#esp the shootout scene

[evilcatrat]

sigh smth smth the parallel and difference between moreau's "do make it interesting ford" and Sterling's "thanks for making it interesting nate". smth about their relation to the team, smth about Eliots relation/reaction to them both, smth about their reaction to nate. just. hm yeah smth smth final episodes

[halestrom]

✨ 🌈 🌿 for the ask game pls!

✨What's a fic you've posted you wish you could breathe life into again and have people talking about it? (or simply a fic you wish got more credit)

Racing Hearts. Which is my Cam/Vala/Daniel fic and it's all outside POV from Cam's family and I jsut had so much fun writing it and I really think I did well with Cam's family and having them all be different and it was so fun.

🌈is there a fic that you worked *really fucking hard on* that no one would ever know? maybe a scene/theme you struggled with?

Colorado Blue Eyes was more work than I had been expecting, esp since I basically had an idea and wrote it in like .02 seconds and its a wild wild west au where the entire story unfolds with this background of a shootout and more and more is reveleaed and it was difficult because of rodneys circumstances and making it work was hard and also made me feel so bad for him because in my mind, in the fic, theyre all like 30ish or something. they're young.

🌿how does creating make you feel?

it makes me feel amazing!! anytime i do something and then i go back and reread it i always have a moment of 'holy shit, i did that. that was me' especially if there's a line i really like. or a scene i think that came out really well and then on a reread x amount of time later it doesnt even feel like me anymore? its like im reading something by someone else and ITS SO GOOD. and then i have that moment of oh holy shit thats me

ty for the asks!! if people are inclined, more here

[amaryllisblackthorn]

so i just wanted to write a bit how daigo's hard on himself bc it's a thing i've noticed and it makes me sad

the most noticeable exhibits of this are in kiwami2 and ykz5 -- note that I've barely seen ykz4 so it's not being included here in detail. in kiwami2 the scene in serena tho with kashiwagi ??

the way kashiwagi bursts into the room and is like 'are you okay daigo?! you're not hurt, are you?' and daigo turns his head away/down?? as if he's feeling ashamed?

and what daigo says to him is 'sorry…i couldn't protect chairman goda' to which kashiwagi goes 'i heard. dont worry about it. you're alive, that's all that matters' and then offers him a cigarette&a light, which daigo accepts

its just such a short scene that always gives me a lot of feels and i feel is underappreciated but that’s also because i hyperfocus on daigo

but it's like, kashiwagi bursts in worried about daigo while daigo feels bad for not being able to protect the chairman but kashiwagi doesnt care about that, he's only caring about daigo at the moment and its just asdfghjk

all kashiwagi cares about rn is that daigo's okay!! but daigo's upset he couldn't protect the chairman -- as tho he's let them down, perhaps? 👀

srsly tho kashiwagi's interactions with daigo come off quite paternal, in a different way than kashiwagi's older brother interactions with kiryu and nishiki, which makes sense given context but it's something i always find cute/sweet

its a scene that i think shows that despite daigo being in his sort of 'angst, apathetic' 'phase', there's more to him than that&he actually cares quite a bit about things--his 'disrespectful' interjections at the meeting at omi hq i think are also supposed to be a sign of that, but i digress

and then there's the scene in ykz5. when daigo insists on like a proper duel/shootout with kurosawa to settle things and kiryu's all worried, daigo goes 'maybe i can finally say i lived up to the title of sixth chairman. kiryu-san' and that ???? that's absolutely in part related to the events from ykz4, and aaAH

not to mention what aizawa tells kiryu in the beginning of the game -- albeit aizawa is putting on a show -- "truth be told, all i know about you are the stories, fourth chairman. but it was the chairman who was always telling them. He said it was his duty to protect the Tojo Clan you left to him […] The other execs don't want us having these talks with the Yamagasa Family. say they're not even in the same league as the Tojo. how this equal alliance is anything but. but the chairman took it all in stride because of what he promised you."

not to mention daigo's "it may not always seem it…but i'm trying my best to walk this path" from the beginning ???

this is also sort of a tangent, but also the way daigo tells shinada that he didn't have any dreams of his own bc his path was already decided for him as a yakuza so he was fine with getting expelled to protect the baseball game was really sad, esp juxtaposed with how we're told that shinada remembers dojima-kun as having 'the top marks in the grade' aah

and i looked up the original japanese text to confirm that Shinada does specify 'Dojima-kun' as having first rank in the whole grade. assuming his father's reputation didnt intimidate the teachers' gradings -- and i dont think they did since it seems like daigo wasnt known for any yakuza ties in high school -- that means daigo was bright and could have potentially had a future with opportunities in another life aaah but i digress

and then in ykz6 when kiryu's writing that letter, aAH ;-; talking about children who believed they'd be loved and acknowledged by surpassing their parents/proving themselves ;-; the undertone of kiryu acknowledging he let daigo down by not being present for him despite his parental role and aaH i could go on about their relationship but im already rambling ;-; ;-;

daigo looks up to kiryu so much and it hurts me so much and makes the letter at the end of 6 so cathartic in a sense bc it's a validation of feelings for daigo and the shots of his face in the car during the scenes AAAhH

bc while kiwami2 shows that daigo's hard on himself outside of his relationship with kiryu, ykz5 makes it pretty clear that he feels like he's let kiryu down in a sense, by like failing to live up as chairman and stuff -- just that whole 'maybe i can finally say i lived up to the title of sixth chairman. kiryu-san' && 'it may not always seem it…but i'm trying my best to walk this path' is so !! heartbreaking !! and it's like, kiryu's distance, particularly post ykz3 but also like in general ever since Dojima died which is a whole !! other thing

this has gone offtopic a bit bc there's a lot about daigo that breaks my heart, so i apologize for the tangents

[annapogorilayas]

LoD season 5 rewatch Thoughts

warning: this one is mostly moaning about the trajectory of the writing lol

it took me only two days to get through this season, whereas the other ones (esp. S2) took several, because i really wanted to give the earlier seasons my full undivided attention. i tried that with S5, but by episode 5 i found myself reverting to checking other tabs and scrolling through my phone while watching

steve calling kate boss almost makes up for the fact that they had basically no Classic Steve/Kate Moments this season

i actually enjoyed the OCG plotline this season, putting aside the implausibility of the number of shootouts/ambushes/robberies and the revolving door of people involved, stephen graham and rochenda sandall were great

it will never not be interesting to me that kate pulls rank on steve more in this season than steve ever did in the three seasons where he outranked her. in fact kate never even called him sarge in S1-3

i knew maneet was a goner as soon as she pulled out that video of her baby :(

kate sounding shocked about maneet possibly being bent because "you work right beside someone" kate hunni you worked with the caddy for two years

the problem with all the red herrings about ted being H is that when you watch it back knowing he's not H, you just realise he's an unprofessional dick and a bit of an idiot

ted is such a dick throughout the season but especially to kate who is trying her best to do her job. i'm still mad that they framed her leaving in S6 as a ~career move~ when honestly who'd want to work with this unprofessional dick?

in complete contrast to season 6, where everyone looked gorgeous, i think there's something off with the lighting or makeup this season, it's quite unflattering

they really missed a trick by not having ~the hargreaves reveal~ happen through his accent. if you get Professional Yorkshireman tony pitts on your show you should use him to his full potential

god, i think the end of 5x04 is the most harrowing scene in the show. i watched it on mute with subtitles

i think the reason S5 doesn't work for me is because it revolved around the "ted is H" storyline, which didn't interest me because i never at any point thought there was any risk of ted actually being H, so it was obviously going nowhere, but then we never got a convincing explanation for most of the red herrings either, like him destroying his laptop

when i rewatched S3, i still found the 3x06 interview scenes great to watch even though i fully knew how it would end. the 5x06 interview scenes however bored me

when S6 was airing, i started to think that maybe S5 holds up better than we thought. after all, it showed us quite a bit about how the OCG operates, and established that they're still exploiting terry and that ryan is involved after all these years (i think it would've felt like an ass pull for them to come back suddenly in S6 if not). but now that S6 has ended and i don't rate it too highly, i stand by my original opinion that S5 also wasn't that good. it's entertaining enough to watch week by week, when you're in suspense about how it will play out, but it doesn't hold up to rewatch in my opinion, especially in light of S6. my opinions have not changed since i wrote this post

[ermuellert]

yeah, lucas definitely was a better option to taken the penalty (aren't you supposed to be fierce and fearless, lucas? ).

But, in general, i feels there is a mental block in the team.I think we're going to have a lot of headaches in the next games if we don't change a lot of things....

(sorry for spaming your askbox btw! I gonna stop now hshshsh)

i know you can’t bully somebody into taking a pen that’s insane but lucas baby what happened to our kamikaze pilot.......... 

in all honesty though part of me pushing for a lucas pen was just me wanting to be able to see both hernandez bros play a part in victorious penalty shootouts in two consecutive days lol

but yes... part of it i’m sure is due to fatigue and exhaustion... and even without the congested schedule it’s hard to maintain quality after just winning the treble so everything’s difficult now... but the tactics or whatever is going on behind the scenes is definitely not helping the situation :( hope it gets figured out soon because there’s always talk about it but little actual evidence that any of our weaknesses are being addressed :/

(and i don’t mind omg!!! i love getting asks esp from my faves here omg dw!! 🥰)

[aemiron-main]

huge agree esp w the tags like i think part of jonathan’s frustration/upset with mike’s behaviour is BECAUSE he cares about him and because he knows how much mike cares about other people and so jonathan knows that mike hurting el and will is also hurting mike. so not only does jonathan not want el and will to get hurt by mike but jonathan also knows that hurting those two is also hurting mike in the process!! like imo he’s upset with mike’s behaviour + not being a good friend towards will (airport scene and going into rink o mania) or a good boyfriend towards el (mike’s comment at the dinner table about angela and el) because el and will are getting hurt but also because he knows that mike is hurting/getting hurt and he doesnt want any of them to hurt anymore!! 

like he still shields mike during the shootout!! he does not hate him!! he doesn’t want mike to get hurt!! he just wants mike to get his shit together a little bit!! he’s also probably concerned about what’s making mike act this way but also upset because he doesn’t feel like it’s fair for mike to take his own emotions out on will and el but also knows that mike is literally 15 and is still learning how to process his own emotions without taking them out on other people. 

I think some of people need to learn the difference between a joke and canon because some of you guys have legitimately convinced yourselves that Max, Hopper, and Jonathan hate Mike.

[news4dzhozhar]

**“Danny” just happens to know the GPS tracking # of his car off the top of his head? Seriously? The director also accidentally caused more minor things to be questioned…like his assumption that the brothers drove to the marathon and back to, at least their neighborhood Whole Foods, in under 25 minutes when tons of streets were blocked off for the race not to mention the detours created by the mayhem of people trying to get the hell out of the area along with emergency vehicles into the area. Considering Karima was working the day of the marathon his comments in this article just perpetrate the BS he put in the movie to make her seem like some kind of accomplice. In this piece when he’s talking about the milk buying video and says, as if fact, that Karima was the person to send Dzho back in the store to exchange the milk despite the fact that CCTV footage inside and out never showed who was driving the car...to say the least is irresponsible esp when he's constantly blowing smoke up people's asses about how dedicated to detail & accuracy he supposedly is. SMH**

BOSTON — Let me say up front, I am not a native Bostonian. I pronounce my “Rs,” have not gotten used to snow that doesn’t melt until July and am not inclined to shell out for a pair of Tom Brady infrared pajamas.

But when two bombs exploded at the marathon finish line in 2013, killing three people and wounding 264 others, we were all Bostonians.

As the New England bureau chief for The New York Times, I covered that terrible week of the bombing and manhunt for Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and endured the grueling trial in 2015, watching in awe as survivors hobbled to the witness stand. Not many of us in the press section were able to hold back tears.

Now the inevitable movies are starting to appear. A much-acclaimed HBO documentary that focused on the survivors aired in November. The film “Stronger,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Jeff Bauman, who lost both legs in the blast, is due later this year. And “Patriots Day,” which follows the bombing and investigation through a fictionalized cop played by Mark Wahlberg, opened here and a few other cities in December. It goes nationwide this weekend.

Reviewers outside New England — including critics for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and Variety — have generally given the movie positive notices. But those in this area — including writers for The Boston Globe, NorthShoreMovies.net and The Patriot Ledger — have been far more critical. (An exception is The Boston Herald, which gave it a glowing review.) As The Patriot Ledger said, the movie was “a cold, calculated re-enactment bordering on exploitation.”

I asked Peter Berg, the director of “Patriots Day,” what he thought accounted for the disconnect between critics at home and audiences farther away. He said some people here had made up their minds in advance not to like the movie, possibly because they felt it was being made “too soon,” or were too close to the actual events.

He did allow that some people might simply have thought the movie wasn’t very good, but his bottom line was: “These are people who were probably going to write a bad review before they ever saw it.”

Well, maybe. But what I’ve found is that moviegoers outside New England pretty much accept the film on its own terms, as entertainment, and Bostonians do not.

The biggest point of divergence concerns Tommy Saunders, the character played by Mr. Wahlberg, a Boston native. People elsewhere have not really questioned why this composite character is guiding them through the mayhem. They may even appreciate him as a narrative device.

But the hometown crowd is a tougher sell. They know the real events and people in granular detail. Some are offended that Saunders is both made up and, implausibly, present at every key development. As the critic Ty Burr wrote in The Boston Globe: “We don’t really want to see people who weren’t there. Especially when they’re everywhere.” The focus on the Wahlberg character flies in the face of what happened that week, when the entire city — not just one guy — rose to the occasion.

Viewers might find themselves wondering about a few other aspects of the movie. So I asked Mr. Berg about some things that Bostonians especially are likely to notice — for better or worse.

CHEETAH ROBOT - Sean Collier, a charismatic Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer killed by the bombers, is shown making a security check of classrooms and labs. Mr. Berg said he decided to convey Mr. Collier’s appeal by showing him flirting with a pretty female student, although a romantic relationship did not actually exist. But I was fascinated to see what was inside the lab: a famous M.I.T. invention, a four-legged robotic cheetah that learned to run and jump hurdles. Mr. Berg said that M.I.T. gave him rare access to the robot as a way of honoring Mr. Collier.

TRANSIT - The movie shows the bombers driving to the marathon. But it was never publicly explained how they got there and returned to their apartment in Cambridge so quickly, considering the Marathon Monday street closures. Mr. Berg said he assumed that they drove, partly because surveillance video outside a Whole Foods in Cambridge showed their car shortly after the bombing.

THE WRONG MILK - At the trial, the prosecution showed surveillance tape of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev buying milk at Whole Foods just 23 minutes after the bombing — and then, oddly, returning a short time later to exchange it. The point was to show Mr. Tsarnaev so unrepentant that after the bombing, he could do something as ordinary as buy milk. But we never learned why he exchanged it. The movie posits that Katherine Russell, his sister-in-law, had asked him to pick up whole milk for her toddler but that he mistakenly bought 2 percent. Mr. Berg said that’s the only reason he could think of for why she might have forced him to go back.

SALUTING MARTIN - In the movie, a lone state trooper stands guard over the sheet-covered body of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old killed in the bombing. It was actually Boston police officers who stood watch while forensics units sifted the scene for evidence. Was showing a trooper just an innocent mistake? Mr. Berg said that the film was dedicated “to all law enforcement” and that “we tried to spread the wealth around to each of the different departments without being overly concerned about which department did what.” Martin is never named at the request of his family, which declined to participate in the movie.

GPS - A big break comes when Dun Meng recites the GPS tracking number of his S.U.V., which the bombers have stolen. This actually happened. Without that number, the cops may never have found the bombers, who were heading to New York to blow up Times Square. Mr. Meng has said in interviews that the portrayal of his time with the bombers was totally accurate, down to Dzhokhar’s asking whether the car had a jack so he could play his music. The episode was filmed at a different Shell station, not the one where it happened, but the carjacking and Mr. Meng’s escape are riveting, especially because we never saw this on the news.

WATERTOWN SHOOTOUT - The movie has been criticized here for overdramatizing the shootout. But this scene does capture something very real — when word went out that the bombers were in Watertown, more than 2,500 law enforcement officers from across the region converged on the suburb. Hundreds of them “self-deployed.” Mr. Berg said that the female cop from Framingham, who stakes out a rooftop position, was not real but was meant to represent the gung-ho spirit that brought all that firepower to the scene.

INTERROGATION - The movie all but indicts Ms. Russell as a knowing accomplice, an insinuation that her lawyer has sharply disputed. But she was never charged. Did the moviemakers know something law enforcement didn’t? “It’s just very hard to understand how a woman living in that small house could not know what was happening,” Mr. Berg said. He said he researched her role extensively and that the F.B.I. vetted the scene in which she refused to cooperate with an interrogator who asked if there were more bombs.

Ms. Russell’s lawyer, Amato A. DeLuca, told me: “If they had information that she was involved, they would have charged her, but they didn’t. And she cooperated every single time.” And while investigators did find “explosive residue from the bombs” at the Tsarnaev home, the trial never established where the bombs were actually made.

CAMEO - At the end, the movie shows a small photo of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in jail. When this security footage aired during the trial, everyone in court gasped because he thrust out his middle finger to the camera. I asked Mr. Berg why he did not show that dramatic gesture.

“I don’t have any respect for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,” Mr. Berg said. “To allow him to have a moment of defiance doesn’t interest me. He doesn’t deserve that moment.”

[swimmersdaily]

Spain is back to the final after 2014, Russia books Olympic spot after shootout-win against the title-holders

Russia and Spain will play for the gold medal on Saturday after thrilling semi-final wins over the Netherlands and Hungary respectively. Thanks to its shootout win, Russia returns to the final after ten years, while Spain can repeat its win from 2014, achieved here in Budapest. Regardless of the outcome, the Russians also booked their ticket to Tokyo since Spain had already secured its place last summer. Hungary seems to be cursed against Spain in the semis as this was their 6th loss in as many clashes, while the Netherlands misses the final after three consecutive appearances.

5 RUS BORISOVA Maria Russia, 5 NED WOLVES Iris Netherlands, 9 RUS TIMOFEEVA Anna Russia Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena Russia (white caps) Vs. Netherlands (blue caps) XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo ©Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Russia Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena Russia (white caps) Vs. Netherlands (blue caps) XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo ©Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

8 HUN KESZTHELYI-NAGY Rita Hungary, 6 ESP GONZALEZ LOPEZ Irene Spain Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena Hungary (white caps) Vs. Spain (blue caps) Women Semifinal XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo ©Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

3 ESP ESPAR LLAQUET Anna Spain Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena Hungary (white caps) Vs. Spain (blue caps) Women Semifinal XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo ©Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Spain Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena Hungary (white caps) Vs. Spain (blue caps) Women Semifinal XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo ©Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

3 PROKOFYEVA E. (C) RUS Russia 10 SOBOLEVA Evgeniia RUS Russia 5 WOLVES Iris NED – Netherlands Semifinal Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena RUS – Russia (white caps) Vs. NED – Netherlands (blue caps) Women XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo ©Pasquale Mesiano / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

4 VAN DER SLOOT Cathari NED – Netherlands Semifinal Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena RUS – Russia (white caps) Vs. NED – Netherlands (blue caps) Women XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo ©Pasquale Mesiano / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Head Coach HAVENGA Arno NED – Netherlands Semifinal Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena RUS – Russia (white caps) Vs. NED – Netherlands (blue caps) Women XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo ©Pasquale Mesiano / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

4 ELEFTHERIADOU Nikolet GRE Greece Semifinals 5th – 8th Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena FRA – France (white caps) Vs. GRE – Greece (blue caps) Women XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo ©Pasquale Mesiano / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

9 DESCHAMPT Yaelle FRA FRance Semifinals 5th – 8th Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena FRA – France (white caps) Vs. GRE – Greece (blue caps) Women XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo ©Pasquale Mesiano / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

5 ITA QUEIROLO Elisa Italy Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena ITALY (white caps) Vs. SLOVAKIA (blue caps) Women Semifinal 5th-8th place XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo © Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

11 ESP GARCIA GODOY Maica Spain, 3 HUN MATE Zsuzsanna Hungary Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena HUNGARY (white caps) Vs. SPAIN (blue caps) Women Semifinal XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo © Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Dejection Hungary Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena HUNGARY (white caps) Vs. SPAIN (blue caps) Women Semifinal XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo © Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

1 ESP ESTER RAMOS Laura Spain celebrates Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena HUNGARY (white caps) Vs. SPAIN (blue caps) Women Semifinal XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo © Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

1 ITA GORLERO Giulia Italy, 11 ITA CHIAPPINI Izabella Italy Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena ITALY (white caps) Vs. SLOVAKIA (blue caps) Women Semifinal 5th-8th place XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo © Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Team Slovakia Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena ITALY (white caps) Vs. SLOVAKIA (blue caps) Women Semifinal 5th-8th place XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo © Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Russia players celebrate Budapest 23/01/2020 Duna Arena NETHERLANDS (white caps) Vs. RUSSIA (blue caps) Women Semifinal XXXIV LEN European Water Polo Championships 2020 Photo © Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Women’s semi-finals: Russia v Netherlands 7-7, penalties: 4-3. Hungary v Spain 10-11. For places 5-8th: France v Greece 3-13, Italy v Slovakia 16-4.

Fixtures for Saturday Final (19.00): Spain v Russia. Bronze game (17.30): Hungary v Netherlands. For 5-6th places (16.00): Greece v Italy. For places 7-8th (14.30): France v Slovakia

As expected, the semis offered thrilling matches – and great twists and turns right in the first duel between Russia and the Netherlands. The Dutch had a bit better start and jumped to a 1-2 lead but the Russians geared up for the second period and netted three connecting goals for 4-2. It was Holland’s turn then and by halftime, they came back to 4-4 and it only remained tied because Maud Megens blasted a penalty wide – it was their second miss from the 5m line in the first half.

The Netherlands rolled on in the third and added two more, then had a man-up to go three goals up but they couldn’t take a shot and Olga Gorbunova netted a dying 6 on 5 to halve the gap at 6-5. And she was on target right from the first possession to equalize and from that point, a great chess-game began. It was a huge tactical battle, the defenses did an outstanding job, then after five minutes of breath-taking swimming and shooting, Brigitte Seeking sent the ball home from a 6m free through with 2:05 to go. But the Russian reply came immediately, Maria Borisova buried a 6 on 5 after a time-out and 1:35 minutes were left for the decision. It didn’t come in the regular time so the penalties decided the outcome.

And just as in the match, the Dutch missed two while the Russians buried all four to book their spot in the final after 10 years – and this win was also their ticket to Tokyo as the Spanish downed the Hungarians next. It also means that Russia maintains its status in European water polo as the only female team which has taken part in each edition since the beginning in Sydney 2000. (Note, that penalties earned the Rio spot for Russia in 2016 when they beat Greece in a shootout in the qualification tournament and they also clinched the bronze in Rio after a successful shootout against Hungary.)

The second semi between Spain and the Hungarians was just as exciting: the crowd saw a great opening period with three goals apiece – including a VAR-approved Spanish goal which otherwise would have been overlooked –, then Anna Illes netted a man-up for 4-3 but that didn’t end Hungary’s struggle in 6 on 5s, only proved to be an exception. At halftime, the Magyars stood with 1/8 but they had a much better spell in the third when they scored three extras. However, their rivals were also on fire and at one point Spain led 5-7 but Vanda Valyi’s double brought the game back to even before the last break.

The fourth period then offered some exceptional scenes. The Spanish enjoyed a tremendous run as they netted four goals in a row. Their defence was superb and in offense their pinpoint shots bounced in from the woodwork in succession to give them a decisive lead of 7-11 with 3:17 remaining. Well, it looked decisive, but then, all of sudden, the Magyars started shooting with ‘all-in’ mood and all went in: in a span of 1:48 minutes they scored three for 10-11. Incoming goalie Edina Gangl made a save 33 seconds from time and soon joined her team-mates to set up a 7 on 6 attack, the ball found Rita Keszthelyi in front-of-the goal, she could send it towards the net under pressure but LEN Award-winning Spanish goalie Laura Ester managed to catch it and sent Spain to the final once more here in Budapest, after 2014.

It also meant the Hungary’s curse in the semis against Spain continues: this was their 6th match in this phase of a major tournament and Spain won all six (2008 Europeans, 2012 Olympics, 2013 Worlds, 2014 Europeans, 2019 Worlds and here) – and also, the Magyars lost SFs in succession recently, in Rio 2016, Barcelona 2018, Gwangju 2019 and here. They just hope to get a medal that they have always achieved in the January editions (2012, 2016) and in the Europeans held in Budapest (2001, 2014). However, against the Netherlands, this task will be anything but easy.

For more details, detailed statistics, play-by-play descriptions, and video clips of each goal visit: http://wp2020budapest.microplustiming.com

Press release from LEN, images courtesy of Deepbluemedia

34th European Water Polo Championships, Budapest (HUN) – Day 12 Spain is back to the final after 2014, Russia books Olympic spot after shootout-win against the title-holders…

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - 8-Ball, World Pool Series - World Pool Billiard

New Post on http://thepoolscene.com/?p=21775

Cliffhangers Galore

Ralf Souquet Advances Via One of 12 Match-Deciding Shootouts As The Aramith Masters Goes Down To The Final 16

By Ted LernerWPS Media OfficerPhotos By JP Parmentier/WPS

(New York City)–One of the unique new features of the World Pool Series is the implementation of the shootout to decide matches that end up tied with one rack left. The idea is to create excitement for fans, as each player is left with just one type of shot to make; 5 tries at a difficult full table cut on the 8-ball. It’s the ultimate pressure shot as players are forced to show full bottle and guts to try and advance.

If day 2 of the Aramith Masters was any indication, fans can expect plenty of full throttle drama to decide matches going forward as we enter the business end of this, the second leg of pool’s newest tour. 72 matches were played today, and a whopping 12 of them were decided by shootouts.

Three of those nerve rattling shootouts featured England’s Chris Melling, who seemed attracted to the cliff hanging drama like a bee to honey. Melling’s stroke is normally steadied and honed by years of playing  snooker, but  several times today he cracked under the weight of the moment. He won his first shootout, then lost his second, which sent him over to the losers side of the double elimination bracket. The third time he found himself staring down the Philippines Dennis Orcollo, with five cut shots on the 8-ball to decide who would move on to the final 16, and who would exit the tournament. Melling beat the Filipino four shots deep into sudden death to stay alive.

Chris Melling, left, shakes hands with Dennis Orcollo after winning a thrilling shootout to advance to the final 16. It was Melling’s third shootout of the day

The day of drama started at 10am at Steinway Café-Billiards in the Queens section of New York City, with 90 players still battling it out. By the end of play near midnight, 16 players remained. All matches from here on in will now be single elimination, best of 3 sets, with each set being a race to 6.  Final sets that are tied at 6-6 will now be decided by the dreaded shootout.

Not everyone bothered to leave their fate to the nerve jangling shootout.  20 year old American Billy Thorpe put in two solid performances today to stay undefeated and advance. The Dayton, Ohio native has lately given every indication that he intends to live up to the lofty expectations American pool fans are placing on his shoulders. He  first beat England’s Mark Gray, 9-4, then came from 6-3 behind on the TV table to beat the Philippines Jeffrey De Luna, 9-7, to qualify for the final 16 round.

20 year old American hopeful Billy Thorpe won twice today to advance to the final 16.

“I like playing from behind because it makes me focus even more,” Thorpe said afterward.  “I just grind it out. That’s what I do. I like having that pressure. I’m here to show what I can do.”

Two-time World 9-ball Champion Thorsten Hohmann has looked the goods the last two days. The German won twice today including a 9-6 win over England’s Darren Appleton. Appleton was sent over to the losers bracket but eventually qualified for the final 16   with a scrappy 9-6 win over the Philippines Johann Chua.

The Philippines Roberto Gomez seems to want to live up to his “Superman” moniker as he put in two terrific performances Thursday. Gomez first beat Spain’s David Alcaide, 9-4, then took down red hot Jayson Shaw 9-6. Shaw, however, bounced back from the losers side with a fine 9-4 thumping of fellow Brit Karl Boyes to advance.

Greece’s Alexander Kazakis has been the most dominant player of the tournament so far, only conceding 7 racks over three matches. The young Greek qualified for the final 16 by beating England’s Raj Hundal, 9-4. Hundal then went to the cliff with fellow Englishman Mark Gray, and barely squeaked by, winning a thrilling shootout to advance to the final 16.

Estonia’s Dennis Grabe continued his run of putting in impressive performances in pool’s big events. The tall and quiet Grabe looked very strong with two victories today to move into the final 16, first beating Karl Boyes, 9-6, then defeating Carlo Biado, 9-7. Biado bounced back but barely, qualifying to the final 16 by beating American Shaun Wilkie in yes, you guessed it, a shootout.

German legend Ralf Souquet had a real slog today as he won three matches off the losers’ side to advance. Souquet, who recently won a Euro Tour event and seems to have rediscovered his infamous golden stroke, had to wait to the bitter end in his third match with American Josh Roberts. The two went to the hill, and, yes, the shootout, which Souquet handily won, to book a spot in the final 16.

The World Pool Series Aramith Masters continues Friday at Steinway Café-Billiards with the Final 16 single elimination, which begins at 12 noon, EST.  By the end of the day, the field will be down to the final four. The Semis and Finals will be played on Saturday.

FINAL 16Billy Thorpe (USA) vs. Darren Appleton (GBR)Dennis Grabe (EST) vs. Raj Hundal (GBR)Ramil Gallego (PHL) vs. Ralf Souquet (GER)Thorsten Hohmann (GER) vs. Carlo Biado (PHL)Francisco Sanchez Ruiz(ESP) vs. Klenti Kaci (ALB)Brandon Shuff (USA) vs. Jeffrey De Luna (PHL)Roberto Gomez (PHL) vs. Chris Melling (GBR)Alexander Kazakis (GRE) vs. Jayson Shaw (GBR)

For complete results from Day 2 of the Aramith Masters courtesy of Cuescore, please CLICK HERE

*The second event of the World Pool Series, The Aramith Masters, is being held at Steinway Cafe Billiards in Astoria, Queens, New York City from April 5-8, 2017. The World Pool Series is sponsored by Aramith, Molinari, Predator, Cheqio, RYO Rack, Iwan Simonis, Kamui, Billiards Digest, Cuescore, Ultimate Team Gear, and High Rock Productions.

For more information please visit the official website of the World Pool Series at http://www.worldpoolseries.com/The World Pool Series is on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/worldpoolseries/

One of the highlights of the tournament so far has been the appearance of famed trick shot artist Florian “Venon” Kohler. Here Kohler does a trick with internet sensation Naoyuki Oi of Japan.

[theladyrebecca2]

This is my personal reading/ interpretation:

Pre-S4, Will makes the decision to paint something for Mike because he’s excited to see him again - he just wants to show his best friend that he misses hanging out with their Party & playing DnD with him. He chooses to communicate his platonic love to Mike in the best way he knows how: his art.

I think he adds the heart on Mike’s shield simply because he just can’t help himself - he’s completely besotted with Mike, and that’s just how Will sees him: the heart of their party, a knight in shining armour (🥺🥺🥺).

It’s not meant to be a clue for Mike or anything. I think Will has already long presumed he’ll never have a chance with him in that way. He just wants to reconnect with his best friend, because he’d rather have Mike in his life as a friend than not at all.

He even intends to gift it to Mike at the airport, in full view of the others. There’s no way he’d give the painting over in public (esp in front of El 😆) if it was meant to be a romantic gift.

I think Will’s intentions with the painting are entirely platonic.

Then of course, Mike acts weird with him at the airport, so Will changes his mind. He doesn’t want to give Mike the painting anymore, because what’s going on here? This isn’t the best friend he knows and loves. The dude won’t even hug him after several months of not seeing him.

As time goes by, we see Will and Mike draw closer again. Just before the shootout, Mike tells Will that he thought he’d lost Will’s friendship, and that Hawkins wasn’t the same without him. Will gets emotional over this because he thought he’d lost Mike‘s friendship too.

After they mutually establish that they are still best friends, they’re both just idiots who haven’t communicated properly, Will decides he does still want to gift the painting to Mike after all (hence why he puts it in his bag, for the next opportunity). He still intends it as a platonic gift.

In the desert, now that they’re being open and genuine with each other again, Will is reminded of just how in love with Mike he is. When Mike admits that he’s struggling to communicate something to El, Will can’t help but relate the situation to his own, which is why I think we get: “I think it’s just… scary, to open up like that… to say how you really feel. Especially with people you care about the most. Because… what if… what if they don’t like the truth?”

Even though we as an audience know exactly what Mike is struggling to say to El, Will has no idea. In this moment, I think he’s just offering comfort and sympathy. He’s saying ‘hey, I get it’. He’s looking at it through the lens of his own situation - again, I think he’s long assumed that Mike wouldn’t like the truth (that Will is in love with him). That’s why he’s already decided not to tell him how he feels, because he doesn’t want to lose his friendship.

Throughout S4, Will isn’t trying to hint at anything or clue Mike in on his feelings. I think it’s safe to assume, from what he know of Will’s selfless character, that he would never make any kind of move on Mike whilst he’s with El (and even if he wasn’t with El, I still don’t think he would).

But of course everything changes with the painting in the van scene.

Will struggles to see Mike become so upset - it pains him to hear Mike talk about himself in such a negative light. So in a split second decision, he decides to use his own (platonically intentioned) painting as a way to get through to Mike that he means so much more than he realises.

Within Will’s lie, the painting becomes a gift from El, and the heart on the shield is intentionally romantic - Will suddenly finds himself in a position where he can unburden himself of all his feelings by disguising them as El’s. He takes his chance and finally spills out his heart, hoping his words will simultaneously fix the crack in Mike and El’s relationship (because he genuinely believes that’s what Mike and El want).

It’s a veiled confession alright, but it’s not one that Will hopes Mike will ‘pick up’ on. He doesn’t want Mike to know. He’s terrified of Mike knowing the truth. He thinks Mike won’t want to be his friend anymore.

I totally get what you mean about it being a risk - but in that moment, I don’t think Will is even tuned in to that line of thought. He just cares so much about Mike and wants him to feel loved and wanted.

Honestly, it’s genius writing if we’re right about this being used as a way to set up Byler in S5…

Now that the romantic undertone of the painting has come to light, there’s no going back. There’s no way the lie will stick.

And I think El is the key to the dominoes falling in S5, because she already suspected the painting had a hidden romantic meaning.

Despite Will intending it to be a platonic gift, El ‘picked up’ on how dedicated Will was to the painting when he created it, and (correctly) assumed the intended recipient was for someone Will has secret romantic feelings for.

Will is still completely oblivious to this by the end of S4 - he doesn’t have any idea that El knows. If he knew she already suspected prior to leaving for the Nina Project, I don’t think he’d have done it. He’s going to realise in S5 just how glaring a risk it was for him to include her in his lie, and I think if El takes it up with him first, he’s going to panic big time. I think she may even be the one who’s going to encourage him to come clean and tell Mike how he really feels; to tell the truth about the painting.

Will might plead with El to go along with his lie, but she’s not going to. She’s not going to want to!

I’m always open to other interpretations but anyway, this is where I’m at right now! I hope some of this might help you reach your own conclusions 💕

One thing I'm still not sure about is whether Will made the painting to get his romantic feelings across to Mike or simply to get their platonic friendship back. Because I thought Will does absolutely not believe that Mike could ever have romantic feelings for him (we know that's not the case of course 🥳), and through the whole season we saw Will simply try to get his friend back.

Why then would he make a veiled confession, if he wants Mike and El together, taking the risk that Mike could actually figure out his true feelings?

That's just something that's confusing my little brain a bit 🫠

[hale-of-stiles-heart]

MICHELLE BUTEAU CAMEO!!!!

that roof scene was so cute

oh fuck I did not expect Christmas reindeer bondage petplay alright

the alley kiss was fucking cute too

I love their apartment ngl, that bedroom is so cute

k so this would be the time to tell her you're not out to your family

Fuck I love Daniel Levy so fucking much

i don't get the anti marriage stance from his character though? Idk

ok yeah, I'll give him that, I hate the whole asking father's blessing thing

so she didn't just wait to tell her that she's not out, she flat out lied about coming out to her parents over the summer?

like, she didn't have to lie about it, she could've just said "hey it didn't feel like the right time, I wasn't ready so I didn't come out"

she waited until they were there to tell her "don't mention you're gay" like wtf?

fuck this is already awkward as fuck I'm feeling secondhand discomfort

i immediately love Jane

I have the feeling Jane's written to be annoying but she's already my fave and I would die for her

Abby I adore your awkward horrible lying ass

ngl I'm getting both neurodivergent and closeted queer vibes from Jane

jfc are the orphan jokes supposed to be funny? bc they're just awkward, I feel like this movie kinda banks on secondhand embarrassment

i don't mind Connor tbh, he's nicer to Jane than anyone else

AND JANE'S A WRITER I LOVE HER EVEN MORE

"Wow can't believe you've been writing the same book for ten years" what???? bitch, have you ever written a book? esp a high fantasy book with tons of worldbuilding??? didn't think so

RILEY!!!!

(fuck Aubrey Plaza's transphobic ass but this character is hot af)

ok the dad being nice to Abby was kinda sweet, I'll give em that, even though he's clearly a homophobe

again with the "marriage is ownership" thing?????

"There's nothing more erotic than hiding your authentic selves" love that line but I feel like he's being a little insensitive

oh fuck she's one of those sisters

oh jfc they're arguing right in front of the kids????

Eric seemed nice for about thirty seconds

fuck this movie hurts, watching them all ignore Abby :(

that ice skating scene sure was something

I wanna fight this whole family (except Jane ofc)

also, proof straight ppl have no gaydar bc look at that suit

KATHY NAJIMY

Sloan might be a bitch but at least she acknowledges that Abby got ditched

yo that one girl Ashley is absolutely gay

scratch that she's bi af

Connor continues to be a decent dude, more decent than I expected

see, he even tried to include Abby! that's more than anyone else has done (besides Jane)

"You deserve someone who will scream their love for you from the rooftop"

shootout to Riley being really chill and not forcing or pressuring Abby to admit what she already knew from overhearing her phone conversation

this is gay solidarity and I'm here for it

that short hand holding was adorable

ABBY THROWING UP A PEACE SIGN IN HER SELFIE

no bad roomba!

"I once took too much Ambien and bought a racehorse online"

see this? the cuddling in bed? that's what I want from this movie!

fuck the twins are a little creepy

bro wtf, I do not wanna see it look like she was shoplifting bc of the kids

is that Lauren Lapkus?

look, a scene like this could genuinely be funny but they used it for drama instead like ????? I thought this was supposed to be a fun romcom

this movie is seriously depressing

ok so now I see why ppl ship Abby and Riley

like, Abby with Harper always seems uncomfortable and left out vs Abby with Riley is joking and having fun and going to a drag show where she can be a little more herself

yo not to hold someone accountable for what they did in high school but Harper fucking outed Riley?????

see?! they're having fun and singing

honestly watching Harper constantly ditch Abby fucking sucks, like yeah I sympathize with Harper bc I'm not out to my family but her behavior is still shitty

ok Abby making sure Harper's okay after staying out till 2am drinking is her "keeping tabs" on her and being "suffocating"????? how tf does that make sense?! like, she was basically checking to make sure Harper wasn't hungover or that she got home alright

John, I love you

omfg I feel so bad for Abby, honey please just leave, you don't deserve this

ok John just fucking hang up on her????

bro if Harper gets upset Abby and Riley are friends I'm gonna scream, like of course Abby is gonna latch onto the first person who's genuinely nice to her and can connect with her over their sexuality

the mom snapping at Abby then basically accusing her of stealing, like ffs Abby please get the fuck out and don't look back

seriously, look at Abby's outfit and tell me how no one's guessed she's gay

can they please stop being rude to Jane?!

Harper getting upset about Abby hanging out with Riley is so infuriating, like let her have someone to hang out with at this shitty party, especially when you're in your hometown with your family and your friends

Jane is so perfect, using a party to talk about her OCs

JOHN! PRINCE NOT ALWAYS CHARMING HAS ARRIVED!

"I nailed that and she is fabulous" like no, John, she's not

I'm so glad Abby's getting to be upset!!!

"I'm not hiding you, I'm hiding me!" k but you're making Abby hide herself bc you didn't tell until you were nearly there!!!!

Abby immediately stopping in favor of consoling Harper is ridiculous

ERIC YOU FUCKING WHORE

Jane's painting is so beautiful! why is no one impressed except John?!

ok but the immediate heartbroken reactions of the other gay ppl in the room, the mix of sympathy and understanding but slight disappointment

JANE GETTING TO SPEAK UP FOR HERSELF!!!!!

aww John bringing her a coat and offering to take a walk with Abby!

more Abby backstory!!!

John's little speech is great but I feel like it's not exactly fitting bc it's not like Abby was pressuring Harper to come out

like, she was never insensitive (in my opinion) about Harper not being out to her family, she was more upset about Harper ditching her and being treated like shit by her family

I really love this specific scene but I honestly feel like it would fit much better in a different movie

Riley reaching out to Harper and being the bigger person is beautiful, I can't believe I haven't seen other ppl talking about it

so Eric just awkwardly apologizes to his wife and they just move on???

oh, they're separated

Sloan, quit playing the sympathy card you outed your sister

omfg Jane "I don't have any secrets but I am an ally"

like how many queer ppl started off as super involved allies? Jane's queer

definitely glad Abby didn't immediately rush into Harper's arms after she came out bc yeah her coming out doesn't fix the shitty way she treated Abby

that reunion and the happy ending kiss were so unwarranted

I love John and Jane bonding

I still feel like Sloan and the parents were forgiven way too quickly, like they were making rude comments about Riley's sexuality but all it takes is one night of thinking and suddenly everything's cool?

nice of the dad for standing up for Harper but that's just common decency y'know, he doesn't get kudos for that

JANE'S BOOK GOT PUBLISHED!!!!!

this Tegan and Sara song is too good for this movie

So in conclusion:

- I honestly did not like this movie, though it had it's moments. But they were too few and far between to really salvage it. Abby, Jane, Riley, and John were the highlights of the movie and I honestly think Abby and Harper should not have stayed together, even if it was just to take some time apart before trying again. Overall I'm disappointed and definitely think the marketing was weird and made it seem way more lighthearted than it was. I honestly don't think I'd ever wanna watch this movie again.

Abby, Jane, Riley, and John should just form their own found family tbh

alright I'm officially watching Happiest Season