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petri808 · 3 years

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@thenaluarchive winter wonderland snow activities prompt. How about some sledding in Hawaii 🤗🏂🌨

For college student Lucy Heartfilia, if there was one thing she missed about home, it was the snowy winters. Being in Hawaii for the last 3 years, she enjoyed the beach days, of sun and fun, and all the new friends she’s made, but the autumn and winter months was such a different experience here. For starters, the leaves don’t change color in the Fall! Before she’d come to the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Lucy never realized how much she would miss such a trivial thing.

And that January was colder than the last one according to her roommate Levy McGarden. Honestly, Lucy couldn’t really tell the difference because to her cold was like 20 degrees Fahrenheit not 70. That first year was amusing to her as she walked around in a tank top and the locals in hoodies complaining about the chill in the air. But she had to agree with Levy as they sat in their rented house. That night was a bit chillier than most. Hawaiian winter storms were really just deluges of rain, and based on how much it was pouring outside, that’s exactly what hit that evening.

“Bet there’ll be snow on the mountain by morning,” Levy chirped from her blanket burrito. “Maybe enough to play in too.”

Lucy excitedly popped up from her textbook. “You guys get snow here?!”

“Yeah,” Levy chuckled. “I heard there’s even a skiing club on the island. When there’s a lot of snow people ski and snowboard up there.”

“Darn,” Lucy deflated in her seat, “if I’d have known, I would brought my board.”

“Tell ya what, if it turns out there’s snow I’ll get Gray to take us up in his truck.”

“But I don’t have my board.”

“Don’t worry,” Levy winked. “We’ll show you the island style.”

The storm lasted for two more days, so no one could really see what was going on above the clouds. But according to the observatory’s on top of Mauna Kea, snow was in fact building on the mountaintop. The question became how much? It was finally on the third day, that the sun came back and clouds disappeared, when Lucy got her first glimpse of snow in Hawaii. She could see the mountain clear as day from the third floor of the UCB building on campus.

“Natsu! Natsu!” Lucy ran up to him as he was existing his last class of the day. “Did you see?!” She squealed and pointed towards the mountain. “It’s covered!!” Natsu Dragneel was best friends with the girls other friend Gray Fullbuster. Lucy had met both men in classes at the university her Freshman year and since they were local to the area, they often took the girls to see places around the island.

He laughed with a smile. “Yeah, I saw it.”

“Levy said maybe Gray can take us in his truck?”

“I’ll ask him, probably could go tomorrow morning as long as the road is open.”

“They close the road?”

“Just until they can make sure it’s safe to drive it.”

“Yay!! I can’t wait!”

At 7 am the following morning, Lucy and Levy piled into Gray’s Toyota Tacoma truck along with Natsu and headed up the mountain. The drive would take about an hour to get to the visitor center, where they’ll be required to acclimate for an additional hour before moving onto the summit. When they arrived, Lucy was absolutely in aww, the snow had come all the way down to the center, blanketing the building in white fluff.

They got out of the truck and Lucy played the typical tourist, fawning over the gorgeous view. With a cloudless, light blue sky above them, they could see a great distance down the mountain and it was amazing! The parking lot was already half full of other park goers ready to take advantage of the snowy opportunity.

“Come on,” Natsu prompted Lucy into the center. “They’ve even got souvenirs if you’d like a memento.”

Lucy smiled, a light blush coating her wind swept cheeks. He knew her too well already. “Thanks.”

The hour passed by quickly at the center, with the friends eating a breakfast they’d packed along with purchases like hot chocolate at the center. And yes, Lucy purchased a couple of souvenirs, including a picture frame to commemorate the day. She really wished she had her snowboard, but just being able to hang out with her friends was enough for her. Maybe they could even have a snowball fight!

As they piled back into the truck for the last leg of the journey, Lucy noticed something in the bed of the truck. She laughed. “Boogie boards?! Are you serious?”

“I told you we do it Island style here,” Levy laughed too. “Sometimes we just bring inner tubes. Trust me, it’s just like sledding and fun.”

The last time Lucy had gone sledding she was 7 years old, but of course those sleds were built for snow and the children’s type had something to hang onto. These did not. Well, guess she’ll just have to trust they know what they’re doing. As for the drive, this portion of the road was both a little scary and amazing. It had been cleared but still icy, so everyone crawled along the skinny road, giving Lucy a chance to stare out the window and take pictures.

“Oh, wow theres some trippy rock formations,” she mumbled.

“Huh?” Natsu turned to see what Lucy was talking about. “Oh, yeah, that’s like layers of old lava rock or something.”

“The colors are beautiful.” Some had an oily sheen, brownish-reds and golds in horizontal waves along the rock faces. Yup, Lucy was definitely glad they brought her here.

Gray drove until he found a decent spot to park that was close to the heaviest snow areas, yet away from the majority of crowds. Families with children stayed closer to the scattered observatories or where the snow would not be as difficult for children to maneuver in. Lucy even noted some trucks were simply shoveling snow into their beds. She was told many took the snow back down the mountain for those who couldn’t make it up.

“Stay away from any pink or yellow spots in the snow,” Gray warned.

“Pink?” Lucy asked in confusion. Yellow she figured out but why pink?”

The man shrugged, “sometimes it looks pink up here.”

“Weird,” She laughed but carried on, helping to grab a boogie board. The guys had brought enough for each of them.

They climb up a decent sized hill, trudging through the snow. It wasn’t too deep, and actually it was a bit icier than Lucy was expecting but not too bad yet. She couldn’t lie that she’d hoped for powdery snow, but this was better than nothing. After a quick group selfie, Natsu started explaining how to use the boogie board.

“We hold onto the leash to steer and use our feet as brakes. Since it’s just a short hill, you probably won’t pick up too much speed where you won’t be able to stop yourself.”

“Okay, I think I got it...” Lucy gripped onto the edge of the board as she looked down the hill. Snowboarding never made her nervous, but this did. She wasn’t used to having such a short area to move in, and definitely didn’t wanna think about running out of snow to slide on.

“If you’re nervous, I could go with you till you feel more comfortable,” Natsu suggested.

That brought a new flutter and wave of heat back to her cheeks. The board could fit two people sitting on it, if she was practically on his lap!

“It was just an offer, you don’t have to—.”

“N-No, thank you. That might be a good idea, for at least the first time so you can show me what to do.”

Both Lucy and Natsu hadn’t noticed the silence coming from their friends who stood on the side whispering and snickering through the unfolding scene. Levy had even pulled out her phone ready to record the event. They watched the pair settle the board onto the snow, Natsu digging it in to keep it still a moment as he got on first, then directed Lucy to sit between his legs with her feet on the board for now. He then had her grab the leash where he was holding it, and placed his other arm around her waist for security.

“I got ya,” he whispered near her ear.

She swallowed thickly, his heat was radiating against her body and suddenly the cool air of the mountain had disappeared. “O-Okay.”

“All you gotta do is watch how I use my feet to break at the end and have fun. Ready?”

“R-Ready.”

Natsu used his feet to scoot them initially, then let gravity do the rest. The pair slide down the hill, picking up a decent rate of speed, not too fast, just right. Lucy screamed in elation, this was so much fun! It was only a short distance and Natsu easily dug his feet into the snow to bring them to a stop. Her heart was beating rapidly from the exhilarating ride and she was still giggling after they’d come to a full stop.

“Did you like that?” Natsu chuckled and got off, holding his hand out to help Lucy to her feet.

Lucy looked up and blushed, then took his hand. “Yes, a lot more than I’d expected to.”

Once she stood up the pair pause, breathing slowing, as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Natsu’s hold on Lucy’s hand tightens. Her heart fluttered, spellbound at the handsome smiling face, and rosy cheeks from wind burn. Natsu’s smile always captured her like a siren pulling her in. He brushed a stay lock of hair from her face, causing her to gasp lightly.

“Finally!”

“Just kiss her already!”

With the spell broken, the pair look up the hill to see their friends laughing, and Levy holding up her phone, pointing to it. Lucy giggled, they were totally busted, but a long time in the making. Who would have thought that a snow capped mountain in the middle of a tropical island would break the unrequited stalemate.

Natsu turned Lucy’s face back to him, tipped up her chin, and lowers to within an inch of her lips, “may I?”

“Yes, please...”

Bonus picture of a couple of kids on the mountain with boogie boards I found online. But yes, lol we have snow in Hawaii 🙃

#nalu winter wonderland #nalu #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #nalu fan fic #nalu fan fiction #nalu au #modern setting #snow activities prompt #natsu x lucy #Petri808 #hawaii #snow #Mauna Kea

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maybe-your-left · 4 years

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Good Intentions: End of Summer

Did I write a Solo Triplets fic even though I have two other fics that I should be working on? Yes.

Did I write about the triplets because I am lusting after all three of them and I’m projecting my lust of Adam Driver in a competitive swim suit? Also yes.

Am I going to write a fuck ton more of this because I’m a garbage human being who loves angst? Yes again.

Okay so this is written in a High School AU. You’re a junior in highschool whose been friends with the Solo boys (they are seniors) for a couple years, Matt being one of your closest friends. This fic is going to involve a lot of drama, and a lot of swimming lingo that you might not get but its okay because no one gets it outside of the swimming community. It’s mainly just so I can get this thought of AD characters out of my head and into something more productive. I hope you like it! Also yes there will be smut. Not yet, but yes. Just because the AU is different doesn’t mean I’m not gonna have them make sweet sticky love to us when the moments right.

Thank god outdoor events had tents set up. Or else you would be baking in the sun waiting for your races.

You sat under a large white tent surrounded by towels, goldfish, Gatorade bottles, and an assortment of games. Your teammates were sprawled around you, some were playing cards with each other, some were listening to music to pass the time, and you were just sitting down playing on your Switch.

The Rebellion swim team had been a great escape for you. It allowed you to make so many friends, almost considering them family throughout the years. It was a way for you to get away from your problems and immerse yourself in the competition. Most of the friends you’ve made had been through swimming, some from school, but all of you had a shared bond.

Right now you were resting after your medley relay, the rebels as you were called, had beat everyone else by a landslide. You reached over and drank from your water bottle when you heard faint screaming from the exit doors of the pool. Pulling back one of your headphones you looked around to see what the commotion was about. You couldn’t see all the way over, but you were sure it had something to do with the boy’s relays going on inside. They always were rowdy, and it didn’t help that most of the guys on your team screamed and yelled whenever they had the chance.

You shrugged and put your focus back on your game. Steady beats were playing through your headphones, you barely noticed the three boys running up to you. Suddenly a very large, and very wet body was jumping on top of you.

“Earth to (Y/N)! Why didn’t you come to watch us kick the First Orders ass?!”

You groaned and tried to pry him off of you, fuck he was huge, “Please get off me Ben,” you slapped his back in an attempt to force him up.

“You missed it,” Ben huffed into your stomach, “Matty almost false-started!”

“Is that right?” you patted Ben's shoulder, he was always the most competitive one. You glanced to your right towards the other boys. “How did you do Kylo?”

Kylo didn’t respond, only grunted towards you while grabbing his towel. He was the quietest, even though you had been around the boys for years he always kept you at arm’s length. You tried not to feel hurt by it, he seemed to do it for everyone but it still stung.

“Don’t be rude Kylo,” Matt smacked his brother’s shoulder, “He’s just grumpy that he almost lost.”

“I did not,” Kylo growled back, settling in front of you with his eyes glued to his phone.

Ben snorted, lifting his chin to settle on your sternum, “Could’ve fooled me, you almost let Hux beat you.”

Without warning, Kylo smacked Ben in the back causing Ben to muffle a scream into your suit. “What the fuck dude?” he yelled and launched off of you, tackling Kylo to the ground. They started wrestling with each other, Kylo getting Ben in a chokehold while Ben was trying to elbow him in the gut. You sighed and stared at Matt who just stood there staring at the two roll around.

When you first met the triplets, you weren’t used to the hostility between Ben and Kylo. Ben always tried to push his buttons, while Kylo tried to one-up Ben at any physical event which always led to the two of them fighting on the floor of wherever they were. Your first experience with that was when Matt had invited you over to their house to study for chemistry together. Although they were a year older than you, you and Matt had met in science class your freshman year the two of you quickly becoming good friends. Once you came over to their house you were quickly thrown against a bean bag chair by the boys who were fighting over PlayStation controllers. Needless to say, you started crying because Kylo had broken Bens’ nose and Matt was trying to calm them while also introducing you to the other two. Once they heard your tears all three of them apologized and swarmed around you, Ben and Kylo especially trying to show you that they didn’t really ‘hurt’ each other.

But now them fighting was normal, you just had to wait for one of them to run out of steam, or when Kylo eventually caused Ben to pass out. Although Kylo is the middle triplet, he is the strongest. He has the most muscle compared to the other two, although they all are exceptionally large boys for their age, Kylo looks like he could fight a bear at any given moment.

“Come on guys that’s enough,” Matt yelled, attempting to pry the two apart with his foot, “We don’t need someone telling Dad that you two can’t be civil anymore.”

Kylo pushed Ben off him, “Fine,” he pointed a finger at Ben, “This isn’t over.”

Ben rolled his eyes and brought his attention back to you, “(Y/N) big bad Kylo hurt my neck, will you kiss it better?”

“Get off me, Ben,” you chuckled, “I need to go get ready for my race.”

He huffed and rolled off you, grabbing a bag of snacks from his swim bag. You turned to your left and grabbed your cap and goggles, standing up and stretching before walking off towards the entrance doors. Kylo grabbed your ankle stopping you, “Good luck.”

You swallowed and smiled at him, “Thank you Ky.”

-----

After (Y/N) left, Ben threw a towel at Kylo’s face, “What was that about, lover boy?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he rolled his eyes and brought his attention back to his phone. He had been mindlessly scrolling since he sat down, trying to get over the embarrassment of (Y/N) seeing him freak out about almost losing. Usually, he didn’t let Ben get under his skin but whenever he provoked him in front of (Y/N) he couldn’t help himself.

Matt stood up, putting on a t-shirt and grabbing his glasses, “We better get inside, I don’t want to miss her breaking the 200 record.”

“She didn’t come to watch us swim, why should we watch her,” Ben groaned, stretching his arms before grabbing his shirt to throw on.

Kylo reached in his bag for his stopwatch, “Because she’s our friend and this is important for her, besides I’m sure you’re #1 fan will be inside too.”

“Fuck is she here? I didn’t see her at warm-ups…” Ben looked around hastily, scanning the team in case his ‘favorite’ person found him before he could duck and hide.

“Yeah,” Kylo grunted, “She cornered me this morning when I came out of the locker rooms, pretty sure she thought I was you.”

“Common mistake,” Ben laughed, grabbing Kylo and Matt’s shoulders, “You two do take after your older brother's good looks.”

“Piss off Ben, let’s go I’m sure the rest of the team is already down by her lane.”

Matt and Kylo jogged in first, with Ben trailing not far behind. Making sure to scan the crowds for any ‘danger’. Kylo spotted (Y/N) first, hollering and waving his watch in the air, receiving a large smile from her in return. “Let’s get close, that way she can see us when she turns,” Kylo said over the crowd.

Everyone was packed into the building, the crowd was screaming and cheering for the open 200. The boys maneuvered their way to the end of (Y/N) lane, pushing out other spectators and calmly hopping the barrier between the swimmers and patrons. All three were crouched down, ready to watch.

“Event 3 Women’s 200 Freestyle, Heat 4. Swimmers Step up.”

The girls hopped up, (Y/N) gave a big smile and wave to the triplets and also a thumbs up to her timers. She always was so polite even when she was racing.

“Judges and timers ready, Swimmers take your mark.”

BEEP.

The crowd erupted, they dove and everyone was shouting. Matt and Ben were hooping and hollering at (Y/N) to ‘keep a steady pace’ while Kylo stared in silence. Making sure to get the splits when she made it to the wall.

“She’s gotta kick it up, that girl to her right is already close,” Ben yelled down at Kylo.

“She’ll be fine, it's just the first lap,” Kylo grunted, getting the first lap timed.

“Have a little faith, Benny,” Matt smiled before turning back to (Y/N).

Three laps later and it was the final stretch, (Y/N) was just a little ways ahead at the wall. All three boys were screaming at her, at the turn they were right in her face. Yelling to go faster, push harder. They stood up abruptly, watching the clock to see if she was going to win.

“That’s a new record for (Y/N) (Y/L/N)!” the starter announced.

“Let’s go let’s go!” Matt shouted, scrambling to get around the excited spectators.

Kylo stayed quiet, he was so happy for (Y/N) but he didn’t want to show it. He would wait to talk to her alone that way Ben and Matt wouldn’t embarrass him if he stumbled over what he wanted to say. Even though he had been around her for so long, she still left him tongue-tied. She was so smart and sweet and put up with each of the triplets' moods. Not to mention she was beautiful and was always so happy to see and include him even if he was in a shitty mood. He had had a crush on her for a while now, Matt and Ben knew about it. Ben made it clear he also liked (Y/N) which was proving to decrease Kylos chances.

Kylo was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw you coming down from the lanes. Chatting with the coaches, thanking people, and crying about how excited you were. It was a big deal, you had worked so hard over the summer to beat the record. Kylo fought back a smile as you approached the boys.

“You did amazing, babygirl!” Ben shouted, lifting (Y/N) up by her armpits. Effectively crushing her face onto his cheek. “I’m so so so proud of you!”

He kissed her on the cheek, giving Kylo a side-eye before setting her back down.

Matt spoke up, wrapping his arms around (Y/N) in a much calmer fashion, “That was great, we were worried for a second that you were going to lose.”

“Glad you guys had so much faith in me,” (Y/N) huffed, she was beaming with joy. So proud of herself and happy that everyone could see her do well.

She looked up at Kylo, eyes wide and a big smile. Waiting for him to congratulate her, or say anything. Nothing would come out of his mouth, he was awestruck, and making a complete fool out of himself for the second time today.

(Y/N) nodded and crawled out of Matt’s arms, smiling and saying thank you for watching before turning to her other friends. “The fuck was that dude?!” Ben smacked Kylo upside the head. “She was waiting for you to say something!”

“You don’t have to hit me,” Kylo covered his face in his hands, “She just kept looking at me like that, I didn’t know what to say.”

“You’re ruining your chances with her if you keep acting like that,” Matt grumbled, staring off into the distance. Suddenly his eyes widened and he ducked down, “911 Ben she saw us!”

“What?!”

“Get down!”

Kylo hunched down, trying to become average height along with Matt and Ben. Blending in and attempting to make it to the exit undiscovered.

“Hey Benny,” a voice rang out in front of Kylo. “Are you hiding from me?” She smiled and pulled back on his shirt making him stand to full height.

“Wrong twin Bazine,” Kylo huffed and pointed towards the locker rooms where Ben was stalking towards.

Bazine whipped around, distrust coloring her face. For having a crush on Ben she sure wasn’t able to recognize him, making mistakes left and right between the two boys while Matt was left in the clear from her lustful gaze.

“Sorry Ky,” she flashed her teeth, “He keeps slipping from me today, didn’t even answer my texts.”

“I can’t imagine why.”

She glared at Kylo, turned and skipped off towards Ben, letting out a huge breath once she was gone.

Matt patted Kylo on the back, “One of these days she’ll get the hint.”

“Hopefully while we're still young.”

The two turned around and walked back out to the tents.

——

After your race, you were exhausted, but you were sure to say thank you and check in with your coaches and friends. Rose, Rey, and Phasma were so excited for you, they even filmed the race. Although the triplets were blocking them from getting very many action shots, they also were the loudest on the video.

You walked out towards the tents, plopping down and chugging some water. You shot a text to your parents, letting them know how you did. They weren’t there to watch you, even though they promised they would try this time. But it wasn’t a new thing, they were absent enough for it to be normal. It would be weird if they had shown up. You made sure to send them the video Rey took.

Looking up you noticed Matt and Kylo speed walking towards you, Ben nowhere to be found. Settling down in front of you, seeming to sigh in relief. “That was so close,” Matt said.

Kylo hummed and grabbed his water bottle, brushing your knee as he reached.

“Bazine find Ben?” you chucked. That poor girl. She was on the high school team before she transferred last year, she had her eyes set on the triplets. She even ‘faked’ being your friend for a while when she noticed how close you were with them. But of course Ben couldn’t keep it in his pants, and now she wouldn’t leave him alone. “It’s his fault really, he shouldn’t have led her on,” you said, grabbing a goldfish from Kylos bag.

“Hey,” he huffed, “I didn’t say those were to share.”

“It’s a swim meet Kylo, everything is to share. Now did you time my splits?”

He cleared his throat and nodded, “Uh yeah I did.”

“Wanna tell me them or am I supposed to guess?” You scooted over to his right, placing your hand on his knee. Kylo coughed and sat up straighter, showing you the stopwatch. Although he never tried to show it, he was always the most proud of you. Made sure to help you with technique, work on turns and dives, and he always would time your races even if you didn’t ask. “You did a good job,” he swallowed, “I uh, I’m sorry about earlier-“

“Why the fuck would you guys leave me with her?!” Ben shouted, pushing Kylos head down into his lap as he made it back to your group. “She fucking cornered me in the locker room! The men’s room!”

“Ben why don’t you just tell her to buzz off,” you rolled your eyes and glanced over at Kylo who was trying very hard to not knock out his brother.

“He won’t because he likes the attention,” Matt stated. Earning a glare from Ben, before he sat back and grabbed his phone from his bag.

“I don’t like the attention,” he huffed, “It’s not my fault that she’s in love with me. We barely did anything!”

“You slept with her!” Kylo shouted.

“Not right now I didn’t!”

You looked at Ben, trying to give him ‘you’re a fucking idiot face’.

Ben averted your gaze, staring off instead at Rey sitting with the other girls, “We just made out, nothing else.”

“You just made out with her?! Even though you’ve been avoiding her for a week?” you yelled. Ben clearly was not understanding that he was responsible for Bazine attachment, he kept stringing her on and when she got too close he would run away.

“Whatever I don’t need you guys to tell me what to do,” Ben said back, “Come on Kylo we have a race.”

Next to you, Kylo chucked, the two of them always raced against one another. Right now they had a 50 freestyle that was supposed to be neck and neck, however, Kylo always seemed to beat Ben no matter how hard he tried.

“Good luck,” you whispered to Kylo, “I’m rooting for you.”

Kylo smirked down at you and grabbed his stuff and left, Ben following behind him. You sighed and looked at Matt. Sweet normal Matt, he was so calm and level headed. Nothing like the other two, aside from their identical faces you could hardly believe they were related.

“Let’s go, whoever loses has to be my counter for the 500,” Matt sighed.

“You say that every time but Ben never follows through, he doesn’t have the attention span for it” you giggle, grabbing the stopwatch and running off to the lanes.

Inside is the same story, people shoving around each other. Trying to get a look at the top heats of every event. Thank goodness Matt was behind you, guiding you forward through the crowds. Ben and Kylo were side by side, Kylo lane 4, Ben 5 with Hux in lane 3. Hux was Kylos rival, or even arch enemy. They hated each other with a passion, even more than Ben and Kylo.

You got right behind the barricade, when suddenly you were lifted over it. “What are you doing Matt?!”

“It’s fine we did it earlier.” He hopped over too and stood at Bens lane. You turned and stared at the blocks. Both twins were stretching and jumping, getting ready for their sprint. You could see Ben was cracking jokes with his timers, probably making a big show about the top swimmers being brothers. While Kylo just stood and stared. You did a small wave, showing the stopwatch as he did for you earlier earning a very small smile.

“Event 8 Men’s 50 Freestyle, Heat 5. Swimmers step up.”

Up they went, strong and ready to beat the shit out of each other.

“Judges and timers ready, Swimmers take your marks.”

BEEP.

Diving in, Kylo and Ben were underwater longer than everyone else. Ben edging out ahead just a little. You and Matt were screaming, watching their every move.

At the wall you saw Kylo take his first and only breathe, shooting off the wall. Suddenly he was past Ben. Earning an almost full body length ahead of him and he glided into the opposite wall. Easily set a new record for himself and the team.

“You think he was going easy on Ben?” Matt smirked and looked at you, it was clear in the first half he wanted Ben to get tired. “Whatever the case, Kylo won’t let Ben win that easily.”

The two of you headed towards the exit, waiting for the twins. “Matt go get ready for your 500, I’ll make sure to grab the boys for you.”

“Thanks (Y/N).”

He turned and jogged out. Suddenly Bazine was at your left, her hand on your shoulder. “Can you believe Ben let Kylo win? Unacceptable,” she tsked.

Rolling your eyes you shook her hand off, “Whatever Bazine.”

Kylo and Ben came out, after shaking hands with the other competitors they were smiling and wrestling each other. Happy to have shared a good time. Once in front of you, their smiles fell slightly, probably because of the presence of Bazine.

“Awesome job guys! Matt and I were screaming for you,” you smiled and grabbed them both in a hug. Being sure to give them both attention, Ben was known to sulk whenever he lost.

Bazine rolled her eyes and pulled Ben to her arms, “Why’d you let him win baby? You’re so much better than that.” Grabbing his face and kissing the tip of his nose, you had to look away. Afraid that your temper would flare up, she was always so rude about Kylo. Even though he was nothing but ‘nice’ to her, she always tried to put him down. Ben just closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, trying to get her away with silence. After a moment he sighed and spoke, “I have to go.” and then pushed past Bazine.

She quickly followed Ben outside, trying to soothe his wounds. You turned and looked at Kylo who was staring at his feet. “You did a great job. Really, I even got your splits!” you smiled at him, trying to lighten the mood.

Kylo nodded and mumbled, “I should go get Matt’s stuff ready.”

“Let’s go together!” you smiled at him, slipping your hand in his while pulling him towards the lanes.

——

The rest of the meet went by smoothly, each boy winning their races. Matt especially, he was the odd one out. Only did distance races so he had his own set of rivals. But you all cheered just the same. Finally, the meet was wrapped up and you and your girlfriends were packing your bags.

“Are we all meeting for pizza?” Rose asked.

You shrugged, “I’m down if you’re down, I think we’ve earned it.”

Rey and Phasma jogged up beside you two, confirming the pizza plan. Everyone from the team was supposed to meet at the restaurant in fifteen minutes. “You guys wanna ride with me?” you said at the girls, each of them shaking their heads and proceeding to wrap up.

“I’m gonna head inside and change, see you guys there” you walked back towards the locker rooms. You looked at your phone, shooting the boys a group text about the plan.

Walking in you heard whispering, right around the corner to the men’s bathrooms. You leaned in and listened.

“I don’t know why you’re acting so weird dude.”

“I’m not acting weird!”

“Yes you are and if you can’t get it together I’m gonna swoop in.”

“That’s not fair Ben,” one of the voices silently screamed.

You peaked around the corner, huddled in a group were the triplets. Each one was already dressed down, and they were very close to fighting one another.

“I don’t give a shit anymore Kylo, I’m tired of watching you be a pussy,” Ben huffed looking up at the ceiling.

“He’s not ready Ben, don’t push him!” Matt yelled.

“He’s had years! Years of dibs!”

“Stop pushing me!” Kylo shouted, burning his face in his hands.

“If you don’t tell (Y/N) how you feel then I will.” Ben pointed at Kylo.

You cleared your throat, trying to get them to stop talking about you. Matt was the first to notice you, smacking both Kylo and Ben to shut up. Once Kylo noticed you his face went beat red, while Ben just smiled at you.

“Hey (Y/N)...” Matt waved.

You rushed into the locker room, frantically changing so you could quickly run out to your car before the boys could talk to you any further. This was going to be a long night.

TAGLIST: @finn-ray-nal-beads @morby @kirah36 @reylo-trash @onlykyloscenes @candycanes19 @clumsycopy

I just tagged people who have liked my stuff or who I think would be interested in my garbage writing!

#adam driver #kylo ren #ben solo #matt the radar technician #charlie barber #phillip altman #flip zimmerman #solo triplets #solo #au

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horanimal-10 · 4 years

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Okay, I know we still have the final to go, but given what we've seen so far what's everyone thinking about the Olympic roster? Who you think deserves to make it, who you want to make it, who is a definite no at this point, anything. Now, I basically know jack shit about soccer (I was a field hockey player, oops) but I definitely have some thoughts about who I want/think deserves to make it.

Let's start with the front line, shall we?

Christen Press. I mean, this one is obvious. In what universe does CP *not* make the roster? I'll tell you which universe - none. She's clearly having a moment, she's healthy, everyone loves her. She's in, signed, sealed, delivered. Put it on my grave.

Pinoe. Okay, okay, "she's only good on set pieces" people say. Yeah, and those are pretty important. And aside from last night's somewhat sub-par performance in that department, I think she's looked pretty damn good this tournament. Fit af. Plus there is something to be said for the leadership and experience the older players have to offer. I think the rest of the team respects her and values her, and she's super positive and supportive of everyone, which I love. As long as she stays healthy, she's in.

Heath. Whoo. Honestly, I don't think we got a good look at her, what with her limited minutes. But she's the nutmeg queen, she's great on corners, she's spicy, and she does that nifty little backheel thing. And again - experience. Definitely takes on a mentor role with some of the younger players. She's had some injuries going back to the end of the club season, but as far as I know they've been minor. I still cringe every time she gets fouled, but I think she'll be okay as long as Vlatko continues to be smart about managing her minutes until she's 100%.

AMorgs??? Okay, this one's loaded. I give her major props for continuing her training during pregnancy, and I 100% believe she has the drive to be match fit by July. That said, pregnancy and childbirth are unpredictable. If she ends up needing a c section (which I wish on nobody, fingers crossed for a nice, uncomplicated delivery) I don't think she'll be ready due to the recovery period. That is the only reason I hesitate to say she's going for sure but I am hoping for the best and want only good things for her.

Baby Mal??? I don't know. This is a tough one. As much as I miss her, I will admit to thinking (please don't kill me for this) that she looked kind of lost and unfocused in the friendlies last fall. She has the skills to be there, no doubt, it just seemed to me she wasn't connecting well with her teammates, wasn't anticipating where they would be, etc. But I love her and hope she works shit out.

Carlos??? She isn't starter material at this point. This tournament, for her, seemed to be about getting Carlos to the Olympics, not the USWNT. Not at her best, by a long shot, and unlike Pinoe I don't think the younger players really see her as a leader or mentor. Not gonna lie, I was rooting for her because I admire her drive and dedication to keep going, but she fell short here.

Now, I'm skipping ahead to goalies, because honestly that's the easiest.

Uncle Naeher. Biggest no-brainer along with Press. (Honestly...can anyone give me a valid reason for her not to start? I doubt it.) I think she proved both in international and club play last season that she deserves the starting spot. It's hers to lose, but she won't.

Ashlyn. I hesitate to say I'm 100% sure here, but it's a pretty good bet. Campbell or Bledsoe could sneak in there, but at this point I'm leaning towards not. We really didn't get a good look at where she is right now, what with there not being a whole lot of action on that end of the field, but apparently Vlatko likes her so I'm good with that.

Ugh. Now we have midfield and backs. Honestly the toughest spots to cut anyone because they're basically all looking rock solid.

Rose. Why tf would you cut Rose? That's right, you wouldn't. She's had a solid tournament. Would have liked to see more of her, but benching her against Costa Rica was prob a good call, given her yellow card from the previous game. (Confession - sometimes I feel like she falls in the "looks like she could kill you; would actually kill you" category. Anyone else get this vibe? Not necessarily a bad thing…)

Lindsey. Honestly, I feel like sometimes she doesn't get the credit she deserves. Does she ever have a *bad* game? Even when she's not at her best, she's still The Pretty Good Horan. Solid as a rock. Great one-touch passes. Has perfected the art of the header. Awesome volleys. Just got her first international hat trick, yay! Looks cool, calm, and collected, but is capable of being absolute chaos on main (exhibit A: That Game™ vs Utah). Leaves no square inch untouched as she roams from box to box. Minus last season's concussion (and maybe a minor hamstring injury last fall where she missed a friendly? Am I right?) she's been healthy, which is more than I can say for several others, so there's also that. And she's the love of my life, so I will accept zero criticism on this one.

JJ. She's fast, she's feisty (and sometimes ultra spicy), she and Dunn are adorable bffs, she's a leader. I have nothing bad to say about her. But I'm still kinda salty that Chicago beat Portland in the semis so that's as nice as I'm gonna get. (No hate though, really, she's fantastic.) She needs to stop giving me heart attacks with the couple-pics-that-could-be-pregnancy-announcements, though. One USWNT baby at a time, thanks.

Sammy. Well, she got herself two braces so far in qualifying (okay, that one goal was highly questionable, but the ref said goal so goal it is), so she's definitely made a strong case for herself. She's tall. She's able and willing to catch The Great Horan (you know, because she's the only one taller than The Great Horan). She panics over being the first one on the bus. The only thing I don't like about her? She plays for NCC. But honestly she's adorable, really fucking good, and I love her so I can overlook that.

KO. Okay, I'll admit I was nervous. Her first couple games were a little shaky, she had a few pretty big goof-ups (but I mean when she whiffed that one time she had literally just recovered from a savage attempt at breaking her ankles so I can't even blame her for that) but her ankles were away at war for like 6 months so what do you expect? Last night she was in fine form. She brings a great energy to the game, connects well with Tobito, has the Stanny connection with CP and some cute, newfound friendship thing going on with Horan, and is basically the ultimate hype girl (when she's not being the ultimate frat daddy). When you need a bitch, she's your woman. And she's hot. Like, HOT hot. As long as the ankles hold up, she's gotta be on that roster. I am rooting for those ankles. Hard.

Sonnett. Really did herself a solid with the minutes she had. No complaints from me. Almost scored a goal, and I'm not counting it out in the final. Not afraid to break ankles. She's scrappy, spicy, saucy, a sit-down comedian, a soft smiler, and a package deal with Horan. She deserves the world. The world (or at least the USWNT and its fans) deserves her. Please don't cut her, Vlatko. I beg of you. (I'm not saying if you cut her, I'll cut you, but like...I'm not NOT saying it, either...)

Krieger. What do I need to say except she showed everyone why Jello was an idiot not to play her. She's a beast. And I really, really, really need the wives to both make it bc I will cry if one does and the other doesn't.

Dunn. I mean, have you seen her? She's all over the field. She almost scored during her 100th cap. I've never seen her have a bad game. Voted best dancer on the team. The only problem? See Sammy above. F'n NCC. She deserves better, dammit.

Dahlkemper. Okay, don't sue me, but I really don't have any feelings toward her either way. A lot of people love her. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about her (except this one time I saw someone roast her on IG for following Honkle, but that's her business I guess) so that's good enough for me. Also she's pretty and posts thirsty comments on her teammates pics so basically I stan a supportive Abby.

Broon. Cool as a cucumber. The voice of reason. A literal angel. Captain Becky never lets us down.

Okay. Now for who I don't think will/should make it.

AD. This makes me really, really sad. I love AD. But she's the only player on the roster who didn't get any minutes, so I think that says exactly where she stands in Vlatko's eyes. It's a shame, because she's amazing, but it's super hard to choose between her and Ash.

Lynn. Clearly Vlatko sees something in her, and tried really hard to make it happen. It didn't happen. I was kind of rooting for her, just because everyone else seemed to be against her, but she just didn't seem to connect with the rest of the team. She's fast, I'll give her that, but it's not enough.

Jmac. Another one I was rooting for just because everyone else was against her. She has talent, and when she's on she's great, but she wasn't connecting with the others.

Moe. Nothing against her, just no compelling reason to cut anyone else for her. Injury-prone, which obviously isn't good.

Allie. See Moe, minus the injuries. Bonus points for social media content, though.

Baby T. No clue where she stands with the injury. If she's 100% I have absolutely no reason why she shouldn't be on the team, but I don't know who I'd cut to keep her. If she isn't 100% I'd rather she take the time to heal completely. I know it was reported that she'd be ready to resume training around February, but a while back she herself said she didn't think she'd be 100% by the Olympics so who tf knows. She's SO young and could have 2-3 Olympics (and World Cups) ahead of her so no need to risk a career-ending injury by rushing it. But if she IS ready I'm down for her being an alternate (or, heaven forbid, making roster in the event that anyone else is injured). I like Tierna. I want a long, successful career and only good things for her.

Player I selfishly just want on the team because I like her.

Midge. She was a Thorn, so maybe I'm a little biased, but she's good, she's young (but not *young* young and inexperienced), she's versatile. I like her. A lot.

Okay, that's all I got. Let me know what y'all think.

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ktent · 5 years

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The day after the grand Halloween event, the girls have gathered once again inside a typical practice room. With their comeback already planned, they should all be kept in check.

“I hope you all had a lot of fun yesterday,” Kim Geonwook, their dance coach, starts things off, “because from today on we’ll work on getting everything right, which shouldn’t be as fun.” He starts by staring at the newest member. “What we worked on the most was getting Joohyun to learn all the songs she needed to. She did her job, but the struggle now is to get you all in sync. This isn’t like changing a tire where you just it into a new one and the car starts to move. Each screw needs to be properly fixed and, right now, she isn’t the only problem. Because you aren’t used to her as well, you can’t anticipate her movements, which leads to people not matching each other.”

He claps his hands together once. “But, Joohyun, you’re a good dancer. At the start of this, we had to push each of the members to work on their dance to make this teamwork. Now, I believe you can all do well together. My diagnosis to you is a lot of hard work and maybe some bonding time.” And so their month starts. To help with bonding, the coach prepared some trust exercises such as trust falls, but since that’s not really his style, they quickly moved over to just practicing their moves. With that the coming months have prepared, the group needs to go through the same routines over and over again not to screw up on the most viewed live shows of the year.

Two weeks after her audition, Minji receives the news on November 10th right from her manager about how the producers got interested in her for the role. However, how this will be a big-scale project, things can’t be confirmed with one simple audition. Between all the people who tried for the part on the month before, five of them remain, including Minji. She’s told to return for a second round of auditions on November 24th. This time, more information was given on the project in hopes that it’ll inspire the candidates on doing the best job. The drama will follow a group of rich, privileged high school students as they are about to take over their families' business empires, overcoming difficulties and growing every step of the way. The role they’re auditioning for, however, is of Cha Eunsang, a down-to-earth and somewhat cynical woman who diligently works part-time jobs to support herself and her mother. When they arrive on the scheduled day, the five finals actresses looking for the role will receive a scene on the spot to study for in a set of minutes before performing it. They’ll also receive an impromptu prompt to act on-the-spot in a group scene. The final results will come out the following month.

Since Eclipse were invited to some end-of-the-year shows, that means that Joohyun will have to perform with them live for the first time. Before that can happen, the girls will be taken out to record a reveal video for their new member. They’ll go on November 11th to record the video outside. It’ll follow the essence of this video, but the content will be different. Following Joohyun’s reveal video for the KTROOKIES project, all five girls will be recorded on the busy streets of Seoul while the cars zoom past the streets. They’ll be moving as if they’re looking for something with their faces never being completely visible. That’s until another car crosses the screen and Joohyun is revealed standing on the other side. They’ll also be recording a video like this one next to the Han River. These will be uploaded later in the month. The girls will be using the outfits as seen in this image (without the skates).

Anna — Umji

Blue — Sowon

Haseul — Yerin

Jennie — Yuju

Joohyun — Eunha

Minji — Sinb

In order to avoid the harsh cold of December, the group will be recording the music video of their title song still in November. Their comeback will happen in early January. On November 12th, the girls will go out to their usual hair salon to make needed changes, or just to make sure their hair is in good condition.

Anna — Brown ( reference )

Blue — Red ( reference )

Haseul — Black ( reference )

Jennie — Black ( reference )

Joohyun — Brown ( reference )

Minji — Blonde ( reference )

Members who changed their hairstyles are told not to reveal them to the public.

On November 16th, the group will go out for their album photoshoot. This will consist of two different sets, one inspired by these images ( 1, 2, 3, 4 ) and another by these ( 1, 2, 3, 4 ). The day after, their music video recordings will start.

DAY ONE — NOVEMBER 17TH

8AM: Get hair and makeup done

9AM: Go to filming location

10AM: Change into outfits

10:30PM: Shooting of bridge scenes ( 0:08 [Sinb: Anna; Yuju: Blue] ; 1:33 [Yerin: Minji; Eunha: Joohyun]; 1:41 [Yerin: Minji; Eunha: Joohyun]; 3:06 )

12PM: Filming of bridge dance scenes ( 1:30 )

1PM: Lunch break

1:30PM: Recording of grass & street scenes ( 0:31 [Yerin: Haseul]; 1:22 [Yuju: Anna; Sinb: Jennie]; 1:45; 2:55; 3:03 )

3:30PM: Head to second filming location; Change outfits

4:30PM: Recording of house dance scenes ( 2:58; 3:12; 3:15 )

6PM: Change outfits

6:30PM: Recording of pool scenes ( 1:59; 2:04 [Yuju: Anna]; 3:13 )

8:30PM: Recording of pool dance scenes ( 2:00; 3:10; 3:17 )

10:30PM: Thank staff for hard work; prepare to leave

11PM: Head back to dorms; eat, shower, rest

DAY TWO — NOVEMBER 18TH

8AM: Get hair and makeup done

9AM: Go to filming location

9:30AM: Change into outfits

10AM: Recording of gym dance scenes ( 0:51; 0:56; 1:37; 2:26; 3:27 )

11:30PM: Change outfits

12PM: Filming of gym scenes ( 0:19; 0:36 [Yuju: Jennie]; 0:53 [Yerin: Blue; Eunha: Haseul]; 1:01 [Yuju: Haseul; Yerin: Blue]; 2:24 [Eunha: Joohyun; Yerin: Minji]; 2:33; 2:43; 2:47; 3:21 )

2PM: Lunch break

2:30PM: Recording of room dance scenes ( 1:06; 1:36; 2:39; 3:29 )

3:30PM: Recording of room scenes ( 0:00; 1:01 [Sinb: Jennie]; 1:39; 1:55; 2:44; 2:53 [Yuju: Haseul]; 3:00 )

5:50PM: Thank staff for hard work; prepare to leave

6PM: Head back to dorms; eat, shower, rest

The first award in line is on November 30th, it’ll be the Melon Music Awards which will take place at the Gocheok Sky Dome. ‘Me Gustas Tu’ will be the only track they’ll perform. They’ll enter the stage while an intro audio plays before breaking into the song. For this event, they’ll all be wearing wigs to hide their new hair colors. This will be their first public group performance with Joohyun on the team.

December 4th is the date of the Mnet Asian Music Awards. This will be their first stage after their comeback. Their stage will be slightly based on this video and this video. This means that Eclipse’s stage will be highly linked to Convex’s, however, the two groups will not practice together until the day before the show for the final stage check. Since the event will take place in Japan, they’ll fly over there on the day before and return soon after the end of the event. Their roommates were separated as Anna&Haseul&Joohyun and Blue&Jennie&Minji. For the pairs, Minji will be Sinb; Anna will be Yerin; Blue will be Eunha. On the dance duet, Haseul will be Yuju. The stage will start with Haseul singing one of her lines from ‘Me Gustas Tu’ (2:20-2:25). Blue will do Eunha’s part from behind the stairs, also from ‘Me Gustas Tu’ (0:26-0:35), leading into the song’s performance. For the duo dance and onwards, the girls will put a robe on top of their previous outfits as seen here. Haseul will sing one of her lines from ‘Chase Me’ this time (1:02-1:07) before they head into this song’s performance.

You will gain +5 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE AS YOU WISH, +3 DEBUT POINTS and +2 ACHIEVEMENTS for completing the written requirements as explained on the idol tier page. As this is not a promotional month, you may choose any two achievements for the month’s points. There is a capped maximum of five solos, sets of starters and/or partnered threads you may write for to collect this month’s points.

* For clarification, old threads from previous months will count towards points so long as they fulfill the requirements as explained on the idol tier page. However, at least one of this month’s requirements must be written about the schedule to gain any points for November.

The only form that needs to be submitted at the end of the month is a verification form for your debut points and achievements. Any SP points earned can be collected as soon as you finish the requirement for them. At the end of the month, you will submit the following form to the Points Verification blog:

IDOL’S NAME - KT ENT - NOVEMBER SCHEDULE (for the December 4 verification form)

PROOF OF ACTIVITY: [ x ]

POINTS: +00 SP [ distribute these however you like ]

TOTAL POINTS EARNED: +00 SP +00 DBT

+1 WK ACHIEVEMENT #1 [ NUMBER OF TIMES TAKEN + CURRENT LEVEL ]

+1 WK ACHIEVEMENT #2 [ NUMBER OF TIMES TAKEN + CURRENT LEVEL ]

DEBUT POINTS SPENT ON THE IDOL SHOP THIS MONTH:

NEW DEBUT POINTS TOTAL:

**** Their performances in 3 end-of-the-year awards gives them 3 EXP. For more information regarding GROUP EXP, refer to the idol tier page.

#rkeclipse #eclipse:nov19

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amoirsetpacis · 4 years

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★ –;; hey everyone! throwing up a dual starter call because i want to hop in on all the action!

like this post for a non-event winterfes starter. if you want, the event could still be happening in the background or be part of the thread, though! but these are mostly to focus on all the cute winterfes stuff. capping at 3!

reply to this post with a cute emoji if you want a starter specifically for the event! some back and forth in IMs would probably be needed though! as of right now, i dont have anyone for vash to switch bodies with. also capping at 3! his abilities and memories are under the cut!

current abilities; -fractionalized super human strength -defensive angel feathers ( ex. ) 5x per day -real fuckin good at shootin stuff!!!!! like stupidly good.

personality; -really a happy dude! fuckin loves life man. -sees infinite possibilities and wonder in the lives of other people -still carries a lot of guilt about the people who have died because of him -mourns the loss of his brother and best friend -his heart hurts with the burden of morality and what is right vs. what is wrong; he is still adjusting to the grey area in between -loves a good doughnut!

memories; -the destruction and death of an entire city of people at the hands of your own uncontrollable power :) -your best friend dying next to you -your brother dying after using the last of his power to save you -your mother figure’s death at the hand of your brother after finding out one of your sisters had been used for science experiments until she died :) -literal actual torture taken out on you through limb contortion -the beauty of life. of people’s stories. you have a photographic memory of all the people you’ve met; of their smiles, of the small parts of their lives you’ve been a part of. their light makes your heart not feel so heavy. -those BANGIN tuna sandwiches at your favourite lunch spot. oh man.

other; -he’s real fuckin tall!! he’s 6′8′’. -his left arm is a prosthetic. inside is Gun -he has chronic pain to some degree because of just how fucked his body is from being damaged so much.

#isola rp ad #isola event #isola winterfes #[ ooc. ]

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nettlestonenell · 5 years

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How Peggy Carter Shows Up in Avengers: Endgame

...is actually a really important question to ponder, Gentle Readers. Thanks for asking.

As I recently set forth here, Peggy Carter is the central bedrock of the MCU. If you don’t like her, you don’t like it.

As such, it seems unlikely that the attention she will be given in Endgame will be limited to the infamous black and white picture Steve keeps in his old compass (which some fans believe he looks to for moral guidance. About which I stringently disagree.)

Insert your own traveling-across-realms Once Upon a Time Swanfire keychain reference here.

Just to cover all the possible bases, then;

SCENARIO #1: Peggy used solely as image/misunderstood totem for Cap.

NOPE.

I firmly expect “actual” Peggy Carter to make an appearance in Endgame, and according to the internet at large, I am not alone.

HOW she makes that appearance, and what is made of her appearance is entirely unknown at this time, but here are the strongest possibilities. (All following scenarios involve Time Travel or universe-shifting.)

SCENARIO #2:

Cap sent back in time to his version of a Valhalla/warrior’s paradise: right after his jet goes into the ice he manages somehow to arrive the following Saturday at the Stork Club at 8pm as she and he were talking about in his last moments on the radio.

While iconic for that time period, The Stork Club (of New York City) has always seemed a rather upscale venue for Peggy and Steve to pick. (Coincidentally, it closed its doors in 1965)

(Ultimately, you may recall Steve saying he’s going to need a raincheck on that dance.)

I don’t see it. Doing this robs those moments in The First Avenger entirely of their gravity and their far-reaching impact in the MCU. Peggy wouldn’t even have a hot moment to grieve for what she lost. What’s more, Peggy in the immediate aftermath of Steve’s disappearance hasn’t got anything to offer the plot/Cap in the way of fighting Thanos/the power of Infinity Stones. She’s just relegated to a sort of trophy/reward, without any utility in the storyline.

If Peggy Carter is used in Endgame without having something to contribute to the forward motion of the plot, IF, for example, she’s reduced to a sort of ‘Grey Havens’ for Cap, what an utter waste of everything MCU has put into her over the years. If going back to be with Peggy (pre-Marvel’s Agent Carter and ongoing developments in the MCU) is simply Cap’s “reward”, then Peggy gets reduced to nothing but a dog treat. [which, I daresay from reading enough tumblr plenty of bloggers think she is]

Just as I said in that earlier blog, narratively it’s Steve in TFA who has to “come up” to Peggy’s level, both physically

She could snap him in two if they tried that dance, now.

(at least narratively-speaking—obviously there’s absolutely NOTHING wrong in real life with two partners not being the physical equal of one another, in fact it’s rather more standard than not) and also heroic conviction-wise; he has to be willing to step out there and join the fight (as when he left the showgirls, etc).

Of course, even leaving the showgirls behind, Steve won’t miss out on the sight of a great pair of legs, Angie Martinelli will gladly tell you.

Ahem. It’s been awhile since Cap woke up from the ice. He’s seen and done a lot. But Peggy, in the immediate wake of his crash, well, she’s hasn’t had a chance to grow similarly.

TFA-era Peggy and Infinity War-era Cap are far from on the same footing. She’s only just had her first brush with the supernatural (Vibranium and the Tesseract, super-soldier serum). She’s still WWII-Peggy, and Cap hasn’t been WWII-Cap for awhile (remember his government’s betrayal in Winter Soldier? His own rebellion in Civil War?).

Unlikely we’ll see this noobishly terrified expression ever again.

Lots has happened since next Saturday at the Stork Club, 8pm. Let’s talk funerals. Cap has gone to Peggy’s,

I’m not proud of showing you this.

and in the season one finale of Agent Carter, Peggy “Goodbye, My Darling” (words, btw, she never said to him in real-life) Carter takes a moment to pour Steve’s blood sample off the Brooklyn Bridge to prevent it being used for ill, and memorialize and let him go in a real way, which she had yet to be able to do.

Do you think the military held a funeral/event in memory of Steve after he was lost to the ice?

A day or two (or even a year) after the crash, she hasn’t been able to bring herself to do that.

Secondarily, as I said in that earlier blog, Peggy has to live and operate in a world without Steve IF ONLY TO BE SHOWN AS SUCCESSFUL ON HER OWN TERMS and not viewed merely as Captain America’s Girlfriend.

Having him show up ON TIME for their dance doesn’t allow her that. It also doesn’t see her co-found S.H.I.E.L.D. (for one example). Peggy would have remained Peggy unchanged, and Cap—well, Cap’s changed plenty. He doesn’t even dress the same.

Just look at the confidence in this man’s face. This man has grown and changed since burying that plane in the ice.

If he wakes up in TFA the same year that film came out, that’s almost nine years ‘til Infinity War, and who knows how long ‘til the plot of Endgame picks up. All of WWII lasted six years. It doesn’t seem like Cap’s life since waking up has been any less of a crucible.

I absolutely understand the emotional desire fans have to see that dance and that date take place as though nothing has happened. I. Get. It. But from a story standpoint, it’s a bad idea that negates so much work and development that’s come before.

I deeply apologize for my story-based convictions on this matter.

SCENARIO #3: Parallel Peggy

Parallel universes make my brain hurt. Literally anything could happen in them. Except Steve getting time with actual Peggy.

Also, that would be something of a Whovian #10/Rose re-tread, wouldn’t it?

SCENARIO #4:

(Possibly one-way) Time Travel to Just the Sweet Spot Where Peggy Has Access to an Answer the Avengers Need

Peggy Carter’s life and work have meant a lot to the MCU (don’t get me started on the fact the franchise didn’t have Nick Fury, Coulson, Hill, and Tony Stark attend her funeral).

We know some of what she was involved in with SSR and S.H.I.E.L.D. (okay, well, likely she was involved with literally EVERYTHING). We know she had two children, a boy and girl, and a granddaughter (we don’t want to negate them, do we?[Aside: Could Steve and Peggy even have kids?]).

Children on the right, on the left the photo is taken later (note clothing style), indicating a granddaughter.

We know she was married, though the powers that be have stopped short of ever naming her husband.

Sorry, wrong wedding dress, wrong wedding, v.v. sad day about to happen.

Season Two of Agent Carter shows her embarking on a relationship with Daniel Sousa,

All my love, Daniel!

but for all we know that proved a non-starter, and in a twist she wed Jack Thompson—or even Dum Dum—or some other guy we never met. We’re simply not told. No man appears in photos by her bedside in Winter Soldier, her husband is given no name in her official obit from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

In her 1953 interview we’re told that she’s married by that time, she speaks about her husband, a WWII vet. (The bedside picture with her two children shows her with a similar hairstyle to this interview)

What we’ve never been given is information about how long that married lasted. Divorce, death of a spouse? Entirely possible. If Cap’s being sent back (at least in part) to pitch woo to Peggy, I’m betting her husband will have passed on. (Truly sorry if it’s you, Daniel!)

I’m betting that in those files Cap was reviewing in The Winter Soldier, there may have been something among his research about what Peggy got up to after he was gone.

In my memory, there’s like a whole box of this sort of thing sitting around Cap’s apartment.

And that among her work, or even among Howard’s Bad Babies, might well be technology or an item needed to help defeat Thanos or reverse the snap.

So, Cap shaves his beard (to be more recognizable to her),

goes back not to 1940, but sometime after Peggy’s interview in 1953

(recall the motion-capture dots on Hayley in that Instagram pic which may be used to age her, recall also the casting call for 1960s office girls).

This gives us BOTH a Peggy who had moved on and done important work, AND a Cap who has grown and changed since being pulled from the ice.

In a scenario like this, what we are presented with (again) are Steve and Peggy as two EQUALS, the reward for each of whom, and their lifetime of service and sacrifice is each other. And a Cap returned to a world more in- line with his human life expectancy (and among which he might feel more comfortable—and in which some of his friends/the Howling Commandos might still live). Peggy would be in her 40s in the 1960s*. (Don’t even get me started on loving middle-aged awesome, reaching her sexual peak Peggy getting to be with constantly on-peak super-soldier Steve.)

I mean, check out Peggy in her late 60s: Here, hot, and still happening.

SCENARIO #4 doesn’t diminish a possible Steggy happy ending. In fact, it just deepens and burnishes it.

*Perhaps whatever takes place in the 60s also involves the long-unexplained tease of how Peggy as head and founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. remained (we assume) unaware that Hydra had long infiltrated her organization. #utterpipedreams

COMPLICATIONS:…now don’t get me started that if Cap-Now goes back, Cap-Then is still in the ice, destined to wake up, and that gets all kind of weird—sort of like Parallel Universes.

Time Travel and the potential plurality of existence is treacherous and headache-y to contemplate.

QUESTIONS THAT PERSIST: IF Cap is able to go back in time, and there’s nothing in-story that can be gained by it other than his reunion with Peggy, doesn’t it make more sense that he’d choose to go back and reverse something terrible in history, such as prevent the US from dropping atomic bombs, saving countless (estimated around 250k) lives?

Or that he would go back and rescue Bucky from Armin Zola?

After all, he’s seen that Peggy’s life was happy. She died loved, safe, and respected as a (very) old woman in her bed. Ya can’t say that for ole Buck.

Truly, if the power of time travel is in your hands, and you choose to use it purely for selfish reasons, well, that’s about the most un-Cap thing I’ve ever heard of.

So, Gentle Readers, how do you think this thing is going to go down?

#captain america #avengers endgame #mcu #peggy carter #steve rogers #steggy #marvel's agent carter #is my marvel superhero #cap won't mind #peggy in endgame #meta #daniel sousa #never forgotten

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ghostmartyr · 6 years

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Pokémon White Randomized Nuzlocke Run [Part 2]

Here we are in Part 2, where I have maybe learned a thing about how to keep these from being dreadfully boring. Part 1 saw us defeat the first Gym, as well as my dawning sadness about the HM state of my available pokemon.

Now we move into the Badge 2 phase of the game.

Breathing Pokemon:

Boeing (Latios)

Frogger (Seismitoad)

Timon (Tepig)

I think I will be ignoring the Cut problem until I absolutely can’t, which will be in about five minutes.

I don’t know why I didn’t walk left earlier, but I didn’t. Is there grass here? Can I catch something? My team is basically just Timon and Frogger. I love Boeing, but he is not made for this rough life. He likes relaxing and eating. Not fighting.

And the answer is that the Professor’s scientist friend has supplied a plot barrier. Sigh.

Welp.

....

I can’t even pretend to be surprised. Dang it, Boeing.

I don’t want to use anything outside the confines of the challenge if I can help it. The idea is not, “win all the fights” under these conditions, it’s beating the game.

Congratulations, Boeing.

You’re temporarily useful.

Grass! Beautiful grass!

Also Team Plasma.

Cut is so much more useful than Psywave and I am very sad.

Team Plasma dealt with, obligatory plot detail I wasn’t paying attention to dealt with, we are now free to pursue the grass.

Or will the grass pursue us.

I can’t remember how Tangela evolves normally, or how it evolves given the settings of the run, but I do think that Tangela probably could have learned Cut just fine, and I can’t remember if the Move Deleter costs anything, or even where it is in this version.

But that’s only a concern if I catch a thing that can learn Cut. Let’s do this, Boeing.

Sleep Powder is hypothetically useful. I don’t think it has ever hit when I try to use it.

Two Poke Balls and nothing. I think I am going to sacrifice the Great Ball some random NPC gave me.

Victory!

Good job, Boeing. See, isn’t life more fun when you’re useful?

You know, I don’t normally nickname my pokemon. They just keep the same name every edition of them in the wild has, and that’s perfectly fine with me.

Your name shall be... Grape.

Because look at all those vines writhing... writhe... wrath? Grapes!

Such thought. Much wow.

I think it’s time for healing and grinding.

Oh, but first, Grape! Let us find something out about you.

He is Brave and quick to flee. His Speed suggests that he isn’t that great at fleeing.

Other pokemon we could have gotten from the HM grass spot of doom include Sudowoodo and Beedrill. Tangela looks to be rarest of the set, so I suppose we can add lucky to Grape’s list of traits. There’s a Potion and a Parlyz Heal lying about that I go grab, and until the plot brings us back later (probably sometime after we get Strength), this area is just going to be a grind station.

Until I get bored after about three minutes and want to go back to exploring. I’m not sure I’m made for a Nuzlocke.

...Why is Constrict a move? It’s about as useful as Splash, only with the false hope of being capable of dealing damage.

Yeah, I don’t have the patience for this. I’m going to go left again and see what there is now that the plot isn’t keeping me trapped. ...Only after I talk to Fennel again. Apparently just letting her collect the whatever thing is not enough, I have to listen to her discoveries.

I do not. Button mashing away, we now have our C-Gear and Pal Pad. I think the first of those will end up having uses. I mostly remember all these different event skins being available for the gear.

Now I should be able to go.

Ha. I have conquered the plot barrier.

Since this is a separate section from the garden area, I think once I have some kind of rod or Surf I can come back and nab something from the water. ...I wonder if grass vs water even matters in a randomized run. Are they all completely random, or random within water? I should know these things.

My guess would be completely random. I cite the level 4 Salamence on Route 2. But either way, something to come back to.

Aw, how cute. I’m gonna demolish you (I hope).

It looks like battling is going to happen before finding out what pokemon belong to this route. In the interest of learning how to do this better bit by bit, I think I’ll limit capping battles unless something truly ridiculous happens. This early in the game there shouldn’t be much tension.

I will probably keep track of how many times Psywave misses if I use it, though. That obviously falls into the realm of Importance.

I will also say that Lillipups continue to be terrifying. And that I am so temporarily glad that Boeing knows Cut. Consistent damage. That hits.

I can’t believe this game encourages taking preschoolers’ pocket money. I know I’m only ten, but wow.

Ah, but the nice thing about beating up preschoolers (’ pokemon) is that they have a teacher around very used to healing pokemon up. Walking back to centers to heal is one of the not so fun aspects of

Whoops.

So it’s a good thing I only did grinding, because I clicked the load file option instead of the save file when I was trying to save. Good grief. I am become error. Will return momentarily. With one fresh water short, because I was stupid and a Beedrill almost murdered Timon. Also Timon now knows Flame Charge.

Okay.

Back to making forward progress, hopefully.

Let me go in the grass, Cheren. You’re supposed to be one of my two best friends. The fact that I had to be reminded by a professor whose name I also couldn’t be counted on to remember myself does not take away from our friendly bonds.

There really are a lot of non-NPC duels at the start of this version.

Okay, let’s go squad.

Boeing and Timon do a good job taking down his Meganium. I think I’ll let Frogger take the Purrloin. As the one on the team who did not need grinding, he hasn’t been used in a bit.

And that’s that. Cheren is sad/frustrated because we have the same number of badges, his starter is fully evolved and useful, and yet he still can’t win. Of course he can’t; the run would be over if he did.

But before we can celebrate and get into the grass, the plot arrives.

Team Plasma please. At least I have the option of going into the grass before getting the little girl’s pokemon back. Which I will take.

Let’s see what we get!

...Another thing that doesn’t need my help to evolve. Sigh.

As ever, that only gets a chance to annoy me if I catch it, so time to see how that train goes. I’m going to try throwing my only Great Ball. Psywave got it into the red, so...

Awesome! Based on videos I have seen recently most people aren’t that lucky when it comes to catching these things. Now I can sulk about having a fully evolved team (except for the treasured Timon) in peace.

What the heck do I name you, though? You’re a dinobird... Oh, I know. I’ll call you Ptera. Welcome to the team, Ptera. Let’s check you out.

He has a Mild nature, and he’s proud of his power. I feel like that Defense is going to end up making me cry, and I don’t think you’re a Special Attacker, so the Nature is pretty much all flavor. It’s nice to have something that can Fly; hopefully he’ll be around to use it.

...Oh geez, that Ability. Ptera Ptera Ptera... You are going to make me so sad.

The good news is he can kill his wild kin in one hit. So that’s convenient.

I’m sorry, what.

This is the exp grass now. Other finds include Octillery. Grape eats them for breakfast.

...

Oh.

It knows Aurora Beam.

It got a critical hit.

Grape was only a few points off of full health.

There was no way to know.

This is really sad.

I am so sorry Grape. You were a valued member of the team. You were only with us a short while, but you knew Grass moves. You balanced everything out wonderfully.

The exp grass is a dangerous place.

Maybe if I had just gone after the little girl’s pokemon...

It’s too late.

Grape is a raisin.

In the process of going after Team Plasma, it looks like Chimecho might be replacing Audino in the rustling grass. Maybe once, maybe always. Who can say. That would take paying more attention when messing with the settings.

A place to find Grape’s replacement. It would have been where we’d finally have a team of six, but...

Oh hey we found something already.

Okay, I can roll with that.

......Surprise, Ptera is stronger than expected. I knew enough to use Wing Attack, not Rock Throw, but I guess Ptera is just that good. Filed away for future reference. No new pokemon. A fitting tribute to Grape’s absence. The slot may remain empty for a little longer.

We get some Heal Balls from the little girl, and those could actually really come in handy. Assuming I ever properly catch a new teammate again.

One battle against an NPC later, and I think it’s safe to say Ptera is the new Frogger. He is overpowered for this section of the game.

You know what wouldn’t be overpowered? A Slugma.

I forgot about the darker grass. Route 3′s has Minccino, Teddiursa, Quilava, and Emolga.

Boeing could you please just learn something good. Please.

Whenever I see an Octillery now I’m just going to be filled with so much hate. I will kill every one that comes across my path. Unless I screw up and it kills me again, which is an absolute possibility.

We’ve made it to the next Gym city. Normal type. That shouldn’t cause any particular problem, but I do remember this fight packing more of a punch than I was expecting the first time I played, so cue the grinding montage I’m not going to screencap.

As well as the exploring the town montage I’m not going to screencap.

One of the NPCs asked me what I started with, so like a fool, I said Snivy, since that’s what Boeing replaced.

Now I have a Miracle Seed. And nothing that knows Grass moves.

Grape casts a long shadow already.

New area means new pokemon. Ones I have no plans to murder, but might very well anyway.

!!!!!

It’s. Grape’s replacement.

I love Shroomish and Breloom. One of the best pokemon in any gen, and I would dearly love one to follow me on this journey.

Yesssssss.

Let’s see. How about Palm, because your design reminds me of a pomegranate.

Palm has a Calm nature, and is somewhat of a clown. I’m pretty sure that is not the combination I want, since Breloom is more of a physical attacker, but hopefully it won’t matter too much. Poison Heal is a useful Ability to have.

Other things we could have caught in Pinwheel Forest: Vileplume, Froslass, Klink, Clamperl, Bellossom, Glaceon, Ducklett, and Metagross.

Wow. That’s a nice collection.

Oh hey and this happened.

Timon is now a robust Pignite, and has a move that will be of great use in the Gym!

We’re just going through the forest and annihilating everyone, but I spared a moment to commemorate Palm’s moment.

Tympole confused him, and he still used Absorb twice in a row instead of hurting himself. Then he snapped out of confusion and won. Contrary Nature aside, I am liking our new addition very much.

Especially since the fight against the next Tympole followed the exact same script. Good job, Palm.

The rest of this is basically all grinding, which is fun for me since I don’t have to come up with something clever to say when nothing much is going on. That is one benefit of doing this in this format.

My usual rule of thumb for these games is ten levels per gym until that much grinding becomes unbearable. Everyone’s currently level 18 (Ptera’s 16 and trying to fix that almost resulted in a Glaceon murdering him), and I’m thinking I might have hit that point.

...Yeah, I definitely have. I’ll just hit the Gym and let Ptera nom some things. Boeing will probably have to sit this fight out, because as we all know, what Normal type really means is Lillipups that know Bite. Those are not things for Boeing to face.

It is amazing how many different patches of grass suddenly have pokemon when I’m trying to leave a place, good grief.

Hello, am I fighting you again already? Or are you just doing your mysterious thing?

No, yeah, we’re doing a battle. And he opens with a level 13 Pidove to my level 17 Ptera. I don’t think he’s going to win this one. N, of course. Ptera has it in the bag, because I think it’s fair to say I have overleveled myself.

Palm was continuing his great streak of not letting Tympoles make him hurt himself, but sadly he did hurt himself once in this fight. Still, not bad, and much better than I usually get saddled with.

Ptera fighting the Timburr might be an incredibly stupid idea. He can one-shot them, but if they get a Rock Throw crit, it will be bad. This has been learned from the Fighting trainers in the wild that I didn’t screencap.

Those guys were at level 16, though. N’s level 13 is nowhere near the same brand of problem, and Ptera cleans up.

Alright, that settled, can I enter the gym now?

I forgot about the museum in front. Lenora’s got good taste.

Another Fresh Water for me. This one I don’t plan on using up. I don’t think I’ll need to, based on N’s levels. I really overtrained for this whole badge, probably. But that’s okay. I don’t like worrying about my pokemon dying every fight. Steamrolling is fine too. The main fun with all of this is finding out what I’ll end up with and raising them.

Then the very first trainer has a level 17 Patrat.

I feel less silly in my decisions.

Followed by a level 17 Herdier.

This is where I would consider doing more grinding, except by the time I’ve decided to stop grinding, I am generally not going to start again for a while.

The trainer with more than one pokemon starts with a level 15 Lillipup, so the Gym Leader’s are probably around 17-20. That should be okay. I’m healing before I go forward anyway, and Ptera’s going to grow another level beforehand just by beating this last trainer.

I really like Lenora’s Gym. It’s educational and has a secret staircase. I don’t think you can ask for more (though if memory serves, some of these get pretty wild this version).

Heals, then fight. This should be fine.

I want this office.

Ready... FIGHT!

She’s opening with a level 18 Herdier with Intimidate. Sigh. I forgot that was an ability. That might make this a little more awkward than I want, but Ptera is still part Rock. If things are going to go wrong, they should go wrong slowly enough for me to switch.

Take Down with a Leer boost only does 12, so yeah, this should be okay.

She uses a Super Potion, it takes three of any of Ptera’s attacks to down it, but Ptera gets a crit, and it’s Watchdog time!

I remembered she had this one.

For the sake of safety, I’m going to let Timon and his super effective attack handle this one. I think the Watchdog likes to sleep things.

A level 20 Watchdog. Do not want. But I believe in you, Timon. Go for it.

Uh.

Huh.

Fuck?

That’s. Wow, okay.

Watchdog with Retaliate. Awesome.

I don’t trust Ptera’s Defense to withstand whatever comes next, so Frogger... please do not die. Please. I need you to be alive and useful, because I just lost one of the greatest helps to this run.

Of course it has Hypnosis.

It’s so red. So close.

Retaliate does 30 damage without the fainting teammate ahead of time, and now Frogger is asleep and in the red. He needs to get out of there now, but I think Pursuit could be one of Watchdog’s moves.

I have one Soda Pop. He’s asleep anyway, so I’m willing to try it.

Geez this is scary.

tfw Watchdog also has Crunch and now Frogger’s Defense is lowered.

He isn’t faster, I don’t think. Even if he wakes up...

Switched to Palm and now Palm’s asleep.

Switching back to Frogger.

Frogger takes two Crunches, needs a Fresh Water, the next Crunch is a critical hit, and Frogger is still asleep. I have two Super Potions, now one, and Frogger is still alive and still asleep.

What in the fuck.

I know the sleep counter gets reset if you pull it out, but come on.

He finally wakes up, and because Watchdog only needed one more hit, victory is achieved.

Not worth it.

Lenora I don’t like you anymore.

And before we can end this segment, Team Plasma attacks the museum. Yay, plot. Plot to distract from the pain. The horrible, sad, awful, pain.

I can’t even remember their excuse for stealing the skull. Was there one?

I don’t know and care even less.

So we are assigned to search for the thieves with Burgh, Castelia’s Gym Leader, while Cheren and Bianca stay at the museum. Bianca is playing Fennel’s gopher, so we now have Dowsing Machine (MCHN) we will never remember to use, but if you’ll excuse me, I have more important matters to attend to.

...Bye.

I know the screenshots don’t show it, but you did a great job. Nothing else would have survived the gym if you hadn’t made training in Pinwheel Forest so straightforward. You did good, Timon.

Next Gym gets grinding. No complaints.

#Pokemon #Nuzlocke Challenge

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theaspiringwanderess · 3 years

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Packing For The West Coast Trail; Essentials, Clothing and Food

Return to My WCT Story | Booking: Reservations/Transport | Clothing, Essential Items, Recommended Items, Optional Items, Food

You Don’t Need The Kitchen Sink - Trust Me

Packing is a BIG deal for the WCT. It’s a lot to pack and there’s the pressure of not getting caught without the essential gear while keeping it all at a manageable weight. My first WCT trek I vastly over packed a 53lbs bag! It killed my hike and was hard on my body and most of the extra was food I hated, which was the worst. My second time I managed 38lbs and it went down dramatically as I ate! I packed everything on each list below (minus the book which i forgot and the GPS which I didnt bring) and still kept it at 38lbs including my food. Always opt for the lightest version. Cut size where you can, even the smallest items eventually add up (ex. some people cut off tooth brush handles, I have a rain shell instead of a full jacket, a double foam sleeping mat is much lighter - but bigger- than a blow-up mattress, an ultra light single unit stove, etc)... One spork for all and all for one spork!

Clothing

The proper clothing is a key factor in keeping you dry, warm/cool and happy. It’s important to keep it light weight but you also must be certain it’s functional for your needs. In 2016, my sister brought a rain jacket she tested and thought was waterproof. A full day of beach hiking in pouring rain later, not only did she learn the hard way it was not, but poor girl was cold, soaked and shivering too hard to do anything but shiver. Be 100% sure about your gear. You also want to be selective about fabrics. Avoid cotton, which retains moisture, and feather/down which loses its loft (heat trapping ability) when damp. Merino wool is a great bet to stay warm and dry and is the best option for socks and sweaters. Synthetic, sweat-wicking active wear is light weight and dries quickly for the daily hike. I also prefer my leggings and shorts to have a zip-up pocket or two.

I pack my clothing in a waterproof stuff-sack, and I put tanks in one small ziplock, underwear and bras in another, and pjs in a third so they stay dry, clean and easy to find. I keep a safeway bag for dirty clothing and my lesser used items at the bottom (towel, bathing suite).

I always pack my sleeping bag in a garbage bag every morning before it goes in my pack. In the event I fall in a creek... or the ocean?... it’ll add a level of extra water-proof protection. I also re-waterproofed my Lowa hiking boots for the first time ever... this is their second visit to the WCT after all. And, as a random side note, don’t plan to wash your clothes on the WCT. I’ve seen so many people make this mistake. Trust me, nothing that gets wet will dry. EVER. If you have a sunny day, air it out, dry it in the sun, pack it up in a ziplock.

It’s important to note everyone has different needs. You might be ok with 2 pairs of hiking socks! Or one pair of leggings... This is just what worked best for me based on the experiences of both my trips. Customize your WCT adventure-wear as you see fit ;)

3 tank tops, active wear / workout (sweat wicking, not cotton!)

2 pairs of leggings, active wear / workout (seat wicking and stretchy for flexibility and comfort with zip pockets)

2 pairs of workout shorts (sweat wicking and stretchy, w/zip pockets)

3 pairs of merino wool hiking socks

1 pair of wooly socks to sleep in (in case you get cold)

2 pairs of sock liners (major blister prevention technique)

PJs: 1 tank top, 1 merino wool sweater, 1 pair merino leggings or light weight sweat pants

1 or 2 long sleeved sweater(s) active wear / sweat wicking (to wear under your rain jacket or as a warming option in morning) *I took one, but in the event you’re sweaty or expect a lot of rain, 2 is advisable.

3 pairs of underwear active wear / workout (or merino wool if you want to splurge) *for women 7 panty liners (1 per day) to extend your underwear life.

1 bathing suite top (use a pair of used shorts for bottoms and you’ll double their use and wash them at the same time!) ... or dudes wear just your shorts of course!

Essential Items

*For your emergency kit it is extremely important to bring allergy and pain meds. Unexpected reactions and injuries happen all the time. On my Murtle Lake canoe trip, my friend had a terrible reaction to the abundance of mosquitos for the first time in her life and I myself, not having allergies, have come away from the WCT with skin infections and allergic reactions. On average 80-100 hikers a year are emergency evacuated from the WCT due to injury or inability to continue.

1 good hiking backpack with hip belt & chest strap & RAIN COVER

1 pair waterproof hiking boots high top - comfortable, already broken in

1 pair hiking gaiters (protect against ticks, bugs, keeps pants, legs and boots dry, shields mud!)

WCT Trail Map, Tide Tables (provided by parks staff)

WCT overnight pass copy (in a ziplock bag somewhere safe)

$160 minimum cash for water taxi, crab shack, chez moniques (in a ziplock bag somewhere safe)

1 pair ultra-light sandals

1 waterproof rain jacket

1 towel (very small, microfibre recommended)

bear spray

single size cooking stove (I love my jetboil flash lite)

cooking stove fuel for 7 days (2 small cans or one large 230 g can)

long handled spork (this titanium one is the shiznit!)

emergency whistle

emergency kit (gauze, medical tape, various sized bandages, disinfecting/antibiotic cream, a few tabs of common medications such as tylonel, asprin, allergy treatments like benedryl or reactin).

2 regular toilet paper rolls with cardboard tube removed (in a ziplock)

Fire Starters:

1 lighter & 1 flint striker (learn how to use it! This is a great video)

Dependable fire starter (2 or 3 tiny balls of dryer lint rolled with a small amount of unscented vaseline inside a ziplock bag work great in wet weather and will burn for 10-15 mins)

sunscreen

2 (1 litre) water bottles OR 1 bottle and a 2 litre camel back water bag

Water purification tabs (my go-to is Pristine brand). Ensure they are the 30 minute variety (not 1-3 hours). Alternatively some people use a UV light but this does require batteries and adds weight

tarp, lightweight

paracord (15 m or 50 ft)

2 carabiners, 1 that can hold 50 lbs, 1 small light (for random things)

1 sleeping bag, synthetic fill (ideally good for +5 celcius)

1 waterproof tent with rainfly (*I have a cheap 2 person waterproof coleman tent with a tarp bottom that I later bought replacement aluminum poles for. The poles made a 5lb tent a 3lb tent - impressive investment. I pack the poles and my friend the tent body = 1.5lb/each)

cell phone (I use my phone camera a lot so I brought 2 backup chargers. Solar charging is not an option given fog)

3 extra large black garbage bags and

3 large ziplocks (for trash, as an emergency poncho, keep feet dry in wet boots, the uses are endless)

1 pocket knife

1 flashlight

sunglasses

closed cell foam sleeping pad or light weight blow up mattress pad

1 watch, battery or wind-up water proof or at least resistant - digital watches can get damaged when wet or expensive watches ruined)

1 poop trowel.. yes you read that correctly - the plastic kind

1 bug spray (there weren’t many bugs, lots of wind though!)

2 travel sized hand sanitizers (for covid & as well after nature’s call)

1 emergency blanket

1 small soap or body wash (environmentally friendly brand)

1 travel toothpaste & toothbrush [small]

gloves (fingerless mesh back type for weight lifting is best)

neck gaiter (*instead of a hat - can double as a hat)

Other Recommended Items

unscented lip balm... you don’t want to smell like a walking buffet

1 light weight sleeping bag liner to keep sand and dirt out (I prefer silk)

ball cap or foam visor *non-water absorbing (this can be worn on a sunny day or under a rain hood to keep rain off your face).

1 emergency plastic poncho

1-2 hair ties (it gets wet and windy and they double as pack ties!)

sweat band

baby wipes (good for cleaning your face, or dishes...)

a small book or time passer (don’t bring a giant novel)

Items I’d Consider Optional

rain pants (*optional as long as you have a long waterproof rain jacket. gaiters provide extra leg protection or if its warm don shorts! skin dries)

small camera with good battery life (not necessary if you use your phone)

pen and paper for notes or emergencies

small GPS or Spot satellite device

1 waterproof phone case (if you bring a phone)

1 extra light pillow (optional - i had one this time but usually use my sweater)

Food Recommendations

On the WCT you are expending roughly 3000-4000+ calories per day. That’s more than double the average 120lb marathon runner going hard for 2 hours if they ran 12 miles. You are Climbing, Hauling, Pushing, and your feet are operating at the agility level of “expert cat on steroids”. So, essentially you NEED the calories. But packing the right amount (and weight) of food is challenging. I’m happy to report this time I ate it all by the end so it was the perfect amount. If you find you are running low or forgot something, you might be able to grab it from the Nitinaht crab shack and likewise if you over pack you can leave extra food there for someone else. But please, do NOT leave garbage.

**Note, I must, must stress - DO NOT leave garbage on the trail. There is no garbage removal service. Parks staff do not remove it and with covid there are fewer staff in general. Garbage is a major bear attractant and you put others at risk leaving it behind. 2021 is a year with only Canadians allowed on the WCT and the amount of garbage was appalling.

The WCT, and island in general, is VERY humid. It’s best to bring items in individual packages, otherwise things clump or mush. On our first trip, my sister brought important medications that melted and became extremely difficult to take. My advice is to pack any daily meds you must bring in the plastic containers with individual days. This way if something similar happens to you, you can still be safe knowing the amount taken.

Additionally, I work with a very simple but effective system of ziplock bags. This keeps everything fresh, organized, and easy to find as you go. I have one large ziplock for breakfasts, one for lunch & snacks, and one for dinner. As I finish breakfast I move it to the bottom of my bear bag and put lunch/snacks on top for easy access and so on - Ta-da!

I consider lunch and snacks the same thing as we never stopped for a cooked meal mid-day. In 2016 my sister talked me into doing dried lentil dinners and it was the WORST (... for me, she loved it!). It made it hard for me to want to eat, which was a big set back. I have this vivid memory burned into my brain from our first trip of an adorable father - daughter duo whom we criss-crossed a lot. One rainy day he had her tucked up under a tree eating the most delicious looking meat and cheese sandwich and my instant thought was ‘awww, so cute... I’d kill you for that sandwich though...”. Who knew a sandwich could insight such murderous intent?!

My lesson learned was when it comes to physically demanding, multi-day hikes, pack healthy but also things you enjoy eating. I strive for light weight first and foremost. I love fruit but it doesn’t pack well, so items like fruit leathers work well. Real, individually wrapped, cheese sticks are a great too; by day 5 they get soft or oily, but they never go bad (harder cheeses like cheddar are naturally preserved), so I stick to 4 or 5 day cheese supplies. My ultra-favourite hiking snack - individual wrapped rice crispy squares! I pack 2 per day... and a couple extra for desserts! I never packed enough of each junk food to have one for every day, instead with treats I generally aimed to have 4-5 of each and mix it up. In between hikes, I also spend some time picking up and trying different types of nuts. Don’t get me wrong, peanuts are good, but after 4 days they get pretty boring. I often pop into a Winners or Home Sense store and look for enticing types of nut mixes and I’ll keep them in my car to snack on and decide if its a keeper.

Im also very careful about toothbrushing too because prolonged periods of hiking without proper dental care wrecks havoc on your teeth.

Ok! Down to the nitty-gritty! My dinner ziplock has 1 dinner for each night and sometimes a hot (dehydrated) dessert. And I have a small ziplock for items like my toothbrush, toothpaste, body wash slips, and anything else that might need to go in the bear bag. Again, I’ll preface this by saying its important to note everyone’s needs are unique and based on the experiences of both my trips, this is the food I packed.

Breakfast Ziplock

7-8 easy breakfasts (i pack 1 peaches & cream oatmeal for each morning and an extra in case we missed the bus).

coffee - starbucks via’s have been my favs! but nescafe also makes individual coffees and a fab toffee nut cappuccino option!

sugar and powdered creamer (individual pkgs) & tea in a smaller ziplock

a smaller ziplock for toothbrush/paste, body wash etc

Lunch / Snacks Ziplock

bag of beef jerky

individual (real) cheese sticks (usually cheddar, or a hard variety works best, soft cheese goes bad faster)

a few bags of different varieties of nuts (*lemon sea salt almonds, tamari nut mix, cilantro lime cashews, Dare brand Vietnamese coffee flavoured macadamia nuts)

2 bags snack sized hawkins cheezies

5 individually pkgd M&M’s chocolate & oatmeal cookies (*the M&M cookies were crumbly, the oatmeal squished but stuck together!)

16 Rice crispy squares - my ultra-fav hiking snack, individually wrapped (2 per day + couple extras)

4 fruit leather bars in a smaller ziplock

4 snack sized oh-henrys in a smaller ziplock

2 bags Stinger caffeine gummies & 2 capsules Nuune electrolyte/caffeine tabs in a smaller ziplock

Dinner Ziplock

1 dinner for each night and sometimes a hot (dehydrated) dessert

Presidents Choice brand (bagged) vegetarian chili *this was a new try for me, normally I advocate for dry only food because wet is messy, can leak, is heavy and can go bad fast. BUT! I ate this the first night on the trail so it was gone quickly, and it stood up to the abuse and was only $3!

AlpineAire potato cheddar soup (dehydrated) is my fav dinner. fast, hot, make in the bag, and tasty!

2 Stove Top brand stuffing; cut a small hole, let out the air, retape. write water and instructions on the bag. Throw away the box. (*mix with 1 pkg gravy)

1 Instant mashed potatoes; cut a small hole, let out the air, retape. write water and instructions on the bag. Throw away the box. (*mix with 1 pkg gravy) - FYI this is a BIG meal, make only what you can eat or bring a smaller amount if you cant eat the whole thing.

3 pkgs reduced salt gravy mix

1 Nomad Nutrition vegetarian shepards pie dehydrated meal.

1 dehydrated dessert hot option (maple rice pudding this time!)

Return to My WCT Story | Booking: Reservations/Transport |

#wct #wct food #wct packing #wct clothes #west coast trail pack #travelbc #vancouver island #west coast trail packing

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highbuttonsports · 3 years

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Calgary vs Ottawa (2021) flames senators - Bing images

Resilience

Like a bad Vietnam flashback, the Calgary Flames must have been sitting in the dressing room with pools of sweat on floor wondering what just happened after Thursday nights game against the Ottawa Senators. Things couldn’t have gone much worse on a night where optimism was trending up coming into it. After taking 3 of a possible 4 points to the division leading Maple Leafs the previous 2 games in Toronto, the Flames were feeling good about the direction their game was heading. Sure, it wasn’t a perfect couple games by any means but given what transpired Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers it was a huge improvement. The Oilers took it to the Flames to a tune of 7-1 and handed them, what at the time was thought to be, their worst loss of the season. That loss left everyone frustrated and wondering how to move forward. Well, they answered that by going into Toronto and shutting out the high-powered Leafs 3-0 behind the stellar goaltending of David Rittich. Big Save Dave was pressed into action after starter Jacob Markstrom couldn’t play due to an upper body injury. That remained the case the following game against Toronto, as Rittich and the Flames would try to carry that momentum into it.

Like the previous game, Calgary’s game plan appeared to be focussed on using tight defence to manufacture offence in transition. It was just as successful as they minimized scoring chances even while having to kill too many penalties. A problem they had all season as they have been short handed the 3rd most times in the league. Thanks to a PK that is operating at 80% (13th in the NHL), they were able to kill all 4 Toronto powerplays. That made for 11 straight successful PK’s against them which usually isn’t a good recipe for success especially when facing the 4th best PP. Of course, to have a good PK it usually comes down to the goaltending. Rittich once again closed the door on everything the Leafs threw at him. The Maple Leafs fired 39 shots and he was up to the task on all of them...almost. David was a minute and a half away from his 2nd consecutive shut out versus them when it all fell apart. With a 1-0 lead on a late period Mangiapane goal, Toronto pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. It almost backfired, but half a puck width is what stood between them and a 2-goal victory. The puck hit the post of an empty net and stayed out giving the Leafs hope. That unfortunate event turned into a game tying goal by William Nylander and forced overtime. It was Willy who scored again and won it in the extra frame for Toronto. That was such a disappointing way to end what was a successful 2 games to build off of. Sometimes those losses hurt more than the blowouts because the team was so close to winning. It can truly feel like something was taken from them or they let it slip away. The key is to not dwell on that missed opportunity and instead focus on all the positives that lead to being so close to victory.

Well, maybe the Flames took the sting of that loss with them to Ottawa the following night. In what can only be described as the worst loss of the season, the whole team decided not to show up for the game. At least that’s what it looked like. They seemed to get beat to every loose puck, lose every puck battle, and couldn’t generate any offence whatsoever. Every time they entered the offensive zone they were pressed to boards and unable to get any separation for a meaningful shot. Even David Rittich couldn’t bail them out as he was forced into playing back-to-back games with Markstrom missing another game. On top of that, all the same issues that plagued Calgary before popped up again. They started slow in finding themselves down 2-0 less than 10 minutes into the game as the Sens scored goals in 1:42. The Flames were yet again playing catch up facing a 1st intermission deficit. The shots on goal heavily favoured the Sens too as they held a 13-5 advantage. It was an awful start against what was suppose to be an inferior opponent that struggles to score. Ottawa is 24th in the NHL in goals for per game at 2.59 while they are the worst at giving up goals at 3.86/game. Calgary is actually worse at scoring coming in at 2.44 goals/game. Yet in the views of the hockey world, they are supposed to be the team more poised for success right now. There they were playing comeback hockey though. The Flames came out better to start the 2nd period, with Lucic scoring 1:41 into the period. It was his 1st goal in 9 games as he continues to drag that $5.25 million cap hit around with him. That put them back in the game, but it was short lived. 3 minutes later Lucic got stripped of the puck by Connor Brown to make it a 2-goal hole again. In fact, Lucic was responsible for giving the puck away on all 3 Ottawa goals. That doesn’t take any blame away from the listless effort of the whole team though. At the halfway mark of the game, they had only 6 SOG! It doesn’t matter how many goals the other team scores if you aren’t going to put any pressure on the opposing goalie. Things went from bad to worse from that moment on. The Sens took a 4-1 lead on what appeared to be a shoot in from just over center ice by Erik Brannstrom. At least that’s what Rittich thought. He tried cheating behind the net to intercept it, only to be fooled with a direct shot on net that he was unable to scramble back into position to stop. That was an ugly was the end an ugly night for him. After a coach’s timeout and then a t.v. timeout, Coach Ward mercifully pulled the frustrated tender. After 2 stellar performances Rittich was unable to make up for all the short comings of the team on this night. It was obvious he didn’t take that lightly either, as he could be seen walking down the tunnel towards the dressing room and smashing his stick. That about summed up the mood of the team and any fan watching this debacle. The only positive from this game is back up goalie Artyom Zagidulin got to see his 1st career NHL action. It’s not how he wanted to see it I am sure, but a nice moment for him regardless. He did give up a couple more goals to make it a 6-1 final, but by that point the game was out of hand anyways. Yes, the goaltending was bad giving up 6 goals on 31 shots but there was enough blame to go around. From the goaltending to the D to the forwards, there just wasn’t enough compete all around. There wasn’t any intensity either in what was billed as the meeting of the Tkachuk brothers. The game featured no penalties, which is a rarity in the modern NHL where penalties are assessed for the simple placing of a stick against the arm of the puck carrier. Maybe that’s exactly how Ottawa wanted to play it. Maybe it was the result of the Flames playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. Maybe they took the Senators for granted. Maybe it was just one of those games. Regardless, how they would answer that performance the next game would show what this team really is all about. If they came out flat once again and lost, the vultures would start circling.

It’s odd to say that after 21 games the Flames were at a point where the next game could decide how the next 35 would go, but here they were. Coming off their worst loss of the season, it was about character and resilience. It was about showing the fight the team had left in it. It would be easy to roll over and feel sorry for themselves. It would be easy to look at the standings and see the gap between them and the top as insurmountable. That’s not what a team with the leadership of captain Mark Giordano and Matthew Tkachuk does though. With 3 of the next 4 against the same Sens an opportunity still presented itself to pile up some points and jump back into a playoff spot. The team ahead of them, in the Montreal Canadiens, was having their own set of problems. There was still plenty of time to turn things around and cause havoc in the divisional hierarchy. However, that had to start the next game.

In Ottawa and without top netminder Jacob Markstrom for a 4th straight game, that would be a challenge. They brought him in for situations just like this. To be the guy to stop the bleeding and right a struggling team. With him out, it’s a lot to ask of backup Rittich to be that guy for long stretches. Even though he had shown back in Toronto he could do it, the team needed to come together. As well, Coach Ward decided to shake the lines up to give the players a fresh look and feel. He moved Lindholm from center to the right side of Monahan and Gaudreau. Backlund moved up to the second line between Tkachuk and Mangiapane. And Same Bennett was moved back to his more natural center position with Lucic and Dube. Those moves paid quick dividends as less than 5 mins into the game it was 2-0. They scored those 2 goals in a span of 37 seconds on the backs of goals from Valamaki (1st of the season) and Backlund. That was just the start they needed to gain confidence and quickly put the doubts seeded from last game behind them. They didn’t let up either, extending their lead to 3-1 after 1 period and a 6-2 lead after 2 periods. The newly formed Tkachuk-Backlund-Mangiapane seen this biggest boost in accounting for half of the goals and 7 points between them. With that type of offensive explosion, I expect these lines will carry forward to the next few games at least. The game was never in doubt from the drop of the puck, but even so Rittich was good when he had to be in stopping 31 of 34 shots. There is hope that Markstrom will be back for Mondays rematch the Ottawa, but if not Rittich will certainly be back between the pipes for a fifth straight start.

So, at .500 and 1 point behind the struggling Canadiens, Calgary would love nothing more than to end their 5-game eastern road trip with another win. That would give them a 7 of a possible 10 points on the trip, turning what was a low mark 6-1 loss during it into a success. Such is the highs and lows of an NHL season. The key is not to get too high on the highs and too low on the lows. It is critical for a team to remain even keeled. If they don’t it can unravel pretty quick and a couple losses can turn into a half dozen. Those types of losing streaks must be avoided in a season where the standings can swing dramatically one way or the other. Much like the way the outlook of this Flames team swung from Thursday to Sunday. Where in the former all seemed lost, now in the latter resilience and hope spring forward.

*all stats provided by NHL.com

By: Jaymee Kitchenham

#hockey #nhl news #sports #calgary flames

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yarnfeet40-blog · 5 years

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The Linc - Dallas Goedert had the best single-game grade of any tight end in 2018

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Rookie Dallas Goedert owns the best single-game performance by a tight end from the 2018 season - PFF While Goedert’s season-long performance is impressive for a rookie, there’s one game in particular that stands out, as it happened to be the highest-graded game by a tight end in 2018. Who was it against? You guessed it—the Dallas Cowboys. In the Eagles Week 14 trip to Dallas, tensions were high in an overtime thriller, as the two NFC East rivals were jockeying for first place in the division entering the final stretch of the season. Despite the Eagles losing 29-23 in overtime, Goedert made a name for himself on the playing field this time by posting a 94.6 overall game grade across 31 total snaps.

NFL Trade Rumors: Eagles “open” to moving Nelson Agholor - BGN The Philadelphia Eagles are “open to moving Nelson Agholor” in a trade, according to NFL insider Jason La Canfora. The phrasing here is key. La Canfora is not saying the Eagles are actively shopping Agholor; he’s just saying they’re willing to hear offers for him. This rumor passes the sniff test. Agholor’s projected $9.4 million cap hit for the 2019 season isn’t a convenient number for the Eagles. It’s hard to imagine he’s back at that rate.

The QB Scho Show #15: We’re Dumb Animals, We Never Learn Anything - BGN Radio Michael Kist is joined by Mark Schofield to break down all the silly nonsense sprouting forth from the NFL Combine measurements. Kyler Murray is big enough to play QB, we guess? Daniel Jones has big hands, that’s great! What we look for from the QB Class on the field in Indy & more!Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Eagles left some level of doubt on a Jason Peters return in 2019 - PhillyVoice In 2017, Peters was indeed a dominant player before he tore his ACL, which Roseman pointed out. In 2018, he was still an above average tackle, but certainly far from dominant, and I believe the difference between Roseman’s comments this year and last year reflect that. Peters may very well return (and in January, I personally thought he would), but Roseman left some window of doubt on Wednesday.

Some RB Talk - Iggles Blitz If he’s willing to come back for a cheap, short-term deal, that would make some sense for both sides. Ajayi won’t get a big deal from anyone since he’s coming off a torn ACL. If he stays in Philly, he knows the offense and knows they will spread the ball around. He could then try to hit the market in March of 2020 and land a big deal from someone at that point. Ajayi will turn 26 in June and he’s only had 562 career carries. Zeke Elliott has 868 carries (and more than 1,000 touches!). Ajayi has a lot of tread left on the tire. The flip side of that is that Ajayi has knee issues. That will limit his value, with the Eagles and other teams. Regardless of whether Ajayi comes back, the Eagles need to see about adding young talent at the position

Eagles excited to enter ‘fluid’ part of offseason - PE.com How active can the Eagles be in free agency? “I expect us always to be aggressive in every aspect. That’s kind of who we are,” Roseman said. “With that, obviously there come risks. We’re not going to be risk-averse. If there’s an opportunity to improve our football team, we’ll do that. We have the flexibility. We’re not going to use the cap as an excuse, but we’re also going to try to be smart about it.”

NFL experts predict Nick Foles’ 2019 team, Eagles’ QB plans - ESPN In$ider Mina Kimes: I like veteran Tyrod Taylor as an option to compete with Sudfeld. Keenum makes sense, depending on the cost, but I can’t shake the memory of him getting obliterated by Philadelphia in the playoffs. I think Bridgewater will look for a better starting opportunity.

In a Familiar Place at the NFL Combine, Mike Mayock Adjusting to His Unfamiliar Role - MMQB This still has Jacksonville written all over it to me. The Jaguars picking up Calais Campbell’s option and restructuring, rather than cutting, Marcel Dareus are clear signals that Tom Coughlin, GM Dave Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone aren’t turning the page on the core that got them to the AFC title two Januarys ago. All they need is a quarterback who can win now. And Nick Foles sure showed he could do that working with the Jags’ new offensive coordinator, John DeFilippo, in Philadelphia in 2017. What’s more, word around the campfire is that Jacksonville didn’t work a trade out for him over the last couple weeks because the brass felt like no one else was that serious about trading for him with the franchise tag attached. Maybe the Redskins or someone else muck this one up, but it sure seems like Foles is headed for North Florida.

24 Notable NFL Trade Candidates - Spotrac Nelson Agholor, WR, PHI, 25: A solid receiver, but clearly now not a top threat. His $9.3M salary for 2019 puts him in a tough spot for any team. He’s a potential release candidate if a trade partner can’t be found. His $9.387M 5th-year option becomes fully guaranteed on March 13th. Trading him leaves behind $0 of dead cap to the Eagles.

Expect Howie Roseman and Eagles to be aggressive this offseason - Inquirer The Eagles have about $6 million in space, if they roll over their savings from last season, with the cap projected to be about $190 million. But they could end up with more than five times that amount with restructurings. That could give Roseman room to re-sign some of the Eagles’ own free agents, although the market could price them out on Graham, Darby, and Tate. Hicks, who is coming off another injury-riddled season, could be more affordable. The Eagles stand to recoup compensatory draft picks with Foles and other free agents likely to part, but Roseman said that won’t keep them from being players in free agency. “We understand the cost-effectiveness of draft picks, especially when you have good players on your team and you’re paying them,” Roseman said. “We’re just trying to balance and make sure that we’re also not shortsighted enough to say, ‘Hey, the hit rate in the fourth round is only 20 percent to get a starter. Here we have a starter that we can get at a really good price.’”

The Dallas Cowboys Have Some Big Contract Decisions to Make - The Ringer Stephen Jones said on Tuesday that the team is eyeing new deals for Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Demarcus Lawrence, and Amari Cooper. Can Dallas afford to keep its four stars—and if so, at what cost?

Why won’t Dave Gettleman squash the never-ending Odell Beckham rumors? - Big Blue View It seems, though, that the relationship between Beckham and the Giants is a fragile one. It isn’t hard to believe what Gettleman said about not wanting to endlessly have to put the end to whatever rumors the media can come up with. It also isn’t hard, though, to believe that the GM is keeping his options open. He wants options. In the event something happens and Beckham goes Antonio Brown on the Giants, Gettleman is leaving himself room to make a move without saying he went back on his word. Even if he won’t say any of that, either.

9 people who should replace Jason Witten on ‘Monday Night Football’ - SB Nation No. 3 — Peyton ManningIf Peyton can be lured away from Nationwide ads he’d be the biggest name ESPN could get. Not only is he smart, but he’s funny — and we need more fun in the booth for the premiere game of the week.

Bryce Harper reportedly ends insanity by signing mega-deal with Phillies - The Good Phight Bryce Harper is just a man. A 26-year-old man who is a former NL MVP, a six-time all-star in seven years, who will likely hit his 200th career home run in 2019. He is a man the Phillies have watched bash their pitching since his debut in 2012, slashing .271/.378/.519 against them in that time and hitting the most home runs in their park than he has hit anywhere else outside Washington, D.C.

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Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2019/3/1/18245897/eagles-news-dallas-goedert-best-single-game-grade-any-tight-end-2018-season-beast-philadelphia-ertz

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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thetoptwoinches-blog · 7 years

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Wales – A look to the future

So Wales did it! They out-battled Ireland and won an incredible test match. I was in the ground and can honestly say that, to a man, I’m chuffed for the players.

Howley had made a bold call by selecting the same 23 as he had against Scotland and – other than a couple changes brought on by injury – the same as against both Italy and England.

As many a fan and pundit has said, his decisions have been ‘vindicated’.

But, at what cost?

Wales have used 26 players so far in this tournament, and used only 7 others across the entire November period (not a single one of those uncapped).

In fact, as I’m sure many saw (and were equally shocked by) on Scrum V, Wales have only handed out 3 new caps since the 2015 RWC – 4 fewer than Scotland, 9 fewer than England, and a whopping 16 fewer than Ireland.

Giving youth a crack used to be a staple of Warren Gatland’s system (think Prydie, Amos, Robinson, and co.), but since the RWC Quarter-Final defeat almost exactly 18-months ago, Wales have gone more into their shell than ever.

Granted, not every experiment has worked – but that’s the point of an experiment; you devise a hypothesis, you test it, and then you see the results. If one Will Harries-shaped test doesn’t quite work out, another George North-sized one might just do the trick.

It’s through mixing things up and throwing people in the deep end that we learn whether they can swim – or else you could end up with an injury-ravaged squad at a World Cup, and find out that all you’ve got is a bunch underdone back-ups, ready for nothing more than the paddling pool.

So why then, have we been so reluctant to hand caps out to youngsters since the world cup?

Well, Jiffy raised one train of thought during Sunday’s Scrum V: this is a winning business, and the players currently out there are the best ones for the job.

Ok. That could well be true. But, as Gwyn Jones rebutted, there is simply no way of knowing that for sure unless risks are taken and players on the fringes are given a go – at least for more than a token couple of minutes at the end of games.

Second line of thinking: Rob Howley is the Interim Head Coach – it is not his responsibility to aide Warren Gatland’s long-term player growth; it is his role to hold the fort and hope they win matches.

Personally, I think anyone that truly believes this is a fool!

OF COURSE it should be Howley’s job to think about blooding in these players, as he’s the one that has to coach them to the next World Cup. And he must know himself, that at our current rate, he’s at serious risk of working with yet another under-baked squad (from a depth perspective) come World Rugby’s next showpiece event, only 2 and half years away from now.

So, looking forward then. Where and when do we get the low-to-no capped players out on to the park for a chance to get some genuine game time, in test match environments?

Well this summer’s tour of the Pacific Islands should certainly act as a start, and, while Tonga and Samoa aren’t exactly tier-one nations, you best believe that they will both be 100% fired up to smash any and all Welsh youngsters straight back to that paddling pool they came from.

The New Kidz on the Block

So who are these wondrous youngsters set to breathe new life into a stagnating Welsh squad, I hear you ask? Well, I just so happen to have pulled together the following (entirely subjective) list of players, aged 23 and under who could well do just that:

Ospreys

Nicky Smith, 22 – 10 caps

A well-established name at regional level, Smith started the first match of the Six Nations and has deputized well for Rob Evans throughout the rest of the tournament. With Evans pushing hard for a Lions spot, Smith could well be a Wales starter again this summer.

Rory Thornton, 21 – 0 caps

Brought into Wales’ Six Nations training squad, Thornton is still yet to play for the full test team – but the 6 ft 7” lock has already made over 50 Ospreys appearances, and looks nailed on to get his first cap soon.

Adam Beard, 21 – 0 caps

Having partnered Thornton in the engine room for Ospreys and at Wales u20s level, we’ll hopefully see their partnership start to blossom at international level soon. 6 ft 8” Beard is a Charteris-type lock, with a serious set of maul-stopping telescopic arms on him.

Olly Cracknell, 22 – 0 caps

The Leeds-born, former Wales u20s backrow has kicked on massively at Ospreys this season. He seems equally adept at 6 or 8 and has developed into a hugely destructive tackler and ball carrier. Expecting big things.

Sam Davies, 23 – 5 caps

Well, what else is there to say about Sam Davies at this stage? Is having another superb season for the Os and should have been given much more game time for Wales than he currently has. The former junior world player of the year seems to have the full package as a 10, and should start for Wales this summer

Keelan Giles, 19 – 0 caps

The kid! Giles burst on to the scene last season for the u20s, scoring 5 tries to help them on their way to Grandslam success. He was then brought into the Wales training squad out in New Zealand last summer, and has taken to the professional scene this season like a duck to water, scoring 12 tries in 12 games so far. The lightening-quick wing should have been blooded in the autumn, and should start this summer.

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Dafydd Howells, 21 – 1 cap

Made his Wales debut on the Japan tour 4 years ago and has pushed on massively this season, scoring 9 tries in 19 games. Along with Giles, Ospreys have 2 very exciting young wingers and Howells should expect another call up this summer.

Owen Watkin, 20 – 0 caps

I love the look of this lad. He’s strong, fast, and distributes well – basically everything you want from a centre. Playing across 12 and 13 last season, Watkin put in a string of impressive performances in the Pro12, as well as being a key member of the Welsh u20s Grandslam team. A bad knee injury during pre-season means he’s not featured at all this season, but hopefully he can come back smoothly in the very near future.

Kieran Williams, 19 – 0 caps

Neck on the line a bit with this one, as I’ve only seen him play 4 u20s matches. But what a 4 matches they’ve been. Williams has already scored 5 tries this tournament and looks a serious prospect at 12. Like Watkin, he’s strong and quick, and is already being likened to Welsh rugby royalty, Scott Gibbs.

Scarlets

Steff Evans, 22 – 0 caps

One of many exciting young Welsh back 3 players, Evans may be top of the pile in the Welsh selectors’ minds. He’s already racked up 50 Scarlets caps and has 6 league tries to his name so far this season. A long way from the biggest player in world, Evans is still a tough little nut! Should have been given some game time this Six Nations – near-certain to play this summer.

Rhys Patchell, 23 – 4 caps

How is this guy still only 23?! Patchell made his Cardiff debut in 2011 and he’s been balling away ever since. Can dip in and out of form, and is, at times, guilty of looking for the miracle pass too often, but there’s no doubting his quality. A move to Scarlets this summer has helped him get regular game time at fly half, but a bad injury back in January has somewhat curtailed that progress. If fit, he’s more than likely to travel as back-up 10.

Will Boyde, 22 – 0 caps

Kind of come from nowhere this season, Boyde has become a regular in Scarlets’ dynamic back row. He’s big, strong, good over the ball, and has proved a useful try-scoring threat, to boot. Faces strong competition for places, but could well break into the Wales setup in the next couple years.

Dan Jones, 21 – 0 caps

Was the starting fly half for the Wales u20s Grandslam side, and has deputized superbly for the injured Patchell so far this year. Jones seems to have a good head for managing games (as proved when he masterminded Scarlets 21 point comeback away to Munster) and has a boot as reliable as Leigh Halfpenny’s circa 2013. In my opinion, the 2 other fly halves already listed are still a good bit ahead of him, but with 2 years on both of them, there’s no saying he can’t push them for a spot over the next few years.

Cardiff

Ellis Jenkins, 23 – 3 caps

A former Wales u20s captain, Jenkins is an all-action jackler, whose already got more than 50 Cardiff Blues caps. Was called up for Wales’ tour to NZ after Lydiate’s injury and made 3 appearances off the bench against the All Blacks. No doubt a talent, but in a crowded position, he could well struggle to break into the Wales setup again.

Tomos Williams, 22 – 0 caps

Opened the season well, starting the first two matches and scoring against Edinburgh. Has, at times, found minutes hard to come by, despite some patchy form from Lloyd Williams, but looks a livewire when he’s on the park. He’s fast, delivers the ball quickly, and generally keeps defenses honest – his only problem is there’s about 10 other scrum halves in Wales that do the same thing. Will probably find his breakthrough hard to come by.

Rhun Williams, 19 – 0 caps

Highly rated young full back, Williams is a key member of the Wales u20s setup, and has also broken his way into the Blues side this season – scoring 4 tries in 8 matches so far. Pacey, got a great step, picks good lines, counters well – he’s definitely got all the makings of a very good 15.

Corey Domachowski, 20 – 0 caps

Only just broken in to the Blues side, this kid looks like he could be the real deal at loose head. A tank of a lad, he recently went toe-to-toe with Munster for 75 minutes and did not look out of place. Wales aren’t blessed with heaps of quality young props, so the earlier we can get this lad exposed to an elite environment, the better.

Dragons

Hallam Amos, 22 – 11 caps

Broke into the Welsh team when he was about 12 years old and injuries have been the only thing holding him back since. Was the starting winger for the opening 2 world cup games, but a nasty shoulder dislocation in the England match ended his tournament, and he then did the same injury against Australia back in the autumn. Hasn’t played since and will be in a race against time to be ready for the summer, but he’s got a very bright future (if he can stay fit).

Ashton Hewitt, 22 – 0 caps

This lad has been one of the few bright sparks for the Dragons over the last 2 seasons – 7 tries last year and 5 so far this season (not bad going when you consider how little the Drags create chances), Hewitt has got gas to burn and is a very exciting prospect. Was called up to the Six Nations squad, but a return from concussion has resulted in zero playing time. While he is doubtless a talent, he’s competing with a lot of talented wingers, and he’d be below both Giles and Evans in the pecking order, for me.

Harrison Keddie, 20 – 0 caps

Insanely bright prospect, Keddie – with his barnstorming carrying ability – was the standout performer as Wales’ u20s clinched the Slam last season. He’s progressed to make 16 appearances for the Dragons this season (mostly from the bench), and will surely cement down a starting no. 8 spot in the next year. The u20s championship has been, without doubt, a bit of a red herring in the past, but hopefully Keddie has the long-term quality to prove the exception, rather than the rule.

Tyler Morgan, 21 – 3 caps

Signed a National Dual Contract in 2014, started a World Cup Quarter-Final in 2015, and yet he’s still only 21! Morgan, a little like Amos, has had some bad luck with injuries, but he’s no doubt incredibly talented for his age. I must admit, I’m yet to see him have a game that makes me think “wow, this kid has got it!”, but you don’t receive those kind of accolades, at such a young age, unless you’ve got the potential to be a serious player. Playing in a team like the Dragons isn’t going to help any back’s cause, but hopefully Morgan finds a way of growing to the level expected of him there.

On to the summer…

Much like the summer tour of Japan in 2013, I believe we can expect Wales to take a very inexperienced touring side, with there being a good mix of young players and those that have been on the fringes of selection for a few years. As with the 2013 tour, I’m sure there will also be some more experienced campaigners who – though they may not have a nailed down Wales starting spot – are able to add the on/off-pitch expertise of 1st team regulars (e.g. Samson Lee and my tour captain, Jake Ball).

The only downside of this tour? The lack of a Head Coach that the fringe players can really make an impression on – as, unlike the rest of the home nations’ teams, the Welsh lads will be left with Wales’ 3rd in command to impress. It’s not overly fair on those that have been waiting for their chance, but make an impression, they must!

Have a look at the potential summer tour squad I’ve selected below and let us know if you strongly agree / disagree with any on the list.

Couple notable mentions from those selected:

Ashley Beck – delighted to see him back fit and influencing games for Ospreys week-in-week-out. It seems like an eternity since he’s had a run of games, and with his ball-playing ability at 12, he could well be the man to push Scott Williams for a Wales starting spot in the future.

Thomas Young and James Davies – both been in outstanding form for their clubs all season, but unfortunately they happen to play in arguably Wales’ strongest position. Hopefully both can get a chance to make their debuts this summer and impress forwards coach, McBryde.

And, just as an added bonus, here’s my team to face Tonga on June 17th:

Smith, Dacey, Lee, Thornton, Ball, Cracknell, Young, King; A. Davies, S. Davies, Giles, Beck, Morgan, Evans, Amos

Parry, Gill, Andrews, Hill, J. Davies; Habberfield, Patchell, John

Thoughts and feelings, as always, more than welcome (https://twitter.com/TheT2I)

Lloyd Jones, TT2I

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rdgpcg · 5 years

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Saturday I competed at Kinetic Multisport’s Diamond In the Rough triathlon. It had been a couple years since I raced this event in Perryville. In fact, the last couple times I had done the olympic event when it was still run by Piranha Sports. Under my new race planning strategy, I watched the weather and signed up at the last minute on Wednesday . . the very last day you could register. Race day conditions didn’t disappoint. It was a cool 68 degrees when I arrived at Perryville Community Park and the temperature never got out of the low 80s. The humidity stayed low as well. It turned into a perfect race day.

Perryville Community Park really is a diamond in the rough.

I had decided on the sprint rather than the olympic distance this year because frankly it just sounded like more fun and I do this for fun. I don’t need to tack on mileage so someone is impressed with how far I can go. I’ve left that ridiculous worry behind. With only an 8 mile bike leg, the sprint this year was short even for a sprint. It was appealing to me because it removes any and all race strategy. Just go like the hammers of hell and breathe later! No need to watch power, no need to save something for the run. Just go!

Swim

Bike

Run

I arrived in ample time to grab my packet, setup transition and mill about prior to the start. I love pre-race especially at a triathlon. It is always fun to listen to chatter and talk to other athletes from all walks of life. It turns out many of those racing were deep in the heart of their Kinetic Multisport seasons with a deep commitment to doing as many races as they could. Kinetic has a good thing going. With more than two dozen races in 5 states, they offer many perks to those competing throughout the season. The vast majority of their races are olympic and sprint distances with a few long course events mixed in here and there. This is a nice contrast to the Ironman organization which seems to target the extreme end of the sport.

Pre-race at Diamond in the Rough.

Kinetic has greatly simplified Diamond in the Rough. The olympic swim is two laps of the sprint course and the olympic run is two laps of the run course. The bike remains different but this makes both race logistics and navigation much simpler.

I was in the black-capped swim wave, also known as the old farts swim wave, which started precisely at 8:04 a.m. Diamond in the Rough is in in-water start. Once in the water and warmed up, you can either tread water, hold on to the pier, or just move inshore a bit and stand in the muddy bottom that is the Chesapeake bay. I chose the latter. The starter gave a good countdown and I simply made my way toward the start buoy as we got close to the gun.

DIR Swim

The triathlon swim is a funny thing. It used to be something I dreaded because of the inevitable swim panic. I guess I am traumatized for life because I still get a sense of dread at the start worrying about panicking. Nobody likes to panic. Nothing good ever came after the phrase “I panicked!”.

Fortunately not me in the swim anymore.

But I didn’t panic. In fact, it’s been a long time since I’ve panicked on the swim. These days, I start out with a workman-like mentality and focus on the first buoy, navigating through people, and waiting for my heart rate to come up. Eventually, I focus on my stroke and get into some sort of fun rhythm. (A really inappropriate joke leaps to mind but this is a family blog.) Before I know it, I am disappointed the swim is over and I have to start doing something hard. Such was the case at Diamond in the Rough. Apparently last year the tide was strong (or as strong as it can be on the Chesapeake) and it really slowed the swim. This didn’t happen this year although I did manage to swim most of the second half next to someone else in my wave whom I collided with multiple times. I’m not sure which one of us wasn’t swimming straight but we managed to do so most of the way in.

The swim at DIR (I’m not typing “Diamond in the Rough” anymore. Okay, I did there but now I’m just doing DIR) . . . the swim requires the use of a pier and some added metal steps to get in and out of the water. The pier also has several flights of steps to get up and down from the park. Admittedly, this kind of sucks after the swim but mostly because if any number of athletes come out of the water together it gets a bit congested. Apparently, I whacked my right shin on the steps somewhere because when I got back to transition to get ready for the bike, my shin was bleeding profusely. “Hmm. That’ll look pretty badass in the race photos.*” Otherwise I didn’t notice much around transition like how many bikes were still in my area, or how slow I was.

Trying to avoid scalpels.

In case my dermatologist is reading this, I did take the time to spray down with sun screen again before heading out on the bike.

Swim: 16:03

T1: 1:13

The bike was just fun! The DIR olympic course is known for its hills especially the giant climb coming out of Port Deposit but this part of Maryland jams a few hills into the short sprint course too. The four mile out and back is basically a mile in and out of the park then 3 miles down and up hills. Apparently there were some treacherous spots as I saw at least one broken collarbone and at two cases of serious road rash. Fortunately, I just looked like I had serious injury as blood flowed freely down my shin into my cycling shoes. Otherwise I essentially just turned the pedals as hard as I could. By cycling standards, I’m really not all that fast but it was still a good time.

The short sprint course had no shortage of descending and climbing.

I’m always impressed by guys and gals that come off the bike via the flying dismount. When done properly, it is elegant, graceful, and speedy. When done improperly . . . well I mentioned there was a broken collarbone right? At age 53 I have no need to learn to master the flying mount or dismount. You break things other than the collarbone with a failed flying mount.

youtube

As it was I clomped my way up and down the hill between transition and mount/dismount in my bike shoes with Look cleats. For those that are not cyclists, picture running with a half a golf ball glued to the bottom of your shoes.

Bike: 26:26

T2 was a time-killing debacle. When I racked my bike I bumped the bike next to me and knocked it off the bar. This is amazing to me because in T1 my bike always seems to be magnetically attached to the bar. My bike neighbor had precariously hung their bike and faced it the wrong direction. I hadn’t really bumped it that hard. I managed to catch it before it fell but now found myself holding two bikes and not running.

Properly racked bikes.

I felt like yelling “TIME OUT” but that doesn’t work in triathlon. Time dragged as I re-hung both bikes. And then I had to put on socks. I learned the hard way in preparation for the French Creek triathlon not to try to run barefoot with my custom insoles. This leads to a massive blister so I sat on the ground, wiped my feet off and donned socks and running shoes. At least I had added lace locks to my Hoka’s so I could pull them on fast. All of this took so long I felt it was a shame I didn’t bring along a neck tie for a more formal look on the run.

T2: 1:45

On the run, I mostly passed people. It is hard to tell but there were probably some olympic athletes on the course by then as well since the olympic distance started first. Still, the vast majority of folks were sprinters and the run course wasn’t packed when I was on it. I did get passed by one younger gentleman early on. He was running really well.

My lace-locked equipped Hokas.

My friend Susanne would be proud of me for the finish. Throughout the run I had picked off one runner at a time. There was one gentleman I made up no ground on until the last few hundred yards. About 300 yards out from the finish he slowed stretching a leg. Weakness! The predator in me pounced and I accelerated. I was within a few yards of him as we neared the finish chute and I saw 50 something written on his calf. My age group! I blew past him and sprinted down the chute. He gave chase but I kept my advantage across the line. This would prove important.

I am disappointed overall with my run at DIR. I don’t know if I didn’t really have a tough enough mental game, had not done enough speedwork, or just don’t know what a good 5K pace is these days. I think all of the above. I haven’t done a transition run all year except for the French Creek triathlon, there has been a minimum amount of speedwork, and I haven’t out and out raced a standalone 5K in years. I think I need to add all these to my “to do” list. Granted, I was out to have fun at DIR but there is no reason not to try to be as competitive as I could. The run has always been my thing. I placed 6th overall in the run but I still feel like it wasn’t all that well executed and could have been faster.

Run: 23:33

Post-race I collapsed in the grass under a shady tree for a bit and sucked down a bottle of water. I then went to the scoring tent and printed my result. 1:09 and first in age group! Awesome! I went into transition, packed up my T area and grabbed my phone. I had a text from Kinetic Multisport with my result that showed 3rd place age group. Huh!? How could that be!? We all started at the same time. It isn’t like someone faster could have finished later. I went back to the scoring tent and re-printed my result. 3rd place age group. I retrieved my earlier printout and compared. Aha! My category changed. I was 1st place in 50-54 but 3rd place overall masters. This is better so I got advanced to a better category thanks to my sprint down the chute. The gentleman who passed me early in the run was 2nd overall masters. 1st place went to a gentleman I didn’t see anywhere on the course. He was a Kinetic staff member and at the podium had on civilian shorts, a Kinetic staff shirt, and hadn’t looked like he raced. It seemed odd, but hey . . it’s their party.

Well, there it is. A pretty boring race write-up if ever there was one. It gives me an idea for something a bit more thought provoking but for now let’s just say I am still enjoying short course racing far more than I ever enjoyed long course. I think I’ll stay here for a while.

* Imagine if you will a picture of me on the podium. I had handed my phone to someone to take a picture and in so doing managed to turn on some sort of thing on the camera that made all the pictures look like this:

I think I enabled the cataract filter on my iPhone camera.

Assuming the race photographer doesn’t require a kidney and an organ to be named later I may purchase a couple pics from them and post later.

Sprinting Again Saturday I competed at Kinetic Multisport's Diamond In the Rough triathlon. It had been a couple years since I…

#Cycling #Fitness #Friends #Healthy Living #Life #Lifestyle #Marathon #Running #Sports #Swimming #Triathlon

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thrashermaxey · 5 years

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20 Fantasy Hockey Thoughts

Every Sunday, we'll share 20 Fantasy Thoughts from our writers at DobberHockey. These thoughts are curated from the past week's ‘Daily Ramblings’.

Writers: Michael Clifford, Ian Gooding, Cam Robinson, and Dobber

1. This year’s free agent crop is one absolutely loaded with talent. Aside from Mark Stone, names like Erik Karlsson, Sergei Bobrovsky, Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, Joe Pavelski, and Jeff Skinner top the list, and that’s discounting guys like Alex Edler and Jordan Eberle.

Stone is one of the few players I suspect will be on the move at or before the trade deadline and that means there’s a lot of interest in his future both for the balance of this season and next year.

Let’s set aside the balance of this year for a second. One reason Stone’s UFA contract should be fascinating is that he’s truly one of the best wingers on the planet. Are there enough GMs who view him as such that there will be a bidding war? He has 105 points in his last 98 games, so his offense has started to show through over the last couple seasons.

Stone may not be a coveted fantasy asset like Brad Marchand or Vladimir Tarasenko but he’s similar in real-world talent. He should see north of $8-million a year. How much further will depend on how general managers value him which is, in a nerdy-ish kind of way, exciting. (jan3)

2. Where’s the clamoring for John Gibson as MVP this year? All the usual names like Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, and Nikita Kucherov are constantly brought up. What about Gibson? Night after night through two months of the 2018-19 season this guy was getting bombarded and he kept this team in and around a playoff spot. He deserves serious Hart consideration. (jan1)

3. I guess six goals and nine points in seven games isn’t enough to keep you on an NHL roster anymore. At least it wasn’t for Brandon Pirri, who was sent to the AHL on Friday. No, it doesn’t make sense on the surface. But Max Pacioretty returned from injured reserve on Friday and Pirri was waiver-exempt (had not been on an NHL roster for 10 games or 30 consecutive days), while other options for demotion weren’t.

That’s the cap world for you, and maybe even an example of the difference between how an NHL roster and your fantasy team are constructed.

4. Golden Knights assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon has said “he’ll (Pirri) be back.” For now, you’re probably safe to drop Pirri, unless you have generous bench space. It sounds like he’ll be the first player recalled in the event of another injury, so we might not have to wait very long to see him again. Must be nice to be the Vegas Golden Knights and accumulate this much depth. (jan5)

5. David Rittich returned to the net Saturday after a brief injury absence, stopping 32 of 34 shots in a 3-2 win over the Flyers. You probably know by now that Rittich has been by far the better Flames’ goalie. If the Flames are to continue their stay at the top of the Western Conference, it’s imperative that they play the hot hand instead of the guy with the higher salary in Mike Smith. (jan6)

6. An update from the Flyers states that goaltender Brian Elliott may return before the end of January, or pre-All Star break. With that said, as long as Carter Hart remains healthy and gives the Flyers a chance to win every night, he’s not leaving the starters’ role. (jan1)

7. The way goalies have been dropping like flies, not only will Flyers’ recent waiver-wire acquisition Mike McKenna suit up again in the NHL this season, but he’ll become somewhat fantasy relevant at some point. It may be with the Flyers, but it could just as well be with another team. If you don’t believe me, then I bet the injury-ravaged (at least in net) Leafs would have picked him up off waivers had the Flyers passed on him. (jan5)

8. Dougie Hamilton, nice to finally see you in the boxscore. Hamilton’s goal and assist last Thursday were his first points since (looks way down the game log) December 5. That was 11 games without a point. Even with the point drought coming to an end, there are still signs that it’s not going to happen for Hamilton in Carolina. He’s still on the second-unit power play behind Justin Faulk and of late has often played under 20 minutes.

I know there are plenty of defensemen with good offensive numbers that play less than 20 minutes per game but, from a fantasy perspective, Hamilton is simply not being used enough by the Canes to be effective in points leagues relative to other options. Yes, I can see that he had comparable ice time numbers in Calgary, but minutes and opportunities matter if you’re looking for reasons that his production is way down.

I know I’ve banged the drum on Hamilton in the past, but I’m currently in sell mode when it comes to his stock, having just traded him away in one single-season league. (jan4)

9. I know that it can take years before we determine the real winner of a trade. But when you factor in Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm, can we declare Calgary the early winner of the offseason trade with Carolina?

Calgary has Hanifin and Lindholm, who has already established a career high in points in half a season. For Carolina, Hamilton has struggled mightily, while Micheal Ferland has cooled off (just one goal since November 21). Carolina also received prospect Adam Fox in the deal, so there’s still time for this deal to be more favorable for the Hurricanes. (jan6)

10. In Friday’s Ramblings, I mentioned Jared Spurgeon and his ice time with Matt Dumba out of the lineup. Hopefully you’ve noticed, as Spurgeon is really heating up. With two goals on Saturday, Spurgeon now has three goals and five points over his last two games. Spurgeon hadn’t taken advantage of the situation scoring-wise until those last two games, but he’s been an absolute minute muncher since Dumba’s injury, averaging just over 26 minutes per game since December 18. (jan6)

Reminder: Our Midseason Guide is up for presale with a release date of next Friday, January 11. Pre-order it here and make sure it’s in your Downloads section waiting for you the instant we publish it.

11. Tyler Seguin scored both Stars’ goals in their 2-1 overtime win over Washington on Friday. Seguin now has goals in back-to-back games and points in four consecutive games for a total of six points since the CEO’s abrasive comments one week ago. Maybe the comments have lit a fire under Seguin. (jan5)

12. A day after being named to the Pacific Division All-Star team, Elias Pettersson left Thursday’s game against Montreal with a lower-body injury. At first glance, I thought it seemed like a fairly innocent play. You can see Pettersson’s leg bend in a way that it shouldn’t. But then you can also see Jesperi Kotkaniemi pulling Pettersson to the ice while getting his legs in the way. It should have been a two-minute penalty, but whatever.

As a Canucks’ fan, I will say optics-wise that I’m not as angry about this incident as I was about the Mike Matheson chokeslam that cost the Panthers’ defenseman two games and sidelined Petey with a concussion. As long as Pettersson is embarrassing opponents, he’s going to have a target on his back for some physical payback. (jan4)

The Calder Trophy favorite has been diagnosed with a slight MCL sprain in his knee. This injury typically requires 1-2 weeks of recovery. (jan6)

13. Even with 33 goals and 66 points, 2017-18 was seen as a down year for Vladimir Tarasenko. He had been battling through injuries and the St. Louis power play didn’t do him any favors, but some (present company included) were excited for a turnaround for the 2018-19 season. Things haven’t gone as planned, though, as he has just 11 goals and 23 points in 38 games. It’s been a brutal first half for him.

It’s also been a brutal first half for the Blues as they find themselves scrambling to stay out of the league’s cellar. The team making its way to the playoffs seems like a far-fetched idea. What if Tarasenko doesn’t turn his season around in the second half? We’re talking about a guy who had established himself as one of the top wingers in the league over a three-year span and then will have had back-to-back poor seasons on a team that missed the playoffs. What does management do?

It seems unfathomable to trade an elite talent like Tarasenko coming off a bad year (or two) while secured to a very team-friendly contract. Then again, we thought the same thing about Taylor Hall. I’m excited to see what Tank does in the second-half of the 2018-19 season, but more importantly, what his future holds in 2019-20 and beyond. (jan3)

14. Alex Ovechkin is turning down the opportunity to play in this year’s All Star Game, opting instead to just take the week to rest. With the rules the league put in place years ago, that means Ovechkin will have to miss a game either directly before or directly after the ASG itself.

Given the playoff run last year, his age, and the team’s expectations for another deep run this year, I can’t really blame him. He’s given us some of the best All Star Game moments over the last decade, he’s earned a weekend off. (jan3)

15. No change in Corey Crawford’s status according to ’Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton. I suppose no chance is better than worsening, but in the leagues where I have Crawford on my roster, I’m operating as if he won’t return this year. This is a scary situation. Let’s just hope he comes out of this ok as a person, let alone return to the ice. (jan3)

16. David Pastrnak is back on pace for a triple-digit campaign. The 22-year-old is as elite an asset as you can find outside of the Connor McDavid-bin.

Meanwhile, linemate Patrice Bergeron has nine points in seven games since returning from five weeks off. His 1.38 points-per-game are eighth-best in the league. He’s on pace to shatter most of his offensive career-highs. I’ll resume my campaign to get him Hart trophy votes. (jan2)

17. I thought the Hitch hiring would be great for Oilers’ goalies but that clearly hasn’t been the case for the past three weeks. Whether you decide to sell high on Mikko Koskinen depends on how much faith you have in the Oilers as a team. Given the Oilers’ track record and personnel, I wouldn’t hold out too much hope. (jan6)

18. Viktor Arvidsson has 12 goals and 18 points in 19 games on the season. He’s just another example of the fourth-year-breakout and gaudy offensive totals this year. Don't sleep on Viktor. (jan2)

19. Mackenzie Blackwood is getting his chance because the main guy is injured. And he’s off to a hot start. Chalk it up to adrenalin. But unlike with Carter Hart, Blackwood has already been a pro for two seasons. He can make the jump without it being called ‘too soon’. He has a chance.

Keith Kinkaid has been great up until the last month and is not a future starter. He doesn’t seem to be as great with a heavier workload. To me, last year’s 41 games were about the max for him, which is more of a 1B type of guy.

It’s hard to say if Blackwood is any different because his pro career has been thus far been limited to 37 games in a season at most. This was supposed to be the year where they tweak him up to 45 or 50 in Binghamton, and then we would get a clear picture. But with Cory Schneider sidelined for who knows how long, I guess we’ll see if right away if Blackwood can handle it.

I like Blackwood’s situation for the long term because Kinkaid’s contract is up soon and Schneider’s career could take another year or so to get on track (Roberto Luongo recently noted that his type of hip surgery took a couple of years to get everything back to normal). By that time, he’ll have just two years left on his contract and with Blackwood filling in during the interim, perhaps he steals the job by then. (dec30)

20. I’ll have to admit that I was not buying into a potential bounce-back for Zach Parise. Yet, if you took a flier on him in the later rounds of your draft, you’ve been handsomely rewarded. With a goal and two assists on Saturday, Parise has nine points (4g-5a) and a plus-7 over his last five games, along with a point-per-game pace of 38 points in 39 games.

After declining returns for three consecutive seasons together with numerous injuries, Parise should be considered a candidate for comeback player of the year. He’s on pace for 80 points but I’m thinking that 70 points is more realistic and within reach. That target of 70 points would represent a career high for his time with the Wild. (jan6)

Have a good week, folks!!

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/20-fantasy-hockey-thoughts/20-fantasy-hockey-thoughts-57/

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hsews · 6 years

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Would signing with the Philadelphia 76ers make sense for LeBron James in basketball terms?

In theory, the Sixers are an ideal destination for LeBron to continue chasing championships. He could join a team that finished two games ahead of his Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference standings, maintaining the relatively favorable path to the NBA Finals he has enjoyed during eight consecutive trips.

Better yet, the Sixers posted the East’s second-best point differential — better than the Boston Celtics, who beat them in the conference semifinals — led by two young stars (Ben Simmons, 21, and Joel Embiid, 24) with a combined one year of NBA experience entering the season. James could watch the talent around him flourish rather than wither, as has been the case in his most recent stint in Cleveland and time with the Miami Heat.

Yet the pairing of LeBron and Simmons, who did not make a single 3-pointer during his Rookie of the Year campaign, is hardly ideal. So, setting aside the personal factors that will go into James’ decision, does Philadelphia make sense?

Sixers on the rise

Whether the 76ers can sign LeBron this summer or not, they’re set up to contend in the East for years as a product of Sam Hinkie’s rebuilding process. Alongside Embiid and Simmons, the 76ers started 24-year-old Dario Saric and 27-year-old Robert Covington, both of whom will be part of the team’s core, barring a trade. Saric still has two years left on his team-friendly rookie contract, and Covington signed a four-year extension last fall that will pay him a reasonable $47 million after a renegotiation bumped up his 2017-18 salary.

Who are the biggest teams and players to watch when free agency hits? Our NBA Insiders answer the big questions about LeBron, Paul George, the Lakers and more.

The Clippers are sending Austin Rivers to the Wizards for Marcin Gortat. Kevin Pelton grades the trade.

1 Related

As a result, Philadelphia could fit in James’ max salary with few changes. To clear the necessary space, Philadelphia would need only to deal little-used guard Jerryd Bayless (making $8.6 million in the final season of his contract) and, depending on where the salary cap is set, one additional young player (likely Justin Anderson, Furkan Korkmaz or Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, though the 76ers also could choose to waive or trade Richaun Holmes or T.J. McConnell).

There’s more young talent on the way, too. The Sixers reached the second round of the playoffs with only minor contributions from 2017 No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, who played sparingly in the postseason after a shoulder injury sidelined him most of his rookie campaign. If Fultz can move past a case of the yips (as described by his new trainer, Drew Hanlen), he could give Philadelphia a third young star.

In addition to signing LeBron, the 76ers have the trade chips to add more veterans in an effort to win now. Most obviously, that would mean pursuing Kawhi Leonard in the event Leonard prefers to join a Sixers superteam instead of signing with one of the L.A. teams next summer.

Even after using cap space to sign James, Philadelphia could still offer the San Antonio Spurs a package headlined by Covington and either Saric or more likely Fultz. The unprotected 2021 Miami first-rounder that the Sixers acquired on draft night also would be an appealing part of such a trade. Giving up multiple players for Leonard would be too risky if he’s reluctant to commit long term, but if he changes his mind Philadelphia is better positioned than the Lakers to bowl San Antonio over with an offer — one that would get Leonard out of the Western Conference.

Fitting LeBron in Philly’s lineup

As easy as the fit is financially to bring James to the Sixers, the fit on the court is trickier. Presumably, LeBron would slide into JJ Redick‘s spot in the starting lineup. Barring a sign-and-trade for James, Philadelphia would have only its room midlevel exception (estimated at $4.4 million) to offer Redick to return.

LeBron James and Paul George are among the biggest names that can hit the open market. Here’s the latest on another thrilling summer:

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Swapping Redick for LeBron and keeping the rest of the starters intact would produce a versatile defensive lineup for the Sixers. Amazingly, James would be Philadelphia’s shortest starter, at 6-foot-8. Last season, 76ers coach Brett Brown took advantage of having the 6-10 Simmons at point guard to shuffle defensive matchups on a night-to-night basis rather than match by position. Adding LeBron would take that to another level and allow the 76ers to confidently switch any pick not involving Embiid.

The questions about James’ fit come entirely at the offensive end, where he’s a totally different player than Redick. During the 674 minutes Philadelphia’s primary starting five played, Redick held the ball just 10 percent of the time on offense, according to Second Spectrum tracking, instead frequently sprinting around off-ball screens. By contrast, James held the ball 45 percent of the offensive minutes he played with Cleveland — nearly as much time of possession as Simmons enjoyed with the Sixers’ starters (51 percent).

Many of James’ possessions as ball handler came via pick-and-rolls (33.7 per 100 possessions, according to Second Spectrum) or isolations (15.2 per 100 possessions), two things Brown’s motion-based offense de-emphasizes. Remarkably, James alone had more isolations per 100 possessions than Philadelphia did as a team (9.4), and the 76ers ran barely more pick-and-rolls per 100 possessions (40.4). Philly ranked last in the NBA in the frequency of both play types.

Adjustment for Simmons

I’d expect Brown to be flexible with his system if the Sixers added LeBron. Nonetheless, it would mean a big adjustment, especially for Simmons, who would have to play off the ball far more than he did as a rookie. That’s not all bad; we saw when McConnell moved into the starting lineup during Philadelphia’s series against Boston that a second playmaker can relieve some of the ballhandling pressure on Simmons.

Still, Simmons and to a lesser extent Embiid seem to fall into the category of players who are best with the ball in their hands that I recently found have been less effective when playing alongside James. Conversely, there’s also the matter of how having a non-shooter like Simmons spacing the court affects James’ ability to play one-on-one.

The most successful Cleveland lineups in recent years featured multiple shooters around LeBron. Check out how the Cavaliers performed during the 2017-18 regular season based on the number of other players on the court with James who averaged at least one 3-pointer per 36 minutes.

Lineups by shooters around LeBron

# MIN Ortg Drtg Net 4 1,086 115.2 111.0 4.3 3 1,665 112.1 111.6 0.5 2 265 106.4 107.3 -0.9

Source: NBA Advanced Stats lineup data

When all four other Cleveland players averaged at least one 3-pointer per 36 minutes — in lineups with either Kevin Love or Channing Frye at center — the Cavaliers’ 115.2 offensive rating was a full three points per 100 possessions better than the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets managed last season (112.2).

Take one of those shooters off the court — typically replaced by one of Larry Nance Jr., Derrick Rose, Tristan Thompson or Dwyane Wade — and Cleveland’s offensive rating dropped by 3.1 points per 100 possessions. And in the limited time James played with two non-threats from 3-point range, the Cavaliers barely scored better than the league average offensive rating of 106.2 points per 100 possessions.

The good news is because Embiid averaged 1.2 3-pointers per 36 minutes last season, the Sixers’ presumptive starting five would still have three shooters around LeBron. But their combined 6.5 triples per 36 minutes would be on the relatively low side for such a group.

Philadelphia found ways to overcome spacing challenges a year ago. According to Second Spectrum tracking, Embiid averaged more points per chance (1.10) on post-ups when playing with Simmons last season than with Simmons on the bench (0.88). And that increased to 1.15 points per chance when opponents double-teamed with Simmons on the floor, so they weren’t able to take advantage of his non-shooting by bringing extra help.

So I think LeBron could feel comfortable that, despite the fact there would surely be an adjustment period if he signed with the Sixers, they’d present him a better opportunity to win next season than staying in Cleveland (where, of course, he’d have to deal with this Philadelphia team as a rival).

It’s difficult to compare the 76ers to the Lakers, who remain something of a blank slate depending on which other stars they can acquire via trade or free agency, but if James declines his player option and heads to free agency — essentially ruling out the Rockets — Philadelphia probably offers the best chance to win both now and in the future.

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Currently: February 17

Video of the Week - Red Gerard's Gold Medal Run

Red. Gerard.

By now, everybody's heard his story. We've all heard about his post-competition interview, where he talks about his family shotgunning beers, his waking up late and wearing his teammate's jacket. What I feel is overlooked in the follow-up is the guys he was going against. I'm a little removed from my days of being well-informed on snowboarding, but I know Team Canada and Team Norway had some heavy hitters that were favored to stack the podium. Mark McMorris, Ståle Sandbech, Max Parrot and Marcus Kleveland are no joke. Those guys are tested, and they're obviously the best of the best.

Now, that's not to discredit Gerard. The kid RIPS. The first I'd heard of him was in Danny Davis' 2016 Peace Park video, and there was no doubt he held his own amongst the world's best snowboarders. Fast forward a couple years, and he's standing atop the Olympic slopestyle podium.

After his first two runs, I was just hoping he'd land a full one on his third and maybe eek out a bronze. But when he stomped all three booters with ease, I thought he may have scored the top spot. The judges agreed. But Red still had to wait for McMorris, Sandbech and Parrot to put down their final runs, three guys very capable of knocking him off the top spot. After McMorris and Sandbech fell, it was left to Max Parrot.

Parrot's final run was flawless, in my eyes. I thought for sure it'd get him gold. But when they announced his score, Gerard came out golden. I'm not sure what the judges saw in the runs that put Red's on top, but Todd Richards mentioned after Parrot's run that the judges definitely value the rail section more heavily. Red Gerard definitely had a good mix in the rail section, which must have been what set him apart in the end.

After one week, the U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team is looking pretty damn good, with a sweep of the freestyle events capped by Shaun White's storybook final halfpipe run. Looking forward to Big Air.

Instagram of the Week - @ag.con

This dude is a master content creator. I'll go out there and say it. I've seen plenty of different accounts, from brands, to personals, to influencers, try to pull off multi-post visuals. Typically they just annoy me, bogging down my feed and not really getting any message across unless I tap through to their profile to see the full image. I'll face it, I'm normally too lazy to do that. But this guy (Agusto?) slaps high quality photos on top of one large high quality photo to make collection its own series, and holy shit does it look cool all laid out on his feed. To cap it all off? The center photo of each set always has a video. I mean, come on. Talk about meticulous. I have to give a shoutout to my coworker for turning me on to this Instagram. Please take the time to look through his content. It's seriously one-of-a-kind, and probably one of the coolest Instagrams you'll see.

Article of the Week - Norge Ski Club Sends 3 Ski Jumpers to PyeongChang

Growing up in the shadow of the largest ski jump in the U.S. was pretty cool. Well, actually, after some research I found out it's nowhere near the country's tallest, but that's what we were led to believe as kids. Regardless, no matter where you were in my neighborhood, you could turn and see this massive structure jutting into the sky, lit up at night by LED rope lights. With just under 5,000 residents, Fox River Grove, Illinois is the definition a small Midwestern town. Though it's always had a huge part of my heart, it was finally put on the map this year, thanks to that ski jump we got from Ely, Minnesota for $0.01, plus shipping. Or so we heard in second grade.

Norge Ski Club sent three jumpers to the PyeongChang Olympics this year. Mike Glasder, Kevin Bickner and Casey Larson, from Cary, Wauconda, and Barrington, Illinois respectively, are all in South Korea representing the United States. It's the first time Norge has sent athletes to the Games, and with Glasder and Bickner both qualifying for the Large Hill Final, which takes place tonight, it's sure not to be the last time.

I love my hometown more than I can say, mostly for my large second family that still allows me to call it home, and I couldn't be prouder that it has a role in representing our country to the rest of the world. I can only hope we have a few more Olympic athletes we get to cheer on in the future.

Song of the Week - "Back On Tracks" by Verbz & Mr Slipz

Two weeks in a row with some UK hip-hop talent. I know some people who don't love the English accent on hip-hop tracks, but accent or not, if the beat and the bars are good, I'm on board. In the case of "Back On Tracks," I was hooked by the old school bassline and piano samples laid down by Mr Slipz, and Verbz flows over the track with ease. The rest of the album has a similar vibe, with "Gutter Tales" as another standout.

Cubs Highlight of the Week - Pitchers and Catchers and YUUUU!

BASEBALL IS BACK! And boy, am I excited to be a Cubs fan. There have been quite a few storylines across baseball this offseason. Shohei Ohtani, Stanton to the Yankees, the Marlins cleaning house, arguably the most stagnant offseason of all time and a free agent spring training. As a Cubs fan, the big highlights have obviously been the signing of Brandon Morrow, slimming down of Schwarber and, finally, the signing of Yu Darvish.

I've heard plenty of takes on the Darvish signing. There's been lots of worry about his pitch tipping in the World Series, but I refuse to let a two game sample ruin an otherwise immaculate track record. Others are sad to see Arrieta go, but honestly, something about Arrieta toward the end of his tenure with the Cubs made me feel pretty lukewarm about him. I felt it was time to move on, and wouldn't have been too excited if the only big move the Cubs made all offseason was resigning him. I hope the guy goes on and finds more success, but to me, it just felt like the right time for Arrieta and the Cubs to part ways.

I don't want to steal all of my takes from Bleacher Nation, but their writers, Brett Taylor and Michael Cerami, continuously make great points. To basically summarize this post, the addition of one player, Darvish, makes the Cubs better in three ways. Right off the bat, of course it strengthens the rotation. When you've got a front end of Darvish, Quintana, Lester and Hendricks, you're going to make some hitters nervous. Darvish also makes the rotation a lock. Before his signing, Mike Montgomery would've slotted into the fifth spot. Nothing against Montgomery, I really do think he could be an effective starter, but he's also invaluable for the Cubs as a spot starter and long reliever in the bullpen. Not many teams have the luxury of a guy like him that can switch between the bullpen and the rotation as easily as he does. That leads to the final point, the improvement in starting depth. God forbid something happens to a pitcher in the starting rotation, you've got an extremely capable Montgomery to step in. Had Montgomery been the fifth starter, who knows who would have been waiting in the wings as the sixth starter. Zastryzny? Jen-Ho Tseng?

There are a lot of reasons to be excited for the 2018 season, and while Spring Training isn't quite baseball being back, I'll take baseball in any form I can get it. Let's go, Cubbies.

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