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stayextrafrosty · 4 years

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I am Your Future, I am Your Past: Chapter 7

A Roswell New Mexico soulmate AU

Note: This chapter is very Alex and Forlex heavy but I promise it’ll be worth it in the coming chapters

Read on AO3 // Chapter 1

Alex stared at the phone after the line went dead. He felt the sudden stab of pain in his chest. Something was clearly wrong, but he couldn’t just ditch out on Forrest. If there was something life threatening Michael would have said so.

“Everything alright,” Forrest asked? Alex looked at the black screen for another moment.

“Yea. Nothing I can’t figure out later.” He smiled. Forrest hesitated but then grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the doors of the building.

Alex had pointed out that with their combined knowledge from being in the military, an escape room might not be as hard as intended. Forrest insisted that was why they were going at it alone and not with another group. He had rolled his eyes and agreed. Never having done something like this before, he guessed it would be fun just by Forrest’s excitement alone.

“Alright. The rules are simple. You have one hour to make it out of the room. There is no reason to break anything as everything is accessible through clues. Make sure to check everything closely. Feel free to pick up props and move them around. Things such as wiring are marked off with tape, please don’t tamper with it. You will be entering the Area 51 bunker. You wake up after being knocked out in a cell with no windows. Good luck!” The guide led them down the hall and opened a door. She smiled as they stepped inside. She handed a walkie-talkie to Alex. “If you’re really stuck you can ask for a hint. But only three times.”

They stepped into the room, looking around at the walls that had been covered by what looked like the inside of a freight car. Various slogans were spray painted in big red and green letters. ‘We’re not alone!’ ‘They lied!’

Alex laughed at all of it. A mannequin dressed in a marine’s uniform stood motionless in the corner, wrists and legs bound to the wall by chains. He shuddered. If only they knew how real that situation could be. The door clicked shut behind them and the lock thunked closed ominously.

“I never quite understood why these things are horror themed,” Forrest said, looking around.

“Well, why else would someone be locked in a room?” He nodded in agreement.

“I suppose you’re right. Ok. I’ll check the bed, you look though that guys pockets,” Forrest instructed. He didn’t know what he was supposed to be looking for, but he listened anyway.

Walking up to the marine, he noticed it was way bigger than he thought. Alex wasn’t even short but this thing towered over him. He looked around on the outside first, feeling for dog tags or pins. Not that there would be any. His first instinct would always be to identify a body in uniform.

“I found a magnet hidden in the pillowcase. What’d you get?” Forrest stepped up next to him as he located the chain for the tags. Alex pulled them out only instead of the tags, it was a key. The chain had been modified with a clasp to make getting it off easier.

“Any idea where this goes to,” he asked, looking at Forrest.

“You know, for an air force captain you really aren’t observant, are you?” Forrest laughed. There was no malice in his words. “There’s a locked box right here,” he said, grabbing Alex’s hand gently.

He felt stupid. Even if Forrest was just poking fun at him, he should have taken in his surroundings better. Just like he should have at his house. Just like he should have at the barn a week ago. He jumped when Forrest shook him.

“Alex? Are you ok? I said your name a couple times.” He looked anywhere but at Forrest.

“Sorry. Just spaced. Where’s the box?” He pushed past him and crouched down. The lock seemed old, but it could have just been decorated like that. None of this was real.

“Is this triggering something? You can talk to me about the PTSD you know.” He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He sighed.

“It’s not PTSD. My triggers are a bit more specific.” He looked over his shoulder and up at him. He gave a small smile. He should be trying to enjoy himself. “Thank you though. Now let’s figure this thing out.”

Alex popped the lock open, pulling out an old satellite phone and folded piece of paper. The phone had no batteries in it. Alex turned it over a couple times to look for writing but there was none. He handed it to Forrest before unfolding the piece of paper.

“555 444 4 44 8 7777 666 88 8,” he read out loud. It was so simple yet he couldn’t place what it was referencing. Maybe he was just overthinking it. He could break into heavily secured data bases in minutes but something designed for the general public was tripping him up? He stood to show the note to Forrest. He hardly glanced at it before realization spread over his face.

“You know, you get a little line in between your eyebrows when you’re thinking too hard,” he teased. He reached up, rubbing his thumb over the area on his forehead, forcing Alex to relax. “Think like a normal person instead of an elite hacker,” he suggested, handing the piece of paper back to him.

Alex took a breath and looked again. The sequence of numbers was familiar but not like it was recent. Like it was accessing years old knowledge he had tucked away, not knowing if it would ever be useful again.

“Here. Look,” Forrest said, handing him the phone again.

The numbers had corresponding letters. Years old memories of his first cell phone came rushing back. Hitting numbers one too many times and needing to go through the whole cycle again to get the letter you wanted. And yet everyone still managed to type out whole paragraphs in under a minute.

“I can’t believe I forgot that,” he said, starting to laugh. Taking a closer look, he corresponded the numbers to their proper letter. “L-I-G-H-T-S-O-U-T. Hit the switch.” Forrest smiled and nodded, stepping toward the door.

The room was dark for a moment, but then lines and lettering started to glow. A few UV lights lit the room. Handprints led the way to a spot in the corner behind the bed. They abruptly disappeared three feet from the other wall, hinting at a door. The two of them headed over and felt around for a latch or grip to open it. Nothing.

“Hey, look.” Forrest was pointing at a grouping of paint made to look like someone focused more attention on that spot. He held the magnet up and moved it around that spot. A latch clicked and the door popped open enough for them to grab the edge. Alex rolled his eyes at the trick, but he had to admit, he was having a good time. They stepped into the next room. It looked like a repurposed dentist office.

There was a large box off to the side and a chair with surgical supplies in the middle. There was also a pile of folders and files. The two of them shared a look and grinned.

“Alright. Seems easy enough,” Alex said, feeling more confident and comfortable than he had in a long time.

“Ok well we both checked that file cabinet and there was no key in there. I’m telling you, it’s rigged.” Alex laughed at Forrest’s frustration. They had gotten stuck in what they think was the last room.

“I told you to make sure you pulled the drawers all the way out,” he said, smiling.

Forrest shook his head and pulled his keys out of his pocket. Alex had teased him earlier when he showed up at his house in a normal SUV. The van was for ‘special operations.’

“Well, regardless of the outcome, I think we made a pretty good team.” Alex felt the heat rise to his face at no fault of the sun. He nodded in agreement and stepped up to the passenger side door.

“As an apology for being bossy once I figured out what was going on, I’ll buy you a drink,” Alex said, pulling the door open. Forrest grinned.

“Looking to spend more time with me? I’ll take that as a good sign. Planet 7?” Alex tried not to stumble over himself at the mention of the local gay bar. It wasn’t official but it was known to attract those from the community.

“Actually, I was thinking The Wild Pony if that’s ok with you?” Forrest shrugged. Didn’t matter to him.

“You’re buying so I can’t complain.” Alex rolled his eyes and hopped in the car.

It’s not that he was opposed to Planet 7, he just wasn’t sure if he could properly hide from people if he knew them. The Wild Pony was a local’s bar. He knew the crowd and could avoid conversations if he needed to.

And maybe Michael will be there to see you with Forrest…

He shook the thought out of his head. Whatever Michael had wanted to say to him earlier, it had nothing to do with Forrest. That little pang of something earlier was just him feeling guilty about shrugging him off. But he had nothing to feel guilty about. He was free to spend his time with whoever he wanted.

The ride was mostly silence. Just enjoying each other’s company was enough. The radio played softly, occasionally fading out and back in. Alex glanced down at Forrest’s free hand on the arm rest between them. No one could see them in here. It would be ok to hold his hand.

He reached across slowly, first resting his hand next to his. They had only held hands briefly in the escape room. They were soft and steady. Gentle even.

He reached his pinky out, brushing against the side of Forrest’s hand. He saw his head turn slightly but he never looked away from the road completely. Alex moved his hand closer. Then he pulled away. But before he could worry that he had done something wrong, he was placing his hand back down, palm up. Encouraging Alex to take it, a gentle smile settled on his face. Alex couldn’t help but smile too as he wove their fingers together.

He ran his thumb over the back of his hand. The smooth skin was nice, but something felt like it was missing. He found himself wishing there were calluses. That his hand was a bit warmer.

Alex hardly noticed when they pulled into The Wild Pony parking lot. He jumped back into reality when Forrest released his hand to get out of the car. He cleared his throat and climbed out himself. He shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked. A brief moment of confusion crossed Forrest’s face but it was replaced with a smile.

They pushed through the doors and Alex immediately looked for Maria. He watched her as she took inventory of the bar before the Saturday night rush. The bar was still mostly empty.

“Go grab a booth, I’m just going to say hi to my friend,” he said. He nodded and headed in the opposite direction. Alex made his way through the tables to the bar. He knocked a couple times to grab her attention. She turned with a fake smile on her face, ready for whatever customer was going to be there. Once she recognized it was him, it changed into something softer. But something still seemed off.

“Well look who it is. The one who doesn’t return my calls when I think I have a lead,” she joked. Alex smiled at her.

“I’m sorry. It’s been a crazy few days.” She nodded understandingly. To be honest, he just didn’t know what to say to her after Michael’s confession in the hospital. “Can you get me two of whatever the special on tap is?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Two?” Alex looked over his shoulder to find Forrest. He watched him, a sweet smile on his face. Didn’t even turn away when he was caught, making Alex blush. “He’s cute. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she joked, winking. He rolled his eyes and she pulled out two glasses filling them expertly.

“Did you and Michael find anything? He called me earlier today, but I was busy.” Her smile fell, looking more sad. His eyebrows drew together. What had they found that warranted a look like that?

“Well… we didn’t find anything. I left earlier than planned.” Alex reached for her hands as she wrung them together. What was she nervous for?

“What happened, Maria?” She took a breath and tried to paste on a happier face., like whatever she was about to say didn’t bother her.

“Michael and I… We won’t be working together for a bit.” Alex still didn’t understand. Did they have some sort of argument? Michael would probably come apologize to her before the day was out. She must have seen the confusion on her face. “Alex… we broke up.”

Anything he was going to say left his thoughts in a second. What could have possibly happened that would push them to that? They seemed so happy together. And Maria wasn’t one to give up something she loved so easily.

“What happened,” he finally asked? She shook her head and smiled.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell you when you’re not in the middle of a date. Now go have fun.” She didn’t give him time to respond before moving to the other end of the bar to ask a day drinker if he wanted another round.

He grabbed the two drinks and headed back to where Forrest was sitting. He set the beer in front of him.

“Sorry about that.” He looked up from his phone, moving the glass closer to him.

“Don’t worry about it. Things looked pretty intense. Everything alright?” Alex wanted to tell him. But he also didn’t want him to get a bad impression of Michael when he didn’t have the full story.

“She and her boyfriend broke up. She wouldn’t really give me details but I’m sure she’ll tell me soon.” Forrest looked over to the bar. He frowned as he watched her.

“Wasn’t she dating Michael? Ran into her a couple times at the hospital.” Damnit. He remembered.

“Yea. But she made it sound like it was a mutual thing. I don’t think they’re on bad terms. I just wish I knew what happened,” he said, taking a sip from the glass.

“Well I’m sure she’ll tell you eventually.” He reached over to rest a hand on his arm comfortingly. He knew he shouldn’t speculate about what happened between them. But something in his chest told him it might have to do with the curse. And by extension, have to do with him.

Michael had paced most of the day since hanging up on Alex. He tried calling Maria, but she never picked up. He needed to do something. Waiting just wasn’t cutting it. He tried triggering more visions by reading that journal front to back.

He didn’t know who those two were. They started as friends and it grew to more. Thomas was forced to present himself as his sister and twin who was often ill. Samuel was a child of the servants. Thomas’ father was a grade-a bastard who needed to control everything. He threatened Samuel’s life more than once. Then it was the Manes family who was supposed to provide the sacrifice for the year. So, the two of them ran away.

“Sounds a lot like the original story,” is what Isabel had said. He was tempted to agree but the original was a princess and a slave. And even if there was the possibility of that being true, he wouldn’t be able to find out. The last entry was the night they ran.

He needed to figure out what Jesse Manes did with those original scrolls. Max refused to let him anywhere near the soldiers that had ambushed them. He said they hadn’t said a word about who they were working for. Michael knew in his gut it was that asshole.

A knock on the wall pulled him from his thoughts. Isabel looked at him sympathetically.

“You’re going to run a hole through the floor if you keep pacing. Instead of overthinking why not do something productive? Give Sanders some extra help at the junkyard. It’ll keep your mind busy.” She stepped toward him to rest a hand on his arm.

“I have to figure this out, Iz. This vision wasn’t like the shared dreams. It felt like a message. This could be what we need to break the curse. I don’t know how yet, but it’s got to be a clue.” He pulled away from her, picking up the journal again, thumbing through it mindlessly. She sighed and took the book from his hands gently.

“Look, I get it. Breaking this curse is the most important thing but you can’t do that if you burn yourself out. Let’s go.” She grabbed him, pulling him out of the study. He knew she was probably right, so he let her pull him along. “We’re going to go get a drink and then you’re going to clean up that bunker for whatever it was you were planning to do down there.”

Michael raised an eyebrow at her. He never told her his and Alex’s plan. Max must have spilled. Damn him. The less people knew what was going on the easier it would be.

“Fine. But let’s avoid The Wild Pony if you don’t mind.” Isabel snorted.

“Please. Even I’m not that cruel.”

He didn’t pay attention to the name of the bar they walked into. It was smaller than the Wild Pony, but Isabel had said it was still considered a local’s bar. At least there wouldn’t be any sort of alien hunting enthusiasts.

The colors all over the place made him feel out of place in this cowboy hat and stained jeans. Where in the world has Isabel dragged him? She sat them down in a booth then waved to the bartender and batted her eyelashes. Michael looked between the two of them.

“You know her,” he asked, surprised?

“We hooked up a few times. Let’s just say she was my, awakening?” Michael nodded in understanding. “She’s really cool and nice but it’s not serious.” Alex was his ‘awakening.’ But he seemed to be a lot harder to shake. There was never any ‘just hooking up’ with him.

The waitress came over holding two colorful drinks. Michael rolled his eyes but he could enjoy something like this. The blue and purple faded into each other. He shot Isabel a look.

“Where exactly are we?”

“You weren’t paying attention? Planet 7. The local LGBT bar.” He hummed in realization. That explained all the colors. He didn’t even want to know what the drink he held in his hand was called. Probably some pun on ‘bisexual.’

“Not that I don’t appreciate the change in scenery, but why here?” A mischievous grin settled on her face. “If you say it’s cause you wanna get laid, I’ll just leave now,” he joked. She rolled her eyes at him.

“While that might be nice, no. It’s not why we’re here.” He took a sip of his drink. Rum. It wasn’t his favorite type of liquor but the drink wasn’t half bad. It was certainly fruity.

“You just gunna sit there and watch me chug this or are you gunna tell me why?” She looked around before leaning close.

“Forrest is a regular here. I figured it you wanted more information on the guy…” Michael groaned. He loved his cousin really, but sometimes she was not the brightest. People don’t normally go around talking about other people to strangers.

“Look Iz, I’d rather not think about him at all.”

“I know Max told you to consider bringing him in on the curse secret. Or at least part of it. You should know who the guy is.” He ran a hand though his hair. She was right, but what could he get from these people that he couldn’t get from a quick google search or from Max?

“I can see you doubting my methods but trust me, you can get interesting stuff from the people in town.” He sighed. Might as well let her do her thing. She was the socialite of the family. He waved his hand, signaling to the rest of the bar.

“Well then where do you suggest we start?” An evil grin settled on her face. What was she--?

“Hey Blair, I have a question!” The bartender from earlier returned to the table. Isabel rested her chin on one hand and played with the straw in her glass with the other. “Have you seen Forrest around recently? My cousin here is kinda into him,” she said sweetly. Michael just about choked on his own drink.

“Iz—”

“He was last here a few days ago. Seemed a bit distracted. At least your cousin has good taste. Even though I don’t like guys, he’s always nice to look at. Really sweet too.” She looked over her shoulder at a group and continued, “James might be able to give you more info. They dated for a while, but it didn’t work out. They’re still friends from what I can tell.”

Michael glared at Isabel. She thanked Blair before casually taking a sip from her drink. So what if Forrest was good looking? Even by lesbian standards. Sure Michael wasn’t blind. Maybe he was always focused on Alex that he never thought about it before.

“People here love romance. Everyone’s always trying to set people up. Just for the drama of it all,” she said, laughing at the look on his face.

“So, why’d you throw me under the bus? Why not just make up a person?” He shook his head at her giddy expression.

“Because then it looks like we’re fishing for information.”

“Ok, but we are,” he pointed out.

“But they don’t have to know that. Let’s go.” She suddenly stood, grabbing his arm again. There really was no stopping her if she was determined. “James!” Isabel called as they walked up to the table. The guy that turned was on the muscular side, probably played some kind of sport.

“What can I do for you,” he asked, smiling?

“Blair said you used to date Forrest Long?” Everything about this screamed ‘bad idea’ to Michael. They shouldn’t be prying into his life like this.

“Yes, but why?” He raised an eyebrow, looking between the two of them. Isabel looped her arm through his, pulling him forward.

“My cousin here has a bit of a crush. He’s kinda shy and every time I try to encourage him, he just gets nervous,” she said, stealing his hat that he was trying to hide behind. The blush on his face was definitely noticeable. He hoped this wasn’t what she did to people who had real crushes.

James chuckled and shook his head before taking a sip of his drink. He turned towards them fully for the first time, a knowing grin on his face.

“That guy has always been popular. He’s really great. Thoughtful, caring, always tips more than twenty percent. He’s supportive and crazy smart. He can take a dumb idea and turn it into the best. Probably one of the best relationships I ever had.” He seemed to be smiling at the memories. Michael shoved his hands in his pockets, pretending to be nervous.

“If it was so great, why’d you break up? If you don’t mind me asking…” James shrugged and shook his head.

“There were too many secrets. The nature of his job just made it hard for him to tell me anything. It just ended up getting in the way of our trust in each other. We’re still friends and I wish him the best.”

“But doesn’t he work for the police? In a place like Roswell how many secrets could there be,” he asked? He laughed a bit.

“The police stuff he does wasn’t the problem. It was the other stuff for the military. But let me make something clear. If you’re really into him, go for it. He’s a great guy. And maybe things have changed. Now I can’t tell you everything about him. That takes the fun out if it.” Isabel let out a small giggle and thanked him. Then she was pulling Michael away and back to their little booth.

She plopped the hat back on his head then crossed her arms, just smirking at him. He would admit that knowing he still did work for the military was helpful. But what exactly was his title? He was a weapons specialist for the police but what else?

“Fine. I’ll admit that some of it was useful. But we still need a google search and whatever information Max can get,” he pointed out, fixing his hat.

“Fine, just dismiss my perfectly executed plan,” she huffed. Michael laughed and rolled his eyes.

“Yea about that… Never do it again,” he said. The grin returned quickly.

“No promises,” she said, winking.

Alex lost track of time again. He and Forrest had sat and talked through the dinner rush, the weekend drinkers and the bar had started to wind down. Everything was just so easy.

“You did what? How did you get away with that? My second in command would have had my ass for sneaking out,” Forrest exclaimed.

“I told you. I became best friends with my second in command. She covered for me a lot when I wanted to meet up with a guy. Now it was only when we had time off, but she was pretty awesome.” Forrest laughed and shook his head.

“Wish I could meet her. She still in the service?” The smile fell from Alex’s face. He didn’t even know if she was still on this planet.

Staring into the amber of his beer, his thoughts drifted. He doubts she died. An angel can’t just die, right? Forrest noticed his shift in mood. He reached across the table to take his hand, rubbing his thumb over it comfortingly.

“She’s uh… missing,” he said quietly.

“I’m sorry. That can be worse than just being gone.” Alex nodded slowly. He squeezed his hand. “Hope makes everything harder. But we need it just to survive.” A tear slipped down Alex’s cheek. He wiped it away quickly.

Forrest gave him a gentle smile and stood, still holding his hand. He moved to stand in front of him. The raised table and seats made them about the same height this way. He looked around the bar then stepped closer.

Forrest pressed a quick gentle kiss to his cheek. His eyes flicked around the bar, panic settling in this gut. No one seemed to be watching but he couldn’t shake the feeling there was.

Alex wanted to kiss him. To accept the comfort he was offering. But every part of his body screamed to run. To not associate with him until it was safe. He didn’t want him to get hurt. What if his father found out? What if…

“Hey. It’s ok,” he said gently. His smile was sad but understanding. “I’ll drive you home.” Alex nodded and pulled out his wallet, tossing a few twenties down. It was probably too much but he didn’t think about it.

He followed Forrest without a word. Even the car ride was mostly silent. What was he supposed to say now? Maybe he should apologize for the way he reacted? Thank him for the thought anyway?

They pulled into his driveway and he shut the car off. They sat there for a moment. Alex picked at his nails. He took a deep breath.

“Forrest, I—"

“You don’t owe me an explanation. I get it. But if you ever want to get out of that closet, you let me know. I’ll walk you to the door.” He smiled and hoped out of the car. Alex knew he shouldn’t let his father or other past experiences get in the way of this.

What happened with Michael was different. He still felt awful about it, but he couldn’t let that hold him back forever. Thinking of Michael made his chest ache. He knew he needed to find him. The dream had told him so. But was he ready to be found?

He shook his head and jumped out of the car. Hurrying to catch up to Forrest. The motion sensor lights clicked on.

“I had a really nice time today,” he said, pulling a key out of his pocket.

“Likewise. I hope we get the chance to do it again.” Forrest smiled and leaned against a pillar. Alex smiled back, pushing the door open. “I’ll see you around, Alex.” He turned and started back to his car.

“Forrest, wait!” He stopped and turned. An eyebrow raised.

Before he could second guess himself, Alex took his face in his hands and pressed his mouth to his. Forrest ran his hands over his arms, pulling him closer. It felt good, like he didn’t have to worry about anything. But a little voice in the back of his head kept him from lingering too long.

He pulled away slowly, breathing heavy. A small smile sat on Forrest’s face, as though he expected nothing less from him.

“I like you. Just give me a little time,” Alex murmured.

“I’ve got nothing but time. I just hope it doesn’t take too long.” Alex chuckled and released him. He watched as he pulled away, flashing his brights in a final goodbye.

The dull ache settled in his chest. He ignored it only until he made it to his bedroom. It slowly become impossible to ignore. Something wasn’t right. Michael was calling for him.

#malex fanfiction #roswell new mexico fic #malex #forlex heavy #alex manes #michael guerin #michael guerin/alex manes #feedback always appreciated #multichapter fic

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finasol · 6 years

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A-Z Tag!

Tagged by @divinitions (sort of haha)

Rules: answer the questions and tag some blogs you would like to know better

A: Age – Turned 18 this year. I was born near the beginning of 2000 so my age pretty much always corresponds with the last 2 digits of the year haha

B: Birthplace – The United States

C: Current Time – 5:23 PM

D: Drink You Last Had – Sweet tea :D

E: Easiest Person To Talk To - @divinitions, for listening to my shit all the time lol. In real life, my roommate @pewlter. Also section leader and my trumpet friend, plus my mom and brother. (Which is way more than one lol whoops)

F: Favourite Song – It changes, but I’ve been listening to a lot of “The Pines of Rome” (wind ensemble version) by Ottorino Respighi

G: Grossest Memory – The time I had norovirus and I was vomiting my guts out every 10 minutes :(

H: Hogwarts House – HUFFLEPUFF!!

I: In Love – Right now, my PERFECT ADORABLE AMAZING BEAUTIFUL SON ATREUS (from the new God of War). I love him so much <3

J: Jealous of People – I get most jealous about other peoples’ intelligence, which I’m definitely not proud of. I've always had self-esteem issues about how smart I am (but much less so now :D)

K: Killed Someone – Nooope

L: Love At First Sight – Hell no. Love at first sight is ridiculous to me. Have I had crushes on guys at first sight? Of course. But never love.

M: Middle Name – Rosa! I don’t really like it (I would’ve preferred Rose) but I digress

N: Number of Siblings – An older sister who’s 2 years older than me and a younger brother who’s 2 years younger than me. I’m smack dab in the middle haha

O: One Wish - To be able to write fiction well, and by extension, to not be so dang terrified of my own writing

P: Person You Last Called – This Mexican place to order food lol

Q: Question You Are Asked The Most – “Do we need milk?” This question is asked in my family aLL THE DAMN TIME. YES WE NEED SOME DAMN MILK. WE DRINK MILK LIKE WATER MOM SO WE’RE ALWAYS OUT.

R: Reason To Laugh – Literally anything even remotely funny makes me laugh. It’s almost embarrassing lol. I am that kid who’ll laugh at every stupid joke the teacher makes, even when no one else laughs

S: Song You Last Sang – “Do It For Her” from Steven Universe :)

T: Time You Woke Up - ~8:15 AM

U: Underwear Colour – Umm white. Egh what a weird question

V: Vacation Destination – Hmm I’m really not much of a travel person, but if I had to choose I’d pick the Philippines because it’s my home country.

W: Worst Habit – I have a badhabit of constantly combing my fingers through my hair just to feel it and to pick away at dandruff. As a result, half my hair has fallen out because I’m constantly tugging at it :(

X: X-Rays – Dental screenings and my left ankle. I have minor chronic pain in my left ankle because I sprained it when I was like 11? So we had it X-rayed to make sure nothing was wrong with it. (Weirdly enough there isn’t, but I guess that’s a good thing haha)

Y: Favourite Food – Uuuuughghghhghghg I hate questions like this. TOO MANY. I guess this amazing chocolate pie that my mom makes? But ugh I have so many favorite foods. There’s too much deliciousness in the world.

Z: Zodiac Sign – Capricorn sun but Aquarius dominant ;) (but I personally identify much stronger with Capricorn than Aquarius)

Tagging: My lovely followers! If you do it, make sure to tag me :D

#tag meme

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perspectiveartist · 6 years

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Tagged by @opus13 :D

a - age: 25, but I’ll be 26 in 5 days b - birthplace: Indiana, USA c - current time: 6:30 PM on the dot d - drink you last had: bottled Lipton tea. Citrus green tea =v= e - easiest person to talk to: Probably James f - favorite song: Duuude....I have no fucking clue LOL. That fluctuates all the time based on whatever my brain decides it’s in the mood for. You can tell when my brain gets into loops on programs that keep track of plays (like iTunes) because it’ll be like 3, 3, 2, 1, 5, 76 g - grossest memory: Hm...Either barfing shredded wheat or busting my lip open on a picnic table. Barfing shredded wheaties was gross because the wheat like...puffed up in my stomach some so it felt like I was throwing up this thick paste UGH. But then smashing my lip on the picnic table not only hurt like hell but it made a big gash that went from my lip to the corner of my eye and also chipped my tooth. And that happened at my babysitter’s, the poor woman. On a funnier note though, in the time it took for me to get picked up my lip had swollen so big that to drink from a straw, I had to physically lift my lip over the straw LOL. I healed up fine but the doc said I was lucky it didn’t actually hit my eye or I could have lost some vision, and I do have a scar on my upper lip that you can only really see in certain lighting. h - horror, yes or no: I’m very mixed...Horror movies, no. But horror games, yes. But I don’t play them. I like watching other people play them, getting engrossed in the lore and stuff. Silent Hill Games are great for that. I love the psychological stuff, the things that make people make analyses about it and stuff. That’s what I find interesting in horror. WHY does this scare us? Why is this so effective or poignant or even sad in spite of how reviling it is at the same time? Horror opens a lot of opportunity to get deep with that. I’m even willing to forgive FNAF for all the cheap jumpscares just because it’s interesting to hear the backstory and see people try to piece together timelines and motivations and shit like that. Movies so rarely seem to get that kind of treatment in comparison. I think it’s because you can push more with a video game, whereas a movie still has to be acceptable for a mainstream audience. i - in love: >V> j - jealous of people: yuuuuup. I mean, not at this very moment, but I get jealous pretty easily and can be a bite spiteful and petty sometimes. k - missing: James QAQ l - love at first sight or should i walk by again: Love at first sight is nothing but infatuation. m - middle name: Nicole n - number of siblings: One older brother by 3 years o - one wish: to feel stable p - last number you called: my counseling center to let them know I might be late because of car issues this morning q - question you are always asked: Well before it was “Wow how are you so skinny!?” and “Do you even eat??” but the last time someone asked a question and it struck me was when an old lady was genuinely concerned about my weight at the hair salon and asked me if I was doing okay. I feel like a lot of people WANT to ask that but don’t. It made me realized how obvious my issues are to everyone around me and how often I’m probably judged without realizing it. r - reasons to smile: my friends, my family, my pets (and yes I include Anne and Brent’s dogs as mine now because goddammit I do at least half their maintenance and I give them a ton of attention) s - song you last sang: “Burn” from Hamilton, while I was waiting for my uncle to pick me up this morning. Idk why it popped in my head considering that song’s about Eliza emotionally divorcing from Alexander and burning all their past correspondence with a big “fuck you” to trying to redeem him for herself. It’s just a nice tune. And honestly fun to belt out when you’re upset. “I’M WATCHING IT BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURN” t - time you woke up: fuckin...The question would be when did I SLEEP? I finally nodded off then woke up at 5:30-ish because Anne and Brent were being noisy, then went to sleep again around 6:30-ish maybe? But then my alarm went off at 7 because I was supposed to get up at 7 to start my car and make sure it worked but I kept hitting my alarm until finally it was like, 7:30 and I was like FIIIINE. So I guess I officially gave up on sleep at 7 AM. u - underwear color: Uh... -checks- Kina hot pink/magenta? v - vacation destination: The only one I can think for sure is I’d like to see Norway but I’ve got so many neuroses that traveling to another country would probably not be able to happen for a long time with me. w - worst habit: I tend to “explode” around me. My areas where I’m at the most are littered with my junk because I leave stuff there with the idea of “Well yeah I’m gonna use it later”. And then sometimes that extends to my garbage. So I tend to just...be messy. x - x-rays: Nope. y - your favorite food: Chicken strips and fries and hamburgers LOL oh and steak fuck yeeee and crab legs...Look, I’m a picky eater so when I find foods I like, they are my Favorites z - zodiac sign: Capricorn

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pixelpoppers · 5 years

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Bubsy: Paws on Fire! has a really interesting level structure and I'm gonna talk about it.

The short version is that it allows for a lot of player freedom in approach and in forming the difficulty curve, and has a lot more content than it might first appear.

The long version follows.

The foundation is the four playable characters, each with their own abilities:

Bubsy the Bobcat plays similarly to what you'd expect from a Bit.Trip Runner game. His levels are 2D side-scrolling platformers. Bubsy runs automatically and can jump, ground slam, glide, and "pounce" (a forward dash-attack).

Virgil Reality (whom I had never heard of just a few days ago and who is now my spirit animal) plays very similarly to Bubsy, but with slightly different abilities. He runs automatically and can also jump and ground slam, but instead of a glide and pounce he has a double-jump and a "slide" for ducking under obstacles.

The Woolie is different. Her levels are also 2D side-scrollers, but she doesn't run - she's in a flying saucer, and while her levels scroll automatically just like Bubsy's and Virgil's, she can move freely within the current boundaries of the screen. Her only other ability is a forward-firing laser, and she moves more slowly while firing. (There are also power-ups she can pick up that give her a double shot or a triple spread shot.)

Arnold the Armadillo is even more different. His levels are like a 3D tunnel racer. The camera is positioned behind Arnold as he automatically rolls forward along a cylindrical tube, with his only ability being to move horizontally around the tunnel wall.

Every character uses their abilities to progress through levels, picking up collectibles and avoiding obstacles. There are 150 standard collectibles in each level which show an ideal path, but you don't actually have to get them. They increase your score and can be spent on new costumes, but they have no effect on your progress through the game. The first time you reach the end of level with a given character (which is a significantly easier goal than getting all the collectibles) you get a "victory medallion" for that character and level. That's the mechanism by which progress is gated - later levels require that you have some total number of victory medallions. But like Stars in Mario 64 or equivalent systems in other collectathon platformers, this number is always less than what you'll earn if you finish each level with each character, giving you some freedom in what order you approach challenges and letting you skip ones that are giving you particular difficulty or that you don't find enjoyable.

The one kind of weird thing is that Arnold is positioned differently than the side-scrolling characters, which has a couple of implications. Arnold levels aren't immediately playable - to get access to an Arnold level, you must collect special collectibles as the other characters. Each of Bubsy, Virgil, and Woolie's levels have three fragments of an Arnold medallion in them (sometimes hid more sneakily than the standard collectibles). Get all nine fragments and you unlock the corresponding Arnold level.

Arnold levels, in addition to playing quite differently, are actually bonus levels. You can't fail them - the obstacles only break your point combo and make it harder to see what's coming. And 40 of the 150 collectibles are put together in a giant unmissable collectible at the very end. So even if you have terrible aim or just put the controller down, you are guaranteed to hit the end and get a victory medallion and 40 standard collectibles. It's legitimately a bonus reward for getting all the Arnold medal fragments and you can treat it as such if you don't enjoy Arnold's gameplay - but optionally you can also try to get all 150 of the collectibles and max out your score.

The downside of this structure is that the game looks shorter than it is. The game has three worlds, each with nine main levels and then a boss level. Each main level can be played as Bubsy, Virgil, or Woolie, and has an associated bonus level for Arnold. (Boss levels are one-shots.)

So this looks like the game has thirty levels, but in practice it has one hundred eleven - nearly four times as many, because each main level is really four levels in one. Officially you play the same level as Bubsy, Virgil, and Woolie, but their collectibles are placed differently and their abilities mean they take different paths. To me, they feel like completely different levels (especially Woolie) and if they hadn't been grouped together on the map it wouldn't have even occurred to me that they reuse content, because in practice they really don't. They are three different levels - and Arnold's of course are completely different since they are in a tunnel.

It's a little unfortunate the confusion this framing can cause, and it makes the game look much shorter than it is which may put people off of the price tag (though it's already at a budget price). I'm not convinced it was the best idea and perhaps there was a clearer way to handle it. But once you understand it and how much content it means there is, it's a good thing.

So to recap, Bubsy: Paws On Fire!'s level structure means that:

There are three distinct styles of play (or four, depending how you count the similar Bubsy/Virgil styles - I find they feel different enough that I have a distinct preference for Virgil) making for frequent changes of pace. But you always know what play style you're signing up for and won't be suddenly surprised by having to learn a new style in the middle of a level or something. And you get to decide when to switch things up - I rotate through all four characters on each level before proceeding, but you could do a bunch of Woolie levels and then go back and do several Virgil levels if you wanted to.

Levels have a nice wide competence zone - the skill floor of just reaching the end of a level is all you need to progress in the game, and the skill ceiling of getting every collectible (without hitting any obstacles, if you're truly hardcore) is significantly higher. This allows you to set your own goals and tailor your own difficulty curve. Since I'm an experienced Bit.Trip Runner player, I'm getting every collectible before moving on, but not requiring bonk-free runs - though note that the score combo system does grant higher scores to bonk-free runs, so if you want to show off your ability to do so on the leaderboards, you can!

Arnold levels are a legit bonus reward for getting the special medallion fragment collectibles, but also an optional source of additional gameplay and challenge if you enjoy them. I've seen some reviews call out these levels as their least favorite, but if you don't like them you can basically skip them and still get a reward. I've grown to like all the play styles, and I actually prefer Arnold levels to Woolie ones.

There's nearly four times as much content as there appears to be at first glance. I'm expecting the game to take me about ten hours, which is pretty good for the price tag. People coming in without having played Bit.Trip Runner might have more room to practice and learn the skills, and thus get even more entertainment out of the game.

#bubsy: paws on fire!#gaming #video games #game design #difficulty #virgil reality #virgil reality is my spirit animal #i want a virgil reality amiibo

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kickedtotheside · 7 years

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Tag Game

I was tagged by the awesome @gayspacepilots to answer these questions! Thanks so much! :D

Rules: Answer the questions in a new post and tag 20 blogs you would like to get to know better.

A - Age: 20 B - Birthplace: USA C - Current Time: Making this at 7:30PM, not sure when it will post haha D - Drink You Last Had: Diet Pepsi E - Easiest Person To Talk To: There are only 3 people I can easily talk to--my mom, sister, and best friend. Other than that, I’ll get awkward and end up regretting everything I said for the rest of my life lol F - Favourite Song: Oh goodness, there are too many. I’m listening a lot to these currently: “Land of the Living” - Plain White T’s, “If” - R5, “Mansae” - SEVENTEEN G - Grossest Memory: One time I got this HORRENDOUS food poisoning from a buffet. I was puking for like 48 hours and couldn’t stomach anything and I just felt the grossest I’ve ever been. That was easily 4-5 years ago, and I still can’t stand going anywhere near that buffet. H - Horror Yes or Horror No: Horror = HELL NO; I watched one episode of twd and I couldn’t sleep for 2 weeks. I - In Love: I’m in love with lots of things--drawing, traveling, food....but not romantically in love with a single person, and that’s fine by me! J - Jealous of People: Not really at all? Certainly not at all like I used to be when I was a young teen. K - Killed Someone: ??? No?? Why is this a question kasnklsdnksd L - Love At First Sight Or Should I Walk By Again: I’m TERRIBLE at picking up signals and then when I do I get v uncomfortable so...I believe a lot more in infatuation at first sight than anything. N - Number of Siblings: One awesome younger sister! :D O - One Wish: I wish I had a lot more confidence and self-esteem. It’s gotten to the point where I am too afraid to even try and I’ve lost motivation. P - Person You Called Last: My sister Q - Question You Are Always Asked: Hmmm....perhaps “What do you think?” Idk, a lot of people come to me for advice? R - Reason to Smile: Dogs! Haikyuu!! and it’s corresponding stageplays and actors, Star Trek, friendship... S - Song You Sang Last: “History Maker” by Dean Fujioka T - Time You Woke Up: 6:30/6:45?? I kinda overslept my 6AM alarm like I’ve been doing for the entire summer thus far. U - Underwear Colour: Ahhhh I’m so glad you asked because they’re brand new! Rainbow polka dot! :D V - Vacation Destination: Out of the country! I loved the time I visited Canada, but it was only for a day so I’d love to go back. Otherwise, England, Japan, and Germany are very high up on my list. W - Worst Habit: Most likely procrastination or beating myself up over little things. X - X-rays: Too many to count!! I grew up with braces so head X-Rays were a regular occurrence. I was also very clumsy so I ended up with PLENTY of X-Rays alongside of CT-scans and MRIs! Y - Your favourite food: Lentils! I also like curries, spring rolls, potstickers, pasta, and so many more lol. Z - Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

I’ll tag @sunshine-season, @tobeflyhaikyuu, @tired-tobio, @lucky-clover-cannot-hear-you, @fbexplorer, and @ill-die-in-the-stars

Please only do this if you want to--you’re not obligated to just because I tagged you! :) Also, if you weren’t tagged, but you want to, go for it!!

#about me #gayspacepilots #sunshine-season #tobeflyhaikyuu #tired-tobio #lucky-clover-cannot-hear-you #fbexplorer #ill-die-in-the-stars

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grapsandclaps · 6 years

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GRAPS AND CLAPS REVIEWS - FUTURESHOCK WRESTLING'S 14TH ANNIVERSARY

The decision from PCW and FutureShock to hold anniversary shows on the same night gave your regular correspondent, Andrew Ogden, a decision to make. With his massive hands deciding to head to Preston, he needed someone to report from Manchester as we needed to make sure both shows got their deserved place in the spotlight.

Hands up, I’ve only been going to independent wrestling shows since February, but the bug has bitten me bad and loving every second of being part of a wonderful community. Anyways… on with the show.

After a last minute change of plans, my wife, who two months ago called wrestling 'rubbish', asked if she could join me in Prestwich for FutureShock's 14th anniversary show in the Longfield Suite. She had come along to FS’s Tapped show in Manchester, mostly for the food and alcohol, but was won over by the awesome show. Declaring it “not as bad as I thought it would be” I knew she’d be back.

It goes to show the power and appeal of professional wrestling, changing someone's staunch opinion in just one show.

Normally your resident reporter would bring you opinions and prices of the local beer options, but sadly I'm off alcohol as I try to make myself ineligible for Progress’ Atlas division. However, we did enjoy a car picnic with a medley of goodies from M&S. I recommend bringing some hot sauce if you have the harissa chicken.

After meeting the rest of the graps gang, including Taff and Davie, fellow founder members of the #CyanideSection/#CraterMates we headed inside for the show.

First up was Delicious Danny Hope taking on Alex Boylin, joined by Rizwan Khan at ringside. After one shenanigan too many, Ref Pete had enough and sent him to the back. Danny used the distraction to his advantage and hit a tassel powered superkick to pick up the pin fall.

After stealing the show at Tapped last month and the unfortunate injury to Lykos ruling out CCK in the previously announced tag match, the impressive Young Guns were handed a No.1 contenders match against the Sexy Gents.

This was another wonderful back and forward match, but turned on its head when John McGregor tagged himself in just as Kev Lloyd had gained the upper hand. Not the first time the Gents have shown signs of discontent and they were made to pay.

Ethan Allen took Kev out of the game on the outside and just as Luke Jacobs managed to counter Kev’s guillotine choke his partner jumped from the top rope and hit a codebreaker/doomsday device double team. Fantastic finish from two excellent teams and the Young Guns will get a chance at Tyson T-Bone and Chris Ridgeway’s tag team titles.

Kev after the match said 'Him and John can't go on anymore' and walked off into the night with The Sexy Gents looking finished. Leaving ONLY JOHN in the ring 😭😭😭

Next, it was the match which has been building since JJ Webb first fought Deadly Damon Leigh in the same building back in February. After multiple encounters, it was brought to a head at Tapped when JJ had to save Chris Egan with DDL standing over him holding a steel chair.

This would be no ordinary singles match, oh no, this is a ‘loser wears a Chicken Suit match’. Built on the emergence of the Chicken Section following a ‘All Bins Are Legal’ tie which saw DDL dressed in KFC buckets.

DDL worked extremely hard to ignore the chicken chants, you could see the focus and the determination, the man from Stratford channeling his inner Colonel to stay calm. JJ should have had the three count after he planted DDL face first on the mat, but in the subsequent move, he had knocked out referee Fitzgerald into the corner.

Pete ran to the ring, but rather than start the count, he went to see to his colleague, giving DDL a chance to recover and hit Stockport’s finest with a low blow. Pete counted to three and the crowd were left disappointed… until Fitzgerald got back to his senses and informed our compere, Matt Taylor Richards, what he’d seen. The match would restart.

Both had their opportunities to finish it off, but JJ bounced off the ropes and hit a spinning clothesline to earn the 1, 2, 3, leaving DDL stunned and left to ponder his destiny, wearing the chicken suit.

The first of three title matches would take place before the interval, an eight-man scramble match for the Adrenaline title. Champion Sam Bailey would take on Wolfgang, Chris Ridgeway, Callum Corrie, Joey Hayes, Chris Egan, and Chris Brookes. The man holding the pin-fall after 15 minutes would leave Prestwich with the belt.

The first pin went to the exciting high-flying talents of Corrie, but like going 1-0 up after five minutes away from home, it was too early. Egan, after a couple of excellent spots, including when he avoided being drop-kicked by all six men at the same time, pinned Golfwang, sorry Wolfgang with eight minutes to go.

Everyone got their chance to lift the belt, Brookes made Ridgeway tap with a reverse figure four type move - apologies for not knowing names of moves, it looked very uncomfortable. Then, much to the disappointment of the crowd, Bailey put himself in the driving seat when he took advantage of the chaos to pin Brookes.

The clock ticked down and Hayes hit cutter after cutter, trying to find space to hit the winning blow, then with time winding down and the FutureShock faithful counting down from 10, the man who won the belt in Stockport Town Hall hit one last cutter - outta nowhere - on Bailey and the referees hand hit three with just 1 second on the clock.

AND NEW… a crazy, but fantastic match. Everyone hit their spots and Joey took full advantage at the perfect moment to regain the belt he lost from Bailey.

During the break, as he was contractually obliged, Damon Leigh came out to the ring wearing his chicken suit and the paying crowd were able to get their picture taken with DDL and Webb. An opportunity not to be missed.

Interval over, we were on to our second title match, an adrenaline rush rumble match for the woman’s title. Ten entrants, starting with two competitors in the ring, elimination only when both feet hit the floor and you go over the top rope.

Kasey Owens from the Queen Bees started in the ring with Alexis Falcon, but it became a numbers game when fellow QB member Jayla Dark joined next. The double team was too much for Alexis and she was thrown out. Taonga and FS favourite Lana Austin were next in, the former wasn’t able to make much of an impact before being eliminated.

Shax came and went, apart from a nice spot when she was caught by Gerald on the outside and he placed her back ring, she wasn’t able to offer much in the way of offence. Molly Spartan came in seventh, giving the Queen Bees the advantage. Newby Hollie came and went, with just enough time for one “Hollie, Hollie, Hollie, Oi, Oi, Oi” chant.

Viper entered the fray, taking over and supply each of the QBs with a cannonball in the corner, but the numbers game would come into play and it took all three ladies to lift the Megaton Barbie up onto Molly Spartan’s shoulders and deliver a devastating powerbomb.

I can’t condone this Scottish on Scottish crime, but after dumping Viper over the top rope, it was going to take a miracle to stop FutureShock’s power trio.

After Viper’s exit, Molly made the shook move to throw stablemate Jayla Dark over the top rope - still not sure why, more to come on that I think. Toni Storm entered last, but couldn’t stop Austin meeting her fate, leaving the Mae Young classic participant two on one against the Bees. However, quick thinking led her move out of Spartan’s way and the champion smashed into Kasey on the apron, eliminating her other comrade, this time by accident.

It would be Toni against Molly in a singles match for the belt, but Owens jumped back in, only to be met by Toni’s piledriver, but it gave Molly the gap she needed, hitting Toni with a devastating spear and picking up the hard-fought victory.

Overall a good match, but quite a few of the spots and decisions of when and how to eliminate people seemed strange. Great potential, but could have been better. There may be reasons behind it, but expected more from Viper and Lana. There seemed no point in having Taonga and Shax in the match at all.

Before the main event, and the raffle, Big Joe came out to the ring with Thomas Wolfe with something to get off his massive chest. After a typical warm welcome from the FS crowd and plenty of chants including the words ‘small’, ‘tiny’ and ‘how far away are you?’ Joe was able to issue his Little Man Challenge.

He wanted to challenge someone who had been a FutureShock staple since day one, a legend, a wrestling icon… he wanted MATT TAYLOR RICHARDS. The compere with no compare wasn’t keen, retired from in-ring competition, but the big man wouldn’t take no for an answer. Lifting MTR into the air, although he can bench over four times his own body-weight, it turns out that still isn’t much and he crumbled under the power of Richards and the prettiest man in the North West pinned Joe for the victory.

In an amazing turn of events I then won the raffle, two tickets to FutureShock’s show in Stockport on September 16th, two days before my birthday. What a result, make sure you check out their website for all future shows.

Time for the main event. Mask versus Title. Ashton Smith, the champ, against the Colossus, Cyanide. WWE v WoS. A match fitting for the anniversary.

Both men didn’t disappoint. Smith used speed and intelligence to try and gain the upper-hand, but the challenger had power on his side. But every time you thought the champ was down and out, he’d bounce back, eventually lifting all 36-stone of Cyanide on to his shoulders to deliver and earth-shattering samoan drop, the same move which saw him beat the big man in Stockport Town Hall.

This time Cyanide was smart and rolled out of the ring to escape the three-count, Ashton would get the crowd on their feet when he followed it up with a hurricanrana which sent his opponent into the ring post.

Just beating the 10-count with milliseconds to go, Cyanide was back in the ring and once on his feet he finally hit Smith with a chokeslam, razor’s edge and followed it up with a huge splash - the tremors reportedly felt as far away as Rochdale. Covering the champ, there was no response and Cyanide confirmed, monsters are real.

Belt in the air, FutureShock has a new champion and it is going to take something special to stop him.

Flanked by Henry T Grodd and Noah through his reign of terror, it seems like the champion wants to go it alone, laying out Noah was a thunderous chokeslam. Grodd teased going into the ring, but saw sense, instead helping his tag-partner to the back.

Two new champions, new number one contenders and a show that will live long in the memory. There were few down points, every big match hit all right spots and everyone, except Damon Leigh, will have gone home happy.

Six months ago I watched my first independent show in the same building, and now I am truly hooked and even my wrestling hating wife has been converted. That is the power of the British wrestling scene and it feels like a privilege to be part of it.

FutureShock returns to Stockport on September 16th, and then to Fairfield Social Club on September 23rd, were Pete Dunne will put his WWE UK title on the line at Tapped 2. Buy tickets NOW and check out FutureShock on demand to watch this show when it’s up.

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southbendswimclub · 7 years

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Weekly Announcements for Week of 4/30-5/6

Dear SBSC families,

Practice Schedule RHS Practice Groups Group 1: Tuesday and Thursday 6:00-7:15 G1 Elite: Monday 5:30-7:15 Group 2: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 5:30-7:15, and Friday 5:00-6:30 Group 3: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 3:30-5:45, and Friday 3:30-5:00 NPHS Practice Groups Group 1: Tuesday and Thursday 6:00-7:15 CST Group 2: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 5:30-7:15 CST Group 3 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 5:30-7:15 CST Practice notes: Group 1's practices are now 1 hour and 15 minutes long and will remain that way through the month of May. NP swimmers are welcome to attend any of their corresponding groups practices held at Riley High School. All Group 2 swimmers attending Friday practices are reminded to bring dry-land clothes including running shoes. CON BW3 Meet June 2nd-4th The deadline to opt out of this meet is this evening. This is another long course meet and is not appropriate for any of our new swimmers with no prior competitive experience. For all others, if you do not want your swimmer in this meet you must decline attendance to avoid being entered and being responsible for the meet entry fees. IA Meet May 12th-14th I was informed yesterday we can make updates to our entry through tomorrow. If you did not want your swimmer in this meet and they were entered because you neglected to decline attendance send me an email by this evening and I will remove them from the meet. I have attached our entry so you can double check if your swimmer is entered. NASA Off The Blocks Invite Here are the pertinent times for this coming Saturday's meet 10 and under AM session Warm-ups 7:00-7:45 (our swimmers need to be on deck by 6:45) Meet Starts at 8:00 11 and over PM session Warm-ups 12:00-12:45 (our swimmers need to be on deck by 11:45) Meet Starts 1:00 In past seasons the morning session has been pushed back to a later start time. As of this morning the published start times are still in place. Please check your emails/our website/our social media sites for any updates. If there are any changes I will send out that information as soon as I receive it. Parent Meeting with Ava Tuesday 5/2 This Tuesday Ava will be addressing athletes motivation and what we can do to increase it. The meeting will be held in one of the classrooms across the hall from the pool locker rooms. The meeting will begin at 6:00 and be done by 7:00. Birth Certificates To our new families that have not already done so please email, or bring in a copy of your swimmer's birth certificate. Please remember Indiana Swimming will fine us if your swimmer competes and does not have proof of their age on file. As part of the digital document you signed all fines imposed because of this violation will be the responsibility of the parents. Picking Up Your Swimmers I want to remind parents of our policy of picking up swimmers. All swimmers must be picked up within 15 minutes of the schedule ending time of practice. Swimmers will never be held longer then what the practice schedule says. Parents should never have to wait on just as we expect to never have to wait on parents. If a swimmers is not picked up within the 15 minute time frame parents are subject to fines. I just ask that our membership respect the time of our coaching staff. I do understand there emergencies and and unforeseen circumstances. In those situations a text message to alert me should be sent. Spring-Summer T-shirts Please make sure your swimmer's shirt size is updated on your account page. Parents, if you would like to order shirts for yourself or other family members send me an an email with T-shirt in the subject line with sizes you would like. The shirts will be dry-fit material. The plan right now is to have a dark/charcoal grey shirt with a variation of our new logo. I will have an idea on price once we have the artwork approved. I will be sending in our final numbers first thing tomorrow morning. Advertising Credit Selling a one year ad on our website could earn you anywhere from $50 to almost $500. Here is the link for more information. Another easy way to earn credit for your swim club account is to hang our recruiting posters out in the public. For every poster you hang you will receive a $5 credit up to $25. Once you hang the poster post a pic of it on your Facebook page (or other social site) and tag the club. Fitter and Faster Tours There is also another Fitter and Faster Tour stop in Holland Michigan on May 20th and 21st. The one on the 20th is for swimmers 11 and under. Here is the link to registration page. The one on the 21st is for swimmers 12 and over. Here is the link for registration. Upcoming Meet & Dates/location/deadline to opt out Below is our spring and summer meet schedule. All swimmers are considered swimming in a meet unless a parent declines attending. I'm also asking if you know your swimmer will be attending please commit them to the meet. If the option to choose days is not yet available please leave a note as to which days you would like to attend. CON BW3 Invite June 2nd-4th/Merrifield Park, Mishawaka/Tonight Sunday April 30th MSC Summer Splash June 23rd-25th/Munster High School/Sunday May 28th NASA Summer Invite/June 24th/Northridge High School/next Sunday May 7th IA Summer Spectacular/July 7th-9th/Rolfs Aquatic Center, Notre Dame/Sunday May 28th Senior State Championships/July 20-23rd/Purdue/TBD Age Group State/July 27th-31st/IUPUI/TBD Summer Divisionals/August 5th & 6th/Concord High School/TBD Junior Nationals August 8th-12th/East Meadow, NY/TBD As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

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