#and it's in no way shape or form as easy as just taking manny out

[pynkhues]

I get your thoughts about what retta said, but it’s just that she is fall out wrong for blaming Manny. That’s not how network tv works. They don’t just cancel a show because 1 side character won’t take a pay cut or renew his contract. That person gets replaced or written off. I grew up in the industry and Good Girls had been looming on the cancellation needle since season 2. It was supposed to get canceled after season 3, but the pandemic gave them a Hail Mary. They were down 20% in viewership from season 3 after an increased budget so of course it was going to get cancelled. That’s basic tv math. Just because the 3 main leads were willing to take a pay cut and have a shorter final season doesn’t guarantee that NBC or Netflix will agree during the negotiations. The real culprit for the show getting canceled is the poor writing, but everyone knows that if you try to blame production you get blackballed. If your show isn’t making networks money then you get the axe plain and simple.

I appreciate your opinion, and I agree on some points, but I really do disagree on others.

Look, quite frankly, I've deliberately not been wanting to wade into this conversation. I'm more out than in with the GG fandom these days, and when I do engage, I'd rather talk about things I enjoyed than get embroiled in a year(s)-old drama.

So I'll say this: I agree with you that Manny wasn't the sole reason for cancellation, but I disagree that he wasn't a core part of it.

The show had already been cancelled by NBCUniversal and it was being picked up by Netflix who's notoriously cheap and usually operates on backend deals - something I know, because I also grew up in the industry (both my parents are producers, and my sister works in costume); sure, I know it's different in Australia, but not that different.

While it shouldn't have been, pretending Manny and Christina's chemistry wasn't a huge draw for the show is silly, and to pretend the network and Netflix didn't know that is even sillier. We saw that all the time with how they played into it and utilised Manny as a core part of promo, so to pretend his departure wouldn't have changed things feels like willingly turning a blind eye.

On top of that, Netflix already had world rights to Good Girls. NBCU was the production company + US distributor, and Netflix had literally the rest of the world. I cannot emphasise this enough: this is a shit deal for producers. It used to be the case that a show made in America like, say, Friends, would balance production budgets based on territory sales. In other words, every individual country Friends sold to would pay for it, and the producers would use that to fund production of the show. Due to the increased stranglehold of 'international' aka American streamers, they're becoming their own world distributors which is great for the streamers and for capitalism, but terrible for production companies, the artists who work on them (it's why no one gets paid residuals anymore), and actually terrible for countries too as Netflix loves not paying tax, but that's a whole other issue.

Basically you no longer get paid per territory. You just sell to Netflix, who can pay you whatever the hell they want.

And like I said, Netflix pays like shit, and usually only pays after the show's been made. They very, very rarely outlay cost in advance, which means producers have to find that money elsewhere to cashflow production.

What I suspect happened was Netflix renewed on a drastically reduced budget that required cuts from the production to the cast to the writing, and were likely only paying at the back what NBCU used to pay up front. This alone was probably already making s5 precarious, and then when Manny pulled out - something that would've required the re-write of a series that had seemingly been drafted already aka sent the writers back to the writer's room resulting in more time and more writing fees, delayed production and contract extensions across the board aka cashflow problems because they have to be in production for Netflix to pay, the budget became unworkable.

In that sense, Manny alone isn't the 'reason', but he's a part of a broader problem that meant production fell through.

Yes, I agree the series was on the bubble for years - in fact, I'd argue since s1, not s2, but I disagree the reason for cancellation was bad writing. If shows got canned for bad writing, Riverdale would've ended a long, long time ago.

Production is a lot more complicated than any one actor, I agree, but to pretend Manny could be written out easily negates a much larger picture.

I think s5 was a house of cards, and Manny was an ace of hearts flicked out, and so the whole thing came tumbling down, and I still don't blame Retta for being upset about that, just like I don't blame Manny for saying no.

The fact that so many people are still big mad about aspects of this show in the tag when they didn't even work on it - - you think they'd understand her being upset about this one when she did.

#producers do not actually get enough credit for the volume of work tha they do #and managing production budgets is insane work #and it's in no way shape or form as easy as just taking manny out #which you should probably know if you grew up in the industry #fuck it i'll tag this one #nbc good girls #welcome to my ama #gg asks

[septiembrre]

tagged by the lovely @mego42

A Bit of a Stretch -- the backstory

1. @pynkhues gave me “accidentally knocking your head into someone’s chin + playfully biting someone” from an OTP/physicality prompt list. 

2. I sat with the idea for a couple days. While, I sat on it, I tackled 2 other prompts that absolutely helped me warm up. My first thought had been some sort of domestic scene by a cabinet? And, it just sounded so boring. I didn’t want to write that. 

3. I think the yoga scene had to have percolated from it being Sophie who sent me the prompt. She had already written a yoga scene a while back: Child’s Pose. And honestly, that one had done it for me for the trope? I had never thought I would want to write a yoga scene. I actually remember thinking the first time I read it, “thank god flashindie wrote this b/c this is the content we deserve to see.” 

4. But, hello! Now we’re in this pandemic and I was feeling nostalgic about my heated yoga studio so, all of a sudden... it spilled forth. I wrote it in a matter of hours and posted it later that day. While I had imposed a 24 hr writing turnaround with this prompt series, now I do wish I could go back and tidy it up a bit. I want to add more details to the yoga studio.

5. From the beginning, I was sure that Rio was going to be the one to get hurt. Muahahahaha. He’s never the one who gets the concussions in our fics and I liked writing him being caught unawares. 

6. Manny has a cute little chin dimple like Christina and I wanted that to spend sometime focusing on that, y’know the important things. 

7. I think I got like one paragraph into the fic describing yoga from Beth’s POV and then I got bored. I had just written a few of her POVS back to back with the other prompts that week and it quickly dawned on me whose voice should be telling Stretch. This is the first and only time I’ve ever done Rio POV but it was really easy. I need to figure out what other stories I want him to tell! 

Additional author’s notes:

1. I think Rio could be like a lit nerd y’know in his own way. When I was in high school, a couple of the boys I was friends with really liked when we went read Edith Hamilton’s Mythology so I gifted him that.

2. I also just found out that Aphrodite was in fact the goddess of war before she was misconstrued into a love goddess. Now I want to write a coda where Rio settles on Aphrodite as Beth’s alter-goddess. 

3. I just really like to think about Rio fantasizing about Beth in her every day life -- not boss Beth, not Beth especially trying to be a hottie -- but domestic Beth. Ever since Manny gave that interview where he described Rio as being fascinated by her world... That just lives rent free in my brain and I like to try to find ways to tug at it and shape it so that it doesn’t just reinforce gender norms, but makes it a little... funny. I think Rio would take a lot of pleasure in living with Beth, and I like him being self-aware about it. 

4. And then if we’re talking about Beth’s world, we do have to talk about her whiteness and general passing privileges. Yoga felt like a fun way to do it. 

5. But, our collective boy crush, is bougie as fuck so you know he’d be into some heated studio nonsense. Like, you know in the sequel he’s going to be a regular at the gong baths. Like, he thinks he’s cool, but lol have y’all heard of Onnit? I can totally see him being into the kettlebells and the mace. So extra. 

6. “Detroit, so far from Mexico and so close to being the fucking North Pole.” This line is inspired by the famous saying, “Mexico, so far from God and so close to the United States.” I took pleasure in the power reversal. <3

tagging:

@joeyjoeylee - Both Sides of The Law

@sothischickshe - do you like drugssss 

@mego42 - swaying evergreens (is it rude to re-tag you?)

rules/q’s/meme backstory:

recently I have become really fascinated with fanfic authors and what exactly was rumbling around in their brain that inspired a fic?

Was it a line of dialogue you couldn’t get out of your head?

A scene you wrote WAY in advance and then crafted the whole story around?

An image in your mind?

Inspiration from another form of media?

Maybe someone suggested something to you and it just TOOK off from there?

What is the cornerstone of this fic -what is it all built around? The idea that started it all?

Tag an author & their fic. Let’s hear about what sparked your story. What exactly got your booty movin’ shakin’ motivated and writin’ ?

#my writing

[musekicker]

A short Christmas flavored Fenro drabble. 

December was here. The weather was getting ever colder. Cold enough that the first snow fall of the year had come  Evidence of this were on Fenton's coat shoulders as he came into the lab. The snow flakes were quickly melting in the warm lab and the cold was in Fenton's limbs were finally ebbing away.

In his arms he carried three, foil covered plates carefully balanced on each other.

"Sorry i'm a little late. Snow made things a little slippery on the roads." Fenton said.

Gyro didn't glance up from his work as he replied.

"Good thing I don't drive. I don't have to worry about the roads later." Gyro said.

"Please tell me you're not planning on sleeping here in the lab again." Fenton said.

"No promises." Gyro said.

Fenton frowned. Gyro could sense the frown without even looking up.

"Okay, okay. I won't sleep in the lab again. Only because you care about that." Gyro said in a softer tone.

That was enough for Fenton. Normally if Gyro said it he kept his promise. With that worried handled Fenton moved on to the next topic.

"Oh,I bring gifts!" Fenton cried.

Gyro glanced up from his work finally, a look of curiosity on his face.

"It's not even Christmas yet. That's not for two more weeks. Why are you bringing gifts?" Gyro asked ,placing his tools down to walk over to Fenton.

Fenton placed the plates down onto a nearby table.

"Maybe the word gift is too strong? More like treats. Either way, I'm giving out stuff now because I won't have as much time to make stuff before holiday family stuff pops up. Oh, Gyro, M'ma wants to know if you have any food allergies for the holiday dinner." Fenton said.

"No food allergies." Gyro said.

"Good. I'll let M'ma know. Now where was I? Oh right, the treats."

Fenton moved to remove the foil on the plates. The foil came away easy and the cookies were revealed. Most of the cookies were small, simple shapes like stars and stockings. But in the middle of each plate was a larger cookie. The larger cookies were in the shape of and decorated to look like Gyro, Lil' Bulb, and Manny.

"Did you make these?" Gyro asked.

"Yes. I don't bake all that often but I know enough to make good cookies and basic decorations." Fenton said.

"Is that suppose to be me?" Gyro asked, looking at the Gyro cookie a little closer.

Fenton grinned.

"Yup. I made one of Manny and Lil's bulb too." Fenton said.

And so he did. On the other two plates were cookies made to look like Manny and Lil' Bulb. Lil' Bulb bulb blinked rapidly in happiness at the sight of the cookie.

The Lil' Bulb cookie was shaped like Lil' Bulb's, bulb, yellow icing on the edges as a border and shaping the filament in the bulb.

The Manny cookie had actually been easier to make. Mcduck enterprises did sell Scrooge Mcduck cookie cutters oddly enough. And with Manny's face being a stone version of Scrooge's face, all he had to really do was as in grey icing to flood the cookie and some more icing to make the details seem more solid.

Manny was the first to inspect his cookie closer. He tapped his hoof rapidly. As far as Gyro and Fenton knew it wasn't so much something he was trying to say rather then a form of expression.

"You can't even eat the cookie you know." Gyro said to Manny.

Manny tapped out "Don't care, I love it. It's mine, back off."

Lil' Bulb looked just as happy with his cookie likeness, despite not being able to eat the cookie either. He held it carefully like it was a precious and delicate treasure.

Gyro looked closer at his own cookie. Mostly icing except for the jelly bean eyes and the gumdrop that had been cut in a way that made it resemble a beak.

It was a sweet and time consuming gesture, Gyro realized. It seemed since he and Fenton started dating that he noticed how full of sweet gestures Fenton really was. It was just Fenton's way.

Old Gyro would not had noticed or cared. Gyro now however was moved. And he felt now that he needed to pay back that sweetness with an just as sweet and well meaning action.

And looking at the Gyro cookie, it gave Gyro a idea.

A week later Fenton stepped into the lab. Almost immediately Fenton noticed how quiet it was in here. Normally he hear the noises of tools being used or heavy parts being moved. Instead it was eerily quiet.

"Gyro? Anyone?" Fenton called out.

No answer. Fenton shrugged and took his coat off so that he could get down to work.

Gyro showed up a half hour later. He was panting, obviously having hurried to the lab. In one hand he held a small plate.

"Sorry i'm late." Gyro gasped.

"No, it's fine. Just unusual. I don't think I've come to the lab before you got here." Fenton said.

Gyro shrugged off his coat as he placed a plate down on the table. He was clearly a little frazzled. He had to be, not use to not being the first one here.

"I lost track of time. That happens when I get involved in a project." Gyro explained.

This was true. More then once Gyro had spent time working on project and needed to be told when the clock was showing that it was time to stop work and head home. It was just Gyro's way. Perhaps not the most healthy of habits. And Fenton was working on trying to get Gyro to take on better self care habits.

If Gyro was taking on projects at home, helping out may be harder.

"What were you working on?" Fenton asked.

"Baking, actually." Gyro said.

That made Fenton curious.

"Really? Sorry if I sound so surprised. I just never thought you the type to take on baking." Fenton said.

Gyro rubbed the back of his neck a little.

"No, you're right Never really had the time to even think of trying baking before. But I had this idea in mine and... to be honest, baking requires a lot of measurements and reactions. So it was actually easier to do then I thought it would be." Gyro said.

"It does require some science, yes." Fenton said with a smile. "So, what did you make?"

Gyro froze up a moment. A twinge of fear and possible regret. His hands found their way to the edge of the table and he gripped the edges.

"I made something. When you brought in those cookies I thought that it was very sweet. Then I thought it was sad you didn't have your own cookie."

Gyro paused a moment, nodding towards the plate.

"It's not my best." Gyro said.

That was unusual to hear from Gyro. He was not the type to down play his talents. Fenton opened his beak to say something. Gyro moved to take the tin foil off the plate first.

Now the treat was revealed.

The cookie looked as if it had seen better days. The cookie was topped with what Fenton assumed was a form of royal icing. Though the thickness of it was off.

The facial features looked as if they had been sliding off the cookie at one point. Actually, now that he looked closer he could see one of the eyes still kind of sliding.

Fenton had an slight idea of what might had went wrong.

"Did you try to decorate the cookie while it was still warm?" Fenton asked.

Gyro nodded.

"I didn't have a lot of time to wait for the cookie to cool down. Lesson learned, cookies take longer to put together and bake, much less to, decorate then I thought." Gyro said.

Fenton looked down at the cookie again. It didn't look any better at second viewing. In fact, one of the eyes were close to sliding off the cookie entirely. Only the grace of slightly tacky icing was keeping it in place for the moment.

"It's a normal mistake for people who work with baking decorations for the first time. The cookie was so warm it melted everything." Fenton explained.

"Now I find that out. Makes sense when you bring it up." Gyro grumbled. "Sorry it's a mess. It looked better in my head."

"Gyro, I just appreciate that you tried. That means a lot more to me then how well a decorated cookie looks." Fenton said.

Fenton looked down at the cookie again, one of the candy eyes having just fallen off and clattered on the floor.

"It has um... character, besides." Fenton said.

Gyro laughed.

"Character. That's the nice way of saying it looks like it got into a fight with someone and lost." Gyro said.

Fenton smiled.

"It's still character. No one else could get the same effect you get." Fenton said.

Gyro laughed again.

"This is a disaster, isn't it? Like I said, baking is a science. Decoration on the other hand is a art.. and I am not an artist." Gyro said.

"It was a good first attempt in my opinion." Fenton said.

"Now you're just being nice." Gyro said.

"It's not like you decorated a cookie ever before. And besides, I'm sure it tastes fine." Fenton said.

Fenton went to take a bite out of the cookie. Gyro watched. Fenton. He half expected the cookie to taste as terrible as it looked. And that Fenton would be spitting cookie out onto the floor any moment.

He did not. Fenton only swallowed the bite of cookie and grinned.

"Okay, the decoration was... rough. But hey, it still tastes good. Which is important too." Fenton said.

Gyro's shoulders relaxed.

"Of course, what's more important is that you thought of me and took the time to make the cookie. That was sweet." Fenton said.

Placing the rest of he cookie back onto the plate , Fenton went up on tip toe and leaned upwards to kiss Gyro. Gyro leaned down to make the action a little easier and wrapped his arms around Fenton's waist.

They stayed that way for a bit before finally stepping back from each other.

"Want some of the cookie?" Fenton asked.

"No, that's yours. Besides, I think we still have some of the cookies you baked last week since you and me are the only ones who actually eat in this lab." Gyro said.

The cookies were delicious and gone by the end of the night.

#ducktales #fenro

[dumb-dumb-mander]

5, 7 and 10 for appearance asks ~🍃💚

Hello ! Thanks to pass by !

5. do they have any scars? how did they get them?

Well, that will be a long one

Mikhail has a lot of scars, all form and shape

He got them in fights because he's reckless and has the tendency to take damages with his body instead of his weapons

Most of them are barely noticeable because of his bark (until he glows), but there is a big one he just can't hide

I need to redo the charactersheet one day...

The leaves on his left arms are gone, ripped off by a strong enemy when he was still a sapling ; he thought he was strong enough to beat the Champion War Beast in Gendarra Field alone

He managed to run away to save his life. His arm was so damaged that he even envisaged to cut it off to regrow an arm back─ He heard it was a thing... !

Mikhail is still so reckless, but his bark is harder nowadays and yes, he did come back later when he was stronger to get his revenge

7. how would you describe their sense of style?

Mikhail has none. Comfortable, hide his butt but show his glow.

I usually describe him as a "forest Gremlin that comes out from the forest after a nap"

Everytime he needs or tries to wear something more ✨distinguished ✨ he has the sensation to look like a clown. The fact that he's chubby make it difficult too I'm looking at you Herald of Aurene outfit

.

Mannis always search for something pretty, sexy and easy to push on the side for the fun~ So basically, something pretty but handy

10. what is their favorite part of their own appearance?

His horns and eyes. That's all what Mikhail appreciates in his appearance.

Mannis on the other hand loves his whole body. He knows his fat booty is a +1 to attract some being─ and also a good airbag to protect... ! His chubby belly is perfect for cuddles, it's way more comfortable for others and also a good grip for fun time~

#ask game reply #guild wars 2 #gw2

[junker-town]

Why chiseled boxers lose, and flabby boxers win

Getty Images

Why chiseled boxers lose, and flabby boxers win.

It was a meeting of two diametric body types: the impeccably chiseled vs. the swollen flab of the aesthetically aloof. An experiment to determine what a real fighter should look like.

There was James Toney, the short guy who’d eaten his way out of the 160-pound division up to a rotund 217 pounds. Once referred to by HBO broadcaster Jim Lampley as a “fat tub of goo,” Toney’s body was soft, with a paunch that peeked over his trunks, and a waistline that threatened to jailbreak his butt crack from his ever-lowering shorts. By conventional standards, he didn’t look like much of a fighter.

And there was Evander Holyfield, the heavyweight division’s elder statesman who, at 41, was still a physical marvel. As he grew older and bigger, his neck got shorter and thicker, slowly consumed by sloping trapezius muscles. His shoulders became cannonballs and his weightlifter chest deepened and expanded like armour. He resembled the marble statues of ancient Greece, or perhaps more notably, the copiously oiled bodybuilder bulk of Rocky Balboa.

Holyfield had also begun his career as a much smaller man. Unlike Toney, he worked up to the heavyweight ranks seeking greater glory and fortune. To help, Holyfield’s manager, Lou Duva, sought out Tim Hallmark, a fitness guru who would forge Holyfield’s body into what some purists considered a gaudy display of the human form.

Hallmark was first hired to help Holyfield prepare for cruiserweight champ Dwight Muhammed Qawi. After Holyfield won, Hallmark was asked to make the 190-pound fighter a heavyweight.

“I said ‘yeah, but what do you mean by heavyweight?’” Hallmark said.

“We want him big,” was the answer.

“They called it the Omega Project,” Hallmark recalled. “And they wanted him to get up to like 220.”

Hallmark cautioned them: any unneeded muscle would sap much-needed energy. As the boxing truism goes, punchers are born, not made. Extra weight only offers a marginal increase in power, if any.

Holyfield packed on 12 pounds in 1988, and continued to grow until he had heaped more than 25 onto his lean frame. When he met Toney in 2003, he weighed 219 pounds. Rumors swirled that Holyfield used steroids to help him gain weight. Those suspicions reignited when Holyfield’s name surfaced during two steroid investigations of pharmacies in 2007. Holyfield denied the allegations.

His conspicuous physique fascinated commentators, including Lampley, whose stentorian proclamations would bolster the legend of Holyfield’s fitness.

“Conventional wisdom is that Evander Holyfield is the best trained, best conditioned heavyweight in the sport and maybe in the history of the sport,” he exclaimed during Holyfield’s bout with Bert Cooper.

Holyfield acquired praise through years of grueling fights, including the 15-round battle of attrition with Qawi. But some ring observers saw a man who was naturally 190 pounds being weighed down by muscle, killing his stamina. Holyfield won fights with intellect and mental toughness more than lung capacity. He’d collected an array of barfighter techniques, hitting opponents below the belt or raking their noses and cheeks with his elbow. And he regularly employed the clinch, leading with his head as he went to hug his opponent.

Holyfield had effectively learned to stall, frustrate and catch breathers for himself. After eating too many of Holyfield’s headbutts in their first fight, Mike Tyson infamously bit a chunk out of Holyfield’s ear.

Toney was different. At 5’9, he was almost five inches shorter than Holyfield, his muscles lost islands in a rising sea. His bulky shimmer evoked none of the menace of pop-culture badasses. Even his nickname, “Lights Out,” might be mistaken for the final line of a children’s story.

When the pair met in Las Vegas, boxing’s glittering capital, Toney had just survived a punishing fight with Vassily Jirov, taking nearly 250 punches on his way to narrow victory. Jirov, known for fighting German shepherds in a closed hallway during his amateur days, was famously dedicated to his training. Toney outlasted him, knocking “The Tiger” down late in a split-decision win.

Both Holyfield and Toney were considered outstanding fighters, but Holyfield had the better earnings and reputation after knocking out the palpably violent Tyson and nearly beating champion Lennox Lewis. Holyfield would bring his own brand of relentlessness, fans thought, along with what some called world-class conditioning. Toney, conversely, was known as a hard partier who loved cheeseburgers and preferred sparring over other kinds of training.

Perhaps more than their resumes, the fighters were compared by their waistlines.

“The bottom line is, what kind of shape is James Toney in?” Showtime commentator Steve Albert observed. “We’ll soon find out.”

WireImage

Little time elapsed in the fight before the outcome was certain. Toney’s waist didn’t matter. His boxing was economy of movement, his torso swiveling to offer him vast counterpunching options. His defense followed the shoulder roll tradition of the old days. Whenever Holyfield tried to punch Toney, the slickster used a suite of defensive maneuvers to create odd angles.

Nine rounds later, Holyfield’s corner threw in the towel.

Both men carried substantial extra weight into the ring, but it was the fat man who breathed easy. And yet, the fight did little to deter a movement across boxing towards bigger, more sculpted fighters. Big men with big muscles, like Michael Grant, had already been established as standards in the prize ring. Tyson came out of prison and quickly acquired a six-pack, and Lewis’ chest and arms grew throughout his career.

Holyfield, after all, was old for a prizefighter, and had suffered from high-profile health problems for years. And Toney had already distinguished himself as one of the finest technical boxers of his day. The outcome was unexpected by the sports books, but understandable.

While old-school trainers felt they had established their version of a good fighter’s body, Hallmark and celebrity trainers like Mackie Shilstone successfully led an insurgent school of thought among the sport’s age-old ideas. More conditioning coaches would follow, like Alex Ariza in the camp of Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.

Though the fight’s outcome was conclusive, fans still debate what an ideal fighter’s body should look like, to the chagrin of the sport’s oldest experts.

Boxing’s roots reach all the way back to 1800s England, with influences from the ancient Greek martial art of pankration. The toughest fighters were immortalized in statues or mosaics, often with idealized musculature: big arms, huge chest and sprawling veins.

But weightlifting in boxing was far from becoming as rigorous as it is today. Bob Fitzimmons, one of the sport’s biggest stars until he retired in 1914, was renowned for his strength and power and won a heavyweight championship at only 167 pounds. He advocated running for seven or eight miles every day. And while he believed in training with dumbbells and a weighted bat, he never grew bulky.

Running has been a cornerstone of boxing training since then, along with jumping rope. Generally speaking, heavyweights of yesteryear had shredded, fit physiques, but lacked the same raw size as the Holyfield era.

Primo Carnera was the first blockbuster attraction to awe audiences with sheer mass. He was a circus strongman appropriately called the “Ambling Alp,” often weighing in at 275 pounds at a time when many heavyweights didn’t even crack 200. He collected a string of knockouts in the 1930s, with headlines to match. When Earnie Schaaf died shortly after losing to Carnera, the big Italian earned a dangerous reputation. But many thought that Schaaf’s earlier beating from Max Baer’s historically dangerous right hand was the real culprit.

Boxing lore alleges most of Carnera’s fights were fixed in his favor, and by the time Carnera challenged Baer, he was no longer considered invincible. In that fight, Carnera absorbed frightening punishment from Baer and was knocked down at least half a dozen times, showing little more than oafish technique and incredible heart.

Fat boxers could also grab headlines, but with skill. Even those men, like the infamous Tony Galento, were still partly viewed as sideshows.

Galento, a beer-guzzling New Jersey heavyweight who once fought an octopus, had skill and a left hook to be feared. He stood 5’8, and was 230 pounds of pasta and meatballs. Once, Galento was anointed “the bum of the month” and offered a chance to fight Joe Lewis. He was ultimately knocked out in four rounds, but not before he dropped Lewis with that sneaky left hook, proving that corpulence doesn’t negate good technique.

But the best fighters had both fitness and skill. During boxing’s golden age, championship fighters typically eschewed weightlifting. Jack Dempsey, for example, was known for speed and devastating power, and stayed in shape by jumping rope, chopping wood and swinging a sledgehammer.

Boxers also fought more often. The all-time great “Sugar” Ray Robinson went 11-0 when he first won the middleweight title in 1951, and sometimes fought more than 20 times in a year. The extra activity forced fighters to stay close to their fighting weight between bouts, the matches themselves giving them exercise that could never be properly replicated in training. Conversely, champions today usually fight two or three times a year at most. Floyd Mayweather was famously inactive while earning some of the highest paydays in the history of the sport.

Conditioning is to be able to do in the 12th and 11th what you did in the first with the same kind of snap and energy. You can go 12 rounds and loaf the last four.” - Trainer Abel Sanchez

Trainers agree that weightlifting surfaced within boxing in the 80s and 90s, partly as a way for fighters to move up to higher divisions where they might earn more lucrative fights.

Long-time trainer Abel Sanchez, most noted for his successful stewardship of Gennadiy Golovkin, has long maintained training methods consistent with the old ways. His stable is limited to eight or nine fighters at any time, and he doesn’t consult with strength and conditioning coaches or sports psychologists. His operation is just him, making his fighters do distance runs twice a week, and sprints three times a week.

“Weights have always been something that most fighters didn’t want to mess with because they thought it tightened them up,” he said.

Golovkin, a knockout artist known for his ability to surge late in fights, was long counted among the world’s best fighters.

“To me conditioning is not the ability to go 12 rounds,” Sanchez said. “Anybody can go 12 rounds. Conditioning is to be able to do in the 12th and 11th what you did in the first with the same kind of snap and energy. You can go 12 rounds and loaf the last four.”

Trainer Jeff Fenech became another old-guard boxing trainer after a fighting career distinguished by his conditioning and toughness. He fought at a blistering pace, regularly breaking his hands. Now, he preaches short, intense workouts. In his day, he ran three miles daily at a 15-minute pace, rested, then trained just an hour in the afternoon.

Good trainers tailor their methods for the fighter. Noted stamina freak Johnny Tapia, for example, didn’t believe in running, and instead jumped rope at least an hour a day, sometimes two. But all trainers and conditioning coaches agree that too much muscle is never good, and that no strength training can substantially increase punching power. Artificially going up in weight can lead to disaster.

“It’s a matter of physical structure. Ken Norton was really muscular but he had the build for it, he had long muscle instead of short, thick muscles,” Hall of Fame trainer Jesse Reid said.

“I think it’s a mistake when they start fooling around with steroids or they get these strength and conditioning coaches that think bodybuilding is going to work.”

Reid, and others see bulky chest and leg muscles as more cosmetic than functional. With no weight limit, heavyweights are free to indulge in culinary temptations in ways smaller fighters cannot. Fighters controlled by weight classes have to closely manage their bodies before every fight. Heavyweights can pack on all the size they like, sometimes against the better judgment of their handlers.

“A guy like George Foreman did a lot of natural training,” Reid said. “He got more relaxed with his body and he started pulling cars and lifting tires and built a lot of natural strength that way. He relaxed more with his body instead of being so tight and so muscular. When he was young he was a massive muscle man.”

Late in his career, Foreman built a persona around his added fat in his late career for marketing purposes. He’d jog while eating donuts in TV commercials, and once taunted trainer Teddy Atlas to “get me a sandwich.”

Foreman, known for devastating power and composure, was good at pacing himself, even as he fattened up. He went 31-3 in his second boxing stint after a 10-year hiatus. And while many of those early opponents were soft-touches to re-establish a famous name, Foreman’s ability to remain calm and manage his work rate carried him even against top young fighters. His mobility declined, but he compensated with a high ring IQ that grew with age. Most importantly, he maintained his one-shot knockout power, which gave him a chance to win fights even if he got behind. In 1994, Foreman reclaimed a version of the heavyweight title against the young, much more svelte Michael Moorer.

“On the club level I’ve seen many sloppy bodies beat up on body beautiful over the years,” PBC matchmaker Whit Haydon said. “I’ve seen many guys who looked like they just got out of a mariachi band beat up on a guy who looks like he just got out of Gold’s Gym. Especially heavyweights.”

Too often, heavyweights ruin what had been fine-tuned machines in pursuit of a bigger purse.

“They might have had whippy power when they first turned pro and then it looks like they’re pushing out their punches and a little bit more robotic,” Haydon said. “They lose that loose flow they had when they were younger.”

Getty Images

In the days since Holyfield became a jacked Adonis, fighters have only continued to get bigger. On June 1, 2019, boxing got another high-profile bout of fat man vs. brawn, a modern-day pugilistic Aesop’s fable.

Heavyweight king Anthony Joshua had ruled the heavyweight division, beating quality competition in almost every championship defense. The undefeated fighter was even more muscular than Holyfield had ever been, somehow stacking bulk on an already huge 6’6 frame.

He’d planned to fight Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller in 2019, a 315-pound unproven boxer not known for his punching power. After Miller tested positive for illicit performance-enhancing drugs three times, he was bounced from the fight. After several emergency inquiries, promoters found a replacement fighter of almost equal girth: 268-pound Andy Ruiz. He wasn’t the typical soft-touch replacement. Ruiz had developed a reputation as a smart, tough fighter whose quaking midsection belied his blurring hand speed.

While both men were natural heavyweights, unlike Holyfield and Toney, both carried extra pounds into their fight at Madison Square Garden. Fans foresaw a bloodbath that favored the British star. Experts, however, knew Ruiz would be a handful.

Joshua came out with relentless aggression. He knocked down Ruiz in the third round and, sensing an early victory, pressed the action. But Ruiz’s hand speed advantage came into play. He exploited Joshua’s recklessness and returned the knockdown with a devastating punch, catching Joshua behind the ear and wreaking havoc on his equilibrium. Ruiz scored another knockdown that same round before finishing the fight in the seventh.

Fans marveled at the surprise victory. How could a fat guy known for eating a Snickers bar before each fight beat a man with muscles out of a Marvel comic?

“When you have more muscle, you better believe you have to condition that muscle,” said Larry Wade, the conditioning coach for top fighters like Badou Jack. “Then a guy like Andy Ruiz is so big, why didn’t he get tired? He’s fat, but you don’t have a bunch of muscle to pump oxygen to.”

Commentators and pundits echoed Wade’s diagnosis. Joshua responded by changing his training. In the rematch six months later, Joshua weighed in 10 pounds lighter at 237 pounds, his waist noticeably less musclebound. Ruiz, on the other hand, told the media that Joshua “was made for me,” and shot up to 283.

Caution and lateral movement were Joshua’s keys to victory; his lighter weight allowing him to attack, in and out, numerous times without getting tired. The bout was yet another reminder that there’s a wrong kind of muscle.

Ruiz was derided for the loss. Many critics loudly wondered if the extra weight prevented him from cutting off the ring. But Ruiz hadn’t gassed out, in spite of his size.

Commentary before and after both bouts was driven more by the fighters’ body shapes than their fighting form. Joshua drew fans awed by his impressive size. Ruiz did the same, while others found solidarity in his everyman diet. But the fights offered no conclusive evidence of what a real fighter should look like. They only showcased the importance of good mobility and conditioning.

Like the statues of antiquity, fighters will forever be judged by their musculature. But though society may favor a chiseled specimen, history has shown there will always be a place for a fat man, waiting to creep up on the unsuspecting, deriding public and become the new heavyweight king.

[swisscoin4-blog]

MLB Transaction Watch: Manny Machado and the free agent freeze

At times it has felt like there has been a lot of action this offseason, however, for free agents that was a mirage. The vast majority of the action this postseason has been in the form of trades. It’s been a downright frigid environment for all but a few of baseball’s free agents.

Earlier in the offseason I noted that the sheer number of free agents exploded at the non-tender deadline. There were 201 free agents at the start of the offseason, that then ballooned to 245 MLB players. Of those, four players have opted to retire (Adrian Beltre, Jaime Garcia, Chris Gimenez, and Joe Mauer). Which leaves us with 241 free agents and less than a month until pitchers and catchers report, so I wanted to take a minute to check in and see how things are shaping up for those free agents.

Not great, Bob. Not great.

Only 108 players have signed contracts as of January 15, meaning 56 percent of the free agent field is still available. That number alone is shocking, but the next one is worse. Only 29 of those contracts have been for more than a single year. That’s right, 73 percent of the contracts free agents have signed in 2019 were one-year deals. That’s at least 79 players who will turn right around and re-enter free agency next year, swamping the 2020 market with talent so we can do this whole dance all over again just in time for the 2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations.

While we can quibble about whether some of these players signed fair deals or whether the free agency contracts of the 2000s were overly lucrative (particularly for players over thirty) it seems pretty obvious that the baseball free agent market is broken. Some players have started speaking out about this more openly:

You may recognize blunt Jake Arrieta from previous Twitter appearances like: “Whatever keeps your hopes alive, just know it doesn’t matter.” Suffice to say, the former Cubs ace doesn’t mince words and after he sat out a similar free agent environment in 2018 before settling for a 3-year/$75 million deal with the Phillies I’d say he’s uniquely qualified to be tuned into player sentiments on this issue.

Well, today Buster Olney leaked the apparent White Sox contract offer to Manny Machado into the same environment:

The numbers here are staggering. Manny Machado is a 26 year old infielder who has accumulated 33.8 bWAR in his first seven seasons in MLB. He is one of the most talented, and youngest, free agents to hit the open market in years. It’s even more impressive than it sounds, here are the players in the last 50 years to accumulate more than 30 bWAR before turning 26:

That’s it. That’s the list.

So it seems reasonable that even in a market that has been a bit messed up Manny Machado should command one of the largest contracts ever, right? Well...

Let’s take a look at the largest baseball contracts in history. Below you’ll see Fangraphs’ compilation of the 20 largest contracts in MLB history adjusted to 2019 dollars. I augmented it with bWAR information and each players’ age at the time their contract was signed. Specifically, I added bWAR prior to the contract and bWAR accumulated during the life of the contract. Players currently in the middle of their contracts are in italics:

MLB’s most valuable contracts (AAV) adjusted to 2019 dollars by bWAR

Player Year Age Years 2019 Adjusted $ AAV 2019 Adjusted $ Total Actual bWAR over contract Actual bWAR/Mil $ Prior bWAR Prior bWAR/Mil $

Player Year Age Years 2019 Adjusted $ AAV 2019 Adjusted $ Total Actual bWAR over contract Actual bWAR/Mil $ Prior bWAR Prior bWAR/Mil $

Alex Rodriguez 2001 25 10 592 59.2 75.6 0.13 38.1 0.06 Manny Ramirez 2001 29 8 376 47.0 33.2 0.09 30 0.08 Alex Rodriguez 2008 32 10 448 44.8 23.4 0.05 94.4 0.21 Derek Jeter 2001 27 10 444 44.4 28.1 0.06 42.7 0.10 Kevin Brown 1999 34 7 297 42.4 16.7 0.06 45.5 0.15 Clayton Kershaw 2014 26 7 277 39.6 29.1 0.11 32.9 0.12 Jason Giambi 2002 31 7 276 39.4 22.2 0.08 29.3 0.11 Carlos Beltran 2005 28 7 263 37.6 21.8 0.08 45.8 0.17 CC Sabathia 2009 28 7 259 37.0 21.3 0.08 32.5 0.13 Ken Griffey Jr. 2000 30 9 330 36.7 13.3 0.04 64.1 0.19 Max Scherzer 2015 30 7 254 36.3 29 0.11 23.8 0.09 Mark Teixeira 2009 29 8 290 36.3 20.5 0.07 31.3 0.11 Joe Mauer 2011 28 8 289 36.1 21.9 0.08 33.2 0.11 Justin Verlander 2013 30 7 252 36.0 27.4 0.11 36.4 0.14 Albert Pujols 2012 32 10 358 35.8 13.3 0.04 86.8 0.24 Mike Hampton 2001 28 8 284 35.5 2.6 0.01 18.2 0.06 Prince Fielder 2012 28 9 319 35.4 6.8 0.02 16.8 0.05 Felix Hernandez 2013 27 7 245 35.0 17.1 0.07 33.9 0.14 Miguel Cabrera 2016 33 8 258 32.3 6.2 0.02 64.2 0.25 Robinson Cano 2014 31 10 310 31.0 23.6 0.08 45.5 0.15 Manny Machado (Offer) 2019 26 7 175 25.0 0.00 33.8 0.19

Player contracts adjusted to 2019 money by bWAR. bWAR is separated into accumulated prior to signing and during the life of the contract. Current contracted players in italics. Fangraphs and Baseball Reference compiled by Sara Sanchez

I also attempted to get an idea of the value of a million dollars per bWAR. Obviously this isn’t an exact science, but it gives you an idea that for the most lucrative contract on this list (Alex Rodriguez’s original deal) he was paid $1 million for every .06 bWAR he had previously accumulated. Interestingly, that is one of the few deals that actually worked out. If you look at the actual bWAR/mil you’ll see that he was paid $1 million for every .13 bWAR he accumulated. Higher numbers in the prior bWAR/mil indicate less value for the player based on previous performance. Higher numbers in the actual bWAR/mil indicated more value for the team based on actual performance.

In terms of player value, the White Sox offer to Machado is squarely in the bottom quarter of contract values for players. His 0.19 value there is tied for fourth lowest in the ranking of most lucrative contracts. The White Sox are basically trying to pay 26-year-old Manny Machado at rate similar to what the Reds paid 30-year-old Ken Griffey Jr. — 19 years ago.

Maybe you think that’s okay. After all, Griffey is a Hall of Famer and we have no idea what the next 10 years of Machado will look like. However, it is worth noting that 33.8 bWAR before 26 just doesn’t earn a player what it used to despite soaring baseball revenue, which goes a long way to explaining the MLBPA’s angst at current market conditions.

Just for fun I also calculated an average prior bWAR/mil to see if I could project what Machado should get with his numbers. I mean, after all, while there are bad deals in this mix, there are some good deals as well. Using those numbers the average prior bWAR/mil was 0.13, almost exactly the same as CC Sabathia’s. Fortuitously, Sabathia signed a 7-year deal that is on the above table, so it’s easy to compare the two. Sabathia’s deal was worth $259 million in 2019 adjusted dollars. That’s $84 million more than the White Sox are reportedly offering Machado. It seems like here is a good place to point out that Sabathia was two years older with an extra season under his belt and slightly less total prior bWAR than Machado when he signed that deal. So logically I’d expect Machado to get more than Sabathia, not less.

Manny Machado should turn down this deal, and if I were in his camp I’d be insulted by it. Other players currently on the market and approaching free agency should be up in arms. This deal tells us a lot about the current market conditions that players are facing and there is every indication that it is going to get worse before it gets better.

Not great, Bob. Not great.

Source: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/1/16/18185610/mlb-transaction-watch-manny-machado-free-agent-freeze

[pynkhues]

Hi ! I just wanted to say that I love your writing and I wanted to ask how you go about doing research for all your au's. Thanks!

Hi! Thank you so much, anon! And what a fun question! I could talk about researching all day, haha. My undergraduate degree is actually in history too, so research is something that’s sort of fundamental to my education in a lot of ways. 

To talk about researching is kind of hard though, because while the steps are more or less the same, the approach is really different depending on what it is that I’m writing. For instance, the answer’s pretty different if I’m writing a modern day au where I can shorthand certain things because my readers know what I’m talking about vs an historical au where I really have to think pretty deeply about everything if I want to submerge a reader in a storyworld. 

So I thought it might be fun to answer this question using my two biggest au’s as sorts of case studies! This is probably an extremely nerdy answer, I don’t know, haha, and it talks about both researching and incoporating research into the creative process while writing, so I hope that’s okay! 

Generally speaking, all my writing starts with a question: 

What’s the story that I want to tell? 

This is always a process that tends to vary for me, but I rarely actively ask the question to myself prior to getting ready to write it? Usually it ends up as me sort of thinking over a concept then getting to a point where I know I’m going to write it, and it’s only when I really start to think seriously about that that I ask myself that question. 

In both of these cases, it was pretty typical for me, haha: 

And well, then we get to the next question.

What background do I need to know to be able to tell that story? 

While this question might seem AU specific, it’s something that’s actually a step in everything I write. I was working on the second part of the Christmas fic today, which is technically canon divergent, but has made me think a lot about Beth and Rio’s canon cultural backgrounds. 

I’ve always liked the headcanon that Beth and Annie are Jewish, but disconnected from their heritage (Marks is a traditionally Jewish surname, Annie’s used some yiddish slang before), and Rio’s obviously Latino, but of Mexican heritage if we apply Manny’s background, and wears rosary beads on the show which indicate that he’s Catholic. I wanted to embrace both of those things, so I’ve tried to thread them through the story where it’s appropriate to do so. For instance, there's a scene of a Las Posadas celebration at Sainte Anne de Detroit which required a LOT of research on my part and hopefully reads well! 

The point is that those things felt important to me to include in a Christmas fic about Beth and Rio in the C&C ‘verse because the entire series is about their lives entwining and getting to know each other fully. I want to include detail that feels specific to what we know about them and embraces and (with any luck) deepens our connection to the characters in my fic. 

What I’m getting to in a really roundabout way is that once I have a story idea, I start to think about what I’m going to have to understand if I’m going to do the story justice.

In the case of the pornstar and pirate aus, this couldn’t look more different: 

Annnnnd so on, haha. 

As you can see, sometimes that background research is really clear and straight forward, as it was with the pornstar AU. I looked up how it worked, and because I knew that I wanted it to steer clear of the seedy and toxic parts of porn, I basically researched ideal environments and best practice, put those in place, and then focused on how to get Beth from her suburban home into a legitimate studio. 

The pirate AU was extremely different and much more of a mutable process. Without a clear sense of the era from the get-go, I had a much wider scope to explore when and where the story could take place, and when I realised that dating the story would inevitable force me to contend with parts of history I might not want to (i.e. the lead up to The Civil War), it let me re-shape a world around an era, but not feel entirely beholden to it. 

In that sense, the research process for both of them involved me choosing fantasy over reality – I negated certain realities to focus on the things I wanted to write (I highly doubt you will find a porn set anywhere near as ethical as Thank You Ma’am after all) – but if I can’t do that in fanfic, where can I? The aim still is for there to be enough that is real that you feel grounded in the story even if I’ve taken certain creative liberties for the sake of telling the story I want to tell.

That’s the beauty of research. Once you know enough about it, you can make informed choices about what you use to shape your storyworld, and make it feel authentic even as you’re fictionalising it.

The point of that though is that this background research is so fundamental to the DNA of the story itself, that it can’t even begin to exist without it.

Loose plotting

It’s usually around this point that I’ll put together a loose plot. This is generally pretty thin, but I’ll start to put pieces into a bit of an order. 

The pornstar au is, again, a really easy example of this. Three parts felt right for it, the shooting of the porno itself was always going to be in the final part, which gave me two chapters to get Beth there. I knew she was going to submit herself through an amateur talent callout which I’d discovered in my background research, so the question of it was more around why would someone like her sign up? Canon plot points help – Beth needs money! Fantasy kicks in again, haha – because she and Dean are finally divorcing.

On the other hand, the pirate au is pretty much unrecognisable from it’s first loose plot.

In it, I’d pencilled in Beth travelling on a ship with Dean and the children, pirates boarding, and Rio kidnapping Beth as collateral to help him escape. 

My loose plots change a lot and usually grow in detail, evolve and change shape as I start to ask myself why, and there are a lot of reasons why the pirate au changed so much, but I’ll get to that a bit later. 

The point is, once I have a loose plot, I’ll usually throw some more words down, see what I’ve got, and then get to the part of the research process I like to call: 

Question time

With background research done and a loose plot and some draft scenes written, I hit a much more specific part of the research process where I don’t need to know broadstroke background detail, I need to know the answers to really specific stuff. I usually write a list and try to do it all at once so that the writing process isn’t too much stop-start. I bullet point the answers in my creative doc then too, so the information is right there when I need it.

Again, the questions I asked of the pornstar au and pirate au were pretty different (although there were a few similarities, haha). Some of the questions I asked were: 

This is actually a case where the pirate au was, in a lot of ways, easier. History is well documented and fact checked after all, but current porn industry standards are, y’know. Not quite as transparent, haha. I’ve mentioned it before, but I actually started to fill out an amateur porn application (with a false identity of course, haha), so that I could see the full form and get a genuine sense of the questions they ask, which is hilarious, annnd brings us to sources. 

Sources

In researching, there are definitely things I’ll just Google, but I also like to utilise sources pretty widely. In particular, Google’s not really going to give you a great sense of what - say - the life of a pornstar’s like, but there are some great podcast series where performers talk about their lives in their own words. Similarly, Google searches are great for the cliffnotes of an answer, but don’t hold a candle to era-made drawings, letters and newspaper clippings. 

For the two, I’d probably say my sources looked something like this: 

How do the answers to these questions affect the story that I want to tell? 

Annnd of course, the answers to these questions frequently end up re-shaping and re-framing my story, both directly and indirectly. Originally for instance, I wasn’t going to have condoms at all in the pirate au, because I naively assumed they wouldn’t be invented yet in a loose 1800s-set fic, only to discover that some version of a condom has been around since Ancient Rome (it was made using the bladders of animals! Gross!). 

Other times it’s indirect. The idea for instance in the pirate au to have Beth realise the houses that the men had robbed through certain items they were wearing came really from looking a lot at antique store sites and image archives and seeing how much was custom made for families and individuals. That in turn made me think how for someone who’s ability to think on her feet and observe are her strengths, that could really come into play as a plot point. 

Re-Plotting and Writing

It’s usually around this point that everything comes together and I start to really map out a fic in a firmer, more meaningful way, and also just throw myself into the writing of it. I generally feel like I’ve got the tools at this point in the process, and start to talk to the story in a bit more of an informed way. 

It’s also really where I start asking myself why? and what does this mean for the next scenes? a lot. 

Jumping back to the original pirate au plot, this was really where it pivoted as drastically as it did. There were too many tropes in that premise that I didn’t like. I didn’t like that Beth had no agency in the act that connected her to Rio, I didn’t like the trope of the MOC kidnapping a ‘helpless’ white woman, I didn’t like that Beth would be taken from her children by force and how that would impact any connection her and Rio formed and ensure that a major part of the story would have to be devoted to Beth trying to get back to them.

Immediately that made it a case where Beth had to choose to go with Rio, but why would she leave her family? And why would Rio let this upperclass lady onboard his ship? So she snuck on. So she had to, because Dean lost everything again. Okay, but would Beth just leave the kids with Dean after he’d done that? No way, not with the implications of the time, so who would she leave them with? Annie or Ruby - no, I want Ruby on the pirate adventure. Annie. But what on earth could put Annie in a secure enough position that Beth would willingly entrust her children to her? 

Thus the subplot of Greg wanting to legitimise Ben was born! Which I doubly liked, because it kind of mirrors canon, haha. 

In that case, the research really helped me flesh out a story world that let me explore character storylines in a way that I wouldn’t always do, which is insanely fun to me, haha, so I forever am left hoping it’s fun to read too. 

But yes! In a nutshell, that’s my research process. :-) 

#fic asks #writing #fanfiction #welcome to my ama #Anonymous

[marymadonluce]

Therapy Session

Jane:  *Silence spread through the tunnel as I walked down to the room where Mary was waiting for me.  The past few days had been challenging on both me and Manny with all the injuries and the double shifts.  Manny avoided me like the plague, or tried to at least, but that wasn’t always possible since we spent almost every waking moment working together.  Two weeks had passed since I told both Murh and Manny that I didn’t choose either of them.  It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was a necessary one.  Ever since I got involved in this world it has been chaos.  And Murh and Manny didn’t make that any easier.  I wanted to find peace amidst this chaos, and I wasn’t gonna find that with Manny angry, and Murh losing his temper, all the time.  Finding time for myself left a small window of opportunity, which was usually interrupted by some issue with Murhder.  

Murh convinced himself I was his shellan, even though that was never the case.  Even after weeks of trying to convince him I wasn’t mated to anyone, he still had trouble letting go of the insane idea that I was his.  Nothing I did worked.  I finally reached my limit with Murh and now I was bringing Mary in to assist.  I was hoping she could get through to him since no one else has been able to.  My hand reached out for the door handle and I pushed the door open to find Mary sitting on the chair in the small office.  Manny and I didn’t really use the office much.  Ehlena used the office most of the time to update patient files from the charts and folders Manny and I give her, which made this the perfect place for this quick meeting before the big deceit*

Hey, Mary.  Thanks for agreeing to this.  I know you’re also busy, and you know I wouldn’t have asked you to do this if I didn’t think it would help and was needed.

*Taking a seat opposite Mary, I smiled and crossed my legs at the ankles*

Mary: Mary sat at the desk in the tiny office, looking around. Unsurprisingly it was extremely neat almost as if it wasn't used that often. Of course with how busy the medical wing was, it wasn't much of a surprise but Mary had expected there to be loose files or scrap paper laying about, yet nothing. Maybe it was one of the doggen keeping things tidy or the medical staff like Manny or Ehlena made sure the office was always presentable no matter how busy the medical wing was. Regardless, it was obviously a quiet place in the midst of the chaos. Mary Had already heard plenty about Muhrder and how he was seemingly obsessed with Jane and creating plenty of problems for both her and the entire mansion with his behaviour. Mary had done her best to not get involved too deeply, though her being compassionate she hadn’t been able to completely keep her mouth completely shut. Which was probably why she had agreed to help Jane out with him in the shape of counseling sessions. Her train of thought was interrupted when Jane entered the room, looking slightly worried, if mary had to say anything about her. Unusual for the calm and collected doctor, though with the chaos the mansion was in, it was perfectly understandable that even Jane could get shaken, especially with everything going on with Muhrder.

Listening to Jane, Mary nodded and offered a soft smile. “Oh, don’t mention it, Jane. I know how worked up everyone is, so of course. I’m only happy to do my part to make sure things here run as smoothly as they can”, she said and tilted her head a bit. “So tell me about his case, please. I’d like to know what I’m dealing with as best I can”

Jane:   *Scenes of the past few months rushed through my mind, flashing in bits and pieces as if my brain was trying to syphon the important parts and sort it into some prioritized order.  Murh was as complicated as he was insane, and the two of us together… Well, that was my own fault.  I shifted on the chair as I started talking*

Where do I start… *I took a moment to think* Murh needs help and I can’t give it to him.  I tried before and it lead to us having a sexual affair.  We are both adults and neither of us are mated, therefor I didn’t see any problem with it, until… Well, Murh became very possessive, to the point of madness.  He has a history of mental health problems which is what I was busy helping him with.  Wrath had asked me to assess his mental health before he was cleared for rotation, and well…  the rest is history as they say.  The entire family knows what transpired down here in the med wing before Murh was locked up.

I would appreciate it if you could assess him and see if you are able to work with him to get him through this.  We need him back as a functioning member of the Brotherhood.

Mary:   Mary listened to jane, nodding along as the story went on. Even she had heard of some of the events that had transpired but there was new information mixed into what jane told her. The fact that the two had been in a sexual relationship would definitely complicate the matter, but perhaps not make it impossible, even with Muhr’s mind being all jumbled up.

“So, if I understand you correctly, you’d like for me to help him move on from you and focus his attention on fighting rather than you, and to assess whether or not he is suited to be added into the nightly rotation. Is that accurate?”, Mary asked and looked to Jane with one of her professionalism looks. Mary had her thoughts about how Jane had been having sex with someone that technically was her patient, but in reality she couldn’t really say all that much about it. It could quite literally happen to anyone and with Jane being a single woman among the stunning vampires, it’s not like Mary could really blame her. Truth be told, it wasn’t like they were able to go out and meet men and have relations with them. Wrath’s head would likely explode before his temper, if they ever presented that idea and cause him to say things like ‘Over my fucking dead body!’ She gave Jane a determined nod and offered a smile. It wasn’t her place to judge nor did she intend to do that in any way, shape or form. Instead she was going to glance over it, because it shouldn’t matter with how their lives were set up. “I’ll certainly do what I can to help him, and give an assessment as well. If we can get more out in the field, it’ll be better for the race as a whole”

Jane:   *A faint smile lifted one corner of my mouth, and I relaxed back against the chair*  Thank you, Mary.  I am aware this is a delicate matter and I am grateful for your willingness to help me out.  

Now the next part will be the most challenging.  I need to get Murh to come in here to sit and speak to you, but he won’t do it if he knows what we are doing.  I will have to trick him into thinking I want to talk to him, but I will be here with you and Murh the whole time until you are comfortable being alone with him.

One more thing… I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about this.  Wrath and the Brothers won’t approve of Murh being near me, but I can’t do this without being involved.

Mary:   Mary shook her head softly. “Jane please.... There’s no need to thank me at all. I’m only happy to do my part, and truth be told, it’s the only thing I can do”, she said and offered a smile. “Besides, you’ve always helped Rhage when he got injured, so this is my way of paying you back. I’d have been worried sick so many times, if it hadn’t been for your medical expertise, so in terms of peace of mind, this is my repayment”, she said and sat back in her chair. Her head tilted as Jane explained the scheme she had to set up for Muhr. This wasn’t exactly new, and it only made the situation more delicate. Having someone like Muhr around in general was a gamble, but tricking him was outright insane, but often a necessary evil.

“I understand, Jane”, she said and nodded. “Listen, I’ll be looking to have you out as soon as possible though. You’ll be a distraction for him which will stop him from looking internally and progress”, she explained. “I just wanted to be clear about that. And of course, I won’t tell anyone of what we are doing. Honestly, with everything going on, I’d sound like the abandoned woman that had gone mad and wanted attention at any cost”, she remarked with a smile.

That last bit was something she was afraid would happen. Now that Rhage had left her, she had avoided everyone,  not wanting to seem like she was craving attention. Sure, she was lonely, but that was no excuse to become pathetic.

Jane:  *I took a deep breath and got up.  My stomach knotted a little because I had no idea how Murh was going to react to this and the last thing I needed was for him to lose his temper again and become violent.  I gave Mary a reassuring smile, or at least I thought that’s what I was doing, but it was her smile that reassured me.

When I reached the door I stopped and took another few breaths before opening it and walking down the tunnels to the training center.  Murh was doing rounds with the boxing bag and… okay wow, he did look good…  

I shook my head to clear it and walked into the room*  Murh!  *I shouted loud enough for him to hear me*  Could I speak to you for a bit.  You may want to change clothes.  I’ll wait outside.

Murhder:   *My fists cracked under the pressure with each blow to the red bag.  My knuckles were wrapped in cloths but that was it.  I wanted this to fucking hurt.  I needed this to fucking hurt.  Each blow took me closer to the edge.  Jane was all that was on my mind.  She was MINE.  How fucking dare she tell me to move on.  How fucking dare she do that to me.  Throw me one side like a rag doll she’s outgrown.  Fuck her.  As the next blow struck I hear Jane’s voice and pivoted around to see her standing in the doorway.  Fuck.  She took my breath away every time I saw her.  Her mouth was moving but I wasn’t catching all of it.  My ears were zinging.  Fuck.  Okay something about getting changed and she’s waiting for me.  Yeah.  Some shit like that.  I stepped back and removed the cloth from both hands.  My gym bag was lying to the left of me.  I grabbed my clothes out and changed without bothering to wash up.  I wasn’t wasting time on that shit when all I wanted was to be near Jane.  After about 4 minutes I was out in the tunnel where she was waiting*.  What’s it?  Is everything okay? 

Jane:   *With a nod, I turned and walked down the tunnel*  This way.  I’d like to talk where it’s more private  *the knot in my stomach twisted and it took a couple of tries when I reached out for the door, to go corporeal.  As the door slid open, I stepped aside and let Murh step in first.  As soon as he was in, I closed the door behind us and blocked his exit.  I had some hope that he wouldn’t try to go through me to get out*

Murh, this is Mary.  She’s going to talk to us… you for a bit.  Only talk.  Please stay and listen to what she has to say.  Please…

*It didn’t take a genius to figure out Murh was angry.  If he could, he would be spitting fire right now.  I gelled myself to the door and watched him carefully.  He didn’t move*

Mary: Mary turned her head as both Murhder and Jane entered into the room. She offers a polite and quite professional smile as she can almost feel just how much Jane is on guard with him in the room. She extends her hand towards Murhder and tilts her head. “Hello Murhder. It’s very nice to meet you”, she said in as neutral a tone as possible. She didn’t want to seem judgy or condescending in any way, so it was important to stay as neutral as possible.  

Murhder: *Jane fucking tricked me.  The bitch is trying to get rid of me.  I will fucking kill her!  The female in the room spoke up with ease and for a second I felt my shoulders ease down.  My fists still clenched and unclenched.  I wanted to hit something.  FUCK.  The blow that followed didn’t surprise me.  My fist collided with the wall behind me right next to Jane’s body.  My hand ached as I pulled it back.  The wall was fucking solid.  Jane’s reaction to this is what changed the moment.  She flinched and pulled to one side and the look on her face was fear.  She feared what I would do next.  What I would do to her.  I was a fucking monster.  The air in the room shifted.  I sensed it.  The other female tensed up as if she anticipated more violence from me. I swore i wouldn’t be /that/ person again.  I wouldn’t go violent on or around a female and that’s exactly what I was doing.  My eyes darkened to black as I watched Jane regain her form*.  This is on you Jane.  This is your fucking fault.  You know better than to corner me like this.

Jane:   *This was my fault.  All of this.  I knew that, but it didn’t change anything.  I had to fix it and that is what I was trying to do.  I was struggling to keep my form solid, but for Mary’s sake I wanted this to seem as normal as it possibly could.  I waited a few moments before stepping away from the door.  My heart was still beating a trail right out of my chest, but somehow I knew this was it.  There would be no more violence from Murh.  Something… maybe the look on his face… I don’t know… but something changed a minute ago after he hit that wall.  I moved away because I thought he was aiming for me, but he wasn't.  It was over, or at least his anger tantrum was over*

I know and I’m sorry.  I need you to do this for you.  Not for me, but for you.  Mary is very capable of seeing you through this.  Trust us to help you.

*I didn’t give him a chance to argue. Placing my hand on his arm, I guided him to the chair opposite Mary and I stood next to him*

Mary: Seeing Murhder react with violence was not exactly a surprise to Mary, but it did still make her flinch. She covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from making a sound, though she was sure the fact she was startled and had flinched was obvious. Muhrder was agitated and he was openly blaming Jane for it, though something did seem to have shifted. Like he was realising that anger wasn’t the solution to getting rid of his frustrations. She nodded as Jane lead Muhrder to the chair, and took a second to center herself and refocus on being calm and collected. “Well then, it’s still very nice to meet you, Murhder. Is your hand okay? I’d very much hate it if you were in pain while we talk to each other”, she said and looked to him. Her natural worry-wart personality was starting to shine through, even if she was a bit on guard. Definitely she needed to have Jane out of the sessions as soon as possible, to be able to really get any sort of breakthrough with Murhder.

Murhder:   *Jane stood next to me and I could almost taste her.  My cock did a double take of what the fucks.  I wanted her now.  I would take her on that small fucking desk or against the wall if I had to in front of this female.  I couldn’t care less.  I wanted Jane under me.  Not next to me.  The female’s soft voice rung out in the small room.  Jane picked the right room for this.  Anything bigger and i might have a problem hearing the soft voice over the thundering of the blood in my veins.  I shifted my weight around in the chair.  The fuking thing was too small for me and my cock was making it impossible to sit still.  I turned to Jane*.  Jane.  I’m doing this for you.  Not for me.  I don’t want to be here.  You want me to be here.  Let’s be clear on that.

Jane:   *Sighing exhaustedly and rocking back on my feet, I almost lost my balance.  After the grueling 72 hour shift and very little to eat I was about to faint.  I had to get my sugar levels up if I was gonna make it through this session, but leaving now to go get hot chocolate wasn’t an option.  With a soft sigh I lowered myself  next to Murh and placed my hand on his arm.  He was nervous about this as much as he was angry.  He didn’t want to let go and right now I wanted him to know I would be with him every step of the way, but he needed to do this for himself.  My green eyes met his dark stare and I spoke soft enough for only him to hear*

Murh, you’ve got this.  I won’t drop you in the deep end.  I’m here for you, but you have to do this on your own.

*I got up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before turning to Mary*  He should be okay now.  I will be right outside if you need me for anything.  Two doors down.

Mary:   Mary let the two have their moment together. She knew, from what Jane had told her, that the connection between was ran very deep with Murhder, and from what Mary could tell, Jane was also deeply attached to him, though obviously in a different way. She stayed quiet as they had their intensive stares and couldn’t help but give off a little smile as Murhder declared he would do this, even if it was more for Jane than himself. He was willing and that was key in the process. Mary offered Jane a smile and a nod. “Thank you, Jane. I’ll be sure to get you if need be. Don’t worry, he’s in good hands”, she said and let Jane walk out the door.  She turned to Murhder and offered him yet another one of her professional smiles. “Right, first thing you need to know, Murhder, is that whatever you tell me during these talks stays between you and me. I’m not telling anyone what we talk about”, she said and paused to await his answer. Murhder:  *The room shifted when Jane shared a intimate moment with me. It was her way of telling me she will never leave me.  No matter what.  I already knew that but getting the reassurance from Jane changed everything.  Even if she wasn’t my shellan she would still my person.  The special person in my life I share everything with.  As I watched her walk out the room I felt my heart break.  I felt a piece of myself leaving.  She was the better part of me.  I didn’t want to let go but I had to.  It’s what Jane wanted.  I turned my focus back to the female and nodded as she spoke*  Yeah.  It’s between us.  I get it.

Mary:   Mary nodded at Murhder and looked to him. He seemed content with how things were, but of course, anyone could put up a front and hide their true feelings. Lord knew, mary was an expert at that. No, she needed to dig a bit, to get to Murhder, but that required a whole lot of legwork, that much was obvious. “Good. So, tell me about yourself. Anything at all. And, if you want to ask about me, you’re more than welcome to do that too. After today, you can decide how we do these talks. Maybe while you work out, or outside walking around. It doesn’t have to be in small spaces like this at all”, she said and looked to Murh. It was her experience with therapy sessions that the more control you could offer to the patient, the sooner they relaxed and opened up to you.

Murhder:   *Jane’s scent still lingered in the room which didn’t help my cock situation.  I shifted some more and wanted to get up and walk around.  I stopped myself and listened to the female.  Mary…. Yeah that was her name.  She was everything Jane wasn’t and that was a good thing.  Especially right now.  What?  We can do this somewhere else?  Why didn’t she fucking start with that line*.  Yeah.  I don’t want to be here in this room.  I feel restricted and it’s doing my head in.  I need air. *I needed more than air but the female didn’t need to know that*.  What’s your deal?  Why are you doing this?  What’s in it for you?

Mary:    Mary nodded and stood up, keeping her movements soft so Murhder always knew what she was doing. There was no reason to get him worked up with sharp and sudden movements after all. “Right, let’s talk a walk then. Do you want to use the hallway, or maybe go all the way outside?”, she asked and looked to Murhder as she opened the door to the small room to let both of them out. She blinked a few times as Murhder fired a line of questions at her, while not surprising that he did ask questions, Mary hadn’t expected those particular ones at all. “In it for me? Well, for starters, this is what I do for the vampire race. I’m a therapist of sorts and a natural helper, you could say. Part of my nature”, she said with a smile. “As for what’s in it for me… A purpose, I’d say. And the satisfaction of knowing I made a difference for someone. That’s about it”, she said and looked to Murhder. “Why do you ask?”

Murhder:  *Getting up was a prayer answered.  My legs ached as I stretched them out and once we were walking down the tunnels it felt a shit load better.  I didn’t answer the females question.  I took the lead and steered the picnic down the tunnels and out the back door past the garages.  Once outside I could feel myself breathe again.  My pants weren’t as tight but that was thanks to not smelling Jane anymore.  The walk and talk thing could work somehow.  I led the way toward the gardens and took in the view as we descended to the lower level*.  I ask because I don’t know why any female would want to be close to me after what happened.  I’m surprised Wrath approved this.

Mary: Mary followed Murhder, her feet having to rush to keep up with him at first as he almost stormed out of the tunnels and out into the open air. She didn’t pressure him to talk, since that would be counterproductive, but rather she followed him to see where he would go. She looked to him as he finally started talking, listening to him answering her question with a very rational answer. So he obviously was aware that others perceived him as both unstable and dangerous, though she tried avoiding those words at any cost herself. “Well, from what I can tell with what I’ve seen so far, I’m not in danger with you at all. I don’t think you’d purposely hurt anyone. The past isn’t important right now, it’s how you are now that’s important”, she said and looked to the male. “Let’s not worry about Wrath for the time being. I’d much rather hear about you, Murhder. Tell me about yourself”

Murhder:  *The past isn’t important?  That’s the reason I was in this mess.  But if she wanted to skip that part I wasn’t gonna argue*.  No you’re not in danger.  I don’t make a habit of attacking females.  Jane IS MINE.  Or was mine.  I walked in on her and that Rat kissing and I fucking lost it.  That shit happens to everyone at some point.  I know it does.  We all have our breaking points.  *I had to breathe slow and deep.  Slow and deep.  Just thinking about that day made the hair on my arms stand up*.

Mary: Mary looked to Murhder as he spoke, nodding her head a bit as she listened to him. She had been right to try and stay out of that whole thing. It was a mess and a half, but there was something she could do here. Murh was heartbroken, it was obvious, so at least they had that in common. They had just reacted very differently to it, and one could always argue which one of them had handled it better. Mary knew exactly what Murhder likely needed. A distraction. Something to help him take his mind off of Jane and move on. Easier said than done, naturally, with how he was seemingly obsessed. It was clear though, that Murhder was considering Jane’s feelings quite heavily and respected her choices, even if he was deeply hurt. “Does it hurt when you think about those things, Murhder?”, she asked knowing how stupid the question was, but she needed to know If Murhder was aware of his own feelings and that they could have a physical effect on him.

Murhder:  *What was she talking about?*.  Hurt when I think about Jane with that Rat?  Yeah it fucking hurts.  She didn’t choose him and that makes the hurt so much fucking better but she didn’t choose me either.  Look.  Let me tell you how this is gonna go.  We are gonna take a nice walk through the gardens to kill some time.  You can ask your questions if you’d like but at the end of all this nothing is going to change.  I’m still gonna be fucked up and Jane is still gonna be the only female in the world who……  *who fucking what….  Rejected me?  Broke my heart?  Yeah not going there*.  Jane is the only female for me.  There is no other female out there for me and we are an animalistic race.  We have to mate.  It’s a driving force in us and when we meet /that/ one.  There is no stopping us.

Mary: Mary listened to Murhder, letting him air his frustrations directly in her face. It was good he got some things off of his chest and by all means, if he wanted to unload on her she welcomed it if anything. “Murhder, I know how the vampire race works when it comes to all that stuff. But as animalistic as you are, you can still move on. Feelings can change, if you let them”, she said and offered him another profesional smile. She wanted to reassure him, encourage him to at least give things a try. He had walls up, and she wanted to lower them, but that would take a lot of effort on her part. Effort she was willing to give. “Alright, we’ll take our walks and you’ll talk. I don’t expect you to change who you are, but maybe have you see more of the big picture. Have you zoom out, so to speak”

Murhder:  *Zoom out? Of what?  A hunter zooms in on his prey.  I am a hunter.  A warrior.  A Member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.  I don’t zoom out.  I zoom in*.  Whatever.  *My reply was short and we kept walking past well trimmed hedges and shrubs that were styled to keep the eye entertained.  Flowers ranged from Roses to Hydrangeas.  Most of the colored flowers looked nice but I didn’t know their names.  Neither did I care what they were called.  We walked and talked for another hour but to me it felt like the entire fucking night.  This talking biz was working on my nerves but I would do it if it kept Jane happy*.  #BondedBrothers

#Therapy #BondedBrothers #TenaciousDocJane #MurhderBDB #BlackDaggerBrotherhood

[fashiontrendin-blog]

Why You Should Have Some Pleated Trousers In Your Wardrobe

http://fashion-trendin.com/why-you-should-have-some-pleated-trousers-in-your-wardrobe/

Why You Should Have Some Pleated Trousers In Your Wardrobe

Great style is all about your waist. Not in a don’t-those-models-eat-anything sense. But rather, as a dapper man once told me, because where a man’s trousers sit reveal whether he knows how to dress himself. For what seems like forever, trousers have perched precariously on the hips, threatening at any moment to fall to the floor. It’s an unflattering place to wear your kecks, one that stretches your torso and shortens your legs. In hip-huggers, even tall and slender men seem dumpy.

But the winds are changing and over recent seasons, trousers have crept upwards, towards a man’s natural waist. The trend has been spearheaded by Italy’s tailoring colossi – Armani, Cucinelli, Caruso – and comes twinned with the long overdue drift from skinny to more billowing legs. That’s because to pull off more relaxed trousers (you can stop the spit-takes now, they’re happening) those acres of extra fabric need a decent distance to fall.

These shifting winds have blown a long-lost – but much-missed – detail back into fashion: the pleat. Until recently, ‘pleated’ was kicking back on the same scrapheap as ‘bootcut’, ‘square-toed’ and ‘wraparound’, an adjective that no one in the know wanted anywhere near their wardrobe. Your grandfather wore pleated trousers because pleated trousers were comfortable. You poured yourself into skinny jeans that buffed off leg hair, because when did comfort and style ever play nice?

Well, right now. We’re in a wonderful new world of work-joggers and cardigan-blazers, to which the pleated trousers return the seventies, the fifties and the twenties like a shunned prophet, ready to forgive us our flat-fronted sins. “They’re fantastic for the wearer as they offer complete comfort in the way they allow volume in the seat of the trouser, whilst looking formal and neat,” says designer Oliver Spencer, whose recent collections have been particularly pleat-heavy. They create the one thing there’s never enough of these days – space.

What Is A Pleat, Exactly?

To avoid getting too bogged down in tailoring terminology, a pleat is basically a fold. On trousers, it’s that tiny tuck of fabric between pocket and fly, which adds an extra inch of material to each leg. This is helpful, because the male body does not fall flat from navel to knee; the waist is (generally) narrower than the buttocks, which are wider than the thighs.

Flat-fronted trousers, first created by necessity during wartime fabric rationing, struggle to comfortably contain a man’s seat. Pleats offer breathing room, but mean your trousers still sit snug on your waist.

They come in two kinds: forward (pointing towards the fly, typical of English tailoring) and reverse (folded towards the pockets, favoured by the Italians). Forward pleats are neater, reverse pleats create a looser shape. Both can appear in multiples, although more than two each side just seems greedy.

Forward Pleat

Edward Sexton

Reverse Pleat

Brunello Cucinelli

The Modern Pleat

The best fashion trends come on slow. Because they radically reshape the male wardrobe, it takes a few risk-takers to lead the way, before others follow. Flat-fronted-and-cut-slim has been the doctrine since the mid-2000s, but don’t forget that even then it took a few years for people to get what Hedi Slimane was doing at Dior, with his rail-thin models in even skinnier jeans.

Silhouette changes are a drastic thing for most men; they catch on when they resonate with broader social trends. Then, it was the confluence of arty guitar bands, the revivification of 1980s style, and the Great Recession, which turned us all onto a less-is-more style of dressing.

Now, we’re over austerity, even if buoyant employment numbers haven’t quite translated to money in our pockets. Gucci’s maximalism and the rise of Instagram-inspired, look-at-me fashion, has made men lust for clothes with some clout. Pleated trousers literally offer more – more fabric, more room, more impact. Nothing is more luxurious than comfort, even if your pleated trousers are from Topman, rather than Rubinacci.

How To Wear Pleated Trousers

Lean into comfort and you’ll find pleats please in more ways than one. Follow these stylist tips for just the right amount of billow below the waist.

Dress Them Down

Pleats are traditional, but not formal. “Think summertime bowling,” says Giles Farnham, head of River Island’s Style Studio. “Tuck a Cuban collar shirt into a pair of straight-leg pleated trousers, layered over a white T-shirt.”

Reiss

Double Down

One pleat is good, two pleats are better. “The double-pleat shows you are really embracing the trend,” says menswear editor Shane Kurup. “They look equally good with tailoring or a classic Breton-stripe tee.”

Brunello Cucinelli

Material Benefits

When you’ve got extra fabric to play with, experiment. “The younger generation are wearing heavyweight cottons, or seersucker fabrics, to give modernity and interesting shapes,” says Spencer.

Whistles

Mix Up Your Footwear

The best pleated trousers don’t drown your footwear. “For a smarter look, wear them with a double-buckled shoe,” says Carl Tallents, head of brand at luxury retailer Flannels. To balance the extra fabric, try a chunky, commando-style sole.

Closed

Hit The Street

This anything-goes menswear moment means pleated trousers work just as well with streetwear. “A pair of box-fresh Common Projects sneakers can look great with pleated trousers and a bold-hued sweatshirt,” says Kurup.

Urban Outfitters

Season’s Pleating

“Pleats work best in fabrics that have give in them, but still exude a little old-school luxury,” says Farnham. “In the summer, try a lighter fabric like a linen or linen-cotton mix. For the winter, flannel.”

Windsor

Stay Focused

Pleats are punchy, so give them the limelight. “They can be a statement piece,” says Kurup, “so pair them with a clean-cut tee, and slip-ons or brogues. It looks fuss-free and contemporary.”

Todd Snyder

The Dos And Don’ts Of Pleated Trousers

Do…

Update them. For the uninformed, pleated trousers can still have a slightly grandfatherly feel. But it’s not hard to shake off any fustiness. “That sepia-tinted snap of your grandfather beaming in his pleated slacks in Bognor might look cool and nostalgic,” says Kurup, “but the key to revived trends is not to repeat exactly what has been done before.”

Tradition’s best when it’s modern, so throw in things that grandad would never wear. “Avoid slouchy cardigans and don’t be afraid to mix up your look with a few contemporary pieces.” Chunky trainers, hoodies and cropped bomber jackets are all fair game.

Embrace the tuck. If you’re wearing pleats, show them off. “The added bulk of the pleated front loses its effect when covered by your shirt or jumper,” says Farnham. “You end up looking like you just have a paunch. Keep it neat, tuck that shirt in.” Ditto for tees and even knitwear.

Discover your actual waistline. We’ll go out on a limb and guess you’ve been wearing your trousers too low. Pleats will prove why your natural waist is best. “The slight curvature of the pleats is most flattering when worn a little higher, above the hips,” says Farnham. “It will also cinch in any additional holiday weight you might be carrying. Which is a nice bonus.”

Don’t…

Steer too casual. Pleats are functional, rather than decorative, which means they look best when they’re actually doing something – they need fabric that falls and drapes properly. “Sportswear-inspired materials such as scuba are too thick and structured for the nuanced elegance of a pleat,” says Farnham. Denim is doable – see E. Tautz for proof – but it’s not an easy look to pull off. If in doubt, stick to fabrics you could cut a whole suit from.

Think bigger is always better. We’re in a more-is-more moment right now, but there’s no shame in temperance. Pleated trousers are roomy enough without an oversized sweat or longline shirt. “If your trousers are a little wider, don’t go oversized with everything else, or you run the risk of looking like a circus tent,” says Kurup. “Go for a slimmer-fitting top if your trousers are more relaxed, and vice-versa if your trousers are on the slimmer side.”

The Best Pleated Trouser Brands

Rubinacci

This Italian tailoring dynasty offers some of the world’s finest bespoke suits and its style practically defined the Neapolitan dandy. So it’s no surprise that it offers choice (and premium) pleated trousers. The brand’s Manny trousers are inspired by the uniforms of Nepal’s elite soldiers, the Gurkhas. Double-pleated and cut loose, but not wide, they’re a masterclass in how form should follow function.

Edward Sexton

The former Nutter’s tailor debuted his Hollywood top trousers a couple of years ago. Inspired by the zoot suit, they’re crafted without a waistband – the fabric is just turned over at the top. It’s smart, but casual, and exceedingly comfortable.

E. Tautz

Label boss Patrick Grant is rarely seen in anything but a pair of wide-leg, pleated trousers. Where he’s led, the industry’s followed, but his brand’s British military-inspired strides are still the ones to beat.

COS

The H&M group’s masters of minimalism have tweaked the pleat this season; as well as in its traditional tailoring, they appear on elastic-waisted chinos. Which is about as relaxed as trousers get, while still looking extremely elegant.

Uniqlo

In the hands of Christophe Lemaire, Uniqlo U is charting a Dickie Greenleaf course this season with wide-but-tapered trousers and, for the daring, a pair of butterscotch pleated shorts that beg to be paired with a loose linen shirt and negroni.

[thecloudlight-blog]

New Post has been published on Cloudlight

New Post has been published on https://cloudlight.biz/a-history-of-politicians-getting-sports/

A history of politicians getting sports

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus reportedly emerged from the GOP’s House health care victory last week with the aid of telling a reporter, “The president stepped up and helped punt the ball into the stop area,” a statement that assumes:

You can score touchdowns even as punting.

Punters have helpers, and . . .

Trump wanted to… thoroughly return the ball to the opposing group?

Whatever. We take Priebus’s which means, and it’s entirely feasible he mixed up metaphors within the giddy thrill of having an invoice a third of the manner too of the entirety. But he’s the brand new instance of why politicians sought to prevent with the bringing up of sports:

John Kerry: There are two belongings you don’t do in Michigan: Be in the Insane Clown Posse, and claim to be an Ohio State fan. Kerry did the second, and truly we’ve yet to peer evidence he hasn’t achieved the previous. Kerry also as soon as referred to as Lambeau Field “Lambert,” to be cool. Also once called Michael Jordan “Aunt Sally.” OK, that closing one didn’t manifest, but it’s not too a long way off.

Ted Cruz: Thick inside the midst of the GOP primary

Trump’s scow liest frenemy stepped to the stage in Indiana and — ignoring the silent pleas of all of Indiana who saw this about to unfold in terrible gradual movement — crucified Gene Hackman’s speech before the championship recreation at the stop of “Hoosiers:” “The first-rate factor is, that basketball ring here in Indiana is the equal height as it’s far in New York City and every different place in this use,” he stated, pointing to what is usually called a “rim” or a “hoop.” Somewhere Dennis Hopper changed into feverishly leaping up and down on a mattress, and by Dennis Hopper I simply me.

Acoustic Guitars Through History

You can play it along with your finger or a select. You can strum it quietly or you can extend it for maximum sound. What is it? It’s the acoustic guitar, something that, in one form or every other has been around for centuries. The major source of sound comes from the strings which vibrate at exceptional frequencies depending on their period, tension and mass. You sincerely pick the strings to create distinctive notes and tones and, when you placed it all collectively, you’re gambling music.

In the Middle Ages, those instruments have been called gitterns

And they gave the look of and had been played just like the late, they even had the rounded lower back like a lute. As we got into the Renaissance technology the dimensions of those units got large and the form changed into something we might don’t forget more current guitar like. They originated in Spain and had been referred to as vihuelas. This call was an extensive term given to many string contraptions so within the sixteenth century they have been divided into two categories: vihuela de arco which became like a present day violin and vihuela de Penola that changed into played both by way of hand or with a plectrum. If the tool became played by means of hand, the term vihuela de mano became used and this is what became the present day guitar because it used hand movements on the strings and had a valid hole to be able to create the music.

While Spain is the birthplace and hometown of the guitar, the actual production of them genuinely ramped up in France.

They were so popular that human beings commenced producing copies of the well-known fashions. Some even went to jail for stealing famous maker’s paintings. It turned into a father-son duo named Robert and Claude Denis even though who surely elevated the recognition of the instrument, as they produced masses of them during the period.

By the past due 1700’s simplest a six-course vihuela guitar turned into being made and offered in Spain. This has become the standard guitar and had seventeen frets and six guides with the primary two strings tuned in unison in order that the G turned into actual strings. This is while we subsequently see the shape and similarities to trendy gadgets. Of path now we have single strings in place of pairs, and by the nineteenth century, the instrument had completely advanced, except for size, to be the six single stringed guitars that we know today.

The Six-Year-Old Politicians

What is taking place with politics in the States and on a worldwide scale?

Imagine you’re a six-year-old in a schoolyard. Fenced in, contained, underneath the guideline of bullies and the authorities. Mull over the concept that the old patriarchal paradigm becomes put in location and is administered by means of six-year-olds. The truth is the government have grown-up bodies, however, their brains are nonetheless functioning as a six-yr-old. Let me give an explanation for.

Your Brain and the Old Paradigm

Neural programs are installed location by the time you are six-years-old and decide 95% of your movements. According to molecular biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton, you have got an aware mind and unconscious thoughts. The unconscious thoughts is a million instances extra effective in processing facts than the aware thoughts. In addition, the subconscious mind controls your behavior approximately ninety-five% of the time.

Your unconscious generates 40 million nerve impulses according to 2nd and operates during ninety-five% of the day, whilst your aware mind fires forty nerve impulses in keeping with 2nd and runs for only 5% of the day. Do the mathematics; your subconscious programming controls your life except you exchange it.

Everything you research within the first six years is absorbed and becomes your essential fact.

That method, whatever your circle of relatives, lifestyle, race and faith believed and practiced is neurologically stressed in your body.

When you understand that nearly each person is functioning from programs that have been set down by means of the age of six, you may begin to see the arena with a brand new perspective. As you comprehend that authorities, maximum agencies, and agencies are run via six-12 months-olds who’re basing their actions on worry, you have a first rate advantage. The implications this information is amazing.

Remember while you had been six, playing on the faculty playground? The six-12 months-vintage bullies within the schoolyard are going for walks the authorities and the economic system. Everyone is scared of them. The authorities businesses adjust their regulations to keep the bullies happy. The bullies are the large businesses, Wall Street, politicians, and the old patriarchal paradigm.

At the instant six-year-vintage, bullies are constantly stirring up the problem to overrun humanity. The overestimated bullies belittle others in order that they experience higher about themselves. Instead of facing internal disgrace and disrespect they take it out on all and sundry else. The huge bullies are honestly the cowards who do not have the courage to see what is lurking internal their frame and thoughts. It is much less complicated to spew rage, hatred, and anger than it’s miles to grow up.

Do you want a six-year-old walking your lifestyles?

Humanity is at a turning point. We can go away the six-yr-old bullies at the back of and pass onto a new playing discipline. The oppressors are currently getting more violent, abusive and controlling. Escape the cracked warm cement playground surrounded by chain hyperlink fences with a barbed cord on top. Leave the guards on the gate. What will show up when a critical mass of human beings graduate, and the best ones left on the old playground are the bullies?

Learning English Impacts Sports – Importance of Learning English For Athletes

You are watching tv. You see your preferred overseas boxer, Manny Pacquiao, who once more simply knocked out a title contender. With a bloodied face and a dislocated nostril, the opponent continues to be uncoordinated from the dizzying blows he obtained. You upward push out of your seat and shout in victory together with your idolized athlete. And then, after the initial victory cries and congratulations, it’s miles now time for the interview.

The interviewer asks, “So Manny, what can you tell us about your combat?”

Manny answers, “I umm.. Ahh.. Am glad about combat.”

Your favored champion stutters and speaks in an English you can not apprehend. You are disillusioned and your self-assurance and awe for him are faded. Indeed, in information, information, interviews, and write-ups – the English language dominates the sector of Sports.

Here are the reasons why studying English is crucial for the sports athlete:

As an athlete grows in achievements and reputation, he’s more exposed globally with fanatics that come from one of a kind international location and with unique nationalities as properly. With English as the most spoken language within the international, being able to express one’s self with an easy to apprehend English enables the athlete to talk extra efficaciously to lovers. Moreover, he can reach more people, explicit his passion, and even educate listeners through his reviews.

Having an amazing draw close of English we could an athlete talk higher with his group of workers and instruct.

It isn’t always unusual for athletes who are non-native English audio system to have coaches and managerial or promotional body of workers who have English as their native language. Learning English lets athletes have extra opportunities to make money thru classified ads. Most international groups like Nike use English as their medium for commercials. It is commonplace that they soak up international sports athletes for their commercials – once in a while requiring those non-local English speakers to utter some lines to promote their merchandise. Having a terrific draw close of English or at the least an acceptable accessory makes the athlete and the product he endorses greater saleable. It can be tough for human beings to buy sports drink from a sports activities parent who can’t even pronounce the product effectively.