#cain is the real mvp

[its-actually-minicika]

"The Harshest Winters" Convos That Have Definitely Happened

Cain: You're gonna tell me to stay away from 'your girl'?

Aemond: Well, if I had to do that, she wouldn't be my girl.

Cain: Then I guess you've got nothing to worry about, do you... Cyclops.

[theuntitledblog]

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) - REVIEW

SYNOPSIS

John Wick returns to wage war against the High Table.

This is a movie I've been looking forward to since the end credits rolled in Parabellum and it doesn't disappoint. Each entry in the series has progressed and escalated since the first John Wick with the set pieces becoming more complex and elaborate all the while the lore of this world is expanded even further. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum introduced a sense of urgency into the series and with Chapter 4 we do retain parts of that urgency as the All Out War between Wick and the shadowy High Table commences. Chapter 4 is filled with everything that you would expect from a John Wick film; new lore, fresh characters, new villains plus bigger hard hitting and bone crunching action set pieces. What does stand out for better or worse is the size of it all; Chapter 4 is nearly 3 hours long with near constant action that only stops for just a few minutes or so. With such an action heavy focus, those near 3 hours absolutely fly by and you've got to admire the craft on display but none the less this is movie where at times I felt that less would've been more.

Chapter 4 is unquestionably an action epic with many extended set pieces of complexity and variation that each of whom could've been the finale of any action film. John Wick Chapter 4 is filled with several of these sort of set pieces in just one film and when you consider that this chapter is depicting the war between Wick the all powerful High Table; it is suitably epic. Action fans have more action here than they could ever have dreamed of to enjoy in one sitting but for me this can be a case of having too much of a good thing. I think the runtime could be trimmed as a few of the set pieces go on for a bit too long. While the card table scene is superb, the set piece in Berlin for instance felt a little much and the steps to Sacré-Coeur in Paris went on slightly too long for me. Having said that, the Shanghai and Paris set pieces are genuinely spectacular with sequences involving Nunchucks, a sword fight and an extended overhead point of view camera angle being absolute highlights.

One area in which more is more in Chapter 4 are the new and interesting characters it introduces with varying degrees of complexity. Chief among them is Donnie Yen's blind assassin Caine, Shamier Anderson's Tracker Mr. Nobody and Bill Skarsgard's villainous Marquis Vincent de Gramont. There a few others who make fleeting appearances but it is this new trio who are consistently at the forefront of the story and have one thing in common; killing John Wick. For Caine it's about safeguarding his daughter whom Skarsgard's Marquis has placed under threat while for Mr. Nobody it's about the price. Yen's Caine is the most complex of the three as his reluctance to participate in the hunt makes him a far more sympathetic character despite some of his actions. But there's never a question of who the real MVP of the movie is and that's Keanu Reeves who just oozes charisma and possesses such presence as this character. To put it simply; John Wick wouldn't work to the degree it does without Reeves' presence and Chapter 4 is no exception.

VERDICT

This may not be the best John Wick film (for me that goes to Parabellum), but this is a series that has maintained consistent quality and Chapter 4 is another satisfying addition.

4/5

[nightzap]

I completed my first FE Ironman today

I finished Shadow Dragon on Hard 2, not resetting to undo deaths and restarting the run from Chapter 1 if Marth dies. On the third attempt, today I incinerated Medeus with Tiki’s divine dragonbreath, and it was exilerating.

My first attempt had ended early. I was rusty in playing FE, so I lost a few strong units like Caeda and Abel in the first two chapters, and in chapter 4 I misplaced Marth and he facetanked one more spear than he could. The second run went much better... until I all the overlapping ballista ranges in chapter 13 made my brain sizzle through and Marth once again took too much damage, especially since I had previously lost Midia, meaning I had to fight Astram instead of being able to recruit him.

But the third attempt went amazingly. I barely lost anyone I was actively using, at least until the lategame when the difficulty started to dial up.

My MVP of the run was Barst. Look at this absolute unit:

From early on, his strength and speed allowed him to reliable kill enemies without the aid of forged effective weapons, which is what most of my army used. Once I promoted him and changed his class to hero, giving him massive stat boosts at the cost of one point of strength, he went into overdrive, being tanky enough to duel most foes and counterkill with a hand axe. He finished the campaign with 73 kills under his belt

The other in the top 5 of best fighters where Marth (62 kills), Cain and Wolf (58 kills each), and Caeda (54 kills). The Wing Spear is not nicknamed the Win Spear for nothing!

That’s not to say my run went perfectly of course. I had a full three deaths in the final chapter alone. Wendell, serving as a staffbot with low HP, got killed by a ballista right at the start. Then I forgot to move Boa, my other staffboat, and he became wyvern food. Finally, during the final struggle against Medeus, Cain got caught and doubled by a Mage Dragon, these bastards are crazy fast.

My most embarassing death happened in Chapter 23. I was using the Geosphere to suss out the real Gharnef and kill a few of his mooks, and didn’t realize that the fortify staff doesn’t heal it’s user, causing me to accidentally kill Lena through repeated earthquakes. That was really dumb.

I haven’t played FE in forever, and it’s good to be back. Next I will do an Ironman of Sacred Stones, which is going to be fun because I played it exactly once, years ago, when I first got into FE. Very fun.

[suncaptor]

entire arc treating a mark that literally keeps Dean alive as a terminal illness to save him etc, while Castiel is literally terminally ill in the background.

[its-a-me--anxiety]

Maybe my art really has kinda deteriorated in quality. Definitely quantity but like. Yeah

[defjux]

Defjux’s Top 50 Hip Hop Albums of 2020

It probably goes without saying that 2020 was a mess overall, and even that feels like an understatement, but it still ended up being an incredible year for music. So many quality releases, and it seemed like most of my favorite artists all had something important to say. MVPs for me this year are Wrecking Crew, Backwoodz, Boldy James, Moor Mother, Serengeti, Iceberg Theory, Ransom, AKAI SOLO, Navy Blue, August Fanon, and Nicholas Craven. 

As always, this is all based on replay value & personal significance. Definitely not an attempt at any kind of objective, irrefutable ranking - just a visual representation of what albums resonated with me the most in 2020. I gotta say though, if you think it was a weak year for rap releases there’s a chance you just weren’t looking hard enough. Also, if you’d like, you can click the names of the albums and it’ll take you to the bandcamp page or somewhere else you can listen.  Chart with Album Titles included Spotify Playlist

1. Armand Hammer - Shrines 2. Aesop Rock - Spirit World Field Guide 3. Boldy James / Sterling Toles - Manger on McNichols 4. R.A.P. Ferreira - purple moonlight pages 5. Moor Mother & Billy Woods - BRASS 6. Serengeti & Kenny Segal - AJAI 7. Ka - Descendants of Cain 8. Small Bills - Don't Play It Straight 9. AMANI + KING VISION ULTRA - An Unknown Infinite 10.Your Old Droog - Dump YOD: Krutoy Edition

11. zeroh - BLQLYTE 12. The Koreatown Oddity - Little Dominiques Nosebleed 13.Zilla Rocca & Chong Wizard - Midnight Sons  14 Open Mike Eagle - Anime, Trauma & Divorce 15. Deca - Snakes & Birds 16. Curly Castro & PremRock - ShrapKnel 17. Navy Blue - Song of Sage: Post Panic! 18. Iceberg Theory & August Fanon - Dispatches From The Kali Yuga 19. Blu & Exile - Miles 20. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo

21. Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin - FlySiifu's  22. clipping. - Visions of Bodies Being Burned  23. Preservation - Eastern Medicine, Western Illness 24. Ill Scholars (MC Mattic & Madwreck) - Ill Scholars 25. Mach-Hommy - Mach's Hard Lemonade 26. Quelle Chris & Chris Keys - Innocent Country 2 27. Boldy James & Real Bad Man - Real Bad Boldy 28. Ransom x Nicholas Craven - Director's Cut: Scene 3 29. $ilkMoney - Attack of the Future Shocked...  30. Googie & Henry Canyons - Hijinx 

31. Oblique Strategies - Raw Pastiche  32. Futurewave & Raz Fresco - Gorgeous Polo Sportsmen  33. Boldy James & The Alchemist - The Price of Tea In China 34. MIKE - Weight Of The World 35. Cambatta - LSD: Lunar Solar Duality 36. Akai Solo - Ride Alone, Fly Together  37. Rome Streetz & Farma Beats - Kontraband 38. Cargo Cults - Nihilist Millennial 39. Killah Priest - Rocket to Nebula 40. Roc Marciano - Mt. Marci

41. Elzhi - Seven Times Down Eight Times Up 42. Ialive - I'll Wait Forever 43. lojii - lo&behold 44. ETO - The Beauty of It 45. Sa-Roc - The Sharecropper's Daughter 46. Curly Castro & Small Professor - BLUu Edwards 47. Homeboy Sandman & Quelle Chris - Don't Feed The Monster 48. Fatboi Sharif & Roper Williams - Gandhi Loves Children 49. Clear Soul Forces - ForcesWithYou 50. Demahjiae - And, Such Is Life.  TOP 15 EPs: 1. Lupe Fiasco - House 2. Defcee & Nick Arcade - ceenick 3. DJ BlackPower - BLP2020 "King of the Night" 4. Ransom & Nicholas Craven - Crime Scenes 5. Akai Solo - Eleventh Wind 6. The Doppelgangaz - G Pack, Vol. 2 7. Skyzoo - Milestones 8. Serengeti & Kenny Segal - Kdxmpc 9. Sleep Sinatra & Killer Kane - Voodoo Kit 10. obijuan x dylantheinfamous - DEUS ANIMI 11. Uptown XO - Culture over Corporate 12. QThree - yesterday is over 13. Sadistik - Elysium 14. YUNGMORPHEUS - Mise En Place 15. Henny L.O. & Sycho Sid - Greystone

[spiralingsights]

Ugh, Hello love, I've been forced to write this by Max as he says it will make you happy. I've come to remind you of how much I love and despise you. I do hope that you aren't causing chaos somewhere while I'm off doing things with the Winchesters. Love, Cain

babe i say this with nothing but love: i cause SO many problems when you’re out. the Winchesters always keep you for weeks at a time and i need something to do. you might wanna come home soon if you want the garden to live 💕💕💕💕

[ ps: thanks Max, you’re the real mvp bro ]

[charlie-leau]

The Predator review - Chapter 11

Here’s my eleventh review of The Predator by the GOAT @runyxwrites​! It’s still a mix of my reactions and thoughts, it’s still a mess, but it’s still hopefully funny and full of gifs (which do not belong to me, so credits to all the amazing gif makers out there, you’re life savers).

Happy reading.

Chapter 11 - Falling

=> So, last chapter ended on quite the cliffhanger, meaning your girl is really scared. My baby Morana is in deep, deep trouble.

Also, can we talk about that title for a minute? Because I fucking love it and it’s putting so many thoughts in my mind. What does “falling” mean? Will someone die? Or will Tristan and Morana fall deeper into whatever it is that’s brewing between them?

I NEED ANSWERS.

So without further ado… let’s get started!

=> “Who’s Tristan Caine?”

Well, 11 chapters in and I still don’t know so… also, well done, Morana. Play dumb, play the ignorance card. Also, once again, I’m in awe of the way she’s able to control her inner turmoil and show nothing of her fear. She’s one strong badass lady.

=> “standing there with the realization that her enemy was more respectful of her than her own father stung.”

That’s my man, Dante, alright. I luuuve him!

(And yes, he does get extra credits for being real nice to my girl and showing her the respect she deserves).

=> “she looked up at her father, to find him watching Tristan Caine with narrowed, angry eyes.”

=> “And there he stood, asserting his dominance, in her father’s territory, completely unruffled.”

Tristan, I love you, but now really isn’t the time for a pissing contest. We all already know you’re the man anyway.

=> “She’d never felt so alive…”

Ah! Told you Tristan made her feel alive.

=> “He was gone from the place. You were too. And then he comes back and can’t keep his eyes off you.”

How can two people who are usually so good at what they do be so stupid? Also, Tristan and his inability to look away from Morana might have just cost her everything.

=> “I was having sex with him.”

“Oh, I slept with him too.”

It’s official, Morana has a death wish. We been knew, but now we’re sure!

=> “If you think I will not bring a doctor to have you checked, you are mistaken.”

(it’s even funnier because I’m French).

=> “You even think of bringing a doctor to violate me, I’ll shoot her in the head and anyone else who comes near me.”

=> “Try to lock me in and I will dump a heavy file on you in the FBI’s lap and serve you up like meat.”

=> “You should have died.”

What the fuck?

What is daddy dearest talking about?

=> Man…

Fuck her father. He dropped her, let her down once more, let her fall. He’s been letting her down her whole life, but wow, this time it really hurts (and not just physically). This time, Morana and her father have reached the point of no return. Many would argue they were already past this point, but they weren’t. They weren’t because Morana, deep down, still cared, still hoped.

“the words like bullet to her chest.”

Also, the parallel between him and Tristan isn’t exactly subtle, but it’s essential.

=>“She didn’t know whether her body hurt more or her heart, all those shattered hopes splattered on the cold floor beside her.”

Okay, this is heartbreaking.

Like really heartbreaking. Because, deep down, Morana is still a little girl waiting for her father to love her.

But he never will. He doesn’t know how to and he doesn’t want to know.

=> “Bruised, battered, she walked out of the house on bare feet, keeping her spine straight.”

This. This is what courage looks like.

=> “A sob escaped her throat, rapidly followed by another, and another, and another, till they became uncontrolled.”

=> Ah. Of course, she went to Tristan. She has just finally acknowledged that he is not her father. That he is different. She has just realized that maybe, if she lets go of the hatred, she could actually trust this man who makes her come alive and has sparked her desire for freedom (because it wasn’t until she met Tristan that she decided to run away from this life and finally set her true self free).

=> Oh! Dante found her.

=> “Who did this?” It touched her. The fact that he was the enemy and yet he wanted to hurt the culprit.”

Oh… and I thought I couldn’t love Dante more.

=> “the fact that he didn’t call her out on the obvious lie, that her presence there of all places was the indication that she had no friends, gave him a point in her books.”

Make that 2 points in mine!

=> “Because she knew he could protect himself, that he had dragged himself into her mess. In a way.”

In a way. IN A WAY?

Honey, you’re in this mess because he couldn’t keep his fucking eyes of you and because he wasn’t smooth enough to not be noticed when he left and followed you in the bathroom. You chose to fuck him, that’s on you, but he was there and that’s on him and not in a way. It’s his fucking mess too.

=> “I’d really appreciate if you didn’t tell anyone” – him – “about this.”

Morana doesn’t want Tristan to see her in a vulnerable state.

She’s such a prideful creature when it comes to him. Little does she know the only thing she’s risking is that he’ll fall in love with her. He’ll never see her as weak, because he knows, deep down, how much strength it took her to get back on her feet and leave her father behind.

=> Kudos to Dante, the MVP of this chapter so far for both respecting and caring for Morana.

Also, it’s happening. Morana is going to the penthouse. She’s going to see Tristan.

=> Morana wanting to hit the brakes and press the “parking” button is such a mood though. Truth be told, I’d be feeling the same way.

Oh, she does hit the button.

And Tristan stops her. He stops her from falling, again (because you know, the elevator was going to go down).

=> “This perusal was heated but not with hatred. It was heated with fury.”

Remember all these times I called Tristan asshole? Well, I stand by these, he’s an asshole, but he’s a good asshole. Also, he woke up in the middle of the night to greet Morana. I love night Tristan (remember chapter 8).

He drew her a bath, gave her some clothes and prepared her bed for the night.

Man, I really love night Tristan.

“There are painkillers in the drawer.”

I love both night Tristan and Tristana’s text conversation. They’re funny and just the right kind of flirty and angry.

=> “If Tristan Caine killed her in her sleep, it’d probably be a mercy.”

What Morana doesn’t realize is that Tristan is probably incapable of killing her. Not anymore. She keeps saying she doesn’t understand the man, but that’s because she’s not picking up on the evidence presented before her. Does he hate her? Hell yeah. But is that all he feels for her? Hell no. He cares.

Also, my girl has reached her breaking point. She’s been so strong all along, holding herself straight and handling everything that’s been thrown at her, but tonight she reached her breaking point. Her father’s ultimate betrayal tipped over her balance. She’s unraveling and unless someone catches her *coughs* Tristan *coughs* she will lose herself.

=> “Swallowing, Morane turned the keys over.”

She gave them her car keys. Do you know how huge this is? Because it’s like, monumental!

=> “It hit her at that moment, watching it from the glass wall. It had been a setup.”

FUCK DADDY DEAREST!! He followed her. Shits are about to go down.

Also, Morana’s urging desire to flee.

Big, BIG, mood!

=> Oh, Amara giving Morana, and us, little clues. I love her.

=> “Unspeak to your friend.” – “We have unfinished business, Ms. Vitalio.”

I think part of the reason I love their texte conversations so much is because it’s one of the only times where they actually talk. Most of the time, they either stare at each other and insult the other. But through texts, they do communicate a little.

Plus, texts!Tristan is funny as hell!

Also, kudos to him for hitting daddy dearest. I can officially say that Tristan in on my good side.

And we end this chapter on another cliffhanger aka my girl Morana freaking the hell out.

[qcpmedia]

“Birds of Prey”: A Crisis of Infinite Harleys

by Chris Clay

Ok-- let's get this part out of the way first: I love Harley Quinn.

Have done since her debut on Batman The Animated Series. My mother let my dad take me to see Tim Burton’s brilliant 1989 Batman film (I was 5 at the time) because she was under the assumption that Batman was always the high camp she remembered enjoying in the television show from her childhood. Thanks, Adam West! My journey into comics began shortly after learning to read with classical mythology, so I was totally prepared for all manner of tales about monsters, demons, serial killers, human traffickers, etc. Quickly becoming an avid comic reader, 10 year-old me was a DC & Marvel veteran who spent a lot of mental energy filling in the blanks on the softened-for-cartoons versions of Bats, Spidey & the X-Men. 

After years of seeing "versions" of my favorite supers onscreen, I thought this new character, originally the Joker's jester henchwoman, was a breath of fresh air. She seemed like the perfect fit for both the show and the Joker, the first real Manic Pixie Dreamgirl. She was funny but also scary, vulnerable and just overall awesome. Best of all? She didn’t seem nerfed for kids tv. She just seemed oddly... real. And she was contagious. That complex reality bled onto anyone she shared enough screen time with. She helped me to see Poison Ivy as the troubled yet brilliant and sensitive person the show had always hinted she was. Besides Catwoman, no other character tested Batman's rigid sense of right and wrong more beautifully. Even Joker seemed multifaceted when Harley was around. I cheered as loudly as anyone when she ditched that clown, and those Harley/Ivy episodes were some of the best the series had to offer.

OG Harley & subsequent versions over the years tended to show a woman that was preyed upon by a master manipulator who pushed her to the edge of sanity. To the edge, not over it. She was definitely traumatized, but the original portrayals never presented any extreme mental problems. Sure, she was codependent & had a temper. And shitty taste in men. Those traits in moderation are not craaaazy. That's just being human.

Harley continued to evolve over the years, shaped by many creators and performers across multiple mediums. Her look has changed, her status as villain or antihero has vacillated and her relationships have been presented more and more as on her terms rather than something foisted upon her by chance.

The characterization problems started in comics, but David Ayers' disappointing 2016 Suicide Squad film brought this lesser Harl to the masses, along with a version of her *ahem* more revealing New52 costume, seemingly metahuman durability & chalk white skin. I always loved the idea that Harleen had the ability to take her jester clothing & clown makeup off, sit around with an equally dressed-down Ivy and talk about who they really were, what made them tick. This new Harley (like her modern comics counterpart) was always "on", displaying very little of the soulful, mature character many of us comics & animation fans know and love. Despite that, she was definitely the highlight of the film, and there were flashes of brilliance that made me believe Margot Robbie could get to the fundamental truths of the character if given another chance. 

And that brings us rather neatly to Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).

Harley Quinn, last seen in the aforementioned Suicide Squad, has just been dumped by the Joker & is forced to make her own way in Gotham City’s underworld. In short order, she meets Dinah Lance, Renee Montoya, Helena Bertinelli & Cassandra Cain. All of these ladies have, for various reasons, fallen onto the radar of neat-freak gangster Roman Sionis, played with scenery-scarfing delight by Ewan MacGregor. Forced to band together to survive, they eventually learn that despite their considerable individual talents, they're more formidable as a team.

For some reason I still can’t quite articulate, I remember being slightly underwhelmed when the cast was announced. I liked all of the actors... hell, each of them has had at least one role I absolutely loved them in-- but I still felt they were odd choices for their respective roles in this movie (more on that later). The trailer was where I got genuinely worried that Warner might be climbing back into the hole so many creators toiled to pull the DC film properties out of. 

However, as I said in the beginning, I love Harley Quinn. I was definitely going to see this movie. In Margot Robbie, I felt Harley had a champion on par with Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool or Hugh Jackman as Wolverine; an actor who would work tirelessly to get their character right, on the page & onscreen, however many tries it took. Plus she was saying some interesting things about what she thought the the film & the character should represent during the rollout (and I know the movie isn't the trailer), so I was at "cautious optimism" by the time I sat down to watch the film.

I was totally wrong about one thing: the cast is the best thing about the movie, and that’s not some backhanded compliment. K.K. Barrett's production design is great, colorful while not feeling cheap or phony, and Cathy Yan has a great eye for fun directing choices that keep things zipping along... but the cast is the real MVP. They’re actually great.

Jurnee Smollet-Bell is understated & surprisingly physical as tough-as-nails chanteuse Dinah Lance, a classic “woman trying to keep her head down in a bum situation”. She gave modern comic book moll vibes & I Stan. Rosie Perez's Renee Montoya brought a dose of realism to the candy-coated insanity swirling all around her while also giving Harley an entertaining foil for the first 2 acts. She has probably my favorite fight scene in the entire movie.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, the person I went into the movie thinking was the most grossly miscast, is hands down my favorite character in the film. She's equal parts ruthless & socially awkward, a take on Huntress that is somehow both anachronistic & perfectly in step with her comic counterpart. Even newcomer Ella Jay Basco brings a unique charm to what could have easily been an irksome reimagining of fan favorite Cass Cain as a sassy teenage pickpocket. MacGregor’s turn as Sionis is less a character than he is a symbol, acting as a stand-in for various brands of broken maleness, but the guy’s clearly having a blast and he has decent enough chemistry with the leads. Chris Messina as Victor Vsasz is an absolute snoozefest, a waste of both character and actor that I’ll give no more space or attention.

Now for the elephant in the room: Margot Robbie's Harley is my least favorite thing about the whole movie.

"But Chris..", I hear you yelling at your computational device, "...you said she was the lone bright spot of SS!"

True, but in a film with clever, unmuddied direction & other actors that actually display some semblance of emotion or charisma for more than one scene a piece, the bar has been raised this go round & Robbie's frantic mugging limbos under said bar by a mile. What’s worse is that she actively takes screen time that could be better spent fleshing out one of the other four characters. Only Huntress (who has probably the least screen time of any of the leads) actually has a backstory, but her origin is a large part of the plot. One could be forgiven for thinking the she wouldn’t have had one at all otherwise. We don’t really know anything about Cassandra Cain, Montoya is literally just Stock Cop, and you could make a whole movie out of how the hell Dinah ended up singing at Sionis’ club. And where the hell is the Joker?! Why is he letting Harley destabilize Gotham’s balance of power or letting Sionis threaten his ex-puddin’ while also claiming to be the the underworld’s top dog? Instead of answering these questions, we get a bunch of throwaway characters attacking the newly-emancipated Quinn and Suicide Squad flashbacks that look even uglier than before when placed side by side with the production design of this film. The fact that most of these characters are so thinly characterized yet still connect is a testament to the performances and chemistry of the central cast.

You get the feeling that a lot of this movie was Robbie as producer, exerting her ideas & energy onto a massive production that needed a lot of moving parts to line up in order to work. It's not easy to have everything riding on you, whether it’s the future of the DCEU, progressive representation of women in film or just your own movie stardom. I understand that and I sympathize. This frantic, flailing movie is the product of some 3 years of rewrites and pitching, shooting on and off for 9 months, plus all the promo stuff. Every interview that I've seen the cast do has basically been Robbie explaining things ad nauseam while Jurnee Smollet-Bell or Mary Elizabeth Winstead kind of quietly nod in agreement, with the exception of the recent season premiere of Hot Ones, where capsaicin finally allowed someone else get a word in edgewise. The real problem with that comes when you see the movie and realize she’s contextualizing so much of the film on other media outlets because the film itself doesn’t really seem to have the time or interest, leaving it’s star to try and explain what we actually see onscreen on the press tour. This leads to a situation akin to Final Fantasy XV, where the player needed heaps of supplemental content to understand what could and should have been included in the story proper. She just seems overworked, similar to when Ben Affleck wanted to perform the Herculean task of writing, directing & starring in the next solo Batman film. Maybe Margot & Harley both need a little break?

The internet is scrambling to diagnose why a well-reviewed movie starring a beloved character played by a popular actress is underperforming at the box office, citing everything from the trailer to the rating to the movie’s title, with many (including BoP creator Gerry Conway) blaming the lackluster box office on sexism, but I think there might be a simpler answer: this version is trying to pull from the entire history of Harley to create a singular characterization from sometimes disparate portrayals. It doesn’t help that Robbie’s Quinn exists in a universe that’s constantly shifting under her feet after every film.

Most comic characters are criticized for being inaccurate to the source material but Harley has arguably the opposite problem; almost a Crisis of Infinite Harleys, where Robbie and Warner Bros. want to stuff the best elements from every version of Harley into every movie she’s in. It’s supposed to be fan service but instead, often feels scattered and tiring. Not to mention the stuff these films just pluck straight out of thin air that don’t work...

The DC Universe version of the character chose to leave the Joker on her own terms and I thought that was a brilliant and socially relevant writing choice, so it was strange to then see the more mainstream (and arguably more popular) version of Harley be dragged out of Joker’s hideout, kicking and screaming. In a film who’s title was purposely made ridiculously long to accentuate the character’s supposed newfound self-sufficiency, For all of the things that do work well, Birds of Prey just doesn’t feel like what’s explicitly promised on the tin.

I still love Harley Quinn, and I still think Margot Robbie’s the right person for the job. No need to Pattinson her or anything... just put less on her plate and give the character and the movies she’s in a clear, singular direction. Pretty please, puddin’?

[life-love-geekculture]

SPN 15x01: A Few Thoughts

Welp, here it is boys and girls. The end of the road.

Like most premiers, last week’s episode was all about set-up:

3 Billion hellspawn. A day or two ticking clock. God-bullet visions of a future that may or may not come to pass. And one Jack-possessing Prince of Hell.

Okay, to be honest, Belphegor was probably the second biggest highlight of the night. Like many of the great demon characters of the series, he swoops in when the boys are at their worst and provides them with the exact help they need. The fact Sam & Dean don’t even bat an eye at this kind of introduction anymore is slightly hilarious. Especially given it’s the move that made Ruby infamous.

I am conflicted with this character, though. On one hand, he’s in Jack’s body. A body our resident Nephilim is going to need back hopefully very, very soon. On the other, he’s so damn likeable! Major props go to Alex because that is the kind of twist that could potentially be received horribly by the fans (let’s be honest, Jack became our kid as much as he became the boys’ son (ow my heart)). Alex managed to walk the fine line of demonic charm so well it not only worked but gave us a brand new character we already want to see more of! Basically, Alex is MVP of the episode.

But, this leaves the real question....who is Belphegor and what does he want?

To be honest, I think at his core, Belphegor is our reminder Chuck hasn’t left the building. As I noted before, he follows the long tradition of demons popping in to aid the Winchesters at their “darkest” hour. Interestingly, he doesn’t seem to have much belief in God which is just odd for a demon who should be old enough to, at minimum, be aware of His existence (see: the entire series). I can’t tell if this is a callback to Ruby’s pretend ignorance or because Belphegor is a freshly created character. Albeit, one Chuck named after a demon he already used once before.

As many have pointed out, the name Belphegor itself belongs to one of the Princes of Hell. Marked, in Supernatural lore, by their unique yellow eyes. Eyes Chuck (conviently) burned out of Jack’s skull. We do know, in Judeo-Christian tradition, there are canonically seven Princes in total; but Supernatural has ever only claimed four. Lucifer’s mockery of Chuck’s archangels essentially. Yet, in canon, we now have five with the introduction of Michael 2.0. It’s the kind of imbalance that would drive a repetitive writer like Chuck crazy. Hence, the introduction of a new (potential) Prince.

His purpose in the story, at the moment, remains open-ended. Obviously, he is intended to betray the Winchesters at some point (demon,duh), but if the theme of this season is supposed to be creation rising against its creator...well someone’s going to need manage hell. Having a character who just wants hell back to normal makes for a surprisingly refreshing take in the series. More importantly, it would fit the needs of a hell run by a “shadow king” following Sam’s declaration. Without the shadows, a king like that has no power.

And speaking of Sam, oh boy. Look, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if we hit all the big bads of previous seasons. Be it Amarra, the mark of Cain, king-of-hell Sam...we’re pretty much guaranteed to meet all the greatest hits. Anything Chuck can throw at the boys. But what I’m currently intrigued by is the bullet wound itself. Just, follow me down this problematic path...

We know from last season, the Equalizer or whatever fucking weird-ass name Chuck gave the gun had a very specific means of working. Specifically, it fired energy along the quantum ties between two beings (target & shooter). The thing is, Dean made specific notice in this episode that the “bullet” did not go through. Cas basically confirmed this by sensing an unrecognizable energy around the wound. I propose that whatever “bullet” there is is still lodged in Chuck’s shoulder, meaning he and Sam are still connected.

What if Sam’s visions are Chuck trying to devise an ending?

It’s a little out there, but it’s a theory that works for me. At any rate, based on that last scene, I don’t think there’ll be an episode this season I won’t cry at.

[its-actually-minicika]

You actual goddamn monster, you actually had me hope, and then just...fucking OBLITERATE it. Aemond you're the real bastard here, go back to the River girl and just LEAVE OUR POOR GIRL A L O N E. Ser Cain Waters, you were the real MVP here, do our girl a solid and get her family to rain hell on this Frollo fanboy here.

You made me ramble I hope you're happy

SJKSKAKLS I'M SO SORRY

I have other fics where Aemond is way softer and not an unhinged war criminal! But "The Harshest Winters" is my own little homage to (a slightly worse) book Aemond;

CAIN WATERS IS THE REAL MVP INDEED, I love him with all my heart 😭

His relationship with the reader will be explored a little more in-depth in chapter 3, so rest assured, the world hasn't seen the last of him!

In all seriousness, I hope you enjoyed the fic, and thank you so much for the support shown in my silly little pieces :"))

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Anger Issues

First proper movie of the year, and it’s Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. Look, the DCEU is a dumpster fire, so much so that the WB has basically given up on it. They’ve started doing stand alone films as a way to recuperate their image and it’s kind of working. Shazam was fun as f*ck and Joker is rightfully getting so much buzz, it’s ridiculous. Even Aquaman was decent once it was released from the grimdark Snyder vision. Birds of Prey is not that. It is, at it’s core, a DCEU film. This thing might as well be called Suicide Squad but with chicks. It’s that ridiculous. But is it as bad as that? Let’s get into it.

The Great

The very best thing about this movie is f*cking Huntress. Bro, i LOVED Helena Bertinelli in this movie! Mary Elizabeth Winstead owned this part, one hundred percent! She was the MVP of this whole goddamn sh*t show but she sure as f*ck ain’t get MVP minutes! Huntress is in this thing for a grand total of ten minutes, man. It might be more, it might be less, but it definitely ain’t enough because she has NO time to shine! What little she gets, though, she kills! Talk about burying the lead, man. I understand that certain cuts needed to made in order to give the top-biller in Harley the god shots, but f*ck, dude. You can’t tease me with so much awesome and then just snatch it all away! F*ck you for that, movie. F*ck You!

The Good

This thing was cast incredibly well. I was on the fence with some of the announcements during development, but it came together nicely. There aren’t many weak performances and, overall, you can tell that everyone was having fun. There’s a lot of great chemistry among this group and i can see myself giving a proper BoP sequel a chance.

Margot Robbie is Harley Quinn. She embodies this chick like Ryan Reynolds embodies Deadpool, for the most part. She was my first pick going into SKWAD and it felt right seeing her in those hot pants. There were some issues i had with that character, mostly the vanishing accent, but she’s gotten much better since then an that growth shows here. It’s unfortunate that her character doesn’t grow in this two hour run time, especially considering how much time Harley gets onscreen.

Jurnee Smollet-Bell is probably the best Dinah Lance we’re going to get for a while. he was surprisingly adept at the part, even if everyone is butt-hurt that she was race-bent. Her Canary Cry was absolute sh*t but that was more the effects fault. Them sh*ts is cheap! Jurnee did a fantastic job as Black Canary and i wasn’t even mad she wasn’t rocking the fishnets while doing it. She kicks high.

Rosie Perez was an interesting choice for Renee Montoya but i knew she could be fantastic in the role if they gave her room to breathe. Perez could have brought that Puerto Rican heat to the role, and she did a few times, but not enough to make an impression. Again, that’s because this ain’t a Birds of Prey vehicle so all of the Birds had to kind of curtail their time in the camera, and overall character development, in order to make sure Harley got her face time with the audience. It’s kind of f*cked up and makes the movie less for it.

Black Mask was a goddamn spectacle! He’s smarmy, and arrogant, and flamboyant, and campy, and generally just brilliant. He’s one of the best villains of the DCEU, which ain’t saying much, but i can say just SO much about Ewan McGregor’s performance as Roman Sionis. His mask is stupid though. And he’s definitely Black Mask in name only. Still, for what this version is, McGregor delivers. If you’re curious what a closer interpretation of the comic character can be, check out Batman: Under The Red Hood. That’s a far more accurate representation of what Sidonis is supposed to be but I’m not mad what we got here.

Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz is okay. In the book, he’s out of his mine and ludicrously violent. Like, textbook psychopath crazy. In this, he’s still pretty f*cking nuts but he’s also wildly jealous and crazy possessive? I think that’s because of the insinuated relationship between he and Black Mask but you gotta read real heavy into that relationship to even broach that subject. Like, I‘m reaching with that statement but, for the most part, Messina does an admirable job of bringing this character to life.

The action scenes, outside of the awesome that is Huntress, is the real draw of this movie. Harley’s story is cliche and the Birds don’t get much time to develop so they’re kind of inconsequential but the action is superb. It’s, legit, John Wick levels of awesome most of the time. There is a lot of buzz about that jailhouse scene and it’s totally worth all the talk. That motherf*cker was spectacular!

The art direction is pretty amazing in here. This looks like how i think SKWAD wanted to look, but couldn’t because of Snyder grimdark nonsense. Like, if that trailer house had full reign to actually film that movie, BoP is what we might have gotten and it is a much better look for the type of movie these things are. Certain sets, like the funhouse and Sinonis’ club were awesome and the little flairs for characters were on point. The confetti beanbags were absolutely genius!

I would be remiss if i didn’t mention the costumes. Harley had a ton of costume changes, so much so a character mentions it in the middle of a fight, but i wasn’t mad. They all reflect her character and Margot Robbie is a helluva a Barbie to play dress-up with but so was Black Mask apparently. He had almost as many costume changes as Quinn and they were all amazing. I liked what they had Canary in, even if it wasn’t comic accurate and i absolutely adored what Huntress rocked in the beginning. All in all, pretty legit costuming, i must say.

Another one where the sound design is worth mentioning. The direction didn’t elevate this assblast of a movie but the sound design sure as sh*t did. There are a ton of punctuating songs and effects that give otherwise flaccid scenes, that extra Viagra boost to get them rock hard! It’s amazing what music can do for anything really. Throw a dope ass soundtrack behind constipation and you have a serenade that eases things up to drop that deuce. I say that because that’s how it feels watching this goddamn movie.

The Meh

Ella Jay Basco is probably the weakest part of this movie. She does an admirable job as Cassandra Cain for being so young but there are certain instance where you can tell this is her first big gig. She isn’t terrible by any means, there aren’t any terrible performances at all in this thing, but she was easily the weakest of the lot.

The liberties taken with the characters in this movie are interesting. I’m curious as to see where this version of Gotham can go and what these particular interpretations of such iconic Bat-Characters can go. I don’t think they are great as a direct representations, f*cking Cassandra Cain is a particular sore spot for me because i adore her in the books, but i can give her chance. I can give all of these characters a chance. I rather adored this version of Huntress. Ma might be my favorite one! Well, almost. I’m pretty partial to Helena Wayne but i digress. While i don’t particularly care for how these awesome women are represented in this flick, i can see the potential. There is a unique vision here that is worth seeing through.

The writing is so-so. I can’t say it’s bad because there is a lot of good in there, tons of interesting ideas, but the execution is real poor. Most of these scenes feel like, on paper, they were dope as f*ck. On screen, though? Just underwhelming. It’s like they couldn’t translate what they wanted or needed to film for one reason or another. I feel like that might have more to do with the direction, I’m getting to that, but the core of a flick is the writing. If you’re script ain’t on point, you’re movie can’t be and i can see how dull them pages were to begin with.

The direction in this thing is mediocre. Cathy Yan did a “meh” job with this thing. A lot of that might have been due to the script but a great director can elevate straight schlock. Look at James Cameron. Avatar is an ass of a film that rips of f*cking Ferngully but his vision got it Oscars and the number one, highest grossing, spot on the all-time list until Endgame murdered that sh*t. Yan did not elevate this schlock. They had to go back to reshoots and have Chad Stahleski touch up some stuff. Like, the best parts of this thing, the action scenes, weren’t even directed by Yan. I mean, they were at first, but this thing got screened by the execs ad all of that sh*t was tossed out. Stahleski made them things pop! No telling what else he touched up, or f*cked up, on his way out.

The Bad

This is not a Birds of Prey movie. This is a Harley Quinn vehicle with a Birds of Prey cameo. I can see what they wanted to do with this thing, backdoor origin story for one of Batman’s strongest supplementary teams, but with no Barbara Gordon as Oracle, it feels hollow. Especially considering that the Birds, themselves, have next to no screen time. I get that Harley is the money maker but this should have been a Gotham City Sirens film.

The continuity of this sh*t is dubious. It takes place in the old DCEU. It’s legit a sequel to Suicide Squad. Harley references that sh*t twice. I don’t know what that means going forward, but this Gotham ain’t that Gotham at all. It’s weird to see because you spend a good amount of time within the GCPD and no Bullock or Gordon; The latter of which we’ve seen already. It’s awkward the way WB has decided to play fast and loose with what sticks and what doesn’t. Joker is a stand alone and so is Shazam. The Batman is going to be a stand alone or it’s own franchise. Aquaman and Wondy are still in the DCEU continuity but i don’t know how long they will be, especially considering Wonder Woman’s solos are all prequels that have no ties to that Snyder depression exercise. It’s nothing to just pluck her out and add her to a much better executed cinematic universe. With Flashpoint all but confirmed, It feels like none of this matters. This one, for sure, doesn’t.

The plot is still stupid. The McGuffin is better since the reshoots because dick pics? Really? But the writing is still stupid. The whole center of the conflict is ridiculous and the resolution is just blergh.

The only thing worse than the plot is the pacing. This motherf*cker drags! There are entire scenes where nothing f*cking happens and it’s stupid. Most of the time, it’s the scenes with Harley. Her arc is just so f*cking pedestrian. It’s well acted, i said as much above, but it’s SO dumb and i kind of hate it.

This movie really hates dudes. Like, i get it, right? Respect. Recognition. Women deserve all of everything. Equality, feminism, yadda-yadda. I get it. There are ways to execute that perspective which are good. A decent writer would convey that by actually writing decent scenes, not just turning all of the men in the film into juvenile caricatures of chauvinism. I personally don’t care, I’m not a neckbeard typing with one hand while breathing heavily on my monitor in my ma’s basement, but i had to mention it because everyone is mentioning it and they have a point. This is glorified misandry at it’s finest but, you know, patriarchy or whatever. I don’t care. It didn’t take me out of the movie, the sh*tty plot did that, but it was interesting to see in person. It’s hard to justify this bullsh*t when Atomic Blonde exists.

So the gay-baiting. Like, really, dude? If you’re going to do it, go all the way. I read somewhere that Black Mask was supposed to have a homosexual relationship with Victor Zsasz but nah. None of that is expressed in any capacity. There might have been a line referencing it, maybe, but that could have been in regards to the violent outburst in the club the night before. Ambiguous because you gotta sell this thing in China! Renee Montoya is legit gay in the books and, other than a passing line early on, it never comes up again. I think that might be because of the distinct lack of characterization for literally all the Birds in their own f*cking movie, but still. That’s massive part of her character and no one talks about it. No one talks about any of the LBGTQ bullsh*t they pushed in the promotion.

All of this controversy does this flick a disservice. It doesn’t deserve all the hate it’s getting and it definitely doesn’t deserve all of the praise. This is not some super “GRRRL power”, kickass, gay-loving, action flick. It’s a mediocre break-up story that happens to have some interesting action set pieces but, ultimately, is inconsequential in the greater scheme of things. This is the Ant-Man of the DCEU. I spoke about this at length a few days ago and the nonsense that I was afraid was going to happen, is happening. No one wants to sh*t on this flick because of “Muh representation”. It’s a female lead, female directed, piece of sh*t. It is. But it’s a fun piece of sh*t and easily the best, of the worst, of the DCEU but it’s still a piece of sh*t. It’s not changing cinema, it’s not some great step forward in representation, and it’s not doing women in the industry a great service. It’s a quirky, violent, nonsense of a movie and should be judged as such. Again, Atomic Blonde is a much better example of ho to “GRRRL power” your way in the box office. Go watch that instead.

The ending to this thing feels rushed and super anticlimactic. I felt bad about it. Seriously. The way this movie resolves, after everything that took place, is just whack, man. It leaves you wanting, especially after how charismatic Black Mask turned out to be more than that, there’s no resolution. No one grows. Everyone is exactly where they were at the start of this f*cking thing. Like, what was the f*cking point? I can tell they wanted me to think that these chicks had grown into something more but did they really? Did we really see any growth out of any one of them not name Harley? Hell, even Harley is still the same motherf*cker! Like, for real, dude? Someone read that script and thought, “Okey-Dokey, this is good enough!” I just wanted to punch this movie in it’s face when it was over. Like, f*ck you, movie.

The Verdict

Birds of Prey is a bad movie. It’s gorgeous to look at, the costumes are amazing, and most of the performances are super strong. However, the plot is stupid, the pacing is on drugs, and the best parts of this flick get, like, no screen time to breathe. The Birds are guest stars in what, very obviously, is not their movie. This really should have been called “Harley Quinn and The Tiniest Bit of an Origin Story For The Birds of Prey” because that’s what it is. Technically, this should have been Gotham City Sirens to begin with but i ranted about that before. Margot Robbie is bad at picking movies to produce and she definitely produced this one. Got her unfortunate and inexperienced fingerprints all over it. Kind of doesn’t matter what should have been, though, this is what we got and this is a sh*t time, for sure. But, it can be fun at times. There is about as much to like as there is to hate especially if you’re open to being blue-balled when it counts. If that sounds like a party to you, check this thing out. If not, you can pass on it. That’s how meaningless this thing feels.

[abisalli]

Cassandra Cain-Wayne alias Black Bat

was deprived of speech as a child

can dance beautifully

best friends with Steph 

Dick | Jason | Tim | Damian  | Steph | Babs

[rowanthane]

🍾📚🔮🖍️📺⛈️🥇

muse questions 

🍾 = What is the last thing your muse celebrated? How long was the celebration?

She and Reina had a sleepover and got drunk to celebrate the fact that Reina’s divorce was finalized --- or, at least, they thought it was at the time. 

📚 = What is your muse’s favorite genre of books? What are some of their favorite authors and/or books?

Rowan doesn’t really read as much as she probably should, honestly. When she does read she likes a good mystery and thriller, though. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is one of her favourites, another being Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Cain. She isn’t a fast reader by any means, though. She’ll work on the same book for months, reading little bits here and there in her sun room. She makes up for it when she’s at the lakehouse, though, and somehow devours books while she’s there -- sitting out on the dock and breezing through a book in one go. These days she’s mostly reading fairy tales though, for obvious reasons.

🔮  = Is your muse superstitious? What superstitions do they have? Where did they pick them up from?

Not really. She’s not the type to get stressed out if a mirror breaks or she spills the salt, not really believing in luck or anything like that. When she was living in New Orleans for college she and a bunch of her pre-med friends used to go to a palm reader every couple of weeks for shits and giggles, and she really loved doing that but it was more for the experience of it than actually putting any faith in it.

🖍️  = What was your muse’s favorite childhood toy? Do they still have it? What special memories are attached to the toy?

Her favourite toy she had was a stuffed bunny that her dad bought her when she was still a baby. She carried it with her everywhere and her mother had to stitch ears and tails back on it on more than one occasion, and it was ratty as hell by the time she was seven but she loved and still loves it. She still has it, not able to throw it away because of the sentimental value attached to it even after all the ups and downs with her father. It’s in Benny’s room on a shelf now, after having spent years in a box in her closet. As a result of that, she’s bought all of her nephews and her niece a bunny when they were babies. 

📺  = What TV shows does your muse like to watch the most? Do they prefer watching them as they air on network or do they stream them later?

Ro watches so much reality TV it should be a crime. The Bachelor, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Real World, Keeping Up With The Kardashians.... she watches pretty much all of it. She is very aware that it’s pretty much all scripted, but she still gets a kick out of it. Her and Andy also watch a lot of Golden Girls and Fresh Prince reruns at night when they’re winding down. For the most part she just streams things later on, usually too busy to actually remember to sit down and watch something at a designated time frame. 

⛈️  = What type of weather is your muse’s favorite? What do they usually like to do when they have a day off when it’s their favorite weather?

She loves sunshine! Nice sunny days with a slight breeze so that it’s not disgustingly humid are her ideal days. If she has the day off she’ll usually take Scout out and go for a long hike with him for the day. 

🥇 = Has your muse ever won a contest or competition? What was the contest/competition? What did they receive as a prize, if anything?

Her nerd ass won a couple science fairs when she was younger. The prize was usually just a ribbon and a gift card to a restaurant in town or something. And then she was valedictorian at her high school graduation, and MVP on her high school soccer team but that’s about it. 

[shepherds-of-haven]

plz tell caine he's the real mvp

Caine: *shy* oh, me? T-thanks!!!! :D

[iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog]

You Finally Didn’t Have A Losing Week, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

It wasn’t a winning week, though, going 3-3. You bottomed out in the first two games of the week against the Diamondbacks. In one game, you blew a five-run lead thanks to a pathetic bullpen and one of baseball’s unwritten and stupid rules. The next game you scored eight runs but still lost mostly due to a six run first inning thanks to three errors. It was about as ugly as two baseball games get. After that disgusting display, you managed to turn things around and win the next three games. It was your first back to back wins and your first series win in a month. A month!! You dropped the final game of the Reds’ series, but you at least look slightly more formidable than you did a week ago. Your outlook still isn’t the brightest until all phases of the team start playing together. The offense, defense, starting pitching, and the bullpen have not been on the same page since your fast start. If you score eight runs, then you give up thirteen. If you only give up three runs, then you score one. Your bullpen remains terrible and your defense is shaky at best. Not exactly the formula for success. This week poses another difficult test and mediocrity could spell disaster. Here’s hoping this week is beginning of something better because more of the same could sink you permanently.

Monday was the toughest loss of the season. You were up 5-0 in the 7th inning on the road in Arizona and Joe Musgrove was cruising along. JHay had got hit in the back with a pitch the inning before and the next batter, Austin Meadows, got a pitch up and in. Musgrove and maybe the coaches decided that retaliation was necessary. Musgrove hit Chris Owings and then a wild pitch moved him to second. A single made it 5-1 and then an error put runners on first and second. Edgar Santana, part of the worst bullpen I can remember, came in for Musgrove. He proceeded to give up an RBI single to make it 5-2 and now the tying run was coming to plate in the person of perennial MVP candidate, Paul Goldschmidt. I assumed he would hit a homer to tie the game, but Santana actually struck him out. Instead the next batter, Jake Lamb, homered to tie it. From there another full bullpen implosion was on with Kyle Crick allowing four of the ugliest runs imaginable in the 9th. People will praise Musgrove for paying them back and focus on the Freese error and the bullpen being beyond dreadful and they wouldn’t be wrong. But I can’t stand this retaliation element in baseball especially when the D-Backs’ pitcher obviously wasn’t throwing at them on purpose. The game completely changed after Musgrove hit Owings. If he doesn’t do that, maybe Musgrove stays in the game longer and you don’t have to rely on your awful bullpen. You’re focused more on dignity then winning and in the process it cost you a game. I hope everyone in the clubhouse is really happy right now with that decision because at least their pride isn’t hurt. I grew up playing baseball and I have never understood for one second throwing at hitters as payback. You want to get revenge? Beat the damn team! Nothing hurts more than that. I have zero tolerance for this nonsense and I just hope it was worth it for everyone involved. Thanks for total garbage.

A report leaked this week that your players who are free agents after this year or next year could be available for trades at the deadline. Francisco Cervelli, Ivan Nova, Corey Dickerson, JHay, David Freese, and Jordy Mercer were the main names mentioned. The situation isn’t too dire yet because you are still only 3 ½ games out of a Wildcard spot, but it’s certainly worth listening to offers. As much as I love him, Cervelli is a reasonable candidate. He’s a free agent after next season and is currently having one of his best seasons (.880 OPS) though he’s been slumping over the last month only batting .185. For a 32 year old catcher who has a propensity for getting injured, you could potentially get good value for him now. It also helps that Elias Diaz has hit the ball very well in limited at bats. In 92 at bats, he’s batting .304, with a .850 OPS, and five homers. He’s got a canon for an arm which he needs to get under better control, but he seems like a solid everyday option. Nova had been pitching horrible before heading to the DL and his last two starts (1.54 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) since returning have been terrific. Nick Kingham is still in Triple-A coming off an absolutely dominant performance the other night (8 IP 2 H 0 R 0 BB 6 K), so you could promote him if Nova was traded. My confidence in Trevor Williams has certainly gone downhill, but pitching is such a premium that if Nova keeps pitching well you could get good value for him. I don’t think the return for Mercer or Freese will be worth much, but if you fall off I’m fine getting whatever you can for them. I’m less inclined to trade JHay or Dickerson. Polanco had a big day today but it’s hard to trust him to perform or stay healthy. Health is also a major concern with Austin Meadows and your depth in the minors doesn’t exist. As of now, you have no quality replacement for JHay. Kevin Kramer has hit well this year in Triple-A (.850 OPS, 10 HR’s), but I’m not sure he’s truly ready yet. JHay also provides intangible factors that don’t show up on the stat sheet. If you don’t get blown away by an offer, keep him. None of this is to say I’m giving up on the season, but you don’t look like a World Series contender right now. If that doesn’t change, you would be smart to get value back for these players.

I know everyone has been infatuated with Austin Meadows since his promotion. He started out hot as a firecracker and had continued at a solid pace. The fact that Gregory Polanco has been horrible this season only added to the admiration for Meadows, but I think some fans need to keep things in perspective. Every time Meadows isn’t in the starting lineup, it sets off fury of tweets with people almost insinuating you’re trying to lose. I like Meadows a lot. It’s important to ease him in due to his proclivity for injuries and that he’s a young player. The reality is he’s finally cooled off with only six hits in his last twenty-eight at bats (.214) with seven strikeouts, no homers, and three RBI’s. He also never walks with only four base on balls in 91 at bats this season. Polanco had a much better performance today going 3 for 3 with a walk, a homer, and 2 RBI’s. Polanco needs to show me a lot more before I think he should be playing more often than two to three times a week. I’m higher on Meadows than I’ve been since you drafted him. I just think everyone shouldn’t act like it’s the end of the world every time he gets a day off. You don’t want to burn him out and he’s obviously already started coming back to Earth. I still want to see him in the lineup four to five times per week and that’s enough.

This upcoming week is going to be another difficult one. You are at home this week but you play all seven days against two, first place teams. Monday through Wednesday, the Milwaukee Brewers come to town. They currently have the best record in the NL. They lead you by seven games in the division and are the perfectly exemplify my disappointment with you. The Brewers aren’t a big market team but they went out and acquired Christian Yelich through a trade and signed Lorenzo Cain. Both of them have OPS’ over .800 (Yelich .848, Cain .837). Add that to their excellent bullpen and a quality rotation (that might be playing a little over their heads right now) and you have a contender. They pushed their chips in when they saw their potential. You can’t say you did the same in 2013 through 2015. Starting Thursday, the Arizona Diamondbacks, leaders of the NL West by 1 ½ games, come to town for a four-game series. You lost two out of three to them in Arizona earlier this week but they didn’t appear to be leaps and bounds better than you. If your bullpen doesn’t implode and your defense wasn’t atrocious, you had a chance to win those two games. You finally won a series against a bad team, which is good, but it’s obvious that your problems have not been fixed. The way you succeed is to beat up on bad teams and split with good teams. Unfortunately, you got your butt kicked by good teams the past few weeks. Now would be a good time to change that. More poor performances against good teams this week could be the final nail in the coffin. Please prove me wrong! Please find some way to miraculously improve all of your flaws and beat up on some good teams! Please!! I’m begging you!

                                                                                                  On The Brink,

                                                                                                          Brad

P.S. stands for Please Stop and that’s in reference to your bullpen. They are a train-wreck right now. Even today, you trailed 6-1 and fought back to make it 6-5 in the 8th. Edgar Santana came on to pitch the top of the 9th , after blowing the game Monday, and gave up a two-run homer to make it 8-5. It hurt even more when you scored a run in the bottom of the 9th that would have tied the game. Michael Feliz pitched one inning yesterday and gave up a homer. He looked better today but is far from reliable. Tyler Glasnow pitched the 7th inning the other night with a lead and looked good doing it. He should be one of your late inning options along with Kyle Crick and obviously Vasquez. Steven Brault should be used in late innings too if you are facing a good lefty. I hope you are looking outside options. If you hope to be successful, you can’t keep going to these same guys and expecting different results. There’s no real options in the minors so, unless these guys improve dramatically overnight, a trade might be your only hope of improvement.