#we could’ve equalised

[sportssforsportss]

Still upset over the Eng v Ger game today but enjoy a really low quality Lucy bronze gif by me :>

[capwilliamsxn]

Few points:

1. People can just feel bad mentally for no reason, so to the anons asking why we think she had a bad time mentally - she doesn’t need a reason. Not having a go by the way, just stating that a lot of us have felt a bit grim because of a lot of things - just general politics, weather, the state of the world etc.

2. To the people blaming Leah for the loss, a loss with 11 people on the field is not a loss caused by one. Liverpool scored an own goal today, their 6-0 loss wasn’t the fault of that one goal, it was a host of problems within the team. Similarly, Leah having a lapse of concentration (or whatever) didn’t cause us to draw against Chelsea. We should’ve been 3-0 up by 60 minutes. It’s easy to blame the equaliser than the missed opportunities. Leah had perfectly blocked Kerr on many occasions before that one slip up.

3. Just a general thank you to yourself, and the people who visit your page, for having some understanding about them. I consistently see them (and you) being very diplomatic about the speculation. Actually analysing things before they are posted makes such a big difference. TikTok is full, and I mean full, of people (most children) arguing with each other and saying ‘she’s gonna feel so bad, she’s already said it’s her fault and her mental health is already so bad’. This is not the case. She accepted responsibility for the goal, and that’s fair enough because she was the one marking Kerr, but she did not accept responsibility for the loss, which was correct. These people that start this crap on social media are the reason the women’s game is looked at in the way it is - we should be able to critique their football - celebrate it when it’s great, and comment (without being rude) when it’s not. That’s what we do for men, so why not for women? To say that we need think before we do that because they’re vulnerable and women is so incoherently silly when we are trying have it looked at as equal.

yeah, i agree with what your saying.

i think that people should definitely be allowed to criticise a player and teams performance without being attacked by ‘fans’ who don’t want to be honest. i’ve seen this a lot with the new arsenal fans, especially when we play bad. people act like we were perfect when we weren’t. and yeah, we’re not going to be 100% all the time, but it’s not wrong to admit that and point out what could’ve been better. it’s what makes the players themselves so good. if leah didn’t take responsibility for that mistake on the pitch tonight, she wouldn’t be the player, teammate and person she is (ability or personality wise).

plus, to say we shouldn’t critique them because they’re women is not only sexist but completely dumb and ignorant. for ANY sportsperson (regardless of gender) to improve, they need feedback from their managers, coaches, teams etc. otherwise they’d get injured, plateau and probably have no success at all.

also, honestly, i think that if more people gave thought to what they were saying before they posted it/shared it/whatever then social media (& the world) would probably be better off for it.

[artemisia-black]

Regulus doubling down on his beliefs if he found out LV was not a pure blood makes a lot of sense especially because for him to question those beliefs would have to result in him realizing that almost everything he knows(via blood and blood purity and pure bloods being superior) is wrong and since so much of his personality revolves around said beliefs, I don’t think he’d be able to deal with the fact that he could’ve been wrong about so much since it was such a huge part of his life.

Perhaps if he still ended up going to the Cave(and survived) somehow after finding out LV’s blood status- the near death experience could be a huge wake up call or at least a reason to start looking at his beliefs more critically, but like you said- I think his first reaction would be to double down and then create a war criminal group of his own 😂. But even if he did unlearn his original beliefs, I don’t ever see him as being like a Champion of Muggle Born rights(although I do feel like it might be a bit easier for him to change vs his parents if only Regulus is younger and hasn’t lived with his pure blood beliefs nearly as long as his parents)

I completely agree. 90% of Regulus’s personality (even from the scant bits we get in canon) revolves around being a Black.

I think at best, when faced with his own mortality and the fact that we all die one day (regardless of our station in life) it might take the edge of his urge to murder muggles/ muggleborns. Death is a great equaliser and all that jazz.

I can see him settling into ‘tolerating’ muggleborns but not mixing with them (once again best case scenario).

“Hug a muggle” or the spiritual fore-bearer of S.P.E.W Regulus is out of character IMO

[basicallyblank]

Where to start?

Firstly, why was McCabe on the bench for so long?

Secondly, finding it hard to rate Stina right now. So many chances that should’ve been finished by her that just weren’t.

Thirdly, getting irritated at these Tik Tok children posting videos about how the final goal wasn’t due to a lapse of concentration. It was. By saying that, I am not saying Leah isn’t an incredible footballer; she is. One of the best. She had a few seconds when she wasn’t in the best position, dropped her guard for a few seconds and Kerr managed to find a goal, which is expected from Kerr. It happens in football, and if we can’t say that then what can we say? The women’s game should be scrutinised in the same way the men’s is, if that had been any men’s defender we would’ve said ‘god he could’ve been in a better position there and stopped that’ - why shouldn’t we be allowed to do that for the women too? That’s where these youngsters are causing the narrow-minded idiots to have things to say - like ‘sure you can’t even say anything bad about their football because they get too emotional’. Leah doesn’t want that, nor do the other women’s players; they want to be judged on their football, they want people to take an interest in the tactics, positioning, and marking - they just don’t want videos of themselves on TT with their shirt lifted and some grim song put over the top of it. She accepted responsibility for the goal, not the match and that’s what they’re failing to see. The multiple missed opportunities weren’t her fault, so by saying that the equaliser could’ve been prevented isn’t blaming the result on her; and she will know and expect that. These children need to stop before they ruin the women’s game before it’s even gotten off the ground.

Fourthly, it is so clear how much we are missing Beth and Viv, we need another striker asap to fill that void if we want to be serious contenders for the title.

Fifthly, and most importantly, it shows how much the women’s game needs stability. It can’t be ‘we’ll play in a ground with a few thousand this week’ and then ‘let’s play in a ground with 40 odd thousand this week.’ It puts unfair pressure on the players, as they feel they have a responsibility to give those fans a reason to return. You could tell today, even in the arrival videos, that the girls were less relaxed and more nervous than they have been previously.

Lastly, aside from that one goal, how incredibly did Leah mark Kerr? Literally gave her no room for anything. Hurtig was equally incredible. Does kind of feel like a huge step backwards for the team, especially with the United win putting them 2nd on GD with the same number of games played, but we move. Onwards and upwards 👆

Well, I’ve bored you for long enough - I’m out 🎤

Totally agree on the McCabe point, bringing her on earlier could have changed the game . Stinas finishing has been dodgy recently, but she still delivers sometimes so we’ll see ig…

We’re definitely missing Viv and Beth, I was very apprehensive about going into this game without them, and I definitely think we would’ve got a goal or two with them on, as Jonas said, we need a ‘prolific’ goal scorer

Leah had a mostly good game ! Kerr could’ve easily been shooting/scoring a lot easier if Leah hadn’t marked her as well as she did, the last minute goal was Leah’s fault, but the loss in general wasn’t. It was the end of the game, and all the players looked exhausted and probably wanted the game to end.

I think we also would’ve had a better time if we used players from the bench, as that’s what they’re there for, in the last half an hour we could’ve had mana on, gio ect, just to replace the tired legs as stina looked exhausted

Hopefully this doesn’t cost us too much

[all-about-cr7]

🗣 Glenn Hoddle: “If he can do it at the age of 37, everyone needs to do it”

“I was looking at him intently. He was back at the left-back area at one stage, making tackles, he cleared a free-kick from the centre of the penalty spot and he was the first one to press the Chelsea player who has got it at the halfway line. His attitude is there and everyone else needs to get on board. Because if he is going to do it, he is 37 and is a fantastic player for what he has done, everyone needs to do it. That’s really what should be happening at United and it’s not.”

🗣 Roy Keane: “If he was in the Chelsea team, he would be getting 50 goals”

“That was his only chance tonight really, see the chances Chelsea were creating. Imagine if he was in the Chelsea team, he would be getting 50 goals. He's in a poor United side who aren't creating many chances for him... his touch, his movement, when you turn away you know it's going to be a goal. Brilliant. In terms of goals, that's what he came back for. He's dependent on getting balls in the right areas and they've not been great at that this year but he's still produced the goods.”

🗣 Gary Neville: “In a poor season for United, he's been a bright light“

"He lifts the fans, he gets them on the edge of their seats, takes his chances, and it'll be really interesting to see what happens with Erik Ten Hag. We know he plays with an aggressive press, he tries to win the ball high up the pitch, that isn't Cristiano's strong point and we know that. But he will want a goalscorer. He will want someone who can put the ball in the back of the net 20 or 25 times. Ronaldo is a phenomenon. He's achieved everything and more in the game, his professionalism is beyond anything you could ever wish for, really. He's a sensation, an absolute sensation. I talked about the attitude of the players in the first half and I wasn't really talking about him, he's proven over a long period of time and what he's doing, the shape of his body and the recovery from the tragedy only last week to still perform, to get back on the bike and go when he could've easily said he was staying off for a few weeks. In a poor season for United he's been a bright light in some ways."

The “problem”: 🔻 Scored 23 goals in all competitions for Manchester United (+ 3 assists) 🔻 22 of those goals are either game winners, equalisers or opening goals 🔻 No player has scored more EPL goals in 2022 (9) 🔻 Scored 8 of their last 9 EPL goals

[minthysugamon]

Why'd you only call me when you're high? (J.JK x Reader)

Drummer! Jungkook x Manager's daughter! Reader.

Warnings: Mentions of sex,drugs and alcohol. Usage of foul language (like in most of my writings bc i talk like a roadman). Friends with benefits type of relationship. Kinda angsty but also fluffy if you search for the fluff with a magnifying glass.

Word count: 2222 (hehe,angel number go brr)

A/N: I promise,i will try to do some smut but i don't feel comfy enough to write it bc idk...i just cringe when i see my writing. So sorry if it isn't what you guys expect...

3:03 am

Your phone buzzed once again. It was for the 6th time tonight in a row,so even without looking at the device,it was safe to assume that the rockstar your dad managed was probably at some pub,hammered and not even being able to call a cab for himself so he called your number. Like usual. 3:04 am. It rang again. "What? It better be an emergency cause i swear to god if you're calling because you're dru-" his laugh was as intoxicating as the liquor he had sipped on some minutes ago. "Doll,listen...i need a ride...and since your dad is our manager,it would be greatly appreciated if you came for me..." a sigh left your lips as you hang up on him.

But Jungkook didn't stop pestering you. The drummer of V2J was a pain in the ass. As shy and awkward he was in his sober times,his horndog behaviour was equalising if not surpassing his normal behaviour when he was thrashed.

You picked up the call one more time when the familiar ringtone went off. "Hey,why are you so rude,dollface? Don't you know hangin-" your words cut off his as soon as he was trying to do his monologue. "Jungkook. Like how you said it so cleverly,MY DAD is the manager. Not me. Pester him at 3 am if you have some difficulties to go home,not his daughter. Thank you. I have an exam in two days, i have to study tomorrow. Or today because at this point of the night i can't say tomorrow,so let me get the 2 hours of sleep i could still get tonight if i go to sleep in less than 10 minutes.. Leave me alone. Call Taehyung or something,i don't care. Now please don't call me again. Thanks." Then the tune of the "Hang Up" option resonated in your room once again.

Truth be told, if it would've been the first time he calls you and asks you for help at 3 in the morning,you would've helped his dumbass out,but it wasn't the case. Whenever Jungkook had some nightly problems, you were the first target in his contact list. It wasn't the first time he called you to pick him up from somewhere or to let him stay at your place for the night because he lost his keys to his appartment after a wild escapade with his bandmates to the nearest club. And it never ended with him only sleeping on your couch. It usually started at the front door and ended with him sleeping an arm around you after fucking your brains out. If he had been serious about this whole weird relationship you had, it would've been official for more than a year now,but he has to keep his rockstar persona intact. So of course,you were nothing more than the daughter of his manager who was good enough to be fucked when he was drunk or high.

At 3:36,someone rang at the interphone of your home. When you got up from your bed with a huff,you were already seeing the tatted up boy's smirk on the camera in a mental image. And you weren't wrong. His smirk was present as soon as the little screen had lit up with his face so close to it,you though he was a toddler seeing an interphone for the first time in his life. "You really came here at 3 and a half? Jeon,for fucks sake. If i get down there,i'mma beat some sense into you,so you better start running now." He simply laughed,a noise of exasperation leaving his throat. "Aw...come on (Y/n)...let me in,i lost my keys..."

You pushed on the key button,you let him in again. At this point it was exthausing because you knew what this meant. And even if you wanted to deny it,your brain wanted this to stop,but your heart was yearning for him. "I swear to god Jungkook,if you come here again at 3 am,i will stick a pipe up your ass." You unlocked the door for him and let him enter your home.

Fatal mistake because he didn't even answer,he simply pushed you against the wall and looked into your eyes,foreheads touching. "And why would you do that sweetheart? Hm? I thought you liked when i come here...for you." You can't deny it,you fell for him over the months,you fell for this idiot who liked banana milk more than anything else,who drank whisky with more cola than he should because he hated alcohol but wanted to keep his bad boy persona. But the smell of a woman on him made your heart sink. "Jungkook,please...just go and take of your shoes,i will bring you a blanket and a pillow so you can sleep on the couch."

He took your words in a hurtful way,his expression changed from flirty to genuinely hurt. "So...we aren't sleeping together like always?" You scoffed and got out of his grip. "I don't even know why i let you in. If you wanted to get your dick sucked again,you could've called one of your groupies." You disappeared in your room to search for a blanket and pillow,not that you deemed him deserving of such comfort,but he was also keen to be shivering at night without a blanket so it would be better for him to get some warmth during the dark hours. With a shaky breath,you went back to the living room and placed the pillow and comforter on the couch. "(Y/n)...what's the matter?" No answer. You didn't want to answer his question,he wasn't worthy for an answer,but his insistance was made clear when he took your hand into his and brought you closer to him. "Please...(Y/n)...answer me,i'm getting worried at this point,what's the matter?" Inhaling some fresh oxygen as the lump in your throat was only getting tighter,it finally dawned on you. You were in love with him. "Why'd you only call me when you're high?" The tears started to sting in your eyes,the drummer looked at you with a questioning expression. "High? What do you mean?" "Why'd you only call me and come here when your high?" After repeating your previous question,your voice cracked and all tears were let to flow down on your cheeks. "What? (Y/n) i really don't understand what you're talking about." "Why are you only showing interest in me when you're drunk and need to empty your balls. Is it more clear like that?" Jungkook's heart cracked at the sight of you crying because of him. He didn't want you to fall for him,not when he's at the peak of his career,but it would be a lie to say he didn't feel something for you.

"(Y/n)...come on,you know i can't be with someone. I thought that we both made this clear." His tattoed arms were still securely wrapped around you,stroking your back in the hopes of the action giving you some comfort,but as soon as you looked up to him with teary eyes,he couldn't help but let his waterworks flow too. Truth be told,Jungkook hated to see you sad,as awkward as the situation was right now,he hated seeing the one he fell for sad. "No,you made it clear for yourself. You're always acting nice with me,always closing any distance we had between us...no matter how hard i try to stay away from you,you suffocate me...if it was with hatred,it would be better,but it isn't. You're always here to fuck me up then rebuild me once you're sober. I fucking hate you for making me fall for you but i hate myself more for letting myself fall for you."

Your words were stinging. Even poisonous to his ears. Did you really hate him? And as much as it hurt him,it hurt you the same. You never really saw someone else in the hopes of being his one day,you won't blame it on him because you were the one in control of your own life,but every step you declined from someone else was to aliment the hope of being his one day. "I'm sorry...(Y/n)...i...i know you like me...but it won't work out. I do see you as more than just a friend with benefits,i do like you too...but...i can't be with you when i don't even know what tomorrow is made of." You tried to get out of his grip,but it only tightened and he brought your chin up with two fingers. "Listen,don't think i don't like you...if i didn't..you wouldn't be the first one i call to help me,fuck,i know i sound like an asshole for saying this but i do like you...i just..." he was getting ridiculous at this point and he knew it. "You just what? You don't want to miss out on someone else. I get it. You want your target list to be finished then crawl back to me when you're done."  "(Y/n) it's not like tha-" you finally got out of his grip. "No. Don't say anything. I get it. But i won't be a second choice to anyone. Let alone you. Good night." You quickly wiped your tears away and went to your room,closing the door behind yourself,leaving Jungkook alone,in the dark living room.

He was tossing and turning for more than an hour now. You could hear it from your room how he was walking up and down the hall. 'I really fucked up.' he thought to himself and he wasn't wrong. You were probably the only person who would really go to hell and back for him and you were the only person he would do the same for. Then why was he acting like an asshole towards you now? Now that he was sure of your feelings,why did he have to break everything he tried to build? It couldn't end like that.

He softly knocked on your door,even if you told him to go away,he opened the door and lied down next to you,taking your body in his arms,nuzzling his face into the skin of your neck. "I'm sorry..." his soft lips placed a kiss on your neck and hands grabbed yours. "Sorry for what? For at least telling me the truth?" "(Y/n)...it's not like that...i just don't want to fuck things up. I prefer to fuck it up now than once we're together. I...i do love you...i heard the bells and the fireworks as soon as i saw you...but i don't want to fuck this up. Simply because i know how fans are,how groupies are. I prefer you seeing my fuckboy image than the real me,as much as i hate it though." You turned around,facing him,still in his clutch. "Well too late dumbass,i fell for the awkward and nice you,the one i see during studio hours,during practice,not this...whole flirty fuckboy persona that i get to see at every thursday at 3 am." He inhaled then kissed your forehead,bringing you closer to him. "It's too late for me to ask you to be my girlfriend...right? I don't want things to end...and,if the only way for me to stay with you is to put that image aside,i'm willing to do it."  You sighed. He was still in the wrong. You didn't want him to change for you,but for him. To be himself again. "Jungkook,you don't understand...i want you to be you. I don't want you to rush into things because you don't want to lose me. Plus,you might not like a relationship,so if you don't want one right now,then leave me alone and don't make me fall for you more."

He shut you up before you could go on your monologue with a kiss. Not a rushed one like usually. But a soft one. One that tasted like cigarettes,monster,alcohol and love. "I love you...and starting a relationship now...or in 5 years...it won't change shit...no matter what i think now. I...after thinking about it...what you said...you're right. If i don't jump in right now...what will it change in 2 or 5 years? Nothing...i will still be the same if i don't change now." His frown turned into a small smile when he felt your nose in his neck,a light peck on his skin and your hands on his back. "So...you really want to start something with me...out of love and not out of pity?" He smacked the back of your head,out of habit but also out of outrage,he didn't want you to think he was doing this out of pity. "You dumbass,i want to be with you. I really want to. Out of love. Not because i pity you. You are probably the only person who would accept my headassery...and i love you. So please...don't ever think i would do this brcause of pity." You simply laughed,still sniffing a little bit and cupped his cheeks. "Good,because...i love you too." He kissed you first,again. Now with more passion though. His hands roaming around your back and ribcage,then on your waist,he couldn't help but pull you closer,until it couldn't be done anymore. "I know you do...now...shouldn't we sleep..? Because it's half past five...and you have to wake up at 10 so you can study..." You kissed his neck once more then placed your head on his chest. "It's already almost 6..might as well watch some cartoons and eat breakfast,no?" Jungkook's face lit up like a child's at the candy store. "Now i know why i heard the bells and the fireworks when i saw you."

I hope you guys enjoyed this,i kinda made it longer than most of my writings,but i still hope it's okay!

My requests are always open,so please,if you have something to request,i am more than happy to do it!

[justwosothings]

Look despite our sloppy defence today... it was a solid game. good for Emma to look at things that we lack since this would most likely be our bench mark game competition wise. It’s going to be a long one but still have hope we can pull off this back 3 (I could be the only one though lol). can always count on our attackers with that Harder equaliser And Sams goal today was just 😍

Good game to watch if you were impartial 😂

I dunno I have no confidence in the back line after today, it was shocking and could’ve been way worse! We gifted them 3 goals.. you can’t expect to do well in champions league making mistake like that 🤦🏼‍♀️

The goals were good though! Although we made awful mistake we didn’t deserve to lose that game I didn’t think.

[ctl-yuejie]

can people in this country please understand that they might have to be extra rigorous with social distancing again so the heightened infection risk due to re-opening schools can get equalised?

i am so annoyed that restaurants etc got to re-open before schools (which could’ve been more easily fixed by putting more money into paying wages of laid-off people etc - you can’t compensate education with monetary payments)

but now everyone just seems to treat schools as experiments and seems content with them having to close again after spikes in infections (which already happened) and already studies show that the education for kids during lockdown was nearly non-existent (not to get into all the class issues etc)

and i’m like? just wear your fucking mask and work towards getting infection rates super low overall so small spikes in schools won’t end up in lockdown again.

and the annoyance i experience at the argument that mask regulations are unnecessary for school children because they can’t respect those rules and i’m like?????? my school in japan had so many people wearing masks when having a cold etc??? sure, make it a rule for children over 10 but it is so annoying to see this country go like “masks??? do they work???? how do they work??? how do we track super spreaders???” and there are so many countries in asia that show how to deal with all those things and have experienced pandemics before and have know-how but this country just doesn’t seem to value that well of information because of racism (not to say that the response in those countries was perfect, but a lot of controversial things over here have been already resolved over there adequately so i don’t get it)

[pestopascal]

how would you rate the films of his you've watched so far

out of the ones i’ve watched so far, which is few:

kingsman golden circle: absolutely no rights. made him a secondary villain AND killed him. they could’ve had all the rights with the whip and lasso and the fingers and the yeehaw but they ruined it at the end. michael brian rawlins was the guy who did the lasso scenes i think mostly (like the jumping through the lasso one in the bar) and im rly glad pedro like. named him and was like “go look him up”. i cannae watch properly without getting disproportionately embarrassed. ok i lie i will give it some rights just because of the yeehaw but know that i definitely feel it deserves no rights. also its so funny if you google this movie sometimes you get results that ask if burt reynolds is in the film. 3/5

prospect: i loooooooove this film!!!!!!!!!!!! so so so so much. it’s exactly the kind of vibe in space movies i love. reminded me a lil of interstellar, which is so near and dear to my heart, but god. god!! out of all the ones ive watched so far this is one of my favourites of his. i really hope there’s a sequel or a novel or something expanding the universe of this. ive watched it repeatedly for the last few days honestly its. im a slut for space related things what can i say. just the whole vibe of the planet and the suits and the 70s/80s kind of tech and the instrumentals just. i love that so much. 5/5

equaliser 2: one right for giving him a wife and kids and having him actually interact with them. no other rights because once again he’s a villain and dies and the typecasting is so fucking real. also i thought this was honestly pretty boring like idk what i was expecting im sure if i went into it without the intent to simply like. watch pedro pascal. i could’ve enjoyed more (or watched the first one idk idc). i feel like i spent a year watching this one like i only made it through in like 10min blocks. i seriously dont know what the plot actually was at the end. do not ASK me about it i only remember pedros character (DAVE????? WHAT WAS HIS NAME) joking with his kid that you cant call it ‘new hamster’ and eventually relenting. 1/5 rights

triple frontier: it took me three days to watch this one and bee can attest to it. i feel like theres an entire half hour of absolute mania we never see to explain why they flipped on their morals from no kill/no killing kids to mow them down (they didnt btw! benny was the voice of reason god bless him). it was kind of laughable and you can poke holes in the plot and also ben “i have one emotion and its smoking.jpg” affleck was to blame for literally everything. pedro’s character catfish thankfully didnt die so this movie has like one whole right for that, half a right for giving him a baby back home :(( i only watched it for that rly soft voice he does, and how he fucking laid into everyone, aviators, and the “alright baby alright baby come on now”. if there was a sequel tho i wouldn’t be mad about watching bc im glad it stayed on oscar isaac’s pov character. like 1.5/5 for rights

i wanna watch if beale street could talk bc its by barry jenkins who did moonlight, great wall bc ig why not and also did u kno he has a figure bc of that movie, and if i find anything else ig i will but im not gonna go years back its okay. 

[cowboylordbyron]

The Vampire Cowboy’s Tale And How It Ended

The world was full of people who tolerated Victor ‘No Teeth’ Church. His walk was smooth, stoic, captivating. Your eyes were immediately drawn to the way he slinked around, face covered by a shadow cast by the brim of his rabbit skin hat, carrying a toothpick loosely between his lips. People often compared him to a rattlesnake, reserved and calm until you disturb him. Then all hell breaks loose.

My furious staring was interrupted by a soft knock against my shoulder. A fist the size of a mango. I looked over to Josephine ‘the Deceiver’ Lockhart. She was leaning against the crypt’s damp wall, wearing a simple cow print skirt and a red checked shirt. She was chewing tobacco.

“Making the eyes at ol’ Vic, are ya partner?” She teased. “You should take one of those digital photographs, and make a little shrine.”

I resisted the urge to smack her. “You’re about as funny as tumbleweed, Josie. I can’t believe you haven’t tried to be one of those comedian city-lickers.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t tried to have a roll in the hay with ‘No Teeth’ yet,” she threw at me, her fangs peeking through her sinister grin. “And to think, you could’ve spent hours upon hours admiring him from up close.”

I sighed, and looked around the poorly illuminated crypt. Someone had the bright idea to bring firewood to light up the place a bit, and little Jimmy Beers had a heart attack. He’s a newbie vampire, the holes in his neck haven’t even healed yet. We sat him down and told him about all the dangers. Sunlight, garlic, crosses,…and stakes. When he saw the bundle of wood, he freaked out, said something about undercover spies, which made us all groan.

“Woah there, little foal. Settle down,” Dimitri, our certified handler of things none of us want to handle said. “We’re not spies. If we wanted to kill you, it would be easy enough. We wouldn’t need to go undercover!”

Which made him burst out into tears.

So the crypt was lit with a torch in each corner, offering some light to the scattered bones, goblets of blood, and the bean bag chairs in the middle of the room. The dark blue cobblestone offered a creepy vibe, even though Dimitri just suggested that we hang a pinata and try and rip it open with our little bat claws.

“Alistair?”

I looked lazily towards Josephine. “What?”

“Your boy’s looking at you.”

“Lord Byron? He’s here?”

“No, you idiot,” she said, shaking her head. “Victor. He’s looking at you.”

I looked up beneath my hat. She was right. Two tiny black holes were staring right at me, studying me carefully. I was terrified to breathe underneath his gaze, not wanting to give him a single thing he can make assumptions about.

“Reckon he’ll try somethin’?” She whispered.

“I got an apple peeler,” I muttered back, looking at the pocketknife in my boot. “If he tries anything, and don’t back down, I’ll send him into the otherworld.”

Victor lifted his arm and pointed a dagger right at me. My stomach squirmed, but I wasn’t sure if it was out of fear or utter adoration. He really was a good sort.

“You,” Victor spat, stepping out of the shadows, one hand on his holster. “You’ve been giving me a lookin’ all night. Is there something you wanna say?”

I shook my head. “Not at all, partner.”

Victor squinted, tilting his head to the side. He wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t have to be. “You even a vamp?” I said nothing, just flashed my fangs. He let out a low laugh. “You’re the type of kid I’d kill, you know that?”

I took half a step forward, looking up at him through my eyelashes. Victor’s fingers grazed his revolver. I gave him my best crooked smile.

“If you wanna try and kill me, that’s as fine as creamy gravy. You can try all you like.” I lowered my voice, hyper-aware of the equaliser at his side. “But you won’t be above snakes at the end of it. And I won’t be responsible for what happens to your lifeless body.”

He drew his gun.

[gs-travelsdeluxe]

To walk through the doors of an institution that fills the fantasies of thousands of kids from every corner of the globe.

The idea of Calarts, the ridiculous reverence paid to it, was so old and overblown to me now I thought it would have no weight. but it still felt surreal wandering around. Walking through the doors a flutter did light up my stomach.

I knew time would deliver me here eventually. But too late to have any effect on me, my path. What could’ve been if I was in the ‘right place’. So all I get is a sincere smidge of meloncholy instead.

And of course the kids going there have no idea, we all knew that already. The amplification of their influence is made even more astounding by how banal it all seems up close.

Famous art folk online are rendered human on contact, most lose their sheen immediately. Soft skills play a part in someone’s talent and someone’s online content blows out the exposure on that so hard most people don’t realise it.

It doesn’t make it any less weird every time it happens though. This trip has been peppered with interactions with someone with a follower count, who you perceive don’t follow you back because they’ve seen you, and they don’t find you worthy of their time. That that’s how the hierarchy works right? But really it’s because they just don’t notice. There’s no heirachy. They don’t have to be as on the ball and neurotic as I’ve been with knowing every artist and connection my entire life because everything I searched hard and endlessly for is simply what’s presented on a platter in front of them upon entry.

I was so far seperated from that world, you need to connect the dots online just to even have some skin in the game. So you make it your business to know everyone all over the world.

And it’s frustrating almost every American I meet in the industry simply doesn’t possess this ideal. Over time it grows insulting on a personal level. Because by whatever intention or accident they’ve put themselves on a pedastal as the global animation representative. Then to see them pay no attention to anyone or anything that isn’t two feet infront of them is insane to me.

We’re made to think the internet is the great equaliser, or that the animation industry is global and selects the best talent regardless of location. But they don’t. It’s an American industry that barely looks after its starry eyed kids in the midwest, let alone someone an ocean away.

It feels cruel that people like Bobby Chiu make their living off selling that dream to a global audience that is really only an American fantasy.

Time and time again I keep realising that most of the time they’re not better, there is just more of them and they’re louder.

There’s so much Australian animation and culture that blows the fucking tits off anything they can do but it doesn’t matter to them, so we all perceive it doesn’t matter to anyone. Tall Poppy Syndrome and cultural imperialism take likes ducks to water in the digital age.

I’m started to diverge into another rant entirely so I’ll stop there.

The only other thing I’ll say is, I have this funny trend in my life where the exact moment I give up longing for a thing I’ve dreamed of for years, it usually presents itself shortly after. This was one of those times.

[andreabarzagli]

Barzagli is too old for playing premium professional football. Juventus is suffering because of Allegri's spoiled geezer.

Read this post and tags below it (it’s long)

I agree that Barzagli shouldn’t play especially high level matches and should only be reserved for emergencies when all available cb are injured and need to be rested. He should be dead last in the squad.

I wouldn’t call him spoiled since he’s never ever in his Juve career complained about anything and he’s not the type to do so. He’s a person who stays if you tell him you need him, and will gladly leave if you say you don’t need him anymore. You should know this if you kept up with his almost 8 and half seasons at the club.

You can blame him for yesterday if he was the one that wasted 5 goal scoring opportunities, played with complacency, delayed an attacking substitution and then forced himself on the pitch, made an amateur foul that caused the equaliser, did the 2nd foul (this one he really did), then became a GK that like an amateur didn’t handle the ball well and caused it to bounce off his teammate into his own net. As you can see, many people were to blame for yesterday especially the coach. But it wasn’t the fault of one person.

He’s not forcing himself on the pitch. It’s the coach the puts him there. It’s the management that extends his contract. They could’ve said ok mate thanks for everything and good luck, and we all know they have no problem doing that. I dislike seeing him playing when there are many other options either as CBs or just taking an attacking approach, but all of these are the manager’s decision. There are other players who I think are just not good enough to play in some matches and I really dislike seeing them, but at the end of the day it’s on the person that puts them there when there are other better options.

Barzagli is a club legend and one the best defenders this club had and shouldn’t be disrespected like that, but Allegri relying on him like this is just unacceptable. At first I didn’t understand his renewal tbh but I thought maybe management didn’t want to get rid of almost all of that Juve backbone in one summer (which is extremely important in any squad) but maybe they should’ve told Allegri that he was for dressing room purposes and absolute emergencies, but they didn’t.

I also wouldn’t put Juve’s “suffering” on him lol. If you think all of Juve’s bad performances are on him, then maybe you should pay more attention to what happens before, during and after matches and what goes on in the club.

[teesfortims]

Champions Elect Celtic Must Wait After Glasgow Derby Draw

CELTIC’S early goal was cancelled out by Sakala’s second half equaliser in a day where there Hoops edged closer to winning back their SPFL title. Celtic were wasteful in front of goal, with many chances going a begging in the first half. We could have won it in the first half, and we could’ve lost it in the second half. A draw was probably the right result. Celtic were on the receiving end of…

[badvisualisations]

This map shows cities where we need air conditioning to live, given current temperatures. There are multiple problems here. 

The first thing that you notice when you see this map is the differential density - why are there so many points in Eastern US, and so few for India? The most obvious explanation is that the makers of the graphic have been lazy - going by available rather than appropriate data. The least they could’ve done would have been to filter out the smaller “cities” in the US to equalise density.

But then - why do we really need to restrict to cities - it appears that the paragons of liberalism at the Guardian seem to have decided that airconditioning is not important for people who don’t live in cities? Including rural areas would have had the dual purpose of making the map equitable and smooth.

Finally, coming to the graph itself, the grey backgrounds and colour scheme (purple is too close to both blue and black) makes it really hard to interpret, or locate cities. At best the graph indicates regions, which makes one wonder why they’ve restricted to cities - the most likely explanation there again being that they’ve been lazy 

Source: https://gu.com/p/96xak

[dsoccermaster]

​Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez has said that ‘we will see’ regarding his future at the club, after they drew 1-1 with Brighton on Saturday afternoon. The Magpies were held to a draw after Pascal Gross’ second half equaliser for the hosts, which cancelled out Ayoze Perez’s first half strike. They could’ve moved up to 12th with a victory, but instead remain 13th in the table with two games to play. Speaking after the game, Benitez’s post-match press conference was dominated by questions... Via All the latest breaking football news, transfer rumours, analysis, and match reports - 90min http://www.90min.com/

[vsplusonline]

‘They didn't hurt us, it barely tickled’: Napoli coach reacts after first leg draw with Barcelona at Champions League game

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/they-didnt-hurt-us-it-barely-tickled-napoli-coach-reacts-after-first-leg-draw-with-barcelona-at-champions-league-game/

‘They didn't hurt us, it barely tickled’: Napoli coach reacts after first leg draw with Barcelona at Champions League game

Antoine Griezmann’s second-half equaliser handed Barcelona a vital away goal and earned them a 1-1 draw at Napoli in their Champions League last-16 first leg meeting on Tuesday.

A superb curling strike from Dries Mertens put the home side in front after half an hour and saw the Belgian draw level with Marek Hamsik as Napoli’s all-time top scorer with 121 goals.

But Barca breached a well-drilled Napoli defence in the 57th minute when Griezmann fired in a Nelson Semedo cross.

The visitors ended the game with 10 men after Arturo Vidal was sent off late on for picking up two yellow cards in quick succession.

The two sides, who were facing each other for the first time, will meet again at the Camp Nou for the second leg on March 18 with Barca now firm favourites to progress despite having Vidal and Sergio Busquets suspended for the return.

Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso was left frustrated at the result after his well-drilled defence largely stifled a quiet Lionel Messi and co.

“I think they barely grazed us tonight, they hardly had a single shot on goal,” he told Sky Sport Italia. “They could’ve been there all night and not scored, but we conceded after one single error. They didn’t hurt us, it barely tickled.”

Barcelona dominated possession from the first whistle but struggled to find their way through the well-organised Italians, who then struck with their first meaningful attack of the game.

Junior Firpo lost the ball to Piotr Zielinski and the midfielder pulled a pass across to the waiting Mertens, who took a touch just outside the box before curling in a landmark goal, his sixth in seven Champions League games this season.

But the Belgian limped off through injury early in the second half after a hefty tackle from Busquets, which earned the midfielder the yellow card that will rule him out of the second leg.

Barca soon equalised when Griezmann fired home from close range after a neat passing move from the visitors but Napoli responded with Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon both being denied by excellent saves from Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

In the 89th minute, Vidal was booked for a foul on Mario Rui and was immediately shown a second yellow for butting heads with the defender in the aftermath.

With Sunday’s La Liga Clasico against Real Madrid looming, Barca were also left with concerns over defender Gerard Pique, who limped off with an injury after falling heavily on his ankle.

“We’ll see what problem he has, then we can confirm if he’ll be available,” said Barcelona coach Quique Setien.

On Vidal’s sending off, he added: “I didn’t see precisely what happened, but perhaps the referee was a bit harsh. A yellow card for the foul is one thing, but the second is too much. There are moments of tension that players who experience the game with his temperament can have.”

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