#Anthony getting frustrated is the most hilarious thing ever

[xxmoonch1ldxx]

The boyfriends are bickering

[silverhart-makes-art]

I finished ‘The Rise of Flynn Rider’ last night. Had a really good time with it; it was like reading a wild episode of the series.Thoughts are below, but be warned of potential spoilers.

So many cameos of characters from the series that we know and love - Edmund, Eugene’s mother, the Baron, Stalyan (I love Stalyan more and more with every appearance, but especially sassy little Stalyan here), Captain, Maximus, Anthony the Weasel, the Stabbingtons, Hook Hand and Hook Foot, Ulf, Vlad, Big Nose, Attila, Shorty (I think?), the rest of the Pub thugs, the Tower randomly drops in, Pascal's mother (Pascal's mother?!), a new Brotherhood member we knew nothing about (what?!), the king and queen show up, Baron actually stole from the Spire Vault, which is impressive, Vardaros is mentioned, Cap randomly mentions Cassandra at one point. Just a wild cameo-fest. Pretty much every chapter had me going 'oh, I know that thing, that's from the series!' And with the exception of the Baron, Lance, and the Stabbingtons, none of these cameos really amount to much in the story. But they sure are a lot of fun. I appreciated them, even if some of them made no sense. It's just pure fandom fun.

Also something interesting to note, both in this book and 'What Once Was Mine' the kingdom is always just called 'the kingdom'. It's never referred to as Corona, or the Kingdom of Corona. I'm curious if recent events had something to do with that. It does make the reading a bit awkward in places, especially here where there is mention of the Dark Kingdom and the Seven Kingdoms, but Rapunzel's kingdom is just 'the kingdom', never capitalized or named or anything.

Spoilers ahead, but I was honestly surprised Vedis didn't turn out to be Quirin. Quirin coming to Corona with a circus is an amusing thought, and I don't see how it would mess up continuity any more than it already was in the book. But it is hilarious to me that pretty much everyone and their mother gets a mention in this book except for Varian. Too bad Varian, you weren't tall enough to be in this book.

This book sets up a lot of stuff that just... never comes to fruition. I like seeing Edmund and his wife getting a bit of backstory there, but there isn't enough there to justify it. There’s not even enough to really add to fandom speculation or headcanon, and the story doesn’t do anything with it. Edmund never comes up again, and eventually the whole Dark Kingdom plot is kind of dropped. It makes sense in the story to drop it, but then there’s no need to establish Edmund and all this Dark Kingdom lore in the first place. It would be stronger if the prologue were cut, and the reader had to discover the mystery along with Eugene. It feels like there should be a payoff, but the payoff comes years later and in another story called 'Tangled the Series'. They find Rapunzel's tower, and proceed to do nothing with it. The Brotherhood is mentioned, and is almost set up as this big interesting thing, and that goes nowhere. If I wasn't familiar with the series I think this book would be very frustrating to read (On that note, I would be so curious to hear the thoughts of someone who read this book and hadn't seen the series). But the absence of Lance Archer as a character is, I think, the most disappointing thing, since everything else is wrapped up in the movie and the series. Lance Archer is constantly referred to in this book, from the very beginning, up until the end, but the actual character makes no appearance. Having little Eugene and Arnie meet a childhood hero and either be inspired or discover they’re not as heroic as they thought, would’ve been really interesting and would’ve tied into the themes very nicely. Also the big twist could be that Lance Archer is actually a Lady-thief, or Lady Caine’s father, or something else fun like that.

It's not a well structured story, but like with 'What Once Was Mine' the characters are really what stands out most. The main theme of making your own family, is more or less solid. The beats it goes through are pretty formulaic, and some of the plot points are a bit convoluted, but Eugene and Arnie are very cute and I enjoyed reading about them. Also the fact that it is such an easy read makes me pretty forgiving of it's flaws. I read through it in about half a day. It's like the book equivalent of popcorn - it's just fun to munch on.

Also love the weird logic that an orphanage has to receive money from the kingdom in order to pay taxes back to said kingdom. But the same taxes get stolen on the way by a Robin Hood-esque Lance Archer who gives it back to the orphanage. It's the most convoluted tax program I've ever heard of. I'm not criticizing it, because it's clearly working - the money eventually gets to the orphanage. But wow, I've never been more curious about fictional taxes then I was reading this book. It's kind of hilarious that for all it's talk of cracking down on crime, Corona would cease to function without do-gooder criminals. All just a part of the kingdom's unique charm, I guess!

As a last note, this book also made me really interested in the Flynnigan Rider books. Like I know they don’t actually exist, but I wish they did. Every time I read or hear about them, I just want to get my hands on them. They sound right up my alley - swashbuckling adventures, just two friends against the world, fighting off bad guys, rescuing horses, swinging from ropes. Those are my kind of stories. Can someone please write the Flynnigan Rider book series into existence? Thank you.

[barzzal]

Hi, the mat concept that I sent in was where he makes you cry during a fight and feels super guilty because he’s never seen you cry before

warnings: good ole angst and dui !!

it’s safe to say that you and mat were off to a rocky start. you were the typical dynamic of friends turned into lovers after spending a night drunk and stupid. thus, letting a series of one thing lead to another’s decide the course of your whole relationship.

the two of you began goofing around just for fun before finally realizing that it was actually leading to something even more than just sneaking around rooms and dinner parties you go to with your friends.

you eventually broke the news with the gang. they weren’t surprised and were rather thrilled that you two finally had the guts to tell it to everyone. since then, the two of you became each other’s halves.

mat was pretty content and frankly, happy for what he has with you. he was sure of feeling that way not until he began seeing you getting a little too close to his best mate, anthony for the past few weeks.

you were busy losing your sanity laughing over tito’s hilarious jokes to even notice that mat was already gone from your side. he spent his time sitting at the bar, with his gaze pinned on you and his bestfriend.

he can’t help but feel this inkling pang in his chest upon the sight he sees unfolding right before his eyes. your hand, travelling up to anthony’s arm as you laugh endlessly with him.

once you and tito met each other’s hands for a high five, that’s when he finally lost it. he drank whatever’s left of his whiskey before standing with his jaw clenched, leaving the glass behind him as he walked towards you.

you were cackling hard at how tito made an insanely accurate impression of mat when he came straight up behind him.

“there you are! i’ve been looking everywhere for you.��� you say, smiling widely. definitely something that mat hated because he knows that he was the only one able to bring that out of you.

well, not until now.

“we need to go.” he orders in a tone you’ve never heard from him before.

mathew grabs you by the hand and treaded his way out of the bar without even saying goodbye to neither the boys nor their girlfriends.

“babe, is there something wrong?” you ask him as you clutched your purse close to your chest whilst you get dragged by your man.

𖥸

it was a dreadful and quiet ride for the two of you. mat didn’t even looked at you once and maintained his focus on the road. his free hand that was usually gripping your thigh, was on the steering wheel all while the other, he spent on massaging his nape.

you haven’t seen him this way which is why everything was totally new to you. you let him go on his way not until you got back to your apartment.

mat dropped the keys on the accent table and went straight to the couch to turn on his show.

once you dropped your things on the dining table, you walked towards him and got the remote off his hands to turn the tv off.

“okay, what’s going on?” you ask him, brows all furrowed, finally losing all might you had for the cold treatment you’ve been getting.

you see him clench his jaw and licked his bottom lip before he stands, walking straight past you to get one of his cold beers in the fridge.

“oh! alright, you’re just gonna ignore me then?” you scoff, your hand already resting on your waist.

but just like he was doing, mat didn’t utter a single word and just stood behind the counter, drinking his cold beer.

you immediately snatched the bottle off of him which caused him to spill the drink on his shirt. he only tutted and looked at you for the first time since you left the bar.

“stop ignoring me, barzal.” you warned.

mat smirks and lets out an irksome scoff. “why don’t you tell that to your new boyfriend?”

he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, bitterness pooling in his mouth as he remembers you almost clinging onto anthony’s arm.

“what?” an appalled look was what mat saw on your face. he ignores it anyway, and just took the beer you snatched from him from the counter.

“don’t act like you don’t know what i’m talking about.”

puzzled and most certainly, annoyed by his audacity, you fold your arms to your chest and questioned him, “what the hell are you talking about?”

with a smug look on his face, he shakes his head, amused at how you were too insensitive to even realize that you have been way too friendly with his mate.

“why don’t you ask beauvi?” he sarcastically adds air quotes as he mimics your way of calling out beauvillier’s name.

“oh, so that is what this is about? huh?” you start, hands placed on your waist as you looked at him.

mat puts the bottle down so harsh that it nearly shattered in his hand. he walks past you as he aim for your bedroom door but you were quick to hold his arm and stop him.

“don’t you dare walk out on me.” you warn him, voice empty and cracking as the thought of finally having a real argument with him dawn on you.

“and what’re you gonna do if i did? laugh your ass like it’s the end of the goddamn world?” he snaps, gray eyes pinned on you so harshly for the first time.

“you know what? why don’t i call beauvillier and let him finish this?” he says, running his hand through his hair, admittedly not sparing an ounce of thought to whatever’s coming out of him.

“you’re an ass, mat. i can’t even believe you’d actually think of me that way.” you snarked as you let go of his arm.

“well how could i not when i know that’s basically how we started???”

mat didn’t exactly know if it was him being petty, or that it was just how jealous he got upon seeing how good you were with tito, but the words that slipped off of him made this petty argument go sideways.

“you’re fucking unbelievable.” you cussed.

you and mat haven’t really gotten into a fight ever since you started you relationship. sure, it was a rocky start but that doesn’t mean you don’t work things out, right?

but mathew’s words, even if it were far from being true, still pierced right through you. words that were enough to make you lose this fight when you failed to hold back your tears. you were just so frustrated at how immature and childish he was being. you didn’t want to make it a big deal, and you weren’t much of a crier either, but something about his words just made you feel foolish and incredibly small at the same time.

mat, however, was stunned when he saw you tear up in front of him. it was his first time to see you this way, and god be damned, he didn’t like any minute of it.

he wanted to take back everything he said but you immediately turned your back at him and ran to your room.

the loud bang of the door was more than enough to make him realize that he was completely out of line this time. he hated that he’d let his petty jealousness get a better hold of him. that for the first time, he might’ve even given you a reason to think about how you’d be better off without him— he was scared.

as you cried yourself to sleep that night, mat walks out of your apartment with only his keys in his hand and his all too heavy heart. he knows he’s going to make up for what he did but he has caused enough for the night. he didn’t want to screw it up all at once, much more lose you in the process just because he was too much of an ass.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JULY 21

‘Tis the season to beat the heat at the always-cold theatres and next to fans set at turbo speed. While my movie watching slowed a bit with the launch of the Summer Olympics on July 23rd, I’ve still got plenty of popcorn-ready and artsy recommendations for you. A few themes in the new-to-me pop culture I’m recommending this month:

Casts oozing with embarrassing levels of talent (sometimes overqualified for the movies they’re in)

Pop culture that is responding or reinterpreting past pop culture

Stories that get weEeEeird

Keep on-a-scrollin’ to see which is which!

July Crowd-Pleasers

1. Double Feature – ‘90s Rom-Coms feat. Lots of Lies: Mystery Date (1991) + The Pallbearer (1996)

In Mystery Date (Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 6/10), Ethan Hawke and Teri Polo get set up on a blind date that gets so bizarre and crime-y I’m not sure how this didn’t come out in the ‘80s. In The Pallbearer (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10), David Schwimmer and Gwyneth Paltrow try to combine The Graduate with Four Weddings and a Funeral in a story about lost twentysomethings. If you don’t like rom-coms in which circumstances depend on lots of lies and misunderstandings, these won’t be your jam, but if you’re like me and don’t mind these somewhat-cliché devices, you’ll be hooked by likeable casts and plenty of rom and com.

2. The Tomorrow War (2021)

I thought of no fewer movies than this list while watching: Alien, Aliens, Angel Has Fallen, Cloverfield, Interstellar, Kong: Skull Island, Prometheus, A Quiet Place: Part II, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith, The Silence of the Lambs, The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and World War Z. And you know what? I like all those movies! (Okay, maybe I just have a healthy respect/fear of The Silence of the Lambs.) The Tomorrow War may not be original, but it borrows some of the best tropes and beats from the sci-fi and action genres, so much so I wish I could’ve seen Chris Pratt and Co. fight those gross monsters on a big screen. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6/10

3. Dream a Little Dream (1989)

My July pick for the Dumb Rom-Com I Nevertheless Enjoyed! I CANNOT explain the mechanics of this body switch comedy to you—nor can the back of the DVD case above—but, boy, what an ‘80s MOOD. I did not know I needed to see a choreographed dance routine starring Jason Robards and Corey Feldman, but I DID. All I know is some movies are made for me and that I’m now a card-carrying member of the Two Coreys fan club. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 6.5/10

4. Black Widow (2021)

The braids! The Pugh! Black Widow worked for me both as an exciting action adventure and as a respite from the Marvel adventures dependent on a long memory of the franchise. (Well, mostly—keep reading for a second MCU rec much more dependent on the gobs of previous releases.) Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

5. Liar Liar (1997)

Guys, Jim Carrey is hilarious. That’s it—that’s the review. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10

6. Sob Rock by John Mayer (2021)

It’s very possible I’ve already listened to this record more than all other John Mayer records. It doesn’t surpass the capital-G Greatness of Continuum, but it’s a little bit of old school Mayer, a little bit ‘80s soft rock/pop, and I’ve had it on repeat most of the two weeks since it’s been out. Featuring the boppiest bop that ever bopped, at least one lyrical gem in every track, and an ad campaign focused on Walkmans, this record skirts the line between Crowd faves and Critic-worthy musicianship.

7. Double Feature – ‘00s Ben Affleck Political Thrillers: The Sum of All Fears (2002) + State of Play (2009)

In The Sum of All Fears (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), Ben Affleck is Jack Ryan caught up in yet another international incident. In State of Play (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10), he’s a hotshot Congressman caught up in a scandal. Both are full of plot twists and unexpected turns, and in both, Affleck is accompanied by actors you’re always happy to see, like Jason Bateman, James Cromwell, Russell Crowe, Jeff Daniels, Viola Davis, Morgan Freeman, Philip Baker Hall, David Harbour, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber, and Robin Wright—yes, I swear all of those people are in just those two movies.

8. Loki (2021-)

Unlike Black Widow, you can’t go into Loki with no MCU experience. The show finds clever ways to nudge us with reminders (and did better at it than Falcon and the Winter Soldier), but be forewarned that at some point, you’re just going to have to let go and accept wherever this timeline-hopper is taking you. An ever-charismatic cast keeps us grounded (Owen Wilson, Jonathan Majors, and an alligator almost steal the show from Tom Hiddleston in some eps), but while Falcon lasted an episode or two too long, Loki could’ve used a few more to flesh out its complicated plot and develop its characters. Thankfully, the jokes matter almost as much as the sci-fi, so you can still have fun even if you have no idea what’s going on.

9. Double Feature – Bruce Willis: Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995) + The Whole Nine Yards (2000)

Before Bruce Willis began starring in many random direct-to-DVD movies I only ever hear about in my Redbox emails, he was a Movie Star smirking his way up the box office charts. In the third Die Hard (Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), he teams up with Samuel L. Jackson to decipher the riddles of a terrorist madman (Jeremy Irons), and it’s a thrill ride. In The Whole Nine Yards (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10), he’s hitman that screws up dentist Matthew Perry’s boring life in Canada, and—aside from one frustrating scene of let’s-objectify-women-style nudity—it’s hilarious.

10. This Is the End (2013)

On paper, this is not a movie for me. An irreverent stoner comedy about a bunch of bros partying it up before the end of the world? None of things are for Taylors. But with a little help of a TV edit to pare down the raunchy and crude bits, I laughed my way through and spent the next several days thinking through its exploration of what makes a good person. While little of the plot is accurate to Christian Gospel and theology, some of its big ideas are consistent enough with the themes of the book of Revelation I found myself thinking about it again in church this morning. (Would love to know if Seth Rogen ever expected that.) Plus, I love a good self-aware celebrity spoof—can’t tell you how many times I’ve just laughed remembering the line, “It’s me, Jonah Hill, from Moneyball”—and an homage to horror classics. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10

July Critic Picks

1. Summer of Soul (…or, When the Television Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

Even director Questlove didn’t know about the Harlem Cultural Festival, but now he’s compiled the footage so we can all enjoy one of the coolest music fest lineups ever, including The 5th Dimension, B.B. King, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, and Stevie Wonder, who made my friend’s baby dance more than once in the womb. See it on the big screen for top-notch audio. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

2. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Robin Williams takes on the bureaucracy, disillusionment, and malaise of the Vietnam War with comedy. Williams was a one-of-a-kind talent, and here it’s on display at a level on par with Aladdin. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

3. Against the Rules Season 2 (2020-21)

Michael Lewis (author of Moneyball, adapted into a film starring Jonah Hill), is interested in how we talk about fairness. This season he looks at how coaches impact fairness in areas like college admissions, credit cards, and youth sports. 

4. Bugsy Malone (1976)

A gangster musical starring only children? It’s a little like someone just picked ideas out of a hat, but somehow it works. You can hear why in the Bugsy Malone episode Kyla and I released this month on SO IT’S A SHOW?, plus how this weird artifact of a film connects with Gilmore Girls.

5. The Queen (2006)

Before The Crown, Peter Morgan wrote The Queen, focusing on Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) in the days following the death of Princess Diana. It’s a complex and compassionate drama, both for the Queen and for Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen, who has snuck up on me to become a favorite character actor). Maybe I’ve got a problem, but I’ll never tire of the analysis of this famous family. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

6. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)

This month at ZekeFilm, we took a closer look at Revisionist Westerns we’ve missed. I fell hard for Roy Bean, and I think you will, too, if for no other reason than you might like a story starring Jacqueline Bisset, Ava Gardner, John Huston, Paul Newman, and Anthony Perkins. Oh, and a bear! Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

7. New Trailer Round Up

Naked Singularity (Aug. 6) – John Boyega in a crime thriller!

Queenpins (Aug. 10) – A crime comedy about extreme coupon-ing!

Dune (Oct. 1) – I’ve been cooler on the anticipation for this film, but this new look has me cautiously intrigued thanks to the Bardem + Bautista + Brolin + Chalamet + Ferguson + Isaac + Momoa + Zendaya of it all.

The Last Duel (Oct. 15) – Affleck! Damon! Driver!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Nov. 11) - I’m not sure why we need this, but I’m down for the Paul Rudd + Finn Wolfhard combo

King Richard (Nov. 19) - Will Smith as Venus and Serena’s father!

Encanto (Nov. 24) – Disney and Lin-Manuel Miranda making more magic together!

House of Gucci (Nov. 24) - Gaga! Pacino! Driver! 

Also in July…

Kyla and I took a look at the classic supernatural soap Dark Shadows and why Sookie might be obsessed with it on Gilmore Girls.

I revisited a so-bad-it’s-good masterpiece that’s a surrealist dream even Fellini couldn’t have cooked up. Yes, for ZekeFilm I wrote about the Vanilla Ice movie, Cool as Ice, which is now a part of my Blu-ray collection.

Photo credits: Against the Rules. All others IMDb.com.

[defensefilms]

Embiid, Sixers And Everything Else In A Wild NBA Post Season

1. Sixers And The Joys Of The 1 Seed

This is it.

This is what it’s all about. I can’t remember having this type of optimism about the Sixers during any post season. The 2018/19 Sixers were close but they didn’t validate that optimism the way this year’s team has as far as regular season performances.

These guys have done that and then some.

We’re no longer a team devoid of shooting or ball movement. We’re no questioning what our best line-ups are and who our best player is. We now have an experienced post season coach with the cache to make demands of these players.

This is the best any Sixer team has looked in any post season. We put the mollywhopping on the Wizards. From the head coach Doc Rivers, his staff and then all the way down to Shake Milton and Mike Scott off the bench, no one even entertained the idea that we weren’t going to sweep these guys.

Now we’re facing an obstinate Atlanta Hawks squad.  The Hawks have no way to stop Simmons or Embiid 1-on-1 but they got shooters for days and Trae Young’s averaging 27.7 points on 48.4% from the field. We need to put some respect on his name. Get the ball out of Trae’s hands because he was doing too much in game 1.

First there’s the fact that we’ve had our struggles defending elite scoring point guards this season. Then there’s the fact that Trae Young has done us dirty a few times before. The Hawks gave us hands in game 1 of the 2nd round. We we’re down early and didn’t get close to coming back until it was too late buts its far from curtains in this series. 

One thing that has definitely been of huge concern is the health of Joel Embiid.

How is it possible that a man tear his meniscus on May 31st and then drop 39 points, 9 boards and 4 assists in the playoffs on June 3rd? How? He can’t be healthy and I don’t know if it’s smart for his long term health to play right now. He was one of the bright sparks of the game. It’s not just this specific injury either.

This season has been hell on Embiid’s body. You have to wonder how much their gonna risk it or if the team are even halfway considering giving him a rest. Embiid spoke about managing his injuries after game 1 against the Hawks. Honestly doesn’t sound good. He’s talking about managing the swelling in his knee. This on top of ACL injuries sustained towards the end of the regular season. He’ll have had five days rest before game 2 so hopefully that helps remedy what is way more alarming than the Sixers front office is making it seem.

2. Lakers Flame Out

It’s been a dramatic season for the 2020/21 Lakers and typically speaking I don’t think that a team seeded so low are worthy of a list or breakdown like this but this is a special case. These Lakers are likely a way better team than seeding suggests.

Injuries to their 2 best players, saw the Lake-show lose number 1 seeding and then slide further down.

Roster-wise the Lakers tried their utmost to replace the production that they got out of Javale McGee and Dwight Howard. Marc Gasol just can’t be an active defender anymore and his inability to cover the perimeter and post at the same time became a huge issue. Montrezl Harrell has averaged 23.7 minutes off the bench and Dennis Schroder stretches the court as a shooter and a tertiary scorer but is more turnover prone than Rajon Rondo was.

The signing of Andre Drummond was a great idea and his rim protection and big body offense are valuable assets but he was never on the court with the team’s top stars long enough for any kind of chemistry to develop. 

The big issue is that as a team they are not the defensive powerhouse they were last year. The issue with that is that this team doesn’t have the kind of offensive scoring and 3-point shooting that can allow them to rely on blowing teams out the water and outscoring the opponents.

The signs were ominous from pretty early on but stop lying to yourself. More importantly, stop lying to the people. Don’t pretend you knew the Lakers would lose this series to the Phoenix Suns.

Anthony Davis has had his well covered and documented struggles with injuries throughout the season. As a an on looker, I gave the Lakers the benefit of the doubt every step of the way. I felt like we knew how this goes and the team with winning pedigree would get it together. LeBron’s injuries were something I felt he could overcome because he’s LeBron. It just never happened. That moment when Lebron takes over like he did against Boston in 2017, just never happened. 

I’m hesitant to say it’s over for LeBron or anything even remotely similar to that. However it might be a wrap for him in Los Angeles.  

3. Brooklyn Looking Nasty

Are the Brooklyn Nets Nasty or are they playing against a team that lacks versatility?

I’ve watched a lot of this team since 2017 and you know what I realized, that they’re a well oiled, championship caliber team until oppositions shut down the 4-out-1-in strategy. The meltdown they suffered in the 2018/19 post season against the Toronto Raptors was bad but still left room for optimism. The massacre they suffered against the Miami Heat in last year’s second round was a signal for change.

Yet I don’t feel there has been a lot of change. So the onus falls on Mike Budenholzer to come-up with a convincing second act to his game plan. Two games in to the 2nd round series against these Nets, Bud has failed spectacularly.

Then there’s the flipside of the coin, which I hope just isn’t true.

The Brooklyn Nets are looking untouchable. Kevin Durant is among my least favorite players but he’s killing it. The confidence he’s showing taking defenders off the dribble and pulling up is incredible and to be fair he’s always been really good at that. 

Durant slapped the Bucks up for 32 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in game 2 and then had one of the snidest post game interviews you’ll ever witness from an athlete. 

The hope here is that Giannis and the Bucks can get it together because we need someone to take some of the steam out of this Nets squad.

4. Kristapz Porzingis Hates Being A Mav

There is an absolutely hilarious 5 minute clip of Luka Doncic just refusing to pass the ball to Porzingis throughout the 2020/21 season. Click here and witness basketball comedy.  

Luka Doncic absolutely dominated in a losing effort against the Los Angeles Clippers in round 1. However it was clear that he was only going to push the Clippers and the only way to do better than that would be to take the pressure off of Luka and some one else to help carry the scoring. If only the Mavericks had a big man to compliment Luka, you know, a guy that can create his own shot and still be a mismatch when Luka forces bad switches and he finds himself guarded by smaller guys. Oh wait.

The world has finally taken notice of everything happening in Dallas and most importantly everything that’s not happening in Dallas. Luka’s growth and development is something for the organization to be proud of but this was supposed to be complimented by the growth of Kristapz Porzingis and that just isn’t happening. 

The word on the streets is that Porzingis is frustrated with his role on the Mavs and may seek a trade but after some of his performances in that round 1 series, I think the Mavs will have a hard time convincing anyone to take on his contract.

5. The West Can Call Itself Wild Again

This here is by far the most open Western Conference playoffs in over a decade, 

I don’t buy the hype about how the Western Conference teams are better and more competitive but the record is the record and it can’t be argued with.

No so this year.

The Lakers falling out of the race has definitely gifted us a conference where we just don’t know who is going to emerge as the representative in the finals. 

The Phoenix Suns have definitely racked up the most street cred by beating Lebron’s Lakers in 6. Devin Booker is simply awesome and I don’t say that as a fan of his. He average 29.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists against the Lakers and they also overcame an injury scare to Chris Paul. They have a very interesting 2nd round series against the Denver Nuggets, who lost Jamal Murray to injury and found a way to keep winning and also overcame a near super human scoring output from Damian Lillard in round 1.

Then there’s the 1st seed Utah Jazz, who will go down in history as the most disrespected and underrated 1 seed in recent memory. They’ve been matched up against the Los Angeles Clippers who looked like they were reeling in the early part of their round 1 series against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, then Kawhi and Paul George composed themselves and took the series in a thrilling 7 game series. The redemption story is definitely still in progress.

That’s 3 different 2nd round playoff match-ups that will probably provide a high quality of basketball. Well worth the watch.

[ad1thi]

Helloooo I absolutely love your blog and its nice to see another desi person on this site :D Can you give me some fic recs I'm pretty new to the fandom so absolutely anything with a shit ton of fluff would be wonderful!!!

ty that’s so sweet of you!! and absolutely!! its always fun to have new people in the fandom!! what ive done is just rec’d a couple of the fics ive read recently, but a lot of them are by authors who i really love and respect so you could just pick one at random and read all their fic and be off to a great start!!

The icing on the cake: @bladeofthenebula27

Steve’s a bit low on cash this month, so he figures making a bit extra by jumping out of a cake couldn’t hurt.

If only someone had told the birthday boy that.

Autumnal Allergies: @tinytonysnark (part of a series)

For the Fall Starters: "Sorry, allergies" and "You sound sick. Are you sick?"

The good place (is next to you): @starklysteve

“I mean,” Tony tries his best shot at breaking the tension, “if you’re stuck with the wrong guy, at least I’m sexier than your real deal?”

Tony died and got sent to some sort of heaven, with Captain America as his soulmate. Except, they got the wrong Anthony Stark, and to stay in the Good Place, Tony must convince Steve to teach him how to be good.

-x-

(watching The Good Place is not necessary to understand this AU, but will help)

Wind Beneath My Wings: @iam93percentstardust

Sam first meets Tony Stark in 2005 when he joins the EXO-7 Falcon program.

wildflowers: @tinytonysnark

“So,” Steve begins, clapping his hands together, “the city of SHIELD is in debt. The big ups have sent for financial advisors, all the way from DC! They’re gonna take a look at the city’s spending and make some cuts.”

He squints at the camera against the morning sun shining through the courtyard, “I’m not that worried. Everyone here in the parks department is an important member of the team and absolutely needed.”

The camera swings towards the office where from the large glass window, Natasha can be seen picking up the ringing phone before immediately slamming it back down onto the receiver.

[A Parks and Rec AU]

Brewed Awakening: @iam93percentstardust (just a note that this is an a/b/o fic in case that makes you squicky)

Two years after he comes out of the ice, Steve is drifting through life. On his teammate's recommendation, he decides to go back to school where he meets the grandson of an old friend. He finds happiness with Tony but Steve won't be in Boston forever and someone is out to hurt the Starks. Will Steve and Tony be able to reach their happily ever after?

Once Upon a Wintertime: @iam93percentstardust (just a note that this is an a/b/o fic in case that makes you squicky) (this is also my fav fic by this author)

Look, Bucky knows that he’s fulfilling every cliché in the book right now. He knows that, as a bodyguard, he’s not supposed to fall in love with his client. But Tony’s good and sweet and so, so lonely and how could Bucky not? He thinks he’s got a shot after Tony breaks up with his boyfriend but on a trip across the country, he finds out that Tony needs a bondmate or the board will steal SI—and Ty’s already said yes

It’s Just One Thing: @riotfalling

Bucky has a crush on the cute neighbour. Tony has locked himself out of the building in the middle of a rainstorm. Bucky plays the hero, Tony pays for dinner, and aggressive amounts of fluff ensue.

i’ll be by your side (when you cry, cry, cry): @kapteniron

The first thing he notices when he wakes is there’s a ring on Tony’s ring finger.

There’s a fucking ring on Tony’s ring finger.

Oh, Steve thinks numbly. I missed my chance. Again.

With that thought in mind, he bursts into tears.

(In which Steve goes through a rollercoaster of emotions and thoughts, Tony tries to comfort, and Sam finds the whole thing both frustrating and hilarious.)

i guess its maybe possible that i might be playing this wrong:  @thejgatsbykid

Steve would've considered himself lucky just to get someone he could tolerate as an assigned roommate his freshman year of college, so he figures it's a miracle that he and Tony became best friends almost from the first. When he and Tony get stuck together for seven minutes in heaven at a party, Steve realizes that he wants more from Tony than just friendship, and it only goes downhill from there.

artwork and email: @omg-just-peachy (peaches is your one stop shop for stevetony fluff just btw, she invented the trope)

Tony makes a donation to Art Reach, a non-profit, never expecting to get such a kind thank you note in response. He certainly never thought he'd find himself excited to look in his inbox every day, eager for a new message from the foundation's director, Steve Rogers, but here he is. Or, Tony falls for smol Steve over a bunch of emails and everyone knows it but him.

you take me higher than the rest (everybody else is second best): @firebrands

tumblr fill for adi & anthonydarling, who asked for "'Prank' war, but the kind to see who can make the other blush the most in public" from this prompt list

happy reading and welcome to the fandom!! (just a word of advice - please remember to leave kudos and comments on all fic!! as content creators we really appreciate it!!) 

[goindownshipping]

‘close your eyes and hold out your hands.’

Man’s Best Friend

Pairing: Loki/Tony Stark (Frostiron)

Rating: Teen (T)

Notes: This prompt just screamed Loki/Tony to me. Thank to @ohwereusingourmadeupnames for the prompt and being lovely as always!

Word count: ~2k

Summary:

“Loki, you can’t just walk outside because you’re losing an argument, it doesn’t work like that,” Tony said as soon as Loki entered the room.

“Tony, you realize you just made me sit through a powerpoint presentation on why we should get a dog. For the fourth time. Believe me my love, I know how cute the dogs at the shelter are and I promise I’m thinking about it”.

Tony huffed, rising to his feet and coming to stand in front of his husband. He’d been pestering Loki for weeks about his sudden urge to have a puppy. DUM-E and U weren’t cutting it for companionship anymore. He thought his powerpoint was very convincing. 

Tony Stark was the last person anyone expected to settle down in life. His entire image as a young adult centered around his constant partying and questionable decision making. The only positive aspects of his image centered around Stark Industries when he reorganized the company at the young age of 21. People were concerned when he discontinued the weapons division as soon as he took over, but eventually, his innovation and new technology quieted those voices. Over the years, his philanthropy and frequent moonlighting as a superhero helped him slowly live down the image that he’d created. 

Now, living in a post-Thanos world, he wanted nothing more than to live a quiet life, free of world-ending battles. And, shockingly enough, Tony actually got what he wanted. Tony found himself sprawled out on his large, plush couch looking through the large windows to the backyard he never thought he’d actually have. Through the glass he could see his tall, wonderfully handsome, and incredibly irritating husband walking back toward the house.

In the years since Tony and Loki first came into contact, Tony was intrigued by the god. He was fascinated by his magic and Loki’s mischievous demeanor was compelling. And, although Tony wouldn’t admit it at the time, Tony had never seen a man wear a suit as well as Loki did that night in Stuttgart. 

After the dust settled in New York, Loki’s father insisted that Loki stay at Stark Tower for his imprisonment, determined that his son would help to clean up the mess he made. Tony had every intention of making Loki’s stay at the tower miserable. He gave him menial tasks in the lab that DUM-E could have done and intentionally programmed the robots to get in his way. Tony thought it was hilarious, Loki was not so amused.

Over time, Loki showed more interest in learning about Tony’s suits and the various technological advances Tony had in the works for the Avengers and Stark Industries. Loki asked all the right questions, offered little bits of advice here and there, and before Tony knew it, they were working side by side in the lab. As it turns out, Loki’s magic abilities proved quite helpful.

Day and and day out, Loki and Tony moved easily around each other, working together and eventually spending time on Tony’s floor in the penthouse. It was an easy transition from enemies, to coworkers, and eventually friends. Tony let his guard down around Loki, expressing frustration and fear over the increasing threats to their world. He was comfortable enough around him that he told Loki about growing up with Howard and Maria Stark as his parents, surprised when Loki fully understood given his own challenges growing up with Odin.

As they got more comfortable around each other, Tony started to notice Loki sneaking glances at him when he thought Tony wouldn’t see. Their fingers would linger as they passed tools across the work tables in the lab, and Tony blushed every time. Occasionally, Tony would call Loki over to come look at something he was struggling with, and Loki would come in close behind him, his chest pressed to Tony’s back. In those moments, Tony found himself wanting nothing more than to reach out and keep Loki close. 

It was a startling realization for Tony to discover that he was in love with the God of Mischief. Even more startling, was the sense of calm Tony felt wash over him when he finally admitted it to himself. Admitting his feelings to Loki was absolutely the most terrifying thing Tony had to do. 

One day in the lab, with Loki leaning over his shoulder to see the blueprints Tony was working on, he finally snapped. He whipped around to face Loki, glaring at him.

“Why do you stand so close to me?” Tony pressed.

“Because I like being near you, Anthony,” Loki answered easily. The smile on his face and the look in his bright green eyes absolutely ruined Tony.

“I’m in love with you,” Tony blurted. “Shit, sorry I wanted-”

Tony was cut off by Loki quickly pressing his lips to Tony, boxing him in and pressing Tony back against the work table. Before Tony could react, Loki was pulling away with a sheepish grin on his face.

“I’m in love with you too, Tony. You make it quite infuriating sometimes”.

In the many years since that moment in the lab, Loki and Tony were attached at the hip. They had their fair share of concern from the rest of the team, and all of SHIELD, but they never wavered. While Tony kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, as it always did for him, the love he and Loki shared was truly like nothing either of them had experienced. They’d both had a decent amount of heartbreak and hurt in life, making the love and trust between them that much stronger.

After Thanos, they both realized that life was too short and they left the city, settling upstate with a big house and yard. It was like nothing either man had ever imagined, but it was theirs and it was perfect. The night they moved in, Loki conjured up a beautiful ring for Tony and got down on one knee surrounded by takeout boxes and an empty house while they waited for their furniture. It was the perfect moment for them and a year or so later, they had a small wedding in their own backyard, celebrating with their closest friends and families. 

Now, four years after their wedding, Tony was sitting on the couch in their living room, glaring at Loki as he came through the sliding glass door. 

“Loki, you can’t just walk outside because you’re losing an argument, it doesn’t work like that,” Tony said as soon as Loki entered the room.

“Tony, you realize you just made me sit through a powerpoint presentation on why we should get a dog. For the fourth time. Believe me my love, I know how cute the dogs at the shelter are and I promise I’m thinking about it”.

Tony huffed, rising to his feet and coming to stand in front of his husband. He’d been pestering Loki for weeks about his sudden urge to have a puppy. DUM-E and U weren’t cutting it for companionship anymore. He thought his powerpoint was very convincing. 

“Okay, but here’s the thing. Puppies are cute and I’m cute, so obviously I need one. Also, you’re the one that keeps talking about this huge yard that we never use, so clearly we need a dog to go run around in the grass. And if we have a puppy, maybe the neighbors will like us more and we can have those dinner parties you always talk about.”

Tony was rambling now, prattling on and repeating half the presentation from memory. When Tony was fixated on something, there was nothing you could do to change his mind. Loki smiled, knowing he’d lost this battle the moment Tony started sending him selfies with every dog he ran into on his walks through the park near their house.

“Anthony, my dear, would you please for once just shut up?” Loki exclaimed. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”

Tony just rolled his eyes. 

“Please,” Loki conceded.

Finally, Tony closed his eyes and extended his hands toward Loki. Loki knew this was a bigger deal for Tony than he let on. The man had so many trust issues that even something as simple as closing his eyes could bring on more panic and anxiety than most people had ever experienced.

Loki sighed, and smiled softly at Tony. He was grateful Tony couldn’t see the heart eyes he was making at him. Against all odds, Loki was deeply in love with him, and Tony was one of the only people in the world that got to see the soft sides of him. Loki took a moment to just watch Tony. He could see the corners of his lips quirking up in a smile, his eyelids twitching slightly, fighting the urge to open his eyes and ruin whatever surprise Loki had planned.The hands in front of him were just barely shaking, nervous energy clearly coursing through Tony.

Before Tony could open his mouth and complain, Loki used one of his favorite tricks that his mother taught him as a child. Using the magic he’d gratefully learned from her, reached in front of him, focusing on conjuring up the surprise he’d been planning for weeks now. Swirls of green extended from his hands, moving together and taking shape above Tony’s outstretched palms. 

Just as Tony was about to open his eyes and start rambling about Loki and his games, he felt a warm bundle of fluff drop into his arms. His eyes flew open, immediately focused on the real, live, animal that now sprawled across his arms. Instinctively, Tony wrapped his arms more firmly around it and brought it closer into his chest.

“Loki, why is there a puppy in my arms?”

Loki remained silent, overwhelmed by how perfect Tony looked snuggled up to the lanky golden retriever pup in Tony’s arms. The little guy was happily exploring the terrain, attempting to climb up Tony’s shoulder and nip at his ear, his hair, and lick just about every surface he could reach. 

“Earth to Loki. Oh wait does that saying even work for someone not from Earth? Asgard to Loki? No, that doesn’t work,” Tony was rambling, his mouth running quickly, before his thoughts caught up to him, reminding him of the puppy he now held in his arms. Loki just watched him fondly, reveling in the love coursing through him.

“Hold on, Loki, you conjured me a puppy”. 

Loki’s gaze settled on Tony’s face, anxious about how his husband might react to Loki’s most recent mischief.

“I- um, yeah, I conjured you a puppy”. Loki stared down at his feet, nervous about the silence settling between them.

“I just- you’d been talking about wanting one for months now and you keep sending me all those cute pictures of puppies at the shelter and I just couldn’t help myself any longer”. Loki sucked in a deep breath to continue rambling when Tony was suddenly directly in front of him, pressing the overexcited ball of fur into his arms.

“Well then you better say hi to my new best friend, because you’re literally never getting me along again. Get used to it”. 

Loki situated the puppy in the crook of his arm, allowing him to sniff around and get comfortable with him. He wrapped his other arm around Tony’s waist, bringing him in closer so he could rest his cheek on top of Tony’s head. As much as Tony pretended to hate it, Loki loved the height advantage he had on his partner. It made the rare moments like this that Tony let him hold him close even better. Tony’s arms wound around Loki’s narrow waist, squeezing tightly, hoping to communicate his thanks.

Tony pulled his head back far enough to look up at his husband, overcome with love for the man in front of him. Pushing up on his toes - which he would never admit to a soul - he pressed his lips against Loki’s relishing the familiar way they moved together. Loki’s grip loosened enough to travel up Tony’s side, coming to cradle his cheek, thumbing along warm skin. They moved together languidly, lips firm, and tongues exploring just enough for Tony to feel himself want more. He let go of Loki’s waist, hands wandering up to his husbands broad shoulders, eventually tangling in the long, dark hair that Tony was utterly obsessed with. Loki let out a soft groan, powerless to the feeling of Tony’s hands in his hair. 

They were pulled out of their bubble when the puppy in Loki’s grip was suddenly licking across Tony’s cheek, startling him enough to pull away. Both men looked at each other then their new puppy, chuckling at themselves for getting so carried away. The puppy wriggled around in Loki’s grip, and he eventually set him down on the floor of the living room.

“Well,” Tony sighed. “I guess we’re dog dads now”.

They grinned at each other, giddy with the new member of their household. Before Loki knew what was happening, Tony was sprinting toward the backyard, puppy happily bounding behind them. 

“Last one to the yard has poop duty!” Tony yelled as he disappeared down the hall.

Loki laughed and shook his head before taking off after Tony.

“You know,” he called. “I can just make the poop disappear from the yard!”

He met Tony on the patio, watching the puppy explore the grass. Tony turned to him, surprise evident on his face.

“You shouldn’t have told me that. Now I’m gonna make you conjure me at least five more dogs”.

Loki smiled, pulling his husband close once again. “How about you at least name this one first, then we can talk about more puppies”.

Tony smiled up at him, more in love than he thought he’d be deserving of in this life. “Thank you for this Lokes. I love you so - oh shit! How did he already dig up the garden? Did you conjure a rascal of a dog?”

Loki just laughed, watching Tony run across the yard, lifting up a now dirt covered dog. He was the God of Mischief after all, he had to have some fun.

[petitprincess1]

Good Evening Ch13 (Soft and Fragile)

AO3 Link Summary: Before the incident, Alastor has a bit more of a reflection on his "lovers" and it's quite interesting on what he wishes to do to his dolls. Words: 1,738 I AM SO SORRYYYYYY!!! I got super stressed lately and my brain just froze. I really hope this chapter is worth the wait. Once again, very sorry. Warning: Obsessive and possessive thoughts and..."knifeplay" thoughts...kinda. ~~~ Hours earlier before the “oopsie” that happened at Pentious’ house, Alastor made up an excuse to go to the kitchen just so he didn’t end up strangling Vaggie, slice her throat, or say some very mean words. The intense hatred only increased when she mentioned him bringing in gumbo that had Valentino’s body in it. He was going to bury the guy to use as manure, but he was a bit pressed for time and it was rather difficult to stuff the body with aromatic herbs to keep any stench out. Plus, he didn’t feel like draining Val’s blood. Either way, he had to take a moment to breathe before walking into the kitchen.

Al tried to calm down by taking out the tongue that he took from that dead guard. Either no one has gone into the fridge yet or no one questioned the tongue. It wasn’t like it was impossible for him to have bought a cow tongue of sorts from the store. Thankfully, idiots would do anything to justify something that’s so simple.

He meant to chop this up for breakfast in the morning, but no one said that you couldn’t have an omelette in the afternoon. Besides, he still needed to make a small meal for Charlie. Alastor realized that he was going more and more towards Charlie everyday. It was surprising that the girl intrigued him, almost as much as Anthony did. Although, he was interested in them for completely different reasons. Anthony felt the closest to what could be romantic, even if it was a bit more perverse. 

All Alastor wanted to do with Anthony was make him his and only his. Majority of the people that he came into contact with were incorrigible and absolute morons, especially that Pentious. The man had no patience with any of that and wouldn’t miss them the slightest bit if they were dead...possibly not Husker. The much older man was much more hilarious to have alive, especially whenever he was angry. It was so much fun to watch his lip curl into a snarl.

However, unless it was making him pouty, Alastor never wanted to see his ethel angry at him nor did he wish to hurt him that badly. Just the very thought sent a chill up his spine as he listened to the tongue’s muscles and ligaments making a slight squishing sound as the knife sliced through them, making him feel a nice calm about him. All he wanted to do was keep Anthony all locked up for no one else to see him. Yes, the man clearly could help himself, judging the bruising on his knuckles, but he still could have died. Keeping the little minx all tied up would clearly only benefit him.

Plus, Alastor could also easily lure those mongrels to his home and he could serve up some wonderful meat pies or casseroles to his favorite toy that he will keep all snug and cozy in his basement. Oh! That reminded him that he really needed to renovate that place back at his home. Well, temporary home in Eden. Al should also warn Anthony about the constant traveling. Alastor knew that his angel may have slight worry about his proposition, but he knew that the boy would be the one to stay.  Meanwhile with Charlie….the man longed for her struggle.

As annoying as it was to try and get the doll alone, it was also thrilling to actually have someone fight. Not that Anthony didn’t fight with Alastor occasionally, it was different with Charlie. She seemed to wish to deny all attraction towards, but he could easily tell when one has hidden desire. He has felt her heartbeat quicken on her wrist, seen the hidden passion in her eyes lying beneath the disgust, and, most importantly, he can sense the morbid curiosity in her. It won’t be too long til he finally caught her in his grasp.

Alastor scrapped the tongue off of the cutting board into a frying pan that had oil, minced garlic, and chopped onion in it. He breathed in the smell and sighed happily, “Patience is a virtue.”

Niffty came into the kitchen, carrying groceries, and gasped at seeing Alastor, “OH! You didn’t tell me you would be in the kitchen! Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to intrude. I just went to get some extra food and-”

“Don’t worry, my dear! It’s perfectly fine. After all, this is your kitchen and I’m merely intruding in on your space,” Alastor spoke charmingly and humbly. Niffty gasped even more as she placed the groceries on the counter, using a step stool, and quickly replied, “No no no! My kitchen is your kitchen, so stay as long as you wish.”

The man smiled at her and gave a polite nod, “What a sweet lady you are. Also, do you mind helping me out? Just get some eggs and whisk them up. I’m making an omelette for Charlie~”

“Awww, you’re such a sweet man!”

“...I know.” ~~~ Later on into the day, Al had come over to Charlie’s office and knocked on the door. Charlie called from the other side, “Who’s there?”

Alastor thought of a joke for a few seconds and replied, “Adore!”

It went silent for a few seconds before the golden-haired girl asked, “Adore who? I don’t think-”

“Adore is between you and I, so please open up!” Alastor exclaimed, cutting her off on purpose. There was another brief silence before the door suddenly opened up and revealed Charlie looking away from Alastor. She seemed to be annoyed, but the small reddish tint to her pale cheeks showed her keeping a smile back. She mumbled under her breath as she walked away, “That was a terrible joke and you know it was.”

The creole chuckled as he walked into her office and saw that her office was pretty decent and cozy looking, especially with plush carpeting. He leaned up against a bookshelf behind him as he raised an eyebrow at two norwegian dwarf goats that were sleeping within a pet bed that looked like a little house. Charlie sat down on the chair at her desk and asked, “Is there something that you need, Al? Oh! Also, thank you for the omelette, it was very sweet of you to make that for me. Although, I thought we ran out of certain cuts of beef.”

She gestured to the empty plate on her desk that had bits of onion on the surface, as well as some ketchup. Al nodded and replied, “You’re quite welcome, my dear~ Also, I have my resources. Anyway, I was just asking if it was alright if I head off early. Just want to do a bit of hunting, that’s all.”

Al’s grin subtly grew a bit at seeing Charlie’s skin become slightly paler when he mentioned hunting. He could just say that he was just going to go hunt some deer, but it was hilarious to think that the girl thought he was hunting humans. No, not today. She gulped and replied, “Uh, well, I guess if you have nothing else to do, then that’s okay. Just...you know...be back around dark, just so you can have the night shift. I-If you want to, of course!”

The man couldn’t help but reach towards Charlie, making her slightly flinch, and gently caress her cheek. He brushed his thumb against her skin and almost felt aroused at the softness of it. Alastor could only imagine how nice it would be to carve through it. He was sure that he barely needed to add extra pressure to slice the skin open. He hummed and then muttered in a low tone, “Of course, Charlie.Why would I ever say no to you?”

Charlie mumbled under her breath, feeling an odd chill up her spine, “Uh...I’m sure you have, especially when I don’t want you messing with my cheeks.” She slowly lowered Al’s hand from her cheek and moved it back to his side. She then concluded, “Uh, well, if that’s all, the you’re free to go, Al.”

Alastor stared at his hand for a few seconds and then nodded absentmindedly as he walked out of the room. He felt Charlie’s eyes on him as he left out and listened to the door gently creak close before she locked it. However, Al barely cared as he felt many tingles up his hand that Charlie touched. He never liked being touched...but he was definitely craving more from her.

He began walking down the hall and was trying to clear his mind when a woman ended up bumping him from behind. Al turned and saw the woman looked distraught, almost in a daze. Before he could question her, she asked, “I’m sorry, but have you seen Angelo? I...I really need to speak to him….regarding a man that he...worked with.”

Alastor blinked at her and wondered what she could possibly want with Anthony. It made his stomach tie into a knot, but he just said, “Well, Anth- Angelo is on medical leave. He got harmed pretty badly.”

Not even the slightest bit of worry in the woman’s eyes, if anything, Al saw a bit of frustration. She nodded and muttered, “...Right. I forgot...thank you.”

The woman then silently walked away from Alastor, making the man narrow his eyes at her. He’s going to have to follow her, isn’t he? Great! Right...well, maybe Charlie was right about the human thing. He could always buy venison from the butcher. ~~~ In present time, Baxter was helping Sir Pentious roll up Traci’s body in a rug, while Alastor was braiding Anthony’s slightly grown out hair and Cherri was trying to calm down. The spunky girl washed the blood off of her face and pretended the brain bits were just chewed up wads of gum. She pulled her head out from the sink and quickly grabbed some towels, wiping her face off.

Cherri was making very quiet sobs as she kept envisioning the woman getting shot over and over again in her head. It just wouldn’t end. Angelo looked at her and asked, “Hey, ya gonna be alright, Cherri?”

She turned to Angelo and took a deep breath before glaring at Al, “What the hell is wrong with you!? Why did you do that?”

Alastor scoffed, “What? It was just a bit of hunting.”

[coffee-stained-brain]

Ugh I’m having one of those frustrating moments where I can’t get the ideas in my head and the words on the page to match up, so I’m just going to throw my thoughts out here so I can move on with my life.

So this started out as a list of my favorite possibilities for what the J in Anthony J Crowley “really” stands for, but along the way it turned into something else entirely.

As I was listing the names that I personally think fit Crowley, and the reasons why they make sense to me, I started to notice some common threads.

The names:

Jezebel: The thing that has always fascinated me about Jezebel is that she is presented as doing all of the right things, but for the wrong side. And because she was on the wrong side, she has been painted as a horrible person. And don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t the pinnacle of virtue (Case in point, she framed a man and had him executed because her husband decided he wanted his vineyard —which, I might add, is also peak Crowley behavior), but the thing is...neither were a lot of Biblical heroes. But they are praised for their acts because they are on the right side, and Jezebel is hated for hers, because she is on the wrong side.

Jonah: A man who so fully believes in God’s power that he tries to run away because he doesn’t want God to forgive his enemies. He then does what God tells him to anyways, and gets so angry that he repeatedly tells God he wishes he was dead. This is another story with a clear “us” and “them”, except here the divide it totally human, and God is seen as so much bigger than any artificial divide. God is not part of the “us” or the “them”: God is above them both.

Judah: the brother who suggests they sell Joseph into slavery rather than kill him. I’d definitely consider selling your brother into slavery squarely on the side of evil, but this is technically an act of mercy since he is convincing them not to kill him. To me, this matches Crowley’s style— chaos with an undercurrent of compassion and mercy.

Judas: Betrays Jesus. Depending on who you ask, Judas was either possessed by the devil, carrying out God’s command, or just plain shallow and petty. So he betrays Jesus, which causes Jesus’s death and resurrection. Again, good and evil, right and wrong are so closely intertwined here that people have been arguing over which is which pretty much ever since.

Job: Honestly I think the most effective explanation of the similarities here is just a passage (Job 7:17-21, specifically) “What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention, that you examine them every morning and test them every moment? Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant? If I have sinned, what have I done to you, you who see everything we do? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?”

Jophiel: this one is really more about the contrasts than the similarities. The idea of the angel of wisdom and beauty stuttering and jumping around and tripping over words is such a hilarious contrast to me.

And all of these stories layer themselves on top of Crowley’s character, and they give his story more depth and texture.

And while I find that biblical J names have a lot of meaning for me, I know that so many other people have found meaning in entirely other sets of names and symbols, and any one of them could be right, or maybe it stands for something silly nobody would ever in a million years guess. Or maybe it is a little bit of all of that. Or maybe it really is just a J, and it really doesn’t have anything at all behind it.

But by deliberately calling attention to that detail and then refusing to satisfy it, the creators have left the work of figuring it out to us.

Of course, if they were worried that people might come up with the wrong names, the more efficient thing would have been to tell us outright. We’d have an answer and we’d maybe have another layer to dig into, but that’s it. We would not have the experience of making meaning ourselves, and isn’t that what the whole thing is about anyways? Maybe it is part of the plan, maybe it wasn’t. We don’t know, because it’s just the creators moving in mysterious ways and not talking to anyone.

[sshakespeare]

An Analysis of NYC Scorpii

I’ve now seen all but one of the actors who have played Scorpius in Cursed Child NYC and I wanted to do a quick write up of some of the interesting differences I’ve found in their portrayals.

Alex W.

(not putting their full names because that feels a hint strange)

My most recent Scorpius! He has understudied Scorpius for both Year 1 and 2 in NYC and it shows; he felt very comfortable in the role.

His Scorpius is the most understated I’ve seen. My brother, seeing the show for the first time, summed it up best when he said Alex’s Scorpius feels very secure in who he is (different from the Hot Mess that is Bubba’s Scorpius). His Scorpius very rarely yells, even when excited, which made the library scene particularly intense because you could tell just how upset his Scorpius is.

Going off of that, Alex doesn’t always “play the laugh” the way Bubba will. His Scorpius is more grounded, but I did find some lines got lost (in particular, one of my favorite Scorpius lines is “No, I’m pretty sure your dad is exactly the same” and Bubba almost always gets a laugh there).

Alex does adorable accents though! When he says “My geekness is a-quivering” he twirls a little fake mustache. He’ll do little bows on his more nerdy lines. When Albus says this Scorpius is a geek, it’s spot on.

He straight up HISSES at Polly Chapman like he’s a velociraptor when he’s trying to hide Delphi. Instead of trying to play it cool on the stairs and flirt with Polly, he hides Delphi behind his cloak like it’s wings. It’s hilarious.

He also koala hugs Draco when they’re reunited in Godric’s Hollow. That moment probably got the biggest applause of the night.

Can confirm he did the Bubba signature “Scar Zap” before the polyjuice transformation. Bubba, king of trends.

His Scorpius and Nadia’s Rose are the only Scorpius/Rose that ever made me go “Huh, maybe.” Which is weird because Alex’s Scorpius seemed pretty romantically uninterested in her up until their last scene. The bread scene on the train was still funny, but it always felt like Alex’s Scorpius was just trying to be her friend. But then in their last scene, when Rose calls him Scorpion King and hisses, Scorpius follows her down the stairs and hisses with her and it’s a genuinely flirty moment.

One bizarre thing: Nick Albus did not let Alex Scorpius hug him when they both emerged from the lake. Alex launched forward, but they never really hugged. It was more that Alex just backed Nick into the wall. I didn’t know what to make of that. They’re definitely not the most tactile Scorpius/Albus pair, but I thought they had sweet chemistry especially in their last scene.

Nathan S.

My first ever Scorpius! I remember going into the show being a little disappointed in not seeing Anto (it was a good ⅕ of the reason I bought my ticket before the NYC cast change), but I left the show thinking how damn cute Nathan’s Scorpius is. Unfortunately, I don’t remember a ton about him since it was a while ago but I’ll do my best.

Nathan’s Scorpius is a true Follower. I’ve always thought there’s a universe where Anto’s Scorpius would not follow Albus off of the train, but Nathan’s Scorpius would follow Albus anywhere. All the lines Draco has about Scorpius not being much of a leader (at least in the beginning) check out with this Scorpius.

I remember the library scene was particularly devastating with Nathan because his Scorpius felt so defeated. Anto plays the scene with more anger, but Nathan Scorpius just seemed exhausted by all Albus had put him through thus far. He cried and I cried.

Like Alex, Nathan is also a more grounded Scorpius. This interpretation might partly come from how distinct Anto’s vocal choices were, but Nathan favored a quieter, nerdier Scorpius vs. one with huge explosions of energy.

I wish I remembered more about Nathan’s Scorpius. My biggest takeaway was just “Cute, cute cute!”

Anthony

OG Scorpius! The man who started it all! His Scorpius is the ultimate Weirdo and no one else (that I’ve seen) has captured the sheer amount of weird energy Anto channels. You can tell his Scorpius is a kid who grew up isolated, with no friends, and just has no clue how social interaction works.

To get into it a little more, I think Scorpius is a deceivingly difficult character to play. Any audience is going to love him no matter what, but because of that, an actor could fall into the trap of making him too cutesy, or too comedic, or even too melodramatic. Anto really embraced making Scorpius a strange, strange kid (I mean...those vocal choices).

Anto’s Scorpius always feels like a kid, as well. He has little ticks like rubbing at his eyes and fidgeting that makes his Scorpius feel very youthful and subtly anxious. While I love Alex Scorpius and Nathan Scorpius, there were times their interpretations felt older than fourteen (this is exacerbated for Alex because Nick’s Albus is so honed in at fourteen at all times).

I love the way Anto delivers “Are we?” and “DO WE?!” in the Amos scene. No one else tops it.

Same with “HELP, HELP, HELP!” Not just anyone could pull off all the yelling, but Anto consistently did.

Going back to something I said in Nathan’s section, Anto Scorpius is the most assertive Scorpius I’ve seen. He pushes back against Albus more directly, seems to get frustrated more easily.

I want to say more, but like with Nathan, it’s been awhile, but if more things pop into my head, I’ll add them here!

Bubba

My favorite Scorpius! Going to get that bias out of the way right now. I love Bubba’s Scorpius. He is the softest, most anxious, hottest mess of a character.

Like Anto Scorpius, there is so much raw energy radiating off of Bubba’s Scorpius at any given time. He’s either going to explode with happiness or explode into tears, possibly both at the same time.

Huge difference between Anto Scorpius and Bubba Scorpius though: Anto Scorpius clearly wanted to be a Slytherin and Bubba Scorpius clearly did not. Anto looks so proud when the Sorting Hat announces Slytherin, but Bubba looks resigned, like he knew it was going to happen but he was desperately hoping for Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.

Bubba Scorpius = most flirty Scorpius. He’s constantly trying to be suave and failing miserably. See: Hiding Delphi completely under his body on the staircase and trying to play it cool with Polly Chapman. See also: Playing with his hair and trying to make his voice deeper when flirting with Rose in his last scene.

Yet, Bubba Scorpius = most insecure Scorpius. It feels like his Scorpius second guesses just about everything he says and does, at least around the other students. That makes it so relieving when he can be his awkward, shimmy-ing self around Albus and Bubba really plays into how comfortable Scorpius is with Albus.

Bubba and Nick do my most favorite version of the Staircase Ballet. When the staircase shifts and the two end up standing next to each other, Bubba’s Scorpius sits down, inviting Nick’s Albus to sit with him. It implies so much about their previous relationship, how they’ve probably had a thousand heart to hearts sitting across from each other on the stairs, and when Albus does not sit, Scorpius looks absolutely devastated.

They’re by far the most tactile version of Scorpius and Albus I’ve seen. Any given scene they’re in together, one of them will put a hand on the others shoulder, on their wrist, anywhere. They somewhat hold hands in the St. Jerome’s scene (Ginny is holding Albus and Bubba will kneel behind Nick on the other side and put his hand on his shoulder. Nick will almost always have Albus grab that hand).

Which brings us to That Moment. After the fourth and final Albus/Scorpius hug, Bubba pulls away but only slightly to deliver “...in this new version of us I had in my head.” I can confirm Alex also only pulls away slightly to deliver that line, but when Nick says “You better ask Rose…” to Alex it’s very jokey (like Sam to Anto). When Nick delivers it to Bubba, it’s uncertain and almost disappointed? If that makes sense? Like Nick Albus does not want Scorpius going anywhere near Rose ever again. And then it takes a solid five seconds for Bubba Scorpius to snap out of the moment and run back down the stairs, looking very much like he’s realized a Moment just happened. The difference in how Nick plays the scene with Bubba vs. Alex has me hypothesizing that Nick and Bubba want their Albus/Scorpius ending to be ambiguous and open for a future romantic relationship. But that’s just a theory!

Back to stray Bubba observations!

In the Draco/Scorpius hug, Jonno picks Bubba slightly off the ground. It’s adorable.

Bubba does this funny exaggerated march when he says “My geekness is a-quivering!” It’s bizarre and I love it. Bless all the boys who somehow make that line work.

Scar Zap.

I could talk about Bubba Scorpius all day so hit me up please and thank you.

[rivalsofnycupdates]

“Every man has his price..”

■ ABOUT. ■

name: James Lopez age: twenty-one occupation: bartender gender: cis-male pronouns: he/him sexuality: bisexual

■ HISTORY. ■

Samuel has always felt his life was a lie, his name wasn’t really Samuel and his history wasn’t a regular kid from Cancun like most of his friends think. His name is Tomaz and he was the son of Maria and Gero Valdez a family related to one of the most dangerous cartels in Mexico. His life was filled with riches, the life of Cartels was a high risk, high reward lifestyle. One his father memorized and lived graciously. Samuel was always the first to get the newest gadgets, newest phones, the newest trendsetting clothes out of all his friends. Those were the perks of growing up with parents who are rolling in money and aren’t ashamed of showing it. Of course, the disadvantages were been surrounded by guns and drugs his whole life, and the horrific scene of girls locked in cages for drug muleing. The harsh realities and strict rules of the cartel ended his mothers' life. To this day, he doesn’t know why the cartel his father worked for shot his mother dead, although at the end of the day it didn’t matter. It left enough of a hole in Samuel for the rest of his life. 

What Samuel didn’t know at that young of an age, is that his mother's death was at the hand of his father. He was seven years old, when she was murdered, and after that moment. His whole life changed. When his mother died, he noticed a change in his father. There was hatred towards him, he didn’t understand. It wasn’t long after his mother died, did the abuse started. He wasn’t sure why his father hated him so much, though he missed his mother desperately. Missed her touch, missed her warmth, missed her singing. One day, there was a woman he’d recognized from the caged warehouse, his mother would sneak them to. His mother had always told him if there was ever a time she was here, her name was Margarita and her someone he could always trust. Of course, he never believed that would happen. Until it did. The day he snuck out of his bedroom window in his pyjamas with his mother’s late best friend, was the start of an adventure he wouldn’t have ever imagined. 

The day he left the comforts of his own home, there were a lot of tears and his new guardian comforted him and sang the same song his mother did. The pair fled Mexico. For a while, he, and Margarita were on the run, they stayed in bus station bathrooms, very run-down hotels, anything they could do for cheap until they crossed the border to America. When they crossed the border, the pair started their new life. With new names, new backgrounds, new everything. Not necessarily the kind of knew he’d been used to. He used to get the new iPhone, now he was lucky to get a new pair of pants. The pair finally settled in Dallas, Texas. Tomaz now went by the name Samuel Lopez, while his mother's best friend would play as his aunt Alicia Lopez. 

Learning a new name and a new history was hard to play along at first, though the days turned into weeks, then months, and he was able to convince the people he called friends into believing his story. Really though, why would anyone doubt him? He was brand new? Who would lie about where they came from. Since the beginning of this lie, he was now too good. He knew that his lying skills could get him out of most of anything. He was smart, and a smooth talker. In Dallas, he talked himself out of a ticket when he still didn’t have his license. Dallas always felt like home, although after ten years, even he was starting to get bored. He had always wanted something bigger and his and Alicia’s move to the big city was huge.

■ WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? ■

Since arriving in Dallas, Alicia kept him in the loop on a need to know basis. She didn’t tell him the daily rituals, which was the opposite of how his father would treat him. In Mexico, his father wouldn’t often spare on the details of the inner workings of the cartel. Despite his only being 5 years old, he heard some awful things. As he grew older, he knew that she was part of a club and that those illegal activities were what kept the roof over their head. Samuel never liked the idea of the last family member he had left continuing with this lifestyle that got his mother killed. He often tried to encourage her to find a way to leave, now that he’s graduated high school, he could work full-time and start earning legitimately. That was his plan, had they stayed in Texas. When the new president suggested the move to New York, in the back of his mind, he knew affording rent in New York wouldn’t be the same. Before moving to the big apple, a member by the name of Anthony Williams had been coming up to him quite a bit, he would start a conversation whenever he was spotted. He was starting to get frustrated since their conversation would often route back to drugs, selling drugs or the club they were about to open. He didn’t want to tell Alicia because he knew how she’d react. 

■ KEEP THIS AWAY FROM YOUR ENEMIES ■

Since arriving in New York he felt that Anthony was putting more and more pressure on him to become a prospect. Samuel wasn’t having any of it. He didn’t want his life to end up like his mothers. Samuel was confident he would never become a Devils member, that was until he noticed the stress on his aunt’s face when looking at the bills. Since still getting their feet in the ground, he knew the gang wasn’t making big money yet. He ended up meeting Anthony in the back alley of Moonlight and accepted a small job. He was told to go to a certain location, wait for a meet and sell drugs. It didn’t sound complicated. Yet, when he returned to moonlight with apparently only a quarter of what was meant to be paid, Anthony held him responsible. For the last few weeks, Samuel has been under Anthony’s thumb, doing small drug sales, here and there in order to make up the money he lost. Samuel didn’t feel he had a choice, the only choice he had was to keep it a secret from his Aunt who would kill him if she found out.

■ RELATIONSHIPS. ■

■ Kaley Richman: Samuel has met Kaley on several occasions, they were some of the few kids who weren’t members. Since moving to New York, he’s tried to keep close with her in hopes to make friends since she somehow already has roots in the city. 

■ Francesca Morelli: Fran was a close friend of his aunt's and in turn, he was able to get to know her on a ‘my mom’s friend’ sort of level. 

■ Jamie Lopez: He’s met Jamie a few times mainly through Francesca. They seem to have similar situations, as they’re both living with their aunt without any contact from family. The only difference is Jamie’s father isn’t on the hunt looking for him.

■ CONNECTIONS. ■

■  Hilary Wilcox > has seen in a coffee shop and remembers her from TV

■  Garrett Miller > Aunt’s Friend 

■  Owen Madisson > Owns his favourite coffee shop.

Samuel Lopez is a TAKEN character and is portrayed by Froy Gutierrez who’s FC IS SEMI NEGOTIABLE.

[istartedbelievinginitmyself]

Cursed child year 3 review

I don’t know if anyone cares or even reads these anymore, but I thought why not.

On Saturday the 4th May I saw Harry Potter and the cursed child in London for the second time ever (yeah I know I’m late posting this 😂) I missed this play so much since I last saw it in 2017 and it was 100% worth the trip. This play is just so amazing and never fails to amaze me.

The first time I saw the play the original London cast still played and it was really something special to watch them. So I was excited to see a different cast for the first time as I’m just very used to the original one.

This time I saw the 3rd year cast and thought I give a little review about this cast too and compare their interpretations with the ones of the original cast I saw the first time.

This time I knew what to expect, but the stage affects still managed to totally blow me away (AGAIN). I don’t know how they do it, the whole play is so beautifully choreographed and designed. It’s just magical. No wonder they won so many Olivier and Tony Awards. The production value of this play is simply superb. I know I should be over this, but as it’s my second time seeing the show after a long time in person, it still got me again.

I still love this story so much and it’s just so beautifully written. The script really shines when it’s performed on stage and gives the script a whole other dimension. Although the entire play is over 5 hours long (which is quite some time sitting in a theatre), I was hooked the entire time and there wasn’t even one minute I was bored (I know, no surprise considering how much I love it).

As good as the play may be the experience is still very dependent on the cast. Without a good cast not even a good script and good special effects can save the story. So I will move on to one of the most important parts of cursed child: the actors.

Overall the year 3 cast is really great. As a whole I wasn’t into this cast as much as I was into the original one due to some things I will explain below, but I think they did an amazing job and told the story very well. All of them are great actors and totally deserve to be in this play. Individually a lot were really extraordinary and as good or even better than the first cast I saw, but in comparison to the original cast their interpretations didn’t perfectly blend together as well, which isn’t any of their faults. I hope in year 4 cast this gets better as the actors I thought fitted together very well will stay and some of the other actors will go.

Harry Potter - Jamie Ballard

I really loved Jamie Ballard as Harry. He had one of the hardest jobs as Jamie Parker is one of my favorite original cast members, but he did really great. At fists in act one I needed some time to get used to him (as he looks and talks very differently from Parker) and he was a bit stiff at the start (and the pacing was a little bit off). In the blanket scene I felt he could do more (as it’s my favorite scene from Jamie Parker) and I wasn’t really sure what to think of him after act one (although his Scorpius was amazing, he nailed imitating Jonathan).

But then act 2 happened and he really stepped up his game. In the last three Acts he was simply amazing and I got more used to his Harry and how different he is from Jamie Parker. Ballard isn’t as emotional/loud and as hot headed, but I really enjoyed his more softer but still emotional take on the role. As much as I love Parker he tended to be very rough at times and Ballard’s softer approach worked really great and was a new breath of air. He made Harry his own and didn’t just copy the actors before him. After act 2 I was 100% sold and in love with his Harry. He isn’t as much book Harry as Jamie Parker is (he is just the most perfect book Harry adaptation ever), but his own version of Harry worked really great in the play and made Harry very sympathetic and lovable. That’s why theatre is so great, it gives us many different interpretations of one character and let us see the same character in a different light.

Albus Potter - Joe Idris-Roberts

I really liked Joe as Albus. He wasn’t one of my favorites from this cast, but he was good. Some parts worked really well with him especially Albus‘ more calm and dry moments (he gets Albus‘ dry humor spot on). His Albus is more collected and logical than Sam Clemmett‘s and his leader qualities really shine through.

Sadly the more emotional scenes didn’t work as well for him. The blanket scene could have been more emotional from him and especially the library scene lacked something. In this scene Albus really has to be sorry and understand Scorpius better. It’s a very emotional scene and Jonathan really gave it his all. Joe‘s restrained reaction did fit to his interpretation of Albus but not really to Jonathan‘s Scorpius or the atmosphere of the scene.

His chemistry with Jamie Ballard was fine and you could feel that they mean a lot to each other although there could have been a little bit more from Joe‘s side too.

Sam didn’t show Albus as much as a leader, but his emotional scenes were always spot on. Personally I see Albus more as a hot headed emotional character that makes decisions without thinking about it properly. He is much like Harry in this regard and I missed that from Joe‘s Albus. His more calm version of Albus is totally legit and he is a great actor (and I know many people love his Albus ❤️, which is great and what is the reason why so many different versions should exist),but personally as a fan of emotional (and super angsty) Albus I wasn’t 100% sold with his interpretation. I‘m happy to have seen his Albus, but it doesn’t perfectly match with the Albus I imagined while reading the script.

Scorpius Malfoy - Jonathan Case

Oh boy...where do I start with Jonathan. His Scorpius is absolute perfection. He is such an amazing actor and this is exactly how I imagined Scorpius to be like. As much as I love Anthony’s Scorpius he was never 100% how I imagined him while reading the script (which is not a bad thing!), but Jonathan is just perfect. He was the most adorable thing I have ever seen on a stage. Where can I sign up to adopt his Scorpius??? (Sorry Draco 😉).

Jonathan played Scorpius a lot more shy and unsure with a lot of anxiety. Anthony was louder and more sure of himself. Jonathan on the other hand is a complete mess and as socially awkward as I am (he is very relatable). He wasn’t as funny as Anthony, but still hilarious. His Scorpius is just so adorable and lovable and I really can’t understand how anyone in Hogwarts can bully him.

His emotional scenes were spot on. The library scene was amazing as was the office scene with Draco in the dark AU. He was one of the strongest actors in the play and he made every scene he was in was in 100% better.

His chemistry with Joe was good although as I said above I missed a little bit from Joe‘s side. The Scorbus hug at the end was everything though. My Scorbus heart was more than delighted 😁.

With him and Anthony they casted two extremely talented actors and there is a reason Scorpius was the audience favourite in both shows I saw. As actors they are both equally talented, but I think Jonathan was more my personal Scorpius, which is absolutely subjective. I love both of them so much, please don’t make me choose. So happy Jonathan will also be in the year 4 cast.

Hermione Granger - Franc Ashman

I have no doubt Franc is a great actress, but to be honest she was one of the weakest points about the year 3 cast. She just wasn’t Hermione to me. It was something about her voice and here lack of authority. Noma had an absolute authority on stage, her being minister for magic was totally believable. Franc tried to play her more playful, which I appreciated as a new interpretation. She tried something very different and I appreciate her for that. This new Hermione just really didn’t work for me personally, which again is super subjective and not a bad thing about her Hermione. She is someone else’s Hermione, just not mine.

Act one was really not my thing, but the first AU in act two was worse for me. I think Franc went for Hermione slowly losing her mind about being so frustrated over Ron, but she took it a bit too far for my taste. I prefer Noma‘s more subtle interpretation. Sure Hermione is bitter in the AU, but I don’t see her that extreme. Of course this is also a subjective matter, but it really didn’t work for me at all.

Franc got a lot better in act 3 and 4 though. I really liked the remarry scene with Ron, it was a very sweet moment and she gained more authority on stage towards the end. She still wasn’t my favorite Hermione, but her performance was more enjoyable especially in the last act.

I think she is a good actress and there is nothing obviously wrong with her performance, just sometimes actors don’t agree with how you see a character and for some reason her Hermione just really didn’t work for me. I do appreciate her different take on Hermione though and I know that some people really love her Hermione and found their Hermione in her.

Ron Weasley - Thomas Aldridge

I simply loved Thomas. I didn’t think anyone could be funnier than Paul, but Thomas actually managed to pull it off. The office blocking scene was just simply hilarious and the whole theatre was in tears afterwards from so much laughing. I think Paul did the serious moments a little bit better, but honestly they are both just amazing and both do their own thing. I couldn’t even tell who I prefer. They are both just perfect and so lovable as Ron.

Thomas did the AU very well and seeing him that unhappy was sort of heart breaking. I missed a little bit of chemistry between him and Franc as Paul and Noma had such great chemistry together, but this could also be very subjective as I wasn’t the biggest fan of Franc and I may be a little bit biased here. The remarriage scene was very sweet though. With Thomas going on one knee to propose again. And I liked their kiss before the Dementors suck out their soul.

In conclusion I just love Thomas as Ron, he was amazing and I‘m very happy to have seen him live. It’s great he is staying for another year.

Draco Malfoy - James Howard

At first I wasn’t too sure of how I would like James as Draco as he is very Lucius Malfoy like, but I actually really loved it. He is very different from Alex as he was very rough and made his own thing very different from the book Malfoys (which was one of the reasons I loved him so much), but James‘ more book Malfoy interpretation worked as well and was even closer to canon. He looked very elegant and definetly more like a Malfoy and at the beginning he seemed very arrogant like it’s Malfoy fashion. He was less of a brat (Alex was a very nasty brat at the beginning), but more arrogant and above other people similar to Lucius. It worked really great with how the Malfoy family appears in the books.

As the play progresses we see that this behavior is rather a facade and see the real Draco. And James nailed this. His scenes where he talks about Astoria were absolutely heart breaking and I don’t see how any Draco hater can get out of this play and not think that Draco was redeemed. He was softer than Alex and I really liked that. He wasn’t as funny, but the fight between Draco and Harry was still very enjoyable and funny.

I think James had great chemistry with Jonathan and Jamie and it all worked really great together. The hug between James and Jonathan at the end was just so adorable. You could feel how much Draco and Scorpius mean to each other. I actually ended up shipping Drarry a lot after the show although I‘m usually not that big of a Drarry fan. But James‘ and Jamie‘s chemistry was really good especially in the scene in Harry‘s office in act 4. You could feel how these two dads were bonding over their love for their kids.

James is a great Draco and there is a reason he is around since the original cast in 2016 (where he was Alex‘ understudy). He made Draco his own and I‘m happy they made him main cast and that he will stay for another year. Sign me up at the James Fanclub 😂

Ginny Potter - Susie Trayling

To be totally honest I didn’t enjoy Susie‘s Ginny too much. She wasn’t bad and she is a solid actress, but she sadly didn’t do much with her role. I was never a big Ginny stan especially after the movies (I know I missed out on a great character),but Poppy made me fall in love with book Ginny. Her Ginny was fierce and full of fire, but also a soft and understanding mother and wife. She was Harry‘s rock to feel safe. Susie was very soft and she got the motherly part down quite well, but her Ginny was just too motherly and not enough fierce and interesting. She reminded me more of movie Ginny than book Ginny (which again I think some people could really love if they didn’t like Poppy as Ginny). The fire and the fierceness were missing at least in my opinion (which again is very subjective). She did have great moments and book Ginny did shine through now and then, but not often enough to really get me interested in Ginny as a character.

The chemistry between her and Jamie was alright, but because of her lack of emotion it never got more than that.

I think Jamie was really trying in the church scene and it’s my favorite Hinny moment in the play, but she just didn’t give him enough back to make the scene really great. From the backstage videos I saw they can have great chemistry off stage (at least it seemed to me like that) so I think it’s rather a problem with her interpretation of Ginny and her choice to play her so calm. The good thing that did work though was the comparison Harry made between Albus and Ginny at the end. Susie‘s Ginny and Joe’s Albus were quite similar in how calm and collected they behaved. This comparison worked very well in this version of the play. Maybe she just had a bad day or I just can’t warm up to her interpretation. Don’t get me wrong she wasn’t bad, her acting was solid and good, she just didn’t do more than that. Again subjective (please don’t hate me 🙏🏻).

Rose Granger-Weasley - Helen Aluko

Rose doesn’t have such a big role in the play, but Helen is really good as Rose. Her Rose is more adorable and less bossy. I could see her very well as a young version of Hermione in something. She made Rose bossy but although sympathetic at the same time. She had good chemistry with everyone.

I really liked her, she is a good actress and I‘m happy I saw her.

Severus Snape - David Annen

Snape doesn’t have a big role, but as he is my favorite character from the books the Snape scenes are really important to me. I adore David‘s Snape. He is everything I ever wanted from a book Snape adaptation. He is super sassy and mean, but still funny and serious. The patronus scene was beautiful and he nailed how I would imagine an older version of book Snape to be like. I liked him more than Paul, he did more his own thing whereas Paul tried to copy Alan Rickman a bit more.

David was also really great as Vernon Dursley (the scene was hilarious) and he was terrifying as Voldemort/ Harry as Voldemort. He had to play these very different characters and he nailed all of them.

David is my favorite adapted version of Snape and I‘m very grateful I could see him live in this role. As a big Snape fan this meant a lot.

Eva - Delphi Diggory

At the beginning I really liked her Delphi. She was especially lovely at the beginning making the reveal much more drastic. She had good chemistry with Joe and I actually really liked her „good“ version of Delphi, it’s a pitty it all was just pretense and this version actually doesn’t exist.

Her evil version of Delphi was a bit too much for me though. She had some great moments where she was threatening, but in a lot of scenes she went for Delphi totally losing her mind. I think she tried to make Delphi a bit like Bellatrix being totally mental. I prefer Delphi to be more serious as it’s more threatening and easier to take serious.

She did a great job though and she made it very believable for Albus to fall for her as her Delphi was very lovable at the beginning.

The supporting cast

The entire cast was pretty good. I really preferred Umbrigde and Bane this time and Hagrid and McGonagall (who was an understudy) were great too. No complains here. I would go more into detail, but this review is already longer than anticipated, so I just leave it as that.

Conclusion

I had a wonderful time seeing this play again and I was once again reminded why it’s my favorite play. It’s such a beautiful story and production and I can’t put into words how grateful I am I could see this play again. I think I can see this play a thousand times and it never gets boring. The worst thing is after seeing it it just leaves you wanting to see it again.

If you have a chance I can’t recommend this play enough. I know it’s very expensive and doesn’t play in a lot of countries, but if you can go: DO IT!!! It’s worth it. If you go in London, I think the year 3 cast is really good (now year 4 cast, but a lot of great people stayed, so!) and I totally recommend watching them. Soon (there already was 🙈) there will be cast change, but Jonathan, James, Jamie, Susie and Thomas are staying for another year and the new actors looked lovely. London is a beautiful city with a lot of great theatre (seriously watch Everybody’s talking about Jamie, it’s amazing), so that’s also a plus.

[dionysuswearsanorangetracksuit]

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child parts one and two were........... pretty much simultaneously the worst and best thing I have ever seen.

I’m not going to centre on plot because we all Know thats a fuckin shitshow but here:

• I really enjoyed Alex Price’s performance as Draco and the scene where he tells Scorpius they can hug too if he wants was absolutely adorable. Scorpius literally LEAPT into his arms and was hanging off the ground he was so eager to hug him and then they hugged three more times during the subsequent scene just because Scorpius was sooo excited to be able to hug his dad. Alex makes Draco’s love for Astoria and Scorpius so evident and I’m really glad I got to see him portraying Draco’s redemption arc that we all deserved.

• I actually didn’t mind Paul Thornley as Ron. His characterization was a lot more like movie Ron than book Ron and I’d have liked to have some elements concerning Ron as more than just comedic relief but he delivered all his lines really well and was fiercely protective of and loving with Hermione which added some depth to the character- if not as much as I would have liked. I did really like the implication that Ron takes care of the children far more than Hermione does since he was always the carer in their relationship (I also like the line that informs us that Harry is the one who cooks more than Ginny. You know my boys are out here absolutely DESTROYING toxic male mentality and doing it like true bamfs)

• Poppy Miller was very powerful as Ginny and I really enjoyed the vulnerability she portrayed while revisiting the memory of being possessed by Voldemort. Her banter with Paul was fabulous and you could really tell they were siblings and her motherly concern about Albus and love for Harry was so strong and unwavering. Book Ginny would be proud.

• Noma Dumezweni was exceptional as Hermione and I truly believed in the growth that happened in the twenty or so years between the end of the books and before the show begins. She was as level headed, intelligent, determined and rash as Hermione always is and her voice was gorgeous and so clear and crisp and clean. I could honestly write pages on pages about her diction and projection and prononciation and articulation- you can really see the training that went into every single aspect of her performance.... I think I’m in love

• The scene in the library between Albus (Sam Clemmett) and Scorpius (Anthony Boyle) was more heartbreaking to me than the stair ballet. They were just struggling sooo hard to communicate with each other and get over the frustration they felt at their fathers and their situation that they were misplacing as frustration at each other and Anthony was so incredibly fragile when he started talking about his mom. He just broke when Albus said he hadn’t been a loser before he met scorpius. And I loved that he didn’t give Albus an easy out. Sam played the guilt and shame he felt at hurting his best friend very very well and his apology was stumbling and awkward but so so genuine.

• There was this really sweet moment between Scorpius and Albus right before they try to trap Delphi in the church where Scorpius sort of touched the side of Albus’s face and then stroked his hair. They didn’t say anything but it looked like they were telling each other to be careful and I could really feel the friendship and love coming off them. The dreaded act 4 scene whatever the fuck it is is still there but it honestly feels like it’s a lot more about Scorpius and Albus than it is about Rose and Anthony played Scorpius’s failure at being full of swag magnificently. Their hug after she leaves was also really awkward but cute and I loved it so much!! :)

• Sam in general was just very adorable and I literally died anytime he put on this one specific grey sweater that engulfed him and gave him sweater paws and he held himself in a sort of unsure, awkward stance picking at the sleeves with his messed up hair and this is literally the reason why some part of me is still straight.

• I’m also almost a hundred percent sure Anthony has some sort of Shakespeare training because there were times he would speak so powerfully I saw spit literally FLYING across the stage. He had to play so many emotions and I can’t imagine how draining this show must be for him but he keeps his energy up the entire goddamn time and I swear if he isn’t the most badass person onstage I don’t know who is.

• The standout for me was really Jamie Parker. He just portrayed Harry with such depth and realness; I could really feel the conflict and the fear and the uncertainty deep deep inside him and it was sooo impactful. When he called out Dumbledore for abandoning him to the Dursleys for 17 years I really felt his pain and sense of betrayal. When his son was taken he broke down and it was almost like he was a child again seeing Sirius die before his eyes. His attempts to connect with Albus were so well meaning and he looked so small and lost and it just really made me realize how much Harry missed out on. Good parents, a good childhood, adults who cared for him as Harry and not ‘The boy who lived’. I will still never forgive the line about Harry wishing Albus wasn’t his son, I do not believe it’s something Harry James Potter would ever say.... But Jamie really was one of my favourite parts of the entire show.

• One of the best scenes by far was when Albus, Delphi and Scorpius took poly juice potion and transformed into Harry Ron and Hermione. Noma, Jamie and Paul were hilarious and i really liked seeing their take on the characters and them just acting like goofy teenagers/young adults. It was really really funny

• The tricks of theatre and the poly juice transformation and the magic fights and the moving staircases were definitely the best part of the entire show. It was fucking IMPRESSIVE as all hell!!! The transportation into the ministry was done by having someone disappear through a trap door while their cloak was sucked into the phone booth. For the underwater scene Albus and Scorpius were on wires and bathed in blue light. Moaning Myrtle’s costuming was really good and she looked like a literal actual ghost. The aesthetics and the props and the costuming and the choreography was my favourite part of the entire show it felt like actual magic OH MY LORD it almost (almost) made up for the shit writing

• Oh! Dumbledore was also a lot more like Richard Harris than Michael Gambdon and my soul is now soothed ™

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 11 - CBJ

I was going to save Rob Ray using the term “Gloryhole” to describe Artemi Panarin’s second goal for the P.S. but I couldn’t help myself and that is just everything you need to know about Rob Ray the broadcaster in one hilarious live TV misspeak. Was he misspeaking? I feel like he used the word totally seriously just not fully realizing what it means… you know in sexual parlay. I actually missed that epic call, I had turned off the stream; not in rage, OT does make the heart race, but I was at my wife’s grandma’s house deep in the Finger Lakes. They aren’t the people to forego a game in the World Series for an October Sabres game. Rob Ray had a pretty classic gaff about that too but this isn’t a Rob Ray blog, this is New Look Sabres. I got to say, I don’t know if I would go through the effort to watch a stream on my phone on Saturday night for last year’s Sabres. This game is pretty indicative of the New Look Sabres I envisioned naming this blog. The Columbus Blue Jackets have proven themselves to be the frustration factory of hockey in the playoffs and if the Sabres ever want to get back to those they will need to beat some CBJs this season. The Buffalo Sabres did not look out of place against these guys and that says a lot.

Tage Thompson made himself useful and got an assist on Kyle Okposo’s first goal of the game crashing the net 98 seconds into the game. Two thoughts on that: Tage Thompson sat the last several games and several Smart Sabres folks pointed out the uselessness of not sending him down. He has taken his time to get comfortable in the system and didn’t look great but if he can start producing he ought to stay. I won’t be offended if he goes down at this point but hey, silver linings, right? Second Thought: Crashing that net. Look at most of the goals the Sabres have scored so far this season, thirty goals to be exact, and the majority will be crashing that net. If the Sabres score goals I’m not upset but is crashing the net the substitute for all our guys not shooting from the point? Just a thought, it’s more rhetorical, I had a lot of time to think about this game. Pierre-Luc Dubois shot from the point. After receiving a pass from Panarin he shot one high on Linus Ullmark. Five minutes later Jeff Skinner found a puck sent from McCabe and launched it two-hole. For the second time in two games a Sabres goal got challenged and stood. I could get used to this. The Sabres would enter the first intermission up 2-1 on the home team. Then the second period happened.

The Buffalo Sabres shut off. They got a single powerplay opportunity but it was the first period since maybe the San Jose game when we saw the Sabres just fall flat. Did they play their game? Perhaps they did: Jack Eichel screeched in on Joonas Korpisalo and got robbed. It wasn’t Sabres who scored this period. Artemi Panarin was a man on a mission scoring 94 seconds into the second in a goal that I will say was sick because I, like anyone with two eyes for hockey, want that guy on my team. He made Ristolainen look like he didn’t know ice is slippery. Those cannon blasts just kept coming and Cam Atkinson scored twice 32 seconds apart to put the Jackets up 4-2 through forty minutes of hockey. I am not even going to defend my boy Linus Ullmark in this period. The whole team sleep walked through this period. Then the New Look Sabres got back in the final frame. Jason Pominville scored on a behind-the-net setup from Jack Eichel to get the game within one two and a half minutes in. Two minutes later the Sabres highlight of this game happened. It took eleven games into his first full NHL season but Casey Mittelstadt scored one, a sausy one on the powerplay but it was his. That’s one monkey we all ought to be happy is off our favorite child’s back. The two teams traded chances for the rest of regulation; one shot by Columbus’ Anthony Duclair was taking a gentle stroll toward the line when Sam Reinhart fished it out. That may have been the play that secured the point in this game as this one went to a brief OT before Artemi Panarin out maneuvered three misaligned Sabres and won it. Sabres lost in OT 5-4 and altogether you probably love what you glean from the Blue and Gold team in this game.

I brought up crashing the net earlier because I think it’s a really interesting point of study in Phil Housley’s system. I am no expert, that’s kind of one of this blog’s calling cards, but does a net-crashing team not play fundamentally differently than a shoot first team? This league is overwhelmingly going in a speed-first direction and that’s made defenses slimmer and agile. Not many teams beat the shit out of you in front of the net anymore. It’s a good strategy for now, but I am just not certain how sustainable it is. It could also be a fair analysis of this team’s strengths by the coaching staff. I looked at those thirty goals Buffalo has scored, aw yeah its cool having that many goals through only eleven games, and very few lead you to believe any skater on this team prefers to shoot from the point. Jack Eichel’s overly-selfless pass-first mentality is well documented but I couldn’t find anyone really who jumps out as an honest-to-God shooter on this team. Kyle Okposo, who has looked like a new acquisition as of late thank God, stands out as something of a shooter but who else? Conor Sheary scores slappers from close up, minus well just call him Lumberjack Conor at this point, Jeff Skinner has scored more of his goals rather tight in there and I’ll leave Sam Reinhart alone for now. Jason Pominville even shoots from a place he can hear the goalies breathe. Maybe I had too much time to think about this game.

This team looks capable of comebacks and that is as refreshing as it gets. More than one observer across the bloggers, beat reporters and newsmen said following this game that this matchup last year… or really any season since Obama’s first term, would’ve turned into a rout. Buffalo comes back now and that’s what good teams do. I will gladly take a few OT heartbreaks that result in a point than fighting the urge to turn off the game before it’s over. Speaking of things I don’t want to turn off: how do you like this blog? Yea, I am talking to you with the shirt. It’s nice to see feedback come in certain non-word ways but it would be cool to read it in text too. Share this, like it, heart it, all of the above, and just spread it around. Know someone stressing about that OT loss to a team that is probably better? Send this to them. Hey you, this ain’t the old Sabres, these guys are allowed to lose tough games if they’re going to fight that hard in them. Well anyway, Tuesday night Calgary comes to town on the back of a faceoff against those cardiac kids up in Toronto so maybe we can put out a fire with one of our own. A home and home with Ottawa awaits us later in the week and a win streak here benefits not only how the rest of the season goes but also divisional bragging rights! Let’s go Buffalo!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. I really hated Artemi Panarin in 2016. I thought he stole Jack Eichel’s Calder Trophy but as I have matured as a hockey fan I realize it wasn’t so much an injustice as an armed heist.

[sigrun23]

'The Cursed Child' recap – 7th/8th and 9th of September, Part 1

I had a long break, almost four moths, from seeing 'The Cursed Child'. The last time I saw the play was in May, a week before the cast change. Ever since reviews of the new cast started to appear, I was impatient to return to London and see them. I love the original cast and was extremely sad when they left the play (and elated when it was announced that they were going to reprise their roles on Broadway!) so I was also anxious to see new actors playing my beloved characters. But my worries were mostly unfounded.

I'm going to write summaries about each actor and then some details from a few scenes. I saw the play twice, on Thursday/Friday (7th/8th) and Saturday (9th), and had restricted seats in row A, but on two opposite sites, so in the end I saw almost everything.

Jamie Glover

I warmed up to him during the second performance and in the end I think he does a great job. I don't like him as much as I like Jamie Parker (who is my ideal Harry) but he's a very good actor and his interpretation of Harry is interesting and valid. He still doesn't look like Harry to me, and while appearance obviously isn't the most important part, it still plays some role in how much I enjoy the actor (especially the one playing the character I have a very specific image of in my head). His Harry is different than Jamie Parker's and I think I can summarise it in one short sentence: his Harry is older. (Well, Jamie G. is ten years older than Jamie P.) He looks older and he acts older. He's calmer, quieter (he doesn't shout as much as Jamie P. did), he doesn't have that bouncy energy Jamie P. had. He has a very good connection with Theo, unfortunately not so great with Emma. I also felt that he could have played more with his voice, too often he was saying lines in the same tone of voice (though he had some brilliant moments. More about it later).

Emma Lowndes

She's a good actress but I'm not a fan of her Ginny. She's too cold and distant, I really missed Poppy's loving and caring warmth. She had some great moments (more about it later) but there were also moments when I disliked her performance. Sometimes I got a feeling that her smiles and laughs were forced and false. As I mentioned above I didn't feel true and strong relationship and love between her Ginny and Jamie's Harry. And so you wouldn't think that I'm blinded by my love for Poppy's Ginny, I saw Lowri once as Ginny and I liked her more than Emma.

Theo Ancient

As Albus is my favourite character, I was the most anxious about Theo's interpretation of Albus. And though he isn't my Albus and I still prefer Sam, he was really good and I enjoyed his performance very much. He had a few stiff and unnatural moments/lines but honestly, who doesn't? Though I wished he hadn't used that pained, troubled expression so often. His Albus is much different than Sam's. They both are sad and miserable, they feel misunderstood, rejected, alone, and think that they don't live up to expectations. Theo shows that pain and sadness, he's more open and vulnerable. He uses anger as his last resort, when he gets really annoyed and frustrated and thinks it's the only way to reach Harry. While Sam used anger as a shield, to hide his pain and weakness, to appear strong and indifferent to what others think of him. That difference is very visible in the blanket scene in which Sam was tense, irritated, angry from the moment Harry went in, and Theo is initially just sad and gets angry only at the end of the scene. Theo's interpretation works most of the time, although there were some scenes in which it didn't work the best. Theo and Samuel have a wonderful connection and are lovely together, but in my opinion Sam and Anthony had better chemistry and more Scorbus moments.

Thomas Aldridge

He's great! Funny, loving, caring, brave, content with his life, family and friends. He has a wonderful connection with Rakie, their Ron and Hermione work great together. The only thing he lacks is the look (Paul Thornley was perfectly cast when it comes to the appearance).

Danny Dalton

He played Ron on Saturday. His Ron wasn't much different than Paul's or Tom's so it means he was equally good. Danny and Emma also look somewhat similarly so I really felt that they were brother and sister.

Rakie Ayola

I have a bit of a problem with her Hermione. Rakie is amazing in the normal reality but I don't like her choices of portraying Hermione in alternate realities. In the first AR she looked and sounded like she was on the verge of tears. And while that's a plausible reaction at the end of the scene, after Albus mentions Ron and Rose, I don't get why she's almost crying throughout the whole scene. It's been over twenty years since she lost Ron and Hermione's not a kind of person to cry over it all day and night for years. It changed her, she's mean, even cruel, but she wouldn't be showing her misery in front of students. That's way I also don't like that she sits and cries on the staircase, where everyone can see her, before she meets Ron. Though crumpling in despair after their meeting was a great reaction. In the Voldemort AR she was too bossy, too authoritative, I didn't feel the warmth and care Hermione should still have.

James Howard

His Draco is very different than Alex's but I love them both equally. He's much more stoic, distant, closed, he doesn't easily show his feelings. He's also less funny than Alex but that's fine, his Draco isn't supposed to be.

Samuel Blenkin

He was fantastic! I will never say that he's better than Anthony and if I was forced to choose, I would choose Anthony, but I love his Scorpius. His Scorpius isn't that much different than Anthony's, he's still geeky, ridiculous, awkward, full of energy, kind, loyal, brave, with a right amount of seriousness, angst and sadness. Unlike Anthony, Samuel speaks in  a normal tone of voice and he doesn't fidget with his clothes and hair. In the beginning I wasn't very fond of his expressions, they were sometimes too comical, too exaggerated for me (faces he made, reminded me sometimes of Mr Bean's :D). But during the second show I got used to them and accepted as a part of his Scorpius. (I had the same problem with Anthony's high-pitched voice. I really liked it only during my second show).

David Annen

He's the only actor I really liked more than the original. Not that I didn't like Paul Bentall, he just wasn't my Severus. And Severus Snape is my favourite HP character (and one of my favourite characters ever) so the rendition of him on stage is very important to me. David's portrayal is the closest to what I imagine Severus to be like (though even he isn't there yet. I'm afraid no one will ever be). He's brilliant in every aspect: the appearance, the voice, the posture and movements. I felt that he really understood and inhabited the character. He's also very nice and funny; I asked him at the stage door to sign his favourite scene and surprisingly it turned out to be the duel between Harry and Draco!

Annabel Baldwin

I heard so many wonderful things about her Delphi, that she's perfect, much better than Esther, etc. And she was great, I grant it, but honestly I don't think she was better than Esther. Their Delphi's are very similar, Annabel even sounded like Esther in some scenes. But all that means that I enjoyed Annabel's Delphi immensely, as I always enjoyed Esther's.

April Hughes

Her Myrtle was hilarious, it was a real pleasure and fun to watch her. She played Delphi on Saturday and unfortunately I didn't enjoy her as much as I had Annabel and Esther. Her voice irritated me, she has a very high voice and she sounded too much like she was talking to a child. She was much better though in the Part Two, as 'evil' Delphi, especially in the scene at the Quidditch pitch.

Sarah Miele

She was fantastic as Myrtle, she may be even my favourite. Unfortunately, her Polly wasn't great. I never liked Claudia Grant as Polly, she was too unnatural in the scene with Scorpius, trying too hard to be funny, over-acting and exaggerating. And sadly Sarah played that scene in the same way. I thought maybe that was the way this scene was supposed to be played but no, because...

Leah Haile

played Polly brilliantly, as I always wanted her to be portrayed. Funny, flirtatious, natural, not a bit over-acting. Can she play Polly all the time?

What I noticed about this cast, is that they speak more clearly and slowly. It was especially evident in case of Scorpius and Harry. Jamie P. and Anthony spoke sometimes very quickly and I, as a non-native speaker, struggled to understand them. With Jamie G. and Samuel I had no problems in understanding every single word. On one hand it's a good thing, but on the other I sometimes felt that they focused more on delivering their lines clearly than expressing true emotions.

[auburnfamilynews]

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Tough loss, frustrating loss... see our thoughts from right after the game.

Yesterday felt a lot like the Florida game, except that we didn’t play from behind for the entirety of this one in Baton Rouge. Auburn lost to LSU by a field goal, and had every chance to not only lead for the duration, but possibly pull away. Inaccuracies from Bo Nix and the steady inability to find running room up the middle doomed a great defensive effort by the good Tigers, and now Auburn sits at 6-2 overall. What did we think? Find out below:

SNAP JUDGMENTS

Not good enough on offense to win these games. No sign that we will be at any point. Great on defense. Whatever.

Fastest player in the world, 3 catches, 33 yards, 0 touchdowns.

-Son of Crow

This defense is elite, don’t judge them on getting burned late. They played some 95 snaps.

Derrick Brown is in the discussion for best Auburn defensive lineman of all time. He may not have the sack numbers but the way he shuts down interior running is insane.

Throwing that ball before the half was the correct call. Was it the perfect play call? I don’t know, it wasn’t the best ever, but it wasn’t bad. If Seth high points the ball (like he does ALL the time) that’s a drop at worst, PI or catch at best. He had the inside position.

Bo has to be better. If he hits those slants in the 3rd quarter and just gets the defense some rest and field position, Auburn wins. Ultimately, the game came down to him in the 4th, and it was too little too late. He’s a freshman. As frustrating as it is, that’s what you have to expect in August when you decide to start a true freshman. You’ve got to let him grow, and no, you can’t just yank him for Joey.

Should Joey have played more? Yeah, probably. But guys, let me break it to you — he’s not a better passer than Bo. You pick a young quarterback, YOU HAVE TO LET HIM DEVELOP.

The hopes for winning the SEC are pretty much dead. Let’s go mess up somebody who still has dreams. The season’s not a loss.

-Ryan Sterritt

Incredible job by Kevin Steele. For most of the night, AU only had 4 guys in the box and 3 DBs on the field. Jamien Sherwood basically was a hybrid S/LB and was outstanding. AU’s defense faced something like 90 plays and gave up only 23 points. They never quit battling and gave AU a chance at the end that seemed impossible to comprehend.

Offensively, things are a mess. Gus’ offense is predicated on running the football yet his senior laden OL can’t move anyone with a pulse. As a result, he asks Bo Nix to sling it but Bo Nix isn’t ready to sling it. I don’t think benching Bo fixes the problem, but I would give Joey a series or two just to see if it injects some energy. But the root ill of this offense is they failed at recruiting elite OL the last 2-3 classes and don’t have the sheme to run an RPO spread attack.

Still think this team beats UGA and you never know with the Iron Bowl in Jordan-Hare. But, it’s hard not to be frustrated watching another defensive masterpiece wasted.

-AU Nerd

Auburn’s defense deserved better. As we’ve come to know over the last few years, they play their tail off and have nothing to show for it. Holding that offense to 23 is mighty impressive and if Auburn’s offense would have just mustered a bit more, OR finished drives like the first one of the second half, we’re having a different discussion right now. I’m amazed at how our offense disappears in these types of games. And only 3 touches for Anthony Schwartz? I don’t get it. You aren’t gonna win games with 15 penalties either.

Whether you like it or not, Gus is gonna ride or die with Bo. I’d like to see Joey get a few more snaps too, but it’s not going to happen. Gus even said postgame they never considered going to Joey.

The Auburn offense will probably hang 45-50 on Ole Miss so we can sit here and wonder where that was in Baton Rouge. I think a 3-1 November is realistic and mabe LSU can go beat Alabama... maybe.

On a positive note: at least we don’t have to wait a month for Auburn Basketball — just 9 more days!

-Will McLaughlin

The offense couldn’t have played much worse and we lost by 3 on the road to the #2 team in the country. Kevin Steele pulled a 3-1-7 defense out of nowhere and gave the country the blueprint to beat LSU... if you have Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson.

The bad news is LSU made a ton of mistakes and failed multiple 4th and shorts. We can’t count on those stops against UGA and Alabama.

Watch this jackass LSU team lose to Bama. I’ll go ahead and make my pick. Bama 42-27.

-James Jones

I’ve deleted this and rewritten it now three times because while I’m frustrated, I’d rather not react out of emotion. What I’ll say is that we’re stuck. Stuck because of personnel that isn’t good enough to whip equal or better competition across the line of scrimmage. Stuck because the best option Auburn football has at quarterback is a true freshman. Stuck depending on a select few skill position players to bail us out instead of having everyone in a position to contribute. Everyone is frustrated with Bo Nix right now, but I’m telling you, our lack of ability to consistently run the football is the problem with the team. Is Bo Nix ready to beat LSU in Death Valley or Florida in the Swamp? No. No he’s not. But we aren’t good enough up front to bail him out. Is this group going to be good enough at home to ruin Georgia and/or Alabama’s season? That remains to be seen. It’s not what we sign up for at Auburn, but it is where we are today. Stay with this team. Their best game is still in front of them.

-Josh Black

Auburn didn’t win. They could have! There were a lot of chances. Auburn just couldn’t run the ball the way they needed to win. Auburn has two losses to teams that are a combined 15-1. Two losses on the dadgum road, in two of the toughest places to win. Luckily, Auburn doesn’t have another road game this season. Four more contests, all at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

-Josh Dub

***GUEST SNAP FROM LYDIA***

I’m not saying that there aren’t things to criticize, or that everyone needs to be a sunshine pumper. Flaws exist in both wins & losses, but they’re always magnified in a loss.

— O&T Eternal Champ of the Week (@AUSquid) October 27, 2019

Man, it really sucks to know that with the smallest improvement from a pretty terrible game, Auburn wins this one. If Bo Nix hits just a couple of those rough misses, it snowballs. The middle opens up for the run, or the defense gets some rest, or the offense gets momentum, or he gets confidence and hits more. I know the main issue with the team is the lack of true ability to run the football reliably, but we didn’t need to yesterday. This loss hangs squarely on the shoulders of Bo Nix, as tough as that is to say. There were plenty of opportunities to move the ball through the air, and he just couldn’t give the receivers a chance. It wasn’t even that we had drops, or good defense by LSU. More often than not, the ball was completely uncatchable. That’s how close we are, though. If Bo goes 50% through the air, Auburn might have run away with the game. Instead, it’s a 23-20 loss.

There isn’t any more that can be said of the defense except that they may actually shut out Georgia the way the Bulldog offense is going right now, and we’ll win a 6-0 ballgame at home (how hilarious would that be??), and we’ll have a chance to really slow Bama down too. The difference between what the Auburn offense has been on the Plains versus everywhere else is impressive. In the end, Auburn’s lost to two teams with a combined one loss, and the overall record of our opponents is something like 40-24. If we finish 9-3, this is a successful season. Split Amen Corner, and get a chance for 10 wins in the bowl game. Don’t give up on this team, because they’re not going to give up on themselves.

-Jack Condon

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/10/27/20935121/snap-judgments-2-lsu-23-9-auburn-20