#Take Me Out To The Ball Game 2019 Contest | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

duhragonball · 3 years

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What are your favorite fights from each anime iteration of Dragon Ball? (DB/Z/GT/Super etc. Yknow lol) I’m curious!

This is a good ask, anon. Just wanted to point it out.

I'm not sure how long a list I want to make for this, because if I really go nuts with this I'll probably end up covering like 75% of the fights in the franchise. But I don't want to just pick one favorite fight from each series, because that feels too short. Tell you what, let's just play it by ear and see how this goes. I won't bother ranking these, because I'm not sure I can.

OG Dragon Ball

1) Goku vs. Jackie Chun, 21st World Tournament final

2) Goku vs. Tien Shinhan, 22nd World Tournament final

3) Goku vs. Piccolo Junior, 23rd World Tournament final.

We'll start with these, because they're tentpole moments for the series, and they define Goku's character arc so well. The Jackie Chun fight was pretty short, but it was really the first big fight in the franchise, and it set the tone for all the later battles to follow. What makes it work is how Chun is determined to keep Goku from winning, not for his own sake, but because he thinks Goku will lose interest in martial arts if he wins a big tournament on his first try. Chun entered as a ringer, but he finds Goku a lot harder to stop than he expected, and the match very nearly ends in a draw.

So you'd think Goku would be a shoo-in at the next tournament, but he has to get through Tien for that, and Tien turns out to be extremely tough and he wants to murder Goku to avenge his master's brother. It's an awesome fight, made more awesome by the way Tien's character arc begins to overtake the action itself. He starts out wanting Goku dead, then decides he'd rather fight fair because he enjoys the competition too much.

So by the time we get to the 23rd tournament, the contest itself feels like an afterthought. This is just the venue for the more important showdown between Goku and Piccolo. Except Goku still wants that World title. It means a lot to him, and no one else seems to get that. Through this whole arc, everyone is scared shitless of Piccolo, worrying that Goku might not be able to beat him. But Goku has a game plan, and he sticks to it and powers on through to victory. And yet it's still this insanely close match. I dare say this is the most even battle in the franchise, but Goku seems like an underdog to start out, and by the end of it, you see that he had things under control the whole time.

4) Goku vs. Red Ribbon Army HQ

5) Goku vs. King Piccolo

6) Goku vs. Grandpa Gohan

I guess you can call these #reference fights, because when I rewatched these episodes in 2019, I noticed how much they resembled battles I've written in to my big-ass OC fanfic. Goku just charging headlong into an army base is sort of the prototype for Saiyan mayhem, and when I started writing Luffa I quickly realized that this would have to be the sort of combat she'd be used to. There's no Vegeta or Perfect Cell to tackle a thousand years ago. She's got no rival, so her best bet is to fight large armies single-handedly, as Goku does here.

Likewise, I ended up inventing a lot of villains who think themselves invincible, only to get knocked on their ass when they find out how vincible they really are. King Piccolo's meltdown during this battle is a sight to behold, because once he starts losing, all he knows how to do is talk about his fearsome reputation, except it's completely hollow when the other guy is feeding you a can of whoop-ass. He just doesn't know how to process this beating, and that's always left an impression with me.

Let's just say, hypothetically speaking, that you had this character who has some relation to another character, and gosh, wouldn't it be nice if they could meet and fight each other, and one of them could leap forward beyond their natural lifespan to make that happen? I dunno, maybe it'd be kind of emotional? I haven't actually written anything like that so far, but if I ever do, it'll probably resemble Goku vs. Grandpa Gohan quite a bit.

Dragon Ball Z

1) Goku vs. Vegeta

I mean, what else can you say here? This one's a classic.

2) Anybody vs. Cell, pretty much.

Obviously, the Goku and Gohan fights from the Cell Games are the best of the best, but Cell's entire run in DBZ is awesome, including the fights he has with Vegeta, Trunks, Android 16, Piccolo... you just can't lose. I could go on, but I don't want to get too far down this one category.

3) Pikkon vs. Goku.

This one gets dunked on a lot because it's filler, but it's excellent. Just a friendly competition where everyone's dead and there's nothing at stake but bragging rights and fighting spirit. Pikkon's a brilliant opponent and Goku has to find a way to beat him, and that's really all the story you need, sometimes.

4) Goku-Vegeta II

This one's a bit wonky because there's no clear-cut winner and the Buu crisis overshadows it, and it doesn't quite hold up compared to the original Goku/Vegeta fight, but it's still awesome, because of the buildup and also a lot of the intensity. It kind of functions as a coda to the Androids/Cell Saga, where both guys were Super Saiyans but they never got a chance to duke it out. As it turns out, they're so evenly matched that it kind of works against the fight. One of them does a big move, and the other one just shrugs it off like nothing happened. In a way it's kind of the opposite of the Goku/Piccolo fight. When it's a couple of Super Saiyan 2's, there's just no way for anybody to pull ahead, and ultimately their battle takes on a very tragic tone, which is awesome.

5) Majin Buu vs. Everybody in Season 9.

Okay, apparently Tumblr won't let me post any more images, but that's cool, you all know what Buu looks like. I remember flipping through an issue of Beckett DBZ Collector at the grocery in 2003 or 2004, and it did this top ten fights article, with this as #1. I just liked the sheer gall of counting the entire Fusion and Kid Buu Sagas as one big fight. But let's face it, it works. From the moment Evil Buu shows up to the Spirit Bomb finale, it's basically nonstop action for Majin Buu, as he takes on one opponent after another in a zany gauntlet. And sure, I'd probably say Vegito and SSJ3 Goku were my favorite portions of that larger battle, but it's tough to isolate any one section.

Dragon Ball GT: There were no good fights in GT.

Dragon Ball Super

1) The Tournament of Power.

I suppose this also counts as one big battle, although my absolute favorite part is when Caulifla and Kale battle Goku and he ends up using Ultra Instinct to beat them.

There's also a lot to be said for Vegeta vs. God of Destruction Toppo, and the whole endgame with Jiren against Goku, 17, and Frieza. Oh, and the part where Universe 9 gets wiped out in one episode.

For my money, Dragon Ball Super doesn't really get off the blocks until the Tournament of Power begins, which has always frustrated me about DBS. It's basically one really good run of episodes at the tail end of an otherwise lackluster series. The U6 tournament was pretty weak and the Zamasu/Goku Black saga was downright pathetic.

Movie-wise... let me see here. Mystical Adventure had some good action, Dead Zone, Cooler 1, Super Android 13, Broly 1, Fusion Reborn and Wrath of the Dragon were classics, and Battle of Gods and Super Broly had some excellent fights too.

And yeah, I think that about covers it.

#dragon ball #ask duhragonball #dbgt has no good fights #no i will not elaborate #what else can i say?#if there was a decent fight in gt i would talk about it

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sesamie · 4 years

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i read your carrd and i saw that you like these two other bands, mates of state and guster, can you tell me a little more about them?

ANON THIS ASK MADE MY DAY THANK YOU SO MUCH LETS GO

okay so Mates of State. they're a band ive liked since i was maybe eight or nine years old? i was into this youtube comedy group called Studio C at the time (which has its own fun connection to Tally Hall but i’ll save that for another post ahah!!) and for a period of time the Studio C themesong was “I Want To Run” by Mates of State and they reference Mates in a few of their videos. Mates of State even recorded two songs for them (which i wont link here cause i don't rlly want to support Studio C cause looking back a lot of their videos are in really poor taste and being more knowledgeable these days i’d rather not spread their stuff anymore)!! anyways me being young & impressionable with regards to music (this was around the same time that i obsessively listened to Dinosaurchestra because i thought the album cover looked neat. i knew nothing of the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny, honest. my favorite song back then was Archaeopteryx) i immediately got really into Mates of State!

so they're a husband/wife duo that met in 1997 and were both playing guitar in a four-part band called Vosotros before splitting and forming their own band which we know today as Mates of State. Kori Gardner sings and plays organ, piano, synth (etc), and Jason Hammel sings and handles drums & percussion!

their albums are: My Solo Project (2000, re-released w a different label in 2003), Our Constant Concern (2002), Team Boo (2003), Bring It Back (2006), Re-Arrange Us (2008), Crushes (The Covers Mixtape) (2010), Mountaintops (2011) and their most recent release is the EP You’re Going To Make It (2015). there’s also an unreleased mates album called Greats that was supposed to be released in 2015!

my favorite albums of their are Bring it Back and Mountaintops, and my favorite songs of theirs are: These Days, Hoarding It For Home, Think Long, Punchlines, Running Out, Get Better, You Are Free, Great Dane, Palomino, Change, Mistakes, These Days, Staring Contest, and Goods (which i found out recently is actually their most popular song!!)

some fun facts about them are: - they have two kids, Magnolia and June Elizabeth, who they actually toured with and and Kori kept a blog about touring with two kids (which i have yet to read!). - they opened for The Postal Service’s last ever show!! - they were in a movie, which they also made the soundtrack for! - there’s also a documentary about them from 2004 (around the recording of Team Boo) that you can watch on youtube!! -also, in this Tally Hall video, they make a cameo except they forgot to turn on the mic!! (i think about this everyday. why did it have to be Mates of State that they forgot the mic for!!) ----- okay so now for Guster! i’ll admit i don’t know a whole lot about Guster, but i have been listening to them my entire life. they’re my mom’s favorite band, but somehow i’ve managed to distance them from her enough to enjoy them!!

they’re from Boston and have been around since 1991. the members are Ryan Miller, Adam Gardner (no relation to Kori Gardner at least not that i’ve found!!), Brian Rosenworcel, and Luke Reynolds, and this guy named Joe Pisapia was in the band at one point as well. they met in college and were originally named “Gus” but when another artist called Gus signed with a major record company, they had to change the name to Guster!!

their albums are: Parachute (1994), Goldfly (1997), Lost and Gone Forever (1999), Keep It Together (2003), Ganging Up On The Sun (2006), Easy Wonderful (2010), Evermotion (2015), and Look Alive (2019)!! they’ve also made a few things for fun like “The Meowstro Sings - Guster’s Keep It Together” which is all the tracks from Keep It Together but the vocals are replaced with cat meows. it’s pretty great.

my favorite album of theirs is Easy Wonderful (NO question on this one. actually i really love all of them except for the first two and the most recent one, but if i HAD to pick a favorite it would be Easy Wonderful) and a few of my favorite songs of theirs are: Two Points For Honesty, Come Downstairs and Say Hello (this one is a fan favorite!), Two At A Time, Days (a Keep It Together bonus track), Manifest Destiny, Empire State, Dear Valentine, Do You Love me, On the Ocean, What You Call Love, Well (a favorite favorite), Lost At Sea, and Simple Machine!!

they’re also pretty well known for humor in their live shows. (sidebar: in 2007, they toured with Tally Hall! this is where the possibility that i’ve seen Tally Hall live comes from, because i was born in 2006 and at that time my mom was still taking me and my brother to concerts which did include Guster soooooo!!!!) anyways, their live shows are almost always humorous, with a few highlights (lifted almost directly from the wikipedia page i’m looking at right now lol) being:

- originally, they opened their own shows as “The Peace Soldiers” a redneck-looking band. later, they opened for themselves in costume as a jam band called “Trippin’ Balls”. - the drummer Brian Rosenworcel (also known as the ~THUNDERGOD~), not known for his vocals, sometimes gets up to the microphone and sings silly covers!! (remind you of anyone?) - at the end of “Airport Song”, the audience throws ping pong balls at the stage because in the studio recording there’s audio of a table tennis game in the background!! (i’ve gotten to participate in this. not at an actual Guster show, but still it was really fun!) - during a show in 2001 (i think? it might have been 2002) they started the show with an empty stage and then played “The Price Is Right” music with a voiceover calling each of them down to the stage!! they had been hidden in the audience the whole time and walked down to the stage like game show contestants!!! - they also do these “dumpster shows” which is a reference to the time they got held up for a concert because of a blizzard and decided to improvise and play an acoustic set in front of a city dumpster instead! oh also, Guster has a spot in the Tally Hall Out Boy Cinematic Universe (THOBCU) because they toured with Tally Tall in 2007! another fun fact is that Adam Gardner went to the Pingry school, which you might recognize!! he graduated from the Pingry school ten years before Andrew Horowitz did, but it’s still cool!! -----

that’s about all i can think of for both these bands right now, but if you have any more questions feel free to ask!!

#ive been working on this answer since i got this ask last night. sorry for how long it is sfhsdfh!!#aks #mates of state #guster

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thegreenfaery · 3 years

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The Quarterly Review

I’ve been absent for a while so I’m going to treat you all to an utter shitpost of my year so far. You may want to sit down for this because it’s a thrilling ride (this is a lie, but there are pictures of questionable quality, so you have that going for you).

January 2021

Of all the things that have ever happened, January was one of them. As in it came, it happened, it went. It was a dull and dismal blur of a month that at the time seemed to never end.

I did, however, get promoted from “Kitchen Manager” to “Communications Officer” for our local WI.

In celebration of this, I finally taught myself to knit. (Look, I’m an old person trapped in what often feels like an even older body. Sue me. Actually, please don’t. I can’t afford it.)

Anyhoo, here’s the result.

This hat may be my single greatest achievement ever. Possibly second to the time my Abyssinian guinea pig, Bubbles, won a “Special” rosette at the Cavy Club show. I think I won a grand prize of 72p.

[Before anyone asks, yes people breed and show guinea pigs. Shit’s more competitive than Crufts. If you want to see posh knobs being cliquey, two-faced and passive aggressive that’s the place to go. Mum’s favourite moment (after a run of winning Best of Breeds, much to the chagrin of said posh knobs) was informing everyone that her Best in Show boar was purchased from a lowly pet shop. ]

February 2021

For those of us in the UK, the end of December 2020 brought with it the entertainment that are Parish Council meetings. The drama from one particular Parish Council and come February, it had gone viral. >>See here<<

As much of the country was completely bewildered by what they were witnessing, for me, this was the stuff of nightmares.

I had been elected as Chairwoman of my local Parish Council in November 2019 after its own long-running pissing contest (which I am fairly certain has been going on since before I was even born) came to a head. It was pretty obvious that I was elected because certain individuals assumed that I would be a total pushover. Unfortunately for them, I actually took the time to read through and fully digest all of the policies and procedures and came to the same conclusion as multiple clerks- that those individuals were in the wrong. And so I put my foot down with a firm hand. Cue threats of legal action and months of harassment before I ultimately decided ‘Stuff this for a game of soldiers. I don’t get paid for this.’ and tendered my own resignation. (The straw that broke the camel’s back was the recurrence of psychogenic blackouts and hemiplegic migraines caused by the stress. They are not fun, and I can think of much better ways to spend my time.)

Are all Parish Council meetings like Handforth’s? No. But I certainly witnessed the same level of hostility and venom at my local meetings, it was just displayed in a much more covert and conniving fashion. This is what happens when people of a certain age with far too much time on their hands and an unbelievable sense of self-importance are given a whiff of what they think is power.

March 2021

With all of this in mind, when my queen and hero, @recurring-polynya, posted this gem in March, I nearly died.

Also in March: the bathroom and en suite were officially finished!; I got my anaesthetic infusion (for fibromyalgia); and our WI delivered one of these little gift bags to each member:

April 2021

Which brings us neatly to April and Easter.

I got to see my Mum for the first time in forever, and we both sat there wearing rabbit ears for over three hours, triggering an existential crisis in Sherbet the cat. Are there photos? No. This is standard behaviour.

Remember Jack?

Well, if you think you’ve had a bad year so far, imagine being a dog and being told on the very first day of January that you are allergic to: chicken, beef, turkey, potatoes, rice... This is by no means the complete list. He can, however, eat venison. Which, according to Mum, is very expensive. I guess you could say it’s very deer.

Ay? Ayyy? Ahahaha! Geddit? Deer. Ahhh... I’ll see myself out.

Anyway, Mum and I went on a walk with the gruesome twosome (Jack and his brother, Teddy), and this muppet tried to pull me into the very muddy, very smelly, very wet dyke.

Thankfully, I didn’t quite make it all the way there, and so was only mostly covered in mud, not completely covered in mud.

Turns out that Jack really likes watching telly. He especially enjoyed whichever iteration of Jurassic Park was on at the time. Big, noisy dinosaurs are very much his thing.

Being a sensitive soul, Teddy is somewhat less interested what’s on the screen, and would much rather ponder the deep and meaningful questions in life, such as ‘Who is a good boy, then?’.

April was a month full of sharp, pointy needles for me. Which is to say I am now vaccinated against ‘The Covid’, have been stuffed full of botulinum type A (39 injections in my head, neck and shoulders in one go), and been visited by Nurse Dracula for blood tests. Is this why the earlier photo of me in The Hat shows me to be the same colour as the wall? Quite possibly.

I’m also excited for the possibility of starting immunotherapy (Fremanezumab) towards the end of June. This is the treatment that will complete my transformation into a hamster. (Or will hopefully relieve the constant pain that is chronic migraine. One of the two.)

Of course, April means that we’re well into spring, which means what better time to start making Christmas cards? I mean, that’s normal, right?

Spring also means getting the garden summer ready. The roses are looking healthy. The triffid cosmos’ are coming back. The self-seeding linaria are taking over. The wildflower lawn is full of cowslips and violets. Our baby fruit trees are covered in blossom. (One of which was subject to a minor mishap last spring when the wind upended an entire packet of loose Scabiosa Atropurpurea ‘Black Knight’ seeds next to it. And there are most certainly a lot of something growing quite merrily in a perfect square around it, only I am fairly certain that the things that are growing are Papaver Paeonies. This is doing me a heckin’ bamboozle. Either way, I am steadily thinning them out and moving them to a more suitable spot. Preferably not 0.0002mm away from my Worcester Pearmain apple.)

We have fat birbs. We’re talking full on chonkers. The blackbirds have munched their way through £25 of mealworms in less than a fortnight. Plus half a tub of fat balls. The sparrows are the same shape, as are the robins. As for Gilbert the woodpigeon...

The solitary bees have hatched from their tin can bee hotels. So far, we have determined that we have ash and tawny mining bees as well as masonry bees. We have also spotted a parasitic (possibly cuckoo) bee, which seem to target mining bees for their cosy homes. There are bumble bees and honey bees. There are so, so many bees. **Insert customary Oprah gif here**

I have ordered ALL OF THE PLUG PLANTS for hanging baskets. Which ones? ALL OF THEM. I am going into direct competition with Mr Britain-in-Bloom-Winner Begonia-Baskets down the road.

Pfft. Who are we kidding?

He doesn’t stand a chance.

#The baskets will not contain begonias #I absolutely refuse #BEES!!!

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edourado · 4 years

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Warning - Part II

So I had an anxiety attack last night. What fun.

And, since I was maybe twelve years old, writing is what actually calms me down, I finished this little piece that has been sitting on my drafts for AGES.

Please note that I wrote 99% of it before the latest Avengers movies. So if you pick up any discrepancies, ignore them. It’s already an AU, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.

Thanks for all the messages I got, supporting that I posted this. Honestly, I haven’t written anything since mid 2019, and September was the start of the worst time of my life, so I was very, very insecure going back to it. Still am.

Let me know what you think. Tomorrow I think I’m gonna post a snippet of something else I was working on before all the mess, that I still feel excited about.

Love you all.

.:.

Son of a bitch.

Son of a motherfucking bitch, he can’t believe this guy’s luck.

Or, maybe, it has nothing to do with luck at all.

When he first met Frank Castle, Grotto knew he should be careful. Nothing about the guy said “friendly” or “willing to sway the rules”. They were both beat cops back then, but, honestly, Grotto was fooling no one. This decision of his to “go straight” was not gonna stick for long, no matter how many times his father threatened him or how many tears his mother shed. It was just in his blood.

And, right away, he knew Castle was not going to be one of his buddies. So best to keep a safe distance.

Unsurprisingly, Frank, the condecorated Marine, started, you know, going places. Soon enough, Grotto - Officer Grote, now - was still in uniform while Castle was Detective. A blink of an eye and, what do you know. Sergeant Castle.

No grudges there, it’s not like Grotto had big dreams for himself with the police while he was still in bed with the… Wrong kind of crowd, to put it mildly.

But he had always wondered about that one pesky thing.

He is better looking than Frank. Yes he is, 100%. He doesn’t have any visible scars and a nose that has been broken about a thousand times, and he doesn’t frown so much. His eyes are a nice shade of greenish grayish blue, he has a nice smile. He can do pretty well for himself with the ladies, there should be no contest between him and Frank Sour-Face Castle.

And yet.

He doesn’t get it. The guy is grumpy, the guy is broody, the guy is downright rude, but whenever he walks into a room, suddenly it’s all about him.

Sure, he does have a nice physique, but you can’t even tell it when he’s wearing a suit, which he does everyday. Still. There should not be as many women following his every move wherever he goes.

When he walks into the station, you can almost hear the collective sigh. From the hookers to the badges, everybody wants a piece of Castle, it seems.

Not that it really matters. Grotto has his own thing going on with Sally Burnett from Chelsea, and also maybe a little something else with Tatiana Henry, from Williamsburg. He met this amazing nurse in Harlem the other day, Claire something, and he definitely would like to have something with her, but she knows Castle, and Turk tells him she’s involved with Luke Cage, so he’s not holding his breath.

But then, just when he thinks he finally has the upper hand on the scowling bastard, he gets slapped on the face again.

Frank lost the bet. Fair and square, he lost it. The one thing they were able to really talk about was basketball, and Grotto got to gloat for a whole weekend plus a Monday when his team won and Castle’s lost, spectacularly, and Frank had to cover traffic for him for a whole night while Grotto went out with Tatiana.

He had been genuinely happy then. Not really because of the game, he didn’t really care that much about sports. Not even because he finally would get lucky with Tati. No. It was the thought of Castle sitting alone in the car, stopping stupid text-and-driving teenagers and chasing speeding assholes - or, better yet, too slow assholes - for an entire night. That made him almost tingle with petty excitement.

But then, the bastard had walked in the coffee shop the next morning with a funny look on his face. And before Grotto could even say anything to him, before he could ask about his miserable night while gloating about the mediocre sex he had had with Tati - hey, sometimes you get a little too excited, you know? - the prick was, shit you not, smiling at someone.

And yeah. Even Grotto could admit the guy was charming, with the kind of side smile that would look ridiculous on himself, but worked on Castle.

And then, like a fucking slap on the face, Grotto saw that the pretty - gorgeous, so out of his league it was ridiculous - blonde that also got her coffee there everyday was smiling, too. Directly at Castle.

God damn it.

How the fuck does he do it?

Grotto watched, flabbergasted- as his nana would say - as Frank walked confidently and almost leisurely towards the woman, the woman, the one woman nobody at the station ever had the balls to even try to chat up, because are you kidding?, and she was adjusting her hair and fuck this. Fuck this guy. What the fuck.

“Gotta give it to the man”, Mahoney said from his side, finishing up his coffee. “He’s got it.”

“What the fuck he got that I don’t got?” Grotto asked, and he can admit that he sounded like a boy with his pride hurt.

“Oh, my friend”, Mahoney laughed, and patted him on the shoulder while Grotto watched as the prick and the pretty lady struck up in hush hush conversation, all secret smiles and flirty eyes. “A whole lot.”

.:.

Well, that’s some predictable heteronormative crap, if you ask her.

Not that they don’t look good together. They do, she admits it. Her angelic, ethereal good looks contrasts with his burly, hyper masculine vibe. It clashes but it also fits.

Ok. So maybe “predictable” wasn’t exactly the word, but still.

Ava has been working on this coffee shop for almost a year, now. Her mom’s friend and neighbor, Sarah Lieberman, was nice enough to recommend her to Arlene, and what was supposed to have been a temporary job, just to get her shit together after high school and through the first semester of college, was becoming more and more like a nice career prospect. She was manager now, thank you very much, and Arlene was even talking about another shop, maybe uptown, closer to her dorm.

But anyway. While the second location didn’t happen, Ava was managing this one, and learning about their patrons while doing it.

Karen Page came in everyday, twice a day. Once in the morning, for a tall light roast Java and a croissant, and again in the evening, for a caramel latte, sometimes with syrup and whip cream.

Frank Castle also came in everyday, but three times a day. In the morning - double espresso and a plain bagel -, during lunch - espresso and one single tiny donut hole - and in the evening, just before they closed, for an americano. Sometimes he brought his kids, who got hot chocolates and everything bagels (for the girl, his oldest) and grilled cheeses (for the boy, his youngest).

She saw him looking at Karen sometimes, while she texted on her phone. She saw Karen looking at him while he talked on the phone or read the paper.

And Ava sighed, her bisexual ass torn between fantasies of both of them, taking turns in her mind.

Not that either one of them would ever consider going out with her 19 year old self. They were both officially grown ups, and she still took her laundry home, drove her dad’s old car, was panicking about having to deal with taxes and was intimidated by going to the bank alone.

That didn’t stop her from flirting, though.

“Morning, Frank”, she would say from behind the cashier, just to hear him say “Good morning, sweetheart” back at her, that usually scowling face of his making her toes curl inside her boots when he looked at her.

“Hi, Karen”, she would smile, opening the display window to fish the best looking croissant she had saved for the blonde that could have just as well been spat out of a Victoria’s Secret catalogue.

“Hey, gorgeous” was the reply she got every time, which was certain to give her butterflies.

That morning, though, Ava sighed, because, figures.

Karen had walked in and not walked straight to the line like she usually usually did, but lingered around the stools by the window. Five minutes later, she was about to ask Karen if she wanted her to prepare her order when Frank walked in and smiled at her.

Not ‘Ava’ her. ‘Karen’ her. He opened the door, ran a hand over his hair and looked around for about a second before meeting Karen’s eyes, and then he smiled. Charming and still so big and burly, and Ava looked, and Karen was smiling right back, sweet and timid but with a hint of boldness and oh my God. Come on, now.

They said something to each other, low and privately, and she saw the way Frank’s eyes roamed Karen’s face and hair, how his eyes glinted a little.

Honestly, buddy. Same.

They walked to the counter then, and Ava squared her shoulders.

“Hi, sweetie”, Karen greeted, and she smiled, because Jesus, how can you be this gorgeous and this nice? Looking like that, she ought to be a bitch, everyone would understand.

“Hi, Karen”, she said, pretending not to notice anything unusual while Frank stood there by her side. “The usual?”

“Yes, please. And Mr. Castle’s order is on me, today.”

Shit. They’re totally doing it.

Trying not to roll her eyes, she lifted her brows and punched in the order, stealing a quick glance at Frank, who winked at her, the beautiful bastard. With a grin, she moved to get the croissant, the bagel and prepare the drinks.

Honestly. She could totally see it, they already looked so good together.

Handing Karen’s croissant and Frank’s bagel to her and greeting the next customer, she hoped her own Frank or her own Karen hurried up and got there. She couldn’t wait to have this sort of sizzling chemistry with someone.

.:.

Lisa Castle zipped up her backpack, sighing.

She had payed zero attention to class today. Well, it was presentation day, and it had been Bobby Meyer and his group’s turn, so not much to miss there. It’s not like she hadn’t seen a potato lamp before.

“Hey”, Leo called while they exited the classroom. “Your project is next week, right?”

“Yeah”, she said, sounding gloomy even to herself.

“Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just…” they got to Leo’s locker and Lisa dropped her voice. “I think my dad is dating someone.”

Her friend and neighbor stopped right when the lock clicked open, and looked at her.

“He is?”

“I think so. Don’t know for sure.”

“Did you, like… See him with someone?”

“No, but… We spent last week at his place, right, Frankie and I. And this morning I saw a text on his phone. I didn’t mean to do it, it was just sitting on the counter after breakfast, and it pinged, I thought it was mine, and I saw the text.”

“What did it say?”

Leo closed her locker and they walked to Lisa’s.

“Something about a croissant and coffee. I didn’t get it. And then when he read it, his face got all… I don’t know, like silly? And he texted back right away, and he never does that. He drives my mom crazy, we usually have to call to reach him.”

“You don’t like that idea? Of him dating someone?”

Lisa sighed.

“The whole thing surprised me, but, to be honest, I think he should. It’s been over a year since the divorce, and he’s been working too hard, even mom says so. Maybe a girlfriend would help him relax. I’m not against that, I just… Wasn’t expecting it.”

“I can understand that.”

They walked towards the exit and Lisa mentioned that he was picking them up today. Maybe Leo and Zach would like a ride?

“Yeah, sure.”

“You’ll see for yourself, he’s all different.”

They sat on one of the benches by the front doors to wait, and she went on about her discovery.

“I saw the name when she texted. Karen Page.”

“Karen Page? Why does that sound familiar?”

“Right? I thought so, too. At first I thought maybe one of our neighbors, or someone’s mom from school, but I can’t figure it out.”

“Let’s Google her.”

In no time, they recognized the name. She was a reporter from The Bulletin, and they both liked her immediately.

The lady was, to put it mildly, a boss.

“Oh my God”, Leo said, scrolling through Karen’s Wikipedia page. “She interviewed the Black Widow once and now they’re friends.”

“Who’s that?”

“Only like, the best Avenger. Natasha something.”

“Oh, I know who she is! She kicks ass!”

By the time Frankie and Zach joined them, they were excited about her dad’s new maybe girlfriend. But they decided not to comment with the boys yet, because… you know. Boys. Ruin everything.

“Mr. Castle is coming to pick them up”, Leo said to her brother, putting her phone back in her pocket. “You wanna drive with him?”

The boy shrugged.

“Beats the bus.”

When he arrived, Lisa and Leo exchanged a look.

“Pay attention to him. He’s weird, you’ll see.”

“Hi dad”, Frankie greeted, opening the back door and getting in the car.

“Hey buddy.”

“Is it ok if Leo and Zach ride with us?” Lisa asked, opening the front passenger door.

“Sure it is”, he said, smiling at them. “Hop in.”

“Thanks, Mr. Castle” Leo said, getting in after Zach.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Seatbelts, seatbelts, everyone.”

The boys, being boys, were loud and spoke over each other during the drive, talking about that stupid game of theirs, and Lisa texted Leo on the back seat about how they could find out if he really was dating their new hero.

“Hold on, I’m gonna try something”, she wrote, and then turned to her left.

“Hey dad?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Could we maybe get some Starbucks?”

“Starbucks?”

“Yeah. They got the new seasonal drinks, I haven’t tried them, yet.”

It was a long shot. Everybody knows dad doesn't like their stuff, he usually gets his coffee from a place near his work, and is always saying how Starbucks has too much sugar in everything and it’s not authentic and these chain restaurants are not as good as the local stuff, the places ran by families, with tradition, real heart, blah blah blah.

So, everyone was surprised when he said,

“Sure.”

“What, really?” Frankie asked.

“Yeah. Why not?”

“OMG” she texted Leo. “If he orders a croissant”, she went on, after they exchanged surprised looks through the rearview mirror. “That confirms it. He doesn’t eat croissants.”

She thought they were going to the drive through, but he parked the car and they all walked into the Starbucks closest to their block.

Frankie and Zach ordered venti Java Chips, and Frank made them change it to talls. Leo ordered a strawberry and cream, and Lisa went for the pumpkin spice.

“Just do me a favor and don’t get used to this, ok?” He told them after they were done ordering. “Go see if there are any seats.”

She and Leo lingered by the counter while the boys walked to the couch in the corner.

“No coffee in any of those, please” he instructed the barista.

“Sure thing. And for you, sir, anything?”

“I’ll have an espresso.”

“Ok. Anything else?”

There was a beat, a moment that stretched while he considered it. The girls watched him with bated breath.

“Do you have croissants?”

Lisa and Leo looked at each other, and tried to hide their grins.

Busted.

“Yes, we have…” the barista leaned to check. “Butter, almond, chocolate and pistachio honey.”

They couldn’t contain the giggles while he thought about it for just a second before ordering.

“Yeah, one of each, please.”

“That’s a lot of croissants, dad”, Lisa said while he paid, trying to keep her tone casual.

“Maybe I’m hungry”, he replied, a hand smoothing her hair.

“You skipped lunch or something?”

He clicked his tongue at her and reached to pinch her cheek, which she evaded.

“Get some napkins.”

She let it slide, preferring not to comment that he never had pastries like these, especially not from Starbucks, that his story didn’t really make sense.

Maybe he wanted some privacy. Her dad had never lied to them, so if he wasn’t telling her the truth about the croissants, maybe it was because he wasn’t ready yet. Lisa can understand that.

And he seems happy. More than he had been this past year, so she can wait a little bit.

He stopped the car in front of the Lieberman’s place and waited until Leo and Zach were inside before driving a few yards forward, to their place.

She missed having him home, everyday. His new house was just a block away, but still. Not the same.

“Bye dad!” Frankie said, hopping off and walking towards the house - mom’s house.

“Bye, buddy. Math test tomorrow. Don’t play video games all night, ok? You have to study.”

“Yeah, ok!”

Lisa lingered a little longer.

“Thanks for the drinks, dad.”

“Sure, baby. Just don’t get used to it, ok? Too much-“

“-sugar is bad for me. I know.”

She smiled up at him, suddenly very happy to see him looking not so heavy. There was something lighter about him, now that she was paying attention.

“See you tomorrow?”

“Yes, you will.”

“Ok. Bye, dad.”

“Bye, honey”, he said, leaning to place a kiss on her forehead. “Do your homework.”

“Ok.”

“And get started on your presentation.”

“Ok.”

“Call me if you need anything.”

“Ok.”

“And maybe don’t tell mom about the Starbucks thing.”

“Ok”, she said again, this time smiling conspiratorially.

He winked and honked when she waved at him from the living room window, driving away after she signaled she had locked the door.

Finishing the last of her pumpkin spice, she made her way to her room, to get on her computer and find out more about Karen Page.

Her presentation could wait.

.:.

His wife would say, when she was happy with him, that he was such a good reporter, he didn’t know how to not investigate stuff.

“This clinical eye of yours, Ben, you see through everyone.”

When she was mad at him, she would say that he was nosy, meddled too much.

“Maybe you should learn how to separate work from the rest of your life, Ben”, that tone that gave him the chills.

Either way, she was right. Not much got past him.

Not that these two were trying too hard to hide anything.

Frank Castle was a good kid. Ben and Doris visited his mother at the hospital when she had Frank, they had watched him grow up right next door to him, went to his birthday parties, saw him off when he joined the Marines and flew off to protect the country, helped with the welcome party when he came back for the first time.

Ben was there when Frank got married, he knew both his kids, was very good friends with his parents.

He and Doris were there for Louisa when Frank’s father passed away, helped her along the grief, the bureaucracy of his will, his life insurance.

Frank was like a son to him.

Still, it was a surprise when he showed up at work, on a Monday.

“Hey Mr. Urich”, he said from the door, knocking twice. Ben blinked at the sight of him.

“Frankie! Hi!”

The man - taller than him, now - walked in and Ben got up from his desk to shake his hand.

“I hope I’m not interrupting you, or…”

“No, no, come in. Can’t say I’m not surprised, though. Been here over twenty years, I think this is the first time you visit?”

Frank smiled, sitting on a chair in front of the desk.

“I came to ask a favor, actually.”

Ben sat back down on his own chair, and looked at him.

“I’ve been talking to my mom, and she mentioned a book she wanted to read, but can’t find anywhere. I got it for her.”

Frank showed him a bag from Barnes and Noble.

“Knowing Louisa”, Ben said, reaching for the bag. “I’d say she only looked for it at Target and Walmart.”

“That’s what I said to her. I hope you don’t mind, I’ve been busy with work, and the house, can’t really find the time to make it to Queens these days. And she doesn’t want to drive any further than five miles anymore, so it makes it kinda difficult.”

“I’ll deliver it to her, don’t worry.”

They talked a little longer, Ben asked about the kids, Frank asked about Doris, it was all very pleasant.

But he couldn’t fool Ben. He was a bit restless, a bit awkward, there was something going on.

“I met one of your reporters the other day”, he said, finally.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Karen Page?”

Ah. There it is.

Ben tried not to smile too knowingly. Half his staff had a crush on her. He just raised his brows in recognition and nodded.

“Karen’s my best asset.”

“That right?”

“Kid’s a natural. Almost too good. She’s sitting on my old chair, I predict she’ll sit on this one soon enough.”

Frank smiled, and Ben was surprised. The last time he saw him smile like that, he was still married to Maria.

“How did you meet?”

“I, uh… Almost gave her a ticket.”

Ben laughed.

“And we get coffee at the same place, just around the corner.”

“Son, that is almost too cute. A coffee shop romance?”

Frank looked at him, as if he had been caught, and Ben saw that fire cracker of a kid again.

“Romance, what are you-”

“Come on, kid. I’ve known you your whole life. Can’t lie to me.”

Sighing in defeat, but with a lopsided smile, Frank leaned back on his chair.

“I haven’t had anything serious since the divorce”, he mused.

“You think Karen could be something serious?”

Slowly, he nodded.

“What d’you think?” he asked Ben, and he thought about his anwer.

“I met her during a complicated time of her life. Came to know her well, I got her into writing.”

“She mentioned.”

“She’s a good one. She really is.”

Frank looked at him.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning you’d be a fool to pass this up.”

He looked towards Ben’s window, apparently thinking.

But his mind was already made, it was more than obvious.

“She around?”

Pointing out the door, Ben took a sip from his coffee.

“Last office to the right.”

He shook Frank’s hand before he left.

“You don’t disappear. Come visit your mother. And Doris misses you.”

“Yes, sir. You send them both my love.”

Ben watched as Frank walked out of his office and made his way to Karen’s.

Shaking his head, he adjusted in his chair, going back to the article he was revising.

These kids.

Good for them.

.:.

He really did like her hair.

The first time they kissed, it was by the water, two days after she bought his coffee.

It was a cold night, she was all wrapped up in a scarf, he had a hoodie on, a beanie that made her want to pinch his cheeks - which was absurd. He was not a man whose cheeks one simply pinches. Her hands were cold, she had them buried inside her coat’s pockets while he told her about his kids - his son, the time he drew a Marine on the wall and told him it was to keep the scary guys away while Frank was deployed, and how that had been what made him decide to stay for good - and she was smiling, more than a little bit hypnotized by him, by this man that was a whole different kind of handsome.

Karen, as a fair skinned blue eyed blonde, usually dated… Well, pretty men. Men that were classically attractive, all right angles and no bad sides.

Frank, though. Frank was inexplicably beautiful. That rugged kind of handsome that she could not for the life of her explain why it worked so well, but it did. Everything about him was so attractive, his face, his broken nose, his jaw, his resting face that looked like he was ready to bite someone’s head off.

But God, he looked so good.

And he looked back at her, that face of his actually doing a pretty job in warming her up.

She doesn’t actually remember what they talked about after that, but she knows he made her smile, and she said something else that made him smile, and then he was closer, her nose was freezing, but she felt warm in her belly, and then he was kissing her, small at first, just a touch of his lips on hers, one that lingered, but then it was a bit bigger, he leaned a bit closer and she parted her lips slightly, which made him raise his hand and put it on the back of her neck, bringing her closer.

They stayed there for a few minutes, pressed together against the chilly wind, kissing without any sort of hurry or agenda, in spite of how cold it was.

“Wanna get a coffee or something?” he finally asked when the wind picked up, and she nodded, closing her eyes when he kissed her again, and that was the day she found out he really did like her hair.

Everytime they kissed after that, and the first time he spent the night at her place, and all the other times following that first one, he would spend a good while caressing her hair. Twirling a lock around his fingers, smoothing it on her head, pushing it out of her face, pressing his nose against it while they sat on the couch, you name it. Frank would always pay attention to her hair and Karen loved it, felt beautiful and cherished when he did it.

Missed it when he was not there.

It was a bit after seven when she decided to call him. She knew she shouldn’t, he was working, he would be there later, but she was all by herself, and it was ridiculous, but she missed him.

Her bag was packed and waiting on the couch, full of things she would need for the weekend, the very first weekend she would spent at his place, the very first time she would actually stay over. His kids were in Chicago with their mother for the long weekend, so she would not be meeting them just yet.

Which was good, she was nervous about meeting them.

What if they didn’t like her? What if she said all the wrong things? What if she embarrassed herself in front of this guy’s kids and messed it up so bad she couldn’t see him anymore?

Pushing those thoughts away from her mind, she pressed the call button, running a brush on her wet hair while it rang, fighting the silly smile when he answered.

“Hey”.

.:.

He does love her hair. More than a little bit, if he’s being completely honest.

It’s not even a thing for him, normally. Maybe because he never met someone who’s hair he found so alluring, that caught the light like that, or twisted at the ends like this, or that particular color he had never quite seen before.

Well, he had seen it, Karen was not the first blonde woman he ever met in his life.

But the way those particular strands looked on his pillowcases, and the gentle and subtle curl of it around his fingers, the baby hairs that kept out of the towel she wrapped around her head after the shower.

Honestly, Frank lived for the smell of it, any given time.

His favorite, though, might just be that contrast of it against his pillowcases.

She was asleep, but almost waking up. The sun was out already, and the birds outside were chirping like their lives depended on it. He felt her feet flexing under the covers, and, granted, they haven’t been sleeping together long, but Frank was starting to know a few of her patterns.

First were the feet, then the slight frown, and then she would stir, stretch and then open her eyes.

Karen frowned and Frank raised his hand. Slid his fingers over her ear and into that hair, the heel of his wrist by the corner of her mouth, her cheek warm on his palm.

As expected, she stretched, and Frank felt a hand touching his chest under the covers.

For three days, now, he had been watching her wake up, and he liked going through the whole process (a fascinating thing to watch, Karen Page). Today, though.

Today he put his fingers through her hair, and brought he face to his. She let out a small whimper of residual sleep, and turned her face into his palm, and that hair, that hair slipped and moved, fine fine fine strands of gold, and Frank moved to lie on top of her, nose on the crook of her neck, her arms around his own neck, hands grabbing her legs and adjusting them around his hips.

“Morning, officer”, she mumbled in his ear, so warm under him.

“Morning, miss Page”.

“So rude, waking me up like this.”

One breath, deep, the scent of her shampoo filling his lungs.

“You wanna go back to sleep?”

“Hmm”. And that hair, working like liquid rope around his fingers. “Maybe.”

“Ok”, he agreed, pressing one simple, lingering kiss on her lips before turning them, fitting her back to his chest. “Close your eyes, then.”

He did the same, feeling as she adjusted his hand against her chest, his nose buried once again in the long strands of blonde hair.

“The lengths we go to avoid a ticket”, she said suddenly, making him laugh, laughing herself, turning inside his arms to cuddle against him, the top of her head under his chin.

He should buy Grotto a coffee sometime. Preferably before he arrested his crooked ass, but the only reason he could bury his nose in Karen’s hair right now was because of the bet he lost, so the very least he could do was treat the stupidest corrupt police officer he had ever to a cup of coffee.

But he would think about that later. For now he would enjoy the warmth of the woman against him, and not even ponder about the rapidly growing feelings inside him.

Later.

#I'm back #am I back?#I think I might be back #kastle #Frank Castle #Karen Page #The Punisher #Daredevil #I have forgotten the tags that I'm supposed to put here #Hell's Kitchen's Chronicles

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markwatkinsconsumerguide · 4 years

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Consumer Guide / No.110 / Howzat?! Cricket broadcaster and magazine editor, Annie Chave, batting the questions from Mark Watkins.

MW : Describe your favourite room in your house...

AC : My new office. It is small with a daybed and a desk. It includes a shelf with my County Cricket Matters magazines & envelopes for posting, a bookshelf of cricket books, several photos of the Taunton pitch and one of Marcus Trescothick. It also has a really precious photo of me with my dad watching cricket when I’m about 8 years old.

From my window, I can see the hills outside Exeter. I’ve painted the room a light grey and it is usually bathed in sunlight. I love the sense of calm I feel when I shut myself in my office.

MW : When setting out to watch County Cricket, what essentials do you usually carry in your bag?

AC : I always have the current book I’m reading, my binoculars and a warm layer. More recently I have my phone and I have a recording device so that I can interview people. I will now always have backdated & current copies of County Cricket Matters but I’m yet to go to a county match since I’ve been doing my magazine so I don’t know how many to take.

MW : What other essentials are usually provided at the ground?

AC: Cricket is the main essential. Tea, cake and beer a close second and familiar faces a third. But a sense of calm, of solace and of healing is also right up there.

MW : What is the most picturesque ground you've visited?

AC : Without a doubt Lynton & Lynmouth. It is a valley in North Devon that is right by the sea with steep hillsides surrounding the pitch where goats precariously balance at incongruous angles. It is a stunning and timeless setting.

MW : Which ground has the best surface?

AC : Taunton, of course, because it is unique and rarely produces a dull game!

MW : When summer is over, what is your cricket substitute?

AC: Nothing substitutes cricket. There is little to compare with the sense of joy as March turns into April and I find myself anticipating the season ahead. Since I have begun editing County Cricket Matters I have been able to maintain a connection with cricket over the winter and I value that hugely. I also do a lot of reading and writing to fill in the time.

MW : Just before a new cricket season begins how do you usually prepare?

AC : I buy my Playfair Cricket Annual and Wisden and I love The Cricketer round up of the counties. I also choose a county fantasy cricket team at CricketXI.com and I’ll do a lot of reading up about county signings and retirements so that I am prepared for my new County Cricket Natters podcast, which is a “Match Of The Day” type show that rounds up the week’s championship games.

MW : How useful are you with bat & ball?

AC : Well, I’m worse than useless with the bat. I try to hit everything to the boundary and I can’t get bat on ball. But I have been known to bowl a bit and I’ve upset a few men’s fragile ego by knocking their stumps over with my straight medium pace. My claim to fame is that when I briefly played women’s cricket for Gunnersbury Women’s Cricket Club, I fluked the wicket of Charlotte Edwards, when she was brilliantly caught off my long-hop. She was only 14 at the time.

MW : ...and how about the rest of your family?

AC: Well now, that’s a question. My father played cricket and kept wicket until he was 76. Nimble and fast behind the stumps right up until he retired. He was a decent bat and when he was younger was a useful seam-up bowler who took a lot of wickets.

My two brothers still play. The younger a decent left-handed bat and very good keeper – the elder a slow bowler who has claimed many wickets and is a good man in to bat for the draw.

My husband is a very useful opener who could have played at a higher level than he did. He began his bowling life as a fast bowler but in later years he became a useful off-break bowler and one hell of a slip fielder. Now in his late fifties he still opens the batting and often with our son.

My son is a left-handed bat who plays the long game, starting steadily and able to accelerate at an alarming pace. He is also a nifty right-arm, off-break bowler who varies his pace and gets a good bit of bounce.

So yes, a fair amount of cricket in our family.

MW : Who is your current cricket heartthrob?

AC : I don’t really go in for heartthrobs but out of current players then I’d go for Jofra Archer. Past players - Viv Richards. Such brazen talent.

MW : Which cricketer gives you the most heartache?!

AC : Toss-up between Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler because I feel they both have to always justify their test place and yet they are so hugely talented.

MW : You are Test selector for the day, what would be your (current) England eleven?

AC : This is a really hard question because it depends if we’re playing in England or against a team of left-handers or at a particular ground etc. I think I’ll make it a team to play in England and I’ll imagine that the team :

Rory Burns

Dom Sibley (don’t like watching him bat though!)

Zak Crawley (a classy bat.)

Joe Root

Ben Stokes (after Headingly in 2019 there is no explanation.)

Jos Buttler (I think a test side with Jos in is a strong Test side but I recognise he’s not the best keeper – that would definitely be Ben Foakes – however, in England conditions I think Jos is good enough and the impetus in the batting is important.)

Chris Woakes (under used and underrated.)

Jack Leach/Moeen Ali (I literally cannot choose between them so dependent on if we need to strengthen the batting.)

Jofra Archer

Stuart Broad

Jimmy Anderson

MW : How would you sell County Cricket to the uninitiated?

AC : I think anything that has such a rich history behind it is worth experiencing. Each ground has its own multi-layered past where momentous games have taken place and iconic players have broken records. The setting of each and every one of the 18 county grounds is unique and full of promise. I love that sense of past glories that help to define its character and I’m aware that each match I attend could bring a moment of magic or history at any point.

But County Cricket is unique because of its relaxed and friendly atmosphere. You have the ceremony, the classy players, the thrill of the contest, the changing conditions, the double innings, the sense of camaraderie in the crowd but you also have a quieter more respectful experience. You are able to wander around, change seats, chat with friends and with strangers, go to the bar without fighting your way to an endless queue and you have time to daydream, time to read your paper and have a break for lunch.

There is also a great rapport between player and spectator because the pace is slower and the drama comes in short bursts so the player is more relaxed; the spectator better able to engage. There is nothing more life affirming than time alone at a county match.

MW : What radio do you listen to in the car?

AC : BBC Radio 4 for Drama, BBC 5 Live for Sport & BBC 6 Music for my musical requirements and always cricket, or football, if it’s on ; Exeter City is my football team, but I’m partial to Arsenal too.

MW : What was the last good DVD. movie and TV show you particularly enjoyed watching?

AC : As with my reading matter I tend to enjoy science fiction and detective thrillers.

I think the last good DVD I watched was 1917.

It feels like forever since I’ve been to the cinema and I can’t really remember what I enjoyed there last, but it would have been a Star Wars film I suspect.

The last TV series I really enjoyed was Firefly.

MW : Where can we keep in touch?

AC : County Cricket Matters has a website https://www.countycricketmatters.com/ where you can also purchase magazines at the shop

It also has a Facebook group County Cricket Matters and a Twitter Account @matterscounty

I’m on Twitter @anniechave and on LinkedIn and Facebook.

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thehuskerrumble · 4 years

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The Way Things Ought To Be...

For some reason these photos look eerily familiar to the 2019 season

Before we embark on the 2021 Husker Baseball season, I feel it is important to take a look back and bring some closure to the 2020 season that might have been. The Huskers were returning several key starters to a team that finished 2019 with an outstanding record of 20-3, and I think that we can all agree that expectations for this group were at an all time high. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be, as the Coronavirus robbed these young men of what was sure to be a monumental season in the history of Higginsville athletics. But fear not, for I have been blessed with the uncanny ability to see not only what might have been, but also the way things ought to be. So please walk with me as we journey through space and time, and revisit the 2020 Husker campaign, through the eyes of an alternate universe….

Coach Figg is so impressed with Nick Herrera’s sleeves, that it calls for a fist bump

Preseason

Coach Landon Figg embarks on his first campaign as head coach, and is immediately impressed with the talent and depth of his inaugural Huskers squad. Thirty-two players show up on the first day of training, and each and every one of them is equipped with full sleeves on their practice shirts. It is also important to note that not a single player is wearing “Hey Dudes” instead of their required baseball cleats. Drama is at an all-time low, and almost no one gets mouthy with the new skipper. It is obvious that senior leadership is taking control of the dugout.

The old fences, before Higginsville went and got all fancy

Early Season

The Huskers get off to a hot start, posting victories in their first eight contests. They have outscored their opponents by an astounding 74-3 margin. Mason Rumsey, Mason Gash, Noah Iles, and freshman Cade Limback become the first players in Higginsville history to hit back to back to back to back home runs in a single game. Fans travel from miles around to marvel at the fences and dugouts at the newly renovated Fairground Park. They are also equally impressed with the size and quality of the Husker concession hotdogs. Everyone agrees that it is hands-down the best bang for your buck in the entire conference.

You can’t spell Noah Iles without several K’s

Mid-Season

Higginsville continues their torrid start by rattling off wins in their next 10 games, and stretching their streak to 18. Payton Boehm sets a school and state record by striking out 21 batters in a single game. But unfortunately the milestone was short lived, as Iles bested the feat two games later, handing out 22 K’s (he struck out four in one inning due to a player reaching first on a dropped third strike.) James Wilkson completes a personal best, by swiping four bases in one contest, while Dawson Kouril runs his season total to 14 outfield assists. Logan Warren hits a deep line drive to center field, but this year, instead of hitting the fence, it clears the barrier by at least 50 ft. Jonah Dotson and Ethan Rankin each pitch in with pinch hit walk-off doubles to seal Husker victories. But probably most impressive of all, is the fact that the Higginsville coaching staff never had to remind a single player to go after a foul ball.

Records were made to be broken

Late Season

The Huskers finish their regular season campaign with a perfect record of 25-0, winning the Conference title. Mason Gash sets the school record for most home runs in a season (21) and career (whatever that math comes out to be). Jace Kerley prompts the creation of a new category in the record books, by being hit by a pitch 42 times. Nick Herrera finishes the season with an on base percentage of .800, due to an average of two free passes per game. Cade Limback, Josiah Golden, and Jackson Kouril share rookie of the year honors, while Iles and Boehm are co-Cy Young award winners. The Huskers pitching staff of Iles, Boehm, Kouril, Kelan Ernst, and Garrett Pemberton, combine to sport a ridiculous 1.75 e.r.a. Coach Figg is forced to ponder his future, as multiple D1 coaching opportunities come pouring in.

Post Season

Higginsville does the unthinkable, by sweeping the post season and taking home the Huskers first ever baseball state championship. And to make the victory that much sweeter, they bested Lamar 18-0 in the championship game. There were accolades galore, as the Huskers swept the all-conference and all-district awards. And in an unprecedented move, MSHSAA decided to name the entire varsity squad as All-State. Mayor Knehans declared May 31st as annual Husker Baseball Day, and a massive parade was thrown in the team’s honor. Even the Shriners made an appearance as they used to do in the previous Higginsville parades. There were Shriner clowns, Shriners on horseback, Shriners in ridiculously small cars, Shriners just walking and throwing candy, Shriners on motorcycles, Shriners playing bagpipes, Shriners on a pirate ship float, and oh yeah, tractors, lots of farm tractors. It was truly a sight to behold, and one that will live in Husker lore forever.

Where are they now?

The 2020 class had several contributing seniors, all of whom will be missed at Fairground Park. Let’s take a quick look at where I imagine a few of them might be now.

Dawson Kouril

After high school, Dawson joined the Marine Corps and worked his way into special forces. He was last seen in the jungles of Cambodia, training freedom fighters in the use of left-handed weapons.

Noah Iles

Noah Iles is currently undergoing rigorous training in his bid to become a valet at the Gateway Foundations first ever space hotel, set to open in 2027.

Payton Boehm

Payton Boehm grew his hair out, started his own religion, and is currently growing “medicinal” marijuana on a commune in Boulder, Colorado.

James Wilkson

James Wilkson decided to take his talents to Hollywood, and make a name for himself on the big screen. You can catch him on season 73 of “Dancing with the stars.”

Mason Gash

Mason is single and lives at home with his sixteen cats. He enjoys collecting Beanie Babies and considers himself a master of Pokemon Go.

I know, it’s a lot to process, and amazing that these guys have accomplished so much in just a few short months out of high school. Of course, absolutely none of this is true, and it’s all just a figment of my bizarre imagination and sense of humor. Please do not send the health department to Mason Gash’s home, I am certain that he has no more than one or two healthy pets. In all seriousness, these young men are all doing great and I’m sure will be moving on to bigger and better things in their future. I really enjoyed watching them throughout all of their Husker athletics, and each of them deserved to finish out their senior year on their own terms. But since their high school career was ended so abruptly, I just felt that it was important to acknowledge them one last time, and bring some closure to the great 2020 season that might have been. Covid-19 has affected each and every one of us in one form or another, whether it be through lost opportunities, or the unthinkable, the loss of a loved one. For me, the return of baseball is almost therapeutic, and hopefully signals a return to some sort of normalcy. I appreciate you taking the time to read this ridiculous article, and look forward to better times ahead for all of us.

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racingtoaredlight · 4 years

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RTARL’s 2020 NFL Season Week 6 Extravapalooza

This week’s slate of early games....is not good. If ever there were a day to forgo NFL football and attend to some neglected tasks around the house, catch up on some paperwork for the office, or even spend some time with family, today is that day. OR maybe just drink more than usual to make the football appear more attractive than it is. Both paths are healthy and good.

My picks are in BOLD, and the lines come to us courtesy of our friends at Vegas Insider. I use the “VI Consensus” line, which is the line that occurs most frequently across Vegas Insider’s list of sportsbooks. Your sportsbook of choice may offer a different number, and if you’d like my opinion on said number A) you are insane, and B) leave a comment below and I’ll try to answer at some point before things kickoff today.

EARLY GAMES

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans (-3.5)

Like everyone else, I was GREATLY amused by Derrick Henry leaving a chalk outline of Josh Norman on the field via stiffarm in the Titans’ win over Buffalo on Tuesday. That said, Derrick Henry isn’t having a great season thus far. He’s averaging a career-low 3.7 yards per carry (down from 5.1 last year and 4.9 the year prior). His drop in efficiency has been masked by an increase in attempts (25 per game this year, 20 per game last year). His longest run so far this season is a measly 16 yards. Is he already wearing down? Is this just small sample noise? I dunno, but I don’t feel super great about his prospects today despite the great matchup, considering that he just had 20 touches against the Bills on Tuesday night.

Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts (-7.5)

I really don’t have much to say about this game. I’m rooting for Joe Burrow like always, but this Indy defense is nasty and he’s still a rookie. Could be a rough one for him, but don’t worry I still think he’s the coolest and wish more than anything that he’d start smoking cigarettes on the sideline.

Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings (-4)

We’re long past the point where I need to accept that my faith in the Falcons was misguided, and yet here I am, picking them to cover once more. Gotta capitalize on that dead Dan Quinn bounce, baby! At least this time they’re squaring off against another squad of top-shelf bed-shitters in the Minnesota Vikings. Each of these teams have already sustained multiple heartbreaking losses already this season, with the Vikings somehow picking up two one-point Ls in their last three games. I’m genuinely impressed by the ability of these franchises to rip the hearts out of their own fanbases. Even when they blow games in ways they’ve blown them many times before, they still somehow manage to make it feel fresh. That’s not easy.

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots (-8)

As of now it looks like Denver QB Drew Lock will be back for this game, which is nice. He’s going to be without RB Melvin Gordon and TE Noah Fant, which isn’t so nice. After what felt like an eternity, but was really only one game, New England is getting QB Cam Newton back after his asymptomatic bout with COVID-19. Hallelujah!

Honestly, I don’t have a clue what to expect in this game. The Broncos haven’t played since October 1st, and the Patriots have had their facilities closed multiple times over the last couple of weeks, so practice has been sparse. I’m gonna go ahead and assume this one will be kind of ugly for both teams and I’m tempted to take the eight points. That said, I think Denver is really going to struggle to score, so fuck it I’ll make the homer pick.

Washington Football Team at New York Giants (-2.5)

Baltimore Ravens (-9.5) at Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles QB Carson Wentz is a broken man, his offensive line is in shambles, his favorite target (TE Zach Ertz) is either completely washed or isn’t trying due to contractual unhappiness, his #1 WR today is a 2019 6th round pick named Travis Fulghum, and he gets to face a Ravens D that ranks in the top 5 in EPA (Expected Points Added) against both the pass and the run and that blitzes at the second highest rate in the league. He’s gonna have a bad time. Luckily, fans will be allowed inside Philadelphia’s stadium for the first time this season, so he’ll at least have kind words of support from the stands to keep him going.

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5)

This is a tough matchup for Browns QB Baker Mayfield. He’s struggled with accuracy all season, and I can’t imagine having injured ribs is going to help him zip the ball where he wants to, especially after he gets hit a few times by the very good Pittsburgh pass-rushers. My #1 hope for this game is a bench-clearing brawl, preferably after Myles Garrett levels Ben Roethlisberger and then taunts the hell out of him.

Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers (-1)

It’s time for me to admit that I was wrong in my belittling of Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater and the rest of the Carolina offense. They’ve been sharp as hell, and there’s been hardly any drop-off at all going from injured All-Pro RB Christian McCaffery to journeyman backup Mike Davis. Add WR Robby Anderson to the growing list of players who have IMMEDIATELY flourished after escaping the vortex of incompetence constantly swirling around incredible dipshit Adam Gase.

Detroit Lions (-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars

BIG CAT BATTLE! In a fight between Lions and Jaguars, it really comes down to terrain. Lions are bigger and stronger, and if this confrontation were out in the grasslands they’d have a decided edge. However, this contest takes place on the turf of the Jaguars, where they’ll be able to use their agility and climbing skills to their advantage.

LATE GAMES

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins (-9.5)

I’d like to think a thorough ass-kicking by Miami here would rid the Jets players of Adam Gase once and for all, but expecting a logical move from an unqualified failson is probably unwise. I’m enjoying what the Dolphins are putting together under Brian Flores, the first good Bill Belichick disciple.

Green Bay Packers (-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Most of the focus on this game has been on the QB matchup, which is understandable. The fact that each of these guys is welcoming back an All-Pro WR (Davante Adams for GB, Chris Godwin for TB) does make it extra spicy. But, I think the deciding factor here is gonna be defense. This is bad for the Packers, because outside of DB Jaire Alexander, theirs has sucked so far. Meanwhile, the Bucs come in at #2 overall on Football Outsiders Defensive Efficiency Rankings, where they’re equally effective against the run or the pass.

SNF: Los Angeles Rams (-3) at San Francisco 49ers

Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo looked horrific last week in his return from an ankle injury. He was clearly not close to 100%, and despite positive practice reports this week on his injury status I can’t buy in until I actually see him able to step into his throws. I was actually surprised to see the O/U on this one at 51.5, as it feels like a low-scoring game to me, a man who definitely knows what he’s talking about.

MNF (Early): Kansas City Chiefs (-4.5) at Buffalo Bills

I’m furious with Kansas City for bringing in RB Le’Veon Bell to siphon touches away from my beloved Clyde Edwards-Helaire. IT’S NOT HIS FAULT THE O-LINE CAN’T RUN BLOCK WORTH A DAMN! Anyway, due to COVID-19 protocols, Bell won’t be suiting up for this one, so here’s to CEH ending his time as the primary back in a blaze of statistical glory. These teams are each coming off of bad losses, so I expect them to come out guns-a-blazin’. The Bills are fun as hell, but I can’t take them in a shootout against K.C. just yet.

MNF (Late): Arizona Cardinals (-1) at Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott’s gruesome injury was a huge bummer, even if you’re like most right-thinking people and viscerally dislike the Cowboys. I hope he recovers and eventually ends up with the huge pile of cash he was headed for prior to his lower leg turning into a Rice Krispies Treat. As far as backup QBs go, Andy Dalton isn’t terrible, but you know what is? The Dallas defense. I don’t think they can make enough stops to keep the Cowboys in this one, even if the offense still looks decent.

Last Week’s Record: 7-6

Season Record: 37-31-4

#Sports!#Football #NFL #Gambling

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ledenews · 1 year

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#CCHS #MaroonKnights #MarshallCounty #Mountaineers #ohiocounty #UpperOhioValley #WestVirginia #wheeling

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auburnfamilynews · 4 years

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Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Time to Barn Hard

Here we go... With under 24 hours until the kickoff of Auburn’s 2020 season, the luminaries here at College & Magnolia offer their sage opinions on what Tiger fans will see tomorrow afternoon. Most of us see a close contest destined to give us that all too familiar fall Saturday heartburn but there are a few brave souls who are prepared to barn hard no matter what.

Auburn (-7.5) vs Kentucky (O/U 49.5)

2019 Auburn fans won’t recognize 2020 Auburn. Bo Nix is going to take a huge leap forward. His receivers are healthy for game one. Our fearless leader has finally found someone he trusts enough to manage playcalling duties. The defense will reload with All-Conference (and maybe All-American) talent. A talented (and deep!) group of hard-hitting running backs. Pre-season optimism has overwhelmed pre-game jitters for me. Look for Chad Morris to show off all his weapons Saturday. He has a tendency to put up a lot of points in his first game at a new school. Brace yourselves, Wildcats. Let’s barn hard, yall.

Auburn 48

Kentucky 14

-Josh Dub

I was talking with a friend of my wife’s the other day and she asked how I thought Auburn would do. I was raised by an old school Auburn fan who taught me to sandbag and say that we were just hoping that everyone buckled their chin straps correctly and that they just had fun out there. That was met with my wife telling her, I always do this. I responded by saying that I just lower the bar so that, when they win by 40 in a game I don’t expect, I get the rush of being a kid again and genuinely happy when Auburn wins.

That said! HERE WE GO!

Auburn has got stars everywhere on the outside and in the backfield but a bunch of green horns on the starting line on offense, so IF Chad Morris (or Gus if he is still calling the plays) can use quick screens and....this route called a slant...to hide the fact that the Auburn offensive line will look a lot like the French army circa 1938, then they might buy a few chances for Anders to kick some field goals.

On defense, you don’t lose D Brown and Marlon and get better. You probably don’t maintain the production you had last year on the D-Line. You can get back there, but that takes time and experience. That said, I am a bit more bullish on the defense as a whole. There is a ton of talent to go around on the line and the secondary and the Linebackers may be the best in the conference. Once again, the defense will keep Auburn in every game for the most part. And that new line will be tested against a really well coached, running offense that Kentucky brings to the Plains.

I love what Mark Stoops has been able to build in Lexington, and sort of done what Matt Campbell has done at Iowa State, that team you just don’t want to see cause they are scrappy and will take advantage of your mistakes. On the betting lines, I am staying away from this one with spendy cashy monies but with fakey non-existant moneies, I love the Cats getting a touchdown and a hook because I see this one being in the 3-4 range with Auburn probably winning, just based on history and going with my heart, but I could totally see Kentucky pulling this off as well.

Gimme Auburn over Kentucky 27-24 and the defense had to get a late stop to seal this one away. Nothing like a late missed FG to start that stomach ulcer.

(betting pick: UK and the points, Over at 51)

-Drew Mac

Auburn *should* win this game. Auburn *should* have the talent advantage. But hey, this is 2020. Who knows what havoc Covid will have wrought on install for any given team.

That being said, I trust Bo Nix’s development as a true sophomore. I think this Auburn team, while still going through some growing pains, will finally start to hit on explosive plays with a veteran WR corps. This Kentucky defense is not the one that one 10 games two years ago.

The only way things go sideways is if the retooled defensive line can’t stop the Kentucky ground game, which is an extremely valid concern. The Wildcats have three returning backs who combined for 1,900 yards and 18 TDs while sharing the spotlight with Lynn Bowden Jr last year, and Terry Wilson is no slouch. I think the Auburn linebackers are going to have to earn their keep as best LB group in the SEC here in week 1.

Auburn takes this one with some big plays through the air and a defense that bucks up in the second half. 27-13 Auburn.

-Ryan Sterritt

I’m a huge proponent of playing a patsy in week 1. In a normal season fall camp doesn’t really give a complete picture of how an offensive line communicates in real time, how well the quarterback has his timing down with his receivers, if the tailback has fumbling problems, mike linebacker being able to switch the defensive alignment based on tendencies, etc. etc. But if you can’t play a patsy I’m a huge proponent of playing a top 10 team who will keep you engaged without distractions leading up to kickoff and will tell you so much about where you can go from here. What you don’t want is a trap game in week 1.

Folks what we have here is a trap game in week 1.

We’re 14 points better than Kentucky. I genuinely believe that. Talent wise and coaching we’re at least 2 scores better than this football team at home. And it does not matter one bit thanks to COVID.

I am so concerned over what we’re going to look like out there considering how many guys were held out at various points of our extended fall camp thanks to COVID. Which wouldn’t be as big of a deal in a normal year, even though it would still be a big deal, but OH YEAH WE HAD NO SPRING PRACTICE. So in keeping with my tradition of being absolutely God awful at Barnin’ Hard, this tiger ain’t changing his stripes for this one.

Keys to victory:

- Stop a Kentucky ground attack with a defensive line that is fully capable of plugging the gaps and have your linebackers make plays in space. This will only work if our corners, who will be in a lot of one on one situations, make plays. Jaylin Simpson is the guy that will get picked on, and this is a fine opportunity for the redshirt freshman to get thrown into the deep end to see if he’ll sink or swim in his first meaningful snaps. If he can hold his own, we’re in good shape.

- Establish an intermediate passing attack early in this game. Keep their defense off balance early on the offensive script and allow Bo Nix and an offensive line that will struggle but has a higher ceiling than that of the last 2 seasons gain some confidence early.

- Get the fastest player in all of college football 10 touches/targets for the day. This one may appear in all 10 entries of “Keys to Victory” for our schedule this year. Scheme to get Anthony Schwartz the ball in multiple ways. And then scheme off of it to get other players in positions to be in favorable coverages.

- Rotate your running backs in a way that makes sense instead of giving the “guy with the hot hand” 25 carries. This running back room is deeper and more talented than it has been since the healthy parts of 2016/2017 for Pettway and KJ. Give these guys a chance to punish Kentucky’s defense with fresh legs for 4 quarters. Make them hate playing us.

- Oh, and finally, get some sound sleep and show up alert for an 11 AM kickoff. I don’t need to explain to any of you why this is obviously something we should all worry over.

All in all I think being at home does matter, despite 20,000 people in the stands. Traveling in these uncertain times has to account for something, right?

Auburn 27 Kentucky 21

-Josh Black

If the first few weeks of football are any indication, I’m expecting some low scoring sloppy games on Saturday. And while Auburn’s rivals have essentially “warmup games” to start their season, Auburn will play another ranked opponent in Week 1. That’s JABA right?

Anyways, I’m really excited to see this group of Running Backs led by Captain Shaun Shivers this season. I’m really excited to see Shaun get the opportunity to start and it’ll be interesting to see how many carries he and the rest of the RBs get on Saturday. This is an experienced receiving corps too led by Seth Williams, “Flash” Anthony Schwartz and veteran Eli Stove.

The biggest question to me (other than the offensive line) will be the defensive line as it’s hard replacing Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson. And we can all hope for better O-Line play this season and a more mature Bo Nix as he enters Year 2 as the starting QB.

As I said earlier, I’m thinking this is a low-scoring game and I’m a bit concerned about this one, with the 11AM kick and all but I’ll take Auburn in a close one.

Auburn 17 Kentucky 14

-Will McLaughlin

I firmly believe Auburn has a significant talent advantage at the skill positions in this matchup. Yes the Cats have an athletic QB, a strong stable of backs, intriguing WRs and a surprisingly good secondary but across the board I’ll take Auburn. However, it won’t matter if the Tigers lose the line of scrimmage battle which is way more likely than any of us wanna imagine.

As you have probably read, heard, seen by now, Kentucky has one of the best offensive lines in the country. This isn’t a group made up of 3-star kids with heart. Left tackle Landon Young was a 5-star recruit. Center Drake Jackson was a 4-star ranked as a top 150 player. Future NFLer Darian Kinnard was a 4-star recruit as well. This is both an experienced AND talented front who enjoy physically beating the hell out of their opponents. Everyone in the world knew that a run play was likely coming last fall and it rarely mattered. While I trust Rodney Garner & Kevin Steele to rebuild this front 4 for the Tigers, I am concerned about them being ready to go week 1. Even with Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson last year, Oregon pushed around the Tigers for one half. This UK OL is of the same calibre and it wouldn’t shock me if they came out the gate with similar success.

Then there’s the other side of the ball where the UK return plenty of experience of a solid front 7. However, they were actually pretty porous against the run last fall allowing over 5 yards a carry against SEC competition. The problem is I am not sure if Auburn is ready to take advantage. In most years, when I see a defense susceptible to the run, I expect an AU victory that borders on dominant. I just don’t know if the Tigers though will be ready to go on Saturday.

That’s why Anders Carlson will be the x-factor. I think Auburn’s offense will look disjointed but generate enough explosive plays to get into UK territory consistently. They don’t put the ball in the end zone as much as we would like but Anders knocks through 4 big kicks. The defense rebounds from a rough first quarter to limit the UK offense to only 2 touchdowns on the day. Auburn recovers a late onside kick to escape with a hard won victory.

Auburn 26 Kentucky 20

-AU Nerd

Auburn at 11am.

Auburn in season openers.

Auburn as favorites vs hungry teams.

Yuck. I am finding it hard to Barn as hard...——record scratch—-

(The boys are back in town starts playing)

Just kidding!

The Boys are back!

Guys we are gonna kill em.

Auburn 34- Kats 24

-Son of Crow

Most of the time I have some idea of what to expect. There’s a gut feeling, an inkling, an intuition. Even days when I publicly avow a big win, and we end up losing, I realize that I knew it deep in my soul. This time, I have nothing. I guess that’s what 2020 will do to a man. I can’t pick this game with my heart or my gut, so I have to go with the limited knowledge that we’ve been able to glean from the practice fields. Somehow, Gus has kept it tighter than usual this season. He’s keeping spies, leaks, and COVID out of the fold.

It’s not a big secret that Auburn’s level of talent is superior across the board, but Kentucky might have the mix of experience to go along with its skill to make this a very scary opening contest. We’ve heard that the Wildcats’ lines are both going to be solid, and that gives us a flashback of what the Oregon offense was able to do for about a half last year in Arlington. Auburn can’t afford a slow start on Saturday, because we’ll be breaking in a new offensive line. Now, that might not be the worst thing in the world — our line last year was nothing much to write home about — but they started to get better down the stretch. That said, this year’s group might be more maulers than linemen. Sometimes you just need some dudes being guys up front to push people around. We might have that, thus the run game could come to life with a much more talented group in the backfield. Not to mention, Bo Nix’s sophomore development with a true quarterback coach could be something unparalleled.

Kentucky will give us a fight, but there’s no way I’m picking us to lose this game. It’ll probably be close, and uncomfortably so for a while I’d wager. Still, the home “crowd” and the overall talent win out in the end. I think someone else mentioned Anders Carlson being a weapon in this one, and I agree. I think he hits 3 kicks and Auburn scores 3 touchdowns. Tigers 30-21.

-Jack Condon

In our preseason predictions I pegged this as one of the three games that Auburn could lose, and had it at the top of my list as the one I’m most worried about. That may seem weird, but we really just have no clue how any team, including our own is going to look on Saturday. We’ve all seen how bad some of these other teams already playing have looked, and I guess people think that there’s no way their own team could look that bad, but I’m not so sure. That said, I believe this Auburn team has all the components necessary to be better than last season and thus easily handle a Kentucky team that is, well they’re Kentucky. The new look offense should give an older, more seasoned Bo Nix a chance to throw some higher percentage passes, we have an SEC caliber stable of running backs for the first time in a couple of seasons, and presumably a fully healthy group of receivers. The new-look offensive line doesn’t concern me at all, because, well, I’ve lived through the last two seasons. At this point Kevin Steele and co. have earned my utmost confidence that the defense will pick up right where they left off.

Tigers 37 - Cats 12

-AU Chief

Man alive I wish I wasn’t so worried about this. Kentucky is well coached. They know what they are, and they don’t try to do things outside their comfort zone. Their strengths could cause problems for us. And yet, Auburn has more talent. 2020 is going to be a weird year, but I think having better athletes is going to win out more often than not, because teams are going to have to keep things simple. I like everything I’m hearing out of fall camp. I still don’t know about that line though. I could see a backdoor cover for UK where Auburn has to recover an onside kick to clinch things. I could see a front door cover for Auburn putting the game away late. I’ll stay on the safe side.

Auburn 24

Kentucky 17

(Auburn wins, UK covers; under)

-James Jones

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/9/25/21456468/staff-picks-8-auburn-vs-23-kentucky

#IFTTT #Blogger #auburn #auburn fast #wareagle #AuburnFamilyNews #war eagle #sec #football news #aubu

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twistednuns · 5 years

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December 2019

Maxim calling out of the blue, inviting me to the Mine concert later that month.

Stumbling upon great inspiration for plant-based buddha bowls.

@shitgothssay memes.

Zotter salted caramel chocolate.

Finding out about the fact that you can just add the letter A to some words to transform them into adjectives. Like aglitter or aglow and aglisten.

Ayurvedic Kapha tea with some black tea, honey and milk. Sonnentor Gute Laune tea. Green tea with toasted coconut.

Isana shower oil. Works wonders for dry skin. Such a smooth and creamy texture. Great for shaving, too.

Winning the pub quiz - again! I played with Maggie, Dennis, Daniel and Steffen (Team name: Three geese in a trenchcoat) and we won 178€. However, the best thing about this was when I finally solved the anagram after thinking about it for 10 minutes. It was Greta Thunberg! Winning is lovely, of course, but solving the anagram is already a personal win for me each time.

Tuesdays. Coming home early, sleeping it off.

Being super rested after a nap, cooking a huge pot of veggie stew and my ratatouille signature recipe, even preparing a batch of butter bean hummus and salad dressing. Listening to folk music, singing along, even dancing at some point. Standing there, peeling the potatos… Happy moment.

Signature manicure. Always. This time: bluish iridescent lilac with the obligatory black dot.

A personal realisation. I’ve been massively out of touch with myself. I’ve stopped journaling, stopped doing things for myself because they’re beneficial and not because they’re convenient and numb everything. And why is that a good thing? Well, only being at this point and realising what’s wrong with me makes it possible to do something against it. To come up a self-care plan. To make myself feel better.

Semi-deleting Facebook.

Spending time with Manu for the first time in three months. Watching a documentary about black holes and a cheesy Christmas movie. Ordering south Indian food, cuddling up in bed. Sometimes I don’t know why I keep isolation myself. Being around people can be really lovely and soothing if you can be yourself around them. It’s just that I often feel the presence of other living beings drains my energy.

The best massage I ever had. From now on I’ll always request Yaya as my massage therapist. She is SICK. Strong, merciless, forces me into weird poses and makes my back crack.

Also: the chocolate-filled mint hard candy they hand out at the massage studio. I used to hate mint-infused chocolate but somehow I think these are delicious. Perfect after-torture-treat.

Persimmons. Obsessed.

My eye colour in artificial light. A dark moss green with caramel-coloured speckles and a dark rim.

The National playing a 2-hour-long concert and including some of my favourite songs from the High Violet album. Fangirling with Anika.

The smell of cold. You know, that whiff of cool air you get when you’re sniffing a jacket that’s been hanging on the balcony for a few hours to air out.

Learning more about Claire Saffitz from this article - she likes arts and crafts, is a homebody and has degrees in history and literature! She basically enrolled in culinary school because she was bored after graduation. She’s an enigma of a quirky kind. Not brilliant and scattered, but determined and aimless. Not brave and rebellious, but anxious and creative. She hates change yet pursues it, wants order but trades in chaos. She’s loved because she hates stuff; performs well because she can’t perform. And above all, she’s aggressively regular—and something about this makes the crowd go wild.

Fresh laundry smell on my blankets and pillows. And my new gravity blanket. It weighs 11kg which feels crazy heavy when you carry it but the weight evenly distributes over the body when you’re lying down. Apparently the pressure triggers the release of stress hormones. So far I’m sleeping like a baby and I don’t seem to wake up or move much at night.

Stephanie Madewell. I love everything she writes, her blog is such a godsend of beautiful, important, eclectic ideas. One thing I especially like are her imaginary outfits.

Princess Margaret’s limerick contest with President Lyndon B. Johnson in The Crown. Pure comedy. “There was a young lady from Dallas / who used a dynamite stick as a phallus / they found her vagina in North Carolina / and her asshole in Buckingham Palace.”

Little pieces of string in the corners of a duvet cover. It’s the first time I’ve seen those. So practical for big blankets!

Mental health days. I needed this. So much. Mornings in bed, reading for hours. Drinking a whole pot of tea.

Partner yoga. Chanting the closing mantra together.

Making vegan energy balls for my brother. I adapted the recipe and made my own versions so I ended up with a batch of pistachio/cherry and mango/sesame.

Freaking out whenever I see a cute cat. Damn, I really need to spend more time with animals. My highlight: breakfast in bed, watching a video of an adorable cat giving birth. I cried. Yup.

Going swimming for the first time in, man, I don’t even know. Forever. I didn’t swim for a long time, maybe half an hour, but muscle memory kicked in immediately. Water is totally my element. And, as if it had been destiny: I chose the day they cut the hanging plants in the main hall and the guy gave me a variety of five different cuttings to take home!! He made me a very happy girl.

The ink blue sky right after sunset. / The morning after the full moon in Gemini (the moon still bright and huge, visible in the bluish-grey Western sky). / When the sun suddenly comes out after a very dark and gloomy morning.

Buying a new phone. The old one was broken beyond repair. I even got a nice cork protective case. How could I ever live without an uncracked screen? The battery now actually lasts for more than a day. Nice.

Odd bits of knowledge: A galanthophile is an enthusiastic collector and identifier of snowdrop (Galanthus) species and cultivars. (Wikipedia) // Scientists theorize the Universe might have cracks in it: long thin boundaries that formed as space cooled after the Big Bang. 95 billion lightyears long and a few femtometers thin, these wrinkles in space-time would hold enough energy to bend light and destroy entire planets. (PHD comics) // the word to bloviate (German meaning: schwafeln, langatmig vortragen) // In Japan we have three rituals: HANAMI, TSUKIMI, and YUKIMI. HANAMI is watching the flowers. TSUKIMI is watching the moon, YUKIMI is watching the snow. It’s a beautiful tradition when you invite people to watch with you. I remember them all. (Yoko Ono) // In linguistics, prosody is concerned with those elements of speech that are not individual phonetic segments (vowels and consonants) but are properties of syllables and larger units of speech, including linguistic functions such as intonation, tone, stress, and rhythm. Such elements are known as suprasegmentals. Prosody may reflect various features of the speaker or the utterance: the emotional state of the speaker; the form of the utterance (statement, question, or command); the presence of irony or sarcasm; emphasis, contrast, and focus. It may otherwise reflect other elements of language that may not be encoded by grammar or by choice of vocabulary. (Wikipedia) //

I know I mention this a lot but the first olfactory whiff of a freshly cut open passion fruit is one of the best smells I know.

When my breakfast tastes like a candy bar. Which it immediately does whenever I add almond butter and cocoa nibs to porridge.

Yoga at home on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I’m often too lazy to get out my yoga mat but whenever I do afterwards I’m always so glad I practiced. Also: going to yoga class despite being extremely stressed out. It actually helped me silence some of these tormenting thoughts in my head.

Cutting my own hair. It’s kinda ridiculous and layered but I love the new bounce.

Michael Nyman - Musique à grande vitesse x // feels like it makes my pulse quicker, it’s urging and forceful.

My adventures in psychedelia - an article about the therapeutic effect of psychoactive drugs. I’m going to get Michael Pollan’s book about the topic from the library next week. So interesting.

People who are still writing letters.

My pupils. I realised that some of them have become very fine people. Open, compassionate, motivated, interested, bright, polite. Like the students who attended our first school magazine meeting in their spare time - on the last school day before the Christmas holidays - and had all these amazing ideas. Victor, being able to hold a conversation like an adult. Marks cuddling that dog in front of the supermarket. My tenth-graders being really reasonable, managable, easy to talk to.

Liza Weil’s role as Shy Baldwin’s bass player in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It took me three episodes to recognize her.

A little embroidery set. I love keeping my hands busy when I’m watching movies.

Making vegan walnut lebkuchen and a very good batch of crisp bread in one go.

Roast apples with candied almonds and marzipan for Christmas dinner. Some buckwheat chocolate cookies. Actually helping out my mum in the kitchen.

Sitting at the piano with my brother, singing tunes from our childhood series, Disney songs, pop songs… We both had sore throats afterwards.

Visiting Sash’s parents over Christmas. Her mum cooked a pretty great lunch and we played board games.

Learning how to make a monkey fist knot.

Finding a new spot I like in my apartment. The chair right next to the window at the kitchen table. It’s nice and warm because you can sit beside the heater and while you have breakfast or browse through a cookbook you can see what’s going on outside.

Seeing the incredible gobelins at Kunsthalle / Fäden der Moderne exhibition. I loved the Le Corbusier ones.

Visiting Manu at his parents' place. Playing board games together, his mum feeding me with parsley potatoes and a weird _bird's milk_ dessert. Lying on the sofa, watching old movies. It's weirdly nice to be part of a normal family dynamic once in a while.

Andre saving my New Year’s Eve at the very last minute. Out of the blue he suggested a trip to Czech Republic right after midnight the day before. I was like… okay, let’s do this! So I met up with him and three people I had never met before in Regensburg and we drove to Český Krumlov, checked into our fancy hotel and walked down to the city centre. Czech food for dinner, a band playing at the city square. We climbed up to the castle for the turn of the year. This must have been the first year that started out with a proper New Year’s kiss. Afterwards we went to a weird music bar and - apparently - one of the best clubs in the country. I had a lot of fun. Even though getting Andre home was quite a challenge.

#things i love #personal #present perfect #december #2019 #december 2019

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suero-afs363 · 5 years

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Paris is Burning

The Article Paris is Burning is a critical article written by bell hooks to express her observation and opinion on the documentary Paris is Burning directed by Jennie Livingston. bell hooks is an African American female author, professor, feminist and social activist. hooks has constructed the article in order to explain how the gay black men experience is not fully represented in the documentary film.Livingston is a lesbian white women director, producer and activist; she uses film to capture vouge, drag in the gay community of New York City. I introduce both women in order to comprehend the lenses these women have and how they carry their message. In the class of Blacks and Media we have touched on the history of African Americans in social media, politics, gender and now sexual orientation. In this thought paper I will evaluate the documentary Paris is Burning by Jennie Livingston and bell hooks response in her article Paris is Burning. Gay Black men, transgender/transsexual or non-binaries are considered at threat to societies norm because the United States inevitably has history of being racists, patriarchal and sexist.

In the 1990 film Paris is burning Livingston documents the lives of black gay men, transgenders/transsexuals influence in the culture of drag and vogue. The film begins with a narrative from one of the men having a nostalgic moment and stating “you are black, you are male and you are gay, you are gonna have a hard time if you gonna do this you are gonna have to be stronger then you ever imagined” three qualities that are stigmatized in Americas misogynist racist society. Homophobia is based on the fear of homosexual behavior it was also included in the DSM (American Psychiatric Association) diagnoses book as a disease/ mental disorder. In the 1980’s there was a HIV epidemic and the scientific myth was that it was only transmitted through same sex engagement. This deadly virus brought fear to many people and it increased the fear and alienation of people (especially men) in the Queer community. The film introduces the ritual of preparing and attending at a ball, it all began in Vegas when men would cross dress like Vegas girls but as new generations joined the balls the culture shifts from preparing the extravagant gowns with beads and feathers to a more simple like a movie star or a model. Here we see a transition that cross dressing is not only for a night out at a gay gala it has also become a place for validation. Some men find it more comfortable embodied as women and desire to continue to present themselves as women. Livingston focuses on the art, community and ambitions black gay men have to be understood, famous and successful. She structured the film as the men having true feelings, thoughts, ideas and dreams; all of them being no less than any other person. The film emphasizes on the struggles gay and transgender/transsexual men endure in society. Not being accepted for being black male, not being able to get jobs because of their sexual orientation and race. The men have built communities that allows them to be comfortable in their own skin because they yarn to be accepted therefore, they create families and houses with mothers and children in order to be each other’s’ anchors.

In the previous article Oppositional Gaze, hooks emphasize on the psychological and sociological effects of white supremacy on framing, racism and feminism. In this article she takes a similar stance but instead she goes to argue that the gay black man’s struggle was not being represented to its full authenticity. Bell argues “these images of black men in drag were never subversive, they helped sustain sexism and racism” (146) the bigotry in America now feels justified for dehumanizing black people because they appear uncivilized because of their scornful manners. She also states “I can see the black male in drag was also disempowering of black masculinity” (146) because femininity is perceived as a weakness because of gender and the men in drag aim to convey the attributes of a women they are frowned upon and have a low social status. I disagree with this statement because in the documentary the men are sustaining their self-esteem and thriving on the power of seduction. bell perceives power to be a patriarchal status, she lacks to understand that seduction is another form of power. The men use the power in their work of sex trafficking. The men in the use their bodies and exchange of sex in order to make a living and also to validate their sexuality and seduction. Being that man transgender/ transsexual men were able to make a living out of this profession demonstrates the taboo is fetishized but not welcomed. Although The opportunities for jobs as a gay black or transgender/transsexual man in society is difficult to attain and maintain because of the taboos attached to stigmas.

Different societies in different communities determine what is wealth, success and power based on the structure of social stratification. The drag and transgender/transsexual ideal of beauty, success and riches is to embody a white woman. The goal is to be accepted, valuable and ‘normal’ because “the brutal imperial ruling-class capitalist patriarchal whiteness that presents itself – its way of life – as the only meaningful life there is” features of European decent has subconsciously been ingrained in the minds of African American cognitive to believe that to be successful, beautiful and rich is to imitate the authorities grouping. In the film Livingston interviews Dorian Corey, one of the oldest legends of drag in Harlem. Dorian shares the ideals of beauty is to express white feminine attributes ‘if you capture the great white way of living or looking or dressing or speaking you are a marvel” this is an example to show the struggle that gay black men in drag have is to completely modify their race and gender in order to be a sensation. Hook argues “the idea of womeness and femininity is totally personified by whiteness. What viewers witness in not black men longing to impersonate or even to become ‘real’ black women but their obsession with idealized fetishized vision of feminity that is white” (148). In the ball the category ‘Realness’ is structured to appeal to the audience as to have feminine features because the more feminine you appear because it is not only cross dressing it is a contest to be able to manipulate society as a transgender/transsexual then you gain a price. Octivia was a transgender in the film whom was hoping to change her sex ‘this is not a game for me or fun, this is how I want to live my life” there are not enough black models for her to aspire to appear like so in her room there are posters of white women. Americas ideal beautiful women is a thin figured white rich woman, it has been ingrained in the minds of Americans across the board despite the sex, gender, sexual orientation or social status. Media has a large influence on this portrait because of the people marketing and financing the industries is dominated by white men.

I enjoyed the film and the article because it highlights the struggles, hopes and dreams of being a gay or transgender/transsexual in the black subculture. The documentary Paris is Burning demonstrates the sub gay black community in a humaine vulnerable form. Although bell argues Livingston should have emphasized more on the struggle of being a gay black man, I believe Livingston challenged societal norms by illustrating the stories and experience gay black men are challenged within society and their own community. This film is inspirational to others with similar paths. In the 80’s because of the HIV epidemic Homophobia really affected the gay community because it was known as the “gay man’s plaque” justifying religions argument against same sex relationships and leaving the queer community to question “why is loving love a sin?”. Livingston did a phenomenal job casting transparent people in their journey, I also read that she did activist and participated in the HIV community in NYC. I also want to share that after watching the documentary I was able to visually comprehend the influence black, queer, fashion, psychological evaluation and comprehension along with art culture has influenced todays dance, media, fashion, makeup, queer activism, medicine ext. I watched Rihanna’s 2019 fashion show on amazon prime and I was able to see the transition and progress that the black queer community has influenced in today’s culture across the board.

#Thoughtpaper3

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cosplayinamerica · 6 years

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At the Halloween party, most people were surprised I brought such a large costume to a small venue but we're very happy with the results. The host was in quite a surprise cuz that was one of their favorite games. With that, I actually won the contest that year and I was very happy that everyone enjoyed the costume. At AMKE 2019 everyone was pushing the character cards and they were so surprised I had a soundboard that said: "select your heroes" "select your assist type" and more which just surprised everyone. Probably the funniest though was people singing along with the menu music. I'm honestly surprised I'm not tired of hearing "I wanna take you for a ride" over and over.

It was kind of a joke at first. Me and my friend were in my car just saying "what's the craziest cosplay idea we could come up with". We said characters like Unicron, The Magic School Bus, the devil Gundam, and a few others but when I mentioned the Marvel versus Capcom 2 character select screen I started to think about it and realize it was actually possible. Always wanting to be creative I kept it on the back burner until it all fell into place when I went grocery shopping and found a children's toy balloon ball that was the perfect size for what I wanted to accomplish.

The toughest part was finding the sphere to make it work. After looking at the design the sphere is transparent which meant I would have to get a plastic-like sheathing which I thought was nearly impossible to do from an engineering and skill level standpoint great. However I realized that zorbing balls should I wear a possibility but financially still very difficult.

However once I found a cheap children's toy everything just fell into place. The sphere round up sitting in the garage for a while having no real event I wanted to use it for. Then Halloween rolled around I was going to attempt a full armor costume but my time management was mishandled and I wanted to still have something for the holiday. I looked in my garage and remembered the sphere and what I could do with it. I then started looking for materials at various craft stores and I made the first version of the Marvel versus Capcom 2 character select screen.

Primarily it was made of duct tape and paper with printed characters for the main menu however because of the paper the first version didn't last long in addition I found some more appropriate cheap to use for the costume ones that were more reflective then the previous metallic tape. Of course with this costume I had to have the music to go with it although my phone speaker is fairly powerful it still wouldn't be enough to have the sound carry so instead I grabbed a speaker from a discount store and decided to go the extra mile and search for the announcers Vocal Track to put on a soundboard. With all that together I was finally able to bring it to Anime Milwaukee 2019 after a friend had invited me somewhat last minute.

With my deadlines set I thought up how I can improve the costume from Halloween. First I printed the characters on cardstock then laminated them for Extra Protection and stability, I also redesigned the shape of each individual character so that it would geometrically fits around the ball unlike the individual squares I had tried during Halloween, I gathered a whole bunch of duct tape because the sphere is also a floating grid so I was going to need to cover most of it around its widest sides, then I needed an translucent umbrella to float the select your Heroes Halo from the game which I then added translucent stickers with the words printed out onto the edges of the umbrella.

Cosplays was originally a means of feeling empowered by the character I played each time. Now I've kind of let it become my tool of creativity. Maybe there's a unique design or something challenging to cosplay and that's what I live for is a challenge. It's helped me make friends and inspired me to do more. I hope people will enjoy my next cosplay.

--- Carey "Xypher" Anderson

Top Photo: The Quarter Guy

Support Cosplay in America by shopping on Amazon : https://amzn.to/2Ek5y3M

#MVSC2 #marvel vs capcom #cosplay #capcom cosplay #videogame cosplay

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katiewattsart · 5 years

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29/10/19 : TEDDY BOYS. HAUL GIRLS. #1

What are they?

Teddy Boy: (in the 1950s) a young man of a subculture characterised by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion (typically with drainpipe trousers, bootlace tie, and hair slicked up in a quiff) and a liking for rock-and-roll music.

Haul Girl: A girl or women who makes a haul video.

The revolution will not be televised.

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The tv shows you what it wants to show you.

Television tells us what the people who run the TV stations want us to know. But social media today sometimes provides an alternative.

Subculture - Under/Beneath

We are looking today at youth and subcultures… their historicity and their contexts, and where we are with what might be called subcultures and youth cultures today.

GUIDE TO THE CULTS

A genuine piece from the mirror in the 1980s.

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Sex Pistols : This is one of the most infamous moments on television. Today it seems tame, but in 1976 this was enough to get the presenter fired.

Like Duchamp's 'ready mades' - manufactured objects which qualified as art because he chose to call them such, the most unremarkable and inappropriate items - a pin, a plastic clothes peg, a television component, a razor blade, a tampon - could be brought within the province of punk (un)fashion...

Dick Hebdige - Subculture: The Meaning of Style

Hebdige’s book has long been consider the authorative text on subculture.

In the book he discusses the ready made aesthetics of punk. Punk was the first reaction to the developing politics of Thatcher and Reagan… here a refusal to take part in business as normal led to music that sounded amateur and fresh… the opposite of the progressive rock that had dominated the mid 1970s and early 80′s.

Vivienne Westwood

Objects borrowed from the most sordid of contexts found a place in punks' ensembles; lavatory chains were draped in graceful arcs across chests in plastic bin liners. Safety pins were taken out of their domestic 'utility' context and worn as gruesome ornaments through the cheek, ear or lip...fragments of school uniform (white bri-nylon shirts, school ties) were symbolically defiled (the shirts covered in graffiti, or fake blood; the ties left undone) and juxtaposed against leather drains or shocking pink mohair tops.

Jamie Red and others made zines that could be assembled in this same way, collaging and making work that felt it could have been made in the house, and often was.

Subcultures

Subcultures are tribal, bringing people together to form loose relations outside of the mainstream.

Different subcultures:

Even subcultures have subcultures… specific types of goth (steampunk, lolita) rude boys, K Pop sub genres, grunge punk rock etc

Once about a specific youth culture movement based around the disco music of the 1970s, clubbing subculture developed into rave culture in the late 80s and 90s, and has become a mainstream movement in the last few years.

Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore, Mark Leckey, 1999

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“Something as trite and throwaway and exploitative as a jeans manufacturer can be taken by a group of people and made into something totemic, and powerful, and life-affirming.”

Subcultures are about a sense of belonging, often to people who feel excluded or disenfranchised from the mainstream.

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Cosplay - form of subculture

The Joker and Harlequin are both characters who live for misrule, and both of them come from characters in the commedia dell’arte.

Harlequin relates directly to Harley Quinn… the Lord of Misrule was the peasant who was given the task of making sure that Xmas revellers got very drunk and very naughty.

The World Turned Upside Down

These characters link back to the ideas of the carnival, a time when the world was turned upside down. Christmas was initialy this kind of festival. People didn’t know if they would make it through the winter, so they made merry whilst they could. In the carnival Kings become Jokers, Jokers became kings.

Carnival extracts all individuals from non-carnival life, non-carnival states and because there are no hierarchical positions during carnival, ideologies which manifest the mind of individuals cannot exist.

...And finally in a few relatively rare instances, we find an extreme form of revelry in which the participants play-act at being precisely the opposite of what they really are; men act as women, women as men, kings as beggars, servants as masters, acolytes as bishops. In such situations of true orgy, normal life is played in all manners of sins such as incest, adultery, transvestitism, sacri- lege, and lese-majeste treated as the order of the day...

Edmund R. Leach, Rethinking Anthropology

In Rabelais and His World (1965), Mikhail Bakhtin likens the carnivalesque to the type of activity that often takes place in the carnivals of popular culture. In the carnival, according to Bakhtin, social hierarchies of everyday life—their etiquettes, and normal structures—are turned on their head.

Court jesters become kings, kings become beggars; opposites are mingled (fact and fantasy, heaven and hell).

Drag Cultures

Much in the same way that Madonna, undeniable icon though she is, in no way invented voguing, neither did the queens on RuPaul’s Drag Race invent the concept of "shade", "realness" or any of the other essential sayings liberally adopted wholesale by the internet. But what the show has done is continually provide a potted queer history. Whether it’s through highlighting ball culture, trans activism, gender fluidity, or queens like the legendary Lady Bunny; or simply by allowing the contestants to talk about their lived experience, the show has put an all too rare slice of gay and trans history in American (and the world’s) living rooms and laptops.

Drag Race has brought a subculture into the mainstream. It has brought secret languages into modern parlay.

From RuPaul raising a pair of opera glasses to say archly, “I can’t wait to see how this pans out”, to season four queen Latrice Royale’s “the shaaaaade of it all”, social media’s gif game has been vastly bolstered by nine seasons of this show. A gif reaction needs to encapsulate maximum emotion, drama, and appearance – and the queens on Drag Race have all three in spades. Tumblr couldn’t create gifs fast enough in the early seasons, and the joy of so many strong characters, and sound-bites, means that there is a reaction for absolutely every occasion. Season 6 winner Bianca Del Rio named one of her world tours after her own much-gif’d catchphrase, “Not today Satan”.

Memes and online culture have helped the show become part of the everyday.

Historically, "sissy" has been used as an insult against feminine-seeming men. Ru-Paul’s Drag Race not only reclaims the word – “now sissy that walk” is the phrase said at the top of each catwalk, usually preceding a demonstration of almost gob-smacking creativity – but shows that adopting a truly feminine character requires massive amounts of charisma and self-confidence. The show is wildly popular with women, not simply because of the incredible looks and transformations served by each queen, but because it is a celebration of feminine mystique in all its forms.

It has helped reclaim a sense of agency in an era of toxic masculinity.

The little show that could has turned into a global behemoth, with tours around the world each year, and an annual convention in Los Angeles. Last year, a second US convention launched in New York, while London hosted the first European edition, DragWorld UK, which saw a number of the show’s queens and RuPaul’s right-hand judge, Michelle Visage, holding court. And as fabulous, glamorous and downright funny as the queens are, the real joy came from seeing the response of teenagers to meeting their idols. RuPaul and Visage are giving hope to lost kids around the world, whatever their gender, ethnic background or sexuality. By sharing their stories, the Drag Race contestants are giving comfort and inspiration to viewers, as well as swathes of entertainment.

The show has brought disenfranchised, often hidden cultures into the open. And given people something that not only entertains, but also empowers.

The difference between Drag Race US and Drag Race UK summed up in one perfect tweet…

With RuPaul’s Drag Race UK finally airing on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, it’s got fans realising just how different the two editions of the show are… International fans were subjected to the colourful world of British slang and swear words, leaving dozens bemused about what exactly the UK queens are actually saying…. But in a viral tweet shared by one of the British queens, it’s managed to capture the crucial difference between the US and UK versions of Drag Race.

Sum Ting Wong shared a screenshot of a Facebook post that so beautifully sums up the two shows:

Pink News JOSH MILTON OCTOBER 8, 2019

Drag is culturally derived, and finds its forms based on local customs. In the UK drag has a relationship to Vaudeville and play, which means it does something different to the american show. It is less about the act of putting on a show, and more about the comedic, slightly catty relations that we have come to associate with saturday evening tv here in the UK.

But that doesn’t mean it is mean in itself… it still brings a subculture to a mainstream audience. Remember, if I talked about this with you in the 1990s, I would face prosecution under Section 28

"shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

New Subcultures

‘It's hard not to be struck by the sensation that, emos and metalheads aside, what you might call the 20th-century idea of a youth subculture is now just outmoded. The internet doesn't spawn mass movements, bonded together by a shared taste in music, fashion and ownership of subcultural capital: it spawns brief, microcosmic ones.

In fact, the closest thing to the old model of a subculture I've come across is Helena and the haul girls. Their videos are about conspicuous consumption: a public display of their good taste, carefully assembled with precise attention to detail. When you put it like that they sound remarkably like mods.’

Alexis Petridis

Marie Antoinette, 2006 (Sofia Copolla)

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#gcop200

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