#and brook being the ultimate hype man

[malachite-iiarie]

Me watching Robin fight Black Maria and embrace her darker sides

[deadite-central]

Usopp vs Perona greatest fight in one piece send tweet

Fr tho. I said already how much I love the idea of the negative hollows and the fact that Usopp is the one who has to defeat Perona, cuz they won’t work on somebody who’s already depressed and worried as much as he is, it’s funny, but also goes back to what he learned in Ennies Lobby, he’s not always going to be able to do everything, but others also may have this problem, and they’re a crew so everyone can do their part and win, and Usopp, while still scared, takes the fight into his own hands. It also helps that Perona is a really funny character

Chopper, like I said before, stands up to Hogback, no longer seeing him as a doctor but as a monster. The man is convinced he did what humanity wanted, managed to bring dead people back to life, but Chopper, and the audience know that this isn’t life. The zombies are still lifeless corpses without the personality that either the body or the shadow once had. Hogback’s confidence in the zombies is what gets him ultimately defeated, and this encounter leaves Chopper changed

I didn’t really talk about Absalom cause I generally can’t stand the guy, and his fight with Sanji has Sanji at his most annoying in pre time skip, but I do love the friendship that forms between Lola and Nami, that later carries on to Nami and actual Lola. They’re so sweet, and I love how it’s Nami who brings the final blow towards Absalom

It’s not often when we get a full crew fight against a single enemy, so the fight between the straw hats and Moria-Oars has to get really creative and that’s GREAT

With thriller bark we also get our second appearance of Kuma, who right now seems seriously threatening. Like I said with Moria, Warlords have been shown to us as people we have to treat seriously, and with how quickly he makes Perona disappear, for someone reading this for the first time he might very much seem scary he sure as hell was for me when I first watched the anime

Once Luffy makes it to the fight with Oars and Moria, things start going much more smoothly, and once the guy finally gets the punch, I’m hyped. I love Moria as a character and I think he’s severely overhated, but everytime Luffy deals that first punch to someone who OH SO deserves it, it feels great

And of course, the nothing happened moment. Zoro being ready to give up his life for Luffy and the crew’s sakes is already a testament to how he’s grown, but the fact he somehow managed to survive all of Luffy’s pain leads to such a good scene

However.. this scene and entire fight have been showing that the Straw Hats are biting more than they can chew. This is the last moment before Sabaody where it becomes clear we have to be weary

Also, Brook does finally join the crew! His backstory is crushing (honestly which one isn’t) and I can’t wait for the day when he can finally see Laboon again and show him the song the Rumbar pirates didn’t get to share

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, December 28

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Ghislaine Maxwell scandal explodes 

Page 2: George Clooney was rushed to the hospital after rapidly dropping 28 pounds to play an ailing astronomer in his latest movie The Midnight Sky and the harrowing incident has infuriated worried wife Amal Clooney -- George’s scare came when he was diagnosed with life-threatening pancreatitis days before he was scheduled to start filming on a glacier in Finland -- Amal was unhappy and angry that he put his health on the line for the role and she was also furious because this wasn’t the first time the father of her twins has been in harm’s way and she’s demanding he take better care of himself so he’ll be around to care for his kids 

Page 3: Lori Loughlin’s deluded daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli is clueless over the college admissions scandal that landed her parents in jail and believes her own hype according to a body language expert -- in an interview on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk Olivia claimed she had no idea posing for pictures on a rowing machine to finagle a crew scholarship to the University of Southern California despite never having practiced the sport was deceitful but body language expert Susan Constantine said Olivia doesn’t appear to have any understanding of the consequences of her actions or those of mom Lori and dad Mossimo Giannulli -- after observing Olivia’s confession Constantine said she didn’t notice any deceptive indicators such as pauses in her speech or shrugging of her shoulders however she labeled Olivia completely unequivocally oblivious which she said made it challenging to judge Olivia’s truthfulness 

Page 4: Lonely Diane Keaton is longing for love and she’s turned to former flame Jack Nicholson for help in landing a new guy -- Diane is truly desperate to find a man and she knows if there’s one person who can help her navigate the dating scene after all this time it’s Jack -- the Oscar-winning actress shocked the world when she recently admitted she hasn’t been on a date in 35 years and she made a joke of it but the pandemic has made her realize how lonely she really is -- Diane would never date Jack again but knows he has a lot of eligible friends who would fit her dating profile 

* Dying Olivia Newton-John worries endlessly about her daughter Chloe and made a touching final request of close pal John Travolta: Please take care of Chloe after I’m gone -- Olivia’s concerns for Chloe spiked after she blasted the COVID-19 vaccine on social media writing that natural medicine is the party she belongs to -- Olivia has been battling stage 4 breast cancer while John lost his wife Kelly Preston to the same disease and John loves and admires Olivia for the way she’s battled this disease and she’s given him the hope and encouragement he needs -- now Chloe’s ongoing issues have pushed Olivia to beg John to pledge he’ll be there for her daughter because Chloe has spent over $450,000 on multiple plastic surgeries including breast enhancements and a nose job and lip enhancements and Botox and she’s also battled anorexia and depression which led to bouts with cocaine and alcohol addiction -- Olivia has always been deeply concerned about who would look out for Chloe if she wasn’t around and now that she can see the end is near she asked John to be that person; he never blinked an eye and said of course 

Page 5: Ozzy Osbourne’s frail and feeble appearance has friends fearing for the rocker but he has no plans to abandon a 2022 comeback even if it kills him -- the 72-year-old singer has battled Parkinson’s disease and crippling nerve damage but has vowed he will die onstage -- nobody disputes he has the heart of a lion and it’s great to see him out and about again recording music and talking the good talk but ultimately Ozzy is a very sickly guy who needs to protect himself and not charge around trying to delude himself by living life at a pace that doesn’t make sense anymore 

Page 6: Rattled reality star Kylie Jenner is living in fear after being terrorized by two crazed fans and is now spending $350,000 a month on a 25-person security detail -- Kylie filed court documents seeking a restraining order against Justin Bergquist who allegedly broke into her $36.5 million California home last month 

Page 7: Lonely Ryan Seacrest may have nearly half a billion bucks in the bank but he’d trade in his riches for another shot at love -- he was so devastated by his breakup with on-again off-again galpal Shayna Taylor last summer he fears he may never find a woman to spend the rest of his life with and he now realizes her put his career before his personal life one too many times and may suffer for it forever -- Ryan’s recent health woes have been a wake-up call and forced him to understand the price he’s paying for taking his partners for granted for so long -- Ryan now realizes life is too short to go it alone and it’s finally dawned on him he’s not invincible and not so self-sufficient after all 

* Miley Cyrus’ admission that she’s had a lot of FaceTime sex has left friends and advisers fearing she may be setting herself up for some unwanted exposure -- though Miley explained she’s turned to virtual hookups to avoid physical contact during the pandemic but she’s putting herself at an entirely different kind of risk and she’s setting herself up as a potential victim of revenge porn 

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Brooke Burke showed off her toned figure in Malibu, Andrew Garfield looked bored on the NYC set of Tick Tick...Boom!, Busy Philipps cleaning, Audrina Patridge and her daughter Kirra on a Beverly Hills playdate 

Page 11: Guy Fieri is eating up heaps of praise for handing out $500 grants to more than 43,000 restaurant workers across the nation -- he scrambled to raise over $21.5 million in seven weeks to help legions of unemployed restaurant laborers who have suffered financially due to the COVID-19 health and economic crisis -- through his new Restaurant Employee Relief Fund Guy personally buttonholed fat cats at cash-rich corporations such as PepsiCo and Uber Eats and Moet Hennessy USA to make donations -- he shows how he did it and shines a light on the industry’s continuing challenges in Restaurant Hustle 2020 a documentary he produced for the Food Network 

* Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are spreading yuletide cheer with their TV holiday special but they’re more interested in ringing cash registers than Christmas bells -- Garth and Trisha rake in $60 million a year from concert ticket sales and CD purchases and merchandising but the couple saw their cash flow slow during the pandemic -- they lost a bunch of money but they had the unique opportunity to do TV specials and grab a big chunk of it back -- while the $10 million they are pocketing for their TV specials won’t make up for what they would have netted on tour it was a sweet stocking stuffer and they both want to get back on the road and really rake it in but TV has made the wait a lot easier 

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- With Beyonce and Taylor Swift facing off for Song of the Year at the upcoming Grammy Awards producers are scrambling to prevent another Kanye West explosion like what happened in 2009

* Killing off The Talk may be the only hope of saving Drew Barrymore’s tanking talk show

* The Real Housewives of New York are treating the first Black cast member Eboni K. Williams with kid gloves because no one wants to come across as racist 

* Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts (picture) 

Page 13: January Jones’ desperate bid for online attention has pals concerned she may be cracking up -- her red-hot career appears to have cooled since Mad Men ended in 2015 and January is dying to land another plum part like Betty Draper but she’s going about it the wrong way -- she’s been posting sexy bikini pictures and leggy dance numbers on Instagram but that’s not the way to catch the eye of casting directors especially with so few shows in production during the COVID-19 lockdown 

* Caitlyn Jenner has reached out to trans actor Elliot Page offering to be his big sister in an opportunistic PR ploy -- while Caitlyn was one of many trans celebs including Jazz Jennings and Geena Rocero to offer Elliot congratulations and support, Caitlyn viewed the announcement as a new opportunity to leap back into the limelight and she believes that by aligning herself with Elliot she can regain her status as an activist and the symbol of transgender rights in Hollywood -- Elliot is happy to listen to Caitlyn’s advice but he’s been navigating his gender issues for years and doesn’t need guidance and he’s not going to be rude but he doesn’t need the help 

Page 14: Crime 

Page 15: A never-before-heard audio recording is of iconic soul singer James Brown’s wish to leave his $100 million fortune to educate poor children -- in the garbled 1999 recording the singer who died suddenly in 2006 called the creation of his I Feel Good foundation his lasting legacy but his precious foundation has not seen a dime because his fortune has remained tied up in court since his death which is the subject of an investigation by the Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney’s office after allegations surfaced that Brown might have been poisoned by someone after his money 

Page 16: American Life 

Page 17: What Shocked and Rocked in 2020 -- the best scoops and stories of the year 

Page 25: Fired Hillsong Church pastor Carl Lentz was so starstruck by his celebrity parishioners he believed he was a star himself and his ego fueled his shocking fall from grace and now he’s getting mental health treatment after being accused of cheating on his wife and getting sacked for moral failures -- Carl tended the trendy megachurch’s New York City flock and regularly rubbed shoulders with celebs including NBA star Kevin Durant and singer Selena Gomez and even once invited Justin Bieber to live with him before being booted by bigwigs but now he’s said to be getting help at an outpatient facility specializing in depression and pastoral burnout but cunning Carl may have made the move simply to revamp his wrecked reputation 

Page 26: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are heading to couples therapy in a desperate bid to stay together because their marriage is hanging by a thread -- the pair are at each other’s throats as they struggle to adjust to their new life in America -- Harry’s gone from being excited about the move to feeling tortured and it’s like he swapped his royal prison in Britain for a new hell in a $14 million California mansion and he fears he’s made a terrible mistake but Meghan’s ordering him to man up and grab this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make millions away from the monarchy’s suffocating shadow -- the fighting came to a head before the holidays when Harry was feeling especially homesick and guilty about abandoning his family especially his brother Prince William and his grandmother Queen Elizabeth -- adding to their troubles Meghan seems hellbent on staying in the public eye during the pandemic and she masterminded their personal video calls to charities in London and the U.S. and the secret deliveries of meals to the needy but then she made them public and the truth is it’s The Meghan Show now and Harry’s just the side act 

Page 27: A charming Chinese spy bedded two Midwestern mayors and courted other clueless politicians to weasel her way into U.S. government circles -- Chinese national Christina Fang also known as Fang Fang, reportedly entered the U.S. as a college student in 2011 

Page 31: Candice Bergen moaned that at the age of 74 she’s a wreck and that she has a wattle -- Candice admitted to having her eyes done while filming the Murphy Brown reboot because they were very hooded and as for today she knows she should have injections because she has deep lines along her lip but she can’t take the pain 

* Rachael Ray lost her New York home to a blazing inferno but her holidays were salvaged by the warmth of community spirit -- following the devastating fire she and her husband moved into the property’s guesthouse and in a clip on The Rachael Ray Show the emotional host showed off her festively decorated digs and gushed she didn’t know where she’d be without friends and a community and people so dear to her that helped her bring Christmas to life even when you’re not at home 

Page 32: Health Watch -- blood test predicts Alzheimer’s 

Page 34: Longtime lovebirds Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell are hoping to make a movie with their whole family -- the star-studded cast would include Goldie’s kids Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson and the couple’s son Wyatt Russell -- as for filming with the entire gang Goldie gushed that they have thought about it and she’d love to do something with her kids and the grandchildren too 

* Hollywood Hookups -- Kristin Cavallari and Jeff Dye heating up, Malik Beasley and Larsa Pippen dating but Malik’s wife Montana Yao filed for divorce, Chrishell Stause and Keo Motsepe dating 

Page 36: Infamous Hollywood hotel Chateau Marmont has a storied history of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll ever since it opened its doors in 1929 and nearly a century later it hasn’t been tamed -- even during the pandemic the majestic hotel is wild with drunks, overdoses and luckily averted suicide attempts and according to 911 records the debauched celebrity haunt is filled with people having breakdowns -- the Chateau’s crazy days and nights are legendary: it’s where John Belushi died in one of the bungalows in 1982 from a deadly cocaine-heroin concoction 

Page 38: One of the most iconic images from the James Bond films which is a handgun used by Sean Connery in Dr. No has sold for $256,000 at auction in Beverly Hills -- the gun is a deactivated semi-automatic Walther PP pistol -- the winning bidder who asked to remain anonymous is an American who’s seen every James Bond film with his children -- a helmet created for Tom Cruise in Top Gun also sold at the auction for $108,000 while a sword used by Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction sold for $35,200 

* Dolly Parton has one major thing left on her bucket list which is she wants to see Beyonce sing Jolene one of the country star’s signature songs -- Jolene has been recorded more than any other song Dolly has ever written but that isn’t enough for her because she also wants to see it updated by one of the top female stars of a new generation -- it has been recorded worldwide over 400 times in lots of different languages but nobody’s ever had a really big hit record on it and Dolly always hoped somebody might do it someday by someone like Beyonce 

* Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has wrestled his way into the alcohol market with his own tequila brand and lifted it into first place as the most successful spirit launch in history and he’s even on track to double George Clooney’s first-year launch -- Dwayne is expected to move more than 300,000 cases of small-batch Teremana Tequila in its first year of trading 

Page 40: Smitten singer Rihanna has fallen hard for A$AP Rocky but friends fear the playboy rapper will leave her broken-hearted -- Rocky is a charming guy but he also has a love ‘em and leave ‘em reputation and everyone’s concerned she’s more into him than he is into her -- Rihanna’s desperate to meet a man she can see herself with for the rest of her life and she believes Rocky might be the one but everybody thinks she’s rushing into things with Rocky -- Rocky is not interested in a long-term romance and Rihanna shouldn’t be thinking of this as more than a port in the storm 

* Lizzo is livin’ large and she’s showing every inch of her jiggles and folds on TikTok -- the body-positivity enthusiast wore a white bikini for an all-angles video in which she amply demonstrated the tricks models and celebs use to look slimmer -- she bared her belly and back and legs and sometimes jiggled her thighs or grabbed a hunk of herself to prove there’s more to luscious ladies than meets the eye and wrote, “Wild to see the body positive movement come so far. Proud of the big girls who gave it wings.” 

Page 42: Red Carpet -- The Crown stars -- Claire Foy, Emma Corrin, Gillian Anderson, Vanessa Kirby, Erin Doherty 

Page 47: Odd List -- baseball fan Darren Johnson hatched an unusual idea for his new chicken coop making it a model of Houston’s former Eighth Wonder of the World The Astrodome

[joecial-distancing]

2019 in review in review:

A few years ago I started tracking yearly goals, books read, movies watched etc in a year, along with overview blurbs, in private posts. End of 2019/beginning of 2020 I was really frazzled/burned out about a lot of stuff and just never finished up making the thing. 8 months later, got the urge to read back what I’d got done, then figured I’d maybe go ahead and see about finishing. 

Media tracking below the break. thoughts/blurbs written in 2020 italicized, 2019 not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_____________________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Didn’t do so hot on explicit personal goals, but had a lot of stuff go ok around them this year.

School’s been fine/better than fine.

Job’s probably the biggest failing. Still with same job, haven’t made the firm moves to jump off, dragging my feet too much on exploring stuff w/ Columbia/NASA GISS.

Did not get better with covid, lol

Dating life still non-existent, but I’ve registered on apps, gotten more comfortable with selfies, improved general social life dramatically, been flirted with, updated my wardrobe, and generally started to get comfortable accepting that I’m a hot person.

Somehow got extremely better during covid.

Books

Grant (finished)

We stan a taurus legend

Guy was good at exactly one job, and was fortunate enough to have been in the right place/right time to get to do it.

Mort (discworld)

Definitely best discworld I’ve gotten to so far.

Don Quixote p. II

Really entertaining in a way that part 1 wasn’t; I was shocked how much the meta element landed for me.

Consider the Lobster (DFW collection)

had zero context on who DFW is/was when I read, and still don’t exactly tbh. Wanted to wait for a pause in The Discourse before diving into more of him, but dunno if I’m ever going to get that.

Crime and Punishment (revisited)

Weirdly didn’t get much more out of this than I did the first time I’d read it

Better Than Sex (HST Gonzo papers)

Xerox/widespread fax accessibility opening citizen access to mass media in a manner really reminiscent of what social media would go on to do at a much larger scale. Has a much more deliberate narrative arc than the other gonzo papers collections, also has that excellent HST richard nixon eulogy

The Brothers Karamazov

SPQR

Slouching Towards Bethlehem (Didion collection)

Pet Sematary

Not my favorite King, but not bad

Sourcery (discworld)

still funny/charming, but Mort really made clear/reminded me how much the hapless sadsack Rincewind mold of protagonist wears on me after a while.

The Devil's Teeth

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Liked it a lot more once I realized it was doing a Fear and Loathing thing.

Homage to Catalonia

This should be the Orwell that gets taught in schools. Make it a followup to All Quiet on the Western Front or something, jeez.

Lyndon Johnson I

Having now finished all of them, this one’s probably the least-interesting but sets up a bunch of important context that the others still then feel the need to retread.

The Razor's Edge

Recommended to me as a “white guy discovers eastern mysticism” book, but also is more interesting in its treatment of that than I’d expected (helps it was written in the 40s). 

Cat's Cradle

There’s a part in this where Vonnegut’s making fun of people who try to bond with strangers over being Hoosiers, and my dumbass immediate thought was “ooh, Vonnegut’s a hoosier? Me too!”

Lyndon Johnson II

Robert Caro felt compelled to apologize for spending so much words lionizing Coke Stevens, segregationist opponent to Johnson’s senate run. His goal was pretty clearly to show lbj’s lack of campaign charisma by contrast, definitely definitely overcommitted in his own narrativising.

Libra

I want to go back to this after reading some more De Lillo.

Gravity's Rainbow

This book absolutely kicked my ass

Overstuffed and referential in a specific way that really keeps me hooked in instead of put off. When I learn about some piece of cultural context that I retroactively recognize as being referenced in this, I want to go back and reread the entire thing.

From Caligari to Hitler

Kind of fails both as film criticism and cultural analysis, but absolutely made me want to run for the hills when considering current relationship between mainstream movies and demands of pop culture.

I took a class on Weimar cinema in undergrad that I now realize was probably biting pretty heavily from this and never once referenced it.

Movies

Venom

Movie itself is not as fun as the Tom Hardy hype coverage. PG13 was the absolute worst space to aim for, PG- or R- versions of this could have been a blast.

Harryhauser Argonauts

Was tripping when I put this on, and it was all kinds of fun.

2001: a Space Oddyssey

First time seeing this, all-time classic for a reason!

A Good American (the NSA doc)

Dr. Strangelove

Mel Brooks History of the World p. I

Not my favorite Brooks, best joke was at the beginning.

In Bruges

Had been a while since I saw a proper dark comedy.

Spiderverse

Fukkin awesome!

Visually great, and extremely better than usual superhero stuff for being aimed at PG instead of PG-13.

You Only Live Twice

Highlander (Revisited)

I watched The Old Guard on netflix recently and it mostly just made me wish I was watching Highlander instead, because at least Highlander knows exactly how goofy it is

Moonraker

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Much like The Shining, I though this would have been 100% spoiled for me by cultural osmosis, but turns out it wasn’t, and even the scenes I had seen *totally landed* in-context still.

Kung Fu Hustle

Ichi the Killer

Really gross, really fun

Matrix Reloaded (watched thru highway scene) (Revisited)

The highway scene was not nearly as cool as I remembered it being.

John Wick 3*

Probably dumbest plot of all of them, best choreography. I like how every single fight had its own distinct flavor. “Knife museum fight” “horse fight” “halle berry dogs fight” 

Akira

A classic

Pet Sematary * (ugh, bad)

Why can’t john lithgow be in good movies anymore

The Revenant

MCU Spiderman

Fuck this was awful.

MCU Spiderman 2*

Really weird, complete Rorschach Test of a movie: it’d be totally valid to read into this that global warming is Fake News, for instance.

Lmao this was completely awful

Rites

Dredd (non-stallone)

oh hey Lena Headey’s in this

For All Mankind!

Watched in honor of moon landing anniversary

Lion King *

Watched it way too stoned, was like dark side of the moon + wizard of oz except instead it’s a lion king script reading + nature footage edited for lip syncing.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood *

Many scenes of very long setups for really stupid shaggy dog jokes, which sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t. I do kinda want to rewatch now knowing more about manson, which I knew pretty much nothing about beforehand

Blowout

A good john lithgow movie

also I think I like travolta in things.

Lord of War

A Good cage movie

I like when Eamon Walker shows up in stuff.

Taxi Driver

A classic

Snowpiercer

Watched in a bar with only one speaker working, which is the correct way to watch. Weirder and funnier than I thought it was going to be, which still doesn’t make it good, but,

dbz big green dub

Exorcist III

Brad Dourif just tearing it apart

Deep Red (argento)

Suspiria (1977)

Watched the remake in 2020, which was ok, but nothing tops the Goblin score.

Elf Bowling

Thanks, Gnome

Parasite *

Interesting to me that this one seems poised to hang around people’s good esteem for a while

TV

FMA: B

Rick & Morty

Saw some episodes, generally pretty funny, some misanthropy that’s probably appealing to a certain type of teen al a something like House, but ultimately I don’t totally Get the intensity of discourse about it.

Leterkenny

Mob Psycho 100

One Punch Man

Deadwood

Watchmen

Only watched like half of it. Was playing around with a lot of hefty imagery/thematics, but didn’t really seem ready to rise above playing (tho also I feel like it’s weird on some level to *expect* them to rise above that in the first place)

Music

New Avantasia

HEALTH/ show

lol remember concerts

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard/ show

Just learned about King Gizz in 2019 and got completely obsessed with them. I don’t tend to expand my music selection very readily, and a lot of what I currently *do* know is old/inactive stuff, so it was/is incredibly exciting to have an active group with good momentum just immediately win me over like that.

Mistimed the edibles and ended up with a really good finale and a really long subway ride home.

New Yeasayer

Sad they split up

Steve Wilson Tull remixes

Aqualung’s a good album and the sound mixing’s kinda bad, so I liked this project.

Stonefield

Opened for Gizzard. Really good as studying music

Video Games

Civ VI: Gathering Storm

Hades

Turns out Supergiant’s design proclivities all work *extremely well* on a roguelike

Baba is You

Untitled Goose Game

Cute, if maybe a bit overhyped

finally fucking finished Pillars of Eternity

Had fun with it, but too long, and really dour for how long it is.

Pillars II

Kinda drifted off it eventually, but I do genuinely like that the flavor of the fantasy is colonial era rather than medieval.

There’s a Balancing Bastard Factions element where it’s like the writers are just being smartasses after a while. Having to go extremely out of their way to make siding with colonizers seem like a competitive option.

Pokemon shield

Cuphead

pisses me off, which was a nice outlet when I was stranded by flight cancellations during thanksgiving

Celeste

Also very difficult, but really easy to stay patient with, which is nice.

Disco Elysium

None of the discourse made me want to play this, but people talking about the mechanical stuff it did got me extremely interested. Mostly Delivered IMO.

Breath of the Wild

You can approach the nodes of the main quest in the order you choose, and the second one I chose made ninjas start fucking spawning everywhere when I’m just trying to explore, and there’s no way to make it stop. May go back to it one day.

Podcasts

Relentless Picnic Patreon feed

The treats really helped me start distinguishing individual personalities, compared to the regular eps.

Picnic Discord!

<3

FatT Counterweight

Fun, but also I think Mechs are not my shit.

FatT Spring in Hieron/ end of that particular world

8 months since I’ve last tuned into FatT. ah well.

Law School

He’s in everythiiiing!

You Must Remember This: Manson family

*There’s* the context

Misc.

Kindle train guy

Times Square sleeping guy + kids taking selfies w/ him

toddler singing along after Psycho killer (a, ya, ya ya, ya)

drunk and dragged to a drag show

Central park football family

Soft Steel Drum Subway Busker

Weird old lady going to grand central for oysters

2018 in review (cards):

MySelf (CC)

Self: Tower

Blocked: 10 Cups

Ethereal/subconscious: 8 Swords

Material: 3 Swords

Past: Justice

Future: Page Wands

Attitude: Sun

External: King Swords

Hopes/Fears: 5 Coins

Trajectory: High Priestess

Also Self:

Hierophant

7 Cups

7 Coins

Blind Spot:

(self & others): 5 cups    ||    (others not self): High Priestess

(self not others): Moon   ||    (nobody): 3 Cups

[shilohbrks-blog]

swe’re back for round two ya’ll let’s see how obnoxious i am this go around too, shall we? this time we’ve got the first character i was initially bringing here to swingers and that would be miss SHILOH BROOKS-whateverherhubbyslastnamewillbe i’m once again continuing to work on what i started at home here at work and developing her as i go ( didn’t that work out so well for KAIA........ ) so let’s pray i keep it simple this time, aye? again, i don’t want to fully get too much into her relationship bits so i don’t box anyone who might come in as her partner when it comes to their own ideas about things but i’m going to try and highlight the ideas i have about it the best i can....again, completely unlike my attempt with kaia lmao.

was that LUCY HALE i saw at the polihua resort? no, it was just TWENTY-SEVEN year old SHILOH BROOKS-? ( will hyphenate with husband's name when filled! ) SHE is MARRIED to JOE JONAS, DANIEL SHARMAN, DYLAN O’BRIEN, TRAI BYERS / UTP and has been for NINE YEARS. i heard she’s BISEXUAL and is pretty into DADDY KINK, ORAL SEX, HAIR PULLING.

✘ NOTE: for anyone out there in the world who might fill the role of shilioh’s husband, please be aware of the following things!:

shiloh is a sugar baby and has been since the age of sixteen.*

i believe that because of her lifestyle choice, they eventually decided tho label their marriage as a consensual non-monogamy relationship. he is allowed to have his outside of the marriage trysts if he desires as well but they both are honest with each other about everything and respect the other’s feelings as well as input when it comes to certain things or people. not every hook-up she has is with a sugar daddy or a sugar mama for that matter.

shiloh was eighteen on her wedding day and most of my choices for her husband are very close in age with her ( with the exception of i believe only TRAI ) so it’s my thinking that maybe they rushed into marriage for whatever reasoning - top ideas are just young and foolishly in love, believing they know everything about life and people telling them to wait are just idiots who don’t understand them or maybe a waiting until marriage sort of thing and they were young and hyped up on hormones and decided to marry ( also something in line with maybe NALEY from one tree hill shipping glory? ) or possibly maybe even a pregnancy caused them to get married young because it’s what felt right? whatever the reason ends up being, they’ve been married for going on ten years sometime this year or sometime next year. 

for the most part, shiloh believes any money or gifts she receives is ‘common property’ and transfers most of the cash to their shared account from hers but she does keep chunks for herself.

shiloh more than likely told him about sb’ing a few months into their dating life. it can be your choice how he initially reacted to the news and how he felt about it all but ultimately, the pair married and things continued on for nearly ten years now.

it’s not necessary for anyone to contact me prior to filling the role but do know that if you’d prefer to toss some ideas around, feel free to message me beforehand if that helps you construct your muse!

if choosing someone that is older than her by a considerable number, maybe he was one of her former sugar daddies? idk the ideas are endless i’m sure we can figure something out!

✘ shiloh comes from a big family where she was smack dab in the middle where you kind of end up fading in and out of thought sometime but that was okay with her. she loved her big loud family and never felt out of place, just overlooked and forgotten about from time to time but thata was natural. she wasn’t the favorite but she also wasn’t the extreme problem child. she got into her fair share of trouble but at times being one of the kids in the middle of the lineup can help you get away with most shit. she shared a room with her closest in age sister and the two of them would often cover for the other whenever they would sneak out.

✘ lost her virginity at sixteen to a friend of her college aged brother ( i’m thinking early twenties sort of thing so nothing too extreme but definitely ‘older’ ) and it was that encounter that sparked her interest in older men - despite eventually falling in love with her now husband - ( unless TRAI or someone else a number of years older of her fills the role of her husband then this will be switched up a bit of course! ) and for awhile, she was quite addicted to older men, giving guys her own age not an ounce of her attention.within a few months, shiloh immersed herself into the sugar bowl. at first, she **DID lie about her age** but then to better protect herself ( aka number one ) but also the men she met, she eventually engaged in almost completely non-sexual situations until the age of eighteen ( unless she fully trusted the man and if it wasn’t complete sexual intercourse. )

✘ she was always ( and still is for the most part ) a baby-faced short little thing that most if not everyone just saw as an unassuming, sweet girl but she soon learned how to take that youthful glow and with the help of her curvy frame, get her way with men.

✘ an artist, shiloh uses the money she’s earned over the years from sugar babying to be her cushion that allows her to pursue her passions and hobbies in life instead of wasting away years that could be spent creating in an office or a dead end job somewhere. she dabbles with paint and digital art but her favorite thing in the entire world is having a good ol’ sketchbook in hand and later lining, inking and coloring her favorite pieces over time but nothing truly beats a raw sketch in her opinion. 

✘ she’s great at keeping secrets ( from anyone but her husband ) because the ‘job’ requires her to be so she’s definitely a trust-worthy and loyal friend to have. she doesn’t really believe in cutting people down as she’s had her fair share of shit talked about her by anyone who finds out about her lifestyle and don’t agree with it or understand it.

✘ has gotten a good number of her friends hooked up with sugar daddies of their own. her parents don’t ‘know what she does but she’s also gotten two of her sisters into being sugar babies as well although one retired from the bowl once she was out of college. 

✘ ya’ll i’m falling asleep so hardcore i need a NAP but i think for the most part that’s all there really is to know about shiloh currently? there’s probably more i can think of but just can’t put it into proper words so definitely hit me up for plotting and i can fill in all the blanks.

✘ oh right! kinks and stuff, duh. aside from the three listed in her app, shiloh is into voyeurism ( has watched her husband engage in his side trysts from time to time either with or without the other participant being aware and has allowed her husband to spy in from time to time on her own as well. ), she’s definitely an exhibitionist, loves sex in public and loves to be dominated / rough sex. dirty talk is her oxygen, breast worship,  CONSENSUAL abduction as seduction and CONSENSUAL nonconsent , accidental stimulation, breath play, blindfolded sex, edging, choking, double penetration, face fucking, creampies, orgasm denial, sensation play, sensory deprivation.

pegging is something she has done for sugar daddy’s but anal sex is a hard no from her. 

doesn’t mind it if her husband slaps her around a bit or degrades her during sex. 

as for things she doesn’t like, if it’s not listed above it’s probably a no from her but then again, i may have just overlooked or missed anything ( plus a few things that seemed to peek her interest also felt a little too quote unquote weird to list so i left them off rip ) so always feel free to message asking if she’d be into a certain thing and we can see from there!

[yahooben]

The top 10 games of E3 2017

E3 2017 had a lot of great games, but these are the best of the entire show. (image: Flickr E3 Expo)

The greatest video game show on Earth has ended, but the hype is just heating up.

Nearly 70,000 gamers flooded an overpacked Los Angeles Convention Center for three straight days (not counting a few days of fancy media briefings) of digital insanity, and game makers of all shapes and sizes delivered enough gaming goodness to last a lifetime — or at least until the holidays.

Though E3 2017 lacked the explosive punch of last year’s incredible show, it was home to dozens of cool games spanning every system under the sun. So how do you narrow that down? Some games were playable; others were little more than a trailer and some concept art. You’ll get your hands on a handful of them in 2017, while many more won’t see the light of day for years. But regardless of development state (and in no particular order) these are the 10 titles we’re most excited to play.

‘Super Mario Odyssey’ (Switch | Release Date: 10/27/17)

Nintendo’s portly plumber is coming back to consoles this October.

How do you follow-up a game as great as “Breath of the Wild?” You call a plumber.

It’s been 15 years since gamers busted bricks in a 3D sandbox version of the Mushroom Kingdom (that would be “Super Mario Sunshine” for the Gamecube), so to say that “Super Mario Odyssey” is a big deal is an even huge understatement. The next entry in Nintendo’s (NTDOY) flagship series is the company’s holiday pillar and a surefire system seller, provided it’s as good as we all expect.

And based on the E3 demo, it certainly will be. Odyssey’s charming world is densely packed with secrets, and Mario is equipped with incredibly cool new moves to help him explore every nook and cranny. His iconic hat is now a crucial tool, used to both thwart and even temporarily possess enemies. Mario the T-Rex? Believe it, and circle October 27 on your calendar. Switch owners absolutely won’t want to miss it.

‘Beyond Good and Evil 2’ (Platforms: TBD | Release Date: TBD)

The E3 audience went crazy for the surprise appearance of ‘Beyond Good and Evil 2.’

You don’t often see a grown game developer weep onstage in front of millions of viewers, but that’s exactly what happened when Ubisoft’s (UBI.PA) Michel Ancel shocked the gaming world with a trailer and quick chat about the long-awaited follow-up to the beloved “Beyond Good and Evil.” The new game is a much different beast, a prequel that, based on an off-the-floor tech demo, hopes to combine the original’s memorable characters with an absolutely immense, seamlessly rendered universe.

Yes, it’s absurdly ambitious, and yes, ambitious games often don’t pay off in the end (see: “Spore” and “No Man’s Sky.”) I also don’t believe we’ll actually play this game in the next year or two, or possibly three. But E3 is about the future, innovation and risk-taking. “Beyond Good and Evil 2“ hits all the right notes and provided the most thrilling chatter of the show.

‘Middle-earth: Shadow of War’ (PC, Xbox One, PS4 | Release Date: 10/10/17)

Get ready to dive back into the battle for the fate of Middle Earth with ‘Shadow of War.’

How do you improve upon one of the best open-world games ever made? You make it bigger, naturally. But to simply say that “Shadow of War” is “bigger” than the 2014 hit “Shadow of Mordor” is like like saying that a Balrog is bigger than a labrador.

Giant fortress battles, a deep loot system, beefier combat, an expanded Nemesis system that turns just about every inch of the world into a unique, procedural snowflake — “Shadow of War” is shaping up to be a monstrous video game and a worthy successor to “Mordor.” This one may very well rule them all.

‘Spider-Man’ (PS4 | Release Date: TBD 2018)

‘Spider-man’ looks like the best video game incarnation of the wall crawler in years.

The web slinger’s been a little hit-or-miss as a video game. Fans point to the seminal “Spider-Man 2” as a high point, but a wealth of decent if forgettable action romps have left them longing for a game that gets its sticky star right.

Sony (SNE) and developer Insomniac’s take on “Spider-Man” might do just that. It’s already being compared to the tremendous “Batman: Arkham” games thanks to a similar combat system, but it’s also gorgeous, cinematic and seems to nail the thing we all really want to do as the webhead: swing freely through the streets of Manhattan. It’s also treating the comic lore with love by including new Spidey Miles Morales in the amazing trailer.

‘Echo Arena’ (Oculus Rift | Release Date: 7/20/17)

‘Echo Arena’ is the future of ultimate frisbee.

E3 2017 wasn’t a great show for VR, but tucked away in a corner was the sort of experience that got us all raving about the pricey tech in the first place. Created by well-known developer Ready At Dawn, “Echo Arena” is the closest you’ll get to the low-gravity training scenes from the sci-fi classic Ender’s Game. Two teams of five float around an arena, launching off walls as they try to toss a ball into a goal. It’s a smart solution to VR’s locomotion issues, and thanks to Oculus Touch and voice support, it feels like you’re really sharing a space together.

‘Sea of Thieves’ (Xbox One | Release Date: Early 2018)

‘Sea of Thieves’ will let you live the life of a pirate on the high seas.

It was a pirate’s life for just about everybody who met with Microsoft (MSFT) at E3 courtesy the swashbuckling silliness of “Sea of Thieves.” Turning up to four players into a gang of marauding buccaneers, it’s a surprisingly complicated game about ship sailing, treasure hunting and, most likely, lots of dying. But ace developer Rare’s gift for colorful characters and playful features is on full display here, making “Sea of Thieves” one of the most likable games at the show.

‘Star Wars Battlefront II’ (PC, Xbox One, PS4 | Release Date: 11/17/17)

Fight through all aspects of the Star Wars universe in ‘Battlefront II’

The fan favorite from 2015 strikes back later this year, and based on what we saw from “Star Wars: Battlefront II” at E3, it’s aiming to fix up the ship.

A full single-player story mode should attend to the biggest complaint about the last game, though “Battlefront II” also expands its popular multiplayer with customizable classes, more weapons and environments and heroes spanning every major Star Wars era. Ever wonder how Jedi Luke would fare against Darth Maul? (OF COURSE!) You’ll find out in November.

‘Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus’ (PC, Xbox One, PS4 | Release Date: 10/27/17)

Take down nazis in America by any means necessary in ‘Wolfenstein II: The New Colossas.’

The game that put first-person shooters on the map got a killer reboot in 2014’s “Wolfenstein: The New Order,” which featured over-the-top combat against some of the craziest nazis this side of a Mel Brooks movie. But developer Machine Games was just getting started.

“The New Colossus” continues brawny hero BJ Blazkowicz’s fight to survive in a future world ruled by cruel dictators; good thing he’s the toughest man in the world, as evidenced by an incredible 20-minute E3 demo that let you mow down mobs of SS soldiers while putting around in a wheelchair.

‘Anthem’ (PC, Xbox One, PS4 | Release Date: Q4 2018)

‘Anthem’ is a an online multiplayer game aimed right at ‘Destiny.’

From “Baldur’s Gate” to “Mass Effect,” game developer Bioware is best known for making enormous, detailed role-playing games. For their next trick, however, the legendary studio is taking a page from the “Destiny” playbook with fast-paced sci-fi combat set in a shared online universe. In “Anthem,” players don exosuits called Javelins as they jetpack around a massive world looking for trouble (and, presumably, XP and loot). Details are still scarce — E3 was more of a coming out party for the game than a deep dive — but suffice to say, fan of Activision’s juggernaut and games like “Borderlands” should pay attention.

‘Far Cry 5’ (PC, Xbox One, PS4 | Release Date: 2/27/18)

‘Far Cry 5′ brings the series’ signature run and gun chaos to American soil for the first time.

Ubisoft had a tremendous E3, showing off a portfolio bursting with both established franchises and risky new endeavors. “Far Cry 5” somehow fits both definitions. The first game in the series to be set on U.S. soil, it courts controversy with its socio-political undertones, pitting a small-town Montana deputy against a militia-like cult that shares more than a few similarities to real-world American extremist groups. But it’s also “Far Cry” through and through, letting you romp around a stunning, grounded open-world begging for exploration and experimentation. Best of all, you have a pet dog. Careful, he bites.

More games news:

These are the coolest VR games at the world’s biggest video game expo

Nintendo shows off new ‘Super Mario Odyssey’ and more at E3 2017

Microsoft’s new Xbox One X is a beast, but faces an uphill battle

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass will end your free time forever

‘Injustice 2’ review: Kneel before this sublime superhero fighter

Ben Silverman is on Twitter at ben_silverman.

[newsbiteswithjennysok]

Mon, Mar 30, 2020

1. Drake's son Adonis has made his Instagram debut, more than two years after his birth.Rapper Drake, 33, who has kept his son out of the public eye, posted a series of candid snaps of himself with the toddler and his mother, model Sophie Brussaux, as well as his parents Dennis and Sandi Graham. The Hotline Bling hitmaker revealed he was pining for his family and friends during the coronavirus lockdown, sharing a beautiful image of him cradling curly-haired Adonis.

n a lengthy caption, Drake reflected on the current world situation and revealed he was desperately missing his loved ones.

He wrote: 'What is most important for you right now is to connect to your own inner light. This will create the biggest opening of all. Trust that you have all of the power within to make this happen, and in order to do that connect to the people and things that bring you a lot of joy.  

He continued: 'I love and miss my beautiful family and friends and I can’t wait for the joyful day when we are all able to reunite. Until then please keep your lights on.'

Back in October 11, 2017 former adult film star Sophie gave birth to Adonis but Drake did not acknowledge the existence of his child until the release of his album Scorpion in late June 2018.

2. Darcey Silva is not one to shy away from showing her admiration for Georgi Rusev. The 90 Day Fiance alum has been swooning over her much younger boyfriend online for everyone to see. In a recent Instagram post, Tom Brooks’ ex-girlfriend proudly talked about the 32-year-old head-turner. Darcey implied that her years of searching for Mr. Right is likely over after meeting Georgi Rusev. She even confidently declared that her “sexy bae” is the “real deal”. This isn’t surprising at all considering how Darcey Silva assumed the same thing with her past 90 Day Fiance relationships. It remains to be seen whether things will different this time around with Georgi Rusev.

Many are now wondering if the couple is getting serious about their relationship. She first stepped out with Georgi Rusev in February at a series of events in Miami. The two were all over each other, sparking rumors that they’re an item. Since then, Darcey Silva has been spotted being lovey-dovey with Georgi Rusev on numerous occasions.

However, it doesn’t seem like she often sees Georgi Rusev. Apparently, he is based out of Arlington, Virginia but frequently visits Miami, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Despite that, Darcey Silva seems satisfied with her love life, saying she “never felt so loved and happy”.

3. Rihanna, 32, definitely sees motherhood in her future within the next 10 years, by the time she’s 42, and she doesn’t care if she has to do it without a male partner. The singer sat down for an interview with British Vogue for her May cover issue and admitted that she’s been doing a lot of hard work now so she doesn’t have to in the future, when she plans on having “3 or 4 kids.”

“I know I will want to live differently,” she told the outlet about her future over the next 10 years. “Ten years? I’ll be 42! I’ll be ancient. I’ll have kids – three or four of ’em.” When asked if she’d still go forward with her plans for a family if she can’t find someone to settle down with, she immediately confirmed that she would. “Hell, yeah,” she said. “I feel like society makes me want to feel like, ‘Oh, you got it wrong…’ They diminish you as a mother if there’s not a dad in your kids’ lives. But the only thing that matters is happiness, that’s the only healthy relationship between a parent and a child. That’s the only thing that can raise a child truly, is love.”

4. 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days star Stephanie Matto surprised some of her newfound fans this week when she talked about the time she spent living in Los Angeles pursuing an acting career. After months of unsuccessfully looking for her big break, the combination of loneliness, alcohol, and being broke motivated Stephanie to try out a new career path — as a stripper!

“Wishin’ I was back in LA,” Stephanie began an Instagram post on Wednesday. “There was a time when the thought of returning, even if for a quick visit, pained me. Why? When I was 24 years old I saved 10 grand, packed my bags, and moved to Los Angeles with hopes of becoming an actress.”

Unlike a lot of Hollywood dream-chasing stories, Stephanie’s starts off relatively well. She had a nice little nest egg, a relatively successful YouTube channel, and a resume that included being a finalist on a national Nickelodeon talent competition (more on that soon). But, even Hollywood journeys that begin on relatively sure footing are risky.

“6 months later I was working as a stripper at a gentlemen’s club called The Palms in Signal Hill,” Stephanie continues, adding the and emoji. “Ahh so goes the story of so many aspiring actresses!”

Stephanie says that her experience as a stripper was anything but pleasant, but she managed to remain positive and continued moving forward. “That job forever scarred me in ways that still trickle into my personal life today, BUT I will never regret my move. I ultimately hit rock bottom while living in LA, and through that painful experience sought healing by investing time into my first book. I took lemons and made something closely resembling lemonade.”

I assume that Stephanie is referencing her book Mean Boys & Memories: A Compilation of My Most Outrageous, Hideous, and Embarrassing Stories, which was published in 2015 and is currently available on Amazon.

5. A sheriff in Florida this morning sent out a tweet seeking new leads in the cold-case disappearance of the second husband of Carole Baskin, one of the breakout stars of the wildly popular Netflix docu-series Tiger King.  The seven-part true-crime documentary that has taken a quarantine-bound America by storm follows the exploits of eccentric tiger breeder Joe Exotic - real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage - who operated an exotic animal park in Oklahoma. Maldonado-Passage was convicted of hiring an undercover FBI agent to kill his long-time rival, animal rights activist Carole Baskin.

Filmmaker Eric Goode says he is concerned some viewers have walked away from Tiger King thinking Joe Exotic should be freed

Exotic animal breeder Joseph Maldonado-Passage, 56, is serving 22-year sentence in federal prison for trying to have Carole Baskin killed

Baskin, animal rights activist, has come under scrutiny after Netflix show brought up an old theory she played a role in ex-husband's disappearance

It's been rumored Carole cut up her husband, put his remains through a meat grinder and fed them to the big cats at her Tampa, Florida, rescue center

Carole has denied these claims, slamming them as 'ludicrous'

Florida sheriff on Monday sent a tweet seeking new leads in the cold case of Don Lewis, Carole's second husband, who vanished in 1997

Carole Baskin's third husband accused Goode and his partner, Rebecca Chaiklin, of deceiving them and called them 'con artists' 

Rapper Cardi B was sympathetic of Joe Exotic's plight and vowed to start a GoFundMe to help free the incarcerated big cat breeder                         

Baskin's second husband, Don Lewis vanished without a trace in 1997. She later remarried for a third time to Howard Baskin.

Lewis' body was never recovered and the investigation into his disappearance remains open.

Taking advantage of the hype created by the Netflix hit show, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister on Monday tweeted a message appealing to the public for information about the missing man.

Maldonado-Passage was convicted in 2019 of attempting to hire someone to murder Baskin, as well as multiple animal cruelty and Endangered Species Act violations

'Since @netflix and #Covid19 #Quarantine has made #TigerKing all the rage, I figured it was a good time to ask for new leads. #CaroleBaskin #DonLewis #Netflix #Tiger #BigCatRescue #JoeExotic #TigerKingNetflix #HCSO,' he wrote.

The bewildering series, labeled by Twitter users as 'off the rails' and 'the craziest show' they have ever seen, has won legions of fans, including rapper Cardi B, who tweeted last week that she was intent on launching a GoFundMe account to help free Maldonado-Passage from prison, writing, 'he shall be free.'

[grapsandclaps]

GRAPS AND CLAPS REVIEWS - IPW TUESDAY NIGHT GRAPS 'HARD AS F*CK'!

Hello and welcome everyone to part 2 of this week's wrestling cavalcade, this time taking me once again to The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club for IPW Tuesday Night Graps for the Hard as Fuck clash sponsored by Fiery Jack between Timothy Thatcher and Chris Ridgeway.

As ever with a trip to the Frog and Bucket, the usual meet up took place in The Crown and Kettle which once again is in the running for the 'Pub of the Year' award from Graps and Claps. As mentioned in the last edition a tap takeover from Wilde Child Brewery was in operation once again with an amazing amount of beers on offer, myself I had 4 different pints including : Absolute Impeachment, Chasing Epiphany, Adoption Process and a banofee stout for which the passion fruit flavoured Adoption Process standing out as the best drink of the 4 whilst accompnying a scotch egg from the wonderful Beehive Foods of Manchester.

The best of the bunch that I did try was a 11% Triple IPA that Chris Linay was having a pint of - fruity, smooth but packing a heavy alcoholic punch this was properly good stuff.

Drinks thankfully done in this pub before I got too rat arsed which I would gladly do off this breweries drink, we left to walk across the road to the venue.

A sold out crowd was once again in attendance for another Tuesday night fun fest that IPW has carried on from the now defunct Lucha Forever. So with that said let's get into what went down, as we kicked things off with the current IPW Champion Kip Sabian offering out anyone in the back for an open challenge to start proceedings, with the lucky person being none other than former wXw Heavyweight Champion Bad Bones which was a nice surprise.

As an opening contest this was a fine opener with Bones dominating the chicken shit heel that is Sabian, but ultimately coming up short in the end as Sabian beat Bones with a Double Stomp in just under 15 minutes. It has to be said that within the space of a year and half Sabian has become excellent and for me is one of the highlights of the World of Sport wrestling show.

Next up we had a 4-way match with the newly turned in IPW and current Z-Force Champion Jack Sexsmith who was also carrying some extra bumfluff on his chin taking on Chuck Mambo, David Starr and fresh from getting an E in French - Joe Nelson. Initial thinking in this match was Sexsmith and Starr despite being opponents were going to play their friendship from their Sexy Starr tandem into this match.

It has to be said though despite the Baby Shark chants starting once again for Starr, the crowd only wanted one winner here and that was Joe Nelson for who the Manchester crowd have taken to their hearts. Nelson was out of the traps quick here laying in dropkicks to his opponents instantly putting them on the back foot, but with said teamwork from Starr and Sexsmith they managed to hit Nelson with a doomsday foot stomp.

Unfortunately that is where the pleasantries ended as Sexsmith turned on Starr by rolling him up from behind to get the 3 count - BOOOO!!

Next match was supposed to be Drew Parker taking on Jimmy Havoc but due to unforseen circumstances Jimmy was nowhere to be seen. So instead we had a match still involving Drew Parker but instead of Jimmy he was facing Joey Janela's arch nemesis -The Invisible Man.

I have to say this was fun for what it was, but nowhere near the level of Janela's Blackpool match with Mr. Invisible, seeing that there was another comedy match up after this, they could have instead used Amir Jordan or Gabriel Kidd who were in attendance instead probably to make it more watchable.

Anyways this match ended when Parker had a Canadian destroyer of his own reversed by the Invisible Man who hit a reverse rana and pinned Parker in just over 7 minutes to end this match.

Half time Main Event now and what a barnstormer of a match from a comedy side this was as Aussie Open collided with Kyle Fletcher teaming with Chris Brookes with Kid Lykos in their corner all kitted out in Reservoir Dogs inspired outfits taking on the popo team of Chief Deputy Dunne and Junior Officer Mark 'Dunky' Davis.

With 3 being in the corner, Dunne and Davis decided to bring themselves some back up in the form of Inflatable Lykos to a huge ovation from the crowd with the thought of a possible Lykos vs Lykos collision evoking memories of Taker vs Taker. When the Inflatable came in it hit its customary huaracarana and famed balcony dive to Fletcher, Lykos and Brookes flattening them once it hit.

From my section in the crowd, we even had a singalong of the theme from The Full Monty just for Mark Davis's attire as he looked like an extra from said film.

Near the end of the match we had a remake of the famous ear cutting scene as Chris Brookes cut the ear of a tied up Damien Dunne leaving him in a pool of fake blood, we also had Dunne accidently shooting Kyle Fletcher which led to Mark Davis turning on his partner and using his Piledriver of Doom to Dunne to leave Brookes to pick up the pieces and get the win for his team.

This was a fantastic 15/20 minute match that was outstanding from a creative point of view e.g. The right amount of comedy that hit all the right notes with the audience - I for one would like to spend a day living in Chris Brookes' mind it must be magical.

After the break with my £2 raffle strip bought we came back with Triple Threat action with El Ligero taking on Mark Haskins and Eddie Dennis with the latter coming out to his lesser heard tune of 'Party Hard' which is still a banger to this day. Funny that we will see a totally different side of Eddie on Sunday at Wembley where I think he will beat his nemesis Mark Andrews.

The start of this match started off with a triple arm lock up but ended with Haskins booting Eddie in the stomach to get the early advantage. Despite this setback, Denns hit a huge double slam to Haskins and Ligero for a 2, Ligs also hit a big splash to Haskins for a 2. It was Haskins though who would get the victory on this evening as he made Eddie Dennis tap out to the Sharpshooter to get the victory. This was a really good match between 3 of the best around today! Dennis it has to be said looks in tip top shape.

Before the Main Event we had the result of said raffle with No.191 proving fruitful for yours truly as I won third prize of a big bottle of champers to take all the way back to Rochdale to gather dust in my cocktail cabinet.

Pictured: One tired lad bunged up with his raffle prize.

Main event time now with the 'Hard as Fuck' battle between Ringkampf's own Timothy Thatcher taking on our honorary Tuesday Night Graps Champion Chris Ridgeway in a hotly anticipated battle which lived up the hype. As expected we started with a grappling masterclass on the mat with Thatcher gettong the best of the early exchanges, one thing you notice early is the sheer size of Thatcher who was twice the size of Ridgeway - this man is a beast!

Ridgeway despite the height defecit used his top notch striking ability to wind Thatcher and it was to be a running punt to the chest of Thatcher that would get the victory in around 15 minutes to end an excellent physical battle and miles better than there initial clash a couple of years ago for PCW in Liverpool.

Drinks in here were the usual Shedhead and M.P.A so nothing great to write home about from a quality standpoint.

So there you go another Tuesday Night Graps done and one that will be remembered for the Bad Bones vs Kip Sabian match, the Half time tag match and also the main event which you should try to check out on IPW On Demand - top show and evening that ended with a half pint in The Smithfield Tavern before setting off back to the Dale for 11:05pm.

I hope you have enjoyed once again reading this review and I will be back.at the weekend with a review of Fight Club Pro's Project Mayhem Night One. So until then - BYE!!

#grapsandclaps

@oggypart3

[junker-town]

NBA draft 2017: Which college basketball teams lost the most talent?

The reigning national champs weren’t the only ones who got hit hard by early defections.

The NBA Draft is the realization of a dream for all 60 players who hear their names called. The flip side is that it’s also a night that reinforces which college basketball teams are going to be hurting the most next season because of the talent they lost.

Here are the squads that will be looking to replace the most professional talent in 2017-18.

North Carolina Tar Heels

Players Drafted: Justin Jackson (15), Tony Bradley (28)

Few teams were hit harder by early declarations than the reigning national champions. ACC Player of the Year Justin Jackson was not a surprise, but freshman big man Tony Bradley was. His departure made the Tar Heels just the third team in the one-and-done era to win a national title with a one and done player.

Kentucky Wildcats

Players Drafted: De’Aaron Fox (5), Malik Monk (11), Bam Adebayo (14)

As has been the case more times than not since John Calipari arrived in Lexington, the first round of the NBA Draft wasn’t even halfway finished before three Kentucky players had heard their names called. What makes this year different is that the Wildcats also lost a pair of early entrees in Isaiah Briscoe and Isaac Humphries who went undrafted. The good news for Wildcat fans is that athletic freak Hamidou Diallo opted against becoming the program’s first “none and done” player, and will play as a freshman for UK in 2017-18.

Oregon Ducks

Players Drafted: Jordan Bell (38), Tyler Dorsey (41), Dillon Brooks (45)

Oregon’s run to the 2017 Final Four came at a price. Brooks, Bell and Dorsey all declared early and wound up being second round picks. The Ducks also lost Chris Boucher and Dylan Ennis to graduation, leaving little for Dana Altman to work with in 2017-18.

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Players Drafted: Zach Collins (10), Nigel Williams-Goss (55)

Zach Collins becoming the first one and done in Gonzaga history wound up being the right decision, as the versatile big man went 10th overall in the draft to the Portland Trailblazers. Star guard Nigel Williams-Goss passed on the opportunity to be college basketball’s likely preseason national Player of the Year in 2017-18 in favor of getting his professional career going. Even if Williams-Goss doesn’t wind up making the Jazz’s roster, it’s hard to fault the decision of a 23-year-old whose stock will likely never be higher than it was coming off his All-American season of 2016-17.

UCLA Bruins

Players Drafted: Lonzo Ball (2), T.J. Leaf (18), Ike Anigbogu (47)

Spearheaded by Ball, UCLA’s talented freshman class helped take a team with a losing record and turn it into a squad that won 31 games and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2017. Ball and Leaf seemed like one-and-done players from the moment they stepped on campus, but the departure of Anigbogu, who played sparingly in 2016-17, came as something of a surprise. Double-figure scorers Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton are also gone from the Bruin program because of graduation, but head coach Steve Alford did receive good news when both Thomas Welsh and Aaron Holiday put their professional careers on hold.

Duke Blue Devils

Players Drafted: Jayson Tatum (3), Luke Kennard (12), Harry Giles (20), Frank Jackson (31)

No program had more players selected in this year’s draft than Duke, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering the amount of hype surrounding the 2016-17 Blue Devils. While that hype ultimately went unfulfilled, it didn’t keep three Dukies from going in the top 20 of the draft, and another from being the first pick of the second round. Of all the players with a decision to make, only junior Grayson Allen opted to return to Durham for one more season.

SMU Mustangs

Players Drafted: Semi Ojeleye (37), Sterling Brown (46)

Three of SMU’s top four scorers are gone from a team that won 30 games and both the AAC’s regular season and tournament titles in 2016-17. In addition to Ojeleye and Brown, versatile forward Ben Moore — who has signed a free agent deal with the Pacers — is also gone. The only double-figure scorer returning to Dallas next season is junior guard Shake Milton, who averaged 13.0 points and 4.5 assists per game in 2016-17.