#so in fthe future

[vanitasnocarteconfessions]

“I love Olivier very dearly. I wish to put him in a hydraulic press”

Admin note to the blog:

One eternity later…

Basically, there are enough confessions accumulated. As far as it is possible, there will be one post per day.

#vnc confessions #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #positive confession #olivier obsidian #admin note #not related #the plan didn’t go as expected #the blog received confessions slowly #but i think this hiatus didn’t help #so in fthe future #i will simply let it accumulate from a week to the next #which means if one week i have 1 confession and in schedule it #but then i receive 10 next day #I won’t post them until next week #spoiler #it won’t happen #confession 1302

[jjba-hell]

Fate and Fortune

So this was sitting in my WIP folder forever and I was bouncing between self-insert and OC but I figured it was just too specific for self-insert... ✌︎('ω')✌︎

Part 1 of (?) and tagging some moots- @risottoneroo (I know you’ve been going through it recently, I hope this upcoming series can help distract you just a little bit- I know your writing always helps pick me up) @giogio-gucci-gangstar @rat-makes-stuff and @uttertrash (sorry =w= I get nervous tagging any moots)

Setting for this one is pre-Stardust Crusaders and the best dscription for this timeline is MY CANON NOW. This is a very short entry piece of how Vera (my OC) first met Muhammed Abdul. As the story progresses I’ll give more explanation and context to my OC but for now, all ya gots ta know is that it starts off in Egypt.

Content warning is pretty mild- maybe some mysticism if you’re not comfortable with that but nothing beyond that. (Ya’ll know you just gotta et me know if I miss something)

Also- my interpretation of the tarot crads is about like 20% more accurate than Araki’s- meaning its probably not completly right but it makes a bit more sense than canon.

1.4 K words

Life as an expat in a foreign country wasn’t easy to begin with. Vera grew up a bit isolated from the real world, safely hidden behind the tall walls that held her with the other expat children from expat homes. That was, until she decided to go to a neaarby local market- in search of some cooler casual fabrics, an alternative to the continuously wrong winter fabrics the expat camp gave them for ventures outside of the walls of the camp- even though it was much too luxurious to be called a camp.

The decision to desert the safety o fthe camp had been made on a whim, without much warning to her parents, as casual as if she were heading toward the expat gym.

In hindsight, so much could have gone wrong for a 16-year old foreign girl but the threat of danger was never something she had felt too greatly. She had always felt safe- in a way. It had felt like there was always this...presence around her when she felt any unease. Dangerous or nerve racking situations unfolded themselves as life usually does, but things had a tendency to go her way, danger seeming to veer out of her path. She chcuckled at the thought- how cocky she used to be. Her first few trips unaccompanied had only cemented her idea that she was untouchable.

One faithful day- a few months after continous visits to the market- among the many stalls, stood a tall dark skinned Egyptian man- looming over the wares of a vendor whom Vera had made good acquaintances with. “Ah Muhammed. This is that teenager I was telling you about, the foreigner.”

“Hello Hassan.” She smiled- trying to hint at greeting her first.

She turned to the man beside her, almost two heads taller than herself. Two markings moved down his handsome face, a playful smile on his face- slightly marred by his eyes that seemed to hide an impossible sadness behind the warm brown. “You must be Vera. Pleasant to make your acquaintance. I’m Muhammed Abdul.” He gave a courteous nod, hands folding into his somewhat overlflowing robe sleeves.

Hassan leaned in to chip into the conversation before you could answer. “Vera is a foreigner, doesn’t divulge what her parents do but they’re the first in a long time to walk out the camp unaccompanied.”

“Now Hassan, I’m not one of your wares, no need to advertise me like that.” She smiled at the wares dealer with just a glimmer of warning in her eyes.

Muhammed chuckled. “More importantly why would you want to?” He asked with feign suspision.

Hassan looked shocked, dramatically holding his hand over his chest. “Muhammed, was it not you telling me just a few moments ago that you needed a new assistant for your shop.”

Hassan then rounded on Vera. “And didn’t you say you’d like a part-time job for some extra coin.”

Muhammed threw his head back and gave a hearty laugh straight out of his chest. “Hassan, if I didn’t know any better I’d swear this was an elaborate scheme to get Vera to buy more of your wares.”

Hassan showed his open palms up beside his head in a sign of surrender. “Caught red-handed. Easier to persuade her to buy something when her wallet is full. But why don’t you just believe that it’s a kind gesture?”

Muhammed turned towards you, that same warm smile on his face. “If you’re willing, Vera, we can discuss these things in my shop if you like.”

In the back of her mind she was a bit apprehensive, she’d been taught to keep her guard up when out alone. But then again, she had some mace on her persons, just in case of an emergency. And that presence looming over her shoulder seemed to make itself a bit more known, bringing a comforting warmth to her shoulders. So ,impulsively, she had agreed. “I’d love to see what you have to offer.”

Vera and Muhammed bid Hassan a temporary goodbye, Hassan assuring her that he’d skin Muhammed alive if he laid a finger her. Somehow the image of Hassan attempting to skin this monstrosity of a man walking ahead of her -almost gliding through the streets to his shop- a bit comical but at least she could appreciated the gesture. Ducking under a stone arch and then curling up some stone steps the two of them stopped in front of an old wooden door- looking as if it came straight from the 14th century.

Muhammed unlocked the heavy black iron lock and pushed the door open to reveal a ceiling of stars, dangling charms and sigils. “Would I be stereotyping you if I assumed you were a mystic of some sort?”

Muhammed gave a warm chuckle.“Indeed I am. I am what you’d consider a fortune teller, and Hassan heard assistant, when in actuality I was looking for an apprentice.”

“Would you say there’s a difference?” She had chcukled as she entered deeper into the shop.

Muhammed kept the door open, stepping through behind her as her eyes travelled through all the trinkets, stones, and more.

“Unfortunately there is. If I overstep a boundary, you are more than welcome to leave but...may I ask. Have you ever felt...guarded? Or watched? As if nothing could go wrong and if it did, it would turn out your favor.”

For a moment she couldn’t help but smile to herself. “Sounds like some crazy luck.”

Muhammed laughed again. She spun around on her heel and saw a deck of cards in his hands, tapping the edges on the red clothed table. “It’s actually a phenomenon I study. It’s considered mysticism but...if you really want this job, I’d suggest you at least have some inkling of what that feeling is.”

Abdul’s eyes flashed dark as his gaze moved from Vera to just beside her head. She frowned in confusion, looking over her shoulder to see nothing but before she could ask, Muhammed immediately looked her head-on with a calm yet stern expression. The focus in his eyes back.

“I’ll be honest with you, Mr Abdul. I do possess that feeling. Although it wavers from time to time- probably makes me a little cocky but I’ve never faced a problem that didn’t solve itself.”

Muhammed smiled, straightened a bit and then seamlessly slid into the chair at the table.

“A tarot reading? Before we discuss money then?”

She had laughed but slid into the chair in front of him and watched Abdul’s skilled fingers shuffle the deck and spread it out before her. “Pick three.”

One. Two. Three.

He slid them back together and arranged the three chosen cards a specific way.

“The past. Judgement, reversed.”

“Care to explain?” Her gaze locked with his for a moment.

“Your past is a source of turmoil to you- a never ending fountain of self-doubt and self-flagellation.”

Vera shrugged, not reacting much to this. She wasn’t about to explain her whole life to him any time soon.

“The present. Death, upright. Big change is coming very soon. Be weary of the storm that lies before you.”

You nodded, a slow fear creeping up your spine. Even Abdul seemed to swallow a bit harder at the prospect, as if avoiding her gaze.

“And future. Wheel of fortune, upright. You are the guardian of your own fate- even through the ever-changing storm of fates.”

She nodded, feeling more at ease with the last prediction. “Is it normal to feel such a variety of emotions after a read?”

Muhammed only smiled as he folded his arms before him. “It is. However no one likes pulling the death card. But that beside the point. How does 300 a week sound to you?”

“Generous.”

“Oh it‘ll only seem that way at the start. Later you’ll cuss me out for paying you so little. For now, I think it best I show you the ropes first.”

There a was a beat of silence, before Muhammed gracefully brought his hand out to shake. “Do we have a deal?”

Vera hesitated a moment before trusting in her own character judgement and shaking his hand to seal the deal. Abdul’s warmth as well as what she had seen from his character thusfar had her feeling as though she could trust him. But she’d be lying if that was the only reason- that unshakable good luck she’d been carrying on her shoulders her whole life seemed to assure her that if a problem ever did arise- she’d still be in control of her own fate.

It was, however, not Abdul whomst she had to worry about...

For not a month into her apprenticeship- Death has already sunken its claws into her life, and a violent change would alter the course of her life forever.

#jojo kimyou na bouken #jojos bizarre adventure #jojo part 3 #muhammed abdul #oc content #my writing #stardust crusaders #Fate and Fortune

[elizabethemerald]

7, 8, 9, and 10 for creators as game

7: What is something you want to develop in your future creations?

I want to develop a recognizable style. Either in my writing or in my physical art, I would love it if some picked up a wallet I designed and was able to tell it was my work. Or read one of my stories and could pick up the little details that are my signature. 

8: List the 5 things you love the most about your creations

Distinct

Practical

Useful

Explicitly gay

Tells stories in the details. 

9: Would you say your style has changed a lot since you first started creating?

I don’t think that my style with my physical crafts has settled enough to have a noteworthy change. I’ve improved a lot, but I don’t think I have a style there. But with my writing I definitely think my style has changed a lot. I think some of earliest writings really lacked character voice and depth, but that’s one o fthe things that is the most distinct about my current style. 

10: An old creation that will always have a special place in your heart

So when I was a kid I made a really pretty piece of art, that unfortunately was lost years ago, but I always think about it and draw a lot of inspiration from it. Also I have some old stories in the MLP fandom that I liked. 

I had to scroll through a week of posts to find this ask game again. Thanks for your patience!

#rockymountainvixen

[popculturebuffet]

Analysis of X: X-Men 2k19 #1: Little Scotty, Happy at Last

Dawn of X Begins with an average day for Grand Captain of Krakoa, Scott Summers: Racist Science Gorillas, sexual tension with his former arch enemy’s daughter, and family dinner where his former insane god emperor brother burns the steak while his dad’s space family drops in to his house on the moon. We’ve all been there. Join me under the cut, it’s bang zoom straight to the moon. 

I’ve been a huge X-Men fan since my teens, gobbling up various books, enjoying the hell out of them, and genuinely loving this team, the love only growing with each book I read. Some better than others, we’ll get there, but I have a huge amount of love for the team and i’ts offshoots, so marvel basically taking a bat to the franchise’s nuts for the last 5 years or so, the final embarrassment being the filler stories used to buy time for House and Powers of X. But said series have lifted the clouds: Writers are finally allowed to actually write again, the landscape has shifted and the x-men are truly interesting again. I waited feverishly for House of X #1 to come out. It did not disapoint and while i’ll certainly dive into that series at some point, i’d rather catch the dawn of x as it comes, and thus being a week behind, we come to X-Men # 1. For those of you who didn’t keep up with hosue and powers... Previously on... 

While humans slept, the world change. Professor Xavier and Magneto founded Krakoa, an island soley for mutants, though humans can visit it’s various embassys. in exchange for Nationhood and Amnesty for it’s less desirable members, mutantkind sells them flowers from Krakoa, the island that walked like a man and is fully sentient, that can cure all manner of diseases. The nationhood is approved by the end of the series and mutants at last have a safe paradise to enjoy life in. 

It turns out this power play was in part thanks to Moira Mactaggert, longtime X-Men ally.. and as the series reveals secret mutant who lives a new life every time she dies.. and after 9 failures decides to break the wheel, tell xavier and magneto they always loose and set up a long game. After setbacks due to charles optimism and Erik turning against her, she suceeds.  Said longgame turns out to not only be the nation but using 5 mutants in concert to cheat death. Just about every notable mutant that we’re aware of is alive and well. Death is no consequence for mutants.. as proven when an assault on anti-mutant groups Orichis, made up of agents from various secret agencies across Marvel past and present, big satiltie head results in the whole team dying but the mission being accomplished.. but at the cost of a ton of humans, and with a sacrifice from Erasamus, wife of top scientist Dr. Gregor

Good. With that in hand, let’s start the showwww. We open on...

Sadly, it’s not Garnet but Charles Xavier, urging a young Cyclops to open his eyes. As it will turn out he’s given Scott his first pair of ruby quartz sunglasses, the red peepers that allow Scotty to open his eyes without killing everything he sees, but Scott is scared to open them, afraid of hurting him. Charles gently tells Scott that he understands Scott not wanting to hurt someone, but keeping his eyes shut because of fear? That’s what they do. And he doesn’t have to go through life stumbling around afraid like humanity is of mutantkind. He can be better. So scott opens his eyes, opens his eyes. 

They work, and Charles closes out this great opener promising “Oh the things i’ll show you.”. You know god like aliens that look like your grandpa, far more aliens than you’d expect for a comic about mutants, whatever the fuck vanisher’s wearing, a weirdo calling himsel fthe living monolith that turns into a giant man, and whatever the hell a demi-man is. Seriously look at him. 

What IS that? I truly don’t know. And that’s just before you turn 18. With that and the title for our issue, “Pax Krakoa” and Hickman’s standard cast chart thing out of the way we get into the story proper. Our heroes have been busy since the rager at the end of House of X and once the island’s hangover wore off, set to work dismantling Orichis, something I like as sometimes the X-Men tend to sit on their hands a while with these genocidal assholes. Well it’s a new day and Cyclops and storm are tearing shit up, though Storm almost misses a sentinel because she’s tired.

Scott, at least it’s human sized. You’ve missed far bigger targets. 

I wonder if they knew it was Christmas Time at all? Or maybe simply having a wonderful Christmas Time for a sentinel is roasting mutants over an open fire. 

Regardless, Scott soon figures the fact their stupidly trying to hold the omega level mutant and experinced trained badass off means their hiding something and have Magneto literally tear the roof off this place, before he has his daughter Polaris clears the humans away. 

Cyke clears off the lock and Magneto gently tells him to step aside so he can finish it off, showing clear respect for Scott, something that makes perfect sense to me. He’s fought beside him in two teams, trained his time lost younger self whose memories scott has, and even fighting against him always respected Scott’s strength and conviction. It’s a subtle touch but it’s there and shows that, hickman really gets these two and why they’ve been one of the strongest parts of  his run. Some panicked Orichis Scientests decide the datacore, and whatever their guarding, is too important and decide to stab themselves with science.. and the result.. is sublimely ridiculous. 

I fucking love this book and Hickman’s wilingnesss to remind you “yeah the marvel universe is fucking weird and I love it that way. “ me too man, me too. And it somehow gets weirder. But Mags agrees to hold them off while Cyke goes after whatever they were guarding.. which turns out to be stasis tubes full of mutant children. Cyclopes and Lorna prepare to open them the fuck up while Storm makes a gateway back to Krakoa. only one of the tubes.. dosen’t contain a mutant but something diffrent...

A post-human who’s desyched with time and quickly vanishes, who storm hypotheises is from the Vault, which I don’t know enough about to go into at this time, and she soon vanishes. Magneto and daughter want to peruse her like a hunted animal but Scott, having some empathy, declares they have more important things to do and he’ll track her down if the Council asks. But for now...

This is what I love of HIckman’s Scott Summers: He’s a nice blend of past and future. He has the badass dedication of Claremont, the snark of Whedon and the leadership qualities he’s always had, without falling into being a massive dick as he would sometimes due to poor writing post decimation. He’s no longer the man who has to make the hard choices to survivie or fight against his own friends because they still blame him for a death he was hopped up on unstable emotinally enhancing space god during, he’s a man who wants to keep his people safe, enjoy his life, as we’ll see, and fight as hard as he has to for the innocent wether their his species or not. This is peak Scott Summers and after years of mistreatment i’m sure i’ll get to eventually, this is a GLORIOUS change. 

Our heroes return to Krakoa where Dr. Ceilia Reyes is looking after the rescued children. Since she’s kind of a minor character, Celia is a doctor that can create force fields and never really WANTED to be an X-Man but was essentially fired for being a mutant and had nowhere else to go. She was one of three additions to the X-Men at the time and the only one I really liked the other two being Maggot (who’s power is gross but throughly intresting but whose personality at the time is throughly obnoxious and stereotypical) and Marrow, who at least in her intial apperances is just gross, agressive and annoying. Ceilia was a victim of circumstance, engaging and i’m happy to see her back. Dr. Reyes assures, as seen above, that the kids are fine and that Krakoa is more than equiped to help them. IT’s part of what sells this as a mutant refuge: traumatized Mutants are no longer forced to stew in their trauma but have decent help and genetics to help with the worse aspects of their powers. We then get a nice character bit with storm as she decides to stay with two of the young mutants, a pair of silent blue and gold mutants radiating energy. 

Speaking of returns to form. Ororo is back from being a plot ping pong ball for various writers and is once again the soul of the X-Men and this is a reminder why: She will never stop fighting for her people but she’ll take equal time caring for them and was likely an excellent queen as rushed as that relationship is and as messy as her reconciliation with t’challa is likely to be now she’s living in a country opposed to his. Yet another of the 80 or so intriguing plot threads this era has set up for other books, X or Not , to pickup. We then get a sight that clearly unsettles Scott. 

No no nothing THAT bad. No what he gets... is this. 

Magneto, his old arch enemy, being treated like a celebrity and hero among the children. Their Tom Hanks if you will, another great character scene as Magneto, being seated as hero and savior of his kind as he always felt he should be. 

Naturally Scott is unnerved by this but for the sake of diplomacy keeps his mouth shut and instead makes time with Magneto’s daughter, inviting her back with him for family dinner. While he does mention her ex and his brother Alex will be there.. it’s subtly hinted there may be more here. And I like it and her refusal as she needs time for the past to be the past and for her to adjust, feels like Lorna when previously she’d been a rather out of character obdient daughter, something I hope Hickman explores and is not just a sudden change for the free spirited, strong willed, snarky daughter of the big M. Also as you can tell i’m not a huge fan of Scott’s brother alex who is barely in this. He’s just never been utilized well and she deserves better.  When asked his thoughts, Scott gives a nice speech about how scared he was having his son and the horrors his son would face.. and given his son was infected with a virus, shunted to the future, became mother fucking cable, and has died twice and has now been replaced by his teenage self who murdered him, yeah, he was right to be scared. but now his son is in a place of peace, and he feels he’s finally achived his dreams and all the fighting and bloodshed has been worth something.

But family dinner will have to wait and we get back to Orichis meeting their leader, Director Devo, who tells them to whip it .. whip it good. Okay obligatory joke aside, we do see a funeral for the soldiers that were killed during House of X. 

Devo and Karima talk over the disaster, how while their location around the sun, in the solar satlite thing reed richards and tony star built, and before you assume the worst they were both thought dead at the time it was stolen, is good for keeping humans from raiding them, it’s not really enough to stop MUTANTS, and Devo wishes he’d been there to stop the slaughter. Really nothing of HUGE consequence, just some plot movement and huminzation of the racist malitia.. which works. While their still not necearily good people: Karima took up with the very kind of people who turned her into what she is, and they kidnapped children just for being diffrent, they are still more than carboard cutout characteratures of racist. These are scared, frightned people wanting to halt what should be inevitible. However it also, like some of mutantkind’s shakier actions recently, dosen’t excuse it either: their still plotting genocide to save themselves instead of trying to find a peaceful solution, and while yes the X-Men strongarmed their way to peace, it was after a good decade and a half of racist  slaughter and trying to be a good example while mankind did hardly anything to help. The mutants, at least to me, end up coming off as more sympathetic simply because they’ve suffered while mankind, even the superhumans, did nothing. While Orichis is more understandable than most anti-mutant militia’s they are NOT heroes. While some of the krakoans may not qualify either and some are outright monsters, Orichis are trying to do a genocide out of fear instead of doing what the X-Men did for years: find peace even though it’s not the easy option. Show you DESERVE to live side by side instead of shunning them so much their forced to make their own home and keep you out this time. Their taking the easy  way out, as did so many other superheroes in turning away, as did so many civliains in giving into fear, and that’s why their the bad guys. Krakoa is far from perfect, but Orichis is not even close. 

One diatribe later, we find ourselves at Scott Summer’s house....

On the fucking moon! As scott says above, he figured why settle and always loving space as a kid, and having lived there in one of his two teen lives, he figured why not. It also explains how Krakoa can be there: while humans can’t live on Krakoa, they can visit the embassies, and given my rant above, you can see why maybe their being a bit paranoid. But yes scott’s pirate dad is visiting. Which is awkard given that his son who killed him is currently grilling steaks int he kitchen. 

Yeah for those of you only casually aware of X-Men, or even just recent fans who wisely skipped Deadly Genisis, he might take some explaning: This is Gabriel Summers. He was born from his dying mother and made a slave, got back to earth, and then charles foolishly used him as the dry run for the all new all diffrent x-men, who all got killed by Krakoa. Double awkard given he now lives in part of him. Two surivived, the other being Darwin who went on to great things in Peter David’s X-Factor and I hope comes back here, and Gabriel later came back pissed as hell, killed a lot of people and became emperor of the shiar then died saving the universe after going crazy town banana pants. Oh and he also killed empress lilandra, Xavier’s long time lady love and empress of the shiar. 

I shoudln’t of been able to make that joke twice, but the X-Men are insanely complicated and Gabe wasn’t a favorite of mine due to being a one dimensional psychopath and making Charles into kinda  huge dick for getting some people killed and then never telling the rest of the X-Men. But here.. he’s fucking hilarious, going on long rants about fire and generally coming off as an entertaining nutjob. Other family activities include kid cable, another character I wasn’t crazy about, trading guns with Corsair’s buddy Raza. Just treating him like a normal teen made him instantly more likable than he has been as a know it all dickhead what killed the original vastly more likable Cable, and giving him a chance at a happy child and adulthood instead of years of misery and war. In one issue Hickman actually made me like two characters I previously couldn't stand... props to him and his hard work. We also get a touching scene where Scott gives his dad a krakoan flower to plant on the Starjammer, his ship, so he can visit anytime, a really touching gesture and a really nice moment. Now that’s out of the way, as the summers have dinner and gabe presumibly rants about fire off screen... it’s time for the elephant in the room. 

If you look closely.. you’ll notice Scott, Jean and Logan all have interconnected rooms. No one has shut up about this since the comic was released and understandably so, as it means that their either both in a relationship with jean or, and I doubt this is true but I can hope, all three are dating each other. Me.. I like it especially if it’s the latter. After all the romantic bullshit i’ve had to deal with, it’s nice to have either possible polyamory, treated as safe and normal, or more likely an open relationship treated the same without it being a farce. Logan finally gets a shot with Jean, Scott still gets her but is free to explore other avenues given he’s been in only two relationships in his lifetime, but still be together and raise their son together. I like it a lot and i’m sure future X-Men issues will fill this out a bit. I also wouldn’t mind a Scott/Logan relationship, as it relay woudln’t hurt to have two of marvel’s biggest heroes be either bi or pansexual.  With dinner finished Corsair offers to help Scott with dishes, only for him to only turn him down because Krakoa uses goo to both wash and dry.. and this was a COMPROMISE over edible plates that just.. no. No thank you. Corsair takes this chance to have a heart to heart over his misgivings at mutantkind’s new mission, especially as a human, and we get one of the best scenes of the issue, if not the best. 

And we see how Hickman, rather than just paper over Scott’s shadier moments over the last decade, instead has Scott evolve past them. He’s done trying to just survive. He wants more than that. Without the terrifying brain computer that sometimes comes with that, but he wants to enjoy his life. He’ll never stop having to fight.. but instead of focusing on the fight every day.. he’s focusing on those he loves and cares about. And we see now WHY he belivies in Krakoa. he may have his doubts, his misgivings.. but after about 15 years of fighting just to make it out alive.. he gets to live. To have fun, to have somewhere where he can be safe, where he dosen’t have to worry about some psychotic jackass sending robots to blow up the kids in his care in the middle of the night. He’ll still give mutantkind every ounce of fight he has, but he can switch it off now... he’s letting himself be happy and it’s just wonderful to see. But of course, this wouldn’t make much of an ending that entices the reader to buy next issue would it... so we check back in on Orichis one last time. 

Devo checks in on Dr.Gregor, finding she wasn’t at the funeral and while he’s fine with rage fueling her work, he’s not so crazy about her using it to sublimate her grief. In truth she knows they didn't have enough to bury.. and more importantly... it may be moot for you see....

And just in case you missed it like I did, said crystal with his memory... looks just like Nimrod’s.. aka the badly named turbo sentinel that has always been key in snuffing out mutant kind. Ruh-Roh. 

Final Thoughts:  This issue kept the momentum and story from Powers and House going, but rooted it more in character, continuing Hickman’s cleanup job on Scott Summers, while doing some on his family, and creating a truly great start to the new era. My only complaint is sometimes Yu’s art looks a bit off when it comes to faces and as with his previous teamup with hickman on avengers, sometimes takes me out of the story.. but the story is so riviting and the better moments of art so stunning that it can’t bring this book down. The future continues to be bright for the x-men.  If you liked this review, reblog or follow, feel free to request an issue for me to review for 3 bucks a pop, or vote in the poll I have going for what dawn of x related issue i’m going to review that closes this friday. And until next time, farewell my x-people. 

#x-men #jonathan hickman #dawn of x #lenil francis yu #cyclops #scott summers #jean grey #marvel girl #storm #logan #wolverine #ororo munroe #corsair #vulcan #havok #polaris #magneto #ceilia reyes #the starjammers #cable #nathan summers #kid cable #the moon #orichis

[indiandentalnetwork-blog]

What’s your strategy for Dental Practice?

Planning for the future is a very important step for Dentists. Setting goals keeps the team motivated and focused. What are your long-term goals? If not created, it’s not too late to begin:

Strategic planning:

Strategic planning is creating and designing goals and objectives that will help you reach your long-term vision. When dentists work with clients, they start by laying out clear objectives and goals — with deadlines — that are written and measurable over a five-year period.

Here are a few ideas:

Use this planning process to plan a new direction for your practice.

• Identify five core values- These core values are yours, the owner’s, true beliefs and will likely remain the same for 50 years. Practices need to identify their values and work hard to live up to them every day.

• Set 5–10 specific “major” goals- These goals should be clearly written, measurable, deadline-driven, and assigned to a responsible person.

• Create a vision- Work on answering that single question: Where do you want to be in five years? You should also add in a financial analysis so that you can set realistic goals based on your current situation.

• Create a timeline for goals- Numerous strategic plans have failed because there were no timelines and no accountability. Each step of the plan should have a deadline and a responsible party assigned to carry it out.

Make short term goals — which you are planning to achieve within a year

Long term goals: — which you plan to achieve in 5 years

ADD image: https://shop.getbullish.com/products/webinar-design-your-5-year-plan

Measure and monitor the plan — Hold monthly meetings to measure your plan’s progress and timelines. Without a monthly update, fthe ocus will be lost and it’s less likely that you’ll achieve your plan.

Summary

Strategic planning is one of the most fundamental business processes in which you can engage. Follow the steps here to create an effective five-year strategic plan for practice success.

#dentist #dentistry #dentistapp

[aiiizawa]

your second shot (redux)

Second chances don’t come for everyone, and you’re determined not to waste yours at U.A.  Unfortunately, there’s someone else who’s decided already that you don’t deserve yours.  Only time will tell how you’ll fare from here on out.

Relevant tags: slow burn, reader-interactive, technically self insert oc/Aizawa, second person pov, explicitly nonbinary reader, trans masc reader

Rating: T+ (16 and up)

author’s notes: SO here it is.  This first chapter is technically the exact same one with some minor adjustments since I liked it so much, but after this it’s going to have more dramatic changes and some more snippets that i planned for the original fic.  changes are noted in tags.  without further ado: it begins again.

Principal Nedzu was as dapper as ever.  Perfectly pressed vest, immaculate tie, slacks, and laced boots, he was the picture of proper attire as you shuffled behind him through the vast halls of the academy.  You straightened your tie for what felt like the third time, hoped that your suit was pressed adequately, and smoothed out any stray curls out on the top of your head while he spoke.  He was a cute little thing, but you knew better than to underestimate him based on his appearance or long-winded speeches.    His dark, round eyes were sharp, calculating.  Nothing you said or did would escape his notice, and it was going to be that way for a long time.  “--Are you listening?”  He asked, pausing in front of the large, dual-opening doors.

You nodded.  You had been distracted by him, momentarily, but you still listened to the vast majority of what he said-- Despite it being in part about how recent stress on him had resulted in little bits of his fur falling out in quite the unbecoming fashion.  The rules.  The fragility of it all.  None of what he said was lost on you, or something that you hadn’t repeated to yourself a hundred times before starting here.  You wanted to make a good first impression.

“Good.  The situation has its difficulties, which I know you are aware of, but I want you to have a rewarding experience in your time here at U.A.  Once again, you should be very grateful to All Might for recommending you.”  He carried on as if he’d never stopped, opening the door.  That was definitely something you didn’t need reminding, but you bit it back as the doors opened, straightening your posture with a deep, cleansing breath that Nezu chuckled at behind a snow-white paw.  “I’m sure that you’ll do just fine.”  He reassured you, just once, before walking straight ahead.

At least a dozen pairs of eyes were on you as you entered the room, following after Nezu as he made his way to his seat, giving his greetings here and there before addressing the group.  “Well, well.”  He cleared his throat, pressing his paw to his chest.  “Shall I introduce the newest member of staff?”  He motioned his arm towards you, and you bowed, attempting to find a good mix between a professional air and an open-hearted disposition.  It probably looked like a grimace as he said your full name.  “Also known as the newly anointed pro hero ‘Firefly’, will be joining us this year as a guidance counselor for our first year students.  We all know the circumstances regarding their past.”  Your lips twitched slightly.  You recognized all of the heroes there, more or less.  The sexy woman clad in tights, Midnight.  Power loader.  Snipe.  Your eyes glassed over each and every one of them until you focused on a pair of sympathetic blue ones, hollow but bright.  You felt yourself relax, just a bit, when his gaunt face smiled encouragingly at you.  “But, we will not be holding that against them!  Instead, let us all work together for the safety and security of our future heroes.”

As if on cue, you bowed again, curly brown hair flouncing in front of yo as you focused on the patterns on the floor and your dress shoes, one of which was already untied.  “I’ll be in your care.  Thank you all very much for the opportunity.”  Your voice shook very briefly, but you felt stronger than you did before.  You attributed it to the relief at having overcome your first hurdle.  As if on autopilot, you sank into the nearby plush seat and listened as the principal went over the goals for the coming year.  In your hands was a file containing fthe first year heroics students, classes 1-A and 1-B.  You would look them over later, hands folded and noting what the principal had planned.  U.A. was a school that allowed teachers and staff to create their own lesson plans and dictate how they would train the next wave of heroes, and your job would be no different.  You would have to take into account their lives at school, relationships with their teachers, as well as the throes of adolescence.  Most of it had to do with what would happen after the first few weeks of school as students all over got used to classes.  Exams, the Sports Festival, all things you didn’t necessarily had anything to do with, but what you would need to be aware of.

You tried to focus mostly on that and not the last pair of eyes boring into the side of your head every so often, anxiously curling your hair around one finger as if to provide a shield.  After two hours of discussion amidst the teachers, which you were only occasionally asked to give input on, Nezu dismissed you all for the day.  The first day of class would be the day after tomorrow, and “everyone should head home to rest and prepare.”  You waited as each of the teachers filed out, anxiously straightening and re-aligning the papers you were given.  Most of the teachers smiled at you, or at least acknowledged you in some way.  All Might was in pretty deep discussion with Principal Nezu, but he promised to meet up with you after the meeting, so you decided to wait, shifting your weight between both of your feet.

“Hey.”  An unfamiliar voice caught your attention instead.  Turning your head, you made, unfortunate, eye contact with the man who had been staring at you earlier.  Shaggy, dressed in all black, with bloodshot eyes-- No question that this was Eraserhead.  Despite being relatively underground in the world of hero news, he was pretty famous in the academy.  “I want to talk to you for a minute.”  You blanked at that, anxiously looking from him to All Might, who was still engrossed in conversation.  He sighed.  “There’s no need to worry about him.  They’ll be there for while, and what business I have won’t take long.”  Without waiting for your response, he turned around and started to walk out the room.  You shot a look at All Might, who was kneeling down now as he spoke to Nezu, and he motioned for you that it was okay to leave the room.  Well, there went your out.  You rolled your shoulders and turned to follow the silent man out the door.

He was right, it wasn’t far out of earshot of the door until he stopped and faced you.  You halted in your steps as well, feeling the setting sun warm your face and shoulders as he looked at you.  “I don’t care who you are to All Might.  I was against you joining the staff from the beginning, and I’m still against it now.”  He spoke as he approached you, leaning down to speak directly to you.  Even without his quirk, his intensity was almost smothering as he stared you down, eye-to-eye.  “I don’t trust you, not yet.”  Just as quickly as he was in your face, he was out of it, swiftly turning around.  “I won’t hesitate to ask for your removal if I think that you aren’t of any use here, let alone becoming a threat to the students.”  He looked over his shoulder at you once more, just for a moment.  “You’ve been given a second chance.  Don’t waste it.”

You:

A.  Attempt to match his resolve.

B.  Kill him with kindness.

#writing stuff #your second shot (redux) #Self Insert #self ship #selfinsert #selfship #once again: this is a fic for Me but you are all welcome to come along for the ride #you can reply to the post or send an ask if ur shy or smth

[rowdy-revenant]

The Beauty of a Beast - part 7

Characters: Y/N Singer, Gabriel, Dean Winchester, Bobby Singer, Sam Winchester, Charlie, Balthazar, Chuck, Castiel - future pairing of Gabriel x reader (slowwww burn)

Words: 1400+

Beta-reader: @nobodys-baby-now

Warnings: Animal attacks, mentions of an abusive parent, injuries

Chapter summary: You flee for your life but almost lose it. Bobby asks for help. A few questions are answered

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[Series masterlist] [General masterlist] [Gabriel masterlist]

Part 7 - Gabriel

The cold stung your skin but you couldn’t care less. You had had enough of being stuck in a castle, enough of servants turned household items, enough of that damn beast!

“Philippe!” You cried as you approached the stables. You pulled the horse onto the path and mounted him, looking back once at the palace before racing off.

Philippe sped through the snowy forest path. The moon was the only thing there to light your way through the darkness.

You could hear your heart beating in your chest when a louder sound made it skip a beat. A howl of a wolf. Still, you pressed on. Your father was at home, yes Bobby had to be there. He needed you and you needed him.

A wolf as white as the snow falling behind it ran out from between the trees. More and more flooded out of the woods until an entire pack was chasing you and Philippe.

A few wolves darted out in front, cutting you off. You tugged the reins, directing your horse to turn onto another path. Philippe's galloping grew unsteady as he skidden onto a frozen lake. The ice seemed thick enough to hold your weight, but you still felt uneasy being on it.

Something furry knocked you off your horse and onto the ground. As you rushed to get to your feet, the wolf that pushed you off bared its fangs and prepared to pounce. You grabbed a fallen tree branch and swung it just as the canine leaped.

Swinging your makeshift weapon left and right, you did your best to fend off the attackers. It wasn’t working. You were a walking snack, and the wolves just kept on coming.

One of the wolves grabbed the end of the branch in its teeth and pulled it from you. While it had its mouth full, you kicked it as hard as you could. The wolf skidded back a few feet, but the kick had only annoyed it. The wolf regained its balance and got ready to attack. This was it. This was the end.

Another snarl, one deeper than that of the wolves sounded through the forest. In a flash, a large figure tackled the wolf about to kill you.

You had to be hallucinating. But there The Beast was, on all fours, fangs bared, wings spread, and claws unretracted. It threw that wolf against a tree. More leapt at him. One was knocked to the side with a wing, another thrown away with horns. The fight raged before you for a good fThe Beast stood in the centre of the lake, roaring at the pack.

All but one fled into the darkness. One wolf, bigger than the others, still remained behind the Beast’s back. It pounced, digging its teeth into the Beast’s arm.

The Beast roared in pain. He swung his arms, finally grabbing hold of the wolf. He threw it to the ground where it remained, motionless.

Uneven breath visible in the cold air, the Beast looked once more to you, and fell.

This was your chance to go home. The wolves were gone, the Beast couldn’t go after you. You rushed to Philippe, grabbing the reins and-

You stopped. The Beast defended you, saved your damn life, even after you trespassed then fled.

You lead the horse over to the wounded Beast.

“Hey,” You said softly. “Stay awake.”

The Beast huffed, his head rolling to the side. His eyelids drooped.

“Hey!” You repeated. “Come on, I’ve got you. Just stand for me. I’ve got you.”

With the last of his energy, the Beast stood. You helped him mount the horse and started to lead him back to the palace.

“Dean!”

The older Winchester brother looked up after his name was called. Bobby Singer stood in the entrance of the Roadhouse tavern. His clothes were wet and dirty, his hair was awry, and his eyes were wild.

“Dean,” Bobby repeated. The craftsman sounded slightly sick. “You have to help me.”

Dean got up from his chair by the fire and sauntered over to your father. “What’s the matter, Bobby? You seem shaken.”

“It’s Y/N.” Bobby explained.

A smirk began to creep its way up Dean’s lips at the mention of your name. All the advice Sam gave him seemed to fly out the window. “Y/N you say?”

Bobby nodded. “I- it’s a long story, but they’re in danger. A beast has my child, Dean! You have to help me!”

The whole pub laughed at the mention of a beast.

“A beast?” Dean asked, his tone mocking. “What kind of beast?”

Ignoring the laughter, Bobby continued. “A big one! Like someone threw a bunch of animals together an- it ain’t funny! I’m serious!”

Dean decided to humour the old man. “Different animal parts?”

Bobby nodded. “Like a chimera. Horns and claws and a tail and wings-”

“How tall was he?”

“I don’t know, seven, maybe even eight feet?” Bobby answered.“Taller than Sam, I swear!”

Laughter continued. Bobby ran up and grabbed Sam’s jacket, his dirt covered hands staining the material. “You have to believe me!”

Sam looked down at the craftsman. “He’s insane. I’ll take care of him.” He grabbed Bobby’s arm and started dragging the weakened man away.

When the got to the door, Dean called out “Stop, Sammy.”

Sam stopped. Dean gestured for him to let go of Bobby, so he did. The hunter walked forward, a devious smile on his face. “Bobby, Bobby, Bobby. I believe you.”

“You… you do?” Bobby asked.

Dean nodded, dusting off the other man’s jacket. If he went along with Bobby’s wild accusation, there was a chance he’d earn your hand in marriage. “Of course.” Dean lied. He looked over at Sam, then back to Bobby. “Lead us to this beast.”

The Beast lay in his bed licked at his wound like a hurt animal. You sat in a chair next you him, dipping a cloth in warm water. “Don’t do that. It’s unsanitary.” You said.

He grumbled but stopped. When you touched the bite mark on his arm, he roared in pain.

“Stay still!” You insisted, throwing your hands in the air after the Beast once again pulled away from you.

“It hurts.” The Beast pouted.

“It wouldn’t hurt if you’d just stay still.” You retorted.

“I wouldn’t be hurt if you hadn’t run away!”

“I wouldn’t have run away if you hadn’t scared me!”

“Well you shouldn’t have been in the west wing!”

“Well you should learn to control your temper!”

You glared at him. After a few seconds, the Beast gave in. He rolled his eyes and moved back to his previous position on the bed. Gently, you dabbed at the bite on his arm with a damp cloth. The fur around it was matted with blood, but it didn’t seem too severe. The bleeding seemed to have stopped.

Sighing, you put the cloth down. “Thank you for saving me.”

The Beast looked back at you. “I should say the same thing to you. So… thanks, Y/N.”

“I couldn’t leave you there to die in the cold. Though I’m sure all that fur keeps you warm enough.”

He chuckled. The sound was so unfamiliar but so refreshing. “I guess so. First time thought about this curse in a positive light.”

“Curse?” You inquired.

The Beast was silent again. It was clear he wouldn’t talk about this any time soon.

You got up, pulling the blanket back over him. “Get some rest-”

“Gabriel.” The Beast spoke up. “My name is Gabriel.”

You smiled a little, glad he was opening up to you, even if it was just a little. “Get some rest, Gabriel.”

Gabriel closed his eyes and rested his head on the pillows.

You got up and walked out of his room. Balthazar, Chuck, Charlie, Castiel, and Jack were waiting outside anxiously.

“How is he?” Charlie asked.

“He’s alright,” You answered. “Just needs some sleep.”

The servants all sighed in relief.

“Thank you, Y/N.” Castiel said.

As you walked down the stairs with them, more questions came to your mind. “Why do you stay here with him? Why were you cursed too? You didn’t do anything.”

“That’s the thing,” Balthazar agreed. “We didn’t.”

“The old king was a cruel man. He manipulated the master into becoming just like him once his mother died. And we let him.” Chuck explained.

“His curse is our curse too.” Castiel explained. “It is only fair we be punished as well.”

You nodded. “So, what did you all do before that?”

~ Murdoch’s tag list - want to be added or removed? Send me an ask! ~

All: @a-r-c-h-a-n-g-e-l @ashiewesker @ashtheironbat @authoressskr @baritonechick@blessedbebucky @crowleysprincess159 @cynda-kiwi @d4rzill4 @fayepummeluff @feelmyroarrrr @gabriels-depressed-angel @hunters-hiraeth @impatient-witch @kristaparadowski @lenawiinchester  @like-gabriel-and-castiel @madelineannmolder @micachu1331 @negansgrimes  @oldpaperfan @sdavid09 @shrimpdrake @sumara62 @tangle-of-ivy @team-barry @thehowling1234 @thewhiterabbit42 @treitike@tenderlybeautifulbarbarian @tyrex15 @unsink-the-titanic

Supernatural: @gabriels-trix​

Gabriel: @elven-leaf​ @hiddles-and-skittles​ @hp-hogwartsexpress​ @im-gabriels-bitch​ @jannalionheart​ @elenawrit​ @trollhunter94​

TBOAB: @a-michellerae-things @a-vast-african-plain​ @clockworkmorningglory @red-bandana-girl @icharleecongrevemultifandomsblog @person-born-winchester 

#the beauty of a beast #gabriel x reader #gabriel #reader insert #beauty and the beast au #beast!gabriel #bobby singer #dean winchester #sam winchester #castiel #balthazar #charlie bradbury #chuck shurley #please read this series guys

[writterings]

GOd i just saw your list of the bs fthe fandom did and can i ask about a couple(a lot) bc i still dont get them like shiro loves you baby or future blue lion, gremlin pidge? pining keith?is he pinning?? what did healing pod didnt do what,,? which copypasta why why is bobs burgers on the list

oh god here we go

prepare yourself, anon

shiro loves you, baby - someone who works on the show (like a minor animator or smth, no one important) drew a thing of shiro staring at the screen with the caption “shiro loves you, baby”. then in the tags they wrote “he’s looking at keith”. of course, both the anti and sha/aldin communities lost their shit over this for different reasons. but it also turned out to be trace over of lance during the bonding moment scene so like...even though it caused a bunch of drama its really kinda laughable. 

future of the blue lion (or w/e its called) - basically a post theorizing that lance’s comment of “when i die i want my brain put into an AI system” was foreshadowing how the blue lion will get “injured” and lance will have to transfer his life force/brain into it to save it

gremlin pidge - she is smol and green like a gremlin. ergo, gremlin pidge. as for air vent gremlin pidge, it became a common comic trope to draw her crawling through the air vents because she’s the only one that fits.

pinning keith - the fandom was really obsessed with keith pinning after lance and they still kinda are

what a healing pod can’t repair - a popular fic where lance was dying so blue swapped life forces with him and they were in each other’s bodies. a lot of angst, a bit of klance, but ultimately a happy ending. 

copypasta - people on respective sides of the age discourse would get anons saying ridiculous stuff so everyone’s response would be “make this a copypasta”

bob’s burgers video - please watch this

#god i feel old akhdgjs #Anonymous

[claraoswald81]

Google's Stake in Search Engine Optimization

Companies that provide services for improving Web sites' search-engine rankings and running effective search-engine ad campaigns have a new competitor: Google. Bundled in the DoubleClick acquisition came Performics, which provides search-engine marketing (SEM) and search-engine optimization (SEO) services. This has created concern for SEM and SEO service providers, which now face Google, a key partner, also as a rival. "It puts us in the awkward position of competing with Google's own [SEM/SEO] agency for client accounts," said Lance Loveday, CEO of Closed Loop Marketing, an SEO and SEM firm. Over the past seven years, as Google's popularity with advertisers and end users has boomed, so has the SEM and SEO business. Marketers began spending significant amounts to advertise on search engines, primarily Google, and they realized that they needed help from SEM firms to design, fine-tune and track the effectiveness of those campaigns. At the same time, those marketers recognized that they also had to make sure that their companies' Web sites ranked well on search engines when users entered keywords relevant to their businesses, which is what SEO service providers specialize in. Before the DoubleClick acquisition, SEM and SEO firms saw themselves as providers of complementary services to Google, but now that Performics is part of Google, things have changed. For starters, there is a concern that Performics will get special access to inside information about Google's search-engine algorithms, allowing Performics to provide SEO services that are more effective that its competitors'. Then there is the worry that Google will push its in-house Performics SEM services at highly discounted prices, or maybe even free, in direct competition with SEM service providers. Due to these and other clash points, SEM and SEO providers say their relationship with Google will inevitably get strained. This will likely be bad for Google, considering that SEM providers have a lot of influence over how their clients allocate their search advertising budget. Performics Could Hurt Google But there are other reasons why holding on to Performics could be bad for Google, and they have to do with perceived potential conflicts of interest that could spook Google advertising clients. For example, Performics is supposed to help its clients get the highest return on investment (ROI) from their paid search campaigns by recommending they spend what's necessary -- and not more -- in order to get their desired results. But Google's business is to sell as much advertising as possible, said Scott Buresh, CEO and owner of SEO/SEM firm Medium Blue. Closed Loop's Loveday also foresees Performics clients worrying whether Performics will now have an incentive to increase their spending on Google advertising for the benefit of its parent company. "Now, the reality is that Google has the dominant [search advertising] platform and in most cases Google probably should get most of a client's search campaign budget, but there's definitely an appearance of a conflict of interest," Loveday said. U.S. companies spent about $10.2 billion in search advertising in 2007, and Google grabbed 79 percent of that pie, followed, distantly, by Yahoo with 12 percent and Microsoft with 6 percent. Search was the most popular ad format last year in the U.S., accounting for 40 percent of the overall online ad spending, according to IDC. Ron Rule, lead developer for Web analytics company iWebTrack warns that with DoubleClick in general, Google now has access to significantly more data about users' behavior and ad campaigns, creating a potential for abuse. Advertisers can protect themselves by measuring their ad campaigns' effectiveness with independent Web analytics companies like iWebTrack, he said via e-mail. "The merger effectively gives Google more pricing power and without proper unbiased analytics, large amounts of money can be wasted very quickly on [pay per click search advertising] campaigns, which Goggle and competitors like Yahoo are glad to take," Rule said. fThe Performics ownership also puts Google in a delicate and difficult situation regarding its claim that its search results aren't influenced by commercial considerations, Buresh said. With Performics, Google is now in the business of taking money from clients in exchange for helping them rank better in search-engine results, he said. While Performics will not sell paid inclusion into Google search results, it does offer fee-based SEO services, he said. "Google has maintained consistently that there's no amount of money you can spend with them [in paid search] that will help your site in the organic rankings, that they maintain a Chinese SEO Blog9T Wall between the two," Buresh said. "Now that it owns an organic optimization company, you're paying Google for better placement in search results." In addition, Performics does provide paid inclusion services -- something Google has sworn never to do -- into search engines that engage in this practice, in which a company pays a search engine to include its Web site in its index. This puts Google and its new Performics division in a serious philosophical conflict, as search industry expert Danny Sullivan argued in his Search Engine Land blog recently. "Google was the lone hold-out against paid inclusion at the time [2004] and often used this as a marketing point to help promote itself. Not only was it used for marketing, but Google's cofounders strongly believed the practice was wrong. That's why in the letter from the founders that formed part of the IPO filing, they called it out several times," Sullivan wrote. For all these Blog9T reasons, a consensus exists among SEO and SEM firms that Google should divest itself of Performics, but reached for comment, Google remained noncommittal, providing this prepared statement: "We intend to spend the next several months assessing all of DoubleClick's products and services including those offered by Performics. In the near term, we intend to operate Performics as a stand-alone business unit consistent with its past practices. Upon the completion of our integration planning with respect to Performics, we will be in a better position to announce our future plans for this business." For Loveday, the situation is clear: "I don't understand how it serves Google's interest to maintain Performics."

[sonderfulrose]

Google's Stake in Search Engine Optimization

Companies that provide services for improving Web sites' search-engine rankings and running effective search-engine ad campaigns have a new competitor: Google. Bundled in the DoubleClick acquisition came Performics, which provides search-engine marketing (SEM) and search-engine optimization (SEO) services. This has created concern for SEM and SEO service providers, which now face Google, a key partner, also as a rival. "It puts us in the awkward position of competing with Google's own [SEM/SEO] agency for client accounts," said Lance Loveday, CEO of Closed Loop Marketing, an SEO and SEM firm. Over the past seven years, as Google's popularity with advertisers and end users has boomed, so has the SEM and SEO business. Marketers began spending significant amounts to advertise on search engines, primarily Google, and they realized that they needed help from SEM firms to design, fine-tune and track the effectiveness of those campaigns. At the same time, those marketers recognized that they also had to make sure that their companies' Web sites ranked well on search engines when users entered keywords relevant to their businesses, which is what SEO service providers specialize in. Before the DoubleClick acquisition, SEM and SEO firms saw themselves as providers of complementary services to Google, but now that Performics is part of Google, things have changed. For starters, there is a concern that Performics will get special access to inside information about Google's search-engine algorithms, allowing Performics to provide SEO services that are more effective that its competitors'. Then there is the worry that Google will push its in-house Performics SEM services at highly discounted prices, or maybe even free, in direct competition with SEM service providers. Due to these and other clash points, SEM and SEO providers say their relationship with Google will inevitably get strained. This will likely be bad for Google, considering that SEM providers have a lot of influence over how their clients allocate their search advertising budget. Performics Could Hurt Google But there are other reasons why holding on to Performics could be bad for Google, and they have to do with perceived potential conflicts of interest that could spook Google advertising clients. For example, Performics is supposed to help its clients get the highest return on investment (ROI) from their paid search campaigns by recommending they spend what's necessary -- and not more -- in order to get their desired results. But Google's business is to sell as much advertising as possible, said Scott Buresh, CEO and owner of SEO/SEM firm Medium Blue. Closed Loop's Loveday also foresees Performics clients worrying whether Performics will now have an incentive to increase their spending on Google advertising for the benefit of its parent company. "Now, the reality is that Google has the dominant [search advertising] platform and in most cases Google probably should get most of a client's search campaign budget, but there's definitely an appearance of a conflict of interest," Loveday said. U.S. companies spent about $10.2 billion in search advertising in 2007, and Google grabbed 79 percent of that pie, followed, distantly, by Yahoo with 12 percent and Microsoft with 6 percent. Search was the most popular ad format last year in the U.S., accounting for 40 percent of the overall online ad spending, according to IDC. Ron Rule, lead developer for Web analytics company iWebTrack warns that with DoubleClick in general, Google now has access to significantly more data about users' behavior and ad campaigns, creating a potential for abuse. Advertisers can protect themselves by measuring their ad campaigns' effectiveness with independent Web analytics companies like iWebTrack, he said via e-mail. "The merger effectively gives Google more SEO Blog9T pricing power Blog9T and without proper unbiased analytics, large amounts of money can be wasted very quickly on [pay per click search advertising] campaigns, which Goggle and competitors like Yahoo are glad to take," Rule said. fThe Performics ownership also puts Google in a delicate and difficult situation regarding its claim that its search results aren't influenced by commercial considerations, Buresh said. With Performics, Google is now in the business of taking money from clients in exchange for helping them rank better in search-engine results, he said. While Performics will not sell paid inclusion into Google search results, it does offer fee-based SEO services, he said. "Google has maintained consistently that there's no amount of money you can spend with them [in paid search] that will help your site in the organic rankings, that they maintain a Chinese Wall between the two," Buresh said. "Now that it owns an organic optimization company, you're paying Google for better placement in search results." In addition, Performics does provide paid inclusion services -- something Google has sworn never to do -- into search engines that engage in this practice, in which a company pays a search engine to include its Web site in its index. This puts Google and its new Performics division in a serious philosophical conflict, as search industry expert Danny Sullivan argued in his Search Engine Land blog recently. "Google was the lone hold-out against paid inclusion at the time [2004] and often used this as a marketing point to help promote itself. Not only was it used for marketing, but Google's cofounders strongly believed the practice was wrong. That's why in the letter from the founders that formed part of the IPO filing, they called it out several times," Sullivan wrote. For all these reasons, a consensus exists among SEO and SEM firms that Google should divest itself of Performics, but reached for comment, Google remained noncommittal, providing this prepared statement: "We intend to spend the next several months assessing all of DoubleClick's products and services including those offered by Performics. In the near term, we intend to operate Performics as a stand-alone business unit consistent with its past practices. Upon the completion of our integration planning with respect to Performics, we will be in a better position to announce our future plans for this business." For Loveday, the situation is clear: "I don't understand how it serves Google's interest to maintain Performics."

[junker-town]

Every college basketball recruit who’s decommitted amid FBI corruption investigation

These are the recruits impacted by the FBI's college basketball corruption scandal.

fThe fallout from the FBI’s extensive investigation into widespread corruption in college basketball is just beginning, but players, coaches, and programs are already being impacted. No area of the sport will face more scrutiny than the already bizarre world of recruiting.

Recruits started dropping from the schools mentioned in the federal indictment hours after it was released. This is a running tracker of which players and programs are directly affected by the scandal. All of the rankings below come from ESPN.

Recruits who have already decommitted

Taeshon Cherry decommits from USC

Ranking: No. 22 in class of 2018, per ESPN

Cherry joins J’Raan Brooks as the second big-time recruit to decommit from the Trojans following the FBI investigation. Cherry projects as a 6’8 combo wing with plus athleticism who likes to work inside-out. Arizona, Texas A&M, Florida State and Gonzaga were also involved in his recruitment before he chose USC. He will become one of the most coveted players in his class.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Anfernee Simons decommits from Louisville

Ranking: No. 8 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Simons’ family announced he would reopen his recruitment one day after the scandal broke:

Anfernee Simons' mom: "In light of all that has transpired Anfernee will be de-committing. This is a very sad day for my family."

— Jeff Greer (@jeffgreer_cj) September 27, 2017

Simons was Louisville’s first pledge in the class of 2018, committing to the school in November as a four-star guard out of Orlando. Back then, Simons found himself ranked in the 40s by most major recruiting services. That changed this summer when he blossomed into a bonafide five-star prospect on the Under Armour circuit for Team Breakdown. Now he’s being projected as a potential top-five pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

The 6’3 combo guard is noted for his quickness, length, and three-level scoring ability. He can also play above the rim:

Future Card @AnferneeSimons catches NASTY body @UAassociation All-American!!! http://pic.twitter.com/vOgo8WjV0S

— Matthew McNair (@Koach_MkNair) August 19, 2017

Pitino’s Cardinals were often led by a hyper-athletic combo guard, from Russ Smith to Terry Rozier to Donovan Mitchell. It was easy to see Simons as the next player in that lineage. So much for that.

Simons also had offers from Florida, LSU, Memphis, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M before committing to Louisville.

Courtney Ramey decommits from Louisville

Ranking: No. 49 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Ramey committed to the Cards in February as a four-star prospect out of the St. Louis area. The 6’3 lead guard is noted for his end-to-end speed and ability to finish at the hoop.

Courtney Ramey's defenders didn't stand a chance on this drive to the hoop @STLhssports @wgbasketball @TheCardSports @statesmensports http://pic.twitter.com/RsyitK7CkI

— Victory Views Video (@VictoryViewsVID) February 21, 2017

Noted for his high motor and willingness to defend on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit, Ramey would have been an ideal fit in Pitino’s full-court pressure defense. Like Simons, he announced he was reopening his recruitment just one day after the scandal broke. Look for two schools that were heavy on him before — Florida and Oklahoma State — to get involved again.

E.J. Montgomery decommits from Auburn

Kelly Kline / Adidas

Ranking: No. 31 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Montgomery has been ranked near the top of his class since he entered high school while playing for the Adidas Celtics — Dwight Howard and Josh Smith’s old AAU team — on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit. He’s an athletic 6’10 lefty forward loaded with long-term potential. He has a variety of ways to score inside the arc and he’s proved himself to be a good passer, too.

When he committed to Auburn in September, it was more evidence that Bruce Pearl was infusing the basketball program with elite talent. Auburn put together back-to-back top-25 recruiting classes in Pearl’s first two years, and Montgomery was a great building block for the 2018 class. Now he’s reopening his recruitment in the wake of the scandal.

Montgomery was considering Baylor, Miami, UCLA, and North Carolina State before he picked Auburn.

4-star guard David Johnson decommits from Louisville

2019 four-star wing David Johnson has decommitted from Louisville, he tells Scout | Story: https://t.co/NG3xleOgZy http://pic.twitter.com/lFyl2Cknb6

— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) October 4, 2017

Ranking: No. 33 in the class of 2019, per Scout

Johnson committed to Louisville in September as a local kid who attends high school only 20 minutes from the Cardinals’ campus. Now that he’s reopening his recruitment, Louisville currently has zero committed recruits for the future.

J’Raan Brooks decommits from USC

Ranking: No. 79 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Thank you to everyone at USC http://pic.twitter.com/pZzzQ0mh1n

— JBro™ (@JraanBrooks) October 13, 2017

Brooks is a 6’8 power forward noted for his length and burgeoning skill level. He was the Trojans’ only front court commit in the class — and it’s possible they get him back. USC still has verbals from four-star wings Taeshon Cherry and Kevin Porter.

Update: Brooks has committed to St. John’s

Jahvon Quinerly decommits from Arizona

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Ranking: No. 23 in 2018, per ESPN

Quinerly announced he was reopening his recruitment on Thursday night. This seemed inevitable after he appeared to be tied to the FBI report that led to the arrest of Arizona assistant Book Richardson.

From AZ Central:

How do we know it's Quinerly? The document reported that Richardson took a total of $20,000 in bribes and gave most of it to a "top point guard" who committed “around three days” before Aug. 11. Quinerly, a five-star point guard, announced on ESPNU on Aug. 8 that he would play for to Arizona.

Quinerly, a five-star point guard out of New Jersey, was the highest-rated player in Arizona’s class, according to ESPN. He’s the first recruit to officially decommit from the Wildcats following the FBI investigation.

Recruits no longer considering a school

Romeo Langford, No. 5 player in 2018, cuts Louisville

Ranking: No. 5 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Romeo Langford drops Louisville from consideration https://t.co/oEx5yTGrI0

— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) September 28, 2017

Langford is a precocious scorer out of Indiana who has developed into a consensus top-five player in the class. He’s racked up points at a record pace during his high school career thanks to his knockdown jump shot and ability to finish at the rim.

Louisville was in tight with him before this scandal, enough so that I predicted the Cards would land him earlier this month. He’s the No. 1 priority for Archie Miller at Indiana, but you can expect North Carolina, Kansas, and Kentucky to make a strong push, too.

Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 overall recruit R.J. Barrett cuts Arizona

Ranking: No. 1 player in 2018, per ESPN

No. 1 prospect R.J. Barrett no longer considering Arizona amid FBI investigation, per @DuckTerritory

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) September 28, 2017

Barrett is a superstar in the making. He seems like a strong Duke lean now.

Bol Bol eliminates USC and Arizona from consideration

Ranking: No. 4 player in 2018, per ESPN

Bol Bol: "Some of the schools were under investigation. I just didn't really want to be a part of that."

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) October 7, 2017

Bol is now down to Kentucky and Oregon after choosing to distance himself from Arizona and USC. The 7’3 shooter is one of the most unique players in the country.

Nassir Little reopens recruitment that never had a commitment

Ranking: No. 14 player in 2018, per ESPN

Update: Little has committed to North Carolina

#UNC gets a commitment from Nassir Little, and now they have the top class in 2018 https://t.co/7ZUv61SyoJ

— Tar Heel Blog (@tarheelblog) October 4, 2017

The strangest recruiting story to come out of this investigation so far belongs to Nassir Little, a five-star wing from Jacksonville. Here’s what you need to know:

Little played for 1 Family on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit. The director of that program, Brad Augustine, was arrested in the FBI probe.

Little tweeted that he was “reopening” his recruitment in the wake of the scandal and then deleted it. One problem: He never actually committed anywhere in the first place.

DraftExpress reported that Little to Arizona was essentially a done deal.

Two NCAA coaches involved in the recruitment of Nassir Little told me they had backed off this week as it became clear he was Arizona-bound.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) September 26, 2017

The director of Nassir Little's AAU team is currently in jail, and there's a decent chance Little is among those named in FBI/DOJ complaint.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) September 26, 2017

This recruitment was thought to be Miami vs. Arizona — two schools directly tied to the federal investigation. At this point, it’s likely the NCAA puts Little’s eligibility case through heavy scrutiny.

In better news, he was also projected as a top-10 pick in the 2019 NBA draft by ESPN this week.

Jalen Carey cuts Miami from his list of finalists

Ranking: No. 34 player in 2018, per ESPN

4-star PG Jalen Carey (@yungswae5) no longer considering Miami Hurricanes Basketball per report #Canes https://t.co/SXNlyi8W2i http://pic.twitter.com/fBTQ6UL3eS

— StateOfTheU.com (@TheStateOfTheU) September 28, 2017

The 6’3 guard from New Jersey thrives attacking the basket. With Miami out of the picture, he’s down to UConn and Syracuse.

Update: Carey has committed to Syracuse

[junker-town]

Every college basketball recruit who’s decommitted amid FBI corruption investigation

These are the recruits impacted by the FBI's college basketball corruption scandal.

fThe fallout from the FBI’s extensive investigation into widespread corruption in college basketball is just beginning, but players, coaches, and programs are already being impacted. No area of the sport will face more scrutiny than the already bizarre world of recruiting.

Recruits started dropping from the schools mentioned in the federal indictment hours after it was released. This is a running tracker of which players and programs are directly affected by the scandal. All of the rankings below come from ESPN.

Recruits who have already decommitted

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Anfernee Simons decommits from Louisville

Ranking: No. 8 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Simons’ family announced he would reopen his recruitment one day after the scandal broke:

Anfernee Simons' mom: "In light of all that has transpired Anfernee will be de-committing. This is a very sad day for my family."

— Jeff Greer (@jeffgreer_cj) September 27, 2017

Simons was Louisville’s first pledge in the class of 2018, committing to the school in November as a four-star guard out of Orlando. Back then, Simons found himself ranked in the 40s by most major recruiting services. That changed this summer when he blossomed into a bonafide five-star prospect on the Under Armour circuit for Team Breakdown. Now he’s being projected as a potential top-five pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

The 6’3 combo guard is noted for his quickness, length, and three-level scoring ability. He can also play above the rim:

Future Card @AnferneeSimons catches NASTY body @UAassociation All-American!!! http://pic.twitter.com/vOgo8WjV0S

— Matthew McNair (@Koach_MkNair) August 19, 2017

Pitino’s Cardinals were often led by a hyper-athletic combo guard, from Russ Smith to Terry Rozier to Donovan Mitchell. It was easy to see Simons as the next player in that lineage. So much for that.

Simons also had offers from Florida, LSU, Memphis, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M before committing to Louisville.

Courtney Ramey decommits from Louisville

Ranking: No. 49 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Ramey committed to the Cards in February as a four-star prospect out of the St. Louis area. The 6’3 lead guard is noted for his end-to-end speed and ability to finish at the hoop.

Courtney Ramey's defenders didn't stand a chance on this drive to the hoop @STLhssports @wgbasketball @TheCardSports @statesmensports http://pic.twitter.com/RsyitK7CkI

— Victory Views Video (@VictoryViewsVID) February 21, 2017

Noted for his high motor and willingness to defend on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit, Ramey would have been an ideal fit in Pitino’s full-court pressure defense. Like Simons, he announced he was reopening his recruitment just one day after the scandal broke. Look for two schools that were heavy on him before — Florida and Oklahoma State — to get involved again.

E.J. Montgomery decommits from Auburn

Kelly Kline / Adidas

Ranking: No. 31 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Montgomery has been ranked near the top of his class since he entered high school while playing for the Adidas Celtics — Dwight Howard and Josh Smith’s old AAU team — on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit. He’s an athletic 6’10 lefty forward loaded with long-term potential. He has a variety of ways to score inside the arc and he’s proved himself to be a good passer, too.

When he committed to Auburn in September, it was more evidence that Bruce Pearl was infusing the basketball program with elite talent. Auburn put together back-to-back top-25 recruiting classes in Pearl’s first two years, and Montgomery was a great building block for the 2018 class. Now he’s reopening his recruitment in the wake of the scandal.

Montgomery was considering Baylor, Miami, UCLA, and North Carolina State before he picked Auburn.

4-star guard David Johnson decommits from Louisville

2019 four-star wing David Johnson has decommitted from Louisville, he tells Scout | Story: https://t.co/NG3xleOgZy http://pic.twitter.com/lFyl2Cknb6

— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) October 4, 2017

Ranking: No. 33 in the class of 2019, per Scout

Johnson committed to Louisville in September as a local kid who attends high school only 20 minutes from the Cardinals’ campus. Now that he’s reopening his recruitment, Louisville currently has zero committed recruits for the future.

J’Raan Brooks decommits from USC

Ranking: No. 79 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Thank you to everyone at USC http://pic.twitter.com/pZzzQ0mh1n

— JBro™ (@JraanBrooks) October 13, 2017

Brooks is a 6’8 power forward noted for his length and burgeoning skill level. He was the Trojans’ only front court commit in the class — and it’s possible they get him back. USC still has verbals from four-star wings Taeshon Cherry and Kevin Porter.

Jahvon Quinerly decommits from Arizona

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Ranking: No. 23 in 2018, per ESPN

Quinerly announced he was reopening his recruitment on Thursday night. This seemed inevitable after he appeared to be tied to the FBI report that led to the arrest of Arizona assistant Book Richardson.

From AZ Central:

How do we know it's Quinerly? The document reported that Richardson took a total of $20,000 in bribes and gave most of it to a "top point guard" who committed “around three days” before Aug. 11. Quinerly, a five-star point guard, announced on ESPNU on Aug. 8 that he would play for to Arizona.

Quinerly, a five-star point guard out of New Jersey, was the highest-rated player in Arizona’s class, according to ESPN. He’s the first recruit to officially decommit from the Wildcats following the FBI investigation.

Recruits no longer considering a school

Romeo Langford, No. 5 player in 2018, cuts Louisville

Ranking: No. 5 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Romeo Langford drops Louisville from consideration https://t.co/oEx5yTGrI0

— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) September 28, 2017

Langford is a precocious scorer out of Indiana who has developed into a consensus top-five player in the class. He’s racked up points at a record pace during his high school career thanks to his knockdown jump shot and ability to finish at the rim.

Louisville was in tight with him before this scandal, enough so that I predicted the Cards would land him earlier this month. He’s the No. 1 priority for Archie Miller at Indiana, but you can expect North Carolina, Kansas, and Kentucky to make a strong push, too.

Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 overall recruit R.J. Barrett cuts Arizona

Ranking: No. 1 player in 2018, per ESPN

No. 1 prospect R.J. Barrett no longer considering Arizona amid FBI investigation, per @DuckTerritory

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) September 28, 2017

Barrett is a superstar in the making. He seems like a strong Duke lean now.

Bol Bol eliminates USC and Arizona from consideration

Ranking: No. 4 player in 2018, per ESPN

Bol Bol: "Some of the schools were under investigation. I just didn't really want to be a part of that."

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) October 7, 2017

Bol is now down to Kentucky and Oregon after choosing to distance himself from Arizona and USC. The 7’3 shooter is one of the most unique players in the country.

Nassir Little reopens recruitment that never had a commitment

Ranking: No. 14 player in 2018, per ESPN

Update: Little has committed to North Carolina

#UNC gets a commitment from Nassir Little, and now they have the top class in 2018 https://t.co/7ZUv61SyoJ

— Tar Heel Blog (@tarheelblog) October 4, 2017

The strangest recruiting story to come out of this investigation so far belongs to Nassir Little, a five-star wing from Jacksonville. Here’s what you need to know:

Little played for 1 Family on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit. The director of that program, Brad Augustine, was arrested in the FBI probe.

Little tweeted that he was “reopening” his recruitment in the wake of the scandal and then deleted it. One problem: He never actually committed anywhere in the first place.

DraftExpress reported that Little to Arizona was essentially a done deal.

Two NCAA coaches involved in the recruitment of Nassir Little told me they had backed off this week as it became clear he was Arizona-bound.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) September 26, 2017

The director of Nassir Little's AAU team is currently in jail, and there's a decent chance Little is among those named in FBI/DOJ complaint.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) September 26, 2017

This recruitment was thought to be Miami vs. Arizona — two schools directly tied to the federal investigation. At this point, it’s likely the NCAA puts Little’s eligibility case through heavy scrutiny.

In better news, he was also projected as a top-10 pick in the 2019 NBA draft by ESPN this week.

Jalen Carey cuts Miami from his list of finalists

Ranking: No. 34 player in 2018, per ESPN

4-star PG Jalen Carey (@yungswae5) no longer considering Miami Hurricanes Basketball per report #Canes https://t.co/SXNlyi8W2i http://pic.twitter.com/fBTQ6UL3eS

— StateOfTheU.com (@TheStateOfTheU) September 28, 2017

The 6’3 guard from New Jersey thrives attacking the basket. With Miami out of the picture, he’s down to UConn and Syracuse.

Update: Carey has committed to Syracuse

[junker-town]

Every college basketball recruit who’s decommitted amid FBI corruption investigation

These are the recruits impacted by the FBI's college basketball corruption scandal.

fThe fallout from the FBI’s extensive investigation into widespread corruption in college basketball is just beginning, but players, coaches, and programs are already being impacted. No area of the sport will face more scrutiny than the already bizarre world of recruiting.

Recruits started dropping from the schools mentioned in the federal indictment hours after it was released. This is a running tracker of which players and programs are directly affected by the scandal. All of the rankings below come from ESPN.

Recruits who have already decommitted

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Anfernee Simons decommits from Louisville

Ranking: No. 8 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Simons’ family announced he would reopen his recruitment one day after the scandal broke:

Anfernee Simons' mom: "In light of all that has transpired Anfernee will be de-committing. This is a very sad day for my family."

— Jeff Greer (@jeffgreer_cj) September 27, 2017

Simons was Louisville’s first pledge in the class of 2018, committing to the school in November as a four-star guard out of Orlando. Back then, Simons found himself ranked in the 40s by most major recruiting services. That changed this summer when he blossomed into a bonafide five-star prospect on the Under Armour circuit for Team Breakdown. Now he’s being projected as a potential top-five pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

The 6’3 combo guard is noted for his quickness, length, and three-level scoring ability. He can also play above the rim:

Future Card @AnferneeSimons catches NASTY body @UAassociation All-American!!! http://pic.twitter.com/vOgo8WjV0S

— Matthew McNair (@Koach_MkNair) August 19, 2017

Pitino’s Cardinals were often led by a hyper-athletic combo guard, from Russ Smith to Terry Rozier to Donovan Mitchell. It was easy to see Simons as the next player in that lineage. So much for that.

Simons also had offers from Florida, LSU, Memphis, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M before committing to Louisville.

Courtney Ramey decommits from Louisville

Ranking: No. 49 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Ramey committed to the Cards in February as a four-star prospect out of the St. Louis area. The 6’3 lead guard is noted for his end-to-end speed and ability to finish at the hoop.

Courtney Ramey's defenders didn't stand a chance on this drive to the hoop @STLhssports @wgbasketball @TheCardSports @statesmensports http://pic.twitter.com/RsyitK7CkI

— Victory Views Video (@VictoryViewsVID) February 21, 2017

Noted for his high motor and willingness to defend on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit, Ramey would have been an ideal fit in Pitino’s full-court pressure defense. Like Simons, he announced he was reopening his recruitment just one day after the scandal broke. Look for two schools that were heavy on him before — Florida and Oklahoma State — to get involved again.

E.J. Montgomery decommits from Auburn

Kelly Kline / Adidas

Ranking: No. 31 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Montgomery has been ranked near the top of his class since he entered high school while playing for the Adidas Celtics — Dwight Howard and Josh Smith’s old AAU team — on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit. He’s an athletic 6’10 lefty forward loaded with long-term potential. He has a variety of ways to score inside the arc and he’s proved himself to be a good passer, too.

When he committed to Auburn in September, it was more evidence that Bruce Pearl was infusing the basketball program with elite talent. Auburn put together back-to-back top-25 recruiting classes in Pearl’s first two years, and Montgomery was a great building block for the 2018 class. Now he’s reopening his recruitment in the wake of the scandal.

Montgomery was considering Baylor, Miami, UCLA, and North Carolina State before he picked Auburn.

4-star guard David Johnson decommits from Louisville

2019 four-star wing David Johnson has decommitted from Louisville, he tells Scout | Story: https://t.co/NG3xleOgZy http://pic.twitter.com/lFyl2Cknb6

— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) October 4, 2017

Ranking: No. 33 in the class of 2019, per Scout

Johnson committed to Louisville in September as a local kid who attends high school only 20 minutes from the Cardinals’ campus. Now that he’s reopening his recruitment, Louisville currently has zero committed recruits for the future.

J’Raan Brooks decommits from USC

Ranking: No. 79 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Thank you to everyone at USC http://pic.twitter.com/pZzzQ0mh1n

— JBro™ (@JraanBrooks) October 13, 2017

Brooks is a 6’8 power forward noted for his length and burgeoning skill level. He was the Trojans’ only front court commit in the class — and it’s possible they get him back. USC still has verbals from four-star wings Taeshon Cherry and Kevin Porter.

Current commitments in jeopardy

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

What happens to Arizona commit Jahvon Quinerly?

Ranking: No. 23 in 2018, per ESPN

Arizona currently has the No. 3 recruiting class in the country according to 247 Sports. You have to wonder how long that will last after assistant Book Richardson was arrested in the FBI investigation.

Jahvon Quinerly, a five-star point guard out of New Jersey, is the highest-rated player in Arizona’s class, according to ESPN. It also seems likely he was implicated in the investigation. From AZ Central:

How do we know it's Quinerly? The document reported that Richardson took a total of $20,000 in bribes and gave most of it to a "top point guard" who committed “around three days” before Aug. 11. Quinerly, a five-star point guard, announced on ESPNU on Aug. 8 that he would play for to Arizona.

The NCAA is going to take a long look into Quinerly’s eligibility whether he ends up at Arizona or not.

Recruits no longer considering a school

Romeo Langford, No. 5 player in 2018, cuts Louisville

Ranking: No. 5 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Romeo Langford drops Louisville from consideration https://t.co/oEx5yTGrI0

— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) September 28, 2017

Langford is a precocious scorer out of Indiana who has developed into a consensus top-five player in the class. He’s racked up points at a record pace during his high school career thanks to his knockdown jump shot and ability to finish at the rim.

Louisville was in tight with him before this scandal, enough so that I predicted the Cards would land him earlier this month. He’s the No. 1 priority for Archie Miller at Indiana, but you can expect North Carolina, Kansas, and Kentucky to make a strong push, too.

Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 overall recruit R.J. Barrett cuts Arizona

Ranking: No. 1 player in 2018, per ESPN

No. 1 prospect R.J. Barrett no longer considering Arizona amid FBI investigation, per @DuckTerritory

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) September 28, 2017

Barrett is a superstar in the making. He seems like a strong Duke lean now.

Bol Bol eliminates USC and Arizona from consideration

Ranking: No. 4 player in 2018, per ESPN

Bol Bol: "Some of the schools were under investigation. I just didn't really want to be a part of that."

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) October 7, 2017

Bol is now down to Kentucky and Oregon after choosing to distance himself from Arizona and USC. The 7’3 shooter is one of the most unique players in the country.

Nassir Little reopens recruitment that never had a commitment

Ranking: No. 14 player in 2018, per ESPN

Update: Little has committed to North Carolina

#UNC gets a commitment from Nassir Little, and now they have the top class in 2018 https://t.co/7ZUv61SyoJ

— Tar Heel Blog (@tarheelblog) October 4, 2017

The strangest recruiting story to come out of this investigation so far belongs to Nassir Little, a five-star wing from Jacksonville. Here’s what you need to know:

Little played for 1 Family on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit. The director of that program, Brad Augustine, was arrested in the FBI probe.

Little tweeted that he was “reopening” his recruitment in the wake of the scandal and then deleted it. One problem: He never actually committed anywhere in the first place.

DraftExpress reported that Little to Arizona was essentially a done deal.

Two NCAA coaches involved in the recruitment of Nassir Little told me they had backed off this week as it became clear he was Arizona-bound.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) September 26, 2017

The director of Nassir Little's AAU team is currently in jail, and there's a decent chance Little is among those named in FBI/DOJ complaint.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) September 26, 2017

This recruitment was thought to be Miami vs. Arizona — two schools directly tied to the federal investigation. At this point, it’s likely the NCAA puts Little’s eligibility case through heavy scrutiny.

In better news, he was also projected as a top-10 pick in the 2019 NBA draft by ESPN this week.

Jalen Carey cuts Miami from his list of finalists

Ranking: No. 34 player in 2018, per ESPN

4-star PG Jalen Carey (@yungswae5) no longer considering Miami Hurricanes Basketball per report #Canes https://t.co/SXNlyi8W2i http://pic.twitter.com/fBTQ6UL3eS

— StateOfTheU.com (@TheStateOfTheU) September 28, 2017

The 6’3 guard from New Jersey thrives attacking the basket. With Miami out of the picture, he’s down to UConn and Syracuse.

Update: Carey has committed to Syracuse