Hope to see some of you there! I love meeting new people and spreading my love for this awesome community.

Hey everyone! Happy New Year first of all. I want to take a moment today to think about the year this was. Lots of good, some very annoying moments for sure. But where to start? May as well break down my thoughts section by section.

F-List Inconsistency

The RP life has definitely grown and been full of lovely partners, both new and old this year. However, I think I'm over the idea of trying to amass a vast harem with anyone from that place. I cannot stand people that just outright REFUSE to let me know of their feelings on our relationship before pulling the plug. I'm a very patient and understanding person. I don't get the need to just betray my trust like that. There was a woman that went by 'Goddess Loona' there and we have all the right chemistry together. It never gets any easier when I have someone block me for good like that, but I guess that's just all I have to look forward to with immature, horny idiots online. But enough about that. I DO have something better to look forward to.

Finding an Unlikely IRL Girlfriend

You read that right! She's a lovely dragoness from Canada named Serenity. I met her through F-List and the fandom culture in general. We kicked off rather quickly and grew close. Of course, it is a long distance relationship and there are barriers I'm slowly taking down with her, but I adore her with all my heart. I think we're going to make this work and I'm so excited to see where things go this year. <3

General Streaming Success

Through some wonderful help in assets and advice from  djatomika and  olexava, I managed to score a lovely upgrade in PNG-tubing. I've done probably the most streams this year as well, and managed to successfully kick off a long term dub proejct with a bunch of friends. I've been having so much fun and can't wait to see if my 3D model can arrive next year!

Furry Con Hype

Anthrocon and Megaplex this year were super fun. It was great to see not only my long time furry friends, along with some brony ones that were making the jump to join me in this fandom! I'll be hitting up FWA, Megaplex, and MFF next year for sure. Having possible an extra week off by working half day Saturdays throughout the year will help me secure it long term. Just need the work to justify it. I love meeting new people at these events and its great to see the furry fandom grow every year.

Fitness Progress

I slipped a bit in gaining some weight back and losing some muscle strength. But I think I will make more adjustments to keep towards my goals and my body strong. Portion control is always a bitch! Also hoping to conquer my ongoing asthma battle with long term exposure injection therapy.

Anyway, that's pretty much it for me this year. Can't wait to see what 2025 has to offer. I got my pupil and best friend  cutthroat777 coming over for a week in April! So hyped for that and see how far I can take my passions and dreams forward this year. <3

Peaceful morning, my fellow friends, watchers, and lurkers on this website. In case you've been living under a rock or just waking up to this historical morning, my country voted for its next round of leadership. Unfortunately, to sit here and pretend the outcome was desirable is ignorance at best, insanity at its worst.

A convicted criminal was voted in as the leader of the Free World. Not just America, I said the Free World. Plenty of other nations still look up to America as how things should be run. On top of that, all three branches of our government is practically run by the burgeoning facist state that masks itself under the entire Republican party. The only glimmer of hope remaining for this so called "system of checks and balances" is the House of Representatives winning a majority for the Democrats.

Let's not kid ourselves here. This isn't a friendly matter of disagreements like most developed nations deal with around the world.

Bigortry won.
Hate won.
Greed won.
Anti-science won.
Religion extremism won.
Billionaires won.
Criminals won.
Corporations won.
Violence won.

But I'm not going to sit here and simply pretend we should get on our back and accept our fate. This is yet another wake up call. Yet more and more I have my doubts people will answer this time around. There's too many people that are simply content with how things are. People thinking we should stomp on the rights of others to feel comfortable to walk around public spaces or watch media at home. Too many people believing in warped stances of single issues to not give a damn about everyone else. It's a ME ME ME culture that is the anti-thesis of humanity. A culture, a mindset, a despicable set of mind that will lead to nothing but more suffering.

In all essence, I think the most haunting aspect of this should be said.

The TRUE American dream won.

Think about it. America was built upon taking advantage of others lesser than in this grand continent. Individualism rules the mindsets of everyone that bothered to lead their states and groups of people. We're honestly no different than the tribes our ancestors conquered 100's of years ago. And now, the tribe in power feels emboldend to oppress, torture and yes, outright MURDER tribes seen as lesser than. We haven't progressed, only regressed with our outright embarassing history full of racism, cheating, and violence.

As a entire nation, we have failed to curb the cult programming across the board. Slanted media sources everywhere. Mega churches (ESPECIALLY them) able to lie to their congregants and influence them under the name of "God". Social media platforms warped and run into the ground by billionaires (FUCK YOU, Elon Musk.) We were primed for this moment. This turning point of the country. Such a concept is something I read about in one of my favorite young adult fantasy adventure stories called "Pendragon." Go check it out! But I fully believe every country goes through these big points. Some become too big to overcome for decades. Now I fear America is going to be set back decades.

At this point, I don't know what it is going to take to wake people up from this nightmare. To those that voted for Trump, I feel honestly sorry for you. How gullible you must be to trust someone who's entire life is built of immortal acts and entitled positions. Maybe you are part of that crowd and are afraid to own up to it because your precious fucking feelings got in the way. Maybe your cynicism of making a change to improve your life forced your hand to trust facism.

Maybe you're just so afraid of change in culture to the point that you want to take any means to destroy it like facist regimes of old. I don't think there really is any justification for voting for Trump or any of the MAGA movement senators/house reps this time around. You're either a victim of lies or simply a person that hates American culture. Or maybe my cynical mind things you're the actual bastions of it. This is really what America is all about. Freedom for those that matter. Those with wealth, white skin, God, and influence on their side. The lesser thans don't matter, just means to fuel a Capitalistic machine to make the rich, richer. Unchecked. Unopposed. Leading us into a Christian facist state and Cyberpunk-esque future where corporations rule everything.

Of course, there's going to be many others that will suggest fighting harder back, but it's hard to see the hope going forward. I myself might end up moving out of the country within 4 years, starting fresh with hopefully the girlfriend turned wife of my dreams up there. My parents and I used to think this nation really was something to be respected and in awe of. Now, we're stuck in a state of endless uncertaininty. I wish I was kidding when I say this fandom may not exist the same way again if Project 2025's attack on adult rated content comes true. Plenty of lives are now in serious jeopardy not only here in America, but around the world whose leaders might be motivated to follow suit.

This might be the only time in a long time I've let myself doomspeak like this, but we seriously need to have more of these serious discussions. I'll happily risk friendships if it meant the chance of changing other minds. No more being a coward. People have to be CHALLENGED on their beliefs, much like I was that lead me into caring more for humanity.

And this fandom is something I owe a lot of my happiness too. It helped me break out from a lot of terrible mindsets that would have made me gullible to trust facism. It's why I'm so passionate about these events and taking the anti-theist stance I have held since my deconversion. This isn't the way forward. All we can do now is stick together, stay informed, and make responsible decisions as the facist state develops around us. Stick with things within our control and never lose sight that there will always be people that care.

I love a lot of you on here, and I feel that love towards me too. If you've felt insulted by this journal, reflect why. You might feel I'm attacking your humanity and character, but I'm really saying things that should have been said long ago. Reflect on if that anger is justified and comes from a good place? Or is it purely emotion and fear as I think it is?

Let's talk and make progress together. Hopefully, my streaming platform can be a beacon of light for those that tune in for sure. That's part of why I've made that a big hobby of mine. I want to change minds for the better in my life. That's one of my life goals and dreams.

Anyway, if you made it to the end of this journal, thank you. Hope you continue to support me and one another. A ton of people are hurting. Please put your pride aside and feel sympathy for them, especially if you are in a place of privilege (even if you hate that word and never want to admit it). We're all humans. We need to ditch the tribe mindset and come together where we can. It starts in these small groups of friends and colleagues. Progress can be made. The human spirit is resilient as fuck, so let's tap into that.

Much love, everyone. Fair warning, but if you're going to start insulting me or those that agree with me, you're just going to be blocked. Don't need that here.

Been a bit since I've been motivated to write again, but I felt that I really should start recording the more important events in my life given my age. Fresh off turning 33 in late November, I had the great privilege to attend the biggest furry convention in North America. This was something I've wanted to do since last year, but couldn't given my family vacation plans and roommate desire to attend FWA this same year. Time off comes quite more difficult to me, and it sucks I find myself having to stretch it as far as it'll last to make plans meet.

This convention turned out to be one of the most important in my life. And I don't say that lightly, since this will mark my 5th overall furry convention. (AC - 2016/2022, Megaplex - 2018, FWA - 2023). COVID absolutely wrecked con plans post 2018, along with a BIG european trip I took in 2019 with the family. But why is MFF 2023 so important? There's a couple of factors, but we'll start with the two people that roomed with me at the convention. That would be the ever lovely Anju  anjuneko and one of my closest friends, Cruros!  cutthroat777 For the latter, it's their first ever CONVENTION experience! I certainly felt a bit of pressure to ensure it would give him enough reason to come back than just this time.

And thankfully, it went very well. I convinced my group to purchase Sponsor level tickets to test the waters. And that was a super important purchase, as it condensed the entire line-con infamy of this convention down to an hour (that includes badge AND swag pick-ups combined). The normal line for pre-registration lasted around 2.5 hours. And with that window of time opening up, we absolutely hit up a must-do attraction in Chicago! That would be Galloping Ghosts, of course. It was one of the best trips down memory lane in my life. I can see myself coming back to see more with every MFF I am able to attend. Plus, it helped that it wasn't snowing outside (despite the con theme being snow days).

Our trip out to the arcade would be rewarded as one of the MVP's of the con, Ben  badgerben, got the first of two big parties going! And with such, I got to try some amazing local deep dish pizza, both a sausage and veggie variety. No trip to Chicago could be without that, of course. It was more crowded than I'd like, but seeing how Ben had used his talent to attract so many people together was inspiring to say the least.

Anyway, the rest of my con experience went mostly unplanned. I took Cruros around my personal highlights, including Opening Ceremonies, Game Room, Dealer's Den and Artist Alley. Friday absolutely killed my hooves from walking around so much, so we spent a lot of Saturday gaming with friends and off our feet. After all, it didn't seem like a priority to spend money just for the thrill of it. I like making memories and getting ideas to improve my con experience every time. So, the fact I got to hang out with not only my roomies, but also pockets of friends I haven't seen in a long time was the highlight. It reminded me of how important community is. That one big thing that left me since I had to make the decision to leave church for good.

I wish my voice didn't decide to hate me from con crud and the extremeties of hot/cold enviroments all weekend, but I did my best to keep on socializing with everyone. But, all around me, especially when I got to hug fursuits like my good friend Lokuto, I felt this positivity that I desperately needed in my life. To know that I matter and am loved in a community as huge as this always gets me going to do more. That my time spent streaming is a nice gateway into doing things that can mark my legacy, one I wish to be proud of on my deathbed one day. I shared a bit of my life story with my roomies and heard some of theirs, making me feel both grateful and sympathetic to such a background as well.

Anyways, MFF was a con that felt just right and a nice return to form to why I love furry conventions. I want to contribute and continue to be known throughout the years, but always for the right reasons. I don't want to add to fandom drama, but help mitigate it and lead by example. There's a ton I want to do, and seemingly so little time to do it in this lifetime. I hope all of you will continue to support me and my endeavors for sure. Much love to everyone I met! Feel free to comment on this journal or send me a DM sometime. <3

Just announcing I'm going to my first Midwest Fur Fest EVER! I expect to see a lot of friends there, so shout out if you're going too.

I'm glad to be going with two very close friends of mine, but Cruros and Anjuneko respectively. I had an awesome 33rd birthday too last week, and can't wait to see what my future holds.

Much love to all! <3

First off, happy Summer Solstice AKA a devotion to the sexiest princess I know in my life. ;)

But I haven't really done a self reflection in a while, so here goes. The last year has been quite fruitful for me overall. A lot of steps forward, and some steps back in other areas. Let's start with the good, shall we?

In terms of my streaming efforts, I have gotten in a sustainable schedule that has netted me some more attention over time. I don't feel burnt out. I feel like every minute I spend gaming is valuable, and the co-hosts I invite on have created some of my finest memories of the past year! I love what I do, and I do hope my presence there can grow big enough to perhaps branch out into other things and topics, like more gaming news/sports/philosophical things in a calm setting. If I want to leave my mark on the world, I certainly hope it extends beyond my beefy persona of Zeus here, as much as I deeply relate with him. So, thank you EVERYONE for supporting that hobby of mine so far. I love taking you all on my gaming journey with me.

Regarding my own spiritual path, I've certainly done a better job rationalizing my anger against the religious community. I have discovered atheist channels from all manners of topics and experiences, making me feel welcome whereas I felt so alone before. I have met online Theists that were rational and far from the ones picked on these YouTube channels I follow. Perhaps there is hope for humanity progressing behind these barriers that keep us back. But, with what's going on in the US and around the world lately, it is very hard to maintain that optimism that zealotry will be defeated. Doesn't help I'm still stuck watching online sermons with my parents mainly every weekend.

As far as the "bad" goes, I've certainly taken a step back with my physical health. I gained some poundage I lost and gotten used to working out less per week. I am to correct that, especially with MFF coming at the end of the year. I want to give a better first impression there, even though I know my friends would love me despite how I look. It's just me trying to get over a lot of frustrations to acheive my desired body. Least I'm still training in Karate twice a week, which is helping my body discipline and strengthening my resolve overall.

I've also had dips in attitude when reflecting on my love life. I'm 32, going onto 33, and it kinda hurts internally seeing happy couples around the fandom. I don't want to miss out, but it's very hard for me to find someone ideal in a fandom like this. But at the same time, I'm very nervous about dipping far outside nerdy circles considering how what I'm into could be too much baggage for my future partner. Regardless, RP desire hasn't dipped down for me much. That's been a good fill in for now.

Regardless, I got a lot of fun experiences ahead of me. MFF, football season, CEO this upcoming weekend, I like to think I'm living the prime of my life now. Sure I'm left wanting, but that's not going to stop me from improving myself and reaching towards my goals. We'll see how I feel this time next year. But, keep in touch my friends! If you got ideas on what I should focus on this year, do let me know. I appreciate feedback from my friends.

Hitting up this convention for the first time ever! If you're here, I'd love to meet you for sure.

Can't wait to rekindle close bonds and forge new ones. <3

Heh, been a while since I posted anything personal that's been going on in my life. But lately, certain interactions with some of my friends online have had me reflect on many aspects of the way of live. I realize I have been alienating others unintentionally, and I hope this journal can set the record straight.

First of all, there have been a growing number of people developing this image of me that I'm some sort of snobby "popular" fur. Honestly, I don't see that at all about myself. It's true my presence and well... "brand" as some might put it, is significantly more than when I started out in 2014 in this fandom. The artwork I get is not a way to flash wealth in people's faces to laugh at their inability to get artwork in return. Nor does the comissioned art indicates I don't value the people I talk to as friends. I know I personally cannot relate with the pain of the inability to afford art, but NOT having that ability doesn't mean I think any less of you. It's quite the opposite, actually. That I can enjoy having chats and spending time with you despite not having art to flash around to draw me in.

Secondly, my online presence and availability to chat. I think people forget that in a fandom this large, some interactions are just bound to fall by the wayside. There have been people I hold close that I spend weeks or even months of silence in between for a lot of reasons. As active as I appear to be for sure in this community, I simply do not have the energy nor time to give everyone what they want. And believe me, some people enjoy me so much that they feel this pressure to have me be with them as much as possible. I am touched by that, but I also feel like a crutch as well. Do remember that I have many things going on in my life. I have a full time job. I have a RL family to visit and keep close on weekends, along with workout friend group and that circle. I stream 2-3 times a week to keep my gaming chops fresh and ongoing, sharing my passion for gaming with as many people as I can reach. And thus, I surround myself with a lot of low maintenance relationships. Yeah, I have certain folk that I spend way more time with, but that's something that comes from putting in the work from both ends to cultivate. I have left closer bonds behind, but I have that confidence things could pick right up when I engage. That's sort of the beauty and the curse of online relationships. I simply wish others saw the reality of this medium that way instead of taking my lack of interactions as a clear insult to their character.

Finally, I just want to point out that in the end, my sona and I are still separate entities. As much as I wish to be the beefy pegasus himself one day, I know that it's a form I cannot sustain without some breaks every so often. So please treat me like the human being I still am sitting in this chair to speak to all of you. I'm not a status symbol nor someone that will define your life by getting close to you. Compared to other "popular" furs online, I'm still just a drop in the wide ocean that is this fandom. I simply want to express my love for gaming, kink, and great company where there is time for it. If you, personally, cannot emotionally handle how I act online, then I'm sorry to say that is a problem I am not responsible for.

I do my best to accomodate to others wishes within reason, but I'm never going to be one's perfect friend or companion. Life is too short to hyperfixate on certain people. Life is a dynamic entity we all share. Even if our interactions are few by the time our life's thread is cut, know that you'll have made an impact in my life. Every little bit counts. And I appreciate that. I love my friends. I enjoy meeting new people that follow what I do. And I hope we can all find the positivity to keep us all going through our own challenges. Do not try to change who I am for petty reasons. I am open to discuss things that have hurt others. I just don't want to be pressured into being something I am simply not for one's happiness. That's intruding in my own agency as a human being, and considering I have grown up being told what to do and what I should value in the church, it's a sore subject when fandom friends attempt to use similar tactics on me.

That needs to stop, or we're not going to stay in contact for very long. Anyway, thanks and have a great day everyone! <3

Man oh MAN! What a weekend this was. Certainly is going to be hard to sum up everything I did at Anthrocon, but I suppose a little history is in order first. This has become a very special convention for me for a lot of reason. Not only was Anthrocon my first furry convention, but it was the first time where I felt completely in relation to the majority of my peers in the area. It's location and size certainly justifies the hype, plus the theme of roaring twenties was pretty fun that year. It was the year I met one of best friends, GGV  giantgrowingvixen. It was a year I wouldn't soon forget, making me get the funds and means to hit up Bronycon in 2017. I really bought into the furry fandom proper back then, a decision I have not regretted to this day, even with the darkness of 2014 behind me at that point.

Now that I am in a better spot financially now, I can safely say that yearly trips to AC will easily happen. This time around, my roommate and friend BlueBrush/NekoCrispy  bluebrush decided to join me on this adventure. To round out the con crew, I had Odendo  odendo and Hydro join me as well. For me, part of the overall con experience highly depends on the company you are with. And this crew here was amazing to be around, ensuring we all clicked and made the best of our time there. I got to check out a cool Digimon trading card game, as well as share my love for Exceed: Battle System as well. And with every con, there was some peaks and valleys of the experience. But nothing that would stick around to discourage return trips. More like lessons learned for next time, like perhaps choosing something else besides the Westin to stay at. Or ensuring I drink more water throughout the day and figure out who was coming to the con more before hand.

Regardless, I can definitely say this con was better than my initial 2016 experience. It was actually quite motivating, seeing so many creative fursuiters and how they interacted with others. I was surprised to see some friends of mine suit up to celebrate, that being Arador  aradortd as his mew, Beat! Part of me is actually considering looking into getting a partial suit done to join in the fun. I really do feel suiting up certainly has its advantages to make new connections and take some sweet photos to mark each con experience.

The game rooms left something to be desired, but I could have certainly spent more time in there had I not focused trying to hang out with everyone I could find. Dealer's Den was amazing to walk through again, and I'm happy to say you'll be some cute and epic badges be revealed in due time around here. Ran into Gideon again, certainly reminding him of those amazing VHS tapes he made back in 2016 with his gallery. Plus, I got to meet Mabo  milkybody for the first time! It was just one pleasant surprise after another, and just like before, I was a bit bummed that it was going by so quickly. I managed to sneak into a rave session on Friday night, happy to see the crowd get into it with some killer glow rods and amazing tracks to dance to.

As much fun (and unhealthy eating) I was doing the whole weekend, part of me certainly feels bad for those that cannot join me in this celebration. I really want to see more of my friends be able to join me at these conventions one day, celebrating the joy of being alive and with people that love you for who you are. Life isn't a guarantee and is so short to miss out on events like this. I want to spend the time between events keeping close with everyone that I can! I have been in voice calls more often as a result, and it's just amazing to just nerd out about anything with like minded people.

So all in all, Anthrocon impressed me yet again. I can't wait to check it out again, as well as other conventions around the country. I want to take advantage of the time I have to explore the world at my leisure. Hopefully I am able to leave behind a good legacy of companioship and joy to those that care about me. Even with my lack of belief in God, I just realize that now is the time do all I can to leave my mark. My legacy. And an inspiration to improve the world in ways that will change a generation. Keep being awesome, my friends. Love you all and hope to see you at one of these events soon! <3

Hey all! Just letting all my friends know that I will be at this year's Anthrocon. I haven't been to one since 2016, and a furry convention since 2018, but I really am looking forward to have a TON of fun this July 4th weekend.

Who else is going? Maybe our paths will cross there. ;)

Hey all! Just letting everyone know that I'm going on vacation starting tomorrow for the next 2 weeks. I'll be back on May 1st, so try not to miss me TOO hard. Hahah~

I'm going to Panama with my parents and extended family. First trip there, so excited to check out a new part of the world.

Hey everyone. Lately I've been listening to plenty of responses to Christian Apologetics, finding it more discouraging to see the same arguments being thrown against me and the rest of the atheist community. I'd like to highlight some of the most troubling trends about this ancient worldview that continues to plague the minds of countless. If you do hold to such beliefs, please do not take such as an attack against you personally. However, these are observations that cannot be denied by the masses any longer, because such stances and behaviors are all to common roadblocks to engaging in honest discussions from one side to the other. The first step in repairing relationships across the aisles is to acknowledge discouraging talking points, so let's review them below.

1. Without God, there is no purpose to your own life. You are just a clump of cells that won't matter in the long run.

This point right here paints a nasty strawman to my fellow atheists. Because religions, especially Abrahamic based ones like Christianity, are dead set in assigning every human's purpose to the percieved "will" of their chosen God. However, no group of people can claim an absolute purpose that defines the reason everyone chooses to life. Part of being human in the first place is discovering purpose for our own lives. We're able to have that agency above other species. Why? Sure, that can be debated if that is the cause via having a soul or the (more likely) evolution of our brains to allow such complex thought. But if you're here as a theist, wanting to throw this point around, all that will accomplish is frustration because you simply will not dare to understand the motivations of the other side. Many theists are rather brainwashed into accepting a scary dichotomy. Either one is motivated to live for God, and thus happily ever after, or one is always miserable because they lack divine direction. I personally find it very annoying how theists are hyper fixated on supporting this point via asking the other side to provide an origin to all things without contradictions. It's a dishonest way to undermine anything atheists can say about explaining their own world view, because it's not the same from atheist to atheist. But that's fine. If we were all motivated in the exact same way, why would we care about individuality? We may as well be like most other species on the planet, existing to survive and little else.

Additionally, because something isn't eternal, doesn't mean it can't have value. Value is relative after all. Who TRULY has the authority to say what we can value or not? The memories we make with ourselves and loved onces matter to us. Religion has poisioned a lot of minds in assigning such hope and stock in living forever via their dogma. But if you truly think about it, is living forever in bliss truly... "living"? There's a good reason why such afterlife theory is so poorly supported by holy texts, because the afterlife has no stock in convincing those in THIS life to follow this God. Just "eternal reward" and "eternal suffering" is good enough to drive people into doing whatever one commands them to do. That to me is sickening, undermining humanity's ability to critically think for themselves.

2. Morality must be absolute and have a source.

If this were the case, and 'true morality' is 'written' across all human hearts, why is there is so much disagreement? Sure, most popular religions will love to point to a form of sin and falling away from the creator as the true cause. However, I don't think that is remotely an adequate answer. To assume such would mean first proving the existence of such a creator and why the care about "sin". While I believe natural materials and laws are just well... natural and self evident without a cause, I can't completely disregard the possibility of some powerful being who made us. The nature of such a powerful being is always up to debate, and my own observations of reality would sway me to believe this being doesn't care about us after they made us. That we're just something to observe like some bored kid making toysets in the cosmic bedroom. Still, this is all just my opinion in the end.

Anyway, the bigger problem of this stance is the definition of morality. Religious morality is rather cherry picked, with a boatload of excuses to ignore or undermine what their deity commanded in the past. One of the biggest exampels I can think of is rules for slavery and how to conquer surrounding nations. I think secular morality has a better system to measure if something contributes to the wellbeing of any living thing you wish to examine. From such, we can determine things that are more helpful than others with repeated experiments and results. Does this improve wellbeing or not? That's just part of the growing pains of any society, and we can't be afraid to explore alternatives as we evolve. However, religion typically does not want to budge from its rules, claiming they have all the answers. If something doesn't comply with their holy texts, unfortunately that ends all discussion with them. Because then the burden is placed on atheists to discredit the text enough to at least get such people to listen to our arguments. Honestly, a lot of me believes that such theists choose to worship a book and authority in their faith over trust themselves to critically think. This is quite consistent with a cult driven society, and its sad to see people make countless mental gynmastics to support an inconsistent God figure.

3. Positive human emotions have no basis without a God. There's nothing stopping you from wanting to bring the world to ruin by acting in completely your own self interest

This is just a sad attempt for religious individuals to claim ownership abstract things that we all cherish. Things like love, trust, community, and passion. Religion has claimed that the reason we're able to have strong families, societies, and good times is because of what God has done. However, that is further from the truth, as many demonstrable societies have existed without such figures demanding things from them. Humanity is a social species, and for the sake of our own survival, getting along is part of the process. It would be very convinient for these religions to point to group of people and have them be demonstrably miserable for their claim to hold water. That is why a lot of them engage in missionary trips around the world to 'help' struggling societies while converting them at the same. I personally cannot stand such trips, as such efforts to convert others could put the lives of these people in more jeopardy than before they arrived. Sure, that would be dismissed by such people since they value the unprovable "eternal fate" over one's soul versus their wellbeing in the current day. But that's a gamble to me, and one that people should not be put through.

As far as acting in your own self interest, that's not always a bad thing. Again, this is just as symptom of basic black/white thinking that is common in religions. If society is pressuring you into doing things that make you geniually unhappy, why continue to conform? You can't help increase the wellbeing of others if you're killing yourself internally from such social pressures. This is why I get pissed off when certain religious structures demand married couples stay together even if things break apart later on. Divorce is a wonderful invention that values the individual and personal responsibility to seek another bond. Some kids might be happier in that instance, some are clearly not. But it can be used as a learning experience for the next generation. I try to see the positivity in all things. And maintaining one's autonomy is one of the things I value the most in life.

4. Atheists seek to destroy every religious population they come across because they are an agent of evil

And this right here is classic fear mongering. Typically, it's actually the religious majority that seek power to wipe out such an unbelieving crowd via establishing a theocracy. They are the ones that advocate that true peace is obtained once their deity swoops on down to cause armageddon, destroys all false believers, and then rescues the rest like some chosen population. If an theist wants to paint their opposition as such, that is such a hard thing to go around. Criticizing a worldview does not advocate for the destruction of it. Of course, PERSONALLY I'd like to see secular humanism become the governing world view as that has the most room growth. But I know religion provides comfort to countless and helps them lead better lives. Still, it is important to question why we believe what we believe. Even scientific papers and pursuits need to be carefully examined before being convinced by them.

Anyway, that's it for now. Thanks for continuing to listen to my thought dumps and supporting everything that I am. I have been much happier without the presence of religion in my life, and I don't want to hear that I'm lying to myself. Because none of you know what's in my own heart. I choose to act for the interests of myself and those I care about. I hope my gaming streams and online presence here can bring joy to others. My own legacy is something I always think about, yeah. But I rather work towards it on my own terms instead of living up to expectations set by any group or individual.

Love you all. Keep those minds thinking critically!

It's hard to believe I'm one victory away from clinching the season series. However, I can't let my foot off the gas now. Even securing a tie gets me closer to victory. Let's see if I can make the magic happen this week!

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 6
 summer 3
Ties: 5

PICK 1
~ Indianapolis Colts cover as a home favorite against the New England Patriots (-2.5)

Okay, this may just be me feeling extra cocky this week, but I have good reason to believe the Colts will be the team to snap the streak of the dreaded Patriots. They're able to run the ball effectively and force the evil empire to rely on their rookie to throw the ball. The Colts are under more pressure to win, and they are rested from the bye, like the Patriots. I am likely going to regret this later, but we'll see!

RESULT: Colts 27 Patriots 17 (CORRECT!)

My Phins were going to benefit with whoever lost. But I'm happy the Patriots lost. The world is a much better place when they lose.~

PICK 2
~ Tennesse Titans outright beat the Pittsburgh Steelers as road opponents. (EVEN)

Hey look, free money! Just a pick-em game and I have no faith in the Steelers anymore. The Titans needs to keep winning to secure their division crown, especially if I'm banking on my Phins to continue their hot streak onto their home turf. We'll see what happens in a crucial AFC matchup.

RESULT: Titans 13 Steelers 19 (WRONG)

The Titans have gone from a threat for the AFC to seriously being in trouble of losing their way out of a division crown. They could lose 2 of 3 and be forced to miss the playoffs, or sneak in as the 7 seed. For the Steelers, it saved their season. But I don't think they have what it takes to make it.

PICK 3
~ Buffalo Bills cover as home favorites against the Carolina Panthers (-10.5)

A HUGE spread, yes. But let's face it. The Bills are back to being direspected again after tough, close losses to quality opponents. If they want to climb back into relevancy, this is a game they need to DOMINATE in. They need some momentum for that rematch against the Pats in a couple of weeks. If this is a close game, I'm positive Summer will blame me for their woes. The Bills tend to blow out bad teams not named the Jaguars, so I am calling their bluff to prove to me they can still win the division and get hot for the playoffs.

RESULT: Bills 31 Panthers 14 (CORRECT!)

Totally called the bounce back game. Now they have a HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE game against the Patriots to basically decide the division. As a Phins fan, we really need New England to get that 6th loss. That way, our ticket to the playoffs becomes much more defined.

OVERALL RESULT: 2-1 (VICTORY AND SEASON SERIES WIN!)

Fire the confetti cannons! I have clinched the season with yet another win this week, putting the series out of reach for my lovely professor of a partner. I didn't expect a turnaround like this, but I'm glad to have things come full circle. But now comes Summer's fate. That fun will be revealed in due time. <3

Let's just say that we'll both end up winning big!

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 72-57). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Browns > Raiders (DESPITE the virus hitting the Browns hard, I think they have more depth than the Raiders who are just lost without their ball coach)
Dolphins > Jets (Playoffs begin NOW for Miami. No more room for losses this year)
Jaguars > Texans (Urban is gone. That should be enough of a boost to get a win at last, right?)
Cardinals > Lions (One sided as heck)
Cowboys > Giants (Another boring game. Giants are in tank mode)
Eagles > Washington (Might be a sneaky good OT game)
Bengals > Broncos (Still not a believer in Denver)
49ers > Falcons (Why are the Falcons still alive for the playoffs?)
Rams > Seahawks (Might be a let down game for the Rams, but whatever)
Packers > Ravens (The birds need to lose two games to open the door for Miami to get into the dance!)
Saints > Bucs (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK!)

Five weeks left! Hopefully I don't be the Raiders and fold down the stretch. Going to be one wild playoff push and finish to our second iteration of this sereis.~

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 5
 summer 3
Ties: 5

PICK 1
~Detroit Lions cover as road underdogs against the Denver Broncos (+10.5)

This week's theme is a TON of high spreads! And while it is easy to overreact to the Lions first win, that has to count for something. I just don't see the Broncos being capable of blowing out anyone. That extra .5 points gives me a lot of confidence that the Lions can cover. The Broncos are vastly overrated. They're not a playoff team in my eyes.

RESULT: Lions 10 Broncos 38 (WRONG)

Annnnnnd there goes the bad team's magic. The Broncos wanted to avoid an embarassing result for sure, but I still don't think they are playoff worthy. We'll see. No more trusting the Lions all year.

PICK 2
~ Tennesse Titans cover as home favorites against the Jacksonville Jaguars (-8.5)

It's hard to trust the Titans to win big without a consistent running game, but it's also hard to deny history. The Titans have completely owned the Jaguars for a while. They are fighting for that number one seed, and I feel like Tannehill can lead the team to a good game against a team that's already given up on the season. Yeah, they lost to the Texans, but this is a well coached team coming off a bye week. They'll find a way to win comfortably against a bad Jaguars team. For THEIR sake at least.

RESULT: Titans 20 Jaguars 0 (CORRECT)

I was totally right. The Jags are in complete disarray. They probably could very well land the number one pick again if things continue as such. I feel really bad for Trevor Lawrence here.

PICK 3
~ San Francisco 49ers cover as slight road favorites against the Cincinatti Bengals (-1.5)

As a Phins fan, having the Bengals continue to lose can only help my team. But, two things to keep in mind. The 49ers are not playing in the early window, so that should help their internal clocks some when playing on the east coast. Also, the Bengals are rather banged up, with Joe Burrow joining the injured ranks as well. Both teams are desparate for the playoffs, but after the dismantling by the Chargers last week, I don't trust the Bengals as much as I used to.

RESULT: 49ers 26 Bengals 23 (CORRECT)

This kept me on edge, and I'm glad the Bengals got another loss in this fashion. Can't wait to see what other AFC madness awaits us in the playoff picture for the final four weeks.

OVERALL RESULT: 2-1 (VICTORY!)

Some VERY close games this week, and I was rewarded with taking a commanding 3 game lead into the final four weeks. I can clinch the series for the season with one more win or getting two ties. Let's see if I can pull it off.~

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 66-53). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Browns > Ravens (I SO wanted to believe in the Brows, by Lamar is 4-1 against them in his career. Hard to trust either team for anything)
Chiefs > Raiders (Someone has to keep pace with New England for that one seed)
Saints > Jets (Desperation mode for the Saints. They can probably afford just one more loss the rest of the year)
Washington > Cowboys (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK). NFC East still wide open!!)
Panthers > Falcons (Terrible game, but both teams still barely alive for playoffs. Loser is likely out)
Seahawks > Texans (The door is open for the number 1 pick still)
Chargers > Giants (I also wanted to call out that high spread, but the Giants offense is sooooo bad. Their D can't hold for long against a high powered offense in my eyes)
Bills > Bucs (Bills should be pissed off and ready to sucker punch Brady to ruin their chances at the 1 seed. Plus, they still have a division to win. If they survive these next two weeks with wins, they should win the division easily)
Packers > Bears (Joke of a division game)
Cardinals > Rams (Possible upset, but hard to trust Rams after recent performances)

A return to form last week! Time to keep up this moment as only a mesely 6 weeks remain. The final third, everyone! And we start off with a lot of unfavorable/high spreads this week. Great...

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 4
 summer 3
Ties: 5

PICK 1
~Miami Dolphins cover home favorites against the New York Giants (-6.0)

Here I go again, jumping on my Phins hype train again. This team is rolling and facing off against against a backup QB. No excuses to keep things hot and find a way to win by a touchdown. I hope I don't regret this later, but I won't be TOO upset if they fail to cover this week.

RESULT: Phins 20 Giants 9 (CORRECT)

It got a little scary with how poor the offense was able to move the ball all day, but I'll give credit to an underrated Giants D. 5 wins in a row for my Phins, perfect for the bye and perhaps making this miraculous push for that final wild card spot.

PICK 2
~San Francisco 49ers cover as road favorites against the Seattle Seahawks (-3.5)

Two teams heading in two completely directions. Even if this is a division game, I am going to side with the hot hand here. Winning by 4 isn't that tall an order and I feel this team is destined to make a hard push for the playoffs. Poor Seattle is going to have to deal with being a basement dweller once their star QB goes off to find a new home.

RESULT: 49ers 23 Seahawks 30 (WRONG)

And the 49ers are officially an overrated team. They can certainly sneak into the playoffs, but no one is going to take them seriously in my eyes. The NFC is too top heavy for any wild card team to matter.

PICK 3
~Denver Broncos cover as road underdogs against the Kansas City Chiefs (+9.5)

Division games are always deceptive, and I think people forget the Chiefs have looked bad in spurts this year. I think the Broncos will find a way to keep this contest close enough to cover this spread. The Chiefs have not blown away anyone outside of the Raiders and Washington all year. A risky pick, but I'm going to put my balls on the table here.

RESULT: Broncos 9 Chiefs 22 (WRONG)

While I predicted the Cheifs wouldn't score a ton of points, the putrid Broncos offense showed up again to cost me. If they didn't throw that pick 6, maybe I could have stole this pick properly. Ah well. That's the way football goes.

OVERALL RESULT: 1-2 (VICTORY)

A tough week for me, but Summer suffered another 0-3 week to hand me a win. With a 2 game lead for the final 5 weeks, I am feeling pretty confident. All I have to do is get one more win and a tie to at least force overtime in the playoffs.

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 59-50). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Bucs > Falcons
Cardinals > Bears
Bengals > Chargers
Lions > Vikings (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK!)
Eagles > Jets
Colts > Texans
Washington > Raiders
Rams > Jaguars
Ravens > Steelers (Ugliest game this week)
Bills > Patriots

Hey everyone! Glad to report that I made it once more in this limited life we share.

To all my mates, I love you all from the bottom of my heart!

To all my friends, thanks for being a part of my life and all the memories too.

Thanks for dealing with my religious journals and giving me comfort.

And by all means, feel free to share any memories you have with me! I love reading how I've impacted people's lives.

Another terrible week. And I'm putting in picks early because of a really busy week ahead. Let's get going!

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 3
 summer 3
Ties: 5

PICK 1
~Miami Dolphins cover home underdogs against the Carolina Panthers (+2.0)

Well well well, time to have a bit of faith in my team again. They are rolling and should get another squeaker. My biggest concern is stopping both Newton and their star RB from running all over the place. But if they do, the offense has to be servicable to win this game.

RESULT: Phins 33 Panthers 10 (CORRECT)

This feeling of winning in such a convincing manner... man does it feel good! I don't think playoffs are in reach, so I will enjoy each victory I can this season. Very good shot to finish about .500 now.

PICK 2
~Atlanta Falcons cover as road favorites against the Jacksonville Jaguars (-2.5)

The Jaguars are a mess and the Falcons have had extra time to heal up to take the pain to the Jaguars. They can certainly find a way to win by 3, right? Come on now!

RESULT: Falcons 21 Jaguars 14 (CORRECT!)

It's great to figure out when a team has quit on the season. This Jaguars team is beyond pathetic. A crying shame my Phins lost to them the way they did.

PICK 3
~Minnesota Vikings cover as road underdogs to the San Francisco 49ers (+3.0)

I am a believer in the Vikings this week! This is their moment to shine on the road against a questionable 49ers team. Might be tricky picking two underdogs this week, but certainly, when teams get hot, they get hot. I just don't believe in the 49ers despite two impressive wins lately.

RESULT: 49ers 34 Vikings 26 (WRONG)

A tightly contested game, but the home team just found a way to secure a better footing for the playoffs. All those close losses from before this week are going to haunt an otherwise talented Vikings team the rest of the year.

OVERALL RESULT: 2-1 (VICTORY!)

My slump is over! With 6 weeks left to go, who knows how things will shake up? I need to get this lead back up to 2 next week to really push for a victory for the season. Let's gooooooo!

Taking a break from the usual picks for the sake of time. Got a holiday to get to!

Got off this second half of the season on the wrong foot. My second 0-3 week cost me dearly. But then again, expectaions for this season have gone out the window already. Gotta make sure I don't falter and secure more wins!

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 3
 summer 2
Ties: 5

PICK 1
~ Baltimore Ravens cover as road favorites against the Chicago Bears (-6.0)

Just because the Bucs last week ruined my love for high spreads doesn't mean I won't stop chasing them! I have noticed well that good teams bounce back pretty hard after losing to inferior to competition. See the Bills last week! Sadly, these Bears are in for a rude pounding from one pissed off squad. 10 days to prepare, and this shouldn't be close.

RESULT: Ravens 16 Bears 13 (WRONG)

The Ravens continue to play down to their competition. They really should have two more losses on the season, making this division wide open. Ah well. Going to be hard to trust them to win big again for a while.

PICK 2
~ New Orleans Saints cover as road underdogs against the Philadephia Eagles (+2.5)

Here we go again with Vegas overadjusting expecations to take advantage of a roller coaster season. Sure, the Eagles have looked better in recent weeks. However, I am not ready to believe in them. The Saints losses have been to rather good compeition, and they are fighting hard for a wild card spot. They should finally bounce back this week. I'll trust in coaching to get the job done. The Eagles are due to regress at some point.

RESULT: Saints 29 Eagles 40 (WRONG)

And now I'm convinced about the direction of these two teams. The Saints are trying to turn the corner still, while the Eagles are finding good footing for a wild card push.

PICK 3
~ Los Angeles Chargers cover as home favorites against the Pittsburgh Steelers (-5.0)

The disrepect for the Chargers baffles me. They're facing a Steelers team with nobody major at QB along with an injury riddled defense. If the Chargers want to prove they can win the division, which I most certainly believe they can, they HAVE to win on primetime. 5 points doesn't seem that bad. If the freaking Lions can hold that offense to 16 points, the Chargers D should be able to do the same, and surge ahead with their elite offense.

RESULT: Chargers 41 Steelers 37 (WRONG)

For shame that the Chargers made the Steelers offense look elite. I don't know if they have what it takes to unseat the Cheifs for the division crown anymore. Seems like narratives are going to repeat again.

OVERALL RESULT: 0-3 (LOSS)

It's official, I'm in a bad skid! It's been rough across the board for many betters, really. Yet, I have plenty of time to retake this lead and win this contest. Not near the point of giving up yet!

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 53-45). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Bills > Colts (Trap game for the Bills. They need to shut the door on the Colts season right here!)
Browns > Lions (Injury riddled Browns marching into town. I was tempted to pick the Lions to cover with that high spread, but the talent gap is pretty big between both squads)
Titans > Texans (Division games are hard to predict, but this may be closer than expected)
Vikings > Packers (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK)
Dolphins > Jets (Belief in my team again is nice. Getting back to 7-7 is very much in the cards, and having games matter late in the year)
Panthers > Washington (Cam's welcome back tour won't derail against a team like the nameless)
49ers > Jaguars (Might be a squeaker. Both teams are just disappointing)
Raiders > Bengals (The Bungles are back, but they are back from a bye week. Gonna be a game to watch closely)
Chiefs > Cowboys (Whoever loses, I win)
Seahawks > Cardinals (Injury bowl. Let's go with the home team)
Bucs > Giants (Should be a nice bounce back game. BUT. The Bucs can start sliding too. We'll see~)

Time for the final 8 weeks of the season to begin. I'm certainly feeling the pressure dialing up as we proceed! A cornered animal is at its most dangerous, so I better make sure I don't falter in my picks. Let's get going.

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 3
 summer 1
Ties: 5

PICK 1
~ Cleveland Browns cover as road underdogs against the New England Patriots (+2.5)

Okay, okay. I know it's really easy to get on the Browns hype train again after last week's beatdown. But with the Ravens losing on Thursday night, don't you think is more fired up to keep pace for the division crown? The Browns need this game badly for Wild Card advantage anyway. This is going to be a sneaky good game, but I believe the Browns can find a way to get it done. As long as they can run the ball, they won't have to force the ball into New England's well coached secondary.

RESULT: Pats 45 Browns 7 (WRONG)

Welp, I hate to admit this, but the dreaded Dark Empire known as the Patriots are officially back. I hope other teams can stop them from repeating history of the 2001 Pats. We do NOT need another 20 years of misery.

PICK 2
~ Denver Broncos cover as home favorites against the Philadephia Eagles (-1.5)

Once again, this seems like a trap laid out from Vegas. The Broncos did the unthinkable last week against a good Cowboys team. But will they lay an egg at home now? I don't think so. The Broncos have life in their season again. The division crown is within striking distance. Games like this are what they need to capture. The Eagles find ways to lose, but can also beat middling teams with ease. I think winning by 2 should be quite doable, even in a setback week

RESULT: Eagles 30 Broncos 13 (WRONG)

Bad teams are inconsistent, and unfortunately, last week was revealed to be a fluke. The Eagles are indeed better than people are giving them credit for. Tons of upsets this week, just like week 9.

PICK 3
~ Tampa Bay Bucs cover as big road favorites against the Washington Nameless (-9.5)

I've had some good luck with big spreads this year, but I know better than to bet against Tom Brady here. He's excellent after byes, and the Bucs are an offensive juggernaut. The Nameless are really bad on offense. They're looking to erase a bad road loss from their memory, and I expect the Bucs to flex their muscles here in a blowout!

RESULT: Bucs 19 Washington 29 (WRONG)

The spread was covered, but in the WRONG direciton. Seems like literally every title contender had a stinker of a game this year. And it was the Bucs turn to fall back down to Earth. Should I consider them meh the rest of the year? Hardly, but I'm hesistant to pick them for a while.

OVERALL RESULT: 0-3 (LOSS)

Blah, this ain't good. Another week of upsets derails my season momentum. I took the bait from Vegas and paid dearly. I can't possibly do worse next week, right? Time to bounce back and give Summer a run for her money.~

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 53-45). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Cowboys > Falcons (On the side note, I think the Falcons cover, but the Cowboys have to be mad after a home loss like that)
Titans > Saints (This is the Titans chance to take control of the one seed race in the AFC)
Jaguars > Colts (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK! If that Jags D shows up, the Colts are in trouble.)
Bills > Jets (So, SO tempted to bet against the Bills. But they might destroy the Jets to restablish dominance. Especially with the Pats behind them)
Steelers > Lions (Lions are just a sad, broken team. They'll get a win or two, but not this week)
Cardinals > Panthers (No one's stopping the Cardinals right now)
Chargers > Vikings (The dagger in the Vikings season, but this could go either way. The Chargers don't look as impressive as before)
Packers > Seahawks (Aaron Rodgers being back means they can score again. Should be really fun, but they'll find a way to win)
Raiders > Chiefs (Must win game for the Raiders. They need to bury the Chiefs NOW or they never will)

The literal halfway point of the season is among us. Will things tighten up or will I begin to pull away to put pressure on my lovely, skunk friend. Let's get PICKING!

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 3
 summer 1
Ties: 4

PICK 1
~ Las Vegas Raiders cover as road favorites against the New York Giants (-3.0)

So, I dare try my hand picking against terrible New York football teams again? I won't let last week's debacle with the Jets ruin my confidence this week. The Giants are truly atrocious, despite exposing a "good" Chiefs team on the road. I think the Raiders need to continue making a statement in the tight race for the division crown. They can't afford to slip this week.

Result: Giants 23 Raiders 16 (WRONG)

Welp, the Giants continue to make betters extremely upset with their feign attempts to be a good team this season. What a letdown for a Raiders team that felt like it was doing fine without Gruden. We'll see how they will perform the rest of the week.

PICK 2
~ Los Angeles Chargers bounce back and cover as road favorites against the Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5)

Plenty of east coast trips for the Chargers this year! But I am not letting disappointing results last weeks deter me from believing in a talented Chargers team. The Eagles have not won a single game at home, and while this game will be close, the Chargers need this game BAD to stay alive in their division crown race. They get it done and put the AFC on notice about how they will be a team to watch in January.

Result: Chargers 27 Eagles 24 (CORRECT!)

This one got really scary until the Chargers made more plays to pull out a win in the end. Thankfully, bad teams find more ways to lose!

PICK 3
~ Arizona Cardinals battle through injuries to secure a key road vicory as underdogs against the San Francisco 49ers (+2.0)

The rest of the games this week feature some too close to call matches or injury laden teams. I figure the Cardinals will be motivated to erase a close lose to the Packers. It'll be a squeaker, but as long as Kyler can continue to perform, the Cardinals have no business losing this game to a division foe.

Result: Cardinals 31 49ers 16 (CORRECT!)

Vegas felt like giving out free money this weekend. The 49ners have turned into a mess of a team this year, and this "vaunted' division feels like a 2 team race now. Basically, like most other divisions. Glad I didn't let injuries scare me away from this generous money line.

Overall Result: 2-1 (TIE)

Thankfully, the Vikings did me a solid to prevent Summer from nabbing her second win of the season. I still keep my two week cushion going into the final 8 games of the season.

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 49-39). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Browns > Bengals (Browns season on the line. They have to win some division games!)
Cowboys > Broncos (Might be a blow out, but avoiding the big line here.)
Texans > Dolphins (Fuck my team until they figure out their terrible coaching. Make me believe again, Phins)
Saints > Falcons (Huge matchup. Saints need to stay ahead of the Bucs)
Patriots > Panthers (Unfortunately, this Patriots team is turning it around. They should take care of business this week)
Bills > Jaguars (If first half Bills from last week show up, this might get scary. But the Jags are on another level of bad. Sad my Phins lost to them)
Vikings > Ravens (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK! Would be nice before their trip to Miami)
Chiefs > Packers (Should be a close game, but experience will win through. A practically rookie QB is going to struggle this week)
Rams > Titans (I don't believe in AP enough to think he'll keep the winning ways going for Tennesse. Tannehill has gotta carry the offense this time around)
Steelers > Bears (Bears have no offensive identity. Should be an easy game for the Steelers)

The football gods showed mercy on my soul today as I went 3-0 for the first time this year. Let's see if I can really dial up the pressure on Summer as we approach the halfway point of the season.

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 3
 summer 1
Ties: 3

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

PICK 1
~ Tennesee Titans cover as road underdogs against the Indianapolis Colts (+2.5)

Vegas is up to something sneaky here. One of the hottest teams in the AFC is an UNDERDOG to a Colts team that's starting to turn things around? I don't think so. I think the Titans will continue to find ways to win and push for that number one seed. They already beat the Colts at home this year, and why not be ballsy to go for the sweep? Ever since the Jets loss, I haven't seen the Tians show any signs of mediocrity here. They should pull out a win, even if it's a squeaker.

Result: Titans 34 Colts 31 (CORRECT!)

This was a huge nailbiter, but the better team found a way to win. Thank you Vegas for giving a near himme for this week. It almost came back to bite me in the butt.

PICK 2
~ Cincinatti Bengals cover as road favorites against the hapless Jets (-11.0)

I also get the feeling such is another trap pick. The Bengals has stopped bungling at long last with a STATEMENT blowout win against their hated division foes on the road. This is a team showcasing a proper rebuild already, and the Jets lost their "Star" rookie QB to injury. I know how bad backup QB's can be in this league, so I highly doubt the Jets will do much more to keep this a close game.

Result: Bungles 31 Jets 34 (WRONG)

I just... wow. UPSET OF THE WEEK by far. The Bungles showed their true colors and laid a fat turd. Who knew the Jets backup QB could BALL? He might be the answer for the future for them. It's insane.

PICK 3
~ Tampa Bay Buccaneers cover as road favorites against the New Orleans Saints (-4.5)

The Saints are just frauds to me. Teams are starting to figure out that offense and shutting them down. Their showing in Seattle really has me selling stock on this team. I think they COULD push for a wild card slot, but Tampa Bay is on full title defense mode. They need to win a game like this to continue to put the league on notice.

Result: Bucs 27 Saints 36 (WRONG)

Looks like the Saints were tired of all the negative noise around them for their start. I think they played better without Winston back there. The Bucs D came back to bite them, but now the race for the NFC South got a whole lot more interesting. It's fun to see Brady lose no matter what tho.~

Overall Result 1-2 (TIE)

I lucked out with the Patriots preventing a bad loss this week with me. I keep my 2 week lead going into the halfway mark of the season. Still feels like a whole marathon ahead of me though!

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 44-33). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Falcons > Panthers (The NFC wild card race will heat up from this game)
Bills > Dolphins (This may be Tua's last game with my Phins... please stay with the team, damn it!)
49ers > Bears
Browns > Steelers (PONE'S GAME OF THE WEEK! The Browns need this game badly to stay in the chase for the division crown)
Lions > Eagles (They will FINALLY get off the schnide and win a game to avoid embarrassment. This is the week to do it. Shame I'm too chicken to pick them for one of my 3 picks)
Rams > Texans
Chargers > Patriots
Jaguars > Seahwaks (UPSET OF THE WEEK)
Broncos > Washington
Vikings > Cowboys
Chiefs > Giants

After one of my worst weeks of the year, I have dragged myself away from the pit of despair to continue this series. Fuck the state of my Phins right now. They are dead to me for my sanity to remain upright this year. But we have many other, more engaging games to deal with! Time to kick off this second third of the season with a fat W.

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 2
 summer 1
Ties: 3

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

PICK 1
~ Las Vegas Raiders cover against the Philadephia Eagles as home favorites (-3.0)

The Raiders are somehow keeping a similar level of play even after their whole coaching scandal. The reality is that they simply have a lot of talent on their team to just discard. The players want to win this year. The Eagles are in full rebuild mode with a very putrid offense. I just don't see an Eagles team keeping pace with a high powered offense.

Result: Raiders 33 Eagles 22 (CORRECT)

A slow start for the Raiders turned out to be erased. The Eagles were simply worn down and could not bother to keep up with the Raiders. Is it me, or do the Raiders actually look better without Jon Gruden leading them? Crazy season to say the least.

PICK 2
~ Tennesse Titans cover as home underdogs to the Kansas City Chiefs (+4.0)

The teams that have beaten the Chiefs have all something in common. They all can RUN the ball on anybody. And the Chiefs defense continues to be it's achilles heel. I think the Titans will take the rush of defeating the Bills at home to keep a game like this close. This simply does not look like the same team that lost to the Jets. In fact, I think that loss lit a fiery match under all of the team's butts.

Result: Titans 27 Chiefs 3 (CORRECT)

The Titans have eradicated their awful losses earlier this year with such top notch wins against the best of the AFC. They are in control for sure and it's now a DOGFIGHT for that number one seed. The Chiefs are in serious danger of being left behind this year in the playoffs. What happened to them? The offense now looks out of synch against a merely decent Titans D. Nick Wright is gonna start panicking now.

Pick 3
~ New England Patriots cover as home favorites against the New York Jets (-7.0)

The Patriots dismantled a horrific Jets team on the road already this year. Mac Jones is getting better and the Pats are relatively healthy. I have not seen Zach Wilson progress much as a starting QB, and Bellicheat should definitely put on a show against this team. It's baffling how they are winless at home, but this is the week they break that streak and remind their spoiled fanbase what it was like to dominate.

Result: Patriots 54 Jets 13 (CORRECT)

I expected another blowout, but this is insane. The Jets are seriously hot garbage. At least my Phins can attest to having their QB for the future, unlike this woeful franchise.

Overall Result: 3-0 (FLAWLESS VICTORY!)

Awwwww yeah! Back up with a 2 point lead on the season. Gotta keep the great weeks coming if I want that sweet taste of glory come the end of the year. Can't lose momentum now. <3

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 37-31). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Packers > Washington
Falcons > Dolphins (Fuck my team until they bother getting back to .500 and show a complete change in culture)
Panthers > Giants (Giants are nearly as bad as the Jets, honestly)
Bengals > Ravens (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK! Also the game of the week)
Rams > Lions
Cardinals > Texans (I somehow think the Texans could cover that high spread)
Bucs > Bears
49ers > Colts
Saints > Seahawks

So, there's no surprise that my moods as of late have been coming on Sundays. Sure, I could always point to my religious family and watching some unsavory sermons with them. But that's the easy way out and I've been coping with that fine.

No, the bigger reason, as fucking stupid as it sounds, involves one of my greatest passions in life. Football. Handegg, whatever you want to call it. I support two teams, one in college (UCF) and one in the NFL (Miami Dolphins).

I've really been a fan of my college team since I played in the marching band for them. Some epic memories and I've seen the growth of the program firsthand. Yeah, the team is having a rough year, but I completely understand. I'm hopeful and happy for the future there.

But then we turn to a consistent problem. One that has been a roller coaster emotions ever since my dad introduced me to it back when I was 6 years old. The Miami Dolphins are simply a franchise banking on ancient success. Ever since the legendary Dan Marino played for the franchise, the Phins have been absolutely stuck in a cycle of Hell. Promising coaches and starts always turn sour, the franchise cleans house, and things hardly change in the long run. It's easily one of the worst places to be in. To deliver false hope only to crush it every single fucking time. FUCK EVERYTHING ABOUT THE TEAM NOW! I've sat through bad seasons, but the players showed some heart and got some neat upsets to catapult into next season. Now? Everything across the board is hopeless and I can't see how the franchise will avoid pressing the restart button once again. I don't think I'll see meaningful games in my lifetime, really. I feel cursed.

But ZEUS! It's just a game, yeah? Let it go and find another passion? Easy for you to say. This is a team that my dad and I bonded over for many years. But then all the times I had to be patient with my dad's near violent outbursts each time the team screws up has finally surfaced. It has worn my patience so thin that now it has bled into a growing disdain for professional football. And I'm so damn heartbroken about it. I thought the team was escaping the cycle, but here we are AGAIN! And to lose to a team that had it's head coach be a complete embarassment in both college and now the pros is beyond embarassing.

It's really starting to severly depress me every week, and I just had enough. I'm at a crossroads again, and right now, I have to teach myself to stop caring about something I had for decades. It sucks that such a sport is thrown into my face online and by my friends too. It's part of my identity. Everyone knows I'm a big football fan. But now, I have to cut half of that out for my own sanity. And it sucks. I'm normally an optimistic guy and I find myself trying not to hurt myself when thigns continue to get worse.

I don't know what to do except to escape from the pain. I can't handle it. I'm here eating ice cream and planning a stream to distract myself from the pain. I am going to really breakdown soon if I keep this up, so I have to do something to change this path. I don't want my love for the sport to die, but today was just the last straw in so many areas.

Keep me in your thoughts going forward. I value what I do and I don't want to toss it all away over something I can't control. It sucks, and I don't know if I should seek mental counseling at this rate. I'm sick of feeling like shit for something that should be such a big impact in my life. I feel really bad for my dad, as such outbursts are starting to divide the family again. It's toxic. I'm drowning. And I have to get back to my stable state of mind as soon as I can.

I'm going to chalk up last week as a fluke. One of us went 3-0 and that certainly isn't the norm around here. That's fine. Like my Phins this week, time to the refocus and get a solid win this week. But the spreads this week are not making things any easier.

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 2
 summer 1
Ties: 2

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

PICK 1
~ Kansas City Chiefs covers as road favorites against the Washington Nameless (-6.5)

So far, all of the Chiefs losses have been against teams with very good offenses. Washington is NOT one of them. With their season slowly spiraling out of control, they are certainly going to pour everything in this game to instill fear back into the league. If they can't beat a bad football by more than a touchdown, they are in serious trouble. The Chiefs helped me out on a big spread. I know they can do it again!

Result: Chiefs 31 Washington 13 (CORRECT)

It feels so good to call out bad teams like this in a blowout loss. The Cheifs are still dangerous and will take care of business against inferior competition. None of their losses have been to bad teams.

PICK 2
~ Los Angeles Chargers cover as road underdogs against the Baltimore Ravens (+2.5)

This is a tricky game to pick, because west coast teams do tend to struggle at the 1 PM slot when on the east coast. However, the Chargers have looked dominate on offense all year long, even against good teams. They really should be undefeated. Heck, they already won on the road in week one against the Washington Football team at the same time slot! However, the Ravens have consistently struggled and squeaked out wins against poorer competition. I think the Ravens find a way to finally lose at home or barely win like always.

Result: Chargers 6 Ravens 34 (WRONG)

Welp. The Ravens we thought this team could be finally showed up. Blowing out a team like the Chargers is impressive, and now they are the favorites in the AFC for sure.

PICK 3
~ Miami Dolphins cover as road/neutral site favorites against the Jacksonville Jaguars (-3.0)

As poorly as my Phins have been playing lately, this is now a must win game against a terrible team. Tua is back, so I don't see why they cannot manage to find a way to win by more than a mesely field goal. This really goes against my better judgement, but I can't give up on them. This is their opportunity to make a statement to save their season. Desperation finds a way, and the Phins have overcome awful starts in the past two years alone. Why not now?

Result: Phins 20 Jags 23 (WRONG)

This game alone nearly drove me to forfeit everything about the NFL this year. I'm done with my Phins. Need a break from them. Consider this a divorce for 2021. It's disgusting to watch, and the Watson trade rumors are now RAGING as a result.

Overall Result 1-2 (TIE)

My lead is still preserved through the first third of the season. Can't slow down now. Gotta make sure I can get two correct picks a week to dial up the pressure on Summer!

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 30-28). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Packers > Bears
Lions > Bengals (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK! I'd have choose them to cover if not for being desperate for my Phins)
Colts > Texans (I'm going to say Texans cover regardless)
Rams > Giants (Shame the spread was a bit too high. Not going to keep dogging on bad teams)
Vikings > Panthers (McCaffrey isn't back yet, but can't trust the Vikings either)
Browns > Cardinals (Browns have to win to keep tight in the AFC race)
Raiders > Broncos
Cowboys > Patriots (The more the Pats lose, the better)
Steelers > Seahawks (This might get ugly without Russel Wilson)
Bills > Titans (Smells like a trap game for the Bills to me. Will be a squeaker road win. Titans need to keep losing for Miami's sake)

Haha! Once more, I squeak by with another victory to get my second point of the year over Summer. But 14 long weeks remain in the season, so I really should not be celebrating just yet.

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 2
 summer 0
Ties: 2

PICK 1
~ Green Bay Packers beat and cover the spread against Cincinatti Bengals as road favorites (-2.5)

This screams to me like Vegas is trying to trap betters this week. However, since the line shifted down half a point, I think a team that found it's groove can remind a rebuilding Bengals team where it belongs on the NFL hierachy. The real test will be how the Packers defense can halt a hot Bengals offense. I think they will rise up to the task, making sure to stay ahead in the race for the one seed in the NFC

Result: 25 Packers 22 Bengals (CORRECT)

The skunk and I totally called this game despite how INSANE it was in the end. Too bad, Vegas. We're both going to be paid well today for this game. The Bengals are a serious threat for the wild card spot in the playoffs though. Never count them out.

PICK 2
~ New England Patriots beat and cover the spread against the Houston Texans (-8.0)

I know it may seem silly to pick another spread above 7 points for the second week in a row, but I'm calling the Texans bluff. They were blanked 40-0 on the road. They don't have Tyrod Taylor. This is an offense that will fail to do anything against a talented Bellicheat defense. The Patriots are pissed they lost their chance at being a spoiler to their former legend. This is not the week to play the Patriots for sure. If the Bills can put up 40 points, why can't the Patriots score a lot on them too?

Result: Patriots 25 Texans 22 (WRONG)

Of course the Patriots continue to slump their way against bad competition. This is a truly different team from years past. Very untrustable going forward. They have no ability to blow out opponents. I should have known better, and the Bills beating the Cheifs badly is proof how good they are.

PICK 3
~ Miami Dolphins pretend they are good without Tua to barely cover the spread against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+10.0)

Okay. I know what many are thinking. My Phins are a bottom 10 team right now without their star QB. They are on the road to face the defending Super Bowl champs. The Bucs are fired up after an emotional last second win in New England. But... so what? I've seen enough of this this team to see them show up to opponents that are better than them. Even if they cover in garbage time, Flores is not going to roll over and die no matter the score line. His job is warming up, and getting a win like this on the road will cool things down to spark a turnaround this season. The Phins are good at covering the spread as road underdogs, so may as well keep believing!

Result: Phins 17 Bucs 45 (WRONG)

It was close until the demoralizing drive in the 3rd quarter. The defense just gave up and bent over to allow Tom Brady to annihialate them with 21 points in the 4th quarter. This team is in serious jeopardy. I am not picking them again until they show me a reason to be proud to be a Phins fan. This is a disgraceful second year in the rebuild so far. Florez better turn this around quick or I'm going to be looking off the edge of a cliff by the season's end.

Overall Result: 1-2 (LOSS)

So, the professor broke her streak of 1-2 weeks with a perfect call this week. It was bound to happen, but I could have matched her. I should have bet against the Jaguars instead of trust my Phins. I should have also picked the Saints as well or the Falcons to bounce back against a horrible Jets team. But, with 5 weeks in, teams identities are firmly established. I'm not nearly afraid of losing this series!

Onwards to week 6.

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 23-24). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Falcons > Jets
Vikings > Lions
Broncos > Steelers
Saints > Washington
Panthers > Eagles
Titans > Jaguars
Raiders > Bears
Browns > Chargers
Cowboys > Giants
49ners > Cardinals (Cards are due for a loss. Why not this one in a crazy NFC West this year?)
Bills > Chiefs (Statement game for the Bills. Would be nice to have that team on its heels already)
Ravens > Colts