#even though my fb team is a disappointment

[stanleycupavoider]

my beautiful wife is in net tonight 😌

[coachrivero]

Tulane season recap/ bye week

Oooh we are (almost) halfway there

Here we are… Man time sure does fly since those agonizing summer months counting down T minus how many weekends until we get football back. It’s nice to once again be in the thick of things. I know this is where everyone expected us to be but still I remember the days when Tulane would normally be eliminated from contending for anything at this point. I’m glad things are different now. May Tulane be relevant forever. From this day until the end of days.

When the season started it looked like the Wave didn’t miss a beat from last year’s Cotton Bowl team. South Alabama is no USC (and has definitely lost some luster recently) but they are solid enough that many were picking them to win the Sun Belt, and some people including Scott Van Pelt picked to beat us. That obviously didn’t happen as Tulane brought the fireworks in a 20 point rout that really wasn’t that close. Michael Pratt was sensational, shredding USA’s secondary completing 14-15 passes for 294 yards and 4 touchdowns, with the only blemish a dropped pass that should have been another touchdown. Tulane’s defense was incredible as well stifling one of the better offenses in the FBS allowing only 17 points and forcing 5 turnovers. We were firing on all cylinders… but sometimes in life adversity will happen. Late in the 4th quarter while Tulane was in the process of salting the game away, Pratt suffered a left knee injury. This big win came at a steep price of losing the services of our superstar QB (also lost emerging star LB Corey Platt to an Achilles injury earlier in the game). A lot of speculation can go into the why was Michael Pratt in there and the what ifs, the play-calling, and so forth. I won’t really get into that. It just sucks to have lost Pratt right before the biggest home game in 40 years and the toughest game on the schedule where we couldn’t afford to lose him.

It turns out Tulane really is a damn good football team. We lost Tyjae Spears and a lot from last year, plus we haven’t been playing as well as we could have, but we do have a solid nucleus of talented players and great coaches. The Ole Miss game was a loss. I’m not going to spin it into a moral victory, but I was encouraged with how we competed with them. We have the horses to play with one of the better teams in the SEC even without our senior NFL prospect Quarterback. It was unfortunate to squander that opportunity to get a statement win but it wasn’t the most disappointing thing I’ve ever seen as a Tulane fan. I was just eager to kick the shit out of Southern Miss and get the bell back, and so was Tulane. Not much to be said except we scored 3 Touchdowns and USM kicked one field goal. Nice relaxing game for Southern Miss’s band the Pride of Mississippi. They didn’t have to play the fight song except for a couple of times when the team ran out on the field and the Alma mater at the end. Do kind of feel bad for Will Hall though, he’s a good dude. He recruited Pratt and was a big part of changing the culture here and helping Tulane turn things around. I think he’s trying but the USM job is a lot tougher nowadays than people realize. Good news is they can’t afford to fire him so he’s at least got another season.

FCS Nicholls State was kind of blah. It wasn’t the best performance but we did win and got to ease Michael Pratt back into things. Kai Horton did OK filling in for Pratt IMO, but the drop off there is significant. I would have liked to see more development with Cobra Kai being in this system for 3 years but he’s been serviceable and I am thankful for his victories over Houston last year and of course the mustard buzzards this year. Game ball definitely goes to the defense for carrying us. Few college football teams have a better 1-2 combination of cover corners than Jairius Monroe and Lance Robinson. There are so many good players in this defense I could go on forever naming them all. I check under my bed at night for Patrick Jenkins because he is a monster. Devean Deal is also a force. Jesus Machado is Dorian Williams 2.0 a tackling machine. I hope Grubbs is healthy going forward. Despanie is so good and Jared Small has been a pleasant surprise in the LB group. If I missed anyone it’s because again there’s an abundance of talent in this unit. Defensively Tulane is a problem.

UAB at first glance was disappointing being in a dogfight with a 1-3 football team, but I like the resolve of this group. After falling into a 20-7 hole, Tulane outscored the upset-minded visitors 28-3 to go 1-0 in the American Conference. The first half reminded me a lot of my younger days as a Tulane football fan. Losing at home to a CUSA team… terrible officiating… my dad yelling at opposing fans. The only thing that was missing was being in a 65 degree climate-controlled indoor stadium with 1,000 people in attendance. Turns out this is not 2010, we were not in the Dome, and Tulane did not fold in the football game. I do give UAB credit they had the perfect game plan, they utilized quick passes and had some success moving the ball. However, Tulane put the clamps on in the second half, with Makhi Hughes further separating himself as RB1. I like that Duda Barnes still returned to the football game even after a costly fumble. It shows the staff has faith in him choosing not to cast him down into the Iverson Celestine fumblitis gallows. Michael Pratt threw an absolute dime to Lawrence Keys on 4th and 9 for a 32 yard touchdown to put the game on ice with 47 seconds. That was *chefs kiss* very nice. It was cool to see the reappearance of Alex Bauman who hadn’t really been featured since the ending of the Cotton Bowl. I need to also give Jaquan Jackson and Chris Brazzell the credit they deserve for being so dependable in the passing game. Adding speed threat Yulkeith Brown to the mix as well should help open up the offense too.

In conclusion, we are right where we need to be. We beat the teams we were favored against and dropped the one game that ultimately doesn’t hurt us that much (except for dropping like 30 spots out of the top 25). LSU can basically give up 1,000 yards of offense to Old Piss and still be ranked but what the fuck ever. Anyhow, I think Tulane might have lost a bit of its edge from last year. Part of this is natural regression that was honestly to be expected after the best season in school history (or second best depending on your personal preference), and Pratt not being 100% healthy. It’s also very possible that the best is yet to come. Make no mistake though it is still AAC Championship and New Year’s 6 or bust.  The recipe is still there: Explosive offense, salty defense, and very solid dependable special teams. Truthfully, the special teams are the unsung heroes of Tulane. We are one of the most efficient College football programs in terms of special teams and it shows up on Saturdays. We don’t talk about them enough, but they will be critical for our chances to win at Memphis. That… and not fumbling the ball.

Anyhow, thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed. I think the bye week came at the perfect time. Get everyone healthy with all team goals still very much attainable. I’m ready to kick back and enjoy my stress free football weekend!

Roll Wave! 🌊

[anewbeginningagain]

I just watched the FD…. It was incredibly disappointing. At first, I used to make excuses as to why teams were recycling material, but now? Hell no. You’re a top team or you want to be a top team? Then work for it. Don’t use the same step sequences, the same lifts, the same music and styles season after season. It seems like H/B have been doing the same program for three years. It’s not excusable anymore. Many teams are playing it safe, and this is not how you reach the top (unless you’re PC apparently). FB/S were disappointing too, and the excuse of the injury can only be used so many times tbh. Tessa was injured for YEARS, very seriously, and yet their programs were always incredibly difficult and different year after year. Same goes for G/Pa, I don’t know what happened to them. I had very high expectations. If they all want to set themselves up for the next four years, maybe continuing to use the same material with which they’ve always been in the shadow of other teams is not the best idea, just my two cents.

It's the current standard because teams not only get away with it but also succeed with it. and before I'll get the usual "it's IAM fault" asks - the best two examples for this are P/C and S/K - both successful and medals winning teams who recycled their material to no end, had no real range when it comes to interpretation, repeated their mediocre lifts and still were the solid top 2 teams this entire quad. If a team can do this and still win, why even bother? Especially when it's teams that struggled with consistency and come back from injuries.

Canadanes on second watch did manage to make this program stand out enough compared to Spanish Caravan (though the similarities are there) and aside from the vibe and the second part of their curve lift they are going for mostly new elements. Green/Parsons are a different story, it's a combination of them not being ready which was super obvious, with them having subpar material which is made worse by them having really good material last season, and just generally having their flaws stand out during programs - lack of speed, lack of connection, bad levels, and mediocre lifts. I'd say Green/Parsons need to go back home and start over since it just ain't it.

[radio-charlie]

Have to take it easier this morning, esp since i got crisis hotline shift from 8 am until noon anyway, so i have time to tell u guys how things went for the kampung aka village that really needed help, and Walaa’s food project

The kampung:

Things are now going awesomely. Colleague brought them food and drinking water 3 days ago, yesterday a friend bought them baby formula, diapers and sanitary pads with money they raised thru FB and drove the stuff over, and Parti Sosialis Malaysia sent a team who brought stoves, masks, LPG (gas cylinders for cooking), clothes, food... u name it. What the DAP team aka Ong Kian Ming’s team brought - I dont know yet, I haven’t been able to contact him yet and probably won’t be to for sometime. Some of my friends have collected household items and have arranged for delivery today. PSM is going to bring sanitary pads, carpets and more cooking stuff over this afternoon as well.

This community really lost everything and they’re part of a demographic many Malaysians are prejudiced against, so frankly, even if they get “surplus” I’m glad. Not like they will be getting that much help from federal govt in the long run...................

Walaa’s food project:

Walaa is a Palestinian home caterer here who has offered to cook 200 sponsored meals (nasi arab) for flood survivors. She just needed someone to coordinate, organise and fundraise for her so I was like ok sure. After approaching Parti Sosialis Malaysia for help identifying communities in need + arranging delivery transportation, and working out logistics w Walaa thru two translators, and then fundraising on socmed/in private group conversations, we met the RM2000 sponsorship target yesterday evening. Especial shoutouts to the angel who stepped in at the eleventh hour and donated a humongous sum to us (you quite literally saved 200 hungry ppl from huge disappointment lol), the three Arabic<->English translators who generously volunteered their hard work all day for free, and Arveent of PSM, who helped us arrange so much all the way from Penang on top of his grueling office job.

So yea now we’re just hoping Walaa and family can get the ingredients and prepare the meals in time coz the 200 packs of nasi arab are due... tomorrow 11.30 am LOL. but they’ve done like 400 meals in two days before so hey you know what, if anybody can pull it off, it’s them.

Ok that’s about it I think. We’re not in the clear yet but at least good progress has been made and everything is moving in the right direction. My most heartfelt thanks to everybody who offered moral support and shared the posts I made about these things even though some of you are many miles away and don’t even know who I am.

[whencallstheheart]

I’m majorly disappointed, angry, and absoutletly confused beyond imagination with that S8 Finale - but let me rant to get over my enduring nausea. Beyond the storyline, I find the BTS drama of it all so intriguingly telling. And sadly for us Nathan Fans the drama may be the only WCTH thing left for us to even connect to without watching this increasingly sadistic show.

Everyone knows it was the wrong choice and Lucas fans are coping hard with their win (not sure why they need to) by behaving like the most pompous, egotistical, pretentious, sore winners that I’ve ever witnessed. I see many comments from them that suggest: “Nathan wouldn’t take no for an answer”, “Elizabeth never gave him signs of romance”, “it was always very obvious it was Lucas” or my FAVORITE one... and just wait to hear this BS... “If you don’t keep tuning into WCTH, Nathan Fans, you never liked the show anyway”... 😒 The disrespect that Nathan fans have received is unfathomable, especially when we are told we are “throwing tantrums bc Lucas won” or “we wrongfully believed the world revolves around us”. But look, the reason Lucas fans are acting terribly is because they didn’t expect to ‘win’. They know deep down the chances after S7 of Elizabeth being with Lucas were lower than they could have ever gotten (the hug and all). The best part is scrolling back through the WCTH tag on tumblr.... I have read various posts from Lucas fans that fully expected to “never watch again if Nathan was picked”... It’s so annoying because both sides were going to be upset either way, but in Team Nathan’s circumstance: we were continuously beat down this season by the writers. It became bigger than who was going to win. It’s the disrespect of dragging us along for S8 to get ratings and to secure a S9 renewal - because let’s be real they weren’t going to pair her with Lucas in episode two and expect people to keep the good ratings going. Nathan fans in every poll I’ve witnessed (fb polls or even the one Erin did for Direct TV the other day) averages 70% Nathan and 30% Lucas EVERYTIME with no fail. Here’s the next thing: the Post-Finale interview with Erin, Chris, and Kevin was even worse. The first thing they do is basically pop open the champagne and throw the kiss in everyone’s face (btw ew, it’s like an adult film...) and celebrate that she picked Lucas. Of course, Erin attempts to play it down that she “had mixed feelings about the ending” but ya know all with a big Cheshire Cat grin on her face. I have a feeling she just picked the guy she’d best like to make out with for S9... 🙄 Lord knows that’s all Jack and Elizabeth ever did was fight and make out. Anyway, only Kevin addressed any remorse for Nathan fans and even then I don’t for the life of me understand why he accepts being the second choice when he’s lead material. Honestly, I say, Kevin should leave the show, bc he deserves more than this phony unwanted story its been hijacked into. Sadly, from the interview I get the sinking feeling that the next angle they have been just waiting to take is that “Nathan put himself in this situation by not backing down (though imo he did way too little of)”. Why would they do such a thing, you ask? To hype Lucas fans up (with delusion) and to possibly attract a newer audience (post-Nathan fans departing the show) bc they wouldn’t know the BTS details on how they settled on Lucas and the baggage that came with. Who knows if that will happen, but it wouldn’t surprise me they would go that below the belt after the writers made Elizabeth suggest that ‘Nathan would just never obtain Jack level qualities she would look for in a man’... All in all, these people used Nathan fans and honestly I feel my kindness abused with all the support I’ve given the show and taken advantage of all for some cheap a$$ ratings. Next step forward: Hope #TeamNathan sticks to their word about not watching the show, bc why reward sadistic nonsense???? Heck, forget the sadistic nonsense, it’s just terrible writing. Support FanFiction writers when it comes to Nathan and Elizabeth, not WCTH. THOUGH if I were the glass-half-full kind of gal I would say... ya know what, maybe they have tricked us into thinking the love triangle is over? Maybe next season an old lady friend of Lucas’ strolls into town to share his deepest secrets or a new lady catches Nathan’s eye and makes Elizabeth insanely jealous. Heck, a girl could dream, bc Faith?!? SNOOZE 😭

Oh there’s always the “you’re not a true Heartie” bullshit after something happens that people are even mildly upset about.  There’s definitely the notion that Hearties should NEVER have anything negative to say about the show and if they do then they were never a true fan.  It’s ridiculous.

Nathan has been the punching bag this whole time.  He got so much hate for being involved in Jack’s death.  Fans blamed him for killing Jack as if he’d shot him himself or something.  They hated on Allie constantly because she was merely acting her age.  It was awful and pathetic.  Nathan fans had to endure all of that and for what?  The character got fucked over in the end.  He’ll go on to better things, surely, but that’s not the point.  None of it needed to happen if he wasn’t going to end up with Elizabeth.  Bottom line.

They should just give Nathan and Allie a spinoff.

[yukisohmasmokesweed]

Thoughts on this episode? I was honestly pretty stunned in the first half because i thought it was the most visually interesting and dynamic and detailed aside from a few blips and blops here and there (unspecific yuki face structures) but i was kinda disappointed with the actual akita yuki glass hit moment. IDK the music to me was too much "THIS IS A DRAMATIC MOMENT" like I think it took away from what Yuki was saying and I think it would've been better if they let it simply be so so so silent

and ONLY have Yuki's voice (because goddamn it's an IMPORTANT speech). I think my favourite aprt about the moment was Yuki saying "sorry" geh :// and maybe it's cause i read the manga but the moment Ayame picks up Yuki and talks about their not-promise and sunset was a lot funnier with reading. Anyway, those are my little nitpicks but I would love to know your thoughts on it as well!!!!! 

OMG also. They didn't do it this episode (yes.. yes they didn't!) but I love the little ending piano rendition of the Eden ED motif that they sometimes include to transition into the actual ED (they used in it the last episode and have been doing it sometimes and they first time they did it, as a musician I was like oh HECK yes)

i wanted to wait until i notated the ep before i answered this and im laughing because i wrote the EXACT same thing about the music in the akito/yuki carafe thing. there’s just no need for such intense emotional prompting, the audience isn’t stupid and we can figure out how we’re supposed to feel about this convo, plus the music starts as akito begins speaking so ibata doesn’t even give us a chance to figure out how we’re supposed to feel before we’re informed of the TENSE AND DRAMATIC convo about to happen. i have issues with a lot of the music placement in this show (and the levels? could be a covid thing though, idk if they were working in the studio or not when the season was in production. i know a lot of anime teams started wfh) and this was a prime example of the issues i have with it. another one is the sad piano music underneath ayame’s dramatic ass monologue about sunsets and shit....i think silence can be sooooo effective but ibata does not agree :/ i also didn’t like how much motion was in the shot. overall i wish it had been simpler, sometimes it feels like the anime is trying too hard to shove in your face how dramatic and serious everything is where it should be understated because fb is a very human story that is very grounded in reality, and the melodrama of the directing takes away from that imo

and agree, i think the first half of the ep was really, REALLY good for the exact reasons i didn’t like the carafe thing. im glad they went with a lot of silence and just dialogue for machi, it works really well, especially for her. also i loved her va, i thought she killed her monologues and i’m very excited to hear more from her! machi is an interesting character and im excited to see more of her next season.

another highlight of this ep for me was the yuki/hatori scene, i think it rly shows how much yuki has grown as a person that he’s able to recognize that he was unfairly blaming hatori for what happened and was able to reconcile that and forgive him. i think the anime team did a really good job showing how healing it was for hatori as well, the match-cut shot to hatori’s face after yuki’s done speaking was really well done, his face said a lot.

other itty bitty highlights: maaya sakamoto’s “APOLOGIZE! APOLOGIZE!” talk about chills, yuki laughing, the scarf moment, tohru smacking her face into the window! also i didnt notice that they use eden as a motif i’ll have to keep an ear out for it!!

[thecollegefootballguy]

2020 Top Games of the Week: Week 10

HEY EVERYBODY! EVERY FBS CONFERENCE IS BACK NOW! We’ve got football wall to wall from morning to night this Saturday and the MAC is playing every team in cross-division games TONIGHT.

It’s a pretty packed week, so the top ten is going to be chock full of interesting games. Yes, it’s Week 10 now according to ESPN even though last week was Week 8. Idk, who really cares as long as the games are being played safely.

Top Ten Games of the Week

10. West Virginia 4-2 (3-2) at #22 Texas 4-2 (3-2)

The Big 12 has dissolved into total chaos with the defeat of Oklahoma State last week. At least half of the league is in a decent position to win the conference and the next month will sort out who actually earned that right. West Virginia has been quietly humming along under the radar until their 37-10 defeat of Kansas State showed that the Mountaineers really can challenge for the league title. Texas of course is hoping that they can rally behind their upset of the Cowboys and make a delayed push for the Big 12 title.

9. Stanford at #12 Oregon

The PAC-12 is finally back and the league is wide open. Oregon is the favorite to repeat as champions but the Ducks of course did lose a bunch of guys to graduation and the draft, including star QB Justin Herbert. Stanford looked like a pushover for most of last year, but many people didn’t take into account the horrific injuries luck the Cardinal suffered. If they’re back to 100% strength, Stanford can give UO the same headaches they’ve given the Ducks for the past decade.

8. Arizona State at #20 USC

Just as Oregon is the favorite in the PAC-12 North, USC is most observers’ pick for the South championship. Of course, we actually have to see how good the Trojans are on the field, and SC welcomes the dark horse favorite to win the division in Arizona State. The Sun Devils had a breakout season last year and are hoping to capitalize while the rest of the conference is in disarray in 2020.

7. Washington at California

Another interesting PAC-12 game between teams aiming to supplant Oregon at the top of the North standings. Washington had a good run from 2016 to 2018 as the top PAC-12 team, but the Huskies couldn’t put all the pieces together and then Chris Petersen unexpectedly retired. Can Jimmy Lake keep the momentum going? Meanwhile, Cal has been quietly building a solid program in the shadow of Oregon and Washington, and last year the Golden Bears finally claimed they Axe from Stanford for the first time in a decade. It’s time to see if the Bears can keep up their improvement.

6. #23 Michigan 1-1 (1-1) at #13 Indiana 2-0 (2-0)

Will this game actually impact the Big Ten East race? Probably not, Ohio State likely has this one in the bag already, but this should still be fun and interesting. Indiana has surprised everybody with a hot start, but how good are the Hoosiers really? We’ll find out if they can beat another team with a large talent advantage. How bad is Michigan? Well, if they lose to Indiana despite a massive talent advantage they could be quite bad.

5. #11 Miami FL 5-1 (4-1) at NC State 4-2 (4-2)

After Clemson and Notre Dame, the ACC race is really very interesting. Miami and NC State have both bounced back from disappointing 2019 seasons and at least the Hurricanes still have a clear path towards the ACC Championship Game or at least the Orange Bowl based on how the top two finish.

4. #14 Oklahoma State 4-1 (3-1) at Kansas State 4-2 (4-1)

Oklahoma State can still easily win the Big 12, the path is wide open. The Cowboys just need to beat all the teams they’re supposed to beat. Can they? Well, they didn’t beat Texas so who’s to say. Kansas State can also win the Big 12, they’re just not playing like they want to with a limp defeat at the hands of West Virginia.

3. #8 Florida 3-1 (3-1) vs #5 Georgia 4-1 (4-1)

Despite Tennessee and Missouri showing flashes of brilliance, once again the SEC East race is going down to Florida and Georgia. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (socially distance) will provide us with the team that will face Alabama for the SEC Championship and the path of the Playoff.

2. #9 BYU 7-0 at #21 Boise State 2-0 (2-0)

Yes I’m putting this game ahead of a top ten matchup, but I think the winner of UF-UGA will lose to Alabama and that will be it. The potential for the winner here is a bit higher in my opinion. BYU is gunning for an unprecedented selection as an at-large non-G5 team into the NY6, and if the Big 12 and PAC-12 both wash out the Cougars are going to be pressing hard for inclusion in the Playoff. Boise State may be the best G5 team if not Cincinnati, so the Broncos can make a big statement themselves for either the NY6 or even the Playoff with a win over Brigham Young.

1. #1 Clemson 7-0 (6-0) at #4 Notre Dame 6-0 (5-0)

Pretty much a Playoff quarterfinal. Clemson and Notre Dame are two of the top teams in the country and the winner here will have a strong command of one of the Playoff spots. Trevor Lawrence isn’t playing which should be a huge problem for the Tigers, though Clemson’s D also looked very subpar against Boston College last week so I think we can finally see the Fighting Irish break through against a top team.

[lightcomingthroughthedarkness]

I don’t understand how people can be so heartless to Bob regarding social media. I frequently take break from instagram and have deleted my FB and twitter accounts entirely, and that’s WITHOUT being attacked how he is. I can’t look at his mentions without feeling ill, and they aren’t even directed at me! People are so cruel. The relative anonymity and instant access of social media, when in the wrong hands, has in many ways made us poorer society.

I remember in the 90s, when I think, The West Wing did an episode about internet, anonymity and how the internet was going to be the thing that would change people's right to privacy up to the point of it becoming an issue in society that would change the way the world operates. Something along those lines. And we see it today. How the internet has changed literally every single aspect of human life. It allows people to contact whoever they want, say whatever they want, do whatever they want, treat anyone however they want and we never have to deal with the consequences. We leave that up to the person we targeted. Social media is also one of the leading causes of increased mental health issues. Not social media in and of itself, but what social media represents and what it allows us to do with it and how people choose to use it. Bob said it very well and he tweeted "Social media oft shows us the ideal life. Making us feel isolated, inadequate."

People feel hurt and angry because of the death of a fictional character. They've latched on to her, felt seen by her, felt represented and validated. It was a good thing, what that character meant to fans. A beautiful thing for people to experience. Representation matters. When she was taken from them, anyone who they felt stood in the way of them or who had a hand in her (fictional) death, became the enemy. Jason of course the biggest one. Bellamy for being the character who threatened CL because it meant Clarke would move on some day and not only would it be with a man, it'd be with the character who they saw was Lxa's opponent. So not only did Bob play Bellamy but from time to time, he'd express an opinion and if it was interpreted as "anti Lxa" in ANY way, then he too was the enemy. So now, people would "joke" about not only Bellamy but about Bob too. Though they weren't jokes. They were racist comments. They were disgusting attacks. I'm sure it wasn't even rational in their heads but they found excuses to rationalize them as "logic". "Oh, he said a problematic thing so he is x, y and z". "If Bob felt that way about a fictional storyline, that means he's an abusive asshole who hates women because he must then view the world the same way in real life." And so on and so on... First the fictional character they loved was killed. Then as the show went on, the male opponent started to become an even bigger threath, because now it seems like maybe he's gonna take the place only their fictional charcater should have. The hate, the attack, the ridicule of the male lead become MORE cruel. But, in a desperate attempt to have some control, even just a little, they start anti shipping. Because if they can show Jason that they love this other storyline, then they don't have to lose it all. They can still keep SOMETHING. Clarke alone. Clarke never moving on. Clarke mourning Lxa forever. Clarke ending up dead with Lxa. Their endgame in the afterlife would be better than any other outcome where Clarke gets to live outside of Lxa/CL. Because of Clarke lives and loves again, then what did Lxa mean? Why did they still hold on and mourn Lxa if Clarke doesn't? Their pain would then be dismissed and CL would be invalidated. And fandom wank continued..

But they still had Eliza. Who was their captain. Who was on THEIR team, right. She would never disappoint them and her choices in life would never go against L and CL. Surely, if Eliza was THEIR captain, she then must live her real life in a similar way as her opinions about a fictional storyline, right".

Turns out. Bob and Eliza are real people. With real lives. With their own shit going on. Suddenly we find out, Bob and Eliza are in love. They are married. Happy. They have had real lives all along. They've made a decision to spend their lives together.. and suddenly it's another loss. How can Eliza be this person? How did they misjudge her so badly? How did she, THEIR captain, fall in love with the man who not only plays Lxa's opponent but the man who, in their eyes, was anti Lxa too? It all keeps slipping through their fingers. What are they allowed to keep? What is left for them to latch on to? What can make them still feel validated? They lost their fictional character. They lost their ship. They lost the actress who was their captain. And in all of this, the thing they hate the most is instead validated. Bellamy and Bellarke are validated. It's like a sport. The other team "won". The anxiety, their inner turmoil and the anger they feel, needs to explode somewhere. Who is to blame for the emotional chaos they feel? What could they possibly hold on to, to make them feel validated EVEN JUST A LITTLE BIT? They find reasons. Bob is an abuser and a cheater. Eliza is a lying and ungrateful person, who only used them for her self gain. They are bad people. If they are bad, then they deserve each other and the only ones they can trust now, are themselves and the people who are their victims. ADC was cheated on by an ex. She is a victim now, because she would never support this relationship. She is the only angel. Arryn becomes the personified feeling they are carrying now. Hurt. Betrayed. The victim. Without knowing anything about these people's lives, this person was mistreated, like they were with the news, so the vicious attacks are now justified. The vicious rumors on social media become the truth. It adds to their suspicions. Bob and Eliza are OBVIOUSLY bad people, so the rumors must be true. And if they are bad, then they need to be called out and they need to be cancelled. The fans have the moral high ground and they are the keepers of truth. They now have the right to attack. To spread these rumors because it feeds their perceived idea of what the truth is. It gives them control back. Some validation. That they are not in the wrong. They have not lost everything they had latched onto. They haven't "lost" anything. Bob and Eliza have been exposed.

And social media allows them to do this. To wage war. To express their emotional chaos in a "safe" way. On the internet. Anonymously. They can be seen without ever giving up their privacy. Because no one knows who they are or what they look like. They don't have to hold in their feelings or DEAL with them at all. But Bob is the one who pays the consequences. He receives their emotional chaos. He is not only to blame for their pain but he is also responsible for what happens to it. He gets to carry their hurt and betrayal because they can't deal with their overwhelming anxiety. And if he deactivates, then he is running from the truth. He is weak. Obviously there is truth to the rumors. If he doesn't deactives but continues on as usual, then he is an asshole who doesn't care about the well-being of others. Surely, he must understand that he is the cause to their pain, so he must be destroyed and cancelled.

That's why they do all of this. It has nothing to do with Bob. They don't even know him. It has everything to do with themselves. Because everything I've just written has nothing to do with the real human being that is Bob Morley. Or Eliza Taylor. None of this is about them. At all. It is about these people on social media who use anonymity to express their inner chaos. Because if they don't put the responsibility on Bob or Eliza, then they have to face their own pain and insecurities. It's easier to blame someone else. So they do. And the one who carries all of this on their shoulders, is Bob. And Eliza. They can never win because whatever action they take, the people on the internet will make it about them. And their privacy is never theirs. Because no matter what they do or don't do, it's an personal attack to the anonymous people on the internet.

[justlightthefirstspark]

United vs Chelsea - Conti Cup Semi Final - 29/01/2020

So the line up and bench for this one was interesting. Aimee Palmer was cup tied for this one, having already lined out for Sheffield United earlier in the season, Ella Toone is currently serving a 3 game suspension following a (questionable) red card vs Spurs, and both Kirsty Hanson and Leah Galton are out injured, which led to a very sparse bench, and pretty much the same XI as vs City. Lauren James started in place of Jane Ross, which was very clearly a good idea.

First half:

This game was a little cagey to start with, but ultimately a lot better than Saturday’s showing vs City. LJ had a decent shot around 6 mins, after some great build work from Groenen.

Abbie’s constant back passes to Earps returned, as did my anxiety. To be honest, Earps never looks completely comfortable to be on the receiving end of back passes so I don’t understand why the majority of that back 4 insist on playing that way so often?

Aside from those back passes, I though Abbie had a really good game. At least until she was forced off injured deep into the second half. She played an absolute stormer from the first whistle, and she was literally everywhere. Had a decent chance to get the first goal too around the 25 minute mark, very unfortunate to have that header go straight at Telford. She really, really redeemed herself after that performance vs City at the weekend.

‘27 - some Wales on Wales crime. Sophie Ingle booked for an almighty challenge on Hayley Ladd. Fair enough, the way Hayley fired herself into Ingle may have made it look more than it was. Entertaining tho. I’m also gonna take this opportunity to confess that I may be a little bit (a lot) in love with Hayley Ladd. I gotta be honest, I didn’t really know much about her before she signed in the summer, but she’s really, really great. I feel like she’s kinda underrated a little bit? Anyway, I genuinely don’t think this girl feels any pressure, like at all. A little bit like LJ I guess. She just gets her head down and does her job - calm and cool 100% of the time. I would very much like her to stay forever. I’m definitely gonna have to start watching more of this Wales team aren’t I?

‘34 - Earps with a cracking save. I feel like she’s more of a shot stopper than anything else, her distribution can be a little off sometimes, but she did really well to deny Chelsea there.

I think James and Arnot linked up quite well last night, especially around the 40 minute mark, unfortunately Lizzie was called just offside. She’s really impressed me (whenever she gets a shot) this season tbh, I hope she manages to get herself in the XI more often from now on.

‘42 - Jess Sigsworth pulling double shifts again. She’s constantly down around that back four, helping out and sometimes doing other people’s jobs for them and I’m kinda terrified that she’s gonna run herself into a brick wall at some stage? Like I think it’s fairly clear that we need to reinforce and add depth and quality defensively but I also think it’s pretty clear that Jess isn’t the answer to that particular problem, as impressive as her drive and her work rate is.

‘43 - United should have been clear and away on the counter there. There was an earlier challenge from Ladd (I’m pretty sure) that the ref took an age to make up her mind on, and by the time she decided to call it back, Groenen (again, I’d have to rewatch to be 100% certain) was up and over the halfway line on the break. Annoying af.

Halftime:

Tbh I thought United did really well to not have conceded and to still be in the game at the half. The first half as a whole was pretty decent, Chelsea ultimately had the better chances and were the slightly stronger team. I just wish we could have taken the few chances we had in the first half and made something from them, Telford isn’t the world’s best keeper and I feel like we could have tested her more and I was kinda disappointed we didn’t.

Second half:

‘47 - a fairly decent (surprisingly. It’s no secret we’re pretty piss poor at set pieces) from Zelem resulted in Amy heading just over, which hurt my soul. (I wanted her to score so bad youse have no idea)

‘52 - Arnot had a decent chance, and was 100% in cause Telford came about 82739 miles off her line, but unfortunately it was cleared away. (Sidenote: I HATE when keepers come off their line and out of their box like that, even opposition keepers. It just really shits me out. Anyway)

‘53 - a decent Chelsea opportunity goes wide. I saw somewhere (twitter probably) that it took a deflection, but I’d have to rewatch to be certain. FA Player get your shit together and upload the game so I can double check challenge 🙄

The game really started to come to life around the 50 minute mark. Both teams had decent chances within about a minute of each other, and United’s intensity really stepped up - they came out guns blazing in the second. Both teams pressing and passing really cleaned up around this time too.

‘61 - decent chance for Sigsworth. Angle was just too tight, but I think the build up was massively overworked. She passed it off the Zelem who held it for a little too long imo, before sending it back to Jess who lashed it into the side netting. Think Jess could have made something of it first time but hey, what’s done is done now.

Game started to get a little scrappy heading into the last 20 mins - back to the rushed and mismatched and intercepted passes of the first half.

‘70 - Chelsea free kick saved well by Earps.

‘71 - Goal - Chelsea. Really tight angle, just about squeezed home. Really good work from Mjelde in hindsight but I feel like Earps could have saved that one. I hate to blame her entirely but she really should have done better with closing that one down.

‘72 - almost an instant response from United. LJ had a fantastic chance to equalise but unfortunately scorched it over the bar. I’m not gonna lie, I expected a little better from her there, but I understand the urgency.

‘73 - pretty soft yellow for Sigsworth

‘74 - Ross 🔁 Arnot.

Seemed like all the wind was sucked out of United after that goal, approaching the 80 minute mark. Most of that intensity and urgency was still kinda there and evident in small bursts, but was mostly lacking.

‘80 - United forced into a change. Harris (don’t talk to me) 🔁 McManus. Abbie took a bit of a blow around 20 minutes in, committing a challenge she was ultimately booked for. Fair play to her, she played through it, but she was definitely struggling for a while there. Apparently she was on crutches after the game, so I hope it’s nothing too serious. Also interested to see what Casey does with that back 4 if she’s out for a while. Amy obviously goes back in and CB but it would appear Martha is higher than Ökvist in the pecking order, which is annoying. I get that Casey is more defensive minded and might not want to play two more attacking FB’s at once (Ökvist & Smith) but Martha... 🤐

‘84 - James had a great ball in that forced a corner that - you guessed it - nothing came of

‘85 - Earps had a great block to deny Chelsea a second (and really and truly kill me off)

‘88 - Harris decides to try her luck from a little way out. It was a decent shot to be fair, given the circumstances, just couldn’t get the dip it needed and never really troubled Telford on it’s way over the bar.

4 minutes at the end of the 90 but United couldn’t get anything to stick, which was massively unfortunate.

Two semi final defeats in a row is absolutely gut wrenching, and very hard to take, but last night taught me a lot about this team. I personally thought that this game was miles better and such an improvement on Arsenal away last season. They were much better all round, in every position than last weekend vs City. To come so close against the 3 best teams in the league 5 times now and walk away with nothing is hard, and I feel so bad for those girls. They give their all everytime they step out on that pitch, and they deserved more. This week in particular. Seeing them all in literal bits at the final whistle nearly broke me tbh.

But it’s becoming more glaringly apparent as the season goes on that we are in desperate need of a more clinical, stone blood killer up top. I’d also be open to giving Mikalen a run in goal to prove herself - I think Earps has been a bit off lately.

Galton and Hanson were massively missed last night, and I think we could have done with Toone as well, but oh well.

I had my issues with the ref as well last night, I have to say. I thought she handled the knocks and (most of) the bookings correctly, as well as the penalty shout (which was not a penalty, sorry Jess) but she missed a clear foul on Jackie (59 mins) as well as a clear tug on Arnot (64 mins) in the second half. I also thought LJ was very lucky to get away with just a yellow for her foul on Ingle at the end of the first half, looked a little more like a red to me 😬

Hopefully Galton will be back for Sunday - she absolutely tore Reading to shreds the last time out and I would very much like to see more of that 🔥, but I’m kinda worried about that midfield trio too. The last thing we need is three defeats on the bounce, but they must be dyinggg cause they literally never, ever stop.

I know this one is a little later than usual and the format is slightly different too, but I was watching the men (for some reason) as well, and it was kinda hard to keep track of two games at once lol. Plus I just wasn’t really in the mood to try and to this last night. Also - if anyone has critiques or corrections or questions about my opinions or anything else pls don’t hesitate to drop them in my ask and I’ll edit things and answer whatever as best as I can ✌🏽

[neverwatchedonepiece]

563-564: "A Shocking Fact! the True Identity of Hordy!" and "Back to Zero! Earnest Wishes for Luffy!"

...

I’m guessing this is what all the caught-up OP fans have been waiting for this entire arc.

Here’s the verdict: I really liked the “Nothing” twist. Oda was brave to create a realistic villain like Hordy Jones. And he is probably one of the most realistic OP villains. I get why people hated it. But I know people like this guy and I think other OP fans who come from a background where there are real, engrained systemic, centuries-old problems (racism, sectarianism, whatever -ism plagues your town), they will see Hordy Jones and his goons in all the downtrodden, bitter, brainwashed poor people who had nothing to cling to but the past and a manufactured sense of social superiority.

But I’ll go into that later. There were a couple of happy Strawhat scenes. Can’t ignore them, so will dive back into the serious Hordy stuff later.

Leave It All to the Strawhats

Just have to give a brief thumbs up for the return of Sane Sanji. Or at least the Sanji I like best: the one who is smart, sarcastic and smoking. Loved that scene with the Sea Bonze guy when he did a Moria and inflated to a large size. “How do you like my size?” Sea Bonze guy boasted.

“Kraken’s bigger,” Sanji said bluntly.

“OH YEAH, HOW ‘BOUT NOW?”

“Still bigger.”

At this rate, Sanji won’t have to lift another finger. The Sea Bonze guy will keep inflating, take out more and more of his own team, and Sanji can sit back, smoke and enjoy the view.

Chopper’s little moment with Zoro was great too. I’ve always thought Zoro and Chopper have this weird, special kind of understanding. They were paired up in Strong World and, I have no evidence to base this on so tell me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember Zoro ever ragging on Chopper like he sometimes does with the other Strawhats. (It’s almost like he knows Chopper’s a sensitive, kind, little soul so he wants to protect him? The other Strawhats can take the banter, so he goes for it.) 

Whatever the case, Chopper busted out his Heavy Point and went toe-to-toe with the strongest of the Fishmen Goons. Zoro turned and joked, “Hey, Chopper! That was the form that gave you the most human look, but now you look more monster-like.” It’s nice that Zoro can joke like that with Chopper. He knows Chopper was sensitive about his humanity. It was almost like Zoro was saying, “Hey, that form’s strong. Are you okay with the look?”

But Chopper’s self-esteem has rocketed since he joined the Strawhats. “I wanted to look like a human because I wanted friends. Now I want to be a monster who helps Luffy!”

Chopper really has accepted himself. Excuse me while I dab my eyes with this tissue.

Also, Zoro is making short work of Drunk Sword Fish Guy. “Bring the strongest swordsman on Fishman Island,” he said. “You’re not even strong enough to kill my boredom.”

Hospital treatment needed for that burn.

And I just have to say that scene with Robin freeing the human pirate slaves was spectacular. The little moment between her and Jimbei (”I cannot refuse the request of a handsome man”), her spinning the situation to prevent grudges against innocent Fishmen (”You can thank Jimbei for asking me to free you”) and that Cuerpo Fleurs: Double Clutch move...

It was beautiful. ;_; I only wish she had used it on Spandam. The only thing better than one clutch is two. But that Hammond guy had it coming, so I’m not complaining.

And speaking of slave-taking racist scumbags...

It Always Starts Small

I definitely liked the “Nothing” twist. 

It was a shock at first. Must admit that. I kind of stared at the screen and laughed for a moment before what Fukaboshi said sank in.

“Hordy is a monster brought to life by our environment. The New Fishman Pirates are monsters created by an ancient grudge. A grudge born from our ancestors in the shadow of Fishman Island. They fear the grudge will be forgotten, their anger against humans dispelled. That’s why they are so impatient. They want humans to be evil so they can justify their crusade. They just want to see bloodshed. They don’t even want peace for Fishmen. Their hatred is not rooted in experience or true beliefs. They have no substance. They are completely empty.”

It might seem a cop out. Mundane. Motiveless. But that’s the thing. Hordy does have a motive: his empty hatred drives him.

And the sad thing is, I totally get what Oda’s trying to do here. Kind of wish I didn’t, but I do. I know people like Hordy. I’ve mentioned this before here, but where I live, sectarianism is a thing. Two branches of the same bloody religion have divided my part of the planet for centuries. There’s a horrible history of repression and terrorism on both sides. Now there are segregated schools and whichever football team you support outs you as “on a side”. Even your name and where you work can mark you. If you visit FB pages dedicated to the city, you won’t have to look far for sectarian posts. Dive into the football teams and, oh boy, you are in for a real treat! 

The thing is, the people who are most virulently into this crap are often (but not always) the poorest, most downtrodden people in society. Scrape the bottom and there you will find them. There’s a lot of poverty where I live (relative compared to the rest of the world, of course). Grinding poverty means you don’t have much going for you. All you have to feel superior is your football team and your religion. (And these people actually have very little knowledge on the tenets of their respective religions, by the way. Same goes for social history. Ask them anything and they’ll get angry because they know they know nothing.) All they know is: the other side is BAD. Why? Because dad said so, and his dad said so, and so did his. They cling desperately to empty hatred.

Hordy Jones and his goons are like that. Though they’re even worse. At least the sectarian folk from my city have actually met each other in the streets after a game and have beaten the crap out of each other face to face. Hordy has never met a single human in his life.

“What did humans do to you?”

“Nothing.”

He straight up admitted it. 

I loved the way Oda revealed how Hordy acquired his toxic prejudice. Because it was realistic.

Lynchings

It started small. Drip feeding the hatred. Every inch of Fishman District, that poverty-stricken, lawless place where there was nothing to do but hate. Every week another attack. Every week another kidnapping. Every once and a while a hero comes along, dying a martyr’s death (one was lauded for burning down the Human Shoppe. Probably a small business run by Fishmen, but what does that matter?) As a kid, Little Hordy loved heroes.

Then a Big Hero came along. Arlong. He liked to sit the little kiddies down and tell them tales of humans. Drip feed that poison in their ears. I guess this is what Otohime was trying to counteract. (Now that scene when she scolded the Fishmen who were about to lynch St Myosgard is really put in perspective.)

“This is a crusade! Ages ago, the filth we call humans envied the chosen and gifted Fishmen. They decided to persecute us. They were everywhere, like maggots.  Humans used the only advantage they had: numbers. They drove us down to the sea floor. Never forget our grudge against the humans. Humans know and fear that their reckoning day will come, and that’s when we’ll make them pay!”

The worst, most insidious statement was this: “Never forget our history. Feel the disappointment of the dead. Take over their resentment. Hold a grudge against humans.”

That line: “feel the disappointment of the dead”... that’s evil. Proper emotional blackmail. These people died with hatred festering in their hearts. Honour the glorious dead. Damn... I feel sorry for Fisher Tiger being used in this way.

Hordy was so twisted by the poison poured in his ear on all sides that he couldn’t even listen to a story young Hatchi told about Rayleigh. He was a human but he was different. Rayleigh never made a face when he looked at Hatchi. “I don’t like your story, Hatchi,” Hordy said. “It makes me sick.”

When Tiger was killed by Marines, Hordy’s gang, swilling beer in a pub, concluded he wasn’t the chosen hero. Someone had to step up to take his place.

Then - and I could hardly believe this was in a kid’s show - it went all KKK. Torchlit lynchings of Fishmen who had helped humans in some way (one poor guy donated blood). The Royal Family were obviously traitors. They wanted to forgive humans. Jimbei was a traitor too. He had joined the Shichibukai. 

“This country needs a hero,” Hordy Jones concluded. And he decided that he would be that “hero”. So he pulled the trigger on Otohime and stoked the fire of hatred against humans. The contrast between the funeral scenes and Hordy’s gang laughing it up at the pub was infuriating but effective.

Then, ten years later, it was time for their revenge. “This is a crusade. Prepare to kill as many humans as you can before your own death. We are devoting our lives to this vengeance.”

I wonder if Hordy will be willing to sacrifice his own life for his ideals? Or is that only for other people? 

Push the Reset Button

You know what else I liked? Fukaboshi’s reaction to the realisation of where Hordy Jones had come from.

It was what Otohime had realised years ago, but maybe never had the chance to discuss it with her kids.

“I don’t know when, but we lost contact with Fishman District. They’ve become something like an isolated, dark side of Fishman Island. We pretended not to see the twisted hatred building up in that lawless ditch in the deep water. I filled mother’s shoes, I collected signatures, but it was only superficial. I thought I was making progress. It was too late! People like them are the ones my mother feared the most. We should have fought with ourselves first. We should have fought our own feelings towards humans. Mother was killed by the grudge growing on Fishman Island. Maybe she knew it. But a part of me held that resentment and hated humans for killing my mother. Dead people take their regret to the grave, so  grudge is an illusion the living create and they alone cultivate it. Because I hated humans, I overlooked the resentment in Fishman District. When I finally noticed, it had become too powerful and beyond control.”

See, this is why I respect Fukaboshi a lot. He admits he had a part to play in the mess. Granted, I think he is justified, in a sad way. For ten years, he grew up believing a human had shot his mother dead. Despite that, he carried on her dream. But the whole Fishman District being a lawless, broken place that was ignored is interesting. If you leave a place to rot and don’t do anything about it, the people there will become poor and downtrodden. It is really easy to radicalise people who have nothing to lose. What the Royal Family should have done was double down on Otohime’s efforts to include Fishman District, to alleviate the poverty and lawlessness. Maybe that would have helped. Maybe.

His solution to the problem? It was pretty radical, actually.

“If nothing is done, Fishman Island will destroy itself through hatred of humans! We don’t need the past! Reset our history to zero. Wipe out those phantoms who shut the island away from the sun. Bring Fishman Island back to zero!

That’s also pretty radical. I guess Fukaboshi thinks there’s so much necrotic, gangrenous flesh poisoning Fishman Island that it’ll be best to just amputate the diseased limbs than let it spread any further. It’s sad that it’s come to that point, but I guess the hate is too strong.

Luckily, Fukaboshi and Shirahoshi have a Luffy who doesn’t give a crap about the past. “As long as you let me handle it my way, don’t worry,” Luffy assured. “Our minds were made up when we arrived at the plaza with Jimbei. We won’t let anyone harm Fishman Island. Leave it all up to us, Brother-Hoshi. We’re friends, right?”

I dunno, but I get the funniest feeling that this particular, rubbery human has made a lasting impression on Fukaboshi. ;)

Be honest. It’s how you’d want to go too.

[lightsandlostbells]

Now that you’ve seen a lot of the skam remakes(though i don’t know if you’ve seen España yet), which ones are the best in your opinion?

Thanks for asking! I’ve been following España too, just posted a reaction to the first episode! I don’t know if I could rank Skam NL or Skam España yet since they’re so early in the story, but of the remakes which have completed a full season, here are my thoughts. 

Skam France: My least favorite of the remakes so far. I don’t want to trash it completely or anything, but it’s the most blatant copy+paste and the one that’s put the least amount of thought into adapting or localizing the story. Not a fan of the actors skewing older - and because they’re older and many of them are pro actors, I have higher standards for their performances, which often are mediocre. There’s a tendency to either speed through scenes in a perfunctory way so that there’s no room for real emotion, or makes scenes 10x more dramatic and soap opera-ish. The part that annoys me, though, is that there are just a lot of sloppy choices that makes it seem no one’s really paying attention. Like 90% of the script will be the same, except they’ll change one line, but instead of adjusting the scene to how that line should change things, characters will react exactly the same as in the original even if it doesn’t make sense. Or they’ll try to recreate a scene while eliminating the buildup that make the original scene work, such as Jonas’ cunnilingus power walk. The show also frequently overuses music instead of placing songs effectively, not just every time a clip ends. On the plus side, Daphne is great and saves a lot of the show for me, and some of the other characters are also fine. I have a theory that the production team is putting more thought into S3 and S4 so hopefully they took criticism into account and can make something that’s got more of its own personality.Druck: My scrappy baby! It’s not perfect - the show never really mastered the social media aspect, the odd release schedule hurt momentum a lot. It was more low-key and less polished than other remakes, but that’s part of why I enjoyed it so much. The cast was likable and authentic, sometimes the acting was shaky but overall I thought it was fine. It nailed the vulnerability of these kids as well as the sweetness. I loved the Eva/Jonas relationship in this one - it’s the only one I really rooted for outside of the original show. They had excellent chemistry and I thought the show had a good handle on that relationship and on Hanna’s character. I also felt they had a good handle on a lot of the educational aspects of Skam. It seems like Druck might not come back, which is an enormous shame, but I’m rooting for it. (Also? It has the best school doctor of the remakes, by far.)Skam Italia: Soooo ... I don’t love Skam Italia to the extent a lot of people do? I get why it’s the fan favorite, and it does do some things very well. It’s the best remake at localizing its story to its culture, it makes incredible use of its beautiful setting. It knew when to throw out elements of the original that wouldn’t have worked in the Italian setting (like russ) and inserted some intriguing new moments. The directing and cinematography overall are strong. There were some nice music moments. It slightly improved on William’s character for me. But there are a few things that were crucial to what I liked about Skam that aren’t here. For example, the authenticity in the casting - it just matters a lot to my enjoyment of the show that these characters are played by teenage actors, with all their gangliness and spottiness and awkwardness! But only two of the main cast are still teenagers and yeah, it may not bother some people, but it was a big part of Skam’s appeal to me. And for all the defenses offered up about Sana’s casting, I’m never going to think it’s not disappointing. When I think about Iman Meskini and all the good being in the public eye did for Muslim girls in Norway, it really is a shame. And I guess this is a ~hot take~ but the acting in SkamIt is ... fine. Eva and Martino were the best ones in my opinion, and their characters had a great believable friendship, but the rest of the cast is just OK to me. I think a big part of why I didn’t love S1 like other people do is that I didn’t like Giovanni, so the big emotional moments with him didn’t land with me because I wasn’t invested in them being together. I also thought the show did a good job with portraying Eva’s vulnerability, but toward the end it fumbled some key moments of her character arc. (Another hot take: there were a couple of moments on the male-gazey side that put me off, but luckily they were toward the beginning of the season.)

Skam Austin: Ahahaha, what to say about Skam Austin. This is the one that swings most wildly between good and not good for me? Julie’s directing is still strong and for the most part I think she can still create some great music moments. Girl Jo is fantastic. Shay is fantastic. I don’t blame anyone for being skeptical of how Julie will handle a lesbian storyline, but personally I do get the vibe that she listened to feedback about Skam’s lack of f/f representation and tried to improve, though only time will tell. The cast is diverse which was a huge concern of mine. Less good - a lot of the localization doesn’t work. Ask me my thoughts on the dance team if you want to hear an hour-long grumble! Certain elements were not explored that would have been a great way to adapt the story to American culture, for instance, it would have been interesting to show how Kelsey being a Christian in the American South affects her attitude toward sleeping with Daniel or getting pregnant, but it doesn’t come up. Or how Kelsey being a devout Christian might affect her relationship with Zoya. Things like that. The acting is a mixed bag but again, I cut the younger non-professional actors some slack. Marlon was the WORST and I did not want him and Megan together at all, but on the other hand I did feel there were some realistic additions in showing how teenage boys are dickheads to their girlfriends. It seemed like Facebook maybe sanitized some of the content, or perhaps that’s just because I had to watch the awkward “censored” version (THANKS ASSHOLES). Not to mention Facebook’s interface annoyed me, and I found watching the show on FB not the best platform for delivery or discussion.

So overall, Druck is the one that most captures what I liked about original Skam. Skam Italia is a solid show and a good remake in a lot of ways, but not nearly up there with the original for me (as a lot of people rank SkamIt S1 as high or better than Skam S1). Skam Austin is a wild card that frustrates me while still doling out some intriguing aspects and gems (give Josefina a fucking season!!!!). Skam France needs to step up its game in most areas but hopefully will improve.

With the newer remakes, Skam NL is falling nicely into that Druck style where it feels authentic, and Skam España is mixing things up a lot so I respect it for that alone.

[andaneum]

No Longer Alone: A Reylo Fanfic Chapter 7 FB

3 years earlier…

           The sight of Coruscant’s upper levels was something Rey knew she’d never be able to forget. The whole planet was one giant city, teaming with life forms from all corners of the known galaxy, and some from even further beyond. It radiated energy, the force pulsing all around them, neither dark nor light, but seemingly at peace in a place where every kind of presence was pressed together as one.

           Ben had switched their ship for a speeder once they’d arrived on the planet, leaving their own transport in an easily accessible garage, and the open cockpit allowed Rey to feel everything so much more closely. The city was flashing by them in a blur so Ben slowed the speeder a little, giving her more of an opportunity to take in the world around her.

           ‘Was it how you imagined it would be?’ Ben asked.

           Her response was quiet and distracted. ‘I never could have imagined this.’

           Despite the loss of prestige that had come with losing its status as the galaxy’s capital during the fall of the empire, it was hard to tell that much had changed. The buildings still gleamed in the sunlight and an endless stream of ships still descended through the atmosphere to make port.

           ‘How can so many people live here? Surely the planet isn’t big enough to support everyone.’

           They began to fly down between the skyscrapers that covered the planet, day turning to night around them as the light was chased out by shadows. It took them some time to arrive at their destination, innumerable levels extending outwards, seemingly into a whole other world beneath the shine and polish of the surface.

          ‘The city reaches deep down into the planet. There are thousands of levels, I doubt there’s anyone alive who knows exactly how many there are. The further down you go, the worse it gets.’ He spoke as though he hated the planet, but how could anyone hate such a place? The force signatures of a thousand lifeforms pressed in on her from all sides, yet she didn’t feel suffocated by it. Rather, it felt as though the planet was merely the starting point for countless adventures and opportunities.

           ‘Will we be going all the way down?’ Her voice was excited as she turned to face him. It was like looking at a pet, eager to explore the world with their owner.

           ‘No.’ He hated refusing her and feeling her disappointment leeching into his mind but keeping a low profile would be the key to their safety. He had no doubt that the First Order would find them at some point, but he planned to keep them far from their door for as long as he could.

           From that point onwards, their journey was taken in silence, until Ben eventually stopped their speeder on a wide walkway outside a small store. They hopped out and onto the street, which Rey quickly regretted as she realised the walkway hadn’t originally been grey, but rather years of grime and dirt had turned it so. She looked around, noting that much of the area was painted in the same filthy colour, and when she glanced up, there was no sun or sky to improve the view.

           Ben’s deep voice brought her back to the present, and his hand on her lower back pushed her toward the store, ‘We’ll get what we need from here. Put your cloak on and keep the hood up.’

           They hadn’t been able to acquire many supplies from Jakku with the money they’d earned from the sale of Snoke’s much superior escape ship, but fortunately Ben had insisted that they at least had something to hide their faces.

           And it was this train of thought that lead Rey to an important realisation, ‘What about money?’ Rey asked. Being a scavenger wasn’t exactly a high paying career and she certainly had none to speak of.

           ‘Don’t worry about it. I have plenty.’ His voice was guarded, and his words suggested that the conversation, in his mind at least, was over.

           But to Rey it certainly wasn’t.

           ‘How do you have money with you? Where did you get it from?’ Her voice was harsh and judgemental, as though she already knew the answer but just needed the confirmation.

           Ben looked around before pulling her sharply into a doorway several stores down from their destination. ‘We don’t have time for this, Rey. We have half a galaxy looking for us, and right now my priority is getting us somewhere safe.’ His breaths were coming hard, and his gaze was steely, ‘Where the money comes from is not important at the moment. If you want to shove your morals down my throat, then do it later.’

           ‘Fine.’ She jerked her arm from his grip, knowing that she’d probably have a bruise there by the morning. She knew he was right, and it made her angry to admit it, ‘But I don’t like it.’

           After that it didn’t take them long to get the supplies they still needed. They could use their powers to deter anyone who might be overtly taking an interest in them, but Ben was still uncomfortable for them to be out in public longer than was necessary. Once they’d finished, their provisions including as many dehydrated meals as they could carry since neither had much clue how to cook, Ben directed their speeder towards their new ‘home’.

          He landed outside what looked like a large disused warehouse, built into the never-ending wall that made up the under levels of the city. The metal it had been fashioned from was stained and tarnished, and the door squealed loudly in protest as Ben pushed it to the side and rust rained down on their heads.

          ‘Where are we?’ She asked. Even her old AT-AT seemed as though it would be preferable to this.

           ‘A safehouse I prepared. No one should try and bother us, I doubt they’ll think to look for us in a place like this. If we don’t draw attention to ourselves unnecessarily then we’ll be safe for a while.’ The look he threw in her direction was pointed, and her only reply was a cheeky smirk.

           She walked inside, noting that it wasn’t that much more appealing than the outside had been. It was one huge room, with what she would guess was a refresher through the only other door. The ceilings were high, but with no natural light flooding in, it felt more like a prison cell than a home. The furniture didn’t help her impression, it was sparse to say the least.

           ‘What do you think?’ He asked. She was sure he wouldn’t want to know her answer.

           There was little to look at, though one thing did catch her attention. To her right, the floor changed, going from a drab grey concrete to a large raised platform of wood. It was the only part of the old warehouse that looked even remotely new and inviting. Surrounding the edges of the platform and pushed back against the wall was all manner of training equipment; staves and staffs, basic armour, training dummies and much more.

          They worried her as much as they excited her. Being trapped in such a small space would be difficult for even the most patient of people, and neither her nor Ben were well known for that trait. Adding weapons to the mix didn’t seem like the best idea to her.

           ‘To be honest, right now I’m more worried about us killing each other than being found by anyone. This place doesn’t exactly look like it was built to keep two people caged up in close quarters.’ She answered him honestly.

           His own reply seemed almost cautious, and as she turned to face him she noticed that one of his hands had come up to rub fiercely at the back of his neck. ‘No, well. When I arranged for this place to be made available to me, I wasn’t planning on there being someone else with me if I ever needed to use it. That’s why…’

           He trailed off, his hand motioning to the room around them. She was confused for a moment, before her face began flushing a deep pink as she came to the realisation that the reason the room looked so bare was because it only contained one of everything.

           She ducked her face, trying to hide her rosy cheeks from his view and asking another question in a poor attempt to distract them both, ‘When did you have time to prepare all of this?’

           Her distraction seemed to work though, as his hands dropped to his sides and his eyes glazed over, losing the shine that the fires of his emotions usually kept lit within them.

           ‘After I left Skywalker,’ He began, trying to keep any hint of emotion from his voice and his mind. ‘I went straight to Snoke. I knew he’d always wanted me for my power, but I hadn’t realised just how far his ambition extended. Once I’d learned to adequately shield certain parts of my mind from him, I began building a network of safe houses for myself. I have several such places spread across the galaxy.’

           He looked over to see her expression. She wasn’t judging him or even worse, pitying him, she was just listening to him. It was a relief. Her understanding was appreciated, but her pity would have been too much for his already broken pride to take.

           ‘And you’re certain that no one knows about them?’ She asked.

           ‘If Snoke did manage to learn of them, he never let on that he knew. And he won’t be telling anyone now,’ Ben chuckled darkly to himself. ‘If the First Order had any knowledge of them then we would never have made it through the door. Besides, the credits I’ve been using would be difficult to trace, even if they did know where to begin.’

           ‘Because you stole them from the First Order, who in turn took them from the people they’ve conquered.’ She said matter of factly. He knew enough of her personality by this point to know that she wouldn’t give up the matter until he’d answered her suspicions.

           ‘Some of them.’ He replied honestly. ‘But not so many that they’d be easily traceable.’

          His answer didn’t appear to bother her as much as he thought it would have, especially given the reaction she’d shown outside the store. But he worried that his next admission may not go down so well, ‘Rey, I’m a prince, a prince of what was once a very rich planet. If the decision hadn’t been made for me, one day I would have been king of what was left of the Alderaanian people. I’ve always had wealth follow me wherever I went. That didn’t change when I left to train with Skywalker.’

          He paused to try and gauge her reaction, but both her face and the bond between them were quiet, ‘Does this bother you?’

           She shook her head, vehement in her denial and eager to assuage his fears,  ‘No, I just…forgot who you were before you left your family.’ The difference in their statuses was stark, yet it surprised her how little it concerned her. ‘I’m coming to realise how little titles matter. You’re a prince, I’m a scavenger, yet we’ve both ended up in the same place.’

           ‘As fugitives?’ She nodded in response, and she could feel their bond humming in contentment. He liked it when she remembered how similar they were. Or at least, how similar he thought they were.

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           Rey couldn’t sleep.

           The buzz and hum of feeling so many lifeforms surrounding her had started out as something fascinating for her to explore in her mind, the feel of each a one unique thing that she wanted to never forget. Now though, all it was doing was keeping her from falling asleep.

          Ben, of course, had fallen asleep beside her almost instantly, though she supposed that he was used to the feeling of having others around him. They hadn’t spoken so much about his past, but she assumed he’d grown up in cities and planets just like this one and being in the First Order didn’t exactly give one a sense of privacy either.

           ‘No, no… don’t.’ His calls, at first, had been soft, barely audible, but now Rey could hear Ben’s pleas clearly from the other side of the bed. His tossing and turning had not helped with her attempts at sleep, the bed shifting violently beneath her.

           It hadn’t taken them long to organise their sleeping arrangements, with each taking one half of the only bed in the room. It wasn’t ideal, but they’d spent several days now in tight quarters on various different transports, and by this point it seemed almost trivial for them to share such a small space. Or at least that was what Rey kept telling herself as they’d both slipped silently into bed several hours earlier.

           She turned over to see what was disturbing him, propping herself up on one arm. His face was covered in sweat, his hair hanging limply and plastered to his forehead. Occasionally his head would thrash to one side and his arms would jerk, but only slightly, as though attempting to protect himself but completely unable to.

          Whatever it was, she could feel his distress growing inside her own thoughts as his mental barriers became unable to hold back his demons any longer and they began to shatter. He needed to wake up.

           ‘Ben.’ She whispered, but he didn’t respond. She repeated his name, this time a little more loudly, but still there was nothing.

           She reached out to him, trying to move his hair out of his eyes and hoping to wake him gently. But the moment her fingers made contact with his skin, he awoke with a sharp gasp, his hand rushing up to grab her wrist tightly.

           His eyes darted around wildly, and his other hand shifted, almost as though it were reaching for the lightsaber normally attached to his belt. She’d seen him like this before, on their journey to Jakku, but at the time she’d passed it off as a nightmare brought about by the shock of what he’d recently done. But maybe these nightmares were more frequent than she’d originally believed.

           Rey sat silent and motionless, watching him as he slowly returned to his senses. His breathing calmed and the hand not still holding her rose up from his side to rub at his eyes, wishing away the dreams that plagued him.

           It took some time, but eventually she felt it would be okay to break the silence, ‘Do you want to talk about it?’

           ‘No.’ He was used to dealing with his nightmares on his own, and the fact that she’d seen him so weak and vulnerable was already enough to agitate him. What grown man couldn’t control himself to the extent that he was still at the mercy of his memories? It was as though he were a child again.

           But he should have realised that it wasn’t in her nature to just let things go, not when her misplaced belief that she could help everyone reared its ugly head.

           ‘Was it Snoke?’ She asked.

           ‘Not tonight.’

           ‘Then what happened?’ What was with this girl, could she not take a hint? Maybe growing up on that backwater stink hole had made her oblivious to social cues such as knowing when to leave things alone.

           He threw himself back down on the bed in a show of irritation. ‘You know, you do ask a lot of questions. It’s maddening.’

           She chuckled to herself. He must be feeling better if he was back to insulting her as usual. ‘I know, and it won’t get better any time soon I’m afraid.’

           He took the hint that she wasn’t planning to leave him alone until he’d shared his thoughts with her and began. ‘It was Luke. That night he tried to kill me. I see his face above me, and I can’t… I’m helpless against him and I can’t fight back against his power. During the day I can keep the memories at bay, but at night…’ He trailed off.

           Rey nodded solemnly. For all her badgering, she did understand how difficult it must have been for him to share, and that in return he deserved her comfort, no matter how likely it was that he’d fight against it. ‘You know he can’t hurt you here.’

           ‘Of course, I’m not a child who needs to be coddled.’ He replied, resenting the way her words made him feel just a little better.

           But Rey chose not to rise to his taunting, they were just the words of a man who had been badly shaken by his nightmares. Instead, she decided to do the one thing he really hadn’t expected.

           She scooted her body down the bed and pressed herself closely against his side. Her head and one arm came to rest on his chest, and she was glad she couldn’t see the expression of shock that was no doubt on his face. His bare chest radiated heat against her cheek, hints of sweat still remaining on his skin. She closed her eyes, hoping above all things that he wouldn’t push her away.

           He didn’t, though at first neither were able to relax their muscles or calm their minds enough to actually fall asleep. This kind of contact with him wasn’t something new for Rey, after all she had woken up on Ahch-To in the same position against him. The difference was that this time he was conscious too.

           ‘I won’t let anyone hurt you again. I swear.’ She whispered to him. She turned her head and pressed a small kiss to the centre of his chest. Their bond flared with both apprehension and happiness, though neither could tell from which side the feelings originated.

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           But by morning, everything had returned to how it was before. Their days continued in much the same pattern, an endless cycle of waking, eating, doing chores, and sleeping. If Ben had any more of his nightmares he certainly didn’t share them with her. She knew that he’d appreciated her efforts to help him, but he was still unused to any human contact that didn’t involve pain. It would take him some time to process this new step in their relationship, and if she was being honest with herself, she appreciated the time apart as well.

           For two people so used to freedom, or at least the twisted version of freedom they’d both had before leaving, being confined did not sit well. Ben had taken to pacing the room for hours on end, rolling his shoulders occasionally when the tension became too much. Whereas Rey had taken to doing whatever she could to ignore his pacing, knowing that telling him how irritating she found it would only spark another argument.

           They rarely left the warehouse, only occasionally doing so to replenish their supplies and take in the atmospheres of the cantina and bars around them. It was only from these visits that they could find out any information about the First Order; with its previous rapid expansion it was a hot topic for the bounty hunters and pilots who frequented such establishments. Yet even these outings were becoming fewer and further between as Ben’s paranoia at being found only grew with his mounting tension.

           After three weeks of the same routine grinding her down and breaking her spirit, Rey had finally had enough.

          ‘I want you to start training me.’

           Ben looked up in surprise from where he’d been meditating on the floor of his practice area. He hated meditating, but the strain of being almost constantly trapped in their warehouse for the past several weeks had taken its toll on him.

           Rey stood up and walked over to him, her body creating a long shadow that grew over him as she moved closer. She took out her lightsaber from where she’d clipped it onto her belt and began bouncing it up and down in her hands. It felt good to hold it again, and if the pulsations it sent to her through the force were anything to go by, the lightsaber was just as happy to be of use again.

          However, upon seeing his grandfather’s lightsaber in her hand and understanding exactly what it was she had planned for them both, Ben’s answer was unequivocal.

           ‘No.’

           Rey’s mouth fell open, ‘What?’ She really hadn’t expected that response.

‘What happened to wanting to be my teacher. You were determined on Starkiller, and now that I’m the one to suggest actually do something about my training, you say no!’ She shouted in astonishment.

           ‘Exactly. Besides, I thought you had been training.’ In her free time Rey had been practicing some of the skills she’d learned on Jakku, she knew that with the First Order following them it was a good idea not to allow herself to be complacent. Ben had thought it to be a good idea, and the only reason he hadn’t joined her was because he hadn’t wanted to encourage her and cause himself an awkward conversation. A conversation it seemed he was going to have regardless of his caution.

           ‘By myself, yes. But it’s not the same as having someone who knows how to handle a lightsaber and can point out your mistakes’ Rey replied.

           She could sense his reluctance, and it pleased her to know that even with a lack of training she was becoming much more adept at picking out and interpreting his moods and feelings, seeing as they were her constant companions.

           And so, when she spoke, it wasn’t a question, but a statement of exactly how she knew he felt about her training, ‘You don’t want to train me with a lightsaber.’

           Ben sighed in response, rubbing at his forehead as though she were a headache he needed to get rid of, ‘You’re asking me to train you because you’re bored, and you’re tense. You hate being cooped up here.’

           He spoke to her like a child, and her response was sullen. It didn’t help her case, but it certainly made her feel better.

           ‘You know I don’t like you reading my thoughts.’

           His response was terse, ‘I know you feel like that because I feel the same, not because I’m inside your head. Do you really think that us fighting is the best idea? Are you in the right frame of mind right now to control yourself? Just look at yourself.’

           She looked down at herself and saw exactly what it was he meant. Her whole body was stood tense and rigid in its position in front of him. Her hands were clenched, one tightly wrapped around her lightsaber and the other grabbing her thigh tightly in an unconscious attempt to keep her emotions from boiling over. She took a small breath and hoped he wouldn’t notice when she allowed herself to relax a little. It was too embarrassing when he was right.

           When she spoke, her voice was quiet, knowing that she probably wouldn’t be able to convince him now, ‘I think it could help relieve some of the stress.’

           ‘And cause some serious injuries.’ He responded quickly.

           She considered his position. Maybe them just going at it with lightsabers wasn’t the best idea, but that didn’t mean that they needed to sit at opposite ends of the room doing everything they could to avoid provoking each other. She wanted to find a way for them to communicate, and he seemed to prefer that the method she chose was peaceful.

           ‘Then how about you teach me some less… violent techniques. Luke wasn’t able to teach me much before I left him, but you can.’ She suggested.

           She could tell he was curious, her proposition had clearly peaked his interest, ‘And what exactly did you have in mind?’

           A smile grew on her face, she had him. ‘You know, meditation, controlling things…’ Her mind went blank, and it scrambled for something, anything, ‘…floating rocks, that kind of thing.’

           ‘Floating rocks?’ Now he was the one smiling.

           ‘You know what I mean!’ She said, clearly exasperated with both him and her mind’s inability to speak basic in any way more complex than a child. ‘Is that a yes or a no?’

           He sighed. ‘Sit down in front of me, facing me, and cross your legs.’

           She did as he instructed, noting that his seeming aloofness and attitude to training her reminded her a lot of his uncle. But she would keep the comparison to herself, he wouldn’t appreciate hearing it.

           ‘Close your eyes.’ He said calmly.

           ‘Now, reach out…’

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           Their uneasy truce lasted a week.

          ‘That’s it, I’m done. Take out your lightsaber.’ Ben said suddenly one day.

          Rey had been sitting on the floor against the bed, flicking through yet more news stories on her holopad. She’d read them before, but it’d been preferable to speaking to Ben. She’d felt his tension growing over the bond for days, and she’d purposely been staying out of his way in case he broke. Now she could feel that it had reached its peak.

           ‘What?’ She asked, both surprised at the abruptness of his request and yet unsurprised that it had come to this. He was pacing in front of where she sat, like a predator stalking its prey, and it struck her how much their positions had reversed over the week.

           ‘I’m done with this. We’re both going crazy being locked up here, and if we don’t do something to address this situation then one of us is going to crack.’ He growled.

           Part of her agreed with him, but with how he’d made her beg for training, she wasn’t going to let him off that easily.

          ‘I’m sorry, but what was it you said? I won’t train you with a lightsaber just so you can let off some steam.’ She’d tried to imitate his voice, but the attempt just left her coughing and spluttering by the end, her vocal chords unused to making such a deep sound.

           But he was too wound up to be amused by her attempts at levity, ‘While normally I would stand by that, I think we both need something a bit more stimulating than… floating rocks. If we don’t do something soon then I worry we’re going to do more damage to one another than a few training scars.’

           ‘So, you mean fighting?’ She asked.

          ‘Sparring.’

          He looked her in the eyes. Maybe if he was able to convince himself that this actually was training, he wouldn’t feel so guilty at giving into the temptation of fighting her to release some of the pressure in his mind.

She chose to ignore his correction, ‘I may hate you Ben, but I’m not going to fight you.’

           She wished she could take back the words as soon as they’d left her mouth. This was what he was worried about, the wounds he knew they’d inflict that were worse than training scars. His body stiffened, and his response was almost beseeching, ‘You don’t hate me.’

           She was silent for a moment, guilt washing over her in waves, before replying quietly, ‘No. But I still won’t fight you.’

           Rey saw his point, she’d made the same arguments days before, but something felt different now. She looked away from him, hoping it would put an end to the conversation.

           The crackle of his lightsaber filled the air and she couldn’t help herself. She rose to his challenge.

           Their fighting styles were similar, even if Rey’s was a much rougher version of that of her partner. She’d picked up a lot of her knowledge from her short time in Ben’s mind on Starkiller, unintentionally absorbing parts of his training and augmenting them with her own fighting techniques learned on Jakku.

           They were well matched in the beginning. When he struck out at her with his superior strength, she found it difficult to parry, but her own blows were landing perfectly. His large form made him an easier target to strike against, and it was taking much of his concentration to defend against her attacks when they came.

           But as the fight went on, it was clear that the tides were turning in his favour. The anger and frustration of being on the defensive mingled with dark memories of his defeat on Starkiller. The humiliation he’d felt and was still feeling fuelled his rage, which in turn fuelled his powers. He was acting on instinct now, his moves coming before he even had the chance to think about them. This was the power of the darkness, channelled through him, and he had become merely a vessel of its will.

           He landed blow after blow against her saber but she was just as stubborn as him, hated defeat as much as he did, and she refused to give up yet. If only she could centre herself, focus and channel her energies…

           And in her moment of weakness, with him lost in the heat of the fight, the darkness inside of him took its chance to strike.

           His mind threw itself into hers, dark tendrils reaching deep inside and latching on tightly. The pain was secondary to her emotional turmoil as they sought out any darkness they could find and dragged it violently to the surface. Snatches of memories and thoughts she’d hidden away rose unbidden inside of her, and her heart felt as though it was shattering with every single one she was forced to relive.

           Her knees buckled beneath her and she fell to the floor, hands clutching at the sides of her head. She screamed, her eyes squeezed closed as though desperate not to see the images flashing through her mind, and it was this that finally made Ben realise what he’d done to her.

           He instantly drew back, his face a mix of shock and horror. It took Rey some time to realise that the grip on her mind had disappeared, but when it did her instincts kicked in and she scrabbled back across the floor from him. She continued until her back hit the wall and she couldn’t move any further, but even then, her nails began clawing at the walls, desperately searching for a way out.

           ‘Rey.’ She could sense his intentions.

           ‘NO!’ She screamed at him. ‘Don’t come near me!’

           His eyes flashed wildly, barely able to believe what he’d done.

           ‘Rey, I…’

           Impulse made him take a step towards her, hand outstretched to her as it had been in Snoke’s throne room. But this time, she didn’t take it. A sharp fear drew across her as she saw him come closer and her instincts kicked into overdrive. She got to her feet, still shaken from their fight, and ran straight past him, making sure that her body didn’t brush up against his as she did so. She wanted no part of him to remain on her.

Chapter 8

[coachrivero]

Tulane Houston postmortem - rest of the season outlook

I normally write a blog about Tulane every week, but due to personal commitments I had to skip this game and focus my time on other endeavors. I’m kind of glad that I did.. I was feeling somewhat good about our chances and probably would have picked a Tulane victory. This was a defense we pushed around last year for 3 quarters plus had 3 complete games of 2020 college football experience to 0 for the Houston Cougars. It turns out none of that matters and UH is head and shoulders a better football team than Tulane. So much better in fact that they can cough up the football 5 times and it did not hurt them at all in the football game. All the warm and fuzzy feelings from the instant classic of last year’s meeting were put to rest as the Cougars rolled the Wave 49-31 in front of a socially distanced crowd of masked Houston fans. Standard procedure for attending sporting events in pre-election America. Unless your mayor is a fucking barnacle head and wont even allow the bare minimum sparse crowds that South Alabama, Houston, and USM can have. No matter, let’s talk about Tulane football and the pro’s and con’s of this program.

It’s really not all that bad. Not too long ago we were one of the worst programs in America. Right now we are average at best, or more accurately, slightly below average for an FBS program. Far from contending for a conference championship in a pretty good league... but also a far cry from the rubbish that Bob Toledo and Curtis Johnson put on the field. I’ll give Willie Fritz credit, we do resemble a division 1 football team. We are still overwhelmed by the speed of the better teams in our conference and struggle against most teams with a semblance of a rushing defense. Houston had an excellent game plan on both sides of the ball, stop the run first and foremost, and on offense spread the ball around to their athletes and attack our weaknesses at the safety position. As the game wore on Tulane’s defense became tired chasing around Houston’s playmakers and the Cougars began to run the ball effectively. SMU will watch this film and do the exact same thing. Unless the tackling improves tenfold and Tulane can generate a pass rush, expect a similar result or possibly even worse. It also would help to have better kick coverage.... The SMU Mustangs don’t usually play great defense but have been known to look like the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers when playing Tulane. This is a team Willie Fritz has never beaten and each loss has been more frustrating than the last. Until I see a breakthrough I’m just going to assume we’re coming out of this game 2-3. Also there is a number next to their name which pretty much guarantees we won’t beat them... even though garbage programs like Tulsa somehow find a way to beat a few ranked teams this century.

If my blog comes across as a lot of complaining, I didn’t mean for it to sound that way. Willie Fritz’s Tulane teams have steadily improved each year since he arrived in New Orleans. I guess one season of regression would be natural, but it’s still very disappointing to go backwards instead of forward. I think Tulane will get it together just probably not this week. At this point I hope we can squeak out 5 wins so it won’t set us back in recruiting too bad and we have an offseason to develop Michael Pratt and give a go at this (being good at football) thing next season. I would say we’re dropping the next two (SMU and UCF), then Temple is a toss up (we don’t really know how good or bad they are yet). ECU might be worse than Southern Miss, this is the only game remaining I’m confident we will win. Army is a toss up just because of the style of offense they play, if Tulane puts on the chin straps and plays physical disciplined football we have a chance. If we play soft and “tackle” like we did against Houston or the second half against Navy then we have no chance. Tulsa is a toss up because they’re a little better than they have been but we still match up decently against them. Memphis is pretty much an automatic loss like always. Maybe we’ll play them in a tropical depression and they’ll show up to Yulman wearing zebra helmets and play the softest defense of all time, one can only hope.

We’ll (hopefully) win the ECU game and win a toss up or two. Winning all 3 toss ups would be an extraordinary feat for this football team and I would be very amazed. if they could win one of the un-winnable games against SMU, UCF, or Memphis then I will rejoice and with my next blog suggest a 15 year extension for Willie Fritz. No one on the remaining schedule sans ECU is as bad as Southern Miss, South Alabama, or Navy (who beat us).... so going 3-8 is definitely a possibility. I don’t think we lose out. Tulane will score more points than someone even if they miraculously drop the East Carolina game. Whatever happens I just hope Tulane plays hard for 4 quarters in every game and protects Michael Pratt as best as they can. Tackling a few people would be nice too....

Roll Wave! 🌊

[thecollegefootballguy]

2019 ACC Coaching Power Rankings

During the offseason I like to do some of these fun projects that I normally wouldn’t have time to write while football is actually getting played. One of my favorites is the Coaching Power Rankings, where I decide where each coach rates relative to his peers. 

The ACC was probably the worst Power 5 conference out there last year, but the coaching seems fairly strong. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of good football coming out of the conference very soon as so many programs develop.

The ACC lost four coaches last season, the highest among the Power 5, including some of the best in the league. The venerable Paul Johnson (last year’s #4 coach in the conference) and Mark Richt (#2) retired at the end of the year. Bobby Petrino (#5) was fired after Louisville completely collapsed after years of strong play. Similarly, Larry Fedora (#7) was canned when North Carolina’s rebuild kept spinning its wheels.

That means the ACC lost four coaches in the top half of its ranks. That’s pretty tough to overcome, at least immediately. However, the league has made some good hires which should help get all four programs back on track, though it may take a while.

Oh yeah, and since he has to go somewhere, Brian Kelly is being counted as an ACC coach for the purposes of this list.

Check out the list from last year to compare and contrast by clicking this link.

-

15. Manny Diaz

Record Overall: N/A

Movement: N/A

Manny Diaz is the only first time head coach in the conference, so he has to start all the way at the bottom. Diaz has been a talented DC everywhere he’s coached. Under Mark Richt, Diaz fielded one of the best defensive units in the conference. We’ll see how fast Diaz can get the Hurricanes back to their winning ways, but in 2019 that turnaround will have much more to do with the offense.

-

14. Geoff Collins

Overall Record: 15-10

Movement: N/A

Geoff Collins has the monumental task of de-converting a triple option team back into a “regular” football offense. So Georgia Tech is probably gonna suck this year as personnel gets moved all around and the offense entirely reworked. However, there’s good reason to be optimistic about Collins. In his two years as Temple’s head coach, Collins kept up the Owls’ run as the plucky yet steady winner in the AAC. If he can bring Tech into the modern era and make them the University of Atlanta like he seems to be trying to do, he could do a whole lot of winning. Eventually.

-

13. Willie Taggart

Record at Virginia: 5-7 Overall Record: 52-57

Movement: Up 2 spots

More or less by default, Willie Taggart moves up two spots to make room for two of the four new coaches to the ACC. His first year was not exactly a smashing success. It was Florida State’s first losing season since 1976, so people were pretty upset. I mean, it wasn’t totally his fault. He inherited a team that somehow didn’t have offensive line personnel, that he won 5 games is an accomplishment. 

I have faith in Taggart, he built Western Kentucky into a competitive FBS program, he totally rebuilt a South Florida team that was in shambles, and in one season he returned Oregon to the ranks of the respectable. All things considered I think he has the potential to reawaken FSU and challenge Clemson. But that’s a ways away, and he better start winning this year.

-

12. Steve Addazio

Record at Boston College: 38-38 Overall Record: 51-49

Movement: Up 2 spots

For a couple weeks in the middle of last season, it was looking like Boston College might be turning the corner. The Eagles were 7-2 and ranked for the first time in a decade. Then they lost to Clemson, FSU, and Syracuse and their bowl game against Boise State was literally rained out. So, BC ended the year with 7 wins for the fifth time in Steve Addazio’s six seasons on Chestnut Hill. I give Addazio a lot of credit for getting the FBS’s furthest Northeast outpost back to being a competitive team year in and year out. It’s not a bad place to be, but they just can’t seem to take that next step and climb into the top third of the ACC standings. I hope he does it, but it might take a coach with more talent than my dude Steve Addazio.

-

11. Scott Satterfield

Overall Record: 51-24

Movement: N/A

Scott Satterfield leaps in higher than the other newbie coaches because, I mean, did you see what he did at Appalachian State? Well, you probably didn’t, at least not on TV or in person. The Mountaineers have been one of the best G5 teams in the country for the past four years. App State won the Sun Belt for the past three seasons and were the winner of the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Championship Game in 2018. I’m sure he’s gonna do a great job at Louisville, though like Collins in Atlanta, this might take a bit of time.

-

10. Bronco Mendenhall

Record at Virginia: 14-22 Overall Record: 115-65

Movement: Up 3 spots

The Virginia rebuild took a big step in 2018, as the Cavaliers nearly won the ACC Coastal in Bronco Mendenhall’s third season at the helm. I expect that they’ll keep improving, in fits and starts perhaps, but Mendenhall is a great coach and he’s done a wonderful job so far. I expect he’ll be climbing this list as long as he’s in Charlottesville. Adjusted more heavily for difficulty, he should be even higher up this list.

-

9. Pat Narduzzi

Record at Pittsburgh: 28-24 Division Championships: 1 (2018)

Movement: Up 3 spots

Pat Narduzzi won Pittsburgh’s first division title in the ACC last season despite a 7-5 record. It’s still pretty good accomplishment, especially considering that the Panthers probably weren’t the best team in the Coastal. They got hot at the right time and sometimes that’s enough. We’ll see if Narduzzi follows Addazio in the perpetually mediocre basket, but he’s off to a better start and he’s in the right division.

-

8. Dino Babers

Record at Syracuse: 18-19 Overall Record: 55-35

Movement: Up 3 spots

Narduzzi’s counterpart in the Atlantic Division had an even better year. Dino Babers’s Syracuse Orange exploded to their first 10 win season since 2001. From Eastern Illinois to Bowling Green to ‘Cuse, Babers has won everywhere he’s coached. He’s not in the right division to really compete for a conference crown, but with Florida State and Louisville out of commission, let’s see what Babers can build so long as he’s not offered gobs of money to take his considerable talents somewhere warmer. 

-

7. Justin Fuente

Record at Virginia Tech: 25-15 Overall Record: 51-38 Division Championships: 1 (2016)

Movement: Up 2 spots

I have to say, I’m a bit disappointed in Justin Fuente. His first season went over so well I assumed he’d have the Hokies almost back to Beamer-esque levels by now. Perhaps that’s a bit optimistic, but 2018 was a nightmare season for the Hokies in terms of sheer attrition, very few teams lose that many guys, so I can give him a pass here. Still, expectations are high, I’m sure Fuente can win 10 games again, but it’s not like he’s got all the time in the world to do so. He’s entering his fourth year after all.

-

6. Dave Clawson

Record at Wake Forest: 28-35 Overall Record: 118-115

Movement: Up 4 spots

Applause all around for Dave Clawson. Wake Forest lives one of the more desolate existences for a P5 program and Clawson has had the Demon Deacons bowling for the past three seasons. His predecessor, and best Wake coach in living memory, Jim Grobe only managed that feat once. I’m very interested to see how high the Deacs can rise, but I’m worried Clawson also might get poached before Wake Forest reaches their full potential. I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t gotten more attention, he’s perhaps the best turnaround artist in the game right now.

-

5. Dave Doeren

Record at NC State: 43-34 Overall Record: 66-38

Movement: Up 3 spots

Welcome to the top 5, Dave Doeren! NC State has been one of the top programs in the ACC in the past two years and the Wolfpack are eager to see how far they can go under Doeren. It’s really hard to see them competing at Clemson’s level, but everything after that is up for grabs, especially with FSU, Miami, VA Tech, GA Tech, and Louisville all struggling.

-

4. David Cutcliffe

Record at Duke: 67-72 Overall Record: 111-101 Division Championships: 1 (2013)

Movement: Up 2 spots

The beloved professor emeritus of the ACC, David Cutcliffe gets a nice bump up the rankings to the top five, where he truly belongs. Cutcliffe has turned the Blue Devils into one of the most consistent winners in the ACC in the 2010′s, which is just a stunning accomplishment considering Duke football’s usual lot in life. He really is a cut above.

-

3. Mack Brown

Record at North Carolina: 69-46-1 Record Overall: 244-122-1 National Championships: 1 (2005)*

*with Texas

Movement: N/A

Oh man, Mack Brown is back in college football. Brown was one of the best coaches a generation or so ago, so it’ll be very interesting to see what he can do at North Carolina...again. Brown, of course, was already the head coach of the Tar Heels for a whole decade, from 1988 to 1997, before heading off to Texas where he reached the apex of his career. Back in the day, Brown had UNC running like a well-oiled machine. If Bobby Bowden’s Florida State wasn’t pushing everybody around, North Carolina would have won several ACC championships. He got back to back top ten end of year rankings at UNC, that just doesn’t happen.

Of course, that was over 20 years ago. Old coaches usually don’t do as well when coming back out of retirement like this, but Brown will probably do a lot to re-energize the fan base, bring in big recruits, and get newer facilities built. That’ll go a very long way in the Coastal Division.

-

2. Brian Kelly

Record at Notre Dame: 81-35 Overall Record: 252-92-2

Movement: Up 1 spot

Notre Dame’s not very lovable hardass crashes the ACC party all the way up at #2 on the list. It’s kind of hard to remember how bad Notre Dame used to be before Kelly came into town, they were pretty pathetic for all of the 2000′s, which is kinda crazy because the Fighting Irish are one of the most successful programs in the history of the sport. It’s hard to remember because Kelly has done such a good job building ND back into a powerhouse. They’re still one step or so removed from being real National Championship caliber, but hey, that’s a short list. Notre Dame, of course, went 12-0 last year, their second undefeated regular season under Kelly, and they’ll probably pick up right back where they left off. The only loss the Irish suffered last year...was to our Mr. #1.

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1. Dabo Swinney

Record at Clemson: 116-30 Division Championships: 7 (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) Conference Championships: 5 (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) National Championships: 2 (2016, 2018)

Movement: Same

Dabo Swinney had a pretty good 2018. He put together his best season yet, a 15-0 campaign that looked absolutely effortless for large swathes of the year. Do you know how good of a job you have to be doing to have people think that you’re outdoing Nick Saban? It’s incredible, honestly. Dabo Swinney, ten years into his career, might already be the best coach ever in the history of the ACC. Bobby Bowden is the only man with a better resume, but he spent some of his best years outside of the conference. And Swinney could coach another 20 years. My God.

-

Lastly, a fond farewell to my favorite image since starting this blog:

Happy trails, Paul Johnson.

[tsurvivorbelize]

S88E1: “Her Name Is Actually Emily” - Kyle

The premiere of Tumblr Survivor 88: Belize takes 18 new castaways to the heart of the jungle and start their journey to become the newest Sole Survivor.

This episode covers DAYS 1 & 2. 

Honestly? I’m kinda loving this game. Everyone on my tribe seems really cool, and we’re seemingly working together well. Normally I enjoy some drama and getting my hands dirty a bit early on but based on first impressions with this tribe? I don’t think I’d mind if we all got our to merge- then again it’s just day 1, by day 10 I’ll probably be begging for a swap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efa-NmW_vnQ&feature=youtu.be

https://youtu.be/RR37pTsKF-w

I'm already getting shady and good vibes .I'm worried already but I hope things can get better

I’m super excited, idk how I feel about my tribe...idk I feel like not many people I will connect with but imma have to fake it until I make it

So I just spent the past few hours talking to everyone on the tribe and nearly forgot we had a challenge 🤷‍♂️. So yeah, I don’t think anyone is going to peg me as the brains of any operation, and I’m starting to think maybe I need to be assigned the “Very easy” puzzle. That’s not because I forgot we had a challenge though, that’s just because I’m stupid.

So at this point there is 3 people in my tribe who already know each other! At this the 3 left in the tribe could join forces and force a tie, which I find very risky at this point, or we could just suck those 3 ass and try to be in the majority alliance with them.

Good afternoon (although the time right now is 7am in Belize so I guess good morning) from the lovely Minanha tribe, and holy shit. I know Survivors are based around luck, but lucking out on having two guys I've known for about 5-6 years on my tribe as immediate easy allies is fantastic. Spike, I met through Minecraft UHCs years ago, where I teamed with him in one of my first games and it was great, and Adam I met through an SMP server run by somebody you guys may all know, Bodhi/Goldcap, and then I basically introduced Adam to a bunch of my other friend groups. Through this, there's a beautiful time to be had for this tribe and I'm just infinitely hoping that Adam and Spike don't stab me in the spine.

Hey so first day or 2 in tribe has been good, I like everyone! It helps I know Katy and Spike but also like I don't want that to put a target on our backs, and it'd be unfair to just work with those I already know, I will do but if needed I can be ruthless. Hopefully we win this challenge and then see what happens, if it goes to tribal well, that's when it gets interesting.

Spike and Axe have both accidentally said racial slurs without realising they'd said racial slurs because they'd never heard of them before and they made them both by just combining my name with Spike's name. Oh no. This tribe is fucked and we're all gonna die.

https://youtu.be/xUvO_y05KNQ

MY FRIENDS ARE FIGHTING ABOUT BRIE LARSON NOOOOOOOOOO.

https://youtu.be/HlsfD_JvUrs

When the hosts make a comment about adding hosts to alliance chats, and you then assume it means that alliances have sprouted.......then you realize you had three people ask you to work together, but alliances typically consist of 3 or more people and include a chat with those people......... Then you realize that means the probability of people disliking you is high and you’ve solidified your first boot status 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Okay so my tribe is a pretty decent I guess. Brien Weber isnt the kind of girl I like to be honest. He betrayed me and I voted him out my last org so this should be fun! Emily talks like a robot too btw? My closest ally is definitely Kyle. We have a lot in common and he thinks i'm cute so it's easy to flirt with him to get on my side. Taylor and Scott arent bad either. I'm building my relationship to them- maybe they could potentially turn into future allies for me :)

I think im gonna vote matt cause he doesn't talk much

https://youtu.be/VIheM4S1IHw

- I can’t believe I looked at Cas’ photo and thought he was an old white woman....my bad

- Aaron is really starting to turn me off. He’s acting crazy about voting off David. I mean I’m finna do it so I’m not a target but I got my eye on him.

https://youtu.be/1qEEEchOOqM

- So a few of my friends decided to take a trek into these temples and came back out with punishments and disappointment. However my lucky self came out with a no vote pass to give away to someone else. So if someone gets testy and decides to be shady as shit, then I'll gladly revoke their voting privileges! :D

- I really like my tribe. I'm getting really close with some people too! Like Jarret, he's like my best friend in the game right now and always makes me laugh. Then  Brien is my drinking buddy, Olivia, I mean Emily is my fellow Michigander, Taylor is my comedy bud, and Scott is my strategy co-conspirator.

- Okay, I keep telling everyone I'm not tired, but I'm fucking tired. Being social is exhausting. I should let everyone hate me and not give a shit if I'm honest.

https://youtu.be/TWCyhqBxyG8

https://youtu.be/gWjLMsOGjvs

- So, as luck would have it, I'm the only person on my tribe who got 3 points from that puzzle challenge, but even that was real close against Brien from No Vaxx or whatever that tribe is called. I wasn't sure what kind of scores to expect from anybody in this game, as I'm used to people who tryhard the fuck out of challenges rather than just submit a semi-good score, and honestly... these scores still don't tell me much whatsoever. Probably just that I shouldn't underestimate the girl who can do a puzzle in 10 seconds.

-  Veni, who is my host chat friend I've invited in, has raised a hilarious point as well. In every Survivor I've ever played, whether Minecraft or Discord or Twitter, I've never been perceived as a challenge threat before. The closest I ever got was when I stayed awake for 40 hours to win immunity at merge. But with my score here, and being the only person to get 3 points on my tribe... what if I finally, after being shit in other Survivor challenges for years, end up being a challenge threat? Crikey crikey.

https://youtu.be/wWNdip6Vxpc

-  Skype's auto-responses make me wanna end it.

-  My previous 2 or so confessionals have been submitted as Day 2, I apologise profusely, but anyway... I wanna take a confessional to comment on the guys in the tribe I don't know from outside the game. Christian, Pietro & Gevonte. I've only just managed to speak to Gevonte today, she's been very much busy and inactive but hey, she's here now and very fun to speak to. We've spoken a fair bit about the differences between FB & Discord Survivors, since neither of us have played Tumblr Survivors before (I think???), and with her inactivity I thought she was a sure fire easy first boot for the tribe, but now I'm not so sure. Pietro is a darling as well, and seems to be pretty much the exact same as a mutual me, Axe, Spike & Veni all have called Kaz, who's also from Brazil. Speaks very much the same as Pietro does, they both have the same mannerisms and same level of likeability and ease to speak to, and I think Pietro is a fun ally as well. And then there's Christian. Don't get me wrong, Christian is also very pleasant, very kind and clearly a lovely person to interact with, but when I compare them to my interactions for the first time with Gevonte or Pietro, they're much more... I guess the optimal word would be awkward to speak to. Maybe they're just not good with new people, maybe it's me and my Asperger's being weird, or maybe there's just not good chemistry between us, but I do value Christian, but at this point, based off nothing else because there's nothing else to base it off, I'd choose Christian as the tribe's goat, and the tribe's easy boot moving forward. Then again, I could just back stab Spike ^w^

I’m very concerned for Olivia. Everyone has now been in the talks of alliances, and her name is the only one that hasn’t been mentioned, and that’s not even because her name is actually Emily. They just haven’t brought her up. She’s such a sweetie though, so I really hope she gets some free time to do some more talking.

-  Okay let’s chat. My tribe...pretty lame. David is basically inactive. Cas has the personality of cardboard so far. Jay is actually cool. AARON IS THE MOST. He’s constantly sending me voice messages which idk why it irritates me but it does. Just message me dude. And he is so paranoid! He thinks everybody is always trying to cheat. Idk...where I come people play for fun and don’t aggressively cheat or maybe that’s just me. He’s pressed about not being able to talk cross tribal (dumb). AND he aggressively wants David out because he’s worried since David knows Madison he might log on to her phone or she might leak info to help him cheat. Boy bye. I’m not going to do anything about him yet because the beauty of being in a new community is I can play dumb like idk what I’m doing and I’m really trying to capitalize and act wholesome. Yikes when the confessional comes out 😅. But oh well. I’m just going to let Aaron explain how to play to me and coast through until I can reach Gevonte who will be my for real ride or die.

-  Madison is pretty.

Tumblr Survivor: Belize, condragulations, you are the winner.

So it's been almost a full round and.... I'm only JUST now talking to most of my tribe lmfaoo. Skype is so weird. Just it being on a different platform makes socializing weird for me. Because I have to remember skype exists. On top of that, everyone else on the tribe seems not all that talkative in and of itself. Granted I know I wasnt tosking all that much either, but since we're safe I need to spend the next few days making connections or else I'm just gonna be another nameless flop. And I've done TOO much of that on FB as it is!

Day 2 and everyone has gone mad already, talking about drag queens and other pop culture stuff.

https://youtu.be/uYl2b48z5GA

https://youtu.be/da7YR2Uz08A

Why does Christian keep asking me about my toilet?

[japanessie]

two questions eating me from the inside after reading your blog for about a month! (yeah im pretty new). 1. what is this thing about Hiro getting bullied and his hardships upto this stage? 2. i'd be very grateful if u could tell me the reason why Kid'z changed his name? in both the cases i want to know, what exactly happened??

Hi,

I'm aware that there are new fans who read my blog but I'm not sure how far that you guys dig up from it because, at this point, there are many blog posts. You guys probably haven't read all of them. So, I can understand if some things appear blurry.

1. Hiro & cyber bullying

I actually touched on this on my very 1st blog post here.

http://japanessie.tumblr.com/post/111920492632/championing-hiro

(*Caution: 1 person labelled me rude and offensive on FB for criticizing Hiro's vocals in that post. I guess to some people, supporting means you can't give your honest opinion to the person you support.)

Coming from a famous family has its pros and cons. Sadly, even though the majority of MFS fans come from OOR fandom, so do the haters. Both Japanese and international fans.

Reasons for the hate based on what I went through on 2ch Japan:

1. They assumed that MFS was handed to Hiro on a silver platter and all paid for by Papa's money.

2. They compared it to how Taka struggle through hardship to get to where he is today. They felt things were too easy for Hiro and MFS. While many bands including OOR had to start on small stages in small clubs, MFS who started in August 2011 was already on Summer Sonic* stage in 2012. 

* Of course these haters were oblivious to the fact that MFS team core GEN and KTR were hardworking industry veterans who were no strangers to the festival organizers.

All the posts on the forum were anonymous. They used very very strong words and graphics to throw the worst insults imaginable to Hiro, MFS and even his parents. Sorry, I'm not going to go into details because it was too awful for me.

Taka fanatics

Not everyone who flocked to Hiro's social media was interested in MFS. They were just Taka's fans who stalked his baby brother because Taka didn't have a public social media account at the time. By the time Hiro quit Twitter, his followers exceeded MFS followers by >2000 pax.

It seems to me that people took advantage of Hiro's online presence to direct their insults to him or to be nosy about Taka's personal life because among Hiro's last tweets was this: “I started blocking fucked up people!".

I will never know how bad it was but it was enough to make him decide to quit public social media.

2. Why Kid'z changed to a stage name

He was worried about fans' acceptance. He understood the music industry well enough to know that some fans can react very negatively to changes in bands' personnel. Nobody wanted to be looked upon as the guy who “stole" Masaki's place. Especially with a small number of fans knowing him from his old band.

Masaki's decision to leave the band was a big secret that the fans didn't know. Kid'z was not in a position where he was able to tell the world about it and that he had nothing to do with Masaki's decision. It's not like he needed the job in MFS. He was in Nano's band. Still, it was disappointing to Masaki's fans. From the outside, it didn't look pretty. It was as if, “Oh, so MFS replaced Masaki with that LOTH drummer, huh!"

Not to mention that it was a pretty awkward situation considering Kid'z's own band LOTH just freshly split up at the time. LOTH disbanded officially in November 2015. I noticed he dropped LOTH name from his Twitter handle at the time.

Anyway, I believe Sho had kept his eyes on Kid'z when Masaki decided to leave. Hiro said in an interview (I forgot which one) that Masaki already hinted to leave since 2015. 

I remember how strange to me to see Sho and Kid'z at SAKAEYA in January 2016 because Kid'z normally hung out with the younger MFS members Teruki and Hiro.

Then I saw him again at SAKAEYA with Nob in February 2016. I still thought it was a bit strange, “Since when has he been hanging out with the older MFS members?". 

As it turned out, they were recruiting him!

Kid'z only started to come out of “hiding" after MFS released The Puzzle MV and then Missing You. Fans were impressed by his drumming and gave positive feedback. People started to post nice messages for him on social media. Particularly prominent on IG. With his positive attitude and fun personality, he won hearts quickly. Having a pretty face didn't hurt either XD

When he was asked on his birthday what was the most surprising thing to him in MFS, he answered, “The kindness of the fans!"

So, he's a happy camper now! (^^)