#the next one for ASG should be better also
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Here are the posters I submitted for @simstorydirect . As everyone is sharing them I thought it should be wise to show them as well. The poster of Destiny Harbour is the one I made for season 1 but it covers the all series. I might make another later if I found a general idea except from the one I made for DH1 chapters.
The other one is the first episode of Another Side that focused on the Goth family ^^
Again, to all the readers out here, I highly suggest you to follow the @simstorydirect account in order to discover wonderfull stories made by awesome creators ! And you’ll also be addicted to that beautifull main story page with covers that will blow your mind !
#simstorydirect#DH poster#ASG poster#I actually could make poster all day long#even though it can be hard as hell sometimes#still struggling on the DH3 poster ><#but I loved those two ones#the next one for ASG should be better also#I can't wait to tell the Behrs story
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You meet for the first time (part 1)
Tony:
You were on your way to meet Fury when he sent you a text, asking you to meet him in his office instead. You sighed, what could you have done … again ?! You knocked on the door and once inside, you saw Fury but also the well-known Iron Man. After seeing you, Tony started smiling. You read his body language and sighed … You had to leave and quickly, it felt like you’d been ambushed.
« Director Fury ? »
« Ah ! Come on in Agent l/n. I suppose you already know mister Stark ? »
« Only by reputation » You said, noticing that Tony kept watching you.
« I want you to give him a tour of the base, if, as you said you know of his reputation, you understand his need to be chaperoned »
« No one else is available ? I am not exactly a babysitter for billionaires »
Your only wish was to be in your bed, watching TV and eating Ice-cream. Fury gave you the « Do what I said ! » look. You prevented another sighed, put your best poker-face on before asking Tony to follow you :
« Of course Sir » You answered.
You started walking in silence, only talking when necessary, Tony right next to you :
« So what ? That’s all I get ? The silent treatment ? No introduction ? You already know me but I don’t know a thing about you, that’s quite unfair don’t you think ? »
« Fury had already introduced me and according to the alert I received few days ago, you’ve tried to ‘read’ my file … the confidential one, so … »
« Okay I admit it, I am curious but I keep thinking that ‘agent’ isn’t your name »
« y/n »
« Sorry ? »
« My name is y/n » You repeated « Well, you’ve got your tour, I am off now mister Stark. »
« Call me Tony »
« Not a chance »
« Will see » Smiled Tony.
« Don’t count on it »
Clint :
You were in laboratory, thinking about a new armor for the agents, something more resistant which could possibly heal light wounds. You were trying to draw the prototype on your 3D desk when someone knocked on your door. You were surprised by who it was :
« Agent Barton ?! Is everything okay ? »
« Hum yes » Said Clint, shyly.
« Come in, sit down »
Clint sat down in front of you, he couldn’t explain why, but he felt intimidated. He put his bow on your desk :
« Is there something wrong with it ? »
« Oh no ! » Said Clint quickly « I wanted to know if it was possible to improve it even more, some new options or whatever ! It is perfect but … I have some ideas and I wanted to know if it was possible to … »
« You know, agent Barton … »
« Clint »
« Okay Clint, you know, technically it’s not up to me, I invent and create the first models, but then it’s up to my team to improve everything. I created, I give orders and authorized the alterations, that’s all »
« Yes I know that, but you created it, not with a 3D printer, with your hands, my bow is your baby. You created it just … »
« For you ? I know. Fury asked me to. I spent 3 months on the design. »
« If it’s really a bother I can ask someone else »
« Oh no way ! You’re right. My minions are not going to touch this bow ! Over my dead body ! Thank you for reminding of the energy and time I spent on it » You smiled « I need to finish this first, but come back tomorrow, we’ll see what we can do.
« Thank you ! Thank you so much ! »
« By the way, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you ! »
« Same. I’m glad to finally meet the person who created all the weapons that saved me ! »
« My pleasure. See you tomorrow then »
« Good ! » Said Clint, his heart pounding in his chest.
Steve :
You were patiently waiting for the quinjet to land. You’d been notified that were a few wounded agents on Captain America’s team. You were quite anxious, you were about to meet Captain America ! The quinjet finally landed and some of the agents went directly to the medical bay after noticing you. You were know to be uncompromising about health and wounds. Everyone knew what you did to Fury. You were a legend. You saw Captain America trying to avoid you. Oh not today Satan !
« Captain ? »
Steve turned and froze when he saw you. He wanted to talk to you but couldn’t utter a word. His thoughts were a mess.
« Examination room … now ! » You ordered, using your ‘doctor’ voice.
« I assure you ma'am that … »
« Captain » You cut « From what I can see despite being a super soldier you need stitches. I only want to help you. So don’t be a child and follow me »
« Yes ma’am » He smiled.
You had such a strong personality and he absolutely loved it ! He loved that you weren’t impressed by him. You both entered your office and asked him to sit down while you got your tools.
« nice to meet by the way, it could have been better but … »
« Indeed. Please don’t move, I’m almost done »
« Already ?! »
« Only the best for Captain America »
« Call me Steve, please »
« Only if you call me y/n »
« Good for me »
« What happened to you ? »
« The building fell, with me inside »
« You know you could have been badly hurt »
« People were in danger »
You finished quickly, you removed your gloves and turned toward Steve, a smile on your lips :
« Done. Be careful for a few hours »
« Thank you. I hope we’ll meet again »
« Well, if buildings keep falling on you that should be arrange. But, I won’t be there next week. I have to follow a team »
« Doctors have missions ?! » He asked, worried about you already.
« Yes, especially with teams of new agents »
« Be careful »
« Don’t worry about me, Fury will have my head if something happened to me »
You asked him not to worry about you… How was he supposed to do that ?!
Thor :
« Why do you exist ?! What are you ?! Answer me !! » You yelled « What’s wrong with you ?! Don’t you like me ?! I don’t want to hut you, I swear ! Just tell me what you are !! »
« My lady ? Is everything all right ? » asked a voice behind you.
You quickly turned around, startled by the interruption. You couldn’t utter a word when you saw who was the intruder ! It was Thor !
« I apologize, did I startled you ? »
« Heu … yeah.Well, it’s a bit awkward »
« What are you working on ? » asked the God.
« Few days ago, a team came back with an unknown artefact. My job is to find out what it is, what’s its use . But this bloody thing doesn’t want to cooperate ! »
« go easy on it » Advised Thor, brushing your hand with his (deliberately).
You felt the blood rushing to your cheeks. Disturbed, you followed Thor’s advice and the artefact went on, triggering a shield. Overjoyed, you flung your arms around Thor’s neck before kissing him on the cheek :
« Thank you ! Thank you, thank you, thank you !!! »
« That’s all you, I did nothing » Smiled Thor, happy to have you in his arms.
Suddenly you understood what you did and took a step back :
« Sorry, I was a little to overjoyed »
« Feel free to do it whenever you want ! » Said Thor, but feeling your discomfort he changed the subject « Can I ask you what is your … ‘job’ ? »
« Oh ! I’m an archeologist. I’m in charge of the artefacts the teams found during their missions. I boss people around »
« So you are essential ? »
« I wouldn’t say that, you don’t need an archeologist when someone wants to destroy your planet »
« Don’t. I think you are wonderful, so is your … activity »
« Thank you, but I need to go. I have to run some tests on that thing. I hope I’ll see you again »
« You will » Promised Thor.
Loki :
A new crisis was threatening the SHIELD, again. One of the agent, apparently had the capacity to change his body, his face but no-one knew, until now. So now, everyone was avoiding him or was insulting him. Which wasn’t good AT ALL ! The agent lost his cool and became a threat. Loki was watching the scene with clenched teeth. He knew what rejection could do to someone. The situation changed when you arrived. You got the agent to calm down. Loki couldn’t hear what you said but he was still impressed nonetheless.
You asked your assistant to take the agent to your office before walking to Loki :
« Well done » He said.
« Not thank to you » You answered coldly, which surprised the God.
« I am Loki, I am from Asg… »
« I know who you are » You cut « I know where you come as I know you could have prevented what happened. Several agent have been severely injured and you just sat and watched. »
Loki kept looking at you with a smile, he loved your fired. There was something about you that was incredibly attractive.
« And you are ? »
« Not interested thank you »
« Really ? You meet a god and have no questions to ask ? »
« Not to a self-centered god, sorry, buy yourself a conscious and maybe I will ask you if being an ass-hole is hereditary, otherwise you’ll be a lost cause »
« I don’t have a perfect family and … »
« Shut it ! Do I look I care ? Let me help you, the answer is no » You said, leaving the god dumbfound.
Who were you ?! Your first-meeting could have been better but Loki wasn’t going to complain. He loved women with some fire in them.
Bucky :
Meeting the winter-soldier in these circumstances was not on your to-do list. Steve and you had been on the run, trying to find Barnes before someone else did. You and Steve were the only people capable to help him. And you did found him, to be more precise,you were pointing your gun at him :
« You are quite difficult to find »
Obviously, no answers from. What were you expecting ? Steve told you that his brain was a mess and that you shouldn’t expect too much from him. The Winter-Soldier was silently studying you, at least that was what you thought. You told Steve through the radio that you found him.
« Good ! Be careful, people heavily armed are coming from the south » Answered Steve.
Suddenly, men broke into the place and started shooting at you and Bucky. You were about to take a bullet when Bucky stood in front of you, shielding you with his metal arm. For once, he was happy to have this arm, just this once. You were in the middle of the fight when Bucky finally spoke :
« What’s your name ? »
« Seriously ? You’re speaking now ?! Like, right now ?! »
You took a quick glance at Bucky and saw that you words had hurt him, pushing back into the « winter-soldier mode ». You were feeling guilty and you didn’t like it a bit ! So, to prevent him from shutting himself even more, you decided to answer :
« y/n, and I come in peace » You said, cracking a joke to break the tension. At least, you hoped it would work.
« Delighted » He said, giving you the smile you only saw on old pictures.
« Same. I don’t want to be heartless or anything but I think we should go … right now ! Steve is waiting for us at the meeting point ! »
« How do you want to go ? We could use the roof but you’ll need to jump and … » Said Bucky, worried.
« Fine for me !! »
« Are you sure that … »
« I’ve been working with Steve long enough to say that jumping from roof to roof is as easy as to do a 42km run ! »
« I see » Smiled Bucky before following you in the stairs.
You were more interesting than he thought, and he absolutely loved it.
#avengers x fem!reader#reader insert#tony stark#steve rogers#mcu#avengers preferences#y/n#clint barton#hawkeye#captain america#iron man#thor#bucky x reader#Winter Soldier#loki
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ASG
Based off this post of a headcanon of Bitty beating out the other skaters at the All-Star Game without even being in the league.
Read on AO3.
Early in the morning on the first of January, Jack Zimmermann was asleep in his bed with his boyfriend on his chest. Bitty had returned early from Georgia to spend the last few days of his winter break in Providence. They had hoped to ring in the new year together, but Jack had an away game and was in the air as 2016 turned to 2017. It was fine; that was the sacrifice they made so Jack could play professional hockey.
A phone buzzed. Jack felt Bitty stir but neither of them woke. A second buzz was enough to fully wake Jack, who opened his eyes and looked over at the nightstand. It was still much too early. It was a holiday and he had the day off. While he wasn't planning on sleeping in, he was planning on a lazy morning in bed with Bitty. Usually early morning texts meant he was needed somewhere, and at the moment he was needed there in his bed with Bitty.
The phone buzzed again.
"You should look at those," murmured Bitty.
"Mmm, no," said Jack, who wrapped his arm around Bitty, catching the cool print of his number on the back of Bitty's Providence Falconers shirsey. It wasn't a pleasant feeling on his fingertips, so he slipped his hand under the hem of the shirt to touch Bitty's skin instead. That was much better and it made Bitty sigh in the way he did when something felt good.
Much to Jack's chagrin, Bitty lifted his head and took the phone from the nightstand. He quickly sat up.
"What?" Jack asked, finally opening his eyes. Bitty's hair was mussed and stuck up more than just the usual cowlick at the crown of his head. His eyes were heavy and dark; he'd waited up for Jack to arrive home before they both fell into bed around two-thirty in the morning. Jack stared at him anyway as Bitty's expression lightened and his mouth turned into a broad smile. "What?" Jack asked again.
"You've been selected for the All-Star Game," said Bitty, turning the phone toward Jack.
The phone displayed three notifications, all texts from George Martin:
George
Guess what?
George
Just got the call
George
You've been selected to the ASG this year!
Jack rubbed at his eyes. It was much too early and they'd gone to bed much too late. "What?" he said again, but when he opened his eyes the notifications were still there, and George had texted again.
George
Up and at 'em, Jack. I need to confirm that you're in.
Jack took the phone from Bitty and unlocked it so he could stare at the texts without the display dimming. He must have still been dreaming, or perhaps he was hallucinating, because this was ridiculous. This was his second season. It was entirely too early for him to be considered an All-Star.
"You okay, sweetpea?" Bitty asked. He'd placed a hand on Jack's bare skin, on the six inches between the waist of his boxers and the hem of his rucked-up T-shirt. Jack frowned as he continued to look at the texts. His gaze flickered to Bitty, who was still smiling at him. Bitty took the phone out of his hands, put it on the nightstand, and then straddled Jack's hips, both of his hands on Jack's skin now as his beaming smile morphed into a smirk, something much too sexy for this early in the morning.
"It's legit, honey," said Bitty, as if reading Jack's mind. "They want you on the All-Star team."
"But…why?" Jack asked.
"Because you are a star, Mister Zimmermann," said Bitty, and he leaned forward for a brief kiss before he returned upright. "You are a Stanley Cup champion. You are a Conn Smythe winner. You are an alternate captain —"
"Alternate captain," Jack clarified.
"Which you were named in your rookie year. I would not at all be surprised if you were chosen as the captain captain when the time comes to name one."
Jack continued to frown, but Bitty looked so enticing, straddling his hips, touching his skin, grinning at him, and pointing out accomplishments as if they meant something. They did mean something, because Bitty had never doled out compliments for no reason. Not to Jack, not in their bed, not when they were alone.
"Will you come with me?" Jack asked when he finally put his hands underneath Bitty's shirt.
"To the ASG?" Bitty asked in surprise. "I… I don't know."
"Guys usually bring their families," said Jack, running his hand up Bitty's side to hopefully remove the surprise and bring back the desire.
"Yeah, their kids. Not their WAGs."
"You're not a WAG," said Jack.
"This is true," said Bitty.
"Come with me," repeated Jack and his hands reached Bitty's armpits, the shirt coming with them, so he continued up until the shirt was off Bitty's body and on the floor. Jack returned his hands to Bitty's skin and slid them down to the waistband of his small sleep shorts, the kind he always wore to bed with Jack, because Jack liked them. At the present, Jack just wanted them gone. Bitty bent forward and gave Jack a deep kiss, allowing Jack to pull him down so their bodies were flush together.
The phone buzzed again on the nightstand. They both ignored it.
***
The 2017 All-Star Game took place in Los Angeles the last weekend of January. Jack flew in alone on Friday night. The opening dinner and after party were boring, so he schmoozed for the shortest amount of time possible and went to bed early. Bitty would be flying in on Saturday while Jack was in the press junket, but had to leave again right away in the morning to be back at Samwell in time for his game on Sunday afternoon. With the skills competition taking up most of the evening, Jack was disappointed that he'd only get a few hours alone with his boyfriend in the warmth of southern California before they both returned to the frigid Northeast.
Jack was pacing in his hotel room, dressed in his suit, his eyes on the clock. Bitty was stuck in horrendous LA traffic and Jack needed to leave so he wasn't late. For some reason the All-Star Game included a red carpet, which he felt was both ridiculous and unnecessary. This was his first appearance at the ASG, and it might be his last if he missed the red carpet because he wanted to see his boyfriend.
Savannah, the Falconers' Director of PR, sat in the armchair, her legs crossed, her hand to her temple, her eyes on the clock. "Jack, we've got to go."
"Just another minute, he said they were almost here," said Jack, but he continued to pace in front of the king sized bed.
"You can see him at the arena. People are already on the red carpet. If we don't leave now you're going to miss it, and I know there are fans waiting to see you."
Jack groaned and finally sat on the bed when a loud knock sounded on the door. He jumped up just as quickly and ran to the door, which he opened to reveal Bitty with his carry-on suitcase, looking frazzled and annoyed.
"Hi, sweetie. I am so sorry. I've heard that traffic in LA is bad but holy moly is it bad."
"That's okay," said Jack, who paused at the door to give Bitty a kiss before he took the suitcase and brought it into the room. Savannah was on her feet.
"Hi Bitty," she said. "We've got to get going. Are you riding in the car with us?"
"Oh!" said Bitty and he looked at Jack. "Am I?"
"Yes," said Jack.
"Is that what you're wearing?" Savannah asked.
Bitty looked down at himself. He was wearing jeans and his Samwell jersey. "Oh, sorry," he said. "There was a captains event right before my flight. I never changed. I can put on something else…"
"No time," said Savannah. "Let's go."
Savannah rushed them into the elevator and downstairs to the waiting black SUV. Savannah ushered Jack and Bitty into the back seat, and then she took the front. Once in the car, Jack relaxed, his hand in Bitty's, looking at his boyfriend rather than the road. "I'm glad you could come," said Jack, his head against the headrest as he looked at Bitty, who smiled happily at him.
"I wouldn't miss this for the world," said Bitty, and he brought Jack's hand to his mouth to kiss the back of it. "Are you nervous?
Jack had completely forgotten that he was about to compete with forty-three of the best players in the league. He was one of the forty-four best players in the league. So far the weekend had a very laid back air about it, but even so, he wanted to do well. He could just imagine making a fool out of himself in the fastest skater competition. He already didn't think he belonged there.
George had been the one to tell him about it, and he stared at her after she said it, just like he'd stared at the text that brought him here. He figured he'd be asked to compete in the accuracy challenge, or maybe the hardest shot, but George said he was one of the two selections from the Metropolitan division as the fastest skater. It made no sense. He and Bitty had just gone skating in Madison, and Bitty had just smoked him on a lap around the rink. Jack was not a fast skater.
"You are, though," said George when Jack vocalized this. "The challenges are head-to-head between divisions. They specifically nominated you for this one, and honestly, Jack, I'd put money on you to win."
Jack was nervous, actually, but with Bitty next to him, it wasn't so bad. He kissed Bitty instead of replying to him, and Bitty blushed as he glanced at the front of the car. It had been seven months since they kissed at center ice in front of an audience of millions, but even so, Bitty still looked around whenever Jack kissed him in front of people he didn't know. Jack rubbed his thumb over Bitty's knuckles and Bitty relaxed.
"Where am I sitting?" Bitty asked.
"Good question," said Jack. He looked toward the front. "Savannah, where is Bitty sitting?"
"There's a WAG section at press level," said Savannah.
"Bitty's not a WAG," said Jack.
"WAG and boyfriend section," said Savannah tersely.
Jack rolled his eyes; Savannah's team had tried to come up with an inclusive acronym that wasn't "wives and girlfriends and I guess also boyfriends and maybe husbands someday," and so far no one had come up with anything catchy enough to stick. Every time events came up that included family, it was still just WAGs with an afterthought of "and Bitty too." It was frustrating, but fortunately it was the only frustrating part of being out in a league notorious for its homophobia.
The red carpet was mostly fans, but there was a line of photographers that snapped pictures of him after he got out of the car and headed toward the arena. A camera followed him to the halfway point of the carpet and then hastily returned to the street to welcome the next player. Jack waved at fans, some of whom held rainbow flags with the Providence Falconers' logo on it. He stopped for autographs, focusing on children in Falconers gear, and then waved and continued inside. There were cameras in here as well, but it was much quieter.
To his surprise, Bitty stepped up next to him. Savannah was just a few feet behind; they must have both exited the car as well but kept their distance until they entered the arena. "Oh, hi," said Jack. "You want to come with me while I get my gear on?"
"Okay," said Bitty, although he eyed a nearby camera warily.
It was crowded in the dressing room. Jack's gear was already waiting in a stall on the Metropolitan side, but they shared the dressing room with the Atlantic division so there were really no fewer guys than normal in the room, and almost everyone had an entourage. There was a camera and a reporter from every major network. It was fortunate Bitty was small; he and Jack squeezed together in Jack's stall as Jack began to change clothes.
Jack had just half his gear on when he realized Savannah was gone. He looked around; someone from the Atlantic division was lacing up skates for his son, who clearly was meant to come out on the ice with him. Jack looked at Bitty. "You want to come on the ice with me?" he asked.
Bitty's eyes widened. "Ooh, I don't know, Jack. I don't think I'm allowed."
"Why not? I bet I could get gear for you in a snap. You're already wearing your jersey."
"Gear? Jack, don't be ridiculous. I'll stay with you until you need to go on the ice and then I'll go to the WAG section."
"You mean the WAG and Bitty section," Jack said darkly and Bitty frowned. Jack sent off a text and by the time Jack was putting on his jersey, an equipment manager appeared with a full set of gear in Bitty's size, including skates.
Bitty shot Jack a look. "Are you serious?" Bitty asked. Jack smiled at him and stood to give Bitty room to change. Bitty looked around, but no one was paying attention to him, so he began to untie his shoes. The blue Falconers shorts didn't match his red and white Samwell jersey, but the skates fit, and when Bitty joined Jack on the ice after the opening ceremony, no one questioned his presence although several people requested an introduction.
"Hi, hi, oh my goodness hi," Bitty repeated as he shook hands with the current legends of hockey, his eyes wide and his smile immovable. Jack introduced him as "my boyfriend" and relished in the full feeling in his chest whenever he was able to do so, despite the cameras recording all of them for national broadcast, despite the eighteen thousand fans in attendance. He'd been so afraid of this for so long, ever since juniors, but there he stood with his boyfriend, and not a single person detracted from his happiness. During the first challenge, a four-man relay involving passing, puck control, stick-handling, and goalie goals, Shea Weber from the Canadiens had a five-minute conversation with Bitty about college hockey, which Shea bypassed by going directly from juniors to the NHL.
Bitty was still speaking with Shea when the next event began, a four line challenge that Jack would be participating in. Jack took hold of the stick that Bitty had been leaning on. "Oh, is it your turn already?" Bitty asked.
"Just for a group challenge. The fastest skater challenge is later."
"Good luck, sweetie," said Bitty as he handed over the stick, and he returned to his conversation. Jack joined his group of skaters at the center line. He would be part of the second group to go, and he began to feel nervous as he knelt on one knee, watching the first group as they set up at the blue line, aiming at the net that was mostly blocked apart from four very small openings. It looked ridiculously difficult but after the first group of players went and only one person actually scored a point, the pressure seemed to ease off. None of this really mattered and from the look of it, scoring even once seemed nearly impossible.
The first player in his group, Erik Karlsson, failed at getting both shots in the net. A referee turned to Jack and signaled that he take his place. He approached the center red line and let out a big breath. The audience seemed more chatty than cheery, but he heard a few screams when he set up and most audibly a shout from Bitty: "Show 'em how it's done, Jack!"
He juggled a puck on his stick and looked toward the net. There were holes in the upper corners and lower corners and while the uppers were larger and worth more points, Jack knew the chance of getting something in one of them was steep compared to just shooting along the ice into the lower corners. He had two chances so he decided to try for an upper on his first shot, but the puck smacked into the barrier rather than into the net, so he decided that attempting another in that direction was too risky. He took the other puck on his stick and Bitty shouted again, "You've got this!" He aimed for the lower right corner of the net, keeping the puck along the ice, and held his breath as it sailed forward. It hit the post but plinked in, and Jack pumped his fist as the crowd roared and Bitty wooed.
Smiling, Jack returned to the side of the ice and received fist bumps the two remaining members of the Metropolitan division. At the end of the challenge Jack was only one of four players who'd managed to net a puck, but Mike Smith, the goalie from the Arizona Coyotes, shot one in from his own goal line and as a result earned the Pacific division thirty points, so Jack's singular point made no difference. He skated across the rink back to Bitty, who beamed at him. "That was awesome, sweetie," he said and grabbed hold of Jack's arm in sort of a hug before he quickly let go.
"This is too much pressure," said Jack, which caused Bitty to roll his eyes. "I think you should do the next one for me."
"Me?" Bitty asked, scandalized. "Jack, this is your competition, not mine."
"I'm not fast enough. You do it."
Bitty rolled his eyes again, but after the accuracy challenge, Jack took Bitty's hand and dragged him across the ice with him. "Jack, seriously, I'm not in the NHL. I'm not allowed to do this." Jack pushed Bitty toward Nikita Kucherov, who gave Bitty a strange look, but didn't say anything as Jack knelt with them. There wasn't a lot of time for Bitty to protest, however, as the TV feed returned from commercial and Kucherov stood. The camera focused on him but then as the in-arena announcement stated, "First in the Fastest Skater Challenge, Nikita Kucherov from the Tampa Bay Lightning against Jack Zimmermann from the Providence Falconers," Jack pushed Bitty. Bitty stood and the camera moved to him rather than Jack. Bitty smiled shyly and waved.
Jack looked across the rink at the press box located between the two team benches. Kent Parson, who'd been injured the previous week and thus wouldn't compete, stood next to an announcer with a headset on. Jack couldn't help a smile; they'd grabbed a few players to commentate during the challenges, and of course Parse would be asked for this one since he'd won it the year before. Parse looked impassively at Bitty, but Jack knew his face well enough to know that Parse was stifling a scowl. As Bitty and Kucherov were directed to the starting line by a referee, the rinkside announcer, Scott Oake, quickly snatched Jack from the ice and handed him a headset. As soon as he put the headset on, he could hear Parse speaking.
"...like Jack found a substitute," Parse was saying.
"Jack," asked Scott, "who's this you've got taking your place?"
"This is Eric Bittle, my boyfriend," said Jack, and then there it was, the first hesitation. There was no way Scott didn't know Jack had a boyfriend, or hadn't made the connection, but it was clear he hadn't expected Jack to be so bold on national television.
"What jersey is he wearing tonight?" Scott asked after a significant pause.
"That would be his. He's the captain of the hockey team at Samwell University in Boston. And he's very fast, so I'm expecting him to win this heat," said Jack. He looked at the ice and Bitty stood at the blue line, Jack's stick in his hand, his eyes on the referee. The referee blew a whistle and Bitty bolted forward, the crowd cheering him on but Jack watching silently, enthralled by his speed and his grace. Bitty might have been the reason Jack could even be considered for this sort of challenge, but there was no question Jack would rather watch Bitty go than compete on his own. Kucherov wasn't far behind, but he was behind, and as they rounded the second turn and headed back to the original blue line to finish, the tip of Jack's stick crossed first. Jack looked up at the time: thirteen seconds even, as opposed to Kucherov's time of 13.16 seconds.
"Nice," Jack said.
"Eric Bittle has beaten the winning score from last year's competition of 13.172 seconds. Kent, how do you feel about Eric breaking your record?" asked a different announcer across the rink.
"That doesn't count," said Parse. "He doesn't even go here."
Jack laughed, and Parse did too, although Jack recognized his fake media laugh even through a headset and eighteen thousand cheering fans. Bitty skated over to Jack and he said, "Good job, bud," as Bitty approached. Bitty stopped next to him and Scott held out his microphone.
"That was an impressive time," Scott said. Bitty had to lean in to hear over the cheering. "Is this something you practiced coming in to tonight?"
"This is a drill I'm familiar with back at Samwell," said Bitty, slightly out of breath as he gestured to the setup of the rink, which was split in half with three cones marking the turns at the faceoff dots near the goal line. "I'm usually not racing against someone, though. That made it more fun."
"Well congratulations on winning the first heat. Let's see how the rest goes."
Jack kept his headset on the rest of the challenge, which was awkward. Bitty had just beat an NHL player in a lap around the rink, and while it didn't surprise Jack, it definitely turned him on, and he very much wanted to congratulate Bitty without a microphone next to his mouth and a camera in his face. Bitty stood with him, eventually regaining his breath, but as the next set of players raced, neither met his time. "Oh dear," said Bitty when he looked at the scoreboard. Jack's name remained on the display, Bitty's time next to it. The third set of players raced, and again neither beat Bitty's time, but the final heat contained Connor McDavid, who was well-known for his speed. Jack felt his heartbeat tick up as McDavid took the line. If anyone was going to beat Bitty's time it was him, but just over thirteen seconds later, Jack was looking at the scoreboard for the result, and he said a loud, "NICE!" when Connor McDavid's score posted just below Bitty's name, with a time of 13.02 seconds.
"Oh hey!" said Bitty, smiling brightly although his face was beet red. "Do I win something?"
"Every challenge winner gets $25,000," said Scott and Bitty's eyes glazed over in shock as he looked at Jack.
Jack couldn't stop grinning.
***
"You were so good, Bits," said Jack that evening back in the hotel room, Bitty still in his Samwell jersey per Jack's request, Jack still in his dress shirt and slacks per Bitty's request. They'd settled onto the bed but Jack couldn't keep his hands off Bitty's body, looking him up and down as he remembered the cheering of the crowd, the wind through Bitty's hair, Bitty's stick crossing the blue line an entire foot before Kucherov's. "Nobody else was even close."
"Connor McDavid was close," said Bitty.
"Barely."
"It was two hundredths of a second!"
"It was miles," said Jack and he put his face into Bitty's neck, kissing his sensitive skin there. Bitty squirmed. Jack lowered his hand from underneath Bitty's jersey to the back of his jeans, gripping his butt through the denim, which caused Bitty to squirm again. It was exactly what Jack wanted. Jack began to suck at the skin beneath Bitty's ear, but this time he squirmed too much and pulled away.
"Stop it, sweetpea, I've got a game tomorrow."
"But you taste good," whispered Jack into Bitty's ear. Bitty turned his head and caught Jack's mouth, and they kissed for what felt like hours only to be interrupted by the buzz of Jack's phone. Bitty pulled away and groaned, his head turned toward it, but Jack put his hand on the side of Bitty's head to direct him back.
"What if it's important?" Bitty asked.
"Then they'll text again."
Unfortunately, that was what happened, and Jack's phone buzzed a second time. He groaned and reached over Bitty's alluring body, fully clothed in his jeans and jersey, to the nightstand where his phone charged. He looked at it. George again.
George
What time is Bitty’s game tomorrow?
George
I’ve got four scouts blowing up my phone
Jack stared at the message, an internal debate raging in his mind. George could have easily looked up the time of the Samwell game, as could the scouts, but she wasn't asking for information. She was asking for approval. Bitty in the NHL would be amazing; he'd always thought Bitty was a world-class player who elevated the game of those around him while still holding his own, but if Bitty wasn't on the Falconers, Jack would spend three fourths of every year away from him. At least now Bitty could pop in during the weekend, or just for a night if he didn't have an early class. There would be significantly less of that if Bitty were in the league as well.
This, however, wasn't Jack's decision. He showed his screen to Bitty for him to decide. Bitty took hold of the phone and stared at it, and as he did his eyes filled with tears that he successfully prevented from spilling over. "Really?" Bitty asked as he looked at Jack.
"Looks real to me," said Jack. "What do you think?"
"I... that would be wonderful," said Bitty immediately, which caused Jack's heart to sink. Four scouts blowing up George's phone didn't include the Falconers' too, otherwise George would have mentioned it. Bitty returned the phone and Jack put it back on the nightstand without responding. Bitty wiped at his eyes and when he took his his hands away from his face, he looked less wistful and more grounded. "It would be wonderful, but that's so much, Jack. What if I ended up in Florida or Texas or all the way in Vancouver? I'd never see you."
"This isn't about me," said Jack. "What do you want?"
Bitty was silent for a long time, looking away from Jack and up at the plain white ceiling. Jack lay on the pillow next to Bitty and held him loosely around the waist, but didn't speak and didn't nudge until Bitty looked back at him. "I love hockey," said Bitty. "I really do."
"But?" Jack asked, vocalizing what Bitty didn't.
"But I don't love it like you do. I don't think this is my life."
"You don't have to decide right now. We can get you an agent, see if you get any offers..."
Bitty shook his head decidedly. "No. Even if I was guaranteed to play with you, I can't. This isn't what I want."
"Are you sure?" Jack asked.
Bitty nodded, but the tears were back in his eyes. "Oh my God," he said. "Oh my God, I just said no to the NHL."
"It's not what you want," said Jack quietly, and he rubbed Bitty's stomach gently. "What do you want?"
Bitty lifted his head. "Well, I just won myself a little nest egg," he said. "I think we should get serious about the bakery. What was that place you saw the other day on your run?"
"It's a nice location. It's a busy street but there's enough parking," said Jack.
"I think we should do it," said Bitty. "I think I should do it."
"If that's what you want," said Jack, and Bitty smiled.
"Yeah. Yeah, that's what I want," he said. "But you know what I want first?"
"What?"
Bitty kissed him again and let Jack roll him onto his back. "Thank God," said Jack as he tugged up the hem of Bitty's jersey. "I wanted to fuck you as soon as you crossed the finish line."
Bitty grinned. "You should have."
"I should have," said Jack. He removed Bitty's jersey and then kissed him again.
***
Jack
Thank you, but he’s not interested
Jack
But you can tell Parse if he wants a rematch, he can eat Bitty’s dust at Faber
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Comprehending Nevada'S Pre
Employees and also employers in Nevada often have questions about the kinds of info a background check can lawfully discover. All frequently we choose based upon little, if any, knowledge of the subject.
Failure to do so will comprise a major crime and also as much as a year behind bars. This facility, void, and overly challenging adjustment locations more bureaucratic limitations on legislation abiding people while not affecting offenders. So, while Bloomberg would certainly turn obedient residents into offenders, the genuine lawbreakers on our streets will certainly have a less complicated time eluding capture. Our law enforcement agencies and also workers are already stretched thin as they strive to make our communities secure.
SB143 moved the obligation of history checks to the state's Division of Public Safety And Security, whereas previously, voter-approved language in the regulation contacted the FBI to conduct the background checks. The Associated Press reported that the FBI's data source has actually proven unstable as well as insufficient in other states.
Language in the 2016 initiative called on the FBI to conduct the background checks straight, however the FBI stopped at executing a state-sponsored required, and also the law could not be applied. The costs repealed that stipulation and also changed it with a technique of history checks with licensed dealerships. History checks on potential staff members are a routine component of handling employment risk. Effectively conducted pre-employment testing gives independent confirmation of candidate details, as well as can catch disputes, voids, or misrepresentations that might disqualify a seemingly great prospect.
For that reason, having to concentrate time and also sources on otherwise law-abiding weapon proprietors will only make matters worse. There are more than 35,000 guns for sale in Nevada every year on simply 4 web sites-- and also no background check is needed for the majority of these sales.
The Fair Credit Rating Reporting Act which governs background checks across the country only permits an evaluation of the past 7 years. Nonetheless, specific states might pass regulations which need more disclosures. When workers will be working with seniors or children, numerous states do have different background check requirements. This is why you require to review your private state regulation to recognize what will be consisted of in your background check.
Nevadans were not alone in their enhanced gun investing habits last month as the pandemic forced colleges and also organisations across the country to shut down. Throughout the week of March 16-22, the FBI processed virtually 1.2 million guns background checks nationwide, an all-time high given that the system released in November 1998. Nevada is just one of 12 "Point of Call" states where all retail background checks are performed on a state-run system that includes points such as mental-health records, exceptional warrants and also other criminal proceedings. 2 government laws give some defenses for applicants with criminal records.
The seller/transferor is restricted from offering or transferring the gun to the buyer/transferee. Less high-profile than history checks, a new "red flag" legislation-- based upon a principle authorized and examined in other states-- is gathering perhaps one of the most reaction of the new weapon control legislations. State-run background checks of private celebration sales and also transfers are anticipated to leap drastically this year, since they are obligatory. In the initial 25 days under the brand-new legislation, 151 private party history checks have actually been completed. Las Las vega has the misery of being the website of the most dangerous mass shooting in tape-recorded U.S. history, and testimony from survivors helped drive an initiative in 2019 to increase compulsory background checks to more gun sales as well as transfers.
On or after January 1, 2007, such a shop may enable smoking because public area just if the area has a technique of ventilation which considerably removes smoke from the area. The law mainly mirrors the ballot measure but eliminated language that would certainly have required the FBI to perform the background checks. Under the new law, which will work next year, the state will certainly conduct them.
Concern 1 goes even better than that. If passed, this brand-new regulation would certainly need Nevadans to show up jointly at a federal firearms dealership that may charge a fee anytime they relinquish ownership of a gun and to have it returned.
Right here at ASG, our team of certified private detectives specifies history investigations much differently than our rivals. do dropped charges show up on background checks nevada believe that history checks should be personalized to our customer's specific worries and needs. We do not want to provide you with the useless fluff as well as obsolete details that is many times delivered by our online database broker competitors. The accredited dealer needs to notify the seller/transferor as well as buyer/transferee of the outcomes of the history check. The supplier has to return the gun to the seller/transferor if the buyer/transferee is not eligible to have the weapon or purchase.
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A team with a core of superstars should feel like a boon on top of a roster of well-paid solid talent. But in the Pens' superstars' post-thirty years, that's not feeling like the case. It feels like a confused team yo-yoing through highs and lows who have superstars that are keeping the whole thing afloat. I don't think this is a problem with the superstars or with the rest of the team. I think it's that management and coaching aren't even aware of this situation, or at least are not acknowledging it.
As Brass' exit interview proved, and as everyone but "why can't everyone see I'm amazing" Sprong agrees, there's no toxic culture in the Pens locker room. It's not as boisterous as some teams but it's also not cliquey and there are no rules about personal habits beyond guys needing to keep language and behavior somewhat clean considering how often children visit the Pens facilities. Social media is often a bit more stifled than most teams for much the same reason. But you see lots of mingling of new and older guys on the job and in their social lives. New boys get invited to dinners and parties no problem. Sid’s known for not being a yelling captain or a buddy-buddy captain, he’s a listener and a teacher and he’s open almost 24/7. Geno is honest as the day is long and a much needed balance in leadership with Sid. It’s a solid system up top and if you’re a guy who wants to work hard then there’s a place for you waiting among the team. For all that GMJR plays musical chairs with his trades, the team itself wants to bring these guys into the fold and love them.
Which I often wonder if that's part of the problem. Is it better to have a rowdier boys-club locker room where everyone loves their job but there's a healthy balance emotionally between giving your all at work and going home to get away from it, than your team being your second family and the head and heart of it all are two generational superstars who've gotten used to an uncomfortable amount of scrutiny and pressure?
Sid and Geno have faced absurd pressure and media interest since their teens (and from childhood in Sid’s case) as well as a heightened level of expectation and criticism. The bar was set ridiculously high from the start and yeah they’ve gotten used to it. But while they have been able to handle and keep up with all of that, when you combine it with the talent of the Pens’ Cup-winning core - there's just no escaping how much higher expectations are when you show up to work there.
Especially considering the history GMJR in particular has of bringing in players currently in rough patches and wanting to rehabilitate them. It's gotta be weird being that guy who was a healthy scratch for much of his latter days at his old team and then suddenly you're grabbing a gatorade next to Kris Letang and Patric Hornqvist is trying to kiss you.
Then you see Sid and Geno walking around the halls of a venue they built. They're not even the types of hockey idols who are goofballs. Geno has a great sense of humor and shows his love by chirping, but the weight on his shoulders is palpable. The guy has long shadows in his past and in what's still expected of him, to say nothing of his fraught relationship with the league. Sid especially is so swamped with media responsibility and visiting groups from charities, schools, interviews and meetings that there's never really a sense of being "off". I don't know that that disconnect from normal guy reality ever really goes away when your captain grew up having to watch his every single word and gesture, even in casual moments, because everyone is waiting to catch him out at being human and flawed.
Like, hockey players are heavily flawed by nature. They're overgrown boys given way too much money too early and their lives have had the privilege of revolving around a sport that eats up almost their entire lives. They're socially more like figure skaters or ballet dancers than contact sports athletes because of how much their existence has to revolve around their work. But the balance for that is usually being rowdy, being excessive, and finding women who will put in the work to cultivate a home and family for them.
Sid has more than once gotten a bit of a nudge or a side-eye for not performing the usual post mid-twenties to early-thirties settling down ritual. While I absolutely respect him for being smart enough to keep his personal identity limited to himself for so long, it's plain to see that this aberration is viewed by at least a portion of the hockey world as a destabilizing one. For all that that is backward as hell, it's a real issue if enough guys buy into it. It's clearly not going to peer pressure him into making that kind of commitment, but it's a consideration for the subject of this drawn out ass post.
To bring it all back around: it's not going too far to say that Sid absolutely views his team and his franchise as his second family. Hockey itself has been his childhood best friend and I don't think anyone is in any doubt that the degree to which he's emotionally woven his life into hockey is a good old little bit too much. He's got a LOT of friends scattered across the world and a big ol' family, but Pittsburgh considers him "their Sid" because they're the family who get him the most out of the year. It's much the same for Geno whose Russian bleeding heart has cultivated a Pittsburgh-centric American identity for himself. They gave themselves permanently to this club and the club in turn has declared them as their own until their retirement. They've already achieved a legacy that most NHLers consider out of their reach. They're warm and kind people, but they're also walking that bit apart from everyone else. It's just how things have worked out for this particular dynasty. Most clubs have one superstar who navigates a way to stay integrated with the team (or not, in some cases) or the rare instance like 90s Detroit where the majority of the roster is made up of superstars. But it’s what makes the Crosby and Malkin dynasty so unusual in modern hockey: the arrival of the salary cap era put an end to one team hoarding generational talents. Having a Crosby and a Malkin who agree to huge discounts in pay and tally their income close to each other is, well it’s just fuckin’ unheard of. Likely never going to happen again, to be honest and I don’t blame other superstars at all for not following that pattern.
So I just wonder if that comfort of knowing you have these two leaders and this stellar Cup-winning core changes the mentality for the rest of the players, regardless of their own talent. And if there is something inherently difficult for a player who walks into a franchise where every turn reminds you that your team is expected by the league, by the media and by the fans to perform and behave at a certain standard or else it's considered abject failure. The reaction is intense and harsh.
It's why I want coaches and management to start imagining a team with their core stars taken out and figure out how to get the other guys to gel together and strategize in a way that will exist on top of the core's ability to ride in and save the day. Examine how, when young players throughout the league play with the Pens core on national and ASG teams, they say that it's almost absurd how easy their job becomes. Maybe that's a hint that the guys outside the core can't figure out how to get their teeth back into their play when they're practising with guys who can generate chances every single time. Maybe the motivation isn't there if they can't find a place where they're needed.
Maybe there actually does need to be some cliquey-ness to the locker room so that the guys outside the core can train and practise on a level that they feel the urgency again.
Maybe no matter how nice the busy superstars are to you and how much they wanna just be one the guys, sometimes they just can't. The separation is out of their control. And that other players want to huddle up with guys who face the same challenges in their play but who aren't staying hours after a game to talk to media and meet hoardes of fans or having to change dinner plans so no one can see who they're out with.
Idk it's a thing to think about.
(I know it’s pretentious as fuck to link to myself but it’s for reference I promise)
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Three and Time to Spend with You
Prompt: Hilary Knight and Freddie Andersen Threesome
For: the sin bin gc
Warnings & Tags: NSFW, Threesome, Oral, Cockwarming, Face-sitting, IDK LOTS OF THINGS.... also I moved Hilary back to the NWHL and put the ASG in Toronto for purposes of this fic whatever let me live
Word Count: 3505
It started with Instagram.
You hadn’t thought anything of it, posting to your story about how excited you were to go to the NWHL All Star Weekend. You’d saved up for months, treated yourself to a nice hotel room, and you were all ready and dolled up, wearing your Hilary Knight jersey and a backwards cap with a bi pride flag on it. You’d managed to get a picture of your back and posted it to your insta story. You location-tagged your hotel (it was fancy, you were a little proud that you’d saved up enough to treat yourself there) and you only hesitated a moment before deciding to tag Hilary herself in it, too. You hadn’t expected a response, you hadn’t even really expected her to see it. And if she did, it was just so she knew she had some support there coming from you.
Ten minutes later as you brushed your teeth, your phone pinged with a notification.
Lookin good! 😍 🙌
At first, you thought it was from your friends, but then you saw the username and nearly dropped your phone in the bathroom sink.
Hilary. Knight.
Holyshit.
You eventually got your shit together, but you were still too afraid to answer, so you just let it be. Until later when you got to the rink to watch the skills competition. You were right at the glass from the get-go, taking as many pictures on your phone as you could. At one point, Hilary skated right past you, no helmet on, grinning wildly. You got an incredible close-up. She looked so happy, so free, so beautiful.
Before you could talk yourself out of it, you opened your Insta DMs and sent the pic to Hilary with the exact same thing she’d sent you earlier.
Lookin good! 😍 🙌
You settled in to watch the skills competition and nearly forgot about the message until you got back to your hotel afterwards. The all-star game itself wasn’t until the next day and you had some time to kill, wondering if you should grab dinner or something. You opened up UberEats when a notification came through on your phone.
Hilary Knight followed you on Instagram.
You were still staring at the phone in your hands with complete shock when a second notification came through. Another DM. From her.
Great pic 😉
You clicked the notification and just stared at the message for a while as a second one came through.
Looks like we’re staying in the same hotel. I’m meeting a friend for drinks and we’re grabbing dinner at the hotel restaurant after. You want to join?
You blinked a few times as a third came through. Then more.
Nothing funny or anything (I mean you’re gorgeous but I don’t want to assume that bi = you’re into threesomes because fuck that’s annoying, right?)
But also if you want to, I sure wouldn’t say no.
He probably wouldn’t either.
But no pressure, seriously.
Love to buy you dinner, though. At least as a thanks for taking that dope pic (can I post that btw?)
Ok now that I’ve sent you like 30 messages I’m just gonna let you do your thing here 👉👉
It took you the better part of a minute to get over the shock and answer.
Yes. To all of it. Yes to posting the picture, yes to dinner or drinks, and maybe yes to other things?
Your answer came back immediately.
👍 Meet you at the bar at the restaurant in 30?
You sent a thumbs up emoji back. Then, after a little debate, you followed up with your phone number. Just in case.
You took a quick shower, shaving and exfoliating as much as you could in the limited time you had. You toweled off and checked your phone to find a text from a new number.
It’s Hilary. From Instagram. Looking forward to seeing you tonight, Y/N 😄
You didn’t pack all that much with you, but you managed to find a yellow cotton dress that looked cute and was comfortable. You’d planned on wearing it on your drive home so you didn’t have to bother with jeans, but it was your cutest option at the moment. You put on some makeup and a little product in your damp hair to make sure it didn’t get too frizzy and declared yourself the best you could get with your limited resources. You sent off a quick text to Hilary.
On my way 😃
You got down to the bar, looking for Hilary and her friend. You saw her long hair and approached slowly, only pausing when you saw who her friend was.
“A buddy” turned out to be Freddie fucking Andersen.
And he looked just as good as Hilary did.
Jesus, you weren’t sure you’d survive this dinner.
You did survive the dinner. Hilary was warm and engaging. Freddie had introduced himself to you quietly, but eventually, he was just as welcoming as Hilary. You weren’t great at social situations with new people normally, but talking with them was easy. Hilary’s bright enthusiasm and Freddie’s dry humour meshed perfectly and had you feeling completely at ease. You weren’t sure if the aforementioned “other things” were still on the table. You would be absolutely down if they were, but even if they weren’t, you enjoyed dinner and thought you may have found one, or even two new friends.
The three of you split a giant chocolate lava cake, crowded together in the half-circle booth. You giggled to yourself as Hilary took a piece right off of Freddie’s spoon and Freddie gasped in mock-shock.
You leaned forward to grab a spoonful of the homemade whipped cream and you felt a hand slide across your lower back. You turned toward Hilary, grinning so that the woman didn’t move her hand away. You settled back against her, enjoying the feeling of her thumb sliding back and forth over the soft fabric of your dress. Her hand went higher to settle her arm around your shoulders and you noticed on a quick glance that Freddie seemed to be enjoying you licking the whipped cream off your spoon.
Maybe those Other Things were still on the table, after all.
Hilary leaned close to your ear, your hair tickling your neck as she whispered. “My room? And do we invite Fred?”
Okay. Definitely on the table.
“Yeah,” you breathed, leaning into Hilary. “And yeah.”
Hilary’s room was a few floors up from yours and the elevator ride was humming with unspoken energy. Hilary’s arm was still around your shoulders and Freddie was looking at the two of you as though you were the real dessert.
You looked between them. “Are you two… like… together?”
Freddie shook his head no. “We used to be, but we’re just friends now.”
“Sometimes we meet up when we’re both in the same place,” Hilary added. “But yeah. Just friends, now.”
You blamed your nerves for the lack of brain-to-mouth filter when you spoke next. “Too much gorgeous for one relationship?”
Hilary snorted and turned to press a kiss to your temple. “Something like that, babe,” she said against your hair.
When you got into Hilary’s room, she excused herself to go to the bathroom and you turned to Freddie. He approached you slowly, reaching out toward you but halting his hand.
“Y/N,” he said softly. “You’re definitely okay with this?”
You smiled softly, stepping closer and grabbing his hand to put it on your hip yourself. His large fingers curled into your soft skin as he dipped down to kiss you slow and searching. He was a patient kisser, coaxing your lips open and by the time you pulled apart for air, you weren’t quite sure you remembered how to breathe.
“Jesus, that’s hot,” you heard from behind you. You turned toward Hilary, Freddie’s hand still on your hip.
Where Freddie was a patient, intense kisser, Hilary was indulgent and fiery. She read you instantly, finding what you liked and chasing it down with a firm tenacity. She pulled your lower lip between her teeth before swallowing your resulting whimper in another kiss, deep and bruising enough that it pushed you back into Freddie’s chest.
Freddie’s hands slid around between you and Hilary, hands splaying across your stomach. You weren’t built like either of them, nor were you all that thin. You flinched a little away from his hand, a little self-conscious about the soft skin he found there.
“Stop that,” Freddie said, voice gruff as he moved one hand to pull your hair to one side so Hilary could suck a bruise into your neck. “You’re beautiful, Y/N.”
You felt your cheeks redden, and it only got worse when Hilary nipped at the newly-created hickey before agreeing. “He’s right.”
You weren’t sure what to say. Anything that came to mind was either self-deprecating or just awkward so you opted for letting it go and tugging at Hilary’s blouse until she relented, stepping back just long enough to tug it up and over her head.
Jesus Christ. Her arms. “Just fuck me up,” you thought, only realizing you actually said it out loud when Freddie chuckled and Hilary all-out laughed. She was still grinning when she pulled you into another kiss.
Freddie had moved into your peripheral vision, pulling off his grey henley and undershirt. You lost track of him for a moment as you closed your eyes, one hand sliding up to the soft cotton of Hilary’s bra, tugging one of the cups down to thumb at her nipple. Freddie moved back behind you and you leaned back, using him as a bit of a wall.
Hilary arched into your hand and you repeated it with your other hand, shifting a little so her legs were straddling your thigh. She shifted one of her legs up, Freddie seamlessly grabbing her thigh so she could roll her hips into your thigh. Her lips were pink and puffy and she looked so fucking beautiful.
“Bed?” you asked them both and the three of you reluctantly untangled. Hilary pushed her jeans down, stepping out of them before guiding you to the bed. She’d hiked your dress up over your hips before you sat down. You marveled at her coordination as she pulled your dress over your head while simultaneously settling herself on your lap. Your hands slid up her thighs, feeling her muscles flex beneath your palms. Freddie was standing, silently watching and lazily palming himself through his jeans.
“Fred and I are probably gonna fight over who gets to eat you out, fair warning,” Hilary hummed against your lips and you cut your eyes to Freddie, then back.
“Both?” you grinned as you pulled away, unhooking Hilary’s bra and tossing it aside. “Both is good.”
“I like the way you think,” Hilary laughed. Her laugh quickly turned into a moan as you slid a hand between her legs. You could feel her wet through the cotton of her panties and you shifted a little, tightening your thighs in response to the warm heat that rushed through you.
“Freddie?” you finally asked, reaching out to him. You felt a little bad he was so quiet, just watching for a bit. He seemed fine with it though, but just as happy to step out of his jeans and kneel on the bed, catching your lips again. He started to unhook your bra strap as Hilary worked her lips up his neck. When he finally pulled his lips from yours to catch Hilary’s, you watched, dazed for a moment before finishing what Freddie started and getting your bra out of the way.
They moved seamlessly together and watching them was like watching a secretive, sensual dance and you shivered a little at the idea that you not only got to witness this beauty, but also participate.
Freddie broke the kiss and guided you back to lie in the center of the bed, eyes trailing over your body as he gazed approvingly. “Since I’m a gentleman,” he said, teasing as he smirked at Hilary. “You can taste her first.”
Freddie ignored Hilary’s triumphant grin as he tipped his head to kiss across your collarbone and down your chest between your breasts. You were pretty well-endowed, but you’d never really considered your breasts a huge erogenous zone before. As Freddie’s stubble scraped over your nipple before he flicked his tongue across it, you realized may have been mistaken.
Hilary, meanwhile, was sucking little bruises into the skin of your hips, still teasing around your panties. She nuzzled over your center, still covered by the soft cotton, and breathed you in. You rolled your hips toward her and whined low in your throat.
Freddie swallowed your moan in a kiss as he palmed your breasts, causing you to arch up into him. You felt all lit up, just shy of overwhelmed from the attention you were getting. You needed something to focus on, so you slid your hand into Freddie’s boxer-briefs and wrapped your hand around his semi-hard cock. You stroked lightly, but mostly you just wanted to feel the weight of him in your hand, occasionally thumbing over the slit, spreading drops of precum around the head.
By the time Hilary finally stopped teasing and started working your panties down your legs, Freddie was lazily fucking into your hand while he alternated teasing at your breasts with his mouth and kissing you slow and tender.
Finally, you felt Hilary’s mouth on you. She spread your lips apart with her fingers and licked the flat of her tongue up your slit slow and hard. You whimpered into Freddie’s mouth, eventually breaking the kiss when Hilary’s lips closed around your folds, sucking them into her mouth.
“Please,” you whimpered, not even knowing what you were begging for.
Hilary moved your thighs over her shoulders then zig-zagged her tongue over your clit. Your thighs shivered, feeling the muscles jump without you even trying.
“So beautiful,” Freddie said, sliding a hand down one of your thighs, squeezing, then giving it a little slap and watching it jiggle. You flushed, a little embarrassed but he pinned you with a look.
“I mean it,” he said, moving back up your body to nibble at your jawline. “I wish Hils brought her strap-on. You’d look so good with your legs wrapped around her while she fucks you.”
“Guess you’ll have to do it instead,” you said, your voice breathy as Hilary worked her mouth over your pussy. You felt her chuckle against you as she slid two fingers into you. You arched into it, seeking more until she crooked her fingers up and the pads slid across your G-spot.
“Guess I will,” Freddie agreed, grinning and palming his cock. “Keep it warm until then?”
You nodded and opened your mouth, tongue covering your bottom teeth. He reached up to put a few pillows under your shoulders and head, making sure you were comfortable before sliding his cock into your mouth, just enough so that you didn’t choke. You tasted the salty precum. You closed your mouth over him, suckling lightly, but he shook his head. “Just like this. Is that okay?”
You nodded as much as you could, keeping your mouth still, just letting his cock rest in your mouth. He cupped your cheek in his hand, running his thumb across your cheekbone. “So beautiful,” he breathed. “So good for us. Is Hils making you feel good, darling?”
You hummed your assent against his cock and he grinned, keeping his hand on your cheek and a steady stream of dirty talk that was, quite frankly, doing a lot for you.
Soon enough, Hilary had your thighs shivering around her head as you came hard, your cry muffled by Freddie’s cock. Hilary kissed her way back up your body, and Freddie took his cock out. You had just enough time to suck in a breath before Hilary’s lips captured yours. Freddie’s hand went between your legs, staying away from your still oversensitive clit.
“You want me to fuck you, baby?” he asked, sliding three thick fingers into you. You whimpered and nodded against Hilary’s lips.
You broke the kiss. “Yeah and-” you broke off on a sigh as he slowly slid his fingers in and out.
“And what?” Hilary prompted, passing her hand over your breasts, then down your ribs. “What do you want, babe?”
“I want-” you breathed, trying to gather your thoughts into words and make those words come out of your mouth. It was a lot harder than you thought, but eventually, you choked it out. “Want you to ride my face while- while he fucks me. Want my mouth on you.”
“Fuck,” the word sounded like it’d been punched out of Hilary and she stopped her gentle exploration to reward you with a hard, deep kiss. “Fuck yes, baby. That sounds- yes.”
“Just-” you added quietly, not wanting to disappoint them, but the way they both immediately stopped and listened to you had you relaxing and feeling warm. You turned your gaze to Freddie. “Be a little gentle at first? I get uh… oversensitive for awhile after…”
Freddie nodded and settled between your thighs, dipping to press a kiss to the inside of your knee. “Of course, dove. Of course.”
Freddie hiked you up a little, then slowly, gently, patiently slid into you and you breathed out slowly, feeling the best kind of full. Hilary put her hand on your cheek, guiding you to look at her.
“You ready?” she asked.
You nodded, more than a little desperate to taste her.
“Keep your hands on my thighs and tap if you need me to get up, babe, okay?” she asked and you nodded, nearly making grabby hands for her as she settled over your face.
“Love watching this,” Freddie said, rocking slow and patient in and out of you.
Hilary grabbed onto the headboard and slowly lowered herself onto you. You opened your mouth, flattened out your tongue and let her settle the flat of your tongue exactly where she wanted it. You lapped slow, moving in tandem with Hilary’s gyrating hips. Freddie’s cock felt perfect, just keeping you turned on while you ate Hilary out from under her.
You speared your tongue at her entrance while the tip of your nose brushed her clit and you two kept a slow, steady build up for a while, giving you time to breathe and her time to build up to a good orgasm. You could tell when she got closer because she let her body do the talking for exactly what she wanted. Eventually, she was just grinding her clit down on your outstretched tongue while her thighs shivered beneath your palms. Freddie sped up his thrusts, moving a little faster and a great deal harder as Hilary slowly moved off of you.
After a few moments, you pushed at Freddie’s chest before turning the two of you over so you could ride him.
“Jesus, you look good like this,” Freddie breathed as you started grinding down on him. You started off slow, but you could tell he wanted more. You leaned forward a little, steadying yourself with your hands on his chest, and moved faster. You felt Hilary’s lips on your neck and her hand between your legs, sliding across your clit.
“Fuck I’m gonna…. If you keep doing that, I’m gonna-” you started, breath stuttering.
“S’fine,” Freddie said, digging his heels into the bed and thrusting up to meet you, finding a speed that worked for him. “I’m close too, babe.”
You shuddered and came around Freddie and not long after, you felt his hands tighten on your thighs and he held himself up as he finished into the condom.
You moved off of him on shaking legs, and fell to the bed. Hilary curled up beside you and Freddie took a few breaths before getting up to dispose of the condom. He came back with two warm rags, carefully cleaning both you and Hilary up before curling up on your other side.
“That was… holy shit…” you finally said and you felt Hilary grin against the bare skin of your shoulder blade.
“Yeah? Glad you enjoyed,” Hilary said, twining her fingers with yours and settling your joined hands on your hip.
“I never actually got to taste you, dove,” Freddie said as he hit the light on the nightstand then rolled over and threw his leg over the two of you. “In the morning? Then I’ll take you both to breakfast. I know a good place.”
You hummed an assent and gave a sleepy nod.
“Damn gentleman, you are,” Hilary said, nuzzling into your neck. “Sounds good, though, Fred.”
Hilary then nudged you a little. “Fred’s got plans tomorrow night though but I’d love it if you stayed in town a little longer, Y/N.”
You were more than a little shocked at her admission, but you quickly recovered. “Y-yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.”
“Good,” she hummed contentedly as Fred started lightly snoring to your side. “I look forward to it.”
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Mayday’s Costumes Through the Years
Spider-Ben Costume (What If Volume 2 #105)
Mayday’s first costume was literally her uncle Ben Reilly’s old Spider-Man costume (apparently repaired since his death). She adopted this to battle the Normie Osborn Green Goblin and save her parents back in What If Volume 2 #105 where she debuted.
Makeshift Costume (Spider-Girl #1)
Since Ben’s costume (along with most of Peter’s ones) were burned at the end of the previously mentioned issue, Mayday’s second costume was a makeshift affair composed of a black Lycra gym suit, a black ski mask and silk gloves. It is rather appropriate that Mayday have her own makeshift costume when dabbling in life as a superhero. Both her father (as ‘the Masked Marvel’ in his wrestling days) and Ben Reilly have similarly thrown together costumes before adopting more traditional superhero attire.
Spider-Ben Costume 2.0 (Spider-Girl #1)
At the end of Spider-Girl #1 Mayday managed to perfectly recreate Ben’s old costume with one exception. The tips of the white lenses in her mask were more pointy and pronounced than had been the case in her original costume. You might think that that’s a nitpick and merely down to artistic licence on the part of the Pat Oliffe (who hadn’t co-created Mayday nor Ben’s outfit). But in fact the different design of the eyepieces was not only maintained when Ron Frenz returned to drawing the series, but was commented upon in Spider-Girl #76 by Kaine. Like her makeshift suit, Mayday’s ability to single handily create a full body suit (with a rather complex pattern) is appropriate given her father and uncle doing the same, to say nothing of the sewing abilities of her mother and great aunts May and Anna.
Makeshift Costume 2.0 (Spider-Girl #7)
Mayday temporarily wore this even more plainclothes makeshift costume in Spider-Girl #7 after her parents took away her regular costume.
Black Costume (Spider-Girl #75)
Mayday’s next noteworthy costume change occurred in Spider-Girl #75. The issue was originally going to be a major turning point for Mayday as she would ‘grow up’ and begin calling herself Spider Woman. Part of this growing up (and by extension I suppose, growing ‘darker’) would involve a new more serious costume. And so she purchased a sleek black and white number from the Spider Shoppe (a store which specialized in Spider-Girl related merchandise). The costume visually recalls her father’s black costume which debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #252 drawn by Spider-Girl co-creator (and artist of SG #75) Ron Frenz. MJ was actually scared of May in this outfit (due to past experiences with Venom) which is ironic since she owned the Spider Shoppe and presumably designed or approved of the manufacturing of the suit.
Black Costume 2.0 (Spider-Girl #76)
This ‘costume’ was worn by May after she literally ripped her black mask apart. She did this to reassure her hysterical mother who believed that she was encountering Venom again. May’s tactic worked but she was left without a mask and so made so by borrowing an old mask of her father’s.
Symbiote Costume/Spider-Ben 3.0 (Spider-Girl #100)
In Spider-Girl #100 a critically injured Mayday was healed when the Venom symbiote bonded to her body. After she was saved the symbiote temporarily stuck around and used its shape shifting abilities to create a costume which looked nearly identical to Mayday’s regular outfit. The only major differences were that her forearms and hands had patches of the red-and-black patterns from the rest of her costume and her fingers were all blue, giving the impression she was wearing finger less gloves.
Makeshift Costume 3.0 (Amazing Spider-Girl #1/Avengers Next #1)
This costume was yet another makeshift attempt by Mayday although even more thrown together than the black gym affair in Spider-Girl #1. Whilst the outfit first appeared in print in ASG #1, chronologically she was wearing it in Avengers Next #1 which was set before ASG #1 despite being published later.
Spider-Ben 4.0 (Amazing Spider-Girl #1/#2)
Although no in-universe explanation was ever presented, in Amazing Spider-Girl #2 Mayday is given her red and blue Spider-Girl costume by Mary Jane but it looks noticeably different than the cloth costume she wore from Spider-Girl #1 onwards. The eyepieces are much smaller. There is a larger patch of blue around her armpits. And her webshooters have been redesigned, being both smaller and more closely resembling her father’s as opposed to Ben Reilly’s. These changes are never commented upon in the series so could be attributed to artistic licence although between the time skip from SG #100 and ASG #1 and the fact that Ron Frenz drew both it would be easy to say Mayday modified her outfit. Indeed later issues depict the suit as having a kind of zipper around the neck area, which is something never depicted in the previous Spider-Girl or Spider-Man suits.
This costume technically first showed up on the cover of ASG #1 (albeit with Mayday’s regular large eyepieces) but didn’t appear within the series itself until the second issue.
Spider-Ben Costume 5.0? (Amazing Spider-Man Volume 3 #8/Spider-Verse Team-Up #3)
Whilst it could be a matter of mere artistic licence Mayday seemed to wear a slightly different costume during Spider-Verse. I’ve placed ASM v3 #8 as when it technically first shows up but since Frenz drew SVTU #3 and her suit looked different in that I thought it better to mention that too. This costume mostly seems like a throw back to the costume Mayday sported in Spider-Girl #1, with larger eyepieces and web shooters resembling Ben Reilly’s once more. However she retains the larger blue areas around the armpits and the eye pieces are not quite the same as we’ve ever seen before on her. In other issues (though not drawn by Frenz) her mask is shown to act somewhat like a hoodie rather than just a mask or the neck zipper we’ve seen in the past. Whether Mayday merely modified her outfit since her previous appearance or if this was artistic licence is unknown although it should be noted that it should be noted that the intentions of Frenz and DeFalco in SVTU #3 was to imply the Mayday we see might not be the actual MC2 Mayday. So the differences in her outfit can be attributed to a concerted effort by Frenz and Sal Buscema to make her look different implying the costume’s changes go beyond artistic licence.
Spider-Man Costume (Amazing Spider-Man Volume 3 #15/Spider Island #1)
At the end of Spider-Verse Mary Jane reveals she managed to save one of Peter’s Spider-Man costumes and gave it to May, who adopted it as her own along with the title of Spider Woman. Witht he potential exception of her white eyepieces retaining their familiar points the costume is identical to the one traditionally worn by Spider-Man sans webpits. Although given the costume in ASM v3 #15 and depicted as wearing it in a kind of ‘vision of the future’ int he same issue, Mayday was not shown wearing it herself until Spider Island #1 as part of the 2015 Secret Wars event.
Spider Woman Costume/Spider Island Costume (Spider Island #5)
In Spider Island #5, having begun to move on from her grief regarding her father’s death, Mayday adorns a new costume. It combines elements from both Peter’s traditional suit with Ben Reilly’s with some new features. The suit keeps the dark blue of the Spider-Ben suit along with the ‘half boots’ on her legs, the webshooters outside the gloves and making the arms and gloves almost completely blue exempting the thumb, index finger and pinkie. The back of the costume also has the red and black web pattern running down it. The front of the torso is effectively identical to Peter’s including the belt area. New additions include the back of the ‘belt’ curving downwards, the two middle fingers also having red and black web patterns, a new spider symbol on the front and back (larger than Peter’s front symbol but smaller than Ben’s), the shoulder areas having the red and black patterns (but not drawing it down the length of the arm), the red and black on the back finishing in a triangular pattern and web wings (not dissimilar to Peter’s web pits or Jessica Drew’s own web wings) connecting from the back to the arms.
Whether Mayday retains this outfit after Secret Wars remains to be seen.
Venom Earth X
As a little bonus the Earth X version of Mayday Parker had bonded with a symbiote and become her world’s version of Venom.
#Mayday Parker#may parker#spider-girl#spider woman#mc2#mc2 universe#peter parker#spider-man#venom#venom earth x#earthquake
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Hidden Distrust
Was busy for a while, but Gaster Blastober continues! 3rd entry for this month! Whooo! .... that’s all I have to say about this right now.
Make sure to read the others first, this is part... 4 I guess?
A Breakfast Surprise
I’m At Soup
Papyrus! Go Long!
An Undertale Fanfic by: Topaz Shadowwolf
Undertale is owned by: Toby Fox
Set in the Gaster Blaster AU
Relationships: Soriel
Rating: Teen
Heads up: Some mention of thoughts of self harm. Best way to explain this AU is if Sans and Papyrus were a werewolf. Consider this before reading.
Hidden Distrust
The sound of the TV in the background had relaxed her for a few hours. Frisk was with Alphys, working on a science project that Sans was going to help with. Unfortunately, Sans was stuck in his half-changed form longer than expected, and unable to assist. This was a problem that had become more common since he changed while sick.
While Papyrus was out, Toriel offered to come over and just be around. She had brought work with her, knowing Sans is not that active at any time, but especially when he's half changed. It made her wonder what he was like fully changed; though, it is hard to ask him questions like that. Last time she tried, he just turned away, shrugged, and tried to change the subject. After that, she just avoided talking about it around him.
Toriel looked up from the papers she was grading, and over to see Sans slouched on the sofa. He wasn't even watching the show, but stared off into space instead. His left arm was propped on the arm of the sofa, while his fingers drummed out a slow rhythm that his tail swung to. This wouldn't be an issue, save for his fingers ending in sharp claws, that he absentmindedly dug into the sofa fabric.
“Sans,” she tried catching his attention.
Eye lights focused on her, without hesitation, “yeah, tori?”
“Sorry, but I think you're damaging the sofa,” Toriel said as she pointed at the sofa arm.
Sans lifted his hand and saw the snagged and torn bits of fabric strings. With a heavy sigh, he muttered under his breath. The piece of furniture was far from new, and has been handled roughly by a certain fish monster, who had been sleeping on it a while back. Yet, he shook his head and looked at the damage as if that was the first time the sofa had been marred. With a disappointed sigh, he ran his hand over the damage; as if that would fix what had been done.
“It will be alright,” Toriel offered some reassurance, but Sans didn't seem to listen as he looked more defeated than before. “There is little that can be done to repair it; but, the damage isn’t that bad.”
“i guess,” Sans sighed and looked at his claw tipped hands. With a shake of his head, he then added, “i think i’m going to go upstairs.” As he started to get up, he stretched his back and arms, almost looking like a cat in the process. His bones popped and cracked in what sounded a painful way, but the content grin and calm tail swish proved otherwise.
“Oh,” Toriel didn't like the idea of him going off alone, not after that. He hasn't hurt his hand again, like the first time she saw him like this, but that could be because she now helped Papyrus keep an eye on him. “Why don't I go up with you?”
“it’s alright, tori, i’m just goin’ to take a nap,” his voice and face were both relaxed, but his tail thrashed a couple of times in irritation.
“Yes, but, there’s no need to be alone. If you don’t want to nap down here, I can finish grading after I help you remake your bed. How’s that?” she offered a smile but saw his tail displayed continued annoyance.
He saw where she was looking and looked down at his tail with a growl. In anger, he turned slightly, and grabbed the limb. It wasn’t hard for him to catch a tail as long as his, though hanging on to it was the hard part. As his frustration grew, the more his tail wanted to thrash, and it looked like small animal struggling for its life. Based on the glare he gave the limb, she feared she would have to step in before he could harm it, and himself; and that disheartened her. But, before she could say or do anything, Sans turned back to her, his voice as calm as he could muster, “i don’t need a babysitter, tori.”
Those words cut deep, and she looked back to the papers she still had to grade. “ah, geez, tori, i’m sorry, i just… i just feel like… like,” he sighed as he struggled to find the right words.
“I’m treating you as if you were a child, aren't I?” Toriel looked back at him, and she took his silence as a ‘yes.’ She stood and moved over to him, “Sans, I’m sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel that way.”
“i know, tori, and i like havin’ you around… but not if it's like you're stuck,” Sans sat back down on the sofa after some direction from Toriel.
“Stuck?” Toriel asked, she sat next to him and put an arm around his shoulders to hold him close.
“yeah,” sans said quietly. He hesitated to lean in to her, and she could sense the apprehension he felt. The tail, still in his hands, struggled to move, but not to the same extent as before.
“What do you mean by stuck?” Toriel kept her arm in place to keep him still. He would most likely move away if allowed, and not because he wanted to.
“i mean that… you have a life outside of this that you should be able to live without needing to be trapped, or slowed down, by me. like how papyrus is… i want him to enjoy everything on the surface, but he’s scared to go on long camping trips with undyne because of me. you…,” he started shivering, magic tears building up in his sockets. He tried to move away but she wasn’t going to allow it, hugging him tight to her with both arms now. “i’m sorry tori, i never should have thought this would work, that i could hide this thing from you.”
“Sans, this ‘thing’ is you,” she freed a hand to lightly pet his skull, and tried to ease him.
“no, it’s not,” he said, and again she felt him try to move. This time she let him go and he shifted away. His tail now free, thumped against the cushions.
“It is a part of you,” Toriel tried to put a hand on his shoulder but he shied away.
“a part of me no one trusts,” without knowing it, he had pressed his back into the corner of the other side of the sofa. He had also huddled up enough to look like a trapped creature, instead of her dear one.
To give him his space, Toriel didn’t try to touch him again. She wasn’t sure where this was coming from, but she tried to stay patient, “I trust you.”
“but not ‘it.’”
“Sans, it is a part-”
Before she could finish Sans interrupted, the calmness completely gone, “then you don’t trust me!”
“Non- sense!” Toriel frowned and folded her arms, “of course I trust you.”
“yeah? then, how come, after you found out, frisk hasn’t been able to hang out here while you’re at work late. papy misses the kid, i miss the kid. but, fine, we get to see them when we visit your house. oh, right, you don’t seem to let them out of your sight when i’m around. so, i go from being the fun uncle, or whatever, that the kid used to play pranks with to asg-…,” Sans fell quiet and looked away. His grin pulled so tight from stress, it almost looked like nothing was holding his mandible on, “you’ve been through a lot, tori. you’ve had a lot of pain and loss. so, i understand. i just wish you’d be more truthful about it. because, if you can’t trust me, what’s the point of any of this?”
Toriel felt tears fill her eyes and turned away. She was only trying to help, but didn’t notice all that she was doing in the process. This was still Sans, but it had been months now, and he was right. She has had Undyne, Alphys, or even Mettaton watch Frisk when before Sans and Papyrus were her first choice.
She started to apologize when his hand touched her arm, “sorry, tori. i shouldn’t… that was wrong of me to say. i’ve enjoyed seeing you here more often.” He then paused and looked away again, “i’ve always enjoyed being around you, but don’t get stuck here.”
With a shake of her head, Toriel took a deep shuddering breath, “Let me start, by saying, I don’t regret, ever once, trying to be here for you. I just wish there was more I can do.”
Sans sat back, “you’ve helped me plenty tori. and thank you for that. just wish i wasn’t such a burden.”
“Dear one, you’re no burden. No more than I was at one time. When you first showed up at the ruin doors, I never thought you would keep your promise to come back the next day, but you did. You sensed that I was lonely; and, even with everything else going on in your life, you tried your best to be there for me as much as you could. Nearly every day. I am forever thankful for what you did. That simple act brought me peace, joy, and the laughter I hadn’t had in years.
“I’m not stuck with you, because I choose to be here with you. I’m choosing to continue this relationship, no matter the trials, because I love you,” she leaned over and kissed him on the muzzle. He was looking at her with the faintest hint of color on his cheek bones. In that moment, she pondered to herself over which form of him she thought was cutest. The original short skeleton she met, or this spiker, animal like version of himself.
“Because I love you, I need to trust you. You are you no matter the shape, and I need to go back to trusting the same monster I believed in before. I’m sorry if I lead you to feel untrustworthy, or like a child. That was never my intent, but I need to accept that is what I did,” Toriel smiled, there were still tears in her eyes but she was feeling better saying this.
There was a soft rattling sound as Sans sat there shivering, “heh, i…,” he paused and looked away. There was a mix of frustration and happiness as he sat there, some of him looked content while his tail flipped with anxiety, and his body looked about ready to shake apart.
“Sans?”
“i love you, too,” Sans said, looking back at her. The shivering slowed a little and his tail wrapped tightly around his legs.
The silence that followed marked the shock she was feeling at him saying those word. She has said she loved him plenty of times, but he hasn’t said the same back. Generally, the most he will commit to is “i really like you, tori,” as he tries to express the love she can see in his eyes lights, while distancing himself from the relationship at the same time. This though, this meant something big. He was finally admitting to her, and himself, what they both knew all this time.
It must have been getting awkward for him as he interrupted the silence first, “so, uh, want some help grading papers? it, uh, seems hard to be a teacher and have to b up so late doing all that work. it’s sad to c, really…”
“No D and F?” Toriel asked amidst her giggling.
“sorry, hate to d-ny you that, tori, but i failed to think of a way to use them,” he shrugged and Toriel roared with laughter.
“Alright, the help sounds wonderful, thank you,” she said as she smiled at him, and he smiled back.
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Skoda Citigo review – small on size, big on quality
For Well-screwed together, lightweight Against Long gearing Not a true thriller, but a competent car in which some fun can be had. Whereas many rivals feel built to a budget, the Skoda Citigo fosters its VW Group roots to good effect, exhibiting impressive build quality, decent practicality and, most importantly, polished driving dynamics. . As a result, it feels a grownup car, at home on fast flowing roads as it is in the urban jungle. In 2017 Skoda refreshed the Citigo’s interior and exterior, and updated its suite of technology, too. Lengthened gear ratios constituted the only mechanical change of note, which improved fuel economy and refinement, albeit at the expense of some driver engagement and real world performance. > Best small cars While the Citigo isn’t huge on thrills, there's some fun to be had. The age-old recipe of low l power, light weight and a tiny footprint lends the junior Skoda some charm when you hustle it. However, it's certainly no hot hatch. Volkswagen Golf in detail Performance and 0-60 time - With 0-62mph sprint times ranging from the to mid-to-late teens, the Citigo is certainly one of the slower cars on the roads. Engine and gearbox - One engine, in two guises, is available, while there's an automatic gearbox option as well. Ride and handling - It's all steady going and relatively comfortable, too. Opt for the sport suspension package and the Citigo becomes a tad more agile. MPG and running costs - All Citigos are budget-friendly, occupying in the lower road tax brackets and returning 60-plus MPG figures on combined cycles, Interior and tech - Simple but effective, the interior is well laid out if a little dull, Design - Its VW Group relatives are better looking in our eyes. However in sportier forms the Citigo still harbours some appeal. Price, specs and rivals At £8,860, the three-door Citigo is one of the cheaper cars you can buy today. As we said before, though, the basic model is best avoided, so you should be spending over £10k, affording you the SE trim, which includes alloy-wheels, (manual) air con and bluetooth phone and audio connectivity. Next up in the trim hierarchy are the Colour Edition and SE L, priced at £10,820 and £10,685 respectively. Over the SE the former offers fog lights and alloy wheels, which you’ll also find in the latter, along with heated seats and rear parking sensors. Topping the range in price terms is the £11,500 Monte Carlo edition. > Skoda Citigo Monte Carlo review Range-wide the five-door body carries a £350 premium, so it’s worth the outlay for the extra practicality. Unsurprisingly, the options list is short, and aside from the aforementioned sports suspension there’s nothing worth specifying. Image 2 of 10 Image 2 of 10 The SEAT Mii and VW Up are the Citigo’s closest rivals. All three roll off the same production line, so there’s little to separate them. However, to differentiate the Up from its VW Group relatives, it’s offered with a wider range of engines. Elsewhere, Renault’s Twingo range offers Play and Dynamique trims which sandwich the Monte Carlo price-wise. However, this side of the expensive GT model, the Twingo isn't as fun to drive as the Citigo. Citroen, Peugeot and Toyota offer city cars too; all developed as a joint enterprise in similar fashion to the VW Group city car triplets. None, though, are as well polished as the Citigo and feel built down to a price. Performance and 0-60mph One naturally aspirated engine is offered – the 1-litre three-cylinder motor – in two states of tune. In its lesser form it develops 59bhp and 70lb ft of torque; the more powerful application produces 74bhp while torque remains unchanged and is developed at the same 3000rpm. The lower powered unit will take the Citigo to a 100mph top speed; the 74bhp versions tops out at 107mph. 0-62mph sprint times range from 13.5 seconds to 16.7 seconds depending on the engine and gearbox combination; quickest is the 74bhp derivative, hooked up to a manual transmission, while the 59bhp engine mated to the ASG automatic (effectively a single clutch automated manual) is the slowest. Image 7 of 10 Image 7 of 10 To make the most of the three-pot’s modest means, in either guise, you really need to wring it out and chase the red line with the gears so widely-spaced. As a result any overtakes or quick manoeuvres require planning and wide-open throttle applications. Engine and gearbox With no turbocharger to boot peak torque comes on stream at a high 3,000 rpm in both engine applications. However, peak power arrives at different crank speeds: at 5,000rpm in the 59bhp model and at 6,200rpm in 74bhp model. However, you don't notice the latter’s extra oomph unless you work it hard. That said, the recent facelift has lumbered the Citigo with ridiculously long-gearing (of both transmissions). It’s clearly a move designed to improve official efficiency claims, but the changes make the car feel sluggish to respond, with second gear taking you past 60mph and third past 90mph. Image 9 of 10 Image 9 of 10 A shorter final drive would add a layer of involvement, forcing you to use more of the gears with greater frequency. That said, the shift is action is rubbery and notchy so you’re not missing out. Although changes can at least be dispatched quickly to avoid losing hard-gained momentum. Furthermore, the heavy flywheel sees the engine hang onto revs after an upshift which can make for jerky going. Ride and Handling Softly sprung, the Citigo takes nobbly city streets in its stride, with the suspension comfortably filtering out the road’s imperfections – only a cavernous pothole will send a crash through the structure. However, up the pace on winding roads, and the loose-limbed body control translates to plenty of roll. Initial turn in is responsive enough, but the Citigo adopts a leaning stance under sustained loads. While this doesn't scream sporty, the small Skoda clings on gameley with decent control - although mid-corner bumps can unsettle the car. Opt for the £155 Sport suspension (it’s standard on the Monte Carlo), which lowers the ride height by 15mm, and the Citigo takes on a sportier edge giving some pliancy in the process. The body is better buttoned-down with vertical movements less exaggerated, so it nips into corners with greater alacrity, encouraging you to carry impressive speeds through the bends. Even so, the sportier chassis setup still advertently favours understeer, and the ESP isn’t shy of stepping in when you overwhelm the front tyres or attempt to mobile the rear axle, but it does so smoothly. Image 5 of 10 Image 5 of 10 The steering rack offers just enough feedback, but it's accurate and light so you can intuitively position the Citigo. As a result you feel confident t driving right up to both the Skoda’s and , the road’s limits, as you strive to sustain momentum. This proves surprisingly challenging, addictive and fun. A combination of disc and drum brakes, at the front and rear respectively, offer appropriate stopping power. Most of the brake pressure comes in the top half of the pedal, which feels a tad overservoed, so you don't get the extra performance you hope for under with heavier brake inputs. MPG and runnings costs Even the least fuel efficient variants, in the shape of the 59bhp manual and 74bhp automatic, achieve returns of 64.2mpg on a combined cycle. The leanest runner is the 74bhp manual model, that returns 68.9mpg on combined cycle. All the models fall into two VED brackets, although the difference of £25 between the dirtiest and cleanest models is unlikely to influence you one way or the other. Service intervals are every 10,000 miles and the Citigo should be light on consumables. Interior and tech Unsurprisingly, the Citigo’s interior is pretty sparse and it’s no tech-fest. That said it’s well screwed together, and provided you plump for a higher-speciation model, it’s equipped with the mod-cons you'd expect from a car in its class. Despite its compelling price, the entry-level trim is best avoided: air conditioning, a tachometer and a height-adjustable driver’s seat all are extra cost options. Furthermore, the standard all-black interior is a little drab, although the exposed door tops add a welcome flash of colour across the range. Image 3 of 10 Image 3 of 10 The switchgear in the centre stack is well laid out an easy to interface with, positioned around the digital display. While the cabin’s small you can seat two people comfortably on the rear bench, but the tradeoff is reduced boot space. Design The Citigo cuts a similar, boxy figure to the SEAT Mii and the VW Up, so you have to pick out smaller details to tell them apart: each receives a bespoke grille, headlights and front apron. In our eyes the Citigo’s arrangement isn't the best execution. At least in Monte Carlo guise, the black trim, wheels and decals add some visual excitement. 18 Jul 2018
https://www.evo.co.uk/skoda/citigo
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Skoda Citigo review – small on size, big on quality
For Well-screwed together, lightweight Against Long gearing Not a true thriller, but a competent car in which some fun can be had. Whereas many rivals feel built to a budget, the Skoda Citigo fosters its VW Group roots to good effect, exhibiting impressive build quality, decent practicality and, most importantly, polished driving dynamics. . As a result, it feels a grownup car, at home on fast flowing roads as it is in the urban jungle. In 2017 Skoda refreshed the Citigo’s interior and exterior, and updated its suite of technology, too. Lengthened gear ratios constituted the only mechanical change of note, which improved fuel economy and refinement, albeit at the expense of some driver engagement and real world performance. > Best small cars While the Citigo isn’t huge on thrills, there's some fun to be had. The age-old recipe of low l power, light weight and a tiny footprint lends the junior Skoda some charm when you hustle it. However, it's certainly no hot hatch. Volkswagen Golf in detail Performance and 0-60 time - With 0-62mph sprint times ranging from the to mid-to-late teens, the Citigo is certainly one of the slower cars on the roads. Engine and gearbox - One engine, in two guises, is available, while there's an automatic gearbox option as well. Ride and handling - It's all steady going and relatively comfortable, too. Opt for the sport suspension package and the Citigo becomes a tad more agile. MPG and running costs - All Citigos are budget-friendly, occupying in the lower road tax brackets and returning 60-plus MPG figures on combined cycles, Interior and tech - Simple but effective, the interior is well laid out if a little dull, Design - Its VW Group relatives are better looking in our eyes. However in sportier forms the Citigo still harbours some appeal. Price, specs and rivals At £8,860, the three-door Citigo is one of the cheaper cars you can buy today. As we said before, though, the basic model is best avoided, so you should be spending over £10k, affording you the SE trim, which includes alloy-wheels, (manual) air con and bluetooth phone and audio connectivity. Next up in the trim hierarchy are the Colour Edition and SE L, priced at £10,820 and £10,685 respectively. Over the SE the former offers fog lights and alloy wheels, which you’ll also find in the latter, along with heated seats and rear parking sensors. Topping the range in price terms is the £11,500 Monte Carlo edition. > Skoda Citigo Monte Carlo review Range-wide the five-door body carries a £350 premium, so it’s worth the outlay for the extra practicality. Unsurprisingly, the options list is short, and aside from the aforementioned sports suspension there’s nothing worth specifying. Image 2 of 10 Image 2 of 10 The SEAT Mii and VW Up are the Citigo’s closest rivals. All three roll off the same production line, so there’s little to separate them. However, to differentiate the Up from its VW Group relatives, it’s offered with a wider range of engines. Elsewhere, Renault’s Twingo range offers Play and Dynamique trims which sandwich the Monte Carlo price-wise. However, this side of the expensive GT model, the Twingo isn't as fun to drive as the Citigo. Citroen, Peugeot and Toyota offer city cars too; all developed as a joint enterprise in similar fashion to the VW Group city car triplets. None, though, are as well polished as the Citigo and feel built down to a price. Performance and 0-60mph One naturally aspirated engine is offered – the 1-litre three-cylinder motor – in two states of tune. In its lesser form it develops 59bhp and 70lb ft of torque; the more powerful application produces 74bhp while torque remains unchanged and is developed at the same 3000rpm. The lower powered unit will take the Citigo to a 100mph top speed; the 74bhp versions tops out at 107mph. 0-62mph sprint times range from 13.5 seconds to 16.7 seconds depending on the engine and gearbox combination; quickest is the 74bhp derivative, hooked up to a manual transmission, while the 59bhp engine mated to the ASG automatic (effectively a single clutch automated manual) is the slowest. Image 7 of 10 Image 7 of 10 To make the most of the three-pot’s modest means, in either guise, you really need to wring it out and chase the red line with the gears so widely-spaced. As a result any overtakes or quick manoeuvres require planning and wide-open throttle applications. Engine and gearbox With no turbocharger to boot peak torque comes on stream at a high 3,000 rpm in both engine applications. However, peak power arrives at different crank speeds: at 5,000rpm in the 59bhp model and at 6,200rpm in 74bhp model. However, you don't notice the latter’s extra oomph unless you work it hard. That said, the recent facelift has lumbered the Citigo with ridiculously long-gearing (of both transmissions). It’s clearly a move designed to improve official efficiency claims, but the changes make the car feel sluggish to respond, with second gear taking you past 60mph and third past 90mph. Image 9 of 10 Image 9 of 10 A shorter final drive would add a layer of involvement, forcing you to use more of the gears with greater frequency. That said, the shift is action is rubbery and notchy so you’re not missing out. Although changes can at least be dispatched quickly to avoid losing hard-gained momentum. Furthermore, the heavy flywheel sees the engine hang onto revs after an upshift which can make for jerky going. Ride and Handling Softly sprung, the Citigo takes nobbly city streets in its stride, with the suspension comfortably filtering out the road’s imperfections – only a cavernous pothole will send a crash through the structure. However, up the pace on winding roads, and the loose-limbed body control translates to plenty of roll. Initial turn in is responsive enough, but the Citigo adopts a leaning stance under sustained loads. While this doesn't scream sporty, the small Skoda clings on gameley with decent control - although mid-corner bumps can unsettle the car. Opt for the £155 Sport suspension (it’s standard on the Monte Carlo), which lowers the ride height by 15mm, and the Citigo takes on a sportier edge giving some pliancy in the process. The body is better buttoned-down with vertical movements less exaggerated, so it nips into corners with greater alacrity, encouraging you to carry impressive speeds through the bends. Even so, the sportier chassis setup still advertently favours understeer, and the ESP isn’t shy of stepping in when you overwhelm the front tyres or attempt to mobile the rear axle, but it does so smoothly. Image 5 of 10 Image 5 of 10 The steering rack offers just enough feedback, but it's accurate and light so you can intuitively position the Citigo. As a result you feel confident t driving right up to both the Skoda’s and , the road’s limits, as you strive to sustain momentum. This proves surprisingly challenging, addictive and fun. A combination of disc and drum brakes, at the front and rear respectively, offer appropriate stopping power. Most of the brake pressure comes in the top half of the pedal, which feels a tad overservoed, so you don't get the extra performance you hope for under with heavier brake inputs. MPG and runnings costs Even the least fuel efficient variants, in the shape of the 59bhp manual and 74bhp automatic, achieve returns of 64.2mpg on a combined cycle. The leanest runner is the 74bhp manual model, that returns 68.9mpg on combined cycle. All the models fall into two VED brackets, although the difference of £25 between the dirtiest and cleanest models is unlikely to influence you one way or the other. Service intervals are every 10,000 miles and the Citigo should be light on consumables. Interior and tech Unsurprisingly, the Citigo’s interior is pretty sparse and it’s no tech-fest. That said it’s well screwed together, and provided you plump for a higher-speciation model, it’s equipped with the mod-cons you'd expect from a car in its class. Despite its compelling price, the entry-level trim is best avoided: air conditioning, a tachometer and a height-adjustable driver’s seat all are extra cost options. Furthermore, the standard all-black interior is a little drab, although the exposed door tops add a welcome flash of colour across the range. Image 3 of 10 Image 3 of 10 The switchgear in the centre stack is well laid out an easy to interface with, positioned around the digital display. While the cabin’s small you can seat two people comfortably on the rear bench, but the tradeoff is reduced boot space. Design The Citigo cuts a similar, boxy figure to the SEAT Mii and the VW Up, so you have to pick out smaller details to tell them apart: each receives a bespoke grille, headlights and front apron. In our eyes the Citigo’s arrangement isn't the best execution. At least in Monte Carlo guise, the black trim, wheels and decals add some visual excitement. 18 Jul 2018
https://www.evo.co.uk/skoda/citigo
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Next Steps
It is clear that Miami University has a long standing history of disenfranchising and excluding individuals whose identities are already marginalized. Not only has Miami allowed for the perpetuation of this marginalization, they have crafted a false narrative that suggests that they embrace, encourage, and support diversity despite little action occuring to corroborate this narrative. It is unacceptable that a public institution continues to ignore these issues, especially when one of the groups excluded by the university’s history and current policies makes up 50.6% of the student population. In order to change the culture surrounding diversity and the marginalization of students, the university must first change the way it treats its largest population on campus.
Students on Miami’s campus must take action to change the campus culture and ensure that women and other marginalized groups no longer face exclusion or oppression at universities that promise to support their personal and professional growth. In order to create this change, I propose a series of actions that students can take to create administrative change, as well as strategies of organizing these actions:
Actions:
Miami University needs to reorganize the structure of student organizations on this campus. Currently there is only one category for student organizations and they can be formed by any three or more students who have a faculty advisor. This is a good thing as it allows any student to form a group that they feel is missing from this campus, however we need more than one type of student organization. Miami needs to create multiple types of student organizations that would allow for different resources and expectations for organizations based upon recreation, conversation, activism, etc.
Miami must also restructure student organizations as a whole to ensure that faculty advisors are an active part of the organization. A new system should be implemented that would make the faculty advisors of organizations directly involved with the organizations as a resource for communicating their needs with those higher up as well as require the creation of an open line of communication from the students to the administration. This change would ensure that the needs of students are actually being addressed by faculty and administrators, rather than leaving it up to individual students to attempt to navigate the administrative system on their own.
We need to create a student action group that would advocate to university administrators the needs of marginalized people on this campus and put pressure on the university to make lasting change
Miami University has recently been known to meet with groups advocating for better policies and resources in order to protect marginalized students, yet no change has come of these meetings. There needs to be an action group whose sole purpose is to organize and communicate within the different channels of power in order to ensure that the needs of students on campus are met. Setting up meetings and talking about issues is clearly not enough. The university needs to be held accountable to their promise to promote diversity and inclusion. To do this we need to create a collective of students with marginalized identities, graduate students, faculty, and administrators who are unhappy with the current policies in place. The collaboration of these individuals would create a substantial group and will have more of an impact on the university administration that any individual or subgroup would have on their own. Women are not the only people who have been left behind by the university. By gathering individuals from all the groups who have been failed by Miami, the university will be forced to see that current campus culture does not adequately serve the majority of the student population’s needs.
As the previous two points have made clear, there is a serious structural hole in the communication channels between students and the administration. In order to address this, there needs to be the creation of an ASG committee whose sole job is to advocate for marginalized voices on this campus. ASG is one of the only organizations on campus that has the power to enact real change directly from the student body, and as such they must step up to help fix the culture on Miami’s campus. This committee would differ from ASG’s current Diversity Affairs Council, as it would propose legislation that meets the need of marginalized groups including women, LGBTQ+ individuals, international students, and racial minorities, rather than aiming solely to “dedicate ourselves to learning more about diversity in its complexities and exposing ourselves to new experiences. We work to foster more co-sponsorship of programming efforts and promote the activities of other student groups and administrative offices who are interested in issues of diversity,” as the ASG Diversity Affairs Council currently states as its mission.
Strategies:
I believe that one of the best ways to enact the changes proposed is by using the framework proposed by Naomi Clark to conceptualize how networks evolve resulting in a “reorganized assemblage.” Clark claims that there are four traceable moments that come together in order to create an effective movement, and I will explain how these can be used to generate institutional change at Miami University.
Problematization
This step is fairly self explanatory; it involves identifying the situation that is causing a problem within the institution and understanding that this problem can only be resolved by the involvement of specific parties.
In Miami’s case, the problem identified it the disproportionate amount of attention given to the idea of diversity and inclusion, despite having a long history of practices that oppose the implementation of diversity and inclusion. This problem can only be addressed if those individuals who have been excluded and disenfranchised from the university come together. In this case, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, students of the Myaamia Tribe, and international students constitute those who must come together to make change happen.
Interessment
The relevant interested parties, in this case all individuals and groups who feel that their identity has led to their disenfranchisement at Miami, are identified and become part of the larger collective group. During this stage, the relationships between the different individuals and groups must be coordinated in order to make clear the objectives of and links between all subgroups. This step ensures that the actions and circulation of information from the collective is not a “neutral act,” or one that serves only a portion of the collective, but instead makes it necessary that the collection benefits all involved parties.
As the previous step made clear, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, students of the Myaamia Tribe, and international students are the parties whose interests would most effectively create a collective with the power to create change. These groups must come together and disclose their own goals and expectations, and then relationships between the groups must be identified.
Enrollment
During the enrollment stage, the, the roles to be played by each entity, either individual or subgroup, must be negotiated. This allows the collective to “redefine the actors’ interests in such a way as to provide a shared problem space.” This step is important for the collective group to determine the knowledge and abilities each actor can play within the collective’s mission. It also helps to determine the levels at which different actors can play different roles. Each group is not at the same level in terms of privilege and experience, and as such some groups have an advantage of connection and power over the dominant public. This stage is crucial in order to find common ground between parties and negotiate the goals of the collective.
During this stage the groups will distribute their roles and determine the best course of action that utilizes the privileges and advantages of each group to best meet the needs of the collective.
Mobilization
This stage requires all members of the collective to condense their interests to form the message they wish to circulate. This stage will also require the various actors to be held accountable for their role within the collective movement. Mobilization requires putting an interest into action. Sub-groups will now work to spread their message and generate attention for the issues they aim to address.
At Miami, this stage requires all involved parties to compose a unified statement of their goals and the actions they will take to communicate these goals. Following this step, the collective can begin to take action against the dominant party whose actions and values they oppose. This step is incredibly important, as it provides students with the foundation on which to build their initiative and enact change. The collective formed of women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, students of the Myaamia Tribe, and international students at Miami must follow through after the mobilization process. Without the continued dedication to their goals, change will not happen. This step has the power to spark a movement that will forever change campus culture, and it is up to the individuals in this collective to make it happen.
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21 Fantasy Hockey Rambles
Every Sunday, we'll share 21 Fantasy Rambles — formerly titled 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. Can we mention how good the Coyotes have been this year? Sure, they’re not currently in a playoff spot, but they’re also just two points out of a wild card position.
They’ve done this with significant (and in some cases, season-ending) injuries to the likes of Alex Galchenyuk, Antti Raanta, Jason Demers, Jakob Chychrun, Christian Dvorak, Michael Grabner, more recently Nick Schmaltz, and now (possibly) Oliver Ekman-Larsson. We’ll know more on the latter’s knee injury early this week.
That’s their top-line center, third-line center, a top-six winger, a top-nine winger and penalty killer, two top-four defensemen, and their starting goalie. Each of those names (save for OEL) has missed at least 10 games, and some will miss much, much more than that. And yet, they’re two points outside of a playoff spot.
General manager John Chayka has put together a very solid roster. They absolutely need more top-end talent up front, but this is a team to watch in 2019-20. (jan24)
2. With Ekman-Larsson out of the lineup last Wednesday, Alex Goligoski played just under 25 minutes. It was his third-highest mark of the season and his highest in a month. He also skated on what would be called their top PP unit with Galchenyuk and Clayton Keller. Something to keep in mind. Check your waiver wires if you need some depth on defense. If the OEL injury is serious, Goligoski stands to be the immediate beneficiary (as morbid as that is, let’s hope OEL is ok). (jan24)
3. Tomas Hertl. The 25-year-old is having a career-season. He’s already matched his career-high in goals (22) set last season and is just one shy of his career-high in points (45). He’s vying for the award for best value in fantasy drafts at this point. (jan23)
4. Habs’ Jeff Petry has 34 total points, 12th among all defensemen, one more than Victor Hedman. Among all defensemen with at least 500 minutes at five-on-five this year, he’s 15th in points/60 minutes. The two defensemen directly above him in that category are Roman Josi and Tyson Barrie. At all strengths, he’s 17th, just behind Matt Dumba. He’s also in the top-20 for defenseman shot share at five-on-five. He’s averaging over 2.5 hits and over 2.25 shots per game. Why wouldn’t he be a fantasy all-star? (jan23)
5. The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) released their midseason awards this past week. If I’m not mistaken, this is the second year in a row they’ve done so. It’s just the normal awards we’re used to seeing at the end of the year, only with about a 50-game sample. It basically gives us something to talk about during the break.
That said, centers are favored over wingers but it’s hard to see Mark Stone not winning the Selke Trophy if he continues his current play. With Stone on the ice, the Sens allow nearly 12 fewer shot attempts compared to what they normally allow, which leads the league in this regard.
Driving offense? Stone is second league-wide. It’s no surprise, then, that he’s running away in relative shot share league-wide. I know it seems like playing favorites for an exceptional player on a bad team, but he’s almost always like this. He deserves, at the least, very strong consideration to win, with all due respect to both Patrice Bergeron and Aleksander Barkov. (jan25)
6. Hopefully you didn’t draft Anze Kopitar thinking he would match last season’s career high of 92 points. He won’t even come close to that this season, as he is currently on pace for 57 points. That’s really a down season when you consider how many more players are scoring at or near a point-per-game pace this season. His current scoring pace of 0.69 PTS/GP is at the same pace as his total from two seasons ago, when he scored 56 points.
But there is hope for Kopitar. So far in January, he has collected five goals and eight points in 10 games. Considering that he has yet to score a power-play goal (with nine power-play assists), one would think that he should be due. The way that Kopitar drives the play for the Kings, you’d have to believe that he can score at a higher pace than this.
Kopitar collected 41 points in 33 games after last season’s All-Star Game. Only five players had more points after that point. He’s also historically been a slow starter but strong finisher. Between the All-Star Game and the end of the regular season, Kopitar has finished within the top 50 in points in each of the previous three seasons. (jan27)
7. After scoring a career-high 69 points last season, Rickard Rakell was sidetracked for a month by an ankle injury. But even if you remove the injury, Rakell’s scoring rate is way down, as he has just eight goals all season and is only on pace for 52 points.
There’s reason to be positive this season if you’re a Rakell owner, though. Last year, he had a better post-All-Star-Game pace (1.03 PTS/GP) than his pre-All-Star-Game pace (0.8 PTS/GP). And as for the eight goals, you could argue that he hasn’t has puck luck just as he hasn’t had injury luck. Rakell’s 7.6 SH% is well below his career average of 14.6%, which could result in his goal total nearly doubling over the second half.
Rakell might end up lining up with Ryan Getzlaf and whoever, and he’s not going to have a ton of scoring options around him during the second half in Anaheim. But for the reasons listed above, he seems worth a gamble for a stronger second half. (jan27)
8. It’s difficult to express how much losing Ondrej Kase (torn labrum) for the season hurts the Ducks.
While Rakell is still waiting for his shooting luck to turn, Jakob Silfverberg is plodding towards his usual 20 goals (though we’ll see if injuries catch up), and they’re still waiting for Corey Perry to return (though that may be soon). This team has had to endure significant injuries for basically the last two seasons, but this is one that will be difficult to overcome given their difficulty to score as it was.
Kase in under-appreciated by the league but I’m sure he’s not by his teammates. They’re going to need a Herculean effort from John Gibson and a big turnaround from Rakell over the final couple months to get to the postseason. Recovery time could be as much as six months, which is significant, but it would also give Kase a couple months (hopefully) to train before having to head to Ducks camp. (jan25)
9. Just before the ASG Break, the Leafs re-configured their PP units to put Auston Matthews back with their big guns. Now, please just put William Nylander on that PP unit, as well. (jan24)
10. Both Tyler Bozak and Zach Sanford were activated from the Blues’ injured reserve and played last Wednesday night. The result was Jordan Kyrou (and Jordan Nolan) being sent to the AHL. It doesn’t appear that this will be the year for Kyrou to break out, but he’s definitely a player to remember for next season. (jan24)
For players who could potentially finish the season on a high note, don’t forget to pick up your copy of the Midseason Guide. There are also a lot of prospects and potential call-ups covered, so even those without a league title in their sights will find information quite useful for keeper/dynasty teams, or even looking ahead to next season.
11. Dylan Strome has been given new life in the Windy City. He has 15 points in his last 13 games and has reignited the chemistry with junior linemate, Alex DeBrincat on the Hawks’ second line. He’s also loving life on the top power-play unit. (jan23)
12. Vladimir Tarasenko now has six goals and 10 points in his last 11 games. This is another player who had a slow start to the year, especially by his standards, but that has really started to look like himself since Christmas. Now, if only Jaden Schwartz could get of the schneid (he’s shooting 3 percent on the season). (jan24)
13. In the four games since being acquired by the Hurricanes, Nino Niederreiter has four goals, 17 shots, and is playing nearly 17 minutes a game. That TOI mark would be a career high for him (by a lot) and he’s getting lots of power play time as well. This is a trade that’s going to work out very, very well for the Canes. (jan23)
14. Justin Faulk is a favorite punching bag for some, and that’s fair given his calamitous fall in fantasy over the last couple seasons, namely in the goals department. All the same, his hit and shot totals are very stout (he’s on pace for his most hits in four years) and a 30-point season with his level of peripherals (he’ll fly past 200 shots as well) has a lot of value. Imagine if his shooting percentage ever reverts to what it was a couple years ago? (jan23)
15. Sens forward Colin White said he should be back in the Ottawa lineup after the All-Star Game. He had been playing very well on a line with Brady Tkachuk and Mark Stone. I’d like to see him get another chance there. (jan22)
16. Teams that lost out in the Milan Lucic derby have to be thanking their lucky stars that they were unsuccessful in signing him, provided that they didn’t sign their own white elephant contracts that summer (Loui Eriksson, Troy Brouwer, David Backes, and Andrew Ladd all come to mind first). This is where auction drafts can be tricky, because you’ll end up paying too much for at least one player and end up trying to stretch your dollar on the rest.
It’s important that with any player, you set a maximum price that you’re willing to spend. Don’t exceed that price. If someone else is willing to go higher, let them pay that price. They’ll have to patch up the resulting holes in their roster afterward. In a salary cap world, value wins the day. (jan26)
17. It looks like Oscar Klefbom will return for the Oilers now that the All-Star Break has passed. This is huge for the Oilers if they truly want to make a run for the playoffs, as he’s easily their best defenseman and the team has looked near-dead since his injury. Good news, fantasy owners! (jan22)
18. Speaking of the Oilers, who put both Ty Rattie and Ryan Spooner on waivers. I’ll admit, I got sucked into Rattie’s performance alongside Connor McDavid at the end of last year and in the preseason. I didn’t end up drafting him anywhere, but I have used him a lot in DFS. It, uh, hasn’t gone well. Maybe these guys can catch on elsewhere.
Thus concludes the Jordan Eberle trade tree. Outcome: not great!
19. One last bit on the Oilers: they signed goaltender Mikko Koskinen for three more years with an AAV of $4.5-million. That seems like a pretty big gamble on a 30-year old goalie (31 next season) with 31 career NHL games. Not to mention the team needs to completely overhaul their winger depth from top to bottom, needs another top-4 defenseman, and already has $73-million committed to next season. This should be a team looking to spend as little as possible in goal to try and upgrade elsewhere and this … this is not it. (jan22)
20. There was a stretch just before the ASG Break where Mat Barzal saw his ice time get reduced for six consecutive games, with a nearly-season-low 15:30 just last Sunday (his season-low is 14:53). Perhaps Barry Trotz is winding him down for the season-ending run. I would keep my expectations low for him when it comes to Tuesday’s game. (jan21)
21. Collin Delia’s save percentage after 10 games is still a nice 0.923 and he’s running a 60 percent Quality Start number. Corey Crawford is back skating, but not yet with the team, and seems to be intending to return to the team this season. He could be one to two weeks away. (jan21)
Have a good week, folks!!
from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/21-fantasy-hockey-rambles/21-fantasy-hockey-rambles-2/
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“I have lived and flourished in a secular India. In the fullness of time if God wills, I would also like to die in a secular India”- Fali S. Nariman
Born on 10th January,1929 in a General Hospital in Rangoon(now Yangon, Myanmar ) to father, Sam Nariman and mother, Banoo Burjorjee. After a short period of stay in Burma, his family returned to India.Fali went to Bishop Cotton School Shimla, then to St. Xavier’s College Bombay for his BA (Hons) and finally to Government Law College Bombay for his LLB. In November 1950, Mr. Nariman joined the Bombay Bar and now over the decades he has attained the status of an eminent advocate, whose views are not only heard but also respected. The first chapter of this book deals with the early phase of life of Mr. Nariman. In this Part he tells us about his birth, family and education. Similarly, the second chapter of this book is about Mr. Nariman’s official introduction to the Bar. In this chapter he tells us about his experience as a trainee advocate in the chambers of Sir Jamshedji B. Kanga. During this phase of his life he learnt a lot from Sir Kanga and got a chance to interact and work with many eminent jurists of that time like, H.M. Seervai and Sir Dinshaw Mulla. In third chapter, he writes about the Judges during and before his time. He particularly mentions about the judges like Justice N H Koyajee, Sunderlal T. Desai, Kantilal T. Desai and Chief Justice M.C. Chgala, who were considerate and kind to the juniors. In fourth chapter he has shown his splendid writing skill, when he cautiously comments upon the Lawyers and the Legal Profession.
He further suggests that the national bar associations should adopt a three-point programme:
· First, the urgent need to re-discover and reaffirm the profession’s ‘moral foundation’(that will help refurbish its image).
· Second, to inculcate ethical principles in minds of young lawyers(and do remember people learn by examples, not by precept).
· Third, to promote morally responsible and responsive lawyering or as they say, ‘Make Lawyers good’.
In fifth chapter of this book Mr. Nariman acts as an advisor to the law students and the budding lawyers. His 28 point advice to the young lawyers can be summarized in a nutshell by this statement ,which is again a piece of advice, which was given to Mr. Nariman by eminent jurist, CK Daphtary, that it is better to spend more time thinking about the case than merely reading its brief. Chapter six, is very important from the point of view of Mr. Nariman’s personal life as well as the Life of Whole Nation because it deals with the Indira phase of Indian Governance. During this period he was appointed as ASG(Additional Solicitor General) of India. The next chapter i.e. chapter seven can be read as an extensive part of chapter six as in this chapter he tells us about his shift from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Delhi. As an ASG of India he appeared in many cases for the Union of India in Supreme Court, and some of the more important ones in the high courts. Chapter eight gives a detailed insight of the National Emergency in 1975, when he was the Additional Solicitor General of India. Fali S. Nariman recounts his own defiance against autocratic rule when he resigned from the post of Additional Solicitor General of India in opposition to the declaration of Internal Emergency in 1975 by the Indira Gandhi government, being the only public officer in the country to have registered his protest against the suppression of civil liberties. Chapter nine is again an extension to the chapter eight which further describes the life inside and outside the courts during the emergency and post-emergency period. Tenth chapter talks about the Bhopal Gas Tragedy in which Mr. Nariman the lead counsel for the Union Carbide Corporation received severe criticisms while representing the company. For appearing in this case from the defendants’ side, he was widely criticized and his reputation as a human rights activist and lawyer was questioned.
In the eleventh chapter Mr. Nariman have written about his Holiness Dalai Lama and the idol of humanity, Mother Teresa. He writes, Yes, good things like Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa do happen, and we all are richer by the reason of this happening. Chapter twelfth Nariman remembers those days when he was the standing counsel in the Supreme Court for the state of Gujarat in a PIL filed on behalf of the tribals who were displaced by the rising height of the Narmada Dam in Gujarat. In chapter thirteen, author have deeply analyzed the working of federal(at least ,quasi federal) system of governance in India through his expert views on the interstate disputes, which he dealt with during that period. Chapter fourteen is a judicious take on some of the judges of the supreme court. Chapter fifteen deals with his view on the Judicial Governance and Judicial Activism as well. Chapter sixteen of the book, is about a case he Won – But he Would have preferred lost. Criticizing his own win, Mr. Nariman writes “I don’t see what is so special about the first five judges of the Supreme Court. They are only the first five in seniority of appointment – not necessarily in superiority of wisdom or competence. I see no reason why all the judges in the highest court should not be consulted when a proposal is made for appointment of a high court judge (or an eminent advocate) to be a judge of the Supreme Court. I would suggest that the closed-circuit network of five judges should be disbanded.”Chapter seventeenth is about Mr.Nariman’s career as a parliamentarian and a member of the upper house (RajyaSabha) of the Parliament. Chapter eighteen can be read as a concluding remark of his autobiography. Finally he winds up by thanking the secular India “I have lived and flourished in a secular India. In the fullness of time if God wills, I would also like to die in a secular India”.
Mr. Fali Sam Nariman, the legal luminary, lifts the dark veil from the facts long shielded from public view in “Before Memory Fades”. He truly serves us shining examples of the exceptions, both of the bench and the bar.
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Elvis Andrus, Rangers lifer? Why current market means he likely stays in Arlington, for now.
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Elvis Andrus, Rangers lifer? Why current market means he likely stays in Arlington, for now.
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Andy Jacobsohn/Staff Photographer
Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus (1) waves to fans during the seventh inning in a Major League Baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas Tuesday May 8, 2018. Andrus is currently on the 60-day disabled list. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)
By Evan Grant , Staff Writer Contact Evan Grant on Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant
The latest installment of #EvanHelpUs…
#EvanHelpUs With his 1.7 dWAR and his +12 defensive runs saved, does Delino have a shot at a Gold Glove this year?
— Chris McDonald (@ChrisMcDIII) June 29, 2018
Me: Funny you should ask that. Because I wrote about DeShields’ defensive excellence just this week. There are some tremendous center fielders in the AL, but the defending champ, Byron Buxton, has played only 28 games and was just recently sent down to the minors, so I think the race is wide open. Leonys Martin and DeShields have graded out as the best so far on the defensive analytics scale. Kevin Kiermaier is also an outstanding defender with two Gold Gloves of his own, but he’s just now coming back after missing two months. And someday, Mike Trout is going to win a Gold Glove, too.
I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a center fielder right now who goes and gets the ball better than DeShields does. His reads and routes have really improved and his closing speed has always been fantastic. If he keeps this up and does not end up among the finalists, it’s going to be an indictment on his arm, which is not great, but he’s improved there, too. He gets to the ball quickly and has quickened his release.
Rawlings has also made it a little more difficult to win a Gold Glove for outfielders because the vote is now according to position. Used to be three outfielders, regardless of position, won. Now, there is voting done on each specific outfield spot. So only three center fielders will be considered. I’ve got enough confidence in DeShields’ ability and continuing improvement that I wagered a meal with a friend of mine that he at least shows up on the list of finalists.
Elvis can opt out after this season. Does he test FA or stick with the rebuild in hopes of a winning season in 2020 when we get the new stadium? #EvanHelpUs
— Stephanie Harper (@monkeysmom4) June 28, 2018
Me: It’s going to be a tough decision for Elvis. He’s become a top-tier shortstop, but the thing is, the top tier is really, really deep and good and there aren’t a bunch of free agents there. Manny Machado is going to command a huge payday on the open market as a free agent and I’m not even sure what contender is really going to need him.
Look around the AL: Bogaerts (Boston), Gregorius (Yankees), Lindor (Cleveland), Correa (Houston), Simmons (LA Angels), Segura (Seattle). That’s deep, man. In the NL, there might be a little more demand, but I don’t think it will come from the Dodgers. I don’t think it will come from the Cubs.
Teams that are motivated to add a difference-maker are either going to go after Machado and possibly ask him to move back to third, or go after Bryce Harper. My point: It’s not an ideal time for a 30-year-old who missed two months with an elbow issue to go on the free agent market as a shortstop. I think Elvis remains a Ranger. I really feel like this is a guy who is going to play his entire career in Texas. I think the Rangers may act preemptively and renegotiate the contract, maybe add a year, but, in the end, I don’t think Andrus fully tests free agency. I know that with Scott Boras as his agent that would seem to work against the odds, but I think Elvis is in a different situation and I think he wants to remain in Texas.
Do players get to pick which snippet of their walk up music is played, or is it always just the first few seconds of the song, or does someone else make that decision? #EvanHelpUs
— harmonicpies (@harmonicpies) June 28, 2018
Me: Players pick their walk-up music. Every year, Chuck Morgan asks players to submit songs they would like him to sample from. Sometimes, he gets multiple answers from the same player. Sometimes he doesn’t get an answer at all and he goes with something generic or something the player may have used in past seasons.
#EvanHelpUs I’m a Rangers fan now in DC. 1) are you making trip to ASG? 2) do you have a favorite BBQ place in DC? I know Rangers don’t play Nationals often but I’ve seen you comment about loving the park here.
— Ned Johnson (@thenedajohnson) June 28, 2018
Me: Gerry Fraley usually takes our All-Star trips. The past few years since I’ve had a family, we have usually taken the All-Star break as a much-needed summer vacation. I can’t tell you as a pseudo dad, how much more important that has been to me than the All-Star Game. Truth be told: I love watching the All-Star introductions and have since I was a kid. The game, well, it just doesn’t do much for me. So, to answer your question: No, I’m not going to the All-Star Game. Gerry does a great job.
As for BBQ in D.C., I’ve been to Hill Country a couple of times and it’s quite good. But, I’m very regionally biased. When I go to other cities, I want to eat the stuff that is done especially well there that I can’t get in Texas. Kansas City, Houston and the surprisingly good Southern California BBQ scene are the places I make exceptions on that.
D.C., New York, Chicago, Toronto and San Francisco are so ethnically diverse, I want to eat the incredible ethnic foods I struggle to find in Texas (Chinese, Italian, Thai and Jewish deli). Seattle, Boston, Tampa Bay and Baltimore are for crustaceans. Minnesota: Something with wild rice. Cleveland and Detroit? Well, I’m still kinda searching.
And, yeah, I love the park in D.C. Part of it is just being in D.C.; if the Nats were in the AL, it would be one of my favorite annual visits along with Seattle and Boston. Part used to be seeing the capitol from the press box (though it is getting more and more difficult with all the building). The biggest part is my cousins live in Northern Virginia and I get to see them — and they are baseball fans. So, that makes it super special.
#EvanHelpUs Do you recommend electric smokers for brisket? What brand of smoker do you recommend – any type?
— ⚾ Debbie Gill ⚾ (@Maelinde) July 2, 2018
Me: I believe in wood, fire and smoke. So, the electric smoker, no matter how convenient, to me, doesn’t qualify. Now, real pitmasters would probably laugh at the fact that I use a Big Green Egg, because it’s too easy. But it meats — er, meets — all the qualifications.
You get the feel of lighting a fire. You get real honest to goodness smoke. And it’s actually pretty easy to regulate because the ceramic cooking device holds the heat so well. What it does not have, though, is a very large cooking surface. One day, though, I hope to grow up and join the real smokers of the world and get a big ol’ smoker with lots of room on which to smoke and lots of area to heat. Hope I’m up for that challenge.
@Evan_P_Grant we’re making the trip up to Baltimore next month. Looking for must stop food places, good beer stops and best seating by location. Thanks for the help #EvanHelpUs
— Drew Clinkscales (@Dexter_sr2005) June 27, 2018
Me: For me, Baltimore is about two things: Brunch and crabs. Bonus points when they are mixed together, as they do so well at Miss Shirley’s Café, Blue Moon Café (be prepared for a LONG wait) and at Sip ‘n Bite (a true Baltimore diner).
I would suggest this to you on the crab front: Put the work in and get some steamed and spiced blue crab. There are other places where they do crab cakes just fine. Go for the blue crab feast. Try any of these spots: Nick’s Fish House, Costa’s or Bo Brooks. Understand also that the only thing in Maryland you are probably getting is the seasoning. True story: Most of the crab you will get during the summertime has come from … the Texas/Louisiana gulf coast. It doesn’t matter. It’s the preparation that rocks it.
If you can’t go that route and need crab cakes, the best I’ve ever had are at Faidley’s in Lexington Market. It’s a standup counter-serve, but the broiled crab cake is so much lump, lush back fin meat and some magical pixie dust that holds it all together. Literally, there is no filler. The other real deal: Koco’s Pub. Trust me on this one. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but that makes it all the more fun.
For beer, isn’t it all about Yuengling there?
As for things to do: Finally went to Fort McHenry last winter and it was well worth the trip. I’ve never been to the Babe Ruth Museum, but it is real close to Camden Yards. And the National Aquarium is outstanding.
And finally, I don’t have seating recommendations. It’s a great park. Just make sure you walk along the Eutaw Street promenade that runs behind the outfield. It’s awesome.
#EvanHelpUs Evan, what about IKF? Why no playing time? I know Profar is playing great and that’s awesome, and Odor seems to be digging himself out of the huge crater he was in, but man I love watching Isiah play.
— David Smith (@zigster01) July 1, 2018
Me: With Adrian Beltre somewhat limited and Jurickson Profar having worked his way into the regular rotation, the Rangers are trying to shoehorn six infielders into four spots and two DHs (Beltre/Shin-Soo Choo) into one. It’s a constant juggling act and one in which somebody is always going to be a little short-shifted.
I asked Jeff Banister twice in the past three days about playing time for Isiah Kiner-Falefa and I can tell you two things: First, the recent trimming of time has been a little intentional, Banister said. He wanted Kiner-Falefa to really be able to focus on playing catcher for his first few starts and not have to worry too much about also being a utility infielder. Second, the Rangers believe Kiner-Falefa has both earned his way onto the roster and that he has a special kind of aptitude for the game that allows him to learn simply by being here and doing the pre-game work. It’s not optimal, but I can see where he’d still get something productive out of it.
Here’s what Banister had to say:
“Being in a major league environment for him is still valuable. If it was a situation where all he would do is catch and be a once-every-three-day type of guy we would re-evaluate where he is going to be long term. If it gets to where he’s not playing enough you’ve got to look at something but we’re not there yet. And being an everyday player takes a toll on a young kid. … He will absorb everything he can not playing. We have some guys, especially on the infield side, can help.”
Me: I am proud to declare my love of the boat drink, preferably the frozen boat drink. And the songs that pay homage to them, especially “Escape” (The Piña Colada Song) and “Two Piña Coladas.” One exception: As much as I love Jimmy Buffett, I’d be OK if I don’t hear “Margaritaville.”
My idea of a perfect vacation is Caribbean turquoise blue water and a never-ending glacier of piña coladas that are eternally frozen. I’m not truly on vacation until the first brain freeze sets in.
Now, I will say this: The absolutely perfect boat drink comes apres boat if you get my drift. It comes after you have jumped off your boat and waded ashore to the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. Order a Painkiller (Pusser’s rum, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, orange juice and fresh nutmeg) and sit on the White Bay beach, and all your problems just melt away. The bar was devastated by Hurricane Irma last September, but has since been re-opened, I understand. It is worth every effort you have to make to get there.
@Evan_P_Grant #evanhelpus If and when we trade Beltre what are the chances of moving forward in the future with a combo of Profar, Odor, and Andrus as the 3B,2B,SS combo?
— JP (@Kozmo719) July 2, 2018
Me: I think the only possible version of this would be Odor at second, Profar at third and Andrus at shortstop. Profar has not shown me enough defensively at short to consider moving Andrus off the position.
I guess I’d answer you with a question. Is the perception not that Odor has had a horrible season and Profar a fairly good one? I think most would answer that in the affirmative. And, here it is on July 3, and Odor now has a higher batting average (.241) than Profar (.240) and has almost caught him in OBP (.316 vs. .324). Profar holds a distinct advantage in slugging (.434 to .361), but I’d bet that by the end of July their numbers are pretty close, too. Odor’s season has not been as bad as perceived; nor has Profar’s been as good. Odor remains a 30-homer threat; perhaps not this year, but long-term. I’m not sure you can say that about Profar.
If I was Rangers, I’d still be trying to deal Profar this summer to get some return on him. He can be a free agent after 2020, which is the earliest this team might have a chance to contend. I think he profiles too much like a utility guy, who might play regularly, but doesn’t have a regular position, at least not here. If the Rangers can’t convince Beltre to return for 2019 and they don’t get value for Profar, I’d be fine with him and Isiah Kiner-Falefa playing third next year, but I don’t think Jurickson is a great long-term fit there.
Rangers have about 700 innings remaining. Will they be able to have enough arms to get through the year without prematurely elevating young arms. #EvanHelpUs
— Jonathan Pike (@pikejo) June 28, 2018
Me: Because I’m an argumentative twit, I will debate this and say the more important number is about 450. That’s the approximate number of innings between July 1 and August 31. After that, when rosters can be expanded, it doesn’t really matter if a Yohander Mendez or an Ariel Jurado is not really ready for the majors; they are going to get a look anyway. The Rangers have to look at those guys. Mendez is out of options after this season, so it’s an imperative.
In the meantime, they should get Martin Perez back and he’ll give the rotation some innings. They may — may — get Doug Fister back at some point and he’ll be more rotation depth. But, yeah, it’s entirely possible you are looking at an August in which the Rangers are running some veterans out there who are running on fumes like Bartolo Colon and Yovani Gallardo to name a pair.
Here I’m going to take a hard, right turn and turn this into a Mike Minor question. The next question I have to ask about Minor must be about innings limits. With 85 innings, he’s now passed last year’s total (77). I would think the Rangers would not want to jump his innings more than 50-60 from last year in the 125-140 range. At best, that would give him about another 55 innings with which to work. Seems like they are going to have to start parsing up those innings. Perhaps they will let him make another 8-10 starts in July-August, then shut him down for September. But managing his innings and not overworking him would seem to become something of a priority. And that might put more stress on your point: How do they simply get through the season. My guess: You will see them claim some vets who get released over the next seven weeks.
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Previewing the Sixers and the Heat, Part Two: The Season Series
No fancy introduction here, let’s just git ‘er done, as Larry the Cable Guy would say.
The Sixers and Heat split the season series this year, 2-2, and if you remember anything about those games, all four were competitive deep into the fourth quarter. Each matchup was decided by single digits, with the Sixers winning by 6 and 2 at home and losing by 1 and 9 on the road.
I’ll go game-by-game, but let me start by pulling the splits for the Heat and Sixers to see how they performed against their season averages vs. each other.
Heat stats vs. Sixers (better = performed above season average, worse = performed below season average):
102.3 PPG (worse)
43.9 FG% (worse)
39.3 3P% (better)
22 assists (worse)
41 rebounds (worse)
9 offensive rebounds (worse)
8.5 steals (better)
6.8 blocks (better)
13.8 turnovers (better)
101 defensive rating (better)
The Sixers did a nice job of limiting Miami’s offensive output via overall field goal percentage, but the Heat actually shot the three pointer 3 percentage points above their season averages. Philly also did well to curb Miami’s rebounding strengths, but Erik Spoelstra’s team was better than advertised defensively, performing above their marks in steals, blocks, and DEFRTG.
Here are the Sixers’ splits against the Heat:
101.8 PPG (worse)
43.2 FG% (worse)
34.6 3P% (worse)
26.5 assists (worse)
47.3 rebounds (same)
12.8 offensive rebounds (better)
8.5 steals (better)
3.3 blocks (worse)
17.5 turnovers (worse)
102.7 defensive rating (worse)
They really didn’t shoot the ball that well against Miami this year, with a 4% drop in field goal percentage and a 2.3% drop from three. Their overall points per game were down from 109.8 and they didn’t defend Miami as well as other teams. I think part of that can attributed to the fact that Joel Embiid only played in three of the four regular season matchups, and he looked pretty ragged in the finale, so keep that in mind when considering the overall numbers Philadelphia put up against Miami this year.
To the matchups:
Friday, February 2nd: Sixers 103, Heat 97 (Wells Fargo Center)
You probably remember the fourth quarter collapse in this game. Or maybe you erased it from memory.
The Sixers had a 26 point lead that dwindled to 6 as Miami outscored Philly 37 to 17 in the fourth quarter, and they did it without Hassan Whiteside, who left the game due to illness. Kelly Olynyk led the Heat with 19 points while All-Star Goran Dragic mustered just 10, 2, and 1. Angry Ben Simmons, seemingly irked at the ASG snub, went for 20, 6, and 5.
Part of the issue for the collapse was that the Sixers’ bench was still very raw back then. No Marco Belinelli, no Ersan Ilyasova, no Markelle Fultz. This was the first night of a back-to-back and Embiid was set to play the following night in Indiana, his first B2B ever, so Brett Brown was trying to juggle his minutes with a poor bench.
He admitted as much post game, giving in to hindsight:
“I think I probably would have played Joel his full sort of rotation. You look up at the scoreboard and you’re up 28 at home and you have a back to back game the next night. I never take anything for granted, I hope you just walk of line of, ‘well, this is smart, we got this one wrapped up.’ It wasn’t (like that). We were at home, I felt like we were playing quite well, and you click your heels and the NBA is the NBA. If I had to do it again, I would have ridden out Jo because the group we had on the court, our bench group, there’s some scoring deficiencies (with) that group. I think they play hard and play good defense, but my first reaction would be (to play Joel more).”
The Sixers only committed 10 turnovers in the win, but Embiid had six alone, half of which came in the fourth quarter, including this one:
It was a strange game overall. Miami’s starting group had nothing, contributing just 40 of 97 points. The combination of Olynyk, Bam Adebayo, Justise Winslow, and Wayne Ellington put up 57, outscoring the Sixer bench by 34 points.
I don’t see the bench stuff being an issue with the way the Sixers’ roster is now constructed. February 2nd feels like a long time ago, with two completely different teams going at it.
Wednesday, February 14th: Sixers 104, Heat 102 (Wells Fargo Center)
It’s easy to look at this score and forget that they were down by 23 at halftime. It was one of the worst halves of basketball they played this season, missing Embiid due to right ankle soreness.
But the second was one of their best, and they erased the deficit while holding Miami to just 40 second half points. At this point, Belinelli was now in the fold, and he contributed 17 off the bench to complement 19 from Dario Saric and 18 from Simmons.
Even after all of that, it came down to the final seconds, and JJ Redick, who did not have a great shooting night, hit this awkward 19-footer to give the Sixers a three-point lead:
Philly hit a pair of foul shots to increase the lead to five, then Tyler Johnson answered with a three pointer to the cut the lead back down to two.
So all the Sixers really had to do was get the ball in play, take the foul, hit two more free throws, and that would do it.
But they suffered another bad turnover when Simmons couldn’t connect with Belinelli on the inbound play:
They wanted to go to Redick there, but Wade did a nice job of taking that option away, which forced the turnover.
Wade ended up missing a 27-footer as the clock expired, and the entirety of the Wells Fargo Center, waiting to exhale like that Angela Bassett movie, was finally able to exhale.
So they got the job done and completed the comeback without Embiid, but the Sixers had some fourth quarter ball handling issues in the first two games against Miami. Simmons had 3 turnovers alone in the final period of this game.
Tuesday, February 27th: Heat 102, Sixers 101 (American Airlines Arena)
The Dwayne Wade dagger game. Remember that? Yea, you do. He scored 15 of Miami’s final 17 points.
This was one of the more aggravating losses of the season for Sixer fans, featuring a brutal turnover, a questionable foul call, and an open Redick look that he couldn’t knock down to win the game. It was the one the Sixers really should have won, considering that they held a 10 point lead with 9:21 left to play.
It was 98-95 Sixers with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter, then this happened:
Wade miss
Redick turnover (missed alley oop for Ben Simmons)
Whiteside and Embiid trade buckets
Wade “fouled” on three-point attempt, hits 3/3 free throws
Simmons intentionally fouled, makes 1/2 free throws
Wade hits go-ahead shot
Redick misses open three
Sixers lose
Miami actually messed up in this game, a miscommunication between Spoelstra and Wade on the Simmons foul.
From the ESPN recap:
Wade got fouled on a 3-point try with 29 seconds left and the Heat down by three. The plan that Spoelstra laid out was for the Heat to foul Simmons — a 57 percent foul shooter — if Wade missed one of the three foul shots. Wade made all three, but fouled Simmons anyway.
…………
Wade didn’t seem aware of the plan to foul only if he missed one of the three.
“I wanted to foul,” Wade said. “I had confidence in myself that I was going to make all three. They kept running (the same) pick and roll, and it was killing us and I just felt playing the numbers … I wanted the young fella to see, in this environment, what he’s going to do.”
That pick and roll Wade mentioned is here, the “25” Embiid/Redick look that Brett Brown frequently turned to in the fourth quarter in February and March:
For everything Whiteside does well, sliding to the perimeter on a pick and pop isn’t his best skill, and the Sixers found a lot of success with that simple 2/5 look.
They got him again two minutes later, this time Embiid taking Whiteside to the rim:
You do see moments of solid execution in these Miami 4th quarters. You see some pick and roll, a UCLA cut here and there, and some low-post looks for Ben Simmons on that backside baseline screen. But, again, turnovers were an issue in this game – 23 overall and 6 in the fourth quarter. Redick had 5, Embiid had 5, and Simmons had 4, and Miami scored 26 points off Philly mishaps.
Redick had a chance to win the game with a wide-open look at the end, but couldn’t get it to drop, which resulted in a lot of grumbling on Twitter, most of which has now subsided.
Thursday, March 8th: Heat 108, Sixers 99 (American Airlines Arena)
A crap shooting night, just 39.5% from the field and their sixth-worst FG clip of the season. Robert Covington finished 0-10 and Embiid was 5-18, an off night for him while rival Whiteside went for 26 and 8 in the regular season finale.
You probably remember this nonsense from the game:
Watch the slomo replay. Whiteside actually hits HIMSELF in the face pic.twitter.com/4s6nshl5uX
— Dan Roche (@RochesRWinners) March 9, 2018
Embiid called Whiteside “soft” after the play, which sets up nicely for this playoff series.
At the time, the Sixers were coming off their last real road trip of the season and had played six of seven away from Philly. I think they just looked a little ragged in this game, falling back to Earth after a stellar 57.5% shooting night just two days prior in Charlotte.
And Joel, specifically, did look a bit tired, but I don’t think his defense was horrendous in this game. Whiteside was hitting junk like this all night long:
You just have to give him that. If he’s gonna hit turnaround fades, then it is what it is. The Sixers eventually got the lead down to five, but you just never really felt like they a threat to pull in front.
Patterns and Conclusions
When I rewatch all of that, I just feel like the biggest matchup in this series is the Sixers vs. themselves.
It really is.
It’s a matter of cutting down on those killer late turnovers and asserting their will on defense the way they’ve been doing it all year long.
They are the more talented team, no question. They have more game changers. They have the athleticism and the star power to get it done. Miami is well-coached, shrewd, and steady, so they’re really not going to give you a bunch of easy looks or second chance buckets or transition opportunities, which I mentioned yesterday in part one of the preview series.
From a Sixer perspective, one thing that jumps out to me is that someone always seems to have an off night against Miami. Covington had the 0-10 game. Here’s how Redick did in each game:
5-15, 0-4 from three, 13 points
6-19, 2-12 from three, 14 points
4-14, 2-8 from three, 15 points
6-11, 4-6 from three, 18 points
JJ only hit better than 25% from deep in one game against Miami, the game where everybody else struggled.
Same with Embiid, who put up these lines against the Heat:
7-17, 17 points and 11 rebounds
9-16, 23 points and 8 rebounds
5-18, 17 points and 7 rebounds
He’s putting up 23 and 11 this year, so he finished below his averages in three combined games against Miami.
How about Ben Simmons? His numbers look good:
20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
18 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists
11 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists
10 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists
Ben has been pretty steady against Miami, with a triple-double and three shooting nights at 50% or better. I think he’s really the key to this series with Embiid unlikely to feature until game two or three (probably three).
Truly, the best Sixer performer against the Heat this season has been Dario Saric, who put up 17, 19, 21, and 20 points in those four games, on top of rebounding numbers of 10, 8, 7, and 10. He pulled down 11 offensive boards total, or 2.75 per game.
Look at Dario’s splits against Miami vs. a bunch of other NBA teams:
49% from the field and 44.8% from three is elite stuff compared to season averages of 45% and 39%, respectively.
His steadiness is a huge boon for the Sixers going into this series, especially considering how he looked on Wednesday against Milwaukee, shaking off the rust from the elbow and tooth issues to pour in 24 points on 10-19 shooting.
Robert Covington, on the opposite end of the spectrum, really struggled offensively against the Heat, hitting field goals and three pointers at just 21% and putting up just 7.5 points per game. Only against San Antonio and Portland did he put up a smaller PPG number this year. Defensively he’s always sound, but he’s had a hell of a time on the other end of the court against “El Heat.”
From a Miami perspective, a quick look at the splits shows Goran Dragic with 14, 4, and 4 against Philly. That’s down from season averages of 17, 4, and 5, so he really hasn’t done a ton of damage to the Sixers. Whiteside put up 15 and 10 in the regular season series to essentially match his season averages, and Tyler Johnson, James Johnson, and Olynyk had a decent night here or there.
But nobody on that roster has really killed the Sixers this year. When you look at that roster, who strikes fear into your heart? Dragic? Whiteside? Olynyk? Josh Richardson? Wade is really the only guy who jumps off the page as a legitimate playoff threat, and I think he’s going to be a total pain in the ass for Brett Brown’s team in this series.
Otherwise, it’s what I said above – the Sixers vs. themselves, even Brown vs. Erik Spoelstra in a matchup between experience and non-experience, at least in a head coaching role. I know Brett has been there with San Antonio, but he’s the main man for the first time ever.
I think Philly is the better team, but don’t sleep on Miami at all. I could easily see this going to seven games, highlighted by some brutally stressful fourth-quarters.
Prediction:
Game 1: Sixers
Game 2: Sixers
Game 3: Heat
Game 4: Heat
Game 5: Sixers
Game 6: Heat
Game 7: Sixers
Sixers outlast Miami to move on to the next round.
Time’s yours.
Previewing the Sixers and the Heat, Part Two: The Season Series published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/
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