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extasiswings · 4 years ago

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15 + buddie

15. "Shouldn't you be with her?" On ao3 here.

When Eddie is eleven, his class gets a new student. Her name is Maria Esparza and her family is from Arizona. She has dark curls that look like they would be soft to touch and a smattering of freckles across her nose and she’s so smart—always reading and forever raising her hand in class, always with the right answers—but she never acts stuck up about it.

He thinks she’s beautiful and when he gets home from the first day of school he promptly announces that he’s in love. He doesn’t understand why his mother laughs or why Sophia rolls her eyes and calls him an idiot when he’s perfectly serious.

He’s in love, he insists, and goes on believing it for three whole weeks until he gets up the courage to give Maria a flower at recess and she looks at him like he has two heads. The rejection smarts for a couple of days, but then he’s fine. So, he figures...maybe it wasn’t love after all.

Eddie is fifteen when he finds his eyes slipping too frequently to Diego Reed in autoshop, lingering on the other boy’s long, dexterous fingers, his forearms, the sharp edge of his jaw. Eddie can’t explain it, he just knows those stolen glances make him squirm, make him flush, make him feel too warm and like his very skin is too tight.

Diego steals Eddie’s first kiss two weeks before winter break, pushes him up against the back wall of the shop where they’re hidden by a truck and licks into his mouth with a confidence that Eddie can’t imagine ever having when he himself can’t even figure out what to do with his hands. But it makes his knees weak and leaves him breathless and panting when Diego pulls away with a smirk and tells him not to say anything.

It’s not love—for one thing, Eddie knows he’s not supposed to love boys, and for another, the only time he suggests it might be anything at all, Diego gives him the same look Maria had once upon a time and walks away—but it’s nothing he’s ever felt before. The next year, Angelica Phelan asks him to go to the winter formal and he gets to second base in the science lab when they slip away from the chaperones. It’s different from kissing Diego. But it’s just as good, he enjoys it just as much, and part of him is…relieved.

He doesn’t think about that too much.

Eddie is eighteen when he’s not watching where he’s going and runs directly into his future on the sidewalk. Thankfully, the only casualty is Shannon’s coffee, and after she snaps at him for not paying attention and he offers to replace her drink—well. They close down the coffee shop, emerging, startled, from conversation only when interrupted by a mildly disgruntled employee trying to lock up. Eddie walks home in a daze, Shannon’s phone number burning a hole in his pocket, and he’s simultaneously elated and terrified because it’s never been so easy being with someone, he’s never felt so seen so quickly. He’s old enough to realize that love at first sight is bullshit, but he thinks he could fall very fast.

He’s right.

They take things slow because Eddie wants to do things right, doesn’t want to risk confusing love with the heady cocktail of teenage hormones and sex. So he knows by the time he does fall into bed with her, eight months in, that he’s in love. Really in love, thinking about the future in love, factoring her into the mix when he thinks about what the hell he’s going to do with his life in love.

And then Shannon gets pregnant. And it’s too soon, he loves her but it’s too soon, and he’s terrified all over again—

He loves her though. He loves her. And she’s pregnant so—they get married. He wants to do the right thing.

At their wedding the readings are selections from Song of Songs and Corinthians.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud....Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things...

With all due respect to St. Paul, Eddie doesn’t think he knew what the hell he was talking about. Or at least, maybe he did, but he was being pretty damn aspirational and left out a few things.

Because after the wedding…after the wedding, Eddie learns a lot more about love.

Love is beautiful, yes. But love is also…trying to do the right thing and fucking up. Love is fighting and knowing exactly what to say to cut the deepest and not always holding back. Love is forgiving, but after a point finding it difficult to forget.

Or maybe that’s not love, maybe that’s just marriage. Maybe it’s a little of both. Because love endures—sure. Love endured with Shannon even when trust was nonexistent, when their marriage was fractured, shattered pieces strewn across the floor ready to draw blood if either of them tried to pick them up.

Love isn’t enough. That’s what Eddie knows. Or maybe it is, maybe love would have been enough to fix what was broken if it hadn’t been his. Shannon’s gone, so they’ll never be able to have that conversation. He’ll never know the answer.

Love endures. Eddie kind of wishes it didn’t. It would make a lot of things a lot easier.

But…it’s fine. He’s fine. Shannon dies and he locks that piece of himself away and has no plans to ever fall in love again.

Then again, God has a funny sense of humor and never seems to resist an opportunity to be an asshole, so of course…he does. Slowly. Quietly. The threads slipping through the cracks in his walls so carefully that he doesn’t even notice until they’re twined around his heart, unspooling through his blood, through his veins with every pulse. Eddie doesn’t notice.

And then he gets shot and it’s like being hit by lightning, an electric shock of clarity down his spine, rooting him in place as he meets Buck’s eyes.

Oh.

Oh, fuck.

***

Eddie despises recovery.

He’s never been good at being still, at being useless, at being left alone with nothing but his own head. And maybe he’s not entirely alone—he has Christopher, after all, and Christopher is understandably a little clingy now that he’s home from the hospital—but Christopher sleeps and has play dates and spends time in his room and just in general isn’t in Eddie’s space every second of every day.

And then there’s Buck. Buck who offered to keep staying on the couch to take care of everything they needed when Eddie came home from the hospital. Buck who Eddie sent home to his own bed with promises to call if he needed help because having Buck so close after Eddie’s little realization was stirring him up, making everything a million times more difficult in his head. Buck’s still over frequently, but it’s less dangerous if he’s not staying overnight, if Eddie can’t wake up and be tempted to walk out to the living room and pull Buck into his bed. Not for anything sexual—he’s on too many medications and too immobilized for that even if it was remotely a good idea—but to be held. To feel wanted. To feel safe.

He knows Buck probably wouldn’t say no, wouldn’t think anything of it except that maybe he’s a little raw and fragile, which he is. Which is exactly why he can’t ask. So. Removing the temptation it is.

But. Being left alone with his own head is a terrible idea. He’s in pain because he lowered the doses of his pain meds so he would stop worrying about developing any dependency. He can’t sleep without waking up with screams trapped behind his teeth and the smell of blood and gunpowder in his nose. And he can’t stop thinking about Buck. About being in love with Buck. About wanting Buck. About whether he could ever have him or whether he’ll ever be okay enough to be in a relationship. About whether Buck could ever want him back or if he’ll ever feel safe enough to risk their friendship by even asking.

He broke up with Ana the second he was able to figure out how to do it without feeling like a complete dick. But he hasn’t told Buck that. He doesn’t know why.

And then there’s—

The key turns in the lock and Eddie starts, looking up from his place on the couch. Christopher is with his abuela for the night, and he didn’t expect—

“Hey,” Buck calls, stepping through the door. “I brought dinner.”

Eddie stares.

“What are you doing here?” He asks, before he can stop himself. “Shouldn’t you be with Taylor?”

—Taylor. Buck and Taylor. Which, Buck waited weeks to tell him about, hedging about why he wanted to know if it was okay to invite her to Eddie’s welcome home party. Which, Buck only did admit to when Eddie called one night at 2AM and Taylor answered Buck’s phone.

Eddie clears his throat, the question sounding a little too sharp and accusatory to his ears.

“I just meant,” he adds, softening, “I thought you said you had a date tonight.”

An odd look passes over Buck’s face.

“Isabel called me,” he replies. “She said you were by yourself, asked if I would check on you. We rescheduled, it’s fine.”

Eddie nods once and pulls the couch throw tighter around his shoulders with his good arm. A petty, possessive piece of him is pleased. That Buck’s there. That Buck would drop everything for him.

He’s always been wary of Taylor. Even way back when they first met and she was prowling around the station filming everyone and flirting with Buck. But now? Now he’s jealous, his stomach twisting at the very reminder that she has Buck the way Eddie wants him.

But at the same time…he hates that. Hates the jealousy, hates feeling possessive. Because what claim does he have over Buck’s affections? None. Especially not when he can’t even admit to loving him outside his head.

He hates it because he knows that more than anything, Buck deserves to be happy. And maybe Eddie could make him happy, but—

Even if Buck felt the same—and Eddie isn’t convinced of that, doesn’t have the arrogance to assume—what right does he have to say please, to say wait, to ask Buck to put his life on hold indefinitely while Eddie sorts through the tangled mess in his head in the hope that one day he’ll finally be ready? He can’t be that selfish. Especially not with Buck.

Buck deserves to be happy. Even if that’s with Taylor Kelly. Even if it means Eddie loses him.

He doesn’t get to be jealous.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Eddie replies quietly. “I’m fine.”

Buck sets the bag in his arms down on the coffee table.

“You don’t look fine,” he points out. “Actually, you look like shit. Isabel was right to call me.”

“I’m fine,” Eddie repeats. His heart pangs at the concern in Buck’s eyes. “Really, it’s okay—you should—you should—”

Go. Call Taylor back. Enjoy your date.

He wants to do the right thing. He really does. But the rest of the words refuse to leave his throat.

Buck shakes his head anyway. “I’m not going anywhere,” he insists. “So tell me what’s going on. How can I help?”

Eddie bites his lip. Drags his hand over his jaw before making a face. The messy, overgrown scruff is itchy and difficult to manage on his own, and the foreignness of it doesn’t help him feel grounded in his own body when he wakes up gasping in the middle of the night.

“It’s stupid,” he says.

“I’m sure it’s not,” Buck replies. “And I’m here, so you might as well just talk.”

I’m in love with you, Eddie thinks. And I can’t sleep. And I can’t shave. And everything hurts. And I just want to stop being afraid—

He swallows. He can’t say all of that. He can’t blow everything up that way.

So, he picks the easiest one.

“I can’t shave with my left hand and it’s driving me insane.”

Buck blinks. Then he laughs as the worry in his brow smooths out.

“That’s it?” He asks. “Well, that’s easy. I can do that. Come on.”

And that’s how Eddie winds up sitting on the bathroom counter with shaving cream all over his face while Buck wets a razor and steps between his legs.

His breath catches.

“You good?” Buck asks, his voice low. His eyes are soft and focused, and Eddie almost regrets everything because the proximity—god, the proximity. He’s been so cold since the shooting and Buck is so warm, heat spreading through Eddie’s body from every discrete point of contact. Buck tips his chin back and Eddie lets his eyes slip closed.

“Yeah,” he breathes. “I’m good.”

The razor drags along his skin. Neither of them say a word, the main sound in the room the drip of the faucet when Buck rinses the razor between passes. They’ve always been physical with each other, but this sort of thing is new. Intimate.

Eddie aches.

His eyes open a crack to watch. Buck’s lower lip is caught between his teeth, and having every ounce of that focus on him is…intoxicating.

I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you.

Buck steps in closer, Eddie’s legs spread ever so slightly wider. A spark of heat flashes through him and he inhales sharply—Buck’s startled enough that his hand slips and the razor nicks Eddie’s jaw.

“Shit,” Buck swears. The razor clatters into the sink. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

Eddie opens his eyes the rest of the way. “It’s fine,” he assures. “What, you think I’ve never cut myself shaving before? It’s still better than I would have managed myself.”

“I’m—” Buck looks stricken, his fingers reaching out to gently cradle Eddie’s jaw only for him to snatch them back almost instantly, the tip of one faintly smeared with blood. His hand trembles.

“Buck,” Eddie says quietly. Buck’s eyes are fixed on the red smear and Eddie is sent back—

Watching his blood splash across Buck’s face and not realizing at first that it was his. Being half-delirious on the way to the hospital worrying that Buck had been hurt—

All this time, Buck’s been moving forward, pushing ahead, for Christopher, for him, for everyone, and Eddie knew he wasn’t entirely okay, knew he was fucked up from the moment in the hospital when he said I think it would have been better if I was the one who got shot, but since Eddie’s been home, Buck has seemed…better.

Maybe not. Maybe he’s been struggling to pretend as much as Eddie has.

Eddie twists around to grab the towel draped over the faucet and wets it enough to wash the rest of the shaving cream off his face, feels the sting of soap and water in the cut. And then he reaches out to grab Buck’s hand, wiping the blood off of his finger.

There’s something profane about blood staining skin. And something sacred in the act of washing it clean.

Eddie wonders if anyone helped Buck wash his blood off when he was in surgery. Taylor, maybe.

But no, that doesn’t feel right.

Buck probably did it himself. Alone.

“Hey.” Eddie squeezes Buck’s fingers. When Buck doesn’t look at him, he reaches out and curls his hand around the side of Buck’s neck, tips Buck’s chin up with his thumb to force him to meet his eyes. “Hey. It’s okay. I’m okay. No harm done.”

Buck breathes out shakily. His throat works, his face passes through a million stages—finally, his hands fall to the counter on either side of Eddie’s hips and his forehead drops to Eddie’s good shoulder. Eddie lets his hand slip around to the back of Buck’s neck, his fingers combing up through the short hairs there. He turns his head and he’s close enough to kiss the side of Buck’s, but he holds off. It feels like it would be too much. Too much when Buck doesn’t know how he really feels, what he really wants. But even just this—the closeness, the touch—is good. Needed. A balm to the itch under his skin.

When Buck turns his face into Eddie’s neck and inhales, Eddie thinks maybe Buck might need this just as badly.

“I’m okay,” he repeats, closing his eyes again as his fingers comb through Buck’s hair. “We’re okay. We’re okay.”

They stay like that for a long time. Buck’s phone rings out once, but neither of them moves to answer it. Eventually, Buck lifts his head and clears his throat roughly as he steps back.

Eddie’s hand falls away from Buck’s neck. He feels the absence keenly.

“You good?” He asks. Buck nods. His eyes are red.

“Yeah,” Buck replies. He pauses. Shakes his head. “No. But—can we just—can I just finish this for now? I want to finish this.”

Eddie watches him for a moment. Wets his lips. Then finally nods and passes over the shaving cream again.

“Sure,” he says. “I trust you.”

I love you.

Maybe…maybe eventually he’ll be braver. Maybe eventually, both of them will be free at the same time and he’ll be whole and healed, or at least something closer to it than he is now. Maybe eventually…love will be enough. Maybe.

For now, he has this.

#chapel writes #eddie diaz #buddie #buddie fic #prompt fill #911 fic

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featuringthecreature · 4 years ago

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Reviews for Every Movie I Watched in March+April

Kinda fell off on watching movies after January due to some mental health shtuff, but I’ve slowly been getting back on that horse and I wanted to talk about the movies I’ve seen, so here we are. Take my number ratings with a grain of salt, they’re mostly off the cuff and giving a movie a numbered grade is pretty arbitrary anyway.

March 1: The Wizard of Oz (1939) dir. Victor Fleming - 9/10

It is STUPID how good this movie is for 1939. I really do like almost everything about this movie, from the fun characters to the bright and colorful set design to the iconic music. In fact, the only parts of the movie I don’t like are that ugly ass Cowardly Lion and those godforsaken Munchkins.

March 1: Kick-Ass (2010) dir. Matthew Vaughn - 8/10

Even when Matthew Vaughn is bad, he is still amazingly fun, and this movie is by no means a bad movie. Nicolas Cage gives the best performance, I love his delivery on some of his lines. This movie is so much fun y’all. Just watch it, you’ll have a good time. (And yes, I know both Quicksilvers are in this, you don’t have to tell me)

March 13: There Will Be Blood (2007) dir. Paul Thomas Anderson - 10/10

This is a fuck-you movie. This movie curb stomped me, spat in my face, and told me I’d never make it in this industry. I don’t need to tell you this movie is incredible, ‘cause if you’ve seen it you already know, and if you haven’t you are seriously missing out.

March 14: The Philadelphia Story (1940) dir. George Cukor - 7/10

I had a hard time deciphering how I feel about this movie. I watched this for a Classic Film course, so I had a couple days to listen to and share some deeper analysis, and I feel like this film is actually pretty good. I don’t have any strong feelings on it, check it out if you like classic film.

March 14: Moulin Rouge! (2001) dir. Baz Luhrmann - 8/10

This movie is bombastic as hell, and even if this is a bad movie, it’s a good movie in my soul. Ewan McGregor, please return my calls.

March 15: The Ruthless (2019) dir. Renato De Maria - 5/10

I guess this movie just isn’t for me, I don’t know. I really do like Riccardo Scamarcio in this movie, but that’s the extent of the really good things. I was on a “Santino from John Wick” kick, I can’t really explain it.

March 20: The Host (2006) dir. Bong Joon-ho - 9/10

Bong Joon-ho has never disappointed me once, and I don’t think he ever will. This is one of the best monster movies I have ever seen (granted I don’t think I’ve seen a lot of monster movies). Watch this movie, it has a wonderful heart and a wonderful monster.

March 20: Citizen Kane (1941) dir. Orson Welles - 10/10

Anything I can say about this movie has already been said, so I’m going to leave you with “I wrote a paper on this film and got a C so fuck this movie” and call it a day.

March 27: Sound of Metal (2019) dir. Darius Marder - 9/10

I am so glad a watched this movie. Riz Ahmed gives an award winning performance if only he hadn’t been competing against Anthony Hopkins. Paul Raci is also really, really good in this movie, and I don’t think that’s mentioned as much, and I think it should be.

April 6: Casablanca (1942) dir. Michael Curtiz - 9/10

I did not think I would enjoy Casablanca as much as I did, but yeah. This is a great movie. I wanna go on record and say Humphrey Bogart is not tall, he is 5′8″. He wears pumps in this movie and they’re really funny to look at.

April 10: Dr. No (1962) dir. Terence Young - 7/10

This was my introduction to the Bond universe, and I thought it was a pretty good way to get me into the character of James Bond. Sean Connery is the strongest part of this movie as Bond. It is by no means a perfect movie, some aspects are extraordinarily outdated. But as a first crack this movie gets two thumbs up from me.

April 18: The Godfather (1972) dir. Francis Ford Coppola - 10/10

This film is truly something special. I am lucky that I was able to experience the story basically blind (I knew about some specific plot points and some famous lines, but for the most part this was all new to me), and I was extra lucky that I got to watch it with my dad. Being able to watch The Godfather with someone who has a deep love of the genre and the film itself is something that enhances almost every movie going experience. The Godfather is one of the greats.

April 19: Mank (2020) dir. David Fincher - 6/10

I am not in love with this movie. I don’t hate it, but I don’t particularly like it either. The production design is great, and as a general appreciator of classic cinema I liked those aspects just fine. There’s just something in here that’s preventing me from fully liking this movie.

April 21: Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) dir. Shaka King - 9/10

The only way I can describe this movie is “important.” King gives us a story of a often left out part of the Civil Rights movement, and it’s a story that everyone should be aware of. Fred Hampton was only 21 when he was assassinated, and yet he left such a mark on the fight for racial equality. Daniel Kaluuya absolutely deserved his Oscar win, he is a dream in this film. This is an uncompromising, tragic, and endlessly relevant movie.

April 23: The Father (2020) dir. Florian Zeller - 10/10

Yeah I cried. Anthony Hopkins is... I don’t think his performance can be summed up in words. It’s heartbreaking, everything about this movie is soul-crushing.

April 24: Promising Young Woman (2020) dir. Emerald Fennell - 8/10

(You can tell I was cramming for the Oscars at this point) It is really hard to review Promising Young Woman. It’s incredibly polarizing to the film community, and it’s also polarizing in my own opinion. I really don’t know how I feel here, all I know is my feelings are strong. Also every time Bo Burnham was on screen I had a big stupid grin on my face, I can’t wait for his new special to come out.

April 25: Nomadland (2020) dir. Chloe Zhao - 9/10

What a beautiful experience. This movie, on top of being absolutely gorgeous, has such a wonderful soul that completely shines through Zhao’s directing. There’s a monologue about maybe a half hour in that describes so succinctly the beauty of nature, and as someone who lives in a much more urban area of the world, it’s a description that I don’t get to see that often in my life. That’s why I love film. If Promising Young Woman made me angry at the world Nomadland made me fall back in love with it.

April 25: Minari (2020) dir. Lee Isaac Chung - 8/10

Watching Minari is like being gently set on fire. My feelings aren’t as strong as they were for Nomadland, and I don’t have much to say, but I still adore this movie and think it’s worth watching.

April 26: Singin’ in the Rain (1952) dir. Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen - 8/10

I think my film teacher puts it best in describing this movie as “just so stinkin joyous.” That’s what this movie is, it’s joy put to film. I love how you can clearly see the excitement over making film that comes through in older movies, I feel like you don’t really see that anymore.

April 28: Some Like It Hot (1959) dir. Billy Wilder - 7/10

As glaringly outdated this film is, I still managed to have a pretty good time with it, although I can totally see why the plot could put some people off, or even make them outright dislike the film as a whole. Marilyn Monroe playing a ukulele made me feel very seen. (This is my first Marilyn movie as well!)

April 29: Snowpiercer (2013) dir. Bong Joon-ho - 8/10

CHRIST this movie is intense. The best part of Snowpiercer is it is engaging as hell. Unfortunately I had to duck out about three quarters of the way through to get some dental work done, but rest assured under different circumstances I would have been glued to the screen from start to finish. The premise is chilling (ha ha, get it), and the subplot of class disparity is also really compelling. If you know me you’ll know that I love me some John Hurt, Song Kang-ho has been great in pretty much every movie I’ve seen him in, TILDA FUCKING SWINTON rocks every scene she’s in. My only real problem here is sometimes Chris Evans is a bit hit or miss for me, I really like his performance at times, and I like it less at others. It has been cool to see him grow as an actor over the years, you can definitely see his improvement in more recent movies. In any case, I stand by my previous statement, Bong Joon-ho has never disappointed me once, and I don’t think he ever will.

#movie review #Film Review #i combined two months to give myself more content #but i think i might have given myself too much content #there's a lot in here

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emgkheadcannons · 5 years ago

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So accidentally read this ask wrong from @positivecorrelation, and thought it was about them ending their beef, went with that, and wrote everything below this. I just rechecked the ask and realised what you were asking for. I will make it work.

I don’t have a set headcanon on how they make up, but one of my favorite ideas is that Cassie, and Hailie team up to end the feud. So I started writing an entire fic, but I really wanted to post this so here is the headcanon and most of the fic.

Cassie convinces MGK to apologise to Hailie, not her dad, since he wronged her first. She does it with perfect little kid logic, and Kelly wants to not only be a good dad but also a good example for his daughter, so he apologises to Hailie.

Hailie would be really happy she received an apology, and would decide that if a 9 year old can convince her dad to apologise, maybe together, and with a little outside help, they can get this feud to end.

This takes place sometime late February 2019.

Cassie hated that her dad was in a feud with Eminem. A lot of people are being mean, harassing him when he goes out, and booing him when he does ‘Rap Devil’. She has noticed that her dad isn’t as happy, and is acting different. He is sleeping more and more.

Cassie had an idea to help him though. If her dad apologises to Eminem’s daughter then that should make things better, not perfect, but it was a starting point. First she needs to find her dad, so she can convince him that he needs to apologise to hailie. She finds him easily enough in the living room, working on a song.

She starts by asking about the beef, and why they are fighting. Then she asked if he apologized, which she knows he did, but to the wrong person.

“But dad, but your tweet was about his daughter, not him. Shouldn’t you have apologized to Hailie instead?” Cassie asks.

Kelly freezes, thinking about what his daughter said. His tweet was about Hailie. She was the one he insulted, but he tried to apologize to Eminem. He never thought about how his comment affected her. If some kid had said something rude to his daughter, he would expect them to apologize to her.

“You’re right Cassie. I should have apologized to Hailie.”

“Then why don’t you? I bet she would appreciate it.”

“It’s a little too late for that now, pumpkin.”

“It’s never too late to say you’re sorry.”

“It’s a little more complicated than that.”

“No it’s not. You made a mistake, you acknowledged you made a mistake, now you just need to tell her you're sorry, and that you won’t do it again. See simple.”

“You are right again, sugar bean. How did you get so smart?” Kelly asks as he scoops his daughter up, as she breaks out into a fit of giggles.

Later that night, after he has put Cassie to bed, Kelly thinks about what she said. He really should apologize to Hailie for his tweet, but how could he get in contact with her. It’s not like Eminem, or anyone close to her will help him, and a public apology will look like a copout after all the feuding he and Em have done.

“Fuck. I can’t set a bad example for Cassie.”

He scrolls through his contacts on his phone, until he sees Travis Barker’s name. ‘Maybe he can give me some advice.’ He checks the clock; it was only 10:30, Travis should still be up.

After two rings he picks up

“Hey Kelly. What’s up?”

“Do you know a way I can get in touch with Eminem’s daughter Hailie?”

“Why do you want to get in contact with Hailie Scott?” Travis asks threateningly.

“I just want to apologise to her, nothing else. My daughter was asking about my feud with Eminem, and asked why I apologised to him, and not Hailie, since it was Hailie I tweeted about. I thought about what she said and it’s a good point. I wronged Hailie, therefore I need to apologise to Hailie, but I have no idea how.”

“So why call me?”

“For advice.”

“Okay. Let’s think. You could try DMing her”

“I highly doubt she would read a DM from me, if she hasn’t out right blocked me on everything.”

“Right. No one will probably give you her phone number. So maybe write her a letter.”

“A letter really. Even if I do write her a letter, I don’t have an address to send it to.”

“I can actually help with that. You just write the letter. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Okay, a letter it is.”

“Oh and Kelly, you better be telling the truth about this. I don’t mind helping you, but if this is just a way to get to Eminem by using Hailie, or something like that, I will personally drive your career into the ground.”

“Don’t worry Travis I am serious about this. I’ll leave the envelope unsealed so you can read it before it’s sent off.”

“Okay. Call me when you’re done.”

Kelly puts his phone down, grabs pen and paper, and starts drafting his letter.

It’s harder than he thought it would. Swallowing his pride, admitting his faults, and humbling himself is hard, but he finally does, and the letter shows his regret for his actions. Now he just has to find that nice stationary someone gifted him.

******

Hailie was sick and tired of all the attention she has been getting from her dad’s feud with Machine Gun Kelly. She prefers the quiet life she was making for herself, but now she barely got a moment of peace. What makes it even worse is that she has never seen her dad so angry, worrying that things will escalate beyond diss tracks and insults. Hailey doesn’t want anything bad to happen to her dad, because he feels obligated to defend her honor.

She knows her father’s beef with MGK isn’t just about the tweet Kelly posted back in 2012 about her being hot when she was 16, (Kelly says he didn’t know how old she was at the time), and that it was more about how disrespectful MGK was to her dad, saying he was better than her dad, and claiming how Eminem was hindering his career, banning him from Shade 45, and whatnot, but she was tired of this shit. Yeah MGK was a prideful idiot, who was full of himself, but her dad did block him from Shade 45, and some of his friends have decided not to associate with Kelly. When Kelly really did try to talk to Eminem in private, and end their feud, he threw it back in the blonds face, making Machine Gun Kelly double down, and release that diss track, ‘Rap Devil’. Her dad then destroyed him with ‘Killshot’.

While going through her mail, she notices a letter. She couldn’t think of who would send her a letter. Maybe it was a former classmate, or a thank you card. Shrugging she opens the envelope, and pulls out the paper inside.

The letter read,

Hailie,

I am sorry for the tweet I posted in 2012 about you being ‘sexy as fuck’, making you uncomfortable, and for apologising to your dad instead of you.

When I posted the tweet I didn’t know you were only sixteen, and when I found out your age I should have taken it down immediately, and apologized to you, but I didn’t. Instead I made a half assed apology to your dad, who I should have apologised to anyway, but for a different reason.

My daughter helped me see my mistakes, and convinced me that it’s not too late to apologise for what I did. I am going to set a better example for her. I have deleted the tweet, and I promise to never do something like that again. I will make a public apology, if that helps you, or if there is something else you need me to do, please tell me. I want to make up for what I did to you.

I was wrong for what I did, and what you had to deal with because of my actions.

I know I don’t deserve it, and that you in no shape or form have to give it to me, but I would like to ask for your forgiveness.

Sincerely,

Colson Baker, (A.K.A. Machine Gun Kelly)

Hailie was shocked. Machine Gun Kelly sent her a handwritten letter, to apologise for something he did years ago. No one else who had targeted and dissed her has ever apologised to her. Her dad sure, but never her. She rereads it just to make sure.

She opens up twitter, and the tweet is gone. Looking back at the letter, Hailie smiles. Maybe Machine Gun Kelly wasn’t as bad as she thought. She did want to know how he got her address though.

Going back to her phone, she reopens twitter, and goes to Machine Gun Kelly’s profile. She unblocks him, before opening her DMs.

I got your letter. How did you get my address? - Hailie

A few minutes later she got a reply.

I’m glad you got my letter. Don’t worry I don’t have your address. I gave the letter to Travis Barker. He’s the one who got a hold of your address. - MGK

Hailie frowns at her phone. Who was Travis Barker? His name sounds familiar. After a quick google search, she sees he is the drummer for Blink-182, and that he probably got it from Paul Rosenberg. Okay that made her feel better. Going back to twitter, she sees that she has a new message.

Would you mind if I told my daughter that you got my apology letter? - MGK

Hailie thinks about it before typing her reply.

Yeah, go ahead, I don’t mind if you tell her. This doesn’t mean that I forgive you though. - Hailie

I understand, and thank you. Again I am sorry for my tweet, and dragging you into this beef. - MGK

Hailie doesn’t respond. She debates whether or not to reblock MGK, but decides against it. He really did seem remorseful for what he did, and is trying to change to be better for his daughter. That gets Hailie thinking, if Machine Gun Kelly’s daughter can convince him that he needs to apologize to her, and not her dad, then maybe together they can get their dad’s to stop fighting.

Hailie has a plan to end this stupid feud, get her dad from being so angry all the time, and hopefully get her peaceful life back. She will need Cassie’s help, and a few other people too, for this to work. First thing she does is call up Paul Rosenberg.

“This is Paul.”

“Hey, Paul this is Hailie. Do you have a second?”

“Sure. What can I do for you?”

“First are you with my dad.”

“No. Should I be?”

“No, it’s better if he isn’t around for this. Did you give my address to Travis Barker?”

“No, he gave me the letter to mail. I didn’t read it though. He said it was something important, and asked me not to read it. Is everything okay? Was there something in there I should Know about?”

“The letter was important, and you did the right thing trusting him. I just wanted to know how he got my address.”

“Okay, I’m glad my judgement was good, but this has me a little worried. Will you tell me what the letter was about?”

Hailie debates whether or not to tell him. On one hand the letter was an apology to her, she doesn’t have to tell anyone about it. On the other hand, if she tells Paul nothing, he might tell her dad about it in concern, which would ruin her plans. She makes her decision.

“It was a handwritten apology letter from Machine Gun Kelly.”

There is a moment of silence before Paul responds. “WHAT!”

“You heard me. He apologized for the tweet he posted about me, making me uncomfortable, apologising to my dad instead of me, and for dragging me into this stupid feud. He even deleted the tweet.”

Hailie can hear Paul tapping on his phone, probably checking to see if it was really deleted. “Damn, he really did delete it. Do you know what brought this on?”

“Yeah, his daughter.”

“Okay, makes sense.”

“So you know how you have been trying to get my dad to end this feud with him, well this gave me an idea. I just need to know if you are in.”

“I’m listening.”

“If Cassie can change her dad’s mind, then I should be able to do the same with my dad, right? Right. So I need you to do a couple of things. I need a way to get in contact with Cassie, and her mom. I will also need you to back me up later on.”

“Okay I can probably get in touch with Cassie, and her mom. Give me a few days. And I will back you up but I will need more details.”

“I will tell you the details later. I need to make a few more calls.

Next people she recruits are Alaina and Whitney. They have noticed how agitated Eminem has been lately, and agree to help with her plan. He also ropes in Travis Barker, Tommy Lee and Elton John, to help them too.

Paul came through with Emma’s, Cassie’s mom, phone number, and an understanding that Emma will listen to her idea, but she decides if Cassie is involved.

Hailie explains her plan. She and Cassie were going to convince their dad’s to meet, in hopes of ending the beef. Colson already tried once, but Em turned it down. This is where Cassie came in. She needed to convince her dad that he should try again, that he should take the higher ground, and be the better person. You know, set a good example. Emma can help with this too. Hailie has the harder job of convincing her dad to do the same. That he has defended her, and should talk with MGK. Once they have convinced both men to meet, they will have to pick a date that works for everybody. They will have Paul, Travis, Elton, and of course Hailie and Cassie, there when the two meet. Hopefully having both of their daughters there will keep things civil long enough to get something done. Paul hopes a collaboration comes out of it, but Hailie and Cassie just want their dads to be happy again.

******

Over the next few weeks Hailie e-mailed, Cassie and Emma,over how to get the two rappers to end their feud.

******

Hailie, Whitney, and Alaina have been dropping hints, and saying things, about ending arguments, burning the hatchet, and letting bygones be bygones. Em is really proud of his girls, being so mature, but fails to get the hints. Whitney even stages a fight with a friend, with an epic apology, but it still goes over Em’s head.

Now it is time for Hailie to confront her dad on his feud.

She has made it this far, there’s no turning back now. Hailie straightens her back, squares her shoulder, and walks into her dad’s office determined. Her dad looks up from some papers and smiles. It’s nice to see him smile.

“Hey Hailie.”

“Hey dad.”

“What brings you over? Not that I’m not glad to see you, it’s just you have been busy lately.”

“I came to talk to you. It’s about your feud with Machine Gun Kelly.”

The smile falls off Eminem’s face and his eyes harden. “You don’t need to worry about that son of a bitch. I’ll take care of him.” He stands up and heads over to the window.

Hailie takes a deep breath. “No dad. It was me he tweeted about. Everything has gotten out of control, and I have now been dragged into your stupid feud.”

Em turns around. “I know sweetie, and I’m sorry for that, but don’t worry I am crushing that blond asshole. His career is practically over.”

“Dad, that's not okay. Yeah, he is an asshole, and he deserved to be knocked down a few pegs, but this is overkill.”

“Hailie, this is my business. What I do…” Em didn’t get to finish her sentence.

“No, this isn’t just your business. It’s mine too, and I get a say in what happens. Machine Gun Kelly wrote me a letter…” Hailie didn’t get to finish what

“HE FUCKING CONTACTED YOU. I’M GOING TO KILL HIM. THAT STALKING SON OF A…” Em yells, as he heads for the door. Hailie steps in front of him, blocking the exit.

“No you're not. Now calm down. We are going to finish this conversation.”

“Hailie Jade Scott Mathers you better move out of my way.”

“No dad. I am a full grown woman, not a little girl anymore, and you are going to listen to what I have to say. Yes he wrote me a letter. He did it to apologise for what he did. The tweet, the feud, everything. Do you know how many other people have apologised to me for stuff they said? Have expressed regret for what they did to me? Not how many regret having to deal with you, but feel bad for what they did to me.”

Eminem thinks for a second, but doesn’t respond. Hailie continues.

“None. That’s how many. Everyone says sorry to you, not me. He is the only one. He admitted that he should have given me an apology for the comment, and even though it is years late, he still said sorry. Even after this whole feud, ‘Killshot’, and everyone hating him, Colson Baker is a big enough man to admit when he is wrong.”

“Just because he said ‘sorry’ doesn’t mean…”

“No dad, he didn’t just say ‘sorry’, he swallowed his pride, took responsibility for it, deleted the tweet, asked what he could do to make it up to me, and asked for my forgiveness. He wants to be a better role model for his own daughter. Here, read it for yourself.” Hailie hands him the letter, and waits while he reads it.

Em reads the letter. The kid really did set his pride aside and ask for his daughter forgiveness. He rereads the letter just to make sure he read it right, and he did. He was still unbelievably pissed that Machine Gun Kelly was somehow able to get to Hailie, but after reading the letter he doesn’t want to kill the blond idiot anymore.

“Okay he apologized to you, what do you want me to do? Just let him get away with running his mouth?”

“You have already won. He admitted that he couldn’t respond to ‘Killshot’. He tried to contact you more than once to end it but you said no. What I want is for you to be like Machine Gun Kelly, swallow your pride and set a better example for Alaina, Whitney, and I, and at least meet with him, so this stupid feud can end.” Hailie says as she holds her dad’s satire.

Em looks away, and sighs. “I don’t really have a choice in this so I?”

“You do have a choice. You can be an adult and meet with him, or you can be petty, and Alaina, Whitney, Paul, Fifty, Royce, Elton, Dre, and I will be disappointed in you.”

“Of course you got everyone to back you up. Fuck! Fine, I will meet with him, but I am making no promises about ”

Hailie relaxes. She will take it. For all intents and purposes, her dad has agreed, and she is tired, but she has a sense of accomplishment.

“Thanks dad. I’ll have Paul arrange the meeting.” She turns to leave.

“Hey, Heilie.”

“Yeah,dad.”

She turns back around, and her dad has wrapped her up in a big hug. She returns it immediately, and stands there for a moment. When they finally break apart Em asks her, “When did you get so smart, Jelly bean?”

“I don’t know dad. I musta learned it from you.”

******

The day of the meeting happens. They are in a studio in LA. It’s a neutral location. Paul, Elton, and Travis are sitting in the room waiting on the others to arrive.

“So, do you think this will actually work?” Travis asks.

“I don’t know darling, but hopefully with their daughters here it will be civil.” Elton replies as he crosses his ankles.

A few minutes later Eminem shows up with Hailie, and he looks put out. “Alright where is the blond fucker?”

“Marshall! I hope you don’t plan on using that kind of language today. Colson is bringing his daughter, and she is only 9.” Elton scolds. Em sighs knowing better than to argue with Uncle Elton about this kind of thing, even though he is pretty sure that she has heard worse from her own dad. He slumps into a chair between Paul and Hailie, already feeling done with the day and this meeting.

Kelly walks in with Cassie on his shoulders, and she is just chatting away, and Kelly is listening to every word she says. He sets her down in one chair, and takes the one between her and Travis.

“Hi Cassie.” Hailie greets.

“Hi Hailie.” Cassie says with a wave.

Em looks between his and Kelly’s daughters, and then it clicks.

“Fuuuuc-dge, fudge knuckles.” Em has to correct himself remembering that there is a literal child present. Hailie and Travis are snickering. At least Paul and Elton are trying to hide their amusement at his outburst. Em looks over at Kelly who gives him a look saying ‘yeah me too’.

“Our daughters played us.” Em says.

“Yep they teamed up to gang up on us.” Kelly says as he nods in agreement.

Neither rapper speaks, and the silence gets heavier with each passing moment.

“Let’s get this over with.” Em says with a sigh. “Everyone else out. This is between Machine Gun Kelly and me.”

Everyone but Kelly and Cassie begin to protest. Cassie decides to take action. She nudges her dad in the side with her elbow, and whispers in his ear, “Remember Dad be the bigger person.”

“Thanks pumpkin.” He whispers back, gives her a hug. She then grabs hailies hand, and heads for the door. The others follow suit, until it’s just Em and Kelly in the room.

“I’m sorry for tweeting about your daughter. I’m sorry for those things I said about you trying to interfere with my career, and I'm sorry for the other awful things I said about you. I really didn’t mean for that tweet to be rude, but I now see how it looks.”

“Did you fucking practise.”

Kells scratches the back of his head, breaking eye contact, looking down, at the ground. “Yeah with my daughter.” He mumbles out.

“Why did you post that tweet about Hailie?”

“To be honest, I thought she looked hot in it, but I didn’t know how old she was. When I found out how old she was I was disgusted with myself, but didn’t know what to do.”

“Okay fine I can understand that you didn’t know her age before commenting, but it was still shitty.”

“I Know.”

“Don’t ever do it again.”

Kelly looks up meeting Em’s Glare. “I won’t.”

Em takes pity on him, seeing that he is being sincere.

“I’m sorry too, kid. I’m sorry I banned you from Shade 45, talked shit about you, and called you a mumble rapper. You’re not.”

“Thank you.” A soft smile appears on Kelly’s face. Em can’t help but think it looks good on the blond.

Em can’t help but smirk. He was going to have fun picking on Kelly. “Am I really your idol?”

Kelly goes pink, and looks away. “Shut-up.”

“Oh no. You really looked up to me didn’t you? You wanted to be just like me. I bet you had all my albums, and posters of me.”

“Yeah but they always say never meet your heroes.” Kelly freezes, not meaning to say that out loud, making Em stop. Yeah Kelly did look up to him. Kelly really didn’t do anything, beside the tweet. Em did hinder his career, and was an ass to him, but the entire time they were feuding, Kelly still said he looked up to him.

“Look I’m sorry I was an ass to you. You just wanted recognition from me. Instead I dissed you, called you a mumble rapper. You tried to end this multiple times, and I didn’t want to hear it.”

Kelly is still blushing but he is looking at Em again.

“Your lyrics aren’t half bad either.”

The blond lights up. “Really?”

“Yes, need some work but they are pretty good.”

“Thank you.”

They sit there again not knowing what to do. Then Kelly pipes up. “So does that mean our feud is over?”

“Yeah it’s over.”

“What do we do now.”

“N

Em grabs his phone and texts Paul. Next thing they know Paul walks in. “Now that that is out of the way, we can call this beef over. I will set something up for the press.”

The details are hashed out. Kelly is going to open up for Em later this year, and neither one is going to sing their diss tracks of each other. Kelly does get to keep the moniker ‘Rap Devil’, to Paul’s disdain. Em thinks it’s funny (read cute).

Everyone parts ways.

Hailie links with her dad’s arm as they go down the hallway.

“The way you were picking on him, almost felt like you were doing it to get his attention.”

Em blushes as the statement.

“OMG you do think he is cute, that’s why you don’t want to give up this beef.”

“No I don’t. He’s an asshole who needed to be taught a lesson.”

“Okay Dad whatever you say.”

She hurries on head, but turns and gives her dad a wink. A new plan in mind.

#emgk

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dramaclover · 4 years ago

Text

Ending & Thoughts: Legal Mavericks 2020

Initial Thoughts

When the first drama came out, I was one of the few people that wasn’t obsessed with it. I mean it was good and I like the message but I wasn’t as into it as everyone else. The bromance between Vincent & Owen wasn’t that great of a watch. And the cases weren’t as interesting. So when I went into watching the sequel, I didn’t have much expectations. Also cause sequels tend to not be as good, example Line Walker 3 wasn’t the best sequel. But this sequel proved me wrong. It was waaay more enjoyable then the first one.

Plot & Characters

Hope Man (Vincent Wong) is a blind barrister that works together with Gogo Kuk (Owen Cheung) a former police turned private detective & Deen Jie (Sisley Choi) who is Hopes legal executive. Together they solve various cases and uncover the justice behind it. New cast members included Eva Shaw (Kelly Cheung) a rival barrister, Kan Siu Wang (Pail Chun) Hopes former Master that mentored him. Kwok Lam (Jessica Kan) Hopes new apprentice & Kong Bo Chai (Lesley Chiang) an inspector police were both fun new additions to the cast.

For most direct sequels there are very rare instances where I would like the new cast additions. For example The Exorcists Meter 2.0 I hated all the new additions to the cast. But for this sequel, I like all of them - well most. For some people they believe Bo Chai & Kwok Lam were unnecessary but I find that they were a nice comic relief (with the bickering) and Bo Chai was needed since she was a police they were able to solve more cases with her help. Kwok Lam though she was born rich, she has a strong sense of justice & she would even go against her Father to pursue it. Kan Siu Wang shocked me with how he’s not as evil as you’d think. You would think he would be the ultimate boss that Hope needs to defeat but that’s not it. He likes power and money but he also knows there’s fine line between black & white.

Now, here comes my least favourite character which is Eva Shaw. And I’m sure anyone can guess why. Cause she is a Never Wong (Ali Lee) replacement. When I say replacement, I don’t mean she just takes over the empty spot & becomes the mandatory new love interest. No I mean. She is the new Never Wong. She dresses sexily, basically the same attitude & personality, strong sense of justice, falls deeply in love with Hope only to end up with Gogo. Like really? She’s literally a carbon copy. And I’m so disappointed that they decided to go down this route. They even had her dance in the rain with Hope too. Like can’t you be anymore original? Only difference is she doesn’t die. She’s also more annoying cause she’s always changing her mind. One moment she’s on her masters side but then the next moment she’s on Hopes side. Like can you just give a stable standing and stay loyal? Cause I’m exhausted with you going back & forth. She becomes more likeable as the series goes on but it was hard for me to warm up as she was just too similar to Never.

The Cases

The cases were very fun & interesting to watch. The director also has said that these cases are based on real circumstances and brings in the human side. Which rings true. The case of the “Heart Stealer” & “Fast Food Restaurant Refugee Murder” were both cases that brought a tear to my eye. For the former, it was touching to see how a mother would give up her heart just to ensure her son could live the rest of his life with no worries. The helplessness she felt and also knowing how in real life, cases like that could happen. At times like this the rich would win as they have the time & money. A lot of people think that those that always hang around 24 hours food places are gross & homeless. This case shows to not judge someone by their cover. Everyone has a backstory. The bond these group of people had for each other was eye opening. I was so sad when it showed the flashback of them singing & just enjoying each other’s company. You just feel so bad for them. I don’t want to say too much cause I don’t want to spoil to much of this case. The case of the “Silent Witness” & “Beyond Man and Woman” had good plot twists that I did not see coming. On the cover it sounded like boring cases but the background story to it ended up being surprising to watch.

The Romance

A lot of people didn’t like how in the sequel Hope & Yanice Tai (Tracy Chu) relationship became a central storyline despite Yanice passing away in the first. I personally actually liked it & didn’t find it draggy. It could be because I love Tracy as an actress. It could be because I find Hope & Yanice to be an amazing couple with a tragic love story. In this case I just find their story unfinished. As in, I never truly understood why Hope would give up Yanice. He could’ve went with Yanice instead of staying behind in Hong Kong. They’ve been through so much only for him to give it up, it always left a sour taste in my mouth. In this sequel we see him deal with the guilt & anguish to finally letting go and moving on. It also intercepted with another case so it was not random. I thought it was a nice touch for the writers to write in about her developing a tumour in her brain. Because from that she decided to pre- record a message to Hope. So we get to hear her last words & get a final wrap up in the story.

Hope & Deen Jie is odd to me. Like I’m aware that Deen Jie has a crush on him. But in this sequel she was possessive that it was uncomfortable in some parts. Hope has shown over & over again that he has no interest. Yet she’s still stuck on him. Towards the end they have a fall out because she thought Hope had heartlessly kicked her out of his firm & withheld her Fathers illness from her. She finds out later on it was cause of her Fathers order that he did that but she was still bitter. In the end she admits she was angry not cause of her Father but because she had believed he had fallen for Eva. So she was bitter out of jealousy. This part bothered me to no end. They are not dating. She knows he doesn’t like her. He never led her on, from day one he has said he only has Yanice & that he couldn’t move on. So I guess the idea that he has fallen in love again but not with her triggered her pettiness. It got to the point where she battled him in court with her helping a scumbag rapist just to spite him. Like girl, what happened to helping the helpless & doing what’s right? You threw that away for a guy? Like in the end she does the right thing but that was annoying. I would’ve enjoyed the development of Hope & Deen Jie’s love story if they hadn’t made her so petty and possessive. So for me, no I don’t like them together as a couple but enjoyed them more as friends. If anything I thought if Hope couldn’t end up with Yanice, Eva would’ve been nice. But they did a bait & switch. In the beginning they heavily made it seem that Hope would end up with Eva while Deen Jie would end up with Gogo. That was a weird but interesting twist though. I haven’t seen another drama where they would change up the love interest like that.

Gogo has always been a very casual guy so for him to end up with Eva was also odd to me. Eva has a glamorous, mature feel so I don’t find them a matching couple. But opposites attract in this case. I also thought they had no chemistry whatsoever. Eva was never interested in Gogo dispite him always flirting. She only liked Hope, it just looks like she settled for him out of the blue. I actually prefer Gogo with Bo Chai instead. They had better chemistry and he abruptly ended the relationship with Bo Chai that made her never get over him. I hated how he used her love for him to do things as a cop she shouldn’t be doing. They were engaged and he dumped her over the phone while she was trying on wedding dresses. He never ever sincerely apologized for that & he got over her so quickly. So I guess it’s good they didn’t end up together, he doesn’t deserve a good person like her. Bo Chai also never got real closure from it & her character sorta disappears towards the last episode. Gogo was also in a relationship with Never until it ended with her dying. So for him to end up with Eva whose a replica of Never just irks me.

The Good

I throughly loved Paul’s betrayal. And I also liked how instead of making him a full out villain they made him a man that knows a line that should not be crossed. He has helped bad people but in the end he was able to see the difference between good & bad. He sent one of the innocent accused to jail but he was also the one that ultimately set him free. He stole Deen Jie away from Hope but only cause he saw potential in her & knew she had way it takes to be a good barrister. He set up Deen Jie to battle with Hope not to spite him but because he knew doing this would help Deen Jie. So it’s like ultimately he’s not as bad as they portrayed him. In the end Hope even calls him Master again. I thought in the end there would be a huge showdown between Hope and him with the latter ending up in jail or something. So it was great spin to have him coming out as a semi- hero (for helping them patch things up between Hope & Deen Jie). It was unpredictable and enjoyable to see this instead.

The sequel is more case driven and I’m glad cause that’s what it made it more interesting. The first one focused more on Hopes journey to finding himself & rebuilding his relationship with his Father that left him when he turned blind (which I understand). Also talked more about friendship and focused solely on one evil villain. So the first one fell flat for me.

The Bad

I didn’t like how Hope was always in court battling the same people it’s either Eva, his Master and then Walter Wah (Hugo Wong) who is the same character from the first drama. I guess that’s TVBs way of staying in a budget instead of hiring new people to play different barristers.

It was disappointing to see Deen Jie fix her buck tooth & change her appearance so drastically. What I liked about her is how she didn’t care about the way she looked and that the heart is what matters. In the first drama Never had asked her why she doesn’t fix her teeth since she has the money. And she said she didn’t find it necessary & the inside is more important than her appearance. So for her to change the way she looked for Hope was just sighhh. But I guess the writers want the main couple to “look good”. I wonder if they always had Deen Jie become the main love interest in mind when they wrote the first one.

I also did not like how they had a cliffhanger ending. It ends with Deen Jie getting stabbed in the neck & in a coma. And of course Hope slowly coming into terms that he has fallen for Deen Jie. They did it cause they are potentially writing another sequel in collaboration with China. But with Vincent leaving TVB & the lacklustre ratings, I don’t know if it’s gonna happen anymore. But seeing how things turn out Deen Jie will probably end up with amnesia or something cause their love line will not run so smoothly. But if a sequel doesn’t happen, I can just pretend that ending did not happen and that Deen Jie is back working at his firm together solving crimes.

Final Thoughts

Everyone was great but I didn’t find any standouts. Vincent reprisal as a blind barrister is still amazing but I don’t see TVB awarding him Best Actor for the same role twice. Also he didn’t show up to the TVB Anniversary Gala which sorta shows his standing with TVB. Sisley improved for sure but I wouldn’t say she’s Best Actress material yet, it was nice to see her become the antagonist though. Kelly was nice & stable as usual. And Owen Cheung just stayed the same, nothing new was brought to the table at all. And weird enough the bromance between Hope & Gogo wasn’t as fun to watch compared to Al Cappucinos Cheung Sai Lung & Ko Ban. Here they just seemed like good friends instead of “brothers”.

I see a lot of comments about Sisley being a huge standout. And I agree with how much she has improved but I still think she still has a lot to learn. I admit her turn as the antagonist was interesting to watch but it wasn’t as great as they say. She isn’t loud acting anymore that’s for sure. But at the same time TVB is running out of actresses so I wouldn’t mind her winning so quickly.

It was lovely to see Tracy come back in a voice role. The directors had invited her back to film but she rejected the role. I wished she had accepted as it could’ve been her goodbye role since it seems she has no interest in continuing acting. She’s only doing ads & photo shoots as she slowly transitions to becoming a full time lawyer. I wouldn’t say a pity as though she’s a talented actress, becoming a lawyer is more stable. And she got married with her childhood sweetheart. I’m so happy for her but also sad as I will miss her acting. But I can always re-watch Over Run Over.

This was a better sequel then I have seen in years. Line Walker 3: Bull Fight just wasn’t as great compared to this. The Exorcists Meter 2.0 was also a downer. The plot twists in the cases and heartfelt stories made the drama all the more memorable. It’s turning out to be a great year for TVB drama watchers like me. Death by Zero, Brutally Young, Al Cappucino were standouts this year. While this drama, Line Walker 3 & The Witness do not fall far behind.

Side note: but what’s with the characters name? They’re all so strange. Man San Hap full English name Hope Man. I know it’s a play on for justice hero but dang it’s cringy. Then theres Santiago Kuk nicknamed Gogo. Like for real whyyyy. I hate that so much. “Hey Gogo hows it going”. “Gogo, I love you” blergh. Then Never Wong. Are you kidding me? She’s a court judge who chose Never as her nickname? Cherry was fine!! I guess it’s play on for “never wrong” well in this case you were wrong for thinking Never was a good name choice! And they don’t even pronounce the “r” in Never. They say it like “Neva” and it bothers me for no reason. TVB English names tend to always be questionable and I don’t care if they try to play it off as a nickname (Flashbacks to Laughing Gor, Muse, Bingo, Saving, Cash, Fever that’s only to name a few) but this is the first drama where it has this many.

#tvb #tvb drama

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richincolor · 6 years ago

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What About Non-fiction?

Most often we focus on fiction, but there are some excellent non-fiction books being published for young adults. Here are a few I've read and enjoyed in the past few months. If there are any you think we should add to our TBR, please let us know.

Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice by Bryan Stevenson Delacorte Press

In this young adult adaptation of the acclaimed bestselling Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson delves deep into the broken U.S. justice system, detailing from his personal experience his many challenges and efforts as a lawyer and social advocate, especially on behalf of America's most rejected and marginalized people.

In this very personal work--proceeds of which will go to charity--Bryan Stevenson recounts many and varied stories of his work as a lawyer in the U.S. criminal justice system on behalf of those in society who have experienced some type of discrimination and/or have been wrongly accused of a crime and who deserve a powerful advocate and due justice under the law.

Through the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), an organization Stevenson founded as a young lawyer and for which he currently serves as Executive Director, this important work continues. EJI strives to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, working to protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 by Claire Hartfield Clarion

On a hot day in July 1919, five black youths went swimming in Lake Michigan, unintentionally floating close to the "white" beach. An angry white man began throwing stones at the boys, striking and killing one. Racial conflict on the beach erupted into days of urban violence that shook the city of Chicago to its foundations. This mesmerizing narrative draws on contemporary accounts as it traces the roots of the explosion that had been building for decades in race relations, politics, business, and clashes of culture.

(Don't) Call Me Crazy edited by Kelly Jensen Algonquin Young Readers

Who’s Crazy?

What does it mean to be crazy? Is using the word crazy offensive? What happens when such a label gets attached to your everyday experiences?

In order to understand mental health, we need to talk openly about it. Because there’s no single definition of crazy, there’s no single experience that embodies it, and the word itself means different things—wild? extreme? disturbed? passionate?—to different people.

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is a conversation starter and guide to better understanding how our mental health affects us every day. Thirty-three writers, athletes, and artists offer essays, lists, comics, and illustrations that explore their personal experiences with mental illness, how we do and do not talk about mental health, help for better understanding how every person’s brain is wired differently, and what, exactly, might make someone crazy.

If you’ve ever struggled with your mental health, or know someone who has, come on in, turn the pages, and let’s get talking.

We Are Here to Stay by Susan Kuklin Candlewick Press

Meet nine courageous young adults who have lived in the United States with a secret for much of their lives: they are not U.S. citizens. They came from Colombia, Mexico, Ghana, Independent Samoa, and Korea. They came seeking education, fleeing violence, and escaping poverty. All have heartbreaking and hopeful stories about leaving their homelands and starting a new life in America. And all are weary of living in the shadows. We Are Here to Stay is a very different book than it was intended to be when originally slated for a 2017 release, illustrated with Susan Kuklin’s gorgeous full-color portraits. Since the last presidential election and the repeal of DACA, it is no longer safe for these young adults to be identified in photographs or by name. Their photographs have been replaced with empty frames, and their names are represented by first initials. We are honored to publish these enlightening, honest, and brave accounts that encourage open, thoughtful conversation about the complexities of immigration — and the uncertain future of immigrants in America.

How I Resist: Activism and Hope for the Next Generation edited by Maureen Johnson Wednesday Books

An all-star collection of essays about activism and hope, edited by bestselling YA author Maureen Johnson.

Now, more than ever, young people are motivated to make a difference in a world they're bound to inherit. They're ready to stand up and be heard - but with much to shout about, where they do they begin? What can I do? How can I help?

How I Resist is the response, and a way to start the conversation. To show readers that they are not helpless, and that anyone can be the change. A collection of essays, songs, illustrations, and interviews about activism and hope, How I Resist features an all-star group of contributors, including, John Paul Brammer, Libba Bray, Lauren Duca, Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband Justin Mikita, Alex Gino, Hebh Jamal, Malinda Lo, Dylan Marron, Hamilton star Javier Muñoz, Rosie O'Donnell, Junauda Petrus, Jodi Picoult, Jason Reynolds, Karuna Riazi, Maya Rupert, Dana Schwartz, Dan Sinker, Ali Stroker, Jonny Sun (aka @jonnysun), Sabaa Tahir, Daniel Watts, Jennifer Weiner, Jacqueline Woodson, and more, all edited and compiled by New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.

In How I Resist, readers will find hope and support through voices that are at turns personal, funny, irreverent, and instructive. Not just for a young adult audience, this incredibly impactful collection will appeal to readers of all ages who are feeling adrift and looking for guidance.

How I Resist is the kind of book people will be discussing for years to come and a staple on bookshelves for generations.

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littlebitwriter · 6 years ago

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MY DREAM FOR WHAT I WANT FOR THE FUTURE OF MARVEL ANIMATION: A NEW Golden Age of Animated Marvels

With the Disney/Fox merger becoming more and more of a reality. There is tremendous excitement in having almost the entire Marvel Universe on the big screen but also finally all together in animation. With Marvel finally retaining the TV rights to most of its properties that had been at 20th Century Fox this could lead to a very exciting time for the Marvel animated world with brand new cartoon shows featuring characters who’ve had shows in the past who can finally get there definitive treatment they deserve in animation. Allowing so many characters from The Marvel Universe the opportunity to be showcased.

I haven’t been keeping up with any of The Marvel Animation/Disney XD shows like Ultimate Spider-Man (2012-17), HULK AND THE AGENTS OF S.M.A.S.H. or Avengers Assemble or The Guardians of The Galaxy cartoon or even the new Spider-Man cartoon. I understand these are shows for younger audiences but I was very disappointed in what I’ve seen from the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon in my early teen days. That show pretty much turned me off from the rest of this ��shared universe’.

So that kept getting me thinking that now that Marvel will regain the rights to the majority if not all of their characters. There’s many rumors circulating about a new X-Men cartoon and I was thinking about the DC Universe streaming service and how they brought back Young Justice as Young Justice: Outsiders. I then started to think about Disney’s streaming service Disney + where maybe these new Marvel animated shows can find a place there. Here’s a list of animated series ideas I have that could be what fans have know idea what they wanted, but deep down they always did.

HERE WE GO…

A NEW ‘UNCANNY’ X-MEN CARTOON

A new X-Men cartoon has been one of the many rumored things being developed under the Disney/Fox merger. Also it’s been ten years since Wolverine and The X-Men which was short lived but a favorite of mine. The tone of my X-Men series like the other three X-Men shows the X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men: Evolution, Wolverine and The X-Men, it would have a slightly darker tone but mine would skew a bit darker. It is a cartoon that would appeal to younger viewers but would not alienate mature audiences. To make a show that kids, teenagers and adults would enjoy. Having a show like this is something for awhile I’ve been waiting for. This show could have the potential to be as relevant as ever using the ‘Mutant’ metaphor in the current landscape could gain a lot of attention.

Also many writers and the creative/animation team who have worked on Wolverine and The X-Men and other animated shows could come back. Mainly people like Craig Kyle & Chris Yost also bring in the current comic book writers who know the X-Men property like Ed Brisson or Matthew Rosenberg or maybe some veterans like Chris Claremont. The Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon had the right idea of bringing in people like Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Paul Dini, Brian Michael Bendis, for this cartoon I’d bring in familiar names like that and let them go wild with the animators to create the X-Men show they want to see.

Also, Maybe bring back the same or a familiar voice cast or a completely different voice cast from other X-shows like Wolverine & The X-Men. Maybe have Steve Blum or Gerard Butler (from the Wolverine: Long Night audio drama) as the voice Wolverine,Or Jim Ward (from Wolverine & The X-Men) as the voice of Professor X and maybe also have Loren Lester (who was the voice of Nightwing in The New Batman Adventures) voice Cyclops, also my dream voice casting of Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Daphne in the James Gunn Scooby Doo movies) as Jean Grey.

Bringing back the X-Men in this fashion for a animated series could gain a lot of critical and commercial acclaim if done right. Having it stream on the Disney + service could maybe help it push boundaries in censorship and in dramatic storytelling quality in modern animation. It would be an absolute treat! If this was available or announced for the Disney + service I would be the first in line.

AN ALL NEW ‘SPECTACULAR’ & ‘AMAZING’ SPIDER-MAN SHOW

Ever since Spectacular Spider-Man: The Animated Series there has no Spidey cartoon afterwards that could ever be worthy in my eyes. The ‘90’s Spider-Man: TAS and Spectacular Spider-Man are the two definitive Spidey cartoons for me, however as much as I love and am still extremely connected to both of them there needs to be a new authentic Spider-Man cartoon that scratches those Spidey itches that the Disney XD stuff hasn’t been doing.

Much like I suggested with X-Men maybe have it stream on the Disney + streaming service and have it be a show that gravitate towards a more teenage audience. Also with Josh Keaton returning as the voice of Spider-Man, if not Josh Keaton then Sean Marquette who voiced him in The Ultimate Spider-Man video game from the early to mid aughts.

It’s a show where the tone would be like Spectacular Spider-Man and Spider-Man: TAS but it can be more sophisticated and go to some darker places where you can give more of a definitive treatment to certain characters and storylines. Where you can have Cletus Kasady/Carnage make an exciting appearance voiced by Tim Curry. It would be crazy if that happend I would love it. Also the show could adapt its own versions of The Night Gwen Stacy Died or Kraven’s Last Hunt. It would be astounding to see Spidey stories with the storytelling level and sophistication of those classic comics on an animated series that is willing to take itself more seriously but not be too ultra serious since it’s Spider-Man. It’s a show that I would want that make you root for the hero, scream, laugh, cry. A rollercoaster of emotions is what you should get in a Spider-Man cartoon.

Maybe bring it back as a spiritual sequel series to Spectacular Spider-Man and bring back writers like Greg Weisman.

HERE COMES… A DAREDEVIL SHOW

To make up for the cancellation of the successful and my personal favorite Netflix TV show Daredevil I think there should be a Daredevil animated series to make up for the cancellation of the show. The show would be Marvel’s Batman: The Animated Series, it’s a darker gritter show that leans towards the crime drama of Brian Bendis and Frank Miller with some high technicolor visuals and familiar Marvel cameos from the Mark Waid and Chris Samnee brilliant run.

In terms of voicing the character of Daredevil/Matt Murdock maybe Roger Craig Smith who voiced a younger Batman in the Arkham Origins video game.

AN INCREDIBLY, UNSTOPPABLE HULK SHOW

I would love to see Hulk get an all new animated series. It would be an interesting show for teens and adults maybe play with more psychological sides of The Hulk. Adapt some stories from the Peter David run or the recent Al Ewing Immortal Hulk run and I think it would be a great show for the streaming service. There was long talk about the Guillermo Del Toro Hulk TV series maybe get him to executive produce this animated series and let it be a darker thing. Of course in terms of voice casting I’d love to see Fred Tatasciore or Lou Ferrigno voice The Hulk.

That is all for the marvel animated series I would love to see on the Disney + services I apologize for any of the so-so quality this blog post has. It’s a learning process. Thank you so much for reading! :) Have a great day true believers!

-LittleBitWriter (3/1/18)

#animated series #marvel cartoon #disney +

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bikeactuallyproductions · 4 years ago

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martina, the producer

name: martina

position: producer / actor (maybe?)

favorite films: twin peaks: fire walk with me, mulholland drive, les demoiselles de rochefort, greener grass, in the mood for love

favorite directors: david lynch, paul thomas anderson, jacques demy, wong kar wai, agnès varda, kelly reichardt

what happened this week? this week we did some research into our chosen genre (rom-com) for the fiction film. we analyzed different elements (like sound, mise-en-scéne, acting, lighting, editing etc.) of barefoot in the park (1967, dir. gene saks) and la la land (2016, dir. damien chazelle). we also did some exercises with the camera and we had a fun time but it was kind of hard to really understand how it works. we got more instructions from our teacher after that which were really useful and hopefully we’ll do a better job next time! :-)

here’s the crew in action! from the left timea (director) and riddhi (props/costumes/make-up) playing two women arguing about cinnamon, semi (director of photography) and jonas (sound/editor), and caitlyn (editor in chief) who deserves an oscar for playing dead.

what are you responsible for? since i’m the producer, i’m responsible for budgeting and finances, legal aspects, call sheets, planning and preparation, and production design.

this is all for today! talk to you next week :-)

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dailyaudiobible · 4 years ago

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08/04/2021 DAB Transcript

2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23, 1 Corinthians 1:1-17, Psalms 27:1-6, Proverbs 20:20-21

Today is the 4th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it is a joy and a privilege and an honor to be here with you today around this Global Campfire as we take our next step forward together through the Scriptures and through the year. And…yeah…a year of our life together in the Bible changes an awful lot. So, let's take that next step forward. We’re reading from the book of second Chronicles, and we’ll actually be concluding the book of second Chronicles with our reading today. And then we get to the New Testament because we concluded the letter to the Romans yesterday we’ll be moving into some new territory. And we’ll talk about that when we get there. But first, second Chronicles chapters 35 and 36.

Introduction to 1 Corinthians:

Okay. So, now we’re turning into some new territory in the New Testament, another letter. We’ll actually be kind of camping out in Paul's letters for a while, but this newsletter was a letter written to the church in Corinth and those people were known as the Corinthians. And, so, this is…this letter is called Corinthians and it's the first one in the New Testament. And, so, this is called first Corinthians. And, so, just kinda of getting the lay of the land, Corinth wasn't like a little village, a little hamlet out in the hills in the sticks somewhere. This is like one of the largest cities in the whole Roman Empire. So, pretty influential city in the empire, kind of a hotspot, definitely a hub for commerce and trade and negotiation and business. And, so, it is a large polytheistic Roman Empire city where worship of lots of gods are happening, but it's also a very secular city, very secularized society. Same as we would experience in any large city pretty much in the world today. If there are a lot of people and they’re from a lot of places then you have a melting pot of a lot of ideas. So, there's a church there in Corinth, a Christian fellowship of people that Paul was in association with, and this letter is…is really written responding to some of the things he had been asked and some of the things that he had been hearing that were going on in the church there. And fundamentally he's encouraging unity. And they may have needed that encouragement. Obviously, they needed that encouragement but even though they’re a couple thousand years in the future…man that…that theme of getting on the same page and working and walking together in unity is no less poignant, no less needed today. And as we were going through Romans, you know, we came across passages of Scripture that are very famous like “the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal”, like all of these things in Romans. So, we recognize a lot of passages that are…that are famous. And we will notice the same thing in first Corinthians. There are themes and passages that are very famous like the theme of seeing through a glass darkly or that when I was a child I spoke as a child but when I…when I became a man I put away childish things. These are in first Corinthians. Then, of course, when we get to the 13th chapter of Corinthians, that…that is known as the love chapter and its very famous and very quotable. So, this is some of the territory that we are steering into. And, so, let's dive into Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. And today we will read chapter 1 verses 1 through 17.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You each and every day for the way that it…it comes into our hearts and into our lives and informs us and challenges us and moves us forward and we are so deeply grateful. And today we had an ending and a beginning. And, so, we’re ending territory in the Old Testament, we’re beginning territory, another of Paul's letters and we invite Your Holy Spirit to speak clearly that we might hear what You're saying and obey where You are leading. We invite Your Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. As we continue to live into this faith, this journey, this adventure of life together with You. Come Holy Spirit we pray and to all of this and all that we will encounter in the Scriptures in the days ahead we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it's the website, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here. And, so, check it out. Check out the Daily Audio Bible app. You can access all of these things from within the app as well. So, check that out.

Check out the Shop, the Daily Audio Bible Shop either in the app or on the web. There are a number of resources there and a number of different categories that we have developed over the years for the journey that we are on around this Global Campfire through a year in the Bible and in life together, and there are resources to accompany that journey. So, check them out in the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you, humbly, with humble gratitude. Thank you for your partnership. If the…the mission here around this Global Campfire to bring the spoken word of God read fresh every day and given freely to whoever will listen anywhere on this planet any time of day or night, and to build community around that rhythm so that this isn’t the solitary journey either through the Bible or through life, that we’re in this together. If that makes a difference ten thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if you prefer, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit outline button in the app, which is the little red hotline lookin’ button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi this is Paul from Ohio been listening for about 14 years off and on. I'm calling today to say some prayer for Susie from Colorado who called in as she's feeling weary after 27 years of taking care of orphans in Haiti. You deserve to feel weary. Jesus felt weary several times. In John 4, 5, and six is said He was tired in the well near Samaria. In Matthew 5:23-24 He slept through the storm he was so weary. Elijah was allowed to sleep. In King's 19 he slept in the cave under the broom tree and God fed him and he fell back asleep and was OK. Jesus said come to me all you are weary, and I will give you rest. It is totally understandable, and I pray that you get the help that you need, and I pray that you'll see in scriptures not the verses that talk about you being lazy or not doing enough. You are doing plenty and you have to take care of yourself to be able to take care of the rest of the…those orphans many with disabilities. Just like on an airplane when they tell you to put your oxygen mask on first so that you can help the others, you gotta put your oxygen mask on. Give yourself a break. Ask for help. It will make you be a better caregiver and better able to do God's work on this earth. And I think that is what your goal is. You've already done so much. So, I pray for all these things for you. Amen.

Hi this is Kelly in Greensboro NC, and this is for Loving Heart in Saint Louis. I just heard your prayer my dear sweet sister in Christ over your precious daughter who has anorexia and I just wanted to lift you and your husband and your precious child up to the Lord for healing and I just wanted to pray some scripture over her. Psalm 30 verse 2, I cry out to the Lord and heals me. Psalm 103:3 the Lord forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. Psalm 107:20, He sends His word and heals me and rescues me from the pit and destruction. Isaiah 58:8, My light shall break forth like the morning and My healing shall spring forth speedily. Jeremiah 17:14, heal me O Lord and I shall be healed, save me and I shall be saved for You are my praise. And then Jeremiah 30:17, the Lord has declared that He will restore me to health and heal my wounds. Lord we just pray that if there are any untapped resources that this precious family has not been made aware of that You will bring them into their lives father. And we just lift up this daughter to You, we lift up this mother and father who are heartbroken to see the health of their daughter deteriorate father. And Lord we just pray for complete and total healing of her mind and her body and in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Hey DAB family this is D in Tampa and I called in a couple of…well maybe a week ago or so…a couple weeks ago feeling down and sad from some losses I've had over the last five years. And the prayer request I have for today…and by the way thank you so much to those who did pray. The prayer request I have today is to ask that people, my family on here, my DAB brothers and sisters would pray for the Holy Spirit's intervention over my mental health. I suffer from PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and depression, anxiety along with physical illness. Anyway, my time is running short, and I just want to say we need Christians to stand around each other and not shame each other about mental health issues. And I just want to ask for your prayers over me and I thank you in advance and God bless you guys. Thank you.

Good morning Daily Audio family I just wanted to speak to the person, the gentleman who was wanted to pray for the son’s girlfriend with the __ and everything. I just want to say right now in the name of Jesus, by the blood of Jesus she is being healed and is healed. So, I'm in agreement for full healing and that the Holy Spirit will be able to heal her give her peace and be able to speak to her and draw her closer to God to the Father and also to Jesus. So, I'm in agreement with that and right now I believe in the name of Jesus that she is going to be healed, that it’s gonna be a speedy recovery and healing in Jesus’ name. We love you family.

Good morning DABbers this is God's chosen one from Georgia. I am standing in need of prayer this morning. I have been dealing with multiple myeloma for a while. The pain is deep. The aches are unbearable, but I could use your prayer this morning. It's a new month and so I believe that God will do something new. That our God will move with might and power and restore me to health. I pray that this morning as we enter into this new month of August His mercy will prevail and that His loving kindness will speak life into me. I pray for healing, completeness, wholeness. I pray for complete restoration. I pray as I believe by faith that He is more than able. [singing starts] it's me it's me oh Lord standing in the need of prayer. It's me it's me oh Lord standing in the need of prayer. It's not my brother not my sister but it's me oh Lord standing in the need of prayer, not my father or my mother, but it's me oh Lord standing in the need of prayer [singing stops].

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i-may-have-a-point · 8 years ago

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Review of 14x06 “Come on Down to My Boat, Baby”

Unlike the show, this review is NOT brought to you by Lexus, so you won’t have to sit through any obvious product placement.

Omelia – I know that I have made my feelings on this storyline fairly personal, but I am not able to watch a story about a character having a brain tumor and not relate it to my own experiences. We connect to these characters on a personal level. That is one of the reasons so many of us are so invested in the show. We see ourselves in these characters and they are telling human stories that we have experienced. Sometimes we don’t like the outcome, but we get that every experience is different and accept it. But I can’t do that with this story. Using Amelia’s brain tumor as an exit plan from Omelia’s marriage is disrespectful to everyone who has actually had a brain tumor. As I said last week, even if Amelia’s tumor was asymptomatic, the idea that it affected her judgement in marriage but not in surgery is absurd. And if I hear the line, “You married a tumor,” one more time, I might throw something through the TV. Amelia was not a tumor. She was a human being with thoughts and emotions and feelings who happened to have a brain tumor. When Owen married her, he married the woman he loved, not a tumor. When I drove nine hours to say good-bye to my dad, I was saying good-bye to the man who raised me and loved me, not a tumor. Reducing the character of Amelia to simply being a tumor, implies that all people suffering from brain tumors are simply a tumor and that their actions are not their own because they have no idea what they are really doing. That’s bullshit and lazy writing. If they want me as an audience member to believe that Amelia couldn’t have really loved Owen because of the tumor, what does that tell me I should believe about my dad’s feelings for me? Should I believe that the last time he told me he loved me was just a reflexive response of his brain tumor? And if Amelia’s love for Owen isn’t real because of the tumor, does that mean her love for Mer and Maggie was a tumor symptom as well? Amelia tells Owen at the beginning of the episode that they should blame the tumor for the bad and keep the good. Or how about they write a storyline where the characters deal with and process the bad? Let Amelia come to terms with losing her son and give her a way to work through that. Because that “bad” had nothing to do with the tumor. Or acknowledge that even with a brain tumor, Amelia knew Owen so well, that she knew he was experiencing PTSD when he was told Megan was alive and then tried to come to work. That “good” happened regardless of the tumor. But instead we get Owen hooking up with Carina and Amelia hooking up with Koracick so the audience can take bets on who will accidentally get pregnant first. Maybe it will be Carina and we can re-do the Calzona/Sloan story. Or maybe Amelia and Catherine Avery can have a “fun” scene where they discuss how Koracick is in bed. Break Omelia up so they can “be happy” and sleep around. Whatever. But stop using a brain tumor as the catalyst for a lazy story.

Meredith – Is there anyone who thinks she isn’t going to win the Harper Avery? I’m good either way, but I hope they plan to explain why in season 10 Cristina was told no one from Grey-Sloan would ever win before they hand Meredith her big, shiny trophy. And if Mer does win one, other doctors better be winning right behind her. *cough* Miranda Bailey *cough* Also, Meredith being nice to Jo was creepy because Meredith hasn’t been nice to anyone except Alex for years.

Boys on a Boat – When the promotional photos for this started leaking back in August, I was excited. We haven’t seen the doctors actually being friends very often in the last few seasons, so I thought this would be good. It SHOULD have been good. Sigh. I wanted lighthearted hanging out, and instead we got a forced conversation about how close is too close to sleep with someone you consider a sister and some questionable acting. All this so Jackson could say he can’t buy happiness and for Warren to announce that he is joining the fire academy? Jackson has been happy for years, so they can keep their forced “Jackson needs to do some soul-searching” storyline, and Ben’s announcement felt like an eight- year-old telling his friends he was going to ring a doorbell and run, but they better not tell his mom. This guy’s day was a complete letdown. I’m with April. She gets shot, and they get a sick day?! Jackson using his money to create a new surgical competition is…fine, I guess. Although, I think it would have seemed more in character for him to use it for research on skin grafting or OI. And they act like the Harper Avery is the only award in the country for surgeons. Can’t Jackson win a different award? But sure, fine. I think a surgical competition between the attendings could be an interesting story to watch, but I am not getting my hopes up that this is what will happen, and even if it does, that it will even be good. (My Japril heart is hoping that Japril filming a scene together in 14x10?? means they will be working on this together, but could we get that lucky?)

April – As much as it seems weird that her story is right back where it was a year ago with her swiping left and right on Tinder, I am actually fine with it. It seems pretty clear that something happened in the writer’s room last year after 13x07 and the story of April dating that the show had hinted at was dropped and, instead, Japril was thrown into the middle of the Eliza fiasco that should have never happened. I know not every Japril fan agrees, but I am fine with April dating as long as nothing serious comes from it. Everything April said about herself in 13x07 is true. She is “super date-worthy.” Hell, I would date her. So, while Jackson is off having his mid-life crisis, April deserves some attention. And really, whether we want it or not, I would say it is coming since this is the second time it has been brought up. Either way, can the girl get a real storyline? Sarah Drew is too damn talented to not have a lead story on this show. And was there a point to her getting shot? There was some SERIOUS blood contamination in that scene considering the bullet came out of the patient’s body, hit her, and then Bailey rubbed her bloody glove all over April’s wound when she realized April was shot. If it were any other character I might think something would come from this, but since it’s April, I’m going to guess it was just something that was missed in editing/writing/directing.

Maggie – I just can’t. I want to like her because I’m sure Kelly is a sweet, sweet person. But the writing just makes her so unlikeable. Don’t let her spend the whole episode talking about how she needs to date, have a perfectly suitable man come to take her on a date, and then have her literally throw herself on the ground as a reaction to seeing him. It’s not remotely funny or cute at this point. And then she makes weepy eyes at Jackson five minutes later? How about they write her a storyline where she deals with her daddy issues that make her attracted to men that are attached to her friends/family/colleagues in some way? She needs a personal growth storyline more than any other character on the show, and she is one of the few who isn’t getting one. April, Jackson, Mer, Amelia, and Owen are all alone to find their own personal happiness and Maggie is still out there wandering from crush to crush without dealing with the real reasons she can’t have a lasting relationship.

Jolex – They are adorable, and I am all for their happiness. I would also be all for Alex having an actual storyline. His main role this season has been to support Jo, which he should be doing, but I want him to have more. And maybe he will once Paul shows up in a couple episodes, so for now, I will just be hopeful that is coming for him. And Jo should have been Chief Resident two seasons ago. Instead they were too busy saying how much better Stephanie was than her, and now that there are literally no other residents left, they are giving her recognition. Eye roll, but yes give Jo credit for being a great doctor because she is. So, let her be Chief Resident, let her divorce her abusive ex, and let Jo and Alex be happy. But this is Grey’s Anatomy, so all of those things coming true is doubtful.

#grey's anatomy #14x06 #japril #jolex #omelia

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deadcactuswalking · 4 years ago

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 12/12/2020

For the first time ever after being released in 1994, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” has hit #1 on the UK Singles Chart, like it did on the US Billboard Hot 100 last year and will probably do so this year. This is a really short week full of nothing so that might be the biggest story here, and the song deserves it. It’s a great song and it’s genuinely massive. I wonder how newer songs like Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” will be able to enter themselves into the Christmas canon after Mariah Carey proved that it can be done with modern pop. Well, that’s not for us to find out today, because this is REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

Like I said in the introduction, this is far from a busy week, which almost surprises me. Sure, nothing important was released – except that Shawn Mendes album which flopped remarkably and debuted at #12 on the Albums Chart this week – but I did expect another festive flood of holiday tunes. To my surprise, this didn’t happen or at least not to the extent that I assumed it would. Sure, we still have a lot of Christmas songs replacing newer pop songs that had already been in the charts, ‘tis the season, but this week only had five notable drop-outs from the UK Top 75, and none of those are that notable. I guess “Ain’t it Different” by Headie One featuring AJ Tracey and Stormzy, one of the biggest hip-hop hits of the year, dropping out is a pretty big deal, but otherwise we just have “Diamonds” by Sam Smith, “UFO” by D-Block Europe and Aitch, “Come Over” by Jorja Smith and Popcaan, and I guess “Chingy (It’s Whatever)” by Digga D. All of these songs are recent and might have a rebound after the Christmas season is over, but I do have my concerns about the longevity of these songs, particularly because of how, you know, none of them are actually good. I guess now we could discuss some of our biggest fallers, which are of some quantity considering the season, so I’ll run these off quickly: “Midnight Sky” by Miley Cyrus at #15, “Therefore I Am” by Billie Eilish at #18, “Levitating” by Dua Lipa at #20, “you broke me first” by Tate McRae at #21 (these last four songs were all in the top 10 last week, by the way), “Prisoner” by Miley Cyrus featuring Dua Lipa at #22, “Really Love” by KSI featuring Craig David and Digital Farm Animals at #31, “Monster” by Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber continuing to free-fall to #33, “Train Wreck” by James Arthur at #35, “Get Out My Head” by Shane Codd at #37, “Mood” by 24kGoldn and iann dior at #38, “Head & Heart” by Joel Corry and MNEK at #40, “Lemonade” by Internet Money and Gunna featuring NAV and Don Toliver at #45, “Dynamite” by BTS at #46, “Lonely” by Justin Bieber and benny blanco at #52, “See Nobody” by Wes Nelson and Hardy Caprio at #54, “i miss u” by Jax Jones and Au/Ra at #56, “What You Know Bout Love” by the late Pop Smoke at #57, “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)” by Post Malone and Swae Lee at #61, “All You’re Dreaming Of” by Liam Gallagher off the debut at #62 (our biggest fall this week), same goes for “No Time for Tears” by Nathan Dawe and Little Mix at #71 and some long-lasting hits right at the tail end of the chart: “Princess Cuts” by Headie One featuring Young T & Bugsey at #72, “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion at #73, and “Looking for Me” by Diplo, Paul Woodford and Kareen Lomax at #74. We do have a lot of Christmas gains and returning entries, so before we get to anything non-Christmas, let’s round off those real quick. Returning to the chart are “Santa’s Coming for Us” by Sia at #69, “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” by Frank Sinatra at #66 and “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby at #63. There are a lot more of our notable gains though: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Sam Smith at #65, “Cozy Little Christmas” by Katy Perry at #58, “Love is a Compass” by Griff at #53, “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano at #51, “Christmas Lights” by Coldplay at #49 (the biggest gain and deservedly so), “Santa Baby” by Kylie Minogue at #44, “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” by Dean Martin at #43, “Sleigh Ride” by the Ronettes at #41, “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber at #36, “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney at #32, “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Michael Bublé at #30, “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono with the Plastic Ono Band featuring the Harlem Community Choir at #29, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams at #28, “Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade at #26, “One More Sleep” by Leona Lewis at #25, “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea at #17, “This Christmas” by Jess Glynne at #13, “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande at #11, “Step into Christmas” by Elton John at #10, “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” by Band Aid at #8, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Bublé at #7 and finally, “Merry Christmas Everyone” by Shakin’ Stevens at #6. That’s not all of our gains and returning entries though, as we do have some peculiar events outside of the Christmas singles. First of all, “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd is up to #39 thanks to a remix with ROSALIA, and secondly, “WITHOUT YOU” by The Kid LAROI returns to the chart at #23. I have no idea why or how this happened but I want it gone as quickly as possible. Anyway, we have three new arrivals to talk about, none of which are particularly interesting, so let’s get on with those.

NEW ARRIVALS

#75 – “Real Stuff” – Juice WRLD and benny blanco

Produced by Dylan Brady, Jack Karaszewski, Henry Kwapis, Cashmere Cat and benny blanco

The song’s not called “Real Stuff”, but come on, this is a family show. About a year ago, Jarad Higgins, or Juice WRLD, died tragically at age 21 of a substance abuse-related seizure. Naturally, since it’s Juice and his label we’re talking about, they’re still pumping out unreleased content. Two songs of this nature were released around this time, one with Kid LAROI and Kim Petras we’ll probably see next week and even higher on the chart, but first of all, an emo rap anthem produced by benny blanco and Dylan Brady of 100 gecs. I mean, okay, sure, it is 2020 after all. Blanco posted on social media about how this was his first ever recorded song with Juice when they had a studio session before Juice was that recognised, and before he was signed, they cooked up a lot of music. This makes it surprising how it didn’t leak after all this time but it shouldn’t matter. What’s important is the quality of the song and since this is a genuine song from a real-life studio session, it’s not nearly as insincere and cynical as some of the other posthumous projects from Juice. Sadly, I don’t this makes it any good. The clicking, stuttering trap beat doesn’t sound bad with his bumping 808s but doesn’t complement the acoustic guitar strumming or even Juice as much as it should – and this is really early Juice, so it’s not like he’s mastered his style of emo-reminiscent self-loathing and painful, drug-induced relationship ramblings. It’s not even as catchy as Juice would start to be later on, so it is just a primitive version of whatever Juice’s sound would end up being. Sadly, we won’t get more development from the guy other than these cheap releases, and if benny blanco guided Juice more into a lane he’s comfortable with and more importantly, Juice was still alive, this could be an example of something great yet to flourish but since his incomplete discography of disposable output is all we have to evaluate, it makes Juice’s work much more difficult to appreciate, especially posthumously, where every throwaway bar about substance abuse has this haunting, unnerving impact it didn’t have before. Oh, and I really like the first verse, which is just aimless flexing but with more charm than he usually has, and with some promises of extra detail he could have gone into, before of course, it switches onto a different topic, an issue plaguing much of the man’s work. In conclusion, the song is fine but I don’t think I can listen to Juice’s work, complete or incomplete, released when he was alive or scrambled posthumously, without feeling sad or just having this contempt for the yes-men who surrounded him. Rest in peace, Juice.

#67 – “Oh Santa!” – Mariah Carey

Remixed by Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson

Produced by Scott M. Riesett, Marc Shaiman and Daniel Moore II

“Oh Santa!” is an original Christmas tune Mariah Carey wrote and released with Jermaine Dupri in 2010, for her second Christmas album, aptly titled Merry Christmas II You. The song wasn’t a success, and it couldn’t live up to “All I Want for Christmas is You”, which is fine. We don’t need more Mariah Carey songs in the Christmas canon if we already have an absolutely perfect one at the top of the charts, but if she wants to start flooding the market, I guess it’s best to do it with two experts at vocals, because for her little Apple TV Christmas special, she’s bought along Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande for whatever the triple version of a duet is. I assumed this would have been a returning entry because it’s a remix but the original never charted in the UK so I’ll have to talk about both here, and, well, there’s a reason “All I Want for Christmas is You” has never been replicated in terms of success and just sheer quality. I talked about this on my best list but there’s never been a song I feel is so ubiquitous of modern Christmas in the current millennium than “All I Want for Christmas is You”, an outright rejection of festive commercialism in preference of just having her significant other around for the holidays. “Oh Santa!” has a similar presence, but in this one, Mariah Carey’s asking for Santa Claus himself to wrap her crush in wrapping paper and gift it to her for Christmas, with a lot less of the warm intimacy of the classic song and without any of the charm. The 2010 version has this really gross drum machine and a lot of cheerleader-type chanting and clapping that starts off as really ugly – and the chanting still is – but honestly makes a pretty good backing for Mariah sliding over the beat with vocals that may not be as impressive as her best but are just as smooth as they should be over a more coy, low-key festive instrumental. My main issue with it is pace because whilst it is a short song, and she does treat us to some whistle notes and runs by the end, it just fades out and the instrumental doesn’t feel like it goes anywhere, making this song sound slow as all hell. If anything, this remix sounds dated, especially with the more modern vocal production with Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson, both in a constant struggle with Mariah for getting a word in, to the point where Hudson over-sells her belting and Grande is the only voice recognisable enough here that actually works. Half way in, the song completely devolves into a bridge of aimless runs and “harmonising” from everyone with that ugly chanting, seemingly unchanged from the original. Yeah, this isn’t pretty, and if anything is a remix of an older song that needed a lot more updates to make it work in a 2020 context and fits all of these incredible vocalists in. This could have been great with an original song that was completed to flatter everyone, but there’s too many cooks in the Christmas kitchen here and the cookies being made are being overcooked. Sure, let’s go with that analogy. Next.

#59 – “Daily Duppy – Part 1” – Digga D

Produced by AceBeatz

It’s not uncommon for freestyles to chart in the UK, particularly important British hip-hop tastemaker GRM Daily and their “Daily Duppy” freestyles, which have been the break-out moment for many rappers like Aitch or DIgDat because they reach a level of viral fame and attention that music videos can’t do as well, mostly because of the platform just letting them spit bars over usually decent beats. Digga D was actually opposed to doing one and even sparked some kind of feud with GRM Daily but that dried up soon enough for him to provide them with two “Daily Duppy” freestyles on two different beats but with one cold verse each. Only the first part charted here, as you’d expect, but I’ll cover both. The first part, produced by Ace Beats, has a pretty nice pitch-shifted vocal sample quickly abandoned for the same sample pitched differently, and then it comes back, under a pretty messy drill beat, and whilst Digga D’s riding it really well, I find it hard to be convinced by his delivery here, which is either checked-out or edited so heavily it’s bizarre. I mean, I thought this was a freestyle, right? He can just spit bars over the beat and it’ll be fine, but they add all these stuttering effects, ad-libs and censors that censor pointless words like “juice” but keep actual vulgarities completely intact, as well as censoring some locations but not others. It takes me out of the whole verse, honestly, even if some of it is some pretty slick and nice wordplay, with some funny punchlines and the typical pop culture references you can expect from the more lighthearted of UK drill. I know that people like to make references to their guns in ways that make them even more threatening and eerie, but just like 21 Savage calling his Draco a paedophile, I don’t think Digga D saying that he grooms young ethnic minority boys to sell drugs is “hard” or even enjoyable. I just think it’s pretty awful. I said I’d talk about the second part here, but honestly, it’s a lot less interesting, with a more trap-adjacent beat and boring synths instead of the cool vocal sample. Admittedly, it sounds more like a “freestyle”, but he wastes the moment where the beat cuts out by just rapping filler, and the quarantine references are going to date this, so, yeah, whilst I’m impressed by Digga D’s flow switches here, I’m not a fan of really anything else.

Conclusion

There’s not enough here to give an Honourable or Dishonourable Mention, so I’ll just have to give out the big ones... but everything here is mediocre, so I’m left with not a lot of content at all. I guess Best of the Week can go to the late Juice WRLD and benny blanco for “Real Stuff”, almost purely out of respect, even if the song is just listenable. Worst of the Week was really a toss-up, but I think I’ll give it to “Oh Santa!” by Mariah Carey featuring Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson for being such a waste of talent and potential. Only time will tell what comes next week, but I predict a busy one with Christmas music, Taylor Swift and hopefully Kid Cudi, but we’ll see really. I’m going to hazard a guess that we’ll get at least two songs from Taylor and only the Skepta track from Cudi, but I think we could easily have three from each. Here’s this week’s top 10:

You can follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank for Imanbek fan-girling and thank you for reading, I’ll see you next week!

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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The Bubble Suns gave Phoenix fans a glimpse of a bright future

The Suns missed the playoffs for the 10th straight season, but their play in the bubble shows better days are ahead.

The Phoenix Suns have a case as the most dysfunctional franchise in the NBA over the last 10 years this side of the Knicks. This was the team that saw live goats defecate all over the GM’s office, cycled through different head coaches every year, couldn’t even pull off a grocery store autograph signing without controversy, and — just when it looked like they had turned the corner — lost their franchise center to a 25-game suspension for diuretics.

For the last decade, if something could go wrong for the Suns, it probably did. That’s part of the reason why their flawless run in the NBA’s restart bubble felt so inspiring.

The Suns were the only team to finish a perfect 8-0 in the bubble. Phoenix still missed the playoffs for the 10th straight season, but for the first time since the heyday of Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire, it feels like the fanbase has something to get excited about.

Anyone who watched Phoenix play in the bubble can see how bright their future will be. This is why it’s a good time to be a Suns fan for the first time in a decade.

Devin Booker finally played like a legitimate star

If Damian Lillard is the Bubble MVP, Booker certainly finished as a close second. Booker was electric in the season restart, averaging 30.5 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field while dishing out six assists per game during the Suns’ perfect 8-0 stretch. After years of being viewed as an empty calories scorer, Booker looks like a legitimate star.

Booker’s run started to feel like something special by his third game in the bubble against the mighty Los Angeles Clippers. Booker went off for 35 points and eight assists, and hit a game-winning buzzer-beater over the outstretched arms of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

DEVIN BOOKER! GAME-WINNER! pic.twitter.com/vUvwABgyE5

— NBA TV (@NBATV) August 4, 2020

It’s wild to think Booker is still only 23 years old. Every losing season in Phoenix has felt like a referendum on his career to this point, but he’s finally showing how unfair that is. With a better supporting cast around him, Booker has increased his scoring efficiency, developed into a better playmaker, cut down on his turnovers, and stopped feeling like he had to take on NBA defenses 1-on-5.

Read the great Mike Prada for a thorough breakdown on how Booker finally ascended to superstar status. Booker was named an All-Star for the first time in his career this season, and it feels like an honor he should be achieving with regularity from here on out.

Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges are emerging pieces next to him

While Booker’s play drew most of the headlines, it wouldn’t have been possible without an improved roster around him. The two most promising pieces are center Deandre Ayton and wing Mikal Bridges.

Ayton may never live down being taken in front of Luka Doncic in the NBA draft, but he still projects as one of the best young big men in the league. Ayton has always had elite physical tools and been an efficient scorer dating back to his college days at Arizona, but this season he made tangible strides in the weaker areas of his game, especially defensively. For all of the points and rebounds Ayton put up this season, it’s plays like this one that should really get Phoenix fans excited.

THIS SEQUENCE BY DEANDRE AYTON pic.twitter.com/BYb5MQfykR

— Mike Vigil (@protectedpick) August 6, 2020

Speaking of defense, let’s talk about Mikal Bridges. The Suns tabbed Bridges with the No. 10 pick in the 2018 draft out of Villanova hoping he could develop into the type of 3-and-D wing every team covets. Phoenix fully saw that vision of Bridges in the bubble.

Bridges smothers opposing offensive players with his quick feet and 7’1 wingspan. He was pretty much the only defender to lock down T.J. Warren in the bubble. He’s also made strides with his three-point shot, eliminating a hitch he showed early in his pro career to make better than 36 percent of his attempts from deep in the bubble.

I’ve been a fan of Bridges’ game dating back to his college days, and it was a joy to see him put it all together in the bubble. Phoenix doesn’t need Bridges to be a creator to be impactful — he just has be a star in his role. Just ask the Bucks how valuable really good 3-and-D guys are.

With a superstar guard in Booker in place, the Suns now also have an emerging defensive force on the wing and a stud center. That’s a good start, but the Suns deserve credit for the rest of the roster, too.

The Suns have a complete roster around their core pieces

It’s no coincidence that the needle finally started trending up for the Suns after they signed Ricky Rubio. Phoenix’s point guard play had been dreadful the last few seasons, but Rubio immediately provided a steady hand in his first season with the Suns after signing as a free agent. The Suns were simply a better team with Rubio on the floor running the offense, which was proven by his team-best net rating.

The Suns made another move in the offseason that drew less attention than the Rubio signing but had a similarly big impact. That would be the trade for veteran center Aron Baynes. Baynes was unbelievably good for the Suns in the first half of the year, providing newfound three-point shooting on offense and enough rim protection on defense to keep Phoenix afloat. There aren’t many better backup centers in the league. Baynes just seemed to professionalize Phoenix in all the ways they fell short before, which is the goal of any team when they acquire a new veteran.

It doesn’t stop there. The Suns were panned for picking Cameron Johnson at No. 13 overall in the NBA draft, but he looks like a valuable role player as a 6’8 shooter. I would like to apologize for not having him on my list of the best rookies this season — he deserved to be there. Kelly Oubre was having a career-year before he suffered a season-ending meniscus tear. Dario Saric was a solid veteran addition to the front court. Phoenix even pulled Cameron Payne out of China and made him a productive backup point guard in the bubble.

Phoenix’s typically maligned front office deserves real credit for what they did with this roster. Their best decision might have been who they decided to hire as head coach.

Monty Williams is the perfect coach for the young Suns

I wrote my glowing review of the Suns’ decision to hire Monty Williams back in December. If there was any doubt about how much respect he commanded from his team, just watch the speech he delivered after the Suns won their final game in the bubble:

Monty Williams is a real one. You always want a coach like this. (via @suns) pic.twitter.com/NxbyhCj2Cf

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) August 13, 2020

The Suns have a star in Booker. They have two impressive starters next to him in Bridges and Ayton. The overall talent level on the rest of the roster is significantly improved. And they have a great coach.

The Suns didn’t make the playoffs, but they still showed how bright their future is at the bubble. After 10 straight years of missing the postseason, it finally feels like Phoenix is ready for a new chapter of sustained respectability.

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paulbenedictblog · 5 years ago

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zalrb · 8 years ago

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Tipsy Review by request {TVD 1x28 nope, 1x18}

1. Legit though I think the DE thing would’ve worked better if they just made Elena a sociopath.

2. Also who gives a shit about DE right now when Stefan is doing fucking pull ups, omg those ARMS though.

3. And now push ups. Omg.

4. “I haven’t hunted a human in way too long” but Damon, you kill them for sport. Shut the fuck up.

5. Guys, guys, I don’t think you appreciate Stefan’s arms in this episode. But like why is he in a wifebeat though? Why can’t he just be topless. They did this on purpose and it’s mean.

6. Tispy Zal is a little thirsty. I recognize that.

7. You know in 1x19 Damon is all like I’m glad Stefan fed because he’s finally accepting who he is but I legit just think Damon liked having the moral high ground.

8. Jeremy cut your hair. Why do we wait an entire season for this to happen?

9. Oh Bonnie returns this episode. Finally.

10. Elena, when Matt tells you his mom was about to strangle Caroline if she cooked more lasagne, this is when you, as a friend, say that Caroline is just trying to show empathy the only way she knows how, not just go “ah.”

11. I like how everyone in the council paints John as an extremist and a jackass when he’s the only on who is actually on task.

12. “Why does she hate you?” “We used to sleep together.” Legit, TVD, what fucking uncle says that to his nephew? Like.

13. I fucking love that Elena rubs Stefan’s shoulders when she asks how he’s doing.

14. And the way Stefan says “I missed you too.” Paul does this thing with Stefan where it starts off lighthearted and then he subtly gets more intense and gives Elena that stare (and I had an entire gifset on that stare) and suddenly Elena is on her back.

15. “Ah just like I remembered.” “Stop messing around.” Elena, would you not be like um, excuse me? When were you were?

16. I meant here. When you were here. No. When were you here. Lol. You guys asked for a tipsy review, I’m just saying.

17. Damon, legit stop rifling through a teen girl’s underwear drawer.

18. I remember everyone saying how much tension there was between Damon and Elena in this scene and it’s literally Damon invading Elena’s space and Elena shrinking backwards and trying to talk about Stefan without being derailed.

19. Also Elena and Damon have a conversation about how deep down Stefan is like Damon or has a Damon in him because he’s a vampire so yet again, it’s proof that Elena is more like Stefan as a vampire because she has the exact same conversation with Damon about her nature. If Damon is literally justsupposed to be representative of vampirism personified --- I somehow think that was redundant but whatever --- if he’s essentially all of the base parts of vampirism period then it’s not unique if Elena can relate to him when it comes to the base parts of her vampirism because he’s that representative for everyone.

20. Jesus, I hope that made sense.

21. Hey, see how Stefan is spiralling out of control? Maybe he should call Lexi to help him through it. Oh that’s right he can’t because Damon was an asshole and killed her. On his birthday. An eternity of misery, dude took that oath to heart.

22. Omg only 13 minutes have gone by, I should stop talking.

23. Or writing.

24. This is all gibberish anyway.

25. I like Elena’s jacket when she’s taking that walk with Jeremy.

26. Lol Stefan stole that drink like a boss.

27. Tyler and Matt, walking from one side of the room to the other side with a bottle doesn’t make you invisible, at least go to a different room.

28. No one notices that a 17 year old boy (Stefan) is just drinking?

29. Stefan, honey, I love you, I love how you dance with Elena but what are you doing with Kelly? You’re dancing like a grandpa.

30. “Do you know what your brother’s been up to?” “I’ve been too preoccupied with yours.” Damon and Elena talk like in-laws.

31. Why would John tell Damon he knows Damon is a vampire? Why not just kill Damon?

32. What’sherface, Kelly, that actress, Miranda something? I think? Either way, she’s always the same person in everything I’ve seen her in. Kelly is basically Julie Cooper from The OC and even in Entourage when she plays a version of herself she’s another version of Julie Cooper, so I have to wonder, is she JUST Julie Cooper? Like is that who she is?

33. Kelly, Tyler just spoke about how he was a trash boyfriend to your dead daughter so you take that as an opportunity to kiss him? Girl, I know you’re a mess but do you have to be that much of a mess?

34. Although I do like the line “It’s like I don’t deserve to miss her.”

35. “I don’t have anyone to talk to.” “I don’t have anyone to talk to either.” Lol, both of you legit have Matt, stop playing.

36. Also Tyler and Kelly making out in PUBLIC and NO ONE is scandalized that the mother of the dead girl is making out with the dead girl’s boyfriend? FUCKING DETAILS, TVD.

37. Also Tyler legit made out with Matt’s mom and then choked Matt. Like he’s a TRASH friend.

38. I get that his werewolf gene agitates his aggression and I’m on board with that and they do a good job of them being like YO, TYLER, WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH YOU but Tyler is also just a dick in season 1 so the combination is thoroughly unfavourable.

39. I think I might be sobering up a little. Maybe.

40. LOL I love how Damon is like “Do you wanna hear about how I killed Uncle John Gilbert?” and the way Stefan says, “What?” Paul plays drunk subtly but it’s done very well.

41. It’s interesting, I like Matt and Stefan as friends (even though nothing comes from it) but it would’ve been cool for Tyler and Stefan to sort of bond this season too over Tyler having rage he can’t control and Stefan having a monster in him that he tries so hard to control. I dunno

42. What is it about John that he can just show up and be a part of the council like nothing, go to the founder’s party and ring that bell? Like why is he heralded? It can’t just be because he’s a Gilbert.

43. Here is the thing, the show is making it seem like it’s such a huge deal that John knew Isobel who is Elena’s birth mother who is Alaric’s ex-wife but, like, so what? He knows that vampires exist simply by being in the council, so why would it matter at this point in time that he would know Isobel? LIKE WHO CARES?

44. It also makes no sense that Alaric would team up with Damon to kill John. Alaric, are you not also a hunter? Should you not be a part of the council? Your sudden allegiance to Damon makes literally no sense.

45. I do kind of love that Stefan shows up to Elena’s house to let her know what’s going on with him instead of just trying to shrug it off alone because they rely on one another now J

46. And when he hugs her. “I love you so much.” Man, I feel that shit in my BONES. And the way Elena hugs him, like trying her best to take away all of his doubt and agitation. That earnestness, man.

47. Seriously, if Damon’s endgame was to apparently get Stefan to face his true nature and help him then he would’ve said it by now instead of continuously tempting him to drink blood by leaving glasses around the room and walking away, it’s a fucking power play.

48. Bonnie did not return this episode. That was 121. Ugh.

OK! I am DONE J Hope you enjoyed my semi-coherent review!

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homeplanetreviews · 8 years ago

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House of Cards: Season 5 (2017) Review by: Tristan Bunn

One nation, Underwood. After a very long wait this year, House of Cards has returned and it is back with a vengeance! This show continuously blows me away, season after season…and Season 5 is probably the best one yet! I will not spoil Season 5, but there will be spoilers for the series up to this point: Seasons 1-4. So here is your SPOILER WARNING FOR SEASONS 1-4

You still here? Here we go! Season 5 picks up basically where we left off in the previous finale with the Underwoods in the midst of a nasty election against Will Conway and on the verge of war with terror looming in the states. Seeing how Frank will deal with terrorism, or use it to advance his power, is exciting as all of his power moves are, but the real strength of this season is the election. I’m constantly amazed at what the writers are able to accomplish on this show. I’m a writer myself and constantly work on scripts so I am endlessly impressed where the writers are able to take this show and make it endlessly interesting. They’re not afraid to back themselves into a corner and write their way out of it. This is intelligent, brilliantly crafted storytelling with deeply rich and emotionally compelling characters. I haven’t watched every show on television (who can keep up?) but this is the best writing I currently witness on television.

The direction to every single episode is flawless. I caught one odd edit through the entire season and it wasn’t a mistake as much as it was a matter of preference on my part. House of Cards is one of those programs that doesn’t really have different directing styles in each episode. They clearly bring directors on board and expect them to fall in line with the way they shoot, but the way they shoot is great. The most fascinating thing about the direction is their knowledge of when to use a medium shot, when to use a close up, or when to go wide. They use these different shots to tell different stories within the characters because the character is indeed a character itself…I mean Frank does literally talk to it.

This has been said over and over, but Kevin Spacey is masterful and so deserving of an Emmy in this role. During one episode, I literally thought to myself, “Oh, that’s Kevin Spacey.” He becomes Frank Underwood. He embodies this man. Spacey is gone and all that we see is this power hungry President. Robin Wright is worthy of all the critical acclaim she can receive as well because she is perfect. I love every second that these two are on screen. This has all been said before so I’m not adding anything new. The newest addition that I really enjoy is Neve Campbell from the past two seasons. I do have somewhat of an affinity for Campbell already, but I think she gives a tremendously grounded and subtle performance as Leann. Michael Kelly is endlessly brilliant as Doug and continues to bring so much depth to this tortured character. Paul Sparks does a great job with Thomas Yates, even though he is far more reserved this season…really reserved. There is an interesting story they continue to explore with Yates and his relationship with Claire that just further deepened these characters we love…or love to hate.

I think Season 5 progresses poetically and brilliantly, more so than any season thus far. The pacing of this season is perfect. It moves from plot line to sub plot and shifts thematically with ease. There is a moment where the plot does shift in a big way at a point during this season, but it does so gracefully and has you immediately invested in where you’re headed next. I don’t want to write about Season 5 spoilers, but once you see the season then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

Fans of this show are going to love this season just as they have the others. Without spoiling it, I will say that the finale is ballsy. You can’t accuse House of Cards of not taking risks. They constantly push the envelope and challenge the viewer. The way this season concludes had me shocked and almost in disbelief. I will admit I am genuinely worried moving forward to Season 6. I have no idea how they are going to make the future of this show as exhilarating as the first five seasons have been, but I didn’t think it could run this long and still be great.

Season 5 takes risks, pushes the viewer to places you never imagined you would go with this program, and dares you to keep watching. This is my favorite season so far, and although I’m very scared to view the next season and see what awaits us, I can’t wait. The only flaw with House of Cards is forcing us to wait 15 months for the next season. That is just plain torture.

Grade: A

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