Imagine being told the house would take 10-13 months to build. And then imagine being assigned a crappy construction manager named Kevin Thornton and waiting 18+ months for the completion of your home, who seemed to only been hired because his brother Chris Thornton was already a construction manager for the company.
Being told 4 false closing dates. Having to lose a good interest rate because they don’t know how to build a house within a reasonable time. I’ve seen whole apartment complexes built in the time we’ve been waiting.
Having to reach out to said construction manager and the sale consultant Zac Davidson every single month to get an update when you were told you would get an update roughly every two weeks. Being lied to every single month. Trish is also a dishonest unprofessional woman who constantly dodges phone calls and lies about everything.
Finding a crappy job being done in the primary bathroom shower and them having to rip it out and start over again, because part of the shower wall was bowing out into a triangle shape and the small square tiles were not flat and straight with tons of extra grout around them. Having a crappy grading job where 1/3 of the back yard is unusable. And nothing can be done about it, Holiday Builders just loves cheap labor.
Going through a full roll of blue painters tape to point out all the flaws in the construction, where the manager will run out of tape, but luckily we brought some to continue using half the roll. And they still didn’t fix everything the first go around, where we had to call them back multiple times to fix the issues described at the first walkthrough, after closing. You’ll find paint on every single door handle in the house. And paint splatter all over your floors. Different caulking colors used on the countertops right next to each other. You’ll ask them to paint the water access water into the home because it looked like crap the first time and then they’ll make it worse and also paint the grass and gutter runoff as well because they simple don’t give a hoot about anything.
They even had to rip up two parts of the yard to have water and septic lines in place inspected because they forgot and now we’re stuck with even more shitty grading and yard work because of that.
They’ll schedule exterior stuff after laying sod down that end up leaving the yard dug up and not manicured and looking like trash. And then you’ll wait weeks for them to come fix it.
They give you a smart door lock that’s supposed to come with the Rekeying tool, but they won’t give it to you for unspecified reasons, even though you paid for it. You’ll ask if the front door lock is a smart/Wi-Fi compatible one. They’ll say no, but after reading the manual you’ll find out it is. They don’t even know how the products they’re installing works!
Being told a shower door for the primary bathroom isn’t even included after finding out 1 week before closing, seems like their architects failed physics, because water still gets out the shower with a door there if it’s it recessed. Finding out that something as inexpensive as cabinet handles are not included and finding out after the first walkthrough that they’re an “expensive upgrade”, when it was never mentioned during the upgrades selection. Why would I upgrade to 42” upper cabinets and soft close but not op for handles, does that make sense to you. Paying nearly 400k for a house and they can’t even do these simple thing’s correctly or offer these simple things as standard. What if someone had a disability and opening cabinets without handles is extremely difficult for them. Holiday Builders doesn’t give a single hoot about you if that’s the case.
When blinds and a refrigerator and a washer and dryer and a garage door openers are already not included. I would expect the said things above be STANDARD! And a sales consultant that only cares about his paycheck and his ego, than the customer named Zac Davidson, who won’t let you know certain basic things are an upgrade. Zac Davidson is a man that gets his feelings hurt when he gets caught in a lie and starts to be disrespectful when he doesn’t agree with something you’re trying to explain to him.
Holiday builders doesn’t care about the customer. They only care about their wallets. They’ll rush to get the CO before having everything installed. In hopes of you signing before notice they put a hole in your drywall while installing your shelves. Or better yet the construction manager won’t even walkthrough the house prior to have any touch ups or fixes done before the first walk through. We found out our water heater wasn’t even hooked up correctly after closing. Holiday Builders are real comedians.
The trades that they hire can’t even get simple things done like paint and caulking and not painting the floor and door handles, we basically covered the whole house in blue tape and only 50% of it was taken care it. 50% of the trims around the door frames were missing paint and the other 50% looked like a blind man painted the door frames, thick goops of paint and splatter everywhere. They’ll even make sure the caulking where the base boards meet the dry wall has spider web cracking in every single ROOM. Every single one of these trades and construction managers need glasses because I do not honestly understand how you can be proud of your work and let customers find this type of garbage work.
We were so fed up with this process we ended up just fixing all of the issues ourselves. Don’t build with them unless you’re okay with paying for upgrades on basic things that should be standard and you’ll have to ask the construction managers like they’re a 4th grader if they completed their homework. And having to do all the basic touch ups yourselves. It’s extremely frustrating and sad that I can’t be excited about being my first home because of this shitty fucking experience. Also any response to this review will be taken as passive aggressive, if you state that this was taken care of because it wasn’t, everything still looks like shit.
The plumbers and septic company they use suck too. We’re still dealing with sewage smells in our home that they can’t figure out. Constant back ups due to poor plumbing ventilation and workmanship. The plumbers came to investigate and didn’t even have any of the right tools or equipment to do anything and had to borrow my equipment. If you’re wondering which clowns they use. Naber Plumbing and Brain David Septic.
They even under size the AC unit tonnage for the home. Your AC will run for 18 hours a day. I found that they didn’t even seal the area for where the cold air comes out the air handler. It was just blowing all the cold air into the AC room and into the attic. Mechanical One don’t know what they’re doing and Holiday Builder takes shortcuts everywhere they can with undersizing your AC unit and going with the cheapest labor.
Every single builder in the area builds homes faster than these clowns.
Holiday Builders suck. Ever heard the saying lazy people work twice. Everything about their workmanship is trash. The construction managers do not inspect work done by the trades after it is completed. Their scheduling sucks too. They lie about everything, every step of the way. Don’t build with them. We’re still finding issues every single damn day with this house. Don’t make the mistake of building with Holiday Builders. Build with Maronda or anyone else other than this clowns. Zac Davison sucks. Trish sucks. Chris Thornton sucks and his brother Kevin Thornton sucks even more, Steve Pettko sucks. Chris Cubillos Suck.

For those in Blacksburg, here's a rundown of some of this weekend's top events that you can enjoy:
Weekend Rundown of Fun: 1. Beer Tasting with Eastern Divide Vintage Cellar, Blacksburg Friday, May 17, 2024, 4:00 - 7:00 PM Admission: Free Vintage Cellar welcomes Brandon from Blacksburg's own Eastern Divide Brewing Company for a special beer tasting event. Must be ages 21 and older to participate. IDs are required. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777423
2. Pearisburg Community Market 2024 Kickoff with Music at the Market ft. Music from Ride'n Shotgun Band Pearisburg Community & Recreation Center, Pearisburg Friday, May 17, 2024, 5:30 - 7:30 PM Admission: Free The Pearisburg Community Market kicks off their 2024 Music at the Market series featuring the Ride'n Shotgun Band performing . Join them on the front lawn at the Community Center for live music, a variety of unique vendors, get a bite to eat from the Simple Fixins food truck, Hope Church NRV's Hamburger Camp Fundraiser and dessert from Dough Dees or Kimmies Kandy. In addition there will be a free art activity for kids. The Ride'n Shotgun Band is five-member band based in southwest Virginia playing popular country and rock music. Bring a chair or blanket to enjoy. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777443
3. Friday Nights at the Farm with Music from Celie Holmes and Black Coffee Beliveau Farm Winery, Blacksburg Friday, May 17, 2024, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Join Beliveau in welcoming a special musical guest every Friday night with live music from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM and sing along to all of your favorite classics. Celie Holmes and Black Coffee perform a well-rounded repertoire of jazz standards, R&B, light rock and more and are based in Virginia. Enjoy food from Beliveau's full service kitchen until 8:30 PM and chat over a glass of wine during their extended bar hours until 9:00 PM. Get a $5 Beliveau Buck to use during your next visit for every $50.00 you spend on Friday nights from 6:00-9:00 PM. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777448
4. Dirt Road Breakdown in Concert Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Friday, May 17, 2024, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Lee Worley and Bob Chew bring you swamp rocking Americana and classic honky tonk plus originals and enough rock and rockabilly to keep your feet a jumping. This unique duet we'll have you thinking it is a full four-piece band. Drawing from North Mississippi Allstars, Tom Petty, CCR, Black Keys, Muddy Waters, Jack White, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Rolling Stones, and more. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777072
5. May Bluegrass & Old Time Jam Session Newport Community Center, Newport Friday, May 17, 2024, 7:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free The Newport Community Center presents the Third Friday May Bluegrass & Old Time Jam Session. Bring your instruments and join us for a night of bluegrass and old time music in the cafeteria at the Newport Community Center. This is a family friendly event. Hotdogs, chili, cornbread and BBQ will be available for purchase. The Bluegrass & Old Time Jam Sessions are a monthly event that occur on the first and third Fridays of each month from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777005
6. Indoor Movie Night featuring The Greatest Showman Chateau Morrisette, Floyd Friday, May 17, 2024, 7:00 - 8:45 PM Admission: Free Chateau Morrisette presents an Indoor Movie Night featuring "The Greatest Showman". Bring the kids and join us for a special evening at the winery with free popcorn. Wine and cheese boards will also be available for purchase. The 2017 biography and musical drama "The Greatest Showman" is rated PG and stars Hugh Jackman, Michelle Wiliams and Zac Efron. Film Synopsis: Celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. Note: Due to the expected rain, the movie has been moved inside instead of the planned outdoor film. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777279
7. Sarai Sibeal and Alliens in Concert Dogtown Roadhouse, Floyd Friday, May 17, 2024, 8:00 - 11:00 PM Admission: $10.00 Join Dogtown for a fantastic night with two acts that will get you moving. Sarai Sibeal will open the show and will be accompanied by Cameron McLaughlin on bass, Willis Greenstreet on guitar, Janiah Allen on drums, John Pence on keys, and Vladimir Espinosa on percussion for this show. Sarah Bowles, also known as Sarai Sibeal, is a native Roanoker. Merging electro-soul with R&B and world music influences, Sarah crafts a mesmerizing fusion of sound that captivates and engages the audience. Alliens is a powerful Caribbean-funk, world groove sensation led by brothers Jamiel and Janiah Allen that merges diverse world rhythms into a magnetic musical tapestry. The band effortlessly blends rock, reggae, funk, ska, Caribbean soca, electronica, cumbia, and more, creating an infectious sound that defies borders. A cross-cultural blend of sound is rooted deep in their souls from growing and living in foreign lands. Top it off with conscious multi-lingual lyrics and sweet trio harmonies and you get an experience that moves mind, body and soul. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777458
8. 2024 Braveheart 5K Run / Walk Bisset Park, Radford Saturday, May 18, 2024, 7:00 - 11:00 AM Admission: $35.00 Run the the fastest 5k course in the New River Valley and support the American Heart Association in the process courtesy of Runabout Sports and Carilion Clinic. Race day registration is from 7:00-8:00 AM and the 5k starts at 8:30 AM. This race runs along the beautiful New River for its entirety. The course is flat, fast and perfect for setting a personal best or running your first 5k. Participants can register in person at Runabout Sports within the First & Main Shopping Center or online. Awards will be awarded to fastest runners by gender and age group. As part of the Runabout Sports 2024 Race series, you will accumulate points towards overall and age group series awards. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777394
9. 2024 Pearisburg Junior Woman’s Club Junior Jamboree Pearisburg Community & Recreation Center, Pearisburg Saturday, May 18, 2024, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Admission: Free Donut Dash: Ages 3 & Up: $5.00, Ages 2 & Under: Free The Pearisburg Junior Woman’s Club (PJWC) will be hosting its 2nd Annual Junior Jamboree featuring a wide variety of events. The fun starts off with the Donut Dash from 9:00-10:00 AM in front of the basketball courts and is open to all ages. Participants will stroll along the park trail with tasty donut stops along the half mile trail. They will make their way to the pavilion where gourmet donuts and coffee await. All proceeds from the Donut Dash will help fund the expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Giles County. At 10:00 AM, artists, crafters, local organizations and food trucks will be set up on the lawn of the Pearisburg Community Center. Additionally, enjoy live entertainment from the Giles County School of Dance at 11:00 AM, followed by Dance Motion performing at noon and closing out the entertainment at 1:00 PM is The Honey Drops. The Honey Drops are a young trio of singers (Aubrey Adkins, Ella Butler, and Ky Fury), ages 14, 15, and 16, based out of West Virginia. Their influences are broad, from Fleetwood Mac to the Killers and the Wailin’ Jennys to show tunes. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777273
10. The Little Event (Litter Clean Up) Iron Tree Brewing Company, Christiansburg Saturday, May 18, 2024, 9:00 - 10:00 AM First Beer is 50% Off After Turning In Full Bag of Trash from Little Clean Up Join Iron Tree, Community Pizza, The Grill, and Baking is for lovers for a litter clean up event. Stop by Baking is for Lovers or Iron Tree Brewing between 9:00-10:00 AM to grab an empty grain bag and gloves. Then drive to your favorite park, neighborhood or hang around the brewery and fill up the bag with trash. Then bring the grain bag full of trash back to Iron Tree or The Grill for disposal and grab some lunch and a beverage. Participants, who fill a trash bag and turn it in, will receive 50% off their first beer at Iron Tree. Baking is for Lovers offers 10% off any item, Gardner's Frozen Treats and Gardner’s Frozen Treats will offer 20% off one treat and Gardner's Grill will offer 20% off one entree and Community Pizza will be doing 20% off any pizza during dinner service. The event is rain or shine. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777489
11. 2024 Spring Repair Cafe Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Christiansburg Saturday, May 18, 2024, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Admission: Free The New River Valley Timebank and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore presents the 2024 Spring Repair Cafe. Stop by the ReStore for free repairs including sewing for clothes & more, small furniture & appliances, electronics, knife sharpening, plant repotting and more. A Repair Cafe is a free event that promotes repair as an alternative to tossing things out. Give new life to your cherished items. The New River Valley Master Gardener Association will hold a plant clinic in addition to providing assistance to repotting plants (bring your own pots & soil). The New River Valley TimeBank is a project of New River Valley Home, a non-profit that works to foster vibrant, lifespan-friendly communities by connecting people, resources and organizations. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777480
12. Fish Fry Fundraiser New Mount Olive United Methodist Church, Radford Saturday, May 18, 2024, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM Fish Dinner: $13.00, Fish Sandwich: $6.00, One Piece of Whiting Fish: $3.50 Enjoy a fish fry including your choice of a Fish Dinner, Fish Sandwich or One Piece of Whiting Fish. The Fish Dinner includes two pieces of Whiting Fish, Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Roll and Dessert for $13.00. The Fish Sandwich includes one piece of Whiting Fish on a bun and coleslaw for $6.00. One piece of Whiting Fish is $3.50. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Richie Delaney Memorial Fund to benefit his children. On January 16th, Richard Delaney of Delaney's Kitchen, a restaurant in Fairlawn, passed away unexpectedly. As this is a tough time emotionally on the whole family, it is especially a tragic situation for Richard's three young children. Orders can be called in as well. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777481
13. BrewRidge Music Festival 2024 Mountain Lake Lodge, Pembroke Saturday, May 18, 2024, 12:00 - 5:00 PM General Admission: $20.00, Beer Tasting Tickets: $35.00 Celebrate Virginia craft breweries on Top of the World at Mountain Lake Lodge's 2024 BrewRidge Music Festival. Join them for a day filled with great music, delicious brews, and beautiful views. They will have an array of Virginia microbreweries and musical performances by local old-time Appalachian and bluegrass artists Tennessee Hillbuddies from 12:00-2:00 PM and Jim and Val Gabehart from 2:30-4:30 PM. Concessions will be available for purchase cash only including BBQ, burgers and brats during event. Beer tasting tickets include five full beers. Lodging Packages are also available which includes one night's lodging. Note: This event is cash only for day of event purchases. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=776811
14. Blacksburg Mini Comic-Con B&B Theatres Blacksburg 11, Blacksburg Saturday, May 18, 2024, 12:00 - 5:00 PM Admission: Free Costumes are encouraged and prizes will be handed out throughout the day. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777442
15. Dungeons & Dragons One-Shot Adventure for Ages 8 & Up Blacksburg Library, Blacksburg Saturday, May 18, 2024, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Learn to play Dungeons & Dragons with a one-time adventure. All supplies provided. The time commitment will be about three hours. Children ages 8 and up are welcome with an accompanying adult. Admission is free though registration is required. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777474
16. The Art of Happiness: Bubble Prints Montgomery Museum of Art & History, Christiansburg Saturday, May 18, 2024, 2:00 - 3:30 PM Admission: Free The Montgomery Museum of Art & History presents the third program of The Art of Happiness 2024 series titled "Adopting Animal Characteristics through Clay". The Montgomery Museum of Art & History is bringing back "The Art of Happiness" during May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month. The month long series of events offer self-help coping tactics and strategies by using art exhibits, materials, and spaces as helpful tools to address emotional well-being. On May 18th, the program is "Bubble Prints". Creating calming and fun watercolor-like prints from paint-filled bubbles. Admission is free and all materials will be provided by the museum though registration is required. For adults 18 and older only. No art experience is needed. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=775917
17. Documentary Fundraiser: Butterfly In The Sky Lyric Theatre, Blacksburg Saturday, May 18, 2024, 3:00 - 4:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Enjoy the award-winning documentary "Butterfly In The Sky" about the PBS children's show "Reading Rainbow". Inspiring and nostalgic, "Butterfly in the Sky" tells the tale of a revolutionary reading movement. Reliving the show’s legacy is a refreshing return to the written page. But you don’t have to take our word for it. It will be a fantastic afternoon celebrating books and the love of reading with representatives taking registrations for the Imagination Library program, along with Take and Make Craft bags and information on Summer Reading Programs from the Blacksburg Public Library, a Children's Books Pop-Up and gift card raffle from Blacksburg Books, and a special presentation from Storytime with Joelle. Ticket sale proceeds benefit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Montgomery County for local children. Tickets will be available in-person before the film or in advance online. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=77748818. May Flashlight Tour St. Albans, Radford Saturday, May 18, 2024, 5:30 - 7:30 PM Admission: $20.00 St. Albans presents their May Flashlight Tour with registration at 5:30 PM and the tour from 6:00-7:30 PM. The Flashlight Tour is guided and includes a little history and paranormal in one. Hear all the chilling tales of what paranormal investigators, and the public, have encountered within these 120 year old walls. A little bit of history, a little bit of paranormal. Tickets are available online in advance and will be sold at the door provided tickets are still available. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a flashlight as there will be lots of walking and many dark areas. Dress accordingly as the building is not climate controlled. You must be 18 years of age (16 if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian). The monthly Public Paranormal Investigation will occur from 8:00 PM - 1:00 AM with registration at 7:30 PM and is $35.00 for those interested. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777483 19. Spring Fed Roots in Concert Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Saturday, May 18, 2024, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Spring Fed Roots performs music rooted in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, nourished by the waters and inspired by the beauty. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777073
20. Merchant Copy in Concert The Blue Hen - Family Style Restaurant, Christiansburg Saturday, May 18, 2024, 7:00 - 10:00 PM Admission: $10.00 Merchant Copy is a classic rock & roll and blues band based in Roanoke, VA playing hits from the 70s and 80s. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777441
21. Free Appraisal Day Cambria Station Antiques, Christiansburg Sunday, May 19, 2024, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Join Cambria Station Antiques for a free Appraisal Day to find out what your family heirloom, antiques or vintage items are worth. Valley Auctions, LLC will be on site providing feedback and written appraisals. Guests are limited to one item per person with only small antiques or collectibles. Larger items can be appraised from multiple high quality photos and item dimensions instead of in person. No jewelry at this time. The event is first come, first serve. Note: Some items may require additional research, so appraisals may be sent after the event. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=777457
For the live music line-up, visit: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEvents.cfm?ET=1
For all the rest of the big weekend events, visit: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEvents.cfm
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend and don't let the rain stop your fun!

4/7/24-5/14/24
Watched on: HBO Max
IMDB synopsis: "The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s."
As someone who has never had even the slightest interest in pro wrestling, I had never heard of the Von Erich brothers, but I watched this film about the four brothers (all of whom were pro wrestlers) since it got strong reviews and I can always appreciate a good melodrama.
After watching it, I had mixed feelings; the casting is strong and while I wouldn't nominate any of the actors for an Oscar, Zac Efron and Holt McCallany (who plays the dad) are especially watchable. The plot is...fine. Which is a nice way of saying, unless you're a fan of pro wrestling, you might struggle a bit when it comes to staying engaged. The second half is better as the tragedies start to pile up and your heart melts for the victims. There's one brief scene near the end that's especially moving. The runtime (132 minutes) is a bit excessive.
Overall, while it didn't match the critical acclaim, I still think this is one of the better pure dramas of 2023. You can tell this was a passion project of writedirector Sean Durkin, and while he didn't hit it out of the park, he was effective and may be poised for bigger things in the future.
Rating: 6.2 / 10

I just saw the movie “The Iron Claw” and the actor (Holt McCallany) who played the dad (Fritz von Erich) absolutely floored me with his performance of a narcissistic father.
Short synopsis: 4 boys raised to compete in a brutal sport for the father’s approval and affection. Anyone who deviates from their dad’s plans for them is a disappointment and an outcast.
The dad even says at one point who his favorite kids are, and tells them that “the rankings can change” is they’re willing to win his approval. And the mother is an Uber-religious enabler who turns a blind eye to the abuse because it inconveniences her.
I never cry in movies, but the memories it triggered brought tears to my eyes.
Even when the dad’s narcissism destroys his family, it’s everyone else’s fault for being weak—not his.
I feel like Zac Efron’s character, because I’m the only one who got out.
Has anyone else seen their family in a movie before? I love movies and watch them all the time but I was totally caught off guard. Even typing this out makes me want to cry again.

Starting to think there’s no hope for dating/finding a life partner that suits me. I’m very active, train for marathons, have a decent job, take care of myself, have my own place, have hobbies, solid group of friends and am doing all the “right” things to kind of “up” my value as a potential partner. I would consider myself decently attractive, but not like Brad Pitt or Zac Efron level; I’m not super tall (I’m 27, 5’8ish, caucasian, about 160lbs and fit but not crazy muscular). I’ve been on plenty of dates (20+) over the last 2 years primarily through dating apps with little luck. There have been a few women I’ve talked to consistently for around 3 months or so, and then I generally cut things off because it feels like I am settling or I’m not that attracted to them. I will admit, some of these women I engaged with because I was lonely and not truly attracted to them, which was wrong of me - I’m aware. However, since Ive made adjustments and am only talking to women I am truly attracted to and think that attraction would last for the long run (emotionally and physically). Since I started doing that, I’ve been facing a hell of a lot more rejection. I talk to someone for a month or two and they kindly let me know they just aren’t that interested or they don’t feel a spark. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong, or if this is just the way things it goes, or I need to lower my standards. Obviously I don’t want to do that last one. I think I’m a high value guy that deserves a high value lady (lol). Just seems like it is impossible to find and I know Im not the only one experiencing this issue. I’m at a point where I’m okay with being alone, but something is aggravating me about not being able to find someone. I have feeling deep within me that I will find someone good for me, but it’s just not happening now. I’ve always been told I’ll meet someone at work or a mutual hobby but I’ve had no luck there either. My work is male dominated (I work in finance) - but there are a few women here and there. Let me know what you think, and I can provide more context if needed. Thank you in advance.
TLDR: Decently attractive guy looking for a lifelong partner and struggling. Have hobbies, goals, and things going for me. Just no luck in finding someone who suits me. Mainly use dating apps for dates. Anything I should do differently/advice?

Manhattan Project B Reactor Tours The B Reactor National Historic Landmark, Richland Daily, 8:30a-12:30p Free
My Rad Art Lab After School Program Art Your Way, Pasco 4p $29/class, $99/mo (4 classes)
Columbia Basin College Annual Juried Student Art Show CBC, Pasco May 13-June 6 7:30a-5p
Mayfest 2024 (WIne) Benton City May 10-12 Free
31st Annual Master Gardener Plant Sale Highlands Grange Park May 10-11 9a-2p
DoozyBug’s 5th Annual Mother's Day Art & Garden Tour, Richland 10a-5p Free
Mothers Day Fundraiser Sale 3 Chicks Gift Shop, Kennewick May 10-12 11a-6p
The Sound of Music Vibe Music and Performing Arts Center May 10-12, 17-18 Times vary
Esports Varsity Valorant Try-Outs CBC eSports Arena, CBC Msy 13-14 5-8p

Wednesday May 8

Events
Mother Daughter Sip tea and paint Wild Olive’s Charcuterie Kingdom, Pasco 6-8p
Hawaiian Punch Design w/Sips and Stems Pasco Dugout 5:30p-6:30p
Mother Son Paint & Saber Wild Olive’s Charcuterie Kingdom, Pasco 6-8p
Project Goodwill- "70's Fashion Flashback"
Wine Wednesday Muret-Gaston Wine Bar 5-7p
Moms Lego Night Out The Brick Shoppe, Kennewick 6:30-8p
Project Goodwill- "70's Fashion Flashback" Red Lion Hotel, Pasco 6:30p
Fresh Pasta Class Layered Cake Artistry, Kennewick 5-7p
Games and Comedy
Bingo at Summer's Hub, Kennewick 5-7p
Game Night Live at Two Bits and a Bite, Richland 7-9p

Thursday May 9

Events
Goose Ridge Spring Market Goose Ridge Estates, Richland 12-8p
Author Travis Baldree Richland Public Library 6-7p
School of Computer Science Information Session, CBC Pasco 4:30-6p
Red Day 2024 ft Modern Living Services 526 N Edison St, Kennewick 9a-2p
Games and Comedy
Geeks Who Drink The Emerald of Siam 7p
Tri-Trivia Night Summers Hub, Kennewick 6p
Solar Spirits Trivia and Taco Truck Solar Spirits Distillery & Tasting Room, Richland 6-8p
Music
Whisky Jams with Lori Tyler of Nuketown

Friday May 10

Events
Drink Pink Columbia Gardens Wine & Artisan Village, Kennewick 4-7p $50
Moms Lego night out The Brick Shoppe, Kennewick 7:30-9p $25
Indian Culinary Cooking Class Red Lion Hotel, Pasco 6-9p $65
Watercolor Wonders: Twirly Tulips Paint n Sip at Art YOUR Way!
Madison & Friends Charity Art Fundraiser Downtown Pasco Market 5:30-8p
PSD Soup with the Superintendent 1215 W Lewis St, Pasco 11:30-1:30p
31st Annual Master Gardener Plant Sale Highlands Grange Park, Kennewick 9a-4p
Music and Comedy
David Testroet Comedy Show Jokers Comedy Club, Richland 7:30-9p $12
Treeus Vocal Trio Emerald of Siam, Richland 5-8p Free
KDG Trio Desert Wind Winery, Prosser 5-7p Free
Stephanie Steele Fiction Restaurant at Bookwalter, Richland 6-8p
Swing Shift Pasco Eagles 6-9p $5
Beer Choir Iconic Brewing, Richland 6:30-9p
Fallout At Michele's, Richland 7-10p
Free Agent Rattlesnake Mountain Brewing Co., Richland 7-10p
BRAT and Bonginator Ray’s Golden Lion, Richland 7:30-10p $15
VooDoo Alley Richland Dugout 8-11:30p
Zac Grooms Pasco Dugout 8-11p
Groove Principal Southridge Dugout, Kennewick 8p-12a
Chainsaw and Fine Particulates The Emerald of Siam, Richland 9p-12a $20-$80
Badlandz The Branding Iron, Kennewick 9p-1:30a $5

Saturday May 11

Events
Alicia Villarreal "Donde Todo Comenzó" Tour Toyota Center, Kennewick 8-11p $47.50-$245
Antiquing with Mom: A Mother’s Day weekend Event The Public Market, Kennewick 10a-5p Free
Mother's Day Brunch Buffet Barnard Griffin Winery, Richland 10a-12p $55 adults $20 <10
Mommy and Me Tea Party 2024 Stone Ridge Estates Venue, Pasco 10a-3p $35.98 Mommy & Me tickets, Family Tickets and Special/Additional Guest Tickets Available
Annual Mother's Day Sip & Shop Purple Star Winery, Benton City 11a-5p
Mother & Daughter Brunch Board Workshop Wild Olives Charcuterie Kingdom, Pasco 11a-1p $60
Spring Flowers Painting with Glass Fused Glass db Studio, Richland 1:30-3p $55
Garden Stakes db Studio Fused Glass, Richland 4-6p $135
Mother's Day Candle Making with Whimsy Apothecary Barnard Griffin WInery, Richland 3-5p $50
Art On Auburn DS Watkins Gallery, Kennewick 10a-3p
Smooth is Fast 2024 Hamilton Equine Services 9a-6p
Mother's Day Market Layered Cake Artistry 10a-4p
Siempre Verde Poultry Show BF Fairgrounds 9a
80s Night!!!! Jackalope Bar & Grill 9p
Let's Go Boating Paint n Sip Art Your Way!, Pasco 6-8p
2024 Y.O.U.'s Annual TriCities Auction Fundraiser Red Lion Hotel Pasco 4:30p-9:45p
The Red Mask Carnivale ~a red dress charity~ Out And About, Pasco 8p
Abandoned Vehicle Auction Police Impounds and Private Impounds 505 S 28th Ave, Pasco 9a-2p
Paper Demonstration during Art on Auburn, Downtown Kennewick 10a-5p
Proud Playdates Kennewick Branch - Mid-Columbia Libraries 1-3p
31st Annual Master Gardener Plant Sale Highlands Grange Park, Kennewick 9a-2p
Adoption Event Petsmart, Kennewick 11a-2p
Peony Jubilee Lucky Flower, Kennewick 10a-2p
A Date With Mom! (kids -2.5-7 yo get to wait on the Moms) Comfort Suites, Kennewick 10a-12p, 2-4p $30 Mom/kid pair, $10 extra kid
Macrame Class: Fringe Plant Hanger Sage Brewing Company, Pasco 6:30-8p
Bookfair benefiting Mary’s Meow Rescue Barnes and Noble, Kennewick 10a-5p
Mother’s Day Soul Spa 2024 La Luna Wellness Studio, Richland 1-4p $111
Music
Banda Machos, Banda Maguey HAPO Center, Pasco 7-8p $50 and up
Gabriel Knutzen Hamilton Cellars, Benton City 4p-7p
Mary Lou and Stevie Jazz The Emerald of Siam, Richland 5:30-8p
Jagernauts Summers Hub 5:30-7:30p
Blistered Earth Ray's Golden Lion 7-10p $15/pre $20/door
The Shades Tumbleweeds West, West Richland 7-10p Free
Jeff Crosby Brewminatti, Prosser 7-9p
Calico Bones Lazy River Taphouse 7:30-9p
Frazer Wambeke Live Fable Craft Bar 8-10p
Zac Grooms The Palm Bar, Benton City 8-10p $5
Another Freaking Punk Show The Emerald of Siam, Richland 9p-12a
Badlandz The Branding Iron, Kennewick 9p-1:30a $5
Eastern Washington Wind Symphony presents: Fantasy! Art Fuller Auditorium, Kennewick 7p
Sport
Inland Empire Century Bike Ride Camp Kiwanis in Columbia Park 6:30a-5p $15-$65
Tri-Cities Bike Expo 2024 Kiwanis Clubhouse at Columbia Park Trail 12-4p
PBR - Lean into Spring '24 Bike Show Thunder Alley Motorsports, Pasco 6-8p
IM70.3 Tri Cities Bike Course Bike Ride Columbia Point Park in Richland 8a-2p

Sunday 12

Events
Mother's Day Brunch Red Lion Hotel, Pasco 9:30a-2p $49.95 13+ $42.95 Senior (ages 60+) $24.95 Children (6-12 years old) $6.95 (for 5 and under)
Mother's Day Brunch Goose Ridge Estates, Richland 10a-12p $65 non-club members $55 for club members 0–3-year-olds are free 3–12-year olds $20 12+ full price
Mother's Day Tree of Life Bend N' Brew Moonshot Brewing, Kennewick 3:30p-6p $48
Classes
Cravings, Weight Gain & The Blood Sugar Roller Coaster - Nutrition Class Natural Grocers, Kennewick 1p FREE

Monday 13

Moving Mondays with Jo Miller Summer's Hub, Kennewick 5:30p7:30p
Movie: Carrie Richland Public Library 6:30-8:30p
Beers & Bikes Night Summers Hub 5-8p

Tuesday 14

Tri-City Dust Devils vs. Hillsboro Hops Gesa Stadium, Pasco 6:30p-10p $8-$45
Beers and Bike N' Bikes Summers Hub Tuesdays 5-8p
Bingo Night at Wine Social 6:30-8:30p
Trivia Night Parkade Bar & Grill 7-10p

CALL YOUR MOTHER

allevents.in and visittri-cities.com

I get asked fairly often by non-Black writers, usually white writers, on how to write realistic Black characters. Usually these aren't science fiction or fantasy scripts, more like grounded dramas or comedies. I figured it might be useful for some people to lay out how to write Black characters if you yourself are not Black. I'm largely going to be speaking on Black American characters but you could apply this to any set of African descended peoples.
1. Power Dynamics
This isn't going to apply to every single story but it's important to be aware of the power dynamics that might be in play especially if you are inserting a Black character into a story that has largely non Black characters or is set in a time period not particularly favorable to Black folk if we're going by history. A good example I like to use is the Clint Eastwood movie Unforgiven which is a great film. It dissects the western mythos and grounds itself in realism, except where Morgan Freeman's character is concerned. It doesn't break the story but it is noticable that a Black man in the 1800's largely escapes the racism of the era when almost everything else is played realistically. If you want a Black character in an interracial relationship, please be cognizant of how there are power dynamics in those relationships as well and you can use that in your storytelling if you wish. It's not a hard and fast real but knowing how real life dynamics between Blacks and whites in America, or honestly anywhere else, play out can help you flesh out your characters, the story and the world they live in. Lethal Weapon does this very well by implying the differences between the two leads in a way that is subtle but not over the top.
2. Do Not Have the Characters' Entire Identity Be in Relation to White People
Give your characters some sort of inner life, even if most of that is in your notes, so that their development and character doesn't revolve around their white co-stars. This is especially important in any story about racism, overcoming prejudice or anything set in slave or civil rights times. Do not have your Black characters solely be an avatar for the oppression rendered unto them by white characters. What is their personality, background and quirks outside of the main plot? A lot of this can remain in your notes if you wish but do have this in mind when you are writing them. The Greatest Showman is a bad movie for several reasons but a big one is that Zendaya does not exist except to function as a thrust for Zac Efron's character development. Do not let them just be props meant to service the white character's story.
3. Language
Some writers choose to write dialogue in the dialect of the characters, that's fine. But learn how AAVE operates before you do so. Watch YouTube videos by Black YouTubers, read books on linguistics of Black Americans etc. While many Black folk do speak AAVE as a primary and secondary dialect, depending on the region it can be very different. A Black man from New York will have commonalities in his speech with a Black Man from Georgia or Florida but Northern and Southern AAVE differ in outside cultural influences, history etc. We can tell when you're doing it wrong. Save the Last Dance is a good one because that movie is set in Chicago yet all of them sound like they're Black folk from The Bronx or Bed Stuy. Tyler Perry uses a lot of local actors from the South. They are going to sound very different in some ways compared to the local actors Spike Lee used in his early works set in New York. California Black folk have quirks to their AAVE as well. We are similar but not entirely the same. If you are writing about non American Black folk this is doubly important. A Jamaican knows when you're using their language right. A Nigerian will call you out if the character speaks like he's from Ghana.
4. Talk to Black People
We can tell when a white writer has never spoken to a Black person in a meaningful way or is mimicking how they think we act and talk. Black American culture can differ by region and there are internal dynamics within the community that can often come into play as well. Talking to actual Black folk about whatever topic you're writing about us can be very helpful in you fleshing out your story and sorting out plot details. I wish someone working on The Hate U Give had done this because I and almost every person I've met finds it insanely unrealistic that he would've reached for a comb while he was being held over by the police. You risk undercutting your message by accidentally writing something that doesn't ring true to our experiences or even the basics of Black American culture and history.
5. Study Black Culture
No matter which one you use please research the Black culture you are working with. Outside of being culturally sensitive, it can also expand your sandbox. The Pixar movie Soul missed out by not really having a ton of Black culture integrated into the script. It's there in some ways like the jazz and they brought in a Black writer to help but this was long after most of the story details had been set in stone. Even he said he wasn't there to tell a culturally authentic story because that wasn't their goal, would've been nice if it was though. You're not just writing about a color, it's a culture. If you can't see it that way, maybe just make the character white or whatever your background is.
6. Avoid Using Cliches or Stereotypes Unless You're Deconstructing Them
Research what are common tropes about Black folk in Western media and do your best to avoid them. This especially important in a comedy because unless you're actually doing something in the way of commentary you're probably going to get some pushback. Avoid things like the magical negro, the angry Black man, the sassy Black woman etc. This isn't to say your characters can't have personality but don't be lazy. Bring the same creativity you'd use for white/non-Black characters to us.
All of these can also apply to white writers writing about other groups like Asians, Latinos, Indigenous peoples etc.
EDIT: Unsurprisingly, I have noticed there are many people who are missing my point entirely or don't seem to understand why this is important. Well as someone who and I'm not trying to brag here has been in these meetings with people who are trying to buy my script, they will ask you especially if you are riding a character that is not your particular background what resources did you use to write this script? Specifically don't ask did you use a sensitivity guide or a person who gives feedback and they are from that community as well. They're going to ask what you did to make sure that this is not closing insensitive or something that could blow up on them later. Because studios are in the business is making money and they don't make money if people find their products to be in offensive or inauthentic.

I'm not sure how to start this. I hope this subreddit is ok with people who are still questioning. I say questioning, but it feels like I found the answer-- but yet idk what to do with the information. I'm a white cisgender woman. I am bisexual but only barely. I say barely because I feel that my attraction to women is more culturally learned objectivity than sincere.
I've been called butch, "accused" of being les, told I look/walk/talk/think like a man, etc. quite literally my entire life by everyone from perfect strangers to my own mother. As a teen I thought maybe I'll just legally change my name to "Tomboy" and skip most of the initial questions.
Despite all this, I've lived a cishet lifestyle, save for one time I was with a woman (which I thoroughly enjoyed). I'm currently engaged to a man who I love. We have a relationship that is open, trusting, loving, and understanding of how complicated sexual identity can be.
I am not questioning my sexuality necessarily, more still coming to terms with my own personal identity. These words have come to mean the same thing, which has also made it confusing. For most of my life I felt that my attraction to men negated any type of 'alternate' identity or sexuality. Like, "you like boys. you're a straight girl. that's it." Yet somehow it has never felt that simple for me, even though I do very much like boys.
I mentioned before I'm white, that's only relevant because part of realizing my thoughts was realizing the reasons I was attracted to certain people. Zac Efron, Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Evans. those types of examples. I realized I didn't want to be with them, I wanted to BE them. When I looked at them, I saw my own masculine identity.
I would develop these crushes, but for some reason if I got to know that individual through interviews it didn't fuel the attraction. Even if I agreed with their thoughts, I felt I wanted to just.. be in the room with them, talk to them maybe, make jokes and laugh. I realized I didn't want to make out with them, and I HATED the thought of them treating me "as a woman" or any kind of object of feminine attraction. I wanted to hang out like 'bros' and just enjoy the laughs.
This led me to realizing that there are many parts of my personality (humor, passion, righteous anger, etc.) that I saw these men were able to freely express and I wanted to express it too! Of course this is super tied into societies current narrow idea of women. It's all very confusing.
The final straw was clothing. I happen to have been blessed with a curvy body-type. This had put me on a collision course with all of our cultures ugliest issues when it comes to women. If I dressed feminine it was too sexual and was uncomfortable to walk around. I've since learned to embrace that power, but even when I feel strong in my feminine strength and body-- that's not every day. There are many, many days that i want to dress more masculine. I feel powerful then too, just in a different way. I feel solid in that part of my mind that is logical, rational, seeing ppl for what they are-- without the noise and intensity of people throwing their desires at me because of my body.
I hope this is making sense. I guess my question is... does anyone else relate to this? Have any genderfluid ppl felt this way, or am I barking up the wrong tree?
I don't necessarily feel the need to change my pronouns or name or anything that intense. I've had thoughts of transitioning in the past but just fleeting thoughts, just don't feel that it what would be best for me personally.
I suppose I'm just looking for some discussion to help me understand so I can stop feeling ashamed and confused, whatever the answer is.
Thank you.

I am a publicist but not THEIR publicist. But, for fun, I thought you’d enjoy what my next steps would be if I were each cast member’s publicist or pr manager.

• James Kennedy: I would continue to support earned media around DJing and keep him booked and busy. While in the background creating a crisis plan with lawyers and a Crisis Management firm around the abuse allegations, with all possible outcomes and public responses. I would have him create a 501c3 non-profit with Lisa’s support to help temporarily place pets in foster homes for people in DV situations who don’t want to completely lose their animals when leaving abuse situations. I would work with him to create a few key fundraising events a year for his new non-profit. Additionally, I would work with his Artist Management towards song collaborations with up and coming Gen Z artists and push him into track production.
  
• Ally: I’d outsource new branding and website where she could automate her Astrology business into a Astrology Lifestyle site. Email newsletters, topics on what a Leo should wear to the Beach, interviewing sex therapist on top advice for each sign, etc. A convergence of lifestyle, love and advice with the signs in mind! Hire an editor, SM Manager and can some good photo content. In the future, I’d advise her to create a retail product around astrology signs. Possibly pitch making an App for a niche astrology need for year 2. I would have Ally and James take break from creating music together for about 8 months to focus on this and work on swaying public perception that she is using James. In interviews, I’d have her lean more into being “so thankful for what the show has allowed her to pursue and manifest her creativity”. I feel like she could connect with the audience more through SM. I see her working more with the crowd that loved Emma Chamberlain that’s now a little older, authentic but now affluent, down to earth but has style, raw yet quirky and intelligent.
  
• Katie: I love that Katie is different than a lot of the cast and I feel like I understand her Millennial dark aesthetic audience. I would push her into full SAH mode, prepping her for grand opening and being physically present in the shop for a good amount of time to ensure the public associates their venture as truly being theirs and heavily involved before they delegate away. I think she should take investor meetings or scout locations in St Pete, West Palm Beach, and Charleston next. I would be pitching her to women focused conferences as a speaker and get her networking. I would look for her next relationship to be with a indie musician (any gender) and cause a stir (none of the minor league kissing the babysitter bs), really lean into Travis BarkeKourtney Kardashian dark love in her content. I would pitch some ideas to test audience buy-in, Murder Mystery Makeup with Bailey Sarian episode, 3 dark lipstick collab with a makeup brand, and other partnerships. Her podcast could write too much so let’s skip.
  
• Ariana - I would have her meet with Bravo execs to discuss her own interview style show. Andy has a lot of life left in him but looking at their show lineup, they could add another interview/talk style show without competing with Andy. It would be intriguing because they’d get the viewership vs if she did her own podcast or decided to walk away from VPR. Perhaps the show has Bravo guests and Celebs on for more hands on interactions, trivia, silly games, etc. in the vein of Chicken Shop Date or Hot Ones where she is doing something physically while interviewing. She is charming, sarcastic and humorous while also showing disarming empathy. I would see if there was some product in the retail market that wasn’t oversaturated (not energy, fizzy, coffee drinks) that aligned with her target audience and her authentic interests. A line of organic non-dye drink syrups? Gummies for mental clarity, libido, and skin? Additionally, I’ve said on another post but I would have her in the beginning of 2025 release a canned YouTube series where she renovates and decorates her home. Partnership collaborations with Bobby Berk, Mr Kate, LoneFoxHome, Target, Wayfair etc. It would be completely hers and could hire a good film crew and editor, and see how she likes creative directing and producing medium form content.
  
• Schwartz: PR stop of current girlfriend media. The public doesn’t care or need it reinforced he can only handle relationships with 20 year olds. I’d advise him to stop making out with randoms in the LA bar scene because he’s opening himself up to risk of false allegations, underage women, etc. I’d try to see if he could book Big Brother and other podcasts with female interviewers who ask beyond VPR questions, but more about Tom. PR Relationship suggestions: Kaitlyn Bristowe from Bachelor if she isn’t dating Zac Clark or Brittany Snow. I think the public wants to see him endeared to a sweet, relatable, kind woman who changes his Peter Pan ways but is still bubbly and fun. I would not advise him to move in with Sandoval to transition to The Valley. I would advise to create more distance from Sandoval and Katie, and come out from both their shadows. I’d have him work with a trainer and get into outdoor partnerships (promotion and modeling) and expand his interests for the show, REI campaign, long distance running/hiking, something with a physical goal to rally and find a different audience - “come along as I hike Appalachia, come along as I train for Ironman.”
  
• Sandoval: Have whatever new girlfriend move in with him and cause drama as he moves to a new place in the Valley. Let him get eaten alive by the married men who don’t trust him and have him drag them to party nights that make the wives uncomfortable, plus Kristin drama in general. He needs to just stay quiet until next summer (both lawsuits) and try to book whatever will take him while making money and paying down debts. I’d pitch an easy online storefront of Rockabilly clothes he can peddle. No more mocking t-shirts. Reputation management, fly under the radar for the next year until VPR returns.
  
• Scheana: I’d work with her on a simple script regarding postpartum OCD, anxiety and rage, really tighten up her retelling her experience and have her do a podcast circuit ONLY discussing this and her motherhood journey, such as The Mom Room Podcast. Transition to The Valley and focus on motherhood with OCD/Anxiety, discussing the pressure of traditional gender roles in the home, marriage and parenting, and focus on the relationships with the other women in the show.
  
• Brock: I think the direction of his construction content on Instagram is working. For the Valley, I would have him focus that questioning attitude on the men only. Advise that the goal with the first season of the Valley is to ensure the audience views your marriage as strong and on the same team (not complaining, only speaking highly of each other), that anything he addresses with other cast members appears more authentic like it’s his own thoughts and not being a puppet for Scheana or production, and if that cannot be done he should stay silent. He should use the Valley to show off his outgoing nature, a real Australian BBQ with prawns (not celebrating Australia Day bc racism/colonialism) and having the guys play rugby. I feel like the public image of being a deadbeat dad can only be addressed by ownership, which he has done and time, consistently showing up for Summer.
  
• Lala: If her birth is missed I think she should still ask production to film for flashbacks, whether VPR or the Valley. I would have Lala team up with an LA organization such as @redeyeinc and Watts Community Center for their meals, baby necessities, mentorship etc for vulnerable populations. Other celebrities have and I think it would help her marry her rough edges and softness for a cause outside of herself. I believe they would also allow filming but she should get involved before filming and push helping single mothers in need and fundraising. I would advise Lala to pivot her podcast into interviewing female influencers and entrepreneurs and stay away from the current show gossip, and try to get the gossip from others. I think moving into mommy influencing without using the kids is and would work, promoting kid learning programs, baby products such as the Honest Company, her own Mommy and Me fashion (kimonos, bathing suits, dresses, hair accessories).
  

What would you like to see from them? What ways could they rehab poor public perception?

Who the hell is this man? On Trish she was saying that she went to a restaurant and they said they had no seating and he came up to brooke and suddenly they had a table. I seriously want to know lol - they said it’s not Zac Efron but back in the day she also said mr dc wasn’t Matt rife so who knows 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ but who are y’all thinking it is

Hi everyone! In my effort to procrastinate from my senior year of college (TWO WEEKS LEFT!), I managed to watch TAR 19 for the entire day yesterday! But, here is my previous review from TAR 18.
And, POLLS <3. Here is TAR 19, the masterlist with the links to the polls, and the leaderboard. I still love seeing your takes go through and excited to keep dating!
TAR 19 was a very solid season! I wouldn't call it great per se, definitely not the same highs as the earlier TAR, but it was a serviceable season, with some strong stories (Ernie and Cindy, the twins, the siblings, etc), and also some likable teams that made the season much lighter (like Amani and Marcus), which created a very solid cast, and a general good time toward the season that made me happier watching. The show seems to be in its stride, at least slightly at this point, and it has been creating some fun moments. I think the ultimate issue with TAR 19 was that I don't think much of it was memorable, but I know I enjoyed what I watched, so even though I can't remember specific roadblocks or challenges or locations, the characters carried enough to create an aura of fun.
Speaking of routes and legs, I think TAR 19 was all alright, but there were definite negativities with the route this season. Malawi was interesting just because it was a new country and led to inherent conflict with the people. But otherwise, I think it was lackluster on all other cylinders, lol. There were a lot of short-term memory tasks and too many bicycles, and I felt like every clue was some sort of riddle. Also, the product placement seemed especially heinous this season. I haven't talked about it that much, but it felt like almost every episode was just a long advertisement for Ford Vehicles. I get it, it's not a stretch because you need cars to travel, but it was like every five seconds! Not as bad as the Snapple ad last season, but still.
It also felt like this season had some peculiar twists that made the first few episodes of the season more questionable than anything else. The double elimination sucked for obvious reasons, mainly because we lost Ethan and Jenna for it (hi, I am a big Survivor fan!) and it was just not a good idea overall. The hazard was fine but took time away from the show was kind of lackluster overall, and was a glorified speed bump that didn't really have any reason to exist (please TAR, get rid of the opening tasks!). Also that little stipulation in the orphanage task was just silly and goofy, if you ask me, and really screwed over the last two teams. That kind of tanked at the beginning, but the season picked up speed after and was pretty good after that.
Anyway, those are my main criticisms of TAR 19, but the cast itself was pretty solid besides some duds. Let's get talking about it, shall we?

1. Laurence and Zac (1/10) - someone in my group I was live chatting with mentioned that they were the "evil Michael and Kevin Wu" and yeah, I think that sums them up very well. It was pretty obvious that Zac did not want to be there at all and Laurence was just constantly criticizing his son. It seemed very stressful, and on top of that, Laurence was vaguely sexist during that challenge in Malawi. Overall they were not very relevant to the season, and I groaned more often than not when they were on screen.
   
2. Andy and Tommy (1/10) - So many personal red flags with Andy and Tommy. First, I didn't care for their comments at the Buddhist temple. If y'all know Leslie Nease from Survivor, I'd like to compare them here because they were both quite critical of the Buddhist Temple they had to go to in both series. With Leslie, she was not necessarily judging their religion, but it seemed more that she was deeply uncomfortable, and felt she had to remove herself from the situation. With Andy and Tommy, it seemed like they were really judgmental, and them mentioning that there was only one God, and it was there really put a poor taste in my mouth. Especially with the juxtaposition of the other team (I think Joseph and Jennifer), who stated that it wasn't their religion, but they still had to be respectful. Also, the whole Mercedes thing with Andy whining he couldn't do a detour, and then saying Jesus forgave him after acting like an ass all day, and then STILL winning the Mercedes made me roll my eyes. Even besides that, they had some other moments that I was more negative on. The main one I can think of is them dominating the race. I, in general, am lower on characters in TV that destroy challenges because I think it can just get stagnant over a while. Andy and Tommy accidentally got half of their wins anyway, so they weren't that good. Like on another season with people who could read clues, they wouldn't be that good. Also, I don't really think their downfall was that good. Not necessarily because thematically it isn't - their luck runs out, and then their cab driver beefs with other people, but moreso because the race was bowing down to them at all moments. Phil said they were the best racers ever on the mat, and the heroic music took away from their sweet downfall. Tommy and Andy definitely should have been more villainous this season, and I think this is one of the few times where TAR tells a story that doesn't really make sense in the context of the story. There's nothing I hate more when a character who should be a villain, gets portrayed as a hero, and Andy and Tommy exemplify that to a T.
   
3. Ron and Bill (2/10) - I cannot list a single detail about these two besides being twist fucked.
   
4. Ethan and Jenna (4/10) - I love Ethan. Watching him come back to Winners at War on Survivor was a deep relief because we knew about his cancer, but we didn't know how he was doing. But I think this version on TAR made me respect him more on WaW, but unfortunately, he still got screwed on this version with the stupid double elimination, and that was just beyond sucky. Jenna was also great, we got some "Jenna being sarcastic" moments. It was also good to see her back after the way she left Survivor: All-Stars. But yeah fuck the Double Elimination.
   
5. Kaylani and Lisa (4/10) - The only scene I really remember from them was the whole passport debacle, which just seemed awkwardly edited on the series. Granted, I don't think there is any way where you can coherently edit that on the show due to how lucky and random it was (also cast the dude who found the passport on race, please). But yeah, it was a mess, and this team in general was a mess, which wasn't bad, but they felt overshadowed.
   
6. Jeremy and Sandy (6/10) - Jeremy and Sandy weren't good per se, but I found them to be generally likable, and we at least understood their story of learning how to communicate with each other was the main reason being on the race. They struggled throughout, and while I would certainly not call them the most interesting couple, they weren't terrible.
   
7. Justin and Jennifer (7/10) - I really liked sibling teams on the race, and I felt that these two delivered because they were really funny and argued constantly, trying to find a communication style with each other, without feeling overtly toxic like other relationships on the show. The whole bicycle debacle was also really funny and I felt bad for Jennifer in that moment. They weren't great by any means, but I just found them to be really solid in general.
   
8. Liz and Marie (7/10) - I ranked them this high just because of how happy they were to clean elephant poop during their speed bump. These two had a messy time, whether it was failing to repeat a Confucius proverb, running out of money and almost having to walk 5 hours to the Koi Fish pond, or in general just getting so far behind that there was no hope to get back up front. Plus, the context of them racing for their dead father was a nice character moment for both of them and overall, I just really enjoyed their time on the race!
   
9. Bill and Cathi (8/10) - We love the oldies, right? These two were so clearly madly in love which was cute, and they never argued on the race, even when they got u-turned or had some frustrating legs. They proved themselves as being fit and athletic constantly and proved themselves against the initial perceptions of them early in the race. I do wish we got more fallout with the U-Turn thing with Cindy and Ernie (which spoiler, is my only criticism of Ernie and Cindy), but overall they were a pleasant team and added some levity to the season!
   
10. Amani and Marcus (8/10) - I like these two for similar reasons as Bill and Cathi, being that they were an incredibly likable team, who used their weaknesses to their strengths. For Marcus, he was worried that he would be caught as a football player, but he used that "weakness" (I put that in quotes because it really wasn't one LOL), and then used his coaching abilities to get through the race. My favorite moment of that was the silly rabbit challenge where he was hyping his money up and getting into the moment. Also, them constantly fighting back to get in, only to lose to the flight simulator was really sad especially with them in Atlanta. Overall, a really fun team.
    
11. Ernie and Cindy (9/10) - Ernie and Cindy had a strong interpersonal story of Cindy trying to prove herself to her parents by showing that she did pick a man that she really loved, which I found to be really sweet. They were able to balance each other out on the race well, with Cindy being a self-described control freak and Ernie being the B-Student. Their abilities combined in a way where they were able to win the race and a million dollars. I do find Cindy's slow breakdown of not being able to get first place to be interesting, but I did wish she got a little bit of karma for U-Turning Bill and Cathi, but that story was mainly dropped. But, they beat Andy and Tommy which was neat! I also found her comments in Malawi to be questionable, but I learned that they gave their money to start a donation fund for kids and needs after going, so I warmed up on them since.
    

Season Ranking: 7/10 - A good season overall with a strong cast and likable people, but having issues with some cast members, an overarching story lacking some content, and the tasks being repetitive after a while did cause me to lower it.
Onto TAR 20, and three episodes in, I can confidently say I hate Art & JJ and Rachel & Dave, but I will ALWAYS stan Brenchel.
Season Ranking

1. TAR 14 (10/10)
2. TAR 5 (10/10)
3. TAR 2 (10/10)
4. TAR 3 (10/10)
5. TAR 1 (9/10)
6. TAR 11 (9/10)
7. TAR 10 (8/10)
8. TAR 7 (8/10)
9. TAR 12 (8/10)
10. TAR 19 (7/10)
11. TAR 17 (7/10)
12. TAR 18 (6/10)
13. TAR 13 (5/10)
14. TAR 16 (3/10)
15. TAR 15 (2/10)
16. TAR 4 (2/10)
17. TAR 9 (1/10)
18. TAR 8 (1/10)
19. TAR 6 (0/10)

Hollywood is at its peak in 2024. It has produced Oppenheimer, Barbie, Mean Girls 2, Madam Web and a number of other great films. This year is also lined up with more mega projects like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Despicable 2 and many others. The wait may be long but the releases are worth it! In fact, as we move forward the lineups become so good that you won’t even bother about the time but only care about the experience itself. So put on your 3D glasses and check out these most awaited Hollywood movies releasing in March 2024 (take off the glasses once you’ve watched the movie or you might enter their world!).
1. Kung Fu Panda 4
This animated action-adventure film is loved by all of us, right? Well this time it’s moving ahead and now Po has to find his successor as a spiritual leader. Yes! That weird panda has come far in life and now he must pick a warrior who deserves to take his place as a spiritual guide. But then comes in a shape-shifting who says- wait I can be your successor! Defeat you and take over without you knowing!
2. Ricky Stanicky
Ricky Stanicky is an R-rated comedy that every man dreams to be true till date! The film tells about three friends who prank one friend and invent then Ricky Stanicky character to get themselves out of trouble. Fast forward twenty years later and they still use Ricky Stanicky's excuse for their immaturity but now they have to bring someone named Ricky Stanicky to prove it to their friends.
With Zac Efron, John Cena, Jermaine Fowler , Andrew Santino e.t.c this movie knows how to make you laugh.
3. Dune Part II
Dune as we know was a two part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel ‘Dune’ which has gone global after its worldwide success and the people can’t keep calm. The second part follows the story of Paul Atreides as he reunites with his people to take revenge against those who destroyed his family. While having seen a devastating future that troubles him, he also needs to choose between his love and saving all mankind.
Read More: La La Cha
4. Road House
Road House was one of America’s Best Action Movies released in 1989. Now they have decided to remake this movie but in a different era altogether. This action thriller tells the story of an ex-UFC player who gets a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse not knowing it’s hell down there where monsters are ready to fight him like there is no tomorrow.
5. Damsel
It’s a Netflix original film featuring Millie Bobby Brown as Elodie, an innocent young girl who agrees to marry a prince charming convinced she’s living her Cinderella story! However, the royal family takes her out of the palace and throws her into a thematically unrelated cave with a fire-breathing dragon to repay an age-old debt. Now, everything rests on her wits, willpower jack-of-all-trades sense and survival skills- for that matter.
6. Arthur The King
A much-anticipated action-adventure movie based on an incredible true story about Mikael Lindnord and his stray dog Arthur. So basically this adventure racer adopts a stray dog who becomes his best friend throughout an adventurous race – the journey that will change both their lives forever. This film is packed with love, empathy, excitement, joy, and many other emotions. I must admit – I’m really looking forward to seeing it!
7. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
The larger than life action fantasy movie which will surely make your head explode – this is gonna be fun because two huge monsters are going against each other: Godzilla vs King Kong! But wait there’s more… what caused these two fight? That’s right folks; we’re about find out all about it in addition to uncovering many secrets held within Skull Island as well as realizing that one thing looms over their heads –
These films take you on a journey into worlds filled with action adventures thrillers horrors loves etcetera where some characters stay with us even after we leave the theater so… Which ones are you most excited for among our lineup for March 2024 releases from Hollywood? Choose quickly before they sell out!

I'd like to qualify what I'm about to say with the understanding that since I was 16, I have always found a way to scrape the money together to get some therapy when it was required and - though that therapy didn't necessarily deal with my mother - it usually gave me the tools to deal with aspects of her neglect/abuse, or lead me to them. I was able to learn to break myself of any need of her approval before I was 21, which I have come to value all the more over time.
Let's call her Carole. Her father was an NCO (Non-commissioned officer) who had risen quite high in the ranks of the military he served in. Carole had gone to a boarding school and was a Personal Assistant to a senior manager in a big oil company based in London when she met my dad (let's call him Tom) at the company amateur dramatics club. (It was 1968 and employers still provided canteens and social activities for their employees). Carole was wildly extrovert, and Tom apparently had been engaged twice before. They were engaged within 6 weeks of their first date. This was the August of that year. Carole and Tom married in the October.
Somewhere around the winter of that yeaearly 1969, Carole fell pregnant. There was only one problem - Carole and Tom hadn't had sex yet.
Carole had a very (very) high sex drive. Tom had none - and not just because he has a mortgage in Narnia. (Tom is the reason I continue to keep this secret from all but a very few select family and friends - he didn't have the language of "asexuality" back then - none of this is his fault either).
Carole has been seeing... let's call him Zak. She's managed to keep Zak a secret from everyone. But when she finds out she's pregnant she panics - she stops seeing him and confides in her mother and grandmother. She wants to keep the baby but she's frightened her father will find out about Zak, and that she will lose her place in her fathers will (her inheritance) because of it. She swears her mother and grandmother to secrecy and they agree, assuming the child will be told the truth at some suitable point.
Carole's heard the phrase "whisky makes them frisky" and she leverages Tom's functional alcoholism enough that he buys into the idea that he and Carole "did it" one night after a new year party.
When the baby (that's me) is born, some of the nurses comment on how funny it is that her hair is so thick and so dark, and stands up on end, and her eyes are so dark. Jokes are made about how useful the baby would be for cleaning the toilets. Carole finds the jokes funny and repeats them back to the child for years.
Carole eventually found the whisky that made Tom just frisky enough for my brother and then sister to be born (yes, my functionally alcoholic dads trauma did get much worse after that) and we moved out of London. The estate we moved onto was so white that they'd look at you funny if you'd just been to Spain for your holidays. I started school the following September and for a few weeks before hand Carole would tell me: "If anyone says anything, you have pale skin and red hair just like your brother and sister."
I asked Carole what sort of things people would say (to be honest the conversation was perplexing). Carole didn't specify. She just pointed to my freckles.
I think it was the second day. That was the first day the parents ushered you in the door, saying goodbye, waving nervously as you sat on the floor around the teachers feet. The teacher looked at each of us as we answered to our name, as she called the registee. She looked at me when I answered to my name,, and with her out loud voice said "oh yes - the cuckoo in the nest!" Everyone looked at me. At break time everyone crowded round me, all of them asking the same question their parents had whispered to each other when Carole was out of earshot. "Are you a [1970's racist term for a mixed race person]?" "Is your daddy a...?"
I was already reading Carole's Catherine Cookson books.I knew what all of those terms meant. Carole didn't want to answer why I was being called a [1970's racist term for a mixed race person] so she wasn't going to discuss why teachers were calling me a term for a young one who doesn't belong.
Thankfully my grandmothers had my back - they established contact with my headmaster and he made the school a haven for me. (He was a lovely man but that's another story).
I have vitiligo - universal vitiligo, one of the rarest kinds and I never talk about it because when 'it' happened Carole completely freaked out. Most of my memory of that period (it started when I was about 7/just turning 8) is locked away because her melt down on finding the first patch terrified me. I tried once, later when I was about 16 to discuss it. I had 2 patches of darker skin left, 1 on my neck, 1 on my torso. (I hid the 1 on my torso from her). I asked her where it came from. She told me I hadn't washed my neck properly. (You can have freckles and vitiligo, a fact which she used to confuse and gaslight me with for years).
I even tried to wash it off. (I cried with relief when I woke up the next morning and it was still there. That patch faded after the birth of my eldest son).
The reason I don't feel overwhelming shame now is because of my grandmother's, who put themselves between myself and Carole and endlessly found ways to reassure me that it was not me who had anything to be ashamed of. But even though I don't feel shame, the thought of telling anyone, now, when I'm 54 and have never mentioned it openly previously terrifies me and honestly I can't imagine doing that because I can't imagine anyone believing me. We live in a post Rachel Dolezal world and there are pictures of me but... I would hate for anyone to think I was trying to claim something I wasn't. The world has reacted to me as a white person for most of my life. For the brief period of time it did not, my grandmother's extended their privilege and protection to me.
Carole believed that I had to earn the right to be told "the truth" (which for years about what became an increasingly ambiguous concept because of her gaslighting). Carole genuinely saw the issue of the truth of my paternity has a secret about her (it took me years to realise that she was narcissistic). And since she saw Zak in everything I did (especially when I was being kind, patient, forgiving, open minded, loyal etc) then I could never truly be trusted, as neither could he. So because of his identity, he does not know that I exist. And Carole died having never once acknowledged his existence, so I don't know his name because of it. (Something which hurts terribly - so much was denied me and to an extent, his name represents a lot of what was taken).
Carole and Tom divorced 30 years ago.
Tom was diagnosed with vascular dementia in the new year but is still mostly lucid. I don't want him to have to face it now. I never wanted him to. My little sister died 14 years ago at the age of 37 and it finished Tom.
You see, my grandfather had advised Carole, when she was about 16, that the clause in his will was a racial one: she must not have any children by a "man of colour" or she would lose her inheritance.
DNA tests confirm that "Zak" is French Arab/Iranian. If he's still alive, at minimum he'd be in his 70's. I know that Carole thought he was kind and patient and loyal and forgiving - and I try and hold onto that.
My great grandmother taught me to trust my instincts. My grandmother helped me to remember I had a truth to fight for. Both taught me to fight creatively, with as much love and faith as I am able. I thank them for every time they begged Carole to tell me the truth, and the ways they found to tell me the little bit Carole told them about Zac so that I have at least some idea of how I got here. I will love them forever for that.
Because whilst it is true to say that Carole had a serious mental health illness that caused her great pain, the racist feelings it transpired she had for my father's ethnic identity - and the punishment and neglect I experienced from her because of how she saw him in me - are not the result of that mental health illness or the suffering it caused. The more like him she thought I was being, the angrier she got. Strangely, I am always happy when I am able to honour my father in some small way, even if he doesn't know that I exist - because it makes me proud to know he is, or was, patient and kind, loving and loyal, caring and compassionate.
To "Zak" whoever and wherever you are - I have to take care of Tom but I'm proud to be your daughter too. Inshallah, one day you will know this. I hope its in this life. I'll wait for the next if not.

Lifetime - Staked: 857.4u, Profit/Loss: +28.37u, ROI: 3.31%, Parlay Suggestions: 162-60 Dog of the Week: 12-14
2024 - Staked: 210.3u, Profit/Loss: -4.99u
Results have been pretty awful in the last few weeks, so it feels a bit weird posting a link asking for tips, but I’m still committed to working hard to bring you all this content for free! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SideswipeMMA
As always, scroll down for UFC Vegas 91 Breakdowns. The following is just a recap of last fortnight’s results.
PFL 2, UFC 300, PFL 3, Oktagon 56, Cage Warriors Glasgow (PREVIOUS TWO WEEKS)
Staked: 29.5u
Profit/Loss: +11.76u
ROI: 40%
Parlay Suggestions: 3-0
Feels great to have gotten back to winning ways. It felt like that skid was never going to end!
My reads on UFC 300 were near perfect, where really I was unlucky not to win more than 6.5u on the night. Also mopped up this week, winning 8 out of 9 bets across the non-UFC shows.
Too many bets to list them all, so here’s the event results
❌ PFL 2 – Lost 2u
✅ UFC 300 – Won 6.49u
✅ PFL 3 – Won 3.22u
✅ Oktagon 56 – Won 0.65u
✅ Cage Warriors – Won 3.4u
UFC Vegas 91
Full transparency – I took one look at this card and knew I wouldn’t be able to many bets, simply because it’s full of fighters with little to know UFC calibre experience. I’ve therefore been sharing out my research time between this card and UFC 301. We have lines out for both, and I’m more interested in giving myself the chance to capitalise on earlier prices for a future card than writing up nonsense about Heavyweight debutants when I know I’d never bet them.
My bets for UFC 301 will therefore be listed at the bottom of this post, as and when I make them. I won’t be posting the breakdown for 301 until Sunday 28th, as usual…but if you have any questions about any of those bets, or any of the fights on that card, I’ll happily answer in the comment section for some early insight.
Let’s get into it!
Matheus Nicolau vs Alex Perez
Pure recklessness and insanity from the UFC matchmakers to trust Alex Perez with a headline spot on a card. I know it’s an Apex card, and that Perez is coming on short notice, and he looked good enough against Mokaev…but the guy will forever be seen as a pull-out merchant.
Ironically, Matheus Nicolau’s last scheduled fight also fell apart on short notice as Manel Kape failed to make weight. Kape pulled out of the headliner here too, showing that he also is a frail fighter who shouldn’t be trusted to main event a fight. Despite him giving
In the build up to that one I basically said that Nicolau was one big asterisk at this point in his career, because he returns from a knockout loss to Brandon Royval, and it’s wise to generally be cautious when fighters return from those kinds of wobbles and face hard hitters. Alex Perez is not really much of a heavy hitter though, so I expect it to play less of a factor in this one.
I rate Alex Perez’s skillset. I bet him to dethrone Figgy and win the belt back in the day, and had he survived the early dangers I think he could have given it a serious go. Alex has got great wrestling, both offensively and defensively, and his striking isn’t too bad either (though clearly not his superior skillset). I think it’s easy and fair to say he should be the inferior fighter to Nicolau on the feet here. Also, as the loss to Figgy kind of showed, he’s not actually the greatest grappler when he gets things to the mat.
Nicolau also has very good takedown defence, preventing 91% of the attempts he’s faced. He also has pretty good BJJ, so it’s expected that he won’t simply allow opponents to do much with any top control that they do muster, which was the case when Elliott took him down.
So…how does Alex Perez win this fight? There doesn’t appear to be a clear and obvious path, but even if he did have wrestling success, then you’re relying on the fighter coming in on short notice to be able to stick to the grind for 25 minutes (since Perez has little finishing ability). I’m sure Alex is a guy who keeps in shape and has great cardio, but it’s still a worthwhile concern to have.
On the reverse, Nicolau has shown he can be powerful on the feet (landing three knockdowns in his last two wins), and he’s also got pretty high level BJJ – we haven’t seen it in some time, but Perez being tapped by Figueiredo and Pantoja shows it’s definitely a path to victory for Nicolau.
Personally I think the -175 price tag on Matheus Nicolau holds a bit of value. Perez performed far better than the books expected him to in his fight against Mokaev, but I think he’s gone from underrated to overrated here, as this fight is stylistically a terrible matchup for him, compared to Mokaev who was a good stylistic matchup for him (he could match the cardio and wrestling and Mokaev doesn’t do much else well). I therefore bet Nicolau for 2u here. I might have pulled the trigger a bit early, but we’ll see. I struggle with being patient and sitting on a planned bet for two weeks!
How I line this fight: Matheus Nicolau -250 (71%), Alex Perez +200 (29%)
Bet or pass: 2u Mateus Nicolau to Win (-170)
Prop leans: None
Ryan Spann v Bogdan Guskov
I enjoyed fading Guskov with a vastly more talented version of himself in Volkan Oezdemir, but he has managed to redeem himself by taking out the trash (Zac Pauga) in his most recent fight, and looking pretty decent in doing so. The UFC and its fans do not like decision machines at 205lbs, so I am sure they’re very happy with that.
Before I get into this one seriously, Guskov has won and lost via round 1 chaos in both UFC bouts. There is therefore no need to take this one super seriously, because it won’t take long before both men start frothing at the mouth and ask Jesus to take the wheel as they trade hooks.
Spann is the much more diverse fighter, with his submission game and potential to mix in sloppy grappling, so you obviously have to favour him if this fight ends up becoming a bit more methodical than I expect. Spann is also the more experienced guy. However, his durability is definitely being tested at the moment, with three of his last four fights ending via a stoppage loss (where he was hurt with strikes on multiple occasions). He also showed pretty terrible fight IQ in the Krylov loss. In short, he’s absolutely not the kind of guy you can trust as a clear favourite. Never forget that he barely scraped by Sam Alvey in a 15 minute fight.
So, who do you trust – the inexperienced guy who hits harder, or the low IQ guy who is more diverse and tested? The correct answer is…the underdog. And on this occasion it’s Guskov.
The fact of the matter is that no fighter should be valued at less than 40% here, this one is going to be chaotic and therefore turn into a coin-toss real quick. Yes Spann can grapple, but you clearly haven’t tried to trust him with your money before if you think he’s going to go out there and follow the path of least resistance. He is likely going to give Guskov his path to victory on a platter though…which is why I like the dog here.
1u Guskov to Win at +175. I was fully expecting this one to shorten, which it did initially, but it seems people are keen to bet on Ryan Spann. Win or lose, that’s a terrible idea. If you follow a tipster and he’s telling you to bet Spann at these odds…run the other way.
How I line this fight: Ryan Spann -120 (54%), Bogdan Guskov +120 (46%)
Bet or pass: 1u Bogdan Guskov to Win (+175)
Prop leans: ITD on whoever the underdog is.
Karine Silva v Ariane Lipski
Genuinely one of the most intriguing fights on the card. Which speaks for how boring this card is.
It’s pretty remarkable how much/quickly Ariane Lipski has turned around her UFC career. I still remember how much hype there was in preparation for her UFC debut, as she’d looked like an absolute terminator in the striking department at KSW – prompting people to make comparisons to Joanna Jędrzejczyk. She then started her UFC career 2-6, losing to Molly McCann, Joanne Wood, Antonina Shevchenko and Montana De La Rosa (by finish in the latter two as well). Yikes.
The biggest issue was her takedown defence and general anti-grappling…but she suddenly just massively improved that, as if overnight, when she faced Mandy Bohm. I was lucky enough to bet her at underdog odds against JJ Aldrich, Melissa Gatto AND Casey O’Neill…but it seems the books have finally cottoned on that Lipski may actually finally be showing the promise that some believed she could show…all those years later!
She faces Karine Silva, who is one of those rare WMMA finishers. I’ve had a lot of issues with Silva’s overall capabilities, because she actually appears to have lost more minutes than she’s won in the UFC/DWCS so far. I was convinced we had found the fade when she was scheduled to face Maryna Moroz, but Silva put in her best performance to date and suddenly showed good minute winning capabilities. Typical! It’s a ridiculous comparison, but it felt to me how Dricus Du Plessis suddenly showed a completely new skillset when he faced Robert Whittaker. Sometimes fighters just show up looking completely different – another thing to reference when talking about how high variance MMA is.
So unfortunately, I am stuck in a transition between two opinions with Karine Silva. It’s difficult for me to just suddenly forget that it’s so plausible that she should be 2-2 in UFC/DWCS, and fighters who are so potent at finishing in the first two rounds are often expected to have atrocious cardio by round three (Silva has been the distance once, and she lost).
To conclude, this is a fight between one woman who usually looks really good, but has the potential to underperform, and another woman who usually looks bad, but has the potential to massively overperform. No matter how you spin it, this one is a bit of a mindfuck, and I therefore do not have strong opinions on it. It’s an easy pass, in my eyes. You guys don’t give a shit about WMMA anyway, so no biggie.
And a day after I finished writing that, I saw that heavy steam was coming in on Silva, who was +110 at the time. I capitalised on the movement and placed 5u on Karine Silva to Win. THIS IS AN ARB OPPORTUNITY, I am not betting on this fight (as I believe it should be 50/50). The line has since continued to move and I can now bet Lipski at better than +100 - creating guaranteed profit. Again, I am not backing a side here. I will now wait to pull the trigger on Lipski.
How I line this fight: Karine Silva +100 (50%), Arine Lipski +100 (50%)
Bet or pass: 5u ARB on Karine Silva to Win at +110. I will play the other side when the line hits its peak.
Prop leans: None
Jhonata Diniz v Austen Lane
Who? Against who!?
Austen Lane is that guy who spent way too long in a scheduled bout with Justin Tafa, which he lost pretty convincingly when he got KO’d in 80 seconds. Prior to that, his best win is Juan Adams.
Jhonata Diniz makes his UFC debut, having won every prior MMA bout in the opening round. As I said in the previous breakdown about Karine Silva, this heavily implies he’s going to look like shit if you can extend him past five minutes. Not guaranteed, but likely. I realise he also has a kickboxing background against some respectable names, but that doesn’t always mean as much as they want us to think it does. Khalil Rountree knocked out Gokhan Saki once upon a time (and not the Rountree we know today, this was pre-Thailil)
I watched his DWCS win and did actually like his striking by HW standard (which is a shock because all I do these days is chat shit on the big bois). He has a nice mixture of power and volume, which is surprisingly rare these days! Having said all that, it’s pretty obvious he’s going to be the better striker, it’s all about how he handles MMA that makes this one interesting. What does he look like off his back, for example?
So there’s a whole lot of questions, and very few answers. This fight is mostly unbettable, but if you had to get involved you would probably want to look for Diniz in Round 1, or Lane’s moneyline. I won’t be on either.
How I line this fight: I have no fucking clue.
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None
Live Betting Leans: Austen Lane at the stool after R1, I guess.
Tim Means v Uros Medic
Tim Means is in a bit of a tricky spot in his career. He’s gritty, he’s dangerous in multiple ways, and he’s also technically quite sound everywhere…but he’s also shopworn and 40 years old.
He wound back the clock in his last fight, beating a pretty one-dimensional striker in Andre Fialho, and prior to that his losses were to Alex Morono, Max Griffin, and Kevin Holland. You can clearly see the calibre difference there, and the argument extends further when you consider that Means’ most recent respectable win came against Nicholas Dalby in 2021.
Uros Medic is a pretty dangerous and respectable striker on the feet. He’s usually big for the division (smaller than Means in height and reach, but definitely not as skinny), which translates to power in his very diverse striking arsenal.
We did see Medic get outgrappled in his last fight, but his initial get-ups were pretty good and Orolbai. Considering Means has only ever landed a maximum of three takedowns in a fight, I don’t see The Dirty Bird getting things done via large amounts of top control.
On the feet, I think Means is probably technical enough to keep this one very close when they’re just touching each other…but Medic has the potential to really spin this fight in his favour if he connects clean. At the end of the day, Medic struggled with the striking of Matthew Semelsberger, but erased all that by knocking him out.
Either way, I don’t think Means is outmatched anywhere other than power, durability, and general athleticism. Whilst that’s obviously enough for Medic to be graded as the favourite, a win for Means certainly feels plausible…so I think the line is a bit wide here. With all that being said, I feel like this is going to be one of those fights where Means looks much more competitive minute-by-minute, but ultimately gets blasted and no-one remembers anything other than him getting twatted.
It’s not wide enough for a bet though, so I’d opt to pass.
How I line this fight: Tim Means +175 (36%), Uros Medic -175 (64%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: No idea. Sometimes Means is tough, sometimes he isn’t
Maheshate v Gabriel Benitez
Gabriel Benitez was a potential walking red flag going into that Jim Miller fight, having not fought for a couple years and having beaten a very low level of UFC competition in recent years. He then went on to do the unthinkable and actually lose to Jim Miller in R3 (also shout-out to my faith in Jim Miller’s goat capitulation skills at UFC 300). That’s honestly one of the most unforgivable things a fighter could do in 2024. And the way that he tapped was pretty shocking also, that choke was NOT fully in.
He faces Maheshate here, who was never really thought of as anything other than an explosive striker. We know the UFC is so desperate to conquer the Asia market that they’ll sign anyone, so this definitely feels like the opportunity to keep an Asian fighter on the books and snap their losing streak, whilst sacrificing an asset that pretty worthless to them.
Regardless of whether or not that’s true, this definitely is being lined like it’s a gimme fight! Maheshate is definitely keen to score a finish and do damage, and Benitez just looked so slow and plodding against Miller that I have a hard time seeing him earn any respect in the striking, and he’ll probably get womped eventually.
It’s a fight between two guys who aren’t UFC quality anymore. This is once again a fight that leads me to have serious concerns about you if you’re betting it. Just pass.
Aaaaand then, to make things awkward for me, I disagreed with the totals, so saw value in Maheshate by KO. So I took that for 1u at +140.
How I line this fight: No idea
Bet or pass: 1u Maheshate by KO/TKO (+140)
Prop leans: None
Austin Hubbard v Michal Figlak
If you’re a UK fan that watches Cage Warriors, you would have been really disappointed in Michal Figlak’s debut. He was one of the more impressive fighters that CW had produced in some time, so and there was reason to believe the hype. I do think Fares Ziam was a very underrated fighter at the time he faced Figlak, so perhaps I’m not willing to write him off just yet.
Figlak’s scrappy, and only seems to fight going forward…but his style has gone on to age like milk in a modern MMA sense. He’s a grappler with no submission wins, and his striking only really seems to be a means to an end to set up his grappling, so there’s not really much of a threat of a finish outside some sort of checkmate-TKO from ground striking. In an era where judges credit you for trying to finish the fight, it feels like Figlak will have to do more than most to actually be deemed the clear round winner because he can’t show them what they want to see.
Austin Hubbard may have lost his TUF Finale fight last time, but I don’t mind the fact he managed to stay in the UFC. He had quite a few tough matchups during his first stint, and he performed admirably in most of them. In fact, so many of the opponents he fought were all long-distance fighters that utilised grappling to various degrees. He very rarely got out classed by any of them, except for Joe Solecki who submitted him very quickly. Having said all of this, Hubbard doesn’t have a lot of wins amongst these appearances, and sometimes that’s all that matters. There isn’t a market for “Fighter A to make this one more competitive than the odds indicate”, so it may end up counting for nothing. Furthermore, Hubbard is one of those frustrating fighters who fights reactively. His fights mostly seem to involve his opponents running the show and him reacting to what they bring to the table. It’s not a good look on the judges’ scorecards if you aren’t dictating the pace.
So I think this fight should be very competitive, and personally I line it as a pick’em. At the time of writing this, the public is currently backing Figlak up to -140, which is understandable given the hype he had before the underwhelming debut. I’m kind of hoping it stays where it is, because I don’t want to bet on Hubbard and watch him lose a competitive fight…but if he gets to +130 or better I may have to on principle. Or maybe I won’t. We’ll see.
How I line this fight: Austin Hubbard +100 (50%), Michal Figlak +100 (50%)
Bet or pass: None
Prop leans: None
Don’Tale Mayes v Caio Machado
I’ll keep this short and sweet. I don’t have the confidence in either man to bet them at minus money. I didn’t think Don’Tale Mayes should be the favourite, and when I saw the line aggressively moving in Machado’s favour, I played him for 5u at +120 to take the Arb opportunity. Mayes is now the underdog, so I will be playing him to secure profit.
I therefore didn’t need to look into this fight at all…so I have nothing more to say. Fat bois gunna do fat boi things. I’ll be making money either way.
How I line this fight: Doesn’t matter, made profit.
Bet or pass: Arb’d, profit secured
Prop leans: None
Ivana Petrovic v Na Liang
Petrovic was hyped up to be some sort of WMMA phenom, but then she got beaten by Luana Carolina in her UFC debut. It really doesn’t bode well for you if you can’t beat a woman of her calibre as a wrestler.
She gets the bounce back of all bounce backs, as she faces Na Liang. I think there’s an argument to be made that Na Liang might be on the P4P WORST UFC fighters of all time list. I remember doing tape on her during lockdown for when she fought Ariane Carnelossi, and dropping a massive bet on the Brazilian because Liang is shit. She has absolutely no process, and can only win against cans that she can find a submission on. WMMA is obviously sketchy this low down in the division, but it’s disrespectful for the UFC to even think that Na Liang is capable of getting a win with those kind of gameplans. Honestly I was shocked they didn’t terminate her contract after one fight…let alone let her stick around for three losses! Just goes to show that what it means to be a “UFC Fighter” really is a fraction of what it used to be.
Anyway – I’m obviously not convinced Petrovic is any good, but she really should roll here. I genuinely think a soccer mum could beat Na Liang if given a brief on what the Chinese woman’s style is and a bit of a basic rundown on some submission defence. Surely Petrovic knows these things and has been drilling them in camp?
Having said all that, Petrovic is 0-1 in the UFC but -500 here, which shows how bad Liang is valued by thr books. There’s no point in even thinking any more about this one, I can’t believe I’ve even used this many words! Keep an eye out for Petrovic ITD though…it’s probably no good but Liang can’t do 15 minutes in the cage so anyone could finish her. Definitely don’t touch that -500 moneyline though.
How I line this fight: Any woman NOT called Na Liang -400 (80%), Na Liang +400 (20%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: Petrovic ITD, price dependent of course.
Rani Yahya v Victor Henry
Rani Yahya is a pure BJJ guy, but he is very old now and his style is really not MMA friendly in 2024 (the era of damage and “fight finishing”) if he’s not winning via submission. I played a heavy bet on Montel Jackson at like -200 for his last one. Very easy cash.
Victor Henry is a decent enough fighter that doesn’t appear to have the best takedown defence, but he hasn’t been submitted in 30 professional fights. That probably counts for something.
Victor Henry is -600 here, and probably rising. It’s very likely he wins this one, but I don’t think there’s any value on it at all. We simply haven’t seen enough of Henry grappling in the UFC to know for sure that he’ll be safe.
Also, I’m not sure I’m fully on board with the narrative, but people are starting to become very suspicious that old men are starting to dial back the years now that USADA is in the rear-view mirror. I’m not saying it’s going to mean anything here…but buyer beware! Yahya looking better than he did last time and getting a win here would still not be the most shocking thing in 2024.
How I line this fight: Victor Henry -400 (80%), Rani Yahya +400 (20%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None
Jonathan Pearce v David Onama
I’m still not over that Jonathan Pearce loss to Joanderson Brito. He was coasting against him! He was getting the trash talk in…and then he got sloppy and got submitted. Very disappointing result but I’d gladly bet him at -125 in a rematch. I’ll stand on that.
I also had a great read on David Onama’s last fight, arguing against the public perception that he wasn’t a good fighter and backing him at a ridiculous +200 price tag against Gabriel Santos, and also capitalising on my narrative of sophomore fight overcorrection for Santos.
This matchup is pretty binary though, as it all revolves around Onama’s ability to either keep the fight standing or find a way to cause damage in between the takedown attempts. To do that, Onama’s going to need sharp cardio, which hasn’t always been his strongest skillset. His cardio is likely to struggle in this one if he doesn’t find an early finish. Jonathan Pearce will happily go to WORK against you in the grappling department, and he’ll drown you if you can’t hang.
Furthermore, Onama has a 45% takedown defence rate. I went and watched all of those back, and it wasn’t pretty. Mason Jones managed to flow through the grappling and take the back about six times. In fact, when Jones initiated a grappling sequence, he was able to keep it rolling with him on top for at least three minutes every time. Things looked a bit better in terms of his get ups against Landwehr, but the extended grappling sequences showed he was prone to making bad mistakes when grappling for longer periods (IE getting reversed whilst in full mount, and attempting a head and arm throw). In fairness, he did blow his gas trying to get the finish in round one. Most recently against Santos he had a bit more success in the grappling…but I don’t really rate Santos’ grappling all that highly (far too chaotic). Oh, and he also gave up his back there too!
So in short, I’ve not seen enough from David Onama to suggest to me that he’s going to have any real answer for the grappling takedown threat of Jonathan Pearce. JP has great cardio so should be able to rinse and repeat the takedowns, but I think he can find significant top control time via back control when Onama inevitable turns on the get up.
Pearce should definitely be in the -200s here in my opinion, and I am happy with the idea of betting him for 2u at this price. I’m going to wait around for a bit, as I have seen a few people earmark Onama as a dog, which to me implies a better price on Pearce may make itself available in the future. That could change in an instant though.
How I line this fight: Jonathan Pearce -250 (71%), David Onama +250 (29%)
Bet or pass: 2u Jonathan Pearce to Win (-170 or better)
Prop leans: None
Ketlen Souza v Marnic Mann
Marnic Man looked so, so shit in her UFC debut against Josefine Knuttson. So much so, that the Swede mauled her on the mat and showed off her grappling, despite all of her hype coming from the fact she’s a very good kickboxer.
Ketlen Souza is one of the women who fell victim to the aforementioned round one bulldozer, Karine Silva. Other than that she only has regional experience, where she didn’t really fight anyone of note except Ariane Carnelossi, who she lost to (weird that Ariane got two shoutouts this week). She’s lost four times already in her career. At a WMMA level, that’s usually a red flag so early in your UFC tenure.
Marnic Mann looked really shit, but that’s literally the only reason that Ketlen Souza is -250 here. If Souza was fighting literally anyone else on the roster (except perhaps Na Liang), she would be a + money underdog, 100%. Do not get caught out by the trap here, Souza still has to go out there beat her opponent, and you cannot trust her to do so. Identifying that one fighter is shit is only half of the job, you need to be able to pick the right spot for someone to go out there and beat them.
If you want to bet on this fight for entertainment purposes, take the underdog in Mann and just hope she’s actually got more to offer than we saw the first time. But for the love of God do not put a single penny on Souza. Anyone who has her in their parlay screenshot this week deserves to be banned from posting. Slayer, make it happen!
How I line this fight: No idea but Ketlen Souza shouldn’t be -250 to anyone.
Bet or pass: Pass, or blind bet the dog.
Prop leans: See above
Bets (Bold = been placed)
2u Matheus Nicolau to Win (-170)
1u Bogdan Guskov to Win (+175)
1u Jonathan Pearce to Win (-140)
1u Jonathan Pearce to Win & Over 1.5 Rounds (+150)
❌ 1u Maheshate to Win by KO/TKO (+150)
2u Liang/Petrovic FDGTD & Means/Medic FDGTD (-105)
❌ 0.25u Na Liang to Win in Round 1 (+1200)
❌ 0.25u Parlay Pieces (+633)
✅ +0.63u secured arb'ing Mayes/Machado
✅ +0.93u secured arb'ing Silva/Lipski
Parlay Pieces: Matheus Nicolau, Jonathan Pearce, Means/Medic FDGTD, Liang/Petrovic FDGTD, Maheshate/Benitez FDGTD
Dog of the Week: Bogdan Guskov
FUTURE BETS
UFC 301
5u Caio Borralho to Win (-275)
2u Drakkar Klose to Win (-137)
3u Mateusz Rebecki to Win (-250)
2u Tecia Torres to Win (+137)
2u JJ Aldrich to Win (+125)
Xu Rodrigo Nascimento to Win (+140 or better)

Bro why do I feel like the new man Trish was gushing over in the last ep is Zac Efron. On the just Trish pod with Tara yummy at about 42 minutes a Trish mentions how some people she know have/are dated/dating Zac Efron

Class: Especialist, Skirmisher, ADC, Hypercarry

Role: Bot, Mid

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Commentary

Dive and Ignis are the reason why I ended up proposing the companion prompt. Tho originally I was going to propose something else and have this be a standalone thing, I was weak in the end and just went with it. Oddly enough it also covers the “different scaling” prompt. I swear it was unintentional. In that regard, I wanted the champ to have a strong build variety without falling into the Kai’Sa pitfall, having it convert all AD into AP but only dealing physical damage within the kit. Its gonna look a bit confusing but the idea was to give myself better control of their damage scalings. Some may argue it ALSO covers the sacrifice thing but I don’t think so.
These 2 are from the same “verse” as Vanadis, this time being a much more direct port as opposed to a reassessment of the character, since their thematic already had some exploration in League with Zac and Blitz, at least to a minor extent. There is some “I, Robot” stuff going on too. Their lore ended up being quite extensive so I had a separate doc for the full story. Barring Aspect of Winter which was composed of four separate characters, this is my longest and most narratively deep champ to date. For whatever that's worth, I'm quite satisfied with it.
Mechanically, they are a retread of a pretty old concept. An idea that I’ve been trying to polish for some years: the double champ. Diva and Ignis are both controlled simultaneously to an extent. Naturally the game imposes limitations on that idea, so I did my best to cover the bases of how a kit like this should operate. I also needed to consider how building this champ would work and how players would approach controlling 2 diametrically opposed characters. Are you playing a warden/diver with a pocket ADC? Or an ADC with a built in tank? My answer to this was… neither. U control both, must keep both alive and must combo their moves as the inseparable duo they are. The reward for this balancing act is their ult: arguably the most powerful transformation in the game.
However, I still wanted smth that felt good to play on its own merit. Part of the idea was to also make a character that can cover a decent amount of terrain by splitting your attention across your leash range. U can separate them and flank a teamfight, scout the jungle or farm both lane and jungle at the same time.

Tl; Dr Bio:

Diva is a biomechanical humanoid built to be the perfect partner and the first of a line of products dispersed across all Valoran. After dealing with the truth of how her kind is treated, she runs away and meets Ignis, a powerful sentient suit of armor that turns their user into a battle hungry killing machine. After coming to terms with their nature and gaining better control and understanding of their dynamic, they set out to recover their kin from their masters.
Individually they are broken beings who fight for their agency and identity. Two hollow shells, two parts of a whole.

Full Bio: The whole thing ended up being about 9 pages long so I'm putting it in a separate doc.

Appearance:

Diva is a tall and curvaceous blonde woman wearing modern looking zaunite streetwear with a long white skirt. Ignis is a bulky, headless blank and brown bipedal suit of armor, hollowed out and split open on the back. He has 2 pair of arms, one of which is left limp and dangling since they are meant for the wearer to fit into.

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Kit

Passive: Together 

This ability is divided into 4 sub-sections.
By Your Side:

Diva and Ignis are both controlled together. Movement and camera is centered on Diva while Alt + Move Command controls Ignis. Ignis will follow Diva automatically when not in combat or given movement commands for 5 seconds. Targeting an enemy for auto attacks will have both try to attack that target. Using attack move commands (by default A + RMB) will ONLY command Ignis to attack that target, prioritizing that target over the normal target, who is still prioritized by Diva. This replaces the normal functionality of attack move commands
Ignis always stays near Diva unless commanded. They have a leash range of 800/1200/1600/2000 units, increased by ranks on ult.

Two Parts of A Whole:

Both units shared all bonus HP and resistances, though their base HP is different. Bonus AD is converted to AP and Flat Magic Penetration is converted to Lethality at a 100% rate. They also distribute passive item effects differently except for on-hit passive effects, which both apply at 50% effectiveness. Active effects are used by both units simultaneously. When either auto-attacks a unit, if the same target is struck by the other before the attack timer would reset (based on attack speed), their base damage is capped, forcibly reducing it if the combined damage would exceed (100% base AD) + (100% AP). If either unit lands a critical hit, the cap is doubled. These reductions do not apply to item on-hit effects, they retain their 50% effectiveness per hit clause.

Nothing to Fight For:

If either of them is killed it counts as a champion kill for the enemy. The other will continue to be controllable for 5 Seconds, then will stop fighting. This state grants no bonus gold or EXP nor counts any other champion kill effect.

Units:
Diva:

• Diva is a ranged unit who deals (100% base AD) + (50% AP) physical damage.
• Attack Range: 650
• Base MS: 340
• All passive item effects that have a CD will activate exclusively for Diva. (Effects like Lifeline, Spellblade, Annul, Eclipse, etc)
• If Ignis dies, Diva still casts her portion of each skill.

Ignis:

• Ignis is considered a champion on its own. However if an effect would count how many champions would be near or hit and it affects both units, they only count as one.
• Ignis is a melee unit who deals (100% AP) + (50% Base AD) physical damage.
• Attack Range: 140
• Base MS: 350
• All passive effects that have no CD or have an on-target based CD activate exclusively for Ignis (Shojin, Navori, Jak’Sho, Sundered Sky, etc)

If Diva dies, Ignis can still cast their portion of each skill.

Q: Move! 

Cost: 70 Mana
CD: 10 Seconds
First Cast Range: 750
Second Cast Range: 300

First Active: Ignis lunges quickly to a location within the leash range, but only up to a certain distance, dealing 30/60/90/120/150 + (50% AP) physical damage to all enemies in its path and the same value again in an AoE upon landing, slowing all enemies struck by 20/25/30/35/40% for 1.5 Seconds. For the next 4 Seconds, you may cast the second active for no cost.
Second Active: Diva rolls a short distance, dodging all auto attacks while doing so and for a 0.5 Seconds interval afterwards.

W: Stand Our Ground 

Cost: 70/75/80/85/90 Mana
CD: 15 Seconds
Range: Self

Active: Target either Diva, Ignis or an ally champion (self cast defaults to Diva) to grant them a shield of 50/90/130/170/210 + (5% Bonus HP) + (10% AP) for 3 Seconds. If cast on Ignis or Diva, the other will gain 30/40/50/60/70% bonus Attack Speed for 3 Seconds. If cast on an ally champion, they both gain the Attack Speed bonus. All units involved gain a burst of 40/45/50/55/60% Move Speed for 1 Second.

E: Watch Our Backs 

Cost: 80 Mana
CD: 16/15/14/13/12 Seconds

First Active: Diva launches a mechanical trap in a target location, stopping on the first enemy hit dealing 40/80/120/160/200 + (40% AP) physical damage and rooting them for 1/1.2/1.4/1.6/1.8 Seconds. If it misses, the trap is left on the spot for 3/3.5/4/4.5.5 Seconds. Any enemy champion that walks over it receives the damage and root. For the next 3 Seconds, you may cast the second active for no cost.
Range: 800
Second Active: Ignis extends a biomechanical tendril in a straight line, attaching to the first enemy champion in its path and tethering them to Ignis for up to 5 Seconds. As long as they are tethered, if the target is immobilized (stun, root, knock up, etc) the tether duration is extended for that effect’s duration and the target is stunned and dragged towards Ignis at the end of it for up to 300/350/400/450/500 units.
Range: 700 Tether Range: 1100

R: Fight as One 

Cost: 100 Mana
CD: 130/115/100 Seconds
Range: Self

Passive: Increase the leash range of Ignis to 1200/1600/2000.
Active: Both start running at each other at 100/130/160% Move Speed and are immune to slows. If they are both immobilized this skill ends and it goes on a 10 seconds CD (unaffected by Haste). Otherwise, as long as they make contact the effect is successful.
Once they reach each other, they become unstoppable for 0.4 Seconds as Diva jumps into Ignis and they become a single unit for 10/13/16 Seconds. Their HP is combined and then healed for 100/130/180 + (50% AP) + (5% Bonus HP). All items and effects that account for Max HP now use this combined value, but those that account Bonus HP from items retain their value. Their Armor and MR aren't combined, but are increased by 20/35/50 flat + 10% of their value.
In this state, you are melee, all your auto-attacks have a second strike at 300% AS, each dealing (50/75/100% AP) + (70/85/100% Base AD) physical damage and applying on-hit at 50/75/100% effectiveness per strike. Finally all skills are performed by this unit and gain benefits.
Q: Move!: Retains both activations but the first cast is faster. Has increased range and the second cast will automatically auto attack the nearest enemy within range regardless of attack timer.
First Cast Range: 850 Second Cast Range: 400
W: Stand Our Ground: No longer targeted, you gain all the benefits immediately on cast. The move speed buff lasts for 3/4/5 Seconds instead.
E: Watch Our Backs: Only retain the tendril extending, but it pulls immediately without any conditions. The target is stunned for the duration of the pull.
Range: 800

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