#THAT WENT FROM 0 TO 100 REAL QUICK

[surreality51]

Ode to Roger’s Serve

Let’s talk about Federer’s serve, because that serve is a thing of beauty. 

For one thing, it’s the third best serve in history if you’re measuring by number  of career aces: 

And alongside serve machines like Isner and Karlovic, Federer also has one of the top serves in history based on percentage of service games won: 

I almost feel like the first 3 above shouldn’t count because they’re all monsters over 6′5″ height which is just unfair. I mean, look at this ridiculousness: 

Roger is not a short dude, he’s 6′1″ but he’s goddamn tiny compared to Isner.

Anyway, back to gushing about Federer’s serve: I forget which tennis player said this, maybe it was Andy Roddick, but someone said that one reason why Federer has been so dominant in his career is because of his serve: once he breaks you, you’re pretty much done, because you’re not going to break him back. You’re just not. And as you can see from the chart above, it’s true. You’ve got about an 11% chance of breaking his service game.

What makes Federer distinctive from the rest of the list above is that his serve isn’t especially fast or powerful. While the other guys on this list routinely hit first serves above 140mph, Federer averages around 120-125mph, which is decidedly middle-of-the-pack on the ATP tour (120mph average men’s serve speed).

It’s interesting to note that his middling serve speed is intentional on Federer’s part. He’s said in interviews that he usually serves at 80% max strength, meaning he could hit the ball harder if he wanted to, but he intentionally sacrifices speed for accuracy.

That accuracy or ability to hit the ball wherever he wants, whenever he wants, is one of the things that makes Federer’s serve so dangerous. The other aspects are variety and disguise. 

Accuracy

Here’s Federer’s serve placement vs Djokovic during one set from 2015, per Tennis TV on Twitter: 

Now, I have no idea if Djokovic’s placements are more scattered because he was aiming for a variety of shots, but my point is that Federer is very clearly aiming for and hitting his serves accurately and hugging the lines pretty much every single time.

Just for fun, here’s another graphic I found online for Federer vs Medvedev during a set in Miami 2019: 

And 2019 ATP Finals against Matteo Berettini: 

Nice work, Rog. 

Variety & Decision Making

In this interesting article on thetennisbros.com, the writer talks about how Federer can serve with flat, slice, or kick:

Federer can strike the ball hard and flat on the first serve or with slice.

On his second serve, he can hit heavy, biting topspin, kicking the ball up and away from his opponent, or even, topspin-slice to keep them on their toes.

And while yes, most pros can do the same, it’s his decision making that makes the difference. Per thetennisbros.com:

He also chooses the right spin at the right time, more often than pretty much every other player on tour. All players complain about not being able to read Federer’s serve.

It’s not the fastest, or heaviest in terms of spin, but it is one of the very best ever, through his incredible variety and decision making throughout a match.

For a fun discussion of Federer’s deceptively difficult second serve, check out this awesome video where a former pro who had a practice session with Federer in 2016 (2015?) talks about what it’s like to have Federer’s second serve coming at you (start at 23:49):

Disguise

Federer’s serve is notoriously difficult to read, in large part because he uses the same ball toss no matter where he intends to place the serve. 

Here’s the trajectory of his ball toss for a kick serve going wide vs a first serve down the T: 

It’s pretty much about the same no matter where he’s aiming for. Compare that with Frances Tiafoe, whose serve is analyzed in this interesting New York Times feature: 

Tiafoe can hit his flat serve and slice with the same toss, making it difficult for his opponent to read his intentions. But he has to change it for the kick (which most players use as their second serve). Returners can read the kick toss and anticipate the serve, but the tremendous spin on the ball makes it hard to attack.

This isn’t to pick on poor Frances, since many (most?) other tennis players also change their toss depending on what type of serve they’re trying to hit. The point here is to illustrate how unique Federer’s ball toss is and how it aids in disguising his intentions. Per tennis coach and writer John Yandell, Federer’s arcing ball toss allows him to “open up a workbench” above his head, from which he can hit the serve anywhere along that arc to wherever he wants in the service box. 

He could add spin or slice to his serve at will, resulting in an unusual variety and motion to his serves. Here’s the great Serena Williams, herself a great server, talking about how difficult it is to read Federer’s serve after they faced each other for the first time at the 2019 Hopman Cup:

And here’s Williams’s long-time coach talking about Federer’s serve: 

In Conclusion

I don’t care what anyone else says, he is the GOAT when it comes to serving. The end.

[geckosquid]

So I finished The Way Home storyline in Pokémon Violet and all I have to say is AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

[gamerbearmira]

It’s not Mirabel centric like your other AUs but imagine a AU where Dolores overheard someone do something VERY bad and the person finds out that Dolores knows because they made eye contact with each other and Dolores got scared or something. Said person gets SUPER paranoid that Dolores is gonna tell someone what they did and decides the best way to keep her quiet…

…is to lure her into the forest and murder her :D

The whole family being a wreak of emotions while also trying to figure out who murdered her :>

MARY AND JOESPH WHAT????? Tf did Dolores do 😭 mf couldn’t swear her to secrecy, he dead ass killed her 💀

[countdown-til-sanders-take-over]

[angelfishcake]

damianya w/ lumity moments

Note: You'll thank me later xoxo -Becky

Damian's thoughts: I'm such as idiot; of course she doesn't like me.

In world context I guess?:

1st: What if Becky pulled a Knock-Knock-Knocking on Hooty's Door and dropped off Anya and Damian at a Tunnel of Love in the middle of the night

2nd: What if Berlint is getting bombed and they have to get to a bomb shelter but Anya wants to find her parents

(This is when they're teenagers of course)

[brandwhorestarscream]

I'm obsessed with the cryptid Seekers AU

Consider this; every other Cybertronians that are not flightframes give birth to their offspring. Flightframes lays eggs with a metallic shell similar to an ostrich egg. But metal.

Seekers, however, dear Primus. Their cryptidness starts even before they were born. Seekers' laid eggs in a dark room, the eggs doesn't have a hard shell, but instead sticks to the wall like the Bayverse hatchlings.

Jazz found the rooms where the eggs are and Soundwave teleports behind him, pull him out, close the doors and looks at the saboteur straight in the optics and tells him to go home.

They might be enemies, but Soundwave isn't letting Jazz sees the horror of Seekerlings hatching. Soundwave had seen it once, he is not letting anyone go through that. Autobot or Decepticon.

Their hatchlings come out slippery and slimy and there's always the risk of being traumatized by an egg sac exploding early. The eggs are very sensitive to changes in the environemt; a stranger wandering into the nesting grounds can cause such undue stress the sparkling's sac may rupture prematurely and soak the intruder in horrible developmental fluid.

Whether or not the sparkling survives probably depends on what stage of development we're in. If we wanted to go full body horror we could say, in the event of a rupture in stage 4 or 5 of development, the seekerling will attack the intruder with the intent to use their body as an emergency incubation chamber. Maybe the sac's contents have a paralyzing agent, so the sparkling has a fighting chance. Maybe they go full Alien and climb into the intruder's mouth and take up root in their primary fuel tank to leech nutrients and continue development. It leads to fussy seeker parents chasing down random intruders and demanding their baby back

Regardless. Soundwave tells Jazz to gtfo because 1. He's trespassing and 2. Good lord stay away from nesting seekers if you know what's good for you. If the parents don't kill you then the trauma from seeing their horrifying sparklings will

[the-sparkling-diamond-satine]

i am feeling inspired to work on scenes from at least 4 of my fics and decisions are hard. if i choose one i'm scared i'll forget the scenes i have planned for the others

[miraiq]

in big sisters' honor.................... the landau's shall prevail

[twentytworoses]

I think what hurts me about the Fundy-Wilbur reunion stream the most was that it started out good, albeit really awkward, watching Fundy and Wilbur fish and play catch, reminiscing the good, old times, but we know it won't last forever, WE KNOW shit is about to hit the fan and it hit so fucking hard.

Fundy's delivery to "because this isn't the first time you left me" is so, so good. I can sense the sarcastic anger, the bitterness, and love how he quietly mellows down to sadness when he agrees to spending time with his dad, this man is just so lonely and craves for any kind of companionship.

Also don't even get me started at the ending, I fucking stared at my black screen for a minute, processing what the fuck happened.

[visiosatanae]

Totally random, but my mom got my dad a Hot Ones hot sauce kit for Christmas and the family has gotten together today to do a testing and see how far we can make it through the gauntlet. I'm a huge wimp when it comes to spice so I was expecting to tap out after the first few.

I made it to the seventh out of ten.

I taste nothing but pain and it won't go away.

[voidfishbitch]

Auggie play Hayloft II by Mother Mother

[whatdoyoumeanitsnotcanon]

In The Tempest Beats a Mournful Heart (A companion piece to If Only... and Discontent):

The minutes seemed like hours, the hours seemed like days, and the days seemed like weeks.

And yet all you two could offer each other were cursory glances and poor, thinly veiled attempts at concealing your mutual desire. At night you and Morgott slept, dreaming of contentment and a blissful future. Together. And at dawn you would awake to the grim reality that the chasm between you two was slowly but surely growing and you could only clench your teeth and stay your tongue lest it get even bigger.

But either way, you felt you both were damned.

He avoids you, the Omen king. He avoids the gnawing ache and longing in your glares. Morgott avoids all attempts at camaraderie for the sake of self-preservation and you scoff. If only he knew the thin line you treaded, that thin line that separated love from hatred. A hatred born of denial, of… rejection. How could he deny you the rarity of his smile and the comfort of his heart? How could he deny you even the intensity of his gaze?! How could he… how could he just—

 “—Damn you, Morgott.”

The anger which you let simmer for so long had reached its peak, had culminated in your outburst. And you noted the irony of your rage blazing against the backdrop of a tranquil night sky. You should’ve watched it, you and Morgott, watched the Lands Between as it bathed in the glory of the Erdtree’s golden rays, but no… no. Your eyes, darkened with frustration, were only for Morgott.

Morgott, the bastard who didn’t even flinch at the razor-sharp edge in your voice. His lone eye, distant yet aware all the same, bore into your own, and silence reigned until the deep timbre of his voice made your heart swell once again. Whether in affection or madness, you never knew.

And the tempest, a flurry of incomplete words and heated emotions, surged.

“Tarnished—”

“—Why won’t you let me?!” The blood pummeled your head like waves.

“Calm thy anger—” His shock and irritation met your ferocity head on. And it was beautiful. Or could be if only he’d let it. Bastard.

“—No. No, goddamn you, Morgott, you will listen to me. Why—”

“—Choose thine next words carefully—!”

“NO. WHY WON’T YOU LET ME IN?!” You were met with silence and your vision went red. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” You should’ve stopped there, should’ve stopped when you teetered on the precipice of self-restraint and the simmering resentment threatened to boil over. You should’ve stopped the moment Morgott’s gaze narrowed. But you didn’t and the words continued to fall from your lips like molten lava.

They fell and, in the process, tore two hearts asunder.

It didn’t register in your mind until it was too late; Morgott had silently arisen and turned to walk away, content to let you stew in your misery. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on the circumstances, you could never leave well enough alone. You angrily ran behind the omen, shouting until your voice was sure to be hoarse in the morning. Your mouth never stopped. You knew you crossed the point of no return. It mattered not, however.

“SOME KING YOU ARE, RUNNING AWAY FROM SOMETHING AS HARMLESS AS ME! IS THIS WHY THE GOLDEN ORDER YOU LOVE SO MUCH REJECTED YOU BECAUSE YOU CAN’T EVEN—”

“ENOUGH.”

Morgott had demanded it of you and it was enough. Enough to quell the raging storm within for the moment. Enough to allow your aching throat some respite. But it wasn’t enough to soothe your heart. Or his. You both stood in silence, letting words spoken in rage and resignation blanket your bodies like sweltering, uncomfortable heat.  After some time, after the silence had become unbearable, you bleated out a pathetic “Morgott…”

And the omen, against his better judgment, turned to you and it was then you realized the extent of your outburst. You had never seen the gold in his eye glow so brightly with emotion and the contrast against the night sky would’ve scared a lesser man. The pain and the rejection so conveyed in your words were evident in the way his stare rooted you to the earth. The regret began to replace the rage and your knees buckled under the pressure.

“Morgott…” you called to him again. Your heart was full of mixed emotions but the worthiest one still reigned supreme. Your hands reached out to touch, to hold. Your steps were uneven and slovenly. Your entire being beckoned to him and he was tempted. By the Grace was he tempted. "Please..."

Please, just let me hold you. Just let me...

“...just let me love you, Morgott...”

The omen’s eye widened and he took a step back as if your words rent his flesh. You both winced simultaneously and rejection reared its ugly head once more. No. No… “Tarnished…” his voice shaky, mind riddled with fear and renouncement and love, did the only thing he felt it possible to do.

Morgott turned away once more and began to walk, began to bridge the divide between you two even further. Every step he took was one away from happiness and belonging. Every step he took reminded him of the life that should’ve been. And Erdtree help him, wouldn’t it have been easier to just fall into your arms and let his fears be carried away with the wind? Perhaps he was as weak as you thought him. You and the Golden Order.

Morgott was unaware of your body succumbing to the suffering of love denied. Your knees collapsed under the weight of the tempest as you watched his lumbering form retreat into the darkness.

Your heart, your body, and your soul were filled with a river of anguish that dared not flow.  

[mxtxfanatic]

ZOMBIES???

[forthedancingandthethriving]

Juliano Headcanons (because I have brain rot about him)

He does have a different outfit other than his normal ringmaster outfit. It's a red long-sleeved turtleneck, with black pants and a brown belt, black fingerless gloves, and black shoes.

He's comfortable with his any has actually worn nailpolish and eyeliner before. He wears foundation whenever wireframe scars appear on his face.

Wireframe scars are constantly appearing and disappearing on his body. Only Vitality knows about this.

Continuing from the above, this happens due to the limbo state of his Avatar Code and his world. Since he died but was saved by Vitality, his world is still alive. But since she knew jack about Avatar Code and repaired him the best she could, his code is half formed, meaning so is his world. His code can't entirely recognize he's still technically an Avatar, these wireframe scars appear. But when it does recognize he is one, they vanish. He's constantly in some level of pain because of this.

He has extremely high pain tolerance due to how his body is always in some state of pain.

He's extremely good at acrobatics, card tricks, and other magic tricks since he needed to back when he was still a ringmaster and getting his circus up and running.

He helps SMG4 out with managing the Showgrounds and the circus acts that sometimes happen.

While he does joke about him being dead, it is also something he constantly grapples with. He has intense survivor's guilt as well, but he copes by making jokes.

His sleep schedule is as bad as Tulip's, if not worse. Though he never shows it because of the fact that he drinks so much coffee and energy drinks.

He has nightmares almost every night. Ranging from the day his world died, or his old friends blaming him for their deaths.

He sometimes sees him and Mandy, his little sister, in Mario and Luigi.

He sometimes sees Cory, his adopted little brother, in Lil Coding.

He keeps a picture of his old friends in his room, hidden away in a box. He can't stand to look at it for too long.

He and Emmy are close, and they frequently like to talk and share gossip, along with trading embarrassing stories about Domain and Forum.

He can bargain very well, and he can switch from funny to serious in an instant. It gives everyone whiplash.

[bookwyrminspiration]

i am literally head in hands right now. i have like. i have a lot of feelings about this but the most prominent ones are let vol karoth be babied and healed and beloved and also WHy is thaena SO FUCKED UP that is my BLORBO u are turning into a puppet king so he can dance around and kill half the people he's ever loved in this lifetime. NOT COOL KHAEMEZRA. but it is 3am so i shall withhold until i get the chance

Memory of Souls had no right making me feel so bad and empathetic towards the literally embodiment of destruction trying to kill the world. But I suppose on the flip side in that is the inherent humanity of people and how even the worst people are still people in the end (ignoring the fact he's now a void hole in the universe), and there's the question of accountability when you're truly unaware of your actions and impact. Because Vol Karoth is the source behind so much suffering and pain that does exist, but none of it is conscious. And he is suffering immensely stuck in time for who he was made to be against his will. So amending my statement, memory of souls had a fair bit of rights to make me feel so bad for him

But Thaena my god...LOVE her character so much, the complexity the corruption the fear. She is so incredibly afraid and stuck in her ways--well, was. She's dead now. Because her son killed her because she was trying to kill him. This is what I was talking about a while back about the corruptibility of power, about what makes something worth if, if you can justify your actions for a greater good. And at what point you no longer can. How Thaena was so completely convinced she was the only one who understood and was willing to do what needed to be done because she was so afraid of not having the right answer, of everything falling apart, that she tore everything down with her. Khaemezra and Teraeth...that ending tore my heart out; there's some line about Teraeth as someone "born to be betrayed" and I will never forget it. I've forgotten where in the series it is but it's stuck in my brain. Born to be betrayed by his mother who was so afraid...

[flashbang-througthe-door]

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John Price as The Vampire Sheriff

Duck Johnson as The Vampire Historian

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Derek Hudson as The Werewolf Mayor

Lenny Russo as The Reckless Werewolf

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Ten Twelve as The Water Elder

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Alejandro Vargas as The Fire Elder

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Ghost as The Air/Wind Elder

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Soap Mactavish as The Earth Elder(newbie)

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Description: A sleepy little town is thrown into chaos when The new Earth Elder arrives and shit goes south quickly

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Vampire Price inspired by @sleepyconfusedpotato and @pricescigar 💙❤️

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