#I’ve played against team past 1 (one) time and I’m at Ruler +2??

[cactuscely]

I’m on team Future; no we’re not winning

[what-breaks-my-heart]

Here are some brief thoughts on kdrama that started airing in 2020 that I've watched. I said brief, but those who have been following me would appreciate that this is indeed, brief.

The list is in alphabetical order.

1. 365: Repeat the Year (MBC)

Disclosure: I am a HUGE Lee Joon Hyuk stan. He is second only to Hyun Bin on my list. The fact that this drama is on the top of this list is a happy coincidence 🥰🥰

I was soooooooo excited when I knew Lee Joon Hyuk was to star in a new drama. MBC made the announcement of the drama late last year, and I was literally walking to the office when I saw the announcement on ig.

The premise of the drama was pretty straightforward. 10 people were given the chance to travel back in time exactly one year prior. Mysterious things kept happening to the people who took the trip, so our Detective Ji “Fluffy-Hair” Hyung Joo and webtoon writer Shin “Self-Hater” Ga Hyun joined hands to figure out what exactly happened.

Once they finally figured out what caused the mysterious cases, they faced a great dilemma on what to do, with our Fluffy Hair detective running as a fugitive.

The ending was really sad, and I really wished it ended differently, but the main character of the story was our Fluffy Hair detective, and him having to live on and reset the whole thing from the new past was a nice touch to the ending.

This drama was full of surprises, twist and turn, and it is certainly a drama I would consider rewatching in the future.

2. Do You Like Brahms? (SBS)

Many people criticised the second half of this drama. Apparently the year 2020 is the year when kdramaland keeps being a disappointment, and many people are quick to include this drama in the list of disappointing drama, despite having a good beginning.

I beg to differ though. To me this drama feels more of a healing drama, wherein the characters are forced to deal with their issues. And anyone who has had to go through any form of therapy knows how hard healing process is.

TL;DR: The main leads are both people who have been mentally abused by the people around them, except for Cha Young In, because she was the only reason I did not throw my remote control at my 50-inch TV.

Park Joon Young is your classic example of a ‘gifted kid’ struggle. He was seen as a young, talented pianist who had a bright future ahead of him. But people started to treat him more like a trophy than a human being, so he decided to take a sabbatical, much to the criticism of people in the music industry. Park Joon Young realised that his passion in playing the piano has faded away, no thanks to his abusive piano professor who belittled him again and again, and practically brainwashed him into being a people pleaser. You could see how Park Joon Young was not himself in the beginning of the drama once you finish the drama.

Chae Song Ah took interest in violin at a later age (much later than professional musicians) and decided to pursue her dream by enrolling into a music programme. Her classmates were all younger than her, and it didn’t help that they all learnt music since much younger. I love how Song Ah did not give up on her dream easily and gave it her all, before she finally decided to let go of her dream to become a musician. The metaphor of her love for violin and Joon Young hurting her again and again and she just endured it though.. I cried like a mess well I am a mess but that’s a separate issue

Special shout out to Cha Young In who was there for both of them.

3. Flower of Evil (tvN)

If thriller is your thing, consider this drama. If you are one of those people who like to see your characters being tortured (physically and mentally), this drama is a MUST WATCH. And if you enjoy watching Lee Joon Ki playing a character who is put at a great distress because he is trying to run from his past, go watch this drama.

More importantly, if you enjoy a drama where your ML is sexy, attends to house chores and takes care of his bright young daughter while his wife goes crazy for solving violent crimes, a devoted husband who is attentive and a tender person but also a freak in the sheets, you are wasting every single of your breath not watching this drama.

I mean look at this man teasing his wife about his stamina.

Flower of Evil did not feel draggy at all. Everything that happened within the first 6 episodes could have been an entire drama if this was written by someone else. Seriously, this drama kept me at the edge of my couch!

The dynamic of HS and JW screams POWER COUPLE but at the same time it broke my heart how they were pushed into corners too many times by the people around them I do hope they had some sexy times while they were in the corners though

The focus on their wedding rings throughout the drama symbolised their unbreakable bond. The wedding rings were literally the very last thing that kept them together when JW stumbled upon evidences that pointed against HS.

JW, whose compass was only trusting what she saw, and not what she heard, tried to break the stigma of women being at a disadvantage in the police force. Heck, she was better than her entire team when it came to solving cases, her being the only woman in the team. Who said women cannot make good cops?

The plot twist though.. And the climax.. To this day, I still listen to this soundtrack from the drama and cry just thinking of the climax.

4. Into the Ring (also known as Memorials) (KBS2)

I didn’t even plan on watching this drama. I was channel surfing and saw Park Sung Hoon looking all depressed in the first episode and ran into Koo Se Ra. Girl was UNHINGED and determined to fight for her way.

Her motivation was initially on getting a stable pay check from being a district representative (it was only 60 million won which is like USD55k so it’s not that much) but she eventually became the district representative who fought for the benefit of the people and did not care for the political warfare that took place.

Came along Seo Gong Myung, a government officer in the local government office who was demoted from planning unit of the accounting department or something to be a secretariat to the district assembly. Seo Gong Myung sticks to his principle no matter what, which surprise surprise, is HATED by everyone in the district government.

Turns out our main leads were friends when they were kids so Se Ra kept teasing him and dragging him into her scheme of fighting for the people, which Gong Myung agreed to, not so much because he was a community-loving person, but because he was afraid Se Ra would get into trouble since she was as straight as a ruler.

Long story short, our leads fell for each other, and their relationship was HILAIROUS to watch. I think I speak for everyone who watched the drama that we had no reason to believe Se Ra did not peg Gong Myung for fun 😝😝

They were so cute together awwww

5. Kairos (MBC)

This is another drama that I stumbled into. Only this time, I saw Nam Gyu Ri and I remember seeing her ig post on a new drama so I decided to give it a go. She wrecked my heart in 49 Days so I decided to check this out for funsies. Hooo boy was I in for a major surprise.

The first two episodes got me hooketh!! I still cannot believe how the drama managed to keep me on my edge especially during the last 5 minutes of every episode. The pacing is even faster than Flower of Evil, and since this drama went back and forth between past and future, it keeps me guessing whether their efforts would bear fruit.

Will Kim “Sexy Brain” Seo Jin  and Han “I-Know-No-Fear” Ae Ri succeed in fighting the evil, who at this point in time remains unknown? I know Chairman Yoo Seo Il is currently being hinted as the culprit behind everything but I know better that he is just a puppet who sold his soul to the real devil who most likely is in the higher ranks in politics. I mean he even hinted at his remorse for what happened with Taejung Town 19 years prior. My suspicion is he is trying to cover up whatever happened because otherwise his own family would be at risk, so his only option is to redeem himself by doing something about the Taejung Town. I could be wrong, but regardless of who turns out to be the real villain in the story, I can say I am so satisfied by how the story has progressed so far.

The time paradox still hurts my brain, but I am choosing that this drama does not assume that time is linear.

There is still not enough people watching this drama and I’m begging you all to go and catch up before it ends in two weeks time.

6. More than Friends (JTBC)

A little trivia: I reblog most of the posts from @kdramastuff even if I am not watching the show at the point of reblogging the posts. I had been following her posts on this drama for 3 weeks, and I finally decided to marathon all 6 episodes and joined the watching party.

More than Friends was another drama that many people called a disappointment but I had a different opinion on it. Yes, I used to be the nerd who had different opinions on many things in high school sue me

The drama is premised on Kyung Woo Yeon who is said to have a crush on her high school friend, Lee Soo for 10 years. Lee Soo is nowhere near to be the perfect boyfriend material. He is selfish, does not care about other people’s feelings, and was always a lone ranger.

BUUUUUUT, Lee Soo seemed to show signs of care and affection (even though it was not at all for a normal person’s standard) for Woo Yeon. Surprisingly, he seemed to only do it for Woo Yeon and gave attention to Woo Yeon alone, even though he could practically pick and choose anyone he liked from the swarm of girls who were chasing him.

One day, he told Woo Yeon that he had to leave to the US to study, which made our girl sad. She decided to confess at the airport, but he outright turned her down, saying he only wanted to be friends with her. Over the time, they kept running into each other by coincidence (note: her name Woo Yeon is a wordplay on coincidence in Korean). Later, it was revealed that he wanted her to always be by his side, but he has built a wall as tall as the Great Wall of China before the idea of love so he didn’t realise what his true feeling for Woo Yeon was all along.

Woo Yeon, who felt sick of the ten-year crush, decided to end the “curse” and kissed him by the beach, thinking of getting a closure on her crush.

Long story short, Lee Soo finally realised his feeling for her and decided to confess, but by that time, a young, handsome, rich CEO of a conglomerate has entered into the picture. Cue the game of cat and mouse between Lee Soo and Woo Yeon about resentment, regret and relationship.

This drama was promoted as a romcom, but it feels more like a slice-of-life drama with a mix of melo and romcom in there. Seriously, I cried buckets watching this drama, not something you’d expect from a romcom. The dialogues were well-written, with each episode revolving around a specific theme. This was such a good drama coming from a rookie writer.

This drama did not have that many viewers to begin with, and many of those few people dropped it along the way, including the one who was responsible in getting me hooked into this drama :p  By the end of it, there were so few people talking about this drama in the tag (shout out to @dohyunsoo @have-yet-to-decide @starfire-s @thbn-anything​ for keeping me company to the very end of this drama)

This drama broke my record of screenshots per episode and total screenshots for any show. Until now, I have yet to finish posting them. I should probably upload more screenshots later tonight.

This drama had some AMAZING shots in the first half, with beautiful sceneries mostly in Seoul. It’s like what they said, “a daily occurrence for you, a trip for me”.

7. Oh My Baby (tvN)

I did not even remember watching this drama!! It was only after scrolling through my gallery that I saw I had shared some posts on my ig story about the drama.

It was in the middle of a lockdown when this drama aired and many of my memories from back then feel so distant to me.

The plot was not THAT good, but this drama is something you may consider if you like torturing yourself about the struggle of wanting to have a baby.

8. Once Again (KBS2)

Arguably one of the weekend family drama KBS2 in a while that kept me waiting for new episodes in front of my TV. Some people are turned off by weekend family drama because they tend to have slow pacing which makes viewers feel like they are being dragged to one of those boring corporate events that you would rather miss and wish you could be literally anywhere else.

Because this drama had more pairing than the typical weekend family drama, the story did take some time before it was on full momentum. It did feel like the drama could have been better with even one less sibling to worry about, but it was a fun watch in the middle of lockdown.

Will I watch it again? I’d rather rewatch House of Bluebird (starring Lee Joon Hyuk and Lee Sang Yeob as friends to enemies to friends again) because that drama spoke to me in a way that was more relatable. No hate to Once Again though. I just prefer House of Bluebird better.

Note: Justice for Song Ga Hee and her lovely son, Kim Ji Hoon. He had to grow up so much because of what happened to his mother, that it broke Ga Hee’s heart. And mine of course

9. Secret Forest 2 (tvN)

I watched Secret Forest once it has finished and I fell in love with the drama! Imagine my excitement when they announced Secret Forest 2 with my three main characters reprising their roles. No hate to Yoon Se Ah, I love her, but her screen time in Secret Forest was not enough to make me excited about her return. But I was pleased with her role in Secret Forest 2 and I hope if there is a third season, her character gets the redemption arc that she yearns for.

Secret Forest 2 was not as intense as the brilliant original, but I understood that it had to do with the overall theme of the season, and the theme required the script to be as such. Some people may argue me on this, but I still think what they pulled off was brilliant.

Too bad there was a severe lack of Lee Joon Hyuk on my screen though.

10. Tale of the Nine-Tailed (tvN)

Well. This drama went far beyond my expectation. The OTP was to die for. No such thing as miscommunication trope. This drama did not waste time on unnecessary drama. The pacing was incredibly fast, even faster than Kairos. Although to be fair, Kairos had to play with two different timelines and required time to establish the setting.

I’m sad about what happened to Lee Rang, but he did what he did, and he would never be able to erase that much pain from his memory even if the deities decided to be lenient on him because of his roles in killing off Imoogi. A fresh start as a human seemed like a fair reset to his life, and I hope he lives well, surrounded by people who love him.

I was never a fan of Jo Bo Ah (no hate on her, I was just indifferent) but this drama opened my eyes to what an incredible actress she is. I wish her a successful career ahead.

[laora-inn]

Supernatural - Destiel and Crowley, seasons 6-12

Hi, guys. 

I’ve re-watched some episodes from Supernatural season 6 and that made me think about Destiel and Crowley - from season 6 to season 12 strictly.  

I love Crowley and think he is one of the main characters which helped Destiel to become closest to canon, though in a hard way. 

Destiel positive, one-sided Crowley/Cas, Crowley/Dean and Balthazar/Cas in subtext mentioned, don’t like - don’t read.

In the season 6, Cas’s working with Crowley was the reason of Dean and Cas’s fight, that literally almost ruined the world. From that point, Cas and Crowley have their own dynamics which Dean is far well acquainted with, though for us viewers it could be not so easy to follow.

Basically, Crowley stayed in the plot in season 6 just for these dynamics and Dean’s further frustration = jealousy. ‘Cause, if we’ll take a look at season 6, all the thing about Cas’s dealing with Crowley wasn’t so bad. Cas really had good purposes, Dean really could talk to him in a supportive way, and I strongly believe that in this case there will be NO Leviathans at all. As well as Cas’s “death”, they were a metaphorical result of Dean’s jealousy and bitter words, which also almost cost Sam his life.

Season 6 is a very interesting piece. For the first time, it’s not Sam who is the main character of the show. It’s more Dean’s story, and Cas is also “Dean’s“. He came mostly when Dean calls, they share “more profound“ bond.

Cas raises Sam from perdition, as he raised Dean, heals Sam, as he healed Dean, answers Sam’s prayers, when Dean doesn’t want to pray first, and is referred to as Sam’s “boyfriend” in 6x11 by Balthazar. But all these prompts to make Sam and Dean’s relationships with Cas equal fail.

Cas saves Sam from Hell FOR DEAN (and yet he can’t save THE WHOLE Sam, it’s Dean who manages to bring Sam’s soul back + Sam restores his memory himself, in time), heals Sam when Dean tells him to do it and THE OTHER WAY, just by touching his forehead, not by cupping his face intimately, as it was with Dean in 5x22. In 6x03 soulless Sam mentions that Cas doesn’t answer his prayers, then Dean prays to Cas, and Cas comes immediately, with the line about his and Dean’s more profound bond on his lips. In 6x10 soulless Sam tricks Cas with his prayer and even threats to kill him if Cas won’t help. In 6x12 Sam, not soulless anymore, tricks Cas with his prayer to know about his past and doesn’t want to hug him.

It’s all outlined. Why?

As for Balthazar’s referring in 6x11: he, of course, could have spoken about both Sam and Dean back there. “You” in “go ask your boyfriend” can be plural, but I rather suppose Balthazar meant Cas as Sam’s boyfriend specifically, and that’s as right as the fact that his words in 6x17, about “the other angel in a dirty trench coat who’s in love with you”, were specifically about Dean. And I’m sure, that in 6x17 Balthazar understands Cas’s intentions better - it’s the same episode where he saves Titanic because Cas told so. I suggest Cas and Balthazar’s reunion took place right before 6x15, ‘cause by the end of 6x15 we know that they are a new-formed team and all this episode has one purpose - to help Cas get the Heaven weapon from Balthazar. Misha’s cameo from 6x15 even tells some things about Balthazar while acting Cas - that Balthazar isn’t a hero and couldn’t beat Rafael, who isn’t definitely going to forgive him.

So, Balthazar’s words about Cas who is in love with Dean are more significant than his assumption about Cas as Sam’s boyfriend. We have enough evidences for the fact that Cas in this season is “Dean’s”, though he cares about Sam a lot.

First of all - ‘cause Sam is crucial for Dean.

No wonder that in 6x22 Cas knocks Sam down to crush Dean. He knows how it works.

So in this season Sam is a victim of Dean and Cas’s love quarrel, someone who is fostered by both of them. And this is the part of a plot structure, as well as Cas and Crowley’s and Cas and Balthazar’s little moments, which are not crucial for the whole Winchesters’ story, but are absolutely necessary to understand Cas in this season and his and Dean’s “hidden” plot.

‘Cause this “hidden” plot is the thing on which the main plot is grounded.

Balthazar and Cas had relationship before Dean was even born. Crowley and Cas had their relationship after Dean decided to have a peaceful life with Lisa and Ben, and this relationship matters from season 6 till the end of season 12. I think it’s basically the reason why Crowley helps Winchesters so much.

You see, for starters, Sam and Dean were just no one to Crowley. They were humans, not even his equals. But Cas - he was higher. As Dean in 5x22, in 6x20 Crowley sees a new “God” in Cas, the Heaven ruler. And he isn’t telling the whole truth about it for sure, but also he isn’t lying. I think in some way he respects Cas, even admires. And it’s not subtle in the plot logic, it’s the part of it.

Let’s check.

Season 6 - Cas and Crowley are working together all the way, Crowley doesn’t want Winchesters to intervene, he tries to kill them and is threatened by Cas. He said that Cas doesn’t know what he is. He is tricked by Cas twice, double-crossed, but not killed - opposite to Raphael. God!Cas needs Crowley.

Season 7 - In 7x01 God!Cas finds Crowley, but, again, doesn’t kill him. He makes authoritarian demands, which have weird subtext (“you take whatever I give you”) and really scare Crowley. He help the Winchesters to enslave Death, but has never did or even said something against God!Cas. In 7x23 Crowley reveals Cas is alive, but, unlike the angels, he isn’t mad. He wants explanations, receives some honey from Cas instead and says in philosophical manner: “karma is a bitch”. Later, he doesn’t try to kill Cas and even leaves Meg with the boys not to disappoint his “business partner”.  

Season 8 - Crowley is a Big Bad this season. Also, this season is the first time than Destiel becomes a real thing textually, for both Dean and Cas. And Crowley is a BIG BAD in the middle of that finally hopeful love story. Coincidence? Hell no! Also, the first question that Crowley asks when he sees Dean alive is “Where is your angel?”. 

In 8x02 Dean tries to kill Crowley who is possessing Kevin’s mum. Why? The same reason Kevin has: Crowley made him fight for his life for year and killed his girlfriend. That’s also relevant for Dean: Crowley is one of the main reasons why Dean must fight for his life for year in Purgatory and lost Cas there.

In 8x07 during their encounter Crowley doesn’t try to attack Cas. He also says, that Cas could call him when he was out the Purgatory. But Cas doesn’t want to make things right with Crowley, he tries to kill him and manages to have Kevin and the half of the demons’ tablet back. Without Cas it will be impossible: the text shows us that Cas doesn’t like Crowley. Not even a little, not anymore.  

In 8x17 Crowley understands that Cas tricked Naomi and is kinda fond of that. Also, he kills Meg here, whom he was torturing for a year and who definitely was Cas’s crash in 7x21-7x23. We also saw that Crowley knew about it - and about the fact that in 8x17 all Meg did was helping Cas and protecting him from Crowley, even if this would cost her her life.

Strange, but this will be also Crowley’s future.  

In 8x21 Crowley rescues Cas from Naomi. He also gets the angels’ tablet FROM THE CAS’S BODY, but lets Cas escape by leaving another angel with him and angel-killing bullet IN HIM.

Season 9 - in 9x10 Crowley is flirting with Cas as much as possible. Just re-watch it and pay attention to all of these “What are you, a pimp?”, “Oh, Cas, such a flirt”, “Hey. Watch the leg”, “I'll be listening to every word you say. - Promise?”, “Without the tie, he's barely recognizable” and “The three amigos ride again”. For some reason, it was more urgent for Crowley to talk about Cas’s being a human first and about Hell later. There was also deleted scene in 9x10, where Cas and Crowley waited for Dean in the motel. They were sitting on the same bed, Crowley called Cas “sunshine” and tried to talk with him about being human, then Dean showed up, and he was very concerned about how they are doing. Destiel shippers consider this scene as an approving one, and I’m totally agree, ‘cause it shows us that Dean is still jealous when it comes to Cas’s relationship with Crowley, and he actually HAS A POINT HERE - if we’ll look at Crowley. ‘Cause Crowley wasn’t interested in Dean back then, he was interested in Cas, who, in his own turn, was absolutely uninterested. He was against releasing Crowley from the start.  

It’s 9x11 where Dean and Crowley begin to develop their own relationship, and I suppose it’s grounded on the mirroring each other. Back in season 8, it’s no wonder why Crowley wanted “to play Dean” for Kevin. He felt something common with Dean, and part of this “common” was Cas.

In 9x11 Crowley says that he tried to hate Dean more than Dean himself but failed. Here he puts Dean in danger by leading him to Cain, who gives Dean his Mark. After that Dean’s way down begins. But this is also true for Crowley! He becomes human blood junkie and in 9x16 needs help. Also, he helps Dean in the end of the season, brings him back - something that Cas and Sam couldn’t do.

Season 10 - here in 10x02 Crowley and Dean’s (b)romance ends, and Crowley helps Dean to return to his normal life... by saving Cas with stealing angel’s grace for him in 10x03. I simply don’t understand WHY Crowley helped Cas here if we’ll ignore their relationship and Destiel. Crowley didn’t know Sam can’t help Dean himself and needs help for surviving. And how the hell did Crowley know that Cas can save Dean, that it will work? Why was he so sure? His words “you owe me” to Cas mean nothing, he’ll never remember them. They sound just like an excuse!

I think here Crowley: 1) wants to save Cas because of their relationship; 2) knows that Cas could “fix the problem” with Dean because of Dean and Cas’s relationship; 3) has sentimental feelings for Dean despite of their break-up one episode earlier.

Crowley couldn’t control Dean. But he thinks Cas can. And he is no wrong!

In this episode Cas says to healed Dean that Crowley stole some grace for him and this is the story for the other time ‘cause he has a female waiting for him in his car. Dean is very unhappy to hear that, and not because of “female” alone, but also because of Crowley. Crowley and some woman are the reason of Cas’s leaving again. As usual.

In 10x14 there was also one deleted scene with Cas and Crowley, where Crowley called Dean Cas’s boyfriend. Cas reacted with: “Maybe, he is your boyfriend?” and Crowley responded: “He is not my type”.

True - ‘cause here Dean gives the First Blade to Cas, not Crowley, and says that he tricked Crowley about Cain’s going to kill him. But they don’t kill Crowley. It’s just Crowley being rejected by both of them.

Still, in 10x23, after Destiel fight, Cas summons Crowley and asks him for help. And Crowley helps! His only demand to Cas is TO BEG for help. To say “King” and “please”. Well, kinky.

Also, Crowley proposes Cas to call him. Not to summon. And by the end of this episode Cas is cursed by Rowena and almost manages to kill Crowley.

Season 11 - it begins with Cas’s acknowledging that he didn’t kill Crowley (and that’s good, Crowley was a big help to save Dean from the Mark). Also, Crowley here has an orgy in some woman’s body. It was more urgent to him than anything else. Hmm.  

Some episodes later Crowley tries to be a foster parent for Amara. He is ready to kill Dean to protect her and fails. Amara becomes free, she wants to see God, the Winchesters want to stop her and call Crowley to see Lucifer. He guides them to Hell, where Cas becomes possessed by Lucifer. After saying good-bye to Sam and Dean Lucifer in Cas’s body returns to Hell, and Crowley isn’t hostile to him. He’s just surprised. 

Then comes a long BDSM story for Lucifer in Cas’s body and Crowley, and Lucifer do all the things God!Cas might do to Crowley but didn’t. When Crowley is free, he is desperate to expel Lucifer from Cas and return him to the Cage. That’s his plan, not Sam’s or Dean’s. Dean wants to expel Lucifer from Cas and give him a new vessel to fight Amara. Sam even didn’t see a point here - Cas and Cas’s vessel are two different things for him. 

Dean fails to expel Lucifer. So does Crowley - he tries in his own way, by possessing Cas’s vessel, like it was with Sam in 9x10. He says to Cas that Dean wants him to expel Lucifer, but Cas is depressed, so it doesn’t work. Also, Sam didn’t know, that he was possessed, and saw the point in fighting back, but Cas doesn’t see. So both Dean and Crowley fail. 

Season 12 - here Cas and Crowley start to look for Lucifer together and this is a horrible piece of news to Dean. Cas left him in 12x03 to work with Crowley again! Cas and Crowley are playing FBI agents together - it was Dean’s only role-play with Cas from 5x03! 

Cas isn’t happy either, but Crowley is. And that’s just amazing, ‘cause without Crowley Cas could be dead in 12x07. Lucifer just saw Crowley and wanted to punch him instead of Cas. No wonder that Dean thanked Crowley for helping Cas here. In 12x08 Crowley helps with Lucifer again. In 12x09 he is uninterested in looking for the Winchester boys, though in 12x12 he helps again - and not just with Ramiel. He rescues Cas from dying. Dean thanks him for that for the second time in 12x15.

In 12x21 Crowley knows about Cas’s bailing off with Kelly. He tells Lucifer about it and calls Cas “Winchesters’ love slave”. He thinks that Cas wants to kill Kelly’s baby. Then Lucifer gets free, and Crowley sacrifices himself to stop him. To save the world, the Winchesters... and Cas - for the third time. 

So Cas was important for Crowley from season 6. He is one of the main reasons Crowley acknowledged Winchesters at all, saw something in them. 

And Crowley, in his own turn, is one of the main characters to expose nature of Destiel. He was always somewhere in the middle of their relationship, mostly as Dean’s mirror. 

Well, from season 13 the nature of Destiel changed. 

[peterstanslizzie]

Reacting To: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Season 2 Episode 9)

Episode Title: All That Glitters

Spoiler Warning: Kindly proceed if you’ve already seen the episode or are able to handle spoilers.

1. Now that the truth about Dr. Emilia being the one responsible for driving a wedge between mutes and humans is out, everyone is pretty much against her and they want to stop her from getting to Scarlemagne’s coronation. However, Kipo mostly wants to talk to Scarlemagne and probably convince him to join their side. 

2. Gerard then arrives shortly and Benson, Wolf and Dave go into hiding. He tells Kipo that she’s ordered by Scarlemagne to join him at the food court. Side note: I am loving the wink Kipo is giving us here in this picture. 

3. As Wolf, Benson and Dave are making their way back to Dr. Emilia’s headquarters, they are discussing about their plan of action, which is to hand over a perfume bottle to her instead of the nectar bomb so that they can use the bomb to blow up the tunnel’s entrance to prevent her from getting to Scarlemagne’s palace.

4. When they get back, Dr. Emilia already knew about them lying to her. She confronts them about it but they try to play it off like Kipo is very stressed out about having to fight the Mega Monkey and that’s why she ran off. I’m trying to connect the dots here; Does Dr. Emilia know that Kipo is Song and Lio’s daughter? No, right? Just checking lol. They then hand over the fake nectar bomb to her. 

5. Dr. Emilia tells Zane and Greta that they seem know of their hidden plan to kill Kipo after using her. Therefore, she has no choice but to use the sonic emitter on the Mega Monkey since Kipo isn’t around. 

6. Meanwhile, Kipo is randomly playing a board-game about strategy with Scarlemagne and they’re actually having fun with each other. However, it’s not all fun and games for Scarlemagne as he reveals that all the mute groups will be arriving tomorrow morning and he has something ready for them. I guess he’s going to use his pheromones to control them?

7. Kipo tries to convince him to not follow through with his plan but he won’t listen to her since becoming King was all her ever wanted. Also, Kipo needs to stop saying “Hugo” around him; It’s definitely his trigger word. She does have a plan though and proceeds to then break her dad out of prison. She wants Lio to help her make Scarlemagne a present but Lio isn’t so convinced that it would work. By the way, I didn’t appreciate how Lio referred to him as a “lunatic tyrant” and neither did Kipo. Lio abandoned Hugo and it was a crappy thing for him to do. Point. Blank. Period. 

8. Dr. Emilia is now ready to deploy her rescue teams, which comprise of the Alpha team, the B team and the Strike team. But before they could go, Benson tells everyone that he made pancakes. I immediately knew that this was a set-up but it’s funny how Dr. Emilia couldn’t see that. After serving them pancakes, we notice that Mandu is feeling left out of the group because he feels like he doesn’t contribute as much as the others. Poor thing. Eventually, Dave goes into the tunnel to detonate the nectar bomb. 

9. As I’ve predicted, Kipo is trying to recreate Hugo’s old blue blanket with the stars pattern on it in order to bring out the inner Hugo from inside of Scarlemagne. I love how Kipo is calling out her dad for giving up on Hugo so easily. I so agree with her; Her doing so convinces Lio to go through with her plan but as they make their way to Scarlemagne, they are spotted by the Mod Frogs.

10. Benson and the others are continuing to whip up more pancakes for the humans. But OMG BENSON! Why did you have to expose Song’s old journal like that!? *faceplams. Dr. Emilia is caught off guard by this but doesn’t do anything. Suddenly, we hear the nectar bomb explosion and Wolf tells everyone to check out that tunnel, which had caved in. Oh and Benson just had to leave the book on the table. Nice going Benson...

11. The Mod Frogs are now attacking Kipo and Lio for destroying their home but Kipo is able to handle all three of them very easily. Scarlemagne sees all of this and questions them. He also sprays his pheromones on Lio and get the truth out from him to which he confesses to Scarlemagne that he regrets giving up on him. You can tell from the look in his eyes that him saying that to him means a lot. 

12. It also looks like the Mod Frogs are going to be in a lot of trouble it seems. Back to the nectar explosion, Dave, Benson and Wolf manage to trap the humans near the site but of course, they didn’t account for Dr. Emilia.

13. Scarlemagne is playing Kipo the song he plans to have for his grand entrance but he ends up not liking it. Kipo, in turn, plays a suggestion of her own, one that is more relaxed and Scarlemagne really likes it. Lio and Song sure do raise their “kids” to be musically inclined. Eventually, the two of them play a piano duet. That’s really cool! I really hope Scarlemagne’s turns “good” by the end of the season. 

14. That’s so awesome. I love seeing them bond like that. After playing the piano, Kipo suggests to Scarlemagne that he should act like more of himself  with the other mutes in order to gain their loyalty instead of forcing them to follow him. However, Scarlemagne doesn’t think that anyone would choose to be his follower. Kipo thinks otherwise because he’s likable to her. She then passes the blanket she made for him and apologizes to him for everything that happened to him. She leaves him be in order to give him space to re-consider what he originally planned to do to the mutes. This has gotta be my favorite scene of the entire show thus far. It really warmed my heart. 

15. It’s time for Wolf, Benson and Dave vs Dr. Emilia. Let’s see how Dr. Emilia’s fighting chops are like lol. Well, she’s a pretty good fighter actually. She did knock out Benson and Dave (poor guys) and with Wolf, it’s pretty even. Well, she shouldn’t be so proud of herself since Wolf is a little girl after all lmao. In the end, she outclassed Wolf and throws all three of them into her glass cage to potentially lure Kipo in to rescue them. I guess this is Mandu’s time to shine? Where is she anyways?

16. After breaking Stalky (to Wolf’s heartbreak), Dr. Emilia is stopped by Mandu (there she is!) and we get this bada** fight scene between her and Dr. Emilia. Mandu is killing it out there! And guess what? She defeats her by stinging her leg with Stalky’s broken part. Mandu is the MVP of this episode for sure! She then rescues the others and they’re so impressed by her; As they should be. 

17. Time is running out and the coronation is about to start. Wolf is very sad about her shattered Stalky but she has to move on without it. I’m sure if they had more time, she could have gotten it fixed. 

18. So we get to the coronation and all the mute groups are gathered there. Despite doing her best to get through to Scarlemagne, it looks like he’s still focused on being a forceful and mind-controlling ruler. He addresses the crowd and tells them that they have a choice between swearing their loyalty to him or to oppose him and become encased in solid gold, like in the case of the Mod Frogs. Oh my...are they dead? I guess they are...So, the mutes have no other choice but to pledge their loyalty to him.

19. We find out that Scarlemagne only turned the Mod Frogs to gold because he doesn’t want them to bother Kipo again. I guess Scarlemagne still has a soft spot for Kipo despite all the other treacheries. Nonetheless, Kipo is upset with what happened to the frogs. Scarlemagne sees that she’s hurt and tells her that he is willing to let everyone go if she’s willing to let him gild (I had to Google that. It basically means cover something in gold) Lio. She obviously declines his offer and that’s that; Scarlemagne is then crowned emperor.

20. This was another solid episode from the season. As you can tell, my favorite scenes were the interactions we saw between Kipo and Scarlemagne. Scarlemagne is definitely fond of Kipo due to her showing her sympathy towards him but he’s still hurting from his past and it’s hard to change him. 

21. I’m planning to watch the last episode of the season on Tuesday since I will be busy on Monday. So please stay tuned for when I post my review of episode 10 (season finale) on that day. Thank you for reading my review. I really appreciate it. Till then, see ya!

[mimi1503]

Jon x Sansa : why she doesn’t and will not betray. Part 3

Why, in my opinion, the idea that Sansa betrays her brother shows the incomprehension of her character and the relationship she develops with her brother

Since the release of the HBO trailer and the first pictures of the reunion between Jon & Sansa, I read a lot of nonsense like “Sansa will betray”. Again ? It’s been 2 seasons that people are in loop on this subject, 2 seasons where it does not happen. This will certainly not happen in the end.

So, I wanted to make a post on my vision of the Sansa character in the S6 and 7, as well as her relationship with her brother (since it is him she is supposed to betray).

Part 3 : Power and difficulty.

As for season 7, things have changed. Sansa & Jon are now fully trust on each other and have no more big secrets between them. Sansa, as Lady Stark, stands beside her brother like Ser Davos.

However, new problems come into play. Sansa, after all these years of being humiliated and forced to shut up, takes a liking to her independence and power. She is finally emancipated and has a place next to the king. However, she has trouble finding her place with Jon. He still sees her as a little sister whom he has to protect and he finds difficult to accept her “advice” or “divergent opinions”.

We see this from the beginning when Lord Royce asks to shave the castles of the Omble and Karstark. Sansa, as Lady of Winterfell, allows herself to intervene and temper his words. The castles must be kept but the families of the traitors will have to move and their properties given to more loyal subjects. This moment is very important. Sansa has the right to speak. Lord Royce has proposed something, she allows herself to show her disagreement and to propose something else. It’s her right. No one in the assembly, nor even Davos, seems shocked by her speech.

Nobody except Jon. This one seems shocked that Sansa speaks, then irritated. He replies more drily than he should. He doen’t want to chase families for the fault of some. Then comes an argue that is growing in magnitude (as shown by the final silence) and should be held in private. Yes, Sansa should have been more tactful in her way of replying to her brother. But Jon should have been, from the beginning, more respectful towards her. The wrongs are shared and are initiated by the attitude of Jon. He seems to have a hard time accepting that his sister expresses her opinion. Opinion which, by the way, is not bad. Just like Jon’s.

Contrary to the nonsense I’ve heard, Sansa has never asked that the families of traitors be executed. She asked that these families not be able to continue enjoying all their privileges as if nothing had happened. These families are composed of mothers, fathers, wives, sisters, brothers, daughters and sons of fallen soldiers and lords. It is impossible to say that no one has a grievance against Jon or whether they have not supported theirs in their betrayal. What message does it give to let them continue to live quietly at home? That any man can take the risk of betraying because, at worst, he will be the only one to die and his family will be able to continue living quietly in their castle? It must be shown that treason has serious consequences for those who commit it and their families. Being too lenient, they are betrayed like Ned and Robb. However, I do not say that this is the right solution. I’m just saying that there’s a real logic in what Sansa says and that Jon’s way of refusing her opinion and being outraged by that while arguing with his sister is not right either.

We have two problems here. Sansa is at home, is a lady and sister of the king. She has the right to speak. However, she still has to learn to challenge her brother’s opinion more subtly, to compromise and to find her own way to rule without relying only on what she saw and learned in the South. For his part, Jon is the king and has his vision of things. But he must learn to accept the advice of his sister, to listen to it and to respect it. They both need to be legitimized. Jon, being a bastard and not winning the battle of Winterfell, doesn’t feel confident in this new role. He needs his sister to support him at all costs. Sansa, with her traumatic past, needs to be in power, to participate at decisions, to be loved and recognized. She needs her brother to support her and recognize her as a counselor. It’s not exactly a war of power. It’s two people who love each other, who depend too much one other, care a great deal about how they think of each other but have two different characters, opinions and desires. Therefore, as long as they can not fully accept each other for what they are, there will be problems.

This is perfectly symbolized during the second episode. Jon speaks privately with his sister and Ser Davos about Tyrion’s letter. Sansa & Davos give their opinion, Jon listens to them and leaves to think. Then, he receives another letter, makes his decision alone and announce it in front of everyone. And there, unlike the argue of the first episode where no one understands the other, this dispute allows them to understand each other and shows that they are starting to move in the right direction.

Jon knows he’s at fault by not talking to his sister first, so when he announces he’s going to meet Daenerys, he turns to her like the private conversation they should have had. It is clear that, unlike before, Jon is not irritated that Sansa gives her opinion and opposes him. On the contrary, he is sorry to announce her the new at the same time as everyone else, sorry that she doesn’t understand why he has to leave. His tone is much more warm and desperate to be understood. As for Sansa, she does not give a contrary opinion or get angry after him. On the contrary, she is also desperate to make him understand her point of view, to try to reason with him. She understands that someone has to go but does not want her brother to go. Everything she says to him is right and Jon is aware of it. In addition, this conversation is no longer about the opinions of 2 rulers but more for Jon’s safety, which shows the love of this siblings: Sansa is afraid to lose him, afraid to be left alone behind and Jon is aware of what she feels. He does not want to leave her but has no choice. Finally, by designating her as regent rather than an older and experienced lord, Jon shows his sister that he understood what she said to him, that he listens to her opinion and relies on her judgment. Sansa, though frightened by the responsibility and the idea of ​​being alone, is as grateful that her brother finally recognizes her. They each accept the other.

The conclusion of all this is that Jon & Sansa are not perfect and their relationship is not perfect either. However, it is undeniable that each has become the most important person in the eyes of the other. They love, respect and trust each other. They have grown and their relationship had changed. They learned from their mistakes and learned to listen one other.

Now, it is inconceivable that Sansa betray her brother. She has nothing left. The only thing she has left is her house and family. Except that Bran and Arya have become very strange and, even if she loves them, Sansa will never be as comfortable, fulfilling and happy with them as she is with Jon. The relationship she has built with him is the strongest. She can not deal without him. She needs to be loved and recognized. The recognition she has it as regent and Lady Stark. But love, she has it only weakly with Bran & Arya. Only Jon remains. I have no doubt that their relationship and teamwork will grow stronger and that they can really make a winning team.

Part 1 here : http://mimi0108.tumblr.com/post/179955800366/jon-x-sansa-why-she-doesnt-and-will-not-betray?is_related_post=1

Part 2 here : http://mimi0108.tumblr.com/post/179956068666/jon-x-sansa-why-she-doesnt-and-will-not-betray

[playchoices]

Inside Choices: The Royal Romance, Book 2

Just this spring, The Royal Romance: Book 1 kicked off with a dance in the palace ballroom of Cordonia. The whirlwind romance of the first book ended with a courtly plot against you. Who in the court can you trust? And how will you fight back? All will be answered in Book 2... and The Royal Romance will return at the end of September! To find out more about the upcoming book, check out the interview with The Royal Romance team below:

Soooo... how's book two of The Royal Romance going? What's next for our Cordonian crew?

Jeffrey: Well, next I'm probably going to go home, cook some vegetables, listen to a podcast, then socialize with some friends through the interwebs--

Oh, you meant the characters, not us. Well... In Book 2, we want to take the main character's journey in a more experimental direction where she really discovers who she is and what she wants. First, she was living under the expectations of her role as a waitress in New York, then she escaped into the trappings of high Cordonian society. Now's her chance to pursue her true self.

Kara: Even though we're not releasing chapters right now, we actually started Book Two right after we finished Book One! I finished writing the last few lines of the Coronation and then immediately started writing the first chapter of Book Two! We actually had to do most of the planning while we were still working on Book One. We've got a lot of fun planned--even though things can get a little dire in the Royal Romance, the fun of being at court and spending time with your friends is still there. We're going to travel the world, meet new people, build a barn, and probably talk more about hats.

It's a pretty big understatement to say Book 1 had quite the cliffhanger. Can you tell us a little bit about where this is going?

Kara: I think the most striking thing about the reactions to the end of book 1 are how people interpret what happened differently. It all happens so quickly, and we only gave people a few lines to read into, but it really isn't very much to go off of. You don't know exactly how the Prince is feeling, or why he picks who he does. From the writers' perspective, we jump right into writing Book Two, so there's not much of a wait. I wish our players didn't have to wait either, because a few weeks of being in suspense can go a long way! In Book Two, you'll be able to finally fight back and figure out who framed you and Tariq in Book One.

Jennifer: I don't want to say exactly where Book Two is going, but questions that were brought up during our brainstorming were: Who sent the blackmail note? Will Olivia come back? Who tried to sell the bachelor party photos?

I need to know. Will we get our happily-ever-after?

Jennifer: I think you can really tell by a writer's favorite novels what kind of outlook they have on endings. My favorite novel is Pride and Prejudice, so you could extrapolate how The Royal Romance will end from that. On the other hand, Kara likes Wuthering Heights, and Jeffrey really likes Hamlet, so... take from that what you will.

Hm... interesting. Now given Olivia's ancestry and other factors, Cordonia is essentially the modern day version of Stormholt from The Crown & The Flame, which had quite a bit of worldbuilding. What does worldbuilding look like for The Royal Romance?

Jeffrey: Worldbuilding is a delicate and intricate process. First, I like to devise an economic system because economics answers a few questions on how we organize ourselves. For The Royal Romance, we developed an export market for the Cordonian apple sector by defining the exchange rate between the Cordonian currency versus the Euro. We have spreadsheets, graphs, and everything. It's very professional. In fact, if you look closely, you can see a subplot where Cordonians attempt to tackle the housing crisis and rising inequality.

Once you have an economic framework which people organize themselves around, you can move on to the stories engrained in the national identity. What do they believe and how do their surroundings and past traditions influence them? What are the dissenting points of view?

With these two pieces in place, you can finally embark on a 10-volume historical record following the rulers of Cordonia, which will prompt a body of work on Cordonian history from the perspective of the common people. When you can recite the third edition of the Encyclopedia Cordonia, the writing can begin.

Jennifer: Jeffrey will be publishing his next novel, "Cordonia: An In-Depth Look At A Glorious Peoples" in Spring of 2028.

Very funny. (Just so we're clear, Jeffrey is joking. Sort of.) Out of curiosity, who's your favorite character to write in The Royal Romance?

Kara: I love writing Maxwell. In the first draft of The Royal Romance Chapter 1, he actually didn't exist, and Bertrand was your only host. But that world felt too flat and un-fun. I realized we needed someone more playful to be opposite of Bertrand, so that's how Maxwell was born! (He was originally just "Nobleman 2"). Right away, everything in the group felt like it finally clicked, and everything got a lot more fun to write. Even though we had to do a lot of last minute changes to the plot, I think it was worth it. Now he's such a major part of the book that it's hard to imagine a world without him! I also love writing Hana and Maxwell together because they're both very sweet and playful but in very opposite ways. Hana also kind of reminds me of Jennifer and Jessica in some ways... XD

Actually, it's very striking to me how each of the three Royal Romance writers for Book One has influenced the world and cast. Jennifer gives everything a touch of formality and courtly grace, and Jeffrey brings in a lot of wacky humor about horses and hats and poodles. If I've added anything, it's probably making Bertrand meaner, throwing in more silly group moments with your crew, and probably having Drake drink too much whiskey. (I don't even like whiskey.) But overall, it's really thrilling to see the world and the characters that come out of this combination.

Jeffrey: Madeleine. It's fun to write someone who's constantly trying to spin a situation to their benefit, and making power plays along the way. I've actually been writing for Madeleine since her appearance in Rules of Engagement: Book 2, so we're practically besties.

And who's your favorite love interest? *wink* *nudge*

Kara: I love them all! I probably end up writing the most Drake, but I often get to write some of the Prince's speeches to you, and I love how considerate and loving he is. There's nothing selfish or mean about him. He's the kind of person that you'd want to be around in real life.

Jennifer: In my personal game, my love interest is definitely Drake, and I totally make Kara write him just so I can read his scenes and enjoy the romance. =) Writing-wise, I enjoy Hana the most because I feel like we have a lot in common, and some of her struggles with trying to please while simultaneously trying to figure out what will make her the most happy in the long-run really resonate with me.

Is there anything you'd like to tell the fans before Book 2's release?

Jennifer: We hope you'll enjoy the twists and turns we have planned for Book Two!

😱 🤔 Well, that's something to look forward to! To everyone reading along... Check back at the end of September for the start of The Royal Romance: Book 2! And as always, we've got more on the way...

-Jessica

[roseymoseyberry]

Samsara (3/?)

Heyo, time for chapter 3, aka a little bit more insight into how I had to fill in the gaps in Breakdown’s backstory and the Stunticons in general, lmao.

Thanks again y’all for reading this wild ride and I hope you enjoy! And for folks who may not watch RID15, the race mentioned in this chapter is from the episode Disordered Personalities. You don’t really need to know much beyond the stunticons joined it hoping to cement their title as Rulers of the Road (because they’re literally written dumb enough as to believe winning a race would do that) and the Autobots went to stop them from destroying the other racers. So they lost and it’s implied that Motormaster pulled a Megatron and physically punished them for it.

Title: Samsara

Series: RID15 and TFP (and some tidbits grabbed from Aligned wiki pages)

Ship(s): Wildbreak/Knockout, Breakdown/Knockout

Tags/warnings: Reincarnation AU, hurt/comfort, verbal/physical abuse (though the worst of the physical abuse is barely described or off screen), past character death, age difference (but still consenting adult alien robots), a lot of filling in worldbuilding gaps and making shit up, and a lot of Wildbreak being a sweet boy who just needs some love and affection.

Fic Summary:

From the day he was forged, Wildbreak had felt like there was something missing; some motivation or drive or desire that had been left behind in the Allspark.

Something he should know but didn’t.

|Chapter 1|Chapter 2|Chapter 3|

“About time you woke up.”

Bumblebee’s frame jolted online as he sat up, staring wide-opticked up at where Knockout was leaned against a shelf of scrap metal and watching him.

“Knockout?! What’re you--?”

“I have a favor to ask,” Knockout stated.

“And it couldn’t wait?” Bumblebee grumbled as he moved to stand. He was going to have to have a talk with his team about warning him when they had company.

Knockout gave him an unimpressed look.

“You want help with your Stunticon problem, don’t you?”

Bumblebee’s arms stilled where he had stretched them over his helm, blinking at Knockout. “You decided to join the team after all?”

“Of course not. I told you, I’m not much of a team player these days when I can help it,” Knockout replied.

“Then…?”

“I’ve been spending some time with one of them.”

“You—wait, you’ve been doing what?!” Panicked, Bumblebee continued, “You’re not gonna join them, are you?”

With a snort, Knockout shook his head. “As much as I don’t want you ordering me around, the idea of Motormaster trying it is even worse. He’s a brute and a moron who only knows how to motivate with his fists. It’s no coincidence he had to remake his team by snatching up a bunch of new forged.”

That was all news to Bumblebee. He didn’t know about any Motormaster, let alone-- “How new?”

“Post-war.”

Bumblebee winced.

But before he could comment, Knockout pushed off his perch and stalked towards him. “And that’s why, when I finally convince this kid to leave the Stunticons, you’re going to pardon him and accept him into the Autobot fold without any problems.”

Bumblebee sighed as he braced his servos on his hips.

“They’re criminals, Knockout. I can’t just waive that.”

“You did for that dinobot,” Knockout argued. He was nearly chest-to-chest with Bumblebee now, unwilling to give an inch.

“Grimlock is a special case. He proved himself to be trustworthy.”

“No. Grimlock is special because you like him.”

“He’s a good mech--”

“—And so is Wildbreak.”

With a huff, Bumblebee stepped back and paced away, and of course he heard Knockout’s pedesteps following behind. “Knockout--”

“You want to put an end to the Stunticons, don’t you?”

That brought Bumblebee up short. He stopped and looked over his shoulder, and Knockout lips barely curled enough to be called a smirk, but it was there. “If you really want to ruin their plans, I can’t think of a better way than getting one of them to defect and thus depriving them of two combiner forms.”

“Two? Can he combine with one of the other ones too?”

The smirk grew.

“I can’t believe the Autobots are still so behind when it comes to understanding combiners,” Knockout said, strolling closer, looking every part like the Con he once was. “You don’t honestly think that if your lot could fuse together by sheer accident that a team led by Motormaster, a mech who has been combining for millennia, would be limited to just combining in pairs, do you?” Genuine fear started to spark in Bumblebee’s processor as realization of what Knockout was suggesting settled.

“All of them?”

“Menasor was never as successful a combiner as Devastator, no doubt because Motormaster was never as good a leader as Scrapper, but you still wouldn’t want to meet him on a battlefield,” Knockout continued, examining his claws lazily, as if he wasn’t discussing the former army’s deadliest soldiers and weapons. “Motormaster has only had this team for a little over a decade, so I can’t imagine they’re as good as his previous teams, but that’s more than enough time for them to learn to form Menasor and control him. Certainly enough time to cause your team some serious problems.”

Bumblebee’s engine growled in his chest as he snapped, “Why the frag didn’t you tell me any of that before?!”

Knockout shrugged, looking victorious already. “You didn’t ask.”

“I asked for your help!”

“No. You ordered for it,” Knockout replied snidely. “If you wanted my advice, as one mech to another, you could have asked for it. Instead you got prissy because I didn’t want to play house with you and your little band of misfits.”

Bumblebee’s engine sputtered with indignation and some guilt.

“Fine,” Bumblebee finally agreed, unable to completely rid his voice of irritation. “I’ll figure something out if Wildbreak leaves the Stunticons.”

“Thank you.” It was more a declaration of victory than gratitude.

“Now uh, you have anything else you could tell me about the Stunticons?”

“Unfortunately, I’ve revealed all my cards,” Knockout admitted with a shrug, not sounding the least bit sorry. “But I’ll let you know if I learn anything juicy.”

With that, Knockout was gone again with barely a wave for the handful of team members even online this time of morning.

It wasn’t until later when Bumblebee had Fixit pull up any information he could find on Motormaster and Menasor, criminal or historical, that he finally got the answer to why Knockout had gotten himself so invested. For all that Bumblebee had known Knockout after the war, he had always looked to stay distanced from others, charming but not caring to get involved past pleasantries, never staying in one place for long. But this sparkling of a criminal had caught his full attention in ways no other mech had for over a decade.

The research also explained the almost personal distaste he had for Motormaster and the Stunticons as a team.

There was list of former Stunticon members from early in the war, before even Bumblebee had been forged, and standing out like a glaring neon sign was the name Breakdown.

“Do you believe in reincarnation?”

Dragstrip stared at him before asking, “What?”

“You know, like, where a spark that joins the Allspark comes back out to be forged again--”

“I know what it is. What I’m trying to figure out is why you’re even asking such a pointless question,” Dragstrip mocked. However, he still handed Wildbreak a cube of energon before sitting down to drink his own.

“I dunno. Just been thinking about it.” Because admitting that he was being plagued by thoughts of a mech he shouldn’t know would make Wildbreak sound insane. He wasn’t completely sure that he wasn’t. “Like, would he be the same, or would he be a different mech the second time around? Would he remember anything?”

Dragstrip stared at him out the corner of his optic as he took a long drink.

“When’d you decide to become some sorta religious type?”

Wildbreak just shrugged, muttering, “Doesn’t matter,” and busied himself with his drink.

“This ‘bout your spark thing? You think it’s ‘cause you’re a reincarnation or something?”

“Yeah. But that sounds pretty glitched, don’t it?”

“Eh, who knows how all that Allspark business works,” Dragstrip said with a lazy wave of his servo. “Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. Would it make a difference to ya if you were?”

Knockout’s sad smile as he said Breakdown’s name flashed unbidden in Wildbreak’s processor.

“Depends on who I was.”

Dragstrip hummed noncommittally before finishing off his cube with a satisfied ex-vent.

“Ah well, no way of figuring that out anyway, so don’t worry that tiny little processor of yours over it, buddy ol’ pal,” Dragstrip said as he pushed up to his feet and chucked the cube carelessly. “We got more important stuff to focus on today. We got a big race to win for the Boss!”

“A race?” Wildbreak asked.

“Yeah! With that title, we’ll really be the rulers of the roads!”

Wildbreak’s sparkpulse barely quickened at all at the idea, but he forced a grin onto his face and followed after Dragstrip.

The third time they talked, it was over commlinks. It had only been the one day – Wildbreak hadn't even had a chance to recharge yet beyond the couple hours that morning – but already he missed Knockout something fierce.

::Tomorrow?::

::Yeah,:: Wildbreak said, aware of how hopeful his tone was. ::I’d like to see ya.::

::Unfortunately I'm leaving town tonight. I shouldn't be gone more than a day or two though.::

Wildbreak's spark sank.

::Oh. Ok. Well uh, let me know when you get back then?::

There was a pause, and Wildbreak worried that he had sounded too needy, that Knockout wouldn’t be interested anymore because he was so pathetic—

::You could come with if you wanted.::

Wildbreak's spark was caught between joy and the reality that was his frame. Losing the race had made Motormaster mad and he had taken it out on them all, leaving them battered and just this side of broken. Wildbreak's lines had only just finished closing up, so he wasn't leaking energon anymore, but it would take a couple hours at least to work out the dents. Even then though, Wildbreak knew he needed a long, deep recharge to let his frame heal enough that his injuries wouldn’t be obvious.

Normally, after one of Motormaster’s beatings, Wildbreak would curl up and spend a couple days healing until someone finally dragged him out.

But now, Wildbreak wanted desperately to be up and running as soon as he could.

::I really wish I could, but I can’t do nothing tonight.::

::You can’t honestly tell me that little race was enough to tire you out,:: Knockout teased. Heat bloomed in Wildbreak’s frame with embarrassment.

::You saw that, huh?::

::No need to be embarrassed. We’ve all had Autobots ruin a race or two,:: Knockout said easily.

::Yeah? Tell me about yours?::

::I’m sure you can wait a couple days.::

Wildbreak curled up tighter, arms around his knees and back against a boulder, staring out across the terrain as the sun dipped closer to the horizon.

::Wildbreak?::

::Could you tell me about it now? I—I just really wanna hear you talk. If that isn’t weird. That’s weird, isn’t it?::

There was a moment of silence before Knockout asked, utterly serious, ::Is something wrong?::

::I’m fine,:: Wildbreak answered automatically.

::That’s a lie if ever I’ve heard one.:: And now Knockout sounded concerned.

::Uh, then, I’ll be fine, so it’s ok.::

::Wildbreak.::

Wildbreak squirmed, imaging the look that Knockout would give him.

::Motormaster got mad about the race and, well, you know.::

There was a tired ex-vent that carried across the line before Knockout replied knowingly, ::I do.:: The thought that Knockout had ever been punished when he was a Decepticon hadn’t ever crossed Wildbreak’s processor, but it was there now and it sparked something furious in his lines. He didn’t have time to do anything with that outrage though before Knockout said, ::I can wait until tomorrow morning if you still want to come with me. It won’t be fun, exactly, but I wouldn’t mind the company.::

Wildbreak blinked as he realized what Knockout was offering.

For the first time that day, a genuine grin split Wildbreak’s face.

::Yeah, that would be great! Where’re we going?::

::To visit my old friend.::

“Ey, Wildbreak!” Dragstrip called, and Wildbreak went stiff as a board as his partner continued, “Get over here!”

Wildbreak could also see the sudden fear in Dragstrip’s optics when Motormaster’s engine hummed loud enough to carry as their boss stepped closer to Wildbreak, making himself visible to the other mech.

“Oh, uh, sorry boss, didn’t see you there. I’ll come back later--”

“We’re almost done here,” Motormaster interrupted, deep rumbling voice sounding oddly pleased and all the more terrifying for it. It was rare that a smile on his face meant anything good. “Wildbreak was just telling me his ideas for the next couple days.”

A sinking feeling gripped Wildbreak as Dragstrip stared in confusion.

“Ideas?”

Wildbreak broke their optic contact and stared at the ground as Motormaster continued, “Yes. He’s going to drive out further than we’ve gone before, expanding our territory and proving who those roads belong to now.” His large servo landed on Wildbreak’s shoulder in what should have been a show of pride and affection, but Motormaster’s optics were trained on Dragstrip, mocking him. “If even Wildbreak can show some initiative for once to make up for his failure, then I don’t see what’s keeping the rest of you from doing the same.”

Nothing could have pulled Wildbreak’s stare from the ground, spark pounding because he knew the hateful look that Dragstrip must have been wearing, that all the Stunticons soon would. He had seen it time and again when Motormaster turned them against each other to motivate through spite. But Wildbreak had never been the cause of that; had never been used to shame the other Stunticons.

Wildbreak had never shown initiative before and his teammates were going to hate him for it.

But he did his best to focus on the fact that as soon as this was done, Wildbreak could grab some cubes of energon and escape into Knockout’s company for a while. It would be worth it.

Even knowing the vaguely macabre purpose of the roadtrip, there was nothing that could have kept Wildbreak’s excitement from bubbling over. He got to use his Earth alt-mode and spend hours upon hours driving with Knockout, listening to more of his stories and talking about Earth and Cybertron and politics with him. Knockout was far more knowledgeable about it all, but he wasn’t unkind about it, which in Wildbreak’s opinion was exceedingly kind. He would simply explain what Wildbreak didn’t understand and they would continue with their conversation.

And, despite his designation as an Autobot, Knockout was frank about the war and the aftermath and where the Autobots were succeeding and where they were failing. The more Wildbreak got to know him, the better he understood why Knockout left the Decepticons after spending millennia with them.

Wildbreak wasn’t sure it could really be considered a betrayal when Knockout hadn’t been particularly loyal to start with.

Knockout was a mech who looked out for himself first and foremost. For all his dramatics and charm, he was pragmatic, and Wildbreak might have thought him ultimately detached and cold if he wasn’t so drawn to him.

Not the mention the fact that Knockout had also looked out for at least one other mech.

As the sun started to sink low in the sky, Knockout mentioned Breakdown again. Maybe it was because they were growing ever closer to their destination, or maybe, as Wildbreak hoped, Knockout simply felt more comfortable opening up to him.

Knockout talked about how they had met.

Breakdown had been recovering from an upgrade which had left him larger and stronger, a little loopy as his processor was slowly booting up and accepting the changed frame. When Knockout had walked in as his assigned medic and introduced himself, saying “I’m Knockout,” Breakdown had given him a dopey smile and replied, “Yeah you are.”

It had been far from the first time that Knockout had heard the line, but there was an awe to it that had made Knockout laugh. It had been a good decade since he had last had a genuine laugh.

Knockout talked about how Breakdown would come back time and again, his frame broken and bleeding, but always so honest when he asked how Knockout had been. Once, his entire arm had been crushed into a mangle of twisted metal, limp and immobile and no doubt severely painful, and Breakdown had asked Knockout if he was getting enough recharge. “Your optics just seem dimmer than usual,” Knockout recounted Breakdown saying, not bothering with a funny voice or imitation like the other Cons in his stories received. There had been nothing but affection in Knockout’s tone.

Knockout talked about being reassigned to work in the field. How he had insisted he would need an assistant that could double as a bodyguard. And when he had managed to convince them, he demanded it be Breakdown.

Knockout talked about their resulting partnership.

For a brief moment, as Knockout was halfway through some exciting story about an adventure they had had on a planet Wildbreak had never even heard of, he wondered if he should be jealous.

But he wasn’t.

Not completely.

Wildbreak wasn’t jealous of the relationship that Breakdown had gotten to have with Knockout. It was sweet, and it warmed Wildbreak’s spark in a way that made his processor whirr with confusion, because it was that familiarity again, recognizing what he couldn’t possibly recognize. If anything, it just made Wildbreak feel as if he was truly going mad. Was he really a reincarnation of some big bruiser of a Decepticon soldier, or was he just so desperate for Knockout’s affection that he was fooling himself with wild ideas that those feelings and stories could somehow be about him?

The sun set and Knockout said they had a couple more hours before they would arrive.

And Wildbreak thought to himself that if he was jealous of anything, it was that he wanted to be rescued by Knockout too.

“Any updates, Fixit?”

“A couple, sir,” the minibot replied as he continued to tap away, bringing up a screen for Bumblebee. “I’ve managed to get all the information on Motormaster that’s on record. It’s like Knockout said – he led the Stunticon combiner team during the war, but rarely to any great success compared to the more infamous Constructicon team. It seems to be due to a lack of proper leadership kills – spills – skills!”

Bumblebee scanned the profile as he prompted, “How so?”

“Well, while it isn’t ever spelled out so obviously, the simple fact is that the Stunticon team had a shockingly high turnover rate. Some were deaths of course, but others seemed to find ways to quit the team, which is unprecedented in other Decepticon teams of the time.”

Near the end of the profile was a list of Stunticon members, and indeed there were more than a dozen names, many with (DECEASED) or (TRANSFERRED) by them.

It still seemed like some weird twist of fate to see Breakdown’s name among them.

“The Stunticon team was apprehended at the end of the war, but Motormaster managed to escape and has been on the run since, so Knockout is correct that the team he has now has likely only worked together since then.”

“Well, that’s good to know, at least,” Bumblebee said as he crossed his arms. He’d have to go through the whole profile a couple times to see if there was anything else helpful to be found there. “And did you find anything out about Breakdown?”

Fixit gave him the same bemused look he had when Bumblebee had first asked him, clearly not sure why he was interested in a former member. But still, his digits tapped away, but only to zoom in on where Breakdown was listed on Motormaster’s profile.

“Unfortunately sir, there isn’t much to be found. While he is listed in the Decepticon registry, he’s labeled as deceased, so like most Decepticons who died in the war, there hasn’t been any effort put into searching the former army’s archives for his files to transfer to the Autobot systems. The only information I have is what’s listed here.”

Which wasn’t much. Just a designation, a frame type (small four-wheeler, which had to be a mistake considering what Bumblebee remembered of the big brute), and (TRANSFERRED).

Still, it was a confirmation of Knockout’s connection to the Stunticons, as tenuous and outdated as it was.

“Don’t worry about it, Fixit. I was just curious. Tell me more about Motormaster.”

[casscutting]

Best and Worst Reads of 2019

Let’s talk about books baby…

Before I get into my favorite and least favorite reads of 2019 I want to talk about the rating system that I adopted halfway through the year. I now use the CAWPILE method which I got from G. over at Book Roast on Youtube though I’ve changed it some.

CAWPILE breaks down a book into 7 different categories:

C = Characters Backstory Growth Arc Did you feel like you knew them? Were you invested? A = Atmosphere World Building W = Writing Style Did you like the Writing Style? P = Plot Did you like the plot? Were you able to follow it? I = Immersion Did the book keep your attention? Did you want to keep reading? L = Logic Did things make sense to you in the context of the story? E = Enjoyment Did you enjoy this book?

Now here’s where I made changes G. rates each section out of 10 then does some math to make it fit into the Goodreads 0-5 start scale. I, on the other hand, wanted something more simple so I rate my categories out of 5 stars then add each section up then divide by 7 (because there are 7 categories) For example:

Here is my break down of The Young Queens by Kendare Blake, which I loved but wasn’t one of my fav’s of the year.

C = Characters 3 Stars A = Atmosphere 5 Stars W = Writing Style 5 Stars P = Plot 5 Stars I = Immersion  5 Stars L = Logic  5 Stars E = Enjoyment  5 Stars = 33 out of 35 33 devided by 7 is 4.712% which makes my raiting for the book a 4.75 out of 5 stars.

I wanted to start off this post by going over my favorite and least books of 2019, let’s start chronologically with my favorites:

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire 5 out of 5 stars

This is the fourth installment in the Wayward Children series or novellas. For those that don’t know these books follow children that have made their way into portal worlds like Oz and Wonderland but have for one reason or another been spit back out into our world. The kids usually cant readjust so they are sent to special boarding schools. The one school, in particular, is Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. The first three played off each other whereas this one we follow a child we haven’t met in other books. If fact this book takes place years before the first three books in the series.

In an Absent Dream follows Lundy, a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should.

When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she's found her paradise. Alas, everything costs at the goblin market, and when her time there is drawing to a close, she makes the kind of bargain that never plays out well.

NOTE* I read this book prior to adopting my new rating system but I think my rating would be somewhere between 4.5-5 stars with my new system.

The Savior's Champion by Jenna Moreci 5 out of 5 stars both times with a CAWPILE rating of 35

This is a self-published book that in my opinion would rival any traditionally published work. The Savior's Champion is the first in a series of which I can’t wait for more to come out... This story had me hooked from the first chapter which I read before it came out in 2018. I got this book on Audio and the narrator Nick Denton, who is a sweetheart by the way, is amazing.

This book follows Tobias Kaya doesn't care about The Savior. He doesn't care that She's the Ruler of the realm or that She purified the land, and he certainly doesn't care that She's of age to be married. But when competing for Her hand proves to be his last chance to save his family, he's forced to make The Savior his priority.

Now Tobias is thrown into the Sovereign's Tournament with nineteen other men, and each of them is fighting -- and killing -- for the chance to rule at The Savior's side. Instantly his world is plagued with violence, treachery, and manipulation, revealing the hidden ugliness of his proud realm. And when his circumstances seem especially dire, he stumbles into an unexpected romance, one that opens him up to unimaginable dangers and darkness.

Trigger warning: this novel contains graphic violence, adult language, and sexual situations.

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons 5 out of 5 stars both times with a CAWPILE rating of 35

This is the first book in a high fantasy series (or trilogy I don’t really know which lol) The story grabbed me right away but it did take a second to get used to because you are following Kihrin through two parts of his life and the story jumps from the past to the present throughout the book. I listened to this book on audio and it was amazing. The THREE narrators (Vikas Adam (Kihrin), Feodor Chin (Thurvishar), and Soneela Nankani (Talon)) were amazing and I only hope book 2 and eventually book 3 will have the same VOA’s

Kihrin grew up in the slums of Quur, a thief and a minstrel's son raised on tales of long-lost princes and magnificent quests. When he is claimed against his will as the missing son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds himself at the mercy of his new family's ruthless power plays and political ambitions.

Practically a prisoner, Kihrin discovers that being a long-lost prince is nothing like what the storybooks promised. The storybooks have lied about a lot of other things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, and how the hero always wins.

Then again, maybe he isn't the hero after all. For Kihrin is not destined to save the world.

He's destined to destroy it.

Now on to the ones you really care about, I know you just skipped to this part…

I only had three disappointing reads this year and one of them was a re-try that I had DNFed when I got the ARC.

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart DNFed AGAIN

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat. Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete. An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two. A bad romance, or maybe three. Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains. A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her. A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

I first got this book as an ARC back before it came out (obviously)  I got 50 pages in and I wanted to rip my hair out that’s how much I was disliking it. So I thought that maybe Mystery-Thrillers weren’t for me. But now having a few under my belt and I’m liking these genres I’d give it another go especially since some of my favorite book bloggers and booktubers really enjoyed it.

Oh boy was I WRONG. I made it to that same spot and wanted to rip my hair out but I thought no keep going maybe it will get better. Wrong again, the MC was bland and boring and found myself wishing she would adopt a good personality or really any personality at all would be a vast improvement over who she was portraying at any given time. I didn’t care about the plot or her backstory or why she was hiding.

So I DNFed this book for a second time at around 100 pages.

The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way 1 out of 5 stars

In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born to women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world."

These seven children form the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again.

This may have been partly my fault because I watched the Netflix adaptation before I knew the source material existed. I LOVED the show, it is hands down one of my new favorites but the graphic novel wasn’t well put together. I have been reading graphic novels and comics my whole life and I know you’re not getting a novel with dialogue and story spelled out for you. I know that there is a harmony between what is written and the art but the artist had to work twice as hard to convey the story. What little written word was there wasn’t the best.

I did like the art style it was fun and really the only thing that kept me going thought out this volume. I won’t continue in the series as far as the graphic novel is concerned but I am highly anticipating the next season of the show.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum 2 out of 5 stars

When Dorothy and her little dog Toto are caught in a tornado, they and their Kansas farmhouse are suddenly transported to Oz, where Munchkins live, monkeys fly and Wicked Witches rule. Desperate to return home, and with the Wicked Witch of the West on their trail, Dorothy and Toto - together with new friends the Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion - embark on a fantastic quest along the Yellow Brick Road in search of the Emerald City. There they hope to meet the legendary, all-powerful Wizard of Oz, who alone may hold the power to grant their every wish.

I grew up with both the movies and had been a huge fan since childhood. The filmmakers took a lot of successful liberties with this story and were able to convey everything so much better than Baum. My least favorite part was the Witches of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West she seemed more like a stern grandmother than an evil witch, though she had her moments with the Tin Man, Lion, and the Scarecrow.

But I will continue in the series because it is a goal of mine to read them all.

[drippeddaily]

A discussion of hip hop's forgotten hits

A discussion of hip hop's forgotten hits

There are a lot of great artists out there who have amazing catalogues of work, yet the rest of their music gets overlooked because their smash single overshadows everything else. I have managed to find some tracks that prominent hip hop acts released to a muted reception, despite their undeniable excellence. Join me in a journey through the history of hip hop's forgotten hits.

Let's start off with Craig Mack. Known best for Flava In Ya Ear (and its legendary posse-cut remix), Craig has another song out there that is arguably even better. At least lyrically, anyway. Frustrated with the state of the hip hop industry, the Bad Boy rapper put out When God Comes, a scathing attack on the community that he felt had lost touch with its largely positive and Afrocentric roots. The opening bars set the scene for a four-minute assault on his colleagues, unleashing a critical sentiment that he maintains for the full length of the song.

"What da fuck's going on inside the biz?/Shit ain't raw no more/Fake is how it is/I hear brothers talking 'bout shooting and killing/Then going home and chilling/Frontin' like a villain"

This fragment of When God Comes' authoritative lyrics feels like it could have been the inspiration behind Andre 3000's verse on Return Of The "G"¹, released four years later.

Although evidence of their mutual animosity has largely been lost to the sands of time, there is some basis for the rumour that Craig Mack and Biggie really didn't get along.² Diddy managed to make a lot happen within the Bad Boy empire, but getting the two to stop publicly sending shots at each other was beyond even Brother Love's precocious influence.

Within the chaotic clutter that is my mother's house before Sunday dinner, you'll find her darting in and out of the kitchen. If you're lucky, you'll also catch a glimpse of her unashamedly singing along to the sounds of the 80s. One lazy Sunday, I heard her playing Try Love Again by The Natural Four, and couldn't believe my ears. That song, when sampled by Pete Rock in his inimitable style, and laced with CL Smooth's lyrical mastery, was reinvented to become It's A Love Thing.⁴ And, well, an excuse to listen to the hip hop version together.

I've always been inextricably linked to brass instruments; the first instrument I took formal lessons with was the trumpet. My younger brother followed my footsteps, and so did my little sister after that. It's rare that I agree with my parents about anything hip hop related, but They Reminisce Over You is one of the only exceptions - a saxophone-driven, commercially viable song that managed get the three of us moving on the dancefloor.³ Not only did TROY give me a track that I can enjoy with my family, it also gave us a bonding experience that I'll never forget.

"The question is can you top that homie/You can probably pull something close but stop that homie/Not even, could have that even if I stopped breathin'"

Even though he's likely talking about the John and Jane Does this verse is written for, it's hard to overlook how accurate those lines are when redressed to be a reference to CL Smooth's reign on the mic.

Did you know that Pete Rock is Heavy D's cousin?⁵ There must be something in the water.

If you've been to alive in the past twenty years, you've undoubtedly heard groups, from all backgrounds, singing along to Regulate by Nate Dogg & Warren G. This wasn't just a nice song, this was an era-defining record⁶ that found its way to every radio in the land, leaving a generation pining for a return to the golden years of g-funk. Not content with their success, the pairing kept pushing envelope with Nobody Does It Better - an overlooked triumph in their quest to build on the unique chemistry that made them famous.

"No one can do it better like this two man crew/They say we're one hitter quitters/Now what y'all gonna do?"

You're damned right, Warren.

You may have noticed how squeaky clean Regulate's lyrics are, especially when compared to the rest of the subgenre. That's not an accident; the version we know and love is actually not the original. Initially, it was conceived to be a lot more explicit. When it started creating a buzz, Chris Lighty asked them to go back and clean it up to ensure that it wouldn't spend half of the running time censored by radio DJs, stunting its projected commercial success. ⁷

This list wouldn't be complete without Smoothe Da Hustler. Since not everyone is familiar with the name, it's worth mentioning that his debut album stormed to the cusp of Billboard's coveted hip hop album top ten, peaking in the 11th place slot.⁸ The most successful track from his album Once Upon a Time in America, and his career in totality, was Broken Language with Trigga the Gambler. If you haven't listened to that yet, it's a great primer that will put his best work into context.

Make Or Take is my go-to song when someone asks for something good that they haven't heard before. Something fresh, yet old enough to not fit the status quo. While conceding that it's actually a Nine song with Smoothe Da Hustler rapping the hook, Make Or Take made the final cut by virtue of possibly being 1996's best underground song. Even the people getting ready to downvote this post after that last sentence are guaranteed to love this song. Before long, you'll have watched the video enough times in a row to able synchronise your blinking with the people on screen.

"There's six million ways to die but only one to live/I need enough money to spend enough money to give/Cause I love my peeps and my peeps love me/And I refuse to see them living in poverty"

What a beautiful expression of hood love.

Smoothe has rubbed shoulders with a lot of New York's hip hop royalty (Busta Rhymes, Onyx, and Public Enemy to name a few),⁹ but it's interesting to know that he got his start by opening for Biggie on the Ready To Die tour.¹⁰ This was before he'd even dropped his debut album and its hit single. Not a bad cosign.

As a child, there came a moment where I was overwhelmed by the urge to seek out black, British artists. I was yearning for proof that people from my background could fit into rap's burgeoning bourgeoisie. A colourful man by the name of Mark Morrison was enough to sate my young mind. Following in the path of Slick Rick the ruler, Mark is as flamboyant as he is talented. He rocked a fresh cut, flashy jewellery, and an unshakeably badass attitude to match. Return Of The Mack constantly finds itself near the very top of my perpetually shifting favourites list. One of those reliable songs that saves me whenever the aux cord falls into my lap.

While reflecting on his run-ins with law enforcement, the German-born singer recruited DMX to join him in speaking on the perceived injustices they were rising up against. Whether track title was accurate or not is a discussion for another time, but the trouble artists teamed up on Mark's sophomoric outing to make the case that they were each an Innocent Man persecuted by society. Although it's a Mark Morrison song, including a snippet of an embittered DMX's poignant performance should, hopefully, give more context to the duo's struggles.

"Did my time in a county jail/Just when things started going well/And I paid the price for the crimes I did/Wanna change my life/Wanna raise my kids"

"You say I'm rehabilitated, but I still can't vote/You say I paid my debt but I still can't vote/Gotta pay taxes but I still can't vote/Come on dawg y'all stay trying to keep a nigga broke"

Eleven years on, their dissatisfaction with America's legal system, and the way felons are routinely stripped of their basic human rights, is still a contentious point of discussion.¹¹ ¹² ¹³

Although his other charges were endlessly debated in the court of public opinion, Mark Morrison was conclusively found guilty of employing a body double to complete his court-ordered community service.¹⁴ Full points for creativity...

TL;DR: these underappreciated songs are really good. You won't regret checking them out, and they are probably bigger hits in a parallel universe.

Artist Signature Track Underrated Track Craig Mack Flava In Ya Ear When God Comes Nate Dogg & Warren G Regulate Nobody Does It Better Smoothe Da Hustler Broken Language Make Or Take Mark Morrison Return Of The Mack Innocent Man Pete Rock & CL Smooth They Reminisce Over You It's A Love Thing

Genius. OutKast – Return of the "G" Lyrics. https://genius.com/Outkast-return-of-the-g-lyrics#note-134976.

YouTube. Did Biggie smalls and Craig mack had beef before he died? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJcR9M4lbEM.

Rolling Stone. The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-50-greatest-hip-hop-songs-of-all-time-20121205/pete-rock-and-c-l-smooth-they-reminisce-over-you-t-r-o-y-19691231.

WhoSampled. Pete Rock feat. C.L. Smooth and Denosh's 'It's a Love Thing' sample of The Natural Four's 'Try Love Again'. https://www.whosampled.com/sample/80330/Pete-Rock-C.L.-Smooth-Denosh-It%27s-a-Love-Thing-The-Natural-Four-Try-Love-Again/.

Biography.com. Pete Rock Biography. https://www.biography.com/people/pete-rock-5112017.

Billboard. 'Regulate' At 20: Warren G & Michael McDonald Discuss the G-Funk Jam. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6070114/regulate-at-20-warren-g-michael-mcdonald-discuss-the-g-funk-jam.

Rolling Stone. Warren G and Nate Dogg's 'Regulate': The Oral History of a Hip-Hop Classic. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/warren-g-and-nate-doggs-regulate-the-oral-history-of-a-hip-hop-classic-20141219

Billboard. Smoothe Da Hustler Once Upon A Time In America Chart History. https://www.billboard.com/music/smoothe-da-hustler/chart-history/r-b-hip-hop-albums/song/176271.

Ambrosia For Heads. Smoothe Da Hustler & Trigger Had An Unbreakable Lyrical Bond In Broken Language (Video). http://ambrosiaforheads.com/2016/04/smoothe-da-hustler-trigger-had-an-unbreakable-lyrical-bond-in-broken-language-video/.

Wazzup Tonight. Smoothe Da Hustler | Legend Who's Worked Alongside THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., ICE-T, KRS-ONE, PUBLIC ENEMY And More | Makes A Comeback. http://wazzuptonight.com/smoothe-da-hustler-comeback/

NAACP. Criminal Justice Fact Sheet. http://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/.

Washington Post. Give felons and prisoners the right to vote. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/let-felons-and-prisoners-vote/2016/07/26/f2da2d64-4947-11e6-acbc-4d4870a079da_story.html?utm_term=.d9ddf788ece6.

Human Rights Watch. Bail and Pretrial Detention of Low Income Nonfelony Defendants in New York City. https://www.hrw.org/report/2010/12/02/price-freedom/bail-and-pretrial-detention-low-income-nonfelony-defendants-new-york.

NME. GRIM MORRISON: THE MACK IN TROUBLE AGAIN. http://www.nme.com/news/music/mark-morrison-10-1392631.

There are a lot of great artists out there who have amazing catalogues of work, yet the rest of their music gets overlooked because their smash single overshadows everything else. I have managed to find some tracks that prominent hip hop acts released to a muted reception, despite their undeniable excellence. Join me in a journey through the history of hip hop's forgotten hits.Let's start off with Craig Mack. Known best for Flava In Ya Ear (and its legendary posse-cut remix), Craig has another song out there that is arguably even better. At least lyrically, anyway. Frustrated with the state of the hip hop industry, the Bad Boy rapper put out When God Comes, a scathing attack on the community that he felt had lost touch with its largely positive and Afrocentric roots. The opening bars set the scene for a four-minute assault on his colleagues, unleashing a critical sentiment that he maintains for the full length of the song."What da fuck's going on inside the biz?/Shit ain't raw no more/Fake is how it is/I hear brothers talking 'bout shooting and killing/Then going home and chilling/Frontin' like a villain"This fragment of When God Comes' authoritative lyrics feels like it could have been the inspiration behind Andre 3000's verse on Return Of The "G"1, released four years later.Although evidence of their mutual animosity has largely been lost to the sands of time, there is some basis for the rumour that Craig Mack and Biggie really didn't get along.2 Diddy managed to make a lot happen within the Bad Boy empire, but getting the two to stop publicly sending shots at each other was beyond even Brother Love's precocious influence.Within the chaotic clutter that is my mother's house before Sunday dinner, you'll find her darting in and out of the kitchen. If you're lucky, you'll also catch a glimpse of her unashamedly singing along to the sounds of the 80s. One lazy Sunday, I heard her playing Try Love Again by The Natural Four, and couldn't believe my ears. That song, when sampled by Pete Rock in his inimitable style, and laced with CL Smooth's lyrical mastery, was reinvented to become It's A Love Thing.4 And, well, an excuse to listen to the hip hop version together.I've always been inextricably linked to brass instruments; the first instrument I took formal lessons with was the trumpet. My younger brother followed my footsteps, and so did my little sister after that. It's rare that I agree with my parents about anything hip hop related, but They Reminisce Over You is one of the only exceptions - a saxophone-driven, commercially viable song that managed get the three of us moving on the dancefloor.3 Not only did TROY give me a track that I can enjoy with my family, it also gave us a bonding experience that I'll never forget."The question is can you top that homie/You can probably pull something close but stop that homie/Not even, could have that even if I stopped breathin'"Even though he's likely talking about the John and Jane Does this verse is written for, it's hard to overlook how accurate those lines are when redressed to be a reference to CL Smooth's reign on the mic.Did you know that Pete Rock is Heavy D's cousin?5 There must be something in the water.If you've been to alive in the past twenty years, you've undoubtedly heard groups, from all backgrounds, singing along to Regulate by Nate Dogg & Warren G. This wasn't just a nice song, this was an era-defining record6 that found its way to every radio in the land, leaving a generation pining for a return to the golden years of g-funk. Not content with their success, the pairing kept pushing envelope with Nobody Does It Better - an overlooked triumph in their quest to build on the unique chemistry that made them famous."No one can do it better like this two man crew/They say we're one hitter quitters/Now what y'all gonna do?"You're damned right, Warren.You may have noticed how squeaky clean Regulate's lyrics are, especially when compared to the rest of the subgenre. That's not an accident; the version we know and love is actually not the original. Initially, it was conceived to be a lot more explicit. When it started creating a buzz, Chris Lighty asked them to go back and clean it up to ensure that it wouldn't spend half of the running time censored by radio DJs, stunting its projected commercial success. 7This list wouldn't be complete without Smoothe Da Hustler. Since not everyone is familiar with the name, it's worth mentioning that his debut album stormed to the cusp of Billboard's coveted hip hop album top ten, peaking in the 11th place slot.8 The most successful track from his album Once Upon a Time in America, and his career in totality, was Broken Language with Trigga the Gambler. If you haven't listened to that yet, it's a great primer that will put his best work into context.Make Or Take is my go-to song when someone asks for something good that they haven't heard before. Something fresh, yet old enough to not fit the status quo. While conceding that it's actually a Nine song with Smoothe Da Hustler rapping the hook, Make Or Take made the final cut by virtue of possibly being 1996's best underground song. Even the people getting ready to downvote this post after that last sentence are guaranteed to love this song. Before long, you'll have watched the video enough times in a row to able synchronise your blinking with the people on screen."There's six million ways to die but only one to live/I need enough money to spend enough money to give/Cause I love my peeps and my peeps love me/And I refuse to see them living in poverty"What a beautiful expression of hood love.Smoothe has rubbed shoulders with a lot of New York's hip hop royalty (Busta Rhymes, Onyx, and Public Enemy to name a few),9 but it's interesting to know that he got his start by opening for Biggie on the Ready To Die tour.10 This was before he'd even dropped his debut album and its hit single. Not a bad cosign.As a child, there came a moment where I was overwhelmed by the urge to seek out black, British artists. I was yearning for proof that people from my background could fit into rap's burgeoning bourgeoisie. A colourful man by the name of Mark Morrison was enough to sate my young mind. Following in the path of Slick Rick the ruler, Mark is as flamboyant as he is talented. He rocked a fresh cut, flashy jewellery, and an unshakeably badass attitude to match. Return Of The Mack constantly finds itself near the very top of my perpetually shifting favourites list. One of those reliable songs that saves me whenever the aux cord falls into my lap.While reflecting on his run-ins with law enforcement, the German-born singer recruited DMX to join him in speaking on the perceived injustices they were rising up against. Whether track title was accurate or not is a discussion for another time, but the trouble artists teamed up on Mark's sophomoric outing to make the case that they were each an Innocent Man persecuted by society. Although it's a Mark Morrison song, including a snippet of an embittered DMX's poignant performance should, hopefully, give more context to the duo's struggles."Did my time in a county jail/Just when things started going well/And I paid the price for the crimes I did/Wanna change my life/Wanna raise my kids""You say I'm rehabilitated, but I still can't vote/You say I paid my debt but I still can't vote/Gotta pay taxes but I still can't vote/Come on dawg y'all stay trying to keep a nigga broke"Eleven years on, their dissatisfaction with America's legal system, and the way felons are routinely stripped of their basic human rights, is still a contentious point of discussion.11 12 13Although his other charges were endlessly debated in the court of public opinion, Mark Morrison was conclusively found guilty of employing a body double to complete his court-ordered community service.14 Full points for creativity...TL;DR: these underappreciated songs are really good. You won't regret checking them out, and they are probably bigger hits in a parallel universe.ArtistSignature TrackUnderrated TrackCraig MackFlava In Ya EarWhen God ComesNate Dogg & Warren GRegulateNobody Does It BetterSmoothe Da HustlerBroken LanguageMake Or TakeMark MorrisonReturn Of The MackInnocent ManPete Rock & CL SmoothThey Reminisce Over YouIt's A Love ThingGenius. OutKast – Return of the "G" Lyrics. https://genius.com/Outkast-return-of-the-g-lyrics#note-134976.YouTube. Did Biggie smalls and Craig mack had beef before he died? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJcR9M4lbEM.Rolling Stone. The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-50-greatest-hip-hop-songs-of-all-time-20121205/pete-rock-and-c-l-smooth-they-reminisce-over-you-t-r-o-y-19691231.WhoSampled. Pete Rock feat. C.L. Smooth and Denosh's 'It's a Love Thing' sample of The Natural Four's 'Try Love Again'. https://www.whosampled.com/sample/80330/Pete-Rock-C.L.-Smooth-Denosh-It%27s-a-Love-Thing-The-Natural-Four-Try-Love-Again/.Biography.com. Pete Rock Biography. https://www.biography.com/people/pete-rock-5112017.Billboard. 'Regulate' At 20: Warren G & Michael McDonald Discuss the G-Funk Jam. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6070114/regulate-at-20-warren-g-michael-mcdonald-discuss-the-g-funk-jam.Rolling Stone. Warren G and Nate Dogg's 'Regulate': The Oral History of a Hip-Hop Classic. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/warren-g-and-nate-doggs-regulate-the-oral-history-of-a-hip-hop-classic-20141219Billboard. Smoothe Da Hustler Once Upon A Time In America Chart History. https://www.billboard.com/music/smoothe-da-hustler/chart-history/r-b-hip-hop-albums/song/176271.Ambrosia For Heads. Smoothe Da Hustler & Trigger Had An Unbreakable Lyrical Bond In Broken Language (Video). http://ambrosiaforheads.com/2016/04/smoothe-da-hustler-trigger-had-an-unbreakable-lyrical-bond-in-broken-language-video/.Wazzup Tonight. Smoothe Da Hustler | Legend Who's Worked Alongside THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., ICE-T, KRS-ONE, PUBLIC ENEMY And More | Makes A Comeback. http://wazzuptonight.com/smoothe-da-hustler-comeback/NAACP. Criminal Justice Fact Sheet. http://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/.Washington Post. Give felons and prisoners the right to vote. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/let-felons-and-prisoners-vote/2016/07/26/f2da2d64-4947-11e6-acbc-4d4870a079da_story.html?utm_term=.d9ddf788ece6.Human Rights Watch. Bail and Pretrial Detention of Low Income Nonfelony Defendants in New York City. https://www.hrw.org/report/2010/12/02/price-freedom/bail-and-pretrial-detention-low-income-nonfelony-defendants-new-york.NME. GRIM MORRISON: THE MACK IN TROUBLE AGAIN. http://www.nme.com/news/music/mark-morrison-10-1392631.

[adelehlittle]

Football for life

Two nights ago, I was one of millions watching as Clemson faced Alabama in the National Championship for a second year, coming in as the #2 underdog and seeking redemption.  They had exercised a rigorous practice regimen resulting in an impressive 11-1 season, going on to clench the ACC Championship against Virginia Tech, shut out Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, and, against the odds, beat Alabama by 4 points in the last second of the title game. Coach Dabo Swinney, quarterback Deshaun Watson, and defensive MVP and team captain Ben Boulware each gave impassioned post-game speeches thanking God for where they’ve come from to achieve this, noting the hard, relentless work, and the belief that they could win. With Alabama dominating the first half and Clemson down seven points at halftime, Dabo said he told the team, “We’re gonna win. I don’t know how, but we’re going to win.” I’m still stunned and excited over the victory and what it means to the Clemson nation, having become a sold-out fan when our daughter started attending. Tod, my husband, laughs at how I’ve “suddenly” become obsessed.

Within moments the next morning, I realized the dramatic correlation between spiritual victories, which are often as hard-fought, as football. It takes discipline and a lot of hard work to attain spiritual victories.  The victory over a stronghold in our life, the victory of healing for someone we’ve been praying for, the open door of a job for someone who’s been out of work, the financial provision for a desperate situation, the deliverance from addiction that has held someone down for so long, the understanding and acceptance of God’s love and what He did for us…the list is endless.  Sometimes answers come quickly, but more often than not, they come with much sweat and tears.  And we can’t always go it alone. Victory often requires a team of people who are committed to late night, heart-wrenching prayer sessions, working through the setbacks that come, seeking the wisdom of God for game-plan strategies, laying on of hands, physical presence, and practical assistance.  There are times when we wonder if it’s worth the time spent, the agony, the hits, tackles, and bruises. If it’s worth fighting amidst the commentators’ words of discouragement and criticism by those in the stands when we’re not winning.  We seek wisdom to be a team coach, to be a captain of the team, to be a player that achieves what other people say we shouldn’t be able to do.  

Hunter Renfrow is the  5’11” 150 lb walk-on, who scored two touchdowns in the National Championship game, including the one that escalated the team to the #1 position in the final second of play, plus a critical tackle that stopped Alabama from running the ball back from a turnover.  A receiver with sure hands, he is the “go-to” guy for his quarterback. With 34 receptions for 403 yards and four touchdowns this year, he’s been a critical player. You would never pick him in a line up against other bigger players to become such an influential player.  Size isn’t the most important factor, though. And as with football, when it comes to winning a spiritual victory, it’s not your past accomplishments, credentials, talents, worldly possessions, or influence.  What matters most is passion, determination, devotion, perseverance, love, smart plays, and belief that when we show up for practice again and again, the impossible can happen in the game. It takes a willingness to get up early and stay up late, to get on our knees, to get beat up a bit, and to muster the energy in the 4th quarter to push our own limits and face the opponent, who seeks to “kill, steal, and destroy” (John 10:10). He and his team are constantly drawing up game plays to force a spiritual quarterback sack, interception, injury, and overall lack of confidence and belief.    

Interceding for others changes the outcome. It changes the energy and momentum of the game of life.  How humbling that we get to commune with a God that is so powerful and personal that He not only answers prayer, but also brings us through a process that results in experiencing Him on a level that stills our heart, gives joy that is untouchable, and provides hope for good to come out of the worst circumstances. Not just hope, but TRIUMPH.  We must seek encouragement by those who will cheer us on in rainy weather and losing slumps.  We may lose some battles, but the final war victory and trophy is what we’re after. We can’t give up.  We must remain disciplined and focused.  We must be “all in.”

Looking back on 2016, I’ve labored in prayer WITH and FOR some folks in desperate circumstances. Often I needed to rest and refuel before going back out on the field.  Sometimes I needed a good inspiring pre-game, half-time, or time-out talk from my Coach and mentors to keep moving the ball one yard at a time down the field.  Then, after many hours, days, and months, I have experienced some of the touchdowns we’ve hoped for. I’ve even done a victory dance in the endzone.  There’s no National Championship ring or trophy, no Heisman nomination, but I’ll take the tears of joy and satisfaction a spiritual victory brings, because when it comes, it’s SWEET.  And it’s ETERNAL.

This is my fight song. I’m just one undersized person that struggles to make the team each day. Let’s build a team together. Let’s create a stir.  Let there be a “Jesus Nation” that rises up to OVERCOME. There is much work to be done.  As a believer in Jesus, we have been given a mandate and have been provided the power and authority to facilitate MIRACLES. In the words of Dabo Swinney, Bring Your Own Guts!  Let’s go for the WIN!  

 “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.”  I Timothy 4:7

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have laid hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:13-14

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:11-12

“And He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”  Luke 10:2

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:19

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”  John 14:12

“With God, all things are possible.”  Matthew 19:26