#bring back the baller meme

[thebetterindex]

baller

Baller

[muutosarchive]

🌟 ― i love how you portray your muse(s)

🎀 ― i love your aesthetic / graphics

✨ ― i love the way you write

💖 ― you seem like a genuinely nice person

☀️ ― your posts always bring me joy

❤️ ― you're one of my favorite blogs

🌺 ― simply admiring you from afar

I'm so late to this meme, so please forgive me for coming into your inbox like a jumpscare with this! Haha. Even still, I gotta send you in these symbols! I've never gotten the courage to reach out with the cooking ghouls, BUT OH MY GOD, I LOVE YOUR BLOG SO MUCH.

Everything from the personalized graphics for each thread containing your characters featuring imagery consistent with their character and overall roles and theme, such as the ghouls with what looks like black flicked paint and a screenshot of them with their instruments like with Rain, to their era's uniform like with Flora! Or with Special, the imagery of his clasped hands

LIKE, it's the little details that resound to aesthetic beauty and get a feel for their overall characters too!! And the fact that while you have such beautiful graphics, you also make sure to match with your partners and stagger their use, switching out with other icons to bring out the poignancy of larger headers and fill what would otherwise make bigs wall of text without breaks into something that's really broken up and digestible and so personalized, like, now that I write it out it seems really small and nit-picky. Still, it is HEAVEN for how I personally process reading threads and getting a feeling for all the gears moving!!

AND ON THAT NOTE: The way you perfectly transition between actions and speech and even inner thoughts of characters makes all your posts drip with the individuality of the characters and the style and overall voice of your characters and just!!!! It's so awesome, and you inspire me so much in my own writing and really make me want to focus on my own formatting and graphics because seeing your stuff just sparks so much love for the medium and for all the attention to detail that I can only point insistently at my screen and go 'that!! I someday hope to be able to make something that will spark in other people the creativity and drive to write, and format make like you make me!' y'know?? I hope my gushing makes sense; I just want you to know I think all your stuff is cool as hell and that you seem baller!

@dcwnthercbbithcle

while i did selfishly want to hoard this for a while, i also just wanted to make sure i was giving this the proper attention, because it honestly made my jaw drop. & i screen-grabbed it immediately to show it to my fiancé. i was so unbelievably floored, it honestly was a really true boost to my confidence & a reminder that we're all our own worst critics sometimes. so first of all, no apologies needed because this was the most welcomed ask! i always welcome late memes, & i'm honestly so happy. (putting the rest under the cut bc sappy & long!)

first of all, i'm going to reach out! i'm sorry i haven't already, i'm also somewhat shy believe it or not. at least with new people, so while i'm always trying to be approachable we all have our bad experiences that make it harder to want to start new ooc interactions. but, i cannot wait to speak/plot/write with you !!! immediately. 👀 first i just wanna say thank you for sending this? thank you for liking my blog, thank you for the compliments? i'm so bad at taking them, and all i usually do is compliment people back, but!!! thank you all the same. it meant so much to me to read this, and it's hard to understand how words like this affect me. my banners for my ghouls are made by my lovely fiancé @chrchgrl btw!! so i want to thank her very much for that, and i'm so glad you like them! same with most of my graphics, except my single icons which i do make myself (sometimes ofc with help from creators making base icons & psds). i don't find it nit-picky at all? especially since i sometimes wonder if it even matters. but for me, i like to have visuals & it also helps ME a lot to have them, even if they're consistent banners. like an expressionless mask i don't need to icon 20,000 times just for icon variety. and they're giving off what i want, at the same time. so i definitely understand & have the same opinion when it comes to post breaks and that it's less for aesthetic than for other reasons, so this is just really cool to hear. i like that it's resonating with others, & not just exists purely for my benefit. i like that i can make your experience better, if you are reading my threads and stuff. which if you are, THANK YOU 1000X !! now like, this next part is the part that got me fucked up. like the idea that someone could think something like that about me, or get inspiration from ME? from MY WRITING? like hello? excuse me? it's so humbling and incredible and unbelievable to hear something like this, because of how much i pick at my own writing and ESPECIALLY my characterization. it makes me insane when i think i'm not producing my very best, & i constantly pick my work apart. i always say i don't think we should compare each other to someone else. i literally have a writing degree, and i'm not under any impressions that i'm better than ANYBODY else. you miss out on some amazing interactions that way, & it's really not fair. writing is expressive and beautiful and as long as you're having fun (or anyone is having fun, i'm talking generally obviously), than it's worth it. and creativity is a beautiful thing. i'm just so happy that someone actually enjoys what i do here, because i do put an unbelievable amount of effort into it. & that is my choice as well! it's just tumblr rp, and we do what we can/what's fun! that's what this is about, at the end of the day. it just??? it makes me scream and cry to even think that people are reading my shit, let alone enjoying it. so the idea that i inspire you is incredibly unbelievable and i thank you so much for being so kind as to tell me this. it means so much to me! just thank you thank you!!

[moonspower]

♬♬♬

✨ @sangwoochos. meme. still accepting!

🌙 jpegmafia x danny brown / ❝hoe, heaven on earth.❞

i was taught, bring it back, let it off my dawg caught a charge with the fentanyl now we pray up to above hopin' in court that the judge show him love only in church when somebody passed no hope for the future, we stuck in the past now we ante up on the bag, we makin' a killin' how long will that last? fell on my knees when i caught a felony tell me who there for me think i need therapy, sent god a text but his message turn green.

✨ viper tha rapper / ❝because of my hops.❞

ballers know the deal when they see me in the place follow up, two-hand dunk, nuts in ya face see, you was under the goal where the big boys play, so now you know i'm 6'2" with crazy hops from that two-hand in my video, i'm still gettin' props light feet, i wear a size ten that's why i'm gettin' up time and time again boys look like they wanna squab when they see me snowbird 'cause they know they gonna get a two-hand-reverse or i might just do a self alley and hang on the rim 'til your posse wanna blast me.

🌙 yung lean / ❝ginseng strip 2002.❞

bitches come and go, brah but you know i stay bitches come and go, brah but you know i stay got my balls licked by a zooey deschanel look-alike cocaine addict razor blade to your head.

what can i say about this selection except these have been the first 3 songs in my high playlist for the past few months... experimental rap and cloud rap. yunngggggg leannnnn in the clubbbbb... for some morphine, morphine.

[fishoutofcamelot]

(for the ask thing) any book/tv show/movie/song recommendations?

BRO! I heckin got you man! Now, I’m gonna skip the song and book recommendation bit because that sorta thing isn’t really my scene. BUT! In terms of TV? My rec list is like a mile long. I’m gonna include a read-more line, actually. 

BBC Merlin: You know I had to put this on the list. But the fact that you’re on my blog means you’ve probably watched this one, so I won’t go into detail about it. Available on Netflix

Mob Psycho 100: Just a cute, sweet story about a bunch of psychic kids trying to kill each other. A story with this much fighting has no right to be so wholesome. Mob is just a good boy, he doesn’t deserve all this! Fair warning, its messages about identity, self love, and growth WILL make you feel Emotions. Available on various anime pirating websites

Red vs Blue: The found family game is SO strong in this one. By far the best found family plot/dynamic I have ever and will ever experience. The characters are all so solid, yknow? Like it took me three rewatches to understand the plot, but I didn’t even care because I loved the characters SO MUCH. It’s also really, really funny (although some of the jokes have aged a bit poorly tbh). Basically about a bunch of space marines who goof off and accidentally dismantle corrupt governments along the way. Available on Youtube

Supernatural: Is it cringey? Yeah. Does the fandom suck? Also yeah. Is Destiel overrated? BIG yeah. But it’s got monsters, magic, family, and a plot that doesn’t revolve around romance - and really, what more could you ask for? And sure, a lot of people don’t really like the later seasons, but idk I actually prefer them. Season 15 has me THRIVING. I mean come on - character vs author?! Fighting the guy who literally wrote you into existence because he doesn’t want to give your story a happy ending?! Say what you will about Supernatural, but it’s one of the most imaginative shows I’ve ever seen. Available on Netflix

Avatar the Last Airbender: You like stellar animation, intricate worldbuilding/magicbuilding, and a perspective on war that is surprisingly mature for a kids show? Check it out. This show is without a doubt one of the best animated series of all time. Go on. Watch it. It’ll change your life. Available on Netflix

The Umbrella Academy: Time-travelling assassins. Superheroes. Ghosts. Talking monkeys. Murder mysteries. Baller soundtracks. This show will never give you what you expect. I don’t even think I could properly describe it to you. Available on Netflix

Detective Conan: An anime. It’s about a teen detective - think Nancy Drew but bloodier - who witnesses a crime and is fed an experimental poison in order to keep him from telling anyone. But instead of killing him, the poison turns him into a 6-year-old. So now he’s got to solve crimes and take down a criminal organization while in the body of a child. Naturally, shenanigans ensue. Fair warning, the main character becomes a bit of a Mary Sue in later episodes, but the first 300 or so are pretty fun. A few episodes are available on Netflix, but not any of the good ones. You’ll need an anime pirating website for that

Knives Out: My favourite movie ever, of all time. It’s a murder mystery that both subverts and pays homage to its parent genre in all the right places. It’s funny, it’s intelligent, and has a spectacular ending! Although I do wish the fandom would stop being so horny for Ransom, I mean he’s literally racist...No clue where you can find this tbh, I saw it in theatres

Derry Girls: Now I’m not normally a big fan of realistic fiction/sitcom stuff. Despite how funny they are, I’ve not even watched The Office or Parks and Rec because that normal daily life stuff just doesn’t peak my interest. And yet, somehow this story about a group of Irish high schoolers just has me enthralled. Very funny, very well-written, give it a watch. Available on Netflix

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Another anime. Phenomenal animation? Check. Fascinating plot and characters? Check. Detailed magic system that gets my lore-obsessed heart fluttering? Big heckin check. So basically two kids try to use Fantasy Science to bring their mom back to life, only the experiment fails and has some pretty nasty consequences - one boy loses his arm and leg, while the other loses his entire body and has his soul bound to a suit of armour. Now they gotta go through government conspiracies, ethical dilemmas, and Daddy Issues to try and get their bodies back. Available on Netflix

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K: Yet another anime. I know, I know, I’m a nerd, get over it. This show doesn’t have a complex plot or even complex characters, tbh, but what it does have is some amazing humour. It’s extremely funny, and it’s also just a nice show to kick back and relax to. Basically this guy who’s so op that he could rewrite the laws of reality on a whim is stuck dealing with relationship drama in high school despite being very, very asexual and very, very tired. Mostly he just uses his powers to avoid people and eat junk food, which is honestly a mood. Available on Netflix

Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated: Honestly I’d recommend almost anything that’s Scooby Doo-related because that was my childhood obsession. I used to have like 20 of the movies on DVD before my mom gave them all away. To this day I still love Scooby Doo, and watch it whenever I get the chance. But if you ask any SD fan, they’ll probably tell you that Mystery Incorporated is the best, most intelligent, most creative installment in the franchise. And they’re right (although I do wish there was less relationship drama...) Available on Netflix

Evil Genius: This is a documentary series about the Collar Bomb Robbery. Now, despite what the above list might indicate, I actually watch a LOT of documentaries, and if I were here to recommend all of them then we would be here all day. Not really ‘funny’ like the other entries on this list, it’s actually rather tragic, but definitely a cerebral viewing experience. Available on Netflix

Screwball: Now this is a documentary that IS funny. It’s about drug scandals in baseball. But the dramatic scene re-enactments are done with child actors that are all wearing fake beards and pretending to be drug dealers. It’s not only a fascinating subject, but it’s got amazing editing and visuals that have me in awe. Available on Netflix

Behind the Curve: Yet another documentary. This one’s about the rise of the Flat Earth movement. You’ll spend most of the time on the verge of having a stroke because of how stupid it all is. Available on Netflix

The Movies That Made Us: Okay okay okay last documentary on the list I swear. This one’s exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a series talking about the behind-the-scenes production of iconic movies like Home Alone and Ghostbusters. I eagerly await the second season. Available on Netflix

Monster Factory: If you’re familiar with the McElroy brothers and their brand of humour, you’ll love this. Griffin and Justin team up to make the most disturbing avatars they can create using video game character creators. The origins of the Final Pam meme. If I had a shirt with a quote from Monster Factory on it, I’d die a happy man. Available on Youtube

Baman Piderman: The dumbest show I have ever watched, but it’s so adorable and stupid and I love it so much. It doesn’t really have a plot, but later episodes allude to the presence of one and I’m upset because there are so many mysteries/questions hinted at and we’ll never get answers because it’s been abandoned. PLEASE watch it. Available on Youtube

Stranger Things: Okay, season 2 was a bit of a let-down imo, but season 1 was ICONIC and the Scoops Troop subplot in season 3 deserved its own freakin spinoff. I’m not joking. I didn’t even like s3 all that much, but the only reason it’s my favourite is because the Scoops Troop plot was so great. People call this show ‘horror’ but I don’t think it’s scary enough for that, although it is admittedly kinda spooky. If you like 80s nostalgia and the horror aesthetic, then I’d give it a watch (Do it for Scoops Troop. Do it for Robin). Available on Netflix

Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart: Despite my overwhelming love for this film, I’ll be the first to admit it’s kinda mediocre. The plot is weird and the romance feels forced, but despite its flaws it manages to be one of my favourite movies. Mostly I just like it for the unique concept and beautiful ending. Also the music is off the par man. Probably because the writer/producer of the movie was the lead singer for a French band called Dionysus (what? I do my research). Available on Netflix

Wakfu: I haven’t seen past season 3, but so far it’s pretty good. You go in thinking it’s just a wholesome action/adventure show about a kid who can create portals - but then it just. Sucks you in. From its bopping theme song to its fantastic found family to the unique worldbuilding, you very quickly fall in love with it. It’s got a cool plot and also talking dragons, and it doesn’t get better than that. Available on Netflix

Mystery Skulls Animated: Technically not a TV show so much as it is a series of animated music videos with a plot, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t one of the greatest things of all time. It’s basically Scooby Doo but if Shaggy got possessed by a demon and killed Fred, causing Fred to become a ghost hellbent on revenge-killing Shaggy in return. And if Scooby was an ancient Japanese spirit that bit off Shaggy’s arm, forcing him to wear a metal prosthetic. Yeah, MSA is wild. It’s only got three videos out so far, with a fourth one coming out this October, but there’s already so much lore! Available on Youtube

Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared: Ah yes, yet another cringey entry on this list. But you know what? Cringe culture is dead!!! And despite its fandom being...like that...DHMIS really is a cool show. Think if Sesame Street was like haunted or something. The episodes about creativity and telling time remain the most unsettling, imo. Definitely worth a watch. Available on Youtube

Inanimate Insanity: Oh boy. Am I seriously recommending you dip your little fingies into the object fandom? Yes. Yes I am. This show is so obscure it makes freakin Detective Conan look popular. At its core it’s a parody of Total Drama Island and Survivor but with anthropomorphized inanimate objects as characters (hence the name). Season 2 is actually really, really good and surprisingly competent. You just gotta get through season 1 first. Available on Youtube

The X-Files: Wow, a live action series on this list? Who woulda thought??? But seriously, this show is really fun. Memes and jokes aside, I love it. Scully and Mulder are fun characters with great chemistry (both platonic and romantic), the Lone Horsemen are hilarious, and every episode is a unique adventure into the most creative acid trips the human mind could conceive of. Phenomenal from start to finish (if you ignore the last season). I have no clue where you would watch this. Pirate it, probably

Buzzfeed Unsolved: Two idiots investigate cold cases and haunted locales while being utter dumbasses about it. You know the “hey demons it’s be ya boi” meme? That came from these guys. Available on Youtube

Kingdom: Ngl, I didn’t go into this expecting zombies. Or for it to take place during Korean feudalism, for that matter. But mediocre dubbing aside, this show has such a clever concept. It takes the zombie apocalypse genre and gives refreshing, unique twists to old tropes that they feel like something new. Seo-bi is my wife and she deserves all the love and appreciation in the world, and those are just Facts. Available on Netflix

My Hero Academia: Superhero high school anime. I personally am not a fan of later episodes/arcs, but the first three seasons are pretty dang good. Diverse, colourful ensemble cast that you easily grow to adore, interesting commentary on disability (although I’m not qualified to give any actual takes on that), and a school curriculum that makes me very, very concerned for the wellbeing of these children. Plus all the superpowers - aka ‘quirks’ - are super imaginative and, well, quirky! I just wish people would stop shipping the main character with his childhood bully...You’ll need to pirate this one too lmao

Danny Phantom: The highlight of this show is its ‘phandom’, because unlike someone (*cough* Butch Hartman), we’re not a bunch of cowards. It’s about a guy who messes around with his parents’ lab stuff and accidentally acquires the ability to die! Well, half-die. He can turn into a ghost and fight other ghosts. Although the show never explores the existential, traumatic fallout of being kinda-sorta-dead, the potential for something deep and emotional is there. Plus there is a LOT of accidental subtext for a Big LGBT+ Metaphor. So much so that the Trans Danny theory is basically canon. Uhhh not available on Netflix anymore so it’s time to whip out your pirate hat, matey

And there you have it! Like I said, I have a lot of TV recommendations. And I just KNOW I’m forgetting a ton, but this is already really long so we’ll have to cut off here. 

Thanks for the ask! <3

[dunamanticarchivist]

Critical Role Latest of the Lateblogs C2E31 Commerce and Chaos

Well I think this is the longest I’ve held off watching CR 2 since binge-ing the first 13 episodes in a marathon procrastination for roughly 3 days. Which might be a good thing, that I’m giving sufficient priority to things around me. But not being able to browse twitter and tumblr cos spoilers has been rather killer. Now, for a relaxing shopping episode of... critical role. Also that title is amazing

Only 3 and half hours boo hoo

Or did they take out the break in replays?

Oh boi a Sam Riegel southern special

A true blue ‘murican musical masterpiece

ENCORE ENCORE

Oh thank god I thought they took out the audio for the cheesy intro

That wouldn’t be the same any more would it

RIP Sam Riegel, but RIP Matt Mercer first

Dafuq Nott is now inventing flechette rounds in fantasy settings

Holy shit thats gonna be dangerous - one potentially explosive arrow

Im surprised Travis isnt asleep yet

Okokokokokok there are shenanigans afoot with letter forgery

(Ok i got spoiled a bit for this bit, but still)

Liam’s face palm is mood

FROM THE TOWN OF NIGERIA

Jesus there will be a million repercussions spilling out of this and plot ends for Matt to refine into knives to murderinate them with

Oh no this will not end well. At all. RIP erbady’s heart

Diamonds, fucking diamonds 

Ah there is Travis’ eyeroll. RIP him

LETS GO TO PUMAT’S (i saw a pumatprime logo that looks like amazon prime it was awesome sry i forgot who to credit it to on twitter)

Dese kids MOAR PUMATS 

Bath time again?

GIMME THEM BRACERS 

Thats really helpful Jester you should never bargain

A mighty girth....hmm not the group name you are looking for

Interesting spell selections. Feather fall, expeditious retreat, catapult. All 1st levels and uses reaction, bonus action and action. Very versatile

“This longsword”. Travis instantly becomes interested in shopping again. BAD FJORD BAD PUT DOWN THAT LONGSWORD. NO DONT EAT IT AGAIN BAD

The sword that was broken, potential plot point

Dust of deliciousness wtf that sounds absolutely baller

Cleaning out the pumats

ALL THE FUNKY ENCHANTMENTS someone please make the thinking meme for pumat 

The dancing sounds like a Otto’s Irresistable Dance a lvl 6 spell enchantment.

8000 gold for that. Interesting.

As an economics student, I am incredibly fascinated by the price systems that exist in Exandria (so 400 gold for +1 weapon)

Lotta pigeons hooting in here

Tfw when your hobo wiz is charming af

Only 100 gold off, its something but thats less than 5% off the bill (total should come up to 2400 golds ish)

Paper and ink in the same box, I too like to live dangerously

Marisha’s grabby hands for the bracers *squeeee

Matt, you have no idea how heavy paper can get

“May I go to the library” jesus that brings me back to childhood I loved my school library

MOAR SHOPPING RIP TRAVIS ROUND 2

We now have an official cook and potion maker on the road, its gonna be lit

Suvo’s Secrets ooo what a name. 20 ft by 20 ft. The first thing that comes to mind is how a Fireball would put the place to flame. I need help

Holy fuck thats a big dragonborn

Im calling it thats a hoarding hag of a dragonborn

FROM YOUR MOTHERS CHEST really Matt you forget the Ruby of the Sea was a prostitute for one second. Just one second. Meme mode ON

1 gold for fucking garlic they have no fucking sense for money 

They should have just brought Nott along and stole the whole bag

Jester please once again, never negotiate for prices.

Also if Matt was in the mind to fuck with them, they could literally be paying for the privilege of being cursed

Fjord bailing, shopping must have been super depressing

SABIEN??? SABIEN???? GIVE ME PLOT GIVE ME BACKSTORY

Bummer to have a week of failed investigation

ONLY CAT FRUMPKIN

Zenoth still being creepy af

Jebaited monk training Day 1: Time to fucking read

Roleplaying lvl 6 subclass features pretty good

Lotta bows there

Correction Laura: everyone be a Cobalt Soul monk

“I dont get to kill those guys?” aww man

Info dump lads this is a wiki filling episode erbady take notes

The Chained Oblivion? With all the manacles I think that’s shaping up to be BBEG of this campaign

STILL NOT A GOOD ENOUGH REASON TO USE THE WORD PENETRATE

Magical experimental in Solstryce? This is not a particularly helpful turn of events

I wonder does the eye serve as a spellcasting focus

THEY SPLIT THE PARTY DOWNTIME MOST DANGEROUS TIME

Lots of charming ASMR voices with the Gentlemen and Fjord

oh shite its cree another WHERE’S MOLLY???

Ya he ded

Eyyy here we go (i got somewhat spoiled for this defacing of temples)

The ‘healers’ got a cloak for Nott the bravest rouge. Yes. But this is entirely wholesome and soul saving

Clearly the cast isnt all the religious or that serious about it

The platinum dragon is now.... a farmer. Very agricultural

-3 to deception at disadvantage. Still a 13. Absolutely golden

This is heresy and we are all going to hell

I HAD JUST HIRED HER goddamn they are horrendous at this skulduggery 

OH SHIIIIT 5 CROWNSGUARDS one of whom appears to be a spellcaster

fuck some kind of forcecage? Ottiluke’s Resilient Sphere does damage?

ALL SHALL FALL TO THE CHARM OF JESTER LAVORRE

RUN YOU IDIOTS RUN

Jesus christ I didnt know I could get anxiety from watching a getaway scene

Good lord Jester virtually blew through her entire long rest of options in one night of revelry

Oh god here cometh the heartbreak

Thats alot of vague speak in the manner of gods

Dafuq the god is real? He can touch the dodecahedron? This sounds like a great amount of fuckery

Holy shit the time indeed passed I forgot there needs to be a break

NO REST WE GO ON LIKE CRITTERS

Taliesin is playing his INT 9 well

Lets go vacationing in the Bahamas/Nicodranas/Menagerie Coast

PLEASE CAST PLEASE LESS PEE AND POOP JOKES IM TRYING TO SNACK

Yes that is exactly how Jester would cast sending someone once wrote fanfic like that. It is obviously now canon

REVENGE FOR NOTT THE BRAVE KILL ALL THE GOBOS

Paper = power

ITS MORE THAN THAT AAAAAA ITS SO WHOLESOME

Everybody gets a dead people tea healing potion

Aaaand we’re back to the beginning

A delicious transitory episode, and hmmm a one-shot 2 weeks from now? Fascinating. 

[womenofcolor15]

TIGER KING SPECIAL: Everyone Pretty Much Hates Joe Exotic + The Conspiracy Theory That's Crazy AF, But Possible?

Netflix’s “Tiger King” docu-series quickly became a global sensation. So, the streaming giant filmed a follow-up special to chat with everyone who appeared in the series – minus Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. Find out his former employees and competitors feel about him now, how their lives have changed, plus what Shaq said about his appearance inside….

Whew chile.  The caucasity of it all.

If you have been on social media within the last month you’ve definitely seen more than enough “Tiger King” memes. And if you haven’t watched the docu-series, then you’re likely not understanding what the fuss is about.

Well, the seven-episode docu-series is insane and disturbing, and it gets even more deranged in each episode. The true crime documentary follows the life of zookeeper Joe Exotic (real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage) and the bizarre underworld of big cat breeding. Joe - who once owned the G.W. Zoo in Oklahoma - is currently sitting bars after he was found guilty of a murder-for-hire plot against his rival, Carole Baskin. He’s serving a 22-year prison sentence.

The show’s popularity prompted Netflix to give “Tiger King” fans another episode. The new episode is titled “The Tiger King and I,” and it was basically a 40-minute reunion special hosted by Joel McHale...virtually. He interviewed a few of the people who appeared in the docu-series, including Jeff and Lauren Lowe (current owners of G.W. Zoo), Erik Cowie (head zookeeper at G.W. Zoo), John Reinke (former manager at G.W. Zoo), Kelci “Saff” Saffery (former animal keeper at G.W. Zoo), Joshua Dial (Joe’s ex-campaign manager), John Finlay (Joe’s ex-husband), and Rick Kirkham (ex-producer of Joe Exotic TV).

In a nutshell, most of them don’t like Joe anymore. Many of his old friends and former co-workers said they regret not doing anything to stop Joe from mistreating the animals back then, especially the tigers that were killed for no reason. Most of them feel like he got what he deserved: prison time.

”He’s going to die in there, so good riddance,” head zoo keeper Erik Cowie said.

“They were not sick. They were beautiful, healthy tigers that he called over to the fence and he shot them in the head because he needed the cage space,” he said. “So Joe goes out and makes the cage space by killing five beautiful, healthy tigers,” current G.W. Zoo owner Jeff Lowe said.

On the flip side, there’s one person who still has Joe’s back. Kelci “Saff” Staffery – the former animal keeper who lost an arm after a tiger attacked and returned to work DAYS later – said the documentary excluded things about Joe Exotic that showed how loyal he was to the people around him.

“I think justice was served, but I still don’t want to see that man die in prison,” Saff said.

Several members of the cast said they weren’t happy with the way they were portrayed on the show – one of them being Joe’s ex-husband, John Finlay. He said the series made him look like a “drugged-out hillbilly” when, in fact, he had been clean for almost five years at the time they were filming.

Jeff Lowe also didn’t like how the series made it look like he stole the zoo from Joe Exotic.

Obviously, Carole Baskin and her new husband Howard Baskin didn't appear in the new episode. After the series debuted, she and her new husband criticized how they were depicted.

Also..

  Hear me out: Carol’s 1st husband is “Jeff Lowe” -con artist. He & Allan kill Don. Carol pays them money she inherits. Yrs later Jeff frames Joe for Carol, both get off, cover up yrs of coercing, they take down all the Tiger Kings & build the world’s biggest attraction by Winstar. pic.twitter.com/nZkatT9H7X

— Haley Herzog (@HalesHerz) April 5, 2020

  PLOT TWIST!

A fan of the show brought up a conspiracy theory that's blowing people's minds. They suggest Jeff Lowe (who's the owner of Joe's zoo) is Carole Baskin's FIRST abusive husband that went "missing." They suggest Carole paid off Jeff in a bid to bring Joe down.

"Carol’s 1st husband is 'Jeff Lowe' -con artist. He & Allan kill Don. Carol pays them money she inherits. Yrs later Jeff frames Joe for Carol, both get off, cover up yrs of coercing, they take down all the Tiger Kings & build the world’s biggest attraction by Winstar," the fan tweeted.

Wow. Continue reading below:

  My final thoughts pic.twitter.com/wfz9qFbddZ

— Haley Herzog (@HalesHerz) April 5, 2020

    OH. MY. GOOD. GOD. #CaroleBaskinDidIt #TigerKing #PlotTwist #DefinitelyTooGoodToFactCheck pic.twitter.com/wYJprZtJI0

— Jeremy Heer, CFA, CAIA (@MonocleMan1) April 14, 2020

    It’s fucking crazy pic.twitter.com/exfvsu5pav

— sergeant sarcasm (@IloraBean) April 6, 2020

  Crazier things have happened.

Also...

Former NBA baller Shaquille O'Neal made a cameo in the first episode of "Tiger King," causing him to receive backlash from people for supporting someone who was endangering animals.

During an episode of “The Steam Room” with the “Inside the NBA” co-anchors, Shaq set the record straight about his visit to Joe's zoo since Charles Barkley wouldn't let him live it down.

"So on the way there, on the highway, I saw a sign that said tigers. That was the first time I went. I went, said hi, gave him some money to give me a couple white tigers," Shaq said.

“Then I think we went to Oklahoma City one more time so I only saw Joe once,” he continued. “The second time I went, they was like, ‘Hey man, they don’t think you should come back, a lot of stuff is going on.’ And I never went back.”

“There’s a lot of stuttering going on right there!," Charles joked.

The former Lakers baller also denied ever having possessed any of Joe's big cats.

"I want people to understand when I say I own tigers, I always go to these zoos. And I make donations. And then they'll say: 'Okay, these are your tigers', but the tigers never come into my possession," he explained.

He said he sponsored two tigers at Joe's zoo - a great white tiger named Prince and a regular Bengal tiger named Chuckie.

There you have it.

Photo: Netflix

    [Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/04/14/tiger-king-special-everyone-pretty-much-hates-joe-exotic-shaq-wants-you-to-know-this-abou

[hotjuan11]

Reset.

Most mornings I wake up thinking “just 5 more minutes of sleep...” This morning I woke up with the word “reset,” at the forefront of my mind. This isn’t something that happens often. I usually wake up on autopilot focused on the morning’s tasks... but today was different. Today the message to “reset” came in loud and clear. I’ll come back to that… I live DC adjacent and I love it. The thing about living in a big city is that there is ALWAYS something going on, always something to do. Dinner, drinks, happy hours, concerts, musicals, trivia, stand up comedy, dates, you name it. The list really does go on. The more time you spend here, the more you get drawn into it. Or at least that’s what happened to me. There have been periods of time recently in my life where I was out every night at some random combination of the events listed above for weeks at a time. 7-14-21 nights. Back to back. Only coming home to sleep it off for 4-5 hours and do it again the next day. Fast forward to now, the COVID-19 pandemic that will undoubtedly be written about in history books and memorialized in memes and GIFs for decades to come. Everyone is locked away (allegedly) and not able to socialize. Happy hours are no longer happy, concerts are cancelled, and all those matches on Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge have been reduced to awkward pen pals. It really is the end of the world… Or is it? It’s hard to sit back and do nothing, especially when living in a city with so much to offer and with so many opportunities. Honestly, though… I’m kind of finding a sense of relief in it all. Admittedly I am in introvert, so the city lifestyle sometimes takes a toll on me. After a few days, it makes me want to either curl up in a corner with a book or re-watch The Office for the 11th time. That being said, if you’re an extrovert, I completely understand this may not resonate with you. For me, however, this social-distancing time is way overdue. I’ve spent the last two years going way too hard in the social life aspect. I’ve met a lot of great people, some not so great. I’ve learned a lot, experienced a lot, and grown a lot through all of it. However, I’ve distracted myself and ignored a lot of the little things that bring me joy in life and really make me “me.” So my challenge to myself during #SocialDistancing2020, and maybe to someone reading this (if anyone is), is to use this time to reset. Blaise Pascal said that “all of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” In an interview, Mr. Rogers instructed adults to “...just be quiet and think. It will make all the difference in the world.” Actually, It’s impossible to find a major philosophical school or religion that does not value stillness, reflection, and quiet personal time. So let’s try and be still. Reset. Find your center. Whatever you want to call it. Take time to really be with yourself. Be thankful for that time. Drown out the noise and reconnect with yourself. This is a unique moment in history where we are being afforded an opportunity to stay home and spend the whole of our days doing nothing. This opportunity will not likely come again. Let’s not look at #SocialDistancing2020 as a hashtag that will be gone before we know it, or as an event that we are eager to put In our rear-view mirrors. We should look internally and challenge our own perspectives. Instead of thinking that this is just a phase and it will pass, flip that thought upside down. This is just a phase. This is a brief moment in history that may never happen again. Don’t miss it. Things will go back to a [new] normal. We’ll all be out at happy hours, concerts, and sporting events soon enough. Until then we should take advantage of this time with minimal distractions and use it to rediscover and reinvest in forgotten passions, find and develop new ones, and most importantly pause, breathe, reset, and rediscover ourselves. Also - flatten the curve. We can help save a lot of people’s lives just by spending a whole day doing absolutely nothing in the comfort of our homes. Seems like a pretty baller deal. My sister is a PA. Shout out to her and all the other medical service providers fighting the fight right now.

“And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” - Mark‬ ‭4:39‬ ‭

P.S.  I used to write a decent amount. When I was in college I wanted to be a pastor so I wrote all the time. When I decided I didn’t want to be a pastor anymore, I stopped writing. Writing this, in a way, was me rediscovering one of the little joys that (I think) makes me “me.”

[sweetnestor]

You Look Happier | Chapter 4

university au, teamiplier + jack

platonic/romance/angst/(smut at one point but it’ll only be on ao3)

previous chapter

One of the things Jack and I had in common was that we were our best selves when it came to making videos. We brought it up during a session with Helena, then she required we do this as a trust exercise. I wasn’t exactly reluctant, but I was nervous about what would come up in the middle of this particular video.

Jack and I sat on the couch in the living room, camera and lights on us. Depending on how this went, this video would be going on YouTube, so we had to treat it as such. It was also going to be viewed by Helena, who was going to go in depth at our next session.

“Hey, it’s Bella!” I greeted. “Today, I’m doing something that a lot of you requested, which is the best friend tag! And as of… last year, my best friend is…”

I gestured to Jack, and he put his arms up in the air.

“It’s me.” He smiled before putting his arms back down. “Y’know we first met around this time last year?”

“Really?” I asked, surprised. “Jesus Christ. Actually, that brings us to the first question: how and when did we meet?”

“Ah, it was a bright and sunny morning,” Jack began, “in nineteen fifty four…”

I giggled. “Yeah, basically. Feels like we’ve been friends for a lifetime. It was last year, first day of the spring semester, Mark introduced us.”

“You were so shy,” Jack said fondly. “Aw, that car ride was-”

“Quiet and anxiety inducing,” I finished with a laugh. “But I thought you were really kind.”

“Aww.”

Next question: what’s your favorite memory together?

We sat there and thought about it. Jack was the first to speak.

“I liked the time we went to The Tube,” he said. “Where we drank a lot and someone had to come pick us up.”

“Oh yeah,” I said. “That was fun. I think I like… that time I was sad and you let me do your makeup.”

I was starting to understand why Helena made us do this. Remembering little moments made me feel a huge rush of affection for Jack. My heart was already swelling.

“Describe each other in one word,” he read off my phone.

We looked at each other in thought. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this prompt. What was I to Jack?

“Welcoming,” I answered, deciding to go first this time. “You always treat people the best you can, and you always try to make everyone comfortable. I don’t know, the energy you give off is always kind and warm. You’re just full of good vibes.”

Jack was smiling ear to ear. “I think Helena was right to make us do this.” He paused and then faced the camera again. “My word for you is passionate. You care so much about everything you do. You’re so passionate about your viewers, LGBTQ rights, mental health, makeup.”

The moment was sinking in. But to keep myself from crying, I read the next question.

“What’s one thing you don’t know about each other? Here we go, it’s time to get deep.”

There was another moment of silent thinking, though I knew what my confession would be. I had thought about it plenty of times, and Jack seemed like the only person I could tell.

“Um, I fart a lot in my sleep,” Jack said jokingly.

I chuckled. “I knew that already.”

“Well, I guess you know everything about me!”

“Okay, well I can’t tell them,” I began, gesturing to the camera, “but I’ll tell you.” I hesitated. “You’re probably not gonna believe me.”

“What is it? Just tell me.”

“Santiago isn’t my real last name.”

Jack was silent at first, looking like he was trying to see right through me. He let out a small laugh in disbelief. “No way.”

“I’m serious,” I told him. “I swear, honest to god. I legally changed my last name to Santiago a little bit after moving out of my parents’ house.”

“So what was your real last name?”

“Sanchez,” I said, and then added, “I just didn’t want to be tied to them anymore. Plus, it’s a super generic Mexican last name, and I didn’t really want to be generic.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Jack nodded. “Wow… Bella Sanchez.”

I chuckled at the sound of it. “She’s dead, I don’t know her.”

The next few questions were just guessing each other’s favorite whatever’s. Those were easy and left plenty of room for banter.

“Three things I always carry with me?”

“Easy. Phone, car keys, and whatever lipstick you’re wearing that day.”

“See? This is the kind of man I need! Okay, what nicknames do we have for each other?”

Jack giggled as he sat up. “Let’s see, you were Bella, then Bellers. Then fuckin’ Baller. Nervous Ball, Tiny Ball.”

“You give good nicknames,” I commented. “I have none for you, though.”

“I have enough for the both of us.” He took my phone and read, “Strengths and weaknesses.”

This was definitely going somewhere else. I should mention that Helena picked out the questions for us. She obviously had specific things she wanted us to bring up.

“Bella Santiago. Strength: sharp eyeliner. Weakness: people,” Jack announced, still joking around.

“Well you’re not wrong,” I said. “Let’s see, for you… I think your strength is… remaining humble. Like, you’ve made it so far, you’ve accomplished so much, and none of it has gone to your head.”

“Aw… can I change my answer?”

“And a weakness…” I paused, actually stumped for once. “Hmm…”

“Confrontation,” he admitted. “That’s a tough one.”

Helena was going to have a grand ol’ session with us, that’s all I knew.

“Last question,” Jack went on as he took my phone, “what do you admire most about each other? Oh, that’s easy. Well, you talked about it on your channel, but uh… you were in a very bad situation when you were, what? Eighteen? And you took the initiative to pack everything up and start a new life. You found a way out, even when you thought you couldn’t. And that’s very admirable.”

I let out a strangled, whiney noise. I wanted to cry at his words. Not knowing what else to do, I hugged Jack from the side in a somewhat silly way. “I love yooouuu!”

When I let him go, I took things seriously again. This was proving to be therapeutic.

“The amount of empathy you have for other people is something else,” I told him. “Like… you really can put yourself in other people’s shoes and you can feel what their feeling. I’ve told you some shit about me and we both ended up crying.”

“Your pain is my pain,” he said. “But I think that’s because we’re friends and we’ve also been in the same situation, with the breakups and all.”

“That’s true. But still. Even in your ‘Try Not to Cringe’ videos, you’re still feeling what the other person is feeling, and you’re trying to understand the situation.”

“I’m just being a decent person!”

“But you do it so well! I don’t know, you’re a good role model.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.”

I looked at him, then at the camera. “What’s one thing you hate about your best friend? He can’t take a fucking compliment!”

Jack laughed. “Well, neither can you!”

“I know…”

~

That video went up before our next therapy session. Our followers went absolutely wild over it. It was sweet. Made me smile for a little bit.

I did cut out certain parts, though, like my last name reveal. Thankfully, instead of people speculating over it, they made it into a meme instead. Not only that, everyone seemed to like us solely as friends, so I was glad I didn’t have to stress about that anymore. I could see the internet as a safe place again.

Another thing I noticed was my subscriber count. I was dangerously close to one million, and it scared me. It was such a big number. It was intimidating, overwhelming.

I took a screenshot of my live subscriber count and tweeted it out with the caption “lmao.” My heart began to race as my mentions filled with responses. Then one particular notification made my head spin.

CrankGameplays quoted your tweet: “Go subscribe!!”

I wanted to reply in all caps, but I was even more nervous about the backlash. I mean, he brought to attention the fact that we knew each other. That, and he told his followers to subscribe to my channel. Strange, a gamer promoting a beauty guru. Not the first time it’s happened, but it was still bizarre.

“Ahh!!” I yelled out when the number on my screen rose dramatically.

Jack was currently in the shower, so he wasn’t here to talk me down from my oncoming anxiety attack. He did scream back in response, though. It was starting to become a regular occurrence within the apartment.

999,028. I wanted to shit my pants, and I tweeted about it. 999,057. I wanted to throw up. 999,102. Jack finally joined the show.

“Did I miss it?” he asked excitedly as he barged into my room. “Did you hit it yet? Man, I should have brought party poppers or something!”

“Almost there!” I told him, anxiously picking at my nails.

Jack came over and sat next to me on the bed. He pulled out his phone and opened up Twitter. Not long after that, I had another notification of another quoted tweet. The live count rose rapidly right then, and I began flailing my hands around hysterically.

“Ahh, what the fuck?” I exclaimed.

999,921. I opened up Snapchat. I recorded the screen and let out a stressful noise. Jack screamed along with me as the number got higher.

I nearly burst into tears when it got to one million. Jack jumped onto the bed and cheered. I quickly tweeted out a thank you in caps lock, my hands shaking from all the excitement.

“WTF THE FCUK IM NT CRYIGNG YOU AR E TE AMO ❤💓💖💗💘💙💚💛💜💝🖤💕💞”

Suddenly, Jack tackled me in a side hug, nearly knocking me off the bed. “I’m so proud of you, Bellers.”

I couldn’t help but think that I literally could have been dead in this moment. I could have been dead for almost six months, and I wouldn’t have been here to see this. Life is wild.

~

Later that night, I was able to see Ethan. I did have to pick him up at the office, though… and I had to park somewhere down the road. I felt like a stalker fangirl, waiting for my YouTube crush to come out of the building so I could kidnap him.

Ugh, crush. I felt like I was sixteen, stricken with lovesick emotions. My chest was constantly warm, and my stomach was always full of butterflies. I had Cupid’s arrow in my ass, and now I couldn’t see anything except the hearts circling my head, and the guy who gave me all these gross, mushy feelings.

Those feelings intensified when I spotted him leaving the building. Just seeing Ethan a distance away made me grin like an idiot. He spotted my car and walked over, holding a balloon in his hand. When he got closer to the car, I looked towards the building, just to make sure that none of his friends/coworkers had followed him. It was short, but I didn’t see anything. I turned my attention back to Ethan when he got in the car.

“Hey,” he greeted, “I got you this.”

He struggled slightly to pull in the single purple balloon. It only made my heart sing more.

“What for?” I asked.

“‘Cause you hit a milestone today,” he told me.

I blushed. Thank god he couldn’t see me in the dark. “That’s sweet.”

Ethan pushed the thing into the backseat before I drove off. Today, we decided to go up to Hollywood Hills. It was better for us to go at night because there were far less people, and neither of us were busy at this hour. I had to have him navigate though, because neither of us had been up there before. Thankfully, we got there without any extra difficulty, aside from the usual traffic.

It was quite a walk up to where we wanted to go. There was a specific view we wanted to find, and honestly, I was not a hiker. But this was mainly Ethan’s idea, and I was willing to do whatever he wanted, despite the underlying bout of nerves.

“Is this high enough?” he asked when we reached a certain landing.

I looked out at the view. It was all black with many dots of light. I wasn’t one for heights, but since the elevation was blocked out by the darkness, it wasn’t as scary. The stars in the sky were covered by the busy, neverending lights of the city. My legs were sore, and I was out of breath, so I nodded in response and went to sit on a nearby rock.

“How long have you lived out here?” he asked me as he walked around the cliff.

Uh oh. Interrogation time.

“Two, almost three years,” I replied.

“Oh, you’ve probably seen a lot of the city, haven’t you?” he guessed.

I chuckled, and rubbed my hands together nervously. “If you count my skill of handling traffic from driving so much, then yes.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, I don’t really get out much.” I could tell this was going to bring on an awkward pause, so I quickly added, “but what about you? Are you liking it here so far?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “I, uh, I miss my family a lot, though. It still feels weird being so far away.”

“Aw, I know,” I said, even though I really didn’t. “You get used to it. At least you really get to value the time you do spend with them.” Again, I didn’t know the feeling, I just heard that from other people.

“Oh yeah, I loved this last Christmas,” Ethan said, pacing around some more. “Did you get to see your family over the holidays?”

Oh god, why did he ask that? I couldn’t stop the awkward tension from arising.

“No.”

Before I could explain further, Ethan stopped in his tracks and interjected, “Oh! You mentioned at homecoming… uh, I’m sorry, we don’t have to talk about that.”

“It’s okay,” I reassured. Although, I did cringe at the mention of homecoming. I had to give him the gist of my family thing. He had to get an idea of all the emotional baggage I carried. “I have been living on my own for…” I counted on my fingers. “Six or seven years. My parents didn’t exactly like the idea of their daughter being bi, so as as soon as I turned eighteen, I left and started fresh.”

Ethan took a minute to process all of that. I could tell I made things awkward with that bit of information. There go my chances.

“Oh, I didn’t know that was the case,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

I waved it off, as always. “It was years ago, it’s no big deal.”

He nodded and continued pacing. “Were you scared when you first moved?”

I was grateful for the subject change. “Absolutely. I cried a lot when I moved out of my parents’ house, and I cried more when I moved here.” I paused. “Are you… how have you been since you moved?”

Ethan hesitated. “I don’t know how to put it. I miss my family, but I’ve also been so busy that I don’t really feel it all the time. And I miss my friends too… But YouTube is all I’ve wanted to do, and everything is taking off, so I shouldn’t be sad, right?”

“You can be sad,” I reassured. “Like, you’re far from your hometown and all your friends, it only makes sense. And chasing your dreams comes with a lot of sacrifices.”

“Yeah…” he hummed.

I was eighty percent sure I said it to him at homecoming, but I was thinking about it again: how lucky was he to have a family so good to him that he’s genuinely upset to be far away from them. I didn’t really envy him for it, though. I could see why he was feeling like this.

“D-Do you need a hug… or something?” I mumbled, but he caught it anyway.

A little smile began to etch on his face. I half meant it as a joke, but as soon as it was in the air, that was all I wanted to do. The look on Ethan’s face said the same thing, and he opened his arms.

It should have been a quick, jokey-joke hug. But as soon as I was wrapped up in his arms, I didn’t want to let go. I was supposed to be comforting him, but I felt so light and warm. His hand went down to my lower back, which sent intense feelings of heat and electricity throughout my body. I felt weirdly comfortable, and that was so rare.

Then, a bright, blinding light shone on us.

_______

next chapter

[analvelocity]

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22. Just do them all, you know you want to.

1) A cartoon you remember that nobody else does.

The Time Warp Trio.

It was a kid’s show I used to watch after school where you learned about history via a bunch of teenagers who keep fucking with time and having to repair the damage after the fact. The concept was great, and it had some really interesting LORE(TM) toward the end that I was actually interested in seeing where they went with it - but the show was canned after the first season so I guess we’ll never see it. 10/10 concept, needed someone like Craig McCracken to really shine.

2) A cartoon you like but nobody else seems to.

Inferno Cop allegedly has a fandom but I don’t know any of them in the flesh.

3) A cartoon you don’t like but everybody else seems to.RWBY. I’ve never ever really “Got” Rooster Teeth to be quite honest, so this fell really flat with me.4) A cartoon you wish would be forgotten.The Fairly OddParents. I wish I could go back to looking back at that series fondly but that time has long passed.5) The worst cartoon you’ve ever seen, and why?The Nutshack. Watched an episode for the meme and then immediately hated the meme for getting me to watch it.6) The worst moment you’ve ever seen happen in a cartoon.

The bit where Finn gets his arm back in Breezy. I got so close to dropping the show after that one.

7) The worst thing you’ve ever seen happen to a cartoon that ruined it.Not outright ruined, but Bryke missing the magic of The Last Airbender and focusing way too much on goddamn shipping in Korra. I maintain that Season 2B and 3 were the best seasons and that was purely because they had time to focus on actual plot and characterization with the help of NO SHIPPING DRAMA.8) A cancelled/forgotten cartoon you would bring back to television.

SKYLAND. FUCKING SKYLAND.

Superjail is a close 2nd, assuming it is indeed cancelled.

9) An animated character you remember but nobody else seems to.

Does anyone else remember how fucking excellent the wolves were in The Animals of Farthing Wood? God that show was depressing!

That or Billy the Cat.

10) An animated character you hate the most, and why?Pam from Archer, at least after Season 5. They play off her cocaine addiction for laughs but all she does is be really uncomfortable in every scene she’s in.11) A non-animated property you would like to see as a cartoonI think Doctor Who could use the new life that animation and a decent writer would breathe into the series.12) A trope or trend in animation that you dislike.

Filler episodes, particularly ones that focus on the C-listers. Steven Universe and Star vs. The Forces of Evil (Both excellent shows when they don’t do this) are the worst culprits in recent memory - Adventure Time has fixed this so props to them.

I know why they do this - Genndy talked about this when he spoke of his limitations making Samurai Jack - the network wants these creators to air as little continuity-based content as possible so they can run episodes in any order. It fucking kneecaps the show though, and it’s so sad that cartoons are the only kind of media that get such awful treatment narratively.

13) A currently airing cartoon that you know is going to be forgotten about in the future.The Powerpuff Girls reboot. Shit, I’ve already forgotten about it.14) The best episode of a cartoon you really like.Every episode of Gravity Falls, but Sock Opera, Soos and the Real Girl and Boyz Crazy are my favourites. Don’t make me choose between them.Sock Opera did have my favourite Bill moments, he’s my favourite Disney villain:

15) The worst episode of a cartoon you really like.I straight-up don’t watch Ronaldo-centric episodes of Steven Universe. Not necessarily because of him, but because the episodes are guaranteed to be awful and hard to watch. I’ve never skipped episodes on any cartoon before or since - that’s how much I hate those episodes.

16) A cartoon you feel deserves more recognition than it gets.

Gravity Falls - at least, the first season and 2A. It did get a lot of hype when it was airing but it was a genuinely smart show with some great humour and satisfying mysteries both inside and outside the ARG.

17) A cartoon you feel deserves less recognition than what it gets.Ren and Stimpy. Cartoon fans seem to see it as the holy grail of children’s programming when Rocko’s Modern Life did everything it did, and a lot better.18) The worst idea you can think of for an animated series.

“Let’s reboot Teen Titans but as a shitty poorly-animated chibi show completely devoid of personality and resemblance to the source material. Then do it with Powerpuff Girls as well.”

19) At what point did you realize a cartoon, any cartoon was starting to get bad?

Adventure Time - the infamous Breezy episode. It was such a cop-out and it annoyed the shit out of me. They fixed it, and the series is back to being great, but it took them a borderline unforgivable 2 seasons to get there. Glad I stuck with it though - the Islands and Elements mini-series were baller and the latter felt like the series was really getting back to its roots before the finale. I fucking loved everything about Elements, and I think the intro exemplifies why:

20) An experience with a cartoon you thought you were going to like but turned you away from it.As a teenager - the first like 2 episodes of Bleach. God I hated it.

21) Something you would like to see more than anything in a cartoon.

Hard to say, I’m a pretty easy man to please. A concept that uses the animated medium effectively, with an art style that pops and doesn’t treat their audience like children - even if they are children. Gravity Falls, Bojack Horseman, Rick & Morty and Mob Psycho 100 are four shows that spring to mind when I think of this - all were certainly shows I didn’t know I always wanted.

22) What do you feel makes a cartoon forgettable?

Doing the exact opposite of the above. If you’re gonna be a boring hack with a boring hack show, at least have a decent girl in it to waifu out so it’s not completely worthless.

[autumncrocuscosplay]

Voltron Fanfic: Leap Frog

Leap Frog

echoofautumn on AO3

Summary:

Lance McClain is a college student and has been working at The Empire paintball range for the past 2 years. Red is one of their regular players, and an intense mutant paint baller.

Keith Kogane is a student on scholarship to the Garrison, and has been playing paintball for what seems like his entire life. Blue is just an annoying employee at the range he plays at, but his sense of humor can make Keith laugh when little else can.

A story of two college students and their journey from the deserts of Arizona to a place they had only dreamed of.

Leap Frog - A tactic used by two or more players who alternately move and provide cover fire for each other.

Chapter 1

Notes:

Any non self-explanatory paintball terms will be defined in the end notes.

The whistle sounded across the field. The hot Arizona sun beat down on the range, raising the current temperature to above 95° Fahrenheit. Of course, that was fairly low for the normal temperatures in June.

Lance stretched his arms over his head. As the players headed off range, Lance started to sweep the field.

Another day at The Empire paintball range; another day of being shot at. But being a ref, that was part of his job. He had to deal with annoying kids blindfiring their guns, and hitting their own teammates more often than the opposing team. Speaking of which… Lance sighed.

“Come on kid, let’s go.” He ushered a sniffling boy off the field and delivered him to his mother before heading to the ‘Base of Operations’, as Coran referred to it. Everyone else just called it the shack.

Even with all the whining Lance put up with during the day, he had to admit that not everyone at the range was completely obnoxious.

“Hey, Blue!” Lance grinned at the friendly face leaning against the counter of the shack.

“Hunk! Hey there buddy chum pal friend-,” Hunk groaned.

“Lance.”

“Okay, okay. What are you doing here?” Lance leaned against the counter of the shack.

“I come to your place of work to bring you a warm, home cooked meal, and I’m greeted with a meme? And not even a good one at that.”

Lance feigned offence, and held his hand over his heart.

“You dare insult my memes?”

A small voice piped in from behind Hunk.

“C’mon Lance. You know how stale that Undertale meme is. Don’t even try to defend it.”

Hunk moved to the side to reveal Pidge, who was laying across the counter playing on their Nintendo DS.

"Is that a wild Pidgey I hear?"

Lance's co-worker Matt walked through a door at the back of the shack, wiping his dirty hands on a paint stained towel. He stuck the cloth in a pocket of his dark cargo pants and opened his arms to his younger sibling.

"Matt!" Lance didn't have time to register that Pidge had moved, but suddenly she was crashing into her older brother and hugging him in a crushing embrace.

Matt laughed and ruffled Pidge's hair.

"Still wearing those glasses, I see."

"Yes, Matt. I am hipster now." Pidge deadpanned.

"The day you become hipster will be the day I'm enslaved in an alien war camp."

Lance clapped his hands.

"Alright, that's enough emotion for one day."

Matt patted Pidge on the head once more before ducking under the counter. Pidge was struggling to climb back onto the counter.

"Alright Lance. I'll cover the field after the lunch break if you take shack duty for the afternoon."

"Done." Lance pulled off the ref jersey he was wearing and tossed it to Matt. Matt tugged it on over his black tank top before grabbing his mask and heading toward the gates leading onto the field.

Lance jumped over the counter and sat on the stool behind it, spinning around once before turning back to Hunk and grinning.

"So, Hunky-Monkey... Where's this lunch you promised me?"

Hunk nodded to the smallest and saltiest member of their trio.

"Pidge has it."

Pidge huffed and stretched across the counter to retrieve their favorite backpack from where it was leaning against the wall. The backpack itself was just a regular black Jansport one, but it was covered in space themed iron-on's. It also was used in almost all of Lance's crazy schemes that, if they had been caught, would have certainly gotten them in trouble with the law.

"Here." Pidge slid the tupperware container and a plastic spoon across the counter and Lance grabbed it eagerly.

"Oh sweet baby Jesús," Lance opened the still warm container of Hunk's homemade Mac'n'Cheese and inhaled its cheesy goodness.

Lance took a big bite and groaned. He swallowed his food and sighed.

"Ay Dios mío," Lance pointed the spoon at the container. "Está delicioso. Muchas gracias Hunk. Me encantalo." Lance took another big bite.

"Lance, watch what language you're speaking." Pidge didn't even look up from their DS.

"Hmm? ¿Qué- oh shit, sorry," Lance smiled sheepishly. "Hunk, this is amazing. Thanks dude."

Hunk laughed.

"No problemo, mi amigo."

Lance rolled his eyes and took another bite.

As 4 o'clock rolled around, the kids and players there for the midday rush began to leave. The Empire was officially closed at 5 pm. At least, that was the case for the general public.

Pidge and Hunk had left around 1:30, so for the rest of the afternoon Lance busied himself with the mindless routine of cleaning the rental paintball markers that had been used.

Lance was just locking up the guns in the shack’s back room when a white Jeep pulled into the parking lot.

“Oye! Matt!”

Matt turned from the circuit box by the range and upon seeing the car pulling up, he closed it and started walking toward the small white building behind the shack.

“Want me to grab your marker?”

“Yeah, dude. That’d be rad.”

The white 2003 Jeep Wrangler parked behind the shack, and after a moment the drivers side door opened.

“Lance, son!” As Coran approached the “Base”, Matt walked in carrying their gear bags.

“Hey Coran,” Matt hoisted the large bags onto the counter. Lance leaned over and pulled the blue one towards himself.

Coran checked his watch.

“It’s 5:52. Alright, my boys. I’ll be doing paperwork until almost 7, but I’ll make sure to put on my stripes for tonight’s game.” Coran headed towards the small white management only building they used for paperwork and the less “dirty” parts of running a paintball range.

Lance unzipped his bag, carefully taking out a small silver case and setting it aside before pulling out his paintball gear. Matt was doing the same; putting on his purple and black jersey as Lance tugged his own blue and white one on.

Notes:

95° Fahrenheit = 35° Celsius

that Undertale meme

the translation of what Lance says is, "Oh my God. This is delicious. Thank you so much Hunk. I love it."

blindfiring- to shoot without aiming or looking where you're shooting. marker- slang for a paintball gun stripes- another term for a referee jersey

http://archiveofourown.org/works/10748067/chapters/23828643

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

Met Gala Drama: The 7 Most Jaw-Dropping Moments to Ever Happen at Fashion's Biggest Night

Given the amount of A-listers packed into one venue, it's no surprise the amount of drama that goes down at the annual star-studded Met Gala.

This year's soiree takes place on Monday, with the co-chairs being Amal Clooney, Rihanna, Donatella Versace and, of course, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Given this year's religious theme -- "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination" -- we're sure to get a few outlandish and controversial outfits.

But aside from the unforgettable fashion, the Met Gala has also been the scene of some of the biggest headline-making moments in pop culture. From Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston's dance-off that marked the start of their whirlwind romance, to Solange and JAY-Z's elevator fight caught on tape, let's take a look back at the seven most jaw-dropping moments.

Kim Kardashian West's infamous pregnant 2013 Met Gala debut:

Kardashian West definitely made a statement at her first-ever Met Gala in 2013, with an unforgettable skintight floral dress designed by Riccardo Tisci. The 37-year-old reality star was pregnant with daughter North at the time, and made sure her baby bump was on full display.

Getty Images

The dress sparked plenty of memes, a few comparing Kardashian West's bold look to a couch.

For those that tweeted #KimKardashian's #MetGala outfit looked like a couch-> RT @ChelleHutt #omgInsider Bahaha pic.twitter.com/Rcg2xvbue6

— The Insider (@TheInsider) May 7, 2013

In 2015 she poked fun at the gown, dressing up as herself for Halloween, this time pregnant with her son, Saint.

"Still fits," she cracked.

Still fits...

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Oct 31, 2015 at 10:28pm PDT

Kardashian West's Met Gala debut also sparked some controversy when Vogue did not include the reality star in a photo gallery of the best-dressed stars from the event. Kim's husband, Kanye West, made the cut, but Kardashian West was Photoshopped out of the original photo.

Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston have a flirty dance-off:

In hindsight, Swift and Hiddleston's chemistry was pretty obvious.

Prior to the two's whirlwind romance in 2016, Valentino brand ambassador Carlos Souza shared video of Swift and Hiddleston dancing at the Met Gala to rapper T.I.'s 2004 hit, "Bring Em Out." 

TAYLOR SWIFT & TOM HIDDLESTON GETTING DOWN #MET #DANCE #FUNFUN #PRINCE #NYC #tomhiddleston

A post shared by Carlos Souza (@carlossouza1311) on May 3, 2016 at 6:28am PDT

The duo also showed off their moves to Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love," with Hiddleston eagerly twirling Swift around.

Taylor dancing to Beyoncé's 'Crazy in Love'! #MetGalapic.twitter.com/HcC15q424n

— Taylor Swift Updates (@TSwiftLA) May 3, 2016

Hiddleston later talked to the Press Association about the viral moment.

"I love dancing, who doesn't?" he said. "It's a weird one. I haven't actually danced for a long time, but I happened to be dancing at the Met Gala, because it was a party."

"I was on a table with Taylor Swift and The Weeknd was playing and she said, 'The thing about these parties is nobody gets up to dance,'" he continued. "She, as a musician, was like, 'We've got to dance for The Weeknd!' so we got up and danced."

Swift and Hiddleston ended up dating for three months before splitting in September 2016.

Selena Gomez and The Weeknd make their debut as a couple ... with his ex, Bella Hadid, also there:

Gomez and The Weeknd made their romance red carpet official at the 2017 Met Gala, showing plenty of PDA for the cameras.

Check out the two absolutely glowing:

Getty Images

Getty Images

But the moment was definitely a bit awkward, given that The Weeknd's ex-girlfriend, Hadid, was also in attendance, wearing a super sexy sheer Alexander Wang catsuit.

Getty Images

Just one year prior, The Weeknd was Hadid's date to the Met Gala.

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Of course, Gomez and The Weeknd's relationship didn't last through the year. The two split last October after 10 months of dating.

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez make their red carpet debut ... and Rodriguez shows he's not a dancer:

Lopez and Rodriguez also made their splashy red carpet debut at the 2017 Met Gala last year, looking stunning as a power couple.

Getty Images

Video of the pair at the Met Gala later went viral, when Italian businessman and Valentino pal Giancarlo Giammetti captured Lopez busting a move when Migos performed their hit, “Bad and Boujee,” as Rodriguez stayed seated, akwardly watching Lopez.

... We don't blame you A-Rod!

When a dancer always a dancer @jlo #metball

A post shared by Privategg (@giancarlogiammetti) on May 1, 2017 at 8:50pm PDT

Nicki Minaj shades Demi Lovato ... and Lovato responds:

What's the Met Gala without a little shade? At the 2016 soiree, Lovato awkwardly posed for pictures with Moschino designer Jeremy Scott alongside Minaj. Minaj was seen giving Lovato some major side-eye, and to add insult to injury, the rapper shared the photo on Instagram, but didn't tag Lovato, though did make sure to tag Scott.

... Ouch.

Lovato seemingly responded on Snapchat, writing, "When you aren't mentioned in a post but didn't do sh** to the person ..."

When you spend all day trying to figure out why you didn't get tagged on the pic… #demilovato #nickiminaj

A post shared by Baller Alert (@balleralert) on May 3, 2016 at 5:58pm PDT

The "Cool for the Summer" singer later addressed the shade in her own Instagram post of the same hilarious photo.

“This picture pretty much summed up my first and probably last met???,” she wrote of the now-infamous photo. "#cool #sof***ingawkward #notforme #sweatpants #forensicfiles #whatsgood.”

“P.s. some of y'all need to learn how to take a joke,” she added. “I'm obviously laughing at the fact that 1. I look incredibly awkward and 2. That the shade being thrown in this picture actually gives me life???.”

This picture pretty much summed up my first and probably last met 😂😂😂 #cool #sofuckingawkward #notforme #sweatpants #forensicfiles #whatsgood p.s. some of y'all need to learn how to take a joke.. I'm obviously laughing at the fact that 1. I look incredibly awkward and 2. That the shade being thrown in this picture actually gives me life 🙌😂

A post shared by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) on May 3, 2016 at 5:29pm PDT

In March, Lovato once again spoke about the Met Gala, and said that her "terrible experience" drove her to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

“This one celebrity was a complete b***h and was miserable to be around," Lovato told Billboard. "It was very cliquey. I remember being so uncomfortable that I wanted to drink.”

Lovato says she texted her manager from the event and went straight to a 10 p.m. AA meeting.

“I changed my clothes, but I still had my diamonds on -- millions of dollars of diamonds on in an AA meeting,” she recalled. “And I related more to the homeless people in that meeting who struggled with the same struggles that I deal with than the people at the Met Gala -- fake and sucking the fashion industry’s d**k."

Kylie Jenner is unimpressed with Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively:

Though Sasha Obama appeared starstuck when she met Reynolds at the White House in 2016, the same definitely can't be said for Jenner. In exclusive pics obtained by ET of the 2017 Met Gala, Jenner is seated by Reynolds at the table, but is hilariously on her phone as Reynolds and Lively engage in conversation with Chrissy Teigen and John Legend. In another pic, Jenner's head is completely turned away as Reynolds and Lively share a laugh.

Billy Farrell / Shuttershock

... Hey, not everybody has to hit it off.

Solange attacks JAY-Z in an elevator, as Beyonce calmly looks on:

Solange's epic fight with Jay-Z in an elevator is the Met Gala moment that tops them all. In 2014, surveillance footage from a Standard Hotel elevator was leaked just moments after they attended the Met Gala, which showed Solange yelling at, kicking and hitting JAY-Z while a security guard restrains her. JAY-Z didn't fight back, and Beyonce, who was also in the elevator, remained stoic during the intense argument.

The family put out a statement after the incident, which read, "As a result of the public release of the elevator security footage from Monday, May 5th, there has been a great deal of speculation about what triggered the unfortunate incident. But the most important thing is that our family has worked through it. Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family."

Getty Images

Interestingly enough, in 2016, Beyonce attended the Met Gala solo -- and without her wedding ring -- after rumors of JAY-Z's infidelity swirled following the release of her critically acclaimed album, Lemonade.

Getty Images

Aside from posing with Solange and her pals, Nicki Minaj and La La Anthony, Queen Bey also posed with Rita Ora, seemingly putting to rest the rumors that Ora was Beyonce's "Becky with the good hair."

The incident once again made headlines last June when JAY-Z released his song, "Kill JAY-Z," which makes a not so subtle reference to the Met Gala drama.

"You egged Solange on,” Jay rhymes, “knowing all along all you had to say you was wrong."

But it’s the next line that fans think is even more telling.

"You almost went Eric Benét, let the baddest girl in the world get away," he raps, referencing the actor and musician who split from Halle Berry in 2003 amid rumors of infidelity. Later, he warns again, “Never go Eric Benét.”

Last August, JAY-Z broke his silence on the infamous fight.

"We had one disagreement ever -- before and after we’ve been cool," he told Rap Radar hosts Elliott Wilson and Brian “B.Dot” Miller of the footage. "She’s like my sister. I will protect her. That’s my sister, not my sister-in-law. My sister. Period."

For more on this year's Met Gala, including why Amal and Rihanna will make the perfect hosts, watch the video below:

RELATED CONTENT:

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[junker-town]

What we learned from No Mercy 2017: Vince McMahon’s big guy fetish faltered at the wrong time

Years of memes wasted on a goofy decision.

No Mercy was great! Mostly. The parts that were supposed to be great were not necessarily great, but the parts people weren’t enthused about were all on point, so it evened out. Well, not completely evened. Enzo Amore can fall down a well and bring the Cruiserweight Championship with him, but we’ll get to that in due time.

Miz retains the Intercontinental Championship against Jason Jordan

Miz had a little help retaining the Intercontinental strap against the up-and-coming Jason Jordan, but it should be pointed out that, in true Miz fashion, he isn’t actually responsible for the shenanigans that caused Jordan to lose in the end. Jordan attacked Bo Dallas outside of the ring, and later, Dallas tried to interfere in the match itself at a crucial moment. Jordan took care of Dallas instead of ignoring him, opening the door for Miz to attack Jordan from behind.

What we learned: Yes, Miz got an assist, but in a way where he can blame Jordan for creating an opportunity for Miz to capitalize on. He’ll be stretching the truth instead of lying, and while it might not seem all that different, that’s an important distinction when it comes to heeling. Miz will truly believe he’s in the right, and he has just enough video evidence to back up his case.

Meanwhile, someone teach Jason Jordan how to read a crowd, because they loved Miz and were not at all there for Jordan’s post-match promo saying Miz sucks. Maybe just skip that one next time the crowd is going wild for a Miz win, guys. Kudos to Corey Graves for trying to say the crowd’s “Who’s your daddy?” chants were about Miz’s unborn child, though, and not Jason Jordan’s soap opera story line with long-lost father, Kurt Angle.

Finn Balor, man, defeated Bray Wyatt, god

So I called out something in the preview, about how Bray was just expecting us to forget that he constantly says a god resides within him and boosts his powers so that he and Finn Balor could have a “man vs. man” match. Wouldn’t you know it, Bray attacked Balor from behind and was like “ha ha ha, you seem to have forgotten that I constantly say a god resides within me and boosts my powers and it allowed me to book this totally unfair match with you and this time you aren’t even wearing your body paint.” Finn won despite the sneak attack and unfair nature of the match, by the way, and without even stopping in the back for a few brush strokes first.

What we learned: As with every Bray Wyatt plan ever, in the end, he lost because whatever god is inhabiting him is one of those JRPG gods who just thinks they’re omnipotent but actually forgot a whole bunch of key details that could (and eventually do) lead to their demise. “Incompetent” and “omnipotent” have most of the same letters, you know.

Or, as Brandon Stroud so eloquently put it months ago in one of wrestling’s most evergreen tweets:

Every single Bray Wyatt angle http://pic.twitter.com/hTdJ5I2VZl

— Brandon Stroud (@MrBrandonStroud) May 30, 2017

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins retain the RAW Tag Team Championships against Sheamus and Cesaro

It’s a shame the feud between these two is likely at its end, because good lord do they work well together. And all the credit in the world goes to Cesaro, who had his teeth either knocked out of him or further into him, for continuing to wrestle a completely baller match after said teeth went askew.

Who is next up for Ambrose and Rollins? I don’t know, but at some point, we need The Revival healthy so they can come for these titles.

What we learned: Ambrose and Rollins are able to hide any flaws the two might have in their game by tagging together, and it’s art. Sheamus and Cesaro need to stay buddies even if they end up stopping chasing the tag titles and go after singles championships, because their friendship is too beautiful to break up. FRIENDSHIP-BASED TAG TEAM WRESTLING FOREVER, THE FANS ARE THE REAL WINNERS WHEN FRIENDSHIP IS INVOLVED.

Alexa Bliss pinned Bayley and defeated Emma, Sasha Banks, and Nia Jax to retain the RAW Women’s Championship

You might be upset that Alexa Bliss didn’t lose her title to Sasha or Bayley or Nia or even Emma, but it’s okay. The match was great, with tons of interaction among the five women, and logical storytelling with alliances forming and breaking and everyone realizing Nia Jax needed to be unconscious if anyone besides her was going to be productive for more than 10 seconds at a time. Plus, Alexa is going to end up facing Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship, and her getting wrecked by the Empress of Tomorrow makes a lot more sense than having Nia suffer that fate.

What we learned: Well, I kind of already told you that above, but that’s fine because now I’ll share with you what I would have done with this match and subsequent followup.

Emma has experience with Asuka from their shared NXT days, and all of it is terrifying and likely still gives Emma nightmares. Emma winning would have been wonderful as then Asuka would have showed up to lay claim to the belt, which should have led to a month of Emma hiding backstage wherever she could, and Asuka just stalking Emma around the arena for entire shows like she’s Nemesis from the Resident Evil video games.

tl;dr

I mean if you don't want Asuka to burst through a wall to chase and attack Emma I'm not sure what we're doing here

— Marc Normandin (@Marc_Normandin) September 25, 2017

Roman Reigns defeated John Cena and is officially the biggest dog in the yard

This match was real good, and while it seems like the ending came out of nowhere, with Cena getting speared once in the ring and going down, it really did not. Reigns beat Cena’s ass for most of the match, and all Cena really got in on him was a few of his signature powered up spots: the second rope Attitude Adjustment and double AA didn’t take Reigns down, because Cena didn’t lay any groundwork. He was goofing and laughing and smiling throughout the match, but that was all Cena putting on a brave face and assuming he would win this thing in the end even as he struggled to put the same kind of hurting on Roman that Reigns was putting on Cena.

When Reigns did kick out of everything Cena had to offer, John looked exasperated, the smiles vanished, and he stared at Reigns while making some pretty clear “I don’t understand how you’re doing this right now” faces. Reigns had hit Cena with everything except his major moves — aside from the first spear that put Cena through an announce table — but then rattled off a Superman Punch and a spear to get that 1-2-3 and Cena’s respect.

What we learned: Was it the greatest match either has ever been in? Not even close. But it was far more fitting of a showdown than what we got when Cena had the torch passed to him by the Rock at either once in a lifetime match. Plus, it’s fun to see Cena get Cena’d, even if he didn’t really get Cena’d. And on a night where the announce team was letting us know his next pay-per-view would tie him for the most all-time, too.

Enzo Amore won the Cruiserweight Championship from Neville and it was dumb

I try not to harp on booking decisions too much, as playing wait-and-see often solves many issues you can dream up at the moment a supposed mistake was made. However, Enzo Amore winning the Cruiserweight Championship was a bad idea that happened in a bad match and just makes the entire cruiserweight division look bad.

Enzo is not a good wrestler. He’s good at being thrown around and ragdolled, and it helps that people want to see him get thrown around, but he never should have beaten Neville, even with a distraction. There were other wrestlers they could have done this with, or they could have not done it at all and simply had Cedric Alexander feud with Neville, which is some take my money stuff. Instead, we get the thing we knew was going to happen happen, and no one is happy.

Maybe his reign will be brief and we can move on, but considering all of the talent WWE fails to utilize within their cruiserweight division, handing the championship to the worst wrestler of the bunch is just weird. It should say a lot that I would have been fine with Lana defeating Naomi via shenanigans to heel it up as SmackDown Women’s Champ but have zero interest or justification at the ready for Enzo.

Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal Championship against Braun Strowman

What the hell, guys? Vince McMahon has long been OBSESSED with size, pushing huge dudes even if they didn’t have any other discernible talent outside of said hugeness. Braun Strowman is massive: he’s 6-foot-8, 385 pounds, and more agile than either of those numbers would lead you to believe. He’s charismatic, the crowd loves him, and Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar’s manager, has been putting him over as bigger and stronger than his client, and maybe even the second-coming of Lesnar that we never thought we’d see, for weeks.

The result in their showdown, which came after a SummerSlam in which Strowman singlehandedly took Lesnar out of the proceedings for most of the match and then made him look like a nerd on television for weeks before this match? Lesnar winning after exactly one finisher, and actually out of nowhere, not in the way people will say Reigns beat Cena out of nowhere.

Vince had a chance to propel a huge human being to the next level, one who could be the focal point of the company for years to come, who already has a major following and fans dying to cheer for him despite his being a heel for so much of his run on the main roster. And, inexplicably, McMahon decided to go with Lesnar, who shows up on television every now and again, is nearly 40 years old, and is as known for vanishing on WWE for months at a time as he is for being the company’s final boss.

Imagine if Vince had halted Stone Cold’s push back in the day by having him tap out to Bret Hart instead of passing out at WrestleMania? That’s not to say Strowman is going to grow up to be Austin, but man, if anyone in the company now has a shot at being the guy, it’s him, and the reliably-obsessed-with-size-over-all Vince McMahon somehow wasn’t so reliable on that note this time.

[overly dramatic lengthy sigh]

What we learned: Brock vs. Roman II is definitely happening at WrestleMania 34, and no one is going to beat either of them until then, will they?

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/lavar-ball-keeps-putting-nba-pressure-son-lonzo/

LaVar Ball keeps putting NBA pressure on son Lonzo

Lonzo Ball was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers after a month of speculation as to whether or not Ball was “impressive” enough for the Lakers to take at second overall. Of course, only one man was brilliant enough to predict such a happening months in advance—the great LaVar Ball. Normally when a player is drafted, he gets an interview, and then occasionally (depending on the story) his mom gets an interview. For the Balls, it was Lonzo then LaVar. Lonzo, in his typical demeanor, polar opposite that of his father, was very soft spoken and thankful for the opportunity. “I’m just thankful for everybody that helped me get here,” said Lonzo. “I’m truly blessed to be able to play in my hometown, and I can’t wait to get on the court.” Lonzo did show off a bit of flashiness, however, changing into his purple Big Baller Brand shoes a few minutes before his name was called so they’d be ready to go when he took the stage. “Just had a good feeling and changed them five minutes before when they was on the clock,” said Lonzo. “I’m glad they called my name. That’s something we got to talk about further down the line, but as of now we are trying to be a premium brand, so we’re trying to be at the top.” Things got a little more somber after that as the reporter asked about Lonzo’s mom, who suffered a stroke recently, and was not in attendance. Lonzo, like any good son, vowed to go home and talk to his mom immediately after the Draft festivities. “She still can’t talk yet, but she understands me,” continued Ball. “So when I get home I’ll get to talk to her. I know she is happy at home for sure. When I get back, we’ll have that conversation, and it’ll be a great time.” The quietest member of the Ball clan also carriers the most powerful presence. Mentioning mom in an interview with LaVar is actually the only known way to calm him down a bit. After Lonzo’s calm, cool, and collected interview after becoming the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, LaVar Ball stole the spotlight from his son, immediately putting on the Big Baller Brand BBB purple and yellow hat for the Lakers. LaVar screamed for a bit about how he called this not several months ago but as soon as his son was born, taking credit for “talking” his son onto the Lakers, and then assuring everyone that he won’t be going anywhere until he does the same thing for younger brothers LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball. Then he dropped a bombshell. “But I already knew what was coming to him,” yelled LaVar. “But I got two more boys; I gotta come do this same thing two more years.” “You’re going to get them to the Lakers, too. How?” questioned the reporter. “The Big Baller way,” LaVar retorted with a face that looked like he was just asked a ridiculous question. “Ball control.” “How good is Lonzo Ball gonna be for the L.A. Lakers.” “I’m going to tell you what: Lonzo Ball is going to take the Lakers to the playoffs his first year,” said LaVar. “Come see me when he does. I’ll have another hat on that say, ‘I told you so.’” Man, oh, man. There are two ways this is going to go: either the Lakers will completely flop and LaVar will have to eat his words (via Twitter memes), or they will trade for Paul George, grab a few superstars in free agency, and Lonzo, though he may grab a starting role, certainly won’t deserve credit for leading them to the playoffs. Rest assured, either way, LaVar will have something to say. Last year, the Lakers weren’t exactly turning heads (thus the No. 2 overall pick). In their first official season without Kobe Bryant, the Lakers finished a dismal 26-56. The Lakers have picked No. 2 overall in the past two NBA Drafts as well, snagging Brandon Ingram last year and D’Angelo Russell the year before that. The team hasn’t been to the playoffs since the 2012-2013 season when they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round after bringing in All-Stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. If the Lakers fail to add anyone this offseason, it’ll be quite the uphill for Lonzo to live up to his dad’s ridiculous expectations. But hey, I’m sure LaVar will have something to say about that. Maybe he can blame Magic Johnson for not putting the right team around his son. Or he could always just blame the team, which usually goes over well, right?

Movie TV Tech Geeks News

[sweetnestor]

Stone Cold | december pt. 1

university au + platonic + romantic + angst, teamiplier + jack

sequel to: Story of Another Us | also on ao3 | previous chapter

WARNING: suicide mentions

Bella’s song choices: Good Enough by Little Mix, How to Save a Life by The Fray

It was finally cold enough to constantly wear long sleeves and hoodies. I was finally able to comfortably live in every sweater I owned, and purchase plenty more. It also meant that I didn’t have to cover my wrists with ridiculous amounts of makeup anymore. I could breathe properly for the next few months.

“You’re telling me,” Helena said in surprise when I was in her office that week, “Jack doesn’t know about your suicide attempt?”

I shook my head. “I thought Mark would have told him while I was being treated, but when I found out that he didn’t, I asked him to keep it that way.”

Helena’s brows furrowed as she jotted it down. “I see. And as far as you know, Mark has kept that promise?”

“Yeah. I mean, I wouldn’t doubt it if he told his… Amy.”

“Okay. Well, in other words, you haven’t talked about your attempt outside of this office?”

“Nope. It’s not really something you can just casually bring up at the dinner table,” I said.

“Yes, I understand,” Helena said. “However, you haven’t felt the need to talk about it with a friend? More specifically, Jack?”

I began to tap my foot anxiously. Usually, I just pretend like that whole fiasco never happened. It was easy that way, because then it was easier to forget to tell Jack it even happened. I mean, I had hideous scars on my wrists, stomach, and thighs that made it a little difficult. Sometimes I would relive that night in my sleep. Talking about it made me think about it too much and eventually sent me spiraling. But other than that, it’s like it never happened.

“So there’s this guy in my life,” I blurted out, wanting to move on from this topic.

“Oh?” Helena gestured for me to go on.

That was when I realized I didn’t have much to say. “Um… his name is Ethan. He’s got blue hair. Uh…”

“Where did you meet him?”

“YTU Homecoming. He’s um, he’s sweet.”

“A sweet, blue haired boy named Ethan,” Helena spoke, smiling warmly. “Was he your date?”

“Oh no. I went with Jack, who’s friends with Ethan.”

“Okay. So… do you have a crush on him?”

I thought about Ethan. I did get along with him better than I had anticipated. While I had only spoken to him a few times, and hung out with him once, I found my mind taking a million steps ahead of reality. I wanted to play with his hair more. I wanted to hold his hand and hug him. He’s got an irresistibly adorable face. He’s funny and endearing. I wanted to listen to him talk about nothing. I wanted him to listen to me and… validate my feelings. Or, reciprocate them.

“Shit,” I whispered in realization.

“I’ll take that as a yes!” Helena said happily. “Alright, so should we schedule your next appointment?”

~

I know the word “trigger” is a huge meme on the Internet. It didn’t sit well with me, a person who has many triggers. A lovely little bitch named anxiety kept me from publicly speaking up about it, however. At the same time, because I’ve seen it be used so comically online, I couldn’t say that I was triggered by talk of suicide without wanting to giggle a little bit. You could imagine how hard it was to mention anything that I had done to my only friend.

Since it was mentioned in my therapy session, I felt weird. I hadn’t actively thought about cutting into my veins since the summertime, and now it felt like it was popping up everywhere. I didn’t know what to do except buy more shit online. All I could do was buy the pain away.

To be honest, I didn’t know how to feel that I survived. I couldn’t describe how I felt when I woke up in the hospital. Part of me wanted to jump out the window the first chance I got, but the other part of me had a feeling that it was meant to be this way. Nowadays, I wasn’t really sure why I hadn’t tried to kill myself again. Maybe I wanted to keep making videos. Maybe I wanted more makeup. Maybe it was my followers. I wasn’t happy by any means, but I didn’t exactly have the energy to end my life either.

I didn’t understand. If I’m meant to live on this planet, in this doomed country, in this suffocating city, having a career with a huge platform, shouldn’t I be worthy of it? All my life, I was told over and over again that I was not good enough to be around anyone. My parents didn’t want me, nor did the rest of my relatives. People on the Internet didn’t like me because of my ranty makeup videos. Mark literally broke up with me because Amy was better than me. It was clear, I wasn’t meant to be around anyone, so I tried to die.

But it didn’t work. That should mean something, right? It should mean that I’m meant to stay alive, but did that still apply if I was just an empty shell? Was I supposed to continue functioning like this? Did I have to go on with life carrying this heavy burden? Did I have to find a person and let them love an empty, beating heart? Did I have to continue being a role model even if I was dead inside? Was I meant to stay broken?

Do not fall apart. Swallow the bad feelings. Do not bother anyone with this.

“Okay,” I whispered to myself. Why did I always have most of these thoughts in the car? It was like I was in a trance.

I shook myself, trying to clear the thoughts in my head. I sat back in my seat and tried to relieve the tension in my jaw, neck, and shoulders. I couldn’t remember not being tense. It was unnerving and unsettling.

“Okay, okay, okay,” I whispered. Why was it so hard to calm down?

A sudden tap on the passenger window nearly made me scream out. I turned and saw Jack and Ethan standing outside my car. I unlocked the doors and let them in, trying to catch my breath.

“Hey, guys,” I softly greeted as we went off. This was standard daily procedure at this point. I could handle this.

“What’s up?” Jack replied.

“Sah dud,” Ethan sarcastically added.

The small laugh I released took off some tension. Thank you, angel.

“Why are you listening to sad songs?” Jack asked me, adjusting the volume on the radio.

Oh god. Little Mix had the perfect song to throw me into this funk. This band had a song for every mood, I swear.

“I’m a sad person,” I simply told him, which made both boys laugh.

“Listened to their new album yet?” Jack prompted. “I know you love them.”

Who even am I anymore?

“I kind of forgot about that,” I admitted sheepishly.

“Wait, who is this?” asked Ethan.

“Little Mix,” I told him.

“Also known as, Bella’s favorite group,” Jack added, then he looked at me. “I can’t believe you haven’t heard their new album yet! You’re usually on top of this stuff!”

I shrugged, not knowing how to explain my lack of enjoyment in things I normally liked. “I’ll listen when we get home.”

I drove on and kept my sad playlist on. Ethan gave me a nice comment about my interest in Birdy. I really couldn’t remember if I replied to him, but my insides went a little soft at his voice and my stomach filled with butterflies. So I was still capable of other emotions besides sadness, despair, and apathy. Good to know.

“Do you listen to Dodie Clark?” he asked me.

“Not really,” I replied. “She seems very Tumblr-esque.”

“Well, is that bad?” Undertones of defensiveness. Uh oh, he’s definitely going to hate me now.

“Of course not, it’s just not my style.” Save it, save it! “Maybe I should give her music another shot.”

“Here’s an idea!” Jack piped up. “Baller, you listen to Dodie. E-tan, you listen to Little Mix. Then, get back to each other and talk about it.”

He’s trying to get us to interact more. If I didn’t have some type of anxiety-inducing affection for Ethan, then I would be against this. I just didn’t have the guts to take initiative myself.

“I can do that,” the boy said. “What do you think, Bella?”

Well, now I certainly had to.

“Okay. Text me song recommendations, and I’ll send you some.”

“Alright.”

I was thinking of different songs I’d want him to hear. Should I go with the fun ones, or the ones that mean a lot to me? Wings or Secret Love Song, Pt. II? My thought process was interrupted when we got closer to Mark’s office. Again, standard daily procedure.

“Hey,” I said to Ethan as I pulled over to the curb, “does Mark know that I give you rides here?”

He slung his backpack over his shoulder before opening the door. “It’s like you said, he can mind his own business.”

~

My head was a strange mix of suicide and Ethan. I realize how morbid that sounds, but it was true. They were unrelated to each other, and it was always one or the other. I also wasn’t sure how I felt about either of those things.

Suicide was… an escape route. A sick sense of relief. An emergency exit.

Ethan was… a flashlight. A sense of hope. A breath of fresh air.

But did I only like him because it helped me repress the bad feelings? Did I only do this so I could get over Mark?

Whenever I thought of Mark, I still felt a dull ache in my chest. I still cried when I stalked his social media and watched his videos. I mean it wasn’t as devastating as it was when he first broke up with me, but it wasn’t easy to see him be happy without me, either. I didn’t want it to hurt anymore, but I didn’t want to cost someone else’s feelings in order to get over my own.

How could I be happy again?

I got home with that storm cloud over my head. Jack, the embodiment of sunshine, was excited.

“Can you believe I actually want to listen to this album?” he asked, bouncing his way over to the living room. “Bring on the glory days!”

I cracked a smile. Honestly, what would I do without him?

We sat in the living room, and I played the album on my laptop. I knew Jack wasn’t very into pop music, especially a band like Little Mix, but he was bopping his head to every dancey song. He was more about the beat, while I was about the lyrics.

There was only one soul crushing, tear jerker of a song on this album. It was too real for both me and Jack, so we spent those four minutes and nine seconds crying on the couch. The song after that was happy and upbeat, and ironically, it was called-

“‘No More Sad Songs,’” Jack read off the screen. He wiped his nose and sighed. “That should be our rule.”

I managed to smile. “You know I can’t go on without my sad songs.”

“I know. It’s our song now. We’re broken hearted messes, but we have each other.”

Jack put his arm around me and pulled me close to his side. I lied my head on his shoulder, liking the physical affection. He was very cuddly and comfortable, I couldn’t believe Signe let him go so quickly.

“What are you going to do about Ethan?” he asked after a while.

My stomach did a series of somersaults at the mention of his name. Hearts, fuzzy feelings, and a bout of anxiety went through my chest and all through my veins. I buried my head in Jack’s chest before I blushed too hard.

“Oh, come on,” he said, amused. “Go out with him! He likes you!”

I groaned. Why would he like me? I didn’t understand.

“He’s friends with Mark,” I whined.

“So am I!”

“That’s different!” I said, sitting back up so I could look at him. “You’re my friend, and Mark’s the reason why! I don’t… I don’t want Ethan to be just my friend…” I admitted it, and now those fuzzy hearts were intensifying.

“You say that like it’s such a bad thing,” Jack said. “Who cares if he’s friends with Mark? It’s none of his business what you do with Ethan. Or to him.” He playfully elbowed my side.

My phone, which was on the coffee table, lit up and buzzed suddenly. A new Twitter DM.

“Speak of the devil,” I said, reaching over to grab it.

“What’d he say?” Jack asked. “‘Hey baby, lemme smash.’”

“Shut up.”

I opened the message to find a small list of Dodie Clark songs. “Hope you like these :),” he added in a second message.

“I should probably send him some songs,” I stated, unable to keep down my goofy grin. Or my breathing steady.

“Bella’s got a boyfriend,” he teased.

I blushed and smacked his arm. “¡Ya callate!”

“Seriously, though. I think you guys would be good together. And you can’t stop smiling and your face is red, which means you agree with me.”

I was about to rebuttal with some “I’m too broken” comment, but then Jack’s phone started ringing. We both looked down and saw the name that appeared on the screen. My eyes widened, and then I looked at my friend, who had gone stoic. Just before I could grab his phone for him, he beat me to it. He answered and went off to his room.

I paused the music, deciding to finish the album later. I did look through the Little Mix songs in my library to send to Ethan. My first list was a bit longer than his, but eventually I narrowed it down to eight songs. When I went to send it over Twitter, I saw that he sent me another message.

“Hey, sorry to keep asking this, but can you give me a ride to the office tomorrow?”

I sent my list of songs, and then replied to his request. “Of course! No problem at all!”

His response was rather quick. “Thanks! I get out of class around 12:30, and I’ll listen to these songs right now! :)”

Like I said: fuzzy hearts.

~

I was a bit more excited about driving to YTU the next day. Conveniently, Jack had to go to campus to record, so I would be dropping him off when I had to pick up Ethan. For once, I had excited butterflies in my stomach, and I didn’t pop a Xanax beforehand. This was good anxiety. It was good, warm emotions that I couldn’t name.

Jack, on the other hand, seemed a little gloomy. He didn’t come out of his room for the rest of the night. I was wondering if I should have brought it up or not. It was always bizarre to see him so down, and I wanted to help him. I just didn’t know how to go about it.

“Gonna be okay?” I asked him as I pulled into the roundabout.

“Yeah, I just need to record,” he replied. “I think better when I record. I might stay for the whole day. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Alright, take your time.”

Jack got out of the car, and I heard him greet someone. I peered out the window and was happy to see Ethan walking out of the main office. I couldn’t help but smile when he got into the passenger seat.

“Have fun kids!” Jack called out to us before I drove off.

Although I was happy to see Ethan, I was still awful at making conversation. I just liked having him here, but I didn’t want to seem rude.

“So, do you love Dodie yet?” he asked.

I chuckled, relieved he had something to talk about. “I actually haven’t had the chance to hear her yet. Have you listened to Little Mix?”

“Only one,” he admitted. “I forgot the name, but it was an acapella one.”

“‘The End!’”

“Yes! I liked that one. They’re really talented.”

“Aren’t they?”

This only made my mood burst. He was open minded, thank god.

We went silent for a little bit, but it was nice. I mean, I was racing through many thoughts, trying to find something to talk about. Why did I have to be like this?

Again, Ethan was the one to break the silence. But what he said sent me nearly spiraling.

“I like you, Bella.”

I didn’t believe it when Jack first told me. Well, I actively chose not to believe it. I spent plenty of time talking myself out of the possibility of Ethan… just Ethan. There was no fucking way he could feel something for me other than pity. There had to be at least one time where he looked at me and thought, “Jesus fucking Christ, that’s a mess and a half.”

But no. Here we were in my car, stuck in LA traffic, the silence following his confession dawning on us. It was probably a bad sign that my first thought was, “Why would the poor boy do that to himself?” At least, that’s what my head said. My heart, however was leaping and crying out, “Oh god yes! Someone likes me! Someone can tolerate me despite that I’m in one of my worst depressive episodes! And he’s actually sweet and understanding and he can take me out of the dark hole my ex threw me in!” How could I do that?

“Please say something,” Ethan spoke nervously.

The car lurched forward an inch, we were definitely going to be here a while. Why did I offer to give him a ride to Mark’s office? Why couldn’t Jack have stayed with me?

“W-We can’t,” I mumbled, unable to look at him.

Ethan was quiet for a moment. “I, uh, had a feeling you were gonna say that… Can I ask why?”

I didn’t want to hurt his sweet little heart. But he asked, and I had no idea where to start, and I didn’t want to tell him that part of me reciprocated these feelings. I had to push it away, and there was only one way I knew how to do that.

“You’re only going to get hurt,” I told him, keeping my eyes on the line of cars. “If we got together, I know that I would be doing it for the wrong reasons… And even then, there’s too much going on in my head for you to keep up with, and… you deserve better than that.”

“Maybe,” Ethan said in thought, “maybe you think that you don’t deserve someone who cares about you. And you don’t have to hide yourself away from me, Bella. I want to know everything.”

That was just making my poorly mended heart bleed more.

“You really don’t,” I said softly.

“I know you have a lot of anxiety,” he pressed, but still sounding gentle, “and I know you’ve been down lately, but it doesn’t have to stay like that. And I know us being together won’t fix that. I just… I care about you too much to let you go through it alone.”

That is until he finds someone normal. I couldn’t let that happen to me again.

“You would get tired,” I warned, “you’d start rolling your eyes when my anxiety acts up. You’ll eventually leave me for someone else.”

That was when it clicked for Ethan. “You’re not over Mark...”

“I’m not over what he did,” I feebly corrected. “I wish I was, though.” Because you’re so good to me, and I don’t want you to be with anyone else but I also don’t want you to carry my burden.

Ethan went quiet again as he sat back. He fiddled with his fingers and then pushed his hair out of his face. “I wouldn’t do that to you…” he muttered. “I understand if you don’t believe that, but… I wouldn’t do that.”

It didn’t really matter if I believed him. He was just very persistent, and he kept fighting everything I was telling him. Why wasn’t he repulsed? How far did I have to go?

“It’s just…” I trailed off, only to take a deep breath. “When you’re mentally ill… everything bad that happens makes you think it’s because you’re mentally ill, and that you can’t have anything good. When Mark left, he told me that it wasn’t because I’m sick. But there’s still a part of me that thinks that if I was normal…” I chose my words a bit carefully at this point, mainly for Ethan’s sake. “...we would have lasted longer. My anxiety makes me believe that the way I am was too much for him. And honestly, I don’t really blame him. I have too much on my plate. I’m too sick and unstable. I can’t have another person put up with me again.”

He didn’t even hesitate. “If you’re trying to say that I won’t be able to ‘handle’ you or that I won’t be able to give you what you need, then you’re seriously underestimating me.”

Why does he make it so fucking hard?

“I… we can’t,” I repeated. “I don’t think I can handle another relationship.”

“Then, I’ll wait. I can--”

I couldn’t hold back anymore. “I tried to kill myself when Mark left.”

Now Ethan didn’t know what to say. Then again, I didn’t know what to expect. I had never told anyone before.

“The day after we broke up,” I continued, slowly losing control of what I was saying, “I decided to die, and I guess I was very loud about it because my neighbor is the one that called the ambulance.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Ethan softly mumbled, but I ignored him.

“And because I have no family or close friends - besides Jack, who was far away at the time - they called Mark. He was my only emergency contact. So he stayed with me at the hospital and then stayed at my house a few days after until I was stable again. And then I made him not tell anyone what happened. That’s how fucked up I am, Ethan. I was dependent on him, I made him my last shred of sanity. It wasn’t my family’s rejection that made me suicidal, or the crippling depression, or the frequent biphobia, or the anxiety… it was a stupid break up that pushed me over the edge.”

He was still quiet. He was biting his nails.

The traffic was beginning to let up. I kept my eyes on the road; it forced me to not look at him. I couldn’t make myself say anything more.

It hurt, having to bring up the one thing I swore I’d never speak of. I’d probably regret it later on, but it felt like the thing to do. I had to show Ethan exactly what he was signing up for, and then refuse to let him go any further. I hated it because I did like him, I liked him a lot, but I couldn’t put him through what I put Mark through. It was just another abandonment waiting to happen. I wasn’t over Mark either, like Ethan said. At this moment in time, I’d only be with him to get over my ex, and that wasn’t fair to anyone.

He decided to speak again when we were close to the ex’s office.

“I’m sorry that that happened to you. I didn’t know it got that far, but… it doesn’t change anything. Look, you’re still here…” He paused. “And Mark is still with Amy. And life is still going on. And I still feel the same about you... You’re doing the best you can, Bella. You’re making do with what you have, and that’s progress. I understand why you don’t want another relationship, but I don’t want you to feel alone, either.”

Fuck him and his sweet fucking heart.

He couldn’t possibly still want to be around me, could he? Or was he just pulling the pity friend card? I was torn between hugging him and shoving him out of my car.

“You don’t need to say anything,” Ethan said when we were closer to the office. “I know you have Jack, but I’m here for you, too. And just so you know, I have ADHD, so I kind of know how you feel with mental illness. You’re not alone by any means.”

I pulled over some ways before the building, like always. I stayed quiet and refused to look at him, despite that last bit of information he gave.

~

On any other day, I’d feel a sense of relief whenever Jack got home from recording. Today, my stomach flipped over and over, and I just wanted to cry. I tried to keep myself steady, I didn’t want any of this to spill out the way it did with Ethan. I stayed standing in front of my bedroom door, ready to go out and greet my friend and tell him what I had done over the summer.

When I finally opened the door, I found Jack plopped down on the couch. This was the moment of truth.

“Hey, Baller,” he greeted, not looking at me as he turned on the TV. “How was the drive with E-tan?”

I sat down next to him and sighed. “He confessed, and I rejected him.”

Jack sat up, looking at me in shock. “No, Bella! Why?”

Getting there. “I’m just not over what happened with Mark,” I replied. “I don’t think I can trust someone enough to not do what he did.”

“But I thought you liked him!”

I hesitated. “I can’t… I just can’t let someone in. I can’t let another person see all of this-” I gestured around myself “-and believe that they won’t leave me.”

“Bella,” Jack said, “if that person, if Ethan really, honestly cares about you, he won’t leave. What did he say when you rejected him?”

Mark cared about me. Look what happened.

“He was persistent. So I tried to…” Here it comes. The actual moment of truth. “I-I told him something terrible about me to get him to not like me.” The lump was rising in my throat. I wanted to be sick.

Now Jack looked confused. “Why would you do that?”

“I…” I sighed, tapping my leg. “I don’t want him to like me… I’d just date him for the wrong reasons. And if I ever do date him, I don’t want to be thinking about my ex the whole time. So, out of pure impulse, I told him that I did something awful.”

The tense silence told me how much Jack was wracking his brains trying to figure out what I did. I felt like it was obvious, given my state of mind for the last few months, but I guess I had to tell him.

“What is this terrible thing you did?” he asked softly, and that made me tear up.

“I… I tried to kill myself,” I admitted, my voice cracking. I looked down at my lap, unable to look at my friend. “W-When Mark b-broke up with me… I…” I lifted up my sweater sleeve, showing Jack the pinkish white scars on my wrists. “And there’s more on my stomach and my thighs.”

He didn’t say anything at first, which made me look at him, but only for a second. HIs brows furrowed, and his eyes read… something. “Bella…” He sat back, still looking like he was wracking his brains. “God, Bella… Why, why didn’t you tell me? Why am I just finding out about this? Wh-When did this happen? Who else knows?”

Questions I could answer, yet I found myself not knowing what to say.

“Bella, answer me,” he deadpanned.

“I… I don’t know. I didn’t know how to tell you, and I asked Mark not to tell anyone.”

“Wait, Mark knew about this? And this was after he broke up with you?”

“He was my only emergency contact… the people at the hospital contacted him, not me. I’m surprised he didn’t tell anyone when I was down under. And even then.”

Jack was silent, a series of emotions running over his face. Then he got up and began to pace. “I… are you okay now?”

“Yes, I promise.”

He paced some more, rubbing his hands together. “I didn’t… I didn’t know it had gotten so bad. Did you tell anyone you were feeling like that?”

I shook my head. This was where the guilt started to kick in.

“You didn’t think to call me?” he asked in disbelief, almost like he was hurt.

“No,” I said. “Or, yes. Yes, I did. But I couldn’t do it.” I wiped my face with my sleeve. “I just… at that moment, I just wanted to die. I wanted everything to be over. And I knew, if I had called you, even to say goodbye…”

“I would have talked you down,” Jack finished. “Of fucking course I would have talked you down. I would have stayed on the phone with you all day and night. I would have gotten you help!” His voice rose with every word.

“But I didn’t want that,” I told him softly. “I just wanted to die. I felt like I had nothing left.”

“You always have something left, Bella!” Jack nearly yelled if I hadn’t flinched. “It doesn’t matter how big or small it is, you’re the one who constantly says that!” His voice had finally cracked and he paused.

“I know that now… I don’t want to die. I don’t feel that way anymore…” Figured, since we’re being honest, “...at least not actively.”

Jack let out a spiteful laugh mixed with a sob. “That’s supposed to be reassuring?”

“It’s a work in progress,” I explained, trying to keep my voice firm. “I’m actually telling you that my suicidal thoughts haven’t gone away completely. I’m telling you because I don’t want to drive myself to the point of acting on those thoughts again. I’m telling you because I trust you, and I believe you when you say you could have talked me down that night.” I stood up and took a step closer to him. “I don’t want to die. I have suicidal thoughts, but I don’t want to act on them.”

Jack looked at me for a moment, tears in his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner then? If you trust me, why did you wait this long to tell me?”

I shrugged, sobs bubbling up in my throat. “I don’t know… I just wanted to die. And I didn’t want anyone to know. But I should have told you, I should have called you. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

“No, you can’t be sorry,” Jack said, his voice trembling. “I-It’s not your fault this happened… o-or that life fucked you over so bad.”

“But I am, though,” I told him, sniffling. “Because I feel so t-terrible about leaving you. I can’t leave you, you’re my best friend.”

I hugged him tight, the feeling of what could have been dawning on me. Jack held me just as tightly, his body shaking slightly. If there was a person I was glad to be alive for, it was Jack.

He pulled back and opened his mouth like he was going to say something. But he looked me in the eyes and teared up again. He held up a finger, but his voice was trembling so much.

“I-If you e-ever d-do anything l-l-like that again...” he managed to get out.

“I won’t,” I said softly. “I-I don’t want to die…”

Jack sighed, calming himself down. “God, Bellers. And you told Ethan this?”

I nodded, feeling stupid about it now. “I didn’t mean to, it just came out.”

“What did he say?”

I hesitated, feeling enough emotions as it is. “That it didn’t change anything. He still likes me, he’ll wait... he wants to be there for me.”

“Well, what did you expect?” Jack asked, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand. “He’s not an asshole!”

It was true, and it made me cry again. “I’m too broken for him! Look at him, he’s only twenty and he’s doing exactly what he wants in life! He’s happy, and I’m only going to weigh him down! I’m gonna be too much for him to handle, and then he’s going to leave me for someone else!”

“You don’t know that,” Jack told me, placing his hands on my cheeks. “And yes, you’ve had a lot of bad shit happen to you, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve love. You don’t get to decide who can handle you. I know Ethan, I know he’s got good intentions. Do whatever you want in terms of relationships, but don’t cut him off just because he likes you.”

He kissed my forehead and let me go.

“I made a mistake, didn’t I?” I asked.

Jack shrugged. “That’s up to you.”

______

next chapter

[autumncrocuscosplay]

Voltron Fanfic:  Leap Frog

Lance McClain is a college student and has been working at The Empire paintball range for the past 2 years.

Red is one of their regular players, and an intense mutant paint baller.

Keith Kogane is a student on scholarship to the Garrison, and has been playing paintball for what seems like his entire life. Blue is just an annoying employee at the range he plays at, but his sense of humor can make Keith laugh when little else can.

A story of two college students and their journey from the deserts of Arizona to a place they had only dreamed of.

Leap Frog - A tactic used by two or more players who alternately move and provide cover fire for each other.

Chapter 1 Preview

The whistle sounded across the field.

Lance stretched his arms over his head. As the remaining players headed off range, Lance started to sweep the field.

Another day at the range; another day of being shot at. But being a ref, that was part of his job. He had to deal with annoying kids blindfiring their guns, and hitting their own teammates more often than the opposing team. Speaking of which… Lance sighed.

“Come on kid, let’s go.” He ushered a sniffling boy off the field and delivered him to his mother before heading to the ‘Base of Operations’, as Coran referred to it. Everyone else just called it the shack.

Even with all the whining Lance put up with during the day, he had to admit that not everyone at the range was completely obnoxious.

“Hey, Blue!” Lance grinned at the friendly face leaning against the counter of the shack.

“Hunk! Hey there buddy chum pal friend-,” Hunk groaned.

“Lance.”

“Okay, okay. What are you doing here?”

“I come to your place of work to bring you a  warm, home cooked meal, and I’m greeted with a meme? And not even a good one at that.”

Lance feigned offence, and held his hand over his heart.

“You dare insult my memes?”

A small voice piped in from behind Hunk.

“C’mon Lance. You know how stale that Undertale meme is. Don’t even try to defend it.”

Hunk moved to the side to reveal Pidge, who was laying across the counter playing on their Nintendo DS.

"Is that a wild Pidgey I hear?"

Lance's co-worker Matt walked through a door at the back of the shack, wiping his dirty hands on a paint stained towel. He stuck the cloth in a pocket of his dark cargo pants and opened his arms to his younger sibling.

"Matt!" Lance didn't have time to register that Pidge had moved, but suddenly she was crashing into her older brother and hugging him in a crushing embrace.

Matt laughed and ruffled Pidge's hair.

"Still wearing those glasses, I see."

"Yes, Matt. I am hipster now." Pidge deadpanned.

"The day you become hipster will be the day I'm enslaved in an alien war camp."

to be continued...

Authors Note

okay so this is a preview for chapter one of Leap Frog

i hope y'all like my writing and i'd love the feedback

-drew

http://archiveofourown.org/works/10748067/chapters/23828643

[junker-town]

5 ways to bring a little NFL to your Fourth of July

What's missing on the Fourth? The NFL. Well, not anymore.

Sometimes it can seem like there’s no middle ground for patriotism in the U.S. The boisterous flag-wavers are accused of jingoism, while anyone who dares find fault in the good ol’ US of A is handed a map to Canada and told to get out.

But then there’s the Fourth of July.

No day embodies the promise of America more — a day that celebrates the birth of this country while its citizens are united, even temporarily, in their allegiance to food, family, friends, fun. Grilling up hot dogs, dressed up however you like them. Catching the splashy blockbuster movie that can make you feel like a kid again or that will one day make kids feel nostalgic for that very moment. Watching the gleaming fireworks bursting through air, bombastic and loud, yet awe-inspiring. Listening to the crickets and grasshoppers harmonize, almost in beat with the fireflies, winking as if they are all in on a secret. Basking in that warm, fresh summer air. All emanating throughout the land of the free and the home of the brave.

But one thing the Fourth of July is missing every year? Football. If not technically America’s pastime, then it’s our most uniquely American sport.

While the football world is enjoying its short-lived vacation, there are a few ways you can celebrate this holiday, NFL style. Here are our suggestions (no Jason Pierre-Paul jokes included):

Hire Vince Wilfork to grill up some food

If a cookout is your go-to July 4 tradition, you need somebody skilled manning the grill. There’s only one man for that job in NFL circles, and it’s Vince Wilfork.

If Wilfork is cooking up your ribs, you know they’re going to be good. How? Because this is a man who recognizes that boiled ribs are trash and nobody should ever prepare them that way under any circumstances. And Wilfork doesn’t just throw some ribs on the grill. He bumps Lil’ Troy’s “Wanna Be a Baller” and dances while he smokes ribs to perfection.

That’s exactly the kind of cookout we all want to be at on Independence Day.

Rewatch Super Bowl LI as part of The Twilight Zone marathon

Every year on the Fourth, the Syfy Network pays tribute to one of the most revered TV shows ever with an all-day marathon of The Twilight Zone. It’s the perfect way to spend the holiday for those who don’t like being around others, or don’t like the outside, or maybe just enjoy timeless — or, depending on the episode, timely — TV.

Most episodes of The Twilight Zone give you the heebie jeebies even when you can’t explain why, but let’s say an episode comes on that chills you to the bone. So, like, anything that revolves around someone who looks completely innocent yet has sinister motives — “Living Doll,” starring Talky Tina, or “It’s a Good Life” with the cornfield wisher — and you would just prefer to not be paranoid about every shadow you see in the middle of the night.

That’s when it’s time to put on an old football game. But not just any game. Just rewatch Super Bowl LI, and you won’t even miss a beat. A common theme in The Twilight Zone is that something is off. The world is not as it should be. That was this year’s Super Bowl.

When the Falcons were up 28-3 on the heavily favored Patriots, it felt intoxicating ... and yet, not real. The mighty Tom Brady was reduced to a sad meme on his way to breaking Brett Favre’s record for most postseason interceptions.

Then the comeback began — a historic comeback that proved this Super Bowl lied between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. The Falcons wouldn’t run the ball when they were up by eight late in the game. Matt Ryan was sacked and fumbled the ball. Julian Edelman made the kind of improbable catch that had only happened against the Patriots before. The two-point conversion was good. Overtime.

And then we got the ending we knew in the pit of our stomachs was coming all along, leaving us in nightmare hellscape from which we can’t escape. “To Serve Man” is a cookbook. Conrad the Astronaut’s room on Mars is a zoo exhibit. Henry Bemis has all the time in the world for his books ... and then his glasses broke.

The Patriots win their fifth title; the Falcons come tantalizingly close, only to let their first-ever Lombardi Trophy slip from their grasp.

It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone.

Play KanJam, Aaron Rodgers style

Grab a football and a pair of trash cans. Place them 70 yards apart. Take turns scrambling around and launching football toward the cans. Three points if you sink one;one if your partner has to tip it into the can. Play to 21 or until you need rotator cuff surgery.

Once a winner is determined, winners may refer to the losers exclusively as the “Detroit Lions.”

Enter Dontari Poe in a hot dog eating contest

Poe is one of the biggest players in the NFL at 6’3, 346 pounds. He’s shown us how athletic he is by throwing a touchdown pass last season. And if there’s a player in the league who could probably put a dent in a hot dog eating contest, it’s him.

He’s not going to beat Joey Chestnut, Takeru Kobayashi, or many other eating professionals. But it would be cool to see how a gigantic NFL lineman could stack up against the eating professionals with a little bit of preparation.

The Falcons have given Poe an incentive to lose weight this offseason. So perhaps in celebration of making his target weight of 330 pounds, he can pack some weight back on by stuffing his face with hot dogs. He’s proved to be nimble enough to play at 346 pounds, so it won’t be the end of the world.

It’s not like things could get worse for the Falcons since that dreaded day in February.

Have a pool party with Marquette King

If there were an award for the NFL’s most fun punter, Marquette King would win it every single year. So on this Independence Day, you know you’re going to have a good time if you invite King over for a pool party.

King loves spending time in the pool, sometimes in a Power Rangers costume:

Mood... http://pic.twitter.com/FHDV5pU3PX

— Marquette King (@MarquetteKing) June 25, 2017

And he comes up with plenty of fun games to play in the water:

http://pic.twitter.com/uwosB1Ln0I

— Marquette King (@MarquetteKing) June 4, 2017

Chilling in the pool with King sounds like a pretty fun way to spend the holiday.