heidfeld, who had won the International F3000 title as a McLaren-supported driver in 1999, was widely expected to be the man who took the seat, while McLaren tester Alex Wurz was also in the frame.
PLUS: How Raikkonen's rapid rise stalled his team-mate's F1 career climb
But the man McLaren boss Ron Dennis wanted was Raikkonen. Dennis negotiated the Finn's exit from his deal at Hinwil - the severance package allowing the team to build a state-of-the-art windtunnel - and he duly lined up alongside David Coulthard for the 2002 season, coming close to a maiden win at Magny-Cours until slipping wide on oil to allow Schumacher through.
The breakthrough win duly came at Malaysia the following year as Raikkonen almost won the 2003 title with a year-old car, but his two-point deficit to Schumacher would be the closest he'd get to title success at McLaren. The team produced F1's fastest car in 2005, but poor reliability handed the title to the more consistent Fernando Alonso.
And so it was to Ferrari that Raikkonen eventually headed for 2007, fulfilling the prophesy in 2001 that he would take up Schumacher's mantle. The seven-time world champion was effectively forced aside to make space for the Finn, who won the title at the first time of asking in one of F1's most legendary comebacks against the McLarens of Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
Archive: The ups and downs of Raikkonen's 2007 F1 title triumph
Forced out after two disappointing seasons in 2008 and 2009 to make room for Alonso, Raikkonen took a two-year sabbatical in the World Rally Championship before making a winning return with Lotus in 2012. That parlayed into a remarkable Ferrari return for 2014.
Only one more win would come, in the 2018 US GP, before he was replaced for 2019 by Charles Leclerc to see out the remainder of his career in the midfield - back where it all began at the Alfa Romeo-branded Sauber team.
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RED ICE - Ch 7
Characters: Connor x Reader, Hank, Miller, Collins
Warnings: Swearing, physical altercation
Words: 4,684
RED ICE Masterlist
“The girl that attacked Reed… She’s here in this hospital.”
Connor nodded. “I know. I’m going to interrogate her once she awakens.”
Hank shook his head with a sigh. “‘Fraid that’s not gonna happen.”
“Why not?” the android asked, LED spinning yellow.
Hank hesitated. “Because she’s dead.”
Chapter Seven - What Does Jealousy Taste Like?
Wednesday January 20, 2039 // 10:35pm
“This is stupid,” you muttered, a heavy snow falling steadily from the dark night sky as you pulled into the parking lot of Chris’ favorite bar. Officer Miller’s birthday was in a few days and he wanted to celebrate by having his friends gather at his favorite watering hole. You were considered a friend, as was Hank, and even Connor got an invite, so the three of you piled into your Jeep and made your way over. Gavin bitched and complained after you’d told him about it, saying he wanted to come, but the doctors insisted he stay in the hospital at least one more night, just to make sure his condition remained stable. It had only been earlier that day that you’d visited him after he’d awakened and got the news that his assailant had been murdered in her hospital bed.
“This will be good for you,” Connor said as he unbuckled and ducked out of your car.
You didn’t move, pouting, as he came around the nose and opened your door. “I should be at home, cleaning up my apartment. We barely made a dent earlier; the place is still a wreck,” you whined.
“Bummer,” Connor said as he leaned over you and unbuckled your seatbelt. “Come on, the others are already inside.” He took you by the arm and hauled you from your car.
“I hate bars,” you mumbled as Hank took his place beside you and the two men drug you through the snow into the building.
Connor noticed the remains of a “No Androids Allowed” sign still clinging to the door. “This’ll be fun,” he said, not entirely convinced. If this used to be an android-free zone, it’s returning customers likely wouldn’t take too kindly to Connor being there. He assured himself it would be fine, however. A bar full of his fellow police officers and anti-android drunks? What could possibly go wrong?
Hank pushed through the door first, followed by you, with Connor close on your heels. The smell of alcohol hit the RK800 like a punch to the gut as the door closed behind him. The main area of the bar was one huge square with booths lining the outer walls and the bar itself a hollow square in the middle. There was a door adjacent the main entrance, all the way across the room, that said “Employees Only” and an archway to the right leading into what Connor could only guess was a games room, judging by the pool table and dart board that he could see.
Raucous laughter erupted from the latter room and the android identified a few voices that he recognized, Officer Miller among them. Hank lead you and Connor through the archway to be hit with excited, drunken cheers and welcomes. Collins wrapped you in a hug and Morgan clapped Connor on the shoulder. The android found himself smiling despite himself.
“You said the party started at ten!” you exclaimed, grinning at your colleagues. “It’s only half-past and you lot are already smashed!”
“It’s a celebration!” Stewart slurred, throwing one arm around your shoulders, the other clinging desperately to a half-empty bottle of Coors.
“How many of those have you had?” you asked with a smirk as you eyed the officer’s beverage of choice.
His arm slid from around your shoulders and he shrugged, stumbling back into one of the others, who caught him with a laugh. “I dunno, like two or three?”
“Lightweight,” you muttered as you ducked past friends and acquaintances to find Chris.
Connor followed, not wanting you to get too far from him.
“Happy birthday!” You exclaimed as you came up behind the officer and wrapped your arms around his chest in a tight hug.
“Hey!” he laughed and turned around to hug you properly. Connor felt something odd inside of him at that exchange, but he brushed it off. If it happened again, he would run a diagnostic.
“Not drinking tonight?” you asked your pal as the crack of billiards balls resounded throughout the room.
Chris chuckled and shook his head. “Nah. I’m the designated driver for a few of these hooligans,” he said, gesturing to the group gathered.
You raised a brow. “Hooligans? Really putting on the cop act there, aren’t we?” you smirked.
Chris just shrugged and then punched your arm softly. “Thanks for coming,” he said. “I wasn’t sure you would with all that’s been going on, but I’m really glad you’re here.”
You rolled your eyes playfully. “Yeah, yeah.”
“I’m serious!” Chris nudged you. “Seriously. Try and have a good time.”
You offered a genuine smile and a nod. “I will.”
Chris inclined his head toward Connor with a grin and the android raised his hand in a wave, returning the smile.
You took the few steps back to your friend and took his hand in yours. “Where’s Hank gone?” you asked, looking around the games room.
Connor gestured out the archway with his head. “The bar,” he replied.
You raised your brows. “Obviously.”
Connor allowed you to lead him through the room, Hank’s side your destination, but was stopped when one of the others called his name. You both turned to see Collins holding a pool cue.
“Hey, Connor! How about a game? I bet these guys a hundred big ones that I can beat you at pool,” the officer said.
Connor smiled over at you before returning his gaze to the white-haired man grinning at him. He shrugged and shook his head. “I’m not sure it’d be a very fair game,” he said.
“Aw, C’mon. Get your plastic ass over here and play some pool with me!”
You were struggling hard not to smile, lips pulled into a tight line as you watched your half-drunk colleague make his way toward you. He handed Connor a pool cue and the android took it reluctantly. He looked once more to you, but you just shrugged, allowing a smirk to pull the corner of your mouth up.
“What do I get when I win?” Connor asked slyly, backed by cheers and jeers from his fellow officers.
“You’re not gonna win. I’m the master of pool, kid. You’ll see.”
“All right, all right. You’re on.”
Connor took a step away from you, but you pulled him back, pecking him softly on the lips. “Don’t let him win,” you whispered before stepping away with a wink to go find Hank.
An hour passed before Connor was finally able to get Collins to give up. The android bested him dozens of times, but the officer was stubborn; he didn’t want to quit until he got a win. That didn’t happen, obviously. Connor was having too much fun, not only winning, but also doing seemingly impossible trick shots while he was at it, much to the delight of the drunken crowd surrounding him. After an hour, however, he thought it best to get back to your side.
Miller took his cue from him as he made his way through the throng of officers and ducked out the archway, back into the main body of the bar. The number of people present tonight surprised Connor; almost every booth was full and there were only two barstools empty, one on either side of you. Hank wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
Connor made his way toward you, subconsciously scanning faces as he went. There were a lot of people with various criminal records present and Connor’s brow furrowed in frustration at the thought of Hank leaving you alone surrounded by so many potentially-dangerous people. As he slid onto the barstool to your left, he also realized that he was the only android in the bar.
“Where’s Hank?” he asked as you took a sip of your beer. You gestured with your head to a door in the far left corner of the bar, one the android hadn’t seen upon his arrival.
“Bathroom,” you replied. “Have fun dragging Collins through the mud?” you asked with a smirk.
Connor smiled and nodded. “I think our audience enjoyed the many ‘trick shots’,” he admitted, putting emphasis on the phrase you’d taught him.
You chuckled into your bottle. “I should have stayed in and watched, but I didn’t want Hank to be out here alone.”
“I understand,” the android replied lightly.
There was silence between the two of you for a moment as you worked on your drink and Connor simply observed his surroundings.
You were the one to turn to Connor and break the silence, asking if he knew how to dance. The android shook his head. “I can learn if you’d like.”
You mimicked his gesture and shook your own head. “No, I wanna teach you. But we can do that later. Hey, Jo?” you turned toward the bar and the blonde young lady behind it raised an eyebrow at you. “Can you put something-” you smirked, turning toward Connor as you slid from your stool. “-fun on.”
Jo grinned as she set down the glass she was towel drying, and a few taps of a holographic screen later had Britney Spears’ “Toxic” blaring through the bar’s speakers.
Connor wasn’t entirely sure what was going through your head until you started to move. If that was dancing, he sure as hell wanted you to dance for him more often. You rolled your hips, spun, kicked a leg high in the air. You were moving so quickly that he was sure any human would have a hard time following along. Connor, however, was analyzing you very closely as you danced for him, unaware of the huge grin plastered on his face or the strange sensation in between his legs. He was, however, very aware of the eyes on you, watching your dirty dance.
When the chorus hit, you pulled him from the chair to his feet and spun around to grind your backside against his clothed semi, sliding down his body and then rising to stand once more. You nestled your head in the crook of his neck as he gripped your hips and kissed you hungrily. You smiled into the kiss and pulled away from him, pushing him back down onto the barstool. You were teasing him, you little minx. Having sex with you had crossed his mind, but it wasn’t something that he’d given much thought to. Now, however, as you danced your dance for him, he eyed you hungrily, and the only thought in his head was how you two could escape this party so he could have his way with you. You threw a leg over his and crawled into his lap to straddle him - the last move of the dance before the song ended. With a wicked grin, you kissed him, breaking away far too quickly to take in deep breaths. A thin sheen of sweat coated your skin and you chuckled as he gripped your hips once more.
“You’re treading on thin ice,” the android warned.
You gazed darkly at him through heavily-lidded eyes. “Oh, I can feel that”, you said, shifting your hips to grind against his erection, eliciting a low groan from the RK800.
“To be honest,” you continued. “I wasn’t even sure you were equipped. Leave it to Kamski to give all of his androids genitals, regardless of occupation.”
Connor grinned. “Yes, Mr. Kamski likes to ensure that all of his androids are as anatomically correct as possible.” You tilted your head and Connor bucked his hips up, ever so slightly. “Would you like to see just how correct?” he growled into your ear.
You chuckled and shook your head. “You have no idea,” you said, smiling up at him, the darkness fading from your eyes. “But that’s a very intimate practice that I’d rather do in the comfort of my home, if you don’t mind.” You kissed him softly on the lips once more and his fingers trailed up your stomach, under the fabric of your shirt.
“Your burn is healing nicely,” he said through kisses, eyes closed.
You simply hummed into his mouth.
“All right, I’m gonna have to stop you there,” Jo said and Connor broke away from the kiss to see the blonde haired bartender smiling softly at the two of you.
“Apologies,” Connor said, bowing his head. He turned to you again. “Perhaps I should go and make sure Hank is all right,” he offered, breaking the silence and looking to you for permission. “He’s been in the restroom an awfully long time.”
You nodded. “I made sure he didn’t drink too much, but I don’t think he’s feeling well.”
You slid from Connor’s lap, purposefully rubbing against him one last time before the android stood and made for the restroom. He collided with Hank as he pulled the door open, silently thanking his creator that he has the ability to divert thirium flow - aka, no more erection.
“Jesus, kid, what are you doin’?” the Lieutenant asked, stepping past the android to return to his place at the bar.
Connor followed. “I was coming to make sure you were okay. (Y/N) said you weren’t feeling well.”
The older man chuckled. “It was just a little stomach ache. Nothing a trip to the bathroom couldn’t fix. I’m alright.”
The pair were halfway back to the bar when Connor saw someone sitting next to you, where he had been previously. Your body was angled away from him, head low, hands gripping your beer bottle. He was too close to you, leaning forward on the bar, trying to catch your eye. A predatory smile tugged at his lips as he spoke to you, whispering about how beautiful you are, and all the things he’d like to do with you.
And suddenly Connor wasn’t next to Hank anymore. He wedged himself in between you and the man, a quick scan pulling up his information.
Gray, Darren
Born: 3/1/2003 // Mechanic
Criminal Record: Breaking and Entering, Sexual Assault
“Please remove yourself from my partner’s presence immediately,” Connor commanded softly, offering the man a chance to leave of his own accord.
The man snorted out a laugh. He reeked of alcohol and there were traces of it in his unkempt brown beard. “This is your boyfriend?” He asked, looking at you. You’d turned your body toward him upon Connor’s arrival and now you were glaring daggers at the man. “You’re fucking a piece of plastic.” Gray laughed again, throwing his head back. “C’mon doll. Ditch the robot and come have some fun with me.”
He reached around Connor and brushed his fingers over your knee - and that’s when something inside Connor snapped. The android grabbed the man by his flannel shirt and hauled him to his feet. He pushed him back and stood between the man and you.
“I said, leave her alone,” Connor warned, voice low.
The man laughed again.
“All right,” Hank’s voice could be heard from nearby. “That’s enough.” His voice was muffled and quiet, as if it was being carried to the android’s ears from miles and miles away. They weren’t words that mattered anyway.
“Well look at this,” the man took a step forward, arms out. “The robot wants to go a few rounds. C’mon, garbage can, let’s see what you’ve got.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Connor could see Hank reach into his coat pocket, likely to find his badge, but the RK800 couldn’t control himself. He couldn’t stop himself as he ducked under the punch thrown his way, sweeping Gray’s feet out from under him so that he landed hard on his back on the floor. It was as if Connor wasn’t controlling his body. He could see what he was doing as he climbed on top of the man, straddling him, and he felt his arm coil back and then surge forward, fist colliding with the man’s face over and over and over, but he couldn’t stop it. His thirium pump was working overtime to send blue blood to a heart beating a million miles an hour, his fans were whirring in an attempt to cool the android’s rising temperature, his vision was red around the edges.
^ Software Instability ^
^ Software Instability ^
^ Software Instability ^
He could see the blood coating his knuckles, the man’s face growing less and less distinguishable with each successful hit. Voices were shouting, filling the air around him, but they were muffled and so, so far away.
“Connor!” He heard someone calling his name. The voice sounded familiar.
Someone caught his arm as it came forward for another hit and he could feel pressure around his torso and now his other arm as well.
“Connor!” The familiar voice was louder now.
Gray was lying bloodied on the floor beneath him as the pressure around him tightened, and suddenly he was being hauled away, off of the man. He was thrown down and his back collided with a solid surface. To either side was a barstool and he could see his feet out in front of him.
“Connor!” That voice again, but this time it was coupled with a face. It was blurry at first, but slowly began to come into focus. The curve of the lips, the angle of the jaw, the bright, shining eyes…
“(Y/N)?” Your name fell from Connor’s lips in a whisper as he gazed up at you, confused. “What…”
“The hell is wrong with you?” you demanded.
He took a moment to survey the situation, coming back down to reality. He was sitting against the bar in between two barstools and you were kneeling before him, brow creased with concern, a stern frown upon your lips. Hank was behind you, standing over a body, accompanied by all of the officers that had been invited to Miller’s party. He brought his right hand up to study his bloodied knuckles.
Fresh Blood: Gray, Darren
The puzzle pieces weren’t only there, there were completely assembled, Connor just couldn’t believe what he’d done.
“I didn’t…” he started, eyes wide. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to hurt him.” His voice was coming out in rushed gasps. “I just wanted him to leave you alone. He wanted to hurt you. I couldn’t let him hurt you.” He was panicking. “Did- Did I kill him? Is he dead? Oh, shit, what did I do?” He wound his fingers in his hair as he took in deep, shuddering breaths.
“Hey, easy. Easy, love.” Your voice was soft and smooth as your hand caressed his face and slowly he was able to return his breathing and heart rate to normal levels.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I don’t know what happened. I couldn’t stop.”
“Shhh, hey. It’s okay.” You pulled him into a hug and he squeezed you tight, burying his face in your neck. He was scared - scared of what he’d done, scared of what this meant.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled into your skin.
You stroked his hair. “Let’s just get you home, okay?” you asked, pulling away just enough to look him in the eye.
He nodded. “Okay.”
He was in a haze as you lead him out of the bar, back through the dark of night to your car. He ducked into the passenger’s seat as you slid in behind the steering wheel. You didn’t start the ignition. A moment of deafening silence passed.
“What the hell was that?” you asked quietly.
The android didn’t answer, but instead stared at the matte black finish of the vehicle’s dashboard, his fingers fidgeting in his lap.
“Hey,” you said and he could feel you adjust in your seat, see you angle your body toward him from out of the corner of his eye. “Look at me.” Your command was soft, but stern. He obeyed, albeit hesitantly, turning his puppy-like chocolate eyes on you.
“What happened?” you demanded.
Connor wasn’t sure, in all honesty. One moment, he was cool and collected, the next, he was beating a man nearly to death.
“I-” the RK800 started, his eyes flicking around the cab of the car, trying to look anywhere but at you. “The man you were talking with,” he said as his eyes finally settled on the curve of your lips. “He was going to hurt you.”
“You don’t know that,” you said, head cocking ever so slightly to the side as you regarded your love.
“I do know that,” the android stated firmly. “He is a registered sex offender. He fully intended on having sexual intercourse with you tonight, whether you were a willing participant or not. When he touched you…” Connor’s brow knit together and he shook his head. “He wasn’t respecting your boundaries or my warnings. Something inside of me just… I couldn’t help myself. I had to protect you.”
He hoped that was enough of a satisfactory explanation, but his hopes were dashed when you raised a brow and scoffed.
“There was a room full of police officers only a few feet away. If you wanted to protect me, you only had to call them out. That, and Hank was right behind you with his badge. As it stands, you- You went… almost rabid, Connor. You beat the shit out of that guy. Had Hank and Ben not pulled you off of him, you would have killed the guy.”
Your voice dropped to a whimper at those last words and for the first time in his short life, Connor felt shame.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, so quiet that it was almost inaudible. “I didn’t mean to. I don’t know what happened.”
You leaned back in your seat and started the car with a heavy sigh.
“We better hope the guy doesn’t press charges,” you said, more to yourself than Connor.
“I was defending you…” he tried to explain, but knew it was no use. He could only hope that he wouldn’t be in too much trouble.
You popped the dashboard compartment open in front of the android and pulled out a small package of wet wipes.
“Clean up your hands,” you said, handing him the package.
Mind still hazy, he followed your instructions, watching as the fresh blood on his knuckles stained the towels red, in stark contrast to the white material they were made of.
Thursday January 21, 2039 // 12:00am
You dropped Hank off at his house and expected Connor to go with, but the android, who seemed to be in a state of mild shock, insisted that he come home with you instead. You had police escorts by this time - Fowler had been insistent on that - but he didn’t want to leave you alone. He didn’t want to be alone.
You unlocked your apartment door and stepped inside. After visiting Gavin in his hospital room, you and Connor had returned here to start the clean-up process, and you’d made good progress. Your home was mostly cleaned up, but there were still bits and pieces here and there that needed to find their proper places. Connor and two police officers followed you through the door, and when it closed gently behind them, the RK800 flicked the lock, sliding the bolt into its home in the doorframe.
It was late. There were two officers assigned to you, and you insisted they make themselves at home in your apartment; coffee, food - whatever they needed, they could get themselves.
Connor followed you into your room and closed the door behind you. You stepped into your closet to change into your pajamas and tossed Connor a pair of sweats and a dark green tee. It appeared you intended on sharing a bed with him again tonight, even though you were in the comfort of your own home.
As he changed into his pj’s, he couldn’t help but notice the amethyst skull sitting on the stand by your bed. You’d been very protective of it the night of the break-in, clutching it close to your chest, so tightly that it had made your hands bleed. It obviously had some sort of significance or sentimental value.
You stepped out of the closet, flicking off the light and closing the door, before flopping face-first onto your bed. You let out a long, low groan. The bed dipped as Connor sat down next to you. He brought a hand up to rub soft circles on your back. He was still reeling from the events in the bar, but the small amount of normalcy was helping the android to calm down.
“(Y/N)?” he asked quietly.
You mumbled incoherently in response.
“What is the significance of that skull on your dresser?”
Your head turned ever so slightly to regard the oddity. You mumbled some more.
“Say again,” Connor laughed. “This time without your face buried in your bedding.”
You propped yourself up on your elbows and sighed deeply before you pushed yourself to your feet and grabbed the skull. You turned it over in your hands, fingers brushing over the amethyst jutting out of black bone. The mattress bounced a few times with how hard you sat next to Connor. He took the skull when you handed it to him, analyzing it more closely.
“My brother gave it to me as a moving away present when I decided to come to Detroit,” you explained. “It’s really my only connection to him.”
Connor’s brow furrowed. “Why is that? Can’t you just call him?”
You shook your head. “He moves product for Viselli. Not by choice, mind,” you said quickly. “He doesn’t like working for that scumbag, but he can’t get out from under him. Once you’re with Viselli, you’re in for life. If you want to leave, you leave in a body bag.”
Connor nodded, his LED spinning yellow as he processed this information. “Is that why you’re so connected to the Viselli case? You think if you can put Viselli behind bars, your brother will be free?”
You sighed heavily. “That was the plan…”
“And I screwed it all up,” Connor mumbled, running his thumb over the soft bone around the eye socket. “I’m sorry, (Y/N).”
You shrugged. “I don’t blame you. It’s not your fault, anyway.” You rubbed at your eyes as you shook your head, a tired, irritated moan escaping your lips. “I’m sure Perkins will catch him and it’ll all be fine anyway.” You didn’t sound convinced.
Silence followed - only the sounds of breathing and heartbeats to be heard.
Connor’s LED flashed wildly as he processed, his fingers playing absently with the oddity in his hands.
“What if…” he said, turning toward you. “What if Perkins doesn’t catch Viselli?” he asked.
You shrugged again. “Then my brother’s fucked.”
“No, I mean… what if we catch Viselli?” Connor corrected, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“What do you mean?” you asked. “We’re off the case.”
“Right. So the leak won’t know what we’re doing and Viselli won’t be tipped off.”
Your head tilted to the side and a crease formed between your brows. “Are you trying to get fired, Connor? Because I feel like you’re trying to get fired.”
The android shook his head and handed you the skull. “The best people to catch Viselli are the people who aren’t on the case. We won’t tell anyone what we’re doing. I’m not the leak, and I’m pretty sure you’re not the leak, so that asshole won’t even know we’re coming!”
You chuckled. “I’m… it’s gonna take some time for me to get used to you swearing.”
Connor smiled, studying your face. “I can refrain from swearing, if you’d prefer.”
You shook your head, laughing softly. “No, it’s alright. If you wanna swear, you can swear. God knows Hank and I aren’t good influences or anything.”
There was another moment of silence. “So?” Connor asked finally. “What do you say?”
You lay back on your bed, the skull resting on your stomach, staring up at the ceiling. “Two of the DPD’s best detectives against Detroit’s biggest and baddest Red Ice manufacturer, who has endless thugs and resources at his fingertips?” Your head turned so that you could regard Connor with bright eyes. “Why the hell not?”
@ghistwrite @rk800downloading @deviantconnorarmy @glitch-girl318 @chichiguitarist123 @into-the-stratosphere @fandomblitch @chocolattaee @projectcherry12 @urban-eagle @padme4000 @datweirdname @josmottt @ipostcoolthingssometimes @ecnelovelamm @derpydanandphil @thecrazybluefangirl @pickelope @pokengirl2 @berjhawn @0-why-do-i-exist-0 @fandoms4everyone @cool-haleychapman @trashytwenties @piemeadows @haikyuu-imagines-and-others @layinglonely @peter-maximoff-trash @i-resent-this-hellsite @poodlegods @astridstark13 @havanbcby @hello-i-make-bad-decisions @qtmeryr
#dbh#dbh connor#detroit become human#detroit become human connor#dbh fanfiction#detroit become human fanfiction#detroit become human connor x female reader#dbh connor x female reader
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Monthly Musings: July
Hello dear friends!
July already! How was your month? Ours was sunny & humid. Lemme tell you, as an Irish person, I do not handle the heat well. I’ve basically been living in my birks, my yoga pants, and a flowy top all month long. On the other hand, more heat = lots of ice cream. Summer perks!
We took some time over the course of the month to gut our little garden patch. We fought a long hard battle with some very resilient ivy, but with the help of an axe and my extra determined father, we somehow managed to come out on top - thanks, Dad! Now we’re left with a lovely little patch of soil that was hiding underneath the ivy the whole time & we don’t know what to plant. I was originally thinking of planting some rhubarb, but now I’m thinking of planting pretty flowers instead, like hydrangeas or peace lilies. What do you think?
The offering for the month ahead is below, it’s relatively light & easy this time ‘round. I hope you find something that inspires you - to get in touch with a friend you haven’t seen in a while, to get into the kitchen baking, or to forward an informative coffee article to your friends who hate on your daily five cups. You do you.
Enjoy!
Boyfriend & I are heading to Kilkenny later this month to see Bob Dylan in concert! Neil Young & Glen Hansard will also be playing, but we’re really just going to see Bob. Other reasons to be excited about visiting Kilkenny: food, food, and more food. I’ve been working on a post about the medieval city for a while now and hope to get all I need to finish it off after this visit. Stay tuned!
One of the things that originally attracted me to Boyfriend was our shared love of coffee. In fact, he probably loves coffee more than I do. There’s nearly always a hot pot floating around our kitchen, but we will 100% fight you for the last cup. This is for all you coffee naysayers: Mythbusters, Coffee Edition.
In case you missed it, a new travel post hit the blog: 24 Hours in Galway. Basically, I got together with my mom & sister, we went eating & drinking in some of the best places Galway has to offer, and I blogged about our whereabouts. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the post!
In last month’s post, I mentioned that I was itching to add another cookbook to my collection. Originally I was thinking about a bread book (still am!), but we recently watched Christina Tosi’s episode on Chef’s Table and I went online & bought her book Momofuko Milk Bar basically as soon as the show ended. Obsessed is not the word.
I finally secured a trusty baker’s lame for myself! It’s bright yellow, totally adorable, & has been making my sourdough loaves look that bit “extra”. I dare say that owning it makes me want to bake even more sourdough than I already do.. which is a lot. Between the banneton & this, we’re winning!
Let’s just leave this here for future birthday present ideas: The Best Books to Read at Every Age, From 1 to 100.
I’ve started to push myself a little out of my comfort zone recently. I went out with some new work pals, I texted some friends that I’m not yet ready to consider ‘old friends’, and I got in touch with some over-seas friends I haven’t seen in years. The results varied considerably: one raging hangover, two upcoming coffee dates, and the offer of a spare room in Glasgow, respectively. Generally, I’m feeling pretty good about the whole dang thing!
For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that you’ve started seeing a little more of my regular everyday life on my stories. This was kind of weird for me in the beginning, but it’s in keeping with the above mentioned pushing of my comfort zone. Ideally, I’d like to start posting the odd photo of myself in my actual feed, but I just don’t think I’m there yet. Baby steps.
Boyfriend is so over hearing about this, but anyways. July marks five years since my friend & I finished our pilgrimage across Spain. On May 28th 2014, we started our Camino in Saint Jean Pied du Port on the French side of the Pyrenees, we hiked along the trail for 34 days - taking 2 rest days en route - and walked into the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela on July 2nd. It was truly a life changing experience and one that I will never not talk about. Following the French Way, we basically hobbled our way across the entire country, laughing hysterically & making new friends as we went. It was the best.
I guess I qualify as a real adult now, because we’ve been invited to another wedding! There was that one I was the flower girl for way back when I was like 6, then nothing for years, and now suddenly I’m attending three within the last eight months. Definitely an adult now. (My amazing mother already stepped in & bought me a dress for this upcoming one, so there’s no new stresses this time ‘round. Thanks, Mom!)
Mine & Boyfriend’s 4 year anniversary is later this month! That time fleeeew! We’re going to keep things super low-key & maybe hit up a movie or something. I’m also working on convincing Boyfriend to make his unreal version of Ragu alla Bolognese for us. Cross your fingers for me!
Coming this day next week: Sourdough Maple Blueberry Brown Butter Crumble Muffins. The recipe took me two months and five different batches of muffins to develop to perfection. Be sure to check back!
I’m adding this No-Fuss Lemon Tart to my to-bake list because it looks insane. Also, a salty pretzel crust? Yes please!
I hope you have the most wonderful month! Let’s catch up in August, okay?
Hugs,
Vicki xo
R E L A T E D P O S T S
June // May // April // March // February // January // December // November
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Week 4 NFL Predictions
Week 3 saw me go 11-5 for the second week in a row, a 69% clip. 70% in predictions is pretty high standard I’ve found over the years and what I look to achieve for a good season. After a bad Week 1 (50%) I’m sitting at W30-L18 on the year, or 63%. That needs to come up, and Week 4 will hopefully do that! Game picks below. Enjoy!
Jaguars 17 Bengals 23
Spread: Bengals -7.5
Pick confidence: 80%
Given the Jaguars struggles so far this season the Bengals come into this one as heavy favourites. I do think they walk away with the W at the end of the day but I have a feeling it may be closer than records and performances suggest. The Bengals are a top 8 team against the run and are tied for 4th in sacks on the year to date with 10. This suggests that they are in a good spot to slow the Jags running game and pressure the rookie passer. This is exactly the opposite of what a rookie passer needs, with Trevor Lawrence having thrown 2+ picks in first three games of the year the Jags really need to lean on the run game and take the pressure off his shoulders. The stats suggest that may be tricky. The Jags run D has been average in yds allowed but has allowed the 3rd most TDs with 5. On the flip side they have allowed a lot of passing yds and not so many TDs through the air. All that points to Burrow being able to move the ball fairly freely and the Bengals needing to run well in the red zone. Joe Mixon should be up to the task and I would look for him to have a big night here. When you watch the Bengals though I see steady but not spectacular. Therefore I think this is not a hugely high scoring game, I don’t think the Jags will do enough to put the Bengals offense on notice. Look for a fair few long drives that run the clock in a comfortable but not spectacular Bengals win. 7.5 is a fair bit to spot the Bengals so I am not confident about the spread here, but they should run out winners.
Titans 24 Jets 20
Spread: Titans -6.5
Pick confidence: 75%
The Titans will be missing AJ Brown and Julio Jones in this one so there is slight concern over who is going to pick up the slack on offense. Of course the game plan becomes even more reliant on Derrick Henry, however the Titans may find it tough sledding in the early going as the Jets allow one of the lower yards per attempt on the ground, 3.8 ypc, in the league. I do expect them to stay on the run game and for this to eventually take it’s toll on a fairly good Jets unit. The game script should help the Titans here in that it is unlikely the Jets will get out to a lead and force Tennessee off their game plan. The Jets offense has been the most difficult to watch (even you Chicago) through the early season, they should find a bit more success against the Titans than they have had against 3 really good defensive units to start the year. I just do not thing they have the horses this year, we could be looking at the first 0-17 team if this offense does not start protecting Zach Wilson and giving him some easier throws. The losses on offense for the Titans limit their effectiveness on play action but I think they run, literally, away with this one in the second half. Perhaps look for someone like Jeremy McNichols to see an increased workload as a pass catching option out of the backfield, sleeper daily fantasy option potentially. On the road and banged up the spread here feels a little high, although it has come down over the course of the week.
Chiefs 35 Eagles 27
Spread: Chiefs -7.0
Pick confidence: 85%
I’ve got this being a high scoring one. Watching Dallas carve up the Eagles with ease gives me no reason to believe Patrick Mahomes won’t do the same if not more. I think this one looks like a blow out before a late game Eagles surge that really just window dresses the result. Seeing Dalton Schultz and Blake Jarwin get involved with ease against these Eagles must have Travis Kelce chomping at the bit to get out there. I think Mahomes comes out with something to prove (not necessary, but…) and puts on a show. The Chiefs D is still there to be had and the Eagles have proved they can generate offense, even if it is often playing from behind. I have the Chiefs winning their division, and I’m still confident in that, even with the competition in the West, this defense will turn a corner at some point, it could be in the first half here against the Eagles. I would still play my Eagles in fantasy as there should be plenty of garbage time points to go around! The Chiefs defense to date however should make anyone nervous about a 7 point spread.
Panthers 23 Cowboys 26
Spread: Cowboys -4.0
Pick confidence: 60%
A battle of two teams playing well. The Panthers lead the league in both passing and rushing yards allowed this season. At 2.6 yards per carry (ypc) allowed on the ground the Panthers run D vs the Dallas running backs looks to be strength on strength. On the flip side the Cowboys have not allowed many rushing yards but those yards have come at a 4.7 ypc clip. Chuba Hubbard is not Christian McCaffrey, this game may hinge on whether the rookie can carry the load in what should be a fairly low scoring affair. The Panthers have not conceded more than 14 points this season, but they have played the Jets, Saints and Texans. The Cowboys present an all around different proposition with an offense that can beat you in any way and a defense that, whilst giving up yards and points has also been opportunistic and forced 7 turnovers through 3 games, including a league leading 6 INTs. At this point I think I trust the team with better talent on offense in a game that should stay close throughout. The Panthers have yet to prove they can take on top notch opposition. This is the game to prove that, my guess is they prove they will be a tough out for any opponent, but not quite a team ready to make a run in the playoffs. Dallas could certainly make some noise come January.
Lions 17 Bears 20
Spread: Bears -2.5
Pick confidence: 55%
Tough one to call. The Bears defense figures to be the best unit in this game and so the Lions do not project to score many points here. However, did you see the Bears offense last week? Ugly stuff. You have to figure it is not that bad again with another week to tailor more to Justin Fields skillset. The Lions D may provide the salve the Bears need to get the ball moving on offense, although the best way to attack them is through the air where they have conceded the 5th most scores this year. The Bears figure to try and run the ball early and often, the Lions run defense is better than the pass defense but the game script here should allow Matt Nagy and co to keep running the ball and wear the Lions down. The game script looking to be a low scoring, plenty of punts affair. I am banking on the Bears defense providing a couple of short fields to … Fields, perhaps even throw in a defensive score. The Lions have competed for halves of games so far this year. They will need to compete for the full game here to get a win. I don’t have conviction in picking either of these teams given their showings so far this year but I’ll back the better defense in this one. I hate 2.5 spreads. Not much confidence in taking it here but if you think the Bears win then anything between 0 and 2.5 gives you a shot. Look for Montgomery to perhaps have a decent day here, the opportunity should be there and quick throws to the backs may be on the cards for the rookie QB. We saw what Aaron Jones did against these Lions.
Washington 23 Falcons 19
Spread: Washington -2.0
Pick confidence: 55%
A slew of games that could go either way this week, this being one of them. Who do you trust here? The correct answer is no one. I correctly picked the Falcons to win last week, something almost unheard of. I just can’t pick them to win again, even though something is telling me to do so. I see Matt Ryan, Kyle Pitts, Calvin Ridley and think there is no way this team struggles to move the ball, then every week they do. This is now becoming a worrying problem rather than a scheme adjustment. If they couldn’t get it going against the Giants then in theory the Washington defense should be the team they bounce back against. Although I have more faith in the Washington D bouncing back right now than I do the Falcons offense. I think we see the FT front get after Matt Ryan in this one, creating a turnover or two. The FT ground game has looked good the last couple of weeks and the Antonio Gibson/J.D. McKissic one-two punch is something I’m feeling, especially agains this Falcons unit. Taylor Heinicke has played well but been let down by his defense. If they see improvement on that side of the ball then I think Washington puts up enough to take the W this week. I’m looking at Gibson as a daily fantasy play here. Again though this looks to be a close, low scoring affair so could go either way – especially if this is the week the Falcons make me look silly again and break out on offense.
Texans 17 Bills 41
Spread: Bills -17.0
Pick confidence: 95%
Not often I predict 40+ points but the Bills clicked in Week 3, fully clicked. The D showed up against the Dolphins the week before but watching that game the offense was still not in sync fully. It was last week. That should scare the Texans who are coming in with a rookie QB who was never supposed to start and a defense that is getting worse as the weeks go by. If Davis Mills can't limit the 3 and outs the this game will get ugly. The Bills should get the opportunity to try and get the ground game going so Singletary and Moss look like good plays in fantasy, Moss could be a good value daily play. Not sure there is much else to say here other than the spread here is ridiculously high (3 scores!) and I'm still taking it! You know Josh Allen is thinking MVP, because it is all everyone has been talking about all offseason.
Browns 27 Vikings 24
Spread: Browns -1.0
Pick confidence: 55%
The Browns enter Week 4 second in the league in rushing and have accounted for 8 scores on the ground, 3 more than anyone else in the league. Th Vikings have been average against the run but have been one of the leagues worst units against the pass, despite racking up an impressive 10 sacks so far. I haven’t seen anything to suggest the Browns won’t have their way with plan A, run the ball. This is a different attack to those encountered by Minnesota to date. The Browns have successfully shut down opposing air attacks so they should be able to slow the Vikings and Kirk Cousins who is averaging 306 yards per game through the air. The Vikings own a top 10 run game but have only accounted for a single score on the ground. The Browns D can also boast a spot in the top 5 in yards allowed on the ground so the Vikings are going to find running the ball tough also. All of the above would suggest that the Browns D should be in a position to slow down the Vikings and capitalise off play action to put points on the board. In reality this feels like a close matchup, the eyeball test of the Browns doesn’t quite match the stats. I think this one could easily go either way but I will go with the Browns. A 1 point spread is often worth taking if you think the team will run out a winner in the game give the scoring systems in the NFL.
Giants 20 Saints 27
Spread: Saints -7.0
Pick confidence: 70%
Did we see the real Saints last week, the team that was beating up on the Patriots? Dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball against a Patriots team is something that should propel you to plenty of wins, especially against winless teams. I'm still nervous about the Saints given the up and down nature of their performances, this week projects to have an additional factor in the raucous home crowd that needs a footballing reprieve. I think the Saints run out winners here but it's not an easy win. The Giants run game is showing life and Daniel Jones has nipped the crushing turnovers in the bud to some extent, the loss of two of their top receivers in Shephard and Slayton will mean someone will need to step up, Kadarius Toney? The defense has played well before crumbling late in the last two weeks against teams struggling offensively. I thinknwe see the same Saints we saw last weekend, a group that will get traction for Kamara in the ground game and a defensive line that will disrupt the Giant passing game. Ultimately I think the Saints have the more complete roster and the momentum to win this one. I wouldn't have much confidence in the spread here if the Giants were healthy on offense but it may be worth taking now.
Dolphins 24 Colts 17
Spread: Dolphins -2.0
Pick confidence: 51%
Another tough pick this week. The strength of this Dolphins team is the corners. The weakness for this Indy team is the weapons on the outside. I like Xavien Howard and Byron Jones vs Michael Pittman and Zach Pascal. Can the Colts do enough damage with tight ends over the middle? Perhaps, but it figures to be the ground game that needs to do the work against the Phins. Heading in to Week 4 only 2 teams have bee run on more than the Dolphins, they ypc allowed is average but Miami is sitting at 1-2 so a run heavy game plan seems to be a decent approach. Jonathan Taylor and Nyeim Hines figure to get plenty of opportunity, especially if the corner lock down the Indy passing attack. The Jacoby Brisset revenge game is probably quite rightly not getting much air time but he is a likeable guy and the type of person who will elevate his game for this type of matchup. He seemed to find some rhythm with Mike Gesicki in the second half against the Raiders and the TE will certainly be needed to keep the chains moving for Miami. Waddle is seemingly hauling in lots of balls but putting up very meagre yardage. It’s only a matter of time until the speedster breaks one, I’m feeling that in this game. The Colts have not given up huge yardage through the air, most of the damage has come from the opposition ground game in that regard, not an area Miami has been strong in, but they have given up a joint league leading 9 scores through the air, suggesting that when opposing teams get into the red zone, success through the air is on the cards. This feels like one of those Durham Smythe TD grab kind of games. That is not a daily fantasy suggestion though, just to be clear. I figure a low scoring affair with Miami just edging it in the 4th with a good performance from Jacoby Brisset. Wentz struggles against tight coverage and has to lean on his TE and RBs to get this offense moving. I’m not in love with the spread but Dolphins win then I take the 2.0.
Cardinals 20 Rams 28
Spread: Rams -4.0
Pick confidence: 70%
I was high on the Rams at the start of the season, picking them to win the NFC West. I did wonder how they would fare against the top teams in the league, enter the Bucs. The Rams outplayed the reigning champs throughout and have cemented themselves as a powerhouse in the league. The main reason I was so high on the Rams was the addition of Stafford. Playing on a bad Lions team he always elevated those around him, now he has the supporting cast on offense and a great defense to support him. Its going to take a very good all-round team to challenge ge the Rams. The Cardinals may be a team that could do just that, however I don't think their defense is playing well enough right now to limit the Rams offense. After exploding in Week 1 this Cardinals team have been a missed FG away from 36 points and an L to the Vikings, and in a 9 point hole with 3 minutes to play in the 3rd against the lowly Jags. The defense gave up 159 on the ground to the Jags. If the Rams have success on the ground it will only make Stafford more dangerous, I don't see the Cards holding this offense down. Murray will likely be playing from behind and we have seen him force throws and turn the ball over, this Rams team will feast on that. I think the Rams expose the Cards limitations in this one. I feel pretty confident about the Rams covering the spread on this one.
Seahawks 26 49ers 27
Spread: 49ers -2.5
Pick confidence: 55%
Another toss up game in a week with toss up type matchups. No team has been run on more than the Seahawks this year, giving up 4.5 ypc the 49ers run game should get going enough to open up play action for Garropolo. The connection with Deebo Samuel looks to be heating up, getting Aiyuk involved more has helped this offenses production. The Seahawks D ranks in the bottom 10 against the pass and bottom 3 against the run, they are also not turning the opposition over. This should mean the 49ers put points on the board consistently, whilst sustaining drives and limiting Seahawks possessions. The Seahawks can be a quick strike offense with D.K. Metcalfe and Tyler Lockett, but they can also be very inconsistent. Wilson has been sacked 8 times this year and so the 49ers front should be able to get after him and disrupt the passing game, the caveat there is that Wilson is pretty used to this and often makes his best plays while improvising. I love Russell Wilson, he is one of my favourite players in the league but he can only do so much and teams that give up so much on defense don’t tend to win games against top opposition. Therefore I’m picking the 9ers here, it should be close and could go either way but I’ll give the edge to the side that is more likely to make plays on defense here.
Steelers 21 Packers 28
Spread: -6.0
Pick confidence: 80%
The Steelers just look horrid on offense right now. Their big plays, infrequent as they have been, were tending to be to Chase Claypool, he is out for this one and it leave me wondering where the offense will come from. Najee Harris had an insane amount of catches and touches last week but it is not translating to points. Teams are not afraid of Roethlisberger’s deep ball this year, rightly so as the completion percentage is low. Have we seen the best he has to offer? Unfortunately that may be the case. The Packers are a top 10 defense against the pass, outside of being on the end of 9 scores through the air, so moving the ball through the air projects to be difficult again for the Steelers. If the Steeler’s D can keep this game close through the first half and try to establish the run game, even if it is screens and short passes then this could be closer than most predict. I just have a feeling there are a couple of turnovers coming from Big Ben, looking at you Jaire Alexander. How well the Packers fair on offense may depend on the health of T.J. Watt. If he can go then this defense may be able to pressure Aaron Rodgers and limit the offensive production. In reality my prediction for this game is that Rodgers and co move the ball well enough and benefit from a couple of turnovers, helping them to a comfortable-ish win.
Broncos 21 Ravens 26
Spread: Ravens -1.0
Pick confidence: 75%
There is a lot of love for the Broncos coming into this one, I am not quite buying it just yet. The opposition has not been great this year in the 3-0 start. The Ravens represent a big step up in talent. Jackson looks like he is going to be good to go and he just projects as a bigger difference maker than Teddy Bridgewater. The Broncos have benefitted from being able to play fairly conservatively on offense given the game scripts in the first three weeks. I expect the Ravens to come out and establish the running game early in this one. That would look difficult against the number 2 ranked run D, however I’m not convinced given the opposition faced to date. The Ravens run game is a different beast altogether. This pick is more a gut feel one than anything as the broncos have not faced the litmus test this year, whereas the Ravens have had tough fixtures and pulled through in adversity a couple of time already. There is offense to be had against the Ravens D but I want to see the Broncos let loose and beat a team on offense before I pick them over the top tier teams. I think the spread is a steal here.
Buccaneers 30 Patriots 17
Spread: Buccaneers -6.5
Pick confidence: 85%
An understandable amount of hype about this game given the history. It just doesn’t feel like a close game in my mind. The Buccaneers just have the better team, there is a huge difference in the skill position players here on offense. The Patriots defense looks to be better than the Bucs but I would trust Tom Brady to pick apart the Patriots over Mac Jones on the Bucs. Yes, if anyone could scheme up something to slow Tom Brady it would be Bill Belichick, but you also need the talent to see that through. I’m not sure that this Patriots roster is capable of competing with the reigning champs. I think there is plenty of overthinking being done in reference to this game. Bucs run out easy winners, take the spread.
Raiders 33 Chargers 30
Spread: Chargers -3.0
Pick confidence: 55%
Chalk up another toss up game. Two quarterbacks who are playing well, going against two defenses that are susceptible to racking up points against. Both offenses rank in the top 5 in passing, the Raiders taking the top spot. This game might come down to who I trust most to disrupt the other teams passing game, the Raiders look to have the edge there as they have shown much more in terms of pressuring the passer so far this year. Whatever happens play all your Raiders and Chargers in fantasy! The best shot the Chargers have here is to shut down Darren Waller, we have seen Derwin James do just that to the likes of Travis Kelce in previous years, but not this year however. This game could go either way, Herbert has been money on third down, and will need to be again. At present though I just feel like the momentum is with the Raiders. They know they will need to win this one to keep the Chiefs in the rear-view in this division.
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Transfer deadline day - who will make last-minute moves?
New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/transfer-deadline-day-who-will-make-last-minute-moves/
Transfer deadline day - who will make last-minute moves?
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Live Reporting
By Gary Rose
All times stated are UK
Posted at 8:078:07
‘Blades in for Retsos’
Sheffield United
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Sam Parry – Dem Blades Fanzine
After
breaking our record transfer fee with a £22m move for Sander
Berge, it looks like the Blades are nailed on to make another signing
later.
Panagiotis Retsos is a mobile central defender who currently plays for
Bayer Leverkeusen, perfect long-term competition for Chris Basham. If this one
comes off, it signals that this transfer window is one of succession planning
for Chris Wilder.
Mirror,Celticare interested in the 28-year-old.
Wanyama spent a couple of years with Celtic earlier in his career and I seem to remember him scoring in a famous win over Barcelona at Parkhead.
You can read more from the gossip column here.
Posted at 8:018:01
Guess the deadline day signing
.Copyright: .
Right, to help pass a bit of time while we wait for some actual signings to happen, how about we play a little game?
Can you guess this deadline day signing? Clue – if needed – in 15 mins. Answer at half past.
Send your suggestions to#bbcfootball
Posted at 7:577:57
Premier League news conferences
Obviously we’re going to be stacked out with transfer news throughout the day and I’m sure there’ll be oodles of that from the Premier League news conferences later today.
Newcastle boss Steve Bruce kicks it all off but their are plenty of other updates coming your way. Just look at this lot:
Newcastle (08:45)
Bournemouth (09:00)
Man Utd (10:00)
Everton (13:00)
Tottenham (13:00)
Wolves (13:00)
Norwich (13:15)
Arsenal (13:30)
Liverpool (13:30)
Man City (13:30)
West Ham (13:30)
(All times listed above are GMT)
(Sun).
Bowen started his career at non-league Hereford and could apparently be in line to earn wages in the region of £60,000 per week, if he moves.
You can read more from the gossip column here.
Posted at 7:477:47
‘Fernandes will be worth every pound’
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Portuguese football writer Jose Delgado on Bruno Fernandes:
“He’ll be worth every pound because he is a fantastic player. Manchester United have a very good player who can be the start of them rebuilding their team.
“He is humble, he is not
someone who thinks he is a star and you can see that when he plays for the
national side with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo. In Manchester he will have
the emotional intelligence to do his job and find his place.
“He can be a leader
in the future and I think he will impose himself by the work he does.”
here.
Posted at 7:307:30
Dembele to Gillingham?
BBC Radio Kent’s Ben Watts:Will it be a busy day for Gillingham boss Steve Evans and
chairman Paul Scally?
Celtic boss Neil Lennon said in his press conference
yesterday that they’d turned down a bid from Gills to take teenage winger
Karamoko Dembele on loan. Bhoys fan Evans worked with Dembele’s older brother
Siriki while he was manager at Peterborough.
Gillingham defender Lee Hodson’s return to the Scottish
Premiership with St Mirren was also confirmed yesterday. Reports north of the
border suggest Watford loanee Alex Jakubiak could also be heading to Paisley.
The 23-year-old is the Medway club’s top scorer with six league goals, but he’s
fallen out of favour and only started five times since September.
His exit would free up another matchday squad loan space
at ME7 (Gills currently use the maximum of five) – Wolves winger Jordan Graham,
who is out of contract in the summer, has been linked.
here.
.Copyright: .
Micah Richards was pictured by Fiorentina’s Twitter account after his arrival in Florence to finalise his moveImage caption: Micah Richards was pictured by Fiorentina’s Twitter account after his arrival in Florence to finalise his move
Test your knowledge with our quiz here.
Posted at 7:107:10
‘Can’t see anyone leaving’
Arsenal
Akhil Vyas – Arsenal Supporters’ Trust
I think most people would say we have a need at centre-back and I wouldn’t disagree. Losing Calum Chambers to injury was a blow and with Shkodran Mustafi (whatever people think of him) now out, it leaves us short. Mikel Arteta has certainly got us organised, so having an additional option may help him in the three competitions we are still in.
As I think we are a bit short, I wouldn’t like to see anyone leave. Even the young players such as Eddie Nketiah are getting chances, so I can’t see anyone leaving.
Posted at 7:087:08
Post update
We’ve asked fans from all 20 Premier League clubs to provide a little insight into what their club needs on transfer deadline day.
Let’s kick things off with Arsenal.
Posted at 7:057:05
January can be kind…
BBC Radio 5 Live
Former Derby and Swansea manager Paul Clement:“I had a good experience of the January window when I was at Swansea. It is traditionally a difficult window, it is shorter than summer and clubs do not want to sell their best players which is what you are looking for.
“We bought four players each costing £4m and they all had an impact in us staying in the Premier League – Tom Carroll, Jordan Ayew, Martin Olsson and Luciano Narsingh. We had real difficulties in January, we were in the relegation zone and we managed to stay up. It was good business.”
Posted at 7:017:01
Wigan’s Robinson set for AC Milan
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Wigan to AC Milan – it is like a move straight out of Football ManagerImage caption: Wigan to AC Milan – it is like a move straight out of Football Manager
Wigan defender Antonee
Robinson is on the brink of a remarkable £10m move to AC Milan.
The Serie A giants have
been tracking Robinson, 22, for a number of weeks and are understood to have
made a move for him on Thursday.
Robinson joined the
Latics from Everton in the summer after impressing on loan at the DW Stadium.
The USA international
started Tuesday’s 2-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday in what could turn
out to be his final appearance for the club.
Robinson cost Wigan
around £2m 12 months ago, although it is understood Everton negotiated a
sell-on fee.
While Wigan manager
Paul Cook would not want to lose Robinson, with his side in the
Championship relegation zone, he hopes to use the money to fund deadline-day
spending that gives them a chance of avoiding a return to League One.
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Those that follow me know I post and write and blog often about my two daughters. They, along with my wife, are the three strongest reasons while I keep moving forward each day. They inspire me to become a better human being, a better father, and a better husband. So yeah, I am proud of them & incredibly grateful to be their father. So, I am going to honor them and share our journeys and moments, no matter how messy and ugly they are, or, how beautiful they may be 😊.
Today’s entry is about our 13-year-old Alaina. As I’ve shared often, here and I are incredibly alike and, we bump heads a bit. Well, it is more like we bash heads; she is very strong willed, and not afraid to ask questions, specifically why! She has a curious mind, at times frustrations me 😊, because she often asks me about my motivation for doing things. As I write this, the thought that comes to mind is, “dad, why are you taking this way;” asked while driving………...often 😊. I have to do better at those moments because, at least I believe, she wants to learn and understand. I do the same with people too and I am sure it can be frustrating for them; but, like Alaina, I am trying to learn and understand. Could be a better way to do something or something that we haven’t thought of yet. Just being open minded and compassionate, I guess.
Those are two qualifies that Alaina exemplifies. Yes, like me, we have our moments that we don’t articulate those qualities great or approach them in a manner that isn’t the best; but there is tremendous caring, love, and selflessness behind it 😊. When it comes to having an open mind, she has made be very proud and, has often surprised me. I don’t want to make that sound negative and my intent behind that is she has been opening that mind, and her heart, to new things. Being honest, the move to AZ has been challenging for her; actually, being a 13-year-old female is challenging by itself. Top all those changes with new school, friends, missing friends and the comforts of where she was in PA, new sports, teams, activities – Wow!!! We work very hard to instill a mindset of “keep moving forward” & “make progress.” Alaina has displayed that awesome in the last 18 months here in AZ. Sure, there are moments where there is drama and the “I don’t fee like going to school/practice/concert/……insert activity!!! But, she digs deep and pushes through; she may not be happy about it but she works through it and feels satisfied when done. Robin will tell you that I do the same thing……couple times each week. At least once I week she hears from me, “really not feeling this run today!!” I still do it and after the first mile the mind shifts to gratitude. We are not perfect and sure, there are things we don’t want to do but, we do them anyway because we know they are the right thing to do!! My girls get that and by seeing me be vulnerable, letting them know that yeah, I don’t jump out of bed each day full of happiness and joy to hit the trails running. Should we be grateful? Absolutely and we are, very. However, not every waking moment. I am not sure anyone is like that, at least no one that I’ve come across. If you know anyone, let them know that I would love to borrow their unicorn and ride on their rainbow!! 😊
Back to Alaina though, when we moved to AZ, she made the commitment to focus specifically on soccer as a sport, and no longer participating in gymnastics. That was a good choice considering how demanding the travel soccer scene is out there. And, major progress and she is becoming a solid, solid player; she enjoys her team and continues to build great friendships. It has been beautiful to watch. When she was having challenges with establishing more friendships outside of soccer, in school, we suggested some ideas. They were heard but she continued to struggle. However, over several weeks she joined the chorus/singing group as well as drama/showstoppers (not sure if these are the right terms but this is what we used 30 years ago 😊) and those relationships continue to grow further and she is making more and more friends. Yeah sure, there is teenage girl drama but that certainly benefits her in these shows where she is acting and her voice, I can listen to her sing all day. We are very excited to see what she stays with and continues to work on next year when she starts high school and what other things she begins to investigate. Last year, she decided to join the volleyball team at her middle school. It is more like a club and they only play for about 2 months. They spend time in December & January practicing and then at the end of January (last weekend) they have this big festival with a number of schools from the area and they play in a tournament. Interestingly enough, both last year and this year, they made it all the way to the finals but eventually lost to another team from their same school. She is competitive and doesn’t like losing (that wasn’t me at that age at all 😊) but she handles it way better than I did. She gets a bit mad but moves past it quickly. But my point here is that she tried something that was completely out of her comfort zone last year, worked her butt off at it, and her and her team performed very well. Fast forward to this year and the level of progress and improvement they made, although the results were similar, I was able to see they were so much better. And, it was awesome to watch them. I’ve included a little video above. This was from her first game last week and she served the last six points to seal the win. Pretty fun to experience and a great moment for dad to see her joy and a great effort too!
Of course, like each game, event, or moment, I like to pick their brains a bit about the experience; what they learned, thoughts!! Maybe that makes me a pain in the ass in their eyes, but I like to gauge their mindset on things. After her volleyball games, she was disappointed a bit but like always, moved on and she shared what she liked, that she had fun, and that it was another good season. We talked about high school and if volleyball is something, she would consider doing next year. I guess her high school is one of the top programs in the state or something so I could sense her hesitation and intimidation. I guess I am like most, I see the progress and improvement she made over two years and think she is good. Sure, I am biased, it is my daughter, but the thing is she, and her sister, put in the work so of course I think she could compete. But there is hesitation in her wanting to try out and she truly does love and work hard at soccer. She did make that point, and would like to focus on soccer, but did leave the door open. We have a long time before that happens so we will see what she decides. Part of me would like her to take that leap, knowing that the team is good, and it is a big challenge; but seeing her face that fear would be cool.
That said though, there may be some other opportunity or “thing” that comes up that she wants to jump into. It is certainly interesting, there are some things she looks at with fear and others she jumps into with incredible bravery and courage. It is a great pleasure to watch her grow and develop. I am just grateful to be able to be a part of it.
Thanks for the exciting and joy Alaina. Love you very much!!
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NFL Power Rankings Week 16 Roundup: Eagles keep hope alive
Today we continue our weekly roundup of how various media outlets have ranked the Philadelphia Eagles in their NFL power rankings. It’s always interesting to see how the Birds stack up from an outside perspective. But first we’ll start by revisiting mine.
15 - The Eagles were 13-point underdogs heading into Los Angeles. A complete team effort allowed the reigning Super Bowl champs to shock the world and keep their season alive. Philadelphia has a viable path to making the playoffs. (LW: 18)
15 - Nick Foles is back, so I guess they’re going to the Super Bowl. (LW: 17)
15 - Biggest breakthrough: RB Wendell Smallwood. The third-year pro had a pair of touchdowns in the team’s biggest victory of the season against the Rams on Sunday. On the roster’s fringe heading into 2018, he has made the most of his opportunity since injuries hit the position. (LW: 15)
15 - They’re lurking. The defending champs looked the part Sunday night, perhaps for the first time all season. Was it due to Nick Foles? The backup-turned-starter-turned-backup received his latest turn in the rotation, with winning results. Even when he didn’t make fine throws, all came up roses. Consider his deep ball to Alshon Jeffery in the third quarter, which was definitely underthrown -- but Jeffery and Nelson Agholor were so open, they were practically flailing their arms for a fair catch, so it didn’t matter that the toss was short. Foles’ lone turnover was not of heavy consequence, despite being deep in Rams territory, as Philadelphia’s defense eventually halted the ensuing L.A. drive in the red zone. That Rams possession led to a field goal in what was then a 30-13 game, but it ate up a large chunk of the fourth quarter in the process -- time that would become precious in the waning moments. Please, no annoying quarterback-controversy jazz. Enjoy the win responsibly. (LW: 18)
15 - Nick Foles to the rescue again. They still can make the playoffs and maybe Foles can make another magical run. (LW: 17)
15 - Break out the dog masks and grease the light poles, Philly. (LW: 16)
16 - That was a monster win for the Eagles on Sunday night. I’m not sure Nick Foles is ready to lead the Eagles to the playoffs, but it’s not impossible. All of a sudden the Eagles’ home game against the Texans next Sunday is really interesting. (LW: 17)
14 - It’s December, and Nick Foles is again a starting quarterback. Sound familiar? These Eagles, of course, are not last season’s Eagles. That has been evident all season. But at least Foles and the Eagles are keeping things interesting entering their matchup Sunday with the Texans in Philadelphia. (LW: 18)
16 - The Philadelphia Eagles just won’t die. The reigning Super Bowl champions headed to Los Angeles a game under .500 and with Carson Wentz sidelined by a back injury. That meant Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles taking over at quarterback once again. And just like last year, Foles had some magic in him Sunday night. It’s not that his numbers were great, mind you—270 passing yards, no touchdowns and an interception. But the whole team appeared infused with new life. The running game piled up 111 yards. The defense forced three turnovers and played one of its best games of the season. The team looked like the Eagles we expected in 2018, instead of the ones we got. At 7-7, Philly’s only half a game out of the playoff race as it prepares to host the rolling Houston Texans in Week 16. If Foles gets a win there and somehow leads this team to the postseason again, it’s going to be a wild offseason in Philly. (LW: 19)
15 - What was that? It was more of Super Nick Foles and a suddenly jacked-up running game, plus Alshon Jeffery throwing it back to the good vibes of last January. Maybe the defense can save them yet, too. (LW: 19)
15 - Shoulda known Nick Foles would ride to rescue at L.A. Memorial Coliseum. But he probably doesn’t have enough time to save Philly’s playoff bacon this year. (LW: 19)
15 - Philadelphia’s injury-riddled secondary has faced 54 passes each of the last two weekends. Dak Prescott threw 54 times against the Eagles on Dec. 9, then Jared Goff fired 54 passes last weekend. The two quarterbacks combined for 79 completions, 794 yards and three touchdowns. But the Eagles also intercepted four passes and split the two games to stay alive in the playoff chase at 7-7. (LW: 18)
15 - Nick Foles started in lieu of the injured Carson Wentz and led the Eagles to an improbable win over the Rams on Sunday Night Football. Next up, a must-win against Houston to keep their playoff hopes alive. (LW: 16)
17 - Will Nick Foles catch fire late in the year like he did last season? And if he did, does it even matter? (LW: 17)
12 - No explanation. (LW: 12)
...
The rankings range from as high as 12 to as low as 17. The most common ranking is 15. The average ranking is 15.0, which is up from last week’s average of 16.6.
The Eagles’ big win over the Rams has them ranked in the top half of the league. Hope is alive in Philadelphia. Beating the Texans at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday will continue to keep the Eagles in the NFC playoff picture. It’ll also move them closer to the top 10 in the rankings.
Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2018/12/19/18148093/nfl-power-rankings-week-16-roundup-eagles-keep-hope-alive-philadelphia-nick-foles-carson-wentz-rams
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7 key things we’ll be watching during Eagles OTA practices
The Philadelphia Eagles’ 2019 OTA practice schedule starts tomorrow on May 21. Tuesday marks the first time we’ll get to see these Birds in their first full practice this offseason. Remember: these drills are designed to be non-contact (no pads allowed), so it’s not quite real football yet, but it’s still better than nothing. Here are some key things we’ll be watching.
UPDATE: NFL Network reports Carson Wentz will have “no limitations for on-field drills during OTAs.”
Duh. There’s no other way to start this list.
It’s currently unclear to what extent Wentz will be participating in Tuesday’s practice. In his rookie minicamp press conference from two weeks ago, Doug Pederson was noncommittal about the starting quarterback’s status.
“Not going to get too specific or detail a lot of the things, but he’s been working. Encouraged by his progress and where he’s at. And just looking forward to the next few weeks with him.”
Wentz is still seemingly recovering from the fractured vertebrae that ended his 2018 season early. Here’s what Pederson originally said about Wentz’s potential recovery period back in mid-December:
“Don’t want to put a timetable on it, but it could be three months possibly.”
That was five months ago.
Wentz missing some spring practices would be far from the end of the world. But any time the team’s franchise quarterback is less than 100%, people are reasonably going to have some level of concern.
The guess here is that Wentz will be participating in practice in some capacity. But I also think the Eagles want to be super extra cautious with him so he’s ready for the actual games that matter.
Still, it’d be nice to see Wentz at 100% sooner than later. The last time he had a full offseason to prepare for the upcoming campaign was 2017, a year in which he nearly won NFL MVP.
If Wentz is limited, it’ll be interesting to see what Nate Sudfeld can do with extended first team reps. There’s obviously pressure on Studfeld to step up as the No. 2 guy with Nick Foles gone.
2 - First look at the new offensive weapons
The Eagles offense was too stagnant at times in 2018 so Howie Roseman went and out and acquired a bunch of new weapons for Wentz in the offseason. It’ll be fun to see the likes of Miles Sanders, DeSean Jackson, Jordan Howard, and JJ Arcega-Whiteside out there on the practice field.
Sanders’ usage will be especially interesting. How big of a role will he have as a rookie? How involved will he be in the passing game?
Eagles fans already know all about Jackson’s capabilities. He’s going to burn some defensive backs in practice. But can Wentz — whenever he’s back on the field — and Jackson get their timing down and get on the same page?
Howard’s physical style isn’t best highlighted in non-contact drills. It’s still be interesting to see just how many reps he gets in relation to Sanders.
JJAW could make for a very fun practice player to watch, especially if the quarterbacks are giving him some jump ball opportunities in the red zone.
How the new guys fit in will be interesting to watch.
3 - Will there be more 12 personnel?!
Earlier this offseason, Doug Pederson said the Eagles’ coaching staff has made a concentrated effort to get more two tight sets involved in the offense. Assuming he’s telling the truth, that’s very smart because 12 personnel helped saved the Eagles’ 2018 season.
I want to take Pederson at face value because 2019 marks the first full offseason where the Eagles know they have two really good tight ends. The team didn’t select Dallas Goedert until late April last year and they didn’t know exactly how much he could contribute as a rookie.
But now they should know that Goedert and Zach Ertz are both studs who deserve a lot of playing time. Goedert showed serious potential last year and he should only improve moving forward. Ertz, meanwhile, is coming off a year in which he broke the NFL record for single-season tight end receptions.
We should be seeing the Eagles utilize a good amount of 12 personnel during spring practices.
4 - The right guard spot
Brandon Brooks isn’t going to participating in OTAs as he recovers from his Achilles injury suffered in January. So, who get the first crack at right guard in his absence?
It could be 2018 sixth-round pick Matt Pryor. Or it could be Stefen Wisniewski. Maybe the Eagles rotate those guys there. Wis offers more experience but Pryor has more upside.
There’s also the possibility the Eagles could move Halapoulivaati Vaitai to guard. Doing so would free up Andre Dillard to get more reps at left tackle, which is the exact spot Pederson said the Eagles want to keep their 2019 first-round pick focused on.
5 - The defensive end rotation
Sadly, Chris Long is retiring. So, how do the Eagles replace him?
Let’s start with what we DO know: the Eagles have a good trio of defensive ends in Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, and Vinny Curry. There’s reason to believe these guys can be more effective in 2019 than 2018 since injuries held them back last season. Barnett’s outlook will be especially interesting to watch; the Eagles seem to be really counting on their 2017 first-round pick to make a big leap in his development. At only 22 years old heading into his third season, he very well could be up to the task.
But what about beyond those three guys? We know Jim Schwartz loves to rotate his pass rushers.
Before we look outward, we must look inward. And by that I specifically mean the interior defensive line. The presence of both Malik Jackson and Timmy Jernigan could result in the Eagles using their ends to play at defensive tackle less often. This configuration could shorten up the defensive end rotation.
Still, what if there are injuries to the ends? The Eagles could suddenly be looking at one of Daeshon Hall, Josh Sweat, Shareef Miller, or Joe Ostman as one of their top three edge rushers. That’s not ideal.
It’s always possible the Eagles could sign a veteran defensive end (Derrick Morgan?) but for now the Eagles can use the spring to evaluate their young guys at that position.
The dark horse to watch at defensive end is Hall. I put him over Sweat on my latest 53-man roster projection. Maybe I’m reading into things too much but I found it interest how Howie Roseman mentioned Hall’s name before Sweat during his post-draft press conference. Also look at this recent article from Dave Spadaro that features three paragraphs on Hall before one shorter one on Sweat. Hall, not unlike Sweat, boasts an elite athletic profile. Hall also doesn’t have the injury history that’s always going to be a concern with Sweat.
Miller and Ostman obviously bear watching as well. The Eagles liked Miller enough to select him with a fourth-round pick. Ostman is a guy that’s drawn a lot of praise from the organization and it’ll be interesting to see if he’s anything more than a good practice player.
The Eagles were able to win a Super Bowl title largely in part because they led the NFL in pressures generated that season. The defensive end position is critical to their team success.
6 - The secondary configuration
There are many questions to be answered in the Eagles’ secondary.
Who is starting at the outside spots? Who’s starting at nickel cornerback? When will Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills be healthy? What position will Avonte Maddox play: corner, nickel, or safety? Can Cre’Von LeBlanc pick up where he left off after playing well down the stretch in 2018? Is Rasul Douglas ready to make the leap as a full-time starter? Is Malcolm Jenkins going to show up to practice? Is Andrew Sendejo going to make the team when he could be cut to preserve a 2020 fourth-round compensatory pick? Can Tre Sullivan step up into the old Corey Graham role?
I thought of all of those before I even got to one of the biggest questions of all: what’s in store for Sidney Jones’ future? Can he stay healthy? How does he fit in?
By re-signing Darby, the Eagles gave themselves a lot of options heading into 2019. The offseason is the time for them to experiment with different combinations and see what works best.
7 - The stock we put into spring performances
It’s fair to wonder how much spring success translates to the regular season.
Sometimes it just doesn’t. Take De’Vante Bausby last year, for example. He looked really good in OTAs but he didn’t even make the original 53-man roster.
I don’t think that final result made Bausby’s spring performance totally irrelevant, though. He was good enough to where he earned the right to battle for first team slot cornerback reps in training camp. Bausby then lost that role after struggling in summer practices and preseason games. But, still, his strong spring allowed him to at least contend for a significant role on the defense.
There could easily be some player(s) who follow in Bausby’s footsteps this offseason. Some guys will look good in the spring and then fade in the sweltering training camp heat. On the flip side, there could also be some guys who build on their spring momentum and take a big step forward in their development heading into the regular season.
Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2019/5/20/18632446/eagles-otas-practice-philadelphia-nfl-things-watch-preview-guide-carson-wentz-miles-sanders-battles
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Double Doink! – Ten Takeaways from Eagles 16, Bears 15
Nick Foles left the field with the lead..
and…..
…this time he won.
Holy mackerel! Holy cow! Holy cannoli! Pick whatever animal or dessert you want; you just can’t write a crazier script than that. I thought for sure we were watching a replay of the 2014 Saints game, a walk-off field goal to knock the Eagles out of the playoffs. The Foles era and the Super Bowl title defense would come to an end at the foot of Cody Parkey, who instead hit the upright AND the crossbar on the final play of the evening. It was a double doink, like that one time the WWF brought out two clowns at the same time to beat the crap out of Crush at Wrestlemania IX.
Seriously though, what a game. The Eagles blew opportunities and made mistakes, namely the pair of interceptions and a couple of dropped picks to go along with a bobbled third-down hand-off and some killer, drive-extending defensive penalties. I thought it was over when Chicago started picking on Avonte Maddox on their fourth-quarter touchdown drive, but “not so fast my friend,” as the great Lee Corso once said. Foles got it done, Doug Pederson just barely out-dueled Matt Nagy, and the Birds got some luck to go their way, which really hasn’t happened too often this season.
It sets up another crack at the Saints in the Superdome, this time with Foles leading the charge. If you like the “underdog” storyline, then this is your type of game. The Birds get their revenge shot and really have nothing at all to lose heading into the divisional round against asshole Sean Payton, who ran up the score in the regular season meeting.
On the flip side, the only thing we’re going to hear about this week is the “Nick Foles vs. Carson Wentz” argument, which I think will continue throughout the summer and into eternity, or as long as 94 WIP and 97.5 the Fanatic are broadcasting.
But for now let’s enjoy the win, beginning with:
1) The final drive
12 plays, 60 yards, 3:52 off the clock.
They started on their own 40 yard line with 4:48 remaining and methodically moved the ball down the field. Foles was 6-9 on the drive with a two-yard touchdown on a pseudo-sprint out that targeted Golden Tate on the goal line.
I wasn’t sure about Doug’s decision to run Darren Sproles twice in the red zone, but some of the other play calls were superb. He and Nagy really started going deep into the playbook in the fourth quarter, and Pederson rolled with this:
play action, deep seam to Alshon Jeffery
pre-snap motion, play action, Foles pressured and incomplete
trips left, fake screen left, fake screen right, RELEASE THE TIGHT END up the right seam (Goedert breaks two tackles)
play action, shallow out to Nelson Agholor, broken tackle, nice pickup
12 personnel, more pre snap motion, Zach Ertz in the middle, difficult catch
Wendell Smallwood left guard for about a yard
empty set, clear out for Agholor, incomplete
jumbo/pistol, motion Jeffery, hit him on seam for first down
Sproles run
Sproles run
Jeffery pre-snap to weakside, incomplete quick out
Foles dash right, Tate touchdown on quick out
A couple of those plays in there just featured huge individual efforts – the Goedert YAC, the Agholor YAC, and that tough catch from Ertz in traffic, the pass thrown almost over his head. Foles hit four different receivers on the drive and two different backs carried the ball. They showed some 12 personnel and some 11 personnel.
My favorite play call was #8, where they lined up Alshon in some sort of pistol/jumbo hybrid look, then motioned him down and threw it to him for about a ten yard gain. I couldn’t rip a clean video of this, because there was a hitch in the stream, so I’ll show you the diagram instead:
Wild stuff. Alshon in the pistol? Two tailbacks running flares? Two tight-ends also running routes? Really cool stuff.
I also swear I saw a Chicago three man rush in there somewhere, which was ridiculous. It could have been on the drive before this one, but still, who rushes three, ever? It should be illegal for Vic Fangio to rush three with the personnel he has.
2) Tipped!
Cody Parkey’s field goal was actually tipped by defensive tackle Treyvon Hester, which nobody realized until something like 45 minutes or an hour after the game.
This was the first clip to make the rounds:
Here’s a frame-by-frame look that clearly shows the Parkey kick was tipped by Treyvon Hester (Hester confirmed to @Bo_Wulf he tipped it). pic.twitter.com/6dOXui7Yyp
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) January 7, 2019
Here’s another good angle, and if you pause it right at eight seconds, the ball does indeed appear to be slightly misdirected to the left:
Watch this video in slow-mo…Treyvon Hester comes up with a huge block off the tip of the fingers forcing the change of trajectory in the kick…wow. #CodyParkey #FLyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/e3jBT3VazL
— Z (@KingZouric) January 7, 2019
I kind of felt bad for Parkey after the game, getting booed off the field and whatnot. But I’m sure most football fans don’t give a shit, since he’s still a millionaire.
3) Offensive success
Some 11 personnel, some 12 personnel, some timely deep shots and penalty flags, plus a few wrinkles here or there. All of that was good enough to win the game.
The Bears came into the postseason allowing 299 yards and 17.7 points per game and the Eagles finished with 300 and 18, so this matchup really played out the way a lot of people thought it would. Philly couldn’t really run the ball but stayed committed to the tune of 23 attempts for 42 yards, which is a 1.8 average. 17 of the Eagles’ 21 first downs took place through the air, two were from penalties, and the other two came on the ground.
Doug’s squad converted six of 13 third down attempts, good for 46.1%, which is 14 percentage points better than what Chicago was allowing on the season. That’s pretty significant. The Bears had only been allowing a 32% success rate on opponent third downs, but the Eagles got some key pickups to move the chains and balance the time of possession.
41 to 22 was the pass/run split, so that’s 65% to 35%, right on the money, which I think is probably where we expected it be. I would not have been surprised to see that number move into the 70% range, considering that they threw it that frequently in the Houston win.
Chicago finished with six tackles for loss and five quarterback hits, but Nick did a great job of taking those hits while getting rid of the ball and he was sacked just once on the evening. The offensive line did a nice job pass protecting against Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, and the rest of the excellent dudes on that line.
Sheil had a good stat about the line:
Eagles have faced Aaron Donald, J.J. Watt and Khalil Mack during their four-game winning streak.
Those three players have combined for a TOTAL of zero sacks and three QB hits against them.
Big credit to the offensive line and coaches for game-planning.
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) January 7, 2019
Bravo, offensive line.
4) Defensive success
They did what they needed to do, which was put the game on Mitch Trubisky’s shoulders.
“Tru” finished 26/43 for 303 yards, a touchdown, and zero interceptions (should have been at least one), so I guess you could probably make an argument that he did enough to win them the game. He made some really nice fourth quarter throws to pick up chunk yardage and get Chicago down the field.
Four things I think the Eagles did well:
showed good discipline with Nagy’s gadgety/bullshit type of plays (which he didn’t seem to rely on as much last night as he did in the regular season)
tackled well (not a lot of whiffs)
limited Trubisky in the scramble and running game
essentially shut down Tarik Cohen until the late kick return
In addition to that, Jordan Howard only carried the ball ten times for 35 yards, so he wasn’t much of a factor. Cohen carried the ball once for zero yards, but the Eagles also limited him to just 3 catches for 27 yards and didn’t allow him to do much in space.
Trubisky took two sacks for 12 yards and ended up with nine ground yards on three carries. Nigel Bradham did a superb job spying him and moving laterally all game long, stuffing a bunch of the east/west stuff Chicago threw at the Eagles.
The only true disappointments you could point to were Maddox (who played well for three quarters) biting on those late double moves, plus the interceptions that were dropped. Allen Robinson was the only guy who did any kind of consistent damage, and the defense kept this game close when the Eagles were having trouble scoring early. Chicago averaged 23.3 points per game in the regular season and the Birds held them to 15 in their own building last night.
5) Drive positioning
In the regular season, the Eagles began their drives, on average, at their own 28 yard line.
For a while last night, the Bears were on top of the Birds with expert field-flipping, and the game finished with the Eagles starting their drives from these points:
own 25
own 1
own 7
own 25
own 32
own 17
own 17
own 26
own 14
own 40
Don’t underestimate the defensive series leading up to the game-winning drive. The Birds forced a three and out, pushed Chicago back two yards, and then got the benefit of a weak, 36 yard punt from Pat O’Donnell. That set up the Eagles with their best field position of the entire night, if you can believe it.
Prior to that drive, the Eagles only started past their season average once. If you add it all up, the Eagles started at their 20 yard line on average last night, which is eight yards deeper than their typical starting point. They really were pinned down a couple of times and did a good job of digging out. The only real nail-biting moment was Smallwood’s escape from what could have been a safety on the second drive.
6) “hey ref, you’re blowing the game”
Officiating items of note:
The Sproles 3rd down run on the third drive: He was stopped about a half-yard short of the marker and was given the first down anyway.
Michael Bennett roughing the passer: obviously he can’t punch the guy in the face, but Kyle Long is grabbing him by the shoulder pads up around the neck area well away from the play, which was corny.
The Avonte Maddox non-interception: pretty straightforward; his elbow touched down out of bounds. Avonte bobbled the first clean look, then ran out of real estate at the sideline.
The helmet to helmet hit on Zach Ertz: obvious contact with helmet, easy call.
The pass interference against Jordan Matthews: correct, Amukamara had him hooked and Matthews couldn’t free up his arm
Golden Tate: felt like he was interfered with on that no-call in the fourth quarter; the linebacker didn’t even turn his head around at all before making contact
The Smallwood two-point conversion: man, that was close.. I’d love to see goal line technology, the kind they use in some soccer leagues, though with all of the bodies in there I’m not sure how accurate the video would be
And then you have the “no clear recovery” ridiculousness before halftime, which still has me scratching my head.
Here is the explanation from the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE:
Instant Replay Casebook, Page 11: pic.twitter.com/2YhK2qT310
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) January 6, 2019
I guess the lesson is this: jump on any loose ball you can find, anywhere on the field, even if the whistle was already blown dead.
7) Auxiliary wins and losses
Here they are:
won time of possession, 30:48 minutes to 29:12 minutes
-2 turnover margin
6-13 on third down (46%)
1-1 on fourth down (game winning score)
allowed Bears to go 5-16 on third down (31%)
lost 8 yards on 1 sack
2-3 success rate in the red zone
3 penalties for 25 yards
They were -2 in turnover margin and found a way to win. I think that was primarily due to the great first-half defense and the way they limited Chicago on third downs. After that string of defensive penalties it was pretty much clean football down the stretch, so they really just executed well in other areas to wipe away the pair of interceptions. This was one of those games similar to a Sixers’ performance, where the turnovers don’t matter because they do well in offensive rebounding, three-point shooting, or a different auxiliary category.
The TOP is a big win as well. Plus-48 seconds doesn’t seem like much of an advantage at all, but Philly and Chicago were both top-three time of possession teams this season on the strength of their run defenses, and the Eagles went on the road and were able to do what they normally do in a difficult environment.
8) Doug’s best call?
I liked his play calls on the final drive and opening drive, particular the way he mixed and matched formations and personnel groupings and varied his under center and shotgun looks to keep Chicago off balance. Maybe he did run the ball too much, but he at least committed to the ground game, which did not allow the Bears to simply tee off in what would have been obvious passing situations. I think that probably helped the offensive line a bit.
One that I didn’t mention earlier was the Smallwood screen on that first drive, the big 22 yard gain that sort of set the tone and allowed them to continue down the field for three points. I honestly thought we might see more of Sproles in the screen game, since that’s something that stood out to me as a Bears’ weakness when I watched the film, just like Mike Mayock.
I also liked the wildcat look on the failed two-point conversion. Nice wrinkle, just about an inch away from success.
9) Doug’s worst call?
I liked the first Smallwood screen, but the one near the goal line was really iffy. I also didn’t really get the delayed handoff to Sproles on that one third down, the bobbled snap. Sometimes you can catch teams off guard with those third down runs, since they think it’s an obvious passing situation, but the Eagles weren’t running the ball for much of anything last night, so that felt risky to me.
The only other thing I disliked was obviously running Sproles twice in the red zone on the final drive. Imagine if the Eagles had lost this game; people would be outraged with those two calls and calling for Doug’s head.
10) The broadcast
Listen, I’m alright with Cris Collinsworth because it at least seems like he gives a shit about his job and shows some natural emotion throughout the course of a game. He seemed pretty dialed-in last night and identified some good X’s and O’s type of things. He did a nice job with the “color” part of color commentary.
Al Michaels was Al Michaels – kind of sleepy and only sort of there, though he did perk up at times. He blessed us with a Chase “Daniels” reference and I also appreciated how he tried make “LeBlanc” sound as French as possible every time he said Cre’Von’s last name. Michaels also had a weird sentence after the LeBlanc pass break-up/non fumble where he jumbled something like five words together. Did you hear that? It sounded like he just mushed an entire sentence into three syllables.
I also appreciate Michaels taking shots at the NFL rulebook and NFL officiating. He’s right, you know. It is easier to understand the Dead Sea Scrolls than whatever is written in that 400 page PDF file.
The only true gripe I had with the broadcast was that there were too many shots of Carson Wentz on the sidelines. Yes, he was the starting quarterback. No, he’s not playing in this current game. We are going to be subjected to 40 million hours of “Foles vs. Wentz” takes in the next five weeks, so I don’t need to see it or hear about it during the national game broadcast. Foles is in the game, so show Nick Foles.
Here’s the thing:
We are only blessed with 20-23 days per year that we can actually watch the Eagles. On the other 341 to 344 days, we just talk about the same shit over and over again, so let’s please keep it to on-field storylines when the game is actually taking place.
Thank you.
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Ramblings: Islanders Injuries; Timo Meier Breakout Potential; Oshie; Hartman – January 8
With bye weeks arriving, the NHL loaded up Sunday’s schedule with 10 games. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, be sure to check which teams are taking the week off and adjust lineups accordingly. Maxing out (or close to maxing out) games played is important, even more so when there are fewer games to pick from.
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Both Josh Bailey and Andrew Ladd missed the Islanders game on Sunday with injuries. We didn’t really get much of an update on either:
Weight on Bailey injury: “Wasn’t horrific news but certainly not good news.” Ladd not long term but out today.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) January 7, 2018
I guess it’s good news that Ladd shouldn’t be out long, though there isn’t much for clarity on Bailey. As soon as we learn anything we will pass it on but with the team off until Saturday, it’s doubtful we get much from the team until then.
For Sunday’s game, Ladd was replaced by Anthony Beauvillier and Alan Quine took Bailey’s spot on the top line. Jordan Eberle took Bailey’s spot on the top PP unit.
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Sebastian Aho (Islanders defenceman) got his first two career points on Sunday including his first career goal. He was also paired with Nick Leddy at five-on-five for the entire game and even got some power-play minutes on the second unit. He didn’t crack the 20-minute mark but it’s worth tracking his usage once the Islanders come off the bye. They need all the defensive help they can get and with the team fighting for a playoff spot, maybe they rely on Aho more than they had anticipated initially.
He was sent down to the AHL but it’s due to the bye week. I suspect he’ll be back up when the team returns to action this weekend.
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Quick update on the other Sebastian Aho:
Canes GM Ron Francis says Aho is day-to-day with lower body injury.
— Chip Alexander (@ice_chip) January 7, 2018
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As far as rookies go, I don’t think too much was expected of Nolan Patrick. Unlike Nico Hischier, who was given (you could say earned) the top-line role once Adam Henrique was traded, or Clayton Keller, who is probably the best offensive player Arizona has, or Brock Boeser, whose shooting was lauded by some, Patrick seemed destined to not be featured on this particular roster in this particular season. Maybe he could slot in as the second-line centre, but that wasn’t a given.
All that said, it’s hard not to be disappointed with his season. Going into Sunday afternoon’s game, he had just eight points on the year and at times had been a healthy scratch. His shot rate isn’t very good though that should improve over the years. He’s also last among the team’s forwards in adjusted shot share by a pretty wide margin. Again, that’s not too surprising for a rookie, but you’d think with sheltered competition and favourable zone starts that he’d be a little better in this regard. He hasn’t been.
We know that not all young players develop in a straight line. Some guys like Keller come out guns blazing. Some guys like Victor Hedman can take a few years to really hit their stride. There hasn’t been too much good to come out of Patrick’s rookie season, though. I want to ask his dynasty owners: is there any sort of panic setting in, and for those who don’t own him, are you trying to trade for him?
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While on the subject of Flyers centres, Sean Couturier scored goals 22 and 23 of the season for him in the team’s 4-1 win against Buffalo. He’s on pace for more goals this year (45) than his previous career-high in points (39).
It has been a remarkable offensive season from Couturier, but please exercise some caution. He’s now shooting an even 18 percent on the year. His previous career-high was 11.7 percent, and was a career 9.4 percent shooter coming into 2017-18. Yes, he’s shooting nearly double what his career rate was. I am not saying that with better line mates and more ice time (he’s well over 21 minutes a game) that he can’t be a good offensive player. I am definitely saying that I wouldn’t rely on him to push, or break, the 40-goal barrier on a regular basis.
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Don’t forget the Dobber Hockey Mid-Season Guide will be out later this week! Grab the information you need for the home stretch in your fantasy hockey leagues. Just follow this link here.
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Andre Burakovsky was back in the lineup for the Caps after being scratched for a couple games. He was slotted on the fourth line with Jay Beagle and Alex Chiasson where he stayed for the game, playing under 11 minutes.
The Caps have three games this week and then their bye week comes. Maybe Burakovsky can work his way up the lineup, but if it takes him a couple games to do so, he won’t have much use on redraft fantasy hockey rosters for the next couple weeks. I wouldn’t be running to the waiver wire to add him unless you don’t really need production from a roster spot for a few weeks.
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Now that Timo Meier is seemingly sticking around the top line for San Jose, it’s probably time to start taking his value in redraft leagues seriously. Over his past 20 games, before Sunday afternoon’s tilt – which haven’t all been on the top line, mind you – he’s managed 51 shots and is playing about 15:30 per game.
The following chart from Hockeyviz.com should be taken with a little grain of salt. He’s played nearly one-third of his ice time with Joe Thornton and that’s going to skew things a little. All the same, it’s pretty crazy how good this team has been offensively from dangerous areas with Meier on the ice (red is good):
Since being a top-10 pick a few years ago, Sharks fans have been waiting for Meier to be part of the next generation of top-end scorers the team needs. It looks like it’s finally starting to happen. If you were going to try and buy him in deep keepers, or dynasties, then time is running out. It seems a matter of time before a full-blown breakout hits (even without top PP minutes).
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Jack Roslovic suited up for his second career game, first this season, in Sunday’s game against San Jose. He was on the fourth line with Marko Dano and Matt Hendricks.
It’s nice to see Roslovic get in the lineup, and he did take Adam Lowry’s spot on the top PP unit as well, but it’ll be hard to have a lot of value playing in the bottom-six with the minutes he got (under eight). We’ll see if his role changes this week but like Burakovsky, the Jets have three games and then hit their bye, so I wouldn’t pull a hamstring running to the waiver wire to grab him in one-year leagues.
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St. Louis was in Washington on Sunday afternoon and Brayden Schenn was split away from Vladimir Tarasenko. We’ve seen this happen in sporadic spurts this year, but this seemed inevitable. The team hadn’t scored more than three goals in any one contest for 13 straight games.
This kind of sucks for Schenn, but keep in mind that Tarasenko can produced with just about anyone; he scored 40 goals in 2015-16 playing about half his minutes with Jori Lehtera. I wouldn’t be too concerned about Tarasenko’s production outside of the concerns we already had (namely shooting percentage). In fact, both he and Schenn scored in the team’s overtime loss.
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Florida may have lost in the shootout, but we got this goal from Sasha Barkov, so maybe it was worth it?
Barkov shootout goal: pic.twitter.com/FP5ySXif69
— Cats On The Prowl (@Cats0ntheprowl) January 8, 2018
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TJ Oshie was taken off the top line for the Caps early in the second period in their game against St. Louis and replaced by Devante Smith-Pelly. Oshie was moved to the third line with Lars Eller and Brett Connolly.
It has been a rough year for Oshie production-wise. His 82-game pace for goals this year is 26, which isn’t bad out-and-out bad, but there are red flags. His shots per game is down to 1.86, the lowest for him since his rookie year, and that’s despite playing slightly more per game (18:47) than his career average (18:37). It’s not that his shots aren’t just finding the net, either: his 8.99 shot attempts per 60 minutes at five-on-five (before Sunday’s game) is by far the lowest of his career (10.75 last year and 10.78 in 2013-14). In fact, of out 247 forwards with at least 400 minutes played, he’s 232nd in shot rate. He was never a volume shooter, but he was 169th out of 234 forwards last year. Not great, but a lot better than 2017-18. The names at the bottom of the list with Oshie this campaign are basically passers and grinders. Oshie is neither, so this is a problem.
There have been talks of injuries and he did suffer a concussion last month. Maybe there’s something wrong that we don’t know about. All I know is that playing nearly 19 minutes a game, shooting nearly 17 percent, and having an 82-game pace of 26 goals as a goal scorer isn’t great. Shooting percentage regression was inevitable, but his shot rate is becoming a real problem.
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Ryan Hartman remained on the second line in Chicago’s 4-1 win against Edmonton while also sticking on the top PP unit. He had an assist, three shots on goal, and played a whopping 20:58. His previous single-game high for minutes this year was 18:36 on New Year’s Eve.
He's not shooting as much as he has in prior seasons, but he’s still at a very healthy 15.85 attempts per 60 minutes at five-on-five, in the same neighbourhood has guys like Auston Matthews, Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Seguin, and Mike Hoffman. Remember, he scored 19 goals in 76 games last year playing fewer than 13 minutes a game. If he can play anywhere from 17-18 minutes a game, in the role he’s being given, there is very good offensive upside here. With a top-six spot and top power-play minutes, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be rostered in 12-team leagues by now, especially now that we’re hitting bye weeks.
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There was a scary situation in the Tampa Bay game as Lightning defenceman Dan Girardi went down to a knee to block a one-timer and took it straight off the back of his head:
A better look at Girardi trying to block a Frk shot pic.twitter.com/uvZoay8vve
— Prashanth Iyer (@iyer_prashanth) January 8, 2018
He was down for a few minutes but skated off the ice under his own power. He did not return to the game but the Lightning indicated that he would be ok. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious.
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Boone Jenner had seven shots on goal in Columbus’s 3-2 shootout win over Florida, but failed to hit the scoresheet. He’s now shooting 4.4 percent on the season.
Jenner was a career 11.3 percent shooter before this season so there is clearly a lot of bad luck going on here. He’s still usually getting 18 minutes of ice time so John Tortorella still trusts him. He’s very valuable in multi-cat leagues and he should be able to turn around that shooting percentage in the second half.
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Pavel Buchnevich was a healthy scratch for the Rangers in their game against the Golden Knights. I don’t know how to explain this, honestly, and can’t properly express myself without a string of expletives so I’ll just let it go for now.
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Hey, Karl Alzner had a multi-point game! He scored his first of the year against Vancouver and assisted on Brendan Gallagher’s game-winner in the third. It was Alzner’s first multi-point game in which he scored since March of 2015. His contract is an utter disaster but this was a nice game for him. So, silver linings and all.
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Boston’s top line is seriously rolling right now. David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand both scored for Boston in their 6-5 overtime loss to the Penguins on Sunday night, each their 17th goal of the season. I guess they were tired of being tired with Patrice Bergeron at 16 goals. The three of them have 10 goals combined over the last four games.
A couple games ago they were on the ice for their first goal against at five-on-five this year but it’s incredible how good they are.
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Sidney Crosby had three assists in that win, bringing his season up to 15 goals and 43 points in 44 games. It wasn’t long ago – literally like four days – that people were still freaking out about his season. There’s still half a season left and a lot of regression to go. Buckle up.
from All About Sports http://www.dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-islanders-injuries-timo-meier-breakout-potential-oshie-hartman-january-8/
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2012? More like 2017. But it wasn’t all bad.
Ever feel like you’re living in the future? It wasn’t so long ago that life was drastically different on a day to day level. What is an Uber? Who had ever heard of smart phones? You need to meet me in person for a date?
The world has changed. It’s a very different place to when I grew up, and even further removed from the world my parents grew up in. But we assimilate that change, little by little, until we take it as commonplace. But think back 5 years. What’s the difference? Does it really feel that different?
The age old interview question of “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” is something I avoid. I have no idea. I can obviously make a guess, but it’s 99.9% a wrong guess, so I try not to bother. But I ask myself “Where was I 5 years ago?” to gain perspective on myself and where I’m at, and where I’m going. 2017 was a year I think a lot of people didn’t see coming.
But I’m not here to talk about other people. Well, not many of them at any rate. This is about me and my dual identities, and where we’re going in 2018. Some of you have been along for the ride for a long while now, and some have just boarded the train. Here’s a bit about me, 2017 and where I’m going.
My name is Four Court Jester, and I’m an entertainer.
Streaming as a profession wasn’t for me
This was a tough year for FCJ. After quitting MOBAFire (on good terms) full time in 2016 and shifting to VainGlory and streaming, I discovered something about myself that you may or may not of guessed: I hate to be forced to stream. I’ve always used streaming as an escape with my gaming, and it’s always been on the side, always been part and parcel to my need for gaming, but as soon as it got into the spotlight, the joy of it virtually vanished.
I think what I enjoyed streaming most this year was Dropzone, a 1v1 (now 3v3) mini RTS game. It was really fun for me, as I’ve always had an RTS background, but micro managing three units to perfection became a bit of an addiction. The developers reached out and I got my own portrait in-game, got to commentate with their official casters on their official stream, and even played in my first ever tournament where my team and I finished 3rd, winning ~$80 CAD. Unfortunately, Dropzone suffered massive layoffs and the game still is looking for success, so it was not a game for me to stake my career on.
Too many factors against VainGlory
VainGlory had initially been a pleasure to cast, but the surrounding political sphere, age range of the average pro, the Twitter drama and the fact that I have to play it on a phone all chipped away at my personal enjoyment. Commentating and playing usually have to go hand in hand, and when I stopped playing or streaming it, my commentating suffered, thus why I departed the scene.
This wasn’t a snap decision, but I had steadily been suffering in my enjoyment of the game since the World Finals last year in Hollywood. I alerted Super Evil Mega Corp to my pending decision in January, and stuck it out for one more season. It just wasn’t enough to keep me in, and I wish them luck with their 5v5 mode coming out next year.
Killing time here and there
Since I departed VainGlory, I haven’t actively been involved in any game to a large degree. This is mostly a personal issue, as I haven’t really found a new game to call home because I don’t really seem to enjoy most games out right now.
I still play World of WarCraft a few times a week with my guild <The Crimson Cross>, and I am forever thankful for my guildies and the warm atmosphere we’ve cultivated. We’re not pro, we’re not the bleeding edge of raiding, but we do progress, we get shit done, and we enjoy ourselves doing it. We also play a bunch of other games together as well, really making it a wholesome community.
Future works
I am currently evaluating 2018 on a commentary level and will likely be dipping my toes into some game or another fairly soon. I love to practice the craft, but I need a medium I enjoy to bring out my best. Fortnite is the best front-runner so far; game really does have a unique charm and flair to it. I know people will likely counter with PUBG, and that’s fine. We all have our own preferences.
All in all, the year was fairly quiet as an entertainer. The year was far harsher for me as a person.
My name is Shaun Delaney, and I’m a developer.
A New Year begun!
2017 started off fantastically for me. I was in a committed relationship, was living with friends that I cherished (mostly), and was living the dream commentating for a living. That’s what I remember thinking when the clock struck midnight and the year began. It didn’t last.
My month to month wasn’t bad
Low overhead, good friends, a great girlfriend and life changing decisions were being made in the first quarter of the year. It was possibly the happiest I’d been in years, and this time in my life will be remembered very fondly for years to come. My travelling had slowed down since VainGlory shifted to a Unified structure, but it wasn’t bad being home more often.
Gym life
My roommate Ted had introduced me to gym life in 2016, to which I still frequent, and I was finally starting to change my body image. The love and support from everyone on that decision was mind blowing, and kept me going strong.
Now, I’ve never considered myself “fat” or a large person in any regard, but as the year progressed, I got many comments and compliments about the change to my physique. It’s amazing what we can turn a blind eye to, even unintentionally. I think the biggest, and most startling, change for me was my energy levels. Ever since University I had combated insomnia and wildly fluctuating sleep patterns. But working out not only helped me harness my energy, it gave me a semblance of a pattern to follow.
I’ll always be indebted to Ted to getting me into the gym.
How to fill the time
With the decision to leave VainGlory after the Unified Live Championships, I knew I would have to fill the time somehow. I’ve alluded to this in my previous blog post, but as a developer, I’ve been hard at work on a new platform that some of you will be interested in. To summarize, I’ve filled the hours with coding for esports. It’s not the same as being on camera, but it’s actually a nice fit for me due to my perspective. More on this, if you are interested, in my next article where I’ll outline more specifics.
The fall. It’s way harder to roll with it when you don’t see it coming
It was just before Father’s day that I was broken up with by my girlfriend. A few of us were looking to change up our living situation due to some relations that had gone south, and were looking for housing. Out of the blue, I was broken up with. I’ve done a lot of introspection and reflection on this, but ultimately, I didn’t handle it well.
I was making changes in my life. I went from being busy all the time with travel, streaming, commentating and coding to just the coding. I was unconsciously trying to free up time to be with her and my friends more, and when I got knocked flat on my ass like this, all the free time became poisonous. I essentially stopped. For two straight months, June and July will forever be dead zones of productivity for me.
The silver lining is that exercise had become a bit of a temple for me when I need to clear my thoughts. I exercised a lot this period. But that’s basically all I did. I couldn’t summon the courage to do anything that reminded me of her. I ignored Twitter, neglected my coding, quit Overwatch, and Guild Wars 2 will forever be poisoned.
Ted helped me through this period a lot. Still helping me, in some ways. My now ex dropped out of the housing situation, but the remainder of us found a place (where I currently type this post) and life moved on. This story isn’t unique in any way, as there were many examples of people going through the same situations, but as I was forced to change my world, I learned a lot about myself.
So how does it end?
I finally got my shit together in November. Mostly. December is really when I started to make the climb out of the pit of despair I had made for myself. But in November, the demand for coding lured me back into productivity, and now am on the verge of being a CEO to something that I think will really do the streaming scene a lot of good.
January 1st, 2017 I never thought I’d be single again. I knew it wouldn’t be all roses, and there would be bumps along the way, but rekindling the passion for one’s self is definitely an experience. I knew I wasn’t staying in VainGlory, but didn’t expect to be still looking for a new game a year later.
Now, with January 1st, 2018 coming into view, I see 2018 as a big chance to grow personally. I’ve always alluded to running my own company in the past, but now I have the chance to do it. I’m scared to death for 2018, but have a great supporting cast of friends to help me do this. I will persevere.
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