#ping-pong tournament

[roostercrowedatmidnight]

must derail for a moment and say that when i was watching the voyager episode where they make contact with starfleet and finally start getting letters from home it reminded me so much of mash and at their hearts the shows have the same emotional core of being away from home and wanting nothing but to go back and hating your situation but also loving the people you are stuck in it with and knowing that the work you do is important and in voyager whenever they receive their letters or have their three-minute staticky calls with their families or have to bunk together because of low resources or throw silly little made up parties to cheer themselves up or complain about the food they'd rather be eating i'm like this is mash this is literally mash. and how both shows are inevitably driving towards getting to go home as the end goal, but once that is achieved you never see them actually arriving home and greeting these families they speak of because they were designed to exist in that away-from-home space and can never function as characters in their original homes because they were written to all be in this specific situation and sharing it together and the shows can end with the possibility of them parting but can never actually show them being without each other because they were never meant to be. so yeah mash voyager letters friendship homecoming separation etc. they're the same

[hopkei]

05.21.24

[best-anime-tournament]

[smallpotatoes-dandelions]

All these star wars prequel sequel midquels are getting SO fucking stupid like yeah sure obi wan and princess leia were best friends when she was like eight but in a new hope they just do not mention it at all or care particularly about each other in any way. Han solo and r2d2 had a torrid love affair in the years before the movie started too they just never bring it up either, they don’t want to make things awkward.

[acheronist]

cossa & kasper... shockingly endearing rookie bestieship in the making methinks 📝

[hischierlovebot]

Can the devils socmed just please do something FUN with the players as promo like !!!! The sabres are so much fun the pens do cool things and I love watching the videos with the leafs and their little boards and the silly tiktoks, even the Canucks with their Instagram videos, just let them be something other than miserable during intermissions please

[sports-character-tournament]

Round 2

Yutaka Hoshino (Ping Pong The Animation) vs Chihaya Ayase (Chihayafuru)

Yutaka Hoshino

Sport: Ping Pong

Appearance: Black hair, dark eyes, no canon height, japanese. He has a bowlcut

Propaganda: Because he's the silliest guy alive! He loves ping pong and candy and he takes great joy from obliterating others in ping pong. Unfortunately, he loves winning so much he has gotten used to playing with people with a lower skillset than his which leads to him stagnating his progress. Through the series he goes from happy-go-lucky and arrogant to giving up after losing a couple of matches, to training despite getting injured while doing so. After all this, some of his opponents are so inspired by how he plays with such joy and freedom that they're inspired to actually follow their dreams even if they're unrelated to succeeding in profesional ping pong. He ends the series on a incredibly high note. Even if you don't vote for him, I hope you give Ping Pong The Animation a chance =)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chihaya Ayase

Sport: Competitive Karuta

Appearance: Light brown hair, brown eyes, 167 cm, japanese, gemini, blood type B

Propaganda: Chihaya's love for karura is inspiring: people rarely recognize it as a sport, it can't be made into a career, and still she dedicates her all into training and advertising it because she really believes in its beauty. Chihaya's competitive nature doesn't stop her from being a team player: she's very skilled and could run solo, but because she knows how life-changing it is to have a passion, she applies her time and skills for training the newbies. Chihaya recognizes there are multiple ways of excelling at something and multiple reasons for being a player: her team is built diversily because she believes in each skillset she finds along the way, which is super empowering when you feel like you might now be good enough🎴

[xo8ball]

hi mutuals.. went to a handball match (my team won! i screamed lots :3) and im very, very tired. gonna eep!

[petxina]

omg should i go to this ping pong tournament they do for festa major in my hometown tomorrow i don’t know anybody there and i’ll be on my own……

[antiibow-a]

sheva i need new sports equipment so my team can win THE BIG GAME!!!

❁ ❜ . . ' * ❛ SORRY, WE'RE SOLD-OUT OF PING PONG paddles. maybe next year, superhero. ❜

@biosurvive | unprompted

[digiknow]

[shadow-von-vamp]

sonic movie spin off ideas i’ve seen on twitter

yes most of these are jokes but i would still watch them

shadow & agent stone show about processing grief

shadow & knuckles show about helping rachel and randall win a tennis tournament

shadow meets tom’s “lunatic” brothers and gets into extreme sports

shadow & rachel learn to relax on a cruise

knuckles & shadow play rock paper scissors to see who has to mow captain rockwell’s yard while she sings a rock opera explaining shadow’s backstory

knuckles & shadow show where randall rediscovers his love of ice skating

shadow helps crazy carl win the ping pong tournament (black doom is the final competitor)

[hugheses]

I think there was a bit before this but this is most of it.

Transcript below cut

[Cole]

Yeah, I mean, I think both of our older brothers played together growing up, so I think somewhere along the way we met. But I think I played a tournament in Toronto with the Bulldogs, with Jack, and that was kind of the first time I was like, I think I'm a pretty bad hockey player. But, I mean, the whole family's great.

They love the game, they're so passionate about it, but obviously from any age you knew Jack was going to be something special.

[Amanda]

What was it about the way he played from that young age that you could see that? Because you're not such a bad player yourself, too, you know?

[Cole]

I mean, just the way he skated. He could always handle the puck well, move the puck well, but I think it's just like the skating talent, everybody at that age could kind of move around, but he was like, probably skated the same way he does now, just a little bit slower back then. You know, he's very special, and it's cool to see how far he's come, but for sure always special to watch.

[Amanda]

And I know that you guys speak to each other, you're still really good buddies, right? So tell me what the Hughes brothers are like when they're up at their cottage. I've heard the stories, the boat, the house, all that.

What's it like when you guys get away together, away from this game?

[Cole]

I mean, it's pretty much anything that we can play a game at. I mean, I just moved five minutes away from their place, so it's even worse than it was. I mean, they're just chill guys.

I mean, they like to compete or whatever, but surprisingly really good cooks and guys that take care of themselves. Obviously, it's always fun being on the boat and kind of messing around, but I think at the end of the day, everybody's just looking out for each other and having a good time. But summertime is fun for sure.

[Amanda]

They are very competitive, as I'm sure you are as well. So what brings out the most competitive spirit? Is it pool?

Is it something, you know, water ski- What is it that brings out that summer competitive spirit the most that gets a little heated?

[Cole]

Yeah, I mean, obviously that pool table's gotten the most use I've ever seen out of something. It's a chalkboard with so many names about how many wins they have. It's either that, ping pong.

Otherwise, we're on the boat. But some nights can get a little bit more fun than that. But again, everything's just out of fun.

I think we've got a good group of guys over there, and everybody just likes hanging out with each other.

[Amanda]

And what's Luke like away from the arena? I mean, he's got a real competitive drive too, and I've heard that he is the best at pool. He's shaking his head, by the way, for people who can't see.

Cole is shaking his head. Is he actually the best at pool?

[Cole]

Yeah, I mean, he's tough to beat. I think everybody's chasing him. I mean, I think he's got his own pool stick.

I don't want to confirm that, but I want to say everybody's chasing him down. If you don't know that, he'll probably tell you. No questions asked.

He's also a guy who never stops eating.

[Amanda]

You know his nickname is Rusty, right? Do we know where that originates? I mean, obviously I know it's from Ocean's Eleven and Brad Pitt's character, Rusty, who in every scene he's always snacking on something or whatever, but it's kind of crazy.

[Cole]

I think he's going to fill himself out pretty well moving forward here.

[Amanda]

And then just as friends, what do you enjoy most about competing against them?

[Cole]

I mean, honestly, they're really special at what they do. They love what they do. It's pretty cool to be able to get to train with them and kind of compete against the best, and that's kind of what you want.

So to be around them, golf with them, do whatever, it's definitely good to just stay competitive in the offseason, but also have guys like that you can lean on and talk to throughout the year.

[Amanda]

All right, we'll do this quickly. Out of the three of you, we'll leave Quinn out of this because he's not involved here. So out of the three of you, who is the best wakeboarder?

[Cole]

Jack.

[Amanda]

Who drives the boat the best?

[Cole]

Probably Jack, too. Luke's pretty good, but I think everybody's more comfortable when he's not behind the wheel. Do you have your boating license? Are you able to?

I've driven their boat a couple times, yeah. I've got to get one for myself, but I probably trust myself more than Luke.

[Amanda]

Best baseball player, if you play?

[Cole]

Me, 100%.

[Amanda]

You?

[Cole]

Yeah, we used to play in high school. I know they all played growing up, but for sure me. We'll have to settle that this summer in a batting cage or something.

[Amanda]

Do you guys play basketball at all together?

[Cole]

Oh, yeah, we used to play two-on-two, one-on-one. If a guy gets out of hand, I think me and Alex Turcotte won a two-v-two this summer. We beat Luke, which is surprising.

Getting him down low, it's tough to defend, but you can get him moving on the outside. You can't keep up. He for sure got his fair share of points on me down low, which is not fun.

[Amanda]

Two-on-two, who is Luke? Is it Luke and Jack? Is it Luke and Quinn?

[Cole]

I don't know who he was with. I mean, we have a huge group, like Larkin, Norris. Glendening, too.

We had a bunch of guys that were just like dogs in a paint. It was crazy. Me and Turcs won, and I was like, there's no way we just did that.

We needed to be on the shelf for two weeks afterwards. That was probably the most sweat I've ever had today, for sure.

[Amanda]

Lastly, Ellen has told me this story, how when they were growing up, that Ellen and Jim used to tell Quinn and Jack, please just try and pass the puck to Luke once in a while. Let the guy do it once in a while. I know you're laughing there.

What does that tell you about these brothers, that family? Does that not check out when it comes to Luke and the boys?

[Cole]

Yeah, I mean, obviously, being the younger brother, I'm a younger brother, too. That's just how it is. But now I think everybody's old enough that it's kind of getting out of the question a little bit.

But he for sure is always the last one for stuff. I feel like I always hear Ellen kind of tell him, just get Luke in on something. Get Luke involved a little bit more.

But Luke's great, a really good human being, to be honest with you. Definitely needs a little bit more respect, I think. And I'll give it to him this summer, for sure.

But I think he's being able to move into the house this year. Now that he's played a couple more games, so that's huge.

[Amanda]

Thanks, Cole. Really appreciate it.

[best-anime-tournament]

[adelarsims]

Embers Academy Spellcasting Tournament: Potions (Group 1) + Rules

i split my 32 participants in four groups, and my original plan was to cover one group a day, but this week was crazy for me and i had no time. to not fall behind the schedule, i'll cover everyone today :)

rules they were following:

everyone's needs are locked. i don't want anyone to be at a disadvantage because they got stuck in simulation lag or spent all their time in bathroom line with other 31 people

they have 12 hours to learn 3 potions through practice. for each potion learned they get 24 points, plus 1 point for each full half an hour left after the last learned potion

autonomy is off, but if someone decides to leave their cauldron for whatever reason, i let them finish that action that distracted them before returning them to the task. their fault if they're easily distracted, a spellcaster must have patience and grit

the first group: Alexandria Pearce, Neven Grant, Lyle Dubois, Rhiannon Grim-Jeong, Maxwell Kilgore, Aurora Mugwort, Estelle Glynnan, and Phoenix Black

alexandria stirs with great determination and looks pretty excited

simeon decided to come and watch lyle. no pressure at all, lyle.

zinnia and daliah didn't want to wait for the main event and dueled right here and there. maxwell and then lyle and rhiannon found watching them more interesting than some boring alchemy grades and left

is that a unicorn fur ingredient, or just Blaze's fur that stuck to me?.. i'll throw it in and see. oh, uh-oh

neven: look, my spoon is huuuge! (rhiannon over there wishes her spoon was a little bit smaller) and then he decided to just go and play ping pong

rhiannon didn't have a great time to be honest, but boy she looked cool

estelle just did her job without distractions (and it paid off)

aurora also just quietly did her job and did it great

maxwell likes it here (it's 3 floors deep in the dungeon)

results:

phoenix, estelle and aurora - very determined girls who worked without distractions and learned all three potions. estelle finished first, and aurora and phoenix a bit later back to back

alexandria - learned two potions, but made them both pretty early and was the first to learn a potion

maxwell and lyle - learned two potions, and honestly they could've learned three if they didn't get distracted

rhiannon - learned 1 potion, she tried hard but didn't look like she was having a great time

neven - i guess he felt from the beginning that alchemy is not for him, because he did literally nothing and ended with whopping zero points, but hey, at least he won in ping pong

i'll post the scores when i cover all four groups performance :)

___

@x-digitaldollhouse-x @aliengirl @hashimasims @witchywhims @partheniasimblr @smilingmoon @adoringsentiment @syntacticerrortxt

[copperbadge]

The UEFA European Championship, the "Euros", is a major soccer championship, with viewership second only to the World Cup. It's starting up this week and I decided to put a few bets on since a number of the Handsome Lads of AS Roma are playing in it along with my favorite Fire player, so I signed up with an online sports book that has a relatively user-friendly app.

(I can hear the "Sam, gambling can be super addictive" comments now and I agree but I promise you of my impulse control issues, gambling is not one of them. I am betting in $2 amounts for fun.)

One of the weird dualistic tensions of online gambling is that by law they have to do allllll this stuff to remind you that it can be addictive and help is available while also doing everything they can to suck you in deeper; social media has nothing on sports betting. There's a clock that tells you how long you've been in the app, which is meant to make sure you take breaks but is actually very stressful because I keep thinking it's timing me like I'm taking an exam; on the other hand it won't let you sort your bets by date so you can easily see what's coming next and then log off.

But I'm not here to talk about manipulative apps or betting or even footie. I'm here to talk about...

table tennis

Because one way they keep you on the site is to offer limited live streaming of sports you can bet on in real time and i miei amici, at the moment there is a table tennis championship tournament in progress.

It's like watching some kind of absurdist performance art unfold. You can see plenty of finals matches in nice venues with audiences and high res filming at YouTube, but what I am guessing are the prelims are played in a small rather dimly lit room with a single fixed camera at a distinctly "surveilling the inmates" angle. There's a game table, the two people playing, and a nearby desk where the referee sits. And then they play table tennis with the focused determination of military snipers.

This is a screenshot of what is actually a nicer video than the streams at the sports book (which doesn't let you screenshot) but you get the idea.

Don't get me wrong, I respect table tennis as a sport requiring skill and dedication I don't personally possess. It's not the ping pong of it all that gets me. It's the weird utilitarian grimness of the visual, like it's footage from a military experiment in a dystopian thriller film. It's what I imagine the filmed aesthetic of the Russian Sleep Experiment creepypasta would be.

I'm not betting on the games but I'm not gonna lie that I haven't watched a few matches. These men certainly come to win.