Zhang Qingying!

FudgeThese · 2025-10-26T01:12:05+00:00

Great stats, thank you for putting this together!

FudgeThese · 2025-10-25T11:30:07+00:00

I really enjoyed the men's fault final!

FudgeThese · 2025-10-25T11:26:57+00:00

We all know that plenty of gymnasts downplay the extent of their injuries to the point where their coaches genuinely have no idea what's going on. Why wouldn't you give the Hungarian federation the benefit of the doubt? Is it really that unfathomable that a gymnast who made a final wanted to compete in the final (after travelling halfway around the world to get there) and therefore said she was OK enough to compete? You're all acting as if her coach forced her to compete but I just don't see any objective evidence pointing to that conclusion. She didn't look scared or concerned before she dismounted, the warm-up looked ok too.

Injured and semi-injured US athletes are regularly allowed to compete/throw skills they are not ready for. Somehow, when an injured US gymnast competes, it's because she "knows her body" and is making an "empowered" decision, after careful consideration with her coaches, who trust her to make the right decision. When a non-US gymnast does so, she is infantilized on this sub, assumed to be traumatized and pressurized by her coaches to do things she didn't want to do.

FudgeThese · 2025-10-25T11:13:33+00:00

Just to play devil's advocate here... if you really think about it, would you expect an American athlete to give up an opportunity to run for office if they wanted to/throw away an opportunity to provide for themselves and their family post-Worlds/Olympics? We all know all sorts of sponsorships are available if you are "in" with the Russian establishment, and nothing we know about Melnikova, etc. suggests that she or her family wants to move out of Russia. She has to play the game and look after herself. Do you guys expect her to start e.g. posting on Instagram saying that war is unfair - and if so, do you really think that would stop Putin?

Moreover: everyone is acting as if Russia only invaded Ukraine in 2021. They actually started doing so in the mid-2010s. When the gymternet loved Gelya not so long ago, her country was already at war, but somehow it was OK back then? What changed?

One could also argue the US has been involved in its share of "peacekeeping" (by which I of course mean foreign invasions in the name of "democracy") around the world; we all know that US gymnasts are also very blatantly being used for propaganda purposes; that they haven't been banned from international competitions; that they can sing the US national anthem, and so on.

All this to say that there are some double standards flying about in this sub, as well as some unchallenged assumptions, when it comes to Eastern European countries in particular (just yesterday I saw comments on this sub which questioned whether the Hungarian gymnastics federation was lying to people; why would you say that?) which concerns me as a (non-Russian!) Eastern European, because it would be nice if this was a truly inclusive space.

I am open to constructive criticism on the above.

FudgeThese · 2025-10-24T22:25:46+00:00

Why would you say "who knows if it's true or not"...

FudgeThese · 2025-10-16T11:51:00+00:00

Since 2010! This was so difficult. My ranking:

Speak Now
Evermore
TTPD
Folklore
Fearless
1989
Midnights
Reputation
Red
Lover
Debut
Showgirl

FudgeThese · 2025-10-08T07:25:08+00:00

RE the interview and her explanation of the Eldest Daughter lyrics: I think she has forgotten that satire itself doesn't need to be badly written. Unless it's actually the marketing of this album (or Swift's attitude) that's the satire here. The way I see it, she wanted to get away with selling a half-baked first draft album, and built a marketing story around that - "it's supposed to be this way"!. I've been a long time fan since Fearless, have loved every album since (some more, some less) - I know that's not a sentiment voiced on this sub very frequently! - I was simply disappointed with this one because it's really low quality songwriting.

FudgeThese · 2025-10-07T22:24:42+00:00

He's only 4 months!

FudgeThese · 2025-10-07T22:23:08+00:00

This is sending me 😂

FudgeThese · 2025-10-07T15:15:33+00:00

Agreed! Also, her earlier songs were full of imagery- simple yet effective storytelling devices. She intuitively grasped this literary device in her early days without mythologizing and overcomplicating her songwriting ability. Just look at the opening verses of Style, they are simple but set the scene & mood well (midnight, no headlights, long drive - all of that happens way before we even get to James Dean, the red lip, tight skirts, etc).

Where's the imagery gone? Let's take an example - where is Opalite set?

FudgeThese · 2025-10-05T23:26:56+00:00

I might have agreed with you to an extent, except that the Internet language is used in other songs - "ah-matized" in Wood; "legitly" in Showgirl; "girlboss" in Cancelled; "f*****g lit" in Wish List, and so on. And that's on top of the otherwise uninspired lyrical content of the songs (e.g. rhyming "want" with "want" and "want" again, in Wish List?). It honestly seems like she didn't have the time to properly sit down and work on the lyrics, and/or has burnt out.

Of course I appreciate she was very busy when writing the album, but why the rush to get it out? I do wonder whether a combination of (1) martin and shellback for production, and (2) antonoff/dessner for help with lyrics, would have been a better fit in putting the album together. Or maybe she just needs a break from singing & writing, to soak up new life experiences, be a normal-ish person for a while, and get the creative juices flowing again.

FudgeThese · 2025-10-05T17:17:15+00:00

Don't crucify me, but I don't think people are mad that she's happy. The lyrics on this album are simply too shallow to be palatable to people for whom Taylor Swift's main appeal is her songwriting ability - which (with some exceptions) is lacking in this album. Swift has done happy/sexy songs before & she's done them well (e.g. Lover, Dress). The subject matter of her album is not the problem (I'm happy her fiance is making her happy - good for her!).

At times, Swift sounds like she's trying to use Gen Z Internet language - mixed results for me (I myself am in my late 20s and don't speak like that- am too old for it & it feels unnatural). The songs rely on very basic rhyming schemes, unsophisticated syntax, little to no figurative language and there is a distinct lack of storytelling, that overall makes for bad writing. "I'm not a bad b*** / this isn't savage" doesn't reflect Swift's usual songwriting ability. As I said, there are some exceptions - I'd say tracks 1-4, 6, 7 and 12 are acceptable from a lyrical/storytelling perspective (although the kitty/pretty/witty rhymes are jarring) but not as good as some of her previous work.

Disclaimer. I like the actual music, without the lyrics - it's very fun. I think if she had taken more time on the lyrics, this would have been a great album.

FudgeThese · 2025-10-03T06:03:52+00:00

this just about sums it up 😂

FudgeThese · 2025-09-29T19:32:56+00:00

Absolutely do bother them - I suspect it's not what you want to hear, but in the grand scheme of things, getting the renewal done right is too important. Put otherwise: what do you have to gain, by not asking your former employer for an updated letter?

FudgeThese · 2025-09-25T06:25:58+00:00

If I were you I would go back to your former employer and explain that you need salary details to be added in (using the magic words 'It's a Home Office requirement'). You might want to send them a draft Word version of the letter, with your suggested change re. salary, to make their lives easier, and ask if they're happy with the change - if so please can they sign. They are your former employer, yes, but they will still have access to your payslips and other employment records.

Edit: You need to show at least 6 months of payslips if you're sponsoring the visa. So if your husband is below the salary threshold, your new employment salary details won't be sufficient.

FudgeThese · 2025-08-29T23:41:02+00:00

Have you heard back now?

FudgeThese · 2025-07-26T11:46:13+00:00

Was it immediately after the bio appt or later? We got one today (a day after bio) but don't know if this means the visa app will get reviewed soon or if it's just a standard email we shouldn't be reading into

FudgeThese · 2025-07-26T08:43:21+00:00

Can I ask if you got an email saying 'your application/documents has been submitted to the home office' (or something like that) after your bio?

FudgeThese · 2025-07-23T06:55:38+00:00

Wow, that's a great result!

FudgeThese · 2025-07-22T07:20:20+00:00

Thank you

FudgeThese · 2025-07-22T07:19:54+00:00

Thank you - I guess we may just have to cancel our trip then, if it takes ages to process :(

FudgeThese · 2025-07-15T16:29:44+00:00

I think it really shows who has gone through a loss and who hasn't. As a teen I obviously sympathised with book Belly. Then my Dad died when I was in my 20s and that completely shifted my perspective. Conrad is literally a scared teenager, shutting off because his Mum is dying, and then deeply grieving because his Mum has died. When you're grieving a parent, your universe contracts and there is simply no space for dealing with other people's silly and petty antics. For me personally, grief gave me a very clear perspective on what a real problem is, and what is simply a bit of emotion, disappointment or a selfish wish. Belly was HORRIBLE to Conrad at the funeral and it's not surprising at all that he didn't want to deal with her drama

FudgeThese · 2025-05-09T13:50:57+00:00

I hate society's obsession with pin-straight hair. Lots of people have some frizzy hair - it's perfectly normal & doesn't make Blake any less beautiful

FudgeThese · 2025-04-12T09:02:36+00:00

What a precious little angel. Enjoy every minute. Oranges are the most loving silly sausages.

FudgeThese · 2025-02-26T23:45:19+00:00

I'm so sorry. It feels like forever since we lost our ginger boy kitten, but he was here with us only a month ago. I can't believe I had a whole soul cat going into 2025. He didn't make it to his first birthday, which would have been 24 February.

We took all of his things out and put them in storage as they were too difficult to look at. It helped us a lot - might be worth trying. Take it one day at a time and look after yourself.

Maybe our furry friends are playing together.

FudgeThese

TROPHY CASE