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loregoddess · 3 years ago

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as promised, my spoiler-free review of Triangle Strategy bc it’s the new Mina Harker Dracula, in that I’m not gonna shut up about it for several months at least. I will note this is probably, very likely, extremely biased bc this is easily getting a place with my “all time personal favorite games” bc it’s just, very much my type of game.

So, without further ado, the short up top, and the long (explanation) under the cut.

Mechanics: 19/20 Story: 49/50 Visuals and Aesthetics: 20/20 Music and Audio: 9/10 Total: 97/100, A+

Mechanically the game felt a bit clunky at first. The general interface for saving, advancing text, and so on, was all fine, but the battle UI mechanics and exploration camera took me several hours to break in and figure out how to use. I think what was happening was that I was just coming from a replay of Octopath, and I wanted the camera to be a fixed angle, due to the 2.5D graphics. Once I got out of the “this needs to be a fixed camera” mindset, I had an easier time with just, spinning the camera around like I would for any other 3D game’s camera. There were a few other hiccups with the battle UI, but mostly bc I wasn’t used to the interface and it wasn’t similar to past interfaces I’d used for this style of battle, and I adjusted to them eventually to the point where I wasn’t even thinking about how I was navigating the controls.

UI aside, the battle mechanics are actually fantastic, as things like height, weather, and terrain can greatly affect how much damage can be dealt or hos safe a unit was, which added a lot of depth to the strategy of planning battles. All playable characters are unique, with a unique class, weapon, and set of abilities, and this makes for some really interesting variety when deploying units. It’s possible to take on the same map with an entirely different team and have an different strategy that works just as effectively. I know there’s lots of tier lists about “best” characters to use in battle and whatnot, but I’m firmly of the belief there are no bad characters, just characters I haven’t figured out how to use and those I have. I was really impressed by the variety of battles as well, in that every objective was not simply a “kill every enemy on the map”, and the map variety also lent to a lot of creative thinking in how to navigate a battle.

The game also offers what’s probably the best New Game+ I’ve gotten to play with since New Game+ became a thing for some games. It took me a while to figure out some features aren’t accessible until a certain chapter, and some of the features were useless after I’d recruited all the optional side characters, but other features were really nice to have, especially if I wanted to clear the game for every single ending. It’s also theoretically possible to clear every single choice scenario, and every ending, in just four playthroughs as well (assuming I did my calculations correctly), and with each playthrough only taking about 45 hours average, maybe less if you skip parts, that’s really not too bad overall.

I just kinda wish that some of the “flavor text” type features (artworks, character stories, etc.) were available to view again somewhere, but considering how polished the rest of the game mechanics are, I’m not too disappointed.

The story was the heart and soul of this game, the entire experience works because of the narrative and the characters, which is why this category was weighed so heavily in my scoring. And I have to say, the writers delivered phenomenally. The story flow changes depending on the player’s choices and abilities to persuade characters to vote certain ways at critical junctures, making it so that each playthrough you can experience slightly (or completely) different story arcs. And all the choices feel like they have weight and impact on the story, there very rarely feels like there’s a “right” choice or a “best” choice, which feels appropriate for a story with a wartime setting. Events are given a certain gravity, and while there are some lighthearted moments here and there (or in optional story content), it never feels out of place or detracts from the seriousness of the overall narrative, but neither does the narrative ever feel too grimdark or overly dramatically depressing. There’s certainly the fair share of tragedy in the narrative, but ultimately, this is a story about hope, and I really do appreciate how the writers handled all the aspects of the main story.

My only gripes were with a certain character’s motivations at one point in the story (which I mean, they do, in a way, make sense after I got access to some other story content and thought real hard about it for a week, but it doesn’t stop the one event from feeling really out of character for the character in question); and with how...minimal a role all the side characters played. There’s a really interesting cast of side characters, but because they aren’t central to the plot and because of how their character stories were structured, it felt like I was missing out a lot on their potential characterization. As many issues as I have with how the writers of the FE games tend to handle the support conversations (they’re good, but sometimes there’s too many and it’s overwhelming and begins to detract from characterization, rather than lend to it), a system similar to that, with some modifications, might have alleviated the sheer underutilization of the potential for the side characters’ characterizations.

Considering the sheer amount of text in the game though, from main story text, to weird little books you can find and read, to the side characters, I can’t gripe too much about the narrative, because all things considered this was a massive undertaking of storytelling and the execution is damned good.

I could probably write a post on the visuals and aesthetics all unto itself, so I’ll keep this as short as I can, but visually the game is gorgeous. Compared to Octopath, from which Triangle Strategy takes a lot of it’s design cues, the lighting is significantly better, feeling more natural and “invisible” in the sense it blends with the world rather than feeling like there was a spotlight on the center of the camera’s view. The sprites are amazing, especially the attention to detail in the animation, like, I cannot in words express how gorgeous these sprites are. Like! This is a game that uses 2D sprites! Which are not known for their ability to show nuance in character expression, body language, etc. AND YET the team in charge of sprites made it possible for me to be able to tell which direction a character had their head turned, like that’s an insane feat to pull off when you’re working with like 20 pixels. And don’t even get me started on the emotion that the artists were able to work into some of the animations like? When characters hugged it looked like a hug, like it had visual weight and emotion. When characters cried, it really seemed like they were breaking down and crying. When you upgrade a character they get a new outfit, and when you upgrade their weapon, they get a new weapon, which is such a small detail but it’s one of my favorite art tropes even though I know it doesn’t get implemented a lot due to the strain of making the assets. Sure, a few movements and animations were reused, as is to be expected, but overall these are some of the most amazing sprite art and sprite animations I’ve ever seen implemented in a game.

And the game uses a lot of full illustrations for character art on the info screens, and design-wise there’s such a wide array of different characters, and the illustrations are gorgeous. Moreover, they don’t feel like they clash with the sprite aesthetics of the main game. The color palettes fell very thought-out and are implemented well for designs. I was a bit wary of the game going in the “evil dark-skinned people are the antagonists” trope, and while there are several dark-skinned antagonists, there’s also several arguably European-coded antagonists, and a few of the playable characters (sadly a small few) are dark-skinned, so despite the overall cast being very...pale, it’s...a decent step up from what I’m used to seeing in a jrpg.

Supporting visuals are lush and immersive, although I wanna question who thought putting all the optional lore (books, letters, etc.) in a “light text on a dark background” bc that was hell to read, although I think that was a me issue and not an overall design flaw. Overall through, I just, really, really liked the look of this game.

And finally we get to audio and music, which I would have weighed more if I wasn’t working on a 100 point scale and didn’t think the story was that important. The music is fantastic, there’s at least one song with what sounded like organs so I always give kudos when that happens, and there’s an array of orchestral instruments I felt gave the entire soundtrack a beautiful sound. There were also quite a few songs that really stood out to me as memorable and accentuated the scene or battle they were paired with.

The voice acting was overall fairly good, and certain events had so much emotion packed into the voice acting that my breath was taken away. Although there seemed to be some echoing or clipping with some of the spoken lines, often specifically Cordelia’s? Which I’m assuming is just some weird glitch of the coding, or maybe even just a poor recording job, but it’s...weird to have it appear in the final cut of the game. Might get patched later, but it did detract a bit.

Anyhow, overall I feel this is a gem of a game, and I sincerely hope more people give it a try because it’s been a long while since I came across such impactful storytelling and interesting characters, and it feels like a lot of love when into the development of the game. It’s just...a very excellent game.

#oracle of lore #it's a good game and was more worth the price I paid than the last sixty dollar game I bought #no but really there's just an essay here of me being like ''I loved this this was good this was also good'' like I love this game it is GOOD #anyhow that's that for now

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borisbubbles · 4 years ago

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15. SWEDEN

Hanna Ferm - “Brave”

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In the year 2020, the social scientists at Sveriges Television faced their biggest challenge yet: Convince the Swedish voting public to crown a female Melfest winner.

This was a task that would require a near-Herculean amount of effort, of course. No degenerate male (--Tenko Chabashira) should be given a remotely decent song so they could inevitably plunge into the abyss. All alpha females however should be given a STRONG EMPOWERMENT ANTHEM!

Enter Hanna Ferm, who has <<A Completely Unique Never Before Seen Staging Concept by Sasha Jean-Baptiste>> and the EMPOWERMENT anthem of our decade!!!!

She then took the stage, and-

BRAVE NOW

I FUCKING SLAPPED A RABBI

I’M ALL GAY NOW.

AIN’T NUTTING GONNA STEP ON MY BRAIN NOW.

...

. . .

15. SWEDEN

Dotter - “Bulletproof”

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In the year 2020, the social scientists at Sveriges Television faced their biggest challenge yet: Convince the Swedish voting public to crown a female Melfest winner.

ENTER DOTTER, who blew the competition out of the fucking *Kattegat* with her sultry-sex laser lapdance

I’M NOT BULLETPROOF

*HOOT-HOOT*

Clearly someone who exudes so much femininity and glamour easily snatched Sweden’s wig away and she-

oh.

15. Sweden

The Mamas - “Move”

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Entry Analysis

and suddenly the Mamas came out of nowhere and won ahead of the two hot favourites.

I honestly... have no clue how this happened? Not that I’m complaining, after *all the fucking MEDIOCRE-TO-AWFUL MEN* SVT had put is through over the years, I was more than pleased to witness that 2020′s Melfest had turned into a feministic battle royale of various women in differing stages of ‘sass’ grinding the beta manfolk into soylent paste. Loved it.

What, I didn’t love however, is the end result, oops! Yes, I like ‘Move’ and The Mama’s are, probably by default, my fave Swedish entrant since Måns,

However...

‘Move’ is just so... plain?

Honestly, if this were any country other than Sweden, would we even have paid attention to ‘Move’? It’s your average inconspicuous disney soulpop. You could rewatch “Hercules” and stumble upon a “Move” every 20 minutes or however far apart the Muse scenes are. Generic cliché soul remains generic and cliché even under Sweden’s flag, folk, I am so sorry to tell you.

However, my main gripe with ‘Move’ is largely that it beat Anna and Dotter and well... that doesn’t fucking matter anymore? If I’m going to be deprived of Anna and Dotter, I’d rather have them lose fair and square to a likable, if vastly inferior entry, than to have them conned out of Eurovision by what Queen Senhit refers to as “Il Maledetto Virus”.

So all there’s left for me, is to enjoy “Move”, which I do. I like the Mamas, whose materal warmth permeates through every note and transforms “Move” into... well, almost a good song.

I suppose I’ll add an addendum for “In the middle” because the ONLY scenario where I’ll be discussing that song here is if it wins Melfest 2021 and it won’t. Why won’t it win? Well 1) it’s worse than “Move” and as I just established, “Move” isn’t that good. 2) Eric Saade Hurricane Clara will take ZERO prisoners when she takes Sweden by Klingenström and wins the televote!!!! 3) Eric probably still wins anyway, continuing the Swedish trend of mediocre male Melfest winners. lol. Sigh.

NF Corner

Since I already linked Hanna and Dotter, I’ll start with them.

Hanna fell under the category of “amusingly bad” for me. Yes, “Brave” is a really bad song, come on now, you must realize this by now, yes? It’s your typical Laurell Barker pseudofeministic bullcrap, dime a dozen. It was a fave simply because it closed semi four.

What amazes me (and secretly, amuses me), is the speed at which the basics seemed to realize it was no good? Usually it takes Sweden snatching a top five spot before they realize it. Oh well, the sweet prerogative of being a woman participating in Melodifestivalen.

Dotter otoh. Man, I was OBSESSED with Annamazing and I didn’t expect anyone to claim her spot as my fave in Melfest 2020, but then Dotter came, saw and conquered. "Bulletproof” is the perfect song for bedroom karaoke purposes and one that just *oozes* feminist power without forcing it.

Naturally, a kick-ass woman was never winning a Swedish NF, courtesy of the Austrian Jury (the basics were convinced the Austrian Jury downvoted Dotter by accident but like... look at where Austria is located on a map and tell me *that* is a region known for good Eurovision taste.) Still, “Bulletproof” holds up to this day! I am sure that if Bulletproof had won Melfest and Eurovision 2020 would have gone through, Sweden would have come top 3 and maybe even won. Hopefully “Lidl Tort” can pull an upset on Friday!!!!

And now we talk about Anna:

Anna Bergendahl - “Kingdom come”

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Honestly, this song is just “Ashes to ashes” but with an act? Which: 😍 I love ‘Kingdom Come’ to bits and I especially love how Anna manages to ground her song as a moment. If Dotter hadn’t been there (and if Eurovision hadn’t been cancelled), I would have been SO annoyed by her being robbed twice in a row, but at least she got the recognition she deserved this time around. SLAY MY SWEET GOBLIN PRINCESS!!! (I’d say “queen” but she’s younger than I am o_O)

And, perhaps shockingly enough, I liked a male-fronted act this year? No, not Felix, lmfao - “Boys With Emotions” was a walking seizure and that’s merely refering to the bit you could hear. No, I am of course taking paypur’npenn, riding u leddersh about everyone’s favourite granny magnet:

Victor Crone - “Troubled Waters”

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The years have been kind to the memory of Victor Crone because I was looking forward to seeing him in Melfest. Fortunately, he did not disappoint either. “Straight Guy Kui Tuuled Pöörduvad” was the perfect recepticle for Victor Golden Retriever-like personality. He was fun, good and most importantly, harmless. I’M ON MY WAYYYY THRU TRAWLED WAAAAATERSH. 😍

Freaky Friday Factor

In Melodifestivalen 2020, Sweden literally produced the most anti-Melfest Melfest everrrrr. To a point that it makes 2019′s DISGUSTING RESULTS (reminder: four female acts, all of which were good, were the bottom four, over fucking GARBAGE such as Nano and Bishara 🤢, might I add.). SO YES, I am happy the backlash forced Christer to specifically put together a Melfest that would always crown a female winner, and then his pet fave lost, and then the fan fave ALSO lost in two shocking upsets is just the icing on top. Good job on entertaining me, Sweden, your reward is four Senheads.

I LOVE MY TOP 14!!! YAY!!!

#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #Eurovision 2020 #Sweden #The Mamas #Move

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5questions · 4 years ago

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JERALD PODAIR

The UFT Has Made Sausages: an interview with Jerald Podair

In November 2020, the NYC United Federation of Teachers endorsed the Black Lives Matter in Schools campaign. About 90% of the union delegates voted for this. This was a stark contrast to previous years, when the UFT hierarchy plotted to filibuster or derail attempts to have the Delegate Assembly endorse this national campaign for liberation. And this is, unfortunately, a deeply rooted part of the UFT history, from its recent collaboration in ballooning school segregation, back to its battles in Ocean Hill-Brownsville strikes in 1968 and its cold shoulder to the largest student boycott in 1964.

In the following interview, I discuss the UFT’s history with Jerald Podair, the author of the book THE STRIKE THAT CHANGED NEW YORK, we cover topics from the 1968 UFT strike through present-day conflicts over NYC’s unequal schools, considered the most segregated in the country. The 1968 strike pitted Superintendent Rhody McCoy, the black superintendent of the local Brooklyn school board, against Al Shanker, the powerful president of the UFT (and later the American Federation of Teachers). McCoy insisted on his right to fire or at least reassign teachers who openly resisted his afrocentric, liberatory, and postcolonial pedagogical vision. Shanker refused with great zeal, sending the teachers union into a confrontation with the city lasting several months. The media tried to frame the event as a conflict between blacks (the community) and Jews (the teachers). The UFT ultimately was successful and became a stronger force in its role as co-manager of the NYC schools, but the reaction to the UFT’s principles and tactics during the strike has ranged from glowing adoration to harsh critique.

While Podair is ultimately pessimistic about the UFT’s capacity for embracing radical action for social change as a primary priority – and one can’t say he doesn’t have 60-plus years of history to back him up – the recent Delegate Assembly vote on BLM in Schools suggests the UFT may be ripe for a change in attitude and direction. Can the UFT break its 60+ years of following the business unionism model of Samuel Gompers? Can it put educator union power to work in a fight that many NYC communities are ready to join against material and racial inequality? These questions and more are discussed below.

Jerald Podair, professor, historian, and author of numerous books, including THE STRIKE THAT CHANGED NEW YORK. http://jeraldpodair.com/

How did you become interested in and research the Ocean Hill-Brownsville strike?

JP: The Ocean Hill-Brownsville strike was almost a part of my DNA because I lived through it as a high school student in the fall of 1968. I was in the New York public school system when the strike occurred, and at the time I didn’t pay all that much attention to it. My main concern was getting out of school, not having to go to school. Ocean Hill-Brownsville basically kept New York City public school students out for about 3 months. I wasn't very political then. It struck me maybe 20-25 years later, when I was thinking of a dissertation topic, that it was really not only an important event in New York City education history, it was really an important event in New York history, general New York City history, and especially racial history. So I guess what I felt and heard and read and listened to during the strike sort of stuck in my DNA. or somehow got hardwired into me, because when I started thinking about a dissertation topic, I was a graduate student in history at Princeton, it's really the first thing I thought up, and so I began researching it.

This was in the 1990s. It was not an easy topic to research, as you might imagine, because emotions were still so raw on each side, and not everybody I wanted to talk to was willing to talk to me. Albert Shanker never talked to me. As I understand it, I gave a presentation at the American historical association convention in the early nineties on Ocean Hill-Brownsville and he went to it. He was the president of the UFT and president of the AFT, at the time. He was in Washington, so he came and apparently he didn't like what I had to say because he had promised to give me an interview. After he heard what I had to say, he didn't want to talk to me. And that’s not the fault of Albert Shanker. He had his position.

It wasn't the easiest topic to research and I found it much easier to just go through a newspaper run and I had to pretty much read every word of the New York Times, the New York Post and The New York Daily News for about a year to get quotes, to get reactions, to get information. Now newspapers are not always the easiest and most reliable sources, as you know. They are known as the first draft of history for a reason. But what I found is that they were more reliable than some of the people who would talk to me because I felt in many ways I was being spinned, again, by both sides, and I was always reminded as I did research of this of the great Japanese film Rashomon; basically people on both sides of the conflict were telling me things that were not necessarily true but we're basically filtered through their own self-interest so just like a little Rashomon the characters were not necessarily lying out right but they were just shaping the truth to fit their own sensibilities and their own agendas and that's what I found when I interviewed both, so for this dissertation I found relying on newspapers and at least what people were quoted as saying was my most reliable source. I went through the papers of the UFT at NYU and also the city board of education at Columbia.

So to make a long story, the PhD dissertation writing took me about 4 years but I had some road blocks along the way I got my notes stolen then it cost me about a year so I would say it took me 6 years to research and write it.

How did the notes get stolen?

JP: It's become a family legend and a legend among my colleagues. We were living in Princeton at the time my wife and I and our daughter and we drove up to the Bronx to visit my parents who still live in the Bronx. I don't know if you've ever been a graduate student or know graduate students but they get very obsessive about things. I took all my notes and I piled in the back of the trunk of the car because I thought I was going to look at them over the weekend, which was unrealistic, and I took basically everything, and the car got stolen and it was pretty horrific to go back to that parking space and not see it there. They found it in the South Bronx completely stripped and everything was gone and the notes were gone as well, so I basically had to start all over. I had to go back to Columbia. I mean it was easier the second time around because I knew where to look but it basically cost me a year and a half, maybe 2 years, of my life. I always heard it said you have to be a little crazy to be a graduate student and write a dissertation and that helped because the same person who would say that would have viewed that lost a dissertation notes as a sign from god and just quit. I didn't.

Otherwise, why was the book hard to write? Basically just because it was hard to get access to people? Was Shanker the only one that didn't give you access?

JP: There were plenty of people who didn't give me access, or gave me only partial access, or they gave me access and didn't really give me what I needed. So the second time, after all my notes were stolen I decided to sit down and go through the Daily News and all the New York City dailies for every day for 1968 and the beginning of 1969, as well as the Times, who's the most accessible, to see what they said. I also feel that my own knowledge of Ocean Hill-Brownsville was so deep, right down to the ground level, and I certainly could tell whether somebody was stating the truth, so access was also complicated by the nature of the dispute. Usually there are heroes and villains in most historical stories – not in this one, because they were you know it was almost like everyone was right and everyone was wrong and I think it's very difficult for historians even today to approach Ocean Hill-Brownsville because it's so paradoxical and doesn't really fit into any sort of a coherent narrative like that all whites are racist or these teachers were racist; it doesn't fit into the narrative that they you know that all blacks were were unrealistic and anarchistic and violent. It fits into some of those categories but it doesn't fit into all of them and so it's not the easiest story to tell and I think what I had to do is sort of leave my own baggage at the door. We are all people, we have backgrounds: we have ethnic backgrounds, religious backgrounds, racial backgrounds. So I tried to leave all of that at the door and try to get into the heads of all of the participants in this, to get into Al Shanker’s, Superintendent McCoy’s, Mayor John Lindsay's heads, and try to do that in a reasonably just passionate way. Hopefully I did a fair job. I think that's a good thing because I think if I surprised and maybe even just made both blacks and whites can I get that meant I was doing a good job and trying at least to be if you want to do a fair job.

Can you explain just a little more why Shanker didn’t want to talk to you? Talk a little bit about why people thought you were black besides just the cover?

JP: Shanker was looking for an exoneration basically and endorsements of pretty much everything he and the union had done during the strike; in other words, journalists who would say this is not about race or the strike is not about race, it is only about due process for teachers who are unfairly fired. To deny that they were racial issues is completely unrealistic. You have to confront those issues in order to do a good job with it historically, so I think what Shanker was looking for and of course he's not an academic historian. I know that many of my fellow historians would agree to disagree with me on that but I think you have to try to hold yourself outside of it, leave your baggage at the door, and try to be fair to both; historians have to criticize, I mean that's our job, but you also have to have some sense of sympathy for a person who is in a position that you are not, in knowing much less than you know 20 or 30 or even 100 years down the line, so you have to both be critical but sympathetic. I understand he would want me to completely exonerate the UFT, but I couldn't do that and I think that's sort of what bothered him. He was emotionally invested in ocean hill Brownsville as much as anything in his entire career. That probably was the most emotionally draining situation that he had been in as the union leader. I can't think of anything else that came close and he was so emotionally invested in it even 25 years later that wounds were still raw. To a lesser extent I got that from a lot of people that I tried to talk to about it: just too emotionally involved.

How do you see the UFT development since then?

JP: The UFT established itself as co-manager of the New York City public school system through the strike. Most of the strikes right now are about money but Ocean Hill Brownsville though was not about money it was about control. It was in 1968 that this strike established the UFT as a co-manager of the public school system which it was not before 1968. Before Shanker and the union leaders’ goal was to get money, but control in many ways was was more important than money; in other words, if Shanker had allowed Lindsay to buy him with money during this trial, if he allowed for everyone in the system to get a check but go back to work, Shanker would have turned that down, because he understood that that would have been a short term victory but the long term goal would have been lost: control.

The same caucus controls the union, the UNITY Caucus, since Shanker was in power.

JP: Really, wow. Didn’t realize that. So they’ve been around over 50 years?

Basically. And they filled a power vacuum left by government purges of “reds” and other socialist-leaning unionists. UNITY Caucus themselves were staunchly anti-communist when they were founded. The previous union, the Teacher’s Union (TU), was actually filled with many socialists and communists and the UFT, led by the UNITY Caucus, filled that void.

JP: You're absolutely right. It’s really crucial to understanding the history of the UFT. They're really tough anti-communists and they were one of several competing associations trying to get collective bargaining power for teachers.

What would it be like if the union had been less opposed to social justice and done less damage to community ties in the 60s in some of those neighborhoods? Is it possible for them to both win protections for the workers and also further social justice in terms of integrating schools and that type of thing and promoting black empowerment.

JP: My book shows how complicated that was for the UFT. First, Shanker and most of the UFT higher ups would say “we are for social justice” and what they would say is “you know we supported Martin Luther King and all of his campaigns. Martin Luther king is a personal friend.” He did address the U.F.T. On many occasions, he supported them when they were establishing their own union, and they supported him at the March on Washington and at Freedom Summer, so they thought they had the social justice bona fide. What what Shanker and other union higher ups would probably say in 1968 is “you don't know what it was like to be a teacher in the New York City public schools in the forties and fifties, but we do and what we know is that teachers had no control, no power, no dignity.” So the UFT was founded to change that – did change that. As for social justice, at Ocean Hill-Brownsville they were asked to make a choice between the 2 and the UFT leaders ended up choosing the power of the union and the power of the teacher over ideals of more radical militants interested in social justice. In other words, they were for social justice but not at their own expense.

Albert Shanker, founder and president of the United Federation of Teachers 1964 to 1985 and president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) from 1974 to 1997.

Wildcat teacher strikes in recent years in West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Oakland were fighting for higher wages, benefits, protections, and other working conditions. The LA strike and then the Chicago one in 2019 they were more fighting for expanding funding for the schools and increasing counselors and that type of stuff. Do you think that had Shanker had the union mobilized at that time that they would have fought for those issues? Because public schools in NYC were basically gutted in the 70s and 80s.

JP: Back when Samuel Gompers was the president of the AFL testifying before a congressional committee in the early 1900s and somebody said, “You know Mister Gompers, what does labor want?” and he just says, “More.” That's it. “More.” And that's what Shanker wanted. He wanted more. He wanted more counselors, he wanted more money to be spent on schools. He wanted it for two reasons: he wanted it because I think he was honestly committed to some form of social justice but also he wanted more jobs for his teachers and more power for the union. He did want all those things but what he didn't want to do was cede control over education to a community group or community groups that he felt threatened his teachers and threatened their jobs. All the money in the world, he was very happy to have. The New York City government spent lots of money on teachers, or social justice, to fund counselors, special ed, everything. He wasn't into allowing the community school board to fire one of his teachers. That he would not do, and that's what caused the Ocean Hill-Brownsville strike. So you know in many ways as we look at it retrospectively: it didn't have to happen, and that means that if both sides had compromised, it probably would not have happened. But we can't go back. From the standpoint of community people and parents in the Ocean Hill-Brownsville community, they see that their children are not getting good education and even more specifically not getting the kind of education the kids in the white middle class areas of New York City are getting, who are getting the better teachers, better facilities. There’s something colloquially called combat pay in the 1960s, where teachers in poor neighborhoods get paid more money and also get a chance to transfer out after like a certain number of years.

There’s something in the most recent UFT contract where if you go to teach at struggling schools in the Bronx or Brooklyn you get higher pay.

JP: In the 1960s there was some sort of a provision where if you put a certain number of years and in those schools then you could leave and what happened in the sixties is that they were trying younger teachers, the beginning teachers (not veteran teachers) to the schools in communities like Ocean Hill-Brownsville, who could see that the education their kids were getting was not the same kind of education that that white middle class kids were getting and they were angry about that and I think justifiably angry about that, and of course Al Shanker would say, “I'm angry about that too and I want to do something about that and the way I want to do something because it is I want the school board to hire more teachers, more counselors, more administrators” and the community said, “well that's that's not really what we had in mind. We want control.” And that’s not what Shanker had in mind and he wouldn’t stand for that.

Now a big fight in New York City schools is over the screening process. Are you aware of this?

JP: I'm actually not really.

So kids take screening tests. The original schools like Bronx Science and Stuyvesant had to take tests to get in, but starting with Guiliani, then it was expanded during Bloomberg. Students take these tests at the end of middle school and there's some schools – like the school where I teach – that are unscreened but there's some schools that are screened, where you have to have a certain test score to get in and those schools are predominantly white and Asian and then you have schools that are unscreened that are predominantly black and brown students, so you really have a segregated school system, arguably the most segregated in the country.

JP: Well I was going to say that at least in the sixties you had the zoned school and Bronx Science, Stuyvesant, only a certain number of students.

So I guess my question, returning to social justice, but through the lens of focusing on teachers' working conditions, and Weingarten and Mulgrew were Shanker’s successors, so I'm just kind of wondering how that fits into this?

JP: They really had the same agenda as Shanker. In other words, they're all tough union bosses who put the interests of their membership above all. The conceit for the UFT all through the years is that the interests of their members coincide with the interests of social justice and you don't have to make the choice between one or the other, but of course that's not always the case as we saw in Ocean Hill-Brownsville. When push comes to shove they're going to protect members; if they have a chance to get more money and more hiring but taxes go up and taxes go up for everybody including poor people they're going to do it because that's what comes first. The social justice component is important but when it collides with the interests of the union members, they come first and. I think most union leaders, even the public sector union leaders who say they're for social justice, they're going to make that calculation.

Do you think we still see some of the same forces at work in the contemporary struggles over education?

JP: From what you've just told me, in New York you have a school system that is more segregated than it may have been even in the 1960s and it's pretty segregated in the 1960s and that was the basis of community control, the philosophical basis of it. African American parents in the mid 1960s basically gave up on the integration struggle because white parents had certainly given up on the integration struggle, and what black parents said is, “Well it looks like our schools are going to be segregated almost permanently and if that's the case, we might as well control it.” They're really being segregated by class, it seems to me, so that is that is going to be the issue going forward now. What is the UFT going to do with that? Well they may want to do something about it but I think again they are beholden to their members and their members may not have that will. Everyone in America says we want to be equal. But when you get into real life situations you sometimes wonder how many Americans really want to be equal, and take it to the UFT I would imagine that the majority of members view themselves as liberals or even on the left, and they vote for Democratic candidates, but when push comes to shove do they want to teach in an unscreened school or a screened school? Well a lot of them are going to make the choice to go to the screened school and they may give you all sorts of justifications that nothing to do with race, but it does come down at least to some extent to race and it also comes down to maybe something inside of them that does not want to be equal, that's wants to be elite or special, and maybe that's part of human nature but I don’t think the UFT itself is going to contribute to breaking down the system because I think in many ways the membership has an interest in perpetuating the system as it is.

You're a labor historian. Can you think of an example of a union or labor movement that was both focused on working conditions for the workers in the union but then also focused as a primary concern on the community or in the society?

JP: The Wobblies was a union that focused not only on working conditions for their members but also wanted to change the entire economic and social structure of the United States.

Poster for the Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies, a trade union across industries that has fought for work protections and power as part of a larger campaign for social revolution. https://iww.org/assets/One-Big-Union.pdf

Similar to the Teachers Union (TU), the socialist and communist -oriented union that came before the UFT and was destroyed by the red scares in the 1940s and 50s.

JP: Yes, and former members of that formed a caucus that was against Shanker’s UNITY caucus in the UFT. They are trying to do that massive social change and that caucus within the UFT opposes the strike from the very beginning and they're saying we have to align ourselves with the communities in which we teach so that we can change them for the better but in a sense they are making choices too. They’re unselfish in the sense that they would say well we're willing to forgo raises to help the community, we're willing to give the community control, in order to get equity and social justice in these neighborhoods. But I would argue that most teachers were not like that; they're much more self interested, much less willing to sacrifice themselves. I think what distinguishes these teachers is they were truly selfless. Because the right has many problems of its own, which we know, but one of the major problems on the left is hypocrisy and the idea that they want other people to do what they themselves will not. You talk the talk, but you don't walk the walk. Well these anti-strike teachers in 1968 in the UFT, they walked the walk. They were willing to make personal sacrifices, not have somebody else do it. Shanker opposed them and tried to destroy the caucus, but I think on some level he had to respect them.

Yeah the caucus I am in, the Movement of Rank and File Educators, is sort of the descendent of that caucus.

JP: The only UFT leader who spoke out at the time was John O’Neil. Also, George Altomare, one of the only living and remaining members of the UFT hierarchy, and I talked to him a couple of years ago and he's the only really high ranking UFT who really tries to settle this and make a compromise and he got estranged from Shanker and the leadership over that. And Shanker basically just kept saying, “Fuck you, we want these teachers back in the classroom now” to the city and the media. And possibly the person who was floating a compromise of reassigning the teachers to other duties was George Altomare. He's the last one left from Ocean Hill-Brownsville who's actually alive as far as I know. He was sort of half in and half out and I think he was trying to be sort of a go between the community and the union hierarchy. Shanker was very absolutist over this and I think they had a falling out over that.

I also found it interesting that you said that your book doesn't really fit comfortably in like a right wing or left wing historical narrative. I took it to show that the UFT failed to work with communities for funding and equality and instead had been focused on working conditions only. What would have happened if the UFT had worked more with communities on more systemic changes that could have been more mutually beneficial?

JP: You could make that argument. But based on my research, I think most city school teachers were and maybe are politically with the cops, the firemen, the sanitation workers. They're just interested in “more”. They're not politically active and what they're worried about are their salaries and their jobs. So when you have a union that is mostly composed of people like that, there's a limit to how far you're going to be able to go in terms of social justice. Again the UFT always said, “We're for integration.” Shanker said all the way through: “We are pro-integration”, but when Bayard Rustin (who I actually wrote a biography of) organized a student boycott and the UFT at least nominally supported that but they were not willing to go to bat for their members who boycotted that day. They said, “Take a sick day” or something like that, and didn't necessarily confront the board of education directly over this. The organizers of the boycott were disappointed in the UFT hierarchy's reaction to it. They didn’t oppose it but they didn’t use work stoppage. The UFT at that time was in favor of school integration. It's not like they were ever, you know, against it. But again, there's you know then idea skin in the game. And resources. I think the UFT was worried about that and the reason they're worried is - it's related to this idea of social justice clashing with the goals of union power -- this is 1964: they're not that powerful a union and they may not want to piss off the board of education with whom they're trying to share power. They're not necessarily a struggling union but they’re young, only like 4 years old, and they may not have wanted to throw in fully. Sometimes you have to to do what you have to do. When I wrote my biography of Rustin, I was struck by an incident in the late 1950s, where Rustin is a close adviser to Martin Luther King, and Rustin helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and probably was going to be the managing director of the SCLC. What happens is Rustin, who is gay, gets caught in rumors of this and they reach Martin Luther King, who cut off Rustin and they reunited for the March on Washington in about 3 years. He basically cut Rustin off, and they don't have all that much contact. I think that King's thinking here is, “I have enough problems with what I'm doing without also having a gay man as the director of the SCLC I'm already being called a communist. I'm already being called an anarchist, a revolutionary. King made a strategic decision and cut this guy off, and that's how it works sometimes. In many ways, the UFT was generally thinking in 1964: “We've got enough problems with the Board of Education, establishing ourselves with the union, do we really, really want to go all in on this boycott and support every teacher? That's probably going to hurt us down the road when it comes to bargaining with them.” There’s that saying that watching legislation get passed is like watching sausages get made. Well, King was making sausages, and so was the UFT.

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thecorteztwins · 5 years ago

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Werewolf Shinobi @esteicy-blog! Also tagging @acaprioglino @shattered-catalyst @sammysdewysensitiveeyes because I think you’ll enjoy it, as it has your chaotic dumbass boy! Shinobi Shaw was not a good werewolf. The first time he transformed, he didn’t rampage, or attack livestock, or eat people. He just had a really hard time adjusting to having four legs and tottered around the house falling all over his own paws, then barked at the mirror for two hours. He then had proceeded to just hide under his blanket with his nose poking out. His next few full moons had not gone any better. And worst of all, got sprayed by a skunk. His human form was just as embarrassing. He got distracted by squirrels mid-flirtation. He was starting to get really into sniffing people at parties. He attempted to run after cars, but still wasn’t in good enough shape for it so he just got worn out and started wheezing and whining and begging anyone he was with to carry him. And while making out with a guy at his apartment, the man’s cat had walked in. Immediately, Shinobi had jumped down to all fours to chase it...only for the cat to beat him up. Needless to say, his pack leaders were not pleased. He was before them now in his wolf form, which looked more like a coyote-sized black fox that anything, slim and silver-ticked with white paws. His tail was tucked, his ears were drooping, and his amber eyes were upturned in supplication towards the trio passing judgement on him from the rocks above that served as their thrones. Emma Frost. Erik Lehnsherr. And Sebastian Shaw, Shinobi’s own father. The representatives of the three most powerful werewolf clans in the territory, and the sternest, hardest-hearted, scariest people that Shinobi had ever met...with his father being the worst in all three categories. It wasn’t just that he was mean, or yelled, or told Shinobi he was a worthless idiot every time he saw him. It was the fact he hit him in human form, and bit him around the neck as a wolf, every time Shinobi disappointed or failed him. Which was often. Shinobi was trying not to cry.

Luckily, it was Emma who spoke, otherwise he might have lost that battle, and no one wanted to see a wolf weep. ”Shinobi Shaw, three times you have been granted the opportunity to prove yourself worthy as a werewolf of the Hell’s Fire Pack. Three times you have failed---and in rather spectacular fashion, I might add.” It had indeed been spectacular. The first time had involved a lake, the second a tanker truck, and the third time....a grand but accidental fireworks display that had frightened off every prey in the area during a hunt. Shinobi still wasn’t sure how any of it happened, but he suspected that the “liquid courage” he had consumed beforehand to “calm his nerves” might have had something to do with it. ”Three chances is traditionally all one gets,” Emma continues, “And it is typically MORE than one ever needs.” His ears drooped lower and he slumped. ”However...” His ears perked up. ”When the three of us assumed leadership of Hell’s Fire, part of the mandate that united us was the belief that some traditions must be torn down or at the very least modified to better suit the modern age and to best serve the pups of this generation. Lone wolves are a risk not only to themselves, but our species as a whole, and we would prefer for such a fate only to be earned by malicious action, not mere incompetence. Thus, for the time being...you are permitted to remain here, though you are still counted not counted as having any rank or truly belonging to the pack. But you are also not counted as a cub either. You are...your own category. Until we figure out what to do next with you.” His own category? He looked up. He was unique! He was special! He was so clever and amazing they had to make a new category just for him! As delusional as that was, it was either that or face the sense of crushing failure that was weighing down on his slim canine shoulders, so he embraced it...and avoided the stony GLARE of his father from on high, silent at Emma’s side, opposite of the other male, Erik. He had a feeling that his father probably had NOT been the one to vote to let him stay. But he would show him! He would show them all! He was just having a rough start, but he would be the best wolf ever! The best wolf the Hell’s Fire pack had ever seen in HISTORY! Bounding off into the woods after his dismissal, ignoring the laughs and taunts of packmates, his slender chest filled with determination, with confidence, with courage! He was going to--- He stopped in his tracks, kicking up quite a few leaves from the forest floor, as he realized, fuck, he didn’t know what to do. How could he prove himself? Let’s see...he had failed three attempts at the Rite of Passage, in which a young werewolf was given a task to prove himself worthy... Aha! That was the problem! The challenges were wrong! He would just have to make his own! And to do that, he needed inspiration! And for inspiration, he needed...BOOZE! So he trotted down to town and went into the nearest bar....and was promptly chased out with a broom by the screaming bartender. Oh, right, he was still in wolf form. He shapeshifted into his human state, and went back in...only to get chased out again, this time because he was naked. Man, some people were so uptight! After procuring some proper attire---meaning he swung by the designer boutique up the street where he had a personal account, rather than just go back to his penthouse to get clothes he already owned---he returned to the bar, told them they had made a huge mistake and he would now take his business elsewhere, and asked if anyone could lend him a $20 for an Uber. No one did. Then he remembered he had a driver he could just call. So he asked if anyone could lend him their cell phone. Wolves really needed to develop pockets in their coats. Eventually, he did manage to get to the upscale club he had in mind, though only by taking public transport like a SAVAGE. But he’d felt unsafe on the subway was a beautiful and affluent-looking human, so he’d shifted back into his wolf form for the trip... Meaning that someone was on a subway car with a wolf that was wearing fabulous sunglasses (at night) and a big fuzzy brilliantly purple haute couture coat. He was probably responsible for a WHOLE lot of people thinking they were either on drugs, or needed to quit them. He shifted back, got into the club, and... That was the last thing he remembered before waking up in the dog pound, in his wolf form again and without his new clothes. Oh, well, no big, this had happened before, he would just--- ”Hello there.” A WOMAN IN A LAB COAT was looking down at him. Something about her reminded him of Emma Frost, and not just because she was an attractive blonde. His tailed wagged and he hoped for pats. ”Don’t play puppy with me, wolf,” she said in a smirking tone, and his eyes went wide. She knew! ”Yes, I know what you are,” she continued, as though she had read his mind, ”Just stay in your current form, and everything will be fine. I’m getting you out of here.” Oh wow, he had found an ally! The pack would be so proud of him! She had on the white coat so she must be a doctor, maybe a vet! That was great! They needed people like her! After she had filled out his adoption paperwork, she walked him back to her car on a leash, something he enjoyed IMMENSELY. Once he was in the passenger seat, he turned into his human state again, to let her see just what a gorgeous specimen she had procured for herself. ”Hey there babe. I’m Shinobi Shaw, and I’m all ready to be your new pet. Or should I say---” ”Oh, shut up,” was the last thing he heard as she sprayed a can of knock out gas at him and he collapsed. When he regained consciousness, he was in a cage once again. A lab this time. Even he could recognize that, with all the beakers and test tubes around with unpleasant looking fluids in them, not to mention the other animals and people---people!---in cages there too. Many of the animals were squeaking or crying in pain, but the people...they didn’t move. And they didn’t look good either. Their naked skin had strange green patches, almost like they were growing algae from their flesh. Skin tags the size of plums drooped at random places. Liver spots were swollen and growing small horns. Teeth were sticking out of places that were NOT there mouths. And some of them were...kinda oozing. It had the antiseptic smell of a hospital...mixed, paradoxically and disturbingly with the smell of rot. Rot, and radiation. What kind of crazy medical kink play had he gotten into?! ”Oh hey babe---or should I say Mistress? Doctor, maybe?” he posed in as sexy a position as he could in the cramped cage as the blonde woman entered the lab. A hush fell over it, the animals too scared to continue their howls and squawks, the people too far gone to speak. As soon as he tells me everything I need to know, I’m wiring his jaws shut and excising his tongue, thought Dr. June Covington. Out of all the supernatural creatures she was studying, she’d expected werewolves to be the most taciturn, thinking they would be more like animals than people....although, in a way, she was right, this guy WAS an animal. And a dumb one at that. “Shut up,” she said simply, just as she had in the car. She unlocked the cage, grabbed him by the neck, and hauled him out. As she expected, he went willingly; it was why she hadn’t used anesthetic on him as she usually did with such creatures. She’d thought that his enthusiasm might wane as the experiments began, and yet, it did not. He clearly enjoyed them, writing around and making kinky innuendo throughout. She finally muzzled him, and he just clearly enjoyed that. She began considering anesthetizing him just so she wouldn’t have to put up with this shit, but she went through a LOT of sedatives, it was unwise to waste it on him if she didn’t have to. She’d hate to find herself facing down a PROPER werewolf without enough sedatives on hand when she needed it. This proved to be a fatal mistake. When she turned him over to insert the thermometer meant to check the temperature changes involved in shapeshifting, that was when things went to hell. Oh, he didn’t resist it, quite the opposite, he was clearly HAPPY about it. Too happy. Though still in human form, his tail sprouted, and he began wagging it. Hard. Very hard. So much so, he knocked over a VERY precious combination of chemicals.... “No!” was all that Dr. June Covington had time to get out before the place EXPLODED. The next thing that Shinobi remembered, he was waking up in one of the caves that the pack used in their meeting place in the wolves, surrounded by the concerned faces of packmates. “He’s coming to!” said one of the healers. “He’s awake!” “He’s going to be alright!”

And then...they started cheering. Shinobi was very confused. More than usual, that is. In a daze, his packmates walked him to the clearing that was overlooked by the rocks on which the leaders perched. He was expecting a scolding, or worse, exile. Instead, what Emma said was, “Shinobi Shaw, you have proven yourself three times over and then some. You discovered, infiltrated, and destroyed one of our deadliest enemies. Dr. June Covington has kidnapped and vivisected thousands of our kind in her foul experiments, but you put an end to it---and for that, you have the gratitude of this pack, and all lycanthropes, all magical creatures, forever.” Shinobi stood there, stunned.

And he realized the best thing about this. It was a good excuse for a PARTY!

#fic #writing

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snkpolls · 6 years ago

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SnK S3E13 Poll Results (Anime Only Viewer Version)

The poll closed with 130 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note this is the anime only viewer version of the poll. Manga readers, please click here for the results of the manga reader poll!

RATE THE EPISODE 120 Responses

With only one person voting negatively about the episode, it’s safe to say that the hype is back up for the next arc of the series!

H Y P E

shinzou wo sasageyo!

RATE THE OP 118 Responses

Overall the new opening is well liked among viewers, although perhaps not everyone’s overall favorite.

I know the OP teased the basement but I swear to Sina if Season 3 ends with them walking down to the basement or not revealing what was in there I’ll lose it. Like it could be fucking nothing in there and I’ll be (somewhat) okay, JUST GET TO THE DAMN BASEMENT!

RATE THE ED 117 Responses

Similarly to the new opening, the new ending is well liked enough, but doesn’t stand out as an overall favorite as a whole.

WE GOT A FEW NEW SAWANO TRACKS. HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THEM? 119 Responses

Overall viewers are hyped up for new tracks by the series’ composer Hiroyuki Sawano! A few feel they need to hear more of the new music to decide how they feel.

godworks

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT? 118 Responses

The largest group of voters (at 33%) favored the scene which kick started the action-filled cliffhanger when Levi attacked an emerging Reiner on the wall. Followed behind that at nearly 20% was the Beast Titan appearing with a titan army around him. 10% of respondents loved so much of the episode it was hard for them to settle on just one scene to favor.

ON A SCALE OF ARMIN TO ERWIN, HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT GIVING ORDERS? 118 Responses

The largest group of respondents fell somewhere in the middle between being timid about giving orders to feeling confident in what needs to be done. Although overall respondents lean more toward relating to Armin on this front.

ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO GO HORSEBACK SURFING? 117 Responses

Honestly, we didn’t expect a serious response to this question. But 32% of voters would be willing to give horse surfing a try, while 29% are in the “hard no” category on that one.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ANIMATION QUALITY IN PART TWO SO FAR? 119 Responses

Nearly 70% of voters are feeling good about the animation quality of the first episode (and we hope that WIT keeps it up). 27% fall somewhere in the middle - not great, but not awful. A small amount of respondents don’t think the animation is all that impressive.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CG COLOSSAL TITAN IN THE OPENING? 119 Responses

The majority of respondents don’t care whether the Colossal Titan is in CGI or not. 19% are certain it’s the worst thing WIT could ever do with it, while 16% actually find the CGI effect pretty rad.

WHAT DO YOU THINK DIFFERENTIATES THE TITANS THAT CAN MOVE AROUND AT NIGHT? 115 Responses

61% of respondents, plus one write in, believe that these new types of titans are connected to the Beast Titan in some way or another. 20% feel that they are simply just a new type of titan that the Survey Corps had not discovered previously, and 14% believe that all titans have the ability to move around at night under the right conditions.

Beast titan can summon these special titans

DO YOU THINK THERE ARE MORE ENEMIES OTHER THAN REINER, BERTOLT, AND THE BEAST TITAN? 117 Responses

The overwhelming majority are certain that there are more enemies involved in this battle than just the three we have seen so far. 6% are unsure about it, and even less are certain that we’ve seen every enemy that will be present.

WHERE DO YOU THINK BERTOLT IS HIDING? 116 Responses

42% of voters believe that Bertolt is likely hiding in an object somewhere. 20% don’t want to say for certain where he may be. 19% feel confident that Bertolt is in another area of the walls like Reiner was.

I think Bert is inside the backpack,ready to be thrown and to completly annhilate the scouts

HOW DID REINER SURVIVE LEVI’S ATTACK? 117 Responses

The majority of respondents are confident that Reiner used another titan ability, as Levi suggested, to avoid certain death. 20% believe he just got lucky and wasn’t hit in just the right places. 16% don’t want to say either way.

WHERE DID ALL THE TITANS COME FROM? 113 Responses

37% of respondents believe that the titans fighting with the Beast Titan are additional forces from beyond the wall. 23% are unsure, while 15% feel that they are more victims from inside of the walled territory.

SOME PEOPLE NOTICED A TITAN WITH A BACKPACK BEHIND THE BEAST TITAN. THOUGHTS? 115 Responses

At 42%, just under half of responses feel that this strange titan is another intelligent titan like the Beast Titan. 23% are just horrified and believe it’s nightmare fuel. 18% of respondents didn’t even catch this detail at all!

Backpack Titan was called best girl several times by manga readers, so it's obvious who it is or what's inside it. The only logical character that is called best girl and is not here shinganshina.

WHO DO YOU THINK WILL HAVE THE UPPER HAND IN THIS BATTLE? 114 Responses

43% of voters feel that the Warriors and their titan army are going to have the upper hand in this fight, while 31% believe it will at least be an even match. With the least amount of votes, only 12% feel that the Survey Corps will have more of an advantage this time around.

I think the Scouts are gonna suffer a fuckton on losses again. The post credits scene in S3Ep12 is a disagreement over who will use that Titan Turning Serum. Just a guess

WHO OF THE FOLLOWING, IF ANY, DO YOU THINK HAS A CHANCE OF DYING IN THIS BATTLE? 106 Responses

Erwin being down an arm has the majority of the fandom on edge about his potential fate in this battle. Falling closely behind is Marlowe, likely due to his minor character status. Bertolt is another popular option, with Reiner, Connie and Sasha falling closely behind him. A small 7.5% of optimistic voters are confident that this battle will not have any casualties at all.

ARE YOU SURPRISED AT HOW QUICKLY THE WALL WAS SEALED BY EREN? 115 Responses

Just as Eren was, the majority of viewers were legitimately thrown off guard at how quickly and easily Eren was able to seal the hole in the wall. Perhaps we should listen to Mikasa and believe in Eren’s strength!

HOW DID THE CLIFFHANGER MAKE YOU FEEL? 116 Responses

Unsurprisingly, the cliffhanger left viewers feeling hyped and excited for the arc to unfold! 11% were simply just pained that the episode was over and waiting for more. A small amount didn’t care much either way and one person could only scream at us:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE OR THEORIES ABOUT WHERE WE GO FROM HERE?

We know Eren ends up on a beach somehow, so whatever's inside the basement must be reeeally important to make our crew want to venture beyond the Walls afterwards. That or Eren gets kidnapped yet again, business as usual.

Thoughts// Levi is about to go fkn off

We go to the damn basement, then the ocean.

better and longer battle than battle of winterfell

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 109 Responses

We asked manga readers if they had any parting words or advice for the anime only viewers. Here’s what some of them had to say:

You're in the Endgame now.

Good luck make sure you have tissues

Avoid spoilers and don’t over think what others say, enjoy!

They're in for a wild ride, and I really hope they all come to appreciate this story as much as we do ♥

Baseball is an okay sport, I guess.

SUSUMEEEE!!!

Good Luck.

Do you have a glue? My heart condition is about to worsen

stay safe be strong drink water and sasageyo

Do your best to not get spoiled for this season and the future events. What should you do? Avoid using websites that has AOT (especially YouTube, don't check there)? Get yourself an another account for non-AOT related stuff? Whatever you do, don't get spoiled

just ignore it every time a manga reader says "you're not ready for this" because you are ready for this

How have you held back for so long?

Good fucking luck

Like Dead Pool says: everything will go sideways in the most collosal way. Enjoy while this ephimeral "easiness" lasts, because you will suffer. A. LOT.

You may be super stoked for the next episode, and want it all as quickly as possible. but remember, once the 10 episodes are over, they're over, you'll never be able to experience them for the first time again. Enjoy the time you have with the show, rather than getting frustrated over the weekly wait.

Good luck, have fun. It's gonna be a rollercoaster.

This isn't even as wild as it gets. The real Attack on Titan is about to start.

Who do you think the real enemy is?

Good luck. Be glad you will only need to wait a week for a conclusion to each new cliffhanger unlike the many months us ol' manga readers hadda endure.

Have a comfort item nearby

Good luck lmao

Thank you to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again in a few days!

#snk poll #snk polls #snk s3 #snk spoilers #poll results

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fcablog · 6 years ago

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1st Annual FCA Year-End Awards-THE WINNERS

The 1st Annual FCA Year-End Awards voting is officially over. Thank you to all who voted. Some categories were close in voting and overs were a runaway. I was a little surprise how some categories went. Now for the part you have all been waiting for. Who won?! Well let’s not wait any further:

FCA Lucha Underground Wrestler of 2018 -- Taya Valkyrie (31.8%): This was somewhat a surprise since she was only a small centerpiece of a storyline on Season 4 of Lucha Underground, but she left a good enough impression on you guys to earn the award this year. With the future of Lucha Underground in question, she might be the one and only winnner of the Lucha Underground Wrestler of the Year Award. Marty Martinez & Pentagon Dark tied for 2nd place with 18.2% of the votes and Taya’s husband, Johnny Mundo finished 3rd with 13.6% of the votes

FCA’s Mr. ROH 2018 -- Jay Lethal (23.8%): Jay Lethal made a resurgence back to the top of the ROH throne and carried the ROH flag throughout the entire year so it only made sense that the champ would win this honor. Marty Scrull & Dalton Castle tied for 2nd place with 19% of the votes and Hangman Page finished 3rd with 14.3% of the votes

FCA Cruiserweight/Jr. Heavyweight Wrestler of 2018 -- Mustafa Ali (35.7%): Although he never quite captured the WWE Cruiserweight title, he made up for it with stellar performances throughout the year to convince the fans that he was must see. He’s officially a member of the SmackDown roster and already has shown that he can hang with the best. Will Ospreay finished 2nd with 21.4% of the votes and Buddy Murphy finished 3rd with 14.3% of the votes.

FCA Viral Wrestler of 2018 -- Becky Lynch (77.8%): Becky Lynch lived up to her moniker of The Man. Her bloody face was all over social media and she was a savage on Twitter and can’t seem to stop. We don’t want her to stop. She ran away with this category. Tama Tonga & PAC tied for 2nd with 7.4% of the votes while Sami Callahan & The Young Bucks tied for 3rd with 3.7% of the votes

FCA Best Tag Team of 2018 -- The Undisputed Era (36.7%): Probably the most over tag team in the business, the Undisputed Era had a great 2018 in NXT’s tag team division winning the Dusty Rhodes Classic and becoming 2-time NXT Tag Team Champions. It makes total sense that they win this award and that, boys & girls, is UNDISPUTED. The Young Bucks finished 2nd with 16.7% of the votes and surprisingly The Revival finished 3rd with 13.3% of the votes.

FCA Best UK-Based Male Wrestler of 2018 -- Pete Dunne (68.2%): The current reigning & defending WWE United Kingdom Champion is currently the longest reigning titleholder on WWE’s roster right now and has taken on all who have challenged his throne. He’s earned the honor of being considered the UK’s best. Tyler Bate, WALTER & Zack Gibson tied for 2nd with 9.1% of the votes and Joe Coffey finished 3rd with 4.5% of the votes.

FCA Best NXT Match of 2018 -- TWO WAY TIE (20%): So I knew this category was gonna be tight, but a 2-way tie? I was coming up with this category, I struggled to pick one. That’s how good NXT was in 2018. Johnny Gargano VS. Andrade Almas from TakeOver: Philadelphia & Johnny Gargano VS. Tommaso Ciampa in a Last Man Standing Match at TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 got the majority of the votes at 20% and both were definitely MOTY candidates. The Chicago Street Fight from TakeOver: Chicago 2 between Gargano and Ciampa finished 2nd with 16% of the votes. Tied for 3rd at 12% was Ricochet VS. Velveteen Dream from TakeOver: Chicago 2 & Aleister Black VS. Johnny Gargano from TakeOver: WarGames 2.

FCA Best NJPW Match of 2018 -- Kenny Omega VS. Chris Jericho //No DQ Match (WK12) (26.3%): When this was made official in 2017, Omega VS. Jericho was seen as a dream match and this match delivered on his hype and added on to the legend of both men. Omega’s battle with fellow Golden Lover, Kota Ibushi in the G1 Climax came in 2nd with 21.1% of the votes and coming in 3rd was the instant classic between Okada & Omega from the Dominion PPV.

FCA Best WWE Match of 2018 -- Becky Lynch VS. Charlotte Flair // Last Woman Standing (WWE Evolution) (65.5%): The Man & The Queen made history at the 1st ever all-women’s PPV in the 1st ever Last Woman Standing Match and it was an instant classic. Definitely worthy of being the best WWE Match of 2018. The Triple Threat TLC match from TLC 2018 between Asuka, Becky & Charlotte finished 2nd with 20.7% of the votes while the Triple Threat match at Wrestlemania 34 between Seth Rollins, Finn Balor & The Miz finished 3rd with 6.9% of the votes.

FCA Best UK-Based Female Wrestler of 2018 -- Rhea Ripley(45.5%): This was somewhat of a surprised to me, but in a short amount of time, Rhea Ripley made a lasting impression on fans with a great performance in the Mae Young Classic and winning a 8-woman tournament to become the 1st ever NXT UK Women’s Champion. Toni Storm finished 2nd with 40.9% of the vote and Isla Dawn, Jinny & Millie McKenzie tied for 3rd place 4.5& of the votes a piece.

FCA Best NXT Female Wrestler of 2018 -- Kairi Sane(30%): The former NXT Womens Champ had a great 2018 capturing the title for the 1st time at TakeOver: Brooklyn 4. She had an amazing rivalry with Shanya Baszler in 2018 and 2019 is looking bright for the Pirate Princess. Shayna Baszler came in 2nd with 20% of the votes and in 3rd was Nikki Cross with 16.7% of the votes.

FCA Best SD Live Female Wrestler of 2018 -- Becky Lynch(76.2%): Just like in the category for Viral Wrestler of 2018, Becky Lynch ran away with the majority of the votes which tells you the kind of 2018 Becky Lynch had. Coming 2nd with 9.2% of the votes each was Asuka & Charlotte Flair while Naomi came in 3rd with 4.8% of the votes.

FCA Best RAW Female Wrestler of 2018 -- Natayla (32.1%): This was a surprise winner here. While she didn’t have the most successful 2018 as far as achievements, she was a consistent performer in the ring and put on great matches. Ruby Riott came in 2nd with 21.4% of the votes and Sasha Banks finished in 3rd with 14.3% of the votes.

FCA Best WWE Female Wrestler of 2018 -- Becky Lynch(86.7%): Becky Lynch completes the clean sweep by winning this award capping off an amazing 2018 for The Man. Not one member of RAW was in the running for this award which shows how good SmackDown was. Charlotte & Asuka got the rest of the votes garnering 6.7% of the votes a piece.

FCA Best Impact Wrestling Female Wrestler of 2018 -- Taya Valkyrie(44.4%): Despite not competing on Impact Wrestling for a good portion of the year, you guys felt that she was the best of the Knockouts roster. Impact Knockouts Champ Tessa Blanchard came in 2nd with 33.3% of the votes and former champ Su Yung came in 3rd with 16.7% of the votes.

FCA Best NJPW Wrestler of 2018 -- Kenny Omega (16.7%): The reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion had a great 2018 highlighted by finally defeating Kazuchika Okada for the heavyweight crown at Dominion. He also had a classic encounter with Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 12. His tag partner, Kota Ibushi came in 2nd with 13.9% of the votes and coming in 3rd place was Jay White with 11.1% of the votes.

FCA Best Impact Wrestling Wrestler of 2018 -- Pentagon Jr.(32%): CERO MIEDO! Pentagon Jr. made an impact (no pun intended) everywhere he went in 2018, but made a huge splash when he became the Impact World Heavyweight Champion back in April defeating Austin Aries and brother Fenix in an amazing triple threat match. Sami Callahan came in 2nd with 28% of the vote while Fenix & Johnny Impact finished 3rd receiving 12% of the votes each.

FCA Best RAW Male Wrestler of 2018 -- Seth Rollins(27.3%): As he stated himself, Seth Rollins carried RAW on his back throughout 2018 capturing the Intercontinental Championship and putting on the best performances just about every night. Finn Balor finished 2nd with 21.2% of the votes and Dean Ambrose finished 3rd with 15.2% of the votes.

FCA Best SD Live Male Wrestler of 2018 -- AJ Styles(31.4%): SmackDown Live was definitely the “House That AJ Styles Built” in 2018 dominating the year as WWE Champion putting on stellar performances. Daniel Bryan got 20% of the votes finishing 2nd and Andrade “Cien” Almas finished 3rd with 14.3% of the votes.

FCA Best NXT Male Wrestler of 2018 -- Tommaso Ciampa(25.6%): The self-proclaimed “Greatest Sports Entertainer of All Time” had probably the best (if not one of the best) 2018 of any wrestler in the business. He made his return from injury at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia by attacking Johnny Gargano with a crutch which led to the best feud of 2018. Not only did he had an epic series of matches with his former DIY partner, but manage to capture the NXT Championship along the way. Former NXT Champ, Aleister Black finished 2nd with 23.1% of the votes while rising star Velveteen Dream finish 3rd with 15.4% of the votes.

FCA Best WWE Male Wrestler of 2018 -- Seth Rollins (43.9%): Not only did the majority of you feel like The Kingslayer was the best of RAW, but the best wrestler in WWE and it’s hard to argue. AJ Styles & The Miz tied for 2nd with 14.6% of the votes and coming in at 3rd with 9.8% of the votes was Dean Ambrose.

#pro wrestling #WWE #NXT #NJPW #Impact Wrestling #ROH #Lucha Underground #British wrestling #cruiserweights #junior heavyweights #1st Annual FCA Year-End Awards

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fashiontrendin-blog · 6 years ago

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Kieran Culkin's Shirt Is Off

https://fashion-trendin.com/kieran-culkins-shirt-is-off/

Kieran Culkin's Shirt Is Off

When Kieran Culkin first started reading the script for “Succession,” he wondered whether it had been sent to the wrong person. The HBO powers that be originally thought he’d be a good fit for the character of Greg, a bumbling nitwit who gets high in his first scene and spends the rest of the first season failing to sidle his way up the ladder of a massive media and entertainment conglomerate owned by his great-uncle, Logan Roy.

Almost from Greg’s first line, Culkin knew he was wrong for the part. “He’s already a lot younger than I am, and just the voice ― I was, like, this is not me. I am not right for this.”

When I met Culkin at a small restaurant in the Noho neighborhood of Manhattan last Monday, it was just as clear to me as it was to him that he’s too old to play a character like Greg. But something in the Roy family’s dark saga held Culkin’s attention anyway. He said he kept reading the script, which follows the foibles of the billionaire Roy clan as its individual members vie for power within. A few pages later, Logan’s overconfident third son, Roman, appears, led into a meeting by a man hired explicitly to burn sage.

“Hey, hey, motherfuckers!” Roman proclaims to a room full of his father’s business associates.

“And I was, like, ‘Oh, who’s this fucking guy?’” Culkin said.

Culkin eventually got the part of Roman, an incompetent and lazy man-child who believes he wholly deserves the title of chief operating officer, even though he has little interest in doing any of the work that comes with it. Among the many nefarious faces that make up Logan’s Waystar Royco empire, Roman stands out as perhaps its most cynical ― a ratings-obsessed media executive motivated solely by profit. At one point, in his interpretation of corporate disruption, he takes off his shirt in a meeting, flexing and joyfully screaming “Blood!” at the thought of layoffs. During another, he gleefully tells his sister about a new viral video that is “evidence of precisely the kind of disgusting, liberal, metro butt-love that makes our viewership angry enough to buy pharmaceuticals.” To Roman, nothing could be better.

Culkin can’t say exactly what drew him to the morally depraved heir, described by his father as a “moron” and his brother as a “walking fucking lawsuit.” But it’s not hard to imagine some small part of Culkin was intrigued by the idea of playing such a sneering member of a media empire.

After all, Culkin’s distaste for the tabloid industry is beyond well-established. (“No matter what’s written there, it’s a total lie, even the person’s name, lie, lie, lie, lie, everything’s a lie,” he once told New York Magazine.)

But let’s not lump Culkin into that hyperpartisan Level 10 “FAKE NEWS” category of 2018 American paranoia. Mostly because when he told me “Now it’s a thing, ‘fake news,’” and I said, jokingly, “Fake news. You’re a believer,” he got nervous and pushed out a quick “no,” immediately realizing the millions of different ways such a quote could be aggregated, recirculated, quoted out of context and otherwise misinterpreted. You can almost see it now, can’t you? “Kieran Culkin Joins the Chorus: Media Is ‘Fake News.’”

Culkin’s distrust is of a more justifiable form, born out of a lifetime of his surname showing up in headline-grabbing tabloid fodder. From the moment his parents, Kit “The father from hell” Culkin and Patricia Brentrup, entered into an ugly, obsessively covered custody battle to when the National Enquirer proclaimed his eternally famous brother, Macaulay, had “6 Months to Live” in 2012 (he’s still alive), Culkin’s last name has served as a way to move and make paper ― the most intimate moments of his life repackaged as factually questionable entertainment content to sell ads against.

Ron Galella via Getty Images

Macaulay and Kieran Culkin at the fifth annual American Comedy Awards back in 1991, just months after the release of the blockbuster hit “Home Alone.”

“There are things that are out there in the world as fact because it was written in print that are just completely false. My brother did not divorce his parents. They did not fight over his money,” he said. “But that’s out in the world as fact.

“I learned at a very young age to be, like, ‘Oh, I get it: It’s bullshit,’ shit that’s written in print.”

In person, Culkin ticks most of the boxes of adulthood: In his 30s. Takes his coffee black. Enjoys talking about his favorite East Village dives. Married five years. Nice watch. Clothes that fit. Hair slicked around his head just so. Like Roman, Culkin drops a “fuck” or “shit” every ninth word or so, as when he said to me, “Hold on, I’m going to eat the fuck out of these pickles. You say something for a minute, ’cause I’ve got a mouth full of shit.”

But no matter how many fucks he lets out ― and by my count, he let out around 25 over 40 minutes ― Culkin remains stuck with a membership to the official Former Child Actors club. Macaulay, or Mac, if you’re in the know, was always the main draw ― history’s most famous kid actor without a drink named after him. But Kieran was there too, in “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2.” He found himself on the stage of “Saturday Night Live” before the age of 10, and schmoozed with Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show” before his voice dropped.

Which is probably why ― and here I’m guessing ― Culkin might have been a bit annoyed when HBO suggested he audition for Greg.

But after 10 episodes of watching Culkin-as-Roman take part in his family’s imperious game of human chess, it’s hard to imagine the actor playing anyone else. If Jeremy Strong ― who plays Kendall, Logan’s cocaine-addicted second son ― is the show’s tragic star, Culkin is its nervous energy. There’s something in the way he pushes out a phrase like “What a pathetic beta cuck,” or belittles doctors and waiters alike.

What sealed Culkin’s interest in his character came in the first episode during a family softball game, when Roman points to a kid on the sidelines, the son of the site’s groundskeeper. Everyone grows quiet as Roman whips out his checkbook and starts writing a check for $1 million. Hit a home run in their game, Roman tells the boy, and the money is his. For the child and his family, it’s a potentially life-changing moment. For Roman, the child is nothing but a momentary subhuman toy to mess with and cast aside. After the child is tagged out at home, Roman can’t control his laughter. “I’m sorry, I can’t give it to you,” he says as he tears up the check. It is a degrading, truly awful moment of television.

“Oh, I get it,” Culkin remembered thinking, “he’s a fuck face.”

When Culkin filmed the scene, he embodied evil, letting out a cackle so cruel it sets the show’s moral compass for the remaining season. Culkin himself is not sure where his ability to play somebody like that came from.

“Being able to connect to some degree, not in a positive way, with these characters is odd to me because I don’t know the multimillionaires, I don’t know the super-rich, yet I know assholes like that,” he said. “I can’t even quite specifically pick out who I know that is exactly like that, but it’s weird that you can still, for me, relate.”

“Succession” suffered from a slow start, only truly hitting its stride around Episode 6, when Kendall leads the board in a tense vote of no confidence against Logan, who’s recently suffered a stroke, unleashing a sequence of events within the Roy family that are both comical and horrifying.

Culkin owns up to that. “The first three episodes to me, it’s not like they’re unwatchable,” he said, “but it’s not quite the show yet.”

Which, according to him, is fine. Some shows don’t grab you on first watch, and one in particular in his opinion: “I probably shouldn’t even say this on record. The example I have is actually [the British comedy] ‘Peep Show,’” which was coincidentally also developed by “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong.

But the first season of “Succession” gained enough momentum before concluding Sunday evening for HBO to pick it up for another season ― making this the first time Culkin has ever been part of a television show that made it to Season 2, according to his IMDB page, a small victory in his more than two decades on-screen.

Culkin’s most acclaimed role came in 2002, when he earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role in “Igby Goes Down.” But that time the victory led to a full-blown existential crisis.

United Artists via Getty Images

Claire Danes and Kieran Culkin talk at a coffee shop for a scene from “Igby Goes Down.” Culkin entered an existential crisis after the film and took a breaking from acting.

“[I] found myself at the age of 20 with a career I never chose, [and I] freaked out,” Culkin said. “I think everybody around that age has some sort of crisis. Usually, it’s like a straight-up ‘Oh, I don’t know what I want to do.’ Mine is, ‘I don’t know what I want to do with my life, yet here I am doing it.’”

Culkin took a break before eventually returning to acting, mostly because he wasn’t sure what else to do. “I was just sort of doing it in the meantime,” he says now. He took parts in movies like “Lymelife” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” Did two episodes of “Fargo.” Performed multiple versions of a stage play he loved, Kenneth Lonergan’s “This Is Our Youth.” In 2014, he was still apprehensive. “I often think about getting out of this job, but I’m terrified that there’s nothing else,” he told The Daily Beast.

Since then, Culkin said, something clicked. He remembered coming home from work one day and thinking, “Oh, I think I’m actually enjoying this.”

“I think I know what I want to do now,” he said to himself. “I think I should do this.”

Now deep into his 30s, Culkin has established himself as a stronger and more serious actor than the “essentially retired” Macaulay ever did. And in Roman, Culkin has stumbled upon something as special as it is sinister. TV Guide described Roman as “the very definition of the hate-f―k,” but he’s probably more accurately categorized as sexual overcompensation personified. He tells his brother that his “face is drowning in pussy,” despite the fact that his various partners claim he rarely wants to have sex. He masturbates to his office view of New York City while a string of emails piles up behind him. (“It’s to gain some sort of control,” Culkin surmised.)

More interesting than his sex life, though, is Roman’s complex relationship with his manipulative and emotionally abusive father. While most people want to prove their competence to the people around them, “Roman, for the most part, doesn’t give a fuck about that,” Culkin said, adding, “If his girlfriend says, ‘No, but you did a great job,’ it’s like: ‘Fuck you. Don’t patronize me.’” What he wants, Culkin said, is his dad’s approval: “That’s the only person that can get him, the only person that can look at him and make him nervous.”

Logan does exactly that when Roman prepares to stand against the tycoon in the vote of no confidence. With his father staring down at him, Roman can only muster a meek “maybe” before he slouches into his chair like an admonished child and votes with his father. Thanks to Roman, Logan lives to fight another day atop his dynasty, while Kendall is forced, temporarily, to surrender.

Earlier, in Episode 2, Roman finds himself watching as the world repackages his family’s tragedy into viral content. He and his family are huddled together in a New York hospital, awaiting information about their famous father’s deteriorating health post-stroke, like characters in a Gothic novel, when Roman starts scrolling through Twitter. His sister, Shiv, asks what people are saying.

“Eh, rumors, you know,” Roman replies matter-of-factly. “Some of Twitter says he’s dead ― and also a good deal of rejoicing at our father’s potential demise.” He notices a short video of the “South Park” kids yelling, “Oh my God, we’ve killed Logan! We’re bastards!” and asks an employee to “find out who these fuckers are and report them or screen grab their shit.”

When Culkin’s own father was hospitalized after suffering a stroke in 2014, TMZ, The Daily Mail, Perez Hilton all repackaged the tragedy as well. The National Enquirer pounced, too, running a headline that read, “Macaulay Culkin Rejects Dying Dad: ‘Rot in Hell!’” But unlike Roman, Culkin wouldn’t have been sifting through Twitter. “That would never be something that I would do willingly,” he says of social media more generally. “Because already at a young age, there was a public perception of me.”

Francis Apesteguy via Getty Images

Kit Culkin, Macaulay Culkin, Kieran Culkin and Patricia Bretnup pose for a photo one month after the release of “Home Alone.” The father is now estranged from his children.

Like Roman, however, Culkin and his siblings have a less than ideal relationship with his father. By all accounts, they have been mostly if not entirely estranged from Kit ever since their mother won custody of the children in the 1990s. Patricia, the mother, claimed during the custody battle that Kit had been abusive, and Culkin’s brother Macaulay has continued to do so throughout his life.

“He was a bad man,” Macaulay Culkin told comedian Marc Maron earlier this year.

When I asked Kieran Culkin if he has spoken with his father recently, he answered with two no’s so quickly that I couldn’t bring myself to ask a follow-up question, only saying, for reasons still unbeknownst to me, “Fuck ’em.”

“Fuck ’em,” Culkin agreed. “I’ll go on record: Yeah, fuck ’em.”

After a lifetime of his last name being splattered across the front pages of tabloids, Culkin seemed ready to move on from the controversies that have dogged him since he was a child actor with moppy hair and oversized clothes. That’s not him anymore.

What we’re looking at instead is Kieran Culkin, age 35 ― no longer a Greg and fully embracing life as Roman.

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ssportsnews · 3 years ago

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Yoon Do-hyun, 'Really shed tears' on the participant stage

Jury member Dohyeon Yoon shed tears at the contestant's song.

In the 6th episode of JTBC's 'Singer Gain Season 2 - The Unknown Singer Battle' (abbreviated as 'Singer Gain 2'), which was broadcast on the 10th, the third round rivalry was held in which those who formed the team in the second round faced off against each other.

On this day, in 'Singer Gain 2', Yoo Hee-yeol was diagnosed with Corona 19, and Yoon Jong-shin, the archeopteryx of the audition world, appeared as a substitute as a judge. Yoon Jong-sik said, "I've become too big for a sudden thing," and said, "I prefer rare values and unique styles. I'll look at it with affection."

In the last broadcast, the team mission was conducted with a team determined by the judges, and the third round was a rivalry, and the fiercest and most brutal confrontation was foretold. The team you were with in the last mission faced off as rivals. The screening method was the same. Voting will be held after both teams have finished their stage.

The first group was the match between No. 57 and No. 4, and two people who received great reviews as a team in the 2nd round team competition. As soon as the two met, they sighed, saying, "It's too cruel."

No. 4, who selected the b-side song 'Moth's Dream' from Lee Seung-gi's debut album, confessed, "I heard it by chance, but the lyrics really touched me." The lyrics of 'I can't turn back' and 'I want to live as a butterfly' (when I injured my vocal cords) were exactly that. It was hopeless. Now that I have recovered a lot, I really felt that way to sing this song. This time, I want to give comfort to those in need by singing this song."

No. 57 selected Yoon Do-hyun's 'Tarzan'. No. 4 said, "I was thinking about how to show my color, and I saw that the judge Yoon Do-hyun sang with one acoustic guitar and said, 'Please give me a round of applause'." Yoon Do-hyun said, "It was my first broadcast. The audience didn't look at me and chatted, so I got angry."

At the moment of choice, Yoon Jong-shin said, "I can see who is pressing here. There is no taste of being pricked from below." In the tense stage of the two, the judges carefully selected No. 57 as the singer who is more excited about the next round.

The next round was also fierce. The essence of deep rock, No. 20 and No. 63, Kim Eana said, "They are very rare vocals. They have the same rock category, but they have different vocal ranges, so I attached them as rivals." Yoon Jong-shin said, "Music is like someone you can sell" and surprised the stage of No. 63.

The showdown between season 2's best guitar player No. 11 and unique charm No. 42 made people look forward to it as much as it showed the perfect bromance. No. 42 said, "It's a very painful moment," and No. 11 said, "Let's not cry no matter who gets stuck." Yoon Jong-shin judged, "I saw the 11th stage and said, 'I'll win if I can,' but after seeing the 42nd, it was zero. 'Singer Gain 2' is the recipe."

Nos. 39 and 64, which received reviews for 'Mother and Daughter' and 'It looks like you sang with me 40 years ago'. No. 39 brought tears to her eyes before she even sang. He said, "I wondered if the judges could be that smart and wonderful, but when I saw the team composition last time, I thought they had a sense of humor. But in this rivalry, there are only demons."

No. 39 looked at No. 64's stage and smiled at his mom saying, "I was proud." After hearing that No. 39 is competing with No. 64, he changed the song selection. Yoon Jong-shin said, "No. 39 is really amazing. It's really amazing that you did that with just one guitar. The lyrics came in. It felt like you were singing alone in front of an old camper."

No. 37 and No. 48 met every day for two weeks and built a friendship, but they met as enemies and it was even more upsetting. However, No. 48 said, “I will make my stage have the highest ratings,” and No. 37 also said, “I don’t have confidence. I am Jill myself”, creating a sense of tension that yesterday’s colleague became an enemy.

On the stage of No. 48, Yoon Do-hyun said, "I will say one last short word. 'I cried'. I was in tears. Listening to the verse, it felt like I had experienced it as if I had become the main character in the real lyrics. I was embarrassed and closed my eyes. It was so good "He gave a short but strong review.

No. 37 survived the cliff with Lee Hae-ri's 'Super Again'. About choosing 'Don't Worry', he said, "My team member Park Jang-hyun is singing in another audition. I didn't know it was going to be that hard. I want to say, 'Let's keep singing'."

On the stage of No. 37, Kim Eana praised, "The shamanists see such a case and say, 'I heard all the gods'. I heard of various personalities. Do you remember?" No. 37 delivered a video letter saying, "I remember Park Jang-hyung. I'm watching him work hard in the neighborhood."

Next is No. 34 and No. 31, and Minho said, "It's final," and Kim Eana said, "It's world-class. The world pays attention."

먹튀, 먹튀검증, 먹튀검증사이트, 먹튀연구소, 먹튀검증, 먹튀보증, 먹튀보험, 먹튀제보, 먹튀신고, 토토사이트, 카지노사이트, 바카라사이트

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borisbubbles · 5 years ago

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20. SAN MARINO

Senhit - “Freaky!”

youtube

Before we start, SORRY for not updating sooner. PED hit me sooner *and* harder than I anticipated and one of my tooth fillings dropped, so I’m currently on painkillers. Also the EBU’s online ‘replacement show’ for the first semifinal... :shudders:

However, allow me to bring some happiness into my life (and by proxy, yours), by discussing the one, the only, the true 2020 Queen of EuroTRASH....

...

... Samanta Tina, in a few updates. 🤭

Until then, let’s dish on Senhit.

Entry Analysis.

Hang on. Senhit you say? THIS SENHIT?

youtube

Yes, I am FOREMOST cuckoo-completely for the fact that SRMTV dug up this haggard frump from her crypt and forced her to do Eurovision simply because they had no other options <3 (and also because they had an Azerbaijani hand-me-down more on that in NF Corner). I always liked Senile Drunk Auntie Senit more than probably should (yes, “Stand by” is boring but 2011 is a dungheap, LET ME HAVE MY RANDOM FAVES OKAY)

Second of all, the accompanying transformation of Senit into SenHIT. We went from this:

to this?

LIFE IS GOOD WHEN YOU’RE IN A FREAKING(!) MIDLIFE CRISIS.

Holy shit, what a transformation into... idek what to describe FREAKY!’s video clip as? A neo-neon-nightmare, featuring aggressively sexual grinding by Senhit, inflicted upon half-naked men in a setting that borrow heavily from Hatari’s BDSM couture? It’s fucking BONKERS.

May I also remind you that Senhit is EVEN OLDER THAN *BICENTANNIAL WOMAN TAMTARATAM* and despite this she manages to sell her sexual aggression as a something *FUNNY* without making herself look like a desperate tart? HER POWER. 😍

I also have to mention the fucking MARKETING campaign that accompanied this mad, menopausal circus of bad taste. You diehards probably noticed the San Marino 2021 mugs (those HIDEOUS teal/pink/sand coloured mugs <3) like I did and like me probably thought it was an elaborate hoax? Turn out... it somehow *wasn’t* a hoax and you could order them on Senhit’s personal website??? WHAT??? Btw, forget about the mugs, how about PERSONALIZED CONDOMS?

SOLD OUT lmfao <3 Bet most Senhit fans never actually used a condom before <3

All of this hogwash for a song that can best be described as an irrideemable pile of disco dreck. 😍 God I was SO on board with UNIRONICALLY stanning San Marino for once. #YesWeSen.

and... then Eurovision 2020 was taken away from me, you and Senhit, and my appreciation towards her quickly dried up before it could settle as unironic stanning.😬 Sigh. BUT WORRY NOT QUEEN’S GOT YOU COVERED.

NF Corner

Oh my fucking god, yes, the codswallop that was “Digital Battle Eurovision”. So, after months of silence (other than Senhit nasically spoiling her participation on social media, which no one really took seriously because come on, it’s Senhit) San Marino held something that was supposed to pass as a “national final” and it’s the shoddiest thing I’ve ever seen in the 8 years I’ve been following the preshow <3

Okay so... This is where Azerbaijan come in. You may not know this yet, but “Cleopatra” by Efendi was, at some point during development, given to San Marino. I’m not sure about the exact details, but from what I heard and assumed, Azer’s broadcaster Ichtimai decided they didn’t need “Cleopatra”, so they gave the demo to San Marino, who then recruited Senhit to sing it in. Sounds like fan fiction and fortunately for us the recordings have made they way to the yubtubs so I can prove you it is gospel. Observe:

Senhit - “Cleopatra”

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YES QUEEN OF THE GAYS <3 (lol I should keep my opinions on Efendi’s Cleopatra hidden for now, but spoilers I am going to fucking RIP that crock of shit to shreds once I get there).

So anyway, at *SOME* point after giving “Cleopatra” to the San Marinese, Ichtimai must’ve decided that “nope, Cleopatra will be OUR entry, thx” and punted Senhit out of her glorious pseudo-historical trash anthem (more on that too when I rank Azerbaijan), a WEEK before the deadline, (😂🤣) which of course meant that San Marino had to *improvize*. 😅

Enter: a ramshackle SING-OFF between two songs, deadline ON THE MORNING OF THE DELEGATION MEETING. 🤣. Your choices:

SONG #1 A trashy disco song that never would have stood a prayer at Eurovision and would’ve been a disaster in every universe, especially *and* including our own, but was complete lip service towards any vocal Stan Marino.

SONG #2 The English translation of a competent, but somewhat tepid electropop song that Senhit had released in Italian in September, mere days after the 2020 season had started. Good, but nothing too exciting.

Senhit - Obsessed

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And honestly, it seemed clear that FREAKY! would win from second one? It seemed like the clear follow-up to Serhat (sorta?), a perfect fan service song to keep the balding gays busy so they don’t pick up their phones and vote for boring shit such as Gjon’s Tears. However, when FREAKY! won it was revealed it had only won by a TINY margin over Obsessed anyway. What the FUCK was this year honestly and why does NONE of it make sense.

San Marino 2020 & San Marino 2021

I mean... yes, the second semifinal was compiled of a series of oozing trashheaps and boring smug, and yes, both demographs would provide qualifiers and no, Senhit *never* would’ve been one of them, being stuck in the first half.

It would seem as if “FREAKY!” was a worthy successor to “Say na na na”, but I don’t think that comparison really works. The only things those two songs have in common is their camp and their singer’s inability to sing (lol have I ever said a positive thing about Serhat, ever, in print? I should counteract that by saying something kind: Serhat is very good at... um... being a dentist. 🙂)

However, “Say na na na” also had a universally positive message, even if it adhered the tried-and-true “BELIEVE IN YOURSELF IF YOU DO THIS BANALE THING” cliché.” FREAKY!” literally is a hodgepodge of acid trippy menopausal nonsense, which I personal find more endearing, but Europe would swiftly whisk towards the rubbish bin for being bad and female. C’est la vie.

Nada on 2021 yet and given how desperate and scarce with information San Marino are, I expect no news until the literal last minute. I personally wouldn’t be too surprised if they withdrew, but eh, I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. As long as we have Samanta Demon to cover our trip-hop-trash needs, I couldn’t rly care less about San Marino.

FREAKY! FRIDAY! FACTOR!

I mean, even if you had *any* doubts how well Senhit would score in the category I named after her, let me recap

- San Marino recruited a random-ass-returnee nobody really asked for. - They initially gave her an Azeri hand-me-down trashpop song about a Macedonian-Greek pharaoh - Azerbaijan then took BACK said hand-me-down trashpop song and made it their entry - Which forced San Marino to flimsily put together a last-minute digital NF where you could decide which of these two HOPELESS songs would facilitate their NQ - The deadline of which was set *ON THE MORNING OF THE DELEGATION MEETING IN ROTTERDAM* (aka the literal submissions deadline) - The obvious winner *almost* lost the vote everyone expected them to win (again!) - and of course: the video clip, the website, the emails, the slogans, the CONDOMS. This is honestly what FREAKY! FRIDAY! FACTORS! are made for. Happily take away the first (but not last) perfect score, queen.

Score: 5 Senhits out of 5.

#Eurovision #Eurivision Song Contest #Eurovision 2020 #San Marino #Senhit #FREAKY!#freaky

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stephenmccull · 4 years ago

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Cory Gardner’s Bill Has as Much to Do With Politics as Preexisting Conditions

Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican running in a tight race for reelection in Colorado, says he wants to protect people with medical conditions.

In a mid-September tweet released by his campaign, he promoted legislation he introduced in August that he says will do just that.

“People like my mother who battle chronic diseases are heroes,” read the tweet. “I authored the bill to guarantee coverage to people with pre-existing conditions — no matter what happens to Obamacare — because some things matter more than politics.”

Gardner has voted repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the first federal law to guarantee people with health problems that they could buy insurance when shopping for their own coverage — at the same cost as for healthier consumers.

Polls show broad public support for keeping the ACA’s preexisting condition protections, while also indicating a consistent, if narrow, majority favoring the overall law.

The popularity of those protections has led Gardner, as well as other GOP candidates facing tough challengers, to swear their allegiance to protecting people with medical conditions, despite their records. In previous fact checks, we found Sen. Martha McSally’s promise always to protect preexisting conditions to be False. President Donald Trump also has made related statements, which have ranged from False to Pants on Fire.

That got us thinking: Would Gardner’s legislation, dubbed “The Pre-Existing Conditions Protection Act,” actually guarantee these protections if the ACA didn’t exist? We decided to investigate.

The bill, which was introduced in August, still has no co-sponsors. It’s very short, only 117 words in total.

The main section is a single very long sentence: “A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage may not impose any pre-existing condition exclusion with respect to such plan or coverage, factor health status into premiums or charges, exclude benefits relating to pre-existing conditions from coverage, or otherwise exclude benefits, set limits, or increase charges based on any pre-existing condition or health status.”

We reached out to the Gardner campaign to ask for more information.

A campaign spokesperson reiterated in an email that Gardner’s goal is “to guarantee coverage for individuals with preexisting conditions and ensure they cannot be charged more as a result of their underlying medical conditions.”

Thomas Miller, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C., quipped that the main goal might be something else entirely.

“It’s probably about 100 words too long,” Miller said. “It could have said, ‘I’m running for election. I’ll do whatever is necessary.’”

Past Votes, Present Messages

Proponents of the ACA emphasized that the law would help people with medical conditions as they worked to get it passed by Congress, which happened in 2010 following a yearlong failed effort by Democrats to win Republican support. Among a host of other provisions, the law bars insurers from rejecting applicants with medical conditions, as they routinely did when considering individual applicants before the law passed. Nor can insurers charge the sick more than the healthy.

Since the law went into effect in 2014, it has faced many efforts by Republicans in Congress, including Gardner, to repeal it.

It has also faced three Supreme Court challenges. It survived the first two, although one ruling allowed states to opt out of its expansion of Medicaid programs for the poor. The still-pending case was first brought in 2018 by 20 states and is supported by the Trump administration. That case could overturn the entire law, although the court won’t hear arguments on the issue before the election. And that brings us back to Gardner’s bill. An obvious difference between that proposal and the ACA is length. Gardner’s bill is one page, while the ACA runs to several hundred.

And Gardner’s claim seems pegged to the legislative language that says insurers can’t impose a “pre-existing condition exclusion,” which sounds fairly straightforward.

But it’s not, experts say.

“It’s an adorable little bill but does not address any of the main issues,” said Linda Blumberg, a fellow at the nonprofit Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center. “You need a package of policies working together in order to create real protections for people to have coverage to meet their health care needs.”

For instance, the bill does not explicitly bar insurers from outright rejecting applicants with medical conditions, something known as “guaranteed issue.”

“‘Guaranteed issue’ is not in the language of the bill,” said Miller at AEI.

Instead, the language may simply prohibit insurers from restricting services related to a medical condition only if they choose to sell an individual insurance in the first place, he said.

Compare that with the ACA, which says every insurer selling individual or group coverage “must accept every employer and individual in the State that applies.”

Also needed in legislation aiming to protect people with medical problems, said Blumberg, are provisions for subsidies to help people of low and moderate income afford their premiums. The ACA has those, along with specific enrollment periods, so that people don’t wait until they are sick to sign up. Without them, mainly those with medical conditions might sign up, driving up costs and premiums. That, in turn, can price people, especially the sick, out of future coverage.

Another way Gardner’s bill differs from the ACA is that it does not list benefits that must be included in a health insurance policy. The ACA requires insurers to cover 10 broad categories of care, including hospitalization, prescription drugs, childbirth, substance abuse treatment and mental health care.

“Without that, insurers could sell products that don’t cover very much, which is what we had prior to 2014,” Blumberg added, which is one way to discourage those who are sick from even applying. “It was difficult to find a product that covered prescription drugs, and we even saw policies that didn’t cover chemotherapy.”

So, What About Costs?

Gardner’s legislation says insurers can’t “factor health status into premiums or charges.”

So insurers could not charge people more simply because they have diabetes, say, or cancer. Still, that leaves open a whole lot of other things that insurers could consider when setting premiums for individuals, such as gender or occupation, which could stand in as a proxy for health. Unlike the ACA, it does not bar insurers from setting annual or lifetime dollar limits on coverage, which could disproportionately affect people with costly medical conditions.

The ACA allows insurers to vary premiums for only three reasons: where people live, their age and whether they use tobacco. It sets upper limits, such as charging older folks no more than three times what younger enrollees pay.

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, who wrote a blog post cited by the Gardner campaign, said the proposed legislation is a starting point — a place holder, if you will. His piece mentioned it near the end of a broader look at the Trump administration’s health platform going into the election.

Responding to questions about Gardner’s legislation, Holtz-Eakin said that if the ACA were to be struck down, Gardner would likely add provisions to it.

“I don’t think it’s intended to be a replacement bill but a provision to make sure people can get coverage,” said Holtz-Eakin. “It’s quite clear on the aim to ensure that people with preexisting conditions can get insurance, but it doesn’t address every single policy issue that’s out there.”

Health law professor Mark Hall at Wake Forest University said Gardner’s legislation could survive if the ACA were struck down by the Supreme Court, but he noted that Congress would be unlikely to adopt the Gardner bill as written.

“A freestanding protection of pre-existing conditions without any supporting provisions to keep insurance affordable or encourage people to purchase it before they become sick, is almost certain to cause serious harms to the market,” Hall wrote in an email. “Therefore, a lot more is needed to overcome legitimate objections that almost certainly will be made from both sides of the political aisle.”

Our Ruling

Because protecting people with medical conditions requires many moving parts, the brevity of Gardner’s proposal makes it appear to be a fig leaf for a political problem rather than a means to guarantee protections for people with preexisting conditions.

The legislation is unclear on whether it guarantees that people with health problems will be able to buy insurance in the first place. And, even if they can, they may well find it priced out of reach because the legislation does not bar insurers from varying premiums widely on the basis of age, gender or occupation.

Viewed in its most favorable light, Gardner’s 117-word proposal would only serve as a place holder for larger legislation, upon which more protections would have to be layered to bolster the effectiveness of its guarantee.

We rate this statement False.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).

Cory Gardner’s Bill Has as Much to Do With Politics as Preexisting Conditions published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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I re-graded all 86 perfect score dunks in NBA Dunk Contest history

Getty Images; Photo illustration by Karyim Carreia

Not all 50s were created equal, and it’s about time we re-examined the best of the best. Now including those from the 2020 event.

Editor’s Note: This is now updated to include the three 50 dunks from the 2019 Slam Dunk Contest.

The NBA Slam Dunk Contest is usually the best part of All-Star Weekend. Since Larry Nance won the inaugural NBA dunk contest in 1984, the competition has been a staple of the event, where fans could watch their favorite NBA players try out dunks that couldn’t be performed in games. And it appeared to have a formula that could never get old: The best NBA players in the world trying to push the art of the dunk to new heights.

But nope, it got old.

Now this is my opinion, but the dunk contest hasn’t really been the same since Dwight Howard stopped competing. The lone exceptions to this are when JaVale McGee and Blake Griffin battled it out in 2011, and when Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine gave us one of the best dunk contests of all time in 2016. But when you exclude those anomalies, it’s easier to see that the contest, system, and formula are starting to age poorly.

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Since the the dunk contest came back in 2000 (David Stern “gave it a rest” in 1998 and 1999), the league has tried to switch and tinker with the contest to keep us interested.

Fan voting.

2. The dunk wheel.

3. That weird freestyle round where everyone was dunking at the same time.

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Through all of this, one thing hasn’t changed: The highest possible score in the dunk contest is a 50. The 50 is how we immortalize some of the best dunks of all time, and these select dunks stand in a club high above the rest.

However, think of this “50s club” as the baseball hall of fame: When you see all of these dunks, you’ll realize that some are missing for random reasons and others somehow squeaked their way in. But, no one has ever gone back and investigated which 50s are better than others.

Until now.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have looked at every NBA dunk contest perfect score with the sole purpose of rescoring and ranking them. Not all 50s were created equal and it’s about time we rescale the best of the best.

Before we begin, I’m going to explain the criteria that I used to score this contest. Remember: This is my opinion and I’m happy to be wrong on these. I just really wanted to spend two weeks charting dunks.

Also remember: These new scores are relative to the other dunks on this list and NOT the other dunks from the contest from which they came. Imagine if all these dunks on the list were in the same contest. Like a musical festival but with dunking.

Here’s my scale for scoring:

Originality

This originality score compares the dunk in review to the other dunks up until its time frame. Some dunks on this list are creative as hell, while others are paying homage or taking inspiration from earlier dunks and more specifically earlier 50s. This way the dunks from older eras won’t get penalized for not holding up. For example, a windmill in the 1980s was way more original than a windmill from 2005 and this category will keep me from unfairly criticizing old dunks.

Degree of Difficulty

While some dunks might be similar or identical, not all dunkers are the same; this criteria is designed to offset this factor. For example, a dunk for Spud Webb may be way more difficult to accomplish than a dunk from Dominque Wilkins because of their respective heights. The degree of difficulty isn’t only relative to the dunk, but to the dunker as well.

Excitement

Now the dunk is only half of the battle. There are so many other things that factor into the overall excitement of a dunk. Does the crowd go crazy? Does Kenny Smith make up phrases? Do the NBA players jump onto the court? Does the dunker do some cool shit after? Questions like these factor into the overall dunk score. If you don’t have the in-person crowd feeling some type of way, then how exciting was it really?

Timelessness

When you bring up a specific year, does this dunk get mentioned? Or was it forgotten or lost in the shuffle with the other dunks from that same night? Will we ever see this again? How did this dunk age over time? Would it still get a high score today? Was this entire dunk contest forgettable? That’s what this category is for.

Kofie Points

I needed this to add up to 50. It’s my list, leave me alone. Say what you what about my methods, but I think you’ll be satisfied with the general results. This is my opinion and I want you to challenge me on some of these dunks. My opinion isn’t the be all end all. Not even close. I just wanted to make an immersive, enjoyable list.

The NBA Youtube channel made a video with every dunk, so you can use this as a guide:

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Now that you know all of the dunks, let’s begin. We’re starting from the bottom.

Scores in the 20s

Off Bounce One-handed Finish Dunker: Fred Jones Year: 2004

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Originality: 5 Degree of Difficulty: 5 Excitement: 6 Timelessness: 5 Kofie Points: 0 TOTAL SCORE: 21

*Looks at year* ... was this a mistake?! Kenny saying, “Spud Webb did that dunk and he was 5’7.” I’ve been watching this shit over and over, thinking that I missed something, but no. I’m not. This is the most rim grazer package ass dunk, and the sad part is that it’s in 2004. This is not even the most exciting dunk of THAT ROUND, but it got a 50. This is a dunk that a lot of people do in high school basketball warmups. I have no idea what the judges were thinking here. Fred Jones had not one, but two better dunks in this competition alone, and that’s what makes this so sad.

Scores in the 30s

Statue of Liberty 360 Dunker: Terence Stansbury Year: 1985

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 6 Excitement: 6 Timelessness: 4 Kofie Points: 6 TOTAL SCORE: 30

This dunk didn’t age as well as some of the other dunks of its era. I know it was during the 80s, but the fact that it didn’t age well and can be replicated easily by other dunkers nowadays makes it pale in comparison to the other 50s on this list. I hope this seemingly harsh judgment makes it clear that this list has some tough competition.

He did make this look groovy as hell, tho.

Toss Under Arm Dunk Dunker: Terence Stansbury Year: 1987

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 8 Excitement: 7 Timelessness: 5 Kofie Points: 6 TOTAL SCORE: 30

He does another dunk eerily similar to this in the same. exact. contest. You’ll see what I’m talking about soon.

Jumping Over a Crouching Kevin Hart Dunker: Donovan Mitchell Year: 2018

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Originality: 6 Degree of Difficulty: 7 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 4 TOTAL SCORE: 31

This was at a point in time where we, as a society, couldn’t seem to escape DJ Khaled and Kevin Hart no matter what we did. Like I said last year, this wasn’t the best dunk of the contest or Mitchell’s best dunk of the night. But then again, maybe Dikembe Mutombo was in a good mood.

Looks again... Oh yeah that’s right, Mutombo wasn’t a judge that year. This is the year where the NBA thought it was a good idea to have CELEBRITY JUDGES for the dunk contest.

Again, I have no problem with Mitchell winning overall, but this judging just killed the vibe. I’m done talking about this dunk.

A 360 Dunker: Dominque Wilkins Year: 1986

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 5 Excitement: 6 Timelessness: 5 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 31

Spud Webb also does a 360 dunk in this contest, but Dominique has a foot on Webb so it looks less impressive by comparison. Wilkins is more known for his windmills anyway. No hard feelings.

A Carolina kid dunking over J. Cole in North Carolina Dunker: Dennis Smith Jr. Year: 2019

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Originality: 6 Degree of Difficulty: 7 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 4 Kofie Points: 6 TOTAL SCORE: 31

I’m from North Carolina, so I felt proud of the kid being about to dunk over J. Cole. However, if I judged the Mitchell-Kevin Hart dunk the way I did, I have to be fair.

Carolina, stand up!

Over Dwyane Wade, lob from Steph Curry to a windmill Dunker: Dennis Smith Jr. Year: 2019

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 5 Timelessness: 5 Kofie Points: 4 TOTAL SCORE: 31

This would be way higher on the list if he didn’t take so many attempts that it made Raymond Felton do this.

Now, some people feel very strongly against vaulting, but I do love the fact that he actually vaulted over Wade and then caught the ball. That’s impressive in my book. Dennis, please come back and do the dunk contest again.

Sideways Windmill Dunker: Michael Jordan Year: 1987

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Originality: 5 Degree of Difficulty: 7 Excitement: 7 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 7 TOTAL SCORE: 32

At first glance, you might think that I’m tripping with this dunk. The Michael Jordan sideways windmill is one of the most iconic slams in dunk contest history. You’re absolutely right, but you’re forgetting one thing: He pretty much did the same version of this dunk twice, in the same contest. The one you’re looking at is the less impressive version and that’s why it’s so low on this list.

Windmill Dunker: Josh Smith Year: 2005

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Originality: 3 Degree of Difficulty: 7 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 5 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 32

Damn, Josh Smith really did three windmill variations in the same contest. Wild. It feels like he only got a 50 because he was in the Wilkins jersey. Now, for starters, I don’t like how judges inflate these scores just because you went to nba.com and bought a jersey in advance — it has to stop. So, since it is the least impressive of his windmills, it is the lowest scored of them on this list.

Off the Backboard Dunker: Dominique Wilkins Year: 1988

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 6 Excitement: 7 Timelessness: 5 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 33

I watched this 30 times to make sure I wasn’t missing something. This dunk did not age gracefully as it now looks like something a 5-star recruit does in warmups to impress the cameras. This is a good dunk for that time, but it’s not even the best dunk he did in the contest. It feels like this was kind of a make-up score.

The judging is all over the place in this contest and this dunk was proof of that. I will say that he got very high up for this dunk, but this list is the best of the best.

Off the Backboard Tomahawk Dunker: Donovan Mitchell Year: 2018

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Originality: 6 Degree of Difficulty: 8 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 5 Kofie Points: 7 TOTAL SCORE: 34

The thing I’ll give Donovan Mitchell on this one is that he punches and gets this off way cleaner than his imitation Vince Carter dunk he did to close out the contest. I like Mitchell’s first dunk in the contest better — the one where he bounced the ball off a SECOND basketball hoop.

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That should have been a 50.

The wrong Mitchell dunks got 50s that night, which is a shame because the right dunks would have been pretty high on this list.

Under-his-arm Side Pump Dunk Dunker: Terence Stansbury Year: 1987

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 6 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 35

I’m sorry. I can’t get into this dunk for the life of me. The toss honestly doesn’t look like it makes a difference. To extend an olive branch, this helped influence some under-the-arm tosses that we’d see in later contests. Stansbury was trying his best to think outside the box, but this dunk has not aged that well over time.

Behind the Backboard Off Bounce Windmill Dunker: Dwight Howard Year: 2009

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 8 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 6 TOTAL SCORE: 35

This seems pedestrian when compared to all the other stuff Dwight Howard has done over the years. Not his best work, but I get it. Shoutout to Howard being the only player from 2008 and 2009 to get 50s in the dunk contest (Nate Robinson would have had some in my opinion, but fan voting got in the way.) That’s not a high 50 when you compare it to his other dunks, but it’s a 50 on the regular NBA dunk contest scale.

Oh hey, that’s what this article is for.

Off Side of the Backboard Windmill Dunker: Demar Derozan Year: 2010

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 8 Excitement: 7 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 7 TOTAL SCORE: 35

This was a first-round dunk to avoid elimination. He ain’t have to go hard, but he did and I respect it.

This dunk isn’t pedestrian by any means, it just didn’t give me as much excitement as most of the dunks on the list. The dunk contest reached peak lull after Dwight Howard. It was like there wasn’t going to be a show truly better than that for a time and everyone knew it.

This dunk contest will be known as the one after Dwight Howard. Middle of the road. Forgettable. This was the year that we petitioned and demanded that Shannon Brown be in the dunk contest and he let us down.

360 Windmill (Vince Carter style) Dunker: Josh Smith Year: 2005

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Originality: 6 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 6 TOTAL SCORE: 37

Shout out for attempting to replicate Vince Carter’s dunk, but it doesn’t get the same hype as 2000. This goes for anyone who tries to do it, except Paul George, who is the blueprint. Vince got it off the cleanest. We’re at a point with this dunk that every thing has to be cleaner than a Shamwow commercial for it to make an impact in dunk history.

Between the Legs Dunk Dunker: Desmond Mason Year: 2003

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 6 TOTAL SCORE: 37

When you look at the extension Mason has from right hand to left, we realize why this dunk got a 50. Mason is also right-handed, which makes throwing down with his left all the more impressive. It’s also a dunk that he attempted in 2001 and couldn’t stick, so props to him for the perseverance.

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I like this dunk, I really do. However, this is a stacked list, so we have to grade accordingly.

Off Bounce One-handed Catch and Under Dunker: Demar Derozan Year: 2011

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 5 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 37

A regular up-and-under dunk wasn’t nothing new to write home about when you look at this point in dunk history lore, but doing it off the bounce was a nice way to liven it up. Derozan is one of the best dunkers in the league, and it’s a shame he was involved in the dunk contest lull that Dwight Howard created. He had solid dunks and did his best.

Over Chance 180 Dunker: Aaron Gordon Year: 2020

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 8 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 38

What hurts this dunk is that the crowd doesn’t get lit and that the announcers were debating on if this is even a 50 or not. When we look back on Aaron Gordon’s dunk contest dunks, we’re not going to bring this one up. I don’t feel like we’re holding him to a higher standard but when you’re in three dunk contests and two dunk-offs you’re bound to become numb to certain displays of athleticism. It’s sad but I’m right.

Also he apparently brought famous Tik Tok people out. Petty Kofie would have given that a zero in Kofie points but the dunk was solid so I’m going to be nice.

Off Bounce Dunk Dunker: Steve Francis Year: 2000

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 8 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 9 (That was a pretty high-ass lob. It looks like he had to adjust to the pass, but still managed to slam it home. Props.) TOTAL SCORE: 38

In a dunk contest with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, Francis had good dunks and it sucks these get lost in the shuffle. This isn’t his best dunk in the contest in my opinion, but his last dunk got a 48 because Vince Carter was jamming out of his mind. The 2000 dunk contest was all about Vince Carter, and it always will be.

Sorry, Steve.

Off-backboard 360 windmill dunk with Larry Johnson jersey Dunker: Miles Bridges Year: 2019

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 5 Kofie Points: 8

TOTAL SCORE: 38

I’m not the biggest fan of classic jersey dunks, but I do love this fake out by Bridges. It’s cool that we got numerous North Carolina tributes in the 2019 event in Charlotte.

360 Dunk Dunker: Spud Webb Year: 1986

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Originality: 6 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 10 (He’s 5’7.) TOTAL SCORE: 39

This dunk is awesome, but the fact that the crowd doesn’t know how to wild out yet is disappointing. It sounds like a crowd for “The Newlywed Game” or something. It feels like they don’t truly appreciate how hard it is to dunk when you’re 5’7. While it sounds like I’m ripping on the crowd, they do get lively for his other dunks on the list.

Over a Folding Chair Dunker: Gerald Wilkins Year: 1986

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 7 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 9 (Measures height of a folding chair ... yeah, makes sense for the 80s. I approve.) TOTAL SCORE: 39

This dunk helped pave the way for the jumping-over-shit dunk genre. Dunks like this showed future contestants that props raise the stakes and danger level of dunks that would otherwise look pedestrian. These prop dunks help the audience and crowd calculate the athletic ability and difficulty of each dunk.

It’s easier to imagine.

Scores in the 40s

Off Backboard Reverse Pump Dunker: Jerome Kersey Year: 1987

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 40

This is a great dunk for the 80s. Props to you, Jerome. Throwing the ball from one side and catching it backward on the other side in that era gets some credit from me.

Side-to-side Windmill Dunker: Dominique Wilkins Year: 1985

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 7 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 10 (Back in the day, that’s a fire ass dunk, don’t lie.) TOTAL SCORE: 40

Dominique is known for the windmill, so dunks like these will always be remembered throughout the history of the contest. While the windmill has evolved into so many different and better dunks, the fact that it’s one of the originals make this important.

Oh shit, I basically said this earlier.

Over Chance between the legs Dunker: Aaron Gordon Year: 2020

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 40

There were 10 50s in this contest. After awhile, they all just started to blend together and that’s no one’s fault but the broken scoring system.

Reverse Double Pump Dunker: Michael Jordan Year: 1988

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 7 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 40

We hadn’t seen a double pump reverse with that much extension and air in the contest before. This was very good execution by Air Jordan himself.

Blindfolded Dunker: Cedric Ceballos Year: 1992

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 4 TOTAL SCORE: 40 (if he couldn’t see, but 20 if he could)

I refuse to believe that he did all this running up to the basketball without being able to SEE at least a little bit. The dunk was TOO clean for me to believe that he was. Also HE MAKES A SLIGHT TURN AT THE END OF HIS RUN LIKE, WHAT?! I’m sorry y’all, but you can’t convince me that something isn’t up. This is probably the hardest dunk I’ve had to score because 1) if he really did it blindfolded, and 2) this dunk was also during the scoring era that involved decimals, so getting a 50 in this time period was extra impressive. In fact, from 1989-1997, this was the only 50 given.

Props for playing the crowd and building up the hype, but I can’t buy this.

Off Side of the backboard between the legs (again) Dunker: Derrick Jones Jr. Year: 2020

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 5 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 40

He did the same dunk in 2017. Fortunately for him, 2017 is a dunk contest that everyone seems to forget so I guess recycling wasn’t a bad move.

One-handed Windmill Dunker: Dominique Wilkins Year: 1988

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 8 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 41

Dominique Wilkins was one of the original windmill specialists. The evolution of the windmill emphasizes just how important these earlier performances were for the future of dunking.

We will see a lot of windmill variations on this list and this one is instrumental to dunk history, but this is the highest I’ll give it. Again, nothing against him, that’s just what happens.

“MR. 360” Dunker: Victor Oladipo Year: 2015

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 5 Kofie Points: 10 (This is incredibly tough TOTAL SCORE: 41

This is one of the best dunks that he did, and also the one with the least amount of props. Yes, I remember the singing and the Black Panther mask more than his actual dunks, but in terms of dunks, this was really good. Unfortunately for him, this was the dunk contest where Zach LaVine stole the show and virtually nothing else mattered.

High-air Windmill Dunker: Jason Richardson Year: 2002

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Originality: 6 Degree of Difficulty: 7 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 10 (He had to use the dumb ass dunk wheel and follow those rules.) TOTAL SCORE: 41

Windmills are commonplace by the year 2002, but good god he PUNCHES this. He also has the benefit of NBA players in early 2000s fashion losing their collective shit in the background for some extra excitement points.

Off Bounce 360 Pump Dunker: Jason Richardson Year: 2003

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 8 (He didn’t even need to do this dunk. Coulda played it safe, but he’s a real one.) TOTAL SCORE: 41

This is a dunk similar to McGrady’s in 2000, but he does finish with one hand, so it separates itself just enough. He also didn’t need to go this hard on this dunk since he only needed 29 to pass, but he decided to put on a show. I like it.

Off Bounce Windmill Dunker: Jason Richardson Year: 2003

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 8 (The elevation, the way he punches this dunk in. The reaction.) TOTAL SCORE: 41

He used this dunk to finish the round with a perfect 100 total. It’s still wild that Fred Jones somehow won in 2004.

Reverse Tornado Through the legs Dunker: Derrick Jones Jr. Year: 2020

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Originality: 6 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 41

This only has a lower score because Dennis Smith Jr. did the same dunk in 2018 and also got a 50. For the bonus points, Derrick Jones Jr. has a longer wingspan, so while it might be a little “easier” for him. However, he did get this off cleaner than Smith Jr. did.

Off Bounce Twist Dunk Dunker: Fred Jones Year: 2004

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 8 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 41

Speaking of Fred Jones. I didn’t understand how good this dunk was until I saw the EXTENSION this man makes. This is a tough dunk. Now, I’m still mad at the judges for that other dunk that somehow got a 50, but hey, this one is the superior dunk and deserves its score.

Off Bounce 360 Twist Dunker: Zach Lavine Year: 2016

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 41

This dunk only gets docked as much as it does because it’s very similar to the dunk Aaron Gordon did with the mascot hoverboard, which we will see later on in this list.

Over 3 People Reverse Dunk Dunker: Glenn Robinson Year: 2017

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 41

Glenn Robinson did his best to make an underwhelming dunk contest good. 2017 was the year after Gordon-LaVine so the general population was going to think this contest was underwhelming.

Sideways Windmill Dunker: Michael Jordan Year: 1987

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 8 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 10 (LOOK AT THE VERT, COME ON.) TOTAL SCORE: 42

If he was in another era where dunk creativity was more advanced, I’m sure he’d have some way cooler dunks and that’s scary. The bounce would’ve been put to good use in later dunk contests.

Free Throw Line Dunker: Michael Jordan Year: 1985

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Originality: 4 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 10 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 42

The only possible deduction I have for this dunk is that Dr. J did this dunk in 1984 (and 1976 in the ABA dunk contest).

Reverse between the legs

Dunker: Aaron Gordon Year: 2020

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 7 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 42

This is a first round get-the-party-started dunk that we’ve seen before in the contest. HOWEVER. That doesn’t mean that this dunk isn’t impressive. It is, but the fact that it’s done by Aaron Gordon means that we’re not going to remember it as well as his other ones in his arsenal.

Over Kenyon Martin Windmill Dunker: Josh Smith Year: 2005

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 8 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 42

I’ll Give Josh Smith this, having the person sitting down throw you the lob was pretty good. And completing a windmill off of that? That’s dope. I think people briefly forget about him winning this dunk contest, but it’s not like, “Ayo, you remember when FRED JONES won the dunk contest?”

I might be off base. It might be the angry Pistons fan in me that masks all the good memories Josh Smith had in the league. Either way, good dunk.

“Twisterydo dah Twisteriday” — Shaq Dunker: Eric Bledsoe Year: 2013

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 42

We have to remember that he is 6’1, and he did this in a very forgettable dunk contest.

Off Bounce Between the Legs Dunker: Derrick Jones Jr. Year: 2017

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Originality: 6 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 42

LOOK HOW HIGH THIS MAN GETS OFF THE GROUND, GOOD LORD!

Reverse 360 Between the Legs Switching Hands Dunker: Dennis Smith Jr. Year: 2018

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 42

This dunk is so good that we forget that DeAndre Jordan did an identical version of this dunk the year before. The difference here is in the height and the fact that he got it off cleanly.

This was the best dunk in a contest marred by bad celebrity judging and Kevin Hart being in the area. I’m glad Smith Jr.’s grandmother convinced him to participate again because I wouldn’t have done it again.

Off Bounce Behind the Back Dunker: Zach LaVine Year: 2015

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 43

So this dunk is a disciple of the Andre Igoudala dunk. I personally think that he does it better than Iggy, but that’s why the originality is a little on the lower side. This is the year where it was Zach LaVine and basically no one else, so the timeless part will have to take a slight, especially when you compare the contest to 2016. It’s truly not fair.

Over two people between the legs Dunker: Derrick Jones Jr. Year: 2020

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 6 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 43

For some reason, the 2020 contest had a lot of jumping over people. Derrick Jones’ best dunk variants are the between the legs, and he stuck with that for a LOT of the contest. The great thing about Jones is that he punches them with so much force it always makes you go “okay damn.”

Free Throw Line (Yes, again.) Dunker: Michael Jordan Year: 1988

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Originality: 6 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 43

When I first watched the NBA Youtube video montage, I thought that Jordan’s 1988 free throw line dunk showed up on the video twice on accident. Nope. He did the same dunk, in the same contest, and got the same score. The final round dunk is better, but they’re so identical that you can only tell them apart via instant replay.

Bounce Off Backboard One-handed Finish Dunker: Spud Webb Year: 1986

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 8 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 43

Again. He’s 5’7.

Something of note is that he got the crowd out of their feet with this one. Spud Webb is my favorite dunker and honestly I’d let my bias show and give all his dunks 50 if I wasn’t trying my best to be fair.

Off Bounce Behind the Back Dunker: Andre Iguodala Year: 2006

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 43

Props to him doing this dunk a full decade before LaVine did, but LaVine’s was way cleaner. This goes to show that even though Iggy wasn’t as much of an entertainer as Robinson was, he still excited us with his dunks. Now, you can say he got robbed, but I just think that Nate Robinson took better advantage of the system that was in place. Which was infinite time to dunk and more time to try out even crazier shit. I’m not saying I’m for that format, but I’m not going to sit here and pretend that watching Nate Robinson try to lob the ball between his legs from HALF COURT wasn’t fun.

Off Backboard Between the Legs Dunker: Kenneth Faried Year: 2013

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Originality: 7 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 43

This dunk came out of nowhere and the lack up of run up caught us all by surprise. It’s similar to Richardson’s dunk, but the lack of run up and fact that he’s a big man more than make up for it.

Off Backboard Double Tap Dunk Dunker: Larry Nance Jr. Year: 2018

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 43

As far as memory serves, this dunk will probably take a backseat to him wearing his dad’s jersey, and that’s a shame.

This reminds me of the Dwight Howard volleyball style dunk that isn’t on this list because of fan voting.

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Off Bounce 360 Double Pump Dunker: Tracy McGrady Year: 2000

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 44

McGrady and Vince Carter were cousins and teammates in the same dunk contest, so that’s fucking cool. McGrady had a strong overall performance in 2000 as well — people forget that. He would have won in 95 percent of the other years, in my opinion.

Off Backboard Between the Legs Dunker: Jason Richardson Year: 2004

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 8 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 9 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 44

J-Rich is probably the best two-foot, between-the-legs dunker in NBA history. This man was in his third contest and still brought the heat to the contest. He also did this in low socks.

360 Behind the Back Dunker: Terrence Ross Year: 2013

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 44

Because of the lack of big names in this dunk contest, it’s easy to overlook great dunks like this. Ross did his best, but holy crap this dunk contest was mediocre.

Off Backboard Between the Legs Dunker: Derrick Jones Jr. Year: 2017

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty 10 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 9 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 44

Anyone that’s followed Jones Jr. through Ballislife and Hoopmixtape knew what he was capable of coming into the contest. He did not disappoint.

Off Bounce Off Backboard Double Pump Reverse Dunker: Dominique Wilkins Year: 1985

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 8 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 45

He was wearing them 80s-ass knee pads. You know the ones that look super painful now. Anyway, Wilkins was able to recover from his not-good timing and was still able to turn this into an explosive dunk. Props.

Off Back of Backboard Up and Under Dunker: Andre Iguodala Year: 2006

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 9 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 45

The toss wasn’t perfect, but Iggy made an amazing catch and finish. Again, he would have won the dunk contest that year if there was a true time limit. This also helped pave the way for some other behind-the-backboard dunks that we’ll see later in time. Some we’ve already seen on this list. There’s always something exciting about a dunker clearing space behind the backboard, because you know that some shit is about to go down.

Bounce Dunk Jumping Over Spud Webb Dunker: Nate Robinson Year: 2006

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 45

If that’s not Spud Webb, there would be a bonus point deduction because that’s really the only good choice. The NBA Dunk Contest is a competition where nostalgia wins and it doesn’t get more nostalgic than that. Iggy may have better dunks, but Nate had crowd control and creativity. That’s why he won.

Don’t just wear the jersey of the dunker that inspires you. Bring that man OUT. Don’t wear the purple Vince Carter jersey — bring out Vince Carter. Doing a poor man’s version of a classic dunk with that dunker’s jersey on is just disrespect in my eyes.

Partner Off Backboard Reverse Double Pump Dunker: Gerald Green Year: 2013

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 45

Gerald Green got UP on this and reacted so nonchalantly. I think the cupcake dunk was amazing and more creative, but this is TOUGH to do. Green is one of the best leapers this league has ever seen and that’s what stands out no matter what dunk he does. Incredible.

Off Backboard Swing Reverse Dunker: Aaron Gordon Year: 2016

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 45

It’s in the 2016 dunk contest, so the timelessness bar is set pretty high.

Jumping over Giannis then hitting the backboard.

Dunker: Pat Connaughton Year: 2020

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 45

I don’t think Pat gets this 50 without his motion after the dunk because I don’t trust those judges to have realized it in realtime. With that being said, I really liked this dunk and I hope Pat does another dunk contest in the future.

Two People on Top of Each Other Reverse Dunker: Glenn Robinson Year: 2017

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 9 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 9

TOTAL SCORE: 45

Glenn Robinson wasn’t expected to win this dunk contest, but he came with the heat and silently won the thing. This is the same dunk contest where Aaron Gordon brought out a DRONE, but couldn’t finish the dunk (he was also coming off of an injury.) So we’ll live with this.

The Subtle Superman Dunker: Hamidou Diallo Year: 2019

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 45 (for now)

This dunk is awesome because Diallo is posing as Superman dunking over Shaq, who goes by Superman as well. We need to let this dunk simmer for a year before we give it the full timelessness score, but there is potential for this one to be an all-timer. He didn’t go full Superman uniform like Dwight did, yet he made this dunk his own. Respect.

Off Bounce Between the Legs Up and Under Dunker: Zach LaVine Year: 2015

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 46

The thing about Zach LaVine’s dunks is that they’re all variations of each other, but those variations would all get 50s in the traditional dunk contest as it stands. You can look at all of them and say, “They’re just good dunks.” They aren’t over the top and laced with props, but rather just about the dunks themselves. That’s what has separated him from most other competitors. It’s not his need to go over the top and try to do the most that makes him great, it’s the fact that he really doesn’t have to do that.

Scorpion variant featuring Chance

Dunker: Aaron Gordon Year: 2020

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 46

This is a variant of the Scorpion Dunk popularized by Jordan Kilganon, who did it in 2016. The difference between the two is that Kilganon didn’t look at the rim and also was wearing JEANS. Kilganon’s dunk would get a 50 on this list, as it’s one of the best dunks in basketball history. I’m sure AG could have avoided looking at the rim if he had wanted to, but I understand why he did it this way. It was going to get a 50 regardless, so why not go with the safer option?

Free Throw Line Dunker: Julius Erving Year: 1984

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 9 Kofie Points: 8 (Man did it in high socks and short shorts.) TOTAL SCORE: 46

(Dr. J did this in the ABA dunk contest in 1976, but I’m not talking about that. That’s why there’s a 10 for originality.)

Looking back, the monotone announcers and the flatline crowd really take some of the air out of it. It sounds like he’s narrating a super old cartoon that’s on at the same bat time and same bat channel. This sucks because this is a very impressive dunk, the crowd was just too whack to realize it.

Free Throw Line (Yes, again) Dunker: Michael Jordan Year: 1988

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Originality: 6 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 10 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 46

Michael Jordan basically repeated a dunk in the 1988 NBA dunk contest, but it’s a super hard dunk and he did it well both times. I guess I’ll allow it. This is what went on bedroom posters. This is what made everyone be Like Mike, so I’m sorry that I say this is the more iconic dunk, but for the longest time I thought Jordan did it first. You know why? Because this is more iconic than Dr. J’s free throw line dunk.

Fight me. I scored them both the same anyway.

Off Bounce Behind the Back Finish on the Opposite Side of the Rim Dunker: Zach LaVine Year: 2016

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Originality: 8 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 46

God, he’s so damn good. The longer that dunk-off with Aaron Gordon went on, the more likely LaVine was going to win. Because he can just do shit like this.

Behind Backboard Between the Legs Dunker: Zach LaVine Year: 2016

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 7 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 46

See above: It’s the same thing. Zach LaVine has a special style, and that’s Get a 50.

Honey Dip Dunker: Vince Carter Year: 2000

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 9 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 9 Kofie Points: 8 TOTAL SCORE: 46

This dunk has since evolved, but Vince Carter was breaking out the bag of tricks like it was nothing. It’s been expanded upon by dunkers like Blake Griffin in 2011 and now professional dunkers all over the world. Honestly, if you think this one deserves a higher score, I won’t even argue with you. The crowd reaction was more shock than excitement and seemed milder than his other dunks in 2000, but this is still a great dunk overall.

Off Side of the backboard 360 twist

Dunker: Aaron Gordon Year: 2020

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 47

I don’t think that Zach LaVine robbed Aaron Gordon in 2016, but I understand people who do. I think 2020 was an even stronger case. Wow. I know this has the same motion as his hoverboard dunk, but I think this one might be even tougher. The only things the hoverboard dunk has on this is that it looks cooler and the mascot was perfect.

Off Bounce Between the Legs Backward Dunker: Jason Richardson Year: 2003

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 47

Jason Richardson is one of the best two-foot leapers the game has ever seen. The explosiveness paired with NBA players in 2003 fashion losing their shit is as iconic as it gets. You even had AIR JORDAN looking up like, Damn that was dope.

Over Dunk Contest coach off backboard between the legs Dunker: Derrick Jones Jr. Year: 2020

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 8 Kofie Points: 9 TOTAL SCORE: 47

This is my favorite dunk from this year’s contest. Like I said before. Derrick Jones Jr. knows how to PUNCH these between the legs dunks and this is cool. Nowadays when I see someone about to get jumped over near the rim I kind of just check out. However it was a perfect toss by Dunk Contest Coach Chuck Millan followed up with a smooth, powerful finish. Bravo.

Windmill from Damn Near the FT Line Dunker: Zach LaVine Year: 2016

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 9 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 48

This was the dunk-off, so he wasn’t even planning to DO this one. That’s what makes the dunk-off so riveting. LaVine and Gordon weren’t expecting to have to do these, but they were still head-and-shoulders above most of the dunks seen in dunk contest history. That’s why it’s so high.

Off Bounce Reverse Dunker: Spud Webb Year: 1986

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Originality: 9 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 10 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 49

The man is 5’7, y’all, and he’s perfectly timing bounces with enough air to do a reverse. That’s incredible. I know we seem lenient to shorter people in the dunk contest, but the stuff he’s doing at that height is so damn impressive. Especially in that era. If you ask me, Spud Webb is the reason why a lot of the big men in the dunk contest strived to step their games up and I think that’s what pushed players like Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee to do dunks that only they can do. Because if a guy a foot shorter can do the same dunk as you, then your dunk just looks less impressive.

12-foot Off Backboard Dunker: Dwight Howard Year: 2009

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 9 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 49

He’s wearing a cape. Now, is this a dunk that another bouncy big man can do? Maybe. However, the show, paired with the spectacle and the hype the built up around it more than make up for that fact. We don’t think about who else can do this dunk, because no one could possibly make it look better than Dwight Howard in a Superman costume.

Off Backboard Behind the Back to a Lefty Windmill Dunker: Dwight Howard Year: 2008

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 9 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 49

This is a dunk only a few people can do. Dwight Howard did a phenomenal job using his physical attributes to do dunks that no one else would dare attempt and he made this look EASY. The fact that he was taller made this a harder dunk, because his HEAD WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BACKBOARD WHEN HE DUNKED IT. Only like 1 percent of the league can do that, and then you add a windmill to it? COME ON.

Honorable Mentions and Personal Favorites.

I just wanted to take the time to honor some of my favorite dunks that didn’t get a 50 because of fan voting and some underrated dunks that just didn’t get a perfect score. Enjoy.

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THE TRUE 50s

360 Windmill Dunker: Vince Carter Year: 2000

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 10 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 50

Vince Carter may have not invented the windmill, but dammit he had the cleanest windmills in the history of basketball. This is art. He makes this dunk look so damn easy and the celebration and crowd reaction on top of that, man. I know Paul George did this dunk in game and everyone lost their shit, but it’s not the same. Every time someone tries to do this dunk now it doesn’t compare to Vince.

Even if you try to wear the iconic purple Vince jersey, you’re just making a fool of yourself at that point. There is only one Vinsanity.

Off Backboard, Off Steve Nash Dunker: Amar’e Stoudemire Year: 2005

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 10 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 50

This dunk is special for a few reasons. From everyone shouting to Steve Nash just being there, it’s one of the few times where a missed attempt got people even more excited for the dunk, and it’s also one of the few times a partner starts the dunk without the ball. So we had no idea what was happening. This is just a great dunk. Josh Smith may have won the whole contest, but Amar’e won the night. This is the dunk people remember.

Dwight Howard Superman Dunk Dunker: Dwight Howard Year: 2008

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 10 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 50

Forget about the tape he put down on the court, the pure showmanship and hype about this dunk is masterclass. The moment he takes off his jersey and puts on that cape, the fans go wild. Dwight had been putting on a show all night long and the fans were ready for more. You can complain about the fact that he threw it in, but just being in a POSITION to throw it in and still make it is incredible. And he got it on the FIRST TRY.

Bounce from T-MAC to Between the Legs Dunker: Vince Carter Year: 2000

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 10 Kofie Points: 10 (IT’S OVER, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.) TOTAL SCORE: 50

The fact that cousins Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter were both in the dunk contest at the same time as teammates helping each other is incredible. The celebration and swagger afterward also make this one of the best dunk contest moments of all time. EVEN THE JUDGES hop over the table to congratulate him. That’s crazy.

Also in the interview, he says that is THE FIRST TIME HE’S EVER DONE THAT IN HIS LIFE. WHAT.

Two Balls, Two Goals, One Lob Off Backboard Dunker: JaVale McGee Year: 2011

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 10 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 50

Say what you want about JaVale McGee, this man showed up with some of the most creative dunks the contest has ever seen. This one is a great showcase of creativity, knowing what you can do, and hype buildup. Kudos JaVale.

Over Mascot, Under Legs Dunker: Aaron Gordon Year: 2016

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 10 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 50

The goofiness of the mascot makes the dunk so much better. When Aaron Gordon did this dunk, I had seen it before by a professional dunker, but I’m only comparing the originality to other NBA dunks in the dunk contest. Everyone went crazy after this. The mascot who probably couldn’t see shit even went wild. This was the best dunk in the best dunk contest.

Between the Legs Free Throw Line Dunker: Zach Lavine Year: 2016

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 10 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 50

People were still mad at Aaron Gordon’s Non-50 that we really glossed over this dunk. Zach LaVine is the best one-foot dunker to ever touch the contest. He took off from where many NBA players ATTEMPT the free throw line dunk, and went between his legs as well to WALKOFF with the trophy?! The dunk was so good it almost made us forget that Kevin Hart was saying words over it. Almost.

Hoverboard Dunker: Aaron Gordon Year: 2016

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Originality: 10 Degree of Difficulty: 10 Excitement: 10 Timelessness: 10 Kofie Points: 10 TOTAL SCORE: 50

We’ll probably never see this dunk again and that’s because the fad of hoverboards will go away. The timing of this dunk. The tension that came about as Gordon pretended to dunk, but then the mascot started spinning. This is the perfect dunk contest dunk, and there probably won’t be another because those hoverboard things kept catching on fire.

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invisible-ties · 7 years ago

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I hope you are prepared for this, cause I am sending you a long list of numbers for that Fire Emblem Heroes list. You definitely don't have to answer them all if you don't want to! So, 1, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 24, 25, 28, 29, and 30.

lol, a good one. As if I would skip answering questions ever (I’m not getting so many of them to reach that point lol).

30 FIRE EMBLEM HEROES ASKS

1: how long have you been playing FEH?

Since its release. I think I waited for a week or something to actually download it as I was busy with exams and stuff so my boyfriend was the first to download it and was telling me too much stuff about it so I gave in.

4: who did you choose to summoner support, and why?

Chrom, because I couldn’t choose anyone else instead of my husband I’ve finally finalized his built some time ago and he’s a beast that survives everything apart from blue mages! (Totally not abusing this chance to show off my husband… he was so expensive, gosh)

(my pride and joy *wipes off tears* … Aether because he’s savaging TT atm, but usually he carries Bonfire. Distant Def was such a game changer as he survives red and green mages now and kills them in player phase… don’t underestimate that absurd HP pool)

5: do you ally support units based on ships, or synergy?

I’m so horrible at this because I swap units a lot so I ally supported only Chrom and Robin(F) (Ship obviously) and Xander and Reinhardt (Synergy). Although Robin and Chrom are also part strategy as in ideal situation I would ally support male Robin but Female is better in cleaning blue units which Chrom sometimes has trouble with. If one day feh brings back Spring event and I obtain Spring Chrom I would ally support him with Male Robin and build one Robin just for him. (^u^)

7: do you prefer using top tier units, or favorites regardless of tier?

I use my favourites whenever I can (the ones that I have) but you can’t obviously clear missions, quests and all maps without top tier units. But for arena defending team and active team I try to include as much favs as I can. I’m unfortunate that some top tier units I really couldn’t care less about and am always angry when thinking that some of them are so op but some of my favs really useless…

10: favorite cavalry unit?

My imaginary Leo that I don’t even have yet but has a prepared built for when he decides to come home.

A serious answer would be Xander and Spring Xander. Spring Xander is so underappreciated but he’s a wonderful wall and does wonders when used correctly. Mine’s build is not even finished yet but still kicks ass.

11: favorite flier unit?

Cordelia. Sporting a wonderful quad-hit build she’s basically the only flying unit I use. But I use her as often as possible and she’s part of my “main” team as she takes care of Chrom reaching all the targets he needs. :)But I wish to build a good Subaki one day (all for using favourites tehehe).

12: favorite armored unit?

This is the category of units I only use when quests ask for them tbh. The lack of mobility doesn’t suit my battle style at all. But Black knight is the one I use most often.

13: favorite infantry unit?

Hahahahahaa, this is like asking which is your favourite Pokemon. Well, Chrom would be the most obvious choice as my absolute fav, but as units I really appreciate Kagero, Arvis, Nino and Young Tiki. Also, I just recently got a +spd Takumi and am so excited about building and playing with Quadumi (like regular Takumi is okay but he lacks power… enemies keep staying alive and killing him in return as he’s weirdly fragile). Runner ups are raven tomes, my two Robins and Sophia, which are so fun to use, and new performing Azura as the extra buffs after a dance are sooooo useful (even tho she’s the least fav character out of the 4 performing dancers I ended up using her all the time). I don’t have a 5 star m! Kamui but he would fit my battle style well so I imagine he will be on the list one day that I finish him. :3

14: favorite limited unit?

Out of those that I have - it was Spring Xander for so long (well, to be honest, he was my only limited unit) but these new dancers are so gorgeous and useful that there is a competition right now for this prestigious spot.

I will take liberty and say that my fav limited units are Spring Chrom and Spring Leo, because they are obviously biased favs that I will never stop regretting not getting… AND CHRISTMAS ROBIN OH GOSH I CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS EVENT TO FINALLY HAPPEN!!!! I will be so devastated if I don’t summon him…

15: favorite dancer unit?

Ah, here we are… Performing Azura, as she’s the best support out of all but I really don’t like Azura as a character so I’ve got a problem with this. To be honest, my Inigo and Shigure are not finished yet so they are not performing the best they could. Atm, performing Olivia is the only dancer I’m using without regret and am quite happy with her (if only she had a slightly better attack to be a good user of a poison dagger). Plus her art raises the beauty of my team for 100000%, so that’s a plus as well.

16: favorite colorless unit?

Kagero. And performing Azura. And I have a feeling I will love my Quadumi once he’s finished. :3 (If only I had Kagero that wasn’t -atk that would be glorious OTL).

19: favorite voting gauntlet match?

Nothing will ever top Chrom vs. Ephraim. I’m so sorry for whoever thinks that anything can be more epic than that. That was a true battle between two same armies and even without multiplier that match so intense all the time. Also, no grudges afterwards. Even though Chrom lost I respected Ephraim’s team so much and was so grateful for that match.

20: any ideas for a future gauntlet?

Nohr vs. Hoshido has to happen someday. Other than that I wasn’t thinking about them that much. I would love to see more limited units voting gauntlets too. ^^

Oh yes, I just remember running into someone’s else post about the Fates retainers wars! That would also be so fun and unpredictable imo as retainers are really not in the top fav characters so I think the result would be really hard to predict here.

24: name one character you’ve always wanted to summon but have never been able to

Already answered so I’ll just copy-paste the answer:

LEO (both summer and regular) AND ALM! I had just the worst luck with summoning them when they were featured on the summon banner and I spent so many orbs… *cries forever when thinking back on all those orbs*I am still hoping to get them every time I summon red orbs regardless the minute chance for that happening as they are both 5star exclusives in red colour which is full of units. Oh, and BOEY as well… although he’s not that rare (as a 4 star unit) I still haven’t managed to summon him, even though I was summoning green orbs for multiple banners but no luck. I am not too worried as I guess it’s just a matter of time… with green pool not being that large and as he can be summoned as a 4 star unit. I just wish for my favs to come to me so I can build the most biased teams full of favs forever…

Spring Chrom would be here as well but as that was a first limited summon event I wasn’t that much invested and found the idea silly so I wasn’t really trying to summon him but now I regret not caring so much… So I wish I was trying to summon him back then and hope that event will be back.

25: which unit do you hate summoning the most?

Stupid Seliph oh gooooosh. I get so much of them it’s crazy…. and of course I summoned a 5 star of him… He sucks as a unit, can’t be used as a fodder and is from a game I haven’t played so I couldn’t care less about him… every possible con of summoning him comes together.

But Soren came really close recently as he fits some of the abovementioned categories as well... Plus, he could have been Boey, so that’s why I hate him >:C

28: which unit(s) would you like to see added in heroes?

KAZE. What’s happening with him not being in already, INTSYS????? He’s an avatar’s retainer for christ’s sake!

And I am excited for when they start including the second generation of Awakening/fates (with their regular designs that is). I’m so excited for Kiragi, Morgan, Faust and Cynthia! And regular Shigure oh gosh, just please let their art be beautiful. ;u; But basically, just give me Kiragi so I can ally support him with his papa ;;;;u;;;;

29: which units artwork is your favorite?

Already answered so I’ll just copy-paste the answer:

OOooooooh, a good one. But there are so many gorgeous ones and I am such a sucker for fe art diversity~

So the first that I thought of were Alm, Corrin(M), performing Olivia andAttack art of Takumi (so dynamic and full of details wow), but just to be sure to not miss anyone I went through all units and these are other units whose art I swoon over (I don’t have all of them, unfortunately ;;n;;): Ryoma, Boey, Robin(M), Spring Xander, Summer Leo, Arvis, Berkut, Felicia and Sakura.

Of course, I am also very biased so even though at first I didn’t like Chrom’s artwork I am now very attached to it (especially attack and damage pose oh gosh). I still wish he got some other artist to do him justice and make him less two-dimensional…

30: which units artwork is your least favorite?

This new Arden unit, Lloyd, Ogma, Eliwood and Jagen are the units I really despise looking at. But Lilina, Cecilia, Ike and Marth are my least favourites on the other end of the spectrum... I just very much dislike heavily saturated colours with simple shading (Roy is at least cute, so he’s forgiven). And Rebecca, holy shit what’s happened to her eyes... Soren is in here somewhere too because of the poor choice of colours and that weird shading technique.

And that’s it! If you’ve read all of that I applaud you. Here are cookies for you

#theclockworkladyofeuropa #ask #I was thinking about putting this under read more but for the people who are maybe honestly interested in reading it is more simple #to read on dash than on my blog #others of you can just scroll anyways

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bevioletskies · 7 years ago

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20 questions [15/20]

characters: peter/gamora, guardians-centric

fandom: avengers academy/marvel cinematic universe

summary: wasp has a new competition in store for the students of avengers academy, and there’s money involved. so obviously, peter and gamora have to pretend to be a couple in order to win. wait, what?

chapter preview: peter and gamora discuss their breakup, natasha makes up her mind, and the guardians start preparing for prom.

word count: 5648 | total word count: 118k

a/n: hey look, a chapter that's less than 6k for once! also, “peter and gamora discuss their breakup” was going to be “peter and gamora watch star wars”. honestly, which one’s more important?

ao3 | previously | next | masterpost

By the time they boarded the Milano back home, Peter was pretty sure he was ready to nap for the next fifty years (not really an analogy he wanted to be making around Cap). Then again, he kind of always wanted to be sleeping. Hey, he was a superhero - he deserved some rest.

Their return to the Academy was apparently heavily-advertised, as Janet had been in Avengers Hall when Pepper received the transmission from Nova Prime. There was a whole crowd around the landing bay when they arrived, resulting in a celebrity-like hysteria as everyone tried to talk to the Guardians. Pepper arrived in her Rescue armour, chasing everyone away and citing that they needed to recuperate. Maria managed to get their statements for Director Fury, and Patsy got a couple quotes for the Academy’s news station, before they were finally left alone.

Upon reflection (and a heavy dose of medication for his injuries), as terrible as the experienced had been, it honestly wasn’t the worst job they’d ever taken, and Peter was grateful he didn’t have to do it alone. Gamora seemed to feel the same way, having once again crawled into bed with him and told him not to ask questions. He had a gut feeling it was her desire for physical comfort, to make up for the lack of intimacy she had grown up with, but at this rate, Peter wasn’t sure how much longer they could think of it as “platonic” bed-sharing when they were “dating” as well. Guess we’re never gonna talk about that night at the hotel, he mused to himself, watching as she buried herself deeper into his - her? - pillow.

Groot seemed to have firmly joined the camp of the ever-so-persistent Yondu and Mantis, now using every spare moment he had with both Peter and Gamora (separately) to whine. At first, they both thought he’d gotten sick, but then realized he was also pushing for their relationship to be real. He had even gone to chat with Janet, the one other person who understood his true meaning, and told her about everything that had happened over the past week. From there, Janet took the opportunity to broadcast it to the rest of the school.

“Our little Groot here refers to them as his substitute mom and dad. How cute,” she had squealed on her newest episode of The Latest Buzz. “Remember, everyone, you have one more day to vote for yearbook superlatives, including one of the most popular categories, Cutest Couple. Now, I’m not one to show bias, I adore all you ‘ships’ out there, but one of the hottest trending topics on Twitter as of late has been - of course - ‘hashtag-starmora’! Is that not the cutest ship name ever?” (Tony later protested to Janet that “pepperony” was cuter and strong example of wordplay, but then Pepper reminded him that he still hadn’t actually asked her to prom yet, despite asking after the colour of her dress so he could get a tie and corsage.)

After the episode had been broadcast, Peter commended Groot for talking to Janet. “You did good, buddy. I think it was the last push we needed to get votes,” he smiled. It felt kind of stupid to say when he considered the context - one silly idea they had reluctantly agreed was brilliant, all to make ten thousand units. It was weird, looking back and realizing what this had all been for. Money or no money, they had lied to the entire galaxy to make a measly buck, gotten people invested into a relationship that didn’t exist, and roped their friends into lying for them. Maybe that was the real reason they were pushing so hard for them to be together - so they wouldn’t sweat so much whenever Patsy or Janet shoved a microphone in their faces.

He felt guilty in a way he never had before, which was unusual. Peter had lied plenty before - it was second nature to him, having grown up a Ravager. He had been a thief for so long, the con artist with the silver tongue and good looks to charm people into giving him what he wanted, so long as he knew what lies to tell. He was unsure of what had triggered the guilt until he watched Janet’s show back, and saw the enthusiasm that sang in Groot’s eyes, the pure, unadulterated joy he had in talking about his “parents”.

When Gamora joined him on Saturday night for what was now a proper tradition, a teasing grin on her face as she asked about Star Wars, Peter could barely concentrate. For once, it wasn’t because she was curled up into his side, wearing one of his T-shirts that fit so snugly on him and so loosely on her. He almost couldn’t enjoy watching Gamora’s fascination when Luke first received his father’s lightsaber (“Rocket could probably create weapons like this, right?”). He did, however, chuckle when she pointed out that Han and Leia had a very antagonistic relationship.

“They’re a bit like us when we first met,” she pointed out with a giggle. “Although your idea of saving me didn’t exactly work, did it?” Peter wisely didn’t mention how obvious it was that Han and Leia were going to get together, since it wasn’t going that direction for him and her.

As the credits rolled, Gamora turned onto her back and stretched, letting out a satisfied noise that temporarily sent Peter’s mind straight to the gutter, watching as her hips dug themselves deeper into the mattress, her chest pushed outwards as she exhaled loudly. Focus, he scolded himself.

“So, voting ended yesterday. Which means we aren’t really obligated to keep going if you don’t want to,” Peter said hesitantly.

Gamora blinked, confused. “Quill, we talked about this just last week, remember? We agreed to keep it going, or else our classmates - ”

“That’s exactly why I was thinking of giving it up,” Peter interrupted. “I don’t know about you, but I feel guilty. Watching Groot lie for us - he’s just a kid, and I don’t like that we’re teaching him how to lie. He’s not the same Groot he was before, and this is our opportunity to make him better, you know? Not that he’s a bad guy, but we can avoid some of the corrupt, immoral behaviour we were all guilty of before we came to this school. A clean slate. And every single time someone talks about how much they like us being together, I think about how much of a lie it all is.”

“And it’s barely a lie at this point,” Gamora protested, instinctively reaching out to rest her fingers against Peter’s chest. The sound of his bandages crinkling made her wince - she should have done more to help him, to prevent his injuries from being this bad. As much as Peter pretended everything was okay, she had heard him whimpering in his sleep, from both his nightmares and his pain. She had to wipe away the damp on his forehead with a facecloth more than once, hoping the trauma of their mission would soon come to pass. “We tell everyone we watch movies, we train, we study. We told people what happened during our weekend trip, we told people about what happened this past week with Brionne. The only lie is that we aren’t actually dating, and the...expectations...of our physical intimacy.”

“You don’t call this intimate?” Peter glanced down at their bodies, taking in the ways they were intertwined. Gamora’s socked feet resting on top of his bare ones, one of her knees slung over his thighs, her stomach and chest pressed against his. She was so close that he could count her eyelashes, describe the warmth of her eye colour at length, or, with one tilt of his head, kiss her.

“Not the kind of intimacy everyone’s thinking about,” she said softly, her eyes flickering to his mouth for a brief second. At the rate they were going, she felt as if she and Peter were crossing the line of what was acceptable in this “relationship” of theirs, whether it was their fake romantic relationship or their real platonic one.

“I guess what I’m trying to say,” Peter said slowly, “is that if we see this through to the end, we should figure out how we’re gonna ‘break up’. We never got around to talking about it.”

To his disappointment, she pulled away, resuming her position on her back, gazing up at the ceiling contemplatively. “Something realistic. But nothing too complex.”

“Well, we fight a lot, there’s no denying that. There has to be something there - me being too relaxed about Thanos. Me being too overprotective and not letting you fight your own battles. Me not caring about other people saying shit about me - wow, it’s always me, isn’t it.” He let out a self-deprecating laugh, hanging his head slightly.

She gripped his chin, forcing him to meet her eyes. “Me insulting your very character,” she said, blinking at him forlornly. “A simple misunderstanding of your emotional depths gone wrong. I said something that made you question why you cared for me at all, something so unforgivable, that you broke up with me.”

He shivered a little at the thought, or even worse, what Gamora was possibly imagining that would fulfill such harsh requirements. What could she possibly do to make him turn against her? Even in his anger just two weeks ago, he still wanted to make amends, to move past things, forgive and forget. “It’d be unexpected. People would be surprised to find out it wasn’t me that caused it. But, I don’t know, Gamora, I don’t like the idea of making you the bad guy.”

“So you’d rather me be the victim? Poor, sad, Gamora, duped by the only stable relationship she’s ever had?” she said almost mockingly. She sat up fully, sitting cross-legged on the bed, arms braced at her sides. “Face it. This ‘breakup’? It’s a no-win situation.”

“You’re right,” he sighed, sitting up as well, leaning up against the wall. It was simple - there would always be consequences. “In a school as drama-fueled as ours, there’s no such thing as an ‘amicable’ breakup. We’ll go with your idea, then.”

“Then it’s settled.” She nodded, turning back around to face him, pushing her hair out of her face. “So, I think you need to explain this to me, this so-called war among the stars…”

______

Thankfully, the following week passed by with minimal drama. No invasions, no jobs (though Peter suspected Fury was refraining from sending them anything because of his injuries), nothing of the sort that would once again leave the Guardians torn apart. They were interrogated by the other students a little more than usual, but it was par for the course whenever someone had a mission go astray. It would be old news by the following week.

However, it seemed that Peter’s sorrows hadn’t completely faded away since the job, a haunted look in his eyes for deaths that never occurred. He pulled Mantis aside after class one day, guilt written across the crinkle of his brow and in the tremor of his hands. “I failed you,” he said to her, soft. “What kind of brother am I?”

“A good one, Peter,” Mantis said, reaching to cup his jaw in her hands. They were softer than anyone else’s - unchallenged by bruises, cuts, or calluses of any kind. “Do not beat yourself up for something that never happened.”

“I’m responsible for all of you,” he continued, unwilling to budge. “Gamora’s instincts have proved, time and time again, that she knows better than I do. Maybe we should re-evaluate who’s really running this team.”

“We could do that,” she replied. “Or, you can recognize that you and Gamora serve different purposes. Gamora is here.” She brought one hand to rest on Peter’s temple. “You are here.” Her other hand settled over his chest. “This team does not exist without its head and its heart. Do not confuse your mistakes with the consequences.”

“I took the job for money, Mantis, that doesn’t sound like it was driven by anything other than greed.”

“Money that you wanted to spend on getting us safer equipment. Stronger weapons. Paying our tuition,” she added with a chuckle. “Peter, I say this without using my powers. Please do not hide inside your own mind. No one is blaming you for anything.” She stood on her toes so she could kiss his cheek. “You have accepted that you love all of us, faults and all. Accept that we love you in return. And if you need forgiveness, this is me giving it to you.” She squeezed his hands tightly, eyes bright.

“Don’t deserve you,” Peter mumbled, pulling her into a hug. “Don’t deserve any of you. But I’ll take what I can get.”

Conscience cleared, Peter decided to tackle the next emotional hurdle that was muddling his brain, the relationship that, in his mind, never would come to fruition. Despite agreeing that it was the right time to cool off their physical affections, start to hint that things were going sour now that the voting was over, there was a reluctance in both Peter and Gamora that suggested otherwise. She laced her fingers with his without thinking, had taken to angling her head so she could rest against his chest or his shoulder, listening to his steady heartbeat. Peter almost called her “babe” when they were alone nearly half a dozen times, had his hands resting on her waist or at the small of her back constantly.

It had just become so...easy. It was easy to pull Peter along by the hand and not the arm, it was easy to kiss the side of Gamora’s head. It was easy to talk about the things they liked about each other, the things they did together, the things they shared as a couple. Peter found himself talking to Cap about a mixtape he wanted to make for Gamora despite having never thought of it before, while Gamora told Elektra about her recent training session with Peter completely unprompted. The other Guardians weren’t blind - they saw the softness in their eyes, the teasing familiarity in their voices, or more explicitly, the way Gamora slipped into Peter’s room nearly every night and never came out. It was getting borderline ridiculous.

“Idiots,” Nebula had to agree when they met up on Monday afternoon. Gamora had gone to her usual after-school sparring practice with Natasha, and Peter had accompanied her. They had claimed it was because Natasha was continuously suspicious about their legitimacy, and wanted to act particularly couple-like in front of her, but the others knew it was because they wanted to be in each other’s company, as always. “They’re basically already together. Quill is even dumber than I realized if he cannot tell.”

“They kept saying they wanted to spend time apart so people would start to think something is wrong, and yet they are closer than ever,” Mantis sighed. “I feel as if we are racing against a clock. Yearbooks are out in less than three weeks, and it may snap them out of it and make them remember they are not an actual couple.”

“We’ve spent way too much time on this,” Rocket interjected. “Here’s a thought - they’re too scared to talk about it, and we’re just forcin’ it on them to make us feel like we did something good. Why can’t we just let ‘em figure it out on their own?”

“Might not get as good an opportunity as now,” Yondu said, twirling his yaka arrow between his fingers. “You wanna see how miserable they gonna get when they stop being all lovey-dovey? Or you wanna help ‘em make it happen for real, get them heads outta their asses?”

“I am Groot,” Groot said, patting Rocket on the leg to get his attention.

“He says they both told him they wanted it to be real,” Rocket translated reluctantly. “Alright, alright. I just wanna get this out of the way so we can get back to something that’ll make us money. What's-her-face really got my hopes up with half a million units.”

“Perhaps it is not about constantly pushing them together,” Drax said thoughtfully. “They confided in Groot separately, yes? So maybe we should attempt to discuss it with them while apart, and convince them to give it a try.”

“We do have that prom fitting thing-a-m’-jig on Wednesday,” Yondu shrugged. “Could be a mighty good time for some old-fashioned talk.”

“We must make sure not to bring up what they told Groot, though,” Mantis added. “They put a lot of trust in him when they told him of their feelings for each other. We cannot betray that trust.” She paused. “By the way, do we all have dates for prom?” The group looked at each other blankly. “Did we even buy tickets?”

“Well, shit.” Yondu laughed heartily, getting to his feet. “Guess I’ll swing by to get ‘em for all of us. Get a date, too.”

“You will have no luck,” Drax informed him. “Most of the girls already have dates, from what I have read on the Wasp’s blog.”

“Those two don’t,” Yondu said, winking at Nebula and Mantis, who exchanged dubious looks in return - a rare moment of solidarity. “Back in a mo’, ladies.”

______

There was little Peter enjoyed more than watching Gamora and Natasha go head-to-head in combat. His own skills were proficient enough, but there was something about the ability to witness some top-notch fighting that made him happy. He also couldn’t help but whoop excitedly every single time Gamora prevailed, though she kept shooting him half-annoyed, half-fond looks in return. Worth it.

When the two girls took a water break, Gamora settled down next to him, pressing her shoulder up against his. “You don’t have to be my personal cheerleader, Quill,” she teased, taking a generous gulp from her water bottle. “It’s kind of distracting.”

“Sorry,” he chuckled, leaning in to kiss the side of her head. “Just wanted to be supportive.”

Natasha joined them on Gamora’s other side, removing her wrist guards as she did so. “You two seem to have recovered from last week’s...excursion. I’m glad to see it.”

“Thanks,” Peter said cheerfully. “Wasn’t my favourite job ever, but at least we had each other. And Groot.”

“And the coming month will hopefully be less…'exciting’,” Natasha continued. “What with Jan’s fundraiser this week, and prom. You’re still going, right?”

“Yes, we got permission from the Director to go off-campus on Wednesday to get fitted,” Gamora nodded. “How about you? Have you found a date yet?”

"Clint and I were talking about going together.” Natasha’s face was stoic as ever, though the slight twitch in her lips betrayed her.

“He still has feelings for you,” Gamora protested. Peter was immensely confused - since when did Gamora participate in school gossip? He hadn’t known her to be particularly involved in the Academy’s social circles. Though, perhaps it was a natural occurrence ever since her love life started making the rounds as well. “Would it be smart to go with him? To give him hope?”

“It’s not like that,” Natasha sighed. “He probably misses Bobbi, too. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”

“But he wants to go to prom with you,” Gamora countered. “You still mean a lot to him. He might think this is you asking to get back together. At least make it clear that you’re only going to continue being friends, or you’ll both get hurt.”

“I, uh, can’t guarantee that, actually,” Natasha admitted. “Ever since he joined the Academy, part of me wants to be with him again. I see all these qualities in him that I guess I really missed.” The three of them fell silent for a minute, soaking in the weight of her words. Gamora found herself leaning closer to Peter, before giving in to instinct and resting her head on his shoulder. Natasha smiled at the sight. “How do you two do it? Gamora, you and I, we share so many similarities. And Quill, I suppose you and Clint also have your like qualities as well. But while he and I fell apart, you seem to have it figured out.”

Gamora glanced up at Peter, mulling over what it was that made them so compatible. Not as a couple, but as friends - best friends. It was as if she were back on that mission to recover Nebula all over again, contemplating why she and Peter wouldn’t be good together. And yet, here was Natasha, undoubtedly the most perceptive person the entire campus (aside from the Director, of course), coming to the conclusion that they made sense.

“Balance,” she said finally. Peter tipped his head downwards to rest his forehead against hers, grinning at her cheekily before withdrawing again. She found herself momentarily distracted by the twinkle in his eyes. Gamora turned back to look at Natasha. “My discipline, his knack for improvisation - we’ve come to learn from each other, simply by running the Guardians together.”

“Compromise,” Natasha said with a sharp nod. She twirled one of her batons in her hand, eyes fixated as it spun. “You’d think for two spies, we’d understand how to do that,” she added with a self-deprecating chuckle. “For the record, I think you two seem really well-matched. I’m kind of hoping you win - not that I don’t like Steve and Carter together, but there’s something...grounded about you.”

The two exchanged looks as Natasha got back to her feet, ready to begin again. Success.

After their session was over, Peter and Gamora walked back to the Milano, hand-in-hand, neither of them brave enough to point out that it was unnecessary, considering most people had returned to their dorms for dinner, leaving the campus quite empty. “I didn’t know you were so invested in other people’s love lives,” he commented.

“When people want to talk about my relationship so often, it’s easy to pick up those kinds of things,” she replied. “I can only imagine people are going to bother me more and more about you after we break up.”

“Kinda has become the dominant topic when it comes to you and me, hasn’t it. Any regrets?”

"About this?” Gamora lifted their joined hands for a moment before dropping them back down by their sides again. “All things considered, we’ve done well, don’t you think? It’s been morally questionable this whole time, but I think we got more than money out of this.”

When they arrived at the loading bay, they spotted Groot sitting on the Milano’s ramp, kicking his little feet in the air and humming idly. He immediately perked up at the sight of them, then turned to immediately sprint back inside the ship. “Huh,” Peter said, watching him go. “That was weird.” It became weirder still when they walked inside to find the others had fallen silent. “Um, did something happen?”

“Nothing, hello!” Mantis said loudly. She was stirring something on the stove, wooden spoon clanging loudly inside the pot. “How was your sparring practice, Gamora?”

“It was fine,” Gamora said slowly, suspiciously. She moved to drop her bag by the couch and strip off her gloves. “What were you all talking about before we got here? And don’t lie to me.”

There was an awkward moment of silence, the others exchanging panicked glances in an attempt to figure out who was going to speak. “Just wonderin’ if you two signed up for the fundraiser,” Yondu said finally. “Speculatin’, that’s all.”

“Helping Coulson with a weapons demo, since I’m apparently one of the best gunslingers on campus. Can’t argue with that,” Peter boasted, setting his knapsack down next to Gamora’s. “Gamora’s with Elektra and Colleen for a sword demonstration. That’ll be awesome.”

Gamora smiled in return, pleased, as she settled down onto the couch. Groot hopped up to join her, curling into the crook of her elbow with a contented sigh. “Have we got any jobs lined up recently? Even anything Terran-bound?”

“Preferably Terran-bound,” Peter added, sitting next to her. “We don’t need a repeat of the last few times we’ve done off-planet work. It’s like we’re cursed.”

“Cursed would be putting it lightly,” Drax said, nodding. “Fate is not our friend, Quill.”

“Sorry, Quill. Outta work at the moment,” Rocket shrugged. “But wait about three-ish weeks, and we’ll be comin’ into a lot of units, courtesy of Stark.”

“First thing on the list - better mattresses for the Milano,” Peter said, causing Gamora to giggle into his shoulder.

“Mine is comfortable enough,” Nebula said with a defensive scowl, though she couldn’t help but eye the way her sister was practically tangled up with Peter. “However, if Gamora is going to continue sharing your bed, I would like her room. It’s bigger.”

“We’re not sharing a bed,” Gamora said almost too quickly, sitting back up. “I just fall asleep in there sometimes when I’m making Quill do homework.”

“At midnight? You are not that committed to school, are you?” Mantis asked innocently. Gamora frowned, getting to her feet.

“I’m going to go shower,” she huffed. “No one ask any more pointless questions when I get back.”

Rocket ducked behind the kitchen counter to hide from Peter so he could snicker with Yondu. Maybe this whole matchmaking thing was going to be fun, after all.

______

On Wednesday afternoon, after classes were finished for the day, the Guardians piled into another vehicle on loan from Stark, this time something he affectionately referred to as the “Iron Soccer Mom”, and headed into the city to get fitted for prom. Mantis attempted to get a game of “I, Spy” going, until Drax began questioning the legitimacy of her hints, leaving everyone more irritated than entertained. Groot stood on Rocket’s shoulder so he could stare out the window, while Nebula and Yondu bemoaned being forced to sit next to each other, again. Gamora was glad Peter had designated her to ride shotgun, away from the nonsense going on behind them.

“So, have you guys been practicing much for the fundraiser?” Peter asked when they were about thirty minutes away from the shop.

“Not as much as I’d like,” Gamora sighed. He glanced over at her briefly, only to notice that she was casually flipping the multi-tool he’d given her as their “one-week anniversary present”. He hadn’t even been aware that she was keeping it on her person, assuming that she would have abandoned it long ago. “They’re too busy hunting down the Hand with the other Defenders. Or at least, Colleen is. Elektra spends her free time rolling around the sheets with Murdock.”

“They do seem attached at the...crotch.” Peter made a face like he had regretted the words the moment they left his mouth. “Hey, so are we gonna do the whole ‘groom doesn’t get to see the bride’s dress’ thing?”

“The...what?” Gamora was utterly perplexed. His tendency to forget that the others didn’t understand Terran customs happened far too often.

“I really gotta stop doing that to you guys,” Peter chuckled. “Guys usually don’t see their wife’s wedding dress until the day of. I was just wondering if you wanted to keep your prom dress a secret from me.”

“I’m not your wife, Quill,” she said, continuing to frown. “And...I’m not your girlfriend, either.” It was an echo of a sentiment she’d expressed many times in the past, something that was reassuring at first, and now just an unwelcome reminder of what was really happening.

“Yeah, but I’d probably ask you to prom even if we weren’t doing this...thing,” he replied, taking a hand off the wheel so he could gesture between them. “I mean, as friends. I’d ask you regardless.”

Mantis leaned forward in her seat, her frustration at Drax melting away in her eagerness to help the conversation along. “I would suggest you do it, Gamora. It will make for a fun reveal at prom!”

Gamora threw her hands up, knowing she couldn’t win against Peter and Mantis’s enthusiasm. She wasn’t sure what the big deal was, but it seemed important to them. “Fine, whatever, if you say so.”

When they arrived at the shop and checked in, the guys and girls were ushered into separate rooms by overly-enthusiastic attendants. Mantis was practically bouncing off the walls in excitement, oohing and ahhing at the displays of jewelry, headpieces, and shoes. Gamora put a hand on Nebula’s arm to remind her not to mock - none of them had ever really done something like this before, so Mantis was definitely entitled to her happiness.

“I can’t believe you convinced me to do this,” Nebula sighed regardless, sprawling across a large, overstuffed pouf. It was a little comical to see her surrounded by cream-coloured furniture with tassels and sequins. “We have more pressing concerns, sister.”

“We don’t have to be weapons up at all times,” Gamora replied gently, patting her on the leg. “It’s been a trying few months. Let’s have fun when we can.”

“Don’t try and deceive me, you’re using this as another opportunity to spend time with Quill,” Nebula retorted.

“I think it is very sweet,” Mantis piped up. “Do not miss your chance, Gamora. Prom would be a very good time to make your feelings known.”

“You keep talking of feelings that don’t exist,” Gamora said firmly, folding her arms across her chest. “Once the ruse is over and we’ve been paid out our ten thousand units, everything will be back to normal.”

Nebula let out a snort. “Please. As if we have a normal.”

In the other room, the boys weren’t faring much better. Yondu was getting fitted in his powder blue suit (“offsets the blue of my skin quite nice, doncha think?”), turning and lifting his arms obediently for the tailor. Drax and Peter were seated on the poufs, while Rocket was sitting on the floor with Groot, entertaining him with a laser pointer.

“I have something to ask of you, Quill,” Drax said nervously, leaning forwards.

“I didn’t do it.” Drax looked at him quizzically. “Oh, you’re not asking about the dagger that I definitely didn’t lose on Berhert. Yeah, okay, go on.”

“I would like to ask Mantis to be my date for the prom. As friends, of course. We have established that - ”

“Yeah, yeah, you don’t find her attractive, don’t have to tell me a hundred times,” Peter sighed. “And you don’t need my permission, man, Mantis can answer however she wants.”

“If you’re sure,” Drax nodded, an infectious smile blooming across his face. “You are a good man, Quill. I am glad we are friends.”

“Me too,” Peter grinned, slinging an arm over Drax’s shoulder.

“You two done yammerin’? It’s your turn, Drax.” Yondu made his way over to them, now back in his regular clothes. He took Drax’s spot as the other proceeded to join the tailor (“I admire your business, sir, but I have no desire to wear a shirt”), settling in like he owned the place, as he always did. “Well, shoot. Guess I gotta ask Nebula, then.”

Rocket was quite literally rolling on the floor with laughter. Groot was somewhat confused, but giggling alongside him. “Won’t that be a sight to see! Maybe you two’ll finally kill each other tryna slow dance.”

“I think the real show of the night is gonna be Quill and Gamora, hey?” Yondu elbowed Peter teasingly. “C’mon, boy, ‘fess up already. You two already shackin’ up in your room, holdin’ hands all the time, even got them inside jokes. You still tellin’ me she ain’t got feelings for you? You’re practically dating already!”

“We’re just really close,” Peter mumbled, turning away. “She’s not used to someone being in her personal space and not trying to kill her. Besides, if she is interested - and I really doubt it - I want to let her make the first move. She deserves that choice.”

“Noble of ya,” Yondu nodded. “I can respect that. But like I said, girl with that kind of upbringing? Might spook easier than you think. Live in denial, like you. Be a little more upfront, Quill. You take two steps forward, and let her take the last one.”

“I am Groot,” Groot said enthusiastically, running over to cling to Peter’s ankle. “I am Groot!”

“Groot says he wants to make the corsage for you,” Rocket translated. “Aw, that’s nice of you, man.”

“Oh god, I almost forgot about the corsage,” Peter groaned. “Thanks, Groot.”

Meanwhile, Gamora stepped out from her dressing room, nervously smoothing down the pleats on the front of her gown. It was moments like this that made her feel like a young girl again, snippets of old memories coming back. Her mother, wearing a pretty evening dress, putting on her earrings as she got ready to go out on a date with her father. Gamora would always sit at her feet, staring in awe at her strong, beautiful mother, wondering if she would be like her when she was older.

To this day, Gamora wished she was able to tell.

“Oh, Gamora,” Mantis sighed dreamily. “You look so pretty. And so fierce, too - I very much like this belt.” She reached to gently touch the leather wrap at Gamora’s waist. “It is very you.”

“Yes, very pretty, Quill won’t be able to take his eyes off you, etcetera,” Nebula deadpanned. She paused, standing to inspect her sister a bit closer. “...you do look acceptable, though.”

Gamora and Mantis’s eyebrows shot up in near-perfect synchronicity. “I’m in shock,” Gamora said dryly. “That was almost a compliment.”

“Get over yourself,” Nebula grumbled, sitting back down. God, her sister was going to become even more insufferable once she actually started dating Quill. His sarcasm was going to infect her like a disease.

a/n: i could just write guardians shenanigans forever, in all honesty. All of them being like "are you kidding me" at peter and gamora is just me yelling at myself for making them deny everything so hard.

next chapter is the fundraiser! i know i keep teasing y'all about the prom chapter, but you can probably guess which chapter number it's gonna be (hint: look at the title).

#starmora #peter quill #gamora #guardians of the galaxy #avengers academy #myfic #myfic: 20q #marvel #there's so much going on in this chapter but for once i didn't ramble on forever? wow

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biofunmy · 5 years ago

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‘Marriage Story’ and ‘The Irishman’ Propel Netflix to Most Golden Globe Nominations

Netflix dominates with ‘The Irishman’ and ‘Marriage Story.’

LOS ANGELES — It is Netflix’s world. Hollywood just lives in it.

Nominations for the 77th Golden Globes were announced Monday morning, and Netflix dominated the film categories to a jaw-dropping degree. The streaming giant has only been a competitor on the movie side of the Globes since 2016, when it received a sole nomination for Idris Elba in “Beasts of No Nation.” This time around, the hard-campaigning Netflix was showered with 17 film nominations, including six for Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” the most of any movie.

“Marriage Story,” an unnerving portrait of divorce, was nominated for best drama, actress (Scarlett Johansson), actor (Adam Driver), supporting actress (Laura Dern), screenplay (Baumbach) and score (Randy Newman), although Baumbach was passed over in the directing race. Two other Netflix films, “The Irishman” and “Two Popes,” were also nominated for best drama, with two movies from traditional studios, “1917” and “Joker,” rounding out the category.

Eddie Murphy was nominated for his comedic performance as the blaxploitation parodist Rudy Ray Moore in “Dolemite Is My Name,” another Netflix film. “Dolemite” was also included in the best comedy or musical field, joining the traditional contenders “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Knives Out” and “Rocketman.”

Netflix wound up with 34 nominations over all, including a leading 17 in television. Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Apple TV Plus also lit up the nomination scoreboard, adding to the streaming incursion. “Being four and a half weeks into the launch of the service, we weren’t expecting nominations,” Jamie Erlicht, the co-head of Apple TV, said by phone, noting that other video platforms took years to earn awards recognition.

Apple’s centerpiece series, “The Morning Show,” was nominated for best television drama and the show’s stars, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, each picked up nominations for best actress in a drama. The soap, which got sluggish reviews from critics, has been going through something of a backlash to a backlash: It has a 94 percent approval rating among Rotten Tomatoes users. “We think we are well positioned as we go from Season 1 to Season 2 for the audiences and the critics to align,” Erlicht said.

The traditional entertainment company with the largest number of film nominations was Sony Pictures, which accumulated 10, including five for Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” and a pair for Pedro Almodóvar’s Spanish-language “Pain and Glory.” HBO had the second-largest number of television nominations: 15.

There were prominent snubs. Greta Gerwig’s rapturously reviewed “Little Women,” scheduled for release by Sony on Christmas Day, received attention for Saoirse Ronan’s lead performance and for Alexandre Desplat’s score. But the movie was not nominated and Gerwig was overlooked for her direction. Globes voters were widely criticized for putting forward an all-male directing field, despite an array of other choices.

“The reveal here is a bias against female leadership,” said Stacy L. Smith, an associate professor at the University of Southern California who studies the underrepresentation of women and minorities in Hollywood.

The nominated directors were Tarantino, Todd Phillips (“Joker”), Sam Mendes (“1917), Bong Joon Ho (“The Parasite”) and Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman”).

HBO’s “Game of Thrones” also got the cold shoulder. The series has never won best drama at the Globes — it has won a record-tying four times at the Emmys — and it will stay that way. The fantasy’s final season drew a lone nod, for Kit Harington’s lead acting.

The group behind the Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, has shed some of its reputation for eccentricity, but it still makes calculated choices — spreading nominations far and wide to ensure that every studio boss attends; honoring younger stars (like Ana de Armas, an acting nominee for “Knives Out”) along with older ones (Emma Thompson, recognized for her “Late Night” performance). Members continue to split their top film prize into two categories, drama and comedy-musical, often in bewildering ways. It was decided that “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” could compete as a comedy alongside the Nazi-themed “Jojo Rabbit.” Because what is funnier than the Manson murders and the Holocaust?

In another puzzler, especially for an awards contest adjudicated by journalists from overseas, foreign-language films are ineligible for the marquee best-picture categories. So don’t look for much guidance on the Oscar hopes for Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell,” one of the few bright spots in indie cinema this year ($17.6 million in ticket sales), or “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho’s acclaimed tale of economic inequality ($18.3 million). Both were nominated for best foreign-language film, however. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “Les Misérables” and “Pain and Glory” drew the remaining slots.

In truth, the Globes do not predict much. The press association only has about 90 voting members; roughly 9,000 film industry professionals vote on the Academy Awards. The top winning films at the Globes have only gone on to win the Oscar for best picture 50 percent of the time over the last decade (although they did match last year, when “Green Book” was the big winner at both ceremonies).

NBC will broadcast the Globes on Jan. 5. Organizers decided to bring back the British comedian Ricky Gervais for a fifth time to host.

The nominations could give films a shot in the arm.

The Globes are mostly coveted as marketing tools. Studio advertising executives will immediately roll out new TV commercials and digital billboards based on the nominations. Three nods for the war epic “1917” could help Universal Pictures generate interest in its Christmas Day release in theaters; in addition to nominations for drama and director, “1917” was singled out for Thomas Newman’s score.

Globe voters pushed Cynthia Erivo deeper into the Oscar conversation by honoring her performance as Harriet Tubman in “Harriet,” a sleeper hit with $41 million in ticket sales.

The male acting races will be competitive.

Ahh, the year of the man. It seems strange given the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.

But take a look at this year’s films. The number of notable male performances is rather staggering. Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker”), Christian Bale (“Ford v Ferrari”), Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”) and Jonathan Pryce (“The Two Popes”) joined Driver in receiving nods for best actor in a drama. Left out were De Niro (“The Irishman”), Adam Sandler (“Uncut Gems”) and Paul Walter Hauser (“Richard Jewell”).

De Niro’s snub was seen as revenge. Globe voters were furious when he made fun of them from the stage in 2011.

Best actor in a comedy or musical is only slightly less competitive. Murphy was nominated for his outrageous “Dolemite” performance, as were Leonardo DiCaprio (“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”) and Taron Egerton (“Rocketman”). The remaining two spots went to Daniel Craig (“Knives Out”), and Roman Griffin Davis, the young “Jojo Rabbit” star.

Voters did not seem to like ‘Cats.’

“Cats,” set for release by Universal on Dec. 20, should be a shoo-in for best comedy or musical. But the filmmakers have been scrambling to finish the movie … err, make the fur visual effects less traumatic than they were in that infamous trailer. To make the movie eligible for consideration, Universal showed voters a version last week.

Alas, the film scored only a nomination for Taylor Swift’s song.

Apple enters the awards hunt with ‘The Morning Show.’

Globes voters have a habit of falling in love with new shows — they like to be seen as cultural arbiters — which bodes well for “The Morning Show.” But established series will be formidable competitors: “Succession” wrapped up its euphorically reviewed second season on HBO in October, and “The Crown” has adroitly reimagined itself with a new cast. “Big Little Lies” and “Killing Eve” also received best TV drama nominations.

On the comedy front, Amazon’s “Fleabag” and its creator and star, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, are the heavy favorites after both were nominated. The show already won big at the September Emmys ceremony. “Fleabag” will go up against “Barry,” “The Politician” (from Ryan Murphy), “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (from Amy Sherman-Palladino) and last year’s winner, “The Kominsky Method.”

HBO’s “Chernobyl” is the favorite for limited series, where the nominees also include Netflix’s “Unbelievable,” about a teenager who was charged with lying about having been raped and the female detectives who examine her case. In one of the morning’s biggest surprises, Ava DuVernay’s limited Netflix series about the Central Park jogger case, “When They See Us,” was excluded from the category. (Jharrel Jerome, who won an Emmy in September for his performance in “When They See Us,” was also snubbed.)

The best actress in a drama race will be a battle of the titans. The Oscar winners Olivia Colman (“The Crown”) and Nicole Kidman (“Big Little Lies”) and the Emmy winner Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”) will go up against Witherspoon and Aniston.

“The only thing we need to work on,” said Zack Van Amburg, co-head of Apple TV, “is figuring out how Jen and Reese can tie.”

John Koblin contributed reporting from New York.

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