#Last home match for our number 9

[never-sated]

There’s something that the Kop wants you to know

The best in the world his name is Bobby Firmino

Our number nine

Give him the ball and he’ll score every time,

Si senor

[bearterritory]

Cal Sweeps NC State For First ACC Win

Well-Balanced Bears Cruise To Victory

Maggie Li Leads Court With 13 Kills

BERKELEY – California volleyball responded in the best way possible to being swept by #1 Pitt last week, taking to the court Sunday afternoon with a newfound fire and defeating visitor NC State in straight sets, 25-19, 25-21, 25-14, to earn its first ACC win as a program and improve to 9-7 (1-3 ACC) on the year while snapping a four-match losing streak.   "Our passing was fantastic today," head coach Jen Malcom said. "Today just shows that when everyone is on task, good things can happen."   Sophomore Xuemeng (Maggie) Li once again led the Bears' offense, posting 13 kills on .367 hitting to lead both teams while also pacing the Bears with two service aces; junior Natalie Lau, meanwhile, added 34 assists to surpass 400 on the season.   As a team, Cal recorded 11 total blocks, led by sophomore Sawyer Thomsen's six, while senior Ellie Hamm and freshman Kate Mansfield each contributed five to help hold the Wolfpack (7-5, 2-2) to just .126 offensive efficiency – their lowest hitting percentage of the year. Senior Gianna Bartalo recorded a match-high 14 digs to further aid the Bears' defensive efforts.   "Our communication was very effective and our gameplan went really well," Li said. "I'm just really proud of everyone."   Cal's offense was at its best in the first set as the Bears hit .303, with Li posting four kills. Despite dropping the first point, Li's first ace of the day gave the Blue & Gold a 2-1 lead that the home squad never relinquished. NC State was forced to call its first timeout after a kill from DeJardin brought the score to 9-5 but were able to close the gap to just one point at 14-13, then again at 15-14. It was Thomsen who responded with the next kill to increase Cal's advantage once again, which they were able to increase thanks to a slew of Wolfpack errors. Junior Peyton DeJardin ultimately clinched the set for the Bears with her second kill of the match.   Both teams hit very well early in the second set, but the advantage once again went to Cal as the Bears finished at .300. The Wolfpack forced five ties but only took the lead once, stringing together three-consecutive points after Mansfield posted the first score (and kill) of the set. Cal stayed in control but was unable to stretch its own lead to more than three points until the very end, with a block from Thomsen and Lau putting the Bears up two sets to none.   The Bears' block came out in full force in the third set, with both Thomsen and Hamm recording solo stops in addition to another three two-person stuffs. Li's six kills powered Cal's offense, which included four runs of three-or-more points; it was the first of these, a six-point streak punctuated by a desperate NC State timeout, that broke open the set for the Bears and led to victory. DeJardin once again made her mark by slamming down her ninth kill of the day to bring the score to 23-12 – an 11-point difference, the largest of the match. Cal eventually went to Li at match point and she delivered with kill number 13, sending the crowd into an uproar and the Bears racing to embrace each other in triumph at the center of the court.  

[loathemetc]

Deltarune Theory: Another Weird Letter.

God okay, pulling out this again. My track record with Deltarune theories has been... Bad? Like okay, I don't have any crazy long-held beliefs that have been debunked, but I tend to rush to put out a theory right after new info drops based on my first thoughts and then literally disagree with what I came up with like, a day later as the information settles. I still thought Gaster and the Knight were the same guy right off the heels of Chapter 2 before thinking about it for a minute.

So fuck it, let's do it again, we got another weird letter!

So the first noticeable thing is that this doesn't really resemble any other mysterious characters (or characters we know of's) text. I mean, there's not much to pick up on, the only defining feature here is weird spacing, and a decent amount of commas. Which is also true of the weird valentine from earlier in the year, but this text lacks the caps lock and whimsical personality. The weird valentine also never broke line without punctuation. And if the weird valentine didn't match Gaster's text, this matches even less.

Now, as kind of an aside since I forgot to ever make a post about this, but I believe the Valentine was from the egg man behind the trees, and therefore the egg man is not gaster. There's a video about this but it only gets to the point like 30 minutes in so here's a quick chart.

So, if the prose style itself only tells us that it's not Gaster or the egg man (Or Spamton or Queen or Rouxls or-), then what can the actual contents of the text tell us?

Well, first it raises the question of if this is even a tease for Deltarune at all. It is Undertale's anniversary after all, and the mentions of best friends, 999999s, nothing being able to hurt you anymore, and laughing flowers with scary faces do paint a very "Asriel and Chara" kind of picture. Especially with the earlier damage font 9 gag evoking Chara in the newsletter. It's certainly a possibility, one I won't dismiss, although there are some odd things about it. If it's from Asriel, he never picked laughing flowers with scary faces, considering he was one. (See Addendum for correction) And it seems less likely to be from Chara, as they seem like the one who would like the number 9 in that way.

I could just leave it at that, (AND I SHOULD HAVE) but we should examine what it would mean if this was in fact a tease for Deltarune, and, if I'm right, Chapter 3 specifically. You can't really get more Asriel and Chara vibes in Deltarune than Asriel and Kris's house, after all, so of course the vibes are similar. I do feel like this paints a very deliberate picture. Where would we expect to see laughing flowers with scary faces in Deltarune? The trash can in the Dreemurr house of course, more accurately it's dark world variant. The flowers in the trash have often been speculated as a Chapter 3 secret boss since Chapter 2 released, although here it seems more like we're getting the perspective of a character who has surrounded themselves with these flowers, and perhaps this is our secret boss instead. Who's to say, as while this letter is shrouded in the mystery you'd expect from a secret boss, so is most of Chapter 3 right now. The mention of good memories definitely fits the vibe of the sadder aspects of the dreemurr home Chapter 3 may touch upon. I think it's probably safe to say this is a chapter 3 character that we might find in an area representing the trash can, but isn't the trash flowers themselves. Maybe something else that's been thrown away?

What's less safe to say is who this character is, so this last part is a lot more speculative based on things we already know. People have tried to place the mysterious character "Mike" in any role you can think of, so I might as well try here too. We know Spamton knew someone named Mike, who he seemed to be on good terms with. If the letter was written by Mike, then Spamton is definitely someone you might expect to enjoy high numbers.

Let's take a look at something else Spamton said too (featuring another Liss cameo in one of my theory posts.)

If you're not caught up, we can assume the Cathode in question is Tenna, the TV boss of Chapter 3. Whatever Tenna and Mike's relationship may be, Spamton seems to want them far away from each other. So, given the contents of the letter, maybe Mike is hiding in whatever trash can equivalent area Chapter 3 may have among the flowers, to lay low and keep off Tenna's radar? That's about as speculative as I'm willing to get for now.

AH FUCK LEMME ADDENDUM THIS ALREADY.

The way this is written made it hard to parse for me but it seems more like it's not be about laughing flowers with scary faces but rather Chara's laugh and scary face. The wording kind of fucked with me there.

So it really does just seem like it's about Chara and Asriel. See what I meant about my bad track record?

[greatwesternway]

Favorite non-engine exhibit at the IRM?

I'mma give you a runner-up too because I'm not sure most people know about it.

Inside some of the cars in Display Yard 5, there is the Railroad China Collection and other assorted ephemera.

There's a number of things in there actually, but they've got a large collection of servingware used on various trains and the first time we were there, we were given a very personalized tour from a guy named Ken. Ken was quite opinionated (and correct) about how train stuff should be displayed and explained to normal people. Suffice to say, he understands the value of the story. We're hoping to see Ken again sometime.

Obviously I'm very about the fluting on the Zephyr servingware (you know we love a cohesive theme), but the Santa Fe dishes are also quite cool and have a great design history to go along with them.

My favorite non-engine exhibit though is the Winton 201 prototype engine.

This is tucked in the back of Barn 9 and is particularly interesting because this is the prototype engine for the one used in the Pioneer Zephyr. Indeed, this one could have been placed in Pioneer if the guys at Winton didn't have the good sense to say no.

This engine (along with a matching twin) was displayed at the Century of Progress in 1933, where Ralph Budd saw them and promptly asked the Winton guys to sell them to him right out of the display.

They declined, for two reasons. 1. These two engines were currently prototypes and being stress tested at that very moment in their display. And 2., the display they were being tested on was powering the General Motors building. So they kinda needed to keep them around for the moment.

Budd settled for waiting for the non-prototype version and a year later, the Pioneer Zephyr and his new Winton engine joined these guys at the Century of Progress for the 1934 season.

So this is a very important piece of Zephyr history.

But the thing that really makes it my favorite non-engine exhibit at the IRM is that it's probably the best example of them getting a little... editorial with their signage.

HOW DID THIS PROTOTYPE END UP AT THE IRM?

Late in 1987, IRM got a call from the GM Warehouse manager in Willow Run, Michigan. This facility stored all of GM's experimental, prototype, and test models. The person at GM indicated he was planning to retire, and his superiors asked him to find appropriate homes for some of GM's stored treasures before he left. Somehow, he had heard of the IRM and wanted to know if we were interested in a steam car? IRM was intrigued and ask for a picture. It turned out to be a 1969 Pontiac with an experimental steam generator under its big hood. IRM said thanks, but it didn't meet our Museum's mission, which embraces steam, electric and diesel railroad equipment. The man never heard past "electric", and he offered us an electric car. Thinking this might be something more aligned with what we do, we asked for a picture. This one turned out to be another late 60's auto with batteries packed under the hood - their first electric hybrid. Again, IRM politely declined, and reiterated the actual scope of our collection. This time he heard "diesel", and offered us an old engine they had sitting around. We said, "YES, we'd love to have it." It was shipped shortly thereafter and arrived in early 1988. It was promptly put on display on the skid it arrived on.

This was truly the diesel that started it all for EMD. That it exists at all, is astounding, and a significant historical treasure hidden in plain view. (the second prototype has never turned up and is apparently lost to history.)

Very "per my last email".

[petitmonde]

Meet ugly

A set of dialogue prompts and scenarios for meet ugly, because who doesn't need chaos in their lives? Send in a prompt and/or scenario + a ship. Feel free to share and use.

I'd like to thank @missjanjie and @sweetlikesunflowersandhoney for their help.

Dialogue prompts

1. "Is that my car?"

2. "Oh, so that was you?"

3. "Please never contact me again"

4. "You shouldn't be in here"

5. "Who the hell are you?"

6. "So listen, I met the worst bitch ever on my way to work"

7. "Can you shut up? At least for ten minutes"

8. "You could say sorry"

9. "Just don't puke on my carpet"

10. "I don't even know you"

11. "I didn't ask for your life story"

12. "I didn't sign up for this"

13. "Okay, rule number one, don't talk to me"

14. "That fucking hurt"

15. "Did your parents hate you when they named you that?"

16. "That is the ugliest dress I've ever seen"

17. "I think I just spilled coffee all over our new boss"

18. "I'm pretty sure my date is hitting on your date"

19. "Wait, this isn't my apartment?"

20. "If you kick my seat one more time, I'm cutting off your legs."

21. "Get out"

22. "Well here's the thing, I don't care"

23. "I'm going to call the cops"

24. "It's loaded"

25. "Shit, I thought you weren't home"

26. "It's been six months and you still don't know their name?"

27. "I think you got the wrong number"

28. "Put your clothes back on"

29. "What the hell is wrong with you? Don't answer that, I already know"

30. "When I see that bitch again"

31. "I don't have a death wish"

32. "I am not getting in that car with you"

33. "Why does this kind of thing always happen to me?"

34. "Okay, for the last fucking time"

35. "Didn't you hear me?"

36. "Get a grip, get a life and get over it"

37. "I am not going to entertain drama, chaos, confusion and madness"

38. "I'm not bothered, not at all"

39. "I knew she was a clown from the jump"

40. "I'm not finished talking to you"

41. "I pity you for the face that you have"

42. "Here, let me buy you a new one"

43. "I don't want it anymore"

44. "You're getting blood all over me"

45. "You will be hearing from my lawyer"

46. "Well, you can go fuck yourself"

47. "Did you ever work in porn?"

48. "Who invited you?"

49. "This sounds like a scam"

50. "$800? I don't have that kind of money"

Scenarios

A. A and B have an appointment at the same clinic after their partner cheated on them, without knowing the other person is their side piece.

B. A server spills a milkshake on a customer's fancy new shirt, and is entirely unapologetic about it.

C. A and B match on Tinder and they quickly realise the other person is insane and unmatch. They then meet again on a blind date.

D. They've waged a passive aggressive war against eachother for years for being 'that annoying neighbour' by leaving notes in the laundry room without actually having met.

E. They're both hospitalised in the same room, and absolutely everything their new roommate does is annoying. And their family and friends are even worse.

F. It's the worst day ever already, and in comes an idiot who thinks it's cute to be overly friendly.

G. A is gleefully eating something B had been looking forward to all week – and it was the last one!

H. A stole B's cat accidentally, but now it's been over a year, so whose cat is it really.

I. A suddenly having to become a babysitter for a very drunk B, a complete stranger.

J. A and B have been tricked into babysitting the same pair of chaotic twins.

K. A finds B wildly attractive, and has had a crush on them for a good while, however during their first conversation, A blanks and insults B.

L. Just your ordinary everyday traffic accident between a car and a bike.

M. A drunkenly texts B, thinking they're A's ex, and now B won't stop teasing them about it.

N. On a skiing trip, A walks into what they think is their own lodge, only to find that the bed they're sleeping in belongs to B, who very much doesn't appreciate waking up to being spooned by a stranger.

O. A is the sole reason they're desperately trying to survive an avalanche.

P. A's dog messes up B's date, but is refusing to pay for a new pair of pants.

Q. A's sibling fucks over B, and when B comes over to slap some sense into them, they end up slapping A.

R. A gets an angry phone call from B, cussing out someone with a name that's similar to theirs. At first they wanted to hang up, but now A just really wants to hear how that person fucked up.

S. A is a stand-in for B's partner in a reality TV show, and is doing their damnedest at messing them up since B was dismissive of them when they met. Revenge isn't always cold, bitch.

T. They're sharing an Uber from a club, and holy shit, A is bleeding all over the place, so B has no option but to help to avoid paying a cleaning fee.

U. A works at an amusement park as a mascot in a suit. B lives to torment the mascots, and now that there aren't kids around, A is ready to let them have it.

V. A is running late, and only notices their shirt is inside out in the elevator. They try to put it on right but they get stuck with their shirt half off. B is the shocked neighbour who finds A like that.

W. A has brought in flowers to work to welcome the new hire, who happens to be extremely allergic to said flowers.

X. Someone keeps stealing A's food from the fridge, and having had enough, A poisons their food with an inordinate amount of chili peppers. Now to wait for the screams of B come lunchtime.

Y. If A doesn't shut up about their ex anytime soon, B is going to blow a gasket and tell them to get a life. They're in public for fucks sake, have your mental breakdown somewhere else.

Z. A has talked mad shit about B at length, not realising they'd be their next opponent in their next match. Now it's personal.

[iamyoursonly]

Am I just a fan? (30/9/2023)

still coping <3

The honoured one, Gojo Satoru was a very famous singer and I was the number one fan. He had the prettiest voice and the most beautiful face, and most importantly, he was ripped. He was an award winning singer and had an assuring future waiting for him. I was literally freaking out because he was coming back to Japan in a month for a fan meet, and lucky enough for me, I was picked.

Looking forward to the day I’ll be seeing him in person, I tried out the best clothes I had, tried doing my makeup perfectly and went to pierce my ears because I heard that he liked girls with earrings. His aesthetic, his ideal type, I know all of it, and tried to sculpt myself as that. But I wasn’t pretty enough, I mean how could I remove all my pimples in time for the fan meet? There was just too many of them… My mom, who wasn’t supportive of me liking him, tried to bribe me into staying home instead of going to see him. But I was rebellious and in love, so I was going anyways.

That day, he was wearing a hoodie and sweat pants, with sunglasses hanging on his nose perfectly. I knew I was radiating ‘in love’ energy, but I didn’t know that he would notice. “Are you a fan?” He walked over to me, and I was basically sweating in my crop top, and mentally thanking myself for putting deodorant on this morning. “I am,” I manage to muster out, and he chuckled and told me I was cute. I held onto his album package so that it won’t touch the floor as I was embarrassed and flustered. “I’ll see you later, cutie.”

Cutie? Was he always such a flirt?

The paper ring I folded for him is in my pocket, it matches with the one I folded for myself. And when it was finally my turn to sit in front of him, he just laughed and smiled and said, “Aww, my princess is here for me.” I couldn’t help but wonder if he tells everyone the same thing. Throwing away these thoughts, I hand him the paper ring, and he wears it on his ring finger smoothing while signing on his album. Time goes faster when you’re with the person you love and before I knew it I was shoved down the stage and then was forced to leave.

Opening the page he signed on, there was a number under the signature, 010-XXX-XXX, and there was a ‘call me’ written just below the number. I take out my cell phone and dial the number, he picked up on the third ring. “Who’s this?” he asked. Holy shit it was him, Gojo Satoru, and I’m talking to him right now! “It’s me.” and as if he recognises the voice, he quickly switches his tone, and goes “Princess? Oh how I missed you, it’s been two hours since I last saw you~”

Oh my, so the princess thing wasn’t a joke, “Do you call everyone nicknames?” I asked and he kind of sounded offended, “No?? Why? Do you not like me calling you princess? I can call you darling, love, sweetheart, cutie, or even my future wifey. What do you prefer?”

The blush on my face reddened, “Actually princess is okay, just leave it be. And why would you leave your number under your signature?”

“I can’t? Aren’t you the person that stalked me when I first debuted? My first and most supportive fan?”

He remembered.

“In fact, I am. Why? Do you want to repay me?” I joked, not knowing that he was actually serious, like very serious. “Actually yeah, as you know I’m kind of in a scandal right now and I need to get out of it, would you like to pretend to be my girlfriend?” Okay, he wasn’t joking, he didn’t sound like it, “Are you serious?” He was. “I am. Please.” Who am I to pass such an amazing chance? “Sure, I’m down.”

Before I knew it, our fake relationship began.

The paparazzi followed us everywhere, when Satoru took me out shopping, photos were taken; when Satoru took me kayaking, photos were taken; when Satoru took me back to his place, photos were taken. So this was his life, a life without any privacy. I felt bad and stayed with him. Before long, most of my personal information was leaked, like how I studied high school in England and my parents are divorced, Satoru was there for me when it happened. But it’s okay because he was here with me.

“Ice cream?” he asked when we were at his house, escaping from the media and gaining privacy for ourselves. “Yeah, what flavour do you have?” He opened the fridge, clearly looking at its contents “I have strawberry, chocolate and vanilla right now, what do you want?” I shrugged, “Whatever you want actually.” And he grabbed the chocolate ice cream and walked over to me. “Let’s watch a movie while we’re at it.” I took the ice cream from him and was heading to the sofa, “The new one that you’re starring in?” He chuckled, and he looked so young, like he was a teenager again, “Nah, let’s watch something romantic.”

He jumped on the sofa, and draped a blanket over the two of us, holding the ice cream in his big hand. He took the controller and chose that new Disney movie - Elemental. “Forbidden love? I mean how can fire and water be together.” I state, and he was just crying whenever the two of them had an interaction. “You’re so emotionless, princess, look at them, they’re in love and that’s all that matters.” I just watch the movie with the singer himself sniffling next to me.

“Say, princess.” I hummed in response, “Do you want to date? For real?” I dropped my spoon of chocolate ice cream on the white tiles, and my jaw also dropped, “You’re not joking?” And his eyes looked serious, “We’ve been doing this fake dating thing for like half a year already and I really fell for you at first sight, I really like you, princess, can you let me take care of you?” I wasn’t ready for this, it seemed like a prank at the very least. A world known singer asking a girl who hasn’t even finished college to date, what joke is that? I just laughed, “Satoru, its not funny.”

Then he pulled my chin and forced me to look at him, “My princess, my love, falling in love with you at first sight was easy, but having you by my side always made me fall for you even more. Forbidden love, Amber and Wade had it just like us, you’re fire and I’m water, we live in two worlds but I’m just somehow in love with you. I’d do anything to be with you. Just say the word and I’d even leave the industry right now. I love you, and I’m not joking, please stay with me until we grow tired of each other.”

Satoru looked desperate, and I couldn’t resist but agree, “Yeah, I’ll stay with you, but just don’t do anything reckless, okay?” He looked relieved,“I promise,” and I smile, “I love you too, my super star.”

And then his lips were on mine. Forbidden love? It’s no more.

master list

[loveisanimaginarydagger3000]

Hello, hello. To my lovely audience and to our lovely contestant, and to the people watching this from home I welcome you back to question time, with me your humble host - ☕️

We are back in action for round two, for those who need a reminder, it’s our sports round! Now for every correct answer given the contestant will bag themselves a point, and just like the last round there is a bonus question at the end. This time though it’s worth 3 extra points. Shall we get started?!

Question one. Which footballer has scored the most goals in World Cup history?

I’m shit at football so I’m glad I’ve got my handy cue cards that have the answer written down for me.

Okay question 2. Which countries rugby team is called the Springboks?

Question number 3. In which sport is 180 considered a perfect score?

Into number 4. Jessica Ennis-Hill competed for Great Britain in which sport?

Back to football with question number 5. Which country has one the most FIFA World Cup titles?

Question 6. In which sport is the Ryder cup contested?

For question number 7. We have. Which country won the cricket World Cup in 2019?

In which sport would you find the terms “jab”, “hook” and “uppercut”? That’s question 8.

After this question we move onto to the last one which includes bonus points, but first question 9.

Who is the current holder of the Formula 1 world championship?

Okay onto the last question.

Question number 10. The first FIFA World Cup was held in what year? And for those bonus points can you name the host country?

Okay so that wraps up round 2 of our question time quiz show! We’ll be back after this short reading break to have a look at what our lovely contestant said. Can they put some more points on the scoreboard or are we going to see the downfall of the one we are rooting for?

All will be revealed when we return. But from me your host it’s bye for now -☕️

Woooo round 2 time!!! Finally, topics I'm good at!

1- That would be Germany's striker Klose :) I think it's something like 15/16 goals in total he has.

2- I'm pretty sure it's South Africa? I'm not the biggest rugby fan tbh

3- Darts! (a sport i am surprisingly shit at)

4- Ngl I have no idea😭 Not really a fan of the olympics some reason.

5- Back to football? perfect, let me show off here. Brazil has the most world cups with 5, then Italy and Germany are tied on 4, Argentina 3, Uruguay and France on 2 and spain and england with 1. 🫡I'm a football nerd.

6- Golf I'm pretty sure?

7- England? I think that was the match were it went to the last ball? (not a massive cricket fan)

8- Boxing!

9- That would be Max Verstappen (Red bull racer)

10- 1930 was the first world cup! Uruguay were the hosts and the winners

Help not the downfall of who we were rooting for😭😭 I hope I haven't just embarrassed myself and gotten most of these wrong

[pennysperfectpolls]

Happy new year everyone!

Here are the final 101 adoption candidates! Preliminary matches will be announced soon. Any with multiple submissions will skip preliminaries.

If there’s a number after their name that’s how many times they’ve been submitted, np stands for no propaganda

1: Gregg Lee (night in the woods)

2: Liir Thropp (Wicked (Novel))

3: Arven (Pokémon) 3

4: Kyusaku Yumeno “Q” (Bungo Stray Dogs) 2

5: Kristen Applebees (Dimension 20: Fantasy High) np

6: The girl (fear and hunger)

7: Shane (Stardew Valley) np

8: Waluigi (super Mario)

9: Nahida (Genshin Impact)

10: Sachi Shinozaki (Corpse Party: Blood Drive)

11: Qiqi (genshin impact)

12: Rob (the amazing world of Gumball)

13: fred jones (scooby doo mystery incorporated) (that version specifically)

14: Shoto Todoroki (My Hero Academia)

15: Vivi Ornitier (Final Fantasy IX)

16: Harrowhark Nonagesimus (The Locked Tomb) 3

17: Essek Thelyss (critical role) np

18: Adrien Agreste (Miraculous Ladybug) np

19: Hunter (The Owl House) np

20: Mafuyu Asahina (Project SEKAI)

21: Mashirao Ojiro (My Hero Academia)

22: Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)

23: Hitori "Bocchi" Gotou (Bocchi the Rock!)

24: Freminet (Genshin Impact) 3

25: Shilo Bathroy (Just Roll With It)

26: Shijima Tsukishima (Shimeji Simulation)

27: Nona (The Locked Tomb) 2

28: Isaac Moriah (The Binding of Isaac)

29: Dimitri alexandre blaiddyd (Fire emblem) 2

30: Angela (Lobotomy Corporation/ Library Of Ruina)

31: Natural Harmonia Gropius “N” (Pokémon) 2

32: Charger (Voidpets)

33: Eunyung Baek (No Home)

34: Riven (Winx Club)

35: The Being (The Dragon Prince)

36: The Collector (the owl house)

37: victorian child (the “This would kill a Victorian child” meme)

38: Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

39: Hypnos (Hades)

40: Marianne von Edmund (Fire Emblem)

41: Syaoran Li (Cardcaptor Sakura) np

42: Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura) np

43: Luke (Obey Me) np

44: Ortho Shroud (twisted wonderland) np

45: Tony Tony Chopper (One Piece) np

46: Child Emperor (One Punch Man) np

47: Kenzie Martin (Parahumans)

48: Kakashi Hatake (Naruto)

49: Mizuki Okiura (AI: the Somnium Files)

50: Cody Hackins (Ace Attorney)

51: Chazz Princeton (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)

52: Martin Blackwood (The Magnus Archives)

53: Candace Flynn (Phineas and Ferb)

54: Shin-Ah (Yona of the Dawn)

55: Kyoka Eden (Scarlet Nexus)

56: Kasane Randall (Scarlet Nexus)

57: Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb)

58: Emil Sinclair (Limbus Company)

59: Cove Holden (Our Life: Beginnings & Always)

60: Zuko (Avatar the Last Airbender)

61: Ashe Ubert (Fire Emblem 3 Houses) 2

62: Alphonse Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) 2

63: Killua Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter)

64: Zhang Chengling (Word of Honor)

65: Falst (Aurora Webcomic)

66: Venus (solarballs)

67: Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)

68: Rui Ayaki (Demon Slayer)

69: Gyutaro (Demon Slayer)

70: Blackmore (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

71: Gin Ibushi (Your Turn To Die)

72: Sirin (Honkai Impact 3rd)

73: Kai Satou (Your Turn To Die) np

74: Rio Ranger (Your Turn To Die) np

75: Hod (Lobotomy Corporation/ Library Of Ruina)

76: molly blyndeff (Epithet erased)

77: Mami Tomoe (madoka magica)

78: “Tails” miles prower (Sonic)

79: Pearl Fey (Ace Attorney) 2

80: Lillie (Pokémon)

81: Jane Doe (Ride the cyclone) 2

82: Netzach (Lobotomy Corporation/Library Of Ruina) np

83: Chesed (Lobotomy Corporation/Library Of Ruina)

84: Gebura (Lobotomy Corporation/Library Of Ruina) np

85: Furina de Fontaine (Genshin Impact)

86: Natsuki Subaru (Re: Zero)

87: Sayo (I Need To Suck Blood Tonight)

88: Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler)

89: Kokichi Oma (Daganronpa V3)

90: hal 9000 (2001 a space odyssey)

91: Mai Chang (Fullmetal Alchemist)

92: Lucy Heartfilia (Fairy Tail)

93: Elphaba Thropp (Wicked)

Poll runner submitted

94: Wanderer (Genshin Impact)

95: Kenji (Ghost Hunt)

96: Oscar Pine (RWBY)

97: Shun Kazami (Bakugan)

98: Caspar von Bergliez (Fire Emblem)

99: Bernadetta von Varley (Fire Emblem)

100: Mika (Genshin Impact)

101: Suletta Mercury (Gundam)

I also submitted another for Ashe from fire emblem

[itspdameronthings]

Benny's Presents

Summary: Here is my birthday fic in honor of Garret Hedlund's birthday. Benny goes through a chest of birthday past. reflecting on them,and stories behind them. Enjoy!

Here is the story on how. Benjamin James Miller came into this world. Was told I was like 2 weeks late. Ma was going bananas. Trying to induce her labor by climbin trees, gardening. Nothing. Till.. late in the evenin . Water broke. Will was scared when Ma was screaming. Pa rushed her to the hospital. Will had to be left with our aunt. September 9 th. I was born. Oh  everyone thought I was the cutest Miller . That always made Will pretty pissed. Still remind him of that from time to time.

Wow ! Birthday number 39! One more year till I'm in the 40 man club. Last one. Used to bother me. Always the baby. The young one. Always joked that I still haven't got any grays yet. Fish and Pope rolled their eyes at me. Will? All he said " Give it time . You will find one. Then cry like a baby you are." Which caused us to get in a playful fighting match. 

As I'm openin my chest of memories. Take me back in time. Being a kid was fun, carefree. No worries. Rememberin friends ,and ones that mean so much to ya.pullin up a pic of my pickup. Oh how I love that truck. Had to wait to officially drive it since I was grounded. Dixie and I sneaked out on our bikes to see a movie we were too young to see. Would have gotten away with it if we didn't see her parents and mine on the porch. How did they know? Oh right! My cousin, Riley! Wanted to kill him! 

Next gift is the very first boxing gloves. Givin by Dixie. Oh my baby. She has been my best friend since we were toddlers. Peas in a pod. Yen to my yang. Will took upon himself to look after us. He taught me how to box. Funny, I never wanted to learn ,but I had to defend the honor of a young lady. Yep! That started my MMA career. Thanks Will.

Next is the series of birthday gifts from Dixie while I was in the Army. From pictures ( for my eyes only) till I found few of them were missing. I knew who did. More about that later on. Those gifts got me through some serious stuff. That's when I realized something. Dixie is the one for me. Was so ready to get home to tell her. Hoped she felt the same. 

Which brought me to the next present. Gift silk boxers. Red of course. For my first ever MMA match for that week. Put them on . Unknowing that a certain person was in the room. My now girlfriend, Dixie. Told me how sexy I looked. That resulted in some hot sex. Was interrupted by Pope! Figured he would do that. Something happened to me after she left. Pope kissed me! That was an other birthday I would never forget. 

Gettin rather carried away by lookin in the chest until a pair of soft ,and calloused hands touched my bare shoulder. Lookin up to see both of my hearts. Made my heart skip a beat. Got up to open the present. Told them ," Should I open this at the party later on?" Dixie looks up at him with love in those eyes," not this one. It's a personal one." Opened up the small box with a red ribbon . Slowly opened it to see a stick? With a plus sign? What?... Until I screamed," Are y'all .. Omg! Pope ! We are gonna be daddys ! " Reached out to hug my hearts. Of all the gifts I have received in my 39 years on this earth. This one is the best one to date!

[brucebracket]

📊By the Numbers: November 13 - 20

Last week we voted on Disc 2 Side A, matches 9 through 16 Guys! We're almost finished with Round 1!

One sort-of upset this week as 15 seed Open All Night (the live, big band swing version) was handily beat by 18 seed She's the One. There are some great songs in this bracket (like this, and our fewest vote getter) that I think would have done so much better if not for just bad luck in opponent.

(click that thing to embiggen!)

Poll with the most votes: Match 11 with 71 votes. I wouldn't have thought those two songs would garner the biggest response, but sure

Closest match: Match 12. Long Walk Home and Local Hero were tied for most of the week, but Long Walk Home came up with the three extra votes to win

Song with the most votes: Match 9 was an absolute rout, with Darkness On the Edge of Town getting the most votes of any song with 65. It beat…

Song with the fewest votes: Gloria's Eyes, with a paltry three votes

Thank you all for playing again this week. Our vote totals are slipping a bit; I know these middle seed matches can be a bit lackluster and I appreciate every vote. Hang on! Round 2 is coming soon!

The full bracket is here

All of the results posts are here

[kits-ships]

4, 9, + 10 for aziraphale + crowley to answer !!

hi anon i cant remember which ask game this was from so im gonna assume it was the useless info one :3 thank u so much and sorry for bein silly!!

4.) what’s your second favorite memory of seraphina?

My second favorite? What an interesting question. It's hard to rank moments like that when you've been around for six millennia, but I am rather fond of the time we had matching, white dresses and went bar-hopping. It was quite unusual for us, but Seraphina wasn't very familiar with different varieties of wine and I felt entitled to help! Afterwards, I lost one of my shoes to a storm drain and Seraphina managed to get her lipstick all over my shoulder when she fell asleep at the fifth bar. We were lucky to find our ways home that night!

Sera's rabbit ate through my shoe the first night I slept over. He'd been stomping the whole time we were in the living room and I'd been making fun of him for being jealous. I guess he understood me, though, because he really did a number on them. When I went to leave and found them all chewed-up, Sera immediately burst into tears and began to apologize over and over. She didn't really remember the whole 'miracle' thing, I guess. Anyways, the shoes are fine, now, and Moo still hates me. Woe is me.

9.) what’s their beige flag?

A beige flag? One moment, please.

Uh. I'm gonna go with the fact that, when she randomly remembers things, she bolts upright and makes a little noise that scares the living hell out of me. It's like her brain is getting a notification. We could be asleep at 4am and she'll jump up, squeak and begin to shake me like she didn't just make me fear for my immortal life. Sometimes it's stuff from her life as an angel, and sometimes its something she forgot at the grocery store.

Okay, I'm back! And I believe I understand, now.

Seraphina has the ability to fall asleep at anytime and anywhere. At the till of her shop? She's sleeping next to the register. Waiting in like at the market? I have to make sure she doesn't drop everything when she begins to nod-off. It's not really in her control, but it's quite interesting, nonetheless. I could probably tell her that the world was ending and she would sleep through it all. Hm. We may be used to facing the end of the world, though.

10.) assign seraphina a song based on what you think an amv of your guys’ relationship would have playing in it.

Can we get some questions that I don't have to explain to Aziraphale? I didn't even know what an AMV was.

Don't be rude!

Fine. Okay. Somebody to Love, then. That's easy enough, yeah?

Oh, but you'd have to pick an ABBA song! They're her favorite! Something like Our Last Summer would work quite well, I believe. Seraphina would enjoy that.

You two and your ABBA.

Earth Angel, then?

I think we're too predictable, Angel.

[omegawhiskers]

RAW 27/11/23

CM Punk is home

Let's sink our teeth into the core of the discussion. CM Punk returns to Monday Night Raw after 9 years. This was the first time Punk had a live microphone in his hands since. I wasn't expecting a pipe bomb. We've had many of those. What I did expect was a reason for returning. Punk said he was home, and everything was great. There wasn't much to this promo, which is unfortunate. If he said he wanted to main event WrestleMania because it was the one thing he never got to do, then that would've give him motivation to return and to set a path. He could've addressed Seth Rollins, but nothing. Hell, even Cody Rhodes announced he was the first entrant into the Royal Rumble and a returning Randy Orton said he was here to get his revenge on the Bloodline. WWE played it so safe here that there was nothing to excite me for next week.

Speaking of returns - as mentioned - Orton opened up the show to a huge pop. The Viper is back, and he has his eyes set on the Bloodline, but Rhea Ripley comes out as she explains the landscape has change in the WWE since his been out. Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh attacked Orton from behind, but he easily brushed them off. Orton said he was going to talk to Adam Pearce so he can get his hands on Dirty Dom tonight. Randy looked very excited to be back.

We got a Tag Team Turmoil that went just under 30 minutes in length. This was a very good turmoil and every team looked great, expect for Indus Sher, who came out of this worse than walking in. I was quite shocked that The New Day lost to The Creed Brothers and that Kofi Kingston took the pin.

Damian Priest and The Judgement Day continue to has moments where there is a rift. I have a feeling when Priest cashes in, he will be turned on my his ''family'' costing him the title opportunity.

Cody came out to talk about WarGames, Punk, Randy and the Royal Rumble, but his gleeful promo was cut when Shinsuke Nakamura gave him a fantastic looking red mist. This should be a good feud between the two.

Ivar and Bronson Reid had a match that led to a double count out. This was needed because Bronson is facing Dom tomorrow night so taking the loss the Xia Li last week would have made him look weak heading in. Ivar is also having a great singles run and both men can do more together, so the result worked.

Nia Jax had a victory of Zoey Stark. I don't know if it was good to see Stark lose at two PPV's back-to-back and here. I think Stark is the better of the two, but she does need a gimmick to set her apart.

The Miz confronted Gunther and said he wants to wrestle him again. I've mentioned this a few times, but we're getting the same Miz, who should go through a character changed with this feud with Gunther. We need to sympathise with the Miz, but I feel annoyed that he believes he deserves another IC Title shot before everyone else.

Drew McIntyre had a great segment. I loved how he agreed with Rollins up until he found out that Jey Uso is the number one contender for WWE World Heavyweight Championship. A furious Drew headbutted Rollins causing a cut in Drew's forehead. The wound continued to bleed backstage as Sami Zayn tried to talk sense into Drew, who said he has a match next week with Zayn.

Orton's first back back was wasn't anything special, but I did like seeing Dom and Orton wrestle.

This episode wasn't nearly as good as I wanted it. Getting Drew/Seth and Miz/Gunther again isn't as exciting as the alternative ways to go. Give Miz a better story and start setting up Seth/Punk right now.

[concerthopperblog]

Favorite Americana Albums of 2022

Every year, trying to nail down my favorite Americana albums of the year is a chore. This year I didn't get a chance to listen to as many albums as I usually do, hence a Nigel Tufnel approved 11 instead of my usual 20, but that didn't make it any less difficult. Weeding down to 11 left out some stellar albums like River Whyless' 'Monoflora', Marcus King's 'Young Blood' and Erin Rae's 'Lighten Up.' They're all worthy, but just got pushed out by albums that just clicked for me slightly more.

This year's list is notable for the number of smaller acts on it. A lot of America's heavy hitters (Isbell, Yola, Giddens, Jarosz) didn't release albums in 2022, which let some artists who might have gotten pushed down the list to shine.

Like always, this isn't a list of the “best” albums, but just my favorite. The ones that spent the most time in my shuffle. Where I reviewed the album I've included a link to the full review. Where not, I've included a Youtube link to a standout song from the album.

11. Jake Blount- The New Faith The genius of Jake Blount's 'The New Faith' is that it's a concept album made up in large part of songs written by other people across a wide range of times. To tell a tale of a people navigating a world devastated by climate change, Blount found the apocalyptic potential of songs like Rosetta Tharpe's “Didn't It Rain” and made the most of them with just his vocal inflection. Bonus points for being the latest to incorporate a rapper into Americana music, an increasing trend that I am totally behind.

10. Leyla McCalla- Breaking the Thermometer The last of Our Native Daughters to knock it out of the park with a solo album, Leyla McCalla also went semi-concept with her Breaking the Thermometer. The result of a commission by Duke University involving Radio Haiti, the pirate radio station broadcasting messages and traditional music to a nation beset by oppressive regimes, McCalla uses clips from the station to set the tone for an album that traces her own Haitian roots. As would be expected from McCalla, the instrumental aspect is near perfection.

9. Aoife O'Donovan- Age of Apathy Aoife O'Donovan is as consistent as any artist in Americana music. The gentle fingerpicked melodies and almost fragile sounding voice match perfectly with the themes of Age of Apathy, an exploration of the devices and means we have to become more connected than ever, and how they took away the quiet spaces where contemplation and peace happen. A guest sit in from Allison Russell certainly doesn't hurt.

8. Keb' Mo'- Good to Be Keb' Mo's blues has been pulling tinges of Americana and folk music in for over a decade now. The mix fits Keb's style, which has always been much more bright and positive than your typical bluesman. On Good to Be, Keb' Mo' bounced between his current home of Nashville and his childhood home in Compton (literally. He bought his childhood home and turned it into a studio). The result is an album that touches on old-school blues (“All Dressed Up”, “Good Strong Woman”), breezy California soul (“62 Chevy, “Sunny and Warm”), and the album's highlight, “Louder”, Keb's channeling of David Bowie's “Changes” in which he assures his fellow boomers that the young are ready to assert themselves. “It's about to get louder. It's about to get real,” he croons, sounding like a proud papa.

7. Secret Emchy Society- Gold Country/Country Gold California's Secret Emchy Society is a leader in the increasingly public Queer Country movement. But SES doesn't rep Queer Country with preachy message songs. Instead, they endeavor to out-sing, out-booze, out-fight, and out-party the best of the outlaws and dare you to tell them they don't belong at the table they just drank you under. Take “I Murdered Your Bourbon” with its “Well they say ole Jesus turned water to wine. If he'd tried a bit harder, could have turned it to rye.” It's not subtle. It's not a gentle exploration of the human condition. It isn't supposed to be. This is a jumping honky tonk in CD format.

6. Colin Hay- The Now and the Evermore Former Man at Work Colin Hay has always been known for his comedic timing, enough so that he once played the comedy tent at Bonnaroo. So when he says he's releasing an album dealing with themes of mortality, my immediate thought was “this is Colin's pandemic album. It's going to be dark. But it's still going to be fun.” I was right. There is a melancholy that persists on The Now and the Evermore that is mitigated by Hay's gentle croon and eternal optimism. Throughout he faces mortality, both of friends and his own, with a sly sense of humor that seems willing to invite Death in for tea before chatting up the mysteries of the ever after.

5. Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway- Crooked Tree I've seen some people say that Molly Tuttle's new bluegrass band project, Golden Highway, is her true form. I'm not ready to go that far because I still love Molly's more Americana output but there's no doubt that Tuttle's having fun with the project and she shines here. It's not something you can feel on studio albums often but Tuttle's joy is in every note and her status as a monster of acoustic guitar remains. I've give the hot take here and say Molly is a better guitarist than Billy Strings.

4. Miko Marks and the Resurrectors- Feel Like Going Home Miko Marks was my find of Americanafest 2022, her performance just before her new album Feel Like Going Home was released. Lucky me. Like her performance, the album is impressive. Marks is the best since Yola at mixing country, gospel, Memphis blues, and Muscle Shoals soul sounds into one cohesive vision. Throughout, Marks' voice soars above gospel choirs while her band, the aptly named Resurrectors, throw rock and roll licks that could raise the dead.

3. Regina Spektor- Home, Before and After Nobody does a balance between wistful and playful like Regina Spektor. Both are prevalent throughout Home, Before and After, whether on the schoolroom rhyming “Loveology” or the epic journey that is her almost 9 minute “Spacetime Fairytale.” Her exploration of the nuances of relationships leaves no stone unturned, delving into obsession, devastating loss, and even love of convenience (the last delivered with chuckle-inducing frankness on album standout “Sugarman”).

2. John Moreland- Birds in the Ceiling John Moreland has always been an artist who mastered the art of the understatement. You won't find strident calls to action or snarling protest songs on Birds in the Ceiling (somewhat ironic considering Moreland came to Americana from the punk scene). As is his wont, Moreland takes on a divided nation, the loss of friends to cultish political demagoguery, and late stage capitalism (on the album's best song, “Cheap Idols Dressed in Expensive Garbage”) with an even and rough hewn voice that makes lines like “I told you the truth and you told me it was treason” all the more impactful. This is easily John Moreland's most mature, most cohesive, and most well-produced album of his career.

1. Tami Neilson- Kingmaker Most years I have a pretty solid idea of what my favorite album is, but the gap between it and #2 is rarely so wide. 2022 was the year of Tami Neilson and it wasn't even close. The New Zealander by way of Canada had an entire pandemic to process the #metoo movement that immediately preceded it and answered with Kingmaker, an album full of feminist ferocity. The adage may go “behind every good man is a good woman” but Neilson makes it clear that the women who populate the songs on Kingmaker are not interested in being behind anyone. From “Mama's Talkin'” with its “he cries cancel culture anytime anyone calls him out” to album standout “Careless Woman” which finds Neilson looking at the kind of woman warned against in all those '50s educational films and admiring her, noting that “I wanna care less.” But it's not all rockabilly feminism as Neilson and Willie Nelson duet on a touching tribute to family lost on “Beyond the Stars.” It's a particularly topical song in a time when tens of thousands lost loved ones to a pandemic. Taken as a whole, it's an album that would be a career album for most artists. Neilson shows no intention of slowing down, though, so who knows what's to come?

[common-man]

Small Story 72.Lost Love

Small Story 72.Lost Love Postman Ponnuswamy was making his third visit to the house at Doorbell No. 32, but once again, there was no response from the owner, Parvathy. He was supposed to deliver a money order worth 1,000 rupees, sent by her grandson from Shencottah. He had already come twice that day, but there was no one home. Frustrated, he decided to wait a little while and try again. Just then, Parvathi, returned home. "Sorry, Postman. I went to visit my friend's father, who is suffering from several ailments," she explained. "No problem, madam," said Ponnuswamy, handing her the money order. "This is from your grandson, Anush." "Thank you," Parvathi replied. "I’ll prepare some coffee for you. Please have some before you leave." "No, madam, I must be on my way," he said, and he quickly left for his branch. After he left, Parvathi placed the money order in front of the family deity. "God, Anush has been sending me money every month for my expenses, and I’m grateful to you for this. My pension from my late husband and Anush's money are enough for me." Her husband had worked in the state warehouse and passed away five years ago. Parvathi’s only daughter and her family lived in Shencottah. Her son-in-law, , worked in a private bank. Their son, Dhanush, a bachelor, was uninterested in marriage, despite having a diploma in mechanical engineering and a job at the same bank. Parvathi called her daughter,Shobha to inform her that the money from Dhanush had arrived. Shobha, along with her husband, had gone to visit a friend’s place, where they met Revathy, the friend's daughter. Revathy had graduated from Tirunelveli College and was not only beautiful but well-mannered. Shobha was immediately impressed and thought she would be the perfect match for Dhanush. She decided that this time, she would convince him to reconsider his decision not to marry. After a casual conversation, Shobha showed Revathy a photo of Dhanush and suggested that he would be a good match for her. Revathy was also impressed by the picture. She spoke with her mother, and they agreed to move forward with the proposal. Shobha’s friend, Ragini, was also taken by the photo and suggested that Revathy’s horoscope be matched with Dhanush’s. After a thorough analysis by an astrologer, it was confirmed that the horoscopes were compatible. Shobha was thrilled to hear that everything was aligned. A week later, Dhanush accompanied his parents to meet Revathy in person. After they had a meal together, Dhanush requested a private conversation with Revathy. Ragini suggested that they speak in a nearby room, and the two of them stepped inside. "I have something to confess," Revathy began. In last meeting I told you this in a playful way, I’ve actually been engaged to someone else. I wanted to see your reaction." Dhanush was stunned. "What do you mean?" he asked, feeling confused. "I was transferred to Chennai 18 months ago," Revathy continued. "Before that, I lost my old mobile and all the contact details, including your number and email. Over the past 18 months, I have been praying to Nellaiappar, hoping for a reunion with you. I was sure our love would eventually end in marriage." Tears of joy welled up in Revathy’s eyes. "I know you're from this place, Dhanush. One day, we would meet again." Dhanush, realizing his mistake, embraced her. "I am so sorry. You’re my schoolmate, and our love has lasted for more than a decade. Your prayers to Nellaiappar have been answered." Their love story culminated in a beautiful wedding, blessed by Parvathi and the whole family. K.Ragavan 9-11-24

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] India vs New Zealand 3rd Test, Wankhede (Image: BCCI) Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Mumbai “Is this Test cricket?” spectators at a packed Wankhede Stadium started wondering after India lost their fifth wicket in the eighth over. “Test match khelna bhul gaye sab log (these guys have forgotten how to play Test cricket),” murmured others. “Send them back to Kanga League.” These were the refrains as India crashed to their most embarrassing series defeat on home soil in history. Ignoring the heat and humidity — this was the warmest October in several parts of the country after 1951 — the fans turned out in numbers in Mumbai. Tickets come for a premium and food and drinks in the stadium cost a bomb. Despite all that, the diehard fans of Indian cricket had shown no lack of commitment even when it came to watching the last match of a series their team had already lost. Other than infuriating the thousands who turned up for two and-a-half days, the performance of the Indian team raised a few questions. The answers are simple. The team management and the people responsible for taking decisions made simple matters complicated. New Zealand didn’t play outlandish cricket. They were good. The Indians aided them by digging their own grave. Blinded by rain in Bengaluru Let’s start from the first day of cricket in this series. I was outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, doing a live video with colleagues back in the office. It was possibly the darkest 9 am I have ever seen. It had rained heavily the last few days and Day 1 of the match had been called off. The floodlights were on at that hour and it was moist and damp all around. I got a shocker when I heard Rohit Sharma had elected to bat. It was more like Wellington on a chilly morning and yet, our captain let the New Zealand bowlers have a free run at his own batters. To the absolute glee of the visiting side, the ball did all sorts of things and India got slammed. The total of 46 decided the match then and there. To make matters worse, India went in with three spinners. Panic button in Pune A message was sent to those preparing the pitch in Pune from the Indian team management. They wanted an out-and-out spinning track. They thought that this was the only way for them to make a comeback into the series. It showed that this team doesn’t learn from past blunders. It was in Pune on a rank turner that India had suffered a 333-run defeat against Australia in 2017. New Zealand won the toss this time and India were straightaway on the back foot. The ball spun considerably from the first day. Batting became progressively difficult as the game went on and the home team batters were in distinctly more discomfort than the visitors. They had no clue to Mitchell Santner and once again, lost the match virtually in the first innings. Among the less discussed features of that Test was how India negated their biggest strength. Jasprit Bumrah bowled 14 of the 150 overs India bowled in this Test. Akash Deep got six. Effectively, Rohit’s team played the match with three bowlers despite having five in the XI. Unbelievably, they opted for conditions where their best bowler — Bumrah — could not be used. India have been whitewashed for the first time at home by New Zealand. Where does this put the team in WTC Final qualification and will it affect the confidence going into Australia?@CricSubhayan and @atreyom analyze! #INDvNZ #WTC2025 #WTCFinal2025 pic.twitter.com/34VjLbQn2y — RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) November 3, 2024   Lesson not learnt before Mumbai It was again shocking to see media reports that the team management had requested the Mumbai Cricket Association for another turner at Wankhede. Indians can’t handle spin on such strips was well known and seen again barely four days back. Still, they opted for a track loaded in favour of spinners and surrendered meekly. Basically, they dug their own grave. In home conditions, the Indians are far better off on normal pitches, which play good for batting on the first few days and start assisting spinners towards the end of a Test match.

India had won four games against England on such tracks earlier this year. Still, they opted for this suicidal ploy and paid a heavy price. It led to the first-ever clean sweep India suffered on home soil. More questionable calls There were more debatable decisions. Having three fielders or more in the deep within the first 30 minutes of the second Test was one. There was no need to allow easy singles so early on Day 1. Not using Bumrah during a crucial century-plus, eighth-wicket stand between Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee in the first Test was another. Tinkering with the batting order was again a needless call. However, those were strategic errors during the matches. The most glaring blunders were made even before the games had started. The Indians made New Zealand feel at home by offering conditions that didn’t help their own team. One can accept the odd bad decision, not a series of them. India lost the series in the head. India’s on-field performances were a reflection of this confused state of mind. The post Strategic blunders hurt India more than on-field errors appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] India vs New Zealand 3rd Test, Wankhede (Image: BCCI) Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Mumbai “Is this Test cricket?” spectators at a packed Wankhede Stadium started wondering after India lost their fifth wicket in the eighth over. “Test match khelna bhul gaye sab log (these guys have forgotten how to play Test cricket),” murmured others. “Send them back to Kanga League.” These were the refrains as India crashed to their most embarrassing series defeat on home soil in history. Ignoring the heat and humidity — this was the warmest October in several parts of the country after 1951 — the fans turned out in numbers in Mumbai. Tickets come for a premium and food and drinks in the stadium cost a bomb. Despite all that, the diehard fans of Indian cricket had shown no lack of commitment even when it came to watching the last match of a series their team had already lost. Other than infuriating the thousands who turned up for two and-a-half days, the performance of the Indian team raised a few questions. The answers are simple. The team management and the people responsible for taking decisions made simple matters complicated. New Zealand didn’t play outlandish cricket. They were good. The Indians aided them by digging their own grave. Blinded by rain in Bengaluru Let’s start from the first day of cricket in this series. I was outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, doing a live video with colleagues back in the office. It was possibly the darkest 9 am I have ever seen. It had rained heavily the last few days and Day 1 of the match had been called off. The floodlights were on at that hour and it was moist and damp all around. I got a shocker when I heard Rohit Sharma had elected to bat. It was more like Wellington on a chilly morning and yet, our captain let the New Zealand bowlers have a free run at his own batters. To the absolute glee of the visiting side, the ball did all sorts of things and India got slammed. The total of 46 decided the match then and there. To make matters worse, India went in with three spinners. Panic button in Pune A message was sent to those preparing the pitch in Pune from the Indian team management. They wanted an out-and-out spinning track. They thought that this was the only way for them to make a comeback into the series. It showed that this team doesn’t learn from past blunders. It was in Pune on a rank turner that India had suffered a 333-run defeat against Australia in 2017. New Zealand won the toss this time and India were straightaway on the back foot. The ball spun considerably from the first day. Batting became progressively difficult as the game went on and the home team batters were in distinctly more discomfort than the visitors. They had no clue to Mitchell Santner and once again, lost the match virtually in the first innings. Among the less discussed features of that Test was how India negated their biggest strength. Jasprit Bumrah bowled 14 of the 150 overs India bowled in this Test. Akash Deep got six. Effectively, Rohit’s team played the match with three bowlers despite having five in the XI. Unbelievably, they opted for conditions where their best bowler — Bumrah — could not be used. India have been whitewashed for the first time at home by New Zealand. Where does this put the team in WTC Final qualification and will it affect the confidence going into Australia?@CricSubhayan and @atreyom analyze! #INDvNZ #WTC2025 #WTCFinal2025 pic.twitter.com/34VjLbQn2y — RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) November 3, 2024   Lesson not learnt before Mumbai It was again shocking to see media reports that the team management had requested the Mumbai Cricket Association for another turner at Wankhede. Indians can’t handle spin on such strips was well known and seen again barely four days back. Still, they opted for a track loaded in favour of spinners and surrendered meekly. Basically, they dug their own grave. In home conditions, the Indians are far better off on normal pitches, which play good for batting on the first few days and start assisting spinners towards the end of a Test match.

India had won four games against England on such tracks earlier this year. Still, they opted for this suicidal ploy and paid a heavy price. It led to the first-ever clean sweep India suffered on home soil. More questionable calls There were more debatable decisions. Having three fielders or more in the deep within the first 30 minutes of the second Test was one. There was no need to allow easy singles so early on Day 1. Not using Bumrah during a crucial century-plus, eighth-wicket stand between Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee in the first Test was another. Tinkering with the batting order was again a needless call. However, those were strategic errors during the matches. The most glaring blunders were made even before the games had started. The Indians made New Zealand feel at home by offering conditions that didn’t help their own team. One can accept the odd bad decision, not a series of them. India lost the series in the head. India’s on-field performances were a reflection of this confused state of mind. The post Strategic blunders hurt India more than on-field errors appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link