#slop-seller

[joespinell]

PERSISTING

[milkconfetti]

finally repotted my vsoh out of the coco coir slop it was sent in so hopefully it stops throwing fits and dropping leaves

[drchucktingle]

space raptor butt experiment

when conservative ideas are put to the test they basically always fail. specifically ruminating on how very early in my career conservative goofs tried to force me into an award for ONE specific reason: irony. in their mind, as a queer artist, i OBVIOUSLY didnt belong there

that is premise RABID PUPPIES had at hugo awards, that CHUCK TINGLE was least likely person to be taken seriously and therefore would delegitimize something serious. to them it was unfathomable that i could be making REAL art because i was too strange, queer, and UNTRADITIONAL

conservatives in literary space believe TRADITIONAL is RIGHT and everything else is distraction. now we have a literal TEST OF THIS THEORY. they GOT TO PICK THEIR FIGHTER in the arena, to see my art and whisper amongst themselves 'this is epitome of progressive artistic failure'

this test has been running for nearly ten years now, not in a lab but ON THIS TIMELINE OF REALITY. and look at the results, look how much tinglers resonate, how many buckaroos have gathered to support my art. CAMP DAMASCUS was a best seller. BURY YOUR GAYS COMIN IN HOT

this is not a moment to just sit around and pat myself on the back, but i think it is worth recognizing something. RABID PUPPIES and all of those conservative literary goofs were unequivocally WRONG about me and my art. because they are philosophically wrong about EVERYTHING

they have joined a long line of lonesome whining goofs who will say ‘let the market decide’ and when the market decides that their work is slop they will CONVENIENTLY forget what they initially stood for. more sad lonely devils moaning in their basements while we trot in the sun

i will end this observation with this: THANK YOU for being a part of this experiment with me, for seeing my unique expression and trotting along beside me. for as much as i have proven love to you on this path, YOU HAVE PROVEN LOVE TO ME. HERES TO TROTTING INTO THE FUTURE

[pumpumdemsugah]

I ended up on twitter after watching this documentary by a British comedian about British beaches and streams being full of human shit and he put together this entire stunt to bring attention to this and hoping twitter outrage would help. Me being nosey I go on twitter I see barbz taking a victory lap because they bought multiple copies of Pink Friday 2 to push it to the top of the charts. There's always been people who have done this but up until recently it wasn't impactful enough to push flop albums or songs into the top consistently. If I was a fan of someone, I'd hate it if the reason they're at the top of the charts is through gaming the system and not genuine buzz and interest. I don't care how much I like someone I'm not spending money on any slop they dish out.

It makes me think of this of Tiktok / YouTuber ya author sort of boosting about how she memed her way to a best seller. Everyone has to promote and yeah, push your work but I think there's a point when it feels like loser antics, especially if the reviews are that the actual piece of work was just ok and a worrying amount of people not enjoying it at all. I don't make art anymore but I'd feel embarrassed if after promoting most of the buzz wasn't genuine interest and love but just buzzword buzzword read this book/ memes etc instead of something being moving, good and making people really excited

You don't want to make meaningful work ? You don't want to command respect because you're good at what you're doing ? My ego couldn't and wouldn't let me do this. I need to be gassed up for real and not in a begging for recognition from authority way.

[guardian-of-fun-times]

So, deviantart is hosting an "Adoptables March Madness" event, where all 3 example adoptables are AI-generated. The entries in the replies to their promotional journal post are also swamped with AI-generated images. I'm speechless.😮

Every artist should leave Devianart. This place doesn't deserve your art anymore!

There are so many things I want to say about this, but seeing as comments speaking out are being hidden left and right, I'll bite my tongue and say simply this; shame on everyone who allowed Al-generated images to take over Deviantart.

I've spent so many years of my life on this website, and I've never felt so betrayed by a company/development team. This website was made for artists. Real people who put hours of time, effort, and skill into *hand-crafting* their pieces with love and pouring their souls into each one. Now, even with the option to "block Al images" from the front page and search, it's still littered with them anyway because so many people don't bother to tag their Al-generated slop, hoping people won't notice.

Art theft was already a prevalent problem for artists, and now we're supposed to just grin and bear it as every single one of these Al algorithms scrape our art so that techbros can make amalgamations without ever having to pick up a pencil and learn the skills themselves. This coming from the same crowd who used to harass digital artists and tell them they "weren't real artists" because "the computer made it for them" is absolutely rich. Apparently, it only applies when it's something that benefits *you*.

On top of all of this, and even worse still, you cannot* legally own an Al-generated image, which means you *cannot* legally own an Al-generated design, even if you draw more art of it. Creating and selling Al-generated adoptables is a 100% scam, as neither seller nor buyer has any actual copyright of the design. Making an entire event based around adoptables-which has been a staple of Deviantart culture for many, many years, and using nothing but Al-generated characters is the biggest slap in the face I have ever seen. The current Deviantart team has continued to surprise me over and over with the sheer amount of disregard for their userbase they seem to have. It's actually, truly insane.

I and many other users have been unhappy with Deviantart's direction since the implementation of Eclipse, and I finally had enough and removed all of my artwork from this site when they first started their foray into Al-remember when everyone was automatically opted in to have their artwork scraped, and had to fill out a form* in order to get their usernames opted out? I do- and I'm glad I did. I want to say I hope someone sees some sense in the future, but I highly doubt this website will ever truly recover. All I can say is, thank you, to the actual artists* that made my childhood here fun all those years ago, and I hope you find another website that will appreciate you in a way that Deviantart clearly doesn't.

[syrupwit]

Any Hawke/Your choice, "Cooking food to hint at feelings"? Happy Friday~

Happy Friday, Miss Gosling! Dame Gooselin? Goose. This is a fun prompt, thank you :D

Under the cut, please find exactly 400 words of purplish f!Hawke/Merrill for @dadrunkwriting.

-

It was a dish; that much was obvious. It was a sturdy large dish, of carved pale stone, that Hawke’s mother had likely inherited from someone. What was in it was less obvious, as was why Hawke was offering it to her.

Merrill said, as politely as she could, “Um, what is this?”

Hawke’s lovely face went startled for a moment, then smoothed into her usual mask of disdain and amusement. “You are familiar with mushrooms, aren’t you? Surely Fereldans and dwarves aren’t the only ones who eat them.” She put the dish forward a little.

Merrill looked at it. The brown-gray slop in it held shapes that might, at a squint, have once been parts of mushrooms. She sniffed the slop. It smelled like things that had been boiled for too long, and beneath that, a bit of lard for seasoning. Not really like mushrooms.

“I hope you didn’t gather these yourself,” she said to Hawke. “Mushrooms can be dangerous, and it’s easy to poison yourself by accident unless you really know what you’re doing. Even I make mistakes sometimes. This one time when we were out near Sundermount, Isabela and I—”

“Yes, yes, you and Isabela,” Hawke interrupted, sounding peeved, and drew the dish back. “I bought these at the market in the alienage. Children were eating them when the seller’s back was turned, so I assumed they were fine.”

“You were in the alienage?” Secretly, Merrill was touched. She liked spending time with Hawke, even if they didn’t see eye to eye on many issues, and it would be lovely if she got more involved in things around the alienage. “Why didn’t you stop by and see me? I could have shown you how to cook the mushrooms properly.”

Hawke’s mouth turned down, and her shoulders hunched up, but then she let out a little laugh and relaxed. “I suppose that would have been the wise thing to do, instead of trying to thrill you with the wonders of Fereldan cuisine and my legendary cooking skills.”

“Oh, yes,” said Merrill, “I’ve heard that Fereldan food isn’t very good. But I’ll try this, if it’s something you like.” She reached for the dish.

“Merrill, you don’t have to—”

The mushrooms were exactly as awful as she’d known they would be. Worse, even. But Hawke’s embarrassment delighted her almost as much as knowing that she cared about her opinion.

[equalonline]

Platform Trolley: The Most Useful Warehouse Equipment

A warehouse is a place where you have to work harder to manage products efficiently, if you don’t arrange them correctly they will occupy more space. In a warehouse you have to shift several items regularly, this can be difficult if done manually and also consumes a lot of energy that will reduce your productivity. The best solution for reducing your efforts and saving your energy is the Platform trolley, which is also known as a hand truck trolley.

How to Choose the Right Platform Trolley for You

Most of the time the main purpose of using a platform trolley remains the same which is shifting items from one place to another. There may be various needs of a business that should be considered. This is the reason why platform trolleys have a wide set of uses and functionality that increases their importance in business. Several factors influence it, i.e. nature, weight, shape, size of the product, etc.

A warehouse platform trolley is considered high quality if is constructed with sturdy material that has no sharp edges. Platform trolley comes in various weight segment ranges from 25 kg to 2000 kg. So, you can choose according to your business need. The base of the trolley can be constructed with metal, wood, or abs plastic. Platform trolleys with ABS Plastic base are the customer’s first choice as they are cheap, easy to use, and clean. Long-lasting and strong as compared to other materials. If you want to carry a material that has long lengths, you can choose to add racks to ensure product safety. The size and shape of the wheel depending on the type of surface where the trolley is supposed to be used. If you need to weigh a heavy load, go for a trolley that has wheels constructed with polyurethane material. If your trolley is going to be used on an uneven surface, you should go for a trolley that comes with air-filled pneumatic casters.

There are various types of trolleys, have a look

Platform Trolley 150 kg

Platform Trolley 300 kg

Platform Trolley 500 kg

Reputed sellers may offer you a quality product that can enhance your operating experience, helping you to capitalize on your investment.

Benefits of Platform Trolley

Transporting heavy or uneven material by hand seems to be a difficult task but this can be converted into an easy one by using a platform trolley. Most of the trolleys use ABS sheets as their surface which is strong and reliable to keep any type of load on it, no matter how heavy they are. Some of the trolleys have a rubber sheet on their surface which provides extra grip to the material. This is highly beneficial in case you have to carry a slippery material.

The quality platform trolleys are usually made of abs frame, during the process this makes them strong and reliable t use. This means they can lift any type of material regardless of their weight.

Due to the lock system, you can transport materials on slop with extreme ease. Platform trolleys are designed in such a way that they can meet different business requirements. To make transportation easy for large items, you can add a cage or coat to it. You can buy a good quality platform trolley online at a budget price at EQUAL. If you have questions let us know.

[purplepollywog]

So I paid for some cat food through my vet and I used PayPal thinking it would take me to PayPal's actual fucking site so I could see if I could stretch out the payments for it but NOPE. It just put the fucking payment right on through despite me having insufficient funds in the account. I need the fucking food so my cat doesn't piss fucking rocks so I paid a different way. Nobody in customer service was in on the weekends so I had to wait. On Monday I contacted the fucking company to see if they would cancel it and never heard back from them. I thought it would take a lot longer than not at all to process the fucking orders. This morning I get two fucking emails saying both fucking payments went through and the food is basically on my doorstep. I contacted the business and apparently these dumb motherfuckers consider overprocessed chicken offal and dirt as 'medicine' just because it's a fucking 'vet approved diet' (it's absolute shit compared to what I feed my girls, and I loathe feeding my cat compacted, gelatinized sawdust, but it seems like it's keeping his bladder crystals at bay). I can't return it even if it's untouched and unopened because of some bullshit federal law. There's nothing protected in this glorified fucking cat meatloaf. It's not meth or fentanyl.

So I wasted my fucking time killing myself at my job to make two pennies fucking more to try and save something to buy fucking Christmas gifts with or even pay for shipping of those same gifts because PayPal and these fucking garbage ass slop sellers just fucking bent me over and fisted me up the ass. This food isn't fucking cheap and I also only feed one cat this shit, so now I'm going to have way too much. PayPal is probably also going to ding me for them fucking being dumb motherfuckers and putting the payment through despite me having nothing to pay them with.

I WANT TO RIP THEM IN FUCKING HALF

I LITERALLY FUCKING BEAT MYSELF TO DEATH AND DO OVERTIME TO TRY AND GET AHEAD AND IT'S A WASTE OF FUCKING TIME

[keereejou]

I feel like consuming some video game slop rn,

TIME TO SORT BY TOP SELLERS ON FREE TO PLAY GAMES ON STEAM!!!!!!!!!

i do this a lot, i am not mentally well!

[ailtrahq]

Solana has set out into the new week with a vivid bullish outlook—1.6% in 24-hour gains to highs almost at $20. This competitive smart contracts token, like many of its peers, continues to deal with a rather dilapidated market structure, as losses accumulate to 14% in 30 days. SOL price closed the month of August noticeably lower than the monthly opening price of roughly $25. SOL Price On The Move To $30 Key indicators, especially short-term reveal that the path with the least resistance has finally flipped to the upside. Solana has since the beginning of September sustained a bullish outlook, bolstered by support at $18. However, the validity of the uptrend will depend on whether bulls can bring down the resistance at $20. Such a move would imply a stronger bullish grip reinforced by a buy signal from the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator. In that case, traders should be on the lookout for a bullish cross, with the blue MACD line flipping above the red signal line. The Relative Strength Index (RSI), although not oversold in August is in the process of validating the ongoing rebound above $20. SOL/USD daily chart | Tradinview A break above $20 might not be enough to propel the Solana live price to $30, hence bulls must not rest until Solana holds above the next crucial hurdle at $23. If they manage to bring down this hurdle, traders can start booking profits at $25, $30, and later at $37. SOL Price Flaunts Falling Wedge Pattern A falling wedge pattern on the four-hour chart hints at a 12% breakout to $22.5, This pattern serves as hope that the downtrend is coming to an end and bulls are ready to take over. Two downward-slopping trendlines form this pattern, one connecting the series of lower highs and the other the lower lows. As the trendlines converge, the trading volume drops. SOL price will mark the beginning of the uptrend by breaking above the resistance trendline before the lines converge. Buy orders are usually above the breakout point with the target representing the distance between the widest points of the pattern. SOL/USD four-hour chart | Tradingview The MACD in the short-term chart already flipped bullish, calling on traders to fire up their buy orders. Notice the blue MACD line above the red signal line and the momentum indicator generally moving toward the mean line and the positive region. If resistance at $20 holds in place, SOL price may remain vulnerable to seller influence. Support at $18 is expected to come in handy but there is the possibility of Solana sliding to $15 and testing post-FTX implosion support at $8. Source

[joespinell]

peter sellers in his ghost in the noonday sun post-liza minnelli era is really something like he looks like he’s about to yell at any random person in public just a stray hair away from auctioning off his vintage car collection and strangling peter medak

the face of a man who just starred in some really awful slop and will not hesitate to do it again

[impacthomedesign]

Home Renovations - Useful Tips On Additions And Renovations

You are renovating your house because you want it to feel more pleasant and attractive. But, What kind of additions and renovations can you find for your house? How do they differ from other projects? What should you expect? Impact Homes will try to provide answers in this blog for homeowners, builders, and interior designers in Victoria, BC. You'll learn the most important things a designer needs to know about their business. It may seem like just a few bits of information, but each is an essential part of your finished product.

Renovations and additions call for a distinct set of skills and familiarity with project design for different projects. There are many good reasons to enhance and renovate your place. It is a good idea to comprehend a few crucial factors if this is your plan.

Some projects could be straightforward and merely call for expanding the current area. Other initiatives, like remodelling an existing space or expanding it with a makeover, will be more difficult. Regardless of size, the design process is mostly the same, and to produce a high-quality set of drawings, a designer must consider several specific factors. Here are some essential factors for you to consider.

 A Site Survey

A site survey is crucial because it provides precision when constructing new structures or making changes to existing ones. Without a site survey, the plan will not be accurate if the project goes beyond the coverage limit allowed by the zoning code. So if the plan is inaccurate, how do you know that the project will successfully pass the building permit phase?

One of the everyday items that home sellers provide to potential buyers is a mortgage survey. This usually comes with purchasing a house, but this item can sometimes be helpful for projects. However, they are outdated and short on critical information, often leading to inaccurate measurements. For example, mortgage surveys do not have geodetic data points, so the designer for home renovation Victoria would use other means to calculate building height to meet height restrictions.

Getting a property survey is pretty straightforward. An appointment for the next day can be scheduled with a surveying company by simply calling them. When the survey is complete, they will send you a PDF file with the measurements of your property. The architect usually uses this file when creating custom house plans in Victoria that are required for building permit applications.

 Keep Servicing in Mind

It's important to address services that happen behind the scenes before embarking on a project. The crucial resources that often go unnoticed should be established before the design process begins. Before any work starts, a designer should consider how the project will be serviced with water, how it will be serviced with sewer, and how stormwater will be managed. A client should know about this information in advance, which is why these items must be discussed and answered before anything else begins. These elements may alter the overall cost of the project, and therefore it's best to establish these aspects at the beginning of the project, so they're addressed.

If you are adding water fixtures that use water on your property, two upgrades may take place.

1.      An upgrade to the pipe you own that runs from your property line to your home renovation design services in Victoria.

2.     An upgrade to the service of pipes owned by the city; these items run from the street to your property line.

The idea is that your water service should be able to accommodate all fixtures running at once. There should never be a time when it cannot handle what the fixtures need. You can learn more about how this process works at your city's engineering department.

Sewer services are responsible for two types of water: black and grey.

·        Black water is nonreusable liquid sewage, while

·        Grey water is used water that does not contain sewage, such as bathwater or laundry.

Sewer systems run towards the street, usually at a slight slope from your house to your sewer main. In other cases, a septic tank and field are still commonly used. A septic system typically draws dirty water from a tank into a field, allowing it to separate from the central portions of sewage over time. 

Stormwater management is one of the most important aspects of a property. Adding a gutter system to your house will help keep your foundation intact and prevent significant water damage. It's also important to take steps to divert rainwater away from your house's foundation walls. If left in place, it can cause serious injury to the wall or other parts of the house.

 Lining up new to old

Building additions and renovations can be a complex challenge, especially when aligning the new structure with the existing one. Another old saying goes like this: "If you can't make it look like it's always been there, make it look different." For example, don't pretend like the new construction matches the existing one if that's obvious; instead, turn it into an asset. And usually, building a seamless addition is possible - but you still have to watch out for a couple of things.

 What Not to Touch

In the case of additions & renovations, you need to know what items to touch and which ones not to. Working on a project can mess up your budget if you have to start touching things that weren't originally in your plans. One example is legal non-conforming construction. This refers to older construction techniques that fail to meet current building codes. The city won't force you to bring this type of construction in line with the code unless you make any changes.

This knowledge could help save you from major headaches with the city. Construction can create a domino effect in which an item not originally part of your project needs updating. For example, lessening a basement floor might require adding steps onto stairs - but those steps would need updating because they're not compliant. There are many examples like this. It's a good idea to keep these things in mind and consider them, especially when planning construction projects.

 This concludes our succinct list of things the homeowner and designer should consider and plan for during the design phase. These items are by no means an exhaustive list of what to anticipate during additions and renovations, but we believe they provide useful insight into some of the things you can anticipate. Comparing additions and renovations to custom and spec homes can be very different. As with other projects, they necessitate attention to various factors, and a designer must have extensive construction knowledge to succeed.

[kbworthsaving]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Vtg 80s Womens Diamond Tea Robe Kaftan House Coat Dress Rainbow Streaked Zip M.

[klapollo]

we need to stop making fanfiction into books because turning non-fic literature into a homogenous slop of enemies to lovers bed sharing fake dating hurt comfort mutual pining slow burn coffee shop meet cute slow burn arranged marriage is slowly creating a an oversaturated market of best sellers that are just frankenstein’s monsters made up of the same five plot points you can see in any semi-popular media’s ao3 page which in the end is terrible for the art form as a while

just kidding it’s bc i dont have a book deal like they do and i’m very jealous

[digivelocityindia-blog]

7 Lethal Indications of Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing is a term that portrays the entirety of the systems for speaking with clients through the Internet, Mobile Phones, Display ads, and different sorts of Digital Media. The need to meet the various needs and expectations for such a large number of various Consumers from countless various channels represents various extraordinary challenges for companies attempting to see this and structure a compelling development plan. Digital marketing training institute in Bangalore.

With such a large number of subtleties to consider to make a working digital marketing strategy, it's nothing unexpected that many commit errors. In this article, we will give instances of the most risky of them, just as we figure out how to keep away from them. Digital marketing institute in Bangalore

LETHAL SIN NUMBER 1. CREATE AD TITLES WITHOUT UTILIZING TARGETED KEYWORDS

In the event that a client has entered certain keywords into the search bar, the person in question is bound to tap on an Ad with that specific phrase in the title. This feeling is natural to many – once in a while it appears as though promoting on the internet understands considerations and knows precisely what you need to discover. Simultaneously, the absence of appropriate keywords in the feature can prompt the way that clients will ignore the ad, considering it totally inappropriate to their necessities. This can happen regardless of whether it shows up in search results for an expression for which you have optimized the text. Is this fair? Not so much, however it's human instinct.

LETHAL SIN NUMBER 2. CONTENT CREATION SLIPSHOD

Online shopping nowadays for the most part implies a detailed study of offers. Customers need to ensure they are getting a good deal from a reliable seller. No one needs to manage shady companies. Outdated or irrelevant content is the fundamental sign of such a company. Today, corporate blogs are a significant asset for consumers, as they measure your reliability as well as know whether you realize your industry well. Potential clients are looking for fresh content that investigates current trends and flow patterns and approaches. Inappropriate content on a company blog will scare away genuine buyers. Digital marketing course in Bangalore with placement

LETHAL SIN NUMBER 3. EMOTIONAL SOCIAL  MEDIA POSTING

In everyday life, it is exceptionally simple to enjoy emotions and state something that can negatively influence the success of your business. This likewise applies to the digital world, however with the distinction that a tirade published on a social network will rapidly be taken into quotes. Screenshots of your post will be utilized by competitors for quite a while and scare away potential customers. Remember that social media marketing efforts build your brand image. Do your best not to harm your reputation. A quick tip: In the event that you will in general lose your temper, at that point attempt to avoid your social media accounts until you chill. Digital Marketing Course in Bangalore.

LETHAL SIN NUMBER 4. IGNORING CLIENTS IN THE LOCAL MARKET

Numerous individuals see the Internet as a worldwide tool. Up to this point, companies regularly didn't invest a lot of energy into local SEO optimization. In certain regions of action (particularly on account of physical stores), it is clear for everybody to engage in promotion among the local population. In any case, all businesses can profit by nearby local SEO optimization, the same number of customers want to shop at their nearest locations. Geo-optimize your search engine to attract local clients, and aim to produce positive online reviews for your brand. Likewise, customize your Google My Business page and Yandex. Registry with the goal that clients can see your phone number.

LETHAL SIN NUMBER 5. USING WEAK OR INEFFECTUAL CALLS TO ACTION

Like a weak handshake, a terrible source of action in ads, blogs, or social media posts can give customers the wrong impression. As a rule, people would prefer not to be pushed around, and yet, they love to be carefully guided the correct way. Potential customers don't care for being forced to think about what exactly should be done to begin working with you. Try not to be shy – let them know bluntly that they should "click on this link right currently to get a 50% discount!.

LETHAL SIN NUMBER 6. ABSENCE OF BRAND MENTIONS MONITORING

At the point when you at last begin advertising your company online, you will get one reason for the discussion. Some of the time online discussions are more similar to threats. People on the Internet will in general act forcefully – and more frequently than, all things considered, in light of the fact that in real life because they feel safe thanks to anonymity. At the point when a few customers get upset or feel like you planned something incorrectly for them, they may attempt to create a wave of hatred against your brand. The best approach for you is consistently to manage these situations quickly, truly, and professionally. It is basic that you get some answers concerning them as soon as possible. Delayed response to pouring slop on your company can just make the situation worse. Track notices of your brand and keep steady over what people think of you. Advanced digital marketing course in Bangalore.

LETHAL SIN NUMBER 7. TRUST THE SITE DESIGN TO INCOMETENT PEOPLE

 You should not believe the development of a website to a companion or relative on the off chance that he is certifiably not an expert website designer who realizes how to work with SEO specialists and realizes how to increase the site's ranking in search results. Your asset should have an easy to understand structure that fulfills modern trends and standards – at that point search engines will not ignore it. On top of that, your site should be mobile. A huge number of customers who are prepared to make a purchase immediately use smartphones to search. Try not to drive them to go to your competitor on the grounds that your site has too small content or awkward buttons.

OUTPUT

The above list just covers the most well-known digital marketing mistakes. In any case, online promotion is a full-fledged job that requires steady attention. It very well may be eased with free site analysis and expert consultation tools, however it takes a great deal of work to make and keep up online success.

[some-triangles]

I went to the first night of the 2019 J-Cup tournament last night and I wrote up a little report afterward, in an effort to wind down.   If that sounds interesting to you, below:

Sweet small venue, with balcony – the place is a theater but I don’t think this was the main room, mad moose lodge vibes.   Tacoma is prettier than I expected it to be (at least this part), reminds me of some half-genteel half-industrial Jersey towns, with the Puget Sound standing in for the Hudson.

-Opening match was Liger and Karl Fredericks vs Shota and Ren.  It was the dad/lion vibe you’d expect.  Shota took a nap at my feet for most of the closing stretch, which was surreal – I sprang for ringside tickets this time, on account of who knows if NJPW will ever run this close to me again.   I don’t regret it.

-Straight on to the tournament matches.  First was Rocky vs Sobreano Jr.  People forget that Rocky is a 20+ year veteran in the biz – watching him tonight was a treat, both for his wrestling and his schtick.  So effortless, so good with the little bits of business, playing to the crowd between clotheslines. Sobreano is a generic luchador but (unlike the other CMLL guy on the card tonight) he has abs and actively listens to the crowd.  Fun match with a lot of comedy spots, Sobreano won.

-Then we got TJP vs Clark Connors.  Connors is I guess the breakout guy from the current LA Dojo class, given that he’s in the tournament while his cohorts are jerking the curtain, but I kind of like Fredericks more.  He brought the Young Lion Intensity to this match, making it fun down the stretch and getting the first of too many THIS IS AWESOME chants by kicking out of a brainbuster. I can’t stand TJP but he’s also a multidecade veteran and he can certainly do some moves, despite being a charisma vacuum – I can’t deny that the match succeeded.  After TJP won he did the mutual respect thing with Connors and kissed the NJPW logo in the middle of the ring, which would have worked better if we hadn’t spent the whole match booing him.

-Bushi vs Caristico next.  Caristico was the original Sin Cara in WWE – the one with the entire botchamania miniseries dedicated to him – and Bushi is not my favorite wrestler, despite his excellent fashion sense.  The weakest match of the show by a good margin.  Caristico won but I spent the whole thing staring at his underwear, which was peeking out of his gold and white ruby-bedazzled cross-emblazoned tights.  They didn’t look like particularly nice briefs and it ruined the effect somewhat.  He also took a flip bump off a kick to the gut that didn’t come close to connecting, and was, in general, a bit of a wet fish.

-Next up: Taguchi vs Jonathan Gresham.  This was my match of the night til the main event.  I loved Gresham already but seeing him in person sold me on him as a future star.  He has everything you want a wrestler to have, a complete performer in the ring... his grappling is tremendous, he’s fluid, he reacts to the crowd, he sells well, has a great build, can be funny or serious or scary as circumstance demands.  If he were six inches taller he’d be set for life.  It was a treat to see Taguchi up close, too – another one of those veterans who’s just effortlessly good at everything he does.  Gooch won a pin exchange (NJPW really likes having technical specialists get beaten at their own game by goofs lately) but sold like death afterward, which to me says he knows Gresham should have won.  Then he danced for us while still selling like death, which is something only he can pull off.

-Robbie Eagles vs El Phantasmo.  This was the only match with an existing storyline going in – really the only one with a true face/heel dynamic – and felt brutal and mean in a way nothing else on the card did.  Phantasmo was the revelation for me here.  He’s incredibly lithe and precise and poised, his character work is absolutely on point, and the way he hops around so effortlessly on those long legs gives him an uncanny demonic quality.  You believe he’s a psychopathic narcissist.  (Also, he spat into the crowd and nearly hit me.)   Eagles is adorable, and it’s a good thing he’s turned face now, as it’s a struggle to take him seriously under the best of circumstances.  He’s also a great wrestler and a blast to watch but if NJPW had any guts they’d have hired his sister too.   Phantasmo won, setting himself up for a sleaze-off with TJP.

-Yoh vs. Dragon Lee.  These are two incredibly beautiful men, particularly Yoh, who is a buttery twink and knows it.  They did topes into my side of the crowd three times in a row, wiping out into the same people every time (glad – or maybe sad – that my seat was strategically off-center.) I am hoping the camera did not catch me ogling Yoh’s nipples after the third dive.  I was distracted by hotness and also by my lingering, illogical resentment for Lee because of Hiromu but I think it was a pretty great match, with Lee going over. Better, certainly, than:

-Sho vs Ishimori.  The way Ishimori walked to the ring suggests to me that he’s still working hurt, and I think this match was designed to disguise that.  Sho did his best to suck up all the attention – I don’t know if he’s always like this and I just didn’t notice before, but he was a comedy seller here, a gurner, a big walking ham.  Kind of took me out of it, to be honest.    Sho pinned Ishimori, which is another bit of evidence that the bone soldier is hurtin’, and will move on to get run over by Ospreay next round in a match that will certainly be the tournament’s most extra.

-Speaking of which: our main event, Ospreay vs Amazing Red, who came out of a long retirement for this match.  First, Red can still go, although he can’t go quite as fast as some of the young cats, as evidenced by some slop and miscommunication in the coreographed counter sequences that Will likes to put in all his matches.   Also he took a pretty scary bump after a botched top rope rana thing, and I think it’s possible he finished the match hurt.  That being said, his wrestling would absolutely pass muster in NJPW’s current junior division and he even pulled out some shit that wowed me, including the smoothest satellite DDT I’ve ever seen.  Ospreay’s delight at having pulled one of his childhood heroes out of retirement to wrestle him was palpable and he gave it his all, though I suspect Will always gives it his all, being a handsome idiot with no off switch.  They had an Ospreay match, which was therefore better than anything else on the card, Will won, and then he got on the mic and tried to get Red to come out of retirement for real and many tears were shed. It was one of the best wrestles I’ve ever seen live and afterward I got to give Will an awkward half hug because I was wearing his shirt.  

From top to bottom probably the best wrestling show I’ve been to in terms of workrate, with only the one dud.   The crowd was hot all night, verging on too hot (they kept chanting for Red Shoes the ref during the main event, which is understandable, but give me a break.)   All in all an excellent evening’s entertainment.

My prediction for the rest of the tournament is an Ospreay vs Dragon Lee final, with Lee going over as Ospreay continues to drift toward the heavyweight division.