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innovativestruggles · 3 years

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SouGou theories, thoughts and speculations based on canonical evidence

Alright, I know I am so epically late to the party just like I was with Haikyuu and TsukiYachi but I am here now and I am so sad that a lot of the SouGou shippers have...disappeared...

Regardless, I still want to put forward my own thoughts and speculations on these two because they have given me brainrot over the past few weeks.

So much like the earlier post I did with TsukiYachi, this one will be similar, except I am basing everything on the anime as I have not read the light novel (tbh light novels aren’t really my thing so...). Just to reiterate, when I make any speculations and theories, they are always based on canonical evidence, and of course my own interpretation. I put forward solid evidence so people can see where I am coming from and what I am yapping on about. People are free to draw their own conclusions of what they see in canon, so just because I have a theory with evidence, it does not invalidate another person’s theory of the same evidence...if that makes sense?

Every time I watch a new anime, I always come in with a very neutral mindset. I have a fascination with relationships (hence my ship heavy blog) so I ship characters based on their level of chemistry and compatibility.

Because I am so fashionably late to the party, a lot of the speculations below have been discussed by other SouGou fans. Essentially when I read some of their posts, they pretty much validated what I saw. So I want to credit all those SouGou stans who did the hard yard first on their speculations of these two. This post may already have what was speculated, but it’s nice to have it all in one big post. I will of course add my own thoughts and interpretations as well. So, happy reading!

WARNING: THIS IS A VERY LONG POST

Gou’s Relationship with Other Characters

Sousuke did not make his debut until Season 2, so for all of Season 1, the focus was on Gou and the other characters. To be honest, nothing stood out to me in terms of shipping potential with Gou in Season 1. I do not go into watching anime with the intention of shipping characters - the shipping just automatically occurs when two characters have good chemistry. So with Gou in Season 1, all I saw was a manager being incredibly supportive, friendly, strong willed and determined to see her friends through the swimming club. You may have read my other post on Free! and toxic masculinity, but I did mention in there that what I loved most about Free! was the friendship and the emotional vulnerability. Because Gou is a side character, we never get to see too much of her and how she would develop as a character outside her obsession with muscles. But as viewers, we get the gist of her sweet personality.

Kyoto Animation

Before I dive into the speculations, I want to point out something with KyoAni. For starters, this studio is known for its amazing adaptational works of manga and light novels. When it comes to anime that does not purely focus on romance, they are so so so good with romantic undertones. As much as I do enjoy romance anime, I enjoy ones with subtle undertones of romance even more. I have watched a large portion of anime from KyoAni and I can definitely come to the above conclusion. Although Free! is not a romance genre, there is very subtle light teasing of potential developments between certain characters. Like I mentioned in my Free! post on toxic masculinity, I will disregard that just because the male characters are hugging, crying and showing vulnerable emotions to each other, it does not necessarily mean that there is a romantic development. The very subtle undertones of romance I could see is mostly between Gou, Sousuke and Momo (I will explain more later). So what I am trying to point out in this paragraph is that Free! does have minute traces of romance, because based on what other anime KyoAni produced, there are similarities in how they portray romantic undertones.

SouGou Initial Meeting

The initial meeting did not particularly stand out to me until I watched more scenes and interactions between SouGou later on in the series. What I noticed was the level of admiration Gou has for Sousuke. Again, this was not apparent when I watched the initial meeting scene on its own. I had to see a culmination of scenes between them to realise.

Oh gosh just look at how happy she is seeing Sousuke. If you go back and watch this scene again, she legit just shoved Momo out the way and ran to Sousuke. Lmao poor Momo!

Also....

Momo still staring at SouGou the whole time...

Momo getting pissy lololol (and super jelly)

Gou just looking so happy staring after Sousuke...ughh my heart....

Middle School

Just something I picked up. When Rin transferred to Iwatobi during middle school, it sounded like Gou did not go with him. So she stayed behind in the same middle school together with Sousuke after Rin left. See below.

Because Gou is one year younger than Sousuke, the scene above just sounded like he stopped talking to her when he left for Tokyo when he was a first year high school student and she a third year middle school student...and then the below scene confirmed when and the reason...

In the above scene, Sousuke explained that he hurt his shoulder in the summer of his first year of high school, and then he heard from Gou that Rin was visiting Japan at the time, so I am guessing SouGou must have stopped talking to each other around that time when Sousuke injured his shoulder. The injury was most likely why he stopped talking to her because he knew the consequences...that if Rin found out through Gou... then yeah... so to him it was better to cut off contact with both siblings...omg my heart...my poor baby Sousuke...

Anyways, point is they were definitely still talking when Rin went to Iwatobi and then later Australia. So I wonder how close they were to each other...? They do sound very close...wonder if they walked to and from school together...omfg my heart hurts again...aaaahhhhhhh

Childhood Friends

This trope is so cute and I really like the whole ‘he is my brother’s best friend’ kind of thing. Because we all know how overprotective Rin is of Gou and if there is anyone who is good enough for her, Rin would definitely think it be Sousuke.

LOOK AT HOW PRECIOUS THEY ARE OMG. Love this official artwork of all three of them. And Sousuke has such a sweet gentle expression when he is looking at Gou...

Best part also is that subtle teasing of these two. Anime is always about camera work and specific panels as well, so it just looked like to me that they really wanted to emphasise this scene between SouGou. The snow, the Christmas tree, the childhood friends - all in one frame.

Indirect Moments

These are the moments that started me on the SouGou ship!

Gou sees Sousuke at the train station right after he has been brooding about his shoulder injury

Gou sees Sousuke at the hospital

What I really really liked about these scenes is that every single time Sousuke was having a down moment, or a vulnerable moment in relation to his shoulder injury, Gou happened to be there and witness it. It may be coincidental that she always happen to be in a place and time when Sousuke wasn’t feeling great. I was initially wondering why she never approached him in the moment and then you look at Sousuke’s pissy face and that’s probably why lmao. Regardless, Gou probably knew his state of mind, and hence decided to leave him to it. The look she gave him was more out of curiosity rather than concern but because the anime never went into detail about what she was thinking at the time, it’s hard to tell. Most important thing is that Gou was there during his vulnerable moments, before anyone knew of his shoulder injury...

Jelly Momo

Ngl, I absolutely love Momo, not only because he’s a hilarious character but because Sousuke always unintentionally cockblocks him when it comes to Gou. I just find it so funny. The poor thing. And Gou just has absolutely zero interest in him....

The thing is, Momo knows that Sousuke constantly gets in the way...it has happened several times already and I think he is also beginning to realise that Gou is probably quite fond of Sousuke, hence his very vocal comment about paying attention to him. i just love it how the anime framed it like this because you know it’s a running gag going on between all three.

Also, the look on Sousuke’s face in that above scene...you can’t see it but if you go back and watch it, and it’s only a split second when Momo moves his head, it’s absolutely hilarious. He legit has a “wtf” look on his face 😂

Just going to put this above scene here where Momo gets dragged away. Poor thing. I think at this point, Gou is catching on to something with Sousuke...

After Momo bombarded Gou with his hilarious hobbies, these two just ended up alone together ❤️

Season 3′s ending credits depict a lot of parallels between characters as well as some level of competitiveness between them. So maybe it is just a coincidence here but Sousuke and Momo together probably continues to depict the hilarious running gag between them and Gou. LOL!

Gou’s Concern

No really, when Sousuke walked out and decided to swim with his shoulder injury, the concerned look on Gou’s face. This was the first time in the whole entire series (season 3 included) where Gou showed this much concern...my heart.

When there are problems in the Iwatobi swim club related to a character, a lot of the issues and concerns revolved around the other characters helping each other (Gou would be excluded). She is just a supporting character that does not get a lot screen time. Aside from her managerial duties, we don’t see too much of her during important/significant moments for a main character - unless she is interacting with Rin in some way. So her very minimal “interactions” with Sousuke during his vulnerable moments are considered somewhat significant (even if she just saw him walking by) because they are more symbolic than anything.

Off Screen Interactions

Okay, the amount of times Sousuke talked about Gou...they clearly talk a lot off screen and whether that be through text messages, phone calls or meeting up, I believe they are a combo of all three. I have several reasons to believe that they do hang out together quite a bit.

1. The amount of times Gou keeps bumping into Sousuke randomly (ngl the times the audience sees is probably only a fraction to what actually goes on behind the scenes)

2. In the later episodes, they have been seen walking home together.

3. Some of the things Sousuke said to Rin about Gou would warrant more of a face to face conversation rather than something through text message. I mean unless they talk on the phone (that would be so fucking adorable aaaaahhhhhh)

4. In the CD drama, they have been shown to hang out just the two of them over mediocre stuff so I am sure that would have met up and talked more about other more deeper things with each other

Gou obviously confided in Sousuke how lonely she felt because her older bro was neglecting her

LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF TIMES HE TALKED ABOUT HER! That obviously indicated they do interact quite some bit off screen. Judging from the things they talked about, it sounded like she was filling him in with what’s going on in her life..and you know just every day stuff... I love it! They are so casual and so comfy with each other <33333333

Platinum Abs

Not counting the fact that I almost choked on my drink when I saw this for the first time, but I was curious to see what Gou thought of them. So I waited....and waited...and waited...and it never came, despite the fact that she was in his presence multiple times when he was looking like this....

And I came across several older posts that pointed this out and it totally validated what I felt as well. Gou, the muscle obsessive freak has not spoken a word about Sousuke’s nationally ranked swimmer’s perfect body. WILL YOU JUST LOOK AT THEM? HE’S FUCKING MASSIVE!! Like..all over....holy shit just look at those guns...like damn fine man.... anyways... so Gou, why have we not heard a single word from you about them? To her, they are probably the best of all the characters in the series ...

And my guess is... Sousuke is most likely special to her. She does not see him as merely an object of muscles (much like she does with the other characters including her own bro) but something more. And whether that is consciously or unconsciously, the outcome is still the same. Because when someone means a lot to you and if you like someone in that way, you are less likely to see them as an object of some fantasy...

The OVA

Yo not gonna leave this one out and if there is anything that really pushed this ship further, it was definitely the OVA.

Sousuke is so pedantic about what people call him (unless you are Nagisa...which he has almost no words for ...). So the only one who can add “kun” to his name is Gou <333333

I’m not going to delve too deeply into this as

1. It is self explanatory

2. A lot of people have already discussed this topic

But, overprotective Sousuke being a sweet guy and lending Gou his jacket is something out of a shojo manga. Even more shojo is that he;

1. Did it himself and not just giving the jacket to her

2. Got overly pissed off at Ai for drenching Gou

3. COULDN’T LOOK AT GOU WHEN HE GAVE HER THE JACKET....like the whole time....ksfklafkhgdshgjdsh

Sousuke isn’t very good with expressing himself, so this scene, out of his own sheer awkwardness, really played into the intimate nature of this potential ship. I’ll explain more later...

P. S. LOOK AT HOW ENORMOUS THE JACKET LOOKS ON GOU...she so schmol (and Sousuke is just massive...). Legit they look like a couple on a date...

Sunset Meeting

Ngl when I first started watching Season 3, this scene came out so unexpectedly I had to replay it just so it would process in my mind that it happened. But aside from the fact that it was framed in a shojo manga kinda way i.e. Gou running towards Sousuke, then walking together in the sunset and then talking about deep and meaningful stuff...you get the drift...I absolutely loved it how Gou was the very first person Sousuke told about his surgery’s success. Omg..swimming and the success of the surgery just meant so much to him and he was already telling Gou about it...

Everything about the particular scene was so so intimate. The scenery, the conversation, the tone of voice, the colours used......everything! Just look at how happy Gou is....

And damn they walked home together ... my heart cannot take it anymore aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh

Running Gag

I did notice this trend going on but it didn’t cross my mind until I read a post that it was like a thing between SouGou. Honestly it is so so cute! Gou has this excited pitched, giggle-ish, admiration-like tone every single time she calls out and runs to him. It’s so sweet. You actually never hear it ever when she talks or calls out to any other characters in the series, so Sousuke is indeed very special to her <3

Also...something about Sousuke walking alone and Gou either noticing him or running to him...

Gou and Momo’s Mistaken Date vs. Gou and Sousuke’s Mistaken Date

In Part 4 of the Free Take Your Marks movie, Rin walks by a burger shop and noticed Momo and Gou sitting together and having lunch. He mistakenly thought they were going out on a date, and before the rest of the Iwatobi team could come to the table after order their food, Rin gets a call from Sousuke telling him that he cannot find his way. So Rin dashes off to save Sousuke still with the misunderstanding. The episode is absolutely hilarious on Rin’s part.

Then in the CD drama, there is a story titled “Sousuke and Gou’s secret date.” Of course it is a case of ‘mistaken identity’ but as I stated earlier, these two would hang out with each other to discuss superficial things, so I am certain that they do hang out with each other on occasions to talk about other more deep and meaningful things as well. Considering the things Sousuke has been telling Rin about Gou, you can make an educated guess that SouGou do have their alone times quite a bit off screen.

Anyways, so this is the part where I believe Free has its subtle romantic undertones. I mentioned in my toxic masculinity post that when the male characters were being vulnerable, hugged or cried, that it does not necessarily mean they are gay, or that there would be any romantic development between the characters. You could say the same with SouGou as well, however, the difference lies in how the anime framed it, and the biggest tip that pushed from just a friendship kind of thing to a teasing of a potential romantic thing is the “secret date” part and the running gag between Gou, Sousuke and Momo. We know Momo clearly has romantic interest in Gou, and the interesting thing is...Sousuke being placed in between Gou and Momo numerous times throughout the anime to signify that there is a potential triangle going on. Does this make sense? It is the nuances as a viewer that you can pick up, and it is even more so if you can understand Japanese. I sometimes switch the subtitles off and really just watch what they say and it’s a completely different view. Hard to explain...but that is the vibe I get.

Extras

I just had to put this scene in. JUST LOOK AT GOU LOOKING AT SOUSUKE OMG. She totally loves him <3 YOU CAN’T TELL ME OTHERWISE!!!

I always love me some official artwork of these two, and disregarding the fact that there are four other guys around and Nagisa just being the little helper he is, SouGou wrestling is something I just need to have in my life <3 I just love the light subtle tease between these two. Thank you KyoAni! And them holding hands... I’m ded...

Sousuke’s Feelings

This is purely interpretation based on what I have seen so far and of course when I am writing a full post like this about SouGou, it does help piece the puzzle together a little more. Tbvh, I strongly believe that Sousuke has repressed feelings for Gou. My reasoning is quite complex. Sousuke is a bit of a difficult character. He is aloof, serious and can be standoffish. He is not good with expressing his emotions and feelings, yet he does questionable things if he thinks it is for the best for those he cares about. Obviously noticeable when he lied to Rin about his shoulder injury, and of course completely stopped talking to Rin and Gou after being injured. But he deeply cares for those around him, and will go out of his way to help, even if it is to the detriment of his own welfare.

Sosuke hanging out with Gou and talking to her and being around her is already an aspect of his kindness, that he would do this to anyone he cares about. But what I meant about repressed feelings for Gou was more evident in the OVA, and I think that is where the slight nuances come into play. Sousuke is overprotective of Gou and he most likely sees her as a little sister, considering he grew up with her alongside his best friend. But I think when it comes down to more intimate moments i.e. giving Gou his jacket and just not being able to look at her, I think that small nuance does give a small insight into Sousuke’s feelings for Gou. It may be minute but it’s there, and the way the anime framed that scene, it evoked a host of response from the viewers. That in itself is enough for viewers to make a determination as to what Sousuke might be feeling towards Gou at the time ... and it was probably more than a platonic kind of way...

Just to let you know that Sousuke most likely would not act on these feelings because of who he is as a person. And if there is any possibility that things could go awry between him and Rin that concerns Gou, Sousuke would not put their friendship in jeopardy. So if there was ever a way that Sousuke’s repressed feelings for Gou could surface, it would be if Gou initiates.

Gou’s Feelings

If you read through this entire damn thesis so far I think you could see that Gou’s feelings for Sousuke is a lot more overt. She is so incredibly fond of Sousuke and it is just the way she behaves around him, speaks to him and looks at him. It sends a different vibe comparatively to when she interacts with any of the other male characters. Because Gou is a side character, as viewers we don’t get to see much of her, her development or her thoughts and feelings, especially in relation to Sousuke.

Concluding Thoughts

What an incredibly long post. I didn’t realise how long it was until I scrolled back up. But really, this was so fun to write. I enjoy writing about side characters and the little hints that anime and manga give us as viewers. This is the best thing about storytelling, that is so much more than what you see before you.

The great thing about SouGou is the incredibly compatibility they have with each other. They have a lot of the common tropes found in anime that sets them up for a future pairing. I mean,, Free is not a romance genre so there wouldn’t be any emphasis placed on how one character feels about another in a romantic sense. So the anime has placed some gentle teasing in the background with its frame (usually what you see in shojo manga for example), official artworks, and CD dramas. It’s a very subtle undertone that the viewers would have to dig through and pick up out of the mass of fanservice and the storylines of the main characters. Yet this is the reason why I love KyoAni because of its numerous layers of stories and undertone!

In my opinion, if there was ever any pairing that comes out of Free, it would definitely be SouGou - it’s because the way the anime (and probably the light novel as well) set them up and emphasised on important aspects of their relationship without going into detail about it.

I gotta say, the reason why I love these two so much is because they remind me so much of TsukiYachi pairing from Haikyuu. There are parallels between the characters and I think I just enjoy shipping ones with that level of complexity and compatibility - the whole opposites attract kinda thing (and the height difference).

So what do you think? Are there any SouGou stans out there left? I’m keen to see what the 2021 Free movie will entail for these two and the potential release of Season 4 (most likely in 2022).

Fingers crossed for some excitement!

Also...I had to crop this <3

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mittensmorgul · 5 years

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what do you think of the sw/dw/mw/cw carvings discussion j2 had at chicon?

I had no idea what you were asking this morning when I first saw this, because I don’t typically watch con videos, and haven’t for years (it gets old really fast when they basically get asked the same few questions every time, you know? How’s the family? Tell us about pranks on set! etc.). So I decided to scroll my dash to see if I could figure out what they’d said before replying.

I saw a couple of posts of tweets from the con that paraphrased them, and apparently they joked about it (as they always do).

So, being a responsible human being, I decided that I needed to actually see the video for myself before forming an opinion, and not just spouting off on a couple of out of context fan interpretations of what was actually said. Unsurprisingly, they go on for like four whole minutes, far longer than those Hot Take Tweets would lead one to believe…(eta: the video was being weird, but their question starts at about 7:15 in case it’s not functioning properly still…)

youtube

Jared starts out immediately making jokes while Jensen sits there quietly. They do joke about it a bit, but then Jensen gets serious and actually talks about the decision to add Mary’s initials to the table, changing what’s been an iconic bit of imagery that’s been part of the show since 5.22. How that made him feel, and commenting that he expects a lot more of that sort of thing as the story draws to a close. And then to break that tension Jared turns it back into a joke again and they play it off.

Which is how so many con question replies go.

Does anyone reading this legit think that the story the show has been telling isn’t leading directly to Cas completing this journey into the Winchester family? Like… really? Does anyone reading this think Cas won’t have a CW on the table by the end of the series? Because Cas is still struggling with exactly how and why he belongs in the family. This was his primary worry he expressed regarding Jack, and why he didn’t say anything about his concerns for Jack in 14.18. This is literally what Cas is struggling with, and is his main character arc right now.

How many times has Dean (and Sam) declared Cas part of the family? Going back YEARS, even.

So jokes about not knowing Cas, or not thinking he’s a Winchester? Um… I don’t know how to tell anyone this, but this is one of those “this would be a major spoiler if they discussed the future of an ongoing major plot point” sort of situations. Maybe not the actual carving of a CW into the table, but everything surrounding it as we’re running up to the season finale.

In the episode we’ve just watched, seeing the MW on the table as part of Mary’s funeral pyre montage… can we as a fandom allow that to stand on its own as a memorial in this moment without making the assumption that it’s some sort of dig against Cas? Can we understand how emotionally meaningful it was for Sam and Dean to fully embrace Mary after everything they’ve been through in the last three years since she was resurrected, and that it literally took her death for them to honor her memory in this specific way.

With that context, do people understand why this was a HUGE emotional hurdle for Sam and Dean? To take this symbol of the fact that they had been alone since childhood, this pact forged between boys when they were children, in an episode where Cas (in his flashback) told Mary he was glad she was back because now her boys aren’t so alone, and Mary herself (who told Dean from before he was born that “angels are watching over you”) insisted that they were never alone (because Cas was with them all along), and for Sam and Dean to acknowledge that Mary now was a real part of their lives instead of the Sainted Mother Mary on a Pedestal that had been the focus of the revenge mission that shaped their entire lives…???

S14 so far has been focused heavily on laying the baggage of the past to rest so that Sam, Dean, and Cas really will be able to look toward the future. And this memory of Mary is something they want to carry with them accordingly. She’d been what had been missing from their entire lives. She was the reason their lives were lived out of the back seat of the Impala where they originally staked their claim with their initials. They’re not two lonely, frightened children anymore. When they staked their claim on the bunker (in 12.18– ONE EPISODE BEFORE 12.19, and The Future, where their entire concept of their legacy goes out the window, thanks Bobo again), it was framed around a discussion of “their legacy” they were building for the future. It was framed as wildly uncertain, during a time when they were once again feeling profoundly alone– Mary off with the BMoL, Cas disappeared to points unknown and not answering his phone– that Bobo bringing this back to add Mary SPECIFICALLY at this point in the story, well… this feels like Step Number One in embracing their future rather than the end of the road, you know?

That said, what were Jared and Jensen really supposed to say to this question? We all know Cas is family. They’ve driven that point home so hard for years that it’s impossible to deny. But having his initials carved into the table should be A Big Deal, and not tacked on to this moment that was about Mary.

Cas hasn’t come to that point in his personal arc where he’s fully accepted his place in the family. Yes, he acknowledges he’s part of the family, but he hasn’t really finished figuring out what that actually means for him. Even in 14.18 he demonstrated this, admitting that he still feels insecure about his place in the family, still needing to feel “useful”:

Castiel: I was scared. I had believed in Jack for so long, I believed that he was good. I knew he would be good for the world. And he was good for us. My faith in him, it never wavered, and then I-I saw what he did. It wasn’t malice. It wasn’t evil. It was like Jack saw a problem, and in his mind, he just solved it with that snake.Dean: The snake!Castiel: What he did wasn’t bad. It was the absence of good. And I saw that in him. But we were a family, and I didn’t want to lose that, so I thought I could… fix it on my own. Felt like it was my responsibility. So I left and didn’t tell you. If I could go back and just – just talk to him right then and there, I would. But I can’t, Dean. I failed you. And I failed Jack. And I failed –Dean: No, no. Don’t even say it. Don’t even say her name.

He still pinned his worthiness as a Winchester to Jack’s. Still sees himself as maybe a conditional member of the family, not really deserving to be their in his own right yet. Which is clearly The Major Thing he needs to accept for himself, you know? Let’s not rush the end of his narrative and rob him of the immense personal victory it will be for him to fully accept his place with the Winchesters for who he is, and not for what he can do for them.

#chicon 2019 #castiel winchester #pr is not showrunning #and neither is con banter #mary f winchester #spn 14.18 #spn s14 spoilers #anyone with two eyes and two brain cells to rub together can see that adding a CW to the table #will be the culmination of cas's personal acceptance arc and not some afterthought randomly tacked on without comment #regardless of the seemingly flippant deflection j2 engage in on con panels #and again this is why i mostly ignore con panels because they're useless as meta fodder #and often get taken entirely out of context and blown so far out of proportion as to be nothing more than wank fuel so...#Anonymous #spn 5.22 #spn 12.18 #spn 12.19 #spn 5.13

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steve0discusses · 5 years

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Yugioh S3 Ep 44-45: Bakura‘s Back for More of This Nonsense

Man, I can’t believe we’re closing in on the 4th season of this show (still in shock I’m still able to make these.) Seems like just yesterday I felt like I had no idea what was happening, and now I’m like “they put in freakin Sans into Smash but not Bakura???” I’ve become one of those people now.

It’s been interesting how, because I have slowed down to watch these, I think I’ve been able to have a much more positive experience with the show. People have been talking about how binging has kind of changed TV from a place where fandoms could chat to a place where...you just watch it all in a weekend and hope no one spoils it and then wait for the next big thing to consume a week later.

But, when you’re watching a 15 year old anime you don’t have to worry about any of that. So it’s like a kind of nostalgic experience of a pre-streaming era despite the fact I’m totally streaming this.

But back to the show, now that the deep and reflective moments for Marik are over, my favorite storyboarder went home and left the rest of this to the night team who are clearly in a real rush to get this all finished. Again, the Yugioh whiplash is going from that high of “damn this is so goo-” then to the reality that the rest of the art direction in this show is “-acceptable. I meant to say acceptable. It’s perfectly acceptable”

Yugi Muto is still strung up by weird shadow magic restraints that must also be around his legs for some reason. I mean...it wouldn’t be so kinky if it wasn't also around his feet. More bits and pieces of Our Boy have been removed over the course of this endless card game, and he’s doing pretty good considering.

Joey has decided he’s had Enough Of These Damn Ghosts.

And so Marik decided that he’s been shamed by Joey Wheeler enough that he will just go away like Joey asks. This may be the only person who was actually bothered enough by Joey Wheeler to walk away in all of Yugioh.

(read more under the cut)

They....

Legit no one told her what had just happened.

They........

Just want to note that while Yugi’s leg burst out a stream of weird purple gas and Yugi screamed in pain, when his crotch disappeared, he did nothing but patiently look over at Pharaoh, who awkwardly winced. I guess the animation team knew better than to animate gas exploding out of that one particular spot, but it is still a rather funny contrast.

Marik has achieved his final form of so many veins, and it is a still frame every time it’s on screen. You cannot animate this. You cannot.

On the other end of the field, Odion has somehow made it down these extremely steep stairs, only to look up and see so many more stairs.

And back on the field is so many cards. So many cards, including the Card Poem. This awful Card Poem I tried so hard to forget.

Bro brings up that maybe this poem sounds way cooler in Japanese but like...I doubt it, right? Like this was a poem that the writers threw together in 5 minutes and were like “we’re never going to actually say the shame poem, right?”

But anyway more cards things happen but why talk about cards when this eventually happens.

I feel like Pharaoh was attempting to use Shadow Magic on Marik like just a few episodes ago so he could have done something now but...maybe he forgot? I dunno. Pharaoh didn’t feel like participating in this particular fight, maybe because his alter ego is holding on to life solely by having extra long emo bangs to count as lifepoints.

and so, Odion gives Marik a pep talk--and I kid you not, this is all Marik needed the entire time.

Yeah.

That was it.

Like maybe Odion had to be awake since Odion has a spell or whatever on Marik but still it’s like...all you had to do was say “This guy is not even a person, Marik--you are the person, just nix him and we’re good”

And so the two alter ego’s fight with eachother in the same body and that must have been a treat for everyone watching.

Man, it’s a good thing Mokuba already has so many PTSD situations under his several belts up to this point, because otherwise I’d be somewhat concerned about this very young kid who is privy to all this type of magical abominations every time his brother just wants to play cards.

and then...Yugi plays a bunch of cards and...um......

......don’t ask me what happened........

After the big group hug, Marik and Marik switch places.

This was because bad Marik was fused with a monster card--which turned bad-Marik into...the definition of a Monster.

So, if you kill the monster card then you can...

...switch places with your alternate half...

...yes...

Basically it’s a more complicated version of what Pharaoh did to Ryou and Bakura in S1, except in S1, Bakura played Ryou as a card and Pharaoh just slammed his hands on the table and was like “Screw it, Bakura! I’m so tired of this! We’re all so individually tired of this! I’m just going to use my Shadow Magic and switch you with Ryou and then we’re all going the HELL BACK TO BED!”

This time it just had to be so much more complicated although we have seen Pharaoh willy nilly switch souls before just two seasons ago.

So, just like Bakura did to his evil side in S1, Marik banishes his evil side to the shadow realm in a card game.

Which worked super good last time, amiright?

I guess we’re all just going to assume that this works now? Even though this absolutely did not work in season 1? Like Bakura went right back to a life of murder immediately?

Then again, Bakura’s an actual dude, and Marik’s alter Ego was a figment of his anger or something?????? Maybe that’s the difference? Maybe that’s why we can be rest assured that this works now?

Maybe they’re just tired of the Marik plot line and are like “listen, he’s kind of hard to draw and we don’t want to do it anymore. He’s dead now.”

For realsies though, from what I’ve been told, Marik never goes cray again and gracefully exits the show. But, if they ever want to continue Yugioh back in this direction, you can just have him snap at any time you feel like, we all know this type of exorcism is wholly reversible.

Anyway, the clouds are lifted and we are reminded that it is still hardly even lunch time.

It is at this point that Marik turns to his Brother and his Sister, who all three have no world skills outside of scamming museums and filtering sewer water, and waxes long about all the great times they’re about to have in the future.

Like what future though? You have to go to 20 years of actual real deal school, Marik, you can only read one Egyptian text. Hell knows how many people you possessed in order to get that motorcycle permit. You for sure aren’t ever allowed to play cards ever again. Like what are you going to do, Marik?

...dude what if he just goes back on the boat and just sails away for the rest of his life with his cultists who are equally unqualified to live in the real modern world. OMG what if that’s the real Marik’s Boat Time all along?

Ah.

I almost forgot about you, Bakura.

Just in time for the British Bake Off to start updating episodes on Netflix, just in time, Bakura.

And following this is actual real thing that happened which, if you told me about, I would have just assumed was a joke or an edit to make it appear like this is happening. But no, it’s strip time.

the hell?

Yo can you believe that like a week ago I was like quoting “One Week” for kicks in these recaps and then this week Marik is, indeed, “in the history of taking off his shirt” ?

Anyway, Marik reminds us that his only purpose in life is to uh...be a book. A book that no one can read because Pharaoh didn’t have the foresight 5000 years ago that no one would be speaking Egyptian anymore and also that his reincarnation would be a 14-16 yo Japanese boy who’s entire brain power is used for selecting cards and selecting matching belts.

I just...Pharaoh’s mind must have been in a real place 5000 years ago and that was before he ever became a ghost.

Also, it is kind of amazing how many times it has come up how illiterate Pharaoh is over the past season and he still hasn’t decided to do anything about it. Like, he’s just kind of hoping that someone else (probably Kaiba) will feed the answer to him like a baby because that’s just how this show has been up to now.

In this case he has a one-ness moment with the tablet and gets the sense of “It’s fine, we’ll figure this out later” which um...

I’m really happy that in this scene, Pharaoh is still tripping balls but everyone else is so used to him doing stuff like this, they just completely ignore it.

So glad I had 2 seasons to build up this back tatt in order to figure out that Marik’s back didn’t help Pharaoh at all. The tablet yes, the back tattoo--no, completely unnecessary. Congrats, Pharaoh’s mole people servants, you screwed up and did this weird ass ceremony on 12 yo’s for 5000 years trapped underground for NO REASON.

Anyways, preteens rejoice, Marik without a shirt is randomly 10 lbs more buffed now, which I’m pretty sure was never a thing when he was wearing that itty bitty pink hoodie. Like maybe the animators are just used to really buffed anime and this is them toning it the hell down, but uh...no actual 16 year olds will ever look like this, sorry to break it to you, preteens.

Man, the horny line running through this show lol.

Letsee, Yugi now has the puzzle, Ishizu’s necklace, the Ring, the Rod, the...

...where’s the freakin eyeball?

Did...where is it? Where is the nastiest of the golden objects?

Did Bakura never bring the eye with him to this trip? Like...is it just hanging out in his desk at home near his secret stash he super hopes that his Mom doesn’t find?

Guys, where’s the eyeball?

Anyway, now that Mokuba has decided Seto can feel joy and smile again, he gives Seto the A-OK to blow the hell out of this moneypit island that has already been violently blown up just a few years previously.

Like this begs the question, why even build this tower if you wanted to blow it up? But then again, that is the equivalent to a small child that builds block towers just to knocks them over, right? Like that part of Seto just never grew up?

So........

My bro, while looking this over, gave me the best spicy bro headcanon I’ve ever heard, and it’s absolutely too ridiculous for this blog that is mostly about what actually happens in the course of this show, but I’mma gonna share it with you anyway. I’m pretty sure this isn’t a common headcanon, but if my bro got it from some random fic he read off Ao3, I don’t know any better. So bro kinda squints at Roland, Seto Kaiba’s most incompetent bodyguard (if “bodyguard” is even an accurate description for the weird fake not-a-job that this guy has to do) and is like “do you feel like Roland has Noah’s hair color?”

and I was like “Bro, if you are suggesting that Roland is the illegitimate son of Gozobura because his hair is the same shade as the darker parts of Noah’s hair, that is one wild headcanon and I love it”

So--using Bro’s logic, lets say Gozaboro had a really stupid illegitimate son he had to hide from his wife. So he just...gives him a fake job. Considers “maybe I can use this son on A.I. Noah?” but Roland ends up being too much of a dumbass to intimidate Noah, so instead, he keeps Roland around on low-tier jobs so he gets keep an eye on him, torture him, etc.

And as the company falls out around him, Roland gets slowly promoted, as Seto and Mokuba fire basically everyone who worked with Pegasus and the Big 5. And Roland, who is just so bad at everything, forgot to attend the Pegasus coup (and would have no idea what is ever happening), so when the Kaibas returned from Pegasus’ island they still have Roland...sitting there at that long table covered in 4 identical idiot salads and orange juice he laid out for them in his patchy green moustache and his huge Gozaburo shoulders, they’re like “well.....I guess we have to take care of him now.”

And that’s the story my brother has in his head now every time Roland is on screen. It’s not canon at all that Roland is the secret 4th Kaiba brother but damn. What if he’s just the 4th Kaiba brother but has no idea, and Mokuba and Seto do, and that’s why they drag him all over the world with them? Hilarious.

I mean...Seto and Mokuba fire everyone. But they don’t fire Roland, their biggest dumbass. What a headcanon. (and if this joke ends up being real I’ll be very happy)

ALSO, new thing, the necklaces around their necks with the cute picture of eachother that they had up till now to remind eachother of their forever brotherly love--also keys used to blow up things very violently.

I should have expected this.

Anyway, lets check up on Mai---oohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Y’all this was WEIRD.

WHAT. THE. HELL.

So after that extremely insensitive joke that made us doubt if bringing back Mai was a good thing, lets have a reminder that we brought back someone else even worse, who, like a parasite, was devouring everything that they love.

(Bakura’s font color has been changed to blue stripes because before he was just too similar to Joey’s yellow and my white. Eventually I will find the right system for coloring everyone’s font legibly, although I know that the patterns are sometimes harder to read for people that aren’t colorblind.)

Ah, local nasty boy is back. I’d love if they had shown more of the food he ate, but they wisely decided to crop that huge spread out of frame. Bakura eating all of the donuts is canon though. Somehow every donut aboard this blimp fit inside of that small boy’s endless stomach.

PS Kaiba Corp makes their own milk. At some point, Seto Kaiba was just leaning back into his work chair, Mokuba on the couch watching TV, Roland completely unable to reload the Keurig, and Seto was like “But what if...I made CHEESE.” (BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THESE KIDS LOVE CHEESE) and Mokuba was like “OMG you could sell the company back to them at 2 times the price for each share” and he was like “I KNOW.”

and so he marched down to the nearest cheese fields to buy some cows, only to find out that the agriculture market is so strained you can’t sell the shares at a times-two profit now and he‘s like “Ah dammit! I have to do real business! This freakin blows!”

Makes you think.

Anyway, then Ryou throws some shade at us about “PS, I was in Hell! I love you, too!”

Anyway, so it’s about time we ended this season, so how about it? How about we take off, watch it all blow up as a symbolic representation of all the hopes and dreams Kaiba had at the beginning of this tourney, and end this crazy ass season?

Oh wait, that relies on Roland being able to do even one thing competently.

So, that’s where we leave off.

Really truly, honestly, we need to get everyone on this show matching cuff radios because the number of times they’ve needed to call Kaiba is insurmountable. Could have solved so many problems. Really surprised that Roland can’t like...call the Kaibas right now, but now that I think about it, we clarified several episodes ago that Mokuba forcibly kicked Roland off of the radio because he was unable to work it properly.

Good job Roland, the best Kaiba son.

Anyway if you just got here this is a link to read just the Yugioh recaps in chrono order

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imgonnabeyourbubblegumwitch · 6 years

Text

The Depths of Cousin Fethry

So I had a hectic week and am a bit behind! I haven’t seen episode 3 yet, but before I watch it here are some thoughts on episode two.

This episode, though kind of predictable, was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it, from the meaningful episode name (Depths because of the sea and depths because Fethry has hidden depths geddit!) to meeting some more family members. I haven't watched or read any Ducktales before Ducktales 2017, so I don't have any prior knowledge of Fethry. I really liked him though. I'd definitely like to see more of him, and of Gladstone. It would be great, in fact to see Donald, Fethry and Gladstone interacting. In fact no let's have the entire family meet at Castle McDuck!

Anyway as well as Fethry it was really nice to see Huey and Dewey have their own spotlight episode. In the episode they had together last season - The Infernal Internship of Mark Beaks - we saw a lot of why Huey and Dewey don't get on. In this episode we saw why they do.

So it starts with Huey excitedly talking about a tree. The camera shifts view and we find he's talking to Dewey. Who is wrapped in a towel and soaking wet. Turns out Huey interrupted his bath. Dewey is not impressed. (It’s going to be a theme)

Huey, slightly oblivious as to why Dewey isn't jumping for joy over a tree that "experienced three leap years in a row", starts testing for resin. This process involves licking the tree.

Dewey only wanted to be interrupted for exciting things. Exciting things for Dewey consist of "ghouls, goblins, time paradoxes, daring quests that will cement our names in history". This episode starts playing out with some similarity to The Infernal Internship of Mark Beaks, in that we see both brothers having a difference of opinions. In the Infernal Internship of Mark Beaks this revolves around Mark Beaks himself with Huey idolising him and Dewey being less bothered. However then came the point where they were both offered the same thing: in the Infernal Internship of Mark Beaks it was the titular internship.

In this episode it's the tin can call from Fethry.

Scrooge and Donald then come in. I loved their interactions in the last episode and this episode didn't disappoint either. After Scrooge drops the frame Donald keeps struggling with it in the background, chipping in every now with wonderfully dry comment as Scrooge tries to explain Fethry.

Huey tries to talk about the tree again but Dewey cuts right across him to point out the phone call.

S: That can is your cousin Fethry calling from a top secret deep sea laboratory.

D: Top secret!?

H: Deep Sea Laboratory?!

This is something both boys can get behind, just like the internship. Dewey is interested in the adventure as always, at the chance to explore and potentially make his name. Huey is excited about the science and the knowledge.

Scrooge tries to explain why they shouldn't be so excited, leading to some great Donald input.

S: Don't get too excited Fethry's a bit, well, he's, uh -

D: He's cuckoo bananas!

I also like Scrooge's mannerisms at this point. He's awkward talking about Fethry: he first rubs the back of his head, then plays with his hands. For someone we often see very calm and in controlled, his difficulty in trying to sum up the Fethry situation shows a little about how awkward the relationship is.

Scrooge then goes on to explain that every time they go to visit Fethry it's not generally worth it. This is nice because it both mirrors and contrasts their attitude and relationships with Gladstone. Although Gladstone was generally considered "the worst" both still went to help him, because "family always helps family". And though Gladstone is pretty self-serving even throughout the luck gauntlet he and Donald have to run openly admitting that he's "not sorry enough to sign up for a lifetime of servitude", after he's free he does agree with Louie about how they shouldn't have thrown Donald under the bus.

"The kid's not wrong Uncle Mcduncle - what do we do?"

At first it seems Scrooge and Donald shared a similar attitude with Fethry. They've rushed down plenty of times before to help. But then Scrooge puts his hat over the can, cutting Fethry off. Even the fact Fethry has a can rather than the elaborate phones shows both Scrooge's unwillingness to communicate and Fethry's eccentricities.

S: Best to ignore it, every time we get a call from Fethry we rush down there just to go on some fools errand wrapped up in a needlessly dangerous adventure with the rambling lectures

D: and the explosions

S: and avoiding that mega tsunami

D: and the explosions

S: all to see a barnacle formation in the shape of a tractor or some such nonsense.

D: big waste of time!

This is lost on the boys who have been getting more and more excited as Scrooge and Donald talk despite Scrooge's lack of interest and Donald's eyerolling. As they leave - Donald having finally managed to mount the tree on the frame all on his own - the can gets more insistent. They both hear a siren call in "Adventure calling. I've made a bold new discovery!" They exchange looks - Huey excited for the sceince, Dewey for the adventure and they leap for the tin can.

H & D (singing): Best time waste ever!

H: Wait did we just steal a sub?!

Cue the theme!

So instead of being directly in competition this episode Huey and Dewey are working together. They've shown they do get on despite very different personalities and goals before: even in the Infernal Internship which was an episode revolving around a dispute, before they were pitted against each other they were able to coexist reasonably well with only a few minor jabs.

This pattern continues. They have moments of winding each other up or being brotherly pains, including the original you dragged me out the bath for this! But there are also moments where we see the really positive side of their relationship.

Along the lines of them being a pain to each other in the sub and Dewey rushes over to the window, interrupting Huey's facts, and knocks Huey off the ledge. What's great is Huey then gives Dewey a shove as he gets back up.

As Dewey lists ideas for names for a new creature he thinks they’ll find, Huey rolls his eyes, but his expression is fond.

Their teamwork is strong in this episode. Huey lets Dewey take the lead of persuading Launchpad their mission is legit and oops the communication is broken. He looks uncertain but trusts Dewey to do the talking (we know Huey has issues around his ability to lie). Huey keeping his mouth shut and trusting Dewey means they successfully fool Launchpad.

Huey and Dewey alight onto the lighthouse. Launchpad is then distracted by another ex - Oceanica. This is a lovely callback to House of the Lucky Gander which had Launchpad seeking to help an old friend/girlfriend there. I particularly like this callback since House of the Lucky Gander was the first episode in which we met Gladstone.

(At this point I went and googled the relationships between Gladstone, Fethry and Donald. As I said at the beginning I haven't watched or read any other Ducktales content but I wanted to double check that the three were cousins. They are.)

So this is interesting because Gladstone is Uncle Gladstone, but Fethry is referred to by Scrooge as "your cousin Fethry" and this is continued then by Huey and Dewey who call him Cousin Fethry. Family names and positions past the basics aren't my strong point so (even after staring at a diagram) I'm not sure which (if either) is the right term of address and it almost doesn't matter. What's more interesting is why the difference in names has occurred.

A possible interpretation for this is that Scrooge still sees Fethry as a child. Uncles and nephews are one generation apart, but cousins are the same generation. Gladstone acts like an adult, albeit a self-serving and sometimes oblivious one. But Fethry on the other hand, still has a sense of wonder that sometimes makes him seem quite child-like - his interest in tractor shaped formations for example. By calling Fethry the triplets' cousin this is putting Fethry on their level.

Fethry isn't an especially responsible adult in terms of looking after Huey and Dewey, often leaving them behind. This is partly because he fails to see things like the worms as a threat: when he thinks Huey really is in danger from the "monster" at the end, he does go to help him. But even so he has a level of irresponsibility - what if Huey hadn't been able to be kind to the worms?

This is kind of opposite to the way Gladstone interacts with Louie. The danger in the casino is not as imminent and Louie doesn't know about it, nor does Gladstone have any reason to believe Louie will be in danger - at least at the beginning. He pays attention to Louie even as he's trying to weaponise Donald's bad luck - getting him the suit and winking at the wheel to get it to go from free pizza for dinner to free pizza for life. He's partly showing off but he genuinely seems to enjoy spending time with Louie. However when he sees Donald storming off, he brushes Louie off and quickly follows, not seeming to worry about what then happens to Louie.

Back to the episode and we have Fethry's introduction.

Huey and Dewey seem a little unnerved at first but then Huey warms and asks if Fethry is experimenting: Huey is focused on the science.

I like Fethry calling Huey and Dewey "Lil Donalds". It's cute, but it also shows his absent-minded, kind of distracted personality - he's never actually asked their names.

He does give his name and introduces himself as "your Uncle Donald's favourite cousin." Both boys seems unsure of this, already picking up on the relationships.

Fethry comments on Huey's hat, drawing attention to the similarities between the two of them which is a theme for the episode. I like Fethry's red colour coding to match him to Huey and how it is mirrored by Gladstone's green colour coding to match him to Louie. Not only that but Gladstone has a yellow shirt, while Fethry wears a yellow jumper which links the two to each other. Again haven't read or watched any other Ducktales so this colouring may already have been there, but it’s really nice to have those links there whether they already existed or not.

Fethry asks if the boys want to see something and Huey agrees (somewhat hesitantly) which leads to a really cute and funny moment where Fethry says "follow me!" and the boys do, all the way around the console even though Fethry could have taken the more direct route. Huey and Louie following is so reminiscent of ducklings following their mum right up to the little pattering feet. I wish I knew how to gif but instead have a screenshot which doesn’t really show the half a second scene in all its glory.

The lighthouse goes down into the sea. There's a view of some diving suits which is a nice touch actually because the first time I watched the episode I did question where the suits came from. But turns out they were there all the time. I really like the attention to detail.

Fethry shows them a model of the sea lab and gives them a mini lecture on everything in it.

D: Wow this guy kinda sounds like you!

Huey takes this as a compliment. Dewey might be a little unsure of Fethry already but Huey still thinks of Fethry as a brilliant scientist.

H: Genius! Visionary! In charge of a massive research facility!

D: Weird. You're both really into weird stuff. Aw you've found one of your own!

Huey smiles, seemingly pleased. He then defends Cousin Fethry when he begins mimicking the various sea life. Still though he's defending Fethry, Huey isn't ready to accept the term "weird". When Fethry tells them it's time to get the team, Huey nudges Dewey pointedly.

H: See?! His team. A weirdo couldn't run a team of scientists.

They go to find the team and encounter the worms. After Fethry and Dewey are taken, Huey gets worried. One of his fears is the unknown and he seems uncertain about what is happening to him now. When the three of them get snatched up Fethry is excited about the worms. He suggests they be friendly and nonthreatening, showing his general disposition towards friendliness. He is suitably kind and walks off with a blithe "Come on Lil Donalds!"

Dewey is not impressed.

D: You're leaving us!

Huey manages to get out with a reasonably technical: "You are a sublime polychaete." (totally had to google the spelling of that!)

H: It worked! Cousin Fethry was right!

Huey is thrilled that Fethry is right. He wants, needs, Fethry to be right because at this point he's not ready to embrace the fact that he and Fethry are being compared, that he are Fethry are being called weird.

Huey tells Dewey to compliment the worms but struggles. Huey, panicked cannot think of another compliment and resorts to very logical, scientific statements: "Your blood finds carbon monoxide much better than our haemoglobin." In a panic about Dewey, Huey does the only thing he can think of.

Dewey is quick to mock him.

D: haha you kissed a worm. So gross!

Huey promptly drops him.

Fethry comes backs and introduces Huey and Dewey to "the team". For the first time Huey seems to question whether Fethry is a scientist. Dewey is open about not being impressed, even as Huey tries to defend Fethry. As they move back down, Dewey comments that it's "like a mirror into [Huey's] future".

Huey begins to distance himself from Fethry. "We're both clearly brilliant but we're not that similar." When Dewey states they both wear red hats as part of the reasons they are alike, Huey and Fethry both get out the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook and quote from it.

Huey then further distances himself by dismissing the Junior Woodchucks as "more of a part time hobby."

We all know that's not true.

With the line cut the group have to swim and we see how Fethry was right to bring the team - they are able to light the way to the pod. Despite his off-beat personality Fethry isn't necessarily wrong.

They get to Fethry's pod and Fethry shows Huey and Dewey his big discovery - “Krill! Rainbowy Krill!”

Dewey is not impressed. (Told you its a pattern!)

D: Krill! We stole the sub for Krill? We almost died for krill!

His voice is shaking and he sounds near a breakdown. However Huey still wants to believe there's some reasoning behind Fethry's actions. He desperately asks if there is some reason for the krill, maybe a scientific breakthrough of some kind. When Huey finds out Fethry's not even a scientist, Huey's voice gets shrill and Dewey rushes over to hold Huey back.

H: We trusted you! Came all the way down here! We got attacked by a squid! I kissed a worm!

Fethry looks really downcast.

H: This was all a waste of time.

I think Huey's this is all a waste of time is possibly worse than he furious ranting. He sounds so disappointed and dismissive.

Waste of time was the term Donald used in the beginning of the episode; maybe this is something they've said to Fethry's face before. Even if not, Fethry knows what his family think of him. He's acting as a caretaker on a deep sea lab where his family can ignore him and his calls and his weirdness. He was so excited about showing Huey and Dewey around, about his discovery. He thought the rainbow krill were cool and wanted to share. Scrooge and Donald ignore him but along come two little Donalds who seem really excited about sharing the wonders of the ocean.

But then Huey and Dewey are mad. They aren't interested in the krill and they lash out at him for wasting their time. Just like Donald and Scrooge. You really feel for Fethry at this point.

D: Okay, alright cuz this has been fun. Hope we never meet again. Now we need to get back to dry land. So can we get to it?

Dewey has historically been pretty oblivious, even thoughtless. Huey however has typically been the kind one, though when in a rage he does lash out. Both of them here are pretty cruel but it's understandable. The two are just kids and the episode has put them through a lot. It's nice to see them not being perfect, and see them learning to trust Fethry and realise there is more to him than just being weird, that he does have depths.

The group are then attacked by what they think is a monster. Dewey perks up again.

D: Now that is a Dewey!

The three swim away. Huey's mask steams up which sends him into a panic. He's terrified, so scared he looks like he's struggling to breathe, putting his hands to his mask.

Fethry recognises the danger this time and swims back for Huey. The three of them manage to make it back to the lift and before they go in, Fethry ensures to collect up the team, showing just how much he cares for his little friends.

When he's mad Huey has a tendency to make kind of irrational statements - accusing Dewey and Louie of setting him up to fail in McMystery at McDuck McManor! for example. Here he accuses Fethry of luring them down to get eaten by a monster. Fethry answers with a "you're welcome" to begin with, not really paying attention but then he is horrified.

Huey shows his resourceful side, wanting to get a better look at the monster, but being unable to because of the bulb isn't working he uses the jar containing the team. Even in danger the boys snark at each other. Dewey is still trying to name the monster going with variations of his own name.

D: I will find a name if it kills me.

H: it probably will!

Fethry realises he recognises the monster.

"Mitsy?"

Huey is quick with a dismissive "What are you talking about?" but Fethry is insistent. His pride and love of Mitsy shines through.

F: Look at you Mitz, you've gotten so big!

Fethry keeps talking to Mitsy, reminding her of the rib eye they shared!

Dewey rolls the light over, blinding Mitsy.

F: What are you doing, stop it!

D: you stop it! I'm trying to save us from that monster you unleashed.

F: she's not a monster she's a Mitsy! Just because she's a little different doesn't make her bad!

Huey starts to look guilty.

As Dewey and Fethry continue to fight over the light, Huey begins to realise that Mitsy is trying to help them. Huey tries to get Huey to help him, but Fethry appeals to Huey as a fellow woodchuck.

F: Junior Woodchuck Rule 2: all woodchucks must be open to the unknown in their quest for the truth.

Huey decides to give Mitsy the benefit of a doubt, a huge step for him considering one of his fears is the unknown. He begins to sing the krill's song. Dewey very dryly comments that "Huey's gone sea mad - we're dead."

At the end of Huey's song he admits he's scared. Mitsy responds to Huey's musical pleas for help and admittance that he's frightened - she lights up and Huey joyfully exclaims that she was a member of Fethry's team. Huey and Fethry both watch as Mitsy tries to communicate, however Dewey still isn't convinced.

Huey tries to explain that maybe Mitsy wasn't the one to destroy the sea lab but Dewey isn't in a state to listen.

D: You're both nuts!

H: no, just weird. And this guy knows his krill.

Huey finally owns the label of weird, realising it's not necessary a bad thing to have different interests. After all Fethry's love of his time and interest in krill has partly just saved them. Huey goes over to Dewey and takes the other handle of the light. Huey waits, gently giving Dewey time. This really reminds me of the way Donald gently waited for Dewey to join in on the group hug and begin to let go of his anger towards Scrooge in Night of De Spell. Huey may have inherited Donald's temper, but he's inherited Donald's caring, nurturing side too.

Together the boys put down the light leaving Mitsy free to take them up to the surface. Huey and Dewey worry about Fethry but see him with Mitsy.

F: Mitsy you rascal this is like the fourth coolest thing you've ever done.

The fact it's the fourth coolest shows how much Fethry loves his krill friends. It's unlikely that as a regular krill Mitsy did anything anywhere near as exciting as rescuing Fethry, Huey and Dewey from a collapsing deep sea lab, and yet Fethry loves Mitsy so much anything she did was great to him.

Dewey finally thinks of a name "The Dewnificent Krillderbeast" and tries to get Huey to write it down leading to a scuffle over the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook as Dewey tries to get the reluctant Huey to do as he says. Huey asks Fethry what he'll do next. Huey's belief that Fethry could be a scientist inspires Fethry and he leaves to try and do just that.

F: So do I have to fill out a form for that or do I just buy a labcoat. You know what I'll figure it out cos that's what scientists do! Farewell! Giddy up Mitsy!

H: He is so incredibly weird.

D: And there's nothing wrong with that, Lil Fethry.

I really like Dewey acknowledging that weird is okay as well as his adoption and adaption of Fethry's use of Little Donalds. After teasing Huey (mostly harmlessly) for much of the episode, he shows he really does care about Huey and wouldn't change Huey.

Huey gives Fethry a final salute and the two go back to meet Launchpad.

I really like these Launchpad's mysterious past subplots!

The last line of the episode a brilliant end to a great episode.

H: Come on intrepid explorers! Let's go home and convince Uncle Scrooge this was Louie's idea.

Blame everything on the evil triplet!

And that concludes my thoughts on the depths of cousin Fethry. Sidenote: does anyone else think Fethry and Fenton would be great friends?

#ducktales 2017 #the depths of cousin fethry #only like a week late #episode analysis

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frederator-studios · 6 years

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Grace Ellis: The Frederator Interview

Grace Ellis is among the most exciting comic and TV writers working today, and all from coffee shops ‘round Columbus, Ohio. The first comic she created, Lumberjanes, is a NY Times bestselling series, in development as a movie, and brought her home Eisner and GLAAD awards for her cat to try to knock over. Grace is currently writing one of the most magical comics of the year, Moonstruck, but still found time to pen some awesome episodes of Bravest Warriors season 4 (after she determined that the gig was not, indeed, a prank). Grace and I sat down to talk log-doodling, queer representation in comics, and the commonalities between Beth Tezuka and Captain America.

Having written Lumberjanes: were you a Girl Scout yourself?

For a little, until my troop disbanded! Lumberjanes re-connected me with my Girl Scout roots. The inspiration for a lot of the woodsy stuff comes from an outdoor camp I was part of. After college I worked for Autostraddle, the biggest online network for queer women. They host a weeklong sleepaway camp every year called A-Camp. It has a bunch of panels, talent shows, activities - really cool stuff. When I was a camp counselor one year in Big Bear, I made friends with an attendee, Shannon Watters, who’s a writer and editor at Boom! Comics. Later, she approached me about making a comic together.

Wow! So Lumberjanes was your very first comic... ever?!

Yup! The first issue of Lumberjanes was the first comic I ever wrote.

That’s amazing! Wait, backin’ up - what were you doing before?

My big kid job was journalism. I studied a mix of journalism, theater and women’s studies at Ohio State. After school ended I started pitching around and got a gig writing ads for Playbill. Then I got some work with Bustle too. I was doing sort of garbage writing: mostly TV recaps and some vaguely personal stuff here and there. Very little actual journalism. Then I got the job with Autostraddle when the site was still fairly new.

So you taught yourself both comic writing and screenwriting?

Pretty much! I was already familiar with story structure, so it was really about learning to adapt those elements to different formats, and take advantage of each medium. That comes with practice more than teaching. Every format is different. Like with comics, I go panel by panel, one at a time. I have to keep framing in mind while focusing on what’s happening in the scene, and what the characters are saying, because comics are super dialogue-driven. Writing comics is like trying to write the minimum in order to say the most.

How did Lumberjanes develop from the first ‘let’s make a comic!’ moment?

We drew a lot of inspiration from Ms. Kitty Fantastic and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I developed the concept with Shannon and we started from just rough outlines of the characters. Then Brooklyn A. Allen came on and designed them. And after that we brought on Noelle Stevenson as a second writer. Working all together was really smooth, a cut-and-dry process. We only needed one Skype call per issue!

Which girl in Lumberjanes are you the most like?

Molly - well, I’m always told to answer Molly! She’s the timid and unsure one. But hopefully Jo as well! I like to think that I can be a leader.

How did you come to write for Bravest Warriors?

Shannon submitted me! Benjamin (Townsend, Story Editor) reached out. I actually forwarded the email to my lawyer right away. I was sure that I was getting scammed. I was so excited when it turned out legit!

(“Catbug! You don’t just bust in on someone when they're dukin’. Buddy... we talked about this.”)

Do you have a favorite character in Bravest?

Catbug is the most fun to write. Before pitching the Detective Catbug episode I wrote this season, I prepared by hanging out with a 5 year old. It actually helped! Catbug has the funniest voice, I just love writing him. But Beth is my favorite Bravest Warrior. Once I’d nailed down who she is, I really liked writing her. She kind of reminds me of Captain America: she’s unbeatable and refuses to stay down. And she’s unapologetically herself.

She truly is That Beth. How did you first start working on Moonstruck?

It actually started as a school exercise, with no plan to extend it! 2 years ago I was doing a program with Columbus College of Art & Design, where they partner their artists with pro comic writers. I was lucky enough to be accidentally (I later found out, secretly-totally-on-purpose) partnered with Shae Beagle. The assignment was to write a 5 page scene, with 2 twists; the first building off the second. That became the opening of Issue 1: the first twist is that we’re not in a normal human coffee shop - it’s full of mythological creatures. The second is that the girl we're following who seems totally normal… well, she doesn’t view herself as normal at all.

I’ve wondered why Julie is so insecure, when she’s surrounded by such a diversity of mythological people?

For Julie, it’s really this fear of losing control. She’s has a deep sense that in her werewolf form, she’s not normal. She’s not right. So she’s internalized some really negative stuff about what that means for and about her.

Are there levels of privilege and marginalization in this world around being human or mythological?

Yes - I’ve been working on how to represent societal privilege surrounding mythological and non-mythological people. A big inciting factor in Julie’s story is her falling in love with a girl, who - spoiler alert! - is also a werewolf like she is. But Selena has a totally different perspective on who she is. She’s comfortable with herself.

Your characters are so distinct - what is your process for nailing a character’s voice?

It’s a lot of time thinking about who the character is; how they’d react to things, based on their personalities and what they’ve lived. Living close to a college is a big help because I’m surrounded by people around the age of the characters I write. Overhearing conversations is often inspirational! I also pull a lot from real life and my own friends. I have the best time writing over-enthusiastic characters: the ones that are high energy, always on, and oblivious. Julie, on the other hand - it was tougher to find her voice. She’s so timid, yet she also has this sardonic edge. It helped when I realized that she would say “Sorry” all the time. It’s her instinct to apologize for herself, even when she has no reason to! After figuring out something like that, that’s core to her character, I was able to grow her voice from there.

What do you find most challenging about writing? And most rewarding?

Being done is very rewarding! And feeling like you nailed it. The worst thing is when you don’t want to write. It’s easier now that it’s my job, because I have to do it. When I was an AV tech at a movie theater, I always wanted to write, but I wouldn’t do it. What’s tough is that I would rather think than write. Thinking is underrated. But the problem is, I know that I should write something - anything! - every single day.

Do you ever do any of your own art?

Nah, I’m not an artist. I draw sometimes. I’m a prolific log-drawer.

Logs?!

Yeah (laughs) I sometimes fixate on one thing and it becomes the only thing I doodle. Logs are that.

That is… oddly fitting! What is your creative process like?

It’s not very strict. My rule is that I leave my house every day before noon and go to a coffee shop. Then I just plug into it.

What do you like to do outside of writing?

Is there such a thing? Video games, especially during winter. Reading a lot of comics, plays and nonfiction. Biographies are great character studies. Currently, I’m reading a novel, The Blunderer by Patricia Highsmith. For writing pretty light and happy comics, I really do like books about heavy guilt and punishment...

Speaking of Patricia Highsmith - with her Price of Salt such a cornerstone in queer writing - what are your thoughts on representation and writing queer characters?

Oh yeah - we’re all familiar with the tropes. The sad stories, the coming out stories. They’re important in their way. But they aren’t what I need to write! I’m not a sad person, so I can’t just put that on. I write upbeat stories about characters who are already out and accepted. I’m a happy, out lesbian. So to represent those characters isn’t just what’s truthful to me - it also says to readers that hey, you can be a happy, out lesbian too!

Do you think there is a market for young adult media with queer characters and themes that didn’t exist a decade ago?

Absolutely. It used to be that anytime a writer put a gay or lesbian character in anything - let alone a main character - they were pigeon-holed as a ‘queer writer’. And a decade ago, that could severely limit, or even ruin, a writer’s career. Now, ‘queer media’ isn’t just a subgenre - gay and lesbian representation is coming into the mainstream. It’s a changing world. Lumberjanes did so well, it uncovered a whole market of tween, teenage girls and queer women. And there hasn’t been enough made for them! Backstagers, Zodiac: Star Force - a lot of the new comics coming out are riding on a wave of realization for the comic companies. They figured out that they were leaving money on the table when it came to queer female audiences.

What’s your advice to people who want to write comics or TV shows?

Write a lot. Write every day, if you can. It’ll make you a better writer. And put stuff on the Internet. It sounds scary, but it’s the best way to get your work seen. At this point, people are getting jobs off of Twitter. Networking is BS!

What is your Dream, or dream gig?

My dream is to write things that I’m proud of in many different mediums. A musical. A video game. A movie. I’m a really big fan of form. It’s an almost intellectual interest: the different things each format brings to the table, and how you work with each to find the best possible way to tell a story.

What are some of your favorite Things?

I loved Saturday Morning Cartoons. Recess, The Weekenders. I like weird slice of life children’s stories. Calvin and Hobbes is a huge favorite. LA Noir is my favorite video game. And one of my favorite comic artists is Alison Bechdel. She does a strip called Dykes to Watch Out For that is absolutely hilarious. ❀

Follow Grace on Twitter and Instagram.

Thanks for the interview Grace! We’ll no doubt be keeping up with you. Can’t wait for the great stories you’ll tell, across all the formats that strike your fancy!

- Cooper ❀

#The Frederator Interview #frederator studios #grace ellis #lumberjanes #boom! comics #bravest warriors #comics #moonstruck #noelle stevenson #brooklyn allen #alison bechdel #cartoons #animation #writer #patricia highsmith #interview #shae beagle #columbus

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kxlance · 7 years

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here are my thoughts on the bullshit under the cut cuz it's gonna get long probs i assure you it’s a reassuring post:

ok so the interview itself wasn't bad to me honestly. jeremy did not deny the bi!lance hint, which was the most important thing to know. the fact that he said "that much i can say" implies that there's something left to know that he can't say because nda.

i'm gonna list a positive thing and a negative thing here: the negative one is that on one hand, it pisses me off that lgbt characters are treated as such a big spoilery deal when it should just....feel so natural to have them in a show. also thinking back that dreamworks tagged certain videos as klance just for views...well it's kind of a coward move if they don't at least end the show with lgbt rep. on the other, i really don't see the point with going all "no comment" about it if it weren't to happen?? that would be very assholey, and i know that the writers are not to be trusted, but the mere fact that they lie so much over things than then ended up being canon (e.g: galra keith, paladin allura, pidge being a girl etc) can't help but make me think they are pretty much hiding the endgame couple on purpose. you could argue they could be hinting at allurance which i'm not excluding bc some of the things could be honestly interpreted that way and also they never mention them ever as a couple except i remember like kimberly saying that allura isn't interested in lance (but she could be lying obviously) and jeremy here stating that lance has still a crush on her which is pretty evident and there's nothing new. (we also learned, according to him, that lance basically can dish it out but he can't take it which frankly...i can see pretty well as canon)

on that spectrum, pls note that this happening (or lance ending up with a girl for the matter) doesn't absolutely excludes bi!lance like at all. he can still be confirmed as bi and end up with a girl and that itself would still be very important! one thing doesn't exclude the other honestly so i say very confidently that lance being bi will be confirmed. like 100% convinced that it will. (do not forget lauren's drawing where lance is holding the lgbt sign, there's a specific reason he's the one holding that)

also does anybody think that....this stress over lance liking ladies and stuff is kinda....suspicious?? like jeremy himself was used to say "lol he flirts with anybody on two legs ahha" and now today all of a sudden he's putting a lot of stress on the ""woman"" part. which kind of threw me off? i might be reaching obviously, but mmm you know? and all of this comes after joaquim said "what he's looking for is getting to a place that might be different than when he started in the series" and “what he wants might not be what he needs” and if math isn't an opinion, he started the series always wanting allura so if what he wants is now changing..........................

it is also true that lauren used female pronouns in that interview and while that could be an indicator that lance will end up with a girl, it's also not set in stone bc.... they used to hide pidge's pronouns the same way and if lauren had said "him" you know that keith would have suddenly come to mind bc??? he's legit the only person lance has been paired up so much with. they've been sort of a duo ever since the beginning. and they've had most of the couple tropes out of all the possible pairings??? in the show??? allow me to list some. I'm too lazy to back this up with pics but like you know the scenes i'm talking about (and i also say this because when i ship something i ALWAYS look at canon interactions. and they have a lot):

the bonding moment (or the we are a good team scene if you will), which is not only visually very romantic (the purple lightning aka their two primary colors mixed together) but its sort of the turning point of their relationship and it's something that's very much used with couples especially with couples with their dynamic because oh lord!!!!!! do you know how many heterosexual couples exist with a dynamic like theirs? broody boy meets friendly girl and they're total opposites but ops they fall in love?? bitch literally every goddamn YA novel is like this. anyways, you know that scene would be considered romantic if it was between a boy and a girl, and indeed, allurance sort of paralleled that scene in s4 so if you consider that as romantic but not this one....well....buddy,,,,,,,they're basically in the same lions keith and lance were aka the fire and ice dynamic and if you can see that as romantic with a/l you should be able to see it the same way with....k/l but i digress).

as i was saying, the bonding moment is the turning point of keith and lance's relationship. after that we get:

1) an episode where keith is super anxious to have lance out of a pod and gets jealous when he sees lance flirting with allura, reminds him of their "bonding moment" and gets offended that lance doesnt remember (and an entire discussion could be open as to why he was so offended and the vlog kinda sets that up), overall the flirty banter that we're used to (not to mention this is the famous infamous bi flag planet)

2) a solo mission where they're shown to be working extremely well with each other (like classic battle couple duo scenes)

onto other tropes:

the subtle jealousy that can be interpreted both ways

THE ELEVATOR SCENE which is such a common trope for main couples!! they usually get stuck and have a moment of clarification or something like that. keith and lance's was a lot more comedic but it did lead them to collaborate in battle 2 seconds after so.... it did have an impact like those scenes usually do. (also that scene wasn’t necessary for the plot at all and yet...)

Lance making that fond face while talking about Keith that, may I remember you, was animated purposely to be that way. and overall there's a lot of subtle things like lance being constantly worried over keith in season 2 even though they didn't have much dynamic development??

the hey man scene? the fact that everybody was looking at lance EXPECTING HIM TO DO SOMETHING. and he could have easily looked back at them like "why me???" BUT NOPE, he was ready to go to comfort him!!!!!!!!

i get so worked up over the fact that so many of their scenes can be paralleled with other scenes as the story goes bc LETS BE FUCKING REAL FOR A GODDAM SECOND: they're the only pairing who started a way and are ending up in another. because they've had the most coherent development as a pairing in the seasons and we're fucking halfway through the show and when you also remember that it's pretty clear that lance wants to falls in love and that it's a ""slow burn""" kind of deal,,,,how in the fuck,,,,can it be other than klance??? literally nO OTHER PAIRING had a development since the goddamn start i’m not even saying this with my biased ass i’m saying this objectively speaking!!!!

all of season 3 could be a huge romantic trope honestly but like 2 scenes in particular strike as very romantic:

the leave the math to pidge scene obviously (the way it is framed is very tropey lmfao) and the way we see keith through lance's eyes.......pretty gay if you ask me

and the i got you buddy scene which someone made notice that AN EXACT SAME SCENE happens in the wonder woman movie but with a boy/girl pairing ofc. BUT IT'S THE SAME FUCKING SCENE THAT'S LIKE ROMANTIC TROPE 101 I AINT PLAYING

add on the fact that keith might have left team voltron to make sure lance had a place and boom. pretty romantic to me.

even if jeremy sees them as brothers....which is like...super fucking odd to me bc....he never mentioned this before almost like he's backtracking lololol, his opinion isn't...you know...canon. (and like lbr they never acted like brothers in the show??? and the creators never addressed them as such unlike...you know what) i like jeremy jokes and meme as much as the next guy but i'm a realist and i know that he doesn't really ship klance or anything he just knows how to spoiler the good stuff lolz but also he didn't say anything wrong like it's just how he sees it but the creators never said so (lauren montgomery called lance keith's stability don't forget that) and overall there are wayyyy too many hints to not believe that's its gonna be canon. like......it even makes sense with the overall story better than any other pairing?? because it's pretty plausible that lance had a crush on keith at the garrison that tried to mask with the rivalry. the way he acts and the way he tries to always get his attention furtherly proves that. it's a common thing to do when you have a crush lmao.

LIKE THOSE TWO ARE ALWAYS PAIRED UP EVEN IN THE FUCKING SEASON 2 POSTER?? LIKE THEY COULD HAVE GONE WITH KEITH IN THE MARMORA OUTFIT SINCE IT WAS A BIG PART OF THE SEASON BUT NO??? THEY PUT HIM IN THE SWIM TRUNKS WITH LANCE FOR THOSE 2 MINUTES OF SCENE THEY HAD TOGETHER?????

ok that's it keep on hoping and remember that klance not happening doesn't mean that also bi lance won't because those two things aren’t mutually exclusive ok? but also don't lose hope on klance itself especially if it's something that makes you happy because fandom is meant to be a distraction and klance is an healthy lgbt ship that deserves all the attention it gets and it’s groundbreaking from so many aspects and it being canon would be amazing. bye

ALSO PLEASE STOP COMMENTING SHIT ON JEREMY’S PERSONAL PICS ON INSTAGRAM HE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG THIS IS EMBARASSING

bonus

#i hope this makes you feel a little bit better #remember that they said they have a natural arc....remember #long post/

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truesportsfan · 4 years

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Patrick Marleau’s departure signals the end of an era in San Jose

The departure of Patrick Marleau and the rumblings of disgruntlement from Joe Thornton seem to signal the end of an era for both the San Jose Sharks and hockey itself.

It’s spring 2007 and you’ve just managed to curate the perfect playlist for the coming months. You open your LimeWire account and download (steal) as many songs as you can find — clean versions only, so mom doesn’t get mad — and get to work burning a few CDs.

Brandishing a sharpie, you title your mix “Hockey Jamz 007 (Clean)”, grab your mini boombox and run outside with your little brother. Waiting for you outside is a Mylec street hockey net and two KOHO sticks — the kind with the white plastic blade and “Jagr” inscribed down the side.

The San Jose Sharks are set to begin their first round series against the Nashville Predators later that night, so you and your brother have some voodoo to work out. Jim Jones’s “We Fly High” bumps out of the speakers and you’re off to the races.

Lining up as Joe Thornton on a draw against an imaginary Jason Arnott, you sweep the puck back to Patrick Marleau, who for some reason is holding his stick backwards but whatever, and boom. Marleau coasts a shot past the invisible goalie and the two of you celebrate in the driveway.

Despite the dated references and overall lack of athletic ability displayed in this scene, this is an image that can be found across the hockey world. Whether it’s 1999, 2007, 2013 or 2020, if you’ve followed the game of hockey for the past two decades, you’ve grown up with Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton in your life.

Now, with Marleau moving on to greener — or grayer — pastures in Pittsburgh and Jumbo nearing the end of his rope in the Bay, it seems as though a duo that has dazzled hockey for years has now become just a memory.

Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images

Marleau moves on: Part Deux

This isn’t the first time Marleau has left San Jose. In the summer of 2017, the cap-strapped Sharks were unable to retain Marleau and he signed a hefty deal in Toronto on his quest for the Stanley Cup. It was a strange sight, but it lacked the air of permanence this newest departure to Pittsburgh has.

It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Marleau would return to the Sharks after he was bought out by the Hurricanes, who had acquired his contract in a salary dump by the Leafs. Sure enough, Marleau signed a cheap deal with San Jose just a few games into the 2019-20 season. Balance was restored in the universe — for the time being.

However, the sequel feels different. Pittsburgh presents a legit opportunity for Marleau to capture his first Stanley Cup. If he were to haul down the hardware that has eluded him for so long, wouldn’t it make sense for him to call curtains on his storied career? Even if he didn’t want to retire yet, it’s unlikely that returning to San Jose would be a smart move.

The Sharks have one of the league’s worst cap situations, not many legit prospects to build around and a lack of overall roster depth that will likely usher in a few years of a total rebuild following this season. Going back to San Jose would drastically diminish any chance Marleau had at winning the Stanley Cup.

Marleau’s legacy

Drafted in 1997 and making his debut in the 1997-98 season, Marleau showed immediate flashes that he was going to be something special. Breaking the 20-goal mark in just his second season, his combination of finesse and creativity gelled with the ease of the Bay area lifestyle.

Despite never bringing a Cup to the Bay, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Marleau helped the Sharks reach the playoffs in 17 of the 20 seasons he played for the club and amassed 68 goals and 120 points in over 170 postseason games. Owning four playoff overtime goals and three playoff hat tricks, Marleau was clutch.

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For 19 seasons following his draft day, Marleau would break both the 500 goal and 1,000 point milestones. After returning to the Sharks earlier this season for year 20, Marleau would play his 1,500th game with the franchise, elevating his name into a class that includes just six other players, including Gordie Howe, Nicklas Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman. He holds the top spot in virtually every statistical category in Sharks history, except for assists which is held by long-time teammate Thornton.

Beyond the ice, Marleau’s likeness took on a life of its own in the NHL video game series. An absolutely electric forward consistently sporting a 90-plus overall rating, Patty was almost like having a cheat code at your disposal. When paired alongside Jumbo, forget about it. It may seem silly, but for many young fans growing up in the early 2000s — especially those with little to no athletic ability like yours truly — these games provided an entry point into the sport and a different way to engage with marquee players.

Though it’s uncertain, and perhaps unlikely, that “Mr. Shark” will end his career in teal, he’s given both the city of San Jose and the hockey world at large two decades of memories.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Here’s looking at you, Joe

Given that Marleau had left the Sharks once before, it didn’t feel like that much of a stretch to see his name swirling around at the deadline. It was a jolt, however, to see Thornton’s name out there.

Although Jumbo hasn’t been with the Sharks as long as Marleau had been, in some ways his image had become tied to the team even more so. The long, scraggly beard with the gray streak down the middle, his hulking frame cruising around the ice, his unabashed love of a certain Tomas Hertl four-goal performance and of course the captain’s “C” marking his jersey for many years.

If Marleau was Mr. Shark, Jumbo was… Daddy Shark? Something like that.

However, he was perhaps just a phone call away from being moved to the Bruins or Stars this past deadline. There was some relief that Thornton didn’t get moved, as the Sharks losing both him and Marleau on the same day may have been too much to comprehend.

This was followed by a touch of melancholy after Thornton let it be known Tuesday that he was quite disappointed he didn’t get moved. During a pre-game media scrum, he used choice words when speaking about about the deadline and his quest for the Stanley Cup.

“I wanted a shot, you know? Believe it or not. I’ve been hunting this thing down for 22 years, so I wanted another shot at it.”

Thornton hasn’t been shy about being outspoken during his career, once telling general manger Doug Wilson to “shut up.” Yet, this discontent is palpable. This isn’t a squabble with management or teammates. This is him considering what’s best for him at this point in his career.

At 40 years of age and his production dwindling year by year, the window for Thornton to even be considered a positive addition to a club is small. Now that he has flirted with the idea of moving on, perhaps he takes the plunge this summer and explores finding a new home.

With the Sharks struggling to find a direction following a disastrous 2019-20 season, we may be seeing the end of the Marleau-Thornton era. Will the two find success as their travels move them beyond San Jose, or will Lord Stanley’s Cup continue to prove unobtainable for the duo as their legacy wisps away from the surface of the ice and into the sport’s lore?

Next: EBUG Dave Ayres is the GOAT

Follow FanSided NHL for more news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage about hockey in all forms throughout the entire 2019-20 NHL season and beyond.

source https://truesportsfan.com/sport-today/patrick-marleaus-departure-signals-the-end-of-an-era-in-san-jose/

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flauntpage · 6 years

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Sixers Season Preview, Over/Unders, and Pragmatic Predictions

Basketball is back.

We’re kicking off the NBA season with Sixers vs. Celtics on PRIME TIME NATIONAL TELEVISION, and no matter what happens tonight, you know the takes are going to be hot.

Everyone is going to have an opinion on Markelle Fultz and Brett Brown and Ben Simmons. Some of the takes will be good, more will be horrendous, and others will be neutral and pragmatic, which is what I’m going for. I’d even suggest that pragmatism IS a hot take in 2018, but that’s another column for another time.

More importantly, we’re going to have game footage to break down and analyze, and real quotes from real games. As much as I love preseason basketball, it’s time to get on with it and see what the Sixers actually have this year, as they kick it off against the Eastern Conference preseason favorite Boston Celtics, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs about five months ago.

I did the podcast with Russ last night and likened last season to a “gap year” one takes before or after college. You’re hitchhiking across America or backpacking in Kyrgyzstan, trying to find yourself and figure out what you want to do with your life. In that regard, 2017-2018 was a bridge connecting the end of the Process era to the beginning of something new and exciting. 52 wins was not what anybody expected, and at the end of the day I think most Sixers fans were more than happy with a second round playoff appearance, even if they were initially disappointed with the Celtics’ series loss.

It’s different this year. A second-round exit isn’t going to get it done. Anything short of the conference finals is a disappointment. Anything short of a top-three finish is a disappointment. Markelle Fultz coming out and failing to seek his shot would be a disappointment.

I know a portion of fans felt let down by the offseason because LeBron James, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard all went to other teams. Turns out LeBron and PG were never coming here in the first place and the asking price for Kawhi was too high, so the Sixers stood pat, improved the bench, and decided to run it back with a 52-win team. Even if one of those three players had come to Philly, you STILL needed to see internal growth and development from Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz. Adding a high-priced free agent was not an automatic solution to the problems that lost you the Boston series, but a complementary move that would theoretically put you over the hump and into the NBA finals.

What the Sixers have right now is good enough, and here’s what I need to see from every player and the head coach if this squad is going to reach the NBA finals:

Joel Embiid:

It’s Joel vs. himself this year. Joel Embiid is the only person in the Eastern Conference who can stop Joel Embiid. If he stays healthy, locked in, and focused, 30 points and 10 rebounds per game is not out of the question. I’m okay with him stretching the floor and shooting a couple of three pointers here and there, but I need to see less pump faking at the top of the arc and more incisive low post and face-up work from the big man, who is coming off his first full and healthy preseason ever.

Ben Simmons:

We all thought the jump shot would be the improvement to his game in 2018, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Instead, the Sixers found ways in the preseason to get him low and high post mismatches, which resulted in him drawing fouls and putting stress on defenses in an off-ball manner. If Simmons continues to evolve his post game while showing he can facilitate from various positions on the floor, then he’s not going to have to shoot three pointers or 18 footers this season. Eventually that part of his game will start to sprout, but if Fultz turns out to be okay this year, Simmons doesn’t necessarily need to become Reggie Miller overnight.

Here’s a clip from May, when the Sixers were down 3-0 to the Celtics and installed T.J. McConnell at point guard. Simmons found a bit of success going into the post instead of running into a wall at the foul line:

Expect to see more of that this season.

Markelle Fultz:

Be assertive. Seek your shot. Don’t hide from the game.

That’s basically it. I think we all know what kind of talent Markelle has, and the ability to drive to the rim and do things off the dribble should add a dynamic element to the Sixers, one that was missing last year. I don’t think this has anything to do with physical tools or his basketball skill set, it’s all mental going into his sophomore season.

Dario Saric:

Keep grinding for rebounds under the basket and keep stretching the floor as the prototypical stretch four in Brett Brown’s offense.

Dario’s three point percentage improved by a whopping 8.2% last season and he was incredibly consistent and steady on most nights. If he ditches the rocker step and keeps the ball off the floor, where his handle is loose, he can be even better offensively this year. Defensively, he’ll be the weakest link on a top three team, but if his footwork improves he’ll hopefully be able to keep up with smaller players off the switch.

Robert Covington:

Needs more consistency shooting the three pointer and finishing at the rim, but his defensive toolbox is critical for the Sixers’ switching game. Cov is not Bruce Bowen out there, which is to say that he’s not a lock down 1v1 defender, but his versatility is the glue that holds the first unit together. If he can continue to disrupt passing lanes and steal the ball and slide up and down guarding twos and fours, he’ll again help this team finish top five in defensive rating.

JJ Redick:

Assume a new bench role playing staggered minutes that will eventually match you up with the first unit as the game progresses. Continue to develop that highly-positive 2/5 brush cut and dribble hand-off game with Joel Embiid and give the Sixers a threat in after timeout and called play situations.

I was a big fan of the Redick and Embiid two-way game last season, and the Sixers found a lot of success using these types of designs, especially in the latter stages of the year and into the playoffs:

Amir Johnson:

Hustle, grind, grab a few rebounds, lay off the hook shot, and provide 10-14 tough minutes off the bench every night backing up Joel Embiid.

Mike Muscala:

Emulate what Ersan Ilyasova was able to do last year, which is provide a backup stretch four option and a small ball complement to Dario Saric if the Sixers go with that look again. It’s critical that he shoots the three at a decent clip if he’s going to play power forward this season.

Wilson Chandler:

Give the Sixers two-way bite off the bench, or in a starting role if necessary. One of the key reasons the Sixers lost the Boston series is because the wing defense and depth was shallow last season, and Chandler is a veteran who should really help out in this area when healthy.

Zhaire Smith:

Watch Chandler and Covington and learn from them. You can never have enough two-way wings on your roster, and his growth will be key to battling the Celtics for the next several years. Trading Mikal Bridges was a gamble in my mind, because I felt like Bridges had a higher floor in year number one, while Smith has a bit more room to grow.

T.J. McConnell:

Keep doing what you always do. Mash underneath the rim, find the open teammate, harry and harass on defense, and continue to hit that short pull-up in the paint. It’s an interesting year for McConnell, who is on the last year of his contract but is probably the most known quantity off the bench this season.

Landry Shamet:

Make the most out of your minutes, continue with that smooth off the ball movement and seek that shot. I was impressed with Shamet in the preseason and hope he gets a chance this year.

Furkan Korkmaz:

Continue to look for that shot. Improve defensively. Furkan had a good summer with the Sixers and also playing for his national team, and he can be a legit shooting threat off the bench with Redick and Shamet this season.

Jerryd Bayless:

Make the most of your minutes if your name is called. We saw some solid moments from Bayless last year, namely the Denver game, and you can do worse than a ten-year veteran providing some stability off the bench if the younger pieces don’t step it up early in the season.

Jonah Bolden:

Absorb everything you can. Learn from Embiid, Saric, Johnson, and Muscala in practice. Settle in as a four or a five and be ready to step in if somebody goes down injured.

Brett Brown:

Stagger the power forward minutes and continue to show that small ball shooting look when necessary. Continue to get Redick involve in DHO and brush cut sets, evolve the successful horns set to show some different wrinkles, and identify high-percentage calls in late game situations. Yeah, the Sixers play a high-tempo transition game with a basic motion offense in the half court, but there are going to be times when you just have to slow it down a bit, especially when the score is close in the fourth quarter. Experiment with Markelle in the pick and roll if needed. Most importantly, look for counters to Boston’s intense perimeter pressure and find a way to crack them open this year.

Over/under and other bets

SugarHouse Sportsbook has the Sixers’ over/under listed at 54.5 wins.

FanDuel Sportsbook set the number at 53.5.

Those are pretty tight lines.

The 76ers finished 52-30 last season and won 16 straight to end the campaign, while only four teams total eclipsed the 54 win mark: the Raptors, Celtics, Rockets, and Warriors.

The schedule is tougher this year, with 7 of 10 on the road to end the season and the absence of myriad tanking cupcakes on the back end. One big positive, however, is the lack of heavy back-to-back dates, which became an issue last year due to the London trip sort of “smushing” the winter and spring schedule together on a smaller time frame.

That said, I don’t see much competition beyond Toronto and Boston in the Eastern Conference. Indiana is a solid team and Milwaukee will be improved with Mike Budenholzer taking over. Miami is just a team, Washington always finds a way to disappoint, and the Cavs are no longer the Cavs without LeBron James in town. I don’t see much at all beyond the top four or five in the east, while the west is the much tougher conference.

People will say that this team didn’t start ripping off wins until Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova came to town, and that’s true, but it’s less about what Marco and Ersan did and more about the fact that the Sixers had no bench whatsoever before that pair arrived. It’s not to take anything away from what they provided here, it’s just that the Sixers went from nothing to something in the depth department, so the bar was incredibly low to begin with. This year, you’re looking at Redick, Shamet, Korkmaz, Chandler, Muscala, and Smith off the bench in the early part of the year. That is a HEAVY upgrade over Bayless, Justin Anderson, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Trevor Booker.

I’ll hammer the over, but not really hammer it, I’ll tap the nail instead. I will go with 54 wins and a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference, which will play out like this:

Celtics

Sixers

Raptors

Pacers

Bucks

Wizards

Heat

Pistons

FanDuel is also offering the following futures that involve Sixers players:

6th man of the year: JJ Redick +1600

assist leader: Ben Simmons + 600

All Star selection: Joel Embiid -550, Ben Simmons -370

MVP: Joel Embiid +2200

Here’s how the Crossing Broad staff sees the season playing out, based on the O/U total of 53.5 from FanDuel:

Chris: I think the Sixers slightly improve from last year. Thanks to a weaker Eastern conference, the Sixers should benefit from it. I’m not too hot on the team reaching the East finals however. Sixers finish 54-28 (slightly over 53.5) and get the 3 seed again.

Tim: Sixers finish 55-27. I would take the over on the wins.

Phil: 48-34. They have lost useful veteran pieces from the back end of last season, Fultz’s introduction to the lineup is going to be bumpy, and the first round pick is hurt. Yeah, the East is terrible, but this is not a 50-win team.

Coggin: 57-25. HAMMER THE OVER.

Russ: The over/under of 53.5 is too high even for a team that finished on a 16 game win streak to close out the season. The Sixers are in my estimation the third best team in the East. Both Boston and Toronto have deeper rosters overall from 1-12, though admittedly the Sixers’ combo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid is the only one to boast two of the top 5 players in the conference. The Sixers are going to have to take advantage of five games against a confusing Chicago Bulls team and a joke of a roster in Atlanta in those four matchups. We’ll find out a lot about this team and how valuable Markelle Fultz and his 6’9″ wingspan can be in defending Boston’s wings. I foresee some struggles as Dario, Ben, and Joel explore similar spaces on the floor while Fultz is manning the point. It’ll be a successful season, but this is by no means a 58 game winner. I have them in the 49-51 win range and that’s okay with me.

Kyle: Over. People are all down after a disappointing series against the Celtics, but we forget that heading into the playoffs the Sixers were nearly unbeatable. They were then partially derailed by Joel Embiid’s injury and inconsistent return. Regardless, they won 52 games with two young stars, and even though they had a very disappotining offseason, there’s no reason to think they shouldn’t improve by more than one game. I think we’re discounting how good both Embiid and Simmons could be, throw in a healthy Markelle Fultz, who almost by definition has nowhere to go but up, and it’s the Sixers and Celtics all day. 54 wins is the goal, but 56 wouldn’t surprise me. 60 wouldn’t shock me.

Jeff: I’ll take the under in light of the Fultz “experiment”, but not by much. 53-29.

Mike: Losing Belinelli and Ilyasova is going to hurt. No way Sixers would have won 16 straight games at end of season without them. No way Sixers would have let them walk if they didn’t think they were going to land a “Staaah”. Take the under. 50-32

…..

SugarHouse is also giving the Sixers +300 odds to win the win the conference, second only to Boston at -106.

Let’s play ball.

The post Sixers Season Preview, Over/Unders, and Pragmatic Predictions appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Sixers Season Preview, Over/Unders, and Pragmatic Predictions published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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emu1992-blog · 6 years

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Early, Top 100 NCAAF Players Going Into The 2018-19 Season

NEPD Staff Contributor: Jeff Fidler

So all draftniks like to stay ahead of the curve and I'm no different. Anyone can tell you who's, who in April. A few things I take pride in is identifying the best prospects early. Studying them on and off the field to try an eliminate as much risk as possible. Finally, hopefully, hitting on as many of my draft grades as possible. That said it's June and I'm not too worried about “Player X should be ahead of Player Y” at this point. I just want to get them in the right neighborhood and worry about what specific's later. This is really about early projections, a first look. I'll also place the PTP initials as a marking for kinds of players New England goes after, Patriot-Type Players.

1)Nick Bosa Rush/OSU – Bosa, the “White Panther” is one of the more complete prospects to come along in the last decade. I remember hearing about and seeing Nick play a few years ago, its really something he lived up to expectations and might be even better than his brother Joey. When's the last time we had two brothers, who were dominant players on the same side on the ball, in the same sport? Believe it or not Joey wasn't a slam dunk among some “draftniks”years ago. Joey, like Nick is a “don't ignore the obvious” player. Their both very similar in terms of size and strength but Nick looks a little quicker off the line and a better overall athlete. He flashes some serious bend for someone who is 6'5/275. Bosa can turn speed into power when he explodes off the line and can use it inside on twist/stunts. And like his brother he's a very good technician and wins with great hand placement and usage. Bosa also has very good lateral quickness to cross his opponents face or move down the line in run pursuit. He uses that quick lil side step on his swim move as well. 97 for OSU can win inside/outside and from different techniques along the line. His + motor is also on display almost every snap. He's going top 3-5, if not #1 overall.

2)Ed Oliver IDL/Houston – Oliver is another player I've been watching since high school. To be honest, he's been my favorite player to watch over the last few years. At times he looked like a young Aaron Donald and that comparison holds true today. Oliver fires off the ball with superior quickness. It's a pleasure to watch him transfer his power from lower to his upper have. That same lower half that can squat 650lbs also moves like a linebacker. He is fantastic at using his built-in, natural leverage to move and control the line. Oliver is always in control of gap/space and most of the time, his man. He's a sensational run defender. His pass rush is nasty too. You can't help but watch in awe at how he uses his shoulder to knife and wedge by a defender. He has violent hands and does a good job at keeping himself clean with swats and chops. He's his own player but you can't help but think Donald when he unleashes his “bob n swat” and club/rip. Oliver's awareness is also legit and more than evident in the run game. He looks like he can play in any scheme and make an impact in that system from day 1. Sure he has all the athleticism you want but its his motor, heart that really take his game to another level. There's no shortage of “freaks” in sports but its hunger, drive and commitment that make some truly great. Oliver checks all those boxes and brings great production as well. Like his counterpart on the defensive line, Nick Bosa. He'll be taken in the top 3-5 picks, if not #1 overall in next years draft.

3)Rashan Gary Rush/Michigan – Gary is another player that just looks different. You can't help but notice and follow him when watching him play. He's 6'5/280+ but he's an easy, smooth mover. He looks like a big outside linebacker at times flying around the field tbh. There might questions about his true position or if he has one. Not a concern for me. Give me talent and I'll worry about “positions” later. Gary has produced from multiple techniques and I don't see why he can't do that at the next level to take advantage of certain matchups. He has the speed/power to beat tackles around the corner and quickness to explode past guards inside. When I watch him rush the QB I see nice lateral quickness and strong hands. He can deliver a quick stun from a punch and is a handful when he gets them inside. The athleticism he has just isn't fair for a guy his size and he has plenty of strength to go along with that. That's probably the first thing you notice, his raw power. It looks like Gary could play almost anywhere if his game continues to evolve but a few extra pounds and he has a job as 3-tech for sure. If his play does take another step he has a chance to be taken anywhere in the lottery.

4)Raekwon Davis IDL/Alabama – Davis is an imposing athlete at 6'7/310 but its his martial arts type handwork and ability to get inside leverage that makes him such an impressive player. Davis has active, violent hands that are always moving and working towards his ultimate goal. Sacking the QB. He strikes defenders with accurate chops, swats and clubs before delivering a rip move or bull rush to finish the job. He also has some push/pull to his game as well. 1 on 1 he's a nightmare to guard for slower interior offensive linemen. I would like to see a little more “churn” and power from his lower half when engaged but he's a great prospect nonetheless. Especially if you're a looking for a 3/5 technique that gets after the QB. He's the definition of disruption. He had almost 20 sacks/tackle for loss last year (10TFL & 8.5 Sacks). Another year like that and hes a lock for the top 10-15. Should be noted he shot himself after/while watching the Mayweather/McGregor fight last year.

5)Andraez “Greedy” Williams CB/LSU – #29 for LSU has #1 CB written all over him and at times has the “it” you see in special players. Williams has the size (6'2), speed but also has that quick twitch at the line, + foot quickness. Effortless hip flips and transition. He's very comfortable in press and shows some nuance in the physicality he brings in that department. He's very subtle but does a great job at using body weight to feel and move receivers off their spot without using his arms in close quarters. And when he does use his arms he does a sweet job at hiding them and not extending to draw attention. Williams seems at home in tight quarters and does a very good job at reading his man to make a play on the ball. He brings that same awareness and savvy when reading the QB from a distance. I talked about his quick twitch earlier and his zone/off coverage play highlights that. Between his patience and burst, a QB must have the eyes and arm strength if they want to test him when he's off the ball. He shows + instincts for such a young player and looks like a future play maker. Greedy will be a 21 year old rookie which is gravy. Williams sample size is small but another year like 2017 with 10 PD/6 INT and he's going in the lottery.

DB 101: Guarding the fade, Greedy Williams plays with his feet first, gets his shoulder in the WR chest then turns and locates the ball. Being in a WR chest will negate a lot of their jumping ability as well as stopping the BIG pushoff. @WeAreDBNation1 #LSU #DBU pic.twitter.com/3DDsJa5SA2

- NPA_GASCREW ⛽️⛽️⛽️ (@TFootballGeek) June 14, 2018

6)Clelin Ferrell Rush/Clemson – There's a great chance Ferrell would have been a lottery pick a few months ago and he has a real chance at making that happen in 2019. Ferrell is superb blend of power, speed and length. One thing that's always impressed me when watching Ferrell is his snap awareness and get off. He's great at jumping the count but has a very formidable get off in general. He's inside his opponents pads before the tackles knows what hit him. Ferrell is terrific at exploding off the line with 3 steps, getting inside to create leverage and use his length to maximize it. Turning his speed into power. He also can rush 1/2 man, test the edge and runs the arc with real beauty. He also shows decent handwork displaying a nice chop/rip combo. You can't help but respect that part of his game which is a great set up for his spin move to beat you inside. His pass rush is his biggest asset but he's a very good run defender. He also shows good awareness diagnosing misdirection and has gap integrity and the ability to control his space. Ferrell is a big boy at 6'5/260 and has a frame that can handle more muscle. He'll be a 21 year old rookie with production and upside in his favor. as well. It's hard to envision him slipping out of the lottery.

His explosion off the line is ++ pic.twitter.com/lxlWhO8eFd

- Peter Szucs (@PeterSzucs90) April 29, 2018

7)Montez Sweat Rush/Miss St- Like Ferrell, Sweat has an impressive physique at 6'6/250 that is capable of handling a more muscle, which he'll need going forward. Sweat is another guy with a small sample size but the traits his demonstrated last year can't be ignored. He doesn't have a large arsenal of moves just yet but that didn't stop him from being the most dangerous pass rusher in the S.E.C. last year. Right now Sweat wins with quickness, balance and awareness. That last one, awareness might be his best asset in terms of getting to the QB. Sweat is very plugged-in and quick to recognize when his man is out of position to make a counter move inside. He's a very smooth player who moves effortlessly around the field. At times he shows off some neat hand work and he go to moves are a long arm or stab, with a pull/snatch at the end of the move. Here he beats first round prospect Greg Little by getting underneath him, extending the long arm before pulling him towards him. That's a pretty admirable show of strength with one hand to boot. I watched him have more than a few + rushes getting underneath his man like he did here. Sweat had a combined 26 TFL (tackle for loss) and Sacks last year in the S.E.C. Sweat also lined up at different spots along the line and probably could play either defensive end or outside linebacker.

This might be Sweat's go-to move so far. This is Greg Little who might be a top 10-15 pick himself. Great Burst off the line. Gets underneath.Hits him w Stab/Snatch.

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steve0discusses · 5 years

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Yugioh S3 Ep 18: Noah’s Dad Decides he Doesn’t Love His Son Anymore When Noah Gets Way Too Into Petz Hexing

I was hanging out with Bro and he made me look at a lot of bad Yugi wigs that were 600 dollars each, and because only like...4 good Yugi wigs exist in the world, I decided to help him get out that Yugi itch in a healthier way, by copy editing these posts and fixing the way I spell Gozaburo wrong about 400 more times before this arc ends.

So last we left off, Noah decided to reference that one part of the Bible he knows.

He’s gonna change the playing field to kind of run through the history of the Earth, showing us that in every period of history his outfit was never acceptable.

Also he got the history a...little bit wrong. You had to have people before Noah’s ark but...whatever. I took astrology, there’s a lot about planet formation we’re still kind of guessing on, so do whatever you feel like, Yugioh. It’s not like any kids watching this got real pissy about how Noah was totally botching the Archean period.

He also decides to dump on us how he got so smart. See, Kaiba got smart by studying a lot, surrounding himself with people way dumber than him, and then just bossing everyone around him until they agreed with him that he was very smart. In Noah’s case, it’s because he’s literally a computer.

I’m really glad I get to find another anime that’s all ham about this tree. In this case just slapping it on there for a few seconds, long enough for me to say “WHAT THE HELL, KIDS SHOW?” before it vanishes again.

Good on you, Noah. You just...casually slipped that in there.

Ah, but unfortunately, the AI who is like...not even human and is *pretty sure* He’s Noah Kaiba is still kind of attached to his Dad. Maybe it was a part of his core code that he couldn’t reject his Father? I dunno, just seems weird that he achieved enlightenment and was like “So uh...I guess I’ll play cards and take over a mindless corporation. Good use of my time.”

(read more under the cut)

Kaiba’s reaction to hearing that his brother stores all of human knowledge was “well, it can’t possibly be that difficult. I’ve done way more than that. I have a homeschool degree and half a high school diploma so go to Hell, bro.”

Yo how many people would sit down, turn to their computer, and just start shouting at their core processor about how they’re waaaay smarter than it? Remember that during this entire conversation, Kaiba is shouting at a literal computer.

So anyway, we finally get to see why they bothered showing us spider room a few episodes back. Youknow, that room with the baby in it? Turns out...there was never a baby in this room, since Noah was a kid when he first woke up here.

Before it was covered in spiders, it was covered in blue and off white. This is a very boring Martha Stewart room in different shades of robin eggshell. You can tell this kid is a Kaiba because oh boy that is a...really boring 50 yo housewife look, ain’t it?

I’m sure it’s symbolic for the fact he is hella dead and innocent at this point but like...every time we see Kaiba interior design it’s just the last type of design you expect from this high octane family.

Anyway, Noah’s kind of surprised to be awake because, last he remembers, he was very much hit by a car.

Ya, I mean, if you have to tell your son you Frankenstiened him into a horrible crime against humanity, might as well tell him as quickly and bluntly as possible, I guess.

Anyway, because Noah existing breaks the most basic moral human laws in every country on Earth, they kinda can’t let him go anywhere, which means that to prevent the loneliness, Kaiba gives him...a pet?

So Noah and the dogcat decide to travel through Domino and realized very quickly that there were only like...five NPC’s. There’s like an ice cream girl, and like a couple walking people, and that’s about it.

Noah’s words were something like “man this place is full of glitches!” because his dogcat wouldn’t stop barking and he threw a rock at it and it didn’t care. Glitches.

I guess it’s one way to look at it?

It feels like Noah got somewhat cursed like Pharaoh did, just a little bit. Like not completely it’s just that I can’t help but notice both are trapped in some sort of basic geometry shape--Pharaoh’s is a pyramid and Noah’s is an orb, and both have untold superpowers matched with some heavy depression that goes with having said superpowers. Not to mention, both have a host body all set up for possession, it’s just Kaiba is a little bit youknow...unwilling to participate. They’re very different obviously it’s just...way to trap your characters in shapes.

Anyway, last episode I felt like maybe Noah liked being an orb, this episode he’s made it a little more clear that it is kind of not great being an orb...but only because he can’t throw any rocks at dogs or have real conversations with anyone but his own Dad.

Anyway, Noah got a little bored. So his Dad sent him to virtual Mars.

And now Noah only finds joy in hacking his digital pet. Relatable.

Now I know a good chunk of you are my age--that good Jenna Marbles age--and will know exactly what I am referring to, as for the rest of you, turning your digital pet into a hell creation was just a thing we all did in year 2000ish. All of us did this.

And I was like “I bet you, that someone out there has made a robot Hex, I guarantee” because I spent...I want to say 2 years of my life downloading modded breedz of Catz 4? I even tried to do it myself but I wasn’t any good at it because I was super young and bad at computers, I never actually got Robbie William’s Millennium as a Catz meow (though trust me, I did try. It was my life’s dream when I was small.)

But the closest I found to a Robot Petz was this?

Dang. Look at that thing. This one is actually pretty good because it does resemble an animal. I admire it a lot. Trust me, I spent like days moving my bunniez feet around trying to make a dragon and just ended up downloading someone else's dragon.

And then, from the same page I saw this gem right above it.

HELL YES........

....I freakin love this period of the internet so freakin much. I was only ever really a part of a couple of fandoms as a child and the Petz fandom will forever hold a little part of my heart. I mean, look at this. What’s not to love?

Like, Catz is probably number 3 on my list of best games ever made. Not so much because the game was any good, but because none of the files were protected in any way so even kids like me could hack in there and make the weirdest abominations and post them all to their Angelfire pages.

Well, other kids could, I was so baby that I was still using my Mom’s email address and did not know how to put a damn thing on my webpage. Which I did have. But it had like...only frames. It had like 3 words and just me splitting the page into 50 frames because I did not know what I was doing.

I apologize to all the kids in the room who have never seen a web page covered in ugly ass frames. You lucky bastards.

....but Petz...Noah was into PETZ. I can respect him for that.

I still think he’s a little creep-o, but knowing that he hacked his pet has given me a lot of appreciation for his work.

Anyway, it was after Noah changed the boring ass simpleton dog into a much better dog that Gozoboro decided “I have made a monster, I am abandoning my boy.” Which uh...this was the thing?

This?

I mean as far as body horror goes, Litterbox up there is way worse. As far as body horror goes, we also have, Jinzo over here, but the digital dog with a cute robot head was the thing that made Gozoboro say “What have I done!?” The dog is digital, it’s not even alive.

Especially since I feel like the follow up question Noah made was like way more frightening than the dog thing?

Kaiba glazes right over this entire conversation. Like full stop, he didn’t even seem to blink. No part of this story even slightly surprised him, although I will admit, at least Seto has decided that Noah...exists and might in fact be a robot his Father made once. This in itself is a big deal for Kaiba, who has a goldfish memory and denial wider than the sea he’s trapped under.

First of all, congrats to the storyboarder/animator for drawing a hand in that angle, mad respect.

Second of all, this is pretty close to the actual line from the show, Kaiba legit thinks that his Dad wanted Kaiba to be the president, after he knows full well that his Dad was like “Don’t Take Over My Company, You Little Twerp” and then like tried to even send Seto back to the orphanage whence he came. Kaiba’s pretty sure that his Dad wanted that whole thing to happen exactly the way it happened. No regrets. Just family being family.

And Moki’s still chilling on the Moki couch, just kinda taking this all in before he’s summoned unto the field like a playing card.

Ah, yet another person who is like “KILL MEEE” on this show. It’s been kind of a while. Like, who’s left that hasn’t stood in front of a loaded card-gun like this? Duke? Is Duke the only one who hasn’t sacrificed his body for the greater card-good at this point? Is this why Duke is our amoral Chaotic Neutral? Is this why Duke is still the only one who hasn’t died yet (and I’m crossing my fingers still that he’s gonna be our death 169, it can happen, I can believe)?

I feel like this is the season of weird hugs. Like everyone on this show that has hugged has gotten a little weird. The only not-weird hug was when Yugi attempted to hug Joey once and then Joey dodged the hug and wrestled him into an arm-distanced noogie instead--which is technically still not a hug, but the closest we’ve gotten to something a human would do. It is so lucky for our art team that all the huggers are supposed to be hella weird anyway.

Anyway, next episode we get to find out if Noah also had an AIM username or got really into Jelly pens. I can see him getting suuuper into Jelly pens, with hair like that.

Anyway, here’s a link to Season 1 Ep 1 to read in Chrono order, in case you just got here and you’re looking for that.

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thebiggaylion · 6 years

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Marshmello @ EDC Orlando 2017 (with Gareth Emery and Excision)

It’s April, ya’ll! There’s no more excuses for cold weather, so could someone tell Mother Nature to knock it off with all the snow for my friends up north? Music festival season is definitely underway, and us Floridians ain’t trying to rave in no snow (but shout out to those who manage to do it anyway!). As long as we’re on the topic of northerners, one of my friends was talking to me regarding Marshmello earlier in the week. I knew that when I got around to posting this segment that it would need to also include Excision, whom he loves. So, since this same friend was my original inspiration for my first ever #ThrowbackThursday, (which was for Excision), it seems liked that conversation was the perfect sign from the universe on what to post this week! Before we get into all that, though, I had to split this post, but decided to do it in a slightly different way. Instead of just doing two parts down the middle, I’ve decided to take the Marshmello stuff and the non-Marshmello stuff and put them each in a post. We’ll see how it turns out in the end... and while I don’t think I’ve ever explicitly stated this before, feedback has always been and will always be welcome!

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YouTube | Facebook | Instagram What a great way to start the set! No, this wasn’t his opener, but I think his remix of Waiting for Love is a huge improvement over what seemed like a bit of weird pacing of the original, so I just loved hearing it. Avicii - Waiting for Love (Marshmello Remix) https://soundcloud.com/aviciiofficial/waiting-for-love-marshmello Slushii x Marshmello - Twinbow https://soundcloud.com/aviciiofficial/waiting-for-love-marshmello

Find this photo on Instagram | Find this photo on Facebook So those folks who were dancing in front of me in the video above turned around, saw me, and she wanted a picture! Turns out these Norwegians are actually from Norway, accents and all! Usually I think of the other large music festival in Florida being the one to attract international visitors, but I suppose Orlando is still the tourism capital of the world, so of course there’s draw for folks to visit here besides EDC Orlando... but it was really cool to meet some legit international headliners!

Find this photo on Instagram | Find this photo on Facebook Of course, getting a pic with only part of the crew is never best, and this year the husband behind The Big Gay Lion could act as a photographer for folks who wanted a pic without the selfie perspective haha. We actually ran into these folks once more on the way home after Day 1 was over! I didn’t get any socials from them, but they’re as delightful as they look!

Find this photo on Instagram | Find this photo on Facebook Speaking of delightful (and selfie perspective), here’s another headliner that’s a good example of someone who saw me taking pictures, and decided to get one for themselves haha. I didn’t get a line on this gal, but I love a headliner that’s all smiles and loves to get in close for a great pic! And who doesn’t love a flower crown at a music festival?

At this point, the husband of the guy behind The Big Gay Lion wasn’t feeling Marshmello like I thought he would, so we walked around the festival for a little bit. I was interested in seeing some of the other acts performing at neonGARDEN and circuitGROUNDS during this time slot anyway, so off we went!

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YouTube | Facebook | Instagram We’re leaving kineticFIELD along the edge of Rainbow Road, kinda near the merchandise tent, and-... holy crap, would you look at this! At the time I took this video, I didn’t realize how her altitude and such was controlled (there are two tech guys holding onto the whole thing, leading it around and such), but we’ve never seen anything like this at EDC Orlando’s past. I decide this shot can turn into a decent atmosphere video, and decide to pan back to kineticFIELD. You can see the Pulse Portal art installation on the left side of the video, just before I zoom into kineticGAIA). Once I started paying attention to what I was hearing, I knew for sure I’d love this video... this song is one of my favorites! Ookay - Thief https://soundcloud.com/ookaymusic/thief

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YouTube | Facebook | Instagram So we made our way over to neonGARDEN, and saw a dude I’ve always loved not only because of his amazing music, but because of the positive, energetic vibe he brings to his (now concluded) podcast series. Even though I didn’t stay long, apparently the universe was smiling at me, because... I caught an ID haha. This one doesn’t seem to be out yet, but both himself and Ashley Wallbridge dropped this for Armin van Buuren’s A State Of Trance 850, and the video link to that show is below, timestamped to it’s appearance in the stream (@48:30). Ashley Wallbridge & Gareth Emery - ID https://youtu.be/4OLfAFkL8EY?t=48m30s Ben Nicky - Cobra https://soundcloud.com/bennicky/ben-nicky-cobra

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YouTube | Facebook | Instagram And speaking of amazing luck, I managed to catch this clip during Excision’s set at circuitGROUNDS while his awesome Harambe visuals were up. The song that followed was fire too, so while I’m certain the entire performance was just as hot as last time, I’d like to think I caught one of the highlights! Excision, Datsik, and Dion Timmer - Harambe https://soundcloud.com/excision/x-harambe Whyel - Revolt https://soundcloud.com/harshrecordslabel/whyel-revolt-1

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YouTube | Facebook | Instagram After heading back down Rainbow Road to kineticFIELD, we must have run into some of the folks we knew, for we stopped kinda far back. Doesn’t bother me, cause that just means I can get the whole of kineticGAIA in my shot! Also, here’s one of those pop-crossover moments that I love! Yeah, yeah, Guns N’ Roses would probably die than be called “pop”, but “pop” is slang for “popular”, and if you think Sweet Child O’ Mine wasn’t popular, then you are too young to remember it being on the radio (or simply haven’t listened to a radio station that focuses on the 1980′s since then)! Also, I think it’s great that Guns N’ Roses has a SoundCloud! This song is back-linked on their SoundCloud page as being THIRTY-ONE YEARS OLD. That’s not the oldest song I’ve ever posted about (the winner would likely be when Alison Wonderland dropped Bill Withers in 2016, which at the time was released forty-five years earlier!), but it’s reaching back in time for sure! Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine https://soundcloud.com/guns-n-roses-official/sweet-child-o-mine Galantis - Runaway (U & I) https://soundcloud.com/wearegalantis/galantis-runaway-u-i-1 Reece Low - Bounce That Ass https://soundcloud.com/reecelow/reece-low-bounce-that-ass-original-mix-1

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YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Here’s yet another pop-crossover moments! Each song after the next was great, but I had no idea where he was going with his mix when I started recording haha. Also, Papa Roach has a SoundCloud too? And here I thought that platform may only get utilized for pop, hip-hop, and dance! Jack Ü feat. Kiesza - Take Ü There https://soundcloud.com/diplo/jack-u-take-u-there-feat-kiesza Knife Party - Boss Mode https://soundcloud.com/knifepartyinc/knife-party-boss-mode Papa Roach - Last Resort https://soundcloud.com/paparoach/last-resort RL Grime feat. Djemba Djemba - Valhalla https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cE_CUiteaM

Download High Res (35.4 MB) | Download Low Res (4 MB) End of the night? More pyro! I’ve been doing 15-frame GIF’s since I ran into the 2 megabyte soft limit on Tumblr, but this one I wanted to do with only 14 so I can get close to a perfect loop on that fire haha. At this point, the husband of the guy behind The Big Gay Lion starts getting all impatient, and wants to try to beat the crowd out of the festival. Yes, I know that’s not possible with EDC Orlando. No, he didn’t know that. But after this moment, we walked back to the locker, got our stuff, and headed out.

Find this photo on Instagram | Find this photo on Facebook But before we got to the exit, I saw one of the most amusing totems of the year. Maybe of all time? A big ol’ screen shot of Trixie Mattel from her YouTube series with Katya called UNHhhh. That’s not a typo, the title is just post-verbal. The show is one of all-time favorites for the guy behind The Big Gay Lion, so he loves this pic!

Find this photo on Instagram | Find this photo on Facebook After exiting Tinker Field (and running into those Norwegian headliners at a crosswalk!), I got back to the car (may it rest in peace), and got the head dress off. As you can see in this pic I snapped, my head dress wasn’t properly affixed to my noggin for Day 1, and there is almost zero remaining impressions on my forehead. But, I was definitely messing with it all day, which was quite annoying. The line of makeup you see missing from my forehead was intentional. I figured if the head dress didn’t move, then I wouldn’t need to paint everything... man I was wrong, because if you look back at all my Day 1 stuff (which is easily done using my Tumblr Index!), you can see where the makeup stopped just below the headband in almost every one! Ugh. I tried to be lazy, and now it’s been immortalized in all my Day 1 pics from 2017 haha. Don’t worry, as you may have already seen from my Day 2 stuff, I didn’t make the same mistake twice!

So there we go! Probably one of my most musically diverse posts ever haha. I did a lot of walking around this year--even moreso than I did in 2016--and while I did enjoy myself, it was hard to get into the groove. I might have to let the husband of the guy behind The Big Gay Lion hang out with the biggest fan and his group of headliners so I can stick to a show I like and get into the groove properly! But, that’s for seven months from now... only 218 days left to go, right? Right! Oh, and don’t forget there’s two parts to this post if you so desire to have this content split logically. Love ya’ll, see ya next time! 🏳️‍🌈🦁❤

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amtushinfosolutionspage · 7 years

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Dwight Howard is (Quietly) Dominating Again

Dwight Howard’s shoulders don’t know how to retreat. Perhaps they are unaware of the fact that they’re battling on behalf of his third team in three years, or are partly responsible for a fruitless post game, but these shoulders still sit atop a pair of impossibly muscular arms as one of the most effective physical characteristics basketball has ever known.

As I stand beside/below them on Madison Square Garden’s sideline during a recent morning practice, it dawns on me that these shoulders should have come to mind when Howard’s awkward tenure with the Atlanta Hawks came to a merciful conclusion. Or when he looked closer to China than All-Star Weekend during a dreadful six-turnover preseason opener against the Boston Celtics.

It’s impossible to stand so close and believe other players have any chance in hell to corral missed shots while those shoulders occupy the same space. They were molded to plant flags in the paint. (Howard is the career leader among all active players in defensive and total rebound rate, and is currently pulling down 13.2 per game.) Today, they stand tall in the face of revolutionary, three-point-line-backed winds that threaten to wipe them out.

Even though the narrative surrounding Howard’s decline—further accelerated by the decrepit trade package Charlotte used to acquire him—has somewhat less to do with his production and more to do with the friction he’s stumbled upon with teammates and coaches in recent years, that wide frame, and all the good it can still do on a basketball court, isn’t going anywhere. Howard doesn’t need to dramatically evolve—what he can do is timeless.

“When we were in Orlando he was just, athletically…I mean really outside of Shaq, I don’t think there’s been another guy with that type of strength, quickness, explosiveness like he had,” Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, says. Clifford, who worked with Howard when both were employed by the Magic, continues, “He’s still, to me, very strong, very athletic—not like he was—but he’s also much more seasoned. And I think the thing he’s never gotten credit for is his intelligence on the floor.”

Photo by Jeff Hanisch – USA TODAY Sports

I crouch next to Howard as he slides his feet from American Flag decorated Peak sneakers into a pair of Ugg house slippers that resemble two sheepskin-lined canoes. The cameras that once invaded his personal space in environments just like this one are gone. All he has to deal with is my lone digital recorder. He fiddles with his phone and slides a black Hornets knit hat (with a pom on top) over his head. I ask if and how his role right now is different than it was in the previous two stops.

“No doubt. I’m more involved in the offense,” he says. “I have more opportunities to put in some good input within our defensive schemes…It’s a totally different system, a totally different atmosphere, and I’m excited about our future here.

“Coach understands that I enjoy playing defense, and he’s just allowed me to be who I am on defense within the defensive scheme that we have set as a team. So that’s a little bit different than in the past.”

Howard is 11 games into his 13th season. It’s too early to say if his fit with the Hornets will be successful, but at 32 years old he’s got the highest usage percentage he’s had since he left Orlando. In some areas that’s not so great, like, for example, on the block, where only three players in the entire league have posted up more, according to Synergy sports.

Howard’s turnover rate on these possessions makes feeding him down low one of the riskier gambles in the league. Right now he’s coughing it up 34.4 percent of the time, an outrageously high number that’s 12.2 percent higher than Blake Griffin, who ranks second on that list among all players who’ve logged at least 50 post ups.

He’s been a particularly demoralizing black hole. The second Howard puts the ball on the floor there’s a good chance it’ll fly out of bounds, get poked away by his own man, or ripped from his grasp by a help defender who knows Howard won’t see him coming. The saving grace here is that much like a hot three-point shooter, being this careless with the ball is unsustainable throughout an 82-game season. And when Howard shoots without dribbling, his field goal percentage is an impressive 65.7 percent.

All in all, the increase of opportunity has made him happy. And a happy Howard is an engaged center who can still sway the tide on both ends of the court. His net rating has hovered around +10 for most of the season, and the Hornets look like a 62-win team when he’s on the floor. (So far, they’re a total trainwreck when he sits—but that also has to do with the fact that Howard usually shares the court with Kemba Walker, and they don’t have a backup point guard or NIcolas Batum on their bench.)

Even though he isn’t the cape-wearing superhero he once was, Howard still does little things that have value. He draws a ton of fouls, is one of the NBA’s better rebounders, and peels defenders off teammates with terrific screens.

“Once these guys get an opportunity to get separation from their man, and get a chance to really look at the basket, it’s lights out,” Howard told VICE Sports. “I take pride in hitting those guys and making the defense have to work. Jeremy Lamb, Kemba, Malik, when Nic gets back, all these guys can come off pick-and-rolls and get easy shots. So I’m just trying to make sure that I hit their man, roll to the basket, put pressure on the rim, and now our shooters get opportunities to get their shots off.”

A perfect example of that came on Tuesday night, when Knicks point guard Jarrett Jack was forced to chuck Howard’s roll, freeing Malik Monk up in the weakside corner for an open three.

“I think it’s one of the things he doesn’t get enough credit for. He’s always been a terrific screener,” Clifford says. “He had a very good chemistry, both with Jameer Nelson in Orlando and also with Hedo Turkoglu, and I think that he’s done the same thing here. He’s on his way with both Kemba and Jeremy Lamb, and when Nic comes back it’ll be a big part of his game too.”

“He’s such a great screener and he’s such a forceful roller,” Hornets forward Marvin Williams says. “You’re gonna have to have one or two guys down there stopping him from getting a dunk, and that’s where we come in.”

Photo by Jeremy Brevard – USA TODAY Sports

Defensively, Howard has been the drop-coverage brick wall who forces long twos, deters shots at the rim, and makes life easier for his teammates as they swarm along the perimeter. According to Cleaning the Glass, Charlotte’s opponent shot frequency at the rim is 8.9 percent lower when Howard is on the court, and their accuracy drops 11.0 percent. That is completely ridiculous.

“He’s as good with coverages as almost any guy I’ve been around. He always was,” Clifford says. “And that’s why I think that we can be an elite team defensively once we get all our guys back and a little more coordinated.”

Here he is letting Walker know Karl-Anthony Towns is about to set a screen. Charlotte’s cagey point guard isn’t caught off guard, and is able to duck under and recover for a decent contest, executing what Clifford wants him to do.

And in a slightly more complicated situation, watch in the opening second as Howard points to a spot on the floor, letting Dwayne Bacon know that Taj Gibson may set a drag screen for Jimmy Butler. The rookie leaps up to ice it and force Butler towards the sideline, away from the middle. Howard is then in good position to poke the ball away.

“He communicates,” Hornets guard Jeremy Lamb tells VICE Sports. “He’s a great rim protector, whether he blocks it or alters it. He makes them shoot tough shots and that’s great to have. If my man gets by me I try not to swipe down, I try to keep my hands up because they have to shoot a tough shot over him.”

There are moments where Howard is forgetful on the perimeter, almost daring bigs like Marc Gasol or Kristaps Porzingis to fire up an open three; an irrational disbelief of their ability to make him pay. Clifford also benched Howard at the end of Charlotte’s loss in New York because the Knicks went small lineups and were giving his Hall of Fame center some trouble. But all in all his impact on that end has been positive.

And for what it’s worth, Howard’s teammates have yet to sour on his relentless jest.

“It’s been all fun all the time,” Hornets forward Marvin Williams says right before he tilts his head back to laugh. The two have known each other since they were 14. “Since he’s been with us, I mean, anything that you know you’ve heard or read I’ve yet to see, me personally. And I bet everybody else in the locker room will say the same thing. He’s literally all jokes all the time. He loves to joke with other people. He loves when the jokes on him. He’s always laughing. He’s legit like a fun dude to be around, man.”

The sentiment is echoed by Lamb, who met Howard a while ago. Both are from Atlanta. “I knew he wasn’t a horrible person like people try to portray…All the things that people say is totally false to me. He’s a great teammate on and off the court. When he first got here he was helping the young guys, talking to them about positioning, just talking to them about different things to help them. I’m really happy to have him.”

Success is a magic elixir for even the most grating locker room behavior. And even though the Hornets are 5-6 with a 19th-ranked point differential, they’ve competed in every game without Nicolas Batum (their second-most irreplaceable piece), while another starter, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, has missed six games. Michael Carter-Williams is finally back in the lineup and guys like Bacon, Monk, and Treveon Graham have been forced to fill holes they aren’t ready for.

In other words, Charlotte’s best days are likely ahead. In the meantime, Howard has already proven to be an immensely helpful contributor.

“We have an opportunity to be a top three team in the East,” Howard says. “With the way we work, and the potential that we have, and the talent that we have, there’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll be a top three or four team in the East.”

Dwight Howard is (Quietly) Dominating Again syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6

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lilithreposeinshadow-blog · 7 years

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I have a dark side

Fuck.

Seriously, fuck.

Getting my words out, getting them out there, being heard. It’s this itch that has to be scratched. My journal wont do it. My facebook is the wrong format. I’m not here to bring anyone down, but fuck I am not happy all the time and I don’t know where to put all of those other feelings.

I live in the mountains. Well, in the valley of granite cliffs. They surround me and thieve the horizon. Every close friend/confidant I have lives in another state.. the ones I make out here keep leaving, either this place or my life.

Even when close ones are near and available, my thoughts and feelings spin and swirl so much that I feel like it is too much for them to take on. And that’s at no fault of their own, it’s not a fault of mine either. It’s the role of the therapist that I need. And I had, back in Philly.

Therapy was expensive, but I loved my therapist, I miss him. He was fucking handsome, which hurt. I had never felt more heard and understood by a man, a handsome, young, amazing man, who I absolutely could not have. When I was depressed, that was pretty hard. I probably should have found a different therapist. He was so damn good though.

I feel a lot. I feel a lot of conflicting feelings. I feel one way one day, and the next quite the opposite. I feel at peace, then incredibly impatient. My spirit wants to rip out of me, longing for whatever it is I’m longing for... and either the pressure is too much and I turn to it, or something else, for relief... or somehow it softens.

My feelings come and go in phases. For weeks I’ll be stuck in a thought, stuck in anger, stuck in desire, stuck in frustration, suck in anxiety. Then, life will happen, things open up, and my heart shifts.

Right now.... right now I’m mad. I’m angry. I’m angry at men.

I’m angry at men and then I’m angry at myself. Dating is a trip, and I don’t think I handle it well.

I had a boyfriend in high school for over two years. He was my rock. We were Christian and were going to be abstinent, but then I suggested we try sex.

We had been fooling around for a good while, and enjoyed each other. Growing up in the South, my sexual education was shaming and frightening. It wasn’t until I had a friend who had sex, and enjoyed it, and wasn’t upset or depressed or mad or sad - that I was like, hey, J, let’s do this!

And we did. And it was okay. Short. Sweet. Short. Scary. We only did it a few times, and we both felt so afraid of being caught, or pregnant, or judged, that we stopped. I suggested we stop. J was really good to me.

Then I left him. And I don’t think I’ve been honored or resepected the same way since.

Yeah, we were in high school, and no I don’t think he and I would have been the right match long term... but who knows? He wont befriend me, I’ve tried.

What I’m getting at here is sex.

Since then I’ve had a good handful of partners. Casual partners, romantic partners, passionate partners, regrettable partners. It’s been a mess, honestly.

I didn’t have sex from the time I was 17 until I was 19, close to 20. I was afraid of it, I was in a new city and didn’t have people, and I just didn’t need it. But then I had my next bf, and he taught me how sexually attractive I am. See, I’m a skinny girl, and the media makes young girls think it’s good to be skinny, but damn if your tits are THAT small, yeah... you might wanna fix that at some point. I thought I needed curves and cleavage and definitely not be so bony.

Turns out, what I’ve got going on, plenty of people like. And that’s likely true for every body type. And I’m grateful to the second boyfriend, who showed me the real ropes with sex, and who improved my confidence tremendously. That relationship wasn’t... the best? It wasn’t awful but there was definitely some belittling and shaming and guilting and crap that eventually I got myself out of.

The community I found were partiers. They were fun/are. They are wonderful people who I have so much love for. But what’s valued there is sex, drugs, music, dancing, self expression, and fun. Yes they help each other out, but not always. And fuck, if you bring up sad or too real shit at a party, gtfo. And a lot of times, it was hard to see any of them if I weren’t at a party... So... When can I lean on you, friend? When is it my turn to cry in your arms? Why is it I will drop anything to hold you in this room while everyone is partying, but when I bring up real shit in my life, people just turn away, tell me not to worry about, tell me it’s not the right time.

When is the right time to be heard?

When?

So I’m angry. Yeah, I’m angry at men.

When I was with that second boyfriend, and he was showing me the ropes sexually, I remember thinking, “I’m gunna get really good at this.” And I did. I’m a great lay. I’m sexy. I’m freaking hot in bed. I’m a tease, I know all the good spots and good ways. I’m hot. And men really like it. Like, a lot.

My sexuality is my honey. I draw men in with my smile and my flirting, then, when the time is right, I show off my talents and I dazzle. And then they’re hooked. They want more, and I get what I was hoping for. Some attention, some affection, some intamacy.

But, fuck. Fuck fuck fuck, it doesn’t last. It just DOESN’T.

I give myself, my whole entire self. I look in your eyes and I flatter you with kisses and compliments, favors and gifts. I flutter around, catching your eye... and then you wonder. Your gaze drifts, your attention shifts.

I can feel it, okay? I really do feel it as soon as that shift happens. It’s like an iceberg that breaks and slides a part, and hundreds of miles away, the wave of it passes over my feet, and I just know. It’s not a normal wave like the ones before and after, that was a shift. That was a change.

And then there I go. I can’t help myself. I bring it to attention, I say, hey, what was that? Where did you go? Where is your heart now? And it’s too much. I’m too much. I want too much. I expect too much.

These men, these climbers. These men. Like I said before, I am mad at them, but then I’m mad at me. I’m mad at myself because I know it will be. I see it coming for miles, I can see through them. I know the men I find most attractive are unavailable. They’re explorers, adventurers, travelers. They’re climbers and fire fighters and rangers. They’re seasonal, they’re just coming through, they don’t live near by. I know it’s all fucking doomed, but my dreamer heart catches me.

They’re so damn handsome is the problem. Or something.

I look at them, all those different men I’ve let myself get attached to know have no intention of being a real partner to me, and I see their tenderness and they show me a piece of their heart.

See, that’s what the honey does. It’s so sweet and lovely that it opens you up. I get a peek of what’s underneath and I think that’s also the problem, they aren’t ready.

I am intimate. I am deep, I am raw. Sexually, that is exciting. But what happens during sex doesn’t stay in the bedroom. Intimacy is made, yet there’s no foundation there. There’s nothing to hold it. It’s like this beautiful orchid, suspended, it’s roots reaching down and out, with nothing to sink into. It’s going to fall, and it will absolutely be damaged after it does.

I get mad at myself because I see this cycle so clearly, yet I’ve failed many times at avoiding it.

My hair stylist in Philly is a semi-mentor to me in my mind, and she once told me “just don’t have sex with them, it confuses things and it always makes it harder to see things as they are”. That was over three years ago and I wish I had started listening to her right away. I’ve had a lot of fun with men in bed since then, but I’ve been hurt. A lot.

Why am I angry with men?

Because they don’t want me!

They don’t want the real me. They fucking don’t.

I’m damaged, dude. Like for fucking real. I’ve been through some fucked up shit and just because I’m on the other side of it, just because my childhood is over, does not mean I’m not still completely baffled and destroyed by some of those events. I don’t even understand how what things affect me in which ways, but I see it, I see my trauma creep into my thinking and behavior and I don’t always have the wisdom and strength to rise above it.

I have a dark side.

I am so angry at quite a couple of people right now. People who have left me, who I feel abandoned by. Shut out, left behind, completely discarded. And see, this is where this all comes together. I was neglected, like legit, when I was a baby and young child. Physically, mentally, and emotionally neglected. I am only alive today because of my siblings.

Straight up I would have starved or died of disease or accident had they not been there. Thank God they were.

So. Abandonment issues. Check. Yep. Got ‘em.

So when you fuck me until you come, and then don’t even bother texting me the next day, no THAT DOESN’T SIT WELL WITH ME.

No, I am not that chill.

Fuck you for not calling, for not wanting to hear my voice, my stories, my jokes.

Fuck you for fucking me after Christmas, then breaking up with me two days later. Fuck you for buying me a child sized fucking climbing helmet. Fuck you for giving me a framed photo of us. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT

Fuck you for being so fucking appreciative of tiny wonderful things about me, then so casually exiting my life. Fuck you for just dropping me like that, so easily. Who the fuck are you? How... how how how do you do that?

Fuck. You.

But... fuck me, right? Because I knew. I knew they would do this. I have no fucking faith in the decency of men.

Besides me therapist.

But he’s off fucking limits. smh. (thanks for that, God. What a tease.)

So what do I do?

How do I exit this cycle and start receiving the kind of love and support I offer up so easily to men who enter me and my life...

Is it really as simple as closing my legs?

I’ve thought about and tried to “take it slow” and “wait” with a guy... but that’s never lasted longer than like three or four dates MAX.

I have desire. I am sexual. I like pleasing, but I’m starting to realize I like pleasing so much partially because as it’s happening, I feel like I’m gaining some kind of ground with the partner. Like, “Oh yay, he likes how I suck his dick, this must mean he’ll like me more in general”... sad. But so fucking true. And does anyone talk about this?

Do the women amongst me who are also living in this hook-up culture see things this way at all? Do they struggle with this perdiciment?

I want to be deisred, but I also want to be valued. I want to be fallen for, not just fucked and left. But the latter is what happens. It really is. Maybe the former is a myth. That’s what I keep thinking, it must be bullshit.

But then I see it, I see people who genuinely care for each other. What I notice, what catches my eye, is when I see men. Men doing those things for their partner that I’d do any day for mine. Grabbing a milkshake for them to bring back to the girl, where she’s chilling. Or taking time away from adventures to spend quality time with their partner because they WANT TO. Or families who are actually staying together. My sister in law, who always goes to my brother’s appointments with him, and the other way around. I can’t fathom that kind of love, that kind of support.

My dad travels for work and my step mom never did a thing for us without making it known she’d prefer not to be. Every appointment, meeting, car ride, meal, phone call.. it was a chore she hated. I didn’t join teams or clubs because I didn’t want to have to ask her to give me a ride. Not being dramatic, it was just that way.

So here I am in the dating world, longing to be cared for and treated with sweetness, but not knowing at all what’s reasonable or fair. Not having any reference point as to what I should expect or deserve.

There are moments, when I’m held close by a lover, or given just the right compliment, when I feel secure. I feel supported. I feel wanted. And then...

poof.

Gone. In the blink of an eye it’s over and it’s gone and I’m wondering how I ever let myself feel safe. I was lying to myself, I know that. I was lying about how I knew they felt about me. I knew they didn’t know me. I knew I’d scare them off. And I did. I do.

So damn, is that it? Do I just need to stop having sex with these men? Is it better to be alone, sexless, and alone, than to be used and tossed out?

That sounds like a dumb question when you put it that way, it really does.

Yeah I’d rather be alone than feel just as gross as the used condom you just pulled off your dick does.

So fuck it, I’m done fucking.

I doubt I’ll get any closer to finding a partner, bc again my faith in men is so fucking slim, but hey... maybe I’ll feel less used.

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