#very underappreciated sport imo

[niemernuet]

since you‘ve already done alpine skiing for the fandom character ask game, i‘m gonna ask you to do schwingen 😁 and pls elaborate a bit because i definitely don‘t know enough without that 😅😇🥰

How did I deserve you?? 😭 Thank you so much for your question. This is going to be fun. 😁

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): There is only one! The one and only! *aggressively waves at my icon* Armon Orlik!

It's the smile! It's the aloofness! It's the blatant scorn against social media! It's the talent coupled with skills and determination! It's the curls that he let grow out during lockdown and cut again for the new season! 😭 It's the fact that he's the only Schwinger who approximatively knows how to wear a suit!

I want him to be King so bad it's not even funny anymore. Also, he reminds me a bit of Sharl in more than one way: 1. He's his own worst critic, and nobody needs to remind him of his mistakes (quite the opposite). With Sharl it's the "I am stupid" from Baku, and with Armon it's the way he barely held it together after he lost the final round in Zug in 2016 that just makes me want to light the world on fire for them:

2. The nordostschweiz. Schwingverband is, at times, Ferrari-levels of incompetent and infighting, and whatever success they can celebrate on national levels are more despite the NOSV and not thanks to.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): A very fluctuating position. My OG scrunkly, when the term scrunkly was still one and half decade away from being coined, when tumblr did not exist yet and Schnappi was at the top of the charts, was Willy Graber. He's not a scrunkly anymore, in fact he's retired, but he'll always be my scrunkly. He was always among the smallest wrestlers but that never stopped him.

Sorry abt the quality. First one is from 2011 (I think) against Grab, second one is from 2019 with Walther at the celebration of his fifth and last eidg. Kranz.

After a long draught, my next scrunkly was Marcel Bieri. He picked up the slack for Zug when Reichmuth crumbled in 2019 and won all his fights on the first day.

He's had really bad luck with injuries since then, also he's been growing a Gasly-style beard (no picture), which...bby...no...but I still love him. 💖

Now that I'm old and spent, pretty much every baby-faced Neukranzer is my scrunkly. How are they allowed to fight when they're just so smoll?!?!

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): Benjamin Gapany. Nobody cares about him bc he's Fribourgeois and doesn't speak German that well. 😔

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): It's Schwingen, they're all obscure in the grand scheme. 🙈

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): Joel Wicki. He knows that he's good. Unfortunately for the longest time he didn't know that he wasn't supposed to say it out loud. Tbh in any other sport his self-proclamations would be average, imo they don't sound that different than for example Odi's towards the end of the last season, furthermore they're true bc he usually is the best at every tournament he participates, but Schwingen is all about humility, and saying that you consider your performance good bc you won a fight automatically draws comparisons to Ibrahimovic. 🙄

Also the teamspirit in the Innerschweizer Verband is not the best not existing and it is a wonder he even reached the Schlussgang in Zug. With the exception of Schurtenberger, who kept Armon back (grr...), pretty much nobody helped him in any way.

Also also Stucki is about 20 cm taller and probably 50 kg heavier, and he had to fight him TWICE in Zug, all while carrying the expectations of the entire Innerschweiz.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): Nobody, of course. 😂 They do that just fine on their own (see my last point)

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): I don't have to send him, he's already in a superhell of his own making: Arnold Forrer, Schwingen's answer to Nico Rosberg. He spent his best years fighting against Abderhalden, and losing every time. He was crowned King in 2001 but he didn't even win then (final round was a draw and the jury declared him the winner), and when Abderhalden retired, he was past his prime. The reason why Nöldi hasn't retired yet is bc he wants to be the first man to win 150 wreaths (Kränze). He's been at 147 for the last three years (two if we're ignoring 2020), and it...does not look good. He's 43, has an artificial hip, and problems with his back...srlsy I can't overstate how impossible that goal is. It also feels so unnecessary, he's already record holder by a wide margin (second-most Kränze is Pellet with 136 and he retired long ago) with nobody in sight to beat him within the next decade. But he just does not want to give up. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#my sincere apologies to sir lewis for comparing him to abderhalden #also thanks for asking that was so much fun 🥰💟 #ask

[empressofkalumina]

black widows in h2o

#olympics #tokyo 2020 #artistic swimming #loved this routine #i lowkey really like watching syncronised swimming #very underappreciated sport imo #kolesnichenko/romashina #mcgifs #free duet program #spider routine #so with davydova and ishchenko both retired it means romashina could potentially surpass them in terms of medal count #i miss ishchenko x romashina partnership tho #watched a docu sports science stuff about them and it was very interesting #who knew the spleen acts like an extra oxygen tank i didn't

[metaphor-cheese]

Things that are underappreciated abt baljeets portrayal as a ‘nerd’

-people like him. He’s bullied by buford sure but the other characters who arent his friends are just like ‘hey its baljeet from school. Hi baljeet :)’ like they Dont care. Irving doesnt seem to have much reaction to him and wendy even seems excited that they’re under the mistletoe in the christmas episode. At most the fireside girls (minus ginger) find him boring but they dont hate or bully him or owt. He’s just A Guy and buford is the only person who makes a big deal out of his nerd status cos its not actually a big deal

-there are a few jokes about him not being very strong but he’s not unfit. He enjoys sports and is always seen participating in them. Theres no jokes about him being last to be picked on a team or comically bad at it, he’s just…there. Playing with the other kids. He even uses his smarts to help him with certain sports which is a rlly neat touch

-this is rlly subjective but i love when the show leans into that kind of bill nye ‘cool nerd’ energy with him. Like what he’s doing is REALLY lame but its SO lame it becomes cool in its own way. Like riding a unicycle or using a protractor to play baseball or unironically dabbing on someone in 2020. Imo baljeet is at his most powerful when the writers channel those vibes onto him. Baljeets the kinda guy to show up to the school disco in suspenders and a bow tie and rock it simply with his sheer audacity

-he’s at his coolest when he stops worrying. Baljeets coolest accomplishments- ‘mainstream cool’ not the aforementioned nerdy cool- are always stuff he does when he lets his guard down and stops TRYING to be cool. 90% of the time baljeet actively tries to be cool or suave or whatever he just completely embarrasses himself (look to any time he’s flirted with isabella) but when he’s acting for himself like in bully bromance breakup or the baljeatles he kind of fucking rocks????? Like wtf. Dude climbed a mountain because he had an adrenaline rush. Thats sick as fuck. He didnt perform gimme a grade trying to look badass, he did it because he was genuinely angry and no longer gave a shit what anyone thought. He even says it in the song- ‘i wont be told how to vent’- this is a 100% genuine expression of emotion with no outside motivation. And its one of his coolest moments in the show. Everytime baljeet tries to be cool its kind of tragic because he IS just not when he tries too hard

-baljeet is a nerd specifically because of his autistic coded rigid thinking. He’s not like that for no reason or because his parents are stereotypically abusive- he’s like this because he needs strict rules to understand the world around him. Baljeet needs to know he’s good enough. Grades give him a simple ‘yes or no’ answer to that question. Therefore: he needs to get good grades to be good enough. Its how he makes sense of the world and pulling that system out from under him throw him into a breakdown. We see this in the baljeatles, again with his schedule in bubble buddies and this black and white view of the world gives him extreme anxiety over decision making in primal perry. That last plot point is especially interesting to me because baljeet has shown signs of an anxiety disorder before that all tie into this world view. That one wrong move can cause his life to spiral and so he NEEDS the rules to keep him safe. This is probably why he stayed with buford (y’know before they became friends). He was a nerd and buford was a bully. Thats a binary he can understand. And the rules here state that the bully picks on the nerd. He may not always like the rules but he does follow them. His nerdiness has actual depth and reasoning behind it thats often overlooked

-baljeet does not shy away from things he is bad at. When he accidentally signed up for a rock and roll camp, he didnt simply leave because he cant get his head around rock. He sat through the whole course, learnt to play that damn electric guitar and turned up for his concert. Yes sometimes he can be scared or defeatist- but he always comes back from it. He’s not good at building but he always helps phineas and ferb. He’s clearly no expert at romance but he still pursues it fairly often. He’s still just a kid and no expect on astrophysics, but he’s gonna do his best to help his friends out of a tight spot dammit! The ‘cowardly nerd’ aspect was dropped from his character fairly early on and while he has plenty of mundane fears and anxieties, in a crisis he’s one of the most level-headed of the group. He’s way braver than most give him credit for, just as willing to jump into situations he’s not suited for as the brothers or isabella

#phineas and ferb #baljeet tjinder #just one of those ‘having thoughts abt baljeet’ nights you know how it is

[cruciatusforeplay]

Do you know of a comprehensive list of Hawkeye appearances in the comics, with summaries?

So when I first saw this ask I thought "a comprehensive list of Hawkeye? With summaries? That is absolutely madness, who would have done that?"

I had a quick glance at Marvel Unlimited and found there was over 500 issues listed under Hawkeye (and that's not considering his time spent under other names, or alternative universes, or Kate Bishop doing her thing) and confirmed to myself that a comprehensive list would indeed be completely unmanageable. So obviously I decided to give it a go.

I absolutely cannot give you an entire rundown, because ya boy's been busy, but I can try to give you a little bit of an overview. (Head's up, I said "little" but that was a lie. This is a BIG post and I'm hoping it might give you some key points for Clint's comic career and his background which will hopefully be useful for figuring out which comics to read or anyone writing canon-based fanfic)

A not-so-brief history of Hawkeye in Comics (spoilers below the cut)

First appearance: Tales of Suspense #57 (1964)

We run into Clint working at Carson's Carnival, where he is being underappreciated by the audience and very unhappy about it. He's a proactive lad, so he makes himself a new costume and arrows to be utterly unforgettable. He accidentally gets himself implicated in a crime and meets the Black Widow. They become allies and he uses trick arrows and nearly manages to take out Iron Man, but must abandon his plans to save Black Widow from a blast of his own arrow. He kicks off as an enemy to Stark basically. There is also a bunch of Iron Man shenanigans happening here and it's a fun read.

He sticks around as a villain for two more issues in Tales of Suspense #60 and #64 (1964 and 1965).

First appearance as an Avenger: Avengers #16 (1965)

Clint shows up about halfway through and has determined that he'd like to be an Avenger instead now, thanks. He tells them a little about his doomed love with Nat and how she paid the price and they decide they're on board. He is introduced to the press. There's a bunch of other Avenger member swapping around in this issue (and if you want the most of it, you should start with issue 15 because it's a direct follow up story wise)

He's a key member of the Avengers from hereon in and features in most issues. He spends his time shooting arrows and having problems with authority (particularly Cap)

Key background: Avengers #19 (1965)

This issue gives us a bunch of background on Clint. The Swordsman shows up wanting to be an Avenger (because he wants an Avengers ID - yes really). Clint objects and we find out Clint's an orphan and that the Swordsman took him in and trained him at Carson's Carnival. Clint then caught him stealing from the circus and they fight where he leaves Clint for dead. It's a big old betrayal. The Swordsman then spends the rest of comic kidnapping and trying to kill Cap, so all round that's a no on the Avengers ID.

Hawkeye quits the Avengers: Avengers #109 (1973)

Hawkeye doesn't like that Scarlet Witch and Vision are in a relationship, and essentially he plays the jealous jilted lover who throws a tantrum (door slamming included). He quits the Avengers, immediately realises he didn't actually love Wanda after all. He spends his fresh downtime teaching The Champion archery, who then promptly betrays him. The Avengers come to the rescue.

His involvement in the Avengers is spotty over the next decade.

Hawkeye gets Hitched: Hawkeye #1-4 (1983)

This is Clint's first solo run. It's important for two reasons. He meets Mockingbird who he marries by the end of the run, in what can be described as an enemies to lovers speed-run. This is also the series where Clint is originally deafened; he has to make a sacrifice play with one of his own sonic arrows which is how he ends up deafened. There are some other classic Clint moments: he starts the run by getting dumped, he rides on the skycycle/sky-sled and he ends up with his outfit getting mostly ripped off more than once. We also get some background about him and his brother Barney running from the orphanage to join circus, how Barney got him to hospital after the incident with the Swordsman, and we find out that Clint didn't speak to his brother for years and that he's dead now. Honestly this run is great fun and I have a big soft spot for it.

The West Coast Avengers: West Coast Avengers #1-4 (1984)

Clint helps found and then leads the West Coast Avengers with his wife Mockingbird. This is another mini series, but it led to a much longer run starting the following year that ended in 1994. Real talk: I've only skimmed this iteration of WCA but what I've seen is campy fun, the skycycle is back, Clint really settles into being a leader and the sun is always shining. Special shout out to Tigra who is a bad-ass in this mini series. During the longer run, Clint and Bobbi's marriage is put through the ringer amongst other things, and they eventually separate. Truthfully there is a lot of other stuff going on regarding their relationship in that run and onwards. If their marriage is something you want to know more about I recommend checking out the full summary listed at the back of Hawkeye and Mockingbird #1 (2010) - it starts on page 22 of that issue - be aware it contains major spoilers for later stories.

Key background: Solo Avengers #1-5 (1987)

We get to meet Clint's other circus mentor here: Trickshot aka Buck Chisholm. You'll be shocked to hear that Clint gets betrayed. We kick things off with some circus shenanigans where his charity performance/showing off opportunity is interrupted by mercs sent to kill him, by Trickshot wanting to settle a debt. The second issue presents us with a lengthy flashback where we find out Hawkeye's dirty secret: it wasn't actually the Swordsman who taught him archery, but instead an actual archer called Trickshot. We see Clint get trained up only to be immediately pushed into a life of crime where he ends up shooting his own brother. Buck then shoots Clint when Clint wants to take his brother Barney to hospital. Trickshot is shown to have an unsavoury taste for killing for pleasure and promises to kill Clint when he's got something to lose. In addition we also get some flashbacks to Clint's abusive home situation and his time in care before joining the circus. The next two issues cover a side story that honestly doesn't lead anywhere or get resolved by the end of the run. Issue #5 (which is the first of this run available on Marvel Unlimited if that's how you're reading) then brings you into the real action. For reasons that aren't entirely clear, Clint spends this entire issue in only his undershorts. There's some fun archer Vs archer antics, before an emotional reveal where Trickshot begs Hawkeye to end his life because he has cancer and doesn't want a slow death. Trick has a cry, Clint refuses to kill him and instead they have a comforting cuddle on a beach under a sunset. It's an unusual run, but Trickshot will show up again later in Clint's arc, and it's got a lot of fun quips and action sequences.

Quick note on the 90s

In my opinion, the 90s weren't real good to Clint. He had a couple of solo runs, but imo nothing with major substance, or character development so I'm skipping them. If you want to know what you're missing check out Hawkeye #1-4 (1994) aka Clint broods in Canada and there are wolves, and Hawkeye: World's Mightiest Marksman #1 (1998) aka Clint is stubborn and goes head to head with Taskmaster.

Key background: Hawkeye #1-6 (2003)

This series, which has Clint travelling on a motorcycle in order to find the best chilli and sporting some 90s boyband hair, also gives us some really great insight into his and Barney's relationship. We get snapshots in amongst the rest of the story of Barney being the moral compass for Clint. We see Barney getting his GED while Clint works on archery, and later we see Buck encouraging Clint into crime and Barney telling him it's wrong. We get another retelling of the Swordsman story, this time with both Buck and Barney coming to rescue Clint. While Clint's broken leg is healing, Barney tells him he's joining the army and Clint should come with. Clint says no, then changes his mind, but ends up missing the bus. We again see Clint on a job with Buck where he shoots a guard only to realise it's Barney, and is subsequently shot by Trickshot for wanting to help Barney. They both make it to hospital. Clint asks what happened and Barney tells him "guess you are what you are." Years later we see Clint at Barney's grave and are informed that he was involved with the mob. Clint is upset, only to then be informed Barney was actually working undercover for the FBI. These snapshots are my favourite part of the entire series. The rest of the series focuses on Clint doing some detective style work and shooting arrows. If this is the first run you've checked out since the WCA or Solo Avengers runs, you'll note this is very different in both art and story style. There was a definite shift in the 90s that brought us closer to the style we have today.

Clint doesn't have any solo runs for a while, but he is involved in a bunch of bigger stories which we'll take look at in part two of this post.

The MCU push and key background

In the lead up to the movie premiere of Avengers Assemble (2012), Marvel produced a lot of content for the Big Six as promo to their preexisting market. Hawkeye and Mockingbird #1-6 (2010), Widow maker #1-4 (2010) and Hawkeye Blindspot #1-4 (2011) follow on directly from one another, though you could read any of them independently and the first two are less about Clint. Avengers Solo #1-5 (2011) also featured during this time. All but Blindspot are simple action comics without any lasting impact for Hawkeye. Blindspot has a pretty comprehensive rundown on Clint's history including his abusive dad, the circus, the Swordsman, Trickshot, his relationship with Cap and the Avengers, him becoming Goliath and some very important information regarding his brother and their relationship, all woven into a well paced plot. Additionally, he's going blind. There is a lot of story in these four issues. It also provides the foundation on which Fraction set his run, so it's a good story for anyone who had any unanswered questions regarding the start point for Hawkeye (2012).

The Fraction/Aja Run: Hawkeye #1-21 (2012)

This is the big one. Either you're here because you've read it and now you love this idiot, or you want to start reading Hawkeye. This is where you start. I'm not gonna summarise this one because everyone deserves to read it without spoilers. But I'll say this: this is Clint when he's not being an Avenger. He's messy and relatable and he loves dogs. This is a character defining run and it is one of my all time favourite comics. There is so much good stuff in here and I could talk for hours about it. Go forth and feast your eyes.

If I've missed anything major, or listed something incorrectly or you just have some Clint related opinions that I need to know about, do hit me up.

I've run out of images, so this post will continue in part 2 which you can read here.

#clint barton #deaf clint barton #hawkeye comics #marvel comics #let's talk about comics #comics #hawkeye #hawkguy #hawkguy and other costumes

[kyogos]

kimi:) for the driver opinion

Raikkonen is a very underappreciated driver by fans. Maybe not by general audience or older fans, but I will say within the fandom and among newer fans

Going back to Ferrari in 2014 was a mistake in my opinion. Not because I don’t think he was good enough, but because he was better than just a number 2 driver. But lets go back to the start

He joined F1 with Sauber in 2001 after just 23 races in lower series. 23 races. He would never get a super licence these days, and he almost didn’t back then either. But when he tested for them, he was lapping half a second quicker than their regular driver (who’s name escapes me). Not bad for a very inexperienced driver. He finished his debut season 10th in the standings. not bad for a rookie in a Sauber

I think he was very unlucky to not win a title with McLaren, especially in 2005 - .12 podiums in 19 races. Or even 2003 - 10 podiums in 16 races. I will never forget Japan 2005 where he went from P17 to P1. Simply incredible and I think that really solidified him as a good racer for people. 

2007 was very overshadowed by Hamilton v Alonso and the spygate drama. But he genuinely had a very impressive season and fully deserved the title. 12 podiums, 6 wins. Even though he came 3rd in 2008 and no one remember his season, again he had 9 podiums. But (imho) by this point he was already being shuffled out the door by Ferrari (but thats for another time)

2009 was a very strange year and Ferrari were far from good, but Kimi still managed to get 5 podiums, including a race win. And then he just...left. And I was very sad. Similar to Alonso, he likes racing, regardless of what it is. He just isn’t necessarily good. He spent 2 years doing Rally and just living his best life.

And then 2012. Lotus. God it was like he had never been away. 7 podiums and a race win. In what was essentially a midfield car. Iconic. I think his time at lotus really proved he was a great driver to everyone who still had doubts; dragging that shitbox into points and podiums. (2013 was also a pretty good season; 8 podiums and a race win; until he had back surgery and missed the last 2 races)

And then we have the shit years at Ferrari. I’m not calling him shit, not at all. I’m calling Ferrari shit. Ferrari simply do not deserve rights. We’ll skip 2014 because that was just a shit show

Raikkonen was signed as a number 2 driver. Which is whatever, it happens even if I don’t always like it. But the way he was treated by the team was appalling. He was (and still is) their last World Champion and they treated him like a glorified traffic cone for an inferior driver. (Okay maybe that bit is my bias but he was treated like a traffic cone)

The fact he only got one win in those 5 years is appalling imo. He’s a world class racer, a natural talent, and only one win. And looking at that, it sounds like he’s just bad. But it’s not, because he could have won so many more races had he been treated at least close to fairly. And when he got pole at the teams home race, his team mate was less than graceful about it (Italy 2018). But he didn’t bitch about it (and continues to have nothing but praise for his ex team mate). The mans a true team player in a sport that doesn’t value it these days

I think his off track personality puts (newer) fans off, and because of these recent years being treated like a traffic cone and then driving in a midfield shitbox, people just don’t understand how good he is. 

He might not be a total great like Hamilton or Alonso. But he’s a solid, reliable talent. Its very rare he makes mistakes, even now at the ripe old age of 40 after 18 seasons. I wish more people would watch his older races in a good car when he was treated like a driver because I promise you, he is a talent. 

I will die mad about his lack of titles and the treatment he faced at Ferrari during both stints

tl;dr This man is a good driver, an extremely good driver and no one recognises this. He’s either the walking meme or “that guy with the bad attitude”. This is a Raikkonen appreciation blog

#Kimi's career makes me both sad and mad #he deserved better #and I don't usually say that bc you dont deserve what you dont earn #but I think its true in kimis case #anyway sorry this took like 2 days #I get distracted #F1 #long post #Anonymous

[schneeflockenregen]

gyppygirl2021 said:                                                                                          S'just my opinion, but Fernand is a way better antagonist than Berkut…  I don’t like Berkut. At all.

(This is going to be a liiittle longer, I want to share a few thoughts.)

Potential Spoilers ahead!

@gyppygirl2021 I can totally see where you’re coming from. Fernand was the better written one of the two imo.

His prejudiced worldview and the conflict with Clive seemed logical considering what happened to his family. He doesn’t primarily change sides because he wants to take revenge on Clive/Alm but because of agreeing with Berkut’s worldview (he says he stands with the resistance until berkut goes ‘commoners are THE WORST’ and Fernand is: ‘!! <3!’). However it is shown that he begins to question his own decisions when he sees how ‘unfair’ (cruel?) the Rigalians fight in Act 4, and finally regrets his path in Act 5. ALso…. his dialog with Clive in the end.. was the saddest moment in the game for me :’)

(Note that the DLCs also present different sides of his character and helps sympathizing with him)

I take that over a power-hungry boy who challenges an army ‘for sport’ (and is surprised when he loses) everyday. Moreover since he acts like a spoiled child most of the time and treats Rinea, who he loves so dearly, actually rather cold? Not just in the end; every scene in Rigel castle shows him acting like a jerk towards her?? If I remember right, the only times he was genuinely nice to her was in the dancing scene at the beginning and when he accepts his defeat against Alm in the very end? (Which was too late for her either way ;-;)

Don’t get me wrong, I do like Berkut as antagonist. I think his intentions are well-presented in the end, his slowly upcoming jealousy towards Alm during the story and finally his reasonable break-down. (Besides, his VA did an amazing job. Seriously, the whole game has a great voice acting) But i can’t fully understand where all this praise for Berkut as a character is coming from? When we have another (imo better) antagonist right there?

To cut it short: Fernand is an underappreciated antagonist, and i hope that more people will recognize his potential ;-;

#a little rant i guess? #i really don't want to badmouth berkut or anything! #i agree that he was an interesting antagonist #i... just like fernand better lol #please this isn't meant as an offence ;-; #fe15 #fe echoes #fire emblem echoes #fire emblem echoes shadows of valentia #sov #mild spoilers #i guess?? i tried to keep it spoiler free #fernand

[mattolson]

i meant to send u this last night my bad but ur opinion on yasiel puig, basketball and iced coffee

firstable can i just say you chose three Quality things 

yasiel puig: okay so listen. his catch during rich hill’s almost perfect game was the single greatest moment of my life (thats an exaggeration but whatever) (also i don’t wanna talk about rich hill’s almost perfect game shh) umm ya idk i don’t get to watch the dodgers very much like only when they play sf, oakland, or if they are on national tv so i don’t get to see him play a lot so idk but that catch definitely always sticks out in my mind

basketball: love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! basketball was the only sport i grew up watching haha im from the bay area and my father is like the world’s biggest golden state warriors fan and i also love them with my whole entire heart and anyways ya basketball is good

iced coffee: delicious and underappreciated imo especially cold brew but thats a different conversation 

#thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #emlovesu #ask

[evenstevensranked]

#39: Season 1, Episode 16 - “Luscious Lou”

After a massive content drought... We are back! This week, Louis joins the wrestling team!! It’s surprisingly going pretty well for him — until he finds out that his major competitor from a neighboring school is a girl. Oh, boy. Typical junior high sexism ensues. Meanwhile, Ren tries to get back at Louis for a prank he pulled on her. 

This one starts off with Ren getting caught in a net trap made by Louis. She’s cursing his name when Steve comes to her rescue. He tells her she can’t be so quick to assume that Louis made the trap.. but is shut down immediately when Ren hands him a piece of paper that says…

I always liked this. Louis is so freaking condescendingly sarcastic sometimes.

Anyway, this highlights just how much free time Louis has on his hands. So Steve encourages him to “use it for good instead of evil” and join an after school activity. Louis tells Twitty and Tawny about the situation and they start brainstorming sports Louis could do... But, pretty much come to the conclusion that he sucks at everything. My favorite line here is “What about cross country?” / “Nah, he gets cramped up and winded just from tying his shoes.” - S A M E. This whole convo is actually really lighthearted and funny on Tawny and Twitty’s end, but Louis is caught in the middle and a lil upset. "There's helping, and then there's hurting guys” he says.

They run into Coach Tugnut and Louis asks him if he can join a sports team. Tugnut lifts him up and tries to gauge his weight and just like that, Louis makes the wrestling team. I’m pretty sure that’s not how joining the wrestling team works irl. 

“How much do you weigh, Stevens? 104, 105?”

“........uh, th-that’s a personal question, Coach.” (I’m dying) 

Tugnut randomly lifts up Twitty as well and says “Haven’t seen you in a while, thought I’d lift you up.” It’s such a bizarre and out of left field moment. I feel like it was written in last minute for the heck of it. It’s great, though. Certain offbeat moments like this that work are what help make the show unique and quirky, imo. The fact that there’s no laugh track makes it even better. It’s dry and awkward and reminds me of a bit you’d see on Portlandia or something.  

I bet Tugnut previously impacted Lenny The Lifter’s life in some way. 

Later that day back at home, Ren and Steve are in their back yard which does not look like their back yard at all for whatever reason. Ren is rigging a lawn chair to break for whenever Louis may or may not sit in it. Not exactly the best idea. Steve happens to be looking through an old box of photos here, one of which is of Louis as a lil nakey baby wearing a cowboy hat. 

Steve: “There’s ol’ Lou! Never the shy one!” Ren: “...And he still watches TV that way. It's very disturbing." 

Just picturing fully grown Season 1 Louis lying on the ground in a cowboy hat with his name on it, butt naked in front of the television like it's no biggie, has me dying right now. I just can't. Donnie ends up sitting in the rigged chair and falling, all while eating a cupcake. He says “I need to lay off the deserts” as if his non-existent obesity broke the chair -- which is pretty funny.

Something I love about certain comedy shows is when a scene will abruptly start with the tail end of an unrelated, absurd line. I don’t really know how else to explain it, but that’s what we get next. It cuts to gym class and we hear Tugnut casually say “...but before we get to those finger tip push-ups with a partner on your back -- let me introduce the newest member of our team, Louis Stevens." Which is just hilarious to me. It’s so easy to miss, but the imagery is so great. Take a minute to imagine flimsy middle schoolers trying to do that. Just another reason why Tugnut is an unfit and frankly abusive educator, lol.

Here is where we see that Louis initially thinks the wrestling team is going to be like freaking WWE Monday Night Raw and says "Although, I've never gotten hit in the back of the head with a folding chair... I'll try to make it look as real as possible." It. Is. Fantastic. Tugnut is quick to let him know it ain’t pro wrestling. Then we get a montage (which must span at least a few days/weeks) of Louis’ progress from ridiculous, uncoordinated weakling -- to pretty decent wrestler! I love this so much! Partially because there’s this one bit: 

^ LOUIS IS LITERALLY MEEEEE!!!! No exaggeration. I once auditioned for the touring production of Green Day’s “American Idiot” and holy crap the choreo they taught and expected us to know within a few minutes murdered me. I was seriously THAT person. When everyone was up, I was down. When everyone was down, I was up. So unbelievably embarrassing. Needless to say, I didn’t receive another callback after that, lol. I feel like this might be another reason why Louis is my fave. No, yeah. It’s definitely a reason.

He gets better and better over time, and seeing Louis with determination for something that's not lazy and takes hard, physical work -- is honestly so attractive. I know Shia was, like... 14 here but... Oh, well. He was my first TV crush okay?! And watching this show takes me back in time. I MISS LOUIS STEVENS! If Shia ever reprised his role as an adult, I’d ascend into heaven right then and there. 

Of course, this newfound ability to wrestle decently goes to Louis' head once again. He’s bragging to the other kids "I'm a quiet snake. I just sneak up. I go *hiss*! Nagurski, he can't mess with me. Look at these pipes!!!" I feel like all of this is ad-libbed. He’s sort of stuttering and pausing, trying to think of what to say next. I love Shia LaBeouf. But then suddenly a girl rolls up on her bike. "Are you guys on the wrestling team?" she asks. Louis obviously thinks she's coming onto them. "Yes. Louis Stevens, Olympic hopeful" is how he introduces himself to her and I am dead. "Mimi Nagurski, destroyer of dreams” is her response. THIS IS PERFECT. Louis was brought straight down a peg right there. Yep. He finds out Nagurski is... a girlski. (Forget that I ever made that rhyme immediately.)

It’s like he’s questioning the meaning of life.

“Imagine losing to a girl?!” the other teammates say and laugh. Oh, man. The sexism is cringy. But, I know that it's a thing. Especially among teen boys in 2001... Dang. 

He goes to Twitty to talk about the issue and Twitty’s oh so comforting words are "You know what a win/win situation is, right? Well, this is just like that -- except it’s a lose/lose." Thanks, Twitty. Even so, Louis genuinely says he's not gonna quit the team or back down from the match. He's been working really hard and actually likes the sport. He's also happy about making his dad proud, as Steve used to be a wrestler himself back in the day. Aww. 

As far as Ren’s plot goes... She spends the whole week/episode trying to get back at Louis for trapping her. She fails and ends up accidentally getting Donnie instead. Since Donnie is very underappreciated, I really like his moments here. 

Even though Louis doesn’t want to quit the team, he still doesn’t want to have to fight a girl either. Once he realizes that the team is divided by weight, he gets the brilliant idea (sarcasm) to eat as much food as he can in 20 hours in an attempt to gain 9 pounds and bump up to the next weight class. I am positive that's not how the digestive system and weight gaining process works but, ok. Wow, Louis. Wow. This kid risked going into a diabetic coma just so he wouldn’t have to fight a girl. 

And, yes. This is when he has that iconic nightmare that all the fat went to his butt: 

He ends up having what I assume is terrible diarrhea and gas, if the explosion noises coming from the bathroom are any indication. Disney coming through with those mature, high brow jokes there! (more sarcasm) Poop is funny!!1!! XD

At the next weigh-in, Louis is still trying to find a way out of the match until the last minute by hiding two frying pans under his jacket. 

“Stevens, you have two frying pans around your neck.” // “I do???” - Why is this so funny?

Obviously, Louis’ weight gain idea failed and he’s still 105, in Mimi’s weight class. But, as an even worse last minute attempt of getting out of the match, he sneakily puts his foot on the scale when Mimi’s being weighed -- which puts her over 123 pounds, lol. “Oh... I thought I saw a bug.” SLICK, LOUIS. Real slick. 

Now, we’ve made it to the match! Louis is mysteriously absent when announced by the ref. Until, you hear animal growls and metal music start playing. That’s when Luscious Lou makes his grand entrance. (See cover image.) “I’m Luscious Lou and I love you, sir! There’s love in my heart. No hate, no hate. Just love. That’s all. That’s all I can give.” Was that an unintentional Backstreet Boys quote? I also feel like this is all an ad-lib. It’s really great. Shia’s delivery is always on-point regardless.

In hindsight, it’d be much funnier if this bit wasn’t rooted in Louis’ internalized sexism. Oh, no. Is my inner Tumblr SJW jumping out??? Ah. I really do feel that way, tbh. If he wasn’t trying to get himself disqualified and genuinely acted like this because he’s just a hilarious person like that, I’d find it much funnier today. Instead, it comes across as cringy and sad. Like, I’m so embarrassed for everyone involved in this fictional universe while watching it. In a way, I think that’s the point though. Steve and Ren are confused and disappointed in the stands. Louis is making a fool of himself. The school’s reputation is on the line. Mimi is insulted. It’s... yeah. 

I’m not sure “Luscious” is the best word to describe Lou. 

Thankfully, Louis decides to do the right thing and fight Mimi fair and square. “Hey, Nagurski! Let’s dance.” AYYYYYY! It’s slightly epic. During the fight Steve yells “Take him down!! Oh.. take HER down! Guy, girl, it doesn’t matter. Take THAT PERSON down!!!” - This is so life in 2017. It’s true though. Louis wins the match and Mimi’s respect. So, that’s cool. 

This episodes’ final minute bit is also pretty good. Ren finally pulls a solid prank on Louis by making him think she printed that naked baby photo of him on the cover of the school newspaper, lol. 

All in all, this is a good episode! We’re into the #30s now, so every episode is pretty much stellar to some degree from now on. Shia really shines in this episode and we get to see some different sides to Louis as well, which is always nice. 

Thanks for reading!! Please share your thoughts below! :) 

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