I've been searching the internet. Why does there seem to be no wide litter scoops to do the box in one pass? Like something 12+ inches wide?

Hello! I have lost 40 lbs and now my bras don’t fit.
My measurements:
BUST

• standing: 45”
• leaning: 47.5”
• lying: 45”

UNDERBUST

• loose: 38”
• snug: 36.5”
• tight: 35”

The calculator gives me 38G, but my 38FF bras are on the tightest hook and at least a half size too large in the cup. I have very short and somewhat narrow roots which I figure are leading the calculator to expect more boob volume than I actually have. My shape is projected with even fullness in all directions. I’m pretty closely set, only about a centimetre of space in the middle.
My bras:

1. Flirtelle Thalia 38FF in black. This bra used to fit really well, but now the cups are very wrinkly. The wires are nearly narrow enough (still maybe a centimetre too wide) and the cups are about the right height, maybe a little too tall still. I would probably fit a 38F well now, my only issues with this bra being that the gore is a bit too wide, the non-stretch lace shows badly under thin tops, it’s not very cute, and it only comes in black and a very yellow light beige (I am a very pink light beige).
2. Panache Ana 38FF in sweet lavender and vintage. This bra has always been technically ill-fitting but I like it quite a bit anyway. It’s shallow and for tall roots so I have a gap at the top of the cup, but with the stretch lace it’s not uncomfortable and was not very noticeable before, though the cups are fully too big now. The wires are about a full inch too wide and the tall cups hurt my armpits a little after a full day. The gore is nice and low, so it’s not too wide for me there. The bra is very cute too.
3. Curvy Kate Flutterby 38FF in pink/lilac. This bra does not fit and never did. I bought it because I loved the colours but it is uncomfortable in every way. It has vertical boning in the band that curves and digs in at the top and bottom, the gore feels like it’s punching me in the sternum, the wires are so wide the straps dig in to my armpits and shoulders, and the cups wrinkle at the top. I can‘t wear it for more than a few hours.

Additionally I’ve tried Panache Envy 38FF in black and had to return it, but I don’t remember the specific fit issues. I think it was too small in the band at the time.
I’d love specific brand and style suggestions since I have to buy online and returns options aren’t great in Canada. Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone. I'm one of the owners in the dynastyfootballleague and I'm looking for replacement owners for 2023. We will be headed into year 12! We have paid out about $30,000 over the life of our league. Below you will find a link to our MFL page and Rules/Bylaws.
Our lineup this upcoming season will consist of:
QB, 2RB, 2WR, TE, 3 Offensive FLEX, K, 2DL, 2LB, 2DB, 3 Defensive FLEX. This is a very deep league with lots of ways to build a winning roster! Rules discussions happen annually with input for new owners.
This is an extremely unique and fun league to be apart of. Our 72 teams are divided up by 6 different divisions. We do not allow cross division trading and drafts are exclusive to each division. Our Championship bracket consists of 4 teams from each division to make 24 total. We also have a separate 6 team divisional bracket that pays 50 dollars to 6 different champions and includes naming rights for your division for the year.
Speaking of prizes, the winner of our league gets a top prize of $1,000 and an awesome owl trophy! The top 8 teams will get paid from our championship bracket. On top of the championship/divisional brackets we have a NFL year long pick em, a survivor league, a second chance/losers bracket prize, a season long high score prize, and you also get paid 30 bucks for each week you have the top score.
LINK TO LEAGUEPAGE
LIST OF AVAILABLE ASSETS
RULES
Our league dues are $50. As you can see the upside is huge, and the opportunities to make money and win are numerous. We have a great group of active owners who love to chat and trade. We utilize Discord to have a league-wide chat along with division specific chats.
In our league we have new owners join through a dispersal draft. We start with a lottery to order new owners, then you will have the opportunity to join a division and draft from the pool of available players. All players and picks owned by owners that left will be included in the dispersal. Any team listed as Open on the home page will be part of the dispersal draft. The asset list linked above shows you which players and picks will be available in the dispersal drafts for each division.
We will ask that new owners pay for this year and next year to ensure you are serious about participating. Most owners pay a year in advance anyways because our rules require it in order to trade future picks. While we don't know how many open spots we'll have yet if you express interest now you'll certainly get a spot.
If you are interested or you have any questions that you'd like answered before joining feel free to reach out to me via DM or just replying in this thread.

FXChoice is regulated by the International Financial Services Commission (IFSC) of Belize.
FXChoice is an online forex broker that offers trading in various financial instruments, including forex, commodities, indices, and cryptocurrencies. The company was founded in 2010 and is based in Belize. Here is a review of FXChoice based on several key factors:
Trading Platforms:
FXChoice offers three trading platforms: MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and the FXChoice WebTrader platform. MetaTrader 4 and 5 are popular trading platforms widely used by traders around the world. The platforms offer a wide range of features, including advanced charting tools, automated trading, and a variety of order types. The FXChoice WebTrader platform is a web-based platform that allows traders to access their accounts from any computer with an internet connection without the need to download or install any software.
Trading Accounts:
FXChoice offers three types of trading accounts: Classic, Pro, and VIP. The Classic account is suitable for beginners and requires a minimum deposit of $100. The Pro account is designed for experienced traders and requires a minimum deposit of $1,000. The VIP account is for high-volume traders and requires a minimum deposit of $25,000. All accounts offer leverage of up to 1:200 and access to a wide range of financial instruments.
Fees:
FXChoice charges a commission on trades for the Pro and VIP accounts. The commission starts at $3.5 per lot for the Pro account and $2.5 per lot for the VIP account. The Classic account does not charge a commission, but the spreads are higher compared to the Pro and VIP accounts. Overall, the fees at FXChoice are competitive compared to other forex brokers.
Customer Service:
FXChoice provides customer support via email, phone, and live chat. The customer service team is available 24/5 and is generally responsive and helpful in addressing customer inquiries and issues.
Regulation:
FXChoice is regulated by the International Financial Services Commission (IFSC) of Belize.
be away of FXChoice
I'm sharing my experience so it doesn't happen to others.Don't be fooled,details: Reviews

As an adult creator, one of the most crucial aspects of your work is ensuring your safety and protecting your privacy.
While it may seem like a minor detail, the way you handle your email attachments can make a significant impact on your overall security.
Yes exactly. When sending pictures via email to a customer, you need to take some precautions.
When you take a picture, your phone is going to save lots of stuff about you, including the location where the photo was taken and your name. Sending these pictures via email has the chance of disclosing all that personal data to your clients.
To prevent this from happening, it's essential to remove metadata before sending any multimedia material via email.
Metadata is additional information that is stored with your photos and videos, including the date and time the picture was taken, your device model and brand, and even the location of the photo.
Removing metadata ensures that your personal information stays private and confidential. There are several ways to remove metadata from your photos, including using dedicated apps or software, using your phone's built-in features, or simply taking a screenshot of the photo to create a new image file.
However, it's important to note that removing metadata is not a foolproof solution, and there are ways that tech-savvy individuals could still obtain your personal information. Therefore, it's also essential to exercise caution when sending pictures via email, only sending them to trusted customers and taking other necessary security measures to protect your identity and personal information.

How to remove metadata from your windows PC

To remove metadata from your image files, start by navigating to the folder that contains the images you want to address. Once you've located the image file, right-click on it using your mouse to open the context menu, and select the "Properties" option.
In the properties window that appears, click on the "Details" tab. From there, you'll see an option to create a copy of the file with all possible properties removed. Select this option, and then click "OK."
This will create a copy of the image file with all metadata removed, ensuring that none of your personal information is included when you share the image. By taking these simple steps, you can protect your privacy and feel more secure when sharing image files with others.

How to remove metadata with a free tool like ExifTool

ExifTool is a command-line tool that allows you to read, write, and remove metadata from images. It supports a wide range of file formats and provides extensive capabilities for metadata manipulation.
You can read the full ExifTool guide on our blog: https://stormdmca.com/blog/how-to-remove-metadata-with-exiftool-and-why-this-is-essential-for-adult-creators/
Stay safe and take care!

Effortless Taxi Booking from Heathrow Airport TW6 to London City Airport with Peliccan Cars
In an increasingly connected world, efficient and convenient transport has become a vital aspect of both personal and business travel. This is particularly true when it comes to airport transfers. As such, the demand for a reliable and hassle-free taxi service has grown tremendously. Rising to meet this demand is Peliccan Cars, a premier transportation service provider, renowned for its easy and efficient taxi booking from Heathrow Airport TW6 to London City Airport.
Peliccan Cars have carved a niche in the transport sector by prioritising the needs of their customers above everything else. They provide a wide range of taxi services, making travel a breeze, whether it's a quick transfer between airports or a leisurely drive to a business meeting or hotel. Available 24/7, Peliccan Cars are always ready to cater to your travel needs, no matter the time or day.
Booking a taxi with Peliccan Cars is as easy as it gets. Their user-friendly online booking system simplifies the process to a few clicks. Input your pickup location, destination, date and time, and voila, your taxi booking from Heathrow Airport TW6 to London City Airport is done. You also have the option to choose your preferred vehicle from their diverse fleet, ranging from standard sedans to luxury cars, depending on your needs and preferences.
But Peliccan Cars offer more than just ease of booking. The company takes pride in their punctuality and professionalism, ensuring a pleasant and efficient journey for their clients. Their drivers are highly trained, experienced, and well-versed in the local routes, ensuring you reach your destination promptly and safely. Additionally, Peliccan Cars’ transparent pricing policy means there are no hidden charges – what you see at the booking stage is what you pay.
With the increasing need for reliability, Peliccan Cars has set a high standard for its service. Each car in their fleet is meticulously cleaned and maintained, ensuring the highest levels of hygiene and comfort for every passenger. They also prioritise safety, and all drivers undergo rigorous checks and training, so you can relax, knowing you're in safe and capable hands.
As a company that values customer satisfaction above all, Peliccan Cars is not just providing a transportation service; they're delivering an experience. From the moment you book your taxi to the moment you step out at your destination, every aspect of your journey is tailored to ensure convenience, comfort, and satisfaction.
Whether you're a business traveller rushing to catch a flight, a family heading out for a vacation, or an individual seeking a stress-free commute, Peliccan Cars has got you covered. Their efficient taxi booking from Heathrow Airport TW6 to London City Airport is a testament to their commitment to making travel hassle-free, affordable, and enjoyable.
In essence, Peliccan Cars is not just a transportation provider but a partner committed to making your journey seamless and satisfying. So, next time you need a ride, trust Peliccan Cars – a name synonymous with reliability, professionalism, and customer satisfaction.

Teotihuacan was built on a geodetic grid system (a power center) in perfect sacred geometrical alignment with the cosmos to harness the energy of earth and sky. To understand it, we must go back to the original truth of the purpose. advanced design of Teotihuacan suggests that ancient builders had knowledge, not only of architecture, but of complex mathematical and astronomical sciences. The term 'Teohuacan' was found inscribed halfway across the globe on monuments in China, the term means 'place of the sun'(*our translation is 'Place to tie up the sun)Mercury, Hermes was the great Messenger, which also speaks for the planets quick trips around the sun. An aerial view shocked many researchers, but following the traditions we know what every pyramid was used for. Circuit Board-Teohuatican with two large processor chips— the Sun Pyramid and the Moon Pyramid. . One of the most interesting things about Teotihuacan is the finding by archaeologists of the extensive use of mica embedded in numerous structures. This mineral is found 3,000 miles away in Brazil and it is found in all buildings, housing complexes, temples and along the roads so basically this mineral is all over Teotihuacan.
The pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan contained considerable amounts of mica in layers up to 30 cm. Human use of mica dates back to prehistoric times. Mica was known to ancient Indian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman andChinese civilizations, as well as the Aztec civilization of the New World. The earliest use of mica has been found in cave paintings created during the Upper Paleolithic period (40,000 BC to 10,000 BC). The ancient civilizations & their inexplicable similarities are only shocking when one has disregarded our ancestors traditions as 'mythical ', which is a mistake made by academics only recently.
Mica is stable when exposed to electricity, light, moisture, and extreme temperatures. It has superior electrical properties as an insulator and as a dielectric, and can support an electrostatic field while dissipating minimal energy in the form of heat; it can be split very thin (0.025 to 0.125 millimeters or thinner) while maintaining its electrical properties, has a high dielectric breakdown, is thermally stable to 500 °C, and is resistant to corona discharge. Muscovite, the principal mica used by the electrical industry, is used in capacitors that are ideal for high frequency and radio frequency. Phlogopite mica remains stable at higher temperatures (to 900 °C) and is used in applications in which a combination of high-heat stability and electrical properties is required. Muscovite and phlogopite are used in sheet and ground forms.
The Maya Codex Vaticanus records faithfully the very ancient oral traditions of Central America. In one curious passage it states that “in the First Age, giants existed in that country(Mexico). "These 7 who escaped from a deluge , arrive in Cholula and there began to build a tower… in order that should a deluge come again he might escape to it.” Nahuatl language it’s named Tlachihualtepetl (‘artificial mountain’). Originally it was named Acholollan (‘water that falls in the place of flight’).
-Olmec(Xi)-had two different religious associations (gya-fa):the jaguar-man or humano-feline cult and the humano-bird cult. The humano-feline cult was called the nama-tigi by the Olmecs, while the humano-feline cult was called the kuno-tigi..Xoc Bas Birdman
The Teotihuacan(Tlalocan )mural depicts a range of mountains covered in rolling clouds and mists, below a brilliant red sky dominated by the huge figure of Tláloc, the Maya/Aztec god of celestial waters. Falling from Tláloc's open hands are flaming droplets of celestial water, likely representing the high-resonance isotope of protium, that overtly reference the ignition of celestial water vapor to form HHO plasma. The differentiation of celestial waters from terrestrial waters through the infrasonic evaporation of water vapor corresponds to special modern water purification processes involving the separation of resonant lightwater (protium) from dissonant heavy waters deuterium & tritium
The plumed headdress of Tláloc is comprised of radiating feathers of green and red hues, representing the colors of auroral plasma. Three arching red plumes stand out from the other green plumes of the headdress, extending from either side of the central figure and from the foreheads (pineal glands) of the two smaller figures in profile, representing the three frequencies of sound that generate nonlinear standing waves. Rising above the giant central figure of Tláloc is a majestic twisting Tree of Life image, composed of intertwining plumes of yellow/green and pink/red aerial HHO plasma that appear identical to modern photographs of the plasma discharges of red sprites.
Tláloc, God of Celestial Water, god of the vapor that rises, from the earth warmed by the sun after the rains, god of the mist that ascends from the valleys at dawn, god of the water that returns to its source in the clouds that swim over the highest peaks, god of the humid incense from which rise the copal prayers and the prayers of sacrifice
Tláloc is the return of vapor that strains to rise, is the return of time that strains to remember. Tláloc, God of the Fight Against the Current, with whose aid the hero battles against the torrent toward his own origin and beginning, towards the wings of his soul, the wings that Tláloc hides in the hero's past
The cycle of years is past - the waiting ended. Come - reunite, pilgrims, for the sky is in flames! From Xochicalco to Teotíhuacan the red spreads one step, another step, and another, only twelve short steps from the cave of the womb to the final conflagration
The red skies depicted in the Teotihuacan mural are also directly referenced in the Pyramid of Fire Codex, when it states that "the sky will be in flames" that will spread from one pyamid to another, as the worldwide netwrok of pyramids and sacred sites become activated to bath the area in the brilliant infrared and ultraviolet-A light of aerial HHO plasma plumes.ancient, unknown science designed to create energy directed up is excavating the tunnel.
-The geoposition of Teotihuacan pyramid complex (19.68°N 98.83°W), reveals a nonlinear (or Fibonacci-based) resonant alignment with respect to the Great Pyramid of Giza, being 7,684 miles away or 30.9% of the Earth's mean circumference (of 24,892 miles)..which is also observed in the Paracas petroglyphs.
The Sanskrit descendant cultures of Asia express the same essential interpretation given by the Maya culture of Central America; identifying the planet Mercury as ‘the fast runner’ that takes ‘quick flight’ around the sun, having a short orbital period of approximately 88 days. Among Nahuatl cultures, the art of running was crucial to the functioning of society, enabling the rapid conveyance of messages over long distance.
Mercury is the link (messenger) between the gods (higher principles) and humankind. In the ancient art of alchemy, such as in Hermeticism, Mercury, sulfur, and salt were the Earth's three principle substances that represent the trinity in creation. As sulphur is the symbol for the active principle, mercury is the symbol of the passive principle.The symbol of Mercury is the cosmic womb being incubated by the cross of the four elements of creation - earth, air, fire and water. Mercury is the messenger in Astrology as it is in mythology. It is the planet of day-to-day expression and communication. Mercury's action is to take things apart and put them back together again. It is an opportunistic planet, decidedly unemotional and curious. Mercury not only rules communication, it represents coordination. Thought processes, ideas, and sensory information from both unconscious and unconscious sources all need to be coordinated and understood.
Ive said before that the mercury was used to accomplish communication wth the Gods, The fluid metal element mercury was extolled as generating the luminosity of the blood of gods, for its threefold biophotonic extension of human longevity, whereby adepts of the alchemical arts were able to attain long lifespans. Mercury was closely associated with its extreme volatility, which must be carefully controlled to achieve positive results. Mercury was considered an ethereal element for its low boiling point of 357°C. When heated above this temperature, quicksilver will rapidly vaporize as toxic fumes inspiring an association with quick flight: ‘mercury has wings’.
A number of the Mesoamerican pyramids there are key components designed into their construction that act as magnifiers. These components appear to be important in the creation, magnification, and distribution of telluric fields.Pyramid & Scalar WavesEarly Irrigation of Teotihuacan
Provenance od Limestone used in Teotihuacan
Identification of Pyrite & Hematite
• Water, either moving naturally including rivers or cenotes (found at El Castillo at Chichen Itza) or by artificial canals or tunnels, similar to the Temple of Inscription found at Palenque.)
• Geo-magnetic fields. Naturally formed telluric fields that have high and low period throughout day and night.
• Pyramid design. The specific pyramid shape appears to greatly enhance the telluric fields that pulse up and into the center of the chamber.
• Pyramid interior fill. At a number of pyramids, rocks that are good electromagnetic conductors fill the interior of the pyramids and are used to enhance the pulsing field. Rocks that have veins with quartz, granite, and other electrical conducting properties appear to be favored. Characterization of lime carbonates in plasters from Teotihuacan, Mexico: preliminary results of cathodoluminescence and carbon isotope analyses
Dr Burke &Dr Brooker research determined that each location had been chosen because of its naturally occurring telluric energy field that pulsed up and into the structure or surrounding area. Also Burke and his research partner Kaj Halberg discovered electro-magnetic signatures that measured impressive charges on top of the pyramid. In a series of scans, the readings showed an average change of 908 volts over a short period of time, which was concentrated in the early morning hours. As ive stated in the past, this is the ideal time for sungazing. The pineal, contains magnetite & creates its own magnetic field. This was once a universal practice at Sacred sites, in 2009 until Nov 2012 The grand maya council held 52 full moon ritual of the new cycle where we visited sacred sites around the world and brought back these rituals. Burke mentions the readings and states, “These voltages might sound lethal and if it were a household current they could be. However, static electric charge in the air is a different type of electricity and even a thousand volts is not dangerous.” His discovery of pyramid field generation is fascinating, but what he actually uncovered was a means of generating and perhaps distributing electromagnetic energy within a pyramid complex. Which aligns with the term used for the ancient Egyptians, the Great PrNtr-house of Nature, or house of energy).
Stanford edu-Native American & Polynesian population The Genetic Evidence for 2 founding populations has constantly confirmed our traditions, the idea of independent invention is absolute nonsense. Theres an overwhelming amount of evidence, "believe" is a term unfamiliar to Dogon culture & ive yet to see the point in such a thing. If preconceived biases have clouded the minds of the majority, and they ignore evidence thats their fault. The age of the Fourth Sun, the Age of the Black Headed People (Aztec), or the Age of Heroes (Inca). This is the era in which Quetzalcoatl appeared in Mexico -- tall of stature, bright of countenance, bearded, and wearing a long tunic. His staff, shaped like a serpent, was painted black, white, and red [reminiscent of American Indians' mythology of three races of Man]. The staff was inlaid with precious stones and adorned with six stars.
-Between the 14th and 16th centuries during the Aztec era, Quetzalcoatl was worshipped as the patron of priests, the inventor of books and the calendar, as well as the protector of goldsmiths and other craftsmen..Shamanism, was invented in west Africa & brought to the Mesoamerican civilizations. The Aztec oral traditions say that Quetzalcoatl & his followers brought these beliefs ,and came from the East across the oceans. This is now corroborated by genetic, skeletal remains, artifacts, you name it. Quetzalcoatl was just a High Priest of Anu. The Gold tipped spears,or as Columbus calls it ' guanin 'to the Indians of Hispaniola. Samples of which sent back to Spain on a mail boat, and the proportion was found to be identical to what was being forged in African Guinea.
Moche Reed BoatThe Xi(Olmec) were a mix of a Polynesian/Oceanic elite aristocratic people accompanied by priests of the Orisha(Yoruba)/Mende(MalinkeBambara)responsible for introducing the religious practices and astronomical worship of the Mother Goddess complex (Venus, the Dogon Sirius observation and the Venus worship of the Olmecs, the use of the ax in the worship of Shango among he Yoruba of West Africa and the use of the ax in Olmec worship as well as the prominence of the thunder God later known as Tlalock among the Aztecs).It was R1b-V88(Yoruba) that were known as magicians to the Mayans & local Aymara over in Bolivia because of their knowledge of acoustics, which they have preserved from the Nile Valley (Anu colleges of Heliopolis).
Again, we see Toward the end of the Fourth Sun, wars between the gods were taking place. [The Battle of the Titans?] The gods' war brought havoc to the land; wild animals overran mankind, and Tollan was abandoned. The fourth Sun had begun 5,042 years before the time of the Codex Vaticano-Latino 3738 (1533). The time the Fourth Sun ended is not stated, but the Codex was written during the Fifth Sun. The Fourth Sun may have perished by means of the Jaguar. The Fifth Sun is referred to as the Age of Kings by the Incas.

I've been seeing this argument a lot as a reason to potentially discredit Grusch's claims (especially on the Fox News report comments 🤣) and wanted to add some thoughts. There are multiple lines of thought that can potentially rebut this argument, but the following is my favorite:
In regards to the element of distance and travel time in this argument - as many have posited, they could be using higher dimensions to pop in and out and may not be restricted like we are when it comes to space and time. This is a fantastical explanation, but it fits with some of the descriptions of sightings. This would remove those elements as factors visiting Earth.
If that presupposition is accepted, the next argument might be "ok, so they are so advanced and intelligent that they can travel within higher dimensions - if they are that advanced, why are they crashing so much? Why are we allowed to capture their craft? Why are we allowed to attempt to reverse engineer their craft..for decades? Why are we allowed to capture the occupants?"
The most logical explanation I can see discussed (that is admittedly based in the context of the human reality) is that the crashes are results of attacks (or maybe more accurately, the result of defense actions) of another entity or system on this planet or nearby. Humanity is quite old (~8000 generations), and many theorize our evolution was bootstrapped by a third-party. Some theorize we have advanced technologically many times over. Our current technological evolution has taken place over the past ~5 generations. That's leaves ~7995 generations where basically nothing happened? Seems unlikely, given that we have had the same brain throughout that time.
Perhaps our ancestors, or someone else, built a planetary or solar-system wide automated defense system and the crashes are results of this system being implemented when a threat is detected. Maybe it's the Orbs. Seems like the only thing that should be able take these craft down are other craft or devices of similar technological advancement. I don't see why they would crash for any other reason (unless they aren't actually accidental crashes). I also believe this fact is terrifying enough that it would warrant hiding it from the general public, especially if the threat never escalated since we discovered this and the status quo has been maintained.
Edit: another thought - this tracks with the current state of affairs of cyber-warfare (arguably all warfare). We only see major vulnerabilities being exploited every once in a while, just like we only see crashes once in a while. It is a cat and mouse game. Once an vulnerability is exploited, it is "in the wild" and defenses can be built to prevent further exploitation. It only makes sense that this would scale up as a civilization becomes more advanced, and it's possible that it simply moves from taking place on planetary scale to a galactic or universal scale, but the principles stay the same. AI may only exponentially speed up this process. And if we all think the "beings" might be AI-based...

Adrien Broner Vs. Bill Hutchinson Live Streamadrien Broner Vs. Bill Hutchinson Live Streamadrien Broner Vs. Bill Hutchinson Live Streamadrien Broner Vs. Bill Hutchinson Live Streamadrien Broner Vs. Bill Hutchinson Live Streamadrien Broner Vs. Bill Hutchinson Live Stream
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🔴 HDstreams :➡ Broner Vs Bill Hutchinson live streams reddit
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🔴 HDstreams :➡ Broner Vs Bill Hutchinson live streams reddit
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Adrien Broner Vs. Bill Hutchinson Live Streamadrien Broner Vs. Bill Hutchinson Live Streamadrien Broner Vs. Bill Hutchinson Live Streamadrien Broner Vs. Bill Hutchinson Live Stream
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Adrien Broner will return to action this evening in Miami, facing Bill Hutchinson in the first fight of his deal with promoter Don King, as Broner looks to get himself back into the mix at age 33.
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We’ll have live updates of the show starting at 6:50 pm ET, with the fights airing on PPV (you can buy through FITE TV). We’ll have live results and commentary, and hopefully some highlights, but we’ll see how social media goes for this.
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Everything will come in this stream:
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When Is Broner Vs Hutchinson?
Adrien Broner is set to take on Bill Hutchinson on Friday 9th June 2023 at Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami.
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The fight is scheduled for 10 rounds in the Welterweight division, which means the weight limit will be 147 pounds (10.5 stone or 66.7 KG).
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The undercard is set to feature the clash of Rigondeaux vs Clemente.
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Broner Vs Hutchinson Stats
Adrien Broner steps into the ring with a record of 34 wins, 4 loses and 1 draw, 24 of those wins coming by the way of knock out.
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Bill Hutchinson will make his way to the ring with a record of 20 wins, 2 loses and 4 draws, with 9 of those wins by knock out.
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The stats suggest Broner has a large advantage in power over Hutchinson, boosting at 71% knock out percentage over Hutchinson's 45%.
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Adrien Broner is the younger man by 1 year, at 33 years old.
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Hutchinson has a height advantage of 2 inches over Broner. Despite this, he has 1-inch reach advantage.
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Both Adrien Broner & Bill Hutchinson fight out of an orthodox stance.
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Broner is the more experienced professional fighter, having had 13 more fights, and made his debut in 2008, 2 years and 10 months earlier than Hutchinson, whose first professional fight was in 2011. He has fought 122 more professional rounds, 247 to Hutchinson's 125.
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Broner Vs Hutchinson Form
Adrien Broner has beaten 2 of his last 5 opponents.
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In his last fight, he defeated Jovanie Santiago on 20th February 2021 by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at Mohegan Sun Casino, Connecticut, United States.
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Previous to that, he had been beaten by Manny Pacquiao on 19th January 2019 by unanimous decision in their WBA World Welterweight championship fight at MGM Grand, Las Vegas.
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Going into that contest, he had drawn with Jessie Vargas on 21st April 2018 by majority draw at Barclays Center, New York.
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Before that, he had lost to Mikey Garcia on 29th July 2017 by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at Barclays Center, New York.
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He had defeated Adrian Granados on 18th February 2017 by split decision in their 10 round contest at U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati.
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Activity Check
Broner's last 5 fights have come over a period of 6 years, 3 months and 22 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 1 year, 3 months and 5 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 58 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 11.6 rounds on average.
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What Time Does Broner Vs Hutchinson Start?
The fighters are expected to ringwalk at around 11:00 PM EST / 8:00 PM PST at Casino Miami Jai Alai, Miami, United States, which is around 4:00 AM BST in the UK.
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Who Is Showing Broner Vs Hutchinson?
The Fite.tv PPV US show is expected to begin at 6:50 PM EST / 3:50 PM PST. The Fite.tv PPV UK broadcast of the card is expected to start at 11:50 PM (BTS).
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How Do You Stream Broner Vs Hutchinson?
In the US you can stream Broner vs Hutchinson via Fite.tv on a PPV basis. Once purchased, you can watch on your Smart TV, Phone or Desktop PC, and they have apps available on Roku, Xbox, Chromecast and Apple TV.
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The whole event costs $24.99.
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In the UK you can stream Broner vs Hutchinson via Fite.tv on a PPV basis. Once purchased, you can watch on your Smart TV, Phone or Desktop PC, and they have apps available on Roku, Xbox, Chromecast and Apple TV.
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The whole event costs $24.99.
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What Are The Odds On Broner Vs Hutchinson?
Adrien Broner is currently 1/25 (-2500) to win the contest outright, while you can get 8/1 (+800) on Bill Hutchinson if you fancy the massive upset.
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View all Broner vs Hutchinson Odds

Hello to you, fellow ingrates.
Year 6 of DABR Defends the New York Giants from Criticism has arrived.

Season Recap

tl;dr: The Giants had their most successful season since 2016, and arguably since winning the Super Bowl in 2012 (if the draft spot/playoff success is the measurement) and went into draft night with the latest selection they've had since 2012, the first outside the top 11 since 2016.
Giants fans didn't really expect to win that many games this year. There were still some hopefuls for Daniel Jones but most people had come to terms with new GM Joe Schoen and new HC Brian Daboll pretty much setting up to replace him, declining his 5th year option.
It was the first year of this regime, they hadn't really been able to fix up the roster fully, etc. Most Giants fans I know were expecting a 4-7 win season, not sniffing the playoff race. Ha.
It all started week 1 vs Tennessee. It was honestly a story Giants fans have gotten familiar with. Look absolutely horrible in the first half of the game, but somehow struggle back into it in the second half, only to be dramatically disappointed at the end of the game. After Daniel Jones threw a red zone interception with just under 9 minutes to go, we thought that was pretty much it.
But then with 4 minutes left, Saquon Barkley rips off a 33 yard run, Daniel Jones converts a 4th and 1, and the Giants score a TD to pull them to just a 1 point deficit. Most Giants fans are thinking "okay he's gonna kick it, play for overtime, I respect that, we didn't think it would be that close anyways."
And then we see the offense staying on the field...uh oh. The offense wasn't exactly clicking on all cylinders to that point in the game, having been shut out in the first half. If we don't get it, the game is pretty much lost. Daboll calls a shovel pass, Saquon gets it, it looks like it's completely doomed...I'm thinking "here we go again, his first game and the media is already going to be all over him for going for it"...but Saquon fights his way in! Giants take the lead for the first time in the game. We're feeling good, Daboll's huge balls in that situation giving us some confidence.
Then the Titans methodically work the ball down the field (along with a couple of assists from Austin Calitro and Darnay Holmes), setting up a 47 yard field goal for Randy Bullock to win the game.
Now, I'm thinking, "of course this is what happened, they gave us some hope, now it's going to get ripped away from us, just like always. Story of the last few years at times."
...and then Bullock missed the kick. That was the start of what turned into a magical first half of the season, the Giants getting off to a 7-2 start, all 7 wins coming by a 1 score margin (though the Bears and Texans games were a bit cleaner than the final scoreline suggests), and 5 of them really coming down to big time plays in the last 5 minutes of the game.
The Titans story, taking the lead with 3:38 left in the 4th quarter and Julian Love sacking Baker Mayfield to force 4th and 15 the next drive against Carolina, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Xavier McKinney batting down Aaron Rodgers' passes in London, Love intercepting Lamar Jackson to set up the game winning score against Baltimore, McKinney and Love stopping Christian Kirk at the 1 yard line on the last play against Jacksonville.
All of those games are games that go against us in previous years. But this year was just different. And somehow through it all, there were Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones as well. Saquon was the focal point of the offense early in the season, Jones being efficient in a heavy, limited, play action focused passing attack.
All thoughts of the Giants earning a top pick and replacing Daniel Jones pretty much went out the window by week 4, and hope for Jones maybe finally becoming the QB he was drafted to be started to blossom in some parts of the Giants fanbase.
Things came crashing down a bit the next 4 weeks. Awful losses to Detroit, Dallas, and Philly, with a tie against Washington in there too that many Giants fans felt they deserved to win capped off a 1-4-1 stretch where the Giants simply did not look good. They looked more like what we expected the team to look like coming into the year. The playoff spot was no longer guaranteed, at 7-5-1. But a flexed SNF game against Washington would pretty much decide the season.
And the Giants took that win against Washington and ran with it. A close loss against the Vikings that was probably the best passing attack game of the season to that point, a dominating win against the hapless Colts that locked the Giants into the playoffs, and a surprisingly tight and scrappy game between the Eagles starters and the Giants backups gave Giants fans some hope headed into the playoffs. We didn't expect to win a Super Bowl, but the matchup against the Vikings seemed winnable.
And winnable it was, as in classic 2023 Giants fashion, they took a lead about halfway through the 4th quarter, and a couple of clutch plays on defense by Cordale Flott and Xavier McKinney ended the game.
Then we went to Philly and got absolutely ass blasted, ending our season.
That left the Giants with the 25th pick in the class, entering an offseason with a lot of business to take care of.

Free Agency Recap

The Giants had a lot more room to operate in free agency this year than last year, and Schoen was relatively creative in how he wanted to go about it.
The first step in that process though was figuring out the status of his pending free agents; most notably, the two who led the way on offense most of the year: Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. The Jones negotiations were tense, Jones asked for the moon and the team was not having it. Eventually (literally right before the tag deadline) they settled on a 4 yr, 160m extension with 82m fully guaranteed and a boatload of incentives that could push the value up to almost 200m. That allowed the team to tag Saquon Barkley, whose extension talks are reportedly still stalled, as Barkley declined an offer worth almost 14m during the Giants' bye week, and continues to find the Giants' offer(s) unpalatable.
Speculation is that Barkley is seeking more guaranteed money from the Giants (greater than the sum of 2 franchise tags), but Barkley's camp is not leaking much (reportedly because Saquon doesn't want them to). And according to most reporters, Saquon is too competitive to actually sit out the season, removing his last bit of leverage.
Possibly the biggest addition of the Giants' free agency period was actually a trade: The Giants traded the Chiefs' 3rd rounder (acquired for Kadarius Toney) for TE Darren Waller. This is a huge move because the Giants were dead last in explosive pass play rate by a WIDE margin. Only like 6 individual team seasons since 2010 had fewer explosive passing plays than the 2022 Giants. That's something that Schoen and Daboll immediately set out to fix, and Darren Waller is one of the best explosive pass weapons in the league, leading all TEs in explosive pass plays this season despite playing just 9 games this year. Reports out of OTAs are that the Giants are expecting Waller to basically fill a "WR1" role for them; not necessarily in alignment but being the focal point of the offense, high target share, etc.
Schoen and Daboll followed that addition up with two more explosive pass play options: retaining Darius Slayton, and adding Parris Campbell to the room. Slayton is a solid WR, he's good for 600-700 yards when he gets run. His hands are inconsistent, but he makes up for it often. Campbell finally broke out having a healthy season for the Colts this season. I think Campbell is mostly insurance for Wan'Dale Robinson, who is coming off of a torn ACL, but if healthy should get primary run in the slot.
The Giants' other two main moves came on the defensive side of the ball, adding LB Bobby Okereke to a LB room that comprised of: Jarrad Davis, Micah McFadden, and Darrian Beavers (coming off a torn ACL). Much needed improvement in that room. The Giants also added Rakeen Nunez-Roches and A'Shawn Robinson to the DL room to improve the depth there; Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams were playing too many snaps, and the Giants were really bad against the run last year.
In the process though, the Giants lost both of their starting centers from 2022, Nick Gates and Jon Feliciano, as well as S Julian Love, who had been a consistent staple of the defense the last few years.

Draft Needs

The Giants roster was in much better shape this year than last year, but the team still had a number of problems:

1. CB was still a HUGE need for the Giants, and one that had not been properly addressed yet. Adoree' Jackson had another very good year in 2022, but the spot across from him had been a mishmosh of misfit toys: Fabian Moreau had a nice little run, but struggled down the stretch. Nick McCloud got a lot of run at CB2 after being claimed on waivers from the Bills. Cordale Flott had been drafted as a nickel defender but got some run there. And the slot position wasn't much better, as Darnay Holmes continued to be a liability there. This position needed reinforcements. I've been a relatively vocal minority in the Giants fandom saying this has been the BIGGEST need the team had for a couple of years now (basically aside from the one year that we had Bradberry and Jackson both on the team).
2. Despite adding Slayton, Campbell, and Waller, WR was still something the team needed. Specifically someone who could develop into a WR1 type player. The Giants WR room is relatively deep, but just adding Campbell and Waller and running back last year's group didn't feel sufficient. The team clearly was putting an emphasis on speed, separation, and yards after the catch ability.
3. Center was a massive need. The Giants basically didn't have a center on the roster who had played meaningful NFL snaps. Ben Bredeson could move to center if needed, but it wasn't that solid of a plan. And in what seemed like a good center class, this seemed like a good way to solve that problem.
4. LB. The LB2 spot currently will be either Jarrad Davis, Micah McFadden (who basically lost the job last year to Jarrad Davis), or Darrian Beavers (who tore his ACL last year). I think that says it all.
5. RB: Saquon is on the tag, so you feel okay here, but the team has been seeking a solid compliment for him for a while. They were in on a few of the RBs last year and the value never lined up, and Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell didn't really cut it last year. They don't want to run Saquon into the ground early in the year like they did last year, so having a compliment for him is big.
6. S: Losing Julian Love is a tough one. He played a lot of snaps and wore a lot of hats for this defense last year, especially with McKinney missing time with a hand injury. The team likes Jason Pinnock, and drafted Dane Belton in the early 4th last year, but more depth and competition here would be very welcome.

So let's get into the picks:

1.24: Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland

Seems like maybe Schoen agreed with me!
It was a lot harder to try to predict what the Giants would do this year, just by virtue of having a later pick. But the general consensus among the beat seemed to be that the team wanted to get a CB or an offensive playmaker with that first pick. I was a little skeptical of CB being an option, seeing how many mocks had all 5 of the top CBs off the board, but that often left WRs available.
So right after the Jets took Will McDonald at 15, if you looked at the board, only 1 CB had been taken and no WRs had been taken. That felt pretty good for the Giants.
Then Forbes and Gonzalez come off the board, and the top 4 WRs come off the board from 20-23.
That left the Giants feeling a little antsy. They had one guy they really wanted left, and negotiated a trade up one spot with the Jaguars to secure their guy: Deonte Banks.
This pick is perfect for what the Giants want to do on defense. Wink Martindale's reaction should say it all, if you go watch the Giants' behind the scenes videos on the draft process.
Banks is a tall, long, and athletic corner, which are all important traits for Wink's press man heavy defense. He's super fluid and smooth in his hips. He tested absolutely crazy. He also plays with a swag that I think Wink and Giants fans will come to really appreciate. He plays confident, he plays fast in terms of processing, and he plays physical.
He still has some development to go, I'm not saying he's going to be a top CB in the league from day 1. He wasn't a super ball productive corner, but that's not something Wink necessarily needs. It will take some time for him to get comfortable with the complexity of route runners in the NFL. But the tools are all there, and the Giants get a perfect scheme fit.
Banks will come in and immediately be the starter at CB across from Adoree' Jackson, and the trickle down effect that will have on the Giants depth chart at CB will be tangible.

2.57: John Michael Schmitz, OC, Minnesota

As this pick was coming up, Schoen and Daboll were discussing who to pick, and basically said "okay we're either going with Schmitz or (we'll get to that later ;) )".
Then the Bears traded up to the pick before the Giants pick. And Joe Schoen said "oh fuck." Daboll tried to calm him down and said "well I guess we're getting ."
Then the Bears took Tyrique Stevenson (good pick!), leaving the Giants the choice between the two players. And the Giants went with Schmitz.
Full disclosure: I was not a huge JMS fan in the draft process. I thought he was super solid all around, but he wasn't really impressive to me, there weren't a lot of overwhelmingly positive reps or traits in my eyes. I thought he was maybe a little heavy footed, especially in pass pro, and his testing kind of backed that up, and I didn't really see full unlocked power either.
I was probably a bit harsh on him in terms of the grade though. Like I said, he's a super solid player. There's relatively little to really complain about. He's smart, he's experienced, and he made few mental mistakes. His snaps were consistent. He is pretty strong though not crazy so. His anchor is really good, and he plays nasty and competitive, which is something the Giants are definitely looking for. It helps he had a really good Senior Bowl week too.
Was Schmitz my favorite center in this class? No. But he was for many people, and for some good reasons. Schmitz will come in and immediately start at center for the Giants, bringing the dead snap with him. If he can be the 3rd best player on this unit (behind Andrew Thomas and hopefully Evan Neal taking a step forward this year and being healthy), it'll be an immensely calming and steadying presence that should raise the OL play of the whole unit.

3.73: Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee

So you may be wondering: Who was Player X?
Well immediately after drafting Schmitz, Schoen looked around the room and pretty much said "what if we can still get ?" He decided that the price he was willing to pay was the Giants 4th round pick. And he and everybody else in the room started calling.
That included Brian Daboll, who leaned over and said "hey should I text [Rams HC Sean] McVay?" Schoen said "yeah sure go for it." And Daboll officially negotiated the Giants trading up from 89 to 73 to select Player X: Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt
Hyatt is a really fun player to watch. The speed blows you away on tape. It's the kind of speed that even if you're not throwing it to him all the time, defenses have to take note when he comes on the field and play him differently. He's not necessarily slippery or elusive after the catch but (and I'm scared to frame it this way but I'm doing it anyway) the speed and acceleration gives him credibility there, the way that Odell was such a YAC threat on slants just getting to full speed and outrunning everyone.
He's a little high cut I think, and that leads to a little bit of trouble with crisper routes. He wasn't asked to run a very complex route tree at Tennessee, though I do think he has the skills to improve in that sense. The biggest concern for me is just how quickly we can get him up to speed beating press and playing through physicality. When he has room to work, he can beat CBs in a few ways, but NFL DBs will knock even very good WRs off their routes at times. And that follows through to contested catches.
The Giants' WR room is so crowded it's hard for me to say exactly what Hyatt's role will be starting out. The Giants started last year trying to use different WRs in different ways on a game to game basis. Then the wheels fell off obviously, with Shep, Wan'Dale, and Toney being hurt and Golladay stinking and all that. So I wonder if we see a return to that.
Hyatt can be a threat in a lot of ways, end arounds, screens, etc in addition to the obvious "go long" situations. Just how many reps he can carve out will be fun to track in training camp.

So the Giants come out of the first 3 rounds with 3 players who were commonly mocked to them at 25. Pretty good business! But let's get into day 3:

5.172: Eric Gray, RB, Oklahoma

The Giants traded away their 4th round pick to get Hyatt so they went 99 picks without making a selection.
Like I said earlier, the team has been looking for a compliment to Saquon Barkley for a long time, and they find it here with Eric Gray.
Schoen said he sees Eric Gray as a 3 down back. And you can definitely see why. He caught 88 passes over the last 3 years at Oklahoma and only dropped 2. He's also strong and physical, willing to pass protect. That physicality carries over into his running style, he runs hard and is willing to run through guys. He's bursty in short areas and has pretty solid vision in my opinion.
He's a compact guy, just 5'9 207. He's not super slippery or elusive, and he's not really a home run hitter. But in terms of finding a backup RB on day 3 to feed some of those tough yardage carries to and keep Saquon fresh, you could do worse than Eric Gray for sure.
The Giants ran a fair bit of "Pony" type formations in 2022, using 2 or even 3 RBs at times. The competition between Gray and Matt Breida for the true RB2 spot will be fun to see. Breida brings a little more explosiveness to the table, but Gray will certainly give him a run for his money. And depending on what happens with Saquon Barkley's contract situation, we may see even more of Gray down the line.

6.209: Tre Hawkins, CB, Old Dominion

When asked about what is different this year from last year, what improvements or what has gotten easier now that he's been in the chair for a full year, Joe Schoen talked a lot about really getting a good handle on what his coaches look for in players. And he singled out Wink in that respect because him and Daboll have worked together so much.
The Giants selection of Tre Hawkins really highlights that. Like with Deonte Banks, Hawkins brings a ton of physical traits. He tested through the roof. He has the length that the Giants look for. He's also super physical in both phases, run and pass, which Wink loves. ODU let him just play press man, so he's comfortable doing that.
He's a little slim still, so his frame needs some reworking, but that's common with CBs and especially ones from outside the P5 schools. He also has a lot of technique and FBIQ stuff to clean up. His footwork is messy, he's not always patient enough with his punch. His ball skills still leave something to be desired. He's still learning to read routes and manage space both in man and zone.
I figure Hawkins will come in and be a depth player and core STer for the Giants. If his play strength holds up against NFL scrutiny, he can definitely be a day 1 punt gunner. Wink has started calling Jerome Henderson the best DB coach in the league, so it'll be fun to see what Henderson can do with a ball of clay like Hawkins. Even if he ends up just being a STer and CB5 type guy, that's still a pretty good pick in the 6th round like this.
Also, sorry Patriots writer :)

7.243: Jordon Riley, DL, Oregon

Beating a dead horse at this point, but this is another pick Schoen highlighted as an example of his understanding of what Wink is looking for.
Obviously Riley is a flawed prospect, it's the 7th round. He was a 6th year senior who spent time at 4 different schools, starting at UNC, then going to JUCO for a year, then Nebraska for 2 years where he barely played, and finishing his college career at Oregon. PFF lists him as having just 534 career snaps in college despite the 5 years he spent at the P5 level. He wasn't very productive, partly because he barely played and partly because he's just not very good. He's not a good athlete.
What Riley does have, though, is size, strength, and knockback power. And that's what Wink is looking for in a depth NT. He eats blocks, stuffs up lanes, and just is hard to move.
Schoen put it this way:
"It’s hard to find these guys. When you get into the seventh round, you are looking for guys that maybe it will be hard to get at different areas. And another guy we spent time with, big run stopper in there, 6-foot-5, 330.
You walk out to practice, and there’s this 6-5, 330-pound guy, who piques your interest right there. Again, some of these guys in different schemes may not have the production, the tackles, the sacks. But for what Wink looks for in terms of size, length, knock-back — he possesses those traits.”

7.254: Gervarrius Owens, DB, Houston

Last pick in the draft and the Giants go back to the DB room. They took two CBs already, but some depth/developmental guys at safety would help. Enter: Gervarrius Owens.
Owens is a former CB turned S from Houston. The CB in him flashes to me on tape, I thought his ball skills as a safety were good. He's athletic enough to play pretty much any safety spot, including that single high spot that teams find difficult to fill. He's super physical and willing to play downhill and tackle. He's super experienced, he was a team captain and 4 year starter for Houston.
He makes a lot of mistakes, however. The angles he takes to the ball in both phases are super inconsistent. He missed a ton of tackles in college, so that technique needs to be worked on. The ball skills turned into PBUs rather than INTs; Wink won't mind that but some of them were like "he really should have just caught that."
Owens is another guy like Hawkins who looks primed to earn his roster spot on special teams and provide solid depth for the team's DB room. Wink likes to play 3+ safety sets, especially when he feels like he has a good group there. And the Giants' S room right now is basically Xavier McKinney and a bunch of question marks, so it's entirely feasible that Owens can come in and beat Dane Belton, Jason Pinnock, and Bobby McCain to earn playing time early on.

UDFAs

The Giants UDFA class included a few notable names. 5 total players who got 100k+ in guarantees:

1. Bryce Ford-Wheaton, WR, WVU: The Giants gave Bryce Ford-Wheaton a LOT of guaranteed money for a UDFA: 236k, which is the full season PS salary plus 20k. BFW was one of "my guys" this year I was hoping for the Giants to get. He's got the size and athleticism to be really good, but he's a little one note right now. In a crowded WR room, I kind of doubt he'll make the roster without some injuries (or Wan'Dale/Shep being on PUP) but like other late rounders/UDFAs, if he can find some value on special teams, he's a fun upside swing.
2. Dyontae Johnson, LB, Toledo: Another guy who got a lot of guaranteed money. The Giants needed some reinforcements at LB and clearly didn't find them in the draft. Super productive in college, very instinctive player, but I'm not sure if he can run with the league. He'll compete with the Giants mishmosh of LBs to play on special teams.
3. Ryan Jones, TE/FB, East Carolina: The Giants have been searching for a kind of H-Back type for a while now. Last year they brought in Jeremiah Hall from Oklahoma, that didn't stick. Andre Miller, who was a WR at Maine, seemed like he was getting run at that spot in camp last year, but a broken arm ended his season. Chris Myarick ended up taking some of those reps. Ryan Jones kind of fits that mold as well.
4. Habakkuk Baldonado, EDGE, Pittsburgh: The Giants' pass rusher depth is...not great. Behind Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, it's Jihad Ward, Oshane Ximines, and Tomon Fox. And Ojulari missed a lot of time last year. Baldonado could potentially come in and earn a spot over Ximines/Fox. He's got good play strength and power and fits what the Giants would need as more of an edge setter and run defender to give Thibodeaux/Ojulari a rest rep before letting them loose to rush the passer.
5. Gemon Green, CB, Michigan: Another tough and physical corner. I don't think there's really a spot for him on this roster with the additions of Banks and Hawkins, and I think he's not quite the athlete the Giants look for at CB, but as a last resort/STer he can potentially get somewhere.

Final Takeaways

I did this last year because it was Schoen's first year here, but I like the idea of doing it every year. What can we learn from the way Schoen drafted this year that we can file away and learn for the future? What can mockers learn from this to inform them of who makes sense for the Giants.
And it's pretty similar to last year:

1. Athleticism. Once again, pretty much every player the Giants drafted, and the UDFAs generally, were excellent athletes who tested well. The main exceptions being JMS (who was still a solid athlete) and Jordon Riley this year; where the exception last year basically was just DJ Davidson. This team has faith in its coaching staff and wants to give them players they can work with.
2. Scheme/Roster Fits. I talked about it a lot with the defensive picks, but every single one is a "Wink Martindale" guy. What does Wink want for his system? This can be a little dangerous considering Wink was in the running for a HC gig last year, and another strong year might finally get him the HC job he has been looking for. If he leaves and the scheme changes, these players need to be able to match the new scheme too. But it's clear that the FO values the input of the coaching staff and there's really clear communication there. This also applies to the offensive side of the ball, where it's super clear that the team wanted more speed on offense, which pointed to Hyatt a little bit.
3. Youth. This one is a little less applicable this year as they did draft a few older players, like JMS and Riley, even Eric Gray who turns 24 in November or Tre Hawkins who turns 23 over the summer. But Banks just turned 22, Jalin Hyatt will turn 22 in late September. It feels like maybe they felt more attached to the age stuff when they thought this was a full on rebuild, but now that they're hoping to be a playoff team again, they need some more instant contributors.
4. Aggressiveness/willingness to trade. This is a newer one, as last year the Giants only traded back. But this year the Giants traded up twice, giving up 3 day 3 picks in the process. Schoen is not afraid to make trades in either direction. Up to secure guys he really wants (Banks/Hyatt), or down if there's nothing there. Schoen talked about having trades lined up in both directions with the first round pick, he had a trade down ready if there was no one he wanted left.

The Giants went into the 2022 draft clearly rebuilding, 5 picks in the top 81 and making 11 selections. This year, the team came into the draft with 10 picks and came out with just 7. Clearly the team thinks the depth is improving and wants to focus on building the championship contender they are looking to be.

Below are the top headlines we’ve been reporting this whole week on Cyber Security Headlines.
If you’d like to hear and participate in a discussion about them, the CISO Series does a live 20-minute show every Friday at 12:30pm PT/3:30pm ET. Each week we welcome a different cyber practitioner to offer some color to the week's stories. Our guest this week is Joshua Scott, Head of Security and IT, Postman.
To get involved you can watch live and participate in the discussion on YouTube Live or you can subscribe to the Cyber Security Headlines podcast and get it into your feed.
Here are the stories we plan to cover:
AI-automated malware campaigns coming soon, says Mikko Hyppönen Cybersecurity pioneer Mikko Hyppönen began his cybersecurity career 32 years ago at Finnish cybersecurity company F-Secure, two years before Tim Berners-Lee released the world’s first web browser, and is now the chief research officer at WithSecure. In an interview with CSO Online. He states it is “mandatory for the cybersecurity industry to embrace AI technology…It will only be a matter of months before malicious threat actors use widely available AI source code to perfect their techniques for complete automation of malware campaigns.” (CSOOnline)
US research agency examines cyber psychology to outwit criminal hackers A new project at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity — the U.S. intelligence community’s moonshot research division — is trying to better understand hackers’ psychology, discover their blind spots and build software that exploits these deficiencies to improve computer security. “When you look at how attackers gain access, they often take advantage of human limitations and errors, but our defenses don’t do that,” Kimberly Ferguson-Walter, the IARPA program manager overseeing the initiative, told CyberScoop. Dubbed Reimagining Security with Cyberpsychology-Informed Network Defenses or “ReSCIND,” the IARPA initiative is an open competition inviting expert teams to submit proposals for how they would study hackers’ psychological weaknesses and then build software exploiting them. (CyberScoop)
Barracuda urges customers to replace vulnerable appliances immediately Following up on a story we covered last week, enterprise security company Barracuda has now warned its customers against using email security gateway (ESG) appliances impacted by a recently disclosed zero-day exploit and to replace them immediately. A patch for the vulnerability, which has been exploited since October 2022, had been issued by Barracuda last month to stop the exploit from allowing ESG backdooring. “The vulnerability existed in a module which initially screens the attachments of incoming emails,” the company had said previously. “No other Barracuda products, including our SaaS email security services, were subject to the vulnerability identified.” (CSO Online)
Clop blamed for MOVEit attack Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence team attributed the recent attack against the popular managed file transfer platform to the Clop ransomware organization. It found the zero-day used in the attack followed similar behavior observed with Clop in the past. The attacks used a vulnerability to deploy crafted webshells on servers, providing access to files and credentials. Bleeping Computer and various security researchers observed attacks in the wild with this exploit over Memorial Day weekend. No word on any ransom demands yet. Clop previously used vulnerabilities in the Accellion FTA and GoAnywhere MFT in the past. (Bleeping Computer)
New ChatGPT attack technique spreads malicious packages Vulcan Cyber's Voyager18 research team described the discovery in an advisory published this week. Based on their proof of concept, researcher Bar Lanyado said the team identified a new malicious package spreading technique they called "AI package hallucination." The technique involves posing a question to ChatGPT, requesting a package to solve a coding problem, and receiving multiple package recommendations, including some not published in legitimate repositories. By replacing these non-existent packages with their own malicious ones, attackers can deceive future users who rely on ChatGPT's recommendations. (InfoSecurity Magazine and Vulcan Cyber)
Google Workspace gets passkeys Google added passkey support for Workspace admins, meaning they can now enable users to sign in to either a Workspace or Google Cloud account using a passkey, no password required. By default, Workspace accounts will still require a password. But even when not allowing passkeys as a sign-in, organizations can still enable them for 2FA. Back in December, Google added passkey support in Chrome, and last month it added passkey login support for standard accounts. (The Verge)
1Password launches its public passkey beta Password manager 1Password has launched its public beta for passkeys, which will allow users to replace passwords with authentication systems built into their devices. 1Password users can now create, store, and share passkeys for supported websites by installing the 1Password beta browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox, or Brave. Passkeys can only be created for websites and services that have rolled out their own passkey support. 1Password users will be able to vote on which sites and services they’d like to support passkeys. While it won’t guarantee those platforms will integrate passkey support, the hope seems to be that developers will be motivated to add the feature due to popular demand. (The Verge)
Verizon releases its annual Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) On Tuesday, Verizon issued its 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR). The report revealed that three-quarters of data breaches over the last year (74%) involved the human element, caused by employees falling for social engineering attacks, making errors, or using their access maliciously. Credentials accounted for seventy-six percent of the data compromised in social engineering attacks followed by internal organizational information (28%) and personal data. Finally, the report noted that ransomware events held steady accounting for about a quarter of overall incidents, however the median cost of a ransomware attack doubled since the prior year. Verizon noted that in order to rein in these key trends, organizations need to focus on employee security hygiene, implementing true multifactor authentication, and collaboration across organizations to share threat intelligence. (Dark Reading)
SEC drops cases due to data protection failures The US Securities and Exchange Commission dismissed 42 cases due to its staff access documents only intended for judges. This came after a review that began back in April 2022, when it disclosed two other cases that broke similar legal rules. Due to insufficient safeguards within the agency, staffers could download restricted databases and share access through internal memos. The SEC said it found “no evidence that the control deficiency resulted in harm to any respondent or affected the Commission’s adjudication in any proceeding.” (The Register)

Dear community, I am about to install Ventura on my Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 6th Gen. Processor: i7-8650u Graphics: Integrated Intel® UHDGraphics 620 Memory:16 GB LPDDR3 2133 MHz
I created the installer using this: https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Install-Guide/installer-guide/windows-install.html#downloading-macos I am using the EFI file and kext from here following the guide:
https://github.com/tylernguyen/x1c6-hackintosh
This is the error I get:

00:000 00:000 AAPL: #[EB.H.IS!] Err(0xE) <- RT.GV boot-signature 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82 00:044 00:044 AAPL: #[EB.H.IS!] Err(0xE) <- RT.GV boot-image-key 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82 00:061 00:017 AAPL: #[EBH:IS] 0 00:077 00:016 AAPL: #[EBLOG:INIT] 2023-06-09T15:44:24 00:093 00:015 AAPL: #[EBVERSION] <"bootbase.efi 577~170 (Official), built 2023-04-15T04:14:26-0700"> 00:109 00:015 AAPL: #[EBBUILD] <"BUILD-INFO[400]:{"DisplayName":"bootbase.efi","DisplayVersion":"577~170","RecordUuid":"66DF046F-46FD-4D43-8276-80823DCE6890","BuildTime":"2023-04-15T04:14:26-0700","ProjectName":"efiboot","ProductName":"bootbase.efi","SourceVersion":"577","BuildVersion":"170","BuildConfiguration":"Release","BuildType":"Official","Compiler":"clang-1403.0.22.11","SdkVersion":"13.4","SdkBuild":"22F47","TargetArchitectures":"x86_64"}"> 00:125 00:016 AAPL: #[EB.CFG.DEV!] Err(0xE) <- RT.GV booter-strict-xmlparser 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82 00:141 00:015 AAPL: #[EBCFG:DEV] r5 0x0 0x0 00:159 00:017 AAPL: #[EBH:IS] 0 00:174 00:015 AAPL: #[EBWL:MODE] 0 00:190 00:015 AAPL: #[EBCFG:ARG] boot-save-log 0x0000000000000002 (0x0000000000000002 < 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF) default 00:206 00:015 AAPL: #[EBCFG:ARG] wake-save-log 0x0000000000000002 (0x0000000000000002 < 0x0000000000000002) default 00:222 00:015 AAPL: #[EBCFG:ARG] console 0x0000000000000001 (0x0000000000000001 < 0x0000000000000001) default 00:238 00:015 AAPL: #[EBCFG:ARG] serial 0x0000000000000001 (0x0000000000000001 < 0x0000000000000000) default 00:253 00:015 AAPL: #[EBCFG:ARG] preoslog 0x0000000000000001 (0x0000000000000001 < 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF) default 00:269 00:015 AAPL: #[EBCFG:ARG] timestamps 0x0000000000000000 (0x0000000000000000 < 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF) default 00:285 00:015 AAPL: #[EBCFG:ARG] log-level 0x0000000000000001 (0x0000000000000001 & 0x0000000000000021) default 00:301 00:015 AAPL: #[EBCFG:ARG] breakpoint 0x0000000000000000 (0x0000000000000000 & 0x0000000000000000) default 00:317 00:015 AAPL: #[EBCFG:ARG] kc-read-size 0x0000000000100000 (0x0000000000100000 < 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF) default 00:332 00:015 AAPL: #[EBCFG:ARG] force-error 0x0000000000000000 (0x0000000000000000 & 0x0000000000000000) default 00:348 00:015 AAPL: #[EBH:IS] 0 00:364 00:016 AAPL: #[EBWL] 0 0 0x01 0x01 0 0x00 00:380 00:016 AAPL: #[EBBRD:NV] Mac-B4831CEBD52A0C4C 00:396 00:015 AAPL: #[EBB:VAw] 00:412 00:015 AAPL: #[EBB:IAw] 00:428 00:015 AAPL: #[EBWL] 0 0 0x01 0x01 2 0x00 00:445 00:016 AAPL: #[EBB:RRVAR] <000000000000> 00:461 00:016 AAPL: #[EBB:MLBVAR] 00:477 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.BST.IDT+] 00:504 00:026 AAPL: #[EB.BST.IDT-] 00:519 00:015 AAPL: #[EBWL] 0 0 0x01 0x01 3 0x00 00:535 00:015 AAPL: #[EBWL] 0 0 0x01 0x01 4 0x00 00:551 00:016 AAPL: #[EBBRD:NV] Mac-B4831CEBD52A0C4C 00:567 00:015 AAPL: #[EBWL] 0 0 0x01 0x01 5 0x00 00:583 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.H.CHKBM] 0x0000000000000000 00:599 00:016 AAPL: #[EB.H.LV!] Err(0xE) <- RT.GV boot-signature 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82 00:615 00:015 AAPL: #[EBWL] 0 0 0x01 0x01 23 0x0E 00:631 00:016 AAPL: #[EB.H.LV!] Err(0xE) <- RT.GV boot-image-key 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82 00:647 00:015 AAPL: #[EBWL] 0 0 0x01 0x01 24 0x0E 00:663 00:016 AAPL: #[EB.H.LV!] Err(0xE) <- RT.GV boot-image 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82 00:679 00:016 AAPL: #[EB.H.LV!] Err(0xE) <- RT.SV- boot-signature 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82 00:696 00:016 AAPL: #[EB.H.LV!] Err(0xE) <- RT.SV- boot-image-key 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82 00:712 00:016 AAPL: #[EB.H.LV!] Err(0xE) <- RT.SV- boot-image 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82 00:728 00:015 AAPL: #[EBH:NOT] 00:745 00:017 AAPL: #[EBSB:P] 0x0 00:766 00:021 AAPL: #[EBLIMG:DP] VenMedia(957932CC-7E8E-433B-8F41-D391EA3C10F8)/MemMap(10:100000000-100001000)/DMG_000000002A1E849D.dmg/VenMedia(004B07E8-0B9C-427E-B0D4-A466E6E57A62)/HD(Part1,Sig6CF80DDA-94F1-4F00-ABBC-A0E1CE98FF9F) 00:782 00:015 AAPL: #[EBLIMG:FP] \System\Library\CoreServices\boot.efi 00:798 00:015 AAPL: #[EBLIMG:OPT] 00:814 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.B.OBVBM:+DMG] 00:829 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.B.OBVBM:+ROS] 00:845 00:016 AAPL: #[EBRPS] 0 0 0 00:866 00:020 AAPL: #[EB.OPT.LXFF] <"\\System\\Library\\CoreServices\\com.apple.Boot.plist"> 00:882 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.LD.LFIN] 0 1 <"\\System\\Library\\CoreServices\\com.apple.Boot.plist"> <"0"> 00:898 00:016 AAPL: #[EB.LD.OFSOPEN!] Err(0xE) <"\\System\\Library\\CoreServices\\com.apple.Boot.plist"> 00:914 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.OPT.LXFLF!] Err(0xE) 00:930 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.OPT.LXFF] <"Library\\Preferences\\SystemConfiguration\\com.apple.Boot.plist"> 00:946 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.LD.LFIN] 0 1 <"Library\\Preferences\\SystemConfiguration\\com.apple.Boot.plist"> <"0"> 00:971 00:025 AAPL: #[EBKF] <""> 00:987 00:015 AAPL: #[EBMBA:CL] <""> 01:002 00:015 AAPL: #[EBMBA:NV] <""> 01:018 00:015 AAPL: #[EBMBA:KF] <""> 01:034 00:015 AAPL: #[EBMBA:OUT] <""> 01:050 00:015 AAPL: #[EBOPT:BM] 0x821000 01:066 00:016 AAPL: #[EB.OPT.LXFF] <"\\System\\Library\\CoreServices\\PlatformSupport.plist"> 01:082 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.LD.LFIN] 0 1 <"\\System\\Library\\CoreServices\\PlatformSupport.plist"> <"0"> 01:108 00:025 AAPL: #[EB.B.MNBM:ROS] 01:123 00:015 AAPL: #[EBWL] 0 0 0x01 0x01 19 0x0E 01:139 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.OPT.RKS!] Err(0xE) <- BS.LocP EDB4A040-6D8A-11EC-8FAD-3E22FB93ADCF 01:155 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.CS.CSKSD+] 01:172 00:016 AAPL: #[EB.G.CS-?] Ok(0) 01:324 00:151 AAPL: #[EB.LD.LFIN] 0 1 <""> <"1"> 01:351 00:027 AAPL: #[EB.B.SBSSZ] 723512 01:377 00:026 AAPL: #[EBB:SHA] <520e7ee6a29135b4538f361361fd2dad6e20c65f> 01:394 00:016 AAPL: #[EB.WL.PWLFNV!] Err(0xE) <- RT.GV wake-failure 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82 01:409 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.WL.DT!] Err(0xE) <- EB.WL.PWLFNV 01:425 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.WL.PWLFRTCNONE] 01:441 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.WL.DT!] Err(0xE) <- EB.WL.PWLFRTC 01:482 00:041 AAPL: #[EB.LD.LKCR.1] <"System\Library\KernelCollections\BootKernelExtensions.kc"> 03:870 02:387 AAPL: #[EB.LD.LKFS-?] Ok(0) 03:887 00:017 AAPL: #[EB.LD.LKC-?] Ok(0) 03:907 00:020 AAPL: #[EBBST:REV1] 03:923 00:016 AAPL: #[EBCSR:IN] 0x0000027F 03:939 00:015 AAPL: #[EBCSR:OUT] 0x0000026F 03:958 00:019 AAPL: #[EB.BST.FBS+] 03:975 00:017 AAPL: #[EB.BST.FBSADSZ] 0 03:991 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.BST.FBSKSSZ] 0 04:007 00:016 AAPL: #[EBSB:SBGMFNS] x86legacyap.im4m 04:023 00:015 AAPL: #[EBRH:PF] usr\standalone\OS.dmg.root_hash 04:039 00:015 AAPL: #[EBRH:MF] <"usr\\standalone\\OS.dmg.root_hash.x86legacyap.im4m"> 04:055 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.LD.LFIN] 0 1 <"usr\\standalone\\OS.dmg.root_hash"> <"0"> 04:081 00:026 AAPL: #[EB.LD.OFSOPEN!] Err(0xE) <"usr\\standalone\\OS.dmg.root_hash"> 04:097 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.RH.LRHP!] Err(0xE) <- EB.LD.LF 04:112 00:015 AAPL: #[EB.BST.FBS!] Err(0xE) <- EB.RH.LRH 04:129 00:016 AAPL: #[EBLOG:DT] 2023-06-09T15:44:28 04:145 00:015 AAPL: #[EBLOG:EXITBS:START] 2023-06-09T15:44:28 

My config.plist file is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HxIlkfYVRib0ConQF1oXimRM8YCUmnp4/view?usp=sharing
What did I miss? Any ideas?

I'd like to start by letting everyone know that the genre is Fantasy Epic, and that this is a long prologue at 6,414 words. This prologue serves a purpose as it takes care of a lot of my setting and plot setup. It also gives the reader a fair bit of worldbuilding without making it too much of an info dump (talking to you Robert Jordan ;P).
I've had several people beta read this for me and gotten a lot of positive feedback. The prolbem for me is that these were all people I know very well on a personal level. Several have made comparisons to Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings as far as how well the full book is written. The problem is, friends and family can often have a bias and make things seem better than they really are. So, now I want to do a test run in the real world and see what people who don't know me think. Is it as engaging and compelling as they have made me hope that it is?
I'm basically wanting to take a page from a couple authors I admire and follow the ABC rule for critiquing. Please let me know of any point where you thought it was Awesome, Boring or Confusing. I know prologues aren't everyone's favorite thing, but this has basically been written like a novella for the main story as it foreshadows a lot of things leading all the way into book four.
————————————————————————————
PROLOGUE
ARCHIVE INFINITUM
October 14, 844 (Alt-Future)
"Welcome back to the Archive, Master Jonathan."
"Thank you, Charles. It's good to be back. Have you noticed anything interesting in the Physical Realm?"
"I have not, sir. Do you require any assistance today?"
"Thank you, but no. I'm only here to revisit a passage within the history of the Order. Shortly after, I'll depart for the reunion at the Tower."
"Excellent, sir. I'll leave you to it."
Jonathan emerged from the ether and walked through the Archive doors. Inhaling deeply, he breathed in the familiar scents of dusty cleanliness that can only truly be found in a place of learning. The lights reflected off the floor's white marble surface, casting a glow that evenly lit every corner of the large chamber. Even so, the room still felt cavernous to him, as if he were a galleon amidst the vastness of the ocean.
Jonathan appeared to be in his early to mid forties. Though, with the way he carried himself and the spring in his step, he seemed closer to his late twenties. His hair was shoulder length and dark gray. He wore bifocals though he hadn't needed them since his ascension, and dressed with a refined sense of style.
His gray eyes were by far his most interesting feature, though. They were the only hint of how old he truly was and the many adventures and travesties he'd witnessed. Regardless, how old he was didn't matter as age had long since lost its meaning for him. After all, being an immortal tended to give a man new priorities in life.
As he strolled across the room, a lift descended from the tower's heights. The square platform had waist high rails around its perimeter. It floated through the air showing no sign of a suspension system to raise or lower it. This was accomplished by a magical enchantment that allowed it to levitate and dart about the room at mind numbing speeds. As he stepped up onto the platform's dais, it landed on the floor in front of him. He took a position at its center, then, after folding his arms behind his back, mentally willed it to take him to floor eight hundred forty four.
It rose off the ground, gradually gaining speed until it was a hundred or so feet in the air. At that point, the platform took off like a rocket. The thought of what these speeds would do to him if this were outside the Realm of Intellect crossed his mind, making him chuckle nervously. He knew he had to be moving close to six hundred miles per hour.
Now, let me tell you a bit about Jonathan's pet project, The Archive Infinitum. The Archive is a magical structure he'd designed shortly after the cataclysm that nearly wiped out the human race. An event most of you now refer to as the Night of Burning Skies. That same event is also what gave us the powers we now refer to as magic.
Shortly after obtaining his ascension, he learned that science's multiverse theories were close to how reality really worked. There are an infinite number of parallel universes, or branching timelines, that coexist simultaneously. What was different is that each universe shared a common six realm structure. The Physical Realm, the Realm of Intellect, the Dominion of Shadows, the Plane of Enlightenment, the Land of the Forgotten, and the Ether.
He built the Archive within the Realm of Intellect so it wouldn't be bound by the laws of physics or time as we know them. Once the structure was anchored in place, he could set most of those parameters himself. What he didn't realize was that making it here would have an unintended, though not unwelcome, side effect. The structure's size, shape, and architectural style could change by anyone who entered it.
When someone enters the Archive, it ascertains their strength of mind and will. Suppose the individual's mental fortitude is deemed stronger than that of the other occupants. In that case, the appearance will adjust to one that best serves and appeals to that individual. This could become unsettling for the occupants already inside the first few times it happened. That being said, it has no effect on the contents atop the shelves or where you're located within the structure. For Jonathan, it shared an uncanny resemblance to the George Peabody Library, though on a much grander scale.
The lift stopped after a brief ride, and Jonathan stepped off. He resumed his stride, passing row after row of the cherry wood bookcases. There were hundreds of rows and thousands of tomes and scrolls in each. As a scholar, he'd spent most of his existence here. But, even so, he knew there would always be something more to be gleaned from their pages.
Today was a day of remembrance. Of celebration. Of mourning. It was the anniversary of the end of a war that had lasted ten thousand years. With the death of one individual, a light of hope was given to many. For others, it was a bittersweet victory that left a void in their hearts. He'd come here today to revisit a passage that would return him to that fateful day. Reliving the event which granted them this peace, and once again, paying his respects to a dear friend.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes. Here we go."
The plaque on the side of the bookcase read, Row DD, Column 15. Now that he'd found the right one, he began scanning the shelves. It wasn't long before his hand landed on the tome he sought.
"Here it is." He pulled it down from the shelf. "My word. Has it truly been fifteen hundred years since I glanced through these pages?"
Looking at the cover, he chuckled. The combined magic of the Archive and the Realm had created a thin layer of dust. Giving it the feeling of something ancient and lost to time. Raising it to his lips, he blew the dust away, causing the magic to dissipate as it fell to the floor. He pulled open the cover and rifled through the pages. The section he stopped at contained the account of Rexinon the Prophet's final words.
Summoning his divine magics, he channeled a spell into the tome. The words that once filled the passages began to fade away, leaving only the blank pages, which now bled a blueish gray smoke. The soft glow of the lights against the floor diminished as the smoke spread. As the darkness grew more substantial, luminescent spheres and arcs of brilliant blues and crimson could be seen dancing about its surface like lightning.
The ground trembled beneath his feet, and the smokey haze took on a more stormlike appearance. All around him, the air started to feel heavy, and the taste of dust and sea salt filled his mouth. A gentle rain began to fall, and the room's remaining lights winked out. If not for the increasing flashes of lightning, he would've been left in total darkness. But even this was not a comfort, as those flashes cast shadows against the storm's ever swirling walls. Many of which appeared to be dark things that should never be seen in the light.
The storm's intensity grew, bringing disorienting cracks of thunder and wind whipping around him. It assaulted his senses and seemed to have an almost vengeful purpose. That meant he had to constantly focus on the spell, bracing himself against the onslaught. If he failed, it would kill him without question.
Some of the shadows began to take on a physical form with details beyond what the walls could offer them. He watched as an hourglass tumbled end over end, circling him before it returned to the storm. A moment later, a blazing fireplace and mantle emerged but produced neither light nor heat. Finally, a door engraved with the crest of the Order appeared. These images were ones he'd expected to see for this particular passage, and so came as no surprise. However, when a fourth image appeared, he was caught off guard.
Although it was normal for three images to accompany this spell, an occasional fourth spoke of prophecy. He focused intently on this final image. It showed twelve people standing in a circle; one of them was coated in blood. Two others were bound by chains. One a man, the other a woman.
He looked closer at the man and realized it was Godric. His eyes opened wide as he tried to decipher the meaning behind the image. Only a few moments passed while he speculated, but it was a few moments too many. Disaster struck, and too late, he realized his mistake. He'd lost focus, and now the storm would surely take him.
Hurricane force winds and debris tore at his clothes, quickly turning them into rags. One powerful gust slammed into his side as if he'd been struck by a car, knocking him off his feet. The storm swelled with even greater ferocity. It threatened to consume him this time, and he wondered if it would finally cost him.
Rain and hail pelted his face and body, while dust and sand stung his eyes. As he wiped away the grit, a bolt of lightning struck before him, temporarily blinding him. He got to his hands and knees, gasping for breath as the storm continued to beat him relentlessly.
Steeling himself against the pain, he rose to his feet. As fast as he could manage, he began casting mental defenses and barriers to protect his mind from the horrific assault. He bellowed in defiance of the storm, "I will not let it end this way! I refuse!" One defense after another was laid upon his person, until finally, he succeeded. The winds died to a breeze as the rain became little more than a summer misting.
He heard the sound of a quill scratching against paper over the storm's remnants, and the air behind his back grew hot as a crackling fire joined the room's ambiance. The sickly sweet smell of incense filled his nostrils, reminding him of days spent in his master's study. Another fond memory.
The storm wall vanished as the tremors subsided, making the room visible through a misty haze. The light of the fireplace cast his shadow across the now rough cut gray stone floor. Half a dozen tapestries hung around the room, and a liquor cabinet stood at the room's far corner. The main entry door remained closed to his left, and the doorway to the study's balcony lay to his right. At the room's center sat Rexinon at his desk, writing furiously on a piece of parchment.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he'd done this countless times, the journey into the pages of history was always filled with peril. But, blessedly, the most intense part of the spell was complete. And while he could now relax in that fact, that fourth image still concerned him.
He stood in the familiar square room, clothing restored to its original state. The evening's air flowed through the open windows, making the ambient temperature quite cozy. Crossing the room, he paused at the desk and listened as Rexinon started muttering. "What I wouldn't give for a typewriter, much less a computer. Would make this so much faster."
Jonathan couldn't help but crack a smile. "Oh, but how many times have I thought the same thing, old friend?" He remarked, though he knew Rexinon couldn't hear him.
He stepped up to the desk and leaned over it. Looking down at the paper Rexinon was writing on, he frowned. Like so many times before, it appeared as little more than black scribbles on a page. Those words had to be important, but there was no way to know.
This was one of the spell's critical weaknesses. The details within the vision were only as precise as what was written in the tome. Most of the books in the Archive were magically transcribed. The benefits of this were completed histories free of victor and writer biases. Although, it wasn't flawless.
Throughout history, there have been individuals or events that the spell couldn't see. The most well known examples of these blips in time were the United States presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945 and the United Kingdom's Prime Minister, Michael Durham, from 2063 to 2065. All that is known about them was their lives before office and the accounts written by those around them. These gaps in history were generally the result of one of two things. In these two cases, a place or individual with a strong connection to the Dominion of Shadows.
Sighing, he pushed off the desk and crossed the room to the liquor cabinet. He opened the glass doors, pulling several bottles and a glass from the shelves. He made a drink consisting of three parts Red Adders Bite and one part Dry Amorian Blood Wine, then added a lime wedge to the rim of the glass. The others wouldn't arrive for another half hour, leaving him time to kill.
He walked around the room with his drink in hand and studied the various tapestries, several of which he'd been a part of. Each one depicted an accomplishment or tragedy facilitated by the Order. All save one, which showed a scene from the event that started it all.
The one to the left of the cabinet showed the Order's founding. In the background stood a grand tower of black and white marble. Its four sides were engraved with the Mark of Hellyrr, which glowed with a magical light. In front of it stood a man facing a gathered crowd, his arms swept wide in triumph. They looked up at him and the structure with reverence and awe.
He continued to move in a counterclockwise manner around the room. Above the main entry door hung another tapestry. One he was even depicted in. It showed the aftermath of a massacre. Six figures stood amidst the bodies of hundreds. The earth around them was scorched by flame, and the blood of the fallen had stained it red. The cloud covered sky glowed a deep crimson with gold outlines from the fires below. It had come to be known as the Cleansing of Elysian, in which the entirety of the planet's second continent had been annihilated to preserve the world.
"I wish it had never come to this. Why can't we all just get along? Instead of thriving in the prosperity of our two lands, they plotted and began planning to bring war to our own people. To rape, pillage, and enslave them. Even with all my vast knowledge and wisdom, I can't understand why they felt the need to dominate and control the world." He looked back up at the tapestry. "Even now, most of the land is still uninhabitable."
He turned around and looked at the tapestry above the balcony door. This one would appear out of place with the others to all but a few handfuls of people. Even for those who learned the truth behind it, it looked like little more than an artist's vision of what a beautiful landscape at sunset should look like. The sky is dotted with hundreds of stars as shades of red, orange, and yellow dance across the land's horizon. The artist's point of view appears to be looking down from a hillside. Down the hill's slope, you can see a pond teaming with wildlife along its edge. The remaining landscape is filled with miles of forest stretching toward the horizon.
For the few who survived this event and still remained, they knew it depicted the final moments of their world before all of humanity was nearly lost.
Jonathan fixated on this tapestry more than he had on the others. The longer he stared, the more distant his expression grew. Over time, his breathing quickened, and his grip on the glass slipped. It shattered as it hit the floor, causing the rug to stain from the liquid. The sound jerked him out of the trance like state, making him feel ill.
He could still recall the memory of that long ago day like it were yesterday. The thought of how close humanity had come to extinction made his legs weak, and he stumbled back against the wall behind him. He slid down the stones' cool surface and noticed his hands were now trembling. Through shuddering breaths, he uttered the words of a broken man. "So much death. So many lives were lost that day. So many. Oh, Sonia. Even after all this time, I still miss you."
The main entry door slammed open, crashing against the wall with a loud bang. Jonathan jerked as one of them collided mere inches from where he sat. The startling sound had been enough to pull him from his stupor, but it still took a moment for him to gather himself. A man in the doorway lowered his foot from where he'd obviously kicked the unlocked door in.
"Knock, knock, Rex. Seems you've done it now."
"Seth. I'll never understand the animosity you held for Rexinon," Jonathan said wearily as he got to his feet.
Seth stood just shy of five foot eight inches and had slick black hair that he kept combed back. He wore black jeans and a beige dress shirt with mother of pearl buttons, which had seen far too much polish in recent days. A malevolent grin displayed his perfect teeth and careless eyes. He strode into the room, dragging a chair behind him, and placed it on the rug by the fireplace.
"Was kicking the door in really necessary, Seth?"
A second man stepped into the room, obviously annoyed by the unnecessary use of force. He wore a navy blue business suit and towered over everyone else in the room, and that was saying something considering Jonathan was six foot. As he still held to the standards of a marine, he kept his hair high and tight and his face clean shaven. He stood at the rug's edge out of respect for the Order so as not to mar the embroidered Mark of Hellyrr. A respect Seth clearly lacked.
"Godric Gibbs. This day changed you. Hell, it changed all of us, but few as much as you," Jonathan said. He looked back at the door as the third and final man entered. "Assassin."
This man was of a height with Jonathan and wore all black from head to toe. His outfit looked like something out of a TV show. Almost like a cross between Gi Joe's Snake Eyes, and CW Arrow's League of Assassins. After ten thousand years, all they knew about him was his previous occupation as a contract killer. It wasn't long before they'd taken to calling him Assassin, as they had no other name to go by. Any time he was asked a question regarding his past, he either remained silent or dodged it outright. He took a position to Godric's left and, like Godric, took care of where he stood on the rug.
The three men stood in silence and watched as Rexinon continued to write. Godric and Assassin seemed content to wait until he addressed them. On the other hand, Seth seemed to grow more agitated as the minutes passed. Jonathan chuckled in spite of himself.
About twenty minutes later, Rexinon spoke, "Reverend Seth Jones, Colonel Godric Gibbs, and Assassin. To what do I owe the pleasure?" His tone plainly indicated that he already knew.
Seth spoke first. "Oh, cut the crap, Rex. You already know why we're here. This cult thing of yours has gone on long enough."
"Well, there's the pot calling the kettle black," Jonathan muttered sarcastically.
Godric rolled his eyes. Everyone in the room knew about Seth's past as a cult leader. They also knew his anger was more at being forced to wait in silence than anything to do with Rexinon or the Order.
"Calm yourself, Seth. There's no need for such hostilities." Godric looked at Rexinon apologetically. "I'm sorry to have to do this, old friend, but my hands are tied. Rexinon the Prophet, Headmaster of the Hellyrrian Order, you've been charged with conspiracy to overthrow the governments of Aurelia and seize control for the Order.
"As we speak, the leaders of the Hellyrrian Order are being gathered for execution. Furthermore, your towers and all their artifacts will be destroyed, and any remnants of the Order's existence is to be wiped from the face of history. As of 0813 this morning, you have been sentenced to death. How do you plead?"
Rexinon continued to write at an incredible rate. He knew why they'd come. He'd known this was coming for months. After all, his gift was the gift of prophecy. The evidence for the charges against him was both substantial and ethereal, depending on what light was shown on it.
Two centuries ago, the Order had tracked the activities of an unknown number of individuals who'd been subtly manipulating several of the Aurelian governing bodies. They'd spread like a poison, corrupting them and turning once prosperous kingdoms which knew few hardships, into lands where the people had to fight just to survive. The problem was that whoever that force had been, always seemed to be just one step ahead of them. Now, not only was it check, but checkmate. The Order had lost.
"I believe the Righteous Twelve to be ill advised. I believe you've been manipulated by the same corrupted governing body which we've spent so long trying to purify—." Seth grunted. "—But," he said at length, "I accept all charges against me, save one. Neither myself nor anyone else of the Order has ever sought to rule Aurelia, as the charges would imply. The Cleansing of Elysian should've been proof enough to show that to be true."
Rexinon penned the final words of his letter and placed the pen back in its stand. Pulling the top off a jar, he dusted the page with a thin layer of sand to soak up any excess ink. After dumping the sand back into another jar to be cleaned, he pushed away from his desk and stood to look at his guests for the first time. After nudging his stool back under, he addressed Godric directly.
"Will you join me on the balcony one last time?"
Godric nodded his head and gestured towards the balcony doorway. As they stepped outside, Jonathan followed.
Rexinon leaned against the railing and looked out over the city, his gaze fixed on the setting sun. Godric joined him and looked down to the tower's base, some five hundred feet below. Although he was not afraid of heights, it gave him respect for the sturdily mounted railing at the balcony's edge.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Rexinon said. Godric looked at him, confused. "The way the world has turned out since that day? Ten thousand years of watching as civilization was rebuilt and destroyed time and time again by a senseless war. Watching them evolve into something more as they learned how to use these gifts we were given. In some ways, we're greater than we ever were. In other ways, we're inferior. If I have any regrets, it's that I couldn't do more to leave the people better prepared for this new age."
"Well spoken. If it's any consolation, I believe this is wrong. I even spoke out against the council for a different outcome. For my efforts, though, I was threatened with execution if I didn't cease my objections."
Rexinon's tone grew heated after hearing of the council's reaction. "You should know better than anyone why I fought so hard against them, then. I'm not against governance. I'm against corrupt governance. We had far too many corrupt politicians and warlords in our own time for me to ever want to allow it again."
Godric nodded his head. "Yes. The problem is you played too heavy a hand too quickly. Instead of accepting that they'd been beaten, they cheated by playing with an ace they had hidden up their collective sleeves."
Rexinon sighed, knowing his words were true. "Indeed. I've accepted my fate. I won't run. Won't even make it difficult for y'all. I have no need to. I would like to make one final request to ease your conscience, though."
Rexinon leaned toward Godric conspiratorially. As he did this, the world around them began to shimmer and distort. Almost like the motion blurring you'd see on a TV. Likewise, their conversation was masked by the sound of white noise and the sound of hushed incoherent whispers.
This was the second hurdle the scrying spells had to deal with. Individuals with divine magic could conceal their conversations or even the events they were a part of. Rexinon had concealed this conversation, and to this day, Godric has never spoken of what was said.
Jonathan returned to the study with a resigned sigh. There was nothing more he could learn from their conversation. Assassin stood in the same spot he'd been when he first entered the room and looked as if he hadn't so much as twitched. Seth, however, was rummaging through the desk's drawers. He'd tried to figure out what he was looking for in the past, but nothing seemed obvious.
The shards of glass from when he'd dropped his cup earlier had vanished, along with the stain on the rug from the liquor. As expected, the glass had returned to the cabinet, and the bottles had refilled to where they were before he'd arrived. This was yet another reminder that this was a magically induced vision of an event that had long since passed. It could be too easy to forget that this wasn't real and that if he spent too much time here, it would have consequences in the real world for him.
He knew they'd be out there a while. In previous visits, he'd occasionally spent this time combing through the room, similar to what Seth was doing. Having cataloged everything centuries ago, there was nothing left to do but wait. So, he walked around the desk and sat squarely within the Mark of Hellyrr embroidered on the rug. There, for the next hour or so, he would remain, arms folded, legs crossed, and eyes shut. Freeing his mind of all unnecessary thoughts and emotions. At least, that was the plan.
About forty minutes in, Seth started to grumble and complain, forcing Jonathan to give up on his meditation. "… I know he's one of the humblest among our kind, but lord, does he have to be so dull? I can't find anything interesting anywhere. Even his liquor cabinet is dull." Seth walked from behind the desk to the liquor cabinet, pulled a few bottles out at random, and read the labels aloud. "Red Adders Bite, Amorian Blood Wine. Christ, he's even got Athester's Sweet Malt. This crap might as well be water." He pulled another bottle down and said, "At least he's got the taste to have at least one bottle of Nordic Berserker."
"Some of us prefer the simpler things in life. You might find life more enjoyable when you aren't always looking for the rare and exotic," Assassin said with a disinterested, almost dismissive tone.
Seth clicked his tongue. "Hell, even this letter he was so focused on when we arrived makes no sense." Seth thrust the letter towards Assassin, who took it nonchalantly. "Look at this."
Jonathan studied Assassin intently, hoping for any sign that would reveal the letter's contents. It was no use, though; for all the emotion he showed, Jonathan would've thought it no more important than a grocery list. But, if that were the case, why obscure it from the eyes of the scrying spell? The frustration caused by such a simple sheet of paper was baffling.
Jonathan got to his feet as Rexinon and Godric returned. As Rexinon walked to stand at the center of the rug, Jonathan moved behind the desk. Godric walked toward Assassin and conversed with him for a few minutes. Once again, the sound of white noise shrouded what was said. This time, it was Godric who masked his words from the spell. When Assassin nodded, Godric moved beside him and faced Rexinon.
Rexinon looked at each tapestry and seemed to relive each as he did so. They all knew those accomplishments and tragedies would stand the test of time. Any efforts to change that would fall flat. The Order had played too significant a role in shaping this new world. Finally, he turned to Godric, kneeling as he met his regret filled eyes.
Assassin pulled an infamous rod from his side, dubbed the Executioner's Handle. Forged in the Dominion of Shadow by Assassin some three thousand years ago. It was one and a half feet long of shadow infused steel and bound with his own divine essence. Ominous black tendrils crawled along Assassin's hand like something alive and flowed into the handle. The shaft elongated, and an axe head formed at its end.
Though he had accepted his fate, seeing that axe form made Rexinon's heart stop momentarily. He looked at Godric questioningly. Godric knew what that look meant and nodded his head in assent. Agreeing to this had allowed them both to right several wrongs this night by asking one simple question. "Do you have any final words or requests?"
"I have two, if you'll grant them. The first, allow me to disband the Order formally as my final act as headmaster."
Seth started to protest, but Assassin lowered the axehead in his direction as a silent threat. Seth glared at Assassin with seething hatred. Godric nodded to Rexinon. "Proceed."
As the headmaster of the Hellyrrian Order, he had a mental connection with every member. Without hesitation, Rexinon's eyes began to glow with a brilliant purple hue. This would be Rexinon's final order, and Godric knew it would save thousands.
"My brothers and sisters, hear me now and heed my words. Abandon the Order and save yourselves. Flee to the hills and never look back to what we once were. With my dying breath, the Hellyrrian Order is no more. The governments of Aurelia have played a hand we can't stand against. Anyone who disregards this command will be hunted down and executed without mercy. To the leaders and guild masters of the Order, I charge you with dismantling everything relating to the Order and turning over every artifact and document you can to Godric the Just, Jonathan the Wise, or Assassin the Watcher. I also ask that you help calm those who feel outraged and betrayed by this night. Do not blame the Twelve, as they were little more than pawns in this corrupt game of politics. Farewell, my friends. My family. May the peace we have fought for be found in the coming days."
The glow faded, and he slumped forward onto his hands, his breathing labored. A few moments passed, and he managed to catch his breath but still looked towards the ground.
"The second request I have is that anyone who would heed that warning be spared. The ruling factions wanted me. As long as no one else causes trouble, we know they won't cause too much fuss over it."
His voice took on a much sharper edge as he looked back up. "You call us a cult, though you know we are nothing of the sort. On the contrary, our Order has stood for nearly five thousand years for the betterment of the entire world. How they treated you should tell you that what I said and what we were doing was justified."
"Shut your mouth, Rex!" Seth spat venomously.
Godric glared at Seth. His own anger with this situation was at the point of breaking free. "Be silent! I don't know what kind of grudge you have, but I, for one, don't give a damn what the council said. Rexinon doesn't deserve death for the crimes he's being accused of. Unfortunately, the ruling factions in almost every nation are corrupted and working towards being as corrupt as they were back in our day." Godric sighed. "Regrettably, my hands are tied, though. The law is the law, and I have been overruled on this matter. Regardless of what my conscience thinks, I will abide by the rules of the land."
Rexinon nodded, understanding Godric's situation perfectly. Godric had become the divine embodiment of law and justice at his ascension. While those two things work hand in hand, they are far from the same, and one must often walk a fine line to serve them both. In this case, the choices were clear. In the end, it didn't matter what he chose; he would inevitably betray one virtue or the other. Unfortunately, there was no good way for him to handle this, and Rexinon could see how this was affecting him.
"The majority of the Order will heed my warning. As for the leaders, if any are still alive, they will follow that command to the letter. They'll even aid you in handling any hotheads who resist," Rexinon said.
"The good news is that no one has yet been executed this evening. I'll personally see to it that those who abide by that order are given a chance to live long, productive lives within society. If all goes well, you will be the only casualty of this idiocy."
Rexinon gave the faintest sign of a smile with a halfhearted chuckle as he said, "Godric, one thing I'll not allow is any of the Order's work ending up in the hands of one of those tyrants. Therefore, I demand that Jonathan be given every document, scroll, and tome held within our strongholds for safekeeping." Rexinon felt exhausted. The spell to warn his Order took more out of him than anticipated.
"You're in no position to be making demands of us," Seth said. Godric finally snapped and struck him so hard that he slammed back into the wall beside the fireplace, cracking it. He got back to his feet a moment later, fixed his shirt, and looked down at the blood he'd wiped from his lip. Godric looked back at Rexinon.
"As you were saying."
"Assassin, I'd ask that you secure all our relics and artifacts, regardless of their magical significance. I don't need to tell you what all we have housed around Aurelia."
"No, you don't. The nukes of our time were nothing compared to some of those items," Assassin replied.
"We'll see to it that it's done. There are things within these walls that were never meant for untrained mortal hands," Godric added.
"Thank you."
"As for the texts, Jonathan will have a field day going through everything. There is far too much the council doesn't understand within these walls that we can't afford to lose."
"Godric was right, Rex. I still have everything. Much of which has been quite useful over the centuries,"
Godric turned his head away, no longer able to look Rexinon in the eye. "I no longer deserve the right to call you a friend, but is there anything else you would ask of me?"
Rexinon looked at Godric for a long time and couldn't help but smile. Not at his pain or suffering in following the orders given to him, but knowing that if anyone here had ever been a friend to him, Godric certainly was. With his final words, he left Godric with a warning.
"No, but I'll leave you with this. Be wary of those among you, for one will betray you all. My friend."
Godric nodded, accepting these as Rexinon's final words as a tear ran down his cheek. Rexinon lowered his head, and Assassin enveloped his axe's blade in a purple aura.
"Woah, Assassin, what's with the new color? Never seen that before," Seth asked.
Ignoring the question, Assassin swung the axe, severing Rexinon's head cleanly.
That night, the cries of the Order were heard in every city across Aurelia. All mourning the death of the Order's first, and last, headmaster.
Jonathan fought back tears of his own as he watched the axe's head vanish. Assassin secured the handle on his belt as he walked towards the desk. Godric looked as though he was going to be sick.
"Did you do as I asked?" Godric asked shakily.
"Of course. I may be a trained killer, but even I know this was bullshit, mate."
Seth walked over and picked up Rexinon's severed head by the hair. He held it up before him, a mischievous grin on his face. Then he whispered something into Rexinon's ear.
Assassin's eyes locked on Seth. As he let go of the head, he used one of his abilities, known as shadow step, to cross the distance to where Seth stood. Before Rexinon's head hit the ground, Assassin snatched it out of the air and punched Seth so hard that it sent him flying into the same section of the wall he'd hit earlier. He bounced off it, but the force of the impact sent several of the stones flying into the next room. Seth crumpled to the floor, where he lay unmoving for several seconds. After a while, his head snapped upright, and he began to laugh. He stood up as if nothing had happened and headed out the door. Godric, now seething with anger, watched as Assassin started to go after him. "Leave him. He's not worth your time."
Jonathan paced around the room, waiting for the spell to wear off. His heart ached, and his own anger toward Seth at that moment made him wish he could destroy the man. But that was Seth's way, and they'd all learned to let it go in time. The world began to blur and vanish, reverting to the Archive once again.
He closed the cover, placing the tome back on the shelf with a heavy sigh. His fingers lingered on the binding as he read the inscription, A Complete History of the Hellyrrian Order, Volume 666. Finally, Jonathan let his hand fall to the side as he walked away with his shoulders slumped.
As if speaking to an old friend, he lamented, "Damn you, Rex. Why couldn't you have just left well enough alone?"
As Jonathan walked away, he shed a tear at the loss of one of his closest friends.

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Chapter 32
As Mae had previewed, the weeks that passed since the incident in the Logistics Bay were fraught with speculation and feeding the rumor mill. Quin felt he couldn’t walk ten paces on Nemo before meeting some askance gaze of a crewmember or hearing the murmurings of a conversation that abruptly stopped when he would round a corner. Mae was right though that, after a while, the incident became old news and the ruckus died down a bit. Certainly, there was always an inappropriate joke to be had during dinner or dark looks from certain members of the crew, but as the time passed, people turned once again to daily happenings onboard, when the next stopover would take place, and the perennial favorite: who happened to be sleeping with whom.
This last item tended to occupy people to no end, and Quin felt a bit unfortunate that this news also pertained him. Mae and Liza’s breakup and the apparent spat that he and Pepper had ran through the corridors just as fast as the news about Nova. Quin was honestly unsure which conversation he dreaded being brought up more. It seemed that individuals he had never or barely even met knew more about his world than he himself was aware. It was during one of these conversations with two people from the Engineering section that Quin accidently lost it and stormed off, an act he regretted immediately for furthering the gossip chain.
“So is it true that you had to hold Mae back so she wouldn’t punch Liza?” the guy had asked.
”What? NO. What the hell?” Quin responded, flabbergasted.
“Well, I heard from someone in the officer’s corridor that there was yelling and someone got hit. Do you know who got punched?” The other person was practically on their toes with anticipation.
“NO ONE GOT PUNCHED!” Quin shouted, ready to leave the conversation as soon as possible.
“Jeez, why are you yelling?” as the first person, blind to Quin’s growing frustration.
“Don’t you know, Liza’s friend broke up with him the next day because of the fight?” The second person remarked to the first, now completely cutting Quin out of the conversation.
“WE WEREN’T EVEN DATING! WHAT THE HELL?!” Quin screamed, turned on his heels and stormed off to nowhere in particular.
Thankfully, this was probably the worst interaction he had had as a result of those unfortunate few days, aside from the actual conversations themselves that he experienced with Pepper and Nova themselves. He would have appreciated any interaction with either of them at all, if he was honest. The silent treatment from the both of them was practically unbearable. Mae’s words of encouragement, “Time, give it time,” only helped so much when he would pass by Pepper in the corridors or when he had to work directly with Nova during his long shifts in the lab. Nova had limited their conversations to something like a comment box, dropping in parcels of a conversation to the syslog, to be taken up at her leisure and delivered at inconvenient times in the middle of the night. But at the very least, Nova was responding, albeit specifically for work and solely related to their responsibilities together. Pepper, on the other hand, was completely mute. Painfully so, Quin noted as she passed by him going into the cafeteria and didn’t even afford him a glance.
The level of complete non-interaction with Pepper and the invasion into his life by everyone else was beginning to wear on him, and he felt more cut off from the rest of the crew than ever before. He had stopped visiting Bostwick’s chamber for fear of the look of pity that the Commander often wore when passing by him. At least Mae had somewhat of a ‘tough love’ approach to cheering him up. Bostwick’s uncompromising warmth and sympathetic looks made Quin feel guilty rather than comforted, and shameful rather than encouraged. In fact, in the two and a half weeks that passed since Nemo had left the Rhea stopover and Quin passed the night under the watch of the Commander, Quin had only exchanged glances with Bostwick.
Then there was the insomnia. At first, Quin felt nothing but lethargy as he felt the different components of his life crumble around him. The inability to communicate with Tess, the intolerable pity of Mae and Bostwick, the unbearable silence from Pepper and Nova, the frustration expressed by the command staff, and the whispers and side-eyes from the rest of the crew all contributed to the complete physical and mental shutdown he experienced after leaving Rhea. He would steal away to his chamber during break periods to nap, and he would skip meals in order to stay in his room, profiting from the odd bits of food Mae snuck out of the cafeteria. However, after several days of feeling an inability to motivate himself to be out of bed, he started to find that he would lie awake, staring at the ceiling, or glancing at the clock and fretting that it was already 4:00 in the morning.
It was on one of these early mornings that Quin saw the numbers 3:22 at the top of his tablet, and he felt as if it would be impossible for him to find any sleep that night. He had laid down in bed at 22:05 with every intention of forcing a good night’s sleep, but with five hours passing by and no respite coming, he sat up on the edge of his bed and rubbed his eyes a bit. He figured that the coffee station in the kitchen would probably have some hot water with which to make tea, and that could possibly help him. He threw his jumpsuit and boots on and strolled out of the room.
The ship was deserted and peaceful, the type of quiet that Quin relished. It was almost trance-inducing, the soft hum of the ship that Quin felt coming through the very walls themselves. He felt the sound reverberate through him and it was soothing. He set off toward the kitchen. The sleet grey walls of Nemo’s interior usually made for a serious backdrop, but at this hour, it had the effect of dimming the corridors and adding to the sleepy atmosphere of the ship. He stuffed his hands deep in his pockets and followed the sleek lines of the hallways with his eyes as he passed. He came upon the cafeteria doors and walked by them to skirt the main room. He was heading for the back area, the sparkling room with gleaming metal and white tile and a peaceful getaway. Upon swiping his arm against the pad, though, he found that the space was already occupied. A voice greeted him before he had an opportunity to look up.
“Hey Quin, can’t sleep? Is it another bad dream?” Bostwick was sitting on a stool with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand and his illuminated tablet resting on one of the food prep work tables. The man had a weary look around his eyes but Quin could still discern the warmth that emanated from the wrinkles near his temples and the large smile he wore. Quin froze, unsure whether to step into the room and submit himself to another round of pity or try to find some excuse for leaving and head back to his room. In his uncertainty, he ended up standing in the doorway, causing the automatic doors to try to swish shut but freezing and retracting, over and over again.
“Well? Are you just going to stand there, mouth agape, or are you going to come get something to drink like you had planned?” Bostwick said with an eyebrow raised, his mouth now reflecting a knowing smirk. Slowly, Quin trudged into the room, his hands clenched in his pockets as he tried to suppress the nerves that were boiling in his stomach. He gingerly walked over to the coffee station and put a tea bag in a cup and pressed the release valve to allow boiling water to fall over it. Then he set the cup down to steep. He kept his eyes fixed on the surface of the brewing tea, though he felt the hair on the nape of his neck stand as he guarded himself for Bostwick’s eventual conversation starter. But after a minute, it didn’t come. Quin stood there watching the deep brown tea diffuse throughout the water but did not hear a word come from Bostwick. Hesitantly, Quin looked around and saw Bostwick tapping on his tablet, seemingly composing a message.
Quin shuffled his feet a bit before clearing his throat lightly. Without even looking up, Bostwick said, “I’m able to read signs, Quin. If you don’t want to talk to me, I’m more than happy to oblige your intention to be left alone.”
Quin’s eyes shot up to look at Bostwick, who kept on typing as if he hadn’t spoken. Quin was left a bit taken aback. Oh hell, he thought, is it that obvious or can he read my mind? He shuffled again and then picked up his tea cup. Quick, say something, you idiot, his mind was screaming at him as he struggled to put together his words.
“Look, uh, Commander, I—“ Quin started, but was immediately cut off.
“Louis, but please continue,” Bostwick said, looking up at him and smiling.
Whatever momentum Quin had built up in trying to speak, he lost it with Bostwick’s interruption. He started to second-guess even his need to speak if Bostwick was going to be able to anticipate the conversation. His mentor apparently picked up on his nervousness, because he relieved Quin’s tension by taking up what was going through Quin’s head.
“Quin, listen, I understand that you feel like you want to be left alone,” Bostwick said, his tone soft and unassailing. “And I’m sensing that you feel a bit embarrassed about being vulnerable in front of me. That’s a totally normal human feeling. I hope you aren’t feeling, though, that I overstepped any boundaries by not waking you up immediately when you fell asleep in my room?”
“No, uh, Louis, it’s not that,” Quin said abashedly.
“Good, I’m glad. So if you are feeling ashamed about the way I show that I care about you, please just tell me, and we can talk about how I can change that.”
Again, Quin was at a loss for words. It’s not that I don’t want him to care about me, he thought, it’s that I want him to be mad. Why wasn’t he angry at all? That I could deal with. But he’s so kind that I feel like I want to scream. Quin lifted his eyes and finally met Bostwick’s own piercing gaze. Bostwick seemed to interpret the silence and took up the conversation again.
“Unless…perhaps you are feeling ashamed about your own reaction?” Bostwick posited. “Quin, it’s almost the twenty-third century, well actually, for everyone not aboard this ship, it already is. We are long past the cultural stereotype of men not being able to cry. I’d say that your expression of deep emotion is quite masculine, and I for one would—“
Quin interrupted him, “No, Louis, it’s not that either.”
Bostwick fell silent for a moment, then continued gently, “Okay, again, if you wouldn’t like to discuss it right now, you can simply have your tea and we can sip our respective beverages in silence. Though I will note that a 3am excursion raises all sorts of eyebrows that a lesser XO would rush to conclusions. Thankfully for you, I’m not a lesser XO.” He ended with a smirk, returning to his tablet with a very self-satisfied look on his face.
Quin let the silence fill the room again as he turned his cup in his hands, the warmth slowly radiating through his cold fingertips and seemingly giving him a bit of courage. After a moment, he slowly walked over to the work table and set his cup down. Again, without looking up, Bostwick pulled a stool out from underneath the table and pushed it toward Quin. Quin couldn’t help but smile a bit at Bostwick’s level of tact in assuming. He took the proffered stool and plopped himself down, elbows on the work table and eyes fixed on the tea cup. Hesitantly, he glanced at Bostwick, who was humming a tune and slowly shaking his head back and forth in rhythm as he completed his message and hit the send button.
Quin cleared his throat and made his attempt, “Commander, uh sorry, Louis, it’s not that I don’t appreciate everything. I really do. I just…I was just wishing you would be less…I don’t know…understanding? A little more mad?”
“I have no intention of being mad at you Quin. That would be counterproductive and a waste of energy. Wouldn’t you say?”
“Well, I um, what do you mean?” Quin shook his head as his eyes fell.
“I’d imagine that your self-imposed reclusion and the restrictions imposed by Captain Fuentes would be a sufficient punishment, and you are probably looking for a friendly face, especially after things with Ensign Jefferson, erm, Pepper, have recently soured. That would leave you with Mae to seek some company and I daresay that Lieutenant Rohlwing has her own mission responsibilities and personal tumult to deal with, no?”
Quin was staring with his mouth open at Bostwick, who yet again was wearing a rather pleased smirk on his face. How in the hell did he know all of that? Quin thought, unable to keep an astounded look off his face.
Bostwick chuckled, then seemingly replied to Quin’s thought, “You people think the command staff are a bunch of old farts out of touch with the inner workings of the social network among you youths, but I too hear things. I have my spies on board.”
Quin laughed, causing Bostwick to perk up a bit, “Oh alright,” he rejoiced, arms up in the air. “Ten points to Bostwick for making the moody one laugh.”
Quin laughed more heartily and took a sip of his tea. When he looked back up he saw Bostwick was staring at him with an encouraging look on his face, as if to say May I keep asking questions? Quin sipped his tea again and nodded softly, almost to himself as he continued to chuckle.
“So, I take it you and Ms. Jefferson have not spoken much since we set off from Rhea?” Bostwick asked, eyebrow raised.
“No, that would require her wanting to speak to me,” Quin said dryly.
“How do you know she doesn’t want to speak to you?” Bostwick asked.
“Well, she seems to avoid or ignore me, so I’m trying to take the hint,” Quin said, trying to be nonchalant in his tone.
“Do you still like her?” Bostwick continued.
“Yeah, a lot. I thought we were doing well, really well on Rhea, but I said some stupid things in defending Mae to her, and I know I need to apologize, but she basically called me a coward, she said I needed to ‘grow a spine.’” Quin quickly gave Bostwick the back and forth of what constituted Pepper and his last conversation.
“I don’t think you are a coward. You do have a tendency to take your relationships with everyone very seriously, which is for the most part endearing, but I can see how she would find that stubbornness a bit frustrating when she is trying to argue with it.”
“So now you are on her side?” Quin said sharply.
“I wouldn’t dare try to take her side, but you don’t need to bite my head off for trying to give you some advice. I can see it’s not welcome though,” Bostwick said flatly, falling silent.
“No…wait, I’m sorry,” Quin said, changing his tone immediately. “Please, Louis, help me. What should I do?”
“An honest apology to start, you would be surprised how far being honest and sincere gets you. People seem to forget that. Then I would try to start seeing Ms. Jefferson outside of your interactions with Mae and Liza. Give yourselves something to talk about other than your common friends. That way you don’t revert into difficult territory immediately.”
“Like what?” Quin asked. “Watch a movie with her or something?”
“That being your strong, go-to approach, sure you could start there,” Bostwick said. “As an extra hint, I hear that the kitchen has some late-night snacks stashed away back here, and if you know someone, you can get good movie food. You could even, you know, call it a date or something. Don’t be afraid to ask her to do something at the next stopover too. Again, call it a date. If she sees you taking her seriously like you do everything else, she’ll probably appreciate you being intentional about it. That’s my guess. Anyway, Cronus is supposed to be a little bit more of an open schedule, so you can be more creative.”
Bostwick was making all sorts of sense. His was the type of advice that Quin had been looking for all along. Quin found himself shaking his head, as he processed everything. Bostwick seemed to misinterpret it.
“What? You’re thinking a different approach?” he said, a bit surprised.
“NO! No, sorry, it’s just…I’ve been such an idiot. That’s really good advice, I’ve just been stupid not talking to you. I don’t know why,” Quin finished, again shaking his head.
“Because you are young, and you guys don’t like getting romantic advice from someone your parents’ age,” Bostwick said, smiling.
“You aren’t that old,” Quin said, “I know we joke about it, but you can’t be more than…”
Bostwick laughed. “Be careful how you finish that sentence, Mr. Hammond.”
“Well, anyway, you aren’t that old. You just…I don’t know, you have this way about you, it made me want to avoid you. I felt ashamed that you were being all sympathetic, and it made me blind to the fact that I really needed to talk to you. What I mean is, you are a good listener, and I forgot that when I was unable to think straight. I felt all of these things happening around me, and you were there when that stuff happened with Nova. I know you were just trying to be nice. I’m sorry I was such an ass.”
“Well, if you were looking for honest and sincere apologies, Quin, you just found yourself one,” Bostwick said, putting his hand on Quin’s shoulder. “Change it up a little to be specific for her, and I’m sure you will have a good result. Don’t forgot to take care of yourself when you are trying to fix everything else, you know? It’s not possible to be perfect, so don’t make yourself sick in trying to be.”
“Yeah, right,” Quin said softly. “I wish I could fix everything, just like that.” He snapped his fingers.
“That would be nice, but unfortunately, we aren’t computers, and life isn’t all math problems. Sometimes life just needs time and a bit of decent humanity.” The two of them were silent for a little while as Quin stewed in his thoughts. Despite the hour, he was wide awake and appreciative of his little night excursion. After the pause had continued much longer than Quin expected, he looked up and saw Bostwick studying him. The man opened his mouth and then hesitated, before beginning tenderly, “Speaking of, how are things going with Nova?”
Quin sighed a bit, collecting his thoughts. Then he decided it was for the best and recounted to Bostwick the last conversation that Nova and he had face to face. The two of them had really not spoken since that evening some weeks ago. As Quin was narrating the story to Bostwick, the Commander was slightly chuckling and shaking his head. Astounded, Quin finished his story and confronted Bostwick.
“What’s so funny?” he demanded. “You’ve been laughing the entire time.”
“She’s quite brilliant, you know,” Bostwick said, scratching his forehead, eyes wide. “She presents these neat little ethical quandaries as if they were nothing and yet, scientists and philosophers have been asking the same types of questions about artificial intelligence for maybe two hundred years. It’s only now that we have got a being that is the walking and talking example of that.”
“Yeah, well, she’s another one that’s not talking to me,” Quin said.
“Well, Quin, I’m afraid I must give you the same advice. You should apologize. In her view, and I think objectively, you were somewhat of, if I may borrow your words, ‘an ass.’”
“This time I think you are definitely taking her side,” Quin said, sourly.
“Indeed. You created her. She takes her direction from you. You are kind of like her father, her brother, her friend, and her crewmate all rolled into one. The obligations of any one of those roles would be enough to say you needed to be there for her, and unfortunately you found yourself too busy being in your own head. Perhaps this is the root of your problem with both Ms. Jefferson and Nova. You are so busy letting everything weigh on you, being worried all the time, that you are unable to focus externally and be present for other people.” Quin’s eyes were downcast, his shoulders slumped. Well, if this is his form of a closing pick-me-up, I don’t think it’s working, Quin thought, sighing deeply.
“Fortunately,” Bostwick continued suddenly, “I think the solution is relatively simple and similar. You need to apologize to Nova, sincerely this time, and you need to spend some time with her, outside of work, so that you can normalize being around her. If your point was that you sometimes forget that she is only part human, then you need to do more human things with her in order to sensitize yourself to how she acts. She shouldn’t have to change for you, it should be the other way around. She can’t just be a mantelpiece in your career, Quin. She thinks.”
Quin sighed aloud, saying, “Yet again, another piece of sound advice from the ever-so-sage Commander Bostwick. And yet again, the solution is that I was wrong.”
Bostwick laughed. “Well, welcome to being an adult, my friend. Everything is complicated and you are usually wrong.” He patted Quin on the back. “Sarcasm aside, it’s okay to be wrong, just own up to it.”
Quin nodded slightly, acknowledging Bostwick’s counsel. The room was silent for a bit longer. The Commander downed his cup of coffee and looked into it, as if inspecting the bottom.
“You know what,” he said, looking up. “I think I’m going to have some tea too, but I’ve been keen to try some of the apple honey they brought me, you want some?” Quin nodded slowly, lost in his thought. Honey, he said to himself, honey, something about…honey.
“Can you believe they make all of this on Rhea?” Bostwick said over his shoulder. “I honestly can’t understand how their entire ecosystem, let alone their economy, operates off apples. It’s nuts.” Bostwick chuckled to himself. “Sorry for the pun.” Apples and honey, Quin’s brain was churning, but at this hour it was too fuzzy. …and honey.
He set two new cups down in front of them, still steaming and with the tea infusers bobbing around on the surface. He pulled a jar down from one of the kitchen cabinets and ladled a small bit of honey into each cup. After stirring a bit, Bostwick took a sip and smacked his lips, grinning satisfactorily at Quin.
“Oh my, that’s so good,” Bostwick said, relishing the taste as he took another draw. “You should drink it while it’s hot.”
Quin brought the cup to his lips mechanically, though he could have sworn that he was missing something. He felt himself distracted by Louis enjoying his cup of tea, the early hour, and the lack of a good night’s sleep for several days. I could have sworn that I just remembered something, he thought, growing frustrated at the lack of ability of his brain to recall what it was that was escaping him. Resigning himself, he took a long swig, his eyes closing automatically when the taste of the sweet and sour apple-tinged honey hit his lips. Instantly, he was transported back onto Rhea, where he savored several fleeting moments of being away and being happy. Unfortunately, his happiness was suddenly ripped away from the call from Nemo. What I wouldn’t give to be back there to have some more time with Pepper and Mae, he thought while recollecting the honey tasting in the orchard. He remembered the smile on Pepper’s face, how infectious it was, and Mae’s giggling at him.
“Hmm,” Bostwick said into the silence, “it’s just about time that the command deck wakes up. Some of the buzzing should start soon.”
“Buzzing?” Quin asked distantly, almost half-consciously.
“Sorry, yeah, buzzing. Message traffic. Unfortunately, a lot of the lingo revolves around bees.”
“Bees?” Quin asked, his brain slowly coming to.
“Yeah, bees,” Bostwick said, studying Quin curiously. “You know, Captain Fuentes being the Queen, the Deck being the hive, that sort of thing.”
“Bees!” Quin exclaimed.
“What?” Bostwick demanded, flabbergasted.
“Louis! BEES!” Quin shouted, shooting off his stool and slamming his cup down.
“Quin, I don’t-“ Bostwick began, but Quin wasn’t listening. The young man half-sprinted out of the room.
“BEES!” Quin shouted again, his face mixed with a smile and intense concentration.
“Okay, Mr. Cage,” Bostwick said, chuckling and shaking his head, his eyes and mouth reflecting a knowing smile as he watched Quin run out of the room.

It’s a great time to be a nuggets fan. The furthest we’ve ever been, with the best player in the world with the best partner we could ask for. Surrounded by a truly championship level team. We built this the right way. No skipping steps. Sticking together. Believing in our guys. Feels so good to be in this position.
But this post is about us out of towners. I’m just curious to know how ya’ll chose the nuggets. Never glamorous, never top dog, but we became fans anyways. How did that come to be for you?
As for me… I grew up in Hawaii, I’m 34 now. I was a bronco fan first thru family but once I came to love watching the NBA, my family wasn’t exactly the basketball watching type and I didn’t know who to choose. We’re surrounded by Lakers (by far)/Bulls(MJ)/and now Warriors fans here in the islands because of course right? But I always just had a deep disdain for the Lakers. Where it came from im not sure. Was it because I wanted to go against the crowd? Yea that’s part of it. But growing up I just didn’t connect with the sensationalism of the superstar basketball of those times.. I always had a like for nuggets since my bronco fandom just lured me towards them, but I didn’t truly have a team. But I did have a hatred, a true hatred for that laker team when they signed Karl Malone and Gary Payton and everyone and their mamas were just so confident the lakers (remember, Hawaii is a HEAVILY weighted lakers spot) we’re gonna easily take the trophy home that year.
And then came those finals, the no superstar Deeeetroit pistons with just nasty D and team wide play absolutely obliterated that first super team in my eyes and I absolutely reveled in it. I was in awe of the way this TEAM destroyed what was thought to be one of the best star studded teams of all time.
I was still young and still hadn’t adopted a team as “mine” quite yet. But that experience made me love the “team” over “stars” phenomenon. Then billups from that team came over that peaked my interest in the nuggets even more so.
It didn’t become a true love though until the season where the nuggets truly had no superstar but a team. A team that just ran roughshod through everyone at home. That 39-3(???) home record team in my high school years really scooped me in. That TEAM play just felt right. Run and gun, depth, no true superstar but still amazing team. Just tickled my pickle and I was hooked.
And this team now, epitomizes that EXACT feeling I had falling in love with those nuggets. A true TEAM led by the ultimate TEAM player. Built the right way thru all the super team bull shit era. I am so proud I chose this team. Sure everything runs thru Jokic Murray two man game, but this is a TEAM. Built not bought. Patience, belief, vision of seeing it come together. It’s all paying off. Whether we complete the full journey, is secondary (sort of nugs in 5). The growth of this team and being where we are is so worth all of the doubt, all the “get back in your place nuggets” type talk, all the bullshit. I can’t imagine how ya’ll lifetime nuggets fans feel, it must be amazing considering the nuggets history..because I already feel vindicated. We knew, we truly knew this core was capable of becoming this. And whether we finish it off or not, it’s so funny to see everyone finally respect us and see we were correct about this team.
Now I’m just rambling because I’m drunk ya’ll. I’m sorry. I had to put this shit down because this team is something special and I had to. Put it down somewhere.
For English, for Thompson, for lever, for Karl, for Danilo, for Faried, for Lawson.
For Gary, for Monte, for Thrill, for Millsap and all those in between.
Bring it in, go nuggets.

I’m hanging a cat hammock across a window. When I use the hart stud finder and live wire detector it flashes low alert for live wire a couple of times in that area. There is a. Electrical outlet 1 stud down in the middle of that wall. My house was built in 1993-94 in Florida. Am I safe to drill a 1 1/12 inch wood screw into this??
https://imgur.com/a/jS8w9cS