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cemaine1990-blog · 5 years

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Sculpted In Klay:

https://www.wattpad.com/story/193052466-sculpted-in-klay?utm_source=web&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share_myworks

"Boo, Thompson sucks balls!" Camilla heard the jeer and the distinctively annoying raspy voice coming from the right side of the bar. She squinted through the dim lighting of the ironically named "W" sports bar to see the culprit: a blonde haired man and his two buddies, all sporting Clippers gear. Weird flex for a bar in the Bay Area, but she decided to let it go. She glanced back at the tv, the Warriors were trailing behind. Jeremy, the bartender, wordlessly replaced her empty tequila glass with a new one (extra ice, he knew her too well). She nodded a silent thanks, and they both turned back to the tv screen. It had been a long day, but then everyday for a pediatric surgeon was a long one. However, today was difficult on a whole other level than your typical tough surgery or overpacked schedule. One of her younger patients, Timmy, was doing worse, and she had to have "that" conversation with his parents. There were two conversations every doctor dreaded having. The first one was telling family members that a loved one passed away during surgery. The second one was preparing family members for the fact that their loved one was not getting any better, and that they had to start getting ready for the worst. That was the conversation she had with six-year-old Timmy's parents today. This conversation frequently—and understandably—included many tears, anger, frustration, yelling, followed by more tears and endless "Why?" and "Can't you do something?" questions. Camilla wasn't good at handling tears or feelings. In fact, she spent a majority of her time avoiding and running away from feelings by throwing herself fully into her work. This ensured that she was a kick ass surgeon, but it also left her little to no time for anything else, quite similarly to someone else that she knew.

The cameraman panned to a close up of his face, and she could tell from the way he rapidly squinted his eyes that he was quickly growing frustrated, and almost like a twin, she felt a similar frustration building in the pit of her own stomach. They've been like that since high-school, Klay and her, creepily in tune to each other's moods. When she broke her arm at the age of sixteen during a Big Bear skiing trip, he called her phone almost right away. When she didn't pick up he called her brother Dominick to find out what happened. Klay explained that he suddenly felt a sharp pain and knew something was wrong with her. Nowadays, when she was in surgery and had to miss one of his games (which she would usually watch at the "W" or her home) she would always know, even before checking the score, whether they won or lost. If she felt a warm glow-like sensation spread through her chest, it meant they won and he was happy and elated. If she felt sharp pangs in her stomach, she knew they had lost and he was upset and disappointed. Currently, the stomach pangs were getting stronger.

She took a large sip of the smooth tequila as Curry airballed a 15-footer, an unfortunate and ridiculously rare occurrence that made Golden Boy Steph seem like a mere mortal after all. Camilla sighed as the frustration in her stomach increased tenfold, suggesting that the other half of the Splash Brothers was on the verge of throwing a tantrum. Klay may have appeared like the most calm and down to earth guy on tv, but when it came to his passion he was incredibly competitive and not above showing his frustration. The tv showed Curry chewing on his mouthguard in sheer disappointment, when suddenly Camilla's iPhone screen lit up. A text message from Ayesha. It read, "Girl, this is bad. Really bad." It was accompanied by a crying face emoji. Camilla nodded at the words on the screen. Ayesha was right, this wasn't looking good. The blonde haired Clippers fan proceeded to get louder in his anti-Warriors chants, and Camilla had to talk herself out of going over there and throwing the tequila in his face. Instead, she took a deep breath. "Have faith, we got this," she texted Ayesha back. The Warriors had to go to the finals, there was no other option in Camilla's mind. And she didn't even want to envision the state Klay would be in if they lost.

She grabbed the pistachio bowl that sat at the edge of the bar and pulled it towards her. As she popped a few in her mouth, the first food she'd had in the last six hours, she noticed a handsome man entering the "W" and looking around, clearly searching for someone in particular. She ducked low, but her efforts to go unnoticed failed as he made a beeline for her.

"Cadell!" he called out, trying a bit too hard to sound like he didn't expect to see her. It was a lie, everyone knew this was her place. Not that she was trying to call dibs on it, but she was the one that actually made this place cool back when it was still known as a dump. Before she set foot here, all the medical staff at the hospital turned their noses at the sports dive bar down the street and would instead go to the fancy wine and cheese bar further down the road. She was the first one to come to the "W" and bring her co-workers in for an afterwork drink. And now it was the hot spot for doctors, nurses and anyone else looking to decompress after a stressful shift at work. But upon seeing Steven here, her own frustration increased as she realized that her afterwork sanctuary had now been invaded and compromised. No bar could ever be relaxing with Steven in it. Meanwhile, somewhere inside of the Oracle Arena, Klay had to be held back by his teammates from having the sudden and inexplicable urge to fight someone on the opposing team.

"Steven, didn't expect to see you here," she mumbled as he pulled out the stool next to her and sat far too close for comfort. His leg brushing against hers, his arm taking up her bar space.

"How's little man Tim doing?" he asked. She hated that he called him that.

"Not so good," she replied shortly and continued making progress on her tequila.

"Ah, sorry about that. Is that straight tequila you're drinking?" he asked, not sounding sorry at all.

"Yep."

"Hardcore, Cadell. Hardcore," he laughed, and ordered a long island ice tea. She found that a strange choice, but made no comment. After all, she didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with her new co-worker, but instinctually she knew that Steven was not somebody she could really be friends with. However, for the sake of a healthy work environment, she would give it her best shot.

Steven took a sip of his drink, which to Camilla's amusement Jeremy side eyed while serving, and blabbed on about his old work and how he loved this new job and about his ex girlfriend and on and on. Camilla had reciprocated with nods, where it was appropriate, and simple "ahh's" and "interesting's" where she felt she needed to insert them in order to be polite. But her head and heart was in the game. The Dubs had their backs against the wall, and it seemed to light a fire in them because they were slowly picking up their pace. Camilla popped a few more pistachios in her mouth when all of a sudden the pitch of Steve's voice shot up, meaning he had asked her a question. A question she completely did not hear.

"What's that?" she asked innocently, trying to mask the fact that she hadn't been listening to him for the past fifteen minutes.

"I was saying that you're really into this game, you like basketball?" he asked in a voice that suggested it was strange if she did in fact like basketball.

"I do, Steven. And you don't?"

"Tennis is more my thing, to be honest. But I can get us really good seats if you want, I know a guy," he replied proud of himself, once again putting Camilla at unease. Not only was he crossing professional boundaries now by practically asking her on a date, he was doing it in the most half-assed way imagined.

"You know a guy," she repeated, unimpressed. If only he knew the type of seats she could get them with one text or a phone call. But she decided not to hurt Steven's pride.

"Yeah, a lawyer friend of mine. If you're interested." But Camilla was no longer listening because Klay just nailed a game-tying triple. She smiled, the pangs in her stomach suddenly gone. She knew they were on a wave now, and nobody was going to stop them.

"Boo, hope that asshole breaks a leg!" the blonde man, now well on his way to a blackout state, yelled out aggressively. Camilla poured the reminder of her tequila down her throat, the burning sensation making her shudder for a moment. She pulled out a few bills and handed them to Jeremy saying "no change." Jeremy gave her an appreciative nod.

"I gotta run Steve-o," she said purposely using a name she knew he disliked, "I'll see you at work on Monday."

On her way out she "accidentally" bumped into the blonde man, who was holding a fresh pitcher of beer, causing him to spill it all over the front of his shirt. She smiled as he called her a bitch, and walked out to cheers from fellow Warriors fans. Nobody was going to wish injury upon Klay Thompson in her presence without going unchecked.

Her Lyft driver was waiting for her outside, and ironically had the radio tuned in to the game, so by the time he dropped her off at her loft, she knew the Warriors took the game.

"Evening Jerry," she nodded at the doorman, or the "concierge" as the building management insisted on calling him now. Jerry was in charge of visitor passes, package deliveries as well as hailing cabs for the residents of Camilla's building. Klay had always teased her about being a pediatric surgeon but living in a loft. But her place suited her lifestyle. It was in close proximity to the hospital, which allowed her to get there in less than fifteen minutes in case of an emergency. It was safe and secure, with Jerry on patrol. It was more than enough for her. It's not like she needed a huge house, when it was just her. No family. "Family", the word stung her soul, but she ignored it.

She opened the door and the nearly empty place greeted her. Klay had always made fun of how minimalistic she was, and how un-homey her places tended to be. He didn't realize she did certain things to protect herself. That she needed to keep this place cold and formal for very specific reasons. Her current place was a two story loft, and the base floor was pretty bare. Upon entering and walking through the hallway there was a neat and modern open kitchen to the right. It featured a large black marble island and black leather bar stools. She didn't have a big dining table, after all nobody really had proper dinners here and most of the food she ate consisted of Chinese takeout. Beyond the kitchen, the wooden floors led to a soft beige couch, a glass table and two beige chairs across from it, and further down were doors to a small balcony with an array of low maintenance plants (gifts from her mom who shared in Klay's sentiments about the place feeling un-homey, and who wanted to make the place appear like someone actually lived in it). The stairs across from the kitchen led upstairs into a spacious and bright bedroom featuring a super cozy king sized bed with a luxurious beige headboard and hotel like white bedding, two night stands on either side, and a huge bookcase featuring an endless array of medical textbooks. Next to the bedroom there was a large bathroom with a walk in shower as well as a separate large bath tub. Could she afford a bigger and cooler place? Of course. But this was her spot, this is who she was, and this is all she needed at the moment.

She pulled her hair into a ponytail, grabbed a vanilla bath bomb and started to run a bath. As the water filled up the bathtub, Camilla put on a face mask. It had been a long day and she was ready to relax and wash it all way. She walked over to her bookcase, and grabbed a crime thriller novel. After the tequila shots she had, she knew there was no way she could retain any new medical knowledge so she didn't even bother picking up any of her textbooks to read. No, a good Stephen King book would do it tonight. She immersed herself in the warm vanilla bath and started to read. But slowly her mind began to drift to him.

No matter how hard she tried, almost every night that she was home alone led up to this. She just couldn't put a stop to all the memories. After all, he was unforgettable.

The way he looked in his basketball uniform.

Her hand made its was underwater, and gently touched her freshly waxed womanhood.

The way his arms glistened with sweat.

Her fingers gently parted her labia and began to slowly circle the small button underneath.

The way he licked his lip in frustration.

She moaned as she remembered those same lips kissing all over her body, and that same tongue deep inside of her.

His fingers clutching the ball.

Her body writhed in pleasure remembering those same fingers being knuckle deep inside of her.

His voice as he answered post game questions.

The waves of orgasm washed over her as she remembered that voice groaning while cumming inside her.

The second she came, she regretted giving in to these fantasies once again. After all, she was the one who ended things (once again) and she needed to stick to her word this time. Their relationship had unfortunately been highly complicated for a variety of reasons, and fantasizing about their sex life was not going to make this any easier on her. And really, it was time to move on now. It had been months since they'd seen each other, and Klay was probably already dating a Hollywood starlet or an Instagram model. She had made her choice, and she needed to be firm in her decision. But a part of her couldn't help but give in from time to time and imagine a life and a world where they were able to be together, happy. She shook the thoughts away as she slipped out of the bath and washed off her face mask. She turned off the lights and fell asleep almost the second her body hit the sheets.

When she woke up the next morning, she remembered with fright that it was her birthday. She wasn't scared because she was getting older, no, she was scared because she forgot she had two days off which meant she would need to actually indulge the people in her life who had most likely planned something nice for her, like a surprise birthday party. What bothered her most was that she fully realized her attitude was completely ungrateful and bratty, and that many people could only dream of having such caring friends and family. Yet every year, she found herself aggressively dodging any and all birthday wishes. She glanced at her phone and sure enough there were already endless texts from family, friends and even some old patients who had her personal number. She sighed, guilty for feeling burdened by this outpouring of birthday love, and proceeded to send everyone a very grateful text of acknowledgment and thanks. If it was up to her birthdays would not be a thing. In fact, she decided she would look into what it took to become a Jehovah's Witness so that next year she would not have to endure this.

After she answered as many people as she could, she scrambled up some eggs and ate them with avocado toast. She did not do good on days off, it gave her too much free time to think. She thrived in her work environment where she was constantly busy and didn't have time to ponder things like her complicated relationship with a certain handsome Warriors shooting guard. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. She scrunched up her face trying to remember if she invited anyone over, but couldn't come up with an answer. However, the person behind the door was a delivery man, and he was holding a ridiculously large bouquet of red roses, which anyone who knew Camilla would know were far from her favorite.

"Are you sure these are for me?" she inquired as politely as possible.

"Are you Camilla Cadell?"

She nodded and accepted the bouquet, still confused. Once back inside she looked at the note card and it immediately explained her questions about the unfortunate flower choice: Steven. She wondered how the hell he even got her address and made a mental note to ask the hospital staff if anyone gave it to him on Monday. The flowers were not at fault and she felt bad so she put them in a vase and placed them on the kitchen island. She then quickly changed into her workout clothes, grabbed her mat and walked to a local studio for a morning yoga session. When she got back, her phone had a new array of endless messages and missed phone calls. "Great," she muttered to herself and proceeded to first make coffee. She could tackle the new messages with some caffeine in her system. She brewed her favorite kind of medium roast, added a splash of half and half and a dash of sweetener and began going through her phone. She listened to the voicemail from her brother first:

"Yo sis! Happy birthday, you're getting hella old. Like fine wine though. Listen, don't even try to say no to this. I've got a little get together planned, alright. I know you don't like that stuff but you're my only sister and you can't stop me from celebrating you. So...do whatever you want with your day, but meet me at Dover Lane at 7:00pm for come cocktails with friends, alright? Call me back when you get this."

She sighed. Dominick meant well, but the last thing she wanted to do with her night was cocktails with friends. Having to listen about everyone's lives and then endure personal questions about her own. It was tiring just thinking about it, when all she really wanted to do was lay on the couch and watch a movie, and maybe eat some ice cream. But he was her brother, and she wasn't going to deny him the joy of throwing her a birthday get together, so she texted him back to let him know she'd be there. Dover Lane was a fancy restaurant with a booming bar and sick private rooms. At least she knew she would eat some decent food for her birthday.

A quick glance at her closet revealed that she didn't have much to wear for the night as she had recently went on a closet purge and donated most of her things to a women's shelter. She glanced at the clock, there was still plenty of time to go shopping. Even though Camilla was frugal 90% of the time, she didn't mind splurging on things on occasion. Money was made to be spent, after all. Of course a lot of her money went to helping her family, donating, and causes dear to her heart, but at times she didn't mind to make a dent in her bank account for something a little extra.

And now that she was standing in the middle of Barneys on her birthday, she knew it was time to get a little crazy. First, she needed a nice dress. And shockingly, it didn't take long to find one. She knew it was "the one" right away. A sexy, simple and sophisticated black Bottega Veneta made in Italy. Plunging V-neck and sleeveless. When the saleslady saw her try it on she gulped for air, which is how Camilla knew this was the right choice. Price tag: $2,220. Next were shoes. Camilla spent most of her life in comfortable hospital shoes, but today she decided to spice things up and a brand new pair of nude patent leather Christian Louboutin pumps would do it. All for the lovely price of $695. Even though she made great money as a surgeon, she still had a tiny pang of guilt for spending all this money on herself, but she quickly forgot all about it as she moved to the jewelry section. She splurged on a pair of gold earrings and a diamond necklace, and begged the salesperson to not even tell her the total but just go ahead and charge her. As she was fishing around in her wallet, a credit card fell out onto the floor. Not just any credit card. It was Klay's American Express, more commonly known as the Black Card, one of the most expensive and prestigious credit cards. Camilla was caught off guard, she completely forgot she had it. Klay, who was also frugal with his money, yet highly generous when it came to those he loved, had given her the card one day as she was going shopping and told her to "have fun." When she told him she didn't need him paying for things, he made an annoyed Klay face and told her it made him feel good to splurge on her. So she took the card with her, and apparently never returned it. She was sure he cancelled it by now and had a new one mailed, but she decided to FedEx it over to him right after leaving Barneys, just in case. She picked the same-day service, and then went home to get ready for her dinner.

After she showered, shaved and moisturized, she began tackling her makeup. An hour later, her face was properly caked up and ready to party. She then quickly curled her blonde tresses into loose waves and squeezed into her sexy nighttime outfit. Nobody would point to her and believe she was a surgeon. Tonight, she resembled an Instagram model. She laughed as she looked at herself in the mirror, it wasn't often that she had the chance to wear an outfit like this. But sometimes a girl had to feel sexy, and if not on her birthday then when?

After she grabbed a Dior purse to go with her outfit, she ordered a Lyft and made her way downstairs. She had to hold back a giggle when she saw Jerry do a double take.

"Have a great evening Miss Cadell," he called out.

"You too Jerry," she replied. No matter how many times she asked him to call her Camilla, he still used Miss Cadell, so eventually she just gave up.

The scene at Dover Lane was predictable. Girls squeezed into sexy little numbers, rich gentlemen looking to get lucky for the night, and a slew of waitstaff waiting for their shift to be over. Dominick had gotten them a private room, and as the hostess brought her inside a gaggle of her friends and family screamed "surprise!" and shot confetti straight in her face. Camilla felt tired already, and she hadn't even begun socializing. But she put on a good face, and began making the rounds with her friends. She thanked people, she caught up with girlfriends who talked about their babies and husbands, she caught up with guy friends who all wanted to know why she was still single, she thanked her family for surprising her and caught them up on her work and life (which was her work). Her mother asked her when she would be getting a grandchild, to which Camilla directed her to ask Dominick. This question infuriated her, for reasons she didn't want to share with her family, and certainly not on her birthday.

The private room was a great experience. The food kept on coming, the drinks kept on flowing and the party seemed to be never ending. But sometime around midnight, Dominick's girlfriend began puking her guts out, and slowly but surely people began realizing it was time to call it a night. Camilla said goodbye to everyone, and accompanied Dom and his lady home to ensure that they would be okay. After making sure the girl didn't have alcohol poisoning, and putting Dom to bed, she was free at last. She was finally going to go home, get into some comfy pj's and shamelessly watch a few episodes of Law and Order SVU.

When she walked into her building the downstairs desk was empty, which was unusual. But she chalked it up to Jerry using the restroom. She took the elevator to her floor, and got out to find an unlikely scene at her door. Jerry wan wrangling with a very annoyed looking Klay Thompson. She stood there speechless was a moment until Jerry noticed her.

"Miss Cadell, this gentleman has been insistent on seeing you and will not leave. Do you want me to call the police?" he asked eagerly, as if he couldn't wait to have Klay arrested.

"No, no, it's fine Jerry," she quickly responded trying to diffuse the situation.

"You know me, Jerry!" an exasperated Klay exclaimed.

"I knew you when Miss Cadell was seeing you. I no longer know you, sir, and unless she says otherwise, you no longer have access to her floor." Jerry was a tough one. Because Camilla didn't exactly explain the reasons for her and Klay's breakup, he naturally took her side and assumed that like many of the other NBA players Klay had cheated on her with a groupie, and that's why they split up. Camilla didn't bother to correct him. It felt nice to have someone so squarely on her side.

Klay looked like he was about to start arguing or throwing punches, so Camilla hurried to open her door.

"It's okay, thank you Jerry, we're fine for now," she gently instructed and Jerry begrudgingly made his way toward the elevator with Klay mad dogging him all the way.

"Come on in, before he actually calls the police," she whispered. Klay followed her inside.

"What...are you doing here?" she asked, setting down all her birthday gift bags by the entrance and flipping on the light switch. The light illuminated Klay's handsome but tired face. Poor guy needed some time off she thought.

"This," he said, waving a FedEx envelope in front of her face.

"It's your card," she said, not understanding why he needed to come all this way to discuss an old credit card.

"I know, but you didn't have to send it back to me on your birthday. It still works, you can use it you know? Get yourself a birthday gift or something," he said and she realized he was slightly intoxicated.

"I don't need to use your card, Klay. Thank you," she replied gently. She felt so many emotions rushing through her upon seeing him again. First she remembered how crazy tall he was. Then she remembered how nice his cologne smelled. And lastly she couldn't stop thinking about how handsome his face was in person. It felt so good to see him again, but she knew him being here was bad news.

"It's your birthday," he stated. "I...I couldn't not say happy birthday. I couldn't not see you, CC," he said using his old nickname for her. It made her heart flutter. He inched closer to her face and she felt her breath stop. Suddenly, his eyes darted to something on the side of her.

"What the hell are those?" he asked, looking at the bouquet of red roses and marching towards the kitchen island to inspect them. Before she had a chance to make something up he exclaimed, "Steve! Who the hell is Steven?"

"Just a co-worker," she hastily replied.

"A co-worker? Sending you red roses? You don't even like roses, or did that change too?" he asked with a passive aggressive tone.

"No, I don't care for them."

"Steven, wow. You said you weren't leaving me for another guy. You said you weren't even looking for another relationship," he stated and squinted his eyes in that way that let Camilla know he was not happy. "Do you wish Steven was here instead of me?" and for a second he sounded like an unsure teenage boy.

"Of course not. I'm...I'm really happy to see you. And trust me, Steven is nobody to me," she replied, trying to reassure him. He didn't look reassured, but he didn't comment on it any further.

"You look...amazing by the way," he said and suddenly she felt self conscious in her tight outfit. "I brought you a gift. Sort of. I know you don't want it, but I don't want it either and I don't want to take it back. So take it, sell it, give it to a friend, donate it, do whatever you want with it. I just can't hold onto it," he said pulling out a little ring box. She felt her face flush at the sight of it and remembered the night he had first shown it to her, got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. That night still replayed in her mind often, and saying "no" to his proposal was the hardest choice she'd ever had to make. And now the ring was back, staring her in the face.

"Klay..." she started.

"Just take it," he said and the tone of his voice left no room for argument. She accepted it, knowing very well that inside was the most gorgeous cushion cut engagement ring she'd ever laid eyes on. It was heartbreaking to think about, because she wanted nothing more than to say yes and be happy with him forever. But it couldn't be so simple, of course not, nothing in her life ever was.

"I hated not spending your birthday with you, and not knowing where you were, and what you were doing, and who you were with," he confessed.

"Klay, you have a game coming up, you have to focus," she said, trying to change the subject because the sight of him was becoming altogether far too distracting.

"I can focus on the game but I need to get you off my mind first," he replied as he closed the space between them. She was too breathless to even try to stop what she knew was about to happen. "I need you," he whispered looking deep into her eyes, and then he pressed his lips to hers.

Their lips met like two forces of nature: strong and wild. She didn't even realize how much she had missed him and his smart mouth. But now she remembered, as his tongue exploring her mouth was the most welcome sensation. His hands traveled further down her back to cup her behind.

"Mmm," he moaned into her mouth and she felt herself getting wet for him. This was bad, this was really bad, but at the speed it was going she had no way to stop it. If she pulled the emergency brake now, they would crash and burn. She had to ride this one out.

Their kiss got more and more hungry and desperate, and his hands began traveling all over her body now, in erratic urgency. She felt an electric shock pulse through her when his finger brushed past her nipple. Klay was the only man who could do this to her, make her completely lose control of herself.

"Oh God baby," she mumbled as the sensations continued to build, and the look in his eyes had her weak. She was completely at his disposal, and would do anything for him in this moment. He picked her up so that her legs were wrapped around his waist, and carried her upstairs into the bedroom. Once he laid her on the bed, with once swift movement he removed his shirt. She loved the way he was built, not skinny but not outrageously muscular either. Just the perfect medium.

"Time to get you out of this sexy little number," he mused, looking down at her little black dress. But first he grabbed her expensive heels and pulled them off her feet, one by one. He then reached around her back and pulled down the zipper of her dress, meanwhile she inhaled his delicious scent. It was a Dior cologne she had bought him a while back, mixed with his own natural scent: a heavenly combination. He pulled off the dress, leaving her in a sexy matching set of black lace underwear.

"This is a sight I could look at forever," he said, then slowly positioned himself on top of her as they began another vigorous kissing session. His tall frame and all two hundred and fifteen pounds of him felt deliciously burdensome on top of her, and she felt herself getting more and more excited with each of his grinds. She also felt his hard manhood press into her underwear. She missed that part of him more than she wanted to admit. Just when she thought she was about to explode from all the overwhelming sensations, she felt his hand make its way inside her panties. She let out a loud moan as his fingers brushed against her sensitive clit, then slowly moved down to her very wet opening. He slid in two fingers with absolute ease, and she was almost embarrassed at how ready she was for him.

"Fuck, you're so wet," he groaned into her ear.

"I need you inside me baby," she begged, the sensation of his fingers driving her crazy. She needed to feel him, all of him, in her. He quickly slipped out of his underwear and pulled off her panties, then pushed his deliciously large yet proportionate cock deep inside of her in one smooth movement. They both groaned in complete ecstasy at the feeling of their bodies reuniting once again in this most intimate way.

He began slowly thrusting in and out of her, and as they looked into each others eyes she knew that she wasn't going to last very long, and by the look in his eyes he wasn't going to either. It had been too long, and the build up to this was too great. As his cock pressed into her once again she felt herself getting incredibly close to her climax.

"Cum for me baby," he begged her and she could feel by his cock growing slightly larger inside of her that he was on the verge of letting go. The thought of his hot cum inside her pushed her over the edge, and she began orgasming in strong pulsating waves, gripping his hard cock and pulling it even further into her. Her orgasm was his last straw, and as he let out a loud groan she felt his cum inside her. He remained on top of her and insider her, letting their breathing slow down. She rubbed his back gently.

"God I missed this," he confessed, slowly rolling off of her and onto his side. She smiled. She missed this and him more than she could ever articulate into words. But with a sad realization, she knew this would have to come to an end eventually. Yet she decided to give them one more night to relive the old times.

"Did you watch the game today?" he asked, switching subjects.

"You know I did." He smiled.

"I always do better when I know you're watching," he confessed.

"Really?" she asked, taken aback and flattered.

"Yeah, I guess I probably secretly try to impress you," he said and she admired his sudden vulnerability, since it was rare for him to open up about his feelings like this.

"I'm always impressed by you. I have been since high school. You know that," she stated plainly. It was true, she always found Klay's athletic ability and drive to succeed impressive. But what she found most impressive was his big heart, the way he loved his family, the way he cared about his teammates. He was a good man, an honorable man, despite the fact that the media would sometimes try to paint him otherwise.

"Yeah, I know mami," he replied and rolled onto his back, deep in thought. Now it was her turn to move onto her side as she nuzzled close to him. What was the harm in cuddling for one night? It was her birthday, after all. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead, but she could tell from the expression on his face he was thinking about something. She wouldn't ask, didn't want to start up the subject again and cause an argument. She just wanted to enjoy this last rendezvous for what it was. And it was right when she was on the verge of that precipice, the state between awake and asleep, when she heard him whisper "I love you" into her hair, and she realized that they had just made things a lot more difficult for themselves.

2 notes · View notes

animatedpileofbones · 5 years

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DA q's!! 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 14, 17, 25, 33, 34, 37, 40, 42, 47, 51, 52, 60, 63, 66, 77, 78, 79, 98, and 99~! (◠‿◠✿)

eli i love you man here we go, this is long sorry but i have a Lot To Say! i literally wrote like 1500 words for these so it’s under a readmore.

1 how did you get into dragon age

i was on tumblr when inquisition came out and a lot of my friends and mutuals at the time suddenly became dragon age blogs for a while (some still are, howdy!) yEARS later i found origins on discount at gamestop and decided to check it out and whoops now i’m a fucking mess forever :)

4 about my warden(s)

My first, and most recently rehashed* warden was Gwinek, she was a casteless dwarf rogue, dual wielder. I didn’t know there were specific temperaments in this game like in 2 but I play her as gruff but fiercely loyal. She would do almost anything for her friends and sister, but is very naive in matters of magic. She romanced Leliana.

*rehashed because I came to the series completely blind, and as such made some not so great choices the first time around.

I also have an elven mage, named Lemmen, she was also a big helpy helperton but slow to trust. She romanced Alistair and I don’t like to think about that sacrifice. :’)

5 about my hawke(s)

My first Hawke was Marcel, a dual wielding rogue and I played him purple. He is big into his friends, obviously, but mostly just wants to be liked despite the fact that he is accidentally an asshole sometimes. He romanced Fenris. All my Hawkes romance Fenris. I love Fenris just so much and I keep telling myself one of these times I’m going to romance Isabela but then Fenris walks in all drama and vengeance and I’m just too gay to handle it. My latest Hawke was Lucien, a… purple dual-wielding rogue. He erred on the side of blue, though, whereas Marcel was vaguely red, so. Not Entirely the same but view my problem, especially going into...

6 about my inquisitor(s)

My first inquisitor was Vodahl Cadash, a… dwarven dual-wielding rogue. :) He was pretty anti-chantry but was also more invested in taking care of his crew than making enemies, preferring to let Josephine handle PR and just say what she told him to say while he supported his team as he saw fit. He lived for life on the road, mostly, an adventurer type, but whatever his inner circle needed, they got. He romanced The Iron Bull, because I’m a thirsty thirsty bitch. I rehashed the dwarven rogue in Heraht, this time romancing Dorian; Heraht was much more enamored with surface life, not necessarily Ferelden-style though. He was well manicured and a bit on the sarcastic side of charming. Right now i’m playing a human sword-and-shield warrior, Errol Travellyan, and he is accidentally just Dorian But From The Free Marches in personality. He can be easily frustrated, I play him fairly no nonsense at times but he’s trying to maintain his Approachable Facade. He’s…. also romancing Dorian OH NO

7 favorite origins backstory

Oooh this is tough because I love Leliana so much, and Alistair just makes me cry all the time I Love That Man, ooh this is tough but I think I have to say Morrigan. She is a story gift that keeps on giving, and I think this is because of what we learned in Inquisition. Without that info, I think… OH NO WAIT IT’S SHALE, HANDS DOWN IT’S SHALE

11 best hawke quote

it’s not specifically a quote but when you bring the viscount’s son back in act 1 and you can either keep your mouth shut about their disagreement or Well Actually yourself into that conversation, that’s my favorite.

14 favorite origins party combo

Before you get Shale, it’s Alistair, Leliana, and the dog. After Shale, it’s Shale, Leliana, and either Zevran or Alistair.

17 mabari name

In Origins, I named the mabari after a person from the backstory. For Gwinek it was Leske to keep her friend with her even now. For Lemmen it was Jowan, because at least the mabari would never let her down. In DA2, it was a family pet, so for Marcel it was named Champion, and for Lucien it was Handsome Cal, and you can envision all sorts of titles in there but I didn’t have enough characters. Lord Handsome Cal Esquire III (he was the first)

25 favorite inquisition place

It’s the Hissing Wastes for sure. It’s always dusk, it’s so vast and beautiful. I love just hanging out there.

33 favorite dragon age character overall

Hey Eli? I hate this question! I am doing my current playthrough solely for the benefit of Leliana this is true. But I have a horrible weakness for two (2) men, Fenris and The Iron Bull, I can’t choose between them, and also Varric, and, asdlfjasdf how could you do this to me? I also identify very heavily with Dorian, and, I’m going to just cry instead of answer this, how about that?

34 least favorite character

Oh it’s Anders no doubt, no question, I hate him. I hate him so much. Like don’t get me wrong, I am in full support of mages taking back their space in Thedas, I just. Have known guys like Anders and the way he hits on f!Hawke like immediately after his intro quest, y’know where we had to kill his boyfriend? felt so bad and just turned my mild irritation into full-on hate.

37 blood magic yes/no

Nope.

40 moment/action i regret in game

Just like everything with the ending of Origins. I don’t prefer to do the ritual with Morrigan because I tend to play women which means I need to coerce Alistair into doing it and I did that for exactly two savestates (one being my Cousland because I wanted to see how that went and then the first time around with Gwinek) thinking “this is the best long term post-game choice! Neither of us have to die! And I’m not even making him be king!” despite it sitting bitterly in the back of my mind the rest of the series. then comes Inquisition and the full consequences of my actions hit me like a brick in the face and I eventually scrapped that playthrough and went back and didn’t be a shithead shitbag, replaying Gwinek entirely so that choice wouldn’t have even begun to make sense to her. I regret that so much.

42 who do i wish i could romance

VARRIC “PARAGON OF MANLINESS” TETHRAS

47 best antagonist

Arl Rendon Howe from Origins, cos he was voiced by Tim Curry and that was just so sexy of a choice. In all seriousness though, Meredith from da2.

51 favorite warden/hawke/inq headcanon any/all

Lucien Hawke routinely had sleepovers at his estate in Hightown. He tried to a couple times while living with Gamlen, but everyone was too sad to indulge him.

Heraht nearly breaks up with Dorian on a near weekly basis whenever Dorian accidentally lumps him in with the Fereldens re: hygiene. Also, not a headcanon but just the way I played but the two of them absolutely had coordinating outfits at all times.

Gwinek shared tents with Wynne most nights, finding in Wynne the mother she wished she and Rica would have had.

Also with Gwinek, she may have helped her sister’s paramour become king but she doesn’t trust him half as far as she can throw him and comes down to Orzammar on the regs to make sure he’s treating Rica right, and he knows damn well that Gwinek put him into that throne and she Will take him back out of it, and he can’t do shit without risking absolute chaos.

This is also a good time to mention my ot3s: Hawke/Fenris/Isabela, Heraht/Dorian/Bull

52 favorite npc headcanons

Fenris took to reading rather easier than Hawke would have guessed, only Hawke didn’t know just how well Fenris had taken to it until years into their relationship because Fenris thought the “lessons” were cute.

The Iron Bull introduced hot cocoa to Skyhold and literally changed so many lives in that moment; quartermaster Morris pulled so many strings to get marshmallows in, and when they arrived the first time the celebration was almost a riot.

60 who do i wish had been given more story

Weird to say for the woman who had her own Origins DLC and also was pivotal in Inquisition, but Morrigan. She’s just really interesting to me. Also, Warden Stroud. I think he was just there to be the Easy Low Stakes Choice to leave in the Fade honestly but I hated not having a reason to care about him. I didn't play any da2 dlc tho.

63 best story moment

This is tough? I enjoyed the landsmeet in origins. I think most of da2 was great story. Except Orsino obviously. I think I’m just going to point to all of da2. Yeah.

66 something i hate about any of the games

it can’t seem to decide how it feels about the qunari. also that there are characters that absolutely are not straight that the writers decided Actually, Despite Everything, They Are Straight Actually :’)

77 what moment/memory still gives me chills/feels

Definitely definitely Dorian’s confrontation with his dad. That was so well acted, I felt that pain and betrayal so viscerally. It hurts every time. As for a different brand of chills, y’know when if you seduce The Iron Bull and stuff finally starts happening there, and he lifts the inquisitory by the wrists in One Hand and remember I was playing a dwarf, oo golly that shit is All I Need In Life

78 what am i hoping for in da4

More magic and Old Gods and stuff! More Morrigan? Familiar faces!

79 what am i worried about for da4

Familiar faces! :’) Also just so heavyhanded “morally gray” issues that is actually just bad edgy writing. Worried we will be racelocked like in 2 :(

98 if i could be any non human da species which/why

Dwarf, because halflings don’t exist in thedas and dwarves are fairly industrious as a culture

99 where would i live

Despite what I just said, I would probably live somewhere in the Free Marches! Kirkwall ended up pretty fucked and I am absolutely biased because da2 was my favorite.

#dragon age #101 dragon age questions #ask memes #not taz #space jaam #spacejaam #space-jaam

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leviticus101st · 3 years

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Me disliking these films is probably my most unpopular opinion ever.

Let me say this to cover myself. I don’t think the Raimi Spider-Man films are the worst films ever made. I don’t even think they’re terrible, but I do think they are bad. Bad on a lower end of the scale.

I think they are on the level of the Star Wars Prequel trilogy, where the flaws might be what you like them for.

Let’s start this review with the death nail of these movies. The stylization. Like with Into The Spider-Verse, this movie uses comic book style. The difference is that this one does it insanely poorly.

Most of the film transitions are weird. They don’t match the tone that these movies are going for and they consistently made me feel like I was watching the Adam West Batman show.

Even if they didn’t, there are two other major problems for the tone. I’m not gonna beat around the bush. The acting is absolutely terrible. Like, I was not ready for how bad the acting is.

I don’t remember it being as stiff and awkward as it is. You’d expect from all the memes that the acting was constantly over the top and memorable, like Tim Curry or Jim Carrey. But when you get down to it, while there are moments like this, it actually isn’t memorable at all.

All that most of the actors do for the most part is talk in a quiet voice and an awkward tone. The only one who actually feels they were trying is JK Simmons as J.J.J. One actor who played a supporting character put more effort into their performance than the entirety of the main cast.

That astounds me.

The worst of it all is probably from Tobey Mcguire as Peter himself. He does NOT emote well. He’s actually a microcosm of the acting problems.

He just never gives the appropriate reactions to things or the movie’s work will ruin it for him.

The scene where he finds Uncle Ben’s body is the biggest example of this. We shouldn’t see his crying face all scrunched up like that. We should be further away to feel the emotions we should be feeling.

But to be fair, even if they had the best acting in the world, this movie still would not have worked. Why? Because the script is absolute garbage.

You may have noticed that this is a review of all three movies in one chapter and not doing three chapters to review each one. That’s because they all have the same basic plot and the exact same issues.

The scripting demands that Peter and MJ treat each other like shit. That both of them be absolutely terrible for each other. It demands that right after a serious sequence of Peter getting the symbiote, that there should be a stupid dance scene. It demands that Peter do...whatever the fuck this is.

A wall starts to fall onto MJ. Peter, instead of just grabbing her with his webbing, screams like a banshee.

The scripting lastly demanded that the fight scenes have no excitement whatsoever and just throw in random bullshit.

Let’s see what all of the good stuff Peter and MJ did for each other. They kept secrets that would need to be open in a relationship from each other, MJ straight up cheated on Peter with JJJ’s son because Peter missed her play, and didn't tell him that Harry was losing it.

MJ in these movies is AWFUL! The movies try to paint her as the ‘UWU’ Girl, but her actions are so awful and mean spirited that it makes her look like a miserable piece of shit.

It’s a shame too because her actress was trying her best, but no one could make anyone who says this (MJ: It’s not about you. It’s about me.) look good.

Could you make this kind of relationship work? Yes, but that requires effort and it’s clear that the people behind these movies didn’t want to do that.

The two towers bit is a good example of that. When a Dreamworks kids movie has more balls than you, there’s a problem. Instead of sticking to their guns and making a good reveal, nah let’s just cut out the reveal of Spidey’s costume and put American flags everywhere.

The way that MJ and Peter’s relationship in these movies was handled was so terrible, that I’m willing to bet it played a part in the creation of One More Day. Oh yeah, I’m talking about THAT one eventually! Just you wait.

But Peter doesn’t come out of this movie unscaved, because he is also a miserable piece of shit in these movies. Let me put it like this, he does not develop in ANY positive way throughout these movies. Not once did he change for the better.

He constantly puts his Spider-Man stuff ahead of his loved ones and isn’t given any positive traits. The more I learned about this version of Peter, the more I wanted the villains to win. Like when he's being a creep and looking through his crush’s window. There is nothing to like about him.

Let’s get to the villains. Green Goblin’s stuff was not a good adaptation. The scenes with Norman talking to the goblin persona could have worked, but stupid lines ruined any chance of tension.

Green Goblin: His heart Osborn! We need to attack his heart!

If the movie was trying to portray GG as so far away and cartoony from Norman, it would work, but Norman also acts like a cartoon character (Before and after he injects himself with the serum.), so the contrast is dead on arrival.

Doc Ock is one of those characters who they try to make sympathetic, but fail miserably. The point of sympathy is that his wife died, but that rings hollow when his wife’s death was all his fault.

Also, him turning into Doc Ock is a good instance of the movie’s style ruining thing. The scene where he’s killing the doctors could have been good, but Raimi felt the need to put in so much cartoon shit that it’s just laughable. The nurse scratching the floor is the biggest example of that in the scene.

There’s also him really trying to hit that C note every time he screams. I think he screams to the sky like twice in 2.

Then there’s 3, where the villains are given absolutely nothing. Sandman is there, Harry is also the Green Goblin there, and Venom is there as well.

Could you have made that work? Probably, but, as we established, the people behind the movies didn’t want to put forth any effort to make it work. Raimi himself admitted that Venom was only put into the movie because he was popular.

When people say that these movies are profound labors of love, I’m always baffled. If you genuinely love something, you put in the time to make it good.

You don’t throw in random crap and hope the audience loves it. You make something that you know people will appreciate.

This movie is also very confused about how SM is seen in this world. The scene where those guys start throwing shit at GG and the train scene after SM stopped it are baffling to me.

There was never a point where anyone thought Spider-Man should get their support. You need to build that up. Show Pete saving people, making people admire him, and so on. If you don’t, it looks forced, because it is forced.

The scene in 2 is even more baffling. I’m sorry, but Peter’s identity should have gotten out. There is no believable way that scene would play out like it did and it stretched my disbelief into oblivion.

It says something when a video game adaptation is better than the actual film. No really, the game is better than the movie in every way.

I suppose the last things to talk about are more philosophical in how SM should be handled.

I hate the Raimi costume. Muted colors do not look good for a Peter Parker Spider-Man. The darker red and blue is just ugly and the thick black lines that represent webbing don’t help.

It just looks gaudy and ugly.

The Amazing movies costume also had this problem. It says something when the MCU version got this right.

Then there’s the last thing. I hate how it’s the thing for Uncle Ben to drill the ‘Great Power and Great Responsibility’ into Peter. In the original comic, it was a revelation that Peter came to after Ben’s death. It worked there because it was a result of guilt and a conclusion Peter came to.

By making it Uncle Ben’s catchphrase, you remove the character significance on Peter’s part. It got so bad in these movies that Amazing and MCU went out of their way to not use it.

Granted in the Amazing movies they worded it in a weird way, but still.

And that’s what I think of the Raimi trilogy. This is probably the one that most people are gonna get pissed at me for. It’s a classic for many people, I understand that, but somethings just don’t resonate for some people.

I know what the first thing people are gonna say. ‘You just like the other movies, so you’re putting these films down.’

No that is not what I am doing. I talked about these movies because I have problems with them.

The other films have problems too. The Amazing Films do too much to be generic movie fare, the MCU films push the shared universe angle a bit too hard with Tony Stark, and Into the Spider-Verse has pacing that some might think is too fast with Gwen’s friendship arc being a good example of that.

Everything has problems and attacking people because they talk about them is something that only insecure people do. While I do hate these movies, they did have a big impact on the film world. I personally do think Blade and the TDK trilogy deserve more credit for selling audiences on goofy things, but this film is what sold the general on goofy premises in films. I will grant these movies that.

I refuse to give people crap for liking these movies. All I ask in return is that you don’t give me crap for disliking them. Bring a valid argument sure, but don’t be an asshole about it is all I’m asking.

#Spider-Man #Don't @ me #ltj056 #Review #Going against the Grain #Fanfiction #Plug

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junker-town · 5 years

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Everything wonderful about Tim Duncan becoming a Spurs assistant, ranked

Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images

We have that and more in Tuesday’s NBA newsletter.

On Monday, the San Antonio Spurs announced two new assistant coaches would be joining Gregg Popovich’s staff to fill vacancies left by Ime Udoka and Ettore Messina. Those two new assistant coaches: Will Hardy, who has climbed the ranks within the organization, and Tim Duncan, yes that Tim Duncan.

How wholesome and beautiful is Tim Duncan joining Pop’s bench in San Antonio? Let us count the ways, starting from the bottom.

11. The spectre of Tim Duncan, future NBA head coach

Is Duncan doing this only to be around Popovich and the Spurs more, or does he have aspirations to become an NBA head coach (maybe of the Spurs when Pop retires in three years or so)? Are we prepared for Duncan arguing calls from the bench, for Duncan giving the in-game interviews? I don’t think we’re prepared for that.

10. The Spurs staff could win the BIG 3 title

I don’t know anything about Will Hardy’s game. But Tim Duncan and Becky Hammon are two-thirds of a killer 3-on-3 squad. What a pick-and-roll duo.

9. Picture Tim Duncan keeping Spurs players from running onto the court during an altercation

One of the most important jobs assistant coaches have during games is keeping players from running onto the court during altercations. (Tim Duncan knows this intimately well, he may owe one of his five rings to the Suns failing to keep their players on the bench when Bob Horry hip checked Steve Nash!) I’m trying to imagine Duncan jumping up to hold back, like, Lonnie Walker. Glorious.

8. DeMar DeRozan bank shots!

”Alright guys, today’s drill is 15-foot bank shots.” “Again???”

7. The Spurs still have guys who played with Duncan

These players who played with Tim are going to bust him so bad. And vice versa. To be a bat on the wall.

6. More Tim Duncan!

There has been a painful lack of Tim Duncan in our lives since his retirement a few years ago. No longer! Now we know we can just put on the Spurs on League Pass and get a dose of Big Fun.

5. Tim Duncan has to wear a suit, like, every day

Bwahahaha no more jorts with long-sleeve tropical print button-downs, my man. (In reality, Duncan became a much more snappy dresser in his later years in the league. I miss island casual Tim, to be honest.)

4. Best assistant coach ever

We ran through the ranks and determined that there has never been a better NBA player than Tim Duncan serve as an assistant coach. Guys like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson went straight into head coaching jobs when they took the bench. Bill Russell was a player-coach. No. 2 on this list might be, like, Patrick Ewing? Think about it: in a league where any number of players have gone straight into head coaching jobs fresh out of the league, one of the five best players ever is taking an assistant coach job. It’s wild.

3. How the Spurs describe Duncan’s path in the press release

The top three most wonderful things about Duncan becoming an assistant coach are all from the Spurs’ master-class press release announcing it. (That’s right: this wasn’t leaked, the Spurs and Duncan got to announce it on their own terms. Spurs gonna Spur.)

First, here’s how Duncan is described in the release: “Duncan, a 1997 Wake Forest graduate, played 19 seasons with the Spurs before retiring in the summer of 2016.”

That’s it! Nothing about the five rings, the two NBA MVPs, the three Finals MVPs, the 15 All-Star nods, the 13-year streak on the All-NBA and All-Defense teams. In a league where every achievement is screamed from the rooftops, this is just hilarious.

2. The Spurs’ press release leads with Hardy

Tim didn’t even get his own press release: the Spurs’ press release -- the headline, the release itself, the tweet promoting it -- all lead with Will Hardy. What a come-up for Will Hardy! Bonus wonderful thing: the URL path for the press release on the Spurs’ website is “spurs-announce-assistant-coach-updates.”

1. Pop’s quote about Duncan in the press release

And finally, here’s Popovich’s quote about Duncan in the press release: “It is only fitting, that after I served loyally for 19 years as Tim Duncan’s assistant, that he returns the favor.” Pure, unadulterated Pop. I love it.

Three cheers to the Spurs for a shower of sunlight in dark times.

Programming Notes

While the NBA has turned into a 12-month sport, we do have about a month here where less is happening and it’s hard to put together a robust newsletter five times a week. So for the next month or so, Good Morning It’s Basketball will be a twice-a-week affair. And, in fact, next week it will take a full break. Expect an issue Thursday and then again on August 6.

If something big happens, you can certainly expect a special edition or two. Thanks for subscribing.

Links

More stars, including Bradley Beal and Tobias Harris, have dropped out of USA Basketball’s quest to defend the FIBA World Cup in China next month. I wrote about why USA Basketball is struggling to get top-level guys to play. Here’s Dan Devine on Damian Lillard needing to save the day.

The Wizards have a front office now. A very interesting one! Kudos for trying something different after being a very static, old-fashioned franchise for so long.

Meanwhile, Wizards governor Ted Leonsis is arguing this could be a quick rebuild (possible, sure) and heralding the importance of depth over star power. Leonsis bemoans his previous belief in the power of getting three stars, as if that strategy were the problem and not the fact that he thought in 2011 that his three stars were John Wall, Andray Blatche, and Jordan Crawford. I’m not making that up. He wrote that.

The talented Kennedi Landry asks a crucial question: what type of basketball does the BIG3 want to be?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Grainy Footage of Ben Simmons Shooting Jumpers Season! Can some clips of Markelle Fultz in central Florida be too far behind???

CANDACE PARKER ANALYST ROLE BIDDING WAR.

How Russell Westbrook in Houston can work.

Kevin O’Connor on the supremacy of LeBron and Anthony Davis in the new era of dynamic duos.

Chris Herring is worried about the Warriors’ defense next season.

Surprising no one, the Wizards will offer Bradley Beal a 3-year, $112 million extension when they officially can on Friday. It’d be a surprise if Beal took it.

How close is the NBA to fully sanctioning the use of cannabis?

All the big NBA stars have people pulling media and entertainment strings behind them. Meet Stephen Curry’s guy.

Are the Thunder too good?

On Zhaire Smith’s development. I’m going to write about this when we get a little closer to training camp, but Zhaire Smith and Thybulle Matisse are the players that can turn the Sixers into a superteam.

The Lakers claimed Kostas Antetokounmpo off of waivers. People are noting this could be about chasing Giannis in 2021. That’s true. Also, Kostas might be the ninth best player on the Lakers roster even though he spent last season in the G League.

Not basketball but wow do I want the next NBA champion to adopt this high-speed parade format from the Tour de France and please throw sausages too.

Be excellent to each other.

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cjbball · 7 years

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The One That Counts

by Cesar Jesus

We take a look at recent and current legends and make our claim to what we consider to be their signature title.

It’s the heart of transaction season right now as free agency is underway, summer league is grooving, and recently drafted players are getting settled in their new digs. But let’s take a step back from the madness of today to appreciate what some legends have carved out in the last few decades.

Today we decide which particular championship matters the most to a player’s legacy. The key here is distinguishing between the series they put up the best numbers in versus the series that defines them as a player. However, you’ll see those paths sometimes intersect. I’ve compiled a list of 5 stars who have claimed at least three rings since the turn of the century. Let the debate (with myself) begin…

Shaquille O’Neal

Rings – 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006

Shaq was an absolute monster during the Lakers ’00 – ’02 three peat run, garnering Finals MVP in each series and dominating anyone the opposition could throw at him. The Lakers only lost a total of three games in those Finals series due to rather weak Eastern conference foes and a prime of his career Shaq.

Upon being traded to Miami in 2004, he and Dwyane Wade pushed the Heat to the conference Finals in 2005, and finally broke through in 2006 with a win over the Mavs to get him to 4 rings.

However, this one is pretty easy. There was nothing like Shaq in 2000. He had one of the most dominant seasons and postseasons I can ever remember. I’d argue that Duncan and Kobe had better careers than Shaq, but neither ever touched the season-long of debilitating shit Shaq served up in the 99-00 season. Nobody could guard him, and he was at his absolute physical peak. He was solid, super quick on his feet, and opened big spacing for a slew of shooters.

This was his 8th season in the league and 4th playoff run with the Lakers, so there was a lot of chatter going around that Shaq was never going to see the promised land. In the end, I think he should have won at least 5 or 6, but more on that later…

Tim Duncan

Rings – 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014

Oh Timmy! The stable force behind San Antonio playoff runs for nearly two decades first took the Spurs all the way behind a twin tower combination alongside David Robinson in 1999. Once Shaq got lazy and stopped training, they nabbed three more in the 2000’s as the core of Timmy, GINOBILI!, and Tony Parker led the way.

Then there was a lull. From 2007 to 2013 the Spurs were continually counted out every season. This is the season they’ll fall off, they’d say. The Spurs would respond by having a great regular season, but not being able to finish the job when the postseason came around. It was widely accepted that Duncan, Parker, Manu and Pop were all going to be Hall of Famers, and amongst players there was league wide respect for what they had done. It was a great run already.

But the Spurs, and especially Tim Fucking Duncan, were not done. After coming a few missed free throws and a Ray Allen dagger short of winning the title in 2013, they returned again to the Finals in 2014 for a rematch with the Heat.

I remember watching the press conferences before Game 1, and I saw something special in Timmy’s eyes. He’s a quiet laid back dude, but make no mistake, he has the killer gene. 4 titles is great, but when you can add another, 7 years after the previous one, spanning your range of titles to 15 years (99 to ’14), you put a hell of an exclamation point on your resume. I liken the Pats and Brady’s recent Superbowl to what Timmy and the Spurs did in 2014.

Kobe Bryant

Rings – 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010

For Kobe, it all comes down to being petty. You don’t have to be a rocket scientologist to guess this one.

Kobe was the clear second banana for three straight Laker titles in his earlier days in the league. Cool.

Then after years of being a chucker for first round fodder, he took a fairly forgettable Lakers team to an even more forgettable Finals series in 2009 where they topped Dwight Howard’s Orlando Magic. It was good for Kobe’s 4th title. That’s the same as his former teammate had now. Cool.

In 2010, it all came together for the Mamba. He was back in the Finals against the same Celtics team that had shot down his 2008 Finals run, and there was a chance at ring number 5 on the line. That’s one more than that guy he used to play with. I wonder if that thought popped in his head at any point during that postseason run. Nah, probably not.

Well, the Lakers won in 7 games, Kobe got his second consecutive Finals MVP, and he unleashed the most petty phrase in NBA Finals history.

Dywane Wade

Rings – 2006, 2012, 2013

Just imagine if you asked this question to D-Wade, what do you think he’d say?

Sure, Wade teamed up with his superbros LeBron James and Chris Bosh on their way to 4 straight Finals appearances and two rings, but the son of South Beach will always be defined by 2006.

There was certainly some funny stuff going on with some calls he was getting in that series, but it was clear that Wade was the best player in his first NBA Finals appearance against the Mavs. Wade was a lane slashing machine and could get into the paint at will. Throw a wall of defenders at him, and he’d pivot and wet a 15 footer from the elbow or find an open teammate.

Miami went on to won in 6 games, and Wade set himself apart from his 2003 draft class compadres by striking first blood on a ring. Now sitting on three rings and a Finals MVP, there is nothing left for this guy to prove.

LeBron James

Rings – 2012, 2013, 2016

LeBron first tasted a championship while with the Heat in 2012 with a 4-1 win over the OKC Thunder, but it felt more like a sigh of relief than a victory. The monkey was finally off his back, and the haters could no longer talk, but that was about it.

2013 continued to build on his legacy, but hoops purists left the table still wanting more. For a lot of folks, it felt more like the Spurs shit the bed and the Heat had fallen bass ackwards into good fortune. Here he was two titles in, but there was still more to be desired from this guy. I guess it’s part of the gig that comes with being labeled the Chosen One.

He almost singlehandedly had the Cavs in position to beat the Warriors in the 2015 Finals, but there is only so much one man can do.

In 2016, LBJ finally got HIS title. There was no shitting of the Tempurpedic and hand delivered jewelry this time around. No injuries to major players on either team to play the “what if” game (BTW, Steph Curry scored 17 in overtime against Portland AFTER he tweaked his ankle, so I’m not buying that he was hobbled). With the help of a clutch Kyrie bucket, Lebron and the Cavs had ended a 52 year title drought in the city of Cleveland.

The King had come home and delivered on his promise. He finally had the title that without question elevated him to all-time great status and into legitimate GOAT conversations. Sure, there’s a chance he’ll add one or a few more onto his count when it’s all said and done, but this is by far THAT title.

Now if only team Banana Boat all signed for the vet minimum with the Lakers next summer…

Legends Bonus

Michael Jordan – 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998

Magic Johnson – 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988

Larry Bird – 1981, 1984, 1986

#tim duncan #kobe bryant #lebron james #shaquille oneal #dwyane wade #miami heat #san antonio spurs #lakers #los ángeles lakers #cleveland cavaliers #michael jordan #larry bird #magic johnson #boston celtics #stephen curry #team banana boat

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viraljournalist · 5 years

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Boston Celtics get clarity on how far they need to go

New Post has been published on https://viraljournalist.com/boston-celtics-get-clarity-on-how-far-they-need-to-go/

Boston Celtics get clarity on how far they need to go

7:44 AM ET

Tim BontempsESPN

BOSTON — Before his Boston Celtics took on the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, Brad Stevens was asked about the task of taking on the two-time defending champions.

“They have a lot of highly skilled, highly intelligent basketball players that, if you take your foot off the gas for one second, you’re dead,” Stevens said. “They make you play possession to possession, they make you have that kind of focus, and that’s really good to see where you’re at at a given time.

“So that’s what I’m looking forward to tonight: seeing where we are at.”

After a rocky first half of the season, the Warriors have rolled off 10 straight wins and are of the belief that they can still get better as they continue to weave center DeMarcus Cousins into the fold.

The former All-Star has shown glimpses of what he can be, but he’s not all the way back yet. For Boston to achieve its goals, that will have to change.

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A few hours later, after the Warriors emerged from the cauldron of energy that was TD Garden — aided by extra imbibing thanks to an 8:30 p.m. ET tip, plus the presence of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and several players ahead of next week’s Super Bowl — with a 115-111 victory over the Celtics, Stevens had his answer.

No, the Celtics didn’t win. And no, a team that was expected to face the Warriors in June’s NBA Finals before the season began is not in the business of taking moral victories out of any regular-season game. But the Celtics gained something from Saturday’s defeat: further clarity on what this team needs to be to reach its potential and what, so far, is holding it back from doing so.

“I think we know the level [we have to get to],” Marcus Morris said. “We just have to get to it.”

Brad Stevens’ Celtics had a chance to beat the Golden State Warriors at home on Saturday, but Kyrie Irving couldn’t quite get Boston a lead in the game’s last two minutes. Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty

This game played out in precisely the manner the Celtics would’ve hoped beforehand: with the score tied in the final minutes, allowing Boston to give the ball to its closer, Kyrie Irving, and let him try to carry the Celtics home.

Irving, as he has been all season, was outstanding in this one, finishing with 32 points and 10 assists and completing a pair of ridiculous finishes late in the fourth — once finishing with his left hand over Klay Thompson and once putting on a dizzying dribbling display before finishing with his right over Andre Iguodala.

Against the Warriors, though — with their length and athleticism all over the court in their closing lineup allowing them to switch liberally — Boston showed how overly reliant on Irving it is in those situations.

After Irving’s layup over Iguodala tied the game at 108 with 2:43 remaining, he lost the ball while trying to force a dribble move into the lane on the next possession, setting up a Klay Thompson 3-pointer that put Golden State ahead.

On the following possession, Al Horford tried to force the ball to him, causing yet another turnover.

“They do a great job of switching,” Irving said. “They try to keep you away from the paint and make you take tough shots. We converted on a lot of them tonight. Some teams struggle with that, but we had our opportunities. We just got to finish them when we see them in Golden State.”

Some of those finishing issues, as Irving pointed out, were because of Golden State’s switching. But it also was emblematic of the fact that, in the final minutes, the Celtics lack another clear option to go to if he is bottled up.

Marcus Morris, who had been so reliably hot through the first two months of the season, has finally cooled off in January. After going 3-for-12 from the floor and 2-for-6 from 3-point range — including a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds left — he’s shooting 40.3 percent from the field this month.

Jayson Tatum, meanwhile, had a hot third quarter, scoring 14 points, but he recorded just six points in the other three combined and remains prone to taking the kinds of contested midrange jumpers that the basketball world has learned are the sport’s worst shots.

By design, the player who should be Irving’s late-game sidekick is Gordon Hayward. But this was another performance he would undoubtedly like to forget. Hayward missed all five shots he took, scoring two points to go with seven rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes — further highlighting the fact that, if the Celtics are to reach their potential, Hayward has to return to his pre-injury form.

It also was a very real — and sobering — reminder that, despite there being another three-plus months before the Celtics will need that version of Hayward to arrive, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be there by then.

The same could be said for Terry Rozier, who had one enormously positive play — skying through the air to collect a missed Hayward 3 and lay it in to tie the game at 96 with 8:27 remaining — and otherwise struggled to make an impact, as he has much of the season. Rozier, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, has been playing like someone who is trying to rush all of what he’s capable of doing into the 15-20 minutes per night that he is getting, as opposed to the 35 minutes per game he saw last season’s playoffs, when Irving was sidelined with an injury. Tonight was another example of that.

The struggles from both of them — not to mention center Aron Baynes, Boston’s typically rock-solid backup center who was made into a turnstile defensively by Golden State in his first-half stint — allowed the Celtics, despite having far more firepower coming off the bench, to be outscored 17-16 by Golden State’s second unit.

Celtics bench 2nd-half minutes 2nd-half points 2nd-half FG Gordon Hayward 9:25 0 0/3 Jaylen Brown 10:05 0 0/2 Terry Rozier 9:31 2 1/3 Aron Baynes DNP* N/A N/A Daniel Theis 3:42 0 0/0

*Celtics were outscored by 11 points during Baynes’ 9:40 minutes in first half

Horford, on the other hand, once again looked like the player who was the best — non-LeBron James division — in the Eastern Conference playoffs last year. Horford finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, a steal and two blocks in 34 minutes, looking spry and moving around the court with ease as he had his way with DeMarcus Cousins whenever they shared the court. The only blemishes for Horford: no free throw attempts and a season-high five turnovers.

Horford has dealt with nagging knee tendinitis this season, and it has shown; depending on the nights, scouts say either Horford looks creaky or he looks like his usual All-Star self. None of that is especially surprising, given that he’s a 32-year-old big man in his 12th NBA season. But it is this version of Horford that easily won his matchup with Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid in last year’s playoffs and the same one that Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez will struggle mightily to stay in front of if those teams meet this spring.

While Horford isn’t on Irving’s level, he is, inarguably, the most irreplaceable Celtic. Boston doesn’t have another big man who can come close to doing what he can at both ends.

“I just think that we can play with anyone,” Horford said. “It was nice to go out there and compete in that way, give ourselves a chance to win there at the end.

“They’re the team to beat. Those guys, they really understand how to play. They know each other’s strengths and things like that. They play really well, so you have to play almost a flawless game to beat them.”

The Celtics didn’t do that, committing a season-worst six of their 14 turnovers in the fourth quarter — not including Marcus Smart’s not being in position (due to slipping or simply overrunning the ball, depending on one’s vantage point) to corral a second straight missed Draymond Green foul shot with eight seconds remaining. That allowed Green to secure the ball and get it out to Stephen Curry, who then hit two free throws to ice the game.

It was an imperfect game from an imperfect team — but, also, a clarifying one.

The Celtics learned Saturday night what they are. They also learned just how far they are from where they need to be if they want to host the Warriors at TD Garden again this season.

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its-just-like-the-movies · 7 years

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Horror For Horror’s Sake

Looking at the (albeit few) films I’ve chosen to review, the ones I’ve been willing to dive into blind, the expectedly shitty ones I’ve willing put up with, it’s fair to say I have a bias to exploring horror films more than other genres. At the very least I’m more interested in exploring scary movies when looking for something to watch than other genres. And in some ways, they’re more rewarding on a base level than say, romantic dramas that are equally good or bad. I’m sure Death Note is worse than Tulip Fever, but lord knows I’m not gonna go watching the latter for “fun” the way I got wine drunk with friends and tore at that racist, unscary piece of shit. On the other side of that spectrum, I went and saw It with that same dynamic duo as Death Note roughly a week later and had a ball, premised around actually having a wonderful time with a great film that all of us liked on its own merits and as an adaptation. It was all we talked about during dinner, and if I didn’t have to run home before meeting them at Tommy’s place we probably would’ve talked about it even longer. The film is a monumental step up from the original TV adaptation (obvs), but I sincerely hope that we’re at a place where the culture can stop being as reverential as it is with Tim Curry’s performance - one I liked but couldn’t quite be impressed by - in favor of the truly horrifying wraith that Bill Skarsgard has created. Andy Muschietti deserves plenty of credit for Pennywise too, but also for negotiating such a dense source novel, a mostly child cast, a more elastic range of tones than necessary, a time period wholly original to this adaptation, plus all the hokum reputation surrounding the author, and doing justice to all of it. Never in my life would I have expected the director of Mama to have succeeded in marshalling all of that into such a purely enjoyable, scary, funny, and utterly full film as It. Yes, it’s not perfect in parcelling out equal screen time to every member of The Loser’s Club or establishing what their lives are like when they aren’t hanging out together, but if that’s the worst this film has going for it, I’m absolutely delighted to recommend it to everyone and go along with friends who’re too scared to see it alone. Maybe with a red balloon in hand, and a severed arm to hold it for me.

I originally intended this to be a sort of two-shot with mother! but, given how absolutely insane that film is and the likelihood I’m going to ferry David along someday soon, I’m going to put off a formal review of it until another showing. I think I have my reaction to it sorted out, though another trek through it would do me good. The last scenes recontextualize the whole film so fully, even one as bluntly allegorical as that one, I think it’d be worth checking out again before I dive into it. With that being said, and to give me something fun to write about, I’m gonna just jot down some favorite memories of horror films I’m really in love with. You can consider this a recommendation list, I’d be more than happy to elaborate on full-throttle reviews and explanations of any of these films. Hopefully there’ll be another list of five tomorrow. Either way, sit back and enjoy the ride, dear reader.

To start off with the recentest features, I think one of It’s greatest successes it that each of its characters has pretty individualized embodiments of fear that Pennywise deploys, each scene delivering its own unique terror. That being said, there’s no way the film’s most utterly terrifying scene isn’t its first, where Pennywise lures poor Georgie into reaching out his hand for a little paper boat. For all I said at the top about Bill Skarsgård’s interpretation of It - and I’ll be shocked if I don’t write up this performance on my year-end list - credit must also be given to Jackson Robert Scott’s sweet, almost saccharine take on Georgie Denbrough. Watching Pennywise somehow circle this poor child even from within a sewer grate, convincingly entrancing by the standard of a six year old even if he can’t help but notice how unhinged this clown is, it’s maybe the only film I’ve been around for the release of that palpably conjured the same kinds of lumps in my gut I got watching Ileana Douglas and Juliette Lewis wrangle with Robert De Niro in Cape Fear (minus all the sexual overtures of Cape Fear, thank god). It’s the only time Pennywise is patient enough to even try and lure in his prey like this, more eager to eat the boy than he is to prey off his fear. The tension here is so efficiently realized I had to wonder what a version of It that drew out a few more of these encounters into their own short films would look like. A little longer, sure, but when the result is more scenes that make your skin crawl and your stomach churn, we’d all be winners.

mother! was an insanely vexing experience, purposely so, but in many ways a virtuoso one. A lot of it comes down to how marvelously it’s crafted, plus Michelle Pfeiffer’s deliciously crafted turn as a home invader, and I’d love more time to sit and think about Aronofsky’s script. Pfeiffer is the only ingredient missing in the film’s most stunningly crafted scene, where the house of Jennifer Lawrence’s nameless character is beset by an seemingly infinite swarm of her husband’s idolaters. Her painstakingly assembled home, one she made all by herself with her own two hands, is torn apart by the mob of fans proclaiming the poet’s will of sharing all that he has. One hangs up the phone as she calls the police only for another to yank it out of the wall, each hurling the philosophy of sharing at the other to justify their actions as though the other is stupid for not expecting them to do this. The police arrive a few minutes after, and suddenly her house seems to be divided into factions of SWAT members, violent cabals of her husband’s words, and those directly loyal to him. It’s almost impossible to imagine how long this sequence takes, especially since mother! often presents its sequences as though they’re happening in real time, but it’s stupendously mounted and realized by everyone involved. The transformation of Lawrence’s home from an idyllic, rustic nest for her and her hubby into a war-torn wreckage plucked straight from Children of Men isn’t the film’s scariest scene - that would be everything immediately after something delicate is inevitably, disastrously shown off - but on a sheer technical level it’s the film’s most impressively realized scene, and one of many I can’t shake for the life of me.

If you’ve never seen [safe], I beg you to go see it right now. Surely everyone who loved Carol has gone back and examined some of Todd Haynes’s filmography, if not looked up his Wikipedia page and seen this film, whose heroine has the same first name as his 2015 masterpiece. [safe] is about as asphyxiating and antagonistic to the audience (while still being immensely hypnotic) as any film can get, and one I had difficulty rewatching last semester in the hopes of finding a screencap to use for an art project. I ended up not using what I got, but there’s so many indelible moments picking one feels difficult, let alone throwing my hands up and just reveling in what Haynes’ direction does to make the film so menacing. And yet, there’s that one object that I instantly thought of for this little piece, in some ways the one that convinced me to do it at all. Early in [safe], Carol White (a genius Julianne Moore) orders a couch to her house and starts to help the movers arrange it in her house, only to find that it’s seemingly the most antagonistic shade of black on the planet. Carol is horrified to see this thing in her carefully constructed beige palace, as was I when I first saw it. Never has an ordinary couch been so pointy and prickly and out-of-place and threatening in a film, and never have I wanted to leave a room so much once I saw it. Pressing against everything pale and beige and carefully styled in her home, this couch doesn’t just look out of place but as alien and invasive as any of the houseguests in mother!, and even more unwanted. [safe] isn’t necessarily a horror film, but it’s still the most unsettling feature on this list, one that’s even more horrifying for all that it has to say on the human experience, and for the tremendous filmmaking (and actressing) that makes it such a seminal, terrifying film.

Suspiria, on the other hand, is nothing if not an exercise in how many scary, go-for-broke aesthetics you can grate against each other and mold together and throw at the audience at once. The production design can be summed up as though the art directors of Wes Anderson and Pedro Almodovar had a child that was trying to kill you, specifically, but of course the real star of this entry is the vicious score of Dario Argento and the band Goblin. Much like Get Out, you have the distinct feeling that somehow the score itself is going to slaughter our hero before the actual forces of evil hunting them do. Even in scenes that don’t seem overtly menacing, the orchestra shrieks at you to remember that Jessica Harper and her friend are always being watched, always in danger, always among those who have killed before and would kill them if they got the chance. And somehow, this only makes the scenes with an actively dangerous presence more affecting rather than less so. In the words of Decider’s Joe Reid “Everything is heightened, so everything is fuckin’ heightened”. Suspiria is so heightened it’s a wonder the central school doesn’t just fly off into the upper echelons of the Earth’s atmosphere, which is probably close to where the film is heightened to, but thank god it’s stuck to the ground. Not all stories work in space, and sometimes all you need is a man, his dog, a weird gargoyle, and a bunch of nice looking buildings to make a scene as tense as all hell. And, of course, a bullying, visceral score.

There’s a multitude of great performances from David Cronenberg films. In truth, the best two probably reside in the duet between Jeremy Irons and Genevieve Bujold in Dead Ringers, if not the duet between Irons and Irons in the same film. But we’re really here for The Brood, which boasts the most volcanic performance I’ve seen among Cronenberg’s filmography in the form of Samantha Eggar’s ferocious, unstable shrew of an ex-wife and absent mother. The entire film is premised on her rage, literally summoning embodiments of her anger to carry out acts of vengeance against those she decries in therapy sessions. These sessions have the head physician role-playing as the target of his patient’s psychosis in the hope of provoking a real break in their psyches, and take place in a facility miles out of town and built like log cabins, resembling a hotel from a distance. Her character’s ex-husband is right to suspect something’s amiss here, that Nola isn’t getting the treatment she needs, but even as he finds the corpses of the gremlins whacking their family members it takes until he witnesses the creation of one of these rage babies for him to fully grasp a situation that’s actively threatening everyone he loves. Eggar’s vitality and commitment gives the film a beating, potent heart that The Brood otherwise wouldn’t have, in spite of its crazy conceits and directorial strength. Without her exorcising fury, The Brood would be a weaker film, and it needs Eggar’s to power the whole thing through its demented thesis and towards its inevitable, monstrous climax.

#the brood #it #mother!#suspiria #safe #2017 #1979 #1977 #1995 #my posts #misc

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laughinglistener · 7 years

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Girl Power & Talking Animals: The Sequel We Didn't Know We Needed

Again, not the American cover on the audiobook I listened to, but LOOK HOW AWESOME THIS IS.

Lirael

(Old Kingdom, Book Two) By Garth Nix

Format: Audio Book Narrator: The infamous Tim Curry again Length: 14 hours & 45 minutes Genres: Fiction, Young-adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Magic Take a Peek: Audible | Overdrive | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Rating: 4 Stars

The saga continues! I had some serious doubts going into this sequel since the beginning of Sabriel was such a freaking bore. But once again, the promise of Mogget and Tim Curry made me take the dive and I’m happy I did. So far this Old Kingdom series hasn’t been pulse-racingly thrilling, but it’s a fun adventure with talking animals. That’s all I really need.

THE REHASH

*For some reason, this summary is super long. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Feel free to skip my rantings and head straight to the review on the bottom. I promise not to be offended.*

The prologue opens with a mysterious man named Hedge carrying the bells of an Abhorsen, instantly making the reader question where in the Old Kingdom timeline this is taking place. Last we heard, Sabriel—the new Abhorsen—was definitely female. Is this far in the future, or far in the past? He begins speaking with another powerful sorceress named Chlorr and it becomes obvious that they are followers of Kerrigor, the evil-being Sabriel defeated in the first novel. Hedge makes Chlorr his new servant and apparently these two goons are the new evil dream team.

This book is broken up into four parts, the first taking place 14 years after the ending of Sabriel. We see a girl named Lirael, who’s turning 14 and hates birthdays. They’re just a reminder of everything she doesn’t have. She’s a member of the Clayr, a group of mostly women infamous for their ability to see into the future, and Lirael has waited her whole life to get the Sight without success. Plus, her whole aesthetic is the complete opposite of a normal Clayr who are tan skinned with blonde hair, while Lirael is pale and dark featured. Now she is alone, her father’s identity a mystery and her mother long gone, with only an abrasive aunt as family. She is an outcast in every way—no easy thing for a 14 year-old—and goes to great lengths to push people away so she can’t get hurt.

After an abysmal birthday morning, Lirael spends most of chapter two listing all the benefits of suicide and plotting how to do it. In the end she settles for jumping off a cliff. You know, casual. The Clayr’s home is already set in the mountains and they have a paper plane hanger that would be perfect to throw one’s self from, so Lirael sets off. She arrives after a long hike and immediately hides, waiting for the guards to get lost to make her final move. As she waits, a paper plane comes gliding in and we finally see Sabriel and King Touchstone. They’ve come to visit the Clayr hoping for a vision that could help their current quest. Hedge is purposely causing problems as a distraction, though they don’t know this yet—only see the effects of his actions. The older Clayr deny having any related visions, and the now married couple set off again, but not before Sabriel spots Lirael hiding in the snow. Once the two are gone, the older Clayr demand to know what Lirael is doing and she breaks down. Without giving away her plan for suicide, she admits how miserable she’s been and how worried she is about not gaining the Sight yet. For some reason, the Clayr women are shocked and ask if it would help to have a job to take her mind off things. Um, duh. Lirael is overjoyed and accepts a position in the library, making you wonder why no one offered this to the poor thing earlier.

Contrastingly, fast forward four years and Prince Sameth is busy being a wholesome, trouble-free teen playing cricket with his cricket team. On the way home from a game, they belatedly realize that the driver has been going the wrong way and leading them straight into a trap. There’s a whole lot of zombies coming and Sam demonstrates his prowess as a leader, which is important because you’ll want to slap him in the coming chapters. Recognizing that the undead are being controlled by another necromancer, Sam decides to go into death to find them. On the other side, he sees Hedge who immediately tries to cast a control spell. It’s obvious that this entire plot was a grand scheme to get to Sam specifically and he just manages to thwart Hedge with some pretty kick ass moves. Sam goes back to reality barely making it out alive, with Hedge following close behind, determined to get control of the prince. For an awful moment it appears that Hedge succeeds, embedding something evil in his opponent’s heart, but we learn that he mistakenly hit Sam’s friend Nicholas instead. Nick is now unknowingly the host of an awful spirit that the creepy Hedge is trying to please. It’s all very Harry Potter, Professor Quirrell-esque.

via GIPHY

The cricket team narrowly escapes and they all go home, unaware that the danger has just begun.

While Sam recovers from the attack physically, he still suffers from post-traumatic stress and has become paralyzingly afraid of death (the place, not death death)—not too convenient for the Abhorsen-in-waiting. For a long while we follow Sam while he mopes about the castle, wondering how to tell his mother he doesn’t wish to be the next Abhorsen. We also see him get bossed around by his insensitive older sister Ellimere, which is apparently suppose to show us that she’ll be a great Queen someday. Just as the two royal siblings get word from their parents that things in the kingdom have gone from bad to worse, Sam receives a letter from Nick saying he’s coming to visit. This would be good news, but Nick didn’t want to bother Sam to come pick him up, so he decided to hire a random guide instead. It’s so obvious this “guide” is Hedge that even Sam sees how sketchy the situation is and decides to sneak out of the castle to go save his friend.

The now 18 year-old Lirael, on the other hand, is having a grand time working at the library by day and exploring it’s hidden rooms at night. She’s very gifted with charter magic and uses it to sneak around after hours. During one of these excursions she accidentally unleashes a freaky praying mantis monster and in the chaos, finds a little dog figurine. Once she manages to get away safely, she casts a spell to bring the dog figurine to life and OH MY GOD THERE’S A TALKING DOG NOW. Sassy Tim Curry dog is just as amazing as sassy Tim Curry cat and ALL MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE. Together they team up to defeat the scary praying mantis and explore the library in more depth, eventually finding the secrets of Lirael’s past hidden in one of the old rooms. The elder women of the Clayr help her find some answers and confess they’ve seen Lirael in a vision helping a sick young man.

They send her on a quest to find him, where she sails—quite literally—into Prince Sameth and they discover they’re looking for the same person. Both Lirael and Sam join forces to save Nick and *crosses fingers* defeat Hedge. In the end, we’re left on a cliffy and have to read book three to find out what happens.

THE GOOD

My main gurl Lirael is awesome and I really loved the parts told from her perspective. Even when she was having a major pity-party at the beginning, on the verge of throwing herself off a cliff, she was still relatable. What person hasn’t felt like an outcast at some point during their life? Plus, the Clayr seemed so oblivious to her plight that it really made me feel for Lirael. Once she gets the job in the library, though, she becomes a magical bad ass and it was amazing to watch her grow as a character.

Plus, let’s not forget Lirael’s bff, the TALKING DOG. Mogget the cat really saved me during the first novel and the Disreputable Dog (I’m calling her DD for short—that name is way too long.) saved me during this one. It’s kind of poetic. I’m really hoping this is a theme that runs throughout the series and we’ll just get more and more talking animals. Talking dragon. Talking horse. Talking bird. Talking fish. The possibilities are endless. When Mogget and DD finally met and bantered together towards the end it made the whole book for me.

I also think Garth Nix did a good job in the way he arranged the plot, and it really made everything more exciting. The way he switches perspectives between the two characters is great, and it helped build a lot of excitement for when Sam and Lirael finally meet. At the end of Sabriel, there was a time crunch and a sense of urgency that this book was lacking since it cuts off before the main confrontation. Breaking it up into different parts and characters was a good way to compensate for that.

And I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Tim Curry makes this audiobook worth listening to. He has the best voice and does an amazing job acting out the story. I have already mentally added “animal voices” to the list of reason why I love Tim Curry so much.

THE UGLY

By the end, Sam is not my favorite person. It’s odd because I started off really loving him after that whole cricket team battle, but my opinion just got progressively worse and worse as the story went on. When he goes into death to hunt for Hedge, some horrible things happen and it’s completely understandable that this would freak him out. I never blamed him for the post-traumatic stress, and even felt for the guy when he went back home and had to deal with his awful sister without any help from his parents. After a while though, his whining starts to get old and by the end I wanted to kick him. My new literary best friend Lirael is making plans to go save Nick, and Sam says he wants to stay back and let her go without him. What?!? Are you kidding me right now? After everything you’ve been through and the countless times she’s saved your sorry butt, you’re just going to let Lirael rescue Nicholas (who’s your friend to begin with, by the way) alone? UGH. GTFO. I think part of the problem is that the book cuts off and we only see half of Sam’s character transformation, but that doesn’t make it any less infuriating.

Plus, I can’t lie, parts of this book were a little boring for me. Particularly Sam’s sections that depict him depressingly roaming about the castle and dancing terribly as a bird. I loved Lirael so much that I found myself anxiously awaiting her parts and not paying too much attention to his. It was nowhere near as dull as the first one, but still a little on the subdued side nonetheless.

FINAL WORD

This was really fun to listen to and definitely a better overall book than the first one. How often does that happen? If you liked the ending of Sabriel and loved the characters, this is definitely worth reading. All of the good ones come back and I really enjoyed seeing the story continue. On to the third!

And again, do yourself a solid and LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK.

Girl Power & Talking Animals: The Sequel We Didn’t Know We Needed was originally published on Laughing Listener

#Books #Booklr #Bibliophile #Bookworm #reviews #laughing #listener #words #novels #fiction #lirael #Garth Nix #abhorsen #Old Kingdom #Talking Animals #Tim Curry #literature

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amateurfan227 · 7 years

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Trailer Talk Review - IT and Justice League

Hey guys, I’m back with another review on 2 separate movies this time, The reboot (or remake in this case) of Stephen King’s miniseries based on the novel, IT as well as DC’s recent trailer for the upcoming Justice League which does look promising though it has some flaws.

I’ll start with IT first as I will dive into Justice League more openly, So Pennywise is back with a new movie, I saw the trailer and I have to admit, it does look creepy like the book’s feelings but it doesn’t have the same scares as the book or the miniseries contain; for making a movie based on a book which is over 1000 pages long is going to be quite difficult, I mean Peter Jackson did make a trilogy of Lord of the Rings which is technically six books.

I think it’s both a good and a bad idea, I’ll go with the negatives first, the book is more focused on Fear which is what the creature IT resembles, as well as the child protagonists returning back in the future when they are more older and more wiser to fight the creature off for good. The novel also seems to fit into some horrific imagery as well such as Homosexuality is frequently mentioned as well as Derry’s background history is mentioned towards Pennywise.

However seeing that all the things mentioned above are frequently mentioned in the book, I wonder on how this will be mentioned in the film, another note to add on the trailer is that in the book, there was a bully who tormented the children who went to the same school as them, who also encountered Pennywise who would become a secondary antagonist for the heroes.

I would also like to add on how in the book, it mainly revolved around the adults who were suffering from major flashbacks which would explain why they were afraid of it, mainly towards Billy as he feels more responsible on getting his brother killed, this too is mentioned in the book as he’s a lot more aggressive against Pennywise.

I dislike the fact that they refuse to show Pennywise as he was more of a fearful essence rather than a standard figure in the miniseries as well as the book; that would include the balloons as they would resemble his abilities aside from his appearance. Though the saying, ‘less means more’ is a huge negative when it comes to the trailer.

Another thing that brought to my attention is that in the first few chapters, Mike (apologies for racial stereotyping, the black kid) now grown up is researching a series of child deaths which closely resemble It’s return which is a huge motivation to call the older kids back to finish it off, however in the trailer this is never mentioned, only missing persons posters.

The main concern is making it into one movie as it should be panned out better into 2 movies like the miniseries which got it completely right, though the miniseries had some flaws; I think that the movie however would suffer the most consequences when it comes to adapting it straight from the novel.

The positive notes however is that the appearance on Pennywise looks more deceiving than Tim Curry’s performance as the killer clown, mainly because he sticks more to the shadows than Curry did when he was out more in the open, this would raise a bunch of questions though when it comes to displaying Pennywise’s abilities of fear manipulation mainly shape-shifting into other people as he did in the miniseries.

Though the movie does look interesting, I’m going to have to watch another trailer to give my final thought, now for the next trailer which is Justice League which is going to trigger a few people off who hate Man of Steel as well as Batman Vs Superman.

I’m going to put the elephant in the room first by stating that I love Man of Steel, it’s possible one of the closest adaptations to the Superman mythos especially when it comes to an origin story, though the movie is heavily flawed, it’s easier to see the movies logic to get past them.

A lot of people are stating that Superman is officially dead after watching this movie because he breaks his rule by stating ‘Superman killed Zod’ ‘What’s with Jonathon Kent giving him different advice’ ‘Why is Louis Lane so important in this film’ ‘Why was Superman so important to Zod’.

I can see the negatives in those questions but I see more positives that were answered by the movie’s logic, to answer the first question on him killing Zod, which are a few statements I like to mention first.

There was a reason why this movie was called Man of Steel, meaning that Kal-El is not Superman yet, he’s still learning his abilities as well as his heritage which leads up to the name Man of Steel; The reason why he killed off Zod is that Kal-El destroyed the remaining Kryptonian technology as well as the people who were the last survivors of the planet which gave Zod a motive in stating that he will either kill everyone on the Planet.

Leading Kal-El to kill him to save the rest of humanity, another thing that got my attention is that everyone hated him for killing of the last Kryptonian; may I just remind you that he killed Zod in a noble fashion rather than in the second movie in 1980 where he removed all of Zod’s abilities rendering him mortal leading him to break his hand only to throw him into an eternal pit, only to smirk off after it.

The other question is relating to Jonathon Kent on giving Clark different advice, I only managed to trace a few answers to this occurrence including his fatal death, I believe that he was testing his son at the very beginning shortly after suggesting to let a bunch of kids die such as he wasn’t meant for this world.

It also includes later on which lead to them both having an argument on how Clark should act when he’s older which lead to the ultimate test, letting Jonathon die into leading Kal-El’s persona as Clark as an average person to avoid attention, which is pretty hard-hitting. Though the answers I made are misleading but put your-self in his shoes.

The Louis Lane one for me is pretty misleading though it does show something that we’ve not seen in any Superman Movie, Louis Lane doing actual research when it comes to investigating journalism, this is possibly one of the best things I’ve seen her do aside from casting smug remarks and just being there as a damsel in distress.

Though why Zod requests her to be brought in is another thing as well as her being the one that Clark/Kal-El eventually fell for is entirely beyond me.

And now for the final question on why does Zod want Superman, seeing that he’s the most common villain towards Superman, a lot of people miss the fact that in the beginning of the movie Jor-El placed the remaining Codec into Kal-El’s body when he was young infant whom is the last natural birth on Krypton.

The Codec however was important to the Kryptonian army as it contains billions of years of Kryptonian DNA, which would grant Zod the ability to create a new army of Kryptonian hybrids of modified DNA. Which I believe most of the people viewing the film would mistake as the only reason why Zod wanted the Codec as it was the only secondary thing that was natural to Kryptonian history.

The trailer for Justice League... this is something I’m pretty confused by as well as invested, let’s get some of the negatives out of the way first, the ideas of making the heroes act more like teenagers was a bit of a bad situation which made it more deceitful to the material, mainly the new 52 which the franchise would be based on.

But I’m going to have put credit where it’s due by stating that it is an interesting looking trailer for a team superhero film rather than an independent hero movie, unlike the Avengers (who pretty much killed people through their independent movies), let’s get through some of the characters first, the first attention would go to Victor Stone himself aka Cyborg and boy Mr Snyder, you’ve made a pretty good choice on this one.

I hate to say it but this is pretty much from the comic, a random teenager who was badly injured leading his father to place him in a biological metallic suit which was created by one of the signature mother boxes that Darkseid was using, though I’ve not seen Ray Fisher in his broadway appearances, I’m pretty sure that he’ll do a good impression on Victor Stone.

Aquaman on the other hand was more of a running joke which I despised mostly because his powers were more closer to godlike level rather than just a man who can control water and fish, but now seeing Jason Momoa is playing the character which is given a huge bonus as he looked absolutely incredible in the trailer.

Don’t get me wrong, Momoa is seen as a bad-ass actor in different shows like Stargate but most notably in Game of Thrones where he relies on brute strength when it comes to his character but seeing him in this would be the definition of both strength in physical form as well as diplomatic form depending on which route they go with his character.

The Flash on the other hand is way different from the novel as he’s more of a science fan rather than a colleague with the CCPD (Central City) but seeing that the actor Ezra Miller who starred in We Need To Talk About Kevin, is an interesting choice but I’m not 100% sure that he will be the iconic scarlet speedster that most people will fall for.

Wonder Woman however is something that I’m expecting will possibly be the greatest out of the film as she was more independent in the New 52 as she would be more active towards her own missions which would allow the league to join her, such as going after Cheetah (whom was a former friend when she arrived in the U.S.A from Themyscira.

As well as Batman for example who I believe would show the same aggression towards the oncoming threats that would scour our world but though the trailer as he searches for the other heroes, it appears that he’s more able to find the truth on others aside from seeking Clark’s/Kal-El’s forgiveness for attacking him in the first place.

Though the trailer does look interesting in some parts such as the introduction of James Gordon as well as the landscapes that Bruce Wayne goes to find Aquaman as well as the visual effects of what’s to come towards the movie, though the main problem is the fact that it’s more based on being kid friendly which is something I do admire but at least make it less childish or less immature towards the future trailers.

There is another trailer talk review in development which will come shortly after this will be posted.

I would also like to post my sincere apologies that I’ve placed less reviews this year which is going to change very quickly.

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