#in january i was at a tournament with some of the girls i coach and for some reason we were looking at paul pics on Pinterest.......

[httpiastri]

https://x.com/fourarons/status/1774375933417517527?s=61&t=FgbmwlE3YsUTS5G7y_pSGQ

More Paul selfie him and that spoon what else could he do with that tongue 🤍

oh dear 🫠🫠🫠🫠 that's so..................... yeah no im not gonna say anything bcs things would get out of hand pretty quickly

[jamminlocks]

Just A Wink {Suna x Reader}

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Flirting, flirting strangers, Fluff, Humor, Canon Compliant, oneshot, not beta read, reader is a volleyball player word count: 3,174 Summary: While waiting outside to enter the gymnasium in early January weather, a player from the Inarizaki's volleyball team is staring at you in way that chills you more, so you decided to have a bit of fun. A/N: this fic idea took over me and i spent a night writing it ao3 ꒰1꒱ ⪼ 2 ⪼ 3 edit: some changes and additional text edit 2: had to change stuff again cause i fucked up the timeline

The crowd of volleyball players waiting for the gymnasium to enter seems to just grow denser in front the glass doors entrance. Your coach and captain had your team on stand by right on the stairs, away from the cramp crowd. The downside is you feel the chill on your face and hands. With your sensitive ears, you have to put earmuffs on. The team’s bag is placed on the stairs while you wait.

Some of your teammates wear their excitement on their sleeves, smiles and radiate with energy to start a game at any moment. Others are in the process of mentally preparing themselves. Most of you are just themselves as usual or taking in distractions to avoid nervousness.

You are talking with one of the setters and opposite hitters about how long you all have been stuck outside already. That maybe the team could have around thirty minutes later. The other argues that it could have rushed everyone by the time the team got here.

Eventually, the chat moves on from a topic you aren’t really knowledgeable enough to take part in. With not much to contribute to the conversation, you look at the scene outside the Tokyo gymnasium. Other teens in their winter wear. Groups identified by their team’s color and standing by the banners with their school name. The bright uniforms contrasted by the dule clothes of regular folk here to watch the games in person, mixes of grays, blacks, and beige. Everyone is walking and standing around, waiting to enter.

A new team arrives, stationing themselves not too far off by the stairs too. A boys team wearing maroon jackets with thick black lines over their shoulders and sleeves. The banner matching their jackets reads in bold black characters “Inarizaki”. Its the team ranked second place in the last nationals tournament. 

You do your best to pay no mind to them, but you are very awestruck, and so are some girls in your team. The setters looking for Inarizaki’s setters. You team’s second libero, ever the boy lover that she is, is checking out their entire team with one of your third year opposite hitter having to be the nearest ear to what she has to say. A middle blocker informs the team manager, who seems to have no clue who Inarizaki is.

Your team didn’t make it to nationals last time– losing at the prefecture’s finals– nor did you watch it in person. The faces from Inarizaki you knew, but couldn’t put names on. Only identifying them based on their positions.

The easiest you could identify was the ace and captain. The rest of the boys you had a hard time scanning to match the faces you remember from TV. Most of them are wearing masks. Leaving you with only their eyes and heights to go by. Much like the rest of the boys teams, they tower most of your teammates, including you.

Two of Inarizaki’s middle blockers you recognize, the tallest blocker standing next to the captain. His attention was on the rest of their team while the captain talked to their coach. The other, the one with an impressive torso, is standing next to the ace. Even back then you noticed that he slouches the most, but you didn’t think that he did it outside the court too. His hair is parted in the middle, straight on both sides, covering the thin sideburns next to his ears. His eyes are closed, as if he was sleeping up right. The last you notice are the twins and theur dyed hair.

Other teams arrived and you watched them as well. Finding notable players and the players from the girl’s team’s to look out for. Another ten minutes fly by. Having done enough examining, you return your attention to your friends and teammates. Picking up your bag from the stairs as you all prepare to enter. Not that you’ll enter at any moment, just so you could all get a move on when you do. The sea of volleyball players walked at snail’s pace to let the people at front move. The teams still at the back are standing but stationed. One team after another, they enter. 

Most of your attention is on the people in front of you and your team. With each shift of the crowd, Inarizaki and your team are now side by side in the crowd outside though still distant, waiting for your turn to pass the glass doors. Your eyes naturally wander back to the maroon colored boys team. They stand firmly. Their confidence as the powerhouse of Hyogo prefecture manifested itself. That aura compels you and many others to not get any closer.

Another team approaches and you mind your bag. To make room for your other teammates, you switch your duffle bag to your other shoulder, carefully maneuvering it not to hit anyone. 

And then you feel a chill, not the cold, a sort of awareness. You don't know what it is but you ignore it. Attention on the crowd again, you scheme the heads for how many people left. Not caring where you look, you turn to your right.

Meters away, Inarizaki is facing forward, ready to march in at any moment. Except the slouching middle blocker. He has his eyes squarely on you. His gaze is a stab to your head, and it's alarming. 

Everything is slower as you stare back, trying to find anything that his eyes are saying. They are narrow. Sharp as a knife. The shadow on his lids are prominent. An eerie combination. And yet, you don’t look away. It's hauling you in. Such eyes could only mean a scowl, but they feel impressionless. Without the rest of his face for you to see, you feel exposed, seen in your natural state.

However, a part of your mind says “he’s looking at you.” but you are quick to dismiss the thought, not completely. You know what he looks underneath, and from what you remember, you did like what you saw. 

Or his gaze just so happens to land on you.

Not knowing if the guy is judging you quietly or is simply staring at you with other thoughts in his mind, you decide to have a little fun. 

He doesn’t seem to know that you’ve noticed him. Holding eye contact as you tilt your head up slightly, the corners of your lips tug into a small lazy smirk, eyes playfully narrow at his. 

You give him a quick wink. 

His thin eyes instantly gape open, stunned. It brings a new aura to his face. One moment he looked like a young assassin that found his target, the next he was a ruffled school boy. It endears him to you. 

Eyes flickering away. He is tugs his masked face under the collar of his jacket. No one from his team seemed to notice his sudden alertness. Save for their captain beside him, looking with minimum curiosity.

Not what you expected. Not that you had a reaction in mind. It's better than the disgust or indifference you supposed.

In a matter of seconds, the crowd's pace changes and your team is propelled into the entrance.

In no time, you are already at the waiting area where teams prepare. 

Still, Inarizaki's middle blocker's reaction lingers in your thoughts. The longer you think about his reaction, replaying it, the more you find it cute. Delighted to fluster a boy, you smile to yourself, humming a lighthearted tune as you change shoes

“You seem chipper all of a sudden. Are you excited too?” your manager asks worryingly. Were you smiling to much? To save face, you chew the inside of your cheeks, returning you expression to the unusual unreadable.

“A guy was staring at me so I winked at him and he got shy” you recount matter-a-factually. 

Hearing this, your starting libero said, “ahh, feeling bold today aren’t we?”

It sinks in how embarrassing it could have been for you if he hadn't responded that way. From a different angle, it's like you were flirting at a player from a powerhouse school. What does he think of you now? 

"Maybe."

"What team is he in? How hot is he? Or is he the cute type?" Your other libero probed.

Before you could say anymore, your captain called everyone.

"Get ready girls! The opening is in a few minutes"

~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~

During the first three days of the tournament. You sometimes feel that chill again. 

Though you are aware that many eyes are watching, it's still different from what you experience.

It would be too much for you to assume that was him again, bordering wishful thinking. Especially when your team has not had a run in with Inarizaki since day one. You saw some of their players walking around and about the gymnasium. None of whom were that blocker. 

Fortunately, you had the chance to get a glimpse of their game on the second day. Truly an impressive group. A promising ace. A near undefeatable defense specialist. Gamble making twins but the result often counts. And him, their middle blocker who can make the spikes at almost any direction. Such a shame you didn't get to see more, having to leave by the end of the second set.

Later on, you see in the tournament brackets that Inarizaki lost to Karasuno, moving up to the next game.

It's the forth day, you and your team's captain, starting libero and middle blocker watched Ichibayashi High vs Kamomedai High after winning your match. Your middle blocker friend wanted to see the shortest Ace in the boy's tournament in action and you three accompanied her. 

Standing behind the cement railings, you watch the game with an overview of the court. Other people are here to watch. So you pay no mind to everyone around you, watching only the match.

Then the chill is back. The same one you felt before. You turn to the crowd. Most are visitors. Players have sore thumbs for their jerseys. No one seems to be looking at your group, or you.

It's when you glance at the corner of your eye you see the guy, not too far from where you stand, that middle blocker from Inarizaki.

He is without a mask. The gymnasium lights lit his features well. You’ve seen plenty of attractive boys during the games that have a lot of girls swooning. He isn’t one of them. Except the longer you look, the more good-looking he becomes even when he isn’t trying. Brown hair almost neatly combed down. His posture is much like before, lean body slouching and hands inserted in his jackets pockets. You feel his towering figure even more.

Other players from Inarizaki are with him too, the twins, captain and ace. They all intensely observe the match, occasionally hearing side comments from the twins and their ace rebuttling them.

Although the middle blocker isn’t looking at you, the chill remains. Interacting and getting close was not an option.You can only steal glances of the boy as you watch on, distracting with the game in front of you. And it works, it goes unnoticed to you the people leaving and arriving on the railings. Then, Inarizaki left and their place was taken by others. When they return, they are closer to your group now. And he is right next to you.

Another Inarizaki player arrives and inserts himself between the blocker and their ace. The middle blocker moving aside, even when there is still an entire foot of space. Moments pass as you remain tense, pretending to still have your whole attention to the game. You have the sneaking suspicion that he is doing so as well. There is too much unnecessary tension for two strangers to have.

You try to covertly steal a quick glance. But when you turn, his eyes are on you, just like before. The world slows again as you stare at each other. Eyes still sharp and a monotonous gaze that could petrify. The two of you trapped in this bubble in time. It's clear that you caught his attention. “He’s definitely looking at you,” said a voice in your head and you have no reason to disagree.

Without a second to spare, you took your chance.

You softly chime, “Hello again.”

“Hello,” he said. His voice is low and cool, matching his face.

Impulse prevents you from thinking further ahead, so you just return to the game in front of you. Not caring for embarrassment. He does so as well. The noise of the cheers and smashing balls fill the air of the abruptly ended chat.

“Sorry about the other day.”  He continues and you take a second to make sure that it was him and not your thoughts.

“Oh, it's fine. No harm done."

Then it's quiet for about a minute. Now that he is next to you, you have the urge to talk to him, get to know him a little. But the silence between you two has lingered longer for you to feel comfortable breaking it.

"How were your games?" the middle blocker asked. his voice is monotonous and yet not disinterested. Loosely catching the attention of the boy beside him, though not interested to hear more.

"Its tiring really. Loads of fun though. We won semi-finals so thats good," you state. Not really bragging. Its just the truth. The boy leans back to see you.

"Congrats," Suna replied.

"Thank you.” looking at him again and him at you. There's a small softness in his expression that wasn’t there before. You stray a little “and you are?”

In a split second, he is stunned before he speaks. “Suna.”

And you offer your name in return and he nods, continuing to watch the match.

The static noise of loud merging voices and bad drums from cheers return. It could have ended there, but perhaps you really are feeling bold lately.

Still focused on the court, you said, “you played well yesterday”. He doesn’t say anything, likely because you just admitted to have watched him after your little interaction. And you aren't ashamed of it.

“Thanks” he says, this time catching the attention of their ace. 

Him and the guy look at Suna, then at you as casually as they can. The air around you two tenses up for your respective teammates listening. Neither of you are facing each other.

“Wish I saw more. Had to leave by set 2” 

“There's still next year,” he reminds you.

“That's true.”  Cheekiness sparks in you. “Are you sure you’ll be here next time?”

The gray heard twin on the other side leans forward inconspicuously, taking interest in your private chat. Their white haired captain side eyes you from where he stands, arms crossed.

With dry yet natural confidence, he said, “We will.” 

“Will you be here next year?” Suna asks. Genuinely questioning it too, you paused. 

The Inarizaki players could only silently gawk in different ways, trying their best for neither you or Suna to notice. They did not expect his question. Taking notice of his team’s sudden change of focus, The blonde twin head’s snaps to you, confused.

Honestly, you said, “Depends, if we're lucky.” He seems content with our answer.

“Good luck, then.”

You look at Suna, arching a brow with that spark of cheekiness. “For my next game or next year?” 

“Both, if that makes you happy” 

Without much thought to keep in the flow of the conversation, you slip "for me or my team?"

Suna then turns to you, and says, "whatever makes you happy." His tone didn't change, yet there was more weight to it.

His answer makes your face a degree hotter. Especially when his eyes have hidden suaveness meant for only you to see. You've been out of the court for a while and suddenly you're weak from your knees to the soles of your feet.

“Then I'll make sure it won't run out.”

As much as you enjoy the back and forth, its cut short by your manager’s high voice perses through the noise, “guys, coach wants everyone back. Let's go!” she waves at your group to comply.

Not following after the other girls leaving, you look at Suna one last time, giving him the smirk you had before. You didn't care if anyone else would see. Indeed, you are incredibly bold today.

"See you around, Suna-san”

Like the first time, you give him a quick wink but your stare lingers just enough. Intrigue in his eyes, Suna cooly nods back, one corner of his lips tuck into smile.

His teammates gave a more colorful reaction you get a glimpse of as you jog away to your team. The most notable is the blonde twin turning to the middle blocker in shock as if he had done a crime.

All you heard was the loud fussing of the blonde as you leave.

Walk alongside your teammates, your libero speaks, “it was him wasn’t it?” 

“Him who?” you play innocent.

“Yeah who?” the captain asks the both of you.

“She said she winked at some boy the other day, and just now, she was flirting at a guy.” 

The manager asks in a child-like giddiness, “so, was he?”

Should you bite their shallow bait? Given that they are witnesses and your admition the other day, you do, no point in pretending. “Yeah it was”

Your libero laughs as your captain and middle blocker are entertained and astonished. 

“He wishes us luck, by the way.” You tell them

“More like, good luck to you” your captain teases.

Suspiciously squint at her, you said, “listening in, are we?”

“Hard not to when your flirting with one of the best blockers of the nation”

“I wasn't flirting. We were just chatting” you clarify, ignoring the bit of information your blocker just stated. However, you are lying. You were half-flirting. That's not for you to admit.

“You asked if he’ll be here next year,”  reminded your libero.

“And he asked if you’ll be too”, your captain adds as your manager cooed. 

Hoping to deflect their antics, you retort "Who wouldn't want to be here next year?"

Hand on her chin with a thoughtful expression, your captain argues. "I don't know, but it really, really sounded like Suna-san specifically wants you here next tournament." 

“We better tell the rest of the girls to do their best, then” your manager suggests and they strongly agree. Their teasing heats up your face.

“Alright, that's enough. Now shut it and keep walking” you said with clenched teeth. Pushing the short libero forward through the crowd.

The four of them laugh, taking it as your defeat. Rubbing your temple, you can only imagine the commotion among your team. To them, they'll be motivated to your benefit. To you, they'll be motivated at your expense. You regret ever opening your mouth.

But when you recall what he said and the way he briefly looked at you, you are far from regretting it completely

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I’ve decided to not drink alcohol in January this year, which sounds like a small thing but I think it would be the first time since I was 20 years old that I’d go a whole month without bring drunk. I think so. With the possible exception of a couple of times when I was in university and competing on the varsity circuit. My teammates used to have a party 30 days before the major championships so they could all smoke a bunch of weed, because the major championships test for steroids and those tests can pick up other stuff too, and weed was illegal at the time and can stay in your system for 30 days, so they’d smoke a bunch of it and then not be able to have any more in the last 30 days before the competition.

This didn’t affect me because 1) I didn’t smoke weed and 2) I wasn’t good enough to get drug tested (they’re technically “random” tests, but they only actually target the athletes who are likely to represent the country at major international tournaments, to make sure we don’t even up with national scandals, I was on a team with people who were in the running for that but I wasn’t in the running myself), but I still went to the party and decided to get drunk that night and then not drink again until the competition. Just because I was trying to be in good competitive shape and alcohol doesn’t mix well with that. I was about to say that maybe the fact that quitting drinking for a month was a rare thing that I did only once a year for the biggest championship is why was never good enough to get drug tested, but my teammates were that good and most of them drank as much as I did in addition to smoking weed.

I think I tried to do that on two years, but only succeeded on one. On the second year, at some point I got depressed and decided I didn’t care anymore and just drank the week before the competition. But the first year, I was really good, I actually stuck to it despite really wanting a fucking drink. Several things went badly in the week before the competition that would normally have caused me to drink large amount of whiskey (short version of a long story that was traumatic as fuck for everyone involved: a girl I coached back home nearly committed suicide and her mother threatened to sue me because she thought it was my fault since my horrible influence as a gay coach had caused her daughter to be gay, she loudly called me a fucking dyke at the national championships in front of my university coach and teammates and said she’d call the cops if I ever spoke to her daughter again, this happened right after I had made her daughter promise me that the next time she wants to hurt herself she’ll call someone instead and if she has no one else to call she call me any time of day or night, she was only 15 and I was only 22, I shouldn’t need to clarify this but in case there’s any doubt obviously I was not interested in fucking a teenager I was just trying to keep her alive despite her abusive home life and parents who ignored her serious mental health issues, I ended up spending the next several months absolutely terrified that if I kept my promise to be there for her then her mother would tell the cops I was trying to sleep with her and that would ruin my whole future, but if I broke my promise then she’d die and it would be my fault, long and horrifying story but I saw that daughter at a tournament a year ago and she was 25 and doing her PhD and very happy and thanked me for getting her through her teenage years, it did work out), and I managed to stay sober anyway, through everything falling apart. I then competed at the tournament, didn’t do nearly as well as I would have liked but did do pretty well considering that I had a panic attack in the middle of my second match and nearly had to forfeit, but luckily one of my teammates was in my corner and got me out in time to rally and win the match and I ended up finishing fourth at the university national championships. Fourth at university national championships pretty well summarizes the level of competitive success I reached in my career overall. Was on a team with people who competed internationally. Was better than the people who could never have made that team at all. Did a lot of things along the lines of fourth at the national championships.

Anyway. What was I talking about? I’m not enjoying this weekend so I thought I’d reminisce a bit about things from the past. The good old days of getting on a plane to university nationals while thinking maybe I shouldn’t go because I wouldn’t want to be a whole plan ride away if this suicidal teenage girl needed me and also her mother was trying to ruin my life. Getting through a tournament despite that. Collapsing on the mat in the middle of the match and then squeezing my teammate’s hand in my corner until I nearly broke his bones, as he got me back on my feet (actually, I was being sarcastic about those other things being good memories, but that last one really was, he’s still one of my best friends to this day).

After the tournament there was this big party in the hotel. The parties after university nationals are legendary, because all the athletes from across the country are in one place, and can let loose as the big competitions are over. There was an award banquet, and I downed three beers very quickly in the 40 minutes between the end of the tournament and the beginning of the banquet, which meant was not quite sober enough to realize what was happening when the woman from a rival team who’d beaten me earlier that day started being weirdly touchy with me in line to get food, I was only informed later that she was flirting with me, and by not noticing I had become one of the 2% of athletes to not sleep with someone from another team in the hotel after this tournament. Then we had the awards ceremony and I watched a guy whom my team had kicked out for sexual harassment several years earlier win season MVP. And the coach whom everyone knew had slept with more than one of his athletes won coach of the year. And then it ended and the hotel gave all the athletes a conference room where we were allowed to drink, because it was the only way to keep the athletes from drinking in the halls. I remember sitting on a chair, staring into my beer, surrounded by all these athletes from across the country that I watched on YouTube and really admired, thinking I don’t belong here but this is fucking cool.

Then they all went to the bar, and I didn’t go, because I had just abstained from drinking for a month while my life absolutely fell apart, and then I’d had a horribly difficult day at a tournament where I was disappointed in my performance, and that’s not the sort of thing that I want to follow up with a night at a bar where I’d have to navigate social situations. What I wanted to do was get drunk by myself in the hotel room, but I couldn’t because my teammate who was rooming with me had also stayed home from the bar, and was hanging out in the room with a guy from another team who had a girlfriend on his own team but she hadn’t qualified for the national championships so of course he cheated on her with my roommate who had.

So instead, I took the case of beer and bottle of whiskey that I’d purchased into that concrete stairwell that hotels have. You know those concrete stairwells? Ones like this:

I sat on a landing from about 10:30 PM until 3:30 AM. I blasted music from my iPod (through headphones, I wasn’t completely inconsiderate of sleeping hotel guests) and texted occasionally with my friends back home, but I mostly just started at the concrete wall and contemplated all the things I'd ever done wrong.

All night, I only saw two people. One was a hotel employee who walked past me and told me I can't drink out here and have to take it to my room. I said okay, and made no move to get up. He just walked off and didn't say another word. Clearly, the hotel had spent all night dealing with athletes, coaches, and refs who were all letting loose in the post-season and causing actual problems. Clearly, he told me I had to go because he had to say something, but he did not actually give one fuck about someone sitting quietly in a stairwell no one ever used and keeping to herself.

The other people I saw were at about 3 AM, when the guy who'd won coach of the year came up the stairs with his former athlete/co-coach. Basically, he'd coached this woman for many years, including during her three Olympic runs, and everyone knew he was sleeping with her the whole time. Then she quit competing and became his co-coach. That was the case in 2013, when they walked by me on the stairwell. However, even though he was no longer her coach so it was technically okay by then on that front, he was still married, so they still had to make a cursory effort to hide their secret that everyone knew about. So when they got back from the bar, instead of her getting to his room via the elevator, they took the concrete stairwell so no one would see them go in together. They walked right past me, entered the hotel hall, and then she stuck her head back out and asked me, "Are you okay?" I was sitting there with a bottle of Jim Beam bourbon whiskey that I was drinking directly out of, a case of beer, and angry music blasting through headphones, in a concrete stairwell at 3 AM. I really wanted to say "Yes of course I'm fine, why do you ask?" but I think I just said yes. Clearly, what she actually meant by that question was "Are you going to tell anyone you saw me go into the hotel with this guy?" But she coached that rival woman who'd beaten me that day and I just wanted her to fuck off.

The next morning, we flew home and I had one of my best flights ever. I'm normally afraid of flying, but in this case, I was still quite drunk by the time the plane took off, so wasn't remotely anxious. I highly recommend staying up all night getting drunk before a flight and then still being drunk when it takes off. Very relaxing. I got home and proceeded to get drunk nearly every night for the next week.

...I did not mean to write that story right now. I don't really know how I got on to it, and I don't even want to go back and check. I started writing this post because I wanted to write a post that says I'm pretty sure that one time when I was 22, the month before university nationals, was the last time I went a whole month without getting drunk. And now I'm trying to do it again and it sucks.

I used to have no problem drinking when I had things to do the next day. I could drink until 3 or 4 AM and then go to work with only a mild hangover, no problem. I suppose that's one upside to the way COVIDtimes have significantly increased my general anxiety about my ability to function in the world outside my bedroom. It makes me really scared that I'll burn out mentally and won't be able to get through a work day and then I'll get fired and I won't be able to pay rent. This fear means that these days, I will never, ever have even a single drink if I have to work at any time the next day. Which means that since I started working full time in person last year, I was forced to drink less, and Friday and Saturdays were the only times when I could drink. But now I have taken those away, and it feels pretty bad.

Had a kid at work on Friday start crying and tell me he doesn't want to be autistic anymore, and I told him it doesn't always have to be bad, I mean I'm autistic and I've done okay, and then he started crying harder because he didn't know adults could be autistic, he thought he'd grow out of it someday. See, that's the sort of thing that would normally make me think, this is fucking harrowing and I feel awful and I don't know what to do for him, at least it's happening on a Friday so I can go home and drink whiskey about it. But I can't. I didn't. Because I am not drinking in January. And I keep reading stuff that says abstaining from alcohol will make you feel better but all that's happened is I've spent all weekend without a way to decompress and process stuff and now I'm just more anxious and depressed and agitated, which is why I opened Tumblr and started writing and then a long story from 2013 came out for no reason. If you stay sober for a weekend but still start get anxious about difficult memories from 2013, then what is the point of staying sober? I could get anxious about memories from 2013 while drunk at least that would be more fun. (Yes, obviously I am aware that the fact that abstaining from alcohol makes me feel like I have no way to decompress or process stuff is a good reason to give up alcohol so I can learn to live without it.)

I'm fine. I've spent the weekend wanting a drink and listening to some John Robins, some Jason Isbell. Jason Isbell is an excellent American musician who used to be the lead singer of the excellent country/Southern rock band Drive-By Truckers, then he got kicked out of Drive-By Truckers because his alcoholism made him an unreliable band member, he put out a few good solo albums, then got sober and put out a few more really great solo albums, which included a few songs about getting sober and how good and idea that was. He's always been great, I love his work with the Truckers and solo pre-sobering, but his best work was definitely done after getting sober. He also announced in 2020 that if his home state of Georgia went for Biden, he'd celebrate by recording an entire album of covers of famous songs by artists from Georgia. He did, it's called Georgia Blue, it's a great album. I've been listening to a lot of him this weekend.

Anyway, I'm feeling weirdly anxious for no good reason and thought I'd write a long story on Tumblr as a non-whiskey-based way to decompress. It's worked a little bit. Listening to John Robins and Jason Isbell is genuinely helping though, saying here are some other people who agree that not drinking alcohol is a good idea, even though it used to seem like a really really good idea. Thank you Tumblr for giving us a website for just writing whatever the hell you like any time you like. Hope everyone is having a nice day.

[stitching-myself-together1031]

January 7th

Day 2 of soccer tournament. The game I refereed got rough and one of the coaches had a meltdown. Adults that get in the way of the time and experience of children are one of the things I hate the most.

My sister's team lost both of their games today, but since they knew they were out of the tournament they played the last game just for the fun of it. And that game ended up being their best game! I wonder if the nerves got to them. In any case, it was a good experience for all of the girls and they seemed to have fun, and that makes it all worth it.

After I got home I mostly played Divinity 2 with my friend. My final weekend before classes start again. I didn't take any photos, so here is the shelf I put together to hold some of my figures and the series I am currently reading!

[oldsalempost-blog]

The Old Salem Post

Our  Local Tamassee-Salem SC Area News each Monday except holidays                                          Contact: theoldsalempost@gmail.com                              Distributed to local businesses, town hall, library.                                            Volume 7 Issue 9                                                                                              Week of February 13,2023                https://www.tumblr.com/settings/blog/oldsalempost-blog                                                         Lynne Martin Publishing

EDITOR: It is the week of love.  It is not always easy to love, especially if you feel someone has done something to damage that love.  Words and actions can harm a relationship.   Maybe your “boss” is difficult to work for or someone is difficult to work with.   The battle of who is right and who is wrong consumes valuable time, mind-space and energy. Often, we prefer to carry a heavy burden rather than cast if off.  If we truly love one another as Jesus taught, and as we say we do, this can be a challenge.  Sometimes we despair in our trials, and feel we are walking alone.  I call this the valley, when we don’t always feel the Presence of God. But, we will learn from trials, if we open our hearts, knowing in the end love will conquer all! L R Martin  Prayer:  Lord, Help me to always choose to love.

TOWN OF SALEM: *Downtown Market every Sat. 8am-12pm. Council Meeting Feb 21 6pm.                                                                                                            Diane Head Memorial Dedication:  You are invited to attend the cutting of the Red Ribbon to dedicate the site in memory of Salem’s first town mayor on Feb 25. 1pm. The location is across Hwy 130 just south from the Calvary Church.    Valentine Mission: Thank you all who contributed to the Talley Luce Valentine Mission of spreading love over our county.  The project began from Talley’s little heart of love, that not only unites our Tamassee-Salem community and churches, but spreads through our whole county as she shares the gifts to the elderly and shut-ins.                                                                                                

__ASHTON RECALLS_________________________       By Ashton Hester  Here is the follow-up to the basketball story I sent last week:  SALEM'S 1952-53 GIRLS' BASKETBALL TEAM ALSO DOING WELL - (Last week's column featured a story about Salem High School's outstanding 1952-53 boys' basketball team that was in the January 28, 1953 issue of the Keowee Courier. That story continued with the following account of the Salem girls' team). . .The Salemites won't take a back seat when it comes to their girls' team either, for even while playing their first full schedule in several years, they have still managed to win 5 while losing 8 and tieing once. . .Coached by L.H. Pursley, the girls' scoring parade is led by brilliant little Betty Lou Towe, who can "natural-born" play a tune with the netting when she gets her hands on the ball. The diminutive star has sacked in 230 points in the campaign for a resounding average of 16.4 points per game. . .Not far behind is Phyllis Fisher who has poured in 189 points and now boasts a 13.5 per game average. . .The other forward post alternates between Bobbie Ann Littleton and Betty Perry. . .The guards lack height this year, but they have made up for much of that handicap with hustle and spirit. . .Shirley Ann Childress, Hilda Sue Burgess, and Martha Jean Nicholson handle the guard posts with some help from Maxine Smith, a promising eighth grader. . .(Footnote written in 2023: "Girls' rules" back then were that each team had three guards and three forwards on both ends of the court. None of them could cross the center-court line; they had to remain on their end). . .Others seeing action with the squad this year are Bea Holden, Ramona McCoy, Juanita Burrell, and Martha Hinkle. . .TOURNAMENT RESULTS: The February 18 issue of the Courier reported that the Salem boys' team lost its first-round game in the Class C District Tournament at Pendleton to Antreville, 45 to 37. The girls' team also lost its first-round game. The details were not reported other than the unfortunate loss of  their second-highest scorer, Phyllis Fisher, who moved away the final week of the season.                                                                                                                      

JOCASSEE VALLEY BREWING COMPANY,(JVBC)& COFFEE SHOP 13412 N Hwy 11 Open Wed-Sat 8am-9pm. Sun 2pm-7pm.  Events this week:  Wed: Blue Grass Jam 6:30pm.  Fri– FOOD: Wing Wagon  Music:  Square Roots at 6:30pm.  Sat–Music: BJ Calahan 6:30pm Food: Lobster Dogs.

Land Preservation starts with each one of us.  You can have plans in place for what you like to happen to your land once your time here is gone.   If you leave it to developers, it will be chopped up with whatever idea they have in mind.  Then landowners all around have to contend with the destruction left behind.    Like planning your life, plan what you want to happen to your land you cherish and have worked so hard for.  Do not let others plan for you.  Consider conservation easements or land trusts. Once the land is preserved for perpetuity, you can sell it or gift it. The land is protected.  LM

Jottings from Jeannie:  Celebrating South Carolina                                            We have 46 counties.       Here is a cure for insomnia: Try to name them all-- Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson...   Our state has 187 miles of coastline and a total area of  31,113 square miles. Did you know that the Edisto River is the longest black-water river in the entire world?  We live near SC's highest point which is Sassafras Mountain (3,560 ft above sea level).  Be proud! More Revolutionary War battles were fought in SC than in any other state!  The town of Abbeville is known as "the birthplace and the deathbed of the Confederacy."   I know what you are thinking! "Oh! Miz Jeannie! You are so smart! You should go on JEOPARDY!"  My reply: I probably would win a big prize-- but then I would have to leave Oconee County to go fetch it.   No Thank You!                                                                                                            

                   EAGLES NEST ART CENTER , 501c3, 4 Eagle Lane, Salem                                                                                                                                            WOMEN ECOURAGING WOMEN: FEB 18, 1PM-4PM  *Love Offering event.  * This is a wonderful event for our local churches to help sponsor. *  Invite your girlfriends, sisters, mom, or strangers to this local 3 hour retreat. Our speaker is Martha Loftis Watson, a former T-S teacher and minister.                                                                                                                                                                      Alumni Gathering March 4, 2pm-6pm:  Calling all Salem, Tamassee-Salem, and Eagle Ridge alumni, staff, and faculty to drop-in to visit together and unite the past with the present.  There is a sweet sprit that unites us from our beloved roots.  Come tour the campus.  Bring your tennis shoes and shoot some hoops.  There will be concessions and maybe some homemade soups and chili available to purchase to support the hallowed grounds.   Call for more information or if you would like to assist in any way, Susan Hopkins, 864-944-2490, or Judy Hines.

Tamassee DAR:  Tamassee DAR School can make your wedding dreams come true.  From engagement tea, rehearsal, ceremony, to reception – Weddings at Tamassee is a one-stop-venue experience for all your wedding needs. Make reservations for the next Bride-to-Be Tea Party on Sat, Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. in historical South Carolina Cottage on the campus of Tamassee DAR School.  Tour our beautiful indoor and outdoor venue options, visit with preferred vendors, enjoy refreshments, and learn more about our affordable wedding packages.   Cost for the Tea Party is $10 for the bride and one guest.  To register call us at 864.944.1390 or email us at events@tdarschool.org.                              Tamassee DAR Full Day Program: On Monday, Feb 20, Presidents’ Day, our student will have  a fun day of adventures with friends and learning good citizenship values. Your child does not need to be enrolled in the regular after school program to participate.  $28/day for nonparticipants, $18/day for participants.   Call Ms Hope 864-944-3022 Ext 118.    7:30am-6:00pm Includes Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack.                                                                                BELLFEST 2023:  Join Friends of Jocassee for the 10th annual celebration of our native Oconee Bell at Devil’s Fork State Park. March 18 from 10am-3pm.  Park entry fees apply.  There will be Interpretive Bell Trail  walks, craft vendors, food trucks, music, kid & family activities, silent auction, and more. Visit www.friendsofjocassee.org to learn more.  

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Free my spirit from anything that causes me not to love everyone as myself.  Amen                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Share your heart of love this week. Lynne

[wearecaptaingeorgiou]

Captain Georgiou January - February Day 3′s scheduled creation is by Al @dykekeit​. Thank you to Al for sharing this essay!

Here’s the thing: this story isn’t about me. I’m white and Jewish―not exactly lacking for representation in Star Trek, even if I am a lesbian―not with the ta’al itself coming from the Kol Nidre service, not with Benjamin Sisko’s character more closely resembling Moses than any other religious figure. How many times have I seen myself, loved myself, in Trek? I’ve taken heart in Leonard Nimoy’s Yiddish, in Jim Kirk’s Tarsus IV backstory, in Benjamin Sisko the reluctant prophet and in Kira Nerys, fighting for her traditions amidst pressure to assimilate or die.

And yet, the first time I saw the trailer for Discovery, I almost burst out crying hearing Michelle Yeoh’s voice—her accent, the way she pronounced Shenzhou, seeing her in the captain’s chair—because it felt so much like home.

Like I said, this story isn’t about me. This is a story about my sensei.

I still don’t know what name she was born with, growing up just outside of Hong Kong. When she arrived in the United States, there was no large Chinese community on the east coast in those days; she didn’t speak English, and no one around her spoke Cantonese. She was alone, totally alone. I still can’t fathom the sheer amount of chutzpah it took for her to stand her ground and carve out her place the way she did, but I know what it took: a skill for organization, a love of scheduling, a gift for disdainful silences, and an intense, rigid sense of etiquette. When you stand barely five feet tall, it’s all necessary.

Sensei loves gardening and darjeeling tea, and hates anything sweet to the point that I have gone out of my way to buy her chocolate above 70% grade dark. Oh, and did I mention? She loves Star Trek.

Sensei gravitates towards characters like Spock, like Data: immigrants, constant strangers among new and adopted cultures alike, repeatedly explaining their differences and saving face and proudly, wholly themselves, no matter if people understand them or not. They are characters who defy expectations and use every difference as a strength, no matter if it’s supposed to be a weakness. I wonder, sometimes, as she’s teaching me about the protective properties of jade bracelets and how the good Jewish delis she knew used to serve thinly sliced beef tongue for sandwiches, but not any more—were the stars visible in Hong Kong, growing up? Did she want to escape to the dark sky, to the other side of the world—anywhere?

How did I meet her? Well, when she was thirty-nine, my sensei took up kendo, the Japanese martial art of fencing, and almost twenty-five years later, she had reached fifth-dan (that’s fifth degree black belt!) Into her dojo I stumbled. Picture this: me, a clumsy, skinny Jewish lesbian, never worked out in my life, thought swords were kind of cool, walking into a dojo and finding a sixty-something Chinese woman who, though she barely came up to my chest, could kick the butts of every single much-younger six-foot-plus male student she had.

I guess it’s not surprising I stayed.

Over the next six years, my sensei taught me everything, and not just about kendo. In between correcting my wrist angles, my posture, my follow-through, my footwork, my uniform, my dojo etiquette, and anything else she could think of, there were moments of life coaching: how to focus, how to be disciplined in everything I do, how to help, how to put other people first. When I burst out crying during practice, she reminds me that the dojo is a safe place for emotions. She introduced me to Hong Kong-style diner food, showed me real dim sum and how to order and eat and share it properly, cultivated a lucky money plant for me to bring home and instructed me where to put it in my house for best feng shui, advised me to begin acupuncture for stress, told me to take more initiative when pouring tea for other visiting sensei. On the worst day of my life, I wanted her advice. Once, I managed to get a signed copy of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club addressed to her personally. When I presented it to her and she learned I hadn’t read it, she turned around and gave it right back to me, insisting with a smile that I read it first so that we could talk about it together.

In the middle of all of it, a new Star Trek show, called Discovery, was announced, and soon, a new trailer dropped. The captain’s name was Philippa Georgiou, and she was played by Michelle Yeoh.

I did nearly burst out crying. It was Michelle Yeoh, but all I could see was Sensei, in command and speaking her accented English, proof of a past beyond a Starfleet that demanded “standard” English for assimilation.

Captain Georgiou was concerned with etiquette, both social and honor-bound: Starfleet doesn’t fire first. In the dojo, I am to bow respectfully, I am to shake hands and thank my opponent after every match, I do not hit just to hit or shy away in fear. The only way a kendo match works is with mutual communication; an opponent is not a faceless thing to be beaten so much as a partner to create opportunities. We may strike first, but we are not aggressors.

Captain Georgiou said: the best way to know yourself is to know others. Take care of those who are in your care. I still remember the time I watched a fellow dojo member rush across the tournament floor because someone had the wrong-colored tasuki to change it without a thought—because he had noticed a problem, therefore he must help. I sat there, frozen. I told Sensei this story later with absolute wonderment and shame and she just smiled, patted my hand, and shared some of her favorite raisin walnut bread with me. She knew the lesson had stuck. Other times, she has snapped at me for forgetting to hold a door open for other people, but—

Captain Georgiou: disciplined, teasing, dedicated, setting stars and valuing candor: your confidence is justified. My shock when Sensei first told a few of the other girls and I some dirty jokes late at night before that same tournament was only matched by how funny it was, and how it was immediately followed with a discussion of our weaknesses in shiai combat, and what our approach both physically and mentally would be for the tournament the following day.

I wonder, through fanfiction and fanart and discussion with others, what Philippa shared of the universe with those around her—with Michael, with Saru, with all those under her care.

I once told Sensei that reading The Joy Luck Club and trying to understand all the Chinese cultural nuances from an outside perspective was like looking through a waterfall, or trying to see through a beaded curtain—seeing outlines, but not being able to grasp details. She smiled, and nodded, and said, “yes.” What she meant was, of course I couldn’t, and no one would be able to explain every detail to me―not if I didn’t live it, but more importantly, not if I didn’t ask questions. When Captain Georgiou brought Michael Burnham to the bridge for the first time, she said, “This can be your new home, if you want it to be.” She asked for little but trust and mutual respect from a certain Vulcan-raised human who needed to re-integrate into an all-too-familiar but still foreign culture. The dojo is foreign, and it is my home, and I must always ask questions.

A human who had seen a life of loss, but still chose hope. A mentor who saw everything as a lesson, full of expectations both written and unwritten. And I, or Michael Burnham, watching her set a star.

Sensei: 谢谢, I love you, and I hope to see you in person soon.

Al

[wosofan14]

Touzani in Oranje - Jackie Groenen

Touzani: One day, you get an email or a message that you’ve been invited to a camp for the senior team. Do you still remember the first message you got? Tell us about how that went for you.

Jackie: I saw the coach at my club actually, and they were actually in Germany to watch someone else play. I talked with him a bit there, and I was secretly hoping that he would invite me to a camp for the senior team. I think my first camp was in January, and we went to Turkey. That would be my first trip, and I got a message at home saying that I’d been called up, and I was very happy with that.

22-01-2016

Touzani: January 22, 2016. You nodded straight away.

Jackie: Yes, that was the day of my first game, no?

Touzani: Okay wait, I’m going to change things a little.

21-01-2016

Touzani: January 21, 2016. The day before the game. The day before your debut. How did you sleep?

Jackie: I wasn’t actually that nervous. I’d also been a part of the youth teams and I knew some of the girls, so it was pretty relaxed. We also had our training camp where the atmosphere was very good and it was very fun, so everything had gone well up until the game. It was a bit of a “low-key” game and there wasn’t much riding on the game

Touzani: Legend says that very good footballers don’t get that nervous for moments like this.

Jackie: In that moment, it actually was okay. I think the first time that I really got nervous was before the first game of the Euros. We were playing at home in the Netherlands and that’s the first time I thought “okay, what do we need to do, how are we going to do this?”

Touzani: So you’ve always been able to do your thing on the pitch, how is it different playing without fans?

Jackie: I find that it’s a very different feeling, and especially when we play with the Dutch team because we’d built up this tradition almost of when we play at home, it would be one big part with all the fans. That’s versing, one difference. For me though, when the game begins, my focus in on football, so that doesn’t change, whether there are fans or no fans.

Touzani: My understanding has always been that when footballers have played a match in front of say 50,000 people, and you guys have also played in front of full stadiums, that does do a lot for a footballer. Is that different now? Do you sleep differently knowing there won’t be any fans?

Jackie: I’d say the adrenaline is less than if we were to have a full stadium. When we would play in those big stadiums with lots of fans, I wouldn’t be able to sleep through the whole night because I’d just be awake.

Touzani: What would you do then?

Jackie: I’d maybe watch a show, try to relax a little bit and try to sleep. That never really worked out though.

Challenge

Touzani: Head it or catch it. Catch it means head it, and head it means catch it. Jackie, do you want to start or should I start?

Jackie: I think I’ll throw first.

*game of head it, throw it*

20-10-2016

Touzani: October 20, 2016.

Jackie: Lemme think what happened on the 20th of October 2016... Did we play against the USA? No?

Touzani: Golazo

Jackie: Jackie: Was that when I scored my first goal? Against Scotland I think that was.

Touzani: Was this one where you thought, “it’s against Scotland and it’s my first international goal, but I’m not jumping for joy or anything”

Jackie: I think it was 6-0 or 7-0 here. I was subbed in I think, and the score was 6-0 or 7-0, so the nerves were gone. It was nice though to get my first goal.

03-08-2017

Touzani: Thursday, August 3, 2017.

Jackie: Is that the first game of the euros?

Touzani: Let’s look at the videos.

Jackie: I think that I was really “in the game”, especially considering I was willing to do a move like that in my own half during the semifinals of the Euros. I felt really good and it was going really well. I also think that we started playing more freely as a team building up to that semifinal. We had the feeling that everything we were doing was good and fun.

Touzani: Something else happened in that game too. Something very important from you specifically.

Jackie: Oh, my cross!

Touzani: Yes your assist.

Jackie: We played with very wide players (ie. the wingers), and England would have been anticipating that. So we thought, what would happen if Shanice drifts in and I make the field wider and created room. That’s exactly what happened in that situation. Shanice drifted in, and I went wider and had a free chance to cross the ball basically because there was no one around me.

*video of Miedema’s first goal in the final, courtesy of Jackie’s pass to Shanice*

Jackie: I think this was my favourite pass of the tournament.

Touzani: Can I call this the assist to the assist?

Jackie: I don’t know actually, but I think that at that moment it was very important. Especially because we had just conceded a goal and we had to respond to that. I think this might be my favourite action of the whole tournament.

Belgium

Touzani: What do we see here?

Jackie: This is me in Belgium. I played with Belgium for a bit when I wasn’t playing with the senior Netherlands team yet after the youth teams. I think it was in Duisburg and I played against Anderlecht in a friendly match. The coach of the Belgian team was there, and they asked “do you play for the Netherlands” and I said “no, not yet”. He then asked, “do you want to play for Belgium?”, and I said “yes, I think I do”. I trained with them for half a year or something like that.

Touzani: How did you switch in the end? The Dutch almost lost you!

Jackie: In the end, I did have to choose and I felt that I was more Dutch than Belgian. I grew up in Belgium of course and I’ve lived there my whole life as well. When I initially chose for Belgium, my thoughts were that I really wanted to play in the Euros and World Cup. When the Netherlands became an option though, I chose them in the end.

*game of two-touch*

World Cup

Touzani: 98 minutes and 55 seconds played.

Jackie: My goal in the semifinals of the World Cup against Sweden?

Touzani: Take us through what happened.

Jackie: The ball fell perfectly in front of me...

Touzani: This is for the couple of people who didn’t watch the game because much of the country watched on NOS.

Jackie: Yeah (laughs). It just fell perfectly at my feet and I hit it well. Once I’d hit it, I had a feeling it was going in and then in the end, we went to the final.

Touzani: The video says more than words (plays video).

Jackie: That was really a surreal moment. I’m not someone who scores a lot, so for me it was like how am I going to celebrate? Before the tournament, I was joking with Loes Geurts about what I’d do if I scored and if I scored, I would run towards her. She said “if you ever score in this tournament, come celebrate and run towards me”. I totally forgot about this though.

Touzani: There are probably 14/15/16 year olds watching. What would you want to say to these footballers in order to get the best out of themselves?

Jackie: I think that you always need to make your decisions based on what you think the best decision is. There might be another choice that’s more logical, but it might not be the choice that you feel is the best at that moment. I think sometimes people say “a step backwards is three steps forwards”. You should always do what you think is right I think. I’ve always based my decisions on this advice as well, and your decision or choice doesn’t always have to be the logical decision. I think it’s important to do what makes you happy because otherwise you won’t be able to keep doing it. This applies to everything too, it doesn’t just have to be with football.

Touzani: That’s great advice. Just do your thing, it’s that simple.

Jackie: I think it is quite simple. You’re going to have to do things in your life that are less fun or things that you don’t enjoy as much. Overall though, you can choose things that you want to do and you like doing.

*crossbar challenge*

Touzani: You’ve come far, you play for one of the biggest clubs in the world. You play for one of the most successful countries in the world. You’ve come so far because of certain people around you, and that could be people like that one scout or that one family member who always brought you to games. Who do you want to thank at the end of this video?

Jackie: This is cliche, but I want to thank my mom and dad and my sister, Merel.

[nicklander]

[ jacob elordi, cis man, he/him ] have you seen NICHOLAS LANDER lately ? yeah, i heard they’re TWENTY-FOUR years old and a MED STUDENT now in charleston city. i mean, i don’t know if it’s their CAPRICORN vibes or that they’re -JUDGMENTAL and -BLUNT but also +CURIOUS and +INDEPENDENT but they remind me of PLUTO PROJECTOR by REX ORANGE COUNTY. here’s to hoping they don’t cause too much trouble around here.

hi, i’m ella (she/her)!! and i’m so excited to be part of this roleplay. i have to quarantine for the next 14 days, so i’ll be here all day ghdhgdhgd

basic information

FULL NAME: Nicholas Alexander Lander

NICKNAME: Nick

AGE:  Twenty-four

DATE OF BIRTH: January 15, 1997

PLACE OF BIRTH:  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

GENDER: Cis Man

PRONOUNS: He/him

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION:  Demiromantic

LANGUAGES: English and Spanish

character inspo

ben wyatt (parks & rec)

schmidt (new girl)

sam wier (freaks & geeks)

amy brookheimer (veep)

chandler bing (friends)

michael bluth (arrested development)

jim halpert (the office)

jeff winger (community)

background

** this is gonna be a mess but i tried

born in pittsburgh, nick is one of five kids. tbh his parents should have stopped having kids after the first one but oh well, who am i to tell them what to do?

he had a lovely mother and a not so lovely father. they were alright but his parents really didn’t have a lot motivation in life. they really stuck to the philosophy of “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”. their lack of ambition is something that still bothers nick a lot.

his dad had multiple jobs, rarely could keep a job and his mother often had to take even three jobs in order to bring food to the table.

out of all his siblings, nick always had a drive that was often misunderstood by his family. the mere concept of graduating high school seemed impossible for his older siblings.

he started working when he was eight. not officially bc ya know that’s illegal or maybe it isn’t idk US laws but stay with me.

anyway, his uncle worked at a country club as an on-site custodian. nick and his uncle were always very close and in a way, he was more of a father than his own father to him.

tired of his home situation (it was a very unstable household tbh) he often spent time with his uncle and helped him clean the pools, or he picked up lost golf balls in exchange for a “salary”. after the country club closed, his uncle and him used some of the amenities, especially the tennis court.

he’s started playing tennis at eight years old and from the start he showed natural talent and love for the sport. there was something about the sound of the racquet hitting the ball that seemed rather therapeutic (shut up, ella, you tennis nerd)

his uncle pretty much trained him for most of his childhood, with the aid of youtube videos and them watching matches.

by the time he was fourteen, he was noticed by one of the coaches at the club and offered to train him if he decided to compete, of course, in exchange of a percentage if he won.

nick turned out to be a pretty good tennis player and won some junior tournaments. his uncle and coach had high hopes that he would go pro but to nick, tennis was just part of his plan and not something he wanted to do for the long term.

at 14 years old, he was top ten in the junior ITF rankings and it seemed that he was going to turn pro very soon. meanwhile, he continued his education, always getting good grades and being top of his class.

despite the pressure from his uncle and coach to go pro, nick kept postponing it until his senior year. he figured that if he could win a few tournaments, he could have enough money to attend college.

so at eighteen years old he debuted on the pro tour, he won some matches, reached some semifinals but it was clear that he didn’t love the sport that much to really give it all for the win.

after two years on the tour, he opted to attend college after princeton university offered him a sports scholarship. while his uncle and coach were disappointed, they knew that he had done his fair share.

played for the princeton tennis team while majoring in biochemistry. he graduated this year, being top of his class.

tw illness: he was accepted into columbia for med school, but around that time his mother had fallen ill. his mother, a charleston native, returned to the city after her divorce while the rest of the family remained in pittsburgh. 

nick rejected columbia and enrolled at med school in charleston, so he can be closer to his mom and take care of her since his siblings and father pretty much bailed on the responsibility.

he’s utterly miserable because of how his life turned but he still plans to transfer to columbia when his mom gets better.

he also has a part time job at the local country club as a tennis instructor.

personality

very rational and analytical. honestly arguing with him is exhausting because he’s damn stubborn. just thinking about it makes me sick bc i will have to write it gydgdgd

too ambitious. i’d say he has atychiphobia because nothing terrifies him more than the failure. his parents pretty much set the whole family up for failure so the fact that he hasn’t failed so far makes him feel very proud but also makes him scared of it.

judgmental af! he doesn’t even need to say anything, one look is enough to show his disapproval.

often uses sarcasm and it’s not really as a defense mechanism, it’s just something that comes natural to him and most of the times he doesn’t do it in order to make others feel bad.

ofc he’s a perfectionist and that causes him a lot of stress bc ya know nothing is perfect in life

can be a bit too blunt sometimes. he’s not one to sugarcoat things and if you ever need a proper honest opinion then he’s your guy!

headcanons

he was president of the debate club at princeton

he minored in cognitive sciences

has 3 nephews and 2 nieces

started learning mandarin but then switched to spanish

pls don’t call him nicky, he hates it ghdhgdgh

he’s never been high and i’m gonna link this gifset bc it’s truly him

ngl a few older married woman have hit on him bc idk i guess they want to live their tennis coach/suburban mom fantasy but he’s not very into any kind of cliche hgdghdtdtd

not into sports. i mean he watches tennis, but he tends to overanalyze everything and ain’t nobody got the time to do that with sports (unless your name is ella)

wanted connections

best friend: the definition of friendship. nick doesn’t give this title easily but this person really has become the sibling he always wanted and they are one of the few people he trusts. nick usually doesn’t ask for advice but if he were to do it, your muse would be the one he would call.

first love: nick used to come to charleston every summer to visit his grandparents. they could have either dated for some time or they were always about to date but the timing was never right. the point is that nick really developed feelings for this person which doesn’t happen often to him. they always wonder what would have happened if they had give their relationship a go. 

love-hate: they hate each other’s guts and they can’t help to bicker all the time. they are so opposite and nick cant help but roll his eyes when your muse is around but at the same there’s a lot of tension between them.

enemies/competition: personalities clash all the time and it’s especially true with these two. after all, nick can be self-righteous and too competitive at times. It’s not that they’re enemies or rivals; they simply don’t like each other.

tennis students: he works as a tennis coach at the country club.

fwb: lol y'all know the drill. maybe your muse is slowly becoming someone he trusts outside of the bedroom but it all started as a no strings attached relationship. 

crush: they’ve been friends for quite awhile and there’s some obvious chemistry between them but they haven’t acted on it because they don’t want to ruin their friendship.

bad influence: so, nick is usually the kind of guy who follows the rules but he needs someone to be a bad influence and encourage him to go out of his comfort zone. 

exes: we can plot if they ended in good or bad terms.

unlikely friendship: ya know, their personalities says they shouldn’t be friends yet they are.

old friends: people he met while living in pittsburgh, new york or new jersey

used to be friends: they used to be friends but they had a fallout and since then things have been awkward between them. they didn’t fight but they left a lot unsaid.

[zhenyabest]

Express Gazeta: The newspapers have already written about the personal life of Sasha Ovechkin. And you, Zhenya, how are things going on the love front?

Geno: I have a girlfriend. But we have been quarreling with her lately.

EG: Because of which?

Geno: I have some fans, and Christina thinks that sometimes I give up. I talk to them too often.

EG: Do you think it's too rare?

Geno: Not. But Christina shouldn't think I'm frivolous. We met her two years ago. Our Metallurg played in Ufa in the Bashkortostan Cup tournament. After the match, I left the Sports Palace and saw a girl whom I immediately liked. We started talking. It turned out that her dad works as a coach at a children's sports school. And my brother, like me, plays hockey. Christina studied in Ufa as a lawyer, and now she moved to Magnitogorsk. Transferred to correspondence course. In the summer we rested with her in Turkey.

EG: Do you live together?

Geno: I rented her a separate apartment in the city.

[source, January 10, 2006]

[prosenkhans]

Kobe

And they were going to a youth basketball tournament. 

Just think about that for a second. When we distill what actually happened yesterday to its essence, it was a group of parents and coaches bringing their young girls to an organized youth basketball game on a nondescript Sunday morning in January. There is nothing more vanilla than that. Then it ended. Just so suddenly.

I can online imagine the fear those 3 girls had in that chopper in its final moments, the bargaining that went on within the minds of those parents as that hillside emerged from the morning fog. I am not lucky, blessed, or even really deserving enough to know the joy of parenthood. However, even the least empathetic of individuals would be hard pressed to deny that Kobe was utterly in love with his family, and Gianna to her father. All the videos, the images, and interactions caught for celluloid and digital posterity, all of them showed a family deeply appreciative of one another. Beyond all things, that seems to drive this feeling of devastation further up my throat.

The level of tragedy is defined by the amount of potential lost within such an event. 

That fact that Gianna and her friends were 12 and 13 is more than enough to gut most people with a soul, however, the potential lost goes beyond even that. He seemed happy. Genuinely. Kobe seemed happy in what was in store for the rest of his life, his “second act”. The stone cold competitor with the icy scowl and bared teeth had transitioned into a statesman, an ever present and positive force within the game of basketball. Where once there were thorns, we now saw the pedals of the rose. Hugs and high fives. Congratulations and teachings. Puppets and children’s book. What we saw was a man secure in his legacy, and very much looking forward to the next chapter of his story.

But that story ended before the sequel could truly begin. As a group of people very much looking to see how the story would continue, we are left to wonder about what those potential chapters would have said. How would he have spoken during his Hall of Fame speech? Would he talk shit, or be humble? What number would be on his chest when his statue would be unveiled? Would he demand 2 to Shaq’s 1? Would we be lucky enough to be in the building when he and Gianna would sit courtside at a game? Would he still allow us to show him appreciation and stand an acknowledge the cheers? Would he be embarrassed by the continued adulation? Would we see him at UConn games, or maybe in an Oregon sweater? Would he be a leading voice in promotion of female athletics and the WNBA? Would he still allow us a peek in his mind, dissecting basketball games for public consumption? Would he write the stories that he wanted to tell? Would he make more art? Would he go on Kimmel and talk smack about the current stars of the game? Would he still smile and wave and take a selfie with us if we were oh so lucky to meet him? Would he continue to push us to be better? These are all questions in which we will never get an answer. 

The hero’s journey is not supposed to end like this. The hero fights the good fight, gives all he/she can give, and then ride off into the sunset. 

And I use the word here appropriately in this case. No, not a hero in the sense of how your parents and role models should hopefully provide the “hero” role in one’s life. No. Kobe Bryant was a hero in the sense that Superman is a hero to anyone that paid attention to his exploits. To my generation, a group of kids and adolescents that grew up watching him, Kobe is as much of a hero to us as Batman, Wolverine, and anyone else that wore a color coordinated uniform. He was an individual blessed with glorious purpose, a res on detra. And what made it better was that he was real. Real in the sense that we could actual see him be super, see him share his gifts, in real life, gallantry made flesh. What makes a superhero super anyway? Simple. Belief. We believe that when they dawn that cape, put on that cowl, they will be there to ensure everything is all-right. That everything gets the ending that we the masses so badly want. That they will come through when we need them the most. When Kobe put on that purple and gold tunic, he became our superhero. He gave us that belief, that sense of the universe being set right because he was our guy, and he would make it so. With him gone, it just doesn’t feel the same. 

I’ve been asked through the years on why Kobe holds such esteem in certain pockets of our culture. Every time someone asks me that question, I always think back to the quote from Norman Vincent Peale.

“Aim for the Moon, and you’ll still land among the stars.”

Within the fast majority of the collective consciousness of sports fan, there is one name that is always associated with Kobe Bryant. And that is Michael Jordan. Now I was lucky enough to have watched Jordan as a very young kid, fully appreciating the skill and special athlete I was observing. There is no denying of that. However, Kobe was different. Coming in during Jordan’s waning years, Jordan and Kobe never clashed at their individual apexes. A spry and almost cocky kid, you were drawn to him. He was just a few years older than I, and thus making him a huge part of those who would call themselves a millennial. While Jordan was seen as God upon high, the antecedent ruler of the NBA, Kobe quickly became the scrappy upstart. As the years went by, we were able to follow him on his hero’s journey, watching and developing into what he eventually became. A transcendent figure in basketball. And his game was so beautiful. The efficiency in his ability to score. The complete mastery of all phases of the game. His footwork was exquisite, it was art. His ability to hit the most impossible shots, and give you the faith he would make it. You had the sense watching him that no other human had ever played basketball as beautifully, skillfully,and as passionately as Kobe Bryant. You have to remember, Kobe played for 20 years. For most of my generation, that is more than half our lifetimes. We literally couldn’t imagine basketball without him in it. But why was his story so compelling? Simply put, Kobe was really the only one daring enough to challenge Jordan at his own game, the apprentice succeeding the master. He shot for the Moon, and had no qualms letting you know that’s what the hell he was doing. And I’ll say this. He touched down on those sands, stomped his feet, and pounded his chest, as to say “It’s mine now.”

The whole comparison debate and legacy really doesn’t hold much water. The game changes. Everything about the sport changes. The names change with each passing generation. However, Jordan and Kobe represent something quite different. While the pioneers and legends helped move the rocketship of basketball through the void of space, we can honestly say that Jordan was the first man to touch down on the Moon. He is the Neil Armstrong of basketball in a sense. All credit given. However, if he’s Neil, Kobe is Buzz Aldren. They are on that same rocket ship together. Jordan may have touched the sands of immortality first, but just like Aldren, Kobe followed him down that ladder and followed those footsteps to the same place. His legacy, his imprint, is right up there with the first. It is the sequence of history, with one’s value not diminishing the others’.  And just like Aldren’s actual footprints on the moon, Kobe’s legacy will be set eternally, looking down upon us from high.

But what will that legacy be? There is this silly debated, a national question of “who is the greatest Laker, Magic or Kobe?”. I always found the question silly. In short, the wrong adjective is being used. Magic, who is naturally gregarious, warm, and a welcoming personality became a leader and 5 time champion in his legendary career. Apparently you can’t be in Magic’s presence without wanting to hug him. He is the most beloved Laker. Beloved. Kobe, simply put, is the most revered. Revered. Kobe once said, “I always want to outwork my potential.” That was Kobe as a Laker. Sometimes cold, often surly, he was a driven kid that became a man obsessed with being the best. And it drove some people, competitors, and even teammates away at times. However, as a person who was privileged enough to watch his entire career, he did the one thing we can only ask for as fans. He lived up to his potential. As the world of athletics change into self branding, load management, and disconnected passion for the process of improving as a professional, Kobe stands as the shining example of someone who literally gave all he could to his craft. By blood, by sweat, and by tears.He dared to be great, unapologetically striving for perfection. He knew he was the best, and made sure that all his competitors and people watching were aware of that fact. He accepted the responsibility of the dawning the mantle, of being the standard bearer, the face of a sport. He certainly failed at times, but he never wavered in his journey. Often the most talented player in the room, his work ethic and drive was that of a player with a fraction of his gifts. And we loved him for that. You never felt cheated when you saw Kobe Bryant play. He squeezed every ounce of the potential within himself and left if on the hardwood floor for all of us to behold. He gave us championships, memories for the rest of our lives. He gave us that. He gave us himself, and we were so happy to see him walk off that court, thank him, and let him enjoy his next chapter. And now he wont.   

I can go on and on about this. I still don’t have the ability to eloquently describe all the thoughts and feelings about all this. I’ll just lastly state that we are lessened by the loss. Not just as Laker fans, or basketball enthusiasts. We are lessened as a generation when our hero’s depart with words left unwritten. We are lessened by all potential lost. But we go on. Jerry West, with tears in his eyes, said it best about his surrogate son.

“A singular word, Kobe, will resonate forever.” 

In a city that is defined by the brightness of its stars, the most brilliant of them all has dimmed from view, and future seems so much more caliginous than it did just a day before.

[uozlulu]

Going to stick these here for now in case I lose the file or need it to be easier to search or something.

Notes on the ES21 soulmate mark AU fic I was rambling about in this post. Just kind of organizing things so when it comes time to write it I can hopefully write it quickly. 

Some characters might not show up, others might get added to the list. Those missing so far are characters I either felt like I didn’t have confidence in writing or didn’t really remember since it’s been over 10 years since I finished the manga. Also trying to keep the cast of active characters on the small side even though a lot of characters will be there if only in general. All flashbacks/scenes/etc...will need proper fleshing out and so forth of course. These are all just my initial ideas, which are highly likely to evolve as I go as all my fics tend to do. 

Probably going to wait until I finish watching the anime before writing it. Kind of tried to be canon compliant but also didn’t want to spend oodles of time tracking down details, so just kind of setting the goal as having fun with the AU and letting it do what it wants to do

Headcanons: 

The World Bowl VI was Sunday, August 2, 2020. (It’s where the top football teams from around the world kick off the football season with a three week tournament started in 2015). The rehearsal is Friday, August 7, 2020. The wedding is Saturday August 8, 2020. Everyone goes home sometime Sunday, August 9, 2020. They have the ranch from Tuesday, August 4, 2020 – Monday, August 10, 2020.

High school football players form Japan, pro players from around the world, friends from school, friends from college are all invited along with their spouses, partners, significant others, and kids. Family members include Tetsuma’s mom who looks like him and their Seibu high school coach.

Sena –34 in December, played for Enma University from 2005 – 2009, been with the Seattle Superstars since 2009. Starting to contemplate retiring. The Seattle recruiter saw Sena’s tryout back in high school and tracked him down to beg him to sign with Seattle when Sena finally cashed in his NFL draft invitation from the Youth World Cup. Officially been in a long-distance relationship with Panther since 2010, but really they’ve kind of been a thing for longer than that.

Hiruma – 34 since February, plays for the San-Antonio Armadillos since 2006, likes to say he won’t retire until his age is his jersey number (55). Has been living with Mamori since 2006. They’re not married, but their daughter was born in 2017.

Kurita – 35 since July, played with the Tokyo Stallions, played from 2008 – 2016, works at the temple now.

Monta –34 on August 31, played for the San Antonio Armadillos from 2008 – 2013, having to retire after a career-ending injury at the start of the 2012 – 2013 season. Married Suzuna in 2008. They have a daughter born in 2010 and a son born in 2012. After retirement, he returned to Japan and he’s been coaching and teaching at Deimon ever since.

Juumonji –34 in October, Kuroki 34 on September 1, Togano 34 in October – all went on to have fairly normal jobs (banker, office worker, advertising). Kuroki is married with a kid or two, Juumonji is gay and has a partner who works the same bank and is his “roommate,” Togano is still single.

Yukimitsu – 34 since February, never played football again after high school, became a veterinarian.

Komusubi – 33 since January – never played football again after high school, became a personal trainer.

Ishimaru – 35 in October, never played football again after high school, went on to run in the Hakone Eikoden in university, has a normal job

Taki – 35 since April, played with the Orlando Divers 2004 – 2008 and then was traded to the Nashville Fighters where he’s been since 2008. Never married. Does he date anyone? Who knows. “My brother,” “my niece,” “my nephew.”

Musashi – 35 since Apirl, been playing the the Takekura Construction Babels since 2004, still working construction, personal life is pretty private, but does have a son who plays elementary school soccer.

Mamori 35 in November, ENL teacher to small children, still helps strategize football, been living with Hiruma since 2006 and had a daughter in 2017, living her best life

Suzuna 33 since March, married to Monta since 2008 with two kids, first of the group to get married, part-time matchmaker, has a decent success rate. Hiruma = You-nii, Juumonji = Monjii, Kuroki = Kurokki, Togano = Toga, Komusubi = Kamusubicchi, Yukimitsu = Yukki, Ishimaru = Tet-chan, Musashi = Musha-syan, Mamori = Mamo-nee, Kid = Kiddon,” Cereberus = Ceru, Sena has no nickname

Kid (Mushanokoji Shien) – 35 in November, comes from a noble line, at odds with parents over lifestyle choices and is now estranged, played with the Takekura Construction Babels from 2004 – 2005, played with the Tokyo Stallions from 2005 – 2010, played with the Houston Fishermen from 2010 – 2020. Started Sports Club with Tetsuma in 2012, which is a revitalization of the Boys and Girls Club concept. Hopes to keep working and growing the club in retirement. Been with Tetsuma since 2006. Wanted to enjoy being married so that’s why they waited until they were retired from pro ball.

Tetsuma – 35 since May, his mom looks just like him, played for the Tokyo Stallions from 2004 – 2008, played for the Dallas Titans from 2008 – 2020. Helps Kid run Sports Club, very good at organizing and budgeting.

Riku – turned 34 in April, played with Enma Fires from 2005 – 2009, played with the Yokohama Belugas from 2009 – 2015, still wears the team’s squid hat merch when it’s cold outside. Retired after a horrific injury which he still uses a cane for. Runs a pet bird store. Dated lots of people, still hasn’t settled for anyone.

Buffalo – 36 in October, got rid of the dreads soon after graduation in a bid to try and fit into Japanese society, now his hair is just long. Moved to the US in 2005 and ended up doing stuff like MMA, Ninja Warrior, and UFC. Has an American wife and three daughters (ages 12, 9, and 7).

Horide – no canon age, so let’s assume he’s roughly like late 50’s – early 60’s by 2020, still coaching football, but considering retirement, proud of all the kids who have ever been on his team. He’s pretty much in a parental position in the audience seating, and treated as one might treat a dad during such an event

Saba –mid-30’s, no real wiki info, became an office worker, has one child, didn’t play football after high school.

Aiuchi Hina – mid 30’s, not much wiki info, head cheerleader, Miss Seibu, probably married to an unnamed former teammate, and probably has at least one kid

Shin – 35 since July, played for Ojou Silver Knights 2004 – 2009, played for the New England Musketeers since 2009, has many Super Bowl wins, a true legend in both the US and Japan. Ignores tabloid rumors about him dating models and singers so he can enjoy some privacy with his partner, an indie rocker who preformed the half time show in 2013. They’ve been living together out in the middle of nowhere upstate New York since 2016 in a modest house that no one really would think celebrities owned. Has a condo near the Musketeers’ training facilities.

Sakuraba – 34 since March, played for the Ojou Silver Knights 2004 – 2009, played for the Seattle Superstars from 2009 – 2018, retired because he wanted to do something else with his life. Has gone on to play in a local band that’s had moderate success around the Pacific Northwest touring clubs, lounges, and bars. Keeps his private life very private.

Panther – probably 34 (no birthday given), likely graduated high school in 2005 like Sena, so probably met Sena the summer before sophomore year at high school, maybe has a summer birthday and was already 16 when they met. Nasa Aliens/Shuttles was a travel team he was in from 2001 – 2005, also played high school football with his local high school from 2001 – 2005, played with the San Antonio Armadillos since 2005, took business courses online and has a degree since he thought that might help him keep from falling into pitfalls other pro-athletes fall into with money and retirement. Didn’t have a cellphone when he met Sena, but they exchanged e-mail addresses. When Sena went to Notre Dame High School, they exchanged AIM handles and got to talk to each other more often since they were on the same time zone. Eventually exchanged numbers once Panther got a cellphone after graduating high school. Kind of were rocking the long distance relationship chic before it was an official relationship.

Jeremy – probably 34 or 35, the kid with the glasses, still close friends with Panther. Played at Stanford from 2004/2005 – 2006/2007, knows multiple languages for fun so he’s still not the best translator. Continued his degree while playing professionally because he promised. Played with the New England Musketeers since 2006/2007 and retired earlier in 2020. Has a son and daughter (ages 6 and 9). His wife is a teacher.

Homer – probably 34 or 35, the kid with the long hair, also still close friends with Panther and Jeremy, chose to go into the NFL draft upon graduating high school. Played for the Nashville Fighters from 2004/2005 – 2010/2011, and then got transferred to the Chicago Gangsters in 2010/2011 and retired in 2018 back to Houston where he helps run a charity that picks up the slack across Texas after disasters when FEMA can’t get its act together to help people. He’s currently trying to build the charity up so it can function in multiple states.

Big Brother Gonzales – probably 36 maybe about to turn 37, biggest guy from the travel team and probably the oldest member. Played with the University of Kentucky from 2002/2003 – 2006/2007, played for the Denver Pumas from 2006/2007 – 2010/2011 when he had a career ending injury. Had his kanji tattoo covered up and started collecting more tattoos. Has also gotten the correct kanji tattooed on him at some point.

Little Brother Gonzales – probably 32, never really got as big as his brother so he never played football after high school. Had a few tattoos including the dumb one from high school.

Vague Summary:

Sena/Panther soulmate fic in which Kid and Tetsuma’s wedding brings most the gang and more together. Kind of a choose to stick together thing? Idek. See where it goes. Think of it like a romcom movie maybe?

Soulmate Concept:

In this world, soulmates are considered near-extinct but they really aren’t. Lots of people have a wide variety of soulmates, it’s just that their soulmarks aren’t very obvious. For example, Mamori and Hiruma both have a splattering of freckles on their hands that are actually a continuation of each other’s pattern, but it’s too subtle and freckley to really realize what it truly means. Other people might have birthmarks that fit together or have moles placed in the exact same places or mirrored places, etc…However, there’s a subclass of soulmate marks for those who have a truly deep bond. Those marks have a more distinct look to them. Sena has what looks like roses cascading down his Soulmate marks tend to start developing upon meeting your soulmate and evolve as your relationship deepen, so Mamori and Hiruma upon meeting in first-year were probably like huh freckles, and by second year it’s like lots of freckles but who cares it’s just mysterious high school freckles.

Flashbacks:

Panther and Sena: 

2002 – Hanging out by the river bank after practice before Panther has to regroup with the others where they’re staying. Sena’s soulmate mark is on his right leg and  looks like cascading roses except more impressionist since the mark is still forming. Panther’s looks like chrysanthemums following a similar pattern on his right leg. At the time they think it’s kind of weird, but don’t over think it. Sena’s dad told him that most people develop one in high school and he has something like he and his best friend have stuff like that on their arms.

2002 – Sena asks Panther for his number after the cat incident, but Panther doesn’t have a cellphone yet. He does have e-mail and AIM, so they exchange e-mails because Sena doesn’t have AIM. By this point, their soulmate marks seem more like flowers than birthmarks, but they’re still underdeveloped.

2009/2010 – Panther and Sena meet up to celebrate New Years and Sena’s belated birthday since they’re finally both living in the states now (even if it’s an almost four hour plane ride apart), end up deciding that they’re dating. They have a good idea what they’re getting in though because they’ve been long distance friends with a fourteen hour time zone difference so at least now they can more feasibly see each other when they don’t have football commitments

Kid and Tetsuma

2006 – Kid, being the only son of a noble family was going through arranged marriage hell. Texted Tetsuma, “Save me,” both kind of half jokingly, half for serious. So Tetsuma shows up in nice clothing (because Kid’s always talking about how people get overly dressed up to come over to their estate) and kind of just showed up during a marriage prospect meeting, held Kid’s gaze a long moment, bowed on his knees to Kid’s parents like a good wedding prospect, and then promptly slung Kid over his shoulder, and rescued him. They’ve been together ever since. Honestly probably would have dated in high school but social pressure got in the way.

Venue:

It’s a large, sprawling ranch/inn in Wyoming. It’s large enough to accommodate everyone. There are horses to ride, a functioning farm, and a view of mountains in the distance. Everyone chipped in money to secure it not only because it was in a location the press wouldn’t bother all of them, but also because it sounded like a fun time no one could pass up. Kid and Tetsuma helped organize the whole thing so nobody would be priced out of coming especially if they had to fly from Japan or elsewhere to come.

Wedding:

The wedding is set up outdoors with everyone gathered around the altar so it’s les syour side and my side and more umbrella shaped. Kid and Tetsuma enter together, Tetsuma breaks off at a full run and Kid quick draws the bouquet, shoot it towards Tetsuma, who catches it and holds it through the whole ceremony. The ceremony is kind of a mix of typical American wedding stuff said by the ordained and then the vows are Shinto, though there is no sake. Kind of a mix of Kid and Tetsuma’s love of the wild west and their commitment to each other which follows more of a  love, respect, console, help, and protect than a love, honor, cherish, and obey.

Reception:

It’s in the great hall of the ranch/inn. Lots of wild west/ranch/cowboy chic happening. Variety of food, mix of American and Japanese traditions. Kid tells the flashback about Tetsuma rescuing him from an arranged marriage. Reception ends at sunset and they ride off into the sunset together, heading to a nearby campsite to kick off whatever their honeymoon will be.

[poscy]

muse 10, ester exposito, 17, she/her. ☼ * ⋆ : hey, check it out, it’s POSEY CUNNINGHAM! everyone calls ‘em PJ, though. aren’t they a HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR now? man, time flies. isn’t their birthday coming up soon? it’s JANUARY 14th 2002, right? i gotta get them a present – i heard they like their toes buried in the sand, cheerleading competitions, and flying through the air. and, like, don’t tell anyone, but i think they GOT A FULL RIDE CHEERLEADING SCHOLARSHIP AWAY FROM HER FAMILY.

hi all !! here’s my second lil bean posey !! she is definitely not as sweet as the first one !! so go ahead and press the lil ♡ down there if you’d like to plot with miss pj !!

gonna leave any facts about the cunninghams out of this so ! op !

growing up, posey was very indifferent about being a quadruplet and it took her a very long time to actually realize that it wasn’t normal. like not everyone grew up with three siblings born on the same day as you.

she was very energetic as a kid so the easiest thing to put her in was gymnastics, and she literally hasn’t looked back since. her first practice and she was gone. it got to the point where if practice was canceled, she would just lock herself in her room and do her best to practice there. 

because she was so into it so quickly, she caught on to doing stunts rather quickly as well. she was flying before middle school. she was on the highest level of competitive cheer by the time she turned fourteen. she spent as much time as her parents would allow in the gym or at a tournament.

it wasn’t until her eighth grade year that an opportunity was presented to her. her competitive gym and cheer coach was the graves academy cheer coach and had offered her a scholarship to cheer for graves academy for high school. 

which meant she’d go to a different school than her siblings for high school.

that was sort of the big zinger for her. actually going to a separate school than her siblings and she recognized the ups and downs very quickly. she couldn’t come home and ask for help on homework  ––  because the other three didn’t have the same homework  ––  but she was lucky in the sense that there were some people who attended graves academy who had no idea she was a quadruplet. she had her own identity. and she loved it.

not to say she didn’t love her family because she absolutely does. however, ever since freshman year of high school, she felt a little bit disconnected. almost felt like she wasn’t a quadruplet for a bit.

which sort of made her distance herself even more ??? dont get me wrong she was a lot like the family dynamic and surface level is still very close to her siblings she just ... sorta feels out of the loop sometimes ?

then again, if anyone ever saw that, smh. the girl is completely different inside her house compared to outside.

personality wise, she is not the nicest. body image tw she spent a lot of her life watching what she eats and almost perfecting herself as much as she can  ( although she was never satisfied )  which in turn sort of gave her a shitty attitude towards other people. quite like a bully unfortunately. a silent bully. backhanded compliments and snickers and sarcastic comments are her bread and butter. unfortunately, she doesn’t even know thats how she acts sometimes. it’s almost like she judges herself so much on every sort of thing that it leaks onto the people she speaks to. is definitely a hbic with a strong strong emphasis on the b. 

as for her secret, this summer, she went to cheer camp at the university of louisville where they offered her a full ride scholarship to attend next fall on their cheerleading squad. of course, she accepted, but now she has to fess up to her parents and siblings and it’ll just be a whole big mess.

i think that’s all as of now for her ?? i’ve got some wc ideas  (  personally i’d love any friends with benefits, exes, ex friends!!!, maybe some semi friends that she hasn’t offended too badly?  )  but don’t be afraid to like that heart and i’ll message you for plots !!

[footballghana]

From Pelewu to stardom - The rise and rise of Ghanaian midfielder Azumah Bugre

“That was my first call-up and I promised myself to make it big,” these were the words of Nancy Azumah Bugre, moment after she got the call to join the Ghana U-17 women’s football team in 2018.

The Black Maidens were preparing for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Uruguay 2018, where Ghana reached the quarters.

Growing up in Pelewu, a deprived community in the northern part of Ghana, Bugre was very much aware that her journey to the top was always going to be a mountain to climb. The 19-year old has grown in leaps and bound on and off the pitch risen to be a regular face at unarguably the biggest force in women’s football in Ghana, Hasaacas Ladies, and also an officer with the Ghana Air Force.

The midfielder was an integral part of the Hasaacas squad that won the maiden CAF WAFU ‘B’ Women’s Champions League qualifier in Abidjan last July as the Doo lasses booked their place at the inaugural CAF TotalEnergies Women’s Champions League scheduled for Egypt later in the year. The Ghanaians beat River Angels of Nigeria 3-1 in the final with Bugre putting the nail of the coffin of the latter with third goal in the dying embers of the game.

“This is my first season with Hasaacas, and I’m happy we have done well winning the treble (Ghana Women’s Premier League, Ghana Women’s FA Cup, and the CAF TotalEnergies Women’s Champions League WAFU Zone B qualifiers),” the Air Craft Class One officer told CAFOnline.com.

“It has never happened in Ghana and I'm glad to be part of this historic feat. Our target is now the CAF Women’s Champions League in Egypt later this year.”

The maiden biggest women’s football competition on the continent will features teams from each of the six CAF Zones with Hasaacas and River Angels representing WAFU B. UNAF will have two representatives with Wadi Degla FC (Egypt), club of the nation, and AS FAR (Morocco), Regional Qualifiers winners. The other zones have one representative each : WAFU A – AS Mande (Mali), COSAFA – Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), CECAFA - Vihiga Queeens (Kenya), UNIFFAC - Malabo King's FC (Equatorial Guinea).

Coming from a family of four and raised by her mum following the death of her father at a tender age, she nurtured her love for the sport in her early teens against the wishes of her mother and her society which forbade women from participating in a sport like football.

“It was really tough. I was called names at the early stages because football was seen as a men’s game. My community wasn’t supportive of my choice to play football and some folks even advised my mother to stop me.”

Fortunately for Bugre, her performance at school was enough for her mother to support her football bid. Her mum’s worry was injuries and she advised her daughter to be careful. The breakthrough came after completing High School and she joined Police Ladies in 2016-2017 Ghana women’s premier league season, a team owned and funded by the Ghana Police Service.

When the midfielder made coach Evans Adotey’s squad for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay in 2018, her mother was the happiest when she saw her donning the national colours on television.

“She couldn't believe her eyes as she never imagined football could take me that far. She was happy and proud seeing me on national television. I felt a sense of satisfaction because my target was to make her proud,” Bugre added.

After victories against hosts Uruguay, Finland and New Zealand at the group stage, the Maidens saw their campaign come to end at the quarter-final stage, a 4-2 win defeat to Mexico on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.

Despite the failure to reach the last four, Bugre remains proud of participation in a global tournament and believes it will motivate and inspire young girls in her community and northern parts of Ghana to take up to football.

“Growing up in the north has always been challenging. Therefore, when you do something, you have to make sure you do it to the best of our abilities because there are lots of people who look up to you.”

The untold secret for joining Police Ladies was to secure her future with employment in the security service. However, that dream was not forthcoming compelling Bugre to rethink.

“I went to the Police team so I could get a job whiles playing; however, it took long to materialize. Later, I had an opportunity to join the Ghana Air force after the World Cup in Uruguay. I had second thoughts because I heard I won’t be able to play football in the Ghana Army. I dug further and there was no truth in that, rather a mere rumour. I grasped the opportunity and here I am.”

“The Women’s team of the Ghana Air Force is dormant, so my superiors permitted me to join Hasaacas in January 2021.”

Attached to the Sports Unit of the Ghana Air Force, Bugre has little problems combining her security duties and her playing career.

“There is no problem at all. When the season is on, the service release me to join Hasaacas. Once the season ends, I return to Air Force duties,” said the midfielder who names USA legend Alex Morgan as her role model.

“I admire her [Alex Morgan]. In my view, she is a complete woman, chasing her dream and living it.”

Bugre is bidding her time as far as Ghana’s senior women’s team, Black Queens is concerned, and is looking forward to having a taste of competitions such as the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the Olympic Games.

Source: cafonline.com

source: https://footballghana.com/

[tkmedia]

Q&A: Pavan, Humana-Paredes looking to make history in Tokyo

Two of Canada’s strongest medal contenders will be competing on the beach in Tokyo even though they spent the better part of the last year away from a beach and away from each other.Beach volleyball duo Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes won gold at the world championships in 2019 and came in to 2020 ranked No. 1 in the world. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and they were away from each other in different cities in different countries, and not training as they usually would in Hermosa beach, Calif. The longest period they’ve gone away from the sport and away from each other proved challenging with the uncertainty of if or when the Olympics were going to happen. Now they’ve been able to reconnect on and off the court, and have regained that No. 1 status heading into Tokyo. They’ll take the court at 11:00 p.m. EDT on Friday to start their pursuit of a gold medal. I caught up with them ahead of the Games to learn how they’ve overcome the obstacles put in their way in what was a trying 2020 season. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.) SPORTSNET: You were one of the first to qualify back in 2019. What has this purgatory been like where the Games were deferred in 2020, and now we’re finally here in 2021? Melissa Humana-Paredes: It’s been a long process from when we’ve qualified to now — so long almost that I forgot the privilege and the luxury and the meaning behind what it meant until this last month, seeing all the other teams finally qualify. It hit me. It was like, “Oh my gosh, we’re so close — we’re there.” It’s been such a long journey. Having the luxury of being qualified for so long was great at the time, especially during the uncertainty. And it forced us to find another goal to go after, which was to head into the Olympics the No. 1–ranked team, which we did accomplish, which was fantastic. It feels like it happened so long ago that I’m feeling those emotions all over again this last month as we head into the Olympics. It’s such a meaningful experience. I’m so proud of how far we have come because I think there was a time where we felt it was a little unfair we had such great momentum. We felt we were in the best shape heading into 2020, and then everything kind of got taken away. And so, to regain that confidence and regain that momentum means a lot. But it was a lot of hard work. What were some of the specific difficulties that you had to work through given the last 18 months was anything but normal? Sarah Pavan: Melissa and I were in separate countries actually for most of the pandemic, so when it started in March , we were naive enough to think that we would be reunited in a couple of weeks. Mel headed back to Canada. I stayed in the L.A. area where we usually train. And that couple of weeks became several months, so that was a challenge. We just we didn’t train on sand together really from March until January. And then we had the added challenge of Melissa was working out in her living room. I was working out by myself in my garage. And just other countries were starting to open up as the summer of 2020 progressed. We saw our competition start to play national tour events or train. A little bit of uncertainty and doubt started creeping in like, “Are we going to be the same team when we come back together? Are these other teams going to catch up to us? Are we still going to have those intangible things that make us such a great team?” But I think something that we did really well is we knew that we could only control the things that were in our control. And the pandemic was not — the situation in Canada and where we were was not in our control. We just really took it upon ourselves to do the best with what we had and to be as ready as possible when we were reunited. Wishing superstars @SarahPavan and @melissa_hp10 the best of luck today representing Canada at the #2020TokyoOlympics from all of us at #WorkinMoms. Let’s get that ! pic.twitter.com/BZtds4wJUL — Workin' Moms (@WorkinMoms) July 23, 2021 You have made Canadian history on multiple fronts. Now that you’ve reached this level, do you feel an external pressure that anything other than a gold might not be reaching those goals that others have for you? Pavan: I think Melissa and I are really good at keeping things in perspective, and from the outset of our partnership we have been very honest in the fact that an Olympic gold medal is our goal. We have not shied away from saying that. We have always believed and created those expectations for ourselves. The fact that there are whispers or other people are now talking about that, that doesn’t change how we prepare or how we approach every training session or every day. If anything, I think it’s flattering because people are paying attention to our sport. People are noticing beach volleyball and the great things that our program has done in recent years. We can’t really get hung up on the expectations of other people because then then we’ll go crazy. But I think the most important thing is that we’re accountable to each other and we’re going to do everything in our power to prepare for every match as best as we can, and to enter every training session with the objective of getting better and performing to the best of our abilities. You mentioned people noticing your sport, noticing the two of you, and there’s so many great Olympians. This is our biggest team since the early ’80s. But Kraft looked at you two as worthy of celebrating. Now, a bunch of Canadians are going to get to celebrate you as you go off to the games and send you messages. What does that partnership, and really that ability to hear firsthand from Canadians cheering you on, mean to you? Humana-Paredes: We’re so honoured to be able to work with Kraft peanut butter for this campaign for multiple reasons.... But it’s the meaning behind the campaign that I think resonates so deeply with us. This Olympics is so different than what any athlete imagined it would be. And this being my first Olympics, too, you know, it’s a little heartbreaking to not have the full experience. But that’s why this campaign is just so meaningful because we can still feel the support and the love from Canadians who can send their cheers and their good wishes and good luck vibes directly to us so we can still feel like we’re a part of something bigger. And having ... the stadiums empty without fans is going to be really, really strange for us. And so, this will kind of give us that boost of energy, kind of give us that element that we’re missing. I really want to encourage all Canadian fans to send their cheers to us and they can do it throughout the entirety of the Olympics, and we will actually receive them. It’s not like it’s going to go into the cloud or whatever — it will come into our ears, and we will be able to feed off of that energy. And it will just make us feel a part of something bigger. Again, just walking into an empty stadium is not what we envisioned, but this campaign is really meaningful because it kind of gives us that purpose again. Do you have a plan as to when you might consume those messages? Pavan: I think I’ll probably listen to them pre-match. You know, when I visualize a match or playing in big moments, the crowd is always a part of that. And so I think I'll listen to them in my visualization process and before the games, just to et me ready to compete at my highest level. This team is pretty special, and 60 per cent of it are women. We know that 60 per cent of the coverage of sports being on women doesn’t really happen. Why is it important to continue to celebrate female athletes and to tell their stories? Humana-Paredes: Such a great point, and I think it’s so important that women and young girls especially see female role models and female leaders in the space, especially in the sporting world. There are tons of studies. It’s better for society to have women in sports. It’s better for women to feel the emotions and the rush and learn all the skills that sports gives you, because it translates beyond sport into life after sport. It builds so much character and gives you just a wealth of knowledge. And it strengthens your personality. Beyond that, it’s also a lot of fun. And I think it’s important to have something that you’re super passionate about, whether it is sports or not. Our sport sometimes gets a bad rap, but I hope that young girls can look at Sarah and I and either feel inspired to pick up the sport or feel inspired to play a sport and just ... find their passion in life and pursue that and know that anything’s possible because, you know, we’re doing it and we're living our lives that way. One of the references that those young girls can now consume is the series that you were a part of. You as athletes are filmed all the time. was a little bit more invasive look at your lives. What was that experience like? Pavan: It was really cool. Neither of us had ever really done anything like that before, and it gave us a really great platform to open up and really show people who we are, because I think a lot of people have an idea based on watching our matches or what is shared in the media or on social media, et cetera, of who we are. But that’s not always like really diving into our full personality. It was really fun to be able to be ourselves, to goof around sometimes, to be honest, about how we felt after losing matches or not getting a good finish at a tournament or, like, joking around with coaches — you name it. It was fun to show that we are people beyond volleyball. And beach volleyball is something we do, but we’re so much more than that. And I think it was a great opportunity to really showcase that. We are fun-loving women as well. In doing some research for this interview, one of the articles I came across was “the 10 hottest female beach volleyball players.” And I kind of got sick to my stomach thinking that this is something that is still out there. How do you balance the fact that in your sport you get the opportunity to show your strength and your tenacity, but also at the same time, knowing that as athletes you’re just trying to compete, and you can be objectified at the same time? Humana-Paredes: I think Sarah and I can both agree that this has been kind of an underlying narrative of our careers where often our uniform gets more attention than our play. And I think that goes across the board for a lot of female athletes and a lot of female sports. And I think I think what’s so important that we do is to show up every day and to show up as our true selves and show up as our strong selves and just play the sport that we love. All we can do is perform and show up and people can write and say what they want. We just have to write our own narrative and write our own story. And at the end of the day, we're here to perform. I think you kind of have to block out some of that narrative, but also correct it and every time we have an opportunity like this with the media or, you get a comment on social media I will always correct it and respond back and try and educate my stance on certain things. But for our sport, it’s sexualization of our uniforms. For me personally, it’s an easy balance because I know what my priorities are, and I know what my true worth is, and I had nothing to do with my uniform, and I’m here, and I show up on the court every day 100 per cent focused on performing and being the best I can be on the court — being a fantastic partner, hopefully, and just a good person. The story of you going to Tokyo is not just about the two of you. It’s also the village that’s around you and family-member support staff that many of which, sadly, won’t be able to enjoy Tokyo with you. What’s it mean to you that you’ll be there, but you’ll know that back home there’s a huge contingent of people who, have a big part in you being there? Pavan: Oh my gosh. Actually, my sister sent me this thing the other day and she asked people in my life or anybody who felt compelled to send me a message to make a little video. And I watched it the other day, and I was shocked at the number of people who had well wishes to send or messages of love and support. And, you know, it’s easy to get wrapped up in our tiny team unit of me, Melissa, and our coaching staff and support staff. But there are so, so many people out there who love us and believe in us and want to see us succeed. And I’m not kidding when I say I sobbed through the whole thing because I was just so touched at the outpouring of love. I’ll turn the tables on both of you. If you were creating a message and sending a cheer to your other Canadian athletes that are competing, what would that be? Pavan: Oh my gosh, this is a really good question. I’m, like, sweating. That’s a tough one. I would probably say that just by showing up and by having devoted your life to your sport, you are already a champion because being a high-level athlete takes such a high degree of discipline and commitment and belief that it’s just incredible that you’ve made it this far. And I would say you know how to be a champion. You have put in the hard work, and you are ready for this moment. And I can’t wait to see you shine on your biggest stage, and know that I believe in you, and we’ll cheer for you. Humana-Paredes: Oh my god, that was so meaningful. I love this question. Okay, let’s see. I would probably tell them to embrace the butterflies that they’re probably feeling and relish in the moment and don’t let a second slip them by. I think it’s really easy to let the pressures of the game and your performance weigh on you. But kind of similar to, say, I reflect on how far you’ve come and what you’ve already accomplished because that speaks volumes and there is very few people who get to do what you are doing right now. Look back on this moment and don’t have any regrets on whether or not you lived it to the fullest and that you enjoyed every moment of it. Read the full article

[symph5683]

The Worst Teacher I’ve Ever Had

I’m going to tell you about this teacher named Mr.J (shortened). Now I was at a private school at the time. I had been going there since I was 4. My two uncles both went there and had this awful teacher. *Posible mentions of triggers*

6th grade- I had him for history only. He was fun and he told jokes. We rarely had homework as we would do it in class. We played games sometimes instead of class. His class was the fun one.

7th grade- History again but also a basketball coach. He was annoying in class. The jokes weren’t funny anymore. I just wanted to learn and not hear childhood stories. I became friends with some of the 8th graders and they talked about how awful he was. I didn’t 100% believe them at first but as the basketball season started, he became my least favorite person to exist. He would yell at us in practice and in games. After games, he would scream and call us insane (“YOU ALL ARE INSANE! INSANITY IS DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS AND THAT IS WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING”). Yelled at us several times on the school trip to DC. He put off school dances (we usually have 4) till we had one left at the very end of the year. While I did highlight the awful stuff, he wasn’t awful to us that year.

8th grade- OOOOO BOY. This was the worst year of my life. I had him for at least 3–4 periods a day and it was HELL.

First period started out with religion- a normal class for a Lutheran school. Up until that point, religion class was a workbook we would go through a few pages at a time about different Bible stories. It was easy after learning the same stuff for years. This year, however, we were learning about “important morals in the church” from books that were YEARS old. We spent 2 weeks of class (3 days a week for two weeks with 40-minute classes equaled around 4 hours) talking about what verses to quote at your friend who is going to commit suicide because her boyfriend broke up with her. A week on abortion (included “Even after rape because she could always put the baby up for adoption”, ignoring PTSD of being RAPED). A week on euthanasia (“You shouldn’t take anyone off of life support even after 12 years because God performs miracles”). And, worst of all, “God’s gift of sexuality”. Now by this point, I had figured out that I’m gay. Everyone knew (we had a total of 11 kids, 10 by graduation). We had gems like “girls your virginity is like a piece of gum. No one wants prechewed gum” and “homosexuals are an abomination”. Nothing like hearing your best friend being forced to read verses condemning you to hell.

2&3 periods were fine. I had really nice teachers.

4th period was American history. We had to rewrite the constitution (not awful), make our own country (he yelled at us a lot for the stupid stuff we made committees for. We never really finished. For the Civil war, we just watched the Ken Burns documentary and took notes (He left the room during the test and we all cheated). He once used the R-word in class and I wrote a nasty letter (my sister has Down syndrome) and he said he would stop. He didn’t. at one point he gave all the answers of a test to one girl in the class (presumably to keep her eligible to play sports (more on that later).

Art- Wasn’t awful, just long and annoying.

Health- Imagine you were kicked out right after HS with no money and a minimum wage job. You don’t go to college. Go $9,000 in debt. Adopt a newborn. Plan your meals (which cannot be repeated more than 3 times a month). Girls must buy makeup. Fall for the Nigerian Prince scam 4 times. Burn your house down. If you get behind- good luck. Mental breakdowns and an “f” are in your future.

Creative dramatics- We put on a play during chapel. Wasn’t awful except I was the love interest for the girl who’s sister I’ve been dating for 10 months. Yelled at us a lot then too.

study hall(s)- When I had stuff to get done he would want to play games when I didn’t, we had to sit there. He went on many a rant too (later).

sports- I decided to not play basketball because he was loud and yelled a lot. I got roped into scorekeeping. I went with to the national tournament. I only got to scorekeep for one quarter when the principal had to go talk to parents who were (unrightfully) kicked out. Often went easy on sports kids so they could stay eligible to play. Singled kids out in after game meetings.

Other

Once yelled at a kid “I PRAY TO GOD THAT YOU NEVER GET TORTURED”

I had several panic attacks because of him. Most notably he tried to convince me that I didn’t do something I had already done. Got my whole class into in. I cried afterward.

Once screamed at me because I didn’t hear him from out in the hallway.

Was often homophobic and transphobic

Once yelled at us for half an hour because in January we didn’t know what we were doing/ didn’t want to commit to a 5k on April 1st. He wanted us to do it with the kindergarteners. (They’re like, 5) “You are going against the morals we have taught you at this school.”

The day after my parents found out that I was gay I tried to whisper it to my friends and he screamed “Secrets secrets are no fun unless they’re shared with everyone”

Constantly lied about his age

If you talk to anyone from any year that went to my school, they can tell you more. I promise. It’s how we bond.

[calacuspr]

Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Nick Kyrgios & Kansas City Chiefs

Every Monday we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.

HIT – NICK KYRGIOS

Australian star Nick Kyrgios has consistently divided opinion throughout the tennis world with his on-court antics and outspoken comments since turning professional in 2013.

One of only three players to have beaten Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic the first time he played each of them, Kyrgios has often frustrated fans by seemingly wasting his gifted ability.

Kyrgios’ men’s singles world ranking has slumped to 47 as a result, with two quarter-finals his best results in major tournaments – both coming more than five years ago.

He has become infamous for his on-court meltdowns and was even given a 16-week suspended ban and fine in 2019. He has admitted that depression has been behind some of his clashes with fans and match collapses.

This week, the 25-year-old has been at the centre of headlines emanating from the Australian Open, continuing to stir up bad blood with Djokovic, but more than anything, he has helped turn the tide of public opinion towards him.

Clearly Kyrgios isn’t going to win over everyone, but it’s hard to argue that he makes tennis more interesting for viewers. In an era of sports stars often holding their tongue to avoid getting into trouble with relevant authorities, he isn’t afraid to showcase his true personality.

His second and third round matches at the Australian Open were both five-set classics and put on a fantastic show for the lucky fans allowed into Melbourne Park before the government announced a five-day lockdown in Victoria to suppress an outbreak of the UK strain of coronavirus.

Former British number one Tim Henman is working as a pundit for Eurosport’s international coverage of ‘the happy slam’ and gave his take on the Aussie. 

“For me, Nick Kyrgios is great for tennis. He’s a volatile character, you never quite know what to expect. He’s a huge talent, one of the best serves in the game,” Henman commented.

“And he’s got a very good heart. He’s supported me and my charity foundation, he does a lot of good stuff off the court.

“If he could maintain that concentration and focus, both on the practice court and match court, I really think he can go on and produce bigger and better results.

“I’m a fan. I hope he can channel that talent to go on and win some big titles in the future.”

Henman did, however, point to the ongoing feud with Djokovic as an example of where Kyrgios could learn to reign in some of his antics.

"It’s a fine line. Obviously he’s a character on and off the court. But it’s very important that he can still concentrate so that these antics don’t become a distraction, they don’t affect his performance.

"Sometimes I think he’s got to learn where to draw the line and get back to the basics of implementing the enormous talent that he has on the court."

While the negatives have often outweighed the positives for Kyrgios in the past, it does feel as if the balance is shifting.

In January, Kyrgios pledged to donate A$200 for every ace he hit at tournaments throughout the month to help those affected by widespread bushfires in Australia. His charitable efforts led to Tennis Australia committing A$100 for every ace served at the ATP Cup and his response showed a genuine side to him rarely seen. 

“I just chucked up a tweet and everyone got behind it. It is bigger than tennis,” he said.

“It's going to all the families, firefighters, animals, everyone who is losing homes, losing families. It's a real thing.

“My hometown is Canberra and it's got the most toxic air in the world. That's sad. It is tough.”

His investment in his own NK Foundation also feels like more than just an easy PR win. The Foundation’s mission statement gives another insight into how much he has matured in recent times.

“Tennis is a great life – we are well paid and the perks are pretty good – but it can feel empty if you’re just doing it for the money. I now know what it’s all for. When I work on the NK Foundation and our Melbourne facility, I cast my mind forward to all the disadvantaged kids I will be helping. I’m playing for them now.” 

Kyrgios is far from perfect and will undoubtedly make the headlines for the wrong reasons in future, but for now he should be praised for bringing joy to millions of tennis fans this week at a time when it is needed most.

MISS – Kansas City Chiefs

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest sports events in the United States and understandably attracts the glamour and razzmatazz that comes with such an occasion.

For the Kansas City Chiefs, who ended up losing the game, the focus on the field was understandable, but while sport is an important part of societal fabric, it’s fundamentally important that it never surpasses life and the rule of law.

Three days before the Super Bowl, Chiefs outside linebacker coach Britt Reid, the son of head coach Andy Reid, was involved in a car crash near the team’s training complex that left two young children seriously injured.

The team had said Britt Reid was involved in a multi-vehicle crash last Thursday. He did not travel with the team to the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay and Andy Reid said his son underwent surgery after the crash, but few other details have been released.

Reid was placed on administrative leave the day after the crash and with his contract expiring at the conclusion of the Super Bowl, he is no longer employed by the club.

Reid apparently told police he had “two or three drinks” and had a prescription for Adderall when the accident occurred, according to a search warrant. He served five months in 2007 when convicted of road-rage that included driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance and the brandishing of a gun. He also pleaded guilty to DUI and drug possession in a separate incident.

In an official statement, the Chiefs said: “The organization has been made aware of a multi-vehicle accident involving Outside Linebackers Coach, Britt Reid. We are in the process of gathering information, and we will have no further comment at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved.”

In the post-game interview, Reid’s father Andy commented: “My heart goes out to all those who were involved in the accident, in particular the family with the little girl who’s fighting for her life.

“I can’t comment on it any more than what I am here. So the questions you have, I’m going to have to turn those down; but just from a human standpoint, my heart bleeds for everybody involved in that.”

A later Chiefs statement said: “We remain in the process of gathering information on the incident, and we will continue to assist local authorities as requested.

“Our focus remains on [the girl] and her family. We have reached out to the family to offer our support and resources to them during this difficult time, and we will continue to pray for her recovery.”

Organisations find themselves in tricky positions when one of their own is involved in a serious incident, often not wanting to draw more attention to it and wary of liability.

But with a young girl in a serious condition, why did the Chiefs not do more and realise that as a pillar of society, they could easily have provided support without any admission of guilt or complicity.

The girl’s family had to set up a GoFundMe page to support her medical care, raising almost half a million dollars.

Why did the Chiefs not offer to provide support for the girl and her family, which would have been the right thing to do and would have given the impression that they were backing up their words with actions?

The Chiefs owners are worth more than $15 billion and could have covered medical bills without admitting liability.

While there are questions over whether Britt Reid was drinking at the Chiefs’ training ground before getting in his car, why are the club not conducting a thorough internal investigation rather than just helping the police with their inquiries?

Despite being the coach’s son, the club must do the right thing and back up their compassion with action and support for a family devastated by the incident on that fateful day, rather than hide behind empty statements that show little compassion for the family or the Kansas community now supporting the injured child in a way they should have done from the outset.