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refinedbuffoonery · 4 years ago

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Flawless (7)

Con Artist AU. masterlist.

Content Warning: swearing, PTSD, violence, sex

Before we get started here, you all need to know that Flawless will be going on a mini-hiatus. This chapter is the end of my original outline, and I need to spend some time planning out the next plot arc before I write the next chapter.

(Also, shoutout to the lovely humans who translated the line in French. Y’all are the real MVPs.)

Anyway, this is it. The chapter you’ve all been waiting for. The heist. It feels so surreal to finally write it. As always, thank you for coming on this wild ride with me. ❤

*****

In the shadow of its brightly illuminated landmarks, Paris hummed to the tune of debauchery.

Paparazzi gathered around the Louvre’s glass pyramid, waiting to capture a clear picture of a celebrity guest entering the afterparty. Riley shielded her face with her clutch as she walked in, careful to remain unidentifiable in the barrage of photos. The gold buttons on her emerald jacket-dress caught the warm light emanating from the pyramid and the bright camera flashes. She was well dressed, but not enough to stand out. Tonight, Riley needed to blend in.

She ran a hand through her hair, making sure the loose curls covered her earpiece. For the sake of stealth, the team’s comms were skin color, but they were Nikki and Cage’s skin color, not Riley’s.

Riley was half-tempted to throw her comms into one of the fountains out of spite.

She was the last of the Five Eyes to arrive. They staggered their arrivals to avoid being associated with one another, as a precaution. Pulse thrumming in anticipation, Riley bounced on her toes slightly as she waited in line to check in. The Louvre security team meticulously checked each guest’s ID against the guest list; there would be no party crashers tonight.

It had been all too easy for Riley to add the Five Eyes’ cover identities to the guest list a week ago. Now, she handed the stone-faced security guard a drivers’ license bearing her face and the name “Danika Jackson.” Returning her ID with a nod, the security guard stepped aside, allowing Riley to enter the party.

Everyone is responsible for their own entrance and exit. That was her new rule. She got everyone’s names added to the guest list, but her assistance ended there. If someone ran into trouble, it was on them to bail themselves out.

Riley had learned that rule from her mentor when she first dipped her toes into the world of two-faced schemes and nimble-fingered cons, but she never truly understood it—or saw the need to enforce it—until she felt the bite of handcuffs digging into her wrists.

It was a mistake she’d never make again.

Riley strolled through the hallway bearing massive Italian paintings, slowly making her way to the room containing the most overrated painting of all time—and the rendezvous point.

The Mona Lisa room was empty aside from a blonde woman in a beaded, blood-red cocktail dress standing much too close to the glass-encased painting. Riley stood to the woman’s right and studied the painting as well. It was underwhelming.

“You’d think the most beautiful woman in art would be wearing a prettier dress,” Nikki remarked.

Riley snorted, crossing her arms. “Says the woman who just bought a four-thousand-dollar cheetah print pantsuit.”

Nikki feigned offence. “You’re just jealous because you couldn’t pull it off. Anyway, quiz time. What year did da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa?”

“1503,” Riley answered easily. “And the woman’s name is Lisa del Giocondo.” Nikki’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What’s that look for?”

“I didn’t think you actually listen when I talk about art.”

Riley offered her friend a small smile. “I’m always listening to you.” The sound of heels clicking down the hall made them pause. When the coast was clear, Riley murmured, “Is everyone in position?”

“Yeah. Desi and Sam should be inside already, and Jill checked in a few guests in front of me.”

“How did that go?”

“Easy peasy.” Nikki glanced at Riley and softened her tone. “Are we sure Jill is ready for this?”

“We’ll find out, won’t we? Don’t forget, it was your idea to recruit her.”

Nikki turned back to the Mona Lisa. “You know, you really do suck at pep talks.”

“Oh shut up.” Riley rolled her eyes. “Are you sure you want control room duty?”

Nikki spared her a sideways glance. “I’ll do it. You did it last time.” Her second sentence hung heavy in the air, a reminder of the job gone horribly wrong. And a reminder of all the things they still hadn’t talked about.

Riley brushed it aside. They could talk after they were each forty million dollars richer.

Pulling a flash drive hidden inside an old lipstick tube out of her clutch, Riley instructed, “Plug this in, and it’ll do half the work for you.”

“Thanks.” Nikki put the tube in her own purse. “See you on the other side.”

“Don’t get caught.”

“Don’t get caught,” Nikki parroted, and Riley strode down the hall toward the party.

She followed the pulsing music and the stream of guests to a room in the far corner of the museum, passing the employee door Nikki would sneak into along the way. Crossing the threshold, she couldn’t conceal her gasp. Riley had seen plenty of opulent rooms over the years, but the Galerie d’Apollon was something else entirely. Gold moulding framed the dozens of paintings covering the walls and the arched ceiling. Display cases containing the French Crown Jewels formed a line down the middle of the rectangular room. Despite the party’s couture dress code, the bedazzled guests looked entirely underdressed compared to the grandeur of the gallery.

She only let herself be awestruck for a few seconds before getting to work, marking the exits and security cameras. Riley didn’t like how deep the gallery was in the museum—and how far she would have to walk to make a clean escape with the jewels.

She would be the one walking out with them. No one else. Riley had made that crystal clear during the team planning meeting a few days ago.

Draped in black fabric, the case containing the designer jewelry sat in the middle of the gallery. A security guard stood by it, no doubt to ward off nosey guests wanting a sneak peek.

A wave of nausea passed through her, reminding Riley that the closest thing to a substantial meal she’d eaten all day was the two pastries she ate a few hours ago. She slipped through the crowd with practiced ease, heading for the snack table. Jill was already there, gorging herself on bread and cheese. Eyes wide, the blonde froze as Riley sidled next to her, evidently thinking she was in trouble.

But Riley simply reached for a piece of bread and asked, “Which cheese is the best?”

Exhaling audibly, Jill pointed a manicured, light blue nail. “That one.” Riley tried it. Jill was right; it was delicious.

“You ready, Blondie?” Riley asked, lowering her voice. “There’s no job unless you get this right.”

Jill rolled her shoulders back, snarking, “No pressure or anything.” There was a bite to her words, one Riley noticed only came out when someone, namely her, pushed the blonde a little too far.

“Sorry,” Riley said, and she meant it. “You can do this. Don’t second-guess yourself. Commit.”

Jill merely nodded, swallowing another piece of cheese.

Riley wandered off, not wanting to stay with Jill too long. With her back to a wall, she scanned the room in search of Desi and Cage. When she didn’t see them on her first sweep, Riley furrowed her brow. Where the hell were they?

A bright laugh carried across the room—Cage. There you are, Riley thought. She spied her teammate enjoying the spotlight in the center of a group of models all cooing over Cage’s pale pink dress. It suited Cage, with its billowy sleeves and flowy skirt that hit just below her knees. Cage giggled again, putting her hand on a woman’s shoulder a little too boldly for the gesture to be casual.

Predictably, Desi wasn’t far away, staring daggers at her shameless flirt of a girlfriend.

Riley unmuted her comms. “Easy there, Des. It’s just an act.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” she snapped. Even from a distance, Riley could see Desi’s tight grip on her champagne flute.

Riley cooed, “So jealous.”

The woman wrapped a proprietary arm around Cage, clearly welcome to the blonde’s advances, and Cage beamed at her.

It was enough to push Desi over the edge. “Don’t forget whose bed you’re sleeping in tonight, Samantha,” she snarled. “And I don’t remember agreeing to share.”

Cage excused herself from the group. “My love, did it ever occur to you that I’m making you jealous on purpose? Because we both know—”

Nikki cut her off, rescuing the team from whatever filthy thing was about to come out of Cage’s mouth. “Don’t be gross, you two.” Riley stifled a laugh. She and Nikki had been subjected to many things they didn’t want to hear over the years. This would hardly faze her now.

Focus. They needed to focus.

Riley finally spotted the sharp-eyed assistant she noticed at the runway show. Always two steps behind the designer, the young woman obediently trailed him as he floated from group to group. The assistant finished her drink, setting it on the tray of a passing waiter, and strode toward the main hallway in this wing of the museum.

“I think she’s going to the bathroom,” Jill said. “Do I follow her?”

Snagging a drink of her own, Riley answered, “No. Bump into her when she comes back.” She watched Jill make her way toward the far side of the gallery, ready to intercept the assistant and steal her keys.

Everything was going to plan. Jill just had to steal the keys, and then all they had to do was hurry up and wait for the big reveal. Eight o’clock, Riley was told upon arrival. The designer would commence his speech at eight, then reveal his masterpiece to the world.

Riley checked her watch. Thirty more minutes.

She knew she’d been standing in this spot for too long already, but Riley was loath to give up the relative safety of having a wall at her back. The twinge of fear she’d felt earlier at the runway show came raging to the surface, rooting her stiletto-clad feet in place. Leaving the wall meant having people in her blind spot. No one’s going to hurt me, Riley promised herself. This is a party, not a prison.

Her legs felt like lead weights, but Riley forced herself to re-enter the crowd, one agonizing stride at a time. She made it as far as the nearest display case before she had to stop, and her eyes landed on a tiara resting in the center of the display. Countless tiny diamonds formed flowery swoops and swirls, with a handful of emeralds scattered between them, filling what would otherwise be empty spaces. In the center, the diamonds framed a large, round emerald, mimicking the shape of a flower.

It was exactly what Riley would have stolen had the Five Eyes agreed to rob the Louvre itself, rather than this party. Maybe she’d come back for it, one day.

Using the case as a pseudo-wall, Riley took a deep breath and re-scanned the room in search of Jill. Unsurprisingly, Jill was exactly where Riley had last seen her.

She kept an eye on the recruit, knowing Desi and Cage were doing the same. Riley was impressed; Jill had quickly figured out how to linger without being obvious she was waiting for something. Jill mindlessly pushed up her glasses—the only visible sign of her nerves—and the movement drew Riley’s attention.

But not to Jill.

To another blond head, far behind her. One Riley desperately hoped to never see again.

“We have a problem,” Desi said.

“I saw.”

Nikki’s ex-boyfriend stalked into the gallery, a taller, older man at his heels like a shadow—the same men who chased Riley, Nikki, and Jill through the taco shop a few weeks ago.

Fuck.

Ducking her head to avoid being spotted, Riley hissed, “Nik, get your ass to the control room and lock the door behind you. We’ve got company.”

“Already here. Accessing system controls as we speak. Whoever designed the security system in this place should be fired, because this is ridiculously simple. I should’ve left it in French just to keep it interesting.” A pause. "Who's here? Wait. No. Let me guess. Interpol? The mob? That bitchy designer I once robbed point-blank?"

"Your ex."

"Oh."

"You didn't tell him about our dream job, did you?" The words came out a little too accusatory, but Riley didn't care. She needed to know.

"No! Of course I didn't. He— Look, I don't know why he's here, and we can figure that out later. Right now, you need to keep him busy. He's smart, Riles. Maybe even smarter than you. Be careful."

Riley scoffed. "Smarter than me? We'll see about that."

"I'm serious, Riley."

But Riley ignored her, instead giving instructions of her own. "Cage, you watch Jill. Des—"

"I've got the big one." Classic Desi, never letting her finish a sentence and yet always knowing what she was going to say. The habit was obnoxious at first, but over time Riley learned to appreciate it. "See the bulge on his left side? He keeps touching it." Desi said. "He's armed."

“He’s what?” Jill exclaimed.

Chuckling, Desi said, “Now look at my left side. We match.” A small, terrified squeak was the only response. “Well, what did you think I meant when I told you I’m the team’s exfil specialist?”

“Not that!”

“And Nik’s ex?” Riley asked, redirecting the conversation.

“Seems clean.”

“He is,” Nikki confirmed. “Mac hates guns.”

“You know,” Riley said, studying the larger of the two men, “The other one kind of looks like a guy who dated my mom once.”

“Really?” Desi asked. “Think he’s the same guy?”

Riley took a closer look. He was tall, with broad, muscled shoulders and a buzzed haircut, and considering how often he fidgeted with his tie, he didn’t get dressed up often. He smiled at a passing waitress. He had an open, friendly smile, which totally contrasted with the systematic way he scanned the room. “Nah.”

Jill squawked, “Wait! Are we really still going through with this? Didn’t it just get a whole lot harder?”

“You say harder, I say more fun,” Cage said. “Just stick to the plan. You’ll be fine.”

Jill, it seemed, wasn’t so easily reassured. “Am I the only one who sees this is a trap?”

“It’s only a trap when you don’t know about it. When you do, it’s a challenge,” Riley said.

“But what if the plan goes wrong? Then what?”

At the same time, all four women answered, “Improvise.”

Riley muted her comms as she approached Nikki’s ex; Jill didn’t need the added distraction. Help her, Riley pleaded with the universe. You owe me.

Pushing her concerns about Jill to the back of her mind, Riley studied her target. There was a champagne flute in the spy’s hand, but he didn’t drink it—not even a sip—and his methodical gaze swept the room, no doubt making note of each guest and who they interacted with.

He was cute, she had to admit. Definitely Nikki’s type.

Purposefully not watching where she was going, Riley collided with him, narrowly avoiding sloshing his drink onto her shoes. She pretended to stumble, and his free hand caught her waist, ensuring Riley stayed upright. “Oh! I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going. Pardon me.”

His hand left her side. Frowning, he asked, “Do I know you?”

Don’t lie. Evade. Her former mentor taught her that.

Riley smirked. “I bet you use that line on every beautiful woman you stumble into.”

“Only when I’m too blown away to say something original.” He winked.

Maybe this would be easier than Riley anticipated. “Care to wander the museum with me while you practice your next line?”

“Normally I would, but I just got out of a relationship, and I’m not looking to start anything new.”

So much for that plan.

His honesty, however, was surprising.

“Not even a little fun?” she goaded, but Nikki’s ex declined once more before excusing himself and vanishing into the crowd.

At least Desi had better luck keeping the other spy occupied. She had him cornered, her body carefully angled to prevent him from seeing the slight bulge from the gun hidden in her dress. The plunging neckline had two purposes—easy access to the gun holstered at her side while providing a distracting view of her chest and intricate tattoos. It was just enough to snag wandering eyes and keep them focused on the front of her body, rather than the side. To the spy’s credit, his eyes remained pointedly fixed on Desi’s face.

“Got the keys,” Jill announced. Perfect timing.

Riley breathed a sigh of relief. “Good work, Blondie.”

Now, all they had to do was wait.

*****

While the designer yammered some pretentious bullshit about fine jewelry as the centerpiece of fashion and art, Riley slowly pushed her way to the front of the crowd gathering for the reveal. A few feet away, Cage did the same. Across from them—closest to the still-covered jewelry display case—Desi and Jill took their places. None of them were particularly interested by the designer’s speech, but Nikki would be hanging on every word if she were here.

The designer rambled on, explaining how particular pieces among the French Crown Jewels influenced the designs of his own work. It was awfully arrogant, Riley thought, comparing his own work to such timeless pieces. The longer he spoke, the more Riley disliked him and didn’t feel even an ounce of guilt for robbing him.

Lingering on the edge of the crowd, Nikki’s ex and his partner seemed content to remain out of the way. For all Riley cared, they could stay there all night.

The gallery lights flickered once. A few guests glanced up nervously, but the majority remained transfixed on the designer.

Nikki’s voice crackled through the comms. “Everyone ready? Nod once if you are.” Riley nodded. One by one, so did everyone else. “Alrighty then. Lights out in five…”

Riley counted the number of paces between her and Cage—six.

“Four…”

Paces from Cage to the jewelry case—eight.

“Three…”

Paces from the case back to her original position—ten.

Two…

Closing her eyes, Riley waited.

“One.”

Several women shrieked when the lights went out.

Riley opened her eyes, and before they’d even adjusted to the dark, she strode toward Cage. Six steps. She collided with Cage, dropping her purse on the ground and taking Cage’s identical one, containing replicas of the necklace and earrings.

Cage shouted that someone stole her purse, causing a scene. She’d chatted and flirted with enough people throughout the night for her voice to be easily recognized, and a murmur broke out among the agitated crowd, creating just enough background noise to cover the sound of Riley’s heels clicking on the floor.

Eight steps to the back side of the jewelry display. Riley could just make out Jill and Desi unlocking the case with the assistant’s keys. She braced for an alarm to sound, but there was nothing. Atta girl, Nikki.

Riley opened the purse. Carefully, Desi replaced the real jewels with the fakes, depositing the real ones inside Cage’s purse.

Jill locked the case and replaced the cover, and Riley returned to her original position among the crowd. The designer and his assistant remained oblivious to what transpired behind them, even as Jill slipped the keys back into the assistant’s dress pocket.

“Lights on in three,” Nikki warned.

Emergency lights flickered on, casting a harsh white light over the murmuring crowd. A man angrily questioned what happened, followed by a chorus of “Yeah, what he said!”s in a variety of languages. The assistant urged the crowd to remain calm, promising everything would be sorted out shortly.

Riley looked over her shoulder, searching for Nikki’s ex. He was nowhere to be found. She narrowed her eyes, but with two hundred million dollars worth of jewelry in her hand, Riley decided she didn’t particularly care.

The woman Cage flirted with the longest stepped forward, picking up the purse Riley had tossed near Cage’s feet. “Isn’t this your purse?” she asked Cage.

Riley’s teammate feigned embarrassment, gracefully reclaiming the purse. “Yes, that’s it. Thank you.”

Just as an outraged Cage exclaimed the purse was empty, Riley melted into the dispersing crowd, slowly making her way toward the museum’s exit. That was the plan. She’d leave first, and once she escaped with the jewels, everyone else would exit as well.

Riley retraced her steps, heels clicking on the hardwood flooring of the museum’s endless long hallways. She didn’t look at any of the art as she passed, not even a single glance. Art had always been more Nikki’s thing than hers.

Weaving her way back to the exit, Riley prayed Nikki hadn’t missed any of the cameras. She was supposed to loop them all, allowing Riley to leave the museum unseen. But with each additional camera—some obvious, some not—Riley’s anxiety rose.

Nikki knows what she’s doing, Riley reminded herself. She won’t let anything happen to me.

Two years ago, that reassurance would’ve been enough.

Now, her distrusting brain shot back, Are you sure?

Riley didn’t dignify it with a response.

Passing the museum’s security checkpoint, Riley smiled at a bored-looking security guard. “Vous partez déjà?” he asked.

Riley hoped the security guard asked why she was leaving so soon. She never did get around to brushing up on her French. “Oui, I have a flight to catch.” Not a lie, although the flight wouldn’t take off until early tomorrow morning.

The crisp night breeze prickled Riley’s bare skin. She took a deep breath, letting the cold air fill her lungs. For the first time that night, Riley finally felt her body start to relax. The vast, empty plaza felt so much safer than the packed gallery. Still not safe enough to let her guard down, but safer. Riley slipped her hand into the purse, fingers closing around an earring. It was surprisingly heavy in her palm.

Another flawless job. The Five Eyes were back in business.

She was halfway across the plaza when Nikki started cursing, but Riley didn’t slow. Everyone is responsible for their own exit. The job was done. No turning back now.

There was a distinct male voice in the background, but Riley couldn’t make out what he said.

“What do you mean, ‘I had a feeling you’d be here’?” Nikki demanded. “We haven’t spoken in months, Mac, and I know you didn’t track me here on your own.”

Her ex’s voice was nothing more than a low, indiscernible rumble.

“What?” Nikki whispered, her voice breaking mid-word.

As much as Riley wanted to know what he said, she kept walking. But that didn’t stop the others from hissing Nikki’s name, demanding to know what was going on.

Nikki yelped, and then the male voice purred, loud and clear, “I know you’re listening, Riley. Why don’t we go on that little walk now?”

With a cold laugh, Riley said, “In your fucking dreams.” How did he know her name? As far as she knew, Nikki never mentioned her.

Still, she kept walking. Everyone is responsible for their own exit. No matter what.

Riley muted her comms, and Nikki’s piercing shriek filled her ear. A muffled grunt followed.

Then nothing.

Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay.

“Riley, you need to come back,” Jill pleaded. “Nikki needs help.”

She didn’t answer, clenching her jaw with the effort to keep silent. An airplane flew overhead, and Riley tracked its path across the sky. Every step brought Riley closer to her own flight home—and the freedom that entailed. Turning around now would only put that in jeopardy.

But every step also took her away from her best friend. The woman she once believed she’d do anything for.

Jill was overreacting, Riley reasoned. Nikki was more than capable of getting herself out of a bind. Riley lost track of the number of impossible situations she and Nikki had found themselves in over the years, and they always found a way to escape.

“Sam is getting Jill out,” Desi said, slightly out of breath. “Riles, I don’t think I can get Nikki out on my own. Jill is right. You need to come back.”

Riley faltered. If Desi thought there was a problem, then something must’ve gone really, really wrong.

Maybe Jill wasn’t overreacting after all.

“Des—” Cage started. “They opened the case.”

“So?”

“They know the jewels are fake. If Riley comes back, it won’t just be Nikki going to prison.”

Prison.

Riley didn’t think she was breathing. Heart thudding wildly, her stomach tied itself into knots, and her clothes became damp with sweat. The sense of safety she’d felt earlier was gone, and Riley fought the urge to run. Every little noise—traffic, pedestrian chatter, a siren in the distance—was coming for her, ready to drag her into some dark hole she’d never emerge from.

Nothing was logical anymore, like the part of her brain capable of rational thought had gone to sleep. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, trying to wake up, but it was no use.

Run, while you still have the chance, her body screamed.

Everyone is responsible for their own exit, her brain repeated.

She needed to turn around. Nikki couldn’t go to prison.

Two years ago, Riley had gone to prison in Nikki’s stead. She let herself be arrested to protect her friends. Her family.

If Nikki went to prison now, then Riley’s sacrifice would be in vain.

But Riley’s body refused to turn around. Her worst memories from prison flashed before her eyes—ones Riley desperately wanted to forget—like a cougar crouching in the shadows, waiting for the exact moment she was at her weakest to pounce.

She couldn’t go back there. She couldn’t go through that again.

She wouldn’t survive it twice.

“Riles,” Nikki pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. “Where are you?”

Run, that voice in her head said. Don’t look back.

Her steps were slower now, less sure. But Riley didn’t stop. She couldn’t.

“I need you.”

Save yourself, girl.

“I’m sorry,” Riley whispered, but her comms were still muted. With a shaking hand, Riley unmuted them one last time.

It’s better this way, the voice promised. You’ll see.

It was all too easy to slip into the brutal, emotionless persona she’d built while in prison, the process having become instinct. It was necessary then, to keep her safe and alive. Now, it did the same, preventing Riley from making a mistake every cell in her body knew she wouldn’t come back from.

In a cold, unflinching voice, Riley said, “Everyone is responsible for their own exit.”

She threw her earpiece into a nearby fountain, and the click of her stilettos echoed in the night.

~ Tag List ~ Want to be added? Send me an ask.

@macrileyedits / @hellishrose / @losingitovermacriley / @mylifequotesshowallofthem / @thecarrieonokay / @holbytlanna /

#beth writes #flawless au #macgyver #macgyver fanfiction #riley davis #nikki carpenter #desiree nguyen #samantha cage #jill morgan #angus macgyver #jack dalton #<- look who's back

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tkdrawz · 5 years ago

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SONIC THE REDESIGN: A QUICK OVERVIEW

I drew this to celebrate the release of the movie. However, this picture was taken seconds before disaster. I butchered this and I'm too ashamed to post it. I was supposed to post this on Valentine's Day, but...nerp. This is why I want to try digital art...😒 oh well. (If any of you guys wanna color this, be my guest!)

Anyways, let's just take a second to look back at the progress it took to get the film that went from the laughing stock, butt of the joke, ugly duckling, whipping boy disaster to the record breaking, expectation subverting, underestimated, successful box office hit, contributing to lifting the curse of bad video game movie adaptations.

It all started from the very first poster...

It was trending the same day for all the wrong reasons. You would think that Paramount would have listened the first time right? Haha. WRONG!

Paramount was reluctant and thought that we were going to like it when we see his reveal. I tried to keep my cool and not overeact. I didn't want to assume the worst. But then... the trailer arrived, debuting the Gangster's Paradise gremlin in May of 2019. *shudders*

I'm just going to post one picture because I don't want to ruin your TL. Your welcome.

To be honest, I wasn't too mad at the trailer. In fact, I stood by this Sonic. But at the same time I was truly embarassed to be a Sonic fan. My boy was getting flamed from left to right. He was SCARY. He was UGLY. He was TRENDING. He was trending all day and all night. But I didn't care. I still defended it. Not because I was just "blindly supporting it" to quote someone who tried that shit. But because the Sonic franchise has entertained me for years as both a video game and tv show and, good or bad, I felt like I had to stand by him. Hell, I still like Sonic Boom! (But that's another post for another day.) While I had to be strong, I couldn't help but feel extremely bad for every single person involved in the film. However, the anger from the Sonic fans was justified. It was coming from a place of passion. We just wanted to see Sonic succeed for once. We were fed up with excuses and settling for mediocrity. We didn't want Sonic to look like a real-ish anthropomorphic hedgehog. We wanted Sonic to look like Sonic. Period! His design was essential for this movie! It makes him one the most recongnizable characters in gaming. And Paramount dropped the ball on that. They knew better.

Even Sega themselves had to step in BOTH TIMES and let Paramount know what's up. I'm sure the artists and creative directors who worked on the movie tried to warn the corporate big heads at Paramount that people were going HATE that design but was either ignored or didn't speak up in fear of losing their jobs. And, yes, some studios are that petty.

And, thanks to the strong and passionate response from the fans, Paramount reacted and delayed the film to make the necessary changes required to redesign and render Sonic. In fact, props to all the artists involved for working hard and redesigning Sonic! They deserve everything good in life! Because it goes beyond the film. There's marketing, toys, merchandise, and tons of promotions that were probably scrapped with the old design on it. LOL can you imagine?!

After months of waiting and speculating and putting up with random Youtubers reanimating the Sonic trailer themselves and posting what they thought was better than the trailer, a miracle happened. Something beautiful graced the internet and our TV screens. On November of 2019, the original month the movie was supposed to air, we were introduced to the new and improved Sonic. The Sonic we deserved. The Sonic that should have been here since day one. It was official:

was

BABY!

I mean look at him! We got the company to listen to us! Yeah, it took worldwide humiliation, but they sure did capitalize on it! The fandom rejoiced! We were proud! I for one felt especially relieved and somewhat entitled since I never turned my back on the movie altogether due to the original design. (Shoutout to everyone else who held it down since day one. Y'all are the real MVP's!)

It was such a long and tedious journey for most of us Sonic fans, but to see the movie at it's full glory and getting the recongnition and praises it deserved was truly worth it.

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annapostsstuff · 5 years ago

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LITG: Random Question Tag

Thank you @kingkassam for tagging me🙋🏻‍♀️

The Questions :

1. Favorite Girl? S1: Talia S2: Chelsea

2. Favorite Boy? (As friends) S1: Tim, Jake S2: Gary, Bobby

3. Favorite Route/LI and why? Lucas, because I’m a hoe and a goldigger and he’s HOT af AND rich😌, kidding🙄 bc we have a really similar personality... and he’s hot😂

4. Season 1 or Season 2? This is a hard one, because I really like the Season 1 Drama and MC’s personality, BUT I loved the Season 2 character design, guess we can’t have it all😔

5. Twitter, Tumblr or Reddit? I have all of them and honestly I don’t have a favorite bc I use them for different purposes, I use Twitter basically just to know what’s the tea, what’s going on with the world and I use tumblr and reddit to get in touch with the fandoms I follow and, you know, recreational purposes pretty much🤔🤷🏻‍♀️

6. Try and guess each S2 Islander’s zodiac sign? Everyone knows I know SHIT about astrology and I’d get everything wrong so, yeah I’m not even trying🙃

7. If you could meet one islander in real life who would it be and why? Lucas, it’s the more realistic one since we’re both on the medical field and y’all can bet your asses that I’d be jumping on that dick man ASAP😌😂

8. Do you have an unpopular opinion about the game/character? I have a couple of them but the one I’m gonna say is gonna make EVERYONE and I mean it, EVERYONE to come after me but y’all should know that IDGAF so I’m gonna say it: Tim is superior to Bobby in so many levels and I really wish he was a LI back in S1, sue me...

9. Which islander are you the most like? This is a hard one bc I’m Chelsea, Lottie, Priya and some Marisol combined, depends of which one of my personalities is coming out that day 😂

10. Most and Least favorite islander of all time and why?

LEAST

S1 Boys: Miles/Jasper did me DIRTY AF bc I thought they were hot and I really wanted to try it with them😒

S1 Girls: Lucy, Erika and Cherry, they can all choke on a dick for all I care😒, I could say Allegra but it was actually fun to mess with her tho🤔

S2 Boys:

Rocco: it’s the first LI I ever romanced in S2 but it turned out that he was a fucking snake and I ended up looking like a fucking clown 🤡😤thank god LURIK came through...

CA GANG: I dislike pretty much all of them except the one I’m romancing IF I’m romancing any of them during that route, Graham is on thin ice and Kassam, well, he doesn’t talk but I HATE that he’s so hard to get... SHOUTOUT to Felix for being the most annoying motherfucker out there...

Special mention to Noah, for not growing any balls and leaving his toxic relationship for fucks sake!😤

S2 Girls: Hope, Jo, Lottie and Hannah, they ALL suck and can choke on a dick, or a candy, whatever idc, if I really analyze this, most of the girls in S2 sucked🤔

MOST

S1: Talia, Tim, Jake, theyre all cool and I really liked them.

S2: Chelsea, Priya, Gary, Bobby, LURIK, love all of them ❤️

Special mention to Mr. Narrator, he’s the real MVP and the heart and soul of the game💕😂

11. Which islander would hit 1M followers first? MC OBVIOUSLY💁🏻‍♀️ jokes aside, idk, could be Chelsea for her adorable personality, Priya bc she’s hot and fashion, Lottie bc we know makeup artists get a lot of exposure, and the guys idk, could be Bobby or Lucas for the same reasons as Chelsea and Priya...

12. Which islander would land a major brand deal? Priya could as either a model or a designer, Chelsea to design some furniture or something like that, Lottie with some makeup brand, Ibrahim with some sports brand, most of them could now that I think about it ...

13. Do you think any of the S2 islanders smoke? If so, who? Rocco obviously smokes weed or something like that, Lottie and Carl gives me some smoker vibes too, I think Henrik might try to smoke some natural or alternative shit too🤔...

14. What’s your S3 bucket list? MC with a fierce personality or just a personality in general, I’m tired of being a peacemaker and focusing on everyone’s shit except the MC, I wouldn’t mind having less LIs but with way more quality content than we had this season and for the love of god, LET ME THROW HANDS when it’s deserved!😤idk, it’s a long list but those are my main wishes...

15. Do you read any fanfics? Yup, a lot of them, can’t remember all of them except those that @ravena-dottir writes🤔

16. If there was a Love Island the Game: All-Stars, who would you chose to go back into the villa? Shit, idk who I want there but I can assure you which ones I DON’T want there and thoseare the ones I’ve mentioned as my least favorites 🤔🤷🏻‍♀️

17. Which islanders would struggle the most in quarantine, and why? I think most of them would be having financial struggles but mostly Henrik, Lottie, Chelsea and Graham because I think all of them would be having both emotional and financial struggles🤔

And now I invite anyone who wishes to answer this bc let’s be honest, a bitch is antisocial and doesn’t have enough friends to tag💀😂

#love island the game #litgs2 #litg tag #love island the game season 2

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cobwebsaint · 5 years ago

Note

FUCK IT SLIPKNOT ASKS: 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 17, 26, 34, 35, 37

Julia yr the real MVP here.

4. is slipknot nu metal or just heavy metal?

I mean both? Early Slipknot was def nu metal, but they have kinda grown away from being nu metal over the years.

5. list the tracks, best to worst, on your favorite album.

Fuck I did this with WANYK before so NOT TO BE THAT DUDE but I’m gonna go with Iowa.

Metabolic

Left Behind

Everything Ends

I Am Hated

Disasterpiece

My Plague

The Shape

New Abortion

Skin Ticket

Gently

People = Shit

Iowa

The Heretic Anthem

(515)

7. tag your favorite fan acc!

Oh jeez uhh shout out to you, @skold @satanic-girls-gone-wild @dysphorie-dot-png @coreytaylortv all the crazy talented artists and probably a billion other people as well for keeping me on this bs dfjkbgls

9. corey's wanyk mask. good or bad?

Good concept, looks stupid as shit. Which is fitting for him lbr.

11. favorite song of all time?

I mean Metabolic is literally gonna be my most played song of the whole ass year on spotify if that tells you anything. Special shouts to Diluted and Not Long For This World though.

17. how old were you when you got into slipknot?

Uhhh I was babey when I first started like actively listening to Slipknot. I wanna say like 8-10.

26. what's your favorite picture of the whole band?

this one it looks like an awful family photo and i love it. also shoutout to the one shoot of all of em in the suits but technically it’s not the Whole Band so. Y’know.

34. do you have/want any slipknot related tattoos?

I don’t have any yet but I def want some! I plan on getting a mask done for sure, not sure about anything else. Heavily considering making my big forearm piece to cover a bunch of scars a SK/maybe Stone Sour tattoo? Idk

35. best picture of jim, go.

All of these thank you for your time.

37. favorite interview moment?

Y’know that one Fuse interview or whatever where Corey’s talking about getting food poisoning and being deathly ill and writing Through Glass Jim’s just like “Why didn’t you call me?” I think about that every single fucking day of my life thanks James.

/Slipknot asks! Send a number!

#these took time and research but thank you dkjfglsb #custer-mp3 #answered

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mad97white · 5 years ago

Photo

Shoutout to the best nail artist out there for giving me these amazing nails.....& then fixing my broken one just hours later in the middle of the night😂😂🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ You the real MVP @thomidoinnails 🖤🖤💅🏻💅🏻 #nailsofinstagram #nailporn #nails #nailswag (at Downtown Johnson City, Johnson City) https://www.instagram.com/p/B88EnqBh5Q-/?igshid=1aiu4r9n9fs18

#nailsofinstagram #nailporn #nails #nailswag

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purplepatton · 6 years ago

Text

heading straight for the castle - one

summary: logan sanders is a prince who wants nothing to do with the responsibilities the throne gives him. roman prince is a civilian who would give anything to be royalty. when an odd twist of fate leads them to meet, the pair realize something remarkable: they look exactly alike. from there they decide to switch places, wanting to see how the other lives. but a simple switch quickly becomes something more as things spiral out of control in the kingdom

trigger warnings: none for this chapter, but if you need something tagged let me know!

artist: the stellar @keuwibird (find her amazing art here if you haven’t seen it yet,,, trust me it’s amazing)

beta: the amazing @logically-sided!! i want a give her a big shoutout because she helped me so much with this fic,, without her this fic would be shoved somewhere in the back of my wip folder lol. she was such a big help with everything, from fixing my grammer and giving me suggestions when i got stuck. she’s the real mvp,,, thank you again liz!!!

notes: so this is my big bang fic! i know i’m a little late posting (sorry about that) but better late than never! i’ve decided that instead of posting the story all at once, i’m just going to post a chapter every day (or every couple of days) because with school starting and work i don’t have much time to sit down and format everything properly lol (plus this gives me more time to make sure everything is ok lol) but, yeah! hope you enjoy it, because i had so much fun writing this story :))))

If there is one thing that Logan hates more than anything in the world, it would have to be sitting in on the council meetings.

Maybe it’s the way the members drone in pompous tones about issues that rarely hold value. Maybe it’s the way the members take ages to decide the proper course of action, when in reality it should only take them a few days. Or maybe it’s just because the meetings always seemed to happen when Logan was doing something he enjoyed, therefore taking away the precious moments he had to himself, which were few and far between these days.

Whatever the reason, Logan can feel his attention slipping as two of the council members begin an argument about taxes and the possibilities of raising them. It’s been the same argument all week; although this time the two decided to add insulting each other into the mix.

Logan can feel the disgust curling up in his stomach. He clenches his fist, and tries his best not to scowl outwardly because these people are supposed to be professionals. Yet here they are arguing like children. No wonder nothing ever gets done around here; everyone is too busy focusing on their own petty differences to make any significant changes.

Pushing himself to his feet, Logan storms out of the room and leaves the council to argue among themselves. Once he’s outside the doors, he leans against the wall and tries to bring his emotions under control. He needs to think clearly, and his emotions are only clouding his thoughts. He breathes out slowly and forces himself to relax.

“Wow.” A voice next to him says, sounding amused. “You lasted forty minutes in there. That’s got to be a new record or something.”

Logan has long gotten used to Joan’s habit of popping up out of nowhere, so this new appearance does little to phase him. Instead he turns towards his aide standing beside him and raises an eyebrow. “Only forty? I could have sworn it was longer.”

“Well, you know what they say,” Joan says, falling into step alongside of Logan. They head down the hall and away from the muffled voices of the council room. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

Logan snorts, catching the sarcasm in their voice. Joan grins widely at Logan’s slip in composure, and Logan has to resist the urge to blame the council for his lapse in control. Instead, he rolls his shoulders back and asks, “Where to now?” Because even he can’t keep his schedule straight in his head; not when there is so much to do and so much is changed at least five times a day.

“It’s one in the afternoon.” Joan says in reply, not answering Logan’s question at all.

That means that whatever is on Logan’s schedule next is something he should remember, and is probably something he’s been looking forward to. He furrows his brow and tries to think.

It hits him a few moments later, as they’re walking down the hall that eventually makes its way to the back of the castle. “Oh!” He says a bit too loudly, drawing the attention of a maid who happens to be hurrying past. He flashes her his smile usually reserved for the reporters before lowering his voice and addressing Joan. “I nearly forgot. I guess I really do need a break.”

“The great Logan forgetting something? Looks like it’s the beginning of the end.” Joan says with a faux expression of pity. “Best get your affairs in order because it’s all downhill from here.”

This time Logan manages to school his expression into something more neutral, although his lip twitches and betrays his amusement.

The pair follows the hallway until they stop in front of a rather plain door. It’s nothing special, just wood with a simple design carved into it. It’s rather out of the way from the other places in the castle, in a region that’s only really used by servants. Which makes it the ideal location for Logan and Joan.

Logan knocks on the door while Joan keeps an eye out for anybody who might happen to walk by. There is a slight pause before the door is swung open by a women with long brown hair and sparkling eyes.

She’s happy to see them, if not impatient. “It’s about time!” She huffs, dragging both Logan and Joan into the room and closing the door firmly behind them. “I was beginning to think the two of you would never show up!”

It is quite possible that Valerie Torres is an actual goddess.

She had worked in the palace as the head seamstress for many years, and had been with Logan for a good number of them. She was kind, hardworking and a rather good listener. Logan had spent so much time with her - what with all the suits and fittings he needed for the meetings and parties and interviews he needed to attend - that she quickly became one of the few people Logan actually trusted.

And when Logan had approached her with a half formed plan to gain some freedom, she had immediately offered her help.

Now she shoves a bundle of clothes into Logan’s arms and instructs him to change into them. He takes them and dutifully walks to the small corner of the room that’s sectioned off by a hanging sheet to change. He quickly swaps out his lavish clothes for the more ordinary polo shirt and jeans. He finishes adjusting his tie around his neck (an accessory he insisted on despite of Valerie's protests, because he is a serious person and serious people wear neckties) and steps back into the main section of the room where Joan and Valerie are waiting.

He stretches out his arms. “Well?” He asks. “How do I look?”

“Completely ordinary.” Joan drawls from where they are lounging on a chair.

Valerie frowns, walks over and musses up his hair out of it’s carefully styled position into a more casual and relaxed style. It’s not a complete change, but Logan knows from past experience that it’s enough of a change that people will need a second look to identify him. And the time it takes them to take a second look is just the amount of time he needs to slip away.

“There you go.” Valerie says, content with her work. She crosses her arms and narrows her eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want Joan come? I’d feel a lot better if they were with you.”

Logan rolls his eyes. Every time he goes out of the castle it’s the same song and dance. He’s had this exact conversation with Valerie many times, and each time it goes the same way. He doesn’t understand why Valerie expects his answer to change.

“I just want an hour to myself.” He says, frustration creeping into his voice. “I understand your concerns, but I’ve been doing this for so long now that the odds of something going wrong are infinitesimal.”

Valerie frowns because it’s not the answer she wants to hear, but there’s really nothing she can do to stop him. “Fine. Be careful.”

“You know me.” Logan says with another one of his faked smiles. “I’m always careful.”

The afternoon rush was in full swing, but Logan doesn’t mind the way people are swarming around him and pushing to get to where they want to go. He lets the flow of traffic push him along with the crowd, not caring where he ends up.

It’s a nice sort of feeling, just wandering around and not worrying about where he has to be.

He’s visited this part of the city so many times that he could probably walk it blindfolded. As he rounds a corner in the crowd, he spies a small bookshop that’s a favorite of his. It looks rather empty, but Logan can’t remember a time when it had actually been full. It’s always half empty like this, which Logan likes because it means the store is quiet enough for him to focus on whatever he happens to be reading.

With his eyes locked onto the store’s sign Logan starts towards the store, not paying attention to where he’s actually walking.

Logan immediately regrets this decision as he proceeds to run headfirst into someone. It’s a painful collision, and Logan falls back onto the ground with a grunt. His glasses had fallen off in the process, and the world around him has melted into a blur of color and movement. He reaches around him, trying to find his glasses so he could see what was going on.

Someone is standing over him, and even though Logan can’t see a foot in front of his face, he assumes that this is the person he ran into because a steady stream of apologies is being directed at him.

“-wasn’t looking where I was going, are you okay?” A hand grabs his and hauls Logan to his feet. Logan was not ready for the sudden change of position and he wobbles slightly before regaining his balance.

Logan tries to assure the person that he’s fine, but he can’t get a word in edgewise as the person babbles on. “You don’t look hurt, that’s good. I swear I didn’t mean to run into you, I was just in a hurry and you just sort of appeared and I-”

The voice cuts off for a reason Logan isn’t exactly sure of and he takes the opportunity to say, “I’m fine, thank you. I just need my glasses. You wouldn’t happen to see them lying around, would you? I’m afraid I can’t see anything.”

His glasses are shoved into his hand rather roughly and he pushes them onto his nose, feeling the tension that had been building up in his shoulders relax as soon as he was able to see. He looks at the person in front of him and the first thing he notices is the person’s expression.

He’s looking at Logan in shock and alarm. For a moment Logan doesn’t understand what could possibly be so worrying to this boy (who on a second glance looked around Logan’s age). Then he sees what the boy sees and his jaw drops.

The boy looks exactly like him.

Taglist (let me know if you want to be added/taken off): @basilstorm@artistfromthestars@storytellerofuntoldlegends@romananalogicality@verymuchanidiot @istolelittleredshoodie @dont-cry-croft @speechless-angel@thefamouszombiebouquet @wolfwalker100 @datonerougecookeh@virgilient @virgil-is-verge@impatentpending@zaisling@trixie85592 @sillysandersides @hamster-corn @adventurousplatypus @unring-this-bell @mymiddlenameisunderscore

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thatgirlonstage · 7 years ago

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Podcast Challenge 18/4/18

There is a lot today because I stayed home sick from work and I started getting a headache whenever my eyes were open for too long so I ended up just lying on my bed binging podcasts. Mostly Bright Sessions. I want to catch up with Bright Sessions since that actually seems like, in reach lol unlike MBMBAM. Underneath the cut because there is a LOT (although I chipped away at that monster too)

Bolded means I listened to an episode today. Strikethrough means I’m all caught up and waiting for the next episode :)

Podcast: My Brother, My Brother, and Me

Episode: 128: Y Tu Hermano Tambien

Time: 1hr 3 min, 140% of goal

Commentary:

Petition to replace statues of racists with bronze statues of Travis McElroy reclining like Cleopatra

Episode: 129: Krumping Across America

Time: 48 min, 107% of goal

Commentary:

That first question about the Craiglist girlfriend, the one who wanted to have sex with a virgin man, that was just... that was so much, man, you can’t start with that, there’s nowhere to go from there.

Episode: 130: Holy Terror

Time: 49 min, 109% of goal

Commentary:

My ex boyfriend actually did have some kind of olfactory issue - it wasn’t that he couldn’t smell ANYTHING, I don’t think, I’m pretty sure his nose was just like extremely desensitized. The only time it had any kind of consequence was when another friend of ours accidentally forgot some boxed restaurant leftovers in his car and he didn’t notice for like two weeks until someone else got in the car and noticed the stench.

Podcast: The Flop House

Episode: #31 - Swing Vote

Time: 59 min, 131% of goal

Commentary:

That Mystery Team thing actually sounds like a fun concept, although why did they say “they have to solve a murder” like that’s not a thing that Nancy Drew/The Hardy Boys ever did like there wasn’t a ton of guts and gore but there were very much dead people in those stories

Episode: Movie Minute #20 - Pool Cleaning

Time: 3 min, 7% of goal

Commentary:

You know I meant to watch Benjamin Button and just never got around to it

Podcast: Shmanners

Episode: Travel: Boats and Planes

Time: 49 min, 109% of goal

Commentary:

I have been on too many planes I find nothing magical about it anymore. I’m sorry, Travis, I appreciate your optimism and the joy you find in life but I’ve flown a minimum of once every six months since I was three months old and I really can’t summon up awe for it anymore.

I really thought they weren’t going to talk about going through security and I was ready to riot because I could do an entire forty-minute episode of my own just ranting about the IDIOTS I’ve encountered who have no idea how to go through security and take like five years figuring it out

Episode: Travel: Trains and Automobiles

Time: 47 min, 104% of goal

Commentary:

Shmanners: drivers ed edition

“There’s no c [in Shmanners]” but there SHOULD BE THOUGH Lemony Snicket taught me this in The Wide Window when I was seven the prefix is “schm” and it honestly really bothers me that they got this wrong

Podcast: The Bright Sessions

Episode: S3E4: Patient #13-A-3 (Chloe)

Time: 25 min, 56% of goal

Commentary:

We finally meet Frank! His voice is not what I was expecting - I think I imagined him sounding older? - but I like it! And Saaaaaaaam I was wondering why Chloe ran out of the room like that

Episode: S3E5: Sam, September 13th

Time: 26 min, 58% of goal

Commentary:

Sam lists all of the questions I want to know the answers to. Also I really enjoy that we get Sam and Joan more as equals and friends now, I really like this dynamic between them.

Episode: S3E6: Caleb, 9/16

Time: 4 min, 9% of goal

Commentary:

That was TOOTH ROTTING I love it

Episode: S3E7: Friday, 9/23/16

Time: 24 min, 53% of goal

Commentary:

So we can agree that the entire AM should be burnt to the ground except Officer Decker, yes? Yes.

Ooooooh new character, “Rose”

There should definitely be a Danny Phantom crossover where we fuse the AM and the GIW. I do really appreciate that we get to SEE the “evil scary government agent that does experiments on people” from the perspective of some of the people who work there who AREN’T mad scientists, see how they justify it and willingly blind themselves to the moral issues

Shoutout to Sarah for being the real MVP

“My nephew Adam” OH FUCK NO FUCK FUCK FUCK

Episode: S3E8: friday, studio time w/ the gang

Time: 23 min, 51% of goal

Commentary:

Me this entire episode: PROTECT THEM

Hmm so they’ve brought up the Intrusion episode twice, I thought it was like a non-canonical crossover thing but it seem like maybe they’re actually making a thing of it?

Episode: S3E9: Damien, September

Time: 20 min, 44% of goal

Commentary:

Mark yelling at Damien was WILDLY cathartic

Episode: S3E10: September 24th, 2016

Time: 37 min, 82% of goal

Commentary:

I JUST WANT MARK TO GET HOME AND BE OKAY

Also lol @ Caleb just trying to handle his sex life while everything else is turning into a Bournian government conspiracy around him

Episode: S3E11: Frank

Time: 38 min, 84% of goal

Commentary:

That was... a lot. I sort of guessed at most of it but it was... a lot.

Episode: S3E12: September 30th, 2016

Time: 10 min, 22% of goal

Commentary:

I suppose I ought to feel a little bad for Damien, but I REALLY don’t. Careful what you fucking wish for, you hypocritical douchebag

Episode: S3E13: Patient #13-A-3 (Chloe)

Time: 22 min, 49% of goal

Commentary:

Mark is such a sweet innocent bean and any attempt to make the AM morally grey is belied by the fact that they, without any cause, kidnapped him, locked him in a basement, and experimented on him for years

Episode: S3E14: sunday, after my session

Time: 5 min, 11% of goal

Commentary:

“You’re the struggling artist and I’m the wealthy old lady patron.” Chloe still isn’t my favorite character but I LOVE her and Sam’s friendship so much

Episode: S3E15: Patient #11-A-7 (Caleb)

Time: 26 min, 58% of goal

Commentary:

Caleb: Okay can we stop talking about my sex life and CONCENTRATE ON THE EVIL GOVERNMENT AGENCY THAT KIDNAPS PEOPLE

What is going to happen to him though because I do NOT like where this foreshadowing is going

Episode: S3E16: Patient #14-A-8 (Rose)

Time: 30 min, 67% of goal

Commentary:

Rose is super cute! Also, oh man, Mark, I just want to give Mark a hug, man.

Episode: S3E17: Telephone 2

Time: 22 min, 49% of goal

Commentary:

Oh yes hearing Wadsworth get her comeuppance by having Adam confront her was AWESOME

Episode: S3E18: Safe House Part I

Time: 24 min, 53% of goal

Commentary:

“I beat you once in 1998″ peak sibling right there

Frank WHY

Episode: S3E19: Safe House Part II

Time: 55 min, 122% of goal

Commentary:

Caleb, oh honey, oh, no

I just want all of them to be safe and okay GOD. I mean, Damien can die in a hole, but I don’t want Caleb to have KILLED him, he can die in a hole of natural causes. Chloe is not my favorite character but oh hell yes her last bit in this episode was EVERYTHING to me

Total Listening: 11hr 49 min, 1576% of goal

Ahahahaha like I said, literally all I did today was zone out and listen to podcasts

Ah well, no one on this website has a right to judge me for binging anything

#tal listens #mbmbam #the flop house #shmanners #the bright sessions

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viraljournalist · 5 years ago

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Andy Reid's Super Bowl LIV win is the capper on a Hall of Fame career for Chiefs coach

New Post has been published on https://viraljournalist.com/andy-reids-super-bowl-liv-win-is-the-capper-on-a-hall-of-fame-career-for-chiefs-coach/

Andy Reid's Super Bowl LIV win is the capper on a Hall of Fame career for Chiefs coach

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — “MAN ALIVE!” Andrew Walter Reid bellowed from his toes as he marched through his Kansas City Chiefs locker room, glowing like a teenager who had just scored a date with the prettiest girl in school. Reid had just finished handing out credit for this epic Super Bowl victory as easily as one would hand out a business card at a job fair, even giving a shoutout to Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, the billionaire who fired him.

Man Alive! Those two shouted words on the way to his office said it all. Reid was letting it all out, all those seasons of chasing in vain that NFL grail that was finally, mercifully, in his hands. Reid ended his 20-year title drought by ending the Chiefs’ 50-year title drought by coming from behind to beat Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers 31-20.

After the game, still on the field, Reid kissed the Lombardi trophy and raised it to the South Florida sky, and then Andy did what Andy always does.

Andy said this wasn’t about Andy. He talked about his whirling dervish of a quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and the executive who long ago saw Mahomes as a developing Mozart, Brett Veach. He talked about the Hunt family, his assistants, his players in Kansas City, his players in Philly. If Andy went long enough at his news conference podium, he would’ve gotten around to thanking his mailman, too.

But if Reid thought he was getting away with his selfless act, sorry pal, that was a no-can-do on this forever Sunday night.

This one was about the human teddy bear with a rainforest for a mustache, the guy who once put away a 40-ounce steak in 19 minutes.

This one was all about Big Red.

2 Related

“He’s one of the best coaches of all time; he already was before we won this game,” said Mahomes, the MVP of Super Bowl LIV. “But we wanted to get that trophy just because he deserved it. The work that he puts in day in and day out. He’s there at like 3 in the morning, and he leaves at 11 [at night]. I don’t think he sleeps. I’ve tried to beat him in, and I never can. He’s someone that works harder than anyone I’ve ever known, and he deserves it.”

The rifle-armed son of a former big league reliever, Mahomes said he had two goals when he became the starting quarterback of the Chiefs. One, to win the AFC championship and bring the Lamar Hunt Trophy back to the hometown of the late Chiefs owner who came up with the term “Super Bowl” for what has effectively become a national holiday.

“And the second-most important thing was to get Coach Reid a Super Bowl trophy,” Mahomes said.

Will this liberating triumph change Coach Reid? What do you think? This is a man who said he celebrated his AFC title game victory over Tennessee — which booked him a trip back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 15 years — by eating a cheeseburger and then going to bed. “I’ll have a double cheeseburger tonight,” Reid said Sunday. “Extra cheese.”

And why not? With this win, Reid finally proved that nice guys do indeed finish first, even if they have to wait a little while to get there. In the weeks leading up to his crowning career achievement, it was clear the 61-year-old Reid had already proven you can be almost universally admired and adored even if you don’t finish first once across two decades as an NFL head coach.

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

But man, it will be so sweet for this grandfather of nine, the son of a Los Angeles-based doctor (his mother, Elizabeth) and a Hollywood set designer and artist (his father, Walter, a Navy veteran of World War II), to never again answer for his inability to win the big one over 14 seasons in Philadelphia, and then over his first six in Kansas City.

No more questions about time management, about choking in the playoffs, about Dee Ford lining up offside against New England, about watching his Eagles treat a two-score deficit late in their Super Bowl loss to the Patriots 15 years ago as an opportunity to move at a pace better suited for a ballroom walk-through.

Just like in that crushing defeat in Jacksonville in February 2005, Reid’s team was down 10 points in the middle of the fourth quarter. Only this time his players ran a Showtime fastbreak through the league’s most ferocious defense, led by a visionary, Mahomes, who handles the ball and passes it the way few quarterbacks ever have.

“Keep going,” Reid told his players as they struggled to put points on the board. “We’re going to be OK. We’ve done it before; we’ll do it again.”

Reid was a prophet carrying an oversize dinner menu for a play card. So now the questions will not be about Reid’s failures. Instead, they’ll ask Reid about the night he became football’s champion, the night his 222nd career victory silenced all that noise about him being the sport’s most prolific winner without a ring.

Now they’ll ask Reid about the night he almost certainly sealed his future induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“Nobody deserves this trophy more than Andy Reid,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, son of Lamar, told the crowd and the Fox TV audience during the postgame ceremony.

“We got that ring for Big Red,” Travis Kelce said. “He acts like a father figure to everyone in the building, and you appreciate that. … We’re married together forever now.”

Many of Reid’s friends and colleagues had spent the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl being asked how they would react in the event that Reid finally won a Super Bowl. Some predicted they would cry. All predicted they would be choked up, and as happy for Andy as Andy was for his wife, Tammy, his sons, Britt and Spencer, and his daughters, Crosby and Drew Ann, and all those wearing Chiefs jerseys around them.

“Andy gave me a kiss right on the cheek when we won,” said Dave Merritt, his defensive backs coach and an assistant who won two titles with Tom Coughlin’s New York Giants. “As soon as it was over I thought about Andy’s family, his kids, his wife, his cousins, his brothers, everyone associated with him. Not only Coach Reid became a world champ, they all became world champs. I was so moved watching Andy on the stage with his family around and all that confetti coming down on top of them.”

REID’S FOOTBALL JOURNEY, which started in 1971 when an outsize 13-year-old famously wore a Rams uniform while competing in the punt, pass and kick competition, culminated at last on the biggest stage in sports. With the NFL celebrating an entire century of games, and with old haunts Bill Belichick and Tom Brady in the house for the ceremony, Reid was the right guy to lead the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl victory in a half-century. And San Francisco was a most appropriate full-circle opponent — Reid worked his first real coaching job at San Francisco State, where he sold hot dogs to help raise money for the now-defunct Division II program. He has come a long way, baby, and his generosity of spirit made him relatable, huggable and easy to root for.

Everything you need to know: • Box score | Mahomes wins MVP • O’Connor on Reid’s legacy win • Barnwell: How Chiefs came back • Graziano: Mahomes to the rescue More: Super Bowl LIV » | NFL coverage »

“Andy truly puts others before himself,” says his former VP of player personnel in Philadelphia, Jason Licht, now the GM of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “He’s been wanting to win this for everybody else before he wants to win it for himself, and he’s an unbelievable leader because of that. He’s one of those leaders that when things aren’t going well he takes all the blame, and when things are going good he gives credit to all the great work everyone else did. And that’s why everybody loves playing for him, and goes the extra mile for him.”

In the end, for Reid, it all comes back to trust and empowerment, and to letting his players breathe. In practice, his quarterback and receivers are permitted — if not outright encouraged — to close their eyes as they work on some creative pitching and catching. Mahomes says the everyday fun sanctioned by Reid “keeps us loose and ready to go on game days.” No wonder that the quarterback, at age 24, is already on record saying he wants to spend his entire career in Kansas City.

Reid is one of the brilliant offensive minds of his generation, or of any generation, and yet his belief in freedom of expression works on the defensive side of the ball, too. “This is my third program in the league,” Tyrann Mathieu says, “but I feel I can be myself here. … [Reid] wants us to be comfortable, relaxed, at ease.”

By all accounts, his insistence that his players stay true to themselves inspired them to play at the highest possible level, and doubled their affection for the coach who always looked as if he should be wearing a striped red and white jacket, red bow tie, and straw skimmer hat as part of a barbershop quartet.

“He tells them all the time in team meetings, ‘Let your personality show,'” says Britt Reid, his father’s linebackers coach. “I think that’s important. You can’t be someone you’re not. If you want to play this game to the best of your ability, you’ve got to be you.”

With a win over the 49ers, Andy Reid finally put an end to the questions over his big-game management — and secured a capper on his Hall of Fame career. Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports

Sometimes Merritt will head out to practice and find his defensive backs working on moves that have nothing to do with containing opposing receivers. “They’re dancing, the music is on, and they’re going crazy on the sideline,” Merritt says with a laugh. “But I can’t say anything to them because the head coach said, ‘Let your personalities show.'”

Britt says his father got his creativity from his own dad (Andy has a talent for drawing caricatures, including some of his youngest son, Spencer, a strength and conditioning coach at Colorado State), and his refined and calculating intellect from his mom, the radiologist. Those handed-down gifts have helped Reid coach his freewheeling Mozart at quarterback. Mahomes, Britt says, “has definitely reinvigorated him.”

Nothing against Mahomes’ predecessor, of course, as Alex Smith was a dignified winner in Kansas City who could not have handled the transition to the kid with any more grace. But Mahomes is a generational talent and an improvisational thinker who enables the artistic half of Reid’s beautiful football mind to dream up all kinds of exotic route trees in the middle of the night.

“The thing people don’t see about Andy is that this is still a kid’s game to him,” says Tom Melvin, Reid’s assistant for more than two decades and an alumnus of his offensive line at San Francisco State. “And during a play in practice, Patrick will throw the ball and before it’s caught he’ll go, ‘You like that throw, don’t you?’ He’s playing a kid’s game like a kid. So for Andy and Patrick, it’s just playtime now.”

It was playtime for all Chiefs during this championship run. The exclamation point was a fitting defeat of a team that suited up Dee Ford, the goat who allowed the GOAT, Tom Brady, to shake off what would’ve been a fatal interception last year and lead the Patriots to the AFC title. Sunday night, after winning the big game, Reid exonerated his former player for lining up where he did on the penalty, repeating for the 47th time, “It wasn’t Dee Ford, it was all of us. …We could’ve done four inches better.”

It was just Andy being Andy, taking on the burden himself to avoid making anyone — even a former player on the opposing team — carry a heavier load than he needed to.

FOR THE RECORD: Reid’s user-friendly practices shouldn’t suggest that good ol’ Andy is running the league’s answer to Club Med. He no longer has the GM responsibilities he had in Philadelphia, yet Reid still works absurdly long hours, even by NFL standards, and expects his assistants and front-office people to keep up. Licht said Reid slept in that office three or four nights a week in Philly, and it’s obvious that nothing much has changed in Kansas City.

NFL PrimeTime continues this postseason with extended highlights and analysis following the conclusion of each day’s playoff games. Watch on ESPN+

But Reid’s near-maniacal devotion to his craft, and to every imaginable game-prep detail, has never twisted him into an angry or paranoid mess. He can be stern with players and staffers when necessary, but Licht described him as a coach with “a relaxed California swag and chill way about him.”

“Andy can get along with anybody,” Licht says. “He has a way of coming into your office, sitting down, and realizing when somebody needs to get his mind off things. He’ll talk about anything and everything, and you love being around him. When he’s putting in all those hours, you just didn’t want to let him down and not be there in case he had a question for you. You didn’t want to miss the opportunity to have another five or 15 minutes of bonding with him.”

“The entire league wants Andy to win because of how he treats and leads his men,” says Dave Merritt, his defensive backs coach. Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Merritt sees the same man in Kansas City that Licht saw in Philly, and it comes as no surprise. “Leslie Frazier told me about him 20 years ago,” Merritt says of the former Eagles assistant. “He said, ‘Dave, if you ever get a chance to work with Andy Reid, don’t ever turn it down.'”

He didn’t, not after taking a call from Reid in the middle of a golf round and, by his estimation, completing contract talks between a pitch and a putt. Merritt’s experiences with his new boss are quite different from those he had in New York. Coughlin, he reminds, was an iron-fisted ruler who fined Giants for wearing the wrong socks in hotel lobbies. Reid responds to relatively benign rules violations more like a nurturing father.

“Another thing I learned is that Andy really trusts us to coach these players, and that gives you so much confidence as an assistant,” Merritt says. “With Tom Coughlin, we had staff meetings every day, sometimes twice a day, three times a day. I’ve never seen a coach operate the way Andy operates, where we go through the week and never have a staff meeting.”

REID’S STORY PROBABLY makes you feel good inside, unless you’re a fan of the 49ers or someone who lost a few bucks betting that their defense would win San Francisco its sixth Lombardi trophy. Who couldn’t feel good about an NFL head coach who still occasionally drives the Ford Model A his father bought after the war for $25? And besides, we all sorta needed a story like this at the end of a heartbreaking week in sports.

Andy Reid personally knew Kobe Bryant, another tough guy with Philly roots, and would talk about him here and there at the Eagles’ facility. “He would just say of Kobe, ‘That’s a good dude, man. That’s a good dude,'” Licht recalls. “People who know Andy know that’s high praise for him.”

Asked during Super Bowl week about the helicopter crash that killed the Lakers legend, his teenage daughter Gianna and seven other passengers, Reid predicted the Bryant family would “get back into the swing of life and do great things.” Just like the Reids did after one of their sons, Garrett, died of an accidental heroin overdose during training camp in 2012.

Later that year, Andy ignored friends’ suggestions that he should take a year off to regroup after the Eagles fired him. Instead, he immediately filled the opening in Kansas City, where linebacker Jovan Belcher had just killed his girlfriend before taking his own life in the team parking lot. Reid needed the Chiefs as much as the Chiefs needed him. Andy immediately added to his staff his second-oldest of three sons, Britt, despite his own past of drug and gun charges and jail time.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Sunday night, Britt was on the winning Super Bowl side as a sober linebackers coach for his old man.

What a moment for Kansas City. What a week for the Reids. The Chiefs honored Reid at the start of Super Bowl week by wearing his cherished Hawaiian shirts and Air Force 1 sneakers, and they honored him again at the end of Super Bowl week by scoring more points than the 49ers scored.

“An-dy … An-dy … An-dy,” the Chiefs fans chanted in the final seconds of Sunday’s game. Reid was Gatorade-d by his players. It was all hugs and kisses and confetti from there.

“Hey, how about those Chieeeeeeeeeeefs!” Reid roared to the crowd during the ceremony as he wore his white championship cap. Tammy Reid had described her husband as “calm as a cucumber” in the lead-up to the game, and soon enough Reid was in his news conference already talking about a potential title No. 2.

“I’m really excited about it,” Reid said. “You get one, you want to go get another one.”

When he was done at the microphone, Andy loaded himself into a golf cart with Tammy, the woman he still calls his girlfriend, and headed for the locker room.

He will surely spend the coming days handing out credit to everyone who has helped him in his eight college and pro jobs, and way back to his time as a student-athlete and aspiring sportswriter at Brigham Young. Back then, Reid wrote columns for The Provo Daily Herald. All these years later, that young journalist inside the old coach knows exactly how this story needs to be written.

Above all, Super Bowl LIV belongs to a vital member of the Kansas City Chiefs. The one in Andy Reid’s mirror.

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shoveanavocadoupmyass · 7 years ago

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✄ ━ do you have any artistic abilities? If so, what can you do?, ❤ ━ do you have any crackships for your muse?, ◈ ━ share some headcanons that you have for a muse of your choosing?

MUNDAY.

✄ ━ do you have any artistic abilities? If so, what can you do?

The arts are where my passions lie, so boy howdy do I try. I do a lot of theatre, and I like to think I’m pretty decent at it. And I also do that drawing thing. Here’s my art blog that I haven’t updated since last year.

❤ ━ do you have any crackships for your muse?

I ship Allan with fucking everything. So yes. Yes probably. But shoutout to the real MVP - Allan x Avocados.

◈ ━ share some headcanons that you have for a muse of your choosing?

OLIVER KIRKLAND || 2P!ENGLAND || BUBBLEPOPPRINTS- Rolypoly boy who is 100% a Wine Dad. Is shockingly not a fan of Birthday Cake flavoured vodka.- Overly invested in The Great British Bake Off, but is boycotting the current season due to being incensed over the loss of Sue and Mel. He loves Sandi and Noel, but not the circumstances surrounding their exit from the show - Paul Hollywood needs to take his soggy bottom elsewhere. - The Vicar of Dibley is his comfort food, and he is in love with Emma Chambers. - His cat is a fluffy boy named Pavlova. - Banoffee pie is his weakness. He could eat a full one and not feel guilty about it afterwards.

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melonlordkun · 8 years ago

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I was tagged by @sammythemattressthief

Rules: Answer the questions and add blogs you would like to know better!

Nickname: Melon, JCruz, ma dude

Star Sign: Pisces

Height: Six four ma dude. And yes the weather is fan-fucking-tastic up here.

Favorite Music Artist: Baauer, Eden, Datsik

Last TV Show You Watched: Voltron obvs. Unless you count King of The Hill in the background while I shoot rednecks in Mafia III.

Do You Have Any Other Blogs?: Yes. Those who want to know it can DM me and I’ll give you the URL.

Why Did You Choose Your URL?: Cause I love Avatar and Toph is bae.

Hogwarts House: Gryffindor ma dudes

Pokemon Team: Instinct

Favorite Color: Red

How Many Blankets Do You Sleep With?: Two oversized fleece ones. I like to feel weight on me when I sleep.

Following: 262

Followers: 246. Shoutout to all da porn bots who follow me. U da real MVP.

@eatcherpeas @arianaacruzzz @laughing-ninja-archer42

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theconservativebrief · 6 years ago

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Though the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards weren’t completely devoid of spectacle, the ceremony ended up being a mix of the baffling and the unmemorable. Aside from some of the performances, the ups and downs were precipitous, as the stacked list of nominees yielded fairly lukewarm wins.

Overall, it was what the ceremony lacked — a sense of cohesion or drama, somebody to properly shepherd an Aretha Franklin tribute, and any of the musical beef that’s made the show so exciting in past years — that stood out. The final Aerosmith-Post Malone performance, complete with pre-punched holes in the fake Marshall speakers onstage, served as a strange cherry on top of the cake.

Here are six winners and two losers from the night.

During the preshow, one-time VMA MVPs the Backstreet Boys started off the night by singing their recent single “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” on top of New York City’s Radio City Music Hall sign in a performance that seemed a little cramped at best.

During the ceremony, they came down from the sign to present the award for Song of the Year, singing snippets from each nominee in one of the cuter segments of the telecast. During the bit, A.J. McLean noted that one of the nominees, Camila Cabello’s “Havana,” was his daughter’s favorite song, inducing awws from the audience while serving as a general reminder of how much time has passed since the Backstreet Boys were at the peak of their popularity.

Despite being reminded that we all must die eventually, it was still nice to see the Backstreet Boys in good health and good humor, even if they didn’t get to properly perform during the main ceremony.

Jennifer Lopez at the 2018 VMAs. MTV

Not long after Shawn Mendes gave the first performance of the show, each subsequent moment began to bleed into the next in a dull haze — Tiffany Haddish made fun of Fifth Harmony during a bit with Kevin Hart, Nicki Minaj won the award for Best Hip-Hop Video, and a terrifying zygote named Bazzi took the stage and brought with him the promise of darkness and that this would all be over soon.

Thank god, then, that Jennifer Lopez was present to inject a jolt of life into the proceedings. As the recipient of this year’s Video Vanguard Award, J. Lo was on hand to perform a medley of some of her greatest hits, and though she started a little shaky with “Waiting for Tonight,” she soon found her groove and brought out the showmanship that garnered her the honor in the first place.

She hit her moves, settling in with “On the Floor” and giving energetic renditions of her peak dance hits like “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” and “Jenny From the Block.” And with rapid-fire set changes including cameos from DJ Khaled and Ja Rule, she was the first performer to bring the promise of something exciting.

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Lopez made us remember that she’s a true entertainer while underscoring that everything else about the 2018 VMAs was missing the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent that she has in spades.

Bafflingly, most of the cutaway reaction shots during the ceremony featured either empty seats or people looking half-enthused at best. The major exception to the rule was Ja Rule, who was at the show to perform “I’m Real” and “Ain’t It Funny” with Lopez.

Every shot of Ja Rule in the audience showed him grooving along to the performances and generally just looking happy to be in the room. Whether or not that good-natured display is enough to earn back the goodwill he lost over last year’s Fyre Festival debacle (which resulted in eight lawsuits) is unclear, but at least somebody at the VMAs was having a good time.

Shawn Mendes was specifically designed and created to induce crushes. The 6-foot-2, aggressively pleasant Canadian has slowly been shifting his image from “bubblegum teenage dream” to “sensitive and sensual crooner.” At no point during the VMAs was that more evident than during his performance of “In My Blood,” complete with a wet T-shirt contest for one:

Shawn Mendes got wet at the VMAs. MTV

The performance was laced with a little awkwardness (you could tell that Mendes was slightly uncomfortable and nervous), but it showed off the vocals that have made him a stan-worthy star. He couldn’t totally hide his earnest charm — something that feels a little more natural and believable than the sexy persona he’s trying to adopt. Not that his fans will have any problem with the latter.

Lopez and Mendes gave good performances, but if you were watching at home, it was a frustrating experience. There were pans away from tight choreographed pieces and wide shots of more intimate moments. It’s unclear who, if anyone, was calling the shots from the production booth.

While J. Lo’s energy was enough to sustain the momentum during her performance, the lack of organization was especially evident in the “Push Artist” segments, where new and upcoming artists were given a verse or two to sing their catchy hooks. Poor Hayley Kiyoko, a singer who grew up idolizing and incorporating boy-band choreography — uninspired camerawork flattened her performance into static pulp fit for the food court at the mall.

And there was this strange moment where a barely mic’d Mendes presented Lopez with her Video Vanguard Award, with all sorts of commotion going on in the background and a woman almost crossing into the shot:

What is even happening here? MTV

No one is expecting exquisite cinematography from the VMA crew, but if MTV wants to tout performances (since these awards don’t hold the clout of Grammys), it should do a better job of showcasing them.

Even though Cardi B opened the show by pretending to breastfeed, we never would have expected that the VMAs would be such a big night for moms. Throughout the evening, several mom shoutouts lent a sweetly sentimental tone to the telecast.

During her acceptance speech for Best New Artist, Cardi B noted that people had called her decision to have a baby a potential death knell for her career. “You know, I had a baby, I carried a baby,” she said, defiant. “I am still winning awards!”

Cardi B kicked off the show by miming breastfeeding. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for MTV

And while accepting the Video Vanguard Award, Lopez also spoke about having her children, calling them her “two little angels” and crediting them with changing her life. She also thanked her mother, Lupe, “the original dancing queen.”

The theme of motherhood continued with Ariana Grande’s performance of “God Is a Woman,” in which she brought her mother and grandmother onstage; and with Camila Cabello, who took home Artist of the Year and Video of the Year after bringing her mother as her date to the awards ceremony.

Madonna turned her tribute to Aretha Franklin into a tribute to Madonna. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for MTV

Aretha Franklin died less than a week before the VMAs, and many wondered how the show would honor the legendary Queen of Soul. It seems that since Franklin’s death ultimately overshadowed the 60th birthday of another seminal artist, Madonna, the VMAs decided to take out two birds with one stone — by inviting Madonna to pay tribute to Franklin while also presenting the Video of the Year Award.

Conceptually, that must have sounded like a tantalizing idea, but in practice, Madonna ended up rambling on about how hard it was for her to become the pop icon she now is. The implication was that she found inspiration in Franklin, and she did mention that she loved Franklin’s Lady Soul album, but ultimately, Madonna’s tribute to Franklin turned into a tribute to Madonna by Madonna. It came off tacky and disorganized, leaving many viewers with the belief that skipping a Franklin tribute would have been better than Madge’s slapdash one.

Camila Cabello wins Video of the Year. Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Camila Cabello, the autonomous former member of Fifth Harmony who defected from the now-defunct group’s other four harmonies, won two of the biggest awards of the night for her body of work and her hit song “Havana”: Video of the Year and Artist of the Year.

While Cabello and her fans will no doubt be pleased, it felt as if her trophies came at the expense of artists like Drake, Cardi B, and Ariana Grande, who went into the night with a lot more buzz and clout — something you might expect from an “artist of the year” — and videos like Childish Gambino’s “This Is America,” which was much more searing and unforgettable than the video for “Havana.”

Camila Cabello did NOT deserve that fucking award. Cardi B and Drake worked their ASS off this year and gave us bops after bops smh. This award show is forever TRASH. I’m seriously blocking Camila lmao bye #VMAS pic.twitter.com/wtglqqVxI7

— Rashid (@rashidblessed) August 21, 2018

Considering those strong contenders, the videos they’ve created, and their greater command over the public’s interest in the last year, Cabello’s wins were slightly puzzling. Though the VMAs aren’t exactly the highest merit a musician can receive, and it’s not as if Cabello has taken home a Pulitzer, it won’t be surprising if the conversation surrounding Cabello in the coming days is less about celebrating her wins and more about whom she beat in taking home two of the biggest awards of the night.

Original Source -> VMAs 2018: 6 winners and 2 losers from a mostly lackluster show

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

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