#articles 2018

[thornescratch]

It just felt good to me. My dad was right, it’s a great city, a great organization with some incredible players. And I just wanted to be a part of something special. To play in the big games in front of a packed building. I knew that was possible in Washington. Almost right away I knew I made the right decision. That summer, before the preseason started, I was at the rink getting some work in with the guys. It was great meeting everyone and the staff were amazing to me. But I remember everyone kind of saying under their breath, like, I think he’s coming in today. He might be here today. He should be here soon. I was just like, Who? And then Ovi busts in. Huge smile on his face. Looking like the happiest guy on the planet. He walked around the gym and just gave everybody the biggest hug. And, I don’t know man, he’s just bigger than life. He sets the tone. He’s Ovi.  Surreal gets used too much. But that’s the word. I remember being a kid and just being amazed by him. The smoke visor. The yellow wax laces. The jersey flying in the wind. The goal on his back. Kissing the fingers and pointing to the sky. I remember when he scored his 50th of the season in March 2009. My neighbor was actually at that game down in Tampa and she came back a few days later and ran over to our house to tell us about it. She put a stick down on the ground and did his “Stick on Fire” celly. She’s bouncing around, heating her hands on the stick.  We were all cracking up.  He was just that guy, right? Bigger than the game, in a way.

Dylan Strome just casually tossing out how he'd been at rock bottom and affected by how his draft class seemed to be blossoming without him, and then getting all excited about his new forever home and going BUT LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY TEAMMATES AND COACH WHO ALL LOVE ME NOW, just stab me in the heart why don't you.

Bonus:

Our team, you know, I’d be lying if I said we weren’t trying all season to help him break the record. It’s been a big thing for us. We wanted him to get there so bad. Because he’s our guy, right. Even through his injury, for him to come back and just find a way to be the best player on the ice so many nights, it’s incredible. I swear, man, sometimes with Ovi it’s like, he’s more excited for you to score than when he does it himself. He’s just got this generosity to him. And we all wanted to pay it back.

Caps all season: Blah blah blah it's a long season we're totally not focused on the goal record chase. Caps: You know, we said, like liars :D

[larrylimericks]

17Mar25

The formula’s never finessed: Insta moots, dodgy pics, trashy press. The Sun shouts “Exclusive!” Which means it’s conclusive: Strictly business and strictly BS.

[sincerelymarner]

“It’s always been me versus Quinn, making each other better. Over the years, it’s been unbelievable.”

"I was 4 and he was 6 and I was chasing him around and wanting to do whatever he did," Jack said "I always wanted to be able to compete with Quinn and play with him but didn't want to slow him down. He kind of pushed me, gave me that work ethic to work with him because he's such a hard worker himself. Catching up with Quinn was always the thing I wanted to do as the younger brother."

credits: sportnet / sportsnet / sportsnet / sportsnet / nhl / espn / the athletic / espn / sportsnet / the athletic / nhl

[tigerbears]

[everythingunderthesky]

Which Witch? 

This moment in "Donnie vs. Witch Town" has repeatedly caught my notice, and I’ve now recovered enough to break it down! 

First off, here’s the list verbatim:

Visitors  Suzy Bannion Heather Donahue Nancy Downs Minnie Castevet Katia Vajda Miss Anjelica Ernst Samantha Stephens April O’Neil

Unfamiliar names plus cursive plus a lack of high-quality stills meant decoding this took a little longer than expected.

I have attempted to minimize spoilers for the mentioned horror movies when possible, but in pursuing two contradictory goals, I have accomplished both imperfectly. C'est la vie!

Please note: I am by no means a film buff, so feel free to add any relevant context! 

Oh, the Horror . . . [films]!

"Suzy Bannion" would be a reference to the 1977 film Suspiria in which Suzy, a ballet student, finds herself investigating a supernatural coven of witches.

"Heather Donahue" is a homage to the 1999 "found footage" movie The Blair Witch Project*, wherein three student filmmakers investigate a legend of a witch in the woods.

"Nancy Downs", from the 1996 R-rated film The Craft, is one of a trio of students rumored to be dabbling in witchcraft.

"Minnie Castevet", on the other hand, hails from the dark 1968 film Rosemary’s Baby (based on the book by Ira Levin), wherein Minnie’s character is suspected of being a member of a coven. 

"Katia Vajda", originates from the 1960 film Black Sunday, (loosely based on Nikolai Gogol’s short story "Viy"). Katia was accused of being a vampiric witch and executed by her brother—but that isn’t the end of her story.

"Miss Anjelica Ernst" simultaneously references Roald Dahl’s 1973 novel The Witches and its 1990 film adaptation of the same name. One member of the notorious child-hating coven is the Grand High Witch, Eva Ernst, who was portrayed by Anjelica Huston on the big screen.

"Samantha Stephens" lives the life of a "good witch" in the 1964 television series Bewitched.

Special Bonus!

"Abigail the Good", founder of Witch Town, may be an allusion to the character "Abigail Pershing" from the 2015 television show Good Witch. 

I’ll go ahead and credit my dad as my research assistant; he described these references as "deep cuts".

And really, what higher praise is there? 

*For more about Heather Donahue, the producer and writer of the sitcom The High Country, check out this article by GQ's Scott Meslow, The Blair Witch Project's Heather Donahue Is Alive and Well!

[lettertoholly]

since Instagram doesn't let me, here's the beautiful Gabriella Papadakis' article on beliefs about same-sex skating pairs. i absolutely love this, she is so true with what she writes. (substack article under the images)

[16archive]

"how mitch marner quietly epitomizes 'tough to play against'"

scout, video analyst, and sportsnet writer vanessa kezwer on mitch's defensive prowess that can sometimes go unnoticed or unrecognized, using plays from the 4 nations face-off tournament (article published february 28th, 2025)

full transcript under the cut

"don't should on yourself" is one of my favourite expressions.

as humans, we do this (spectacularly unhelpful) thing where we let expectations dictate our perception of ourselves and our circumstances. We lose our ability to accurately see, assess, or appreciate what is because we're caught up in what we think should be.

we play this game while observing other people as well, and as hockey fans, we've done so quite a bit of late with mitch marner.

in the wake of a couple quieter games at the 4 nations face-off, many familiar narratives about the canadian winger in high-stakes affairs arose. the gist:

he should be contributing more offensively.

he should be more engaged.

he should be tougher to play against.

while these arguments have some merit, they're derived in significant part from viewing marner's performance through the lens of what those elements ought to look like rather than what they do look like for him.

using the tournament as a case study (it captures his range of skills and impact nicely), we'll explore the more subtle layers that make marner tough to play against in ways that aren't necessarily recognized or valued as they challenge conventional thought (i.e. being physical, in-your-face aggressive, or freakishly fast).

up first, how marner makes life difficult for opponents without the puck.

opposition with possession: unquantifiable impact

darryl belfry, a player development coach who's worked with nhl stars and long been at the forefront of innovation within the sport, shared a thought several years ago that's stuck with me:

dictating the game, especially without possession, on as regular a basis as marner does requires an elite understanding of how to minimize the puck carrier's options while taking away time and space, ultimately forcing him to problem solve.

let's walk through four ways marner quietly and commonly leaves opponents in predicaments, breaking down an example for each.

throws off the rhythm, angle, or ease of a play

this clip of marner defending a 2-on-1 in the lead-up to his overtime winner is a prime instance of how he applies pressure in a manner that forces the puck carrier's hand and shifts the complexion of plays just enough to impact the outcome.

in response to no. 16 making himself large, occupying the passing lane, and threatening an imminent poke check, the puck carrier has no choice but to either shoot from far out with the goalie already square or make a tricky move around him.

the bobbled pass reception that follows may seem like a lucky break, but marner creates the conditions for this kind of error. in forcing the pull-back move with his pressure, he leaves the puck carrier with a sharper passing angle, making the delivery and reception a little more difficult. he also delays the pass, which leaves the receiver short on runway and a little more hurried as the puck arrives. 

while these little differences may seem insignificant as they're nearly imperceptible in real time, they can add up to advantages with big consequences like passes that fail to cleanly connect and chances that fail to materialize.

as the saying goes, you create your own luck and marner is adept at doing so.

(also of note: the ensuing battle he wins by the net that prevents a follow-up opportunity against.)

renders all options poor options

here we see marner's aptitude for transforming what initially looks like an easy play with several possibilities for the puck carrier into a "just kidding" scenario, courtesy of one strategic route.

while eliminating the option of a pass to the middle, marner maximizes the risk of a pass up the wall and cuts off the puck carrier's route. 

when a player is left without any good options and lacks the time to create anything else, a "thank you, I'll take that" type of exchange usually ensues. in this case, the puck carrier determines that his best bet is to commit the cardinal sin of attempting a move just inside his blue line, resulting in a "big yikes" turnover.

traps the puck carrier

shadow routes – following the player with possession from behind as a secondary support to immediately trap him in the event of a cut-back or stop – are a staple of marner's game. this clip, which culminates in an assist for no. 16, illustrates how swiftly the tactic can kill offensive zone sequences for the opposition.

countering the existing pressure applied by a teammate with pressure from the opposite direction often causes the puck carrier to hit the panic button and either turn back into the original pressure or throw the puck that way. bottom line: marner's tactic acts as a catalyst for possession changes.  

steers the puck carrier into poor ice

similar to controlling space in tandem with a teammate, this tactic – the easiest to discern of the bunch – sees marner independently trap opponents by angling them to the boards with his stick and body.

by pushing the puck carrier into a dead end, the 27-year-old limits what – if anything – his opponent can do, stripping the element of unpredictability and helping his teammates determine where to position themselves to successfully cut off the next play.

opposition with possession: quantifiable impact

when you consider how marner impacts the game in all the ways that statistics don't capture, the fact that he's also one of the best in the league in several quantifiable defensive categories is impressive.

here are his ranks among forwards this season, courtesy of sportlogiq:

2nd in total defensive plays

1st in defensive plays in the offensive zone

3rd in stick checks

1st in blocked passes

3rd in loose puck recoveries

that second stat – defensive plays in the offensive zone – is the one I would argue speaks most to marner being a pain to play against. the more plays he breaks up in this area of the ice, the more time and energy the opposition spends trying to exit its zone and keep the puck out of its net. 

defending is much more tiring (and much less fun) than attacking, especially when a player as offensively talented as no. 16 is on the ice.

here's a compilation of marner being in the right place at the right time to intercept passes, steal pucks, and regain possession thanks to his anticipation.

marner with possession of the puck

there are plenty of ways marner makes life a nightmare for opponents when he has the puck, but I want to zero in on one thing he excels at that doesn’t seem to receive enough attention: moving the puck from bad ice (the perimeter) to good ice (the middle) consistently.

the ability to make plays along the wall while under duress in all three zones is valuable, but the ability to improve the condition of the puck for your team in the process is a major competitive advantage. by leveraging his poise, awareness, vision, and creativity to repeatedly set teammates up to operate on the inside with time, space, and speed, marner puts opponents on their heels.

some video evidence:

he minimizes time in his own end by facilitating controlled exits and maximizes time in the opposition's end by initiating transition attacks and turning seemingly harmless possessions into dangerous chances that leave defenders scrambling.

again, not pleasant if you're on the opposing team.

parting thought

marner will never be that guy who takes big runs at opponents or wins physical battles left and right or sends teams into a tizzy with his speed. he is, however, the guy who intimidates with his skill and disrupts plays in a variety of ways. 

instead of punishing opponents with his body, he simply does so with his brain.

his game encourages us to challenge our perception of labels like "tough to play against" and serves as a reminder that quiet performances don't necessarily equate to unimpactful ones. value comes in many different forms, several of which are easy to miss.

speaking of value, the pending unrestricted free agent brings a good deal of it. in the interest of adhering to the expression I offered at the start of this piece, I won't should on the leafs, but will say marner's skillset and versatility would be tough to replace.

[chalamet-chalamet]

“I like to think that the need to act and be seen came from my mom's side, but the ability to listen came from my dad's side."

-Timothée Chalamet

[m1dnitefloat]

mon amour

[principessaarchive]

Icon El Pais

Photoshoot with Icon El Pais in Spain. The rest of the photos can be found with the article:

Article written on 30.July 2018 by M.E.Torres

[tbartss]

can you believe Sweden has their very own Tommy tallarico except it wasn’t just a few people it was like a whole nation and a book that fundamentally changed the corporate hiring process despite being based on absolute fucken pseudoscience ???

[clnclm]

[hendolish]

[From SBNation, 2016]

[soft-cheek]

Hi, saw your tag about fossilized pollen not being microscopic and I. I don't think I've ever heard of ancient pollen grains being anything but microfossils. Could you elaborate? Thanks!!

God I wish I Could elaborate but I cannot for the life of me remember what it was called I would have to like email my sedimentation professor from college but in my paleontology class in college we looked at some of his pollen samples because he was specifically a paleobotanist and a lot you could just like see with the naked eye rattling around in the little containers he had them in some of them were fun and star shaped the most we used on any of them were like our hand lenses

I guess this is also how you categorize a microfossils they were all of course very very small because of course they were but what I was saying is that you didn't need a microscope to see them so maybe that's where some of this confusion is

Hell you can see some extant pollen with the naked eye too back home where im from in Georgia there were times of the year where pollen would sometimes rain down like snow and I would watch it accumulate on my phone screen and could definitely make out the individual bits

[britishchick09]

the blueprints for the immersive phantom experience have been released...

and it looks like random people are going to hear 'wandering child' when they're walking down the street? 😅😅😅

[shoechoe]

in my opinion scp 049 was really always a Fine article, it just got a shit ton of hate because it was so popular and there were fangirls for it (no disrespect to the fangirls)

i will say i think his voice actor was severely overrated. people just found a guy whispering through a mask hot