#I think theyed beat him in a season.

[sir-meows-a-lot]

Sloppy sketch but I needed to get it out. I don’t even know

[goldielia]

what if (all i need is you)?

a part of: call it what you want au

will’s in the locker room after practice when he thinks about it for the first time. they’re talking about cutter, how he’ll probably be signed after the championship game. where all the other boys will go, that they think they’ll be signed by the end of the next season or the one after that.

ally breezes through the hallway by the open door (they promise her to not keep it open while anyone is indecent and usually it’s closed until after they’ve been showered and are shirtless at most) and it spikes a thought. one he hadn’t even considered, used to being a couple steps ahead on the ice but keeping his mind in the present off of it.

he’ll leave boston. for san jose. probably before his college time would be over if he simply got his degree. he’s a fourth overall pick, there’s people waiting to see him on the ice for the sharks, people that would rather him score for their nhl team then have him finish college.

but leaving boston would mean leaving home. leaving ally. he doesn’t know if he simply pushed that thought to the back of his mind or if it hadn’t crossed his mind at all. the worst thing about it is that he doesn’t know when. maybe they had meetings about it, have decided to give him a call after the championship game if he wins, that they won’t if he doesn’t. or they still might, win or lose.

maybe he’ll be back in boston, snuggled up in their corner of the library with ally. maybe he’ll be in minnesota still, barely back in the hotel room after a devastating loss or raging celebrations. he has to look up the time zones, actually, maybe that wouldn’t even be possible. his mind is going there regardless, though.

in fact, his thoughts are running a mile an hour. what if-questions are kind of always on his mind, inevitable with hockey really. what if i’d realized his play a second earlier? what if i passed to my right instead of my left? what if i shot a fraction of a millisecond earlier, would the goalie still have saved it?

what if ally leaves him when he has to go to san jose? what if she dumps him the second he tells her? what if she doesn’t, tortures both of them with long distance for a few weeks before she breaks up with him over text? what if she agrees to it, loves him over miles and time zones and then falls in love with some other blond, blue-eyed hockey player in boston and forgets about will?

the what-ifs torture him, constantly and for days. he can’t quite bear talking to anyone about them, feeling stupid one second and like they’ll confirm his fears right after. gabe and ryan try to get through to him multiple times, cutter tries to talk to him as well. even eamon starts an attempt of a conversation. he blows all of them off.

the only person he might want to talk to is the one who doesn’t pressure him. there were multiple instances over the months they’ve been together when will got into his own head, about hockey, about school, pretty much anything. ally doesn’t urge him to talk, doesn’t try to solve problems for him unless he comes to her with them. she takes care of him, quietly, and just like she normally would, and waits him out until he’s ready to talk.

she’s making sure he eats, hydrates, secures his sleep by scratching his back or caressing his skin or burying her hand in his curls. massaging the sore spots after games and applying balms on bruises, kissing him when he plays well and holding him when he doesn’t and she knows he beats himself up for it.

ally just knows he wants to talk to her when she settles into his passenger seat one monday, somehow she feels it in her bones. his right hand may find its place on her thigh, like it always does, but he’s tapping his fingers down on it like he does when he’s nervous. it only stops when she slips her own hand into his, entangles their fingers and slowly drags her thumb over his knuckles.

after she presses a soft peck to his lips and another to his cheek she keeps her eyes trained on their hands, painting shapes and letters onto his skin and playing with the bracelets on his wrist. it’s become a habit, a thing, if you will. love letters and secret messages traced into skin, trails of conversations and silent reassurances traded wordlessly and blindly.

she uses just this to hopefully make will feel less anxious as they’re in the car, tells him i love yous and little hearts through her touch until they’re at his chosen destination. he parks the car at the rink on campus and she goes with him without protest, lets him lead her center ice and follows him when he lays down on it.

they stay there unmoving except for ally slipping her hand back into wills, breath leaving their mouths in small clouds as they’re staring up to the ceiling. ally’s glad to have chosen a hoodie when she left the house in the morning, thinks she might be able to better fight off the cold for as long as will needs. he squeezes her hand once before he starts speaking, a shaky breath before his voice sounds through the empty rink.

“i was drafted to san jose.” ally briefly closed her eyes, having feared this talk would come at some point. after taking a deep breath she squeezes wills hand, silently telling him to continue. “i don’t know when they’ll want me to sign with them but, like- i guess i just want you to know i won’t say no to them. if they do want me.” her green eyes shoot open, head turning to her left to find wills face. “what?” she sounds breathless, scrambling to sit up and turn his head towards her with the hand that’s not in his.

“you think i’d want you to stay here? instead of playing in the nhl?” before will can even nod or talk or do anything, really, she continues. “will, i wouldn’t hold you back. not from achieving your dreams.” her voice breaks slightly somewhere between hold and back and his body acts before his brain catches up when he sits up and wraps her up into his free arm. “that’s not what i’m saying, gorgeous.” he whispers, lips brushing her ear. “i just-, i might, probably, not be around for graduation. or maybe a year before that.”

ally pulls back slightly, leaning her forehead on his and squeezing his hand once more. “i know.” will keeps quiet for a second, the only thing there is to hear is their synchronised breathing. ally thinks they must be a poetic picture, really. center ice in an empty rink, barely enough lights on to find the way to the ice and back. two teenagers all tangled up, foreheads touching, a hand intertwined and wrapped up in the other, breathing in sync and thoughts racing.

“i just need to know how this- how we’ll work. if you’d be up to trying long distance or like, what your plans are.” will continues, his words somewhere between a whisper and a breath. “hey” she murmures gently. “ever thought about what happens if all i need is you?” his eyes shoot open in surprise, clearly having waited for rejection, to be let down gently.

“san jose has a school for criminology, they have a pretty good grad school program for criminal psychology.” she smiles softly at the way his eyes widen. “plus, i only have two more years here” her warm hand squeezes his once more before she breathes deeply, hiding her face into his shoulder after a moment, not only to mask her expression but also the tears forming in her eyes. after she feels a kiss pressed into her hair she lifts her head again.

“i thought you were going to tell me you had to break up with me because they signed you and you didn’t want me to hold you back” her voice is shaky like he’s never heard it and her words make him pull her into his arms fully, fingers detangling and wrapping around her waist instead. with her face pressed into the crook of his neck, he nuzzles his nose into her hair and kisses the top of her head before speaking hoarsely.

“i thought you were going to break up with me because you didn’t want to do long distance” he’s concerned when her shoulders start shaking, thinks she has to be crying but after a second he realizes she’s in fact giggling into his skin. will hesitates for a few more breaths before he, too, can’t hold back the laugh building in his chest, breathing all his anxieties out with it. “i love you, you know” she mumbles into his lips when she’s lifted her head before pressing a lingering kiss to them. “i do know, you looked up schools in san jose for me” he grins.

[minjoonapio]

🎐 Wind Breaker Chapter 160: Melting Snow

💭THOUGHTS [ ⚠️ SPOILERS ⚠️ ]

🧵Versions: Twitter/X 📖Where to read the manga: Kodansha | Other 📺Watch Season 1 now (S2 in 04.2025!): Crunchyroll, Netflix

Sorry for posting this late here in tumblr. Life happened. ✌🏻

Such a whirlwind in the first hours after this chapter released. I expected a TogaSaku but instead we got a HiraSako! We all freaked out. This is such a good closure…and a peek of what’s to come for all of them.

Yes we’re eating good! More wholesome loaves of bread please, Nii sensei! 🍞

It starts where we left off with our cutie patootie Choji 🥹 the cute aggression is real whenever he’s on the page. He’s enjoying himself, chowing down on good food and surrounded with good people. 💚

Aaand knew it. Of course Sakura went there to thank them. So they saw his beat up face! Sakura is just squirming from all the attention. He’s not used to it. Oh soft baby Sakura. You are loved and adored.

I’m so happy Nii sensei showed this!! I talked about in twitter how Choji is actually trying out fresh Red Bean bread that Umemiya gave him the last time they saw each other. Choji not only get to try it again…he bought more food for souvenirs!! Oh my fragile heart!!

If you read the small text, he even told the employees about how he knew about their bakery thanks to Ume-chan. asdfghjkl~ He also told them he’ll drop by again next time 😭

This chapter is really making my heart full because look at how Choji is twirling about~! He's acting more like his age.

But more than that, THIS is one of the best things that came out of the Noroshi fight. Three gang leaders, who were former enemies, now agreeing to be friends! I am hyped up with Nirei on this one. We are witnessing a historic moment! And this is giving us a peek of what will happen in the future chapters.

Oh, Sakura. You care so much for your new home and took one big step that not only helped your found family but caused a great thing to happen.

The way it dawned on Sakura. And the way Tsubaki is looking at his precious kouhai proudly. 🥲

And the wholesomeness continues~ Tsubaki was hyping Choji up; he talked about what Mizuki and Momose said. They were praising Choji’s strength, and I find their reactions adorable & hilarious. They're like “oh hell nah im not gonna fight him”

Then Choji shoots an arrow of "Hehe I'm doing this for my friend Ume-chan!" right to our hearts! Arghh I wanna squeeze his baby face!! (≧∀≦)

And then here's Togame holding his “That’s my buddy Sakura!” face again (*´∇｀*)

Sakura trying to divert the unwanted attention away from him again after by asking about their other gang members.

The way I laughed when Suo emphasized “HE” meaning Numa and Togame (and Nirei) just knows. Poor guy. 😅

Oh dear oh dear. We didn’t expect this chapter to become a HiraSako chapter!! And it is giving too much “c’mon! Do it! Go talk to your ex” vibe (and y'all know this is not the first time this happened)

Togame and Choji always pushing the agenda. How supportive.

I love how level-headed Kaji is when it comes to this.

And I’m glad he’s not a character who would be jealous over it. The three know each other well enough and Kaji never sees it as a competition to be the best kouhai or what not. He wouldn’t reach out to Sako back then if he did.

Gahh how adorable! Hiragi’s shook of how polite Sako is towards him. Then having a mini internal crisis.

Sako sees that and finds it hilarious. The embarrassing yet joyous tune carefully breaks the ice between them.

Sako's face in that last panel just makes me think he finds his past self ridiculous now.

Despite how their fight felt so long ago, I'm so glad we’re seeing this talk. Sako wanted so badly for Hiragi to be the one telling him he needs him but never got it. He could’ve just followed him anyway but I guess he thought Hiragi’s words meant he doesn’t need him.

He wanted to prove how wrong Hiragi was by joining Shishitoren and become strong enough to beat him one day. Welp. Since their fight, Sako must’ve wanted to hit himself for being such an idiot.

i feel like Inugami was kinda inspired by what happened in the Shishitoren fight that he was able to face his senpai. And Sako got to see the “what ifs” if he did the same thing back then to Hiragi. If he just denies what Hiragi told him and said "It doesn't matter. I will continue to follow you"

No wonder Inugami’s been sticking with Sako since then. The fact he knows his senpais's past tells how close they are.

I really wondered what went down with Shishitoren after their fight with Bofurin. As expected, there were scuffles within the group here & there. Surely, some left. Choji & Togame have to be strong enough to face such hurdles after what they’ve done. But look at them now.

Because they cared so much for their group and have each other to help through those trying times that they were able to reform Shishitoren the way it is now. What a domino effect.

Sako became inspired himself to face his own mistakes as well. And it led to this.

That “Aaaah finally” panel…I really felt that. Relief to finally apologize after holding unto bad feelings for so long. Relief to finally mend their friendship. I freakin' teared up. This manga argh!

And of course they were interrupted! Ah, I wanted to hear what Hiragi has to say to Sako, but I think we get the idea, judging by those soft eyes gazing at his kouhai.

Looking at the panel wit both Sako's Shishitoren friends and Hiragi's Bofurin kouhais, it's another glimpse of what we will see more in the future. A unity and camaraderie of different gangs.

Thank you for reading! 💚

Next chapter will release on Kodansha this coming Tuesday 🎐

🧵Versions: Twitter/X 📖Where to read the manga: Kodansha | Other 📺Watch Season 1 now (S2 in 04.2025!): Crunchyroll, Netflix

[benrybenrybenry-chr]

I lost the first draft of this post so bfhsbfbng

anyways I gotchu

it is absolutely shocking how many pieces of Holmesian media (and even posts on this app) entirely misinterpret Holmes and Watson's relationship and dynamic. I'm just a tad convinced its flanderization(like a lot of their minor traits are blown out of proportion for no goddamn reason)? with both of them, but ESPECIALLY Watson. Watson is the least recognized for his actual canonical personality and so adaptations will often just... make shit up about him. unfortunately because of this, the common interpretation with the public is this "hyper annoyed with Holmes, constantly not understanding things" kind of character which is... tbh the opposite of his actual characterization from the books.

Watson is described as being calm and collected, patient, understanding, and best of all INTELLIGENT. he might not fully keep up with Holmes but he's a fast learner, it's part of why Holmes likes him, and part of why Watson likes Holmes

they get eachother on a level nobody else does, and yet a lot of adaptations seem to utterly miss this and make them polar opposites who don't even have an "opposites attract" type deal. they just straight up... don't like eachother. which is disappointing! Watson's constant distaste for Holmes in some adaptations is an attempt at mirroring his occasional (and often fully warranted) annoyance at Holmes in the books which always makes it seem like their friendship is one sided. IT ISNT

In A Study In Scarlet, their dynamic is basically that they are studying eachother somewhat. they don't fully understand eachother yet, but already they like eachother.

past that however they absolutely adore eachother. Holmes is not past praising Watson for any and everything he sees fit, and he simply perceives it as being a natural truth of his best friend.

in the final problem, Holmes' reasoning for letting Watson leave before his death isn't selfishness or trying to seem cool like many adaptations make it seem. he GENUINELY thought he was going to die, he was leaving Watson behind to spare him from potential physical harm because the concept of his Watson dying is so much more repulsive to him than his own death. and Watson is so distraught over Holmes' "death" that The Final Problem reads like the words of a man who's lost his whole life. and, to his credit, he kind of has

Watson constantly seems just. smitten, with Holmes, about everything.

frankly, their love for eachother is so. present. in the original stories. that when I watch something like (and yes, I'm going to dig at it again) the last 2 seasons of Sherlock, I just feel... disappointed. these men are not close, they would not kill or die for eachother like they do in the books. there's a real "tell don't show" feel with the writing where they tell you the 2 care about eachother, but then most of their actions really don't feel that way.

and I complained about this earlier but the amount of posts I've seen of people saying that Watson's version of the empty house is false and he actually beat holmes up or that he should have beat him up is INSANE. it speaks to how people don't understand their relationship that people think Watson would or should have PHYSICALLY HARMED HIS THOUGHT-TO-BE-DEAD BEST FRIEND??

modern holmesian media has rotted the brains of fans. no Holmes and Watson do not mutually dislike eachother. no Watson is not lesser than Holmes. no, they do not fight often. all of that is entirely invented to up the drama of their dynamic and get rid of their original characterizations because show writers are cowards(which, no, this isn't just a complaint I have of BBC Sherlock, though in some of the episodes they definitely show this)

also because so many people refuse to read the books for whatever reason, they often get their information from more fast paced media that doesn't focus on their actual dynamic. I'd say when it comes to more fast paced media, the only thing currently getting their dynamic right (so far) is Sherlock & Co, which has an absolutely lovely vibe for the characters (a lot of people compare them to bbc sherlock, I disagree, its similar in that it's modern and their beginning dynamic is good, but I can't see many similarities past that tee bee aitch)

also just so it doesn't make it seem like I'm just making a hit piece of bbc sherlock again, since ive mentioned it a bunch: the Buckingham Palace scene is so in character I can imagine it being in acd canon, that's the best example of their canon dynamic in the whole show and I think about it fondly almost every day.

tldr: they really really like eachother in canon, and in adaptations they hate eachother because people fuck up their personalities (especially Watson's) and it pisses me off an unnecessary amount

anyone who wants to add, feel very very free to! I'm sure I've missed stuff

"we need a canon johnlock show!!!" most of yall can't even handle them being close friends without making them hate eachother because you fundamentally misunderstand their relationship. sit down (I am entirely willing to expand on this btw if anyone wants me to)

[stranger-nightmare]

I think we won’t lose Eddie. He’s been set up to maybe be the new steve in Dustin’s life.

My death predictions.

-steve saving Dustin and Eddie. Eddie is the distraction with the sick guitar we see but in that it makes him a target and Steve sacrifices himself to get Eddie and Dustin out of the upside down.

-Nancy saving Robin giving her, in Nancy’s mind a redemption because she couldn’t save barb.

-Jonathan and argyle trying to save Will or mike

-will via trying to save mike from something

Or

-Erica

Erica’s happens when her max and Lucas are in the house and vecna manages to take both max and Erica into his weird mind world and Lucas saves max because he sees her first but is too late to save Erica.

Also fuels him when he beats the fuck out of Jason.

I think Eddie is a red herring almost death but survives. Like theys how Dustin screaming in the trailer for Vol.2 b it I think it’s a misdirect

-🎸😈

I hope we do get to keep Eddie and he becomes the new mom of Dustin and the rest of the gang but still I’ll be so fucking heartbroken about losing Steve

but then also just imagine the angst of Eddie taking over Steve’s roll to these kids and he’s just so insecure and knows he’ll never live up to Steve’s legacy so he always just feels so inadequate and ahdkdlldjs I just need to give this boy a hug please

omg if Nancy goes out like that would be so poetic and well done but I’d still be fucking miserable over it

noooo please killing Erica would feel so deliberately mean and unnecessary bc she’s still just so young and small, that would be so painful omg

I really hope it is just a misdirect bc I need to keep Eddie in my life, and I hope he survives and I hope he comes back for the next season too

- hope

[edge-lorde]

some spop meta time... ive been thinking about a post someone else made where they pointed out wrong hordak as a character shouldnt really exist. as much as i liked him, i agree most of everything he did in the story-- showing the plight of the clones, the leaving a cult narrative and parallels with adora, learning how to be a normal person and having more lighthearted moments with entrapta-- could have and probably should have been given to hordak.

i agree with this. i like every morsel of clones content that we got, but the show was already so bloated with neglected characters, they had no business introducing more so late in the game.

ive been thinking about what it might have looked like if hordak did get the character beats that wrong hordak got. how would the story change if they had rescued hordak instead of wrongie?

if they still wanted the comic relief parts they could have done the classic villain has amnesia storyline where hordak doesnt recognize entrapta at first and the memories slowly come back. thats a little silly for hordak though, id rather he stay himself.

they could have them save glimmer and catra at the same time, and then catra advocates for going back to save hordak. that could double as character beats for catra and entrapta, because shed be doing something completely selfless for once and making amends with entrapta for separating her and hordak in season 3, and it could show a moment where the other good guy characters finally decide to take entraptas side and show that she really does have friends, and give her a reason to fight with the princesses.

then the save the cat scene could have been with fighting hordak rather than catra. it might not have the same oomf because adora doesnt have a strong existing relationship with hordak, and entrapta is not a fighter like the others so it couldnt be between just her and hordak.

once on darla though he could then have the scenes that catra had with connecting to the hive mind and theyed have to figure out a way to sever his connection completely. that could be interesting and fit nicely with the religious trama angle/ show how difficult it is to leave a cult with a sci-fi slant, rather than wrong hordak crying it out in 1 afteroon.

then theyed have to give something else to catra though. im not as inspired by her character so i dont have as many ideas for her. one thing i would have liked to see is GLIMMER BEING ANGRY AT HER FOR GETTING HER MOM KILLED. seriously!!! i know they had a heart to heart on the velvet glove but i would have liked it to have been addressed! maybe something with that.

or even given her more tie ins with hordak instead. say what you want about either of them but they have much more in common with each other than they do different.

but if hordak had been rescued we wouldnt have the scenes of him living as a clone in the horde, and getting to lie to horde primes face. that was one of my favorite scenes besides when he got to shoot prime and drop him off the cliff lol. the latter two things could still happen. prime could get him reconnected to the hive mind once they get back to etheria.

one thing they could have done is have a second clone character start to question his place in the horde and use that characters perspective to show all the things hordak showed about life in the galactic horde. he wouldnt be recognizable as the same character as wrong hordak but it would ensure that all the same exposition happened and provide the same clone content. it would still be introducing a new character late in the game but they wouldnt have nearly as much screen time and it would have given more time to an existing character.

idk just spitballin here ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[ohnobjyx]

Taking care of you

Hi, guys! I initially wrote this post for an ask, but it got too long to be included, so I separated it in another post.

Disclaimer: fake info.

I’d like to highlight the moments they take care of each other. It must be because of how my own relationship works, but I really feel there’s something real between them when I see them just caring for each other.

Dd taking care of gg

From gg’s angle, I think the biggest clue is not just him taking care of dd, but letting himself be taken care of. From my experience, a independent, proud and competitive person like gg admitting that he doesn’t want to do something, asking for help or letting others defend him like dd does, shows a great deal of trust in the other person. He trusts the other one to do the right thing, to say the right words. And that’s present from start to finish in all of their events.

In the Thai fanmeeting (0:13-0:40 here), when asked a difficult question, gg and dd both said: “you answer”. Gg said in a very low voice “I don’t want to answer”, so dd inmediately turned to the reporter and thought of an answer. However, his answer was too short, so gg jumped in to complete it. Gg is perfectly capable of taking care of himself in events and interviews. He has done so before and continues to do so. However, whenever he’s with dd, he relaxes more, and lets dd take the reins or   even asks him to (he asked him in this segment, but dd always rushes to defend him if needs arises, like the “you look at the waist” or the “why rush into marriage” moments). That doesn’t mean that he just disconnects, but remains attentive so he can help dd too if necessary. The way they rely and complete each other is really cp goals.

In CQL bts (the scene of the boat), dd keeps peeling lotus seeds for gg and giving them to him. Gg just naturally takes the seeds from him, and when YB hands him another stem, he just hands it to dd. If it wasn’t dd, just any other coworker, I don’t think gg would bear to just sit there and have another person peeling lotus seeds for him. He’d probably peel them himself, because that’s the “polite” thing to do. However, there’s no such need with people you’re really close to, and gg just sitting there speaks volumes of their closeness to each other.

(And note that when YB asks dd to pass him a lotus seed, dd just throws an unpeeled one to him, and YB has to peel it himself, because dd is only peeling lotus seeds for gg. Dd’s double standards).

In TTXS 11th anniversary, dd brings gg as his special guest. Gg says: “wang-laoshi please take care of me”, and dd answers: “I can’t even take care of myself”. But in the episode, he never leaves gg’s side, slows down the dance so gg can follow and jumps in to dance himself when gg is asked to and uncomfortable to say “no” (note that he also defended gg in the Thai fan meeting interview, when the reporter asked if gg could dance for them, dd was the first one to answer “no”)

Gg’s hearing is quite poor, so he often misses hosts’ questions. Dd is used to it by now: sometimes gg doesn’t even needs to ask him and dd will already be turning to him to repeat the question to him. I can think of at least three times that dd helped him like that: (1), (2) and (3)

(In Tencent Awards night, gg didn’t even hear the host telling him to stay for a bit, and only stopped after seeing dd. He didn’t hear anything the hosts said either. What is remarkable is that dd started to explain as soon as he turned. How did you know that gg hadn’t heard anything if you were facing the other side, dd?)

In Nanjing concert (191101), gg had a infection in the throat (faringitis). He could barely talk in the practice, and it’s part of the reason he’s much more silent in that concert. His throat was bothering him at the end of the concert, when they were both singing WuJi, so dd just simply sang his lines for him, hitting the high notes even though his voice isn’t suited for them. He continued to sing the leading voice of the song, just so gg could rest his voice. Gg’s reaction is so sweet too (his surprised stare, their smiles, gg nodding his head giving his thanks... judge for yourselves). He was smiling much more afterwards too.

Gg taking care of dd

But of course, gg also takes care of dd. As I’ve said, this goes to them both.

We’ve the famous knee pads moment in the 9-minutes boat video. Gg notices injuries in dd’s knees and looks very sad when he asks “b-but these are new injuries?”. They even bicker for a second, but gg keeps looking at dd’s knees and out of concern asks him to wear knee-pads. We all know that more than a year after that, dd is indeed listening to gg’s words, even though at first he laughed at them and asked “who would wear knee pads?”.

In the same 9-minute boat video, gg also asks him “I heard yesterday was so hot that an extra fainted... how were you?”. From my pov, this video allows us a small glimpse into how they interact, and by dd’s answer I think it’s usual for gg to be caring and attentive of dd. Even when they are playing and joking around, gg keeps in mind dd’s health, like when he said “yes, I’ll let you off since you haven’t slept for 2-3days and that’s sad. Rest well, please” here.

I don’t even think gg was thinking of anymore than just friendship with dd at that moment. But it already started to show that he cared a lot about him.

There are also multiple instances of gg taking care of dd’s throat. For some reason, it seems dd is very prone to colds and coughs (he once said he was the kind of kid that got sick every season, and I don’t think the idol life workload is doing anything to fix that).

Bxg digged out that gg gave dd a certain brand cough drop in the Thai fan meeting (and it’s the same one he was sharing with the other hosts in SDoC). Then we jump at Tencent Awards night. Gg sees that dd has something candy-like in his mouth and inmediately asks: “does your throat hurt?”. The amount of knowledge necessary here: as his cohosts from SDoC demonstrates for us, when we see a friend eating a candy, it’s more normal to ask “oh, you’re eating a candy?”. But gg inmediately knows that it’s a cough drop, most likely because he knows that dd doesn’t like sweets and snacks and he gave him those. From there, we jump to gg’s worry about dd “does your throat hurt?”.

In TTXS episode with gg, at the end, when they are eating meat skewers, gg advises dd to eat less of them: “they have black pepper, it’s bad for the throat”. For me, it’s a sign of how gg takes care of dd in a more domestic and daily basis. The comment is taken naturally by dd, as if he’s used to it.

(Actually, I’d like to know what gg has to say about dd eating so many spicy hotpots with his cough. In traditional Chinese medicine, “spicy, sweet, oily and alcohol” are the four prohibitions for people who want to take care of their voice and their throat. By gg’s comments and the brand of cough drops he gives dd, I’m almost sure he wouldn’t like dd mistreating his throat like this).

I’m sure most of you has noticed the next one, but gg always clears the seat for dd. He did so in Nanjing fan meeting, and took the papers and the pen away so dd didn’t sit on them, and again cleared the seat next to him in Tencent awards. So when gg wasn’t sitting next to him in w/ibo night, dd simply sat with a water bottle behind him, and gg noticed when he sat in dd’s seat later, when dd had left.

(It’s also interesting to analyze gg’s movement in Tencent Awards. Everyone in that sofa where sitting widely apart from each other, so a pen placed next to gg shouldn’t bother dd if he simply took his seat keeping the same distance everyone was keeping. But gg assumed naturally that dd would be sitting next to him).

(At the left, an actress who is rumoured to follow other actors cp’s, and was seen observing gg and dd that night quite closely).

Also from Tencent Awards night, dd was confused as to how to leave the stage, which gg kindly points him the correct way. The same thing, though much more subtle, appears again at the w/ibo night, when with a glance from dd, gg points the way with his fan for dd.

Gg also cares about dd’s career. In c-culture, connections and relationships with important people play a large part in your success in any industry. So at first gg was standing between ZLY and dd, but when he noticed ZLY talking with dd, he just gently pushed dd towards her, so they could chat.

This is why I don’t really believe in the famous video of a “jealous gg moment” (when they got off stage and were walking down the stairs, dd looked at ZLY, and that glance was supposedly seen by gg, who stormed off, leaving dd behind). I think gg didn’t react like that because of dd (though he did look at him), but because someone signaled him from afar. 

Dd even waited for ZLY to get on stage, and offered his help to her because she was wearing a long dress. This was also seen by gg, who turned to check if dd was following. If this moment didn’t get a reaction from gg, and he doesn’t react poorly when they both chatted at his side, I don’t know why dd just looking at her afterwards would sit so badly with gg (and we get back to the fact of ZLY being married and with a baby).

At the Nanjing concert, in the first day, when gg and dd were singing Wu Ji, there were some problems with their earphones. You can actually see them trying to fix it from here. However, dd ends up taking off his, and there’s a moment of silent communication, where I think dd was asking gg to cue him the start of the next part of the song (which is dd’s). From here, you can see gg keeping up with the beats of the song, and see him pointing with the mic towards dd when is his turn to start singing.

I particularly love this Wu Ji interpretation from them, because it’s first dd asking gg for help, and inmediately after, dd taking care of gg.

They rely on each other, trust each other and they move around each other like the other one is meant to be in their personal space. Neither gives or receives more help from the other, they are in an equally balanced relationship. Now you can take this and compare it to real relationships you know of to get your own conclusions about whether it resembles a romantic relationship or a strong friendship.

[whitetrashjj]

crying my eyes out at your MLA format essays cuz not every queer storyline in media has to be rooted in angst of coming out. i get some of the points you’re trying to make. i also don’t think the show is queerbaiting but jjpope had just as much “evidence” as jiara had. like please explain why jj was so keen on kiara liking john b just cuz she kissed him on the cheek and then went and kissed pope’s cheek?…. like in jj’s mind a cheek kiss means liking someone and he did that to pope. also there ARE shots of jj’s lingering gaze towards pope lets us not lie here lmao. i get that you’re sick of people calling u homophobic i dont think u are for not shipping jjpope i also dont think the show is queerbaiting at all but you go on about “storytelling povs” and “lack of critical thinking” when YOUR critical thinking is literally biased as hell 😭 u can ship jiara all u want but jj and kiara, ESPECIALLY KIARA, are both very much queer coded and if u gonna say they’re not bc of some cheesy sTorYtELLiNg bullshit that u probably learned from a youtube video then you’re just biased to your ship.

You know why I have to write those 'essays'? Cause I get asks like this that brush over a bunch of different topics and I want to make sure I not only address every part of it but also make sure I'm making my pov very clear so I don't have people misinterpreting what I say - even though they still do - or accuse me about random bitching without and reasons or justification. Anyway get ready to do some crying cause you are getting another essay.

I know not every queer storyline has to be rooted in the angst of coming out. I wish there were more that weren't. It's the reason I loved booksmart so much. It's one of the reasons I love Dare Me, because that show had sapphic leads and while their relationship was at the core of the show. It wasn't the fact that they were queer that was focused on. Oh god I could rant about Dare Me forever.

Now my point with JJ and Pope is that we don't get the impression that the boys are currently out as queer. JJ from the start was set up as a bit of a womaniser, a bit girl mad - it would have been very easy to make that gender neutral if he was bi, as I headcanon. With Pope it's the same, I personally view him as gay, but if he was bi/pan it would have been easy to show him like that as we see him attempting to flirt on two occasions. Now this isn't to say that in future seasons they can switch it up as if it was always canon, like they did with Clarke in the 100. My point however, isn't to say that JJ and Pope releasing their sexualities and feelings has to be filled with angst, the example I gave can very easily be played a bit cutely - even if they do address the internalised homophobia that I'm just sure would effect a character like JJ - but just that based on my experiences as a queer person and what I know to be experiences of others that it would realistically play out differently to how it would with a m/f couple. Even then when to comes to friends to lovers in general the removal of physical intimacy when that tension starts to build out of awkwardness is common, it doesn’t play out the same way that ships like JB and Sarah do in which they increase in physical intimacy. 

I didn't bring jiara into this. I didn't go out comparing jjpope and their interactions to jiara, I was simply speaking to how jjpope's relationship was portrayed. In terms of 'evidence' I am more than aware the jiara wasn't written to be a developing romance, anything there was created by what the fans saw and choices made by the editors. But it is also a canon fact that at the very least JJ is attracted to Kie, that all the pogues 'kinda have a thing for her' and that he has 'tried' something with her. Even if the intention of those things wasn't to build to a relationship - they did happen and that's not up for interpretation. I'm not gonna bring up the 'did you tell JJ?' thing cause it still confuses the hell out of me.

The thing with the cheek kisses is that it's not the action in itself that made it a romantic thing. A handshake can build romantic tension when framed that way but that doesn't make every hand shake in that piece of media suddenly romantic, make sense? If you compare the two scenes we have the build up of Kie walking up to John B, a close up of a lingering cheek kiss, the pull back with lingering looks and then the reactions of others who have observed it and picked up on something. It frames it as a significant moment with slow beats. That's how you build romantic tension. With the JJPope one it just flows past it, JJ pulls back from the hug, a quick peck on the check and a 'love you too man' with a smirk and pat on the check. We don't even have a second of Pope's reaction to it. Do you see what I mean?

You can love that moment as a shipper. I mean it's a great moment that really highlights their dynamic. To you it's a dynamic that you see and think oh this would play out so well romanticly, it's a dynamic I see and think oh I love their friendship. Each of those are valid reactions. But it isn't a moment that has been intentionally framed to build romantic tension and suggest a budding relationship.

Darl, I swear to god if I was coming to you with my shipping bias' this would be a very different conversation. I know I will always have them and I will lean into them when I'm on vc with shes, theys and gays and we are getting lost in headcanons but I do my best take a step back when I talk about these things here because I've been in fandoms when you have two extremes and no one relents and it's awful, I don't want to create that space. And once again, I did not bring jiara into this. My original post was not a comparison to jiara.

I am very curious about your perspective on queer coding here. Because yes, JJ has chaotic bi energy and I will die on this hill. But I do not see how he has been queer coded. Other than people seeing a man being physically affectionate with another men and insist that can't be platonic. As with Kie I can see it more, not for a second do I believe that what went on with Kie and Sarah was straight. And I desperately want to see Maddie play Kie as pan to rep her own very underrepresented sexuality! And in terms of how she's written, stuff like being an astrology bitch and environmentalist scream queer to us, I do think it is important to note that the writers of the show being who they are would necessarily have the same impression of what a queer womans traits would be. In regards to that scene in ep 1 where they have the hot touron girl and then JJ, JB and Kie all perking up and doing the nod thing? I don't think anyone has a straight explanation for that.

The 'sTorYtELLiNg bullshit that u probably learned from a youtube video' comment made me laugh cause it reminds me of this guy I had a fight with on the weekend over Remus and Sirius being queer and he decided to undermine my argument by saying 'just because you read it on reddit doesn't make it true' which... yike. Any way, maybe you do but I don't have the tolerance to sit down and watch a youtube video on someone analysing a show. All my interpretations come from years of writing actual essays analysing elements and themes in media. As well as having a keen interest in direction and editing, so I pay a lot of attention to those things and you start to notice patterns. In terms of credentials I don't have any but I do think these 'essays' do an alright job of me not only explaining my interpretation but why. Because I'm not someone to just say things and expect that to just be accepted or think that is makes it true.

[fishylife]

Street Dance of China, Season 4, Episode 9

- Yixing’s first group had Kenken, Poppin’C, and MT-Pop. (International boyband lol)

- MT-Pop wanted to do something creepy as usual so they were watching movies for inspiration. The film club was watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp. MT loves movies so much it’s cute :P

- So the theme of their performance was “creepy chocolate factory.” Kenken was the Willy Wonka and MT-Pop and Poppin’C were the chocolate people, who eventually kidnapped (?) Kenken and turned him into a chocolate person himself. You know, I don’t know how they did it, but they managed to turned chocolate into something creepy.

- Yibo’s team performed a routine based on Chinese ghost stories. What a coincidence that we got two creepy routines in Halloween month lol.

- Lookin’ good today, as usual

- I did like Taotao and Cici’s performance! It was...gentle? I think that’s the word I’m looking for. It was simple but it wasn’t intense. It was about how fire and water live alongside one another. They’re both very vibrant, but they never completely extinguish the other.

- Omg Yixing started singing 菊花臺 (”Chrysanthemum Terrace” by Jay Chou). Sends me back, bro.

- Henry attempted to harmonize but I think he doesn’t know the song.

- The irony of Han Geng teaching Ibuki to be bitchy XD The caption refers to this as Dongbei dialect, which is known to be very harsh sounding. For some reason it never occurred to me that Han Geng, a Dongbei man, would be familiar with Dongbei dialect, but that makes most logical sense. Anyway, LOL.

- Yixing was complaining about always being first, so he was very decidedly not going to stand in the same spot. Henry here is like “bro, I’ll help you control the bottle, don’t worry bro.”

- Geng-ge here was predicting that the bottle would spin towards Henry and he was right.

- So Yixing was like....let’s try this one last time to see if producer always spins to this spot, and he DID.

- Then they told the producer to spin with his left hand instead, and it STILL ended up going to the same spot lol.

- Henry was trying to get all tricky with who he was going to send next. Here he is trying to steal intel from the enemy (Rei-san from Gogo Brothers).

- I usually skip through the ads but Yixing looks so cute in this one with his team XD

- Rochka, Chika, Han Yu, and Li Chunlin’s performance was visually very exciting. The theme was simple, and they focused more on coolness, which I love.

- When Henry was asked whether he was pleased with his team’s performance, he went “YESSSS”

- The text says “surprised Xing.jpg” lol

- Is the Chika/Han Yu ship finally sailing??

- Apparently Rochka was running like this because he was out of ideas and needed milk tea XD

- The workers kept bringing more and more milk tea and he was like :o

- Boy’s in milk tea heaven lol

- Rochka being made aware of his reaction memes

- I thought the song that Bunta, Rei-san, Yuu-san, and Qiao Zhi danced to was very difficult to dance to. Even as a listener, it was difficult for me to follow, so admittedly I spent a lot of the performance trying to catch the beat. So I guess I do kind of share Han Geng’s sentiments here. He also said that he thought he performance didn’t really capture the dancers’ strengths. Here’s the tricky thing. The Gogo Brothers and Qiao Zhi very clearly have their strengths in locking and breaking respectively. But what’s more is that they don’t seem to step out of that box as much as some of the other dancers, including the poppers, the waackers, and especially the hip hop dancers. So Bunta, who is a choreographer has a decision to make, whether to stick them in their boxes, or to choreograph a nice dance that the others have to live up to. He went with the latter, but I guess it’s a no-win situation, because Gogo Brothers and Qiao Zhi have already set expectations during the show. That being said, as their captain, Yixing said that he wanted them to have the freedom to do what they wanted with their performance. He was a bit iffy about their song choice, I guess for the same reasons as others had, but he respected their choice, and he respected that the dancers wanted to do something with that piece of music. And I think that comes down to the idea that even though this is a competition, it’s also hard to say that it’s a competition because how do you say one piece of art is objectively better than an another? Like Yixing said, it’s just about whether you’re able to move someone, and just because a piece of art moves fewer people doesn’t make it less valid. The commentary section on their dance ended with the dancers praising Yuu-san and Rei-san for stepping out of their comfort zone and dancing non-locking, which is a really good point. I think one of the reasons that I haven’t really warmed up to a lot of the lockers is that they are very set in their ways. They’re very good at what they do, but it’s hard to see them do anything new, and so I do respect them for their daring decision.

- Bouboo is so quiet that it surprises me when he does goofy happy things lol.

- Momo and Bouboo did this “old-timey” romance themed performance.

- At the end of their performance there was an aged up picture of Momo and Bouboo and Rochka was losing his goddamn mind because the picture of Bouboo with a beard was too much for him.

- Henry was like “I feel so lonely now :(”

- Yixing admitting that any performance that features Chinese elements will always rank first in his mind.

- And any performance with krump will rank second lol. We love a self aware king.

- Ma Xiaolong said that Acky-san is a bit like Hong Qigong in some ways XD (From the Condor Trilogy) Hong Qigong is what we call a 老頑童. Well Zhou Botong (from the same series) is the original 老頑童, but I would definitely say that Hong Qigong qualifies too. A 老頑童 is basically an old person who acts in a very playful and happy-go-lucky manner. But Ma Xiaolong did say that there were times when Acky-san was very serious too.

- Hanging out and practising :3

- I liked that their performance didn’t force Acky-san completely out of his box. While this sort of performance is totally not what he does normally, the music and presumably Ma Xiaolong’s choreography also gave him opportunities to do what he did best (popping).

- Look at how much fun they’re having!

- And they ran into a hug after it ended uwu

- Acky-san getting hyped and dancing because of all the votes they were getting. He was SUPER pumped lol.

- Yixing was already standing up because of how enthusiastic he was about the performance, but Producer kept telling him to wait his turn to comment lol.

- OMG Han Geng mentioned that Ma Xiaolong was dancing to “琴棋書畫.” It refers to the Four arts of China, guqin (zither), go (the board game), calligraphy, and drawing. His individual performance was go, his performance with Zyko was guqin, and this performance was calligraphy, so we should expect a drawing-themed performance form him later :P Great catch, Geng-ge!

- Henry commented on how not only did Ma Xiaolong choreograph a good piece, he knows how to show the strengths of the other person he’s dancing with. His strengths definitely lie in choreographing for one or two people imo.

- Yixing used very poetic wording to describe the perfection of their performance :P

- Henry asked about the words that were recorded in the music, and Ma Xiaolong said that it was his own speaking. Dude could be a voice actor :o And then Acky-san was asked to repeat the same words and he did it!

 - Apparently Acky-san went to a plaza to join the middle-aged ladies dancing!!!

- And he exercises every morning

- More hugz :3 Acky-san was talking about his feelings about his performance, and had lots of praises for Ma Xiaolong. Hugs really are the universal language huh.

- The producer spun the bottle in a super whatever manner and it still ended on Yixing first XD

- Final battle was again Henry vs. Han Geng so of course they had to hug it out.

- Tumblr isn’t saving my posts again :/

- Anyway, Huang Xiao’s team consisted of him, Bozi, and Dianmen, which are an interesting trio because they all come from different backgrounds. But I think they went together very well.

- Though Yixing was pleased with the performance, he threatened Huang Xiao being like “if you don’t do a Chinese-themed performance again.....”

- Henry said what Chinese-themed performances are to Yixing, is what Classical music is to him.

- But he had one huge pet peeve which was that when Huang Xiao was playing the right side of the piano, the music played a low chord lol.

- I agree with what Yibo said about the performance looking very complete. It didn’t stick out like a sore thumb the fact that Bozi was a break dancer and that Dianmen was a popper. Instead, they were choreographed in a way that worked to their strengths, but they still felt very much like a part of Huang Xiao’s character, his psyche.

- Bozi was asked whether he now feels what Qiao Zhi feels when being choreographed by Huang Xiao. Bozi admitted that it was very difficult because Huang Xiao is very strict.

- Huang Xiao is saying “five more times.” Dianmen is a mood.

- Dianmen said Huang Xiao is a boy from hell

- Huang Xiao said that Dianmen and Bozi were very well behaved though.

- Bozi’s caption says he’s obedient (he listens to what he’s told to do), and Dianmen’s caption says he’s agreeable (when someone is cute because they’re obedient).

- Dianmen accidentally said it wasn’t easy to come across such a good choreographer and Han Geng and Yibo were like “EXCUUUUUSE ME I guess all of the choreographers you worked with before were TRASH huh??”

- Taotao being like “SAY THAT AGAIN”

- HB + Ye Yin had an anime themed performance! Ye Yin was Conan and HB were Lupin III. I KNEW they looked familiar but I couldn’t for the life of me remember where their costumes were from lol.

- Xiao Jie, Shitou, and Xiaoji have got to be the most amusing trio ever.

- When Fanfan joined their group, Xiaoji was like “...you sure?? You want to have a future in dance?” lol

- Basically, she’s been forced to do goofy stuff XD

- Ma Xiaolong helping Han Geng with translating his intro blurb into English XD Xiaoji, Xiao Jie, Shitou, and Fanfan have an 80s disco themed performance :3

- Their performance was so fun! Admittedly I feel like Shitou did have an oopsie at the beginning but otherwise the performance was very hype. (Edit: on rewatch, I don’t think it was a mistake, I think it was him being funny) That being said, I don’t think the performance was perhaps as technically difficult as others, but it was definitely a crowd pleaser.

- The producer asked Han Geng whose youth this performance was portraying (implying Han Geng would’ve related to this as an 80s kid) and Han Geng was like “I...don’t believe I’ve ever experienced this decade”

- Disgust is correct

- OH MY GOD YIXING IS TALKING ABOUT THAT TIME ON BACK TO FIELD THAT NA YING AND LI JING TAUGHT HIM 80S DANCE MOVES

- Of course, he was asked to demonstrate. He didn’t perform that dance that he was OBSESSED with though, unfortunately lol. Yixing said that he practised this move for a long time to get the BALANCE right, and the dancers up above agreed that this was a surprisingly tricky dance.

- Xiao Jie said that Yixing’s dance was a little too trendy, and he demonstrated a dance move from his mom’s era lol.

- Yibo teasing Shitou for still not being cool lol. Stop it!!!!! He’s a good man he doesn’t deserve this lol.

- Henry said that this performance could only have been done by them, and they’re absolutely right. They need the shamelessness of Xiao Jie, the fite of Xiaoji, the stoicism of Shitou, and the seriousness of Fanfan to pull this off lol.

- Shitou learned to imitate Xiaoji’s accent lol.

- Henry asking his team if everybody tied their shoelaces twice. I’m going to assume this isn’t some sort of clue and Henry is only exercising the sort of authority one would use on a kindergarten class.

- Henry had different advice for different people, which I think shows that he takes the time to really know people. He told the poppers they had to be very powerful, and then he told Boris he had to slow down and relax a bit.

- Their team had a Toy Story theme, because they’d been watching the movie.

- Boris got assigned as Buzz because the team members thought their eyes looked alike.

- I can’t believe Woody and Jesse’s names in Chinese are 愛帥 “Aishuai” and 愛美 “Aimei”. Aishuai means “loves handsomeness” and Aimei means “loves beauty.”

- C-Lil and Zhong Chen are the alien and Rex respectively. (C-Lil...what do you look so smol for. He’s always been smol but he looks especially smol today.)

- PD Henry at work. He was helping to add the sound effects and such to the song.

- Henry said that at 4AM, when he was preparing to sleep, the entire crew stormed into his hotel room asking him to work on their music for him.

- The eye bags are shopped on, but basically, he’d play sounds over and over for them being like “is this okay? is this okay?” all night.

- Twas cute :3

- I agree that the trampoline flips looked super risky. Not only was Boris doing backflips to the music, but the rest of the team had to move the trampoline to keep up with him and make sure he landed safely.

- Of course Yixing also praised the music :P Producer bros

- Admittedly it is surprising that Yixing’s team, with three choreographers, has lost all of his matchups. I think Yixing wanted to let his team do what they wanted and express themselves, whereas some of the other groups went with performances that they knew would be crowd pleasers.

- After two rounds, Yixing and Henry each have to eliminate four members of their teams. Yibo and Han Geng each have to eliminate two members of their teams, but Nelson and Zyko count, so they only have to eliminate one more each.

- Han Geng eliminated Yuwan. Yuwan basically said he has no regrets, since he got to battle, and he got to participate in some pretty great routines. Good for him.

- Henry seemed pretty upset, which, yeah. Four members is a lot.

- He eliminated Zhong Chen, Waiwai, Boris, and C-Lil :(

- Boris said that he’d been eliminated once before, so he doesn’t feel too bad about it. He said he was already happy that he got one chance to come back. Similarly to Yuwan he was like in this show, I’ve battled, I’ve been in routine dances, I’ve sang, etc.

- Henry and C-Lil uwu

- Yibo eliminated Liangliang. He clarified beforehand that his decision was based on the future (maybe related to the styles of dancers and not necessarily how good they are?).

- Yixing eliminated Bunta, Dianmen, Kenken, and Bozi. I think I understand Yixing’s thinking. Basically from now on, the teams probably aren’t going to have huge routine performances, and as individual dancers, Kenken and Bunta aren’t the strongest, so that’s probably why he chose to eliminate two of his choreographers.

- Dianmen wanted to thank Acky-san for his experience, that he had such a fun time with his teacher

- Xiaohai told Yibo that Dianmen went with Acky-san to the park every morning, that they have a good relationship and that Dianmen was taking care of him since he came to China.

- Bye bye buddies :(

- Huang Xiao telling Bunta that he’s gonna miss him v.v

- Kenken!!! Baby!!!!!

- So here are the teams now.

- In the hotpot shot, Yixing and Yibo play some basketball.

- Yibo was saying that he was losing weight for a role that he was going to play later that month, while adding 11 tablespoons of vinegar in his sauce. Henry was like “you’re already fine” but Yibo was like “ehh could be thinner.” Being a celeb is tough v.v

- Henry said he would want to be best bros with Woodstock (from the Peanuts comics). He just wants a little friend on his shoulder at all times.

- Yixing said he would choose to be best buds with the Hulk. Which I guess explains the picture he took with the Hulk earlier? Or perhaps the Hulk came to mind because he took that picture. We love a man with zero memory span. Anyway he was like it’d would be awesome if I could teach him krump.

- HAN GENG CHOSE DORAEMON!!!!!! The bestest robo cat ever. Anyway Han Geng said whatever the didis wanted, Doraemon could get it for them lol (the deal with Doraemon is that he has all sorts of treasures in his little pouch there).

- The producer said that when he went to university, taking the train took 16 hours and Han Geng was like “ONLY 16 hours? for me it was 29!!!!” (From Beijing to Mudanjiang, where he’s from) Like okay, old man, it isn’t a contest lol. Speaking of which, Mudanjiang is kind of a nice name, eh? Peony River is cute :3

- Anyway, Han Geng said that sometimes there’d be no train tickets (no seats), so he’d have to stand for 29 hours on the train.

- Then they discussed the meaning of friendship, etc. and Yixing was like sincerity and truthfulness is the key to friendships!!!

- Then they played a game where they would call a friend and see if they’d pick up.

[jaynovz]

Okay girls, gay and theys, we’re back with ep 1.7492

--

hohoho lad means business. can’t operate doctor guy. I’m so ready for this to be a shitshow right now. i hope they come to blows. Let. Luke. Go. Feral.

--

okay overview of current plotlines aka me proving that I know what’s going on beyond whatever luke’s char is doing:

tori and dr. green are engaged and that made the brother sort of like “hey I want to marry my lady” or whatever but she’s not down for marriage and it was a Thing. Also the brother has cancer in remission, so that’ll prob come back up. Um, Jasmine (sam frost, mega hottie blond) is getting over her dead husband but she felt guilty for doing The Flirt with Luke’s char (whose name is Lewis, I don’t think I’ve mentioned that yet) he also has a dead spouse so they can like. bond over that? anyway, they held hands and it was cute.

Uh, the elderly dude (palmer??) has a girlfriend and they’re just doing pure adorable romcom shit and I’m here for it. Oh also the gf is encouraging him to tell his mean boss to stop treating him bad. Very wholesome.

This one guy is in prison and was framed for murder? but then he did an actual murder in prison? anyway his siblings (I think they’re both sibs) are stressed about him getting hurt in there. So that was a thing. He got beat up in the season premiere (the in jail bro) and Luke’s nurse char, Lewis, was taking care of him. but now he works at the hospital and he just mean mugs that one doctor surgeon all the time b/c he holds him responsible for neglect of his wife’s med care and thinks it caused her death. and in general thinks he’s an inept surgeon.

What else? uhhhhh some dude who worked at the gym was drunk/had a drinking problem and got violent and the mom was like in his corner, but the step dad(???) and sis were like “nah he gotta go” but b4 he could get arrested, he bolted. So that’s caused some strife.

oh and everyone chipped in and threw the two very busy doctors an engagement party, which was wholesome and lovely. I would be more on team engaged doc except I’m on Lewis’ side b/c he’s Luke so I want him to go feral on this doc guy.

I know what’s happening! See?

--

the girls are FIGHTING~

I really do appreciate his mad face

also Luke again having some killer authority playing up to ppl taller than him. get em short king.

[popculturebuffet]

Animation Reviews: OK KO: Red Action 3: Grudgement Day

Whelp I said i’d do all three in one day and I MEANT IT. And I may do it again just to stay on schedule in the future, but for now i’m just proud and exausted to have gotten this done. And after a rather “eh it has some things but it’s mostly just there” episode” we’ve come to our last episode and my personal faviorite, Red Action 3: Grudgment day. Also as a quick note I forgot red was actually a major part of “I hope this thing flies” back in my first review, but I probably would’ve left it out as while the plot is her racing with Rad, it’s entirely a rad episode, and like plaza prom which I had to realize wasn’t important, isn’t really necessary.  One last where we are in the series thing. We’re in season 3 and as I mentioned last time, RIGHT before the final episodes and one episode before the three part final arc and unrelated but beautiful epilogue that closes out the series. I didn’t go into my throughts on season 2 but it was good, the ending was just a  really sloppy end to an otherwise good arc that i’ll get to. Season 3 is somehow even better, using it’s shorter run time to tie up loose ends and character arcs left and right and , after trying all series to do it, crossing over with Sonic the hedgehog, another thing for another time, and the final episodes, both the wrap up to the story arc “Let’s fight ot the end” and the wonderful where are they now epilouge “Thank you for watching the show”, are absolutley amazing and how you end a show.. and thankfully endings of this calibur became the trend this year given that same year star vs ended terribly and the bad taste is still in my mouth over that one but that’s a story for another bunch of reviews. The point is as I said the crew used the time wisely and wrapped up most ongoing character and story arcs that needed resolution. And given they spent two episodes on it the team decided to pull the pin on red and enid getting together, and solve one dangling issue the fans likely had all in one go. IT’s grudgment day under the cut. 

We open with Rad and Red arguging and KO looking at them in a way that just screams:”Third mom, Rad, please stop fighting”  Enid comes in and wonders why one of her two best friends and her girlfriend are fighting. She dosen’t use the term but given the kiss at the end of the episode, more on that when we get to it, the general way Enid acts about this and the way Red acts around her this ep.. their a couple at this point.  I do wish they had an episode of them becoming offical, adressing Enid and Elodie.. bucnhes of other things but I concede that the crew was blindsighted by having a smaller season and had they you know NOT BEEN CANCELED FOR NO GOOD GOODAMN RESAON, we might have gotten more renid and more stories and a full on steven universe crossover with both sides. But I digress.. CN’s managment is terrible right now... but that’s not the reason for this article so we’re moving on.  Anyways Enid wants to know why their so pissy when she arrives, and Red .. is in the right this time. Showing her growth while she still got heated with rad.

Rad did at least start it, as she simply came in to take enid jelly surfing and was kind enough to ask him to come along.. and KO implictly given he’s there and their buds now and all that. But when rad insults her again she quits the explaning and goes right back to arguing with him while Enid and KO look on awkwardly. Then Red decides to go into a mocking impression of rad, which is not NEARLY as mean as it could’ve been given the guy has canocially, had a super virus get worse because he refused to get rest something the villian that gave it to him was COUNTING on as part of his evil scheme, was left on the floor in pain over his cocoa being too hot, and once confused his 6-11 year old friend for a doppleganger despite having GIVEN said friend his nametag, though to be fair red’s own best friend also thought he was rad and gave him her number, so everyone was kind of dumb that day but still, the point is she has a LOT of ammo. In contrast Rad STARTS light saying she says words like Cowabunga (she only does once at the end of this ep and has not at any time).. before saying Enid deserves someone better and flinging her surfboard... which Crinkly Wrinkly jumps on and crashes into a wall because of course he does.  Anyways Enid is offended at this and reveals rad’s been acting like a raving dickhead to Red anytime she shows up, which were this season 1 would be on brand but after 3 seasons of becoming a better person and an episode earlier this season where he rejected his dudebro friends once and for all, who by the way: Beefer and Mega Football Baby are the worst and I hate them and i’m greatful that their final apperance is rad realizing what a bad influence they’ve been and telling their asses off for their toxic masculinity. But I will however give OK KO credit as their SUPPOSED to be obnoxious, and the crew still dialed back hteir apperances to almost nothing when they realized it went horribly right, versus Rusty whose still mildly to massively annoying, but has yet to be fixed or removed from LIncoln’s crew, despite the show having a good track record for taking problematic characters and fixing them. And i’ve gotten entirely offf topic because all three of them piss me off so much, so let’s move on.  Where were we.. ah yes, since Rad being a dickhead this consisently is now an exception not the rule, Enid rightfully demands to know why and Rad.. makes up two very petty, weak and obviously pulled out of his butt to try and cover the real reason up reasons for his actions: Red didn’t follow him back on Social Media, which is both a website and what the website is in this universe apparently which Is brilliant, and that she took the last bit of cake at prom... you know after he realized he was screwing it up and fixed it all with a homoerotic dance fight. Plaza Prom is amazing. When pressed because Rad fired his stupid friends, Rad hastily challenges red to a power battle, which I haven’t had to cover yet: Basically a hero can challenge another hero to a fight, usually for respect, to settle a grudge or who took the last bagle, and it’s a socially accepted thing called a power batttle. Really given it seems like KO’s world has not had a hero civil war, and the one time we’ve seen heroes on heroes outside of these things has been when POINT was acting shady as fuck and thus needed to be stopped, it seems like a resonable mesure, especially since most heroes just.. shrug off damage from battles and stuff after a bit.  Unable to convince her girlfriend not to punch her best friend in the face, however much he deserves it, Red gives enid her belt with her time capusles inside, so they don’t go off mid fight and gives her an air kiss. Awww. Enid bemoans the fact this is happening for such dumb reasons when KO relaizes they can just use the belt to fix what once went wrong and end this petty fight before rad dies.  First stop, the Bodega a few months ago, which KO proves both by the fact they have mean beans, which theys topped selling months ago and is one of the single best refrences this show did and it’s done a LOT, and the social media feed being from months and months ago, with Beefer bragging elodie beat him up. Ewwwwww.... I don’t wnat to kjnow what he’s into. Gah gotta scrub my brain. ONe brain scrub later Rad needs only one more follower to 100. I hear when you get 100 this happens. 

Rad asks for a follow for follow from Red, who says she dosen’t have her phone. Enid is sure she’s lying, which she is, and follows Rad for her. Also I love rad’s file photo

Seriously they use this any time they need a picture of him. It’s one of the series best runners and is only topped by homer simpsons various terrible ones and this gravity falls masterpiece as being the best stock photo used for a character.

I will use this any time I have an excuse to and I have no shame about that. Anyways they go back but

As things have only gotten more heated at the power battle, so they try the prom to see if that’ll help.  Cue PROM. Seriously why they never did a second Plaza Prom episode is really beyond me. Lot of potetinal with that concept.. plus I like episodes that put tons of cast, main and supporting, in one event together, ever since venture bros. It’s always a fun time. Anyways, Enid wants to stop a paradox but KO has already interacted with his past self.. which is the KO enid’s talking to and a great gag.  So the two seeing Rad and Red both about to go for the cake decide to pull a destraction: Enid goes over and talks to Red to hold her off and get the cake to rad, while KO does what any sane person would do: Jumps onto Rad’s face while yelling rad I love you, and Rad is clearly more annoyed he’s on his face and this has very obviously happened before. .... I miss this show.  Anyway after giving the explination that she’s a shadow clone to explain why her past self is still up there DJing, she offers to dance and the two have a good cute time until enid gets the cake into rad’s mouth and bolts.. and now we get the thing I hinted at earlier. Red talks to the other Alley Teens about it, and notes that while she dosen’t know Enid she kinda likes her.. then backpedals as the teens make faces but are clearly not fooled by they all look really creepy especially Gregg. 

WHelp I have ny nightamres for tonight. But yeah this is implied to be what got Red to ask her out in the first place. Time travel is weird and inconsietent. This does give me a chance to adress the fact that the alley teens.. sorta stopped beiing a thing eventually. I mean their stillf riends as of the season 2 openoer but red and drupe show up for their own eps or supportingroles while Gregg just kinda vanishes, poor person. That being said given this interaction and how close they were I DO think their still friends; I mean gregg and drupe was confirmed by the flash forward as they visit rad’s cafe, but Red would still be their friend, they just all likely have more stuff to do as they grow older: by the end of season 2 Drupe has a buisness and gregg is probably in college. But I expect Drupe would be Red’s best woman at her wedding. I mean gregg would probably be her best person but still. Anyways they return to the present again and.

Yeah that. Their now battling in cars and Enid decides to cut the bullshit and just ask Rad why he’s pissed at Red, asking Red to pause the fight, which she agrees to.  KO and Enid throw rad int he back of his van tied up and ask him to be honest about why he’s so pissed off. After some dithering he says he lo.. lo.. and instead of saying he loves enid, thank god i’m so sick of love triangles, may they die in a fire, like the episode hinted at it’s a swerve. and unlike a vince russo swerve which ends in A “Buff Bagwell’s mother on a forklift match”.. no really

This is actually a great one: Rad’s fully moved on and I like that, evne if the finale does leave it vauge if those bodegamen at the end are theirs or not, given Rad’s her best friend by the end and she and red would need a surrogate, it’s not a huge stretch to say Rad sperm donored for them and is still a beloved uncle and figure in their lives. Anyways the point is Rad’s real beef is.. suprisingly sweet. Turns out Rad’s still pissed at the whole “Teens humilating, burning and spanking” ko thing and Red posting it online. Which is likely to adress the fact they.. never adressed that and was a good call and a good way to show rad’s growth: he’s not jealous , he’s not mad she’s taking up enid’s time, he’s mad that his best friend is dating someone who beat up his other best friend for just trying to help them then put it online for a cruel laugh. Granted Drupe did the same thing and he not only danced with her but is on good terms with her to this day, but odds are given they see her more and she’s in fact the designer for their mission outfits in season 3, she probably apologized off screen while Red figured KO forgiving her was good enough and just wanted to forget it, running away from things as usual. IT speaks to the diffrence in their personality: Red runs hot is stubborn and takes time to admit she’s wrong, Drupe is very chill and as the series goes on very nice, and probably wanted to get it out of the way asap given she frequents the bodega more often, either in the background or foreground.  Anyways after KO reveals he actually enjoys the video as a treasured memory of when he first met the alley teens, disturbing his friends, seriously this kid needed to remerge with his edgelord side yikes, Enid gives rad a headpat and kudos for being normal and Enid decides to take all of them to go fix this.  Back in the past we’re back at the bullying and before past red can post, present red explains she should stop and after clarfying this isn’t an end of the world situation, not an unfair assumption given you know time traveler, she reveals it’s for someone unimportant.. but whose important to someone they care about, and that what they were doing was a terrible thing they’ll be ashamed of anyway. It’s a good scene that shows how far red’s come: from pushing everyone but two people awaya nd treating most like garbage in a vain attempt to avoid being who she used to be, to accepting it, finding love, and becoming friends with someone she hurt and accepting she hurt him. Rad is also clearly moved seeing that Enid did indeed choose wisely. Back in the present. 

... NO not this time. No instead red and rad are pals, talking about how shredded they are and what not, and while Enid finds it annoying, understandably, she’s glad their not trying to kill each other and dosen’t have to buy Rad’s gravestone or visit her girlfriend in prison. In the alterted timeline, which their also aware of by rad’s comment, time travel just go with it, they were already planning on going jelly surfing and invite enid, and implictly ko along. 

So we end on our main trio and Red jelly surfing, Enid and Red sharing a board before wiping out, laughing about it and then, as if you hadn’t already seen the header but fuck it. 

Yup. The subtext just became.. text. Awww. In case you were wondering, I do like them as a couple, especially after this quintology, as it’s made me realize just hwo much they click and how much chemistry they have, and by this point their just adorable, their drama gone and they can just be happy and gay together. And that’s something cartoons are doing more of and tha’ts wonderful and it’s wonderful that, with all else he had to wrap up, Ian felt confirming the gay couples lasted was extremley important, as two others are shown married in the finale. And we’ll get to the finale more in a bit, but first Rad floats by with an “I support this”, to approving smiles, and enid thinking he’s a weirdo. Also I love the meta text of having a character voiced by the shows creator say that.  KO however is sad that the video is gone but ENid says the memories will last. Rad is understandably not sad about it suggests they make new ones and we end on our quintent taking a selfie together. THE END. Before final thoughts, this wouldn’t however be the last we saw of them. The finale has a bit more as it flashes forwards a bit: the relevant part is one shows Enid take over KO’s mom Carol’s dojo. with red, the two kissing again and alllooking over some supsciously familiar kids who look supsciously like the hue troop, but are probably there great grandparents. While Red dosent’ show up again after that, and could’ve gone back to the future eventuallyf or all we know, I like to think she stayed, and that as noted above, she and enid had kids together with Rad’s help given the similar looking kids we see running the bodega... which admitely was kept vauge by Ian on purpose so fans could draw their own inclusion so that’s the one i’m drawing; rad is still there for them aand still family to them, but isn’t with Enid in a romantic sense, if you think diffrently that’s fine. But My ending is these two crazy kids worked it out and are now happy ever after. and that ain’t bad.  Final Thoughts: A fantastic episode with TONS of great jokes, call backs and a great resolution , showing off Rad and Red’s character development greatly,f ixing a possible plot hole and giving fans the kiss that many of them had wanted for some time. ONe of the series best I can’t gush enough about it but I shall stop for your benifit. If you liked this review, subscribe for more, check out the backlog via the convient pages on my blog, and shoot me an ask, wether it’s to suggst an episode or just to ask me about my opinons or yell about them or ask what I think about certain shows or what i’ll cover. And until next time, later days. 

[backtothestart02]

‘What do you mean you took the twins on a run?!’

Drabble 6 - The Flash Season 5 Countdown - 5 Days Left!

(OMG. This is the furthest thing from a drabble ever. Almost 2,000 words. Def going to have to upload as a one-shot too. Lmao. Enjoy!)

Iris stood at the kitchen sink doing dishes, a smile on herface as she scrubbed away and then set each dish on the nearby towel to dry.

It wasn’t that she was particularly in love with doing dishes– or cleaning for that matter. Barry didn’t excessively use his speed outsideof his superhero duties, but when he was home he often did do whatever cleaningwas necessary at super speed, and she was incredibly grateful for it.

He’d been gone all day though, and the twins were still inschool. They both had extracurriculars after school, and the sun was startingto set. She’d taken a step back long ago to being front and center in STARLabs, so she didn’t know what crimes or near-crimes had the Flash and BarryAllen stepping in that day. Regardless, his day was obviously a long one. Shefigured the least she could do was the household chores she usually left tohim.

And besides, her life was really good. She had anattractive, amazing, superhero husband who looked at her every day as if he wasfalling in love with her all over again. She had two beautiful speedsterchildren, who thankfully listened to their parents and didn’t use their speed publicly– at least not yet. And she had a thriving investigative journalism career. Shehad a handful of great, loyal, brilliant friends, and three amazing siblings,as well as the best father in the world. While she didn’t believe herself trulyin need of a mother any longer, Cecile West had become what felt like a veryendearing, protective older sister. Probably the closest thing to a mom she hadafter Francine died, and before that too if she was being honest.

Her life was so full. In quiet moments like these, it waseasy to smile.

The whoosh behind her caused her hair to float around hershoulders. She quickly dried her hands and turned around, eager to greet herhusband and plant a kiss on his weary face.

But that was not who she saw when she turned around.

“Don?”

His eyes were alight with excitement. Before he couldrespond though, his sister sped into the room.

Sped. Using super speed.

“Dad took us on a run!”

Iris’ eyes widened and then narrowed, because a beat laterBarry was in front of her, looking flushed with groceries in his arms.

“Hey, Iri-” His face fell when he saw the look his wife wasgiving him.

“Nora told her!” Don burst out. Nora smacked him. “Ow!”

“So, it’s true,” Iris said.

“Kids.” Barry gestured, and they both sped away.

“No, let them stay. They should hear what their fa-”

But the kids were gone before she finish her sentence,further infuriating her.

“I took them on a run,” Barry admitted slowly.

Iris’ eyes blazed furiously. She knew it already from whatNora had said, but she was hoping it had been a lie to get her father introuble. She should’ve known better. Nora was a daddy’s girl.

“What do you mean you took the twins on a run?!”

“Just to do a few errands,” he said hurriedly, setting the grocerybag down on the counter so he wouldn’t end up losing items from his armsflailing about. “No crime scenes or anything like that. Central City has beenpretty crime-free this afternoon.”

She glared at him. Hasit now.

“I was tied up at CCPD doing forensic stuff all morning, butthen I picked up the kids from school and thought I’d surprise them.”

“I thought they had extra curriculars,” she said.

He shrugged. “The kids said they were cancelled for the day.”

“Did they say this before or after you announced you’d bespeeding around the city all afternoon?”

He opened his mouth to answer, then closed it, then aworried expression crossed his face, followed by a guilty one when he met hereyes again.

“Oops?”

She sighed. “Barry, we talked about this.” She ran a handthrough her hair.

“I know.” He followed suit. “I’m sorry. I thought it wouldbe fun.”

“What would be fun? The kids don’t have suits. If anybody –literally anybody – spotted them when they stood still for even a second andconnected the dots, the news would spread. Eventually your enemies would becometheir enemies, and our kids’ lives would be in danger.”

“I know, I know…you’re right.”

“Am I?”

“Yes…” He sighed.

“Then, why would you do this?”

He shrugged, not saying anything.

“No, you have an opinion. Tell me what it is.”

“I don’t know, Iris. It’s a…”

“Speedster thing?” She raised an eyebrow. He flushed. “I wasa speedster once too, you know.”

“Yeah, but like…for a day.And years ago.”

She crossed her arms, daring him to continue.

“Listen, Iris, I’m not-” He took a breath and tried again. “Youused your speed right away when you got it, right? Like, within the hour.”

She nodded. “Yeah, so?”

“I did too. And I didn’t do it just in private. I mean, whatcould I possibly do that would be that fun? Eat really fast? Vibrate my voice?Brush my teeth at mach speed?”

“I assume you have a point.”

“Nora and Don have had speedster genes since the moment theywere born. They’re seventeen, and they haven’t been on a run before. I know it’sfor their safety, and I don’t want anything to happen any more than you do. But…there’sa difference between running in circles in the speed lab at STAR Labs andracing through the city, feeling the wind in your face, aware of all of yoursenses. Just you and the road, it’s…paradise.”

Iris sighed softly, feeling herself caving.

“To be deprived of that for as long as they have? I can’timagine how…devastating that is. Especially when they see me not being deprivedof that on a daily basis.”

“You’re the Flash!” she burst out.

“And they’re the Flash’s kids,” he responded.

She said nothing.

He came to her, running his hands up and down her arms.

“Look, all I’m saying is that maybe…”

“We ask Cisco to construct them suits?”

“He’d love it.”

“I don’t want them getting distracted with being superheroesyet, Barry. I want them to graduate high school first. And can’t they like…Idon’t know, run where no one can see them?” She paused before adding, “That isn’tSTAR Labs?”

He grinned slowly. “Like out in the country maybe?”

“There are fields…hills… They could practice running onwater on the lakes out there.”

His smile was immovable. “Look at you wanting our childrento be speedsters in public.”

“In an isolated public!” she cried. “And I thought youwanted them protected too!”

“I do,” he said. “I definitely do.”

“But?”

“But I relate to them as a speedster too, Iris, not just asa dad.” He shrugged. “Just…imagine having the need to move all the time andbeing forced not to because everyone around you doesn’t share that feeling, andyou might be in danger if you try anything.”

She considered that.

“They don’t do anything because we tell them not to, buttheir insides are screaming. You should’ve seen how excited they were when Ijust suggested it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they were.” She pursed her lips. “Okay. Theycan go on runs in the country, every day if they want, but…they have to atleast have a mask. Just in case.”

He grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

She rolled her eyes and brought his face down to hers.

“You’re impossible,” she said, and sealed her words with akiss.

“Is it safe to come down yet?” Don called from the top ofthe staircase.

“Only if you want to make dinner!” Iris called back.

Neither of the children appeared.

“I guess you’re on your own, Mr. Allen,” she said, leaningback against the countertop.

“I think I can handle myself,” he said, piling all theingredients up that made for his wife’s favorite dish concocted by GrandmaEsther.

Her eyes widened, and he met them knowingly.

“Seriously?”

He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

“You are- You are-”

She pulled him to her and jumped onto him, wrapping her legsaround his waist.

“Was this your back-up plan if I didn’t cave to your wishes?”

He shrugged innocently. “This and one other thing.”

Her jaw dropped, and she laughed, then latched her lips ontohis again.

“Still impossible. So totally, unbelievably impossible.”

He smiled into the kiss, bracing them against the nearest hardsurface, which just so happened to be the fridge. Iris gasped, breaking away.

“Ah- It’s cold.”

He smirked. “I know what’s not.” His eyes darkened.

“Barry.” Her voice dropped. “The kids are right upstairs.And they’re not little anymore.”

He lowered his lips to hers. “Then you better be quiet.”

She gasped, but he swallowed it. Their kisses grew moreintense, until she was aching for him inside of her and any thought of theirchildren was the farthest from her mind.

Twenty minutes later, Don entered the kitchen.

“Hey, Dad, Nora and I were wondering when din-”

And then he was gone, breathing hard when he returned to hissister’s room.

“Well? What did they say?” Nora asked, scooting to the edgeof their bed. “Are you okay?”

She got up to go to the door, since he wasn’t responding,and frankly, she was hungry. He barred the exit with his arm, and she looked athim, confused.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Don’t go down there,” he managed.

“Why?”

“They’re not finished,” he said, looking traumatized.

“With dinner?”

“With each other.”

Her eyes widened as his meaning dawned, and she sat back onher bed. She hadn’t seen what her brother had walked into, but somehow theimage was clear as day in her mind.

“Oh…my God.”

“Don? Nora?”

The twins exchanged horrified looks.

“…yeah?” Don shot out hesitantly.

“Did you want…take-out?”

The both sighed in relief.

“Yeah, that’s fine!” he called back.

A beat of silence, then from Barry, “You want to get ityourself?”

Giddy with delight, their parents’ compromising positionforgotten, both Nora and Don were out of there in a flash.

Iris scolded Barry as soon as they left, accusing him ofusing her desire for him against her.

“It’s the last time, I promise!” he said, laughing.

She smacked him, and he feigned hurt.

“I doubt it,” she mumbled, but they finished what they’dstarted and were fully composed by the time their children had returned.

As if their teenage son hadn’t caught them having sexagainst the refrigerator before Barry had so much as done anything besidestaken the ingredients out of the grocery bag.

“It’ll still be good tomorrow,” he reasoned.

Iris didn’t complain.

[informedinterest]

Season 2

(Season two

took a

little

 bit longer

Due to al

most all the characters being

t

ox

WAR:

          hev IMPLICIT/EXPLICT

                   DEP

                   TIONS

        OF

      ABUSE

Note;

D!Jesse p

(Or

Default

 Jesse

  Prodigy/

  Protege

  e

   are

  used

   due

    to

  characteriz

    a

    tio

    n

   issue

   s

 As well as

  th

  e

 char

  act

  er

  s

  D!Gill

  D!Petra

     etc

  Aroun

  d

  Rada

   r’

   s

  ag

   e

 Grou

  p

  Name

    s

    unorig

   in

   al

  But they are ne

  w

 ch

  ara

  cters

  that wor

  ship

 chara

  cters

   nam

  ed

 “Jesse,”

    etc

    For

convenience

  sake

  (not

 Seaso

   n

   1)

Major

Cha

n

g

e

s,

Authority

Abu

s

e

Jac

 k

 is

m

 a

 i

 n

initiative

   Radar gets a characte

    r

   ar

   c

   —

     Hav

         in

         g

       do

         n

          e

          a

         ro

          u

          n

          d

        Swe

          e

          p

           o

f

            th

 e

Bl

 u

 e

and “B

row

Dis

 ti

 n

 c

  t,

T

 h

  e

  y

ma

d

 e

  it

  to

  th

  e

 Re

 d

 Di

  s

  tr

   i

  c

   t,

   a

 Red

Gauntlet

   on

    th

    e

  Per

   ch

D!Aid

  an

  “This

      is

     th

     e

   Re

   d

  Gaunt

   le

   t

   Bee

    n

   a

    long

     fo

     r

     cen

       tur

       i

       e

         s

       long

         e

         r

         than

          m

          e,

         “What’s

 it

fo

 r

 ,”

“Don’t

know,

Back in

     the old

            d

  a

  y

  s

   i

   t

 w

  a

   s

Said to be some kind of

 quest giving

  amulet

     as for

 n

  ow

    it

   does

     n’

      t

     d

     o

   a

     n

     y

    t

    h

     i

     n

      g,

     Tri

      ed

   put

      ti

      n

      g

      i

      t

     o

     n,

 D!Aiden

           Demonst

  rated,

Gauntlet

  Doin

   g

  N

   othin

          g,

“Wha

   t’s

  th

   i

   s

   ,”

D!Gil

Sta

  n

  d

  in

  g

  i

 n

 Croun

  c

  hed

 Ove

    r

   th

   e

 Dus

   t

Cov

  er

   e

   d

  fo

   r

    m

    of

    a

    Se

    e

    c

    o

    n

    d

   gaun

     t

     let

      i

       n

     th

      e

      ro

       o

         m,

          a

         blu

          e

         on

          e,

       “Sweet,

         I was

          won

         de

         r

          ing why we didn’t have one of those

         l

          i

           k

            e

         ever

           y

          one

          e

           l

           s

e

I

       Ca

        n

     Bri

      n

      g

      it

   Bac

      k

   And we can get it

cleaned up in time for the

  fes

   t

   i

   v

   al,”

   D!Gil

     l

   Sai

    d

   hap

   p

   i

  ly,

 The festival

The day they would be officially made the big seven’s

   protegee

       D!Petra

        al

        ready getting

        bother

          e

         d by

        Radar

      While the others were getting along

              swimmingly,

         Star

           tin

           g in the

         Blu

          e

       Distinc

         t

      When things

    went

       wrong

       When

        D!Gil

         l

    touched

       th

       e

    gauntle

      t

      it

      wen

       t

       blu

       e

      Glow

        in

        g

       elec

       tric

      blu

        e

       The

       y

      weren

      ‘t

      the

       only

         tow

           n

        things

         w

         e

         n

         t

        finick

         y,

        for

        The

      disconcerted

       procession

         Follow

           ing

            to

           se

            e

          sim

            il

            i

           a

           r

        Happ

          e

          n

           to

           the

          Thre

           e

            By

            Th

 e end

 all

  of them had been marked,

 Al

  l

Whisperin

 g,

 Direction

 s

  fo

  r

  th

  e

 Templ

  e

  ,

D!Luk

 a

 s

 Lea

d

 in

 g,

The

protégés

following

  with

  them

   “It’ll

    be

     a

   go

     od

     Tim

       e

       fo

         r

       the

        m,

      Mak

        in

        g

        it

        to

        th

         e

        e

        d

         g

         e

      Wher

         e

       The

         y

      Encounter

        e

        d

      Jack

     “The

     world

        i

        s

     big

      g

      e

      r

     tha

      n

     yo

      u

     thin

      k,”

     With a flick of his

    hip exposing

   extra edges

     to the

       map,

       Joini

        the

       gr

      ou

       p

      on the

     journey to the

     ol

     d

   tem

    p

   le

  Bypas

       sed

      w

      i

     t

     h

   eas

    e

    Thei

     r

    journey

    eventual

      ly

   lead

     in

     g

   th

   e

  m

  to  

   a

  fight with a

 Bi

 g

 ger

 than

 e

 x

 pect

 e

 d

 talkin

 g

 robo

 t

 Spe

 c

 ial

Interes

  t

bein

 g

pai

 d

 t

 o

            D!Gil

              l

  It sound

 ed

 present

Dis

mis

i

n

g

D!Luk

a

s,

Ho

w

           ev

            e

            r

            it

          wa

          s

         over

          T

           h

           e

        Gauntlets

        stop ped

      whispering

       an

       d

      glowing

       But

      remain

        e

        d    

      Resistant

       ,

      Hop

       e

       fu

        l

         ly

          it

         wa

          s

          ove

           r

           ,

           T

            h

            e

          Next

          Day,

          The

          robot

          came

          b

           a

           c

            k,

           Des

            tro

            y

             ed

             a good par

  t of the

 tow

 n

 Insist

 in

on speaking to

D!Gi

 l

 l,

Despite

 D!Lukas

(Deliver

   in

   g)

  th

   e

         finish

  in

 g

bl

o

w,

No

 t,

going

 a

da

 y,

Wit

 ou

   t

 Co

   n

  flic

    t

    i

   n

  t

  h

  e

 Ic

 e

Bio

m

 e,

Hav

  i

 n

 g

Finished

   up

est

a

blishing

Champ

 ion

cit

y

th

e

Cele

b

rat

ion

Continu

in

g

i

n

s

n

o

w,

Th

e

Protégées

 left

be

hin

d

in

tow

When

th

e

Ad

min

C

a

m

e

a

knockin

tha

 t

da

 y

tra

 p

Puz

D!Aiden

  +

Jack

D!Petra

   +

D!Jess

   e

  The

  four

D!Gil

l

was

lock

e

d

o

u

t

   Went

  Sep

    arat

     e

     Dir

    ec

     t

     ion

     s

   D!Aiden

   jus

    t

  bur

   n

   e

    d

  th

  r

  ou

  g

  h

 t

 h

 e

 i

c

e

D!Jess

 e

 +

D!Petra

           “So when

         we

           re

            you

            going to tell

             me,

            That

            you’r

             e

            mov

 in

 g

 t

 o

           champion

           (s)  go

            ld

          ci

           t

           y,

           I mean

             you,

            Stella’s

              pe

               t

             Miss

              ad

              ven

               tur

                 e

                fin

                 al

      ly

     se

      t

       t

       lin

        g

      down,”

       “Well

            I-argh

            I don’t want to

talk

about

  th

   i

   s

 an

  y

  mo

   r

  e

   ,

   ,”

D!Petra

Stomp

   e

   d

 Of

  f

 “W

  ha

    t?”

 D!Jess

 e

 baffled,

       “Wait

                  Incredulous

“hold on you were the one that was all about adventure

             and how me

                         and D!Lucas

     friends

     don’t spend enough

     time

adventuring

     with

     you

    but now that i

         find out

  you’re

   retiring

        you don’t want to talk

             “ hm, i-“ rock

                “ I just -

      wish                                      

      to  

       know

    what

     where

       your

       minds

         a

          t

          ,”

                   Quiet

       Sil

          en

           c

           e

          al  

         l

         th

         e

      way

      th

       er

       e

       The

       four

       Solv

        in

        g

       al

       l

       th

       e

      puz

      zle

        s

        in

      brea

       k

       nec

         k

        tim

         e

          ,

       Settlin

        The

        Clock,

         D!Aidan

          Mak

in

g

            i

            t

          th

           e

          Same

           Tim

            e

            a

             s

 t

  h

   e

  fou

   r,

  Th

  e

  Aut

             Emerging from

            one

             of

            hi

             s

          ma

           n

           y

         Hid

            ey

          hole

          s,

          to

       Behind

          D!Aid

          en,

         Scar -

           ing

           him,

           “No

            no,

            no,

           You were supposed to use your

              brain

                an

              smarts

     to

   def

     ea

       t

      t

      h

       e

       m,”

        Red

        jew

          el

          s

        decorated

          hi

           s

         fi

         gur

           e

Don’t

 you

want

   to prove

    that

   you’re

   better

     than

     them,”

     “Power,”

      Aut

      cut

      of

       f

     D!Aiden’s

      Swift

       ‘no,

         ’

      And

      yo

       u

     cheated

       Stil

l

        los

         in

        g

        to

      go

     ld,

D!Aiden

 not

Allow

 ed to

interject

tha

 t

the

 y

wer

 e

team

 m

at

 e

 s

“D!Petra

how

 ever

 that’s

    a

 worthy

  team

       ma

         t

         e,”

   D!Petra

    eyes gl

    itter

     e

     d go

     l

    d

  D!Petra

   takin

    “As for

    yo

    u

  fai

  led

cham

p

ion

 s

There’s

a

pl

a

c

e

you

’ll

lear

n

to

pl

a

y

b

y

m

y

rul

es

,”

Desert

Not jus

 t

 an

 y

 But a pri

 by the farthest

 ed

 g

 e

“Warden,

 ”

“Ye

  s

 Sir

 ,”

Scurrying

up,

Salutin

g,

“New

Ar

 ri

  v

  al

  s

Special

 tre

  a

   t

 m

  en

  t for

 tha

 t

on

e,”

Poi

nt

i

n

g

at

D!Aid

e

n,

“Ye

s

Si

r,

”

D!Aid

en

a fe

 w

 i

 n

D!Gil

Stil

l

Hadn’

t

Arriv

e

d

(Bein

g

h

eld

by

the

Aut

 like

  a

 pet)

       t

       h

       e

     bac

       k

    D!Axel

       -

   D!Jess

    e

   Slow

    in

   g

  dow

  n,

 “I

wouldn’t

 try

any

thin

 g

wouldn’t

wan

 t

 th

  e

 leve

 r

age

  t

  o

 ge

  t

invol

 v

  e

  d

would

  we,”

Warden

Cal

 led

fro

 m

th

 e

f

ro

n

 t,

“Le

 ve

 r

  a

  g

  e

   ,

   ”

   A murmer

     goin

       g

      u

      p

      ,

“Wha

   t

 Le

  ver

   ag

   e

   ,

   ”

  D!Luk

  as

 Con

  fron

   t

   e

   d,

  “Shh

    po

     o

     r

   gol

       d

  focu

   s

 don’t

 strai

   n

  you

    r

  brai

   n,

  Lo

    o

    k

    ,”

    Pe

     er

     i

     n

     g

   ov

     e

     r

     ,

    th

    e

  edg

    e

    t

    o

  se

    e

   th

   e

 protégé

  s

jerk

 e

 d

fo

r

wa

r

d,

“Log

  ic

  al

 focus

   es,

 Jan

   i

   tor

     al

  Squ

     a

     d

     a guard

      wil

        l

      com

       e

      t

      o

    di

    s

    mis

    s

    yo

    u

     ,

     ”

    “D!Aid

      an,

      you

      ’ve

      be

       en

       se

        l

       ec

         t

        ed

       as

       a

      failed

      cham

        p

        ion,

       Me

        a

        n

        in

        g

      There’s a chance of

       re

    claim

       in

       g

     you

        r

     forme

       r

       glor

       y,

      Through

        a

       se

         t

         o

          f

         rig

         or

         ou

          s

        phy

        sic

         al

        tes

         t

         i

         n

         g,”

        We shall begin immediately

       A week

       pass

        e

        d

        no

        sig

        n

        o

        f

        a

       hint

         or

       puz

         z

         l

         e

       ou

        t

      D!Aid

       a

      n

     got called the

     Warden‘s of

    fice,

   “We cannot afford a

    ny

   Inadequacies,”

    Vid

   Ward

   en

   Pan

    ic

    k

    e

   d,

  “ Becoming

    a

    guard requires a lot of

    Streng-

    endu

    rance

    loyalty

     to

    stand up for things  

      even

         if you don’t think

        they’re

       right,”

         ,

   “Do you

    think-

      “

   “Let me free

     ,”

    “What,”

   “I can-

    “You’re

      allo

     w

     e

     d

     t

     o

    le

   a

   v

  e

D!Aid

an,”

D!Aid

an

Thum

p

 in

 g

do

 w

 n

t

h

e

st

a

r

c

a

s

e

Takin

g

 hi

 s

ke

 y

ca

r

d,

Ope

 n

 in

 g

 the doors to oppose know who knew the

Aut

longer than even

          the Warden

Free

 in

g

he

r

Xa

r

a,

“ Xara,”

Riot

ers,

“You’

  re

 Tak

  in

  g

Xa

 ra

Away,

Wi

 th

Y

 o

  u,

ar

e

Yo

u

In

sane,”

   ,

Xara

Tak

 in

 g

 a

step

Clos

er

to

th

e

Warde

n

The

Ward

e

n

“Stay

bac

  k

the

aut

tol

 d

me

eve

ry

thing

abou

t

wha

t

you

di

d,”

Terr

ified

“War

ren,”

“W-

 what?”

  Te

   ar

  s

“We

need

   a

 way

  ou

   t”

“Tha

 -a

   t

w

 a

  y

ma’a

 m

  ,

  ,

  ,”

  Goi

    n

    g

  round

    tri

     p

  Thr

  ough

   th

   e

   ol’

  Gol

   d

  zon

   e,

“Where

  Fre

  d

 was

 murd

   er

    ed

    by

  Romeo,

     th

     e

    aut-“

    To

     no one

      in

      part

      icular

“Why,

 “

D!Oliv

 ia,

      “ I don’t know

    may

     be

     fo

     r

   powe

    r,”

     “So how do we beat

        t

     Rome

        o

         ,”

     D!Lukas

     as

      k

     e

     d,

         “You already have the num

              erical

             advantage

               But

    for the

   jewels if they destroy than

 Romeo

   will

   stop

  fighting

     ,

     ,”

  Binta,

   the

  Warden

    and

               Xara

                Staying

                be

               hind,

    The

     y

  destro

   y

    ed

   the

  Jew

       el

   s

   And

   for

    ced

   Rome

    o

   (&

   D!Petra)

     t

     o

    accou

    n

    t

    abil

     i

     t

      y,

     Rada      r

     I actually like 

      Jack        bet

       ter,

                  Petra

                     &

                     I 

                   didn’t 

                   real ly get along

    D!Axel

      also

     retired

       accou

        n

       t

       abili

       t

       y,

[junker-town]

8 James Harden trade ideas both teams should consider

We came up with eight trade packages for James Harden.

The Houston Rockets are going to trade James Harden eventually. Harden has already requested a trade and given the Rockets an expanded list of teams he’d like to go to. He’s also turned down a contract extension from Houston that would have made him the first player in league history to earn $50 million annually.

Players of Harden’s caliber simply don’t become available all that often. The most recent example of a top-five player being traded was Anthony Davis, and it led to a championship for the Lakers in his first season. While Davis only had one year remaining on his contract when the Lakers acquired him, Harden currently has two seasons + a player option. He just turned 31 years old, but The Beard should continue to be one of the very few true superstars in the league going forward.

Houston has tried to smear Harden’s reputation in recent days — seems like a weird thing to do when you’re attempting to get the most value possible back for your franchise star! — but there’s no doubt he’s been worth the “trouble” every step of his career. Get James Harden and your team vastly improves its chances of winning a championship.

With Harden’s trade request hanging over the start of the season, we came up with eight possible deals and asked the corresponding SB Nation NBA communities how they felt about the proposed deal. These were the parameters for the deals:

Every trade had to work on ESPN’s trade machine

Every trade includes draft compensation of some kind. Since that’s where most of the negotiation on these deals will take place, we chose to keep it vague rather than come up with specific pick protections.

Here are some Harden deals both sides should consider.

Boston Celtics

Framework of the deal: Jaylen Brown, Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith, Daniel Theis (or Grant Williams) + a first round pick or two to Houston for Harden.

Why Boston would do it: It’s difficult to say where the Celtics project in the East this year given Kemba Walker’s persistent injury troubles. Upgrade from Jaylen Brown to James Harden and they’re suddenly the strong favorite in the East. Brown is a solid young player who gets better every year, but he can never dream of being the on-ball creator Harden is. This deal also keeps Marcus Smart in green. Who is beating a Harden-Jayson Tatum-Smart trio? This trade also works with Grant Williams in place of Daniel Theis. You can pencil in a couple first round picks going to Houston in the deal, as well.

What CelticsBlog says: “I respect the effort and I especially appreciate the attempt to keep Marcus Smart out of the trade package. With that being said, we the Boston Celtics (that’s fun to say) don’t have enough interest in James Harden to make a competitive offer. We recognize his immense talent and the immediate impact he would have on any team. However, we’re worried about his timeline not meeting up with Tatum’s and we’re not interested in mortgaging the future with picks and young talent.” — Jeff Clark

Portland Trail Blazers

Framework of the deal: C.J. McCollum and Zach Collins + a first round pick or two to Houston for Harden.

Why Portland would do it: Damian Lillard has made a tremendous commitment to the Blazers, yet Portland has decided to sit on its hands while a number of superstars (Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, AD) have hit the trade market in recent years. While Portland upgraded the team again this offseason, it likely isn’t enough to beat the Lakers. A move for Harden amounts to an all-in push to win a championship. The Blazers would maintain most of their depth and suddenly have the best guard combo in the league. I think this trade puts them significantly closer to a title while Lillard (now 30 years old) is still in his prime.

What BlazersEdge says: This offer is going to be a very big no from me. While James Harden is an incredibly talented player, arguably one of the best in the league, he’s just not a fit in Portland. Giving up CJ McCollum, Zach Collins, and picks is a big ask from Portland’s perspective. As things stand, I wouldn’t give up a single player from the roster in exchange for Harden, let alone two key players and two first round picks. Harden’s style of play and how he conducts himself wouldn’t be a fit for Portland—a team that prides itself on chemistry and team culture. Adding another “superstar” to the Trail Blazers roster might be a good idea, but Harden just isn’t it. — Dave Deckard

Toronto Raptors

Framework of the deal: Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell + a couple first round picks to Houston for Harden.

Why Toronto would do it: You might remember that the Raptors have made a bold trade for a superstar before. It resulted in a championship. Now that Giannis Antetokounmpo is locked up in Milwaukee, the Raps would have to explore the trade market if they want another A-lister. While it would hurt to trade Siakam, the Raptors would have at least two years with Harden and could theoretically move some other pieces to get front court help. This deal also keeps OG Anunoby in Toronto.

What Raptors HQ says: As we’ve learned in Toronto, when a superstar player is available, you have to at least inquire. The Raptors have a strong core with Pascal Siakam, but the team’s missing piece is an apex player like Harden, who can operate as the team’s fulcrum all the way to the title. The price is steep, and it would be fair to wonder if the Raptors could win a championship with only one multi-dimensional forward (OG Anunoby), but adding Harden to Toronto’s already loaded backcourt quickly vaults them back into that title conversation — even if only for a short while. — Daniel Reynolds

New Orleans Pelicans

Framework of the deal: Steven Adams, Lonzo Ball, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker + three first round picks to Houston for Harden.

Why New Orleans would do it: Zion Williamson looks ready to win right now. His hyper-efficient inside scoring would be a great match with Harden’s on-ball creation. New Orleans wouldn’t be losing much from its present day roster with this deal, and they have plenty of picks to throw in after shipping Jrue Holiday to Milwaukee. The Pelicans might not want to sell out for a superstar so early in Williamson’s career, but there is danger in being too patient, too. Could a Zion-Harden combo vault New Orleans into the top half of the West in its first season?

What The Bird Writes says: After undergoing a forced win-now build in Cleveland around LeBron James that brought more pressure and stress than satisfaction, I {David Griffin} believe it’s in the best interests of the Pelicans organization to remain dedicated to the organic growth in New Orleans. Acquiring James Harden via a trade that siphons all future draft assets and has Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson taking a backseat to a 31-year-old superstar, who has displayed an unflattering me-first attitude all too often, would completely derail that plan. Thanks, but no thanks. — Oleh Kosel

Golden State Warriors

Framework of the deal: Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, Minnesota’s top-five protected 2021 pick, another pick + a pick swap or tw to Houston for Harden.

Why Golden State would do it: The Warriors dream of getting back to championship contention, but after Klay Thompson’s injury it’s possible they will be fighting just to make the playoffs. With Harden joining Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, suddenly Golden State is right back to the top of the league. This trade may mostly come down to how both teams feel about Wiseman. Even if the Rockets aren’t super high on him, a top-five protected pick from the Wolves next year is a nice chip for the future.

What Golden State of Mind says: Acting as Bob Myers, with the hand of Joe Lacob digging firmly into my shoulder, I make this trade, barring any serious objection from Steph Curry. The Warriors worked the sign-and-trade for D’Angelo Russell so that they would have a max contract on the books so that they could absorb the contract of another bonafide superstar when one became available; one is available, and it’s time to try and be light years ahead of the league by getting him. — Brady Klopfer

Brooklyn Nets

Framework of the deal: Caris LeVert, Taurean Prince, Jarrett Allen, Rodions Kurucs and two first round picks + two pick swaps to Houston for Harden.

Why Brooklyn would do it: Would the Nets prefer depth or a third star this season? While there are some legitimate questions of how Harden would work with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the raw talent would be off the charts. Brooklyn would have the best top three in the league by a mile and still have a little bit of depth to go around. The bigger concern for Brooklyn would be the amount of future picks it would likely surrender to get this deal done. That didn’t work out so well for them last time they did it, but it feels like it’s still worth it for Harden.

Miami Heat

Framework of the deal: Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, Kelly Olynyk and Andre Iguodala + a 2025 first round pick plus swaps to Houston for Harden.

Why Miami would do it: Was the Heat’s Cinderella run to the Finals in the bubble a fluke? I don’t think so, but it’s also going to be tough to recreate going forward. For as good as Herro looks and for as amazing as Robinson is in Miami’s system, the talent upgrade here is undeniable. Now for the Heat to figure out how to get as much shooting on the floor as possible around Harden, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo.

What Hot Hot Hoops says: Acting as a representative for the Heat, there would be no way I would accept this trade deal for Harden — especially after hearing about his diva-like behavior, tardiness, and blowing off practices. That would never, ever, be tolerated in this organization and certainly not for a package that includes two starters from last season and a rising star in Herro. With five important rotation players gone and an incoming player who wouldn’t slide in right away and be a good fit in the Heat culture (like Jimmy Butler did), I wouldn’t be expecting a return to the Finals so what would be the point? — Surya Fernandez

Philadelphia 76ers

Framework of the deal: Ben Simmons, Mike Scott and multiple first round picks to Houston for Harden.

Why Philadelphia would do it: The Ben Simmons-Joel Embiid pairing has never been a perfect fit in Philadelphia. There’s renewed hope this season with Daryl Morey in charge and a couple more shooters in place, but Philly still has a lot of work to do to get to championship contention. Harden puts them much closer if he’s at his best, perhaps even making them instant favorites in the East. Morey knows how rare it is for superstars to come available and he knows how close Harden got him to glory before. This is also the best possible package for Houston to me. Simmons + shooters is an easy (and cheap) contender for Tilman Fertitta’s Rockets going forward.

What Liberty Ballers says: The Sixers are definitely interested in this proposal, as we believe a James Harden-Joel Embiid combo is a massive upgrade over Simmons-Embiid in terms of fit. However, our read is that the Rockets are losing leverage by the day and we like that teams are getting scared off media reports, so we’ll practice patience and wait this out a bit longer until you’re willing to take draft compensation off the table (we’ll need those picks having 3 max players on the roster). — Kevin Love

Read Liberty Ballers on a potential Harden deal:

Which deal would Houston like?

We asked Darren Yuvan from our Rockets community The Dream Shake to sort through the potential deals and pick his favorites. This is what he gave us:

Toronto - Siakam/Powell 1st Round Picks 2021, 2023 or 2025- This deal fits most of Houston’s parameters. They get a budding All-Star in Siakam, who averaged 22 points per game last season and would slide right in to power forward making a formidable front court alongside newly acquired Christian Wood. And they get another nice piece with last year’s breakout guy Norman Powell, who would move right into Harden’s vacated backcourt slot next to John Wall. Two first-round picks seals the deal as my favorite trade in the group. Though with Siakam 26 years old and Powell 27, it’s missing the type of young assets that would make this a perfect deal for the Rockets.

Philly - Simmons/Scott, 1st Round Pick 2022 + 1 Pick Swap — Simmons is probably the highest ceiling player in any of these deals, so that’s why I like this deal for Houston. It too is missing the type of young, developing assets the Rockets are said to be after, and veteran Mike Scott is essentially a salary match throw away as far as Houston is concerned, but Simmons’ youth and top-end potential along with the pick and swap make this my second favorite deal of the bunch.

Miami - Hero, Robinson, Olynyk, Nunn, Iguodala - 1st Round Pick 2025 + Swap - Let me start off by saying that I don’t love this deal. Herro and Robinson are fine, young players, but lack the All-Star power the Rockets are looking for. Might Herro get there? That’s a maybe from me. But it keeps Harden out of the West (so no Portland in my book) and I’ve never been very thrilled with the Nets package. I’d love to see some additional draft compensation involved in this deal if it were to go down, but as it stands, it’s my third favorite of the bunch.

What’s your favorite potential James Harden trade?

Put your proposals in the comments below.

[viraljournalist]

NBA Power Rankings - Who are the league's best teams now?

New Post has been published on https://viraljournalist.com/nba-power-rankings-who-are-the-leagues-best-teams-now/

NBA Power Rankings - Who are the league's best teams now?

In our post-Finals Power Rankings, we asked whether offseason chaos was on the horizon.

Welp.

Free agency saw Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving team up in Brooklyn, D’Angelo Russell join the Splash Brothers, Jimmy Butler take his talents to South Beach, and Tobias Harris and Kristaps Porzingis sign max deals with Philly and Dallas, respectively. And that was just the first 24 hours!

The league has changed seemingly overnight, and we’re here to make sense of where all 30 teams stand heading into a highly anticipated 2019-20 season.

Note: These rankings are based on where voters think teams belong heading into the 2019-20 season, taking into account injuries and potential further player movement. Title odds for 2019-20 were provided by Caesars sportsbook. ESPN.com’s Malika Andrews, Kevin Arnovitz, Tim Bontemps, Tim MacMahon, Royce Young and Ohm Youngmisuk contributed the following information.

More: Post-Finals rankings | Moves for every team

| Free agency news

1. Milwaukee Bucks 2018-19 record: 60-22 2020 title odds: 9-2 Previous rank: No. 1

While the fabric of the Eastern Conference has changed drastically in recent weeks, the Bucks’ core has stayed largely the same. The team re-signed starters Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez as well as key reserve George Hill. What set the team apart last season was its deep bench. Will the acquisitions of Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews be enough to make up for the departures of Malcolm Brogdon, Tony Snell and Nikola Mirotic? A strong bench to support Giannis Antetokounmpo is essential for Milwaukee to make it out of the East finals. — Malika Andrews

Key additions: Robin Lopez, Wesley Matthews

Key subtractions: Malcolm Brogdon, Nikola Mirotic

2. Denver Nuggets 2018-19 record: 54-28 2020 title odds: 20-1 Previous rank: No. 4

While the rest of the NBA world went wild, the Nuggets made a few moves along the edges but quietly had one of the best summers of anyone. Adding Jerami Grant is one of the most underrated moves of the offseason, and they effectively are adding 2018 No. 14 overall pick Michael Porter Jr., who sat out the entire season with back issues. Assuming progression from their young rising stars, the Nuggets are firmly a favorite in the West. — Royce Young

Key additions: Jerami Grant

Key subtractions: Trey Lyles

3. LA Clippers 2018-19 record: 48-34 2020 title odds: 4-1 Previous rank: No. 5

After a year of rumors of quietly recruiting Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers landed the mysterious forward after what might have been the most intrigue-filled week in free agency in recent memory. Shocking the Lakers, the Raptors and the entire NBA, the Clippers persuaded Leonard to become a Clipper by stealthily working a trade for Paul George. Though the blockbuster move cost a historic haul of five first-round picks, two first-round-pick swaps and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari, the Clippers are now instant title contenders. Leonard and George should fit in seamlessly with a gritty supporting cast and budding Clipper culture built on a low-ego, team-first mentality. Doc Rivers’ defense could be the nastiest in the NBA with Leonard, George and Patrick Beverley forming a perimeter wall. Rivers has the best second-unit combo in Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, and role players such as JaMychal Green, Maurice Harkless and Landry Shamet might make the Clippers the best team in not just Staples Center this season but perhaps in the entire league. — Ohm Youngmisuk

Key additions: Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Maurice Harkless

Key subtractions: Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Garrett Temple

4. Philadelphia 76ers 2018-19 record: 51-31 2020 title odds: 8-1 Previous rank: No. 3

After coming within four bounces of beating the Raptors, falling with a devastating loss at the buzzer in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the 76ers went out and made some dramatic moves this summer: re-signing Tobias Harris to a five-year, $180 million deal; executing a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat, sending Jimmy Butler there in exchange for Josh Richardson; and signing Al Horford away from the Boston Celtics with a four-year, $113 million contract. Now, thanks to Leonard leaving Toronto and the rest of the East contenders either standing still or taking a step backward, Philadelphia seems to be the favorite to emerge from the East and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since Allen Iverson led the Sixers there in 2001. — Tim Bontemps

5. Houston Rockets 2018-19 record: 53-29 2020 title odds: 8-1 Previous rank: No. 7

The Rockets rolled the dice by reuniting Russell Westbrook with James Harden, particularly considering the hefty price of the lightly protected 2024 and 2026 first-round picks they sent to Oklahoma City along with Chris Paul. “It’s risky for sure, but I believe the upside is greater than with CP,” a team source said. Westbrook’s ball dominance and poor 3-point shooting present fit concerns, but Harden pushed hard for the trade, which the Rockets hope will allow them to be legitimate contenders through The Beard’s prime, and their window was closing because of the 34-year-old Paul’s physical decline. — Tim MacMahon

Key additions: Russell Westbrook, Tyson Chandler

Key subtractions: Chris Paul

6. Los Angeles Lakers 2018-19 record: 37-45 2020 title odds: 3-1 Previous rank: No. 8

A chaotic offseason started with Magic Johnson resigning and putting Rob Pelinka on blast as well as a coaching search that saw negotiations with Ty Lue fall apart before the Lakers hired Frank Vogel. But once the chaos settled, the Lakers landed their highly coveted second superstar and another franchise superstar big man to build around for the foreseeable future in Anthony Davis. Pelinka paid a heavy price in having to send out Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, three first-round picks, a pick swap and cash to acquire Davis and create as much cap space as possible. They then waited and failed to persuade Kawhi Leonard to come, but acted quickly in free agency by surrounding LeBron James and Davis with several experienced veterans. The Lakers believe they have addressed their mistake from a year ago by adding shooters like Danny Green, Quinn Cook, Jared Dudley and Troy Daniels. They believe they have 3-and-D guys with the additions of Green, Avery Bradley and the re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. And they added size with DeMarcus Cousins and re-signed JaVale McGee while also bolstering their backcourt depth and bringing Alex Caruso back. This is a roster built to contend for a championship, and anything short of a deep playoff run will be a disappointment. — Youngmisuk

Key additions: Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Danny Green, Jared Dudley, Avery Bradley

Key subtractions: Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Tyson Chandler

7. Boston Celtics 2018-19 record: 49-33 2020 title odds: 25-1 Previous rank: No. 9

Nothing went the way it was supposed to last season for the Celtics, who entered the season as the favorites to top the East — only to be drummed out of the playoffs in five games (including four straight losses) by the Bucks. The already bitter taste in the mouths of Celtics fans was made worse after Kyrie Irving and Al Horford chose to leave for Brooklyn and Philadelphia, respectively, in free agency. Irving was replaced by All-Star Kemba Walker, which some might see as an upgrade. It will be much more difficult to make up for losing Horford. Enes Kanter will likely be Boston’s starting center, with second-year big man Robert Williams III, Frenchman Vincent Poirier and German Daniel Theis behind him. They will give Boston a few ways to play, but not nearly at the same level of skill and poise that Horford, one of the league’s most versatile bigs, did. That, in turn, puts a ceiling on just how good Boston can be — regardless of how much growth the Celtics get from young wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. — Bontemps

8. Portland Trail Blazers 2018-19 record: 53-29 2020 title odds: 25-1 Previous rank: No. 10

The Trail Blazers lightly reshuffled their rotation, with a few critical role players moving elsewhere. The Blazers have the core elements back, but any progression this season will come in two main ways: 1) Jusuf Nurkic getting healthy and returning to form, and 2) Hassan Whiteside fitting in and adding rim protection plus a significant new wrinkle to the pick-and-roll game. — Young

9. Utah Jazz 2018-19 record: 50-32 2020 title odds: 14-1 Previous rank: No. 13

The Jazz might be equally as good offensively and defensively, which would make Utah a bona fide contender. Poor shooting prevented the Jazz from making their playoff series against the Rockets competitive, as Utah went 26-of-110 (23.6%) on wide-open 3s, as defined by NBA.com as no defender within 6 feet. That won’t be a problem after they traded for Mike Conley and signed Bojan Bogdanovic, who should take pressure off Donovan Mitchell to create offense and open up the floor when the young star guard has the ball in his hands. It’s up to Rudy Gobert, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, to make sure the Jazz remain elite on that end of the floor. — MacMahon

10. Toronto Raptors 2018-19 record: 58-24 2020 title odds: 50-1 Previous rank: No. 2

The Raptors didn’t have long to celebrate their stunning run to the franchise’s first title, thanks to Kawhi Leonard’s decision to leave his throne as King of the North to take up residence at Staples Center with the LA Clippers. Still, though the Raptors don’t have a championship ceiling anymore, they have a good enough roster — built around emerging young forward Pascal Siakam, the winner of this season’s Most Improved Player award — to remain a factor in the East. The Raptors do have several large expiring contracts belonging to Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka that they could flip at the deadline for assets — or they could go into next summer with oodles of cap space to chase players who can remake their roster. Don’t expect anyone north of the border to be upset, though. They’ll be spending the season deservedly celebrating their hard-won title. — Bontemps

11. Golden State Warriors 2018-19 record: 57-25 2020 title odds: 14-1 Previous rank: No. 6

Not long after losing a physically and emotionally devastating NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors, the Warriors watched Kevin Durant head East to join forces with Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn. But the Warriors did their best to recover by adding rising All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell to help Stephen Curry with the scoring load until Klay Thompson returns from his knee injury. Willie Cauley-Stein is still only 25 and will have every opportunity to show what he can do as Golden State’s new center with DeMarcus Cousins in Los Angeles. Steve Kerr will also try to incorporate new Warriors Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III. Though Golden State’s stranglehold on the Western Conference is over, the Warriors still have Curry and Draymond Green — two proud All-Stars motivated to show that any idea of Golden State’s demise is premature. –– Youngmisuk

Key additions: D’Angelo Russell, Willie Cauley-Stein, Glenn Robinson III, Alec Burks

Key subtractions: Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, DeMarcus Cousins, Shaun Livingston

12. Brooklyn Nets 2018-19 record: 42-40 2020 title odds: 20-1 Previous rank: No. 12

Brooklyn completed its remarkable turnaround over the past few years by signing Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan in the opening hours of free agency, lifting a franchise that had been left for dead in the wake of trading four first-round picks to the Celtics back in 2013. If Durant were healthy, the Nets would likely be the favorites in the East. But he is not, having torn his Achilles during the NBA Finals, and will miss — at a minimum — most of next season. In the meantime, the Nets will hope that things go differently for Irving than they did in Boston last year, when he and the team’s young players struggled to mesh and the Celtics disappointed. Brooklyn’s roster has a similar composition, including emerging wing Caris LeVert, that will try to push the Nets along until Durant can return — whether that’s sometime late next season or in 2020-21. — Bontemps

13. San Antonio Spurs 2018-19 record: 48-34 2020 title odds: 40-1 Previous rank: No. 15

The Spurs were snakebitten by Marcus Morris changing course and signing with the Knicks, because they not only lost him but also traded Davis Bertans to clear the way. They made a few minor moves, but getting Dejounte Murray healthy has been the primary offseason objective. The Spurs are the Spurs, so therefore they will be good, but as the West reloaded, nothing sizable enough changed that will boost San Antonio up the standings. — Young

14. Miami Heat 2018-19 record: 39-43 2020 title odds: 40-1 Previous rank: No. 22

The Heat in recent seasons have generally been better than the sum of their parts, and for the first time in a while, they’ll feature an NBA star in his prime: Jimmy Butler. The union of the intense, workaholic Butler and the intense, workaholic Heat organization would seem to be an NBA match made in heaven. Miami will feature its typically stingy, well-prepared defensive schemes and likely cobble together some clever, unorthodox looks on offense to compensate for any lack of shooting. — Kevin Arnovitz

15. Indiana Pacers 2018-19 record: 48-34 2020 title odds: 40-1 Previous rank: No. 14

The Pacers’ splashiest free-agency acquisition was former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, who signed a lucrative three-year, $85 million contract with Indiana. Until Victor Oladipo returns from the quad injury that ended his 2018-19 season, much of the Pacers’ offense will likely run through Brogdon. The Pacers were the No. 4 seed in the 2019 playoffs. For them to be ranked that highly again, Domantas Sabonis must continue to evolve. Most importantly, when and how Oladipo returns will heavily influence Indiana’s chances. — Andrews

16. Detroit Pistons 2018-19 record: 41-41 2020 title odds: 250-1 Previous rank: No. 19

Despite being strapped for cap room, the Pistons added two proven guards to their roster in free agency: Derrick Rose and Markieff Morris. The No. 8-seeded Pistons were swept in the 2019 playoffs largely because the No. 1-seeded Bucks’ depth allowed for their starters to stay fresh. The Pistons, on the other hand, struggled to put out a seven-man rotation. In the playoffs, head coach Dwane Casey relied on heavy minutes from Andre Drummond and the injured Blake Griffin. Morris is another big body who will help ease the load of Griffin and Drummond, and Rose has the talent and experience to lead Detroit’s second unit. If Griffin can stay healthy, the Pistons have a strong chance of making another playoff push. — Andrews

17. New Orleans Pelicans 2018-19 record: 33-49 2020 title odds: 75-1 Previous rank: No. 24

The Pelicans can be competitive this season and a contender in the future thanks to some lottery luck and great work by new executive VP David Griffin. No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson and the haul of high-profile young talent and draft picks the Lakers gave up for Anthony Davis represent the promise of a bright future in the Big Easy. Adding big man Derrick Favors and knockdown shooter JJ Redick — and keeping terrific two-way guard Jrue Holiday — provide hope of winning now. — MacMahon

18. Dallas Mavericks 2018-19 record: 33-49 2020 title odds: 100-1 Previous rank: No. 17

The Mavs failed to add a proven starter in free agency despite entering the summer with almost $30 million in salary-cap space. Guards Seth Curry and Delon Wright, who have been quality reserves, came to Dallas as consolation prizes. Over the past 13 months, the Mavs have managed to add two potential long-term superstar pillars in Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, but the goal of making a major leap into the playoffs this season appears quite ambitious in the loaded West. — MacMahon

Key additions: Seth Curry, Boban Marjanovic, Delon Wright

Key subtractions: Dirk Nowitzki

19. Orlando Magic 2018-19 record: 42-40 2020 title odds: 125-1 Previous rank: No. 20

Will the Magic take the next big step forward after their first playoff appearance in seven years, or will 2019-20 be a consolidation season? Orlando is loaded up front, with power forwards and centers in deep supply (and that was the case before the Magic signed Al-Farouq Aminu and drafted Chuma Okeke, who is recovering from an ACL injury). The Magic’s fortunes rest on their capacity to get more out of their guards, with the highest ceiling belonging to Markelle Fultz. The Magic are cautiously optimistic the former No. 1 overall pick could give them some of the perimeter shot creation they desperately need. — Arnovitz

20. Sacramento Kings 2018-19 record: 39-43 2020 title odds: 150-1 Previous rank: No. 16

Luke Walton was hired to help develop De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III and Buddy Hield. But Vlade Divac spent money in free agency to keep and add some veterans around Sacramento’s promising young core. The Kings kept Harrison Barnes with a four-year, $85 million deal. They replaced Willie Cauley-Stein with Dewayne Dedmon on a three-year, $40 million deal and added veterans such as Trevor Ariza and Cory Joseph. Walton should have a mix of young up-and-coming players to go with veterans who can help stretch the floor. Unfortunately, they reside in a division that has two of the most formidable pairings in the NBA in the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis, plus the Warriors. — Youngmisuk

Key additions: Trevor Ariza, Dewayne Dedmon, Cory Joseph

Key subtractions: Willie Cauley-Stein, Alec Burks, Frank Mason III

21. Minnesota Timberwolves 2018-19 record: 36-46 2020 title odds: 500-1 Previous rank: No. 23

For a minute there, it appeared the Wolves would be making a major addition in D’Angelo Russell, and who knows, maybe they still will at some point. But it hasn’t been a great summer so far, as they decided not to match on Tyus Jones and didn’t make any significant upgrades elsewhere. There are roster-building roadblocks, such as Andrew Wiggins and his contract, but there is still a young core worth adding to, or eventually it will lead to another reboot. — Young

22. Atlanta Hawks 2018-19 record: 29-53 2020 title odds: 200-1 Previous rank: No. 21

There’s a lot of shine to the Hawks’ rebuilding project, and even whispers that the upstart Hawks could sniff the postseason next spring in a conference where 80% of success is just showing up. Joining the existing young core led by Trae Young and John Collins will be a pair of rookie forwards drafted in the top 10, a couple of functional veterans on the perimeter and a reclamation project in Jabari Parker. The biggest challenge ahead for Atlanta will be crafting a defense that can compete with the grownups if and when those games in March and April carry playoff implications. — Arnovitz

23. Chicago Bulls 2018-19 record: 22-60 2020 title odds: 125-1 Previous rank: No. 29

The Bulls drafted guard Coby White and added Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky to the roster. Still, it’s hard to envision Chicago finishing in the top half of the Eastern Conference. Perhaps it can squeak out a playoff appearance — but with the East becoming even more competitive, it is a tall task. Expect this to be another development year for the Bulls. Their young core of Wendell Carter Jr., Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen has some growing to do. And if an improbable playoff run does materialize, it will require that the Bulls stay healthy. Carter’s offseason abdominal surgery isn’t a good start. — Andrews

Key additions: Coby White, Thaddeus Young, Tomas Satoransky

Key subtractions: Robin Lopez

24. Oklahoma City Thunder 2018-19 record: 49-33 2020 title odds: 150-1 Previous rank: No. 11

With an apparent plan taking shape of disassembling the house and preparing to rebuild a new one, it would seem the Thunder will take a significant step back. But if Chris Paul decides he wants to stay with OKC — a hefty “if” right now — the Thunder can still be a reasonably competitive team in the West. A core of Paul, Steven Adams and Danilo Gallinari can win games, but the question is how long they might remain part of it. — Young

25. Phoenix Suns 2018-19 record: 19-63 2020 title odds: 1000-1 Previous rank: No. 28

Phoenix got the hot coach in Monty Williams, but the rest of its summer has been a head-scratcher. The Suns traded away T.J. Warren and his reasonable contract along with the No. 32 pick to Indiana to create cap space. They then traded a 2020 first-round pick from Milwaukee to Boston for the No. 24 pick (Ty Jerome) and center Aron Baynes. They traded away former No. 4 overall pick Josh Jackson and De’Anthony Melton along with two second-round picks to Memphis. Phoenix kept Kelly Oubre Jr. for $30 million over two years and signed Ricky Rubio to a $51 million, three-year deal to become its starting point guard. But it certainly feels as if Devin Booker is staring at yet another long season.– Youngmisuk

Key additions: Ricky Rubio, Dario Saric, Aron Baynes, Cameron Johnson

Key subtractions: Josh Jackson, T.J. Warren

26. Memphis Grizzlies 2018-19 record: 33-49 2020 title odds: 1000-1 Previous rank: No. 27

The Grizzlies have fully committed to rebuilding around young centerpieces Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant. Memphis’ reshuffled front office has laid the foundation for the rebuilding project by collecting young talent and future first-round picks through trading all-time Grizzlies great Mike Conley and moves made possible by that deal, such as getting a pick from Golden State by using a trade exception to take Andre Iguodala, whom Memphis hopes to flip for another asset. — MacMahon

27. Washington Wizards 2018-19 record: 32-50 2020 title odds: 500-1 Previous rank: No. 25

The Wizards are less in a rebuilding mode than a holding pattern as they navigate the future of their pricey starting backcourt — John Wall, who is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon and unlikely to see much if any action in 2019-20, and Bradley Beal, one of the league’s elite shooting guards, who is coveted by contenders across the league. It’s likely to be a long winter in Washington while the Wizards weigh their options, develop Troy Brown and Rui Hachimura and buy time. — Arnovitz

28. New York Knicks 2018-19 record: 17-65 2020 title odds: 200-1 Previous rank: No. 18

This summer was expected to be triumphant — finally — for the Knicks. Instead, all they could do was watch as Irving and Durant chose to go across the East River and join the rival Nets. The fact the Knicks followed that up by signing a series of solid but unspectacular players — Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Marcus Morris, Elfrid Payton and Wayne Ellington — to short-term deals did little to erase the bitter feelings with which their fans were left after the front office traded Kristaps Porzingis and then struck out on stars in free agency. Now the Knicks will struggle once again, while the Nets are the exciting team within the five boroughs. There will at least be one difference between last year and this one at Madison Square Garden, however: the presence of No. 3 overall pick R.J. Barrett, plus last year’s picks — first-rounder Kevin Knox and second-rounder Mitchell Robinson. — Bontemps

29. Charlotte Hornets 2018-19 record: 39-43 2020 title odds: 1000-1 Previous rank: No. 26

The Hornets will enter the 2019-20 season absent their top two win-shares leaders from last season and largely the same nucleus of league-replacement frontcourt talent whose contracts, one day, will expire. Depending on your appraisal of Terry Rozier, the bees either have a respectable young replacement for Kemba Walker at point guard or have once again forked over a contract of excessive value and length to a player without the body of work to justify it. Perhaps Charlotte can get a breakout season from one of its prospects: the tantalizing and sometimes confounding Malik Monk, or the promising forwards plucked in the past two drafts: Miles Bridges and PJ Washington. — Arnovitz

30. Cleveland Cavaliers 2018-19 record: 19-63 2020 title odds: 1000-1 Previous rank: No. 30

The youngster development continues in Cleveland. Watching Collin Sexton and Cedi Osman take their next steps could be entertaining, but a 2020 playoff run seems far-fetched for the Cavaliers. While top-tier Eastern teams such as the Nets, Bucks, Celtics and Pacers added big names to their rosters, the Cavs stayed relatively quiet in free agency. Cleveland continued to add to young talent, drafting Darius Garland with the No. 5 pick. It’ll also be adjusting to first-year coach John Beilein. Realistically, this year will be about chemistry building, not pursuing a playoff spot. — Andrews

Source link