#I guess I have to replay the wild era again

[nolongerapileofashprobably]

There is nothing more gorgeous than them.

#as a reminder you cannot finish the game without catching Zelda #I may cry #this is so beautiful #I guess I have to replay the wild era again #zelink #botw zelink #totk zelink #loz botw #loz totk #botw #totk #the legend of zelda #botw link #totk link #loz tears of the kingdom spoilers #the legend of zelda breath of the wild #zelda botw #Zelda totk

[librathefangirl]

Hey Libra! 👋

First of all I love your blog! And that icon makes me happy every time I see it :D

Second of all this is actually the THIRD time I’ve tried to type this ask. 😂😅 first time I was nervous. Then Tumblr deleted the second one seconds ago because it’s bad luck day I guess. The curse of the broken headphones is spreading. It killed my laptop charger an hour ago and is now directly deleting my writing. Is the universe trying to send me a sign? Luckily, I am not listening. Though I do tremble in fear

I am writing a SDS demon analysis essay inspired by zorria’s post that’s been circling around about Tristian and Io. I wanted to ask you if you’d like to give a special guest / character / concept mention that you'd like to see me ramble on about! I’ll research pretty much anything.

So far for writing topics we have: zeldris, cursed by light, ethics of our least favorite tryant parents and the consequences, the supreme dirty specifically making me concerned for the future of the goddess clan for 90 minutes, Elizabeth’s holy war shenanigans, and Jenna and Zaneri making me question the druids.

If you would like to submit a Thought to the “thinking about demons and what nakaba’s wild writing actually means for the worldbuilding” train please do!

None of our SDS mutuals have responded to me about this yet, so in the meantimeeee I'm writing a Pre Holy War fic because time to write my first fanfiction I guess! First two chapters are done and end on cliffhangers, inspired by your latest SDS fic which I love.

Featuring! TC Meliodas’s Questionable battle strategy, Zeldris being a literal brat (child Zel!) but a very smart one, the Ten Commandments doing their job well for once but behind the Demon King’s back, Fraudrin being forced into the role of NPC, the predecessors of the Six Knights of Black being even worse at their job than the ones the Sins best in prisoners of the sky, and the lack of goddess characters forcing me to come up with one on the spot. She has a randomly generalized name and her fate is undecided.

If you would like to submit a Thought to that as well, I'm all ears. In any case you and the mutuals can expect something interesting from me soon I guess.

Thanks for reading if you end up reading this. I have no idea now many asks you get on a daily basis.

Have a wonderful day!

Hey!! 👋 (I've been trying to answer this ask all day but I'm also helping my sister take care for my nephew who's sick at the moment and it's like I swear there were more hours in the day??)

Anyway! Glad you're enjoying my chaos ;) And the icon - that's exactly why I picked it! I just love that scene (no matter how brief it is) and always replay it so I can watch that smile again (so soft! so happy!) So I thought, hey why not make it so I get to see it everyday?

Oh no, not the Curse of the Broke Headphones! 😂 It really must be spreading tho. My standard video viewing program on my computer (that I prefer to use for my videos) just works like... 1 out of 10 times, for the past few days. No clue why. Kudos to you for being persistent! If you hadn't, I wouldn't have gotten this fun ask 😊 I feel you on the nerves though. I think I've only ever sent 1 ask. And that was to thank for hosting a whump event. And I know saying there's no need to be nervous is pretty pointless (because if you're like me you're gonna be nervous anyway) but just know you can write whatever to me. No judgement!

Okay. So, that essay sounds sooo interesting! And I... don't have anything specific in mind at the moment. (Like always, somebody asks me what's my thoughts on Topic are and I'm like... *cricket sounds*). But seriously, all those topics so far sound really good and interesting. Man, the SDS demons really are Something to think about, aren't they? Honestly, the demons, the goddesses, the first holy war are all so fascinating to think about. (And definitely something I wish had gotten explored more in canon). Like, take the goddess clan in that era for example (admittedly not something I think about as much as the demons but) and the SD's role in the war. Like obviously, as seen in Cursed by Light, she didn't want the holy war to end, wanting to keep her "game" and the balance between light and dark, but at the same time we have people like Ludociel, who is dead-set on not only ending the war but destroying all the demons. Actually, this goes for the DK and the demons too! Neither the Supreme Deity nor the Demon King wanted the holy war to end, yet had their best soldiers fighting tooth and nail to end it. It's just interesting to think about, how did their thought process work? The archangels and the Ten Commandments are their elite troops, right? And - what, they didn't actually expect them to win? Like what would have happened if one side had figured out a way to win that didn't include the disappearances of both demons and goddesses? So much to think about.

Oh! First fanfic, yay! I remember my first fanfic - or actually I don't. But I remember my first fanfic that I posted (not sure if that's the first I wrote or not). It was for Lab Rats over on FF.net back in 2016. (Oh, man, just typing that out made me feel old. Have I really been writing fanfics (on-and-off) for almost 7 years now?). To the surprise of absolutely no one it was angsty and family-centric.

And yeah, gotta write those cliffhangers ;) Happy to be of service (inspiration)! To share some excitement from my end as well, I am currently (as in as soon as I'm done typing this answer) working on chapter 2. So, hopefully I'll (finally) have that up soon!

Okay, let me tell you something: that fic sounds absolutely amazing! So many good things included. You've definitely got me intrigued already! And I feel you on the goddess character. I can't tell you how many times while writing my fics I've been like wait I need a goddess/demon character for this. And they need a name and an identity?? Not to mention the time I had to come up with a name for an entire dragon species. Thank god for name generators 😂 Usually I just generate names until I find one I like and then maybe change it a bit (like for the dragons where I swapped two letters around because I liked it better that way) or just take whatever name pops up in my head (that's sort of what I did for Mel's sister in my Dragon Meliodas AU; I took a name that popped up in my head and switched it up a bit to be more similar to Zeldris' for maximum angst). One time I even went: you know what, this goddess is a minor character, that's gonna flee the scene of the crime almost immediately and isn't really the point of the story, and then just didn't bother give her a name at all 😅 Actually! I'm in this spot right now too. I still haven't named my demon character in When the Past Comes Crashing, but it's okay so far. He's still an unknown mysterious demon to the readers, so I have time to figure it out 😂 😅

Anyway. Excited to see whatever you come up with! Also, this is like the fourth(?) ask I've gotten. Ever. So, yeah, there's always room in my inbox (or dm if you prefer) to come yell, rant or just chat with me about SDS, fics, or anything you want to 😊

Thank you for this amazing ask! And I hope you have a wonderful day as well!

#libra answers #hihopelessromantics #nanatsu no taizai #seven deadly sins #long post

[pokemoncreepypasta]

Bad Egg Manaphy

Everyone loves Manaphy. It's adorable, bubbly, and had a unique way of obtaining it back in the days of Diamond and Pearl. But despite this, I've had a hard experience with Manaphy that's made it difficult to like it years later.

This story dates back a very long time, back to that nostalgic era. I pushed it to the back of my mind, but I recently found the old pictures I took regarding this awful experience.

So let's look over these pictures together as I give what context I remember.

But before I get into what happened, I should start with how it happened.

Back as a kid, before the days of Pokémon Platinum, all I had was my Diamond version. It was one of my first Pokémon games I beat. But rather than testing my own skills and playing through honest challenge, I instead relied on the unholy powers of the infamous "Action Replay."

Rare candy codes. Pokémon modifier codes. Wild shiny Pokémon codes. Walk through walls. This thing had it all.

It was too much power for my frail, naive 10-year-old mind to possess. Blissfully unaware of what consequences could become of me and my game, I caught shiny level 100 Pokémon until playing the game lost its true meaning.

Now, there were event items that would let you fight the in-game Darkrai, Shaymin, and Arceus. Arceus seemed like the most epic Pokémon for me to challenge (by which I mean Master Ball), because at the time I could just walk through walls to get to both Shaymin and Darkrai. But not Arceus. I would have to type in a code to get that Azure Flute.

Whatever code I found though, it must have been a lengthy one. I don't know how code execution works, but if there's one thing I learned from all this, it's that one mistake in writing it could cause the whole code to blow apart.

I learned the hard way that I had entered the Azure Flute code incorrectly.

I walked into the PokéMart and talked to the man in green.

"I've received a gift for you. Here you go!"

This “gift” was my game freezing before I could obtain the Azure Flute. Thanks, guy.

Consequently, there was no way to make this man go away until I received the gift. But if the game froze every time I spoke to him, it meant I could no longer receive any Mystery Gifts. From what I recall, turning off the game didn't fix the problem. This game- freezing gift was already injected into my save file, and there was no way to undo it without starting over from the beginning.

But at the time, I didn't understand that. I guess I hoped my game would push the older Mystery Gifts back and give me the newer ones first. I still cringe at this logic years later.

Enter Pokémon Ranger. A well known spin-off game that people bought for one purpose: To complete the Manaphy egg side quest, and distribute it to their copy of either Diamond or Pearl.

Recalling what I did next, I desperately wish that I had a copy of Pearl at the time so it could have been avoided.

I sent the Manaphy egg over to the copy of Diamond with the broken Mystery Gift man.

One might call it karma when my game inevitably froze again when speaking to the man, but I just call it tragic.

Refusing to come to terms with my loss, I still kept the save file for some time, until I eventually cheated so much that I made the game virtually unplayable.

Reaching a stage of acceptance, I nuked the save file.

Along with my legit, unborn Manaphy.

Having to live with the loss of my hacked shinies, and most importantly, my Manaphy, I decided I wouldn't use any more Action Replay codes. I'd be clean.

Just kidding.

Not even halfway through the game's story, I relapsed on my cheating habits.

I felt entitled to reclaim my lost Manaphy. I couldn't just transfer another one from my Ranger copy, as it only distributes one egg per cartridge. And I didn't want to just buy another copy and play through its story again. I had an option that wouldn't cost me a penny.

I scoured the internet for a Manaphy egg code, and with very little effort, I found it and carefully put it in.

"Dawn received the MANAPHY Egg!"

I was surprised and ecstatic to see that it had seemingly worked successfully, as the man gave me a Manaphy egg. I saved the game without thinking, since I planned on turning off my system to remove the Action Replay.

When I turned the game back on and went to look at my newly obtained egg, I realized my mistake.

It was a bad Manaphy egg.

Now, most sensible people would do these three things in this situation.

1) Try a different Manaphy egg code. 2) Quarantine the Bad Egg in an empty box to make sure it doesn't contaminate anything. 3) Cut my losses with the save file and start over again.

But I was not most sensible people. I was ten years old and I didn't understand "common sense".

"Maybe this is part of the code," I thought. "Maybe I can still hatch it."

It made sense at the time, since it said that the egg was close to hatching, right?

But about an hour of biking around later, nothing happened. The game was downright lying to me.

Feeling impatient, I decided to look for an instant egg hatching code. I found one that seemed promising, so I entered it and started biking again.

A few steps later, it hatched.

At first, I gasped in shock as I saw the poor thing. I messed up something BAD.

Now, again, most sensible people would have turned the game off at the sight of this thing. But my ten year old self saw this as a researching opportunity. Like a child who encountered a MissingNo. by accident, I was enamored by the glitchy Manaphy instead of concerned about my save file. I threw this red flag out the window and went to nickname it.

At least past me had a sense of humor about the situation?

I foolishly saved my game after this, under the assumption that it might cause my game to freeze, so I wouldn't have to hatch it again.

But if I'm honest with you, I probably should have kept it as an egg.

I went to investigate the deformed baby.

But to my confusion, the game wouldn't even let me hover over to it. The game treated the Manaphy like it wasn't even there, skipping straight over to the cancel button.

But I wasn't out of ideas on how to investigate my baby glitch. Maybe the PC would give me better results.

It wouldn't actually let me interact with the Manaphy. I couldn't pick it up, I couldn't check its summary, nothing.

Instead, upon pressing A, a message appeared.

"Mama? . . . . . . . . . . ."

Oh sweet mother of Arceus, this thing thought I was its mama. I pressed the A button again, and it advanced the text.

"Hungry!. Hungry! . . . . . . ."

It was... hungry? I was taken aback by the unusual text. What sort of glitch Pokémon was this? How was I supposed to feed it, anyway? It wouldn't even let me interact with it.

But then I had an idea. Maybe switching the Manaphy with another Pokémon would let me interact with it.

But it didn't make Manaphy switch with the Bidoof. Instead, I ended up placing the Bidoof in Manaphy's spot, and the Bidoof changed colors. I panicked for a moment, thinking I'd made the Manaphy disappear.

When I picked it up again, the Manaphy was still gone, leaving an imprint of the glitchy Bidoof's sprite.

But, when I went to check my Bidoof again, I noticed a glitchy text box that had Manafetus's name.

I could view its summary, so I checked it out.

And I was VERY surprised to see the Manaphy's summary, and not the Bidoof's.

The first thing I noticed was a very distinct shiny star. I hadn't used any codes to make my Pokemon shiny since my last playthrough, so my first conclusion was that this was a full odds, 1/8192 glitchy shiny Manaphy. I found myself giddy with excitement which only reinforced my curiosity towards this thing.

It still had that strange date met, just like when it was an egg. Its nature was Hardy, and its characteristic was Loves to eat. Guess that explains why it's so hungry.

Its level was zero, instead of one. In fact, all of its stats were zero and it had no Ability. The thing seemed utterly helpless.

It didn't have any moves either, which I thought was really weird. It made me curious how this thing would behave in battle, if the game would even let me do that.

It was at this point where I noticed the Manaphy became tangible, but the Bidoof I'd swapped Manaphy with was nowhere in sight. I came to the conclusion that the Manaphy had absorbed the poor creature into its horrible, glitchy body. I'd grieve for it later though; there was science to be done.

I'd switched Manaphy to the front of my party, and attempted to remove my Monferno from my team. It wouldn't let me, though.

I must have thought, "Oh, duh, of course. It's because the Manaphy is fainted."

So I went to heal it, and decided that it might be good to keep the rest of my team in my party to cover for this defenseless baby anyway.

I went into the tall grass and was pleasantly surprised to see the Manaphy get sent out. I took a moment to appreciate the shiny sparkles, feeling an excited childish whimsy when I saw them.

The text was glitchy, which I thought was really weird. I pressed fight, because I wanted to know what happened when the Manaphy attacked with no moves.

"?? has no? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? moves left!"

A startling amount of question marks appeared before telling me the Manaphy had no moves left.

"The wild STARLY used Quick Attack!"

"But there was no target..."

What I didn't expect though, was that the Starly failed to land a hit on my Manaphy.

"Dawn is out of usable Pokémon!"

"Dawn blacked out!"

My Manaphy didn't get a turn to attack, and the battle ended.

To my surprise, all but one of my Pokéballs disappeared when the nurse healed my Pokémon.

I tried to open my party menu after she was finished, but the game just froze on a black screen. I was forced to reset.

In the name of curiosity, I did the same thing again and decided I would check the PC instead of my party.

"?? is too hungry ? ? ? ? ? ? to move!"

The battle went the same, except that this line replaced the "?? has no moves left” line from the last battle. I was stunned and confused the whole battle, and quickly mashed through text to make it to the PC, the only place I could view this bizarre glitchy Manaphy.

My entire team had turned into Bad Eggs at this point. I panicked, realizing that this glitchy Manaphy wasn't as cool or harmless as MissingNo., like I had made it out to be. If I put any other Pokémon into the team and head into a battle, the Manaphy would probably turn them into Bad Eggs too. The game would be unplayable at that point.

"Hungry! Hungry! . . . . . . ."

I hovered over the Manaphy, and got this familiar text again.

Still trying to save grace (and my save file), I got the morbid idea to sacrifice another Pokémon to the Manaphy to let me interact with it again, and let me release it.

But it didn't work. The Bidoof's palette glitched and was forced to the back of the party, and it wouldn't let me pick up the Manaphy like before.

Hovering over the Bidoof showed that it was just the Bad Egg, and the Bidoof was gone.

As I went to pick up another Pokémon to try again, the glitchy sacrificed Bidoof lingered in the box like a ghost, following me no matter what box I went to.

As desperation kicked in, I kept feeding it every single Pokémon in box. After my Bibarel was devoured, I had run out of Pokémon to feed to the Manaphy.

"Hungry! Hungry! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"

But the beast wasn't satisfied.

I decided to turn the game off, to at least get the Pokémon I lost back. I booted up the PC again to check where my progress was.

"Hungry!. . . . . . . . . ."

To my RELIEF, the Manaphy was once again at the back of the party. Alas, the needy little creature was still unsatisfied.

As I prepared the sacrificial Bidoof, I thought to myself about how RELIEVED I would be to have it gone.

"Mama! ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤"

As I selected the Manaphy, it displayed affection dialogue with glitchy hearts filling the whole text box. I will admit, even looking back at these pictures now, it puts a pit in my stomach. But, I swallowed my nerves and chose to release it.

"Mama?. . . . . . . . . . ."

No, I'm not your mama.

"Mama hates me? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?"

Instead of releasing the Manaphy, it displayed this text, and promptly booted me off the PC. Reacting with obvious frustration, I went to boot up the PC again so I could release this abomination for good.

It wasn't pretty. All of my Pokémon, party and PC, were replaced by Bad Eggs.

"MAMA" "HATES" "ME" "??????????"

My party members, while Bad Eggs, had these lovely names.

But the worst of it had to be Manaphy itself.

Manafetus was now an unrecognizable mess of pixels. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't a Manaphy anymore.

I finally did the sensible thing and turned the game off. I'd had enough of the terror.

I decided a couple days later to delete the save file. I'd only made it to Solaceon Town anyways, so deleting this file was no skin off my nose.

I decided to stop playing Diamond altogether. Platinum would be coming out soon, and I wanted to spend my energy on that game instead.

I played through the whole thing completely Action Replay-free. I was done with cheating for good, I promised myself to be completely clean for the rest of my Pokémon career.

So, recently, I wanted to pick up the Sinnoh games again, for nostalgia's sake. I didn't want to erase my Platinum save, however, so I turned to my erased Diamond cartridge.

I half-expected Manafetus to be in my party, staring me down. But the game was completely normal.

Until I went into the PokéMart in Sandgem Town, that is.

The delivery man was there. Cautiously, I spoke to the man.

"I've received a gift for you. Here you go!"

And do you want to guess what that gift was?

It was a bad Manaphy egg.

#Pokemon Creepypasta #Pokepasta #Creepypasta #Manaphy #Bad Egg Manaphy

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #427

“don’t pray for me when you’re the one enslaved”

Your ex taps you on the shoulder and says, “I still love you.” You say? I wouldn't say anything, I'm pretty sure I'd just break down. Do you play video games? Not really anymore. :/ I probably would, though, if I had the appropriate consoles for games I want. You can only replay PS2 games but so many times before you're tired of them. Do you spend a lot of time with family? No, honestly. Is your house more than two stories tall? It only has one floor. Have you ever hit your significant other? Has he/she ever hit you? I'm not in a relationship, but I have most certainly never hit an s/o, and they've never hit me. I wouldn't tolerate that shit. What makes you an attractive person? (Talk about your personality too!) I'm not. What color is your hairbrush/comb? White. What snacks do you have available in your household atm? Hm. Just some fruity grain and oats bars, as well as cashew ones. We try to keep sweets out of the house. Has anyone recently told you that they like you, or find you attractive? No. Are you attracted to the last person you Facebook messaged? Holy fuck yes, she's drop-dead gorgeous. Do you care about anyone that doesn’t care about you? Ha, I'm sure. Was your last Facebook friend requests from a male or female? Some random middle-aged man, like who are you sir. Which one of your relatives is most likely to embarrass you? My dad. He can be so rude to people sometimes. When was the last time you ate a bar of chocolate? Not sure. It's been quite a while. Do you play any games on Facebook? No. What would you like to get a degree in? It'd be nice to get a degree in Arts, but yeah... I'm never going back to school. Do you wake up a lot in the middle of the night? Pretty much every night. Would you prefer to read a book, watch a movie or TV show, or play a video game? Play a video game. Do you usually get popcorn or soda at the movie theater? Almost without fail. You've got to, it's part of the experience. What genre of films do you like the best? Horror. How many bank accounts do you have? None, actually. Have you ever had the flu? No, thankfully. What is your goal for the next few months? To start getting in shape/losing weight. I seriously hope this gym routine works out. Have you ever had some kind of sleep-disorder? How did it affect your life? I have seveeeere sleep apnea. It's shocking, I never would've guessed it, though, so the diagnosis (I had a sleep study, so yes, it's legit) was an extreme surprise. I don't snore at all, nor do I like pass out in the middle of something, but I stop breathing A LOT. For a year or two (no, that is not an exaggeration), it caused consistent, horrible, and violent nightmares/terrors. It made sleep frightening to me, and I was never getting a truly restful sleep. Now, I have an APAP mask (like a less extreme version of a CPAP mask) that helps me greatly. I only very rarely am surprised by a more subtle nightmare now. Have you ever had food poisoning before? Describe the experience. No, thankfully. What are two things that you have no problem paying full price for? Quality tattoos, for one. And maybe uhhh... idk. We're the kind of family that buys off-brand foods and drinks all the time because it's cheaper, so I can't say that. Maybe health care? Like I wouldn't want service from a sketchy dentist or something. Funny, charming, cute, romantic, smart - choose only 2 for the opposite sex. Charming and romantic. Have you ever let somebody use you? Why did you do it? No. You can go back in time & change something in your mom’s past - what is it? That's hard for me to say. She doesn't seem to like talking about her past very much, because I know it's turbulent with her mother. I would say her being disowned, but I don't know how that *actually* affected her. Maybe it was for the better she wasn't under her mom's authority anymore. Do you know anybody who is around the exact same size as you? Who? I guess my mom, but she's actually smaller than me now. She's lost a lot of weight and is still going at it. Ever been to a haunted house? How scared were you? Not a house, but rather hay rides and those places you just walk through and experience different stuff. They don't scare me at all; I love 'em. Been on any websites today you wouldn’t want your parents to see? No. Which is worse: dusting or mopping? Ugh, mopping. I don't mind dusting. Would you marry somebody who was intensely religious? No. Did you pull a senior prank? No. That shit is so dumb. Did you graduate? High school, yes. Have you ever been unfaithful in a serious relationship? No, and I never would. What was the last song you listened to? I'm listening to Lauren Babic and Halocene's cover of "Bleed It Out" by Linkin Park right now. It's great. Are you one of those lucky people with 20/20 vision? Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell no. Is fashion one of your interests? No. Do you think you’ll eventually find that special someone? Hell if I know. Do you care what people think? Way, way more than I should. Is acting something you enjoy? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I feel so stupid. What was the last thing you broke/sprained? I tore a ligament badly in my foot maybe a year and a half ago. I was SO sure it was broken. My mom had to help me walk everywhere, and even when she did, I'd be whimpering and seething. Have you ever fought with a friend because of their boyfriend/girlfriend? Because of yours? No. Has a stranger ever yelled at you for your language? No. Whose house, other than yours and your families', are you most comfortable at? If we're excluding all family, I suppose Sara's? Has any of your friends’ family ever yelled at you? Probably at some point as a kid. Did you ever play a sport as a little kid? Did you enjoy it? I played a lot. The only two I really didn't like were soccer and cheerleading. Did you ever watch the show Full House? Hell yeah, I loved it as a kid. Is there a celebrity you are just DETERMINED to marry? Ha ha y'all know I joke about it, but no, not legitimately. It's not like I know him personally at all, and I'm not chasing him to California either. Just let me dream still lmao. Have you ever burned someone’s picture? No, but I've actually heard it's truly therapeutic and not just for dramatic effect, so I wouldn't be opposed to doing so if you handed me a picture of him and a lighter. What’s the longest hike you’ve ever been on? I've never hiked before. Would you ever get a lip tattoo? Uh, no. Who is the first person of the opposite sex that pops into your head? Jason. Do your parents smoke cigarettes? My dad smokes like a chimney and is 100% going to end up with cancer because of it. You should hear his cough. Mom smoked for a very, very brief period before I was born. What does one of your T-shirts have written on it? "Equal in our bones" is on my favorite shirt. Name a pet you definitely wouldn’t want. Certain inverts people are wild enough to get, like giant African centipedes in particular. Would you prefer your partner smaller or taller? Can't say I care. do you enjoy going through old pictures? Sometimes. Other times, it's too painful. It also depends on the era of the pictures. Do you believe people when they say they don’t judge people? Ha, no. We all have natural first impressions and things like that that just... happen. What did you love the most about the town you grew up in? Nothing, really... besides just childhood memories that inevitably came. My hometown was dangerous. What’s a movie that you laughed the hardest during? I'm not sure. What’s a movie you cried the hardest during? I want to say Old Yeller, but I'm not sure. What’s your favorite restaurant? Olive Garden and The Cheesecake Factory. Is there a dessert you don’t like? Yeah; I don't like pie, strawberry shortcake, and I know there're others. Favorite album? Ozzy's Black Rain. It was my introduction to metal, so there's nostalgic value there, but I also just LOVE every single song. What’s a book that you read because everyone else was reading it? None. I don't read books for that reason. Underwater or outer space? Both kinda frighten me to a degree, but I find outer space to be way cooler. So many colorrrrrrs. Dogs or cats? Cats. Kittens or puppies? Ugh, both are so cute, but I gotta hand it to kittens. Bird watching or whale watching? Whale watching would blow me away. Whales are such magnificent, awe-inspiring animals. What is your spirit animal? Probably a deer. Skittish, shy, and quiet. What was your best subject in school? English. What was your worst subject in school? Math. What is one thing you wish you knew in high school? You and Jason aren't going to last, hunty. Who is your fashion icon? I don't have one. I wear what I want/what's comfortable. Diamonds or pearls? I think diamonds are a lot prettier. What color dress did you wear to prom? First one was maroon, last one was black. What’s your favorite plot-twist? Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. My jaw actually dropped. Honestly, are you jealous of someone right now? Yes. Honestly, what’s the worst thing you’ve done when you were mad? Said things I shouldn't. Honestly, ever made anyone cry when you were mad? Yes. Honestly, when was the last time you REALLY cried your heart out? Two weeks ago or something like that. Ever pop someone else’s pimple? OH MY GOD NO alskdfa;wekrwer; Do you need to return anyone’s phone call? No. Who are you closest to? My mom. Have you ever had a bad concert experience? No. Are you currently sad about anything? A number of things. Have you had any form of exercise today? No, but tomorrow is day #2 at the gym! Can you handle blood? Yeah, np. Has any place hired you underage for a job? No. Have you ever carried a concealed weapon? No sir=ee. Are you currently searching for a job? Not anymore, at least not actively. I was going to after TMS, but I'm just... still not ready. Right now, I'm focusing on the gym and getting healthy again, but if the seemingly perfect job comes along, I'm not opposed to taking it up. Does eating breakfast make you sick? No, I've got to have breakfast or else THEN I feel awful.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''thoughts & prayers" by motionless in white

[demonlullaby]

A comprehensive review of my favourite k-pop releases of the first half of 2021:

January

(G)I-DLE – I burn

Title track: HWAA

Despite being released earlier in the year, I burn is still absolutely one of the most memorable albums of 2021 for me. I’ve followed (G)I-DLE since debut, but it was after Queendom and Lion era (and then Oh my god not long after) that I think they began to show their true potential, and this release is nothing short of a masterpiece. HWAA is the single I wasn’t expecting but I needed: everything from the icy but charged atmosphere, the haunting percussive vocals, Soyeon’s rap verse splitting the song in two, the simple but extremely effective choreography… It worked so well for me, and definitely made me fall even more in love with the group, and especially Minnie’s stunning vocals.

The rest of the album isn’t just a no skip – all the songs are genuinely so good and well thought out. Some are mellow and melancholic, and my personal favourites are definitely Moon (mainly because of Minnie’s vocals – I seriously need a solo album from her – but also Yuqi’s strong pre-chorus, slightly reminiscent of Senorita era). However Dahlia definitely takes the place as my favourite song on the album. Something about it is so sentimental, yet gives a feeling of strength and resilience. Minnie and Yuqi really left an impression through the whole album, and as always I can only applaud Soyeon’s immense talent in producing and songwriting; she’s really the backbone of (G)I-DLE.

Dreamcatcher – Dystopia: Road to Utopia

Title track: Odd Eye

Dreamcatcher delivers every single time and with Odd Eye once again they did not miss the mark. The song has everything I wanted: the trademark Dreamcatcher rock sound, beautiful vocals (Siyeon’s adlibs, anyone?), Dami’s unique rap verses and, of course, absolutely mind-blowing choreography. Dreamcatcher are truly insane to watch on stage, and I do think they all deserve more credit on all aspects – discography but also vocals, dancing and performing. SuA is my favourite female k-pop dancer, so you bet I have watched every single fancam of hers that is out there. It’s also incredible how everyone in the group is very strong in not just one area – main dancers can sing like main vocalists and vice versa. The album was, as expected, gorgeous. I feel like all b-sides deserve to be talked about because I loved every single one so much. Wind Blows has one of the most beautiful pre-choruses in their discography (also, if I didn’t mention it already, I was absolutely over the moon about having Handong back) and the hook is literally meant to bang your head to it. I LIVE. Poison Love is yet another example of how Dreamcatcher excel in whatever genre they decide to try; while their title tracks usually borrow a lot from rock music, their b-sides explore more synth pop, r&b and house or trap styles. Overall an extremely solid comeback, and I expected nothing else from them. They’re truly a different league.

Hyuna – I’m not cool

This was HYSTERICAL. This release was purely Hyuna in her truest, strange and always charismatic form: from the odd progression of the song to the extremely over the top aesthetic and wardrobe. I was obsessed from the start and still am. I cannot express how happy I am to see her thrive and back to making music she loves. Flower shower was kind of a letdown for me, but oh did this mini album make up for it. I wasn’t expecting such a difficult choreography from her, but Hyuna knows how to own a stage, and it really shows what a pro she is because she is always able to fill the whole place with or without back-up dancers. I feel like I’m not cool was more about telling a message – Hyuna’s flourishing and colorful identity – than it was about vocals or rap, and I really liked that. I also enjoyed the rest of the mini, although I think I’m in the minority who still prefers I’m not cool over Good girl.

Cherry Bullet – Cherry Rush

Title track: Love so sweet

This is going to be a quick, but well-deserved mention. I still don’t know too much about Cherry Bullet besides their previous title tracks, but Love so sweet was truly a breath of fresh air and one of my most replayed songs of the year. I think all cute concepts lovers are extremely grateful to them for this release, and they executed it perfectly from concept to performance.

February

Kang Daniel – Paranoia

Hearing this song for the first time was like getting a punch to the gut, and honestly I feel like I still haven’t entirely recovered. Before Paranoia I listened to Daniel pretty casually, knew some of his songs but not all of them, but this song sunk its claws in me and literally dragged me into the fandom so hey, I guess now I stan? Everything about it ticked every box. The music video was spectacular, and the song itself has an extremely haunting and dark feeling, also paired with truly gorgeous lyrics. I feel like it was a brave and personal release. It was different and raw and I could feel the deep and true emotion behind it, and relate to it as well. Still one of my absolute favourite songs of the year.

SHINee – Don’t Call Me

For some reason it feels like it’s simultaneously been ages since this release and yet also like it just dropped this morning. Just SHINee things, I guess? I was excited beyond belief to get a new full SHINee album after the boys’ much awaited return from the military, for reasons that go from musical to pure and simple affection. It was so good to see them come together again, perform on stage, talk about their music and style backstage. I think all SHAWOLs needed it – I definitely did. I know a lot of people weren’t very into DCM, but to be honest I loved it at first listen. I think SM delivered a beautiful and whimsical music video that went perfectly with SHINee’s trademark uniqueness. They’ve always been known to stray away from trends, try new and sometimes odd styles, and this is exactly what they did this time as well. Even though it was a very different track from their previous ones, it still had an unmistakable SHINee flavour to me. I was also obsessed with all of Key’s verses in the song for MONTHS. I feel like the album as a whole could have been a little more, as some tracks were played safe, but I do have to mention queen Body Rhythm, which is the sultry but classy SHINee style in a perfect 3.12 minutes of a song.

Sunmi – TAIL

OH MY GOD. I was so unbelievably excited for this release and Miss Sunmi did not disappoint. She is and probably will always be my favourite female soloist in k-pop, but even though I enjoyed both pporappippam and Lalalay a lot, I felt like something was still missing there. I believe Sunmi needed some time, after leaving JYP, to find herself and her sound again, and to me that’s exactly what she did with Tail. She has her own brand of sexy, which somehow manages to be both subtle and very in your face. I loved the storyline of the song and music video, and Sunmi’s voice is just perfect for such a sensual and mysterious concept. The choreography was also not simply complex but also extremely clever, and a true example on how to use back-up dancers to an artist’s advantage. Rather than overshadowing Sunmi, which often happens with some soloists out of sheer number, they made her shine even brighter. A special mention here goes to the stylists: they kept the theme for every stage but somehow never made it boring. And overall, it’s Sunmi’s incredible stage presence that makes her songs really come to life on stage.

DEBUT

PIXY – Wings

This debut took me completely by surprise and had me OBSESSED. I replayed the song continuously for a whole week, watched the music video several times (which I usually don’t do) and oh my, that choreography. Wings is probably in my top 10 gg choreographies now, especially including the extremely haunting intro they performed on some stages. Overall I think it was a brave and interesting choice to go for a horror concept straight from debut, and I saw a lot of potential in the girls, especially as dancers and overall performers. While I didn’t personally like their next release, I’m still definitely keeping an eye on them because of this phenomenal debut.

March

WOODZ – SET

Title track: Feel Like

I fell for Woodz hard and fast. This song has that delicious dirty r&b sound that tickles me in all the right places, mixed with some more urban influences, and I feel like sultry soul is where Woodz truly excels. I had been keeping an eye on him because I had really enjoyed Love me harder, but I didn’t know if he was going to go in a more mainstream direction after that… and he did the complete opposite. He gave slow sensual vocals, an instrumental from the GODS, a beautiful retro and almost Wild West vibe and the wardrobe was on point. The other two songs in the mini were honestly just as good, moving in the direction of an even more contemporary r&b with a gorgeous taste of synthwave and dreamwave in Rebound.

DEBUT

Purple Kiss – INTO VIOLET

Title track: Ponzona

10/10 best debut of the year and I’m not accepting other opinions. I had high expectations for Mamamoo’s juniors and they SURPASSED THEM. Purple Kiss came out with a dark and mysterious concept and a song to match, and I feel like the group is extremely balanced, which is rare to see: vocals, rap and dance all have one or more members who absolutely excel in that skill, and it makes their performances beautiful and very professional, despite just being rookies. Like all 4th generation groups there is a definite focus on performance but, for once, I felt like this time the vocals didn’t have to take the backseat for the performance to shine, and I really appreciated it. I am especially interested in seeing how Swan will develop as a vocalist, since she’s so young but already so extremely talented; I am in love with how unique her vocal tone is. The title track stole the show from the rest of the album, which was also very good but could not compete with how incredible Ponzona was. Regardless, I feel like Purple Kiss immediately established their place in the industry with their debut, and I can’t wait to see more.

Baekhyun – Bambi

Ah, what a bittersweet goodbye. And yet what an absolutely flawless one at that. Baekhyun has been my favourite k-pop male vocalist probably since the first time I heard him sing, so yeah, it’s hard to think we won’t get any more new music from him for almost two years. Bambi was, after the incredible and well-deserved success of his previous releases, a gorgeous, sleek and mature level up into pure artistry. The instrumental is stripped down to the essential and yet for that very reason it hits much harder, and the song can’t help but follow Baekhyun’s voice wherever he wishes to take it. I loved hearing him showcase both his incredible upper AND lower register, and he probably had my favourite music video of the year – minimalistic, elegant, sexy. It made me think I would really like to see a collaboration between Baekhyun and Woodz someday in the future… anyone else? I also loved the album as a whole. Something I’ve noticed with Baekhyun is that every time, even delivering amazing title tracks, the rest of the album is always still just as beautiful. Maybe I’m just too in love with the man’s voice, but to me every single track on the album was memorable and beautiful in a way that felt a lot like longing.

April

ENHYPEN – Border: Carnival

Title track: Drunk-dazed

The day this album came out, ALL I DID was listen to it over and over. The sound in all of the songs follows a very interesting and coherent story progression, and besides visuals and choreography, the music was the most fascinating part of this release for me. From the intro it felt extremely atmospheric, which was helped by the narration, and the transition into the title track was seamless. I love that ENHYPEN have a very clear and unique concept and are going against the trend that we’re seeing from most 4th generation boy groups. Drunk-dazed was a continuation to Given-taken in storyline and music, but also an upgrade, and everyone has improved so much and so quickly it genuinely left me shocked. I was especially impressed by how much more refined and controlled Jake and Sunghoon’s vocals now sound, and delighted to see that not only Niki had more lines but they even gave him a small dance break. He’s always the highlight of ENHYPEN performances for me, and I do really believe he’s going to become one of the most legendary dancers in all of k-pop. The music video was my favourite of the year in a tie with Baekhyun’s Bambi: the cinematography was sleek and movie-like, Sunghoon’s acting beautiful and never overdone, and the imagery both haunting and gorgeous, mixing cold marble and blood in a way that reminded me a bit of the music video for BS&T. The album as a whole was also one of the most memorable releases of the year. Fever allowed ENHYPEN to perform a more sensual concept, still in a youthful way that felt appropriate for them, and all the choreography was beautifully intricate. I feel like it’s a general consensus that Heeseung shone the most in Fever performances; he always gives 1000% on stage and it’s genuinely captivating to watch. While Not For Sale is not my favourite sound for them and just in general, it’s still a fun song and makes it so that, while keeping stylistic coherence, the mini appeals to a very broad audience. Mixed Up became my new n.1 ENHYPEN b-side at first listen: something about it is so passionate and determined, and gives off the same exact vibe I get from the boys’ performances: youth, hard work, fierceness.

BIBI – Life Is a Bi…

Title track: BAD SAD AND MAD

SHE BROKE ME. This album made BIBI shoot up in my list of best soloists and she landed somewhere in my very sacred top five. She has an indie and r&b vibe paired with class and extreme relatability, and I could seriously listen to her sing forever; her tone is new and unexpected, not only in sound but also in storytelling. The songs on the album felt honest, raw, truthful. Unfiltered. Umm life, the first song on the album, is also probably my favourite. It hit me in a very personal way, and I feel like I’m not the only one who saw herself in the lyrics and overall feeling of it. With this album BIBI touched on a lot of difficult and often taboo topics, and the music video for the single (literally… BDSM) was both visually tongue in cheek and, lyrics wise, sad, poetic and rich with complex imagery. I loved seeing BIBI perform on stage and I watched all of her interviews too. There is something about her absolutely unbothered attitude on and off stage that fascinates me, and the way she performs shows how deeply she really feels her music. She put out an incredible album with tracks that were all thought provoking and well-thought out.

ITZY – GUESS WHO

Title track: In the morning

Okay, look. I know everyone is out there saying the lyrics were cringy or the sound didn’t fit ITZY or whatever else, but ITM and Sorry not sorry are still some of my most played k-pop tracks of the year so, say what you like but DAMN ARE ITZY’S SONGS CATCHY. To be quite honest I didn’t know what to expect after the disappointment that was for me Not Shy, but In the Morning not only delivered, it went beyond expectations in a way I couldn’t have imagined. ITZY managed to showcase all of their strengths and also their infectious charm and energy. Every performance was new and entertaining to watch; I love Lia’s vocals, Ryujin is the real definition of center and I was also captivated by Yuna’s energy and bubbliness, but also her professionalism at such a young age. Yeji stood out the most to me and proved that, at least in my opinion, she’s without a doubt the ace of ITZY in dance, vocals, rap and more. I wish JYP would give more spotlight to Chaereyeong’s dancing, however, as I feel she hasn’t been able to fully showcase her abilities yet. The choreography was extremely strong as usual and, unlike previously, I was finally able to enjoy some of ITZY’s b-sides, particularly Sorry not sorry, KIDDING ME and SHOOT!,all of which I loved. What ITZY ultimately brings to the table is an energy that’s impossible to resist and that I think no one else in 4th generation possesses.

May

Oh my girl – Dear OHMYGIRL

Title track: Dun Dun Dance

Someone get this song out of my head, please. Seriously. This release grabbed me and catapulted me in the world of Oh my girl and hey, I’m not complaining. I was desperately waiting for a fun, summery release that did not feel like it was a rehashed version of a 2020 song, and this was IT. The song came with a very tasteful, light and romantic album which contains some of my new favourite gg b-sides, like Who comes who knows or Swan. The performances were impossible to stop watching; the girls took a concept that is known to work and has been done so many times and still managed to give it a fresh and personal feel, and I loved all of it. The choreography fit so well with the song and the group’s image, and something I particularly loved was the styling (give me all the crochet tops please) and just overall how much fun it looked like they were having on stage. Thank you Oh My Girl for officially starting the summer of 2021!

SOLO DEBUT

YUQI – A Page

Title track: Bonnie&Clyde

I can’t stress just HOW ANGRY I still am that this wasn’t promoted in Korea and was barely performed even in China. Is Bonnie&Clyde the best song of 2021? Most likely. So someone explain to me why CUBE acted like Yuqi’s solo debut wasn’t the huge deal that it was (kind of like they’re doing with Soyeon now, to be honest). I frankly do not get their decision to not capitalize on it more, because they could have made a fortune with proper promotions but, moving on. TWO SONGS AND MY ENTIRE YEAR WAS MADE, MISS YUQI DID. THAT. I don’t sing, and I learned the lyrics to both songs. I’ve never played the piano before in my life, but you can bet your ass I spent 48 hours watching tutorials and now know how to flawlessly play Bonnie&Clyde on the keyboard. Yuqi has one of the most gorgeous voices in k-pop and just pop in general, and the potential all (G)I-DLE members have is INSANE. Her concept was strong, empowering and with hints of pain and, mostly, survival and resilience. I didn’t feel a choreography was necessary and I still think it’s pretty ridiculous how some people are so mad that Bonnie&Clyde, a song made to highlight Yuqi’s vocals, had a very simple dance performance. I cannot wait for the day we get a full album from Yuqi and we can see her perform on music shows.

Taemin – ADVICE

Genuinely, I do not want to talk about this album AT ALL. I have very complicated feelings about Taemin enlisting, what his artistry has meant to me through the years and the hell this man’s voice has got me through, and I still feel almost uneasy listening to this album. Restless. Advice was a risk for Taemin. He took a step away from his style both musically and in choreography, and it felt new and a little disconcerting, but deep down still extremely Taemin. It’s undeniable that Taemin includes in his art a strong element of, to put it simply, genderfuck; he represents both genders at once and also neither (I am in full support of recognizing “Taemin” as a new official gender identity :D) While the Move-Criminal-IDEA triad is still unshakable and probably impossible to top, Advice was something that, as a long-time fan, I needed. The album was as beautiful as I’ve come to expect from all of his releases (I believe I called Strings “slow, passionate sex” and I stand by that statement) and I have too many feelings I don’t quite want to figure out whenever SAD KIDS plays. As always, SHINee and Taemin’s music is more than just music or performance to me, and the reasons are many and complicated. All I really know is that Taemin’s voice manages to shake something very deep within my soul (throwback to when I first listened to IDEA and started full-on sobbing) and I am grateful to him for being the incredible artist he is.

EVERGLOW – Last Melody

Title track: FIRST

My girls!!! I am so proud!!! I feel like no one is giving EVERGLOW nearly enough credit for the growth they’ve done both as a group and as individuals. They started with BBC as an interesting but still somewhat lacking group, full of potential; having supported them since the very first day, I feel nothing but extreme pride as I watch their FIRST stages. They all look more confident and every single one of the girls absolutely owns the stage. I feel like finally Onda’s dancing was properly showcased (and I may have watched one too many fancams of hers because ?? Have you seen those shoulders??? *fans self*) and both Mia and Sihyeon’s vocals shone beautifully. They have grown up and become incredible performers, not just capable but extremely strong. In my opinion EVERGLOW have the most intricate and exhausting choreography amongst all girl groups as of right now, and this comeback they’ve shown they really are able to stand out in the midst of the industry oversaturation that is 4th gen. My only – but very real – complaint is: who the hell is writing their b-sides and why do they always sound so mediocre? I want to have a talk with the producer who thinks it’s ok to make C- songs just because they also delivered an A+ single. Also, EVERGLOW full album when?

TXT – The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE

Title track: 0X1=LOVESONG

HELLO??? WHAT WAS THIS?????!!!???????

Look, I didn’t even listen to TXT much before this; I just casually knew their title tracks and nothing more. Then they come back with emotional rock music, absolutely insane choreography and flawless live vocals??? OK GO OFF I GUESS????? (Can you tell I’m still in shock and absolutely not over it? You probably can)

This was most definitely the release that surprised me the most; I listened to the title track when it came out just to quickly check it out, to see if it was catchy and if I wanted to add it to my playlist, and then proceeded to listen to it about 50 more times before I moved to the rest of the album, and did the same with every other song (special mention to Dear Sputnik and Frost for literally being the best k-pop b-sides in history). I learned the dance down to every detail, marveled at Taehyun’s vocals, the hypnotizing way Yeonjun moves on stage and just overall their chemistry as a group and the impressive level of individual talent everyone in TXT has. It’s very rare to find groups where all members have such outstanding vocals, dance and performance, and I’ve been in a TXT loop since this release. Officially added to my stan list. What an incredible album.

June

B.I – WATERFALL

Title track: illa illa

This was… a lot. iKON was, back in the day, one of the main groups that got me into k-pop, and B.I’s departure from the group – if you can call it that – took part of the fandom with him, including myself. So, a lot of us set to waiting. I had trust B.I would eventually come back fully as a musician. He’s always been an inspiration to me and the snippets he let us see on Soundcloud before making his comeback reminded me how much his music is able to truly touch me. And then this album dropped.

B.I is without any doubt my favourite lyricist in all of k-pop, and it is even more impressive that he has been able to produce, write and arrange for his own group, other groups and now for himself as a soloist. Some of the lyrics in this album, especially for Waterfall and illa illa, keep staying with me through my days – I’ll keep building sandcastles even though I already know they’ll eventually come crashing down – and I was able to relate to him not only as a fellow artist but also, very deeply, as a person. This album felt personal to me and many others, and Hanbin did not hold back – he never does, but especially not this time. Waterfall opens the album true to its title: it pours out angry, tired, hurt, and it just keeps pouring. It speaks of wounds not yet healed and lays down the truth that, in life, some wounds do not ever truly heal after all. Following it is illa illa, which with the first few notes already introduces a few hopeful piano keys and B.I’s equally hopeful voice. It feels tentative, like seeing an end to the darkness but being so used to it that you can’t quite believe it. It feels like accepting and maybe, finally, moving on. The album goes from deep to playful to hip-hop heavy tracks and back to r&b, and I was also very happy to see B.I and Lee Hi collaborating again, as she’s also one of my favourite artists. I needed this ray of hope.

TWICE – Taste of Love

Title track: Alcohol-free

Was I skeptical when I first heard the title? Yes. Did I fall head over heels for this song as soon as I saw Twice first perform it? Also YES. This is this year’s summer song, period. The last one/two years have been years of discovery for Twice, of maturing, finding an updated but still authentic sound that fits them, and this album feels very much like Twice but also showcases their growth. Alcohol-free is the perfect title track, and I swear once I listen to it or even just think about it then I’m stuck singing SWEET MIMOSA PINA COLADA for the rest of my week. All the stages were phenomenal, and I swear I probably died and came back to life several times while watching Nayeon perform. I love how the song highlighted Tzuyu’s vocals better than most Twice title tracks, although I am still very tentative about Jeongyeon’s return. But at the end of the day, if she’s made the decision to come back then all we can do is support her and hope she keeps getting better. This era also gave us iconic Twice interviews and shows (who gave Momo the right to be so funny, seriously?) and overall felt almost like a new beginning, finally seeing the group as a whole for an official comeback again. I also think Taste of Love has some truly excellent b-sides that capture the summer feeling perfectly, without ever feeling repetitive or basic. I especially loved how catchy Scandal is with its whispered intro, the sensual and intimate feeling of Conversation and the perfectly captured naivety of young romance in First Love.

ONEWE – Planet Nine: Alter Ego

Title track: Rain To Be

I did not expect ONEWE to release my favourite k-rock album of 2021 and surpass even DAY6, but boy am I impressed. I feel like, given the chance, they could really take Korea by storm, and I really hope RBW starts to give them decent promotions and distribute their

budget a little better. This was just overall a gorgeous album with an incredible title track. It came out almost two weeks ago but I still play it several times a day because I absolutely can’t get over it. ONEWE’s take on rock is indie and very emotional; Rain To Be feels desperate in its passion, and the vocals are so soulful and honest the song manages to feel both exciting and heartbreaking. Also the bass. Just. THE BASS. It’s a beautiful album from start to finish, and I might or might not have cried a few times while listening to COSMOS. The music video managed to be epic while keeping an incredibly simple concept, and I loved the visual of them getting slowly submerged by water as the song reached further and further heights. I really hope at least one person reads this and gives ONEWE a chance and listens to their songs, because they’re relatively new to the scene but I feel like they already have left a very memorable impression on the k-rock music scene.

To conclude this review, here are my most played k-pop tracks of the year so far:

ONEWE – Rain To Be

ITZY – In The Morning

YUQI – Bonnie&Clyde

Jessi – What Type of X

B.I – WATERFALL

ITZY – Sorry Not Sorry

Baekhyun – Bambi

Key ft. Doyoung – COOL

Hyuna – I’m Not Cool

ENHYPEN – Drunk-dazed

WheeIn – NO THANKS

PURPLE KISS – Ponzona

WOODZ – Feel Like

Kang Daniel – PARANOIA

ATEEZ – Sunrise

Henry – Thinking of You

CLC – No

SEVENTEEN – Light a Flame

Stray Kids – My Universe

WONHO – Open Mind

Sunmi – TAIL

#kpop #kpop review #kpop 2021 #kpop fandom #writing #music review #krock #krnb #gidle #gidle hwaa #dreamcatcher #dreamcatcher odd eye #hyuna #hyuna i'm not cool #sunmi #sunmi tail #cherry bullet #kang daniel #shinee #shinee don't call me #purple kiss #baekhyun #exo #baekhyun bambi #enhypen #loona #2pm #itzy #twice #twice alcohol free

[kingjasnah]

Is there the full list of brandersons favourite games reposted somewhere?

i dont think so? or not that ive seen. u can literally just sign up for the newsletter on his website but screw it ill just post them for u. it sure was a TRIP scrolling past these to get to the interlude though. undertale is on this list.....im shakign at the thought that adolin was based off ff10 tidus but i cant get it out of my head now

#10: Katamari Damaci

I love things that make me look at the world in a new way. Katamari did this in spades. It is an imaginative, bizarre vision with unique gameplay. It is like nothing else in the world and I love it for all its strangeness and occasional lack of gameplay polish.

I was transfixed the first time I played it, and have looked forward to it being remade and rereleased on multiple different consoles. I love the cute—and somehow creepy at the same time—storyline. It feels like a fever dream more than a game sometimes, and is probably the closest I’ll ever get to understanding what it’s like to do drugs.

#9: Undertale

This is an oddball on this list because I think it’s the only game that is not a franchise from a major studio—but is instead an indie game, which I believe was originally funded on Kickstarter.I loved how this felt like a novel as much as a game. It was one person’s vision; a single story told really well, with a huge amount of personality. The humor was just my kind of wonderful/terrible, and I was instantly enamored with the characters.That probably would have been enough, but it is a nice deconstruction of video games as a medium—and has not one, but multiple innovative gameplay mechanics. Together, the package left me enamored. This is a work of genius that I feel everyone should at least try, even if it ends up not being for them.

#8: Fallout: New Vegas

I have played all of the core Fallout games, and I was one of the (it seems few) who was really excited when it moved from turn-based tactics to first-person shooter. While Fallout 3 was good, it didn’t have the charm of the first two.New Vegas delivered on everything I was hoping to see. The charm was back, the writing sharp, the quests imaginative. The gameplay was engaging and branched in a variety of directions, the gunplay was solid, and the atmosphere immersive. I of course love the first two games in the series—but New Vegas combines everything I like in gaming into one package. (As a note, I own the Outer Worlds, and am looking forward to digging into it. Consider this item on the list a recommendation of other Obsidian games—like Knights of the Old Republic Two—regardless of genre, as I’ve found them universally to be superior to their contemporaries.)

#7 Super Mario World

When I was eleven, I flew (alone, which was very exciting to me) from Nebraska to visit my uncle Devon in Salt Lake City. Before I left, my father gave me $200 and told me to pay for my own meals while on the trip—but of course, my uncle didn’t allow this. At the end of the trip, I tried to give him the money, which he wouldn’t take.I mentioned my dad would take the money back when I got home, but that was okay. Well, my uncle would have none of that, and drove me to the local mall and made me spend it on a Nintendo Entertainment System. (This uncle, you might guess, is an awesome human being.)Since that day of first plugging it in and experiencing Mario for the first time, I was hooked. This is the only platformer on the list, as I don’t love those. But one makes an exception for Mario. There’s just so much polish, so much elegance to the control schemes, that even a guy who prefers an FPS or an RPG like me has to admit these are great games. I picked World as my favorite as it’s the one I’ve gone back to and played the most.

#7: The Curse of Monkey Island (Monkey Island 3)

I kind of miss the golden age of adventure gaming, and I don’t know that anyone ever got it as right as they did with this game. It is the pinnacle of the genre, in my opinion—no offense to Grim Fandango fans.This game came out right before gaming’s awkward teenage phase where everything moved to 3-d polygons. For a while after, games looked pretty bad, though they could do more because of the swap. But if you want to go see what life was like before that change, play Monkey Island 3. Composed of beautiful art pieces that look like cells from Disney movies, with streamlined controls (the genre had come a long way from “Get yon torch”) and fantastic voice acting, this game still plays really well.This is one of the few games I’ve been able to get my non-gamer wife to play through with me, and it worked really well as a co-op game with the two of us trying to talk through problems. It’s a lovingly crafted time capsule of a previous era of gaming, and if you missed it, it’s really worth trying all these years later. (The first and second games hold up surprisingly well too, as a note, particularly with the redone art that came out a decade or so ago.)Also, again, this one has my kind of humor.

#6: Breath of the Wild

I never thought a Zelda game would unseat A Link to the Past as my favorite Zelda, but Breath of the Wild managed it. It combined the magic of classic gameplay with modern design aesthetic, and I loved this game.There’s not a lot to say about it that others haven’t said before, but I particularly liked how it took the elements of the previous games in the series (giving you specific tools to beat specific challenges) and let you have them all at once. I like how the dungeons became little mini puzzles to beat, instead of (sometimes seemingly endless) slogs to get through. I liked the exploration, the fluidity of the controls, and the use of a non-linear narrative in flashbacks. It’s worth buying a Switch just to play this one and Mario—but in case you want, you can also play Dark Souls on Switch... (That’s foreshadowing.)

#5: Halo 2

Telling stories about Halo Two on stream is what made me think of writing this list.I’m sometimes surprised that this game isn’t talked about as much as I think it should be. Granted, the franchise is very popular—but people tend to love either Reach or games 1 or 3 more than two. Two, however, is the only one I ever wanted to replay—and I’ve done so three or four times at this point. (It’s also the only one I ever beat on Legendary.)It’s made me think on why I love this one, while so many others seem to just consider it one of many in a strong—but in many ways unexceptional—series of games. I think part of this is because I focus primarily on the single-player aspects of a game (which is why there aren’t any MMOs on this list.) Others prefer Halo games with more balanced/polished multiplayer. But I like to game by myself, and don’t really look for a multiplayer experience. (Though this is changing as I game with my sons more and more.)I really like good writing—which I suppose you’d expect. But in games, I specifically prefer writing that enhances the style of game I’m playing. Just dumping a bunch of story on me isn’t enough; it has to be suited to the gameplay and the feel of the game. In that context, I’ve rarely encountered writing as good as Halo 2. From the opening—with the intercutting and juxtaposition of the two narratives—to the quotes barked out by the marines, the writing in this game is great. It stands out starkly against other Halo games, to the point that I wonder what the difference is.Yes, Halo Two is a bombastic hero fantasy about a super soldier stomping aliens. But it has subtle, yet powerful worldbuilding sprinkled all through it—and the music...it does things with the story that I envy. It’s kind of cheating that games and films get to have powerful scores to help with mood.The guns in Two feel so much better than Halo One, and the vehicles drive far better. The only complaint I have is that it’s only half a story—as in, Halo 2 and 3 seem like they were one game broken in two pieces. And while 3 is good (and Reach does something different, which I approve of in general) neither did it for me the way Two did, and continues to do.

#3: Final Fantasy X

You probably knew Final Fantasy was coming. People often ask if the way these games handle magic was an influence upon me. All I can say is that I’ve played them since the first one, and so they’re bound to have had an influence.On one hand, these games are really strange. I mean, I don’t think we gamers stop quite often enough to note how downright bizarre this series gets. Final Fantasy doesn’t always make the most sense—but the games are always ambitious.Ten is my favorite for a couple of reasons. I felt like the worldbuilding was among the strongest, and I really connected with the characters. That’s strange, because this is one of the FF games without an angst-filled teen as the protagonist. Instead, it has a kind of stable happy-go-lucky jock as the protagonist.But that’s what I needed, right then. A game that didn’t give me the same old protagonist, but instead gave me someone new and showed me I could bond to them just as well. Ten was the first with full voice acting, and that jump added a lot for me. It has my favorite music of the series, and all together is what I consider the perfect final fantasy game. (Though admittedly, I find it more and more difficult to get into turn-based battle mechanics as I grow older.)

#2: Bloodborne

Those who follow my streams, or who read other interviews I’ve done, probably expected this series to be at or near the top. The question wasn’t whether Souls would be here, but which one to pick as my favorite.I went with Bloodborne, though it could have been any of them. (Even Dark Souls 2—which I really like, despite its reputation in the fandom.) I’ve been following FromSoftware’s games since the King’s Field games, and Demon’s Souls was a huge triumph—with the director Hidetaka Miyazaki deserving much of the praise for its design, and Dark Souls (which is really just a more polished version of Demon’s Souls).As I am a fan of cosmic horror, Bloodborne is probably my favorite overall. It really hit the mix of cosmic and gothic horror perfectly. It forced me to change up my gameplay from the other Souls games, and I loved the beautiful visuals.I am a fan of hard games—but I like hard games that are what I consider “fair.” (For example, I don’t love those impossible fan-made Mario levels, or many of the super-crazy “bullet hell”-style games.) Dark Souls is a different kind of hard. Difficult like a stern instructor, expecting you to learn—but giving you the tools to do so. It presents a challenge, rather than being hard just to be hard.If I have a problem with Final Fantasy, it’s that the games sometimes feel like the gameplay is an afterthought to telling the story. But in the Souls games, story and gameplay are intermixed in a way I’d never seen done before. You have to construct the story like an archeologist, using dialogue and lore from descriptions of in-game objects. I find this fascinating; the series tells stories in a way a book never could. I’m always glad when a game series can show off the specific strengths of the medium.In fact, this series would be #1 except for the little fact that I have way too much time on Steam logged playing...

#1: Civilization VI

This series had to take #1 by sheer weight of gameplay time. I discovered the first on a friend’s computer in the dorms my freshman year—and I can still remember the feeling of the birds chirping outside, realizing I’d been playing all night and really should get back to my own dorm room.That still happens, and has happened, with every game in the series. I have a lot of thoughts on this series, many of them granular and too specific for this list. (Like, it’s obvious AI technology isn’t up to the task of playing a game this complex—so could we instead get a roguelike set of modifiers, game modes, etc. to liven up the games, rather than just having a difficulty slider that changes a few simple aspects of the game?)I’ll try not to rant, because I really do love this game series. A lot of people consider IV to be the pinnacle of the series, but after V unstacked units—and VI unstacked cities—there was no way I could ever go back. If for some reason, you’ve never played this grand patriarch of the 4X game genre, it’s about starting with a single stone-age settler who can found a city—then playing through eras of a civilization, growing your empire, to try to eventually get offworld with a space program. (Or, if you prefer, conquering the world.)It’s a load of fun in the way I like to have fun, and I feel like the series has only gotten better over the years. My hat is off to the developers, who keep reinventing the series, rather than making the exact same game over and over.Now, about that request for difficulty modes...

there are runner ups but for the sake of anyone whos on mobile and cant get past a read more (first of all omg im SO sorry) ill refrain. anyway he thought WHAT loz game was the best before botw?

#mix between HARDCORE judgement and like. yea. yea ff10 was pretty good wasnt it #but i dont think its anywhere near the best of them #long post #im read mores dont work imm so fucking sorry this is so long #MOST of these games are good its just so wild its so wild its SO wild #asks #Anonymous

[honeypiehotchner]

meet me in the afterglow (part three) -- steve rogers x reader

I think it’s funny that the title of this story is based on a Taylor Swift song (”Afterglow”) and I’ve yet to use the lyrics in a single part of it. Anywho. The lyrics from this part are from Halsey’s song “Finally // beautiful stranger” which is really beautiful and has been on repeat for me as of late. You should listen to both songs, though, if you want.

This is the last part! This has been a cute little three-part story that I’ve really enjoyed writing, so thank you to all of you that have been reading it. I’ll still be writing Steve Rogers, but I don’t see anything else happening with this story.

That being said, this is the happy ending. The bright blue skies after the two-year-long storm.

Beautiful stranger, here you are In my arms and I know That beautiful strangers only come along To do me wrong and I hope...

You miss Steve. 

He’s been gone with Bucky on a mission for two weeks now. He’s still alive — they both are. Apparently, he checks in with your dad every single day. 

And apparently, according to your dad, Steve always asks how you’re doing at the end of his reports.

You don’t know if that’s your dad fluffing up what could’ve been a small mention of you. You don’t know that you can bring yourself to believe that Steve would ask how you’re doing, especially not since you won’t look at him. 

How are you supposed to look at him? You told him you were pissed off with him, but that you’ve always loved him. And then you walked inside.

Every time you replay that conversation, you’re kicking yourself. Because there’s other things you wanted to say, questions you wanted to ask. But you didn’t. Instead you confessed you still loved him. 

Now it’s been two weeks since you’ve even caught a glimpse of him. Even though he checks in with Tony every day — and did check in earlier today — you still have a sinking feeling in your chest that you’ll never see him again. And that feels ridiculous, but can you blame yourself?

The one thing that brings you the most comfort is to take up the big couch in the main area and watch movies on the big screen. So, you decide to do just that. 

You pile blankets and pillows on the couch, creating a perfect little nook for you to crawl into before you queue up one of your favorite movies. 

One of the things you used to do when Steve was first gone — the first few months — you would always watch historical movies. Historical romances, to be specific, and from the World War II era. 

You don’t need to explain why that time period specifically intrigues you. But you used to watch the movies to feel closer to Steve. 

You’re longing for that feeling again, which is why you’re sitting here under this mountain of blankets, up against a mountain of pillows, watching some cheesy WWII romance movie. 

You’re too enthralled by the film to even realize Steve is back from the mission. 

Steve stands in the doorway, eyes glued to you sitting there, blankets wrapped around you and pulled tightly to your chin. And if he wasn’t mistaken, he’d say you were tearing up, too. 

He isn’t mistaken. You are tearing up. The main character — the humble soldier leaving their love behind always reminds you too much of Steve. So much so that it hurts. It aches. 

Slowly, Steve walks over, not wanting to startle you or sneak up on you, so he walks almost in front of the TV before you see him. 

Steve’s expression turns sad when you don’t even budge. You blink, honestly not sure if that’s Steve standing there or if you desperately need to go to sleep. It wouldn’t be the first time you thought he was standing in front of you when he actually wasn’t.

I say I’m only playing but The truth is this: I’ve never seen a mouth That I would kill to kiss And I’m terrified But I can’t resist...

“Mind if I join you?” He asks quietly, his voice just barely above a whisper. 

You shake your head. He assumes that means you don’t mind, so he sits down next to you.  

You don’t say a word, so he doesn’t either. He’s exhausted from the mission, but he’s worried about you, and if you’re going to let him sit here, then he’s going to. 

Steve tries to focus on the movie and quickly picks up on the time period. It’s familiar because well, he lived it. 

A particular part comes up, causing him to snort without meaning to, which grabs your attention. 

“What’s the matter?” You ask, teasing dripping off your words. “Not accurate?”

“That part wasn’t,” he admits, but he doesn’t want to get into it because this is a movie. And he’s sure you don’t want a lecture on all the details about the war that the movie got wrong. 

You chuckle quietly, pulling the blanket down from your chin, and Steve smiles a little. That’s something. 

The movie continues, and by the end of it, you’re crying. Tears are trying to prick Steve’s eyes, half because he sees you so emotional and half because the movie (despite its inaccuracies) brings back some memories from the war. 

“Is that one of your favorites?” He asks, trying his hand at some small talk, testing the waters. 

You nod, giving in. “Yeah.” You pause, wondering if you should tell him more, wondering if it’s worth it. 

But then you look over at him. You see the pleading look in his eyes, and you decide to talk a little more. 

“It’s not my favorite, but it’s one of them,” you begin. “I watch a lot of war movies,” you admit shyly. “Especially Word War II.”

Steve’s eyebrows furrow. “Why?”

You don’t even want to say the reason out loud. It’s kind of pathetic, isn’t it? 

“I started watching them a lot when you first left,” you explain. “It made me feel closer to you.”

“Y/N—”

“I used to tell myself that if the soldier came back in the movies, that you’d come back to me, too,” you continue. “It kind of felt like you had left for war. Since there was normally no contact.” You shrug, pulling the blanket back up to your chin. “It felt easier to deal with when I pretended I was just a girl in the 40s waiting for her soldier to come home from the war.”

“I’m sorry.”

You look over at him, almost having forgotten he was sitting there next to you. He’s like a statue when he’s listening to you, so intent and so focused, and so, so quiet.

“Why were you gone so long, Steve?” You ask, your voice cracking. “Or can you not tell me? Is that why you haven’t told me?”

“I was in a Hydra facility,” he pauses, adding, “I wasn’t captured,” when he saw the ghostly look grace your features. “I was working from the inside to take it down.”

“Did you?”

He nods. “I did.”

“Okay.” That’s good at least, you tell yourself.

“I couldn’t contact you because--” He stops himself and he sighs. He didn’t want to ever tell you this, but he sees now that he needs to. You need to know why. “I couldn’t have contact with you because you were one of their targets.”

Your eyes widen, the blanket flying away from your chin. “What?”

“I contacted Tony at one point to let him know, but we agreed not to tell you. You didn’t need that stress, especially not with how badly Tony said you were doing.”

“I was doing bad because you left!” You nearly yell, throwing a pillow at his head. 

“I know,” he catches the pillow and holds it against his chest. “But I couldn’t have contact with you and risk them finding out. I had to take it down on my own.” He pauses. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. I really was trying to keep you safe.”

Your next question is quiet and steady. “Why’d you tell Tony and not me?”

“You’re his daughter, Y/N,” Steve pleads. “And he’s my boss. I was required to tell him.” He doesn’t want to throw Tony under the bus, but he does anyway. “He was the one that suggested not telling you.”

“Classic dad,” you scoff, shaking your head. You’ll have a conversation with Tony about this at some point. Probably tomorrow, if your head doesn’t explode before then.

“Please, don’t be mad at him,” Steve murmurs. “I agreed with him.”

“Oh no, I’m still mad at you too, don’t worry.”

He nods. “I figured.”

“But thank you for finally telling me,” you offer quietly.

“I’m sorry it took so long,” Steve replies, fidgeting with his hands. 

“It’s okay,” you let out a weak chuckle. “I was pretty unapproachable.”

“For good reason.”

“I guess,” you shrug. “How did the mission go?”

Steve’s eyebrows raise at your question. The last thing he expected here was for you to ask about it, or anything. He figured you’d be going back to your room by now.

But you aren’t moving, so neither does he, aside from shifting to rest his arm on the back of the couch before answering your question. “It was good. Quicker than we actually thought. Bucky and I handled it better than we thought we were going to.”

“That’s good,” you smile. You’re glad he’s back. You almost thought he wouldn’t be. “Dad said you asked about me.”

“Every day,” Steve admits, shaking his head. “I’m sorry about that, too. I shouldn’t have been going through your dad to ask how you were, I just didn’t know if you’d want to talk to me, after...after, you know.”

“I confessed my love to you on the balcony all dramatic and shit,” you laugh almost a little too loudly.

“Language,” Steve quips, which earns him another pillow being thrown at his head. He lets it collide with his forehead this time, which earns him another bout of wild laughter from you because of the way it messes up his hair.

Unconsciously, you scoot closer, still laughing, and reach your hand up to fix the loose strands of hair that were thrown out of place by the soft assault a moment earlier. 

It’s not until you feel how soft his hair is, the way it feels to run your fingers through it, that you realize what you’re doing -- and that you’ve scooted so close that you might as well have crawled into his lap.

You both freeze. Steve more so because he doesn’t mind, but he doesn’t know if you do mind. Or if you’re going to run off to your room again. Or if you won’t speak to him for another two weeks.

But you don’t mind. You finish fixing his hair, a soft smile on your lips, before retracting your hand slowly. Slow enough that it gives Steve the opportunity to catch your hand, hesitantly lacing his fingers through yours.

I’ve never recognized a purer face You stopped me in my tracks And put me right in my place I used to think that lovin’ meant a painful chase But you’re right here now And I think you’ll stay…

“Steve…” You whisper his name in the same way you used to, back when the two of you first began dating. It’s a sound Steve never thought he’d hear again.

“Hey,” he murmurs, searching for your eyes, and not continuing until he finds them. “I’m sorry I was gone for so long. And I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.” He pauses, trying to pull his hand away, but you hold on tighter. “And if you can’t forgive me, I understand. If you don’t want to try again, just say the word.”

“Yes.”

Steve blinks. “What?”

Your smile is watery, just like your eyes. You nod. “Yes, Steve, I-- I wanna try again.”

“Are you sure?” He asks, and you want to kiss him so bad.

So you do.

Steve is frozen for a moment -- just like the time the two of you first kissed because you did it just like this. You feel it when it registers in his mind because he lets go of your hand to wrap an arm around your waist, pulling you closer while the other hand cups your jaw. 

You remember the night you told him that when he kisses you like this, it’s different. You melt when it’s like this. You remember the way he smiled, kissed you on the head, and told you he’d kiss you like that more often.

But he never did again before he left. You thought that would be the last time you felt his arm wrapped around your waist, and it almost was. But here he is -- here you both are.

You pull away for a moment to breathe, and to laugh, because you didn’t expect your night to go like this, and judging by the look on his face, neither did he.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Steve, I’m sure,” you laugh more. “I thought the kiss made it obvious.”

“I just wanted to be sure,” he murmurs, and you know he means it. A sly smile graces his lips before he looks up at you through his eyelashes and says, “But another wouldn’t hurt.”

You can’t help the smile that tugs at your lips as you give him a look.

His arm tightens around your waist, pulling you into his lap. You gladly settle down, holding his cheeks and continuing to look at him. It’s been a while since you’ve really studied his face up close like this.

“Just to be sure,” he teases, pulling you closer. “One more?”

“As long as you promise not to walk out on me again,” you whisper.

“I promise,” he tells you, and for the first time, you really believe him.

Beautiful stranger, here you are In my arms, but I think it’s Finally, finally, finally, finally Finally safe for me to fall...

#Steve Rogers #steve rogers fanfic #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x reader #marvel #marvel fanfiction #stark!reader #stark!daughter #angst #fluff #angst with a happy ending #finally #am i right #i needed this happy ending #i'm glad i wrote it #makes me feel all soft

[mimiorzea]

VII: Nonagenarian

“How many years ‘as your old man been ‘round, anyway?”

Charlotte breathed in the steam wafting up from her cup of piping hot milk tea, fresh from a hole-in-the-wall teahouse two streets down, though it did little to stave off the chill. She cast her eyes sidelong at Ryder, the dark brunette Hyur leaning back against the granite wall a fulm to her right, and Silvainne, the pale-haired Elezen perched over the walkway balustrade. With nothing to busy their hands until the next merchant caravan was available for stowaway through the city gates, they were each watching the denizens of the Brume pass through the alleyways, stone-faced and stiff-legged, most of which were garbed in fraying tunics better suited to Gridania’s moderate climate than the awful freeze of post-Calamity Ishgard.

It was Silvainne who asked, avoiding her gaze as he did.

She paused to consider the question. ‘Old man’ meant Arismont, of course, patriarch of the Artois family; it had been years since she spoke of Lucien, years since she thought of him as something resembling a father.

“I don’t know,” she admitted nonetheless, in a tone flat with disinterest. “A lot. Seventy or some odd winters – the family made a fuss about it.”

“’E’ll be dust ‘fore you know it,” Ryder remarked, to the tune of an implication that Charlotte couldn’t guess. “A regular nonagenarian.”

“Gods, I don’t know what I’ll do when he kicks the bucket.” When Charlotte was first sent to Ishgard, being pawned off on extended family had done nothing to curb her surly preteen rebellion; it was only on account of Arismont himself, who saw something in her fire, her eagerness to brave the wilds and take up his martial skill and challenge any who would dare look down their nose at her, that she wasn’t turned around and sent immediately back to Gridania. Were something to become of him, the rest of the family would have her on a chocobo carriage out of the city before he was cold in the ground. “I can’t stand Gaelle or his daughters.”

The Hyur only laughed, irrespective of her discomfort. “The sentiment is mutual, eh?”

She bristled, replaying the biting complaints of being seen in distasteful company from just that morning. “Don’t remind me.”

A tumult of voices interrupted them. Somewhere below, a once-playful exchange between a few Brume children had escalated into angry shouting; they were wrestling with their knees in the dirt by the time a passerby Elezen woman, of splitting blonde hair and dark shadows cast in the sharp lines of her face, deigned to scold them. A mistake, Charlotte thought, for the Brume children were known to fall upon anyone who dared chide them like a pack of restless hounds – but today the children froze as though caught in suspense, watching the woman and the little girl at her heel scale the crumbling stairwell to the edge of the city wall.

Back up on the walkway, Charlotte breathed again into the warmth of her tea, bringing color back into her lips. “Why do you ask?”

Silvainne leaned back, though he remained transfixed on the spectacle below. “You once mentioned that ‘e was lowborn,” he led. “A commoner.”

Unease joined the cold in Charlotte’s bones. Ryder huffed an impatient exhale.

“I’d like’ta make out the way ‘e did,” he continued, with the uncertainty of fumbling through the thought in real-time, filling the space of their silence. “Spendin’ my old age plannin’ for big family get-togethers and collectin’ stupid trinkets – coins from the Sixth Astral era, or…”

“You’re a madman,” the Hyur finally opined. “What kinda seventeen year old dreams o’ bein’–”

He didn’t finish.

Charlotte looked again to the woman and her girl, perched at the city perimeter, as the former reached into her tunic to procure a swatch of bright blue fabric; together they handled it with the care of something sacred, untying the corners to reveal a bundle of ash. In a quiet like bated breath, they each took a corner of the cloth to raise up to a gray-blue sky, where the northern wind scattered the ash into the open maw of the valley beneath the Steps of Faith.

For a long while, they gazed into the white fog. The woman knelt to sob.

A lofty dream, to grow old.

#ffxivwrite2020 #ffxiv charlotte leroux #even if i don't do the fills on time i'm gonna write the fills god dang it #i will hate them but they will happen #I FORGOT THE ACCENTS okay i am editing dialogue for accents lmao #gdi ffxiv with your thick character acccents

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 3 - CBJ - Brand

Columbus was the team I wanted to win it all this past Spring. I was also sure they’d lose to one of the better teams in the cap era in the Lightning but hey, this league is whacky. I think it’s part of the charm of the NHL. That postseason performance changed the Blue Jackets brand from the charming Ohio team that never won a series to the club that knocked off Tampa in four games. It was historic and unbelievable… and then most of the players who made that happen scattered to the wins. It was the nature of how that team was constructed salary cap-wise, but it was also the end. It was the end of that new brand of Columbus Hockey, over before it even really had a chance to begin. In the aftermath of the second half collapse and the Phil Housley firing we were left wondering what the brand of Sabres hockey would be going forward. When Ralph Krueger came in he talked about “instinctual hockey” that didn’t require the self-defeating levels of thinking that seemed to paralyze the club in past years. Through two games we’ve seen just how fun that brand is, conveniently just in time for the 50th Anniversary season. That’s all well and good while the team is winning but what is the Buffalo Sabres brand of Hockey actually now with Krueger at the helm? I never played the game so I don’t want to underestimate what culture and instinct and all that stuff might have to do with it but let’s talk programmatically here: What is Sabres Hockey? What are the systems and strategy here, no matter how much freedom that form may actually give the players to be creative? I’m sure we’ll come up with a better name for it but for now I’m going to call it high-pressure hockey. The forecheck makes the opposition uncomfortable. The tight passing has made most zone entries and exits a bit smoother and the word we heard echoed over and over at Training Camp: Together, is something you can actually see unfolding watching the game. I can see the social media campaigns: “Together We Hockey!” LOL! That’s some kind of beer can motto. For now let’s call it High-Pressure Hockey. This brand was put to the test in a big way for the first time in Columbus.

The first period was the roughest we’ve seen so far from this Sabres team. The untrained eye probably still sees that same brand we talked about. But underneath you can see a frustrated Jackets team imposing their will and bad analytics. The visitors trailed in both 5 on 5 shot share and 5 on 5 scoring chances. Even though the Sabres had a slight edge in expected goals you could see Columbus was playing with some anger. The statistical battle never broke back in Buffalo’s direction, but the game did. First things first, the relentless push the Blue Jackets leveled finally broke through in the last two minutes of the first. They gave us a taste of our own medicine and ran a play real fast bouncing the puck from one side to the other to behind the net where Seth Jones forwarded the puck along to Oliver Bjorkstrand who shot tight angle right behind Linus Ullmark. In the immediate aftermath Henri Jokiharju got called for tripping and CBJ was off to their first powerplay. Cam Atkinson made the low-shooting visitors pay from another assist that originated behind Ullmark’s net. If you know me you might think that’s a gentle defense of Ullmark’s goaltending. I don’t feel the need to defend him on a night he faced 44 shots. That’s a simple stat: shots ended 44-18 for Columbus. Gross. They didn’t play their brand in the first period and Kyle Okposo said as much in the intermission. Luckily the second period looked a little bit closer to the cereal we’ve quickly come to like here in Buffalo.

The response in the second was a new thing to see. @BillTCB from the Charging Buffalo put it best: the Sabres forecheck mentality was dogs on raw meat in the second period. They were fishing pucks off of skaters and pestering really hard. Is this our new brand: High Pressure hockey? Colin Miller might be one of the reasons for this new brand. He is one of those fancy new-age offensive defenseman and yet he has the puck awareness to actually play defense as well. High pressure hockey worked for for Marcus Johansson who found himself on the receiving end of a lightning-fast Miller assist on the powerplay. Johansson dove to get his stick on it and it was the perfect tap. Goal Sabres, 2-1 just 1:32 into the second period. To say the home team tried to tamp down now would be an understatement. Perhaps they felt another comeback coming and intercepted passes left and right. They got a juicy powerplay off of a Rasmus Dahlin interference against Alex Wennberg and pelted Ullmark. Again, in spite of the eventual loss I don’t think anyone should be casting blame on Ullmark tonight. On this midgame powerplay he stops an Atkinson shot from a position of falling back on his ass. The Buffalo Sabres would’ve been blown out without Linus tonight and maybe that hurts the mentality in the room endangering the brand we’re trying to speak into existence. The Sabres kept chasing this game and somehow, from the chasing stance they evened it up. CBJ defenseman Ryan Murray recovered a puck in his defensive zone and began skating toward the neutral zone when Jeff Skinner appears like a wild animal and poke checks him, strips the puck and turns around, one-on-one with Columbus goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. He dekes a little and scores. It was a kind of strip and score I’ve never seen in years of watching professional hockey. Strip and score is a dirty combination of words, ha, it felt like a dirty good play. And so the Sabres climbed back to a 2-2 tie through forty minutes.

The third period was the most uncomfortable I’ve felt so far this season. Penalty five minutes in against Rasmus Dahlin and CBJ is back on the powerplay. There was a mad scramble in front of the Sabres net that unfolded and on the replay you can see Henri Jokiharju punch panicked at a puck in the air in front of his face. That touch puts the puck right at Nick Foligno feet and he sinks it. 3-2 Jackets 6:46 into the final frame. The next equalizer seemed elusive as all get out. I think that was in large part because the Sabres shot so little this whole game but particularly in the third period. Scoring effects didn’t seem to act on them and we find ourselves in the last three minutes seeing stoppages for faceoff calls. Frustration was mounting and this just wasn’t the way I wanted the first L to come. Fortunately that faceoff call I mentioned was against noted Blue Jacket Boone Jenner. Now, in addition to an empty net, the Sabres are on the powerplay up 6-4 in manpower. Rasmus Dahlin and Victor Olofsson were passing the puck in this situation until Olofsson decided to shoot. It went straight to the net and I let out a visceral yes that started my wife really bad. Goal, Sabres. It’s hockey season again, honey. 3-3 and we’re going to OT. Now: funny thing… haha… after getting outshot and out-chanced to hell in regulation the Sabres dominated possession in the two or so minutes of overtime. Somehow, after maybe 20 seconds of possession the whole extra frame, the Jackets won the game off an Alexandre Texier goal. This first loss of the Buffalo Sabres season was 4-3 home team. That second comeback to get to the overtime and clinch a point was what made the difference for me. A 3-2 loss would’ve not been a good first loss for me but a 4-3 loss in overtime did it for me. I’ll take that and I think we’ve had a lot of fun these first three games, so I think we all take it really.

Here’s an impressive observation: In postgame Ralph Krueger admitted some fault. He said he regretted putting Eichel out too early in OT after the Captain had just had a long shift to end regulation. In any conversation of team brand the coaching is going to come into play. Krueger admitting any kind of fault publicly is a signal to his players. Jack had to feel more than a little shite seeing that overtime loss after two comebacks. Ralph knew it and took a little bit of that weight off his shoulders. A competitive guy like Eichel will always take losses hard but that kind of move from Krueger is what gets players to buy in and play the way a coach wants them to play. I’ve been watching this club for ten years now, to whatever extent Krueger and get these guys to play his system he’ll be more successful than every coach since Lindy Ruff. The Sabres have just not been good enough for all those ten years I’ve watched, and these kinds of little victories of morale and message might be strategic to finally forming a winning brand of Sabres hockey. Or maybe I’m just making a lot out of a little in the aftermath of a whole-team loss today. I don’t know, on to Montreal at home on Wednesday!

I think if I got anything out of this game it’s that the New Sabres are going to fight back hard. For years now it was a pretty solid bet that a 2-0 deficit could be fatal for this club. Tonight it wasn’t. They came back twice and very nearly escaped with the victory. Like, comment and share this blog around. It’s a fan blog which means, win or lose, we talk the fan perspective here. What is the fan perspective? It’s getting really psyched about Ralph Krueger going to bat for Eichel in postgame like I just did for one. It’s also fun crap like biggest game against. Biggest game against will debut on Wednesday against the Habs and you’ll see it for every divisional game. I’ll recount what I think is the biggest game in Sabres history against the opponent of the night and you will respond by grilling my ass in the comments with what YOU think is the biggest game against that opponent in Sabres history. We’ll see if anyone gives a hoot at all about it Wednesday night I guess! Until then crossed fingers for more shots! There certainly weren’t enough tonight! Nonetheless, Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. I saw someone tweet what a fun playoff adversary these guys would be. I don’t know, their club culture is so lovable that I’d be hard pressed to hate these guys.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #blog #NHL

[lesbiancarat]

Lol ah if I ever do cross line, slap this book anon with a fish lol

PREACH IT!!! facts, facts and once again facts were spoken. You have summed up that entire section brilliantly love! Dare I say, mic drop

Onto the merch and I saw! I was surprised in a good way to see them! Hybe must have heard us complaining lol but no, they can create nice merch! While not the svt color scheme,it is very much in line to what you can think of merch for the boys. Simple and cute I think! Very bright from the orange shades i remember seeing, granted I will admit the bag is very similar to the one they sold for txt's online fan concert as well(?) So idk if this is just their common purse style they have pre-made and will change it up via color scheme wise but nonetheless, we can see decent merch being made. I think we will see over time improvements, I could very much see hybe adopting the bts album inspired merch for svt (idk how long that lasted but I do recall seeing merch inspired by their love yourself album or their tear albums so I could see maybe hybe putting out merch related to a mini series of the YMMD era? Of course please do not take my words as facts. I sadly don't work for hybe xD but just an idea I could maybe see happening and I think that could be cool! These might be a bit more pricier because I remember those merch were like limited edition so they cost a bit more which funnily could be the going svt merch idea you gave! I think that would be fun like imagine a makeup purse or a small bag based off the old pastel title screen ahh that would be cute!) Now brings us the ahem, more obvious cash grabs. Now, I will say the only time I can recall this also happening with sm artist. I always remember seeing those bday limited edition merch being sold and this was usually small items like a necklace, key ring, etc. It wasn't a t-shirt or something wild so maybe this is where hybe got inspired? Idk if this will be for all hybe artist though, would be weird if it just for svt. Like I get it, more members means more money but like ??? Make it make sense. I do agree with you, if we do have a good balance of good quality merch and have the few not so great merch it can work out? Of course call out merch that isn't ok like the plastic water bottles (I doubt that helps because fans of bts did this and welp, the resold it like I said so I doubt bighit would listen but still, we should make our voices heard!) And oohhh gotchas! Yeah I haven't hear of the rings situation at all, am happy they didn't do it. I guess in a way, I could maybe see what pledis wanted to do? But why replicas? They could have just done a simple svt inspired ring, not the personal one the boys own jdjajdjajs

Oohhh touche, while I'm personally not a fan of streaming parties, I can see why companies do them and it is valid c:

Caratland, ah yes. I keep forgetting about it fjsdns. Are you planning on watching it? I'm sure we will see some new songs being performed and knowing the boys, they will find a creative way to mix things up haha.

Before I go, I must say I remember finishing hoshi xD bro I remember seeing this happen live while my twitter gc were all watching the kcon livestream and we were all losing our minds xD like the timeline was in chaos and laughing about how they could lose hoshi but also how very on brand it was so anon, a great way to become a fan lolol

(is the slapping with a fish a reference to something or just something you like to say? dhfjfh either way it makes me laugh!)

yeah it makes sense if they would have the same template/design for basic merch items like totes, shirts, hats and things like that and just changed the color or print design. honestly that doesn't bother me so long as the basic sort of merch is in addition to more unique merch items if that makes sense.

ooh old album inspired merch is an interesting idea! although honestly I'd just settle for reprints of the old albums themselves OTL idk if that's something hybe can do directly though since they're not the original manufacturers of the old albums. like I'm sure pledis could reprint the old albums if they really wanted to, but there may be legal issues to work out if they want to switch to hybe manufacturing them + selling them permanently on weverse shop. idk how easy or hard that is since I'm not a legal expert but that would be my guess! i still hope it happens some day though... finding old albums is hard TT

yeah i wouldn't be surprised if other companies have done birthday merch, it seems like the type of thing kpop companies in general would try to make money off of dhfkf. honestly the concept of birthday merch in general I'm just like... *sigh* yeah, ok. like i don't think it's immoral to profit off of it or anything but it's just an example of capitalism at its finest you know? at this point I'm just like, if you're going to make birthday merch at least go all in with the individual member customization instead of making it all plain black TT like I'm sure some ppl do like that kind of design and no judgement there. it's not inherently bad. but its all very... professional? corporate? not sure if those are the words I'm looking for dhfkf but like they could have incorporated a lot of personal elements like the cherry motif or let cheol dress up in his favorite clothes for the photoshoot and things like that you know? also the hand thing was just weird at the very least i hope they scrap that idea for the other members if they get bday merch TT and yeah I'll also be interested to hear if other hybe groups also get b-day merch...

I actually can't remember if the rings were "replicas" in the sense that they had the members names on them/were the exact design SVT members had. it may have been a "carat" version of the ring, in which case replica may not be the right word to use. but either way they were definitely marketed as being like... the equivalent of a seventeen ring if that makes sense? and that being the case even if wasn't the exact same design it still wouldn't have sat right with me, it just feels too close to home. i do remember thinking at the time that they could have made something like a bracelet or necklace that could be like a mirror to SVTs rings but still something distinctly different. like it could still show SVT and carats connection while not intruding on SVT members status and the work they put in to get that title... but i digress!

I'm almost certainly not gonna watch it live dhfjfh for one online concerts and fanmeetings just aren't worth the cost for me... maybe if it was $20 or less id spare the money but I'm not gonna pay $50 to watch a livestream at 3am DHFKFH. and even if i were considering it, I'm traveling on the 9th so i can't be up late to watch it live even if i wanted to. i know they have delayed times for replays but if it's not live then it's even less worth it to spend the money imo. so likely I'll just keep my eyes peeled for a pirated version after the fact dhfkf

it really was so chaotic... its interesting to hear sometimes the crazy ways ppl got into the fandom or were first exposed to SVT dhfjfh especially since my own stanning story is more sentimental(?) rather than funny

#melia.ask #📖 anon

[countdowntocake]

50 Personal Questions

Rules: fill this out and tag at least one person you’d like to know more about! Or just fill it out! Or don’t! Answer only some of them! Make up your own questions! “What kind of requirement is that”, you ask? A reasonable one! Who am I to tell you what to do? Anything goes! Tagged by @leorysxi Tagging No One! 1. What kind of food can’t you stand?
Anything that's really cheap or really processed (basically most candy and junk food, except for some quality chocolate). Also coconut. Fuck coconut. 2. If you could choose one minor inconvenience to never have to deal with again, what would you pick?
As of right now, having to remember princess lessons in MidCin and IkeSen. If I could just store infinite stamina (or at least like 10 hours) I'd be such a happy camper. 3. Have you got any useless talents? Idk if it counts as a talent but I can do multiplication, addition, and subtraction from left-to-right. 4. If you could be really really good at one thing, what would it be? Remembering things. 5. Name a few people you think are extremely good-looking. There are plenty, but off the top of my head Andy Biersack for guys (I don't even listen to BVB but I do listen to his solo album lol) and Zendaya or Sofia Vergara for ladies.
 6. What was your favorite way to pass the time as a kid? Daydreaming or playing video games (I got my first hand-me-down DS when I was 7). 7. What is something you’re proud of? I'm plenty cocky about a lot of things, but if I had to pick it would be that I was selected out of like 700 kids in my middle school to represent them in a young leadership conference during my first year there.
 8. What’s one character flaw in people that you just can’t tolerate? Vapidness in general. 
 9. Do you consider yourself to be more of a leader or a follower? Definitely a leader (see number 7)! One of my young childhood memories was when I was at the beach on vacation when I was maybe 6, and I was trying to direct a bunch of other little kids on how to build a proper sandcastle (I'm now currently discovering my interest in the field of architecture, funnily enough).
 10. What kind of student are/were you? Extremely curious, tends to monopolize the teacher, teachers pet, has never dipped below a 3.7 GPA.
 11. Butterfly effect question! Has there ever been a seemingly minor decision you’ve made (at the time) that ended up having a profound influence on your life? I have absolutely no clue tbh.
 12. Name your most irrational fear/aversion. The inevitability of my own death. 13. Are there any fictional characters you find especially relatable? Yes, and the first that comes to mind is Edea Lee from the Bravely Default series. She's the daughter of the Grand Marshal (king) of her kingdom, and was raised to follow in her father's footsteps. Though her somewhat biased education had led her to see the world in a very black/white way, her world view is forced to change as she journeys out into the world and joins the other heroes of the story. She wants to make her father and teachers proud, but does not hesitate to disobey them and her state when she sees the consequences of their actions. She's proud, headstrong, and kind (plus she loves food lmao I love Edea and I could talk about her for hours and I'm literally going to name my firstborn daughter after her and no one can stop me). 
 14. If you drink, what kind of drunk are you? Alternatively, what sort of person are you at parties? I don't really go to parties unless they're small gatherings with friends or family, and the idea of drinking in public terrifies me so idk I'll figure it out eventually.
 15. Do you fall in love easily? Or does it usually take a long time for you to trust someone? It will definitely take awhile. I can get crushes, sure, but if and when I start looking for someone to spend/dedicate my whole life to, I plan to find the right one the first time.
 16. Would you rather have one close friend or 100 casual friends? This is going to sound shallow but 100 casual friends. No matter how perfect we are as friends, only spending time with one person wears thin after awhile.
 17. Do you consider yourself to be more of a slob or a neat-freak? Neat-freak, but not extremely so. I just like me some good organization!
 18. Describe a place (imaginary or real) that you would find incredibly cozy. When I think of cozy, one old southern home in my dad's family comes to mind. In the middle of a town as rural as can be, it's a large, charming white cottage surrounded by massive oak trees. The only sounds that reach it are the occasional train the crosses the edge of the property. Whether I'd be out on the porch swing overlooking the yard, the sunroom in the back with an old couch along an entire wall with a massive window, or even perched in one of the massive oaks on the property, I'd stay there forever and nap.
 19. Do you have kids? If not, do you want them someday?
Like I said, I'm totally naming my first daughter Edea. 20. What was your favorite book as a child? When I was in second grade, I used to get in massive trouble for reading the Young Nancy Drew series in math class. I also love the Harry Potter series, and found a book called The School for Good and Evil on the first day of 6th grade and have loved the series since.
 21. Name one thing you just don’t get what all the hype is about Snapchat, Jake Paul, fidget spinners... I could go on.
 22. Name one thing that you think is tragically underrated. Marina and the Diamonds! I hear everyone talking about Halsey or Lana Del Ray, but no one ever talks about Marina and her awesome music! ;-;
 23. If you had to be glued to a person for a month, real or fictional (who you have never met), who would you choose? I have no clue, but someone I could get comfortable with at least (not a guy, I'm way too shy!).
 24. What’s something you’d like the chance to do someday? I'm just going to be generic and say travel the world.
 25. Do you typically speak your mind when you have a controversial opinion? Or do generally prefer to not rock the boat?
If it's something I feel confident in my knowledge/ability to debate about, then I'll never hold back. 26. What’s the dumbest fad you’ve been caught up in?
I'm not one for fads usually, so I don't really have an answer. 27. What’s something you thought was cool as a kid/adolescent, but now cringe at yourself for?
Idk, I was a pretty cool kid. I usually knew when something was too dumb for me. 28. What’s a trait you consider to be very admirable?
A quick wit. 29. Is there a particular kind of item people always tend to give you as gifts? (For instance, people always get you things with ducks on them because you like ducks, etc.) I usually make a wish-list, but I've always gotten plenty of video games, and in recent years I've been receiving jewelry as a gift more often (mostly from my mom because we watch JTV together sometimes and she knows my taste lmao)
 30. Do you speak multiple languages? Which ones? I only know English fluently, but I'm learning Spanish in school, slowly but surely.
 31. Would you rather live in the big city or the countryside? The countryside definitely has its draws (see number 18), but I've also lived in a city all my life and the convenience of everything is really nice...
 32. Has there ever been something you were certain you’d hate, but ended up loving? I never would have thought it as a kid, but I actually love reading nonfiction. You don't have to struggle to find something with a good story that's suited to your tastes, and you get to LEARN stuff.
 33. Do you mind being the center of attention, or do you prefer the spotlight to be on someone else?
I guess it depends on what type of spotlight. If it's just drama/popularity, then no thanks, but I definitely want appreciation for what I do and what I've a accomplished so far. 34. Favorite holiday? Easter for pastels and nostalgia, Mardi Gras for fun and family, and Christmas for gifts and candy.
 35. Are you a more go-with-the-flow type of person, or do you need to have things planned meticulously? PLANNING. Because STRATEGY. IS. ALWAYS. (srsly tho don't try to get me into a plan that hasn't been thought out yet because I will ask a million questions and start planning everything for you)
 36. Is there something you loved so much you wish you could forget it and experience it all over again? (A tv show, book, series–anything.) Most things wouldn't be the same now since I did them as a child, but honestly if I could replay Breath of the Wild with a blank slate I totally would. I tried to take it slow but still ended up rushing the story ;-;
 37. What hobbies do you have? Still video games and daydreaming :p but now with the lovely additions of fanfiction and YouTube!
 38. If you could have a superpower, but it was only mildly useful, what ability would you want to have? Teleporting? You can't kill a man with it, but it's still pretty useful.
 39. Something people are always surprised to learn about you? (Depending on how you met me) I'm super polite and apparently "talk fancy", or that I swear like a sailor in the most deadpan way.
 40. Something that took you way too long to figure out? I can't remember anything off the top of my head...
 41. Worst injury you’ve had? I've never broken a bone, but once when I was like four I got this HORRIBLE carpet burn on my chin from watching cartoons on my stomach at a friend's house.
 42. Any morbid fascinations?
Not really. 43. Describe your sense of humor. Dry, often dark, and is typically enhanced by timing and delivery (deadpan, usually).
 44. If you had to be born in another era/place, which would you choose? I'm honestly pretty happy where I am. The past sucks in terms of conveniences and sanitation, and where I came from plays a huge part in who I am.
 45. Something you are irredeemably bad at? Probably dancing.
 46. Something that sucked but you’re glad you went through? When I was younger, my mom would ALWAYS correct me if I forgot to say ma'am or sir, but I'm so glad she stuck with it because now it's ingrained in my brain and helps me to be acknowledged/liked by my teachers and other adults.
 47. Would you rather have a really godawful ugly tattoo in a place that is only slightly inconvenient to conceal with clothing (upper arm, thigh, etc.), or the coolest, most beautiful tattoo ever in the middle of your face? (Neither tattoo can be removed or concealed with makeup, and the ugly tattoo will deeply offend anyone who sees it.) Face tattoo! It doesn't have to be that big, right? Theoretically it could just look like the perfect makeup permanently on my face (and lord knows I'm too lazy for makeup). But realistically, I'm never getting a tattoo. 48. Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist? Realist? I like to operate under "prepare for the worst and hope for the best". I'm confident in my ability to get myself where I want to be, but I know I'll have to work for it. 49. What would be the most flattering compliment someone could give you? Probably something about my mind or abilities. I love being complimented on my looks of course (the other day when I was getting my hair done for school a stranger told me I have beautiful hair and I'm still happy about it), but whenever someone in MidCin compliments me as a princess I almost always screenshot it.
 50. Something you feel people often misunderstand about you? (In real life) I'm not a total stuck-up bitch. Yes I'm confident in myself and yes I came from a relatively well-off background, but I like to think that I'm nicer than I first appear.

[taylorwritesnonstop-blog]

Playlist Snapshot - 20 Songs that I Can’t Stop Listening To

People often ask the question: what sort of music do you listen to? In no particular order, some songs I’m really been jamming to lately:

#1- Glass Animals, “Season 2, Episode 3″

David Bayley often refers to his songs as “characters”. This song tells the story of a homebody who spends too much time on the couch, “Leftover breakfast, cereal for lunch; she’s broken but she’s fun; My girl eats mayonnaise; From a jar when she’s gettin blazed”. Bayley says he likes that people come away with different interpretations to his work, stating, “each person’s interpretation is 100% important. It’s much more interesting for everyone that way.”

#2- Cardi B, “I Like It”

I love the latin flavor of this song, and the memories it beings back as I heard it played around the world. Bad Bunny and J Balvin’s rap verses are a great example of how to lay it down in Spanish.

#3 - The Hollies, “We’re Through”

This minor, 4-part-harmony jam is straight from 1964. I was introduced to it through The Umbrella Academy; it really captures the energy of my favorite character, Klaus, played by may favorite actor at the moment, Robert Sheehan.

#4 - Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, “Nonstop”

This snuck its way in again. Maybe it’s because it gives me motivation to meet my deadlines. 51 essays in 6 months? I take that as a challenge. 

#5 - The Wombats, “I Only Wear Black”

I listened to this album by the Wombats (Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life) all the time during my commute and in the office at my internship last semester. The pop punk and upbeat vibe is true to the artists' sound but for me it represents a natural evolution of their style and is the best they have sounded; I don't believe there is a bad song on the album. This is the one that seemed to run through my head the most and I love the contrast of the sing-songy and kind of delicate vocals with the lyrics.

#5 - Arturo Márquez, “Danzón No. 2″

Over the years, I have played this piece several times, in both band and orchestra. I love the many moods of this song- sultry, bombastic, tender, playful, intense, and unmistakably Latin. No matter how many times I listen to or play this piece, it never loses its energy or brilliance for me. Gustavo Dudamel really loves this one and to be honest the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar performance is one of the best.

#6 - St. Vincent, “Los Ageless”

I had a hard time deciding on one track from this St. Vincent album (Masseduction) but this one was the winner. I love the wordplay in the lyrics and the cynical perspective. I also love how it was used for the Season 5 premiere of BoJack Horseman; I think it perfectly encapsulates the theme of celebrity.

#7 - Panic! At The Disco, “Say Amen (Saturday Night)”

I love pretty much all of Panic at the Disco's discography as they have moved through their many phases. I really just love how this song showcases Brendon Urie's exceptional vocals with a big band, really allowing him to be very theatrical. while also showcasing the wild talent of his brass and wind players.  You can tell Brendon is straight off of Broadway. I also love to sing along to this one, and the Bari Sax part is so great, “Yeah, there's a couple fracks, but we got it. That's the shit, that's the shit, and, man, I saw you fuckin' lift that sax up towards the microphone and I fell in love! K, alright, one more time, here we go”.

#8 - Leon Bridges, “Pony”

Undoubtedly the best cover of the Ginuwine R&B classic. Leon Bridges can keep blessing us with his music as long as he likes.

#9 - Lana Del Rey, “West Coast”

Lana Del Rey is the queen of sad girl pop. I love this dreamy track which evokes vibes of a Manson Era California cool. 

#10 - Childish Gambino, “Summertime Magic”

Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) never fails to stun. I love the sound of the steel drums with the booming bass and leaning synths. Gauva Island has me dreaming of the Caribbean sun.

#11 - BTS, “Idol”

I guess I am having a bit of a K-Pop moment? I can’t fully call myself an “Army”, but I can’t stop replaying this banger. Nothing really compares to the polished swagger of a Korean boy band. 

#12 - Jimi Hendrix, “Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)”

Jimmi Hendrix’s impeccable guitar work and gentle voice both sooth and rock in this classic number.  Hendrix’s raw talent evokes the joyous abandon of late-60′s free-love and psychedelia. 

#13 - Beyoncé, “Formation”

Many thanks to Queen Bey for releasing Lemonade on Spotify. I can’t stop thinking about Homecoming either. Honestly I’m just glad I’m alive at the same time as Beyoncé. 

#14 - Ariana Grande, “needy”

Yeah, everybody loves the irresistible “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”, and has heard the unavoidable “7 rings”. However, “needy” is an overlooked gem on Ari’s latest hit packed album thank u, next. Ariana’s vocals always slay me, but this particular confessional is a masterclass in female pop vocal production. 

#15 -Watsky, “No Complaints No Conversation”

Watsky’s rapid-fire, slightly-lisped witticisms find an effortless groove over arpeggiated synths which connotative retro video games. He also expands his vocal reach, sounding quite good, and he doesn’t overdo the autotune for which I am grateful.

#16 - The Weeknd “Pray For Me (with Kendrick Lamar)

Still not over it-Black Panther was great on so many levels, and the soundtrack is just another aspect of a killer production. African American Rap superhero Kendrick Lamar’s songwriting influence is woven throughout the album. The Weeknd always brings it on vocals and I love the verse where everything else drops out so his voice can really shine. 

#17- Jonas Brothers, “Sucker”

Ok, how can anyone resist this one? I remember the days when the Jonas Brothers were hot shit, and to be honest, I don’t think they are over. The music video is also very cute and well shot, featuring the three brothers’ significant others.

#18 - Beach House, “Space Song”

This song aurally conveys the sensation of floating. This song brings me back to Razzmatazz when I saw Beach House perform live in Barcelona. Victoria Legrand has such a unique voice and I love the keyboard work.

#19 - RuPaul, “Call Me Mother”

RuPaul is incomparable. Love this campy, club-kid tribute to Ru’s legendary status as an LGBTQ+ icon: “queen, Shade machine, Gets the [?]; Best believe; Mother Ru”. She slays the complicated rhythms and brings joyful charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent to every listener’s ear.  

#20 - Gregory Alan Isakov with the Colorado Symphony, “Amsterdam”

I love this mix of classical with Gregory Alan Isakov’s singer songwriter vibes. I have also had the chance to perform with the Colorado Symphony, and I am familiar with the horn section, which is featured prominently with a soaring 4 part choir. In the final verse, I love how the whole orchestra crescendos and drops down to just vibes. 

#glass animals #cardi b #the hollies #the wombats #gustavo dudamel #st vincent #bojack horseman #panic! at the disco #leon bridges #lana del rey #childish gambino #guava island #bts #army #jimi hendrix #beyonce #lemonade #homecoming #ariana grande #watsky #the weeknd #kendrick lamar #black panther #jonas brothers #sophie turner #beach house #rupaul's drag race #rpdr #gregory alan isakov #music

[flauntpage]

DGB Grab Bag: The Ten Commandments of Replay Reviews and Challenges

Three stars of comedy

The third star: The Vancouver Whitecaps – They're the local MLS team, and they figured they could work a fun marketing tie-in with the city's NHL team.

Unfortunately, that team is the Canucks, and now that Brock Boeser is hurt they don't score anymore. That was kind of a problem, as the Whitecaps learned over the ensuing three hours.

Welp, indeed. Vancouver sports, everyone!

The second star: These two Wild fans – It's OK, they were distracted by the Canucks having scored a goal.

The first star: The Bruins/Hurricanes highlights – Carolina sportscaster Mark Armstrong is here to give you everything local hockey fans want to see, and literally nothing else.

Be It Resolved

Today, everyone hates instant replay challenges.

The offside reviews are tedious, nitpicky, and often appear to return the incorrect result. And right now, those are considered the good kind of review. The goaltender interference debacle is even worse. There's growing momentum to just get rid of them both, and leave replay review to the bare bone basics like whether a puck was over the goal line.

And that's all well and good. But that's today. Tomorrow, or the day after, or someday down the road, something's going to happen that will result in somebody calling for more replay reviews.

Maybe it will be a high-sticking call where the player was actually clipped by a teammate. Or maybe a puck-over-glass that was actually deflected. Or a too-many-men call where the sixth guy didn't actually hit the ice until his man had reached the bench. Or a crucial icing call where a team had maybe reached the red line.

Whatever it is, somebody out there will suggest we make those plays reviewable. After all, we have the technology. Why not get it right?

So today, I'd like to address those people. When the day comes that we get to meet them, feel free to cut-and-paste everything below and send it to them.

Hello, future hockey fans.

Boy, that sure was a controversial call. Those refs, am I right? You'd think there'd be a better way. Hey, why not use instant replay review? The coaches could decide when to challenge, we'd end up getting the calls right all the time, and then everyone would be happy. What could go wrong?

I'm going to stop you right there.

I come to you from the distant past of many years or months or days ago, and I bring a warning. We went through the same sort of controversy you're living right now with offside and goalie interference, and we, too, thought that replay would fix everything. It didn't. It made everything worse.

It will probably do the same for you, too. Not necessarily—there are cases where replay works fine. But over the last few years, us hockey fans of the distant past have learned a few hard lessons. You should learn them, too, before it's too late.

So be it resolved that we never again add more instant replay until we've acknowledged and accepted these important facts. Let's call them the ten commandments of replay reviews and challenges:

1. The missed call you're mad about probably happens so rarely that changing a bunch of rules is an overreaction.

2. If you give them a challenge, coaches will inevitably end up using it way more than you ever thought they would.

3. As soon as you make something subject to review in the name of "getting it right", fans will expect you to get it right every single time, and you won't.

4. If you think replay will only overturn calls that are obviously and indisputably incorrect instead of fixating on too-close-to-call nitpicking, prepare to be wrong.

5. Even if your replay system works and gets almost everything right, fans will still complain about every call that goes against their team anyway, because that's what fans do.

6. Don't tell yourself that the reviews will be quick. They're never quick.

7. The officials will hate them, and they'll make sure you know it.

8. It's never a good idea to train your fans to react to an exciting play by saying "Hold on, this might just get overturned".

9. You can avoid all these problems with one simple fix: Don't add more replay.

10. Seriously, just don't.

Thanks for reading, NHL fans of the future, and sorry about our haggard appearance. We know that we're a wretched, pathetic lot right now. But if we can be your cautionary example, then maybe all of this will have done some good.

Just don't ignore us. You know, the way we did to those fans from 1999.

Obscure former player of the week

So the Canucks haven't scored in three straight games, giving them a shot at setting the modern record. The key word there is "modern"—even though we're suffering through a two-decade Dead Puck Era, there was a time when goals in the NHL were even harder to come by. The low point came during the 1928-29 season, when the average game featured fewer than three goals. That season's Chicago Black Hawks managed just 33 goals in 34 games, and at one point went a ridiculous eight straight games without scoring at all.

So today, let's bestow obscure player honors on the man who finally broke that streak: Johnny Gottselig.

Gottselig grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, but he was born in Klosterdorf, a small village that was then part of the Russian Empire. This fact isn't recognized in some history books, since he spent some of his youth pretending to have been born in Canada to speed up border crossings, but he was one of the first Russian-born players in NHL history.

He made his debut with the Hawks as a left winger for that 1928-29 season and scored just five goals that first year, which doesn't sound like much but was good for third on the team. Perhaps the biggest came one minute into the team's Feb. 5, 1929 game in Detroit, when Gottselig's goal snapped that eight-game drought. Like many goals scored that season, it held up as the winner in a 1-0 final.

Gottselig went on to play 16 years with Chicago. He recorded a pair of 20-goal seasons, finished third in Hart Trophy voting in 1939, and won two Stanley Cups. The second of those came in 1938, when Gottselig was captain, and he'd later coach the team for four years, making him both the first European-born coach and Cup-winning captain in league history.

New entries for the hockey dictionary

Lower standings injury (noun) – Hockey fans are familiar with the league's insistence on never telling us which players have which injuries. Instead, we get the "upper body injury" and "lower body injury" designations. Those terms are largely useless and they annoy you, but you're an NHL fan and the league hates you so screw you.

But these days, there's a far more important type of injury gripping the league. You can see them popping up in places like Buffalo, Arizona, Vancouver, and Ottawa. Montreal has a ton, including to most of their best players. It's the dreaded last-season injury that shuts a player down for the rest of the season, as long as that player happens to be playing for a team that's well out of the playoff race.

Nobody knows why so many of these injuries happen at this time of year, and only to the bad teams. Clearly it can't be tanking, because we've been assured that doesn't exist. So chalk it up to bad luck, I guess. Every year, some poor team that's already headed toward securing the best odds for the draft lottery suddenly has all their players get hurt. It can be a terrible thing—some of the dozen or so Maple Leafs who all suffered the same fate back in 2016 still haven't recovered.

The phenomenon happens often enough that it needs a name. So forget about the standard LBI and UBI—we're introducing the LSI. A lower standings injury is anything that removes a key player from a terrible team's lineup just in time for a late push for lottery odds.

(Incidentally, you may be wondering if there's such a thing as an upper standings injury. There is, although those tend not to be as serious, and only ever impact teams that already have their playoff seed locked up. For reasons nobody can figure out, teams fighting for a wild-card spot somehow manage to remain completely healthy.)

Researchers are working to find a cure for lower standings injuries. We're trying to get a few strands of Oscar Klefbom's DNA to figure out why he's the only one who's ever been immune to the condition. In the meantime, please say a prayer for all the LSI victims who've already been identified, and the many more we'll be hearing about over the next few days and weeks.

Classic YouTube clip breakdown

It's St. Patrick's Day this weekend. Say those words to most people, and they'll start thinking about green beer and leprechauns. But say them to old-school hockey fans, and they'll start thinking about the St. Patrick's Day Massacre, the infamous 1991 brawl between the Blackhawks and Blues.

Well, "brawl" isn't quite accurate. No, the Massacre actually refers to several brawls that took place over the course of the game. The most memorable of those is the one you're probably thinking of when you hear somebody reference the Massacre: Scott Stevens and Dave Manson squaring off at center ice for one of the great one-on-one showdowns in hockey history. We gave that one the YouTube breakdown treatment a few years ago.

But that fight never happens if it's not for an incident earlier in the game that set the tone for the rest of the night. So today, let's go back the most famous moment in the history of the Blues/Blackhawks rivalry, and then go back just a little further to the earlier brawl that set the stage.

This is, as will soon become clear, the local Chicago broadcast of the game. Our play-by-play voice is Pat Foley, and fair warning, he's going to get just a little bit homer-y here. Ordinarily that's annoying, but we can't stay mad at the man who gave us the wee-knee clip, so he's forgiven.

So we're just under six minutes into the game, with Chicago leading 1-0. In theory, it's an important game, with just two weeks left in the season and these two teams battling for the Presidents' Trophy. But as we're about to find out, the Blues have come to town with another priority in mind: dishing out some payback to Jeremy Roenick.

This all goes back to a game between the two teams a few weeks earlier, one that had featured a hard hit by Roenick on Bob Bassen. That had led to legendary Blues GM Ron Caron calling out Roenick as a dirty player in an epic rant that included lines like "He doesn't pick on someone who could beat him up, he hits you from the blind side and takes off," and "Because he's young, talented and cute, he gets away with that." Ron Caron was the best.

Back to the March 17 game, and our clip picks up in the aftermath of another big Roenick hit, this one against Harold Snepsts. We join the action right after, and if you watch carefully you'll notice something unusual at the 0:03 mark—a Blues player hops off the bench and joins the scrum. That turns out to be important.

Roenick's timing isn't great on this one, as the Blues have several tough guys on the ice for this shift. That's right, teams used to dress multiple enforcers for each game and play them on the same line. Why yes, the NHL was an interesting league to watch in the early 90s, thanks for asking.

One of those tough guys, the fantastically named Glen Featherstone, goes after Roenick, but Keith Brown steps in to save his smaller teammate. Within seconds, Featherstone's jersey is over his head and Brown's helmet is covering his face and neither guy can see anything. Do they stop throwing haymakers? [Checks notes that just say "It's the Norris Division."] No they do not.

As that fight is getting broken up, the Blues start chasing after Roenick. First it's tough guy Darren Kimble, and then Kelly Chase shows up. Chase had been called up for this game, pretty much for this specific purpose. He's also the guy who left the bench at the beginning of the clip, temporarily giving the Blues an extra man in the fight and earning himself a ten-game suspension. He doesn't really get to Roenick, but in the commotion Kimble circles back and starts throwing sucker punches.

Fun fact: Every 80s and 90s brawl features at least one player you recognize but swear was too young to be in the league at the time. For this brawl, the role will be played by Rod Brind'Amour.

The Blackhawks bench nearly empties, which would have been the first bench-clearing brawl since 1987. There hasn't been a full-scale version since, although we've had a few near-misses at the end of periods. I don't know what it would take to cause another one after three decades, but I'm sure Brad Marchand is working on it.

We see Kimble leave the ice, which reminds us of two things: his hockey hair was amazing, and it was completely insane that visiting players had to walk up and down a flight of stairs with no hand railing at the old Chicago Stadium.

"And now Snepsts is going to try to get at Yawney!" Admit it, for a second when you heard that you thought the Blues were trying to fight this guy.

The officials try to clean up the remaining scrums while Foley breathlessly vows that the Hawks can't be intimidated and Snepsts makes crazy old-man eyes at everyone. Meanwhile, the Stadium organist hits us with some Phantom of the Opera. Good times all around.

The two teams mostly behaved themselves for the rest of the period before resuming hostilities in the second, which is when the second line brawl and the Manson/Stevens showdown happens. What can I tell you, both teams had Sutters on the coaching staff, so this was all pretty much inevitable.

And that's about it. The second half of our clip is just a replay of basically the entire brawl, because back then you had to kill some time while the officials sorted out all the penalties. And there were plenty in this game—278 PIM in all, including 13 ejections. The league also handed out 22 games worth of suspensions. We all agreed that this was a terrible thing, and the NHL would be a far better place if this sort of nonsense never happened again.

[Spends the next three hours watching Norris Division brawls on YouTube.]

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at [email protected].

DGB Grab Bag: The Ten Commandments of Replay Reviews and Challenges published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[wiersema1]

Those that know me best know that college football is truly my favorite sport. You know what gets me pumped for college football season? I absolutely L-O-V-E ESPN’s countdown of their Top 25 Games of last season. They do this every year in July and August as they prep for the upcoming season on the gridiron. When they started their countdown, I happened to catch the 23rd best game of 2016, #23 Florida St. at #10 Miami from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL.

By the way, have you seen the revamped Hard Rock Stadium? Hard Rock Stadium might confuse you, but this is the place that used to be known under the following seven names: Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Park, Pro Player Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, Land Shark Stadium, and Sun Life Stadium. For the first time, it is finally a great looking park. They added a partial roof which must help against that scorching Florida sun. Anyway, it looks like a place I’d enjoy checking out a game.

Someday. But for now, I’m driving my son to closer stadiums. This Autumn…..Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana where we’ll see the beloved Huskers of Nebraska at Purdue on October 28.

I know……..not too exciting but it’s all part of seeing each and every B1G stadium. So far I’ve been to games at Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and of course Nebraska and Illinois. I’ve also been to Minnesota and Indiana on non-game days. So that leaves us with Ohio St., Penn St., Maryland, Michigan St., Rutgers, and of course, Purdue.

So here is the list of ESPN’s Top 25 games of 2016:

#25 – Florida St. 45 vs Ole Miss 34 – An offensive explosion. The QB’s in this one, Deondre Francois for FSU and Chad Kelly for Ole Miss inspired both teams to dream of the National Championship. Unfortunately for Ole Miss, Kelly was injured in his 9th game. They went 4-5 in his 9 starts but the offense wasn’t the problem for the Rebels. Their defense allowed 34.0 ppg! As for Francois, he played like a freshman at times, but a wonderfully talented freshman. Going into ’17, Francois is a Heisman contender and FSU is a National Championship contender, starting the season ranked #3.

#24 – Toledo 53 at BYU 55 – Brigham Young’s RB Jamaal Williams ran for 286 yards and 5 TD in this crazy 55-53 victory. This brought back shades of the ‘Wild Wild WAC’ days of yesteryear.

#23 – Pittsburgh 36 at North Carolina 37 – Both Pitt and UNC played in plenty of tight games in ’16. This one was no different.

#22 – Alabama 10 at LSU 0 – I don’t remember watching this one last year (or this year). Maybe I’m just all “Bama’d” out. Does this ten to nothing shutout surprise you? This was a typical SEC slobberknocker, I’m guessing.

#21 – N.C. State 17 at Clemson 24 (OT) – How many tight games did Clemson win in 2016? They won seven games by 7 points or less. They lost one. Spoiler alert! They finished as National Champions with a 14-1 record. That makes tight victories like this all the more important. When the Wolfpack took them to Overtime last October, it improved a shaky Clemson team to 7-0 with 4 tight wins. Most people were wondering what in the world was going on with them. I’ll tell you what was going on. They were forging bonds during tough, hard-fought wins that ultimately propelled them to legends.

#20 Central Michigan 30 at Oklahoma St. 27 – Games like this are what makes college football a special game. Remember this one? CMU threw a Hail Mary after Okie St. was penalized for throwing the ball out-of-bounds on a 4th down as time ran out. The refs wrongly gave CMU one un-timed down because of the Cowboys intentional grounding. So what do you think was gonna happen? Central Michigan caught the Hail Mary, the WR ran it all the way into the end zone after catching it in play and making an incredible run. CMU won! As for Oklahoma State?…….Talk about getting hosed!!!! They finished 11-2……I mean 10-3 doh! The NCAA referees acknowledged their mistake after the game but to no avail. You can’t open up Pandora’s box afterwards.

PS: A similar play happened here in Illinois in the IHSA high school state playoffs between Fenwick and Plainfield North. I know! What is wrong with these referees! If you don’t know for sure, get out the rulebook and consult with IHSA officials or Athletic Directors or somebody before you end up forcing a judge to sit through a courtroom case brought about by a lawsuit. In this case, Fenwick got hosed, losing 18-17 in OT! I can’t believe this really happened twice within a couple of months! Who got screwed more? I vote for Fenwick. They lost a playoff game whereas Oklahoma St. only lost a non-conference game that luckily, ultimately, didn’t derail their championship hopes. As for Fenwick, I’ll be cheering for them this Autumn.

#19 LSU 13 at Auburn 18 – Oh my God! Reliving these fantastic games is wonderful. Remember this one? In what turned out to be Coach Les “The Hat” Miles’ last game as LSU head coach, the Tigers (which one?) thought they threw a game-ending 15 yard TD pass. But wait! The officials reviewed it and determined that the snap on the last play was too late. The game clock had indeed just barely run out before the Tigers’ (which one?) center snapped the ball prior to the miraculous game winner. So who won? The Tigers……naturally. (ICYMI, Auburn’s ‘War Eagle’ won……naturally rather than the LSU “Geaux” Tigers. People wonder why our youth are so confused. I’m confused both reading AND writing this column. Whatever man, “This is the SEC!” I could probably delve into a whole sub-article here about academics in the B1G (Big Ten) vs the SEC but I’ll spare you.) Thanks Dutch!

#18 Ohio St. 30 at Wisconsin 23 (OT) – This was a solid B1G game. This column is getting too long so I’ll refrain from commenting on this one. Oh wait. I have a question for you: Is “Jump Around” a tradition? I mean, this tradition started based on a lousy 90s rap/crap/hip-hop song from 1992? Is that a tradition? Maybe the B1G is dumber, and closer to the SEC, than I thought. I know what you’re thinking……all my Wisky friends are enraged and throwing a fit right now, and possibly “unfollowing” the Dutch Lion concurrently.

#17 Florida St. 20 at Miami 19 – This one brought back memories of earlier games in this once national series but 2016’s edition was not a truly fantastic matchup. It’s good clean hate but it lacks the buildup of what it once was…..one of the greatest meaningful rivalries that the entire nation watched with eyes wide open. Did someone say “wide”, as in “Wide Right!”?

#16 Michigan 13 at Iowa 14 – Great game! Michigan had a perfect 9-0 record, ranked #2 going into Iowa City. Iowa was #1 (you’re dreaming again, of 1985!) In 2016 Iowa was unranked but primed for an upset of Jim Harbaugh. Is Iowa Jim Harbaugh’s kryptonite? Nonetheless, outside of the Hawkeyes current struggles, it was “Shades of 1985!” Seriously, it was eerie. Here’s a column I wrote last Autumn, detailing one of my all-time favorite college games that made me love the sport forever:

“How weird is it that Iowa beat Michigan 14-13 in almost the same way with almost the same score as when they beat Michigan 12-10 in 1985????

My favorite upset of the day was definitely Iowa over Michigan because it brought back so many memories of the epic 1985 #1 vs #2 matchup in Iowa City. It was October 19, 1985. I remember that day well for being 31 years ago. It’s like “Back to the Future”. I was a 10-year-old raking leaves on a cloudy, overcast, rainy October day in the Midwest.

The weather in Iowa City, IA was pretty much the same as Lake Zurich, IL on that day. You had CBS, you had Brent Musburger, you had Chuck Long quarterbacking one team while Jim Harbaugh QB’d the other. Boy, Chuck Long had an arm, huh! You could hear the pads popping the way they did in that era, especially when you had a wet field. For some reason, the pads “popped” differently back then.

You had Ronnie Harmon and Larry Station. I mean seriously, how GOOD was Ronnie Harmon! You had Jamie Morris. You had Bo Schembechler vs Hayden Fry! You had NO instant replay and Iowa’s #87 Scott Helverson got HOSED in the back of the end zone.

You had Rob Houghtlin, making 4 of 5 FG’s including the game winner for Iowa to win 12-10. He was allowed to use the tee. Do you guys remember that placekickers were allowed to use tees? I know, right?

You had that weird moment in time in which the QB could “complain” to the refs about crowd noise and the ref would actually STOP the game and tell the crowd to be quiet so that the QB could communicate with his teammates. I KNOW, RIGHT! Can you believe this actually was a rule for a brief moment in time?!? (I need to look into that further. Did the NFL impose that rule? For how many years? How subjective was it?) Harbaugh was complaining to the refs for parts of that game that made it drag. It was SUPER DUMB! What were the refs supposed to do? Do they penalize Iowa for….the fans being too loud? I want an ESPN 30 for 30 short about this strange story.

Nonetheless, don’t let that ruin your experience. It ended up being such a great day for the Big Ten, for College Football on CBS, for Ara Parseghian (God bless his soul as he just recently passed away) as the “color” man next to Brent. It was great for our Nation’s Heartland. Remember the struggles of the farming community in the mid-80s? Iowa’s farmers actually had an “ANF” logo on the Iowa helmets…..”America Needs Farmers”. I know, right!

Add it all up and it almost makes you want to become an Iowa fan……well, it wasn’t THAT cool 😉  I’m just kidding. It was really, really cool and near the top of my list of cool 80s college football memories.”

(For some reason, footage of this great game is hard to find. Stephen Barnett has most of the old great games posted as FULL games on Youtube.) Thank you Stephen. You’re a video God.)

1985 looks about the same as….

Iowa 14 Michigan 13 in 2016.

#15 North Carolina 37 at Florida St. 35 – I don’t think I watched this one live, unlike most of the games on this list. Now that the Bears drafted Mitch Trubisky, I have extra interest. Check it out and scout #10 in powder blue!

#14 Arkansas 41 at TCU 38 (2OT)

#13 Army 21 vs Navy 17 – This rivalry is so special. Lately, Navy wins almost every year. Not last year. Army broke a long, 14 game losing streak, winning 21-17. I watch it just to see the passion of the cadets and the midshipmen. Who cares who wins? Well, Army and Navy vets do. My buddy Bush is an Army guy. “Go Army, Beat Navy!” My buddy Thomas Sullivan Magnum, P.I. is a Navy guy. “Go Navy, Beat Army!”

#12 Tennessee 38 at Texas A&M 45 (2OT) – Another nutty game. Go watch it. You’ll see.

#11 Orange Bowl: Florida St. 33 vs Michigan 32 – I remember Michigan DE Taco Charlton ripping guys heads off. FSU won on Francois’s game-winning TD pass with 36 seconds left.

#10 Clemson 37 at Florida St. 34 – Fantastic game! The Tigers and Seminoles have such a long-lasting rivalry and it continues to play out better than ever the last few years. Both are National Title contenders as of late and they always seem to play tight ballgames. This is one of the newest great rivalries that isn’t getting enough hype. The winner of this game has won the ACC Atlantic Division Championship how many years in a row? The answer is 8. Every year since 2009. Each team has won 4 times. It’s probably gonna happen again in 2017, this time in Death Valley, South Carolina on November 11. Look for this year’s version to make next year’s Top 25……again.

#9 Alabama 48 at Ole Miss 43 – The Ole Miss Rebels seem to be the only team that can hang with the Crimson Tide the last few years. Last year, Ole Miss had a huge 24-3 lead, but then what happened? Oh, you know!

#8 Ohio St. 21 at Penn St. 24 – I was all geared up for this one. Good game in the 3rd quarter. Then all of a sudden the Chicago Cubs won the NL for the first time since 1945. All the local stations including ABC-7 (the only station showing OSU at PSU) decided they had to show the bozos celebrating in the streets. Ok. I’ll watch that for a minute or two. But ruin the entire, amazing 4th quarter comeback by PSU in Happy Valley? Call me furious! What a shame. Thanks for ruining an electric game atmosphere by showing people looting and pouring beers all over their idiot friends because their lovable losers finally won a league for the first time in 72 years. PSU! More like P-U. You stink!

#7 Notre Dame 47 at Texas 50 (2OT) – Good opening weekend capper on Labor Day weekend. Who is better, Malik Zaire or DeShone Kizer? Hmmmmm. Kizer threw for 5 TD. Zaire……he stunk more than Cubs fans. Who stunk more than Zaire? Head Coach Brian Kelly! If he had just declared Kizer the starter prior to the game, they may have avoided not only this loss but 7 others throughout that disastrous 2016 season. Coaches have off years too. Kelly admits he did a poor job in ’16. Another bad year soon and as the Hawk says, “He Gone!”

#6 Tennessee 34 at Georgia 31 – I’ve seen the end a billion times, but I’m still dying to watch the entire game that led up to that crazy ending. I have it saved on the DVR. Both teams’ fans were dumbstruck in the last minute. Spoiler alert…..not one but two Hail Mary’s!!!

#5 Louisville 36 at Clemson 42 – This game had one of the greatest buildups I’ve ever seen on television! Did you watch this? It was an ABC Saturday Night classic. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit were there and ABC showed the traditional Clemson run down the hill and touching Howard’s Rock. What made this one unique was ABC had cameras outside in the street showing the bus that drove the players and Coach Dabo Swinney to the entrance gates above Howard’s Rock. Incredible intensity! (start watching at about 10 minutes in until at least the end of Louisville’s 1st series at about 21 minutes in) I felt like I was there. Honestly, the crowd and atmosphere brewed up one of the top experiences I’ve ever seen on TV. I had it saved preciously on my AT&T U-Verse DVR until those AT&T bozos screwed up and lost all my recordings earlier this Summer. Thanks AT&T! Rather, thank god for Youtube. I NEED to attend a Clemson night game someday to experience this in person. Nonetheless, this game at #5 on the countdown, will live in my memory, hopefully forever.

#4 Pittsburgh 43 at Clemson 42 – How many times was Clemson on this Top 25 list? The answer is five, with four in the top 10! That’s insane and hard to believe. That’s what makes them all the more important, knowing that they won the Championship. When DeShaun Watson threw a late interception on a bad pass into the end zone, I recall thinking, “DeShaun will just not be a good pro QB”. Then as the NFL Draft approached, I desperately wanted the Chicago Bears to take Watson 3rd overall. As it turned out, I’m really happy the Bears selected North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky. Meanwhile, Houston drafted Watson and the whole time since, I keep thinking about that Pitt interception.

#3 Michigan 27 at Ohio St. 30 (2OT) – Wow! This was a really great game. Double Overtime!! Incredibly tough defense throughout most of the game as regulation ended with a 17-17 tie. Ohio St. won 30-27 with some controversial measurements, penalty calls, LACK of penalty calls. Everyone was talking about Coach Jim Harbaugh’s ranting on the sidelines. Well, he’s a Bo Schembechler guy and after some of these referees calls, Jimmy is http://widgets.boxxspring.com/MjA1NSw0MDUzNzM1OA” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>bitter…..bitter!

I don’t blame Harbaugh. I would’ve been stretched to my limits if I was a Michigan man too. We’re already beginning to see shades of the “Ten Year War”! Depending on the length of the Harbaugh/Meyer Era, we have just embarked on what will likely go down as the “Ten Year War: Part 2”. So far, Urban Meyer leads 2-0. When will Harbaugh “put one on the board”? I’m betting on ’17. The game is in Ann Arbor on November 25.

  #2 Rose Bowl: Penn St. 49 vs USC 52 – This could’ve been the best game of the year. Every time I watch and re-watch I’m just amazed by this nutty game. Ultimately, Trace McSorley was a little too aggressive, throwing 3 interceptions and showing his sophomore inexperience as PSU’s first time starting quarterback as they were outscored 17-0 in the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, over on the other sideline USC sophomore QB Sam Darnold was proving why he’s a top option for next year’s NFL Draft. He threw for 453 yards and 5 TD in one of the all-time greatest Rose Bowls.

#1 National Championship: Clemson 35 vs Alabama 31 – ‘Bama hardly ever loses. But when they do, it’s so much fun to enjoy! Hunter Renfrow’s game-winner with 1 second left was the stuff dreams are made of. Congratulations to Watson, Renfrow, Dabo Swinney, and all of the Clemson Tigers fans who have waited since 1981 to experience that National Championship feeling all over again.

So there you have it. Another amazing season. What does 2017 have for us? It all starts this week. Pumped much?

A Summer Tradition: ESPN’s Top 25 College Football Games from last season! Those that know me best know that college football is truly my favorite sport. You know what gets me pumped for college football season?

#CFBTop25 #Ara Parseghian #Army #Auburn Tigers #Big Ten #Bo Schembechler #Brent Musberger #Clemson Tigers #DeShaun Watson #DeShone Kizer #ESPN #Fenwick #Florida St. Seminoles #Georgia Bulldogs #Hard Rock Stadium #IHSA #Iowa Hawkeyes #Jim Harbaugh #Louisville Cardinals #LSU Tigers #Miami Hurricanes #Michigan Wolverines #Navy #NCAA football #North Carolina TarHeels #Notre Dame Fighting Irish #Ole Miss Rebels #Penn St. Nittany Lions #Pittsburgh Panthers #Plainfield North