#i'm a terrible sports fan if you're too good. i just can't do it

[batsplat]

I want to know which current F1 drivers meet your ‘worthy of interest’ standard? Because I honestly find most of them pretty boring.

well, a dead giveaway for me mostly agreeing with your assessment is that I don't really post about f1 on here. which, okay, admittedly there's a lot of things I don't post about on here, like tennis for instance.... but y'know. there's more of a motorsports tumblr crossover, whereas nobody's following me for my tennis takes and the tumblr community isn't really my scene. with f1, I do actually follow it a lot through tumblr... and. I mean, I have plenty of opinions and all that, I enjoy engaging with it, but I'm not posting long psychological deep dives on here for a reason. I kinda follow f1 differently because it's a sport I got into with my flatmate, who I watch the races with whenever we can. and relatively speaking, our conversations about the sport are like... more focused on the team side of things in addition to the drivers, driver market gossip and news stories and all of that, just having fun with the controversy of the week etc (or every few months it's me sending her very long messages about how I think an x men f1 au would work, which she very generously puts up with despite only having a passing familiarity with the x men franchise)

that being said! ofc it can be fun to root for and against some guys in a more casual way! and I've definitely developed and refined my preferences for drivers in the last couple of years... the ones I primarily root for are george, lewis, alex and esteban. george has that like... idk, exceedingly obvious hunger to him that I really appreciate in athletes - I can tell every single second just how badly he needs this... how he does want to be loved and sometimes thinks too hard about how to achieve it... but when it comes down to it, he will ALWAYS choose winning. very compelling!! I love how even in his current situation where he knows a lot of lewis fans despise him... he still can't entirely help himself, he's still going to push it. because he just can't function any other way - he's not the type who can really be bullied into submission, which slaps. also he's clearly quite thoughtful, somebody who thinks a lot about his craft and is really committed to constantly working on himself. again, it's all about the hunger, that sense that he'll pounce every time given half a chance. that edge of neuroticism paired with the constant accusations of inauthenticity... plus, idk, there's a real air of uncertainty surrounding whether he'll ever be able to fulfil his potential, and I am a sucker rooting for someone who brings out my natural pessimism. but the thing is, he does have that dawg in him - if he ends up not making it, won't be because of his mentality

lewis in all honesty I missed so much of his career that it's always going to be a different type of investment for me... idk I've just never been the type of fan who can care if someone finishes p6 or p8 if they've won eighty million races. I have the same thing with marc too, had it with valentino back in the day, like I'm sorry but you've won so much it's just very... okay wake me up when you're fighting for something real. obviously I do enjoy all the narratives he's picked up over time, the nico stuff in particular is a lot of fun... I like his steel and grit and the way he's defied the odds to become one of the greatest to ever do it, and again the hunger he's got about him... got some real affection for how he's also kinda paranoid, moody, pessimistic, irascible, enough of an edge to him to be just a touch nasty. not a stranger to mind games himself, of course. and he's an excellent pr merchant!! such a carefully constructed persona, idk, makes him more compelling somehow. I enjoy whenever there's been a hint of tension in that particular teammate relationship, shame merc never had a good enough car for it to get worse. here's hoping he's not too washed to crash out leclerc next year or something fun like that

alex,, yeah, obvious underdog charm. bit of an odd route into f1 and has of course had to fight pretty hard to get back into the series at all. he's got a good dry sense of humour as well as quite a whiny streak that makes him more interesting, plus I like his friendship with george, (my general bar for caring about athlete relationships is 'do I think corporate is pushing this on me', which is true of a lot of these f1 'friendships' but not this one.) he's just quite easy to root for idk, my bar for rooting for athletes is way lower if you're not winning everything. like it's only if you're at that top tier that I need you to be an absolute dickhead for you to sustain my interest. and then with esteban, again, underdog appeal partly just because of how rough a road he had into f1,, not just another rich kid... also how many other drivers he's pissed off. pairing the on-track terrorism with a really sweet smile off it, which is always such a fun combination imo. AND too many people hate him, which makes me naturally root for him more

so yeah, y'know, I have thought about them a fair bit and talked about them with my flatmate and all that, but it's all relative in terms of the amount of time and interest I've invested in them. mostly I just bully them all a lot in messages that will remain unavailable for public consumption

[strawberryblondebutch]

So I read Britta Curl's apology.

Emphasis on read, because no way in hell am I listening to that whole thing with my shitty auditory processing. So please acknowledge that this means I'm potentially missing out on tonal cues and body language.

I don't think she's changed. A good apology recognizes what you've done wrong and how you'll improve in the future. She seems to think that her posts are the problem, not the beliefs that motivated said posts. Her improvement plan is to "grow in humility, and grow in love." I'm not sure where most marginalized groups would rank that in their restorative justice plans.

Even if the apology's content is lackluster, the fact it exists is good. That Curl felt she needed to say something, for her own and the league's reputation, means she knows that eyes are on her. There are degrees of harm in public figures. Among baseball players, you can trace a line down from Curt Schilling (actual Breitbart personality) to Jason Adam (refused to wear a pride cap in a game) to Brad Hand (likes Trump tweets on Twitter in silence). I have no respect for the beliefs Hand's social media activity suggests that he has, but he's not saying on the record that being gay is a bad lifestyle choice, nor is he tweeting about how awesome that Capitol riot was. My personal respect may be nonexistent, but Hand's actions are less directly harmful.

I would love if Britta Curl changed her beliefs. I don't engage in moral Puritanism. I believe that people can change, and I want them to. If she came out with an apology tomorrow where she said, "I understand that my words and actions have hurt members of the trans and Black communities, and here are the steps I am taking to understand why this is so harmful so that I can improve, I would support her. But that's not what happened.

Whether we like it or not, this shit does matter. Arguably, it matters even more in women's sports. I don't like it. I would love if the WNBA, PWHL, or any other league were one where you could shut up and play, and you weren't expected to be a role model for young girls everywhere (which, that's a rant all of its own). But at the end of the day, you can't cater who you are to a hypothetical ideal. You have to cater it to the world that you're in. And yeah, that sucks.

The increased scrutiny on female athletes will always affect marginalized groups more. I'm not going to speak too much on racism in the WNBA, because I don't consider myself an expert on it (I'm only a casual basketball fan, no matter the gender), but I've seen the scrutiny leveled on Angel Reese compared to Caitlin Clark. I also remember Hilary Knight being fucking terrified to come out as queer because of all the outside pressure on her. Having to hide what you believe is different than hiding what you are.

She's not going to get top-six minutes this coming season, and the discourse is going to be insufferable. Yeah, Curt Schilling's a terrible human being, and although his beliefs got worse after retirement, he was an outspoken conservative when he won the 2004 World Series. Compare that to Trevor Bauer, whose shooters claim that he's being blacklisted by the Woke Mob, when he's really just... not a good pitcher, and he's also managed to piss off every manager he's ever had. Britta Curl will not be one of the six best players on Minnesota unless something goes terribly wrong - she's not a better center than Heise or Pannek, and she's not a good enough sniper to move to the wing. The worst people you know will claim she's being punished for her beliefs, because they do not understand how sports work. Block and move on.

It is still very funny that she blocked me on Twitter. Block and move on goes both ways, but I didn't tag her in the post or anything, which means she name searches.

Once again, if you read this far, please consider giving to Prevention Point or Savage Sisters. Harm reduction is important. Those two organizations are why I'm still alive, and the city of Philadelphia wants addicts to die.

[curejunereblogs]

Ranking Barbie Extra dolls

!- warning: ranking is based on personal taste. ymmv -!

pictures from dollect

Barbie Extra 1

leave out the socks and she's actually pretty cool. 8/10

Barbie Extra 2

meh. the very pretty pastel palette is ruined by the very unfitting hat. sleeves don't match the dress. nothing matches the dress and the dress is the only thing i like. 5/10 and all points are for pastels

Barbie Extra 3

winged shoes. 10/10. i don't care about anything else winged shoes carry this. the fit in general is actually near perfect if you take away the stupid yellow sweets bag. i'd change the star print too but it is extra i guess

Barbie Extra 4

the doll is pretty but the shade of lime they're using makes me offended as a certified lover of color green. also, she could've used first doll's socks? no? 6/10 not a fan of this hairstyle

Barbie Extra 5

i am once again offended by misuse of my favorite color. why green socks. this is worse than 2's hat. at least 2 had two items of that color. two socks don't count. i think fire print doesn't look good here but it's extra so whatever. pet car is cute. 4/10

Barbie Extra 5-Pack Exclusive 1

i love giant sleeves more than average person and green in the hair is like the only good use of green so far but Nothing Else Works Here. ... okay no it's the skirt. the skirt kills the look dead. choker also looks wrong here but the skirt is the main culprit. the skirt did it in broad daylight. 2/10

Barbie Extra 6

yeah that necklace is too extra but at least it fits with the print. ... i don't understand fur sleeves, not done like this. start them at the elbow? make the entire coat fur? do Something else? 4/10

Barbie Extra 7

the doll herself is alright and i would wear that irl but what the BLEEP is that neon blue purse. the hideous greenish fur thingy Could work with the purple but that single purse, again, throws the entire doll under the bus. 5/10, 8/10 if i pretend the purse doesnt exist

Barbie Extra 8

nothing here that i vibe with. 1/10 just noticed the fries fanny pack. rollerskating bear is the best thing in this picture.

Barbie Extra 9

... i do like the coat thingy and the shoes. 2/10

Barbie Extra 10

this looks very oldschool Barbie in a good way. I wish the shoes were teal. 9/10

Barbie Extra Deluxe 2021

again. why do you pick the worst items to be green. you're giving my color a terrible reputation. printed on necklaces should be banned. cat ears look hideous with this hairstyle. overall she's okay 7/10

Barbie Extra Deluxe 2022

girlboss sunglasses should have been metallic. otherwise. idk. the only thing i can't work with is the blue dotted scrunchie. the fur thing does look okay as a coat in promo pictures. 7/10

Barbie Extra 5-Pack Exclusive 2

10/10. they Did the Colors Right for once. i am willing to forgive the polkadot for beautiful colors. and This is how you use fur

Barbie Extra 11

printed dress confuses me and this pants-shoes combo is a miss but again i'm willing to forgive stuff for using green in a way that doesn't make me want to gag. irl pictures look less pretty but still. green hair fits her. finally. 7/10

Barbie Extra 12

the shoes aren't winged, they're frilly. ... the most middle of the road thing i could have imagined. 6/10 for necklaces

Barbie Extra 13

girl you deserve so much better. idk take off the blue shirt. make blue shirt other color. i don't vibe with sports fashion in general but this does not look flattering no matter how i look at it. 3/10 base doll looks nice

Barbie Extra 14

i wish they stuck with the concept art and gave her pants. but i do like the monochrome pink. 7/10? pet car yay

Barbie Extra 15

another win for the monochrome crowd. wish the shirt print was something else. how many times have I said that? 9/10

Barbie Extra 16

gold and blue look good together! but otherwise she's kind of a nothingburger. 6/10

Barbie Extra 17

these clothes would look better with ANY other hair color. i'll admit to not being a passionate lover of most animal prints but that doesn't matter with this horrible color clash. 3/10

Barbie Extra 18

heels? here? hello? every other doll has sneakers and This one has heels? anyone home? 10/10 if you change her shoes 5/10 as is

Barbie Extra 19

she looks fantastic in concept art. resulting doll is... well i do like the clothes. 6/10

Barbie Extra 20

opposite problem with the previous - the doll herself looks gorgeous, but the clothes are... she's dressed like a three-year-old. 5/10 overall but basic doll is 10/10

Barbie Extra Fancy Floral

there's a lot to like in theory. nice colors, cool pants/skirt combo. but i look at her and feel nothing. 5/10

Barbie Extra Fancy Bear

overbearing. what the hell is this green thing on her top. why are you throwing green things at random. put some thought into your greens i beg you. 6/10 the green thing annoys me too much

Barbie Extra Fancy Pink

they took perfection and gave her terrible print on stockings and the worst bangs in existence. barbie movie did not convince me these can look good on dolls. 8/10

Barbie Extra Fly Beach Ken

he's just ken. i'm not a fan of beach dolls. but this is probably the best male beach doll. 9/10

Barbie Extra Fly Beach

this is a beach doll that is extra. congratulations, goal achieved! if the skirt is removable and there's a full swimsuit the doll is 8/10. i vibe with these colors a little less than ken's. gold stuff a bit much too

Barbie Extra Fly Snow

do i wish the blue was white? maybe. is she perfect otherwise? yes. 9/10

Barbie Extra Fly Safari and Extra Fly Desert not shown because of picture limit but I feel nothing about them and no effort to fit them in here shall be made. safari has a strong concept that i just happen to have no personal interest in, 5/10. desert looks kinda fun but also meh and that bright red stripe over the giant bag is... why is it there? 5/10 as well

[jymbert]

Classic Album

Cardiacs - Sing to God

Or more accurately, disc 2 (or sides 3&4 or second half) of Sing to God, which is quite simply the finest, most unhinged beauty in the whole of music.

Dirty Boy: there isn't a lot that hasn't already been said about this song but, seriously, if you claim there's a better song in music you're clearly lying. The opening crash. The never-ending ascension in mood and music. The what-the-fuckery. The choir on helium. The ecstacy. A bit of a fight over breakfast or something. The suffocation. The delirium. The stupid grin pretty much throughout.

Billion: Like a genius songwriting elf sitting on a dandelion singing about lost love.

Odd Even: Taking the piss out of Blur by writing a Blur song kind of based on Cardiacs and doing it better than Blur ever could. Kind of like Anakin Skywalker showing a mockney Luke Skywalker how it's done. Cars and aprons. The cars are nice.

Bell Stinks: The sound of a farting, rapidly deflating balloon zipping around a barn.

Bell Clinks: If Andrew Lloyd Webber got off his bollocks on acid, rewrote Jesus Christ Superstar for a cast of punks and got Jimmy Somerville in on backing vocals, it would sound like this only not as good because Andrew Lloyd Webber is terrible, awful shite.

Flap Off You Beak: marvel at the poetry: 'High and mighty beady bird eye'. 'Doggy-eyed graceless in my home'. 'Poison in the drops of black and white pearl on the leaving the cinema girl'. Then laugh your arse off at the fact those glorious lines are contained in a song called 'Flap Off You Beak'.

Quiet as a Mouse: if you ever wondered what Cardiacs would sound like if Cardiacs leader Tim Smith had brought in Chris Morris and Vic Reeves instead of Jon Poole and Bob Leith, wonder no longer.

Angleworm Angel: A philosophical gardener listens to Slayer and goes on a rampage around the allotments, bumping into Tim Smith near the carrots and talking science fiction classics. So I believe. Thrashes about like a gnome with a scythe.

Red Fire Coming Out From His Gills: Any song that describes the sea as 'untidy' is genius. That's all I have to say on the matter, apart from the fact it has the best song title in history. Often seems to me the closest Sing to God comes to 'old-style' circus-on-crack Cardiacs.

No Gold: Cardiacs do Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles. But sad, and I'm not even sure why. Also glorious, and I'm not even sure why that either.

Nurses Whispering Verses: One of those 'anthems' Tim Smith liked to chuck out from time to time. Only this anthem sounds like mice pretending to be guitars. Repeats that ace trick of having a genuinely catchy chorus that has no words, just a guitar line. Kind of like Is This The Life did. Makes people sound daft as they sing along to guitars rather than words. White Stripes did it too with Seven Nation Army and made a generation of sports fans sound like dickheads. Cardiacs managed to do it with just Cardiacs fans, or at least this Cardiacs fan. The song finishes to the sounds of the Pond all Cardiacs fans dwell in.

Foundling: Majestic. 'I COULD WALK WITH ANGELS BUT I'D RATHER WALK WITH YOU'. How you manage to end a disc/half/whatever that starts with Dirty Boy with another song that touches the same level of beauty and euphoria just blows my tiny mind to Tim-smithereens.

Record an album better than that. Go on. I dare you. You can't, can you? And it's only ONE HALF OF THE BLOODY ALBUM. The other half contains Fiery Gun Hand, for flip's sake. It's ridiculous, really.

So go on - discuss it. Have rows. Debate the crap out of it. Flounce off if you have to. But I'm right and you bloody well know it. And if you've made it this far - congratulations. I may have been drinking.

Love ❤ to the Pond

Jim Bert

[imjustemo4genoyall]

@obsessiveshayme and I have been screaming this from the rooftops for Y E A R S now:

EVGENI VLADIMIROVICH MALKIN IS THE MOST DISRESPECTED PLAYER IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE!!!!!

Everybody's so happy, ecstatic, that a deal was finally reached between Geno and Pens management and I... don't get it? The man was jerked around for months and everybody's acting like everything's peaches now? The very public disrespect of a generational talent just... suddenly means nothing? I completely understand wanting to see only the good in things, y'know? Like, I get that. Sports for most people, myself included, is supposed to be an escape from the bad in things. A source of light in the dark. But I feel like right now really isn't the time for that? Geno's whole career has been riddled with disrespect from all angles. Living in Sid's shadow automatically meant that nothing he could do would ever compare, regardless of how talented and skilled he is himself. The Pens record of 'Longest Active Playoff Appearance Streak' literally started the year Geno did, not Sid, and yet when it's discussed, usually the only praise given is to Sid. Sometimes both. But never just Geno himself. That's literally HIS accomplishment and no one ever acknowledges that. Mind you, this is in no way me saying that Sid is a non-factor in this streak. Of course he deserves shared custody of the praise for the streak in the general sense. But they do tend to credit this accomplishment soley to Sid and that's not fair because as far as the actual length of the streak is concerned, Geno is the one that has had this streak going his whole NHL career. Between things like that, the NHL Top 100 snub, the media and 'fans' constant disapproval, alllllllll of that has led up to this moment. It's what made Hextall and co. feel so comfortable dicking Geno around in the first place.

Until Sid stepped in, of course. Much like he did when GMJR was letting the trade rumors fly in regards to Geno and very much making it seem like he was more than willing to trade Geno for a bag of pucks. I can't remember if it was the '18-'19 or '19-'20 season (I'm leaning more towards the former because that was the season he was -25) but at 72 and 74 points respectively, neither season was even CLOSE to being his worst year. Y'all can argue the +/- stat amongst yourselves 'cause I will stand ten toes down on this all day, it was NOT his worst year. And everybody from GMJR to the media to the fans made it seem like he wasn't fit to even drive the zamboni. So much so to the point that Geno believed it. After everything was said and done he literally said he played terrible. Sid stepped in, said "It's me AND Geno." And that was that. No more trade rumors. The only difference between this time and last time is that Geno knew his worth this time around and finally had EFUCKINGNOUGH of the disrespect. Geno had every intention of walking and I don't blame him, not one single bit. Had they actually offered him the 4 years he wanted, it never would've have gotten this far. Because of course he wants to retire as a Penguin. But at the cost of his fucking dignity? I think the fuck not. All he was asking for was a fraction, a single fucking sliver of respect. But I guess, as per usual, if you're Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin that's simply asking for too fucking much.

And now everybody's literally rejoicing the fact that Sid is more respected than Geno when it comes to Geno's own career 🙃 Seriously, I'm all for optimism and positivity and all that jazz but Hextall and co. very blatantly had no intention of re-signing Geno. And we're... celebrating?

These are the stats of the man they weren't willing give 4 fucking years to???

And Sid had to intervene AGAIN before they'd even think about showing him a single modicum of respect???

AND WE'RE FUCKING CELEBRATING?!?!?!!!!

I... Look. I'm truly not telling anybody that they can't be happy about 4 more years of Pittsburgh Penguin Evgeni Malkin. We should absolutely all be happy about that. It's the jokes about how Sid had to step in to get it done. It's the celebrating the very fact that Sid had to swoop in and save the day. It's the using the disrespect from management towards Geno as the butt of the joke. Of course nobody's actually saying the complete disregard of a generational talent is funny. But underneath it all, that IS the unspoken butt of all the Savior Sid jokes. Nobody's talking about the MONTHS of bullshit Geno had to put up with to get here. This is by no means any sort of call out post or anything like that. If you made a post in celebration of SuperSid (affectionate but also definitely a little bit derogatory) I'm not trying to call you out and say you're wrong for that or that it's in any way malicious towards Geno. And please, don't ever stop trying to find the humor in things, truly. I'm really not trying to take away your joy. But basically, I'm just saying can we at least acknowledge that Geno deserved better throughout all this before we praise Sid? That Geno rightfully deserved a decent contract on his own merit and admit that it's pretty fucked up that Sid had to intervene at all in order for Geno to get anything? Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin was actually going to walk because he got so tired of being treated like this, can we at least take a moment to praise HIM for finally standing up for himself after all these years?

[uglytsumugi12]

shine▲polyhedric tri-lights 【ep 7】

♢ characters: natsume, tsumugi

♢ season: winter

― ☆ ―

〈 Next morning 〉

Natsume: …..

Tsumugi: Oh! Good morning, Natsume-kun! You're early today.

Huh? I see you're looking up sports articles on your phone. Ah, an interview with an athlete, that'd for sure be helpful!

Natsume: Excuse yOU? It's rude to peek at someone's phoNE.

Tsumugi: Ah, sorry. I couldn't help seeing it from this position.

Still, it's reassuring to see everyone's taking this matter at heart. I believe Sora-kun was reading a fashion magazine in the shared room yesterday, too.

Natsume: OH. Sora was in tHE, uM, the shared rOOM?¹

Tsumugi: Yes. Students who belong in sports club often frequent that room. He mentionned wanting to talk to them, and it was the perfect occasion.

I was exhausted though, so I immediately went back to my room. Ah, Sora-kun's energy is impressive…

Natsume: WeLL, that being saID, what'd you come here fOR? Office work agAIN?

Tsumugi: Hey, I'm not always working in the office, you know~? I had some ideas about Switch for today.

I planned to contact the company through the office's PC so they give me resources concerning their past collaborations. I thought I'd ask them now.

We could use that information not only on idols, but also on famous athletes as reference for our own project.

Natsume: HM. I guess² it's good to see you're enthusiastic about IT.

--Or maybe it was that fruitless enthusiasm brought by this proposal that put us in such miserable situaTION. What a nuisaNCE.³

Why in hell did you write this proposAL? We're both terrible at spoRTS.

Sora's for sure okay with iT, but it's obvious this project isn't suitable for the both of uS.

Tsumugi: Ahaha. It's embarrassing to admit, but I guess that was mostly youthful enthusiasm.

Natsume: Surely they weren't aiming for athletic idols on the high roAD⁴, rigHT?

Even with the world upside doWN, that'd never be possibLE. If a world exists where Senpai is considered a high road idOL, I think I'd despaIR.

Tsumugi: Hey, I don't exactly want to be on the high road either, y'know?~ When I was still in fine, I quickly realized being on the high road wasn't for me.

Proof is there. Switch isn't a unit aiming for the high road, after all ♪

Natsume: HaH? Are you saying fine can do what Switch can'T? Are you saying we're not good enouGH?

Tsumugi: Eeh? I never said that!? How am I supposed answer then?…

I just worded it wrongly… I prefer to be an idol close to his fans rather than being far away from them because of popularity.

Natsume: …WeLL, you're only saying thinGS.⁵

Tsumugi: Eeh~… Then how am I supposed to have you trust me?

…Oh? Woah, I immediately got a reply to my email.

Seems like the company's had a lot of projects in the past. I should go make a copy of these documents real quick.

Natsume: You're constantly busy with woRK, aren't yoU? Won't it take too long to go all the way over theRE?

Tsumugi: Hehe, don't worry about it. I have my schedule cleared completely to focus on Switch. I'll get this done when working on tasks later ♪

Natsume: HM… WeLL, you're free to do whatever you waNT, buT--

--Don't return home too laTE. You'll have to be well-rested for Switch work tomorrOW.

Tsumugi: Yes, understood ♪

Ah also, Natsume-kun. If you don't mind, could you read my future with tarot?

Natsume: WhY.

Tsumugi: Why? Well, yesterday, you said you did a reading for Sora-kun, so...

If Sora-kun got his reading, I can have mine from Natsume-kun, too~.... Right? ♪

Natsume: Five hundred trillion yEN.

Tsumugi: H- hey, I can't afford that! And Sora-kun didn't have to pay, did he..?

Natsume: Shut uP. From your positiON, you're in no right to have such an attitUDE.

They're waiting for yOU, so get moviNG.

Tsumugi: You're right. I wanted to see if I could get any good omen, but... I'm sure you know there aren't any bad outcomes on the way.

Alright, I'll get going now. I'll bring lots of references!

Natsume: YeS, yES. Get going alreaDY.

...HmPH. That Senpai made me lose too much tiME.

Why'd he suddenly ask for a tarot reaDING. WeirDO...

......

"Wheel of Fortune"...⁶

...This doesn't feel right.

— 1- i suppose natsume isnt aware of this room?? or at least unfamiliar with it w this hesitation here 2- natsume uses an expression like "though not quite good" or like" more or less" so expressing some kind of condescension…harsh 3- omg here natsume mentions like "this is yakubyogami" who's an evil god believed to enter houses bring disease and misfortune to whoever it meets. i love how dramatic natsume is LOL 4- ok this is kinda hard to explain but its lit. the "royal road", or like a sort of "podium" where the most famous units are or sthn…royal road just sounded a bit eh 5- lit expression is like "you can say whatever with your mouth" which is close to like without actions words dont mean anything or smth like that yk 6- ok here i ABSOLUTELY have to mention this. so this is a tarot card as u might have guessed, and also concerning the separated chapters-- "the tower" is also a tarot card meaning danger, unforeseen change and crisis in a way. and "wheel of fortune" card means a life-changing element, a sudden change in a situation, such as the poor becoming rich or rich becoming poor. GOD I LOVE THIS SM

― ☆ ― ♢ previous chapter ♢ next chapter

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[starleska]

aaaa I kinda wanna make a DHMIS side blog and write some fic but seeing so many ppl start getting harassment out of nowhere is so discouraging 😂 wishing you all the best, I love your warren stuff (and sorry about those mean anons!!)

oh, sweetheart. i'm so, so sorry that you feel this way. this is dreadful. Don't Hug Me I'm Scared fandom, look at this ask. over the past week myself and many other fans of the shorts and show have been receiving vile messages. death threats, wishes that our favourite characters should die in horrible ways, and personal attacks. the level of harassment the fandom has reached is unconscionable. if you're one of those individuals who thinks it's a great time to spew filth into people's inboxes, or to scream at artists/writers/theorists through tags because you really don't like a fictional character, or even enjoy watching the fireworks like people's emotions are some kind of sport? re-evaluate your life for a moment. right here, you have an individual who is too scared to engage with their interest because of this harassment. now, i'm thankful i'm in a good place mentally and am able to laugh this stuff off. i've liked weird characters and been bashed for it before, and it will happen again. but these people are forming an unsafe, toxic environment. it's not 'lmao this freak likes the worm i'm gonna send death threats 😂'. it's them taking time out of their day to make others miserable because they can't handle other people liking something they don't. i find it unbelievably ironic that it's posting about Warren, of all characters, that is drawing such ire. joking about how he's ugly and a terrible person is one thing, that's all in good fun - he's both! but did the actual message of that episode go entirely over their heads, or is their media comprehension so dim they believe it to be a one-to-one depiction of reality? for anyone who has been made to feel unsafe in this manner - whether in this fandom or another, for liking an unpopular character or for just trying to enjoy themselves - you don't need to give these people your energy. go ahead and make that sideblog. post those headcanons. make your art and write about your ships and create your AMVs. and do everything you need to do to keep yourself and your mental health safe. it's okay to turn off anon, it's okay to delete replies, and it's okay to block liberally when assholes come into your space looking to ruin your day because their own lives are so vapid and hollow. anon, thank you so much for your kind words and for being so sweet to me - i'm really glad you like my silly Warren content! i think you should make that sideblog and have a blast with it. for every awful ask i've received, there's been a hundred other messages, reblogs, tags and more gushing and theorising and just having a great time. the fandom as a whole isn't bad - it's just a couple of people who have nothing better to do and want to project their insecurities outwards. don't worry about them. they're leading profoundly sad lives. take care of yourself, and i hope, with time, these people grow up a little and learn to enjoy themselves. 💖

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression - Niconama Xmas Special

Part 1

K: Hi, this is the third installment of our live Niconama broadcasts. I'm Kaoru from Dir en grey.

J: Yep, and I'm Joe Yokomizo, pleased to be here.

T: I'm Tasai from Tokyo Sports. Happy to be here.

*applause*

J: We're started!

K: Whats that (in the comments)?

J: A guitar!

T: Great

J: They remembered a lot.

T: Ah, people saying 'Good evening', ahh, good, good.

J: Thank you everyone. Now, as for today, well, Kaoru just mentioned this, but its our third time doing this, you're already sending over lots of comments, so keep them coming. That reminds me, last time you allowed on-the-spot requests from the comments, Kaoru. We had a lot of comments, including many requests. So this time, Kaoru, can they make requests this time too?

K: Well, yeah, they can say what they like.

J: Whether you have to do them or not can be down to me and Tasai.

T: Yeah. Like ???

J: Yeah, we were like that last time. This time I thought we could be more ???, so everyone, please keep commenting, and making requests. On top of that, we want to hear comments about Christmas happenings and also of course, opinions and questions. Also, people using Twitter can tweet using the hashtag # TFOE. Right, well, today, you may already be able to tell by looking at your screen, but our studio has a different atmosphere today. This is actually a live broadcast from the kitchen studio. 

*applause*

T: The atmosphere is really different.

K: Its like being at home.

J: Yes, it is, isn't it? And the staff have made it so the kitchen is all prepared, so today we are gonna try cooking food. As its nearly Christmas we are gonna do Tasai's Christmas man food, and Kaoru's black cake!!

*applause*

T: Black cake?!

J: Yes, black cake! Because Christmas is so close, we are gonna try to make Christmas food. First will be Tasai's Christmas man food. Well, we did this once before on Youtube.

T: Yeah

J: The man curry, everyone, do you remember? So what are you gonna make today?

T: Well, you can kinda see, but...tadaa! Its KFC!

K: A Christmas must, right?

J: Ah, its chicken.

T: So what I'm gonna do with this, is make Christmas Kentucky rice, in the pressure cooker.

J: Ah, the pressure cooker. It must have been difficult to carry that here.

T: Mm, yeah, it was. Haha.

K: It looks heavy.

T: It was really heavy! But I brought it.

J: Do you normally cook this? With KFC?

T: I've actually made it once.

J: Oh, you have?

T: Well, as for the taste, you can look forward to that later. Ok, well im gonna get straight on with setting this up.

J: Oh, yes please, Tasai is moving to the kitchen. So while Tasai is cooking, Kaoru is gonna try his hand at making a cake. What do you think about that Kaoru?

K: Its just like mixing the cream and stuff, and putting it on, right?

J: Yeah, we are not actually baking the sponge cake. The sponge cake is pre-made, but we are  gonna make a black cake like we said earlier, by decorating it all black.

K: Ah, yes.

J: A jet black cake.

K: Yes.

T: *From kitchen* Uh, do you want to see me make this?

J: Oh, yes, sorry Tasai, you're over there. Cameraman, please look at Tasai.

T: So, Im gonna throw in this rice

J: Easy

T: Then, water. This niconico water, get it in there. Ah, it looks good.

J: They women will love you, seeing you cook like this.

T: What do you think, everyone? I doubt it.

J: I don't know, you hava a lot of fans, Tasai.

T: Haha.

Kami: Can you feed me some of this too?

T: Kami, what is that voice? haha

Kami: I wanna have some too.

K: You're voice Kami, haha.

J: Your voice is strange Kami, but whether we we feed you some, I can't say. Ah, terrible..Oh, someone commented, 'I love Tasai' 

T: Which type do you like? Skin on or..

K: Does it have to be only one type?

T: Well, one piece each.

Kami: I wanna eat it with skin on.

K: Haha, that voice.

J: Its strange, isn't it?

Kami: *To Tasai, who is picking up chicken* That piece is no good.

J: Ah, someone said 'Kami is cute today too'...'Kami's here, Kami's here'....'Good evening Kami'...'Kami's voice!'

K: Is 'cute' referring to that photo?

J: Ah, the cat, yeh.

K: Yeah, the cat.

T: Ok, Cameraman, look this way. Hey, I'm making this now. *Holds up piece of chicken* I'm gonna throw this in. There we go. Can you see?

J: Yeah

T: Ok, another one..

J: Ah, but it does look nice...the chicken.

T: Ok, there we go, finished.

K: Thats it?!

T: Yep, haha. I'll put the lid on it.

J: Ah, great! Hey, hang on a second, Tasai, did we really need to rent this kitchen studio??

T: Yeah.

K: But yeh, we did the same thing before in that old place, didn't we? haha

J: We did, right! We managed it before. But we went for this kitchen studio on purpose.

T: Haha, thank you.

J: Ah, someone said it looks delicious already. So is that it?

T: *switches on pressure cooker* Ok, its cooking. We're done now.

J: Finished? Its cooking?

T: Yeah.

J: Actually, Tasai, is there a reason behind using a pressure cooker? Wouldn't a regular pan work?

T: Uh, well, honestly, I think this would probably work in a rice cooker too.

J: I see. Do you recommend specifically using KFC for the chicken?

T: Uh, this is on KFC's website too, but there are a lot of recipies like this, for example cooking it with rice etc. This one was causing a bit of a buzz online....KFC rice.

J: Ehh?

T: It looked really good, so I wanted to try it out.

K: They comments are saying 'Cooking Papa'. haha.

T: Thats right, I'm the real-life Cooking Papa. haha. I have a load of ??? at home.

J: By the way, is the rice Japanese rice, or Thai rice, or..?

T: Oh, it doesn't matter which type of rice you use. Regardless, you just need rice, water, and chicken.

Kami: Thai rice would be good.

T: Thai rice?

Kami: Yeah, I bet it tastes good.

T: Ah, Thai rice is ok too.

J: Yeah, that seems like it would be good. Uh, how much water do you use?

T: The normal amount that you would use when you cook rice.

J: I see.

T: Well, please look forward to this!

J: Ok, so Tasai started off the cooking, so we'll just wait for that to finish, and in the meantime,  our leader, Kaoru, will make a cake for us. So, just to explain, there are various ingredients laid out here in front of Kaoru, so lets just look at them quickly. Ah, a comment saying 'Kami's speaking style is terrible!'. Now, Kaoru will be making a black cake during this live broadcast.

T: Kaoru, have you ever made a cake before?

J: It doesn't suit him.

K: I have never made one, we havn't, right?

J: No, I havn't either. Of course not. People would be shocked if Dir en grey's leader was a cake maker.

K: Yeah, uh, no I have never made a cake before.

T: Exciting!

J: Well, this will be no ordinary cake.

K: We got chocolate here, and whats this? Fruit?

J: Yeah, fruit.

K: And this powder, and stuff.

J: Yeah, there's chocolate too.

K: And a sponge cake.

J: Yeah.

K: And cream, and more chocolate.

J: With this pen, you can cut the end of and draw stuff with chocolate or whatever, so you can go all out with it.

T: That comment sats, 'Whatever Kaoru makes is ok with me'....'Will Takumi come?'

J: Will he?

K: Uh, no, haha

J: ???? (*something about Takumi*)

T: You could draw a heart with this chocolate pen, Kaoru.

J: Someone asked 'Is it all chocolate?'. Its not all chocolate, is it, Kaoru?

K: No, there are these...

T: Raisins.

J: Yeah, we have raisins.

K: Ok, Im gonna start. *reaches for cake* Oh! No, not this. We have to do the cream first.

T: You have to put in this black food colouring (shokubeni), right?

K: Food colouring...we have a song called 'Shokubeni'.

T: Eh?! From what era?

K: Oh, quite a long time ago.

J: Do you remember that time? Were you using food colouring while...?

K: I don't remembemer.

J: Oh, don't you? ???

K: ???

T: They are saying, 'Its a good song'.

K: Oh, this is powder!

J: Oh yeah.  Are you gonna ??? now?

K: Well, yeah...

J: Oh, right.

K: What are you goin on about??

J: Hahaha

K: Do I...?

T: You mix it with this.

K: With this? I'll just put a bit of colouring in it. Im not sure how much....Oh. (*loads falls in*) Ah, its ok.

T: Put more in.

J: Make it as black as me.

K: I can just put it all in.

J: All of it??

K: Well, we'd probably need to use it all eventually.

J: Yeah probably. Ah, there are loads of comments. Everyone, while you are watching this, send some requests for Kaoru to do. Its my mission to get him to do something.

K: *mixing* Its not going that black.

T: Right.

J: Black or grey.

T: Mix it a bit more.

J: Ahh, it isn't going black, is it?

T: This is a very rare shot, Kaoru mixing cream.

J: Ah, someone commented 'Taste it'.

T: Oh, not yet.

J: Yeah, its still too early. Uh, I don't think its gonna get black. Oh, here is some more. Black icing powder.

K: Eh? You need water...?

J: Scissors, scissors.

T: Joe can cut it.

J: Yes, I will cut it. We can use this, right? Its ok to add it?

T: They prepared well.

K: Ok, im gonna add all of it.

J: Ah, this might make it black. But the powder is quite grey, so we have more if you need it, Kaoru. Lets keep going until it gets properly black.

K: Ah! Its quite...I can smell it! It smells good. Ah, its going a bit darker...but its still grey.

T: Well, shall we switch to black mode.

J: Yes.

T: Could you open this?

J: Yeah, though you know, the cream looked nice before, the darker it gets the less appetizing it looks.

T: Like cement! Haha

J: Yeah, yeah. It doesn't rouse the appetite, but if it rouses the comments, thats ok.

T: Ah, there are a lot of comments saying it looks like cement.

J: It does.

K: But the smell is a bit different from earlier.

J: What does it smell like? Im wearing a mask, so...

T: Someone asked if regular cream is better?  Or that grey is ok.

K: Its like cookie cream

J: Ah, but its getting a lot darker. 'The same colour as Kaoru's clothes', Cement cake', 'Fresh cement'..lots of comments like this.

T: Kaoru's jumper is good too, Karate kid..Its Miyagi's.

K: Yeh, Miyagi's.

T: We can talk about that...ah! Its working!

K: Yeah, but...I wanted it to work more than this.

J: Do we have any more black? Oh, we do? It looks like we do. We have one more, thank you. Oh, look, this is really black.

K: Oh, this is more like it. Black powder.

J: Its open at the top already.

K: We should have used this from the start.

J: Well, at least they got to see you do lots of stirring. Ahhh! This is black! It was grey up to now, but..

T: Haha, Kaoru.. *K knoocking the powder out of the bowl*.

K: Isn't this better?!

J: Yes, its working!

T: Ah, this is black.

J: Ah, great! Its working.

T: 'It'll be difficult to spread if the cream gets hard'.

J: Oh, really? It will lose adhesion..I mean, moisture?

K: They know a lot about this, don't they?

T: Yeah.

K: Ah! It's gotten hard. Its hard to stir!

J: Haha, your face is so focussed!

T: 'What are you showing us?' Ah, 'Its a cake of darnkness'.

K: Is this enough? Should I put a bit more in?

J: Yeah, go on. Someone wrote 'Yami (darkness) en grey'...'Jet black cake'..

T: Ah, one comment said, 'Black cake! Love it!!'. Are they watching from overseas too?

J: Yeah, ...'Im worried about the taste'...Thats right! You guys are just watching this, but we are the ones who have to eat it!

T: Haha.

J: The cream looks a bit gross though, if I had to say.

K: Well yeh. But I think this might work if I hold back on the mixing now.

J: The colour is ok, but there is like bits of powder on the surface.

T: Haha, its like those bits were impossible.

K: I think it might be ok to try it like this. I feel like there is more black in it though.

J: Its becoming more and more like a solid. You can't make that swirly cream pattern with it any more, can you?

K: No, lets try to stay away from conventional thinking.

J: Ah, yes, of course. Its all about the black cake. Someone asked, 'What flavour is it?'

T: Ok, Kaoru is going to apply the cream to the cake. 

K: It goes like this first, right? *lifting off top piece of sponge*

T: Ah, right, yeh.

K: We make a sandwich

J: Ah, sandwich it together?

T: You've never made a cake before, and you know that??

To Part 2

[shinovii]

What do both of these episodes tell us, everybody..........two Louds get to be adorable and have an awesome time with the elderly!

"OH NO, A LYNN EPISODE!!! EVERYBODY RUN, WE'RE GONNA BE IN FOR A BAD TIME AND-" *AHEM*........That episode wasn't terrible, you're too hung up on it, Lynn has gotten better. There, are we done with the common formalities? Great, let's all try to be "Good Sports" here and take a nice look at this Lynn episode, shall we?

It's game time everybody, and Lynn Loud is in hype mode! It's the world championships in football (because Nick would have to pay the NFL money to say Super Bowl I'm guessing lol), and she's hoping to see her Lions win it all. However, it seems she's left without anybody to watch it with (guess when you're one of two sports junkies in the house, that can happen a lot), that is until a rather unexpected sound rings her ears during the game. Turns out it was good old Mr. Grouse cheering on the Lions as well, prompting LJ to pay him a visit! Turns out he's as big a Lions fan as well, and Lynn figures he'd be a good watch buddy for the big game! This sounds like fun, but is it everything Lynn expected it to be?

Yes to this episode, as this was just Lynn being incredibly good in it! She was exciting, cute, and was humble to a degree all in one, which of course is a good thing to have for her. But I must say......thank you TLH for adding even more background to Mr. Grouse cause good gosh he's rather underrated at times! Sure he throws some barbs at the Louds time and again, but even he has layers and I guess it took our lovable sporty girl hanging out with him to show us that! The halfway point also is as relatable as can be and any sports fan will totally understand why that is. Gotta say, it's quite nice to see Lynn have another episode that shows she's got a soft and humble side to her, as well as give Mr. Grouse time in the spotlight too. A good one to watch often and no doubt this was enjoyable in my eyes.

From one Loud hanging with an elder to another, it's time to take a look at Lisa's side in some fun "Geriantics"!

We join our super genius Loud child being read a scientific bedtime story by her dear Pop-Pop! After a discussion about bringing human teleportation to reality in 73 years (can ya speed it up child, I wanna have the powers of Nightcrawler from X-Men), Albert notes that he won't be around long enough to see that, which prompts Lisa to try and find a way to prolong Albert's lifespan to ensure he'll be around! Will she succeed?

Okay wow.......an episode that brings to light the fact that yes, Albert is in the later stages of his life and won't be long for the world at some point. While death isn't an unfamiliar concept in the show as we've seen it acknowledged a number of times, to see it talked about a loved one of the family like Albert is a bit more hard hitting. Having Lisa be the one to go through a plot like this works even more because as young as she is, the thought of Albert not being alive for her later years is quite saddening. Seeing her go through many lengths to keep him going for longer than ever shows us just how much Lisa actually cares for people (contrary to what fans may say, hehe). Sure her methods are a bit much, but at least it's coming from a good place (tho the latter half was.......stupidly funny). I will say that episodes like this are NEEDED for Lisa because my goodness does she need her child side to show more often. Often times it's ridiculously easy to forget that she's only a 4 year old kid......with a PhD and has invented time travel......yeah. At least Albert is still entertaining as ever. I'm glad we got to see him hang out with Lisa Really this was a good episode that I wish had much more heartwarming moments, but it delivered on what it did give us so I can't complain too much. This one did well and I loved it.

Also some math for ya: 3 × 5 = this number per day.......you'll find out.

Well I guess that's it for this batch of episodes! I'm not sure if we're getting any more for the rest of this year, but you'd be surprised as to what could come up. For now I'll gladly take some time to prepare for the next new episodes, and I do hope they keep the Saturday slot as it's been working super well! Until next time, stay Loud......stay proud!!!