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lchufflepuffcorn · 5 years

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Family matters Ben Hargreeves x Reader

(Gender neutral reader)

Omg please write some Ben Hargreeves fluff! Like he married his childhood sweetheart (and he didn't die) and them introducing their newborn to the rest of the family? I think they all just need some happiness and a reason to see each other without the world ending or someone dying -(@Anon)

Welp, someone still died, but!! It still got fluff, so I hope it doesn’t change too much from what you requested…

Also, I’m really sorry it took so long, but, as you can see, I made this one extra long as an excuse, even if it barely meets anything to make you forgive me for the delay…

Please think about taking a look at my ko-fi, or come see my Patreon, lots of love, LC.

Words: 2471

Warning: Angst, fluff. The gif is not mine, It belongs to its creator/owner.

You never actually met all of the Hargreeves’ siblings. You saw them, talked to about two of them, and had tea his the robotic mother -that served your husband as a feminine figure when he was a child- only once. Sure, you knew them. Everybody knew the Hargreeves’, they were the prodigy children of the Umbrella Academy. Ben didn’t fancy to discuss his past, neither did he like to speak about his powers. You understood, after years of marriage, you had been able to put the pieces together. The unique occasions you faced his family helped you read his personality. Klaus and Vanya were the closest siblings Ben had. Diego was too bitter now. Luther was -in his opinion- a dumbass and Allison was something he didn’t want to say out loud. After the disappearance of his brother, Five, he hadn’t been the same.

''We're going to be late for tea, Ben!'' You screamed to the house, before huffing back in your seat.

You met Ben at a relatively young age, about eight. You were not a child of the academy but lived close by. At such age, you were not yet aware of all that was going on inside their house. You used to help Ben brighten up when he wandered the streets on his free days. He would roam on the streets for hours, he did so for years before you dared to talk to him. A child with a hopeful smile and shining eyes, holding up a little card for Ben to take. That evening, you could remember, your mom baked cookies for the Umbrella Academy children.

After years and years of being friends, he ultimately kissed you. It was before he went for a mission. You could still remember the sounds of cars passing by and the wind scattering your hairs as he did so. By the window of your room with one foot already out, Ben's lips met yours, knocking your teeth with his in the process. Awkward and blushing furiously, he stumbled upon his words. Saying that he had to go and came back two weeks later to address the subject with you.

Now, the awkward first love moment was long past, and you were at your seventh year of the wedding. At the moment, you were waiting not-so-patiently in the car for Ben to get in. He stopped the car in the hallway from leaving the manor-like house you owned in London, Ontario. He did so at least two times to retrieve whatever was missing in his opinion. The thoughts of seeing his family once again stressed him out, you could understand that. It didn't mean you were happy to be delayed so much by it.

''Ben! I swear... Let's go, we're gonna be late!''

He finally arrived in the car, the lost rattle Justin had let in the house before you took him to the car in his hand. The trip was made in silence, about two hours of the boring road on the highway with classic rock music in the background and Justin’s nonsensical gibbering.

Going back to the Umbrella Academy was making you nervous. Ben had only invited six people of his family out of eight. You weren't even sure the three last knew you he was married. It was sad because, out of the six family members Ben had invited, only four came. His father had work, and nobody knew what Diego was doing at the time. Since then, Klaus and Vanya had visited twice a year, and Grace was coming every now and then for tea. Pogo was tagging along with her sometimes too. But none of the others visited, although Diego did call often. The impromptu passing of Sir Reginald Hargreeves had stumbled upon all as a surprise.

As Ben pulled up in the parking of the house, he let out a shaking breath. Your hand find it's way at the nape of his neck. Your thumbs gently tracing shapes at the end of his hair to ease him from his nervousness.

Ben finally nods, and you get out of the car, taking with you your newborn who was clutching to his rattle. Ben followed your initiative closely. The three of you walked toward the entry and Ben knocked at the door. You don’t wait long before Pogo opens the door, a small smile illuminating his face for an instant.

‘’I didn’t think you would come.’’ He says softly, embracing Ben first, turning to you and your child after.

‘’He was still my father, Pogo,’’ Ben answers to the talking monkey.

There wasn't a living soul present in the living room. Grace seemed happy to see you, her hand clutching to the tea set you offered her the first Christmas you spent alone with Ben. She doesn't seem to realize she's not alone anymore in the living room. She sings under her breath, carefully pouring tea in the porcelain gift.

''Mom?''

Ben's voice makes Grace raise her head, her plastic smile carved on her face once again. She meets the both of you with a cheerful ''Good morning children, tea?'' Your husband dismisses his mother question, but you nod happily.

''Where are the others?'' Grace smiles as she pours you a cup of tea, her answer is fashionably late but teasing all the same. Just like when Ben was a child.

''They won't be long my love. Sit.''

You make the living room cozy. Pogo took out one of the many blankets Reginald had for his children. He also takes out some old toys that he never had the heart to discard. Ben is lost in his thoughts as he watches you and your son play on the ground.

As massive steps are heard going up, you just understand that Luther just came back. You also know that it's inconceivable that he didn't see Ben's car in the driveway, so he did just ignore you. When you look at Ben, he prefers to smile and act as if nothing is bothering him. Justin coos, agitating his little fist in the air.

The first sibling you meet after coming back to the academy is actually Allison. She couldn't be happier to see her brother, even with the dark circumstances.

“Hey, Ben!” Your husband gets up to greet her with a hug. You cradle your baby in your arms, so Justin can officially meet his aunt.

‘’Hello honey. Who might you be?’’ Allison drops to your son’s level, adding a smile to her question in your direction. The both of you were never close, and you weren’t even sure that she knew Ben was married. Justin raises his head an awkward smile on his chubby face. A gurgle left his mouth and made Allison laugh.

Allison makes grabby hands toward the little boy, and you slowly -carefully- give him to her. You know she has a child of her own, but the feeling of uneasiness that you feel from being away from your child is always excruciatingly hard to ignore.

''I'm aunt Allison. Yes, I am!''

''I didn't know you married.'' Luther's voice made you flinch. How come a man so big could sometimes be so discreet? You sometimes forgot that they were trained superheroes.

The blond brother of your husband was taller and more built than you remembered. He was supported by the wall with his arms crossed upon his chest. Your husband lowers his head in shame, you take it upon yourself to speak on his behalf.

‘’You weren’t available at the time, being on the moon and all... ‘’

Luther’s cheek flushed bright red at your words. You didn’t mean any harm, but the truth was sometimes harsh. Justin started to whine, his rattle getting your attention back on him. Allison gave him back to you. You adjusted the baby, so you were both comfortable.

Ben gave you more space to sit next to him, his arm resting on your hips as a sign of support. You were not one to hate people, but even as a child, you found Luther tough to find pleasant. Sitting under the needlessly huge dedicatory painting of Five, you felt small. Even more because of Luther and his eyes seemingly piercing holes into your skull.

‘’How come when shit becomes interesting nobody calls me? Ben, (Y/N), darling love of mine, how are you? How is that sweet nephew of mine?’’ Klaus exclamation brought everyone to turn in his direction. He cradled the child in his arms, sitting on the ground as you did in the first place.

To say that his presence in your hospital room surprised you was an understatement. He had still his rehab bracelet and an exuberant bouquet of orange roses and Peruvian lilies. Klaus had acted deeply offended by your choice of not making him the godfather, but he looked like he was recovering now.

A little bit later, as you didn’t really like Reginald, you took Justin for a stroll in town. Going out, you crossed path with Diego, in the staircase. He greeted you with a nod, his eyes staring a bit longer than he probably intended too on Justin before he continued toward his room. You could hear Allison’s comment on his spandex costume.

‘’He’s right, I shouldn’t be here…’’ You heard Vanya mutter under her breath as Allison was trying to make her stay.

‘’Hi, Vanya!’’ You were in good terms with the woman. She was kind and sweet, it was crushing your soul to know that most of her life her father had been so awful with her.

‘’I’m so sorry about your father, Justin and I were about to go for a walk, do you want to join us?’’ The shy woman smiled at you, gratefully. Clearly, she couldn’t think of a better way to become comfortable in her own house than to hang out with the wife of her adoptive brother, literally an outsider. That just made you sadder thinking about it. You offered Vanya to take Justin and took her outside so she could breathe.

Sitting on the bench in front of the house, the two of you spoke about life. Justin was going back and front between you and his aunt happily. Vanya asked about how your life had changed now that you had a son, and you asked about the orchestra. You always loved how she played, it was mesmerizing. When Ben came for you saying that Luther wanted to pay his respect in the ward, Vanya gave you back her nephew and entered the house, leaving you alone.

The town was not so different than when you left it. It had been a long time since then, your parent had moved away, closer to where you lived, and the last memory you had of it was before going for college. A weird feeling burst in your chest. As you thought about its origin, shouting gave away the answers to your suspicion.

Ben had always been a little reluctant with fights, due to his past and his abilities as a superhero. No matter how ironic that sounded for a hardened superhero. The dispute between Luther and Diego and triggered an anxiety attack. You had to be frank, it had been a while since his last downward. He was clutching to you for dear life, Justin tenderly hugged in his other muscular arm.

''You're doing great.''

His breath was slowly becoming more relaxed, Justin was sleeping now, his small head on his father's shoulder. You detached yourself from your husband's grip to put the baby the bassinet you had transported from London.

You woke up the next morning without Ben by your side. Comotion could be heard from the kitchen so, carefully, you went that way. You had made numerous scenarios about what it could have been. None of them involved thirteen years old Five surrounded by his siblings. Ben was looking disgustedly at the sandwich his brother was fixing himself. It was a tradition that you never understood from the Hargreeves. Peanut butter on the corner of his lips, Five looked up in your direction with a frown.

''Did dad adopt a new child after me?'' He asked, making his sibling turn to look at you.

''That's Ben's wife.'' Said Luther with a harsh tone. Ben gives his brother a look before making his way to you. Trying to explain the situation.

''So you're telling me that Five created a temporal vortex to come back, that it changed his physical form from sixty-something to thirteen again?'' Ben nodded.

Your cup of tea half empty in your hand you looked at the wood table in astonishment. You were somewhat used to Ben's power, but the others were still hard to grasp. And seeing as you didn't grow up with abilities yourself, it was kind of difficult to process the news of Five reappearances.

You were enjoying the last moments of calm before Justin’s crying would oblige you to parent businesses. Five was sipping at a carton cup of coffee from the donut’s house from downtown, eating peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich in all it non-nutritive glory. You, as a new mother with strong and newly acquired motherly instincts, were horrified. Only Five was not making things easier for you to forget about him and eat your own breakfast as he was intensely staring at you.

‘’You’re that girl from down the road, ain’t ya?’’ He asked finally, his mouth half full of the disgracious sandwich. You nodded.

‘’I assume that Ben is your significant other, now, if I may ask, how did the two of you actually become…’’ He gestured the rest of his sandwich in your general direction, ‘’a thing?’’

As you opened your mouth to answer, a cry echoed in the academy, you bolted up to go see your baby. You could hear Five finish his monologue to your husband. “I never assumed that you would be the one to have the most healthy relationship of us all.”

You took your time to bring your child down to the kitchen. Changing him and making sure he was comfortable. Diego stopped glaring at Allison to face you. A small smile on his lips, he gently touched your son's cheek with a finger. Luther sunk deeper into his seat as if he was trying to disappear, Five, on the contrary, rose from his chair to see Justin better. Ben offered him to hold him. It took Five a moment before Five accepted after you guaranteed that he wouldn't snap your son's neck.

Seeing the happy smile on the teenager's lips grow, you found yourself thinking about how damaged they all were. The love they had known came from a robot and a monkey. So maybe they had troubles, but your husband's family could still work on their differences.

#ben hargreeves x reader #Ben Hargreeves #ben imagines #ben hargreeves fluff #ben hargreeves imagines #The Umbrella Academy #the umbrella academy imagine #love #fluff #angst #tua fandom #tua imagines #writing #fandom #x reader #imagines

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samsevenwrites · 5 years

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“So?”

Rachel had waited a few minutes, just enough time for Peter to pack his things. Now, she wanted an answer.

Earlier in the week, as a new student at Blackwell Academy, Peter had asked for her help to catch up September classes he had missed, and Rachel gladly accepted before realizing that the new one was smarter than most of the students. No, in fact, he was smarter than any other student.

Peter Parker was good at photography, was an accomplished scientist, and when he did not excel in a subject, he was good anyway. Everyone expected him to fail at least on the basketball court, but he had surprised the whole class, including the teacher, by scoring several baskets effortlessly.

In fact, it would not take much for Peter to help his classmates himself.

Rachel had finally concluded that his request maybe disguised a classic, but sometimes effective, attempt at flirtation: after all, it was an approach like any other. Yet, instead of being the teacher or the courting girl, Rachel just had the role of the observer, watching Peter while he was completing the exercises, without hearing any questions.

What was the point of learning in silence what was already known? Why lock yourself in an empty classroom instead of enjoying the end of the day?

So Rachel had the idea to play.

After he had stuck his notepad between two textbooks in his bag, Peter lifted his face to his classmate, noting how the tired sun’s rays were sketching her silhouette.

The golden hour had the power to make the shadows immense without becoming terrifying, to transform the colors of fire into peaceful shades, to accentuate the mystery that enveloped Rachel, this girl full of life.

Peter quickly dismissed this painful thought.

His approach did disguised an intention, and unfortunately, it was not romantic: Peter was interested in Rachel not as Peter Parker, but as Spider-man.

“OK, explain your game.”

Despite Peter’s hardly convincing sigh, Rachel smiled radiantly.

When neither of them spoke, they could hear the students’ discussions outside, and under the screams and laughter, if they gave enough attention, they could even hear the murmur of wind and water from the fountain where was perched Jeremiah Blackwell.

Behind her back, Rachel felt the melancholy heat of the end of the day. She did not notice the soft blaze colors that were unfolding on the horizon, yet she guessed them in the eyes of her classmate, in the hazel pupils that were at that moment as the same hue as honey.

“This is a game I learned in theater class. It's all about improvisation,” she got up and went off to sit on the edge of one of the windows, “we’ve to spy on people from far away and imagine stories from what we see. The best would be to choose two people to engage in a dialogue.”

“So we observe other students and we make them talk, huh? A preference for the register?”

“Comic or dramatic, I let you choose.”

She suspected that he would understand the rules quickly, but it was about interpretation through an imagination influenced by feelings: it was a game that could say a lot about the player, even a smart one.

“I’m curious to see what you think, Peter. What a New Yorker can say about high school students in Arcadia Bay?”

A brief, guilty grin showed that the new student was sorry to be so distant. It had been three weeks since Peter Parker joined Blackwell and he stubbornly remained at the back of the stage even though he had attracted attention: his New York accent had invoked dreams of the great a city for those who had never walked down the Broadway’s sidewalks, and for Rachel, this city dweller was an enigma. Why did this boy leave the big city to get lost on this little coast? Worse, for the Californian, this exile was as serious as crime.

“Then my participation is an honor?”

“May you satisfy my curiosity,” joked Rachel, bowing.

As he laughed, Peter leaned on the edge too and watched the grassy ground where everything was so calm, so easy. Different groups of teenagers illustrated the many facets of youth: geeks who played a board game to escape the real world, footballers who drew in infinite energy, popular girls who composed their brilliant image, rebels who did not even hide to smoke, defying the simplest authority—

Peter Parker almost envied them for their common worries.

With a reflex, he rubbed his wrists that were too often clasped by his web-shooters.

The teenager would have liked time to be suspended, then the sun would never cross the horizon and that the problems of this school would resume to weed and unprotected sex.

With a heavy heart, Peter tried not to look at Rachel: although he was seeing her for real with her colorful face, he was haunted by the black and white portrait he had seen.

“You can choose anyone,” said Rachel with a wave of her hand. “You won’t hurt anyone, this game will stay between us, promised.”

Concentrate on this game, Peter. Enjoy this quiet moment, they’re so rare—

He studied several samples, moving from one individual to another, to finally stop on this girl with blond short hair, both elegant and cold. He did not know what her name was, and he was certain that this oversight would have been an affront to this diva.

With his finger, he pointed to the schoolgirl who, chin pretentiously erect, was chatting with a friend. After clearing his throat, Peter started:

“What will I do after high school? Invent sunproof makeup, I can’t stand this sun anymore!”

“Oh my god, Victoria,” Rachel exclaimed, agreeing with Taylor's surprised expression in the distance, “you’re so smart! Waterproof is so overrated nowadays! I’ll be your first client.”

They tried to compose the continuation of the dialogue, watching the faces, the gestures, the movements. Their comedy sounded so good that it was hardly spoiled by some contradictions.

Suddenly Rachel laughed, pulling herself out of Taylor's role:

“I didn’t know you had so much humor!”

“Because I didn’t have a public worthy yet.”

“Oh, my humble person is enough for your one-man show?”

“Absolutely. I’ve always loved mischievous audiences.”

“Seduction by words is the only weapon that matters.”

Haloed by the sunset that served as a projector, the two teenagers gave themselves great airs from their perch that became a secret scene. Both actors betrayed themselves with laughter and smiles, making their game adorably bad.

Now that they were discussing, Peter understood the Rachel Amber’s popularity.

He first thought that it was her beauty that attracted people: the profile of the future model was well designed and, endowed with the calm that seemed untouchable, she had a smile that looked like the Mona Lisa’s one who challenged anyone to impress her.

Now, he knew that her success exceeded the image: Rachel knew how to direct the conversations thanks to an always witty repartee. If she respected the silences, the timid ones, however, could become talkative in her presence as she was lively and friendly.

Some might have said she had too many dreams to accomplish, but Rachel had enough energy to make them all come true.

Peter hoped for her a promising future.

Stop thinking about it. Stop looking at her this way or she’ll have doubts.

To silence his anguish, the unsuspected hero turned away to find another subject of inspiration. He then observed one of the skaters on the lawn who was tightening the screws on his board. For a moment, he wondered if he was also a student of Blackwell since he had never seen him in class.

After a few moments, Peter says:

“I wonder if there is enough room on my skateboard to engrave the full periodic table? Would people notice it?”

“The nerd who isn’t at easy, good one! It works with Justin, too.”

Rachel leaned in, visibly taken in the game.

She was really having fun with Peter and was even tempted to suggest that he join the theater class. What she had imagined to be shyness was only prudence.

Head bent to the side, Rachel looked at him with great attention.

Modest, Peter answered:

“Well, it’s pretty classic actually, but thank you.”

“That’s true, but I’ve a weakness for stories where appearances are misleading.”

A weakness for the mysteries, therefore.

In a reflex, Peter looked down, pretending to look for other topics to improvise a new dialogue. His research was interrupted by a rather surprising question:

“Peter, what would you say if you see Spider-man?”

He was so surprised he wondered if he had heard correctly.

“Spider-man?”

“Yes. Imagine: all of a sudden, Spider-man web swings to cross the campus, greeting students just below him. That would be a perfect subject, right? What would you invent?”

“Uh— Gotta go fast?”

They burst out laughing.

“But really, Rachel, I doubt that Spider-man goes through Blackwell one day. Everything’s so calm here.”

“Who knows? Even he might need rest.”

She did not imagine how hurtful it could be for the spider-man to hear this: every time someone showed compassion, Peter Parker had to pretend to be indifferent and hide an moved pride.

“Spider-man has been seen in Oregon twice since the beginning of the month, after a long absence—”

“It may be another Spider-man.”

“He had the same blue and red suit as the one from New York.”

Oops.

The conversation was beginning to make him uneasy, especially because of Rachel’s posture: her hands were on her hips and she was looking at him with her head tilted to the left, as if to watch his reactions.

She can’t know.

Peter pulled out his phone, preparing the excuse of the late hour to leave Rachel and take refuge in the dormitory.

“If Spider-man was swinging in front of us,” continued the student, “I would say he’s in a hurry to go back to his lab.”

“His laboratory? Why a laboratory?”

She shrugged.

“I don’t know. I’m convinced that the one who hides under this mask is a scientist, a good scientist, and like any self-respecting good scientist, he has his own laboratory.”

Peter was unable to decipher that cat’s gaze that was scrutinizing him, that barely hemmed smile.

Would she remain so calm if he told her, right there, right now, that he was the man who hides under the costume covered with webs?

Or had she already guessed?

“It’s funny,” the plainclothes hero muttered, “you’re one of the few people to imagine that Spider-man can have a life on the ground, far from fighting.”

“There’s a difference between a superhero and an everyday hero.”

“The first one has super powers and not the other?”

“No, it’s a matter of costume. Just like Spider-man and the one wearing the suit.”

Peter nodded, looking distracted.

He could not contradict this logic when he had set himself the goal of protecting Rachel without his costume.

Peter kept his lips closed, calculating the years before that corridor would be wallpapered with “Missing Person” posters. Three years to understand what was going to happen to Rachel Amber. Three years in any universe, but not this one, he promised.

And to succeed, he should become a discreet hero, an everyday hero.

#short stories #crack crossovers #life is strange #spider-man #rachel amber #peter parker #i just want rachel to be happy and alive okay.#see it as the beginning of a great friendship or a love story #as you wish!#i might write a whole fic about it if you ask or want to know #i'm french so pardon my english #♥#own fanfiction

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fan-of-mulligan · 4 years

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FOM BLOG: GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS SEASON PREVIEW FOR 2020 / 2021

Looking ahead to the start of The 2020 / 2021 Season, And With Gillingham kicking off the league campaign with a home game against relegated Championship Opposition in Hull City At Priestfield Stadium, I have asked several Gillingham Supporters for there thoughts and opinions on a number of different subjects, Including Gillingham’s Transfer Activity, The Salary Cap For League’s One And Two, Fixture Congestion, And Where Will Gillingham Finish At The End Of The 2020 / 2021 Season.

Answering these questions are the following Gillingham Supporters,,,,, Luke, Colin, Gills Anorak, The Rainham End, Loonpotter, Shane, RichardS, Smithy, BQGillsFan, Rob, And Gills Debate - I want to thank everyone who has participated in the latest Gillingham Supporters Blog, as well as thank those who participated in The Gillingham Supporters Blogs throughout The 2019 / 2020 Season, It is because the involvement of everyone who has participated in the previous blogs which have made these blogs so successful, so once again, thank you, Now on to the questions and answers……..

1. GILLINGHAM ENDED THE 2019 / 2020 SEASON TENTH IN LEAGUE ONE WITH FIFTY ONE POINTS FROM THIRTY FIVE GAMES, HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP THE 2019 / 2020 SEASON FOR THE GILLS ???

Luke - Good progress from what we had previously. I think the biggest improvement for me was home performances and results were much more positive than they were under the two previous regimes. The long unbeaten run we had from November was also a breath of fresh air for something we haven't had for a long time.

Colin - We did marginally better than I was expecting. We relied on defensive solidity and picked up points when we didn’t play that well. That said I think overall it was a poor division last season.

Gills Anorak - A steady season. The unbeaten run in the middle part showed signs of consistency that need to be built on but difficult with so many new faces again.

The Rainham End - It was a much better season than what we have witnessed for the last few since Edinburgh.

Loonpotter - It was an excellent season and could have been even better but for the pandemic.

Shane - I think it was a good season for The Gills. There wasn't the usual threat of relegation and there was a nice cup run. It is a shame it couldn't be concluded.

RichardS - A vast improvement from last season and without doubt going in the right direction. Disappointing that the season was brought to an early halt as we could have finished even stronger. I would have gladly settled for 10th at the beginning of the season though so quite content with that.

Smithy - I think generally speaking we had a good season. Had we not drawn as many as we did I think we'd have finished comfortably higher but overall last season was better than expected in my opinion.

BQGillsFan - Last season was a huge positive for Gills. Things had been going so wrong for so long under our last three managers, despite the first season positives under Justin Edinburgh. Steve Evans instilled so much belief and passion in both the players and the fans from the get-go, having the team capable of playing both beautiful and s**thouse football when required. Things started to dip off in the month or two pre-lockdown, but play-offs would have been such an extreme ask at the start of the season. Was nice not to be looking over our shoulders at the drop zone for once.

Rob - It was a shame it ended when it did, as we were much better towards the end of the season than the first. My aim for the season was that we'd safely be avoiding relegation all season, but to finish in the top 10 was fantastic.

Gills Debate - I was pleased with what we achieved last season; I think it was a good improvement on our performance in 2018/2019. I was happy to see that our home form improved, picking up 30 points in 17 games, compared to 25 points in 23 games the year before. I think our main strength was in being solid defensively, but our weakness was that we weren’t able to score enough goals ourselves. It would have been good to have seen if we would have been able to break into the top 6 had the season been played to conclusion, although my feeling is that we’d probably have fallen a little short.

2. LEE HODSON, BARRY FULLER, MAX EHMER, REGAN CHARLES-COOK, MARK BYRNE, BEN PRINGLE, OUSSEYNOU CISSE, TJ BRAMBLE AND MIKAEL MANDRON, HAVE ALL LEFT GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB OVER THE OFF SEASON, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON THE PLAYER DEPARTURES, AND WHICH PLAYER ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED TO SEE LEAVE GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB THE MOST ???

Luke - I was disappointed with a few leaving. The more experienced heads in Fuller, Ehmer and Byrne probably hurt most. They were all instrumental in our recent successes and experience heads in a rather youthful team are always incredibly important in my opinion. Would have loved RCC to stay but he's got a great opportunity at Ross County so best of luck to him.

Colin - Steve Evans is known for a high turnover of personnel. Of those who have move on I will miss Barry Fuller for his commitment and energy. I have always liked Ehmer too but maybe it was time for a change for both him and the club. Byrne has had a torrid time with injuries and hasn’t been at his best. Pringle was never given a chance oddly for an Evans old boy. The rest weren’t the best at this level.

Gills Anorak - LEE HODSON - Gaffer obviously didn’t want him in the end. Didn’t do anything to make me disagree with his decision. BARRY FULLER - I think it was time for Barry to go as I thought he looked a lot slower as the season progressed. Forever grateful for his service. MAX EHMER - Disappointed but he’s not irreplaceable REGAN CHARLES-COOK - Showed potential but probably best for his career he goes and gets regular minutes MARK BYRNE - Disappointed but he’s not irreplaceable BEN PRINGLE - Would like to have seen more of him after flashes of quality last season. OUSSEYNOU CISSE - Correct decision. Thought it was an odd signing TJ BRAMBLE - Never seen him play AND MIKAEL MANDRON - Disappointed, but he’s not irreplaceable.

The Rainham End - I'm disappointed with the departure of Charles-Cook, Byrne and Mandron. Charles-Cook wasn't given enough chances. Byrne was one of our best players until his injury and Mandron was really starting to show what he could do and was capable of towards the end of the season.

Loonpotter - Most disappointed to see Mark Byrne and Max Ehmer leave. Barry was possibly the right time and the rest were bit part players anyway.

Shane - I feel Barry Fuller had another season in him even if it was from the bench. It is unfortunate the fans were unable to say goodbye properly at the end of the season.

RichardS - The decision to release the players is all part of SE’s plan so I have no problem with that. Max Ehmer, Barry Fuller and Mark Byrne are for me the 3 players that have contributed most and go with good wishes as far as I'm concerned. Not to worried about the rest in truth as they were inconsistent and for me never part of the plan to feature regularly. In a way it also shows the progress we have made to allow these players to move on.

Smithy - By far the player I'm most disappointed to see leave was Max, a valuable asset and one I'd have loved to have kept hold of. Mark Byrne was also another that I'd liked to have kept as I think he's got more to give. Barry Fuller is a legend and I loved seeing him with us again last season but needs must I guess and I genuinely wish him well. I didn't particularly want Regan or Mandron to leave either but for the club maybe it was the right decision. Other than that if I'm completely honest I wasn’t too fussed by the rest.

BQGillsFan - It's certainly been a busy exit door at Priestfield. Let's start with the ones I'm not worried about seeing leave. Hodson, Cisse, Bramble and Mandron were all players that just didn't work for us. Mandron was capable of occasionally being good, but with the other attacking options we have he won't be a big loss. Now for the other four guys. Charles-Cook had a lot of promise about him and whenever he played he seemed to do well. Was my one real issue with Evans last season that RCC wasn't getting enough minutes, so I can understand why he left. I also said at the beginning of the window that losing Ehmer, Fuller and Byrne all at once could be a disaster. A lot of leadership and experience at the club all gone in one fail swoop. Ogilvie now our longest serving player is a possible banana peel when the season gets to the crunch period.

Rob - Hodson was always going to leave after struggling to move such a distance from Scotland, Cisse had been gone for most of the season anyway and Pringle barely featured on his short term deal. I am surprised Mandron left, but after signing Akinde he was deemed surplus to requirements. I'm surprised Byrne left as he'd been a regular before his injury and I was expecting Fuller to remain as a backup. I am, however, surprised that Max Ehmer left. Our captain and one of our best players, it seems Bristol Rovers' financial muscle was being flexed with his capture and the splurging of £100k+ on Hanlan.

Gills Debate - Mixed feelings about the senior players that left the club, I thought it was the correct decision to let some of them leave (Hodson, Pringle and Cisse), and I thought it was the correct decision to not offer Byrne a new deal, but to invite him back for pre-season training. Personally, I’d have kept Fuller, I think that whilst I probably wouldn’t have thought that he’d be the 1st choice RB this season, I think he could have been a useful player to have as a back-up, and a very useful player to have around the dressing room. I agreed with the decisions to offer new deals to Charles-Cook and Mandron, and would have liked to have seen them stay, but I think the one that I was most disappointed to see leave was Ehmer, given that he played well last season and was obviously the club captain. Good luck to all of them in the future.

3. GILLINGHAM HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN THE SUMMER TRANSFER WINDOW (SIGNING RYAN JACKSON, VADAINE OLIVER, JACOB MELLIS, JORDAN GRAHAM, ALEX MACDONALD, KYLE DEMPSEY, ROBBIE MCKENZIE AND CHRISTIAN MAGHOMA) WHAT HAVE YOU MADE OF GILLINGHAM’S SUMMER TRANSFER BUSINESS SO FAR, AND ALSO, WHICH SIGNING ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT ???

Luke - Certainly been some shrewd business this Summer by Mr Evans. Getting Graham back was important as another member of last season's squad to add to the stability. Dempsey looks a cracking signing and hopefully can add some extra creativity in the middle. Not convinced by the hype Mellis has been receiving and with a pending court case its certainly going to be some unneeded publicity coming our way again which is disappointing.

Colin - Kyle Dempsey is the standout signing. I think he will be one of our best players this season. The young loanees might work out or they might not. The others are OK signings but nothing to get excited about as far as I can see. Hopefully someone will surprise me.

Gills Anorak - So far so good. I’m expecting big seasons from Graham, Dempsey and Maghoma.

The Rainham End - I think the summer signings have been great and looking forward to see what players like Oliver, Graham and Dempsey adapt. I feel we will be in for some poor games starting off as we need to gel because once more we have an almost new squad.

Loonpotter - The summer signings have been extremely impressive. Kyle Dempsey looks an absolute steal and I cant wait to see Trae Coyle in action.. The CBs look to be be exciting prospects too.

Shane - I think we have made some promising looking signings. I am looking forward to seeing what the pair from Arsenal will bring to the team.

RichardS - It looks as if the signings are all thought through and positive with a good mix in all positions and on paper have great potential. Delighted to have Ryan Jackson back and personally I would not have let him go in the first place. Great pace, good crosser and chips in with goals. Looking forward to seeing what all the new signings can produce but this is a great opportunity for Kyle Dempsey particularly to make a name for himself. My other prediction is Vadaine Oliver will have a good season.

Smithy - I think this summer has been really interesting in terms of the signings and I still feel there's more up Evans sleeves. However so far so very good. Kyle Dempsey is definitely exciting me already, along with Jordan Graham who seems a great guy as well. If I'm honest I'm happy with all the permanent signings we've made so far. Jacob Mellis was also another one that made me ooohh!!

BQGillsFan - Evans has definitely been looking to stamp his mark on the team this window and given the circumstances with Covid-19 and a lack of funds, I think he's done incredibly well to make the signings he has. Shows the power of having a manager with a strong reputation at this level, players want to play for him. It's great to see Jordan Graham back and I'd say he's probably the signing I'm most excited to see once he gets a longer run with the team.

Rob - I think we have made some very promising signings. Jackson was solid in his previous spell at the club but his performances decreased in line with the team's fitness. Oliver looks to be a like-for-like replacement for Mandron, while we have strongly strengthened the midfield with the new captain, Dempsey, and the promising Robertson.

Gills Debate - Overall, I think the recruitment has been reasonable, in terms of the permanent signings Kyle Dempsey’s probably the one that excites me the most, with his good pedigree at this level and having played nearly 200 league games at the age of 24. I watched our first competitive game against Southend, and he was probably our best player in my opinion – He looks very comfortable on the ball. I think we are still a bit light in numbers at the time of writing, but Evans is clearly still working on deals – I think a smaller/faster/’fox in the box’ type striker is definitely one signing that I’d like us to make.

4. GILLINGHAM HAVE SIGNED ZECH MEDLEY AND TRAE COYLE ON LOAN FROM ARSENAL, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON BOTH PLAYERS SIGNING FOR GILLINGHAM ON A SEASON LOAN LOAN ???, AND ALSO, DO YOU THINK THE SIGNINGS OF ZECH MEDLEY AND TRAE COYLE IS THE START OF A SUCCESSFUL LOAN AGREEMENT BETWEEN BOTH CLUBS, AND GILLINGHAM WILL SIGN YOUNG PLAYERS ON LOAN FROM ARSENAL WHO NEED TO GAIN EXPERIENCE PLAYING COMPETITIVE FIRST TEAM FOOTBALL ON A REGULAR BASIS ???

Luke - Excited about both of the Arsenal youngsters. Medley being a Medway boy and having had Europa League experience is a good positive for the team. Coyle being nominated for the golden boy award where players like Erling Haaland have also been nominated shows there is incredible potential there. In terms of a permanent link with Arsenal I'm not overly sure, we developed two Southampton youngsters well last season but haven't seen any other players come in from St. Mary's yet.

Colin - Given our budget we have to play the loan market. These two seem to be well regarded. I would rather we developed or signed young prospects with a sell on value but that’s not easy to accomplish.

Gills Anorak - Both players seem to have a lot of potential so good business. I don’t think it’s the start of anything otherwise we would have signed players from Southampton this season instead.

The Rainham End - The signing of these two Arsenal youngsters in loan is some great business. Having gone to school with Medley we know here at The Rainham End he will give it his all and will put in 100% effort as all he wants is to play football and his attitude is honestly one of the best towards the game. I hope this is the start to a great agreement and friendship between us and Arsenal!

Loonpotter - It would be great for us if we struck a lengthy friendship with a club like Arsenal. These 2 lads look exceptionally talented and can only help us in a push for promotion.

Shane - I think bringing in players on loan from clubs higher up the football pyramid is beneficial for all parties involved. It would be nice to see Gillingham build a partnership with a team such as Arsenal. It could bring in some promising talent to the club.

RichardS - Very happy with both signings and both have contributed in games in the last few days. Medley has good presence and distribution. Coyle will be a nuisance. As for a successful loan agreement it will depend on many aspects IE how are players treated with us? How long will SE be with us,? I see no reason why we couldn't build a good relationship.

Smithy - If I'm honest I'd not heard of either Zech or Trae prior to the announcement of them joining us. I think Zech could be a big force in the back line but of the two I am most excited by Trae. From what I've seen already he has got me thinking he's going to give everything he's got in every match he plays. Really looking forward to seeing him live, when we get back to Priestfield of course. Youngsters will be at Arsenal because they are good young talents, and if we can forge a relationship between the two clubs going forwards I think that will only ever be good for both clubs so it's something I'd like to see happen.

BQGillsFan - Two young prospects, highly rated at a top side like Arsenal. Can't ask for much more really. I'm surprised it's taken us so long to utilise the proximity of Arsenal in the window, but I'm not sure it will lead to a major working relation between the clubs. We've made "double-signings" from Premier League sides before and then haven't worked with them the following seasons. Bournemouth and Southampton come to mind in recent years. I'd like to see the two sides work together in the future as Arsenal produce a lot of top class young talents, but I'm not certain it will happen every year for us.

Rob - I'm glad we're signing these types of players. Both come highly rated and will be keen to gain experience and game time. It's exciting to have young players and we do have a good success rate when signing loanees from the Premier League. It's something we need to look at more and I'm glad we're doing it.

Gills Debate - Both seem to be quite highly thought of at Arsenal based on the comments that I’ve seen so I’m hopeful that they can add some good quality to the side. It’s obviously the 1st loan move away from Arsenal for both of them, so it’s slightly difficult to know exactly what to expect as they’re playing at this level for the first time, but Coyle’s inclusion on the Golden Boy shortlist makes him specifically look like a very promising addition, and it’s good that he’s got off the mark already with his goal against Crawley. I guess only time will tell as to whether this is the start of a longer term agreement with Arsenal, it could be that Evans/Raynor have contacts there that our next manager(s) may not, but if we do start to bring players in from Arsenal more regularly then hopefully that will only prove to be a good thing for Gills, Arsenal and the players themselves.

5. WHICH PLAYER FROM LAST SEASON’S SQUAD CAN YOU SEE HAVING A MAGNIFICENT SEASON FOR GILLINGHAM DURING THE 2020 / 2021 SEASON ???

Luke - Magnificent? One would assume Messrs Ogilvie, Bonham and Tucker again.

Colin - Tucker broke through last season and I am surprise Scally hasn’t cashed in. If he stays I think he will have a big season for us. Ogilvie really stepped up last season too and again I thought he might have been sold. We certainly have a lot of defensive talent. Willock needs to show he is worth his wages..

Gills Anorak - Ogilvie.

The Rainham End - Once again I can see Ogilvie having a great season here with the Gills.

Loonpotter - Not many to choose from but I'd say Bonham, Ogilvie again and maybe Akinde.

Shane - Tucker. He had a great break through season and I am sure he will only improve this season.

RichardS - Jack Tucker. If he continues with his progress and gains experience I can only see him going the way of John Egan. At least to the championship. He has plenty of time though so no hurry which will do him no harm.

Smithy - Jack Bonham for me will have a great season. Connor Ogilvie I think could also really push on and continue to shine. I'd like to see Stuart O'Keefe become more regular also.

BQGillsFan - Well most of the squad from last season has gone this summer so it's not a big pool to choose from. Bonham and Ogilvie are already magnificent so be cheap to say those two, Tucker the same really. I'll go with Stuart O'Keefe. Can see him really stepping into the role vacated by Byrne's departure, so hopefully he can have a big season for us.

Rob - The two main ones are Ogilvie and Tucker. Both were our best players last season and I can only see that continuing. Tucker will continue to develop and either get sold in January or at the end of the season, while Ogilvie might have the same fate.

Gills Debate - I’ll go for perhaps the obvious choice in Ogilvie, a bit of a revelation at left-back last season after previously looking much more secure when playing in the centre of defence, and the scorer of some crucial goals in 1-0 wins – He was my pick for the POTY award. Already a goal to his name in 2020/2021 and if he continues to improve and perform in the way that he did last season, then he’ll have a very good season.

6. MATT BAKER, RONNIE NELSON, HENRY WOODS, HARVEY LINTOTT, AND TOBY BANCROFT, HAVE ALL BEEN GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES TO PLAY FOR GILLINGHAM’S FIRST TEAM IN PRE-SEASON, WHICH YOUNG PLAYER(S) CAN YOU SEE BREAKING INTO GILLINGHAM’S FIRST TEAM THIS SEASON ???

Luke - Would imagine Woods is the only one with a real shot at making it into the first team. Evans' comments at the weekend stating Bancroft is going out on loan would suggest the rest will only get used in Kent Senior Cup games if that.

Colin - Much of the local talent is mopped up by the London clubs academies. We never seem to produce forward players. I haven’t heard rave reviews about any of the current crop.

Gills Anorak - Hard to say without seeing any of them play regularly. I have high hopes for Baker as he has played for Wales.

The Rainham End - Toby Bancroft I feel is a great prospect here at Gillingham. Having watched him in a number of games I feel he is the sort of player we could do with playing up front beside Akinde or Oliver. He's quick, can finish and is technically gifted. I also rate Henry Woods so will be good to see him make a few appearances for the Gills this season.

Loonpotter - Possibly Bancroft and/or Woods.

Shane - I think Henry Woods is the most likely to see first team opportunities.

RichardS - Hopefully several will be given a chance. I will be interested particularly to see how Henry Woods gets on.

Smithy - I don't see any of the youngsters really breaking into the first team squad this season. I think I've heard somewhere that Toby Bancroft could be going out on loan, however I do think that we'll see Henry Woods on the bench and possibly getting in some minutes but not a breakthrough this season for me.

BQGillsFan - I can't say I know too much about the youth prospects we have available to us this season, but I know a lot of people speak well of Henry Woods so I wouldn't be surprised to see him put in a few decent showings for us this year.

Rob - Henry Woods seems the obvious choice, having played in the Trophy game the other day. He'll feature in the smaller cups and be regular on the bench in the event of injuries.

Gills Debate - I think Henry Woods has got the best chance, I recall hearing an interview that Evans did with Radio Kent a few months ago where he said that he would be going out on loan this season, but from his comments on the club website when Woods signed his new deal it sounds like he could potentially stay and be in and around the 1st team squad – I watched the pre-season friendlies against Reading and Colchester and from what I saw he didn’t look out of place with the other first team players. It sounds like Bancroft will be heading out on loan this season so hopefully he’ll do well there and can then maybe push for more of a first team place in 2021/2022.

7. GILLINGHAM WON 1-0 AGAINST SOUTHEND UNITED IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE LEAGUE CUP, WITH CONNOR OGILVIE SCORING THE WINNING GOAL, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ON GILLINGHAM’S FIRST COMPETITIVE MATCH OF THE 2020 / 2021 SEASON ???

Luke - It’s a good workout but effectively another Pre-season game in my opinion. Its not a competition we have good history in but its more match time for the boys for the more important Hull game next Saturday and it’s always nice to kickstart the season with a win.

Colin - I wasn’t that impressed to be honest. The plus side was hanging on when a man short. Southend were pretty poor though. Dempsey can hopefully become a set piece expert for us and Ogilvie will hopefully get some more important goals.

Gills Anorak - Slow start. Was like a pre season game really. Glad we got through but we need more games quickly to get up to speed.

The Rainham End - I feel we started the game slow. We will find this in games to come as I've said before we will need time to gel as a squad but once we got into the game against Southend we controlled it right up until Jackson getting sent off.

Loonpotter - Once again Ogilvie came up with the goods... It felt like we struggled to find our feet a little but I'm confident by the time we play Hull we'll be ready.

Shane - A positive start. The first few games are always going to be a bit harder whilst the new players settle in.

RichardS - We'll take the result. Nothing more nothing less in terms of a feel for what we will do from here. A tie against Wolves would be good to look forward to. That would be a very tasty tie.

Smithy - The Southend game almost felt a bit like an extra pre-season friendly as we haven't started the league campaign yet but it was a win and a win is always good for morale.

BQGillsFan - Unfortunately I didn't get to see the match due to work, but having seen the highlights it wasn't exactly a thrilling watch was it. However, winning when you aren't playing well is a sign of a good team and given the main issue seems to be just a lack of match fitness and fluidity, that's something that will come with time. Given the curtailing of last season and the lack of a proper pre-season, I think the first few weeks are going to be rough for everyone in the league.

Rob - I didn't watch or listen to the game, but it's a promising start. A win is a win, although we were still missing a few players from our squad (e.g. Graham) and new signings (e.g. Robertson). A good win in the trophy too, even though we seemed to fall away towards the end.

Gills Debate - I didn’t think we started the game well, I thought Southend were probably the better team before we took the lead, but then we were much improved up until Jackson’s red card. It was a bit attack vs defence after that, we were possibly a little fortunate that Southend didn’t score after they hit the post twice, but I suppose ultimately it was job done and it’s always good to start off with a win!

8. LOOKING AT SOME OF THE CLUBS WHO WILL BE PLAYING IN LEAGUE ONE FOR THE UP AND COMING SEASON (SUNDERLAND, PORTSMOUTH, IPSWICH TOWN, OXFORD UNITED, CHARLTON ATHLETIC, HULL CITY, WIGAN ATHLETIC, FLEETWOOD TOWN AND PETERBOROUGH UNITED) DO YOU THINK THE 2020 / 2021 LEAGUE ONE SEASON WILL BE THE TOUGHEST AND MOST COMPETITIVE SEASON THAT LEAGUE ONE HAS SEEN FOR QUITE SOMETIME ???

Luke - I will discredit Wigan due to the amount of good players they've lost and the off the field issues still not being resolved (at time of writing). Charlton also have issues on and off the pitch and only have one fit recognised defender so I think they will struggle. Posh and Oxford will be the toughest teams in the league for me but I don't buy into it’s the toughest League One for a while just yet.

Colin - Past reputations count for nothing. Al the clubs you name have been under performers recently. Wycombe showed that it’s not all about being a so called big club.

Gills Anorak - Maybe. I think the league is strong and we will do well to finish 10th again as we have a lot of new players to gel together.

The Rainham End - This season will be one tough journey but we have proven we can keep up with the favourites of the league and I feel we will shock a number of those teams.

Loonpotter - Some incredible clubs involved this year... A very exciting league ahead but a very tough season also..

Shane - On paper the league does look exceptionally difficult. But I think teams underestimate the strength of the "smaller" clubs in this division. As long as Gills can play well and maintain their form who knows what could happen.

RichardS - Highly likely. Some huge clubs in our league and it doesn't get any easier. The eventual league winners will likely be one of the above clubs. Let's face it though we love playing bigger clubs and tend to get good results when we do.

Smithy - I don't see that the league will any tougher than last season. For example Sunderland and Ipswich were tipped to go back up, they didn't and we kept them both at bay. Im also not fearing the clubs that have dropped from the Championship. Yes I think it will be competitive but it would be boring if it wasn't. It is true though that some very big clubs are all now grouped in League One so I am excited to see these teams.

BQGillsFan - A lot of established teams are in League One this season, a lot of them carrying horrible baggage from years of poor management at the upper levels. We saw with Ipswich last season and Sunderland over the last two years they've been in this division, that reputation means nothing. Several "bigger" teams think they'll walk League One and get a rude awakening from the likes of Gillingham. So it's going to be competitive, but I think Gills are capable of doing well despite the reputation of the opposition they'll be up against.

Rob - Yes and no. There's some big names in the division but also some clubs with big expenses and reliance on match-day income. I can see a few clubs having financial difficulties this season - potentially one or two of the bigger clubs.

Gills Debate - I think it has the potential to be yes, and looking at our early fixtures we’ve got quite a tough looking start, especially in October where we’ve got a run of 4 games in 12 days against Portsmouth, Fleetwood, Ipswich and Sunderland – If we can start well with some of the tougher looking fixtures that we’ve got, then I think it will put us in good stead for the rest of the season.

9. LEAGUE ONE AND LEAGUE TWO CLUBS HAVE VOTED FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF A SALARY CAP (£2,500,000 FOR LEAGUE ONE CLUBS, AND £1,500,000 FOR LEAGUE TWO CLUBS) WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON A SALARY CAP BEING INTRODUCED INTO THE LOWER LEAGUES, AND DO YOU THINK A SALARY CAP WILL EITHER HELP OR HINDER LOWER LEAGUE CLUBS FINANCIALLY ???

Luke - It’s certainly needed at these levels. We can't afford to have more clubs go out of business like Bury for owners overspending on players when the finances aren't there. I think something needs to be implemented in the Championship also with combined losses of £750m last season proving that business model clearly isn't sustainable either.

Colin - The salary cap will only impact on the Sunderland’s and Ipswich's of this world and they can get round the rules with creative reward packaging.

Gills Anorak - Hopefully it will help stabilise things until Covid is over and then perhaps they can allow some of the bigger teams to flex the budget if they have guaranteed income, otherwise we risk creating to large a financial gap to the Championship clubs.

The Rainham End - The salary cap is an odd one to comment on because it’s early days. It should help the lower budget teams compete better but will have negative impacts if its brought to lower leagues and obviously higher up the pyramid for certain teams who some would like to say brought their way up the divisions such as Salford.

Loonpotter - I think it's a bit early for me to pass judgement on that yet, a lot remains to be seen.

Shane - I think the salary cap is long overdue. Football finances have been a mess for years. I don't think it should hinder clubs and should create a level entertaining league.

RichardS - Everyone knows football salaries have got out of hand so any readjustment is sensible on the face of it. However I'm cynical about 1) How will it be policed? 2) How other Benefits could be disguised as a side perk? We all know that more money needs filtering from the Premier league clubs otherwise there will be more Wigan’s..Don't hold your breath though.

Smithy - I think the wage cap has its benefits and negative points. We are now getting further behind the Championship in terms of money, but on the flip side it has probably helped us at Gills during these tough times so selfishly for our club its probably a good idea. Do I think it's fair that for example Peterborough have the same money to spend as Accrington Stanley. No i don't. I do believe that if you’ve earn't it you can spend it.

BQGillsFan - In my opinion it's going to absolutely ruin League One and Two when they get promoted, especially to the Championship. We'll see clubs on budgets under £2.5m jumping up to teams with no budget restrictions, especially those dropping from the Premier League. Unless it's a cap across the board, lower league teams stand no chance of growing and causing upsets in the higher tiers with these restrictions. It might solve problems short-term, but long-term it's going to completely cripple the bottom two divisions.

Rob - I think it will help. It's ludicrous that someone like Sunderland can have players on £30k a week(!) in our division when that's probably about 7 or 8 of our players. Something needs to change in the financial model of the League. It's interesting how Leagues 1 and 2 have voted for it, but the Championship - full of clubs run at huge losses to chase promotion - have decided not to.

Gills Debate - I think the salary caps will level the playing field in the lower leagues to an extent, the finances of Premier League clubs are clearly a world away from the average league one club, but even within the league itself there are big differences in the resources available. I think therefore that it will probably help clubs like Gills, as it will level the playing field in comparison to the likes of Sunderland, Ipswich, Portsmouth etc. but then on the other hand it may therefore hinder those clubs. Whether setting a blanket figure across the division was the correct way to go about it though I’m not sure, as there is a wide range in attendances that lower league clubs achieve, and so it’s perhaps unfair that they then all have to stick to the same maximum budget.

10. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE FA SCRAPPING FA CUP REPLAYS FOR THE 2020 / 2021 SEASON TO “EASE PRESSURE ON THE FOOTBALL CALENDAR” ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT SCRAPPING FA CUP REPLAY’S FOR THE 2020 / 2021 SEASON CAN EASILY SEE FA CUP REPLAY’S SCRAPPED ON A PERMANENT BASIS ???

Luke - I would hope it’s for one season only. Lower league teams benefit from additional funds from FA Cup replays and I would hope the FA thinks about the 700+ participating teams each year and not just the 20 Premier League Teams who whinge about them.

Colin - Clubs like ours got invaluable cash injections when earning a replay particularly against bigger teams. Replays add to the drama and can see a sustained period of interest and excitement develop. Who can forget the saga between Gills and Everton. We all understand the impact of COVID on the schedules but smaller clubs need help with funding not constraints on it. Bigger clubs generally don’t like replays and yes there might be a push to kill them off permanently.

Gills Anorak - Not ideal and yes I fear they will eventually be phased out.

The Rainham End - Shocking! FA cup should have replays as it’s financially beneficial for lower league and non league teams to get the chance for a replay. If it’s scrapped on permanent basis, then I honestly do not care for the cup. Either scrap the League Cup and keep fa cup replays or keep both.

Loonpotter - I think it's a good idea this season for obvious reasons but I wouldn't like it to be a permanent thing.

Shane - I think it is a good idea for this season. There is a threat some games could be postponed due to covid and even the weather in what is already going to be a busy season. I feel the replays should be reinstated next season. They can be financially rewarding for teams in the lower divisions and non league.

RichardS - As a temporary measure I think its a sensible decision. However only for this season and hopefully it will be continued for the 2021/2022 season to help with revenue.

Smithy - I 100% believe that we have now lost FA Cup replays for good. And that's terrible. We all looked forward to drawing West Ham at home last season and standing in the Rainham End and we were genuinely talking about the possibility of going to the London Stadium. Imagine how many fans we would have taken and what a great day out that would have been. That excitement now be lost forever.

BQGillsFan - I completely understand why it has been introduced for this season, but yes I fear that it will open the door to it becoming a permanent thing. Unfortunately I've seen over recent seasons that those in control don't care about your club if it isn't called Liverpool, Man City, Man United, Chelsea, Tottenham or Arsenal, so I've resigned myself to the fact that FA Cup replays will be scrapped soon regardless of what lower league teams do to try and stop it.

Rob - It makes sense for this season. The fixture list is congested enough without needing to squeeze in replays. I like them, but I can understand why they have permanently been abolished for the quarter finals and above. I would still rather scrap extra time and go straight to penalties.

Gills Debate - I can understand why FA Cup replays have been scrapped for this season in particular due to the extraordinary situation that we find ourselves in, I think it probably makes sense to ease a bit of pressure on the fixture schedule, and lower league clubs presumably won’t miss out on the same level of extra potential income as they normally would due to restrictions on attendances. I suppose it is a concern that as they’ve scrapped them once they may not bring them back again, but I certainly hope that doesn’t turn out to be the case.

11. GILLINGHAM WILL PLAY TWELVE LEAGUE ONE FIXTURES ON A TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGHOUT THE 2020 / 2021 SEASON COMPARED TO THE FIVE TUESDAY NIGHT LEAGUE ONE FIXTURES THROUGHOUT THE 2019 / 2020 SEASON, DO YOU THINK THE FIXTURE CONGESTION IS GOING TO BE A HUGE PROBLEM FOR GILLINGHAM, GIVEN THAT STEVE EVANS HAS MENTIONED THAT HE WILL BE LINING UP WITH A SMALL FIRST TEAM SQUAD FOR THE 2020 / 2021 SEASON ???

Luke - I'm more concerned about our terrible league record on Tuesday Nights if I'm honest. If we can get that monkey off our back first then we can worry about the number of games on Tuesdays!

Colin - Fitness and injuries will have more impact in a condensed season with lots of night games. Two games in a week will require some squad rotation. We need more forward options. I expect us to make a couple of signings in the next week. The physio’s will be kept busy.

Gills Anorak - No. I think the players like games coming thick and fast rather than training, as long as we are doing well!

The Rainham End - This is new for this season and will soon show if our players are up for the challenge but every team is in the same boat here so I can't see it being a huge problem.

Loonpotter - I think we'll be fine... I think sometimes people make too much of fixture congestion, they are professional young athletes and would probably play 3 times a week if they could.

Shane - I do think Gillingham will struggle at some point during the season with such a small squad. However, it could open the door to some of the youngsters, like it did for Tucker.

RichardS - Short answer is yes. We are still short of players as I write this and a few injuries will compromise our progress significantly. Highly likely with so many fixtures. It's a real concern for me.

Smithy - I do think the congestion with the Tuesday night fixtures could become an issue, certainly if we have injuries/suspensions but for this season at least we have to roll with the punches and if we get through it and get some good results out of these matches then I think it will be a great achievement for the club.

BQGillsFan - It's going to be a problem for everyone. Gillingham won't be the only team with a congested fixture list and given the pandemic situation, it's either this or no football at all. I know which option I prefer.

Rob - Yes, but the other clubs will be in the same boat. We'll have tired players who will need resting (before everyone on Twitter moans about selections) but then so will other clubs.

Gills Debate - Quite possibly yes, especially if we get into the latter stages of the cup competitions. It seems clear that we’re going to be operating with around 20 senior players, and so if a few players start picking up knocks/strains at the same time then we will be down to the bare bones. I think squad rotation game to game, and perhaps not risking players who may otherwise have been risked, may be more important than ever this season.

12. WHEN FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS ARE ALLOWED BACK INSIDE FOOTBALL STADIUMS TO WATCH THE TEAM THEY SUPPORT PLAY, CAN YOU SEE FOOTBALL CLUBS START TO APPRECIATE THERE SUPPORTERS MORE GIVEN THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO ATMOSPHERE FOR BEHIND CLOSED DOORS MATCHES ???

Luke - I would hope so. We've already seen from the games that were played without fans in the Premier League, Bundesliga and other competitions football isn't the same without an atmosphere. I would hope more incentives are made to get more fans back into stadiums (once covid-friendly) and realise we are the lifeblood of these clubs.

Colin - I think all clubs realise that the professional game is nothing without a live audience. Sadly TV money and online services are likely to become more important at the expense of the real fans.

Gills Anorak - No not really.

The Rainham End - Yes teams will and always should be appreciating the support of the fans. I honestly can't see myself attending games as much as I'm not getting a season ticket because it won't be the same letting in about 3,000 fans separate from each other. It won't be the same for me but I hope by 2021 this will improve.

Loonpotter - Definitely... The need for fans has become ever more evident... Football would die without them and I have struggled to watch football on the TV with no real crowd noise... I just can’t focus on the game.

Shane - I think clubs will realise how much they rely on getting their supporters through the door.

RichardS - Here’s hoping, The reality is people have very short memories and the pressure to increase income will make any recognition short lived in my opinion. Be good for season ticket holders to have some appreciation as it’s they that have saved the club during this crazy times we are facing.

Smithy - I would like to think the club would appreciate us all more yes, especially the season ticket holders that signed up/renewed before the pandemic hit. Football just isn't football without fans after all.

BQGillsFan - Maybe for the first few weeks or months, but overall I imagine things will just go back to the way they were pre-Covid.

Rob - I think our players appreciate the fans already, but there will be a big buzz when fans finally return. Many players have expressed positive comments about the Rainham End - unless they're just saying what people want to hear, which is entirely possible. However, fans may well return spread out and making it difficult to create an atmosphere so things won't quite be the same straight away.

Gills Debate - Yes, I think so, I think you only realise quite how much of a difference supporters make to a game once you’ve watched some that are behind closed doors, and it’s simply not the same without the atmosphere in the ground.

13. GILLINGHAM PLAY AGAINST HULL CITY ON THE OPENING DAY OF THE LEAGUE SEASON AT PRIESTFIELD STADIUM, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR STARTING LINE UP ??? (YOU CAN NAME THE BENCH IF YOU WANT TO NAME THE SUBS), AND WHAT FORMATION WOULD YOU PICK FOR SATURDAY’S MATCH ???

Luke - I'm picking this team on the basis that Jackson isn't suspended for the league game so I would go 4-3-3: Bonham. Jackson, Tucker, Medley, Ogilvie. McKenzie (CDM), O'Keefe, Dempsey. Graham, Akinde, Coyle. Subs: Walsh, Maghoma, Mellis, Willock, Woods, MacDonald, Oliver.

Colin - Bonham Jackson Medley Ogilvie Tucker Maghoma O’Keefe Dempsey MacDonald Akinde Oliver 5-3-2.

Gills Anorak - 4-1-2-1-2 Diamond. Bonham, McKenzie, Ogilvie, Medley, Maghoma, O’Keefe, MacDonald, Dempsey, Graham, Akinde, Coyle.

The Rainham End - I'm a fan of 4-4-2 and dint see why we don't use it more often. My ideal lineup would be ST Oliver, ST Akinde, LM Graham, RM Coyle, CM Dempsey, CM O'Keefe, LB Ogilvie, CB Medley, CB Tucker, RB Jackson GK Bonham. I'm not 100% sure how his red will effect this. Either he's banned from Tuesday night against Crawley or will be banned against Hull so if that's the case I'd have Tucker LB and Maghoma CB

Loonpotter - GK BONHAM DEF OGILVIE DEF MEDLEY DEF TUCKER DEF MAGHOMA MID MACKENZIE MID GRAHAM MID DEMPSEY MID MACDONALD MID COYLE FWD AKINDE

Shane - I think the team that started against Southend in the league cup. Bonham; Jackson, Maghoma, Medley, Ogilvie; McKenzie, MacDonald, O’Keefe, Dempsey; Oliver, Akinde. SUBS: Walsh, Tucker, Willock, Mellis, Graham , Coyle.

RichardS - I'd go for a standard 4-4-2. Bonham, Jackson, Medley, Tucker, Ogilvie, Graham, Dempsey, O'Keefe, Coyle, Oliver and Akinde. Subs: Walsh, Mellis, MacDonald, McKenzie, Maghoma and Hanlon ( assuming he stays but unlikely) Woods.

Smithy - Bonham McKenzie Medley Maghoma Ogilvie Dempsey Graham Mellis Coyle Oliver Akinde

BQGillsFan - Bonham, Jackson, Tucker, Medley, Ogilvie, O'Keefe, Dempsey, MacDonald, Graham, Coyle, Oliver. Go with a 4-3-3 formation, could start with either Akinde or Oliver really, depending on who Evans sees as his first choice striker this season.

Rob - Bonham; Tucker, McKenzie, Medley, Ogilvie; Dempsey, O'Keefe, Mellis; Graham, Coyle, Akinde.

Gills Debate - (4-3-3) – Bonham, McKenzie, Tucker, Medley, Ogilvie, O’Keefe, Dempsey, Mellis, Graham, Oliver, Coyle. Subs: Walsh, Maghoma, Robertson, Willock, MacDonald, Woods, Akinde.

14. WHERE DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM WILL FINISH IN LEAGUE ONE FOR THE 2020 / 2021 SEASON ???

Luke - It would be wrong of me to predict anything else really. I'm going to say a top 24 finish.

Colin - I am expecting us to struggle unless we do sign a couple of strikers. If we don’t 18th if we do 12th.

Gills Anorak - 9th.

The Rainham End - 1st, realistically let's say 8th.

Loonpotter - Between 6th and 8th

Shane - Heart says Gills could aim for 6th. Head says 8th-13th.

RichardS - The so called "Experts" have predicted us to finish anything from 6th - 22nd so That's really helpful Lol.. I'll plump for 9th and a marginal improvement on last season. Be lovely to make the play offs though.

Smithy - 8-10th I think will be where we finish, but I think to do that we need to start quite strong.

BQGillsFan - I'm going to whisper it very quietly so maybe the jinx gods don't hear me......... play-offs.

Rob - Hopefully, top 10 again. Dare I say playoffs?

Gills Debate - I’ll go for 8th.

15. AND FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WISH TO ADD (EXAMPLE: IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE NOT COVERED IN THE FOURTEEN QUESTIONS ASKED ABOVE YOU WANT TO EXPAND UPON) ???

Luke - God I hope they've improved the paella already.

Colin - It is going to be a strange season for everyone. I hope it’s not too dispiriting and that we can get the fans back in and keep us there.

Gills Anorak - Nothing To Add.

The Rainham End - Nothing To Add.

Loonpotter - I just want to say what a great rebuild in difficult circumstances Steve Evans and Paul Scally have done.. I'm very excited for the new season and very optimistic..

Shane - Nothing To Add.

RichardS - Hopefully we can get back to watching our team with the feel good factor being there brings. Its horrible watching on TV. Thanks again for the inclusion Lee and let's hope for a cracker of a season one and all. Up the Gills…

Smithy - Nothing To Add.

BQGillsFan - Since these questions were given out, Hanlan's departure has been confirmed and I really don't know how I feel about it. Certainly worked his socks off whenever he played and is a very different attacking option to what we have in Akinde and Oliver. But he also was awful at burying his many, many chances throughout the year and his conduct over the summer seems to have soiled a lot of fans' opinion on the young lad. I personally would have liked to see him stay, but ultimately his departure seems to be the best thing for all parties.

Rob - Nothing To Add.

Gills Debate - Nothing To Add.

Once again, thank you to everyone for participating in this blog, and if anyone who is reading this who wishes to participate in The Gillingham Supporters Blog throughout The 2020 / 2021 Season, then feel free to send me a message, and your more than welcome to participate in The Gillingham Supporters Blog, Hopefully, Gillingham can get off to the perfect start by picking up all three points against Hull City in the opening League One match of the season - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#Gillingham #SupportersBlog #SeasonPreview #LeagueOne

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comic-movieheroesranked · 6 years

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Cinematic Comic Characters Ranked! (Year 2010) Part II

We’ve reached a decade of lists! To be honest the year 2010 was one of the weakest years when it came to decent comic movies but there were still some good ones! We get two sequels with Iron Man 2 and Predators and the debut of Kick-Ass, The Losers, Jonah Hex, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, and one of the worst movies in cinema, The Last Airbender. Without any more delay here’s #50-26!

*SPOILER ALERT FOR ALL HIGHLIGHTED MOVIES ABOVE*

50. Firelord Ozai (The Last Airbender)

"My son has failed me."

Firelord Ozai was shown a lot more in the film than he was in the show during Book One. To me, this was a mistake. In the show, Firelord Ozai had this Big Brother creepy aura that kept fear in everyone who talked about him and made the viewers know that he was the most dangerous person in their world. In the movie we see him calmly strolling next to some flowers and while he does look powerful, he kinda looks beatable and not much of a threat.

49. Noland (Predators)

"I'm the one that got away. The one you don't fuck with."

At first I thought Noland was someone that group needed. He's survived the planet for several seasons and has even managed to kill a couple of Predators himself. Only problem? He's crazy. He tries to take out the group which forces Royce to signal one of the Predators to find them. Noland tries to take off but is quickly blown to pieces by the Predators he's been avoiding for years.

48. Sokka (The Last Airbender)

"I always end up getting wet."

I hated Sokka. He wasn't funny at all and in the show, some of the best comedy comes from Sokka. It seriously bothered me every time he showed up on the screen because I knew it would be nothing like the Sokka from the film, in the worst way possible. We also didn't get to see him begin his journey of becoming the great leader he becomes by the time Book Three rolls around and his relationship with Princess Yue fell completely flat.

47. Natalie 'Envy' Adams (Scott Pilgrim vs The World)

"You just headbutted my boyfriend so hard he burst."

Envy was Scott's big ex that dumped him when her band got signed and moved away. Now a big star, she returns so her current boyfriend can destroy Scott once and for all. She mainly just eggs Todd on but once he's destroyed she moves on with her band. I will say that I really liked the song her band performed at their concert. It was catchy.

46. Happy Hogan (Iron Man 2)

"I got him!"

Happy is back with a little more screen time in the second film. Still serving Tony Stark, Happy shows he's just as loyal as Pepper is when it comes to helping Tony when he's in need of it. However, it seems he prefers Pepper more as he decides to work for her once she briefly cuts ties with Tony. We also see him bravely take down one of the bad guys...while Black Widow takes care of the other twelve men.

45. Nick Fury (Iron Man 2)

"Contrary to your belief, you are not the center of my universe."

When Tony Stark hits rock bottom, Nick Fury shows up to smack some sense into him. He reveals Black Widow is an agent of his, Tony's father is a co-founder for S.H.E.I.L.D., and lets Tony know what elemental metal he can use as source of energy that won't kill him. He does all this in a matter of one scene then takes off to probably go recruit more Avengers.

44. Max (The Losers)

"I've done a lot in four months, Wade. I'm a very busy man."

The big baddie of the film, but he barely made an impression of me. At first I thought he was going to be this evil, calculating guy that killed 25 kids and felt nothing but he turned out to be just really rich and could pay people to do what he wanted. He, himself, wasn't that imposing so it was a surprise to no one that once his goons and his money were gone he was reduced to someone that gets mugged on the bus.

43. Justin Hammer (Iron Man 2)

"I'd love to leave my door unlocked at night, but this ain't Canada."

This dude reminded me of a horrible used car salesman that just wouldn't shut up. Seriously this guy is the very definition of a cockroach. He first tries to take down Tony with the government but when that fails he tries to be buddy-buddy with him so he can get a slot in Tony's expo. When Stark doesn't fall for it, he then starts funding the guy who tried to kill Stark to basically copy him so Hammer could get all the glory. I'm glad no one took him seriously but something tells me he really means to get back at Pepper for having him arrested.

42. Katara (The Last Airbender)

"I'm the only water bender left in the Southern Water Tribe."

Besides her whiteness, Katara didn't bother me THAT MUCH. She seemed to have this worried look on her face the whole time and her narration just didn't have the same impact as the on in the show. With all the cuts to make the movie shorter, it seemed Katara got the short end of the stick most of the time. Aang takes her spot when it comes to inspiring the earthbenders that are imprisoned and her mastery of waterbending is completely taken out as well. Even her epic fight against Zuko is shortened in favor of a fight between Aang and him.

41. Kim Pine, Stephen Stills, Neil Nordegraf (Scott Pilgrim vs The World)

"We are here to sell out and make money and stuff."

The members of the Sex Bob-Ombs! We got Stephen, the vocals and someone who just wants the band to reach the next level in their career so bad that it's made him paranoid; Kim, who used to date Scott in high school and now seems to hate him and insult him every chance she gets when she's not hating every other female drummer she sees; and Young Neil, who's basically the Great Value version of Scott and is only in the band when Scott can't play. They travel with Scott as he deals with all of Ramona's exes with the hope of getting signed but when that opportunity comes with Gideon, Ramona's top ex, they decide friendship is better and help cheer on Scott to victory!

40. Katie Deauxma (Kick-Ass)

"I'd fuck his brains out if I got the chance."

Katie first had Dave on her radar when she thought he was gay and being outcast by the entire school. Wanting to be there for him, she offered her friendship and the two became super close through the movie. When Dave reveals he's Kick-Ass and that he isn't actually gay, they start a relationship. It's Katie's disapproval in the vigilante life that gets Dave to quit being Kick-Ass for a brief moment and they continue to date after Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl beat Frank and Red Mist.

39. Gideon Gordon Graves (Scott Pilgrim vs The World)

"Game. Over."

Gideon is Ramona's most recent ex, who started the League of Exes when she dumped him. He has all the money in the world and uses it against Scott every way he can. He was honestly my least favorite ex. He wasn't as fun as the others and only dated Ramona because he had a mind control device on her. He's destroyed with the combined effort of Scott and Knives, allowing Ramona to date whoever she wants.

38. Tracker Predator and Falconer Predator (Predators)

*clicking sounds*

These two Predators were part of the trio hunting our group of humans. As a group they were able to take down a couple of them and on their own they were pretty impressive as well. Tracker Predator managed to kill Noland, who's been avoiding the Predators for years and mortally wounds Nikolai before the other blows the both up. Falconer Predator tried to do things the honorable way and take on Hanzo one on one in a sword fight. He dealt a finishing blow, but Hanzo also managed to bring him down as well.

37. Burke (Jonah Hex)

"I'm gonna hand Turnbull your balls in a snuffbox!"

For every villain wanting to destroy a country there's always a psycho sidekick who just wants to go along for the ride because it's fun. Turnbull's psychotic sidekick was Burke, who didn't understand what was going on half of the time but still killed anyone that got in the way of Turnbull's plans and enjoyed every single second of it. He almost kills Jonah himself the first time they face off, but on the rematch Jonah manages to not only kill Burke, but also brings him back to life just to incinerate his body completely.

36. Prince Zuko (The Last Airbender)

"I will restore my honor!"

I felt like Zuko in film did really well portraying the anguish the Zuko in the show had, but I could not help but giggle every time he tried to be threatening or intimidating. I couldn't buy it. Also is that what you call a scar? Because to me all that looks like is a small scratch. His rivalry with Zhao was cut back which is a bit of a shame because that really is one of the few times during Book One that you feel some type of sympathy for him and want to root him on.

35. Lucas Lee (Scott Pilgrim vs The World)

"The only thing separating me from her is the two minutes it's going to take to kick your ass!"

The cool action star and Ramona's 2nd ex! He wasn't so cool when they dated so she left him for Todd and he went on to be the biggest skate boarding/movie star the world has ever seen! When he faces against Scott he has his stunt team take him on before he kicks his ass all throughout the movie set. What kills him in the end? Scott convincing him to skate down a rail, which he does awesomely until he blows up all of a sudden.

34. Hanzo (Predators)

"Because I talk too much."

Hanzo never spoke a word to the group until he discovers an old samurai sword in Noland's hideout and even then it's only a couple of words. Although he works for Yakuza, he still has a sense of respect and decides to go against Falconer Predator one on one in a sword fight. Even though he's thrown around by the larger beast, Hanzo deals a killing blow that brings the Predator down. Soon after, however, Hanzo dies from his own wounds.

33. Frank D'Amico (Kick-Ass)

"Playtime's over kid."

The most powerful mob boss in the city, Frank takes down everyone and anyone who gets in his way. With the snap of his fingers he can get whatever he wants, so you can only imagine how his ego was handling Kick-Ass ruining his business. Even though he doesn't take his son seriously, he allows Chris to become Red Mist to lure Kick-Ass into a trap, which gets ruined by Big Daddy. Frank gets his revenge by having his goons light Big Daddy on fire, but ends up having to deal with Hit-Girl. To his credit, Frank isn't hard to take down. In fact, he very nearly kills Hit-Girl before Kick-Ass comes and shoots a bazooka missile at him.

32. Edwin (Predators)

"I'm a murderer. I'm a freak."

Everyone thought that Edwin was this innocent doctor who was mistakenly thrown into the hunting preserve with the rest of these killers. He plays the act the entire movie, earning everyone's trust and basically becoming the little brother they all look out for and protect until the very end when it's just him and Isabelle. He shows his true colors by slicing her with a paralyzing blade and almost kills her before Royce shows up. Luckily Royce isn't fooled by the kid's act and he leaves him with a bunch of grenades to greet the last remaining Predator.

31. Todd Ingram (Scott Pilgrim vs The World)

"Chicken isn't vegan?"

This idiot seemed to be the strongest out of all the exes and Ramona's longest relationship. With his vegan lifestyle comes really cool psychic abilities that allows him to wipe the floor with Scott in front of everyone, including Scott's ex, Envy, who happens to be dating Todd now. The idiot apparently doesn't know that a lot of stuff isn't vegan, specifically chicken, so the Vegan Police show up to take his powers away, which allows Scott to take him down.

30. James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine (Iron Man 2)

"Yeah, it's called being a badass."

Rhodey is back and even though he might have a small ounce of respect for Stark, he still doesn't like him. His dislike is what pushes him over the edge to take on Tony's War Machine before engaging in a fight that takes down Tony's entire mansion. I think he has a good moral compass but his dislike for Tony causes him to not recognize when Tony is right about something, which is how Whiplash is able to take over War Machine in the film's climax. In the end Rhodey has finally established himself as a hero and watching him fight along Iron Man as War Machine was very cool to see.

29. Uncle Iroh (The Last Airbender)

"We will find you a nice girl."

Uncle Iroh in the film is a perfect example of going in a completely different way with a character, and it still being good. Sure I would have loved to see him express a love for tea or play some Pai Sho but I didn't need it. Iroh was still laidback, cared deeply for Zuko, and had a respect for the spirits and other nations. They even touched on his son's death in Ba Sing Se. In the film there's this weird thing about firebenders not being able to create fire but only able to control it (extremely stupid, but whatever) and Iroh is one of the few people who can actually create it. He uses his techniques to aid Zuko in escaping from Zhao and continue to go after the Avatar another day.

28. Quentin Turnbull (Jonah Hex)

"The United States will know Hell."

Our main villain who kills Jonah Hex's family after Jonah betrays him and kills his son, Jeb. I personally don't think it's Jeb's death that makes Turnbull go evil, I think he was already like that when he served as the Confederate Army's Commander. It just took Jonah a while to figure that out and when he did it was too late to save his family. Turnbull fakes his death to throw off Jonah so he can create the ultimate weapon to destroy the United States. He's nearly successful but Jonah manages to show up at the last minute to kill him for good.

27. Classic Predator (Predators)

*original clicking sounds*

The group finds Classic Predator strung up on the other Predator's ship and later learn from Noland that he belongs to an inferior clan. Royce decides to free him in hopes that the Predator will take him back to Earth. The Classic Predator is good on his word, but when it comes to facing the stronger Berserker Predator, he falls short and gets decapitated.

26. William Roque (The Losers)

"Well, you better be, because I ain't getting killed by no girl."

Roque was my least favorite Loser for obvious reasons but I really liked him in the beginning. I thought he was going to be this crazy, unpredictable guy who would find any excuse to pull out his knives and that's not what was delivered. Instead Roque complained about everything the group did to get their life back even when the group's plans were actually pretty solid. Then he decides to betray the friend's he's known for YEARS for a chance to live in America again, which is something I would expect from Pooch so he could be with his family, not from a guy who had no one waiting for him back in the states. So yeah, I wasn't mad when Roque ended up getting blown to piece by Cougar.

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nvrfrgetu · 7 years

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Zach Dempsey - A to Z

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going): Well, that’s the thing, Zach can get turned on by almost everything, really. Like the way you’re biting your pen while looking at him, scratching his scalp during a small kiss or even just watching you train with the girls or even looking at you and finding you specially sexy that day. But his biggest, ever, turn on is when you’re sucking on his skin, just down his jawline, while gently scratching your fingernails on his nape. The boy loses his shit, a complete silence and embarrassed mess from being with the biggest boner in the middle of the bleachers during gym class or in the cafeteria.

You were still recovering from an ankle problem, acquired during the cheerleaders’ workouts, so that you were restricted in performing physical activities and released from PE class. Today was one of those days where the Coach was letting everyone be lazy, with only four groups taking turns playing volleyball. The rest of the students were either climbing the ropes in some sort of ridiculous competition or waiting their turn while walking around the gym. So it was in the bleachers you stood, calmly waiting for the end of the class, laying on your stomach with your backpack serving as a pillow. You were almost dozing off when someone decided to play in the bleachers, making the wood tremble. You were prepared to send the person to hell when someone leaned over you, soft and warm lips pressing into yours. You opened your eyes, shocked, until you relaxed with the familiar sight of your boyfriend's dark, warm eyes.

- "Zach! You scared me!” - You argued, pushing him lightly. He sent you one of those sweet smiles so characteristic of him in return. Moving to place a kiss on your cheek before sitting on your side.

- "What for? I just gave you a kiss."- He shrugged as he sat on the bleachers.

- "Exactly. Someone kissed me and I have a boyfriend." - You tried to cast a disapproving look at him, but he had such a cute expression that you ended up smiling at him. His eyes seemed to burn for a second.

- "No one would dare steal a kiss from you. I would fight their asses. "- Zach was a Big Guy, completely capable of actually doing some real damage in a fight, with all those muscles that being an athlete since he was a child had assured him, but the possibility of this happening was laughable in a way that even the way he spoke the words was funny. But you did not say anything, just sent another smile at him as you rose from the stands to sit beside him, standing with one leg on each side of him, and placed your head on his shoulder, giving a small kiss to the warm skin discovered by the sleeveless shirt and then leaning back at his side comfortably, her legs lovingly embracing his body.

- "I'm sure you would, babe. Don’t worry."

But then Zach's body was really hot, in that way that made cling to him in one hug one of the most delicious things and soon your arms came to wrap around his trunk, but giving up when you realized he was too big and you would be uncomfortable, setting by just closing your hands on his shirt. He gave a little laugh at the way you had wrapped around him, turning his face to kiss your forehead. You smiled and looked at him, quickly struck by the urge to kiss him.

- "You're staring at my mouth." - He accused, drawing your foreheads together to force you to look deeply into his eyes. There was a convinced smile on his lips and although the look on Zach's face was carefree and confident, there was a nice blush tingling his cheeks.

- "Am I?" - You breathed, feigning ignorance though your eyes drifted to his delicious lips again. He smiled and you watched his lips part in that delicious smile, a line of perfectly white teeth appearing and suddenly you were thinking of wrong things. You smiled back, and then leaned up to kiss him, and though you had planned a chaste and caressing kiss, somehow your tongue traced his lower lip and you got lost in Zach's mouth when he granted you passage.

You wanted to blame the Gym and its structure or whatever, but it was Zach who had begun to make you hot. Your hands automatically clenched into fists on his shirt, and the hand in front of his body began to lightly trace his abs over his shirt, innocently but appreciatively.

Someone whistled from the court and you also heard some giggles approaching. You broke the kiss, annoyed, watching Justin on the edge of the court, hands around his mouth in encouraging shouts to Zach, while Jessica and Sherri were approaching. By your side, you felt Zach tightening up and quickly arranging something that you did not pay attention because you were busy flipping your friends. The Coach shouted at Justin and sent him back to the court and he rolled his eyes before obeying.

- "You seem to be healing well, Y/N." - Jessica mocked, Sherri agreeing with her, while both sat on the bench below where you and Zach were, Sherri patting Zach’s back in approval.

- "I'm glad to see that Zach is taking good care of you."

- "He was, and then you decided to interrupt my treatment." - You joked, frowning at them. Jessica just shrugged and Sherri laughed.

- "You were surpassing the acceptable level of PDA in physical education. Soon I and Justin would had to make out or you would steal our Liberty High It Couple title.”

- "All yours." - You spoke and raised your hands in mock surrender, but rolled your eyes to show that you did not give a shit about it. Beside you, Zach shifted, moving away from you.

- "Zach, are you ok?"

- "S-sure. I... I need to go, hm, my group is next." – He was fidgeting, but you didn’t read much into it.

- "Oh, okay, babe. See you at lunch."

- "Y-yeah." – He barely answered it while getting up. As Zach got up and practically jumped the rest of the stands, you and your friends looked at each other.

- "Is it me or was he weird?" - Jessica and Sherri just shrugged, and started talking about the adaptations in the new routine to keep you from getting hurt again in any of the jumps.

The day passed quietly and you did not have any more classes with your boyfriend, so you really only saw him when you entered the Cafeteria. It even had been funny, because even in the hallways you had not found him. Your friends only commented that they had seen him rushing to the next class. You knew he had biology today at some point, so you just shrugged thinking he was reviewing. You were probably very lost in your thoughts, because while waiting in line to buy your lunch, Monty thought it necessary to shout your name and wave so you finally looked at their table.

- "Relax Monty, I'm coming." - You said as you approached the table, putting the tray in front of Zach and bending down to give a kiss to his lips. He looked surprised, because his body trembled slightly and he was turning red from nowhere. You smiled at him, nudging his shoulder in teasing as you sat down.

- "Guess, I'm not the only one who's gonna hear that today." - Monty joked, casting a suggestive glance at the two of you as you sat down at the table. You just told him to fuck off and Zach resumed to show his middle finger to him.

As Monty laughed and started talking to Justin, you took the opportunity to discreetly lean on Zach, your nose nudging his arm covered by a sweatshirt to get his attention. He gave you a wary look, but there was a smile on the corner of his lips. You tried to hold back the smile that threatened to burst through your face, but the way Zach looked at you had always warmed you up and wanting to approach him. So you took the opportunity to sneak your hand around his arm and murmur a "come here." He bent down and you stole a small kiss on his lips again. You could keep track of how his blush spread quickly across his beautiful face, only getting worse when Monty started whistling and pointing at them. You sent him to hell again and then put one of your hands in your boyfriend's hair, so as to pull it and hide your face in the curve of his neck.

But then as the teasing died and the boys started to focus on other things, the way you had taken in that position looked wonderfully comfortable, especially with the delicious scent of his flooding your senses and his warm skin so close to your lips... You started stroking it with the tip of your nose. You felt the way he trembled slightly and it only encouraged you to lightly rest your lips on the skin of his neck. Zach literally froze and you let out a giggle before landing three more kisses and then cast a small glance around, checking that no one was paying attention to you and risking a little hickey just below his jawline.

Someone called Zach and you watched as he literally stuttered an answer to whatever the question they asked. A small laugh came and you pulled away from him in a disguise. Luckily, the bell rang. You started to get up and straightened your backpack while everyone began to do the same.

- “Hey, you're coming?” - Sherri asked, already close to the exit.

- “Sure. One moment.” -You waved as you turned to see where Zach was. But he had not even got off the bench yet. In fact, he was not even looking up, just stared very hard at the table.

– “Sherri, I'll see you at class. Have to talk to Zach.” - Her friend just nodded and continued on. You approached your boyfriend, realizing now how red he was.

- “Hey, babe. Something wrong?”

- "Yes." - He hissed between clenched teeth, casting a nasty glare at you.

- “I did something wrong?”

- “Oh, yes. You know what you did.”

- “I don’t. What's going on Zach?” - You were really surprised. You tried to review the events that had happened during the day to find out what you could have done to make him be like that. Probably foreseeing you were imagining too much, he sighed and reached for your hand. Then he pulled you on his lap and the bulge pressing on your ass made the whole situation a lot clearer.

You waited a few seconds, feeling like a deep blush was spreading across your face, and, at the same time, you had to contain with all your strength the smile that wanted to radiate on your face. Your chest seemed to swell, your skin immediately hot, the mere thought of getting Zach excited so easy made you feel like a goddess.

-“Oh. My. God. Did I...?” - You risked, trying to control the happiness and surprise in your tone.

- “Yes.” - He hissed again, a judgmental look and in equal parts hot and angry. You could not even be embarrassed by how satisfied you were to be able to leave him that way with almost no effort.

- “Oh babe, I'm so sorry.” - You forced yourself to say, a small laugh restrained in your lips. He narrowed his eyes at you, pushing your waist so that you rose from his lap and did not make things worse, which you followed.

- “No, you're not. You're fucking proud of yourself." - He knew her too well not to know that. You let out the laughter you were holding, then bent to murmur close to his lips, an expression that had every intention of provoking him.

- “Ok... I am. Does this make me a bad girl?" - You murmured, your gaze running over his lips before looking him in the eye again.

- “Oh my god, you're not helping.” - He grunted, his tone warm and hard, mingled with clear frustration. You laughed and pulled away from him, beginning to walk backwards toward the door.

- “So... see you after class?” - You said as you walked away, your hand moving your hair in what you believed to be sexy.

- “Oh, you bet your pretty ass you’ll see me after class.” - She winked at him then, adding a more pronounced swag on her hips as she turned his back to him. You almost swore he had grunted again and your smile could tear your cheeks of so satisfied.

#so sorry for being gone u guys #but have a lil zachy action as a apology #alphabet zach #zach dempsey #zach x reader #zach dempsey imagine #zach dempsey smut #nsfwish?#13 reasons why #13rw

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mitchintille · 4 years

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2020 Mock Draft 2.0

Less than one week away from perhaps the most unusual and bizarre NFL draft we’ll ever witness. At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter how the draft happens, just as long as it does.

Fair warning, I fully expect the actual draft to look nothing like this one. I’m anticipating numerous trades and head scratching picks come next Thursday night. And while it may not be conducive for me to not include trades, it is simply too unpredictable so I’ll be selecting for each team with the order as is.

Here we go.......

1. Cincinnati Bengals - Joe Burrow, QB, LSU

Ahem.

2. Washington Redskins - Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State

While there have been rumors speculating a possible trade down or surprise selection of a QB, they are simply just that, rumors. Young is the most talented player in this class top to bottom. He checks every box as a prospect and would bolster an already impressive front seven for the Skins.

3. Detroit Lions - Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State

Here’s where the draft gets fun. The Lions are a team I expect to be highly active come draft night. A trade back here with a QB needy team such as LAC or Miami would not surprise me at all. However, in the case of this mock, we are assuming Detroit holds at three which would leave them the nice consolation prize of Okudah. He can fill the void left by Darius Slay and would instantly be the best DB on that roster.

4. New York Giants - Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa

Yet another team I expect to be clinging to their phones come draft night. But in this scenario, I’d expect them to go with either Isaiah Simmons or their highest rated tackle. The nod goes to the freaskishly athlethic Wirfs, who although shows glimpses of his high upside potential, will need to fix his footwork and inconsistent timing with his punch hand in pass pro.

5. Miami Dolphins - Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

It pained me having to type that out. With uncertainty surrounding Tua Tagovailoa and his concerning injury history, you can’t convince me the Dolphins will spend a premier pick on a question mark like him. Instead, they opt for the safer selection in Herbert, a high Football IQ and character driven player. His arm talent on film is evident, but his erratic tendencies and failure to make any big leaps throughout his four years as a starter are worrisome to me. This feels significantly too high for a player of his caliber, but this is the Dolphins we’re dealing with so nothing shocks me anymore.

6. Los Angeles Chargers - Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

The real QB1 finally goes off the board, Is there risk inherited with this pick? Absolutely. But for a team with a talented roster on the cusp of making a playoff run, they lack a true franchise QB to elevate them to that level. Enter Tua. One of the best short/intermediate processors to declare in years. His feel for the pocket and ability to throw wide receivers open are both translatable traits that he performs very well on a consistent basis. He isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the reward outweighs the risk to me here.

7. Carolina Panthers - Isaiah Simmons, LB/S, Clemson

After shipping off Trai Turner and Cam Newton, it is very clear that Matt Rhule and the Panthers want to rebuild starting from the ground up. After Luke Keuchly’s sudden retirement this offseason, an already depleted run defense just got even worse. Simmons is a dynamic athlete with high football character who can plug and play from day one. This pick is just as much culture based as it is talent, as they add the local product to a defense in dire need of a spark heading into 2020.

8. Arizona Cardinals - Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama

An absolute mauler. Wills is head and shoulders the best run blocker at his position in this draft. After recently investing into Marcus Gilbert and finalizing a blockbuster trade with Houston for Deandre Hopkins, this allows Steve Keim the wiggle room to draft for talent instead of need. Adding a stalwart to the left side of that offensive line would serve as a good insurance policy for Kyler Murray.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars - CJ Henderson, CB, Florida

Hey Jags fans, remember a guy named Justin Gilbert who also went top ten a couple years ago? Well I found his brother. All jokes aside, Henderson is sticky in man coverage and adds superb athleticism to an already elite frame. The cupboard is bare for the Jags corner back depth chart, and this pick would help fill a gaping hole at corner.

10. Cleveland Browns - Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia

The best OT in the class. The three year starter at Georgia saw snaps at both left and right tackle over the course of his career. Thomas won’t wow anyone with his athleticism, but his technically sound form and plus footwork should allow for an easy transition to the league.

11. New York Jets - Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama

A bit of a conundrum here for me. I love Jeudy’s talent. It is undeniable. But I simply don’t see him being a team’s No.1 WR early in his career. Unfortunately for the Jets, they failed to resign Robby Anderson in free agency and are now left with a huge void. They opt for the best route runner in the draft and an optimal WR2 in today’s game. His ability to create separation at the line of scrimmage is already among the best at the position in the NFL. He does get into a habit of letting the ball travel into his body too much, but considering the amount of space he creates before the ball is thrown, it doesn’t worry me too much. As much as he appears to be a slam dunk prospect on tape, not having another receiver on the outside to complement his best traits could prove to be dire for Jeudy in this situation.

12. Las Vegas Raiders - Ceedee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

Did you see the picture I used for this article? Then you understand why this makes sense. Look, Lamb just FEELS like a Raider. Given their need for a true WR1 and Gruden’s style of preferred receiver, this almost feels like an arranged marriage. Lamb's YAC skills and football IQ should be coveted by Gruden/Mayock.

13. San Francisco 49ers - Henry Ruggs, WR, Alabama

Speed. Speed. And more speed. If Kyle Shanahan showed us one thing last season, it’s that he doesn’t mess around when it comes to speed. Ruggs displays absurd play speed and athleticism. I trust Shanny’s savviness as a coach to able to get Ruggs the ball any way possible. Pair him next to Deebo Samuel and allow George Kittle to eat over the middle. Good luck, defenses.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville

This is yet another draft slot that I anticipate should change between now and Thursday. The Bucs went out and made a big splash, signing six time super bowl winner Tom Brady. GM Jason Licht has made it very clear: we want a ring. With that being said, I can see the Bucs trading up to ensure they land the best tackle on their board. In this case, they sit tight and still late a behemoth in Mekhi Becton. The 6′9 specimen does a good job of using his freakish length to his advantage. There are occasional mental lapses, but once he gets his hands on you, it’s a wrap.

15. Denver Broncos - Derrick Brown, IDL, Auburn

Tough scenario here for Denver. The top three receivers and top four tackles are all off the board. Instead of reaching for need, the Broncos elect to go BPA, which just so happens to be Brown. Brown is an absolute hog molly who will immediately help reset the defensive interior. His presence on the inside with Von Miller and Bradley Chubb on the outside can help give offensive coordinators fits for the next five years.

16. Atlanta Falcons - Javon Kinlaw, IDL, South Carolina

The medical concerns here are real. Kinlaw raised concerns following an injury related dismissal from the senior bowl. With cloudiness surrounding his future, a Mo Hurst-esque slide wouldn’t surprise me in the least bit. With that being said, Kinlaw’s burst and explosiveness are easily the best in the class. His pure brute strength and first step allowed him to win majority of his reps at South Carolina. Once he develops a few counter moves in his arsenal, watch out.

17. Dallas Cowboys - AJ Terrell, CB, Clemson

Barring one of the top three receivers falling to this spot, i firmly believe that this will be the pick. Following the departure of Byron Jones, a sudden need has emerged at cornerback. Given the depth at the position in this draft, a reach for need at this spot feels highly likely. Terrell is infamously known for his horrible game against Jamar Chase and LSU in the national championship, but I feel the hatred for him as gotten absurd. His body of work outside that game should speak for itself. He’s an intelligent and physical player with the long speed neccessary to stay attached on routes down the field.

18. Miami Dolphins - Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State

A late bloomer in the draft process, Cleveland has sky rocketed up boards since the combine. He showed quality tape but his combine and high football character find himself as a top 20 pick. Brian Flores is beginning to show a tendency to target high character Football players, and Cleveland fits the billing.

19. Las Vegas Raiders - Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

Mayock strikes again! The Raiders need for quality corners is no secret, and being that Mike Mayock and drafting college players from high profile schools are synonymous, all signs lead to this being the selection. Fulton is a smart, scheme versatile corner whose prowess in man coverage should serve immediate dividends to a team lacking players with that ability.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars - K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU

With the impending departure of Yannick Ngakoue, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them spin the wheel with Chaisson. His lack of production for his caliber of athlete is a bit confusing, and given the lack of success from former players who tested similarly, his outlook does not bode well. However, his first step alone is worthy of the selection. He has rockets attached to his shoes, and his initial burst off the line can be mind boggling at times. He is still a work in progress, but if he can fully tap into his potential, the sky is the limit.

21. Philadelphia Eagles - Patrick Queen, LB, LSU

I know I know, it’s not a receiver. But Howie Roseman is smart, and although their depth at receiver does need to be addressed, their need at linebacker might be even more daunting. Queen, the one year starter, is a former RB who displays elite instincts. He’s a very fluid mover in coverage, and will spend his entire rookie season at age 20. Easy pick here for the Eagles.

22. Minnesota Vikings - Josh Jones, OT, Houston

A dream fit here. Jones is a light mover whose quick feet and athleticism in the open should translate nicely with the Vikings zone run scheme. He needs to get better about playing too tall at times, but Jones should plug right into that offensive line and serve as a contributor from day one.

23. New England Patriots - AJ Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa

This screams Patriots to me. Epenesa is a plus run defender who is still just tapping into his potential as a pass rusher. He offers exceptional length and plus power. His versatility on the line should prove useful to Belichick, who is notorious for targeting edge guys with the ability to work from the interior.

24. New Orleans Saints - Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU

I was very tempted to go Kenneth Murray here but I can’t pass up the opportunity to keep an LSU kid in the bayou state. Drew Brees isn’t getting any younger, and the window for a Saints super bowl with him at the helm seems to be closing by the minute. Jefferson can play both in the slot and out the outside if needed. His ability to get open and find spacing in the short/intermediate pass game is a highly coveted trait in today’s NFL. Adding him to an already stable core or Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders would finally give Brees all of the firepower needed to make a final run for glory.

25. Minnesota Vikings - Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State

A true big play threat. Aiyuk is not a perfect prospect by any means, as what he does with the ball in his hands is light years better than what he does without the ball in his hands. Aiyuk is still learning to play receiver, and his inconsistencies with getting off press coverage and catching contested passes are big knocks on his profile. With that being said, the dude is a freak of nature when he gets the ball in his hands. His big play flashes last year were mesmerizing, as he displays elite breakaway speed and rangy ball skills at times. While there is plenty to like about his YAC ability and athletic, he’s certainly a risk at this spot.

26. Miami Dolphins - Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State

Gross-Matos is an underrated prospect in the class in my opinion. He was highly productive at Penn State and put together a nice athletic profile in the process. The lack of pass rush in Miami is eye opening, and with three picks in the 1st round, addressing pass rush should be a priority here.

27. Seattle Seahawks - Marlon Davidson, IDL, Auburn

I don’t know what position Marlon Davidson will play in the league. He can be a penetrating 3-tech, or be a hand in the dirt pass rusher from the edge. All I know is that he is a natural disruptor, and being that Jadeveon Clowney remains unsigned and 2019 first round selection LJ Collier appears to be a bust, this mold of player also fills what now becomes a need for Seattle.

28. Baltimore Ravens - Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma

I truly wish that I could love this pick for Baltimore. The Ravens have recently shown a penchant for Oklahoma players in the draft (Hollywood Brown, Orlando Brown Jr., Mark Andrews), and given the need at linebacker, this makes a ton of sense, right? Well, sure it does. Murray is a rangy linebacker whose burst flies off the screen. Not to mention he is a plus leader and human off the field as well. But he is legally blind. Too many times did I see a rep where he filled the wrong gap or fell for a fake. His mental processing just simply isn’t there, and while he has the athleticism at times to make up for his mental errors, I just simply can’t see him sustaining success unless he makes serious leaps as a processor.

29. Tennessee Titans - Jordan Love, QB, Utah State

Why not? Sure, they have other needs. But they just paid Ryan Tannehill $100m with no foreseeable backup plan. Love needs to go to a good team in order to succeed. His supporting cast at Utah State in 2019 was truly abysmal, and I believe was a major detriment to both his on field performance as well as his confidence. Love is an athletic, toolsy QB who personifies the new prototype of NFL quarterbacks. He has potential to be the steal of the draft, and the Titans have a good enough cast and coaching staff around him to make it possible.

30. Green Bay Packers - Laviska Shenault, WR, Colorado

This goes against everything I told myself, but here we are. It is no secret that the Packers typically avoid skill players in the first round. But, for the first time since 2002, they choose that route. Shenault is a gadget style receiver with great size and athleticism. Shenault is best when he can get the ball and let his YAC ability flourish in space. He is very raw as a route runner and still learning the nuances of the position, but he is the type of playmaker that can elevate both Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense immediately.

31. San Francisco 49ers - Cesar Ruiz, OC, Michigan

Starting center Weston Richburg is still nursing a torn patellar tendon, and the interior OL depth is dwindling. Ruiz is a highly intelligent player with tons of experience. He is not the sexiest pick, but a very smooth mover in the open field that would slide ideally into that offensive line unit.

32. Kansas City Chiefs - Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah

Chiefs take a swing at the best available corner. Johnson boasted impressive tape this season and his length and football IQ are two qualities that I’d expect GM Brett Veach to be chomping at the bit for.

Thank you guys for reading! Hope you enjoyed the content and that all of your are staying safe during the quarantine. Cheers!

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anavoliselenu · 4 years

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blood epilogue

As I looked out of the small window in my room, I tried to decide what exactly I was going to do with my day. Considering that I was turning twenty today, I figured it should be something profound or exciting, but how much could you celebrate while in jail?

Well to be honest, I wasn't in jail; it was more of a daycare. I liked to call it "Martha Stewart" jail. You know, the kind of place where you're locked up but not really? It was a minimum-security facility located deep in the dark forests of southern Illinois. At least, I think I was still in Illinois. I hadn't brought myself to care in this past year. The only thing separating us from the real world was a fence. It wasn't very intimidating, either.

"You could go read," I spoke to myself, hoping that no one else was around. "No, you always read. That's all you do."

What would I have done if I weren't in jail? I'm sure Charlie would be making some awkward fatherly gesture, trying to show me that he cared and in turn, I would give him a big hug. That was the basic function of our relationship. Or maybe he would burn the eggs trying to make me my birthday breakfast. Renee would be planning an overzealous party that wouldn't ever come to fruition, because she'd get distracted halfway through and we'd end up having pizza, but that was okay too.

Last year, when I turned nineteen, was actually the first day of my lockup.

My trial had lasted around four months, and it was probably one of the worst experiences I had ever been through. There was so much I wanted to say but couldn't. I was put through the media circus, and no matter how much I tried to plead my innocence; there was nothing I could do. Jenks, the lawyer Carlisle gave me, was a genius. He was working his hardest, but I think there was already a preconceived notion that I was guilty. It wasn't like I was going to jail for murder; there were only small white-collar charges against me, but they still added up.

I was sentenced to spend two years in this place for illegal gambling and racketeering. I barely knew what that meant. During my trial, there were a whole lot of words thrown around that I didn't understand, and I just sat there after a while. It was painfully obvious during my arraignment that I wasn't going to get off. Jacob fucking Black was on a power trip from the time he arrested me, and I could have smacked the smirk off of his face. No one really believed that I was capable of all the crimes that I was up against, but I had a hard-ass judge who— I later found out— was trying to crack down on juvenile delinquency. Somehow he found me repulsive and decided to make me the example.

Two fucking years for gambling and racketeering. If I were older, I would have gotten more. Jenks actually had my sentence reduced, but I still had to serve my time.

I was walking a thin line during the trial, because how much could I really reveal without getting the Cullens in trouble? I should have said fuck them all and gotten myself off, but it wouldn't have worked anyway. Like I said, the judge and Black were out for my blood. Nothing I said could change their minds, but maybe I would have felt a hell of a lot better.

According to Emmett, it was all for Justin. That's who Jacob wanted, and I was the bargaining chip. They expected him to come for me and when he didn't, they were kind of at a loss of what to do. They figured they might as well prosecute me while I was available.

I was abandoned—by everyone. Literally everyone. Sure, Carlisle paid for Jenks and the whole family sat through my trial with stoic faces, but what help did that do me in here? Once Charlie heard about the shit I was in, like I suspected he would, he cursed me out over the phone, and even made a trip to Chicago to yell at me face-to-face. He tried to use his connections to get me off, but it didn't help. At least I had him there for a couple weeks.

There wasn't much he could do so Charlie went back to his life in Forks, and I was left here. I hadn't talked to my mother in about a year; I didn't know why. She just never called me, and I never called her.

My face was splashed across papers and there were even news segments about me, so I didn't blame my parents for being embarrassed. What they didn't understand was that I did nothing wrong. Of course, I had a criminal boyfriend and probably knew more than I should, but that couldn't be helped. Those charges against me were false, and I think everyone knew it.

Surprisingly, none of that mattered to me. Every single person I knew could abandon me, but the one person I wanted to see just wasn't there.

Justin had left. He left me here. I knew why—Carlisle explained it to me—but it still hurt. Why wouldn't he fight for me? Wasn't there something he could have done? Wasn't there a plan for something like this? How could he just leave me here? I wished that I had been smarter about everything. I felt like such a naive little girl and my self-sacrificing, stupid ass just let myself get martyred for the cause.

I hadn't talked to Justin or heard a peep from him in over a year, and my heart hurt every single day. I loved him; I couldn't get over that, but I wanted to hate him with a fiery passion. There were so many things that I could scream and just rip him a new asshole, but where was he?

"Selena, you have a bunch of gifts." Someone poked their head in my door.

"Oh?" I got up from my seat.

"You sure do. Happy Birthday." She handed me a couple of gift-wrapped presents. I didn't know her name, but she was a neighbor. I hadn't bothered to make friends this past year.

"Thank you." I sat on my bed and tried to see sent them. They were all slightly opened from being checked by the mail people. "I'm guessing they all passed inspection?"

"They sure did." She smiled. "Someone just told me to bring them up since I was already in the mail room."

"Well, thank you."

"No problem."

I looked around my bed at the presents, not wanting to open them, because I was already hating this day and a gift wouldn't make it any better.

Thankfully, I wasn't totally alone in all of this. Everyone visited me, and Esme even made a schedule so that I knew when they were coming. They had to visit in shifts, but five-minute segments were better than nothing. Every time I spoke with Carlisle, I asked how Justin was doing. He would never answer, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a single word out of him. I don't even think he knew where Justin was. The firestorm hadn't cooled, though.

Black was still trying to find him, and I couldn't understand why Justin just couldn't come home. I wanted him here. As much as I hated and cried over him, I still wanted him here.

I was such an emotional mess.

I neatly arranged my gifts on the tiny desk in my small room and just lied on my bed, looking up at the ceiling.

Unconsciously, my hand drifted down and started rubbing circles over my now flat stomach. It had never gotten the chance to become swollen. A tear slipped down my cheek, and I wiped it away angrily. I promised myself that I wasn't going to cry anymore over this.

My baby was gone. I had never been given the opportunity to hold my little boy or girl; and it felt like a piece of me would forever be missing. That was two pieces gone now: Justin and our child.

It happened about a month after I was arrested. I just woke up one night with a shooting pain in my lower stomach and the next thing I knew, I was bleeding out. The doctors said I had lost the baby. I cried for days and wouldn't even eat, because I didn't feel like I should. No one could explain it to me. The doctor told me simply, "These things just happen".

Maybe it was stress or from me not taking care of myself? I didn't know, but it still hurt every time I even thought about my lost child. It was hard to love something that you had never met. Although, I was sure some women have had it worse than me, so I tried to put it in perspective. It had taken me a very long time and many late nights of thinking to finally understand that bad things just happen to good people.

When I was first arrested, the doctors gave me a physical, and once they found out I was pregnant, I begged them not to say anything. It was put in my file that I was carrying a child, and I figured Carlisle knew, but he never questioned me. The doctors were actually very nice about it and made sure to take good care of me, but none of that helped.

I lost the baby when I was three and a half months along. Besides the physicians, Justin and myself, no one knew I was pregnant. Sometimes I felt that it was better that way. Esme didn't have to cry over losing her first grandchild, and I didn't have to explain things to anyone.

Why didn't I tell my precious secret? I was embarrassed and ashamed. I felt like such a failure, and with all the things going on with me being put in jail, I didn't see the need to bother anyone else with more drama. I know it was stupid, but my mouth just wouldn't say the words. On some level, I realized that everyone deserved to know. I'm sure they would want to, but what could I tell them now? It was too late.

It didn't even matter now that I hadn't said anything, because the topic was moot. I hadn't even told Jenks when he was arguing my case.

I guessed Justin got his wish. We didn't have a child so now our argument didn't matter anymore. What would I have done anyway? Did I really expect to give birth and raise a baby while in jail? It still hurt, though. There wasn't a day that went by when I didn't think about my little boy or girl.

Over the past year, I had spent a lot of nights just thinking about what I would have done that last day if I hadn't gotten arrested. Now that I looked back on it, it was stupid of me to try and change Justin's mind about the baby. He didn't want it and I already knew that. My only other option was to just leave him. I would have gone back to the penthouse, kicked him in the balls, and got my stuff. That was easier said than done, but I would have left for my child.

I wiped my damp cheeks again.

"Stop it, Selena." I sat up in bed and shook my head to clear it.

The calendar on my wall was mocking me, and I guessed I should start counting down the days until I was free from this place. It wasn't that I was in hell or anything; it was just incredibly boring. There was literally nothing to do. I sat in jail with white-collar criminals who wouldn't hurt a fly, so no one felt the need to keep us under strict supervision. The woman across the hall from me was in here because she had embezzled money from her boss. She was also eighty, so who knew how much longer she was going to last.

The days were incredibly long and the nights were too short. I wanted to stay asleep and dream, but when the sun rose I would just sit here until I could sleep again. I would read and even tried art just for something to do. Besides that, I stayed to myself and barely uttered a word.

Just eight more months.

"Selena, I have more gifts for you." Someone knocked on my door. This time it was one of the guys from the mailroom.

"Really? What are they this time?"

"They're roses. I just wanted to see if you were going to keep these this time since it is your birthday and all."

"Who are they from?" I asked, even though I already knew.

"I don't know. There's never a card with these things. Do you want them?"

Roses. Damn it all to hell.

Even though I hadn't spoken to him in a year, Justin still found ways to contact me. His stupid fucking flowers were arriving from somewhere mysterious, never with a note or address. The flowers were always red roses and nothing else. They would just show up out of thin air. I usually didn't even want them. On the occasions that I was feeling fairly happy, I would just sniff the petals before throwing them away.

Did he think he could buy me off with flowers? Bullshit. Although, on some level, it did show that he was still thinking about me. If only I could get him out of my mind, then I could let my frustrations go. But he had this hold on me that was unbreakable. I still didn't have to like his gifts, though.

"How many are there?" I sighed.

"A hell of a lot," he chuckled.

"Can I just have one?"

"One bushel?"

"No, just one rose." I got off of the bed and went to the door. I plucked a flower out of the vase he was carrying.

"What do you want us to do with these?"

"You can keep them if you want." I smelled the rose, which was fragrant and completely overpowering, but comforting. I had to smile.

Was this his way of saying sorry? It might be. Was I ready to forgive him? Probably not.

I would get a bushel of roses about once a week, sometimes more. They all came ambiguously, but I knew they were from him. If I tried hard enough, I could even smell him on the petals. I was probably crazy, but it made sense to me.

It was massively ironic at how each of my birthdays for the past couple of years had revolved around Justin and me. The first time I ever met him was on my eighteenth; on my nineteenth, I was thrown in jail because of him, and here I sat on my twentieth, receiving roses from him.

Happy birthday, Selena.

The week passed like it always did, slow and unexciting.

The single rose was drying out on my windowsill since I planned on keeping it. I didn't know why, but I felt like I needed to have something to show me that he cared. If it wasn't his words, then it was his actions. Of course, going to jail for Justin wasn't equal to a rose, but it was a small gesture that meant a lot to me.

But I was still pissed. If I ever saw the man again, I would slap the shit out of him.

Honestly, I was trying not to think about what my future held after I got out of here. Charlie probably wouldn't let me come back, and it wasn't as if I had money to go to school. Renee was out as well. I wasn't actually even sure she knew what was going on. I hadn't talked to her, and I doubt Charlie explained things. I didn't want to ask Carlisle for anything, either. Every time he visited, he would apologize profusely for not being able to do more. I couldn't blame him. From the time I got arrested, his hands were tied behind his back. There was only so much he could do. He worked himself ragged trying to get my record expunged, but my future was set. He did what he had to do for his family. He included me in that rank; he told me all the time. I was thankful that I at least had him to help me through this.

Today was just like any other day. I was sitting on my bed with a tattered copy of Jane Eyre in my hands when there was a small knock on my door.

"Selena, you have company," a guard said.

I climbed off of the bed and shuffled through my room. I went into the hallway, trying to think if someone was supposed to visit today. I was led to the meeting rooms, which just held circular tables with chairs, and I sat to wait.

I sat there for about five minutes and was debating on whether I should stay or not.

"Hello, Selena," a deep voice said from behind me.

"Please tell me you're not here to pour salt in my wounds."

Embry Call sat opposite me and fixed his jacket. Something about his face was different. He looked… old and stressed. "I'm here for other reasons."

"I have nothing to say to you." I turned my head away from him.

Throughout my arrest and subsequent trial, I refused to speak to Jacob Black. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction on putting me in jail. Embry was the only one I would talk to, and we had created somewhat of a mutual hatred for each other. It didn't really matter through. Everyone came out on top except me. Black even got a fucking promotion.

"Selena, I know that you think I'm a dick, but I was doing my job," Embry said sternly.

"You're no better than any other criminal out there," I whispered lowly. "You're a dirty cop just like Jacob."

"Don't you dare compare me to Jacob," he spat. "I like the guy, but his police methods and questionable. I follow the letter of the law."

"Why are you here? Just leave me alone and let me do my time."

"I came with bad news." He sighed and pulled a bag out of his jacket pocket. He hesitated for a second before pushing it across the table towards me.

"What is this?"

"Open it," he instructed.

I glared at him for a second before snatching the small bag up and peeking inside. There was a small flash of silver as I pulled the gigantic watch out, and I immediately recognized it. This was the only watch Justin ever wore, and it was a small symbol of what I missed for over a year.

"How… how did you get this?" I stammered.

"Before I say anything, I need you to understand that I tried everything I could to help…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I got word that Justin was coming back into the country last week."

My heart started to beat furiously as all these unanswered questions popped into my head.

"Wait, where was he?" I asked. My voice was almost non-existent.

"I don't know. I was just informed that he was coming back… for you."

"For me?"

"From what I could gather, he wanted to break you out or something heroic like that. Who knows what's going through that man's mind half the time. He was probably still pissed about how things played out and Justin wanted to fight for you. That's the information I got."

"Well, where is he? What happened?"

Embry exhaled heavily. "There was… a complication when he got into the city. He'd He was ambushed."

"What do you mean? I'm confused."

"There was a shootout. Police were there, Aro's men were there, Shinobu's men were there; basically everyone within a fifty mile radius with a gun was waiting for him."

Now my heart was stampeding. "Please tell me he's all right," I said hopefully.

"Selena, you know Justin. Once he was threatened, he tried to bulldoze his way out and started firing. He wasn't really a match for everyone and… he didn't make it."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"He didn't make it," Embry repeated. "He took a couple bullets to the head and to the chest."

My mouth was completely dry, and my head was starting to throb like it was being pounded by a jackhammer.

"I… I don't understand. What does that mean?" I asked.

"He's dead, Selena," Embry said with finality. "Justin's dead."

Justin Bieber—my Justin Bieber—couldn't be dead. It wasn't plausible. Not once could I remember him being feeble. Not even when we dealt with his heart attack was he in a position of weakness. Now he was dead? I wouldn't believe it.

"No, that's not possible. You have the wrong guy. Justin can't die." My voice cracked. "You're wrong."

"I saw it with my own eyes. I was there."

"You killed him." I reached across the table and just hit Embry in the face.

He stilled my hand with a tight grasp. "I was trying to protect him. I was going to bring him in. You might not believe me, but I needed him alive."

"You and Jacob were working together this whole time. I don't believe you."

"I told you that I haven't worked with Jacob in a long time. Not since your trial."

"You're lying. I know you are."

"Selena, I came here to tell you before you heard it from someone else."

"I don't believe you." I shot up from my seat and ran out of the room before I could start crying in front of the liar, Embry Call.

I made it halfway back before I collapsed on the floor and slid down the wall as sobs racked my body.

As much as I wanted to question everything I was told, I knew it was true. I could sense it and there was no way to explain the feelings that were coursing through my body, but I suddenly felt like I wasn't even really here anymore.

It didn't matter that Justin and I weren't "together", I just needed him to be safe.

The earth felt like it had been shattered under my feet and I suddenly forgot how to breathe. Was he gone? Something inside of me said that he was and I didn't know how to deal with it. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, I wanted to break something and…could it really be true?

Justin was dead.

Just saying that didn't seem right. As much as I wanted to deny the truth, I felt something deep inside of me that was pulling at the last strand of my sanity.

I was over trying to stop the sobs and just let them consume me fully.

It wasn't long before I felt warm arms wrap around me. I wanted to push them off, but I didn't even have the strength to do that.

"I'm sorry, Selena. I never meant for you to go through this." Embry's voice was, for the first time since I had met him, comforting.

I think I passed out, but couldn't be sure. I just know that I woke up the next day in my bed.

All the lies were confirmed when I got the morning's paper. There was a massive front page story about how Justin Bieber had been found dead after an "isolated incident" outside of Chicago. There were interviews and pictures and police statements and autopsy reports and… it was all true.

"Selena Swan," there was a knock on my door, "it's time to check out. The ink on all the papers is dry."

"All packed and ready." I threw my backpack over my shoulder, which consisted of nothing more than a couple books. I reveled the feeling of jeans on my body after two years in an ugly, gray jumpsuit.

"We sure are going to miss you around here." The guard led me down the hall, away from the room that had been my sanctuary for my time here. "You were the only one who was actually nice."

"I'm going to miss you guys too," I lied.

"What are you going to do now that you're a free woman?"

"I honestly have no idea."

I didn't know what was available at the moment. I had no job prospects, and no money whatsoever. Thankfully, I wasn't completely down and out. I had gotten the chance to complete my upper education while in lockup. I filled my time with courses and finished a couple years of schooling easily within just two. I now had a degree in literature, which didn't really help me in the real world, but at least it was something. Still, I was fucked big time. I just wanted to make it outside, and then I would take it from there.

"Just make sure you stay away from that family. They're no good for you," he warned.

"I'll try," I lied again. The Cullens were the only family that I had left. I was still pissed at them somewhat, and I had a few things to say before everything was peaches and roses again. I didn't think we would ever truly get back there, though.

"Okay, well, this is where I leave you. Have fun." He waved to me and turned back around.

I went inside of a room with a singular table and sat in one of the two chairs to wait. This was usually the place where you came to get your stuff when they let you leave. When I was arrested, I didn't have anything, so I didn't particularly know what I was doing here. Couldn't they just let me go already?

I checked the watch on my wrist—Justin's massive watch—and a small smile crept onto my lips at the thought of him wearing it. I put my arm down when it started to become heavy from looking at the timepiece for too long.

I didn't cry anymore, over Justin or our child. I didn't have any more tears to give. The past year had been rough. I had literally cried myself dry, and I was surprised that my eyes hadn't fallen out. Now it didn't matter how I felt about him anymore; he was gone and would never hear it. I loved and I cared for Justin, although, I was still mad as hell. If only I had one last chance to at least talk to him. I never got that closure, which I desperately longed for.

He was gone, and he was never coming back.

Over the past eight months, things began to surface about Justin's death that made it sound like a bloodbath. It was all Aro's doing. He'd heard of Justin's return and took it upon himself to get vengeance for his sons. In the papers, Justin was revered and seen as more of a hero, which I was happy about. His name wasn't slandered, and I didn't have to read about all the bad things he had done. I gathered almost every article I could get my hands on, because I just wanted to read about him. It was the only way I could feel close to him again.

The flowers stopped coming—just another reminder that Justin was gone—and the family visits became fewer, but I still saw Esme from time to time. She looked nothing like her old self. I had never seen her in distress and after Justin died, she just looked sick. It was as if the life had been sucked out of her. Carlisle was almost the same way, but hid it well. The family was just now getting over everything, although, as I heard, their standing in the underground world hadn't diminished one bit. They were still feared and still on top, which I assume irked Aro immensely.

"Selena Swan, you just have one thing," a soft voice said from the door.

"I don't remember having anything when I came." I stood up.

She handed me a small manila envelope, and I opened it. I tipped it over, and a ring fell out. It was shining silver with a nice diamond on top. It was the same ring that Justin had brought me from Maine; the last thing I ever got from him.

"It's very pretty," she said.

"Thank you," I sighed, slipping the ring onto the fourth finger on my left hand. I was determined not to cry when I saw it there. "Can I leave now?"

"You sure can. Do you have a ride? You can't leave without a ride."

"I have one." I nodded and slipped past her. Carlisle had made sure to send someone over so that I didn't have to stay here any longer than necessary.

"Well then, we'll be seeing you."

"I hope not." I waved and strode out of the doors.

I stood on the stone steps of the minimum-security prison and took a deep breath. The July air was still hot, but not unpleasant. It wasn't as if I hadn't been outside during my stay, but this was a new type of freedom, which I would never take for granted again.

I walked down the long, winding road and towards the gates, which opened for me.

"Looks, like the criminal has sprung the coop," a deep voice said. He was leaning on the side of a black Mercedes with sunglasses. His strong shoulders made him look menacing, but I knew there was a heart of gold inside.

I ran and wrapped my arms around Alec's neck as I was lifted off of the ground. He now stood well above me and was probably over six feet.

"They sent you to get me?" I clung to him tighter.

"I volunteered," he chuckled lowly.

"I can't believe it. You haven't come to visit me in a year." I hit his arm when he put me down. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I was busy." He nursed the spot. "Ouch, that hurt."

"You deserve it." I examined him up and down. "Oh my God, look at you. You're massive."

He wasn't Emmett's size, but it was obvious that Alec had gone through and taken well to puberty. His muscles were extremely defined, and he looked like a man, not like the little boy I remember. His dark hair was short but still covered his deep blue eyes.

"And what's this?" I ran my hand over his stubbly jaw where small whiskers were peeking out.

"I know, cool, right?" He smirked. "And I shaved last night."

"You're all grown up. What happen to my little Alec?"

"Don't get teary-eyed on me. We have a long trip ahead." He picked my backpack up and threw it over his shoulder.

"Where are we going?" I went around to the passenger's side of the car.

"Don't start with the questions. Just let me drive."

"And you're driving?" I hadn't even realized as I sat in the plush leather of the seat. He was sixteen now, so I guess it was normal, but I never thought I'd see the day when he was behind the wheel of a car. "Who taught you?"

"Emmett tried, but I ended up teaching myself. He has no idea what he's talking about, by the way. I think he needs to take some kind of class." Alec started the car, and it roared to life.

"Where are we going?" I asked again, hoping he would tell me this time.

"I said I wasn't answering that." He easily pulled out of the driveway and maneuvered onto the road.

"How are things back home?"

Alec sighed, "Tough. Ma won't come out of her room most days. I really think she's sick. Carlisle doesn't know what to do, but she's starting to get better. Emmett's busy and Jasper's keeping an eye on me, so we all have our jobs. Ma obviously isn't herself anymore."

"It must be tough to lose a child," I said without even thinking about it. My chest started to contract and I had to push the pain out. I wasn't going to cry, not now. I couldn't think about that. I had trained myself to keep the hurt at bay.

"She's seeing a therapist and everything."

"How are you boys doing?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It was so weird at first; going from four to three. I think we're just getting over it. How are you doing?"

"I cried for months." I looked out of the window and remembered the horrible time I had with Justin's death. "I felt so weak. I wanted to tell him so many things, but I never got the chance."

"I see your ring." He pointed to my left hand. "He would want it there."

"No, he wouldn't." I shook my head.

"Justin loved you, Selena. As much shit as he talked about not wanting to get married and not having a family, I think he would have gone through with it for you."

Obviously, Alec didn't know about the major argument Justin and I had just before everything went downhill.

"I miss him," I thought out loud.

"We all miss him."

The ride was silent after that. I wanted to go to sleep, but figured I should soak up the bright sun. I watched the trees pass us by for about an hour until the car started to slow.

"Where are we?" I sat up in my seat.

"Private airport," Alec answered simply and turned the car onto the tarmac.

"Why?"

"Because we're leaving." He reached into the backseat and got my bag. "Let's go." He jumped out of the car.

"Wait, I can't leave. Aren't I on probation or something?" I quickly ran after him and had to shout over the whirl of a plane engine.

"I don't know. Do I look like a lawyer? Just get on the plane."

It was hard for me to just trust a Bieber after everything I had been put through, but what else was I going to do? It wasn't like I could run to Daddy and make my life miraculously go back to normal.

I glared at Alec inquisitively for a couple of seconds. "Are you kidnapping me?"

"Yes." He started to climb the descended steps. "I'm leaving you here if you don't hurry up."

I ground my teeth together and went up after him. The plane was nice and expensive, just like the Cullens wanted it. There was no one inside, but I could hear the voice of the pilot from up front. Alec went to tell him that we were ready to leave, and the stairs folded shut.

"I don't like this." I sat in a seat next to him.

"I promise everything's going to be all right. Oh, and by the way, we're not to be going home for a while."

"So you are kidnapping me. Where the hell are we going?"

"I can't tell you that, but if you want to stay here, now's the time to say so."

I debated on what to do, but just decided to stay put. It was a mixture of curiosity and lack of enthusiasm over my present situation in life. I theorized that he couldn't be taking me anywhere bad.

"This is very fishy." I sat back and crossed my arms as the plane took off.

I tried to stay awake so that I could scope out what exactly I was doing on this adventure, but my eyes wouldn't stay open after the third hour. The rumble from the plane engine put me to sleep quickly, and I dreamed about God knows what. Most of my dreams nowadays weren't memorable.

"Selena, time to wake up." I was softly nudged.

"No." I turned away.

"Selena, I mean it. The plane can't stay on the ground very long," Alec's deep voice filled my head, "and you need to change."

"Change?" I opened my eyes. His jeans and tee shirt from before were replaced with a light blue button up and white board shorts. "Are you going swimming?"

"No, but it's hot as hell out there. Go change." He pulled me from my seat and shoved me into the back of the plane.

I went into the bathroom and stripped out of my clothes, putting on the jean shorts and green tank top that were provided for me. I was still confused as hell when I came back out, trying to stumble into my sneakers.

"Where exactly are we?" I asked as the stairs came undone.

"Brazil." Alec smiled and went outside.

"Brazil?" I followed him. "Are you serious? We can't go to Brazil."

"Why not?" He shrugged. "It's awesome here."

"I can't believe this." I grumbled my way to a car that was waiting, and Alec took the driver's seat.

I saw signs that said 'Rio' when we were pulling out of the private airport and large buildings started to surround us on all sides as we went deeper into the city. I had no idea what the hell was going on, but Alec seemed confident and didn't question anything.

"How the hell did we get out of the country? Aren't they following you?" I asked, trying to take my mind off of the uneasiness that I was feeling. I should be excited since this was the first time I had ever been out of the county and to Brazil, no less, but I was too anxious.

"We're all good. We have clearance."

"What does that mean?"

"Stop asking questions." He rolled his eyes. "I forgot how annoying you were."

"Well, maybe I wouldn't be if I had some answers."

The car started going through the streets, and I noticed that the tall skyscrapers thinned as we reached the far eastern side of the city.

"Alright, time to get out." Alec shut off the car when we reached the docks.

"Now a boat?" At this point, I was just going with the flow.

"I don't want to hear it. Just get on." He left the car right where it was and walked through the rows of bobbing ships in the harbor. I followed with my mouth shut.

We reached a small boat at the edge, which was built for speed and not luxury since it only sat two. It looked kind of like a bullet. Alec helped me down, and then started the boat thunderously.

He masterfully took off, not even bothering to check a manual or directions, which made me curious as to how many times he had done this. I, for one, had never heard of him driving a speedboat, but he was doing well. I still gripped the side with white knuckles as he ripped through the waves. Like his brothers, Alec had a proclivity for going fast. I'm sure there was some sort of speed laws that he was breaking.

Even at our rapid pace, the boat trip still took about forty minutes. It was light enough to see the massive island where Alec was headed. Even though I was confused out of my mind, I had to admit that the scenery was gorgeous. The blue water surrounded us everywhere, and if we weren't going so fast, I bet I could see straight down to the bottom. The island in the distance was mountainous and green foliage covered every hillside.

"What exactly is that?" I asked him over the hum of the engine.

"Isle Esme."

"As in... an island for Esme?"

"Yup, Carlisle brought it for her years ago. He said they haven't been back for a while, though. It's just been sitting here."

I was at a loss of what to say. I had never been around people who had enough money to buy someone their own island. I didn't even think the Cullens were that rich, but I had obviously misjudged their wealth even after all these years.

We neared the island and I saw a dock, but Alec just slowed the boat in the water and let it coast slowly. It stopped on the beach, still in the water, but not that far from the sand.

"Alright, final leg of the trip. Everybody out." Alec took off his shoes and jumped over the side of the boat, landing in the water with a splash. The waves only came up to his knees since he was so tall.

"Are there jellyfish in there?" I looked into the water, remembering the now infamous trip to Miami two years ago. It was disgusting at the time, but it was pretty hilarious now. Jasper and I laughed about it on occasion.

"I'll carry you." Alec held out his arms.

"I can walk." I stood up in the boat and of course my clumsy ass almost fell overboard, but Alec caught me and lifted me up over his shoulder.

"That was easy." He started sloshing through the water, spraying it in my face.

"I'm not going to win this, am I?" I felt the blood rushing to my head from being upside down.

"Nope." He continued to walk through the waves, and suddenly, the water was replaced by sand.

He carried me all the way up the beach, and I couldn't really see where we were going because my head was bobbing against Alec's back. I think I stayed that way for about ten minutes, but it could have been longer.

"This is getting ridiculous. I need some answers." I slapped his butt. "Tell me where we're going."

"Calm down there, Selena. You can't tame the stallion once he's free."

"Wow, that sounded incredibly Emmett-like."

"Of course it did," he chuckled.

He finally set me down and my feet sank lightly into the sand. I noticed that we were in front of a massive beach house. It had giant windows and from the outside, it looked like there must have been at least three floors. I thought I was staring at a postcard with palm trees flanking the path that led up to the house.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Our new place."

"I don't understand."

"Did jail make you stupid?" he groaned. "I've kidnapped you and now we're going to be living here for a while. You don't have anything better to do." We started to walk up the path. "No one knows about this island besides Carlisle."

"What about Charlie? I have to call him at least."

"No can do, Selena-roo." He opened the door to the house, and we went in.

It was all very beachy—if that made sense—with plush white furniture, hardwood floors, open windows, and a rustic feel.

"Come on." He ushered me inside.

"I didn't even get a choice in this?"

"Not really. What else did you expect to do?"

"I… I don't know, but Brazil wasn't on my list for my permanent destination."

"Stop with the questions."

"What the hell is going on?" I stood still, crossing my arms. "I don't like this one bit."

"Too bad. You're here, and you'll like it." Alec took my hand and led me up the stairs quickly to the second floor. He pushed me into a room. "I'll be right back."

I noticed that I was in a colossal library. The stacks went up to the ceiling and there was even stairs to another floor. The room looked totally different from the rest of the house, and I thought I was in an antique castle or something.

"Wow." I looked around, open-mouthed and in amazement.

I wondered where exactly the hell I was. Brazil, for sure, but that was it. I didn't even really know if this was Carlisle's house, but it was obvious that someone was living here. I could tell just from walking through. And what was with Alec? He was taking this very well for a guy who just picked up and left his home. So many questions with no answers; that had become my life lately.

I went over to the dark, wooden desk in front of the open window and picked up the copy of Wuthering Heights. It was one of those old copies and probably a first edition. The computer was warm, so someone must have just been using it.

I turned the book over in my hands, trying to see who it belonged to, but there wasn't a name or anything like that.

"I never understood why you liked that book. It's so dark," a husky voice said from across the room.

I dropped the book from my hands and it landed with a thud by the time I turned around.

I was staring at a ghost; I must have been, because if I wasn't, then jail had made me go insane.

Justin was standing in the doorway, the perfect picture of masculine beauty. The white shirt on his body was unbuttoned all the way, showing off a tight set of muscles that were rolling underneath tanned skin. The bronze hair that I remembered was a little lighter now with more blonde in it and still wildly tamed, but his face was the same; strong, defined, chiseled and clean-cut.

"Hello, Selena," he said, and the grin that I had dreamed about creased his lips.

My body was shaking so badly that I couldn't see straight. I backed into the far wall. "Who the hell are you?"

He sauntered into the room further, and I wanted to jump out of the window every time he took another step. The man got so close to me that I could smell his scent, and I shut my eyes, wishing that I would wake up from this nightmare.

"You look exactly the same." I felt a warm hand cup my cheek. "I hoped you would."

"Stop doing this. You're not real; you can't be." I shook my head.

"Selena, open your eyes."

"No, you can't do this to me. You're dead." I shoved him hard in the chest, but I wanted to hold him. "You're not Justin!"

"I am."

"You're fucking dead. Just stay dead. I know how to deal with it now."

I opened my eyes, and the man had the nerve to still have that smirk on his face.

I couldn't control myself as my hand just slapped the shit out of him. Skin met skin and a loud sound echoed off of the walls. I needed that sound to make sure this wasn't my imagination. Maybe I was trying to see if he was real, or maybe I just need to get out some frustration, but I did it again. My frustrations would never be truly gone, but with each slap, they got better.

After the fifth hard slap to the face, the man's cheeks were red, and his hair was falling into his face.

"Justin's dead." My voice cracked.

"I'm right here, Selena." The man's deep voice was remorseful and sad, but firm.

"Justin Anthony Bieber, I swear to God if that's you, I'm going to shoot you myself."

"It's really me." He tentatively moved forward. "All I can say is that I'm sorry."

He opened his mouth to continue, but I had a few things I wanted to shout first.

"Is that all you have to say to me?" I pushed him. "You left me. You left me to rot for two years and all you have to say is that you're 'sorry'?"

"I…"

"No, you don't get to speak. How could you do that to me!" My throat was already hurting from the screaming and it was only going to get worse, "I thought you were supposed to fight for me or do something. I got no note, not one call, or anything!" I slapped him again, because I now had no control over my rage.

"I couldn't." Justin didn't stop my hand. "He wouldn't let me."

"He?"

"Carlisle."

"That's not an excuse. You sent me fucking flowers for a year and you think that's all I needed from you? I wanted to know where you were and how you were doing. I wanted you…there for me. No one told me anything. I took the fall for you, Justin, and then you left me in the cold! I lost everything because of you. I kept your fucking secrets and what did I get? Nothing!"

He didn't say anything, and I suspected that he was waiting for me to continue, but my breathing was coming too quickly to speak coherently.

"I didn't want to leave you. I swear, but things happened so fast that I couldn't stop them, and then I couldn't come back to get you when I realized you're weren't going to get off. I fought with him for a year to let me come back."

"So while you were sitting here in Brazil, you left me by myself in jail?" I asked the obvious, just to clarify, "I have no family, I don't have the education that I should. I lost…everything."

Of course I was somewhat overdramatizing, but the gist of it was there. If he thought that this "rise from the dead" solved everything, he was in for a world of hurt.

"Do you think it's been easy for me? I went crazy because there was nothing I could do." If I didn't believe this man was Justin before, I couldn't deny it when he ran his hand through his hair and tugged. "If there was anything I could have done, I would have."

I slapped him again, just because I could and debated on whether I should knee him in the balls. I didn't so that he could keep some manhood about him.

"Why are you alive?" I spat.

"It was all fake. That whole shootout was staged by Carlisle. Aro and Black were breathing down my neck, trying to find me, and I had to go further underground. I moved here from Switzerland. Carlisle found a decoy and paid him to take the fall for me." He explained quickly.

"He paid a man to get shot for you?"

"That's how it works, Selena; that's how it's always worked in situations like these. I wanted to tell you so badly, and I hoped that you didn't hate me for this, but it had to be done."

"I cried over you." I was determined not to let the tears fall. "No one told me a thing, and I was sick to my stomach for a full year because I thought you were dead; not that I care, because I'm still pissed at you. And what about your mother? Did you tell her?"

"No, no one knows except you, Carlisle, and Alec. Everyone else thinks I'm dead. That's the way it has to be."

I left his side and darted towards the large desk by the window. I started pulling out drawers haphazardly and shuffled papers around.

"What are you doing?" He asked me.

"Looking for a gun. I'm going to shoot you and then I'm going to go downstairs and shoot Alec and then I'm going to get on a plane to shoot Carlisle. You all deserve to fucking die."

My hands found the metal of a large pistol, and I cocked the thing easily. It was heavy, and I noticed it as the same gold one that Justin loved. I pointed it straight at his chest across the room.

"Are you going to kill me?" Justin raised his eyebrow.

"Yes," I said with determination.

"Selena, listen to me. I know you're hurt, but I brought you here to ask for your forgiveness."

"You think I can forgive you after everything you did?"

"I will beg you if that's what you want." His voice almost cracked. "I will crawl for forgiveness."

I pulled the trigger and even though my arm blasted backwards, I held the gun up straight. I had been to the shooting range enough times in the past—with Justin ironically— to know how to handle it.

He didn't flinch at the bullet and, of course, it didn't strike him like I wanted, but it got my point across. The wall behind him now had a huge hole in it.

"I'm sorry, Selena." Justin was walking towards me slowly, seemingly not afraid of the firearm I had in my hand.

"I don't care. I don't want to hear you apologies." I was shaking.

The barrel of the gun was now pressed up against the flesh of his chest as he made the final steps forward. For a second, I figured that a bullet wouldn't hurt him. The muscles were rock solid, so if even I did shoot him, it wouldn't have done any good.

Justin's hands took the gun away from me, breaking it apart easily and throwing it behind him.

"You're disgusting. Esme is at home and can barely move because she thinks she lost a son and you can't tell her that you're here, or me for that matter? After all the shit we've been through, I can't get a fucking phone call? Did you think I would rat you out?"

"Of course not. Everyone needs to think I'm dead; you're not even supposed to be here. I sent Alec for you before Carlisle got a chance to sweep you up."

"Alec." I became furious with him as well, "He knew you were here from the start and he couldn't say anything?"

"He's a good actor. I told him that he had to keep quiet until you got here."

"I fucking hate you. I almost can't even look at you."

Justin hung his head. "I needed to see you. I can't just sit here anymore and think about talking to you or seeing you or… kissing you. I need you here with me."

"What if I don't want to be here?" I felt a warm tear streak down my face.

"Selena, I'm sorry for everything I put you through and not just in this past year, but before that. I never meant for this to be your life and…"

"Just stop talking." I held my head, which was starting to hurt. "I can't take this anymore."

"Do you still you love me?"

"Is that what you have to ask me after two years?"

"Yes, that's all I need to know. You can go back to Forks or Chicago or wherever; I don't care as long as you answer that question." He took my hands out of my hair and held them. "Do you still love me?"

"I don't know." I was crying pretty badly by this point. "I can't answer that."

"Why not?"

"Because you hurt me so badly, Justin. I haven't talked to you in years, and then you just show up out of the blue? Do you know how… crazy this is? I can't handle it."

"I wanted to call you every single day and tell you that I was thinking about you, but I couldn't risk it. You have to understand that. I haven't touched another woman or even looked at anyone else in two fucking years; I can't get you out of my head."

I took my hands from his and tried to calm down. I needed to think about this and without the new Ghost Justin staring me in the face. Could this really be happening? Was Justin really here after all the tears I had cried over him? It had to be a trick.

"What have you been doing all this time?" I asked, just to talk about something.

He shrugged. "Sit on the beach and read mostly. It's a boring life. Everyone thinks Alec went to boarding school, but he followed me to Brazil when I came. Carlisle calls maybe once every two months. We can only talk for a second, but I always ask about you. No one else knows I'm alive."

"This is so implausible. I can't believe this. I lost everything because of you." I reiterated.

"I know that this isn't the ideal position to be in right now. You're a smart girl and I'm thankful that you stuck around this long, but you deserve so much better. I think you know that."

"You left me." I felt like I was a parrot, repeating myself every five seconds.

"And for that I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't make it all better."

"You're not supposed to be here. Carlisle's going to be pissed out of his mind, but I had to see you. I just need your forgiveness."

"So you didn't come back to Chicago a year ago? That wasn't you?"

"No," he shook his head, "I was right here the whole time."

"Can you ever go back?" I sniffled.

"One day. I'll probably have to return soon for something and all hell's going to break loose."

I didn't really know what to say. I wanted to scream and shout and cry, but just being this close to Justin was bringing back deep feelings that I had missed. As much as I hated him, I just wanted him to hold me. That sounded pathetic, but I didn't care.

"I see you kept the ring," Justin noticed my hand, "and you got the watch."

"Yeah." I nodded, "Is Embry working for you too?" I snorted at the possibility. I heard about who Seth really was and what his purpose was in my life. He basically just watched me for the entire semester we were in class together while playing the undercover cop. His role was "essential" as Carlisle put it. All the lying made me sick.

"No, I just told Carlisle to make sure you got it."

"I don't want it." I took the watch off and threw it on the desk. It landed with a loud thump.

"Do you still love me, Selena?"

"Stop asking me that." I turned away from him.

"Why? I need to know and I'll let you go, but just tell me what you're feeling."

"I don't know. I want to kill you, but I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I still fucking love you!" I shouted out everything I had to give. "I can't help it and I should have just dropped your ass the second I was put in jail, but that's not an option. I can't explain it."

"Carlisle calls it once-in-a-lifetime, Romeo and Juliet love." Justin took my hands again. "Selena, I know we have so much to talk about, but I need you. I have never admitted that about anyone before in my life. These past two years have put everything in perspective. I'll let you go if you want, but I'm asking you… begging you to stay here."

"No," I said with as much gusto as I had, "I can't. I've wasted too much of my life over you. I'm not doing it again. I love you, but I'm not putting myself through this shit."

"I'm sorry. I can't say it enough."

"I feel like you just except me to forgive you and I can't do that right now. I don't even know you anymore."

"I'm still the same Justin."

"No you're not."

"Yes, I am, Selena," he said forcefully, taking my hand and placing it on his chest, over his heart. I could feel the tattoo, which he had gotten for me, and his skin was warm.

"Why are you doing this to me? I could have just gone home and…"

"And done what?"

"Lived." I shrugged.

He dropped my hand and went to his desk. He picked up the phone and started dialing.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm calling a plane so you can go home and live. You can be gone within the hour."

My feet carried me over unconsciously, and I unplugged the phone from the wall.

"I'm giving you what you want. You won't ever hear from me again and I won't bother you." He didn't lift his head. "I'm sorry I brought you here."

I didn't know what to do. I had so many questions that he was going to answer, but suddenly I didn't want to hear it all. His excuses didn't mean anything to me. I wasn't ready to forgive him.

As much as I hated him with my head, my heart wouldn't shut up. Justin was here and I was here; finally together again. He was right. We had a bond that was unbreakable, and that was only intensified now.

Once again, my feet carried me towards him. I couldn't help myself.

"Forgiveness comes with time, Justin. You can't just show up and expect everything to go back to normal." I spoke calmly.

"I realize that. I'm asking you to give me a chance. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make this up to you. Anything you want, you can have."

"I don't know if I even care enough about you to give you that chance." I lied.

"I will walk through fire, Selena. What can I do? Tell me, and I'll do it."

"I don't know but you can't just keep me prisoner on this island. We haven't seen each other in forever and I have so much I want to say to you."

"Then say it," He almost begged, "Tell me everything."

"We need time for all of that. I need to hit you and scream at you and ignore you so that you know how it felt."

"We have all the time in the world, Selena. We're not going anywhere. At least…I'm not going anywhere; ever again. I'm here whether you chose to believe that or not."

This was so wrong and he was starting to convince me that I needed to be here…with him. On some level, I wanted to stay and make him suffer. I didn't know what that entailed, but I wanted to just burn his ass so that he was charcoal. Then on another level, I wanted to stay for me. Who gave a fuck about him? I deserved some happiness after all of this. The only problem: Justin was my happiness.

"Look at me," I said.

He raised his head slightly, but didn't say anything.

I couldn't help the smile that I tried to fight as I stared at him. He was still exceptionally attractive and looked younger, if that was possible. I could tell that his eyes were sad. The green had dulled somewhat, and I couldn't remember him looking so tortured.

"Your hair is lighter." I ran my hand through his soft tresses.

"It's all the sun." He exhaled. "Your hair is darker."

"I haven't noticed."

"You still look the same, though." His fingers traced the lines of my face.

"I should hate you right now; I still do, but… I love you." I wanted to kick myself for sounding like some fickle, romance novel, dumb heroine with no spine. Now I understood why there were so many of them. They all had great loves who had thrown their asses in jail. Well, maybe not, but it was the same concept.

I touched his face, running my hand along his cheek. I had to make sure that he was real.

"I was waiting for you." He kissed my palm, which shot an electric current trough my veins. For the first time in two years, I felt like I could breathe again.

"I don't like all this secrecy."

"I know we have a lot to discuss. I'll answer any question you want. No more lies."

"What about Charlie and Renee and… everyone else? They'll know I went missing if I stay here."

"I'll tell Carlisle in a couple of months. It doesn't really matter where you are, though; we just need to stay hidden. As of now, we've both fallen off the map."

"I feel like there's no resolution to any of this."

"That's why we need to talk," he said hopefully. "I have a lot to tell you."

"I have a lot to tell you too." I sighed, remembering the most important thing, "I lost the baby."

He breathed deeply. "I know."

"You know?"

"Well, I figured when I didn't hear of you showing that something had happened, so I made a few calls and talked to the doctors secretly. I actually hacked their records from Switzerland. It was incredibly easy to keep tabs on you electronically." He said mater-of-factually.

"I guess you got what you wanted then."

"Selena, don't say that. I was a dick and I know it, but if… that's what you wanted, then I would have dealt with it. Children have never been my goal in life, but with you it might not have been so bad. I couldn't see that then. I just needed time."

"Time that we didn't have." I pushed the tears back. "I just needed you there and you weren't."

"I'm sorry."

"You're so good with your emotion words now." I choked out a laugh, "What happened?"

"I've been practicing since the day I got here. I've had my speeches memorized for a long time." He pulled off his already unbuttoned white shirt, and I really wanted to let my fingers dance across his stomach. It was a wonder that I hadn't exploded yet.

"What are you doing?"

"I got this after I found out about the baby." Justin pointed to his right shoulder. I lightly touched the small set of angel wings that were done all in white and stood out against his newly tanned skin. "I wanted to at least send more flowers, but it was too late at that point."

I was too choked up to say anything.

"I had a standing order with the flower shop to deliver roses each time they got a new shipment." Justin wiped my face. "In case you were wondering."

"I was, actually," I said stupidly. "That was really sweet, with the tattoo and everything. Fuck those roses. They only made me madder every time I got them."

"I know how much you loved that baby, and even though I didn't agree with it, I understand."

"Did you tell anyone?"

"No, did you?"

I shook my head. "I didn't think Esme could take another shock."

"I figured I would let you say something, if you wanted."

"Do you still love me?" I asked, needing to know.

"How could you even ask me that question?" He rested his forehead on mine. "I don't think I've ever loved like this in my life. It actually hurts. You have my heart and my soul; I'm willing to give you anything else. Just…stay with me. I need you here."

I couldn't help myself as I rose on my toes and meshed my lips to his.

It was one of those explosive, eruptive, electrifying, epic kisses that should only be shown in movies. After two years apart, neither of us was holding back and flashes of memories started flooding back of a time when I was happy with Justin. Could we have that again? Everything was telling me yes. It was going to take years, tons of tears, and a lot of shouting on my part, but was I willing to even give him that chance?

What was I giving up by not staying? A shot at true love? A once and a lifetime spark? I was young, but I knew Justin and I had it. We had been through it all and the strength of my feelings was making it almost impossible for me to deny the possibility of staying.

Once we were both exhausted, we pulled away slightly. Justin's forehead was on mine again as his breath washed over my face. I had soft tears on my face and he wiped them away. I had made my decision and by the look in his eyes, I could tell that he knew what I was thinking.

"I love you, Selena. Always and forever."

0 notes

thesnootyushers · 7 years

Text

Following on from Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, we now move on to the worst series in the entire franchise. Power Rangers: Turbo. God this entry is rubbish. So let’s get it over with.

So, the series starts with a three part episode called ‘Shift into Turbo’ with Rocky who will leave the series after this, appears to help ease the transition and facilitate Justin’s introduction. It also takes the part of the audience who maybe hadn’t seen the Turbo Movie through the events, as his friends relate the story through a five minute montage.

Throughout this three part episode the main four are graduating High School and must start finding their way in the world. Zordon and Alpha are also leaving to return to Eltar. In their place they leave Alpha 6 and Dimitria (a sorceress/sage from the planet Inquiris). Divatox comes to earth to get revenge on The Rangers by taking over Earth.

There are a few more episodes of filler as The Rangers adjust to Alpha 6 and Dimitria. Then comes The Blue Senturion.

He arrives Earth from the future with the Millennium Message. This is a warning that the United Alliance of Evil including, Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, The Machine Empire and Divatox, would conquer the universe and divide it up amongst themselves.

Divatox had kidnapped him and turned him evil, after she found out what actually was the Millennium Message. Blue Senturion attacked The Power Rangers, but The Rangers turned him good again. He could not play all of the Millennium Message for The Rangers because it had been damaged.

The Senturion proves to be an excellent ally and helped The Rangers on many occasions. He stays until the end of the season.

Turbo also brings us two new characters, Carlos a soccer player in High School and a Cheerleader Ashley. Who feature in the next big episode ‘Passing of the Torch’. After a visit from her mother, Mama D, Divatox is inspired to take down The Power Rangers by removing their leader.

While heading to the outskirts of Angel Grove to go camping with Adam, Tanya, and Justin, Tommy and Kat are ambushed by an army of Pirahnatrons (Divatox’s footsoldiers), with Tommy being captured to be dumped into the Vortex of Eternal Doom and Sorrow, while the others fight the Flamite at their campsite. Luckily, a pair of young teens in the midst of moving to Angel Grove, T.J. and Cassie, spot the disturbance and come to The Rangers’ aid.

This episode is significant because the time has come for the four veteran rangers to pass on their powers to a successor of their choosing. They have chosen T.J., Ashley, Cassie, and Carlos to take up their respective mantles as the Red, Yellow, Pink, and Green Turbo Rangers, with Justin remaining at their side as the Blue Turbo Ranger.

In this series we also meet The Phantom Ranger. He is from Eltar, Zordon’s home planet, his power source is an Eltarian Crystal. He seems to be close to Cassie. He sticks around for a few episodes, although we never find out his identity. Phantom Ranger gives The Rangers new Rescuezords to help them recover their stolen property. This gives them even greater power as now there are two sets of Zords (and two sets of toys to sell).

On the villain front, we meet General Havoc, who is Divatox’s brother and has built her a space base and also a Zord called Metallosaurus. He uses it to capture the Turbo Megazord and plans a trap to steal the Phantom Rangers Crystal to control the stolen Megazord.

In another stroke of merchandising genius, we also see the introduction of two sentient cars that help The Rangers one of which can turn into a hovercraft for The Red Ranger. They are called Lightning Cruiser and Storm Blaster. They are not Auxiliary Zords and can’t join the Megazord but The Rangers can pilot them when needed.

The season finale is a two part episode called ‘Race into Space’ in which Divatox enlists the imposing Goldgoyle, a Zord sized monster and thug for hire to destroy The Rangers once and for all. Though The Rangers destroy him it is at the cost of both Megazords and also their Turbo weapons. When they teleport back to the Command Chamber they are spotted by Divatox’s henchmen who learn the chambers location.

Dimitria tells The Power Rangers that Eltar has fallen to evil forces. The Rangers want to go and help Zordon but Dimitria tells them that they are the last line of defense from evil and that she and the Blue Senturion will leave Earth at once to help Zordon. Outside the Power Chamber, teams of Piranhatrons assemble. Divatox send her forces to attack. The Rangers detect the attack and prepare. Alpha tells The Rangers that there are too many of them, but T.J. tells him to open the outer doors. Alpha wishes them luck as the team charges outside.

Outside the Power Chamber, The Rangers fight swarms of Piranhatrons as Lighting Cruiser and Storm Blaster lend their assistance. Soon, the Piranhatrons overwhelm Lightning Cruiser and Storm Blaster and take them captive.

The Piranhatrons, led by Elgar, use a battering ram to force their way inside the Power Chamber while another team of Piranhatrons scale the Power Chamber’s walls and get on the roof. The Rangers try to fight off the Piranhatrons, but are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and are barely able to defend themselves and protect Alpha. Elgar enters the chamber and sees the energy tube wide open. Realizing that neither Zordon or Dimitria can return to Earth if he destroys it, Elgar picks up a hammer and throws it at the tube, smashing it to bits. Elgar then places detonators all over the Power Chamber. Outside, Divatox waves goodbye to the Rangers as she detonates the bombs inside, destroying the Power Chamber completely.

Later, Elgar and Divatox commence a search for The Rangers’ bodies, with The Rangers hiding amongst the wreckage of the chamber. Suddenly, a flaming ball of light approaches Divatox and informs her that Zordon has been captured and that she is to leave immediately for the Cimmerian Planet. The messenger then tells her that the order was directly from Dark Specter. Fearful of this name, she agrees and tells The Rangers that she’ll soon be back as she and her forces leave for the Cimmerian planet.

The Rangers decide to follow Divatox into space and save Zordon. Alpha from the wreckage has saved the Power Decoder, which he explains is crucial for their journey into space.

After helping his fellow Rangers get into space, Justin tells them that he can’t go with them as he wants to stay on earth. The Rangers brace themselves, as they head off into the unknown on their mission to save Zordon….

This is an awful series and one that almost nailed the coffin shut on the entire franchise. The response was so poor and ratings fell so hard that the next series was going to be the last.

The first reason was the movie, it was really poor and people brought the baggage from that into the new series. The second reason was they totally abandoned the Zeo powers without any real explanation. Thirdly and most infuriatingly, The Blue Ranger from Rocky to Justin following an injury to actor Steve Cardenas.

Casting a twelve year old actor to play Justin was a major mis step and turned the character into one of the most hated in all of The Power Rangers universe. To explain how he is always with the Rangers they make him a child prodigy, who gets transferred to High School.

When he morphed however he grew into an adult and then reversed back into a child when he powered down. It was stupid. As kid it I thought it was stupid, I hated it. I was filled with fury, the likes of which I would not feel again until 2001 (this would not be at Power Rangers but at a character in another show).

In my later years I realised it was the writers way of trying to appeal to a younger demographic and bring them back into the franchise. All it did however was annoy nearly all of its fan base, with the younger kids not caring either.

They also replaced Zordon, The Rangers mentor and Alpha, the snarf -like side kick in the first episode of the series. This was a massive change as these two were two of the longest serving characters.

I did not care for their replacements. Dimitria was Zordon’s friend but she didn’t control the Morphing Grid. She hadn’t fought Evil for a millennia. Even as a child, I was outraged. How dare she come in and start changing the way things were done!

Alpha was replaced with Alpha 6 and he was soooo much worse. They looked identical but Alpha 6 used some sort of jive talk. Remember when I talked in vol. 4 about racial stereotypes? this was probably the most offensive one. Especially since it made no sense, he is an alien robot, why do they try and make him sound like Vanilla Ice doing a Biggie Smalls impression. It was awful and another nonsensical change. Looking back after all these years with(slightly) more mature eyes and a lifetime of following the franchise I never understood why Dimitria and Alpha 6 were introduced.

Now, onto the villains. Divatox* was also an unusual choice. She wasn’t really scary, She came across as a bit of a Cougar. I fancied her, even as a child. Unlike previous villains she was a pirate, so world domination seemed like an unusual goal. She doesn’t seem evil just spoiled and bratty. Even Rita, though she would get angry, had a scariness about her, she was magical and dark and radiated power. Towards the end however when Divatox hired Goldgoyle, that was a good move, it fitted with what her character is supposed to be.

Her henchman are useless. Elgar, her nephew, is Power Rangers version of Jar Jar Binks. Absolutely bungling, comic relief. He can even be beaten by a non morphed Justin, one on one. He can be beaten by a twelve year old. So why he was continuously given jobs to do is beyond me. While the other villains henchmen were also played for comic relief or bungled but they could all hold their own in a fight and any that couldn’t we never saw fight. eg. Squat and Baboo, two of Rita’s crew, were never put into a situation where there was combat.

Elgar

Only Goldar and Rito ever got into a fight with The Rangers. Usually, a single Ranger alone could not take them, it usually needed them all. Rita although she never did enter the battle physically I believe she would have been a contender, just the way she carried herself and what she could do with magic made her a viable threat. Divatox was a Yummy mummy in a metal breast plate and a half mask that never fitted properly.

So given that Divatox is a luke warm villain, It annoyed me how she was the one to beat The Rangers. It should have been Zedd and Rita. They were more powerful, conniving, sneaky and opportunistic. It just didn’t sit right. Another way of alienating the fans.

I want to take this opportunity to address a major cast change that happens 20 episodes in. After the actors playing Tommy and Kat wanted to leave, the writers and show runners then decided to replace the entire veteran cast. The in universe explanation was decent in that The Rangers were no longer teenagers and deserved their own normal lives. It echoes what Zordon said to Kimberley when she left two years earlier.It just came out of nowhere. It should have been built up, as should the replacement Rangers. Introduce them, show us why they are worthy, let us become familiar with them. Instead Ashley and Carlos get one episode before they take over and TJ and Cassie are introduced in the actual episode where the powers are transferred, it’s too quick. After having a massive overhaul in the early episodes, to then spring four totally new people on us is mad. Whats more Tanya chooses Ashley as her replacement but hasn’t even met her.

Previous power transfers have usually had a lot more build up. Tommy got five episode arc when he first arrived on the scene. Adam, Rocky and Aisha had six episodes before they had the power transferred. Katherine had a whole story arc. Tanya was the exception but it was only one character so it wasn’t as bad. The Gold Ranger had several story arcs dedicated to him.

It was yet another ridiculous change (see a pattern?) that made no sense. Even the in-universe reasoning is flawed. Why would you totally remove experienced soldiers who have years of experience and replace them with four untrained teenagers? In the MMPR pilot episode, Zordon had no choice when Rita escaped. He was desperate and needed to act quickly. Those five grew and learned how to be Rangers. You could have had Adam or Tanya (who’s actors hadn’t expressed views to leave) stick around for a bit just to act as a trainer or advisor, much like Billy did in the previous series.

In reality it was a case of writers and producers being at sea with a show that was failing. Two cast members had expressed interest in leaving, both Katherine and Jason David have said they assumed it would of been at the end of Turbo. So they could have stayed around longer. Yet the producers panicked and decided to once again mix up the status quo and just replace all the veteran cast. The reasoning was a new cast would mean new audiences could jump in and not get lost with the old characters backstories. They could just start afresh.

I understand this model from the production crew, but then why not start with this. It would be a better way of establishing the new cast. You could even, although it wold have been risky to do so, establish them in the Turbo Movie.

The final episode, which in my opinion is the only good episode in the entire series. Hell its a fantastic episode. To see the Command Centre just get torn apart is brutal. Then when the tube of Zordon and Dimitria was smashed I was stunned.

The first wave outside the Command Chamber is awesome. The swarms of Phiranhatrons attacking and The Rangers running out to face them makes for a striking image. It proves how brave these Rangers are. The other Rangers had never been tested against such odds. Whats even better is when they are losing and must retreat back inside the chamber. Carlos and Justin are both scared. It struck a chord. They should be, they have no Zords, no Zordon, no Dimitria and no Turbo weapons while outside is an army of evil Aliens. It’s honest, it’s human, its believable but even in spite of their fear they stay to fight.

When Alpha 6 tells T.J he will teleport them all to safety. T.J responds with ” No Alpha, we will protect this place until the bitter end”….I was welling up as a child. I still get the feels now. They hadn’t been Rangers long, but by god they were doing the best job they could, they were even ready to die for it.

The second wave of attack when the Piranhatrons break in is devastating. It is a very well written, filmed and edited scene. You see the swarms of enemies pouring in and dropping down. There are explosions, smoke and sparks in the periphery and the Rangers are fighting for their lives. The screen is packed with enemies just suffocating the rangers. I also love how The Red Ranger gives up one of the outer doors he is protecting to save Alpha. Just diving over a panel and wiping out the enemies attacking the little robot. Sadly I cannot find any images for it.

The cliffhanger ending also really worked, we were left wondering on so many things: What had happened to Zordon? Who was Dark Spectre? Why was Divatox so afraid? What would The Rangers do in space? What about their Powers? It ended on a such a down note.

To repeat this is a bad series, there are too many changes and things that aren’t clear or have no place and purpose. I have not even mentioned The Phantom Ranger or General Havoc.

What is interesting is the Sentai this is based on, called Carrangers, is a Parody of all the previous seasons. It is meant as joke/homage to the series. It is important to note that the Japanese Super Sentai series started in the Seventies. The series Mighty Morphing was adapted from, was the 17th season overall.

Some of the American writers wanted to stick with this idea and do more comedy/parody the other half wanted a more serious theme to fit with its maturing audience. Here lies the problem I can see elements of both throughout. Justin in particular, some of the monsters, the Blue Senturion and Divatox are all very kiddish and silly. The ending however seems serious in tone. If the writing/production staff didn’t know what kind of story they were telling then its audience definitely wouldn’t. What we got was a messy mockery of everything we had come to expect.It also explains changes, directions and shake ups that came across as stupid. Its a shame because Zeo did a good job giving the series real credibility.

Like with Zeo all the Sentai footage was used, which was lots of cars crashing into each other. Lots of people hated the Turbo Zords. I liked them. I will admit it was two sports cars and three 4×4 trucks each in a Ranger colour but they were fine. I loved the Rescue Zords which were more individual and just looked cooler.

Rescue Zords

Turbo Zords

Megazords

The Turbo morphers used morph into Turbo Rangers were a car key and wrist ignitions. See what I mean about parody?. This is something else that turned people off the series. They preferred the mystic animals/dinosaurs as opposed to cars.

Over 42 years of Japanese Sentai Series and 23 years of Power Rangers, there are only so many themes you can have for Zords, without repeating yourself. Animals and cars would be used many times again in future Power Rangers series as would Dinosaurs. They had all been used numerous more times over in Sentai. I will be honest the Zords never bothered me, I always had more investments in the costumes.

With plummeting viewership, large downturn in merchandise sales and a mauling by TV critics. The show was told the next series would be the last. Since the original idea back in 1992 was only supposed to be 40 episodes they had come a long way.

So the writers decided to go out with a bang and do as much as they could with what they had. They got rid of Justin and once again went back to the drawing board. What came next would be arguably one of, if not the best, entry, in the franchise. That, however is a story for another day…

*A fun fact about Divatox, the actress who played her in the Turbo film, Hillary Shepherd Turner, fell pregnant before the series started filming and was replaced until mid season. The actress who played her for the first 25 episodes, Carol Hoyt, also played Dimitria.

The Power Rangers Legacy: Volume 5 Following on from Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, we now move on to the worst series in the entire franchise.

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FEATURE: Crunchyroll Favorites 2016, Part Three: Everything Else!

Superhero friendships ended, the Death Star plans were stolen, we experienced more reboots than you could possibly imagine (although really, that's every year), and Emily cooked a lot of food. After looking at our favorite anime and manga in Part One, and our favorite games in Part Two, we're gonna close up Crunchyroll Favorites 2016 with our favorite EVERYTHING ELSE--movies, books, comics, and more! Let's get started!

NATE MING (@NateMing)

Voltron: Legendary Defender- I think it's safe to say that Voltron--the US edit of Beast King GoLion--was what got me into anime in the first place, so I was pretty skeptical of this new take on the story by the creators of The Legend of Korra. Thankfully, I had absolutely nothing to worry about, as this is a really fun reboot that not only keeps the high-energy feel of the original, but also pays homage to both Voltron and GoLion. I can't wait for the next season (also, Shiro's totally gonna die).

Ip Man 3- The first Ip Man was a cool quasi-historical beat-em-up with some great setpieces, but the second was only okay despite bringing in the legendary Sammo Hung. We're back to the good stuff with the third go-around--the Donnie Yen vs. Mike Tyson headliner is pretty awesome, but the real star is a rival Wing Chun instructor, played by Max Zhang.

Star Trek Beyond- I've always liked Star Trek more than Star Wars, and while Rogue One was great, the real surprise for me was Star Trek Beyond--co-written by Simon Pegg--going back to the series' optimistic roots and giving every character a chance to shine. Justin Lin already has experience delivering with ensemble actioners, and the Enterprise herself has never looked cooler. Just goes to show you can't always judge a movie by its trailer.

Shin Godzilla- This isn't the alpha predator from the 2014 US reboot--the King of the Monsters and reluctant, almost accidental protector of humanity. Hideaki Anno's Godzilla is a ruthless force of nature, death personified that leaves a trail of destruction and levels the heart of Tokyo in mere moments when pushed. Bureaucracy is the real enemy here, as the film constantly switches from meeting to meeting to planning session and back to another meeting to discuss the results of that planning session--sure, Godzilla's blowing stuff up, but nobody wants to take responsibility and act. I hope Anno gets another shot at the King, because this was fantastic.

The VVitch- Low-key, creeping horror can be very hit or miss, but The VVitch wins by never letting you settle down or feel safe. Spot-on period presentation brings us into an American colonial family banished to the frontier for being too religious for settlement life, and how their fanaticism is just as destructive as the dark forces that are literally at their doorstep.

Baskin- On the other hand, Baskin just goes all-out in its ferocity and surreal visuals, where five overly-macho cops investigate a cult and all hell breaks loose. Baskin is horror purity, almost like watching David Lynch join forces with Gareth Huw Evans--hold on tight, this one is absolutely not for the faint of heart.

Batman vol. 2 (The New 52)- Western comics rarely end, or at least they very rarely have good stopping points, which is why I was so satisfied with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's New 52 run on Batman. From introducing new villains to really focusing on Batman's relationships with Alfred and Jim Gordon, this 50-issue run came to a close this year with an awesome, gigantic kaiju battle in the middle of Gotham. What's best, you barely need any background character knowledge to get started--just pick up Court of Owls and read all the way through to Superheavy. It's so damn good.

Monstress- Gorgeous, mysterious, and part of an intricate and sometimes terrifying world, Monstress has me hooked. Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda have crafted something that I try and show off every chance I get, something I want everyone to be a part of--a fantasy-horror story of revenge and intrigue set in an Asian-mythology-inspired world is just too good to pass up, especially when it looks this good.

by 多無

Fanart Friday comes to an end- After five years, I decided to close down my signature Crunchyroll column so I could focus on other projects. Fanart Friday - The Final Edition came on September 23, 2016, the exact fifth birthday of Fanart Friday, and it was great to say goodbye to the audience that was there every Friday for a half a decade. What's coming up next? Shaw City Strikers, a martial arts comic (and homage to shonen manga) I'm working on with some friends, and my new column BETTER NATE THAN NEVER. Stay tuned!

That one tweet- It's nice to see this tweet still making the rounds. The initial explosion was a sight to behold--it just goes to show that 1) being in the right place at the right time is a real thing and 2) you know you've made good content when people brazenly steal it and claim it as their own. Also, 3) you know you did a good thing when it makes actual Nazis mad.

PETER FOBIAN (@PeterFobian)

Crunchyroll x Funimation- My personal favorite anime couple of 2016. The partnership between Crunchyroll and Funimation may just be the biggest news for western anime fans since Crunchyroll itself appeared. It’s one of those “everyone wins” situations that’s almost unbelievable. More free streaming anime, subbed and dubbed, for everyone.

Westworld- I’m a die-hard Anthony Hopkins fan, love westerns, and love love love psychological thrillers with existential implications, so basically Westworld was made specifically for me and me alone. I’m extremely concerned with the direction the story is taking with the finale, but everything this season has been tremendous. Their use of a hybrid maintenance process/psychological evaluation to drive story is inspired.

Monstress- I have a love/hate relationship with American comics, and often take refuge in independent works. Monstress has me more excited about a Western comic than I have been since I started reading Powers. The world, designs, and style alone are so gorgeous I feel like I bought an art book, and the story holds a lot of promise with a supernatural revenge mystery with a predominantly female cast and divine implications.

Netflix Horror Serials: Stranger Things, Penny Dreadful, Hemlock Grove, Black Mirror- I’m not exactly a horror junky, but I’ve definitely spent a lot of time with the genre and couldn’t be happier about Netflix Originals diving in. After years of sitcoms, procedurals, and conspiracy shows dominating the environment it’s great to see some new blood (usually a lot of it) making its way out of cinema and into more available media. Not all of them are revolutionary works of art but they’re bringing in new ideas.

Captain America: Civil War- Like almost everyone, I’m a fan of the Marvel movies and feel like the Avengers movies turned over a new leaf with Civil War. Where previously they were the campier, less-directed collaborations of the more interesting personal narratives of the heroes solo adventures, Civil War was just right, reigning in the theatrics of Age of Ultron with a much tighter, character-driven story. I’m eager to see what the Russo brothers do with the MCU.

KARA DENNISON (@RubyCosmos)

Working in the Crunchyroll Newsroom!- I've worked as a subtitle editor/QCer for Crunchyroll's anime side for a while now, but this year I made the switch to the newsroom and it's some of the most fun I've had in ages. The people I'm working with are awesome (and a couple are old friends) and our chats throughout the day are both informative and hilarious. And hey, I can put on my resume that I've written about Tezuka's mouse porn.

(Re)Generation Who- This was my second year working with this awesome Doctor Who convention, and I was so pleased to be back with them again in Baltimore. I got to meet Peter Davison, Anneke Wills, Michael Troughton, and so many others who made the weekend amazing (not to mention re-meeting Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, and even more). Hanging out with them -- whether during an interview or at the bar -- is a delight and a privilege, and I can't wait to see what year 3 will be like!

SPACE.- Curiosity's 360 view of Mars posted as an interactive Facebook video. Watching the Pegasus XL rocket launch live. And the fact that the rest of the world is enthusiastic about it. I'm a big space geek and I always love finding more big space geeks. The fact that the majority of the people I encounter are just as ready to freak out about how awesome space is as I am is... well, AWESOME.

EVAN MINTO (@VamptVo)

Chapo Trap House- In the US, politics defined 2016, for obvious reasons. And for many like me on the left side of the spectrum, the political comedy podcast Chapo Trap House has served as an unexpected but welcome guide through the past year. But don’t let me get TOO sincere on you; the hosts have got a penchant for the ironic and absurd, as you might expect from a podcast named after a drug cartel that started off with analysis of pundits’ sexual pathologies and satirical praise for the Turkish deep state. Then again, between the brilliant comedy, they’ve inspired a lot of listeners like myself to get more involved in local politics, a feat that’s likely as baffling to them as it is to the political establishment they love to hate.

Zootopia- Who would have thought a talking animal Disney movie would steal the hearts of jaded adults like me in 2016? On charm alone, Zootopia is one of my favorite American animated movies of recent years, with its carefully observed and animated animal behavior. The diverse cast of animals allows the animators to portray a similarly diverse range of exaggerated personalities — the tiny, timid rabbit, the brawny, surly bison—and the breezy script puts them all to brilliant comedic effect. But what really impressed me was Zootopia’s social commentary, which uses a mess of stereotypes of both predators and prey to shine a surprisingly stark light on real-world issues of race relations and criminal justice. It’s classic Disney meets contemporary Disney!

Captain America: Civil War- I’ve got a bad case of Marvel fatigue (you’ll notice Doctor Strange didn’t make my list), but sometimes the Marvel Cinematic Universe still surprises me. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, back after the previous high point of the film series, The Winter Soldier, deliver a similarly gray portrait of the Avengers, with the character flaws of the famed superheroes laid bare. It’s not as political as I would have liked, but Civil War is a surprisingly personal film with a deliberately unsatisfying, morally ambiguous finale. And yes, though he feels like a bit of an afterthought, the movie also has the greatest on-screen Spider-Man yet. Homecoming couldn’t come any sooner.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story- We’re just one year into the new annual schedule of Star Wars movies, so I can still muster some excitement about Disney’s reimagining of one of my all-time favorite franchises. Rogue One stumbles a bit at the beginning, introducing too many characters and planets without justifying their presence, but once the team comes together and heads off to steal the Death Star plans, the movie really kicks into gear. Seeing a classic Return of the Jedi-style space battle is enough to awaken some strong nostalgia even from me, but it’s the thematic resonance with the later films that really makes it all work — the forgotten art of the force, the Rebels’ desperation in the face of the Empire, and of course, the sheer terror of facing Darth Vader.

SAM WOLFE (@_Samtaro)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story- Despite the release of The Force Awakens last year, Disney has already released a new Star Wars movie this year, and it’s a breed apart from what we’re traditionally used to. Rogue One took risks, and while some die-hard fans may have left the theater conflicted, the movie succeeded in exploring a side of the Star Wars universe never before seen on the big screen. This is the first time in history that two Star Wars movies have been released theatrically in two years consecutively, and although some fear that the brand might suffer from overexposure, it certainly hasn’t gotten stale yet.

Chris Niosi- A smaller story, but one that deserves recognition. Artist Chris Niosi, better known as “Kirbopher”, landed the role of Arataka Reigen in the English dub of Mob Psycho 100 this year. Niosi is known for numerous projects, including animation work on Skullgirls, lending his voice to several shows, and creating the web series TOME, a love letter to anime. This role, in my opinion, is significant because it cements Chris as an anime fan who made his dream of being an anime voice actor. Way to go, Chris.

A Personal Note- Look, 2016 was a rough year for a lot of people for a lot of reasons. Without trying to sound too preachy, as we move into 2017, remember to be kind to one another. It’s very easy, and dare I say it, trendy, to be cynical and apathetic when the chips are down. Take time to recognize what you have to be happy about, and how you can make a positive difference in peoples’ lives around you. If anime has taught us anything, it’s that when somebody knocks you down, you stand right back up and look ‘em in the eyes. I hope everybody has a good 2017!

NICK CREAMER (@B0bduh)

Italy- I took a family trip to Italy this past spring, and visions of Venice’s nestled alleyways and Tuscany’s rolling hills have been dancing through my head ever since. The rural European aesthetic of shows like Kino’s Journey and Haibane Renmei has always been one of my favorite settings, and actually walking through cities that realized those majestic worlds felt like wandering through a dream. It was an inspiring trip, and I hope to one day return.

Westworld- I haven’t really been making enough time for the big western TV dramas, but I was able to catch this year’s Westworld, and I’m glad I did. Though I found the show’s focus on mysteries at the expense of all else a little draining, the fundamental world it established was a fascinating place, and the show built up to some remarkable dramatic high points. It’s the kind of messy but ambitious narrative I always tend to root for, and the fact that it was populated by icons like Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris certainly didn’t hurt, either.

The VVitch- I’d actually almost forgotten The VVitch came out this year, but it was likely the most gripping new film I’ve seen. In lieu of jump scares or gross-out violence, The VVitch constructed a breathing world that promised danger around every turn, where the fear and distrust of its human characters was every bit as terrifying as its supernatural predators. There’s something fundamentally ominous about the New England countryside - a sense of old secrets and old grudges, a place where humans are not meant to tread. By emphasizing the alien danger of the natural world and tethering it to a precise and claustrophobic moment in history, The VVitch stands as one of the most powerful horror films in years.

EMILY BUSHMAN (@yumpenguinsnack)

Personal Favorite Anime Food of 2016: Mushroom and Cheese Gyoza from Food Wars- This dish never made an anime appearance in this season of Food Wars! but, having read the manga, I really wanted to try this dish out. Soma teaches the gyoza folding method to a class of kids he's teaching, and he lets them fill the gyoza with whatever they want. One kid picked mushrooms and cheese, which at first seemed weird but in hindsight obviously worked out well. Chop the cheese and mushrooms finely and toss with some sauteed onion. Mix with salt and pepper. And simply wrap in gyoza wrappers. It's simple, it's fun to make with friends or on your own, and holy cow, is it amazing! Best of all, the ingredients are easily interchangeable with your own personal favorites, so it's a great recipe to experiment with. I told my housemates that they could eat all the extras I'd made...and sadly had nothing to show after an hour in the kitchen. I'd eaten them all.

Fan-favorite Anime Food of 2016: Katsu Pirohzki from Yuri!! On ICE- This was a big surprise for me. First of all, it's not the easiest thing to make at all. It requires a lot of focus, lots of parts working together, and an ability to handle sticky dough, in excess. Second, it wasn't actually all that amazing tasting. It's an extremely hearty dish, like a lot of Russian foods, and left me feeling over-full after eating one. I also found that I had to dip it in a sauce to heighten the flavor pay-off. For a recipe designer, the ideal is to have a perfectly seasoned, delicious dish, which isn't exactly what happened. But the story behind the dish makes it all worth it, in my opinion. Who would have guessed that this show would be so popular? I love the character dynamics, and the plot was just charming. Best of all, it inspired lots of people to try making this dish, to recreate the magic for themselves. I got more hits on this recipe than anything else this year on Crunchyroll, which is why I designated it the fan-favorite dish of the year.

Magical Roommate Favorite Anime Food of 2016: Sukiyaki from Princess Jellyfish- My roommate, Sarah, is my savior in times of crisis. When I have too much food, she always helps me eat it without a single complaint. So, I felt it was only right to give her a chance to choose her favorite recipe of the year. Princess Jellyfish is by no means a 2016 original, but I came across the recipe for this dish late 2016, and made it for my friends. We all love this show, and had all watched it together when it aired a few years ago. So, I had a hunch they'd enjoy a recipe from the anime, and I was right. It was an instant hit! My darling roommate, who I depend on to eat basically everything I make, elected this as her favorite dish of the year. According to her: "I like it cuz it was just as good as the one we had in Japan and I liked how interactive it was with not only the food but with our friends. I loved the veggies just as much as the meat and the sauce was to die for. It was super fun to eat with everyone and compete for the food with our friends."

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab- A brilliant sequel to a fantastic first book. The story focuses on a guy named Kell, one of the few remaining members of his kind of magic wielders, and his struggle to protect his adopted family from harm while also living free of their over-bearing protection. Along the way he makes friends with a cut throat thief who keeps him alive, mostly to suit her own desires, a prince who's too good at heart for his own good, and a dashingly dangerous ship's captain who's in the business for the keeping and collection of the deepest and darkest of secrets. I was startled to find that this book not only added onto the world building of the first novel, but did so in a way that skillfully integrated the events of the first book into the second. A heart-wrenching and gut-clasping read the entire way through. The first book in the series is called A Darker Shade of Magic. Not 100% necessary to enjoy the sequel, but it would definitely help.

Morning Star by Pierce Brown- A great cap to a fantastic space opera-y series. This story follows the life of one man, Darrow, and his quest to overthrow a government that takes care of the best of society at the expense of a those considered the lowest. Racism at its worst. What else is new in a sci-fi novel? It's a familiar plot carried out with the elegance and grace of a particularly dangerous chess game. This book takes no prisoners, cuts your throat, and leaves you to die. And while you're busy trying to return from the dead, it carries on carving a savage path of friends loved and lost, lives risked and gambled away, dirty, secret games played in the dark, and an ending that eviscerates you, heart and soul. The first in the series is called Red Rising. I recommend you start there, unless you like working your way backwards.

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And that's a wrap for our three-part series! Be sure to check out Part One and Part Two if you missed them! If you're still in the mood for past CR Favorites, check out the previous years' features here:

Crunchyroll Favorites 2015 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2014 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2013 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2012 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll News' Best of 2011 Part One Part Two

What were your favorite "everything elses" of 2016? Remember, this is a FAVORITES list, not a BEST OF list, so there's no wrong answers--sound off in the comments and share your favorites with us!

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Nate Ming is the Features and Reviews Editor for Crunchyroll News, creator of the long-running Fanart Friday column, and the Customer Support Lead for Crunchyroll. You can follow him on Twitter at @NateMing.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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