Defending the Draft: 2023 Washington Commanders 8-8-1
Preface:
Hope.
This 2023 season will be the most interesting for the Commanders franchise in a long long time. We enter this season with more uncertainty than I have ever been a part of, however, the one thing the fan base is certain of... is the future is brighter. Dan Snyder purchased the franchise in 1999 and subsequently done nothing but run a blue blood franchise into the ground. This team has lacked direction for a long time and a large part of that was due to Dan Snyder's meddling in the day-to-day football operations of the team. Starting his ownership with signing washed up HOF veterans, to then overspending in free agency (Albert Haynesworth is arguably the worst free agent signing of all time), drug scandal with thetraining staff, the mishandling of the RG3 and Kirk Cousins situation, Not resigning Trent Williams, and lastly we've now reached tumultuous time where his off the field issues have hung a dark cloud over a once proud franchise. Although, lol, his most egregious mistake may be hiring Jim Zorn as head coach. It's egregious that his only punishment is a 6 billion dollar payout for his franchise. I hope the banks bury him and he faces the deserved legal actions. As of now there had been an agreement to sell the franchise to 76'rs and NJ Devils owner, Josh Harris.... and is 20ish members of his parliament. We await to hear news of the reviews from the NFL financial committee to close out the process. Last news I came across was he has cut down the number of minority owners to 20. It will be a pleasure when this agreement is finalized. He could be a terrible owner, but it would still be an upgrade from Synder. Harris, seemingly has been a hands off owner and properly allows the people he's hired to operate the team. This last sports season he's had both of his teams deep in the playoff hunt. This season will be interesting. A lot of questions all around: Sam Howell? Chase Young? Ron Rivera? Eric Bienemy? Josh Harris? I'm not sure of those answers, but I'm very excited to find them out.
Coaching:
HC- Ron Rivera OC- Eric Bieniemy DC- Jack Del Rio
Key Additions: Eric Bieniemy
Ole' Riverboat Ron Rivera is back and going into his 4th season with the Washington Commanders, hopefully his last. I believe Ron Rivera is a leader of men, but I highly question his actual coaching skills and team building. I've currently seen enough of this coaching regime and front office to safely say let's move on. There's been several things that I believed were firable offenses.... the Carson Wentz trade. Some rumors have said that this was a Snyder push. Not entirely positive, but Ron bragged that it was his call. Our team at that point was not a qb away from being really good, let alone a Carson Wentz level of qb. The next fireable offense was starting Wentz over Hienke when the playoffs were on the line. Wentz ended up being benched for Hienke, but it was too little too late. The next fireable offense was not realizing we were eliminated from the playoffs. Going into the last week of the season Ron planned on starting Hieneke. Pretty odd to not know you're out of the playoffs, let alone to test Sam Howell out for next season. Additionally, there's been some pretty questionable roster creation decisions. I absolutely hate the versatile secondary and offensive line philosophy. We currently have a patch work offensive line that has the means to fluctuate between average to below average. Not a single player on the line is top 5 at their respected position. Two years ago we had a top 10 o-line, but that had Brandon Sherff playing like a top 5 guard and Charles Leno having his best season. Our o-line took a significant step back this past season and now looks to be our biggest weakness. Ron has shown to trust his own board and has reached (according to the consensus big board) with every single pick so far. People mistake 2019 as one of his drafts ( Sweat, McLaurin, Holcomb), but he was hired at the end of the season. Take this with a grain of salt as it takes at least 3 years to properly review a draft. Rons 1st round picks have been the following: 2020 pick 2 Chase Young- the correct pick at the time, but hard to botch the 2nd overall pick, 2021 pick 19 Jamin Davis- hated the pick at the time, too early for a linebacker... let a lone a project. On tape he looked lost a lot and made up for it with his elite athleticism. He's shown progress, but nothing showing he's worthy of the pick. 2022 pick 16 Jahan Dotson- looks to be an absolute baller, had him ranked above Olave in the pre-draft process. Was a slight reach above the consensus board, but flashed high end ability. Davis has been the only mistake in the 1st round thus far. When I say mistake I don't necessarily mean player, but the roster building philosophy. Whether reaching on Phidarian Mathis in the 2nd round of 2022. Lol, he was older than Payne coming out of the draft, one year of good production, and was taken a round too early. In the next round Brian Robinson was taken and was really just a body. Haven't really seen anything elite with him so far and was a meh pick. John Bates in the 4th round was egregious. Now I have to give credit where it's due. Kam Curl was an absolute steal and can solidify himself as top 5 safety this season if he continues to play this well. Our other starting safety in Darrick Forest also had a lot of bright spots playing this past season.
Arguably, our best offseason move was signing Eric Bieniemy. I'm absolutely excited. Forget everything about him not calling the plays. Reports from OTA's shows his hands on approach and full control of the offense. One of my favorites things I've heard is he is using OTA's to see what the players can do and crafting the offense to their abilities. Time and time again (Scott Turner) you see coaches say this is the offense and not change anything to match the players strengths. We don't know for sure how the offense will look, but if it's anything close to the motion west coast offense the Chiefs have... boy lessssss gooooooo. Jack Del Rio has been up-and-down in his time in Washington. He's had two very slow starts with the defense to start year, however, they've finished strong and kept his job safe. This is really the no excuse year and everyone needs to show up amd show out.
Free Agency:
Key Departures:
Taylor Hieneke- signed with the Falcons
Cole Holcolm- signed with the Steelers
Bobby McCain- signed with the Giants
Carson Wentz- TBD
J.D. McKissic- TBD
Trai Turner TBD
Andrew Norwell- will be released when he passes a physical
Summary:
In my personal oppinion, the only player that hurt losing in free agency was Cole Holcolm. Linebacker is our one weak spot on defense, however, not resigning Holcolm shows Ron's belief in Jaymin Davis's progression. Cole was limited to 7 games last season and has yet to truly break out. Always played very solid and losing him downgraded the position. We've moved on from both starting guards from last year in Norwell and Turner (previously on the Panthers). Both players were liabilities last season and the guard position was easily upgradeable. Bonny McCain was a solid do it all for is player. Lined up at corner, safety, and nickel throughout the season. Hieneke was a big fan favorite, but was never the answer. We thank you for your service though. Carson Wentz, fuck you. Loved J.D. and his time here, suffered a major injury. Not sure if he gets picked up hy another team.
Key Additions:
Andrew Wiley- 3 years for 24 million, 12 guaranteed. Previously on the Chiefs
Nick Gates- 3 years for 16.5 million, 8 million guaranteed. Previously on the Giants
Jacoby Brissett- 1 year for 8 million, 7.5 million guaranteed. Previously on the Browns
Cody Barton- 1 year for 3.5 million, 3.5 million guaranteed. Previously on the Seahawks
Summary:
Simple. In free agency the Commanders did not overspend and tackled positions of need. None of the players signed are top 5 at their position, however, they could all possibly end up being upgrades to what we have. The most interesting is Andrew Wiley. He allowed 9 sacks (tied for 3rd most)... but man he put on the performance of his life in the superbowl. Another stat that favors him is pass block win-rate, which measure if a lineman can sustain a block for 2.5 seconds. Wylie ranked 9th in that stat last season. I translate that stat to mean can a lineman sustain a block against thr initial rush and counter move off the snap. After that 2.5 seconds the ball is thrown or the play breaks down. Another key factor to this signing is it kicks Samuel Cosmi inside to guard. Cosmi has shown flashes being a high end lineman and I expect him to be even better kicking to guard from right tackle. Guard was our weakest position on the line and Wylie signing helped to upgrade the RG position. Nick Gates is expected to he our starting center. He's coming off of a brutal leg injury that made him consider retirement. Has played guard and center and has some positional flexibility. Jacoby Brissett is the best backup qb in thr league. A solid signing if Howell doesn't pan out. Just a solid game manager that doesn't commit many turnovers. Cody Barton is another unproven guy. Last year was his first year with significant reps. Bobby Wagner leaving in FA and Jordyn Brooks injury made em the guy. He showed flashes of coverage abilities and had a lot of tackles. The tackles weren't necessarily a product of his abilities and more so of cleaning up on a bad run defense team. I've read some notes that he has trouble getting off of blocks. Honestly, haven't watched much on the guy, but reports were he played solid down the stretch.
The Draft:
Link to all RAS scores for our draft class
https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/lists/2023-nfl-draft-ras-scores-for-the-washington-commanders-7-player-class-emmanuel-forbes/
Round 1:16 Emmanuel Forbes 6'1" 174 lbs. Mississippi St
Stats: 58 targets, 31 catches allowed for 284 yards (23 yards a game), 3 tds allowed/ 6 ints, 9 forced incompletions, 2 dropped ints, 46 tackles.
PFF Grade: 87.2
If being a 160 pounds is your only knock then I think you're doing something alright. The word on the street is he is already up to 174 pounds. You wouldnt realize hes only 174 pounds by the way he plays the run. Hes not scared to hit and flies ro the ball. Although, he does struggle to get off of blocks. Emmanuel Forbes, per PFF, had the highest rating in man coverage last season, albeit the snap count was very miniscule. Emmanuel Forbes is a lanky corner than played a lot of zone coverage and is a very good scheme fit for what we do. I like the pick and I'm not upset about taking him over Gonzalez, who also had his own question marks. Forbes set a NCAA record with 6 pick sixes. A lot of those were the right place at the right time, but when you have that high of a number than you're doing something right.
PFF:
Forbes is one of the best ballhawks in this class. Over the course of his three-year career, he came down with 13 interceptions. That’s four more than the next closest Power Five cornerback since 2020. Forbes was unbelievably dominant in man coverage in 2022, giving up only three catches while also snagging three interceptions. He also only allowed a 20% completion rate in man, the lowest among FBS
PROS
Remarkably lanky frame. Limbs for days — ideal for a corner.Has bounce like a hooper. He can challenge any catch point necessary. Elite ability to locate the football. All six of his interceptions came in man coverage.
CONS
Still a stick. Not much mass on his frame. Has eyes that get him in trouble. Some freelance tendencies on tape.Can get bowled over in the run game. Mediocre tackler over the course of his career.
Round 2: 47 Jartavius "Quan" Martin 5'11". 194 lbs Illinois
Stats: 74 targets, 42 catches allowed, 611 yards allowed, 3 tds allowed, 3 ints, 15 forced incompletions, 2 dropped ints, 4 missed tackles, 64 tackles.
PFF Grade: 73.2
Quan is a beast. I thought he was the 2nd best nickel prospect in the draft and a better deep safety than Brian Branch. Martin absolute rockets around the field in the run game. He started his career at cornerback before transitioning into the safety/nickel position. Another elite athlete that is a perfect fit for our Buffalo Nickel defense.
PFF:
Martin came to Illinois and immediately started as a true freshman in 2018. He originally started off as an outside corner before becoming more of a slot corner recently. He had arguably his best year in 2022, as his 15 forced incompletions were tied for the sixth-most among Power-Five corners. Martin’s 91.0 run-defense grade also led all Power Five cornerbacks. While he played corner at Illinois, we project him more as a safety for the next level.
PROS:
Explosive flat-foot breaks. Tremendous burst. Forceful and reliable tackler - 7 misses on the last 129 attempts last two seasons.Fills like a mac truck in the run game. Wants to come downhill and play in the backfield.
CONS:
Pure man skills are work in progress. Overagressive and liability to bite on fakes. cons On the lighter side for an around the line of scrimmage player. Gets caught with his eyes in the backfield on run
Round 3: 97 Ricky Stromberg 6'3" 306 lbs Arkansas
Stats: 9 impact blocks, 11 qb hurries, 0 qb hits, 0 sacks allowed
PFF Grade: 82.4
Nasty. Another guard experience player that spent his last two years at the center position. Award winner of the Jacob's Blocking Trophy for the SEC'S most outstanding blocker award. This is a solid player that has started since he was freshman in the SEC. He's been battle tested since he was kid and has improved every year. He has some knocks about his play strength, but a NFL program should get em to where he needs to be.
PFF:
Stromberg was a three-star recruit in the 2019 class and started for the Razorbacks as a true freshman, mostly at right guard. He moved inside to center for his sophomore season and spent his final three college seasons there. Stromberg’s 82.4 overall grade and 83.7 run-blocking grade in 2022 both ranked fourth among all centers in college football, and his nine big-time blocks were tied for fifth among FBS centers. Not to mention, Stromberg had an incredible performance at the NFL combine.
PROS:
Does not want to let blocks go. Can see him straining his butt of to stay engaged on tape. Tons of experience against top competition. Four-year starter with 3,121 career snaps.
CONS:
Forward lean gets going on the move, making him liable to topple over. Has wide hands to initiate contact in pass protection before resetting. Leaves himself open for stronger rushers.Unimpressive musculature, which leaves questions about how he'll anchor against NFL strength.
Round 4: Braeden Daniels 6'4" 296 lbs Utah STATS:
0 sacks allowed, 1 qb hit allowed, 14 hurries allowed.
PFF GRADE: 72.2 at tackle, 2021 84.4 at guard.
Braeden Daniels is another tackle/guard hybrid, with starting experience across his college career. This guy is on the lighter side but that allows him to be an Explosive athlete. Very raw at the tackle position and will be a developmental guy. I'd like to give em a try as our swing tackle and see how he performs. He was one of the quickest offensive lineman I've seen off the tape and that athleticism will let him climb to the next level. Even on the lightweight side I'd hate to see this guy running at me on the second level.
PFF:
Daniels is an experienced veteran who commanded the Utes’ offensive line for the past few years. He originally started as a guard before switching over to tackle. His best season came in 2021, as he put up an 84.4 PFF grade. Given his time on the interior, Daniels is at his best when run blocking, and his run-blocking grade in 2021 was an elite 89.1. He still held his own as a pass protector, allowing only five sacks in his Utah career.
PROS
Explodes out of his stance. Arguably the quickest get off in the offensive line class. Linebackers don't want to see him climbing. Gets on them before they can even react. Drive in his lower half to still move the line of scrimmage despite being under 300 pounds.
CONS
Wild into contact. He approaches blocks with the adjustment ability of a freight train. consDoesn't bring his hands with him. Clean engagements are rare on tape. Very light by NFL standards (294 pounds at combine).
Round 5: 137 KJ Henry 6'4" 260 lbs Clemson
STATS:
51 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 FF, 6 pass deflections, 50 qb pressures, 31 qb hurries, 14 qb hits.
PFF GRADE: 83.1
Loved this pick. Henry was a 5 star recruit coming out of high-school and decided to attend Clemson University. With Clemson having deep lines it took him a couple of years to get on the field. The stats look odd when you only see 3.5 sacks, however, the 50 qb pressures is the key stat. Seems more like bad luck that the sack numbers weren't high. Clemson's whole d-line underperformed (Bresee, Murphey) and they should have picked up more sacks from Henry who was the best DE on that team last year. The team clearly liked him as we traded back up for him. He's not elite athlete, but he is an elite hands guy. Almost had that veteran presence in college. High motor and will immediately make an impact as a rotational de, a position that sorely needed an upgrade.
PFF:
On a team with Myles Murphy, you can easily make the case that KJ Henry was Clemson's best defensive end this year, as he posted better PFF grades than Murphy in every category and even generated 19 more pressures. The only problem is That Henry is 24 years old while Murphy is only 21. Therefore, Henry was expected to produce this well against younger competition. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that he can’t still improve. If Henry's play this season is any indication of his potential, he can still have a great NFL career as an edge defender.
PROS:
Heavy hands that are so well refined. Uses them independently to use combination moves.Utilizes hesitations and head fakes so well to catch linemen off-balance. Coaches rave about the type of teammate he is. He is the type of player you want in the locker room.
CONS:
First step that's unimposing for a rusher on the smaller side. Late bloomer. Wasn't even a starter until this past fall. One of the oldest prospects in the class. Already 24 years old.
Round 6: 193 Chris Rodriguez 6'0" 217 lbs Kentucky
STATS: 8 games played, 175 attempts, 904 rushing yards, 6 tds, 5.2 ypa, 5 catches, 41 rec yards.
PFF GRADE: 90.8
Chris Rodriguez is a PFF darling and was rated as the 7th best running back. This guy's is a pure one cut, run you over, power back. There's not much finesse to his game, but there's highlights of dragging guys 10-yards down the field. He does not posses break away speed, but he will get you 40 yards. He was suspended 4 games due to a dui and he may have been drafted higher on am abysmal Kentucky team. An extra 4 games of stats against SEC competition and no suspension may have jumped him into the 4th round. This was an Eric Bienemy guy and they brought him in because of that. Isiah Pacheco was another EB guy.
PFF:
Rodriguez is a powerful runner, but he lacks the burst and creativity to become anything more than a downhill grinder. He has the size and mentality to do the dirty work between the tackles, but it could be a challenge for him to get to and through the hole quickly in the NFL. He’s a physical blitz protector, so teams might envision a role for him as a second-half battering ram and third-down quarterback protector.
PROS:
Two-time team captain. Thick frame with ability to pick up tough yards. Makes tacklers feel his size at impact. Stays square getting through downhill cuts. Low success rate guaranteed for arm-tacklers. Stays on his feet through heavy angle strikes. Allows lead blockers to do their work. Steps up with force against incoming rushers.
CONS:
Below-average burst getting through line of scrimmage. Lacks finesse to navigate tight run lanes. Change of direction is heavy. One-speed running style is easy to track for linebackers. Pad level is a little tall as run-finisher. Inconsistent finding assignment versus blitz.
Round 7: 233 Andre Jones 6'4" 248 lbs Louisiana
STATS: 7 sacks, 5 qb hits, 20 hurries.
PFF GRADE: 77.2
Andre Jones was another hybrid de/lb player coming out last year. He possess 34 1/4" arms which is an elite number for his size. May move to LB, but I'm not sure that's the right move with a 4.71 40-yard dash. He doesn't have much a pass rush move set playing a hybrid role, but does use length to his advantage. A solid developmental pick.
PROS:
Shows a natural feel for setting up blockers and getting them off-balance. His hands are active and violent, and Jones quickly disengages with blockers and counters when his initial move stalls. Possesses accurate snap anticipation and timing to beat blockers off the edge. Offers some versatility, rushing from a two-and three-point stance with the playing speed to stand up in space.Flashes strength as a bull rusher and his energy doesn't plateau. Showed initial quickness and good flexibility to dip and bend. Jones has active hands and suddenness to his movements, demonstrating the ability to counter inside. Has fluid footwork to redirect, reverse momentum and close with a burst. Regularly first off the ball with good snap anticipation. He’s a high-effort pass rusher with an impressive combination of length and speed.
CONS:
Jones has to develop a counter move or two in the pass rush, and Jones needs to make better use of his hands. He lacks the speed of a chase and- tackle guy. He lacks twitch as a pass rusher and lacks the feet and flexibility to threaten around the edge. Jones also shows some stiffness when trying to bend the edge, often getting pushed past the pocket — he seems more comfortable countering back inside.
Draft Summary:
This was my favorite Ron Rivera/Martin Mayhew draft thus far. Going into the draft, offensive line, cornerback, and quarterback were our three biggest needs. Drafting in the middle of the round really took us out of the olineman race. The last one that interested me was Broderick Jones and he went off the board when the Steelers traded up. At that point in the draft it really left us with going cornerback. The Forbes pick was received negatively due to Christian Gonzalez being available. Both players will be viewed under the microscope throughout their careers. I'm fine with Forbes pick though. Another lanky cornerback who was an elite athlete. I did have Gonzalez rated higher going into the draft, but he slid for a reason. A lot of his tape shows him not necessarily being an elite cornerback, but being an elite athlete that plays corner. Forbes actually showed the athleticism, corner skills, and ballhawking ability. Some additional knocks against Gonazalez and his love of the game. Quan Martin was our biggest surprise pick of the draft. A lot of people had him going in the 3rd round, but I think the 2nd was a fine spot. Mayhew after the draft said he wish we were more aggressive at times, which I translated as not getting Brian Branch that went several picks before us. I think Quan was the backup option, but I like him as much as Branch. I think Quan will be a better deep safety and Bramch will be a better nickel. Liked Quan alot, but felt we should have gone o-line at this pick. Ocyrus Torrence would've been a sweet pick here. I think if that happened, the consensus view on our draft would shoot up. Quan will immediately via for playing time as our base defense is essentially a 4-2-5. Kendall Fuller was our only above average corner and now we turned our secondary into a strength. Ricky Stromberg and Braeden Daniels were our next two picks. I like Stromberg’s tape a lot and think by next he will be a solid starter at guard or center. Braeden Daniels will be a nice depth piece and if he's able to tame his play he could develop into a starter. Fun player to watch. KJ Henry was an awesome pick and can see him being a nice rotational piece. Good pick at an underrated area of need on our defense. RB wasn't a pressing need, but it's an underrated area of weakness. I think Brian Robinson is about as average of rb as you will see starting in the NFL. I wouldn't be surprised if Rodriguez slowly cut into Robinson's role over the next two years. Antonio Gibson has had some solid season, but has a severe fumbling problem. Andre Jones will be a depth piece that will need development moving forward.
Offseason summary:
The biggest question of our offseason was our owner, which now appears resolved. Our second biggest question... was who was our starting qb? Sam Howell. Ron preached all offseason that he was going with Howell and I'll be damned, he did. Brissett was good qb to bring in, not someone that would necessarily turn the offseason into a battle, but can be a starter if called upon. Really a true backup qb. I'm all in on the Sam Howell train. I love it for a multitude of reasons. One, he balls out and we have our qb of the future, two he plays well enough we give him another season and maybe Ron is out and we get a high draft pick, three he bombs and we fire Ron Rivera and go for Caleb Williams next season. If anything, it gives us a direction for our future. I'm ready for Ron to go and think he's only as good as his coordinators. I'm concerned that EB AND Howell turn the offense around Ron gets resigned and EB takes a head coaching role... then the offense regressed. Additionally, I don't want Ron to get credit for drafting Howell. It was 5th round pick, you and every team passed on him for 4 rounds. If Howell is that good... it's not because Ron was a genius and drafted him. Very similar to Seattle taking Russel. I am excited about EB being here and think he's the real deal. I will give Ron credit for allowing him to run his own offense as he sees fit. OTA's have shown that EB is pushing his guys hard and is trying to see what he can do with the offense. We really do have elite playmaker and I'm most excited to see what he can do with Antonio Gibson. I can see his role being that of Jerrick McKinnon, with more athleticism. Sam Howell has shown a lot of progress since his rookie season. Had issues with his foot work, but has shown vast improvements. We only have 1 preseason game and 1 NFL game of tape on him. I liked what he showed. When watching tape you could see him going through his progression, man absolutely saved the day wish his escapability- was under pressure the whole game, threw two beautiful deep passes, and won the game. He did throw one bad pick, but was under pressure and playing hero ball. He had one week of practice with the starters, now he has a whole offseason. Our defense should be a top 5 unit next season and we only got better. Chase Young should be fully healthy and he's the X-factor for the number one overall defense. He comes out plays to his full potential then he could be a mid teens sack guy. If we have that sort of production and Sam Howell plays well than we can compete for the decision. Big if though. Our secondary really lacked a 2nd option, Benjamin St Juyce has shown some flashes but didn't seeze the role last year. Now on paper he's the number and that's very solid. We return two top 6 defensive tackles and Montez Swear is one of the most underrated players in the league. He's yet to have a high sack season, but is very much that Jadaveon Ckowney type of player in the run game. Big question mark season for Jaymin Davis. We knew he needed development, but it's been slower than previously thought. Down the stretch he showed flashes that he was coming into his own and now is his year. He's one of the best athletes at linebacker in the league and his ceiling is very very high. Overall I predict we will go 10-7 and challenge for a wild card spot. That record can fluctuate each one, but I'm calling the improvement now. We went 8-8-1 with bottom 3 qb play. The defense got better, we hired a better offensive coordinator, Howell will at the minimum be slightly better than Hienke last season, we didn't lose any major pieces and had a solid all around draft. I'm truly excited to watch how our future plays out.

I did a round of Rifaximin and Flagyl (3 a day with meals for two weeks, spaced 6 hours apart) and I was deathly afraid to do this because of all the horror surrounding Flagyl online, things like permanent brain damage and encephalopathy, damage in the tendons and joints, etc. All this stuff was scaring me to take it for over a year but at this point I am so fed up with my SIBO I will try just about anything to kill it. Well I did the course and finished it a few weeks ago and while it didn't help with my methane SIBO whatsoever, it definitely didnt give me these crazy symptoms and lasting damage that i've seen from some online sources.
I'm just putting this out there in case someone's looking up info on Flagyl and was scared like me. It's definitely not for everyone and I don't doubt the people that suffered from it, but for me it was a piece of cake. Only noticeable things while on the course was that I was much more tired often, and I would sometimes have random pains in my hands or the bottom of my feet. If it lasted into the next day I would have called my doctor but all the weird pains and symptoms faded after sleeping. I kept hydrated, avoided everything with alcohol or propylene glycol (sadly this meant anything with Soy Sauce as well), ate the doses 6 hours apart, and stayed out of direct sunlight as much as I could. It may help you or may not, but it's certainly worth it to try considering it didn't do any lasting damage. No more weird pains or overbearing tiredness.
Fluoroquinolone antibiotics though... I will never ever take one of those again.

I know that 99.99% of the human population has this already figured out. Now it's finally my turn to fully and completely understand this.
There is no relationship without communication.
I know this applies equally to all relationships across the board, but my focus here is on intimate relationships, since it's heavy on my mind.
Wonder why relationships of yesteryear were able to last so long? Why were they able to stay together, for better or for worse, for a baseline period of 40 to 60 years? Why did those relationships of our elders stand the test of time? What was it that made them stick together, working together through anything and everything that came their way, and was able to stand by each other's side until death actually parted one (or both) of them?
Communication.
They had the advantage of not having cell phones, social media, hashtags, friend requests, video chatting, texting, sexting, and emailing.
No, that was not an error.
If a man wanted to ask a woman out on a date, he would either need to: (1) approach her in person and formally request her company with him somewhere, where the focus was to actually pay attention to one another and get to know each other; or (2) he had to pick up a telephone and actually speak to her, letting her know his intention of wanting to spend time with her. She wasn't trying to interpret his words through a phone screen, trying to figure out what he really meant and he wasn't hiding behind a phone screen to evade the social responsibility of learning to actually communicate with someone.
Back then, when a man and a woman were on a date, they actually paid attention to each other. She wasn't trying to snap the perfect selfie to post on her Instagram for a measure of likes and comments, and he wasn't sending out a mass "wyd" text message to 4,321,844 other women on Tinder. Both people were focused on each other, talking to each other in real-time, observing each other, and investing in quality time to get to know each other. They learned who the other person was over time. They got to learn about each other's likes and dislikes. Their active participation on a date allowed the other to get a better understanding of the other person's character. When conflicts did arise, they couldn't get away with ghosting. They had to call each other to talk things out. For the more mature (and able), they showed up in person to discuss things face to face. Over time, they developed the necessary skills and emotional intelligence to not only build a strong relationship but to also work together to sustain the strength of that relationship over time. Being involved in such an adult and responsible relationship such as a committed relationship gave each of them an opportunity to hone in on those skills that they have spent years learning, developing and practicing.
Fast forward to today. Quite the difference! Sure, there are those who want the benefits of an actual committed relationship. They want someone to be there for them, to listen to them, to give them emotional support and security. They want to enjoy the benefits of physical intimacy. They want someone to desire them, to want them, and to let them know that they are loved and that they matter. Who doesn't want that?
The problem is the unwillingness to put forth the effort, patience, time, maturity and compromise to develop and grow that kind of relationship.
It takes more than just a "good morning, beautiful" text message sent every other Monday, Wednesday, Friday and occasional Sunday morning every other month during each leap year to set the proper foundation to really get to know someone.
No, simply "liking" someone's comments, videos, and posts on social media doesn't communicate, "You share some really good insight and I'd like to talk to you more to understand how you think."
Sex is just that: sex. A physical act shared between two people for the sole purpose of experiencing pleasure. It's not an invitation to start a relationship. It has nothing to do with your intellect, your emotional makeup, what you want to accomplish in your life over the next 365 days, or what you would like Santa to bring you for Christmas. The focus of sex is for your body to accommodate the use of someone else in order for them to get pleasure from you. That's it. If they really wanted to get to know you, that same mouth that travels all over your body would be used to ask you personal questions about yourself in order for them to get to know you. Anyone who tells you that they need sex from you in order for them to stay interested in you would be more successful feeding shit on a shingle to Chef Gordon Ramsey.
The best way to gauge if someone is truly interested in you, not in your usefulness to someone else, is to calculate how much time they actually spend in wanting to talk to you and the actions that shows you their willingness to open up for you to get to know them. Do they take the time to call you, to actually speak to you, and ask questions to learn about you? Do they utilize video chatting because they want to observe your facial reaction as you try your great-grandmother's gnocchi recipe for the first time, and you wanted to see how it looked to someone else or because they bought a kitten and wanted to show you because they know how much you love cats? Do the activities they plan with you focus on your mind and your intellect, rather than on how quickly they can get your clothes off? Are the quality of your conversations focused on how the both of you think and feel about certain issues and about life in general, that goes beyond your favorite sexual position or the last time you tried a sub/dom relationship? Is this person still willing to spend time with you and get to know you, even if/when sex is not quickly offered or even on the table?
The main inspiration behind this piece was from an old episode of "The Hills". Audrina met a very wonderful guy, Colin and started dating him. Audrina expressed her apprehension about drinking because it would lead to unnecessary fights and confrontation, and Colin put her mind at ease by explaining that he was a "happy" drunk and she had nothing to worry about. He kept reassuring her that she was safe and that he would make sure that she felt safe around him. They had not even gotten their appetizers, and he was already expressing his interest and planning out a second date with her. However, on their second date, Audrina turned down healthy and available Colin in favor of the mysterious and unavailable Justin who, just days later in Mexico, made it clear to her that he was unwilling to care for her feelings and value her place in his life. If you were to ask Colin and Justin the same question, "Do you want someone in your life who values you, accepts you, and loves you for who you are", I'm sure that they would both answer with "Yes". But who's the one that's willing to put forth the work to get there? Colin was willing to invest in the time to get to know Audrina, to spend time with her, to make sure that she felt safe and open as they got to know each other. He demonstrated his willingness to listen to her, expressed openness for her to communicate with him, and made sure to know that he was available for her. Justin, on the other hand, was only open with her when she was swimming topless in the swimming pool and gaslit her into allowing him to use the upcoming trip in Mexico to chase after any other woman he wanted.
I may seem to be all over the place, so I'll bring this home: a relationship cannot exist without real communication. It's very easy to get caught up in the social media trap, believing that communication through a phone screen is a viable substitute for real face-to-face interaction in order to really get to know someone. It doesn't work. There is nothing wrong with a relationship beginning from an online dating platform or from social media, but it's another thing entirely if it doesn't grow or go anywhere beyond it. If a social media/online shituationship goes no further than text messaging, NSFW video chatting, coordinating when to meet up for hooking up, and talking about anything remotely sexual in the early stages of getting to know one another, then that's all it's ever going to be.

Hello selling a few figures to make space for new figures! All displayed for about a month before being put back into their box. Like new condition. Pm for shipping quotes! Feel free to ask for more photos as well.
Berserk - Guts - Pop Up Parade - Berserker Armor, L (Max Factory) 110$
One Piece - Nami - Excellent Model - Portrait Of Pirates Limited Edition - 1/8 - Ver.BB_02 (MegaHouse) 120$
Vampire - Morrigan Aensland - Bishoujo Statue - 1/7 (Kotobukiya) 110$
https://imgur.com/a/TaWVTl0

With his mother dead and his cultist family members out to ruin his life, getting abducted by alien slavers is actually an improvement for Corey Vash. A quick and chaotic escape attempt only succeeds thanks to an unintentional rescue from the impressively skilled and infrequently sober bounty hunters aboard the Hard Luck Hermit. With no clue about how to survive in space and nothing to return to on Earth, Corey joins the crew in their efforts to make a quick buck, try new drinks, and figure out who the hell keeps trying to kill them.
[First Chapter][Previous Chapter][Cover Art][Patreon]
“Alright, our little gun show just got a hell of a lot more complicated,” Kamak said. Zero-G combat was a pain in the ass even for people who’d been specially trained, and as far as Kamak knew, that only applied to Farsus. He and Doprel had been in a handful of zero gravity fights, but he was less than confident in his skills and knew that Doprel felt the same.
“I’m not confident in our ability to manage this combat scenario,” Farsus said. “Melee combat is generally more viable in zero gravity environments, and we cannot hope to beat the Doccan in melee range.”
“On the other hand, lot of handholds here on this ship,” Corey said. He grabbed an exposed mechanical element, one of many jutting from the patchwork halls of the ship, and latched himself in place. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but they had places to brace themselves to avoid the zero-gravity recoil problem. To Vo braced her foot against an oddly welded ridge in the ship’s hull and kept her gun up.
“Could we leave this vessel disabled and wait for the Doccan to send reinforcements?”
“We’ve only got enough disable rounds for one more ship, and the Doccan always escalate linearly,” Doprel said. “They’ll send two, maybe three next time.”
“It’s a little messier than anticipated, but this is still our best shot,” Kamak said. “Guns up.”
The team shouldered their weapons and started kicking off the walls, drifting down the darkened halls of the ship. The vessel had enough of an auxiliary power system to keep some emergency lights on, but even those were intermittent, with many bulbs burnt out by the Doccan’s lack of interest in repairing such a negligible function. They did not feel fear, much less fear of the dark.
Corey, on the other hand, was feeling a lot of fear. His casual interest in sci-fi films had done him a lot of good out here in space so far, but now it was starting to backfire. He’d watched Alien one too many times to be comfortable drifting around the dead silence of this spaceship. He tried to remind himself that there were no xenomorphs here. The only aliens he had to worry about were nigh-unkillable super strong emotionless behemoths.
In retrospect, that was worse, and Corey decided to start thinking about literally anything else just in time to hear something go click.
A three round burst of plasma fire soared down the hall, briefly illuminating the length of it in green fire. One of the bolts caught Farsus on his broad chest, but his armor mostly negated the damage. Kamak returned fire, sending a stream of bullets up the hall, and Kamak himself careening the other way. In his haste to return fire, he’d forgotten to brace himself. The rest of his fireteam made no such mistakes.
With his back to a wall, Corey turned his gun towards the Doccan and took aim. There were two of them, both even larger than Doprel, and wearing patchwork armor to boot. That was an unpleasant development.
“Take out the guns first,” Farsus shouted. The Doccan themselves were durable and heavily armored, but their guns were as fragile as any other weapon in the galaxy. Corey took aim and peppered the Doccan’s limbs with a spray of gunfire. One of the two had the wherewithal to clutch their gun to their side, letting their arm absorb the brunt of the gunfire, but the other kept trying to return fire even as a bullet finally hit home. The metal slug cracked through the plasma repeater’s energy chamber, and the weapon started to vent green fire as the energy cell leaked.
With his weapon damaged, the Doccan took the next logical step and launched himself at his opponents, massive arms raised and ready to strike. The crew took advantage of the zero gravity recoil and let go of their handholds in the wall, then fired at the approaching Doccan. The recoil propelled them away as bullets peppered its thick hide. With no gravity to make it flow outwards naturally, the strange fluid layer beneath the skin of the Doccan started to leak out in blobs of oozing blue.
The floating globs splashed into dozens of tiny droplets as Doprel met his kin coming the other way. The divided drops then scattered in every direction as the shockwave of their colossal impact traveled outwards. Another spray of blue fluid followed shortly after as Doprel dug his fingers into a patch of bullet holes and tore a massive chunk out of the Doccan’s exterior carapace.
“Doprel! Give me an angle on the face!”
With a quick grunt of acknowledgment, Doprel spun around and put the Doccan he was grappling in a headlock. He kept his arms wide and his face behind the Doccan’s back as Kamak took aim at the Doccan’s head and fired. A quick round of bullets tore through the air, a few managing to find purchase in the Doccan’s face, tearing out one of its eyes and a few chunks of mandible. The floating drops of blue liquid pouring out of the broken head were soon joined by a thin flow of black bile -the real lifeblood of the Doccan.
“Not going to be interrogating that one,” Kamak said. “Focus fire and take out his friend!”
Kamak drifted forward and grabbed on to the broken body of the dead Doccan, using it as cover as the hail of bullets continued. Under fire from five sources at once, the Doccan’s defeat was inevitable yet worryingly slow. Corey kept his rifle focused on the joint of its arm for a solid thirty seconds of sustained fire, but it didn’t even drop its gun until the arm was only attached by a few strands of tattered, fibrous “muscle”. Even at that point, the Doccan simply switched hands and continued firing until Farsus blew a big enough chunk of its head off that it stopped moving entirely. Doprel walked up and ripped its other arm off just to be sure, while Kamak took a final few potshots at the head of the other one.
“Bastard’s aren’t afraid to play dead,” Kamak said. “Especially when they know they’re at a disadvantage.”
“Good news is, this means there’s probably just two more,” Doprel said. “If we were dealing with multiple groups there’d have been a full crew of four after us.”
“Best news I’ve gotten all week,” Kamak said. “Now where are the others…”
“We are located in the cockpit.”
Five guns pointed in five different directions as the voice boomed out from a PA system.
“What’s going on?”
“You have stated an intent to interrogate a living subject, and have proven your ability to defeat two or less Doccan in combat,” the monotone voice proclaimed. “There is no further purpose to violent resistance.”
“I see,” Kamak said. They really were logical. “We’ll be right there. Guns up, of course. I’m not dumb enough to not see a trap.”
“We lack the resources to commit to such a deception.”
That did nothing to ease Kamak’s suspicion, for reasons the Doccan could not at all understand. He, Doprel, and Farsus kept their guns up as they head upwards, towards the cockpit of the makeshift vessel. Corey was not far behind, until he realized To Vo La Su was quite far behind. She was bouncing slowly around the hall, trying to dodge floating globs of Doccan ichor—and a few chunks of the Doccan themselves.
“You’ve just got to accept you’re going to get messy and move through it,” Corey said. “The laundry machine on the Hermit is surprisingly good.”
“I don’t have that many clothes to start with,” To Vo mumbled. Due to the impromptu circumstances of her “recruitment” To Vo had the clothes she’d been wearing and a few spare outfits Tooley had been willing to throw at her—most of which fit poorly and had suspicious stains already. “But that is not my issue. I do not- there is a certain amount of- I can’t-”
“To Vo?”
The former transit authority tightened her grip on a gun she was entirely unsuited to carry and took a deep breath. One of the globs of Doccan ichor drifted worryingly close to her face, and she backed away.
“I didn’t want to do something like this again.”
“Again?”
To Vo was naturally small, but she still found a way to shrink in on herself.
“The world I come from was harsh,” To Vo said. “We did harsh things to live. All of us.”
A few chunks of gore drifted by Corey’s head. He knew better than to ask what she meant.
“Yeah. Look, I get it, but, these guys came after us because they thought we were a defenseless bunch of stranded travelers, right? You think they brought all that firepower to escort a bunch of lost souls back to safety, give them a nice pat on the back and a snack for the road? If we’d actually been lost travelers, we’d be dead. And eaten, quite possibly.”
“But we aren’t travelers, and now they’re dead,” To Vo said, pointing out the drifting Doprel corpses as she spoke. “How can this be right?”
“Look, To Vo, nothing’s ever completely ‘right’. Even when you’re purely trying to help someone, who’s to say they ‘deserve’ it, or that there’s not someone else who needs the help more and isn’t getting it?” Corey asked. “You’re never one-hundred percent in the right. Sure, maybe we’re a lot closer to that line between good and bad than we could be, but I think we’re still on the good side of things.”
“And what happens when you’re not?”
Corey didn’t have an answer for that question. Luckily for him, he didn’t get the chance to try.
“Would you two stop fucking moralizing and back us up? This is still a combat zone!”
The ever obedient To Vo La Su was the first to grab her gun and kick off towards the cockpit, heedless of the gore she had to splash through on the way. Corey followed closely behind her, secretly quite happy to let her absorb all the floating ichor instead of him.
***
As it turned out, the Doccan were sincere in their desire to surrender. That left only one dilemma to resolve.
“So. Awkward issue,” Kamak said. “We’ve only got enough restraints for one of you.”
“We will offer no resistance,” one of the Doccan said.
“Oh sure, for now. Until we get attacked by someone else, or we all turn around at once, or you decide you might have a good opportunity.”
“This point is sound,” the Doccan admitted.
“Which one of you knows more about the recent movements in people fighting you guys, and why your people blew up the Bang Gate?”
“I am more knowledgeable on all military matters,” the Doccan on the left said. Kamak pointed to the one on the right.
“And you agree with that sentiment?”
“Yes. However, your inquiries might require a greater knowledge base. I am in charge of monitoring the social habits of various Doccan, and may possess relevant information.”
The other Doccan had barely finished speaking when Kamak shoved the barrel of his gun in their mandibles and pulled the trigger. A burst of rounds tore through their cranium and the Doccan fell over dead. The only surviving Doccan did not even react as his comrade collapsed. As black blood started to drift through the air, Corey very deliberately avoided To Vo’s gaze.
“Not particularly interested in your social media. Alright, Doprel, tie the other one up,” Kamak said. “And you. Got time for questions?”
“I will accede to any line of questioning that does not actively endanger the Doccan species.”
“Great! What’s your name, champ?”
“Doprel.”
Doprel looked up and over the other Doprel’s shoulders.
“Doprel, why is our new friend also Doprel?”
“It’s...actually a term for the working class of Doccan’s,” Doprel said. “I didn’t have any other name, and by the time I realized what was going on it had sort of stuck, so...yeah.”
“Do you want a better name?”
“No, no, like I said, it’s stuck now, no sense changing it,” Doprel said. “Not like we hang out with other Doccan enough for it to be confusing.”
“On that note, for the purposes of this conversation, you are Junior,” Kamak said. The newly christened Junior did not object to this designation, so Kamak assumed he accepted it. “What do you know about why the Doccan attacked the Bang Gate?”
“We were recently informed that new stresses upon intergalactic shipping routes would place additional importance on our galaxy as a trade hub,” Junior said. “Your Galactic Council endures our presence and our attacks on your shipping route as acceptable losses. If this galaxy was to become more important on a galactic scale, they would feel more pressure to protect it, and therefore take more aggressive actions against the Doccan species. A pre-emptive strike to lessen the utility of our home as a trade route mitigates this risk of escalating conflict.”
“And blowing up a fucking Bang Gate isn’t an escalation?”
“The gateway is destroyed. Retaliatory attacks achieve nothing. Your Council has nothing to gain from further conflict.”
“What if they’re worried you’ll blow up another fucking gate, Junior?”
“The measured presence of other species in this galaxy ultimately benefits us by providing resources we would be otherwise unable to acquire,” Junior said. “We have no reason to completely close ourselves off.”
“You guys have a lot of work to do on understanding other species,” Kamak said.
“Typical warfare does not stop when one side considers it merely ‘convenient’,” Farsus said. “If the Galactic Council decides on hostilities, they will not stop until they possess a considerable advantage over you.”
“By our appraisal they already possess a significant advantage,” Junior said. “However, if I survive our conversation, I will pass on your appraisal of the situation to the homeworld.”
“Jury’s still out on your survival. Tell us this and improve your odds: Who told you about all this shipping route bullshit?”
“It was [TRANSLATION ERROR].”
Kamak rubbed the sore spot where his translator chip was implanted and tried again.
“Say again?”
“We were informed of these developments by a [TRANSLATION ERROR].”
“Alright, not going for a third try here,” Kamak said. Whenever the translation software ran through the full suite of languages it knew, it started to overheat a little, and Kamak didn’t want a hotspot in his skull. “Doprel, I thought you gave us the whole language?”
“I did!”
“If I may theorize,” Farsus said. “To my understanding, the Doccan are a very literal people. Junior, when your people are faced with a new entity or concept, do you invent a new word for it?”
“When it is the most convenient course of action, yes,” Junior said. “Oftentimes compound words are formed. Your own people are referred to as ‘Red-Large-No Carapace’.”
“An apt descriptor,” Farsus said. “So we can assume whatever introduced these concepts to the Doccan, it was something they first encountered after Doprel’s departure, and something so unique it prompted the creation of a new word.”
“Fun times,” Kamak grumbled. “Junior, can you describe the thing whose name we can’t understand?”
“I have never seen it.”
“Peachy. What do you know about it?”
“It displayed enough intelligence that our central command council took its provided information seriously.”
“And did your central command stop to think about whether this word-we-can’t-understand had any ulterior motives?”
“Non-Doccan rarely approach the Doccan without ulterior motive,” Junior said. Had he any understanding of irony as a concept, he might’ve pointed out his current situation. “It was decided that the threat presented was legitimate enough to act without regard to possible external agendas from the [TRANSLATION ERROR].”
“Please stop saying that,” Corey whined.
“I am unaware of any reason to do so beyond your physical movements,” Junior said. To him, the flinching Corey did every time he said the word was just a strange muscle spasm, as the average Doccan did not experience pain.
“Just don’t fucking say it. Back to the point, you should know that whoever or whatever brought this stuff to you, they’re using you and your actions as a smokescreen to get away with their own shit,” Kamak said. “They’re pushing to change trade routes and pressure new parts of the galaxy. Maybe the threat is legitimate, but it is only legitimate because they are doing what they’re doing.”
“Noted.”
Junior’s quiet acceptance of the dramatic twist unsettled Kamak more than he’d like to admit. Maybe it was just because he’d lived through so many dramatic twists and turns lately, but he felt like that warranted more of a reaction. The emotionless Doccan accepted every new twist of fate the way a calculator would accept a new number plugged into a math problem.
“So...if we let you live, you’re going to tell all this to your planetary council or whatever?”
“New data will be considered.”
“Fan-fucking-tastic, I guess. Anyone else got questions for Big Blue Number Two?”
“I’ve got one,” Corey said. “How long ago did that weird thing bring you guys all this info?”
“Eighteen Doccan days ago.”
“That comes out to a few months, with everything converted,” Doprel said. The Doccan homeworld had a very slow rotation period.
“Once again putting it well before our run-in with that purple ship,” Corey said. “So we really did just get caught up in a plot that was already going on.”
“If that’s supposed to make me feel better, it doesn’t,” Kamak said.
“It might be useful, at least,” Corey mumbled.
“Final call for questions,” Kamak said. “I want to get out of this floating piece of crap.”
“Just the one,” Doprel said. “If what we’ve said is true, and the Doccan find out they’ve been manipulated into making their own situation worse...what will they do about it?”
“It is impossible to make an assessment of the situation without a consensus of at least one Doccan hive,” Junior said. “If not the full planetary council.”
“Well what would you, personally, do?”
“Obey the consensus of the hive or council.”
“Let’s say there’s no hive or council-”
“If all hives and the council have been obliterated, my priority must be to repopulate the Doccan species first and foremost, ignoring tertiary matters such as this.”
“Doprel,” Kamak said. “Whatever you’re looking for, you’re not going to get.”
“Yeah. Got it.”
Doprel’s sullen silence infected the rest of them, and their interrogation was put on pause for a moment.
“Has your interrogation ended?”
“What?”
“You have asked for final questions and are now silent. Is your interrogation finished?”
“Pretty much,” Kamak said. They’d learned this particular Doccan was next to useless, so they didn’t have much reason to continue. “You got a last request?”
“In some form. Do you intend to assault, kill, or otherwise impede the entity you believe has manipulated the Doccan?”
“That’s the plan, yeah,” Kamak said. “Speaking of assaulting or killing-”
Kamak hefted his heavy rifle once again.
“Cooperation will be beneficial,” Junior said. “Remove my restraints so that I may assist.”
“Oh, yes, sure, that sounds like a great idea,” Kamak said. “Assist us with what?”
“Surviving.”
Something Junior wouldn’t be doing much longer, if Kamak had anything to say about it. It was hard to read a Doccan, but he knew a bluff when he saw it. The captain raised his gun, and had it shoved down again by Doprel.
“Kamak.”
In any other situation, Doprel would’ve been on board with calling the bluff, but the Doccan didn’t bluff often. Kamak reluctantly accepted Doprel’s caution and played his part.
“Okay, this is me taking the bait,” Kamak said. “You’re going to help us survive what?”
“The patrolling warship on route to this location,” Junior said. “My willingness to discuss important information with you was a stalling tactic. We sent a distress ping shortly after you boarded.”
While Kamak started swearing, Farsus did the slightly more sensible thing. He hopped on the comms and turned back towards the Hermit.
‘Tooley, ping the long range scanners.”
“Okay. We got...huh,” Tooley said. It took a moment for the full details to come in, but even the most basic scan functions couldn’t miss the vessel coming their way. “That is a big one. I think that might be a Corrhulk.”
“They’ve kept a fucking Corrhulk flying for the past century?”
“What exactly is a Corrhulk?” Corey asked. He felt context was very important.
“It’s big and it’s got a lot of guns,” Kamak snapped. The Corrhulk was one of the last true warships the intergalactic community had mass-produced. Nowadays what few heavy cruisers existed were mostly just carriers for swarms of small fighters, but enough heavily-rusted Corrhulks were still shambling along in merchant fleets and pirate gangs to give the ship a reputation. “Tooley, what’s the Corrhulk’s ETA?”
“Couple drops if we’re lucky,” Tooley said. “I can get us out of here before then if you get back to the ship.”
“And provided it doesn’t try to chase us,” Kamak said.
“Undo my restraints and I will transmit your cooperation to the vessel,” Junior said. “There is benefit to mutual cooperation.”
“And if your friends on the ship don’t agree?”
“Then you will be killed.”
“Love the bluntness,” Kamak grunted. “I’ve got enough friends.”
“Kamak,” Doprel grunted.
“Oh, I’m sorry, are we making friends with your cousins who want to eat you now?”
“We have more enemies than allies,” Farsus said. “Questionable friends are still friends.”
“We’ve got like four drops on our escape window, guys,” Tooley said. “Whatever you’re going to do, do it now.”
“There are those among the Doccan who have spoken to our informant directly,” Junior said. “Further dialogue may yield further relevant information.”
“Oh fuck me,” Kamak said. “Whatever. Not like we’ve ever made a smart decision, might as well make a stupid one on purpose.”
With a reluctant nod from Kamak, Doprel reached down and untied the thick cables holding Junior in place. The titanic alien immediately drifted towards the console and started inputting a complex series of commands.
“Get back on the ship,” Kamak ordered. “Tooley, prep us to detach and start calculating a faster-than-light vector for us. We’re negotiating over comms, and if they say anything we don’t like, we’re out.”
“Oh, are we not going to invite the murderous sociopaths onto our ship for some drinks and snacks?”
“Just shut up and get us ready, Tooley!”
“Ready to die, maybe,” Tooley grumbled. She shut down her comm link in order to get the last word and started calculating their escape route while everyone else made a mad dash back to the Hard Luck Hermit. Before she rounded the corner and drifted out of sight, To Vo La Su took a look back at the cockpit, back at Junior.
He’d picked up the corpse of his dead copilot and was beginning to gnaw on it. No sense letting good nutrients go to waste. To Vo started to wonder what they were getting themselves into.

Defending the Draft: 2023 Washington Commanders 8-8-1
Preface:
Hope.
This 2023 season will be the most interesting for the Commanders franchise in a long long time. We enter this season with more uncertainty than I have ever been a part of, however, the one thing the fan base is certain of... is the future is brighter. Dan Snyder purchased the franchise in 1999 and subsequently done nothing but run a blue blood franchise into the ground. This team has lacked direction for a long time and a large part of that was due to Dan Snyder's meddling in the day-to-day football operations of the team. Starting his ownership with signing washed up HOF veterans, to then overspending in free agency (Albert Haynesworth is arguably the worst free agent signing of all time), drug scandal with thetraining staff, the mishandling of the RG3 and Kirk Cousins situation, Not resigning Trent Williams, and lastly we've now reached tumultuous time where his off the field issues have hung a dark cloud over a once proud franchise. Although, lol, his most egregious mistake may be hiring Jim Zorn as head coach. It's egregious that his only punishment is a 6 billion dollar payout for his franchise. I hope the banks bury him and he faces the deserved legal actions. As of now there had been an agreement to sell the franchise to 76'rs and NJ Devils owner, Josh Harris.... and is 20ish members of his parliament. We await to hear news of the reviews from the NFL financial committee to close out the process. Last news I came across was he has cut down the number of minority owners to 20. It will be a pleasure when this agreement is finalized. He could be a terrible owner, but it would still be an upgrade from Synder. Harris, seemingly has been a hands off owner and properly allows the people he's hired to operate the team. This last sports season he's had both of his teams deep in the playoff hunt. This season will be interesting. A lot of questions all around: Sam Howell? Chase Young? Ron Rivera? Eric Bienemy? Josh Harris? I'm not sure of those answers, but I'm very excited to find them out.
Coaching:
HC- Ron Rivera OC- Eric Bieniemy DC- Jack Del Rio
Key Additions: Eric Bieniemy
Ole' Riverboat Ron Rivera is back and going into his 4th season with the Washington Commanders, hopefully his last. I believe Ron Rivera is a leader of men, but I highly question his actual coaching skills and team building. I've currently seen enough of this coaching regime and front office to safely say let's move on. There's been several things that I believed were firable offenses.... the Carson Wentz trade. Some rumors have said that this was a Snyder push. Not entirely positive, but Ron bragged that it was his call. Our team at that point was not a qb away from being really good, let alone a Carson Wentz level of qb. The next fireable offense was starting Wentz over Hienke when the playoffs were on the line. Wentz ended up being benched for Hienke, but it was too little too late. The next fireable offense was not realizing we were eliminated from the playoffs. Going into the last week of the season Ron planned on starting Hieneke. Pretty odd to not know you're out of the playoffs, let alone to test Sam Howell out for next season. Additionally, there's been some pretty questionable roster creation decisions. I absolutely hate the versatile secondary and offensive line philosophy. We currently have a patch work offensive line that has the means to fluctuate between average to below average. Not a single player on the line is top 5 at their respected position. Two years ago we had a top 10 o-line, but that had Brandon Sherff playing like a top 5 guard and Charles Leno having his best season. Our o-line took a significant step back this past season and now looks to be our biggest weakness. Ron has shown to trust his own board and has reached (according to the consensus big board) with every single pick so far. People mistake 2019 as one of his drafts ( Sweat, McLaurin, Holcomb), but he was hired at the end of the season. Take this with a grain of salt as it takes at least 3 years to properly review a draft. Rons 1st round picks have been the following: 2020 pick 2 Chase Young- the correct pick at the time, but hard to botch the 2nd overall pick, 2021 pick 19 Jamin Davis- hated the pick at the time, too early for a linebacker... let a lone a project. On tape he looked lost a lot and made up for it with his elite athleticism. He's shown progress, but nothing showing he's worthy of the pick. 2022 pick 16 Jahan Dotson- looks to be an absolute baller, had him ranked above Olave in the pre-draft process. Was a slight reach above the consensus board, but flashed high end ability. Davis has been the only mistake in the 1st round thus far. When I say mistake I don't necessarily mean player, but the roster building philosophy. Whether reaching on Phidarian Mathis in the 2nd round of 2022. Lol, he was older than Payne coming out of the draft, one year of good production, and was taken a round too early. In the next round Brian Robinson was taken and was really just a body. Haven't really seen anything elite with him so far and was a meh pick. John Bates in the 4th round was egregious. Now I have to give credit where it's due. Kam Curl was an absolute steal and can solidify himself as top 5 safety this season if he continues to play this well. Our other starting safety in Darrick Forest also had a lot of bright spots playing this past season.
Arguably, our best offseason move was signing Eric Bieniemy. I'm absolutely excited. Forget everything about him not calling the plays. Reports from OTA's shows his hands on approach and full control of the offense. One of my favorites things I've heard is he is using OTA's to see what the players can do and crafting the offense to their abilities. Time and time again (Scott Turner) you see coaches say this is the offense and not change anything to match the players strengths. We don't know for sure how the offense will look, but if it's anything close to the motion west coast offense the Chiefs have... boy lessssss gooooooo. Jack Del Rio has been up-and-down in his time in Washington. He's had two very slow starts with the defense to start year, however, they've finished strong and kept his job safe. This is really the no excuse year and everyone needs to show up amd show out.
Free Agency:
Key Departures:
Taylor Hieneke- signed with the Falcons
Cole Holcolm- signed with the Steelers
Bobby McCain- signed with the Giants
Carson Wentz- TBD
J.D. McKissic- TBD
Trai Turner TBD
Andrew Norwell- will be released when he passes a physical
Summary:
In my personal oppinion, the only player that hurt losing in free agency was Cole Holcolm. Linebacker is our one weak spot on defense, however, not resigning Holcolm shows Ron's belief in Jaymin Davis's progression. Cole was limited to 7 games last season and has yet to truly break out. Always played very solid and losing him downgraded the position. We've moved on from both starting guards from last year in Norwell and Turner (previously on the Panthers). Both players were liabilities last season and the guard position was easily upgradeable. Bonny McCain was a solid do it all for is player. Lined up at corner, safety, and nickel throughout the season. Hieneke was a big fan favorite, but was never the answer. We thank you for your service though. Carson Wentz, fuck you. Loved J.D. and his time here, suffered a major injury. Not sure if he gets picked up hy another team.
Key Additions:
Andrew Wiley- 3 years for 24 million, 12 guaranteed. Previously on the Chiefs
Nick Gates- 3 years for 16.5 million, 8 million guaranteed. Previously on the Giants
Jacoby Brissett- 1 year for 8 million, 7.5 million guaranteed. Previously on the Browns
Cody Barton- 1 year for 3.5 million, 3.5 million guaranteed. Previously on the Seahawks
Summary:
Simple. In free agency the Commanders did not overspend and tackled positions of need. None of the players signed are top 5 at their position, however, they could all possibly end up being upgrades to what we have. The most interesting is Andrew Wiley. He allowed 9 sacks (tied for 3rd most)... but man he put on the performance of his life in the superbowl. Another stat that favors him is pass block win-rate, which measure if a lineman can sustain a block for 2.5 seconds. Wylie ranked 9th in that stat last season. I translate that stat to mean can a lineman sustain a block against thr initial rush and counter move off the snap. After that 2.5 seconds the ball is thrown or the play breaks down. Another key factor to this signing is it kicks Samuel Cosmi inside to guard. Cosmi has shown flashes being a high end lineman and I expect him to be even better kicking to guard from right tackle. Guard was our weakest position on the line and Wylie signing helped to upgrade the RG position. Nick Gates is expected to he our starting center. He's coming off of a brutal leg injury that made him consider retirement. Has played guard and center and has some positional flexibility. Jacoby Brissett is the best backup qb in thr league. A solid signing if Howell doesn't pan out. Just a solid game manager that doesn't commit many turnovers. Cody Barton is another unproven guy. Last year was his first year with significant reps. Bobby Wagner leaving in FA and Jordyn Brooks injury made em the guy. He showed flashes of coverage abilities and had a lot of tackles. The tackles weren't necessarily a product of his abilities and more so of cleaning up on a bad run defense team. I've read some notes that he has trouble getting off of blocks. Honestly, haven't watched much on the guy, but reports were he played solid down the stretch.
The Draft:
Link to all RAS scores for our draft class
https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/lists/2023-nfl-draft-ras-scores-for-the-washington-commanders-7-player-class-emmanuel-forbes/
Round 1:16 Emmanuel Forbes 6'1" 174 lbs. Mississippi St
Stats: 58 targets, 31 catches allowed for 284 yards (23 yards a game), 3 tds allowed/ 6 ints, 9 forced incompletions, 2 dropped ints, 46 tackles.
PFF Grade: 87.2
If being a 160 pounds is your only knock then I think you're doing something alright. The word on the street is he is already up to 174 pounds. You wouldnt realize hes only 174 pounds by the way he plays the run. Hes not scared to hit and flies ro the ball. Although, he does struggle to get off of blocks. Emmanuel Forbes, per PFF, had the highest rating in man coverage last season, albeit the snap count was very miniscule. Emmanuel Forbes is a lanky corner than played a lot of zone coverage and is a very good scheme fit for what we do. I like the pick and I'm not upset about taking him over Gonzalez, who also had his own question marks. Forbes set a NCAA record with 6 pick sixes. A lot of those were the right place at the right time, but when you have that high of a number than you're doing something right.
PFF:
Forbes is one of the best ballhawks in this class. Over the course of his three-year career, he came down with 13 interceptions. That’s four more than the next closest Power Five cornerback since 2020. Forbes was unbelievably dominant in man coverage in 2022, giving up only three catches while also snagging three interceptions. He also only allowed a 20% completion rate in man, the lowest among FBS
PROS
Remarkably lanky frame. Limbs for days — ideal for a corner.Has bounce like a hooper. He can challenge any catch point necessary. Elite ability to locate the football. All six of his interceptions came in man coverage.
CONS
Still a stick. Not much mass on his frame. Has eyes that get him in trouble. Some freelance tendencies on tape.Can get bowled over in the run game. Mediocre tackler over the course of his career.
Round 2: 47 Jartavius "Quan" Martin 5'11". 194 lbs Illinois
Stats: 74 targets, 42 catches allowed, 611 yards allowed, 3 tds allowed, 3 ints, 15 forced incompletions, 2 dropped ints, 4 missed tackles, 64 tackles.
PFF Grade: 73.2
Quan is a beast. I thought he was the 2nd best nickel prospect in the draft and a better deep safety than Brian Branch. Martin absolute rockets around the field in the run game. He started his career at cornerback before transitioning into the safety/nickel position. Another elite athlete that is a perfect fit for our Buffalo Nickel defense.
PFF:
Martin came to Illinois and immediately started as a true freshman in 2018. He originally started off as an outside corner before becoming more of a slot corner recently. He had arguably his best year in 2022, as his 15 forced incompletions were tied for the sixth-most among Power-Five corners. Martin’s 91.0 run-defense grade also led all Power Five cornerbacks. While he played corner at Illinois, we project him more as a safety for the next level.
PROS:
Explosive flat-foot breaks. Tremendous burst. Forceful and reliable tackler - 7 misses on the last 129 attempts last two seasons.Fills like a mac truck in the run game. Wants to come downhill and play in the backfield.
CONS:
Pure man skills are work in progress. Overagressive and liability to bite on fakes. cons On the lighter side for an around the line of scrimmage player. Gets caught with his eyes in the backfield on run
Round 3: 97 Ricky Stromberg 6'3" 306 lbs Arkansas
Stats: 9 impact blocks, 11 qb hurries, 0 qb hits, 0 sacks allowed
PFF Grade: 82.4
Nasty. Another guard experience player that spent his last two years at the center position. Award winner of the Jacob's Blocking Trophy for the SEC'S most outstanding blocker award. This is a solid player that has started since he was freshman in the SEC. He's been battle tested since he was kid and has improved every year. He has some knocks about his play strength, but a NFL program should get em to where he needs to be.
PFF:
Stromberg was a three-star recruit in the 2019 class and started for the Razorbacks as a true freshman, mostly at right guard. He moved inside to center for his sophomore season and spent his final three college seasons there. Stromberg’s 82.4 overall grade and 83.7 run-blocking grade in 2022 both ranked fourth among all centers in college football, and his nine big-time blocks were tied for fifth among FBS centers. Not to mention, Stromberg had an incredible performance at the NFL combine.
PROS:
Does not want to let blocks go. Can see him straining his butt of to stay engaged on tape. Tons of experience against top competition. Four-year starter with 3,121 career snaps.
CONS:
Forward lean gets going on the move, making him liable to topple over. Has wide hands to initiate contact in pass protection before resetting. Leaves himself open for stronger rushers.Unimpressive musculature, which leaves questions about how he'll anchor against NFL strength.
Round 4: Braeden Daniels 6'4" 296 lbs Utah STATS:
0 sacks allowed, 1 qb hit allowed, 14 hurries allowed.
PFF GRADE: 72.2 at tackle, 2021 84.4 at guard.
Braeden Daniels is another tackle/guard hybrid, with starting experience across his college career. This guy is on the lighter side but that allows him to be an Explosive athlete. Very raw at the tackle position and will be a developmental guy. I'd like to give em a try as our swing tackle and see how he performs. He was one of the quickest offensive lineman I've seen off the tape and that athleticism will let him climb to the next level. Even on the lightweight side I'd hate to see this guy running at me on the second level.
PFF:
Daniels is an experienced veteran who commanded the Utes’ offensive line for the past few years. He originally started as a guard before switching over to tackle. His best season came in 2021, as he put up an 84.4 PFF grade. Given his time on the interior, Daniels is at his best when run blocking, and his run-blocking grade in 2021 was an elite 89.1. He still held his own as a pass protector, allowing only five sacks in his Utah career.
PROS
Explodes out of his stance. Arguably the quickest get off in the offensive line class. Linebackers don't want to see him climbing. Gets on them before they can even react. Drive in his lower half to still move the line of scrimmage despite being under 300 pounds.
CONS
Wild into contact. He approaches blocks with the adjustment ability of a freight train. consDoesn't bring his hands with him. Clean engagements are rare on tape. Very light by NFL standards (294 pounds at combine).
Round 5: 137 KJ Henry 6'4" 260 lbs Clemson
STATS:
51 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 FF, 6 pass deflections, 50 qb pressures, 31 qb hurries, 14 qb hits.
PFF GRADE: 83.1
Loved this pick. Henry was a 5 star recruit coming out of high-school and decided to attend Clemson University. With Clemson having deep lines it took him a couple of years to get on the field. The stats look odd when you only see 3.5 sacks, however, the 50 qb pressures is the key stat. Seems more like bad luck that the sack numbers weren't high. Clemson's whole d-line underperformed (Bresee, Murphey) and they should have picked up more sacks from Henry who was the best DE on that team last year. The team clearly liked him as we traded back up for him. He's not elite athlete, but he is an elite hands guy. Almost had that veteran presence in college. High motor and will immediately make an impact as a rotational de, a position that sorely needed an upgrade.
PFF:
On a team with Myles Murphy, you can easily make the case that KJ Henry was Clemson's best defensive end this year, as he posted better PFF grades than Murphy in every category and even generated 19 more pressures. The only problem is That Henry is 24 years old while Murphy is only 21. Therefore, Henry was expected to produce this well against younger competition. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that he can’t still improve. If Henry's play this season is any indication of his potential, he can still have a great NFL career as an edge defender.
PROS:
Heavy hands that are so well refined. Uses them independently to use combination moves.Utilizes hesitations and head fakes so well to catch linemen off-balance. Coaches rave about the type of teammate he is. He is the type of player you want in the locker room.
CONS:
First step that's unimposing for a rusher on the smaller side. Late bloomer. Wasn't even a starter until this past fall. One of the oldest prospects in the class. Already 24 years old.
Round 6: 193 Chris Rodriguez 6'0" 217 lbs Kentucky
STATS: 8 games played, 175 attempts, 904 rushing yards, 6 tds, 5.2 ypa, 5 catches, 41 rec yards.
PFF GRADE: 90.8
Chris Rodriguez is a PFF darling and was rated as the 7th best running back. This guy's is a pure one cut, run you over, power back. There's not much finesse to his game, but there's highlights of dragging guys 10-yards down the field. He does not posses break away speed, but he will get you 40 yards. He was suspended 4 games due to a dui and he may have been drafted higher on am abysmal Kentucky team. An extra 4 games of stats against SEC competition and no suspension may have jumped him into the 4th round. This was an Eric Bienemy guy and they brought him in because of that. Isiah Pacheco was another EB guy.
PFF:
Rodriguez is a powerful runner, but he lacks the burst and creativity to become anything more than a downhill grinder. He has the size and mentality to do the dirty work between the tackles, but it could be a challenge for him to get to and through the hole quickly in the NFL. He’s a physical blitz protector, so teams might envision a role for him as a second-half battering ram and third-down quarterback protector.
PROS:
Two-time team captain. Thick frame with ability to pick up tough yards. Makes tacklers feel his size at impact. Stays square getting through downhill cuts. Low success rate guaranteed for arm-tacklers. Stays on his feet through heavy angle strikes. Allows lead blockers to do their work. Steps up with force against incoming rushers.
CONS:
Below-average burst getting through line of scrimmage. Lacks finesse to navigate tight run lanes. Change of direction is heavy. One-speed running style is easy to track for linebackers. Pad level is a little tall as run-finisher. Inconsistent finding assignment versus blitz.
Round 7: 233 Andre Jones 6'4" 248 lbs Louisiana
STATS: 7 sacks, 5 qb hits, 20 hurries.
PFF GRADE: 77.2
Andre Jones was another hybrid de/lb player coming out last year. He possess 34 1/4" arms which is an elite number for his size. May move to LB, but I'm not sure that's the right move with a 4.71 40-yard dash. He doesn't have much a pass rush move set playing a hybrid role, but does use length to his advantage. A solid developmental pick.
PROS:
Shows a natural feel for setting up blockers and getting them off-balance. His hands are active and violent, and Jones quickly disengages with blockers and counters when his initial move stalls. Possesses accurate snap anticipation and timing to beat blockers off the edge. Offers some versatility, rushing from a two-and three-point stance with the playing speed to stand up in space.Flashes strength as a bull rusher and his energy doesn't plateau. Showed initial quickness and good flexibility to dip and bend. Jones has active hands and suddenness to his movements, demonstrating the ability to counter inside. Has fluid footwork to redirect, reverse momentum and close with a burst. Regularly first off the ball with good snap anticipation. He’s a high-effort pass rusher with an impressive combination of length and speed.
CONS:
Jones has to develop a counter move or two in the pass rush, and Jones needs to make better use of his hands. He lacks the speed of a chase and- tackle guy. He lacks twitch as a pass rusher and lacks the feet and flexibility to threaten around the edge. Jones also shows some stiffness when trying to bend the edge, often getting pushed past the pocket — he seems more comfortable countering back inside.
Draft Summary:
This was my favorite Ron Rivera/Martin Mayhew draft thus far. Going into the draft, offensive line, cornerback, and quarterback were our three biggest needs. Drafting in the middle of the round really took us out of the olineman race. The last one that interested me was Broderick Jones and he went off the board when the Steelers traded up. At that point in the draft it really left us with going cornerback. The Forbes pick was received negatively due to Christian Gonzalez being available. Both players will be viewed under the microscope throughout their careers. I'm fine with Forbes pick though. Another lanky cornerback who was an elite athlete. I did have Gonzalez rated higher going into the draft, but he slid for a reason. A lot of his tape shows him not necessarily being an elite cornerback, but being an elite athlete that plays corner. Forbes actually showed the athleticism, corner skills, and ballhawking ability. Some additional knocks against Gonazalez and his love of the game. Quan Martin was our biggest surprise pick of the draft. A lot of people had him going in the 3rd round, but I think the 2nd was a fine spot. Mayhew after the draft said he wish we were more aggressive at times, which I translated as not getting Brian Branch that went several picks before us. I think Quan was the backup option, but I like him as much as Branch. I think Quan will be a better deep safety and Bramch will be a better nickel. Liked Quan alot, but felt we should have gone o-line at this pick. Ocyrus Torrence would've been a sweet pick here. I think if that happened, the consensus view on our draft would shoot up. Quan will immediately via for playing time as our base defense is essentially a 4-2-5. Kendall Fuller was our only above average corner and now we turned our secondary into a strength. Ricky Stromberg and Braeden Daniels were our next two picks. I like Stromberg’s tape a lot and think by next he will be a solid starter at guard or center. Braeden Daniels will be a nice depth piece and if he's able to tame his play he could develop into a starter. Fun player to watch. KJ Henry was an awesome pick and can see him being a nice rotational piece. Good pick at an underrated area of need on our defense. RB wasn't a pressing need, but it's an underrated area of weakness. I think Brian Robinson is about as average of rb as you will see starting in the NFL. I wouldn't be surprised if Rodriguez slowly cut into Robinson's role over the next two years. Antonio Gibson has had some solid season, but has a severe fumbling problem. Andre Jones will be a depth piece that will need development moving forward.
Offseason summary:
The biggest question of our offseason was our owner, which now appears resolved. Our second biggest question... was who was our starting qb? Sam Howell. Ron preached all offseason that he was going with Howell and I'll be damned, he did. Brissett was good qb to bring in, not someone that would necessarily turn the offseason into a battle, but can be a starter if called upon. Really a true backup qb. I'm all in on the Sam Howell train. I love it for a multitude of reasons. One, he balls out and we have our qb of the future, two he plays well enough we give him another season and maybe Ron is out and we get a high draft pick, three he bombs and we fire Ron Rivera and go for Caleb Williams next season. If anything, it gives us a direction for our future. I'm ready for Ron to go and think he's only as good as his coordinators. I'm concerned that EB AND Howell turn the offense around Ron gets resigned and EB takes a head coaching role... then the offense regressed. Additionally, I don't want Ron to get credit for drafting Howell. It was 5th round pick, you and every team passed on him for 4 rounds. If Howell is that good... it's not because Ron was a genius and drafted him. Very similar to Seattle taking Russel. I am excited about EB being here and think he's the real deal. I will give Ron credit for allowing him to run his own offense as he sees fit. OTA's have shown that EB is pushing his guys hard and is trying to see what he can do with the offense. We really do have elite playmaker and I'm most excited to see what he can do with Antonio Gibson. I can see his role being that of Jerrick McKinnon, with more athleticism. Sam Howell has shown a lot of progress since his rookie season. Had issues with his foot work, but has shown vast improvements. We only have 1 preseason game and 1 NFL game of tape on him. I liked what he showed. When watching tape you could see him going through his progression, man absolutely saved the day wish his escapability- was under pressure the whole game, threw two beautiful deep passes, and won the game. He did throw one bad pick, but was under pressure and playing hero ball. He had one week of practice with the starters, now he has a whole offseason. Our defense should be a top 5 unit next season and we only got better. Chase Young should be fully healthy and he's the X-factor for the number one overall defense. He comes out plays to his full potential then he could be a mid teens sack guy. If we have that sort of production and Sam Howell plays well than we can compete for the decision. Big if though. Our secondary really lacked a 2nd option, Benjamin St Juyce has shown some flashes but didn't seeze the role last year. Now on paper he's the number and that's very solid. We return two top 6 defensive tackles and Montez Swear is one of the most underrated players in the league. He's yet to have a high sack season, but is very much that Jadaveon Ckowney type of player in the run game. Big question mark season for Jaymin Davis. We knew he needed development, but it's been slower than previously thought. Down the stretch he showed flashes that he was coming into his own and now is his year. He's one of the best athletes at linebacker in the league and his ceiling is very very high. Overall I predict we will go 10-7 and challenge for a wild card spot. That record can fluctuate each one, but I'm calling the improvement now. We went 8-8-1 with bottom 3 qb play. The defense got better, we hired a better offensive coordinator, Howell will at the minimum be slightly better than Hienke last season, we didn't lose any major pieces and had a solid all around draft. I'm truly excited to watch how our future plays out.

Is anyone interested in critiquing the first chapter of my planned cultivation fantasy series. Sort of an alpha reader? it's less than 1800 words. I want to get several people's opinions of my prose before I write more chapters.
“I can’t wait to eat it.” Gong Li salivated over his next meal. Which was unfortunate, on account of the fact that it wasn’t dead yet.
Over 30 paces away from where he hid was a gnarlwood elk, its hind quarters marked by significant scarring that almost resembled burn marks. Presumably from a recent run in with a predator.
The gnarlwood elk was a truly majestic spirit beast that naturally cultivated the aspect of wood. And as was typically the case for spirit beasts, the path of its cultivation expressed itself in its unique physiology. The creature’s skin was the color of smooth, deep brown bark. It had fur like a normal elk, but it was green and looked more like moss that covered little of the lower half of the beast’s body. The elk sported massive antlers that more closely resembled gnarled tree branches, hence its namesake, with large flower buds growing out from it. Those flower buds were more than mere decoration, however. When opened, they would produce a pollen like substance. When exposed to it, a potential predator would experience severe irritation in its eyes and respiratory system. Also, the beast was about the size of a draft horse.
Li licked his lips in anticipation. “Mhm wood chi infused venison. My meat and veggies all in one bite.”
The Gnarlwood Elk stood cautiously in a clearing in the forest. It drank from a nearby brook, occasionally scanning the area for any signs of predators.
But Gong Li’s next meal wouldn’t find him. He had been on hunts before, but this was the first time he was permitted to join in on the hunt of a spirit beast. Such a thing would normally be too dangerous for someone of his cultivation and he was not expected to take part in the hunt itself. But the important thing was that the spirit beast didn’t notice him. This was an opportunity for Li to demonstrate his ability to suppress his spiritual power. What little he had as a mortal realm cultivator, anyway. Failing to do so might cost him and others their lives the elders of his clan told him. So he was sent on this hunt alongside his cousin Gong Fang and his team of beast hunters to prove his worth.
“Ready”, whispered the man himself in the bushes on Gong Li’s left. Gong Fang sported wild, spiky black hair that shimmered in the noonday sun with oil. His lean corded muscles clearly visible, as he wasn’t wearing a shirt. They bulged as if ready to rip out of his skin as he prepared himself for the hunt.
“Ready,” To Gong Fang’s own left was a woman. Gong Yue was built tall but slender. She shared the tanned complexion that most of the Gong Clan sported, which contrasted nicely with her short, silver hair. After a brief flash of light surrounded her uplifted hands, a wooden bow with a dark blue stone above the grip appeared in her grasp.
“Fire,” Gong Fang catapulted himself out of his hiding spot and into the clearing keeping up a storm of dirt and grass as he went. Gong Yue summoned an updraft, allowing her to take flight and break off small tree branches. As she knocked her arrow, the dark blue stone socketed into her bow’s limbs glowed with sparks of lightning inside. The sparks made their way to the bow proper, and Gong Li could smell the faint hint of ozone in the air.
The beast immediately knew something was wrong, but it was too late. Just as the gnarlwood elk popped its head back up, the arrow struck its neck. The beast reeled.
Gong Fang continued his charge, summoning a massive curved cleaver from his storage ring.
Gong Li watched as the beast struggled to get back on its feet, but the electrical current from the arrow had overloaded its nervous system. It violently flung mud into the air as Gong Yue fired another arrow into its flank.
As he closed in Gong Fang launched himself over ten paces into the air. He came down on the creature’s neck hard; The weight of the sword, his body and his technique. Together they easily cleaved through the base of the creature's neck. Gore sputtered out from the elk’s body and onto Fang but he jumped away from his fallen prey before the flower buds on the antlers blossomed. The beauty of the vibrant yellow petals were marred by the red gore that now covered them.
Fang was grinning. Grinning with the mischievous glee like a kid in an abandoned candy shop.
“Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about.” Fang triumphed over his kill. His enthusiasm was contagious. Li couldn’t help but cheer as well, despite the gory scene.
As Li and Yue caught up to Fang, Yue generated a current of air around them. The current, shaped like a dome, would keep the pollen from the flowers from getting to them.
Fang looked down at Li was a few finger widths shorter. “so little cousin tell me what you think of our technique?”
“Your methods are solid. Yue using lightning to paralyze the target, which gives you time to close the distance and quickly deliver a killing blow. I initially wondered why you use a cleaver instead of a spear as a melee hunting weapon, but now I see the logic of it. Cooks typically use cleavers to cut through bone and thick meat. However, a cleaver style sword can also be an effective way of killing an enemy quickly if you have the strength and precision to wield it. If you attempted to pierce the large Grade 2 beast’s neck with a spear and raw strength alone, it wouldn’t have guaranteed a kill. Given the strong hide and healing factor of the target. But by using force chi, you can apply greater kinetic energy and wield a heavier weapon.”
Fang grinned and looked towards Yue. “Told you he was a smart one.”
“Do you use this strategy against all your targets?” Li asked.
“No. Different prey calls for different methods. Although this is the strategy we use most often. We specialize in hunting large herbivores. That’s what sells the best prices on the market, anyway. They’re also the main course for the most profitable dishes of the clan owned restaurant. Also you’d be amazed what a pair of testicles from just about any large spirit beast would go for.
Li raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Spirit beast testicles?”
Yue interjected. “Many people think the testicles of large spirit beasts make for a potent aphrodisiac and may even increase fertility. There’s not much evidence to support the claim, but who am I to deny a fool so eager to part with his money?”
Fang barked a laugh. “Especially if it’s lining my pockets, eh.”
“We should get moving now,” Yue started scanning the area. “The scars on the elk may look old, but wood aspected beasts have an especially efficient healing factor. The creature that gave it those wounds could be nearby.
“Alright then, just give me five minutes to clean my sword and wash the blood off in the brook.
As Fang made his way to the brook Li turned towards Yue. “I was wondering, cousin Yue. Why use a bow with a lightning aspected beast core instead of cultivating it yourself? It would seem like the perfect fit to supplement your wind path.”
Yue shook her head, “Well, for one, the lightning aspect is hard on the body. It’s one of the most difficult aspects to cultivate.”
“No offense, but you don’t cross me as the type who would fear a little hard work.”
“No I’m not. But…” Yue trailed off.
“Funds. Right?
Yue gave Fang a regrettable expression. “Lightning is also one of the rarer aspects out there. To learn to adapt to cycling it through my meridians, any large quantity would require me to go through several Grade 2 beast cores. The clan simply doesn’t have those kinds of resources anymore. Our current situation is the reason why the elders requested we take you on this hunt with us. While your own path was designed for smithing the metal and fire aspect have obvious combat applications. They want as many of us prepared to defend the clan as possible. Should our enemies decide to take advantage of our weakness and hasten the clan’s fall.
As Li contemplated the clan’s current predicament, he found himself suddenly slapped with a torrent of water. After recovering from the initial shock, Li looked in Fang’s general direction. And there he was beaming with satisfaction in the brook over 10 paces away, sword in hand.
“You bastard.” Yue screamed.
Fang simply laughed and pulled back his weapon. He dipped the bulk of the cleaver in the water and made a sweeping motion back towards Li and Yue creating another wave of water. The water was accelerated to deceptively high velocities due to his application of force chi to enhance the swing. Yue was ready for him this time however. She generated a wall of wind chi that redirected the wave of water back at Fang. The combined force of the water and Yue’s wind technique knocked Fang off his feet submerging him in the brook’s shallow waters.
Yue laughed.
Li flicked off a piece of the gnarlwood elk’s bark-like carapace off his shoulder with a sigh of irration. “You’re a child cousin Fa-.”
Li found himself smacked hard by a current of air. He went spinning and before he knew his face smacked hard into the dirt, dazed. It took a moment to realize what had happened. Yue had struck him with her own technique. But why? He was only a mortal realm cultivator. She wouldn’t have hit him with an attack that hard, only for her own amusement.
His head was spinning, but Li did his best to lift it up and look around. It was then that he came to realize what had happened.
The impact knocked him a clean fifteen paces away, on the other side of the stream for his own safety. For the predator had arrived to claim its wounded prey.

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Ok, so, I don't know if the creator's of the movie will ever see any of ma points here (odds are, they probably won't), but here are three pieces of constructive criticism I would give them to improve on in the next movie!
Number 1: Gwen and her Dad's relationship
Easily the weakest relationship in the whole movie (which is really saying something, considering that [in my opinion], every other character's relationship in the movie was hekin' awesome)!
Don't get me wrong, the scenes between them are fine, and they still work pretty well overall, but in their last scene where they finally overcome their conflict with one other, it all just felt unearned for some reason. Like, I donno, maybe it's that this subplot's Setup part was there, the Resolution part was there, but the Conflict part was kinda missing, so in the end, I just felt... almost nothing. Which is a damn shame, cos I felt like I should've been (at this point in the story) much more invested in their relationship than I actually ended up being.
In conclusion, if I were to adjust this storyline a little, I would have had a really really short, like 5 to 7 seconds long solo Gwen's Dad scene (somewhere in the middle of the movie), where maybe he finds the photo inside Gwen's drumkit of her and Miles, than his expression shifts, as he reconsiders if his actions (in the moment Gwen left) were actually right or not, just to give the subplot (and, by extention, the ending scene) a bit more progression and/or weight. But, then again, it could just be me! How'd you feel about this dynamic yourself?
Number the 2: The Live action shots
They're fun references, I guess, but they just took me out of the experience. Instead of doing these scenes in live action, I would've much prefered doing the same scenes, but stylizing them in true animated Spiderverse fashion (like how Into the Spiderverse did it). All and all, they were fine, they just belong in a different movie (that's the way I felt anyway).
Number 3: No end credits scene
I mean, come on! I was sittin' there, in the theater (needing to go to the toilet real bad, but that's kinda irrelevant), and I was like: 'No, there's about to be a really fun end credits scene, I gotta stay here for this!' But, the credits rolled, and (aside from a small title teaser for the next film) there was... nothing! And I wasn't waiting alone in the theater either, close to half the audience stayed here for it too! So like, please, if you're gonna do a movie that has an end credit scene, and then you make a sequel to that movie, deliver on the promise you've made in the first place! Don't have the audience anticipate a fun (be it kinda bonus) part of your story that's never actually gonna happen (though, we are talking about an end credit scene here, so I kinda don't mind, but still, I would've appreciated at least a small meme or joke to end the movie with, for the sake of consistensy at least)!
All and all, I feel that these are all still pretty minor criticisms of the movie. I mean, if the worst parts of your story are 'fine', and the best parts are freaking incredible, you've done a pretty damn good job as a storyteller (while true, there is still stuff to improve on, but then again, when isn't there?). Anyhoo, I hope you've at least somewhat enjoyed reading through my thoughts, and I'd love to hear yours too, whether it relates to any of my points or otherwise! In any case, I wish you'll have a nice rest of your daay~ :-)

I need to get a BLS certification and wondered if there's any reasoning behind choosing one provider over another. I read online that the American Heart Association one is well-regarded, but the one provided by the Red Cross also seems to be.
Do you have any thoughts on this? From which provider did you get your BLS certification?

Hello CoinSales,
My previous posts have quickly turned into a disorganized, cluttered mess with multiple links to navigate and a hard time for buyers. So let's make things a little bit simpler, now shall we?
Proof
Images
​
"1775" Machin's Mills Halfpenny - a contemporary counterfeit George III halfpenny struck in the same New York mint that produced many of the popular post-colonial issues of the time. This is the only die pair dated 1775, and is rated R-4. Save hundreds because some idiot scratched a T into the reverse. $149 shipped
1797 Draped Bust Large Cent - Here's a rather special one, with not only the reverse of 1795 (which can be determined using flat reverse ribbons and a single leaf at the right-top of the wreath) but the enigmatic gripped edge as well. Only a few edge grippings remain on this piece, but it is determinably a Gripped Edge. The Sheldon variety is S-121b and the rarity rating is R-3-. $139 shipped
1863-S Seated Liberty Dime - scarce issue with just 157,500 minted and few survivors as these circulated hard out West. Very few have survived nice, and most are rather unpleasant to look at. Save on this one at $49 shipped
1897-S CENTERED MINTMARK Barber Quarter - A variety that if treated as its own coin is rarer than the 1901-S. The 1897-S Barber Quarter is already #4 in the series to begin with, after the "Big Three" keys. It is estimated that just 5% of known examples of the 1897-S Barber Quarter have the centered mintmark, and David Lawrence briefly touched on the scarcity of this issue in his Complete Guide to Barber Quarters. A PCGS VF-20 of this variety sold for a whopping $2,750 in November 2021. This one is in lower grade and has some minor problems, and you can call it yours for $419 shipped and insured
1918 Standing Liberty Quarter - although scratched on the reverse, here's a nice four-digit date SLQ from earlier in the series. $16 risky, $20 tracked, free with first $100 or greater purchase
1812/1 Capped Bust Half Dollar - a very bold overdate is the main feature of this well-travelled, early date Capped Bust Half. This one's yours for $59 shipped, which should be a good it cheaper than anything else on the market.
1646 Bristol/Bridgnorth Contemporary Counterfeit Halfcrown - One of the most interesting pieces I have. This coin is a billon (silver over copper core) contemporary counterfeit 1646 Halfcrown with a die pairing that shouldn't exist - the obverse has the Bristol mintmark under the horse, while the reverse does not have this mintmark and matches the issues from Bridgnorth-on-Severn. (In fact, Bristol only produced halfcrowns of this style from 1643 to 1645, as far as I can tell.)
I found a very similar piece conditionwise that sold for $480 USD / 380 British pounds. A nicer, non-clipped piece from the same dies sold for $1500 US. This one's just $269 shipped
1792-NR 1 Real - an elusive piece from the very scarce Nuevo Reino mint. These are very rarely seen in any grade at all, and this one has real nice surfaces for a circulated coin, despite being holed. Yours for $59 shipped
1699 Jacobite Medal - scarce medallion produced by the Jacobites, a political movement aimed at restoring James II to the throne after the Glorious Revolution in 1688. This piece has a beautiful design with a bust of James II as Prince of Wales on the obverse, and a rising sun dispersing clouds and demons on the reverse (SOLA LUCE FUGAT - He disperses them by his light alone). $169 shipped
​
Thank you for looking at my coins! Offers greatly appreciated!
payment - venmo, paypal, cashapp, zelle

The trailer is out and honestly I'm seriously hyped! So I wanna throw something in here because I noticed some sort of underlying link between episodes - most (if not all) deal with the past/alternate pasts. Some seem to be realistic enough that they could take place in the present day, similar to Shut Up and Dance, Smithereens or National Anthem.
First off, Joan is Awful. Streamberry makes a drama series about her life. Pretty self explanatory, it's sort of presenting a different interpretation of Joan's 'past'. We literally see it in the trailer. What could be really meta would be that Joan is Awful, the episode we're watching, is the 'dramatization', and the A-Lister is actually Annie Murphy. The real Joan is played by Salma Hayek.
Second is Loch Henry. This one is about a couple going to film a nature documentary, but actually ending up interested by 'shocking events from the past' (a series of murders?) So what I think might happen would be the documentary ends up being made about the crime, and also posits a theory on what happened/who did it, but the theory is wrong. But since the documentary is really popular, everyone is too focused on the existing theory that the real killer is still free. Again, altering events of the past.
Beyond the Sea takes place in an 'alternate 1969' so that's already something. I think there's something about consciousness 'switching', where the consciousness of one person on Earth and one in space are switched, hence someone waking up on the station confused.
Mazey Day takes place in the 90s/early 00s, we see someone using a dial up computer. I think this would be really interesting having a Black Mirror episode that actually takes place entirely in the past. Also the cleaning lady asks 'Miss Day'. Is Mazey Day a NAME???
And last but not least, Demon 79. Again, there's the '70s' setting (possibly takes place in 1979?) but I've also seen some people say it's a riff on Netflix? Something I did notice was when the salesgirl chokes the pervert was that the cinematography definitely felt very 70s. I don't know what it is, but maybe it's the film grain and the zoom in. The synopsis says she's told to commit terrible crimes in order to prevent calamity so again, present actions change the future (and the present actions are in the past. So she's actually doing past actions.)

Welcome to Meme-free discourse! Where we take a band that's commonly memed on, and discuss our opinions on them without memeing. I feel there's too many "meme bands" where most of the comments are just that, silly memes that often fail to communicate one's actual opinions on an art piece. So let's unclog the discourse gutters of the copy and pasted memes, and cut straight to the heart of our honest opinions!
Today's Topic: 311
PS, light memeing is permitted so long as you give your actual opinions

Hello fellow quitters!
I hit 6 months on Monday (Memorial Day) from quitting kratom. What a ride so far!
I'll begin by encouraging everyone to just keep going, no matter what your brain tells you. You might feel like you've reached the finish line at 30 days or 60 days, but many of us here experience some dips in mood, motivation, and energy that can stretch for weeks at a time after naively thinking we were back to 100% in those early days.
This isn't meant to discourage anyone, but to remind you all to stay vigilant, and should you take a few steps back, know that you are not at your baseline... it gets better!
I've mentioned in other posts that months 3 and 4 were long and tough for me. I was exhausted, depressed and lacked motivation for anything. I was sure that I had broken my brain.
By month 5, I was starting to see good improvement again... bits and pieces of my old self. At 6 months, my energy is so much better, my sleep is more restful, and I'm actually feeling like I want to engage in life again. I laugh a lot.
My biggest issue now is dealing with some bad life habits/patterns that came with taking kratom for 8 years. I was so used to letting kratom numb my day to day. Now, I wake up with goals and aspirations, but my struggle is taking life by balls and living according to the way I'm feeling. I want to do so many things, but I'm not sure where to start. It's not a bad problem to have but can be frustrating at times. I know with more time that I will get there.
I don't think I'm 100% yet. My energy isn't consistent, and I still get pretty tired in the evening, but damn, the sun is shining, and I'm so glad to be here... finally!
So please remember that if you hit a dark period to keep on going and give it more time. Dont get frustrated and turn back. Keeping looking ahead... pay back that damn kratom debt in full and be free from the mind-numbing, life-sucking plant that has held us all prisoners. With time and patience, better days await us all!
I am so grateful to every one of you for sharing your stories and encouragement. This sub is what keeps me going. Thank you!!!
Wishing you all love and strength. 💛

Hey there! I'm a 32 year old Aussie living in Canada that is pale, slim, has dark hair, wears faded black tees, and drinks black coffee. I work in the education sector, and love my job (let me know if you're and ea or teacher!). Looking to connect with someone online (though open to meeting up at some point).
Hobbies include: reading, writing, watching film (Fantasy, SF, Horror), painting and playing board/video games. Looking for someone with similar interests, though someone that can hold interesting conversations will take my heart!
In terms of what I'm looking for, I'm open to friendship with someone who is ideally 30+, creative, and perhaps a little wild. Up to naughty things.
If you're interested in getting to know me better, feel free to send me a message with your favourite movie or book!

Dear diar... Reddit. First lets get some things out of the way:
Throwaway because of obvious reasons.
A wall of fucking text.
TLDR: GF of 10 years, wife less than a year, cheated because she wanted to explore and take back her body after childbirth. Wanted to feel hot and get attention, seems honest and very remorseful.
I am mainly looking for constructive input and a place to vent, so thanks for reading up and sharing your views.
To get to it;
To my unfortunate surprise the feelings of a semi smashing through my livingroom hit me friday at around 4 am, one month ago.
I'm a 29 year old guy who has dated my high school sweetheart for now 12 years total, we got married in July last year, bought our first home 2,5 years ago and (almost) without being biased we have the sweetest 2yearold little rascal keeping us busy.
To give some more background we are a couple who don't fight in the fighting sense of the word but still discuss our differences. We laugh alot, although not so much since i found out - we have the same values, share housework and even with most of our sex is based in the "everyday sex" its insanely good about 3/10 times. Apart from that she has alway been extremely clear on her views on cheating, suffers from depression and anxiety in periods, and has always had pretty bad self esteem. Comes from a home with an extremely dominant know-it-all father who parents solely with boundaries and verbal consequences, and has been through therapy based on that.
This Autumn my wife opened up the discussion about mixing our sexlife up by bringing in another partner into our bedroom. We had some back and forth open discussions and after quite a bit of consideration i told her that i weren't comfortable risking us for a fantasy - given that she primarily wanted to involve a dude, and i've read some horror stories.
In January she came home suspiciously drunk after a christmas party so i started asking and after feeling something was off i went to the stage of scrolling through her phone. For reference i have never had a trust issue with this girl, and haven't went through or felt the need to doing so before. We know eachothers pins, answer eachothers in-laws sms'es and are generally open about what's going on.
Scrolling through her phone i found a lengthy and flirty chat with a co-worker of hers where they were talking about "wanting to meet up" and "wanting to get to know eachother better."
We had a fight and a told her point blanc that this is a major breach of trust and that we gotta work on us more if she was interested in staying together. After things settled we had a new discussion about involving another party where i told her no. Along with this i told her that she had to figure out wether or not this was a dealbreaker on her end and if so we had to discuss how to move forward. She told me this was solely a search for external attention as she wanted to get attention and "feel sexy" and "wanted" after childbirth - she was genuinely remorseful for hurting me like this.
Then about 1 month ago a bombshell went off. She came home drunk af friday night after partying with a friend - not an issue in general, apart from being completely shitfaced. After putting her to bed her phone beeps, and its a snapchat from an unknown dude.
All of my red flags and alarm bells went off simultaniously as she also mumbled something about "why are there noone else here??" when heading to the bedroom.
Well fuck - new phonecheck. Snapchat from a dude - dickpick.
Turns out she has a secret "porn" snapchat, sexting with 8-10 dudes, sending nudes back and forth, bragging about blowing a co-worker and some other random guy and how hot that was along with "That he doesnt know almost makes it more exciting, its like im a completely different person." The snapchat dates back to 3 months before we got married, and is from all kinds of everyday at home situations, and portrays her as an absolute slut who loves to please men.
Dont get me wrong, i love a good slut, but if this is my wife she has to be mine and mine alone.
The chat with her co-worker is also back on messenger, some pics traded but nothing to graphic. "you can meet me tonight at the club if you wish ;)"
Fucking devastating read I'll tell you.
So after spending 4 hours picking all of her aps, tracking data, deleted items and whatnot to pieces i have a pretty decent idea of what's been going on. I confront her with this the next day, and alot of tears later she tells me what has happened, how many times with who etc.
I still believe she has told me the truth - i mean why lie at this point.
She has slept with her colleague after he invited himself to our place after a fight with his girlfriend when i was out of town. Along with this one of the snapchat dudes were on a business trip the weekend before. She suggested i leave to my parents so they get to see our son, and went on a legit "date" before heading back to his hotel.
​
We've now had some time to think and i gotta say I am very fucking torn on what's next.
We are considering 1:1 and couples therapy, and i keep asking myself wether i can forgive, want to forgive and think i can move past it. I believe her when she says it was all about the sex and attention - especcially regarding the snapchat dude, semi sceptical about the co-worker. Along with this we have had a couple of weeks with "normal" life, but its more distant on all levels, and generally a weird vibe.
From here i have been thinking the following which makes the dilemma impossible:
I can either be a naive fool trying to repair it for me, her and mostly my son, or i can split and we have a 50/50 custody solution, buy her out of our house and restart my life. Tearing my up untill 4 months ago perfect family apart.
Are there other solutions?
what do i need to ask myself?
How do i fucking cope with this shit regardless of the final outcome, and how long should i take before making life-changing decisions?
​
fuck.

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Quickfire

General

• The Skill XP Embargo list has had some changes based upon player feedback:
  • Some specific items (Wise perk) will now work when they previously did not.
  • The full list will be shared later.
• There will NOT be:
  • Additional action bars (to be discussed)
  • More Bank space
  • Necromancy in Dungeoneering.
  • New abyssal Runecrafting shortcuts
  • New Archaeology relics
  • New auras
  • New Invention perks/components
  • New Necromancy familiars.
  • Void helmet for Necromancy
• You can:
  • Use EoF with Necromancy.
  • Have a 120 Necromancy pure.
  • Summon a familiar alongside your conjures.
• To consider in distant future:
  • Necromancy version for Rex Matriarch (Osseous)

 

• The upgradeable equipment cannot be dyed.
• The tier 95 gear will be dyeable but not on release.
• Rituals will have new candles.

 
Combat

• Accuracy - Necromancy's accuracy system is similar to ED4.
  • Instead of missing you do reduced guaranteed damage.
• Bosses - The new bosses will always require Necromancy to take on.
• Capes - Kiln/Zuk Necromancy Capes will be added.
  • The Necromancy version will be purple, and the Mage versions will now be blue.
  • The combined Zuk cape will be broken apart on release and will require the necromancy version to recombine it.
• Combat XP - Players will receive Constitution XP and Defence XP (if toggled on) whilst training Necromancy.
• Equipment - Necromancy equipment level 70+ onwards will be:
  • Augmentable.
  • Branched into becoming tank gear or power gear. (There are visual differences)
• Incantations - Some incantations can be used without the necromancy weapons.
  • For example: 'Bone Shield' is nonstyle specific.
• Prayer - The tier 99 Necromancy prayer will be obtained through the Praesul codex.

 
Skilling - Runecrafting

• The new Runecrafting method yields Runecrafting XP.
  • You do require Necromancy in order to do the quest which unlocks the altars.
• Impure Essence is only formed from Pure Essence.
• Catalytic/Elemental Anima stones will work with the new runes (to clarified which stones).
• The new runes cannot be stored in existing rune pouches.
  • We'd like to use a new necro ammo slot, but nothing on release (there's only 4 runes atm).

 
Other

• Mod Ryan's trading sequence will get an addition.
  • The pot of souls item was created without knowledge that he'd work on Necromancy.
• Everything is Mobile friendly.
  • Rituals have a fixed camera toggle.

 
 

Questions & Answers

 

General Necromancy

• Q: Why Necromancy?
• A: It has been a long time coming. The question was, how would we implement it.

When we did Archaeology, it came up quite a lot and it has always been a core part of Runescape/Gielinor's history. So it was naturally next in line. But we didn't want to do Summoning v2, a combat support skill. After discussion we agreed to make a new combat style.
We also wanted to make it Runescapey, bring all players along the journey. Making it "evil" may push some players away, but could be attractive to others. So to address that dichotomy we arrived at "Consensual Necromancy".
 

• Q: What does it mean to create a new combat style in 2023?
• A: Necromancy allows us to put the 20+ years of knowledge from all of our combat systems to use.

We don't want to make it feel completely distant from the existing styles but it provides the opportunity to try out new implementations to combat.
 

• Q: When did development start or when did the idea begin?
• A: December 2021 is when it was pitched but development didn't begin until Feb-Mar 2022.

 

• Q: What drove the design behind the skill icons/capes
• A: Recognition as Necromancy through the colors/icons and its use in hitsplats.

We gave a list of ideas (zombie hand, armguard, skull) to the UI artists who then came up with a few variations which expressed the idea of Necromancy. From there we decided on the skull icon. Although the Slayer icon also has a skull, this variation is different enough and incorporates the skills colors. It also needed to look good as a hitsplat.
Regarding colors, we decided on them before inverted skill capes came up, so no we didn't copy Thieving. But we went through the same process as players, using just purple and teal made it too similar to Divination so we settled on a black base. As for the trim we settled on purple since it was of the core color of the skill whilst teal is more reserved for the undead creatures.
 

• Q: What was designing the rituals like, how did the design process start?
• A: We wanted to make sure there was a skilling component so there's something there for everyone.

We had to consider what is Necromancy's fuel. Rituals commune with undead to fill the vessel of souls to get talent points which are needed for Necromancy. You also need it to make the impure essence. Additionally, rituals are a very Necromantic thing with the ghostly link, glyphs, candles, etc
As skilling method, it's fairly complex, but longevity playtesting has helped make it a more streamline process but also have a balance between afk and more lean forward gameplay. Also, everyone has to do rituals so they can unlock abilities and upgrade their equipment.
 

• Q: Will Necormancy have a lot of resources to fill your bank up?
• A: No

Since the equipment is upgradeable you will only have the 5 armour + 2 weapons from that. As for rituals we didn't introduce many new items as compared to Archaeology.
 

Combat

• Q: If I level up my skill through rituals does my combat level go up?
• A: Yes

It's a combat skills so it will naturally level up your combat level as the stat levels up.
As for the combat formula, it's calculated the same way as Melee, Magic, or Ranged where your highest stat out of the now 4 combat styles will affect your combat level. So if you are currently 138 your combat level won't increase until you reach level 99+ Necromancy.
Existing items with "all style" bonuses will have a Necromancy style bonus as well.
 

• Q: We saw ability damage ranges shown on tooltips, is this going to be implemented for all combat abilities for new player clarity?
• A: Yes.

Ultimately Necromancy is doing a lot of new things so we'd love to hear from you what's working well when it comes out. And if it works well maybe we will roll it out. For example the tooltips have now show the ability type and the cooldowns are now in cycles. We spend a lot of time making them clear, concise, and readable.
 

• Q: Can we conjure our allies and swap weapons?
• A: Right now you can, but it's a balance question.

If you swap weapons, should they be just as strong as if you hadn't. If they are then it could lead to a bad design space where its the only viable method. We are looking at the best way to approach it, but hybrid is definitely a high level end game thing.
Also you need both main/off-hand items equipped to use necromancy abilities to conjure.
 

• Q: Will existing Necromancers in the game eventually deal Necromantic damage
• A: Yes eventually.

It would encourage usage of the new protection prayer. However, since it changes existing content on top of the new skill it won't happen on release. But if it is worked on post release we can also rework their drop tables on top of that in the process, and could add creative drop such as "Taraket's armguard" as a new Necromancy weapon.

Bossing

• Q: How will it affect existing bosses?
• A: Existing bosses won't be modified to work/not work with Necromancy.

It naturally will be better against bosses like Kalphite Queen which only protect against the 3 existing styles but then there's the opposite with Dagganoth Kings/Rex matriarchs where it won't be affective.
 

• Q: Will you be taking on Necormany's bosses solos?
• A: Yes

You can solo both bosses, but 1 of them can be done in a group. For that boss the HP and rewards will scale based on group size. Similar to Raksha.
 

Lore

• Q: Will it fit into existing storylines and lore that we already know and love in Runescape?
• A: Yes, there are a few quests coming on release which tie into existing storylines/characters/places

Coming into Necromancy you don't need an understanding of that lore but those who are may pick up on some extra things. Our goal is to make sure everyone can be invested.
 

• Q: Is it 7 quests on release or across the entire season.
• A: Yes, but there may be a couple more.

They aren't fully blown desert treasure level quests but more akin to Archaeology mysteries+. Those provided on release will require level 1 to a high Necromancy level. Additionally Necromancy's story will be told over those quests.
 

• Q: Is the First Necromancer their name?
• A: No it's their title, we just haven't said their name.

 

• Q: Can we revive Guthix at 120 Necromancy?
• A: No he's dead, same with Bandos. However Zanik will still be around.

There's always been a rumor that all heroes for hero items are dead. We know Orlando and Hazelmeere are dead, but the other 2 people think are dead but it isn't confirmed. Maybe you might see a some dead characters in the city over time.
 

Environment/City

• Q: Tell us more about the name of the city?
• A: There's a lot of thought/effort put behind it. Coming up with names isn't easy.

This Necropolis is Runescape's limbo, waystation for lost souls, the leftovers of the undead society. The city itself sits on the lake/river Mnemosyne which is a call back to Greek mythology. The city is built upon the memories of people passing through it. So someone could remember their pub back into existence and as they move on it will fade away. The city will be a constant shifting landscape.
The name is silly as the area is a silly place, with combat being the serious element. playing around with the name of the city since it's an area for sillyness whilst combat is more serious. The name Um being a place where people forgot the name of. Originally it was called Um-er referencing a City of Ember (film) since it's an underground cave, light/darkness. But Um works well since there's also bridge so you can call it "Umbridge" and have it mirror the surface world Lumbridge.
 

• Q: Will Um be a place where players can look for clue scrolls.
• A: Yes, probably.

As a space the city and underworld can be expanded and have more content added post release. This is just the beginning of the Necromancy season and we will be building on it after the release of the skill.
 

• Q: Does Music play a special role in Um
• A: Yes, there's a bandstand in the middle of the city.

When you first arrive it's empty of souls so there's this strange ironic narrative where you bring life back to the city. And we can't really do that without music, and our audio team knocks it out of the park.
 

Tech

• Q: Has it been a challenge to make it clear whose conjures are whose?
• A: It's a difficult problem especially with our game engine team.

In the world there are limitations for the player and we have specific conjures and their amounts for a reason. Only a few at once plus summoning familiar. We haven't fully considered what to do in every scenario where there were a large number of players using them in one area. It's also unlikely people will spam them in crowded areas like the GE since it would cost them money but we can be reactive if it becomes a problem.
 

Other

• Q: What was the best piece of feedback a creator gave?
• A: It's all valuable, we can't pick a best as there's a variety of players with different experiences.

One area of great feedback was the teaching part. We were surprised at how much they wanted to be taught post tutorial to learn what to do.
Also based on feedback we modified the incantation, Bone Shield. Previously it triggered GCD and essentially took the place of swapping to a shield, but now it's an active ability which toggles. When you use a defensive ability with it toggled it will consume the runes required. Shields will still be useful since the incantation will act as a weaker shield based on your level.
 

• Q: Will Necromancy robes from Shades of Mort'ton work as Necromancy robes?
• A: They will not, and probably be renamed.

We have this new skill and we have to balance it with all the new items first. If players want legacy items to gain necromancy abilities/functions then we can absolutely address it in the future. And if we did address them we may modify them further to retain the style we've developed for Necromancy. Visual language/storytelling.
So for this particular item we are looking to rename it so tweet Mod Rowley for name suggestions.
 

• Q: Did you have fun?
• A: Yes we are excited even if we may be bogged down due to all of the deadlines.

Also this is the first time doing this type of stream in person in several years. Make sure to be nice to all of the Jmods when providing constructive feedback as they too want it be the best it can be.
 

• Q: Release Date?
• A: Capital S, "Soon"