#tlc showtime

[thelovelycircusau]

// Meme Time!

[kittensoftpaw]

> Up close shots of most recent post on my AU blog Post/art

The Royal Castle~

Princess Pomni & Prince Caine ~

~ Map itself

> AU Blog Post (“The Lovely Circus” / TLC)

[ts1depot]

Previews of Oceanview, Remastered

Recently, I've been spending the past couple of weeks rehauling Oceanview, my first Sims 3 world. The first reason is that it really needed a makeover, particularly with Island Paradise in mind, since it has so many shorelines and open water. The original version had tons of routing paint in the exact places where people with Island Paradise might've wanted to place houseboats, so I'm sure this made for a frustrating experience.

The second reason is that people who played the world complained that it seemed sparsely decorated. They weren't imagining things. They were right. There's a reason behind this, but there's an intriguing story behind it. The world was about 90% complete when I needed major surgery. I wasn't sure what state I'd be in afterwards so I kind of threw the world out there in case I wasn't up to finishing it.

When I recovered, I kept going back to tweak Oceanview here and there, but I got so caught up in completing my other worlds that I never really went back and gave the world the TLC that it deserved. Finally, for the first time in years, I'll be able to.

I'll try and keep the world more or less in the spirit of the original release, but there'll be some noticeable changes, particularly the interiors and the placement of the largest Showtime lots. Also, the houses below will see the most changes in terms of their interiors and landscaping. The floor plans were an absolute mess, so in the Remastered version of Oceanview, they'll hopefully be up to snuff.

[alexandrite-dragoness]

My Final Thoughts on Persona 3 Reload :)

Hello all! ^^

I just happened to finish Persona 3 Reload recently and wanted to give my own personal thoughts on it. Of course I won't go into many specific details and make this into an essay, so I'll just put in what I enjoyed, what I didn't like and what I'm looking forward to in a potential DLC.

Also on that note a good chunk of my thoughts will be regarding Strega (Jin and Takaya in particular), since they are personally my favorite villains from the game and I was looking forward to seeing any additional scenes they were given.

So let us begin (this does contain spoilers so be wary)

What I did Enjoy (or Absolutely Loved):

☑ Social Link Episodes (& the Full-On Voice Acting)

First off, I want to express my gratitude for Atlus in taking the time to apply some TLC to the less appreciated characters in P3. This is especially true for Shinjiro, who I felt was the least fleshed out among the rest of SEES (and, you know, for valid reasons). He did have more moments of his own specifically in Persona 3 Portable if you play as the female protagonist, but unfortunately that even had its limit. That also gave us a moment with Mitsuru to explain about her past with Shinjiro and Akihiko, giving us a bit of a flashback which I think is a neat touch! Strega also was given some decent amount of treatment in the remake as well, showing two (or was it three?) exclusive scenes with Jin and Takaya and lifting some of their mysterious past midway through the game rather than shoving all of it to the end (however I do my complaints regarding that still, but I digress).

The additional voice overs for the social links is an incredible touch, it made me even appreciate some of the characters even more (or even starting to like the ones I didn't care about before). Yuko after spending some time with her became one of my favorite SLs in the game, she has such a neat and endearing attitude in her voice and I dig it a lot! Hidetoshi came close to my second fave, when switching from a uptight attitude to some occasions a more softening/somber approach was when I started appreciating him a little more.

ʚїɞ

☑ Additional Evening Activities (+Kitchen & Rooftop)

To be honest during my first and early experience in Persona 3 (FES) the evenings were a bit of a drag. There was no part-time jobs during that point (part-times didn't happen until P3P) and there were only two social links that appeared at night. So more often than not I'd be studying away at my desk or kill some time at the mall some other way (and I wasn't enjoying half the time).

Fortunately Reload (for the most part) fixed that issue by giving us the opportunity to hang out with our teammates in the dorm/lounge room in the evenings. This also added a new mechanic to give these team members a gauge/characteristic for battle. During those times too, even if they didn't raise their battle perk at the moment, they may either give you a useful item for battles or raise one of your social stats in the meanwhile.

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☑ QoL Additions (+Theurgy)

Trying to keep this part brief but I do enjoy the additional quality of life content they added to the same, some even adapted from P3P itself (this includes the part time jobs). As much as I enjoyed Theurgy and the perks it came with it, I was hoping they were going to do a "Showtime" gig with the team (having a Akihiko and Shinjiro duo attack would've been awesome ngl), but I'm pretty satisfied with what we have too. Also the fact they gave Fuuka abilities is all I ever wanted!! :D She's now more useful than ever, thank goodness.

Regarding outside-of-battle changes; one of them I noticed is how you were able to revive Chidori. Originally you had to talk to Junpei on four separate days on September just to convince him to visit her in the hospital. In Reload they completely changed it so you just had to buy the white flowers. It's a little more straight-forward and I actually enjoyed that change. One change I was indifferent on was Yukari's SL where, when reversing the arcana, they made the choice more obvious where you would say she is a girl rather than hugging her in hopes to make her feel better. While I wasn't the most thrilled on the change I can see why it was made.

ʚїɞ

☑ More Strega >:)

Oh hell yeah!! I was super ecstatic when I saw the new scenes when I played through the game >:D not only was I ready to kick their ass again, but seeing what else is in store regarding their tasks and potential additional backstory.

We already know Chidori got enough screentime as is, so I was looking forward to seeing what Atlus has given to the male duo of the antagonizing group. A lot of them are the same, but some of the others definitely more focused on Takaya when he went to interact with the protagonist. Originally the protagonist never mingled with the villains (in fact it felt mostly ignored in every encountered they had), so when Takaya shows keen interest on the protagonist and how he wields multiple Personas, it gave Takaya his own moment of development as he tries to convince the protagonist to "not throw his gift away" and embrace the Dark Hour as is. Takaya already shows to have no interest or attachment with anyone (rip Jin), but the fact he did end up questioning himself whether or not he was feeling any attachment for the Wild Card, it was indeed a new look on how we see him as a villain.

ALSO BDJKVBJDS THEIR WHOLE FINAL BATTLES WERE WILD!! Jin stabbing himself with those enhancement drugs went raw, and Takaya having an unbelievable Thuergy attack surely took me by surprise!!! This is not without my own complaints for them, ofc...

ʚїɞ

☑ T h e B u i l d - u p (& The Cinematic Experience overall)

When first jumping into the game it already gives a creepy-and-almost-horror vibe to the introduction of the game. You finally got off at your stop, making your way to the student dormitory only for the sky to turn green and the puddles of blood to appear all of the sudden. It's a real nice way to showing what the Dark Hour is, without telling you right away what (which makes it even more unnerving).

And then jumping to 3/5 being the final day of the game, the whole entire scene with you laying on Aigis's lap gives you time to get hit in the feels once the android gets to say what she finds in her meaning of life. Love that it was more of a cinematic experience, since I didn't have to click "X" to continue any sort of dialogue and therefore get to sit back and relax and watch everything happening. And the dialogue choices you choose... damn, the layout for that does a lot with the timing given too. I really enjoyed the ending a lot more than the original for sure, and seeing the cast running up the stairs to find you was such a great addition (That's how it went for the 2014 P3 movie as well).

Regarding the Social Links:

Another note I've taken is with the addition of voice acting, talking to everyone on the 4th day of March adds a lot more emotion to their dialogues, as you get to find out what some of them wanted to do with their life after school. The little details they added definitely adds a whole layer of accomplishment and knowing what you did to save the world was very much worth it, and being able to secure all your friends' futures. I love that emotional feeling when I went to talk all the SLs I maxed :')

ʚїɞ

now unto...

My If's and But's:

⍉ The Voice Cast

I gotta admit: Since the start of my playthrough I wasn't a huge fan of few of the voice cast for certain characters (Akihiko and Ikutsuki were some of the big ones). Some of those however did grow on me, and I started to appreciate them more the farther I got into the game. Junpei and Mitsuru in my opinion were perfect on their own 👌 no complaints with them. Fuuka is also perfect, gives me Fluttershy vibes LOL. Yukari and Aigis took only a little time to get used to and I think they're almost perfect for their roles as well. Aleks Le as the protagonist was also a great choice!

Akihiko in particular took me a lot longer in getting used to- I've always thought Liam O Brian was perfect as the original VA for Akihiko. After some time getting used to it, he started to grow on me. Same for Takaya too, as I wasn't so sure what I thought of him at first but his evil laughs surely did him justice. Speaking of Justice- Ken also took some getting used to, since at first he didn't exactly sound like a kid to me at the start (there's a difference between sounding like a kid, or sounding like a woman trying to sound like a kid).

The ones I'm more 'eh' about is Ikutsuki and Jin. Ikutsuki sounds a bit too mature for my liking, as his lighthearted jokes doesn't match with his voice at all to me. And while Jin did sound like his snarky self in the Strega introduction and while facing off against SEES... he also has a shift of tone in other scenes?? It was a weird mix to me when I first notice it, I wasn't sure what that was about (could be me being very particular about it as a Jin fan myself). Best guess is he chooses to drop his act when he's around Takaya, revealing how he actually talks (also can we talk about the fact that Jin actually shows care for Chidori?? Like? This is amazing on so many levels??)

ʚїɞ

⍉ Some Dialogue Changes

It was to be expected that the Reloaded script isn't going to be 1:1 ratio with the original (especially if it's a little outdated and out of touch), but I can't help but some difference in dialogue that I feel is odd or seen as unnecessary.

One of the first things I noticed is how much they toned down some of Yukari's dialogues in regards to her attitude. I get that some of her lines can come off as rude or maybe even uncalled for, but I feel like that adds a bit to her character. To only soften her up makes some of her conflicts with the other characters not as... compelling.

Another irk I had was when they have Akihiko say random outbursts of "What?" or "What was that?", which I don't recall hearing him say that many times- Huh? Oh, you thought I would be complaining about the protein mentions lol. Tho tbf the random 'protein' lines was indeed a bit much, but it wasn't as over the top as some hardcore fans put it as. It was tolerable, at worst, but it was the random 'what' lines he had that threw me off the most.

ʚїɞ

⍉ No FeMC:

Now I'm not really down about the lack of FeMC in the game, since Reload is supposed to go off of the original games to start with. As much as I would love a female protagonist in Reload, I can live without one. Chances are, who knows, maybe there will be a potential DLC content with her in the future? Could be a long stretch.

ʚїɞ

What I feel the Game Lacked (or no likey):

☒ The Iconic Animated Cutscene (Specifically: MC's Awakening)

Now this game isn't without some flaws, that's for sure!

When we got to the cutscene at the rooftop when Yukari and the protagonist were about to face the Magician Arcana boss, I thought the awakening scene would've been 2D animated- just how it was for the original (the P3 movie did this scene extremely well; in fact my favorite so far). While the cutscene we were given wasn't bad at all (I'm not trying to say it is), but I feel like giving that same scene the 2D Anime treatment would've looked a lot better! The animators could really push for some dynamic angles or animation movements that would've sold to be more epic than it being in 3D.

I would definitely understand if they wanted to balance out between doing two-dimensional and doing three-dimensional throughout the entire game, but in my personally bias the 2D animated scenes have a unique charm to their looks and I almost always prefer that over the typical in-game scenes (after all I did feel like there wasn't many 2D animated scenes throughout).

ʚїɞ

☒ The Change of the Heart Items

Now this is more of a personal nitpick for me, playing FES as my first P3 game (techically I started Portable first, but then I fully switched over to FES), but I missed the original heart items I'd get by leveling up my Personas. From what I recall: The heart items you'd get would be accessories you'd give to your teammates that can indeed block certain elemental attacks. It was extremely useful to block certain weaknesses my team would have and it helped out pretty well. Speaking of, are they still in the game? Mhe, I may have to go through my NG+ to see if they do exist, cuz chances are I must've missed it.

ʚїɞ

And now for my final nitpick...

☒ Lack of Jin/other Strega content (& his development in Reload)

Now personally, I like Jin.

Actually that's a lie: I love Jin! Both design-wise and as a character! So you can expect me to go off on why I believed Atlus wasted their potential to build his character up based on very little development he received from the games. First off: You only ever see him around Takaya 99% of the time (only time by himself is at the top of Tartarus, tho that's different given he's there for Takaya's wish). Second of all: Atlus really made it sound like they'd do Strega some good by giving them their much needed backstory that they lacked since the existence of P3. But instead, most of that effort went to Takaya, leaving Jin in the dust once more.

While I did feel I put my expectations a little too high for them to work with Jin on that matter, I believe it would've done some good if they chose to flesh him out as an actual character, starting by seeing him outside the Dark Hour and on his own typing away on his laptop or something...

And while I did mention already that Jin did show actual concern for Chidori in the game (that I'm very much happy about), I felt that quickly went away as soon as the two went to 'rescue' Chidori from the hospital (and Jin's "hurry up already" doesn't really help with that either). And when Chidori gave her life up for Junpei during that scene, Jin... didn't really show much reaction at all, which was very much a downer.

Meanwhile I also relaized they cut back on some of Jin's usual battle animations during the fight, which was extremely disappointing. So there was no backflips, no breakdancing out of a Knock Down, none of that. And he doesn't even toss his grenade in his walk cycle anymore (perhaps that was for the best if he's out in public). And after beating Jin at the top of Tartarus and leaving him behind with a bunch of Shadows that just appeared (now this is just me), they didn't even bother making an animation of him pulling out a grenade or whatever. Just a cut in at the team running off and hearing an explosion after that, leaving it to you to use your imagination how it went. I also realized Fuuka didn't turn her head to look at Jin before leaving off-screen, which is a shame too.

So yeah, tldr; real lack of effort put into Jin as he gets the short end of the stick like usual.

ʚїɞ

Conclusion: What I'm Looking Forward to...

Now with my praises and rants out of the way, I do have some hopes for any later content Atlus may give for Reload in the upcoming future. Specifically any DLCs they may make, since I feel it has been hinted at (or rumored?) there will be new content in the future.

One of my hopes is for The Answer DLC. Given we've already taken a look at the Senpai Trio's past already in Reload and Aigis, after losing her beloved leader, would be going through a rough patch of phase of existential crisis. And the original Answer had some problems, as it became somewhat controversial within the fandom (particularly with Yukari). At this point it would give Atlus a good opportunity to fix some of the issues within the game (especially regarding the bosses and battles, like jesus christ!) and flesh it out better. And after playing through the game and seeing subtle hints that Aigis would be given future development post-Journey, I have no doubt The Answer will come out in a timely manner.

My other hope (which is more of a self-indulgent request, but whatev), if possible, that after expressing my issues and concerns with villains already, Atlus may take up the opportunity to create an exclusive Strega DLC! For that to be happening can indeed be very unlikely (I know), but if there's ever a possibility that they can perhaps take inspiration or rip a page out of the Shadow Cry novel that is about Strega, it would definitely help flesh them out and show what their routines are like day-to-day. They can even make it a short and cheap type of content, I wouldn't care, I'll take whatever they would have!

On that note: Some more Strega merch would be nice...

Anyways, thanks to anyone who took the time to read this (this took me a couple hours to write up), and have a good rest of your day :)

[moochilatv]

Juliet Lyons and Lili Haydn presents: Dum Spiro Spero

ENYA vibes here

Downtempo/Ambient/Global Beats/New Age - an uplifting and healing song featuring mostly wordless ethereal female vocals, violin, and percussion grooves, with a vibe somewhat like Peter Gabriel meets Massive Attack.

"Dum Spiro Spero" means "While I Breathe, I Hope"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Juliet Lyons (@julietlyons.music)

Juliet Lyons is a Billboard-charting recording artist and production music composer. She is best known for her soaring, emotional vocals in trailers, Trance, and New Age music, though her many musical influences inspire her to sing and write in genres across the board.

Her singing was featured on the official trailer for Disney's live-action retelling of Cinderella and her original songs and music has been heard in over 200 television shows on NBC, ABC, CBS, HBO, ABC Family, MTV, VH1, E!, Lifetime, Showtime, Bravo, Discovery, National Geographic, TLC, Cinemax, CMT, etc. Honors including winning two Hollywood Music in Media Awards and a Peace Song Award. Juliet currently resides in Los Angeles.

Listen the new single in Spotify:

The album BREATH OF GRATTITUDE:

Special guests:

Kirsten Agresta Copely (Grammy® Nominee) - Harp (Delicate Dance) @kcopelymusic ⭑ Esin Aydingoz (Grammy® Nominee)- String Arrangements and String Programming (Sunrise, Healing Hymn, New Life) @esinaydingoz ⭑ MB Gordy (Grammy® Winner) - Percussion (Sunrise, Healing Hymn, Dum Spiro Spero) @mbgordy ⭑ Lili Haydn (Grammy® Winner, Emmy® Nominee) - Violin (Dum Spiro Spero) @lilihaydn ⭑ Robin Sandoval - Additional Backing Vocals (Sunrise, Dum Spiro Spero) @robinsandovalmusic ⭑ Wenda Williamson - Harp (Heart Awakened) ⭑ Euro Zambrano (Latin Grammy® Nominee) - Percussion (Breath of Gratitude, New Life) @eurozambrano

Mixed by: Lonnie Park (Grammy® Winner) @lonniepark

Mastered by: Hans deKline (Grammy® Winner) @hansdekline

MB’s Recording Engineer: Lucas Fehring (Grammy® Winner) @lucasfehring

Euro Zambrano Percussion Multitracks Recorded by Euro @ EZ Recording Studio. Euro uses @telefunken_mics

[wavehq]

enjoy limitless possibilities here in celestire islands, renai lambert ( insidious series ), padme amidala ( star wars ), rosita espionsa ( the walking dead ), and ada wong ( resident evil ), where you can start the new life you've always longed for. make sure you read the checklist, as we'll be sending the discord link through ims! enjoy your new dream, becca!

( insidious series, dupes not allowed.  rose byrne, she/her, cis woman. )  ——-  hey, is that ( renai lambert ) hanging around ( carnation creamery )? i wonder what life is like for them, balancing working as a ( forty four ) year old ( librarian ) and ( reading a book by her window )? they’re notorious for being ( protective ) yet ( sarcastic ), and i always seem to hear ( no scrubs ) by ( tlc ) playing whenever they walk past. they’re known around the islands for ( trying to talk to spirits with a ouija board ), and they’re associated with ( music sheets all over the place, constantly kicking childrens toys ). last we spoke, they were telling me about a vision they had… something about their biggest regret being ( not being able to protect her children ), but it must have just been a bad dream. //  —  [ becca, 30 / est, she/her. ]

( star wars , dupes not allowed. natalie portman, she/her, cis female. )  ——-  hey, is that ( padme amidala ) hanging around ( rose library )? i wonder what life is like for them, balancing working as a ( forty two ) year old ( professor ) and ( going for hikes/jogs )? they’re notorious for being ( head strong ) yet ( rebellious ), and i always seem to hear ( cosmic love ) by ( florence + the machine) playing whenever they walk past. they’re known around the islands for ( often disappearing to clear her head ), and they’re associated with ( being able to protect herself and not a damsel in distress, long, flowy dresses ). last we spoke, they were telling me about a vision they had… something about their biggest regret being ( not trying to help her hsuband before it was too late ), but it must have just been a bad dream. //  —  [ becca, 30 / est, she/her. ]

( the walking dead (series) , dupes not allowed. christian serratos, she/her, cis female. )  ——-  hey, is that ( rosita espinosa ) hanging around ( axe quest )? i wonder what life is like for them, balancing working as a ( thirty two ) year old ( security guard) and ( kickboxing )? they’re notorious for being ( brave ) yet ( fiesty ), and i always seem to hear ( one way or another ) by ( blondie) playing whenever they walk past. they’re known around the islands for ( having a hidden temper that she hides by kickboxing ), and they’re associated with ( wearing leather jackets no matter the weather, combat boots and her hair up or in a braid ). last we spoke, they were telling me about a vision they had… something about their biggest regret being ( not being able to watch her daughter grow up ), but it must have just been a bad dream. //  —  [ becca, 30 / est, she/her. ]

( resident evil, dupes not allowed.  ming xi, she/her, cis female. )  ——-  hey, is that ( ada wong ) hanging around ( showtime theater )? i wonder what life is like for them, balancing working as a ( thirty ) year old ( investigator ) and ( painting )? they’re notorious for being ( confident ) yet ( mysterious ), and i always seem to hear ( you don't own me ) by ( lesley gore ) playing whenever they walk past. they’re known around the islands for ( doing what she can t help people around her ), and they’re associated with ( tight red dress and heels, doing things that are for her ). last we spoke, they were telling me about a vision they had… something about their biggest regret being ( betraying Leon Kennedy ), but it must have just been a bad dream. //  —  [ becca, 30 / est, she/her. ]

[jonzykid]

undefined

AN ERA >>> Watching Apollo performances on Saturday nights ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[tvshowbloger-blog]

Welcome To The Blog!

Now I know what you're thinking, what is this blog about right!? Let me break it down to you. Im a enaged man who gets drunk & faded off that good good (facts) and has an opinion about the shows that me & my future wife watch. “WARNING” My spelling may not be that good. I was never was a straight ‘A’ student in spelling &......I'm Drunk/Faded....Yeah thank you for understanding. We watch a lot of shows from like. “90 Day fiancé, Game Of Thrones (Even though the show is over) (”Drake Tear”) My Hero academia (Yeah.......we fucks with anime) & etc. Usually when we watch a show we get hooked. Meaning: More Blogs about a certain show. Not saying I usually get Drunk/Faded Friday nights  & Sundays..But ill be posting those days of the week. Follow To Keep Updated On Show Opinions & Conversation. GOT DAMN IM ON FUCK!!!!!!  

[stereoculturesociety]

CultureVIDEO: “What About Your Friends (Live)” - TLC

Friday night jam. Showtime At The Apollo 1992. Lit. 

[ericeqyoung-blog]

EQ replaced TLC cancellation concert, at the state fair, get well Chilly" we got your back #tlc #teameq #ericeqyoung🎸 #sacramento #stocktonca #showtime (at Cal Expo Fairgrounds) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0CN0KXniKz/?igshid=gfwt0nkqbl9h

[thelovelycircusau]

Has Pomni ever snuck over to Caine's statue to look at it, you know, respectfully?

Caine would like to know too- he loves someone who appreciates his masterpieces!

🔞 NSFW/Nude Caine version on Ko-fi & Patreon~

[tellytuber]

12 shows of 2019

I recently started what will most likely be my top shows of 2020 when I realized I never posted my 2019 list! Better 7 months late than never. Without further adieu:

The new (and sometimes old) series and seasons that made my year. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: A random S3-7 rewatch inspired me to play around with my own rip-off story that I became very obsessed with.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency [BBC America]: An extremely fun weird beautiful ride that deserved at least 1 or 2 more seasons.

90 Day Fiancé (the franchise) [TLC]: Trash tv at its finest. For added fun and generational whiplash, concurrently watch the pioneer of voyeuristic reality tv: Michael Apted’s Up series.

Better Things (S3) [FX]: It started great and gets better and better every year. Like Pamela Adlon herself. 

Workin’ Moms (S2) [CBC/Netflix]: This season reinvented the meet-cute, smartly swapped main/side characters, and delivered a wallop of a season finale that perfectly bookended the premiere. 

Claws (S3) [TNT]: The season that finally delivered on its premise in the weirdest, bloodiest, and most fabulous ways.

Silicon Valley (final season) [HBO]: A solid ending for a solid comedy that brought me a lot of joy over the years.

The Other Two [Comedy Central]: The freshest funniest new thing! Quirky. Delightful. Relatable. And just enough emotion and love without crossing into saccharine. Also, it introduced me to Josh Segarra, who I am now in love with.

Barry (ronny/lily) [HBO]: This. Episode. 

Legion (final season) [FX]: From the psychedelic premiere alone, I knew this was going to land on my list again. As much of a visual and auditory work of art as ever, this final bow tightened up the story enough to be a satisfying ending. Also, this ship.

Succession (S2) [HBO]: L to the OG. Boar on the floor. Holly Hunter. Cherry Jones. Stefan Strauss. Gerri and Roman. Brian Cox in every scene. Jeremy Strong’s face. No other show feels like a tight coil in your stomach waiting for the pin to drop while you laugh at filthy insults.

On Becoming a God in Central Florida [Showtime]: This bizarre murky pastel colored 90′s-set dark dramedy immediately hooked me in with its oddness. By the time Dunst’s Krystal took a bird-induced surreal odyssey through Floridian suburbia I was absolutely in love.

Lodge 49 [AMC]: A gem. Influenced by two of my most beloved series: Cheers and Peep Show, I was bound to love this. But it is a masterpiece all on its own. So funny and so sad. It manages to oscillate between silliness and philosophy. It is literary in both text and image. So deeply human in its study of the journey to find meaning in contemporary life. Such a unique meditative show didn’t stand a chance, but the cancellation hurt like the devil nonetheless. (Even more so when not long after AMC premiered a slightly similar show with bigger names and a flashier premise.) Go watch seasons 1 & 2 on Hulu!

[rubykgrant]

1,3 and 7 for the ask thing!

1- Six of the songs you listen to the most

Recently, I’ve been on a kick where I listen to “Interlude IV (Showtime)” by Zach Callison like once a day. Some of my long-time favorites are “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister, “Wild Wild West” by Will Smith, “Allstar” by Smash Mouth”, “No Scrubs” by TLC, and “The Power of Live” by Jennifer Cihi

3- Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17

“Carter fended off the other criosphinx, stabbing it with his khopesh, but the monster parried his strikes with its horns and breathed fire” The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan

7- What’s your strangest talent?

So, I have two. I can burp whenever I want, which might not seem that weird, but HOW it happened is; I got this really big electric shock when I was little by touching exposed wires on this plug-in piano. When I got zapped, I sucked in air really harshly, and it went down the wrong tube I guess... when I jumped up and got away from the piano, I exhaled, and it came out as a burp. Ever since then, I can suck in air a certain way, and burp. The other is the fact that when I was little and trying to figure out how to wiggle my eyebrows, I discovered that I can make the whole top of my head move. If you put your hand on your head, you can probably move your skin and hair around a little... but under that is your thin layer of muscle, and for most people, it is attatched to your skull. MINE just... isn’t. So when I flex the muscles in my forehead, I can make the top and the back of my head wiggle. I figured this out when I was about 5, and kids at school thought I was wearing a wig or something and tried to pull my hair off (this also started my interest in trying to figure out how to move all my individual muscles on their own. I can’t get all of them to do it, but I can with a lot of em)

Thanks for asking~

[kontextmaschine]

Trying to recreate my childhood TV channel list from memory

2 - FOX

3 - NBC/CBS (they switched at one point)

4 - CSPAN

5 - ??? or maybe CSPAN and 4 was a guide?

6 - ABC

7 - indie, then WB/CW

8 - indie, then UPN

9 - ???

10 - CBS/NBC

11 - ???

12 - PBS

13 - HBO

14 - Cinemax

15 - Showtime

16 - PRISM (local premium), later Starz

17 - Disney

18-20 - ??? maybe shopping/religious/Spanish?

21 - the New Jersey Network

22 - TNT

23 - TBS

24 - CNN

27 - Family

28 - TNN

29-30 - shopping maybe?

31 - MTV

32 - The Weather Channel

33 - Discovery

34-36 - ??? TLC?

37 - Lifetime

38? - ESPN

40 - VH1

41 - Comedy Central

43? - E!

44 - Nickelodeon

48 - History

53 - MSNBC

56? - CNBC

65 - The Box

95 - one of the scrambled porn channels

96 - the other one

[thebryanandsilvergarbage]

The Silver Garbage Awards: Worst of the Decade

Like with the Bryan Awards, I went back and picked my worst of the decade.  Please note, the nominees were nominated as the way they were placed when I originally did these awards.  Apologies in advance to anyone that may be offended by certain category placements.

- Eligibility Period is January 1, 2010 to May 31, 2019; which means anything that aired over the Summer or Fall is ineligible. - Sharknado is being entered for ALL of their movies as one. - Lead and Supporting Actor and Actress will be regardless of Comedy and Drama, and if an actor was nominated for multiple shows in that category, they will be nominated for ALL of the shows in that category over the course of the last ten years. - “Winners” will be announced by Friday, as I pick the “Bottom 2″.

And the Unlucky Nominees Are (I archived everything this decade, unlike the 2000s, where a few years suddenly disappeared off the face of the Earth due to the technology I had back then)...

Silver Garbage Awards - The WORST of the Decade

Eligibility Period: January 1, 2010 to May 31, 2019

Worst Comedy Series of the Decade: Animal Practice (NBC) Camping (HBO) Kevin Can Wait (CBS) Living Biblically (CBS) The McCarthys (CBS) Mulaney (Fox) The Muppets (ABC) Son of Zorn (Fox) White Famous (Showtime) Work It (ABC) Worst Drama Series of the Decade: Doubt (CBS) Here and Now (HBO) Ironside (NBC) Lone Star (Fox) Made in Jersey (CBS) Magnum P.I. (CBS) The Mysteries of Laura (NBC) The Playboy Club (NBC) Roadies (Showtime) 24: Legacy (Fox)

Worst Actor in a Series of the Decade: Eddie Cibrian - The Playboy Club (NBC) Andrew Dice Clay - Dice (Showtime) Corey Hawkins - 24: Legacy (Fox) Kevin James - Kevin Can Wait (CBS) Justin Kirk - APB (Fox) & Animal Practice (NBC) Ashton Kutcher - The Ranch (Netflix) & Two and a Half Men (CBS) John Mulaney - Mulaney (Fox) Charlie Sheen - Anger Management (FXX) & Two and a Half Men (CBS) Blair Underwood - Ironside (NBC) James Wolk - Lone Star (Fox) 

Worst Actress in a Series of the Decade:

Jenna Elfman - Accidentally on Purpose (CBS) & Imaginary Mary (ABC)

Jennifer Garner - Camping (HBO)

Amber Heard - The Playboy Club (NBC)

Katherine Heigl - Doubt (CBS)

Ben Koldyke - Work It (ABC)

Debra Messing - The Mysteries of Laura (NBC)

Janet Montgomery - Made in Jersey (CBS)

Adrianne Palicki - Lone Star (Fox)

Leah Remini - Kevin Can Wait (CBS) & Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (A&E)

Frankie Shaw - SMILF (Showtime)

Worst Supporting Actor in a Series of the Decade:

Elliott Gould - Doubt (CBS)

David Keith - Lone Star (Fox)

Ben Koldyke - Mr. Robinson (NBC)

David Krumholtz - Living Biblically (CBS) & The Playboy Club (NBC)

Josh Lucas - Mysteries of Laura (NBC)

Kyle MacLachlan - Made in Jersey (CBS)

Amaury Nolasco - Deception (ABC) and Telenovela (NBC)

Stephen Tobolowsky - Californication (Showtime) & White Famous (Showtime)

Jon Voight - Lone Star (Fox) 

Daniel Zovatto - Here and Now (HBO)

Worst Supporting Actress in a Series of the Decade:

Sosie Bacon - Here and Now (HBO)

Laura Benanti - The Playboy Club (NBC)

Crystal the Monkey - Animal Practice (NBC)

Spencer Grammer - Ironside (NBC)

Natasha Leggero - Dice (Showtime) & Free Agents (NBC)

Juliette Lewis - Camping (HBO)

Amaury Nolasco - Work It (ABC)

Rosie O’Donnell - SMILF (Showtime)

Nasim Pedrad - Mulaney (Fox)

Perdita Weeks - Magnum P.I. (CBS)

Worst Special Class Program of the Decade:

A Christmas Story LIVE! (Fox)

The Bad Seed (Lifetime)

CBS News Presents the Gayle King Interview with R. Kelly (CBS)

The Decision (ESPN)

Dirty Dancing (ABC)

Flowers in the Attic/Petals In the Wind (Lifetime)

The Maya Rudolph Show (NBC)

The Passion (Fox)

Sharknado: ALL of Them (SyFy)

True Detective: Season 2 (HBO)

Worst Reality Program of the Decade:

Chrisley Knows Best (USA)

Dating Naked (VH1)

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo (TLC)

Jersey Shore (MTV)

The Job (CBS)

Keeping Up With the Kardashians (E!)

Kocktails with Khloe (FYI)

Million Dollar Mile (CBS)

3 (CBS)

Utopia (Fox)

Worst Special Class Actor of the Decade:

Woody Allen - Crisis in Six Scenes (Netflix)

Johnny Depp - Funny or Die Presents Donald Trump: The Art of the Deal (Netflix)

Colin Farrell - True Detective: Season 2 (HBO)

LeBron James - The Decision (ESPN)

R. Kelly - CBS News Presents The Gayle King Interview with R. Kelly (CBS)

Rob Lowe - The Bad Seed & Beautiful & Twisted (both Lifetime)

Navi - Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland (Lifetime)

Tyler Perry - The Passion (Fox) 

Colt Prattes - Dirty Dancing (ABC)

Ian Ziering - Sharknado (SyFy)

Worst Special Class Actress of the Decade:

Natasha Bassett - Britney Ever After (Lifetime)

Abigail Breslin - Dirty Dancing (ABC)

Agnes Bruckner - The Anna Nicole Story (Lifetime)

Ashley Jones - The Secret Sex Life of a Single Mom (Lifetime)

Lindsay Lohan - Liz & Dick (Lifetime)

Rachel McAdams - True Detective: Season 2 (HBO)

Tara Reid - Sharknado (SyFy)

Maya Rudolph - A Christmas Story LIVE (Fox) & The Maya Rudolph Show (NBC)

Zoe Saldana - Rosemary’s Baby (NBC)

Paz Vega - Beautiful & Twisted (Lifetime)

Worst Special Class Supporting Actor of the Decade:

Fred Armisen - The Maya Rudolph Show (NBC)

Chris Daughtry - The Passion (Fox)

Chris Diamantapoulos - A Christmas Story: LIVE! (Fox)

James Franco - Mother, May I Sleep With Danger? (Netflix)

Bruce Greenwood - Dirty Dancing (ABC)

David Hasselhoff - Sharknado (SyFy) 

Taylor Kitsch - True Detective: Season 2 (HBO)

Matt Lauer - Leaving Neverland (HBO)

Seal - The Passion (Fox)

Christopher Walken - Peter Pan LIVE (NBC)

Worst Special Class Supporting Actress of the Decade:

Ellen Burstyn - Flowers in the Attic/Petals On the Wind (Lifetime)

Miley Cyrus - Crisis in Six Scenes (Amazon Prime), A Very Murray Christmas (Netflix), & 2013 MTV VMA Awards (MTV)

Heather Graham - Flowers in the Attic/Petals On the Wind (Lifetime)

Carla Hall - The Passion (Fox)

Kylie Jenner - Michael Buble’s Christmas In Hollywood (NBC)

Debra Messing - Dirty Dancing (ABC)

Nicole Scherzinger - Dirty Dancing (ABC)

Tori Spelling - Sharknado: The Last One (SyFy)

Jillian Walchuck - Britney Ever After (Lifetime)

Trisha Yearwood - The Passion (Fox)

Worst Ensemble of the Decade:

Dirty Dancing (ABC)

Doubt (CBS)

Here and Now (HBO)

Ironside (NBC)

Jersey Shore (MTV)

Lone Star (Fox)

The Muppets (ABC)

Mulaney (Fox)

The Passion (Fox)

The Playboy Club (NBC)

Worst Screen Duo of the Decade:

Animal Practice - Justin Kirk & Crystal the Monkey (NBC)

Charlie’s Angels - Any TWO or More Angels (ABC)

Flowers In the Attic - Kiernan Shipka & Mason Dye (Lifetime)

Free Agents - Hank Azaria & Kathryn Hahn (NBC)

The Muppets - Kermit the Frog and either Miss Piggy or Denise (ABC)

Petals On The Wind - Rose McIver & Wyatt Nash (Lifetime)

The Playboy Club - Any TWO Bunnies or Mobsters (NBC)

The T.Ocho Show - Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson & Terrell Owens (Versus)

Two and a Half Men - Jon Cryer & Ashton Kutcher/Charlie Sheen (CBS)

Work It - Ben Koldyke & Amaury Nolasco (ABC)

Worst Remake, Sequel, or Spin-Off of the Decade:

Blue Lagoon: The Awakening (Lifetime) - Remake/Sequel of 1980 Film

Dirty Dancing (ABC) - Remake of 1987 Film

Heroes: Reborn (NBC) - Spin-Off of the 2000s Action Series

Ironside (NBC) - Remake of 1960s/1970s Raymond Burr Cop Show

Jersey Shore: Family Reunion (MTV) - Spin-Off of the 2010s Reality Show Jersey Shore

Mockingbird Lane (NBC) - Remake of 1960s Sitcom The Munsters

The Muppets (ABC) - Spin-Off of the 1970s Variety Sketch Series

Murphy Brown (CBS) - Revival of 1990s Sitcom

24: Legacy (Fox) - Spin-Off of 2010s Action Show

Work It (ABC) - Rip-Off of 1980s Sitcom Bosom Buddies

[alitheamateur]

The Grind-Chapter 9

Warnings: Mentions of violence.

Colton had offered to retrieve my car and park it on the top level of the parking garage, so the herd of relentless paparazzi outside wouldn’t catch a shot of me leaving the hotel in clothes from the night before, at 10 a.m the following day. The 16-minute drive back to my apartment had soothed me deeper into a sleepy trance, along with the settling smorgasbord from breakfast. A dizzy nausea was attacking me too, as the nerves for Colton’s fight in only a handful of hours kept growing, and growing. He liked to be the overly-confident big mouth when it came to the topic, but I knew there had to be a sliver of anxious stress somewhere in him. I knew because I’d heard him go on & on about how “important this was to his career,” and he “hated to admit it, but he really needed to prove himself across the world of MMA.” 

I gulped a swig of Pepto Bismol from the bathroom medicine cabinet, and stripped my clothes for a much needed power nap in my bed which suddenly felt like rocky ground after sleeping on the expensive pillowtop at the hotel last night.

Warmer days were more & more frequent in the city now, so I was able to wear a suede peep-toe bootie that night. I followed instruction and sported my leather jacket per Colton’s request, along with a loose-fitting black shift dress that rubbed at my mid-thigh. My makeup a bit more dramatic courtesy of the cobalt blue trace of eyeliner I added, and my hair left down, tousled with loose waves. I never usually let it get much passed shoulder length as it held more tangles in doing so. But, the man in my life had quite the attraction to my now very lengthy, ombre blonde strands. Any time he’d escort me to the shower, I was required to turn my back to him for a brief moment so he could observe the water cascading through my hair, causing it to paint slickly down to the bra line of my back. He combed his digits through the ends, tracing the flow of warm water down to the noticeable dimples indented in the small of my back. So, not quite ready to let go of that particular little habit he had developed, I indulged him with a longer style for now. Wrestling with myself after awaking from my nap, I texted him.

L: Thanks again for last night <3  I’ll be sure to pack my first aid kit in case you need some extra TLC tonight!

Fully expecting just to be left on “read” without a reply, I was all the more pleasantly surprised when I heard his designated text tone chime across the bedroom.

C: No. Thank YOU for last night. And if those medical supplies you’re talkin’ about include a tight fittin’ little nurse outfit then YES PLEASE!!!!! I love you, Livvy Caroline.  

After arriving at the Palumbo Center, I decided to park my Honda in the covered complex rather than on the street, figuring I’d probably be loaded up into the black Suburban that Colt had rented so he & the team could all ride together this weekend, to paint the town after his victory. I tucked my arm through the chained strap of my crossbody purse & adjusted the “L” pendant necklace that was nestled between my cleavage. I felt sexy; important even. No one else in the arena knew that I was the girlfriend of the lethal animal that would be headlining tonight, but I certainly did. And it made me high.

I strolled boldly into the side entrance, greeting one of the guards I had become familiar with throughout the countless other events I had covered at the Palombo. Emmett, a towering steel wall of unyielding strength.

“Pretty as ever, Ms. Liv. How you doin’?” he said with the polite tipping of his worn tan Ascot hat.

“Doing fantastic, Emmett! You ready for this one?” We always exchanged predictive play-by-plays of whatever particular event of the night was, and I appreciated the fact that he didn’t chuckle or mock when a woman such as myself chimed an opinion in regard to athletics. Something rare, but regretfully present at at least two hockey games I attended for work when I first moved here. One being from a coach I approached for a question post-game, stating that he was “sure I could give him pointers on how to improve the teams’ uniforms if he needed them, but otherwise he didn’t have time to speak with me.” That was the first instance I questioned whether the big city of Pittsburgh would ever be the place for me.

“Oooooooooh girl, you know this gonna be a brawl.”

Chuckling lightly to his animated response, I shook my head with a pat to his arm and moved passed to head to the main room and locate my seat. Since I had entered from the private entrance, I had to navigate through the hallways and locker rooms to reach the arena floor. Smiling blankly at by passers, I reached into the side pocket of my bag for the nude lipstick I planned to apply at my pitstop to the restroom. My pace slowed a bit in struggle to locate it, eyes looking down in search. When I finally grasped it tucked away under a wad of crinkled receipts, my gaze lifted again to push open the door of the ladies’ room. However, I couldn’t seem to muster the very minimal effort it would’ve taken to open it, due to the hooded man marching down the wide hallway.

Mac was leading the pack, and Colton tailed the end of the line with his hands settled into the front pocket of a sweatshirt, headphones adorning his neck. His thinned, focused eyes instantly found mine, rendering me unable to even blink. Just as he was strolling right past me, those very same eyes sank to the now heavy rise & fall of my chest, then traced down the span of my glowy, toned legs. Last on the list of body parts for him to make love to with his eyes, he locked his penetrating sights onto my sex, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth. He need not use words, because I knew unmistakably what those black pupils were envisioning. I watched his head turn then to face forward as he was escorted into what I assumed was his locker room. Now that my underwear were sopping for the evening, that was that.

 The profuse adrenaline spreading like a smoky vapor throughout the arena almost had me stimulated like a wave of lust. Not near as much as the very rated PG-13 encounter I had just had with Colton backstage, but stimulated, nonetheless. Black folding chairs lined the room, neon lights showing the stains of gum, spilled soda and ketchup splatters that covered the concrete floors. My seat was two rows behind the announcers table, and I was pleased with the exceptional view I would have for the fight. The jumbotron hanging from the rafters displayed a countdown clock reading 37 minutes until the match would be underway. I settled in, tucking my purse into my lap after removing my cell phone for some leisure social media catch up to aid in passing the time.

The crowd steadily poured into the empty seats, along with the television broadcasters at the booth in front of me. Luckily, I was able to eaves drop on the preshow now underway, hearing one of the suited men state that “Danny Mendez was in for a true contest with Colton Ritter.” An ounce of relief came over me that there were people other than myself and members of Colt’s camp who sincerely believed he had a very likely shot of stealing the belt tonight, but not enough relief to still the tapping of my toe, or erase the clamming of my twiddling hands. Suddenly the bulbs of the LED gym lights began clicking off row by row, and rap music began to thump from the mega speakers. 15 minutes running down the clock now. Short clips of Danny’s past battles flashed on the theater size screen, along with a few clips from Colton at the gym. Before I knew it, total darkness for a moment, followed by circling blue spotlights all around the cage.

Realizing it was indeed showtime now, whistles, claps and sporadic shouting ensued under the arena rooftop. Everyone began standing when the chords of “Let’s Go” by Run The Jewels struck up and a single white light aimed towards the tunnel entrance. Colton had left me with the daunting responsibility of selecting his song of introduction, so I knew any moment he would emerge into sight when I heard the tune begin.

Colton came trudging into view wearing the same sweatshirt he’d been sporting earlier, only now changed into his red fighting trunks. Mac’s logo, along with several other local business names were stamped as sponsors down the sides of his shorts. I was shocked at how many fans of his were revealed by the off-beat chants of his name, and of course the army of female admirers hooting like retrievers in heat. He didn’t waste any time making his way to the waiting referee, offering no high fives or fist bumps to hecklers swatting over the steel barricades of the aisle. He stripped the sweat absorbed shirt handing it to Mac, raised his arms to be patted from top to feet, then pulled back his lips to reveal he was wearing his required mouthguard. I always loved the way the chunky plastic made his lips fatten out when clenched between his teeth.

Next, the black latex gloves of the official smeared a thin layer of petroleum jelly onto each cheek bone, along the bridge of his nose, then across his perspiring forehead, and granted him entry into the cage door. Colton took one of the three steps entering and proceeded to jog two laps around the perilous steel playpen, rolling and stretching his bulging neck and trap muscles. He continued familiarizing himself with every square inch of the octagon mat taking in deep gulps of air through his nostrils, then exhaling gradually out his mouth. From what I could see, he gave the impression of a man prepared, focused and dangerously hungry for blood. The boom of Danny’s theme song didn’t seem to faulter Colton’s bluish eyes. Clear eyes, just like I had told him.

The second fighter followed his own pattern of flashy introductions kissing the cheeks of two women and a baby along his journey in, then aiming a single middle finger towards Colt during his examination from the same ref. When the door was latched behind him, both warriors stalked their opponent.

The suited announcer took his mark in the center, microphone in hand. “Ladies and gentlemen, good evening and welcome! The following match up is for the Professional Fighter’s Federation Middleweight Championship. Introducing first in the left corner your challenger weighing in at 184 pounds in his PFF debut, Colton Ritterrrrrr.”

“And in your right corner, the current undisputed Middleweight champion with a weight of 181 pounds Danny “The Matador” Mendez.”

I wanted to join the thundering “boo” at the mention of his name too, but refrained professionally. Mendez had fans, but many of them boastful douchebags such as himself.

I felt as if I needed to bury both hands over my heart to trap it inside my chest, and I can only imagine the feelings that were swarming Colton’s body. Tyson O’Brien, the preferred ring official across the circuit was passed the mic and motioned Mendez and Colton to step to him.

“Alright fellas, we’ve been over the rules. Protect yourself at all times, and you will follow my instructions. We’re gonna have a clean fight tonight. Touch gloves.”

Neither seething man extended a hand, instead retreated to their labeled corners with no interest other than drawing blood.

Tyson addressed Colton, “you ready?” Receiving one single nod in answer. After the same reply from his opponent, he dropped a hand to begin the time. The clock began ticking on potentially the most sickeningly vexing 25 minutes on my sheltered life.

 Round One

Twenty-five seconds in, and a fist had yet to be thrown. The two danced gracefully barefoot around each other, faces hid partially behind gloved fists. I could tell by the unsteady breaths from his nostrils that Colt was holding back a brutal eruption. Mac coached him to pace himself, because Mendez had a reputation of exhausting an opponent to the point of break, then he would unleash. So slow and steady would most likely win this race.

Colton would be the first to stretch forth in assault, however only connecting with Mendez’s thrown block. I swear I could hear a wisp of power cut through the air. The instant combo of left-right-right he threw next though, tagged his opponent just below the right eye. Danny smiled at the pain, now extremely ready to get things started indeed. Colton seemed to have a bit of an advantage with a reach much longer than Mendez, resulting in explosive strikes to the reddening body of the predicted victor.  His head movements strategically executed to clear any blows to the face in the first 2.5 minutes, but the leg kicks from the current champ were connecting painfully to his thighs. The handsome combatant carried a slight limp on his left leg for a moment, babying it from the strike. One leg lift however played in his favor when he was able to grab Danny’s calf and manage a powerful takedown that sent his back crashing to the ground.

Before he was pinned under Colt’s powerful legs, he managed to turn on all fours on his elbows. The attempt to escape was lost nevertheless when my red shorted fighter wrapped one arm around his torso, crushing with the force of a vice grip. He had evidently done his homework for this match up. His hands pounded like concrete blocks against the cauliflower ear and exposed temple of Danny, one blow he connected on the corner of his brow even resulted in the first blood secretion on the mat. He was like a great white in the open water inhaling the sent of a wounded seal. His right-hand imposed fist after fist, and Mendez was visibly shook.  37 seconds remained on the timer.

Shortly thereafter the time keeper smacked together his wooden blocks to notify now only 30 seconds left in the round. Dan wormed his way out of the hold to stand to his feet, placing ample space between the two of them for a brief instant before charging Colton with a swift roundhouse kick, thankfully missing. A blow horn shrieked, and the men retreated to corners joined by training staff members. I thought I may need medical attention next when I released a breath of momentary relaxation and noticed the half moons of nail marks I had pushed into the inside of my thigh. This round undoubtably belonged to Colton.

 I was suffocating the urge to dart straight to the concession stand for a generous dose of nerve settling liquor. Was I cut out to be the girlfriend of a fighter? Could I really stomach watching him suffer blow after blow to the head, or have to spend the weeks after a match nursing a concussion? Driving him around the city in search of an oral surgeon to repair the teeth that had been forcibly removed from his gums? Was I thick-skinned enough to tarry that journey? The answer is no. The idea of it all made me want to projectile vomit the lavish breakfast I had with him that morning. The daunting apprehension that even every day mundane tasks like choosing where to get gas, or what facial cleanser wouldn’t cause a rash literally sent my brain into unnerving override. I didn’t have the thickened skin for it. I wasn’t designed for dramatic unraveling’s. But, he was like a computer technician rewiring a hard drive from the inside out when it came to my old habits. Colton Ritter was reviving me, rebuilding me into the daring, strong and ultimately better version of myself, and I would forever be grateful. I could feel myself developing the depth of not only headstrong, flourishing journalist, but loyal, passionate life partner as well.  So, if nursing contusions or taping broken fingers was necessary to my repertoire, then so be it.

I dialed in on the announcers again in effort to gather expert opinion on predictions now that the first round was in the books.

“I’m gonna be real honest with you, man. This is not at all how I saw this going. Ritter came out explosive! The kid ain’t the slouch that most of the locker room had expected. Matter of fact, Jake, a few guys for Danny’s camp have been callin’ him a ‘pretty boy’.”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard that little nickname floating around too, Brett. But it seems to me that so-called pretty boy is doin’ some serious punishing in that cage right now. Solid fist round for the newcomer.”

Pretty boy? Colt would roll over if he heard these guys refer to him that way on the radio. It absolutely suited him on the outward appearance, 98% of the heterosexual female population would agree. Still, it lacked the desired malevolent intimidation factor for the nickname of a mixed martial artist.

How can you spin this, Eliiot? Make it work…hmmm… Pittsburgh Pretty Boy? Ew no, too WWE. Pretty boy.. pretty boy. Pretty Boy Punisher? Oooooh, that’s got a ring to it. The Pretty Boy Punisher.

I would definitely add that to my article. Anything to deter the entire world of cage fighting from calling him a pretty boy, and taking him for a joke.  

The coaches scurried suddenly to the outer walls of the cage, clearing out water bottles and folding black stools before the next round began, and inhuman beasts attacked each other once more.  

TAGS: @torialeysha @eap1935