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estrxlar · 3 years

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The Ghost Of You

22 - Plans For Later

This chapters songs:

Pretty When I Cry; Lana Del Rey

Your Teeth In My Neck; Kali Uchis

4EVER; Clairo

- E. T. perspective

I can only explain this feeling with one word, torture. Watching as he smiles down at her, holds her hand, grabs her waist all the ways I wish he did to me. Why does this always happen to me? Why is it every time I develop feelings for someone, things never go my way?

Y/n isn't easy to hate. No matter how long I stalk her social media page and find new things to ask her about, she always has an excuse, and it's never sinister enough to make Koshi hate her too.

But Koshi will never hate Y/n, and neither will I.

It's not her fault that the dummy fell in love with her. Her scent, her voice, her skin— everything about the girl is so much better than any cell in my body.

I remember the first time I met him. I was looking for a sport to get used to and found that volleyball was the most entertaining and friendly. There were limited players and not very good ones. Back then, Koshi was considered one of the best players, but his title was taken from Kageyama. I knew the instant he looked at me that I wanted him to be mine.

From time to time, Koshi would give me eyes under his lashes when we spoke, brush his hands against my back when he wanted, and do so many other things that made my heart throb. I thought that he felt the things I felt as well. That was until the week before I left Japan.

It was just the two of us in the supply closet, cleaning up after another day of practice. The light timer had just gone off and the both of us ran to reset it, making our bodies collide with each other. Unintentionally, he pressed me against the wall with both hands, breathing over my shoulder.

I was running out of time back then. I only had a week to kiss him, to talk to him, to love him. All different scenarios ran through my mind as I turned around and stared deep into what I assumed were his eyes. I had my chance to kiss him. So, I did. And he didn't resist.

He let me touch his pale cheeks with my fingers and slip my tongue through his lips. He let me press myself against his chest and whimper while I fought his tongue with mine. He even helped himself to press my hip back against the wall. My skin ran cold, wishing I could feel what was under the shirt he wore.

Did Koshi want to feel me too?

He didn't. I knew he didn't, and it was painful. I knew that no matter how much I kissed and held him, he wouldn't ever return my feelings. Koshi only kissed me for the hell of it. He was empty, as always. What made him this way? Why wasn't I ever enough to fulfill the man I love?

I shoved him away and covered my blushing face that now had tears running down it. "Koshi!" I shouted out. "Why do you do this to me?! You give me so many mixed signals even though you know you'll never love me back! Why are you torturing me this way?!"

Koshi attempted to calm me down with many gestures of hand waves and shushed, but I wailed into the darkness, crying out his name over and over again. My heart felt as if it sunk to my feet. It wasn't his fault that I fell in love with him, but blaming someone for my issues felt like the only solution at the moment.

"Why not me?! Why do you—why do you like so many girls but me? I'm here, Koshi! You know I'm in love with you yet you haven't given me any sign or hint! Is this all you wanted from me?! Was I just another girl for you to concur?"

He grabbed my shoulder and caught my attention in an instant, yelling back at me. "Eclair, I'd never do that to you! You're worth much more than someone who can't last a day in a relationship. Especially...especially someone who doesn't love you back."

It hurt so much to hear him say those words. Now that he truly does love another girl, I don't think I can handle hearing them again. Why did my relationships never work out? All I've ever wanted was to feel loved by someone. My parents don't make much of an effort. What is so good about Y/n and not I? Why couldn't he have changed his ways for me? Am I that bad?

At this point, I have no idea what to do other than stare at the bunk above mine, hearing the steady breathing coming from Y/n as she sleeps. He loves her, and not me; that was the most painful thing that I have ever realized.

- Y. L. Perspective

When I went to sleep, I didn't think I would wake up sweaty under the comfortable, feeling as if I had a severe fever. I open my eyes and stare widely at the white ceiling above me, wondering if Kiyoko and Eclair were burning up as well.

'I hope I don't have to do much activity today.' I think to myself as I sit up in the top bunk. My legs dangle off of the wooden barrier that contains me from falling out.

"Hey! Eclair is taking a quick shower. Ready to cook breakfast?" Kiyoko says, grabbing onto the bedboard. She wore a lilac shirt with blue sweatpants; something comfortable to start the day.

'Guessing she didn't go through hell and back last night?' I rub my eye, nodding to the girl as she slips her phone into her back pocket. "Hey, is it just me, or was it super hot last night?" I ask.

Before leaving the room, she gives me a side-eye. "Uhm...no. But I know why you were." Her voice is filled with curiosity, telling me something wasn't right. "Last night, you seemed to have a dream of some sort. Nightmare or something more..?"

The smirk on her face is diminishing. Did I have a strange dream last night? I couldn't seem to remember. If so, I hoped I wasn't tossing and turning like a maniac.

Embarrassed, I slap my face gently, hiding my red face. "Shimizu!" I whine to her. I, unfortunately, forgot any memory of my dream last night the second I opened my eyes. There was no knowing what made me have hot flashes. "I'll meet you in the kitchen. Give me a minute to freshen up," I tell her, climbing down from the top bunk.

I could hear a few of the boy's voices as I roasted the vegetables on the stove, letting a smile creep up onto my face. If they were awake, that meant Koshi was getting ready as well.

I knew that Eclair's being here stopped us from being as affectionate as we would like to be, but seeing each other was all we needed to get through the day.

"Almost done, Y/n?" Kiyoko asks me from the counter as she plates the meat and rice we cooked. I nod, turning off the stove and pouring the vegetables into a bowl. The both of us pick up a few plates to take to the mess hall. Takeda was right behind us as we walked there with utensils and plates.

Kiyoko kicks the door open, revealing two tables full of hungry boys. We set down the food onto a counter for them to begin serving themselves. After carefully placing my bowl of vegetables, I turn around to glance for Sugawara.

Of course, he was already behind me. "Good morning, Y/n and Kiyoko. Thank you for cooking us breakfast," he says as friendly as possible. Though the entire volleyball team except Eclair knew we were a couple, Koshi didn't want to make a scene out of our relationship.

Shimizu rolls her eyes playfully, wafting her hand in the air. "You guys can play 'dating'. Eclairs showering so she won't be down here until another twenty minutes." Leaving the two of us in front of the serving table.

He runs his neck, smiling at me. "How'd you sleep?" Koshi asks me, lowering his voice to where only I can make it out under the noisy volleyball club. One step closer results in his body softly pressed against mine and his hand resting neatly on my shoulder, his eyes staring back into mine. At that very moment, discovering why I'd woken up so sweaty this morning wasn't any struggle.

I become red in an instant, flustered at visions of Koshi being intimate with me in my room. His facial features lit by moonlight, his lips gentle tugging on mine, his scent showering my body. Wonders about my first time would enter my mind once in a while, but I've never had such a vivid image of what it would be like. It wasn't as if I could continue fantasizing about it in the breakfast line.

"Y/n...are you good?" Koshi squeezes my shoulder gently, waking me from a daze. Blinking rapidly, I look away from him in shame of my perverted thoughts and nod.

"Yeah! I slept great. What about you?" A bright smile is enough to clear up any worry that he had brought upon himself. He grins back, sliding his hand from my shoulder to my wrist, fidgeting with my fingers as he spoke.

"Good, good. Although, sharing a room with eleven boys isn't very peaceful. I bet Kiyoko and Eclair let you get some rest," he says, giving us both plates to begin plating our food. I grab a few fresh vegetables and a scoop of rice, then pour myself and Koshi and cup of green tea.

He nods his head to the left, motioning for me to follow him to an empty table where we could discuss how our night went further. We sat down our plates and sat across from each other, saying our thanks.

"So! Got any ideas about what we might be doing today?" I ask him as I began eating my food.

He scoffs lightly. "Well, Daichi told me we are gonna be running for the entire morning. Then, I assume we'll be extending our skills in the gym for a while. If we have any free time, wanna sneak off somewhere and head into the small town?" He looks up at me before taking a bite of steak.

Running and training don't seem all bad on behalf of Kiyoko and me. All that meant was that we would be handing out water and towels for them; regular manager things. "Yeah! Do you think we'll get in trouble if we do?" I whisper, leaning closer to him.

For a second, he stares at me intensely, then looks to his left and right. "No, not if we don't tell anybody."

He bites his bottom lip slightly and gulps his tea. Ever before he could notice I was staring, I look down at my plate and continue eating.

It wasn't the risk of getting in trouble that scared me, but what might happen when I go out with Koshi. Perhaps being alone with him after having a dream about fucking wasn't the brightest idea. Although, I wanted so badly to spend time with him without having to refrain from any couple-like behavior.

With that in mind, I say yes to his request. "Sure thing. Got any ideas about where to go? Or more importantly, any money?" I jokingly ask, making him chuckle at me. He shakes his head gently, eying me.

"Yeah, I got money. If it's okay with you, we can hop on a few buses and wander the city." I grew eager to do exactly that. During the summer when Grimlace was invited to open for concerts, we would blow our money on cheap motels and bus bills, but always made the best memories while doing so.

Of course, I'd want to go with Koshi. And so, I smile brightly, resting my head on my hand, and looking at him while he happily ate his food. "Yeah, I'd like that." Now, our schedule didn't seem so bad. We'd be able to spend time with each other once it was clear of volleyball training.

Hey hey hey my bbs. Tysm for reading, I tried to make this chapter fulfilling enough to build excitement for the next one!! As always, take care of yourself. Love you and pls vote!

(Ps. I love the new comments)

- estrxlar

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aforrestofstuff · 4 years

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Okay! I have a burning question for you, my dude. Music is my life, and I wanna know what kind of music the OPM casts listen to. Thanks, my guy!

I had a feeling this would be inevitable lol. I don’t really know a whole lot about music or genres or anything like that so I’m just gonna give you a rundown of each character individually and some song recs along with that just to smooth things out a little. Thanks for your ask, by the way! ❤️ Now my playlists will be put to good use.

A Brief Rundown of the Major OPM Characters’ Music Tastes:

Blast: hc that he doesn’t even have ears since he never fucking LISTENS

Terrible Tornado: Stuff that makes her feel powerful. Loud vocals and good instrumentals. Also, she’s a little angsty since she’s saltier than the gotdamn Pacific almost all of the time. (Recs: Florence and the Machine - How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, Susanne Sundfør - Delirious, Florence and the Machine - What Kind of Man, Kali Uchis - Dead to Me, Let’s Eat Grandma - Falling Into Me)

Fubuki: some of that real classy shit. Slow songs that are nice to just have a cup of tea with. Nothing too meaty or fast-paced, she enjoys taking a moment to breathe every once and a while since life gets pretty hectic when you’re managing a gang of some 30 hooligans. (Recs: Wes - Midnight Low, any song from Lana Del Rey’s entire discography lol, Florence and the Machine - Grace, The Marìas - I Don’t Know You, Yellow House - Ain’t Gonna Call, Feng Suave - Toking, Dozing)

Silverfang: Stuff from his time. I hc that he was a bit of a party animal back in his prime so he’s gotta have those grooves. Disco to the extremo. Also, another hc: Garou absolutely hates his music. He would play it during training and Garou would contemplate homicide. (Recs: Frankie Valli - Grease, The Edgar Winter Group - Free Ride, KC and the Sunshine Band - I’m Your Boogie Man, Matthew Wilder - Break My Stride, The Main Ingredient - Everybody Plays the Fool, Andrea True Connection - More, More, More)

Bomb: save as Silverfang, although I hc that Bomb was a little more of a nerd growing up. Still, he never missed out on a good party. (Additional Recs: KC and the Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight, The Trammps - Disco Inferno, Tierra - Together, Cornelius Bros and Sister Rose - Too Late to Turn Back Now)

Atomic Samurai: Old shit. Shit older than Silverfang. He’s really not that old, but his soul is fucking ancient and he’s got that classic “grrr music these days sucks” kind of shithead attitude. (Recs: Jim Croce - Time in a Bottle, Dion - Runaround Sue, The Carpenters - The End of the World, The Band - The Weight)

Child Emperor: Upbeat synth. Stuff to listen to while he’s working on his machines and whatnot. Probably has meaty beats to keep him in tune with what he’s doing, like working around a clock. Probably some groovy citypop in there too. (Recs: Taeko Ohnuki - 4:00 AM, Junko Ohashi - Telephone Number, Tatsuro Yamashita - Magic Ways, Hiroyuki Sawano - NEXUS, Superfly - Kakusei, Mariya Takeuchi - Plastic Love)

Metal Knight: Intrumentals that Disney villains listen to. Deep, dark shit that makes you feel sad. He probably feeds off of negative emotion. What a toolbag. (Recs: Lucas King - Sociopath, Abel Korzeniowski- Table for Two, Max Richter - Never Goodbye, Max Richter - She Remembers, Evelyn Stein - Quiet Resource, Mac Quayle - Adagio in G Minor)

King: video game soundtracks, obviously. Might be some electro funk in there too, as a treat. (Recs: Metal Gear Solid 3 OST - Snake Eater, Mick Gordon - Rip and Tear, Xenoblade Chronicles OST - Main Theme, Persona 5 OST - Last Surprise, Daft Punk - Verdis Quo, Toby Fox - Hopes and Dreams, Disasterpeace - Prologue, iamthekidyouknowwhatimean - Run, Darren Korb - Old Friends)

Zombieman: Dad Music. Old rock that makes you wanna rail some lines of white thunder and dance on top of a car. He’d be reluctant to try out new stuff but does so nevertheless. Just a little bit of weird alternative here and there. (Recs: Poison - Unskinny Bop, Mötley Crüe - Dr. Feelgood, Black Sabbath - War Pigs, Def Leppard - Animal, CRX - Walls, MGMT - Little Dark Age, Pink Floyd - Money, Queens of the Stone Age - Villains of Circumstance)

Drive Knight: Dark synth, obviously. Need I say more? (Recs: El Tigr3 - She Swallowed Burning Coals, Trevor Something - Enjoy the Silence, Greg Drombrowski - Devour, GUNSHIP - Woken Furies, GUNSHIP - Thrasher, Carpenter Brut - Invasion A.D., Kavinsky - Nightcall)

Pig God: this guy probably just listens to ASMR of people eating food lol.

Superalloy Darkshine: Upbeat stuff that’s good for exercise; loving those new jams along with some of the old. He’s got a pretty groovy style. (Diane Ross - Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Saint Motel - Puzzle Pieces, CRUISR - All Over, Barry White - Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up, Sade - Kiss of Life)

Watchdog Man: 10 hour loop of wolves howling on a summer night.

Flashy Flash: classical. Some nice instrumentals to listen to while training. Stuff that preferably doesn’t have any or very little lyrics so it’s not too busy on his ears while he’s fantasizing about killing someone. (Recs: Vaughn Williams - The Lark Ascending, Debussy - Rêverie, Grieg - Peace of the Woods, André Laplante - Une Barque sur L’Ocean)

Metal Bat: Modern alternative. A little bit harder than say, Mumen and Kama, but not as hard as Zombieman or Death Gatling. He’s that middle ground where he’s still got some real bangers, but Zenko can listen as well. He’ll play this stuff loudly as he’s doing chores and working out, no headphones ever. It gets pretty annoying. (Recs: Foals - Exits, The Blue Stones - Black Holes, Solid Ground, CRX - Broken Bones, Jungle - Happy Man, The Strokes - Reptilia, We Are Trees - Girlfriend)

Genos: synth. But not just any synth, some heavy, fast-paced synth that’s just like him: speedy, relentless, and powerful. He listens to shit that’ll make you wanna get up and start killing Terminators. Probably. There’s some other synths in the mix too because we love a three-dimensional king. (Recs: Carpenter Brut - Division Ruine, The Protomen - I Still Believe, Carpenter Brut - Leather Teeth, Gunship - Tech Noir, TWRP - Phantom Racer, Le Castle Vania - Red Circle)

Tanktop Master: Dad music but the type of dad music that makes you think your dad was a sappy nerd back in the day. Long tracks that are good for workouts. (Tears for Fears - Woman in Chains, Pink Floyd - Us and Them, Duran Duran - Ordinary World, Billy Idol - Eyes without a Face, A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran, The Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky, Tears for Fears - Sowing the Seeds of Love)

Puri-Puri Prisoner: Pop. Dance music. He doesn’t really get to listen to a lot of music in prison, so he holds on to whatever he can and savors every second of it. (Coldplay - Talk, Bruno Mars - Runaway Baby, Lady Gaga - Bad Romance, Flo Milli - Beef Flomix, Doja Cat - Say So)

Mumen Rider: Hes a lighthearted, soft boy. Likes some fluffy indie tunes. It helps to motivate him when working out or doing hero stuff. He might need to cry every once in a while though, so there’s some sad songs in the mix too. (Recs: Varsity - The Dogs Only Listen to Him, The The - This is the Day, Amarante - Don’t Look Back, Alvvays - Saved by a Waif, The Monkees - As We Go Along, Acid Ghost - Hide my Face, Mogwai - Take Me Somewhere Nice)

Sonic: same as Flash. He’s a little more hip with the times however, so he’s got some more groovy, electronic instrumentals to listen to in addition to some elegant stuff and isn’t opposed to having a little bit of lyrics sprinkled in there as well. In fact, he’s not opposed to uppity pop either. He thinks dancing is frivolous but he secretly does it when he thinks nobody is looking. (Additional Recs: Odesza - Bloom, Pretty Lights - One Day They’ll Know [Odesza Remix], BØRNS - Electric Love, Hembree - Culture, The Cinematic Orchestra - Arrival of the Birds)

Garou: same as Metal Bat. Bang let him have a little MP3 player during his time at the dojo and has since collected a few songs on there. They’re very near and dear to his heart since it’s one of the few good things that came from his absolute disaster of a childhood. (Additional Recs: Foals - Inhaler, CRX - Slow Down, Deep Sea Arcade - Close to Me, Gorillaz - Empire Ants, The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger, Glass Animals - Take A Slice)

Death Gatling: Shit your old Vietnam-vet grandpa would blast on the back of his F150. He gives me self-righteous asshole vibes, if I’m honest. Like, don’t get me wrong, I like Death Gatling, but he seems like the type of trailer park-dwelling sewer rat to carry a revolver into a Walmart for “self defense” and that’s probably the type of music he listens to, too. (Recs: Megadeth - Trust, Megadeth - Angry Again, Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son, Glen Campbell - Southern Nights, Mötley Crüe - Kickstart My Heart, Quiet Riot - Cum on Feel the Noize)

One-Shotter: I hard hc that he had an emo phase he never quite grew out of. He doesn’t quite listen to emo anymore but he’s still into that alternative shit. Homeboy also likes some slow tunes every once and a while because he’s an emotional dude who’s not afraid of a good cry. (Recs: Anything from Blink-182, Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know?, MGMT - When You Die, Mazzy Star - Fade Into You, Cigarettes After Sex - Dreaming of You, Yon Ort - Other Matter)

Lightning Max: Same as Genos but without the terminator-killing. Fast-paced stuff because he’s a fast lightning dude. A little more upbeat because he’s not as much as an edgelord as Genos, however. (Additional Recs: Carpenter Brut - Hang’em All, The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize, Worn Tin - Sensitivity, B.E.R. - The Night Begins to Shine, Martin Hall - Different Kind of Love)

Stinger: he’s all about that FUNK! Stuff that gets him moving! Stuff that makes him wanna dance! (Recs: Daft Punk - Doin’ it Right, TWRP - Body Image, Wild Cherry - Play that Funky Music, Chemise - She Can’t Love You, Saga - Wind Him Up, Saga - On the Loose, TWRP - All Night Forever)

Okamaitachi: they give me electro vibes! New, modern shit that’s good to dance to or to just sit down and have a listen! Also, some shit that’ll probably play in a coming-of-age teen movie or something. They don’t really vibe with heavy music and that’s alright, babey! Keeping it light and bouncy. (Recs: Tei Shi - Bassically, Varsity - Must Be Nice, Class Actress - Weekend, CHVRCHES - Richard Pryor, Alvvays - Marry Me, Archie, Sobs - Telltale Signs, Goth Babe - Sometimes, ALASKALASKA - Meateater)

Iaian: Nice, low tunes that are good for meditation and to be used for background noise during training sessions. He never really sits down to listen to music, it’s always in the background of something else he’s doing so he prefers to have some soft beats that don’t really interfere with his senses. Tunes so quiet, he sometimes uses them as lullabies; especially since the trauma of losing his arm has since made it hard to sleep. (Recs: Boy Scouts - Saddest Boy, Susanne Sundfør - Mantra, Vashiti Bunyan - If I Were the Same but Different, Starman Jr. - Blue Fairy, Patrick Watson - Je te Laisserai des Mots, Sibylle Baier - I Lost Something in the Hills)

Bushidrill: same as Atomic Samurai just without the shitty attitude. He’s happy to listen to some newer stuff, he just doesn’t like it and that’s okay, baby! Probably some classy shit your wise old grandpa would listen to. (Recs: Dean Martin - Volare, Dion - The Wanderer, Peppino Gagliardi - Che Vuole Questra Musica Stasera, anything from Luis Miguel lol, Franco Micalizzi - Sadness Theme)

Amai Mask: probably just listens to his own music like a putz. If not, he’s listening to the sound equivalent of glittering diamonds. He’s probably got this shit playing at the end of a long day while he’s chilling in a hot bath or something. (Recs: Fergie - Glamorous, Rita Ora - Hot Right Now, Lana Del Rey - Freak, Lana Del Rey - Art Deco, Tame Impala - Feels Like We Only Go Backwards)

Saitama: He doesn’t listen to music much anymore, sadly. He did, however, have a killer motivational mix to get him through his vigorous training prior to becoming a hero. (Recs: Paul Engemann - Push it to the Limit, Journey - Don’t Stop Believin’, College & Electric Youth - A Real Hero, Joe Esposito - You’re the Best Around, Survivor - Eye of the Tiger, The Bee Gees - Nights on Broadway)

Here’s the playlist with all of these songs in order (mostly):

It’s on YouTube because I’m allergic to Spotify. I’ve got a doctor’s note. Also, all of my other playlists are on my little profile thingy so if you want to listen to my pile then go right ahead.

Thanks for your ask, my dude! ❤️ this took up ALL of my energy lol but it was fun.

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mtvsims · 4 years

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Season 1: Ep. 5: Dance to the Death!

To access the previous episode, click here.

Challenge #2: Dance Marathon

Looks like everyone rolled straight out of bed!

Rei: I can’t go on! I have to pee!

Rei is the first girl to drop and will go into elimination this round.

Rei: I am gutted. I was so unprepared for this challenge, and now I’m in danger of going home. I’m so shocked that I flopped in a DANCING challenge. I go clubbing all the time...

Aarav: Whatever.

Aarav has dropped first for the guys, and will face elimination!

Spencer: Hahaha! Karma, Aarav. This is pure karma. For someone that prides himself on being the strongest in the house... anyways, I’m very happy.

*Alexandria drops*

*Riki drops*

Hank: Yeah, I just dropped. Is the camera getting a good look at me? I know, I look good.

*Geoff drops*

*Erica drops*

*Chloe drops*

Casey: Nice moves.

Spencer: Thanks!

Casey: I’m mad at Spencer, but he’s killing it in this comp. With Rei dropping first, I might as well end the bitterness and not create more drama.

*Peter drops*

*Bree drops*

Bree: Pop off, DeKirra!

DeKirra: This is MY challenge to win!

*Kali drops*

*Casey drops*

*Jade drops*

Stella: I feel good with myself or DeKirra winning. But I would rather have myself, obviously. I have a hit list to get to!

Brad: I feel like this might be the one comp that I could possibly win. It requires zero skill, and dancing for hours like a drunk idiot is something that I specialize in every Saturday night.

*Stella drops*

DeKirra wins for the girls!

DeKirra: YESSSS! I just won this challenge! I put my game face on, pushed through, and proved that I’m more than just DeKirra the DJ. I’m here to compete!

*Spencer drops*

Brad wins for the guys!

Brad: I was up there ALL DAY! I feel so stoked right now! I won!

Later that night...

Hank: The name of the game is survival. I think the two of us are stronger than we get credit for.

Alexandria: Definitely. I run track, cross country, and I swim, play volleyball, and do P90X on the side.

Alexandria: I hope that people don’t view me as “the hot mess” because of the whole Spencer fiasco. He f*cked me over at the nightclub, and ever since, people seem to think that I’m this girl who gets torn up about a guy. I’m stronger than that!

Aarav: Well. Looks like I’m going into elimination this round. Try to miss me if I’m gone.

Peter: I’ll try.

Aarav: I just feel so stupid.

Peter: Don’t feel stupid. It was a hard challenge.

Aarav: You’re right... you know what we could do?

Peter: I’m thinking the same thing.

*Aarav and Peter are in bed*

*Spencer walks in*

Spencer: Peter? Aarav? Wow. Looks like the two hot messes in the house found each other...

Peter: What are you gonna do about it, Spencer? Hmm?

Spencer: Okay. Let me give context. We were drinking all night. I was NOT in the right head space. And then I hear that Peter and Aarav are hooking up. I don’t get along with either of those guys. So I was just... throwing shade.

Spencer: Shut the fu-

Peter: Get out of my face!

Aarav: I see Spencer go up to Peter and straight up SLAP him. What the Hell? If you’re mad at anyone, you should be mad at me for last round when I sent you in. Leave Peter out of this.

Aarav: Get the f*ck outta here, Spencer.

Peter: Did that release all of your pent up rage? Psycho.

Peter: Of all people to SLAP me. Spencer! Who does this asshole think he is? I’m praying that Aarav doesn’t go home this week. I can’t deal with this group of people without him.

Casey: Are we good?

Rei: I think so?

Casey: Or are you gonna get cozy with Spencer again?

Rei: I might. I might not. Look, this is a reality show. It’s not that serious.

Casey: It was serious to me...

Rei: I’ll tell Casey that I have his back right now, because 1) it’s good for my game, and 2) I DO like him. But he needs to chill out about who I flirt with. Nobody owns me in this house.

Peter: Love how we get caught in so much drama.

Aarav: I love it when you do that...

The next morning...

Brad: I heard you had quite the night.

Aarav: Understatement of the century. Whoever you throw into elimination, please be nice to me.

Brad: Of course. I like you, bro.

Kali: I can’t wait to see who goes into elimination! I love seeing everyone get so scared and nervous. It’s my favorite part of the day.

Jade: Kali has issues. Anyways, I think I’ll get nominated again since I don’t talk to a whole lot of people here and go to bed at 9pm every night.

Spencer: I don’t like Rei. She’s the one who came onto me, by the way, Casey.

Casey: Are you serious?

Spencer: Basically. Of course, I didn’t say no, because she’s hot. But...

Spencer: I’m just the center of attention in this house. I can’t help it! Everyone’s in love with me. Truth is, I was definitely flirting with Rei, too. But I want Casey to trust me more than he currently does.

Hank: Do you think I’m safe with DeKirra?

Chloe: Wouldn’t you like to know...

Stella: I think we’re all gonna be safe.

Hank: She needs to pick three people. I just don’t know...

Stella: I’m pretty tight with Brad. And... practically whoever is in power at the moment. Some people might view that as ass-kissing, I view it as politicking. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!

Nominations

Brad and DeKirra, you must each nominate 3 of your fellow challengers for elimination. Brad, you must pick 3 girls. DeKirra, you must pick 3 guys.

Those people will be vulnerable to get picked to join Rei and Aarav in The Ring.

Brad: Okay. Wow. This is hard. I vibe with lots of you guys. But... first I’m picking Alexandria. I feel like you contribute to lots of drama in the house, and you’re a threat to some of my friends on the girls side. I’m also picking Bree, because you’re still pretty much on the outs. And Jade, because you keep to yourself and aren’t getting to know anyone.

DeKirra: I’m throwing in Geoff first. Geoff, you’re tight with some of the guys, but you don’t make an effort with me. Riki, I’m choosing you because you’re a shit-starter and sometimes pretty rude. And Peter, because you and Aarav are known as the package deal in the house, but you don’t talk to many people outside of Aarav.

Nominations are adjourned!

Next time, on The Challenge...

2 more people get eliminated. Who will get thrown in to face off against Aarav and Rei?

#mtvsims #ts4 #big brother #sims 4 challenge #mtv the challenge #the challenge mtv #sims 4 story #the sims 4 #bb22 #sims

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dannymoney · 4 years

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Favorite Albums of 2019

I’ll never know. Would Purple Mountains be my album of the year if David Berman hadn’t killed himself? It’s possible — perhaps, given the quality of this exceptionally moving and catchy record, tantamount to certain — though his death definitely affected the chemistry of my list making. Still, the album is full of some of his best lyrics, which is saying something, as his career was built on remarkable lyric after remarkable lyric. He is, as always, sad and funny in equal measure, and the album is played with precision, grace, and just the right amount of flourish. These are ten solid songs crafted by a shaky individual. And it’s as true as ever: all my favorite singers couldn’t sing. By god, I can’t believe he’s dead!

You know, I wasn’t going to slave over my list this year. But I did. Can’t help it. The hardest part is finding that balance between what I find impressive (innovative?) and what I find essential (emotional resonance as evoked by melodic potency?). When they’re both of those things, they’re in the top ten. Sometimes, I find that I’m thinking that an album’s really, really good, but in reality I’m just super into two or three songs on it. Now, two or three songs does not a great album make, but it does make the heart grow fond, and it’s tricky to recognize this phenomenon when it’s happening, though over time I think I usually do (I hope).

When will the day come when I don’t care about new music? I’ve been told by my elders that you stop caring. That you return more and more to the old, trusty music that you comfortably love. But what I love most about music is loving new music — so why would that ever stop? No album in 2019 blew me away, but there were a lot of gems — each of the 50 LPs on this list is one I have returned to many times. And, as often happens, some of the albums towards the end of the list are in some ways more exciting than the albums in the top ten, though I have trouble placing an album at #1 when I have a strong feeling it won’t be in my heavy rotation in the years to come, even if I find it mysterious, exciting, sexy, and new. Maybe I’m a coward, but I think I’m just a rock ’n roller.

A sigh and a shrug! Listen to every one of these albums, please. Especially Weezer because I love them.

Jesus is Lord!

Purple Mountains — Purple Mountains

1000 gecs — 100 gecs

Anima — Thom Yorke

Ode to Joy — Wilco

i,i — Bon Iver

basking in the glow — Oso, Oso

U.F.O.F — Big Thief

Two Hands — Big Thief

Songs from San Mateo County — Tony Molina

SOUND & FURY — Sturgill Simpson

In League with Dragons — The Mountain Goats

This Is How You Smile — Helado Negro

All Mirrors — Angel Olsen

Father of the Bride — Vampire Weekend

Quiet Signs — Jessica Pratt

JESUS IS KING — Kanye West

Weezer (Black Album) — Weezer

uknowwhatimsayin¿ — Danny Brown

Hidden History of the Human Race — Blood Incantation

Eton Alive — Sleaford Mods

Export — RAP

Agora — Fennesz

ZUU — Denzel Curry

Ghosteen — Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

After its own death / Walking in a spiral toward the house — Nivhek

Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest — Bill Callahan

PUNK — CHAI

MAGDALENE — FKA twigs

Emily Alone — Florist

Life Metal — Sunn O)))

Crush — Floating Points

I Was Real — 75 Dollar Bill

Here Comes the Cowboy — Mac Demarco

Thrashing Thru the Passion — The Hold Steady

Designer — Aldous Harding

Schlagenheim — black midi

Blink 182’s “Dude Ranch” as played by Colleen Green — Colleen Green

Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? — Deerhunter

Hollywood’s Bleeding — Post Malone

Norman Fucking Rockwell! — Lana Del Rey

Groove Denied — Stephen Malkmus

A Tangle of Stars — Mary Halvorson, John Dietrich

Cartas Na Manga — DJ Nigga Fox

Loom Dream — Leif

Vol. 2 — Topdown Dialectic

Circuits — Chris Potter

IGOR — Tyler, the Creator

The Sacrificial Code — Kali Malone

Meet the Woo — Pop Smoke

Triad — Triad God

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forest-of-stories · 5 years

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Fanfic Writer’s Year in Review!

I was tagged by @letterblade! <333

The following post will focus stories that I posted in their entirety on AO3 in 2018, and so will not include my X-Men: Evolution WIP Ordinary Town (which I started posting in 2017 and will probably finish this year), or most of the scenes in my Knight and Mage AU (although they total almost 5,000 words, which is Not Too Shabby).

Also, I’m skipping a couple of questions about character and pairing breakdowns. Spoiler: while I wrote in a few different fandoms last year, I probably wrote more about one character and pairing than all of the others combined.

The stories...

Black Lightning:

Overridden (110 words)

Doctor Who

Three Heads Are Better (180 words)

Gravity Falls:

Like Something From A Dream (635 words)

Odd Twins Out (640 words)

Most Likely To Stay Weird (160 words)

Following Ghosts (1,020 words)

Tell You Anything (500 words)

Seen And Not Heard (2,940 words)

Only One Step Away (200 words)

Star Wars:

Treading Water (380 words)

Your Own Heart As Signal (500 words)

Light Me Up Again (415 words)

Mark My Words (600 words)

Secrets Silenced By The Shame (515 words)

Thank You For Sharing (310 words)

Fold Your Wings (165 words)

Stranger Things:

Missing Girls (560 words)

Tortall:

And We Are Left Standing (340 words)

Set Alight (400 words)

Wrapped In Darkness (465 words)

To See A Friend Go Down in Flames (1,000 words)

Those Seasons Made Up And Undone (1,815 words)

Moves and Countermoves (1,060 words)

We Were Meant To Be Sparks of Light (335 words)

Dreams Of The Spider (1,135 words)

Merciless Kisses (435 words)

If Your Strife Strikes At Your Sleep (670 words)

Sealed With A Spell (185 words)

The Cold Is Closing In (2,072 words)

In Winter Light (608 words)

Great Minds Together (240 words)

And I Start To Drown (1,895 words)

Only The Finest (185 words)

Captive Listener (240 words)

Flight of Curiosity (535 words)

Out Of The Rain (200 words)

As I Burn Up In Your Presence (2,412 words)

Total Fics: 37 Total Words: c. 30,000

Specifics…

Best/worst title?

Best title: Excluding the ones that come from songs (which is many of them)? I’m pretty happy with “Flight of Curiosity” and “Mark My Words,” both of which contain puns/double meanings while also – I think – saying something about the characters or tone of the stories.

Worst title: “In Winter Light” is serviceable, but I think I could have done better, and consequently ended up with one less title that included some variation on the word “light.”

Best/worst first line?

Best first line: The shape of Arram’s mind is as familiar as the long, lean body that trembles beneath Ozorne’s hands. (”Great Minds Together”)

Really, what’s better than a sexy mindmeld between mage boyfriends who will one day be enemies? Nothing, that’s what.

Worst first line: Alex sometimes feels more than a little bit dazed after talking to his knight-master, and so it takes him a moment to react – a moment that could have cost his life in a fight – when another familiar voice calls his name. (”And I Start To Drown”)

I’ve written a few first lines that tried to establish too much in one go, and that’s definitely one of them.

Best/worst last line?

Best last line: Much later, lying sore and spent in the darkness, Alex still isn’t sure whether he’s been punished or forgiven. (”Merciless Kisses”)

I think that does a good job of conveying something that I hope is apparent throughout my Tortall Trash Fire fics: that Alex almost but doesn’t quite realize how bad Roger is for him.

Worst last line: Alex turns another page, still uneasy, but certain that Roger will know what to do. He always knows. (”Those Seasons Made Up and Undone”)

I’m proud of that story, for the most part, but that line didn’t wrap it up as elegantly as I would have liked.

General questions…

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted?

I can rarely predict these things. My total number of works is higher than it’s been in past years, but some of those works are really, really tiny.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?

Tortall, without question. I read and reread the Song of the Lioness books when I was younger, but another fan’s incidental comment about Alex motivated me to take another look at them. And even when I realized how much the implications about his relationship with Roger (which mostly unfolds behind the scenes) pushed all of my buttons, I’m not sure I could have predicted that I’d be writing so much about it.

I am also not a huge fan of Rey/Kylo (though I totally understand why some people are!), so “Thank You For Sharing” was also decidedly unexpected, though I don’t plan to write them doing anything more than fantasizing about each other.

What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.

Probably “The Cold Is Closing In.” There’s a lot of unexplored potential in Alex’s relationship with his own squire, and it’s always fun to write a character that understands a lot less than the reader (especially if someone else is manipulating their perceptions).

Okay, NOW your most popular story.

I was bemused to find out that “Secrets Silenced By The Shame” had the most kudos, especially since it was a Dead Dove ficlet written for a kink meme, focusing on the pain and anguish of a character about whom I have very mixed feelings, and I hid it behind an “Anonymous Creator” byline until very recently. Story most underappreciated by the universe?

I would have liked to see “Following Ghosts” get some more love, especially since the Gravity Falls fandom seems pretty fond of Wendy (as well we should be).

I always have a hard time answering this question, and it’s even trickier when thinking about the past year, since my most recent primary fandom is not what I would call a hotbed of activity, at least on AO3. (They have a message board that is somewhat busier, but I haven’t investigated it much.)

Story that could have been better?

“Set Alight” could have worked better as part of a longer work (I can even guess at which one), but I was still very much testing those fannish waters at that point, so I can sort of understand why I was like, “Throw it at the wall and see if it sticks.”

Sexiest story?

I’m very happy with the third section of “Those Seasons Made Up and Undone,” which I think is Hot Wrong all over the place, but “As I Burn Up In Your Presence” had more sexy (and also Wrong) bits, and I’m pretty happy with those, too.

Saddest story?

Everything about Alex’s downward spiral is saddening to me. “To See a Friend Go Down in Flames” gives an outsider perspective on that spiral, so maybe that one. “Missing Girls” and “Secrets Silenced by the Shame” are also meant to evoke a lot of pity and horror for the characters, and “Your Own Heart as Signal” is very much about grief, so maybe those.

Most fun?

“Most Likely to Stay Weird” (Waddles for Most Valuable Pig!). Story with single sweetest moment?

Either Kali giving Eleven calming visions in “Missing Girls” or the OT3 snuggles in “Flight of Curiosity.”

Hardest story to write?

I had never tried anything like the structure of “Seen And Not Heard,” and it took a fair amount of trial and error before I figured how to organize the sections and transition between them.

Easiest/most fun story to write?

“Merciless Kisses” (it helped that I had a really good set of prompts), or “Moves and Countermoves” (I often cackle when writing Roger, but probably never more than when he was trying to get under Myles’ skin).

Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters?

The need for a fifth POV in “To See A Friend Go Down in Flames” gave rise to some very persistent headcanons about Geoffrey, a character who gets little to no canon characterization. Also, although my Thoughts About Kylo Ren would probably derail this post more than any of us want or need, I sure did write a lot about his feelings last year.

Most overdue story?

“Following Ghosts” and “Seen And Not Heard” are both based on ideas that I’d referenced in previous works and wanted to follow up on ever since. On the other hand, I’ve wanted to write the exact scenario in “Three Heads Are Better” for roughly a dozen years.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

I think I learned a little bit more about how to set and contextualize a scene from the structure of “Seen And Not Heard,” which was, again, a pretty big risk.

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

The first ones that come to mind are: wrap up this round of H/C Bingo, whip another “You Cannot Save Him With Your Love, Geoffrey” story into shape, and finally finish Ordinary Town. More or less in that order.

I’ll tag @ellekess and anybody else who wants to do it!

#fandom #fandom year in review #writing

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frontproofmedia · 3 years

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Demetrius Andrade Defends WBO Middleweight Title Against Jason Quigley On Nov 19

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Published: October 05, 2021

Demetrius Andrade will top a World title quadruple-header as he defends his WBO World Middleweight against Jason Quigley at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire on Friday, November 19, live worldwide on DAZN.

TICKETS WILL GO ON SALE THIS WEEK – FULL DETAILS TO BE RELEASED

Andrade (30-0 18 KOs) puts his crown on the line for the fifth time and the Rhode Island star will be looking for a statement win as he hunts the unification blockbusters with his fellow belt holders at 160lbs. The 33-year-old, who picked up the vacant strap in his first fight with Eddie Hearn in Boston in October 2018, will make it five straight fights with European challengers when he steps through the ropes against Quigley. Quigley (19-1 14 KOs) moved into prime position to land a World title shot in May by beating Golden Boy stablemate Shane Mosley Jr by majority decision in a thriller in Las Vegas, and the former amateur star becomes the second Irishman to challenge ‘Boo Boo’ after Luke Keeler took on the WBO ruler in Miami in January 2020. “November 19, it’s me again,” said Andrade. “Jason Quigley, world rated, good amateur pedigree, decent skills, comes to fight, and hats off to him, he’s actually willing to step in the ring with me, which you can’t say for any of these other so-called top guys. On November 19 though I show him that there are levels to this game. Just keep winning, that’s all I can do. Go in there, handle my business, do my job, look sensational, come out healthy, and then it’s onto the next. If you have a belt at 160 or 168 lbs, let’s go. Put the politics aside, have your people call Eddie. Let’s get down to business. Charlo, stop running your mouth, making up excuse after excuse. You’re a fighter, let’s fight bro. GGG, where you at? Unify against Murata and then let’s put the three belts on the line next year. “Canelo you going to run up to 175? Cool, I can meet you there, no problem. First things first though, I need to go out on November 19, defend my championship belt, and put on a spectacular performance, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing.” “I’ve worked my whole career to get into this position of becoming world champion,” said Quigley. “Demetrius is a great champion but now it’s my time and that World title is coming back to Ireland.” Three more World title fights in support of Andrade’s clash with Quigley are led by Murodjon Akhmadaliev defending his IBF and WBA World Super Bantamweight titles against Ronny Rios. Akhmadaliev (9-0 7 KOs) was at his spiteful best last time out, putting the challenge of Ryosuke Iwasa to bed in the fifth round of his first professional outing in his homeland of Uzbekistan. ‘MJ’, who became unified champion in just his eighth fight in the paid ranks by ripping the belts from Daniel Roman, puts the belts on the line for the second time in New Hampshire and does so against his WBA mandatory challenger and #1 in the rankings. Rios (33-3 16 KOs) is in great form heading into his second World title challenge, heading to the east coast on the back of four wins, the latest being the only one to go the distance in February in Indio, California with a wide points win over Oscar Negrete. “I would like to thank my promoters Eddie Hearn and Andrei Ryabinsky for the opportunity to defend my titles in New Hampshire,” said Akhmadaliev. “I'm living and training in Indio, so I know how people love and appreciate boxing here. “It will be my second mandatory challenger in a row, he's a good fighter and I expect it to be a great fight for everybody to enjoy! As always, I'm working hard with my coaches Antonio and Joel Diaz, and we'll be prepared to defend what belongs to us!” “Who is the best to beat at my weight class? It's MJ so I am here to challenge myself with this task and I'm confident in my ability and my team to come out victorious,” said Rios. “On November 19th you will see a new world champion added to the Golden Boy stable” The third world title fight is pits Mexico vs. Puerto Rico and it’s the long-awaited showdown between Julio Cesar Martinez and McWilliams Arroyo. Mexican Martinez (18-1 14 KOs) returned to action in typically entertaining fashion in June, stopping Joel Cordova in Guadalajara to successfully defend his WBC World Flyweight title for the third time. It will be third time lucky for the Arroyo clash, with Covid squashing the first attempt to pit them together in Tulsa in May 2020 and then a hand injury to Martinez ruled him out in fight week when they were due to clash on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez’s clash with Avni Yildirim in Miami in February. Puerto Rican Arroyo (21-4 16 KOs) was able to taste action that night and picked up the Interim title at the home of the Miami Dolphins with a fifth-round win over Abraham Rodriguez and will be desperate to upgrade and rip the full title from Martinez as they finally get to tangle. “It is great that we are finally able to get this fight,” said Martinez. “We have tried twice to do it but that’s all in the past and now we’re going to go to war on October 16. “McWilliams is a strong challenger for the belt but I feel fantastic and I am ready to prove that I am the man to beat at Flyweight.” “This fight has been asked for and the fans will finally get a great battle on November 19,” said Arroyo. “I hope he will come prepared because I am going to be 100 percent ready and confident that I will be victorious.” The fourth World title bout on the bill is the second step on the path to crowing an undisputed women’s champion at 140lbs as Kali Reis takes on Jessica Camara for the WBA, IBO, and vacant WBO straps. Two-weight champion Reis (18-7-1 5 KOs) added the IBO title to her WBA crown last time out with a majority decision win over Australian Diana Prazak, and the Rhode Island champion and former WBC Middleweight ruler will be looking to add another title through victory over Camara (8-2), the Canadian that bounced back from defeat to Melissa St Vil with a confidence boosting win over Heather Hardy in May – and the stakes couldn’t be higher with the winner set to face the victor of the with October 30 clash between WBC champion Chantelle Cameron and IBF champion Mary McGee at The O2 in London, England. “I am in this tournament to collect all of the belts and become undisputed champion,” said Reis. “I want to thank DAZN, Lou DiBella and Eddie Hearn for this tremendous opportunity,” said Kali Reis. “Jessica is a talented fighter, but she will not deter me from achieving my goal. No one will.” “This is going to be a fun fight for the fans and a great fight for women’s boxing,” said Camara. “Kali will be a tough opponent, but I will be ready. On November 19, I will become a world champion. Thank you to DAZN, Lou DiBella and Eddie Hearn for putting this historic tournament together to crown an undisputed super lightweight champion.” “This is a fantastic quadruple-header of World title action,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Demetrius wants to show the other champions that he is the man to beat at Middleweight, so he needs to put on a big performance against a hungry and proud Irish challenger in Jason. “MJ is one of the best fighters in the world and he’s still in single figures as a pro, I think that we’re going to see a special performance against a tough foe in Ronny. Julio is one of the most entertaining fighters out there right now and there’s nothing less than fireworks expected as he finally gets in there with McWilliams. And finally, Kali and Jessica are one win away from the chance to fight to be the undisputed Super Lightweight champion - this is a night of action not to be missed.” "This is a fantastic card for fans to enjoy worldwide on DAZN, and a great example of our two partners Matchroom and Golden Boy working together to put on excellent shows,” said Ed Breeze, EVP Rights at DAZN. “Jason Quigley steps up against one of the toughest challenges in the middleweight division, the flawless and reigning WBO champion, Demetrius Andrade. What a night of boxing we have on our hands, and we’re thrilled to deliver this fight to DAZN subscribers on November 19.” “I am delighted to be able to partner up again with Matchroom to deliver the best fights for fight fans on November 19,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “Four world titles will be on the line as some of our formable, most exciting fighters take on the toughest challenges of their career to prove they are the best in their weight divisions. First, McWilliams Arroyo, will be is exercising his mandatory challenge for the WBC World Flyweight Championship against Julio Cesar Martinez. “Next, our very own Ronny Rios, who’s been on a winning streak since 2019, challenges Murodjon Akhmadaliev for the WBA and IBF Super Bantamweight World Titles. Finally, one of my favorite Golden Boy fighters, Jason Quigley will challenge Demetrius Andrade for the WBO Middleweight Title after a stellar performance against Shane Mosley Jr in May. I am fully confident in my fighters coming out successful and am looking forward to adding three new world champions to our Golden Boy roster.”

#HF #Demetrius Andrade #Jason Quigley #Matchroom Boxing #DAZN

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pearwaldorf · 6 years

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readingtheend on Twitter wanted to know about the good fic I read this year, so here's what I have, sorted by mood. Multifandom, multi-pairing. Spoilers will be noted.

Special shout-out to my fandom bff notcaycepollard, who writes the best Star Wars, Sam/Bucky(/Steve) and Stackie fic. Pick one, pick them all, you can’t go wrong.

Funny

played it so nonchalant by impertinence TFA/TLJ; Finn/Kylo Ren Kylo keeps talking to people in the Resistance about Finn's opinions on, well, everything. And the worst part is, he's quoting conversations they actually had. There's pretty much no way this would happen in canon, but it's just plausible enough that it makes it hilarious.

Sad (but hopeful)

one hundred and thirty (including the porgs) by Peradi TLJ spoilers, gen-ish As they flee Crait, Finn counts what is left. Gentle, comforting, hopeful, necessary.

Breathe by tetrahedrals Stranger Things (s2 spoilers); Terry Ives, Eleven, Kali Fix-it fic where Eleven comes back w/ Kali to help her mom.

Oh god. My heart has been gently carved out.

Trope-a-licious

The Good Hermitage by burglebezzlement The Good Place; Eleanor/Tahani It’s not like Eleanor wants to move into the run-down cottage on Tahani’s property. And it's not like Eleanor wants Tahani to get snowed in with her, either.

A madeleine is a Madeline is a madeleine by moemachina The Good Place; Eleanor/Tahani Trapped in Chidi's old apartment, Eleanor and Chidi settle down for a long night of alcohol, charades, home-decorating tips, impromptu baking, and some surprising confessions. The characterization is absolutely perfect.

Bruising kisses, whispered confessions by tangerine_skye The Adventure Zone; Magnus/Taako The trio stop over at an inn for the night. Taako and Magnus share a bed.

your head is good, it's loyal, it's clean by anonymous The Adventure Zone; Magnus/Taako

Fake relationship, drunk makeouts. This is the Good Shit.

diamond heart by possibilityleft The Adventure Zone; Magnus/Taako Magnus and Taako start out sleeping together -- just sleeping. Magnus isn't sure what to do when he realizes he wants more than that. I love this one, the way they slide into a relationship before they realize it and it turns out to be a thing they both miss when it's not there.

Emergency Consolation in the Pocket Spa by anonymous The Adventure Zone; Magnus/Taako If Magnus wants to hug a wizard, Magnus gets to hug a wizard. Normally prickly stand-offish person letting down their emotional guard? Check. That weird emotional space where your friend becomes something more kinda but nobody knows how it's going to shake out? Check.

Worldbuilding and/or character centric

Gweilo Gongfu by PR Zed Captain America AU; Steve/Bucky

The one where Bucky Barnes is Cantonese-American and Steve gets adopted into Chinatown. The details are all right, and this is so, so good.

sharp edges, sharp hearts by salts Wonder Woman; Antiope Antiope is the greatest warrior in Themyscira, so she loves her Diana like a warrior should: viciously, with a sword in hand. Short, vicious, emotional. So good.

That Lonesome, Starry Line by PsiCigni Wonder Woman; Diana/Steve Every night, Diana dreams of home. Often, Steve is there. Sad and wistful and lovely.

fifteen feet of pure white snow, by cinderfell Critical Role (post Chroma Conclave arc); Cassandra de Rolo When you've lived your life in a gilded cage, it's hard to leave even once the door has been opened.

This is such a fantastic character study focusing on a fear that Cass would plausibly have, and it's treated with such empathy and compassion.

head of the flock by teacuptaako The Adventure Zone (Stolen Century spoilers); Lup Lup knows she's beautiful, and brilliant, and adored by everybody she meets. She has to know it because you can't leave shit like your worth up for discussion. My beautiful, fierce Lup

crack your bones with veins of gold by tardigradeschool The Adventure Zone (Stolen Century spoilers); Barry, Taako In a hundred years, one tends to see their friends die a lot. It doesn't get easier, except it kind of does. I love the slowly developing relationship Barry and Taako have.

Transactive Memory, by dimir_charmer The Adventure Zone (Stolen Century spoilers); Taako-centric, Taako & Lup As it turns out, when you take someone's friends, their family, their memories from them, they aren't a better person for it. I love the way this sets everything up, the way you can see the absence of everybody else, especially Lup

it's kind of nice just to go home by altschmerzes The Adventure Zone, Tres Horny Boys Taako has a bad day, Magnus exercises his cuddling skills, the tables turn, and Merle is not prepared to deal with feelings today. A gen fic heavy on the affection, light on the plot, told in three parts.

because that's what love is (equivalent exchange) by teacuptaako The Adventure Zone (Stolen Century spoilers); Barry-centric In which Taako and Barry try to understand each other. A gorgeous character study of Barry and the rest of the IPRE crew, with an especial emphasis on Lup and Taako.

Breakfast by anonymousalchemist The Adventure Zone (Stolen Century spoilers); Taako It’s doublethink in his head, it’s like being two different people at the same time. There is the elf who grew up alone and crystallized callous in his own loneliness, who was a chef before he was an enchanter, who only made close friends seventy-some years into his lifespan. And there is the elf who grew up hand in hand with the best damn sister a guy could ask for, who cooked as a hobby for his friends and spent years studying magicks, who joined a mission to explore the multiverse and ended up spending a century trying to save it. Who had a family. Lovely little character study.

Cinnamon Rolls by goldfishoflove The Adventure Zone; Taako, Magnus The morning after the Eleventh Hour, Taako and Magnus are still rattled by what they've learned. Sweet bit of teammate bonding. Also, it has the tag "voidfish innuendo"

starting to sound like a friendship thing by Psilent The Adventure Zone; Taako, Magnus

The one where Magnus saves Taako's life and asks for a favor. I love how this captures their budding relationship, and their personalities.

Dead dove do not eat

Beyond my Reach by Lizzen TLJ; Rey/Kylo Ren As the force bond lingers, Rey and Kylo Ren circle each other on a different playing field. Their strange intimacy grows into a dangerous game.

A Balanced Tribute by cracktheglasses vaguely historical AU; Rey/Kylo Ren, Rey/Hux, Ren/Hux She will be wed, and she will hold The Butcher’s hand, will let him slide the Emperor's ring on her finger, will ride beside him to Coruscant.

#my fic recs

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umusicians · 4 years

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UM Interview: LO LA

Los Angeles based artist LO LA has been performing her whole life. Since the age of five, LO LA began playing piano and at the age 16 began writing music. The now 20 year old artist has performed at venues and events across Los Angeles including the Autism Speaks Gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel and being accompanied by Mick Fleetwood (of Fleetwood Mac) at one of her past performances. Since launching her music career, LO LA has achieved over 2 million plays on Spotify.

Amandah Opoku sat down with LO LA to talk about her new single “Cherries & Lemonade”, performing with Mick Fleetwood (of Fleetwood Mac) & more!

Amandah Opoku: Hi LO LA, thank you for doing this interview with UMusicians! Can you introduce yourself to our viewers and tell us about one new song you’ve discovered in the last few months that you love! LO LA: Hi! I’m Lola (LO LA). I’m 20 years old, and I’m an independent artist. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and grew up listening to a lot of music and playing instruments! I started writing music when I was 16 and haven’t stopped since then! The genre I write in the most is pop!

One new song I’ve discovered in the last few months that I love is “Radio” by Lana Del Rey! I really connected with the song. The chorus goes “Now my life is sweet like cinnamon, like a f*****g dream I'm living in, baby love me cause I'm playing on the radio, (how do you like me now?).” My music recently played on the radio for the first time ever (in Indonesia) and I was so elated after finding out the news! Around the same time I discovered this song and it literally described how I was feeling! I haven’t been able to stop listening!

AO: In kindergarten you were drawn to the piano, which one can say sparked your interest in music. What was it about this instrument that drew you to it? LO LA: The piano definitely had a role in sparking my interest in music! I grew up playing classical music, but when I was around 15 years old, my piano teacher started teaching me chords and had me start playing pop songs. Then, I started to experiment with the chords and started writing music! Before I was born, my parents bought a piano for the house, but they didn’t know how to play, so they put me in lessons as soon as I could sit on the bench!

AO: And now as you pursue a career as a singer and songwriter, what inspired you to choose this career path? LO LA: Growing up, up until high school, I had always done musical theatre, but really only enjoyed the singing aspect of it. When I started high school, I was in different school-run pop/jazz bands for three years and fell in love with performing. There was actually one moment, though, where I knew performing was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. At the end of my junior year of high school, I was really stressed out because it seemed like all of my friends knew what they wanted to do with their lives, but I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do.

Towards the last month of school, my school went on its annual school-wide retreat. There was a festival a bunch of music students were putting on, and as a part of my set, I performed “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” During that song, right before that last chorus, I swear I had an out of body experience. I looked around me at all of my friends instrumentally backing me up, at my best friend who was singing the song with me, and down at all of my peers cheering in the audience. During that moment everything slowed down and it felt like I was floating. It was so surreal. It was like a crazy out-of-body experience. After that performance, I knew that performing was what I had to do for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else.

AO: Are there any musical influences that inspired you to make music? If so, who are they and do they still inspire you today? LO LA: The biggest musical influence that inspired me to make music was the Beatles. I was in a house band at my high school in 10th grade and the other band members were huge Beatles fans, but I had never really listened to that much Beatles music before. We performed so many Beatles songs that year, and the following year once I was no longer in the band, it really made me miss Beatles music, and I really just became obsessed with them after that. I started listening to all of their albums, and during that same time, I also began writing music. A lot of people who have listened to my earlier songs I wrote often point out how they sound very Beatle-esqe. They definitely still inspire me every day. Without them, I don’t know if I would’ve become a songwriter. Some other big influences on my writing are Queen, The Zombies, Tyler the Creator, Boy Pablo, Rex Orange County, ELO, and Lily Allen.

AO: You released a new single “Cherries & Lemonade” on July 10th, what was the inspiration for the single? LO LA: I began writing the song right around the time when I listened to Harry Styles’ song “Watermelon Sugar” for the first time. What I loved about Harry’s song was that it had super happy, summery vibes and just sounded really free. After hearing it, I wanted to make a song similar to it! It’s actually the first really happy song I’ve ever written (I usually write songs about past relationships) so I was super excited when I finished writing this one! The song was also written during this quarantine period, and the inspiration for it (besides Harry’s song) was thinking about all the carefree fun times I had with friends before the coronavirus. I’m hoping that “Cherries & Lemonade” will remind people of all the fun, carefree times they had before COVID-19! I’m hoping that the song will cause people to feel nostalgic about fun summer times, and put them in a better mood (as times are kind of rough right now in the world!)

AO: What was the writing and recording process for “Cherries & Lemonade” and does it differ from your writing and recording process for music you’ve previously released? LO LA: The song started off with a beat that one of my good friends/one of my producers I met at college, Dariush (@darshmadebeats), made. He produced my songs “Overthinking” and “Jealous (Acoustic)” as well. I had always told him that I wanted to write a happy, flowy, chill, carefree song (similar to the songs that one of my favorite bands, Boy Pablo, makes. When he showed me the beat, I immediately fell in love with it and it made me think of summer right away! I started writing the song with one of my friends and the song practically wrote itself! The song differs in many ways from the music I’ve previously released!

It’s the first happy song I’m releasing!

It’s the first song I wrote over a beat that I’m releasing (usually I compose the songs as well)

It’s the first song I’m releasing that I wrote with someone else!

It’s the first song I’m releasing where only people who have gone to my college have worked on it. My co-writer, producer, and bass player all went to my university!

AO: As you work on your debut album, without giving too much away, what is the overarching theme of the record? What kind of story do you want the record to tell? LO LA: There’s not much I can say about it, since I’m just beginning to work on it, but with the singles I plan on releasing soon, I can say that there definitely is an overarching theme with those (overcoming/reminiscing on past relationships). With all the music I put out I really try to tell stories from the heart that other people can relate to. When someone tells me they listened to one of my songs and related to it, it always feels so good because that means they can know they’re not the only ones going through what they are going through, and it also reassures me that I’m not the only one going through the situation as well.

AO: If you could describe your music in three words. What words would you choose and why? LO LA: If I had to describe my music in three words, I would choose storytelling, passion, & love.

Storytelling because every song I’ve written this far tells a story or captures a memory.

Passion because I am very passionate about the stories I write about and have only released songs in which I am passionate about the subject

Love because literally all of the songs I have released thus far are about how love has affected me.

AO: One of your favorite performances was when you sang and were accompanied by Mick Fleetwood (of Fleetwood Mac). Tell us about that moment and what it meant to you. LO LA: It was one of the coolest, most surreal moments of my life. It was back in high school, when I was a senior in band. I was the singer for the band and our school was putting on a gala and wanted the band to perform at it. I knew I was going to be performing at it, but I had no idea what song I would be performing. One day, out of the blue, my band teacher called me and asked me “how would you like to sing a Fleetwood Mac song while being accompanied on the drums by Mick Fleetwood?” I was so shocked and excited! The song we ended up performing was “Don’t Stop.” Mick Fleetwood flew in his golden-plated drums from Hawaii to the gala venue! I got to meet him before and after the performance and it was just so surreal to be singing one of his songs. I’ll never forget that day! I’ll include a picture at the bottom!

AO: If you could pick any 3 artists to collaborate with, who would you pick and why? LO LA: This is such a hard question because there are SO many artists I want to collaborate with!

Tyler, The Creator for sure. I love his music so so so much. One of my favorite songs of all time is his song “See You Again” which was a collaboration he did with Kali Uchis. I hope one day I can make a song like that with him. It would be a DREAM.

Boy Pablo. They are one of my favorite bands and I’ve loved their music since the beginning! One day I hope I can go to Norway and collaborate with them.

Lily Allen. Lily Allen is another huge influence on my music and I’ve always wanted to meet her and collaborate with her. So many of her songs inspired my songs and I would love to see what we would write together! I love how she tells stories in her songs as well!

AO: Your artist name is “LO LA”, what inspired you to present your name artistically in this way? LO LA: When I was coming up with a name, I knew I wanted to use my real name, and really didn’t want to make many adjustments to it. I saw that there were already a few “Lola’s out there,” but I hadn’t seen any “LO LA’s” and I really liked how the capital letters looked!

AO: For a new fan that may across your music on digital music platforms, what do you want them to take away from your music? LO LA: I want them to listen to my music and see that it’s normal to get upset about things & overthink. Love definitely isn’t easy, but is often portrayed that way in the media and in music. I want people to hear my songs and know that they’re not alone with what they’re going through. I hope that my music will help people get through tough situations. I write for fun, but my ultimate goal is to be able to reach people and help them through my music.

AO: LO LA, thank you for sitting down with me to do this interview! Before you go, is there anything you’d like to say to your fans and our readers? LO LA: Thank you so much for reading this and for listening to my music. It means the world to me that there’s actually people out there that enjoy listening to my music and my stories. It’s still hard to fathom that people are out there all around the world listening to my music! I never thought that it would happen! Thank you so much again! Also! To pass on my mantra, everything happens for a reason! :) Through writing my music, there’s been times where I haven’t understood why things have happened to me, but everything seems to always end up falling into place! Even if it’s not the way I intended it or imagined it to be!

Connect with LO LA on the following websites: https://www.twitter.com/musicbylola_ https://www.instagram.com/musicbylola_ https://www.tiktok.com/@musicbylola_

#Interviews #Amandah Opoku #LO LA

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Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/2018-grammys-biggest-winners-losers-full-list/

2018 Grammys: Biggest Winners and Losers full list

The 2018 Grammys saw Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar walk away with the bulk of awards expected for Jay Z. Alessia Carr surprised some by walking away with the Best New Artist award which many thought would go to SZA. You can see the top moments from the 60th Annual Grammy Awards show here. Bruce Springsteen took a backseat to Carrie Fisher for the spoken word category while Leonard Cohen beat out Chris Cornell in best rock performance category. Many expected the posthumous entrant Cornell to take that award. The best speeches of the night are just below:

Bruno Mars Accepts Album of the Year

He'd just won record of the year and song of the year, but Bruno Mars still had some words of wisdom left when he stepped to the stage to accept his third "Big Four" Grammy of the night. He thought back to being 15 years old, opening up shows in his native Hawaii, performing stadards to tourist crowds from all over the world. "Later on in life, I found out that those songs were written by either Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, or Teddy Riley," he said, thinking back to his R&B heroes. "I remember seeing it first hand, seeing people dancing together, that had never met each other, from two sides of the globe." As for 24K Magic's win, he said, "That’s all I wanted to bring with this album, to see everybody dancing.”

Logic Goes In On Trump, Abusers After His Big Performance

After rapping "1-800-273-8255" -- his anti-suicide song alongside Khalid and Alessia Cara -- Logic diverged from his usual lyrics to speak on other pressing issues. These included the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements ("Stand tall and crush all predators under the weight of your heart that is full of the love that they will never take away from you”) and Donald Trump’s vile comments about immigrants from non-white nations, saluting, “all the countries filled with culture and diversity and thousands of years of history.”

Chappelle's Show Against the System

In winning best comedy album, Dave Chappelle’s acceptance speech was a little anti-climactic. He thanked his family, then left us with a quick, "See you on Monday.” Fortunately, the legendary comic had dropped some crucial soundbites earlier in the evening. In introducing the nominees for best rap album, Chappelle shouted out the members of his beloved Tribe Called Quest (along with an “R.I.P. Phife Dawg”), perhaps nodding to Q-Tip’s annoyance at being snubbed in this year’s nominees. And to kick off the night, Chappelle interjected Kendrick Lamar’s fiery opening performance with some scathing spoken word jabs. Most notably: “I just wanted to remind the audience that the only thing more frightening than watching a black man be honest in America… is being an honest black man in America.”

& 3. Kendrick Lamar

Many hoped the 2018 Grammys wound end with Kendrick Lamar giving a cathartic speech in accepting album of the year. At the very end, things didn’t go his way, but he did provide the MSG audience with a pair of deeply meaningful speeches early on, in winning best rap/sung performance (alongside Rihanna) and best rap album. He shouted out his heroes -- JAY-Z, Nas, and Puff Daddy -- as well as Rihanna’s star power. Watch clips of both below.

Janelle Monáe Introduces Kesha

Kesha's rousing 2017 gospel-pop track "Praying" got a spellbinding performance from Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, Andra Day, Julia Michaels, and Kesha Rose herself. And it also got a monster of an introduction from Janelle Monáe, who saluted the #MeToo and Time's Up movements, recognizing Kesha's career-risking defiance in helping to spark both back in 2014: "To those who would dare silence us, we offer you two words: Time's up... We have the power to undo the culture that does not serve us well. Let's work together, women and men, committed to creating safer work environments and equal pay."

Camila Cabello Salutes the DREAMers

Camila Cabello introduced U2’s Statue of Liberty performance in dramatic fashion. She shouted out America's immigrants, specifically those in the country under the DREAM Act. With the status of DREAMers under siege by the Trump administration, the Cuban-born artist -- who emigrated to America at age five -- did her best to make Lady Liberty's meaning especially clear: "These kids can't be forgotten and are worth fighting for." 2018 60th Annual Grammy Awards Complete List of Winners GENERAL FIELD Album of the Year: "Awaken, My Love!" — Childish Gambino 4:44 — Jay-Z DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar Melodrama — Lorde 24K Magic — Bruno Mars -- WINNER Record of the Year: "Redbone" — Childish Gambino "Despacito" — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber "The Story Of O.J." — Jay-Z "HUMBLE." — Kendrick Lamar "24K Magic" — Bruno Mars -- WINNER Song of the Year: "Despacito" — Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber) "4:44" — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (Jay-Z) "Issues" — Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels) "1-800-273-8255" — Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury & Khalid Robinson, songwriters (Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid) "That’s What I Like" — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars) -- WINNER Best New Artist: Alessia Cara -- WINNER Khalid Lil Uzi Vert Julia Michaels SZA POP FIELD Best Pop Solo Performance: "Love So Soft" — Kelly Clarkson "Praying" — Kesha "Million Reasons" — Lady Gaga "What About Us" — P!nk "Shape Of You" — Ed Sheeran -- WINNER Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: "Something Just Like This" — The Chainsmokers & Coldplay "Despacito" — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber "Thunder" — Imagine Dragons "Feel It Still" — Portugal. The Man -- WINNER "Stay" — Zedd & Alessia Cara Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Nobody But Me (Deluxe Version) — Michael Bublé Triplicate — Bob Dylan In Full Swing — Seth MacFarlane Wonderland — Sarah McLachlan Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 — (Various Artists) Dae Bennett, Producer -- WINNER Best Pop Vocal Album: Kaleidoscope EP — Coldplay Lust for Life — Lana Del Rey Evolve — Imagine Dragons Rainbow — Kesha Joanne — Lady Gaga ÷ (Divide) — Ed Sheeran -- WINNER DANCE/ELECTRONIC FIELD Best Dance Recording: "Bambro Koyo Ganda" — Bonobo Featuring Innov Gnawa "Cola" — Camelphat & Elderbrook "Andromeda" — Gorillaz Featuring DRAM "Tonite" — LCD Soundsystem -- WINNER "Line Of Sight" — Odesza Featuring WYNNE & Mansionair Best Dance/Electronic Album: Migration — Bonobo 3-D The Catalogue — Kraftwerk -- WINNER Mura Masa — Mura Masa A Moment Apart — Odesza What Now — Sylvan Esso CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL FIELD Best Contemporary Instrumental Album: What If — The Jerry Douglas Band Spirit — Alex Han Mount Royal — Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge Prototype — Jeff Lorber Fusion -- WINNER Bad Hombre — Antonio Sanchez ROCK FIELD Best Rock Performance: "You Want It Darker" — Leonard Cohen -- WINNER "The Promise" — Chris Cornell "Run" — Foo Fighters "No Good" — Kaleo "Go To War" — Nothing More Best Metal Performance: "Invisible Enemy" — August Burns Red "Black Hoodie" — Body Count "Forever" — Code Orange "Sultan’s Curse" — Mastodon -- WINNER "Clockworks" — Meshuggah Best Rock Song: "Atlas, Rise!" — James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich, songwriters (Metallica) "Blood In The Cut" — JT Daly & Kristine Flaherty, songwriters (K.Flay) "Go To War" — Ben Anderson, Jonny Hawkins, Will Hoffman, Daniel Oliver, David Pramik & Mark Vollelunga, songwriters (Nothing More) "Run" — Foo Fighters, songwriters (Foo Fighters) -- WINNER "The Stage" — Zachary Baker, Brian Haner, Matthew Sanders, Jonathan Seward & Brooks Wackerman, songwriters (Avenged Sevenfold) Best Rock Album: Emperor Of Sand — Mastodon Hardwired…To Self-Destruct — Metallica The Stories We Tell Ourselves — Nothing More Villains — Queens Of the Stone Age A Deeper Understanding — The War On Drugs -- WINNER ALTERNATIVE FIELD Best Alternative Music Album: Everything Now — Arcade Fire Humanz — Gorillaz American Dream — LCD Soundsystem Pure Comedy — Father John Misty Sleep Well Beast — The National -- WINNER R&B FIELD Best R&B Performance: "Get You" — Daniel Caesar Featuring Kali Uchis "Distraction" — Kehlani "High" — Ledisi "That’s What I Like" — Bruno Mars -- WINNER "The Weekend" — SZA Best Traditional R&B Performance: "Laugh And Move On" — The Baylor Project "Redbone" — Childish Gambino -- WINNER "What I’m Feelin'" — Anthony Hamilton Featuring The Hamiltones| "All The Way" — Ledisi "Still" — Mali Music Best R&B Song: "First Began" — PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton) "Location" — Alfredo Gonzalez, Olatunji Ige, Samuel David Jiminez, Christopher McClenney, Khalid Robinson & Joshua Scruggs, songwriters (Khalid) "Redbone" — Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino) "Supermodel" — Tyran Donaldson, Terrence Henderson, Greg Landfair Jr., Solana Rowe & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (SZA) "That’s What I Like" — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars) -- WINNER Best Urban Contemporary Album: Free 6LACK — 6LACK "Awaken, My Love!" — Childish Gambino American Teen — Khalid Ctrl — SZA Starboy — The Weeknd -- WINNER Best R&B Album: Freudian — Daniel Caesar Let Love Rule — Ledisi 24K Magic — Bruno Mars -- WINNER Gumbo — PJ Morton Feel the Real –Musiq Soulchild RAP FIELD Best Rap Performance: "Bounce Back" — Big Sean "Bodak Yellow" — Cardi B "4:44" — Jay-Z "HUMBLE." — Kendrick Lamar -- WINNER "Bad And Boujee" — Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert Best Rap/Sung Performance: "PRBLMS" — 6LACK "Crew" — Goldlink Featuring Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy "Family Feud" — Jay-Z Featuring Beyoncé "LOYALTY." — Kendrick Lamar Featuring Rihanna -- WINNER "Love Galore" — SZA Featuring Travis Scott Best Rap Song: "Bodak Yellow" — Dieuson Octave, Klenord Raphael, Shaftizm, Jordan Thorpe, Washpoppin & J White, songwriters (Cardi B) "Chase Me" — Judah Bauer, Brian Burton, Hector Delgado, Jaime Meline, Antwan Patton, Michael Render, Russell Simins & Jon Spencer, songwriters (Danger Mouse Featuring Run The Jewels & Big Boi) "HUMBLE." — Duckworth, Asheton Hogan & M. Williams II, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar) -- WINNER "Sassy" — Gabouer & M. Evans, songwriters (Rapsody) "The Story Of O.J." — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (Jay-Z) Best Rap Album: 4:44 — Jay-Z DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar -- WINNER Culture — Migos Laila’s Wisdom — Rapsody Flower Boy — Tyler, The Creator COUNTRY FIELD Best Country Solo Performance: "Body Like A Back Road" — Sam Hunt "Losing You: –Alison Krauss "Tin Man" — Miranda Lambert "I Could Use A Love Song" — Maren Morris "Either Way" — Chris Stapleton -- WINNER Best Country Duo/Group Performance: "It Ain’t My Fault" — Brothers Osborne "My Old Man" — Zac Brown Band "You Look Good" — Lady Antebellum "Better Man" — Little Big Town -- WINNER "Drinkin’ Problem" — Midland Best Country Song: "Better Man" — Taylor Swift, songwriter (Little Big Town) "Body Like A Back Road" — Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Sam Hunt) "Broken Halos" — Mike Henderson & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton) -- WINNER "Drinkin’ Problem" — Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne & Mark Wystrach, songwriters (Midland) "Tin Man" — Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert & Jon Randall, songwriters (Miranda Lambert) Best Country Album: Cosmic Hallelujah — Kenny Chesney Heart Break — Lady Antebellum The Breaker — Little Big Town Life Changes — Thomas Rhett From a Room: Volume 1 — Chris Stapleton -- WINNER NEW AGE FIELD Best New Age Album: Reflection — Brian Eno SongVersation: Medicine — India.Arie Dancing On Water — Peter Kater -- WINNER Sacred Journey Of Ku-Kai, Volume 5 — Kitaro Spiral Revelation — Steve Roach JAZZ FIELD Best Improvised Jazz Solo: "Can’t Remember Why" — Sara Caswell, soloist "Dance Of Shiva" — Billy Childs, soloist "Whisper Not" — Fred Hersch, soloist "Miles Beyond" — John McLaughlin, soloist -- WINNER "Ilimba" — Chris Potter, soloist Best Jazz Vocal Album: The Journey — The Baylor Project A Social Call — Jazzmeia Horn Bad Ass and Blind — Raul Midón Porter Plays Porter — Randy Porter Trio With Nancy King Dreams and Daggers — Cécile McLorin Salvant -- WINNER Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Uptown, Downtown — Bill Charlap Trio Rebirth — Billy Childs -- WINNER Project Freedom –Joey DeFrancesco & The People Open Book — Fred Hersch The Dreamer Is the Dream — Chris Potter Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: MONK’estra Vol. 2 — John Beasley Jigsaw — Alan Ferber Big Band Bringin’ It — Christian McBride Big Band -- WINNER Homecoming — Vince Mendoza & WDR Big Band Cologne Whispers on the Wind — Chuck Owen And The Jazz Surge Best Latin Jazz Album: Hybrido – From Rio To Wayne Shorter — Antonio Adolfo Oddara — Jane Bunnett & Maqueque Outra Coisa – The Music Of Moacir Santos — Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonçalves Típico — Miguel Zenón Jazz Tango — Pablo Ziegler Trio -- WINNER GOSPEL/ CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC FIELD Best Gospel Performance/Song: "Too Hard Not To" — Tina Campbell "You Deserve It" — JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise Featuring Bishop Cortez Vaughn "Better Days" — Le’Andria "My Life" — The Walls Group "Never Have To Be Alone" — CeCe Winans -- WINNER Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song: "Oh My Soul" — Casting Crowns "Clean" — Natalie Grant "What A Beautiful Name" — Hillsong Worship -- WINNER "Even If" — MercyMe "Hills And Valleys" — Tauren Wells Best Gospel Album: Crossover: Live From Music City — Travis Greene Bigger Than Me — Le’Andria Close — Marvin Sapp Sunday Song — Anita Wilson Let Them Fall in Love — CeCe Winans -- WINNER Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: Rise — Danny Gokey Echoes (Deluxe Edition) — Matt Maher Lifer — MercyMe Hills and Valleys — Tauren Wells Chain Breaker — Zach Williams -- WINNER Best Roots Gospel Album: The Best Of the Collingsworth Family – Volume 1 — The Collingsworth Family Give Me Jesus — Larry Cordle Resurrection — Joseph Habedank Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope — Reba McEntire -- WINNER Hope for All Nations — Karen Peck & New River LATIN FIELD Best Latin Pop Album: Lo Único Constante — Alex Cuba Mis Planes Son Amarte — Juanes Amar Y Vivir En Vivo Desde La Ciudad De México, 2017 — La Santa Cecilia Musas (Un Homenaje Al Folclore Latinoamericano En Manos De Los Macorinos) — Natalia Lafourcade El Dorado — Shakira -- WINNER Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album: Ayo — Bomba Estéreo Pa’ Fuera — C4 Trío & Desorden Público Salvavidas De Hielo — Jorge Drexler El Paradise — Los Amigos Invisibles Residente — Residente -- WINNER Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano): Ni Diablo Ni Santo — Julión Álvarez Y Su Norteño Banda Ayer Y Hoy — Banda El Recodo De Cruz Lizárraga Momentos — Alex Campos Arriero Somos Versiones Acústicas — Aida Cuevas -- WINNER Zapateando En El Norte — Humberto Novoa, producer (Various Artists) Best Tropical Latin Album: Albita — Albita Art of the Arrangement — Doug Beavers Salsa Big Band — Rubén Blades Con Roberto Delgado & Orquesta -- WINNER Gente Valiente — Silvestre Dangond Indestructible — Diego El Cigala AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC FIELD Best American Roots Performance: Killer Diller Blues — Alabama Shakes -- WINNER Let My Mother Live — Blind Boys Of Alabama Arkansas Farmboy — Glen Campbell Steer Your Way — Leonard Cohen I Never Cared For You — Alison Krauss Best American Roots Song: "Cumberland Gap" — David Rawlings "I Wish You Well" — The Mavericks "If We Were Vampires" — Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit -- WINNER "It Ain’t Over Yet" — Rodney Crowell Featuring Rosanne Cash & John Paul White "My Only True Friend" –Gregg Allman Best Americana Album: Southern Blood — Gregg Allman Shine On Rainy Day — Brent Cobb Beast Epic — Iron & Wine The Nashville Sound — Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit -- WINNER Brand New Day — The Mavericks Best Bluegrass Album: Fiddler’s Dream — Michael Cleveland Laws Of Gravity — The Infamous Stringdusters -- WINNER (TIE) Original — Bobby Osborne Universal Favorite — Noam Pikelny All The Rage – In Concert Volume One [Live] — Rhonda Vincent And The Rage -- WINNER (TIE) Best Traditional Blues Album: Migration Blues — Eric Bibb Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio — Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio Roll And Tumble — R.L. Boyce Sonny & Brownie’s Last Train — Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi Blue & Lonesome — The Rolling Stones -- WINNER Best Contemporary Blues Album: Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm — Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm Recorded Live In Lafayette — Sonny Landreth TajMo — Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' -- WINNER Got Soul — Robert Randolph & The Family Band Live From The Fox Oakland — Tedeschi Trucks Band Best Folk Album: Mental Illness — Aimee Mann -- WINNER Semper Femina — Laura Marling The Queen Of Hearts — Offa Rex You Don’t Own Me Anymore — The Secret Sisters The Laughing Apple — Yusuf / Cat Stevens Best Regional Roots Music Album: Top Of the Mountain — Dwayne Dopsie And The Zydeco Hellraisers Ho’okena 3.0 — Ho’okena Kalenda — Lost Bayou Ramblers -- WINNER Miyo Kekisepa, Make A Stand [Live] — Northern Cree Pua Kiele — Josh Tatofi REGGAE FIELD Best Reggae Album: Chronology — Chronixx Lost In Paradise — Common Kings Wash House Ting — J Boog Stony Hill — Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley -- WINNER Avrakedabra — Morgan Heritage WORLD MUSIC FIELD Best World Music Album: Memoria De Los Sentidos — Vicente Amigo Para Mi — Buika Rosa Dos Ventos — Anat Cohen & Trio Brasileiro Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30th Anniversary Celebration — Ladysmith Black Mambazo -- WINNER Elwan — Tinariwen CHILDREN’S FIELD Best Children’s Album: Brighter Side — Gustafer Yellowgold Feel What U Feel — Lisa Loeb -- WINNER Lemonade — Justin Roberts Rise Shine #Woke — Alphabet Rockers Songs Of Peace & Love For Kids & Parents Around The World — Ladysmith Black Mambazo SPOKEN WORD FIELD Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling): Astrophysics For People In A Hurry — Neil Degrasse Tyson Born To Run — Bruce Springsteen Confessions Of A Serial Songwriter — Shelly Peiken Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In (Bernie Sanders) — Bernie Sanders And Mark Ruffalo The Princess Diarist — Carrie Fisher -- WINNER COMEDY FIELD Best Comedy Album: The Age Of Spin & Deep In The Heart Of Texas — Dave Chappelle -- WINNER Cinco — Jim Gaffigan Jerry Before Seinfeld — Jerry Seinfeld A Speck Of Dust — Sarah Silverman What Now? 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Smith: The Trouble With The Truth — Wayne Bledsoe & Bradley Reeves, album notes writers (Various Artists) Big Bend Killing: The Appalachian Ballad Tradition — Ted Olson, album notes writer (Various Artists) The Complete Piano Works Of Scott Joplin — Bryan S. 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Meyer, mastering engineers (Leonard Bernstein) - WINNER Sweet As Broken Dates: Lost Somali Tapes From The Horn Of Africa — Nicolas Sheikholeslami & Vik Sohonie, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Various Artists) Washington Phillips And His Manzarene Dreams — Michael Corcoran, April G. Ledbetter & Steven Lance Ledbetter, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Washington Phillips) PRODUCTION, NON-CLASSICAL FIELD Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Every Where Is Some Where — Brent Arrowood, Miles Comaskey, JT Daly, Tommy English, Kristine Flaherty, Adam Hawkins, Chad Howat & Tony Maserati, engineers; Joe LaPorta, mastering engineer (K.Flay) Is This The Life We Really Want? — Nigel Godrich, Sam Petts-Davies & Darrell Thorp, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Roger Waters) Natural Conclusion — Ryan Freeland, engineer; Joao Carvalho, mastering engineer (Rose Cousins) No Shape — Shawn Everett & Joseph Lorge, engineers; Patricia Sullivan, mastering engineer (Perfume Genius) 24K Magic — Serban Ghenea, John Hanes & Charles Moniz, engineers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer (Bruno Mars) -- WINNER Producer Of the Year, Non-Classical: Calvin Harris Greg Kurstin -- WINNER Blake Mills No I.D. The Stereotypes Best Remixed Recording: "Can’t Let You Go (Louie Vega Roots Mix)" — Louie Vega, remixer (Loleatta Holloway) "Funk O’ De Funk (SMLE Remix)" — SMLE, remixers (Bobby Rush) "Undercover (Adventure Club Remix)" — Leighton James & Christian Srigley, remixers (Kehlani) "A Violent Noise (Four Tet Remix)" — Four Tet, remixer (The xx) "You Move (Latroit Remix)" — Dennis White, remixer (Depeche Mode) -- WINNER SURROUND SOUND FIELD Best Surround Sound Album: Early Americans — Jim Anderson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; Jim Anderson & Jane Ira Bloom, surround producers (Jane Ira Bloom) -- WINNER Kleiberg: Mass For Modern Man — Morten Lindberg, surround mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer (Eivind Gullberg Jensen & Trondheim Symphony Orchestra And Choir) So Is My Love — Morten Lindberg, surround mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer (Nina T. Karlsen & Ensemble 96) 3-D The Catalogue — Fritz Hilpert, surround mix engineer; Tom Ammermann, surround mastering engineer; Fritz Hilpert, surround producer (Kraftwerk) Tyberg: Masses — Jesse Brayman, surround mix engineer; Jesse Brayman, surround mastering engineer; Blanton Alspaugh, surround producer (Brian A. Schmidt, Christopher Jacobson & South Dakota Chorale) PRODUCTION, CLASSICAL FIELD Best Engineered Album, Classical: Danielpour: Songs Of Solitude & War Songs — Gary Call, engineer (Thomas Hampson, Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony) Kleiberg: Mass For Modern Man — Morten Lindberg, engineer (Eivind Gullberg Jensen, Trondheim Vokalensemble & Trondheim Symphony Orchestra) Schoenberg, Adam: American Symphony; Finding Rothko; Picture Studies — Keith O. Johnson & Sean Royce Martin, engineers (Michael Stern & Kansas City Symphony) Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Barber: Adagio — Mark Donahue, engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra) -- WINNER Tyberg: Masses — John Newton, engineer; Jesse Brayman, mastering engineer (Brian A. Schmidt, Christopher Jacobson & South Dakota Chorale) Producer Of the Year, Classical: Blanton Alspaugh Manfred Eicher David Frost -- WINNER Morten Lindberg Judith Sherman CLASSICAL FIELD Best Orchestral Performance: Concertos For Orchestra — Louis Langrée, conductor (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra) Copland: Symphony No. 3; Three Latin American Sketches — Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Detroit Symphony Orchestra) Debussy: Images; Jeux & La Plus Que Lente — Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony) Mahler: Symphony No. 5 — Osmo Vänskä, conductor (Minnesota Orchestra) Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Barber: Adagio — Manfred Honeck, conductor (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra) -- WINNER Best Opera Recording: Berg: Lulu — Lothar Koenigs, conductor; Daniel Brenna, Marlis Petersen & Johan Reuter; Jay David Saks, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra) Berg: Wozzeck — Hans Graf, conductor; Anne Schwanewilms & Roman Trekel; Hans Graf, producer (Houston Symphony; Chorus Of Students And Alumni, Shepherd School Of Music, Rice University & Houston Grand Opera Children’s Chorus) -- WINNER Bizet: Les Pêcheurs De Perles — Gianandrea Noseda, conductor; Diana Damrau, Mariusz Kwiecień, Matthew Polenzani & Nicolas Testé; Jay David Saks, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus) Handel: Ottone — George Petrou, conductor; Max Emanuel Cencic & Lauren Snouffer; Jacob Händel, producer (Il Pomo D’Oro) Rimsky-Korsakov: The Golden Cockerel — Valery Gergiev, conductor; Vladimir Feliauer, Aida Garifullina & Kira Loginova; Ilya Petrov, producer (Mariinsky Orchestra; Mariinsky Chorus) Best Choral Performance: Bryars: The Fifth Century — Donald Nally, conductor (PRISM Quartet; The Crossing) -- WINNER Handel: Messiah — Andrew Davis, conductor; Noel Edison, chorus master (Elizabeth DeShong, John Relyea, Andrew Staples & Erin Wall; Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Toronto Mendelssohn Choir) Mansurian: Requiem — Alexander Liebreich, conductor; Florian Helgath, chorus master (Anja Petersen & Andrew Redmond; Münchener Kammerorchester; RIAS Kammerchor) Music Of the Spheres — Nigel Short, conductor (Tenebrae) Tyberg: Masses — Brian A. Schmidt, conductor (Christopher Jacobson; South Dakota Chorale) Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: Buxtehude: Trio Sonatas, Op. 1 — Arcangelo Death & The Maiden — Patricia Kopatchinskaja & The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra -- WINNER Divine Theatre – Sacred Motets By Giaches De Wert — Stile Antico Franck, Kurtág, Previn & Schumann — Joyce Yang & Augustin Hadelich Martha Argerich & Friends – Live From Lugano 2016 — Martha Argerich & Various Artists Best Classical Instrumental Solo: Bach: The French Suites — Murray Perahia Haydn: Cello Concertos — Steven Isserlis; Florian Donderer, conductor (The Deutsch Kammerphilharmonie Bremen) Levina: The Piano Concertos — Maria Lettberg; Ariane Matiakh, conductor (Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin) Shostakovich: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 — Frank Peter Zimmermann; Alan Gilbert, conductor (NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester) Transcendental — Daniil Trifonov -- WINNER Best Classical Solo Vocal Album: Bach & Telemann: Sacred Cantatas — Philippe Jaroussky; Petra Müllejans, conductor (Ann-Kathrin Brüggemann & Juan de la Rubia; Freiburger Barockorchester) Crazy Girl Crazy – Music By Gershwin, Berg & Berio — Barbara Hannigan (Orchestra Ludwig) -- WINNER Gods & Monsters — Nicholas Phan; Myra Huang, accompanist In War & Peace – Harmony Through Music — Joyce DiDonato; Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor (Il Pomo D’Oro) Sviridov: Russia Cast Adrift — Dmitri Hvorostovsky; Constantine Orbelian, conductor (St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra & Style Of Five Ensemble) Best Classical Compendium: Barbara — Alexandre Tharaud; Cécile Lenoir, producer Higdon: All Things Majestic, Viola Concerto & Oboe Concerto — Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Tim Handley, producer -- WINNER Kurtág: Complete Works For Ensemble & Choir — Reinbert de Leeuw, conductor; Guido Tichelman, producer Les Routes De L’Esclavage — Jordi Savall, conductor; Benjamin Bleton, producer Mademoiselle: Première Audience – Unknown Music Of Nadia Boulanger — Lucy Mauro; Lucy Mauro, producer Best Contemporary Classical Composition: Danielpour: Songs Of Solitude — Richard Danielpour, composer (Thomas Hampson, Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony) Higdon: Viola Concerto — Jennifer Higdon, composer (Roberto Díaz, Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony) -- WINNER Mansurian: Requiem — Tigran Mansurian, composer (Alexander Liebreich, Florian Helgath, RIAS Kammerchor & Münchener Kammerorchester) Schoenberg, Adam: Picture Studies — Adam Schoenberg, composer (Michael Stern & Kansas City Symphony) Zhou Tian: Concerto For Orchestra — Zhou Tian, composer (Louis Langrée & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra) MUSIC VIDEO/FILM FIELD Best Music Video: "Up All Night" — Beck "Makeba" — Jain "The Story Of O.J." — Jay-Z "Humble." — Kendrick Lamar -- WINNER "1-800-273-8255" — Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid Best Music Film: One More Time With Feeling — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Long Strange Trip — (The Grateful Dead) The Defiant Ones — (Various Artists) -- WINNER Soundbreaking — (Various Artists) Two Trains Runnin' — (Various Artists)

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Jessica McCaskill Aims to be a Two-Division, Unified Champion

By Steven B. Weinberg

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Published: July 25, 2020

Not much has changed in Jessica McCaskill’s (8-2, 3 KOs) life despite the COVID pandemic and government-imposed lockdowns. Her day job, in regulatory affairs for a financial company in Downtown Chicago, has allowed its employees to work remotely.

So McCaskill has taken her laptop to Body Shots Boxing Club, where she trains and set up shop. Now, she only has to move a few steps from her make-shift desk to the ring, where the real hard work begins.

The self-professed gym rat says with a laugh that because manager/coach Rick Ramos has been paying the gym’s Wi-Fi bill and her commute is less, all is good.

McCaskill, the WBA and WBC Super Lightweight Champion was initially slated to fight Cecilia Braekhus (36-0, 9 KOs), the undisputed Welterweight Champion, on April 17 on DAZN.

That all changed, of course, because of COVID, and in mid-March, Matchroom, Jessica’s co-promoter (along with Warriors Boxing), canceled the fight. Jessica, like much of the world, thought the pandemic would last only a few weeks, and the fight would quickly be rescheduled.

As the shutdown wore on, McCaskill stayed focused, in the gym, and ready just in case things opened up again. Matchroom kept in touch with Coach Ramos and let Team McCaskill know the fight with Braekhus would be rescheduled; it was just a matter of when.

It was especially important to stay ready; Coach Ramos said because Matchroom historically gave Jessica very little notice for big fights.

For example, the Katie Taylor fight was taken on four weeks’ notice, and the Erica Farias fight, when Jessica won the WBC belt, was on a week’s notice.

Because there was no fight date, McCaskill made adjustments to her training routine. Coach Ramos recalled giving McCaskill a rest and not having her spar heavily in mid-June.

The inactivity resulted in her being flat for a week and a half. So during the lockdown, he decided to scale back but not eliminate her sparring just in case the Braekhus bout was rescheduled.

Amateurs are always available in the gym for McCaskill to spar to help keep her loose and moving around, maintain her timing, and, as Coach Ramos says, “get her sweats in every day.”

The team got that news it was hoping for at the end of June when Matchroom sent Coach Ramos a text with nothing but a picture of McCaskill and Braekhus. The fight was on, this time on August 15 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

While Tulsa is not exactly the hotbed of boxing, McCaskill says Matchroom and DAZN are doing it right. Downtown Tulsa will be blocked off; the ring will be set up on the street, the cityscape will serve as the background and spotlights with the DAZN logo, which reminds McCaskill of “Gotham City,” will light up the night’s sky. McCaskill, the first female fighter on DAZN, is eager to be part of DAZN’s post-COVID return to boxing.

To be part of the return, everyone had to make some financial sacrifices. McCaskill, who says she’s fighting for titles and legacy, would fight in a back alley for no pay if need be.

But she says with a laugh, Coach Ramos is managing her carrier, and he won’t let that happen. With no live gate, Ramos noted that everyone readily agreed to a small purse reduction. If health officials later decided to allow fans to attend, everyone’s purse will return to the pre-pandemic amount.

McCaskill doesn’t concern herself with being part of the “COVID bubble.” She has left that to Coach Ramos, who says Matchroom is providing the team with self-administered COVID tests to be taken while the team is in Chicago. The team is to be tested by a doctor before leaving Chicago and then tested again in Tulsa prior to checking in to the hotel.

Ramos expects all the fighters on the card to be quarantined in the same hotel to limit outside exposure, and COVID testing will continue up until fight night. With all the fighters in the same hotel, there is the possibility of the competitors crossing paths with each other before the actual fight.

Ramos isn’t too worried about that possibility. He chuckled as he recalled McCaskill and Katie Taylor eating breakfast across from each other the morning of their fight.

The August 15 fight is at a catchweight of 145 pounds.

Many people have gained weight during the pandemic due to inactivity, but McCaskill, who is currently 150 pounds, says losing five pounds will not be an issue.

Going down to the catchweight is more likely to hurt Braekhus, who is 39 years of age.

Team McCaskill views the pandemic shut down as a plus for them and a negative for Braekhus. While McCaskill has had the luxury of staying in Chicago and maintaining the routines of home, Braekhus has been cut-off from everyone while staying at new trainer Abel Sanchez’s gym in Big Bear, California.

Sanchez is Braekhus’s third trainer in two years, which Coach Ramos views as instability and a possible loss of confidence.

Ramos also notes that in her recent fights, Braekhus looked slow and tired, suffered knockdowns, and was beat up. In her most recent fight, she was unable to finish off the normally 135-pound Victoria Bustos, who moved up two weight classes to Welterweight.

Braekhus already lacks punching speed and power, and at 39 years old, extended exposure to the high altitude of Big Bear could atrophy her skills further in advance of the Tulsa bout.

To prepare McCaskill for Braekhus, Coach Ramos has brought in a variety of sparring partners with different skill sets. She’s sparred against 5’8”, 5’9” and 5’11 opponents to mimic Braekhus’ height and jabbing skills.

Most recently, Arial Davis, the first female Haitian Olympian, was in camp for her youth, speed, and jab.

Junior Olympian Sierra Martinez, who is set to arrive in camp soon, could prove invaluable as she has sparred with Katie Taylor. She will give Jessica a variety of different looks, given her ability to box, jab, and move around.

It’s assumed Braekhus hired trainer Sanchez to teach her how to fight on the inside. As a result, McCaskill has also been sparring men in order to be prepared for a more rough and tumble affair.

Ultimately, McCaskill is unfazed by the likelihood that Sanchez will be able to prepare Braekhus properly. She confidently says, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

While Braekhus has proven adept at maintaining distance and jabbing, Coach Ramos says she’s never really been tested, especially by a brawler like McCaskill.

Braekus does have a history of overcoming being knocked down and quickly getting back to her feet, including in her fight against Kali Reis. Ramos is dismissive, though, because McCaskill is a much bigger puncher than Reis.

In a bit of brinksmanship, Ramos cautions that it would not be advisable to get up so quickly against McCaskill because of her ability to close the gap and continue to punish on the inside.

Interestingly, in the lead up to this fight, Braekhus has been mentioning every other fighter except McCaskill to the media.

Coach Ramos thinks that Braekhus could be looking past McCaskill to larger-profile fights with Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.

He also believes that Braekhus’ fixation on other fighters is a sign that she is well-aware of the unique challenge that McCaskill will pose and probably would instead not think about what might be awaiting her on August 15.

Coach Ramos confidently states that after facing McCaskill, Braekhus will have no choice but to remember McCaskill - especially after McCaskill leaves Tulsa with all of the aging fighter’s championship belts.

(Featured Photo: Steven B. Weinberg/Frontproof Media)

#SW #Jessica McCaskill #Cecilia Braekhus #Matchroom Boxing

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