#i love eddie but let me hit him with the Character Development stick a little

[weewoo911]

Actually upon further reflection this shouldn’t happen when they’re hanging out one on one this should happen when they’re on a ✨ double date ✨

(It’d have to be canon divergence bc I’m ignoring the Shannon2 thing rn but what better way to highlight how free and open Tommy is and how deeply repressed Eddie is)

Ok but Tommy & Eddie hanging out solo and the conversation turning to Tommy’s experience of being closeted.

Tommy talking about how he did have a girlfriend at one point but it just felt like a performance and he was relieved whenever she left

Eddie ‘maybe you should go home’ Diaz: … huh well. That’s. Hm.

[thestoryden]

hello love,

i would like to Request where the reader is a quiet nerd, who secret is into dnd, one day Eddie Finds out when they are sketching out the Dnd oc of said person and gets them to jokn hell fire.

Unnoticed 

Eddie Munson x Nerd!Reader Warnings: Embarrassment Word Count: 781

Most places you flew under the radar completely unnoticed. You only hit an even five foot once you got into high school and never really got that passed. You blended in, not too short and not too tall. You had not realized how bad it was till the day you ran into him. You were hurrying to get to Spanish class when BAM! you face plant directly into Eddie’s chest. Your face burns bright red. He puts a hand on your shoulder and gently pushes you off him.

“Whoa their freshman,” He says, “gotta watch where you're going.” 

You can not take it anymore; you feel like you are going to melt out of embarrassment. You shove him hard and go into the classroom. He of course follows in after as you two have shared this class the whole entire semester. Miss O’Donnell begins handing back tests.

She smiles when she gets to you,“Perfect score as always. Maybe some of the other students could learn a thing or two from you.” 

“Thank you,” you respond quietly. 

The class drones on and the thought of what happened starts to eat away at you. You replay his voice over and over again in your head. You had gone unnoticed but this time it was for four years. He genuinely thought that you were a freshman. You had been in multiple classes with him and yet he couldn’t remember your face. The bell suddenly rang bringing you out of your stupor. 

“Wait, I need you two stay after.” Miss O’Donnell calls out. 

She points at Eddie and you.You try to hide your disgust, because you know exactly what is going to happen. 

Miss O’Donnell looks up from her desk, “Here is the deal. I don't want to see Mr.Munson’s face again in the school next year, and you are going to make that happen. I just need you to tutor-”

“Not happening.” Eddie and you say in unison. 

You both look at each other and then back at Miss O’Donnell.

“He can’t afford my rate Miss O’Donnell and I doubt he’d listen.” you retort.

“I’ll make sure you get to take the Spanish two credit exam.” She says.

You give Eddie a once over and think about what happened earlier. 

“Universities won’t blink an eye at that. Let me take the Spanish two and three credit exams, and we will have a deal.” you say. 

She relents and gives a hopeless, “Yes.” 

“Wait don’t I get a say in this?” Eddie says 

“No, you either take lessons and get your less than deserving D, or you fail and repeat senior year again.” Miss O’Donnell says. 

He sticks his hand out, “Happy to do business with you Freshman.” 

You slap his hand away, “We meet in the Library after school.” 

Later during your free period you were pouring over your copy over The Master Rules developing your character further, when you decided to draw it. You started out with a basic body type and started adding details from one of your earlier sketches. 

Eddie plants his hand down firmly on the table, “What are you doing young adventurer!”

You look up at him and flush a deep red and quickly stuff your pages into your book, putting it into your backpack.

“Oh come on, I already saw it. I know you play Dungeons and Dragons.” he made a small flourish with his hands.

You breathed out a steady stream of air and pulled out your Spanish textbook. 

“You are early.” you reply curtly.

He snorted, “Yeah, I have Hellfire club tonight, I can't miss it and neither can you”  

You begin flipping through the textbook and pull out a set of flashcards.

“Come on, we need a sub for tonight's game. My little Freshman minions couldn’t find a replacement for their friend, and you’ll do perfect.” he implores.

 Someone is finally noticing you and all you want to do is run and hide. Tuck yourself back into the corner of the library and fit yourself right between the pages of The Hobbit.

“Fine, I will join for this session.” you say pointedly, “The only way I’ll come back is if the game is actually good. And you come to tutoring and actually make progress.” 

He sticks his hand out, “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

You take his hand and shake it this time. It feels kinda liberating to be noticed .

-EXTRA-

You trail behind him on the way to Hellfire Club.  

“About that Freshman thing.” you mumble. 

“Oh that,” He says, “yeah I know your senior. I was just messing with you.” 

Your jaw drops open. He smiles at you. 

How long had he noticed you?

[sigmalied]

THOBM S1:E4

While I’m here I’d like to obnoxiously discuss why Episode 4 of Bly Manor is my favorite, regarding the portrayal of Dani’s inner struggle with her sexuality, through a point-by-point chronological analysis.

Part 1: First Flashback

The episode opens with a flashback to Dani’s childhood, revealing the owner of the glasses as Eddie. Dani says she needs to go home, but Eddie insists she stays. At this point, persuading her to stay is relatively innocent. Some day, it won’t be.

We then leap to the moments before Dani and Eddie’s rehearsal dinner. Eddie asks if she’s ready, and Dani hesitates, giving a weak “I think so,” which Eddie brushes off without much concern, perhaps chalking it up to stage fright.

Dani does not speak at the rehearsal, but Eddie does. In his speech, he reveals that Dani had to dare him to kiss her, presumably because she couldn’t do it herself. He calls her “Danielle”, never “Dani”. Additionally, Eddie spent their adolescence and early adulthood asking Dani to marry him, each time receiving a “no” until Dani finally caved in. Why Eddie is so surprised about being dumped later on is beyond me.

Eddie’s mom, Judy, catches Dani escaping the dance floor and gives Dani her old wedding dress. Dani holds the dress in front of herself before a mirror and Judy asks her to say, “Good morning, Mrs. O’Mara,” in reference to both the first time she met Dani, and Dani’s wedding day when that will also become her name, too.

During this segment, both Eddie and Judy insist that Dani knows what she wants. Judy even encourages her to speak her mind. This puts some responsibility on Dani for her predicament, and it’s not entirely undue. Dani is passive. She is trapped, yes, but she has also taken no measures toward freeing herself.

Part 2: Day of the Funeral

The flashback ends and Dani’s in her room at Bly, getting ready for Owen’s mom’s funeral. The timing of Dani remembering her impending wedding on the day of a FUNERAL is incredibly telling, as is the obvious link between Judy’s dress and Dani’s only black one.

Jamie comes in, and when Dani expresses her reservations Jamie doesn’t pressure her to go if she’s not comfortable doing so. Jamie’s, “I don’t need you to be my date to Owen’s mom’s funeral” suggests they’ve discussed going together, probably sometime that same morning, but Jamie doesn’t trap her in that arrangement. She readily gives Dani a way out and doesn’t shame her about it. (Compare to Eddie and Dani before the rehearsal).

Dani asks Jamie to help her out of the black dress (just the zipper!). The point of this isn’t merely sexual tension, it’s also symbolic of Jamie freeing Dani from a life she equates with death. Eddie’s specter shows up, right on schedule, to guilt Dani for her intimacy with Jamie.

Part 3: The Kitchen & Dani’s Nervous Episode

Jamie returns from the funeral to find Hannah, Dani, and the kids preparing supper in the kitchen. Jamie eerily foreshadows the struggle she and Dani will face in their future relationship, as well as her own character development, when she discusses care for someone with a terminal condition.

Jamie catches Dani staring at her. Dani averts her gaze but keeps glancing back even as she approaches the kitchen sink. Eddie makes an appearance, as expected, and it thoroughly rattles Dani because his form has become physical as he places his hands on her hips. (It may be somewhat of a stretch, but the physicality of Eddie might imply that Dani's private thoughts toward Jamie were trending toward the ‘physical’). She excuses herself in a panic; it’s all coming to a head because she’s starting to realize what this means for herself.

Part 4: Second Flashback

Dani’s getting Judy’s old wedding dress fitted. Judy and her own mother watch. For such a short scene, this one is DENSE. Allow me to draw your attention to a few spicy quotes: “Luckily, Danielle does not share my taste in men.” - Dani’s mother. “Well, lucky for Edmund; he’s the lucky one in this equation...” - Judy. “Danielle’s father helped pick [my dress] out, and look how THAT turned out.” - Dani’s mother. Everything here has double meaning. From the obvious implication that Dani doesn’t have a taste in men at all, to the more subtler “THAT” referring to both Dani’s mom’s bad marriage and how Dani ‘turned out’ (to be non-heterosexual).

The tailor flirts with Dani. Or seems to. Either way, Dani hones in on it; how she compliments her shoulders, gives her a smile, lets a hand linger on her lower back. Dani sees their reflections together in the mirror.

When Dani resurfaces from this flashback she looks solemn, even grim, with realization. She’s still looking at Jamie, but now she understands why.

Part 5: Third Flashback & The Bonfire

Dani joins Jamie, Owen, and Hannah for a bonfire outside. She spaces out and recalls the night Eddie died. They went to dinner that night. Dani nervously bites her fingernails and Eddie says, “Hey, easy. You’re going to hurt yourself.” Dani replies, “I’m sorry. I keep trying to stop.” Some more subtext there. It should also be pointed out that Eddie doesn’t even ask what’s wrong, or if she’s okay. He just assumes it’s the stress of planning their wedding. Little does he know, Dani’s about to break up with him. She almost doesn’t, at first. She tip-toes around it. “I thought I wanted it. I wanted to want it... [there’s] so many people to let down...” Then Eddie says, “For a second it almost sounded like you didn’t want to get married at all,” and the opportunity is finally right in front her, put in words, because she hasn’t been able to do it herself.

They talk in the car. Dani says she didn’t want to hurt anyone, because she still loves Eddie, just not like that. “And it’s just what we were doing... If I could just stick it out, eventually I would feel how I was supposed to.” They’ve been physically intimate, but Dani’s been unable to feel any emotional connection.

Angry and hurt, Eddie exits the car, gets hit by a truck, and dies. This is the source of the guilt that haunts Dani. She blames everything on herself. If she had just married him, or had the guts to be truthful about herself earlier, Eddie would still be alive. This is her flawed logic, and it sabotages her every time she tries to move forward. She sees Eddie in reflections because she can’t bear to confront herself.

Back at the bonfire, they toast the dead. Jamie toasts the late Wingraves. Dani, too, surprisingly. What’s important is that she praises who Dani is: “a bit of a weirdo, but stronger than she thinks”. It’s brief, but significant when you contrast it with Eddie’s speech at the dinner rehearsal, where he gives no real indication that he even knows who Dani is. To him, Dani is Danielle, “this amazing, beautiful girl” and while those are nice things to say, he speaks nothing of Dani’s character. 

Part 6: The Greenhouse

Dani and Jamie sneak away to the greenhouse, where Dani elaborates about her fiance and confesses how she still ‘sees’ him. Jamie doesn’t say she’s crazy, instead focusing on what matters: that Dani’s surviving. Jamie knows grief and trauma. She knows how it can fuck people up in different ways, from first-hand experience. It’s acceptance and the peace of being heard and seen that compels Dani to kiss her. She doesn’t have to dare Jamie, she doesn’t passively wait for it to happen, no, she takes the initiative to make a move first because for the first time possibly ever, Dani knows what she wants. But her guilt’s still there. It ruins the moment when she sees Eddie again.

Part 7: Drunk Dani Putting the Past to Rest

After drinking courage into herself and nearly getting fucking bodied by Viola on her way out, Dani tosses Eddie’s glasses into the bonfire and confronts his ghost a final time. She knows what she wants, but she first needs to make peace with the past and with herself. 

In conclusion: This episode was a true delight from a critical point of view. Dani’s journey from realization to self-acceptance was filled with subtlety and heart the whole way through and I had such a good time picking out the parallels, subtext, and symbolism. I know S1:E9 is probably more popular, because yeah, that all happened, but S1:E4 was so well-written, personally relevant, and teeming with storytelling devices that the writer in me could not for a second consider any other entry as my favorite episode of the season.

[dyketectivecomics]

Heres a request - write smth nice for yourself involving ur favs for ur birthday <33

this was licherally way too wide open for a request dinu fjdskfl;a, so im gonna take this as a normal ask and just ramble a little abt my new NF pitch bc I want to see DC make it one day or at the v least i’ll keep speaking into existence until i can bully them into letting me write for it fjkldasf;

Okay, I know in my fic & speculations i keep expanding the cast to include a lot of characters i love, but I think esp for the purposes of like, an on-going series/possible show/cartoon, I’d want to cast to be relatively small & contained. SO, the line-up (which i’m capping off MLP-style at only 6 characters max) is:

Raven, (OBVSILY, shes the Leader & audience lead-in, since she’s the one that’s had the most exposure)

Zach, Traci, Klarion & Lori (bc they were so Involved and simultaneously are the more Established characters relative to Skye and Roberto, who were for all intents and purposes were Marv’s OCs and while I COULD make an argument to include them, I’d hold off on re-using them too soon, esp if this might end up being something that takes a few years to get off the ground)

and finally Eddie to round out the group, bc even tho he was only briefly in DoD, he’s still a much more established character & would be an excellent foil to a lot of these kids as one of the few who’s been a Full Sidekick & who’s been heroing for quite some time

so this is where I start to diverge a bit, bc in my show bible, I’m absolutely gonna wanna pitch this thing as a Monster-of-the-week, character driven action show. not as much plot, but a lot of heart at the start and something that can then be developed further as time goes on. you can throw in both supernatural creatures and cryptids and have some fun with these kids, just, exploring diff environments psuedo-scooby style or them bonding totally separate from the supernatural stuff & it running into them against the odds lmao, but not too many other Evil™ mystics to fight, as WB animation/tv trying to obtain rights to use certain characters seems to be a little... fraught. better to stick with something that focuses first on the characters that are absolutely needed to make the show work in the first place

but anyways for a comic run, I would want to hit the ground running on making a vague callback/recap of Winters trying to re-form a NF team with these kids, them breaking off from him immediately at the conclusion of their first ‘mission’, and then the rest of the series being about them taking on various supernatural quests. again, could throw in monsters, but moreso would use those Actual Mystics a lot more often though, given that editorial seems to allow more freedom with regards to characters that you can use, again compared to animation/tv. would also be a lot better of an opportunity to bring in JLD/shadowpact nods/characters/team-ups and just!!!!

idk, i have a lot of littler ideas too, and i’m still trying to distill what I love abt these characters into an appropriate pitch bc ya can’t have these things if you dont at least Plan for em yknow?

[aion-rsa]

Coming 2 America: How Wesley Snipes Got Into Rhythm with Eddie Murphy

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem left his prospective queen to go to America in Coming to America. And he didn’t even have the good grace to leave her at the altar either. Rather she was dismissed while still barking like a dog (under the prince’s orders). The princess and her brother, General Izzi (Wesley Snipes) never forgot. And in Coming 2 America, he’s prepared to go to war over it.

Snipes may be most beloved to certain audiences as the half-vampire martial arts master in the Blade superhero movies. But his comic chops are supernatural. From 1989’s Major League through White Men Can’t Jump, and To Wong Foo, and Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, his choices are fearless and his timing is fierce.

This coalesced in his impatiently poignant turn as D’Urville Martin, who directed Murphy’s Rudy Ray Moore in the film within the film Dolemite is My Name. The pair are at odds again in Coming 2 America. Wesley Snipes talked with Den of Geek about revisiting an iconic classic comedy, and the art of cinematic challenges, from the superhero variety to his all-time classic work in gangster cinema like New Jack City.

Den of Geek: I have been a fan since your character Willie Mays Hayes in Major League, and you stole that movie like it was second base.

Wesley Snipes: How did it go, “Play like Mays, but run like Hayes?”

And you were definitely MVP on Dolemite. Is it easier to capture that “cinemagical” reality when you’re working back-to-back on two films with the same actor, like you’ve now done with Eddie Murphy?

Yeah. It makes it a lot easier. It makes it a lot easier. You begin to harmonize with the rhythms and the style, and you get a little more comfortable after the first one. So you get to create more and expand on that creativity, have a lot of fun with it and then also push the envelope of your skills and see where you’re at.

Does the give-and-take become like a sport?

An art is the expression of the art. I would say that the competition is with yourself, the mastery of the skills, like as a martial artist or as an archer. It transcends just the other person. It’s about your relationship with the art form itself and what you find in that mirror, right? And it just so happens, when it works well, you’re in the company of others who are also doing the same thing.

So how did you first meet Eddie and how did you get involved in Coming 2 America? Were you a fan of the original film?

Yeah, I had this girlfriend and everything was going well. And then, Eddie Murphy did a movie. I was in a restaurant one day and I went to the bathroom, came back and my girl was sitting there at Eddie Murphy’s table. Yeah, that was pretty much how we met. The whole internet was like, “Eddie Murphy stole Wesley Snipes’ girlfriend!” It’s not true. It’s a joke. It is a joke, it’s not true.

No actually, we know each other from New York. And during those days also Def Jam was big, big. A lot of musicians had restaurants and little spots and cafes, lounges. I think we met first in one of the lounges. I actually think I met Charlie first before I met Eddie. Yeah, in a club in New York.

What was the key to General Izzi? And where did you get your royal gait for that film?

I think the key to General Izzi is his rhythm, his sense of rhythm. He, like the animals, moves with rhythm and tries to blend in with the rhythms of energy, rhythms of life. And then that embodies that shapes how he talks and how he sees himself. It was grand and beautiful, like a peacock with rhythm, a dancing peacock.

Were you tempted to ask about playing any of the extreme makeup characters that Eddie and Arsenio do?

Wow. I would love to do something like this… Oh man, yeah, throw me in. I’d be another guy. Somebody else in a barber shop and [I’d] do two of them. Definitely. I’d love to do it with an accent too. Like, I do something in French, but everything I’m saying is complete gibberish. [Does a faux French run]. Stuff like that, and he was like, “He didn’t say shit!”

I also cover What We Do in the Shadows. When you appeared, you did it via video chat. Were you warning us about social distancing?

I was, I was. As frustrated as he was, yes. You caught that. Very good. It worked. I told you, I tell you there’s a virus out there. I told you!

You said in the past that you’re flattered Mahershala Ali is carrying on the role of Blade. Have you talked to him at all about taking on the role?

No, he hasn’t called me. We haven’t talked about characterizations or how he should play it or anything like that. I can’t imagine that call ever coming in. That would be really strange. But we did communicate about how much we appreciate each other’s work, and how I’m comfortable with saying, ‘Hey man, go rock it, baby. If you got it, do it.’ It ain’t gonna be easy. There’s a whole lot of it that you don’t know [with] them action movies. Everybody ain’t cut like that. They ain’t made for it. But if you got it, let’s go. I got your back 1,000 percent. Let’s go.”

You had a vision for a Black Panther movie back in the way, which at some point included Mario Van Peebles and John Singleton. 

As writers, yeah. They were considered the two of the directors that were considered. Yeah.

Did you find a similar feel in Ryan Coogler’s film to what you saw in your head?

My initial idea was closer to Ryan Coogler’s expression. Yes. That was the idea because that’s what’s closest to the comic book and the idea of using vibranium for extra non-invasive operations, surgeries. This was all written in the original comics, a society that was cloaked and was a high society, highly technical. It had a nice balance between technology and nature. Oh, man, that was the vision, but we had no Pixar. We had no Pentiums. We had none of that in those days.

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I want to ask a question for myself. New Jack City is in my top 10 movies of all time.

Straight gangster, straight gangster.

Nino Brown to me is very much like Humphrey Bogart’s Baby Face Martin in Dead End. What do you pick up from the old classic actors that you still use in your on screen performances?

Oh yeah, man. It’s the body language. It’s the relationship with the camera. Their understanding of how to turn, how to position themselves. How to stand a certain way and deliver the line in a way that wasn’t awkward because the posture is cinematic, it’s photographic, cinemalogical, as they would say.

But it was straight gangster, straight gangster, and also how they would act and do action in character. They would play the characters and play the action like the character, not as an actor doing an action scene now. Yeah.

Are there any more superhero movies or franchises in your future that you’re looking at?

We hope so. Of course we’ve developed some wonderful things internally with Mondi House. I think you recall my book Talon of God is kind of cinematic, set as a cinematic horror film, action film. And that’s something that we’re looking to put into production as well. So whether we work with Marvel or we want to work with the Marvelettes, we’ll be ready in a way.

I see you as an actor who has special relationships with directors. You’ve done multiple films with Spike Lee from the earliest films to Chi-Raq. What directors challenge you in the best ways?

The ones who have a real appreciation for the craft and a good sense of story. Appreciation for the craft [means] preparation, sensitivity around what it takes to craft a great character, and to pull off a great performance that’s like The Godfather [movies] of the world. Not all of the directors have this, not all of them even care.

And then those who have a good sense of story and narrative that can help find authenticity or keep continuity with the rules that have been set, even if it’s action. Once you set the rules and you tell the audience, “These are the rules,” then you stick to them. And the best of the ones I’ve worked with know how to do that very well.

Coming 2 America will hit Amazon Prime Video on March 5.

The post Coming 2 America: How Wesley Snipes Got Into Rhythm with Eddie Murphy appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3q6BH3u

[junker-town]

AEW’s Stadium Stampede Match was your favorite cheesy sports movie, but better

AEW held a giant brawl in the Jaguars’ stadium and it was glorious.

Professional wrestling is the only sport where you can show up on horseback, throw your opponent into a pool, and dive off an NFL goalpost. This week, James Dator and Hector Diaz look back at AEW’s Stadium Stampede Match, which featured 10 wrestlers facing off in an empty TIAA Bank Field.

James Dator: Everything about the Stadium Stampede Match was so perfectly ridiculous. I’ve been watching wrestling for damn-near 30 years, and I can’t recall the last time I had a grin from ear-to-ear for an entire match.

Hector Diaz: Having a wrestling match in an empty NFL stadium is inherently absurd, so I’m glad they committed to the bit. We had one team, Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle, walk out as if they were football players complete with matching uniforms. The ring was set up at the 50-yard line with the end zones painted with the team logos. The Jacksonville Jaguars mascot, Jaxson de Ville, showed up and get beaten up by a wrestling legend. And we even had one wrestler, Adam Page, make his grand entrance by walking out of the tunnel on horseback.

Pro wrestling is thriving.

JD: I love how everything was broken up into vignettes. We had all these weird sub stories baked into a wrestling match — and while some of them didn’t make sense (like Page and Hager having a drink together) my belief was sho wholly suspended I just enjoyed the ride. Having a ring in the middle of the field felt like it was there because it had to be. Not like anyone wanted it there. This is all before we get to the fourth-wall chattering “Matt Facts” chyron, which somehow Santana and Ortiz could read.

HD: The entire match is fantastic for that reason. It had something for fans who keep up with everything pro wrestling and for casual fans who could enjoy the zaniness of it all. Matt Hardy getting dunked into the TIAA Bank Field swimming pool and emerging as reincarnated versions of himself works well if you know his start as one of the Hardy Boyz and his evolution into Matt Hardy Version 1 in WWE. But if you don’t know Hardy’s career, you can still laugh at his maniacal breaking of the fourth wall while he gave the underwater camera a thumbs up while his Santana and Ortiz stick his head in the water. Reading the on-screen graphics worked so well by itself too.

On that note, the comedic MVP of this match is surely Sammy Guevara, right?

JD: Oh, absolutely. Let’s face it, they’ve struck gold with Sammy Guevara. It took a little bit of time for them to find a place for him, but looking back, placing him in The Inner Circle might be their MVP move as a company. Not only has he grown so much from working with Chris Jericho, but he’s the total package. Amazing in the ring, and really “gets it” outside of it. At 22 years old he has the skills of someone twice his age — and that’s a testament to his development. They can keep him in the understudy role for YEARS if needed, and whenever he emerges he’ll be a top star.

Honestly, I see all the Eddie Guerrero comparisons, which I understand, but to me his career trajectory is almost identical to The Rock when he was put in “The Nation of Domination” early in his career.

HD: That’s a pretty fair comparison though I have to say The Rock never got ran over by a golf cart on two separate occasions, ran away from a dang horse, or was dragged 100 yards on a football field via a series of Northern Lights Suplexes.

JD: Well yes, sure ... if we’re going to get picky about it. What was your single favorite moment of the match?

HD: My favorite part has to be the incredibly cheesy moment between Adam Page and Jake Hagar. The two were supposed to be fighting it out and instead ended up at a bar to drink together in silence — until they realized they were supposed to be enemies. Then they actually threw hands and we got the fantastic moment of Hagar literally dragging Page across the bar counter as if it was a Slip N’ Slide. This was something out of a corny western and I couldn’t love it more.

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And then there’s the added bonus of Kenny Omega showing up. He and Page kept grabbing nearby glass bottles and breaking them on Hagar’s head. Yes, the bottles were obvious movie props but that’s the point. The wrestlers know this is all ridiculous, so why not let the fans in on it just a bit more.

What was your favorite part of the match?

JD: It had to be Matt Hardy. It gave me the warm and fuzzies. We know he loves weird stuff. We know he loves to break apart wrestling and lampoon himself in the process — and while nothing he did we new, it was beautiful to see it on such a large stage with so many people who clearly bought in. It didn’t feel like he needed to convince the guys working with him to go with the weirdness, they were thrilled to. The looks of shock on Santana and Ortiz’s faces reading the Matt Fact that he could hold his breath for over 300 seconds was just beautiful.

It makes me excited to see what the future brings for his character in AEW — and he has a new drone friend!

HD: As much as we’ve been lauding the cheesy moments from this match, you also have to give credit to the wrestlers who did some high-flying moves. Matt Jackson climbed the goalpost and did a moonsault to the end zone. I never thought I would see something like that. And he did it with a broken rib!

That plus the match-ending move where Kenny Omega hit the One-Winged Angel on Sammy Guevara from the top of the tunnel to the field was tremendous.

JD: That One-Winged Angel was so terrifying and so perfect. You’re right though. We remember the cheese, because it’s unusual — but the wrestling itself was really solid on top of it all.

This wasn’t a sloppy, old-school hardcore match we saw during the Monday Night Wars. It was a really well wrestled match, which happened to have all the B-movie moments weaved in.

HD: And the B-movie moments are what has made pro wrestling stand out in the middle of this pandemic. Just look to what WWE did at WrestleMania with its cinematic Boneyard Match. Pro wrestling already includes some choreographed fighting, so the extension of that is transforming into an action movie. Having said that, it’s going to be hard to top the Stadium Stampede match.

JD: It was something really special. When you have a wrestling match you want to show to non-wrestling fans you know you’re onto something. I watched with a group of friends, one of whom doesn’t care about wrestling at all, and she came away from that match laughing uncontrollably and saying “I get it now.” That’s exactly what you want.

Top to bottom it was a really great show. Stories are set up for months now, and I’m dying to see what Brodie Lee does next, where the TNT title goes, and how the women’s division shapes up with Shida as champion. It was all *chef’s kiss.*

[blackbatpurplecat]

My Thoughts on “Fractured Mask”

Guess who has finally played The Enemy Within episode 3???

And it was the best BatCat stuff I’ve seen since... well, season 1 episode 3. Fucking LOVED IT!!!

Warning: SPOILERS ahead!

So what’s the plot?

After Catwoman turned out to be the last member of the Pact in episode 2, she and Bruce play the “hi, we’ve never met before” game in front of everyone. Selina came back with a device to scan Riddler’s eyes (called it!) and turn the scans into glasses. According to Harley, who actually comes back covered in blood (wow, that consequence had like... zero consequences), they still don’t know the location of the “super secret black site filled with super secret lab stuff” they want to hit so they’re gonna need Riddler’s eyes to unlock his laptop for more information. Harley sends Bruce and Joker to Eddie’s hideout for more details and Bruce invites Catwoman along, hoping for a quiet moment to talk to her.

At the hideout, Bruce solves another riddle which reveals a secret elevator. He and Selina take it down to a computer. It gives them the keywords “SANCTUS” and “Project Lotus” but also demands to scan Eddie’s eyes. Since they don’t have the glasses yet, the thing implodes. But Bruce manages to save a USB stick with the decrypter on it.

Things escalate quickly however when Selina starts blaming herself for her friend Riddler’s death and his attack on Lucius. She plans to get revenge her own way and after an exciting and sexy fight between her and Bruce who’s trying to stop her, she flees with the stick, exclaiming that she’ll steal Harley’s laptop. Joker is not happy that Bruce had shared confidential information with Catwoman and thinks about ratting him out. He feels torn between his best friend and the woman he loves and asks Bruce how to have with Harley what Bruce has with Catwoman. Bruce promises he’ll help Joker with Harley if Joker steals the laptop for him.

The Bat signal pops up in the sky and Batman meets up with Gordon. Our favorite commissioner wants Batman to bring in Bruce Wayne since Fox was apparently involved in some shady stuff, Bruce had lead Harley and Joker around WE, and Bullock saw Bruce break into Eddie’s hideout. When Batman refuses, Gordon plans to take in Catwoman. So the player can decide to either let Gordon strike or warn Selina. You don’t need three guesses to know which option I chose. 

Joker shows up on the roof, calling himself a fan and offering his help: he’ll steal Eddie’s laptop in exchange for amnesty for Harley. Batsy can’t make promises regarding Harley but will expect the laptop from Joker. However, when Joker tries to steal it, it’s already gone. Bruce receives a nice photo of Catwoman with the laptop so he corners her on their first rooftop. After another little fight, Batsy ends up with the laptop while Catwoman still has the USB stick. In exchange for the stick, Batsy offers her his heart and partnership. They make out and Batsy takes her to the Batcave to decrypt the laptop.

They find video footage of a virus the Agency had been testing on humans as well as the location of the black site: a spa. Selina goes back to the Pact to stall Harley while Bruce meets up with Waller at WE. At his office, he runs into Tiffany Fox who had called the cops to arrest Bruce. Luckily, Waller shows up and “saves” Bruce but also fires Gordon. Before talking to Waller, Bruce reveals his biggest secret to a remorseful Tiffany who immediately wants to help the Bat. Waller claims the human experiments were before her time and that division had been shut down. However, now that they’re back, they’re more dangerous than ever and Bruce is supposed to lead Harley right to them so the Agency can take down both the Pact and SANCTUS.

Bruce heads over to the spa but runs into Bane who had been following him. Bane realizes that Bruce’s been the mole who had tipped off the Agency in episode 2, knocks him out, and drags him back to Harley. She pretends that she had sent Bruce to scout the location and talks to him in private. She threatens to hurt Tiffany, and demands the truth about the laptop and the mole. Now Bruce has two options, either accuse Catwoman or admit that it had been him. Being a good boyfriend, I took the blame. So Bruce ends up in Freeze’s deadly fridge container while the Pact and a captured but pardoned Catwoman leave for the spa.

FUCKING LOVED THIS EPISODE BECAUSE OF ALL THE BATCAT!!!

First off, Selina, you can’t kick Bruce in the balls! You just don’t do that! Come on, don’t damage the goods!

They have updated Selina’s design!!! Now she has blacker and slightly longer hair, BEAUTIFUL GREEN EYES!!!, and purple details all around her like purple nails, purple shoes, and a purple hair tie. I LOVE HER SO MUCH.

The BatCat scenes were fantastic. If you played it right, you got lots of smooching and cuddling. If they break them up at the end of episode 5, I... I don’t know what I will do but it will be ugly. Do NOT fuck this up, Telltale Games! I also realized that I’d be a terrible Batman. All I was focused on was getting Selina to love me, nothing else mattered.

Selina commenting on Bruce’s skilled hands...  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

A cute detail I noticed: My Gordon greeted me with a nicotine patch because I had kept telling him that smoking would kill him! That was such an adorable moment!

Seeing Bullock making his debut was awesome! His design was clearly created after BTAS’ Bullock.

That one visual joke, the reveal after the closeups of Joker’s and Bruce’s eyes. I was laughing so hard! Also when Bruce whispers “That’s the same thing” behind Bane’s back, that was SO funny!

I’m so happy that I could FINALLY tell Tiffany that I was Batman. I’d wanted to do that since episode 1. She deserves the truth and Bruce can certainly use a clever girl like her in his inner circle.

I have NO idea how I’ll survive two months! I need to know how Bruce will get out of that ice chamber. I was almost expecting the cheesy narrator from 1966 Batman, “How will the uncaped Crusader get out of this one?” Maybe Selina comes back? Or Joker? Waller? Maybe Bruce can tip the thing and break out? I’m so on the edge!

This was a more talk-y, less do-y episode but I really didn’t mind. You can’t have action all the time, you need calm moments for character development and to just breathe for a minute. And if the options are ACTION AND FIGHTING and BatCat talking about how much they’d missed each other, I will ALWAYS pick the latter! And YES, Selina admits that she’d been thinking about Bruce but he shouldn’t read too much into it. Bruce smirked and I was like “BIATCH I READ AS MUCH INTO THAT AS I WANT I WILL READ EVERYTHING INTO THAT AND YOU WONT STOP ME!!!!”

All in all a wonderful episode for BatCat shippers!

[robbyrobinson]

What I Want to See from the Loud House

When I was a kid I loved cartoons. Now, I'm not going to be that guy and say that all 90s cartoons were amazing, when clearly not all shows airing at that time were smash hits. I was a frequent watcher of Cartoon Network where I could find an assortment of cartoons to watch ranging from Ed, Edd n Eddy, Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, the list goes on. However, that was nothing compared to Nickelodeon. I was a Nicktoon fanatic to the point that you could say that it was my religion. Everything from Hey Arnold to Rugrats, I fondly remembered all of the episodes even to this very day. That was how much cartoons shaped my childhood. To me, the last good show on Nick was Avatar: the Last Airbender, and once that ended, I was slowly turned off by the network. I even had wanted to be a cartoonist so that I could work for Nickelodeon one day. Well, that was until someone (whom I will not name) over at deviantART said that they could do better, and I found out how Nick treated its employees. I mean just look at what the network did to C. H. Greenblatt - creator of the show Harvey Beaks a show that I had neglected to watch.

I hadn't really watched cartoons for years. After graduating from high school, my interest in the genre reignited when I turned my attention over to Cartoon Network. After it had went through a few changes, they released Adventure Time. Now, I watched the show for quite some time, and I grew to love it, though admittedly, it was going down in the most recent of years. And then came Steven Universe. I had kept myself off of the show for a few years, because I felt that it would suck. However, I decided to give it a try one day, and I grew to love it. I loved the characters, the songs, the animation...my only complaint is that its schedule is extremely sketchy. I also began to watch Gravity Falls, only to realize that the show was to end before I could get into it. After the show ended, I began to watch Wander Over Yonder, but it was to be canceled, not because of low ratings, but because the network thought that eighty episodes were enough. The current show I'm watching on Disney XD is Star vs. the Forces of Evil, which is actually pretty good.

Unfortunately, I could not say the same for Nickelodeon. My childhood television network was going down in quality as it was made more evident that the executives conducting the station valued quantity over quality. Several of their past cartoons were crappy, even though they would make a huge deal about them by promoting them. However, if a show didn't turn out to be a smash hit, the studio would immediately forget it, and condemn it to Nicktoons Network, which is practically a death sentence for any cartoon. My heart was broken into millions of pieces at seeing the condition of the network, so I decided to swear myself off of any of its shows for good. That is, until I saw the promotions for the Loud House. I didn't watch the show then, because it seemed to be another bomb that Nick would desperately try to remove posthaste. Sometime after seeing the announcements, one of my watchers requested for me to draw some characters from the series. Since I had no idea who any of those characters were, I went to good ol' Google for reference. I was fascinated by their designs. They seemed simple, yes, but I also admired the comic strip style animation. Whilst browsing through the channels to see what to watch, I came upon the Loud House yet again. Seeing as their wasn't anything else good to watch anyway, I thought, what the hey, let's give this a watch. Sure enough, it was "The Butterfly Effect." You know, that episode where Lincoln accidentally wrecks Lisa's experiment causing all hell to break loose? Well, that was my introduction to the show. To be perfectly honest, I actually really enjoyed the episode in question. Yes, I know that this episode is divisive to other fans of the show, but I hold this episode close to my heart. If the episode was trying to reel me in to check out more of the series, I can gladly say that it succeeded with flying colors.

I immediately fell in love with all of the characters. I could actually see myself relating to Lincoln in a few ways. Much like Lincoln, sometimes I feel like a burden, and that there isn't anything special about me. I tried to be an artist only to be told that I was mediocre, I tried to be a writer, but hardly anyone reads what I write. This was the problem that I have had on my deviantART account. I do draw quite often, though I won't say what type of drawings I do. Needless to say, many people began to watch me, because I appealed to their urges. However, I didn't want to be known as the guy who did that type of work, so I began to review episodes from the series to garner their interests. Unfortunately, they didn't express my affection for the show; some even stopped watching me because I no longer did what they wanted. Just recently, I asked that deviant who dissed my art those years ago on whether I improved. He told me that I slightly did. I shouldn't have cared about his opinion, but I did. I wanted to prove that I was a competent artist, only to be told that for all of my efforts, I made slight improvement. I even did drawings for the jerk, and he never thanked me for any of it. Because of all this, I felt that I was a failure at everything I did, because no matter what I did, I knew that there was always someone better. As such, I actually did feel sympathetic towards Lincoln's plight in "Making the Case," though I did not approve of him secretly video taping his sisters. I also loved the show, because truth be told, I am an only child. I always wanted a younger sibling because I always felt mighty lonely. However, I do have baby cousins that look up to me as though I were their big brother, so that's a plus.

I can go on and on about how whenever I'm feeling down, the show almost always manages to lift my spirits. I seriously get giddy every time that upbeat theme song plays. However, I am not going to do that. While I enjoy the show, there are some glaring problems that I have with the series. Well, not glaring as that would suggest that it ruins the show for me. I meant it more as there is some room for improvement. Without further ado, here's what I want to see from the Loud House.

What I Want to See from LH

No More Lincoln Torture Episodes: This goes without saying. Basically, this is the equivalent to the infamous Squidward torture episodes. Normally, Lincoln ends up getting the short end of the stick, but there are some episodes that take this too far. I know that I may be in the minority, but I actually kind of liked "Girl Guru" and the "Longest Yard." (guns are pulled) OK, before you shoot, I'd like to explain why I do. Both episodes had Lincoln be in the wrong, thereby the punishment he receives in the end was justified. Many forget that in "The Loudest Yard," Lincoln was a lazy bum who took advantage of Lynn so that he wouldn't be made to play foot ball. Granted, Lynn didn't mind, but still. And in "Girl Guru," Lincoln gave terrible advice on how to get girls, so again, he set himself up for a fall. These two episodes I have no problem with. But then there's episodes like "Sounds of Silence" in which his sisters make up stories about Lola, and what was Lincoln's crime? He was wanting some peace and quiet so that he could read his comic books. That's it. I mean I understand that you shouldn't ignore family, but everyone wants some quiet now and again. They also make Lincoln do demeaning stuff just so he could be on Lola's good side. While that was bad, "Garbage House" was even worse: for one, Lincoln is never made aware of the "sister protocol." I don't get that; Lincoln is a member of the family, and yet he doesn't know anything about it? Even Bobby knows about the protocol, so why is Lincoln the only one in the dark? Lincoln is prohibited from going into the kitchen to get a snack, he couldn't even watch television (he also gets pummeled in his attempt of getting the remote), and the bathroom is off limits. The episode wants you to see Lincoln as a villain for trying to get involved, but he clearly was not in the wrong in this episode. They even make him idiotic as he was incapable of solving their problem when in countless episodes, Lincoln was the first one to come up with a solution. He was even kicked out of his own room for little to no reason, and he is cruelly told by his sisters that they solved their problem the moment he left. This episode made me lose any respect I had for them as they fought over meaningless things. As to keep my sanity together, I'll leave it at that. Overall, I want the series to stop punishing Lincoln if he didn't do anything to deserve the repercussion. It's not funny, it is irritating, and it only makes me feel more sorry for Linc.

More Character Development: Now, don't get me wrong, I love all of the characters. Nearly all of them have interesting personalities, and they are genuinely entertaining. However, what's more to say about them? Take Luan, for example. She's the comedian, yes, but is there anything else to her? What about Lucy? The characters suffer from the fact that they're one-dimensional. They have unique personalities, yes, but their character shouldn't be defined by just that. This is where the premise of the show is the problem. Eleven siblings having to share one house is promising in theory, but the Loud House suffers from the fact that it boasts a large cast of characters. Because of this, they really don't have time to develop the characters, or add more depth to their character traits. Well, in "For Bros About to Rock," it does actually give some insight into Luna's love for music, but that's besides the point. A character should be defined by their depth, not just their traits.

Stop Rehashing Plots and Morals: Another problem I noticed with the show. In my previous blog, I mentioned how while I loved "Back in Black," its moral was "always be yourself." While this is an important lesson to learn, they had already used that lesson in "Toads and Tiaras" in which Lincoln tried to change Lana into something that she was not only to realize how wrong he was. This is the same idea that "BIB" has going for it; Lucy tries to change herself to win this boy's affection, when he really liked her for herself. Additionally, the episode's ending was predictable. Heck, I would've bet a huge sum of money if I was proven wrong. Or then there's the episodes where a sibling pretends to be the other. Wow, how original! This is my main fear for the show. The show is a fresh start for Nickelodeon, but whenever they recycle episodes or use the same obvious moral, it just screams that they're running out of ideas.

Give Minor Characters More Respect: Normally, we have episodes centered around Lincoln or one of his sisters. We've seen several episodes from their perspective is where I'm getting at. Once again, I do love all the characters, but I feel that more attention should be given to relatively minor characters. For instance, remember that episode in which Luna, Luan, and Lucy set Lincoln up on dates for the dance? I was actually intrigued with each of the girls, so much so, that I wanted to see more out of them. Or how about Maggie, the emo girl who was introduced in "Funny Business?" Despite appearing once, she's had several fan art dedicated to her. Heck, some fans even ship her with Luan even though I scarcely remember them sharing a line of dialogue with each other. Well, I guess this is one of those instances of the internet being itself. Besides her there was Haiku. I personally found her interactions with Clyde cute, especially when they bond over the fact that they both had unattainable love interests. In fact, why doesn't Clyde just drop Lori altogether and start a relationship with her? Start working on that fanfic, people! In all seriousness, I found myself liking the minor characters, and I wish that the show would do more with them.

Stop With the Running Gags: To me, some running gags work, some do not. Clyde nosebleeding and fainting in Lori's presence is funny at first, but over time it got old. I mean, really, sometimes I wish that the show had a crossover with Gravity Falls only so Dipper can talk to Clyde about giving up on Lori. Also, maybe cut back on the toilet humor surrounding Lily.

More Ronnie Anne: Once again I may be in the minority, but I actually like Ronnie Anne. Well, at the very least, I like her post-Heavy Meddle. I like how the show doesn't treat it as a big deal that she's in a relationship with Lincoln, and I also found myself liking their interactions with each other. As such, I would like to see more out of her.

If there is ever a sequel to "April Fools Rules," make it to where Luan gets punished, or is forced to dial back her pranks: I actually don't hate Luan. She's not my favorite of the Loud sisters, but she isn't my most disliked either. The only real time I was annoyed by her puns was in "Suite and Sour," but they normally get a chuckle out of me because of how bad they were. "April Fools Rules" is a divisive episode as it portrays Luan as a psychopath who has no regards for her family when April Fools Day comes a'knockin. While I didn't hate the episode myself, even I was horrified by how far Luan would go for a cheap laugh. Her pranks are well-thought out and crafted that even the Joker would be impressed. However, she never once thinks to tone down her pranks, and doesn't express any remorse if any of her family members got seriously hurt or maimed because of her pranks. She is also a total karma Houdini. Yeah, Ronnie Anne pelts her with a pie, but that's like giving a criminal a smack on the wrist and telling him to not do it again. Seriously, that was no punishment in all of the senses of the word. She costs her family possibly hundreds of dollars in damage, she is never held accountable for going too far, she never feels guilty for what she had done, etc. By all means, I can see why several LH fans hate her. Suppose that a sequel were to be made to the episode; how I see it, it can go in either two ways. Either Luan is forced to realize how destructive her pranks are by accidentally injuring one of her siblings, or they band together to take Luan down by beating her at her own game. A user had actually written a fanfic with the latter idea in mind. In it, Lincoln's arm gets mangled when one of Luan's failed pranks causes the refrigerator to fall on his arm. Unlike in the episode that the fanfic was based on, Luan actually feels guilty for harming Lincoln, and she promises to tone her pranks down. I don't want any of the characters to seriously get hurt, don't misinterpret what I'm saying. All I'm saying is that Luan needs to be made aware of how dangerous her pranks can get if she goes too far.