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nurvuss · 3 years

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I Watched the First Episode of Every New Spring 2021 Anime Airing on Crunchyroll

Hey, are you like me, and feeling like you're not getting the most out of your Crunchyroll subscription? Sure, there's stuff on there that you know you like. But whenever I look at the big long list of simulcasting shows, my eyes glaze over and I don't even know where to begin.

I wanted to change my habits and see if there were any shining gems that I should be watching. So, as per the title, I watched the first episode of every new Spring 2021 anime on Crunchyroll. And guess what? There’s a lot of crap! But indeed, there’s some stuff that’s worth your time.

Some clarification: I've only watched shows that began their first season in April 2021.

Backflip!!

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The Lowdown

As Futaba Shotaro comes to the end of middle school, his interest in baseball has begun to wane. Soon he notices the Ao High Boys Gymnastic Club and becomes enthralled, especially after seeing them perform. Once he learns they're down two members, he chooses to sign up and pursue the art of gymnastics. The club is also joined by Misato Ryoya, a star solo gymnast looking to expand his technique through teamwork.

Our Thoughts

Pretty formulaic shoujo sports anime: you've got your himbo, your thug, your ladies' man, your stoic guy, with Shotaro rounding out the cast as the shy and awkward audience surrogate. It looks wholesome enough, and the choreographed routines employ CG in a way that's quite convincing without being hideous.

Who It's For

Fans of FREE, or Yuri!!! on Ice, or any similar shows about cute boys who succeed at athletic feats.

Borscht Rating

Burning Kabaddi

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The Lowdown

Legendary high school soccer star Yoigoshi Tatsuya has given up on sports! That is, until he's blackmailed to join the high school kabaddi team, under threat of his online persona being leaked to the entire school. Although Tatsuya initially writes kabaddi off as stupid, the unexpected happens as he begins to have fun.

Our Thoughts

Kabaddi is kinda like competitive tag, or dodgeball but with your body instead of a ball. Burning Kabaddi is basically the shounen alternative to Backflip!! above, replete with nosebleeds, pratfalls, and dudes punching each other. The main cast don't seem to like each other very much; that probably changes as the show goes on but at first blush it's a dynamic I always find annoying.

Who it's For

Fans of Haikyuu!!? Maybe?

Borscht Rating

CARDFIGHT!! VANGUARD overDress

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The Lowdown

The newest series based on Bushiroad's collectible card game, featuring character designs by the beloved collective CLAMP. Petit middle schooler Yu-Yu just doesn't know how to say no. As his older students dress him in drag to use as live makeup practice, he suffers a panic attack and flees into the streets. After being accosted by a pickup artist, he's befriended by Megumi, who invites him to witness a Cardfight match at the local abandoned amusement park. However, Yu-yu is too shy to tell Megumi he's actually a boy…

Our Thoughts

What an unexpectedly weird concept for a show about a card game. Our hero spends the whole episode in drag, whimpering and simpering at the sight of any conflict. Then they show off the latest series of cards, which all seem to be giant buff knights with names like "Bad Steve" and "Violent Bruce". Your guess is as good as mine.

Who it's For

Cardfight!! lovers, Japanese gender studies majors, or the most desperate fujoshi.

Borscht Rating

Cestvs: The Roman Fighter

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The Lowdown

The year is 54AD, and Nero has taken the throne as the youngest emperor of Rome. At the bottom of the population, Cestvs is a young slave training to be a colosseum boxer. Reluctant, his only choice is to fight or die.

Our Thoughts

Seeing Nero depicted as a gentle little twink is pretty funny. It's also pretty funny that the central character is named after a Roman boxing glove. The animation style transitions to some very uncanny CG when a major fight takes place, and I didn't like that one bit! This seems like a pretty average tournament anime but with a historical setting. It's currently unknown if any of these dudes are fucking each other. I'm gonna say probably.

Who It's For

The venn-diagram of Greco-Roman history buffs and lovers of tournament series?

Borscht Rating

Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro!

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The Lowdown:

Hachioji Naoto is a nerdy, introverted student who spends his time studying and avoiding socialising. When pages from the fantasy manga he's drawing fall out of his bookbag, they catch the attention of a younger student named Nagatoro Hayase. Nagatoro begins to tease Naoto for his otaku interests and awkward demeanour, peppered with some suggestive flirting.

Our Thoughts:

What would you do if a younger girl flirted with you? Would you cry? Piss your pants maybe? Maybe shit and cum? Don't Toy With Me… attempts to barely conceal its BDSM fantasy with its comedic elements, but it's incredibly apparent as Nagatoro always wipes away Naoto's tears as a sort of aftercare. It's like a lighter, comedic version of Aku no Hana, but lacking any of the ponderings or danger that made that work so special.

Who It's For:

People who search Pornhub for "bratty sister femdom".

Borscht Rating:

86 Eighty-Six

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The Lowdown

The Republic of San Magnolia and the Giad Empire, have been at war for nearly a decade. Using advanced military technology, the frontlines are fought by giant mecha drones called Juggernauts, controlled remotely by Handlers. Major Vladilena Mirizé is one of the military's most talented Handlers in the 1st District, and one who is constantly teased by her peers for the humanity and empathy she shows her squadron. The government line is that drone warfare has kept casualties to zero, but unbeknownst to the public these "drones'' are piloted by 86ers—the lowest class of citizens, forced to live in military internment camps in San Magnolia's 86th District.

Our Thoughts

This is incredibly my kind of thing. We've got a dual narrative being set up here: Vladilena as the kind, reluctant officer of a fascist regime, and the Bad Company-esque antics of her new ragtag squad, Spearhead. The first episode is split pretty evenly between the two, with each story converging at the end as Vladilena "meets" Spearhead for the first time through her comms station. It's an explosive and enticing first episode, and I can't wait to watch more of it.

Who It's For

Fans of Fullmetal Alchemist, Psycho-Pass, Gundam, or any number of anti-imperialist war stories.

Borscht Rating

Fairy Ranmaru

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The Lowdown

In a quiet corner of the city sits Bar F, a modest drinking establishment staffed entirely by five hot young men. Unbeknownst to the general population, these men are a crack team of fairies sent to the human world to gather the latent energy of "attachment". They do this by solving the problems of young women, taking their hearts in the process.

Our Thoughts

Hubba hubba, a little something for the ladies! It's Weiẞ Kreuz with a bar instead of a flower shop, fairies instead of assassins, and some pretty revealing outfits. There's definitely a little Persona 5 inspiration here too, from the punctuating phrase "Take your Heart!" to many of the visual cues. Make of that what you will.

Who It's For

Fans of Weiẞ Kreuz, slash fic authors.

Borscht Rating

Farewell, My Dear Cramer

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The Lowdown

Onda Nozomi was once the star player of her middle school football team. Completely unmatched, she no longer plays as there's no opponent she deems to be on her level. Meanwhile Suou Sumire far outpaces her teammates, causing her frustration. By a twist of fate, these two girls find themselves joining the scrappy Warabi Seinan High School FC as they begin to learn the value of teamwork and friendship.

Our Thoughts

I don't know sports. And I really don't know football. I had to look up what the title meant, and now I barely know who Dettmar Cramer is. I'm really not the best person to judge this, but it seems like a pretty good female-driven sports anime.

Who It's For

Fans of Ace o Nerae! or other sports manga/anime about those ever burning bonds between young teammates.

Borscht Rating

Gloomy, the Naughty Grizzly

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The Lowdown:

Pitty lives with his pet Gloomy, a massive pink bear. Can a boy and a bear truly get along?

Our Thoughts:

This is a series of minute-long gag episodes in which Gloomy mauls Pitty and blood squirts everywhere. It's definitely meant to be a morbid parody of Sanrio or San-X; it might be a Rilakkuma parody in particular? Gloomy is the kind of thing you might laugh at if it came on in between shows, but it's pretty slight to go through the trouble of putting on.

Who It's For:

Gag anime fans with one minute to spare.

Borscht Rating:

Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway

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The Lowdown

After a night of drinking in Tokyo, slovenly salaryman Yoshida encounters a teenage runaway sitting under a lamppost. She offers to sleep with him in return for letting her spend the night in his apartment. Yoshida refuses her offer but allows her to stay. The next morning the girl, Sayu, reveals she's travelled all the way from Hokkaido, sleeping with random men in return for lodging and money. Feeling responsible for her safety, Yoshida agrees for Sayu to stay indefinitely in return for handling household chores.

Our Thoughts

This is kind of the inverse of Koikimo (see below), but without a scumbag character and from a male perspective. It's not nearly as nauseating as that show, but it's still a fantasy about living with a busty teenage girl.

Who It's For

Libertarians.

Borscht Rating

I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level

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The Lowdown:

Office lady Aizawa Azusa dies of overwork in her early 20s, and finds herself standing before a lecherous goddess. Allowed a wish as compensation for her untimely demise, Azusa wishes for an endless life of leisure. The goddess reincarnates her as a 17-year-old immortal witch in an RPG-coded fantasy world. Thrilled, Azusa lazes about, brewing potions for her neighbouring villagers, and kills a small amount of slimes each day to supplement her income. After doing this every day for 300 years, she inadvertently finds herself at Level 99. Her peaceful life is soon upended as adventurers and dragons come from miles around to challenge the legendary witch.

Our Thoughts:

I'm not really an isekai fan, and that goes double for series which aren't set in an RPG, yet use RPG mechanics. Levelling up, grinding stats, min-maxing, as if it's a part of the fabric of the setting. I don't get it. I like watching numbers go up as much as the next dork, but I don't need to watch numbers go up in absolutely every piece of media I consume. Just play a fucking video game, Jesus Christ almighty.

I thought this might be setting up a fun series in which a layabout is reluctantly called upon to undertake a dangerous quest, but I don't think that's what's going on at all. When the red dragon Laika wrecks Azusa's house, she transforms into a cute young girl and the two begin living together, teaching each other the pros and cons of hard work and slothfulness respectively. The trajectory of the series might be as laid back as its protagonist in the end, which, ultimately, would be fitting.

Who It's For:

Isekai fans, slice-of-life fans. The twain have met!

Borscht Rating:

Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood

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The Lowdown

In alternative history Japan the Meiji Period continued well into the 1930s, and the ongoing Tokugawa Shogunate has brought technological prosperity to the nation through a magical energy source called the Dragon's Vein. Sawa Yukimura runs a bookshop where she lives with her little sister by day, but by night she's an assassin for Nue, the shogunate's secret police. As the terrorist group Kuchinawa deploys transforming beasts in an attempt to topple the shogunate, Nue springs into action with their own abilities.

Our Thoughts

There are a lot of concepts competing here, and a few too many flashy transformation sequences for my taste, but I'm really into it! Nue are made up of sex workers and street musicians, often overlooked and therefore easily able to blend in. There's a supernatural Standalone Complex vibe to how the team operates, and they're almost assuredly on the wrong side. Worth a shot!

Who It's For

Fans of alternate history science fiction, Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, Demon Slayer.

Borscht Rating

Koikimo: Koi to Yobu ni wa Kimochi Warui ("It's Disgusting to Call This Love")

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The Lowdown

Amakusa Ryo is a womanizing salaryman concerned with nothing but his own base desires. As he slips on the train station stairs one morning, he's saved by the swift action of Arima Ichika, a kind-hearted high schooler. When it turns out Ichika is friends with Ryo's younger sister Riou, he decides she's his soulmate, and begins to pursue her no matter how many times she refuses him. Comedy ensues!

Our Thoughts

Yeah, OK groomer.

Alright look, Korikimo is written by a woman and told from Ichika's perspective, so this is obviously meant to be a lighthearted "older man" shoujou romance. As an older man, all I saw were the adventures of a paedophile and the teenager he's stalking. Fuck off.

Who it's For

There's probably other stuff like this, right? If you like that, here you go.

Borscht Rating

Let's Make a Mug, Too

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The Lowdown

After the death of her mother, Himeno and her father relocate from bustling Tokyo to quiet Tajimi City in Gifu Prefecture. The former salaryman opens a quiet cafe using the remarkable mugs made by his late wife, while Himeno follows in her mother's footsteps and joins the school pottery club. Although her first project ends in disaster, Himeno makes fast friends with the eccentric pottery enthusiasts who make up the club.

Our Thoughts

It's no Eizouken, but I guess it's probably not meant to be. I'm not a big iyashikei genre fan, but if that's your thing, you might enjoy the wholesome non-adventures of three girls trying to make a mug. It's worth noting these episodes are only about 12 minutes long, with the remaining runtime segmented into live action episodes where the voice actresses tour Tajimi and unconvincingly pretend to be interested in Gifu's famous mino-yaki pottery. I think this must be a tie-in with a local tourist board.

Who It's For

People who enjoy stuff like Aria, actually.

Borscht Rating

OddTaxi

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The Lowdown

In a Tokyo populated by anthropomorphic animals, a solemn walrus named Odokawa spends his nights driving his cab around the bustling metropolis, spending his free time drinking with his pals. Odokawa soon finds his quiet life disrupted by a caper involving a missing girl, some crooked cops, and the animal yakuza.

Our Thoughts

A deft blend of working class slice-of-life with mystery, cute animals, and striking visual design. OddTaxi might be the sleeper hit of Spring 2021.

Who It's For

Fans of existentialist film noir with absurdist comedy, Polar Bear Cafe, walrus lovers.

Borscht Rating

Osamake: Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won't Lose

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The Lowdown

Suehiro Maruo Sueharu Maru has his heart set on Shirokusa Kachi, the hottest girl in school. When she begins dating a young actor, Sueharu confides in his childhood friend Kuroha Shida, who's openly in love with him and he rejected in the past. Kuroha suggests the two get revenge on Shirokusa by pretending to be in love. Will Sueharu fall in love with Kuroha for real, making her dreams come true?

Our Thoughts

Give me a fucking break.

Who It's For

I don't know and I don't care.

Borscht Rating

SD Gundam World Heroes

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The Lowdown

The newest instalment of the SD Gundam media-mix franchise. In a world populated by super deform mecha, a burning meteor lands in the middle of Captain City. From it launches a terrible mechanized beast: Naughty Lion. When the police are powerless to stop it, a crack team led by Zhuge Liang Gundam and Liu Bei Gundam sorties to bring Naughty Lion to justice. When the beast stops rampaging, it transforms into Sun Wukong Gundam, a youthful amnesiac mecha horrified at the destruction he wrought. The Three Kingdoms Gundams welcome Sun Wukong into the fold to make sense of this mysterious event.

Our Thoughts

I'm an 80s kid, I know a 30-minute toy commercial when I see one.

No, seriously though, I'm aware of SD Gundam's merchandising—they're cute designs, and I even used to have a bunch of the gum rubber mini figurines. I've played the SD Great War Super Famicom games, they're fun! This is a vehicle to get kids hyped up about the latest toys, which are...based on a hodgepodge of Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms this year? There's even a little SD Guan Yu Gundam with a big long beard!

I kinda wanted to like the idea of a bearded robot, but the mechas are super busy and overdesigned. I guess there's only so much you can do to make your next series of toys bigger and better, so these guys are all decked out in gold accents, capes, horns, and antlers, and half the time I couldn't parse what I was seeing.

I'm so glad I don't have to watch any more of this.

Who It's For

Very, *very* young mecha fans.

Borscht Rating

Seven Knights Revolution: Hero Successor

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The Lowdown

Long ago, the Dark God Nestra ruled the world through fear. Standing against him were the Seven Knights, seven brave warriors chosen by the Light Goddess Serrass. With their powers combined, Nestra was defeated and the lands returned to peace. Hundreds of years later the wicked Physis Cult seeks to revive Nestra, summoning undead beasts to ravage the countryside. With the Seven Knights long dead, the Granseed Academy has risen to train the next wave of heroes to combat this threat. Using special cards, the students of Granseed are able to call upon the power of the Seven Knights to guide them in battle.

Our Thoughts

As soon as the opening started with its transforming heroes and lovingly depicted weapon cards, I realised this must be based on a mobile game. Indeed, this is based on a free-to-play gacha from Korean developer Netmarble. Even before I was able to confirm this, Hero Successor failed to draw me in, eschewing details on the nature of its world in lieu of a glamourised marketing push for its source material. What's here is incredibly slight, and likely to be of little interest to anyone who isn't deep into this game.

Who It's For

Seven Knights whales, I guess.

Borscht Rating

Those Snow White Notes

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The Lowdown

Sawamura Setsu mourns the death of his grandfather Matsugorou, a talented shamisen player who refused to pass his secrets on. Not knowing what else to do, he leaves his remote village for Tokyo, taking nothing but his shamisen along with him. Soon he finds himself wrapped up in the complicated life of aspiring actress Yuna and her scuzzy rockstar boyfriend Taketo. When Setsu opens for Taketo's band, he stuns the audience with the raw emotion of his playing. However, his heart is still tumultuous.

Our Thoughts

An entertaining first episode of a speciality music series, which is the kind of thing I have a place in my heart for. I couldn't shake the feeling of some latent misogyny that suggested the role of a woman is to inspire a tortured artist, but I might be wrong. The final few minutes take a twist by introducing Setsu's weird, horny mother who seems to have her own personal SWAT team, and it looks like the series becomes a more conventional high school anime from episode 2 onwards. Don't know about that!

Who It's For

Fans of Kids on the Slope, Sound of the Sky.

Borscht Rating

Tokyo Revengers

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The Lowdown

Former delinquent Takemichi is unsatisfied with the way his life turned out, living alone in a paper-thin apartment and working a minimum wage job under a boss who doesn't respect him. When watching the news one evening, he learns that his highschool sweetheart Hinata was killed, alongside her little brother. On the way to work the next morning, Takemichi falls in front of an oncoming train and wakes up 12 years in the past. Armed with foreknowledge, he attempts to turn his life around and save his onetime lover.

Our Thoughts

This is drawing from a lot of sources; the whole train sequence is lifted straight from Gantz, while the story itself initially seems like a Life on Mars kind of deal. In fact, Tokyo Revengers sees Takemichi jump back and forth between the present and the past, seemingly making small changes until he achieves his desired outcome. It feels like a very video gamey depiction of time travel, and one that's not super interesting.

Who It's For

Steins;Gate fans, maybe? Delinquent manga (Shonan Junai Gumi, Crows, etc.) fans, maybe? It's pretty self-serious compared to any of those.

Borscht Rating

To Your Eternity

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The Lowdown

An immortal being in the form of an orb falls to earth and becomes a stone. Years pass, an ice age sets in, and a white wolf stumbles onto the tundra and dies. The orb, able to take the form of anything that leaves a strong impression on it, transforms into the wolf and slowly learns how to use its newfound ambulatory body. The creature treks back through the tundra where it meets a boy living alone, after the rest of his village left in search of a better life. The boy recognises the wolf as his beloved pet, Johann, and the two begin living together in the harsh, lonely wastes.

Our Thoughts

I'm being a little coy with the synopsis here, and there's a major shake-up at the end of this debut episode. This one's based on a manga by the critically acclaimed Yoshitoki Ooima (A Silent Voice), and it's a depressing, compelling, and exciting start to a series. Lots of potential here!

Who It's For

Fans of NieR, Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon, Last Exile, Kino's Journey.

Borscht Rating

So, there you have it. I'm hoping this will be of use to anyone who experiences a similar sense of dread when faced with so many choices. Maybe we’ll do this again during the Summer 2021 anime season.

Also, please don't get mad at me if I'm snarky about your new favourite show! It’s just TV and I'm a big idiot anyway.

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nosebleedclub · 3 years

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Nosebleed Club returns!

Nosebleed Club: A creative collective aimed at inspiring, supporting, encouraging, and celebrating writers and artists of all backgrounds.

Original Run: From 2013 to 2019, Nosebleed Club was a Tumblr writing community created and curated by Stefan (@teamcaptains, then and now) which provided inspiration, prompts, and activities to writers and artists of all ages. Initially conceived as a collective of roughly 40 writers and artists, Nosebleed Club began posting prompts to its numerous followers in 2015, and became an open community in 2016.

Along with weekly “Discussions” (a set of five prompts) and various other prompt sets, Nosebleed Club regularly accepted prompt requests from its community. As well, the Nosebleed Club community worked together to produce two amazing collaborative community poetry books, set up a space to promote self-published chapbooks, and even created a novel-writing support group for National Novel Writing Month.

After briefly stepping away from the nosebleedclub username in December 2019 due to personal reasons, Stefan returned to it in November 2020. Now back in good hands, and working together with friends, Nosebleed Club looks forward to inspiring creative minds both familiar and new to the community.

Now: In this new decade, Nosebleed Club is back to inspire and support. As before, we are committed to nurturing a welcoming and safe space for writers and artists of all experiences. Along with Discussion prompts, prompt requests, and writing challenges/activities, we plan to further encourage community interaction and collaboration. Writing and creating art can be a lot more fun when you do it with friends!

We value sincere, original work above all and don’t adhere to any one aesthetic. We invite writers who write raw stuff, experimenters, and adherers to strict poetic forms. We look forward to reading about softness, violence, and the very weird. We welcome academics, dark and light. We love photographers, filmmakers, and illustrators. And much, much more.

More than ever, we are here to grow, share, and challenge our community members’ creative journeys. We’ve got plans to engage writers and artists in ways that we didn’t during Nosebleed Club’s first run---a secret for now. We’re excited about Nosebleed Club’s rebirth and hope you are too. Welcome, and please keep on creating!

Sincerely,

The Nosebleed Club Team

#lit #creative writing #poetry #prose #nosebleedclub

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gendzl · 3 years

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gouache darling minotaur

Thank youuuuu!!!

Gouache: What role does aesthetic play in your work, if any?

If I don't romanticize life and surround both myself and my writing with beauty, I'll die 💕

Darling: Introduce us to two of your characters?

I have a time-traveling trans lady pirate named Charlotte!! She's amazing. She travels thru time with the help of a large mythical (and snarky) fox that has 8 eyes like a spider. One of them is under its chin.

There was something extremely odd about seeing a fox perched on her settee, lapping water from a china teacup. Even odder considering he had requested the teacup, saying, “I’ve missed some of the finer things in life.” Charlie hadn’t known what to do, so she gave it to him.

She thought the Delft pattern went well with his rusty coat.

And Carolyn, who’s Death’s....soulmate....I guess? She dies twice before she’s supposed to, and then one time for good, and Death is bewildered, annoyed, and freaked out about her existence.

“You bit me.”

Carolyn rolls her eyes. “I was having a bad reaction to anesthesia!”

“You still bit me.”

“I cannot have been the first person to bite you. It was instinct! I was in the operating room and then suddenly some stranger is there, grabbing me! I’m a tiny little woman!”

At this, Death looks up. Carolyn’s soul, like that of so many others, resembles the form she’d had on Earth. “You’re six foot one, Carolyn,” she says dryly.

Minotaur: If you get writer’s block how do you deal with it?

I know there are writers who're like "if you lose inspiration or hit writer's block, write anyway. writing isn't an art, it's work" but ~some people~ (me) can't operate like that and that's FINE. Creativity can lie dormant for a while! It doesn't mean it's gone, it just means that forcing it will make me hate the thing I used to love.

That being said, WRITING PROMPTS. I like nosebleed club for these, but I also keep a small notebook of interesting words. I flip thru and grab a handful at random or some that sound like they could make a coherent thought and then I work them into a draft.

Also medication. I've been writing far more since getting my brain chemicals fixed :)

#ask games #replies #anonymous

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douglassmiith · 4 years

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Spanx Founder Sara Blakelys Guide to Surviving Anything

July 7, 2020 9 min read

This story appears in the July 2020 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Maybe your article should be titled “What to Do When Your Panties Are on Fire. ha ha”

That’s what Spanx founder Sara Blakely emailed me after we talked. It was March. The pandemic had just begun.

Blakely is famous for a few things: She’s a rare female billionaire, the defining personality in the estimated $1.8 billion global shapewear category, and just about every photo of her features a showstopping smile bright enough to reach the nosebleed section.

But she has fallen on that happy face more than once.

“I believe a lot of really important, incredible innovation comes out of dark times,” she tells me. Spanx turns 20 this year, surviving September 11, the 2008 recession, and personal tragedy — and she expects no different now, despite closing her stores, watching sales slump, and losing a line of new product when a cargo ship caught fire. When we speak, she’s working from home, punting four kids under the age of 11 before they tackle her, and boldly reinventing herself and her company once again.

Related: Spanx Founder Sara Blakely Has 99 Pages of Business Ideas

“Actually,” she confesses, “I’m hiding in a closet.” Here’s what she’s learned about crisis management.

Crisis: Childhood trauma

Strategy: Train your mind

“When I was 16,” Blakely says, “my friend was run over and killed by a car in front of me, and my parents separated. I was in a very, very dark place.” Before her father left home, he handed her a cassette series called How to Be a No-Limit Person, by the self-help author Wayne Dyer. “I put the tapes in,” she says, “and they changed my life forever.” She practiced letting go of what other people thought and not worrying about being embarrassed; she embraced the idea that the only way to fail was not to try. She learned that times of despair contained hidden blessings. And this, she believes, is what set her up for success.

First she got a job selling fax machines. It was brutal being kicked out of offices all day, every day. “I knew it wasn’t the right path,” she says. “After a really bad day, I wrote in my journal, ‘I’m going to invent a product I can sell to millions of people that will make them feel good.’ And through tears, I looked up at the ceiling and said, ‘OK, universe; give me the idea.’ ” The universe didn’t deliver quickly; two years passed, and her father suggested that she get a job at CNN or Coca-Cola in Atlanta, where she was living. She said no. “I actually made an intentional decision to stay in a dark place, because I felt that if I became content at a job, it would keep me from an opportunity to achieve something much greater.”

Eventually, she did hit on a brilliant new idea. It was Spanx.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Spanx

Crisis: September 11’s impact

Strategy: Stick with your strength

Blakely launched Spanx out of her apartment in October 2000, and its Footless Body-Shaping Pantyhose quickly caught the interest of Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nordstrom. But she knew this wasn’t enough; consumers and salespeople might not understand the new product. So she went on the road, doing promotions for seven hours a day in fancy department stores.

Related: 3 Survival Traits for Any Leader

“I took pictures of my own butt in white pants with and without the product, went to Kinko’s, got it laminated, and stood there showing women what it could do,” she says.

This gained her traction — but her enthusiasm would soon be tested. Blakely made a big decision to invest in an advertising insert, which would be sent out by Saks. And it arrived in mailboxes exactly five days after the attacks of September 11, when nobody wanted to think about shopping.

She wondered if she should stop her daily appearances. That fall, there weren’t many customers in the stores. But she did it anyway — and kept at it even after her best friend and roommate died in a horse riding accident a few months later. Emotionally drained as she was, she sensed it would pay off.

First there were the insights. Spanx was sold in the hosiery department—and because she was actually in the stores, she saw that almost nobody walked through there. So Blakely got busy. She stuffed envelopes with Spanx and placed them by cash registers throughout the stores. “I also realized I had to win over the sales associates,” she says. “So before my appearances, I would run around and ask everyone individually if they would come to a morning meeting, and I offered them free product.” Then she’d bait them with contests, like whoever sold the most Spanx that day would get $100.

“I ended up building a sales force, not on my payroll,” she says. “Store associates would grab their customers and say, ‘I have to take you to the hosiery department. You have to buy this new thing.’ It was this really intense time of bonding, because everybody was hurting and vulnerable, and I made very deep connections, even down to the ladies in the gift wrap section. That ended up being an incredible boost to the business, because once people started going back into the stores, all these salespeople were selling for me and rooting for me.”

Image Credit: Courtesy of Spanx

Crisis: The 2008 recession

Strategy: Choose profitability over growth

Many of Spanx’s competitors follow a Silicon Valley–style playbook: They raise a lot of money and then spend it aggressively to gain new customers. Spanx did the opposite. Even as the company took off, Blakely ran it with the tight grip of its new Power Panties. “We spent what we could to grow,” she says. “But we’ve never put growth for the sake of growth over profitability and running the business in a way that we felt we could weather storms.” That strategy kept Spanx stable during the 2008 recession.

To this day, Blakely has never taken outside money, owns 100 percent of the company, maintains zero debt, and does all PR and marketing agency in-house. “One thing that has sustained Spanx through a lot of obstacles is that we have a zero-based budget plan internally,” she says. “Every manager starts at zero each year and has to make a case for how the money they’re asking for is going to have a return on investment. It doesn’t matter what last year’s budget was — you have to start again from scratch and build it up.”

Although Spanx won’t reveal revenue numbers, Blakely says it has been profitable since its first month in business.

Related: 4 Simple Techniques for Successfully Branding Your Business During a Crisis

Crisis: Mission drift at Spanx

Strategy: Check your internal culture

In 2002, two years after founding Spanx, Blakely hired a CEO to run the business so she could travel as the face of the brand. That worked for a long time — but by 2016, she felt that the company was off track. So she took over as CEO again and looked for what needed to change.

First she tried on every product, both produced and in the pipeline, and tossed about 80 percent of them. “I thought, Let’s dive deep and focus on only the best of the best,” she says.

Then she addressed the culture, which had veered from the mission. “I wrote down the things that contributed to my ability to overcome odds and take risks,” Blakely says. The list wasn’t exactly out of a business school textbook. It included her stints in sales, public speaking, debate, and stand-up comedy, and once she had it in hand, she created the Be Bold Bootcamp. Now every employee, regardless of their job, gets coaching in those subjects. The goal is to help people think out of the box while also being quick to see the upside in down times. “We’ll rent a comedy club, and everybody stands on stage and works on how to frame things in a funny way,” she says. “We’ve also held debate-offs at Emory [University]. Debate is about listening and compassion and seeing the other person’s point of view. It isn’t about ‘I win; you lose.’ It’s trying to find that win-win scenario.”

Not only did the reboot avert disaster; it led to innovation. Spanx had defined shapewear but now needed to be more. So it aggressively pushed its new FaUX Leather Leggings. “That was an extremely pivotal moment because we truly became an apparel company,“ says Blakely.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Spanx

Crisis: Happening right now

Strategy: Stay nimble and optimistic

After a career of navigating (and gaining strength from) hard times, Blakely is eager to inspire a new generation to do the same. Most important to her is developing a strong personal mindset: “As an entrepreneur, that’s your greatest asset, and you should work on it daily,” she says. “I do.” One thing she has done is partner with 3DE, a national education nonprofit, on a module for high school students that teaches them to think for themselves and see opportunities. Currently it’s in 13 public schools and on track to grow.

Related: 9 Inspiring Quotes From Self-Made Billionaire and Spanx Founder Sara Blakely

Now, in the face of COVID-19, she’s been counting on that same mindset. Since March, Blakely has cut costs, scaled back inventory orders, brainstormed new products, and donated $5 million to help other female founders. With all her past crises, she was prepared for this moment and continues to ready for what lies ahead. “I’m in survival mode, but I have faith that it’s going to change,” she says. “We’re already learning as a company, and I have no doubt I am going to have some amazing inspiration.”

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laurelkrugerr · 4 years

Text

Spanx Founder Sara Blakely’s Guide to Surviving Anything

July 7, 2020 9 min read

This story appears in the July 2020 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Maybe your article should be titled “What to Do When Your Panties Are on Fire. ha ha”

That’s what Spanx founder Sara Blakely emailed me after we talked. It was March. The pandemic had just begun.

But she has fallen on that happy face more than once.

Related: Spanx Founder Sara Blakely Has 99 Pages of Business Ideas

“Actually,” she confesses, “I’m hiding in a closet.” Here’s what she’s learned about crisis management.

Crisis: Childhood trauma

Strategy: Train your mind

Eventually, she did hit on a brilliant new idea. It was Spanx.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Spanx

Crisis: September 11’s impact

Strategy: Stick with your strength

Related: 3 Survival Traits for Any Leader

“I took pictures of my own butt in white pants with and without the product, went to Kinko’s, got it laminated, and stood there showing women what it could do,” she says.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Spanx

Crisis: The 2008 recession

Strategy: Choose profitability over growth

Although Spanx won’t reveal revenue numbers, Blakely says it has been profitable since its first month in business.

Related: 4 Simple Techniques for Successfully Branding Your Business During a Crisis

Crisis: Mission drift at Spanx

Strategy: Check your internal culture

First she tried on every product, both produced and in the pipeline, and tossed about 80 percent of them. “I thought, Let’s dive deep and focus on only the best of the best,” she says.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Spanx

Crisis: Happening right now

Strategy: Stay nimble and optimistic

Related: 9 Inspiring Quotes From Self-Made Billionaire and Spanx Founder Sara Blakely

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riichardwilson · 4 years

Text

Spanx Founder Sara Blakely’s Guide to Surviving Anything

July 7, 2020 9 min read

This story appears in the July 2020 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Maybe your article should be titled “What to Do When Your Panties Are on Fire. ha ha”

That’s what Spanx founder Sara Blakely emailed me after we talked. It was March. The pandemic had just begun.

But she has fallen on that happy face more than once.

Related: Spanx Founder Sara Blakely Has 99 Pages of Business Ideas

“Actually,” she confesses, “I’m hiding in a closet.” Here’s what she’s learned about crisis management.

Crisis: Childhood trauma

Strategy: Train your mind

Eventually, she did hit on a brilliant new idea. It was Spanx.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Spanx

Crisis: September 11’s impact

Strategy: Stick with your strength

Related: 3 Survival Traits for Any Leader

“I took pictures of my own butt in white pants with and without the product, went to Kinko’s, got it laminated, and stood there showing women what it could do,” she says.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Spanx

Crisis: The 2008 recession

Strategy: Choose profitability over growth

Although Spanx won’t reveal revenue numbers, Blakely says it has been profitable since its first month in business.

Related: 4 Simple Techniques for Successfully Branding Your Business During a Crisis

Crisis: Mission drift at Spanx

Strategy: Check your internal culture

First she tried on every product, both produced and in the pipeline, and tossed about 80 percent of them. “I thought, Let’s dive deep and focus on only the best of the best,” she says.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Spanx

Crisis: Happening right now

Strategy: Stay nimble and optimistic

Related: 9 Inspiring Quotes From Self-Made Billionaire and Spanx Founder Sara Blakely

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Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/spanx-founder-sara-blakelys-guide-to-surviving-anything/ source https://scpie.tumblr.com/post/623041042959269888

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scpie · 4 years

Text

Spanx Founder Sara Blakely’s Guide to Surviving Anything

July 7, 2020 9 min read

This story appears in the July 2020 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Maybe your article should be titled “What to Do When Your Panties Are on Fire. ha ha”

That’s what Spanx founder Sara Blakely emailed me after we talked. It was March. The pandemic had just begun.

But she has fallen on that happy face more than once.

Related: Spanx Founder Sara Blakely Has 99 Pages of Business Ideas

“Actually,” she confesses, “I’m hiding in a closet.” Here’s what she’s learned about crisis management.

Crisis: Childhood trauma

Strategy: Train your mind

Eventually, she did hit on a brilliant new idea. It was Spanx.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Spanx

Crisis: September 11’s impact

Strategy: Stick with your strength

Related: 3 Survival Traits for Any Leader

“I took pictures of my own butt in white pants with and without the product, went to Kinko’s, got it laminated, and stood there showing women what it could do,” she says.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Spanx

Crisis: The 2008 recession

Strategy: Choose profitability over growth

Although Spanx won’t reveal revenue numbers, Blakely says it has been profitable since its first month in business.

Related: 4 Simple Techniques for Successfully Branding Your Business During a Crisis

Crisis: Mission drift at Spanx

Strategy: Check your internal culture

First she tried on every product, both produced and in the pipeline, and tossed about 80 percent of them. “I thought, Let’s dive deep and focus on only the best of the best,” she says.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Spanx

Crisis: Happening right now

Strategy: Stay nimble and optimistic

Related: 9 Inspiring Quotes From Self-Made Billionaire and Spanx Founder Sara Blakely

loading…

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/spanx-founder-sara-blakelys-guide-to-surviving-anything/

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rb-abroad · 6 years

Text

London

I went to London for the first time on this trip, and what an incredible city it is! I spent about a week and a half there, partly with my sis (the best!!) feat. an Else cameo (also the best!!), partly by myself. This was my first time ever traveling alone, and I really enjoyed it. Because I spoke the language and was very familiar with the culture, London was the perfect way for me to dip my toe into solo travels. Now with this under my belt, I’m itching to go somewhere solo EVEN MORE DIFFERENT, perhaps try out my Spanish? :O But now I’m getting ahead of myself... Anyway, since I spent quite a bit of time in London, I’m going to list out my highlights and favorite things to do instead of going day by day. Here it goes!

FOOD

Obviously I’m going to start with this category... ok the food in London is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. You are really spoilt for choice here, but luckily I was armed with some fantastic recommendations from my pals (shoutout to Ari, Courtney, Rhys, Simon, and all the other cool people I’m forgetting to mention!). In no particular order, here are some of my absolute favorite places to eat in London:

Dishoom

If you’re a fan of Indian food, do yourself a favor and treat yo’self to a meal at Dishoom. The food is incredible and the decor is super cool (I went to the Shoreditch location). Try their signature House Black Daal and Dishoom IPA!

Flat Iron

BEST. STEAK. I’VE. EVER. HAD. And so affordable! I’d be lying if I said I didn’t go twice :X Get the flat iron steak with fries (duh) and live your damn life.

^drooling just looking @ this

Borough Market

A no-brainer! I got the scotch eggs from Scotchtails and a cream-filled donut from Bread Ahead. Sarah got some veggie Ethiopian food that was also amazing.

Breakfast Club

Tasty 24-7 breakfast spot with a fun diner vibe! I got the traditional English breakfast but they have lots of American-style bfast options (read: pancakes, avo toast, etc. etc.).

Monty’s Deli

Didn’t think I’d find incredible deli food in London, but I sure did! Monty’s has their own brick and mortar in Shoreditch (conveniently and dangerously located across the street from my Airbnb) and also a stand at Spitalfields market. I got the turkey sandwich and latkes and my mind was BLOWN.

Look at that gorgeous pickle tho

Still dreaming bout these beauties...

The Approach Tavern

Sunday roasts are a thing in England, and even though our Sunday weather was approx. 80F, we did the damn thing. If you’re in the Bethnal Green area, be sure to check out The Approach. Their roast (and salmon) was insanely delicious, they have a good beer selection, and the tavern was so cute and friendly! They had dogs, name that tune, outdoor seating... everything you could want!

TRADE

Your classic trendy, tasty, ‘Gram-able brunch spot, located in Shoreditch.

Granger and Co

Your classic trendy, tasty, ‘Gram-able brunch spot, located in Notting Hill. Make sure to stroll around the neighborhood after - it’s so cute!

Sonita’s at Camden Market

We know that London has some incredible Indian food, so I died and went to heaven at the Sonita’s stand at Camden market. I had 3 different curries in one lil box and I never wanted it to end. They use healthy and high-quality ingredients, so even though you are quite full afterwards, you don’t hate yourself!

CookDaily

Vegan asian fusion. The pad thai was off tha chain!

Beigel Bake

Last and most ratchet.... OMG BEIGEL BAKE. Open 24 hours and serving up pastrami bagel realness, this place is perfect for the post-pub drunchies or to bring you back to life the morning after a big night out. Cash only and cheap AF!

DRINK

It should be no surprise that booze culture in London is REAL. From craft beer to wine to one-of-a-kind cocktails, this city has it all.

Callooh Callay

An absolutely adorable cocktail bar in Shoreditch with incredible drinks and decor. Sit at the bar and befriend the bartender :) A must-do!

Satan’s Whiskers

Not only does this place have an awesome name, it’s also decorated with crazy taxidermy and has a super inventive cocktail menu. Great for a pre-dinner drink in Bethnal Green!

Dandelyan

Swanky AF cocktail bar along the Thames River Walk and inside the Mondrian Hotel. Would recommend if you’re in the area.

Gordon’s Wine Bar

An incredible 19th-century wine bar that makes you feel like you’re drinking in a cave. So cool!!

Veeno

I did an Airbnb experience for a food and wine pairing here, and it was really fun! I ended up being the only person who signed up (lol) so I got allll this food to myself!

Airbnb East London Pub Crawl

On my last night, I signed up for a pub crawl through Airbnb (link HERE) and had the best time! As a solo (female) traveler, it was a great opportunity to meet other people and feel comfortable and safe going out at night. We went to so many great craft beer spots, and I’d recommend them all - Mother Kelly’s, Redchurch Brewery, Old Street Brewery & Taproom, The King’s Arms, and Kill the Cat.

THINGS TO DO

Of course there is more to do than just eat and drink! Here are some of my favorite things I did in London:

Shakespeare’s Globe Theater

If you are into live theater, you GOTTA see a show at the Globe. I’d recommend getting the groundlings tickets online or by lining up at the theater the day of the show (90 mins before or something like that). They are only 8 pounds a piece and you get to stand right in front of the stage! Sarah and I saw Twelfth Night together and then I went back by myself for Hamlet. They switched a lot of gender roles in both productions and that was really, really cool (Hamlet has so many great male roles and they were pretty much all played by women... yaaaaaas!). Cannot recommend this enough!

Waitin’ in line!

The magnificent Globe

Second row standing for Twelfth Night!!!

The Ferryman on the West End

THE FERRYMAN WAS AMAZING. See it now. We were in the nosebleeds and still had a great time. Also, they serve ice cream in the theater during intermission - what else do you need?

Tate Modern

I LOVE the fact that the museums in London are free. They are pretty massive and intimidating and it’s not easy to get all the way through the big ones in one visit. I had a few spare hours and popped into the Tate Modern, which I loved. I saw a special exhibit about political art and then one of the permanent exhibitions. Absolutely worth a visit!

The British Museum

Another massively daunting museum, but the sheer variety of things to see is pretty incredible. Luckily the museum guide has some suggested self-guided tours based on how much time you have to spend inside. If you go to one museum in London, this should be it.

Thames River walk

If you want to get your steps in, take a walk along the Thames River. You can hit many iconic stops along the way, such as Big Ben, the Tate Modern, the Globe, London Bridge, Borough Market, which brings me to my next recommendation...

The Markets!

There are sooo many amazing open-air markets in London with delicious food and unique shopping. My favorites were Borough Market, Spitalfields Market, and Camden Market, but there are many more!

Brick Lane

A super cool street and market that has many shops & thrift stores, lots of food, street art, street musicians, and CURRYYYY! Very fun to stroll around on the weekends; it’ll be packed!

High Tea

OK technically this is a food thing, but it’s really more of an activity/experience. There are a lot of options out there for high tea, but we found a fun and cheap(ish) one at B Bakery near the West End. Super cute!

Harrods

It was so fun to wander around inside this famous, humungous department store! My favorite part of course was the food court area, but I’d also recommend the tea room for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Just strollin’

You can’t go wrong just walking around!!

Selfie as you stroll ;)

Day trip to Brighton

Brighton is super easy to get to by train for the day (just don’t be an idiot like me and try to use your Oyster Card to get there... buy a separate ticket!). Spend the day sitting on the beach, eating incredible seafood (get the mussels!!) at Regency Restaurant, strolling along the pier, getting chocolate-wasted at Choccywoccydoodah (the place is just as wild as its name suggests), and checking out the Asian-inspired architecture and garden at the Royal Pavillon. Brighton also has a really cool performance art scene with its own fringe festival, which I would love to check out next time.

Just a happy lil sea creature!

Died and went to mussel heaven

The interior of Choccywoccydoodah... these are all completely made out of chocolate!

Dangerous lemon cake :O

And that’s the London wrap-up! Here’s a bonus picture of our Airbnb host’s dog Ray. She is a true queen. Ok bye!

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softsweetwhispers · 2 months

Text

The wind brushes against the baby cherry blossoms in the trees, featherlight teasing causing them to shiver. It carries with it the scent of camellia and daffodil, a sign of blossoming hope and the beginning of spring.

The air is painted with pastel colors, hues of green and yellow and blue. The weather, once biting and cold, is now something inviting. It wraps around her playfully, its ministrations barely felt under the soft fabric of her jacket.

She’s not one to put meaning into the seasons changing, but even she cannot deny the beauty of the world opening up around itself; like the hidden, unrivaled wings of a butterfly, colors staining its delicate form, emerging from its cocoon. The way the animals stir, the way the plants turn towards the sun, which seems to brighten under the attention, the way everything seems to wake up, livening under spring’s life after winter’s long drag.

March is here, with its undeniable optimism and renewed possibility. Without it will come, undoubtedly, the trials and tribulations of starting from the beginning, the hardships and challenges that will threaten to tear her down.

But for now she is new and enlightened. She will gracefully embrace this change and all that comes with it, and she will survive, only to come back stronger again, as she does every year.

| k. - @nosebleedclub march i. blossoming hope

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celticnoise · 7 years

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Yesterday a horde of the stupidest people on social media – which is saying something considering how Facebook and Twitter jointly conspire to continuously lower the bar – were out in force, slagging Celtic and Patrick Roberts off.

Some were those you would have expected; Sevconuts unable to focus on anything other than what’s going on at Celtic Park and who are stunned that we’ve poached a top young talent from the EPL on another loan deal when in recent years they’ve had to make do with complete unknowns, although they’re the club with all the alleged “connections”.

Many of them decry Roberts as an over-rated “City reserve” which is fine, and I’m happy for them to believe whatever ignorant nonsense pops into their heads.

The truth is, in their moments of sober reflection and realism they know exactly what we’ve got on our hands here, an explosive talent capable of changing a game in the blink of an eye.

Their disrespect is a product of fear. They came out with all the same arrant nonsense about Dembele; how many did he score against them in the last campaign again?

I can live with it from them; there will be time aplenty for them to eat those words and reflect on how absolutely stone stupid they are.

It’s the even more ridiculous criticisms from City fans that I find hard to believe, and even harder to stomach. It shows how far their club has come, and not in a good way.

Manchester City was almost my “English team” in the sense that it was nearly the side who’s results I’d look for after those of Celtic.

I have always had a special affinity for Liverpool, but back in my early 20’s, when I was a regular in the Gallowgate, a bunch of my mates adopted City as some kind of mascot team and even went to see them a couple of times.

City was a romantic club to them, and they sold me, or they almost did.

In truth I’ve always been a bit too interested in Scottish football to be all that bothered by what went on south of the border, but they made a good argument.

City were a club that lived in the shadow of a city rival, a club that thought it was the dogs bollocks and who could intimidate officials, sign top players and throw its weight around in the media.

Sounds familiar, right?

Maybe that’s what my guys found so appealing.

Or maybe it was this; like ourselves, City were never in awe of their rival.

They didn’t do what so many clubs who live in the shadow of mammoth rivals do. They didn’t bend the knee. They didn’t kowtow. They forged their own identity, not for one minute trying to be something they weren’t.

Their sneering at United was not a product of jealousy, but of genuine disdain, even contempt, for what they saw as an artificial dynasty, a club surrounded by hangers on and sycophants, the “prawn sandwich” club, followed by glory hunters most of whom had never set foot in Manchester for other than a match-day in their entire lives.

City’s identity was built around being the genuine community club, the one that truly belonged to the city, and it epitomized so much of what made Manchester great.

That was reflected in the number of celebrities hailing from Manchester’s working class areas who were huge City fans; it’s no coincidence that the Gallagher’s have a well-known love for our club too. There are obvious similarities between the two teams and their respect supports.

City had a huge, passionate fan base long before there was any glory in it.

One of the things that stops my distaste at what City is now from becoming revulsion is the knowledge that those guys would still have been crowding into Maine Road and following the club if it wouldn’t have been bought to become a chew-toy for a billionaire.

When City won their first Premiership title, snatching it from United’s hands in the last moments, I should have felt a momentary sympathy for Ferguson’s team and their supporters; we Celtic fans have been through it, after all. Black Sunday will haunt us forever and it’s not an experience you would wish on another living soul.

But I admit it, I was delighted for City, for those fans who had waited through the long years and who must have eaten more shit from United’s than has ever been doled up to us.

Because even in our blackest period – and the 90’s, as written about on this site in The Dark Years articles by Paul Cassidy, were certainly that – there was never total darkness and we still had that rich history, including Lisbon in 67, to look back on for inspiration.

The sweetness of that day, that moment they won it, can only be imagined by those not part of it.

The only parallel many of us have was perhaps when Brattbakk scored against St Johnstone on the Day We Stopped The Ten, although my own most heightened moment as a Celtic supporter came when Henrik scored his 50th goal of Martin’s treble winning season in the 3-0 rout we administered to Rangers at Ibrox, the first time I’d ever seen us win there.

A lot of demons were put to rest forever that day, I can tell you.

It was the moment I knew we were back, definitively back, permanently back, and that from now on they would have us breathing right down their necks if we weren’t ghosting ahead of them … and that day I could see a future where we would, very clearly, dominate them.

City fans couldn’t have known they had arrived, properly arrived, until their second EPL title win, but long before it happened they had come to expect it …

And ironically enough, I reckon that’s where they’ve lost their bearings a wee bit.

City have become everything they loathed about United. A braggart’s team, in a braggart’s league, obsessed with bling. What else is the derided £15,000 “Tunnel Club” season ticket for their branded stadium but a gilded prawn sandwich served on a platinum platter?

Why are we so excited about Patrick Roberts?

Hell, he’s their player, they should know.

Why is it that we do instead?

Roberts is a fantastic footballer, as their club scouts were once well aware before they decided that anyone who wasn’t signed from a top five league for a transfer fee which would give you a nosebleed wasn’t worth giving a first team berth to.

One of their websites suggested that in his next move Roberts has to get out of his “comfort zone”; that’s a curious way to describe the possibility of facing PSG, Bayern Munich and Anderlecht and on top of that it’s arrogant nonsense, the sort which City fans would once have found loathsome coming from another club.

But see, that’s the problem.

They are that club now and they’ve forgotten the simple joy of being excited over a talented footballer rolling up to play for you.

A procession of them beats its way to their door now and on the kind of wages which haven’t broken the link between the players and the community where the club has roots as much as it has shattered it.

Roberts has returned to a club which is still connected to its.

It’s not for nothing that he cited the Celtic fans themselves as his motivation for wanting to come here. This is a club that still remembers there is magic in football, and not the sort that fills a side with global stars and deals at the Fantasy end of a bloated market which is strangling the sport itself.

I mean the magic of a Scottish club beating Barcelona at home, with the winning goal coming from a home grown player. The magic of a Premiership giant rolling into town and expecting to dominate and being fought to a stand-still in front of the best support in the Champions League.

And then us going there and repeating the feat in front of their own fans.

Roberts knows about the magic, and Celtic fans have seen enough of him to know it. He’s a magician, and City fans should know this.

He did, after all, score in that aforementioned match in front of them.

Or had they forgotten that in these heady days of trying to sign another expensive footballer from a Premiership rival?

What does magic mean to City fans now?

Winning the Champions League?

It’s a fools dream for a start, because their club is now the epitome of the artificial construct, in a league which is nothing but and because of it now lags hopelessly behind the ones in France, Italy, Germany and Spain.

The top clubs in those leagues have a standing in the game City won’t reach for decades if they ever do, and as Monaco proved last year they are capable of swatting them aside with ease.

And the problem with being an artificial construct is that there’s always someone capable of doing it bigger and better, with a larger cheque book …

Paris St Germain proved that in this close season with the biggest transfer coup of all.

If it puts things in perspective for Celtic, what does it do for the EPL “giants” who have convinced themselves that they are at the height of their own powers?

There is no victory on this journey they are on, just another series of disappointments but on a much bigger stage. And if somehow they turn the trick and do wind up in a Champions League final where they write their name onto the big cup, where ours already is?

No more than you’d expect from a team with the resources they do.

That’s not magic.

You see what I’m saying? That day, when they took the Premiership crown from Ferguson’s own head, that was as good as it gets. That moment was special because it came at the end of a long wait that started with zero expectations.

There are expectations now, and all they can do is meet them. They will never exceed them again. They will never feel the way they did that day.

I don’t grudge them what they’ve become, but nor am I jealous of it. They’re different now, that’s all. A tool of money men. A false construct. The magic has drained out. That’s why they don’t appreciate it when they see it, even when he’s one of their own.

Fortunately for football, some of us still do.

Patrick Roberts is magic, and we’ll need it where we’re going.

http://ift.tt/2gr1LbD

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