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dwtspd · 6 years

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DWTS season 27 finale

I was so confused when I saw my last post said week 8 and thought for a moment I missed a week. Opening number - not a fan of this rendition of the song. There wasn’t a lot of dancing??

So I guess each finalist is re-performing their favourite dance?

Alexis and Alan - Argentine Tango Wasn’t impressed by this dance the first time around. It seems like Alexis didn’t hit her lines as well this time. She dances very soft - too soft for an AT - and now looked like she was just marking. Some of the ballet moves she didn’t complete her extensions. Lacked sharpness for the actual AT parts. 9-9-9 T27

Some thoughts while we are in advertisement break - this season wasn’t well planned. 2 double elims? 9 weeks only? Only a 1-night finale? Don’t get me wrong, I used to think the 2-night show was a tad unnecessary, but that was more because of all the random extra acts with random artists that I don’t know what affiliation they have to the show. 2 3-hour shows are too much, but if they were only doing a 1-night finale, I could deal with 3 hours, and more focus on the stars. Tom and Erin didn’t even have time to explain the show structure.

Bobby and Sharna - Hammer dance/cha cha Yeah I’m calling it Hammer dance because that’s all I remember about it. I saw more cha cha here than I remember form the original, not that it was well done. 8-8-8 T24 that is generous. I may not remember their original but this can’t have been much better. side note - I noticed Bobby and Sharna have matching shoes, which match Sharna’s hair too.

Dan and Shay perform their apparently new song that one of my roommates was listening to about 2 hours earlier.

Recap the first 4 weeks. I’d forgotten Nancy was here.

Why of all things do we need this non-dance again? Or even just of all of Joe’s dances. This was his worst one.

Evanna and Keo - Tango Not surprised she picked this one. SLAY GIRL SLAY. I remember Evanna would sometimes get overexcited and hop into steps rather than just step. I didn’t remember anything specific to this dance, but if anything, this performance was super clean, felt grounded and intense without looking like she was hitting too hard. Amazing. 10-10-10 T30 Well deserved!! And a special message from Emma Watson! Did they cut the other messages? Cos I heard almost all the cast had messages for her.

Ayyy it’s the DWTS Swiffer ad! Love the dancing janitor.

Milo and Witney - Charleston These two are so cute. Milo blushed so hard when Witney told him she was proud of his progress. “And if we win, you will be the shortest female to have ever won - ” hahaha. I didn’t remember anything wrong from this dance the first time round, and nothing wrong with this round. His right foot doesn’t swivel as much as his left. just an observation. 10-10-10 T30

Pro tour number. There’s a stark difference in guys to girls. And almost all the male celebs joining? Yeesh

Juan Pablo redoes his AT. Tinashe sings “Fever” while surrounded by the guys. Wish she had more time with Brandon.

This finale is so whack that Erin can’t even say “D-W-T-S” right.

Freestyles time

Alexis and Alan oh, so it’s another contemporary-esque freestyle. Contemporary ain’t Alan’s forte. Can they stop cutting to the singers in the middle of the dancing? I think the ‘mountain’ set up hampered them because running up and down took away time from the dance, and the way the set was arranged also blocked them at times. Alexis’ posture was weird when they did that 2 bars of foxtrot-y stuff in the middle. She looked like she was falling out of the hold. The contemp parts felt kinda high-school-ish bar one jump. 10-10-10 T30

I guess one good thing about them trying to shovel this show into 2 hours is that I’ll have time to do work after this.

John sings while Emma and Sasha dance.

Bobby and Sharna Thought the spoken stuff worked well for Bobby. I wish they kept it with the dramatic lighting and not do the shiny birthday cake thing. Oh, you know there’s a problem when it’s the FREESTYLE and you have to cut away from the celeb do show some pros doing stuff. Bobby didn’t do a lot of dancing in this number, it was more of patterns and stuff happening around him. Whatever dance steps he did, he looked a bit frenzied. But he gets lifted by DeMarcus. And they have a false end, then do the flossing with Erin while Tom flosses his teeth so LOL. 10-10-10 T30 Really?? I think they just wanted to give everyone 30 for the freestyles.

The switch of Milo and Evanna’s positions for the second round would have been interesting if I didn’t already know the result.

Milo and Witney OH. MY. GOD. I am BLOWN AWAY. They did so many things that could have been tacky - umbrellas, the water platform - but they used it WELL. It was relevant to the song. It created mood and ambiance that complemented the dancing. There was bits of hip hop (the more animating, locking kind), bits of tango and AT, some contemporary, some jazz, and Milo did everything well. He had a stage presence from the beginning and again I felt maturity to contrast the youthfulness from his charleston. Showed off his versatility. I will make fun of Zombies for the rest of my life but Milo won me over with his dancing. 10-10-10 T 30 If the other dances got 30, this should have been like 50!!!!!!

Evanna and Keo A classic freestyle!! Great work for Keo’s first! The song was perfectly Evanna, not surprised it’s her favourite. They had some interesting shapes which weren’t what you would expect but it was uniquely Evanna and suited her well. I loved her energy and presence and character. Interesting camera angle at the end. i wish it didn’t cut out her footwork, but I enjoyed watching Evanna’s expressions. The set at the beginning is also great. 10-10-10 T30 Should also be wayyy higher given the other dances.

They didn’t even have time to announce 4th, 3rd. Maybe they would have if they didn’t have the final song montage. Even if that’s a nice song. Tom couldn’t even drag out the announcement as long as he normally would’ve.

And the winner is...BOBBY

What?!?! Guess he just had that many votes. Everyone is stunned. And he barely has time to make a speech because they are short for time.

Now, I’m happy for Bobby and I didn’t think he had a bad attitude. He seemed to genuinely enjoy the show, so I don’t want to see anyone complaining about him. Would I have prefered someone else win? Hell to the yes. Is it insane that with partners like Charlie White and James Hinchcliffe, Sharna only won the MBT with Bobby? Hell freaking yes. But the way some people are laying into him is classless and baseless. Congratulations to Bobby and Sharna.

Now per Kristyn Burtt, the rankings for the remaining 3 were Milo second, Evanna third, and Alexis 4th.

Not too surprised but a bit of an eyebrow raiser that Milo beat Evanna because she seems to have a bigger fanbase and slightly higher scores on average in the last few weeks, but maybe its the narrow voting windows that only favour US East coasters that worked in Milo’s favour. Alexis in fourth is dead right, even if Milo or Evanna won (which everyone was predicting/hoping), Bobby would have still beaten her.

#DWTS #dwts27 #dancing with the stars #milo manheim #Evanna Lynch #keo motsepe #witney carson #Bobby Bones #alexis ren #sharna burgess #alan bersten

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mauriceclivealec · 6 years

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Am I the only one who didn't like how Maurice ended? (I just watched the movie, I'll read the novel asap) I was really rooting for Maurice and Clive and it kinda upset me that the story at a certain point started focusing on this new character (Alec) and Maurice. I mean don't get me wrong it ended in the best way for Maurice, he was finally free and he found someone to share this freedom with but still? I feel so bitter because I didn't like Alec's character and was really hoping for Maurice --

and Clive to sort things out or in the worst case get that sad ending we're used to see in these movies. When Alec arrived the plot focused on him and Maurice only and Clive was kinda left out? It's like I couldn't get attached to this plot twist because it was unexpected and it was all too fast. I feel happy that things worked out for Maurice and all but not how they made this happen. I just can't get it up for Alec; maybe because he popped up all of a sudden without any backstory, he did whathe did all so quickly and he kinda stole the plot I don't know ahaha we don't know anything about his personality, story. I mean if he popped up way before and they made us know him and kinda get used to him it would've been (maybe) different (for me). The thing that most irritated me tho (don't hate me) was that Maurice comes up with "I'm in love with Alec" while talking to Clive. I mean ok, I'm not saying he had to be still in love with Clive (I guess he got used to the fact they couldn't be a thing since Clive got married and all) but falling in love after a... fuck? I don't know... they didn't have any kind of conversation, they basically didn't even know each other if not bc they shared a few lines "good night sir", "you have to pay", "I don't want your money". I get that Maurice finally felt something by getting physical with another man and I understand that but falling in love? That's another story. I don't wanna criticise a novel in any way (it surely is a masterpiece and I would never), I'm just talking about the movie, that could be different. Also I think that Clive had the biggest regret of his life and also that he's still lowkey in love with Maurice and will always be. What do you think about this? I'm sorry for this rant but I saw you answered a question about the movie and I thought that maybe I could share this with you bc apparently on tumblr we don't talk too much about this movie. I'm sorry again 😭🤧

wow there’s a lot to get to here! no reason to apologize for the ask. i wish i could devote more time to talking about this movie and book but unfortunately i have to Adult so i don’t have the kind of free time i did when i started this blog. and i also don’t think there’s anything wrong with critiquing media regardless of its masterpiece status.

i think some of your issues can be addressed if you think both about the historical context and about what e.m. forster was trying to accomplish. he has said on many occasions that he would not have bothered to write the novel if there was no happy ending. so your worst case scenario of a sad maurice/clive focused ending was never going to happen, and imo the story is better for it; a happy ending for homosexuals was and still remains revolutionary.

the novel isn’t just about the interpersonal relationships or even about homosexuality, it’s also hugely about class struggle. and the three main characters embody some of that class critique in their personality and actions. clive is really unable to shed his upper class morality and he ends up choosing status over his care or love for maurice. maurice starts out trying to be more like clive, which is exactly what the newly founded edwardian middle class as a whole attempted to do at the time this work is set, and why clive’s mentorship and friendship with maurice was so accepted and encouraged. alec is of course lower class and this fully colors his interactions with clive and maurice -- unlike the lofty proclamations clive and maurice share, his verbal interactions must be more subtextual, but additionally he is more action-orientied than clive is able to be because he has less to lose and is less beholden to society’s expectations. this is, by the way, a gross simplification of the class conflicts in the novel and how they manifest in the characters, but it gives you a baseline on why alec’s interactions seem sort of minimal and abrupt, because alec is given less berth in that society to express himself to maurice. he insinuates himself into the story fairly early but it’s so subtle that it can seem like he came out of nowhere. that’s especially what merchant ivory was going for in the movie version.

i think regardless of that, we do get a lot about alec’s personality, but it’s less overt. we see him as somewhat iconoclast and willing to break rules, seeing the way he refuses tips and speaks out, and the way he flirts with lots of characters fairly brazenly. he’s willing to forge a new life for himself in the argentine, so he’s fairly fearless and capable of making big changes for the better. despite his lack of formal education he is fairly sharp and smart. he’s bold and decisive and goes for what he wants, which is in stark contrast to clive. in many ways i think he’s meant to be opposite to clive, especially in respect to the “words vs deeds” concept that maurice and risley debate earlier in the work. risley thinks words are deeds and i think clive does too, but maurice doesn’t feel that way, and neither does alec. it’s one of the reasons they ultimately are better for each other, and also why they are able to choose each other so quickly and decisively.

i also want to talk about the fact that this is not a society in which even men and women have a great deal of romantic or sexual interaction prior to marriage. so to belittle the huge huge act of maurice and alec making love as just a fuck is a big disservice. it’s an absolutely monumental step for a relationship at this time, any relationship, and the additional risk of it being an illegal act makes it even more impactful.

additionally, in this one act maurice is finally able to shed all of the suffering and conflict he has had for literally his whole life and become whole as a person. it’s something he’s wanted for years and clive has been unable to provide, and he’s been told for years by clive that it’s somehow better and purer, but to actually get it with alec and discover how much it matters and changes everything? that alec is willing to risk his whole life to be with him and vice versa? and also sometimes when something is right, you know, and you have to just surrender to it. so i think a lot of factors really add up to why the two of them were able to fall for each other so quickly and really go for it.

as for clive, i answered that in the previous ask. he loves maurice as much as he will allow himself, which is less than maurice deserves. he makes his choice, and it’s understandable why he does, but it’s not the brave choice and it doesn’t reap the rewards of happiness. by the way i realize this sounds very unsympathetic to clive and i do want to say i understand fully why he does what he does. it’s not merely a loss of status that’s at stake, it’s potentially losing his actual life. like, he could spend all of his life doing hard labor in jail. he could die. the homophobia in that society is so pervasive that without clive maurice might have never even realized he was homosexual at all. so the fact that clive is unable to really commit to maurice isn’t a sign of personal weakness, or if it is, it’s a weakness almost all of us would have been subject to at this time if faced with the same scenario. that is what make alec and maurice’s choices all the more astoundingly brave and revolutionary.

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dwtsfun · 7 years

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Season 25 Finale

And there we have it folks. The end of the season!

Highlights: Derek should have made it to at least week 7. That man was way better than the judges tried to make him out to be. And his treatment on the show and elimination will forever piss me off. Especially because he was thrown under the bus to save the wack half of the married couple couple.

We need a new choreographer/creative director/whatever the heck Mandy Moore’s title is. She ain’t cutting it. That girls number looked like it came out of Mean Girls (shout out to Courtney from Pure) and the guys number was another swaggerless Magic Mike, oily chested, bump n grind mess.

Poor Barbara had a dance that looked like it was thrown together at the last minute.

I love Jordan’s voice.

Loved the Lindsey’s violin playing.

The night was just super fun all the way around.

Favorite Dance Round

Lindsey and Mark- Jive (Score=30)- I’m so glad they did this jive again. I loved it the first time and I loved it even more this time around. And it was nice seeing Lindsey back.

Frankie and Witney- Argentine Tango (Score=30)- Another amazing redo. Frankie was good the first time, but this time was even better. The amount of confidence that he’s gained really made this dance better.

Jordan and Lindsay- Samba (Score=30)- Again, another amazing redo. For those saying that Jordan hasn’t improved, he has. It’s actually scary to think about how good he has gotten.

Fusion Round

Lindsey and Mark- Cha-cha/Tango (Score=30)- Again, perfect.These two were on it and I am so happy they were able to recenter themselves for tonight. It was a treat and I loved seeing them go out like this.

Frankie and Witney- Foxtrot/Tango (Score=28)- I really liked this too. There were a couple of small mistakes, but Frankie did great. And Witney killed it with the choreography.

Jordan and Lindsay- Salsa/Paso (Score=30)- *throws shoe at TV* *walks off* That’s it. They leave me speechless.

So the voting thing. I heard it crashed like 2 minutes into them opening up the site. Fun.

RESULTS

3rd- Frankie and Witney

2nd- Lindsey and Mark

Meaning….

JORDAN AND LINDSAY ARE THE SEASON 25 CHAMPS OF DWTS!!!! YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS! I AM SO HAPPY AND PROUD OF THEM.

That was my team baby!

But congrats to all three teams. They were all spectacular this season. And as I said earlier, I would have been fine with any of them winning. They all deserved it for so many different reasons.

Anyway, let me know what y’all thought about the finale. And I will talk to you all soon.

PS The spring season is going to be an abbreviated 4 week All Athlete season. With 10 athletes. Get ready for a hot mess!

PPS This is the first time we have had three Black people (Hispanic is an ethnicity. Not a race. You can be Black and Hispanic) win back to back to back. I’m proud!

#dancing with the stars #DWTS #jordan fisher #lindsey stirling #Frankie Muniz #witney carson #lindsay arnold #Mark Ballas #Season 25 #Fusion #Derek Fisher #sharna burgess #barbara corcoran

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dwtscommissioner · 7 years

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DWTS: Season 25 Semi-Finales

Pros Pick The Music Round

Drew and Emma – Tango – I agreed with Len that Drew’s technique was lacking. His frame fell a bit but I felt like the judges were harsher than needed and they sounded more like they’d give 7’s. I like these 2 and they have a great partnership and are definitely having fun and that always makes watching a couple even better. 8,8,8 = 24

Victoria and Val – Contemporary – This was a very sweet trio. Victoria’s story is absolutely amazing and miraculous. Contemporary is hard for me to really have much to say about it because I feel like anything goes. It was very pretty. 9,9,9 = 27

Jordan and Lindsay – Argentine Tango – I understand what Len was saying. I do think that it was a bit weird to have an Argentine Tango with this theme. It was a very good dance. There is nothing Jordan can’t do. I love watching him dance! And he seems like such a sweet kid! 9, 9, 10 = 28

Lindsey and Mark – Contemporary – This was another fabulous dance from these 2. I honestly don’t understand why it wasn’t a perfect score. I loved when the wind came on. I felt like the dance really elevated then. Like I’ve said before, I have missed Mark a lot in this competition! 10, 9, 10 = 29

Frankie and Witney – Salsa – CAI and Len were way too nitpicky on this. Frankie did a great job and looked so comfy and into the dance. I was worried about him doing salsa since the samba didn’t go do well. Frankie is one of my favorite contestants ever. This score was too low for me. 8, 8, 9 = 25

Iconic Dances

Drew and Emma – Jazz – recreating Corbin and Karina’s Jazz trio – I thought Drew did a great job with this dance. He was never going to be exactly like Corbin so changing it up was a fantastic idea. Drew looked more into and excited by this dance than anything else he’s done yet. Come on judges! 8, 8, 8 = 24

Victoria and Val –Charleston – recreating Amber and Derek’s Charleston – This was Victoria’s best dance. I still don’t find her memorable. I feel like CAI contradicted herself (shocker!) because she didn’t like that Drew didn’t do anything Corbin did, but was happy that Victoria only did one move of Amber and Derek’s dance. Whatever. This was a good dance. 9, 10, 10 = 29

Jordan and Lindsay – Jive- recreating Paige and Mark’s Jive – Perfection! Jordan is just so fantastic!! He and Lindsay have one of the best partnerships of all time. I agree with Bruno that this was better than the original. 10, 10, 10 = 30

Lindsey and Mark – Tango – recreating Meryl and Maks’ Tango I actually thought this was better than the original. I’m sure this next statement will be unpopular but to me Meryl is the most boring winner in a regular season (other boring winner was Melissa in the All-Star season). I find Lindsey more interesting in her movements. CAI’s comments are just ridiculous. I’m not sure why this wasn’t a perfect score. 9, 9, 10 = 28

Frankie and Witney – Paso Doble – recreating Apolo and Julianne’s Paso Doble – I think Len is being over critical with an 8. I don’t think it was perfect, but I don’t think it deserved an 8. He could work on shaping a bit and he does need to make his moves bigger. The 8 is still silly! 9, 8, 9 = 26

Tonight they tell us which couples are going to the finals:

Lindsey and Mark

Drew and Emma

Jordan and Lindsay

Our couples that are left in jeopardy are Frankie/Witney and Victoria/Val – Victoria/Val are sent home. I hate to see how upset she was going home. Next week we are in the finals. Excited to see the freestyles!!!

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easyobsession · 7 years

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DWTS24: WEEK 6 (LO RECAPS)

I have got shit to do. Term papers to write, end of the semester shit to finish up, major family stuff going on, my newfound obsession with Sons of Anarchy, and a WWE Payperview this weekend. I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS.

And yet here my ass is typing this up for all of you at 1Am. Because after what went down tonight, I’m hot and ready to go all Lima Heights up in this shit and I gotta get it out.

So here we go. This recap turned rant starts right fucking now.

*I’ve given up listening to the judges. I don’t even watch their comments 99.9% of the time anymore. At this point they could replace them with monkeys and I’d be cool. Just an FYI. Though I do adore Nick Carter and wish he’d won his season. (See my season 21 recaps)

SIMONE AND SASHA. SAMBA. 9899=35/40.

As far as costuming goes, I think this is the best she’s looked all season. Absolutely stunning. The boots took away from the footwork though. Technically it looked good, though she messed up a few times. To me it looked more like a dance you’d see the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (shoutout to Melissa Rycroft- haaay!) do at halftime though. She was too smiley and struck her poses too hard.

BONNER AND SHARNA. RUMBA. 8877=30/40.

HIS FACE DOESN’T CHANGE. I DON’T UNDERSTAND. IT’S ALWAYS THE SAME. HAPPY, SAD, SEXY, ANGRY, STRESSED- IT’S ALL IDENTICAL. But aside from that… he did better than I expected, tbh. It wasn’t great. Worth a 7. Stiff, his hands looked like they were trying to hold her head like a basketball, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. And Nick and Sharna’s friendship (DO NOT GET ME STARTED OR ASK ABOUT A FIC, I’M TRYING TO LIVE MY LIFE) always makes me beam. But the cowboy needs to go.

NANCY AND ARTEM. PASO. 9888=33/40.

Okay. First of all, a few notes on set and aesthetics: the flashing lights were distracting as hell. The color of her dress didn’t work at all, and the cage thing at the beginning sucked. It seemed like she got a little flustered this week- I didn’t see the package for this one btw, and overall it was just… okay. I know she can do better. It just felt more like everything got too hectic in the arrangement.

NICK AND PETA. JIVE. 7777=28/40.

He tried. Peta looked fucking gorg. I don’t even know what happened in the middle. Too slow and boring. Next.

NORMANI AND VAL. SALSA. 1010810=38/40.

I’m sitting here typing this up and watching these videos back and I literally am about to stand up. THAT IS A FUCKING DANCE. FIERCE AND ATTITUDE AND POWER AND THOSE HAIR FLIPS. She was fluid and her movements all connected- it didn’t look like she was doing a series of poses like Simone. This is what I’m talking about. This is what we want. THIS IS A GODDAMN DANCE. EVERYTHING. ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. I AM SO DAMN PROUD. Also, Len can see himself out. BYEEE.

DAVID AND LINDSAY. ARGENTINE TANGO. 7877=29/40.

Couldn’t see the package for this one either. Goddammit Youtube . But I’m in a hurry so whatever. Loved the choreo. Lindsay = a star. Obv. What I like about David is that he seems like the most relatable of the stars this season. It’s like watching your dad or your uncle or your neighbor- he seems like a regular dude. He’s not incredible, but he does his best. Almost dropped Lindsay, but otherwise the tricks looked good. Is he ever gonna be incredible? No. But I like watching him anyway. And I think he did just fine.

RASHAD AND EMMA. TANGO. 91099=37/40.

Didn’t see the package. I want his jacket. Love Emma’s bangs. Pretty good, though instead of looking away from her it looked like he was staring at the ceiling, which was distracting. But overall pretty good. I’m 95% sure at this point he’s going to win the season. We’ll get to that later.

HEATHER AND MAKS. RUMBA. 10101010=40/40.

“Played like a star, danced like a champion.” That says it all. I saw it. I saw the story in front of me. She looks like a fucking professional. That is it. Done.

TEAM BOY BAND. FREESTYLE. 8988=33/40.

The package was gold. I was dying. I want to hang out with them. As for the routine… it started off less than impressive. Then they got to the chairs and my jaw actually dropped. Literally. I was a little uncomfortable to be perfectly honest. It looked like a strip show. Carrie Ann is actual garbage but what else is new and I’m pretty sure Rashad was the only one to get a minute on his own. Overall it was out of sync and kind of a mess. They tried, but it flopped and the costumes didn’t look good either. I liked the end though. Oh, and RNB+D? Seriously?

TEAM GIRL GROUP. FREESTYLE. 8989=34/40.

“Simone, put your hands on my ass.” Oh my god. “At this point I could put on a tutu and you could call me Mary. …Don’t call me Mary. And I’m not gonna put on a tutu.” Oh MY GOD. And now to the dance. I’m going Grey’s Anatomy here. ….seriously? SERIOUSLY? SERIOUSLY. WHO CHOREOGRAPHED THIS? What the hell? The beginning was awful and way too staged and awkward, the sexy part was almost cringe worthy, and then suddenly they’re doing kicks and getting into hold? Also, the mix of both teams songs was downright deserving of imprisonment, because they both sucked. I appreciated each duo getting a second in the spotlight but… This was NOT GOOD. I’m shocked and so disappointed. Oh my lord. An actual mess.

THE ELIMINATION:

I mean… I’m beyond words. Like, there’s red hot fire and then there’s white hot. Blistering. That is where I’m at. Not pissed, not upset- it’s fury. Like, I’m still in shock.

Let’s talk for a second.

I’m going all the way back. I’m starting at season One. Oh yeah, that’s how bad I’ve lost it.

Joey McIntyre. Drew Lachey. Mario Lopez. Monique Coleman. Joey Fatone. SABRINA BRYAN. Mel B. Mario. Marissa Jaret Winokur. Lance Bass. Lil Kim. Mya. NICOLE SCHERZINGER. Brandy. Roshon Fegan. Zendaya. Elizabeth Berkley. Corbin Bleu. Amber Riley. MERYL DAVIS. ALFONSO RIBERO. Nick Carter. Wanya Morris. Normani.

All dance experience. I’ll excuse a few like Nick and such because while they did dance, they weren’t “dancers.” And Meryl and Charlie technically didn’t dance beforehand though they were trained by Derek for a period of time. Whatever. A good portion of that list made/makes a living dancing as part of their lives.

This show, believe it or not, is not based 110% in reality. It is a television show. It is for celebrities that have never ballroom danced before to pair up with a pro and learn a routine each week to perform for America. We have people like Geraldo Rivera and Kenny Mayne who couldn’t find a beat if it ran them over with a car, and we have the Alfonso Riberos and Corbin Bleus who grew up moving to music.

It does not fucking matter.

Despite my continued long ass rant, I have no words.

She didn’t deserve this.

I love David. Bonner, meh. Nick has actually impressed me though I’m still positive he’s a douchebag. Nancy is great. But they’re not better than her.

Rashad is a contender I didn’t see coming. We knew Normani and Simone would be lit.

Those are your final four.

I didn’t expect her to win, if I’m being honest. And now more than ever, since that Contemporary, I’m pretty damn certain it’ll go to Rashad. Which, I mean, good for Emma.

But I am honest with these reviews. I have no reason not to be. All I wanted was for Val to get his overdue win and he and Rumer earned it, but Riker and Allison were by far my favorites. I wanted Nick to beat Bindi even though she was the better dancer. And while I wanted Laurie to take the title, James and Sharna stole my heart.

Heather is the best one there. And the fact that she doesn’t get to at least make it to the end and experience this entire journey, even if she got fourth, really says something.

If this is as unfair as everyone keeps saying, fine. If she’s as good as Allison, then bring her on as a pro next season. Let’s go.

I don’t know if it’s America or TPTB, but… I’m in awe.

I’m in awe.

(This is my metaphorical mic drop)

-done

#dwts #dancing with the stars #dwts 24 #lo recaps things #lo talks #opinion piece #rants

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geeeooorrrge · 8 years

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And Everything In Between - a Paulo Dybala/Alvaro Morata fanfic

Title is from Adventure Of A Lifetime by Coldplay.

Chapter list and summary | Read on AO3

CHAPTER 41 – EVERYTHING YOU WANT’S A DREAM AWAY

Juventus’ loss against Hellas Verona was quickly forgotten when it was time for them to receive their Scudetto one week later.

It helped that the trophy presentation came right after a thumping win against Sampdoria. Everyone was just so hyped. The fans were noisier. They even cheered a little when Paulo scored his penalty, though it was still a little subdued. The cheers got louder after Paulo’s second goal, and shit. Paulo was so happy he felt like he could cry.

“You hear that?” Alvaro said as Paulo ran to the bench to give him a hug and a kiss. “They’re cheering for you!”

“Yeah,” Paulo said softly. They were still cheering, even though he had just kissed Alvaro in front of them. The cheers had decreased slightly in amplitude, but. But Paulo was taking it. “Alvi.”

“I love you, Paulo.”

“Me, too,” Paulo mouthed as he tracked back to the centre circle. He blew Alvaro a kiss. He felt like. Like he could never take his eyes off Alvaro.

He wished Alvaro would get the same sort of treatment from the fans, too.

But he gave Alvaro a huge kiss when they were substituted for each other, and no one booed, so Paulo took that, too.

He met Alvaro again in the tunnel when they were preparing for the presentation. He ran straight up to Alvaro and snuggled up against his side, sliding his hand in Alvaro’s and half hooking their arms together. He was being clingy as fuck, but. But he couldn’t not be. Paulo wanted to be as close to Alvaro as he could get. He felt like if he let go of Alvaro, either one of them would break into little tiny pieces.

“Maybe you’re too young to count, but 9 is nowhere near 21,” Alvaro remarked.

“I’m not too young to count, fuck you,” Paulo said. “I just want to hold your hand.”

Alvaro laughed fondly. “Hey,” he said. “Have you ever. Ever thought that this day would happen?”

“Like us winning the league together?” Paulo asked.

“Yeah.”

“No,” Paulo whispered. He saw the smile on Alvaro’s face morph from affectionate to nostalgic. And then proud. “I still think this is a dream, you know?”

“Me, too,” Alvaro confessed. “I thought…I don’t know. Paulo. Wow, the universe really pushed us together, didn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Paulo smiled. “I can’t believe that…that I made it to Europe. And not only that, I made it to Europe to play with you. I just. I don’t know. I’m so glad we found our way back together.”

“We made it big, Pau,” Alvaro gave Paulo’s hand a little squeeze. “We made it fucking big.”

“I never thought it would happen. I never thought we would get to play together. It’s just. There are thousands of clubs to play for in Europe. And the one that had you – the one that had you, it wanted me, too.”

“And after all these years,” Alvaro whispered. “After all these fucking years and you’re still fucking here, Paulo, you’re still here and when you came to Juve you were still my best friend and I didn’t have to say I only knew you from this dumb training camp a thousand years ago.”

“Alvaro,” Paulo pushed his face into Alvaro’s shoulder. “This…this isn’t a dream, yeah? This is real. This is real.”

“I don’t know. Will you pinch me?”

So Paulo pinched him, earning himself a loud yelp and a smack on the arm. “You told me to pinch you,” he pointed out.

“Not so hard!”

“So is it real?”

“I don’t know,” Alvaro said. “All I know is, when I first met you, I never thought that this would be possible. I never dared to imagine it. Never.”

Paulo smiled. He pressed a lingering kiss on Alvaro’s lips, one that left the both of them breathless despite its simplicity.

And then Paul and Simone popped up behind them, and Paul said, “I don’t know what kind of math you two did in school, but 9 is nowhere near 21.”

“I tried telling him that,” Alvaro said. “He desperately wants to join the top 10.”

And that was how Paulo got so unceremoniously kicked out of the dumb, self-proclaimed top 10. He made his way to the back of the line and wedged himself into the space between Padoin and Asamoah. He watched the three of them from where he was, the 7, 9, and 10 on their backs moving around as they continued laughing and nudging and teasing each other. They looked happy. Alvaro looked happy.

Paul gave a backward glance towards Paulo before elbowing Alvaro in the ribs and whispering something in his ear. It made Alvaro turn back with a slight pink blush on his face, and fuck. Paulo bet Paul had gone and said something dirty.

But Alvaro flashed a huge charming smile at Paulo, one that almost knocked his socks off – as well as his pants and underwear and every other piece of clothing – and Paulo couldn’t help but smile back. It grew into a laugh when Alvaro blew a kiss at him and Simone and Paul pretended to barf.

Paulo held his breath when Alvaro headed outside as his name was called. He closed his eyes, bracing himself. Bracing himself for boos.

But what came was the opposite.

The stands below which they were standing exploded into loud cheers when Alvaro appeared. Maybe Paulo had just set the bar really low, but. But they were louder than he remembered. They were almost as loud as Simone’s cheers.

Paulo turned to the little TV they had and saw fans waving Spanish flags and huge posters of Alvaro.

And he saw Alvaro run along the blue carpet with this dazzling smile on his face, amazed and proud and just so utterly surprised at all the support he was receiving. He turned to his and Paulo’s families, standing in the pitch-side crowd, and waved at them. He waved at all his adoring fans. He belonged here. He belonged in Turin.

And Paulo promptly burst into tears and attracted the attention of everyone wearing the numbers between 15 and 25.

“Oh, my God,” Paulo whispered, clapping his hands over his face as everyone surrounded him in a hug, murmurs of encouragement and disbelief and pure confusion all mixing together. They all wrapped him up tightly like he was a little puppy needing shelter from a storm, some of them trickling away when their numbers were called.

And right then, right in that moment, Paulo realised Isco had been right.

The people who stayed were the ones who truly mattered. The ones who were worth it.

And Paulo and Alvaro still had so many of these people to fight for. To continue playing for. The people who still treated the both of them as human beings, as footballers, just as they had been before coming out. The people who placed trust in them that they could still produce the same performances because they were footballers above all. The people who minded, the people who thought that they deserved hate – they would get tired and leave. They would slowly be filtered out once they realised that this truly wasn’t the thing for them. The haters wouldn’t be there when it mattered the most. But these people who stayed. These people would. These people were the ones that counted. And soon, these good ones were going to be the only ones left, and they would be the only ones who mattered.

Paulo wiped his tears before his name and number were called. He got a final hug from Asa, Daniele, and Neto as he was given his cue to start walking.

And he burst onto the pitch to the same loud cheering that Alvaro had been warranted, the same rapturous applause and screaming of his name. The same kind of huge posters and Argentine flags waved in the air. The same loving and proud look from his and Alvaro’s families. From Alvaro, who was standing on the podium and clapping so earnestly Paulo was afraid he would get blisters on his hands.

For those few seconds, Paulo felt like he truly belonged here again. He was their top scorer. Their golden boy. La Joya. He was the pride of Córdoba. He was the amazing footballer his dad had intended him to be. He had spent his entire life fighting for this, and he had gotten all of it. He had everything – two loving and accepting families, supportive and understanding fans, a European league trophy and medal, and the love of his life. Paulo was on top of the world.

He gleefully accepted his medal and hopped down the stairs. He found himself drifting towards the little clique Alvaro, Paul, and Simone had formed at the other side.

The stadium went quiet waiting for Asa’s name to be called, but the announcer said nothing for the next few seconds. And then, suddenly ringing across the stadium, “Since everybody seems to be looking out for the same thing, Asamoah can wait until Paulo finds his way to Alvaro and kisses him.”

Everyone burst into loud laughter and shit, Paulo was so fucking embarrassed. His teammates formed two lines in front of him, nudging him in between them and towards Alvaro, who was waiting shyly at the other end.

Paulo dipped his head and brisk-walked through the little victory parade his teammates were giving him. He got to Alvaro in almost no time at all, diving right into his open arms and planting a huge kiss on Alvaro’s lips. He vaguely heard the stadium burst into more cheers, more softly than when he’d come out of the tunnel like they weren’t completely sure that they were supposed to react this way, but. But they were cheering and it was everything Paulo had ever wanted.

“Love you,” Alvaro whispered in between pecks. “Champion.”

Paulo smiled. He tiptoed a little to gain better access, completely forgetting for a moment that literally millions of people were watching them until their teammates all started giving coordinated ‘whoa, whoa, whoa’s and forming a protective shield around them, preventing the stadium and cameras from seeing them in case, you know, they got carried away.

“It’s getting a little R-21 in here!” Paul yelled.

“Paulo, Alvaro, there are hundreds of little children watching you so it’s supposed to be quite a PG environment around here, and that’s pushing it,” the stadium announcer said cheerily.

Everyone burst into laughter again, and the audience gave a few friendly loud hoots before everyone calmed down and Asamoah’s name was called. Well, everyone calmed down except Paulo and Alvaro.

“This can’t be real,” Alvaro said, his hand warm in Paulo’s. When Paulo turned to him, he had this awestruck look on his face, which was still a little flushed. “Paulo. Is this real?”

“You know what?” Paulo asked. “I don’t even care anymore. Even if this isn’t real, even if this is just a really, really nice long dream. I’m going to take it. I don’t want to waste another moment wondering if it’s real. Because if it is, then it’s the best thing that could ever happen – but if it isn’t, then I’ve just had the best dream ever so I’m not complaining.”

Alvaro smiled. He turned to the little Spanish corner with the ‘Morata 9’ flags and posters. They burst into cheers when he gave them a little wave. “Yeah,” he said. “You’re right.”

They stood there hand in hand until the last name was called, taking in every single drop of this victory. A victory for the team, but all in all the biggest victory in Paulo and Alvaro’s lives.

Paulo lifted the trophy for the first time with his Alvaro. It made him believe that, despite all the shit life had a tendency to throw at people, dreams did come true. Because Paulo was living one.

------

The team had a week to get all the wild out of them before the Coppa Italia final, so they made use of it. They all took turns to drink from the cup and everyone – including Alvaro – took much amusement in trying to make Paulo drunk, and they were all bigger and stronger and had no trouble at all hoisting the huge trophy around and literally pouring beer into Paulo’s mouth. Alvaro spent most of the time egging everyone on and then laughing fondly as Paulo tried to stomach all the beer.

Paulo woke up the next morning feeling like his head was going to vibrate its way off his shoulders.

He rolled over in bed with a loud groan and met a laughing Alvaro, still gazing fondly at him.

“What the fuck you laughing at?” Paulo asked, and regretted it immediately because each word sent a sharp pain shooting through his head.

“You don’t hold liquor very well,” Alvaro said.

Paulo thought back about all the stupid shit he’d done while he was drunk. Blurting out his feelings to Alvaro. Threesome with Franco. Helping Alvaro break up with Mia. “Never have,” he said softly.

Alvaro reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the glass of water and painkillers sitting on it. He held Paulo half upright as he fed them to him, and then gently lay Paulo back down.

“I’ll cook you a nice breakfast,” Alvaro said.

“No need,” Paulo said slowly so he wouldn’t trigger his headache. “I just gotta puke. And sleep some more.”

So Alvaro fetched a bucket and a towel and let Paulo puke it all out. He sat behind Paulo and leaned his cheek on Paulo’s back, and it was comforting even though Paulo was already warm and sweaty as fuck.

“Fuck,” Paulo sighed as he finished round one. He wiped his mouth with the towel as he lay back down. His head was beginning to spin so he closed his eyes. “Did I do anything dumb while I was drunk?”

“Well…” Alvaro said, trailing off. He started to laugh again.

“What?” Paulo asked.

“There’s this video,” Alvaro started again.

“What video?”

“A sex tape,” Alvaro said with a straight face, and when Paulo glared at him so hard his head almost exploded, started laughing again. “Fuck, no, it’s this thing I did.”

“Is it embarrassing?” Paulo groaned.

Alvaro searched through his phone for the video and passed it to Paulo. He sat there sniggering to himself as the video loaded. It was quite shaky, but very clear, and it was a video of Paulo and Alvaro with the trophy in between them.

It started off with Alvaro glancing at the person holding the phone and nodding to make sure he was being recorded. He turned to Paulo. “Pau, let’s take a photo of us kissing the cup.”

Paulo just. Just stared at him for a few moments, like he needed that long to decipher what Alvaro was saying. And then he giggled. He giggled. “Yeah, ‘kay.”

Alvaro pointed to the part of the cup where Paulo should put his lips on. Paulo obliged. Alvaro did the same on the other side of the cup, and the person holding the phone started counting up to three.

“Fuck, is that Paul?” Paulo asked.

“Yeah,” Alvaro laughed. “Quick, don’t look away.”

When Paul reached three, Alvaro pulled the trophy out from in between them and, as expected, Paulo started swaying, leaning forward until – until his lips met Alvaro’s.

The entire room erupted into cheers, including Paul, which made the camera go all shaky. When it returned to focus, it was still on Alvaro and Paulo.

Paulo had this utterly confused look on his face as Alvaro smiled and wrapped his free arm around him. Paulo rested his chin on Alvaro’s shoulder. He looked to be in a daze as he scanned the room, confused.

“Why’s the trophy so soft?” he asked. The room burst into laughter which didn’t fucking stop even when the video ended a whole ten seconds later.

Paulo felt a pout form on his face but honestly, he didn’t know if he should laugh or be mad. Alvaro, on the other hand, was laughing so hard next to him he was practically in tears.

“Fuck, you’re so fucking cute when you’re drunk,” he managed to choke.

“Alvi,” Paulo whined.

Alvaro rolled over and wrapped Paulo in a tight hug. “I love you so fucking much.”

“It’s embarrassing.”

“It’s cute.”

“Only you think that.”

“Everyone thinks that,” Alvaro claimed. He lifted Paulo’s head and kissed him on the lips. “Ew, Pau, you taste like vomit.”

“Fuck you. I just vomited.”

“You’re gross.”

“You just said I’m cute.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Fuck off,” Paulo said, but burrowed his way into Alvaro’s arms again, anyway. He closed his eyes and sighed. Okay, so it was pretty funny. “Are you posting it on Instagram?” he mumbled.

“No,” Alvaro lied.

“You are.”

“I’m not,” Alvaro paused. “Would you mind if I did?”

“See? You’re posting it.”

“Fine, I am. But would you mind?”

“No,” Paulo said. He knew this was who Alvaro was. Alvaro had always been a fan of public displays – Paulo not so much, but Alvaro thrived on attention and likes. He didn’t really read all the comments but he loved getting likes and. Well, Alvaro was weird as fuck. “Go ahead.”

So Alvaro posted it as Paulo dozed, occasionally waking Paulo up when he started laughing at it again or when he received a funny comment from one of his friends or teammates. When Paulo sleepily asked him what the caption was, he said, “There isn’t a caption ‘cause it doesn’t need one. It’s gold on its own.”

“I’ll get you back one day,” Paulo replied.

“Nah,” was all he heard from Alvaro before he fell asleep again.

The next time he woke up, the sunlight had dimmed considerably and Alvaro was placing a warm towel on his head.

“Third towel,” he smiled.

“What time is it?” Paulo asked.

“Three in the afternoon.”

“Shit. I feel like shit.”

“Sleep some more.”

“No, I need to get up and walk around.”

“What,” Alvaro said. He hurriedly stood up when Paulo got out of bed. “What, you’re so weird.”

“I’m fucking starving,” Paulo said.

Alvaro followed him everywhere, frantically pressing the towel to Paulo’s head. He stood behind Paulo holding it in place when Paulo peed. He stumbled after Paulo to the kitchen and bent over with Paulo when he searched for food in the fridge.

He finally said, “Could you hold this yourself while I cook for you?”

Paulo sighed. He waited for Alvaro to warm the towel again and pass it back to him, along with a bottle containing, like, a full litre of water. Paulo was instructed to finish the whole thing, so he opened it and started chugging.

“The video you posted,” Paulo said, watching Alvaro as he zoomed about the kitchen. “You enabled commenting?”

“Yeah,” Alvaro said before pausing. “Don’t worry, I only read the ones from people we know.”

“Yeah?” Paulo smiled. “Can I see?”

“Are you going to delete them?”

Paulo shrugged before realising that Alvaro had his back to him. “If they’re bad,” he said instead.

“Paulo,” Alvaro sighed. “You don’t have to. I don’t want you to read them if they hurt you.”

“I can read them on my phone too, you know?”

Alvaro sighed again. “Paulo.”

“Okay, okay.”

“I know you’re trying to protect me,” Alvaro said softly. “I know you don’t want me to be upset. But if you read them and you’re upset, then. Then it does the same thing to me. It’s not worth it at all. Okay?”

“Okay,” Paulo whispered.

“But,” Alvaro turned and smiled lovingly at Paulo. “They’re getting fewer. The hateful ones.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. There’s this thing about haters. The first kind, they say mean things about things they don’t like and then eventually leave them alone because they’ve decided that it truly isn’t the thing for them. The second kind, they say mean things to get attention. They do it to spark a fight. These are the ones we see all the time. But we’re lucky, because these are the ones who also don’t mean it as much. They’re just trolls. They just want attention. If we ignore them, they might not go away, but it makes our lives better and their lives worse.”

Paulo smiled. He rested his chin on his hands. “My boyfriend is so wise,” he cooed.

Alvaro gave a soft giggle. “Yeah? Makes you feel better when you think about it like that?”

“Mmhmm.”

Alvaro eventually served a heaping plate of eggs and a giant bowl of oats to Paulo, along with the now-refilled litre of water.

“Finish everything,” he instructed.

Paulo opened his mouth to complain about how much food it was, but only succeeded in allowing Alvaro to shove a spoonful of oats in it. He picked up the utensils and started eating on his own as Alvaro watched him fondly.

“Nice?” Alvaro asked.

Paulo nodded. It was a lot, but. But it helped.

“Hey,” he said. “Alvi. Thanks for taking care of me.”

“Don’t be silly,” Alvaro said. He reached over and placed a palm on Paulo’s cheek, his smile growing when Paulo pushed his face further into his grasp. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

Paulo gave him a shy smile. He could never. Never imagine what his life would’ve been like if he hadn’t been chosen to fill the empty slot in the training camp. If he hadn’t met Alvaro. If, in his life, there was no Alvaro Morata.

“I love you,” he said softly.

“Love you, too,” Alvaro whispered.

“Aren’t you hungover?”

“I’m okay.”

“Eat some,” Paulo said, and when Alvaro opened his mouth to protest, shoved a spoonful of oats in it.

They spent the entire afternoon taking turns to feed each other, and Paulo swore. Paulo swore he had never been more in love with Alvaro than he was right then.

But then again, every time Paulo thought that, there would unfailingly, inevitably, whether it was a week later or a month later – be another occasion that proved him wrong. Paulo felt like he could never stop falling in love with Alvaro, even after every time he thought he’d maxed out all his affection. And fuck, Paulo had tripped and fallen many times in his life but this. This was his favourite fall.

------

The Coppa Italia final was nothing like Paulo had ever imagined.

He lost count of how many times his heart almost skipped out of his chest whenever Milan sent a shot at goal. He ran until he could barely feel his legs. He mentally screamed at the heavens whenever Juve missed one of their rare opportunities.

He glanced at the bench, at Alvaro, every time he felt hopeless. Alvaro would give him the same encouraging smile and a tiny fist pump.

Despite how simple it was, it gave Paulo the energy to keep trying.

And then, in the second half of extra time, Alvaro got substituted into the match.

And two minutes later, scored.

Alvaro veered away in celebration and hopped over the advertising hoardings in his excitement, right in front of all their loyal Juventus fans. And although he was tired as fuck, so tired that his legs were almost giving way right under him, Paulo ran.

Paulo ran after Alvaro, the first to do so, and caught up with him, jumping on his back and yelling in his ear words that Paulo could barely make out himself. Paulo almost fell off Alvaro’s shoulders as he strained forward to kiss Alvaro until Alvaro made things easier by turning his face to the side.

But they only had two seconds of wet, sweaty, sloppy kisses until their teammates started jumping on them, yelling excitedly about ‘Morata, Morata, we’re winners because of you again,’ and Paulo realised he had momentarily forgotten that Alvaro had just scored what was essentially the winning goal because, well.

Because Paulo was already a winner. He had Alvaro. He would always be a winner.

He stuck close to Alvaro as the medals were handed out. He couldn’t stop smiling. Alvaro turned and asked, “What the fuck is wrong with your face?”

“What?”

“You’re like that teethy emoji that no one is really sure whether it’s grimacing or smiling.”

“Fuck you. You can’t stop smiling, either.”

“Yeah,” Alvaro grinned. “Hey. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“I want to ask if this is real but I also don’t care.”

“Alvi,” Paulo whispered. “You won it for us.”

“I didn’t.”

“You did. You can’t deny it. Alvaro, you’ve done so well. You’ve proven to everyone that we can do it – that you can do it. That our relationship isn’t as bad as they think it is. That the club moves on, and so should they. You’ve done it all for us.”

Alvaro smiled. He gave Paulo’s nose a little pinch and wiggle. “I really wanna kiss you right now,” he said.

“You can,” Paulo reminded him.

So Alvaro did. He leaned over and grabbed Paulo’s face with both his hands and smacked a loud kiss on Paulo’s lips, and the medals were still being given out but everyone suddenly crowded around them to shield them again, and the stadium announcer suddenly shrieked, “Paulo! Alvaro! PG environment!”

And everyone started laughing, and the crowd started cheering, and shit. Paulo felt so complete. He felt so complete.

He lifted their second trophy of the season together with Alvaro again. His Alvaro. His own personal trophy. His prize. The best reward for anything ever.

He looked up to the night sky as he held the trophy towards it. Dad, this is for you. The second trophy in one month. This is for you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Thank you for pushing me even when I thought I couldn’t do any better. Thank you for making this as much of my dream as it is yours. This is for you. I wish you were here to watch me. I made it, dad. I made it for you. I hope you’re proud. I love you and I hope you’re proud of me.

------

The night was so wild, they only managed to meet their families the next day for a meal.

The first thing Alvaro’s dad asked when they all sat down was, “So Paulo, where are you planning to spend your summer?”

Alvaro saw Paulo’s eyes dart around anxiously. It was one thing to have his dad willing to talk to Paulo. It was another thing for Paulo to have an inherent need to constantly impress Alvaro’s dad.

“Um,” Paulo said. “I haven’t really thought about it. I…don’t really have a tournament to prepare for, so.”

Alvaro reached under the table and gave Paulo’s knee a squeeze before taking his hand. He knew that despite all the ecstasy from winning the domestic double, Paulo was still shaken by the disappointment of not being called up for the Copa America. And the double whammy of Juventus’ unshakeable prohibition of Paulo joining Argentina for the Olympics. Paulo was being given the chance but he also wasn’t allowed to take it.

“Would you like to join us?” dad asked.

“Join you…where?” Paulo furrowed his brow, and God, Alvaro was so fucking fond.

“In France, to watch Alvaro in the Euros. Maybe your mom would like to come along, too?”

Paulo turned to Alvaro in surprise, and then to his mom, who had a really happy and excited look on her face. She nodded at Paulo.

“Yeah?” Paulo asked hesitantly. “You’d…you’d like me to come with you?”

“If you want to,” Alvaro’s mom said.

Paulo turned to Alvaro again. Alvaro gave him a smile and a nod. Alvaro would literally give the world for Paulo to be there to watch him play. And he knew what it meant to Paulo to receive an invite from Alvaro’s dad himself.

“Okay,” Paulo finally said. “I’ll go. Mom will go too, yeah?”

And so it was set.

Paulo didn’t stop smiling the entire day and Alvaro realised exactly how much it all meant to Paulo. Paulo was willing to sacrifice his entire summer. He could’ve spent it back in Argentina, with his family and friends. He could’ve spent it in the US, watching his Argentina. Watching his idol Messi.

But instead, he was going to France to watch Alvaro.

“You know what,” Paulo said as they settled in bed at the end of the day. “I’m glad I get to go watch you play.”

“Yeah?” Alvaro smiled. “Why?”

“I used to, remember? I went to Romania to watch you play. And it was so simple back then but it got so difficult because now everyone knows us. And it was weird because I didn’t have any reason to go all the way over to wherever you were to watch you. But now I can. Now I can, Alvi. I’m not gonna have to be worried about someone seeing me there and asking why the fuck I’m watching Spain. Because my boyfriend plays for Spain.”

“You know what I’m glad about?”

“What?”

“That I didn’t get kicked off the Spanish team just ‘cause I’m in a relationship with you.”

Paulo paused for a really long time.

“Would you have broken up with me if they said you had to in order to play the Euros?” he asked.

And, oops. Alvaro was still as horrible with words as he had always been. “No, hey,” he gently nudged Paulo’s cheek. “I meant it as a good thing.”

“But would you?”

“No. I wouldn’t. I’d have spent the summer with you.”

Paulo smiled. “Yeah?”

“Of course. We’d go to the Bahamas or something. Or Dubai. Or Maldives. Or wherever in the world you want to.”

Paulo’s smile grew. “You know where I’d actually really wanna be?”

“Where?”

Paulo burrowed himself right into Alvaro’s arms so that he was half lying on Alvaro, one thigh nudged in between both of Alvaro’s. He pressed his cheek against where Alvaro’s heart was. “Right here,” he whispered.

Alvaro laughed, watching as it made Paulo rise and fall along with his chest. “Cheesy fuck.”

Paulo smiled proudly and nuzzled his face further into the front of Alvaro’s t-shirt. It was a little warm pool at Alvaro’s heart. Like the little warm pool Paulo had always put there, but. But now physically, as well.

Alvaro watched as Paulo slowly fell asleep. He watched as the big smile on Paulo’s face slowly faded into a lingering upward turn of the lips, as his eyelids fluttered several times before he slowly descended into his dreams. He watched Paulo’s tiny little hand grasp a handful of Alvaro’s t-shirt, not tugging, just resting there, like even in his dreams, he only ever needed to know that Alvaro was there. He listened to Paulo breathe in that terrifying way of his, frequently stopping completely for a few seconds before restarting with a loud, deep breath, like he’d forgotten to breathe; in that way that he had always assured Alvaro was normal but which Alvaro refused to believe.

He watched Paulo fall asleep in the most mesmerising way possible. Alvaro often felt like he could stay up an entire night just to watch Paulo sleep. Just to make sure he breathed properly. He could spend the entire night just watching Paulo because it was more peaceful, more relaxing, than even the most well-rested sleep Alvaro had ever gotten.

He wrapped his arms more tightly around Paulo and pulled Paulo closer to him. Paulo’s cheeks were all squished together but Alvaro wasn’t afraid of waking him up because Paulo slept like a pig.

“You’ll always be right here,” Alvaro whispered.

Paulo didn’t hear him, evidently. Alvaro gently lifted Paulo so he was fully lying on Alvaro. He wrapped his arms and legs around Paulo like Paulo was this oddly-sized, oddly-shaped bolster. Alvaro just. He just felt so warm inside and outside. Warm in every way possible.

Alvaro spent his time alternating between counting how many breaths Paulo took every minute and thinking about every single thing that had happened in the past year that he could say was literally a dream come true. Alvaro couldn’t believe that they’d come so far. He couldn’t believe that all that shit talking they’d done back in 2009, back in 2010 and 2011 and 2012 all the way up to 2015 – all the shit talking that they’d done about playing together and winning a trophy together, it had all come true. They had actually, legitimately, found their way back to each other, from Córdoba-Madrid, Palermo-Madrid, Palermo-Turin, closer and closer and closer until they were both finally in Turin.

He couldn’t help but smile when he thought of how the entire universe must have fucking aligned in order for all of that to have happened. For everything that had led up to this day, right this moment, to have happened.

He hugged Paulo so tightly Paulo actually gave a little groan and sigh before continuing to breathe.

He was never going to let Paulo go. Alvaro was never, ever, ever going to let Paulo go.

#alvaro morata #paulo dybala #dybata #real madrid #juventus #juve #football fanfiction #aeibpdam #MY BIRTHDAY CHAPTER!#in like 4 minutes #my gift to all of u pls enjoy i love you all

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sailorzakuro · 5 years

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SCD Semi-Final Thoughts

Lol can I be bothered no am I gonna force myself to do it anyway yes btw I might get emotional and sentimental when I talk about you know who cos like I’ve accepted this is his last week, I haven’t spoiled it but like I KNOW.

Emma and Anton (Cha Cha Cha) - Honestly the judges praised this a bit too much IMO XD. It had no dynamics, her legs weren’t right and it had very lacklustre body action. For a semi-final that did not deserve the score it got. Sorry I love Anton and Emma’s great but thank fuck they had a second dance if you know what I mean.

Kelvin and Oti (Quickstep) - Perfect. All that needs to be said really.

Chris and Karen (Viennese Waltz) - POOR CHRIS he was doing so well until he missed that step. His frame is improving and his footwork was nice, his free hand is getting better and he had nice rhythm. It seemed cos of his mess up they marked him RIGHT down. Rip. I loved it Chris screw them XD.

Karim and Amy (Argentine Tango) - I think maybe the choreo was a bit too advanced for Karim XD. I think he did pretty well with it though! It looked fine but I could see that sometimes he was a bit unsure of himself. AMAZING effort though like WOW I just think he was given a bit too much to attempt especially with half the time. If that were a normal week dance maybe he would have done better but unfortunately it wasn’t.

Emma and Anton (Waltz) - Aww Anton’s so precious he finally got to do a decent Waltz XD. Emma’s frame has REALLY improved can I just say like even from the American Smooth and the Quickstep it’s gotten SO MUCH BETTER she’s extending her neck out more and she looks truly professional in hold now like YAAS. It wasn’t quite perfect but like MAN IT WAS GOOD.

Kelvin and Oti (Paso Doble) - I did love it, honestly, I thought Kelvin’s intensity and how he worked with the choreo was amazing. But I do agree that he needed to extend more. The Paso does have a lot of sharp dynamics (and you should know by now I’m a SUCKER for sharp dynamics) but it just needed more of a mix of dynamics, using slower ones when extending his body would have made it look so much neater.

Chris and Karen (Rumba) - CHRIS STOP MAKING ME EMOTIONAL YOU’RE A COMEDIAN YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME LAUGH WHY ARE YOU SUCH A GOOD ACTOR LIKE FUCK. Honestly tho he did better on this than I thought he would XD. He actually had nice flow in his body, like his arm did look a bit more like he was doing a jelly arm boogie (that description tho) but like it was still there XD. Again it wasn’t perfect WE KNOW ALL THIS but like rip Karen she’s going out on a Rumba again XD. THIS ISN’T EVEN FOR CERTAIN I’M NOT SPOILING IT DW but like there’s no way it’s not them and I’m gonna get sentimental because WE FUCKING STAN CHRIS AND KAREN ON THIS BLOG AND NOW I’M TRULY SAYING GOODBYE TO THEM he’s done so well and he’s come so far and as much as I’d love to see him do his Charleston or his Street/Commercial or his Paso Doble again in the final I’m just glad we got to see them once because they were SO amazing and he’s improved so much all while being absolutely HILARIOUS he took everything he was told in the best way and honestly I know it’s gonna be like 1 week without him but I am gonna MISS HIM LIKE MAD next week. He’ll be in the losers dance but I’m gonna miss him sooooo so so so much he was the only one I knew beforehand this year and has remained my favourite for just how amazing he is, Karen I also love you queen you always snatch my wig like I’ve just done a Samba to Backstreet Boys with how amazingly you’ve taught this man and wow this is deep I’m sorry I just love them and cannot believe they’ve got this far, gonna be a dull final without them T_T <3 <3 <3.

(oh shit there’s another one oops)

Karim and Amy (American Smooth) - IT WAS GOOD UNTIL THE LIFT RIP if it weren’t for that lift he might have gotten a 40 IDK but like... I think it just threw him off afterwards and he couldn’t get back into character but I think he did amazing as always XD.

Oo ranking, I’ll do it individual dances rather than couples so it goes...

Kelvin and Oti (Quickstep) Chris and Karen (Rumba) Emma and Anton (Waltz) Chris and Karen (Viennese Waltz) Kelvin and Oti (Paso Doble) Karim and Amy (American Smooth) Karim and Amy (Argentine Tango) Emma and Anton (Cha Cha Cha)

K now, going into the final... I’d be INCREDIBLY SHOCKED if they go out this week but I think I’m backing Kelvin and Oti now. THE SURPRISE CONTENDER IF YOU WILL. I mean if Chris miraculously makes it through then I’M STILL BACKING HIM but since I’m not dumb I know it’s unlikely next week I’ll be singing all praises for Kelvin and Oti XD. OO NEXT WEEK I’LL KNOW THE WINNER THOUGH cos it’s all on one night well next week is gonna be like a big party wow I’ll even talk about the losers dance cos IT’S THE BEST PART OF THE SHOW see you next week when I’ll either be really happy Karim won, really happy Anton won, BUZZING that Kelvin and Oti won, or absolutely shitting my trousers jaw on the floor lost my voice from screaming bust a hole in the floor from jumping up and down probably a little tipsy that Chris and Karen won XD.

#strictly come dancing #yes i watch strictly #strictly come dancing 2019

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frontproofmedia · 5 years

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Keith 'One Time' Thurman Breaks Down His Nine Championship Fights

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Published: July 08, 2019

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL. (July 8, 2019) - Keith "One Time" Thurman's victories have always been the center of conversation. Even with nine championship fights and eight title defenses already under his belt, his Saturday, July 20 fight against Manny Pacquaio could prove to be the most significant, as he steps onto boxing's biggest stage looking to capture a momentous victory. Pacquiao vs. Thurman will pit the undefeated WBA Welterweight World Champion Thurman against boxing's only eight-division world champion and Philippine Senator Manny "PacMan" Pacquiao in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The FOX pay-per-view begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and tickets for the event, which is promoted by MP Promotions, Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased online through AXS.com, charge by phone at 866-740-7711 or in person at any MGM Resorts International box office. Coming off a majority decision over Josesito Lopez that ended a 22-month ring absence in January, Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs), 30, had won a close unanimous decision over former title holder "Showtime" Shawn Porter in June 2016 and a split-decision over two-division title winner Danny "Swift" Garcia in March 2017, adding Garcia's WBC crown to his WBA version, before he vacated the WBC title due to injury. Thurman broke down all of his title performances in anticipation of the fight that could cement his place amongst boxing's best of this era. KO 10 Diego Chaves, July 27, 2013, AT&T Center, San Antonio: The 24-year-old Thurman came off a near-shutout unanimous decision over former champion Jan Zaveck in March 2013 and faced an unbeaten Argentine interim WBA champion who was after his fifth consecutive stoppage win and had knocked out 18 of 22 opponents. Thurman traded early power shots, controlled tempo with his athleticism and boxing ability and floored Chaves with a ninth round left hook to the liver before dropping him for the final time with a right hand in the 10th round. Chaves failed to beat the count as Thurman became a 147-pound titleholder. "The Diego Chaves fight was the biggest fight of my career, elevating me to the WBA interim champion," said Thurman. "I broke him down round by round and landed a beautiful body shot in the ninth round and after that it was a matter of time. That was a fight that earned me worldwide respect and was the start of everything for me." TKO 9 Jesus Soto Karass, December 14, 2013, Alamodome, San Antonio: Soto Karass' previous victory was a 12th-round stoppage of two-time belt holder Andre Berto in a fight that saw him rise from an 11th-round knockdown. Hurt by a hard right in the first round, Thurman recovered, flooring Soto Karass with a left uppercut in the fifth and again from a powerful combination in the ninth as the referee ended matters. "Soto Karass was coming off a victory over Andre Berto which made it an important measuring stick fight for me," said Thurman, "He did open the fight by tagging me in the first round, but I dropped him in the fifth and again in the ninth and was able to finish him off for my first title defense." RTD 3 Julio Diaz, April 26, 2014, StubHub Center, Carson, Calif: In a one-sided beat-down, former champion Diaz took a knee from a left to the temple the second round and retired prior to the fourth from a body shot that caused rib damage. Diaz never fought again. "That was a tremendous fight for me as the headliner in my first main event," said Thurman. "Diaz was coming off of good showings against Shawn Porter, fighting Porter to a draw once, and Amir Khan, whom he dropped in their fight. I also had the opportunity to make a statement. I did that by stopping him in only three rounds." UD 12 Leonard Bundu, December 13, 2014, the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas:A previously unbeaten 40-year-old switch-hitting veteran, Bundu (31-1-2, 11 KO) was dropped by a first-round right hand in a shutout victory (120-107 three times) for Thurman who ended an eight-month ring absence and was recovering from an injured left shoulder. "Bundu was a switch-hitting awkward fighter. I switched [to southpaw] on him in the first round and dropped him with a right hand," said Thurman. "I out boxed him and really gave the world a taste of how good of a boxer I am. It was an easy blowout." UD 12 Robert Guerrero, March 7, 2015, the MGM Grand Grand Garden Arena: Thurman entered this bout after having been elevated to the full champion before facing Guerrero (32-3-1, 18 KOs), a two-division title winner. He overcame a grotesque hematoma above his left eye from an accidental clash of heads, dropped "The Ghost" in the ninth-round, and lost a combined four rounds in PBC's first ever main event. "Guerrero had fought Floyd Mayweather and I was happy to have a common opponent with Floyd, so that I could prove to the world that I deserved a shot at Mayweather," said Thurman. "I had to overcome that adversity of having that hematoma by knocking him down in the ninth round. That fight really raised my stock to another level." WATCH FULL FIGHT HERE FROM PBC RTD 7 Luis Collazo, July 11, 2015, USF Sundome, Tampa: Thurman overcame a crippling left hand to the liver in the fifth round to become only the man to stop Collazo, a former champion who had gone the distance in losses to Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley, Andre Berto and Amir Khan. In a homecoming fight, Thurman opened a deep gash over Collazo's right eye with his own left hook, eventually resulting in the southpaw's retiring on his stool after the seventh round. "I was able to survive that body shot to perform in the next round. The fight was taking its toll on him though. I was becoming more comfortable and accurate as I physically broke him down," said Thurman. "The arena was electric, and the love was amazing. It was a great homecoming to defend my world title near where I grew up in Clearwater, Florida." WATCH FULL FIGHT HERE FROM PBC UD 12 Shawn Porter, June 25, 2016, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York: Thurman overcame a bullish former champion in Porter (26-2-1, 16 KOs) before an electric crowd, winning a give-and-take, blood-and-guts brawl by scores of 115-113, on all three judges' cards. Highlights were Thurman's clean right hand-left hook combination that buckled Porter's knees late in the third round, a 10th-round left hook that did the same, and an even more vicious head-swiveling hook in Round 11 of a Fight of The Year standout from 2016. "Our fight was tough, back and forth, but by no means was Shawn Porter going to take my title," said Thurman. "I pushed myself over the final rounds to make sure I'd be victorious in what was one of the 'Fight of The Year' contenders that year. That fight proved to everyone that I can win any type of fight, against any type of fighter." WATCH FIGHT HIGHLIGHTS HERE FROM PBC SD 12 Danny Garcia, March 4, 2017, Barclays Center: Thurman won a clash of 28-year-olds over the then-unbeaten Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs), along with the WBC's crown in just the 10th title unification in division history and only the third between a pair of unbeaten fighters. The crowd of 16,533 represented the highest attended boxing match at Barclays Center to date. Thurman's movement disrupted the timing of Garcia, a Philadelphia-based fighter who was a unified champion at 140-pounds. "This was two undefeated welterweights going toe-to-toe in the prime of their careers. Danny Garcia's a sharp puncher who won the WBC's vacant title that Floyd Mayweather gave up for retirement," said Thurman. "But after beating Shawn Porter, I knew Danny would be an easy fight. This was my first chance to beat an undefeated world champion, and I came out swinging on him in round one to make a statement that his world title was about to be mine." WATCH FIGHT HIGHLIGHTS HERE FROM PBC MD 12 Josesito Lopez, January 26, 2019, Barclays Center: Thurman ended an injury-hampered 22-month ring absence against Lopez (36-8, 19 KOs), scoring a second-round knockdown with a left hook, being hurt by a right hand in the seventh, and using his mobility and athleticism down the stretch for the victory. "I was really nervous about making weight after walking around at 182 for the past two years," said Thurman. "But even though I got hit and hurt in the seventh round, I knew my boxing ability would get me through. It was a relief to make it through that fight feeling strong and healthy and I've taken those feelings right into this training camp." WATCH FULL FIGHT HERE FROM PBC Manny Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs), July 20, 2019, the MGM Grand Garden Arena: The 40-year-old Pacquiao has earned back-to-back victories over former champions by seventh-round TKO over Lucas Matthysse (July 2018) and unanimous decision Adrien Broner (January). "Does Manny belong in the ring with a fighter in his prime? Is Keith Thurman still Keith 'One Time' Thurman after some vulnerability against Josesito Lopez?" said Thurman, rhetorically speaking. "Of course, I'd like to get the knockout or TKO, but either way, you're going to see a world class performance that has me standing alone on top of a division that has so many great fighters. I'm trying to be that great, devastating champion once again, and come July 20, I will prove that I am."

(Featured Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)

#HF #Keith Thurman #Manny Pacquiao #Mayweather Promotions

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icudoucmetoo · 6 years

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DWTS27 - New York City Night

DeMarcus & Lindsay- Foxtrot. Score 24. His smile is contagious. He has a great attitude and described himself as “a chocolate piece of steel.” His rise and fall was on point and so was his heel leads. He lost timing at the end of the dance but, overall, he did really good. For a big guy, he is light on his feet. Evidently they only had 2 1/2 days of practice! Incredible.

Danelle & Artem - Cha Cha. Score 18. Oh my heart. Her solo was impressive especially considering that she is legally blind. She and Artem are both sick but you would never know it looking at them. Troopers. Sure, she had missteps and there were some awkward moments but she stole my heart with her personality and positive can do attitude. I thought the judges score was fair.

John & Emma - Charleston. Score 23. I loved the routine. It was like watching a mini broadway show. He is a showman and he sold that routine. His stage presence carried him and his dancing was good. There were no timing issues, that I saw and he kept up with Emma. Great kicks.

Nancy & Val - Cha Cha. Score 21. Nancy has a fracture in her foot and it is painful to dance on it. She improved from last week. I still see hesitancy in her dance where she is trying to keep up with Val. As the dance progressed she appeared more comfortable. I loved the black dress. It was very flattering to her figure. Okay, this is where I bitch about Val. He out danced her and to be honest, I was watching him more than her. For me, his choreography was the same old same old. In the interview with Erin he stated that he felt guilty because he should be protecting Nancy. The deal with Val is that he trains his partners as if they are in a professional competition. Therefore, he drives them on every little thing and does not know how to temper it down. He drills them to the point of injury. I have always been on the fence with Val, but I am pretty much done with him.

Alexis & Alan - Argentine Tango. Score 25. Alan got innovative and choreographed out of the box. I know that some wanted a traditional AT, but I am happy that he is trying new things. I can appreciate that. They combined ballet with AT and I felt the beauty and angst (push/pull) of the dance. Imagine dancing and AT to Swan Lake. Impressive and gutsy. There was a malfunction in removing her Tutu so they lost some timing with the music. Alexis was able to pick it right back up and finish strong. I was very proud of her. She had beautiful lines and attacked the dance. In my opinion, the scores were well deserved. Alexis is a sweet girl and I do not see anything whatsoever fake about her. Nothing. She is genuine and deserves to be there. She is young, beautiful, smart and by the looks of it everybody loves her. Let’s hope that her fan base comes through for her. She is under the impression that her dancing is all that matters but unfortunately, that is not the case. It’s a shame really.

Joe & Jenna - Foxtrot. Score 17. First, it is known that Joe is not a performer nor is he a dancer. I did see some improvement from last week but not much. Personally, I believe he is phoning it in because the only reason he is on the show is to be close to his girlfriend. That has been documented and is not speculation. Bachelor Nation is voting for him and keeping him on the show. I know some think that this is no longer a dance show but a popularity contest. Well, that is precisely why the judges are there. They are leveling the playing field to offset the popularity aspect of the show. In addition, fans of the pro don’t care how bad the partner is as long as they keep the pro in. Consequently, there is a lot of complaining of the unfairness of the scoring just because It affects the pros chances to make it to the final. I am glad that the judges are aware of this and that they score based on dance performance and not who is the most popular. He deserved the scores he received.

Tinashe & Brandon - Argentine Tango. Score 26. I freakin’ loved this routine. Brandon wanted to push the envelope (much like Alan) and that he did. It reminded me of a futuristic AT and Tinashe hit all the points. The lifts were extraordinary and sharp. They nailed it. Spectacular job. BRAVO!!! I’m glad that they are adding flavor and sauce to this season. They are one of the best couples in the competition. Hopefully, they will get the votes to stay in. I compare their situation to that of Alexis and Alan. Tinashe is a hot commodity and has a rocking body.

Milo & Witney - Charleston. Score 26. Dang! That kid can dance. He knows how to work the crowd and the viewing public. There was plenty Charleston in the routine and Witney choreographed the hell out of it. He kept up. He did not miss a step. Much like Alan and Brandon, Witney modernized the Charleston. They killed it. The scores reflected this.

Mary Lou & Sahsa - Waltz. Score 22. The steps were there but I did not get any emotion from that dance. It was like she was doing Floor X and just made sure to hit her spots. Based on her interview with Erin, she is well aware of this. Therefore, I know it is not just me. Sasha was dragging her through the dance. She was not keeping up. She needs to relax her shoulders but that comes from years of gymnastic training. Basically, the dance was okay but not memorable.

Juan Pablo & Cheryl - Quickstep. Score 26. Well deserved. He danced that Quickstep. It was fast and crisp. Beautiful lines and upper body. His feet and legs were on point. In addition, he actually led Cheryl. She was not leading him. My eyes were fixed on him and not Cheryl. That is the sign of a good performer. He has great charisma and charm. I loved their banter during practice package. You can tell that he is committed to the competition and he is not phoning it in.

Evanna & Keo - Samba. Score 24. This is a tricky dance due to the samba bounce. Not everyone can achieve it. She did a good job but I would have liked to see the routine slowed down just a tad to get the true Samba feel. It seemed just a little hectic to me but overall, nicely done. She has a good voting base and I hope they come through for her.

Bobby & Sharna - Foxtrot. Score 20. I concur with the score. Bobby was a mess. He was all over the place and added his own choreography at the end. His heart may be in the right place as he is doing what he can to win the competition for Sharna. The problem is that dance is Sharna’s livelihood and craft. She takes it very seriously and wants to do the dance style justice. Bobby is basically negating this by adding in his own dance steps. I think that Sharna does not want to win the competition that way. I truly believe that she would rather lose and that the MBT would not mean as much. For some, it is just about winning and that is not how Sharna sees her craft. In a way, it was very disrespectful towards Sharna. It is sad that he does not understand this. He will probably stay in because of his voting base but that is not the right way to go about it.

Overall thoughts: It’s going to be a race to the finish. Going by just dance ability ~ DeMarcus, Tinashe, Alexis, Milo, and Juan Pablo should be the group that fights it out. Unfortunately, since some believe that this should be a popularity contest, it probably won’t be that way. Add in the fans that vote for a pro instead on the dance ability of the celebrity contestant, we will probably have a clusterfuck. Yeah, I wrote that. There will be a surprise elimination and I believe that it will be either Tinahse or Alexis. They are both vibrant, strong, beautiful, young women with rocking bodies and they are not afraid to show it. I see the older demographic and middle aged women not voting for them.

To my anons - I apologize for running out of time and not responding prior to Tuesday nights show. I promise that I will address these tomorrow. Some of the comments are brutal and I don't want to hastily respond to them but all in all, I agree with you guys.

#entertainment #dwts27

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dwtsfun · 7 years

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Dancing with the Stars Season 25 Week 5: I Am Doing So Bad at This Blogging Thing This Season: Rankings

So yeah. As the title says, I’m really bad at these at this moment. I’m sorry. I’m really gonna try to do my regular recap post next week. I just feel like it flows better for me. And you all won’t have to wait forever for me to get it up. Anyway, Sasha left. I mean I saw it coming. I think she did too. Gleb really did her dirty this season. His choreography was so bland and it can be directly linked to her being eliminated last night. He’s gotta get it together. I can’t keep holding on to the fact that he’s done better over seas, when he can’t do anything worth a damn over here. I’m sorry, I’m just over him. Now let’s get into the rest of my rankings. I’m ranking using a combination of what I liked best and who I think has the best shot at staying next week.

1 (TIE). Jordan and Lindsay/Lindsey and Mark- Like many others have been saying all season, I’m not sure who is going to win between these two couples. I just feel like at this point in the competition and barring any major interference from TPTB, they will be the last two couples standing. And at that point, I won’t care who wins. Both have proved themselves worthy week after week. I think they both should have gotten perfect scores for their foxtrots. Happy that Jordan got his but I was a bit bummed that Lindsey didn’t get hers. She was gorgeous during that dance. I’m glad that at least Len appreciated it the way that he should have. And kudos to Mark and Lindsay for really upping the game this season. This is like what we saw during season 22, but multiplied by 10. I’m so excited to see Lindsay and Mark duke it out week after week with their partners. It’s so good for the show.

3. Frankie and Witney- I loved this dance. Witney has really been on it this season. Her partnership with Frankie has been a pleasant surprise and something that she’s really needed for a while. I feel like she woke up and is ready to really go for it. And Frankie is the perfect student. He is willing to learn and work hard. Now, I’m not sure if this routine deserved two 10s. I could see one for sure. But I just feel like I saw a couple of tiny tiny bobbles from him (not the Witney one) and the judges had to have seen it too. Regardless, it was still a very good dance and one of the better Argentine tangos that we’ve seen in recent seasons on this show. I think that being put in jeopardy is really going to do wonders for their support.

4. Drew and Emma- I loved loved loved this dance. Although I don’t really associate The Muppets with Disney, I still enjoyed it. The costumes were amazing. Emma’s dress was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen on this show. And her choreography continues to be amazing. She hit her stride with Rashad last season and she’s just improving upon her skills. Now that I’ve appreciated Emma, let’s get into Drew and how well he’s doing. The fact that he has his limbs mostly under control and isn’t trying to dance down to his partner’s size makes his dances look so good. Those long limbs are really coming in handy. His lines are really nice to look at and he has such a good frame that it makes their ballroom dances in particular, so pretty to look at. I just loved this dance.

5 (TIE). Terrell and Cheryl/Nikki and Artem- So these two couples are putting a real wrench into TPTB’s plans. I don’t think they expected for Terrell to be as good as he is. And I think they were hoping that he and Cheryl were gonna butt heads a lot and not really be able to get much of anything done. It’s offensive how much they underestimated Cheryl. She knows exactly what to do with most any type of partner, when she’s “on”. Like with Drew, Terrell really has a lot of control over his long limbs and he’s not dancing down to Cheryl’s size. And again, it makes his dances so nice to watch. This new Terrell is really someone that I don’t think any of us were really expecting. As for Nikki, I don’t think they thought she would have as much support as she has. Heck, I didn’t think so either. But it seems like the general public is really connecting to her. And now that Nikki and Artem have found their groove and really had their breakthrough, it doesn’t seem like they’re gonna let up any time soon.

7. Victoria and Val- This couple really keeps fading into the woodwork for me. And it really shouldn’t be the case. Val should have stayed with a Charleston. I think it would’ve done more in the end to set them apart from everyone else. But this jazz routine was very lukewarm. And Victoria had a bunch of mistakes. She started early and they actually weren’t always in sync. It was just very meh. That’s how I’ve felt about most of her dances. I also want the judges to finally get real with her and critique her technique. That could be part of the reason why I don’t care all that much. They’re not doing anything to help them get better. So it just feels like she’s plateaued. As far as her support goes, I’m actually not sure how well she’s doing. I think she’s getting votes. I don’t think it’s nearly as much as TPTB might have expected that she would be pulling in. And that’s largely their fault.

8. Nick and Peta- I really really really wish I could put these two at the bottom of this ranking list. I’m so mad that I can’t. I just feel like Nick will have enough people voting for him, for God knows what reason, to have him cover the spread between him and his wife. It’s so irritating because HE DOES NOT WANT TO BE THERE! I can deal with you sucking as a dancer and outlasting people, if you’re having fun, you want to be there and you’re grateful for the experience. None of those describe Nick. So I want him gone. But unless next week is a double and they just drop the whole failed married couple shtick, I’m probably going to have to suffer through one of his dances, yet again. And I am so over it.

9. Vanessa and Maks- I feel so bad for Vanessa. I think she came in with such a great attitude and high hopes for this experience. She really seemed open to embrace all of it and was all in just a few weeks ago. But after whatever happened between her and Maks, it is very clear that she’s not enjoying it as much. Their partnership is very awkward now. The tension is super thick. You can clearly see just how uncomfortable she is with him. And it’s bleeding into their dances. She has the potential to be great, but not with Maks. He’s become a liability to all of his partners and at this point, I don’t want him back on the show ever again. He’s just not there for them. And it sucks because I wanted to see Amber and Vanessa go further than they did. I was also hoping to see better dances from Heather (even though I knew she was going to be an early out). It’s just sad to see how his apathy toward the show and his partners if they are not ringers and guaranteed wins. I’m so mad at him for this.

So yeah, that’s it. Let me know what you all thought of the show and I will talk to you all soon.

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dwtsfun · 7 years

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Dancing with the Stars Season 24 Week 9: Yep. That Happened

*slow claps* Let’s give it up for this show completely and totally stooping to a new low. Wow. You really needed Simone gone so much that you went through all of that last week to get her down and then backpedaled this week and then had those same judges that were extremely critical of her last week, feign shock and pull out these looks of horror that she actually was eliminated this week. Wow. I’m impressed by how low this was. I didn’t think they could get any lower. But they prove it to me time and time again that they can. Those producers knew what they were doing. That EP was in Tom’s ear and told him to ask Simone why she didn’t look happy. Oh they knew what they were doing. And you can’t tell me that the judges lack so much self awareness that they don’t understand the damage that their comments can do. You can’t tell me that all four of them are that stupid. CAI? Maybe. But the other three? Julianne was a former pro. She knows this game and has been on the other end many times. Her brother and friend were on the other end. You can’t tell me that she doesn’t understand the weight that their comments hold. You cannot get me to believe that this was shocking to them. You just can’t. They wanted a reaction out of Simone last week. They wanted one that would finish her off. That’s why the producer asked that question after the first dance. It wasn’t enough to hear CAI complain about her being too on beat and too perfect and not smiling enough while just saying previously that she was smiling too much. You had to tell your host that she didn’t look happy (meaning ask about it) and ask her why she wasn’t after those “compliments”. And they got the soundbite that they wanted. They got it. Remember when I told you all that racism would play a role in why both Normani and Simone couldn’t make the finals? Well, there it is. That was a nice and healthy dose of misogynoir for ya right there. And it was led by TPTB and the judges. Also remember when I said that Mandy Moore’s stupid comment about emotion was gonna haunt them? Welp, there you go. If you’re wondering how and why Simone got eliminated, there it is. In fact, I’ll bold those few sentences for you all. Now let’s get into the rest of this even though I really don’t want to.

Judges’ Challenge (I really don’t understand why this was a thing)

Normani and Val- Viennese Waltz (Score=36)- So this dance was a perfect example of what not learning the basics can do to you in the later stages of the competition. I think that most of these issues that Normani had could have been sorted out 6 weeks ago, had her pro given her way more content in her ballroom dances and made sure that they did more than two bars in hold for each dance. She was not comfortable at all dancing with Val. Something that Simone, Rashad and David had no difficulty with. All I could do was shake my head. The judges did her a disservice all season long by not properly critiquing them. This Viennese waltz could have been great. But there were a lot of issues with it. That prevented it. I’m surprised they actually scored her the way they should have been all season versus throwing 10s at her for 4 weeks straight.

David and Lindsay- Foxtrot (Score=34)- This was a really good dance. I was surprised at how much David improved from just last week. Up until this point, I thought it was his best dance. Julianne had the right idea by making him focus so much on getting his butt under. Yes, he had some technical issues and his butt still needs to be tucked in a little bit (even though he can’t help that he has a big butt). But it was fun, a major improvement and he did some pretty neat moves.

Simone and Sasha- Jive (Score=40)- I don’t really think Simone did all that much different in terms of emotion or whatever the heck CAI was working on her with. I mean it’s a jive. What kind of depth can you show? Now I will say that maybe Sasha’s choreography was a little better this week, but I don’t think Simone’s performance quality changed all that much. She let loose a little bit more but I think that probably had more to do with her trying to prove herself and being a bit upset than CAI coming in and working with her. Anyway, I thought the dance was great. Simone did a great job and hit everything perfectly. She deserved that perfect score (even though she should have gotten one long before week 9).

Rashad and Emma- Rumba (Score=38)- I am really mad that they cannot seem to get a perfect score. This was perfect. The fact that Len keeps harping on feet problems that aren’t even really a big deal at this point makes me mad. I looked at his feet. They were no worse than other men that he’s given 10s. And I don’t understand why CAI gave him a 9 either. Makes no sense to me. But whatever.

Round Two

Normani and Val- Lindy Hop…I mean Jazz (Score=40)- So many of us predicted that this was gonna be a 40 once we learned that she got it. Regardless of what she did, it was gonna be a 40. And it was a good dance. But I mean that wasn’t a jazz. It was a Lindy hop. See what we mean when we say that jazz is just another way to do a freestyle well before the freestyle round and get a good score. You see why that’s a problem? Especially in a semi-final when everyone else has difficult Latin and ballroom dances with rules that are enforced. With jazz, you can do whatever you want and get a good score just for showing up and looking alert. And look. She’s the only person to get a salsa (very relaxed rules), Argentine tango (lifts are allowed and is typically is a high scoring dance), contemporary and jazz. No one else had that luxury this season.

David and Lindsay- Tango (Score=36)- This was David’s best dance ever. I am not sure where this came from, but he came alive and showed everyone that still had doubts, that he deserved his place in the semis. He had so much attack but he was also very controlled. His posture and frame were great. His technique was good. His butt was under. Everything came together perfectly for this dance. I wish they had been rewarded with at least one 10. Oh and CAI conveniently pulls out the lift police this week even though they were suspiciously silent during Normani’s jive last week.

Simone and Sasha- Rumba (Score=40)- I loved this dance. At first I was a little bit scared because I was thinking Sasha had put too many contemporary-esque moves in and not enough rumba basic steps. But as the dance went on, they really went into the rumba and I enjoyed it. I thought the hip action was there, the connection was great, the performance was great and the technique was, as always, flawless. I’m glad Simone got to go out on a good note. Last week was treacherous and I know this won’t really make up for it. But, at least she didn’t get the same treatment that Bonner did (which I’m still disgusted by). Sad that I have to even worry about stars getting treated like garbage on their way out now.

Rashad and Emma- Quickstep (Score=39)- I want to fight Len. I don’t care if he’s 70. He’s pissed me off all season. I didn’t get a chance to see the critiques for this dance because I had to go take a movie back for my mom and Quantico was on when I got back. I didn’t wanna stop that to finish the show, because I mean Quantico is better. So my question why did he withhold the 10 this time? What was the issue? Was it the fact that they broke hold in the middle of the dance? Because at this point, with the amount of crap they have let one couple slide with this season, that didn’t bother me. Was it his feet again? Something tells me that it was. And I’m so irritated. Whatever. It was one of my favorites of the night.

So that’s it. We all know Simone and Sasha were eliminated. And I’m still mad over that. And I’m even more mad at the judges acting like it’s our fault. Nope. Not at all. This falls all on your shoulders. And I hope they have issues sleeping because of it. I hope they’re haunted by it. I don’t care if that sounds mean. They shouldn’t have ripped a 20 year old apart for stupid things. But the show will look back on this moment in about a year and a half. They’ll realize that this is where they finally shot themselves in the foot. I don’t know how the come back from this season. They’re already having issues casting celebs. And when you have 6 celebs talk about bad experiences on the show, including Simone Biles, I don’t see how that invites people to come on. In fact, all it does is scare people off. So yeah, when you start seeing celebs like one of the guys from LMNT, and one of the stars from Naturally Sadie, remember this season and what happened. That will explain why no one of importance wants to come on.

#dancing with the stars #DWTS #simone biles #Rashad Jennings #Normani Kordei #david ross #lindsay arnold #val chmerkovskiy #emma slater #sasha farber #Viennese Waltz #foxtrot #jive #Rumba #jazz #tango #quickstep #Season 24

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