#ABSOLUTELY a fun ride though imo. it's been so long. i want to rewatch it. adore the music. adore relena (ambivalently). LOVE the mechs

[hecckyeah]

Hey! So, I know you probably haven't watched it yet, BUT: when you do, I must know your comprehensive thoughts on the latest Rookie episode!?!

ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE!!!

Okay, because I'm insane, I'm going to split this into two sections: not-chenford, and chenford.

SPOILERS FOR 6x02 UNDER THE CUT

First up, everything NOT-chenford-related:

Honestly they could have botched it, but it was SO FUN having Randy back for the wedding. "Sit down, German, I got this." i mean???? iconic. Also having him be literally in Pete's place and WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND? even more iconic. I'm a ride or die Randy fan, so all his scenes just made me unreasonably happy :)

it was understandably short, but I loved having Celina ride with Nyla, finally. It was kind of satisfying to see her get humbled in interrogation, because imo Nolan has been kind of lax with her training, letting her get away with things the other rookies would have been fired for. So it's nice that she'll spend some time away from him and with a *ahem* more experienced TO. hopefully. We'll see.

Ugh, my heart breaks for Aaron this season. Kid's traumatized for REAL. And his comment to Celina about not sharing things with the therapist because he wants to get back on patrol, not necessarily get better. That bothered me. I really hope they dig into that a lot. But I also hope nothing horrible happens because of it. He seemed so unstable, even when he wasn't drunk. I'm also very interested to see where this goes with his and Celina's friendship. Just a lot of good stuff that could be a really thoughtful and interesting story if handled right...

Aaaaand this episode confirms that I intensely dislike Bailey. Everything about her character is just trying too hard, like the writers were so tired of having Nolan date and break up a few times, they were like okay fine this one can stay, and even though they have chemistry readings in the negatives, they keep trying to push it even though it feels so wrong. I'd rather have Nolan be single the rest of the show than be in this stale cardboard relationship. But it's fine, they're not going to split them up now, so I'll have to deal with it lol

The whole thing with Oscar suing was SO rushed. Like, so insanely rushed I couldn't even be annoyed at him. I hope they bring him back and do it for real, because that was weird to kind of shoehorn in there just for dramatic effect.

EPIC COP TEAMUP IN SUITS AND TIES MY BELOVEDDDD. Seriously they all looked SO GOOD chasing down bad guys and beating people up. White dress shirts were truly the MVPs of this episode

Will Celina just. be wearing long sleeves the rest of her life? Seriously how long has she been a rookie already?? Most of Angela's pregnancy and maternity leave, so at least 10 months, if not more. Hell, she should be graduating from the program soon. The timeline in this show is absolute trash.

Speaking of-- Baby Wopez name drop when????? poor girl's been nameless for too long

James coming in clutch with the playlist was chef's kiss. I LOVE that man

ALSO JAMES AND WESLEY'S BROMANCE. "I went with a suit." "Me too. Mine has a tie." "Oh my god, same!" I CAN'T WITH THESE TWO. Probably my favorite bromance of anyone ever.

Finally, just in general-- I know some people were put off by how much stuff was jam-packed into 42 minutes (again. how???) but I think they pulled it off reasonably well. There was actually very good pacing, lots of comedy and angst and everything in between. I personally LOVED this episode and I think it deserves a few rewatches just to pick up on everything they threw at us. It has its flaws, but it will definitely be a 100th episode to remember, that's for sure.

AND NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.

Chenford thoughts :))))))

But first let me just get this out of the way real quick-- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHLSKDJFOAHGOIJWE;LKTH;SKLJD;LFKHAGLJKSDFA;HLGKJLSKJDKFJDKJFKDJFKJDKFJDKFJKD OH MY GOSHHHHHHHHHHHA;LKGHSJNBMNMCC HELP KJAEHKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG IM HYPERVENTILATING AHGHGHAHSHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

okay, anyway.

Here we go!

I'm just a little bit torn on how they decided to approach this. On the one hand, it was nice that they were still able to work together and talk without excessive drama. Although... Tim shutting the door on her did hurt. Yeah. That hurt a lot. But I had really hoped that they would acknowledge that Lucy was in the wrong last episode too. She was being completely unreasonable and like Tim said, she was projecting. But in this ep, it seemed like she was validated and he was the one being unreasonable. While his trauma with Isabel is something they desperately need to talk about (like Lucy said), she was also reacting too harshly to it and being unfair with her accusations. But honestly, it's okay. We still have 8 episodes to sort it out and it seems like they're very much on the right track. I'm hoping they have a really really really intense, tearful, honest, raw, cathartic conversation about the whole thing. Seems like that's the direction they're going, so I won't hold my breath but it is something that needs to happen.

ALL OF THEIR INTERACTIONS were just so. hnnggg. so chewy. so much going on. THE LOOKS DURING THE WEDDING. hang on I'll come back to that in a sec.

The scene with the Hammer was NEXT LEVEL. (Also fun that they named the episode after That Scene, specifically. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........) For some reason I immensely enjoyed watching Tim get thrown around like a rag doll. Not sure what that's about. Never seen that side of myself before.

THE FORESHADOWING. That on-one-knee thing was more than I thought they'd give us, and OMG I ATE IT UP. The little pause, where Lucy's breath kind of catches, and Tim just seems kind of oblivious. THAT'S CINEMA, BABEY.

Kind of insane about Tim just passing out like that. Poor man.

CELINA MENTIONING LUCY'S BACHELORETTE PARTY????? hello even more foreshadowing :))))

The scene cuts back and forth when Lucy is helping with the cake and Tim with the flowers??? THEY'RE TELEPATHIC SOULMATES DON'T TALK TO ME.

And the fact that the lie detector was RANDY'S IDEA? I'm shrieking. "Ein wenig crazy," is definitely something my adhd bilingual ass has said irl

oh my lord how CLOSE she scoots her chair?? i'm melting

I thought it was kind of a nice touch to have Tim be actually surprised by the lie detector picking up his answer to the last question being a lie. Because honestly.... now it makes a little more sense: he's been lying to himself. Which is kind of an angle I didn't see coming. "I guess we do have a problem," sounds to me like he literally hasn't been able to admit to himself that he doesn't want Lucy undercover. Of course he wants her to make detective, that's not a question. Detective doesn't equal undercover. But he's been telling himself probably since day one that he's fine with it, that she's not Isabel, that he has nothing to worry about . . . and now he's finally seeing that he really is terrified. Something she's seen in him all along. And while their argument last episode was about more than just this (I still believe she was in the wrong for projecting so hard and making crazy assumptions about him), I think I can see where the writers were going with it.

THE I LOVE YOUS D E S T R O Y E D ME

Okay, back to the Looks at the wedding. Tim being all 🧍and scanning the crowd for his girl . . . Lucy delivering the Heart Eyes of the century . . . Them still sitting together because even though they're fighting, they're still each other's person, and nothing can change that . . . I'm going into cardiac arrest.

In my book, "We're gonna get through this" is a nice breath of fresh air and a bit of relief, but it doesn't mean they've worked everything out. Again, they need a good solid conversation. One that this episode was never going to give us, sadly. But it'll come!

ALSOOOO that moment when Aaron interrupts them and we see Tim's hand around her waist, I just OOF i need a moment

I AM NEVER GONNA BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS EPISODE. the foreshadowing, the parallels, the pining, the dancing, the fighting, the emotions, EVERYTHING. It was not perfect but it was WONDERFUL. 10000/10, I need to watch all their scenes about five million more times.

AND THERE WE HAVE IT. I'll definitely be posting more thoughts soon, but that's where I'm at for now. Basically I think they set the groundwork for a really solid, healthy relationship going forward. I LOVED their moments in this ep, absolutely top tier. The ANGST. I am eating up every second of it.

2 episodes down, 8 to go!!!

#the rookie #the rookie spoilers #chenford #asks #I'M SO SORRY THIS IS SO LONG #I'm physically unable to be coherent at the moment #I'll maybe have to do a deep dive sometime when my thoughts settle themselves :))) #thanks for the ask!!!!! #LOL you asked for comprehensive and that's what you got xD

[samthecookielord]

Never really been that interested in object shows but I may check some out of curiosity, I may like them. Any you recommend?

Besides the one you are clearly super hyperfixated about.

Dagdszhdshf give it a week or so the spaceboy brainrot will come out stronger lol im not done thinking abt that silly guy

Anyways, as for object show recs, ive only really mostly seen the big ones but yea i guess im recommending those to you gdsdshdh

1. Battle For Dream Island - 5 Seasons Long, 1 ongoing, 63 episodes so far according to google

This one's a certified™ classic, the first object show created! It's hella long though lol but its charming and silly! I haven't rewatched bfdi in a while but from what I remember it's mostly silly and hashtag random™ with a few emotional moments. The animation of older seasons still hold up i think? It gets better at season 4 though imo. Also BANGER OST IN S4/5

2. Inanimate Insanity - 3 Seasons Long, 2 ongoing, 40 episodes total so far

The second object show ever!!! Another classic.

Season 1 SUCKS but I promise it gets better in Season 2!!! You could skip season 1 but season 2 will reference things and continue from things that happened in season 1, so you'll be losing that context. If you're not sure how much of season 1 you're willing to endure, there's this handy infographic of what episodes to watch from this video by iAnimate38! Far left being least interested in season 1, and far right being interested in seeing it all!

I'd describe II as equal parts fun and an emotional ride! Also they sometimes sing in season 2 if thats like. important to you dgasgdshd

And now i talk abt object shows other than the big two ones

3. The Daily Object Show - 8 Seasons, Probably Complete, about 50 episodes total i think

This one is insanely short, nearly each episode being no more than 5 minutes long because, well, it did in fact release daily. It's very jokey and silly (like. one of the characters is named Normal Pill hrshrsarhhsr) and you could absolutely finish this show in a day if you wanted to

4. Brawl Of The Objects - 1 Season, Complete, 13 episodes total

One of my personal faves! I just never talk abt it lol. It's a nice short object show that doesn't go on for more than a season so if you're just looking for something fairly quick (yknow, other than the daily object show sgdshrs), you can check this out! Also a fun one with a lighthearted tone and a side of dark lore and thought out foreshadowing that's helpfully explained in a later video!

Yeah that's the end of my list thanks for coming to my ted talk

#asks

[chaotically-cas]

Me talking about the tv show because I just finished my rewatch & I’m absolutely obsessed yet again

Aka a viewing guide

Spoiler warning

Sorry this is so long omg- I probably forgot so much too

Pilot:

Honestly the only true plot that interested me was Tim Shepard & Tim Shepard only. Steve’s care was pretty cool. Some dope Stevepop moments. Nice tarry content. Just nice Darry content over all. Dallas’s scene in the beginning keeps sending me thoughjskakfk

Ep 1:

Honestly I hate hate hate what they did to Sodapop’s character I absolutely hate it. They did him so freaking dirty. But we love pro choice Steve & Two Bit was also pretty scrumptious in this episode as well. I dislike this episode. It’s a no for me.

Ep 2:

This one is smack full of delicious tarry content for everyone to gobble on. Darry is absolutely scrumptious and I love the whole dynamic between him and Tim. I, again, hate soda in this episode. I hate him so much it’s unreal. Why is he like that. But I do love the way they did Buck so oh well. Kinda sad about the lack of Stevie.

Ep 3:

Definitely my favorite episode because iykyk. Steve is just absolutely scrumptious omg they really did a musical episode huh. And that song was really a banger huh. And he really had to look that good? Also Two but was absolutely scrumptious. The whole greaser band was a damn treat I wish we got more off. I will not be addressing the Ponyboy situation because no. Disgusting. Absolutely vile & perverted. No thank you & never again. But omg I cannot describe to you how amazing the band is guys ugh I cannot I cannot they are so cute & I want more content pronto. Also the bonding between Darry & Buck was kinda cute too. Like dar has a bit of a father figure again, it’s sweet.

Ep 4:

Pony is a damn flipping idiot. Wtf is he thinking. Like. Why. Why would he ever do that in a million years. Steve though, was looking fine again. And rip Soda even though he doesn’t die. I think Pony & Soda both nearly dying in this episode is so funny. Also kinda ooc of Darry? Like? Hospital bills are a deal ton and he is just gonna roll it off? Steve was more like Darry than Darry. Probably cause his boyfriends was dyi-

Ep 5:

We will not be addressing Tim & Cherry. Never. But omg. The tarry again guys the tarry omg I died. They’re so domestic & for what?? Also why is Pony such a moody little crap. I hate him in this because he cannot make up his little hormonal mind for a second. Also why can’t they put pants on? The lack of Two & Steve was very sad but ig the tarry vibes can make up for it. Idk what the brothers were on though agreeing to all that-

Ep 6:

A very close second favorite omg. I love the exploration of both Two and Pony’s friendship & the friendship between Steve and Darry. The scene was short but I really loved the dialogue between Steve & Darry. I think this was the one episode they tried (poorly) to give Steve the spot light & ehh. I love him & I loved hearing more about his dad & his relationship with his dad but there should’ve been more idc. I think the whole fact they all idolize old dead white men is a tad weird. But two’s speech on Elvis was the highlight of the episode by far omg. I just think Steve & Darry were idiots for continuing to work but it produced good content ig. Poor Darry though rip almost lol. I loved the Steve plot line of it all even if it was smaller than hoped for.

Ep 7:

Forking hate this episode. It adds absolutely nothing to the plot besides defiling Soda’s character even further. I think it was a poor poor attempted at ‘omg let’s all get along lol’ but came off incredibly racist & umm. It was an uncomfortable watch that is for sure. Honestly I plan on skipping this episode on my next rewatch it really isn’t worth the time imo. It’s just. Weird. 

Ep 8:

Every time I think about this episode I think it could be my favorite hdjskkd but idk. I absolutely freaking adorable the tarry & how they both protect each other. Please they are literally on a date. Soda is an absolute idiot but we know that. Steve was by far superior in this episode & he was a fine specimen too omg they Hawaiian shirt did wonders. Also Stevebit??? Omg please the way they blatantly flirted was so freaking fruity. Darry being a hero & saying the day in an epic way because again, Soda is a complete moron. Idk. Jewel was kinda vibey but Pony was good as well in this episode. Omg this is long but Tim & his parole officer sent me to the moon omg I see why Darry was crushing so hard.

Ep 9:

Ahhhh the two bit centric episode we all needed! I liked seeing how the stayed pretty close & true to his character, besides the drinking. It was fun & nice to learn more about him & his family aside from him just being a wise crack & I think both Pony & Steve saw that. That’s why they both helped him out. & I especially love the way the whole gang stood up for him in the end omg Tim Shepard was scrumptious but isn’t he always. I just love seeing more of two bit & his life & friendships outside the gang. However the scene with Sodapop was absolutely hilarious in an odd way- weirdo boyfriends. Also. Tim borrowing Darry’s suit is by far so tarry & I love them. Tim’s character exploration was also scrumptious in this episode.

Ep 10:

OK BUT- ok but this one also might be my favorite JSKSKKS I’m just gonna keep saying it. Two & Steve are absolutely complete asshole boyfriends. Especially Steve. The energy between two & Steve & soda is absolutely off the charts. Sodapop definitely lost his mind a little bit & I still don’t understand how Buck rationalized his decisions. Pony was just having the time of his life it was so funny. I feel bad for Darry omg it was his birthday & he was stuck being the responsible adult for a loaf of dumb ass kids. But honestly. Soda. You idiot. I know I should feel bad for you. But that sucked. How could you believe that. Buck too. Steve & Two are such fruity cuties though riding around, pranking, smooching, scheming together. Also, steve can draw & is musical? Ok king am I you or are you more attractive that I thought awooga woo 

Ep 11:

Haven’t rewatched it yet, will update with I do. Kinda homophobic that it’s missing the first part.

Ep 12:

Also will update when I rewatch

#the outsiders #the outsiders tv show

[joecial-distancing]

2019 in review in review:

A few years ago I started tracking yearly goals, books read, movies watched etc in a year, along with overview blurbs, in private posts. End of 2019/beginning of 2020 I was really frazzled/burned out about a lot of stuff and just never finished up making the thing. 8 months later, got the urge to read back what I’d got done, then figured I’d maybe go ahead and see about finishing. 

Media tracking below the break. thoughts/blurbs written in 2020 italicized, 2019 not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_____________________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Didn’t do so hot on explicit personal goals, but had a lot of stuff go ok around them this year.

School’s been fine/better than fine.

Job’s probably the biggest failing. Still with same job, haven’t made the firm moves to jump off, dragging my feet too much on exploring stuff w/ Columbia/NASA GISS.

Did not get better with covid, lol

Dating life still non-existent, but I’ve registered on apps, gotten more comfortable with selfies, improved general social life dramatically, been flirted with, updated my wardrobe, and generally started to get comfortable accepting that I’m a hot person.

Somehow got extremely better during covid.

Books

Grant (finished)

We stan a taurus legend

Guy was good at exactly one job, and was fortunate enough to have been in the right place/right time to get to do it.

Mort (discworld)

Definitely best discworld I’ve gotten to so far.

Don Quixote p. II

Really entertaining in a way that part 1 wasn’t; I was shocked how much the meta element landed for me.

Consider the Lobster (DFW collection)

had zero context on who DFW is/was when I read, and still don’t exactly tbh. Wanted to wait for a pause in The Discourse before diving into more of him, but dunno if I’m ever going to get that.

Crime and Punishment (revisited)

Weirdly didn’t get much more out of this than I did the first time I’d read it

Better Than Sex (HST Gonzo papers)

Xerox/widespread fax accessibility opening citizen access to mass media in a manner really reminiscent of what social media would go on to do at a much larger scale. Has a much more deliberate narrative arc than the other gonzo papers collections, also has that excellent HST richard nixon eulogy

The Brothers Karamazov

SPQR

Slouching Towards Bethlehem (Didion collection)

Pet Sematary

Not my favorite King, but not bad

Sourcery (discworld)

still funny/charming, but Mort really made clear/reminded me how much the hapless sadsack Rincewind mold of protagonist wears on me after a while.

The Devil's Teeth

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Liked it a lot more once I realized it was doing a Fear and Loathing thing.

Homage to Catalonia

This should be the Orwell that gets taught in schools. Make it a followup to All Quiet on the Western Front or something, jeez.

Lyndon Johnson I

Having now finished all of them, this one’s probably the least-interesting but sets up a bunch of important context that the others still then feel the need to retread.

The Razor's Edge

Recommended to me as a “white guy discovers eastern mysticism” book, but also is more interesting in its treatment of that than I’d expected (helps it was written in the 40s). 

Cat's Cradle

There’s a part in this where Vonnegut’s making fun of people who try to bond with strangers over being Hoosiers, and my dumbass immediate thought was “ooh, Vonnegut’s a hoosier? Me too!”

Lyndon Johnson II

Robert Caro felt compelled to apologize for spending so much words lionizing Coke Stevens, segregationist opponent to Johnson’s senate run. His goal was pretty clearly to show lbj’s lack of campaign charisma by contrast, definitely definitely overcommitted in his own narrativising.

Libra

I want to go back to this after reading some more De Lillo.

Gravity's Rainbow

This book absolutely kicked my ass

Overstuffed and referential in a specific way that really keeps me hooked in instead of put off. When I learn about some piece of cultural context that I retroactively recognize as being referenced in this, I want to go back and reread the entire thing.

From Caligari to Hitler

Kind of fails both as film criticism and cultural analysis, but absolutely made me want to run for the hills when considering current relationship between mainstream movies and demands of pop culture.

I took a class on Weimar cinema in undergrad that I now realize was probably biting pretty heavily from this and never once referenced it.

Movies

Venom

Movie itself is not as fun as the Tom Hardy hype coverage. PG13 was the absolute worst space to aim for, PG- or R- versions of this could have been a blast.

Harryhauser Argonauts

Was tripping when I put this on, and it was all kinds of fun.

2001: a Space Oddyssey

First time seeing this, all-time classic for a reason!

A Good American (the NSA doc)

Dr. Strangelove

Mel Brooks History of the World p. I

Not my favorite Brooks, best joke was at the beginning.

In Bruges

Had been a while since I saw a proper dark comedy.

Spiderverse

Fukkin awesome!

Visually great, and extremely better than usual superhero stuff for being aimed at PG instead of PG-13.

You Only Live Twice

Highlander (Revisited)

I watched The Old Guard on netflix recently and it mostly just made me wish I was watching Highlander instead, because at least Highlander knows exactly how goofy it is

Moonraker

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Much like The Shining, I though this would have been 100% spoiled for me by cultural osmosis, but turns out it wasn’t, and even the scenes I had seen *totally landed* in-context still.

Kung Fu Hustle

Ichi the Killer

Really gross, really fun

Matrix Reloaded (watched thru highway scene) (Revisited)

The highway scene was not nearly as cool as I remembered it being.

John Wick 3*

Probably dumbest plot of all of them, best choreography. I like how every single fight had its own distinct flavor. “Knife museum fight” “horse fight” “halle berry dogs fight” 

Akira

A classic

Pet Sematary * (ugh, bad)

Why can’t john lithgow be in good movies anymore

The Revenant

MCU Spiderman

Fuck this was awful.

MCU Spiderman 2*

Really weird, complete Rorschach Test of a movie: it’d be totally valid to read into this that global warming is Fake News, for instance.

Lmao this was completely awful

Rites

Dredd (non-stallone)

oh hey Lena Headey’s in this

For All Mankind!

Watched in honor of moon landing anniversary

Lion King *

Watched it way too stoned, was like dark side of the moon + wizard of oz except instead it’s a lion king script reading + nature footage edited for lip syncing.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood *

Many scenes of very long setups for really stupid shaggy dog jokes, which sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t. I do kinda want to rewatch now knowing more about manson, which I knew pretty much nothing about beforehand

Blowout

A good john lithgow movie

also I think I like travolta in things.

Lord of War

A Good cage movie

I like when Eamon Walker shows up in stuff.

Taxi Driver

A classic

Snowpiercer

Watched in a bar with only one speaker working, which is the correct way to watch. Weirder and funnier than I thought it was going to be, which still doesn’t make it good, but,

dbz big green dub

Exorcist III

Brad Dourif just tearing it apart

Deep Red (argento)

Suspiria (1977)

Watched the remake in 2020, which was ok, but nothing tops the Goblin score.

Elf Bowling

Thanks, Gnome

Parasite *

Interesting to me that this one seems poised to hang around people’s good esteem for a while

TV

FMA: B

Rick & Morty

Saw some episodes, generally pretty funny, some misanthropy that’s probably appealing to a certain type of teen al a something like House, but ultimately I don’t totally Get the intensity of discourse about it.

Leterkenny

Mob Psycho 100

One Punch Man

Deadwood

Watchmen

Only watched like half of it. Was playing around with a lot of hefty imagery/thematics, but didn’t really seem ready to rise above playing (tho also I feel like it’s weird on some level to *expect* them to rise above that in the first place)

Music

New Avantasia

HEALTH/ show

lol remember concerts

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard/ show

Just learned about King Gizz in 2019 and got completely obsessed with them. I don’t tend to expand my music selection very readily, and a lot of what I currently *do* know is old/inactive stuff, so it was/is incredibly exciting to have an active group with good momentum just immediately win me over like that.

Mistimed the edibles and ended up with a really good finale and a really long subway ride home.

New Yeasayer

Sad they split up

Steve Wilson Tull remixes

Aqualung’s a good album and the sound mixing’s kinda bad, so I liked this project.

Stonefield

Opened for Gizzard. Really good as studying music

Video Games

Civ VI: Gathering Storm

Hades

Turns out Supergiant’s design proclivities all work *extremely well* on a roguelike

Baba is You

Untitled Goose Game

Cute, if maybe a bit overhyped

finally fucking finished Pillars of Eternity

Had fun with it, but too long, and really dour for how long it is.

Pillars II

Kinda drifted off it eventually, but I do genuinely like that the flavor of the fantasy is colonial era rather than medieval.

There’s a Balancing Bastard Factions element where it’s like the writers are just being smartasses after a while. Having to go extremely out of their way to make siding with colonizers seem like a competitive option.

Pokemon shield

Cuphead

pisses me off, which was a nice outlet when I was stranded by flight cancellations during thanksgiving

Celeste

Also very difficult, but really easy to stay patient with, which is nice.

Disco Elysium

None of the discourse made me want to play this, but people talking about the mechanical stuff it did got me extremely interested. Mostly Delivered IMO.

Breath of the Wild

You can approach the nodes of the main quest in the order you choose, and the second one I chose made ninjas start fucking spawning everywhere when I’m just trying to explore, and there’s no way to make it stop. May go back to it one day.

Podcasts

Relentless Picnic Patreon feed

The treats really helped me start distinguishing individual personalities, compared to the regular eps.

Picnic Discord!

<3

FatT Counterweight

Fun, but also I think Mechs are not my shit.

FatT Spring in Hieron/ end of that particular world

8 months since I’ve last tuned into FatT. ah well.

Law School

He’s in everythiiiing!

You Must Remember This: Manson family

*There’s* the context

Misc.

Kindle train guy

Times Square sleeping guy + kids taking selfies w/ him

toddler singing along after Psycho killer (a, ya, ya ya, ya)

drunk and dragged to a drag show

Central park football family

Soft Steel Drum Subway Busker

Weird old lady going to grand central for oysters

2018 in review (cards):

MySelf (CC)

Self: Tower

Blocked: 10 Cups

Ethereal/subconscious: 8 Swords

Material: 3 Swords

Past: Justice

Future: Page Wands

Attitude: Sun

External: King Swords

Hopes/Fears: 5 Coins

Trajectory: High Priestess

Also Self:

Hierophant

7 Cups

7 Coins

Blind Spot:

(self & others): 5 cups    ||    (others not self): High Priestess

(self not others): Moon   ||    (nobody): 3 Cups

[elviriel]

Thanks for asking, @la-petite-fadette! I made a separate post for this, since it was getting kind of long, hope that’s okay. 

And I was actually thinking of talking about this for Braven week when I saw the “when they became your otp” moment so, the question comes at a perfect time. It convinced me to actually type it out! 

To answer that question adequately- because I'm very wordy and incapable of answering quickly, watch me get off-topic under the cut as I try to walk you through my history of shipping on The 100. This is all a lot of honest rambles about what I shipped and why I stopped. 

Dear followers, if you ship B*llarke, don’t read this. It’s only going to upset you, so stay away :)  Also, Braven shippers, this post talks about B*llarke a lot. and about Raven x W*ck a bit And about internalized bias and things like that. Just so you’re warned :) it does talk about braven though oF COURSE

So how did I get into Ravenbell? To get there, I have to start with B*llarke because.... well, you’ll see. 

The thing is, like many others I think, I shipped B*llarke before even watching the show.

Gifsets of that season 2 hug were everywhere on my dash, and I was like: “oh my this is cute.” then I started watching the show, and while I fell in love with Raven at first sight, B*llarke had that enemies to lovers potential that kept me hooked.

They had fun chemistry in season 1. They started antagonistic then started liking each other more. They were the leads. It made... sense? And I genuinely liked them. So there I was, shipping it happily. Everyone shipped it, so it was on my dash all the time. It fueled my shipping, and I knew it was all leading to The Hug. 

Ravenbell was.... well. not even a thing if you looked at the fandom, judging by the people I was following. It was either Fl*arke or B*llarke. L*nctavia too. 

So Ravenbell flew past me. I enjoyed their interactions- definitely saw the sexual tension.

Hell, I will admit that when they hooked up in season 1, I felt lowkey threatened, as I think many B*llarke shippers did.

My threatening did not, however, transform into me hating Raven because I loved her a lot. She was my absolute favorite. People disliking her because of that thing honestly made me like her more out of spite- not that she needed it. My love for Raven Reyes knows no bounds.

And even then, I think I was kind of hoping something more would come from their hook-up- but I was still in B*llarke land then, so I both wanted it and I didn’t.

That’s the thing about me- honestly, I tend to pick a ship and it’s hard for me to get over it once I ship it. I’m less like this than I used to be, but yeah. I tended to hold on tight to ships

I did think, though, that maybe Ravenbell would go somewhere in season 2, after their late season 1 interactions. It kind of surprised me that it didn’t.  So season 1 happened, and then season 2 rolled around. I loved season 2 in many ways, but Raven’s general storyline in season 2 was very unsatisfying to me. Raven x W*ck was nice, at first. I wanted Raven to have a love interest that wasn't Finn. I enjoyed the banter- but then when it progressed, I found myself grimacing at Wick putting pressure on her. I was like “really man? She just lost the boy she loved forever, her family, can you chill?” I saw everyone being all heart eyes at that ship in the B*llarke tag, and I was wondering if there was something I’d missed. Because I wasn’t really into it.  I did notice, though, at the end of season 2, Bellamy saying “Is that Raven?” like he wanted to cry. It made my heart do a thing. But again, still in B*llarke land. I got a lot of feels at the end of the season. She kissed his cheek. I was crying.  Still firmly into B*llarke at this point. Even if the possibility of Cl*xa then highly interested me. 

But anyway. On to season 3.

Season 3 is when I stopped shipping B*llarke.

Mostly because season 3 started, iMO, sucking. I was angry at the Bell storyline. I was angry at how Cl*xa was handled, I was angry at the Lincoln death/Ricky Whittle on set drama... Season 3 nearly got me to quit the show tbh. 

So my B*llarke shipping was sucked into my frustration with the show. And I didn’t like the idea that L*xa was killed off to make way for B*llarke- I now realize that it wasn’t the case, but the way the fandom framed it... It turned me off the show, the ship, all of it. 

I also lost interest in Cl*rke as a character for many reasons that I won’t go into- my season 3 frustrations are never-ending tbh and somehow, when B*llarke reunited at the end of the season, it fell kind of flat to me? I was like: “but wait where’s that romantic chemistry I thought they had” (the answer was it probably wasn’t there in the first place but anyway i’m not here to throw shade)

anyway, my reaction was: “Huh. so I’m over b*llarke.” 

Also, as I got more frustrated with the show in season 3, I started going into “anti tags” and found meta that talked about several aspects (I think some of them were even written by you? I know I’d seen your name in tags before I followed you for Braven joy) such as the show’s racist patterns, etc.- and also, I distinctly remember reading a great piece of meta about how the show rarely lets characters of color interact without a white character present, and that.... got me. I was like: fuck that’s true. 

When I say season 3 sucked though, I want to make it clear that while it did IMO, it only... highlighted some of the problems that were here all along in the show. Honestly I’m really not proud of the way I missed - or ignored- some of the show’s patterns, and they really came to light in season 3. The fact that I missed those aspects is fully on me. A lot of viewers were aware of them before. Just not... me?  Wow am I getting off-topic. The question was about Ravenbell. Okay. Focus, Audrey, focus. 

I wasn’ t even going to watch season 4, at first, but my husband wanted to, so I knew I wouldn't be able to resist. I wasn’t really into the 100 then anymore tbh. 

Before season 4 rolled around though, I visited the Ravenbell tag. The reason is ridiculously personal and has, at its basis, NOTHING to do with Ravenbell themselves. A happy accident, really. 

To be completely honest, I started writing a book (wee!) where two main characters hook up and they look like Ravenbell a lot. Tall curly-haired boy, shorter dark-haired lady, both of them brown-skinned... so I wanted screenshots of them to make my own private edits for myself like the little goblin that I am- and looking for screenshots on google images led me to the Braven tag, and then I.... could not... get out.

Looking at the Ravenbell scenes in gifsets, looking at edits, honestly made me go: “........ huh. HUH. how come I don’t ship this more? They’re my favorite individually and usually, I ship my favorites together. Not always but often How come I broke my own pattern?” 

The question to how come I broke my own pattern probably has an answer that’s both obvious and shameful tbh. The fact that I didn’t ship Raven with Bell even if she was my favorite character, over Cl*rke, says a lot about how much TV structure and internalized shit influence us. I’m a lot more conscious of that than I used to be. I know you’re familiar with candyumbrella’s tobin structure posts- and honestly, misreading B*llarke as Tobin?

That was me. Me 1000000%. I can admit it freely because I’m super over it but that was the case. 

Probably the reasons the meta mentions- even if it wasn’t conscious on my part. I somehow- had this idea in my head that Bell*rke was the ship. That the romantic chemistry was there. That the storyline was going there. That they had the development, the attraction, etc. 

As it turns out.... well. Nope? 

Those Tobin metas also intensified my Braven shipping by 10000% since then but anyway

Really though, the braven tag and its contents - that I kept visiting for non-book-edit purposes- made me start shipping it. A lot. A lot-lot. Mostly because the more I looked at their pretty selves and thought about them, they made... sense?

The fact that I was super over B*llarke freed up the way for me to ship Braven. It sounds silly, really, but that's 1000% what happened. 

Anyway, by the start of season 4, Braven interacted.

I squealed.

I wanted more of them.

I kept visiting the tags. More and more and more. I rewatched some of their scenes and saw things I’d missed. I remembered how really, in season 1, it looked like something more would come from their season 1 scenes- until that was mostly dropped in season 2. And the writing for season 4 was more satisfactory to me, for the most part. There was more Raven. A LOT MORE RAVEN. So between my renewed fondness for the show, my heart exploding with feels over Raven Reyes all the time, my little heart fluttering over Bellamy Blake constantly, I went from “oh that would be rly nice if the show went there again” to “help I ship it so hard I would die for them” and honestly there’s no going back for me now.

I realized that not only was Ravenbell super based in canon, they made sense. They bring out some passion in each other that lacks in their interactions with other characters IMO. And honestly, after all the shit they went through, I want them to be loved and protected and treated well- and if you look at the show’s canon, IMO, that’s with each other. I’m not nearly as skilled with Braven meta as the rest of the fandom is, so I won’t bother explaining why I love them because honestly, the fandom’s said it all. And I can feel it in my chest now- they evoke the kind of love that B*llarke used to evoke for me, only even deeper because (no shade to anyone who likes Cl*rke ) I’ve always loved Raven much, much more than I like Cl*rke, even when the latter was in my top 5 favorite characters. The admiration I have for Raven Reyes knows no bounds, and god, Bellamy Blake, don’t get me started. Loving him has been a ride, because he has been through so much and grown so much and you know that meta, Raven Reyes as the secret hero of his development? I think about that every goddamn day.

And honestly, back in B*llarke days, I was annoyed with some of the fandom’s tendency to... reduce Bell or Raven to Cl*rke. I never liked the trend of making Raven out to be some sort of B*llarke cheerleader- and I think starting in season 2, I was a bit annoyed by the idea that everything Bell did or said was directly related to his love for Cl*rke. Even if I shipped it, that was... irksome, even if it took me a while to realize what bothered me. 

Honestly the cracks in my B*llarke shipping were probably there from the start but anyway. I still shipped for a loooooong time

I spent season 4 waiting for Braven to interact more, getting increasingly annoyed with Cl*rke, thirsting for Braven to interact ALONE- and then completely exploding when he offered to go get her and the hug and the scenes in the finale and gkljflkgjdlkjgdfkgjdflkjkldjflgjfdlgkjfdlkgjfdklgjfdklgjflgjd. Keysmash sums up my feelings efficiently. 

Honestly, I think it’s the Ravenbell tag that made me get into it before season 4 rolled around, and increasingly through the season. The gifsets, the metas, the everything- mostly because the tag helped me realize a lot of things that had happened in the first three seasons and that I’d missed because I was into another ship. Complete and utter tunnel-vision. 

And now, as I await season 5, I visit the tag all the time and read all the meta and look at their pretty faces and think daily about what a fool I was to miss that ship for such a long time. I honestly can’t believe myself  Anyway, if you read all that, thank you? I hoped you enjoyed my ramblings. (Also, this may sound like a silly question, but am I the only one who went from B*llarke to Braven? I feel like I can’t be, but you know, if anyone else ship-jumped, let me know so I can feel less alone and we can cry together about the foolishness of our youth) 

#dare I tag this as braven #well no I don't want to clog the tag but #I know people might find it anyway so hi everyone sorry about the rambles #Audrey speaks #Audrey screams about braven #braven #just for my own organization

[thesportssoundoff]

Dallas gets a PPV and it’s a great one: UFC 211 Preview

Joey

May 8th, 2017

The first half of 2017 has been all about ups and downs for the UFC. The free TV events have been for the most part acceptable even though they've lacked the sizzle to their events (as evidenced by not bad but not good ratings for most of their FS1 events and a few clunkers on FOX). On PPV, the story has been a lot tougher as bad cards lived up to bad billing, even if on paper I thought 208 had some fun aspects to it, and good cards either suffered injuries or were hampered by things out of the company's control. 209 was a great card that ended with an all time bad main event plus the loss of its co-main event while 210 had weird as hell fights, a perplexing main event, crazy judging and some even crazier refereeing. It's been a mess and as such, UFC 211 is being welcomed with open yet skeptical arms. This card actually reminds me a lot in some ways of UFC 146 from way back in the day. That year business was slow for the company and so they turned to an all heavyweight main card to inject some life into the UFC. It was a really great show and for a while, we could all forget about how utterly bumpy the road was and amuse ourselves in the rise of a new heavyweight phenom in Junior Dos Santos. Ironically enough, JDS rides into town during another bumpy as hell year to challenge for the title opposite Stipe Miocic. The main card for UFC 211 is arguably perfection from a matchmaking standpoing as all five fights are well matched fights pitting strength vs strength. All five fights could headline their own UFC event which is the sign of a great main card.  Prelims are more than adquate as well and in some cases VERY very good, namely in the prelim headliner.

Fights: 14

Debuts: 4 (Rashad Coulter, Jared Gordon, Michel Quinones and David Branch)

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 1 (Jarjhis Danho/Dimitro Poberezhets turned into Dimitri Pobereezhets/Chase Sherman turns into Chase Sherman/Rashad Coulter)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 10 (Joanna Champion, Stipe Miocic, Junior Dos Santos, Jorge Masvidal, Demian Maia, Frankie Edgar, Yair Rodriguez, Henry Cejudo, Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 2 (Chase Sherman, Henry Cejudo)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 11 (Stipe Miocic, Joanna Champion, Jessica Andrade, Demian Maia, Jorge Masvidal, Yair Rodriguez, Segio Pettis, Chas Skelly, Jason Knight, Kryzstof Jotko, Marco Polo Reyes)

Stat Monitor for 2017:

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 11-10)- Rashad Coulter, David Branch

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 6-10)- Rashad Coulter

Second Fight (Current number: 11-14)- Gadzhimurad Antigulov, JessicaAguilar

Twelve Precarious Ponderings:

1- The first fight for JDS and Stipe Miocic is well and truly a classic worth going out of your way to see. The first four rounds were really great shit and the last round is sort of disappointing but both guys were absolutely gassed out so forgive them. Miocic's boxing was worlds better than JDS for the first two (and IMO three) rounds but then Miocic just absolutely gassed out and JDS was able to pour the pressure on and rely on his superior conditioning, heart and fight IQ to wear out Miocic. In rewatching the second fight though, I noticed a few things that paint perhaps a more compelling picture in the rematch. For starters, there's a sequence in the second round where JDS is able to find a combination which gets the respect of Miocic. From then on, JDS is able to pop the same combination over and over and Miocic starts trying to wrestle him. The more you wrestle JDS, the more tired you get unless you're Cain (and even Cain Velasquez was exhausted at the end of their third fight in the troilgy). JDS has insane balance for a big man and Miocic is sneaky deceptive----but it is worth pointing out that Moicic has not had a fight leave the first round since the Dos Santos fight. JDS went five rounds last April even if it was kind of sort of a sparring exhibition.

2- IF you're picking JDS in this fight, you're gambling on two things. 1) The fact that Miocic hasn't had five tough rounds and has shown vulnerability against big punchers who combo well and 2) the HOPE that Dos Santos vs Rothwell was not one of those "the candle burns brightest before it goes out" moments where a fading fighter finds himself for one last big hurrah before the cliff hits. Otherwise there's no reason why the less shop worn, more athletic, more versatile fighter (Miocic's wrestling still exists even if he doesn't use it for a single god damn thing) who hits just as hard and KO'd the dude who KO'd THIS dude should be the loser. The problem is that vs Rothwell, JDS was everything you'd wish for him to be and then some. He looked quick on his feet, versatile with his strikes, powerful with his jab and most of all he seemed to be pulling the trigger again.

3- Who is the #1 contender AFTER this? There's Overeem/Werdum and I'm not sure I'd go that route. After a series of fresh HW title fights (Werdum/Cain, Werdum/Miocic and Miocic/Overeem), going winner vs winner here inevitably sets up a rematch of some kind. Francis Ngannou is sitting out there amassing wins and looking awesome but any of those four guys represents a massive step up and the only one I'd comfortably say Ngannou would beat is Overeem due to the whole Overeem so-so chin and Ngannou being quite possibly the hardest hitting HW since Shane Carwin. Derrick Lewis would be fun as shit if he beat Mark Hunt but man, I do NOT want to see Lewis/Werdum or Lewis/Miocic where Derrick has to shuck off 40 takedowns. In a perfect world, Cormier vs JDS would be a lot of fun but I think Cormier would retire before he'd move back up to HW.

4- The co-main event feels like a fight where there's a realistic chance for an upset even if nobody wants to discuss it.  On paper this is a stylistic dream fight, two really tough really powerful women with differing styles (Joanna more of a symphony of violence, Jessica Andrade more like thrash metal) where if anyone is going to get to Joanna, it's the fighter who can pressure forward and put all kinds of smoke and team on her shots. I don't know if Jessica has one punch finishing power but I would argue she hits harder at 135 lbs and possesses the better submission game. The one thing I keep coming back to is Joanna's style and how over her last 3-4 fights, there's been some cracks showing. Against Valerie Letourneau, the few moments Val had came when she would pressure and blitz Joanna. She didn't win the fight but she had a few moments where you coulf see something could be done there. Vs Claudia Gadelha, Joanna had a REALLY tough time early dealing with the pressure AND power of Claudia. Gadelha put her down at one point (twice even if I remember correctly) and who knows where the fight goes if Claudia doesn't gas out going for takedowns. Against Karolina K, Joanna didn't seem as aggressive, didn't seem to press the issue with power shots as often and even was hurt REALLY badly by someone I would not consider to be a powerful striker. There's something going on here and Joanna's comments about maybe retiring and her long term health plus the scares she'd had in her past two fights paint a picture of something bigger. The rumors of her going to ATT and not being particularly well recieved raise a few concerns as well, I guess. I dunno there just seems to be a lot happening with Joanna that leaves room for doubt.

NOW is Jessica Andrade the fighter to beat her? I mean....it's hard to imagine someone who twice went life and death with Rocky Pennington winning the title from the most dominant female champion going currently. It's also hard to imagine this fight heading into the 4th or 5th rounds with Andrade not having a serious cardio disadvantage working against her. Also Joanna's kicks are the best Jessica has seen pretty much ever and so while I don't always go Joe Rogan on leg kicks, they're bound to have an advantage. I just think if anybody is going to beat Joanna Champion, this is the gal and this is the time for it. There's some smoke here.

5- If Yair Rodriguez KOs Frankie Edgar (or just beats him decisively), would that justifiably make Yair the #1 contender for the winner of Holloway-Aldo?  Even over Cub Swanson who has two wins in high profile fights and is on paper as popular as he's ever been?

6- Man imagine a Mexico even with Yair fighting for the FW title and Brandon Moreno challenging for the flyweight title. That'd be fuckin' cool.

7- I went back and briefly looked at Demian Maia's shortcomings/weaker performances at welterweight. The two consistent refrains is that Maia can be stalled out on the ground (or perhaps he stalls you out from attempting any offense and can just stay on top) and his cardio in some of those fights, specifically ones where early on he has to really fight for takedowns, can lead to openings. Matt Brown DID have Maia bothered in the second half of their fight before Maia just snatched his neck and put him to bed---but Maia did take some shots in the process. Masvidal is REALLY hard to take down and even tougher to keep down. On the other hand, Masvidal is not a guy well known for turning up the heat late. I know pace and tempo are like boilerplate MMA terms but Masvidal IS the perfect example of a guy who controls pacing, tempo and has superb timing. The third round if it gets that far is going to be very interesting.

8- Sergio Pettis beats Henry Cejudo (by whatever way you so desire), does Pettis get the "record" shot vs Mighty Mouse or is that still Ray Borg's gig?

9- On paper I'd argue that Cejudo/Pettis and Alvarez/Poirier should be switched but Eddie has been SO quiet since the McGregor thrashing that I wonder if there's maybe some concern about his focus. The prelim headliner is still a BIG spot but it's obviously a lot more low profile than PPV main card. Whatever the case may be, I bet that fight is going to be badass while it lasts. Also shout out to Dustin Poirier for fighting like three months ago on one leg then turning around and taking a MASSIVE step up.

10- The Fight Pass fight of all fights pits SportsSoundoff hero Gabriel "Moggly" Benitez vs TheAntiCool's BFF Enrique Barzola. Mexico vs Peru! Moggly Benitez was once thought of to be one of the better fighters off of TUF Latin America Season One and while he is still 2-1 despite running into the leg of Andre Fili (no shame in that), he's probably been a step behind the likes of Marlon "Chito" Vera, Yair Rodriguez and Teco Quinones. He's a good fighter who probably has some untapped potential the more he trains with the likes of AKA. On the other hand, Enrique Barzola is a REALLY good, really raw young fighter with unlimited athletic potential and a developing fight game. He should be undefeated in the UFC but que sera sera and all that good stuff. Barzola's wrestling is surprisingly good for a fighter discovered off of TUF LAM and his striking is unorthodox, really funky and seems to be improving each time out. Enrique Barzola should be the favorite but I refuse to believe that Moggly won't have a shot.

11- We all like to bitch and banter about the UFC's LHW division but this is yet another show in a string of them where they're trying to churn the bottom of the roster. Similarly the same could be said with a HW as well with a new HW in the mix. Injury replacement and all but still!

12- Gotta admit I totally forgot about Jessica Aguilar and how good she is.

Must Wins:

Junior Dos Santos

Of the two big names in the main event, I feel like JDS has the most to lose here with a loss. Let's not entirely mince some words here; this is almost a gift title shot. He's getting the shot because someone has to fight Miocic and Cain/Werdum are both in the UFC bad books for two vastly different reasons. Rothwell was a damn good win given the streak he was on and so it's not like JDS didn't earn some semblance of a title shot. Even that being the case, Dos Santos' last seven fights consist of wins over Frank Mir, Cain twice, Mark Hunt, Overeem, Miocic and Rothwell. He's 4-3 and he wasn't entirely competitive in those losses. That being said, he's got a chance here. Miocic is hittable, his moments of greatness oftentimes coming out of brief glimpses of frailty. In glimpses JDS has the ability to remind you of why once upon a time he was the no doubt about it best HW in the world. If he loses to Miocic, you'd essentially have to acknowledge that if he's a top 5 HW, 3 of his contemporaries in that mix have beaten him.

Frankie Edgar

At just 24 years old, the 145er and 155ers of the UFC will be dealing with Yair Rodriguez for a long time. He's going to challenge for plenty of belts and as his physical maturation combines with Greg Jackson in his ear, Yair Rodriguez will almost certainly be a face for the UFC. There's no pressure on Yair here. Frankie Edgar is one of those fighters stuck in no man's land. The scene at 155 lbs has grown to the point where Edgar's herky jerky quirky stylings and in and out movement can't carry him the way it used to. At the same time, he's had two swing and a misses at Jose Aldo and the last one wasn't quite as competitive as we all hoped it'd be. He's 35 years old, on the last fight of his deal and he's the kind of guy the UFC has been losing/letting go recently. The sort of guy who is a TV draw but not a PPV draw who has essentially maxed out his value. Edgar vs Yair is the battle of good young fighter who might be great against the great old fighter who might be slowly dropping towards good. Edgar is far and away the greatest wrestler Yair has ever faced and conversely, Yair Rodriguez is really the most dynamic athletic that Edgar has faced. No, I don't think he's as good as Aldo but Yair does so many other weird, wacky and wild things that he essentially combines the "I don't give a fuck" of Cub Swanson with the versatility of Aldo. Edgar wins this fight and he's got two wins in a row likely looking at a bigger payday and he PROBABLY sneaks his way back into talks as a name for 145 lbs again or even 135 lbs if he finally commits to that drop in weight. A loss and maybe the UFC views a 35 year old Frankie Edgar as a guy on the downslide who can no longer beat the elites, isn't going to fight for the title and may not be worth six figures for them anymore.

Demian Maia

There's a section of UFC fans who think Demian Maia is a draw and he's really not. His TV numbers aren't great, I don't think Maia is a guy who draws people to the venue and he exits to be what I believe most insiders would refer to as card dressing. Having said that, the 170 lb landscape is KIND OF in the midst of some upheaval and so if Maia's ever going to get that title shot, the opportunity has to be now. He's won what feels like 10 fights in a row and his wins are over the likes of Carlos Condit, Neil Magny, Gunnar Nelson and Ryan LaFlare. He gets a surprisingly difficult puzzle to figure out; a low output striker who rarely misses his shots, rarely gets taken down, might be impossible to submit and has found some power since he moved up to 170 lbs. It's a fight Maia should win that presents some stylistic challenges for an aging BJJ maestro with so so cardio but arguably the stickiest grappling in MMA. We recently saw a similar minded aging BJJ maestro struggle vs a a guy who presented stylistic challenges who rarely gets taken down and has found his power after moving up in weight. I don't know if the ending will be the same but there's no question that there are some similarities in these two movie scripts.

Five Underlying Themes

1- Will there be more consistency in the three person commentary booth or are we doomed to more at times awkward at times stilted bro convos between Rogan and DC?

2- This is the best card of the year but I'd almost argue UFC 208 had more buzz to it. Will this card pick up as we get closer and realize this fight is FINALLY happening?

3- Texas has a well earned rep for shitty judging, even worse reffing and just general commission wackiness. Are we in line for another night of madness?

4- How will the crowd respond to Yair Rodriguez, a budding star to be, in his biggest fight ever?

5- Will we get any UFC 213 or UFC 214 announcements?

#MMA #UFC #UFC 211 #Junior Dos Santos #Stipe Miocic #Joanna Champion #Frankie Edgar #David Branch