#follow up tournament poll will go up in a few minutes

[companion-showdown]

You’ve voted, you’ve campaigned for your favourites to your followers, and now we’ve collectively named our champion.

Congratulations Rose Tyler

[ID: Rose Tyler from the end of time wearing a roughly drawn crown and holding a roughly drawn sceptre \end ID]

You can find out about the fandom subdemographic that particpated here (if you haven't answered this poll yet please consider doing so, I'm interested)

Vote for which tournament between companions you'd like to see me run next here

in the mean time, go follow @dw-companion-bracket, who is running a similar tournament execept with a group stage, and seeding (masterpost)

[atlasofthestaars]

[MK X READER] New Era - Chapter .004

first part | previous part | next part

Note: I often try to plan out plot points while I’m at work, and I was like wow! I get why Kronika went insane because trying to keep all these plot points (especially the parts where I plan on diverging from canon) logical is wild.

This is the first chapter that doesn’t follow any of the main campaign events at all, so it was a bit more of a struggle to write for, but I hope you enjoy it regardless! There will be more chapters of this, building up the much needed foundation for the champions squad. Don’t worry Lin Kuei fans, there will be a few more Lin Kuei moments too during these times, allowing us to see them again before they disappear for a while during the tournament arc!

Shang Tsung deliberation is up until a week from when chapter 3 was released/aka when the tumblr poll ends. 

Otherwise, I will accept any wants for any other love interests until we get closer towards the Outworld arc since I’m pretty sure all Earthrealm men are already confirmed.

For example, someone asked for Reiko, so here’s a poll for him to gauge interest, AO3 fans, please comment on your thoughts for him!

FROM THE EYES OF ONE WHO HELPED TRAIN SOME NEW CHAMPIONS

Turns out, thinking about the things that worried you leads to overthinking.

Pacing back and forth in your room, you felt the cool wood under your feet. With how much you paced around the room, you were surprised the wood had not been ruined at this point. You paused in your pacing and you looked outside the window to look at the moon. 

You were never a good sleeper, finding it hard to sleep at night. But oddly enough you always found yourself awake for the sunrise due to routine. You often found naps were a good supplement for your tiredness, but some days you would suffer being awake without much rest.

Your memories buzzed around your head too much to rest easy. You paced back and forth once more for a few more minutes until you stopped at the door of your room, briefly considering going and seeing whether Liu Kang could help ease your troubled mind.

Your hand laid upon the handle, the metal knob cool to the touch. Goosebumps trailed up your arm as you stared at the doorknob. You tried to will yourself to move. To finally speak with Liu Kang about the memories that weighed upon you, to free yourself of this silly burn that you brought about upon yourself.

Unfortunately, you could not bring yourself to step outside your door.

You were too racked with guilt to do that.

You were afraid of the idea that you would slip up and mention the many other memories you had recovered, the timeline you were beginning to piece together, and Liu Kang would begin to realize this. You were afraid of upsetting the man who most generously took you in and allowed you to stay by his side despite your odd past.

You did not want to ruin the good thing you had going for yourself.

Your hand dropped from the doorknob. Sighing, you walked over to a particular floorboard and carefully lifted it up. You reached inside and pulled out the leather bound diary that you had found on yourself when you first awoke in this world. Along with it was a pen that somehow, despite the years, had not run out of its smooth ink.

This was your only confidant in the memories you had. Moving towards your desk, you adjusted the lantern in your room to hang over the desk, giving you more light to work with. You stared at your words, trying to look at what you recalled.

Your memories seemed to be linked with those you interacted with, so the Lin Kuei and Liu Kang and the memories surrounding them were the strongest. Even still, you had holes in what should be completed memories. Meeting the new people seemed to patch some of them up, though.

You sighed as you skimmed the pages. They were mostly short phrases describing what you remembered from these brief memories. It was hard to keep them in order since they were random and never in order whenever you got them.

You picked up the pen, spinning it with a flourish before you began to write.

Kung Lao, a cocky monk of the Shaolin with a razor hat. Once was friends with Liu Kang. Seems now he is a farmer and friends with Raiden.

Raiden, Thunder god. Seems to have once been what Liu Kang is now. Mortal now, and a farmer of Fengjian with Kung Lao.

Johnny Cage, actor. Was with Sonya Blade and had a kid. Still an actor, has a different wife, and no kid. 

Kenshi Takahashi, once a blind swordsman with telekinesis and telepathy with a magic sword. Had a kid. Now seems that he has his vision, uncertain of abilities.

You sighed as you put down your pen, staring at the words in front of you. You tried to will yourself to conjure any memories you had of these men previously from just their name. Unfortunately, this just gave you a headache…and not the kind that gave you any helpful memories.

“Damn.” You muttered leaning back in your chair. You had never had control of your memories, even after all these years. They were rather inconvenient and useless, since they rarely gave you any insight on the ones you meet. They’re all so different.

The only constant was their names.

You closed your eyes as you thought of the four men you had written down. Who were they? What was their connection to you? You sighed as you rubbed your forehead, trying to ease the headache you had accidentally given yourself.

Ah shit, you were in charge of training them, weren’t you? Or at least, somewhat.

They were going to be a headache in more ways than one, it seemed.

“So, how, exactly, am I to train the four?” You inquire as you glance over to Liu Kang, briefly noting the way the sunlight landed on his features. It was another morning of watching the sunrise with the fire god. You had gotten a few hours of sleep, at least, before rising to meet up with Liu Kang as usual. A few hours was better than nothing.

You had started off quiet, before natural conversation hit the both of you. You discussed many things, mostly the events of the past few days, before the conversation naturally landed on the new recruits. You found out that they were going to be arriving at the Wu Shi academy in a few days time, giving them enough time to get their life sorted out before they drastically change theirs.

The god looked over to you. It seemed like he had been expecting this question, and you wondered just how easily he could read you. 

“You are to simply oversee their training and test their skill. I know you are not all too familiar with the teaching of the monks, so they shall handle the bulk of it.” He explained, and you found yourself sighing with relief. “Not to mention, I shall also assist when I am able.” You were not ready to have to handle training four grown men, so hearing that you were mostly there to test them was great.

You were good at fighting, at least. It was a skill that people often commended you for. 

Madam Bo often praised you as one of the best she had sparred with. The old Lin Kuei’s grandmaster often found value in the practice you gave his sons. You would never admit it, but you prided yourself on these compliments. 

“That’s good.” You remarked, feeling your shoulders relax. You returned your gaze to the rising sun and the pretty colors that were painted in the sky. You paused, deliberating over the next words that were to leave your mouth. “Why me?” You asked, your voice almost shy. That question had been haunting you ever since you found out about this arrangement back in Fengjian.

“Because I can trust you.” Liu Kang began, his voice filled with certainty. You felt a pang of guilt, your gaze dropping to your hands. Your mind screamed with how you were unworthy of his trust with the memories you found yourself unable to confide in him with. “And I know you will provide a healthy challenge to them.” You chuckled at his words, pushing out the voice that whispered in your head.

“Why are we recruiting these people so late?” You inquired, asking another question that had been bugging you for a while now. You were glad that Liu Kang was a benevolent god, and never seemed to mind your questions. “Would it not be more wise to recruit them earlier since the tournament is mere months away?” 

“Had we sought them before, none of them would be ready.” Liu Kang answered wisely, and you hummed. You knew better than to ask how he knew this, despite the years together there were some things you knew he kept secret, and his innate knowledge was one of those things. You supposed it was just a godly thing.. “It is only until now that an opportunity presented itself.”

“And so you decided that I was one of the best options to train them within a few months?”

“Indeed.”

“You have a lot of confidence in me, Liu Kang.” 

“Should I not?” The god questioned. The tone in his voice surprised you, and you looked over to him instinctively. You were surprised to see such a strong look of confidence on his face. Gently, he put a hand on your shoulder. His thumb rubbed your shoulder comfortingly. Through your clothes and his hand wraps, you felt the comfort of his warmth.

“No, you should.” You said, your voice filled with a bit more confidence. You looked at his face, feeling oddly proud of yourself to have earned the god’s confidence. He nodded, seeming content with the shift in your attitude. “I shall do my best.” You said, bowing for the man.

“I know you will.”

“How are you boys doing?” 

Striding into the courtyard of the Wu Shi academy, you looked at the four recruits. You noted how each of them wore the uniform, and how it all seemed to fit them, more or less. You walked with confidence in front of them, imbued with the words you had been given before from Liu Kang. 

All of them were various degrees of exhaustion. Not surprisingly, the actor seemed to be having it the roughest. He was still fine, but it was easy to tell he was the most winded out of the four. You assumed his luxurious lifestyle had something to do with it.

You sucked in a breath as you fought the massive headache these four were giving you. Being stuck with overseeing their training, you assumed you’d be having this feeling a lot. It was no matter, you’d simply sleep it off right now.

Strangely enough, despite the intensity of the headache, you were unable to glean any memories easily. Probably something to do with so many people trying to resurface at once.

“Training has been rigorous, but enlightening.” Raiden replied, his face flush from exertion, and you noted how out of the four he was one of the ones faring a bit better. You assumed it was because he wasn’t underestimating the monks’ intense lessons. You smiled at him, nodding.

“Good, as it should be.” You said, humming as you clasped your hands behind your back, observing them all. Despite their tired state, you could tell they were at least eager. “As Lord Liu Kang has said, I will be partially in charge of your training.” You grinned at them, seeing them perk up at your words. “Today will be a…benchmark to see where your skills lie.”

“Who exactly are you again?” Johnny asked, still hunched over slightly, hands on his knees as he looked up at you. You saw the slight glares from the others, probably because they saw his words rude. He put up his hands defensively. “Hey, I didn’t get a proper introduction like you guys did.” He defended himself.

“Don’t worry, I don’t take offense.” You chuckled, shaking your head. You said your name, clearly and loudly so the others made sure what it was. “I’m a companion of Lord Liu Kang, and he has entrusted me with overseeing your training.” You explained before clearing your throat. “I’m not one for lectures, so I’ll get right to it, who wishes to go first?” 

The four looked amongst themselves, seeming to deliberate amongst themselves silently on who would face this challenger they’ve never seen fight. You let out a silent chuckle, wondering how they sized you up. Eventually, you watched as Kung Lao strode up to take the challenge. 

“Let me show the others how it’s done.” He declared, seeming confident. You saw the small smirk on his lips, and in return you smiled graciously at him. You gestured for the others to step to the side, and you watched as a few of the monks gathered around to watch. The monks were no stranger to your fighting prowess.

“Bold.” You commended, nodding as you walked into place with Kung Lao, settling into the all too familiar fighting pose that you were familiar with. You watched as he mimicked your actions, settling into his as well. “Now, allow me to show you why I was entrusted with this task.”

You watched as Kung Lao approached, confidence in his strides. Almost too confident. You held a defensive position. The point of this test was to gauge their abilities, so acting on the defensive first would allow you to see what their confidence and skills on the offense were like. 

As he swung the first punch, you blocked it with ease. You supposed it was a bit unfair, having already known what Kung Lao’s fighting style was like after watching him in the teahouse along with the bits of memories you had of him. You allowed him to attempt to break your defense more, noting how he had a strong emphasis on his punches with their quick nature.

You had to commend him on his confidence, he knew he was a strong fighter. The farmer had a lot of potential.

It wasn’t until his major slip up with throwing a rather risky punch that you decided that it was time to go on the offensive. Ducking under the move, you went for a sweep, knocking the man off his feet. You waited until he got back up before you grabbed him. Taking him off his guard, you brought him close as you winded your leg back.

As you sent the kick flying into his stomach, you transformed your leg into that of a secretary bird’s, allowing you to put even more power than you would have normally.

“Holy shit!”

You disregarded the actor’s exclaim as you watched Kung Lao fly back, tumbling from the strike. As he stumbled up, he seemed surprised before hesitantly approaching once more. This time, he utilized more caution as he swung at you, trying to even employ the technique of grabbing you like you had. Easily you shoved him back, retaliating by whirling around and transforming yourself to have a kangaroo’s tail which you swung at him with.

This back and forth went on for a bit, with Kung Lao being easily fended off by you before he eventually conceded, calling for surrender.

“You fight well.” You commend, bowing towards Kung Lao. He did the same as he panted, nodding as he caught his breath. You stood up to look at him as he gestured towards you, a look of awe on his face.

“I am amazed at your transformation skills.” The farmer admitted, looking at you up and down with amazement as he continued to catch his breath. “Is it possible to learn that?” He asked, almost too eagerly as he walked over to the side to rest up.

“It is a skill I was born with, so unfortunately I cannot teach you.” You told him, grinning as you held out your arm to transform it into a bear’s with its claws out. “I have the ability to transform any part of my body, and all of me, into an animal.” You explained as you transformed your arm back as easily as you had changed it.

“Now, who is next?” 

You causally stood there, only having barely broken a sweat as they stood to the side, catching their breath. A pleased look appeared on your face as you crossed your arms, noting how they each fought. Today you had gone easy on them, being more defensive than your usual aggressive fighting style. You surmised they’d only have a few bruises each because of this. You tried to stay away from anything that would rip and tear.

Honestly, your memories had been helpful for once. They helped clue you in on the fighting style of each man, the odd exception being Raiden who felt pretty different than the man you remembered. It was nice to know what to expect, unlike the first time you had fought the Lin Kuei in training…

Kung Lao had been interesting, being the most confident in his strikes and fighting style. That matched with his speed allowed you to see where he truly shone in his fighting. Taking defense against him was a challenge due to how swiftly he struck, but being able to defend well proved useful as you could counter him when he was left vulnerable after a failed attempt at breaking your defense.

You hummed, recalling how this version of the man lacked the iconic razor hat you remembered. You wondered briefly if you should suggest it to him, or if it’d be odd. You also noticed how despite his confidence in this life, he was at least a bit more humble than when you remembered him last.

Johnny Cage had been unique, his fighting style more flashy and all in than what you were used to. It felt like it should be impractical from just watching it, but the man made it work somehow. He also had interesting evasion, which almost took you off guard. You think you could definitely work with it, especially teaching him how to better evade the opponent since he seemed to grasp that concept well already.

Your eyes looked over to Kenshi. Kenshi had been odd to train with since he wielded a sword, and it felt like he had the most experience in fighting. Your eyes trailed down to his hands, noting the tattoos that littered his hands. You remembered how Liu Kang had briefed you in on his past. A yakuza…that explains the calculated way he fought. 

You wondered if you’d ever have to deal with the telekinesis you remembered he had in his past life.

Raiden had been the most different from his past life. In both his fighting since he lacked the lightning powers you remembered so strongly, and how he carried himself. He was not as confident as you hoped, despite the obvious skill he had.

You’d have to work on that with him.

“Excellent work for day one with me.” You congratulated, causing the four men to look at you with varying degrees of confusion. You guessed they thought they had done not so well due to how you had battled them off easily. “As I said, this is a benchmark, so I know now how to best advise where to take your training, especially since the tournament is mere months away.” 

“That was a benchmark?” Johnny Cage asked, sending you a disbelieving look. He had been one of the ones you had ended up fighting the most before he conceded. He had been stubborn against you, and you don’t know whether that was foolish or something to be commended for. Maybe it was both. “You kicked our asses.” You chuckled as you grinned at him.

“Did you expect anything less from someone who is allowed to stand by the Fire God’s side?” You asked, a hint of playfulness in your tone before you observed them once again. “We’ll meet again tomorrow after your training with the monks. For now, you are all dismissed.” You said, bowing towards them, your hands forming a fist into your palm similarly to how Liu Kang does. 

You turned around, intending to go back to the Fire Temple for a well deserved nap, especially since the headache was getting nearly unbearable at this rate. Then, you heard your name being called. Turning around with a raised eyebrow, you watched as Johnny jogged to catch up with you.

Your head pounded as he neared, but you at least felt some relief as you felt a few more memories resurface.

You recalled how he had been very, very arrogant as a younger man. He had brazenly had his name tattooed across his chest, and for a moment you allowed your head to dip to his chest, curious if he still had it in this life. Somewhere, after what you could only remember a big event as a tragedy, you remembered he mellowed out. 

You wondered how this one’s attitude laid on those scales.

“You know, you’d be a hit in Hollywood.” He told you, his breath still heavy with exertion. You raised an eyebrow, surprised at his words. You weren’t all too familiar with what he was talking about, but you assumed it had to do with his acting background which you vaguely remembered.

“Really?” You asked, holding back a chuckle as you looked at him with amusement. Even across the world, he was still thinking about his acting career. “What makes you say that?” You inquire, deciding to entertain his thoughts. 

“People dig animals,” The actor started off, gesturing to you, “and not to mention how much you’d be valued there for being able to act as any animal?” He continued, acting as if he were trying to sell you on the offer. “Directors would be hitting you up left and right.” You felt yourself grin a bit more at his praise, but reminded yourself not to get caught up in his flattery.

“Are you implying I’d only be adored for my animal side? And not my own charisma?” You asked with faux offense, deciding to try and tease Johnny. You were surprised how he didn’t even flinch at your words and smoothly replied.

“Nah, you got that and more.” The actor admitted, shrugging as he pointed at you. “but it’s not often people meet an animal shapeshifter.” He pointed out with a nod, making you nod. “So if anything is your claim to fame, it’s that.”

“You’re interesting, Cage.”

“So I’ve been told.” The man replied wittily as he grinned at you, eagerness shining in his eyes. “So, you interested in becoming a star after all this blows over?” It was an innocent seeming question, but you narrowed your eyes, not certain on the intention of the question.

“Why are you so interested in my career path?” You inquired, your tone a touch more serious. You glanced over to see where the others had gone. All gone. No one to save you from this man’s questions. You crossed your arms as you gazed at him with skepticism.

You were hit with a wave of nostalgia as your mind reminded you all of a sudden how he had offered a similar gig in your past life.

Some things never change.

“Listen, I talked with Liu Kang, this shit has movie written all over it.” Johnny Cage decided to be a bit more transparent with you. You raised an eyebrow, and gestured for him to go on. “I think if what he says is true, I can make a box office hit!” He gestured towards you eagerly. “And I think you have what would make this movie superb, my friend.”

“Interesting…I’ll have to pass though.” You said, shutting him down. You watched as his glee dropped a bit, and you started to walk off. You were surprised as he still walked over to try and cut you off.

“Come on, hear me out-”

“Not right now, Cage.” You replied, putting a hand up to silence him. He huffed and you could tell he held back rolling his eyes. You sent him an unamused look. “Perhaps focus on your training first, then we can discuss it.” He perked up, and you decided it was best to start to walk off before he can try and talk to you about his movie shenanigans again.

“Really!?”

It was another sleepless night.

Sighing, you swung your legs over the side of the mattress as you sat up. Perhaps you should stop trying to take naps and fight through the sleepiness so you can actually sleep at night for once. You sigh as you slump over, rubbing your eyes.

You should go outside, maybe do something productive. It’s been a few days in a row of this, you had to try something.

Not knowing exactly what to do, you followed your sense of wanderlust. You left your room, down the halls and out the building. From there, you left and found yourself standing at the entrance of the Fire Temple. You hesitated as you stepped out onto the dirt path, hearing the rocks crunch beneath your feet.

You’ve never left in the middle of the night.

It’s not like you had a curfew, or that you had any promise to stay inside the Fire Temple at night. Far from it, you remembered how Liu Kang told you that you were allowed to come and go as you pleased. That was long ago. You never thought much of his words, thinking you would never stray far.

You wouldn’t, but you figured there was no harm in going and walking off your restless energy instead of staying cooped up within the Fire Temple.

With a burst of anxiety and what you could barely consider courage, you walked on. You followed what felt like an invisible trail, until you found yourself standing in front of the Wu Shi academy.

Strange, but you supposed maybe you could train. Walking carefully into the academy, you made sure to be quiet, as to not disturb the monks with any noise near their sleeping quarters. You found yourself making your way towards the training grounds where you were surprised to hear the faint noise of training.

Transforming your ears into bat ears, you tried to hone in on the sounds. You furrowed your eyebrows as you stood still, trying to make sure the person was not a threat, and if you could recognize them. You blinked as you suddenly came to a realization.

You walked quietly, making sure to follow the lessons Madam Bo and Bi-Han had pushed onto you to remain quiet and stealthy. Be stealthful as the night, and as deadly as the dawn. You peered from around a pillar, and spotted the person standing there alone, and you confirmed your suspicions.

It was Raiden.

You watched for a few minutes, changing your eyes to those of owl eyes to see better in the dark, to better observe. He was going over the basics, ever diligently. You pursed your lips, raising an eyebrow. You had thought he had been more…feeble, being more reserved than Kung Lao. And yet, he was here, training in the dead of night.

What a peculiar man.

After a few more minutes, you watched as he made a critical error in his form. He didn’t seem to notice, and you sighed. He kept on training, repeating the error. You cringed. That was going to form a nasty habit, and if you were to be the mentor Liu Kang trusted you to be, you couldn’t let that happen.

Moving out of position, you slinked closer towards him, stopping to lean against a pillar that was only a few feet away from him. You changed your eyes back, letting your eyesight return back to normal. You felt the all too familiar feeling of the headache return, and you grimaced.

Your memories for Raiden were confusing. He was like a completely different man in almost every way. If your memories didn’t trigger in such specific ways, you wouldn’t believe the man that appeared in your head was the same one that was training in front of you.

Maybe because he wasn’t the same man.

“You’re doing it wrong.” You spoke, your voice ringing clear in the quiet courtyard. You watched as Raiden jolted from surprise, stumbling as he whirled around in a fighting stance to face you. You smiled at him as you held your hands up. “Relax, Raiden.” You said softly, to try and calm him down from the sudden shock.

“Why are you…?” Raiden began, eyes wide in confusion as he stared at you, not processing the situation quickly. He swallowed as he tilted his head, mouth open as he tried to muster up the words to speak. You brushed off his confusion, gesturing to his stance. 

“Your form was off.” You comment, gesturing to his body and pointing towards where he exactly had been incorrect. “You were practicing with it being wrong. That’ll be bad practice for you.” You point out. You watched as he tried to correct his form, and you hummed, gesturing to instruct him on how to fix it. As he finally shifted back into a proper stance, you nodded. “Better.”

“Um…thank you.” The farmer boy said, his awkward feeling at the situation obvious. Not only did it show on his body language, but it was shown plainly on his face. You had a feeling this man couldn’t obscure his feelings for the life of him. 

It was good to be honest, but you were worried it might work against him.

“I have trouble sleeping at night.” You explained, crossing your arms as you sighed. Your eyes looked down at the ground as you noted how the moonlight fell and illuminated the area around you two. “I decided to go on a walk and wound up here. I thought it might be nice to try and train, then I saw you out here.” You looked up, and gestured to him.

“Oh.” Raiden said after a few moments of silence. His face flushed as he put two and two together that you were asking for him to explain why he was there too. “I…uh, couldn’t sleep.” He admitted, looking down to the ground in defeat. “It’s different here than in Fengjian.” 

Ah. Homesickness.

“I see, so you decided to try and train and work off your restlessness?” You inquired, tilting your head as you tried to gauge his reaction. He paused, considering your words for a moment, before nodding hesitantly.

“A bit.” He said, nodding his head. “But I was also thinking about our sparring today.” The farmer admitted. You blinked in surprise, and nodded, wanting him to go on. “I just wanted to go over what the monks taught us today, so next time I would fare better against you.” 

How humble and sweet.

“While I admire your determination, there’s two problems.” You said as you kicked off the pillar you had been leaning against. You strode over to stand closer to Raiden, gesturing to him. “One, you must be diligent in your forms. Practice without purpose only builds bad habits.” He nodded eagerly, seeming to take your words seriously. “Second, there is a thing such as over practicing.” 

“I see.” Raiden said, letting your words sink in as he nodded. He stared at you with a mixture of admiration and attentiveness, and you smiled. Quickly, he bowed in appreciation. “I’ll keep this in mind, thank you.”

“No problem, what kind of mentor would I be if I let you practice such horrible habits?” You inquired, crossing your arms. You observed the man a few moments more, and you sensed that neither one of you were quite tired enough to go to bed. “I have a feeling neither one of us is ready to sleep, would you like me to run you through the forms again?”

“Yes please!”

Maybe you were cut out for this after all.

part five

[pjskcommsongtournament]

I am proud to announce that we have had a tie! Multiple, in fact!

For ties, there will be separate polls to decide between the songs. No see results, you have to pick! The polls will go for 1 day, but the decision will be made after only 2 hours, so reblogs are especially important!!

The polls will be up in a few minutes! Thank you for following this tournament blog (⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠)

Update posted: 6:45 PM EST, Oct 19

[dc-polls]

"That Really Happened?!" DC Comics Tournament Entry #36

Baseball Game to Save Two Worlds

[ID: Comic title page for Young Justice titled "Baseball Field: Myrg or There's a Saga Born Every Minute". The Young Justice team stands near a baseball diamond in uniform while large cyborgs also stand at attention. Arrowette says, "Of all things to dream, it had to be that I'm in a sequel to that lousy movie with what's-his-name, the basketball player, and those cartoon guys." /END ID]

What Happened?

The story starts off with the Young Justice Team (1998 version, not the show) finding out their friend Doiby really misses his wife(?) Who is on his home planet. The tram decides they are going on a road trip through space in Bart's space ship that he won from the Prince Ali Ben Styne (this is a whole different adventure) to go meet her and help them reunite. Only to find out when they get there Doiby is a wanted criminal and they almost get shot out of the sky but before they can, Lobo (yes the Actual Lobo The Space Biker he was a part of their team at that time) blows up the space cop car before they can get shot. There are more cops who escort them to City Hall and the only reason Lobo doesn't blow them up is because Tim Drake puts his foot down and Tim Drake is one of the few beings in the universe that Lobo actually Listens To. Anyways, turns out the planet was invaded and taken over by an asshole named Prince Marieb and forced Doiby on the run so he could marry his wife. Halfway through kicking the Prince out, a new set of aliens shows up called The Slag, Masters Of THE GAME. Which turns out to be BASEBALL. The crew has to play them for the fate of Doiby's planet and if they loose the whole planet gets blown up. Also, the Slag decide, "eh, fuck it. This game is for Earth too kids because clearly if you're good enough to represent this planet you can represent your own too at the same time." And now Earth is on the fucking line. Over Baseball. Their baseball game lasts for three full chapters and is honestly quite exciting, even if the team is implied to have won via cheating. Also the Prince Asshole is implied to be in jail and Doiby gets back with his wife who is actually Queen Of The Planet. Oh and they don't even get to go home after all that, no the Super Cycle opened a boom tube the team got sucked into that lead them to New Genesis where they got to meet The new gods and Lobo got into a really intense wrestling match with Big Bear, followed by The Super Cycle falling in love with New Genesis's Super Cycle. Also Suzie, aka Secret became friends with The Real Actual Darkseid while they were there. But technically, that's a whole different story ; )

--

Tournament polls will be posted after all entries are up. As always you can find all posts related to the tournament using #dc-polls-trh

[queer-book-character-tournament]

hi!! i absolutely LOVE these tournaments (tysm for creating it- i had such a blast w the queer book character tournament!!) but unfortunately i keep losing the window to vote because of time zone differences. (ik there's a 24hr window but im horrible at keeping track of things and i keep missing the window by like, 2 hours).

if it's not too much, could you share a rough estimate for when the next round will be up so i can like, set a reminder for it? it's totally cool if you can't/don't want to, no pressure!

hope you're having a great day! 🌻

Hi! Thank you! You guys enjoying it makes it fun for me to run the tournaments!

So generally when there’s a lot of polls it’s kind of a “when I can” type deal. We’re down to a small number now though that would only really take me a few minutes to post so they’re probably going to start being posted the following day after a round ends barring something wild happening to my schedule. So I plan to put out round four later today and then round five would be up the 30th since that’s the day after round four would end

Hope your day is also going well!!

[pokemonunderdogtournament]

Hey everyone!

Assessing the amount of work it would take me to cover the queue until I know for sure I'll be done moving*, I think I need to modify the number of daily posts and when they post.

Until the end of October (not including the next 7 days, which are already in the queue), we will switch to 8 posts a day, and posting will shift to a every-30 minutes schedule from 8:00 - 11:30 AM.

This will give me a substantially larger window to handle queueing and will reduce the number of posts I need to queue from 500 to 400, which will likely save me 5-10 hours of time, which is extremely helpful given I am already working on a quite tight schedule with an uncooperative brain. 😅

Unfortunately, I think this also means that certain tournament themes that require some thought or sorting from me will probably not debut until much later.

(I think this is the biggest downside for me, personally, but I simply do not have the ability to sort these with everything else going on. If someone is particularly inclined to try to undertake this themselves, see below the cut**)

I would prefer for there not to be a lapse in poll posting because these polls are already a week long and we have much to get through.

After October 31, I expect for posting to resume as it is currently (10 posts a day, 8-5)

*Yes, I am taking almost two months to move 😭 Unfortunately I am working around a full-time work schedule, and there is a lot to move over a distance that is short enough that it is not worth renting a moving truck but long enough that I couldn't possibly move everything all at once, my lifestyle requirements aside. I hope to be done by at least mid October at latest, though if this is the case, it will also provide me with a necessary window to build the queue back up as we head into November.

**First, it would have to be done in the upcoming week. After that, I will have difficulty incorporating it into the schedule. If you do not have time between now and noon PST Saturday 9, then please disregard this, though ideally it would be done in the next few days, again for ease of scheduling. Second, it will require a lot of data entry-like work. This is tedious and boring. I will outline exactly what you need to do for this portion, so there shouldn't be any confusion. I do enjoy this type of thing when I have time, but I know any people don't. Third, we would have to discuss how to break these up into sub-tournaments, it is not immediately clear. This is the most logically complex part, I think... You'll also need access to spreadsheet viewing/editing software like Google Sheets or Excel. Doesn't matter too much. Anyway if this somehow still appeals to you, you can DM me at any of the following blogs: @birbs-in-space, @ljuerlav, @pokemon-tournament-directory

[atlashippingtournament]

AtLA Shipping Tournament 2024 Elimination Rounds Continued!

The world of Avatar is chock full of fun, amazing characters; even side characters with little screen time are stuffed with personality, milking every minute they have! Lots of characters means lots of ships, but only ONE can win. Ships have been pulled from Ao3, tumblr tags, and user subissions. If a ship is listed, that means someone put enough thought into it to talk about it. Some pairings are expected, others are quite a surprise, so check out what the fandom has had to offer:

Elimination picks back up with Katara ships! Find it here

As Katara has already passed through for several first round eliminations only the top 4 will be selected this round.

Up next is Ozai! Find it here

Who's going to rule the world or go down in flames along side the Fire Lord? Top 2 will advance

Following that we have Mai! Find it here

Mai has passed muster on a couple rounds so far. The top 4 ships from this round will advance.

Piandao is next, Find it here

The sword dilf has already featured in several polls last round, so top 3 will advance.

After Paindao we have OUR BOY Sokka!! Find it here

Sokka is. Well honestly the only person that comes close to having as many ships is Zuko, so he's a special case. The top 6 ships will pass through this round.

Of course we have Suki, too! Find it here

Suki has passed through a couple times on the first round, and features in a few this round as well, so top 3 from this poll will advance.

She's small but mighty, and mighty loved by the fandom; here we have Toph! Find it here

Toph has had at least one ship pass in the last round, and features in several this round. There's only a few remaining ships on this poll, so if you can't find the Toph ship you're looking for, check the polls above. Top 2 will advance.

Beloved princess Yue has several suitors to choose from. Find it here

Like many other characters this round, Yue is featured on many of the polls above, so check those for a missing ship if you can't find it here. Top 3 from this poll will advance

The princess parade continues with Ursa! Find it here

Top 2 from this poll will advance, and of course check the previous polls if you can't find the one you're looking for.

Finally, we have the remaining ships featuring Zuko! Find it here

As I mentioned earlier, Zuko is probably THE most shipped character in AtLA. He's featured on literally every poll in the elimination round. If a ship is missing from this one, check the upstream polls. You'll probably find it. As such, only 3 will advance from this poll.

[indiasportclub]

Latest Cricket News - Live Scores And Results At India Sport Club

Are you a die-hard cricket fan who wants to stay up-to-date with the latest scores and results from around the world? Look no further than India Sport Club! Our platform provides real-time updates on all your favorite teams, players, and matches. Whether you're following the IPL or international tournaments like the World Cup, we've got you covered. So grab some popcorn, settle in, and get ready for an exciting season of cricket action - right here at India Sport Club!

No matter how you like to stay informed, India Sport Club has the tools to help you keep track of your favorite teams and players. Our live scoreboards provide up-to-the-minute updates on every match, giving you the opportunity to follow all the action as it unfolds. And with our custom notifications, you'll never miss a moment - we'll alert you of important news and updates so that you're always in the loop.

Cricket News In India - Check The Live Scores, Highlights And Results

If you are looking for cricket news in India, then you have come to the right place. At India Sport Club, we provide live scores and results for all the major cricket tournaments taking place in India. We also cover all the latest news and highlights from the world of cricket.

So, whether you want to know about the latest happenings in the Indian Premier League or get the latest score updates from an ongoing Test match, we have got you covered.

Moreover, you can also get exclusive interviews and insights from the experts in our articles section. So, bookmark us now and stay updated with everything related to cricket in India.

The Best IPL Live Update Apps For Your Smartphone

There are a number of great apps out there that can keep you up to date with the latest cricket news and live scores. Here are our top picks:

Cricbuzz: This app provides live scores, match commentary, player profiles, and more. It also has a handy “Smart Today” feature that curates the day’s most important cricket stories.

ESPN Cricinfo: Another excellent option for live scores and news, ESPN Cricinfo also offers in-depth analysis, video highlights, and a comprehensive stats database.

Cricket Australia Live: As the name suggests, this app is geared towards Australian cricket fans. It provides live scores, match coverage, player profiles, and more.

Hotstar: Hotstar is one of the most popular streaming services in India and it’s also a great source for live IPL scores and news.

The Official IPL App: This official app offers live match updates, news coverage, interactive polls, and more. It’s available for both Android and iOS devices.

These are just a few of the many great IPL Live Update apps out there for keeping up with cricket news and live scores. So if you’re a cricket fan, be sure to check out one or all of these apps!

India Sport Club is your go-to source for all the latest cricket news and scores. We provide real-time updates on all the latest tournaments and matches.

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

House Sets Impeachment Vote to Charge Trump With Incitement (NYT) House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment against President Trump on Monday for his role in inflaming a mob that attacked the Capitol, scheduling a Wednesday vote to charge the president with “inciting violence against the government of the United States” if Vice President Mike Pence refused to strip him of power first. As the impeachment drive proceeded, federal law enforcement authorities accelerated efforts to fortify the Capitol ahead of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The authorities announced plans to deploy up to 15,000 National Guard troops and set up a multilayered buffer zone with checkpoints around the building by Wednesday, just as lawmakers are to debate and vote on impeaching Mr. Trump. Federal authorities also said they were bracing for a wave of armed protests in all 50 state capitals and Washington in the days leading up to the inauguration.

National Guard inauguration deployment (Military Times) The Defense Department has authorized as many as 15,000 troops to be deployed to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. National Guard Bureau chief Gen. Daniel Hokanson said that there will initially be a deployment of 10,000 troops—an increase of about 4,000 from those in D.C. now. That figure is twice the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. The general declined to specify whether the guardsmen will be armed, stating that “we will work very closely with the federal agency, the FBI and law enforcement to determine if there is a need for that.” A D.C. National Guard spokesman told Military Times on Sunday that while some troops came to town with their weapons, carrying them on the streets had not yet been authorized.

Companies cutting off Trump and GOP (Yahoo Finance) Marriott and Blue Cross Blue Shield are just a few of the companies that are halting donations to GOP lawmakers who objected to certifying Joe Biden as president, while other businesses move to cut ties with President Trump directly. The actions come on the heels of Friday’s permanent suspension of Donald Trump’s Twitter account and Amazon’s move to cut off social media platform Parler’s servers. (NYT) The backlash is part of a broader shunning of Mr. Trump and his allies unfolding in the wake of the assault on the Capitol. Schools stripped the president of honorary degrees, some prominent Republicans threatened to leave the party and the New York State Bar Association announced it had begun investigating Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, which could lead to his removal from the group. And the P.G.A. of America announced it would strip Mr. Trump’s New Jersey golf club of a major tournament.

Virus deaths surging in California, now top 30,000 (AP) The coronavirus death toll in California reached 30,000 on Monday, another staggering milestone as the nation’s most populous state endures the worst surge of the nearly yearlong pandemic. Newly confirmed infections are rising at a dizzying rate of more than a quarter-million a week and during the weekend a record 1,163 deaths were reported. Los Angeles County is one of the epicenters and health officials there are telling residents to wear a mask even when at home if they go outside regularly and live with someone elderly or otherwise at high risk. California has deployed 88 refrigerated trailers to use as makeshift morgues mostly in hard-hit Southern California, where traditional storage space is dwindling.

A never-ending scandal (Bloomberg) Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35, the fighter jet already being flown by the U.S. and eight allies, remains marred by 871 software and hardware deficiencies that could undercut readiness, missions or maintenance, according to the Pentagon’s testing office. The Defense Department’s costliest weapons system “continues to carry a large number of deficiencies, many of which were identified prior to” the development and demonstration phase, which ended in April 2018 with 941 flaws, Robert Behler, the director of operational testing, said in a new assessment obtained by Bloomberg News in advance of its publication.

Pompeo Returns Cuba to Terrorism Sponsor List (NYT) The State Department designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism on Monday in a last-minute foreign policy stroke that will complicate the incoming Biden administration’s plans to restore friendlier relations with Havana. In a statement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cited Cuba’s hosting of 10 Colombian rebel leaders, along with a handful of American fugitives wanted for crimes committed in the 1970s, and Cuba’s support for the authoritarian leader of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro. Mr. Pompeo said the action sent the message that “the Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and subversion of U.S. justice.” The action, announced with just days remaining in the Trump administration, reverses a step taken in 2015 after President Barack Obama restored diplomatic relations with Cuba, calling its decades of political and economic isolation a relic of the Cold War.

Brexit sandwich problems (BBC) A Dutch TV network has filmed border officials confiscating ham sandwiches and other foods from drivers arriving in the Netherlands from the UK, under post-Brexit rules. Under EU rules, travellers from outside the bloc are banned from bringing in meat and dairy products. The rules appeared to bemuse one driver. “Since Brexit, you are no longer allowed to bring certain foods to Europe, like meat, fruit, vegetables, fish, that kind of stuff,” a Dutch border official told the driver in footage broadcast by TV network NPO 1. In one scene, a border official asked the driver whether several of his tin-foil wrapped sandwiches had meat in them. When the driver said they did, the border official said: “Okay, so we take them all.” Surprised, the driver then asked the officials if he could keep the bread, to which one replied: “No, everything will be confiscated—welcome to the Brexit, sir. I’m sorry.”

Merkel sees coronavirus lockdown until early April: Bild (Reuters) Chancellor Angela Merkel has told lawmakers in her conservative party that she expects a lockdown in Germany to curb the spread of the coronavirus to last until the start of April, top-selling Bild daily cited participants as the meeting as saying. “If we don’t manage to stop this British virus, then we will have 10 times the number of cases by Easter. We need eight to 10 more weeks of tough measures,” Bild quoted Merkel as saying.

‘A Stalin with double meat’ (Foreign Policy) A Moscow kebab shop named after Soviet leader Joseph Stalin has closed after just 24 hours of opening after a string of complaints from angry residents. In its brief existence Stalin Doner served items like “Stalin with double meat” and “Beria with tkemali sauce”—a reference to Stalin’s notorious secret police chief. The shop’s owner, Stanislav Voltman, was interviewed by police for three hours following complaints. “They asked me if my head was screwed on straight,” Voltman told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. “It’s not like I had Hitler as the face of my brand,” Voltman said. Despite public outcry about the kebabs, support for Stalin is on the rise in Russia. A Levada Center poll in 2019 found that 70 percent of Russians think Stalin played a completely or relatively positive role in the life of the country.

In Kashmir, Hopes Wither (NYT) Kashmir, the craggily beautiful region in the shadow of the Himalayas long caught between India and Pakistan, has fallen into a state of suspended animation. Schools are closed. Lockdowns have been imposed, lifted and then reimposed. Once a hub for both Western and Indian tourists, Kashmir has been reeling for more than a year. First, India brought in security forces to clamp down on the region. Then the coronavirus struck. The streets are full of soldiers. Military bunkers, removed years ago, are back, and at many places cleave the road. On highways, soldiers stop passenger vehicles and drag commuters out to check their identity cards. Conflict in Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority region, has festered for decades. And an armed uprising has long sought self-rule. Tens of thousands of rebels, civilians and security forces have died since 1990. India and Pakistan have gone to war twice over the territory, which is split between them but claimed by both in its entirety. Now, as India flexes its power over the region, to even call Kashmir a disputed region is a crime—sedition, according to Indian officials. Many say that the political paralysis is the worst it has ever been in Kashmir’s 30 years of conflict, and that people have been choked into submission.

India’s top court suspends implementation of new farm laws (AP) India’s top court on Tuesday temporarily put on hold the implementation of new agricultural laws and ordered the formation of an independent committee of experts to negotiate with farmers who have been protesting against the legislation. The Supreme Court’s ruling came a day after it heard petitions filed by the farmers challenging the controversial legislation. The court said that the laws were passed without enough consultation, and that it was disappointed with the way talks were proceeding between representatives of the government and farmer leaders. Tens of thousands of farmers protesting against the legislation have been blocking half a dozen major highways on the outskirts of New Delhi for more than 45 days. Farmers say they won’t leave until the government repeals the laws. They say the legislation passed by Parliament in September will lead to the cartelization and commercialization of agriculture, make farmers vulnerable to corporate greed and devastate their earnings. The government insists the laws will benefit farmers and says they will enable farmers to market their produce and boost production through private investment.

First came political crimes. Now, a digital crackdown descends on Hong Kong. (Washington Post) HONG KONG—The police officers who came to take away Owen Chow on national security grounds last week left little to chance. Determined to find his phones, they had prepared a list of mobile numbers registered to his name, even one he used exclusively for banking, said the 23-year-old Hong Kong activist. Officers called each number in succession, the vibrations revealing the locations of three iPhones around his apartment. By the end of their operation, police had amassed more than 200 devices from Chow and 52 others held for alleged political crimes that day, according to those arrested, as well as laptops from spouses who are not politically active and were not detained. The digital sweep showed how Hong Kong authorities are wielding new powers under the national security law, introduced last summer, far more widely than the city’s leader promised. Since the Jan. 6 raids, authorities have blocked at least one website, according to the site’s owner and local media reports, raising concerns that Hong Kong is headed for broader digital surveillance and censorship akin to that in mainland China. Hong Kong police have begun sending devices seized from arrested people to mainland China, where authorities have sophisticated data-extraction technology, and are using the information gleaned from those devices to assist in investigations, according to two people familiar with the arrangement who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect their safety.

26 missing, at least 13 dead in Indonesia landslides (AP) Rescuers are searching for 26 people still missing after two landslides hit a village in Indonesia’s West Java province over the weekend, officials said Tuesday. At least 13 people were killed and 29 others injured in the landslides that were triggered by heavy rain on Sunday in Cihanjuang, a village in West Java’s Sumedang district. Some of the victims were rescuers from the first landslide.

Leading human rights group calls Israel an ‘apartheid’ state (AP) A leading Israeli human rights group has begun describing both Israel and its control of the Palestinian territories as a single “apartheid” regime, using an explosive term that the country’s leaders and their supporters vehemently reject. In a report released Tuesday, B’Tselem says that while Palestinians live under different forms of Israeli control in the occupied West Bank, blockaded Gaza, annexed east Jerusalem and within Israel itself, they have fewer rights than Jews in the entire area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. “One of the key points in our analysis is that this is a single geopolitical area ruled by one government,” said B’Tselem director Hagai El-Ad. “This is not democracy plus occupation. This is apartheid between the river and the sea.” That a respected Israeli organization is adopting a term long seen as taboo even by many critics of Israel points to a broader shift in the debate as its half-century occupation of war-won lands drags on and hopes for a two-state solution fade.

Uganda bans social media ahead of presidential election (Reuters) Uganda banned social media on Tuesday, two days ahead of a presidential election pitting Yoweri Museveni, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, against opposition frontrunner Bobi Wine, a popular singer. Internet monitor NetBlocks said its data showed that Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Skype, Snapchat, Viber and Google Play Store were among a lengthy list of sites unavailable via Uganda’s main cell network operators. Campaigning ahead of the vote has been marred by brutal crackdowns on opposition rallies, which the authorities say break COVID-19 curbs on large gatherings. Rights groups say the restrictions are a pretext for muzzling the opposition. At 38, Wine is half the age of President Yoweri Museveni and has attracted a large following among young people in a nation where 80% of the population are under 30, rattling the ruling National Resistance Movement party.

Coronavirus-spurred changes to global workforce to be permanent (Reuters) Sweeping changes to the global labour market caused by the coronavirus pandemic will likely be permanent, policy makers said on Tuesday, as some industries collapse, others flourish and workers stay home. The pandemic, which has so far infected at least 90.5 million people and killed around 1.9 worldwide, has up-ended industries and workers in almost every country in the world as tough lockdowns were imposed. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has estimated that the impact of huge job losses worldwide is creating a fiscal gap that threatens to increase inequality between richer and poorer countries. The ILO estimated that global labour income declined by 10.7 per cent, or $3.5 trillion, in the first three quarters of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019, excluding government income support. India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the pandemic had created an “accidental challenge” under which the government delivered food on a regular basis to 800 million people and provided sustained business funds. Philippines central bank Governor Benjamin Diokno said it was clear some industries will not survive, others will not be as dynamic as before, and yet others will be boosted by the massive changes. The need for a more nimble and innovative approach to education will remain long after the pandemic ends, said Helen Fulson, Chief Product Officer at educational publisher Twinkl. “How many children today will be doing jobs that currently don’t exist?’ she said at Reuters Next on Monday. “We don’t know how to train for these jobs.”

[oneofthosecrazycatladies]

So I’ve sorta been away (in a manner of speaking) for a while, so I feel compelled to re-introduce myself.

This blog used to be so awesome and then a while back I realized that I was getting kinda bored with this blog so I deleted all my old memes and I was gonna re-vamp the blog. And then the Facebook page where I got all my memes from shut down and I was like “well shit, what am I gonna do now”. After that I kinda checked out mentally on this blog (and I was also really focused on my confessions blog).

Now that I’ve sorta got myself all sorted out (at least, in regards to my blogging), I want to really focus on re-vamping this blog for real. So I’m gonna start posting original stuff again but in a slightly different way. I’m not really gonna be posting memes anymore, it’s basically just gonna be the theme days (if you’re new to this blog and you don’t know what those are, I’ll explain in a minute).

But first things first:

All you need to know about me in regards to this blog is that I’m a giant nerd and I love fandoms. I created this blog about 4 years ago because I wanted a place where I could just geek out about all this stuff that I loved. And then the blog started to get really popular and I realized that I had an opportunity to turn this blog into a community. That’s why, from now on, I’m gonna focus less on the “meme page” setup and more on the “community” aspect.

If you want to know more about me personally, you can follow my personal blog @oneofthosecrazygirls97 which doesn’t have a theme like this blog, it’s just random bullshit that I like (it’s mostly pictures of cats). You can also ask me any personal questions you want on this blog.

You can also follow my confessions blog @fandomlife-confessions which I started like 2 years ago I think where people can submit any fandom-related confessions they might have (its 100% anonymous). This blog has become much more successful than I ever anticipated and it’s probably the blog I’m most proud of.

I have a fan fiction blog @oneofthosecrazygirls-fics which is connected to my AO3 account of the same name. This is where I post all my own original fan fiction. I haven’t really been writing much lately but I’m trying to get back into it so hopefully I’ll be posting again soon.

I also have a side blog that’s 100% about Anne Boleyn, but I don’t know how many of you would actually be interested in that. So moving on...

And lastly, the blog that I just created a couple days ago @incorrect-arrowverse-quotes I started this blog because I love incorrect quote blogs and I always wanted to start one of my own, but there are like a million for every fandom and I wanted to do one for a fandom that doesn’t really have one (I feel like every fandom should have at least one incorrect quotes blog) and I noticed that there isn’t really one for the Arrowverse (there are some for the individual Arrowverse shows, but not the verse as a whole). Also, side note: if you love the Arrowverse too and you also watch a lot of other TV shows, I’m looking for mods to help me with that blog so private message me if you’re interested.

Okay now that I’m done shamelessly plugging my other blogs, let’s talk about this blog. So I mentioned above that I’m going to be focusing more on the community aspect of this blog which starts with the theme days (and a couple new features I’m really excited about). So, if you’re new (or you just need a refresher) let me explain the theme days.

Spam Sunday - On Sundays I choose one character or ship and I exclusively post about them. Now, in the past, I only did the spam for a few hours, but now that I’m not posting memes anymore, I’ve decided that Spam Sunday is gonna last all day. This day operates entirely on requests so you can send me a request any time for a character or a ship that you’d like to fill your dash for a day. (I always announce the spam before it starts so if it’s a character or ship you don’t like then you can just block the tag or unfollow me for the day until it’s over).

Man Crush Monday - This is also what I call a “request day” meaning I decide who gets featured on this day based on your requests. This day is for ACTORS (not characters). You can request any actor for this day. In the past, I used to just put ten pictures into one post, but once again, now that I’m not really posting memes anymore, I’m gonna spread the pictures out over the course of the whole day. (I should warn you though, since this day depends on me finding pictures of a certain actor, if I don’t really know what that actor looks like, I most likely won’t fill your request). Monday is also the day that I ask for submissions for Would You Rather Tuesday

Which brings us to...

Would You Rather Tuesday - This used to be Would You Rather Wednesday but then I started Woman Crush Wednesday and I couldn’t have two theme days on one day. Anyway, so this is a “submissions only” day. You can send me WYR submissions any day of the week, but I only specifically ask for them on Monday. Would You Rather Tuesday is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: you submit your fandom-related would you rathers and I post them.

Woman Crush Wednesday - This day is just the female equivalent to Man Crush Monday.

Throwback Thursday - Now this day is all me. I won’t really bother explaining it because it’s exactly what you think it is. This is also the day I’ll as for Fan Work Friday submissions.

Fan Work Friday - This day is for all the artists! This is the day you can submit all your fan art, fan fiction, fan videos, fan whatever.

Ship War Saturday - You know how sometimes websites like Buzzfeed will have those polls where you vote for different ships in like a tournament until one wins? That’s what this day is. (I just call it “ship war Saturday” because I like the alliteration). Every Saturday, I’ll choose one fandom and then you’ll vote on the ships you like best in that fandom until one is declared the winner.

I also have a couple new community-oriented features that I’ll be introducing that I’ll talk more about later.

Okay so now that all the housekeeping is out of the way, the only thing left to say is that my inbox is always open so you can start requesting and submitting any time. I’ll be starting the theme days back up on Sunday (because I hate starting things in the middle).

[junker-town]

Western Illinois, Year 38, 2044-2045

Western Illinois needs one title to tie John Wooden’s record with three seasons left in our College Hoops 2K8 sim.

Welcome back to our simulated dynasty with the Western Illinois Leathernecks in College Hoops 2K8. You can find a full explanation of this project + spoiler-free links to previous seasons here. Check out the introduction to this series from early April for full context. As a reminder, we simulate every game in this series and only control the recruiting and coaching strategies. Dynasty mode runs for 40 years.

Before we pick up with the Leathernecks at the start of Year 38, here’s a recap of everything that happened last season:

Coming off a devastating loss in the Sweet 16, Western Illinois returned four starters to begin the year at No. 3 in the preseason polls. The regular season was a tough go, with six losses that included two dropped conference games. Fortunately, we were able to win the Summit League tournament and punch our ticket to the big dance as a No. 8 seed.

We beat Akron in the first round, defeated No. 1 seed Richmond in the round of 32, beat Rhode Island in the Sweet 16, took out Louisville in the Elite Eight, beat BYU in the Final Four, and defeated UCLA in the national title game. It’s our ninth national championship and puts us one away from tying John Wooden for the most ever.

We landed three players in recruiting: international point guard Christano Ngounou from Cameroon, three-star center Logan Polk, and five-star JUCO point guard Archie Howel.

Here’s a first look at the roster for Year 38:

When we started this series way back in April of 2020, we said our goal was to win the national championship with the worst college basketball program ever. As we near the conclusion of the series after Year 40, the goal has changed: now, we’re trying to see if the worst college basketball program ever can become the greatest college basketball program ever.

John Wooden at UCLA will always be the gold standard for men’s college basketball. Wooden won 10 national titles before retiring. After winning our ninth natty last year, we’re now one away from tying the legend with three years left.

We lost our top four players from last year’s national title team, including guard Augustine Bruthelieus, who became the 13th player in program history to leave early for the NBA. Despite all of the defections from last year, we still have a talented team led by the return of the reigning Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament as he enters his senior year. We begin the new year at No. 24 in the preseason polls.

We’ve only won back-to-back titles once in program history. Can we do it again this year to tie Wooden? Let’s meet the team:

PG Cam Kately, redshirt junior, 87 overall: We’ve yet to really see what Kately is capable of as he enters his junior season, but we’re excited to find out. The 6’6 point guard only earned spot minutes off the bench on last season’s title team, but his skill set is intriguing enough to make him a projected lottery pick entering the year. Kately has a wonderful 84 rating as a three-point shooter, an A- grade in ball handling, and a low 80s rating in passing. He’s also excellent defensively, with an A+ on-ball defense rating and the size to cover three positions. I like that we can slide him to the two or even the three when we go back to our patented ‘Elliott at point guard’ lineup that led us to the natty last year. Former No. 114 overall recruit out of Alexandria, VA with B- potential.

SG Jerald Elliott, redshirt senior, 93 overall: Elliott was our sixth man last year, but he became an absolute legend during our tournament run by being named Most Outstanding Player. We moved Elliott — a 6’6 natural shooting guard — to point guard for our tournament run, where he became a two-way terror who scored efficiently and wrecked havoc in the passing lanes. Elliott has an unreal 99 speed rating that makes him a one-man fastbreak, and he’s also one of our better three-point shooters (86 rating) despite a slow, awkward release. We’ve never had a player win MOP in back-to-back years, and it would be simply incredible if Elliott could do it. Former No. 35 overall recruit out of Sacramento, CA with B- potential.

SF Ketshner Evertsen, redshirt junior, 89 overall: Evertsen has been instant offense for us off the bench the last two seasons, and now steps into what should be a starring role. A 6’8 natural shooting guard, Evertsen has a sweet outside shooting stroke (88 three-point rating), impressive finishing ability, and A grades in both speed and quickness. He might need to be our primary scoring option in March. Former No. 96 overall recruit out of Chicago with B potential. Projected lottery pick.

PF Oscar Fray, redshirt sophomore, 80 overall: Fray is our lowest-rated starter in .... decades (?), but we’re still feeling pretty good about him. We love his size as a legit 7-footer, and he also has terrific three-point shooting ability (75 rating) for his position. While he’s not the strongest big man, he does have the top block rating on the team and can at least hold his own on the glass. We love the idea of Fray as a floor spacer for us, but for some reason he always seems to want to take pull-up threes in tournament games. This man does what he wants, and in a way, we respect it. Former No. 118 overall recruit out of Lynn, MA with C potential.

C D.J. Foster, redshirt junior, 86 overall: Foster is just a giant at 7’2 and a cheeseburger away from 280 pounds. Foster looked tremendous in his debut tournament run last year, anchoring our front court on both ends and even finishing with a 22-point, 12-rebound performance against Louisville in the Elite Eight. He has A- ratings in quickness, strength, and offensive and defensive awareness. While his rebounding ratings are pretty average, he totally cleans up in stream games. It’s just really comforting knowing we’re going into this season with a huge center like this who can control the glass and lock down the paint on defense. Former No. 173 overall recruit out of Chicago with C potential.

We also have a lot of talent on the bench. 6’11 center Brody Munoz (85 overall, B potential) is on his way to being a stud as a tough and physical big man. Sophomore shooting guard Bernie Doyle has outstanding size (6’9) and a three-point shooting rating in the low 80s. Fellow sophomore Floyd Keller is a 6’7 small forward who can shoot threes and has an elite offensive rebound rating. There are also three new freshmen who are all joining the rotation immediately because the series ends after Year 40 and we don’t have time to redshirt anymore. Meet the freshmen:

PG Christano Ngounou, 77 overall, B potential

C Logan Polk, 76 overall, C potential

PG Archie Howel, 71 overall, C- potential

Not our best class, but Ngounou looks like a big win as a five-start international recruit from Cameroon. I think he can give us decent minutes from day one.

Recruiting

We have three scholarships to recruit for this season and need instant impact guys: these players will only get two years on campus before the series ends. I think we need another big and two wings. After scanning the available options, we decide to offer the following prospects:

6’3 PG Daniel Scheer out of Springfield, IL: No. 12 overall, No. 8 at his position

6’8 SF Eze Coleman out of Riverside, CA: No. 26 overall, No. 5 at his position

6’9 C Rickey Ager out of Indianapolis: No. 125 overall, and No. 5 at his position

We’re really swinging for the fences this year, but why not? We’re defending champs. Landing any of these dudes would be great, to be honest.

We have four new starters, but I still think this team is pretty damn good. It would so great to go back-to-back and tie Wooden this season. Let’s go!

How did the regular season go?

We started the year with a game against No. 22 Richmond (the same No. 1 seed we knocked out in the round of 32 last year), and took home a 70-55 win. Then we headed to the Maui Invitational, where we beat Penn, No. 22 Arizona State, and Nebraska to capture the championship. I’m partying like Tom Crean in Hawaii. That brings us up to No. 14 in the polls.

We beat No. 13 Vanderbilt in our next game, and then take out Providence. We’re rolling at 6-0 and we’re up to No. 9 in the polls now. Next up we have Duke, and damn, they beat us by three. We lose one more non-conference game to Northwestern, but otherwise take care of business. We’re going into conference season at 8-2 while ranked No. 21 in the polls.

Did we go undefeated in Summit League play?

We have somehow lost two games in conference play each of the last two seasons. Just unacceptable, and I’m happy to say that trash is over.

We pull off 18-0 against Summit League opponents this year, and then sweep through the conference tournament to punch our automatic ticket to the NCAA tournament. We end the year at 29-2 and ranked No. 9 in the polls.

How did recruiting go?

HORRIBLE. We didn’t just miss out on all of our primary options, we cycled through like eight different offers until we finally found a few guys we have a chance with, and none of them are ready to commit when the spring signing period opens up, either.

We currently have offers out to five-star international shooting guard James Haranga (6’5 out of Cameroon), small forward Lester Figueroa (No. 106 overall), and center Dean Warner (No. 245 overall, No. 18 center) out of Tampa Bay. It’s going to take some more work in the offseason to get any of them to commit.

2045 NCAA tournament

We open up March Madness as a No. 2 seed against No. 15 seed Weber State. We enter the game rated as a 98 overall, while Weber State is a 75 overall. Apologies to Damian Lillard, but this is about to be a beatdown.

Before we get into the tournament, let’s check out our updated roster.

It’s hard to believe this team was so dominant after losing Arvydas Hardy, Reece Mascoll, Al Reece, and Bru off our title team last year, but I can absolutely see the vision for how this team wins. Elliott has emerged into a legit star (95 overall) and we already know that he’s incredible at point guard in tournament games. Ketshner Evertsen — aka Shner — is a walking bucket even if he’s not quite as strong or powerful going to the basket as some of our best wings from recent years. We know what we have in Foster, and I’m waiting for Kately and Fray to step up. I also love our top three guys off with the bench, with Munoz in the front court and the wing combination of Keller and Doyle.

This team has been kicking ass all season, and I think we have the right pieces to potentially go all the way. That said, our leaders from last season’s title run are gone and there’s a reason why we’ve only gone back-to-back once: it’s really hard to do. I’m optimistic about this team and nervous about the stakes at the same time with Wooden only one title away.

Because this first round game is so lopsided in our favor, we decided to straight sim the game instead of watching it like we usually do. It’s always scary to do this, but ....

Win, 97-76. Never in doubt.

Even in a sim game, Elliott went off for 27 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three, and 12-of-14 shooting from the foul line. Keller also hit 3-of-4 triples off the bench, which is great to see. It was a cold shooting night for Shner (1-of-8), Fray (0-for-4), and Foster (1-of-10), but we’re not too worried yet.

It’s nice to bank a quick win at the start of our tournament run, and now I’m mad again about all the times the Selection Committee disrespected us with a low seed in the past. Anyway.

The win sets up a game with No. 10 Oklahoma State in the round of 32

Oklahoma State was in the Final Four with us last year, and has been a formidable program throughout this sim. They enter the game rated as a 96 overall, while we’re a 98 overall.

We’re watching the games from here on out. As a reminder, I’m not controlling the Leathernecks, we’re watching a simulated game.

Sweet 16 on the line. Let’s go!

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Win, 86-79. Oh my, that one got close at the end but we held on to advance to the Sweet 16.

First of all, why was that game played on Oklahoma State’s home court!?!? I will never get over that, but somehow we won anyway.

We opened up a double-digit lead toward the end of the first half, and maintained it throughout most of the second half. Then Oklahoma State decidedly to simply stop missing shots. They got it down to a one-point game with under one minute left, and I was officially sweating.

Thankfully, Ketshner Evertsen came through with the clutch bucket, and we held on to win.

Shner had 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and very much looked like the go-to scorer we need in this tournament. Bernie Doyle also had nine points off the bench of 4-of-6 shooting. It’s just a huge luxury to have two 6’8+ wings who can hit shots from deep in March. Jerald Elliott was also solid again, even if his numbers — 10 points, six assists, five turnovers — were unspectacular.

Foster was absolutely great: 15 points and 15 rebounds with three blocks. More of that, please. Damn, it feels great to have a 7’2 center in the middle.

Solid all-around team effort even if it got way too close for comfort there. We’re just trying to survive and advance.

The win sets up a Sweet 16 game with No. 11 Illinois

WOW, WE’VE GOT THE ILLINI IN THE SWEET 16.

We’ve played our in-state rivals countless times throughout this dynasty, but never in the NCAA tournament. We’re trying to do them like Loyola did IRL.

We enter the game as a 98 overall. The Illini are rated as a 90. Let’s go!

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Win, 99-78. We’re onto the Elite Eight.

I’m almost disappointed in Illinois, because that game was a little too easy. We opened up a double-digit lead midway through the first half, and pushed it to a 20-point lead midway through the second half. That’s officially ‘sim to end’ territory and we were able to do that with about seven minutes left.

Our friends from Champaign had absolutely no answer for Jerald Elliott in this one. Elliott went absolutely wild to finish with 30 points, five assists, and three steals on typically efficient 11-of-16 shooting from the floor and 4-of-8 shooting from three. Our dude won MOP for our title team last year, and this was still easily the best game of his life.

Look at that 99 speed in action:

Some other positives:

Shner made an impact on winning even on a night when he finished with more field goal attempts than points. He still ended the night with 16 points, six assists, and four steals. It feels like our offense has a solid foundation with Shner + Elliott + Foster.

Speaking of Foster: he had another double-digit rebound game with 12 boards. It’s also pretty comforting that we can still beat a good-ish team by 20 when he shoots 3-for-12 from the field.

Our bench really came to play. The reserves combined for 28 points. Doyle (12 points on 3-of-6 shooting) is going to be star, I just know it. The same can probably be same for our young center Brody Munoz, who finished with nine points and five boards. I even liked what I saw from the true frosh Christano Ngounou, who had five points.

The win sets up a game with No. 1 seed Louisville in the Elite Eight

Oh man. We played Louisville in the Elite Eight last year, and I hyped up that game to no end because the Cards had the one of the best rosters I had ever seen in this sim. We ended up winning that game by 18 points, but I’m not exactly excited about a rematch.

Louisville enters the game as a 100 overall. We’re a 98 overall. The Cards have six guys on the roster rated in the 90s. Just ridiculous.

This is going to be such a big test, but hey: we proved we could take them last year. This could be our biggest test standing between us and back-to-back titles. One time, ‘Necks.

Let’s go!

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Win, 91-87! WE ARE BACK IN THE FINAL FOUR.

Just an unbelieveable effort from our guys. Honestly, it looked like it was going off the rails early as Louisville ripped off a 17-0 run a few minuets into the game. Their press was forcing us into turnovers, and we couldn’t get into a rhythm offensively. It looked we might be headed for the wrong side of a ‘sim to end’ game, but then the offense started to wake up. We chipped the deficit to single-digits, and then took a one-point lead going into the break on a Cam Kately corner three in the final minute of the first half.

We got out to a strong start in the second half — this is a second half team, remember? — and held an 11-point lead with under four minutes left. Louisville would get the deficit down to four points only two minutes later, and it was officially go-time. That’s when Shner stepped up with a critical three to essentially ice the game.

Evertsen was brilliant, finishing with 19 points, three steals, and three blocks. We knew he could torch the nets, but I had no idea he had that type of defensive performance in him. I love having this dude on the team so much.

For as good was Shner was, D.J. Foster was even better. All our 7’2 redshirt junior center was put up one of the great performances in the history of the program given the stakes. Foster finished with 20 points, 18 rebounds, and four assists on 8-of-14 shooting. The Cards couldn’t stop him to save their tournament lives:

Let’s hit on some bonus shout-outs on the way out:

Elliott: 13 points, six assists, four steals on another efficient shooting night. The man is just a machine.

Brody Munoz: 15 points and seven rebounds on 6-of-6 shooting from the field. I’m already preparing to lose him after his junior season in Year 39 and be really bummed about not having him for my final year. He’s just too good.

Bernie Doyle: 11 points with 2-of-3 shooting from deep. Future stud.

The win sets up a game with No. 2 seed Michigan State in the Final Four

We have had a solid little rivalry with the Spartans over the years, though I can’t remember playing them much recently. Sparty famously ended our undefeated season in the Final Four in Year 11, and I’ve been holding a grudge against them ever since.

Tom Izzo is long gone, but MSU remains real good. Both teams enter the game as a 98 overall. As I check out Michigan State’s roster, I see that they are led by one of our former recruiting targets, senior small forward Sergio Hicks. Him vs. Evertsen should be the matchup of the game.

Two wins away from going back-to-back. Two wins away from title No. 10. LET’S GO.

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Win! 83-72! We are one win away from a national championship!

MSU kept it close, but credit our guys for never letting them take the lead. It is kind of amazing we were able to win this game despite shooting 3-of-22 (13.6 percent) from three.

This was once again a really solid all-around team performance despite the rough shooting night. Our top six guys in our rotation all reached double-figures in scoring. As is becoming the norm on this run, Ketshner Evertsen was leading the charge.

Shner finished with 25 points, seven assists, and four steals despite shooting 1-of-11 from three. It is unreal to have that type of impact on such a poor shooting night for a guy who is considered a pure shooter. This coast-to-coast layup helped us ice the win late in the second half:

We haven’t mentioned Kately’s name much during this tournament run, but it was nice to see him put together a good game with 11 points, four assists, and two steals on 6-of-10 shooting.

He even had one of our famous alley-oop layups.

Speaking of players we haven’t mentioned much: Floyd Keller. The 6’7 redshirt sophomore wing can really play even if he hasn’t gotten the opportunity to show it much on this run as we’ve largely went with Doyle in the rotation over him. On a night when Doyle couldn’t hit a shot, Floyd got in and made a few things happen.

This dunk was beautiful.

The win sets up a game with No. 7 seed Boston College in the national title game

Boston College?

Like, BC BC???

And they’re a No. 7 seed????

I can’t remember playing the Eagles during this sim before. I also can’t remember playing too many teams this small, especially this late in the tournament. BC has basically no size on the roster, with their biggest player being 6’9 small forward Irving Danley.

We are one win away from tying John Wooden’s record of 10 national championships. We just have to beat a Cinderella to do it.

Please, ‘Necks. Let’s go!

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Win, 96-78! THE LEATHERNECKS ARE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS FOR THE 10TH TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY!

What a way to tie Wooden — with an absolute beatdown. BC simply had no chance of keeping up with us. We crushed them on the glass and did a good job defending the rim. Offensively, our starters caught fire from the field and turned this game into a blowout well before the final buzzer.

First shout-out goes to D.J. Foster, who was comically dominant. All he did was have his second 20-point, 18-rebound game of the tournament, and this time he came three assists shy of a triple-double. He was named Most Outstanding Player for his efforts.

This man is 7’2, 280 pounds and can do this!

How about some Foster defense?

Best of all, he’s expected to be back for his senior year next season.

Evertsen was also great again, too. He popped off for 18 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in the win while shooting 3-of-5 from deep. Like Foster, the dude has been an essential contributor on back-to-back title teams, and is basically a legend now. We love to see it.

Jerald Elliott had an extremely Jerald Elliott game in his final time in a ‘Necks uniform: 15 points and seven assists on 6-of-8 shooting. It was an honor to coach him.

I’ll throw in this Cam Kately clip too, since this might be the last game he plays at WIU as a projected lottery pick:

I can’t believe we actually tied Wooden with 10 national championships. We went through an eight year stretch where we only won one title between Year 29 and Year 36, but just when it seemed like our goal was out of reach, we went out and won back-to-back natties.

It’s only the second time we’ve ever won back-to-back championships, and the first time since Year 25 and Year 26 in the golden days of the Albert Jagla/Skip Clemmons era. I really wasn’t sure if we had it in us, but this is clearly a special group of players.

RUN THAT NEWSPAPER:

We have two seasons left in this dynasty and we’ve already tied John Wooden. Everything from here on out is gravy.

Let’s get to the offseason.

Offseason

Western Illinois are national champs. Feels great to say, back-2-back baby.

D.J. Foster wins conference player of the year.

Nooooooooooo. Ketshner Evertsen turns pro early. Cam Kately turns pro early. Elliott graduates as a projected top pick. Wow, I really did not expect to lose both Evertsen and Kately. The loss of Shner really, really hurts our chances at competing for a title next year, but of course we love him and support him on his way to his NBA dreams. Dude made 73 threes at a 45 percent clip this year. What a season. Ugh.

My current record: 1,110-207 with 10 titles. Not bad for a 63-year-old. Only two seasons left.

We lose an assistant coach and replace him with someone who has an A rating in teaching. That should be a nice boost for our internal development.

Recruiting

Praise be that we won the natty, because recruiting has been a disaster this year — and it wasn’t very good last year either outside of Ngounou. We still have three open scholarships after whiffing on a ton of guys during the in-season recruiting period. No one is ready to commit when spring signing month begins.

After two weeks of recruiting, we get our first commitment: Dean Warner, a 7-foot center out of Tampa:

Warner is ranked No. 245 overall and No. 18 at his position, which is definitely a little lower than our typical center recruit. With that said, this class was full of 6’9 centers and we wanted to prioritize someone with real size. His AAU stats were also pretty impressive, so I’m happy about this get as a way to infuse some size in our front court.

We’re also closing in on James Haranga, a five-star international recruiting guard out of Cameroon, just like Ngounou. He commits the next week:

International recruits are tricky because they tend to have more variance in their rating and potential than domestic recruits, but Ngounou worked out well so we’re willing to roll the dice again. Haranga is rated as the third best international recruit. We need a two guard and like his size. After striking out on so many other two guard options, this seemed like our best bet.

We have one scholarship left after Figueroa commits elsewhere. We decide to offer it to Jaycee Queen, a 6’6 small forward out of Virginia Beach, VA. Queen is only rated No. 166 overall and No. 31 at his position, but his AAU stats are incredible: 19.1 points per game on 52 percent three-point shooting. He commits to Western Illinois the next week to finish off our recruiting class.

Now it’s time to set the schedule for next year. We go with:

@ Houston, @ Illinois, vs. UW-Milwaukee, vs. Kansas, @ UCLA, vs. Syracuse, @ Minnesota, @ Duke, vs. Grambling

Year 39

Here’s a first look at our roster for Year 39:

Only two seasons left! While the loss of Evertsen and Kately definitely sting, I still think we have a pretty good team. It’s going to be up to Bernie Doyle and Floyd Keller to carry our offense on the wings, and I think they’re both up for the challenge. We already know we can count on Foster to be a monster in the middle.

A few notes:

We move Howel to shooting guard, where he goes up one point to a 77 overall.

Queen looks solid with a 76 overall rating and C potential, but somehow he’s only a 66-rated three-point shooter. THE AAU STATS WERE A LIE.

Warner comes in at 74 overall with C potential. He’s our insurance in case Munoz leaves early (he starts the year as a projected lotto pick).

Haranga: 67 overall with A- potential. He’s already grown an inch to 6’6. Damn, he would have been so, so good if we had the time to redshirt and develop him for five years. Instead he’s going to have to grown A LOT to be a factor at all in the last two seasons.

Doyle and Keller both begin the year as projected second round picks as juniors. Will they return for Year 40? That’s one of the big storylines going into the end of this dynasty.

Our bench is going to be a weak spot on this team.

We’re going for a three-peat for the time in program history.

We’re going to be streaming Year 39 on Sunday, May 9 at 8 p.m. ET on my Twitch channel. We’ll be recruiting and simming through our regular season, and then going into the tournament. If we have a long tournament run and can’t complete the season in one night, we’ll finish out the tournament run on Wednesday, May 12 at 8 p.m. ET on my Twitch.

Watch Western Illinois in Year 39

What: Western Illinois Year 39 season

When: Sunday, May 9 at 8 p.m. ET. If necessary: continued on Wednesday, May 12 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: My Twitch stream

For email updates on this series, subscribe here.

[faucetdouble51-blog]

72 Hours in Seattle

Hi, it’s Abby. My mom asked me to write an introduction for this post about our last-minute trip to Seattle a few weeks ago. I was invited to play in a soccer tournament there and this one was different than most because there was only one game a day, which means there was plenty of down time to explore a city. (That is how I convinced my mom to go.)  We flew out the morning after my last final and stayed with her college roommate, Jenn for three nights and three days. Mom already told you that the culinary highlight of our trip was eating a Dutch Baby with backyard raspberries in Jenn’s kitchen nook, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t pound some pavement in search of great food around town. Here, Mom and I take turns giving you a run-down of our packed 72 hours.

DAY 1: THURSDAY

1:00 [Jenny] I am forever in search of counter-service spots when I travel, especially for lunch, when you don’t want to spend an hour-plus lounging around while the sun shines on a brand new city that is calling for you. That’s why we dropped our bags at my friend Jenn’s house (in Ballard) at 12:45, then headed straight to The Fat Hen, a sweet, bright fast-casual spot that served avocado toasts, ricotta toasts, freshly squeezed juices, and good coffee. It killed us to forgo Frankie & Jo’s, the vegan ice cream shop sensation right across the street (they have multiple locations around the city) but we were saving room for dinner. FYI: Delancey — remember Delancey? — was right there, too. [Photo credit: Seattle Magazine]

2:30  [Abby] We walked from Fat Hen down 15th Street to Ballard Avenue, the main drag in Ballard, a neighborhood that reminded me of Brooklyn. There was a ton of stuff to do and a lot of fun shopping including a cool second-hand furniture store called Ballard Consignment, an aesthetically pleasing succulent store (I can’t remember the name, can someone help me?), and a trendy clothing place called Prism where my mom tried on a thousand dresses but ended up just buying my sister an iron-on patch for her jean jacket that said “Stay Wild Child.”

4:00 [Abby] We met up with my mom’s friend Jenn, who got out of work early for us, and headed to Golden Gardens Park for a walk. It was so beautiful! I got a virgin pina colada at Miri’s, a new cafe right on the beach. Also, even though everyone says Seattle weather is not so great, look at our sky! It was like that for most of the time we were there. (Here’s a tip to future travelers: Go there in late June, early July.)

5:30 [Jenny] I think the only reason why I agreed to take Abby to Seattle was so I could try to snag a table at The Walrus and the Carpenter, the original Renee Erickson French-style raw bar in Ballard that opened almost ten years ago and that I tried to get into during my last visit, only to be turned away by the long wait every time. This time I wasn’t messing around. At the very un-glamourous hour of 5:30, I dragged Abby, Jenn, and Jenn’s 15-year-old daughter Stella to dine on fried oysters and small plates in their bright happy space. FYI: Erickson has opened a bunch of other places in Capitol Hill, including a steakhouse Bateau, another oyster bar with the greatest electric mint color scheme (Bar Melusine), and stuffed doughnut mecca General Porpoise, which, for Abby, might’ve been more of a reason to go to Seattle than her soccer tournament. (More on that below.)

7:30 After dinner, we walked back up Ballard Avenue to get ice cream at Salt & Straw, the Portland-based makers who have won over legions of fans with their artisanal concoctions…think Fresh Sheep’s Cheese and Strawberries or Oregon Wasabi and Raspberry Sorbet. But the line was too long, and even though it was still early, we were on East Coast time, so we headed home to bed. (For those of you interested, here’s an interview with Salt & Straw founder Tyler Malek on the always awesome Bon Appetit’s Foodcast.)

DAY 2: FRIDAY

10:00 [Abby] I had a soccer game in Redmond (we won 4-0!) where the most exciting food moment of the morning was a pretzel that came with that fakey nacho cheese that is so delicious. We didn’t get to start exploring again until lunchtime and decided we wanted to spend the afternoon checking out Capitol Hill. First stop…

12:30…Rocket Taco for lunch, where we ate some of the best carnitas tacos I can remember.

1:45 It was Pride Month! We loved the rainbow crosswalks which made for especially good instagram posts. (That’s me with our friend Maylie. And this was at the intersection of East Pine and 10th Ave.)

2:30 [Abby] And of course, we had to hit Elliott Bay Books. My mom bought me a paperback copy of The Handmaid’s Tale — I’ve been watching the TV show and it’s very disturbing, but she said I’d like the book. (She wants me to tell you that for school I also had to read Hiroshima and Take the Cannoli)

3:01 [Abby] Then the funniest thing happened. I had been looking forward to going to the iconic General Porpoise Doughnuts from the moment we booked our flights — we practically planned our entire Capitol Hill outing around it — but when we got there at 3:01, we tried to open the door and it was locked. It closed at 3:00! For about ten seconds we were all super disappointed but then, out of nowhere, an employee walks outside and asked “Does anyone want a dozen free doughnuts?” I guess they like everything to be fresh, so at the end of the day, they give away what hasn’t sold instead of selling them the next day. That might’ve been the highlight of the trip. And those doughnuts were some of the best I’ve ever had– the vanilla stuffed ones especially!!

4:00 [Jenny] We hadn’t planned on it, but we decided to hit Pike Place Market (because: of course!) on our way home to Ballard from Capitol Hill. We bought fruit and a lovely flower arrangement for our lovely hosts, but for the most part we just walked up and down the long hallways and gaped at the offerings. Maybe the most amazing part was that I got a parking spot on Pike Place right in the middle of everything (across from the flagship Starbucks.) I kept looking at the spot and looking at the sign saying This is too good to be true (once a New Yorker always a New Yorker, I guess) but it was actually true. Over a month later, I’m still on a high from it.

6:30 [Jenny] I know this is hard to believe, but we still had more to eat. I’ve written about this before, but the way Abby and I go about planning where we want to eat in a new city is completely different. I go to tried-and-true sources like Bon Appetit City Guides or Eater’s Heat Maps. She goes right to instagram, searches by locations, then studies the grid until a particularly inspiring pastry or bowl of ramen shows up. That is how she landed on Fremont Bowl where we went with Jenn’s family. Abby’s review: “Crazy good Japanese bowls, with fish, chicken teriyaki, and so much more. I’m not really a tofu fan, but according to my mom she had the best tofu she’d ever had in her life at this place. Fremont’s a fun area to walk around, too.” She’s totally right, the fried house-made tofu that our friend Maylie ordered was off-the-hook delicious. I was psyched because right next door was Book Larder, a store that specializes in cookbooks and community culinary events, but sadly they were closed for a private event. I guess that’s as good an excuse as any to return to Seattle in the very near future.

DAY 3: SATURDAY 9:00 [Abby] Mom, Jenn, and Jenn’s husband, Ben went for an early run around Green Lake Park (about a 3-mile loop she says) then we all gorged on Jenn’s now legendary Dutch Babies and plotted the day. Ben pointed us in the direction of the giant Asian Market Uwajimaya which was awesome (Oh, before that, Mom stopped for another cup of coffee at Anchored Ship in Ballard) but we ended up eating around the corner at at Dough Zone due to some intense soup dumpling cravings, aka the best food in the world.  It’s a good thing my next soccer game wasn’t until 4:00 that afternoon. We pretty much rolled out of there. Those dumplings were amazing.

6:00 [Abby] After my soccer game (lost 2-1) we drove to Mulkiteo and caught a ferry to Whidbey Island, about 25 miles north of Seattle across the Puget Sound, where Jenn and Ben have the sweetest cabin. The ferry was only about 25 minutes, but involved spectacular views of islands and huge mountains in the distance.

7:30 We only had about 12 hours to hang on Whidbey, but we got a good taste of it, snacking on their porch (above), chilling out by the campfire for an epic sunset; Ben grilled some local salmon and hot dogs for dinner. The house only had two bedrooms so my mom and I got to sleep in a tent listening to the crackling campfire. 

. Side Note [Jenny] Those of you who follow me on instagram might remember this photo. Jenn and Ben were torturing themselves trying to decide what color to paint the cabin — they were going for a dark Scandinavian cottage look — so I conducted an insta poll asking which combo you all liked. Most of you were in favor of the navy/white palette, the third one down. Last week, she sent me this pic:

How beautiful is that?!?!?! They went with Sherwin Williams Inkwell for the house and Benjamin Moore Oxford White for the trim.

DAY 4 SUNDAY

8:30 [Abby] We had an early afternoon plane to catch, so didn’t have a ton of time to explore, but we did manage to squeeze in a walk on the beach and a quick trip to Langley, where we ate eggs and cinnamon rolls at Useless Bay Coffee, then took a walk to a dramatic sandbar called Seawall Park. The town was so charming! From there was a convenient shuttle from Whidbey to the Seattle Airport, and we were on our way home.

Boy you fed us well, Seattle. We miss you so much!

Related: 36 Hours in Austin; 36 Hours in Portland, Maine; 48 Hours in Montreal.

Source: http://www.dinneralovestory.com/72-hours-in-seattle/

[junker-town]

Baylor men’s basketball was a superpower hiding in plain sight

The best team won the 2021 men’s NCAA tournament.

The conversations about where the 2021 Gonzaga Bulldogs ranked in historical context were already taking place before the national championship game of the men’s NCAA tournament against Baylor. The Zags were the team on the brink of history, entering at 31-0 and one win away from becoming men’s college basketball’s first undefeated champion since Indiana in 1976.

Gonzaga had an All-American at guard in Jalen Suggs, at forward in Corey Kispert, and at center in Drew Timme. They also had an honorable mention All-American in Joel Ayayi and the best player from last year’s Florida Gators in Andrew Nembhard as their fourth and fifth options. There was solid depth behind that starting five, too. The numbers Gonzaga had amassed all season showed how talented this roster really was: it had the second most efficient offense the sport had seen since 2002, and it had the best adjusted efficiency rating in the same time frame, per KenPom. The defense was top-10 the entire year, too.

The last team that felt this dominant against its peers was 2018 Villanova, and we know that story ended with a national title. The last team that faced this type of historical pressure was 2015 Kentucky, and we know that story ended with an upset loss in the Final Four.

Anything can happen in a single-elimination tournament, and that’s why we love March Madness. This Gonzaga team just seemed too talented to fall. There was really only one thing that could stop them: a team on the other side of the bracket who was nearly as good all year.

It’s hard to remember now, but there was a time when Baylor looked like it might be poised to run the table, too. The Bears started the year No. 2 in the preseason polls, only behind Gonzaga. In their third game of the season, Baylor ran an Illinois team out of the gym that would eventually finish with a No. 1 seed. After the regular season game against Gonzaga, scheduled for Dec. 5, was canceled because of Covid protocol, the Bears’ flirtation with perfection began in earnest.

Unlike Gonzaga, Baylor would have to go through a gauntlet in conference play to get there. After a month in the Big 12, their record was still unblemished, with only Kansas and Texas Tech playing them within 10 points. The Bears were 17-0, and all the talk that applied to the Zags also applied to them.

Then Baylor had to pause for three weeks as the program was shutdown for Covid concerns.

The Bears looked shaky when they came back, but still edged out a struggling Iowa State team to move to 18-0. The next game against Kansas would be their first loss. As they moved into the conference tournament, Baylor’s defense looked a little shaky and their timing seemed off. It wasn’t all that surprising to see future No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Cade Cunningham and Oklahoma State knock them off in the Big 12 semis.

Baylor earned its top seed in the South region, but the draw wasn’t easy. A round of 32 game against the winner of Wisconsin vs. North Carolina was looming. A potential matchup with Villanova in the Sweet 16 would be difficult, even though the Wildcats were without injured starting point guard Collin Gillespie.

Was Baylor the team that threatened to go undefeated for more than half the season, or the one that looked vulnerable coming off the lay-off? If it was a legitimate question heading into the tournament, Baylor left no doubt on their own greatness as soon as it started.

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

It’s possible Baylor would have been making its second straight Final Four appearance if the world allowed us to have an NCAA tournament last year. Baylor was considered the second best team in the country all year in 2020, too, this time only behind Kansas. The Bears lost breakout center Freddie Gillespie to the pros, but the rest of the foundation of that team returned with another year of experience.

Jared Butler was entering his junior year coming off an All-American season. Davion Mitchell was back for his fourth season of college ball after being named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. MaCio Teague was coming off a second-team All-Big 12 campaign where he proved he could thrive in a power conference after coming from the Big South. Mark Vital was returning for year five as a player who originally committed to the program way back in 2013.

There were reinforcements on the way, too. Adam Flagler, a 6’3 guard with a sweet three-point stroke, was eligible after sitting out last year as a transfer from Presbyterian. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua was a bouncy 6’8 big set to join the rotation after transferring from UNLV. Matthew Mayer and Flo Thama were original Baylor commits who would provide depth on the bench as juniors.

Baylor had something that even the country’s best college basketball programs couldn’t dream about: experience and continuity. There were no teenagers in the rotation — 20-year-old Butler, with two years of starting experience already under his belt — was the youngest player getting minutes. Vital turned 24 years old just before the season started, and was the same age as a six-year NBA veteran like Devin Booker. Teague was 23 and Mitchell was 22. Baylor’s starting lineup was older than the Chicago Bulls’.

If the key to college basketball is to get old and stay old, head coach Scott Drew had mastered it. Now his Baylor team just had to prove that it could win where so many of Drew’s other talented teams fell short.

It’s probably true that any other coach in a power conference would have been fired for losing as many games as Drew did in his first three seasons at Baylor. It’s definitely true that no other coach in college basketball history had to face what Drew was up against.

If Gonzaga was supposed to be an all-time great team, what does that make Baylor?

When Drew was hired in 2003, Baylor was only months removed from one of the most tragic stories college athletics had ever seen. Bears forward Carlton Dotson murdered teammate Patrick Dennehy during an argument while firing guns near campus. Former head coach Dave Bliss tried to smear Dennehy as a drug dealer when the NCAA started poking around the program, which only made a horrible situation even worse. Baylor men’s basketball was the most hopeless job in America, but Drew took it anyway with relentless positivity.

It seemed like a miracle when Drew made his first tournament appearance in his fourth year, only the second for the program since 1950. As Drew turned the program into a sustainable winner over the next few seasons, the plucky upstart started to become the team that couldn’t breakthrough in March.

Baylor was the team that stubbornly stuck to a 1-1-3 zone defense even as it bled corner threes. It was the program that was upset in the first round of the tournament by No. 14 seed Georgia State when R.J. Hunter hit an instant classic buzzer-beater. It was the team that got upset by No. 12 seed Yale which prompted Taurean Prince the give history’s most sarcastic post-tournament press conference. It was the program that couldn’t reach the Final Four even after it started landing five-star recruits like Perry Jones III, Quincy Miller, and Isaiah Austin.

The Bears always felt like they were on the cusp, but could never quite get there. Baylor watched Villanova get its breakthrough after so many early tournament failures, then watched Virginia do the same thing. The program had the potential to get there, Drew just needed to find the perfect mix that had always barely eluded him.

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Baylor found that mix this year. This was an elite team in every way, and one that always seemed built for March.

Guard play is so important in the NCAA tournament, and no one had better guard play than Baylor. Butler had the ball on a string as a handler and could drain a three-pointer off the dribble or from a spot-up. Mitchell had arguably the best first-step in the sport and could collapse the opposing defense in any situation. Teague was a true three-point threat who put together his fourth straight year of impressive marksmanship from beyond the arc. All could handle, pass, and shoot, and had games that complemented each other so well. The addition of Flagler gave them another deadly shooter on the bench.

No team in America made a greater percentage of their threes than Baylor at 41.3 percent. Only four teams were better on the offensive glass. The defense could get after you too even if their efficiency slipped following the Covid lay-off. Mitchell in particular was incredible at the point of attack, while Butler, Mayer, and Vital were active in the passing lanes. Baylor’s takeaway percentage ranked No. 4 in the country.

All of this played out in perfect fashion against Gonzaga in the title game. Baylor torched the nets from three by going 10-of-23 from deep. It dominated the offensive glass, led by Vital’s eight o-boards. The guards cut up a top-10 Zags defense so badly it had to switch to zone, which it had hardly played all year.

If Gonzaga was supposed to be an all-time great team, what does that make Baylor? Add in the blowout against a talented Houston team in the Final Four, and there’s plenty of evidence to support that the Bears were the team we should have been talking about in historical context all along.

Baylor just finished a run of going 54-6 over two seasons. It did it playing in a conference was rated as the second most difficult in the country both years by KenPom. Their closest game in March was a nine-point win over Arkansas in the Elite Eight. This was was as impressive as a college basketball team in this era can be.

Baylor won’t go down in history for an undefeated season. They never got the chance to try for back-to-back titles with this core because of the pandemic. If you watched them, though, you know how good they were. It doesn’t always happen in the NCAA tournament, but we can say it for sure this time: the best team won.

[usatrendingsports]

Chicago fans ejected following racist taunts at Capitals’ Devante Smith-Pelly

Washington’s Devante Smith-Pelly was subjected to racially charged taunts in Chicago. Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA TODAY Sports

An awful incident during Saturday’s Capitals-Blackhawks game in Chicago resulted in a group of fans being ejected after directing racist taunts at Washington’s Devante Smith-Pelly.

After a third period fight with Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy, Smith-Pelly headed to the penalty box to serve his five-minute major. That’s where the 25-year-old forward, who is one of the league’s few black players, was targeted with racially charged comments from fans seated near the box. 

Fans next to the penalty box said “basketball, basketball, basketball” to Smith-Pelly when he was in the penalty box, according to a Caps spokesman. DSP was understandably upset. The off-ice official confirmed what happened and the fans were booted. That’s the holdup for Trotz.

— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) February 18, 2018

The game’s television broadcast happened to be showing Smith-Pelly when he appeared to hear the remarks made by those fans, making him visibly angry. Eventually, the Caps forward had heard enough and got up to confront the fans though the glass partition.

According to the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan, four fans were booted from the game following the penalty box altercation.

After the game, Capitals head coach Barry Trotz spoke about the incident, calling it “digusting.”

“There’s absolutely no place in the game of hockey or in our country for racism.” — #Caps Coach Barry Trotz on an incident involving Devante Smith-Pelly on Saturday in Chicago. Four fans were ejected for taunting DSP when he was in penalty box. pic.twitter.com/kxn3uClSBY

— Tarik El-Bashir

(@TarikNBCS) February 18, 2018

The Blackhawks also released an official statement following the game. In that release, the team apologized to Smith-Pelly and the Capitals organization for “harmful comments” made by the fans.

“We were made aware of an incident at tonight’s game involving a small group of attendees who made harmful comments directed at Washington Capitals player Devante Smith-Pelly. The fans were immediately removed and we apologize to Smith-Pelly and the Washington Capitals organization. We are committed to providing an inclusive environment for everyone who attends our games and these actions will never be tolerated.”

The incident comes during the NHL’s “Hockey Is For Everyone” month, which aims to drive social change and promote diversity and inclusiveness in the game of hockey. 

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that Smith-Pelly has been subjected to such treatment from fans. Back in 2017, he told the Toronto Star’s Bruce Arthur about a similar incident that occurred during his first rookie tournament in British Columbia. 

Smith-Pelly also discussed how difficult and lonely it can be for a black player in hockey.

“I can’t go to anyone on my team and have them understand really how it is to be in my shoes,” said Smith-Pelly. “Just because I’m a professional hockey player: they just don’t understand. So it’s really lonely in that sense. You don’t really have anyone.”

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