#Virtual Cycling Class

[starboyshoyo]

Courting, Pining, or Flirting? 

Characters: All NRC students x reader (seperately)

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland 

Genre: fluff

Do the NRC boys court you, pine for you, or flirt with you? 

HEARTSLABYUL

Riddle Rosehearts will do his best in courting you. Raised to be strict and formal, he has virtually no idea of what love is, or how to express it. The best he got was the fairytales of princesses and knights in his childhood. So he’ll follow their lead to the best of his ability. Riddle will give you his blazer jacket, and take your arm in his when navigating crowded hallways- he’ll even bow to you when saying goodnight, placing a tender kiss on your hand. Riddle might need a bit of a confidence boost before he performs a moonlight soliloquy under your balcony, though. 

Ace Trappola, unsurprisingly, enjoys flirting with you. What can he say, he’s a fun-loving guy! That extends to all parts of his life, including you. When the two of you are watching movies on his laptop in Ramshackle Dorm, he’ll tug the blanket away, forcing you to cuddle up to him for warmth. One day in class, a crumpled paper ball will hit you on the shoulder, reading: DO YOU LIKE ME? YES/NO ;) It’s childish, but somehow endearing.

Deuce Spade, ever the gentleman, will try (keyword: try) his best in courting you. His mom didn’t raise a brat! Listening to her advice, he’ll buy you flowers, ask you out on the weekends, and drape his jacket over your shoulders when you get cold. It’s a lot less smooth than it sounds, though. He’ll be a blushing, stuttering mess the entire time and accidentally spill his plans to you before he can execute them. Then he’ll apologize and spill even more of his plans- and alas, the cycle continues. 

Trey Clover is surprisingly good at flirting! Trey is confident in his ability to charm people. Even the most uptight of Prefects tend to relax a little around him. Of course, the delicious handmade pastries he often brings along with him are just a bonus. They’re an easy way to strike up a conversation with you, getting you to spill more and more about yourself to him. He’s comfortable to talk to, isn’t he? Oh, is that baked good your favorite? Expect a box of them to show up on your desk within the next week, along with a coy little note: Sweets for the sweet. 

Cater Diamond, on the surface, is definitely into flirting. He chases anything and everything within a fifty-meter radius of himself, and giving his posts on Magicam so much as a comment will result in a Hey cutie ;) popping up in your DM notifications at 1 AM. But with a person that Cater truly loves, face to face, he won’t do anything more than stay by your side as a supportive friend, pining from afar. He’s afraid of messing this up. Do you even see him that way? Please say you do. 

SAVANACLAW

Leona Kingscholar does all three, in the order of pining, courting, and flirting. Hear me out: Leona pines, but not in a hopeless way. Instead, he just figures that he doesn’t have the time or emotional investment for a relationship. But once the feelings began to grow, Leona gets desperate. He doesn’t want opportunities to slip through his fingers without doing anything. So he’ll begin subtly hanging out with you more, until it reaches the courting stage. At that point, he becomes visibly softer and less harsh around you. He’ll only really be comfortable flirting and being playful with you once you’re in an established relationship, not before. 

Ruggie Bucchi is into casual flirting- Well, he’s into it until he realizes he’s fallen so hard that he can’t climb back out. It’s all fun and games to him at first. Oh, you want to pet his ears? Maybe trading that cookie of yours from the lunch buffet would be suitable collateral. You think he looks good in the PE uniform? There’s more where that came from. Want him to accompany you on a late-night errand? Of course! He loves spending time with you- Wait, when did that happen? 

Jack Howl follows his sharp instincts on everything, and every sign is pointing at him courting you like a true gentleman. He knows he’s a little rough around the edges, but he’s got no problem cleaning his act up for you. Putting on a suit and tie and using a bit of gel in his hair and around his ears is a small price to pay for your affection. He’s not particularly shy about showing you he has feelings for you, but outright telling you might take a bit more time and effort.

OCTAVINELLE

Azul Ashengrotto is painfully, unequivocally deep in pining for you. There’s just no way around it is there? Oh, what he wouldn’t give to crawl into his tako pot and hide when you’re around. You’re on his mind every second of every day, and he lays in bed every night wondering if you see him the same way. Is he handsome to you? Is he smart? He wants to hold you so bad but he won’t do it until you tell him yes, I like you too, first.

Jade Leech, ever the calm, collected one, excels at smooth flirting. He just knows you like him as much as he likes you, and he’s not afraid to point it out. It’s not like you’re subtle about it either- with the way you sit in a corner booth of Mostro Lounge for hours, just to be able to talk with him after-hours over leftover pastries and tea. You wouldn’t mind if he did this with you more often, would you? 

Floyd Leech has his unique way of flirting, just like everything else in his life. You’re just so exciting, Shrimpy! Won’t you tell him a little more about your day? Even just the little things, like how many pages of notes you took in History of Magic class or an answer to a test question or two- he’s kidding, he’s kidding! All jokes aside, Floyd truly does enjoy your company and the ways you spice up his life. 

SCARABIA

Kalim Al-Asim does none of the three, surprisingly. He’s so bright it might not even occur to you that he’s interested until you’re already three layers deep. He’s always been a friendly person, so when he begins inviting you to hang out all the time, you wouldn’t give it a second thought. It’s only when you notice him trying to do things for you rather than just with you do you realize his feelings might run a little deeper than just friendship. He tries to be chivalrous, but it usually just comes off as him playing at being your prince charming. The closest you could get to describing what Kalim does is playful, friendly courting- albeit a very unconventional form of it. 

Jamil Viper is used to never getting what he wants. Somewhere along the line he stopped trying. So when you step into his life, shining but not blinding like Kalim, he hesitates. Is he ready to take such a risk? All he knows for sure is that he wants you in his life… someday. So quietly, in between classes and in the hallways, he’ll be pining for you from afar- hoping you’ll make the first move, so that he won’t have to worry about Kalim whisking you away.

POMEFIORE

Vil Schoenheit thinks he has never met someone so beautiful before. You might even be half as beautiful as he is! It’s a huge compliment coming from someone like him. You’re also half as smart, almost as strong, and maybe he’d consider taking you out for lunch- but don’t get it twisted! He’s doing this out of the goodness of his heart. (He likes you. He really likes you. Please date him.) It’s not very good flirting, but he’s trying his best.

Rook Hunt is flamboyant and genuine in everything he does, which includes flirting with you, his longtime crush. You have the most beautiful smile he’s ever seen! Would you mind if he admired it for a while? He’ll brag about you to everyone around him, much to the irritation of Vil, who finds it offensive that his biggest supporter has ‘betrayed’ him for another. Rook doesn’t care, though. If you so pleased, he’d be more than happy to walk you to your next class. Anything to bask in your unmatched beauty just a few seconds longer. 

Epel Felmier is good at flirting, and he’s confident about it too! A rough and tumble farm boy like him needs a cute thing on his arm to show off, doesn’t he? Don’t laugh at him- he’s trying to impress you. He’ll do anything he can to prove to you that he’s a strong, capable person and your perfect match. Let him carry your books, and serve you in the cafeteria buffet line. When you share a snack together, he’ll lean just a bit too close, letting his cheek brush against yours before pulling away. Come on, look him in the eyes! Or are you too shy~

IGNIHYDE

Idia Shroud has never met you in real life. You’ve never seen his face, but he’s seen yours through the camera of his tablet at housewarden meetings. Maybe it’s the pent up stress speaking, but wow, you’re way out of his league. Best to make casual conversation and repress his pining over a game of online chess, lest he screw it all up in real life. 

DIASOMNIA

Malleus Draconia is a lonely soul who knows little more than a life of isolation. When you walk into his life, unafraid of the twisted black crown that sits on his head or the ominous aura that seems to surround him, he has to wonder if after all these years he’s finally found his soulmate. Immediately, he wants to make plans to see you every day, to listen to you ramble about anything and everything beyond the briar walls around his castle. Stay a while and talk with him, won’t you? Malleus is the true definition of patience and indulgence when he’s courting you. 

Lilia Vanrouge isn’t one for mere high school relationships. He’s a father and a general! He’s got a teenager to raise and armies to lead, on top the infamously heavy homework load from NRC classes. You’d have to be really important to him to find a place in his ancient heart. Sure, he’ll have his fun with flirting and all, but no one can really expect a thousand-year old fae to fall in love… right?

Sebek Zigvolt is shocked, no pun intended. There’s no way a fae like himself has fallen for a mere human! No, he won’t accept it. Sebek will turn in somersaults and bend over backwards to make any excuse on why he is not in love with you, he’s just a bit agitated today! Ironically, he makes things harder for himself with this mindset, condemning himself to pining for you from afar. 

Silver, like his name, wants to be your knight in shining armor- he’s just not quite sure how to go about it yet. He supposes he’ll ask for your parents’ permission to begin courting you, first. That’s the tradition in the Valley of Thorns after all. But when Lilia points out that it’s a bit old-fashioned, he’ll simply agree and go along with whatever terrible plans the rest of Diasomnia comes up with next. Be prepared to be barraged with an awful yet endearing mix of pick-up lines, cheesy love letters, and classic romance songs that this quartet comes up with in their free time. The best thing? Silver himself won’t even be awake for half of it. 

Comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated!

[mesetacadre]

You say that communists should prepare themselves for the inevitable collapse of capitalism, to look for the cracks that signal that it’s time to forcefully destroy the system.

Doing so would inevitably lead to mass death and bloodshed, as was the case in the past. How can we convince others - and ourselves - that dying for a future we may never see is worth it? And what if communism fails again?

You say you know what a revolution looks like, but do you know what the context that allows the precipitation of a revolution looks like? The abstract "cracks" in capitalism (small note, they don't signal anything, they can just be opportunities that allow for revolutions) actually are a set of extreme circumstances that generally cause some exceptional ill or harm. The cyclical crises of capitalism are not strong enough to bring the system to the tipping point, there would need to be systemic disfunction. Wars destroy masses of workers and capital, most functions of the capitalist state, including the labor that sustains it, become subservient to the war, working people die in numbers high enough to stunt the normal development. The wars and crises that can gestate the spark of a revolution are only the ones so destructive that it becomes impossible for the working mass to be deluded by propaganda.

Revolutions do not happen out of the blue. It's not a sudden impulse that turns a previously healthy society into chaos and wanton murder in a few days. On top of the very normalized violence and suffering that happens every working and non-working hour, which you also seem to be forgetting. The foundation of violence atop which capitalism rests, that are hidden by the routine, have to show their rot, poke through the previously effective cloaking, in order for any revolutionary movement to gain traction. There has to be a surplus of violence, put simply. Too much for people to brush off their conscience as things that just happen. Communists don't desire this, just like we don't desire the necessity of violent methods. But by the same token that the capitalist class imposes their rule through violence, the working class also suffers, and it suffers continuously, through even the most plentiful growth cycles.

Someone somewhere toiled to create every non-natural object you see, and they were coerced to work under threat of poverty, or more commonly, under threat of the deepening or the already present poverty. Every single object, service, everything that's produced under capitalism was produced through implicit or explicit instances of violence. And you want to talk about the figure of people who will die defending capitalism or as an indirect result of it? Actual revolutions have historically been virtually bloodless (wikipedia, which is heavily biased towards liberalism, doesn't even list any deaths for the October Revolution), what creates the bloodshed is the anti-revolutionary reaction. Revolutions don't create violence, they grow out of a substrate of pre-existing violence as an attempt to end it all. You don't blame the capitalists for the comparatively little violence that does happen as a result of a revolutionary struggle, so why do you blame the revolutionaries for the violence that's forced on them by the capitalist reaction?.

I don't see a more convincing cause than the potential to liberate all working people. Communism is not like the various liberal ideologies you'll see squabbling in parliaments and offices, it's not about promising individual -selfish- benefits. You can't build a new society without ever even hoping to also change the logics that built the previous one. It does not promise a more robust public healthcare system, or a stronger nation, or tax breaks. It lays out the historical process of the class struggle and concludes that the only way forward, and the thing that must be fought for, is the complete emancipation of the working class by changing the organization of work to not need the systematic exploitation of a social majority. This is done by abolishing the private ownership of the means of production, commodity production, money, and classes. This can only be achieved after an active period of transition that ensures that goal can be reached without interference, deviations, or returns, and that period of transition can only be reached with a violent overthrow of political power because that is how capitalism has developed to protect itself.

Communism not an ideology of vacuous and immediate promises to win over an electoral base. It does not hold a goal that can be reached by giving everyone what they personally desire immediately. You ask what what we can do to convince people of potentially dying for this cause, I ask how and when the working masses will see that it's either fighting for their class interests or condemning their children to shed sweat and blood for the same boot that stomped their fathers. They'll be convinced the same way every other communist was convinced, by combining the personal experience of the everpresent class antagonisms with the scientific analysis of society and history. The permeability of individual workers to these questions are left for tactics to solve, and they do solve it, not the overarching strategy.

[theamazingdigitalmarchingband]

COME ONE, COME ALL!!! You’re Invited To See The BEST BAND In The WHOLE Digital Realm!

Welcome to the Amazing Digital Marching Band!!! I, your conductor Caine, have gathered the VERY BEST musicians in ALL THE LAND to give you the most jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, mind-bending marching band you've ever laid your eyes AND ears upon! Don't be afraid and come on in! Diddle around with your favorite woodwinds, scream loud and proud with the brass, and keep perfect time and tempo with the percussion gang! I guarantee you, this band will be the best in all of the digital land, and you will NOT be disappointed by the marvels these hard-working individuals pull off! So get your instruments, get your drill, and get set! Rehearsal is about to begin, my friends! I salute to all a wonderful time here in this beautiful, musical, inescapable world!

Signed with a Salute, Caine, Head Drum Major

The Amazing Digital Marching Band, sometimes abbreviated as TADMB, is an Alternative Universe to the independently animated series "The Amazing Digital Circus". This alternate universe takes on the question of "What would it be like to be stuck in a never-ending cycle of marching and concert seasons?" as well as "What would band practice in complete virtual reality be like?" To be put more simply, each main character found within "The Amazing Digital Circus" is assigned a different role that are typically shown in a high school/collegiate marching band. These roles are as follows:

-Caine: Head Drum Major -Pomni: (Assistant) Drum Major -Ragatha: Flute (Woodwinds) -Jax: Trumpet (Brass) -Gangle: Color Guard -Zooble: Marching Snare (Battery) -Kinger: Gong And Bass Drum (Pit/Auxiliary)

Each character takes on a different piece that helps make a marching band full. One cannot exist without the other. Within this AU, the characters are shown going through the typical struggles, hardships, and perseverance that marching band members have to go through, but also shows the much more positive side of marching band: the community, the trust, and the lifelong friends.

This AU might even involve more than just marching band, leaking out into the daily lives that the characters live within the digital world they're trapped in, other interests they have besides music, and also possibly incorporating the fact that this AU takes heavy inspiration from high school marching bands by adding in elements of high school life, such as other "classes" the band members might be taking.

GENERAL ASK BOX RULES!

Do YOU have any questions for our talented performers? Any burning confusion that you want to confess? Than look no further than the BAND BOX! This is where you can gain information about the band, as well as some of the students within it! Just click "Ask The Band Members!", type in your question (anons are welcome!), and send it in to get an answer from our folks! However, there are some rules that you must follow in order to place a note in the Band Box! This is an EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT after all, so please follow these rules our students have curated: -NO NSFW. None of the characters are comfortable answering questions like that and neither are...they. The person that created us. The one almighty. I wonder what they look like... -NO SHIP ASKS! As our creator has told me to state, "They encourage shipping of any of the characters/pairings you enjoy, as long as its not problematic! No ships are canon within this AU because they encourage enjoyers of all Digital Circus ships to enjoy shipping their favorite characters together without discourse! So please don't ask about any ships, but feel free to make your own ship content for this AU!" -NO OFFENSIVE ASKS. This encompasses basically everything on a basic DNI list, such as homo/trans/enby/xenogenderphobia, hate against any religion, xenophobia, misogyny, racism, sexism, discrimination, ableism, etc. Hate towards any characters/hate asks are also not permitted. -All in all please be kind and think about what you're typing before you send it! Our creator is currently very busy and is in the home stretch school-wise, so answers to asks may take bit of time! Please be patient!

The band members are excited to meet you and answer your questions! Once again, welcome to the Official Ask Blog for The Amazing Digital Marching Band!!!

Note From THE CREATOR :O

Hello! Welcome to my very first ask blog! I have never run an ask blog before, so I’m looking forward to this experience! I hope you all enjoy the content I create for this blog as much as I enjoy creating it! March on, March strong! -Mod Hino

A POLL???

Yes, my lovely little readers! That is correct! A POLL!!! If you have been so courteous to read this post all the way down here, YOU get to choose which character of "The Amazing Digital Marching Band" cast will get a fully-fledged reference sheet first! The poll will ask a week, and then I will start on the character that has the most votes! So choose wisely!

[beguines]

Just as economic cycles have their leading and trailing indicators, cycles of trade union growth, militancy, and political radicalism have had their vanguard groups of workers. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, in virtually every geographic location, in every part of the world, in almost any time period, coal miners (where they existed in significant numbers) were in the lead when it came to labor struggles. Coal miners played this role so often, so many different times, in so many different types of societies that statements about their vanguard status are relatively uncontroversial. However, why and even how they played such a role is hardly ever examined systematically.

One of the early studies—​considered by many the seminal study—​by Kerr and Siegel examines a large amount of data from thirteen developed countries. Kerr and Siegel argue that miners, along with longshoremen, sailors, and loggers (and "to a much lesser extent" textile workers), formed "isolated masses," a "race apart," living in isolated communities, with common grievances and values. Their supposedly one-​dimensional communities allegedly created sharp class polarizations, without the other occupational and class groupings that might mitigate class antagonisms. Further, the employees all do the same type of work and have the same work experiences, thus forming "a largely homogeneous, undifferentiated mass". While correctly identifying the high strike rates of miners, their explanation is far from compelling. As a general thesis, Shorter and Tilly find their argument lacking, noting that in France, at least, it is the multi-​industry cosmopolitan cities, not the smaller, single-​industry ones, that have the highest strike rates. Gary Marks extends the critique by arguing that Kerr and Siegel's description of the coal industry and coal mining communities is inaccurate. He notes that industrial growth (in England, Germany, and the United States—​the three largest nineteenth-​ and early-​twentieth-​century coal producers) led to a rapid expansion of coal mining. Rather than leading to stable, isolated mining communities, the demand for labor led to a rapid influx of newcomers and a high level of transience of experienced miners. In those few isolated areas, miners were, if anything, more provincial than in the more open locales.

However, several studies have also shown that the strike militancy of miners varies considerably by country and even by mining districts within the same country. Numerous investigators have shown that coal miners in the United States and Great Britain, for example, have had significantly higher strike rates than miners in Western Europe, especially France and Germany, the largest Continental coal-​producing countries.

Lipset, in a nuanced study of political proclivities of groups of workers, finds miners among those most predisposed to left-​wing political support and activity, although, like Shorter and Tilly, he also lists larger cities, larger plants, and more "economically advanced regions" as similarly inclined. In contrast to the variations in strike militancy, investigators have found coal miners consistently more likely to be left-​wing in virtually all countries.

Investigators mention a number of hypotheses that might have led to increased militancy and radicalism on the part of miners. First, the sheer size of the coal industry and the large number of miners may have been a factor. Second, the centrality of coal to the national economy gave coal miners decisive economic leverage in major battles. Third, miners' solidarity and sense of common grievances did not develop from the isolated community or lack of occupational hierarchy. Rather, it was due to the unique working conditions underground, "dark as a dungeon," the miners often on their hands and knees, deep in the bowels of the earth. Coal had seeped into the pores of all who came up at the end of a shift, whatever their occupation, age, or color. Fourth, coal mining had high accident and death rates, with the threat of being buried alive always present. When cave-ins and explosions did occur, it was not isolation that created broad solidarity, but the community-​wide mobilizations and vigils that still accompany rescue efforts. Fifth, given the high percentage of the cost of coal that went to labor and the intense competition between the many producers, opposition to workers organizing for more pay and for better working conditions was inevitably intense.

Michael Goldfield, The Southern Key: Class, Race, and Radicalism in the 1930s and 1940s

[thecurioustale]

Should He Stay or Should He Go?

Nobody hates winning more than Democrats.

Actually, that's not entirely fair to Democrats, because a lot of this comes from disaffected leftists and center-left-ish, barely-engaged members of the public, both groups of which take pride in not calling themselves Democrats. But genuine, out and proud uppercase "D" Democrats are getting in on the fun this week, too. It's not new to this moment; it has dominated my entire adult life, and was probably true long before then. Democrats hate to win.

Okay, gamer! Here's the scenario: You have a kindly and likable president whose administration not only has restored governing normality after four years of a criminal lunatic whose pathological need for validation is wedging open the doors for American fascists to overthrow our constitutional system of liberty and the rule of law. Above and beyond defeating that monster, this also delivered a sprawling and effective constellation of policies and laws that meaningfully improved life in America and bolstered the international liberal democratic order. But, this president is beset by questions about his cognitive health due to his advanced age, and his performance in a recent debate with his opponent in the upcoming election—who happens to be the same criminal lunatic from before—has, rightly or wrongly, caused the dam of worries and reservations to burst. Now it's July, which in any other country would be plenty of time to run an election campaign, but in American elections is basically 11:58 pm ahead of an election that occurs at midnight, and Democrats are losing their shit and increasingly calling for the president to stand down from his reelection bid. Citizens have already voted months prior for whom they want the Democratic candidate to be—and they picked the president, because they always pick the incumbent—and all that remains now is the formality of nominating the incumbent in the big party convention that's coming up in just a few weeks. It's too late to replace the president at the top of the ticket except by party fiat at the convention, and there is no consensus on whether or not he actually should be replaced, but the calls for him to step aside are too numerous and urgent to be dismissed. There is real panic among activists and the party establishment.

What do you do?

What do you do? There's no obvious good answer to this. You can't replace a presidential candidate this late in an American election; you just can't. It's electoral suicide. This has been a natural law in American politics since the mid-century, when presidential nominations started becoming more (lowercase "d") democratic. Unless American society has sufficiently transformed for this law to no longer apply, replacing Joe Biden on the top of the ticket will lead to a decisive Democratic loss in November, including in the congressional elections.

But if you keep Joe Biden on the ballot, what are the odds that this panic will blow over? Almost every "disaster" in American politics turns out to be nothing of the sort; most such "disasters" are swallowed whole by the 24-hour news cycle within just a few days. This, however, seems like it might be one of the rare exceptions, and I say that because it isn't coming out of nowhere like most of these "disasters" do. This has been brewing for a while.

Much like cognitive decline itself, all this noise about President Biden's age didn't seem that serious to me until suddenly, virtually out of nowhere, it appeared to become existentially bad. What once seemed like a mixture of isolated cynics on the left, right-wing opportunists and their international allies orchestrating smear campaigns, and misinterpretation of the president's behavior by the uninformed lay public, news media, and political class, now seems to be in the past week a near-universal panic on the left. Even MSNBC, the closest thing we have to a left-wing propaganda network, is making this their top story. And the people defending President Biden seem like the exceptions.

The reason Biden's mental fitness didn't seem that serious to me is because I hadn't seen, and still haven't seen, any clear evidence that he is suffering from dementia. And I have had enough experiencing interacting with dementia sufferers to recognize it fairly well. One of the things I hate about American politics is that the core facts of a story always seem to be regarded as irrelevant by everyone. No one cares if President Biden is actually mentally fit or not—which someone like me would say is a critical detail that would significantly impact what I think our strategy should be going forward. For for almost everyone else, it's all about appearances. The media and the political class are absolutely convinced that Biden is senile, and so is a meaningful percentage of the American public.

Having a competent president obviously matters. Trump's incompetence for the job was a major plank (and validly so) of the case against him. If Biden is actually mentally deteriorating in a serious and significant way beyond the natural and manageable slowing that comes with aging, that's not trivial. That's very serious. And any strategy of "Circle the wagons and pretend that up is down!" is derelict in its responsibility to consider that.

But one might also say, equally validly, that a vote for president is really a vote for a presidential administration, and the Biden Administration has been exemplary: effective both executively and legislatively, cooperative and reliable in international politics, low in scandal, and genuinely aligned toward the interests of Americans who actually need the attention. President Biden forgave my student loans, gave me aid during the pandemic, and passed legislation to improve transit systems and roads that I use, just to name a few things that personally benefitted me directly. President Obama didn't do that. President Clinton didn't do that. And the thing is, it wasn't actually President Biden himself: It was Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and his department are the ones who forgave my student loans, for example, merely at the instruction of President Biden. A vote for a president is a vote for the kind of people that that president would surround himself with. And I have no doubt, none at all, that a second Biden Administration would be nearly if not completely as competent and effective as the first one. And if President Biden should become senile, or otherwise unwell, he would be relieved under the 25th Amendment, or would stand aside voluntarily after a private threat of the same, and would be ably and competently succeeded by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Compared to a hypothetical second Trump Administration, there is no comparison at all. This is one of those night-and-day choices between good and evil that you usually only find in fables. In the real world, choosing who to vote for doesn't get much cleaner or clearer than Biden vs. Trump.

But of course all of this reason operates on the literal level. On the meta level, the expectations game rules everything, aided by the phenomenon of political momentum. If the media frenzy actually is representative of public opinion, or is shaping public opinion in this direction, such that the American public genuinely has lost confidence in Joe Biden, that's it. That's game over. If Biden is on the ballot we'll lose the election and there's no stopping it at all. The fact that this could happen when America stands on the cusp of openly embracing fascism via the Republican Party is horrifying and bewildering and alienating, but America as a whole will always choose right-wing extremism over "weakness." Every Republican presidential nominee since Reagan has tried to argue, in one way or another, that their Democratic opponent is a weakling.

It's quite revealing, and troubling, that the Republican campaign, and even Donald Trump himself, have hung back and said very little in the past week. Trump is even delaying his vice presidential announcement, and will likely do so just long enough to let Biden stew as long as possible in the news cycle before Trump steals back the spotlight for himself just as Biden hypothetically but presumably starts to move on from the worst of this crisis.

Taking the meta into consideration, I think there are two key things to consider:

The first is that we should revisit the idea that replacing a presidential candidate so late in the process is actually political suicide. It was, for many decades. but now? Part of me wonders if the American public isn't sufficiently transformed from its past self that it might actually be a political boon to replace Biden: Doing so would completely quell the unease about his age while leaving the Republicans with limited time to construct a smear campaign against his replacement. Yesterday's "Replacing their guy after the primaries are over is weak!" might just be replaced with "Phew! Thank goodness. I don't want Trump but I was really worried about Biden."

If this were attempted, then win or lose it would be a major experiment in the American project, and would set a new benchmark of political reality in this country for decades to come. If replacing a candidate late in the race is actually viable, that would absolutely change partisan political campaign strategy going forward. And if the Democrats ended up losing as decisively as they would have in the past, we'll know with some confidence that the old law still stands. (This potentially conflates the act of replacing a candidate with the fact of the strengths and weaknesses of the replacement candidate, but even if the data were noisy they would still be illuminating.)

The other thing we need to consider is the same question that has been on my mind all year: I have been saying for a while now that, whichever way America votes in November, we are going to get what we deserve. If Biden stays on the ballot and we reelect him, that's going to mean a continuation of normalcy and democracy, and we'll have earned it by powering through our worries about Joe Biden specifically and still voting for the only legitimate candidate. And if Biden stays on the ballot and loses to Trump, we will no longer as a nation deserve this free land we have built and kept for ourselves. We will deserve the descent into fascism which has long been menacing us and which will inevitably accelerate in the years to come.

America's soul, and future, are on the line this year. And if not enough Americans think America's soul and future are worth saving because they're upset that Joe Biden is old, then damn them. Damn them all to Trump. And for the rest of my life, whether it be long or short, I will hold in contempt all Americans who were eligible to cast a vote for Joe Biden this year but did not. And in all my thinking going forward, they will be damned to second-class citizens, whether they be left or right or center, because they will be idiots and fools of the most glaring quality, short-sighted to the point of self-destruction, and they will not be trustworthy ever again in any matter requiring judgment beyond the scope of a thimble.

Old-timers of mine may know that I am not actually a lowercase "d" democrat. I don't believe in democracy. I have embraced it, especially in recent years, as "the best system we've got," and I think it still is that, whether or not Americans reject their own freedom and interests this November. But the horrifying "Amtrak Joe" (😢) train wreck that's playing out in slow motion in American society right now with regard to this election is a living case study in why and how otherwise-powerful democracies fail. If, in the 21st century, too many Americans are too dumb to see our situation for what it is, then there is probably no saving the idea that people are the best arbiters of their own interests.

As for what I would do: I would have a hard time withdrawing my support for someone who forgave the student loans that I thought I was going to die with. I've had those debts for over twenty years. The interest outpaces my ability to pay. I'd put in thousands of dollars of payments but hadn't moved the needle at all; in fact I was gradually losing ground. I have every confidence in Joe Biden's administration, regardless of his personal health, which I can't be sure of one way or the other.

I would keep Biden on the ballot, and make the argument that his administration has been professional and effective and that Biden himself could be ably succeeded as president by Harris if need be. That's good enough for me, even if I might wish I had greater confidence in Biden specifically.

But if Biden is going to be replaced, it has to happen now. This month, in the first half of this month if at all possible—two or three weeks at the absolute most. It should be Kamala Harris, because even though she was never my preference for president in 2020 and I would be very unlikely to pick her over the alternatives in the next open Democratic primary season, she is the current vice president and is the only one who could replace Biden at the top of the ticket without it feeling like a violation of the public trust by the Democratic Party establishment. Anyone else would be a bait-and-switch, but the vice president's literal job is to replace the president when needed. There could be no direr formulation of that supposition than this.

Regardless, I end where I began: This past week has changed my impression of the presidential race. Before, I thought both sides had a fair chance of winning. Incumbents usually lose some ground in their reelection, but Trump lost some ground by staging January 6, becoming a convicted felon, and by the Supreme Court's overturning of abortion rights. Now, however, I feel like we are seriously behind no matter whether Biden stays or goes. And that's because, at the end of the day, Democrats hate winning. No one is going to embrace my "The Biden Administration is up to the task whether or not Biden himself is" argument. There are no thinkers in this country.

[wherethefireliliesgrow]

(10) 409 days: indigo purple

Myoui Mina x reader

Part of the series: Palette

Previous chapter: (9) 626 days: phthalo green

409 days.

Mina has been on tour for the past three months, and initially, communication between you two was going well. She would always find time to call and express how much she missed you, and even arrange virtual dates with you. However, lately, she's been forgetting to return your calls.

You knew she was busy, but it's disheartening to see that Ryujin manages to maintain consistent contact with Karina and even with you, while Mina seems to have forgotten about you. You know you're not officially dating, so you can't really hold it against her.

But these circumstances have led you to question the validity of the months you spent together. The reminder of her presence on the bed feels like a distant memory, and even the scent of her on her sweaters is fading away. Is this what love is always like? Constantly dwelling in uncertainty, questioning your worthiness for someone else's affection?

It's an anguishing thought, leaving you wondering if this is how it will always be—forever trapped in a cycle of doubt and longing, never truly knowing where you stand with the person you care about.

You chose to fully immerse yourself in work and take care of Haerin, who had been under immense stress due to her preparations for the college entrance exams. She would spend nights at cram schools and wouldn't return home until midnight. Haerin had a passion for studying arts, much like you and Karina, but her parents exerted significant control over her future. They forced her to quit her internship and enrolled her in cram schools for every subject. Witnessing Haerin constantly on the verge of exhaustion filled you with unceasing worry.You found it truly perplexing how the education system in this country placed such an enormous amount of pressure on young students, expecting them to have their entire lives planned out by the age of 17.

Which was why, you and your team borrowed the studio on a Saturday morning at eight am. Together, you were decorating the room with balloons, preparing a surprise birthday party for the younger girl. She had been feeling under the weather for quite some time, and you wanted to lift her spirits. You even invited the Le Sserafim girls to join in, as you had grown closer to them in the previous months. Haerin was naturally shy and struggled to make friends at school, so you were incredibly grateful that the group had shown such patience with her. You were particularly glad that Eunchae had managed to help Haerin come out of her shell a little bit.

The party was a result of Mina's absence. She had promised Haerin to take her to Lego Land for her birthday but called three days prior to cancel. This left the younger girl extremely disappointed, and a heated argument between you and Mina ensued. The fight ended badly, with you crying and Mina hanging up the phone in frustration, resulting in absolutely no contact between the two of you for two days. However, you were accustomed to the silence; it usually took the idol four to five days to call you back anyway.

It was a good thing that Yunjin had a back up plan: a frog themed party. 

Decorated with countless frog balloons and confetti, the studio was starting to look somewhat presentable after four hours of hard work. You had left to pick up Haerin from her weekend cram school classes, which you thought was absurd to make a child go to class during the weekends, but her parents had insisted on signing her up. The younger girl hummed contently in the front seat of your car, gazing out the window at the droplets of rain on the windowpane from the soft drizzle outside.

When the elevator dinged and the doors opened to the studio floor, it was a scene of utter chaos. Before either of you could register what was happening, the lights suddenly switched on, illuminating the vibrant space. Haerin was swiftly yanked out of the elevator, greeted by a flurry of activity. A purple party hat adorned her head, and pineapple-designed sunglasses were hastily placed on her face. Without warning, she was whisked away, lifted onto Ryujin's back, and paraded around the studio in a whirlwind of excitement.

"Move out of the way, move out of the way!" Ryujin shouted, laughing at the terrified Haerin on her back. "Toddler coming through!" 

The rest of the crowd joined in with laughter and enthusiastic cheers, thoroughly enjoying the lighthearted moment. However, their amusement came to an abrupt halt when Ryujin inadvertently collided with a wall, causing her to lose her grip and drop the birthday girl onto the floor.

You were surprised to see Ryujin here,considering how packed their schedules were during the world tour.. Taking a quick survey of the room, a wave of gratitude washed over you for those who made it to celebrate Haerin's special day. The entire team was present, along with Ryujin and Yeji, the Le Sserafim girls, some of Haerin's cousins, and unexpectedly... Chaeyoung?

The presence of the TWICE member caught you off guard, and your heart skipped a beat at the possibility that Mina might have came with her. Your eyes locked with Chaeyoung's, and she offered a smile tinged with sadness, resembling more of a grimace. However, before you could approach the lone idol, warm hands wrapped around your waist, pulling you into a tight embrace from behind. The familiar and dearly missed scent of soft florals enveloped you, momentarily causing your mind to go blank.

"I missed you," Mina whispered, nuzzling her face into the back of your neck, seeking solace in your embrace.

Although the comfort of her arms felt familiar and tempting, you gently pulled away to meet her gaze.

"What are you doing here?" The memories of your previous fight echoed in your mind, causing a touch of coldness to seep into your voice.

Mina's expression fell, recognizing the bitterness in your tone. She was well aware of the hurtful words she had uttered during that argument, words she didn't truly mean.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to see you and Haerin," she confessed, her head hanging low as guilt washed over her entire being.

"Do you?" you questioned, a mix of annoyance and lingering affection playing within your heart. "You mentioned how I was too 'clingy,' if I recall correctly."

Mina vehemently shook her head, interjecting before you could finish, and pulled you into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry I said that. I didn't mean it. I was just stressed."

You relented, deciding to let this go for now because you wanted to keep the mood happy for Haerin’s sake.

"We'll talk later," you murmured, placing a soft kiss on her forehead as a symbol of reconciliation.

The brunette idol lingered around you for the remainder of the time, but it was evident that she wasn't fully engaged with her surroundings or attentive to your conversation. She kept checking her phone every ten minutes, which annoyed you since she wasn't typically someone who relied heavily on technology unless it involved gaming. Despite feeling irritated, you refrained from pressing her on it, you knew that she was probably busy with work. Pushing your doubt and suspicion to the back of your mind, you tried to appreciate that she at least tried to make an effort in coming here. 

As you and Haerin gathered her presents onto the table, Yunjin suddenly embraced both of you, her energetic voice ringing in your ears.

"Hello, my favorite girls!" she singonged with enthusiasm, almost deafening you. "Are you ready for cake?"

Haerin's eyes lit up instantly, causing her to drop the boxes she was holding and nod eagerly.

"Love the attitude," Yunjin chuckled, flashing her infectious smile as she affectionately patted Haerin's head. "I got a froggy-designed cake for our froggy princess."

Before you could respond, an icy voice cut through the air from behind you.

"Who's this?" Mina's gaze bore into Yunjin's arm that was wrapped around your shoulder, prompting the American to quickly retract her hands.

"Mina, this is Yunjin," you sighed, fully aware that an argument was about to erupt.

Yunjin immediately bowed out of respect. "Annyeonghaseyo, Mina sunbaenim."

Mina gave a dismissive nod, her narrowed eyes and tight lips revealing her displeasure.

"I didn't know you two were so close," her tone was sharp, laced with accusation.

You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. This argument had arisen multiple times during your phone calls. You couldn't understand why Mina was so defensive towards Yunjin, and despite your efforts to reassure her, she continued to harbor doubts.

Sensing the tension, Haerin swiftly chimed in, attempting to lighten the mood. 

"Yunjin unnie helps Eunchae and I with our English homework sometimes.”

Yunjin nodded in agreement, offering a gentle smile in an effort to ease the tension.

"I'll go get the cake," Yunjin quickly bowed again and started guiding Haerin toward the kitchen. "It was nice meeting you, Mina sunbaenim."

"Same to you, Yoo-jin," Mina replied coolly.

The brunette idol continued to glare daggers at Yunjin's retreating figure, her eyes filled with animosity.

"Seriously, Mina?" you raised your voice. "That was uncalled for."

"What?" Mina retorted.

"You know her name perfectly well," you responded sharply.

"Well, you seem to know her a bit too well," Mina shot back, her brown eyes burning with anger.

"Are you implying that I'm cheating?" you scoffed.

"I don't know. Are you?" Mina challenged.

You rubbed your forehead in frustration. It pained you to be accused of such a thing, especially when she was the one who never bothered to answer your calls. The ease with which she threw accusations at you without much thought hurt your heart. It was never that simple for Waywards—the bond they shared with their soulmates was unbreakable, and the idea of being with someone else was nearly inconceivable.

"Are you even considering what you're saying right now?" you asked, trying to contain your frustration.

"It's fine. We're not together anyway. Do whatever you want," Mina responded coldly.

You were shocked and stunned by her comment, standing in silence as you looked at the girl you had poured your heart into. Mina refused to back down, but you could see instant regret in her eyes for what she had said. In the midst of the silence, Chaeyoung suddenly appeared, gently pulling you away from Mina by the wrist.

"Let's not do this here. It's Haerin's big day today; let's not ruin it," the messy blonde said, offering you her familiar crooked smile, tinged with sadness in her eyes.

You nodded, softly squeezing Chaeyoung's hand before making your way to the kitchen to help Yunjin and Haerin, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from your eyes.

Though she appeared composed, Chaeyoung was seething with anger. She gestured for her fellow brunette band member to follow her outside.

"You better make up your mind, Mina. Or you'll end up losing everything," Chaeyoung warned sternly.

Mina lowered her head in defeat. "I don't know what to do," she sighed. "There's too much at stake on both sides."

"She deserves better than this. I can see how you treat her," Chaeyoung asserted. She had always been the voice of reason, but she had grown tired of the hot and cold treatment Mina was subjecting you to. She had witnessed your relationship flourish and wither away in a matter of months, and she was determined not to let Mina hurt you, whether they were bandmates or not. "Just tell her the truth."

Mina blinked slowly, her mind racing as she desperately searched for a way out of the situation she had gotten herself into.

Shaking her head at the brooding brunette, Chaeyoung had a sinking feeling that Mina was about to make a foolish decision. But as a friend, the only thing she could do was offer her advice. 

The remainder of the party went smoothly, although Mina's attempts to catch your eye were in vain. She wanted to apologize for her rude behavior, knowing full well how deeply she had hurt you today and for the past three months with her indecisiveness.

The image of you throwing your head back in laughter at something Yunjin said pierced Mina's heart like knives. It served as a painful reminder that she was the reason you no longer laughed with her, always settling for silence and anger instead. She couldn't help but feel jealous, but she also recognized that she had no right to express this, especially considering what she would have to do in the future.

.

.

.

.

Finally, the party came to an end at five, and after a quick clean-up of the studio, you were ready to take Haerin to dinner and call it a day. In order to avoid encountering Mina, you swiftly loaded Haerin's gifts into your car. Despite longing to speak with the idol after all these months, you were not in the mood to engage with her, and you noticed her and Chaeyoung lingering behind, hoping to catch your attention.

Before you could close the trunk of your car, Mina and Chaeyoung appeared beside you, startling you.

"Hey, birthday girl," Chaeyoung called out to the younger blonde. "Are you free tonight?"

Haerin looked at them with confusion, then glanced at you, to which you simply shrugged.

"I thought you had a concert tomorrow," Haerin responded, a hint of disappointment still lingering in her voice.

"We'll fly back tomorrow morning, don't worry," Mina reassured her. "Would you like to go to the carnival with me? I want to make up for our canceled Lego Land trip."

Haerin's ears perked up at the mention of the carnival, as she loved going there for the games. She hesitated for a moment before nodding, taking Mina's outstretched hand.

Satisfied with the apology, Haerin bounded over for a hug. As you stood there, a pang of envy washed over you. It seemed so effortless for them to resolve their issues, while with you and Mina, it was always a tumultuous cycle of heated arguments and icy silence. You no longer understood the idol, and you couldn't help but feel that she no longer needed you.

Sighing, you closed the trunk of your car and directed your words to Chaeyoung and Mina (more like to only Chaeyoung because you refused to look at Mina), “Please have her back by 10, she has classes tomorrow.”

Mina's disappointment was evident in her shining eyes as she asked, "You're not coming?"

You shook your head, firmly stating, "I have something to do."

"Jagi..." Mina's voice softened as she cautiously inched closer to you, as if approaching a wild animal that might startle at any moment.

Your heart lurched at her touch on your skin, and you closed your eyes trying not to give in. She always managed to get away with things if it’s to you. The idea of making her sad or disappointed would physically hurt your heart. You had started to notice tihs toxic cycle of Mina being so cold to you for days on end or saying something she knew would hurt you, but then would suddenly be so caring and soft. It was a never ending cycle that you couldnt bring yourself to leave, so you prayed that things would change for the better instead. 

As expected, with a gentle kiss to your temple and a few pleading words, Mina had you wrapped around her finger. Before you knew it, you found yourself sitting in the passenger seat of Mina's car, en route to the carnival near the Han River.

.

.

.

.

The short few hours there were fun, although you hated to admit it. Mina and Chaeyoung had gone on every ride Haerin asked them to accompany her on. You subtly acknowledged Mina's determination, even though she looked sick after getting off each ride, yet she always said yes to the next one.

With your hands full of the stuffed animals that the Twice members had spent a considerable amount of money on to win for Haerin (honestly, they were so bad at the baseball throwing that you thought buying them directly from the vendors would've been cheaper), you waited in line with Chaeyoung for the final ride of the night—the Ferris wheel. Meanwhile, Mina took Haerin to get a final round of ice cream.

Chaeyoung stood silently next to you, and an air of awkwardness lingered between the two of you throughout the night. You sensed that she had something to say but was hesitant to bring it up. 

"I know you have something you want to tell me, Chae," you said, determined to address it one final time. With just the two of you, Chaeyoung appeared slightly less nervous. 

The fellow blonde met your gaze, and for a fleeting moment, you saw guilt flash in her eyes.

"You know you can tell me anything," you said softly, hoping to encourage her to share the thoughts that had been eating her alive all day. 

Chaeyoung sighed, offering you a sad smile that lacked her usual dimples. "It's not my place to say," she replied cryptically, leaving you even more curious and worried.

"At least let me know what I can do to ease your mind," you insisted, prioritizing her feelings over your curiosity about what was going on in her mind. 

But before Chaeyoung could open her mouth to reply, Haerin and Mina came running back. Mina positioned herself between you and Chaeyoung, wrapping her arm around your shoulder, while Haerin excitedly talked about the schools she wanted to apply to. You couldn't help but notice the warning look Mina gave to Chaeyoung, and you certainly didn't miss the anger on Chaeyoung's face when Mina became distracted in the middle of the conversation, briefly glancing at her phone to send a few texts.

You were deeply in love with Mina, but you were not oblivious.  Mina was definitely hiding something from you.  

The ferris wheel was small, and the four of you split into two to ride. Mina tightly grasped your hand as you pulled her into the glass cart, knowing her fear of heights.Facing each other with your legs tightly wedged in the limited space, you couldn't help but gaze at Mina's angelic face. Her soft features, wavy brown hair, and the simple white blouse paired with a leather jacket showcased her effortless beauty. Yet, beneath it all, a sinking feeling in your heart warned you that this angelic facade might be your downfall.

"Look, fireworks," Mina whispered in awe, her gaze fixed on the glass windows. The fireworks illuminated the dark night sky, casting vibrant colors on both of your faces.

For a few fleeting seconds at the peak of the ferris wheel, time seemed to stand still. You memorized the sight of Mina, awestruck and illuminated by the colorful fireworks. The indigo glow from the fireworks painted her profile, accentuating the sparkle in her eyes.  It was a breathtaking moment, but like life, it couldn't last forever.

As the ferris wheel descended, Mina's phone lit up, resting on her lap. Your curiosity got the better of you, and you glanced at the screen, immediately regretting your decision. There, under an indigo heart emoji,  a message read, "When are you coming back? I miss you."

You looked away, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from your eyes. 

You didn't say anything as Mina drove you and Haerin home, nor did you comment on the new expensive watch now adorning Mina's wrist, perfectly concealing her tattoo. You remained silent, hoping to hold onto her for a little longer.

When she gave you a goodbye kiss, you said nothing, simply closing your eyes and savoring the feel of her soft lips on yours.

The image of her face, filled with wonder and illuminated by the indigo purple fireworks, replayed in your mind, intertwining with your bittersweet emotions.

Previous chapter

Next chapter

This chapter is a bit longer to make up for my late updates!! Thank you for your patience :)

[puckpocketed]

Autumn Hockey Diaries - Defencemen, Hockey Blinders, and the Hand of the Narrative: Brock Faber In 2 Minutes and 9 Seconds

[Foreword: This essay is not what I thought it would be. It's probably not what you think it will be either. I've cut down a lot of the content because it was approaching thesis length, and I've got a lot of uni-related writing to get through. Appendices of cut content and extra reading will be published some time down the road. Look for #puckmortems.]

Brock Faber is not on the agenda. Brock Faber is a gliding figure in the middle of my screen, on occasion. More often, he is a hunched over body on the blue line, or he’s directing traffic behind the net, or he’s a blurry smear of green-red-white on the outer edges of where the play is happening. Nonetheless, it's like he’s never off the ice. “how do i even begin to write about a rookie” I say into the void in a despondent blog post, not long after I reluctantly accept that the itch won’t leave until I do. This is deeply inconvenient. I’m already in the middle of researching for another piece, halfway through an ice hockey book which I picked up in an attempt to familiarise myself with forward cycling and forechecking systems. Ironically, I have the Flyers vs Wild game up to watch an entirely different 21-year-old defenceman. My eyes snag on Faber anyway. 

Let’s rewind a bit.

HOW DID I GET HERE?

Those following along already know this, but I’ve been meaning to write about the Anaheim Ducks. They caught my eye in December 2023, not long after I plunged heart-first into hockey — and then, of course, the Drysdale-Gauthier trade happened in January, and the idle research project I had going on kicked into high gear. I began to dig and dig and found narrative after narrative, and as I tried to sift through sensationalised click-farming and journalism, I felt the other narrative, capital ‘n’ Narrative, begin to close in. I was out of my depth; the rebuild was an abyss, Drysdale was inextricably linked to the media’s whipping boy, Trevor Zegras, and I was a little too fond of the Ducks to be any more lax with my research.

I wanted terribly to have clips and analysis on hand, real proof to throw in peoples’ faces when they made assumptions. There was too much to say, and too much tape to watch, and far too many books I needed to read in order to have the correct language and technical knowledge to do that kind of piece justice. I resigned myself to becoming one of those guys drawing over gameplay with a virtual marker one day. Afterwards, I picked up Take Your Eye Off the Puck: How to Watch Hockey by Knowing Where to Look by Greg Wyshynski. Unsolicited review: it’s got relevant information but all of that is sandwiched between unfunny Xennial sarcasm and Harry Potter references that are transparently desperate attempts at being accessible/relatable/fun — save your money unless you can hold your nose about all of the above. The man himself is possibly the worst thing you can be as a human being: annoying on Twitter. Any quoting from his book that I do is purely because, on occasion, he has anecdotes to share that can’t be found elsewhere.

So there I am, days out from the fallout of January 8th and rewatching Drysdale's first match.

WHO IS NUMBER 7? THE CALDER RACE, AND HOCKEY BLINDERS

But Brock Faber, number 7 a beacon on his back, surefooted and scanning the ice like a centre, is always just there. He’s skating every other shift, he’s on the penalty kill, or controlling the gap on a Flyer forward, he’s somehow also anchoring the power play — and really who is this guy? His name sounds familiar. The usual skim of articles turns up hype and speculation, opinion pieces written after Connor Bedard was confirmed to be out for 6 weeks with a broken jaw. They float Faber as a possible Calder contender, should Bedard somehow fail to catch up after his recovery.

And that’s where I’ve heard Faber’s name. He’s part of the class of poor bastards who have to share their debut season with Bedard, the fourth-coming of Gretzky — similar to Bedard’s draft year, yet infinitely worse because it’s the goddamn NHL and being in a different draft class doesn’t do you any good if you’ve got to share actual ice with him. All are afterthoughts, are footnotes in Bedard’s wake. When you speak of the rookies of the 2023-24 season the spectre of the Next Next Next One looms, and you can’t help but let slip the pity you nurse for those who would be the sweethearts of national media coverage, the new wave, if not for that monstrous boy and his, at the time, 33 points in 39 games.

There’s a border here. I step around it tenderly — helped along by a heavy dose of cognitive dissonance — when watching ice hockey, it isn’t to be crossed. I call them my ‘ice hockey horse blinders’, hockey blinders for short. They’re required safety equipment at this point, mandatory so that my sanity stays intact against everything ice hockey can be (aside from the best sport in the world): the retributive justice, the implications behind calling a player ‘soft’ for daring to protect themselves in a scrum; the insular masculist locker room culture which, in the end, is built upon rituals and language that degrades women and positions queerness as lesser-than.

One must also avoid thinking too hard about the way players are bandied about and dealt with like livestock, the way that they’re workers who sell their labour, too, and how they only really get to self-advocate when the collective bargaining agreement rolls around; how even then they’re hampered by all these unspoken traditions, arbitrary codes. Breathe and forget for a moment, for at least sixty glorious minutes of skating and violence, that for any athlete — for any prodigy — to exist and thrive, a child’s life was appropriated, taken in hand and moulded to fit a pipeline of production, because sports is a business the exact same way music and movies are.

The more I learn about Brock Faber, the harder it is to keep the hockey blinders from slipping off.

 “Brock Faber shouldn’t be possible,” is what people write about him in one form or another. They marvel at his strength, his size, his resilience; release article after article about how another rookie d-man would likely buckle under the weight of the work, how none of this was ever expected from someone so young and untested. Yet, the longer I sit with it the more unsettled I am. I watch his time on ice tick up and up with each game, hear on broadcast and read online that he’s on track to break the record for rookie average TOI. As of writing, he’s got 430 minutes on his next teammate for total time on ice. The only players on the Wild ahead of him are their goalies. The longer I put off finishing this essay (months now, from the time I first committed words to document) the wider this gap will grow. They say no one ever expected this from him, but an insidious thought creeps in: hasn’t the Narrative demanded this all along?

TIME, HAUNTING, AND MINNESOTA

Turns out I wasn’t wrong about Faber’s presence on the ice. The Wild have him skating minutes that usually go to veterans. He skates for 28:49 in the Philly match. Between the 10th of December and the 6th of January, Faber played 13 games. In 10 of them, he spent over 24 minutes skating. In half of those games, he logged over 30 minutes of ice time.

(NHL.com, highlights mine)

These are playoffs numbers, and they don’t just call it “playoffs hockey” because of the physicality. Exhaustion and injury go hand in hand, and playoffs hockey claims it’s tributes every year — rarely is it that this pace is sustainable, evidenced by how no teams make it through playoffs completely healthy. Top d-men are capable of it, yes, but it’s best avoided. When it happens, it’s an aberration. Poor management of ice time can result in sloppy play due to exhaustion. For the player who is exhausted, who fears exhaustion at critical junctures, they may choose to limit themselves, to compromise on plays to preserve their energy. More salient: every surplus minute extends the timeframe for possible injury, and every additional responsibility piled on top of that opens the door to potential burnout. So why do that to a rookie? What would compel any coach to do this, considering the risks?

Is Faber that good?

The question warrants another step backwards. Trouble is, this is where the tape begins to skip, a reverb-stutter-reverse that’s impossible to ignore. How far back to go? Does it start with the injuries that gutted the Wild’s d-core, shifting Faber into the limelight for sheer lack of options? Maybe further? Maybe it began in the mere hours between when Faber lost a devastating final match with his college team and signing with the Wild to play his very first NHL games — the third of which was the fucking Stanley Cup playoffs. 

Or perhaps it kicked off with the Wild buying out the Parise and Suter contracts in an effort to purge the team’s culture and start afresh? This was Wild management signalling that they’d take the salary cap penalty for now, but they were banking on a significant cap rise in the coming years. The subsequent “devastation” when Gary Bettman announced that the salary cap would only be going up by 1 million the following season — guaranteeing the Wild’s next few years would be lean ones — is what led to Faber being traded from the LA Kings for the Wild’s Kevin Fiala, after all.

But maybe linearity isn’t the play. The Narrative cannot be temporally bound, so why should this essay? The weft and warp of the Narrative sprawls out in four dimensions: the present weaves itself into the past; futures that never were dig their way down into the seams of time to rip into the present; and history is a concertina of repetitions and echoes, the same threads again and again.

Time and history are a deep well, I hover and put my ear to the dark, and Minnesota is the sound that echoes down. Minnesota, Minnesota, Minnesota.

Minnesota, the State of Hockey — and Brock Faber is a Minnesota boy. The Gophers, his college team, are a Minnesota team. He grows up going to Minnesota Wild games. And, because no kid gets to play for the team they grew up watching, he gets drafted 45th overall by the LA Kings. That’s the business; when you play hockey you are at the mercy of the draft lottery and the end-of-season standings. 

(@ mnwild via Twitter/X)

Only, this is the Narrative we’re talking about. The moment someone says ‘unlikely’ or ‘never’, it emerges and reasserts itself: sometimes things can be right out of a movie script. In Faber’s case, a dream. He talks openly about just how happy and grateful he is to be there. A real hometown hero — the title conferred upon him by media and fans and the ever-present Narrative. Faber doesn’t get to escape it just because the chances are slim, just because all the other Minnesota boys were scattered at the draft.

The Minnesota Wild as a franchise is held within its grip, too.

What do you call a Cup drought when it’s never rained in the first place? Meet the Wild, a middling American expansion team that’s not quite young enough to excuse their limping performance anymore, not quite old enough to have a sterling legacy to fall back upon. “Advancement seems there for the taking. It’s the least they could do after teasing this forsaken market April after unfulfilling April,” writes Brian Murphy; an embittered rally against the Wild’s historic floundering, even as he gushes about Faber’s first few games. Playoffs made in 13 out of 23 seasons aren't awful odds…until you read a little further to find out they’ve never come within sniffing distance of the finals. They are, it seems, perpetually on the cusp of — something. I couldn’t tell you what. Destruction? Greatness? Glory, even?

(via sergeifyodorov)

Just over 5 years ago, the front office asked for continued support in an open letter to fans. There would be a little patience required, but not too much — not when glory was just around the corner. The letter does not mention the vortex of rumours surrounding the locker room, the two veteran contracts they had to excise. They wouldn’t be rebuilding, of course, no need to panic and no need for a teardown — they had the pieces in line and were ready for a real effort, a deep run at the playoffs and a Cup, and “nothing less.”

Funny, a little over 5 years before that there was yet another letter asking for yet another small stretch of patience, right after acquiring two very familiar contracts. Parise and Suter, for those unaware, were brought in as two experienced players who would push the Wild over the line from “perennial playoff team” to Cup winners. Big name free agents, with lots of clout to go with them — and of course they chose Minnesota, says owner Craig Leipold, citing their “strong ties to the area.” Glory was, once again, just around the corner — what could go wrong?

And this time there’s been no letter but now they have Brock Faber, so bright and talented and so willing to just keep going, taking what he’s served, assignment after assignment. They have Kirill Kaprizov, a true superstar, ‘The Guy’, the kind who plants a flag and becomes the franchise. They’ve got Marco Rossi, yet another of their rookies who has made an incredible, unexpected splash — NHL-ready against the odds. The final season of the Parise-Suter buyouts will come in the next two years, and with it will arrive the much-needed relief of league-wide cap increases.And now, we see, the Narrative keeps the wheel spinning, keeps the story going in that reverb-stutter-reverse — and glory is just around the corner.

DEFENCEMEN AND THE SIZE ISSUE

Let’s talk about what it means to be a top pairing defenceman in the modern NHL. The Minnesota Wild’s d-core is fried from season-derailing (and in Jared Spurgeon’s case, ending) injury, yes. But normally, filling in wouldn’t fall to a defenceman in his rookie year. Where another team might’ve spread the responsibilities, Faber is given the lion’s share of downed d-men Brodin and Spurgeon’s duties. He's the power play quarterback, a given presence on the penalty kill; he’s out on the ice during OT; at times sent out as a catch-all shutdown defenceman versus the league’s best forwards (I watch him try to keep up with McDavid reviewing an earlier match against the Oilers and I think, with my heart in my mouth: you are so fucking young). It’s more than just a lack of options. To answer my own question: Faber might actually be that good.

I’m talking around it, but the Norris Trophy isn’t handed out to defencemen who can’t rack up points. And on the whole, defencemen who aren’t geared toward offence don’t score. The debate comes around every season now, I assume, to just make a new award for the best defensive-defenceman — this is entirely down to how the responsibilities and expectations of d-men are undergoing rapid evolution in the shadow of elite skaters and puck movers like Cale Makar and Erik Karlsson. The age of pure stay-at-home defencemen — those that play shutdown to the exclusion of all else — is seemingly winding down, has been for a while. “Offensive-defenceman” is no cute rejoinder for d-men who happen to have a little offensive upside. From Bobby Orr until now, it’s become synonymous with a set of traits that define the league’s best blueliners. Skating prowess is part of it, being able to carry and protect the puck is part of it, but the best of the best are able to seamlessly transition from defence to offence, joining the rush from the d-zone after a turnover, to become lethal in the slot.

Where Brock Faber lands on all these metrics begins with who he was before he arrived in the NHL. He makes a strange case amongst all the rookie defencemen I’ve had the chance to research, a mixing pot of what’s usually found desirable in a prospect — and a few quirks that separate him from the pack. I was shocked when I found out Faber played an exclusively defensive role for the Gophers right up until he signed with the Wild — and before then had spent no time on the power play. “I just hated getting scored on by these kids in college,” says Faber in his interview on the Wild’s official team podcast [43:31]. He goes on to tell the hosts; it actually feels easier to play in the NHL at times, because his teammates know where they’re supposed to be, and if he pushes up on an opportunity he can trust someone else to drop back and fill that gap — he is certain that this has smoothed the bumps in his offensive leap forward. And how has he done? Incredibly, by all accounts. Of the many scouting videos, podcasts, and articles I’ve perused, this trajectory is… rare. At least, for top defenceman prospects. He’s got it all backwards, see; as opposed to the archetype of the puck-moving, dynamic attacker who has leaks in their defensive game (presumably, something that must be worked on as they come into their own in the NHL), he came in a defensive powerhouse, a shutdown-d, and had to learn to let go of the blue line and attack. It took two months for the Wild to ease him into taking on Spurgeon’s role as PP1 quarterback, but since then he’s been a standout player.

Past the power play, Faber’s point and goal production has skyrocketed in comparison to his pre-NHL career — seemingly out of nowhere. He’s got the skating and the stick handling ability to do it, and now it seems he’s begun to hone that killer instinct. Coach Evason, before his dismissal, let out a critique of a then-struggling Wild: "Brock Faber can't be our best player every night.” On a streaky, at times unstoppable, at times paper-thin Wild defence, Faber was a boon.

One very obvious way Faber has adhered to the specifications laid out by scouts is his height and weight. It’s said that defencemen take a little longer than forwards to start showing up in the NHL from the time they’re drafted. It’s the body-size issue, according to some. The d-men who make the cut are older, bigger. The myth goes: while rookie forwards might get away with being 5 '9’’ and underweight on account of agility and hockey sense (and more than a little help from coaches who send them out while the puck is in the o-zone), when you’re a blueliner, and hence the only thing standing between Auston Matthews’ finisher, Nathan MacKinnon's rush, and a clear shot on your goalie and the back of the net, you can’t afford to be small. 

We’re living in a post-Statistical Analysis Revolution hockey world, though, so we know a little better about size. An alternative explanation to the size myth is something I’ve only ever heard of in oblique references — specific to d-men, coaches call it the “200 game” threshold for development. Further inquiry, (including appropriation of university catalogue access and trawling JSTOR), has turned up little helpful literature on the origins of this belief, aside from a stub of an article that called the cutoff “artificial”, taking note that prospects who failed to perform to standards by the 200-game mark were written off as doomed AHL ‘tweeners. I did, however, find a very interesting statistical analysis write-up by the folks over at Dobber Hockey.

Undersized forwards don’t float through on skill and quickness alone; one of the biggest predictors for success is, according to Dobber and Mat Porter, falling within the league average for size and weight. The theory here has been dubbed BT, short for “breakout threshold”, and represents the number of games taken for any given player to become competent and start producing consistently in the NHL. That number, for the average player? 200 games. And contrary to stereotypes, undersized defencemen and forwards struggle.  Furthermore, a stat that defies intuition arises when examining those on the taller end. Data doesn’t lie: “Bigger defencemen and exceptionally-sized forwards need 400 NHL regular season games.” Porter posits that growth spurts can be a detriment to young players just entering the NHL; the jump in body mass causing a mismatch in their expectations of their bodies, a “simple physics” problem, necessitating a slight buffering period as they readjust their physical and spatial awareness around the changes.

The belief remains, however, that larger is better. I’m understating just how much it pervades hockey discourses. It’s present in scouting reports and has had measurable impacts on drafting; I hear it on hockey podcasts; it’s thrown out casually during interviews by coaches and fellow players; it's the first thing you'll hear from a caster who isn't familiar with a player's game. I can’t read or listen to anything about Faber without stumbling across it — the preoccupation with size.

The language used to praise Faber and players like him has my stomach twisting in a discomfort that I find hard to quantify — players, coaches, and the media all talk about him, and the hockey blinders slip. He’s a “workhorse”, a “stud”, he’s got “a man’s body” — and call it projecting, call it reading too deeply into innocuous statements, but the closest thing I can compare it to is hearing my AFAB body spoken about as an object whose value can be reduced to its function, its usefulness, its closeness to sexual maturity.

Elite athleticism is produced when you derail a child’s life and set them on the path, just the same as all the other entertainment industries — think: the k-pop idol machine, pageants, child actors and models who then become adult celebrities, and, of course, the emerging phenomenon of the child influencer. For men’s sports, there’s something extra on top of the commodification of children’s bodies — it’s the vernacular of near-fetishistic worship; of the masculine, the oxymoronic youthful-but-mature, the virile.

I’ll be very clear here: I’m not reading anything malicious from specific people, I’m not accusing anyone of crimes, and in no way am I implying that ice hockey is unique here. Just the opposite, in fact. I know professional sports hinges upon producing stars, that the commodification of young bodies is endemic to the business. Those stars are, stripped down to the basest definition, workers who perform with their bodies and sell their labour, whose bodies will inevitably be coveted and revered for their adherence to the Platonic ideal of their respective crafts. MYTHMAKING: THE SHIFT

“Brock Faber’s play in overtime of the Minnesota Wild’s Dec. 14 victory over Calgary almost certainly has been long forgotten,” says Judd Zulgad in yet another article covering the miracle of Faber’s rookie season. Zulgad is wrong. This overtime play has been repeated, over and over again, a new myth constructed around Faber before our eyes. “He’s completely exhausted, but not only [gave] a second effort, he’s got the wherewithal to bump the puck back so we can gain possession and get a line change,” says Wild coach John Hynes — this particular quote is a favourite for the beat writers who mill out post-game fluff pieces.

The overtime starts like any other: face-off at centre ice, 3-on-3. The broadcast takes note that Brock Faber is starting, that he’s developed offensively in his rookie season. Things fall apart not long after.

Overtime line changes are tricky business. The margins for error are razor thin with 3-on-3; a sloppy line change during OT is a free odd-man rush for the opposing team. Almost guaranteed instant annihilation, and a pretty rude thing to put your goalie through to boot. You must, must clear the puck from your zone before changing over. This is how Brock Faber ends up on the ice; trapped with the puck in the Wild’s d-zone for 2 minutes and 9 seconds. 

Time trickles on as he engages in a scrap along the boards. The broadcast takes note of just how long he’s been on the ice around the time that I do, and then he stumbles. And what you’ve got to understand about Brock Faber is that the comments about his poise aren’t for nothing: Faber doesn’t fall, he doesn’t lose his edges. His skating, his balance, his ability to leverage his reach — is elite.

He takes a knee after the play moves away, slow to get up. The casters say what we’re all thinking as he skates back to the safety of the bench: “he’s running on fumes.” How can anyone watch this and feel anything other than sorry? He is barely there. He is carved down to the marrow, and all that made him wonderful to witness — his beautiful skating, his steadiness, his mastery of the craft — is cut away by exhaustion. Watching him tip over, watching his desperate last-second handling of the puck — it feels less heroic every time. I replay the overtime again and again to write this section and I ache. I am with him out there, losing my feet and my breath just the same.

When he makes it back to the bench, finally, there is no relief. The cameras voyeuristically linger on his pale, worn face, his eyes sweat-stung, as he slams his stick against the boards, each hit shuddering through his body. I want to take it from his hands. I want to wipe his brow and tell him he can rest, rest, rest. Later, giving an interview, instead of taking up the accolades he’s recounting how his turnover led to that endless overtime stretch. He is, of course, not wrong. But he’s not seeing the larger picture.

Consider: this is the kid who grew up watching the Minnesota Wild fail year after year, who likely held a secret hope that they’d draft him when it was his day — this Minnesota boy and his home-grown, Minnesota heart. He never once thought of himself as separate from Minnesota, because this is home, this is where his hockey dream was born; and this is where it must, to him, be fulfilled — of course he’d take on everything they ever asked, swallow down his duties and only ever be grateful.

There is no other way this could’ve gone.

THE HAND OF THE NARRATIVE

I'm trying to love ice hockey with my eyes open. If you haven't figured it out by now, my writing is rarely just about players or hockey concepts. It's about me - these posts are essentially a diary I've chosen to publish. Recently, I had a lecturer read this essay. She commented that it read like someone trying to come to terms with loving hockey. She was right.

"It would be just like the Minnesota Wild to carry on with their perennial early playoffs exits." That's how this paragraph started, when I was first drafting this piece. I'll be transparent; I believe in the potential of this team, and I want them to make an honest effort to win the Cup - but I need it to happen some other time. Armchair GM/coach moment: they aren't ready. They didn't feel ready to me, with their captain out and a rookie d-man holding their blue line together, and injury after injury piling on as the season entered its last weeks. I saw them pushing for another run at the Cup, saw their continued use of Faber in all situations, and thought, ah - see you in another five years. Wanting it simply isn't enough. And Brock Faber, as good as he is, cannot sustain this team on myth. No one person can.

I started this essay terrified Faber would get injured from over-use and play through it for the sake of the postseason, like so many players do; or that he would hit the infamous 'rookie wall' and flame out in his development (in the back of my mind, the question is still there). A few days ago, the Minnesota Wild were mathematically eliminated from playoffs contention. I breathed a little easier. I liked this team too fucking much to see them suffer. I wrote this essay with a kind of despair over Wild management and their preoccupation with Win-Now at the cost of the future. I wondered if Kirill Kaprizov's prime would run its course with the Wild barely scratching the surface of a playoffs run year after year. I wondered at times if the hand of the Narrative would intervene and make it so. The Minnesota Wild are haunted like that.

There are pages worth of writing to add to this essay that I've cut for brevity, and for the sake of telling Brock Faber's story in a way where it wouldn't be obscured by it.

I considered talking about my athlete friends. I spoke to them, informal interviews, we talked about the kind of mentality instilled in children who dream of going pro. You never say 'no'. You love your sport, you let it turn you inside out, you would do anything to keep going. Most of all, you think I'm still young. I can play through this pain. And once you aren't young anymore, you think I'm not young anymore. I'm running out of time. I have to play through this pain. And when your best years are behind you, your ideas about your body and your health are so twisted that you will grind the cartilage in your knees away to make the jump, you will play yourself into irreparable nerve damage just to be remembered, just to have the chance to touch greatness.

This is the truncated version. This is what I fear most when I think of the crushing weight of the Narrative upon someone like Brock Faber. He's hardly the first young athlete to be put in this position, he won't be the last. This essay is about him in the loosest sense that I'm covering the beats of his career and his team. It's not about him at all in the sense that it's about me and my crisis of faith.

To break character: I've been talking about the Narrative with a capital 'n', as though it is an entity with a will of its own. Sometimes it feels that way. It's not, and it doesn't, and it feels that way because we care so much. The hand of the Narrative is just how I rationalise the coincidences, the eerie parallels, the compelling threads of story that exist in sports.

I've wrestled with how to conclude this piece for months now. Since I started writing, I've taken up sports photography, produced poems and essays and assignments about hockey, and I've started ice skating - and in the process I've fallen in love with my dilapidated local rink. I'm now covering the AIHL, which zero people on this website care about. A lot has changed. I still don't know how to finish this, so here are some closing thoughts:

The hand of the Narrative is as real as we make it.

My leftist ennui about professional sports under capitalism could probably be explored on another platform - in a different essay that won't be hosted here.

That thesis I'm never writing about haunting, hauntology, and hockey is probably a symptom of some greater preoccupation. (There's an unfinished manifesto sitting in my drafts.)

If you're a Wild fan reading this - sorry for the editorialising about the Minnesota Wild. I'm quiet about it, but I do love this team and I want to see them be the best version of themselves.

Brock Faber deserves the Calder. He deserved it when I first started this piece, when maybe five people were talking about it, and he deserves it now.

Despite the turmoil of the season, the disappointments, the setbacks - I am still so excited to watch this team and write about them.

I think I'm going to love hockey for a long time.

[cyclebarb]

Best Indoor Cycling Bikes for a 30-Minute Home Workout

Many fitness experts recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. With a 30-minute indoor cycling workout, you can burn calories, strengthen your muscles, and boost your endurance. It is also a time-efficient way to fit in a high-intensity workout that does not take up a significant portion of your day. Before we dive into the best bikes, let's discuss why a 30 Minute Indoor Cycling Workout is an excellent choice for your fitness routine: Read More

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

Mature Rated Fics Masterlist (5)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 /

Created: September 26th, 2023

Last Checked:-----

F.M.K.-c_r_roberts (ao3)

Summary: A modern AU one shot in which Peeta and Katniss are co-workers. Until an after-work happy hour and a silly little game changes that dynamic.

Falling Like Stars-JLaLa (ao3)

Summary: Katniss was more than happy to cater Gale and Madge’s wedding. Until she found out she would be working with Peeta Mellark, a returning District 12 resident—and her childhood crush.

Fighting Dirty-oakfarmer (ao3)

Summary: Peeta uses all his tricks to lure the huntress

Finding my way Home-Xerxia (ao3)

Summary: When Peeta Mellark needs a 'plus one' for a family wedding his best friend, Katniss Everdeen is the logical choice. Isn't she?

Finnick's Critique-endlessnightlock (ao3)

Summary: The morning after Katniss and Peeta finally get together.

For a Good Time Call-atetheredmind (ao3)

Summary: On a bathroom stall door is the last place Katniss ever thought she'd see Peeta Mellark's name again. Modern AU.

Forbidden Love-MegaAuLover (ao3)

Summary: This was the Prompt for a Birthday Request for @jenny03suki: Peeta and Katniss are thought of as siblings. They have been having a secret relationship when their secret of being mates comes to light when Katniss’s heat cycle happens and blows up when the pack sees Katniss’s body changes as their forbidden pup grows inside her.

Four Weeks-OfPearlsAndShoelaces (ao3)

Summary: He thinks of all those nights on the train, where the simple comfort of one another’s arms had turned into so much more. His mind races with every leading kiss, every languid thrust, every moan of delicious bliss swallowed by wanton tongues. He regrets it. All of it. Because it led them here. Catching Fire/Mockingjay AU.

From Zoom to Groom-JHsgf82 (ao3)

Summary: Single mom Katniss accidentally catches sight of her daughter's classmate's dad on webcam after a virtual class, and he's in his underwear. Not to mention, he's really attractive.

Get Physical-TwilightCakes (FF.net)

Summary: Peeta has hit rock bottom, but makes the most important choice of all - to change his life. He falls hard for the beautiful girl assigned help him, but he's been burned too many times to expect her to notice him that way. That path to change is a slow, difficult journey. He quickly learns that he must first love himself before he can ever expect her to.

[fitnesslife]

Effective Weight Loss Exercises: Achieving Your Ideal Body

Are you on a journey to shed those extra pounds and achieve a healthier, more confident you? If so, you're not alone. Weight loss is a common goal for many, and the key to success often lies in combining a balanced diet with regular exercise. In this blog post, we'll explore a range of effective weight-loss exercises that can help you on your path to a fitter and healthier lifestyle. These exercises are not only great for shedding those extra pounds but also for boosting your overall fitness and well-being.

Cardiovascular Exercises

Cardiovascular exercises, also known as cardio or aerobic exercises, are fantastic for burning calories and aiding in weight loss. Here are some effective options:

1. Running

Whether you prefer jogging in your neighborhood or hitting the treadmill, running is a high-impact exercise that torches calories.

2. Cycling

Biking is a low-impact exercise that's gentle on your joints and can help you burn calories both outdoors and indoors on a stationary bike.

3. Swimming

Swimming is a full-body workout that is easy on the joints and helps you burn calories while improving your cardiovascular health.

4. Jumping rope

This simple exercise is excellent for getting your heart rate up and burning calories. Plus, it can be done virtually anywhere.

Strength Training

Building muscle through strength training is crucial for weight loss. Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest, so increasing your muscle mass can help you burn more calories throughout the day. Try these strength training exercises:

1. Bodyweight Exercises

Push-ups, squats, and lunges are excellent bodyweight exercises that can help build muscle and tone your body.

2. Weightlifting

Incorporating weightlifting into your routine, whether with dumbbells or barbells, can help you increase muscle mass and boost your metabolism.

3. Resistance Bands

These portable and versatile bands can be used for resistance training to target various muscle groups.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

HIIT workouts involve short bursts of intense exercise followed by brief periods of rest or lower-intensity activity. HIIT is known for its efficiency in burning calories and increasing metabolism. You can create a personalized HIIT routine by combining exercises like burpees, mountain climbers, and high knees.

Yoga and Pilates

Both yoga and Pilates offer unique benefits for weight loss. They improve flexibility, balance, and mental well-being, helping to reduce stress and emotional eating. These exercises can be a great addition to your weight-loss plan.

Group fitness classes

Group fitness classes, like spinning, Zumba, or boot camp classes, can make exercising fun and motivational. They often incorporate a mix of cardio, strength training, and social interaction, making it easier to stick to a regular exercise routine.

Conclusion

To achieve effective and sustainable weight loss, it's important to combine a variety of exercises that you enjoy with a balanced diet. Remember that consistency is key, and it's essential to consult a healthcare professional before starting any new exercise regimen, especially if you have any underlying health conditions. By incorporating these weight-loss exercises into your routine and maintaining a healthy diet, you'll be well on your way to achieving your weight-loss goals and living a healthier, happier life.

[ziglikesrain]

alrightyyy i think it might be time to step up and give my two cents on the hatred the marauders fandom receives. i’ve (1) received a death threat??? on tumblr?? for being a marauders fan?? which actually made me giggle a little bit bc you’re telling me to kill myself for liking gay wizards from the 70s? cmon now. that’s a bit silly. a silly goose move, if you will.

and, (2) i watched a group of kids in the queer lit class i TA for bully a student because they liked the marauders. (not bc they thought it was cringy, but bc of its association with jk rowling). OKAY Y’ALL. NO. you can hate on me, an adult, i can take it, but a fifteen year old? they’re fifteen! they don’t owe you anything! being a teenager is for fawning over books and other stupid things. LET THEM LIVE!!

so i supposed now was a good time to give my thoughts, because even though i know it’s not going to, i think this discourse is genuinely childish and needs to end.

when it comes down to it, what matters here is queer joy. if you look past the fact that the marauders fandom is made up almost exclusively of headcannons, and jk rowling pretty much hates our guts, what actually matters is that people are happy. i’m being so real when i say that the VAST MAJORITY of marauders fans are queer — we needed a safe, inclusive space away from the golden trio era and all the problems that THEY have — and so what that gives you is angry queer people yelling at other queer people for being ??homophobic??

jk rowling is a horrible, awful, transphobic person. no one disagrees here. people are being hurt by her actions, and queer joy is being diminished. but then you have marauders fans, who are enjoying works that are created (only) by fans, and making this amazing space for fellow queer people. the passion that people have for these characters is the epitome of queer joy, and i just can’t wrap my head around why other queer people would want to spread more hatred and sadness by telling them they can’t enjoy something they love.

we need to wake up and realize that we’ve been sucked into this vicious cycle that jkr has perpetuated. by being angry at people who have virtually no connection to her, you give her what she wants, which is to spread hate within the LGBTQ community. i simply see no need to be spiteful towards people because of what they love. it’s the antithesis of everything queer culture stands for.

there is so much hatred in the world, especially right now, and i feel like it applies to everything and everyone when i say that there is no need, under any circumstances, to be actively hateful towards people who are just living their lives. want to send hate mail to jk rowling herself? be my fucking guest. but stop harassing people you don’t know over the internet over a problem they didn’t cause and are doing nothing to spread.

takeaways because i know that was long and tedious to read:

- jk rowling does not profit from marauders fanfiction or fanart

- marauders fans hate her just as much as you do

- if you go online to spread hate towards people, you are doing the exact. same. thing. that she is.

- a vast majority of marauders fans are queer, you’re barking up the wrong tree by calling us homophobic or transphobic

- just don’t harass people on the internet. or in person. why do you need me to tell you that????????

- if u are a queer person attacking queer people because of jk rowling, you’re giving her what she wants

- spread queer joy! it’s that simple my loves

[ro-botany]

Offtopic opinions

Awakening is a game that was rushed, and suffered a lot of cuts, but when you pay attention to the history the game lays out, you start to see this rich world they were trying to create. And the plot! It takes a standard "the prince must slay the evil dragon" story and it flips it on its head and uses it to explore cycles of abuse and trauma.

I'm not sure I agree there about the game having a rich world.

There's very little to the world building like Chrom's famous ancestor and Ylisse's First Exalt is just a word for a word copy of Marth without any sort of name. Similarly Chrom's father has no name and the crusade is woefully underdeveloped.

There are also characters like the Hierarch, whom allegedly acted as a mentor to Emmeryn but just betrays her with this big event going uncommented on and the Hierarch having no name, his Japanese name is just the name of his class!

The Taguel are another thing having basically no history outside of things basically copy/pasted from the Laguz and the writers couldn't even get Panne's personal history right; she says in one support her birth mother raised her alongside other taguel, but in another says her mom died when she was an infant so she never knew her or any other taguel.

Compare these all to even the first game having oodles of info on Marth's ancestor and the history of the continent as well as its wars.

Or Orson's betrayal in Sacred Stones to the Hierarch, as well as the long history of the Laguz in Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn compared to the Taguel's inconsistent lore that acts as a mere footnote in Awakening.

Also personally I find Awakening follows all the standard FE tropes to the letter without any sort of diverging from them.

...If you find killing vast swathes of virtual human enemies disturbing, then strategy games centered around war may not be the games for you. This is what we call a genre convention. You gotta be able to handle killing the little pixel guys to enter.

Its not that I find it disturbing but more I feel Awakening treats war like a game and isn't interested in explaining why the protagonists are killing people or the ramifications of killing people.

Its simply playing into "kill brown men because they're ugly and rescue the sexy brown women from them."

Like even Genealogy of the Holy War talked about how the cycle of vengeance affected everyone, how its still sad to kill the Loptous cultists as they are human beings and that even the head of the cult, Manfroy didn't start out evil.

Awakening, to me personally, just seemed like it only cared about making the player feel powerful by having every enemy be either forced to fight them against their will or be a piece of crap that absolutely nobody loved (Aversa's storyline goes out of its way to say nobody mourns Grimleal deaths for example), whilst every women around just threw themselves at the player.

(Second debate hour anon ask I got too busy to reply to when it came in; My Bad anon hope you're doin well.)

"whilst every women around just threw themselves at the player" Anon, I can't stress this enough:

This is the game where M/F MONOGAMY IS A STRICTLY ENFORCED GAME MECHANIC I'm. I just. Did we read the same supports? Because most of the Robin supports I remember are like, Robin failing really badly at making soup, or losing stuff, or teaching people funny slang and then regretting it.

All the supports had to be written to believably be building friendships, because you can still A rank characters with each other after they're married. Because of this, the vast majority of supports only pivot into anything even remotely romantic directly in the S support. It's usually not done well, honestly, imo. But either way that doesn't leave room for this like, harem anime AU you're inventing in your head.

"Women throwing themselves at the player" did you read the support where Robin accidentally gives Sully the shits and she threatens to kill him, anon. Did you.

Anyway. It sounds like you're reaching for reasons to object to this game on some kind of moral grounds. You don't HAVE to do that, though. You can just dislike the game for non-moral reasons. Or for no reason. It doesn't have to be that deep.

Anyway to address your other points briefly I mean, uh, with way too many words as usual lmao

I'm not about to argue that the game is perfect in any respect. It's not even CLOSE. I've said before and I'll say it again that there's a lot of unused potential in Awakening, from places where characterization is thin to the massive gaps in the worldbuilding. The way this game treats Aversa is gross as hell and it has plenty racism problems besides. Trust me, I am not unaware of or ignoring the bad and the ugly.

To be honest? It being deeply flawed is what keeps me coming back to it.

If a game is perfect, there's only so long you can gush about how good it is. If a game is GOOD, but FLAWED? You could write a fuckin thesis about it. Hell, I arguably have, the word count on the collection of Awakening-related meta posts I've authored or made big additions to just keeps on jumping.

Yes, Awakening's worldbuilding has major gaps; but what we got was legitimately interesting! Piecing together what we got is fun for me! Filling in some of those gaps by extrapolating from the facts at hand is fun! Headcanoning in the rest is fun!

Sure, some of the characters and relationships are sorely underdeveloped, and there are some inconsistencies in the supports and that sucks. But seriously analyzing what's there is fun as hell! Taking the things we know and extrapolating personality and relationships is a blast! And for the more major characters, what's there is legitimately compelling as hell - the amount of scholarship the mutuals and I have authored about mister Grima faildragon himself is proof of that. As is the fact that we have honest to goodness essays about Validar of all characters. VALIDAR.

I can't really compare it to most of the other FE games, having not played most of them. I can accept it's not the best FE by a long shot. But I'm also willing to give it leeway for how the release dates hamstrung it, I appreciate the clear love and effort that was put into it anyway, and I respect it a lot for the part it played in keeping the franchise alive today.

And to be perfectly frank, it also is a story that I stumbled across when I was in a rough patch, and it helped me deal with the Horrors, so y'know. It's a really important game to me for that reason.

If its flaws are dealbreakers for you I may not be able to change your mind. That's ok!

But hopefully this at least gives you some insight into why I, at least, am so obsessed with it. It's flawed as hell and that makes it capital C Compelling.

[healthy444]

How can I stay fit without going to a gym?

Staying fit without going to a gym is entirely possible, and there are various ways to achieve and maintain your fitness goals. Here are some ideas:

Home Workouts:

Follow online workout videos or apps that offer guided workouts for various fitness levels and preferences.

Incorporate bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges, push-ups, and planks into your routine.

Invest in basic workout equipment like resistance bands, dumbbells, or a stability ball for added resistance.

Outdoor Activities:

Engage in activities like running, jogging, or walking in your neighborhood or local park.

Try cycling, hiking, or trail running for a change of scenery and added cardiovascular benefits.

Participate in outdoor sports such as tennis, basketball, or soccer.

Yoga and Pilates:

Practice yoga or Pilates at home to improve flexibility, balance, and core strength.

Many online platforms offer virtual classes or tutorials for beginners to advanced practitioners.

Bodyweight Exercises:

Utilize your body weight for resistance training. Exercises like squats, lunges, burpees, and push-ups can be effective.

Create a circuit by combining different bodyweight exercises for a full-body workout.

Dance Workouts:

Join dance workout classes or follow online dance routines to make exercise more enjoyable.

Dancing is a great way to improve cardiovascular fitness and coordination.

Household Chores:

Turn daily chores into a workout by doing them more vigorously. Vacuuming, mopping, or gardening can burn calories.

Incorporate movement into your routine, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Online Challenges and Communities:

Join online fitness challenges or communities to stay motivated and accountable.

Many social media platforms have fitness groups where members share tips, workouts, and progress.

Proper Nutrition:

Maintain a balanced diet with a focus on lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Stay hydrated and monitor your portion sizes to support your fitness goals.

Consistency is Key:

Set a regular workout schedule and stick to it.

Gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts as your fitness level improves.

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training):

Incorporate HIIT workouts into your routine. These short bursts of intense activity followed by rest periods are efficient for burning calories and improving cardiovascular health.

Stretching and Flexibility:

Include regular stretching exercises to improve flexibility and reduce the risk of injury. Yoga, static stretches, and dynamic stretches are beneficial.

Mind-Body Activities:

Practice mindfulness through activities like meditation, tai chi, or qi gong. These can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being.

Bodyweight Cardio:

Combine bodyweight exercises with cardiovascular elements. For example, include jumping jacks, mountain climbers, or high knees in your routine to elevate your heart rate.

Active Commuting:

If possible, incorporate active commuting by walking or biking to work or using stairs instead of elevators. It's a great way to add physical activity to your daily routine.

Play Sports:

Engage in recreational sports such as badminton, volleyball, or even frisbee. Playing sports is not only fun but also an excellent way to stay active.

Interval Walking or Running:

Break up your walks or runs with intervals of increased intensity. This helps boost calorie burning and improves cardiovascular fitness.

Use Fitness Apps:

Explore fitness apps that offer a variety of workouts, challenges, and progress tracking. Many apps provide personalized plans based on your fitness level and goals.

Water Workouts:

If you have access to a pool, consider swimming or water aerobics. Water provides resistance for a full-body workout with a lower impact on joints.

Fitness Games:

Incorporate fitness video games or interactive workouts that make exercising more entertaining and engaging.

Climbing Stairs:

Stair climbing is an effective way to work your lower body and boost your cardiovascular fitness. Find a set of stairs or use a stair climber at home.

DIY Obstacle Course:

Create a simple obstacle course in your backyard or local park using cones, benches, and other available items. This adds a playful element to your workouts.

Community Classes:

Check if there are free community fitness classes offered in your area, such as outdoor yoga or group workouts in parks.

Home Sports Equipment:

Invest in equipment like a jump rope, resistance bands, or a stability ball for versatile and effective home workouts.

Remember that staying fit is not only about exercise but also about adopting a healthy lifestyle. Ensure you get enough sleep, manage stress, and stay hydrated to support overall well-being. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting a new fitness program, especially if you have any underlying health conditions.

P.S: Want to Get The Forbidden Fitness Secrets of A Modern-Day Ninja Warrior, Just Click Here!

[okthatsgreat]

May I hear about some of the gone waters cast if that's alright? :3 second times the charm

YES! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh god ill ramble about my characters below because if i go off about EVERYBODYS characters we will be here for weeks gfhdkjgsfkhg but ill DO WHAT I CAN. this will be so long im so sorry

ramble will be under the read more :) 

OK SO for some quick context Danganronpa: Gone Waters is a SEQUEL roleplay to Danganronpa: Hope's Reprisal that the same group of people did a few months ago, gone waters JUST ended so now i can just ramble on endlessly about these characters without having to worry about spoiling anything to the people i am running this roleplay for ghfdkjghskfdjgh. gist of the narrative is a group of """volunteers""" were sent into the luxury virtual reality program to experience high class living for a week, all run by an artificial intelligence named andi that caters to their needs whenever. one day the emergency siren starts blaring, the emergency EXIT doesn't let them leave this simulated reality, and andi has suddenly been given new instructions to run a killing game for these participants. WACKY! 🤪

i had to create two characters who were primarily there for narrative reasons (considering i was running the rp fhdksgjf) so that's where billie and andi came in :) but i LOVED how they turned out jesussss the people im rping with had great characters and it was so easy and fun making these fucked up relationships with them N E WAYS

billie lane was created as this little sacrificial lamb that was always supposed to die first lol !! she's this mopey fifteen year old who is very awkward and feels like she doesn't necessarily fit in anywhere, which is only EXACERBATED by the fact she is talentless in this group of Ultimate Students who were supposedly selected because of their talent. she was created to be this adaptable character who latches on to trends and other people's personalities very quickly, and dare i say it she wasnt heading in the wrong direction when she died???? she got some bad advice definitely but the key advice i was using for her character were along the lines of "be completely honest" and "don't underestimate yourself" as well as being told who and who not to trust ghdfgdsf. the other rpers definitely were shaping her up to be a good kid :) who then of course got killed while trying to be helpful :(

chapter one was always intended to be a mimicry of hopes reprisals chapter one (because a huge theme in this rp is breaking the cycle basically), and practically all of chapter 1 was devised by a character named moira who lured two people there with the intent of making them kill each other, kickstarting the whole game! billies purpose was to give juuuuuuust enough information to certain characters and then dip lol. the reason she was there in the first place is because her father worked on the simulator, and she's basically been this little lab rat for YEARS. just constantly doing her dads bidding. so you can imagine how grouchy she fucking gets over how limited her options are ghfkgfsdgkgfds. shes a teenage loser raised in a catholic suburban household who isnt offered a lot of freedom and has undiagnosed mental illness and then she dies. and she was awesome. 2 me. she's just such a tragic character overall and it didnt help that the other people in the rp kept making me FUCKING SAD WHEN SHE DIED!!!!!!!!

andi v92.38B is the artificial intelligence running the place :) or trying to at least. there is frequent reference to her BEING the building, so when the building starts to fall apart she does, too. she's this inhuman thing that is serving as the catalyst of a memory recovery plot, which essentially means she's recovering old memories of the PREVIOUS killing game as this CURRENT killing game goes on. but, something that WASN'T planned, is the fact that she is gaining some sort of sentience throughout all of it, SOME sort of capacity to feel. and it isn't pleasant whatsoever. it's so ugly. the very first thing she learns how to feel is pain and hatred. she doesn't understand what any of it is or what is happening to her.

this virus that was introduced into the simulator is more or less killing andi in the process, and it immediately starts growing bitter and resentful towards the People who had brought this virus along. she doesn't understand why she is suddenly feeling this way, she doesn't think she is isnt capable of doing anything outside of her programming, and it all culminates in a cranky ai that refuses to admit it is anything less than inhuman which ultimately ends in it finally admitting it might be scared of dying, before getting wiped out entirely ! it has no choice but to follow rules and then die mad about it very unfortunately. it had some seriously interesting relationships with the other participants like there were so many of them who were so nice to it???????????? like genuinely sorry for her. it was so so much fun playing andi she was also pretty funny which ruled

cutting myself off now GHFDJKG also here's a really stupid and quick animatic i did a while ago too with the survivors + andi

THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR THIS ASK I HOPE IT MADE EVEN AN OUNCE OF SENSE

[lavenderfeminist]

It seems like the disconnect going on is that you have women making one of two points, and I’m getting tired of seeing them, so:

A) Using sexually degrading language towards any woman is disgusting, and reprehensible, and not something that should be done or defended by feminists, lesbian or the majority who are not.

B) Lesbians (many of whom are not feminists) being mean or otherwise demeaning to osa women is not a legitimate societal issue, and if you’re at the point where you feel it is, the best solution is to log off and take a look at the real world. Whatever is said to you on here can absolutely be hurtful and upsetting, but that’s it. Lesbians as a class do not have social or structural power to leverage against osa women in an impactful way, and virtually all have experienced comparable or worse verbal mistreatment on the basis of their sexuality in real life.

The women focused on A see women (usually lesbians) say B and think it’s a defense of the issue in A, when it’s really a push to take a look offline and get involved in activism where a few nasty lesbians is not a legitimate concern. And the women saying B see the women saying A and are like “this AGAIN? the women on here saying these things aren’t even feminists?! mean lesbians are not a serious feminist issue!” and so the cycle continues.

Conclusion? When you see a nasty post: See if it’s someone even saying she’s a feminist, call it out if it’s someone actually claiming to be a member of the feminist community, block the person if it’s not and accept that even among women and lesbians, not everyone is going to be kind or free of misogyny, and recognize that when there are feminist lesbians telling you the above, we’re not doing so to dismiss the hurt that can come from it, but to remind you there are more serious concerns within the feminist community and that it’s not the best use of anybody’s time to be focusing on an incredibly small minority without societal privilege when it comes to solving real-world issues.