iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I feel weirdly proud whenever I read the exploits of a famous fictional detective for the first time, like now I can cross another guy off the list.😆 I'm celebrity-chasing except it's fake sleuths lol #mysteries

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Just imagine if you picked up a German book written after WWII and the German characters are like, "Yeah, we fought in the war, sucks that we lost our money, am I right?" Very jarring, & I've had to really look past it so that I could enjoy the book. Which I did! Will definitely read more, but 😶‍🌫️

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

One thing that's a bit disconcerting is that this book was written right after WWII, & I hadn't really considered what that would mean before reading it. Multiple characters reference the war like "what a shame we lost" or discuss how their fortunes were ruined or boosted by it.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

#spoilers Still, the "naive" girl was at least more capable than our MC, so points for that, even if it gives the impression that the MC really needed a wife to care for him. I don't want to judge this harshly seeing as it was serialized in the 50s & published in 1971, but I did roll my eyes a bit.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

#spoilers Also the MC was so annoying that I was convinced for half the book that we were seeing another Roger Ackroyd & he was going to be the murderer. I'm also not sure I liked the capable beautiful woman being the killer while the naive ugly (but not really!) one was the love interest.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

#spoilers I was a bit disappointed at how the mystery resolved b/c the solution was just...told to us by a different character who wasn't Kindaichi? The man himself was like, "Yeah I did nothing in this case" & he wasn't wrong??😅 He explained loose ends, but I would've preferred more direct solving.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

You can really see the original's influence on Kindaichi Shounen, w/ all the classic hits like an isolated village, secret passageways, caves, old sins coming back to haunt ppl, a concerningly large body count lol... Thankfully Kindaichi Sr. isn't a perv like his grandson.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Just finished a Chinese translation of 八墓村 (八つ墓村/Yatsuhakamura, Village of Eight Tombs) by #横溝正史 (Yoshimizo Seishi). Happy to finally meet the great detective Kindaichi Keisuke. 😆 Thankfully his adventures actually ended, so we won't have the nonsense that happened w/ Kindaichi Shounen. #booksky

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

But looking more broadly & across average preferences, I do think men being protective of masculinity is a big reason certain players are disliked beyond what makes sense given their sporting achievement. 🤷 (Is noticing this phenomenon a reason I like Busquets so much? 👀You decide!)

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

In sum, I'm not saying this is the only vector through which antis form in sports fandom. The causes of individual preferences are idiosyncratic & multifactorial (w/ Busquets, for ex., there's also complicated stuff related to Catalan identity, foreign vs local fans, internal politics, classism...)

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

"Objectively," Busquets is a bad example to bring up b/c he was an excellent passer, while CR7 or Casemiro, regardless of other qualities, are hardly known for their passing. So there has to be another, more subjective reason why the fan thought immediately of Busquets.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Other examples include idiots shitting on women's football b/c a player made a bad pass & the counter to that being "Busquets does this all the time." Very telling that they instantly think of Busquets but not, say, equally or MORE famous players like CR7 or Casemiro (or Vidal, or Rakitic, or...).

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I no longer have screenshot evidence of the following, but I also recall fans fantasizing that Adama Traore would beat up Busquets. Keep in mind that those two were *teammates*, not opponents, so this wasn't between club rivalry. (Look up photos of Traore & you'll probably see why they said this.)

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

And that's a fellow professional, who's definitely not above pulling similar stunts himself, so you can imagine how the broader fanbase judging from the couch would respond. (The whole "diving" debate itself is gendered btw; recall how women's football was lauded b/c women supposedly "didn't dive.")

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Busquets has never been THAT popular of a footballer, & one reason for that is b/c he played the refs over fouls (instead of being a MAN & not "diving"). Look at how salty Sneijder still is about this, over 10 years later, calling Busquets a "crybaby:" www.sportbible.com/football/foo...

sportbible.com

Wesley Sneijder tears into Sergio Busquets and calls him 'an absolute crybaby' in remarkable outburst

The former Netherlands international didn't hold back in his assessment

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

So despite Busquets being an unquestionably elite footballer, the hate he gets is often very, er, coded. Here's an example of fans insinuating that he's only starting b/c of sex. I'm sure they'll say this is "banter," but this specific type of joke isn't equally applied to all athletes.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Like obviously Busquets is a HUGELY successful, wealthy male athlete who is straight (afaik) & western European. He has all the privileges. I'm only reiterating the oft-made point that men police masculinity, & male-dominated fan spaces (e.g. video games, sports) can get pretty "mask-off."

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

My insatiable need to caveat/correct/amend previous posts strikes again. I want to emphasize that despite making this comparison deliberately (as I said in the subsequent post of the thread), I do not think there is any equivalence in terms of experience & harm.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

As far as I can tell, nitter cf still works (RIP xcancel), so the thread can be viewed w/o an account. I loved the writer's little descriptions of Busquets: "the king of the tile (small space)," "the master of deception," "Inspector Gadget"... Accurate. 😉

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

In closing, despite being ever-present for 15 years at one of the world's biggest clubs (not to mention Spain NT), very few ppl seem able to adequately describe Busquets. I think I've come across maybe 3 satisfactory profiles. I'd like to share one now: nitter.cf/FerminSuarez...

nitter.cf

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

(That video deserves its own thread, I've never seen such a milquetoast & backhanded defense of a player while purportedly claiming he's a genius??🫠 I almost feel like I shouldn't link it or give it more attention...)

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Even when fans try to defend Busquets, they say wild things like "he wasn't even among the top 5 midfielders of his generation" (this was to explain why he didn't get the BdO, but lol YEAH he was??), or Guardiola had to "settle" for Busquets when he wanted Pirlo (no). www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWnr...

youtube.com

The Genius of Sergio Busquets - How to play like him

YouTube video by Pass Dribble Score

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

(And I make that comparison on purpose, b/c if you don't think there is something gendered in how fans overemphasize Busquets' thin physique, lack of pace, & quiet personality ["not a leader"], then you haven't paid attention to how men police masculinity.)

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

IMO, ppl have become so accustomed to downplaying Busquets that putting him in his proper place sounds like overrating him. It reminds me of the phenomenon where men think there's too many women at a conference when the M:F ratio is 50:50.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

(An aside: I was watching Barça vs. Sevilla the other day & lamented to my friend, "Man, Rodri never tricks anyone." And I'm sorry but this is true. Rodri is a fine player & highly competent, but saying he's better than Busquets is just ignorance & disrespect.)

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

In fact, Busquets was so good (if not the best DM ever, definitely top 3) b/c he combined technical quality, toughness (excellent injury record on top of the tackling stuff), & intelligence. As Menotti once said, "Football is space, time, & deception." Busquets mastered all three.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

He was also so press-resistant that even his haters can't deny it (won't bother w/ a video, most Busquets comps showcase this). It's important to note that press resistance isn't just calmness & ball manipulation, but body manipulation to fool opponents.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

As he developed as a player, Busquets expanded his passing range & became famous for disguised passes that found his team's forwards - usually Messi, although the example here is Spain (again, video not mine, it's from the account named in the lower left).

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Only after highlighting this insane anticipation (while remembering that he was also a top tackler) can we talk about his superb technique, initially notable mostly through a great 1st touch (Guardiola: "1st touch, you're the best in the world. 2nd touch, very good. 3rd touch, more discreet" 😆).

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

He was also an efficient & high-volume tackler. This aspect is often de-emphasized by fans who want to highlight Busquets' unique interpretation of the DM role ("he doesn't NEED to tackle"), but that argument becomes fodder for ppl who then claim he's ineffective as a "typical DM." He was not.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Busquets' biggest virtue was his positioning & field awareness, which allowed him to anticipate where the ball would go. He used this ability to break down opponent attacks & suffocate them in their own half. You can only see this when Barça was OUT of possession (oop; example from allasFCB on X).

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Every time I see a comment claiming #Busquets has gone from underrated to overrated, it is always from ppl who never rated him in the 1st place, & you can tell b/c they always bring up the same wrong point, which is that Busquets was only good w/ the ball at his feet. This is manifestly UNTRUE.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

燃燒吧驕傲的熱血勝利的歌我要再唱一遍

FC Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets raising the Spanish Super Cup trophy in the '22-'23 season.

FC Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets lifts the '22-'23 Liga trophy in front of his team.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

成功和失敗不是用結果去衡量挫折和磨難只會讓我變得更強經受過屈辱和嘲笑那又怎樣勝利的使命仍然揹負在我身上

FC Barcelona player Sergio Busquets kneeling on the ground and supporting himself with his hands, recovering from a foul.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Came across the lyrics to this song while flipping through one of my old journals. Always thought it suited #Busquets (& friends). Used to imagine MVs set to it back when he was still playing😆, so thought I'd just accompany some excerpts w/ a few pics: 世界之大總想要去飛就算滿身傷痕也不曾後悔無人喝彩依然在期待雨後的彩虹它是那樣的精彩

FC Barcelona player Sergio Busquets kneeling on the pitch during the 20-21 season's Copa del Rey final.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

As mentioned earlier, Ronald Araujo is a B team signing, not La Masia. His youth development occurred entirely in Uruguay. I mention him because for a while Barça embarrassingly tried to imply he was "kind of" their youth, but they did always clarify he's a signing.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Xavi Hernandez was entirely formed in La Masia (1991-1997) & played for the B team. Gerard Piqué developed almost completely at La Masia (1997-2004; can't figure out if his time in Man U's reserve team counts as their youth academy b/c he signed a pro contract), but never played for the B team.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

They do this w/ Busquets to 1. discredit Barça (by implying they are inflating their academy's success) or 2. discredit the player. #1 is basically from Real Madrid fans, but #2 is shameful behavior from some Barça fans directed toward their own club legend during '21-'23. Unforgivable shit.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Iniesta also started his youth career elsewhere (Albacete) before joining La Masia when he was 12. Carles Puyol started his development at Pobla de Segur & entered La Masia when he was, guess what, 17 (1995). No one questions the La Masia credentials of either player.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

So we're clear: Sergio Busquets is La Masia. He joined later (2005, when he was 17) but he went through the academy (played in Juvenil A) & then moved up to the B team. There are ppl who try to claim he's not La Masia b/c of this but a transfer student is still a student of the damned school.🙄

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This isn't important in the grand scheme of things but it's "football-important" lol, b/c a lot of folks like to muddy the waters (read: lie) about who is La Masia & who isn't, sometimes through confusion (mixing up B team w/ youth academy), but other times for political reasons.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Periodically reread my old posts & freak out over errors or misleading statements.😅 Here I implied Gerard Martin was La Masia; he is not. He was a B team signing & rose to the 1st team that way, the same as Ronald Araujo. His development occurred at Cornella (a Tererca, or Spanish 5th tier, club).

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

This reminds me a little of Woodworm by Layla Martinez. One thing I particularly appreciated about both is how unforgiving they were toward the villains. Complexity is all well & good when there's complexity to be had, but if someone is trash, dressing them up is just dishonest. Sick of fake nuance.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

#spoiler I knew very little about the book going in other than that it was horror & a lady was restoring a house (lol), so the Bluebeard allusion was a pleasant surprise. That's always been a favorite fairy tale, although b/c of it, I was kind of hoping for an escape at the end. Alas.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Finished Ave Barrera's Restoration (English translation). Really loved it, even though it contains a big personal ick (dismemberment, which is literally on the 1st page so I don't feel this is much of a spoiler). I appreciated how angry it was b/c I am an angry person.😆 #BookSky

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Anyway game was fun. It's a bit sad that I enjoy football so much more when I pretend 99.999999% of the fanbase doesn't exist. (There are some very cool people though, to avoid sounding like a total misanthrope.)

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Was that a tangent of bitterness? Yes! I do so hate the big Barça accounts, especially b/c while they cosplay as disciplinarian managers, shrieking about "consequences" for players who in their fevered brains don't "contribute," they never face any damn consequences for their toxic BS.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

These accounts have +100k followers. Also, clearly remember BarcaWorldwide crashing out over a report that Sergi Roberto & Busquets didn't want to leave Barça, accusing them of ruining the club or some shit. B/c that's a sane response. Both accounts still around, of course.

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Three Garridebs @3garridebs.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

4) I like Flick's squad management. Part of it I know is b/c of injury, but it's smart to preserve your players so they aren't tired out by the 2nd half of the season. And it's nice that fans can respond to subs normally instead of:

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