#but on the other hand what if I win the 50/50 and have no guarantee for the hot hydro dragon

[litchi-tea]

It took sacrificing Keqing to the jade chamber 25 times, but I'm so happy he's home 🥺💖!

[fiapartridge]

wedding bells | quinn hughes

summary: in which y/n and her fiancé, quinn hughes, plan their long-awaited wedding.

request: [...i read invisible string...and it made me think of when they’re actually engaged and planning their wedding...quinn would love cake tasting and picking out the menu...and the bride loves planning the wedding but...[it's] stressful and she wants everything to be perfect. some minor thing goes wrong and she has a bridezilla breakdown moment and quinn is so sweet and calms her down...]

author's note 💌: eeee i love this request!!!! thank u anon for requesting; it's so cute!

cake tasting

“I’ve been waiting for this day since the moment I learned this existed,” Quinn beamed, his eyes fixed on the road as he exited the freeway. His right hand rested gently on your thigh, and you couldn’t help but grin, happy that he finally wanted to be involved in a part of the wedding planning process—even if today was all about cake.

With a playful tilt of your head, a mock tsk of disapproval escaped your lips as Quinn raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you be eating healthy for your game next week? How about I eat the cake and you watch.”

“And watch you live out my dream?” he scoffed. “Yeah, the game’s not that important.”

“That game is gonna secure your spot in the playoffs, Captain,” you smirked, playfully poking his arm. You loved teasing him about his captaincy, like saying Aye aye, Captain whenever he asked you for a favor, or your personal fave, So when does the team give you your honorary eye patch and silver hooky thingy? To which he always responds with, Not that kind of captain, babe. 

As Quinn pulled into the bakery’s parking lot, he cupped your cheeks in his hand, his face growing serious, feeling almost like a team huddle. His voice lowered, and his face drew close to yours as he laid out some sort of plan. “I’m gonna eat a lot of cake today, so much that I wore my stretchy pants-”

“Oh, the Lululemon ones that I bought you?” You got them for him as a Christmas gift along with other items. You were happy that he actually wore them outside the house for once. 

“Yes those ones, but we need to stay focused.” You nodded intently, totally focused. “Jack is gonna call you later and he’s gonna ask you if I ate any of this cake today, and I’m gonna need you to lie.”

A burst of laughter escaped you. “You want me to lie to Jacky? About you eating cake? During our cake tasting? Because…”

“Because him and Luke have a bet going on that I’m gonna break my diet for this, and Luke said that if he wins we’re splitting the cash 50/50, so I really need you to lie, baby.”

Rolling your eyes, you opened the passenger door, Quinn doing the same on his side. “I really don’t understand you guys. Like, why not just be normal and bet on who’s winning the next Super Bowl or something?”

Quinn wrapped around the front of the car, intertwining his fingers with yours as you approached the bakery’s entrance. “Did that a few years ago, we each lost $700 to Luke.”

“Jesus, you guys are loaded. The last time my family and I had a bet, we each did $10 and whatever old gift card we had stowed away in our wallets. Apparently mine was from 2015 and the place it was for got shut down for rat poisoning? I don’t know,” you shrugged.

As the hours passed and the 20th cake flavor came around, Quinn felt like his stretchy pants were out of stretch, and you felt like you could take a nap right on top of the table. Cakes were not for the weak, let me tell you that.

“I feel like everything tastes the same now,” Quinn struggled to get the words out. Not because he didn’t know what to say, but because he was trying not to heave and talk at the same time. 

“I feel like I can’t feel my legs,” you replied, a visible food baby proudly displayed on your belly.

Dipping your finger into the frosting of the pink champagne cake, guaranteed to be the most fanciest cake you’ve ever had, you swiped it across Quinn’s nose. “Oops,” you grinned. “I’m just so full; I must’ve twitched or something.”

Rolling his eyes, Quinn smeared the orange creamsicle cake across your face, as if you were donning eye black and dodging defenders past the 40-yard line.

“Oh, you’re getting it,” you laughed, swiping a finger across the blueberry with graham cracker crumble, a grandma’s dying wish, planting strokes on his chin and forehead. “Aw, don’t you look cute?” you teased.

He smirked, getting impossibly close. It was good that the wedding planner and cake baker were in another room chatting, or else they would probably be yelling at you two to get your hands off each other at once. “Wanna make a bet?”

“Hm, does it involve me losing thousands of dollars?” He shook his head. “Hundreds?” Another shake. “Any money?” One more. “Then you’re on, pretty boy. What’s your proposition?”

“We leave right now and you can lick all of this off in the car-”

“Amy!” you shouted for your wedding planner as she came stumbling into the room, afraid something was wrong. “We have to go; family emergency,” you pouted, really selling it. “I’ll see you next weekend, okay?”

“Oh, yeah, okay!” she nodded. “Take care of the family!”

“Will do!” you shouted, dragging Quinn behind you as if you were Lightning McQueen in any of the Cars movies. Boy, were you quick. Even Quinn was shook and he skated with some of the fastest hockey players around. 

“I win,” Quinn whispered, his lips pressed to the crown of your head as you reached the car, pushing him inside. 

“Yeah? Kinda seems like I’m the winner.”

the wedding rehearsal

“Oh, don’t you flower girls look cute?” you smiled, drawing your knees to your chest as you bent down to meet them eye-level. “You ready to walk the runway?”

“Daddy said this was a wedding,” Ella, your brother’s daughter, shyly replied, playing with a couple of petals in the basket. 

“Wedding shmedding,” you grinned, earning giggles from the little ones. “Think of it as a runway, and you’re the models.”

“What about,” Grace, Brady and Emma’s daughter piped up, “it’s a runway and I’m the airplane?”

“Oh,” you said, eyes widening a bit before breaking into a giggle.

“That works too! Just don’t be afraid, okay? If it makes you two feel any better, Uncle Jacky has to walk the aisle and he can barely skate on two feet.”

“Hey!” Jack popped out of the line forming behind the three of you, a procession of earthy-toned dresses and black-and-white suits ready to rehearse for the big day. The sight made you want to cry. Everyone you ever cared about was here for you and Quinn, for your big day. 

It brought you back to the moment you met Quinn, the moment your life truly began. You were friends with Emma, having met in college at Boston University where you also met Brady. You had just gotten out of a year-long relationship and were stressed over midterms, so Emma suggested that you get a “sex-tox” — a detox involving, well, sex. It sounded perfect at the time. Fuck a stranger, never see them again, release some stress, and live your best life.

But that’s kind of hard to do when that stranger is Quinn Hughes. You fell in love with him the moment Brady introduced you. Maybe it was the way his hand lingered in yours for a just a second longer than what’s considered a “normal” handshake, or maybe it was the way his eyes followed you throughout the bar like he was scared that you would come back to the table with another guy’s arm draped over your shoulder, or maybe it was the way he said your name, like it was made for his lips and his voice.

He was just so perfect and now you were marrying him. It all felt so much like a dream, like you’ll wake up one day and everything will be gone. But when you see Quinn laughing with his groomsmen, his eyes immediately finding yours, his arms flying around your body, hundreds of whistles and hoots coming from everyone around you as you tuned them out, your attention solely placed on the man you’ll be able to call your husband as little as tomorrow, you know that this is real, and he is yours, and this is peace.

the wedding day

This is a disaster. The centerpiece flowers are sky blue instead of columbia, your grandma wants to trade seats with William Nylander because she has this newfound obsession with Mitch Marner which would put William Nylander with your grandpa and the weird uncle that always gets way too drunk at weddings but will never admit that he has an alcohol problem, chalking it up to a “one time thing.” Even though we all know that he’s gonna do it again at the next wedding! And to top the shit-cake that is this day, your wedding planner decided to be selfish and break her water overnight, so now she’s in the hospital trying to push a tiny human out of her uterus while you’re here trying not to physically strangle every single person that comes to you with a question.

You were tired, and nervous, and your makeup looks terrible, and you feel bloated, and you don’t feel pretty enough to walk down that aisle, and you don’t feel pretty enough to be with Quinn, and why would he want to be with a girl that can’t even plan her own damn wedding correctly? And you just feel…defeated. 

“Hey, Y/N,” Luke bounced through the door of your bridal suite, his hand hovering over his eyes. 

“You don’t have to cover your eyes, Luke, you’re not the groom,” you muttered, fiddling with the ends of your hair.

“Right,” he chuckled nervously. “Um, so there’s a problem.” 

You closed your eyes, sighing. You felt like your head might explode. What else are we going to add to this ginormous shit storm of a day? Let me guess, Cole already got shit-faced at the mini bar, or Nico got lost on the way here and that car held Jesper, Holtz, and Dougie, or oh! Did your brother get into conversation with Trevor on how he can perfect his alley-oop if he substituted Milano with him? Seriously, what else can get worse than this?

“We can’t find Quinn.”

You’re gonna throw up. Are you already throwing up? Because there’s this tingly feeling that’s bubbling in your throat, and you don’t know if it’s from the copious amount of champagne you consumed last night or the urge to find Quinn and murder him with your bare hands. I think it’s the latter.

Before Luke could say anything else, you dashed towards the door, his calls fading behind you. You didn’t know if you were running to find Quinn or to escape this hell hole for yourself. Maybe Quinn was onto something. Maybe this was a bad idea. I mean, were you that naive to believe that someone like Quinn would actually want to marry someone like you?

With your shoes discarded, you found solace on a rock overlooking a small lake near the venue. Your once pristine white gown was now engulfed in the grass, your disheveled hair was poking out of its metal claw clip,  your mascara was noticeably smudged, and the tears wouldn’t stop streaming down your face no matter how hard you tried to stop it. You were nervous about the wedding, but I guess it doesn’t matter anymore since the groom is apparently missing and nothing else is working out. Ha! Now they don’t even have a bride. This is terrific.

With crunching leaves, you heard a small, “Hey,” behind you.

You turned slowly to find Quinn, the man of the hour, finally present. You didn’t say anything, fearing that your words would come out with a choke. You couldn’t stop crying.

Quinn settled down on the rock next to you. “I’m sorry for leaving like that, I just—had to clear my head for a bit. I’m a little nervous.”

“Are you getting cold feet?” you mumbled, scared to hear his answer. You knew he loved you, but you also knew that he would put people’s feelings way above his own. You didn’t want to marry him if he was having doubts.

He shook his head. “No.” His hands found yours amid the puffiness of your dress. “I don’t have a single doubt in my mind that you’re the woman I want to marry.”

“So why-”

“There’s like 300 people out there waiting to see us get married, and Jack’s already talking about us having a kid in the next couple months, and—it’s a lot, you know? You?”

You furrowed your brows. “Me, what?”

“Getting cold feet?”

You shook your head. “I’m tired,” you admitted, your voice breaking. “I feel like everything’s going wrong today. Amy’s out having a baby, the flowers are the wrong shade of blue, Grandma wants to sit next to Mitch Marner, I thought you left, and-”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Quinn cupped your face, wiping your tears with his thumbs, just as he has done time and time before. The gesture never fails to give you a sense of comfort. “Years from now, when we’re old and living in a house in the suburbs, and you’ll probably have an orange tabby cat on your lap, and we’ll be telling stories to our grandchildren about our wedding day, we’re not gonna remember the color of the flowers, or who sat next to Marner, or any of that, okay?”

You nodded.

“We’re gonna remember you and me. We’re gonna remember how much I love you. And we’re probably gonna remember us sitting on rocks, stalling our own wedding day.”

A giggle escaped you because this was all so ridiculous. Quinn was right; you’re not gonna remember everything that went wrong. You and Quinn—that’s all that matters.

You pressed a long, innocent, and probably salty kiss on his lips. He saw you in your wedding dress, a superstitious hockey player breaking a centuries-long superstition, but for once, you didn’t care. 

“You ready to get married?” Quinn grinned, holding his hand out to you. 

You nodded, taking his hand. “I’m ready.”

[mariyekos]

Can't remember if I've talked about it here or just in fic wips, but I like to HC that Dante is Actually Cursed levels of unlucky. Like, it isn't just that he *seems* kind of unlucky based on his circumstances, he's "loses 85% of the time on a 50% chance" kind of unlucky. He *will* consistently get tails 8 or 9 times out of 10 when flipping a coin and trying to get heads, or rolll a 1 or 2 five times in a row when playing a game where you want to high roll (reasons to destroy the DMC4 Dice, anyone?)

Lady and Trish actually discretely kept track a few times and did the math to come up with this number before telling him. They noticed it mostly applied to things that depend on pure luck/random chance like games with draws and rolls and so on, but he's had enough weird cases of being dealt a bad hand by fate that they're pretty sure it impacts everything to some extent. Dante mostly takes it in stride though, deciding that there's nothing he can do about it so he'll just do as he pleases. So what if he has crummy luck; he'll make up for it with skill. Or just take advantage of it. Maybe at some point he and the ladies go to a bar where they egg him into joining a game where they bet against him because it's pretty much guaranteed he'll lose and they'll profit big time. (Unless of course the "bad luck" comes in the form of him doing uncharacteristically well to the point that Lady and Trish lose their money because Dante suddenly couldn't stop rolling 6s. Bad luck comes in many forms, and some of them can seem good on the surface!)

Nero, on the other hand, is a "wins 70% of the time on a 50% chance" kind of guy because a ton of his skills are named after gambling stuff. Yes Dante has the Jackpot phrase, but otherwise he doesn't have the same sort of skill list so I think it would be hilarious if both Dante and Vergil have terrible luck while Nero's somehow wraps around to being pretty lucky. I think Dante would find it funny while Vergil would (not-so-) secretly be jealous.

[antimatterz]

Help I had an idea

What if with a self aware blade that their yn wants to pull for him but ended up losing pity instead of getting blade and they are too sad because they want to get blade

losing the 50/50 on his banner

blade x gn!reader

summary: you warp for blade but lose the 50/50.

cw. self-aware au, slightly possessive blade

content under the cut | masterlist

your heart was pounding as your gaze rested on the number of stellar jades you owned. you've saved up a lot for his release, but was it enough? your next five-star wasn't guaranteed to be the one promoted, or, in other words, you had to win the 50/50 in order to get him. that simple fact made you nervous.

     "to be honest, i'm terrified," you admitted.

     "aww, you want me to join your team that badly?" blade teased lightly. (but in fact, he wanted to come home to you just as badly, he just doesn't admit it).

     "you know how much i want you," you sighed, and blade smirked.

     "do you realize how that sounds?" he asked, amused.

     "shut up," you laughed, your hand hovering over the button that would allow you to do your first ten-pull on blade's banner. "should i warp? i'm losing my shit here."

     "go on," blade encouraged you, leaning back with a grin still on his face. "wait for gold, and i'll be with you."

     "you don't know," you corrected him. "i have to beat the 50/50 first."

the male fell silent, because he knew you were right. nothing he would say or do would affect that matter. it all came down to sheer luck.

well, procrastinating wouldn't magically increase your luck, maybe you just had to get it over with. you glanced at blade one last time, as if that would actually manifest him, and then you hit the warp button. your heart was hammering anxiously – bladie was right, you badly wanted him. you would be absolutely devastated if you were to lose the 50/50. you watched the warp animation (bad luck if you skipped, right?) and you heaved out a breath you didn't realize you were holding when the door flashed a bright purple. no five-star in your first ten-pull. disinterested already, you skimmed through the results and went on to the next pull. once more, it turned purple, and you sighed in disappointment.

you watched your stellar jade count go down rapidly, which wasn't doing good in soothing your anxiety. you didn't have a lot left, but if your calculations were corrent, you were to hit pity soon.

meanwhile, blade was getting impatient and so were you. while you only got a little antsy, the stellaron hunter got quite grumpy as your warps went by unsuccesfully.

     "i think i'm almost there," you said, your voice a few octaves higher than it usually was. that was how nervous you were. terrified, actually, now that you were getting closer.

     "it better be me," blade hissed, folding his arms.

     "it better be you," you agreed with a curt nod.

finally, freaking finally, the door flashed a vivid gold. your heart leapt in your chest, as you closed your eyes and heaved out a heavy sigh. surely, you weren't ready for this, but you had to get through with it. your hands were shaking as you skimmed through the result, and you sucked in a sharp breath when five golden stars sprung onto your screen. this was it!

but it wasn't blade.

your heart sank as you gazed at the standard five-star that appeared on your screen. that wasn't your beloved stellaron hunter. you lost the 50/50. you cursed, though your voice held no anger but only sadness instead. it was enough to let blade know what happened, and he growled.

     "who is it," he seethed, cracking his knuckles. "i'm gonna–"

     "it's okay," you said softly, more to convince yourself than to soothe the angered stellaron hunter. "it's fine, i actually needed this character, too."

but it wasn't fine. you were upset, to say the least, and you were only trying to cope by lying to yourself. you wanted blade so badly, but instead you got someone else. truth was, you didn't even want them, that was merely a lie to make it seem a little less bad. it wasn't blade, so you were not interested in them at all.

     "y/n, listen," blade spoke up, his voice trembling with anger. "i don't care who came home instead, they aren't important. remember you still have a few weeks before my banner ends. i will come home, i promise."

he gazed at you intensely, pressing his hand to his side of the screen. you understood his intention, pressing the palm of your hand to the screen of your device as well. it was as if you were sealing a promise here, and between the threads of sadness that lingered through your being, you found the will to grind like a madman in order to get bladie still.

     "you're right, you will come home," you nodded, forcing a smile.

you retreated your hand, closing the warp screen because you had a mission to embark on. and you wouldn't quit before your beloved stellaron hunter was home with you, where he belonged.

[sutheworld]

hi

I would like to ask you, can you tell me exactly what my problem is? I feel as if manifestation does not suit me. The more I stress, the worse it gets. I feel as if I am doing everything wrong and I cannot imagine. My fears control me. I fear that I will not be able to manifest my desires and my life will remain as it is. My health is getting worse every day and I am afraid of losing my mother. I am a failure in everything these days. I feel as if my life is meaningless and there is no point in living because I cannot use my strength and believe in myself. The solution is in my hands, but I cannot do anything. I do not know what is happening to me. But I don't want to die like this, I don't want to let my ability to change my life go like this, but I can't use it and nothing works for me. Everyone tells me to work on your self-concept, but even my self-concept and I find it difficult to work on it. I'm very, very sorry, but I don't want to waste more years. Likewise, I have been in this community for 3 years and until now I have not been able to manifest even a small thing even though I know everything

Did you suffer as much as I did in the beginning, or was it just me, and what did you do to succeed in the end?

Well i could write you one of those how to manifest texts now but it seems like you’ve already read a lot of them.

I think what will help you is thinking that you’re doing well right now. It seems like you tried a lot of things and like you affirm too, but then you tell yourself “i’m doing something wrong, this feels wrong, i must be doing something really bad”. Which obviously makes you feel like you’re doing something wrong 🤷‍♀️ so you come back to tumblr.

Don’t be so pessimistic, why see everything from the negative side and worry and worry and worry… The possibility of you doing the method right and of you being on the right track is higher and sometimes just as high as the possibility of you doing something wrong. But you still only look at the chances of you doing it wrong, that’s all you care for. In reality when you affirm there’s a 100% chance you’re on the right track and have it manifested right now. However, you still choose to make it 99% because you feel like there’s always gotta be something wrong and fishy.

Even if the chance of you failing is 50% and of you winning is also 50%, you choose to only look at the 50% failing possibility.

Why are you only looking at the failing side??? That’s not logical it’s not more possible than the winning side…. and only focusing on the 50% loosing possibility makes you feel miserable.

Believing in the 50% winning is free. It doesn’t cost you anything, it isn’t hard either it’s as easy as sticking to the other 50%.

Stop making your life harder by only believing in bad things. The possibility of good things happening, of you doing well, is literally JUST AS HIGH. Plus, when you affirm the possibility of you doing something wrong/failing is fully eliminated, no matter what happens. No matter what contradicting thoughts follow your affirmation, what occurs on your 3D and whatever. You are doing it right, you have already manifested it. Stick to being happy 😭😭😭 why be saaadd

So now i want you to affirm something, like just something positive once or twice is enough. And you’re done! You’re doing it right. For the rest of the day you can feel fully content.

It would work like this if you’d affirm something bad too, you say it once or twice and then your day is ruined. That’s super easy to do, right? All day long you’ll only think of those negative thoughts and worry. That’s perfect training for my current manifestation recommendation!

Affirm, and let those thoughts have the same impact on you as your negative thoughts usually have. Keep feeling happy because you just did something hella right. Ideally the thoughts that just guaranteed your manifestation will keep ringing in your mind, just like your worries would usually do. Like it’s really that easy, just be happy. There’s nothing to worry about, you can now leave tumblr too, as you’re doing everything right.

There’s actually no need for you to ask me for advice. Honestly, you’ve mastered manifestation, it’s just affirm and be satisfied with your method. You are doing super good, no need to pursue further manifestation advice. Everybody has the 100% manifestation guarantee as long as they affirm/apply some manifestation method.

—————- to answer your additional questions:

I like to act like a white male in his thirties, who always believes that everything he does is right. So somehow the start of my manifestation journey was kinda where i peaked. It was the best time of my life, i was so happy to have discovered law of assumption and i tried to apply it as much as i can.

But after that i of course struggled to keep my happy spirit alive at times. It wasn’t easy to always stay on the manifestation track and keep my thoughts clean. Humans usually all live similar lives and share similar experiences, as a human there’s always somebody who is going trough the same experience as you. You’re never alone.

What helps me when i don’t know how to approach a manifestation is identifying my problem. Most of the time the problem is a pessimistic attitude, just me being stressed. So i try to remind myself that i don’t have anything to be stressed about, and that it’s okay to not have anything to be stressed about, because just because my friends are stressed doesn’t mean i have to be stressed too.

I’m aware that i know very well how to manifest, me lacking knowledge can never be the problem here. It’s me thinking i’ll fail no matter how hard i try. I can get rid of that mindset with logical thinking, with the idea i’ve tried to explain to you above: Me doing it right is more probable and sometimes just as possible as me doing it wrong, so why hurt myself by denying my chances of success. When they are higher than my chances of failure.

Even if the possibility of failure is 99%, i’ll believe in that 1% of possible success with my whole soul and being.

That’s how i survive. I just assume that i’m doing it well.

Hope this made sense 😭😭😭 stay happy princess!!

[nomsfaultau]

pretty please tell us the math how f!tubbo can kill The Blade, the only things I have in mind are quite horrid and gore lolol

Huge tw for stinging insects! and math

The how is rather simple and clean Fault magic theory: The Blood God's 'instant win' power activates in retaliation to an attack, and works on an individual level. And since Tubbos' swarms are multitudes, technically independent adversaries, there will not really be any reality bending that The Blood God can use to guarantee Tubbo looses. So Tubbo would actually have a fair fight on their hands unlike everyone else in the series. All they need to do is enough damage and keep their body very very far away, which is pretty easy since they can fly.

Background information: Notably, boars can die to very, very determined bee swarms! There's really horrible news articles if you're curious. Potentially based on size one might want to compare The Blade to a bear though, due to thick fur and dermis that notoriously makes bears very resistant to bee stings. However, at vulnerable places like the face bee stings can get through, and Tubbo is notably intelligent and would aim for vulnerable places. So I'm going to mostly ignore that for math's sake, but it is something to keep in mind.

Math: LD50 makes the math (theoretically) very easy, as venom/poison/toxin deaths mostly scale up by weight. The average (North American) adult human is 180 pounds, The Blade is ~6,700 pounds at his time of capture in the Foundation. Which. I've done a lot of math about his weight, and that's what's written in the Casefiles so I'm going with it.

The hard part: Very inconsistent numbers for how many bee stings it takes to kill a dude :/ I've found estimates ranging from 50-1000. Which is rudely inconsistent. Luckily this lovely site calculates the LD50 of a honey bee sting, and since it estimates a 178 pound adult dying at 3831 stings and I'd prefer to overestimate the amount it takes, I will be using their formula of _____kg X 2.8 / .059 = ______ stings to receive fatal dose of venom. Just plug in The Blade's weight (in kg not ib like I did on the first round of this post) and voila it could take as many as 144,227.003 bee stings. Or using the other estimates I found, could be between 1,861--37,222 bee stings. Mostly being injected right into The Blade's face. Joy! We're making the assumption that his head is being targeted wouldn't affect the LD50, but let's be frank, that's worrisomely close to his brain.

Now...these are honey bees. Notably they die when they sting mammals with soft skin, unlike most bees. So if we make the assumption that each bee dies with the sting, then we have a very easy shot from here- does Tubbo have enough bees to sting between 1,861 and 144,227.003 times?

Tubbos' number of bees depends greatly at the timeline point in Fault. In WHIT Croplands they're easily over a million, which gets cut down to 400,000 in the Foundation. At their lowest population (during the escape wherein The Blade crunches in their legs, conveniently the moment when they'd be most likely to want revenge) Tubbo is about at 200,000 bees which is barely enough to move their body. So yep! Tubbo could very easily murder The Blade, although at the higher estimate they might not have enough bees to get the body to safety. But they can also regrow their body with the 56,000~ bees left, since that's still a good sized hive in normal honey bee standards.

The ugly part: bee venom! Nasty nasty stuff. So I'm putting it under a line for body horror <3

Anaphylaxis is likely, as are things like cardiovascular collapse, respiratory failure. However...this venom is not injected all at once. It's adding up, and in the article I read about the half ton boar killed by a swarm took over two hours to actually die. This is going to be a very, very slow death.

Given The Blade's high pain tolerance and body mass, I figure he's still going to be swinging for a long time. Just, he can't fly, and thus can't really retaliate well against the bee source. His eyes, ears, and nose would go first, quickly losing the ability to navigate anything other than touch. The cacophonous buzzing gives way to ominous silence. Lots of swelling, venom slowly working its way through his tough hide into his body. Limbs beginning to loose function, becoming an immovable lump of pain. Potentially he falls into a coma, breathing increasingly shallow as his heart shudders beneath the venom. Slowly, slowly succumbing to the venom winding through his veins.

At his size, it could potentially take days for him to be killed.

luuuuuuuuuckily Tubbo is a pacifist so that'll never happen!

[natsukishinomiyaswife]

Oh my goodness hello...👉🏻👈🏻

💬 for Yuliya and Idia🥺👉🏻👈🏻 or maybe Yuliya and Kalim... Either one is fine<33

Hello Mah! ☆

Thank you so much for your ask, and for participating in the ask game I reblogged! ♡

I'll go ahead and do both! Enjoy! ♡

(Also, Yuliya and Idia's ship name is SSR Idliya. I figured I would mention it to avoid confusion when I tag it lol ♡)

Yuliya and Idia:

Yuliya, Idia, and Azul all sit around a table, having gathered for the board game club. Idia and Azul were playing against each other while Yuliya watched, occasionally getting distracted by her phone. She sat up as she clutched it, holding it closer to her face as she made a noise in excitement. They looked up from their game, curious to know what her noise was about. It took a moment before she realized they were staring at her, caught up in whatever she was looking at. She lays her phone on the table, showing a news letter from one of the rhythm games she plays. "The card I've been waiting for is finally coming! I've spent months saving up for it. He looks so good, plus the costume you unlock with it is one of my favorites!" She taps on the screen, revealing the card in question. It's of her favorite character, one they're both familiar with (due to how often she would bring him up) She sighs as she picks her phone back up, holding it close to her chest. "I just need to make sure I win the 50/50, since I don't have enough to guarantee him." Idia has to hold back a laugh as he hears her words, muttering to himself, "Good luck with that." She turns her attention towards him as she gently slaps his shoulder, a small grin coming to his face as her cheeks puff up slightly. "Hey! I know my luck is terrible when it comes to these things...so..." She fiddles with her phone, looking down shyly as her words turn to mumbles. After a moment she looks up at him, meeting his eyes. "When his banner comes, I want you to pull for his card for me." (There will be a sequel to this in a seperate ask, since someone else also requested Yuliya and Idia!) ♡

Yuliya and Kalim:

The party was in full swing, yet the guest of honor was no where to be found, Kalim looking for her. He walked around asking if anyone had seen her, his dorm mates shaking their heads no before moving along. As he was walking he noticed the doors to the balcony were open, making his way over and seeing if anyone was out there. He perked up when he noticed Yuliya standing there, leaning against the rail as she looked out towards the desert. He smiled, laughing lightly as he approached her. "There you are!" She jumps, turning towards him with a hand to her chest. She relaxes once she realizes it's him, a small smile coming to her face. "Oh, Kalim! Sorry, I didn't realize anyone else was out here." "Ahaha, it's alright! What are you doing out here, anyway? You're missing the party!" She hesitates to respond as she turns her attention to the balcony doors, the sounds of people laughing and cheering over loud music coming through. She wrings her hands together as she tries to find her words. "Kalim, I...appreciate the party. Really, I do! But..." She takes a deep breath before continuing. "I would like it if you told me in advance, instead of keeping it a surprise...I need time to mentally prepare myself, especially when it comes to..." The sound of something breaking causes her to flinch, shouts and cheers following soon after. Kalim's expression turns sad as he realizes his mistake, too excited about her arrival to see how uncomfortable she was. "Ah, I'm sorry! This is all my fault! I was just so excited, and I wanted everyone to meet you! Maybe I should have listened to Jamil and skipped the welcome party..." She puts a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. "It's alright. We haven't known each other long, and I know you meant well. Next time, just...give me a heads up. As soon as possible, preferably." He laughs before agreeing, an idea coming to his mind. "Oh, let me go get us some food! You need to try Jamil's cooking, it's the best!" She looks at him confused. "Don't you want to go back to the party?" "There is no party without you, so I'm moving the party out here! It'll be just us though, so no need to worry!" Her cheeks warm as a smile comes to her face, feeling touched by his thoughtfulness. "I'd like that"

Thank you! ♡

[nolanfa]

FTH

Hi! I'm participating in Fandom Trumps Hate this year, in the fancraft bazaar (meaning I'll be offering physical items).

So. I'll be offering a clay medaillon with up to one symbol per face (I can do more than two sides, too, if I make it pyramidal. It will be heavier though). Example of a two-sided medaillon, painted with the Hawkeye symbol on one face and the Winter Soldier one on the other:

Price tiers: - 20 or more: a single-sided medaillon - 30 or more: a double-sided medaillon - 40 or more: a three-sided pyramidal medaillon - 50 or more: a four-sided pyramidal medaillon - 60 or more: a five-sided cylinder (base triangle) medaillon - 70 or more: a six-sided double pyramid medaillon (for example: if you offer 45, you may ask for a single-, double-, or three-sided medaillon)

Bidding form here. See bids here.

More info under the cut

Wait what's FTH:

@fandomtrumpshate is a charity drive centered around the creation of fanworks (fanart, fanfic, services (like betaing or podcasting), etc.; the vast majority of things are fandom-centered but it's not actually a prerequisite); the way it works is: you bid on an auction set up by a participant; on march 9th, the winner is selected; I (let's say you bid on my auction) contact the winner, who then makes a donation of the amount that won the bid to one of the charities on the list, and sends me the proof of donation; I send the proof of donation to fth, contact the winner to check what exactly they want, make it and then send it to them (they pay for the shipping); more info there: https://fandomtrumpshate.tumblr.com/FAQ (look around their blog for the other participants too!)

Timetable:

The example medaillon is already done and will be sent immediately if the highest bidder chooses those symbols. I can make other single- or double-sided medaillons in a couple weeks. For more than two sides, or if you want your medaillon glazed instead of painted, it may take a few months.

Why do you keep saying medaillon, isn't it just a necklace?

I can send it as a necklace (with waxed cotton string and a toggle clasp (the ones shaped like an I and an O) or just a knot) or just the medaillon if you want to hang it on a wall; we can discuss that later: as long as I already have the materials at hand I can do whatever you like best.

Symbols available:

I am mostly into Marvel and DC (and Teen Wolf but I don't think they have clear character-related symbols?), but if you want simple geometrical symbols from other fandoms (or non-fandom) I can do it too (just send me a reference).

Glaze? Paint? What's the difference?

The symbol can be painted on with stained glass-imitation paint, solvent-based. This solution is faster (a couple weeks), since I already have everything on hand. Or it can be glazed (glaze is a glass-like color/material fired at very high temperatures; it is very sturdy: you'll break the medaillon before you manage to scratch it, dilute it, or flake it off; the one I use is shiny). Glaze takes more time (a few months) because I need to make a new clay medaillon, wait for it to dry, get it to the kiln, wait for the kiln people to fire it, add the glaze, and get it to the kiln again for a second firing. The pattern will probably be lightly raised. I have slightly less glaze than paint colors, and black glaze is for now an issue (I can't guarantee it'll look good). For an example of a glazed medaillon I made, see the first picture here: https://nolanfa-shop.fourthwall.com/en-eur/products/medaillons-birds

Shipping - as in sending stuff :) :

I will ask you to cover the shipping costs in addition to the donation. If you win the auction, you'll have to make the donation to the charity of your choice (which is the amount I take into account for the price tiers) and send me the proof of donation, then send me the amount needed for shipping (I'll tell you how much it is depending on where you live).

More questions?

You can contact me at nolanfa (dot) art (at) gmail (dot) com if you have any questions.

[white-weasel]

Saw IV and V thoughts after my Saw Saturday movie viewing experience last night:

Really glad we got some new characters introduced into the series. It breathed a lot of life into things I feel like

Finally got to meet Hoffman and Strahm let’s gooooo! I knew that these were popular characters and honestly they did not disappoint

I cannot believe that John Kramer ate a fucking tape before dying. My friend and I were discussing how he did that so cleanly without gagging or choking and our only explanation is that he’s a throat goat

Rigg’s whole trial was rough man, but it was actually very interesting. Basically “You’re obsessed with saving everyone, so the only way you can win this gauntlet (and save your friends) is to let it go.” I think that this series of traps was MUCH more well done than the series of traps Jeff went through in 3 and they also did each feel like they were testing different aspects of the same “sin” so to speak.

Favorite of those trial traps was probably the one with the husband and wife and them being impaled. I thought it was clever in its theme and its conceit. Sometimes I look at some of these saw traps and go “okay so somebody just thought of the most fucked up thing they could for the shock value” but this was not one of those so I enjoyed that

The iceblock trap though? Amazing idea and execution on that shit. Just the concept of a melting block of ice slowly hanging someone while that melted ice water fills a pool that will eventually touch another person, thereby electrocuting them because there’s a current running through the pool? Very very cool. Plus the added mechanism that kills you if someone (Rigg) walks through the door. Very scary but very good

The puppet still makes me laugh. Him just sitting on the chair before (unfortunately) blowing up at Perez got me. My friend is convinced that I need a little Saw puppet for my apartment now, though I think having the actual thing and seeing it irl might freak me out

Not sure I *needed* to learn more about John’s past before his diagnosis and his descent into becoming Jigsaw, but I also didn’t absolutely hate it. I liked getting to see his ex wife at least and get an insight into his interpersonal relationships

I’m 50/50 split if I like John’s first victim being someone who personally wronged him and ruined his life. On the one hand, I think it does great to kinda show his own hypocrisy in all of this. He says it’s not emotional and these traps are meant to save his victims, and he does at least give him a way out, it did not seem like he really wanted to reform him and that’s interesting to me. On the other hand, I don’t think the movie presents this action or putting him in the trap this way so??? Yeah

My new motto for these movies is “If I don’t see you get murked on screen, you’re still alive somewhere.” Because I was *positive* Eric was dead before they revealed him, but, well, he’s certainly dead now I guess lol

The reveal this movie that it was all taking place at the same time as 3 and that Hoffman is Jigsaw’s apprentice was amazing. Absolutely brilliant, no notes at all

I really liked how Saw 4 and 5 basically felt like a TV show in that they were very obviously meant to be viewed together/feel like one continuous story. I’m assuming that production wise the studio knew that they had 4 and 5 guaranteed so they could leave some stuff for the next movie which I appreciated

(I’m assuming they knew they were at least getting a 6 too because we didn’t get any answers for what was in that box Jill got 👀)

Hoffman carrying that little girl out of the warehouse and being like “We were the only survivors :((“ only for Strahm to get wheeled out on the gurney literally seconds afterwards was so funny

Speaking of, I can’t believe Hoffman didn’t take Strahm’s pen from out of his pocket during the water cube trap. He took all his other stuff but it’s weird he overlooked that. Granted, I doubt that he knew that Strahm would perform a tracheotomy on himself but wow

I liked the backstory we got with Hoffman and how he came to know Jigsaw. The idea of a copycat killer designing his own “trap” but it really just being a way to murder someone he wants revenge on was marvelous. Then the whole part with John kidnapping him and teaching him his ways was also cool

(Hoffman tied up with the shotgun nestled right underneath his neck? Unfortunately kinda hot)

The trap gauntlet for the five people was fine. The first trap I was like “oh my god he’s telling you to all work together! Just go get your keys one by one or have someone get their key, unlock, and then get the next person’s after they’re unlocked” at least for that one though I can see why they panicked. The second one they had no excuses lol I literally said out loud “you can definitely fit at least two people in a cubby hole”. That one seemed sooo obvious, too obvious to at least not give it a try. I didn’t totally hate the set up though, just moreso me getting mad at horror movie characters lmao

And I get Hoffstrahm now lmao. Saw IV I was like “? They barely interacted what’s this?” And then we got the whole cat and mouse game in Saw V and went “Oh yup. There it is. Theres the dynamic.” Especially with the whole glass coffin bit at the end

Speaking of the glass coffin I loved that scene. Just the wasy Strahm shoves Hoffman into the coffin and you can see Hoffman start to gloat and taunt Strahm from behind the glass because he’s sealed his own fate? Amazing. No notes. I did have to look away at the end of the trap though because watching the Saw movies has taught me I cannot handle broken bones, especially when they are very prominent. As soon as I saw Strahm start pushing on the walls I went “I know where this is going” and dutifully turned my head away

Anyways Hoffman is an interesting new antagonist! I’m curious what’s gonna happen next in this little murder soap opera. Honestly, I hope that Agent Perez gets out of the hospital and fucks up Hoffman. She finds out that Strahm is supposedly Jigsaw, goes “wtf no I could never believe that” and starts trying to pursue the real killer

Current Saw movie ranking (giving this because I gave it to my friend after discussing Saw V and my thoughts on the franchise overall)

Saw (The og and the goat, don’t think anything will really topple this one. I was glued to the screen the entire time and loved how this one really focused on Adam and Lawrence, the people in the trap, rather than the killer himself. I feel a lot of future installments lack compelling trap victims which is kinda a shame)

Saw V (I liked the story of Hoffman in this and the cat and mouse between Hoffman and Strahm a lot)

Saw IV (This was a really well done trap gauntlet for the main portion of the plot and the ending reveal was so awesome. Lots of adrenaline pumping for this one, but it did get lowered because I’m still meh on a lot of the John Kramer additional backstory stuff atm)

Saw II (Saw II gave me so many issues ranking it because the final reveal was PHENOMENAL but the main game portion didn’t always work for me. I did like the idea of Eric’s game of just having to wait out the clock but I kinda count that as being a part of the final reveal and thus it can’t elevate the whole movie. There’s potential this and Saw IV could flip flop depending on my moods. This one just has higher highs but lower lows for me)

Saw III (I liked Amanda getting tested and the whole ending with the chain reaction of violence/death, but that’s about it. The main traps in this game did not do it for me, nor did the story connecting those traps. This one also just really felt that they needed to escalate the traps for escalation’s sake rather than to tell a compelling story, which I know is probably a dumb complaint for the gory trap horror franchise but idk I just didn’t like it)

[thommi-tomate]

Holger Badstuber Column

Hello football fans!

I regularly get goosebumps at the end of April. And it has nothing to do with the capricious weather, but with the fact that I always remember that breathtaking evening at the Santiago Bernabéu. I see the pictures on social media and I'm right back on the pitch: As a Bayern professional, I'm standing in the center circle, watching Manuel Neuer fill the goal. Finally, we tear off our jerseys in jubilation and celebrate reaching the final dahoam with our fans. The penalty shoot-out against Real Madrid was pure madness, unbelievable, one of the most emotional moments of my active career. It also reminds me how much I still love football.

Top German teams are among the international elite

The fact that three German teams - FC Bayern, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer 04 Leverkusen - are currently in the semi-finals of the Champions League and Europa League respectively is immensely important for the Bundesliga, which has been much ridiculed of late. Farmers League my ass. Internationally, top German teams are among the elite this year because they don't let themselves down after setbacks, but chase high ambitions with ambition and hard work. We reap what we sow!

Now FCB will face the "royals" again - and just like in 2012, the teams will meet as equals, with Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller from my team back then still involved. Toni Kroos and David Alaba are playing for Real. It's a classic 50:50 game.

It will be a tough head-to-head race

With both teams unable to play at their absolute best due to injury problems, form on the day will be more crucial than ever - it's the momentum that counts. There will be scenes within the game - certain duels, the play against the ball, the quality of the finishing - that can be decisive. It is important for Bayern that they do not lose the first leg in their own stadium. And: Whoever dominates the midfield will make it to the final.

It feels like Real are more stable there with Kroos, Modric, Valverde and Bellingham. Another point in Real's favor is that they have only conceded 22 goals in the league after 33 games, whereas Bayern have already conceded 38 after 31 games. The Real structure is more stable. On the other hand, FCB are more dangerous in attack with Kane, Musiala and Sané and have regained a certain self-confidence after winning four competitive matches in a row. If every single player performs at 100 percent, Bayern will advance to the final.

BVB's chances are also good. PSG are guaranteed to have respect for the "CL face" of Borussia, and the fact that the first leg takes place in front of the "yellow wall" is no disadvantage. The momentum from the game against Atléti is still palpable. BVB can do a lot in front of a home crowd, I assume that they will win at home and go into the second leg with a broad chest

Emotional final for fans

However, this requires good communication between the players in order to keep the lines compact. They also have to constantly annoy PSG's biggest threat, Kylian Mbappé, and stand on his feet. He is easier to pick off in confined spaces. The fans will be hot.

[globalhint]

Brazil discovers Pan American gold in the ring and on the beach.

Brazil discovers Pan American gold in the ring and on the beach. As the first week of competition in cold Santiago came to a conclusion on Friday, the United States gold rush also ended, and Brazilians punched and spiked their way to Pan American Games gold. Beach volleyball is regarded as a national sport in Brazil, where the top-ranked men's and women's teams, Andre Stein and George Souto, and Patricia Ramos and Duda Lisboa, respectively, returned home with both titles after putting on impressive performances beneath the cloud-covered Andes mountains. Brazilian boxers, led by twice-world champion and Olympic silver medallist Beatriz Ferreira, were amassing 12 medals, including four gold, on the opposite side of the capital of Chile. Prior to losing to the United States two weeks earlier, Ramos and Lisboa were world champions in 2022. They were once again victorious, defeating Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson of Canada 2-0. In women's beach volleyball, the silver was Canada's first medal at a Pan American Games. The two teams, who included world winners, played at the high caliber anticipated in a close final (22–20, 22–18). After needing three sets to defeat Jorge Alayo and Noslen Diaz of Cuba, Andre Loyola and George Souto had to put in a little more time and effort into the chilly evening in order to clinch the golden double. Beach volleyball players Marco and Esteban Grimalt, two of Chile's most well-known athletes, were unable to hold onto the gold medal they won in Lima four years prior, but the cousins triumphed 2-1 over American players Logan Webber and Hagen Smith to win a bronze medal that thrilled the boisterous crowd waving flags. Olympic tickets were punched and thirteen gold medals were awarded on a hectic day in the boxing arena. With every fighter in the finals having guaranteed a quota position for the Olympics in Paris, winning a silver medal came with an added benefit. The first Brazilian woman to win gold was Ferreira, who defeated Colombia's Angie Paola Valdes Pana 5-0 to win the women's 60 kilogram title. On the other hand, the top three finishers were Jucielen Romeu (57 kg), Barbara Maria Dos Santos (66 kg), and Caroline Barbosa (50 kg). Cuba, a boxing powerhouse, only managed two gold medals; double Olympic champion Julio Cesar La Cruz won the men's 92kg final, while Arlen Lopez Cardona won the 80kg weight class. Both the US and Canada had two champions: Joshua Edwards of the US won the super heavyweight (+92 kg) title, while Jahmal Harvey of Canada won the 57 kg title. In the 75-kilogram women's division, Tammara Thibeault of Canada won 5-0 to add Pan American gold to her world and Commonwealth Games wins. The winner was Atheyna Bylon of Panama. Wyatt Sanford triumphed for Canada as well, winning gold in the 63.5 kg weight division. "Out of all the tournaments I've been to, I've been able to capture gold and I was missing Pan Ams," Thibeault stated. "Now missing the Olympics, but hopefully we're on the right path and that's what we're going to get." Emiliano Hernandez and Duilio Carrillo won the men's relay to help Mexico maintain their dominance in the modern pentathlon, taking home all five gold medals available in Chile. With 35 gold and 80 overall medals, such contribution helped propel Mexico into second position on the medal tally. The United States led the field with 61 gold and 152 total after amassing 59 gold in the first five days of competition. Despite this, they have only added two more gold since then. ALSO READ: Cuba’s National Ballet marks its 75th anniversary Read the full article

[denimbex1986]

'Since winning the Best Actor Oscar in 2019, Rami Malek’s career has taken a turn for the… less Oscar-winning. Perhaps it’s because he received that honor for the much-maligned Bohemian Rhapsody, a film whose accolades astounded and annoyed critics aplenty. But subsequent roles in films like Bond entry No Time to Die and last year’s box-office flop Amsterdam were either similarly criticized or, in the case of the latter, far from substantial to start with.

When he silently popped up an hour or so into Oppenheimer, then, it seemed like the latest meager appearance from a once-buzzy actor. (By 2019, he’d already won an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar.) That Malek ends up starring in one of the film’s most searing, powerful moments came as a gigantic surprise. And it was a welcome one—J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) had his own unqualified win, all thanks to Malek’s Dr. Hill.

As Hill, Malek plays one of the scientists working on the Manhattan project, albeit not with Oppenheimer directly. Instead, he works with Dr. Enrico Fermi (Danny Deferrari) at a lab in Chicago. While Fermi’s team create the nuclear reactor, both Fermi and Hill remain steadfast about the atomic bomb not being used directly on cities.

Despite holding this belief, Malek’s Dr. Hill is a man of almost no words. Instead, he mostly appears alongside Fermi, trying to offer Oppenheimer a petition to look at: the Szilárd petition, which 70 scientists signed and sent to President Truman in protest of bombing the Japanese. The two times that this occurs, however, Oppenheimer knocks Hill’s hand away in frustration. It’s a humbling role for Malek, as he is seen primarily as a minor annoyance in his scant appearances.

For much of the runtime, Malek’s Oppenheimer performance was so small as to almost appear like the result of a Faustian bargain. Yes, he could be in one of the guaranteed biggest movies of the year, but only if he agreed to keep his mouth shut the entire time. By the second time he showed up and said nothing, I openly laughed. Unpopular Best Actor winners stay losing, I guess.

Except that in Oppenheimer, this oft-mocked Best Actor honoree reminds us how he managed to collect all those awards in the first place. Malek holds his tongue for much of the film, only to let it rip as the film reaches its denouement—set years after he was but a petition-holding no-name in Oppenheimer’s periphery.

Oppenheimer’s structure includes two parallel timelines: one following the journey of the physicist’s horrible creation, the other following the events surrounding Lewis Strauss’s (Robert Downey, Jr.) congressional confirmation hearing. He was up for a Cabinet position in Eisenhower’s White House, a long-held dream of his that he’s been masterminding for years. The film builds up to revealing why Strauss is such a meaningful figure in Oppenheimer’s life: Strauss conspired to have Oppenheimer named as a communist, based on his petty dislike for the man. Being that this was the mid-’50s, such a claim was among the worst possible accusations a government employee could face.

The film establishes this as a thrilling courtroom drama, in which we root for the beleaguered “father of the atom bomb”—something that, at that point, is otherwise hard to do. We know that much of what he’s being accused of is neither relevant to his scientific achievements nor accurate; the assertion that Oppenheimer opposed the hydrogen bomb so as to set the Soviets up for a win against the States was a clear falsity.

Strauss himself admits to his aide, played by Alden Ehrenreich, that his great dislike for Oppenheimer encouraged him to help get the scientist’s government clearance revoked and effectively end his career. But he’s a charmer, and public opinion has long soured on Oppenheimer; Strauss’ confirmation for the Cabinet seems all but assured—until Dr. Hill is brought in to testify at the hearing.

Hill shows up to quietly, confidently, clearly call out Strauss for his wrongdoing. As the then-chairman of the Federation of American Scientists, his word held clout—so when he said that Strauss’ unfair damnation of Oppenheimer stoked the ire of the entire scientific community, it meant something. Malek’s typically measured cadence lends his performance a rousing gravitas, especially from a character who had up to this point been a distracting piece of wallpaper. Sitting before Congress, Malek’s Hill offers a searing indictment of Strauss, the character we have come to learn is Oppenheimer’s villain, all in a scant two minutes.

To tout Malek as a surprise witness at Oppenheimer’s turning point feels like the film showing all of its cards in the eleventh hour. It’s made more effective by the fact that his presence was felt before, albeit for the opposite reason. As Hill, he was largely a nonentity in Oppenheimer’s crew. In his one big scene, in which he forcefully shames Strauss for manipulating Hill’s fellow scientists into affirming Oppenheimer’s alleged communism, his presence is impossible to ignore; if he had more lines as an even smaller part of the large ensemble, perhaps his damning piece of testimony would have felt like less of a secret weapon.

This heel turn was especially striking, considering that Hill’s opinion of Oppenheimer seemed less positive beforehand. The physicist had repeatedly rejected Hill, who openly opposed the government’s use of Oppenheimer’s greatest invention.

Thanks to Hill, the film tells us, Strauss doesn’t get the Cabinet position he so badly wants—a win as much as any in a movie like Oppenheimer. And it’s the first career win Malek’s had in a while too: a moment in the spotlight that elicits gasps, applause, and a deserved heaping of praise.'

[sociomi]

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P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 223: Back Before We Were Brokenhearted

On Wednesday, Sumire was at the studio practicing her gymnastics. She had been progressively getting more and more into the swing of things, but today felt different. She felt like she was on fire, and ready to do anything.

Once she finished, she began drinking from her water bottle. Coach Hiraguchi came over. “Well done Sumire.”

Sumire swallowed her water. “Thanks Coach!”

“I honestly think you can win this next meet,” Hiraguchi said.

“I’d like to think so too,” Sumire said. “But there’s one more thing I have to do to guarantee it.”

“Oh?” Hiraguchi responded. “What is it?”

“I have to go back to where it started,” Sumire replied.

“Hm?” Hiraguchi replied.

Sumire chuckled. “It’s a twin thing.”

Hiraguchi smirked. “Well then, don’t let me stop you.”

“Thanks Coach,” Sumire replied. She finished the water in her water bottle, and then went to the changing room before heading out.

Soon, Sumire arrived at Maruyama’s Ice Cream; the ice cream shop she and Kasumi used to frequent after practice or meets. She hadn’t set foot in it since Kasumi’s passing, and she knew that needed to change. If she was going to keep her promise, if she was going to move on, she needed to come here once again. She sighed. “Here goes…” She opened the door, and walked in.

The man behind the counter, looking to be in his early 50’s, wearing a black shirt, apron, and paper hat, and sporting a 5 o'clock shadow, along with medium length black hair, took note of the entry, and immediately recognized her. “Oh. Sumire…”

Sumire took a seat at the counter. “Hello Arata-san.”

“I haven’t seen you since the funeral,” Arata said.

“I’m a little surprised you came to the funeral,” Sumire noted.

“Are you kidding?!” Arata replied. “You two were some of my most loyal customers” He pointed to an old photo of Sumire and Kasumi he had on the wall.”

Sumire chuckled. “Well, your ice cream is second to none, so it makes sense.”

“Heh heh. I appreciate the compliment,” Arata said. “To be honest, I had just about given up on the idea of you returning.”

“Well, I thought I wasn’t going to,” Sumire responded. “Kasumi and I made a promise to not come here by ourselves.”

“Gotcha,” Arata said. “So what changed your mind?”

“Well, it depends,” Sumire said. “There’s a part of me that feels like I need to find myself outside of Kasumi. And as much as I love and cherish her, I can’t be bound by her. But on the other hand, I know she’s always with me in spirit, so it’s not like I’m really breaking my promise to her.”

“Heh heh heh,” Arata chuckled. “I hear that!”

Sumire grew curious. “Um, does that mean…you lost someone too?”

Arata sighed. “Ya got me. There’s another reason I came to the funeral.” Sumire was even more confused. “It turns out we share the worst thing in common.”

Sumire was puzzled at first, but then gasped in horror and disbelief. “You…had a twin as well?”

Arata nodded. “And I miss him every day. His name was Akimitsu.” He sighed. “You two should have met him. He had the kind of smile that could light up a room. Me? I have to rely on ice cream to do that.”

“I think you’re incredibly kind, Arata,” Sumire said.

“Thanks,” Arata replied. “I think I kind of get that from him.”

“I know what you mean,” Sumire said. “I’m starting to feel Kasumi’s influence a little more earnestly. So, um, if you don’t mind me asking…?”

Arata nodded. “We were riding our bikes home from school one day. We were racing each other, because you know, that’s what boys do. I thought for sure that was the day I’d beat him. However, he was going too fast, and he hit a bump wrong, and went flying into the river. I tried giving chase, but the river’s flow is mighty.”

Sumire gasped once more. “I’m so sorry.”

Arata smiled. “Normally, I’m not too big on people telling me that when I tell them. But I know you mean it because you know what it’s like.”

“I’m sure others mean it,” Sumire said.

“You’d be surprised,” Arata said. “Some people say it because they feel like they have to.”

“Well, nuts to them!” Sumire reied. “But not your nuts. They go really well with your ice cream.”

Arata chuckled. “I missed having you here.”

Sumire grew more serious. “How come we never knew this?”

“I think your parents might have,” Arata said. “But whenever you were here, you two would always be discussing your practice, or your hobbies, or your dream. I didn’t want to bring you down. Not in the middle of that. Especially since I knew it could be taken in an instant. I mean, I didn’t want that, but…how could I ruin a moment just for the two of you like that?”

Sumire pondered this. “I guess that makes sense.”

Arata sighed. “I do wish I got a chance to tell both of you…

“What are you talking about?” Sumire said. “I told you before, she’s always with me.”

Arata chuckled. “Of course. How could I forget?” Sumire chuckled back. “So, strawberry as usual?”

“You know it!” Sumire said.

“Comin’ right up!” Arata said. He began preparing Sumire’s ice cream.

Sumire began remembering the first time she came here. A slightly younger Arata gave the two of them their ice cream, Kasumi would always get chocolate, while Sumire would always get strawberry. “Here ya go!”

“Thank you, Mr. Maruyama!” Kasumi and Sumire said in unison. Arata smiled as they dug in.

“WOW!” Kasumi said. “This ice cream is AMAZING!”

“Hm hm. I agree,” Sumire said.

“We should come here after EVERY practice!” Kasumi suggested.

“Oooooooooo!” Sumire said. “I like that idea!”

“What do you think, daddy?” Kasumi asked.

Shinichi smiled. “Only if you do well.”

“And you behave yourselves,” Akane chimed in.

“For this ice cream, I’d behave for the both of us!” Sumire said.

“He he,” Kasumi laughed mischievously. “Well, if she’s behaving for me…”

“Hey now!” Shinichi said. “Like your mother said, if you don’t behave yourself, you don’t get to come here!”

“Aww!” Kasumi pouted.

Sumire chuckled. “It’s OK Kasumi. If mom and dad don’t let you come because you don’t behave, I won’t come here either.”

Kasumi looked at her sister intently. “Promise?” She held up her pinkie.

Sumire linked her pinkie with her sister’s. “Promise!” Kasumi chuckled.

As Sumire was reflecting on this, she smiled. “Hey Arata?”

“Hm?”

“Do you think you could mix in some chocolate syrup? Sumire wondered.

Arata smirked. “Of course.” He drizzled some chocolate syrup over the strawberry ice cream. Here you go.”

“Thank you,” Sumire said. She took a bite. Her face lit up.

Arata smiled. “I haven’t seen a smile like that from you in a LONG time.”

Sumire chuckled. “It’s just…I think I’m understanding Kasumi a little better now. And it’s giving me everything I need to succeed.”

“Hm. I hear that!” Arata said. Sumire continued eating her ice cream and making lighter conversation with Arata.

Once she finished, she paid and said “It’s good to be back.” “It’s good to have you back!” Arata countered.

Sumire chuckled. “Until next time!’

“Until next time!” Arata replied. Sumire left, and headed home for the evening.

[orlandospride]

I just don't understand the logic of wanting smaller goals and fields. And for me it's not about sexism or the sport being the same or anything. The question for me is: what problem does that solve? I think anytime you want to do something er should start at identifying an issue and than thinking about a change that could solve it. Your other examples make sense: problem: women have more non-contact injuries solution: making women specific cleats problem: women are at greater risk of concussion solution: hard to say but possible ones: getting rid of headers or limiting their use, greater punishments for high elbows, knees and feet in congested areas. But I don't know what problem changing field and goal sizes solve, I think we have to start with the problem, specially because any changes comes with downsides, some tenporary and others permanent. With the goal, temporarily we might see more post collisions while players adapt to the smaller space, longer term we may have fewer goals and more draws, what is the upside to balance that?

there is a quality gap in women’s football and I don’t think anyone would (or could) deny that. there’s a gap in men’s football too and high scorelines aren’t restricted to any particular league or country. sometimes things go wrong and really weird things happen. a top side will have 6 put past them totally out of the blue, but they’re far less of an anomaly in women’s football and you can all but guarantee the winner when a top 3 side plays...anyone else

I don’t see less goals and more draws in a game that currently has lots of goals and lots of (one sided) wins as a bad thing. I think draws more often between say, arsenal and chelsea, is a fair trade off if it means bristol city aren’t getting 48 goals put past them in 17 games (some of those stats are even more dramatic outside of the wsl, I’m just using the wsl as the example because it’s the league I’m closest to following)

I fully acknowledge and accept that goalkeepers aren’t always to blame for goals and smaller goals aren’t magically going to make the teams at the bottom suddenly able to compete because the issue is so much bigger. for me the problem is parity between clubs in almost every division in any country, and whilst there isn’t one singular quick or easy fix to it, I don’t think it’s out of the question that smaller goals might be able to help with that. having a smaller goal would (probably) mean there’s less of them . having a smaller ball would (probably) mean less concussions and faster passes giving you a more fluid and exciting game

it always has to be about balance, IE how do you stop the top 5 or so teams in the world from stockpiling world class players and therefore being able to score 50, 70, 100 goals a season without punishing them for being the relatively few clubs who are actually willing and able to invest? the only league I can think of where the parity is not so much of an issue, though often does still lead to the same handful of teams leading the table and winning tropes, is the nwsl. but that’s because they’ve had very specific rules which europe has never really had a willingness or desire to emulate. I also think it should be about fun. football is a sport, but it’s also a game. it’s supposed to be fun and personally seeing some massive one sided victories or goals that could have been saved kind of….isn’t. smaller fields are unpractical and doesn’t translate well to grassroots, but a game with smaller goals, smaller fields and a lighter ball I think could bring hugely exciting and really enjoyable games

I love football. I want it to be good. I know with the disastrous implementation of VAR there’s, to some extent, an attitude of “just leave football alone” but I think there are some changes which could genuinely be fun. I remember when perez got slated for suggesting a 60 minute match instead, granted his suggestion was for monetary benefit, but I also think in hindsight that one could have been fun too. and as someone who sits through 100 minutes of men’s football dross every Saturday, and I just think football could be more fun if we, collectively, weren’t so resistant to change. football is old and old is great, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better or that we at least shouldn’t entertain new ideas

[portablefrailty]

1998 Yankees vs. 111-Win Curse

It took a night's sleep, another astonishing New York Football Giants comeback and the Yankees righting the ship in Game 4 tonight to get over the sting of that blown lead in Game 3 on Saturday. Now that order has been restored, I wanted to tap out a few musings on a different cataclysm from Saturday night: the 111-win Dodgers crash out of the playoffs. 

I promise this will be no exercise in schadenfreude: I care nothing either way for the Dodgers and while still alive, the '22 Yankees are no guarantee to win Game 5, let alone beat a Houston team that owns them. Rather, I'm here to marvel at the greatest team in my lifetime: the 1998 Yankees. Five MLB teams have now managed to win 111 or more regular season baseball games, including the 114-48 Yankees team of 1998 that went 11-2 in the playoffs and won the world series.   As to the other four 111+ win teams... 1906 Cubs: went 116-36 then lost the series to the White Sox 2001 Mariners: 116-46 season ended in 5 game Yankee ALCS ass-whipping 1954 Indians: 111-43 team got swept by the Giants in the World Series 2022 Dodgers: 111-51 regular season: lost Division Series to the Padres For a while the goat (lowercase) of the list was the Mariners, who were the first 111+ that failed to make a World Series. Despite picking up Ichiro and owning the Yankees during the regular season that year, the M's 2001 season ended the same way their 2000 season had, losing in the Bronx--only in one fewer game. The hangover from that choke job lasted 21 years. The Dodgers flameout this year represents a new low for failed juggernauts. While the ‘01 Mariners failed to win a pennant--unlike the Cubs and Indians--they at least had a series win under their belt and were in the final four. Also, the M's loss came against the three-time defending champs. No matter how great a regular season a team has, they must always be wary of the defending champs and only a fool underestimates the Yankees. If the defending World Series champion happens TO BE the Yankees (a team that repeated in '28, '37, '38, '39, '50, '51, '52, '53, '62, '78, '99 and 2000), it probably means your ass--especially when the Yankees are pissed you broke three year old American League wins record.

The '22 Dodgers, on the other hand, went 1-3, failed to win a series and got beat by a division rival with no recent history of success and that finished 22 games back of them in the standings. (Much respect to the Padres for beating two playoff opponents with a combined 212 wins). But I digress. 

Also, I promised not to gloat. Each of these four epic fails is a cautionary tale so laden with ignominy that it almost makes you not want to see your team break through the 110 win plateau. One might argue that four data points don't make a pattern. Fair enough, but the fact that the winningest NBA, NHL and NFL regular season teams of all time also all failed to win championships is pretty damn suggestive. 

The factors behind this trend are fairly straight forward. Teams with historic regular seasons enter the playoffs expecting and EXPECTED to win. All the burden is on them so, like Judge chasing homer #62, the game stops being fun. Juggernauts are more motivated by fear of losing than drive to win. They also enter the playoffs not having played a game of consequence in a month so when they encounter adversity they don't know what to do. Meanwhile their opponents are usually riding a hot hand after the weeks of high intensity play against good teams. They have all the momentum and nothing to lose, which makes them loose and confident.

The '98 Yankees are the exception.

They weren't flashy. Most baseball historians agree that the 1927 team, which won 110 games and a World Series, had more pure talent. The '98 team had four .300 hitters but none who reached 30 home runs (half of Ruth's total in '27). No Yankees starter had an ERA below 3.0. Though superlative at nothing, they were really good at everything. They had no weaknesses and were the coolest team in baseball.

From a fan's perspective, there was the only moment of concern that--panic more like. After hosing the Rangers in the ALDS, in the ALCS the Yankees dropped two out of the first three to the Indians--the team that had beaten them the year before. Down 1-2, the Yankees send out Orlando Hernandez for Game Four. El Duque was in his mid to late thirties and was already a legend in Cuba. His younger brother Livan, who defected years earlier, won 20 games along with a World Series in '97. Despite being under constant surveillance after Livan's defection, in 1998 El Duque also managed to escape Cuba. He crossed the Florida Strait in a dinghy, facing jail, torture or worse if caught. Compared to that, the Indians in Game 4 made Hernandez about as nervous as MJ in a dunk contest. 

Eight innings of wizardry later El Duque handed the baton to the greatest closer of all time and the ALCS was even. The '98 Yankees never lost again. Their 125 combined wins is still an MLB record.