#Shaka Smart is the man

[slickshoesareyoucrazy]

We're All Mad Here

My favorite week of the year that has nothing to do with J or our son is this week. I love the NCAA tournament. J bought me a live TV service to get all the games and the selection show tomorrow (he does this every year because he loves me; he also tells me to go in the kitchen or he's gonna turn off the games if I get too worked up because he loves me).

I told my best friend of 30+ years that I lived D/s with J and found out he lives it with his partner too, because of tournament week (specifically watching Kentucky play). It went like this:

Me: Fuck! (Kentucky missed a critical shot; they're all critical in March) <starts nervously pacing>

J: You need to go in the kitchen. Or I'm going to change the channel.

Me: But you won't even tell me what's happening. :(

J: Text A. He'll give you the score and the time. You're getting too upset actually watching it. Me: <pout face> J: Kitchen. Text A.

Me to A on text: Hey. J said I'm not allowed to watch the UK game, so can you text me the scores and shit please? I know you're watching.

A: <Score; Time left in half> J said you're NOT ALLOWED to watch? ???

Me: He like...CARES about my health and anxiety and shit. You know. <eye roll>

A: Oh. So the game WAS on. But you're pacing or something.

Me: Yes. Update me.

A: <Score; Time left in half> So...he said stop watching and you just stopped?

Me: Yes.

A: <raised eyebrow emoji>

Me: Look if I could watch UK without having my blood pressure raise, he wouldn't send me in the other room. It's...*loving.*

A: I think I got it. You know S <his partner> is also a UK fan. So she'd never tell me I couldn't watch the game. Because she understands the need to watch it. She just accepts that the cardiac event that eventually kills me will be Wildcat basketball related. That's what you get for marrying a Hoosier (J is from Indiana and he's a car guy; he's not even that into basketball, which is why he can just casually watch tournament games).

Me: Is...S pretty much like J? Except for the Hoosier part? (I know that implication was really subtle, but A and I have known each other for a long time).

A: Yeah. Now you know that. But we've always been kinda leading parallel lives, you and me. <shrug>

Me: O.O !!!!!

A: Are you really that surprised? I wasn't. :)

Me: Not really. :)

I'm watching a local team play against my favorite all time college head coach for a conference championship right now. It's awesome. I'm ready for a bunch of upsets even if UK doesn't get into the bracket this year; even if one of the upsets is UK. I'm ready for Reggie Miller (huge crush since like 1990) calling games. I'm ready for wall to wall games on Thursday and Friday.

Not to be nasty, but fuck Christmas; THIS is the most wonderful time of the year.

[whoishotteranimepolls]

I think I took psychic damage from Nico Robin being called "generic dark-haired anime girl." Maybe this is why your blorbos shouldn't be your waifus.

*Cracks knuckles*

Robin is absolutely amazing ok, I don't even know where to start. If i wasn't already a lesbian when I started watching the show I definitely would have had a gay awakening. I watched it with my friends and when Robin showed up apparently so did my blood pressure because all of my blood veins on my arms and chest popped out against my skin. My friends were Concerned. And when she spoke? I swooned! I practically fell off the sofa. Love at first sight. Good lord the things I would do for this women, to this women, and have done by this women is not something that bears repeating here least we need to exorcise the horny jail. I think Ivankov would have to make a horny jail within horny jail.

Robin is incredibly intelligent, mature, smart, capable and competent. She's the milf mom of the crew and an archaeologist and a historian. She had a horrific and tragic backstory. She learned how to love and laugh and want to live again. She's an incredibly complex, and fun character. She can read ancient languages that no one else knows and is forbidden by the government. She will kill you if you disrespect historical places, artifacts, and relics. She'll also kill you if you mess with her crew. She was identified by Shaka as being one of the most dangerous crew mates along with Zoro who can kill you before you even think about hurting her nakama. I love her morbid sense of humor. Her outfits are amazing, kinda gothic, and sexy. She wears leather jackets without a bra. She wears the shit out of a cowboy hat and corset.

She can crack a full grown mans spine in half like a glow stick. She can not only summon any body part from any surface, but also create clones of herself. There are no worries about her devil fruit backfiring in bed, only advantages.

Oh and her new demonica form? Giant naked devil lady with fangs? Please bite me. Break me. Yeet me into the stratosphere. Holy shit.

For context, they are responding to this post about Robin

Unlike some fandoms, at least the One Piece fandom is self-aware about its thirst levels.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Dr. Worldwide

1108 is pretty great, but it's main content will have to wait because Reiju!? You are *all* over Tashigi and I wish we had Kalifa here to judge if it's sexual harassment or not but either way I do feel this pairing. Thank you Oda for cluing us in on your ships, though I still argue the way Izo/Marco are treated is pretty damn blatant. Nami & Uta are a fun pair too, this is to promote the upcoming Heroines anthology. Good fun. The yorkies are a nice touch, some family members had one for a while.

As for the chapter, it is more or less a shorter one that mostly speaks for itself but ends in a really cool place to break down. First though, take a moment to think about our core ideas from Wano. Chance encounters and the difference between noble & senseless sacrifice.

This was fun! Franky & Bonney are the ones who meet up with the giants. Good use of Franky's wanted poster being weird, it was the Sunny remember? And they seem to have some kind of knowledge of Vegapunk. Makes sense Dorry & Brogy wouldn't know about the very famous Vegapunk because they were on Little Garden for a century. "Scholar" to me seems like the safe bet is Saul, they definitely wouldn't know about any connection to Robin either.

But you know, for all we had of messy chance encounters like this in Wano it's cool to see this one go so smoothly. And it's not like it's an isolated idea. We see Caribou having his own version of this. He's being smart about it too, trying to walk that line of giving just enough info for Catarina & Augur to realize the worth without giving too much so they can just take his annoying ass out here. Overall though it's a lot of these long threads coming together in one chapter which is very cool.

We see the heart monitor flatline before this. Dead man's switch. Niiiice, and it makes sense of Vegapunk here. The angle of wanting to die before the island gets wrecked. This may have even been what Shaka and Dragon spoke about so long ago, or draw from the night before that still remains a mystery. Vegapunk dropping a big truth bomb is the type of thing that can ripple violently. It echoes Roger at the start and Whitebeard at the halfway point. Probably going to be a huge deal.

It's also a perfect vehicle to cutaway again...but we'll have to see about that I guess.

[aangmarble]

Chapter 1089 thoughts

Thank you Oda for not forgetting that Nami's dream is to draw a map of the world. We never really see her working on her sea charts, so little reminders like this one are always welcome

Makino considers Luffy her son's "big bro." Isn't that wholesome.

Also, I hope Luffy and Sabo one day go back to Foosha Village and tell Dadan that everything the government said they did is a lie. Please don't make your mother cry, boys.

I've waited 500 chapters for my man Kizaru to become relevant again. Thank you Oda for making my wishes come true twice this chapter. Now make Kizaru real so he can rearrange my insides

Wholesome Kizaru x Sentomaru x Vegapunk content. Truly there are things we don't know we need until we see them.

York, I wanna like you, I really do. All you wanna do is eat and shit 24/7 and I love that. But for someone who is supposed to be a super genius, you're kind of a stupid fuck. Did you really try to negotiate with the Five Elders without some sort of leverage? You know these people will genocide the shit out of anyone who tries to research the Void Century, yet you went out of your way to tell them the Vegapunks were doing just that? Girl, you are Vegapunk too. Simply telling them you're not interested in the Void Century doesn't mean your ass is safe. Even a toddler would be smart enough to figure that out, yet you're still trying to reason with them even after they tried to kill you. I guess it's because right now you're desperate and you don't have any other options, but you wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't opened your big mouth in the first place.

I'm also gonna need more info on why the Five Elders wanted to kill York if they value the Mother Flame so much. So far it seems both parties involved in this deal are idiots (although we've always known the Five Elders share a single brain cell between them).

I don't know if I like this twist or not. Last time we saw the Straw Hats was like 5 months ago. Shaka was shot in the head, Franky was fucking petrified, everyone was struggling against the Seraphims... So we're gonna have to jump back in time once again to see what the heck happened to get to this point. Normally that'd be fine, but we've been cutting back and forth so many times this arc that it's getting annoying.

Still, I'm glad we're finally back on Egghead. Love me some Vegapunk content and Straw Hats in cute, futuristic outfits.

[gayfanservice]

Okay, so, how do you think Bokuto, Ushijima, Oikawa and Iwaizumi would act with a bf that has social mutism and needs to be touching his s/o while in public. But when they get home or in private he's sleepy but talkative? (My first ask ever! I'm nervous!)

Hello, new anon! Welcome to my gremlin cave, hope you like it!

Bokuto Kōtarō

“Bokuto, if you could stop staring at the door and focus on practice that’d be appreciated.” Akaashi deadpanned as Kōtarō waved him off, “Now, now, Akaashi, someone very special is coming today and I have to make sure I don’t miss it.” He boasted as he looked at Akaashi, the door opening and closing before he looked back, “(Y/N)! When did you get here?!” Your hands were shoved deep in your pockets, shrugging your shoulders as he bounded up to you and hugged you. You hugged back before he let go, only holding your hand now, “Akaashi, you and Konoha are on cleaning duty. Bye!” “Whoa, hold- and he’s gone. Bastard,” Konoha whispered.

“Did you have a good day?” Kōtarō asked as he ever so slightly swung your hands, you nodded, “That’s good, my day was pretty alright. We had a math test today so that sucked, pretty sure I failed it.” He talked the whole way to his house, unlocking the door and letting you in. You took your shoes off, putting on the guest slippers as you walked up to his room. You opened his door and dived into his bed, “Kōtarō, cuddle meee,” He laughed as he hoped into bed beside you, “My little baby all tired from today?” He teased as you buried your head in his chest, “Day was cool, my teacher yelled at a kid for drawing a mustache on himself.” You both laughed, “Hm, tired,”

Ushijima Wakatoshi

You walked up to Wakatoshi, “Hey,” Grabbing his hand, “Good morning, (Y/N), how was your rest?” He asked as you made your way to the cafeteria, “Okay, I’ve had better,” You yawned, “‘M so tired, I wanna nap.” “It’s not smart to sleep during school.” “Has that ever stopped me?” “No,” “Exactly.”

“Goooood morning, (Y/N)!” You sat your plate down beside Wakatoshi’s, nodding at Tendō as you dug in, “Man, you sure don’t talk a lot, huh?” “Don’t be rude!” Semi scolded as he sat down beside him, Reon following. “He talks, just not around you,” Wakatoshi stated, Semi and Reon trying their best not laugh while you hit your chest a couple time, “That was so rude, Ushijima!” Semi squeaked out, trying to hide the big smile on his face, “What? He doesn’t talk around other people, just me.” He took a bit of whatever the school cafeteria gave him, “You didn’t have to say it so rudely!” Your shoulders were shaking while tears came out of your eyes, the giant smile on your face never leaving.

Oikawa Tōru

You were in class taking notes when a crumpled up paper rolled onto your desk, opening it up and seeing ‘hey :)’ written on it. You looked over at Tōru (who was sitting beside you) before quietly laughing to yourself as you wrote back ‘sup’, throwing back to him when the teacher wasn’t looking. It came back, ‘wanna spend luntch with me’ ‘thats not how you spell lunch doofus’ ‘is that a yes or a no’ You sighed, a smile on your face as you nodded at Tōru, “Oikawa, what’s the answer?” You both looked at the teacher, “Uh, 42…?” “Correct,” You snickered to yourself, paying attention to what the teacher was teaching instead of Tōru. He stuck his tongue out at you, you doing it back.

The bell rang as everyone packed their stuff and left, leaving just you two in the empty classroom. “Can’t believe you actually got the answer right. Was sure you were gonna’ fuck it up.” You had your head in one arm while the other connected your pinkies, dangling them between the desks. “Mean, (Y/N)! Do you really have so little confidence in me?” You laughed, “Yeah, I do,” You laughed more as Tōru wore an offended face, “Mean, (Y/N)!”

Iwazumi Hajime

“Hey, (L/N)! Can you set to us?” Hanamaki and Hajime walked up to you as you were drinking, doing a shaka sign as you put down your water bottle and grabbed the cart full of volleyballs. You climbed the ladder and started hitting the balls for them, watching as they chase after them for spikes. ‘Hm, I wonder if hedgehogs like to play catch.’ You thought, tossing another ball for them. ‘Is his hair dyed or is it actually pink? I will not ask.’ You reached for another ball, finding it empty. You stared at it, ‘How did we run out so quick?’ “(L/N), where’s the next ball?” Hanamaki panted, you shrugged as you got off the ladder. “Well, that’s practice. Talk to you tomorrow, we have cleaning duty.” You waved to him.

After Hanamaki left you cleaned up, “Classes were so boring, the teacher was acting like a sloth on antidepressants.” You picked up a ball, “You think she’s a meth addict?” “(Y/N), no, that has nothing to do with anything you just said.” You shrugged tossing the ball into the cart as you hugged Hajime from behind, “I’m tired, hold me.” You wrapped your hands around his neck, “(Y/N), you’re behind me, I can’t.” You groaned as you started sliding down his back, “Whoa- Hey!” “Hajime, carry meee,” you whined from the floor, hearing him sigh before he picked you up, “Baby,” “Yeah,”

[purplehairedwonder]

1067: Look at the Big Brain on Vegapunk

(Oh, you know, just continuing to worry about what’s going on with Law and Blackbeard. NBD.)

Anyway, on to the chapter:

a) lol @ Vegapunk getting tongue-tied on Nomi Nomi no Mi.

b) Luffy just jumping around in the background is adorable.

c) Vegapunk having an intellect-related Devil Fruit is fairly obvious in hindsight. However, he’s not smart just because of the DF, as he notes he was a “born genuis.”

So, Vegapunk’s brain is the internet, and my man has a wifi antenna in his head is what I’m taking from this. (iVegapunk, anyone?)

I mostly included this panel for Luffy’s “You’re a ninja?!” I love him so much.

This otherwise confirms what we seemed to assume about the clones already--that they’re all facets of Vegapunk, and he separated his brain into six satellite bodies to get six times the work done.

So yes, Vegapunk wants to create the internet. (Chopper, stahp, you’re so cute.)

And Jinbei is worried about trolls and shitposting. He knows what’s up.

And then there’s Bonney:

I can’t even blame her. I’d lose my shit if there was a swarm of bugs as well. Meanwhile, Luffy continues to be delighted by beetles, haha.

Oh, and we confirm another theory:

The only reason Momo’s fruit was a failure was the color; Vegapunk is a perfectionist.

The other bit of lore drop this chapter comes in the form of the giant robot.

So, the robot was made 900 years ago but it attacked 200 years ago by climbing over the Red Line. According to the One Piece wiki, the following happened 200 years ago:

The St. Briss leaves from the Briss Kingdom carrying a crew towards the Grand Line. The crew makes it to Skypiea but then vanishes without a trace.

The World Government makes an alliance with Fish-Man Island after centuries of discrimination. The institution of slavery is prohibited by the World Government to secure a peace agreement. Ryugu Kingdom also attended its first Levely, to which it does not attend another until 200 years later.

The Fighting Fish appear near Green Bit.

Are these events connected? Who knows. But it’s worth noting.

Shaka notes that he doesn’t know what the robot’s power source is.

It’s cola, isn’t it?

Anyway, Vegapunk has something he wants to give Bonney (something tied to Kuma, I assume) and wants to leave Egghead.

I have a feeling his desire to leave has something to do with the arrival of these guys:

(I’m cackling at Hattori’s mask.)

I’m curious at the line about Bonney serving her purpose. I wonder if she was a hostage of some kind the WG used to force Kuma to go along with the experimentation. With Kuma having been rescued by the Revolutionaries, she wouldn’t be useful any longer.

It’s hard to imagine CP0 serving as a real challenge to the Straw Hats at this point, so I’m very curious about the role they’re supposed to play here. Does Vegapunk end up dead by the end of the arc?

Speaking of Kuma...

Where are you going? Do you somehow know Bonney is in danger? (Cue sad backstory flashback.)

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1066 - Initial Thoughts

Okay then

This chapter has been a hot topic since Tuesday, and though I was spoiled on 2 images there is still context to be learned

Oda keeps escalating in this arc with dropping Void Century crumbs, how much higher can he go?

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release

Back with Germa for the Cover Story and the Vinsmokes have returned with Caesar to their castle, no doubt they will make lots of evil science together as we find a way to smuggle Baeju away

Also that title already is a lot to unpack...

I knew Robin was gonna go into a frenzy for this, directly asking Shaka about the Void Century

Turns out Ohara theorized about the Ancient Kingdom due to finding a machine with an old manufacture date

Seems that Ohara wasn't silenced for simply researching Poneglyphs, but for positing that the Ancient Kingdom existed

Shaka goes on to note that the Ancient Kingdom fought the 20 Kingdoms that became the World Government. I've always wondered about this one though, because what would force 20 kingdoms to rebel against one? The Ancient Kingdom may not have been so good...

Nevertheless, they were wiped from history so nobody would carry the kingdom's will

Because everyone who learns about it is silenced, Usopp suddenly has the 'I can't hear this lore' disease XD

Shaka meanwhile gets away with it by playing the 'it's only a theory' card, but does note that destroying Ohara is like an admission of guilt

Robin is naturally defensive about Shaka speaking of Ohara, especially since Vegapunk is also part of the WG

Shaka does note though that he never bought into the cover up that Ohara were 'trying to rule the world'

That's because Vegapunk knew Professor Clover, and visited Ohara after the Buster Call

Man young Clover was pretty hardcore; a 'book collector' that got arrested 10 times, and he founded Ohara as a sanctuary for scholars!

Well...that's a lot of hair

Wait, so the Government burned down the big ass tree, but did nothing with the books thrown into the lake for months!?

Learning that more of Ohara's knowledge lives on brings up memories for Robin, causing her to cry

Franky and Nami being the 'Protect Robin's feelings' club by calling out Shaka for making her cry

She does however confirm that Ohara were looking into the Ancient Kingdom, and asks about the books

Seems Vegapunk wanted to bring the books to Punk Hazard, but the WG said no

Flashback time though

Stella body Vegapunk witnesses Giants pulling up the books...and Dragon!

Pre-Tattoo Dragon with a bouquet of flowers, who couldn't miss OG Vegapunk by his gigantic forehead, he also knew Clover...are we entertaining Dragon being Robin's dad? There were some minor theories for it, same for Roger.

No wonder he's so smart he's got more brain capacity than normal folk

The giants didn't come with Dragon too, they came from Elbaf

Dragon also reveals that he did ask Vegapunk to join his freedom fighters (not an army at the time), but Vegapunk decided to choose the Government funding

It's not to say though that he's on their side, just that some in the navy are at least who can 'understand' him

Seems that Ohara was the tipping point for Dragon too, who Vegapunk claims hates violence, as he decides to build an army to change the world

It's been a long ass time but there's finally a panel of Dragon where I can actually see a bit of Luffy in him

Seems Dragon, Iva and Kuma were the OG 3 Revolutionaries too, much to the group's surprise. Sanji didn't even know that Iva was a Revolutionary, Robin didn't know that Dragon knew Clover, Usopp's hearing returned to notice Elbaf and Franky asks about Kuma

Vegapunk then went to Elbaf to read the books anyway

Wait...That looks like...but it can't be!

Not sure if 'all in my head' means Shaka's head or every Vegapunk

Robin asks if the Giant was Saul, Shaka doesn't confirm but says he's 'in hiding', which I guess will mean Elbaf

I'm not sure if it is Saul, I mean if it is then Aokiji saved two lives on Ohara and that's pretty cool of him (pun intended), but when we met Saul he made a point of telling Robin that he's not like the Elbaf giants, so why would he be working with Elbaf giants?

Still relieved tearful Robin will make anyone's heart grow three sizes

Shaka then decides to use the Dom Shoes' magnetics to guide them to something

Back with Team Luffy and Luffy and Chopper are still trying to find a means to ride the ancient mech

Luffy thinks it'd be voice-activated (I feel like this may come back) as Bonney starts to have a minor minor fraction of what Law had to deal with XD

Something does happen with the mech though, they think it's gonna explode but then half a body shows up

I know those tiny legs and giant tongue, that's the Stella body!

Seems that he was trying a warp feature and got stuck halfway

Vegapunk recognizes Luffy as Dragon's son and sees Bonney too - who knows it's him, he's being quite friendly for a guy who turned her dad into a cyborg

Vegapunk's forehead has been reduced, I guess he divided his giant brain into his satellites

The shoes have a hover function it seems, so Luffy and Chopper immediately try it and go too high

Well, that was a lot

Like I knew the Void Century would mean Robin will be more involved in the plot but we're potentially getting Saul back (though the Elbaf stuff is still making me sceptical that it's Jaguar D. Saul) I'm sure Franky will get his time to make it his arc eventually.

Dragon being nonviolent but being triggered by Ohara is an interesting origin for his Revolutionary Army at least, the more we learn about him the more Luffy-like we're getting.

The Stella body was a design I wasn't expecting, from the giant head to the giant tongue and chicken legs. The apple head could be a Newton reference in his older form, but it looks like Bonney's gonna go off on him next chapter. Whatever Shaka's leading the other group to is gonna be big I feel, but it does feel like Zoro and Brook may be left high and dry for a bit.

But still that was so much stuff, this arc is already becoming top tier, Oda really has taken off the kid gloves.

[obx-saltlife]

sticky icky (vi)

(gif credit @toesure) the aftermath... word count: 2.3k warnings: drinking, cursing, etc. JJ Maybank x reader masterlist | chapter 4 | chapter 5

CHAPTER SIX

“How was your weekend, girl?”

Sydney looked away from the bikini rack she was sifting through to look into her best friend’s eyes. She laughed before letting a shrug take over her shoulders.

“It was alright.” She offered, simply. “I worked all weekend so nothing exciting went down.”

“Where’s your man at?”

Sydney simply rolled her eyes before shrugging again and looking uncomfortable. You noticed the pang of pain flash through her eyes but Sydney was just as good as hiding her feelings as you were. You gave her a dull look before raising your eyebrows and using your best friend Jedi mind trick.

“We broke up, alright?”

“When?!”

“Like, a week ago. I don’t fucking know.” Sydney said, throwing her arms around. “Maybe longer, I lost track.”

“How do you lose track?”

“We’re always fucking breaking up and then making up so I can’t pinpoint the exact day.” She started, looking into your eyes with a tired look on her face.

“What happened?”

“The usual, he’s a man-child and I refuse to be the mother of a 24 year-old man.”

“And why did it stick this time?”

Sydney simply shrugged her shoulders before turning her back on you in hopes she could hide her emotions.

“I wasn’t the first to call back.”

You felt that pain in your heart. You hated to see your friend like this. Sydney and her long-time boyfriend had met three years ago. The relationship had been rocky from the start. He was a child and Sydney had always been the adult. He was constantly hurting her and you couldn’t stand the asshole. To say you were sad to see he was gone would be a lie. You were sad to see Sydney in pain though. You simply wrapped your arm around her before planting a big kiss on her cheek.

“Your ass would look amazing in this.” You picked a bikini off the rack and handed to her.

“Are you coming on to me?”

“Well, yeah,” you said with an over exaggerated smirk and wink combination. “I thought you were into it.”

Sydney let out a laugh before shaking her head with a wide smile. She could always count on you for anything and everything. Many people had their minds made up about you but none of them were necessarily based on any truth. You weren’t some cold-hearted bitch, no matter how many people had been led to believe that. You had a big heart, you were just really picky about who you showed it to.

“So what happened at that birthday party?”

You couldn’t help but smile like an idiot as you thought back to your kiss with JJ. That great kiss you shared with JJ on the dance floor, the same kiss that was followed by probably the most awkward moment of JJ Maybank’s life. You simply let out a laugh before turning to Sydney.

“It was…interesting.”

“Details, por favor!”

“You know that boy that was at the bar with me?”

“Gorgeous, tanned, blue-eyed?”

“Yes, exactly.” You started, with enthusiasm, as you both walked out of the store and continued strolling through town. “Well, he was all bummed out about some ex-girl there. I went and danced with his friend and watched how pathetic he was around her,” you said, trying your hardest to cover your petty jealousy with over-callous remarks. “Well, he looked all flustered and shit so I went and took care of it. Gave the girl the whole ‘I don’t know who you are’ bit and then I took him to the dance floor. She was tripping so hard already, and you know me I can’t just stop there so naturally, I pulled the bitchy move and straight up kissed him.”

“And? How was it?”

“Hilarious,” you said with a laugh as you walked into The Shaka Shack for lunch. “We made out and shit and then I guess he understood what was happening. He pulled away and got all weird and awkward. He started rambling before he disappeared.”

“You got ditched.”

“Pretty fucking much.” You replied with a laugh. “Definitely not used to that.”

“That’s why you’re into him.”

You looked over at Sydney, confused. When you turned your attention to her, all you could do was smirk and flash her a knowing smile. You couldn’t help but to find JJ Maybank attractive, even with his bummed out attitude. You couldn’t help but to find yourself thinking about him. You couldn’t help but to see a JJ lookalike everywhere you went. The two of you walked towards a set of tables and that’s when your eyes were met with his. The pools of icy blue staring right at you and then turning his attention back down towards his plate. You couldn’t help but to laugh as you found your way to the table.

“Well, hello there boys,” you said before pushing the surprised boy to the side. “Fancy seeing you here,” you said, looking over to the awkward boy on your right.

JJ looked you over with an uncomfortable stare. He didn’t know what to say or do. He just stared, hoping you would do all the talking like you usually did.

“Topper, right!” JJ watched you point towards his friend. “Hey,” you added with a smile before leaning over and pressing your lips to his cheek.

“Hello there, Y/N.” Topper offered with a wide smile.

JJ watched as Topper looked away from you to the pretty girl standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and a number in her hand. A clear sign she was waiting on an order. Topper gave her a smile; he was always the ladies’ man, definitely a people-person.

“Hi,” Topper said, looking up at the girl. “Did you want to sit down?”

Topper gave Sydney a smile before scooting over and letting her fall beside him. “Topper,” he added, putting out his hand.

“Sydney.”

“JJ,” the blonde spoke with another awkward smile lifting his hand.

“I know who you are.”

Your eyes bulged at Sydney’s statement before looking over another one of JJ’s smiles.

“So what are guys up to?”

“We just got back from shopping.” You offered with a smile, looking over at Topper. “You know, work uniforms.” You said, looking over at JJ with a wink.

JJ couldn’t hold back the cough that was stuck in his throat. There was something about you that made JJ on edge. Here you were, a gorgeous girl and very confident; the total opposite of Delta in so many ways. JJ didn’t have a smart-ass remark this time around so he simply nodded before taking a sip of his iced tea.

“Did you want to join us?”

JJ looked over at Topper with wide eyes but Topper’s eyes were definitely focusing on something else, or maybe someone else. His eyes were over on the other girl’s face in front of him.  JJ could feel his body tense up at the feeling of your legs against his. He turned his attention towards you and watched the same unamused, unpleased look on your face; JJ just assumed it was because of the scene unfolding in front of you. Even when the food was served to you and Sydney, both Topper and her were deep in conversation. You couldn’t help but to smile at the thought of the two, Topper was a good guy and Sydney needed one of those. You turned your attention to the idiot boy on your right. You gave him a smirk before turning your attention fully to him, the silence was killing you.

“So how have you been?”

JJ turned his attention from the blank wall in front of him, moving his eyes towards you staring intensely at him. He simply just shrugged his shoulders making you laugh.

“Haven’t done anything exciting?” You asked simply, with a devious smirk. “Kissed any hot girls lately?”

JJ’s eyes popped out of their sockets. He felt himself become tense as he let out an awkward laugh, if it could even be called that. He let his attention turn to Topper and Sydney in front of him again, hoping they hadn’t heard a word before turning back to you grinning next to him.

“I haven’t”

“Really? Shame.” You offered a cheeky smile.

“You’re really weird.”

You let out a booming laugh before nodding your head. “I’m not,” adding simply before pointing a finger in JJ’s direction. “You’re the fucking weird one.”

“I’m not the one bringing up awkward situations.”

“Maybank, it was just a kiss,” you said simply, ignoring the fact that the two pairs of eyes across the table were on both of you. “It’s not like we had sex or anything, and even if we had, it doesn’t have to be awkward. Sex is sex, it’s only natural.”

To prove your point, you leaned over and pressed your lips to his once again. A somewhat uncomfortable JJ cut the kiss short. His hands were on your shoulders, as he started into your eyes with confusion. You just smiled in response.

“If you guys wanted us to leave, you could’ve just said so.”

“Shut up, Topper.” JJ said with a hint of annoyance before turning his attention towards you. “You can’t just kiss people whenever you want to.” He added, a little bit of anger bubbling up to the surface of his tone of voice. You didn’t really understand it. “You got Delta all upset the other night.”

“Why?”

“Because she saw us.” He spoke matter-of-factly and you still couldn’t figure out the problem.

“And why is that bad, exactly?”

“I just…I don’t want to upset her.”

“Why the fuck not?”

JJ looked over at you, wholeheartedly confused. “Because I care about her.” He added, as you stared at him, if anything matching his confusion and doubling it.

“I care about Sydney.” You started, pointing at your best friend. “And if she were to turn around and make out with Topper right now, I wouldn’t give a single fuck. I would be stoked for her, considering she’s recently single and in need of a good guy.” You finished, looking over at the two with a wink, causing them to laugh. “I wouldn’t be upset.”

“That’s different.”

“Does she not have a boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

“Then she shouldn’t care.” You stated, looking over at JJ once again. “If she’s upset, then fuck her.” You continued, looking into his eyes now. “Does she kiss that bird-looking motherfucker?”

“Trey.”

“Yeah.” You offered, without care and surprising JJ while you were at it. “Her boyfriend, the guy with the ugly ass nose and the shitty stick & pokes known to man?” You rattled on, pulling a loud laugh out of Topper.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, that’s him or yeah, she kisses him?”

“Both.”

“And do you think, she tells Trey not to kiss her because it upsets you?” You asked pointedly as JJ looked over at you with wide eyes, shaking his head with a little sadness. “Then you’re allowed to kiss whoever you want.” You finished with a laugh. “Well, more like I’m allowed to kiss whoever I wanted to kiss.”

JJ Maybank nodded his head, agreeing to what you meant. He was upset that Delta was upset. Much like the past months of his life went, everything revolved around her. His love for her overruled most of his life. He couldn’t help but to love her and get upset when she was upset, but it was healthy; he reasoned. His blue eyes looked up at you before nodding your head. You were definitely right, but JJ was not about to admit that shit out loud.

“You wanted to kiss me?”

You couldn’t help but to laugh before shaking your head at him. “I wouldn’t have kissed you if I didn’t want to, you idiot.” You added a seductive smile, causing JJ to twitch with a laugh.

“And you don’t find Trey attractive?”

“Trey?”

“Delta’s boyfriend?” He said, like it hurt him to even talk about him.

You noticed and there was the same aura of hurt feelings around him. You shook your head with another laugh. “He is… not good-looking,” you looked in his direction, making a point of looking into his eyes. “You’re the good-looking one, Maybank.”

JJ couldn’t help but to blush at the statement.

The four of you sat there in a sufficiently comfortable lunch date, just talking and getting to know each other.

Sydney was most definitely infatuated by the boy to the left of her. His eyes and scruffy face were gorgeous and that crooked smile of his was contagious. Sydney couldn’t help but stare at the boy, studying his features. Sydney needed to know more about him and you were her outlet.

Similarly, Topper was very attracted to the girl sitting next to him. She was adorable and he couldn’t stop looking at her. For obvious reasons, his eyes were always on her. Her long legs and amazing curves were killer but what hooked Topper straight away was her smile. He needed to know more about her and JJ Maybank was his outlet.

You couldn’t help but constantly look at the blue-eyed boy next to you. There was something about him, something that was different than all other guys. It couldn’t be the fact that he wanted nothing to do with you or the face that he was actually different from any other man you’d been attracted to. He thought different, he looked at life differently. It wasn’t just about sex for him. He wanted more from a girl, something that you probably couldn’t give him. JJ was still in love with his ex-girl and that was making him far more appealing to you. You had a thing for things that were unattainable. You loved the chase.

JJ was still in love with Delta. You were far from his mind, but definitely worming your way into his heart.

taglist: @moldisgoodforyou @oopmyheartwent-obx @bibliophilewednesday @beautyandthebleh @sexualparkour @danicarosaline @jjmayuseme @x-lulu @alternativehp @heykarsyn @ultranikilove @teamnick @sweetlysilent @itsagurl​ @skiesofthesketchy​

[elencelebrindal]

Honest Opinion - Scorpio Milo (Hades)

Buckle up, this is going to be a roller coaster of emotions.  Also yes, the Italian dub kept his Italian classic name, Scorpio, though his voice actor changed (his main and best one, Enrico Carabelli, unfortunately passed away).

Overall score (character, not looks): 20/10 Can you tell I love him? Good.

Hades Chapter: Sanctuary

Overall score: 20/10

If you’re thinking “hey, this is not a honest opinion if you play favorites like this”, think again. In this series Milo was one of the absolute best characters I’ve ever seen.  His personal growth and characterization since the classic series was absolutely spot on, and he never got involved into any shenanigans.  But let’s start from the beginning. 

Kanon’s redemption.  One of the best scenes I’ve ever seen in this entire franchise, especially regarding the behavior of its characters. The only thing I was pissed off at was the fact that people not familiar with the manga (I’m talking about Kanon saving Athena from Poseidon) might not get what the hell was really going on with Kanon being so ready to protect Athena.  And that’s it.  Milo was so good in this part. I loved how, instead of following Athena’s request from the get go, he wanted to make sure Kanon wasn’t dangerous. I loved how his personality showed through, as he attacked him to get him out of the Sanctuary dead or alive.  It’s not like he was disobeying Athena; he knew Kanon wanted to kill her and almost succeeded, so it makes sense he was angry as all hell at him. 

And all his dialogues... with the Italian dub making every line somewhat solemn, this scene was amazing. Milo’s internal monologue about Kanon not responding to his attacks was absolutely beautiful, and you could tell the exact moment he stopped seeing Kanon as an enemy and started testing his resolution.  I think the whole ordeal showed us how clever and smart Milo actually is, how faithful to his goddess he can be, and how high he holds the standards of a Gold Saint.  It got to the point I didn’t even know if Milo wanted to really kill him or if he was bluffing. I loved that. 

Him telling Kanon something along the lines of “I don’t see any traitors here, only a battle companion” was the last bit of dialogue I needed from him to decide he is the best of all the twelve Gold Saints objectively. This is the Italian quote:

Non vedo alcun traditore qui, ma solo un compagno di battaglia. Si chiama Kanon di Gemini, un coraggioso Cavaliere d'oro

He not only let Kanon live, but he forgave him and recognized him as one of his fellows. That is so genuinely kind and understanding, I can’t even comprehend this level of acceptance. He saw the good in Kanon’s heart, and decided “hey, maybe we could get along”. That might be the best thing I’ve ever witnessed a character on Saint Seiya do (aside from Shun). 

And now, onto the fight against the resurrected Saints.  Can I bring to your attention, right off the bat, how painful had to be for him? I didn’t bring this up with Mu and Aiolia because none of them had any particular ties with those three (if anything, Aiolia should have been deadly mad at Shura and Saga), but Milo? I’m not bringing any kind of shipping and/or fanon stuff into this, but Milo and Camus are canonically (thanks to the classic anime, so from then onward) very close friends.  Would you even dare telling me that Milo, upon seeing his friend (who was previously killed by Hyoga and by his own decision to let Hyoga go) sided with Hades, took it lightly and without a care in the world. I know that entire fight showed us a - mostly - indifferent and angry Milo, but seriously. If your best friend died, and you suddenly see him fighting against you, would you be that indifferent?

Yeah, I thought so.  But I loved that they showed Milo as angry. Even if there hasn’t been a care in the world for any kind of other realistic reactions, I thoroughly enjoyed (and by enjoyed I mean I was looking at the screen with the most heartbroken expression I could muster) it.  Also, let’s not forget he was mad about Shaka’s death as well.  And he was clever  - and a tad bit suicidal to be honest - enough to suggest using the Athena Exclamation to retaliate the resurrected Saints’ attempt at fighting back using it again.  Reasonable? Absolutely not (which is kind of a good thing, because have you ever been reasonable while hurt?). Effective? Hell yeah. 

And this brings us to the very next scene, when Athena gave up her life. I’m not going to lie, I was a little upset at Milo here.  And at the other Gold Saints. I think I forgot to talk about this in their entries... They literally saw Athena willingly hand the gold dagger to Saga and willingly accept her death, but still wanted to kill their “enemies”.  But as much as I’m upset, I’m also understanding of that reaction; they were so hurt, Milo maybe even more than them, that I get why their reaction was to obliterate who led to Athena’s death.  God, that scene of Milo crying while strangling Camus destroyed me. More so because I kept thinking “is he crying just because Athena died or is he crying also because he had to kill Camus?”.  I don’t think my over-emotional stressed-over-exams brain took it well. 

Damn, i just loved how Milo’s personality played a huge role in this thing. 

But are we done? Nope. There’s still the fight against Rhadamanthys. There’s still the amount of determination he put into that futile attempt at defeating him.  Milo put his life on the line to protect the Bronze Saints and give them enough time to reach the Underworld, knowing he wasn’t going to survive with his cosmo completely drained.  It’s the same thing I said for Mu and Aiolia, but with him... I don’t know, with the amount of emotional pain he has to have gone through, that seemingly selfless decision didn’t look like that selfless. My mind took the darkest turn it could have ever taken and told me “what if he doesn’t care if he dies, at this point, since he has really nothing to lose anymore?” and I just... you know the windows xp error sound? That’s the sound my brain made. 

Anyways, he went straight to Hell, so everything’s just an assumption.

Hades Chapter: Inferno

Overall score: 20/10

Same thing for him: he gave up his life in order to save Athena and the world, so that full score is fully deserved. It’s a 20 because my opinion is honest but also biased by my love for him. I gave everyone else full points, leave me alone if I want to cheat my own system every once in a while. 

Also, can we appreciate how happy he looked? How proud he was of what he accomplished as a Saint? This man was about to sacrifice his life, yet he still smiled. This can also be said of the other Gold Saints, it’s an incredible detail.  Milo already had a special place in my heart, but this series made me love him even more. 

[aion-rsa]

Biggest Movie Traitors and Backstabbers in Cinema

https://ift.tt/3u8zB6p

Last week, as part of the streaming service’s ongoing plan to bring Warner Brothers’ slate of theatrical releases to audiences at home HBO Max premiered Judas and the Black Messiah on the same day it opened in theaters. Directed by Shaka King, the incendiary historical drama centers on the rise of Fred Hampton, the charismatic Black Panther Party leader, and his tragic betrayal at the hands of FBI informant William O’Neal.  Daniel Kaluuya stars as Hampton, a scorched-earth performance that attempts to recreate the magnetism and magma-like intensity of the revolutionary figure, but Kaluuya is somehow not the star of the film.

The film’s true protagonist is O’Neal, played by LaKeith Stanfield. After getting himself into some hot water, O’Neal is propositioned by FBI agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) to either infiltrate the Black Panther Party and report back on his findings or face jail time. At first O’Neal seems to luxuriate in the kickbacks he’s given by Mitchell for his intel but he quickly learns how dangerous it is to lead a double life. O’Neal also has to try to reconcile betraying the very movement he’s spent real time and energy trying to build.

Stanfield’s performance is filled with queasy anxiety and paranoia but also cockroach-like survival tics. It’s an all-time great turncoat performance, worthy of the biblical reference in the film’s title. To honor Stanfield’s turn as “Wild” Bill O’Neil, here’s a countdown of some of cinema’s greatest backstabbers.

Fredo Corleone – The Godfather Part II (1974)

Fredo Corleone, the least intelligent and most ineffectual of Don Vito’s children, has become something of a pejorative term used against anyone deemed to be the lesser sibling in a famous family. Played with a sense of melancholy and knowing pity by esteemed character actor John Cazale, Fredo’s betrayal of his brother Michael is due more to petty jealousy than it is to Machiavellian scheming or dreams of leading the Corelone Crime Family.

As the character pathetically rages, “‘Send Fredo off to do this. Send Fredo off to do that. Let Fredo take care of some Mickey Mouse night club somewhere’… I can handle things! I’m smart! Not like everybody says!” The worst part about Fredo’s actions against his family is that it’s unclear if Fredo actually knew what was being planned against his brother or whether he was just blindly jumping at the opportunity to be important and have something for himself.

Lando Calrissian – Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Perhaps the most lovable backstabber on the list, Lando at least shows some backbone and tries to make up for his nearly unforgivable alliance with the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader. While serving as Baron Administrator of Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back, Lando is visited by Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett and told to help trap his old friend Han Solo and the Rebels seeking sanctuary in Cloud City in exchange for the safety of the city’s citizens.

After selling his friend out, Lando has a change of heart when he overhears Han being tortured and realizes that Vader and the Empire were already reneging on their promises. He helps Leia and Chewbacca escape, and is able to evacuate Cloud City before the Empire is able to retaliate. Later he participates in the near-incompressible plot to rescue Han Solo and serves as a key general in the Rebel Alliance. Still, even back when he’s on the wrong side of the fight, Billy Dee Williams is able to turn Lando an appealing character, making his eventual redemption that much sweeter.

Henry Hill – Goodfellas (1990)

Ray Liotta plays the ultimate rat. After a long and fruitful career as a capo for local boss Paulie Cicero, Henry Hill’s mafia lifestyle comes to a final, screeching halt after he’s arrested by narcotics agents while trying to facilitate unapproved drug deals with his Pittsburgh associates. Henry’s good friend Tommy jokingly posits that Henry would crack under questioning earlier in the film, but Henry’s damning testimony against his associates Jimmy Conway and Paulie is all about survival: Henry knows that if he doesn’t cover his own ass, Jimmy will have him and his wife killed.

Read more

Culture

The Real Goodfellas: Gangsters That Inspired the Martin Scorsese Film

By Tony Sokol

Movies

The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone Proves a Little Less is Infinitely More

By Tony Sokol

Becoming the very thing that mafioso’s hate most of all, Henry turns on his friends and is forced into the witness protection program. All Henry ever wanted was to be a gangster, but in the protection program, he’s reduced to “an average nobody. I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.” It’s a fate that may be worse than death for him.

Mr. Orange – Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Arguably the villain of the story, depending on who’s side you’re on, Mr. Orange is actually L.A.P.D. undercover cop Freddy Newandyke. Looking to bring down crime boss Joe Cabot, Mr. Orange infiltrates his crew and takes part in diamond heist gone bad. In the ensuing chaos, Mr. Orange is shot and ends up killing an innocent civilian in retaliation. Played by Tim Roth, Mr. Orange screams and cries as he believes he’s fatally wounded, but it’s also possible that he’s airing out the guilt he feels in letting his undercover operation get so out of hand.

Without going into all of the bloodshed in the conclusion of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, Mr. Orange’s double agent status is so sound that it eventually leads to the demise of almost all of Cabot’s colorful crew, and Orange then feels compelled to confess his deception, resulting in an ambiguous ending that most believe concludes with his death.

Dennis Nedry – Jurassic Park (1993)

Wayne Knight’s Dennis Nedry is probably the most cartoonish Benedict Arnold of the bunch, and if you think about it, the only human antagonist in the original Jurassic Park film, if you’re not counting short-sighted, megalomaniacal John Hammond. The slovenly Nedry is chief architect of the computer system at the fledgling Jurassic Park theme park, and he’s miffed by perceived low pay. So he decides to take an offer from Lewis Dodgson (“DODGSON, WE GOT DODGSON HERE!) of rival biotech company Biosyn to steal embryos of 15 dinosaur species in exchange for $61,500,000.

To make his grand escape with the embryos, Nedry shuts down the park’s security systems, including the electric fences surrounding the dinosaur paddocks. He also uploads a self-aggrandizing computer virus to prevent the systems from being quickly turned back on. However, a perfect combination of his own harebrained scheme and a nasty storm leaves Nedry stranded and at the mercy of a young Dilophosaurus. It does not end well.

Cypher – The Matrix (1999)

Cypher’s betrayal of the Nebuchadnezzar crew in The Matrix is pretty easy to see coming, and not just because the character is played by Joe Pantoliano, who’s portrayed many malcontents throughout his career. Cypher being a red pill dabbler and wishes he had taken the blue pill instead. He also outwardly makes his disapproval of Morpheus known throughout the movie. Using “ignorance is bliss” as his mantra, he strikes a deal with Agent Smith to return him to the Matrix and erase his memory of ever awakening from it in exchange for selling Morpheus out.

Read more

Movies

The Matrix 4 Already Happened: Revisiting The Matrix Online

By John Saavedra

Movies

Jurassic World: Top Jurassic Park Deaths by Dinosaurs

By David Crow

After tipping Smith off to a meeting with the Oracle, Cypher goes full villain and unflinchingly kills Dozer, Apoc, and Switch before finally being stopped and killed. At least he’s free from the reality he hated so much.

“Mad Eye Moody” (aka Barty Crouch Jr.) – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

What’s a bigger betrayal: Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr. revealing that he’s been impersonating Alator “Mad Eye” Moody for the entirety of Harry Potter’s fourth year at Hogwarts, or Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling revealing herself to be a transphobe, betraying many of the themes of her beloved book series? We’ll leave that one to you, dear reader.

However, Barty Crouch Jr. (David Tennant before he was the Doctor) memorably betrays Harry Potter and the Hogwarts community by using the Polyjuice Potion to impersonate the former Auror and ensure that Harry would get into the Triwizard Tournament and ascend to the Third Task, which was a trap to help Lord Voldemort return to a body of his own. At least the real Mad Eye didn’t actually turn his back on those that revered him (like Rowling).

Colin Sullivan – The Departed (2006)

The biggest rat in a film full of “gnawing, cheese-eating fucking rats,” Sgt. Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is the criminal counterpoint to Leonardo DiCaprio’s undercover cop Billy Costigan, an undercover gangster who serves as the personal mole to Irish mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson).

Played with smarm and cowardice by Damon, Sullivan eventually double crosses the police and Costello when he discovers that Costello is an FBI informant—a rat leading rats. Scared but trying to retain his high-ranking job, Sullivan misguidedly tries to position himself as a hero and tie up all loose ends, resulting in a shocking, bloody finale that finds cocky Colin Sullivan miraculously as the last man standing. Or at least the last man standing for the moment, as a final, forgotten loose end returns to give the audience what they want; another dead rat.

Robert Ford – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

Well, it’s all right there in the title, innit? Played with a jealous, insecure bent by a creepy (in multiple ways) Casey Affleck, Robert Ford starts off as a Jesse James fanboy, desperate to join the outlaw’s gang with his brother Charlie (Sam Rockwell). When he finally gets close to the mythical criminal (a shadowy Brad Pitt), Bob begins to resent the man, eventually brokering a deal with the Governor of Missouri to either capture or kill Jesse James in exchange for a substantial bounty and full pardon.

Read more

Movies

Hamilton: The Real History of the Burr-Hamilton Duel

By David Crow

Movies

News of the World Review: Tom Hanks Western Has Rugged Warmth

By David Crow

Bob Ford cozies up to Jesse James even further, eventually earning the man’s complete trust, before cowardly shooting the man in the back—although in the film both carry an air of expectation that it needs to happen. Ford then lives out the rest of his days known as the coward punk that betrayed Jesse James until his eventual murder.

Aaron Burr – Hamilton (2020)

Close knit allies but ideological opposites, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton both fought in the Continental Army for independence from the British. However, when it came time to actual govern the new country that they fought to begin, the men drifted apart.

It’s unfair to call Burr the only backstabber in this relationship, because both men betray their former friend. Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.) becomes jealous that Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda) constantly has George Washington’s ear, and switches political parties to defeat Hamilton’s father-in-law in an election, ending their mutual admiration.

Burr also inadvertently pressures Hamilton to publicly reveal an affair, which strains the rivals’ relationships even further. However, when Hamilton endorses Thomas Jefferson (Daveed Diggs) in the third presidential election, a man that he doesn’t even like, to block Burr’s political malleability from the presidency, it becomes the final straw for Burr, who challenges Hamilton to a duel. In the ensuing gunfight, Hamilton throws away his shot, and Burr seals his fate to be remembered as the villain who killed Alexander Hamilton.

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[blackontelevision]

BLACK TELEVISION SHOWS

The following is an exhaustive list of all the Black american TV shows in existence, their current status and–for some–where you can even watch/show support. Any links provided are legal. Check regularly for updates!

   ONGOING

All American (new CW show, latest episodes here)

American Soul (BET, airing in 2019)

Atlanta (FX )

Ballers (HBO)

Being Mary Jane (BET, series finale incoming)

Black-ish (ABC, latest episodes here)

Black Lightning (CW, latest episodes here)

Carl Weber's The Family Business (airs tuesday nights on BET)

Dear White People (Netflix)

Empire (FOX, season 5 online here)

Family Time (Bounce TV, airs on monday nights)

Giants (watch here)

Greenleaf (OWN)

In Contempt (BET)

In the Cut (Bounce TV)

Insecure (HBO)

Last Call (Bounce TV, premieres January 7 at 9pm eastern)

Pose (FX)

Power (STARZ)

Queen Sugar (OWN)

Random Acts of Flyness (HBO)

Saints & Sinners (Bounce TV)

She's Gotta Have It (Netflix)

Snowfall (FX)

Star (FOX, season 3 online here)

Tales (BET, renewed for a second season)

The Chi (SHOWTIME)

The Haves and The Have Nots (OWN)

The Last O.G. (TBS, episodes available here)

The Paynes (OWN)

 PAST

30s

The Ethel Waters Show

40s

Amanda

The Bob Howard Show

50s

The Amos 'n' Andy Show

The Hazel Scott Show

The Nat 'King' Cole Show

60s

Della

Julia

The Bill Cosby Show

The Leslie Uggams Show

The Sammy Davis Jr. Show

70s

Baby... I'm Back!

Barefoot in the Park

Fat Albert

Get Christie Love!

Good Times

Grady 

Harlem Globetrotters 

Roll Out

Roots

Sanford and Son

Sanford Arms  

Shaft

Soul Train

That's My Mama

The Fosters

The Jackson 5ive (episodes are here)

The Richard Pryor Show

The Super Globetrotters

What's Happening!! (Watch here)

What's Happening Now!!

80s

227 (Watch here)

A Different World 

A Man Called Hawk

Amen

Charlie & Co.

Checking In

Diff'rent Strokes (Watch here)

Ebony/Jet Showcase

Family Matters

Frank's Place 

Homeroom

Melba 

Sanford (Watch here)

Shaka Zulu 

Snoops

The Arsenio Hall Show 

The Cosby Show

The New Odd Couple

The Redd Foxx Show

90s

704 Hauser

Between Brothers (Watch here)

Built to Last 

Cleghorne! 

Cosby

Cousin Skeeter

Damon

For Your Love

Frank's Place

George

Goode Behavior 

Gullah, Gullah Island

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper

Here and Now

Homeboys in Outer Space

In Living Color

In the House

Linc's

Little Bill

Living Single 

Kenan & Kel 

Malcolm & Eddie (Watch here)

Martin

Me and the Boys

Minor Adjustments 

My Brother and Me

Moesha 

New Attitude

New York Undercover

On Our Own

Out All Night

Roc

Sister, Sister

Smart Guy 

South Central 

Sparks 

Sugar and Spice

Townsend Television

Thea

The Chris Rock Show

The Famous Jett Jackson (watch here)

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 

The Good News

The Gregory Hines Show

The Hughleys

The Jamie Foxx Show

The Parent 'Hood 

The Parkers

The PJs

The Royal Family

The Steve Harvey Show (Watch here)

The Wayans Bros.

True Colors

Waynehead

Where I Live

00s

All About the Andersons

All of Us 

Barbershop

Born Again Virgin 

Brothers (Watch here)

Chappelle's Show 

Chocolate News 

Cuts 

Diary of a Single Mom 

Eve

Everybody Hates Chris (entire series here)

Getting Personal

Girlfriends (seasons 2-8 here)

Half & Half

House of Payne 

Like Family

Lincoln Heights 

Love, Inc.

Meet the Browns 

Method & Red

My Wife and Kids

One on One 

Second Time Around

Sherri

Soul Food

Static Shock

That's So Raven

The Bernie Mac Show

The Big House

The Boondocks

The Corner

The Game (entire series here)

The Lyricist Lounge Show

The Proud Family

The Sinbad Show

The Tracy Morgan Show

The Wire  

Wanda at Large

Whoopi

10s

All About The Washingtons

Are We There Yet? 

Black Dynamite 

Black Jesus

For Better or Worse

Hit the Floor

Key and Peele  

Let's Stay Together

Love Is ___

Love That Girl!

Luke Cage

Marlon

Real Husbands of Hollywood

Rebel

Reed Between the Lines

Roots

Shots Fired

State of Georgia 

Superstition

Survivor's Remorse 

The Breaks

The Carmichael Show

The Get Down

The Quad

The Soul Man

Treme 

Uncle Buck

Underground

[slickshoesareyoucrazy]

Selection Show

Yay! Morehead State! I always like seeing the smaller Kentucky colleges get in.

So clearly this year Vermont is my second favorite team. Go Catamounts! Whatever the hell that is.

Why do they always put Duke and Kentucky in the same region? Every year, if at all possible, they try to recreate The Shot; that goddam 1992 game that traumatized us all.

Also I hate that Marquette is in Kentucky's region too. I love Shaka Smart but I'm not going to cheer for him against Kentucky. And of course their first round match is Western. Fffffff. WKU has the best mascot ever. They couldn't have given Western to another 2? They couldn't have put Marquette in a different region? Sheesh. I'll cheer for them gladly against Duke though if they beat Western and UK. Of course I'd cheer for almost anybody against Duke.

Kansas got a 4. Somehow Kentucky got a 3. 🤷 Not complaining but I just don't get it.

Man, that Kent State game was a heartbreaker. Not a part of the selection show, but I felt so terrible for that kid. They just showed where Akron was on the bracket and it made me think about it.

Go St. Peters. I'll be cheering for whoever plays Tennessee this year almost as fervently as I cheer for who plays Duke this year just for you, man. I'm starting to hate the color orange. What's up with that? 😂

One of the Capital One commercials with Chuck and Spike and Samuel L. Jackson this year is a take on That's What Friends Are For. They got Dionne Warwick to sing and everything, man. I swear that's you. 🥹 Not crying watching the damn selection show though. 😝

All the upset conference tournament winners messed up who got in this year. The TV guys won't stop talking about it like it's a disappointment, and I guess it obviously is for the teams who didn't get in. They're talking about 'stolen' bids. But I like that. Best part of March is the underdogs who win. They didn't steal anything. They won. If the teams who supposedly had their bids 'stolen' would have won, then they'd be in. 🤷 Quit yer crying and play some basketball. 🏀😂

I'm watching like you're with me starting Thursday. Be there with bells on. 🔔🔔🔔

[idolplanet-300]

I JUST WANT TO KNOW | Donut | trial 1.3 | re: yua, ATTN: doki & kira

“Woah, woah, wooooooah—!”

Donut’s hands go up as they look around the room. While the vibes were definitely nothing to write home about before, the moment Katsurou spoke things just took a sharp turn down towards shitsville. 

Their lips form into a pout. 

“What’s the deal with all the animosity, man? Ain’t we got enough on our plates without, like, pickin’ them up and spikin’ them at each other’s heads? I’m at least 90% sure none of us want to be here— 95%, even!” 

They tip their head, smiling coming back as they gave a weak shaka. 

“So, like… if you really think it’s the coaches who did this, and they’re in a team against us… then that just means we’re also in a team against them, huh? And the best teams got cohe… heso… they work together, yo!” 

They rub their neck. 

“And, like, if it was one of us… that’s still just one against…” They pause, holding their hand up as if to count. “—a lot, ah haa! I ain’t, like, smart, ya know? But lots of you are. Crazy smart, even! We just gotta put all those smarts together, like mixin’ all the drinks together at the soda fountain to make the ultimate bevvie!” 

They nod wisely, giving everyone a look before their eyes land on Yua. 

They reach up to rub their chin.

“…wait… ya know? Yu’s got a point.”

They look to Doki and Kira then, waving their hand high above their head.

“Hey, hey—! Lil’ dudes! What’s the whole point of this trial thing? Like, can we just all agree to pass and try this a different day?” They purse their lips. “I don’t want to not know what happened to the boss, but… I don’t think this is the best atmosphere for any of this, yeah?”

[basedkikuenjoyer]

With Great Power...

We’ll get back to taking this chapter-by-chapter when 1071 officially drops Sunday. But with this break and a new year I did want to take a chance and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re headed. I started this blog because it felt like I was picking up on something lost in the shuffle. Given the core character and Kabuki framing, it isn’t hard to see how that may be by design. An undercurrent that started with paying a little extra attention to a subtle samurai who’s story was a nigh omnipresent square peg in Wano’s grand tapestry led to seeing the entirety of the New World as a smart, connected tale building toward a moral conclusion. With great power comes great responsibility. Luffy’s reached a level acting rash can cause a lot of collateral damage. I felt this way months before the first post, and I still do today.

Does that mean I’m saying it’s all a Spiderman reference? Hell no! It’s a common enough plot, we’ve already looked at Yu Yu Hakusho doing the same and I’m waaay more inclined to see that as inspiration given we’re learning the lesson through a villain with a splintered personality born out of an inability to control their prodigious power. 

Wait...am I talking Kaido, Big Mom, or Vegapunk? You think anything good comes out of a backstory showing him working with Caesar, Judge, & Queen? That’s not very different than what we’ve talked about with Kiku. Understanding the man differently because we know his associates. Even keeps the idea of novel storytelling techniques, blending cover serial and plot. Kicks off with Pudding pulling double duty and now we’re seeing a flashback on the covers serving as backstory for the main plot. Backstory that has enormous potential to undercut the seemingly harmless “Smartest Man in the World” who’s already doing that pretty well himself. Especially since he went and shunted his good side off into one of seven. Those Sensui nods man...

I’ve seen this idea floating around. Shaka, the “good” personality of Vega’s, being his own kind of traitor. Like Reiju in a way. Something like recognizing the collective is on the precipice of crossing a bridge they shouldn’t. Who knows? Maybe we’ll come to understand this Ancient Kingdom as an entity that needed to fall, even if that fall resulted in a lot of horrors. A lot of this is tied up with a theme of like, the good and bad are necessary. Sometimes things have to go a certain way, Winter is necessary for a beautiful Spring yada yada. What Shanks left us with end of Marineford.

Of course, Wano nudges at that. Almost like showing us a play symbolic of what’s to come (I call it “Pulling an Utena.”) through the Kurozumi explictly and more subtly through leaving that trail hinting at a forlorn undertone to Kiku’s story. Old Wano reaped what it’d sewn. Kiku fit a lovely niche in that similar to “the good one” in her own way. She was always the one who took the samurai ethos so much more earnestly because it’s all she knew. Then starts the arc back where she started, this time grown enough she can take care of herself. So much about her makes sense when you remember she’s someone who had to grow up with Kin’emon’s “wisdom” as her most consistent guiding light.

Water at her roots, I like that way of putting it Denji. We’ve talked a lot about how this quiet thread is blossoming into explicit parts of Egghead. Very, very in line with being part 4 of a Kishotenketsu plot. The point is teasing out the important message from the contrast of what we see before, often using a different setting. For Wano and for everything leading up to it. Dressrosa reduced to rubble, dragging Big Mom into a fight with Kaido. I can’t look at this and feel like I was off in this interpretation of the overall moral. Luffy’s freewheeling headlong into a major incident without even considering the deeper implications. The only thing missing is a clear consequence (Sabaody) or something to subvert it. That’s what we’re racing towards. That said, every time I turn this all over I keep finding myself going back to that damn bath scene...

It’s not just opening up a little, y’know? That’s interesting in and of itself, to slide that into the context. Not showing us a reaction to losing Izo, being one of the ones quietly with the Straw Hats in the interim, a conspicuous absence from the fight steeped in themes from your intro as it pounds this idea people who are about to leave shouldn’t be here. Hell, even being the only time we let the blatant foils cross paths. It makes the bath the only time she’s the focus of a post-raid scene. And now that I’ve had time...it’s saying a lot. Not just sprinkling in that “shame” motif pretty shortly after Kin’s haunting “shame is as heavy as death” line, as a rule we didn’t see Kiku say much about the old days. Especially not her own role in them. Here’s pretty much the only time. Behind the smile it’s being open about that implication; an example of how that role hurt you. Our prelude to the arc was Marco hinting at some of the same with Whitebeard.

I guess this is why I can see the arc we’re seeing and still wonder. When I first had that inkling about Kiku I was looking at the contrast with Yamato. This was right when he got his backstory. It reinforced a desire to be accepted by Wano that built well towards the conclusion we ultimately got for him. The reason I liked the idea of Kiku doing the opposite though was how well it meshes with this big picture. If Luffy doesn’t learn to wield this power responsibly, there’ll probably be more Dressrosas in his wake. Someone who could match Big Mom’s pace a little better could’ve changed everything at the end of Fishman Island. There’s a better way, and Wano kicks off with someone impressing Luffy by showing that. Someone who happens to be related to the one trying to get Ace to see the same. An end like that could tie together so much. Elements of Sanji & Pudding on Totland, Kyros & Rebecca, Monet, Otohime all in our window to Wano. There’s this harmony between learning to slow down and take stock of the potential consequences of your actions mixed with plucking out a valuable relationship forming underneath flashier circumstances. Both require that skill highlighted with Katakuri. Maintaining composure and focus. A little foresight goes a long way in both cases.

We’re laying it on thick. Luffy has grown to a point he’s no longer just some punk kid with big dreams. The world rocks in his wake. People are latching onto his distorted legend and trying to force their aspirations along. With Vegapunk spelling out the potentially destructive implications with Yamato. “Not the type to follow others.” That initial thought was this kind of final recruit makes sense because it’d open up this kind of story. Now I’m seeing the story and well, that gap still seems to be there. That lesson crystallizing. These two are the ones we’ve seen so casually get Luffy to stop and take stock in critical situations. One that princess we’ve kept up with since so early, currently on the run. The other the culmination of people we’ve met since the crew disbanded at Sabaody, who left a weird arc being suspiciously quiet after starting it in a way that shows Luffy doesn’t mind her casually tagging along with his adventures.

That’s what I’m still watching going into 2023. And with each passing chapter it still feels like something worth doing so.

[her-culture]

Oscars 2021: Predictions of the Nominations

Hollywood’s biggest night, the Academy Awards, informally known as the Oscars, is a prestigious awards ceremony that recognizes artistic and technical merit in the film industry. Initially scheduled for February, the awards ceremony was delayed until April due to coronavirus restrictions. Although the global pandemic presents some challenges, the organizers hope to hold an in-person ceremony as they have done years prior (the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, where the ceremony traditionally occurs, has 3,400 seats, and the organizers are still considering the number of people that will be allowed inside the theater).  

The predicted nominations for the 2021 Oscars are:      

Best Picture:

Nomadland

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Mank

Da 5 Bloods

Judahs and the Black Messiah

Soul

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Minari

One Night In Miami

 The Father

According to critics and media, Nomadland won four awards at this year’s National Society of Film Critics Awards, including this category, best cinematography, best director, and best actress. Thus it is most likely that it will win this category. However, David Fincher’s Mank is full of glamour; for many others, it is the early frontrunner to lead in the Oscars race. A one-third major contender in the race is, One Night In Miami, with the film being tapped to compete in several major categories.  

Best Director:

Chloe Zao — Nomadland

Aaron Sorkin — The Trial Of The Chicago 7

Regina King- One Night In Miami

Shaka King — Judas And The Black Messiah

David Fincher — Mank

Chloe Zao is the frontrunner in this category as she has won various awards for best directing on her film Nomadland and her movie has swept prizes from award shows during this past year. However, Regina King’s leading of her film One Night In Miami was fantastic, as her adeptness at capturing the compelling performances while keeping the film cinematic and powerful was striking. Known for his ability to direct influential movies, David Fincher is the third contender in this race for leading Mank. This is one of his many nominations throughout the years in this category.

Best Actress:

Andra Day — The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Viola Davis — Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Frances McDormand — Nomadland

Carey Mulligan — Promising Young Woman

Vanessa Kirby —Pieces of a Woman

Viola Davis is taking the lead in this category for her performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. If she grabs the award for best actress, she will make history the most nominated black actress in Oscar history. However, Carey Mulligan is the second leading contender for this category for her performance in Promising Young Woman. In my opinion, she played such a powerful character that could give her an Oscar. The third runner-up is Frances McDormand, for her acting in Nomadland. She has received rave reviews for her performance in Nomadland, as she connects to material in a way not many actors can express. 

   Best Actor:

Chadwick Boseman — Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Anthony Hopkins — The Father

Delroy Lindo — Da 5 Bloods

Gary Oldman — Mank

Riz Ahmed — Sound of Metal

The leading contender in the Best Actor category is Riz Ahmed, on his Sound Of Metal performance. Enthusiasm for his performance increased as general audiences started seeing it. The second leading contender is Anthony Hopkins for his performance in The Father. Hopkins is a strong Best Actor contender for his poignant portrayal of a struggling man with dementia. The third leading contender, aside from Ahmed and Hopkins, is Delroy Lindo for his Da 5 Bloods performance. Lindo captivated a fantastic performance as Paul, a Trump-loving Vietnam Vet, leaving critics clamoring for more.

Best Supporting Actress:

Amanda Seyfried — Mank 

Olivia Colman — The Father

Ellen Burstyn — Pieces of a Woman

Maria Bakalova — Borat: Subsequent Movie film

Youn Yuh-Jung — Minari

This category has many talented groups of actresses. The leading contender in the Best Supporting Actress category is Maria Bakalova for her performance in Borat: Subsequent Movie Film. She was a frequent target of praise when the film premiered last month. The second leading contender in this category is Amanda Seyfried for her performance in Mank. As the most prominent female in David Fincher’s biopic about writer Herman Mankowitz’s time in Hollywood, she has emerged as a compelling choice for Best Supporting Actress. The third leading contender is Youn Yuh-Jung for her performance in Minari. If nominated, she would become the first Korean nominee for an acting Oscar in academy history. Currently, her scene-stealing performance in Minari is building Oscar Buzz.

    Best Supporting Actor:

Daniel Kaluuya — Judas and the Black Messiah

Sacha Baron Cohen — The Trial of the Chicago 7

Leslie Odom, Jr. — One Night in Miami

David Strathairn — Nomadland

Paul Raci — Sound of Metal

The leading contender in the Best Supporting Actor category is Leslie Odom Jr. for his One Night In Miami performance. According to GoldDerby, twenty-six experts have Odom pegged to receive his first Oscar nomination for the performance. Aside from his acting performance in the movie, he could also land a nomination for Best Original Song for his singing performance. The second leading contender in the race is Sacha Baron Cohen for his performance in The Trial Of The Chicago 7. Like Odom, Cohen plays a real-life figure and engages in a number of philosophical debates and the best way to affect progressive change in the face of racism, fascism, and authoritarianism. The fact that Cohen has multiple award-worthy contenders on his resume this season likely dings his front-runner potential. The third leading contender is Daniel Kaluuya, on his performance in Judahs and the Black Messiah. Kaluuya has the structural Oscar bones of an acting winner, as he would make history becoming the youngest Black actor to receive two acting nominations if nominated. 

      Best Original Screenplay:

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Da 5 Bloods

Mank

Minari

Promising Young Woman

The leading contender for the Best Original Screenplay category is Promising Young Woman, written by Emerald Fennell. The film is about Cassandra, a medical school drop who is cunning, smart—and secretly living a double life by night, which is given a chance to right her wrongs after meeting someone. Fennell’s biggest competition is Minari, however, which was written by Lee Isaac Chung. Minari is about a Korean-American family who moves to an Arkansas farm to search for their own American dream. The third leading contender is Mank, written by David Fincher. The film is set in 1930s Hollywood and set through a screenwriter’s eyes, Herman J. Mankiewicz, who races to finish his film Citizen Kane.

 Best Adapted Screenplay:

Nomadland

The Father

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

First Cow

One Night in Miami 

The first leading contender in the Best Adapted Screenplay category is, Nomadland, written by Chloe Zao. Nomadland has gotten much praise overall; consequently, it is predicted to score a nomination. The story follows a widowed woman who lost everything from the Great Recession who embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad. However, Nomadland’s biggest competition is One Night In Miami, written by Kemp Powers. One Night In Miamiis a fictional account set in 1964 that depicts a night where four cultural icons—Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke—gathered and reflected on the state of their lives. The third leading contender is Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson's play, the film is set in Chicago in 1927 and explores the challenges of being in the music industry as a Black person during the time period.

Khushi Desai is a Junior in a Community College. She is about to transfer to a four-year university to earn her bachelor's degree in Psychology.

[mynewsworldblog]

From Texas to TCU, both college basketball teams suffer humiliating losses

From Texas to TCU, both college basketball teams suffer humiliating losses

Shaka Smart and Jamie Dixon caught a break last spring when COVID abruptly halted college basketball , and neither man has taken advantage of the opportunity. One year later since it all closed, UT is collapsing its way towards the NCAA Tournament bubble in what has been a mess of a college basketball season while Dixon and TCU will be lucky to finish above .500. Much like the entire sport…