#he just had the misfortune of debuting in one of the worst games of the series

[wildcard-rumi]

👀 A fellow Silver enjoyer

#he's a genuinely great character #he just had the misfortune of debuting in one of the worst games of the series

[myhauntedsalem]

The Superman Curse

DC Comics began life as Detective Comics. Nowadays, like Marvel Comics, its known for its abundance of Superheroes such as Batman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman. During 1933 two friends, Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, combined their imaginations to come up with the Superhero that single-handedly began the entire genre. Five years after selling their idea to Detective Comics, Kal-El, to give him a Kryptonian name, made his debut in Action Comics #1 and went on to not only save the world hundreds of times over, but to dominate it. Quickly becoming an American icon and global phenomenon, Superman spawned an industry that covered everything from television to film franchises to merchandising.

Even before the presses rolled on that first incarnation of the Man of Steel, misfortune was already at play. Both Siegel and Schuster sold more than just the idea to DC Comics; they sold the copyright itself and, for many years afterwards, missed out on all the income that their original concept would create. While the pair did end up with the royalties that they considered that they should have had, it took almost an entire lifetime to accomplish.

What happened to the boys might simply be a case of corporate exploitation and naivety, as they were not the only hopefuls looking to turn an idea into a powerhouse juggernaut of a franchise. They were just among the handful that had the right ideas at the right time.

Since the early days of Superman though, a great many people involved with the legendary superhero have suffered some misfortune or catastrophe. This catalogue of woe simply cannot all be written off as mere coincidence.

George Reeves was one of the first actors to portray Superman in the 1950s television show The Adventures of Superman. He played the title role for 6 years. When he was only 45, Reeves suffered a fatal gunshot wound that was officially ruled as self-inflicted, but many believe that it wasn’t.

Christopher Reeve brought Superman to the big screen in 1978. Eight years after making his final appearance inSuperman 4, George’s namesake was involved in a horse riding accident that left him paralyzed for the rest of his life.

In the same film franchise, Marlon Brando made a cameo as Jor-El. In 1990, Brando’s son was found guilty of the shooting of his half-sister’s boyfriend and sent to prison for a decade. Half way through his sentence, Cheyenne Brando took her own life.

Margot Kidder is best known as Lois Lane. She went missing for several days in April 1996 before being found in a paranoid and delusional state.

Richard Pryor stole the show in Superman 3 in his role as Gus Gorman. Three years after, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

Lee Quigley also had a cameo in the first Superman film in 1978. He was the newborn that was sent to Earth amid Krypton’s destruction. Lee was found dead in his mid-teens due to complications with substance abuse.

Muriel Hemingway appeared in the final Superman film in 1987. Muriel’s older sister, Margaux, was found dead from an overdose of sedatives. Muriel has always refuted this conclusion.

Three members of the production crew for Superman Returns were victims of minor accidents. One was assaulted and mugged. Another fell down a flight of stairs and the third smashed into a glass window. Kate Bosworth, Lois Lane in this reboot, blamed her break-up with Orlando Bloom solely on the curse.

Superman 64 was a video-game that was released to poor reviews on the Nintendo 64. Bad graphics and glitched gameplay are among the negative comments. It has been voted as the worst game ever released on the Nintendo 64 system.

Critics of the Superman Curse will inevitably insist that these instances are nothing more than simply a case of bad luck. Other actors that have been involved in Superman productions have managed to avoid becoming another statistic. Dean Cain has had a successful career after playing his version of the 1990s television Superman series Lois & Clark. The same is true of Teri Hatcher, probably even more so. More modern Supermen Tom Welling, Henry Cavill and Brandon Routh have yet to taste any misfortune due to their involvement in Superman. In fact the latter pair dismiss the idea of the curse outright.

Superman has even appeared on Broadway! The star of the 1966 musical It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It��s Superman! was Bob Holiday. According to Holiday, the notion of a curse is a silly one and says that his experiences have been highly beneficial and ‘nothing but good’. After his stint on Broadway ended, he became a very successful businessman in Florida until his retirement.

#The Superman Curse #mystery #cursed #paranormal #paranormal phenomena #ghost and hauntings #ghost and spirits #myhauntedsalem #haunted salem

[mwolf0epsilon]

Do you have any bendy and the ink machine headcanons?

Boy Anon, do I ever! A lot of them are still under the works, so I'll focus on the characters that I've thought most about.

Joey, Henry, Sammy and Norman.

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[[MORE]]

--Joey Drew--

Came from a heavily Catholic and strict family that wanted him to either pursue a career in medicine or law. He had a rough time getting along with his family since they didn't encourage his creativity, and the religious beliefs they force-fed him from an early age had a bit of an impact on the themes he had an interest in.

Due to his background and bizarre interests Joey was a bit of a loner and misfit as a kid. Henry Stein was his only true friend since childhood, so Joey was a little protective of him. This protectiveness became an unhealthy possessiveness as they grew up.

He and Henry actually started the studios in their early thirties. Both were job hoppers for a while, adrift and unfulfilled. Once Joey figured out how to use their combined skills and creativity to make a profit, the nightmare that was Joey Drew Studios came into being.

Joey rejected Bendy's original design because he saw demons as entities of mischief and misfortune. The more cutesy kind smile simply didn't convey the chaotic energy Joey associated with such beings. Boris was also reworked to go from a naked intelligent wolf to a goofier/dumber one wearing overalls. Henry wasn't particularly happy with either change but went with it to please his friend.

Alice Angel and the Butcher Gang were also designed by Henry, but Joey disliked the idea of adding a female counterpart to the show, and wasn't particularly fond of the much nicer original concepts of Charley, Barley and Edgar. He would alter the concepts later on to better fit the themes he employed in the show.

Initially they worked alone but, when they began working on Boris' debut episode, Joey realized they needed something to add a certain flair to their work: Music and better filmwork. In a matter of weeks a team of two became a team of four with the hiring of Samuel Lawrence and Norman Polk.

Ever since Linda started dating Henry, Joey began feeling like his best pal wasn't giving 100% to the studio (and to Joey himself). As such he began to give Henry more and more work to ensure he devoted his attention to the cartoons. This ultimately lead to Henry quitting.

Joey was angry when Henry married Linda, thinking his friend had chosen "some girl" over their bond. He refused to go to their wedding due to this "betrayal" and has held a grudge since.

During the rise and decline of the studio, Joey went from charming his way out of trouble and into people's hearts, to downright criminally manipulative. The employees that managed to quit, often found themselves blacklisted from the work market, and those who stayed knew Joey could destroy them with the right words. It's why so many stayed in the end...

When the Ink Machine didn't work the way he wanted and he found himself stuck with the responsibility of fixing what he'd done, there had been a fraction of a chance for redemption on Joey's part. Joey considered giving his soul to the Ink Demon so it'd end the nightmare for good. However upon finding the wedding invitation Henry had sent him all those years ago, Joey had a change of heart for the worst. After all what soul could be better to fix the demon, than that of its original creator?

--Henry Stein--

Henry Stein didn't know what he was getting himself into when he met and befriended Joey Drew. He'd always been the soft-spoken friendlier of the two, so their dynamic as friends was pretty well rounded up, until Joey became obcessed with becoming successful, as well as his overprotective nature slowly evolving into a controlling possessiveness.

Henry came from a pretty average family. They weren't exactly well-off but there was never a day or night without food on the table. He grew up aware of the value of money and how to spend it wisely, a skill he never got to employ at the studio because Joey had full control of finances. He had a feeling the studio was doomed to flop and was actually quite surprised to hear it chugging along "just fine" after he'd left. The various scandals didn't surprise him.

Henry was a little hurt when Joey declined his invitation to his and Linda's wedding, but he assumed his childhood friend would get over it. He was terribly wrong.

His original concepts for Bendy and Co. were of a cute little devil trying to do good to ascend to heaven, a fatherly wolf that would help the little devil darling, an angel sent to test the devil's intentions as a moral compass, and a trio of friends that would often be a part of Bendy's various trials. Joey's redesigns and reworks of their roles never really agreed with him, especially when he made the kind Charley, amicable Barley, and playful Edgar into villains.

He was drafted to fight in the war and came back with a slightly paralyzed face. He's ashamed of the slightly permanent lopsided smile on his face, as he always thought of it as an ugly smirk and a reminder of things he'd much rather like to forget. His vision was also slightly damaged so he wears very thick glasses, and he has a slight limp.

Joey's letter gave him hope for rekindling their broken friendship. He really thought Joey had finally come around and given up on his childish grudge. He was horrifically mistaken.

Henry is 67 in-game. Coupled with his injuries from the war and you get an old tired man that can neither run fast or see too well. His stubbornness is the only thing keeping him alive and going, that and his desire to return to his wife and kids.

--Samuel Lawrence--

He was raised in the South by his very strict Catholic father, and his kindly mother. He ended up moving to the big city with his father at age 11, after his mother died of tuberculosis. His mother having been the kinder and more patient parent meant that Sammy didn't have much of a good influence growing up, as his father wasn't particularly abusive but had strongly bigoted views that rubbed off on him. His father remarried when Sammy was 24 and, although he had a strong dislike for his step-mother, he tried to be patient with her as per his father's wishes. This dislike grew into animosity when she'd berate him for the smallest things, like calling him a sissy for pursuing a musical career, or even the way he kept his hair. He was upset when she became pregnant with his younger step-sister, feeling like he'd be dragged into providing for his aging father, witch of a step-mother and a kid he might not even get along with.

Sammy was genuinely upset when his father passed away, as it meant he'd lost who he considered to be his true family. He was forced to spend more time with his step-mother, and often cared for his little sister as a result (growing very fond of her in the end). When his step-mother died in a freak accident, Sammy became his sister's official caregiver. A chore he felt had been forced upon him, but that he took on nontheless because he didn't feel right just dumping a two year old into an orphanage. It was the need to provide for himself and a baby that ultimately lead to him falling into Joey Drew's clutches.

Originally there were three other candidates for his position at the studio. Sammy was picked due to being younger and easier to manipulate.

Although not the easiest person to get along with, Sammy could be respectful when he tried. His upbringing made it very difficult to look past race and sexuality, but later on as his sister grew up she urged him to try being nicer to other people. This ultimately began to fail when the studio began to descend into madness, especially around the time Buddy was hired.

For his sister's seventh birthday Sammy made an odd request to one Shawn Flynn. He wanted to gift her a Bendy doll that didn't have the unnerving grin painted on. Shawn provided him with a doll that was a blend of Bendy and Boris, which Sammy's sister named Seamus the Singing Demon. That little doll's odd composition stuck with him, even if he can no longer remember it...

He had a very strange relationship with Norman Polk as a result of working closely with him. They weren't exactly friends, but one couldn't exactly call them enemies either. Sammy's upbringing made him unjustly ruder towards the older man, and Norman's own odd behaviour made him hard to trust. At the end of the day they had a sort of fragile respect for one another's work. This respect couldn't save Norman from his terrible fate however...

He knew Henry for less than a year but he respected his fellow content creator. Later on Sammy often wondered if the co-founder wouldn't have been the one more worthy of keeping the studio afloat.

His romance with Susie Campbell was genuinely beautiful. At first he found her cheery disposition to be annoying, but her respect and kindness towards him eventually grew on him. His affection towards her was noticeable in comparison to how he treated others, and Joey knew to exploit it later on. When Susie left, the already stressed and overworked Sammy was left further distraught and vulnerable due to his personal life slowly getting messed up as well.

Sammy's transformation can be considered an outlier within the twisted studio. He wasn't put through the Ink Machine like the others, having instead ingested the corrupted ink in a freak accident. The amount he swallowed wasn't enough to transform him, but it was just enough to alter his mindset like a parasite. At the urging on the ink he took to consuming more and more of it, until he transformed into an abomination that was neither man nor toon. If any of the studio's workers could have their changes reversed, Sammy is a good candidate as, perhaps, one could purge the tainted ink from his system.

Sammy has very rare moments of lucidity which he spends trying to recall his fading memories. This often leads to him reverting back more quickly because his inability to focus on them distressed him enough that he falls back into the ink's grasp.

Sammy doesn't eat the soup he stockpiles, even if he craves it. He can't stomach regular food anymore, as it upsets his inky stomach. If he were to try he'd end up getting violently sick. The contrary can be said for ink however, and he sustains himself on the stuff. His memory issues and loss of identity are likely linked the the copious amounts of ink he's still consuming on a daily basis. He's the easiest person for the ink to control.

--Norman Polk--

Norman liked to consider himself a lucky guy. He grew up in a pretty poor neighbourhood and had to scrape by to get his education. He was a clever individual and often considered a bright man. With enough hard work he felt like he made his relatives in Louisiana proud. Turns out Joey Drew didn't like bright individuals...

As one the oldest member of staff (he was 46 when he started working at the studio) he was often the voice of reason in the earlier days, alongside Henry. Most of the newer staff didn't mind him at first, but when Norman's odder behaviours became more noticeable people started finding him either creepy or hard to trust.

He butted heads with Sammy several times, disliking the younger man's racist comments towards him. Being forced to work together so closely and a little outside urging helped them kinda resolve that tension. But their truce was a fragile one that amounted to nothing when Sammy was driven insane by the ink.

He was married and had a daughter. In the current game timeline he has several grandkids. He also has several nieces and nephews, one of which is friends with Sammy's sister (much to the latter's initial dislike).

Out of the first core team, Norman considered Henry a friend, had a weird feeling about Joey, and bickered heavily with Sammy. Later on he grew to enjoy Wally's mischievous personality, Shawn's rambunctious self, Susie's sweet disposition, Jack's skittishness and Buddy's friendliness. He felt like he failed them when the studio went to hell.

As the Projectionist Norman is deaf and visually impaired, needing his light to see movement. He used to be able to talk with the speaker on his chest, but his screams for help eventually short-circuited it. Early on he wasn't aggressive towards other creatures, which proved to be an exploitable weakness. He became uncontrollably aggressive out of fear and being a constant target of other monsters.

Before the Ink Demon kills him in every cycle, Norman recognizes Henry inside the Little Miracle station.

#Bendy and the Ink Machine #Batim #Joey Drew #Henry Stein #Sammy Lawrence #Norman Polk #The Projectionist #Headcanons #Friend Anon

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael in the Mainstream: Pokemon Generation I & II

Pokemon is one of the biggest media franchises on the planet since 1996, and while it’s never exactly hit the same highs as it did back in the 90s, the franchise has been going strong for over two decades regardless. So, in honor of the latest entries in the franchise, I decided to take a look back at the old generations and look at what worked and what didn’t about them, though obviously in my own style. And what better place to start than the original two generations, Generations I and II?

Let’s start with Generation I, which includes the three games that started it all – Red, Blue, and Yellow, though back in the franchise’s homeland of Japan they had Green instead of Blue (hence why we got FireRed and LeafGreen, but no WaterBlue). These are the games that launched the franchise into the stratosphere of popularity, and for a long time they were held up as the gold standard of Pokemon games, attracting a die-hard base of “fans” known as Genwunners, who would bash anything outside of the first 151 Pokemon. Lately that sort of opinion has declined, though you still get the odd person here and there whining about how newer Pokemon designs look like Digimon, which indicates that the person saying that is unfamiliar with either franchise.

But what of the games themselves? What are they like? I have long expressed distaste for the Gen I games, mostly because of my hatred of Genwunners, but ultimately my opinions on the games are a lot more mixed. I do believe that Yellow is a genuinely good game and probably how the first generation should be experienced if you really want to go back to the old games, but my opinions on Red and Blue are a bit more mixed – but, shockingly, mostly positive.

You see, here’s the thing with Pokemon games – even at their worst, they’re still fun, and Red and Blue prove that. These are impressive games for their time that had the misfortune of aging far worse than a lot of their contemporaries, mostly due to the nature of the games themselves – any sort of franchise based on collecting and battling among groups of friends is going to need a lot of polish between releases, which will inevitably leave older games in the dust, especially when each generation after would add more and more Pokemon with each new generation. But even if they haven’t aged all too well, there’s still plenty of fun to be had here, though a lot of it is not in ways the creators intended.

Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first – the balance in this game is absolutely atrocious. There are some types that are just objectively better than others, some types are so scarce as to be utterly useless, some moves don’t work like they’re supposed to, some of the computers use moves they shouldn’t know… the game is a hot mess, to put it lightly. At points the games feel frustratingly unplayable, especially when you come up against Sabrina, the gym leader wielding the all-powerful type of Gen I, Psychic.

The more mixed parts of the game are the story and the beloved, exploitable glitches. The story here… well, there isn’t one. There’s sort of an excuse plot in place - you have to beat all the gyms, challenge the Elite Four, and battle your rival (who you can name whatever, but I’ll be referring to him by his canon name, Blue). Other than that, though? There’s not really any sort of overarching plot. You kind of just wander into situation after situation on your way to the next gym. Even the whole Team Rocket plot here is mostly just you beating them up because they prove to slightly inconvenience you at every turn. Unlike in later entries, where the player is roped into saving the world from destruction at the hands of all-powerful PokeGods. Here the plot is basically “Young boy accidentally foils the Mafia while on a walk with their pet.” It’s so hilariously simple it’s hard to totally hate it, and to be perfectly fair a lot of early RPGs had rather simplistic plots, and this was one of the first handheld RPGs, so I cut them a bit of slack here, especially seeing as we at least got Giovanni out of this.

The glitches are infamous and iconic, but even them I’m a bit mixed on. Like, I love Missingno as much as everyone else, but I think tat if you need to break a game this hard to have fun, it kind of ruins things. I feel the same way about the glitches as I do the Crissaegrim in Symphony of the Night sure, they’re cool, flashy, and powerful, but they make the game so pathetically easy from that point onwards it just isn’t that entertaining anymore.

Still, this game does excel in one area: character. There are a lot of great characters in this game, human and Pokemon. A lot of the gym leaders are absolutely iconic, and the Elite Four is mostly interesting, though I will say that they lack a lot of character compared to later Elite Fours (though he Gen III remakes ameliorated this problem). It’s pretty impressive how so much character was able to be crammed into these characters even though they are ostensibly just roadblocks on your way to the next gym.

Then there are the Pokemon. The designs in this generation are pretty simple, occasionally to a fault, but there is a reason for this: a lot of Pokemon are based on yokai or tsukumogami, both of which are pretty essential in Japanese folklore. Tsukumogami in particular are something the franchise seems to absolutely love, with the Voltorb and Magnemite lines being notable examples from this generation. Other Japanese folklore represented in this Generation include kitsune, which the Vulpix line is explicitly based on, kappas, which Golduck is inspired by, baku, which the Drowzee line represents, and so in. In fact, the entire concept of Pokemon is so entrenched in the concepts of yokai and Japanese spirits that it is endlessly amusing to see Westerners nitpicking the designs, ignoring the cultural meaning behind them. Pokemon have a variety of inspirations obviously, but the weirder you think a design is the more likely it is to have been based off of some sort of yokai.

I think the definitive Gen I experience is Yellow, which is inspired by the anime. You start off with Pikachu who follows behind you at all times, you can acquire all of the starters, the game overall feels more polished (but not overly so), and you get to fight Jessie and James. It’s a lot of fun, and it doesn’t heavily alter the story, instead adding a few neat little additions, something that would become common with third versions in the franchise. The Kanto games are a solid start to a franchise, but they definitely could have used a bit more work…

That’s where Generation II comes in.

Generation II honestly feels like what Generation I should have been like, leaving Red and Blue as the unpolished alpha, Yellow as the beta, and Gold and Silver as the full release. In fact, it kind of leaves the  second gen feeling a lot more like an expansion pack than anything else, but not in an obnoxious or bad way like a certain other game (COUGHOverwatch 2COUGH). These games are so much better in just about every conceivable way, it’s not even funny.

A lot of important series mainstays made their debut here. The biggest and best is probably the introduction of the Dark and Steel types, the latter of which really feels like it should have been in Generation 1 to begin with. Steel quickly established itself as a very defensive type, and Pokemon of that type are just naturally tough due to Steel resisting nearly every other type in the game, with it only being nerfed slightly once the games jumped to 3D. Dark on the other hand was extremely cool in concept, but a lot of the Pokemon of the type were not able to properly utilize their impressive movepools due to Dark being classified as a Special type and a lot of early Dark-types running with high physical stats.

Let me clarify real quick: prior to Generation IV, the type of the move determined whether it ran off of Physical or Special Attack, no matter how ludicrous it seemed. That means Dark moves like Bite and Fire moves like Blaze Kick ran off of the Special Attack stat despite almost always appearing on Pokemon that had much higher Physical Attack, leaving a lot of Dark-types in the dust until the Sinnoh games rolled along and balanced things. Still, this bump in usability did not stop Dark-types from being popular and beloved, with Pokemon like Umbreon, Sneasel, and Houndoom all debuting here in the land of Johto.

Speaking of new Pokemon, fewer were added this time around, only about 100, sort of fitting in with this game feeling like an expansion pack. A lot of the new Pokemon are odd and gimmicky, with strange creatures like Unown, Delibird, and Shuckle making their debut here, as well as the almighty Dunsparce. While time would be kind to some of these (Dunsparce and Shuckle in particular have gained niche uses and cult fandoms), other gimmicky Pokemon got left in the dust. Still, I do think having weird, gimmicky Pokemon adds some flavor to the world. If there’s one thing I am upset about, it’s some of the Pokemon that were cut from the game, revealed to the world in the prototype version of Gold and Silver that leaked online. We almst got a new Shellder evo that looked like Slowbro’s tail, as well as Pokemon like Lickilicky debuting two generations earlier (and with a far better design). Still, what we got is pretty impressive, and though I find Johto a tad bit vanilla, there are a lot of Pokemon I love in this generation.

Another great addition to the franchise is lore behind the Legendary Pokemon. Gen I did have a bit of lore in regards to Mew and Mewtwo if you chose to read all of the journals in Cinnabar Mansion, but the bird trio got nothing and sort of just felt like random bonus bosses than Pokemon really deserving the title of legends. In this game, every legend introduced feels legendary. Entei, Raikou, Suicune, Ho-Oh, and Lugia all have fascinating lore behind them, and while they don’t play a major part in the story or factor in to Team Rocket’s plans (save for Suicune in Crystal, who has its own subplot), it showed that even this early on they were working on making the legendaries feel bigger and more impressive to the point they deserved their title as legends.

Then of course there are the new additions to gameplay and collecting that helped really make the franchise shine. The introduction of held items is one of the most significant; now there were even more ways to improve your standing in a battle! Give your mon a berry, they’ll eat it when their health gets low! This feature would be expanded on in later games, but its start here introduced a whole new world of possibilities. There was also the splitting of the Special stat into Special Attack and Special Defense a choice that helped balance the games and not completely overpower the Psychic type. And speaking of, Type distribution was quite a bit better in these games, though the new types Steel and Dark as well as Ghost and Dragon were still fairly underutilized and rare.

 Then there is the introduction of gender and breeding, which allowed players to get new Pokemon by leaving two Pokemon in the same egg group in a day care together. This not only allowed for the introduction of new baby Pokemon (which are largely useless and Pokedex filler if I’m being honest), but it gave the transforming blob of jello Ditto a new lease on life, as it could breed with absolutely ANYTHING, even some genderless Pokemon. Finally, we have the introduction of shiny Pokemon, Pokemon that had a different coloration than normal Pokemon and that almost surely existed to show off the power of the Game Boy Color. Back in Generation II, shinies were guaranteed to have perfect IVs of some sort or another to make their rarity more worthwhile, but this was scrapped after this gen. Still, there is nothing cooler than having that fabulous Pokemon with its incredible sparkle pop up while you’re roaming the wild, and nothing sadder than realizing you don’t have any balls to catch it.

The story here is also improved, which is a plus. A rarity for Pokemon games going forward, these games were true sequels to the originals, taking place a few years after the events of the Gen I games, and so the plot concerns the player getting roped in to not only stopping the remnants of Team Rocket trying to rise to power yet again, but also fighting off a mysterious rival named Silver, all while trying to complete the gym challenge. The stakes are a bit higher this time, but not overly so, and the plot definitely feels bigger and more important, with their being a sense of “I have to stop Team Rocket or something bad could happen” rather than “Ugh, these guys are blocking the way to the next gym, guess I better get rid of them.” And if that’s not enough, this has one of the more impressive post-games for the series… for its time. Much has been made of the late, great Satoru Iwata’s impressive cramming of the entirety of Kanto into the game, and you won’t hear me say that for the time these games came out what he did was impressive. 

The thing is, this accomplishment has aged about as well as the games the Kanto region debuted in. Gen II’s version of Kanto has a very poor level curve, meaning you can basically steamroll through most of the gyms, and a lot of areas are blocked off, gone, or cut down. While it is cool to see all these places two years after the original games, it’s not nearly as fun when you’re crushing underleveled Pokemon and you can’t access Cerulean Cave or the legendary birds. When you finally acquire all the badges though, you get to head to Mt. Silver and make your way up to one of the definitive bonus bosses of the franchise – Red, the player character of the original games. He’s a pretty tough opponent, and the game seems to lean towards making Yellow the true canon game as Red has all three starters plus Pikachu,

There’s not much else to say, as there isn’t too much negative to say about the Johto region or the games. The definitive version is, of course, Crystal, as it has a bit of extra story and polish to it and even let you play as a girl for the first time, and though there are aspects that the remakes of these games would improve on, the Generation II games are actually extremely solid and a lot of fun to play to this day, even if they haven’t yet achieved optimal balance for Pokemon. At the very least, they’re a lot more fun and playable than the Gen I games.

It’s pretty undeniable that the first two generations put Pokemon on a pretty solid path of progression and started the franchise off with a bang. There was really nowhere to go from here but up, and boy oh boy did they ever go up from here.

#Michael in the Mainstream #Review #video game review #Pokemon #Red #Blue #Yellow #Gold #Silver #Crystal #Generation I #Generation II #Kanto #Johto #Team Rocket

[pak-pak-suhgar]

Betting Everything

Summary: Your 4 year relationship with Johnny is easily ruined when his ex girlfriend came back. Pairing: Johnny x You x Jaehyun Characters: Yuta, Jaehyun, Johnny, You. Genre: very angst, slight fluff at the end(?) Words: 3k. click this link to listen to the song. Due to NCT’s busy schedules Johnny and you barely saw each other. You would occasionally text and call each other, sometimes Skype would work for the both of you when he has free time after their midnight radio show. But these days, you've noticed how he's been responding late with your messages, and sometimes he wouldn't answer at all. That made you worry to the pits.

You sighed for the umpeenth time as you stared at your phone expressionless, your gazed shifted towards your best friend Jaehyun who was busy playing games on his phone "You're not helping at all." You spoke for the first three of hours of being with Jaehyun, you're currently at NCT's dorm hoping to see your beloved boyfriend whom you missed but to your misfortune he isn't present at the moment. 

Though he did tell Jaehyun that Johnny went to see his parents who just came back from Chicago for a short vacation. You knew Johnny missed his family a lot so you understood his reason of not being here and decided to wait.You decided to sleep in Johnny's room while waiting for him, when you woke up you didn't noticed the time. 

You checked your phone and it read "1:27am" you sighed and throwed your phone on the bed. Johnny was still nowhere to be found and Jaehyun was sleeping peacefully on his bed, not wanting to wake the big guy up. You quietly got off of Johnny's bed and fixed it before leaving his shared room with Jaehyun.

You decided you would text him to meet up tomorrow if he can make time for you that is, exiting the secret passage to their dorm you headed to the usual direction to where you and Johnny usually go every time you came over to hang around their dorm. Far from distance you heard a noise, you thought it was just some guard doing random checks. 

But when you heard the voice, you recognized it was your boyfriend's. You were happy and was ready to approach him when you saw him hugging and kissing someone else that isn't you. You froze on your spot and stared at your boyfriend, you took a glance at the girl and realized who she finally was. A bitter smile was plastered on your face when you recognized the woman who he had just kissed recently. It was Johnny's ex girlfriend from his high school days, back when he was still in Chicago. He told you she was his first love and first girlfriend. And considering they dated quite long enough, you knew you had no chance of winning against that. She was after all the first girlfriend, suddenly your 4 year relationship with Johnny didn't seem like it mattered.Clearing your throat as you stayed in your spot, you decided to test Johnny's loyalty. 

You took a step backwards, somewhere not near from the two people before taking your phone and dialing Johnny's number. You heard Johnny's phone rang and heard him to the girl to wait for a bit, when he picked up your call you heard him calling out your name "Hello, (Y/N?)" He said, you paused for a few seconds before speaking in your cheerful tone "Hey, babe!" You tried to reply as cheerfully as you can "Where are you? I miss you. You haven't been responding to me these days."

 You tried to sound like you were whining and pouting, there was a silence in Johnny's line before he cleared his throat "I'm sorry, I've been busy these days.. and I'm still at the radio station." He said, you smiled a bit. Knowing that he was lying to you, and considering he didn't said that he missed you tells you something.

 You nodded your head, getting the message as you breathed heavily before you can respond he talked again "Hey, I gotta go now okay? I'll talk to you whenever. Bye." He hung up immediately before you can say anything, you watched him from afar with his ex. 

Tears are now running down your face as you quietly stepped away from the painful scene around you.You went back home feeling dull and empty, going back to your apartment felt like you were bringing yourself more pain. Your memories with Johnny flooded your mind. 

You had too many questions but one thing for sure, he lied about his family going back here. When in fact it was his ex girlfriend who went here to see him. The whole night, you didn't slept and waited for tomorrow to come. When morning came, you immediately dressed up and dialed Jaehyun's number. "Hello, (Y/N?)? What's up?" He asked, you could tell he was still sleepy from the way he spoke to you "Hey, Jae. Care to join me for a scavenger?" You asked trying to sound funny, you heard him scoff and chuckled "For what?" "Just... please, come with me today?" You pleaded, hoping he would agree. You heard him sigh before he gave in "Fine, I'll fetch you in your apartment within 20 minutes." He said, you thanked him as you hung up the phone.You wore your ripped black jeans and matched it with a black crop top before matching a black cardigan. Your outfit of the day all contained black and only you knew the reason why. 

When Jaehyun fetched you, he didn't asked you for it but found it weird. You stopped by a cafe with Jaehyun, the same cafe you go with Johnny when you two are out on a date. You chose the spot where you wouldn't be noticeable, And like your prediction Johnny brought his ex girlfriend in here. Jaehyun's eyes widened when he saw Johnny with another girl he was about to speak but you hushed him. 

You took out your phone and called Johnny "Hey baby, where are you right now?" You asked as soon as he picked up the phone, you saw him hesitating for a moment as if he was thinking of what excuse he is going to give you right now "I'm with Jaehyun, wait. I'll call you later, okay? Bye." Once again, he lied and didn't gave you a chance to speak.Jaehyun on the other hand couldn't believe what he just heard and saw. 

You dropped your phone to your table and grabbed Jaehyun with you as you walked towards Johnny's table. "So you're with Jaehyun?" You spoke up, Johnny got startled by your comment and you never imagine his eyes could grow that big he stood up and stuttered on his words "I- I can explain-" "There's no need for you to explain. I saw everything last night too." You spoke, your eyes clearly showing pain as you looked at him. "I was at your dorm hoping to see you, Jaehyun said you went out because your parents are here. But I saw you with her." You said, as your eyes shifted to his ex girlfriend who seemed confused on the situation. 

You gazed back at Johnny who doesn't seem to feel guilty before running his hands over his hair "I get it, Johnny. I have no chance against your ex girlfriend... or maybe girlfriend again whom you dated since you're in Chicago.." You said, trying your best not to tear up in front of him because that would be the worst "I'm not going to bother fighting for you since you would obviously choose her over me. But thank you for these four years, Youngho." You finally said his birth name instead of his English name. "I hope you last with her." You said before turning around to leave, Jaehyun only glared at Johnny before going after you."So, what's your plan now?" Jaehyun asked, while he watched you packed your clothes. "I'm gonna go away, I don't know for how long but I need to move away. So I could forget." You said as you finished packing "I'm not leaving today, but I packed because I might leave sooner. I still have to clean up this apartment anyway." 

You told Jaehyun, he doesn't seem to be listening to what you just said as he said something that surprised you."I love you, (Y/N)." Jaehyun confessed, you didn't speak as you let him finish "I've always have... I never had the chance to profess my feelings for you because you liked Johnny, you were madly in love with him. Johnny.. however while he  dated you. he couln't get over about his ex. Those four years... I don't know if he loved-" "Stop." You said, you're crying this time now as you failed to suppress your sobs "I- I knew somehow Johnny's love for me wasn't that full because of his ex girlfriend but I stayed with him, I stayed by his side til the time he debuted.. I guess I was blindly in love with him.. I was... no.. I tried to be oblivious of your feelings but I knew you felt something for me, Jae.. and... I-I can't return that now.." You told him honestly as you faced him. Jaehyun nodded in agreement as he caressed your face "I understand." He said, and with that he left your apartment for you to have some space.Two weeks have passed since your break up with Johnny, you've already placed the last item in the box full of the things that Johnny gave you. It hurt you but you needed to do this, you texted Jaehyun that you would drop by the dorm and he said he'll be present to welcome you. 

When you arrived in the dorms, you purposely went there without Johnny around so you wouldn't have to face him. Jaehyun only looked at you and the box you were holding as you placed it on the ground "These... are all the things that Johnny gave me ever since we started dating.. Tell him it's up to him if he wants to burn it, throw it away or whatever. I just don't have the heart to do those things.." You said, biting your lips to sustain yourself from crying again. You looked at Jaehyun and gave him a sad smile before pulling him into a hug "I'm leaving, Jae. I don't know for how long but hopefully when I come back.. I can reciprocate your feelings.. Please wait for me.. this might be a selfish thing to ask but wait for me, okay?" You told him, caressing his cheek one last time, he bit his lip and nodded. You smiled at him and bid goodbye before leaving the dorm.

You took one last glance at your apartment... his apartment to be exact now. The memories once again flooded your mind making you tear up. You looked around one last time before exiting the apartment, you placed the key and your spare key on the mailbox. "Goodbye, Youngho." 

When you arrived back in Tokyo, you decided to stay somewhere that is out of NCT's reach. But you did tell your brother, Yuta. You came back in Japan to forget. He was furious when he learnt that Johnny cheated on you with his ex girlfriend- now his girlfriend and has been giving him the cold shoulder according to the boys. Johnny could careless that was what you heard, you assured Yuta you'd be fine and you found a stable job to survive living in Japan while you're healing.

Johnny's POV.

The moment she found out I was cheating at her with Tori.. I didn't feel guilty, I was supposed to considering that I've been dating her for four years in a row. I admit that during the time I spent with her. Most of my heart still remained in Chicago.. and with Tori.. I could never really get over Tori. 

The only reason why we had to break up is because neither of us can do long distance relationship. So when I came to Korea to pursue my dreams, that's where I met her. I wanted to ask myself if I loved her. Did I really? I don't know either. Maybe I just wanted to be with someone, who can company me. Who can fill the void that Tori left in me when I left Chicago.

I heard from Jaehyun that (Y/N) dropped a box for me that contained everything I gave her, from the first gift I gave her when it was our first month anniversary. I didn't know why but I felt a little pang in my heart as I went through the things that I gave her. I closed the box and hid it under the bed when I saw Tori walking towards me, flashing a smile at her I quickly enveloped her in my arms, kissing the top of her head as I sighed in content. 

I didn't mean to hurt (Y/N). But I couldn't bring myself to apologize either, how much of a jerk am I?

3 years had passed and things was supposed to go smoothly, like I thought and planned. But they didn't, I was supposed to propose to Tori when I overheard her conversation with her friends. I guess karma do really exist because I just found out that Tori was just using me for my money and my fame, she was the reason why there were already rumors of me dating when it is extremely prohibited for me to date. I was mad, I was very angry and furious at her actions, my mind suddenly drifted to (Y/N).. when she and I are dating she respected my privacy and she was very understanding she would rather be at dorms with me watching netflix. She was a very indoor person rather than an outdoor. I didn't know why she came into my mind the moment I found out about Tori's wrongdoings. 

I broke it off with Tori and she didn't hesitated to leave to go back to Chicago. All of a sudden, I thought how was (Y/N) doing. Is she fine? Is she back in Korea? I heard from the boys when we broke up. She moved back to Japan. I wanted to know if she still loves me... now that I realized how much she truly meant to me and how much I really loved her. Will there be a second chance when she comes back? These are all the questions that I've been dying to know the answers.

Author's POV:

It's been exactly 3 years since you left Korea, now you smiled at the bitter thought that crossed your mind. You thought you wouldn't go back to this place. But of course you had to comeback.. you had to comeback to that one person who's waiting for you. While you were in Japan. You only kept in contact with Jaehyun and Yuta. Jaehyun was very consistent with you, despite his busy schedules and with NCT's going crazy popularity nowadays. He managed to spare his time just for you and only you, one year ago he also surprised you and visited you in Japan without anyone knowing. Not even your brother Yuta knew about it. 

You were happy with the way things between you and Jaehyun. It didn't take you long enough to give him his long awaited answer. And now you're back in Korea to start living a new chapter of your life with him. When you got out of the airport, he couldn't fetch you but their manager did. 

Their manager, Hyun Joon was nice enough to let you guys date but of course it had to be in secret. You understood that part considering you dated Johnny for four years. Speaking of Johnny, you haven't heard from him in awhile. All you knew him and Tori broke up that's the last news you've ever heard of him. When Hyun Joon fetched you, he brought you to the after party of NCT's concert. They successfully wrapped up their first ever concert and you decided to surprise Jaehyun."Jaehyun, you got a minute? Someone wants to see you." Their manager spoke up, Jaehyun rose from his seat and the other boys stopped whatever they're doing to look at Jaehyun. When their manager gestured for you to come out. 

You came out with a cake in your hand as Jaehyun smiled wildly as he went towards you to kiss your cheek while the gasps from the boys could be heard "(Y/N?!)" They all said in unison, even your brother was in a great shock and you could only grin at them. There was however one person who didn't seemed pleased at the action exchanged between you and Jaehyun."Since when?!!!" They all asked, it only made you chuckle as Jaehyun's hands hovered yours "It was on his birthday." You simply said and you can hear them all scoffing "No wonder he flied to Japan then, he went to see you and you gave him the answer. That's fine. You two make a great match anyway." Yuta spoke, eyeing Jaehyun as he gave him a death glare "Hey, Jaehyun! Hurt my sister and you'll never get to see the tomorrow's sun." Yuta joked making Jaehyun and the other boys laugh except for Johnny "(Y/N)." He suddenly spoke up making the others look at him and you, including your boyfriend "Let's talk?" He asked you, his eyes look at you with plead and you turned to Jaehyun to ask for his permission he nodded his head and mouthed "Go". 

He trusted you enough that you wouldn't choose Johnny no matter how much you loved him. You excused yourself from the rest and got up before following Johnny."Out of all people, why him?" Johnny asked as he faces you, "Was it to make me jealous and get revenge? You'd use my best friend-" Slap! You slapped Johnny for the very first time, it sting but you couldn't careless "You think this is all about you?" You scoffed and closed your eyes in distress before letting out an exasperated sigh "Johnny.. this isn't about you. I had no intentions of making you jealous or revenge or whatsoever. I will never stoop that low." You claimed, biting your lip as you suppressed yourself from breaking down "What's the point of this anyway? Are you trying to get back with me because she left you?" You asked, emphasizing the matter that she left him. He was left speechless and stuttered on his words when you raised a hand gesturing for him to stop " This is pointless, you don't need to explain to me. It's none of my business." "It is your business!" "Why?!" You asked, this time you were screaming at him now "Why do you need to explain?! There's nothing to explain, Johnny. Okay? Nothing." You said, as you blinked the threatening tears away. "If you have nothing more to say, I'm leaving." You said and was about to leave when Johnny stopped you "Listen, (Y/N).. I'm never handing you to Jaehyun. I'm going to bet everything and win you back." He said, you brushed Johnny's hands off of you and inhaled deeply before speaking to him "You’re never getting me back ever again, Johnny." You said, and with that you left him standing to go back to Jaehyun and the rest.He looked at your fading figure with his clenched fists as he eyes grew darker "You're going back to me, I'm getting you back and that's final." He mumbled to himself before leaving the place.

#nct angst #seo johnny #seo youngho #nct johnny #johnny scenarios #johnny angst #kpop scenarios #kpop angst #nct scenarios #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun angst #yuta scenarios #nct jaehyun #nct 127

[sportsleague365]

1) Flaky defence meets toothless attack at St James’ ParkSteve Bruce said Newcastle were too passive during Monday’s sorry defeat at Aston Villa. One thing he can actively do about that is drop Jonjo Shelvey, who was irrelevant in midfield at Villa Park. With Sean Longstaff available again after suspension, and Matty Longstaff in line for a return to the starting lineup, Shelvey should be parked on the bench. Bruce probably wishes he could also make changes up front to try to exploit City’s defensive flakiness. There is not often a good case for starting Andy Carroll but this time there are two: City’s fragility and Joelinton’s haplessness. At least Allan Saint-Maximin shows signs of menace, even if his finishing so far has been down there with that of the bewildering Miguel Almirón. Mind you, Gabriel Jesus has not been looking sharp recently for City. So even though injury deprives both clubs of their best centre-backs (Jamaal Lascelles and Aymeric Laporte respectively), this match has the potential to end in a ridiculous 0-0 if midfielders do not step up to score. PD • Newcastle United v Manchester City (12.30pm, all times GMT, Saturday) 2) Diop’s absence gives Pellegrini unwelcome defensive optionsManuel Pellegrini has spent the season vacillating between áBalbuena and Angelo Ogbonna in his search for the centre-back he dislikes the least as Issa Diop’s partner. Pellegrini picked them both five times last season – the only league matches Diop didn’t start – of which West Ham lost four and drew one. Last weekend, when Diop was taken off with just under half an hour to play, Pellegrini was so loth to play them both he brought Carlos Sánchez on and shifted Declan Rice into the back line. At Stamford Bridge, with Diop suspended, he must choose either to pair them both or start Rice in defence for the first time since the end of the 2017-18 season. With the 33-year-old David Martin expected to make his top-flight debut in goal in place of the underperforming Roberto, the fourth-worst Premier League team will head to the division’s fourth-best side with a reshaped and under-strength backline, in which not even the manager has confidence. SB • Chelsea v West Ham United (3pm, Saturday) Fabián Balbuena (left) and Angelo Ogbonna try to deal with Eden Hazard’s threat during last season’s clash at Stamford Bridge. Photograph: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images 3) Potter’s steady Brighton rebuild deserves rewardAccording to Graham Potter it was “a little bit strange” to be awarded a new six-year contract at Brighton because “we haven’t done anything”. Potter’s modesty is not an affectation and it is true that, six months into his tenure, Brighton have not quite stopped the world turning on its axis. But there are still times in football when slow and steady can win the race, and Potter’s reconfiguration of the Seagulls’ approach – adopting a progressive, modern style while sitting comfortably in mid-table – has gone exactly as Tony Bloom would have wanted. There have been fluctuations along the way but when Brighton lose they usually do so creditably, with Pep Guardiola making a point of praising Potter’s methods after Manchester City defeated them in August. They will undoubtedly set up to ask questions of Liverpool too. Brighton are in the middle of what, on paper, is a tough run of fixtures but their long-term commitment to the blueprint Potter has put in place gives them considerable cause for comfort. NA • Liverpool v Brighton (3pm, Saturday) 4) Time running out for Silva to recapture early swaggerEverton are not the only club that might feel shamed by the quality of work done by Brendan Rodgers within nine months of his arrival at Leicester, but a comparison with the last time these two sides met at the King Power Stadium highlights their wildly divergent directions of travel since. In October 2018, with Marco Silva still getting his feet under the table, Everton produced an exhilarating away performance, winning 2-1 and threatening more. “This is our image,” Silva said afterwards. “It will be so in the future and more.” Saturday’s rematch would be an apposite occasion for Silva to prove he can keep his promises, then, given that anything bar a rapid upturn in form and performance is likely to spell the end of his tenure. It is difficult to know what to make of Silva as a manager: there was always the sense that his talents were overhyped somewhat after he made an admittedly respectable fist of keeping Hull in the top flight two and a half years ago and he has shown little to suggest any extraordinary talent since then. Time is running out for him to change that opinion but a repeat of last season’s showing against opponents in irresistible form should buy him a little bit more. NA • Leicester City v Everton (4.30pm, Sunday) The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email. 5) Intriguing duel of England’s two fastest-progressing clubsWhen Wolves thrashed Sheffield United 3-0 at Molineux in February 2018, no one was talking about Chris Wilder’s team “doing a Wolves”. And, well, they haven’t, not exactly. But here both clubs are less than two years later, meeting with each side perched just outside the Champions League qualification places. Wilder and Nuno Espírito Santo have done superb jobs in different ways and a whole raft of players have risen to heights they were not widely expected to reach. Wolves’ Matt Doherty and United’s Enda Stevens, for instance, both played in that game in 2018 and now can be classed among the best wing-backs in the Premier League. In fact, the only members of United’s likely rearguard on Sunday who did not play on their club’s last visit to Molineux are John Egan and the goalkeeper Dean Henderson. They have made huge impacts since joining the club and, assuming they play on Sunday after missing last week’s draw with Manchester United, they will be big factors in ensuring Wolves do not have it so easy this time. PD • Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield United (2pm, Sunday) Sheffield United’s Dean Henderson makes a save during the Premier League win over Arsenal at Bramall Lane. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images 6) Only a miracle can save Emery nowArsenal stagger to Carrow Road to face opponents who, in some ways, present a miniature version of what they ought to be. Norwich may well be relegated this season but there is so much to admire about the uncompromising belief in high-tempo, fluid attacking football held by Daniel Farke and the club’s sporting director, Stuart Webber. In fact Webber, who is just 35 but one of the most impressive executives around and surely destined for a top job, is precisely the kind of figure Arsenal would have benefited from employing in a high position but instead they lurch on in hope more than expectation. It is getting to the point where Unai Emery needs something approaching a miracle; Arsenal may well win at Carrow Road but the cracks it would paper over are huge. • Norwich City v Arsenal (2pm, Sunday) 7) Will Mourinho stick with Winks or twist with Ndombele?The last time José Mourinho faced Eddie Howe was last November, when Bournemouth dominated the first half against Manchester United – even if the score when it ended was 1-1. “At half-time I thought I was the luckiest manager in the Premier League, to be at 1-1 in a half in which it should be 5-2 or 6-2,” Mourinho said afterwards. “We were really lucky because we were really poor.” In the second, however, United took control, even if it took until the second minute of stoppage time for Marcus Rashford to score the winner. The tactical switch that worked for Mourinho then was to exactly the system he has so far favoured at Spurs, bringing Ander Herrera on to form a double pivot with Nemanja Matic at the base of midfield, just as Harry Winks and Eric Dier have done at Tottenham, in an out-of-possession 4-2-3-1. Received wisdom seems to be that Tanguy Ndombele will replace Winks for this game, but the Englishman might be better able to replicate the deep-lying, match-turning display from Herrera that Mourinho is unlikely to have forgotten. SB • Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth (3pm, Saturday) Harry Winks has formed a double pivot with Eric Dier in José Mourinho’s first two matches in charge of Spurs. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters 8) Watford’s misfortunes continue, in fitness and formLast week Watford extended to six their run of successive matches in which they have been forced through injury to make a first-half substitution, and in all competitions there have been eight in their past 10 games. This statistic is extraordinary: no other team has made more than three first-half substitutions in this season’s Premier League, and Southampton are one of four sides (the others being Burnley, Leicester and Arsenal) not to have made any at all. The other 19 top-flight clubs have made a total of 688 substitutions so far this season, of which 3.9% have been before half-time. Watford’s figure is 16.2%. Having won only one league game so far, the Hornets’ tactics have clearly been failing this season – but so have their bodies. SB • Southampton v Watford (5.30pm, Saturday) 9) Wesley needs to enhance his game with goalsThe last time Aston Villa travelled to Old Trafford – in April 2016 – they lost 1-0 and were relegated. Hear this now: Villa are too good to go down this season, especially if Jack Grealish stays fit. Their prospects would be even brighter if Wesley started scoring regularly. The striker does plenty of admirable work but has had opportunities to score much more than four goals in 13 league games. Villa could pose United a lot of trouble in midfield on Sunday, particularly if Scott McTominay is not in top condition, but they will probably need Wesley to be clinical if they are to complete a significant victory. PD • Manchester United v Aston Villa (2pm, Sunday) 10) Burnley bear down on fifth as Dyche’s stock rises againOn recent form this would be a home banker, but these are two of the division’s streakier sides. What an opportunity this is for Burnley, though, especially given that the two sides directly above them – Wolves and Sheffield United – face each other on Sunday. They could finish the weekend in fifth spot and the way Sean Dyche has cajoled his team back to their old levels over the last 12 months cannot be understated. Burnley could have sunk but instead a largely unchanged squad looks stronger than ever. Their centre-forward pairing, Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood, make an unorthodox sight in modern football at 6ft 1in and 6ft 3in respectively but, with six goals each already, perfectly embody Dyche’s ability to extract the maximum. It is no surprise that the clamour for him to be presented with an opportunity at a bigger club is getting louder and a third successive victory on Saturday would add to the noise. NA • Burnley v Crystal Palace (3pm Saturday) Source link The post Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend | Football appeared first on 10Z Soccer. #PremierLeague #NorwichCity #CrystalPalace

#PremierLeague #NorwichCity #CrystalPalace

[calacuspr]

Kyran Bracken - My greatest sporting moment

An interview series looking back at favourite memories from sports stars around the world

Earning a cap for your country is one of the most prestigious achievements for any sportsperson, but many have failed to make the step up to the international game and been left with the unenviable label of a one-cap wonder.

While some have unfortunately saved their worst performances for the highest level, others suffered misfortune out of their control with injuries ruining their special day.

England rugby union scrum half Kyran Bracken feared he would be one of the unlucky ones with his first cap over within minutes after a deliberate stamp left him with torn ankle ligaments.

He was in no mood to relinquish his place in the line-up however, and somehow played the entire 80 minutes with heavy strapping as England defeated New Zealand for the first time in a decade.

“I think your first cap is always very memorable,” he explained. “Partly because it’s something you’ve been dreaming about and training for, but to play against the best team in the world made it extra special.

“You’ve seen first caps go horribly wrong and we hadn’t beaten the All Blacks in years and years. I think playing at Twickenham in the autumn internationals, the build-up to the game, getting stamped on in the first minute, it all added to the occasion.”

The man behind the stamp, Jamie Joseph, is now the head coach of the Japanese men’s national team, but Bracken didn’t feel he was targeted more than any other player would be on their international debut.

“It’s a normal course of events when it’s your first cap. You expect a bit of lip and a bit of special treatment. Every time we played a team and they had a debutant you’d target them and make them properly nervous,” he commented.

“They went after me very early on but I didn’t want to come off, partly because Matt Dawson was on the bench and I didn’t want him to get his first cap!

“I kind of limped around the pitch a bit but actually had a really good game, my passing and kicking was good, I made a few tackles, helped drive the team on and was part of an amazing win.”

Were the game to have taken place in the modern day it’s very likely that Bracken’s decision would’ve been made by the medical team, but in the early 1990s substitutes were not made unless a player was very seriously injured and carried off.

“These were still the amateur days where it was all about singing the song and getting pissed in the evening,” recalled Bracken of that famous day in 1993. “So I did something really special at a really special time.”

Bracken was a late addition to the starting line-up for the game after regular scrum half Dewi Morris pulled out with the flu 48 hours prior to kick-off.

All of a sudden, the recently turned 22-year-old was flung in front of the press and faced with the task of stopping a New Zealand side going for a world record of consecutive wins.

“When Dewi pulled out, Geoff Cooke [England’s head coach] phoned me and said ‘great news for you, you’re starting at the weekend. I’ve seen you’ve been playing well for Bristol, just do what you do there and you’ll be fine.’

“All of the senior players that you see on TV, Will Carling, Brian Moore, Jason Leonard etc. they were all very accommodating and supportive, but I don’t know what they felt about having a new scrum half for such a massive Test match. I wonder if they thought that was the nail in the coffin for us.

“But rugby and sport in general is amazing like that when you read the papers and see that we have absolutely no chance of winning that game according to the press and the bookies.”

Having put 51 points past Scotland the week before, the All Blacks were a staggering 7-1 on to win and had lost on just one of their last eight visits to Twickenham.

“Because it was my first game I never thought about the winning or losing,” said Bracken. “I thought about what I expected to do myself in the game irrelevant of the score really.

“There was definitely an element of fear from us because they battered everyone. Against the All Blacks you can see the fear in everyone’s faces in that team.

“I think once Jon Callard kicked a few penalties and it was getting close everyone was looking round thinking we’re still in with a shout here. I’ll be honest, me and quite a few others were shitting ourselves quite a bit!”

There’s no baptism of fire quite like facing up to the Haka before your first England appearance, but while some are intimidated by it, Bracken found it had the opposite effect on him.

“It was great. I’ll always remember getting in line and I was playing against Stu Forster who is 5ft 9”, smaller than me, and thinking I’ll try and stare him out.

“But I couldn’t because in front of him was Inga Tuigamala the massive winger and he was staring at me when doing the Haka. I thought ‘I’m not playing against you I’m playing against the one at the back!’

“That was a great moment and people say the Haka is a psychological advantage for the All Blacks, but I found it engaging and inspiring for us to prove they’re not going to dominate us.”

More than 25 years may have passed since that memorable day, but Bracken remains active in the game and recently launched a new podcast with fellow ex-professional Nick Easter.

Guests on the Ruck It! podcast have included the likes of Tom Curry, Sir Ian Botham, Tendai Mtawarira and Sam Cane, and it’s been a welcome break from lockdown life for Bracken.

“I’d been to events with Nick before and he’s a good talker. It was my idea to start a podcast and I was looking for another player to bounce off.

“We’ve been getting really good feedback and good numbers but obviously it’s a tough time to get sponsorship so we’re just doing it for a bit of fun. The good thing is Nick and I have different opinions and don’t always agree.

“It’s sometimes light-hearted but also speaking to sportspeople and celebrities about real life issues. At one stage we were number the number one podcast in Luxembourg, I don’t know what that means!”

Another lockdown venture of Bracken’s has been the launch of his Skills Guru YouTube channel showcasing some of his best tricks shots and tutorials.

“I saw Joe Wicks and others doing stuff online and I’ve never really shared my scrum half coaching knowledge to others.

“I’ve been coaching my kids, doing drills with them in the garden and at the rugby club, and I thought why don’t I put something out there so that people can have a look and hopefully learn from. That was the idea but I’ve no idea how it’ll go!”

#Rugby

[basketballandbs-blog]

They Are Who We Thought They Were a.k.a The Ballad of Janky Johnny and LSU Tigers

This morning, we are in the aftermath of another LSU Men’s Basketball loss that was not just another LSU Men’s Basketball. Last night was a snowflake because the 106-71 thrashing by the hands of the 25th ranked Florida Gators marked the Tigers’ worst home loss in 54 years. The most active Tiger fan on our Facebook page posted an article that lamenting the beatdown and mentioning that beleaguered fifth year head coach Johnny Jones offers an apology to the fan base. Our resident Tiger fan suggested that he apologizes with a resignation letter.

This is not an uncommon sentiment in the least. Especially as the whispers of discontent that began towards the end of last season once it became clear that a team featuring preordained then actual factual first overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft Ben Simmons, current Portland TrailBlazer Tim Quarterman and even current D-League sharpshooter Keith Hornsby not only had no chance of making the NCAA tournament but they just weren’t a very good team to boot. These whispers have now become roars as this team that have the double misfortune of having a considerable drop off in talent from last year’s squad as well as struggling to compete in a slightly improved yet still god awful (more on this later) SEC. This has led to a team that currently stands at 9-10, 13th in the league play standing atop of only Missouri, the only conference foe that the Basketball Tigahs have bested this season.  

So as I am reading through the comments on this post I simply can’t help myself and type out a frantic reply going on about this program is blowing a golden opportunity to return to prominence in the SEC when fellow B&BSer Keith, the Baron of Brevity, simply types “They are who we though they were”. And just like that, the quote famously coined by the late, great Dennis Green which was breathed during a postgame press conference following a tough loss to the Chicago Bears in which his Arizona Cardinals gave up a 20-0 halftime lead tied if not all a lot of what bothers me about the program this year together.

I’ve always fancied the Southeastern Conference as a football conference with a baseball problem that will enjoy the occasional dalliance with basketball every few weekends and while on vacation. And it makes sense, no one has more rabid (and arguably illogical) football fans than the SEC. It also helps that their programs (mainly Alabama as of late) have been a fixture in almost every national championship game going on close to two decades. Baseball has seen this level of sustained success for a little longer with the wealth being spread around a little further leading to featuring some of the only baseball programs that are self-sustaining. Basketball, on the other hand, have seen better days but has always been overlooked by more traditionally basketball centered conferences like the ACC and Big East and quite honestly is routinely out classed by the Big 10, Big 12 and Pac 12. Other conferences that can be viewed as football first like the SEC. In it’s current moribund iteration we are talking about a conference that could only muster three bids to the NCAA tournament last year. Same as the Atlantic 10 and one less that the fairly new American Conference. Don’t get me wrong, these are VERY good basketball conferences but when you’re the SEC getting in only one more bid than the Missouri Valley Conference is not a good look……AT ALL.

In the game of major collegiate athletics (especially the revenue generating programs) the coaches are the face of the team. There are several reasons for this (don’t worry I won’t go into them all) but the primary ones are that as the “student-athletes” matriculate under their tutelage if successful the coach remains and will represent a symbol of stability and positive leadership and, you know, because they pay them a crap ton.  All programs at major schools desired to have a face. Even golf, track and gymnastics programs tirelessly work to have a recognizable face attached to the torso that will don their colors but in the case of revenue generating programs many times it is a matter of life and death.

Totally buying into the aforementioned model there has been somewhat of a renaissance going on with the SEC basketball programs albeit a languid one. And as much as I would love to say that the fans crave for good basketball like they do football, or that the ADs are being more prideful and want badly for their basketball teams to be fixtures in the Final Four as much as they want their football teams to be in the playoffs, or kids want to start spurning the blue bloods to play in the deep red south none of this is true. As with all major collegiate athletics these days, it all boils down to money. The debut of the SEC Network on August 14, 2014 introduced a massive and brand spanking new revenue stream to the league and its institutions. However, with SEC football already in bed with ESPN and CBS the network would not be able to depend on live football to draw eyeballs (unless you’re really jacked to watch Mississippi State and Missouri go at it at 11 A.M.).

This is where SEC basketball comes in. For a league that has almost zero national appeal outside of long time powerhouse Kentucky the fact that the SEC Network was now looking a whole lotta hours to fill with live programming was the boon that frankly the other 13 programs have been waiting for. Only thing is, who wants to look see a bunch of no name dopes in suit and tie coach some mediocre-assed basketball? No one. Now dopes with name recognition? We’re all about it! As it stands now the conference is a hodge podge of coaches that are familiar faces brought in to energize the fan base and recruiting, guys that are at programs that want to do the same but the current coach hasn’t screwed up big enough to justify the move, programs that are doing the old-fashioned thing and giving small program winners a try and programs that either don’t care or haven’t realized the new found importance of having a competitive or at least a recognizable program. Take a wild guess which box our embattled coach falls into.

While the results are not present now, this is a league that now features a coached in an NBA Finals series as well as being named NBA Coach of the Year, a coach that has 22 tourney appearances under his belt, a coach that has won an NCAA title recently. Collectively this group has nine Final Four and too many Elite 8 appearances to count. Some of these guys may be over the hill, some may not be ready yet. But one things for sure, all of these programs have made it clear successful or not that they’re making a clear play to invigorate the fan base and win. Well, except LSU.

Look, I know how this is going to read for everyone that knows how I feel about Johnny Jones. I mean, I did start #jankyjohnny but even if you put all feelings of fandom aside it is apparent that not only is he not the right guy for this job but it’s likely that he never really was. Detractors, however few there are at this point, will undoubtedly mention that in his five years here that he has compiled an 89-60 record and has tread water in the conference. While this is true, I would argue that we would be much further along had we not hired the guy that finished .500 in Sun Belt league play during his 11 season tenure at North Texas. I mean, if you can’t consistently beat ULL what should make us think you should be at the helm at LSU? Some will say that he’s a great recruiter, and you know what? I completely agree! The trouble with this is that it becomes quite obvious where the problem lies when you have an abundance of talent that can’t win basketball games.

On the court the product is as ugly as it sounds. This is a team that wants to play with pace, but too easily allow opponents to control it. They want to play fast, but teams that are better at playing this style pick up on their deficiencies in execution and end up running them off of the court. Perfect example of this would be this season’s conference opener against first year coach and Baton Rouge native Bryce Drew’s Vanderbilt Commodores. Despite this game marking the Tigers’ best shooting outing in league play when the game was on the line Vandy was able to wrest control of the pace and take better shots down the stretch to seal the win. The Tigers have proven just as easily to slow down. Despite very promising play from Lee College transfer and South Sudan native Duop Reath, the transfer of 7 footer Darcy Malone and dismissal of Craig Victor II from the program has left their frontcourt without almost any heft……well usable heft thus effectively making him a walking personal foul which also takes him away as a post scorer at vital points in most contests.

The smallish Tigers’ strength lies clearly in the backcourt. Antonio Blakeney leads the team in scoring with 16 points per night on a not terrible 45% from the field. He has a ton of talent and personally I went on record saying that had he decided to leave at the end of last season during the fire sale I would not have been mad. Sure, he’s not pro ready yet, but he’s definitely not going to get there under Jones. And that 16 on 45% would be even better if the Tigers could establish any kind of pace or (GASP!) run an actual offense. Brandon Sampson has been big for the LSU also putting up almost 11 per contest on 48% shooting. Skylar Mays, despite experiencing his fair share of growing pains, has been solid. Jayln Patterson, manning the point guard spot in spurts with Mays has played commendably. Both are decent at seeing the floor but both are not great at creating their own shot and struggle against defenses the figure out quickly that the guards are not yet ready to play in a largely (ahem) improvisational offense. Far too often, this group looks erratic and plays with no direction. And mind you this is their strong suit.

Defense on the other hand, is where this gets REALLY messy. As stated before Reath is on an island by himself without Victor. Elbert Robinson III doesn’t have the mobility to truly challenge in the paint or even put himself into position to be an effective road block. Aaron Epps, while being pretty athletic and springy, doesn’t have the size the bang and is more effective being rangy. Mays and Patterson are capable defenders but are too often outlasted and outsmarted by veteran SEC guards. You can clearly see flashes of a team that can put a strong defensive unit together but far too often a second or third pass in the halfcourt set entirely shoots their zone or rotations to hell. Not to mention how slow they are getting back in transition regularly. For as frustrating as the offense is to watch they almost look like the 2006 Phoenix Suns compared to what you see on defense from this group.

I really don’t think I need to point out the common link here. On paper, this is a VERY talented team. Most of the guys that log heavy minutes for this squad arrived on campus with some acclaim and or national attention. But these are also young men that need direction to be the best players that they can be. And this is clearly something that Jones has not and is increasingly looking like he cannot do. He doesn’t have a 6’9” forward that runs like a gazelle and is already an above average NBA level passer. He doesn’t have a jack of all trades that relishes playing on the defensive end and can get you a bucket if you call his number. He doesn’t have a sharpshooter that can not only get hot and shoot everyone off the court but also is a scary enough ball handler to space the floor when he’s not making it rain. Jones never capitalized on his abundance of riches last season or even the seasons prior when he had access to talents like Anthony Hickey, Jarrell Martin and Jordan Mickey. For the first time since his return to Baton Rouge he has to lead. By losing six straight and 8 of his last 9 I think he’s answered the question of whether he can or not.

 -H.B.

#LSU tigers #basketballandbs #jankyjohnny

[myhauntedsalem]

The Superman Curse

DC Comics began life as Detective Comics. Nowadays, like Marvel Comics, its known for its abundance of Superheroes such as Batman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman. During 1933 two friends, Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, combined their imaginations to come up with the Superhero that single-handedly began the entire genre. Five years after selling their idea to Detective Comics, Kal-El, to give him a Kryptonian name, made his debut in Action Comics #1 and went on to not only save the world hundreds of times over, but to dominate it. Quickly becoming an American icon and global phenomenon, Superman spawned an industry that covered everything from television to film franchises to merchandising.

Even before the presses rolled on that first incarnation of the Man of Steel, misfortune was already at play. Both Siegel and Schuster sold more than just the idea to DC Comics; they sold the copyright itself and, for many years afterwards, missed out on all the income that their original concept would create. While the pair did end up with the royalties that they considered that they should have had, it took almost an entire lifetime to accomplish.

What happened to the boys might simply be a case of corporate exploitation and naivety, as they were not the only hopefuls looking to turn an idea into a powerhouse juggernaut of a franchise. They were just among the handful that had the right ideas at the right time.

Since the early days of Superman though, a great many people involved with the legendary superhero have suffered some misfortune or catastrophe. This catalogue of woe simply cannot all be written off as mere coincidence.

George Reeves was one of the first actors to portray Superman in the 1950s television show The Adventures of Superman. He played the title role for 6 years. When he was only 45, Reeves suffered a fatal gunshot wound that was officially ruled as self-inflicted, but many believe that it wasn’t.

Christopher Reeve brought Superman to the big screen in 1978. Eight years after making his final appearance inSuperman 4, George’s namesake was involved in a horse riding accident that left him paralyzed for the rest of his life.

In the same film franchise, Marlon Brando made a cameo as Jor-El. In 1990, Brando’s son was found guilty of the shooting of his half-sister’s boyfriend and sent to prison for a decade. Half way through his sentence, Cheyenne Brando took her own life.

Margot Kidder is best known as Lois Lane. She went missing for several days in April 1996 before being found in a paranoid and delusional state.

Richard Pryor stole the show in Superman 3 in his role as Gus Gorman. Three years after, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

Lee Quigley also had a cameo in the first Superman film in 1978. He was the newborn that was sent to Earth amid Krypton’s destruction. Lee was found dead in his mid-teens due to complications with substance abuse.

Muriel Hemingway appeared in the final Superman film in 1987. Muriel’s older sister, Margaux, was found dead from an overdose of sedatives. Muriel has always refuted this conclusion.

Three members of the production crew for Superman Returns were victims of minor accidents. One was assaulted and mugged. Another fell down a flight of stairs and the third smashed into a glass window. Kate Bosworth, Lois Lane in this reboot, blamed her break-up with Orlando Bloom solely on the curse.

Superman 64 was a video-game that was released to poor reviews on the Nintendo 64. Bad graphics and glitched gameplay are among the negative comments. It has been voted as the worst game ever released on the Nintendo 64 system.

Critics of the Superman Curse will inevitably insist that these instances are nothing more than simply a case of bad luck. Other actors that have been involved in Superman productions have managed to avoid becoming another statistic. Dean Cain has had a successful career after playing his version of the 1990s television Superman series Lois & Clark. The same is true of Teri Hatcher, probably even more so. More modern Supermen Tom Welling, Henry Cavill and Brandon Routh have yet to taste any misfortune due to their involvement in Superman. In fact the latter pair dismiss the idea of the curse outright.

Superman has even appeared on Broadway! The star of the 1966 musical It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman! was Bob Holiday. According to Holiday, the notion of a curse is a silly one and says that his experiences have been highly beneficial and ‘nothing but good’. After his stint on Broadway ended, he became a very successful businessman in Florida until his retirement.

#The Superman Curse #paranormal #ghost and hauntings