#after I do a redeem match with Trey

[tiredgremlintime]

Rip my win streak, you were strong while you lasted 😔

[theqtinkblot]

Helluva Wonderland AU: Angel/Heavenborn

Finally, here’s the final bit of character info for this Au. After this, I’ll see if I’ll be taking requests of one shot or short fics, but I make no promises that I’ll get to all of them, what with college taking up my time. Anyways, this will focus on the angels of Heaven and who they were when they were alive or what their roles are in Heaven. Oh, for this Au, Yuu could be any choice you prefer in this Au.

Lastly, some warnings (18+): mentions of drugs, mentions of poison, demonic practices, mention of burning, radical religious beliefs, death, etc... You get it, onto the post!

Yuu (MC):

Yuu was born in the Kanto Region of Japan on March 6, 1999, raised in a bland-as-bread average family. Yuu lived a normal boring life, getting good grades, getting a pretty decent job, and the only thing that made them feel any sort of entertainment was reading fantasy books and listening to broadway musicals. They would eventually get struck by a truck on the way home and die on March 18, 2020 at the age of 21 years old.

They opened their eyes and saw the pearly gates of Heaven, being greeted by Saint Peter, welcoming them to their new afterlife. Their appearance changed and they found their normal human appearance now glows in light and pastel colors. They also found a halo above their head along with small pastel wings on their back that were in the same pastel hue as their body.

Yuu would then spend their afterlife in Heaven amongst the Winners. But as time goes on, they do notice that some of the angelic guards seem to leave through the pearly gates one day before coming back later that day. Unknowingly to them, this catches the eyes of fate, causing Yuu to be sent on a mission to redeem the sinners of Hell. Exciting, right?

Che’nya:

Che’nya, or Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker, was born in London somewhere around the late 1920s, being close friends with Trey and Riddle. But as he got older, he got really into the rising hippie movement in the 60s, so he moved to the US and no one ever saw him again. It’s implied that he overdosed somewhere around that time, but nothing was confirmed.

When he awoke, he saw himself in front of the gates of Heaven, surprised by his new look, which is purrfect~(A/N: sorry, couldn’t resist.) He became a fluffy pastel purple furred cat with piercings on each of his ears, along with his eyes now being a bright yellow with slitted cat pupils. And of course, he has the standard Angel wings and halo to match with the standard pastel glow.

For a time, he spent his afterlife being the mischievous Cheshire Cat of Heaven, mainly pulling pranks just for the sake of seeing the Winners being frightened. He was happy to learn that Trey got into Heaven, but he wondered why he suddenly just disappeared one day. Well, at least he still get be his mischievous self in a somewhat boring paradise.

Neige LeBlanche:

Neige was born somewhere in the 1910s in Burbank, California to a theater family. No matter where he went, no matter show many theater or picture shows he performed in, everyone loved him for his beauty and innocence. Although he was considered the most beautiful star in Hollywood, this would ultimately led him to being one of Vil’s poisoned victims in the 1936 at the age of 22.

Once he arrived in Heaven, he was greeted by Saint Peter and Emily with open arms. Since he had inspired so many people in his life, they along with the other Angels decided that he’ll be Heaven Saint of inspiration. Along with the role, Neige was granted seven cherubs that’ll aid him, along with his new halo and wings to match his pastel blue glow.

So now, Neige spends his time inspiring all the Winners of Heaven the many good things their world can offer. Although he is a saint, in regards to Heaven hierarchy, he isn’t told about some of the knowledge the elders or the Seraphim about the human soul. But when he considered Adam’s behavior while in Heaven, he’s confused about what actually gets a soul into Heaven.

Dwarf Clan:

Dominic, Grum, Shelpie, Hop, Timmy, Snick, and Toby are the seven cherubs of virtue. Each representing one of the seven heavenly virtues to help inspire the Winners of Heaven to do good. As a bonus, they were given a much longer lifespan than any regular Heavenborn angels and access to the living to send genuine blessings. However, like all good things, with every virtue there is a vice. Although they each represent a virtue, they also struggle with their own internal sin, such as Grum representing patience, he still has a tendency to solve things with wrath. But they try to deal with these issues on there own without misleading the Winners.

Rollo Flamme:

Rollo was born in Paris, France on February 2, 1808, and was raised alongside his little brother in a very religious family. However, he would lose not only his home in a villagewide siege, but his brother to a cult that used him as a sacrifice to some draconic demon lord. Rollo was so devastated by the loss, he would seek sanctuary in a church and continue his studies until he dies in a fire on March 16, 1831.

When he awoke from his pain, he was frightened, seeing Sera and the elders standing before him. They then explain to Rollo that his family is among one of the first human angel hybrid bloodlines, or Nephilim, after the war between Heaven and Hell. Once they finished, Sera offered him the chance to help Heaven by passing judgment on souls who decide to commit sin.

Throughout the years, Rollo would become the official righteous judge in Heaven’s court alongside the Seraphim and archangels. However, due to his complete hatred for sinners and demons, his ruthlessness upon the wicked has brought fear towards everyone, even to Adam. No one dares to go against or confront him without risking them being banished to Hell or being executed by holy weapons.

[dc408dxtr]

DC ExtraTime on Tumblr: Winning in the Daytime

FROM DCBLOG: http://dc408dxtr.blogspot.com/2017/02/dc-socialpulse-are-you-one-s5-sex-lies.html

If you're one of those people who might be older than the average MTV viewer, are a college student or one of those who are a stay-at-home parent, then you spend your afternoons having to fend for yourself at home, while also perhaps enjoying that refreshing feeling of having to sleep in. One of those daytime activities includes watching daytime television: from addictive soap operas and all kinds of talk shows, to daily sessions with the many courtroom shows and newsmagazines, there's something for everyone for every taste. And for someone like me, there's also those live daytime sports events like PGA golf, European soccer and, of course, March Madness.

  That springtime tradition is only part of the leadership position CBS has proudly boasted in network daytime programming, as this past week the Tiffany Network marked 30 years now as the #1-rated choice for those needing a TV companion while the kids are at school and everyone else is at work. The Eye's daytime lineup includes The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Talk with MTV alum Sharon Osbourne and Big Brother hostess Julie Chen - who's also wife of CBS head honcho Leslie Moonves. Also on the slate are the two remaining game shows left on network daytime, something that was a staple of daytime TV for years before settling into the 7-8PM timeslot of syndicated prime access, and then with ABC and NBC currently airing shows in prime time. That provides some context for this rather fun installment of ExtraTime. 

Instagram/@MTVTrey 

With seeing Marie being one-and-done this time, it brought back memories of summer 2012 and Real World St. Thomas. We've discussed here how important her, Latoya and their season are to my development as a fan of first Real World and The Challenge and of how I'm able to interact with cast mates here. And the subject of the first of these two instances has been featured a few times here in having four lucky numbers and then last year of playing a baseball video game during the mundane part of the sports year with no action in the four major sports taking place.

  Trey Weatherholtz has been a favorite of mine since my first Twitter day, which also was the premiere night of his Real World season...he's also wished me happy birthday each year since then, just a few days before his own birthday each mid-November. We all know what happened the last time he was on The Challenge when a mere technicality saw him and champion Zach lose an elimination after Thor threw a helmet to the onlookers in apparent celebration, and there was that previous summer when he found himself in love with the other girl of that season, Nebraskan Laura. After what happened on Rivals II, Trey looked to an unlikely source to redeem himself.

  In that late summer of 2013 - just after he had competed in Thailand, Trey traveled to Los Angeles to join the panel of AfterBuzz TV to chat up the late part of his last Challenge appearance... and he also did something else, too. Like many people who have had an appointment in the late morning for 45 years now (including me who always relished those summers off from school watching it at home), Trey applied to be on that classic show The Price is Right, and was chosen to go to CBS Television City where the show takes place inside The Bob Barker Studio to try his luck with many others.

  But, he also came to the show with one extra stipulation: his common name Trey actually means he is the 3rd person in his family to use his actual first name, which is Walter. And instead of using that same name that those like me had grown to know from the three shows I've watched him, instead he would go with his actual given first name. Thus, Walter Weatherholtz III actually came to The Price is Right, and by sheer luck - he was told to "Come on Down!"

  When he came to contestants' row in the presence of that icon Drew Carey, Trey did what many people like to do: when he sensed that the three other contestants had overbid the prize that was on offer, a surfboard, he made a bid for $1. He won that surfboard, got to go on stage and try his luck at one of the pricing games and then a shot at spinning the big wheel, and thus a chance at going to the Showcase Showdown. He got himself just that surfboard he would then give away later to a fan.

And a few years later, we saw another MTV alum on the airwaves of its one-time Viacom sibling. In 2009, CBS brought back to television a game show that began in 1963: Let's Make A Deal. First hosted by Monty Hall and now hosted in its current incarnation by Drew's colleague on Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Wayne Barry, the show sees members in the studio audience make deals with the host on whether to keep something of value or risk exchanging it for a chance to win a prize of greater value or get "zonked" by getting a cheap item in return. That Truth Booth trade-in offer we're seeing on this AYTO season has similarities to what they have on that show. And of course, the show's most distinguished feature is of audience members treating this like Halloween in dressing up in crazy and outrageous costumes to up their chances of being picked.

  It's that very premise that brought an Are You The One? original to LMAD a year ago and brought one of his most unique talents to that stage with Brady & friends. Three years ago this winter, viewers watched Ryan Malaty become part of that renowned season 1 of the love experiment as that quirky, playful and nice-looking guy from Denver with a charisma and nice demeanor that attracted the ladies he sees. In that house in Kauai, he was part of a love triangle that emerged with Southern belle Kayla and Stephen Curry lookalike Wes, which saw the Truth Booth solve their puzzle where he was sent in first in their seventh try and emerged a no-match, and then with Wes the next week which brought them to the Honeymoon Suites. And in that ensuing Matchup Ceremony for week 8 (and Episode 9), Ryan decided to put on not a suit or a dress shirt, but an outfit he wore to Comic Con just months before filming that season.

  If you have kids who love Disney films (and it will also be the focus of an ExtraTime featuring a member of this season's AYTO cast later in the season), then you've heard about the movie Aladdin which was 1992's best-selling film during the animation studio's golden era and a movie I remember watching in theaters when I was young. The title character went around his Arab neighborhood with a genie bottle in his hand, voiced by the late Robin Williams, and the film documented his adventures with a magic carpet, his romance with Princess Jasmine and battles with Jafar. From a musical standpoint, Aladdin is best known for the song "A Whole New World," which earned the movie Best Original Song at the 1993 Academy Awards.

  So when Ryan went onto Let's Make A Deal last year, it was absolutely no surprise that Ryan donned that Aladdin outfit once again and, as you can see in the photo above, he was dancing on that set with Wayne Brady and other contestants, or "traders" as they're referred to, when he was chosen to go for those prizes on the show. And since that first season, Ryan has now become a host for AfterBuzz TV on their after shows for Teen Wolf, has hung out with Kermit the Frog, a Minion and his fellow MTV family, even modeling during L.A. Fashion Week.

- I AM DC

[flauntpage]

Why the 2017 NBA Finals Might Not Save These Playoffs

The main through-line of the 2017 NBA Playoffs has been complaining. Complaining about refs, about injuries that altered the course of several series, and especially about all the damn blowouts.

Many of those complaints are justified: heading into the Cleveland Cavaliers' series-clinching win over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, there had been more playoff games decided by 15 or more points (25 out of 73 total games) than games that were within three points at any time during the final three minutes of regulation or overtime (23). There also have been more than twice as many sweeps this postseason (five) as seven-game battles (two).

Unsurprisingly, all five of those sweeps were doled out by the defending champion Cavaliers or the out-for-revenge Golden State Warriors. The two teams have been on a collision course all season, and we all pretty much knew that to be the case since last July, when LeBron James & Co. snatched away the Warriors' presumptive 73-win-season-capping title. That's a large part of the reason these entire playoffs have felt more than a bit perfunctory.

Riding beneath the wave of blowout-related complaints, though, has been a sincere hope: that we're about to watch an epic Finals rubber match that redeems what came before. But personally, I have doubts.

We all know that Cleveland's defense has been a disaster for the better part of 2017. The Cavs ranked 25th in the NBA in defensive efficiency after January 1, and 29th after the All-Star break. That's unacceptable. Things have improved a bit in the postseason, but Cleveland's ability to get stops still hasn't been nearly consistent enough.

The Cavs allowed the Indiana Pacers to score 111.0 points per 100 possessions and completed their sweep with a total margin of victory of only 16 points. After clamping down during their second-round series against the Toronto Raptors (100.9 points per 100), and for the first two games against Boston (94.9), they backslid in Games 3 and 4, even as the Celtics played without their lead offensive engine in Isaiah Thomas. The C's smoked the Cavs for 112.3 points per 100 possessions in those two games, with Boston storming to a double-digit comeback in Game 3 before allowing the reverse to happen in Game 4—a game the Cavs practically sleepwalked through before finally taking over.

One thing that's been consistent through each round is Cleveland giving up far too many open looks. Heading into Game 5 against Boston, they yielded an average of 22.7 threes per game that NBA.com categorizes as "open" or "wide-open" (meaning that the closest defender is at least four feet away). That number shot up to 27.1 per game during the first four games against the Celtics. Cleveland has lucked out in that its opponents have connected on only 36.4 percent of their open or wide-open threes during the playoffs. The Warriors are shooting 39.8 percent on those looks during the playoffs so far, and that's low for them.

The three-match we've all been waiting for. Photo by Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

You may be able to count on Lance Stephenson or C.J. Miles or DeMarre Carroll or Cory Joseph or Marcus Smart or Jae Crowder bricking the occasional open trey when you leave them open on the weak side because you had to send a double at Paul George or DeMar DeRozan or Thomas. But if you do the same to get the ball out of Steph Curry or Kevin Durant's hands, Klay Thompson is not likely to oblige you with that many misses.

Thompson struggled through much of the Western Conference portion of the playoffs, but the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs forced him to put the ball on the ground before shooting because they made timely rotations and ran him off the line. The Cavaliers haven't been consistent enough in their defensive movement to be confident that they can do the same.

Instead, Cleveland has been prone to bouts of miscommunication, with J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert the main culprits. That was never more apparent than on Avery Bradley's game-winner in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving has not shown the level of engagement he reached during last year's Finals, and has often reverted to his bad habit of dying on screens at the point of attack. The Cavs also have struggled as a team with the split action that's a Golden State staple. The Celtics ran it to death during the first half of Game 4.

Cleveland has been able to lock in for portions of games or series in order to neutralize their mistakes and inconsistencies, but that's not going to work against these Warriors. Up to now, James has been able to take a break on the defensive side of the floor, at least relatively speaking (though admittedly, that might be part of the reason the Cavs weren't 100 percent locked in all the time).

James spent much of the first three rounds guarding Stephenson, Miles, Carroll, Norman Powell, Crowder, Jaylen Brown, and Smart rather than, say, George, DeRozan, or Thomas. He's going to spend much of the Finals locking horns with one of Durant, Klay, or Draymond Green. Quite the step up. James has always risen to the challenge, but his teammates will have to rise right along with him.

The Warriors, meanwhile, already had one of the five-best offenses ever a year ago, and now they have Durant, the second-best player in the league and arguably the best scorer of his generation. Every issue Golden State had offensively during last year's Finals is seemingly solved by KD's presence on the roster. The pick-and-roll gets smothered and you have to swing the ball to a shooter? That shooter is no longer Harrison Barnes; it's KD. Somebody other than Steph needs to create off the dribble? Get it to KD. Need to slow it down and get a bucket in the post? KD.

Durant is a scoring machine. Photo by Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

The Warriors were a nearly unstoppable offensive team last season, but this group is on an entirely different level. If you have a sleepy five minutes of defense against them, the game might be over by the time you figure things out. This is not a Finals where the Cavs can work out the kinks during the first couple games before locking down the rest of the way. They have to be on-point, all the time, right from the jump. Nothing we've seen from them over the last five months indicates that they're capable of suddenly flipping that switch. So far, their current run is somewhat reminiscent of the one made by a 2014 Miami Heat squad that, much like this Cavs team, was coming off a miracle NBA Finals victory over the same opponent it was set to face in a rematch.

The 2013 Heat snatched defeat from the jaws of victory when Ray Allen made one of the greatest shots in NBA history to push the series to a decisive Game 7. The Cavs did the same last year after Green hit James in the little LeBrons and Bogut got injured the next game. That defending champion Heat team, like these Cavs, supported their Big Three with an aging crew of veterans who seemingly lost a step or two defensively from the previous year. Those Heat, like these Cavs, didn't consistently lock in defensively on their way to their Finals rematch.

The 2014 playoffs weren't the drag this year's were, but the expectation then, as now, was that we were in store for an epic rematch of what had been an epic series the year before. If the 2017 Cavaliers want to avoid the fate that befell the final iteration of the LeBron Era Heat, they'll have to reach a level of defense we haven't seen from them in quite some time. This Cleveland team has done the seemingly impossible before, so we can't say it's a guarantee they don't have it in them again. But it looks far less likely this time around.

Want to read more stories like this from VICE Sports? Subscribe to our daily newsletter.

Why the 2017 NBA Finals Might Not Save These Playoffs published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv