#I’ve clocked out atp

[cxhleel108]

S7 Thots for this week: YAWN!

(Considered not even doing one cuz this shit was so lame but I know y’all love when I be dragging tf outta this game so I’m doing it for you🫶🏽)

• Let’s start with the fact that they didn’t even try to hide the fact that Ivy and Hamish were the special guests this year…girl.

• I’m so happy for the 0.0001% of people that asked for this.

• Babe it’s not a surprise if I already know what you’re finna do but yay!

• Yeah I’m sad that she’s gone too…sad that she's gone and you aren’t🙁

• No new sleepwear…ok.

• Aka these bitches was too lazy to come up with SOMETHING ELSE for our last night in the villa.

• No new outfits for our last date either…ok!

• Yes bitch stay on his neck for that cuz he know he was wrong!

• Once again Bryson, you’re calling what you’re finna do a surprise when it’s not that.

• Wow! We actually got a choice for what we wanted to end our date with…that’s a first.

• TIP TIP TIP ON HARDWOOD FLOORS, TEN TEN TENS ACROSS THE BOARD, GIVE ME FACE FACE FACE FACE YAH, YA FACE CARD NEVER DECLINES MY GOD! Sorry, when I see Beyoncé lyrics I have to fan out.

• Wait that confirms that Uma’s a Beyoncé fan uggghh that’s why she’s my girl fr.

• These two dresses are the only ones that deserve a mention because the prom outfit options this year…I actually wanna cry.

• Like girl the fucking pink dress- whatever let’s move on.

• Whoever tried to fuck over Bryson by making his blazer look awkward asf just know that you and I got beef now. Don’t play my man!

• Girl…be so for real😭😭😭

• Why are we playing “Who’s Most Likely To” in the middle of the finale???

• Why tf do I have to be the loudest snorer? Oh you bitches got both me and Tanya all the way fucked up!

• You know what Willow…I’ve spent basically the entirety of this season getting on yo ass and while it was very funny and entertaining I’m a nice person and I like to give grace. So, Imma let it slide.

• I was finding it so hard to take Alex’s declaration serious only because I feel like I’m the only one that remembers how he tried to get at us. Oh but now all of sudden Uma’s the love of his life and he wanna go exclusive? Yeah, sure.

• CAAPPPP! FUCKING CAP!

• Sorry, I know I said I’d stop but come on let’s at least be honest.

• Travis not even looking at her and looking at us…yeah they’re done for as soon as we leave.

• Surprised Bonnie didn’t make her love declaration all about us. Period, growth!

• He’s literally finna ask us to be his girlfriend why do we need to do this??? Fusebox, I see the funds really aren’t funding anymore.

• OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDD

• Well duh! Y'all don't even stick to the idea of you.

• Oh here she go already starting shit💀💀💀

• Chile at this point break up like my god.

• Why Ivy lowkey more bearable here than she ever was last season?

• Bryson saying he would block all them groupie bitches for me omg y’all he really loves me🥹

• This nigga💀

• I will say…Ivy and Ham-hock are definitely perfect for each other.

• Yeahhhh considering how this season went I can guarantee that the drama will in fact not be serious at all.

[wasabi-gumdrop]

local ladies man’s signature move totally useless against autistic monster enthusiast. more on Kabru’s fumble era at 6

[kafkaesquedyke]

I’m a little confused by some posts I’ve seen about armand breaking down the door in the book, because they frame armand as either ‘lol he’s so random’ or ‘that proves he’s abusive too’ when everything that happened before explains armand’s actions

break down with tva book quotes under the cut TW: discussions of csa

the initial event that triggers everything is Marius sending Armand to a brothel to have sex with other boys (which was preceded by Marius sexually abusing Armand for a couple of years atp (all of the following takes place while Armand is 17), including already having sent armand to another brothel to have sex with women)

this basically differs from his previous sexual encounters in that he 1) has sex with other guys, 2) they’re most likely around his age, and 3) he enjoys it (I consider basically every sexual encounter Armand has in tva non-consensual but this, and the following encounters, are the closest to “potentially consensual” within a fictional narrative, that this book has to offer and the closest we get to Armand’s real sexual preferences)

following that Marius grows incredibly cold towards Armand, which he clocks as him being jealous (Armand knows Marius is a supernatural being and that he can read his thoughts) though Marius is also potentially stressed because of his duties towards Akasha and Enkil

So, Armand leaves and has sex with Lord Harlech, some noble man he just met (again, I don’t consider this consensual, but mostly because of the age gap)

(not included in the screenshots, but they switch and Armand tops and doms Harlech and deliberately makes a point about enjoying it, which contrasts his relationship with Marius where he is not allowed to reciprocate intimacy (mostly due to Marius’s vampire nature) also Harlech behaving like a lunatic after lol)

then he goes to Bianca (a close friend throughout the novel) and they have sex as well

she calls him out on his relationship with Marius, as well as that he was hiding from him

once Armand returns, drunk after stirring over Marius’ treatment of him in a tavern, Marius is madly painting with vamp speed disturbing the other boys

he’s also painting Armand, further implying that his rage is about Armand sleeping with others, again, something Marius ordered him to do!

Marius ends up flinging paint in his rage, after Armand enters (presumably reading his thoughts?) and orders everyone out of the room

Marius does not respond to Armand’s pleas to once again talk with him, so they can resolve the situation. Armand begs him to simply admit that he’s angry with him and Marius continues to ignore him and then flees

he locks himself in his bedroom (which Armand shared with him so far) then he tells Armand to go sleep with the other boys in a way that implies an end to their relationship. tbc, at this point armand ties all his self worth back to Marius and how much he is desired by him, specifically because Marius is the only person who ever “cherished” him

so Marius rejecting him like that signals to Armand that he is no longer special to him and has therefore lost his unique worth, which Armand has built his entire self worth on (by Marius’s design)

so Marius acting jealous over Armand having sex with others (partially under Marius’s orders), Armand questioning him, not getting a response, leaving to further explore his sexual options, which makes Marius even more jealous, while the entire time refusing to talk about it, despite Armand begging him to, and then rejecting Armand completely is what ultimately leads to Armand breaking the door down. Marius was a 100% more immature here than Armand despite being a thousand-year-old beefing with a teenager (who he’s abusing)

[notjuststardust]

Bucket Time Trafalgar LawxReader

Reader eats too much brownie batter and suffers. Inspired by me at least once a week :). Keep in mind this is not proof read and its literally the first forethoughts that belched from my brain rot of this concept so take it easy if there are grammatical errors, please. Might upload an edited 3rd draft once I get there but for now enjoy this fluffy slice of doctor Law taking care of his sweet tooth crewmate. Fluff and some angst if you squint.

TW: Mentions of vomit, hypersensitivity.

“What did I say about consuming raw brownie batter?” Your captain growled, your locks in hand as you wretched into your bucket for the fifth time tonight.

 “Not to eat it in copious amounts..” you whine, giving him your best puppy eyes in hopes of some sort of appeasement.

 “No I said don’t eat it at all.”

 “But-“ you’re caught off guard by another wave of nausea, dipping your head back over your bucket and spilling your guts. As irritated as your captain is, he can't help but feel a swell of pity about your predicament. You always licked some of the brownie batter from the bowl on baking day despite his strict orders not to but Shachi and Penguin had dared you to down the entire thing. You’d done it in 60 seconds.

 That had been the beginning of the end of your wellness.

 “S-sorry,” you sniff, tears slipping from the mere action of relieving your stomach, grabbing for the clean cloth on the sink to wipe your mouth. “Wont do it again.” You mutter weakly, head nearly drooping from tired yet Law knows one thing and that is that your sweet tooth always makes you a liar.

 Once your fever goes down and he discharged you to your quarters when next month rolls around you’ll forget all about this and indulge once again in the chocolate goodness.

 It’s too late for another scolding so he chokes back a comment, replacing your bucket with a new one. As the sink rolls on he watches you in his peripheral, barely upright from dehydration and exhaustion. He’s shocked you haven’t dropped by now. You’ve had a fever since 5 o clock when Shachi and Penguin had finally decided to relay your secret sickness to the captain. 

 You’d made them promise not to because you looked ‘gross’ and smelled bad but it was no worse then what he already was used to. Now it was 1am and you were barely upright, staring off in a daze of impending doom toward your bucket.

 “Go to sleep.” It sounds more like a threat than a suggestion. You huff and squirm. 

 “If I fall asleep I might miss the bucket. I’ve never missed the bucket before.” He freezes mid scrub, cranking his head to look at you. Sensing his stare you stare harder at the bucket, trying to ignore the intensity bubbling his steel gaze molten.

 “Your health is not something to make a gamble of,” more than anger is evident in his command, making you shrink. “If you miss I’ll just clean it up,” he gestures to the cot pulled out in his office for you. “Now sleep.” He gruffs watching you stand and sway out of the bathroom, careful to avoid even a glance his way.

 He relaxes once he thinks he’s won.

 That’s until he’s droning through paperwork only to find you wide awake at the crack of dawn, refusing sleep even still. “(Y/N)-ya.” Your eyes snap shut. He stands from his desk.

 “I haven’t missed the bucket before, I won’t miss it now!” You levy and that’s the hump that breaks the camels back. All the worry, stress and disrespect peaks spilling out of Law’s throat as projectile, emotion and tired clouding the real contents that spew fourth.

 “Are you that naive? I’m a doctor. Without proper sleep your body won’t properly restore your ATP. You’ll just keep getting worse,” he snaps, hackles raised as you turn up your nose in refusal. “If you’re really going to act like such a child I may as well drop you off with strawhat-ya! Tell me, is that what you want? You might fit in with the band of idiots..” The tension clenching his chest into what had felt like chronic hypertension eases with his outburst for only a moment. 

 There’s only the brr of the submarine and the shuffle of a body, yours, flipping over to face the wall. Law opens his mouth to take it back but you speak first. “If that would be easier for you, I accept your decision, captain.” Your body trembles and it’s not from the uptick of waves. Caging a hand over his mouth Law tries to concoct something to salvage his harshness with you. A snore graces your lips and whether artificial or not the doctor decides is best to simply say nothing for now.

—- 

 Law returns from breakfast to find your cot freshly made and… empty. Oh no. 

 He starts with your bedroom. You hadn’t been down for breakfast and he hadn’t taken your temperature just yet. Had you seriously left before he could make sure you were okay? No, you were sensitive, a bit silly but you were not an idiot. Not like he had said at all. After checking just about every room the doctor freezes something blatant clicking in his brain. He murmurs a quiet ‘shambles’ switching himself with one of Ikkaku’s trinkets only to enter as a closet door slams shut.

 “Ikkaku.” The ginger slowly turns her head, face pale as she giggles too much. He doesn’t need to say anything because he scanned the room the minute he’d switched. You’d been found a while ago.

 “H-hey captain, what are you doing in here?” He almost states his business fully but the only worry on his crewmates face is for fear of you being found. If you were sick Ikkaku would most definitely rat you out.

 “Tell (Y/N)-ya I need to see her in my office when you see her.” He flicks a telling glance toward the closet before hesitantly excusing himself and like clockwork he hears the closet reopen.

 “He wants to get rid of me. Doesn’t he?” He goes frigid at your words. You were notably the most sensitive of your crew members. Emotion and human behavior were your strengths so how could you think such a thing? Nevermind, of course you thought that, you’d thought he implied it last night.

 Law stands outside the door, frog in his throat when you open it. You don’t seem shocked that he’s out there but you don’t seem happy either, eyes scanning him over for any sense that he had in fact heard your words. “Sorry.” You apologize almost instantly, eyes set to the ground in silent shame. There was more color to your face and you smelled like waffles.

 You’d kept something down, good.

 “Room.” He murmurs, and you both reappear in his study. You blink off the still heavy nausea and plonk into a chair. He takes your temperature and administers a subcutaneous antibiotic. The silence is loud.

 “I left a note with my vitals for this morning.” He eyes his desk and sure enough there’s a note written in big letters, ‘Need some space. BPM 68….’ He swallows as he reads through your detailed note. You didn’t leave a single thing to the imagination because you knew he’d worry. Law nods, then he slides back into his chair.

 “I’m glad you’re feeling better. I know I might now show it but… you had me worried.” You nod but do not move, do not even offer a single joke. He feels his heart clench. “Do you remember much?” He offers as a transition, folding his hands together on the table.

 “Everything.” It’s not an admission but it sure feels like it. His tongue fumbles into knots and you notice. “You were tired.” You say so quietly, eyes set on the medicine cabinet for comfort instead of him.

 “That’s no excuse,” he counters just as quickly wanting so badly for you to just look at him, see his side. “You are not an idiot and you have no place on any other crew.” Your brows pop and you let out a low whistle.

 “That’s rich.” It almost sounds bitter but there’s the twitch of a laugh.

 “Care to let me in on the joke?” He inquired cooly, forcing himself not to take it personally, yet. You consider yourself.

 “Well,” you shoot a glance Law’s way. “I mean it would be great petty revenge to join Luffy’s crew.” Your captain facepalms.

 “(Y/N)-ya-“

 “If you wanted to visit me I’d make sure to get real cozy with Luffy so I didn’t have to talk to you.” You tease as he snorts. The thought of you and Luffy together gave him a headache, not to mention his stomach soured at the mere idea of you brushing hands and stolen glances at one another.

 “You hate me that much, huh?” He sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose. There’s quiet.

 “I could say the same thing to you.” You say it so casually he nearly chokes. He looks up to find your teasing feign gone. What was it you had said earlier?

 “He wants to get rid of me. Doesn’t he?”

 “I do not want to get rid of you.” There is conviction and then there is objective fact, this was that. Nothing you could say nor do could change the fact that even though you were sometimes a moron who ate too much brownie batter or an idiot that took bathes with electronics in the tub you were his problem and to be quite frank, his favorite problem.

 Though you were an inconvenience at times you were a comfort to just about everyone on board. You brought a content that hadn’t been here in your absence and a space for Law to be palpable despite his hesitancies. Not to mention you always followed through.

 A consistent chaos in a sea of abnormalities.

 “Are you sure?” You murmur, words unsteady as the sea of ‘want to says’ in his head. He nods and reaches onto the desk, open palmed and flicking his pointer. His cheeks heat as you stare at his hand. Then you put a pen where he’s requesting your hand.

 He about deflates.

 “Y-yes, I’m sure.” He puts the pen away when realization his you like a brick.

 “Wait-“ not wasting another second you take hold of his hand. He clears his throat as you stare at him for confirmation, gifting you a curt nod. Maybe he couldn’t say the words but you could read the in betweens.

 “You’re my problem. Do you understand?” Bravely, he lifts your hand bringing it to his mouth. He hesitates as you gulp, careful only to brush his mouth over a knuckle once he's certain you don’t want to protest.

 “Y-yes Captain!” You give him some sort of mock salute in the middle of your fluster, bashful as you realize what class of problem you were. He chuckles softly, releasing your hand.

 “That means no more brownie batter,” he stands at full height, leaning over the desk to take in all your bashful glory. “That way I can finally taste those beautiful lips of-“ That’s when Shachi and Penguin burst down the door, parting the anticipatory union and turning you both red with embarrassment. 

 “Too much cookie dough!” They grovel, sloshing to piles of green much on the floor.

 It’s bucket time again.

[oneokkombat]

Takeda and Kenshi autistic father and son duo except Takeda is fully aware they are both autistic while Kenshi only knows Takeda is and doesn’t even realize he has a lot of the same traits.

Takeda: -no no he has been really supportive and helpful like I’m glad he accepts me and wants the best for me, but the thing is, I know he is also struggling like me and I want to help him! but Everytime I bring it up he is like “I don’t think so blah blah this is just my personality blah blah I’ve never been told anything different” and it’s driving me insane!”

Johnny who clock it a long time ago and has been having the same struggle for like years atp: “I know buddy but maybe is for the best just let him figure it out on his own time-”

[evansbby]

my vanderpump rules season 2 midway opinions! (I’ve watched all the way up till the Cabo trip aka episode 11!! And so much has happened that i just need to share my views before i forget!

Stassi — i literally love this girl! She is so entertaining to watch and she is such a girl’s girl and honestly her confidence is goals! You can also tell that she’s really smart too and i love how fiercely she sticks up for herself and her friends! She’s literally my fav and also she’s sooo pretty!

Jax - guys I can’t even with this guy… like at this point it’s just funny how big of a loser he is. Like I don’t think I’ve seen anyone exude more pure loser energy. And I don’t know if he’s putting it on to make the show entertaining or if he genuinely is this much of a genuine pathetic loser but the way he acts is insane 😭 like this man is a pathological liar, like even his own friends aka the Toms and Peter are done with his shit. It’s the way Ariana said she can’t even be mad at Jax for spreading shit about her bc he’s so pathetic 😭😂 the way he was bringing the mood down in Cabo, bringing all those random girls. Like atp Stassi is literally embarrassed that she ever went out with this guy 😭 and his behaviour is so embarrassing for a 33 year old man PLS. Also the way he spreads stuff and then lies and pretends it never happened is crazy. This man needs to be studied. Oh and he also has a victim complex and wants people to feel sorry for him and I love how Stassi never falls for it and clocks it every time 😂

Tom Sandoval - guys I can’t tell with him… I still think he’s giving unhinged energy but like… I really can’t tell!!! I can’t tell what he wants, whether he wants to be with Kristen or anything!! I definitely think he did sleep with Ariana tho! But don’t spoil it for me!! He’s hot tho. It’s just the way he straight-faced denies everything… bro the men in this show are all pathological liars!!!

Kristen - she’s really weak. Like genuinely Tom cheated on her a bunch of times and she still went back to him?!? She’s one of those girls who assures her girlfriends that she’s over a man, and then throws her girlfriends under the bus and runs back to the same man who hurt her! It’s just sad and pathetic to watch.

Katie - her hair is so annoying like I cannot! The brassy blonde with her dark roots coming in and the aggressive side part??? It’s so annoying pls. Also she’s kinda bleh. She does get really messy when she’s drunk though. I did feel for her when her boyfriend poured a drink over her head like she needs to dump him! Why are all the men in this show literal trash?!

Scheana - she’s so boring 😭 like she needs to be studied too tho bc I think she’s obsessed with Stassie 😭😭 like she hates Stassie but she also wants to BE Stassie but she also wants to be Stassie’s bff??!? And the thing is, Scheana keeps sticking up for Stassie but Stassie always picks Kristen and Katie over Scheana yet Scheana keeps blindly supporting Stassie 😂😭 it’s kinda tragic to watch. But also she’s kinda weird how she made that gangbang comment in the car with all the guys including her boyfriend?!? Like wtf. Also how she called herself “one of the guys” like pls Scheana you’re giving pick me energy. Stassie said it perfectly, that she doesn’t trust a girl who can’t get along with a group of girls and hangs out with guys instead. Although I do think Kristen and Katie are unnecessarily mean to Scheana.

Ariana - I really don’t like her :/ and if she DID sleep with Tom after denying it, then that’s fucked up. But I don’t like how she also acts like a pick me, thinking she’s sooo much better than the other girls bc she’s that one “chill” girl like no fuck off. She just thinks she’s so superior but unlike Stassie, she doesn’t own it and just comes across as a pick me.

ANYWAYS I LOVE THIS SHOW SOOO MUCH! I can’t believe I never watched it before, it’s literally so relatable to me since I worked at a restaurant for four years almost when I was at uni!!!

[johnnyutah]

is it sexy when i open up and post about personal things such as “addiction i am actively enjoyeing yayayay” and “petty personal squabbles that are trivial but grating” and “i set my clocks early cause i know i’m always late you said you’d keep me honest but i won’t call you on it i don’t blame you for being you but you can’t blame me for hating it”. is it fun when i take a break from hyperfixation city and let you all into my joker fridge (not a euphemism) (… unless;)

[nrcnewspaperclub]

The day we’ve all been waiting for. Day seven of getting banned from every dorm

So Kalim is. Too nice. Far too nice for his own good. There is no fucking way that I am going to get banned from him

Also, I’ve been staying at Scarabia for a bit now since I got kicked out of Ignihyde already, One of my good friends is in Scarabia so I’ve been staying at his dorm, also I figured I’d consult him cuz he knows the housewarden better than I do

However I am in the basketball club, which means I do actually know Jamil fairly well, I’d even go so far as to consider him a friend. Me, him, Floyd, and Ace cause some anarchy a good bit

So we already knew we were targeting Jamil. My friends immediate suggestion was utilizing Jamil’s fear of bugs, but that’s too uncreative, and I wasn’t sure if I could rlly get banned for that. However I did note it as a last resort

My friends second solution was lighting something on fire, but that’s kind of his solution to everything? That or just dying his hair impulsively

That train of thought gave me the idea to try and mess w Jamil’s hair cuz I know how protective he is of it, but friend shot that down cuz Jamil is too protective of it and it’d be way too fuckin hard to pull that off

So my final thought: kalim can’t get me banned, but I can still use kalim to my advantage.

This is where friend clocks out, context my friend is painfully in love with Kalim so I knew he wasn’t gonna assist me with anything that would taint Kalim’s view of him. To which I say, fuckin coward, but whatever 🙄 (ack then again I wouldn’t do anything that would skew malleus’s view of me so I MEAN WHAT WHAY DID I SAY TJAY I DONT LIKE AMLLEUS)

So a lot of ppl think Kalim is dumb, he isn’t dumb, I know that for sure. But he is gullible, and very impulsive. So what I’m saying is he isn’t stupid, buuuuuuut……….

Anyway one sunny afternoon I tracked down Kalim, he was doing Kalim things, and I started making friendly conversation w him. He asked why I was here in the first place, to which I told him I got banned from Ignihyde but made up a whole sob story so he wouldnt wuestion the fact I intentionally pissed off idia lmao

He felt all bad for me and said I was always welcome at Scarabia, then asked why I chose Scarabia. I said bcuz my friend is here and also casually mentioned the fact I’m not welcome in any dorms

Kalim looks surprised and is like “wow, it’s kind of impressive you managed to get banned from all of them.” And questions how I achieved such glory

To which I tell him a short and abridged version of each tale that makes me sound better than I actually am and he’s in awe the whole time. He then starts rambling and is like “it’d be hard to get banned from Scarabia, I’ve never banned anyone, but Jamil has…” and I perked up and asked what the person did to get banned by Jamil

He said that Jamil had banned this person cuz they’d tried to poison Kalim’s food. Appearantly it was like a student plant all along or some blah blah shit, obviously I wasn’t gonna do that bcuz I’m not a fucking lunatic and I like kalim enough

I had the passing thought I could make Jamil think I was tryna poison kalim when I wasn’t but thatd also break Kalim’s trust in me and probably my whole friendship with the friend I’ve been staying with atp so

I was so out of ideas at this point I started reverting back to my friends suggestion of lighting something on fire, but then I had an idea.

The treasure room. I have the perfect signature spell for this, and I have genuinely no clue how this was not my immediate thought

So when Kalim was done rambling I made a comment abt how it was a really great day to go carpet flying, and tjat id ever been on a carpet before. Both statements here are true

And Kalim will famously take any excuse to go carpet flying so if you even mention it in passing he’ll over to take you so he immediately lit up

He leads me to the treasure room and the carpet apparently isn’t where he left it cuz he started digging around for it. Perfect opportunity for my plan!

My ultimate magic is called Hydra Heads, it allows me to make copies of one item, how ever the more copies I make the smaller they get. The original item gets shrunk down too, but it’ll be more durable than the other copies. This is irreversible. So as Kalim was head first in gold coins looking for that fuckass carpet I found a fairly sizeable vase, one thatd someone would notice if it was gone.

I immediately activated my spell, making about 30-ish tiny copies of this vase. I stuffed em all in my bag and acted like nothing happened

Obviously I still went on the carpet because DUH but now my friend is pissed at me cuz I went carpet flying with his crush or some fucking shit idk I tuned him out

Now begin the scheme

I was sitting in the lounge when Jamil stepped into the treasure room and quickly ran out and ran into Kalim’s room. He noticeeeeed anyway I started my paper trail, I placed a tiny vase in the hallway and one in the kitchen, then I tried to look as unassuming as possible

Jamil picked up one of the tiny vases and looked so fuckign confused it was PRICELESS. A few hours oater came basketball practice, id been leaving tiny vases around Scarabia throughout the day.

Anyway I’m at basketball and Jamil is yelling at Floyd because he’s Floyd and he probably did some shit, I took this opportunity to put a tiny vase in Jamil’s bag, as well as a few in the locker room.

I left practice early, telling the coach that my housewarden needed me for something, and Jamil STORMED out of the locker room as I was leaving and grabbed me by the jersey.

I realized he’d remembered my unique magic cuz of that one time me and Floyd pranked the team by using it on like half the basketballs. Jamil went on a whole borderline unhinged rant about how he’d so kindly let me stay at his dorm and I stole from him and had the audacity to taunt him with it, I gave him the remaining tiny vases and ran off

Did I technically actually commit a crime with this one? Yes! Do I feel bad? Nope!

So uh. Where the fuck do I go now.

-🐾

// should I make a blog for paw anon 👀

congratulations on getting banned from all seven dorms, 🐾. Your journey has been a wild ride.

hold on, what about Ramshackle? Not to get banned from there (unless you want to ig) but you could probably stay there.

//yes, absolutely.//

[saintkaylaa]

Congrats on your graduation!!! For real, gods that shht hard. So I would like to ask for some advice if it's okay? I'm studying and just recently got a job, if you worked and studied how did you manage to balance things? Cause ofc they had to call me the week before our exams start and I feel so terrible for not studying rn

Tysm! Sorry I’m getting to this a lil late but life hasn’t slowed down since graduation just yet😭 buuuut atp I’ve conditioned myself to balance both for so long it was like the new “normal” for me.

2 things I will say is make sure you are communicating to work AND school that you are working and a student full time and one or the other should understand (usually your job). And this is coming from an assistant sm. I prioritized school over my job always. I called out when I needed to but when I was at work I left school at the door to clock in.

Second thing, make yourself a schedule for studying, work, lectures, things like that!

It’s possible to do both, I believe in you!! And it’s totally okay to cry and think that you aren’t gonna be able to make it but I promise you that you WILL make it to the finish line! Don’t obsess over a timeline either, if graduating takes you longer that’s ok!! (I took 1 year longer). I say this bc this was a HUGE problem for me when I had to fall back. But it worked out the way it was supposed to, and it will for you too!!

Love you, I believe in you!!🤍

[itsdelicate]

It’s Blog Rec O’ Clock! 🦄Tag Away!

I’ll stare directly at (enter blog here) but never in the mirror

The wisest Swiftie of them all

Your “we’ll never go out of style” Person

Someone that reminds you of a Midnights 3AM track! Who & which track? (bonus if you say why!!)

Someone who could totally draw the 13 on Taylor’s hand/write lyrics on her arms (or help Andrea… can anyone really do it better than her? Probably not but we can aspire)

The person secretly on Taylor’s account and responsible for the green dot

Pick one (1) person to meet Taylor with (ONLY ONE. I’m watching you 🫵.)

Recommend anyone that has any kind of merch store you think we should check out! (clothing, stickers, homemade items, candles, anything!)

Who comes to mind when you listen to Speak Now? What about Lover? EVERMORE?

blog rec anon!! hello omg this is my first time doing this!

• I'll stare directly at (enter blog here) but never in the mirror

@dessners i love kathryn’s blog but i’ve always been too shy to make conversation so i just like everything she posts lmao

• The wisest Swiftie of them all

this is obviously jaime @cages-boxes-hunters-foxes

• Your "we'll never go out of style" Person

i think we’ve known each other for 9? 10? years atp so @thenighttrain (but specifically our ability to always disagree 🫶)

• Someone that reminds you of a Midnights 3AM track! Who & which track? (bonus if you say why!!)

clemmy @itwasntasingle for paris ofc

• Someone who could totally draw the 13 on Taylor's hand/write lyrics on her arms or help Andrea... can anyone really do it better than her? Probably not but we can aspire)

alex @cruellesummer have you seen her edits 😩

• The person secretly on Taylor's account and responsible for the green dot

@likeadevils don’t ask why just vibes but also claire knows everything about everything

• Pick one (1) person to meet Taylor with (ONLY ONE. I'm watching you 🫵)

stop i can’t pick 🥲 literally any of my mutuals <3

• Recommend anyone that has any kind of merch store you think we should check out! (clothing, stickers, homemade items, candles, anything!)

@idsb holly!

• Who comes to mind when you listen to Speak Now? What about Lover? EVERMORE?

speak now: @speaknow

lover: @loverdeluxe

evermore: @itsthedamnseason

i associate people strongly with their urls <333

thank u for the ask!! ❤️

[htylmg]

i think Something happened to me yesterday but i need y’all’s opinion

i work at a tutoring service and usually i’m one of the last tutors to arrive for the morning shift, but we still have to arrive like 30ish minutes before the kids for… reasons. so imagine my surprise when i arrive and the door is fully unlocked, lights are off, and nobody’s inside, in the lounge room or anywhere. i ask the guy who owns the neighboring store if he saw anybody walk in and he says “maybe” in the thickest lithuanian accent you’ve ever heard. (or maybe he just didn’t want to put up with me. hm.)

i walk back into my work and the lights turn on. we don’t have motion activated sensors so immediately i get a feeling that Something is off but i cannot be bothered as i’m hungover as shit. i look at my phone clock- t-minus 20 minutes until the little shits arrive.

i check the sign-in sheet, as our Godly Manager- nowhere to be seen- uses that paper and that paper only to check off our attendance. of course, my chicken scratch is the only handwriting on today’s list. on a whim, i leaf back through the other days and in doing so, realize i’m the only one who ever signs in with a colored pen. everyone else only uses black. “well, guess i didn’t get the email” is all i think, and leave it alone.

it’s t-minus 15 minutes now, so i put in headphones to feel a little alive while opening up. while i’m wiping down a counter for no reason- perhaps because our Godly Manager thinks lysol wipes are a waste of money- i whip my hair a little too hard to “fuck me pumps” and my airpod goes flying out under a table. i’m still only mildly pissed atp, so i casually reach under the table to get it back and i feel the most sickening cold i’ve ever felt jam its way into me. (when i say “sickening”, i mean it physically made me feel sick, it was that cold.)

i pick the airpod back up, the one still jammed in my ear still blaring music, and look around for the source of the cold, bc i know it’s not our janky-ass air conditioner that only works in winter. and it couldn’t have been the weather- it’s a texas summer, the only wind we get are tornadoes.

after investigating for a little bit, i see no source, so i go back to cleaning, but sans airpods. (sorry, amy winehouse.) after what’s a solid ten or so minutes of cleaning- and watching the sky change and get progressively vibrant- i check my phone again, and do the biggest double-take i’ve ever done (except in a show i did where the lead kissed both his female co-stars then came out as gay, all backstage during final dress.) it’s t-minus 10 minutes.

“there’s no way it’s only been five minutes,” i murmur to myself, and this is the point where i start to Lose My Shit. my breaking point, if you will.

i grab a mic stand- unsure why we even have that, we don’t have a microphone- and hunker down at a table directly in front of the clear glass, staring at shoppers making their way in and out the stores around me while also trying not to make eye contact with the person in the window gripping a mic stand, looking ready to beat someone’s ass. i’m a motherfucking indian miss havisham, i think, half-crazed. (i say half because i hadn’t had coffee yet.)

i zone out, still gripping señor mic stand- we’ve bonded in the ?? minutes we’ve been here- and so i have no recollection of the lithuanian store owner (!!!) coming out of his store and face to face with me in the window. i have no recollection of anything except when i came to and saw a bearded man in his 50s making severe eye contact with me and rapping his knuckles on the window. the noise i make is just a bit quieter than a sonic boom, but my soul is remotely intact. (maybe.)

once i get over the initial… gah… he orders us coffee from the starbucks across the street- plain black coffees for both of us- and we drink our overpriced boon in silence while leaning against the window. he doesn’t talk once, which i appreciate because i am still very much hungover. i check my phone. t-minus 7 minutes.

i sigh very loudly. the lithuanian man looks at me awkwardly. i don’t feel like explaining the looney tunes/ghostbusters situation i think i’m in in, so i just say, “feels like i’ve been here forever.”

“mm.”

eloquent. now i’m purposely trying to make conversation just to prove something. “my phone keeps saying it’s only been less than 30 minutes, but i know it’s not true.”

“mm.”

now i’m not scared anymore, just mildly pissed for no reason. i recycle the cup- save the environment- and but him adieu. he has no reaction. his work here is done. i think he may be an entity.

i go back inside to the wretched place and arm myself with the mic stand once again. i check my phone one last time and blink very slowly. t-minus -2 minutes. those little shits were supposed to be here two minutes ago. i look outside. lithuanian man is gone. i grip the mic stand and slowly, slowly make my way to the front door, which has no windows. i wish i could say my internal monologue at this time is something inspiring and bold and shakespearean, but instead i’m whimpering what the fuck, what the fuck, over and over again. yknow- shakespearean.

like i’m ripping a band-aid off, i throw the door open. three 11-year-olds stand there, looking very pissed.

“we’ve been knocking for like five minutes,” one says.

“my mom was waiting for someone to answer before she leaves. you’re in soooo much trouble, miss [redacted],” another informs me.

“what are you carrying?” asks the final.

i sweep them inside forcibly with one hand and prop the door open with a doorstop. the darkness will not engulf me once more.

“that’s not safe,” the middle informs me yet again.

“i’m the boss,” i mutter, and turn around and give her a withering stare. she shrinks i little and i feel immensely guilty. power is not fun.

“now let’s. let’s review fractions… yeah?”

the rest of the day goes as normal. my phone clock works just fine. i’m the only one to clock in all day, and it’s only when i arrive home that i check my texts and see that everyone had been planning a week in advance to take a sick day on the same day and prank our Godly Manager, who somehow caught wind of this and didn’t arrive either. i don’t know if they assumed i knew as well or just didn’t bother to tell me. frankly, i don’t want to know.

i think i’m going to relisten to the magnus archives.

[marsbars1714]

I just love waking up at. 1-2 in the morning?

Idefk atp I’ve been trying to go back to sleep for a WHILE and just checked the time bc I just can’t and keep having the same nightmare (? Is it a nightmare if you’re awake??) ab fucking up smth small (that I (kinda) know how to fix by myself) and then having to clock out before I can fix it for wtv reason

I just woke up fully and decided to get myself a drink and chill on my phone for a bit to see if that’ll make them stop so here’s hoping

[awkward-gay-bro]

A New League

Before the accident Seth Rollins was on top of the world and now he was stuck in this stupid hospital bed. People can say wrestling is fake all they want but these injuries are definitely real. Seth miscalculated a jump during a table ladder chair match and things weren’t looking good. He broke a few bones, pulled a few muscles, a little internal bleeding. Nothing he hadn’t done before. But some news station took it a little too seriously. Then twitter mobbed about it. And now the WWE is taking it way too seriously trying to cover their asses. 

Seth leans up in his hospital bed as Vince McMahon walks into the room. “How bad is it Seth?”

“The doctor said I’m never going to be able to wrestle again. He’s full of shit, though. I’ll be back in the ring in no time.” 

“We can’t do that Seth, not with you in this condition. Your injuries were pretty well documented, and we aren’t going to take the bad publicity if you get hurt further,” Vince said rather coldly. 

“Ten years. I’ve been wrestling for ten years and you are just gonna cut me loose? There are people a decade older than me that are way more worn out still going at it. I’m not ready to be done.” Seth wasn’t about to give up. This was his life and he wasn’t going to give it up without a fight.

“I’m sorry, Seth. Their injuries didn’t make the five o clock news the way yours did,” McMahon said, turning around to leave the room. 

The reality of the situation was really starting to sink into Seth. He stared down at his multiple casts, his hair falling down into his eyes, and with a hint of begging in his voice, he said, “Mr. McMahon, I’ll do anything.”

Stopping in the doorway, turning just his head, McMahon said, “Well, there is one thing we could try. You may not want to go through with it.”

“What is it?”

“Well, we’ve been funding a medical research center who has been doing some interesting things when it comes to physical therapy. We wanted to find a way to speed up the healing process or even better prevent the need for one.”

“Did you find one?” Seth said as the light returned to his face.

“Well they have created a process, and they’ve had some success in their initial trials. Of course, the last few of your peers they tried it on had some pretty severe side effects.” But none of that mattered. All that mattered was that Seth Rollins was going to get out of this hospital bed and back in that ring. 

“I don’t care what the side effects are. I’m in. As soon as I can.”

“Alright, well let’s get it scheduled on the book. How does tomorrow sound?”

It was the morning after the procedure and Seth was laying in a bed in the research center. Another day, another hospital bed. Seth wiped the sleep out of his eyes, stretched his arms out wide, and yawned a massive yawn. That’s when it him. The aches and pains from his recent injury were completely gone. Hell, the longer persisting ache from his old knee injury, from his previously torn ACL, everything, they were all gone. He hadn’t felt this good since he was 18 years old. 

“Good morning, sleepy head.” Vince McMahon was standing at the foot of his bed while a young guy who must have been with the research company started jotting things down on a chart. As the man left the room Seth couldn’t help but notice how nicely the scrubs hugged the guy’s perky little...

Woah, that’s not a thought Seth had ever had before. Nothing wrong with it. He’d caught that closet case Ambrose checking him out in the locker room and it never bothered him. But he definitely wasn’t the one having doing the checking. 

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling great Mr. McMahon. Does my voice sound weird to you? Never mind, doesn’t matter. I feel so great I think I could get back in the ring tomorrow!” Seth said, speaking a mile a minute. 

“Slow your roll there Rollins. You’re going to notice a few changes, so I thought it would be best if I was here to talk you through them all. Some might have already become apparent to you...others might take a little time.”

“Hey the only change I care about is how strong I feel right now.”

“Well Seth, strong might not be a word I would use to describe you anymore,” Vince said with a snide chuckle.

“What is that supposed to mean? I feel better now than I’ve ever felt in my life!” Seth excitedly shouted.

“Maybe it would best if I showed you,” McMahon said. As the 74 year man walked closer towards him Seth started to notice how much bigger and bulkier he was looking than usual. Vince kept in great shape for his age but damn he was looking huge. 

“How long was out for? The gains you’ve got...that had to have taken months,” Seth said as Vince reached down and grabbed his hand. Vince’s hand was massive, too, it was almost twice the size of Seth’s. How was that even possible?

“The initial procedure only took about an hour. Everything else happened while you slept last night.” That couldn’t be right though. Vince was huge. And as Seth stood up he saw just how huge he was. Seth and Vince were the same height of 6 ft 1 but Seth wasn’t looking into McMahon’s eyes anymore. In fact, Seth’s eye line was now level with McMahon’s nipples. 

“Holy shit McMahon, did you have them do something to you? You’re massive. Can they do it to me, too?” Seth said excitedly. What ever made McMahon so huge he wanted in. Shit, was he already going to grow huge? McMahon said some changes may not be apparent yet. 

“I’ve never gone through the procedure, Seth,” guiding Seth to the other part of the room. As he did the cute male nurse from earlier came back into the room, fiddling with something in the closet. From a laying position Seth hadn’t noticed how tall he was either. No wonder those scrubs were so tight around his ass, it must be hard to find ones that fit right. 

“Excuse me sir, how tall are you?” Seth asked, ignoring the part of his brain that was ogling the equally tight front of the guy’s scrubs. 

“Oh, I’m just over five nine,” he said as he pulled a full length mirror out of the closet. 

“That’s impossible, I’m six...” Seth started to say as his new reality started to piece together. Standing there, mouth aghast, Seth finally realized what those side effects were. Seth was a runt. It looked like he had deflated in on himself. He was tiny. His head didn’t reach the top of the mirror. He had to be around five foot four. Being short would be one thing. He could live with short. But he was a twig. His once broad shoulders were now slimmer than this hips. His veiny, hairy, muscular arms were now half the size of what he was used to. When he squinted his eyes he could see there was still a peach fuzz of hair coating them, albeit light, blonde, and sparse. He was just glad that his shapeless hospital gown was sparing him the embarrassment of knowing what the rest of his body looked like. 

Not that his face was any better. His signature scruffy beard was completely gone. His face was smooth for the first time since puberty. His once rugged jaw and manly features had softened into an almost angelic visage. His already long hair looked fuller and fluffier on this shrunken body. His lips were full and rosy and his eyes were the only thing on his body that looked bigger. Well, that was until he turned around to see why the cold air was coming through his hospital gown. 

Seth had always had a nice muscular ass. He’d seen enough pictures of it pop up online. But while the rest of his body shrunk it looked like he lost no muscle mass from his disproportionate globes and gained a small layer of fat. The globes defied gravity the way the stood up like a shelf on his lithe new frame. 

“We don’t want you exhausting too much energy just yet, let’s get you back to bed,” said the male nurse as put his arm around Seth’s hip and guided him back to bed. As the nurse moved Seth across the room his hand brushed against Seth’s cheek which caused both to jiggle far longer than Seth thought they should. Oddly the feeling of another man’s hand on his ass made his wood spring to attention. Seth immediately blushed red as he knew a hospital gown wasn’t going to hide anything and then blushed even harder when he realized it did. 

“How...how could you do this to me?” Seth asked, whimpering.

“I told you there were side effects. You said you would do anything,” Vince said, looking down at the much smaller man. 

“I said I would do anything to wrestle again. How am I supposed to wrestle like this? I’m ruined,” Seth said, tears in his eyes.

“Well you can’t wrestle in the WWE that’s for sure. Hell, Trish could take you down with one hand behind her back. But you can still wrestle,” Vince said, stifling back laughter as he did. 

“Where are on Earth could I wrestle like this?”

“Well like I said, you weren’t the first person to go through the procedure. And with results like these you won’t be the last. Hell, we’ve already made deals with other sports organizations for their injured athletes. The NFL. The NHL. FIFA. Hell even the ATP. And all those athletes are going to want to work somewhere. Soon enough we will have a whole new league for you to wrestle in. Of course, you’ll need a more fitting stage name and costume. Here, I brought someone along to illustrate the look I am going for,” with that Vince stepped out of the room and quickly came back in his arm around a tiny little twink of a man with long curling red hair. The boy had porcelain white skin that was coated with the lightest dusting of freckles from his face down towards under his shirt. His lips were a rosy red made all the brighter contrasted against his snowy skin. His eyes were sparkling an emerald green while his red eye lashes softly fluttered as his wavy curls fell in front of his face.  

“This is one of our first wrestlers in our new league, you may know him as...”

“Sheamus??? Is that Sheamus?”  Seth interrupted. The boy looked nothing like he 6ft4in brick of muscle but no one had seen the behemoth since he’d had an injury not unlike Seth’s own.

“We call him Lucky now. Lucky, why don’t you step into the bathroom and switch into your wrestling uniform?” With one hand Vince picked up Sheamus’ bag and wrapped his other around the slim of his waste. Sheamus could have easily carried it himself or found the bathroom in the small room but Vince loved showing these former monsters of muscle just how small and weak they’d become. 

After a few minutes the new “Lucky” walked out of the bathroom. It was obviously a leprachaun play on the wrestler’s Irish heritage that fit a lot better now that he’d lost over a foot in height. Lucky’s costume had a small little leprachaun hat with an emerald green bowtie. The sparkly green booty shorts rode up showing off the amazing pair of globes on Sheamus’ new body. Sheamus turned around and touched his toes, showing off the glittery gold “LUCKY” that was written across his rear. Seth was used to wrestler’s not wearing much, a pair of black trunks was Sheamus’ old outfit, but this little Leprachaun costume was so much more demeaning...more sexual. Seth had to admit, Sheamus did look pretty sexy standing there, though. Part of him wanted to tear those shorts off and help Sheamus get lucky. But he was realizing a bigger part wanted the old Sheamus to do the same to him. 

“We’ve already got athletes lined up to join the program, some pretty big A-Listers who don’t know the exact side effects that come along with our procedure. But until they are ready we think that you and Lucky will be our head line act. And don’t worry, we’ll still have theme matches like in the WWE. Maybe not table ladder chair matches, but I’m sure tag team will still be popular. Maybe something with oil.” Vince said, his mouth watering while looking at Sheamus who still had not broken his toe touching pose. “Sorry, I trailed off. We will need a new outfit for you. A new stage name if you’d like. I am actually prone to you staying Seth Rollins. And I always loved your leather get up, we could definitely still work with that in this new ring. Maybe a leather fishnet combo.”

Shit. Everything was spiraling so quickly. Seth just needed to breathe. He needed to be away from everyone. “When can I go home?”  

“We find it best if people aren’t alone right after the procedure,” the male nurse said, “There are a lot of things that are going to be different for you now and it’s best to have someone there with you”

“I don’t want anyone to see me like this. Not right now. I can’t deal with”

McMahon interupted him, “You’re alright. We have already set up accomdations for you. Go get dressed your new roommate is waiting out in the lobby for you.”

*******************************************************************************************

The clothe’s Mr. McMahon provided were embarassing as helll but none of Seth’s clothes fit anymore and he didn’t want to keep walking around with his giant new ass jiggling in the wind so it was that or nothing. So there Seth was in a light pink crop top that showed off just how slim his arms and stomach were now. The leather leggings he was wearing reminded him of his normal wrestling attire, albeit they used to bulge more in the front and a heall of a lot less in the back. The only solice he had was that the lacey pink panties were skimpy enough that the leather pants hid them perfectly. 

“Damn that ass looks good,” Seth heard a man say, his voice low and sultry. As he turned around to hear the voice a hand spanks his ass hard, “That jiggle, too! I am so glad I volunteered for this.”

There stood Dean Ambrose. Now a foot taller than Seth and a hundred pounds heavier. Everyone looked big to Seth now, but this was the first time he felt truly intimidated by another man. “Let’s you and me get home Sethy, there’s some things I want to show. I’m pretty minimilistic so I do only have the one bed, but I don’t think you’ll mind sharing, will ya bud?”

“No,” Seth said, drooling as he looked up at he muscular man in front of him. 

“Arlight, nice. Once we settle in, you can meet some of your new competition."

[the-real-xmonster]

Some Remarks to Close 2017

-(aka a wall of text mostly on Yuzu and the looming Olympics)-

2017 has not been an easy year for Yuzuru Hanyu and the people who love him. Our beloved skater only took part in a grand total of 5 competitions this entire year, 3 of which he lost, none of which didn’t come with some regret. Those disappointments, however, should by no means cancel out the fact that this year, he has also carved us two new World Records, regained his World title, and continued to remind us why it is that he deserves a special place in our hearts.

As I typed this, the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Games is a mere 41 days away. Considering the unfortunate injury, the prolonged off-ice period, and the lack of competition which will extend to the very doorstep of the Olympics, I daresay even the most optimistic among us should by now have realized that Yuzu’s chance of defending his title is slim at best. Nonetheless, there is a difference between being grimly realistic and being panicked into wild speculations about Yuzu’s prospect. I’m not writing this in order to tell you how to think or how to feel - I can only try to shed some rationality on the topic.

On Parallels

I have seen people from both camps insisting on a parallel between PyeongChang and Sochi. Yuzu’s fans are worrying that he will be another Yuna Kim, who apparently got robbed of a Gold medal because the judges don’t like repeated champions. Yuzu’s not-exactly-fans are gaining confidence from the fact that back in late 2013, Yuzu won the Grand Prix Final and then went on to win the OG, a pattern which seems to be applicable to Nathan Chen, or that Yuzu overtook Patrick Chan on the ISU World Standings and then went on to win the OG, a pattern which seems to work in Shoma Uno’s favor (if he wins 4CC, he’s going to lead Yuzu on the WS by some 60 points).

Let me debunk both for you. To begin with, anybody who claims that they were able to foresee the Sochi result based on those indicators (potential for a repeat of champion, GPF podium, World Standings, and whatnot) is a classic case of the hindsight bias. 

Then, for the first “parallel”, Yuzu’s approach to competition is entirely different from Yuna’s. He is not going into his second OG with a jump layout easier than his first time (Yuna competed at Vancouver with 7 triples and at Sochi with 6 triples in her planned free skate layout), neither is his program base value going to be lower than all of the other top men’s (Yuna’s free skate BV was the lowest among the 6 ladies in the last group at Sochi). In addition, despite all that Yuna’s advocates would want you to believe, Adelina Sotnikova’s win at Sochi was not scandalous. Besides the gap in jump BV (and it was a worthy distinction - Adelina’s jumps were always impressive, and no, she did not dope), Adelina’s SS and TR were comparable to Yuna’s, her spins and spirals both were markedly better. The margin of victory was maybe bigger than anyone could’ve expected, but to say that Yuna was blatantly robbed is not at all close to the truth.

For the second “parallel”, back in 2013, Yuzu won a Grand Prix Final which featured a completely fit Patrick Chan among the full cast of the top men that season, with the only notable exception of Daisuke Takahashi. Yuzu also won it while setting a new World Record along the way and making only one jump mistake throughout the event. I am not pointing this out to undermine Nathan’s win at this year’s GPF. I’m only trying to say that if you want to factor performance at the GPF into a skater’s momentum leading into the Olympics, you’d want to assign more weight to Yuzu’s win at GPF13 than to Nathan’s recent win in their respective trajectory. Flipping that around, you should also note that Patrick’s Silver at GPF did not serve to change the expectation he had to shoulder back then: he remained the overwhelming favorite heading into Sochi - a sentiment which cannot be applied to Yuzuru this season.

As for the World Standing angle, I can tell you, as a tennis fan, I know for a fact that world rankings do not always dictate the outcome of a match, and I say that while being acutely aware of how much more robust the ATP World Tour Ranking is as a performance indicator compared to the ISU World Standing.

On Rivalry

Regarding Nathan and Shoma (whom, I assume, most Yuzu fans are taking to be his biggest rivals for the Gold medal at PyeongChang), I want to bring to your attention that there is a difference between these two statements:

(1) Nathan and Shoma have not been able to deliver good free skates in their recent competitions, so I do not think it likely that they will be able to skate completely clean at the Olympics. Yuzu still has a good chance to win.

and

(2) If Nathan and Shoma continue to skate as badly at the Olympics as what they have been doing lately, Yuzu will be able to win.

If you still don’t see how they differ, just switch Yuzu for Nathan and Shoma in those two sentences and see how you, as a Yuzu fan, feel about each. The basic idea is almost identical, but how you frame it will alter the way you think: are you hoping for Yuzu to be able to do his best, or are you waiting to cheer if Nathan and Shoma and other skaters make mistakes? I, personally, find that the former approach is more pleasant: it keeps me away from negativity and it allows me to enjoy a good performance whether or not it was delivered by Yuzu. It also serves as a subconscious but constant reminder that there is a fine line between criticizing someone and hoping for them to fail. It's a deep dark divide which I've always tried to stay on the right side of in my technical discussion on this blog (though, going from the responses I received, I clearly don't always succeed in making people perceive that I did, in fact, try).  

If you need more convincing, there’s always this viewpoint from Yuzu himself on his ideal way to win.

On Expectation

As I said in the very beginning, I am not at my most hopeful when it comes to the possibility of Yuzu winning his second Olympic title. The only way this PyeongChang chapter can have a perfect happy ending is if Yuzu delivers 2 clean programs. The history of this sport tells me that the correlation between Yuzuru Hanyu’s clean programs and World Records is an almost perfect positive 1. Perhaps even more important than scoring is the fact that 2 clean programs would allow Yuzu to leave PyeongChang with the knowledge that he has done the best he can. Some not small part of me is hanging on to the belief that it can happen, but at this point in the proceedings, it is more a matter of faith and less of reason.

But you know what, I am fine with it.

When you consider everything he has done for figure skating, his contribution to the technical advancement as well as the artistic aspiration in this sport, his role in promoting the sport’s popularity, in bringing all of us fans together, and, of course, all the breathtaking, emotional, miraculous, exquisite skating he has and will continue to grace us with for the years to come, the only person in the world who has any right to demand more from Yuzuru is himself. 

And, at the end of the day, if you are in love with Yuzu and figure skating for the performance first and the record second, then rest assured, you will be fine no matter what happens at PyeongChang. It is only a chapter, not the whole story.

Happy (Early) New Year, I’m clocking out and will see you guys sometime in 2018.

[zonechin48]

How To Keep Your NAD Levels Elevated (Without IVs) For Staving Off Aging, Cellular Health, Full Body Repair & Much More.

From pills to creams to meditations to exercises, it seems there is a multitude of oft-confusing ways to avoid aging out there. You may know I’m a bit inclined toward ensuring I research some of the more off-the-beaten-path methods of anti-aging and am happy to be the guinea pig who takes cold showers, does stem cell treatments, monitors my telomere length, and injects, swallows, and mainlines many different safe vitamins and well-researched anti-aging health supplements to see what works and what doesn’t. Of course, I also do incorporate many of the natural and free strategies I talk about here. 

Among the many things you may have seen me talk about in my quest against aging is NAD (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) and experience with 8-hour IV drips of NAD and faster NAD push-IVs.

After all, when we talk about anything relating to aging, what we’re really talking about is cellular degeneration. Many of the signs of aging are often just the symptoms of a failing cellular mechanism or mitochondrial damage. And what do many cells need to operate at peak health? NAD. It’s crucial to many of the processes a cell carries out which benefit our bodies in numerous ways. This is why I believe increasing NAD in the body should be a top priority for anyone trying to support their health as they age. You’re about to discover why, and how to do just that.

The Signs Of Aging

There’s nothing like discovering your first gray hair or looking into the mirror and realizing even when you stop squinting the lines around your eyes stay put. The signs of aging are abundant, and yet you may not be noticing the less obvious warning signs that should be convincing you it’s time to take action to prevent the decline in health and body that occurs as you grow older. You may have already seen or are on the lookout for any of the following easy-to-notice physical signs of aging that can be determined even without the type of bloodwork I talk about here:  A Deep Dive Into How To Interpret The Results Of Your Blood Testing – Ben Greenfield Reveals & Walks You Through His Laboratory Results From WellnessFX.

Hair Loss/Thinning – More hairs going down the drain than usual during showers or finding more strands in your brush or on your clothes.

Hair Graying – Transition of hair color to either gray or white depending on your genetics.

Receding Hairline – Male-pattern baldness or thinning at the temples.

Turkey Neck/Sagging Skin – Loose skin you can gather between your fingers or even just the hooded eye skin drooping its way down your eyelid.

Sagging Breasts – Your bosom may simply not quite stand to attention the way it used to.

Sun Damage – This includes everything from spots on your hands, face, and shoulders to dryness and “leathery” skin.

Fine Lines And Wrinkles – Some of them become less “fine” than others and the grooves only get deeper as the years go by.

Bunions – From years of wearing the wrong footwear or walking irregularly due to injury, risk for these tend to increase with age.

Yellowing Teeth – Even if you lay off the coffee and wine, enamel depletes with age and your teeth show the signs of a weakened state.

Decreased Testosterone & Growth Hormones – Along with this comes decreased drive, sexual dysfunction, hot flashes, mood swings, and a host of other unwanted side effects.

Insomnia and Bad Sleep – Your circadian rhythms get thrown for a loop as you produce less melatonin.

Forgetfulness and Memory Loss – Not to be confused with Alzheimer’s, dementia or any major mental illness, but a decline in cellular energy means your brains have less cognitive power and begin making errors.

Weight Gain – Usually this has more to do with a lack of energy, a lowered metabolism, and bad diet, but finding it harder to lose or maintain weight is also part of aging.

General Fatigue – This is (in many people’s opinions) the worst symptom of aging and involves losing the energy to exercise, keep up a social life, and even do meaningful work (which just feeds into the myth that we become less capable as we get older).

Everything mentioned above is only the eventual outward symptoms of what’s happening inside our bodies at a cellular level. As you age, your cells decline in their ability to be able to resist stress and damage, resulting in a gradual loss of cellular function that leads to many of the physical issues listed above. So it stands to reason that if you can prevent cellular aging, you can prevent the signs of aging in general.

A molecule called NAD can help support cellular health. Even if it can’t solve every problem associated with aging, it’s worth learning more about.

What Is NAD?

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD, is a coenzyme discovered over 100 years ago by scientists studying fermentation. NAD aids in the cell’s process of turning nutrients into the energy is necessary for metabolism. Your cells turn the energy stored in the food you eat into cellular energy (ATP). As part of the whole assembly line of operations that occur within a cell to get your organs to function, NAD is a crucial factory worker. If you appreciate your heart pumping, lungs breathing, muscles contracting, food digesting, etc. then you already have a healthy appreciation for NAD and the cellular energy it helps to produce.

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The second role this molecule plays within our cells is to boost the activity of sirtuins, which are important proteins used by cells. When sirtuins are activated and doing their jobs, they support cellular maintenance and repair. Sirtuins have been implicated in influencing a wide range of cellular processes like aging, transcription, apoptosis, inflammation and stress resistance, as well as energy efficiency and alertness during low-calorie situations. Sirtuins can also control circadian clocks and mitochondrial biogenesis.

So your cells need NAD and your body is capable of creating it, but as you age, your cells take on a lot of stress and NAD is rapidly consumed as the cells cope. Metabolic stresses such as overeating and consuming alcohol can contribute even further to the depletion of NAD. Worse still, NAD decreases as we get older – a 60-year-old is likely to have half the count of NAD that they did at 40.

So now you’re probably wondering what’s the best way to get more NAD, aside from the costly IVs I’ve spoken of already, and discuss in detail in my last two podcasts with Tom Ingoglia here and here, and also in my recent podcast with Dr. Craig Koniver here.

Preclinical research shows that exercising and calorie restriction can both aid in upping NAD levels. These are two strategies I already advocate for and just make sense as part of a holistic health regimen. However, one of the easiest ways to naturally increase NAD without an IV is via supplements, more specifically the B3 vitamins I discussed here in my podcast with Dr. Charles Brenner (but as you’ll discover later, not all B3s are created equal when it comes to producing NAD).

Through its essential role in cellular energy production, NAD contributes, in early cellular stages, to basically every bodily function we notice or don’t notice but appreciate subconsciously. Here are just a few ways our bodies use NAD each day:

Exercise Performance and Recovery – When we exercise, cells in our muscles go to work generating boatloads of cellular energy. NAD is crucial to this process. After a workout, NAD also helps restore muscles and aids in the work cells perform to build muscle. Our ability to recover from workouts, a thing that seems to get harder as we age, is reliant on NAD doing its job. And working out is essential to avoiding declining muscle mass, another common component of aging.

Processing Alcohol – NAD is required for both of the chemical reactions that detoxify alcohol in the liver. Drinking can lower the liver’s NAD resources as the liver processes the alcohol we’ve consumed. You may notice it takes less alcohol to induce a hangover as you get older or that a little alcohol goes a long way and it’s easier to get tipsy or outright drunk, even accidentally. Obviously, I recommend discretion when drinking and a healthy self-awareness of your limits, but also understanding how your cells help you to bounce back when you’ve had a bit too much comes in handy.

Skin and Sun Exposure – Skin is the largest organ of our bodies and thus requires a massive amount of cells and cellular regeneration to maintain. Your skin is exposed to quite a few stressors, the sun being our skin’s most bitter enemy if overexposure to UVA and UVB occurs. NAD activates certain proteins in skin cells to help signal when and where sun-related damage has occurred. It’s no coincidence wrinkles are among the earliest signs of aging. A wrinkle is basically a line of skin cells that have lost their ability to hold up the skin and have thus caved in. Interestingly, a recent preclinical study with mice linked the appearance of skin wrinkles directly to cellular mitochondrial health.

Circadian Rhythms – It isn’t just the earth that’s set on a very strict 24-hr schedule – your bodies also rely on daily rhythmic biological processes to keep you going. These circadian rhythms are integral to overall metabolism and health.  NAD aids in cells maintaining their daily rhythms by helping to regulate circadian clocks at the cellular level. When faced with the mass confusion of facing a time zone change or spending too much time in the dark, our cells work overtime keeping up those rhythms. As long as our cells keep up the pace, everything can readjust and get back on schedule. When we don’t, boy do we feel it.

Breathing & Oxidative Stress – There are sometimes ways we can give our hardworking cells a break. After all, you do have the option of giving up alcohol or getting more sleep to rejuvenate yourself. But one thing we can’t stop doing is breathing and delivering oxygen throughout our bodies. As this oxygen is consumed by cells, free radicals can be produced that lead to oxidative stress. And the air you breathe contains more than just oxygen. Other sources of free radicals include air pollutants, chemicals, cigarette smoke and other issues I discuss in my last comprehensive article on air pollution. Fortunately, NAD and its molecular cousin NADP can arm your cells to counteract this stress and mop up free radicals.

To figure out how to get more NAD into your cells, you must first understand how vitamin B3 contributes to NAD.

Understanding The Vitamin B3s

There are actually 8 different vitamins that make up the B vitamin complex, one of which is B3. B3 vitamins are precursors to NAD, meaning they are basically ingredients that your body uses to create more NAD through cellular chemical processes. But there are three forms of B3, and the newest one to be discovered, nicotinamide riboside (NR), is the one scientists are getting especially excited about.

The B3 most people are familiar with is niacin (nicotinic acid). Niacin is available in supplement form and is also ingested in food because it is found in eggs, yeast, fish, meat, milk, green vegetables, and cereal grains. Since the 1930s people have used niacin for treating pellagra, which is a B3 deficiency caused by a lack of diet variety. However, niacin has the very annoying side effect of skin flushing and can create a red, warm face, an overall feeling of body warmth and tingly fingers.

The second of the B3s is nicotinamide, also known as niacinamide. This one’s much like niacin, but minus the painful skin flushing and without the useful cholesterol-lowering capabilities. Although it’s an NAD precursor, it deactivates sirtuins, those very useful longevity genes I mentioned earlier.

Then there’s nicotinamide riboside (NR), the most recently discovered B3 and a unique B3 when it comes to producing NAD. I interviewed the man who discovered the pathway that converts NR to NAD, Dr. Charles Brenner, on my podcast and got the skinny on exactly why NR is the superior B3 vitamin and all the benefits that it produces by supporting healthy, well-functioning cells.

NR serves as an NAD precursor and also activates sirtuins to jump in and do their job. Plus, it doesn’t cause flushing. Trace amounts of NR are found in milk, but you’d have to drink a heck of a lot of it to get the benefits of NR and in my opinion, the calories and high amounts of dairy proteins aren’t worth it.

TRU NIAGEN, The NAD Superbooster

If you listened to my podcast or read the transcript of my talk with Dr. Charles Brenner, you probably know a bit already about the supplement TRU NIAGEN, a B3 supplement in the form of NR. After Dr. Brenner discovered that cells can use NR as a precursor to NAD, interest in his work soared. Nutraceutical company ChromaDex licensed the patents for NR from Dartmouth College and asked Dr. Brenner to be their Chief Scientific Advisor.

Together they developed TRU NIAGEN, an NR supplement that has been clinically proven to increase NAD levels. By increasing NAD, TRU NIAGEN promotes cellular energy production. One capsule of TRU NIAGEN contains 150mg of the active ingredient NIAGEN nicotinamide riboside chloride, a patented and FDA safety-reviewed form of vitamin B3, as well as the inactive ingredients microcrystalline cellulose and hypromellose.

There have been over 150 scientific articles published around NR since 2004, many of them reflecting the positive effect NR has on NAD production. These include more than 100 preclinical studies published on the science behind NR and more than 20 human clinical trials published and ongoing. Specifically, the active ingredient in TRU NIAGEN, “NIAGEN nicotinamide riboside”, has been studied in four published human trials, which is more than any other NR supplement you’ll hear about.(See trials 1, 2, 3 & 4) From those trials, TRU NIAGEN has proven to safely and effectively increase NAD. NIAGEN has twice been successfully reviewed under FDA’s new dietary ingredient (NDI) notification program and has also been successfully notified to the FDA as generally recognized as safe (GRAS).

Summary

Currently, I take 1-2 capsules NR TRU NIAGEN in the morning, then again in the afternoon (it works best when taken twice a day to support normal circadian rhythm). I still do the NAD IVs too, but I use the NR in between the IVs to maintain my levels as high as possible. I also take extra NR after drinking more than two glasses of alcohol, traveling across multiple time zones, or any time I’ve put excess stress on my body.

You can get NR from TRU NIAGEN, and for your convenience, below I’m including all posts and podcasts I’ve done about NR or NAD in the past should you want to take a deeper dive.

–The Next Big Anti-Aging Drug: Everything You Need To Know About “NAD”.

–How To Get Your Own Vitamin and NAD IVs, The Truth About Umbilical Stem Cells, Peptide Injections & Much More With Dr. Craig Koniver.

–Advanced Muscle Building With Science: How To Biohack Body Composition With Stem Cells, NAD & One Workout Per Week.

–The New Darling Supplement Of The Anti-Aging Industry (& The Truth About Whether It Actually Works)

–Biohacking Alzheimer’s, Age Reversal, Young Blood, Stem Cells, Exosomes & More!

Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for me about NR or NAD? Leave your comments below and I will reply!

Ask Ben a Podcast Question

Source: https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/anti-aging-articles/elevate-nad-levels/

[torentialtribute]

No respect for big names. Underarm serves. Nick Kyrgios is the man who’s shaking up tennis

Nick Kyrgios is sitting in the bowels of the Miami Dolphins stage and beaming after the reaction to his latest victory – from the courtside security

"Afterwards I had about five of the guards who don't care much about the game tell me how much fun that was to watch," he says. "That's super important because this is the entertainment business."

The 23-year-old Australian had just gone through to the third round of the Miami Open with a win over qualifier Alexander Bublik that had an element of the Harlem Globetrotters about it. The bumper attendance on the secondary arena at Hard Rock Stadium was bigger than that watching Serena Williams competently make the debut on the giant main court.

He has an outstanding career record against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

There was his usual mix of scorching winners, gossamer-touch drop shots, careless mistakes, drives from between the legs and that strange reluctance to chase down every single ball. He has a curious ability to excite a crowd while displaying a certain indifference.

This is perhaps why he can lose to anyone – sometimes in dismal fashion – while enjoying an outstanding aggregate 6-6 record against the sainted trio or Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He is 2-0 against the latter.

Kyrgios talks like he plays tennis: fast, unpredictable and not afraid to display a wide repertoire of shots. This is particularly the case when assessing how he managed to compile his enviable stats against the big three.

Kyrgios talks like he plays tennis: fast, unpredictable and displaying a wide repertoire of shots

HIGHS AND LOWS

THE GOOD

June 2014 Nick Kyrgios announces himself to the tennis world by knocking world No. 1 Rafa Nadal out of Wimbledon. May 2015 – Comes from a set down to beat Roger Federer 14-12 in a final set tiebreak in Madrid. February-March 2017 Beats Novak Djokovic twice in straight sets in Acapulco and Indian Wells. February 2019 – Back in Acapulco hits an underarm serve on the way to another win over Nadal, then beats Alex Zverev in the final.

THE BAD

Aug 2015 Hurled a barrage of salacious insults at Stan Wawrinka. Given a suspended six-month sentence. Oct 2016 Verbally abused a spectator during a 48-minute defeat by Mischa Zverev in Shanghai. He said: "I don't owe the fans anything." If they don't like it, just leave. "Jun 2018 Fined £ 13,000 for obscene gestures with a water bottle at Queens.

"I just go out there and do my thing and nothing changes or I'm playing Alexander Bublik or Federer or Rafa," he says. I serve big, I back myself, at the end of the day they are only human.

'They don't do anything spectacularly well. Obviously Federer is unbelievably talented and the greatest of all time, but he gets tired in tight situations. Djokovic struggles with short balls, he doesn't like to come forward. Second serve can get a bit shaky.

'Rafa loves to be defensive so you can really push through his forehand and expose how far back he stands. So they do have weaknesses and if you play the right way and execute it right under pressure then they can be beaten.

'You just have to play the right way and for the stars to align. Of course they are a level above all of us, but they are definitely beatable, I don't think they are God's to the sport. "

Late last month Kyrgios went out and beat Nadal amid a febrile atmosphere at the ATP Tour event in Acapulco. On the way he served underarm, infuriating the great Spaniard, who afterwards declared that his opponent lacked respect for both his opponents and himself.

Kyrgios plays around behind the clock during his match against Alexander Bublik in Miami

Unlike many of the present day younger ATP players, you will not find Kyrgios coming off court to describe it as an 'honor' to share the court with them.

'I don't know how much respect the others show them but I'm not going to really respect someone just because they can hit a ball over the net, that's not enough for me to give them respect, "said Kyrgios, who plays today Serbia's Dusan Lajovic.

'Why would I give them an inch? They've already got the advantage with always playing on the best courts in the best conditions, all that sort of stuff, so I don't know why you would give them inches. "

" Obviously what they ( the trio) do for the sport is huge, they inspire millions around the globe. But when I'm on the court we're competing and I'm not trying to be your friend.

'I'm not sure why I would go out there and be very respectful of Rafa to get ready for me to serve. "

Kyrgios throws his racquet during his match against Philipp Kohlschreiber at Indian Wells

It is perhaps counting that Kyrgios's peak this year came when winning the ATP title in the Mexican playground, where there were obviously plenty of distractions away from the gravel of the tennis.

'Acapulco was insane on and off the court, I definitely lost a couple of years off my life that week. I was going jet skiing every day, I had my best friend there, it was like a holiday week, that's when I tend to play well. One of the best atmospheres ever.

'I hit it (the underarm serve) and people say' he's being disrespectful ', but when other people do it they'd say' very technically switched on '. When I did it, it's like the roof is falling in. I'm never going to hit one again because I've got scorched for it … I'm kidding – I'm hitting it again for sure, I was thinking about it all day today.

'At times I think tennis is way too serious. I don't think about goalsetting. There is so much going on in the world that we are so sheltered from, I'm not trying to put my attention into tennis too much, I come in and play my match somewhere like this and I'm out of here. "

Kyrgios has long established a bond with Andy Murray, who believes he is one of the people who 'gets' him. The two have stayed in touch while Murray continues his convalescence.

Kyrgios went out and beat Rafael Nadal on way to winning the Acapulco Open in Mexico

'I had a hit the other day with Amanda Anisimova (the exciting American prospect) at 9am the other day, I never hit that early. Andy in Brisbane this year asked me if I wanted to hit at 9am and I said that's way too early. He messaged me the other day when he saw that I'd hit with her, adding a sad face.

'So I have been in contact with him a little bit, he's obviously a great guy and I wish him all the best. If he can come back and play I don't care if he wins a match, I just want to see him back on the tour and competing. The results aren't something to be concerned about it would be just to see him happy. If you're able to play again that's a success. I think he is someone I will keep in touch with when I have finished playing for sure. "

In his darker moments Kyrgios does not always help himself, putting in halfhearted efforts or descending to puerile antics like making suggestive gestures with water bottles, as he did last summer at Queen's.

But the ongoing debate among some earnest types about whether he is 'good for the game' is tennis's most inane debate – or course he is, for all the undulating behavior.

The Harlem Globetrotters analogy is a fitting one, because he makes no secret that what he would much rather be doing is shooting hoops.

Last week he could be found dispensing wisdom to a group of eleven year-old schoolchidren as part of a Unicef ​​charity appearance prior to the tournament.

After advising them that it was important to always listen to their parents, he also added a note of regret.

'When I was 14 , my parents told me I could play basketball for longer and still it breaks my heart. It was one of the toughest challenges to give that up. I love basketball. "

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