#rodney does not SHUT UP about how Cool and Wanted john is

[sga-owns-my-soul]

ronon and teyla: john is such a fucking nerd

rodney: no he's so cool and suave and charming and a flirt and gorgeous and talented and good at everything and-

elizabeth and carson: no he really is a giant fucking nerd like we love him but he's kind of a dork

rodney: he's so amazing everyone wants him sooo badly people throw themselves at him-

anyone who has ever made a move on john: we literally are just using him to get something for our people he was convenient at best

rodney: such a kirk i can't believe it he's so hot and so cool and everyone wants him and he's so popular and-

john himself: rodney i'm literally such a dork what are you even talking about

rodney: but no im not in love with john that's stupid we're just friends

[fart-gate]

SGA

Season 5 Episode 6

Notes by me

- ive heard this episode is Rodney centric with lots of cough whump cough. So that should be fun for me hehehehehehe HERE WE GO LADS

- well it just gets right into it doesnt it huh

- hes acting like he has some sort of brain damage ?? Maybe bad head injury I'm guessing

- hes calling for john 😫💟

- what happened someone tell me

- infected????

- hes DYING ! Of what!!!! Somebody say what it is!!!!

- while the theme plays i want to acknowledge davids exquisite acting skillz 👌👌👌👌🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

- a few hrs earlier.....or days.....idk they didnt say lol

- woolseys bored when they arent there haha

- theyre trapped on TOP OF THE GATE THIS IS GOOD SHIT

- shivering 😌

- wet team atlantis is aahhh

- he had a fever immediately? Suspicious

- this shot of them on the gate in the middle of the lake with no lights but the wormhole POETIC CINEMA

- ronon carrying Rodney 💖💗💖

- wait hes back to normal? I dont trust it

- "our boy" AAWW

- back to the present! This is sad I'm sad

- again davids acting is just 🔥🔥🔥

- "Meredith?" 😭😭💟

- "I'm sick" you know when boromir keeps getting shot with arrows and when you think its over he gets shot with another one. This is what watching this episode feels like. I'm boromir

- ronon hugs are the best. I mean who doesnt want to hug Jason mamoa? Hes like hugging a bear that can tear your head off but youre 84% sure he wont

- ronon WHAT theres a place where he can be himself again?? Oh its dangerous yeah that tracks with ronons previous ideas

- WOA Rodney looks handsome in this video log

- something he wanted to say to keller. His feelings about her maybe??? 5 bucks!

- "second childhood" ronon has dealt with it before thats cool

- awwww the fruit cup

- ronon wants to save him so bad 😭😭😭💗💗💗💗💗💗

- "you learned to hunt when you were 6?" I'm laughing,woolsey, have you MET HIM. NO ONE ELSE IS SURPRISED LMFAO

- ronon #1 Rodney Protector

- woolseys story about his dad with alzheimers . I get it. my grandma has that.

- "I'll take him myself"

- SHUT UP !!! PROTECTIVE RONON LIVES IN MY HEAD RENT FREE!!!! I DONT WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER SOUND ON THIS EARTH UNLESS IT IS THIS DIALOGUE ON REPEAT

- lOVE how ronon doesnt do anything when keller says rodneys not leaving without her permission. The respect this man has for everyone

- "ronon dex"

"Thats right buddy"

DECEASED 💀 bye world it was nice knowing ya. Tattoo this dialogue on the back of my eyelids

- "hey john!" I CANT TAKE THIS

- come on keller! I get not wanting him to be in danger but I mean...if theres even a chance.....

- jeannie pulls thru 💪 off to wraith territory! I just realised thats probably not a good thing

- he recites pie in one of his videos

- Woolsey wants Rodney to know he said goodbye??? Unrealistic. Blocked

- sending a malp is a good idea. They should keep doing that

- "john!"

- oh NO hes so scared. David should really have an award for this episode

- john being so sweet 💖💖💖

- "I drink beer?" "Alot!" Lmao

- im sorry but Rodney immediately going to johns courters when he couldnt find anyone.....its true love

- "how about we say goodbye now?"

"NO"

Damn ok lol

- "pretty soon I wont remember who you are!"

"Then I'll remind you!"

I mean I have nothing to say to this

- bossy!John when hes emotional

- "youre a good friend arthur" THAT LAUGH HAD TO BE REAL. WAS THAT IMPROV. IT LOOKED LIKE IMPROV. johns laugh makes ME laugh . CUTE

- im in love with how theyre all taking turns in taking care of Rodney like making sure hes walking okay and stuff. Its amazing how much everyone loves him even though he was quite a dick in the beginning and no one liked him. I just love how much hes grown and how close they all got to each other. Thats the shit I love. Warms my heart.

- "john!"

- "jeannie?" HES BACK

- in his video log he said he keeps seeing his mom? Thats...really sad actually

- "I DIE?!?!?" oh god hes panicking again

- wow keller was right about his reaction I guess

- is this gonna be The Only Person That Can Save Him Is Him

- "save me some ham" lol

- WOW WHAT A SCREAM

- it retracted from the radiation? So its smaller.... Do the surgery!

- YES IM RIGHT !!! GO KELLER!!

- weak Rodney is good stuff

- "youve thrown an awful lot at me in very little time"

"Thats life"

OK RONON. BLUNT AS FUCK

- his goodbye video

- john helping with the surgery even tho he clearly isnt trained for this. Lord let nothing go wrong pls

- EW this is gross

- its coming out by itself??

- "you could have stepped on it"

"She told me to shoot it"

Ronon will take any opportunity to shoot things

- thats all they had to do!!!! Can you imagine.....now they can let the word out and tell everyone around the galaxy to do this when one of their elders gets the parasite! Just go to a cave and do unsanitized surgery

- "thank you" fuck my life

- "I love you. Ive loved you for some time now" THERE IT IS. what a reveal. She's crying! Oh i cant take this. I'm glad that they realise feelings after so long of knowing eachother instead of right after they met. We got to see their relationship grow!! Also someone owes me 5 bucks

- does she love him back???? DOES SHE

I NEED ANSWERS

[fannishlyyours]

The McShep fic I’m not writing but enjoy thinking about (a lot; in bullet-points):

John and Rodney meet during their first year of college. They live in the same dorm and neither can quite remember what that first meeting is like. It’s as though there was a time before they knew each other and a time after, nothing in between, no real measure of how the after happened.

Rodney has a massive crush on John, but believes John is too cool to ever like him like that [and also, is John even gay? Bi? Who is to say?]. So, Rodney spends his time in the lab, and somehow ends up in an awkward relationship with a botany student, Katie Brown, and spends a lot of time studying with her while John does his own thing, including being strangely distant for a little bit till Rodney, in the most improbable of manners, remembers John’s birthday and buys him DVDs of all the Back to the Future movies. Then John is back, eating dinner with him in the dining hall, hanging out late playing video games, and generally there.

Senior year, John moves off campus. Rodney can’t imagine feeding himself or taking care of things, so he stays on campus. He still ends up in John’s apartment, eating John’s food, and occasionally falling asleep on John’s bed when it’s too late. (John has horrible roommates who get really pissy when John hogs the couch/TV with Rodney, so John buys a TV and a game system for his bedroom and it’s only natural that they end up falling asleep on the bed because, hello, they were already on it.)

John’s in the Air Force, and after they graduate, they aren’t even on the same continent. Rodney trudges along, writes the occasional email, has the occasional Skype call, and moves through degrees at what he likes to think is the speed of light (two PhDs in three years, thank you very much).

Four years pass and John is finally stateside. Rodney invites John to visit him over New Years when John complains about how his family is killing him. The night before John’s flight out to California, John’s father has a heart attack. A couple of days later, he has a second heart attack and dies. Rodney wants to make it out to see John, but something colossally bad happens in his lab and he’s stuck there for two weeks cleaning up the mess. By the time he’s able to take a day off, John’s left the country again.

Another couple of years pass, and Rodney makes his way through the ranks. He dips his toes in with the US military, dates a couple of other women, tells John all about it, asks him when he’s coming back to the States. John gives very vague answers about the details of anything he’s doing and Rodney does everything he can to not hack into files he shouldn’t. (He does anyway, and starts losing sleep and hair over some of John’s postings.)

John for his part can’t seem to get time on his side. He likes Rodney as more than friend, he’s been certain of this since they met. But Rodney is an elusive bastard. Every time John’s talked himself into making a move, Rodney has been in another relationship (there was Katie Brown in undergrad, someone named Sam Carter that John still isn’t sure if Rodney dated or just wanted to date, and from his latest emails, it seems like there’s a Jennifer). Or, as luck would have it, the one time Rodney wasn’t in a relationship, John’s father died and then it was just the wrong time for everything. So, he waits without acknowledging that he’s waiting and flies as much as he can.

Then things go FUBAR in Afghanistan and John returns to the States, Rodney invites him to California again. Finally, John thinks, finally he’s going to do it. Only, when he gets there, Rodney introduces him to Jennifer and John smiles ruefully and reins it in. He stays with Rodney for a week, surfs in the ocean while Rodney works during the day, then drags Rodney to things with him. Jennifer gives them space to do “guy-stuff” but she’s never quite gone. Rodney distractedly answers texts from her, talks endlessly about her, and John feels drained and pissed and kind of miserable all around.

When the week’s up, he leaves for Nevada, not entirely sure what he’ll do there. Waits out to see if he’s going to get out of the mess with the Air Force, lands himself in Antarctica.

A couple of more years pass. Rodney sends him annoyed emails calling him stupid for taking shitty risks and freezing his balls off. John wants to tell him that Rodney’s the one who’s given him all the blue balls so fuck off on the commentary, but he refrains. Instead, he sends passive aggressive emails poking at Rodney’s relationship with Jennifer and does he even have a relationship with Jeannie anymore?

He’s bitter and hurt and fucking cold all the time. And he just wants to be home, and nothing has felt like home since undergrad and for fuck’s sake, is Rodney going to marry Jennifer and put him out of his misery or what?

When Rodney sends one text, three words-- “We broke up.”--John calls his dead-end career quits and flies out to California. Shows up to Rodney’s house to find him in a state of disaster: food-stained t-shirt, week-old beard, a stench that could attract flies, and boxers that John can only frown at. “You’re here,” Rodney says in surprise when he sees John. “You stink,” John says in reply. Rodney sniffs his armpits and winces. “Yeah, I do,” he says. Steps aside and let’s John through.

John doesn’t tell Rodney that he’s given up the Air Force. Doesn’t tell him anything except to take a fucking shower, shave that damned beard, and eat something other than Cheetos (altogether, John found seven bags of Cheetos, including one in the bathroom). Rodney listens, complaining the whole time, and only occasionally does he look sad.

A couple of weeks go by and then Rodney finally asks, “How long is your leave?” And John’s first instinct is to hedge, but instead, he looks directly at Rodney and says, “I’m done.” Rodney’s mouth makes an ‘O’ shape and he opens and closes his mouth like a fish. “Well, good,” Rodney finally says. “You have more talent than could possibly know what to do with.” It’s the biggest compliment Rodney has ever given John, and John can’t help but tease him for it. “Gee, thanks, McKay.” “Shut up,” Rodney says.

A month or so after this, Rodney turns to John in the middle of a movie. “You know, I always had a crush on you. In college. And then... after.” John looks between Rodney and the TV and Rodney again, trying to find the joke. “You’re telling me this now?” John asks, unsure of what to say at all. Rodney shrugs, like he’s not dropped the atomic bomb or anything. “I didn’t want to hold onto it anymore,” he says. John closes his eyes, shakes his head. “You’re such a moron,” he says and then lunges, holding Rodney in place and kissing the hell out of him. “So are you,” Rodney pants in between.

Yeah, they’re both morons.

[hermankopusortizorsumshite]

Ronon Fanfiction 3

Ya’ll. In the midst of moving and trying to pack, I’ve been so busy and haven’t been good about posting. Actually I’ve been shit at posting. So here’s chapter 3 of the Ronon fic. Much love

Chapter 1:  https://phillipkopusimagines-and-stuff.tumblr.com/post/182952713169/ronon-dex-fanfiction

Chapter 2: https://phillipkopusimagines-and-stuff.tumblr.com/post/183119088810/ronon-dex-fanfiction

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“Tell me, where she is.” He gnashes through clenched teeth, his heart thundering and legs quaking.

“Ronon, just listen for her. If you found her that day, you’ll find her now.” She assures, voice still calm and cool. He closes his eyes, listening to everything around him and blocking it all out. A few moments pass in silence, no heartbeat, no sign of life. He takes another breath, his fingers tracing his own scar for encouragement. And in that moment, he hears it.

The faintest sound, a little tiny ‘ghud ghud’. A steady beating heart, one that didn’t belong to anyone but her. He sprints in the direction as it gets louder, his heart beginning to soar with happiness. The moment he sees the Daedulus, he swings open the door to find Caldwell sitting in a chair adjacent to her, and she sits, nervously twiddling her thumbs and tapping her toes on the metal floor.

Her eyes meet his and they spring together like opposite ends of magnets. Flinging her arms around his neck, she hooks her legs around his waist as he grips her tightly in a hug. Colonel Caldwell can’t help the small smile that graces his lips as they collide, the air whooshing from their lungs.

“I was so worried.” He whispers in Satedan, nuzzling his nose into the curve where her neck meets her shoulder, pressing his face into the soft skin.

“I know, I’m sorry. That damn Weir wanted me to come here. They said you’d be fine. I knew you would panic. I’m sorry.” She whispers, nuzzling her nose into his cheek. Her breathes ghosts over his ear, sending a chill spiralling through his whole body. Placing her on her feet, he hooks a soft, bronze toned arm around her neck and leads her back to his room.

“Don’t ever do that again.” He growls at Weir as they walk by, Weir’s jaw slack in shock that Ronon had actually found her, dispite being so far away and quiet.

“I’m sorry Ro,” Thalia whispers as they shut his door and sit on the floor on pillows.

“It’s okay. I know she’s wanted to see how it works. I was just really worried.”

“You were scared?” She asks, eyeing him with a playful twinkle in her green eyes.

“I wasn’t scared. Just worried.”

“I’m sorry, Ro. I shouldn’t have agreed. I promise I won’t do it again.” She assures, patting his knee. He reaches over her for his drawer, pulling out a small wooden box, with their five stones in it. They would play this game all the time. She takes her two rocks, and he takes three. Silence overcomes them as they close their eyes, shutting out all sounds except each other’s heartbeats. Pressing her first rock to her chest, the second she holds in her open palm. He does the same, only one stone of his is put on his head. Stones in places, he starts to lift the rock in his palm with his mind and starts to send it to her, and she does the same with her stone to his open palm. The two rocks flow in a steady circle, as if on a track, never touching their hands. He is the first to peek at her, seeing her so concentrated makes him smile, though he never loses focus.

The objective is to keep the stones floating until they can both stand up, raise their hands above their heads and grab their stone. The stones cannot touch the floor, the one on his head cannot fall from its spot. If he wins, she gets the stone placed on her head, if he loses he keeps the stone. He reaches for her hand to encourage her to open her eyes when Sheppard knocks at the door, breaking Ronon’s concentration. With a low groan, the stones hit the floor and Ronon answers the door.

“Hey Ronon, Weir is asking to see you two. Cool trick.” He points to the stones on the floor before disappearing away from the room.

“I guess. We better go see what she needs.” He gives a reluctant sigh. Even after so long, their connection is as strong as ever. This game they played was to keep their connection strong. They played as kids, and Ronon found this to be his favorite game; as they could play it in the woods away from everyone or they could play it in the middle of town to challenge themselves.

The two stand, Ronon’s hands tentatively hovering her as they start down the stairs. Her eyes connect with the leiutenent’s and sends involuntary chills racing down her body. Ronon’s eyes catch what hers are avoiding and makes a mental reminder to question about that. As he realizes that man is the same one from the Daedulus, his eyes narrow on the man. When their eyes meet the lieutenant looks to the floor and starts to walk away. Caldwell watches with a smirk as he sees the connection happen. Lieutenant Tanden breaks into a jog but Ronon throws a small knife, sticking him in the fatty part of his thigh and knocking him to the ground with a cry.

“What did you do?” He asks. His eyes fall on Thalia. “What did he do? Did he hurt you?” He demands, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“No, RoRo, I’m fine.” She looks to the floor, toeing at a little piece of grey paper on the floor. With a grunt, he pulls the knife from Tanden’s leg and with a his of pain, the man skitters away from the hulking dreaded man.

“did you learn your lesson, Tanden?” Caldwell calls out with a chuckle as Tanden limps towards Beckett’s medical lab.

“Ronon, Thalia, we’d like to meet and discuss adding you to the team.” Weir calls, ignoring the little incident that just happened. Caldwell had told Weir, and they’d decided to let Ronon deal with it.

“Thalia, with your permission, we’d like to add you to the team.” Weir says as they all sit around a circular table Ronon to her left and John Sheppard to her right. Teyla and Ronon were giggling about something and she couldn’t help but laugh with him, a little smile on his face and laughter in his eyes. “Anyone that disagrees, state any reasoning you may have.”

“I say no. Our team is already big enough. We already have Teyla and Rodney, one more would be too many to take care of.” Ronon states, avoiding her icy stare.

“I call that invalid. You just don’t want me to go. Find a real reason or shut up.” She barks in Satedan to him. Everyone watches his reaction, eyes wide.

“I don’t see why you even need to go! Any reason to follow me! Any reason to put yourself in danger, even when you could just be here and safe.” He calls back in their native language, everyone watching the intense exchange of words they couldn’t understand.

“Well FINE! Dial Sateda! Send me home!” She shrieks back, still speaking in tongues. He opens his mouth but shuts it, unsure of what to say.

“Why would you wanna go back?” He asks, dropping the Satedan.

“Because if I can’t spend time with you I’d rather go back. I’m your Kalýteros Firos. I’m not Merena.” She gives back, her voice soft, speaking English once more.

“I know. But I-” He stops.

“RoRo, I love you. I’m your friend. I believe in you, I’m just asking you to do the same for me.” She pleads, but she’s a dark storm brewing in his eyes.

“You’re right. You’re not Merena.” He hisses, eyes narrowing on her in disbelief. She shouldn’t have brought up his lost love.

“I’m so sorry, Ro. I just don’t understand why you won’t let me go!” She shrieks, tears filling her eyes. A switch flips for a moment.

“Because you don’t need to. I can’t let you go. If Sateda is the only way, fine. Go back to that wasteland, I don’t care.” He growls. Once the words are out of his mouth he realizes what he’s said. Teyla touches his arm.

“Ronon, you shouldn’t say things like that to her, she’s your best friend. As far as you know she’s the only Satedan alive. Your best friend.” Teyla’s sweet gentle voice reasons, and it flips the switch back off.

“I won’t sit here and let you go on explorations with us. I won’t discuss it.” He growls, standing and stomping out of the room.

“I’d like to go back to Sateda. I was doing fine there before he came and ruined it.” She barks, walking to the Stargate and awaiting them to open the wormhole.

“I know Ronon seems angry now, but it’s because he cares. He wouldn’t want you going to Sateda alone, especially with the Wraith so attuned to that planet.” Teyla croons as she stands in front of the stargate , ready to leave.

“Teyla, take care of Ronon. Okay? Keep him safe, don’t let him do dumb stuff.” She requests, patting Teyla’s arm before the Satedan stargate opens and she steps through. Once the stargate is closed down, they get word there are Wraith hive ships headed to Sateda.

Ronon spends the rest of the night in his room, angry at her for being so strong. She didn’t understand what he’d do to keep her safe. A knock comes late that night, and he gets worried about her. Teyla’s sweet face appears at his door, expression broken.

“What?” He asks. He closes his eyes and listens carefully. He can hear the Daedulus’ engines, two jumpers. He blocks out all the extra noise to find empty. Silent. He starts to wonder what she’d done. Maybe I can’t hear her over the engines. He thinks as he starts towards the Daedulus, ignoring Teyla’s soft footsteps following.

“Ronon?” She asks as he steps into the huge fighter ship and once again closes his eyes to listen for her. Panic starts to set in when he hears the unrully silence on the other end. “Ronon!” She shouts, grabbing his arm and making him look at her.

“No.” He mutters quietly at first, but Teyla nods, a sullen look on her face. “No!” He shouts, racing through the entire Atlantis base in search of her. He stops in a hall on the east wing. Eyes closed, ears begging to hear her. Anything. Hear anything.

“Ronon.” John Sheppard shouts from the stairs above him, never breaking his concetration.

“You let her go, didn’t you?” He asks monotonously, lifting his worried eyes to John. John tries to find a good way to say something. “You let her go!” He shouts, feeling the anger and fear well inside him like an angry monster.

“You told her to go back!” He retorts, but Ronon’s too angry. He told her to go back, he said it.

“I know! Dial Sateda! I have to go.” He worries his lips into his mouth to nibble the skin from anxiously.

“We can’t.” Sheppard gives a look of sadness.

“You can! Dial it now!” He shouts, putting on his weapons belt and standing in front of the gate.

“We can’t. There’s a couple hive ships using a time layover right near there. It’s too risky. She’ll be fine. It doesn’t look like they’re landing on Sateda.” Sheppard informs, giving Ronon’s heart more pain.

“Wraith hive ships. Wraith. Hive. Ships.” He states out loud, his heart beating off rhythm and poorly.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. We can’t dial a gate anywhere near that.”

“You just did! You let her go into that wormhole!” He thunders, reaching the main room.

“I’m sorry Ronon! You can’t go!” Weir shouts, speed walknig to get to him before he broke something on the dial.

“She’s gonna die!” He gives a desperate cry, Teyla rushing to his side for support.

“She’ll survive. She’s survived this long, she’ll continue.” Teyla assures, patting his shoulder. Tears fall down his face and his sea legs carry him to his room, where he falls onto his bed, feeling the anguish rush over him like a crushing wave.

“She’s gonna survive. She has too.” He lets the tears fall down his face for only a moment before listening to the voices muffled outside the door.

“We can tell him, but we can’t take it anywhere. Not yet. If we dial the gate with enough power, we could send a weapons belt and possibly a jumper through. Ronon’s gonna wanna go.”

“He can drive the jumper I guess.” Ronon stands and hooks on his belt and steps out into the hall, ready to go.

“I’m ready.” He barks as he heads to the jumper port with a key ready to leave.

“Ronon, you understand you may not come back?”Weir asks as they make their way to the port.

“And?” He asks, waiting for a real reason.

“Well I just think we should talk about--”

“About nothing. You let her go through that gate. You let her leave, so unless you plan on going in there, let me go. Now.” He growls as he climbs into the jumper. John does a quick check to make sure everything is in order before giving the go ahead, sending Ronon to what could possibly be his doom.

“I’m going with him. I can’t send a soldier in alone.” Sheppard jumps into another jumper and takes off after him.

 Ronon lands the jumper and drives it behind a couple huge trees to block it in the case of the Wraith stopping on this planet. Disengaging the engine, he closes his eyes and hears her heart beating very close by. Trekking over to the lake where they used to play the rock game, he finds her sitting under a tree looking across the lake.

“Hey.” He calls, stamping down the underbrush beneath his feet. Yanking her knife from her side holster, she throws it and sticks it in a tree behind him.

“What are you doing here?” She asks, eyes never meeting his own.

“Just wanted to see you. I was worried.” He shrugs, sitting beside her in the thick, green grass.

“You told me to go. You know I have to listen to you.” She mutters, looking up at him for only a second.

“I know, I shouldn’t have said that. I just never though you’d choose Sateda over being in Atlantis with me. I’m sorry.” He pulls her into a hug and leans his heavy head onto hers.

“I know, Ro. But I can be useful! I can be an asset in most of the explorations if you give me the chance. I wanna help, Ro.” She exclaims as she leans against him.

“Guys! I hate to break up this happy reunion! But Wraith are incoming and we need to jump the hell out of here!” Ronon first jumps before realizing its Sheppard calling to them. He grabs her hand and pulls her to his jumper.

“Tell me I can go on the trips.” She orders, digging in her heels to stop herself from being pulled.

“What?” He asks, grabbing both her arms and attempting to lift her.

“I said, tell me I can go on the trips.” She snarls, putting all her weight against him to keep her position.

“Can’t we talk about this when the Wraith aren’t trying to kill us?” He shouts over the whirring of the incoming ships and the loud air tunnel the landing blades made as it got closer.

“No! Tell me I can go!” She shouts, leaning away from him. Sheppard grabs her shoulders and shakes her.

“I’ll tell you you’re a god if you get in that jumper! You can go on the trips! Now get in that damn jumper before we become the next meal!” Sheppard shouts, pointing angrily to Ronon’s jumper.

[fyp-psychology]

Rare Collection of 100 Introvert Quotes That Will Make You Feel Understood

Dear introverts, it’s difficult to understand you. Many people don’t comprehend that solitude and feeling alone are different things. As an introvert, you know that your solitude is a sacred space where you can recharge. We encourage you to have a look at these amazingly thoughtful and profound quotes, which will resonate with all introverts.

1. “People empty me. I have to get away to refill.” ~ C. Bukowski

2.“I think a lot, but I don’t say much.”~ Anne Frank

3.“I have to be alone very often. I’d be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That’s how I refuel.” ~ Audrey Hepburn

4.“You see things. You keep quiet about them and you understand. “ ~ The Perks of Being a Wallflower

5.“I’m very picky with whom I give my energy to. I prefer to reserve my time, intensity and spirit exclusively to those who reflect sincerity.” ~ Dau Voire

6.“I am rarely bored alone; I am often bored in groups and crowds.” ~ Laurie Helgoe

7.“There is a tremendous difference between alone and lonely. You could be lonely in a group of people. I like being alone. I like eating by myself. I go home at night and just watch a movie or hang out with my dog. I have to exert myself and really say, oh God, I’ve got to see my friends because I’m too content with myself.” ~ Drew Barrymore

8.“Silence is only frightening to people who are compulsively verbalizing.” ~ William S. Boroughs

9.“Quiet people have the loudest minds.” Stephen Hawking

10.“In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone.” ~ Rollo May

11.“What if you love knowledge for its own sake, not necessarily as a blueprint for action? What if you wish there were more, not fewer reflective types in the world.” ~Susan Cain

12.“Please kindly go away, I’m introverting.” ~ Beth Buelow, The Introvert Entrepreneur

13.“A good rule of thumb is that any environment that consistently leaves you feeling bad about who you are is the wrong environment.” ~ Laurie Helgoe

14.“Everyone shines, given the right lighting.” ~Susan Cain

15.“Don’t underestimate me because I’m quiet. I know more than I say, think more than I speak and observe more than you know.” ~ Michaela Chung

16.“Introverts crave meaning so party chit-chat feels like sandpaper to our psyche.” ~ Diane Cameron

17.“I am a minimalist. I like saying the most with the least.” ~Bob Newhart

18.“Let’s clear one thing up: Introverts do not hate small talk because we dislike people. We hate small talk because we hate the barrier it creates between people.” ~ Laurie Helgoe

19.“The highest form of love is to be the protector of another person’s solitude.” Rainer Maria Rilke

20.“Introvert conversations are like jazz. Each player gets to solo for a nice stretch before the other player comes in and does his solo.” ~ Laurie Helgoe

21.“Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Be alone—that is the secret of invention: be alone, that is when ideas are born.”~ Nikola Tesla

22.“In terms of, like, instant relief, canceling plans is like heroin.” ~John Mulaney

23.“Stay true to your own nature. If you like to do things in a slow and steady way, don’t let others make you feel as if you have to race. If you enjoy the depth, don’t force yourself to seek breadth.” ~ Susan Cain

24.”Introverts treasure the close relationships they have stretched so much to make.”- Adam S. McHugh

25.“I want to be alone… with someone else who wants to be alone.” – Dimitri Zaik

26.“Our culture made a virtue of living only as extroverts. We discouraged the inner journey, the quest for a center. So we lost our center and have to find it again.” ~Anais Nin

27.“Silence is beautiful, not awkward. The human tendency to be afraid of something beautiful is awkward.” ~Elliot Kay

28.“After an hour or two of being socially on, we introverts need to turn off and recharge … This isn’t antisocial. It isn’t a sign of depression.” Jonathan Rauch

29.“Your solitude will be a support and a home for you, even in the midst of very unfamiliar circumstances, and from it you will find all your paths.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

30.“There’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.” ~Susan Cain

31.“I talked to a calzone for fifteen minutes last night before I realized it was just an introverted pizza. I wish all my acquaintances were so tasty.
” ~ Jarod Kintz

32.“The secret to life is to put yourself in the right lighting. For some, it’s a Broadway spotlight, for others, a lamplit desk.” ~ Susan Cain

33.“As a child, I suppose I was not quite normal. My happiest times were when I was left alone in the house on a Saturday.” ~ Charles Bukowski

34.“When you’re an introvert like me and you’ve been lonely for a while, and then you find someone who understands you, you become really attached to them. It’s a real release.” Lana Del Rey

35.“Blessed are those who do not fear solitude, who are not afraid of their own company, who are not always desperately looking for something to do, something to amuse themselves with, something to judge.” ~ Paulo Coelho

36.“I was just confused about why I was feeling overwhelmed all the time and trying to adjust to having people work for me. Surprisingly, I think if you’re known on the Internet, you’re probably an introvert.” ~ Felicia Day

37.“’Come out of your shell’ – that noxious expression which fails to appreciate that some animals naturally carry shelter everywhere they go and some humans are just the same.” ~ Susan Cain

38.“I don’t have time for superficial friends, I suppose if you’re really lonely you can call a superficial friend, but otherwise, what’s the point? ~ Courtney Cox

39.“I owe everything that I have done to the fact that I am very much at ease being alone.” ~ Marilynne Robinson

40.“Introverts listen more than they talk, think before they speak, and often feel as if they express themselves better in writing than in conversation. They tend to dislike conflict. Many have a horror for small talk, but enjoy deep discussions.” ~ Susan Cain

41.“My imagination functions much better when I don’t have to speak to people.” ~ Patricia Highsmith

42.”For introverts, to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating.” ~ Jonathan Rauch

43.“Beware of those who seek constant crowds; they are nothing alone.” ~Charles Bukowski

44.“I’m self-sufficient. I spend a lot of time on my own and I shut off quite easily. When I communicate, I communicate 900 per cent; then I shut off, which scares people sometimes.” ~ Bjork

45.“Loneliness is failed solitude.” Sherry Turkle

46.A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live. ~ Bertrand Russell

47.“Whatever kind of introvert you are, some people will find you ‘too much’ in some ways and ‘not enough’ in others.” ~ Laurie Helgoe

48.“A wise man once said nothing.” ~ Proverb

49.“In an extroverted society, the difference between an introvert and an extrovert is that an introvert is often unconsciously deemed guilty until proven innocent.” ~ Criss Jami

50.“When I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds until the foxes run by unconcerned. I can hear the almost unhearable sound of the roses singing.” ~ Mary Oliver

51.“Most people in politics draw energy from backslapping and shaking hands and all that. I draw energy from discussing ideas.” ~ Al Gore

52.“Solitude matters and for some people, it’s the air they breathe.” ~ Susan Cain

53.“I don’t believe anything really revolutionary has ever been invented by committee… I’m going to give you some advice that might be hard to take. That advice is: Work alone… Not on a committee. Not on a team.” ~ Steve Wozniak

54.“Don’t think of introversion as something that needs to be cured…Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you’re supposed to.”~ Susan Cain

55.“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet. ~ Franz Kafka

56.“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” ~ Plato

57.“I was never less alone than when by myself.” ~ Edward Gibbon

58.Wise men, when in doubt whether to speak or to keep quiet, give themselves the benefit of the doubt, and remain silent. ~ Napoleon Hill

59.“Solitude has its own very strange beauty to it.” ~ Liv Tyler

60.“Better to keep quiet and let people think you’re an idiot than speak up and confirm it.” ~ Rodney Dangerfield

61.“I restore myself when I’m alone.” Marilyn Monroe

62.“Introverts dislike small talk, but we are fluent in the language of ideas and dreams.” ~ Michaela Chung

63.“You may think I’m small, but I have a universe inside my mind.” ~Yoko Ono

64.“Love is essential, gregariousness is optional.” ~ Susan Cain

65.“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes” C.G. Jung

66.“As an introvert, you can be your own best friend or your worst enemy. The good news is we generally like our own company, a quality that extroverts often envy. We find comfort in solitude and know how to soothe ourselves.” ~ Laurie Helgoe

67.“People say things to me like, ‘It’s really cool that you don’t go out and get drunk all the time and go to clubs.’ I appreciate that, but I’m kind of an introverted kind of person just by nature.” ~ Emma Watson

68.“I think I’m a weird combination of deeply introverted and very daring. I can feel both those things working.” ~ Helen Hunt

69.“E-mail is far more convenient than the telephone. As far as I’m concerned, I would throw my phone away if I could get away with it.” ~ Tom Hanks

70.“My alone feels so good, I’ll only have you if you’re sweeter than my solitude.” Warsan Shire

71.“I really like to stay in my nest and not move. I travel in my mind, and that’s a rigorous state of journeying for me. My body isn’t that interested in moving from place to place.” ~ Bell Hooks

72.“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

73.“Introverts, in contrast, may have strong social skills and enjoy parties and business meetings, but after a while wish they were home in their pajamas. They prefer to devote their social energies to close friends, colleagues, and family.” ~ Susan Cain

74.“I don’t want to be alone. I want to be left alone.” ~ Audrey Hepburn

75.“I don’t hate people, I just feel better when they aren’t around.” ~Charles Bukowski

76.“Introverts are capable of acting like extroverts for the sake of work they consider important, people they love, or anything they value highly.” ~ Susan Cain

77.“Sometimes quiet people really do have a lot to say … they’re just being careful about who they open up to.” Susan Gale

78.“You only know part of me. I am a universe full of secrets.” ~ Lupytha Hermin

79.“A bore is someone who deprives you of solitude without providing you with company.” ~ Oscar Wilde

80.“I prefer tongue-tied knowledge to ignorant loquacity.” ~ Margaret Donnano

81.“Alone had always felt like an actual place to me, as if it weren’t a state of being, but rather a room where I could retreat to be who I really was.” ~ Cheryl Strayed

82.“An introvert may feel asocial when pressured to go to a party that doesn’t interest her. But for her, the event does not promise meaningful interaction. In fact, she knows that the party will leave her feeling more alone and alienated.” ~ Laurie Helgoe

83.“Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering – because you can’t take it in all at once.” ~Audrey Hepburn

84.“The more powerful and original a mind, the more it will incline towards the religion of solitude.” ~ Aldous Huxley

85.“People are always so boring when they band together. You have to be alone to develop all the idiosyncrasies that make a person interesting.” ~ Andy Warhol

86.“Most inventors and engineers I’ve met are like me. They’re shy and they live in their heads. The very best of them are artists. And artists work best alone…” ~ Steve Wozniak

87.“Kindly remove yourself from my personal space. Thanks.” ~ Gemma Correll

88.“Deep inside, she knew who she was, and that person was smart and kind and often even funny, but somehow her personality always got lost somewhere between her heart and her mouth, and she found herself saying the wrong thing or, more often, nothing at all.” ~ Julia Quinn

89.“Sometimes I just shut down and don’t talk to anyone for days. It’s nothing personal.” ~ Sonya Teclai

90.“I am lonely, yet not everybody will do. I don’t know why, some people fill the gaps but other people emphasize my loneliness.” ~ Anais Nin

91.“Never fail to know that if you are doing all the talking you are boring somebody.” ~Helen Gurley Brown

92.“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.” ~ Anne Lamott

93.“Study me as much as you like, you will never know me. For I differ a hundred ways from what you see me to be.” ~ Rumi

94.“How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. How much better to sit by myself like the solitary sea-bird that opens its wings on the stake. Let me sit here forever with bare things, this coffee cup, this knife, this fork, things in themselves, myself being myself.” ~ Virginia Wolf, The Waves

95.“What a commentary on our civilization, when being alone is considered suspect; when one has to apologize for it, make excuses, hide the fact that one practices it like a secret vice!” Anne Morrow Lindbergh

96.“People inspire you, or they drain you — pick them wisely.” ~ Hans F. Hansen

97.“I’m indecisive because I see eight sides to everything.” ~ April Kepne

98.“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

99.“So, if you are too tired to speak, sit next to me. Because I, too, am fluent in silence.”- R. Arnold

100.“Every time we stomp down our introverted nature, we crush part of our soul in the process.” ~ Michaela Chung

[ahouseoflies]

The Best Films of 2018, Part IV

Scroll down for Parts I, II, and III. VERY GOOD MOVIES THAT STILL AREN’T TECHNICALLY GREAT--SEE, I LIED, NEW CATEGORY, WHICH REALLY SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT THIS TIER IN 2018 AND MAYBE HINTS THAT THERE WEREN’T MANY MOVIES THAT I GENUINELY LOVED

44. Hotel Artemis (Drew Pearce)- It should be illegal to watch this movie before midnight because it is an exploitation flick to its core. Is it a problem that it's shaped like a triangle, that it starts wrapping up its answers the minute we understand what the questions were? Yes. Is that a problem that Jeff Goldblum, playing the Wolf King, wearing a double-breasted camel's hair coat like a shawl, can't fix? No.

43. Sicario: Day of the Soldado (Stefano Sollima)- Considering how much I liked Sicario, I'm impressed by how close its sequel came to its chilly hardness. Strangely enough, the craft suffers more from the absence of Jóhann Jóhannsson than it does from the absence of Denis Villeneuve. Aside from a lull at the two-thirds mark and the pulling of exactly one punch, this entry feels as vital and astute as the last one.

Which means the real auteur must be Taylor Sheridan. His script mimics the structure of the original while twisting its characters just askew enough to breathe new life into the material. His screenplays just sort of unfold in a way that I find organic--it's hard to even say what the conflict is until halfway through most of the time. And if he wants to write five more of these, I'll gladly take them.

42. The Other Side of the Wind (Orson Welles)- Like almost anyone else, I'm grateful that The Other Side of the Wind exists at all. The fact that it's so more personal and experimental than I expected is a bonus. It's kind of a mess until it congeals at the drive-in, but every choice still seems labored over. (The claustrophobic nature of the party versus the wide open spaces of the film-within-the-film, for example.) Nonetheless, it's hard to go to bat for a movie whose backstory is more captivating than the final product.

41. The Mule (Clint Eastwood)- Besides the breezy glide of the pacing, the performances stand out. Eastwood's is the type that we haven't seen from him in a while. He smiles a lot. He sings and dances and flirts. He's generally carefree and loopy. And he's contrasted with* a nervy Bradley Cooper in one of those humongous-star-taking-the-back-seat performances, sprinkling charisma the way Sean Connery did in The Untouchables.

But there is no elegance at all. Besides Chekhov's cough and the cheesy elbowing of "If only somebody had $25,000 to save the VFW Hall," we get the messy racial politics of Eastwood once again. Whereas Gran Torino worked for me because it's aware of its own racism, this one thinks that it's doing some good. The subtext is that an old White man would never catch trouble from police, but the text is a Hispanic man getting pulled over and nearly pissing himself for laughs. Hard to argue this isn't a fun time at the movies though, despite the fact that it's almost entirely about regret.

40. If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins)- Too theatrical and outre for my taste, but it's easy to get lost in its cosmetic pleasures: the lush colors, the lavish costumes, the immaculate close-ups, the best score of the year. I liked it, especially the Brian Tyree Henry tangent, but as the movie is swooning over itself, it's easy to catch yourself thinking, "What is this even about?"

39. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Marielle Heller)- Can You Ever Forgive Me? hits every beat you would expect from an "in over her head" crime movie, but the time that the film dedicates to the central relationship creates a rare intimacy. If you stopwatched it, I imagine the majority of the film would be McCarthy and Grant talking to each other. That focus, along with a resistance to smoothing over the characters' rougher edges, elevates a kind of boilerplate story.

38. Blockers (Kay Cannon)- Even if the ending is kind of exhausting, desperate to give each character his or her moment, this is hilarious. Not so much in the setpieces showcased in the commercials but frequently in an expression or line reading. The Blu-Ray has a line-o-rama gag reel that is funnier than some entire movies. It's pretty progressive and fair in its portrayal of young female sexuality too.

37. Game Night (John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein)- It gets a little tidy and full circle for my taste, but this movie has some great laughs while being a good example of a film that nails both the characters' "want" and the characters' "need." Rachel McAdams is winning, and Jesse Plemons steals all of his scenes.

Game Night also has way more of a filmic identity than one might expect, since it doubles as a sort of Fincher parody. Besides Cliff Martinez's insistent electronic score and some CGI-for-no-reason establishing shots, Daley and Goldstein borrow the auteur's desaturated palette, locked-down camera, and narrow light range. There's even an elaborate one-r. The visuals elevated a premise that had the potential to be really dopey.

36. First Man (Damien Chazzelle)- I think this is exactly the movie Chazelle wanted to make, but, to match my expectations or his filmography, it's not quite good enough. Cool to the touch, though anything else would be antithetical to who Armstrong was. In the shape of suspense, but with an outcome that is obviously never in doubt. Flipping to the IMAX ratio the second the crew docks onto the moon is a cool trick, but it's as innovative as things get.

The cast is game. Gosling's fastidious brooding resists any of his Movie Star charm but still holds every scene, and the framing of Armstrong's motivation works very well. Foy's reading of "a bunch of boys" is about to become a t-shirt. Kyle Chandler and Jason Clarke and the suddenly mature Patrick Fugit all get their moments. The final scene places the film into the Chazelle tradition of people whose calling is greater than even their most transcendent relationships, and a protest sequence is a welcome break from the eraser-streaked perfectionism.

I'm sorry that I wanted Apollo 13 instead of a hipper Apollo 13.

35. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Bob Perischetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman)- Within the course of one year, we got two possible solutions for the "problem" of inspiring but self-serious origin stories. At the beginning of the year, Black Panther mastered the form and presented it so solidly that it couldn't be argued against. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse goes the other way, so impressionistic that the final sequence is people flying through abstract shapes and colors, so irreverent that a character cuts someone off mid-sentence as he says, "With great power comes..." Though I would have trouble explaining the film, all of the dimensional comings-and-goings make sense in the moment, and it's easily the funniest Marvel movie ever made.

Maybe purposefully, it is overstuffed though. Six different iterations of Spider-Man is enough to juggle; I definitely didn't need a cadre of villains that was even less defined. I have to admit, even though I couldn't tell you what to cut, I was exhausted by the end, even if I was huffing and puffing fresh air.

34. Boy Erased (Joel Edgerton)- Many characters do bad things in this movie, but they're people trying to help and doing their best, justifying the pain that they're causing. This is a film that easily could have been drawn in caricature, and it never is. It does, however, draw the characters as fairly as they deserve, so the Joel Edgerton gay conversion therapist does wear bad ties and pronounce some words incorrectly. The Russell Crowe character, especially in the powerhouse final scene, is more complex and real, at least if I'm to judge by my own father, who has disturbingly similar moral authority and power moves k thx bai.

33. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Morgan Neville)- This one is more cohesive than 30 Feet From Stardom, but these Morgan Neville docs are sometimes too slick for their own good. If you've never made the "jerking-off motion" with your hand, then you'll be tested when he asks his subjects to close their eyes and imagine someone special to them.

That's not to say that the nearly pornographic reverence of Fred Rogers is not deserved or effective. And one of the most daring notes of the film is the suggestion that, in our hostile times, Rogers's message might not have stuck. The jabs at Trump aren't overplayed, but the president is sort of a pall over the entire film. When Rogers says, "The most essential things in life are invisible," it's hard not to imagine the person on our TV daily who is the antithesis of that idea.

32. Hearts Beat Loud (Brett Haley)- This is a heartwarming movie that ends on a high note with solid music. (Important because, if the music that the father and daughter made had been bad, the whole thing would have fallen apart.) Occasionally, it falls into that ensemble problem of "Good news: We got Ted Danson. Bad news: We have to find something for him to do." And it's a weird sideways ad for Spotify. But if I gave Begin Again three stars, then I have to kick this Once-core entry up to three-and-a-half.

If I may, though, I would like to analyze a recommendation that Offerman's record store owner makes to Collette's character. Since she's buying Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney, he puts her on to Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion, an album she has not heard of. Which is absurd. Forget that Animal Collective should not be recommended to any woman ever. Any person who knows Sleater-Kinney also knows Animal Collective. She would have heard of them if only because they would be a bad match for someone who likes Sleater-Kinney. But here he is all like, "Check out 'My Girls'--killer song." You're going to recommend the lead single, fam? You're not even going to go out on a limb and push "Bluish"? No wonder your store is shutting down if you're pushing free folk/art-punk onto riot grrls.

31. Western (Valesta Grisebach)- While I was watching Western, I can't say I was having too much fun. It seemed like an adequate story told in a patient, austere way. But in the days since then, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. The way that Grisebach gets so much out of non-professional actors, the way that each character seems to exist not so much as a person but as a totem for something like aggression or labor or exploitation or occupation. Like few other movies--though Beau Travail comes to mind--it's a portrait of masculinity that seems really resigned about its conclusions. 30. American Animals (Bart Layton)- I worry about the potential Boondock Saints effect of this movie: Do I want to be in the same number as the college dorm crew attracted to it only for its style? Is it only style? I don't think it adds up to much ultimately.

But it does have style, and it's way too fun of a caper flick to resist. It presents an interesting bridge in Bart Layton's career, from non-fiction that is a bit too fictional to fiction that is a bit too factual. The segments with the real people involved in the heist serve as decisive punctuation to the florid sentences of the narrative. I also appreciated that the film didn't dwell too much on the trial, since we know exactly where the boys faltered and what evidence did them in.

29. The Land of Steady Habits (Nicole Holofcener)- I loved the rich characterization of the first half, which resists hand-holding as it plops the viewer into a post-divorce setting that is familiar but specific. The film bounces off into tangents from there, some of which are great, but Edie Falco seems to draw the short straw. There are three actors on the poster--weird-voiced Ben Mendelsohn, Thomas Mann, and Falco--but her character is left undeveloped, a bit unfairly, as the proceedings favor the men. The film is still another ground-rule double for Holofcener, a filmmaker who gives the impression that she has no idea what a ground-rule double is.

28. Private Life (Tamara Jenkins)- I don't know anything about Tamara Jenkins's personal life, but there's no way that the details and emotion of the central couple's infertility don't come from her own pain. That frustration and obsession take center stage, and we get filled in with the rest of the details patiently as the film goes on. I don't think we even know what Giamatti's character does for a living until forty-five minutes in, and that's okay. The movie cares more about the supporting characters than I did, but I appreciated the lived-in realism of an apartment with books filling up the fireplace.

27. Flower (Max Winkler)- Although I didn't believe Zoey Deutch as a seventeen-year-old, I was impressed by this script, which moves slowly until it doesn't. I guess "Flower" is good branding since there doesn't appear to be a movie called that already, but I kind of wish this had just been called "Erica." It builds that character carefully, plants her in an impossible situation, then unleashes hell upon her.

An advantage of a movie with teenage characters is that they don't necessarily have to make the most logical decision in a given moment, so even when these characters are being dumb, they're being true to themselves. As the most prominent Zoey Deutch stockholder in North America, I actually thought about bumping this up an extra half-star.

26. Leave No Trace (Debra Granik)- Leave No Trace is partly about how existing outside of society can be as much of a contrivance as buying in, but the way the movie delivers that message is less ham-fisted than my description due to the intense performances at the center. Ben Foster, uncharacteristically restrained here, reportedly worked with Debra Granik to excise 40% of his dialogue, and that choice speaks volumes about the trust the film has for the audience in limiting the exposition.

The only thing holding me back was how exclusively internal the father-daughter story is. Unlike Granik's Winter's Bone, which functions as both a (similarly compassionate) coming-of-age story and a race-against-the-clock thriller, Leave No Trace is tracking only emotional growth. Will and Tom aren't headed anywhere in particular, which is part of the survival-versus-living point. But, you know, get you a Debra Granik movie that can do both.

25. Eighth Grade (Bo Burnham)- Socially terrifying when it isn't being effortlessly funny. Sometimes the protagonist is downright frustrating, which the film doesn't shy away from, but the vulnerability of Elsie Fisher's performance grounds everything around it. Besides nailing adult condescension, Burnham's script works because the big social disaster is always averted until it suddenly isn't, and that's when the moment hits the hardest. Somewhere in the back of my mind though, I kept thinking that perceptive realism is easy to do if that's your only goal. To quote the kids: "Some shade."

I spent most of the movie thanking God that YouTube channels didn't exist when I was thirteen.

24. Three Identical Strangers (Tim Wardle)- I'll be the millionth person to write "truth is stranger than fiction" with regard to this movie. And sometimes having no idea where a movie will go is enough. 23. Green Book (Peter Farrelly)- When a dramatic director makes a comedy, it often feels self-conscious and overt. I'm thinking about Von Trier's The Boss of It All, in which the technique is more important than any audience joy or release. Or Michael Haneke explaining tirelessly why he thinks Happy End is "actually a comedy." Unsurprisingly, the results work a lot better when a comedy director of twenty years decides to go more serious. He knows what audiences want, he already understands how to wring tension out of each scene, and all he needs is the right subject.

The last item is where Green Book suffers. In the end, this is still a movie in which a White guy learns not to be racist. The first third, there seemingly to insist that Tony is the main character, is shaggy. I would wager the men don't get into the car inside of forty minutes. But once we're on the tour? Man, is this a crowd pleaser. The men's respect for each other grows gracefully, and the film's proud sentimentality powers its best moments as they fly by at a clipped pace. I had given up on Farrelly after Hall Pass, which felt amateurish, so a work of such professionally manicured (manufactured?) emotion was a shock.

On a different note, are any of you interested in a thousand words on Linda Cardellini's posture?

22. Den of Thieves (Christian Gudegast)- Despite the February release date, a director with no track record, and the most #basic studio lead there is, Den of Thieves is a caper film as sprawling as it is humane. Even Potato-face Butler is perfect for his role.

I watched the unrated version, which should be called the "depressing version," since I know exactly what was cut. (Hint: The wordless scene of Butler's jilted family ignoring him when he sees them in the grocery store, not anything from the shoot-out.) There's a spot where I would end the movie, and it's way before the Keyser Soze epilogue, but this was a welcome surprise for me. The movie seems to find its star in O'Shea Jackson, Jr. as it goes, and I completely agree. Many more like this please.

21. The Front Runner (Jason Reitman)- Reitman starts with a complicated oner that cranes up and down, zooms in and out of new characters, and times itself perfectly to catch snatches of conversations about "how can you even lay this much cable?" And in all of its Altman-esque indulgence, it's kind of the movie in a nutshell. Something simple--a scene shot with one take--commenting on how damned hard it is. What seems like a straightforward thesis moves at a breakneck pace with a game ensemble until you realize that it was all more complicated than it seemed.

Hugh Jackman has the challenge of playing someone essentially unknowable, but he has an amazing moment in the first third. On the chartered boat called Monkey Business--such a bad look, dude--Gary Hart is composed and dignified until a woman we don't see* sits down across from him, and his whole affect changes. His guard drops, and he seems absorbed by her, giggly. We can't hear what he's saying, but he's asking her about herself and joking about himself. Both or one or neither of those personalities is the real guy. The Front Runner is a movie about a tragic Great Man, and they're always described as if they can't help themselves, as if they're fighting their demons until the magic moment when they aren't. Jackman made that magic real for me when Hart's personality fell out.

20. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)- Patently uneven and bizarrely sequenced, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs doesn't stack up to the Coens' major works--though it demands another viewing. I did think, in all of its bleak absurdism, that it belongs in their neighborhood. To me, there's a dichotomy that most of the brothers' films trace. We're all doomed, but the force that does us in is sometimes fate (A Serious Man, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Hudsucker Proxy, No Country for Old Men) and sometimes the stupidity of other people (The Big Lebowski, Blood Simple, Burn After Reading, Miller's Crossing). This new movie seems to start with the latter, waver sometimes in the more interesting middle stories when Zoe Kazan and Tom Waits break my heart, then end up at the former. Tracking such a thing in miniature can be really instructive.

19. The Tale (Jennifer Fox)- If you can look past Common's goofy voice and the more afterschool special aspects of this movie, then you can realize that it should actually, as disturbing as it is, be an afterschool special. It spins its wheels sometimes, but the questions that this movie asks about memory and abuse are invaluable. Presenting a downright shocking portrayal of grooming and secrecy, it avoids easy answers and over-sympathizing with the protagonist all the way through. (Especially notable because the character is "Jennifer Fox," and the director is Jennifer Fox.)

Laura Dern remains Laura Dern, but I loved Jason Ritter in this. Exactly because he has been in a hundred failed sitcoms, he is terrifying here as a devilish knock-off of the type of guy approachable enough to be on TV.

18. Paddington 2 (Paul King)- At first, during the extended introduction, I was worried that Paddington 2 was falling prey to the curse of the sequel: more, not better. But as each family member pays off what we learned about him or her in the introduction during a sprightly train setpiece that owes more than a little to Keaton, I realized that I shouldn't have doubted the Paddington empathy machine. This one carries over the humor and sweetness but goes even harder on the pathos in its attempt to convince us to have good manners and care about the people around us. I'm not sure any other movie this year hit me harder than when the Browns don't show up for their weekly meeting at the jail.

Hugh Grant, an actor who always seems to be having fun, has never seemed as if he is having more fun.

17. Set It Up (Claire Scanlon)- I guess I believe in true love now.

16. Blindspotting (Carlos Lopez Estrada)- The stylized climax is going to be polarizing, but I thought it was a heightened, artful moment whose seeds had been sown throughout. The film meanders, but its angles on subjects like gentrification and probation and identity show tenderness and openness, and Estrada's visual energy recalls early Spike Lee or Jarmusch or Aronofsky. It's worth seeing if only for its fresh sense of place.

The two leads play off each other especially well. If Daveed Diggs is the fourth lead or whatever of Hamilton, then I guess I finally have to see it.

15. Incredibles 2 (Brad Bird)- Incredibles 2 is a good example of a sequel rhyming with the original in a way that doesn’t feel like a retread. Accidentally topical in its subtext about just rule of law, the film hits upon some of Brad Bird’s ideas of exceptionalism and hope for the future while being slightly more cogent in that messaging than the original. (Slightly. The villain problem is still there. If superheroes are already illegal, then why employ and promote them at all if your goal is to make them even more illegal?)

This entry is a bit more overstuffed, less timeless, and less funny than the original. There’s nothing on the level of “Honey, where is my super suit?” which I still say to my wife fourteen years later. But the fight choreography and the textural animation take advantage of the gap in between films. The Paar family dynamic is altered only slightly, but it’s enough to re-invent the proceedings. Violet has more confidence in herself, Dash is more in control of his powers, and it’s the, yes, thicc Elastigirl who is working solo this time. Especially in the opening sequence, we see how each character’s skills complement the others’. If Finding Dory is the bar for “sequels to Pixar movies that didn’t need sequels,” then Incredibles 2 leaps over that bar.

14. Chappaquiddick (John Curran)- "We need to tell the truth. Or at least our version of it."

After the Kennedy Curse claimed JFK Jr., it seemed as if the culture reached a saturation point with Kennedy coverage. Aside from the occasional "Look who's dating Taylor Swift," we gave them their space. Who would have thought that twenty years later would be the perfect time to dust off the coldest case in the dossier?

See, now that we're having a national conversation about who gets the breaks, there's a little bit of extra weight lent to a scene of Ted Kennedy waiting for a sheriff he summoned as he drafts a statement at that absent sheriff's desk. A sheriff who then helps Kennedy to escape through a backdoor lest he answer any untoward question about his manslaughter. The film is delivered with an even pitch--especially the Jason Clarke performance that could have been overdone--but it makes no mistake about its real subject: privilege.

The attempts to keep Kennedy safe become more brazen as the film goes on, and each dodged consequence--getting Teddy's driver's license renewed on the low, for example--is balanced by Ed Helms's desperate performance as a voice of integrity. In all of the best tragedies, we know what's going to happen in the end. All along, the Kennedy Curse was that they are not like the rest of us.

13. Love, Simon (Greg Berlanti)- Can we all agree that an anonymous gossip web site for a high school is a bad idea? And that, though the film doesn't pursue this angle, the vice principal is the one maintaining it?

This propulsive, observant, and witty movie is an outright pleasure from beginning to end. Hocking spitballs at its PG-13 rating, its greatest strengths are having the courage to get dark and having the wisdom to give every supporting character his or her own moment.

[lady-wildflower]

Stargate Fanfiction - Not Yet Titled

Eli had moved his search to the engineering spaces, it seemed like the second most likely place for spares. Still no luck.

“God damn it!” he exclaimed, kicking the wall in frustration. “Owww”

He had one and a half weeks to find it, or to fix it. The alternative wasn’t exactly enticing; death. The boy-genius had considered talking to Ginn or Perry, the two women whose consciousnesses were currently dormant in the computer. No, too much power. He was on his own, no matter what he did.

And then, quite suddenly, he was elsewhere.

John, Rodney, Teyla and Ronon shimmered into existence in the large hall that was the gate room. The room was rusty, all the metal a dull brown. A Stargate stood proudly at the end of the room, but this one was different. The chevrons were white, and the glyphs composed of vertical lines, circles and dots. At the other end, various stairs and a platform stood, as well as a computer station. John’s hand immediately went to his nose.

“Someone liked fish around here.” John’s nose crumpled up.

“Smells like the CO2 scrubbers have crapped out.” Rodney strode over to the control panel, tablet in hand.

“Should we not have the Daedalus send spare oxygen, in that case?” Teyla asked, Ronon nodding in agreement.

“Should be fine for now. Wait a second.”

“What’s up?” John asked, still pinching his nose. Rodney pressed a button, and the room’s lights glared on, a high pitched whine escaping the gate.

“This is in Ancient.”

“So we can have it?”

“Daedalus to away team, is everything alright Looks like the lights are coming on over there.” Caldwell’s voice grated into Rodney’s ears over the comm.

“It’s like the ship knows we’re here.” Rodney replied. “But there’s definitely nobody aboard but us.” a quick glance at the life signs detector confirmed that.

“Rodney, you pressed a button. How does that equal ‘it knows we’re here’?” Shepard asked.

“I didn’t do anything but turn on the lights in this room, but the entire ship started booting up as soon as we beamed in.”

“Cool.” As the word escaped Shepard’s lips, the gate behind them whirred to life, the chevrons lighting up. Surprisingly, it also began to spin. Entirely. That was new to Rodney, and he stared at it quizzically.

“Incoming!” Teyla announced, switching her safety off. Ronon took his usual stance, large pistol outstretched. Both the Satedan and the Athosian quickly stepped away from the front of the gate. Rodney ducked behind the console, and Shepard aimed for the spinning ring. The gate activated with the usual flash and ‘kawoosh’.

“Shepard to Daedalus, we’ve got an incoming wormhole.” John said urgently, right before a middle-aged man fell out of the event horizon and the gate shut off once more. Steam vented from beside the gate as the man slowly got to his feet, shivering. He was clearly unarmed, but the SG team remained alert.

“Identify yourself!” Shepard yelled, startling the newcomer, who jumped. He was wearing grey clothing of a leather-esque material, with a certain functionality to it. He was balding, and his eyes were blue.

What came out of his mouth startled Mckay more than the others.

“Shepard… he’s speaking Ancient. An old dialect, really old, but it’s Ancient alright.”

“Great. Last time we had Ancients, they took over Atlantis.”

“This is only one guy, how bad can he be?”

“So was Michael. And what if he’s a replicator?”

“The dialect he’s speaking comes from way before the replicators were even conceived of. I think he’s as old as this ship.” Shepard looked at Rodney like he was stupid; a look he very rarely was given the opportunity to use.

“Rodney, nobody’s living that long. Even if they’re an Ancient.”

“Think about it. This ship has a Stargate, what if he was left in the buffer by accident? And when we turned up, the ship woke up and spat him out.” John was disappointed; he never got to prove Rodney wrong.

“Cool.” The Ancient was still talking.

“Mckay. What’s he saying?” Ronon asked. Rodney listened for a few seconds.

“He’s asking where his crew is, they were supposed to come with him, who are we, what happened to the ship.”

“Shepard to Daedalus, we’ve got an ancient Ancient here, seems to have been left in the buffer of a Stargate aboard.”

“Daedalus, did you say that there is a Stargate aboard?” Caldwell asked, confusion filling his voice.

“Yes sir. Stargate. This ship is definitely Ancient, colonel.”

General Jack O'Neill had seen better days, health-wise. What could he say, he was getting old. His hair had already been going grey over ten years ago when General Hammond had called him in after the Apophis incident. Daniel told him he needed to get out more. To hell with that, he wasn’t the one going on Stargate missions anymore; that was Col. Mitchell.

Then again, a little exercise wouldn’t hurt. Or maybe it would, you never know.

Jack was visiting the SGC once again. Realistically, he hoped nothing interesting would happen. He’d had enough of interesting after the incident with Colonel Telford. Homeworld Command was generally pretty calm, all things considered. Sure, there was a war on with the Lucien Alliance, but there were very rarely catastrophes. Now that all the Daedalus classes had the Asgard beam weapons, they held their own very well against the Ha’tak ships the Luciens had taken. Plus there were talks of the X-305 and declassification of the Stargate program. The former, Jack was very happy with. More firepower never hurt, at least not the people wielding it. The latter though? Jack didn’t want to deal with PR. It was one of the perks of working in a top-secret project.

Hopefully they weren’t serious. He did think it should be declassified at some point; it would have to be. But the public wasn’t ready. And they needed to co-operate with the entire planet if they did that; even the governments who had sworn to secrecy had been pissed when they found out the US Air Force had control of a space portal and a load of ships. Good luck telling the entire world about it without rioting.

And inevitably, there’d be the people saying the Gate was dangerous. Sure, it was. But it wasn’t a death machine. He’d been through it countless times, unless you read his reports, and he was still the same old Jack.

“Jack! How’ve you been?” Hank Landry said as he walked into the office.

“Not bad. You?”

“Just got a rather interesting transmission from the Daedalus. Take a look at this.” Landry handed Jack a printout of a photo taken. Jack saw it. Looked at Landry. Looked back.

“You’re kidding me.” he said. He recognized that ship.

“Why?”

“No way the Destiny got there. What is it, CGI?”

“Destiny? That ship the Icarus expedition went to?”

“Yeah. No way you got a photo. Who made it?”

“Nobody made it, Jack. This is a confirmed photograph from the bow camera of the Daedalus.” Jack was confused.

“Well it’s not Destiny, that bucket of bolts is wayyyyyy out there.” Jack said, pointing at the ceiling.

“There was more than one Aurora type, maybe there’s more than one Destiny.”

Aboard the Daedalus, the Ancient newcomer was looking around in a semi-panic. Rodney had explained to him the beaming technology, but he hadn’t liked it. They had beamed him into the infirmary, so they could check he was all right and that he didn’t have some sort of disease the Tau’ri had never encountered.

To be continued.

[onestowatch]

Betta Lemme Rocks Your Monday With a Human Rights Day Playlist [TABLES TURNED]

Photo: Bekka Gunther

Betta Lemme is her own kind of pop star. With an incredible sense of melody and breathing beautiful movement into every crafted song, the Montreal-bred singer-songwriter moved to New York City without knowing a single person with the intention of writing songs for other people. She collaborated with the duo Sofi Tukker to create the hypnotic tune “Awoo.” Betta Lemme went on to release her Bambola EP and is now working on her full length debut album. 

Positioning her beliefs and visions at the core of her music, it is important to the budding pop star to celebrate Human Rights Day. Here is a playlist created by Bette Lemme to help inspire you to be a better person and a few words from her as to why these songs made the cut:

This playlist takes you from NYC’s Carnegie Hall in 1964 to Paris in 1973 to the 2000’s in Los Angeles and back to present day. There are songs on the playlist that make me want to fight for the freedom of those around me. There are also songs that help me feel fearless, unapologetic, and inspire me to just be myself when being just that can be a battle.

I’ve chosen 5 particular songs to highlight from this playlist and have explained why I love them so.

1. Rage Against the Machine - “Killing In The Name” 

Sonically, this song is an absolute beast, dripping in pugnacity. Even if you’re sitting with your grandmother or getting stitches - there’s no way you won’t want to jump up and feel like a warrior. It brings out the fighter in us that wants battle injustices head on without EVER backing down. What I respect is the backstory of this song - it was written and inspired by the headlining death of a man named Rodney King, who was brutally beaten and killed by 4 LAPD officers because of his race. This song was a major shout out against institutionalized racism and has since been an iconic anthem for fighting for human rights.

2. Janet Jackson - “Nasty”  

Why this song? Because Miss Jackson gets it and furthermore, I too am a Nasty Woman. PS: did you vote?

3. Gossip -  “Heavy Cross” 

You know, it’s a cruel, cruel world to face on our own and we are much stronger together. We can play it safe or play it cool. We can follow the leader or make up all the rules. But the beauty is… whatever you want, the choice is yours. So... CHOOSE!

4. Charles Aznavour - “Comme ils disent” 

Also known as “What Makes a Man.” This song is a special one for me. I had the opportunity to see this legend perform live in New York. My tears were the best highlighter I’ve ever used. Mr. Aznavour was not only vivacious while dancing at the age of 91, but he was brave and progressive from very early on. He explained before singing that many people advised him not to perform this song himself in fear the public would hate him or perceive him as gay. He wanted to write a song about the problems his gay friends faced at the time and how marginalized they were. He didn’t care - he had a story to tell and he told it. This song was one of the first songs in France about homosexuality, about a man who lived with his mother in Paris and performs as a cross-dresser at night. I mean... c’mon.

5. Shirley Bassey - “This Is My Life”

Honestly, Dame Shirley Bassey is the most glamorous powerhouse and the kind of woman I aspire to be. She’s unapologetically herself and has been brave, bold, and all the glorious elements that embody the word WOMAN. She stood up for anyone who felt marginalized from any society or in love and let us all scream “THIS IS MY LIFE.” This is an anthem to be who you are. This was before “Born This Way.” Watch the live version on YouTube. If you don’t get goosebumps, I don’t know what to tell you.

Full track listing:

Rage Against The Machine - “Killing in The Name”

Marilyn Manson - “The Beautiful People”

Gossip - “Heavy Cross”

Lady Gaga - “Born This Way”

No Doubt - “Just A Girl”

Janet Jackson - “Nasty”

Elton John - “I’m Still Standing”

Queen - “Don’t Stop Me Now”

Spice Girls - “Spice Up Your Life”

Sofi Tukker - “Fuck They”

Sin With Sebastian - “Shut Up (And Sleep With Me)”

ABBA - “Does Your Mother Know”

Scissor Sisters - “She’s My Man”

Dusty Springfield - “In Private”

Britney Spears - “Stronger”

Ariana Grande - “Into You”

Fifth Harmony - “That’s My Girl”

Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl”

SOPHIE - “It’s Ok To Cry”

Shawn Mendes - “In My Blood”

FLETCHER - “I Believe You”

Santigold - “Disparate Youth”

Charles Aznavour - “Comme ils decent”

Dusty Springfield - “I Close My Eyes An Count To Ten”

Dionne Warwick - “Don’t Make Me Over”

Shirley Bassey - “This Is My Life (La Vita)”

Nina Simone - “Mississippi Goddamn”

Kendrick Lamar - “i”

[buddyrabrahams]

Top 10 NBA Rookie of the Year candidates

One year ago, who would have guessed the 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year would be awarded to Malcolm Brogdon?

The Bucks swingman had a nice career at Virginia, of course, but the odds were stacked against him. He was the 36th pick in the draft, and the award traditionally goes to a top pick. Additionally, Brogdon isn’t a flashy offensive player, and he doesn’t put up jaw-dropping numbers. He’s not a spotlight grabber. He’s more of a “glue guy.”

Brogdon’s charge to Rookie of the Year may have been the most surprising in NBA history — it was certainly the most unexpected in my lifetime.

As we look ahead to the upcoming NBA season, will we have another shocker this year? Or will Rookie of the Year go to a top pick, as it does most years?

Below are my top 10 candidates, as it stands today, to claim 2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year. Just missing the cut: Josh Jackson, Caleb Swanigan, Bam Adebayo, and Luke Kennard.

10. Kyle Kuzma, Los Angeles Lakers

Kuzma surprised a lot of people in Vegas this summer. The No. 27 overall pick averaged 21.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, and he played with incredible efficiency. He shot 51.4 percent from the field and 48 percent (!) from deep. The 22-year-old forward from Utah was named the Summer League’s Finals MVP and second-team All-Summer League.

Though Kuzma was overshadowed by Lonzo Ball in Summer League and will continue to play in Ball’s shadow throughout this season, he’s looking like an early candidate for “Steal of the Draft.” Additionally, the two look like they may form a dynamic young duo for the Lake Show. Ball and Kuzma ran the floor well together, and Kuzma’s ability to stretch the floor made him a weapon even when he didn’t touch the ball.

The 6-foot-9 Kuzma is also versatile on defense; early indications are that he can switch most positions on the floor. Though the Lakers are a bit log-jammed on the wing (with Brandon Ingram, Luol Deng and Corey Brewer), Kuzma in Summer League looked like a guy who will get minutes for Los Angeles.

9. John Collins, Atlanta Hawks

The 19th overall pick improved tremendously from his freshman to sophomore years at Wake Forest, and he stood out in Vegas.

During Summer League he averaged 15.4 points and 9.2 rebounds — but get this: he did it in 23 minutes per game. Those are some impressive numbers. Lonzo Ball averaged 32.5 minutes per game and Jayson Tatum got 32.0. Think about the gaudy stats Collins could have put up if he had played 10 more minutes a game.

In addition to his impressive all-around showing, Collins absolutely posterized New Orleans’ Cheick Diallo and Keith Benson. He put the internet on alert: pay attention to Collins this year, because he might blow up Twitter.

Also helping Collins’ candidacy for ROY: he’ll have an opportunity to play in Atlanta. The Hawks traded Dwight Howard and let Paul Millsap leave for Utah as a free agent. There might even be an opportunity for Collins to start, depending on how the Hawks plan to utilize their weak 3 spot.

8. Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers

Though you can’t blame Fultz for missing much of Summer League due to a sprained ankle, it was a little scary to see yet another 76ers top pick miss time with a lower leg injury. With that being said, shutting him down seemed like a precaution, and we have no reason to believe he’ll miss time this year.

The pendulum on Fultz has swung quite a bit this offseason: first he was the consensus No. 1 (he’s the next great!), then the Celtics traded the pick and everyone wondered why they didn’t want Fultz (something must be wrong with him, it’s his jump shot!), and now popular opinion seems to be somewhere in the middle.

Fultz is a shifty athlete reminiscent of James Harden, and he has a similarly zoned-out mentality, which has caused some analysts to nitpick at his game.

The reality is that Fultz was picked first in a loaded draft for a reason. He’s going to be great, and he fits beautifully with Philadelphia’s roster. Though he might not post head-turning numbers now that he’s surrounded by other competent players, Fultz should be an immediate contributor.

7. De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings

Fox is another guy who’s seen his stock go up and down this summer. The No. 5 overall pick had an OK Summer League — not great but not terrible. A few times he showed the impressive burst that we watched with amazement during his year at Kentucky. He had five steals in his first game.

In Vegas, Fox averaged 11.8 points, three assists, and 2.3 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per game. He shot only 1-for-8 from three-point range, but that’s a limited sample size, and we already knew outside shooting wasn’t the biggest strength of Fox’s game.

What people love most about Fox, besides his freakish speed and fearless game at the rim, is his fire. He cried in the locker room after UNC eliminated Kentucky from the NCAA Tournament. In a day and age when many guys want to look cool on the court, Fox brings the passion.

That’s why so many have compared him to Russell Westbrook. Like Westbrook, it might take Fox a year or two to figure out his game as he adjusts to the NBA.

6. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Is Jayson Tatum Paul Pierce 2.0? It might be too early to make such a bold declaration, but the guy has an incredible offensive repertoire that is certainly reminiscent of “The Truth.” Though Tatum’s defensive abilities will probably always leave something to be desired, he was excellent offensively in Summer League.

Tatum, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 18.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He had eight turnovers in three games, and his plus-minus was -20, but all in all Tatum played wonderfully, and he gave Celtics fans plenty of reason to be excited.

With the clock winding down and his team trailing by one, Tatum went off the dribble and hit the game-winner in his debut.

Though he’s an explosive athlete, Tatum has an old-man game around the basket; he really knows how to maneuver his body and create open lanes. And though his shot wasn’t really falling in Summer League, Tatum is a reliable scorer. Given the Celtics’ depth chart, it seems likelier that Tatum will break out down the stretch this year (like Jaylen Brown last season) or in his second year.

See Nos. 5-1 on Page 2

5. Malik Monk, Charlotte Hornets

I think Monk is still mad he didn’t get picked until No. 11. In the fall, back when he was dropping 47 on the eventual national champions, he was looked at as a can’t-miss top-five pick, and it’s hard to comprehend how scouts’ opinion on him shifted so heavily during the pre-draft process.

Though this year’s ROY (Brogdon) got there with defense, leadership, and a balanced game, the award typically goes to a guy who can hang big offensive numbers. Have a look at the last nine rookies of the year before Brogdon:

2015-16 Karl-Anthony Towns 2014-15 Andrew Wiggins 2013-14 Michael Carter-Williams 2012-13 Damian Lillard 2011-12 Kyrie Irving 2010-11 Blake Griffin 2009-10 Tyreke Evans 2008-09 Derrick Rose 2007-08 Kevin Durant

Those are all offense-minded guys who love to get buckets. Monk fits that mold. The five-star recruit from Arkansas averaged 19.8 points per game in his lone year at Kentucky. He shot 40 percent from downtown and attempted 6.9 threes a game.

Though I’m not fully convinced of his fit in Charlotte, Monk will likely hang some big numbers this year. Don’t be surprised if he goes on a vendetta to stick it to the NBA and average 17 a game.

4. Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz

In the week leading up to the draft, several NBA insiders told me Mitchell was the player who was being most slept-on. The 20-year-old from New Hampshire, who played two years for Rick Pitino at Louisville, went 13th overall.

He’s another guy who improved tremendously during his two years in college and benefitted from the decision to come back to school. He improved his per-game averages for points (from 7.4 to 15.6), assists (1.7 to 2.7), and rebounds (3.4 to 4.9). Additionally, he shot an impressive 35.4 percent from beyond the arc.

There are a few things in particular about Mitchell that have enticed NBA personnel. One is his unusual maturity. Another is his off-the-dribble shooting and skill in the pick-and-roll. And then there’s his 6-foot-10 wingspan.

That’s right. The 6-foot-1 guard has a 6-foot-10 wingspan.

Mitchell played in only two games but led the Summer League in average scoring with 28.0 points per game. He should be a valuable addition to Utah’s fascinating backcourt of Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum, and Rodney Hood.

3. Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers

Simmons is the curveball of this group. He didn’t play in Summer League this year, and we still don’t really know what kind of player he’ll turn into. Remember, at one time he was touted as the next LeBron James.

Simmons recently turned 21, and though we haven’t seen him in a regular season game yet (he missed the season due to a foot injury), hopes for him remain high. There’s even a rumor that Simmons has grown 2 inches since he was drafted and now stands just under 7 feet tall.

Simmons presents an intriguing all-around skillset. During his tumultuous year at LSU — which I think we can all now say was not the right place for him — Simmons filled up the stat sheet, averaging 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.

Simmons is a world-class caliber basketball player and potential All-NBA guy. Basketball fans are hoping he stays healthy this year, because it should be plain fun to watch him play.

2. Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers

Ball, the No. 2 pick in the draft, is the favorite to take the rookie crown, and he showed why in Vegas. The former UCLA Bruin was named Summer League MVP and he posted impressive numbers, averaging 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game.

His showing in Vegas was a message to the sports world: now we can stop talking about his dad and just focus on how great this kid is going to be. (OK, maybe we’ll keep talking about his dad, too.)

Lonzo has sky-high potential. He makes everyone on his team better. His outlet passes are so beautiful they might make a tear run down your cheek. And though there are concerns about his effort (“he just wants to look cool too badly”), Ball has enough talent to eclipse any emotional shortcomings, be they real or perceived.

And here’s something to consider: Magic Johnson, who’s known to value competitiveness above all else, loves Ball. He looks at him as the future of the organization. He’s given the reins of his team to the 19-year-old. And based on what we’ve seen to date, the young Big Baller seems up to the task.

1. Dennis Smith Jr., Dallas Mavericks

John Collins had the best dunk of Summer League, but Smith had the best almost dunk. Feast your eyes on the near devastation:

Smith had some moments at NC State, such as the Wolfpack’s win over Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, in which he posted 32 points, when he looked like the best player in the draft. Smith was named Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year and second-team All-ACC.

Averaging 18.1 points per game as a freshman in the ACC is quite an accomplishment. He even set the conference’s career triple double record.

So, why’d he fall? For one, he has a torn ACL in his past. Secondly, some had concerns about his defensive effort and ball-dominant playing style.

The assumption heading into the draft was: if Smith ends up with a team that’s the right fit, he could far outplay his draft position. And it seems like he will, as Dallas, which needed an explosive scorer, appears perfectly suited for Smith.

If the Mavs unleash the young guard and just let him be himself, Smith — the ninth pick in the draft — could very well lead all rookies in scoring.

Bettors are counting on it. Smith has the second-highest odds of taking ROY, per Oddshark, and he’s my early favorite.

Aaron Mansfield is a freelance sports writer. His work has appeared in Complex, USA Today, and the New York Times. You can reach him via email at aaroncmansfield@gmail.com.

from Larry Brown Sports http://ift.tt/2vKWr8W

[fart-gate]

SGA

Season 5 episode 10

- before I press play I just want to say.....i know Daniel is in this episode so when I inevitably have a breakdown upon seeing him...... Just bear with me

- PREVIOUSLY - atlantis scientists have discovered a serum for the wraith so they dont have to eat ppl, the wraith seem to dig it, an ancient named Janus existed that one time (remember that guy? What a guy), he did experiments with zpms and stuff.

- anyway wheres Daniel

- everyone being pulled off duty to see Daniel arrive 👍 its what he deserves

- I'm sorry I had to press pause to calm myself down I'm too excited

- beamed! aaaAAAHHHHHH THERE HE IS!!!!!!!! MY SHINING STAR!!!!!!! I MISSED YOU SO MUCHHHH

- WHEN I SAY I SCREAMED AKSBDIEB

- SHUT UP IM SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW

- not mad that they skipped the theme bc it gives me more Daniel time 💕

- I had to pause it again

- I gotta be honest I never thought janus would have a storyline again

- Rodney is NOT happy with this situation lol come on buddy ya havnt seen the guy in years. Be nice

- I missed hearing Daniel speak as though he just had 89 cups of coffee and downed a whole bottle of adderal

- john stop whining about being in charge of a whole city

- "dont blow her up while im gone"

"No promises"

- ronon trying to impress keller by carrying her stuff and offering to join her on the trip lollll

- her little "bye rodney❤" AJSJSJA

- Daniel has a little pudge going on and its CUTE

- "please tell me you kept detailed records of what was found and where"

Good to see Archeologist!Daniel still lives

- constant bickering!

- this goofy music😂

- micheal shanks and his facial expressions...i missed you so much

- this puzzle is the easiest thing guys come on. You two are the smartest people in the city. Combine brain cells pls.

- bold of me to assume either of them have brain cells

- GUYS you walk toward the wall and press each one after the other really fast.

- HOW DID I GUESS THAT? BC IT WAS OBVIOUS THATS HOW

- daniels little "ow"

- "you could have just told me to walk through when you touched it"

"I could have,yes"

What a dick we stan

- a lab!!!

- Daniel doing his liddle "wow" for me

- of course they tripped something!

- ROBOT??????

- meanwhile on the deadalus...

- kellers hair in this ep is 🔥🔥

- real cute that Woolsey keeps a diary

- johns reaction to the lab is ADORABLE

- "sounds like you guys make a good team"

".......yeah....."

LMFAO

- Daniel and john interacting 👌

- "he could have been in mensa" im cackling theyre such bastards

- hey its colonel Caldwell !

- todd said Shut Up And Stick Me With Needles

- haha Rodney so competetive

- "ive spent the majority of my life being ridiculed for my theories,which turned out to be correct by the way,.......im kinda used to it"

:(

- "I guess neither of us signed up for the fame"

"Nope we did it for the money"

LOL also this says something about both their characters

- *chaos happens*

Meanwhile John:

- ancient ship?? Is it janus coming to kick Rodney and daniels asses for messing with his lab

- "whats at the bottom of this tower?"

"Rodney" AKSBDJSJS GO SAVE YOUR SCIENCE BABIES

- stunned!

- KIDNAPPED!!!

- john is like great. Im in charge one day and I lose the kids

- the camera switching from john to rodney explaining the same theory 👌👌

- "they zap you when you touch them"

"You could have told me that before I touched it!"

"I could have,yes"

REVENGE TASTES GOOD DOESNT IT

- daniel is so goddamn used to this shit his face is blank as fuck

- new alien? Cool

- booby trapped!!

- todds having an existential crisis damn

- daniel and rodney being dragged by their scruffs

- "Talky McSays-a-lot"

- watching rodney annoy daniel is so funny bc Daniel does the EXACT same thing to everyone in sg1

- kill the wraith by booby trapping the hyper space window??? But what about todd!! We like todd!!

- imagine Daniel dealing with the wraith...

- "last time i tried something like this I destroyed a solar system....."

- Daniel trying to reason with this thing ahhh I missed his optimism

- "get it working in one hr or I kill him"

"Great plan danny!!! GREAT plan."

this is a sitcom

- I was wondering about the suits too. Hey they kinda remind me of those weird black suit warriors from sg1

- Daniel not trusting Rodney bc he told him about the solar system lol

- oh shit todd no. Dont do this man I liked you

- arterro device??? He knows what it is?

- noooooo are you kidding me they worked so hard for the wraith truce. Daniel and rodney ruining it in like 2 hours kinda tracks tho lmao

- ronon and keller are ok!!! And together so hopefully they'll be fine

- "still no side effects" you have no idea what youve just done

- stunned!

- john and teyla on a rescue mission!

- did that explosion just destroy the gate???

- this is intense as hell im worried

- "teyla,please."

- WHAT!!!!! EXPLOSION IN THE GATE ROOM!!!! theyre alive right.....RIGHT??? please say yes.....

- to be continued -