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whorderofthepheonix · 5 years ago

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Yes, Sir: Part 1 of ? || Ransom Drysdale // Knives Out

A/N: I’ve missed writing for you guys! I hope you guys enjoy this! If you haven’t seen Knives Out, you can totally still read this. It doesn’t have any spoilers! (Except maybe character descriptions, but that’s it). (TAG LIST IS OPEN!) YOU MUST AGREE TO REBLOG W/ COMMENTS TO CONTINUE TO BE ON THE TAGLIST! NO EXCEPTION

Words: 3.8k

Warnings: (18+) Angst (Ransom’s a fucking asshole), Smut (Fingering, oral, etc), Classism, Swearing, Humiliation

IF YOU ENJOY MY WORK, PLEASE REBLOG WITH FEEDBACK! IT’S VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!

Raquel’s POV

(Set a year before the events Knives Out)

Harlan Thrombey is the kindest employer I’ve ever had. Scratch that. He’s the kindest person I’ve ever met. He was respectful, fun, and he’s incredibly generous. A few years back, I was simply looking for a part-time cleaning job to help pay for college, and when I met Harlan, not only did he hire me as one of his housekeepers, he paid off my student debt ENTIRELY. I wasn’t very close to my own family so Harlan and the other people who worked at the mansion were my new family. It was always kind, loving, and fun to go to work everyday.

Except when his family would visit.

A small percentage of the Thrombey clan treated me like a human being. I didn’t wanna say they were racist but... They were extremely racially insensitive. Especially to me and Harlan’s nurse Marta. I once got dragged into a very uncomfortable discussion about being black in America which Richard Drysdale, Harlan’s son-in-law, swore he was an expert in. I bit my tongue as Richard and Walt Thrombey insisted that “nigga” was just a word and that everyone should be able to say it...

Okay. They were racist as fuck.

But believe it or not, I’d rather deal with their racial ignorance than deal with Richard and Linda’s son, Ransom. Well to me, he was Hugh, because he ordered “The Help” to call him Hugh. Lord help any staff who called him Ransom to his face. The gardener, Luiz, did once and Ransom went berserk on him. He had him fired and I believe he tried to have him deported. I shook the memory out of my head and continued dusting. The Thrombreys were coming to the mansion tonight to celebrate Linda’s biggest sale to date. They’ll think of any reason to throw a party at the estate. According to the guest list, the entire family was to be in attendance. Ransom included. They were gonna be here any moment. I had cleaned the bedrooms twice (Ransom’s 3 times), swept, mopped, and vacuumed every room, and even polished the doorknobs. I was praying that the first set of guests would be tolerable ones-

“Hello, hello!” Joni Thrombey, Harlan’s Daughter-In-Law, called as she entered the house with bags galore.

“Miss Joni,” I smiled. “Welcome! May I take your bags up to your room?”

“Thank you so much, Raquel, and please just call me Joni” she handed me her bags. “Please be careful! My dress is from Armani! Just hang it up in the closet.” I nodded and lugged her bags up to the second floor. Once her dress was in the closet, I started to unpack her bag as the door opened up again. Meg Thrombey, Joni’s daughter and Harlan’s Granddaughter walked in, happily. We actually attended the same college and were best friends, even though she’s a couple years younger than I am. She’s the one who got me this job.

“Meg!” I gushed hugging her tightly. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

“Rocky! I’ve missed you!” She smiled. “Emerson is so boring without you!”

“Sometimes, I miss it,” I frowned. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m so grateful to have this amazing job! I just wish I could do more.”

“I totally understand that! Listen, the old gang wants to hang out later tonight. Wanna join us? We’re headed down to the pier.”

“That would be amazing!” I squealed. “As soon as I’m done working-”

“Um, HELLO?” Linda Thrombey’s voice called from the first floor. “Where are the housekeepers? Can someone please get my bags?!”

“Shit,” I whispered. I dashed out the room and down the stairs. “Miss Linda, hi. I’m so sorry. I was just unpacking Miss Joni’s things-”

“Oh, heaven forbid you help my dad’s actual daughter!” She rolled her eyes. “Let’s not forget, this party is for me!”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m so sorry, it won’t happen again,” I reassured her. Linda walked into her and Richard’s bedroom, which was located on the first floor. Richard walked into the house seconds later.

“I apologize Rachel,” he sighed. ‘Raquel’ I corrected in my mind. “She’s under immense pressure from this deal. I’m sure she’ll lighten up.”

“It’s really okay, Mr. Drysdale,” I insisted. “It was my fault.” I take his bags and well and bring them into the bedroom. Linda was smoking a cigarette and yelling at someone over the phone. Harlan knew his children smoked but he never allowed it indoors. But considering that Linda was being a bitch right now, I decided to leave it alone. As I unpacked their things, I heard the sounds of Walter and his family arrive. Fran, the other housekeeper, must’ve been helping them since I heard them go upstairs without complaint. When I was done, I stood in the doorway ready to go.

“Is there anything else you need, Miss?” I asked.

“Yes, bring me a scotch on the rocks,” she said without looking up from her phone. I nodded and went out to the bar. As I was making her drink, the familiar sound of tires screeching came from outside the house. Fran ran over to me.

“Not it,” she whispered before running into the kitchen. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for what was about to happen. Ransom Drysdale walked into the mansion, sunglasses on, leather duffle bag in one hand, his phone in the other.

“Where the hell is The Help?” He hissed walking into the parlour. He spotted me and strutted over. “Hey, Maid!” He called. I placed Linda’s drink on a tray and looked at him.

“Hugh,” I said blandly.

“I’ve been here for 15 seconds and you haven’t taken my bags,” he hissed.

“I’m not sure if you noticed but I’m doing something- Hey!” I protested as he took the scotch off the tray and sipped it. “That was for your mother...”

“Well, it looks like it’s for me now,” he smirked and threw his jacket me. I pulled it off my face and threw it to the floor. He sat in an armchair and watched me as I made Linda another drink. “Your ass looks great by the way. Those leggings are working well for you.”

“Your grandfather told you you’re not allowed to say things like that to us, anymore,” I reminded him. “It’s sexual harassment.”

“I can do whatever the fuck I want,” he laughed. “What’re you gonna do? Sue me?” Just then, Linda entered the parlour.

“Jesus, Rachel! How long does it take to pour a scotch?” She groaned. Then she saw Ransom sitting and her whole demeanor changed. “Ransom! My baby! How are you?” She peppered his face with kisses.

“I’d be a lot better if Grandad hired decent Help,” he rolled his eyes. “She was just standing at the bar when I got in. Didn’t greet me or anything.”

“Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry,” she frowned. “She had your father and I waiting at the door as well, don’t take it personally.” Then she walked over to me and hissed, “You owe Ransom an apology! He shouldn’t have to deal with this while visiting his family!” She snatched her new drink from the bar and noticed his coat on the floor. She picked it up and shoved it into my hands. “And hang this up!” I took a deep breath and bit the insides of my cheeks.

“Hugh, I apologize for keeping you waiting,” I said through my teeth. “It won’t happen again.” He smirked as I picked up his duffle and carried it up to his room. He didn’t actually have a room here so he was just occupping one of the many guest rooms... The biggest guest room in fact. It was originally his parents’ room but he made the trade. I unpacked his bags and made sure everything was perfect as he came in the room. He looked around, nodding.

“Looks good. Now get the hell out, I’m gonna shower,” he ordered. “Unless you care to join me.” I desperately wanted to tell him to eat shit, but I swallowed my pride and left the room.

***

As Fran and I set up the decorations, Marta came downstairs, looking uneasy.

“You okay, Marta?” I asked.

“Um, Hugh is upstairs asking for the maid,” she told us. “He says come now.”

“Fine,” Fran frowned. “Raquel, you dealt with him earlier so I’ll-”

“He says... He says he wants the Black Maid,” Marta whispered. I sighed and stopped folding napkins.

“I’ll be back,” I sighed. “Hopefully, I won’t be too long.” I went up to Ransom’s room and knocked on the door. “Mr. Hugh?”

“Come in,” he told me. I opened the door and looked at him. He was only in a towel sitting on his bed and looking through his phone. He didn’t look up as I entered. “Why are you just standing around? The bathroom needs to be cleaned again. Hurry up.” I opened the bathroom door and sure enough, he had destroyed it. All the towels were used and thrown on the floor, the floor was soaked, and the garbage turned over. I sighed and got to work. God he was such an asshole... He was definitely doing this on purpose. Ever since I got hired, Ransom wanted to make sure I knew my place... Which was below him. I was mopping up the water when I heard grunting coming from the other side of the door. I cracked it open and looked out. I pulled my head back in quickly when I saw what it was... Or was it? To double check, I peeked out again and confirmed what I had seen. Yup. I was right.

Ransom had dropped his towel and was facing the wall, jerking off. His back was to me and his hand was pressed against the wall, keeping him upright. I couldn’t see what he was working with, if you know what I mean, but I didn’t want to get caught watching my boss’ grandson masturbate. I went back into the bathroom and finished up, so I could leave without him knowing. I was almost to the bedroom door when-

“Wait,” Ransom grunted. I turned around. He was still holding onto the wall for support. He muttered something under his breath then moaned loudly. He picked up his towel from the floor and wrapped it back around his hips. He walked over to me and smirked. “You missed a spot.” And he nudged his head in the direction of where he was standing. Sure enough, the content of his solo exploits was running down the wall and dripping onto the floor. “Well? What are you waiting for? Get to cleaning.”

“You’re such an asshole, Hugh,” I hissed.

“I know,” he shrugged. “I just like thinking of ways to embarrass you. But don’t act like you didn’t enjoy watching...” He winked at me. “Now hurry up-”

“No.” I hissed.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” He asked stepping closer. “I don’t think I heard you correctly-”

“Then read my lips, you entitled prick!” I hissed. “I’m not fucking doing it! In case you’ve forgotten, you don’t live here, therefore, I don’t fucking work for you!” I threw him a rag and opened the door. “Clean it your fucking self!”

***

When the party actually started, I changed into the outfit Linda requested I wear. A button up blouse and a knee length skirt that she so kindly gave all of the Help. Linda was also in a better mood. My guess is, she remembered everyone was there to celebrate her and she would be the center of attention... Which she loves. I hadn’t seen Ransom since earlier. He was gonna arrive late, probably cause a scene, argue with Meg, then retreat to the guest room with one of the long legged blonde attendees. I was handing out hors d’oeuvres in the foyer when Ransom approached me.

“Go away, Hugh,” I said. “I’m working.”

“Relax. I came to apologize,” he sighed. I looked up at him confused. “I may have been... A bit obnoxious when I first got here. And what happened in the bedroom before... I crossed the line and I’m sorry.” I was shocked. Never, in the years that I’ve worked here, have I heard Ransom apologize!

“Oh... Wow. Thank you, Hugh,” I acknowledged him.

“Call me, Ransom,” he shrugged. “Just don’t let the other Help hear you.” I smiled slightly and nodded.

“I should go... I have to refill my tray,” I told him. “If you’ll excuse me-” He grabbed my arm and stepped closer to me.

“Did you like it?” He whispered.

“I’m sorry?”

“Watching me... Did you like it?” He repeated. I didn’t know how to answer... I never saw Ransom as someone I could be attracted to because his asshole personality would always cloud any other perception of him... But now that I think about it... He was sexy as fuck.

“I... I wasn’t watching you-”

“Don’t lie,” he smirked. He tilted my chin up and made me look into his eyes. His beautiful blue eyes. “You liked it... Didn’t you?” My mouth was dry and my heart was racing. “Tell me you liked it...” I had to get out of there.

“I have to go,” I whispered, scurrying out of the foyer. I ran into the empty hall and took a deep breath. I leaned on the credenza for support. What was going on? This was Hugh! He’s a pig, he’s an asshat, he hates lower class people, he... Was coming this way. I made it look like I was busy doing something as he approached me. “Ransom... Hugh. I need to keep working. So please just-” He pressed himself against me, making sure my butt was pressed against him. My breath hitch and I was panting softly. His fingers danced up and down my arms, sending tingles all throughout my body.

“Why are you running from the truth?” He asked, leaning in close to my ear. “You’re so fucking sexy... Just the thought of you watching me...” He pulled me closer to him and pressed his erection against my butt. “Makes me so hard...” I grabbed onto the fabric that laid across the credenza, breathing harder. It was like my body was betraying me. I clenched my thighs together trying to release the aching in between my legs. Ransom noticed and ran his hand up my leg. “Uh-uh. Let me help you with that...” He spread my legs and traced my inner thighs lightly. His other arm, wrapped around my shoulders and his fingers lingered on the base of my throat. As he caressed my thighs, his fingers kept brushing against my core. I bit my lip to stop from moaning out. It had been a while since I’ve been... Intimate with another person. My body was extremely sensitive to his touch. So sensitive in fact, that when he slipped his hand down into my skirt and past my panties, I nearly lost it. I grabbed his wrist and moaned out loud. It’s like his ‘Dominate’ switch was activated when I did that because he had a loose grip on my throat, putting minimal pressure, and he pulled me fully back against his chest. “That’s a good girl...” He whispered in my ear. “Such a good girl...” I felt myself on the edge already. He wasn’t even doing much. Just rubbing me gently.

“Fuck,” I moaned, quietly. But footsteps coming from around the corner made Ransom pull his hand out my underwear and stand up straight. Linda came scurrying down the hall.

“Ransom, honey, there are some people I’d like you to meet,” she grinned.

“I’ll be right there,” he told her. “I just need to finish having a word with this one.” She turned around and went back into the parlour. He turned to me. “In an hour, go up to my room and wait for me... I’ll finish what I started. Don’t draw attention to yourself. Is that clear?”

“Yes,” I nodded. He tilted my chin up.

“Yes, who?”

“Yes, Ransom,” I agreed. He leaned in close.

“Next time. Call me Sir,” he whispered, before biting on my earlobe then disappearing around the corner.

***

I couldn’t keep a steady thought throughout the party. Ransom didn’t make eye contact with me the entire time. His eyes stayed glued to his phone, even when his mother was making a toast, whilst antagonizing Meg, and when Harlan came down to greet the family, he looked up for a second, then was back to his phone. I glanced at my watch. 10 minutes until the rendezvous and my heart was racing. To calm my nerves, I cruised around the parlour, collecting dirty dishes. Linda, Walt and Richard were having one of their “cultural” discussions and I knew I had made a mistake once I stepped into the room.

“Oh, Rachel!” Linda spoke. ‘Raquel’ I corrected in my mind. “I’m so sorry about how I acted earlier! I wasn’t feeling like myself and I truly apologize.”

“It’s truly no problem, ma’am,” I smiled weakly. I picked up the dishes and tried to leave the room.

“Rachel, a moment?” Richard called. I took a deep breath and turned back around. “How old were you when you first came to this country?”

“Excuse me?” I gasped. I was used to the microaggressions like Joni asking me where I got my lips done or asking to touch my hair, but THIS SHIT was going to far! “‘When did I come to this country?!’” By now everyone in the room, including Ransom were looking in our direction.

“I’m sorry... is it a touchy subject?” He asked. I put the dishes down and turned to him.

“I was born in Cambridge,” I told him. “And before you ask, my parents were born in New York City. What gave you the impression that I wasn’t born here?” ‘Besides the color of my skin.’ I wanted to add.

“Oh... my mistake,” Richard nodded. “I just thought that-”

“You thought wrong,” I sighed picking the dishes back up. As I walked out of the room, I noticed Ransom snickering from behind his phone. I knew my comment might cause some drama so I decided to get out of the party atmosphere and upstairs to Ransom’s room. I waited patiently and looked around. He kept it tidy. The wall was cleaned from earlier and his clothes were folded neatly on top of the dresser. I looked at my watch. Just a few more minutes until Ransom joined me upstairs. I’ll freshen up in the meantime. I walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. My heart wouldn’t stop pounding against my chest and I felt nervous. I splashed some water on my face and took several deep breaths. I heard shuffling coming from the other side of the door and I knew it was Ransom. I turned off the sink, dried my face, and went into the next room. He was adjusting something in his wardrobe when he noticed me. He walked over, smirking.

“You know, I said don’t draw attention to yourself,” he chuckled. “Telling my father off counts as drawing attention to yourself.”

“Sorry about that,” I nervously chuckled. “You dad is just... He’s a lot sometimes.”

“Trust me, I know. But enough about him. I think we were in the middle of something...” He bent down and kissed the nape of my neck, his hands roaming my body. I was moaning instantly. Being with Ransom made me feel dirty... But in a good way. I felt like a naughty girl hooking up with the bad boy next door. He was fondling my breasts and his knee kept my legs parted, rubbing against my vagina. He started to undo the buttons on my blouse when I had a sense of panic.

“Wait,” I gasped. He looked at me confused, still unbuttoning. “We shouldn’t do this... This is wrong-”

“Does it feel good?” He whispered, grinding me against his thigh. I moaned and nodded. “Then what’s the issue?” His hand went up my skirt and he pulled my panties down to my ankles. I don’t know why I was SO sensitive! The moment his fingers made contact with me, I grabbed onto him and moaned loudly. “Shit! You’re so fucking wet...” Ransom’s middle finger entered me while his thumb rubbed circles on my clit.

“God, yes!” I moaned. While his right hand worked wonders on me, his left hand finished undoing my top then began kneading my breast through my bra. “Fuck... I’m so close, Ransom...”

“No, not yet,” he told me.

“I can’t! Please don’t make-” He grabbed my face harshly and stared into my eyes.

“You better hold onto it, Raquel... I mean it. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Sir,” I whispered.

“Good girl,” he smirked. He removed both hands from my body, leaving me feeling empty. But then he dropped to his knees and helped me step out of my panties before hosting my leg over his shoulder and placing his tongue expertly on my core.

“Fuck!” I cried out. My fingers combed through his hair and my legs started quivering. While his right hand was holding my leg, his left hand slipped under my bra and pinched my nipple. “I’m gonna cum!” He pulled away from me and started using his fingers again.

“Beg me,” he looked up at me. “Beg me or I’ll stop. Say ‘Please, Sir, let me cum.’”

“Please, Sir, let me cum,” I repeated.

“Beg better. Say it again.”

“Please, Sir, let me cum.”

“Again!”

“Please, Sir, let me cum!” I begged.

“Tell me I’m the boss of you.”

“You’re the boss of me,” I panted.

“Tell me you work for me,” he told me. I snapped back into reality and looked down at him.

“What did you just say?” I asked. He stood up and grinned. He tilted my chin towards the opposite wall.

“Look into the camera and tell me you work for me,” he whispered. “Jacob?” The youngest of the Thrombey clan exited the wardrobe, his cell phone in hand. I jumped back and fumbled trying to close my blouse.

“What the fuck is going on?!” I gasped. Ransom took the phone from Jacob and glanced at the screen, smiling.

“Well, it looks to me like you’re getting your pussy eaten by your boss’ grandson,” he smirked, turning the screen to me. “I wonder what would happen if he saw this... She’d probably get fired, right Jacob?”

“I’d fire her,” Jacob nodded.

“Please don’t do this,” I pleaded, trying to fight back tears.

“Don’t you mean, ‘Please don’t do this, Sir?’” Jacob mocked, making them both laugh.

“So, by the looks of it, it seems like you do work for me, Maid,” he got in my face. “And I’d watch your step from now on. Wouldn’t wanna accidentally send this to Grandfather...” I couldn’t hold back anymore and I burst into tears. Ransom looked at me confused. “Are... Are you actually crying...?”

“Go fuck yourself, Hugh!” I cried. I stormed out of the room, buttoning my shirt, tears streaming down my face.

~~~

A/N: Lmaoooo what did you expect?? Ransom is an asshole in and out of the movie. But it gets smuttier so... Stay tuned 😈😈😈

Taglist: @uhlxis @melannie77 @tanyam93 @scootybobooty @hailmary-yramliah @phatthor1234 @dreamxeyes @blackpantherimagines @emoniclark22 @thedescentintoinsanity @scarletxwinter @05spn18 @iammeantformuchmore @forbeautyandlife (TAG LIST IS OPEN!) YOU MUST AGREE TO REBLOG W/ COMMENTS TO CONTINUE TO BE ON THE TAGLIST! NO EXCEPTIONS!

#knives out #ransom thrombrey #ransom thrombey x reader #ransom #Chris Evans #daddy evans #chris evans smut #chris evans x reader #CEvans #fan fiction #fanfic #Smut #smut warning #smutty #pre smut #first part

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masonscig · 4 years ago

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first line tag game

thank you for the tag @crackerdumortain !!!!! yours were so much fun to read omg !!!!

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag some of your favourite authors!

[disclaimer: i write for the choices fandom and some for litg so you’ll see a mix of those fandoms on this list LMAO]

1. stay [twc – mason x sofía]

The first time was casual. She had a knack for musing her thoughts aloud, tossing her harmless opinions out for anyone who’d catch them.

She was good at starting conversations in that way – while he’d never been one for talking.

She never did it with heavy topics, though.

2. thieves in the shadows [choices – blades au – mal x zilyana]

bullets pelted the crates they were crouched behind, wood splintering in every direction. bodies were strewn across the warehouse, the unmistakable pools of blood streaking across the stone.

“raine! to your left!” immy yelled her way, barely sparing her a glance before unloading her clip, shell casings clinking against the ground.

the gun trembled in yana’s hands. she’d shot one before – practice at the gun range, glass bottles in a back alley – but never a live target.

3. if we meet again [choices – open heart au – bryce x spencer] 18+

year one

The ride from the airport to her parents’ home was long and grueling, the slushy ice pelting the windshield barely passing for snow.

It was practically sub-zero outside, a stark difference between the mid seventies weather she’d just left.

4. clandestine [twc – mason x sofía] 18+

“hey. hey wake up –”

she stirred at the greeting, but jumped when he kicked the desk. her face contorted into a grimace, the imprint of her tweed jacket on her cheek outlined in pink. “hmm?”

“you fell asleep again,” he said, plopping a bag in front of her.

5. undying [choices – blades – mal x zilyana]

Zilyana stirred, resituating herself against Mal’s bare chest, feeling his arm instinctively tighten around her shoulders. When she realized she was missing the sound of his deep breathing, accompanied with an occasional soft snore, she cracked an eye open to see his chin tipped upwards, his gaze trained on the ceiling.

6. talent show [choices – platinum – shane x dom]

There wasn’t a day that went by where she didn’t cross his mind. Even since they were kids.

He admired so much about her – her fiery spirit, her drive, her unwavering tenacity.

And he’d been in love with Dom for as long as he could remember.

7. redeemed [choices – platinum – raleigh x dom]

As soon as he stepped off stage, he was shuffled to his tour bus, Fiona on his heels. She looked like the human embodiment of rage in a grey blazer, a look in her eye that made him thankful he wasn’t the one it was directed at – or at least he hoped he wasn’t the reason she was two seconds away from a murderous rampage.

8. hidden [choices – foreign affairs – blaine x carina] 18+

Her cheek slipped out of the palm of her hand, forehead smacking the desk, nearly jumping out of her skin at the abrupt awakening.

“Ow.”

She prodded the tender spot on her face, thankful her foundation was thick.

A soft snore caught her attention – next to her, Blaine was passed out. Leaning back in his chair, his head was thrown back, arms crossed against his chest, the textbook on its face in his lap.

9. is this fate? [litg au – bobby x mc] 18+

The peroxide was cold when it hit her skin, the liquid bubbling on her knee, relentlessly stinging. She sucked in a breath through gritted teeth.

“Sorry… should be over soon,” he murmured, wiping up the stray liquid that streamed down her leg with a small rag.

The heaviness of the atmosphere between them was almost too much to bear – they’d barely spoken since he helped her onto the counter in his small office, leg propped up between his own, where he sat in his desk chair.

10. asvista cove [litg college au – bobby x elena]

Bobby’s thumb flicked the lighter repeatedly until he got a consistent flame, moving slowly from left to right over the edge of the blunt. His cheeks hollowed out as he sucked in, the tip of it an auburn ember. He pulled it out of his mouth and sucked in an even deeper breath, holding it.

When he blew out the thick cloud of smoke, he passed it to her, coughing under his breath. “Whew. Your turn.”

She followed suit, the thick smoke coating the inside of her lungs, bitter and heavy. She exhaled, the shroud smoke enveloping her view of the sealine.

11. reticent [twc – mason x sofía] 18+

She was bare.

Bare in the way that one is when they’ve been stripped down and torn apart with a trained gaze just calculating enough for them to feel seen – parts of her she didn’t know she’d hidden splayed out like withered pages of a book, dog-eared and marked up like a frequently reread novel.

One he’d reread because it was familiar, because it had fallen into his lap (he hadn’t searched for it), not so much because it was his favorite.

12. more [twc – mason x sofía] 18+

He laced his fingers through her thick hair, reveling in the way his skin looked contrasted against the midnight of her hair.

[the way i can’t post more than this bc it’s....... very nsfw right out the bat LMFAO]

13. calm before the storm [choices – open heart – bryce x spencer]

Since the moment his hands trembled amidst one of the most important surgeries of his life, Bryce was holding on by a thread.

With each half-assed joke he cracked, each wavering smile, each time he tried convincing others – including himself – that he was coping, he fell apart more and more.

The first night he went home after Spencer was quarantined, he trudged through the halls of Edenbrook, like he was dragging his legs through wet concrete. He was nearly magnetized to her bedside, not wanting to leave, but he needed to rest – he’d been awake for nearly a day and a half by the time he clocked out.

14. envy | part two of the attached series [twc – mason x sofía x felix]

He strode down the hallway, hands in his pockets to give the illusion that he didn’t give a shit, when he was most definitely on edge. His fingers flicked his lighter open and closed against the twill lining of his pockets, trying to focus on the soft clicking noise it made instead of the swarm of thoughts clouding his conscience.

He still couldn’t figure out why he cared so much.

15. comfort | part one of the attached series [twc – mason x sofía x felix]

He noticed it before she did.

Her pulse didn’t jump the same way it did the first dozen times he walked into the room. The blood didn’t rush to her cheeks, or creep up her neck, the crimson flush absent even when he tried his hardest to fluster her. And it normally took next to nothing to get her to turn into a bumbling mess.

16. out of time [choices – open heart – sienna x danny]

She sprinted down the hallway, pager still beeping erratically on her hip, the weight of the numbers enough to make her feel like she was slugging through wet concrete.

No, no, not him, please, not him, she chanted to herself, vision blurring with tears before she had the chance to let the negative possibilities set in.

17. unrequited part three [choices – open heart – bryce x spencer]

She slumped into the seat in the deserted waiting room, her joints popping as she stretched, her deep sigh echoing off of the tile. She was exhausted.

She could usually push through the worst of her shifts, but fatigue settled into her bones, a lethargy she’d never experienced entrapping her like a net, and she couldn’t fight her way out of it this time.

18. signs [choices – ride or die – logan x raquel]

“A final in sign language? Couldn’t you just have a conversation with the teacher or some shit?” Logan sat across from her on the couch, watching as her fingers bent and flexed, transfixed.

She stopped abruptly, screwing her mouth to the side in concentration. She repeated the same few moves, getting more and more frustrated with each sequence.

19. mementos [choices – ride or die – logan x raquel]

The sound of his boots slapping against the damp pavement reverberated off of the brick of the alleyways, his gasping breaths adding to the symphony that was his escape.

20. warmth [twc – mason x sofía]

“You’re going the wrong way,” Mason grunted, looking particularly stiff in her passenger seat.

“I thought we could take the scenic route,” she shrugged, flicking her high beams on as she turned off of the main road leading downtown, easing on the brakes when the tires hit the gravel.

okay so....... i didn’t really realize just HOW MUCH i’ve written since the summer? i’ve fallen into a pattern where i think i’m a failure bc of how slow i am to write because i have so many series i’ve started and dropped off and wips i’ve abandoned but.... i’ve managed to write for most appreciation weeks i’ve both hosted/participated in and i’ve written for THREE fandoms.... i don’t normally gas myself up but? i’m really? proud of myself? KSJDJKSD if you read this far thank you and you’re prob watching me have a breakdown over how much i’ve managed to write oh my GOD ok i need to lie down KLSDFKASFJD i didn’t even think i could hit 20 but i did???? alright i’m officially gonna treat myself at some point bc i did all this in less than a year.... these are from the end of july 2020 to now..... wow ok im done i promise SKDFJKSDF

tagging: @raleighcarrera and @pixeljazzy !!! <3

#tag games #my fic #long post

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grrlinthefireplace · 5 years ago

Note

Hey so I’ve been seeing you post a lot about La Casa de Papel recently. What exactly is it? It looks kinda interesting.

Thank you so much for asking!

I am delighted beyond reason to have the opportunity to tell you - and by extension the entire world - why this show has cleared my skin, watered my crops, and legitimately healed my soul after this particularly soul-crushing season of Grimdark White Man Television almost broke me as a human being.

I will attempt to keep this as spoiler-free as I possibly can, because this is a show that should be experienced in the moment, but in a nutshell, La Casa de Papel is a heist show set in present-day Madrid which follows both a found family of thieves who rob the Royal Mint of Spain, and the law enforcement officials on the outside who are chasing them.

If that is enough for you, go right to your TV or computer, fire up the ol’ Netflix, and don’t waste any more time.

If, however, you need a little more, here are the top five things I flail about to every single person in my life to convince them they need to start watching this show like immediately and then come back and tell me all about it.

For visual flair, we’ll intersperse them with some gifs of ladies, because I know my audience.

5. character driving plot > plot driving character.

You know that infuriating thing lazy TV writers do where, in order to to hurry up and get to the big explosion or battle scene or dragon attack or whatever, which is the only bit they really care about, they handwave away the whole concept of motivation and make some character do something that any halfway-attentive viewer will immediately clock that they would never actually do?

There is none of that bullshit here.

In its simplest form, the plot of La Casa de Papel is as follows: a brilliant criminal mastermind devises a heist which cannot possibly go wrong, and then we proceed to watch all the ways in which it goes wrong.

This is a fantastic setup for an action story, made even more breathlessly exciting by strategic use of my favorite heist movie plot device (as perfected by Ocean’s Eleven): namely, “scene where it looks like our crime heroes have been outsmarted and are now threatened by a completely unforeseen disaster” immediately followed by “flashback to the team prepping for the heist where we learn that of course they prepared for this exact scenario.”

But from time to time, things do actually go wrong (as they must, or else there would be no story); and, when they do, it is never because you can tell a writer just wanted to write a scene where bullets go flying, and didn’t care how he got there. These characters are so clear, their behavior so consistent, that when gasp-worthy plot twists happen, they happen because of course that character, in this exact scenario, would do that exact thing.

I’m telling you, I came to this show for a ship (more on that in a minute) and I stayed for a swooning, heart-eyes writer crush on the impeccably-designed plot structure and characterization.

4. High stakes, low gore.

Tone-wise, on a sliding scale of Heist Film Intensity where a really fluffy episode of Leverage is a 1, Reservoir Dogs is a 10, and the Ocean’s franchise is somewhere in the 3-4 range, I would place La Casa at a 5 or a 6, which is perfect for me. I love action, suspense, drama and adventure, but I hate gratuitous violence (especially when it’s pointless and masturbatory and doesn’t contribute anything to the plot) and have a very low tolerance for blood and gore. So I kept waiting for the story to eventually take a hard left turn into Tarantino Land, until eventually it was all just one huge pile of dead bodies, and was genuinely surprised when it didn’t.

This is how I learned just how badly my brain has been fucked up by lazy showrunners who think shock deaths are the only way to raise stakes. During the first season of this show, before I had figured out that it was a Flawless Gem of Television Which So Far Has Not Once Disappointed Me, there were probably a dozen moments where I was absolutely convinced that some character was about to be gruesomely killed for shock value … and I was wrong every single time.

Reader, it was fucking wild.

Every single time I was convinced that person A was going to shoot person B in the head because blah blah maximum angst over here in this part of the story and then it will motivate person C to do this other thing, the show did the hard work of finding a smarter, more unexpected direction to take that character’s story. That means that when deaths do come along - and there are a couple - they feel genuinely earned, and they matter deeply to the story and to us.

3. I would die for these women.

This show loves women. Like it truly, authentically, uncompromisingly loves women in all our fucked-up messy glorious complexity. There are no “types” or cliches here; no one is forced to be only one thing. Fuck your one-dimensional Strong Female Characters, lazy writers.

For one thing, on many shows you might be lucky if you get maybe one mom who is given a personality and a story outside of motherhood. Often, on shows written by men, the fact of her motherhood diminishes her strength or her agency. On this show, nearly every one of the central female characters is both a mom and an action hero simultaneously. Seriously. By season 3 there are four different battle moms. They’re all different, they’re not all on the same side, they have different perspectives, and their role as mother impacts the story differently, but that’s the joy of having a whole lot of different kinds of women - no one has to be everything to everyone.

These women are complicated. They laugh, they cry, they crack dirty jokes, they get laid, they have babies, they fight, they make mistakes, they fall in love, they grow. Men pull sexist shit and they shut it the fuck down. Some of them have love stories, some of them don’t, but they are never defined by or triangulated around relationships with men. They get to have relationships with each other. All of them are excellent at their jobs.

Tokyo is the kind of hot mess antihero protagonist we’ve been watching middle-aged white men play for decades.

Allison is such a realistic teenage girl it’s genuinely painful to watch.

Monica has one of the best arcs I’ve ever seen on television, this is not a drill.

Alicia is terrifying. (A pregnant black ops interrogator! ON WHAT OTHER FUCKING SHOW!?!??)

Nairobi is unlike any other character you’ve seen on TV before; she’s got a little bit of Parker from Leverage, a little bit of Raven Reyes from The 100, but she’s entirely her own creature and you will fall in love with her instantly.

And Raquel. Oh, my love, my angel, my hero, Inspector Raquel Murillo. Love of my goddamn life. A fierce, kickass hostage negotiator swimming upstream against a tide of workplace misogyny who sometimes has to make the frustrating little male-appeasing compromises we all have to make to get through the workday. A beautiful, sexy, powerful heroine over 40 whose femininity isn’t diminished based on some bullshit notion that, for example, pairing your tough-bitch suit and gun holster with red toenails and a lacy blouse detracts from your strength. A loving mom and daughter who has to juggle raising a small child and caring for an aging parent with the stress of, you know, trying to stop the biggest robbery in the history of Spain. A domestic violence survivor (TW for those who need it; nothing is ever shown onscreen, but it’s discussed several times) who is given the space to discuss the things that have happened to her and how she has worked through them with such dignity, accuracy and respect that you can tell the writers did their homework.

This is a show where you can tell there are women in the writers’ room.

2. The Professor and Raquel. I don’t want to spoil a single thing for you here except to say that I myself was lured into this show by the promise of electric sexual chemistry between a criminal mastermind and the police inspector hunting him down, and my God I was not disappointed.

1. Love.

This show came into my life at a period where I was so weary of cynicism on television - so fucking furious at showrunners who dangle hope in front of us and then crush it, who only care about building anything if they can tear it down later, who treat love and fun and joy and hope and family and happiness like they’re intellectually lesser than grimdark nihilism with no soul - that I was honestly kind of broken by it. I was just so. fucking. tired. Tired of “the way we show this heroine is strong is to kill off her love interest.” Tired of “sorry but all this rape and murder is NECESSARY because of REALISM” (particularly rich when coming from shows featuring evil A.I.’s or dragons and ice zombies). Tired of getting invested in relationships - whether ships or friends or found families - only to realize that the show I was watching was always going to sacrifice character to force plot mechanics into place, and those relationships were never going to get the kind of care and focus I wanted them to get.

But that is not this show.

The single most revolutionary thing, to me, about La Casa de Papel - the thing that sets it apart from every other rollercoaster action thrill ride on television - is that every single thread of the plot is tied to love.

Every.

Single.

One.

Love of all different shapes and sizes - parents and children, friendships, doomed crushes (straight and queer), toxic exes, blossoming romances, siblings - and over it all, a deep, deep love for humanity.

The thing I said before, about how when things go wrong they go wrong in character-driven ways? It’s this. Love is why everything on this show happens. Love is what makes children want to live up to their parents and what makes parents fight to leave a better world for their children. Love is why deaths have stakes. Love is why we spend so much screentime lingering on small moments another show might ignore, like all the thieves at heist camp sitting down every night to have dinner together and argue about paella techniques. Love is what causes chaos in the middle of the heist; when there’s one person in the room you care about more than the others, you can get distracted and take your eye off the ball. Love is how your enemies can get to you, by leveraging or blackmailing the people who matter most, knowing that you’ll crack if they’re in danger. Love, gone wrong, causes toxic men to develop possessive and controlling behavior towards women. Love is how the Professor gets the idea for the heist in the first place. The plan is flawless on paper, but it doesn’t account for the human variable, and over and over again we see that relationships and connection and sex and family and love cause people to behave in unpredictable ways and throw the whole plan into chaos, which is what makes for a dynamic and compelling story.

How refreshing to see a show simply refuse to grant the oft-repeated premise that a show cannot have both high-octane thrills, and a big soft squishy heart, at the same time.

ANYWAY, I’VE TAKEN UP ENOUGH OF YOUR VALUABLE TV-WATCHING TIME, GO JUMP ON BOARD THIS TRAIN AND COME SCREAM ABOUT IDEALISTIC SPANISH ROBIN HOODS WITH ME, AND LET THE GOOD SHIP SERQUEL INTO YOUR LIFE, YOU WON’T BE SORRY

THANKS FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK

#lannister-slings-and-arrows #la casa de papel #money heist #from the inbox #i have a lot of feelings about this show #is this entire post just one long subtweet of 'the 100'#listen #maybe #i'm still pissed about kabby and will be for awhile #but legit this show was HEALING and CATHARTIC in some unexpected ways #yes virginia you CAN have functional loving stable relationships and high-stakes drama at the same time

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paralleljulieverse · 6 years ago

Photo

Westward, Ho: Star! premieres in Hollywood, USA

The week after Star!’s gala debut in New York, the film continued its sea-to-shining-sea North American roll-out with a West Coast Premiere on 31 October 1968. Held at the historic Fox Wilshire theatre in Beverly Hills, the West Coast premiere had all the hoopla and razzmatazz of an old-school Hollywood opening. Arc lights swept the night skies, a brigade of crisply uniformed ushers stood honour guard, and gleaming black limousines ferried a host of Tinseltown movers-and-shakers to the red carpet entrance of the art deco picture palace. Crowds of fans and onlookers jostled in cordoned viewing areas as Army Archerd and a young Regis Philbin interviewed notable arrivals on the media dais, highlights of which were later telecast on The Joey Bishop Show.*

By this stage, Julie was back in Hollywood wrapping up filming for Darling Lili so, happily, this was one premiere she could attend. Accompanied by Blake Edwards –– quaintly described in the press as her “gentleman friend” (Fay: IV-1) –– Julie looked every inch the grand Hollywood star in the eye-catching designer outfit she’d had made, but never got the chance to wear, for the London opening: a sleeveless gown of pleated ivory linen with contrasting coffee panels and matching pleated linen stole. “[P]leated linen doesn’t crush,” explained Julie –– showing that, beneath the haute couture glamour, she’d lost little of her no-nonsense English pragmatism –– “That’s important when you have to think of photographers” (Lambert: 8). And photographers were, indeed, out in full force. Because the premiere marked one of Julie’s first public outings since returning to the US, she could barely move all night “without a cordon of photographers with cameras at ready” (Fay: IV-1).

Organised as a benefit for the American Cancer Society, tickets for the West Coast premiere sold at $100.00 a head, with an additional $50 per couple for the after-show supper (Fay: IV-1). There was no shortage of well-heeled takers with the capacity audience of 2500 first-nighters reading like a glittering honour roll of both Old and New Hollywood: Edward G. Robinson, Rudy Vallee, Myrna Loy, Gregory Peck, Buddy Ebsen, Agnes Moorehead, Buddy Rogers, George Burns, Marge and Gower Champion, Jerry Lewis, Pat Boone, Eva Gabor, Ann-Margret, Phyllis Diller, Raquel Welch, Nancy Sinatra, Charles Bronson, Tom Selleck and many more. There was also a strong show of support from Julie’s own circle of celebrity friends and associates: Carol Burnett, Ross Hunter, Roddy McDowall, Henry Mancini, Edward Mulhare, and Charmian Carr (Fay: IV-1; Kay: 25; “Premiere of ‘Star’ Set Tonight”: IV-16).

Sprinkled among the celebrity-packed audience were some fortunate members of the general public. Two anonymous film industry benefactors bought out blocks of seats in the upper balcony and “distributed the tickets to…medical and theatre arts students from USC and UCLA” (Fay: IV-1). While the Gesh Agency purchased another block of tickets for donation to servicemen on furlough from the war in Vietnam (ibid.). Not sure how enthused red-blooded GIs would have been by a Julie Andrews screen musical but, hey, it was a free night out!

One surprise member of the audience who was thrilled beyond belief was Jan Versaw, a teenage Julie Andrews superfan from Contra Costa county in Northern California. Versaw, who had reportedly seen The Sound of Music 23 times, made the journey down to Los Angeles with the express hope of meeting her idol at the premiere. She even lugged along her 23-pound (10.5 kg) Julie Andrews scrapbook! The eager fan rocked up to the Fox Wilshire theatre at 4:30a.m. –– “I thought it would be crowded like the Rose Parade,” she explained –– and huddled, waif-like, under the marquee with her scrapbook. She first got the attention of the janitor, then the theatre manager, then a Fox PR rep and, finally, later that night, she got to meet Julie herself. Not only that, but Julie invited her in to see the film. “It’s unbelievable!”, cried the starstruck young woman (Fiset: 21; “Happened Like”: B4).

Press reports relate that the first night audience gave Star! a thunderous standing ovation. Following the screening, a fleet of buses was on hand to chauffeur 700 VIP guests to the after-show Supper Ball at Twentieth Century-Fox Studios. Driving through the backlot sets erected for Hello, Dolly!, Fox’s next big roadshow musical with an exclamation mark, partygoers were delivered to the doors of the studio’s massive Stage 21 which had been done up especially for a dazzling Star!-themed ball:

“[D]ebarking passengers stepped into an exact replica of the foyer of Gertrude Lawrence’s New York apartment. Behind this was the huge ballroom, carpeted (except for the dance floor), completely draped and lighted by a dozen or more blazing crystal chandeliers. Here at tables entered with masses of yellow and white flowers in tall epergenes, they ate a midnight supper…catered by Chasen’s [and] danced to the music of Peter Duchin and his band, flown in from New York” (Kay: 25).

Described as “probably the smoothest-paced premiere in history,” the evening was deemed a glorious success, netting a whopping $143,000 for the Cancer Society (Kay: 24).

Any morning-after headaches at the studio would have been somewhat eased by the West Coast reviews of the film which were markedly better than the preceding week’s notices from New York. In fact, James Bacon of the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner used his review to take direct aim at the film’s vituperative East Coast pans:

“Let me give it to you straight. I’m an unusual type critic. I’m a sucker for good entertainment. And ‘Star!’ which premiered the other night at the Fox Wilshire is loaded with it. It’s a tour de force for Julie Andrews…I have read most of the other reviews from New York, where writers lamented the absence of deep neurotic conflicts in the autobiography of Gertrude Lawrence. And after seeing the movie so forewarned, I came away convinced…that most professional critics don’t really like to be entertained. ‘Star!’ is the type of picture no one will like but the public. It will not make as much money as ‘Sound of Music’ but it will come close” (Bacon: D6).

The trades all gave very positive notices, homing in on –– and, possibly, talking up –– the film’s potential for commercial success. Film Daily wrote:

“The production has the built-in ingredients that assure assure mass audience appeal. Sometimes the entertainment is brilliant, occasionally overwhelming and in moments uncertain and becalmed….The versatility of Miss Andrews is as remarkable as her personality is endearing…[She] rac[es] through a series of songs and production numbers like an exuberant flame” (Herbstman: 3).

BoxOffice declared it “a veritable entertainment goldmine…that is almost monumental in its scope and detail”:

“And riding above it all, never once over-shadowed by the globe-spanning locations, is the phenomenal Julie Andrews, now truly the Queen of the Roadshows. In its way, ‘Star!’ is as much a tribute to her as it is a musical biography of Gertrude Lawrence. It’s a new Julie Andrews that audiences will be responding to. As Gertrude Lawrence she conveys a three-dimensional character, not entirely sympathetic, but a woman of ambition and drive, fired by her own ego and able to trade racy epithets with as much ease as she changes her lovers. It’s a spectacular performance that will surprise and please her many fans, and quite possibly bring a whole new legion of admirers into her camp. She is the ultimate attraction here, and she carries the film like a quarterback breaking out for a touchdown” (Verrill: 11).

Variety had already reviewed the film upon its earlier London release offering warm, if slightly reserved, praise:

“Like many hardticket pix it’s overlong at 165 minutes…and occasionally sags between musical numbers but, springing from William Fairchild’s witty and knowledgeable screenplay, the cast and team of redoubtable technical contributors have helped to turn out a pleasing tribute to one of the theatre’s most admired stars…‘Star!’, filmed in Todd-AO and marking the first reunion of Miss Andrews and Wise since their fantastically successful ‘Sound of Music’ should, with Miss Andrews’ marquee magnetism, cause plenty sweet music at the box-office all over again” (‘Rich.’: 6).

Possibly the most muted, but also most reasoned, Hollywood review came from Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times:

“No movie about Gertrude Lawrence with Julie Andrews can be all bad, but ‘Star!’ which opened with great ceremony on Wednesday night…is not all good either…It is, as they always say in the ads, lavishly mounted. It offers full musical value for the money, and…Miss Andrews, as ever was, is clear-voiced and full of warmth….Yet for all these positive attributes and the obvious loving care with which the whole project was put together, ‘Star!’ at its best is merely pleasant and not for a single moment really magical…[T]he result, despite nice arrangements, crisp staging by Michael Kidd, a tuneful period, rich costumes and rich sets, is not a bad musical but a disappointing one which should have amounted to much, much more” (Champlin: IV-1, 17).

As in New York, business for Star!’s second US engagement started with a robust flourish. In its first week at the Fox Wilshire, the film took $45,000 in what Variety described as a “loud start” (“Hardticketers”: 9). However, again like New York, ticket sales quickly slumped with the weekly updates of grosses reading like a veritable cartoon graph nosedive:

Week 1: $45,000 Week 2: $29,000 Week 3: $25,000 Week 4: $21,000 Week 5: $18,000 Week 6: $16,000

Come Week 10, grosses had dipped below $10,000 and, by Week 15, they were under $5,000. In its 20th and final week at the Fox Wilshire, Star! took what Variety called a “drab $3,000″ (“L.A. Perking Up”: 9). By point of comparison, other roadshow musicals screening in the L.A. area that week were all doing very brisk business. Funny Girl, which was in its 24th week of release at the Egyptian, grossed $29,000 and Oliver! raked in $27,500 in its 14th Week at the Beverly. Even the poorly received Chitty Chitty Bang Bang managed to outperform Star! with $12,000 in its 14th week at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (ibid.).

It was a scenario being repeated across the country at almost all the film’s North American roadshow engagements. To say the poor returns from Star! caused concern back at Fox would be an understatement. Studio execs went into a tailspin of their own and would embark on a series of increasingly desperate –– and desperately ill-judged –– salvage attempts. But that, as they say, is a tale for another time…

Notes:

* Some commentators have claimed that the West Coast premiere of Star! was dismally under-attended. Richard Stirling (2007) writes, “There was not a soul in sight” (211), using as putative evidence two comments taken out of context from Robert Wise and Jan Versaw, the teenage super-fan mentioned in the body of this post. Matthew Kennedy (2014) –– who lists Stirling as a primary reference and was likely just recycling the former’s dubious research –– also asserts, “Few others bothered to attend [the premiere], including fans” (154). The claim is simply untrue. Press reports, photos and television coverage of the premiere reveal that, not only was the audience filled to capacity, there were several hundred spectators grouped outside. Not exactly Beatlemania, but neither was it ‘tumbleweeds blowing down Wilshire Blvd’ as suggested by these sensationalist misrepresentations.

Sources:

Bacon, James. “Julie’s ‘Star’ Elegant Entertainment.” Los Angeles Herald-Examiner. 4 November 1968: D6.

Champlin, Charles. “Movie Review: ‘Star!’ Depicts Life of Noted Actress.” Los Angeles Times. 1 November 1968: IV-1, 17.

Fay, Sharon E. ‘Star!’ Premieres in Name of Charity.” Los Angeles Times. 17 September 1968: IV-1, 20.

Fiset, Bill. “The Lost Veneration.” Oakland Tribune. 15 November 1968: 21.

“Happened Like in Movies.” San Bernadino County Sun. 2 November 1968: B4.

“Hardticketers Help L.A. ‘Star’ Loud $45,000.” Variety. 6 November 1968: 9.

Herbstman, Mandel. “Review of New Film: STAR!” Film and Television Daily. 23 October 1968: 3.

Kay, Frances R. “Stars Shine at Premiere.” Valley News. 5 November 1968: 24-25.

Kennedy, Matthew. Roadshow!: The Fall of Film Musicals in the 1960s. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.

Lambert, Eleanor. “Writer Finds A Lot Can Happen Between Julie’s Dress Fittings.” The Dispatch. 18 July 1968: 8.

“L.A. Perking Up.” Variety. 26 March 1969: 9.

“Premiere of ‘Star’ Will Benefit Cancer Society.” Los Angeles Times. 17 August 1968: III-8.

“Premiere of ‘Star’ Set Tonight.” Los Angeles Times. 31 October 1968: IV-16.

‘Rich.’ “Film Review: Star.” Variety. 24 July 1968: 6.

Stirling, Richard. Julie Andrews: An Intimate Biography. London: Portrait, 2007.

Verill, Addison. “Feature Review: ‘Star!’” BoxOffice. 28 October 1968: 11.

#julie andrews #star!#star!50 #fiftieth anniversary #gertrude lawrence #Robert Wise #film premiere #old hollywood #Hollywood Studios #Twentieth Century Fox #fox wilshire #beverlyhills #blake edwards

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foresthuntermajrach · 7 years ago

Text

Sweet Elite chapter 2 quick guide

If you find something that doesn’t match with what you’ve experienced yourself DM me so that I can change it. The bug with saved infinity after the first play made it hard on me as I tried to make sure all responses were 100% accurate. I know that the ones that give you + points are good for sure but with the neutral and negative I might’ve missed something :>

Also thanks @kornyo for explaining the Axel phenomenum cause it got me so frustrated dfagfyjfg.

With that said, the guide’s under the cut

I’m going to list all conversations with everyone in order I met them and this time start it by writing the places we gotta go to meet them, because some of the conversations include more people.

Update: Chapter uses minimum 64 energy points.

Cafeteria - Axel

A: I’ll pass, thank you. Let’s get moving, I’m Scholar by the way. [neutral]

B: I’m Scholar, thank you so much! I can’t believe I’m late to class on my first day here... I feel so stupid [+5]

C: I’m really not interested, can we please hurry? [-5]

Classroom 1 - Tadashi

A: I had my schedule ready and I was sure I set my alarm yesterday! [+5]

B: I overslept. [neutral]

C: I get it, okay? You don’t have to rub it in. [-5]

School Entrance

Tegan

Friendship choices

A: Fortday?! Do you think I can join you guys? [+5]

B: You guys could also play after the party, right? That way, Tyler gets to go and you get to play. [-5]

C: Your sister? [-5]

Romance choices

A: Fortday?! Hey, Tegan, if Tyler goes to the party, do you think we could play together? [+5]

B: I mean, the party only happens tonight, you can play this game after.

C: You have a sister? [-5]

Tyler

A: I think you should do it today. [+5]

B: Do what feels right to you! [neutral]

C: Yeah, you should do it tomorrow. [-5]

Gym - Alistair

A: The olympics? [neutral]

B: Oh, cool! What’s your sport? [+5]

C: ... Are you sure you’re going to make it there?

Friendship choices

A: F-Five? Sounds like you were never bored! [+5]

B: Was it hard leaving them to come here? [-5]

C: Don’t they get on your nerves sometimes? [neutral]

Romance choices

A: F-Five? Sounds like you were never bored! [neutral]

B: You know, I’ve always wanted siblings... [+5]

C: Doesn’t it get a little overwhelming? [not sure]

Main Hallway - Tadashi

A: (Tell the truth) [+5]

B: (Lie to him) [-5]

Cafeteria - Raquel

Friendhip Choices:

A: I’m really glad! I hope I make more friends like you here! [+5]

B: I don’t know... I’m a little scared of getting caught [-5]

Romance choices:

A: I’m really glad you aren’t like that, you seem really cool! [+5]

B: I don’t know... I’m a little scared of getting caught [-5]

A: I’ll think about it. [neutral]

B: I don’t know... What if things get out of control? [-5]

C: That sounds awesome! [+5]

Classroom 1 - Claire

A: It’s alright, I adapt! [neutral]

B: That’s an understatement! Haha! [-5]

C: I don’t mind that, I’d really like to be your friend. [+5]

A: Well, I was wondering why you were so interested in the school’s medical herbs. [+5]

B: Well, you looked pretty upset earlier... On the phone... [neutral]

Bathroom - Karolina

A: (Still, I didn’t want to let myself be intimidated by her.) [+2]

B: (Still, I couldn’t help but ask her why she was so upset.) [-2]

Second Hallway - Neha

A: How long has she been acting like this?

B: I am too... [-3]

C: It still doesn’t explain her behaviour. [+3]

Classroom 2 - Ellie

Friendhip choices:

A: Can you build me a robot that can do my homework, instead? [+5]

B: Already do involved in club activities? Chill.

C: Do you think you’re going to win? [neutral]

Romantic choices:

A: How much do I have to pay you for a robot that can do my homework? [+5]

B: It’s way too early to start working this hard, haha!

C: Do you think you’re going to win? [neutral]

Main Hallway - Axel and Tadashi

A: (I’m going to help Tadashi) [+5 with Tadashi, -5 with Axel and Karolina]

B: (I’m going to help Axel) [+5 with Axel, -5 with Tadashi]

C: (I’m going to knock some sense into both of them) [+5 with Alistair and Raquel, -5 with Karolina] + achievement unlocked: Alignment: True Neutral

After the argument you gotta go to classes (class 2) and then right back to your dorm.

At the dorm party - Axel

Friendship choices

A: Weren’t you the one that was passed out on the cafeteria table this morning? I was almost worried about you! [+7/5 depending on whether you side with him or not. I’ve once gotten neutral with picking to knock sense in both of the boys]

B: I can’t exactly say the same about you, people can’t stop looking. [-5 if you sided with Tadashi, otherwise neutral]

C: Did I look that lost? [+3]

Romantic choices

A: I didn’t expect to see you here. Weren’t you passed out due to exhaustion this morning? [+5]

B: You’re still down to party after all the whole paparazzi fiasco? [-5 if you sided with Tadashi, otherwise neutral]

C: Did I look that lost? [+3]

Now, the illustrations. Only those last dialogue choices lead to them:

A: I should keep an eye on them anyway [illustration with Neha and Karolina]

B: It’s best to leave it to Neha, I’m going to dance with Raquel and Axel [illustration with Raquel and Axel]

Achievements:

Alignment: True Neutral - you have to pick to knock the sense in both Axel and Tadashi to get it.

Newbie Attitude - in confrontation with Karolina pick that you’re not going to get intimidated by her.

Party Animal - pick partying with Raquel and Axel over keeping your eye on Neha and Karolina.

#sweet elite #sweet elite guide #se chapter 2 #se #ofc the pic is from the game

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forthemultiverse · 7 years ago

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Young Justice Headcanons (2)

A Teenaged Night In

- They still found a way to blame Robin when they found out Batman had walked in on them again.

- Technically he was the one that set up the game station in the cave…

- And technically it was his hard drive of illegally downloaded TV Shows and Movies.

- It all began when Artemis outed that Dick and Wally weren’t available one night because they were at the Batcave, playing video games.

- M’gann asked what video games they played. having heard the time a few times at school, and instead of just welcoming everyone to the cave, Dick and Wally decided to relocate to the mountain.

- He linked the training simulator to the video game so it was like some super high tech virtual reality game.

- Wally and Dick started explaining how to play the game to the group and Kaldur picked it up immediately.

- He destroyed them all.

- They never saw him coming

- He’d just appear, score points, disappear and somehow gain even more points.

- Conner…not so much

- He’s a button masher but doesn’t know the actual combos

- No technique, just hit and hope for the best.

- They can’t let him play certain characters in fighter games because button mashing started to work for him and Dick refused to lose.

- They started a rotation thing, every one pairing up to try and complete one of the levels

- Dick and Wally are an unbeatable combination, they didn’t even need to communicate in full sentences.

- They just played off each other to destroy all of the bad guys

- Seeing them be such nerds and so successful set off the next part of the night.

- M’gann watched them and suddenly started singing Two-Player Game from Be More Chill

- Dick started joining in as he played, attempting to sing at the top of his lungs and still play well.

- Wally and he were distracted by the song and started stupidly dancing along to the words.

- When they completed the level and the song had stopped, everyone was laughing and wanted to know why Robin knew all of the words.

- “My dad supports theatre and stuff…” he carefully phrased. “But if we are introducing musicals, a throwback to the other night, we need to show them High School Musical.”

- “Oh my god yes!” Zatanna clapped

- That discussion turned into a full-blown debate

- They all knew that they had to show theme High School Musical, but what about all the other Disney movies?

- What order to you watch DCOMS and the normal Animated Movies

- And what about Pixar

- What about the Pixar Timeline

- Or the must-watch animated TV shows like Avatar The Last Airbender

(Fight me, we all know Wally or Dick would have watched it and worshipped it)

- They binged all three High School Musical movies, the group that already knew the words trying their best not to ruin the musical numbers

- They failed, Dick started singing and dancing ‘I Don’t Dance because it’s his jam (+he’s the youngest and a ball of sunshine with no self-control yet)

- They also starting ‘arguing’ about whether Sharpay was truly a bad character.

- They started Avatar the Last Airbender and made Kaldur do the water movement each opening credits.

- They also didn’t get very far into the episode because they kept making Kaldur copy Katara.

- They stopped because Artemis started thinking about M’gann’s love of ‘Hey Megan’

- She suggested they should watch Friends

- The thing about Artemis is, she didn’t have much of a happy childhood, and she certainly didn’t have all the TV channels or a Netflix account to watch all of these shows on.

- She watched them illegally from rooftops and closet when she was hiding from her dad. She’d watch every time he and Jade had an argument before Jade ran away.

- She binged hundreds of shows when joining Gotham Academy to try and fit in, she thought she’d understand all the references, but she was wrong.

- Watching the shows now, surrounded by a group of people who loved her, laughing out loud and saying whatever she wanted, without the fear of being found and told off/caught in the middle of an argument.

- Thinking about it all made her snuggle even closer to Wally’s chest.

- She wouldn’t trade that feeling for anything.

- Artemis and Wally started the clapping in the Friends Theme Tune since they had it on constantly when they had more relaxed dates.

- Soon M’gann joined in. Overly excited, and clapping far too many times since she didn’t know what the rhythm was.

- Soon everyone was clapping randomly.

- Dick and Wally started deliberately trolling the group by clapping out of time, or adding too many times.

- They watched the first three seasons and started classifying each other as the characters.

- They didn’t settle on anyone definitely because they all kept arguing.

- Some people would say Wally was Joey, since he used to flirt with everyone - but now he was with Artemis…it was harder

- Wally said Robin was definitely a Joey but no one agreed with him. They didn’t know Dick Grayson - ward of the billionaire playboy, the Dog who kissed Barbara Gordan in a closet during his fourteenth birthday party. (Dick identifies as Janice)

- Since they’d watched friends, Raquel said they needed to watch How I Met Your Mother, since she’d started watching it from the recommended section on Netflix.

- The Slap Bet is now banned from the mountain because if Conner manages to somehow win - you are screwed

- Plus, M’gann knows if you’re cheating to get extra slaps

- And Dick always wins, even if the bet is over something as small as the most popular ice cream flavour or the name of some random background actor.

- He then goes on a mini-rant how he’s constantly pressured by Batman and the second he lives home, he’s going to relax his head and focus on the things he wants to know - like people and real team leading, not just I always have a planning team leading.

- After the mini-rant, they needed something to lighten the mood. They could see the tension Robin’s feeling about Batman, and they aren’t ready to be the catalyst to their breakup.

- Wally suggested ICarly

- The Theme tune is all that’s heard from Kaldur’s room from that point forward for about a month and a half.

- Seddie versus Ceddie.

- They’re all team Seddie, and Dick totally doesn’t make them rewatch the first kiss from Season Five three times just because he can’t deal with how amazing it was.

- That pisses Wally off even more as the gang then say that a hopeless romantic like that couldn’t possibly be a dog/flirt

- Little do they know Dick just has emotional problems that stop him from expressing his hopeless love for people.

- They thought about all the videos of them up from their last non-superhero adventure and considered making their own little online show. Just some small vlogs about them training, or the stupid things Kid Flash does.

- They decided against ever publishing them since they can’t trust themselves not to use real names by accident (or just showing too much personality that would allow people to figure out who they are)

- Batman had said they were a team to work on the sly.

(cackling from a distance)

- Robin makes the Youtube channel anyway, just in case they ever change their mind.

- Zatanna also makes a team Instagram to post short videos or photos, they all have the password so they can post whenever they feel like it.

- They have to be careful they don’t accidentally post on their civilian account

(I reckon Dick fucks up one time, and that’s how the team find out his identity, but all the civilians just assume that something’s up with the Wayne’s so the team were brought in for protection)

- Watching ICarly leads them into looking at what exactly Dick has on his hard drive

- Phineas and Ferb came on by accident, and even though they’re all tired and half asleep, it’s too entertaining to turn off.

- It also got Wally in the mood for Snow Cones, due to the Swinter episode, meaning they attempted to make them, sending him and his superspeed off to grab the stuff for it.

- Watching Phineas and Ferbs starts an OG Team meme

- “Aren’t you kids a little young to be saving the world?”

- “Yes, yes we are,”

- Batman saw the social media account and wants to know what’s going on/ Why Dick hasn’t been home for over twenty-four hours?

- He walked into the mountain, and they were all too caught up in Snow Cones, lack of sleep, and kids cartoons to notice his arrival (even though the system announced it)

- He heard them laughing and thought about all the argument’s he and Dick had been having recently.

- He thought of Artemis’s stolen childhood

- How M’gann and Kaldur were now apart of earth culture, but they never grew up here, M’gann faced discrimination on Mars, Kaldur trained in magic. They didn’t get childhoods in their worlds, and they at least should get a moment of childhood here on earth.

- He thought of Zatanna, being forced to see Fate every time the Justice League was around, and how she can’t do anything to free her dad. Her family was so close, yet, she had still lost him.

- Raquel was inspired to help people by the team, that was her choice, but it still wasn’t fair. She may have chosen to give up a normal life, but she deserved a break.

- He thought of Conner. Clark was working harder to welcome Conner into his family, but it’s hard enough dealing with teenagers and Conner had appeared as a sixteen-year-old, and he was going to be that age forever. Conner was brainwashed to think he was a weapon; he deserved to feel like he was more than that.

- He retreated into the teleporter, disappearing away to let the kids have that weekend off.

- They deserved a weekend off, a night in.

- They deserved to enjoy teenaged culture.

Part One: Teenaged Night Out

Sorry guys, I wanted to write some cutie TV show stuff plus some sadness that was just on my mind. Hope people like it <3<3

xx Scarlett

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placetobenation · 4 years ago

Link

Are you ready for the busiest week of the year in the WWE? That’s right, it’s time for WrestleMania week where the WWE has something going every single night for the WWE Universe.

On Monday, it’s RAW. On Tuesday, it’s the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony. Wednesday and Thursday bring the live NXT TakeOver: Stand & Delivery two-night event. Friday brings a special SmackDown with the return of the Andre Giant Memorial Battle Royale. Finally, on Saturday and Sunday, it’s the extravaganza we know as WrestleMania back in front of live fans at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.

Damn, I’m tired already. So, before we recap the week that got us this far, let’s see where the cards stand as of Saturday morning.

WrestleMania 37 – Updated card:

Night 1:

Bad Bunny vs. The Miz

Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro

Steel Cage Match: Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon

RAW Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day vs. AJ Styles & Omos

SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair

WWE Championship Match: Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre

Night 2:

The Fiend vs. Randy Orton

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

RAW Women’s Championship Match: Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley

Intercontinental Championship Nigerian Drum Fight: Big E vs. Apollo Crews

SmackDown Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan

Expected to be added: WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs. TBD (winner of night 1’s four-way match between TBD)

NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver updated card:

Night 1:

NXT Women’s Championship Match: Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez

NXT Tag Team Championship Match: MSK vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma

NXT North American Championship #1 Contender’s Gauntlet Eliminator Match: Leon Ruff, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Dexter Lumis, LA Knight

NXT UK Championship Match: WALTER vs. Tommaso Ciampa

KUSHIDA vs. Pete Dunne

Night 2:

NXT Championship Match: Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross

Unsanctioned Match: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly

NXT North American Championship: Johnny Gargano vs. TBA

NXT Cruiserweight Championship Unification Ladder Match: Jordan Devlin vs. Santos Escobar

NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell

For sure, there will be surprises along the way over the next 7 days. If I’m the WWE, I’m starting off the event with something that will make its first live crowd in over a year pop so loud it will feel like a packed crowd instead of about 25,000 fans at Raymond James Stadium. Yup, I’m starting WrestleMania with Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair. They’ll get the night off to an awesome start and set a standard for all those to follow. Now, will the WWE do it or will they save them for the main event? Time will tell, but as those that have fought in the ring say, if you’re not last, you want to be first.

Finally, before we get to the show recaps, let’s talk about Friday’s shocking announcement from the WWE: Chris Jericho is going to be the next guest on Steve Austin’s Broken Skulls Session Podcast Sunday, April 11th immediately after night two of WrestleMania. That’s a jaw dropper my friends. After all, Jericho is currently one of the founding fathers of All Elite Wrestling, the WWE’s main rival these days and he’s been none-too-shy about blasting the WWE at any given chance since leaving the company to embark on his journey through New Japan Pro Wrestling and AEW. It will be fascinating to watch and yes; I applaud Vince McMahon for letting it happen on his watch.

RAW

RESULTS

United States Non-Title Championship Match: Sheamus defeated Riddle

Braun Strowman defeated Jaxson Ryker

WWE Championship Non-Title Match: Bobby Lashley defeated Shelton Benjamin

Xavier Woods defeated AJ Styles by DQ

Naomi defeated Shayna Baszler

Drew McIntyre defeated Ricochet; McIntyre defeated Mustafa Ali

Needless to say, RAW felt a little flat for me with just under two weeks to WrestleMania.

As far as @Sheltyb803 and @CedricAlexander go, The #HurtBusiness is OVER.#WWEChampion @fightbobby is looking out for no one but #TheAllMighty on The Road to #WrestleMania! #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/KFyCjxWPiY

— WWE (@WWE) March 30, 2021

King @BaronCorbinWWE of #SmackDown shocked everyone by showing up on #WWERaw to take out @DMcIntyreWWE! pic.twitter.com/kWnAPj6lOg

— WWE (@WWE) March 30, 2021

I didn’t quite understand the need to break up The Hurt Business before the PPV. Pitting Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin against WWE Champion Bobby Lashley doesn’t make much sense to me. Who knows, maybe it’s a big rouse by MVP. And speaking of Lashley, if he’s such a badass, why does he need the help of King Corbin, fresh off SmackDown, to beat down Drew McIntyre to end the show. Now, while we’re at it, why would it be Ricochet and Mustafa Ali as the ones to take a shot at McIntyre and not a guy like Braun Strowman, who was just begging for a title shot a few weeks back. A little thing like a match with Shane McMahon shouldn’t sidetrack him.

Want more?

Why have Rhea Ripley and Asuka fighting as a tag team less than a week before their RAW Women’s Championship match? Well, because that’s what the WWE does – put all their challengers in a tag team with each other. Done. Too. Death. Oh yeah, it’s also because the Women’s Tag Team Champs, Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler have such little interest, they’ll just throw a bunch of teams in against them with no storyline. YAWN.

Need a US Title Match? Here’s Sheamus to beat Riddle.

Want more? Need to fill a few segments.

Well, here’s The New Day Game Night and a DQ win by Xavier Woods over AJ Styles to whet your appetite. How about seeing Omos actually wrestle ONCE in a ring before WrestleMania? Nah.

The less said about The Miz and John Morrison’s “Hey Hey Hip Hop” music video the better.

The same can be said about McMahon’s report card flashback to make fun of Strowman. Damn, Shane, you can’t even read the words that are on the card to match the screen. It’s amazing that the WWE, with all its anti-bullying messages allows this storyline to go any further.

NXT

RESULTS

Cameron Grimes defeated Roderick Strong

NXT Cruiserweight Championship Non-title match: Santos Escobar defeated Tyler Breeze

Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell defeated Gigi Dolan and Zeda Ramir

Raquel Gonzalez defeated Zoey Stark

Xia Li defeated Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter

LA Knight wins NXT North American Championship Gauntlet Eliminator Battle Royale

Needless to say, NXT is the show that I hoped RAW would and could be. Instead of the non-sensical booking and wasteful segments, NXT was all business Wednesday night with the go-home show before the historic two-night NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event coming up this week.

Cameron Grimes vs. Roderick Strong turned out to be a case of two guys going in opposite directions. Grimes has his money on his mind and distracted Strong just enough with that The Undisputed Era armband to get the victory. Yes, Roddy’s been down lately and it looks like he’s walking away.

Kudos to Santos Escobar and Tyler Breeze for continuing to raise the bar in the cruiserweight division. Breeze proved more than just a warm-up match in Escobar’s Open Challenge before his unification match against Jordan Devlin at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

I don’t think I’ve ever been more impressed by someone losing three matches than Zoey Stark. In dropping decisions to Io Shirai, Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez the past three weeks, Stark has looked up to the task and the moment’s not too big for her against some of the best in NXT. There are good times (and wins!) ahead for Stark.

Xia Li continues to be a badass, that’s for sure. But, what’s also evil is Tian Sha and the stronghold she put on Kayden Carter before blowing that mysterious mist into Carter’s face. Whatever that force is between the two, I’m ALL IN! Li gets the win in the ring over a returning Kacy Catanzaro while her friend gets taken out on the ramp. This story gets better and better each week.

This brawl does not, and will not, end.

#WWENXT @RaquelWWE @shirai_io pic.twitter.com/UvGkbfHIDX

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) April 1, 2021

The third time definitely was not the charm for Io Shirai. All night long, the NXT Women’s Champion tried to attack Gonzalez heading into their NXT TakeOver match, but all three times, she got the worst of it including finally being thrown through a wall to seemingly end her night. Yet, still we get Shirai in the ring to end the show, flying off the top rope to take out Gonzalez and most of the women’s locker room as well. Beware of the female giant Gonzalez, my friend. She’s coming for your NXT Title!

It's GOOD to be LAST. #BattleRoyal #WWENXT Wednesday's Night 1 #NXTTakeOver: Stand & Deliver #GauntletEliminator Order: 1. @LEONRUFF_ 2. @swerveconfident 3. @bronsonreedwwe 4. @CGrimesWWE 5. @DexterLumis 6. @LAKnightWWE pic.twitter.com/XOErxHZz8M

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) April 1, 2021

How about that Battle Royale? Can we make Austin Theory look any sillier with that elimination of himself? Dexter Lumis made it to the final six by standing in the corner like a statue. Heck, he didn’t move until the final 3. It’s a shame that KUSHIDA and Pete Dunne eliminated each other to miss the final six. But at least we’ll get a solid match added to NXT TakeOver night 1 between them. I like LA Knight getting the win, taking out Lumis after going through the middle ropes instead of over-the-top rope like Lumis did. Now, it’ll be Lumis and Knight starting off the gauntlet match Wednesday night to see who fights Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Championship on Thursday night. And oh yeah, is Roderick Strong really leaving? He didn’t even make it into the battle royale as expected.

That Prime Target setting up Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly was intense! It’s definitely worth a watch if you missed it and a second look if you saw it live.

What’s up with the dog? Well, it’s the debut of Taya Valkyrie folks! Or should we same Franky Monet?

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Otis, Chad Gable, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode defeated The Street Profits & The Mysterios

Natalya defeated Shayna Baszler

Bianca Belair defeated Carmella

Street Fight: Daniel Bryan defeated Jey Uso

The road to #WrestleMania hasn't been easy for @WWEDanielBryan, but he makes one hell of a statement after his victory tonight to @EdgeRatedR AND @WWERomanReigns! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/BsHDdQPboa

— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2021

I’ll be honest, when I saw them previewing yet another Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso match, I was like again, really? But a street fight with one week to go before WrestleMania isn’t a terrible idea. It lends itself to an anything can happen atmosphere. Granted, it wasn’t as brutal as it could’ve been but it left no doubt that it lifted the stock of Bryan. First, he gets the win over Uso by making him tap out. Then, he knocks some sense into Edge, banging his head into the ring post before taking aim at the Universal Champion himself by putting Roman Reigns into the YES lock to end the night. They’re doing a really good job at building this triple threat match into one that we have no idea who’s the favorite going in and coming out of Tampa.

Good job by the tag teams to start the night. Otis got the flying bulldozer on Montez Ford to get the win for his team of Chad Gable, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode over The Street Profits and The Mysterios. They made me believe that anyone can walk out as champions when they face off in a fatal four-way on the night before WrestleMania.

What’s the point of having a 30-second match between Shayna Baszler and Natalya when you know it’s only there to set up the post-match melee between all the women tag teams? There’s got to be a better way. Speaking of a better way, how do Carmella and Bayley NOT have a match at WrestleMania? At the very least, put them together to win the titles.

Good to see Cesaro given a bit of mic time in the middle of the ring against Seth Rollins. Here’s hoping the push continues even after next weekend.

All @SamiZayn wanted was a calm red carpet experience with @LoganPaul. @FightOwensFight wasn't about to let that happen! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/5z0WjSc0rG

— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2021

Justice for Sami? More like Stunner for Sami! That Red Carpet Premiere with Logan Ryan didn’t exactly go how Mr. Zayn planned did it? Either way, we’ll have Ryan at WrestleMania in the middle of the Kevin Owens/Zayn match.

Can Corey Graves drool over Carmella any more on the mic? Just admit they’re a couple off camera already! In the ring, Carmella held her own but couldn’t avoid being pinned by Bianca Belair, who then shielded off a surprise attack from Sasha Banks. At this point, there’s nothing more to be done between these two, let’s get to the match.

What exactly is a Nigerian Drum Fight? Looks like we’ll find out when Apollo Crews takes on Big E for the Intercontinental Championship.

Parting shots:

So long Charly Caruso, we’re going to miss you! With Caruso’s WWE contract expiring and a full-time move to ESPN announced, it’s the end of the line to Caruso’s time in wrestling. It’s a shame that Angel Garza and Charly never got to take things a bit further than their backstage flirtation. Now, she gets more time to hang out with Stephen A. Smith and the gang at First Take.

Coming up this week:

RAW: WWE Women’s Tag Team Non-title Match: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs. Asuka & Rhea Ripley Drew McIntyre vs. King Corbin WWE Championship Non-title Match: Bobby Lashley vs. Cedric Alexander

NXT: NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Nights 1 & 2 (Wednesday and Thursday)

SMACKDOWN: Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale SmackDown Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way Match: Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode vs. Chad Gable & Otis vs. The Street Profits vs. The Mysterios

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at [email protected]. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

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morganbelarus · 6 years ago

Text

James Kennedy’s Latest Twitter Meltdown Proves 2019 Is Doomed Betches

New year, new me, am I right? Not if you’re DJ James Kennedy (AKA the white Kanye West). In a turn of events that may shock you for someone with this nickname, James Kennedy kicked the new year off with a series of questionable tweets. If you’ve been watching Vanderpump Rules, you’ll know that James has been getting heat from fellow cast members after body-shaming costar Katie Maloney. Oh, and rapping about Jax cheating on Brittany while she was working. And also kind of for cheating on his girlfriend two years ago? How many episodes are we in again? What year is it? Anyway, James had a bad week, which in the VPR universe means he was uninvited from a birthday party and lost his job. Here’s the rundown of the first James Kennedy Twitter meltdown of 2019.

Let’s start with a screenshotted January 2nd tweet uploaded by Brittany:

The disgust continues. @itsjameskennedy I pray YOU will find peace some day. pic.twitter.com/OywfbyoRgC

— Brittany Cartwright (@BNCartwright) January 2, 2019

In case you’re too lazy to click on her tweet and read the quoted text, here’s what he says. “And Jax?! He is just a sad man after his daddy died. Coming for me cause I’m the only man he don’t like- brother make peace with your dead father please so you can be set free that’s goes for Lala also. Btw he made fun of George when he left.” As a side note, I cannot figure out who George is and it’s driving me wild. Fan theories in the comments please.

In other good news, James was apparently still drunk mad when he read Brittany’s tweet, because he responded with the following:

Wow…. just wow. pic.twitter.com/qOOKYquerR

— Jax (@mrjaxtaylor) January 3, 2019

Yes James. In case your drunkenness isn’t evident from the content of what you’re posting, please add random periods to drive the point home. Brilliant. Eventually, James—because he has publicists who require him to keep making money—deleted his tweets and tried two very different tactics to get out of this. First, the “I got hacked,” with a side of blatant lying about how he is perceived by the public. (James Kennedy? Positive? I think not.)

@mrjaxtaylor I don’t buy this pic.twitter.com/TV0YWuY6fR

— Lisa (@txldallas) January 2, 2019

Then, the sincere apology with a side of “but it wasn’t my fault because I was provoked.” Quick note to any celebs in need of PR guidance out there—you should do ONE or THE OTHER of these. Both is the worst look imaginable.

Hey I’m sorry for what I said about Jax and Lala and I apologize deeply to them and anyone I offended. I hope you guys also stop provoking me, thank you and I wish everyone a happy new year.

— James Kennedy (@itsjameskennedy) January 3, 2019

Jax and Brittany continued offering up swift rejections of this apology, with Jax doing the lord’s work posting new screenshotted evidence from James’ drunken Twitter spree as well.

There is a difference between someone who notices his wrongs and changes everything about his life for the better and someone who just doesn’t care who he hurts no matter what and has no intention of admitting his wrongs or changing. We know what’s real. Y’all see 30 mins

— Brittany Cartwright (@BNCartwright) January 3, 2019

Wow.. again with insulting women. After he just apologized. You are a joke my friend. You must seriously hate who are as a person. https://t.co/vDzOlC8Ba9

— Jax (@mrjaxtaylor) January 3, 2019

My favorite part of this whole drama is from an hour ago, in which Jax Taylor continues to rain hell down on James in whatever way he can. This time, it’s by tearing down a tweet Raquel posted from the Vanderpump dog show. According to Jax, Raquel “attempted to bid” on a puppy, “looked for money from James,” (who “has none so he bolted”), and then was ultimately rejected as a dog owner out of hand by Lisa—who “told the auctioneer “no way” and gave to the next bidder. Is any of this related to the rest of James’ tweets? Nope! But you’re out of your mind if you think I’m missing the opportunity to include some dog show drama.

You did not get out bid, we sat 10 feet from you when you attempted to bid on the puppy, you looked for money from James, he has none so he bolted and then Lisa saw it was you and told the auctioneer “no way” and gave to the next bidder. How can you lie when 300 people saw this. pic.twitter.com/tJvLFy5unN

— Jax (@mrjaxtaylor) January 3, 2019

And there you have it! Only three days into 2019, and if the James Kennedy Twitter meltdown is any indication, his resolutions are off to a great start. (I can only assume they were “drink less” and “win my friends back,” both of which are going exceedingly poorly right now.) If Jax’s resolutions, on the other hand, were “be more petty” and “continue to use Twitter as a catalog of personal vendettas,” then I’d say he’s doing great. I don’t usually like to support anything Jax does (gtfo with Mamaw’s Beer Cheese), but I’m really enjoying these twitter clap backs.

Images: Shutterstock; Twitter; Twitter; Twitter

Original Article : HERE ; This post was curated & posted using : RealSpecific

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titanicprophecy · 5 years ago

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Retire the Women’s tag team titles.

On December 24th, 2018, Vince McMahon announced the creation of a new set of titles: The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, taking another step forward in the Women’s revolution. A few weeks later, the Titles were unveiled to mostly positive reviews on A Moment of Bliss and it was revealed that the first champions were to be crowned at Elimination Chamber. In that Match, Sasha Banks & Bayley defeated Nia Jax & Tamina, The IIconics, Carmella & Naomi, The Riott Squad (Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan) Fire and Desire (Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville). The crowd was hot. They were excited and they were ready to take another step forward with this new-ish concept.

One and a half years later and they literally have fallen to the depths of forgettable hell and more recently been on an upturn WIth Sasha and Bayley as Champions, along with The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane). These belts have seen literally the same rollercoaster existence as most titles. It's seen its high, then extremely low, and now kinda back on the rise but to be perfectly honest: It’s not a title that can be sustained for long. If I'm being honest here, the Women’s tag team titles should be retired.

The start of the titles rebirth was red hot. Sasha and Bayley were honestly the perfect team to become the first champs. Two wrestlers who are best friends, who are a good team and they gave the titles immediate prestige. They welcomed all challengers from Raw, Smackdown, and even NXT. They gave us hope for these titles, and they gave us a clear path to where their titles should go.

Then the Iiconics won the tag belts at Wrestlemania and started the immediate descent into obscurity.

Now, It’s not their fault. The Iiconics were a good choice to become second champions but the issue lies within the booking. For the first few months, it was a big focal point, then they just were not booked. The Iiconics were not used on TV, they disappeared for a while and they only popped up every now and then. They went a full month without a title defense until they lost them to the makeshift team of Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. This Cycle was continued on to the Kabuki Warriors. These Titles were basically an afterthought and became a prop to show the fans “Hey look, I’m important”. They then booked the titles in an TLC match with the Kabuki Warriors challenging Becky Lynch and Charlotte.

That's not a typo, The Kabuki Warriors challenged Becky Lynch and Charlotte to challenge them to a match at TLC. That was the most confusing line or dialogue I heard in a very long time. The champs retained and then Asuka spent a few months trying to become a double champ by challenging for Becky’s Raw Women's Championship. Basically It took WWE 3 months, from late December to early April to give us another Women’s Tag Team Title match where Bliss and Cross would win the titles in the opening match against the Kabuki warriors at Wrestlemania: The COVID Show. SInce then, it’s started to see a second rise, with Banks and Bayley winning the titles and having consistent TV Time with the belts, mainly because at the time of writing this Bayley is the Women’s champion and requires tv time so they killed two birds with one stone.

They actually need to kill this bird with stone, or a giant boulder hurled by the combined strength of Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre.

There are 2 big issues with the title belts: Exposure and focus and Realistic depth. Remember when I said the titles could be defended on all 3 brands, Raw SMackdown and NXT. Guess how many times they've been featured on NXT. TWICE. Only TWO title matches. Granted, one was more recent but still just 2. The titles disappeared 3 times in its history. The titles were nowhere to be seens for 2 weeks to a full few months, and if they were seen, they weren't the focus. When a championship is not seen or isn't a focus of a feud. If the title doesn't get the proper exposure and become props to justify a single feud, the title loses its luster. It becomes worthless. During those missing times, the titles could have been in NXT doing literally anything. Shayna and her crew, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir could have held the titles for a little bit. Team Kick(Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai) could've had a quick run.The Titles could have been used to help give NXT a little more eyes to see the product a bit more, but instead they were just props. Exposed just to be a belt for a challenger to the main women's titles or not even a forefront until your biggest show.

Currently, NXT has ladies on the roster who are currently in a team. Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzales, Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart, Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro. These teams in NXT can give the title’s some exposure and focus if they win them but this lies a second big issue: Realistic depth.

I'm not saying these teams are not real teams. They are and they can work with the titles but think about it. These are teams that realistically cannot beat Sasha and Bayley. They are amazing workers but the way Sasha and Bayley are presented, they won't drop the titles to any of these duos unless they themselves are built up, which brings up the depth issue. Kayden Carter and Catanzaro are jobbers for the more established stars. Dakota Kai literally said she has her eyes on the NXT Women’s title. Tegan Nox literally just became number one contender to the NXT Women’s championship, and Shotzi had a promo, in a tank, talking about her path to the title. If they win the Tag team titles, then you created a huge catch 22 for your Women’s division.

For example, let's say Tegan and Shotzi win the titles. To get the titles over, they have to be focused on the teams and the titles, which means Tegan and Shotzi won't be focusing on the NXT Women’s championship, which means there 2 less ladies being major threats to that title. Then if Tegan or Shotzi becomes a threat, then the focus will be off the tag team titles again and they become props. It’s a balancing issue and it exposes the fact that there really isn't any depth for these titles. The majority of the teams that were around when the belts existed are gone now. There is no realistic team that can take the titles off. Hell, I'm sure they’re about to have ASUKA and IO Shirai take the belts off Sasha and Bayley. Then you’ll basically have an even worse situation as you will have 2 top stars as tag team champions, just like Austin and HHH back in 2001.

The tag titles should be retired. No Depth, lack of exposure and focus early on really put the bullet in the skull of the shelf life. The idea was a good wrong but the booking destroyed it. To be perfectly honest, they shouldn't have made a Women’s tag team title, They should've made a midcard belt for the ladies. This should've been the birth of a Women’s Intercontinental championship belt, for the lower and mid carders. But that is an Idea for another time.

Thank you for reading this, I put a lot of time and effort in this and appreciate any positive feedback you may have. This is my first time blogging about wrestling so I do appreciate any help you guys may have :)

#WWE womenstagteam NXT Smackdown RAW

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samanthasroberts · 6 years ago

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James Kennedy’s Latest Twitter Meltdown Proves 2019 Is Doomed · Betches

Let’s start with a screenshotted January 2nd tweet uploaded by Brittany:

The disgust continues. @itsjameskennedy I pray YOU will find peace some day. pic.twitter.com/OywfbyoRgC

— Brittany Cartwright (@BNCartwright) January 2, 2019

In other good news, James was apparently still drunk mad when he read Brittany’s tweet, because he responded with the following:

Wow…. just wow. pic.twitter.com/qOOKYquerR

— Jax (@mrjaxtaylor) January 3, 2019

@mrjaxtaylor I don’t buy this pic.twitter.com/TV0YWuY6fR

— Lisa (@txldallas) January 2, 2019

Hey I’m sorry for what I said about Jax and Lala and I apologize deeply to them and anyone I offended. I hope you guys also stop provoking me, thank you and I wish everyone a happy new year.

— James Kennedy (@itsjameskennedy) January 3, 2019

Jax and Brittany continued offering up swift rejections of this apology, with Jax doing the lord’s work posting new screenshotted evidence from James’ drunken Twitter spree as well.

— Brittany Cartwright (@BNCartwright) January 3, 2019

Wow.. again with insulting women. After he just apologized. You are a joke my friend. You must seriously hate who are as a person. https://t.co/vDzOlC8Ba9

— Jax (@mrjaxtaylor) January 3, 2019

Images: Shutterstock; Twitter; Twitter; Twitter

Source: http://allofbeer.com/james-kennedys-latest-twitter-meltdown-proves-2019-is-doomed-%c2%b7-betches/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2019/04/13/james-kennedys-latest-twitter-meltdown-proves-2019-is-doomed-%c2%b7-betches/

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adambstingus · 6 years ago

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James Kennedy’s Latest Twitter Meltdown Proves 2019 Is Doomed · Betches

Let’s start with a screenshotted January 2nd tweet uploaded by Brittany:

The disgust continues. @itsjameskennedy I pray YOU will find peace some day. pic.twitter.com/OywfbyoRgC

— Brittany Cartwright (@BNCartwright) January 2, 2019

In other good news, James was apparently still drunk mad when he read Brittany’s tweet, because he responded with the following:

Wow…. just wow. pic.twitter.com/qOOKYquerR

— Jax (@mrjaxtaylor) January 3, 2019

@mrjaxtaylor I don’t buy this pic.twitter.com/TV0YWuY6fR

— Lisa (@txldallas) January 2, 2019

Hey I’m sorry for what I said about Jax and Lala and I apologize deeply to them and anyone I offended. I hope you guys also stop provoking me, thank you and I wish everyone a happy new year.

— James Kennedy (@itsjameskennedy) January 3, 2019

Jax and Brittany continued offering up swift rejections of this apology, with Jax doing the lord’s work posting new screenshotted evidence from James’ drunken Twitter spree as well.

— Brittany Cartwright (@BNCartwright) January 3, 2019

Wow.. again with insulting women. After he just apologized. You are a joke my friend. You must seriously hate who are as a person. https://t.co/vDzOlC8Ba9

— Jax (@mrjaxtaylor) January 3, 2019

Images: Shutterstock; Twitter; Twitter; Twitter

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/james-kennedys-latest-twitter-meltdown-proves-2019-is-doomed-%c2%b7-betches/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/184164998472

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allofbeercom · 6 years ago

Text

James Kennedy’s Latest Twitter Meltdown Proves 2019 Is Doomed · Betches

Let’s start with a screenshotted January 2nd tweet uploaded by Brittany:

The disgust continues. @itsjameskennedy I pray YOU will find peace some day. pic.twitter.com/OywfbyoRgC

— Brittany Cartwright (@BNCartwright) January 2, 2019

In other good news, James was apparently still drunk mad when he read Brittany’s tweet, because he responded with the following:

Wow…. just wow. pic.twitter.com/qOOKYquerR

— Jax (@mrjaxtaylor) January 3, 2019

@mrjaxtaylor I don’t buy this pic.twitter.com/TV0YWuY6fR

— Lisa (@txldallas) January 2, 2019

Hey I’m sorry for what I said about Jax and Lala and I apologize deeply to them and anyone I offended. I hope you guys also stop provoking me, thank you and I wish everyone a happy new year.

— James Kennedy (@itsjameskennedy) January 3, 2019

Jax and Brittany continued offering up swift rejections of this apology, with Jax doing the lord’s work posting new screenshotted evidence from James’ drunken Twitter spree as well.

— Brittany Cartwright (@BNCartwright) January 3, 2019

Wow.. again with insulting women. After he just apologized. You are a joke my friend. You must seriously hate who are as a person. https://t.co/vDzOlC8Ba9

— Jax (@mrjaxtaylor) January 3, 2019

Images: Shutterstock; Twitter; Twitter; Twitter

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/james-kennedys-latest-twitter-meltdown-proves-2019-is-doomed-%c2%b7-betches/

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placetobenation · 4 years ago

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The Road to WrestleMania is in full force my friends. We’ve got 2 weeks left to an epic week of wrestling as the WWE welcomes fans back for the first time in over a year at Raymond James Stadium. It’s been a year filled with the pandemic and now it’s time for the fans to return.

But, first things first. FastLane gave us a compelling story where Edge snaps and solidifies his main event match for the Universal Championship with Roman Reigns. In doing so, Edge robbed Daniel Bryan of completing his prediction of tapping out Reigns and winning the title. Heading into Friday night SmackDown, I didn’t think it would stay a one-on-one match though as I think with Edge’s attack, Bryan has earned his way into a triple-threat dance to end the two-night event. We’ll get to how that unfolded in our show recaps. I’m all for it as Bryan is truly gold in the ring these days. Edge and Reigns bring the marquee but Bryan could steal the show and will be a great compliment.

Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair can now hone their targets on each other instead of the tag team championship. That’s a good thing. It was merely a sidetrack the whole time. We’re getting ready for an all-time classic my friends. I hope it lives up to the hype.

On the RAW side, Bobby Lashley looks dominant and The Fiend is back! Things are looking up as they always do at the end of March.

WrestleMania 37 – Updated card:

Night 1:

WWE Championship Match: Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre

Bad Bunny vs. The Miz

SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair

Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro

Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon

RAW Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day vs. AJ Styles & Omos

Night 2:

The Fiend vs. Randy Orton

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

Intercontinental Championship: Big E vs. Apollo Crews

RAW Women’s Championship Match: Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley

SmackDown Championship Triple-Threat Match: Roman Reigns vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan

RAW

RESULTS

WWE Championship Non-Title Match: Bobby Lashley defeated Sheamus

RAW Women’s Championship Non-Title Match: Asuka defeated Peyton Royce

The Miz defeated Jeff Hardy

Kofi Kingston defeated AJ Styles

2-on-1 Handicap Match: Drew McIntyre defeated Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin to keep The Hurt Business barred from ringside at WrestleMania

WWE Tag Team Championship Non-Title Match: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler defeated Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke

Braun Strowman defeated Elias

Alexa Bliss defeated Randy Orton

#TheFiend and @AlexaBliss_WWE have made their intentions clear.#WWERaw #WrestleMania @WWEBrayWyatt pic.twitter.com/K0DYwI6eHa

— WWE (@WWE) March 23, 2021

OK, first things first. Holy hell, The Fiend is back and he’s hideous! We all knew he was coming, but still it paid off. The Fiend looks like a guy who was left to burn and now the demonic soul is back to help Alexa Bliss beat Randy Orton. Now, can he get the job done at WrestleMania?

Speaking of the grandest stage of them all, RAW got to work right away setting up their side of the card. WWE Champion Bobby Lashley has Drew McIntyre firmly in sights for night one of the two-night event. Lashley took care of McIntyre’s buddy Sheamus for the second straight week before McIntyre send Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin to banishment for WrestleMania. The champ is none too happy with his teammates after first trying to interfere in his match with Sheamus and then failing to take out his latest rival.

BREAKING: @sanbenito will make his @WWE in-ring debut against @mikethemiz at #WrestleMania!https://t.co/z5SUZ983b3

— WWE (@WWE) March 23, 2021

Surprisingly, Bad Bunny is going to go one-on-one with The Miz at WrestleMania. We all thought it would be a tag match with Damian Priest and John Morrison being involved. Who knows, maybe it will get to that but first, it’s an insufferable music video coming on MizTV this week with the debut of Hey Hey Hip Hop.

Kofi Kingston and AJ Styles put on a good match with Kofi getting round one. I loved the back-and-forth with The New Day trying to poke fun at Styles and Omos’ relationship too. Maybe we’ll get a turn and see Omos dancing with Kofi and Xavier Woods someday?

BREAKING: @WWEAsuka will defend the #WWERaw #WomensTitle against @RheaRipley_WWE at #WrestleMania!@peacockTV pic.twitter.com/NGUFiCxwSs

— WWE (@WWE) March 23, 2021

With Charlotte Flair out with COVID-19, a fact the WWE shockingly admitted on live tv (and I like that they did), Rhea Ripley steps up and challenges Asuka for the RAW Women’s Title. If Flair’s cleared, maybe she gets involved in this one too for a triple threat. At least Peyton Royce got her match with Asuka though after a solid promo on RAW Talk.

I think the WWE is dropping the ball by not continuing the build of Shayna Baszler and her frustration with Nia Jax. I thought by now, the boom would’ve been lowered and the champs at each other’s throats. Instead, they played nice this week and get an easy win over Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose.

Braun Strowman and Shane McMahon are still on a collision course at WrestleMania, sadly. I still find it hard to believe that a company that’s built a strong anti-bullying message is having someone related to the owner of the company continually come out and call someone st*p*d. And yes, I truly despise that word.

NXT

RESULTS

Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez defeated Io Shirai & Zoey Stark

Bronson Reed defeated LA Knight

Karrion Kross defeated Oney Lorcan

NXT UK Championship Non-Title Match: WALTER defeated Drake Maverick

NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart defeated Mercedes Martinez & Aliyah

Jordan Devlin defeated KUSHIDA

William Regal is one busy dude these days in NXT! Between announcing matches, new champions and settling disputes between the now defunct The Undisputed Era, Regal is making HUGE moves although it doesn’t look like Johnny Gargano is none too pleased about 12 guys having a shot at his NXT North American Championship. That fun begins with the Gauntlet Eliminator Battle Royale Wednesday night with the final six going head-to-head at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. This week’s NXT was all about building to the two-night event and damn, did they do that in spades.

.@RaquelWWE 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 tall and 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔. #WWENXT #NXTTakeOver @shirai_io pic.twitter.com/mhKY2qSBlQ

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) March 25, 2021

Ouch! Io Shirai slammed on to the announce table by Raquel Gonzalez and part of a losing team all in one night. That’s one way to put some intrigue into Shirai and Gonzalez for their NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one main event match for the NXT Women’s Championship. That was a nice bit of business to start the night as all four women, along with Dakota Kai and Zoey Stark put on a good show.

I did not see Bronson Reed beating LA Knight coming. But, I don’t hate it. It keeps Reed strong and Knight, who reminds me more and more of The Rock each week on the mic, will rebound quickly. Expect a big win coming at Stand and Deliver.

Which option will @WWEKarrionKross go with when he faces @FinnBalor at #NXTTakeOver? pic.twitter.com/UfYJ7FLa2Q

— WWE (@WWE) March 25, 2021

Leave it to Karrion Kross to destroy the NXT Tag Team Champs. Last week, he took out Danny Burch with a shoulder injury leaving the champs to vacate the titles this week. Wednesday night, Kross took care of business over Oney Lorcan as well. Up next: Balor’s on the clock. Tick. Tock. Kross on the mic for an extended time for the first time in awhile was very good and you can just feel things getting personal with Balor.

WALTER vs. Drake Maverick. Short work (pun intended). Things won’t be as easy when he takes on Tommaso Ciampa for that NXT UK Title. It took a beatdown from Imperium but Ciampa finally gets his match.

That was a strong first title defense for Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart. Even with Mercedes Martinez subbing for Jessi Kamea, the tag team champions got their defense on to a successful start. Standing in the weeks, a rematch with Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell.

KUSHIDA and Jordan Devlin sure put a ton into just under than 10 minutes. Imagine what they could do with 30-60 minutes! Devlin gets the expected win with a pretty cool finish, rolling up KUSHIDA after KUSHIDA helped Devlin fight out Legado del Fantasma’s attack. Not to be outdone, KUSHIDA then takes out Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde outside the ring leaving Escobar and Devlin to square-off in the ring before a surprise appearance by Shawn Michaels, who was there to add a ladder match stipulation to their match at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

.@ShawnMichaels wants to, literally, raise the stakes.

#WWENXT #NXTTakeOver @EscobarWWE @Jordan_Devlin1 pic.twitter.com/LJK6SdLNt6

— WWE (@WWE) March 25, 2021

Speaking of HBK, nice glance walking by old friend Adam Cole.

COLE. O'REILLY. #NXTTakeOver. UNSANCTIONED MATCH. #WWENXT @KORcombat @AdamColePro pic.twitter.com/KZ25HPb4vz

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) March 25, 2021

As for Cole and Kyle O’Reilly, we’re headed for a non-sanctioned match on night 2 of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. If their contract signing is any indication of how intense that match will be, we’re headed into a heck of a battle for WrestleMania week. I’m sure that Cole’s not too unhappy about knocking Regal down either after the show went off the air.

Well done Mr. Regal!

NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver updated card: Night 1:

NXT Women’s Championship Match: Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez

NXT Tag Team Championship Match: MSK vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma

NXT North American Championship #1 Contender’s Gauntlet Match: Final Six Competitors from the Battle Royal

Night 2:

NXT Championship Match: Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross

Unsanctioned Match: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly

NXT North American Championship Ladder Match: Johnny Gargano vs. TBA

Not assigned yet:

NXT Cruiserweight Championship Unification Match: Jordan Devlin vs. Santos Escobar

NXT UK Championship Match: WALTER vs. Tommaso Ciampa

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Seth Rollins defeated Shinsuke Nakamura

Apollo Crews, Otis & Chad Gable defeated Big E & The Street Profits

Bianca Belair defeated Natalya

Rey Mysterio defeated Dolph Ziggler

.@EdgeRatedR has SNAPPED!

#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/K6mMRWfVjT

— WWE (@WWE) March 27, 2021

Can you blame Daniel Bryan? He just wants what he has earned. Bryan won the Elimination Chamber, beat Jey Uso in a steel cage, tapped out the Universal Champion and got brutally attacked by Edge with a chair and still has nothing to show for it. I thought his two-night idea for the Universal Championship was brilliant. In the end, Adam Pearce’s announcement of the Universal Championship being defended in a triple-threat match at WrestleMania was a big anti-climactic, but we all will win with come Sunday night, April 11th. Plus, who would’ve thought it would be Edge that would’ve snapped and be booed going into this match? It’s shades of the old Rated-R Superstar and his evil ways coming out in full force.

SETH SWINGIN' ROLLINS@WWECesaro @WWERollins #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/dsKdSwnujt

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) March 27, 2021

Needless to say, we’ve been asking for a huge Cesaro push and now we’ve now got it. Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins is officially on for WrestleMania after Rollins rematch win over Shinsuke Nakamura Friday night. The King of Swing granted his acceptance with a another full swing job of Rollins backstage.

You could spot that Apollo Crews pinning Big E in that six-man tag team match a mile away. Despite the obvious, The Street Profits along with Otis and Chad Gable made it an entertaining match. Damn can Montez Ford fly!

I know it’s been done so many times in the past, but Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn in the ring makes me smile. It never disappoints no matter how many times they turn on each other. Needless to say, I could do without Logan Paul for the red carpet premiere for Zayn’s documentary on the final SmackDown before WrestleMania, but it will get a ton of social media publicity for the WWE, so it makes sense.

After picking up a victory, @BiancaBelairWWE is attacked from behind by @SashaBanksWWE! Does "The Boss" have all the momentum going into #WrestleMania? #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/FdYhyTGtme

— WWE (@WWE) March 27, 2021

Bianca Belair may have gotten a win over Natalya and a nice right hand to Sasha Banks’ face, but it was The Boss who left Belair squirming with the Banks statement to end her night. I don’t need any more hype between these two. Just give me 45 minutes and a tremendous match in two weeks!

Looks like we’ll be getting Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode defending the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The Mysterios at WrestleMania after Rey upset Ziggler Friday night. Sounds like a good feel-good family moment coming, right?

Parting Shots:

Andrade is now a free man after getting his release earlier this week from the WWE. It’s a shame. Think back to one year ago. The pandemic was just starting and the trio of Andrade, Zelina Vega and Angel Garza were on tv every show, sometimes two and three times a show giving us entertaining segments. Now, a year later, Vega and Andrade are gone and Garza is a blip in the mirror. Things move fast my friends. Can’t wait to see where Andrade shows up next, whether it be AEW, Ring of Honor, Impact Wrestling or internationally in New Japan or CMLL. Who knows, maybe he’ll do it all in this new wrestling world.

The WWE on Peacock was a win-win for me watching FastLane. Easy to use and no interruptions with a crystal-clear picture. Sure, I know that some folks are upset at the no pause and rewind buttons that they were accustomed to on the WWE Network. That will come with time I’m sure as will the option to watch LIVE or watch from the beginning. All-in-all, I like it plus now I get the WWE and everything on Peacock all for the same price I was paying for the WWE Network for and that’s a quality buy.

Kudos to Kane and The Great Khali, the latest announced inductees to the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame Class.

Coming up this week:

RAW: Contract signing for Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley Bobby Lashley looks for help in taking out Drew McIntyre The Miz & John Morrison music video premiere

NXT: Gauntlet Eliminator Battle Royale to determine challenger for NXT North American Championship Match

SMACKDOWN: Sami Zayn Documentary Red Carpet Premiere with Logan Paul

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

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