#opal the first class coach

[finleyforevermore]

2023's StEx Appreciation Month!

Day 5.5: Elektra/ELEDtra the Electric Engine

Sjoerd van der Meer in the first picture, Lashane Williams in the second picture, Tom Nhill in the third picture, Dan Ellison in the fourth picture, Lloyd Davies in the fifth picture, and Irra Cenina in the sixth picture.

Favorite Actor(s): Adam Lake (Bochum, 2019-2020), Tom Nhill (Bochum, 2018-present, swing), Lashane Williams (Bochum, 2018-present, understudy), and Irra Cenina (Bochum, 2023-2024).

Face Claim/Voice Claim: Irra Cenina (face) and Lashane Williams (voice)

Favorite Song(s)/Scene(s): AC/DC

Favorite Costume: He only has one and it's not bad at all!

Favorite Ship(s): Cabs x Elektra, First Class Chessboard (ship name coined by the wonderful @splendidred05!) (Opal x ELEDtra), Elektronents, and ELEDtra x Carrie (courtesy of @charliestrainyard).

Headcanon: Kinda like Electra can't lie very well, neither can ELEDtra! His panels change color to reflect his emotions, so he's pretty much incapable of lying.

Unpopular Opinion: I guess the same as the one for my Electra post?

[whistlingstarlight]

StEx in real life Part 3: Coaches 2

Still a few coaches left to discuss

Duvay: GWR sleeping car

The chocolate and cream livery fits her design very nicely. My headcanon is Duvay was brought in to replace the retired Memphis Belle at the first class car on the sleeper train, so this coach fits.

Opal/2018 Pearl: Closed dome observation car

So even after her redesign, Pearl is still a 1st class car but the "observation" aspect of her classification is left more ambiguous. However, her kokoshnik headpiece reminds me of a dome.

Tassita: Amtrak quiet car

Belle: Amtrak sleeping car

Whilst several railway companies have quiet cars, Amtrak's is probably one of the more well-known.

2nd and 3rd Class Sleepers/Vera and Lina: LMS sleeping cars

Given that she and Tassita are quite close, I imagine they came from the same original company, making Belle an Amtrak sleeper.

These two are simply based on vibes. LMS is one of the Big Four, big part of British railway culture, having the sleepers exclusive to the London show fits that. Although I do think these two have been modified to couchettes, allowing for daytime use as chair cars.

[female-buckets]

A record WNBL crowd of 7,681 at John Cain Arena fell silent as Lauren Jackson was assisted from the floor just 62 seconds into the game.

Just minutes earlier, the legendary Jackson was the final player announced to a raucous ovation. Like much of the last twelve months, the gravity of watching the all-time great go to work had drawn the eyes of many to the WNBL, perhaps for the first time.

After her bronze medal heroics at the Women's World Cup in Sydney with the national team last year, Jackson has played a major role in the Flyers campaign, averaging 14 points and five rebounds in a perhaps more than expected 21 minutes per game.

As if the fairy tale story needed any more juice, Jackson's trademark determination and will once again came to the fore, with the recent news that she has been carrying a fractured left foot through a large portion of the season.

"The great news is that it's not my broken foot, it's the other one," Jackson joked of the suspected serious Achilles injury.

With scans to come on Sunday morning, there is a genuine fear that this may be last chapter written of the remarkable comeback of Jackson, with just four games left on the Flyers schedule before the postseason.

"For me, I said I was on borrowed time," Jackson said. "It's hard, the way that I feel right now, I don't know. I'm pretty tough, but when I felt it, I felt something pop. I was just standing there, I said to the referee that I can't actually walk. Now I can't put any weight on it, whatever it is, I'll go get the scans in the morning and go from there. Hopefully it's just a stinger but I don't know."

"As soon as I felt it pop, I was like oh my god, that's my day over. I went to try and walk and I couldn't. The poor ref, she said she can't stop the game, I said that's fine, but I can't actually move so I don't know what to do."

Jackson's absence understandably took the air out the building for the first quarter, before the Flyers and Flames put on a show that came down to the final possession with Tiana Mangakahia knocking down a free-throw with 2.7 seconds left to help lift the Flames to the 68-67 road win.

The aura of Jackson may have brought a large portion of the crowd, but in the end, it was the high-quality play on the court that captivated those in the stands. The 26-point performance of Mangakahia in particular is of note, with the star guard recently included in the Opals extended squad in preparation for the 2023 Women's Asia Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics.

"I obviously had a lot of time to take in the atmosphere and the crowd was just incredible. That was so awesome to see that at a WNBL game, just to suit up was one of the greatest privileges," Jackson said.

"What a magnificent thing for women's basketball in this country. It's a domestic league, it's the premier national league but to have that kind of support in Melbourne was just incredible.

"I've said it a million times, but I think off the back of the World Cup and the visibility that basketball has had, it's really lifted the profile of our sport. Hopefully it's just the start of many games like this. It was great to be able to prove that it can be done and I'm pretty sure every single person in that stadium enjoyed that game."

Flyers head coach Cheryl Chambers set aside her disappointment for Jackson and the Flyers, to praise the Southside organisation for what was a spectacular advertisement for the league.

"There is some real talent across the whole league, so hopefully there's some people there that don't go every week that think they are going to get on board and support women's basketball," Chambers said.

"The other thing I'm proud about our organisation is, we probably weren't ready for this game, we could have asked if we were perfectly ready for this game, was it the perfect one to have against Sydney, all that kind of stuff. Gerry (Ryan) and Ian (Coutts) took a chance on women's basketball because we weren't one hundred percent ready and I think sometimes we wait until we're one hundred percent and it's too late. It's an awesome thing for women's sport."

Postgame, Jackson took part in a presentation on court, before remarkably presenting to the media for a press conference that she could and should have been expected to skip. Shifting between crutches and a wheelchair for comfort, understandably in pain, Jackson continued to lead the discussion for the growth of the women's game in Australia.

"You've got to take risks to take that next step and evolve and grow. As a league, we're doing that," Jackson explained. "As a team in the league, I think Southside is definitely pushing those barriers and trying to set the standard.

"That's what we did tonight. Gerry and Ian and our whole team should be so proud of what our front office was able to do, to bring that crowd out here tonight. I'm very, very proud to be a Flyer."

It would be difficult and near on impossible to imagine another athlete of Jackson's status in any sport presenting in this manner given the difficult circumstances, though, in some ways it shouldn't have been a surprise. This is who LJ is. A class act.

"Nobody could have scripted this last year, it's been completely insane. Then how ironic, how ironic (is this), it is what it is," she said with a smile and a shake of the head.

Claiming another medal for the national team could have been the perfect swansong for Jackson, but her work was not yet done, with her presence in the WNBL a delight for basketball fans young and old. It would be foolish and premature to write Jackson off given what has been witnessed over the last 12 months, but in a bittersweet way, if Saturday night is ultimately the last time Jackson suits up in a professional environment, doing so in front of a record-breaking crowd would be fitting for a legendary legacy.

All Jackson has done is create history since she first burst onto the scene more than two decades ago as a teenage star. Saturday night at John Cain Arena was no different.

[marastriker]

STEX APPRECIATION MONTH DAY TWO: PEARL/OPAL

Favourite Actor Pearl: Reva Rice, Lovette George, Nina Pressing, Carla Pullen Opal: Sydnie Christmas, Gemma Archer (I am a SUCKER for a heroine that is not a soprano!!!!!!!!)

Favourite Songs/Scenes Pearl: Whistle for Me, I love the twirls in Make Up My Heart, it makes me think of figure skating. A Lotta Locomotion solos as well! Opal: Whistle for Me, Für Immer, and I love the emotional realization she has when Rusty is betrayed and beaten up.

Favourite Costume(s) Pearl: New London era costume and Bochum's pink costumes, especially with the curly wig in that era as well <3 Opal: They did something to that costume post covid and it looks a hell of a lot less clunky now. Love the glow up (though I am sure it is literally just the same as pre 2018 but colored differently.) Also now that they've given her the waist length ponytail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Favourite Ships Pearl: Prusty wusty Opal: I genuinely think we as a fandom need to consider Opal/Dinah, it's so wholesome and sweet (but I also ship prusty more in the update)

Headcanon(s) Pearl: this bitch's whole personality is barbie <3 Opal: She doesn't always live up to the perfect beautiful first class coach stereotypes. when she was a kid she longed to play in the mud ya know

Unpopular Opinions Yes she is the main coach but she's not my favorite, i actually don't get why everyone is obsessed with her lol

[tamquamalteradam]

Kevin Day x the Gangsey

self indulgent post in honor of being sucked into the aftg fandom... can we talk about how trc and aftg could totally be happening in the same world, early 2000s and all

Gansey

Gansey, standing in line in the cafeteria: hey, Kevin right? I really enjoyed your presentation in World Hist, would you happen to know anything about Welsh kings?

Kevin: you mean like, Owain Glyndŵr?

Gansey: *starry eyes*

They proceed to sit together and exchange history book recs

Kevin has never had anyone attentively listen to him talk about history before and actually care about what he’s saying, so he’s like *what is this feeling???* (the feeling was friendship, but neither of them had ever experienced anyth-)

Kevin helping Gansey in French

KEVIN AND GANSEY LATE NIGHT COMPANIONSHIP

They both can't sleep so Gansey does his ley line research while Kevin does his exy diagramming shit and all you can hear is amicable silence and the scratching of pencils and Gansey occasionally asking Kevin what he thinks about this or that theory

One night Gansey is in an anxious mood and Kevin's like *you know what helps me when I'm anxious? Exy.* so he takes Gansey to the court and teaches him some of the basics

Gansey has upper body strength from rowing but his balance and coordination are shit

So he kind of fails spectacularly but he's smiling by the end of it so Kevin's satisfied (although sorely disappointed in Gansey's lack of Exy potential and trying not to show it-- *one man can't have everything*)

KEVIN'S ONE FLAW, IN GANSEY'S EYES, IS HIS AVERSION TO THE CAMARO

Kevin: I am not looking at anything bright orange ever again.

Gansey: ☹️

Adam

ACADEMIC RIVALS TO FRIENDS. YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE. THESE TWO PERFECTIONIST WORKAHOLIC CAPRICORN RISING BITCHES-

It all started when Kevin took Adam’s long held seat as top of the class in biology

Adam is like *who is this new kid* and also *why are he and Gansey thick as thieves*

Of course Gansey introduces them, and at first Adam doesn’t really think much of Kevin given his background and attitude

But slowly they earn each other’s grudging respect

Much like Adam and Declan, Adam and Kevin see right through each other's guises

Also thinking of when Adam recognized the fear in Opal and gave her his watch to comfort her. I think he would recognize the fear in Kevin and post-TRK Adam would try to help (except it's not a Crying Club situation, it would be a much more equal friendship)

Ronan

Kevin: this kid could outlast Andrew in a staring competition

*why does he always carry around a RAVEN, of all animals*

Chainsaw, being a very smart bird, notices Kevin’s discomfort and tries to be extra entertaining (of course, her version of entertaining is singing the murder squash song in her eerily human voice. it does not help.)

Kayleigh Day was Irish right? Imagine them at the Barns, Ronan leading them through the house and Kevin sees a dusty instrument in the corner

Kevin, turning to Gansey: I used to play that

Adam, deadpan: you and Ronan should start a band: "The Bald Bagpipers".

Ronan: *death glare*

Henry

They would be besties. I can feel it in my BONES

Them at Exites geeking out and debating the merits and shortcomings of various Exy racquets

Henry would pretend to know more about Exy than he does but somehow get away with it because he's Henry and his enthusiasm wins Kevin over

As a product of hanging out with Kevin, Henry is now a massive USC stan by proxy and they stream matches on the Litchfield house movie projector (if I had a nickel for every time I talk about the Litchfield house movie projector I'd have two nickels)

Eventually they would rope Gansey in too and they become the unofficial Jeremy Knox fanclub

Blue

Blue meeting Kevin would be Blue meeting Gansey at Nino's INTENSIFIED

Somehow I feel like she would judge him less because he doesn't try to hide the fact that he's rich? (don't forget about the time Kevin was canonically like "yeah i'm expensive, coach should've known when he signed me")

However the mutual wariness would go on for a long time before they warm up to each other

I don't really see them becoming super close but eventually they start judging people together and boy would you get !!!roasted!!! by Sargent/Day

Kevin never lets on that he actually thinks Blue is hella cool but she knows

She knits him some fingerless gloves in the Foxes colors and he wears them occasionally. one day the TV is on in the background while the Gangsey's chilling at Monmouth and they see Kevin talking to a reporter and he's wearing the gloves

No one says anything about it but they're like *ah. blue likes you, therefore you are one of us now*

Noah

Can relate to each other because they are #deadinside and got their bones smashed to bits with long rectangle-esque objects by people who were supposed to be their friends

Ouch

Kevin can't get over Noah being a ghost and how everyone treats it like a totally normal thing

"So he just? Exists? And can? Appear out of thin- Ok. okAY."

Noah pulls his trick of seeing people's thoughts and he's like holy moly there is more to this man than he lets on

Scares Kevin half to death by materializing in the stands during his midnight Exy practices

Bonus: Noah and Andrew LMAO I can imagine Noah messing with him

Andrew: *throws knife*

*knife goes right through Noah and hits the ground*

Andrew: *squints ever so slightly*

[biqherosix]

high school (not so) musical - headcanons

fluff, chaos/crack, modern au

(the legend of korra — krew centric)

just the krew and co. living in a modern present au and presenting their high school roles

cw / none

a/n — i literally have so many ideas stemming from this au so if you wanna use this as a starting prompt for any lok imagine, feel free !! modern lok makes me feel things okay 🥺 also huge thanks to @sokkas-honour for bouncing off ideas with me, and @simpforthemoon for the help. you have no idea how much i appreciate it ! ily both

let's establish this first though okay; mako and asami are seniors, bolin, opal, wu, and korra are juniors, and kai and jinora are sophomores

okay so they're already all friends, but they didn't go to school together at one point (korra still doesn't go to republic city high bc she's homeschooled by tenzin, rip korra)

wu is a transfer student from ba sing se high and he's basically treated like royalty because his late great aunt hou-ting was the ceo of this huge corrupt company before being assassinated

he joins the krew after the staff (aka principal lin beifong) make mako show him around and they end up becoming reluctant friends; mako drives him around because he is way too scared to be behind the wheel

asami transferred from a private school to republic city high the summer before her senior year after a disagreement with her father; if she's gonna be ceo of future industries one day, she's going to have to learn how to get along with different people

jinora was homeschooled alongside korra and made a whole powerpoint presentation as to why she should be able to go to public school the minute she realized how much fun it could be (courtesy of mako, haha nerds)

though tenzin doesn't agree, pema does and reluctantly does he enroll her (she makes sure to take a selfie with the krew during lunch and texts it to korra who is v v salty but loves them anyway 🙄)

opal had transferred from zaofu after finding out she had an aunt who was the principal of rch, and now she's an established student at the school

now that that's out of the way here's the real good stuff, staff and extracurriculars

mako and jinora are nerds, they take advanced classes together despite jinora being two years behind; their fave is ap lit and the two even take a college class on fire nation culture for extra credit with professor izumi

while jinora volunteers at the library after school (and tutors kai wink wink despite mako's irritation bc that's his surrogate brother and fake little sister together) the hot tempered man holds a job at the community sports center as a coach to younglings in the art of kickboxing (kai just so happens to be one of those younglings / kai accidentally broke his nose once) but will play any sport if you ask him to, v v big fan of dodgeball

bolin is a theatre kid, and a definite favorite student of mr. varrick; as much as everyone loves bolin and his passion, they internally beg for him to stop singing show tunes (he is the reason him and vice principal zhu li moon end up together and varrick doesn't even know it) and def loves being the lead in the show but won't mind being stage manager either

meanwhile, asami picked up a lot of activities, the students are jealous at how amazing her time management is; not only is asami student body president, all her important subjects are advanced classes (she even takes a robotics class for fun) and will help vice principal zhu li plan all the class fundraisers

opal is in the dance company !! her mom su is the head of the dance department at their school and gets them to comps every year; they've won consecutively for at least three years (they lost to the ember island players their freshman year)

wu idek he probably doesn't even do anything and is still the most popular person in the school second to asami sato and he is perfectly okay with that; for sure spends his time running the class tea spilling account instead of piling on curriculars

(i changed my mind he does choir mhm, mako learns a note or two thanks to him, and sings many of mako's songs that the fire boy has written because i believe in songwriter mako supremacy)

okay but the krew and co is so popular that sometimes people get sus whenever they have casual conversations with teachers (especially the hot volleyball coach and dramatic history teacher iroh ii who visits pe teacher bumi during class) but then they have to remember that literally all of them are related to one another somehow

i mean most of jinora's uncles and aunts are teachers there and they absolutely adore her, if she's in any of their classes they will use her work as an example no matter what

but like literally also carpool for this krew is such a mess okay

mako drives kai and wu around bc wu doesn't have republic city citizenship / license and registration and therefore cannot drive in republic city even if he wanted to (he did not want to but you get my point)

asami drives jinora home most of the time so she can have an excuse to see her gf korra, bolin can't drive so usually asami takes him with her to their air temple mansion so he can keep ikki company / provide extra support so mako has to come and get him after his shifts

they all love each other sm though, they will literally hold a support group every week filled with movies and food at the sato household; if there's an event for one of the krew members they go to that event and cheer them on so loud teachers have to get them to calm down (the standing ovation bolin got on opening night of love amongst the dragons made him cry)

this group isn't the best when it comes to dances, but they're suddenly interested when jinora gets asked by kai; they "chaperone" alongside tenzin and end up having the best time of their lives (wu rigged the votes that night to get bopal to win hoco king and queen because "true love!")

their superlatives in the yearbook are best friend group and most likely to be famous in ten years and it's all of them in this super sweet candid taken by pema bc no one else could get a better pic than she did (even korra is in it !!); the superlatives do be true though

anyway the lok high school au lives in my head rent free it should live in yours too okay because this isn't even all i have for them rn i- just thought you should know lmao ❤️

[shellyseashell]

LOOKS LIKE WE’RE SOULMATES

@korrasami-valentine-exchange this is my fic for the exchange! I’m Soulmates A. I hope I’m posting it correctly.

Summary: With Valentine’s Day drawing near, Korra and Asami just want to find their soulmate.

Read on ao3

KORRA SLUMPED BACK on her pillow, growling at her computer. She absolutely hated essays. Give her a model to make or a poster to design and she’d have it done in minutes, but essays took her centuries. At this point she would drop out if it meant she’d never have to write another essay.

“Essays again?” Opal, her roommate asked from her bunk below.

“What, like I’d be complaining about anything else right now?” Korra retorted, leaning over to glare at her friend.

“You’re either complaining about essays or not finding your soulmate yet.”

Korra rubbed her wrist, where her soul mark was. It was a dark crescent moon that would change color after she met her soulmate. It was as dark as ever. “I’m totally walking into this, but it’s just unfair! You found Bolin years ago, and Mako found Wu soon after! I’m the only one in our friend group who hasn’t found them.”

Opal sighed and set down her book. They had this conversation practically three times a day, and each time Opal suggested something new that Korra would refuse. Today was no different. Glaring at Korra, her friend stood from her bunk. “Maybe if you didn’t cover your wrists all the time, you’d find them.”

Korra shrank back. She always covered her wrists when she left her dorm, either with bracelets or long sleeves. Most people her age were blissfully happy with their soulmate by now, and she didn’t need the embarrassment of being alone. “What if they don’t even live nearby? What if I go my whole life without finding them? What if — what if they’re dead?” Korra choked out the last question. She didn’t want to think about her soulmate being gone. She didn’t even know them, and yet the idea of never meeting them — of never being able to meet them — was unthinkable.

Opal sighed. “You’re overthinking this. You’ll meet them eventually. It could take a long time, but you won’t live your whole life without them. It’s practically impossible.”

“I hope you’re right.”

-

ASAMI CURSED AS she dropped her wrench. Twisting around to grab it without getting out from under the car, she half-expected someone to offer her help or ask if she was okay — like her father normally would.

No one came.

Which was expected, since she was the only one currently working, but it still got lonely. Ever since her father had died a year ago, she had been forced to run the mechanics shop with few employees and questionable schedules.

And with no friends, it got incredibly lonely all the time. Before, at least she had had her father and the few other employees. But after he had died, they had all gone to different companies. Companies that could pay better. And so now, she was alone.

Often, she wondered what it would be like to have found her soulmate. To have someone who loved her no matter what. Someone who was destined to be with her, to love her. To have someone always there for her, who wouldn’t ever leave her. It was starting to be a foreign feeling.

Her gaze landed on her gloved wrist that held her soul mark — a dark crescent moon. She checked it daily after work on the off chance that one of her customers was them, and was always looking for someone with the same mark. So far, she’d had no such luck.

Asami went back to her job, thoughts of finding her soulmate in increasingly unrealistic ways filling her mind. When she finished, she pushed herself out from under the car and started putting her tools away, freezing when she caught sight of someone standing in the doorway.

That someone was a very pretty girl. Her dark hair was cut short around her shoulders, framing her face and making her friendly smile and blue eyes look even prettier. Her skin was a warm brown, and she wore sweatpants and a blue Republic City University hoodie. She looked mildly familiar, but she couldn’t place why, and it didn’t explain why her heart started beating faster or why she felt the urge to make sure she had no grease stains on her face.

“I was starting to think no one was here,” said the girl, looking around. “It’s really empty.”

“I’m the only one working today,” Asami responded. “You can always knock, and if no one repsonds just give us a call and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.”

The girl smiled as Asami approached her. She played with her gloves, nearly taking them off before realizing her soul mark would show, and she didn’t want this girl to see it — didn’t want the pity. So she settled for resting them by her sides.

“What can I do for you?” Asami asked.

The girl jerked her head in the direction of the parking lot. “My car has been making weird noises for the last few days.”

Asami nodded. “Which one is yours?”

The girl led her to her car, an old blue thing. “This is it.”

Asami walked around it, looking at it from different angles. “I’ll probably have to keep it overnight and look at it tomorrow. It’s almost closing time.” Asami looked up and met the girl’s eyes, and quickly looked away, hoping her blush wasn’t noticeable. “How should I contact you?”

“You can call me or send me a text,” the girl said. “I’m Korra, by the way.”

Of course she was Korra, Asami thought as she handed her her phone. Korra was the star player on the soccer team, and incredibly popular. They had a few classes together, but had never really spoken.

“I’m Asami,” she said, taking her phone back from Korra.

“I know,” said Korra, then quickly added, “I mean — it was on the information site. That you owned this place.”

Asami smiled. “I do.”

The silence dragged on, neither making a move to end it.

Korra cleared her throat. “So, you’ll call me when you’re done?”

“Yep.”

“Great, I can’t wait!”

-

KORRA RAN FORWARD and kicked the ball. And completely missed the goal.

She growled. She didn’t know what was going on, but she’d been off balance ever since she had taken her car to Future Industries Mechanics. She couldn’t shake Asami out of her mind. Her green eyes, the way her hair shone in the light and looked really fluffy. They say she kept playing with her gloves, the grease stain across her cheek. She wanted to know Asami Sato, and she wasn’t sure why.

“That’s the third time you’ve missed the goal today,” her coach, Kuvira, said. “What’s going on?”

Korra sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know. I’ll do better tomorrow, I promise.”

“You better. We have a game next week, and we need you in top shape,” Kuvira said with crossed arms. Then she lowered her voice and asked, “Did you find your soulmate?”

If it was anyone else, she probably would have punched them, but Kuvira was almost a friend to her — a friend who happened to be her soccer coach, but still. “No. At least, I don’t think so. I haven’t checked.”

“Ah, so you met someone who you hope is your soulmate, but you’re too scared to check in case you’re let down.”

“Yeah . . .”

Kuvira smirked. “Well, then I guess it’s a good thing practice is over.” She jerked her head toward the locker rooms. “Go figure it out. I’m sure it’ll all work out.”

“I’m sure it’ll all work out.” That was the phrase that Korra had been hearing more and more the older she got, the longer she went without a soulmate. Right, because it was easy to think things would work out when you had been happy with your soulmate for years. But to Korra, it was hard to think she’d ever find them. Everyone around her had found theirs, so why couldn’t she? Sure, there were people who found them when they were in their thirties or even older, so she hadn’t lost all hope, but it was still her soulmate. Of course she wanted to find them as soon as she could.

She sighed, and entered one of the shower stalls. She pulled up her sleeve, not expecting anything different, but froze when she saw that her soul mark was not the same as it had been before. Instead of the same pitch black it usually was, it was a mess of different colors. There were pinks and blues and reds and greens and oranges and yellows and colors she couldn’t even name.

A wide grin grew on her face as she realized what this meant. She had found them! She had found her soulmate, after all the years. And she knew just who it was.

Deciding to shower later, she stuffed her belongings back in her bag and ran. She passed by Kuvira in the hall, who simply smiled knowingly.

Korra headed to the parking lot before remembering her car was still with Asami — funny that her car was where she wanted to be, but not her. She hesitated for a second, trying to decide if she wanted to run there or wait for a bus.

“Fuck public transportation,” Korra said, sprinting down the street. She’d get there faster on her own anyway.

Everything blurred around her as she ran, only her destination in her mind. She was dimly aware of traffic and horns honking and annoyed glares around her. Not that she cared. She was going to get to Asami if she had to trample everyone in her path.

By the time she entered the mechanics shop, her bag was hanging off her elbow, and she was sweatier than before, causing her hair and clothes to stick to her. Still, that didn't stop her excitement from creeping into her voice as she yelled, “Asami!” in time with her bag sliding off her arm and hitting the floor.

There was a muffled crash and a curse, and then Asami appeared from behind a car, rubbing her head. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, a few strands falling into her face. She wore the same mechanics uniform from before, riddled with grease stains.

Asami furrowed her brows. “Korra? Your car isn’t ready yet. I said I’d call you when it was.”

Korra crossed the room, practically flying with excitement. “No, I know. It’s just, well, this.”

She held her wrist up in Asami’s face. Asami looked confused at first, unsure why she was showing her her soul mark, before her eyes widened in realization. Asami scrambled to pull off her work gloves. “Spirits,” she breathed, staring down at her identical wrist. She looked up and met Korra’s eye. “I don’t — how?”

“How are we soulmates?” Korra said. “Easy. We just are.”

Asami shook her head, though she was smiling. “No, I mean, how have we not figured it out sooner? We have classes together.”

Korra grinned and leaned her elbow on the car in front of her, staring Asami right in the eye. “But have we ever talked before?”

Asami shook her head.

“Exactly.”

Asami studied her arm for a few seconds before looking up at Korra. “So, if we’re soulmates . . .”

“We should probably talk about it,” Korra finished. “Tomorrow night. Valentine’s Day. We go on a date. We talk about the whole soulmate thing. We live happily for the rest of our days.”

Asami snorted. “Sounds perfect.”

“Good, because I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.”

-

“YOU WON’T BELIEVE what happened!” Korra yelled, slamming the door to her dorm behind her.

Bolin, who was holding a bowl of popcorn, jumped and dropped the bowl. “Would it hurt to give a little warning next time?” he grumbled and he knelt to clean up the mess.

Mako snorted from the couch. “Maybe you should know she’ll do that stuff by now.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Guys please,” Korra said. “What happened today.”

Wu snapped his fingers and pointed at her. “You learned that we’re all living in a simulation and nothing is real.”

“. . . no?”

“You learned that fairies are real and we’re all giants,” Bolin offered, earning a glare from Opal, who was in her bunk.

“Let her speak,” she said.

Korra rocked back on her heels, before blurting out, “I found my soulmate!”

Wu gasped. “That was going to be my next guess!”

Mako snorted, tightening his arm around his shoulders. “Sure it was.”

“That’s great, Korra,” Opal said. “Who is it?”

“Asami Sato.”

Bolin sat down next to Opal, having given up on popcorn. “Isn’t she in some of your classes?”

Korra nodded slowly. “A few, I think. But I’ve never actually talked to her until now.”

“How’d you meet her?” Mako asked.

“Car problems. Obviously.”

“Right. Obviously.”

“You know,” Opal said. “Her dorm is in the same building. She lives on her own, I think.”

Korra grinned, and her eyes seemed to brighten. Her soulmate living in the same building as her? It was the next best thing compared to actually living with her. Still, it would make seeing her easier. She wouldn’t have to worry about her car breaking down — though that would give her an excuse to see Asami whenever she wanted. “Does she?” Honestly, it was surprising that she hadn’t figured it out sooner. There had been so many opportunities for them to talk, but they only did when Korra’s old car broke down?

“Yeah. You should go talk to her.”

Korra shook her head. “I just got back from talking to her. We’re going out tomorrow.”

“Valentine’s Day?”

Korra grinned. “What better day to get to know your soulmate than the day of love?”

-

ASAMI PACED AROUND her small shop. She was supposed to be closing up, but all she could think about was what had happened earlier.

She had found her soulmate.

More specifically, she had found out Korra, the star of the soccer team, one of the most well-known girls, daughter of the mayor, quite possibly the most beautiful girl she’d ever met, was her soulmate.

Of all things, she was surprised they’d never met before, but with how different their lives were, she honestly wasn’t surprised.

Asami locked the door behind her as she left, and headed to her car. She paused when she passed Korra’s car.

Trailing a hand over the hood, she was overcome with fantasies of the future. Of dates with Korra in the front seat. Of snuggling up on cold days. Of laughing and joking as they rode to classes. Of seeing Korra when her car was finished.

This car, Korra’s car, was a mark of the future, and it was one she would forever be grateful for.

-

VALENTINE’S DAY CAME, and Korra was freaking out.

“Korra, you look fine,” Opal said for the fifth time.

Korra tugged at her collar again. She had decided to wear a blue suit, with a black shirt underneath. She had left her jacket unbuttoned, open to hang at her sides, but now she was questioning if it was the right choice. “But what if I picked the wrong color suit and our outfits clash?”

Opal rolled her eyes. “Since when have you cared about your appearance that much?”

“But she’s my soulmate!” Korra protested. “I want everything to be perfect.”

Opal stood from her bed and crossed the room. Placing her hands on Korra’s shoulders, she stared into her very soul. “Korra. You are taking her out for dinner and then stargazing. Your date plan is fine. She is your soulmate. She’ll like it regardless. Look, I know your first date with your soulmate is nerve wracking. I’ve been through it. But you’re going to be fine. You’ll be laughing halfway through and wonder why you were ever so nervous. You’ll be fine.”

Korra took a deep breath and shook her nerves away. “You’re right. We’re going to dinner. We’re going to get to know each other and talk about this whole soulmate thing. It’s going to be fine.”

Opal grinned. “Good. Now get going. Bolin is going to be here any minute and I don’t want you here.”

Korra laughed and crossed to the door, winking at Opal — who rolled her eyes — before leaving.

There were plenty of couples in the hall, all heading out to do their couple-y thing. It was weird to think that after years of moping at home and wishing to all the stars she could remember the names of, that she would be joining them soon.

Weird, but absolutely exhilarating.

Korra stopped in front of Asami’s door. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her nerves and knocked.

The door opened immediately, like Asami had been waiting for her. Korra’s greeting stuck in her throat. Asami looked absolutely beautiful. Her red dress hugged her waist and danced around her like feathers in the wind. The sleeves flowed around her arms and cinched around her wrists. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders, her lips painted the same shade as her dress, her eyes lined with black. She was even more beautiful than Korra thought.

Korra was shaken out of her thoughts by Asami laughing. “You’re staring,” she said, causing Korra to blush. “But you look very pretty yourself.”

Korra grinned. “Really? I was worried the blue was overdoing it.”

Asami laughed again. “It goes well with red.”

“Does it? I had no idea.”

“It does. Are you going to tell me what you have planned for tonight, or is that a surprise?”

Korra bit her lip. “I can tell you we’re going out to dinner, but after that is a surprise.”

“Dinner sounds nice.”

Grinning, Korra looped her arm with Asami’s and led her down the hall. “You’re going to love it.”

-

ASAMI DID LOVE it. Korra had taken her to a diner with mostly outdoor seating. The seating area was filled with plants of all sorts, with flowers of all different colors. It almost looked like the garden was one huge soul mark. Lanterns lined the walkways, making her feel like their path was glowing.

Korra led her down one of the many pathways, grinning widely. That grin was one Asami could get used to seeing — she was quickly falling in love with it.

“Wow Korra, this is amazing,” she said, stumbling slightly as Korra jerked her around a corner.

“Sorry!” her soulmate-maybe-girlfriend squeaked. “Our table is up here.”

Asami looked around, noticing they hadn’t passed any more tables in a while. “Why are the tables so spaced out anyway?”

“This restaurant is for soulmates who have just met to get to know each other. The tables are so far apart for privacy. Each table is supposed to have a bowl of conversation starters with weird questions. Get to know the small stuff before what they do for a living, I guess.”

Asami laughed. “This is amazing,” she repeated.

Korra raised an eyebrow. “Really? It’s not that creative.”

“To be fair, we only met yesterday.”

Korra stopped. “This is us.”

The table was in a small alcove surrounded by flower pots. It was a typical outdoor seating table — metal, with chairs that would probably be uncomfortable after a while. The center of the table had a small bowl with different slips of paper sitting in it. Conversation starters.

Asami unlooped her arm from Korra’s and sat. Her soulmate did the same.

They spent a few seconds staring at each other and grinning. Spirits, Korra was pretty, with her short hair and minimal makeup that looked like it had been put on last minute, and the blue suit that matched her eyes.

She could have spent hours staring into those eyes that seemed to hold the depths of the world within them. They were the ocean and the sky and warm rain.

Asami looked away and cleared her throat. “So, should we use these conversations starters, or should we go through the basic ‘get to know me’ questions?”

Grinning, Korra placed her chin on her hand. “Tell me about Future Industries.”

Asami grinned. She could’ve talked about anything just to talk to Korra, but talking about one of the things she loved most was even better. “It was supposed to expand from one small mechanics shop to a whole company, but my father died before he could finish all the business stuff, and I’m not in the place to do it on my own. A lot of the employees quit after he died, looking for better work, so I don’t have enough money — or time, with school. I want to expand in the future though.”

Korra nodded. “Seems important.”

“It is,” Asami agreed. “Forgetting about the fact that I love the work, my father started the company and I feel like I’d be forgetting him if I didn’t make it worth it.”

Korra smiled softly. “You wouldn’t be forgetting him.”

Asami shrugged. “What about you? What do you want to do with your life?”

“Okay, so I know I should know by now, but I’m not completely sure. I mean, I focus a lot on soccer and martial arts and could easily do something with that. But I could also help my dad in politics, which would be fine.”

“As long as you’re doing what you want,” Asami said. “And something you went to school for.”

Korra laughed. “Anything other than Future Industries I should know about you?”

“What, like a secret identity I hide behind to fight crime?” Asami said with a laugh. “Nothing that huge. Basic stuff you’ll probably know with those conversation starters. I don’t really have any friends. I major in mechanics. I run Future Industries. I want to expand. That’s it really.”

Korra nodded. “Well, you should know my roommate and friends can be annoying. I was the last to find my soulmate, and they teased me for it a lot. And they’re just annoying in general.”

“I think I can deal with annoying roommates.”

“Good, because you’ll be dealing with them a lot,” Korra said, playing with the slips of paper. “So, those conversation starters.”

-

KORRA TOOK ASAMI to the roof of their dorm building. Korra wasn’t sure Asami would like it, but by the way Asami gasped and turned in a slow circle to look at the view, she was pretty sure she did.

“I know I said dinner was amazing,” Asami started, “but this is amazing.”

“Never came up to the roof before?” Korra asked, setting a blanket that she’d snagged from her dorm down on the ground. She sat and patted the ground next to her.

“You’re allowed to come up here?” Asami asked as she sat down and leaned her head on Korra’s shoulder.

“Er — no, not usually,” Korra said, rubbing her next. “But a family friend runs this place, so I get special permission. Figured I might as well use it.”

Grinning, Asami leaned back on her elbows and looked at the sky. “I wish I could see the stars.”

Korra leaned back too. “You can see them better in the country, at my family’s farm.”

“Your family has a farm?”

“My grandparents. We visit every summer.”

Asami hummed. “Do you know a lot about the stars?”

Grinning, Korra reached a hand up to the sky like she could pick a star out of the sky. “I sure do.”

Asami sighed. “Tell me everything you can.”

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

And so the two laid there, Asami’s head on Korra’s chest and Korra’s hand tangled in Asami’s hair as Korra told everything she knew of the stars. Asami listened, and though she didn’t understand much of what she was listening to, all she cared about was that it was Korra, her soulmate, talking, and that was all that mattered.

At long last, both girls had found their soulmate.

Dunno if I should put a taglist here but here we go: @salt-warrior @andrewminyard-apologist @cinderswrench @shadymcsilverbangs @cindersassasin let me know if you want to be added or removed!

[zigga-tingz]

Pokémon SWSH Dodgeball AU

Milo:

Nessa hides behind him every round

If Nessa gets hit before him he apologizes extensively

Whenever he’s the last one standing, people yell at him to run

Nessa:

Wears skirts and sandals most of the time so she can sit out

Gets angry if she can’t sit out

Asks to go to the bathroom to skip class

Gets mad when she gets hit (especially in the face)

Refuses to hide behind anyone other than Milo

Yells at whoever hits her

Kabu:

Is the PE coach

Yells at whoever tries to sit out

Rants about how he was the dodgeball champion

Yells at the PTA members when they take it easy on the kids

Bea:

Best player

Throws hard

Has sent someone to the hospital

Aims for Raihan’s face

Keeps Allister in front of her so he doesn’t get hit

Will fight the bitch who hits Allister

Allister:

Lies and says he has asthma

No talk me angy when he gets hit

Melony and Bea team up and fight whoever hits him

When he is chosen to throw he is not afraid to hit someone he dislikes

Has a mask specifically for dodgeball

If that mask falls off he might cry

Opal:

Yells at Nessa when she slacks off

PTA member for Bede

If Bede gets hit she’ll smack him with her umbrella

If she gets hit for any reason she’ll call the cops

Gordie:

Kabu goes easy on him for Melony

If he gets hit he’s telling mom

Will throw the ball directly at someone’s ankles or face

Sometimes he’ll try to hit Melony and pretend he didn’t

Asks her to bring food for him

He will argue with Kabu that he didn’t get hit

Complains a lot

Melony:

PTA member

Goes easy on the kids

If Gordie gets hit she’ll either A) Beat whoever hit her son or B) Yell at her son and tell him she raised him better

Argues with Opal over which kids are better

If someone cusses Gordie out she’ll beat their ass

Gets Popeyes for Gordie after the game

Piers:

Sits in the corner and pretends he’s not there

When someone notices him they tell Kabu and Kabu yells at him to get his head in the game

Most of the time he’ll get in front of Raihan and have Marnie in front of him

When Bea’s absent he’ll protect Allister

If Raihan’s in a bad mood he won’t hide in front of him

Uses his microphone to deflect the balls

People say he cheats

If Marnie gets hit he beats the person with his mic

Raihan:

“I didn’t get hit!”

Argues with Kabu that he’s not out

Speedy Gonzales headass

If Piers runs slow he’ll pick him up

Fights with Bea over who’s better

Jumps the bitch that hits him

When he’s the last one standing he goes sicko mode

X-game mode when he throws

Leon:

Will purposely try not to hit anyone

If he hits Hop he treats him to icecream

Gets lost about which side he’s supposed to be on

When he’s the last one left he just gives up

He’s dumb and doesn’t take off his cape

Puts his hair in a ponytail

When him and Hop are on the same team he’ll carry him to victory

Has accidentally hit Melony before

Got a broken arm after that

Chairman Rose:

The principal

Likes to watch them play

Laughs at Leon’s failures

Has joined in before and was hit in the balls

Begs Oleana to join in

Oleana:

Tells Rose he’s acting “childish”

Refuses to join in

Constantly reminds Rose he has a meeting soon

If she gets hit she has to hold herself back

Was hit in the face before and her makeup smeared off

Threw pokéballs at the person who hit her

When Rose got hit in the balls she stopped the game and went to help him

Wonders what she’ll do if Rose gets hit in the balls again

Hop:

Dumbass energy

When he gets hit he still stays in the game

Has somehow hit himself with a ball before

Aims for Bede’s face and watch

Gets mad when Leon calls him out for staying in

Usually gets hit first

Bede:

Pretends he’s the best player

If he gets hit he tells Opal

When his ice gets hit he demands someone buys him the newest version

Cheats and uses Hatterene as a bodyguard

Has fought Hop and won and is not afraid to do it again

If his hair gets hit he WILL stab a bitch

Opal will either fight someone for him or fight him

Marnie:

Tells Piers she doesn’t need him to protect her

Stubborn when Piers carries her

Has twisted her ankle before and Piers beat the shit out of Gordie

When she does get hurt Melony brings her to the nurses office

Morpeko will bite anyone who purposely hits Marnie

When she throws she aims for Gordie’s knees

If Piers is absent Raihan will protect her

Tells people not to go easy on her

[bunnyjoyce-blog]

My StEx OC’s

To say that these are my “OC’s” is not to imply that I have fully crafted character bios and sketches of each one. Only a few are ones that I’ve actually developed (like the fanbabies, e.g. Rusty’s kids, Ashton and Starla). Mostly I keep this list for when I need a character. “Oh, I need a repair truck in this scene -- I’ll use Emma the M.O.W. car.” “There should be some kind of food-service vehicle -- let’s use Olive the dining car.” “Poppa needs to mention an old friend in his story -- how about Malachi the Mallet?”

Locomotives Bernadette the steam engine Big Roy the Big Boy steam engine Sandy the sea-side train engine Malachi the Mallet Warren the Warbonnet diesel engine (Santa Fe) Eris the atmospheric train Bonnie the female Warbonnet diesel engine Jammer the female diesel (roller derby) Alpha the A-Unit engine Beta the B-Unit engine Bill the Billboard freight engine (Santa Fe) Amber the electric engine Juice Jack the electric engine Davenport the female electric Columbia the Columbian steam engine Watson the electric engine Gina the steam engine Raymond the solar-powered engine Coltrane -- coal train locomotive Shock the electric engine (contributed by little brother) Miles the long-haul train Pilot the switch engine Bumper the switch engine Ilene the tilting train

Non-Locos and Associates Taxi the cab car Ella the L Train Coleman the tender (coal car) Colette the tender Nicole the tender Hep Cat the H.E.P. car (head-end power) Jenny the steam-generator car

Head-End Equipment (Passenger Cars that Don’t Carry Guests) Millie the milk car Darian the milk car Maylee the mail car Posie the postal car Arthur the RPO (mail) Arlene the RPO Travis the Traveling Post Office car Otto the autorack car Zipporah the baggage car Sue Casey the baggage car Handel the baggage car Dorothy the dormitory car Marian the horse car Clydesdale the horse car (partner with Bonnie: "Bonnie and Clydesdale")

Passenger Coaches (Non-Sleeper) Corrie/Cordelia the corridor car Charity the chair car Priscilla "Miss Priss" the private car Penny the open car Opal the open car Columbine the combine car Cassie the casino car Cynthia the cinema car Emily the emigrant car Collin the colonist car Daisy the day coach Mark 3 the British carriage Peace the quiet car Seymour the observation car Prima the first-class car Parthenia the parlor car Lora the parlor car Sofia the lounge car

Food Service Cars Mitropa the German dining car Mikki McTrain the McDonald's dining car Kitty the kitchen car Kappa the kitchen car Barney the bar car Ginny the tavern car Beverly the beverage car Barbie the grill car Bebe Queue the grill car Fred Harvey the dining car Delicia the dessert car Barbara the lounge car (with a barber shop) Libby the library lounge car Mimi the piano-bar car Ladonna the ladies lounge car Sally the saloon car Phryne the grill car (fry-knee) Olive the dining car Ambrosia the dining car

Earl Lee the breakfast diner (on sleeper trains that leave too late to serve dinner)

Sleepers Daytona Beach the Pullman sun-lounge car Delray Beach aka "Sundrop" the Pullman sun-lounge car Sunrise Beach the Pullman sun-lounge car The 2 twin twinette sleepers Obed the male sleeper Tori the tourist car Lacey the sleeping car Lunette the sleeping car Eve the sleeping car Andromeda the sleeping car (though you can basically use any constellation for sleepers, can't you?) Leah the sleeping car ("lay-ah")

Freight Trucks Minnie the mineral wagon Hermione the mine car Flo the water truck (tank car) Clayton the quarry train Diggory the mine train Digby the mine train Cornelia the vegetable truck Stix the lumber truck (like Trax, get it?) Holly the lumber truck Pip the Tropicana Juice Train reefer Blocker the female boxcar (sister of Jammer) Boombox the boxcar Roxy the hopper Agatha the aggregate hopper Heidi the high car Julie 4 the firecracker truck Bobby the bobber (caboose) Ruby the red caboose Captain the crew car Isis the freezer truck Wayne the way car Baxter the caboose (BACKster) Snowdrop the freezer truck Spumoni the freezer truck

Work Trucks Billie the revenue car (money truck) Persephone the money truck Clarence the clearance car Speedy the speeder Fraiser the crane car (he's the repair truck for the mind) Squeaky the hand car Laurice the lorry Mr. Plow the snow plow Emma the MOW truck

Component OC's Bolt the repair truck Dynamo the work truck Prada the wardrobe truck (baggage car) Julian

National OC's Lady Luna the royal saloon car (races with Prince of Wales) The City of Carlisle the APT-P power/motor car (races with the City of Milton Keynes) Herr Schnell, the German train Roulette the TGV carriage (races with Bobo) Siesta the sleeping car (from Spain) Europa Siegfried the ICE car (races with Ruhrgold) Hashiko the Shinkansen restaurant car (races with Hashamoto) Orka the Swedish vehicle Isabella the Swedish freezer truck (Isabella = is, which is Swedish for ice) Thanks to @tussockpride for her help.

Espresso's train (i.e. the other six cars on a Settebello) Rapido the Settebello (from the other side of Espresso's train) Cuscino the Settebello car Mangia the Settebello dining car Deliziosa the Settebello kitchen car Bottega the Settebello boutique car Compartimento the Settebello car

Fan babies Thundersnow - Electra's son by Volta, an electric-steam locomotive Candy the snack car -- Dinah and CB's daughter Starla -- Rusty's daughter, a coach Ashton -- Rusty's son, a steam engine Puff-Top the sleeping car -- Flat-Top and Duvay's daughter Rockabye - Rocky 2 and 2nd-class sleeper's daughter (So, would that make her a box-bed? Bah dum tish!) Rock'n'roll -- a Rocky and a food service car's child Rocky Road - a Rocky and a freezer truck's child Snow-in-Summer the freezer truck

Misc. Copper the railroad police caboose Sam Spade the murder-mystery train Carla the railway car Vanessa the railway van Gunther the railway gun Lt. Aimee the railway gun/armaments carrier Doggett the animal truck Katrina the animal truck Trixi the German, Trix-built vehicle (Trix being a toy manufacturer) Buddy the Budd-built vehicle Messenger of Hope the Baptist chapel car Sister Mary the Catholic chapel car Slammer the prison car Diana the funeral car Morgana the funeral car Mortimer the funeral-train engine

Buffet Bunny (avatar OC) Rosie the geekaboose

[beowulfs-booty-call]

The High Priestess, Strength, The Hermit, Justice, The Sun, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

WHEEEEEEE! Okay, honestly, whee reminds me of the Sun and what do you know, a birth tarot card lmao

Anywho, without further ado...!

The High Priestess: One thing you wish you knew

Golly, there’s a lot of stuff I wish I knew, tbh... I wish I knew a lot of stuff I didn’t have to learn the hard way these more recent years in a sense...

But, to be real, I wish I really knew if I was ever going to fall in love with the right person in my life. I know, I know, “You’re the romantic incubus, you’re going to.” But what I mean is, I wish I knew when was the right time, like, how do I know when I’ll be ready to fall in love with someone? Will it be when I feel comfortable with myself like I’m learning to? Will it be when I start bettering myself because of someone else? Will it be when I lose someone and I realize the things they brought to my life ended up making me living a life I can’t live without them? It’s... Tough. I woke up two hours ago, from an intense fever like dream and suddenly everything feels like nothing really exists. Like I’ve been dreaming for a hundred years. 

And that’s what I’ve been wondering about since I woke up.

When will I know I can or will fall in love. 

Granted, it’s something I feel is sort of my own recurring thing to figure out, I really wish I just... Knew, you know?

Now, if it was about a thing I wish I knew as a kid I didn’t have to now, it would be that, people are going to love me for who I am, that being bi is perfectly fine, and being my own person is nothing to hurt me. Masculinity, Femininity... They’re just perceived notions of people. No one is going to stop loving me just because I cross my legs, or because I feel personally comfortable with someone of my own gender, and the opposite gender now and again in a relationship with myself. That... That it’s okay to be who you are now, that no one’s going to tell you to be you, than yourself and your heart.

I really wish I knew that so long ago, so I could be so much happier when I was younger, but, the thing to takeaway from that now is that in the end, it’s okay. I’m learning to make my life better now, and others. That’s really all I can do. And I’m hella into it.

Strength: Something you struggle with

God, accepting myself was the first thing, learning to move on from past mistakes was another, but they’re something I’ve gotten through. Right now, it’s working past the emotional abuse my parents have put me through and learning to give myself the love they haven't. I still have to deal with the pain of looking in the mirror, and thinking: “You’re okay, you aren’t a tool. You aren’t unfeeling for bottling things up. You were just hurt. And that’s okay.” It’s also come to the point I say sorry for many things, big and small but for nigh anything. I know you’ve helped coach me not to put myself in a position in which small acts of kindness are worth gratitude in the way that I make it seem (Like, you know, saying thank you for you acting like a decent person when, I don’t consider myself that.) as well as apologizing for any little thing, but it’s still something I’m trying hard to come off on. I personally think I waste people’s time and I don't actually deserve any sort of kindness because I’m so used to vying for it instead. I’m used to watching people be happy, and I try my best to make them happy, but I can’t see myself happy. And that’s why it’s still hard for me to come off my mannerisms as “stiff”. 

It’s hard because I have these doubts in my mind that when I put my hands together and I feel “stiff”, I’m that kid who sits alone during an award’s ceremony, my parents not there, and I’m walking up to the podium like a machine, and I sit back and pretend I don’t feel anything so I don't break down telling everyone I’m sorry for looking so badly. 

The truth is, I’m learning to move past it. The stiffness is still there at times, but this time I have people I can trust and talk to, and people who love me for who I am. It’s really done a number on my mannerisms now, and, well, I know that this is something I can overcome sometime in the future.

The Hermit: Favourite way to spend a day alone

I like to walk and explore my town or the city when I’m alone, or curl up in bed and read a good book! Personally, I've been left alone for many a time, so I got used to the alone time by inserting myself in stories and myths I read, or by surfing the net for the latest spells to add to my grimoire. When I’m exploring, I like to window shop and maybe even do some chatting with the locals in my spot! We’re all technically neighbors in the sense that I feel perfectly fine with striking up a conversation with someone while waiting for a chai latte at Starbucks. 

That said, I like to draw and write, it’s how I practice! Voice acting... Praying / meditating... Heck, even singing at times! 

But the best way, I say, is when I sit down, put my favorite songs on, all light and maybe a little bit airy... And I wash my hands clean and start to organize my gemstone collection and I do the same with my pokemon card collection and coin collection too! I look through my memory box and then I start to Right after, I pull up my memory box and I end my day there.

My memory box is this lovely fake box shaped like a book that housed simple trinkets, like a keychain from my teacher when he went to London, tickets from the movies I saw with an old friend... A hand made letter from my grandpa... Those things all got into my memory box. At times, when I feel bad, I sift through them and I let myself rethink the memories I had with them.

Justice: A decision you wish you could do over

Definitely not allowing myself to really branch out and start learning more about myself. I didn’t take up any clubs in school until I was a sophomore / junior because my parents told me my grades weren’t high enough (I was an 80 student at the time because the classes were AP and Honors) and as such, clubs were a “luxury”. I ended up taking International Club with my Spanish teacher, later adoptive father figure, Martinez, and photography club in late junior club with my other spanish teacher who really got me into acknowledging myself as a real persona and my love for photography. And even art club!

Had I done that earlier, I feel like I would have so much more to give back and get on as time goes on, but in the end? I’m so glad I took them up anyhow, they’re pieces of what made me who I am today. 

The Sun: Your happiest memory

Goodness, there’s some few of them I got in mind, but man...

One of them was when, I was but a young kid, no more than like 4 or 5. I visited my grandfather in his real estate office and I was just about to graduate my prekindergarten class.

Now, my grandpa looked at me like I was his pride and joy even though we weren’t related by blood. Let me tell you. This man was in his office, and I ended up coming in, and asked his assistant if he was free. Jay, his assistant, warned me that he was busy, but I told him I only wanted to just drop in and say hi. It was a lie, because I wanted me and Mr. Rudy (as we called him, he hated the name “Grandpa”) to go to have lunch at mcdonalds or white castle since it was late may and, well, who doesn’t like some fast food?

So, I knock at his door, and he opens the door to see little old me in my catholic school uniform with a tie and dress shirt and the whole shebang saying,

“Good afternoon, Mr. Rudy! How are you? Are you with a customer?” (Little me prided himself on being able to say customer and not mincing the word like when I say “renember” instead of “remember”.) 

And normally you’d see his glare under his glasses and he’d be angry with you if you did disturb him, but soon as he saw me... He laughed, opened his arm and pulled me up and carried me in talking to his client at the time and sat me down on his lap while he was at his deck. I don’t recall the actual thing the client and him were discussing, but they asked who I was and my grandpa had the biggest, proudest grin on his face and he put his hand over my head, ruffled my hair and said sUPER loud “This is my son!” and little me... Man, little Chris™ was “I’m his son!” on repeat for a good hour. 

We went out, to my graduation after that, and it was then my grandpa went ahead, cancelled his meetings and personally was there to watch. He took me out to celebrate at the local diner and we ended up talking endlessly about Jesus and the catholic religion as a whole because I was just learning about it all. Honestly, it was my happiest memory, because when my father and mother never once acted like one, my grandpa was there to do so, with a  big smile on his face, a good stimulating chat with someone like me, and always saw me as an adult. I felt so validated for my feelings and thoughts. That memory never left me, not even to this day. He’s sadly not around anymore since he passed memorial day weekend, but in an odd sense? He left me a cross made of petrified wood and a cast iron Christ on it, with an opal rosary wrapped around it and a leather backed bible dating from the 60′s. In a sense, he’s not here anymore, but those memories, those little things we did together... They’ll never leave me. 

[mastcomm]

Their Story Wrote Itself – The New York Times

Cynthia LaFave had a word of warning when she first met T Kira Madden in 2015.

“She said, ‘If you hurt my daughter, I’ll kill you,’” Ms. Madden recalled.

And that, by Ms. Madden’s reckoning, was a fair enough thing for her to say about her relationship with Hannah Beresford. Years earlier, Ms. Beresford had fought an episode of depression so crippling she required hospitalization.

Ms. Madden was no stranger to pain, either: Her 2019 memoir, “Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls,” outlines her trauma-filled coming-of-age as the queer, biracial daughter of a pair of well-to-do addicts in South Florida. That Ms. Madden’s pain may have affected Ms. Beresford was a reasonable concern for her mother.

It proved unwarranted. “Their relationship has brought so much peace to them both that, as it stands now, if anyone tries to hurt Kira, I’ll kill them, too,” Ms. LaFave said.

Ms. Madden and Ms. Beresford, both 31 and now living in Beacon, N.Y., first saw each other in 2012 at the Jamaica Bay Riding Academy in Brooklyn. Ms. Beresford, a former professional equestrian, worked there as a trainer and coach for the nonprofit Metropolitan Equestrian team. Ms. Madden was shepherding the half-dozen homeless veterans she drove there through therapeutic interaction with the horses. It was part of her job as a teacher and counselor at the Doe Fund shelter in Harlem, which also housed formerly incarcerated men, many of them addicts.

Ms. Madden had just received a master’s degree in fine arts from Sarah Lawrence College, where she is now a professor in the M.F.A. writing program. A career in social services wasn’t in her future, but the shelter job attracted her for its proximity to a population that felt familiar. “My parents were pretty severe addicts,” she said. By the time she moved to New York at 17 for college at Parsons School of Design, both were in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. Then, “we had this second sort of beautiful life together,” she said. “They were sober and we had these happy adult relationships. My parents always loved me. They weren’t bad people.”

Just complicated ones. Ms. Madden’s Hawaiian-Chinese mother, Sherrie Lokelani Madden, lives in Atlantic Beach, a part of Hempstead, N.Y., and is the general manager of the Dop Dop Salon in SoHo. Her father, John Laurence Madden, was Jewish and, after a career as stockbroker, headed his brother Steve Madden’s international fashion accessories business; Mr. Madden died in 2015 of complications from lung disease. In addition to their addictions, they had secrets. Ms. Madden found out as a child she had two half brothers on her father’s side from a marriage that her parents’ affair broke up. As an adult, she learned about another half sister on her mother’s side and a brother, whom her parents had placed for adoption. Still, her childhood in Boca Raton, Fla., had a shiny exterior. She grew up winning equestrian ribbons and attended an exclusive high school, North Broward Preparatory School, in Coconut Creek, Fla.

Fridays at the stable with the Doe shelter residents were an opportunity for her to be around horses again and, on occasions when volunteers ushered her charges through their riding and grooming lessons, to read books.

“Hannah noticed me first,” Ms. Madden said. “She remembers me reading at the picnic table, a Joy Williams book called ‘Escapes’.” In 2013, before Ms. Beresford and Ms. Madden found a chance to be properly introduced, the shelter’s horse program ended. But Ms. Madden’s love of horses lingered. She returned to the stable to ask the barn manager if there was someone who could give her lessons.

She was reconnected with Ms. Beresford, whose job at the stable overlapped with her graduate studies in poetry at N.Y.U.

Ms. Beresford earned her master’s degree from N.Y.U. in 2014 and now teaches poetry at Drew University in Madison, N.J. She grew up in rural Voorheesville, N.Y. Her parents, Ms. LaFave, a trial lawyer from Albany, and Jon Beresford of Cañon City, Colo., the owner of Beresford Remodeling, divorced when she was 5.

At 4, she had started horseback riding. “It became pretty consuming,” she said. In 2007, Oklahoma State University recruited her for its N.C.A.A. Division 1 equestrian team. But by then, after years on the road touring, distractions from her athletic career were mounting.

“I had struggled most of my teen years with anxiety and depression, and it all piled up,” she said. In 2008, she hit what she called rock bottom. “I was hospitalized for a while, and in the hospital, I came out,” she said. She called friends and family to tell them she was gay. “As they say, it got better.”

Credit belonged partially to a college poetry class. “Though I’d hate to suggest that depression can be treated with anything less than intensive therapy by a medical professional, that became something I could look forward to, where I could see a future.”

At Ms. Madden’s first riding lesson in Brooklyn in 2013, Ms. Beresford set a professional tone. “We connected on a lot of different levels,” Ms. Beresford said, especially riding and writing. “But I didn’t know how Kira identified. It didn’t cross my mind that she might be gay. I think coming out in Oklahoma, spending my formative years there, made me assume no one else in the world was gay.”

Ms. Madden noted “that we both were in relationships at the time. But right after that lesson I texted my friend, ‘This lesbian in breeches is so hot!’ I felt very crushy toward Hannah.” Not so much, though, that she was willing to break up with her girlfriend and ask Ms. Beresford out.

Instead, life got in the way, she said, and after six months she stopped taking lessons. More than a year passed. “But I always thought of Hannah, how I wished I could be her friend.” In late 2014, she scoured Yelp for the names of Jamaica Bay Riding Academy instructors, hoping to find Ms. Beresford’s last name and contact info.

Eventually, she reached Ms. Beresford through Facebook. “I was like, ‘Hey, remember me?’” Ms. Madden said. Both were nearing the ends of their relationships; Ms. Beresford, who considers herself more a country than a city person, was about to move to Austin, Texas.

But after exchanging and reading some work each had written (Ms. Beresford a manuscript in progress and Ms. Madden short stories and part of a novel), they decided to meet for a first date in February 2015 at the Stonewall Inn.

“In the back of our heads we were thinking, this could be really painful, because I was moving in a matter of weeks,” Ms. Beresford said. But their book swap had already connected them. “When you’re reading something autobiographical, you not only learn the facts of the person’s life but the lens through which they see the world,” Ms. Madden said.

[Sign up for Love Letter and always get the latest in Modern Love, weddings, and relationships in the news by email.]

At the Stonewall Inn, they talked and kissed until closing time. “We got kicked out,” Ms. Madden said. “It felt like love.”

As the Chinese New Year began on Feb. 19, Ms. Madden, who embraces her Hawaiian-Chinese heritage, and Ms. Beresford celebrated together.

Weeks later, Ms. Beresford rented a U-Haul for her move to Texas. Ms. Madden told her, “You can’t move to Austin without me taking you.” They drove together. Ms. Madden returned to her Williamsburg, Brooklyn, apartment alone. Then, in the fall, her father fell into a coma.

“My father was my person — I was really close to him,” Ms. Madden said. Ms. Beresford booked a flight and planned to stay in New York until Mr. Madden recovered. When he died, she comforted Ms. Madden through her grief. They wouldn’t return to Texas to pack Ms. Beresford’s things for a full year.

By then, they had become experienced road trippers. “Hannah and I always joke that we spent most of our relationship in a car,” Ms. Madden said. In addition to the U-Haul trip, by the end of 2016 they had driven to Buffalo for a horse show and to Kansas to visit friends of Ms. Beresford’s; they also drove to upstate New York regularly to ride horses and spend time with Ms. LaFave.

Ms. Madden’s mother had also become a fixture in their lives, through regular visits to the home in SoHo she shared with Mr. Madden before he died, and later to Long Island. Ms. Lokelani Madden felt close to Ms. Beresford immediately. “Hannah really grounds Kira,” she said. “She has this soothing effect. I admire so much how they bring out the best in each other.”

In 2017, Ms. Madden and Ms. Beresford moved to Provincetown, Mass., where Ms. Beresford had accepted a yearlong residency at the Fine Arts Work Center. The next year they moved to Inwood in Manhattan, spending the bulk of their time teaching, writing and editing the literary journal Ms. Madden founded, “No Tokens.” They had already traveled to 30 states when, in July 2018, Ms. Beresford planned a surprise 30th birthday trip for Ms. Madden.

“We went up the California coast through the Pacific Northwest and stopped in Powell, Wyo., to ride horses at this campsite ranch near Heart Mountain,” Ms. Madden said. On the evening of July 12, they climbed back in their rented Toyota to watch a meteor shower.

“There were so many mosquitoes we turned the lights out in the car. Hannah started talking to me about how she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me. It was corny in a great way.”

She spoke Ms. Madden’s whole name — T Kira Mahealani Ching Madden — before saying, “Will you marry me?” After Ms. Madden said a tearful yes, Ms. Beresford opened her car door and found her way to Ms. Madden’s side in pitch blackness to present a ring. They counted down from three before turning on the car lights so Ms. Madden could see it: A teardrop-shaped opal surrounded watermelon tourmalines and gray diamonds, designed collaboratively by Ms. Beresford and Misa Jewelry, a Hawaiian designer.

“It was typical Hannah, being the most thoughtful person in the world,” Ms. Madden said. “Years ago, when I was feeling very lonely, I had bought a watermelon tourmaline engagement ring to remind myself to always commit to my well-being first.”

On Jan. 7 at Kualoa Nature Reserve in Kaneohe, Hawaii, Ms. Madden and Ms. Beresford committed to each other’s well-being for life. At a wedding attended by 72 guests, Ms. Madden, wearing a marigold dress designed by Zac Posen before he closed his business in November, walked with her mother down an outdoor aisle strewn with multicolor rose petals. Ms. Beresford wore an aubergine suit by Bindle & Keep, a Brooklyn company that specializes in suits for queer and gender nonconforming people.

N. Michelle AuBuchon, a friend and fellow writer who was ordained by the American Marriage Ministries, officiated during a 30-minute ceremony celebrating their devotion to each other.

“To know T Kira and Hannah is to know how fiercely they love, with no boundaries, barriers or divisions,” she said. A dozen attendants, including Justine Champine, who the couple called “dyke of honor,” stood by the couple as they exchanged handwritten vows. “You and I have dedicated our lives to words and the arrangements of those words, but it’s these moments, our moments of silence and understanding without explanation that matter most to me,” Ms. Madden said. Ms. Beresford was characteristically poetic: “The universe may be limitless, but I can count my life in moments of seeing you, of hearing your voice, of disbelieving in scale,” she said.

Yards away from the water’s edge, with coconut trees swaying and the majestic Ko’olau mountains in the background, Ms. AuBuchon pronounced them married.

On This Day

When Jan. 7, 2020

Where Kualoa Nature Reserve in Kaneohe, Hawaii

Tradition During the ceremony, Ms. AuBuchon led a traditional exchange of flower leis between the families.

Time for a Tour At a cocktail hour, guests were taken in two separate boats on a short tour of the Molii Fishpond. The 125-acre fishpond is a form of sustainable fishery management, which dates back 800 years.

Grass Skirts A band, accompanied by a trio of hula dancers, played traditional Hawaiian music during a dinner that featured short ribs and sea bass.

Kalani Takase contributed reporting from Kaneohe, Hawaii.

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from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/life-style/their-story-wrote-itself-the-new-york-times/

[whistlingstarlight]

Gimme those coach headcanons 🤲 hand em over 😶

Mootles I have so many 🥺 But I shall give you one for each coach - Pearl collects glass figurines, she must be very careful as they are tiny proportionate to her. Her favourites are the ballerina, unicorn and butterfly that Rusty got her - Dinah actually prefers baking to cooking, as it's something she can do with Greaseball (he's bad at cooking). She especially likes making cookies - Buffy loves bridges, as she originally came from the elevated railway in New York. They remind her of home - Ashley often requests time-off to go and visit any surviving smoking cars on heritage railways. They're always surprised to hear she's still in service, and very proud of her - Memphis Belle has a charred portion on her back. Fire and wooden coaches don't mix - Duvay is unusually small compared to the other coaches. Nobody is really sure why, as her blueprints were lost a while ago - Carrie is a combine car, carrying both passengers and luggage. She takes both aspects of her job very seriously - Brandi is the most cynical of the coaches, and strongly dislikes authority and being told what to do. You have to phrase things very cleverly to get her to do things - Tassita is an expert at lip-reading, and multiple forms of sign language. Work can be very difficult for her due to her sensitive hearing, but she enjoys interacting with HOH and deaf passengers - Belle goes on a lot of blind-dates, although she is very prideful and never shares details about them. - Opal is a first-class observation car like her cousin Pearl, although she is a dome car rather than balcony - Vera and Lina are from a heritage line in England, hence their old Classes. They also like to swap and share clothes sometimes

[businessfrontrunners]

CliftonStrengths Trainer Jo Self Leading the Fight Against Unhappiness at Work With Deep Dive into What Really Makes People Tick

https://authoritypresswire.com/?p=27565 According to the latest iteration of Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report, only 33% of American employees are happy, productive, and engaged at work; 16% are miserable, disruptive and actively disengaged; while the rest (51%) are neither engaged nor disengaged – they are “just there.” “These figures indicate an American leadership philosophy that simply doesn’t work anymore,” says Jim Clifton, Chairman and CEO of Gallup and creator of the CliftonStrengths assessment (formerly known as Clifton StrengthsFinder). “One also wonders if the country’s declining productivity numbers point to a need for major workplace disruption.” Leading that disruption is Jo Self, lead facilitator and trainer for Strong Communities and Strengths Genius in Latin America, and Gallup’s only Certified CliftonStrengths coach in Peru. Self is on a mission to create a world where everyone can live to their full potential, their talents are not wasted, and their happiness is contagious. She believes that a major factor in unhappiness at work is not really a lack of self-confidence, but a lack of self-awareness. “People really are just seeking permission to be themselves - at home, at work, wherever,” Self says. “We all have something that makes us truly unique, but knowing your talents is the first step in understanding how to be you at your best and create a rock-solid foundation from which to launch you and your business.” For Self, that self-awareness blossomed for her in 2003, when she took the CliftonStrengths assessment. “My whole life changed,” Self says. “It was as if I had received a user’s manual for me, and I want everyone I meet to have that gift as well.” Using CliftonStrengths as a proven methodology, Self takes her clients are a simple step-by-step process for increasing their self-awareness. 1. Recognize the value. “Learning my talents through the CliftonStrengths assessment was the most eye-opening moment in my life, and I've seen the power of this knowledge in others as well,” Self says. “It doesn’t tell you anything you don't already know about yourself, but it does give you a language with which to communicate that value to others.” 2. State the value. According to Self, utilizing the language of strengths allows people to more clearly communicate their value in new, engaging ways. “One of my talents is WOO (Winning Others Over),” Self explains. “Once I learned what WOO meant, instead of just saying, ‘I’m a people person,’ I could explain to others that I am naturally motivated to give others an exemplary experience and to connect people within networks - that I am someone who can get the people who need to know each other in the same room. This is a more value-based expression of who I am, and people can immediately connect with that.” 3. Start with the end in mind. “We hear it all the time now: Know your ‘Why,’” Self says. “But if I've learned anything, it's that our ‘why’ is already inside of us – we just can't articulate it if we don't recognize the value in it, or the value in ourselves. Once we understand why we are, then we can better figure out why we are here.” Self has several training programs designed to help people discover and unleash their unique strengths. “It was with excitement and hope that I took Jo Self’s Branding Canvas class – and she did not disappoint,” says Lela Meinke with Opal Training Group. “I feel that I already had a good deal of self-awareness and Strengths awareness, so I was blown away when Jo presented a robust framework for more deeper ‘aha’s’ about who I am – and who I can be.” Self believes that the key to happiness at work – and in life – is to discover what sets someone apart and learn how they can make the most of it. “The key to getting where you want to go fast is having someone outside of yourself help you recognize things you tend to undervalue or miss about yourself,” she says. “None of us can read the label on our own jar.” Jo Self is a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths coach, speaker, trainer, and facilitator who offers online and in-person programs to clients in over 23 countries. To learn more about CliftonStrengths coaching, training, and speaking opportunities featuring Jo Self, visit her website at www.joself.consulting.

[footyplusau]

GWS Giants’ Lachie Whitfield ready for AFL return, says Stephen Coniglio

Giants vice-captain Stephen Coniglio is adamant Lachie Whitfield has matured during his AFL-imposed suspension as the former No.1 draft pick prepares to make his long-awaited comeback against Collingwood on Saturday.

Whitfield has been training with the club for the past eight weeks – which is permitted under the terms of his six-month ban – and is now eligible to be selected for the Magpies game after missing the first seven rounds of the season.

Play Video Don’t Play

Aussies off to solid start in Oi Rio Pro

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Plays of the Week: Get aerial

Plays of the Week: Get aerial

From stunning goals to a bit of snooker magic, these are the plays of the week.

Aussies off to solid start in Oi Rio Pro

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Aussies off to solid start in Oi Rio Pro

Aussies off to solid start in Oi Rio Pro

Julian Wilson grabbed the highest score of the day after landing a reverse air in a successful round of opening heats for most of the Aussies.

Foran signs with Canterbury

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Foran signs with Canterbury

Foran signs with Canterbury

Des Hasler confirmed the Warriors five-eighth is Belmore bound in 2018.

Chris Froome ‘rammed’ by car in France

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Chris Froome ‘rammed’ by car in France

Chris Froome ‘rammed’ by car in France

Tour de France winner Chris Froome says he was ‘rammed’ by a car driver while out training in southern France.

Juventus are through to their ninth final

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Juventus are through to their ninth final

Juventus are through to their ninth final

Juventus have secured their place in the Champions League final with a 2-1 win over Monaco in Turin completing a 4-1 aggregate victory.

Coates backs Brisbane Olympics

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Coates backs Brisbane Olympics

Coates backs Brisbane Olympics

AOC President John Coates authorises Brisbane and six supporting cities to do a feasibility study for hosting the 2028 or 2032 Olympic Games. Nine News

Lauren Jackson’s painkiller ‘nightmare’

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Lauren Jackson’s painkiller ‘nightmare’

Lauren Jackson’s painkiller ‘nightmare’

Former Opal and WNBA star reveals the extra hurdles she faced at the end of her sporting career.

Plays of the Week: Get aerial

From stunning goals to a bit of snooker magic, these are the plays of the week.

The 22-year-old was punished by the league in November after being found guilty of “conduct unbecoming or prejudicial to the interests of the AFL” following an investigation into allegations former club staffers Graeme Allen and Craig Lambert conspired with Whitfield to help the player avoid a drug test.

Following discussions with the club’s leadership group and senior staffers after the incident, Coniglio said a remorseful Whitfield was ready to bounce back from the damaging episode.

“He probably had enough feedback from administration at our club during the time … we obviously had a chat with a few of our leaders to him on a one-on-one level,” Coniglio said.

“He knows the mistakes he made and the scrutiny that he put on the group. He’s very much past that now and really looking forward to making amends.

“We’re role models in the community. We see a number of issues in the NRL at the moment and those guys will hopefully bounce back from those little setbacks.

“Lachie’s on that upward spiral to being a little bit more mature as well in terms of what he’s doing.”

Returning?: Lachie Whitfield is eligible for selection after his six-month suspension. Photo: Getty Images

The dashing outside midfielder has put on a few kilograms during his absence and will provide an injection of speed for coach Leon Cameron, who is presiding over an injury list threatening to spiral out of control.

Coniglio returned from an ankle injury last week, but Ryan Griffen and youngster Will Setterfield are facing at least six more weeks on the sideline with similar ailments.

Adam Kennedy and Jacob Hopper were injured in the loss to St Kilda, while defender Nick Haynes is facing two months out after tearing a hamstring tendon the week before.

Tendai Mzungu has his own hamstring issues, veteran recruit Brett Deledio remains sidelined indefinitely with a calf problem and Matt Buntine’s knee injury will keep him out for the year.

It is one of the deepest injury lists Cameron has had to dal with as senior coach and Whitfield looks the man to provide a silver lining.

“I’d have no problem in terms of from a leadership perspective in putting my hand up and saying I want him to play this week,” Coniglio said.

“A lot of players, until they actually go through that situation, might not know how it feels.

“Lachie knew once it happened he felt he let the boys down. I’m sure when he comes back out his performances will be that of making up for lost time.

“Since he’s been back amongst the group, his worth ethic around the gym or whether it be out here on the track has been first class.

“We obviously know his outside flair and skill is magnificent and his run up and back, similar to Tom Scully, is first class. To bring that element of winning his own footy and laying the tackles elevated him to that elite midfield level.”

A win for the Giants this weekend would be a first in the club’s history against Collingwood.

Ex-GWS stars Adam Treloar, Will Hoskin-Elliott and Taylor Adams are all expected to line up against their old team at Spotless Stadium.

The post GWS Giants’ Lachie Whitfield ready for AFL return, says Stephen Coniglio appeared first on Footy Plus.

from Footy Plus http://ift.tt/2qrPEii via http://footyplus.net

[sunkissis]

I spent hours researching our trip to the land of fire and ice, one of my highest priorities was taking phenomenal photos. I signed up for a photography class and educated myself about my Nikon camera settings and lenses. I bought a new zoom lens but I needed something that would allow me a wider angle for close up shots. The problem was a $2,500 lens was not in my budget. I was so stoked to find out that Samy’s Camera rents Nikon lenses! I was able to try out different lenses for $25 bucks a day. I fell in love with a wide angle lens and bought a tripod because every person who has traveled to Iceland assured me I would need it to take photos of the Northern Lights. However the lens was large and heavy and along with two other lenses, the tripod, extra batteries, accessories and an external flash (that we never used) there was no way everything would fit into our camera bag. Antz somehow squeezed everything into his suitcase. I had to repack like ten times because my heavy boots didn’t fit and I kept going over the 44 lb weight maximum.

This was just one of the ten outfits I packed. I bought thermal leggings from Amazon and wore layers everyday because even on windy rainy days, I was sweating from all the hiking. I had the hardest time finding the right coat to wear in Iceland. I did not want a puffy coat because they don’t look so great on me and they only come in boring colors. I ended up finding a fantastic white wool coat from Asos on sale for like $73! It was so warm and I was the brightest person in Reykjavik.

  Making it rain in Icelandic Kronas! I found the best currency exchange place located in our new bank in Glendale.

The first day of our trip went surprisingly seamless. I may sound like a broken record but I strongly recommend flying with Wow Airlines. I will say, their gate at LAX was kinda lame and it felt like we walked for miles to get there. However they are a fairly new airline to LAX, so they don’t have a lounge area to wait in yet. Since we arrived so early and didn’t want to stand or sit on the floor for an hour, we waited in the nearby Virgin Atlantic area. Luckily, we saw the Wow crew walking by so we knew it was almost time to board. Other than that, everything was great. We had the sweetest flight attendants (ours looked like Margot Robbie) and the pilots invited Liv into the cockpit when we landed. The plane was clean and the seats had more room in coach than other airlines I’ve flown. There are only two seats for the window row so Antz had to sit across from us in the middle. All flights from Los Angeles arrive in Reykjavik at 4 am so that is something you need to plan for if you are checking into a hotel. We had a full day planned so it worked to our advantage.

Our Uber driver was a little crazy, he followed the weirdest route to LAX which took us on a journey through the back alleys of downtown but we made it on time! LAX is one of my favorite places in Los Angeles. The TSA line is always miserable but there has been improvements on the design of the international terminal.

Once we made it through the lines of agony, we did some pre-flight shopping at Fred Segal. Then we picked up a light breakfast of pastries.

Can someone please buy these for my next trip??!!

Most folks seem to have a problem when it comes to traveling with young kids but honestly, Liv has been our lucky rabbits foot. We get to board the plane first, the flight attendants absolutely love her which gets us perks and she’s a pleasure to travel with. It’s true, the earlier you travel with your kids, the more open-minded and exposed they become.

Fortunately no one sat next to Antz so he had plenty of room to spread out.

I love that we can give our daughter the gift of travel and a proclivity for adventure. As we were flying over Canada, I felt so grateful that we could afford to take this trip instead of putting it off for “one day“.

Liv ate an entire box of rice crispy treats. Don’t forget to pack plenty of snacks and water, nothing on this flight is free!

I waited my whole life to see the incredible Northern Lights. The week before we arrived in Iceland, they had the most vivid and clear Northern Lights in recent history. The government shut down all the lights in Reykjavik so people could view them better. I tracked the weather and the nightly skies on this website everyday until our trip. I slept during most of the flight but I did wake up and happened to look out the window. That sad green smear you see above is the Northern Lights. I tried and failed to take a photo with my rented lens because it was impossible to take a shot while we were moving and the glass from the window wasn’t allowing my camera to auto focus. When I took the photography class I specifically asked about taking photos at night and the key is to use a slow shutter speed, which means using a tripod. Every shot I have seen of the northern lights look like this…

That early morning was the only Northern Lights we were able to see because clouds came in with our flight and obscured the sky for the whole week. The Liz curse strikes again!

You wanna hear another great story? I booked our car rental back in July. I went ahead and splurged on an SUV with a snow package and all the extra insurance I could buy just in case. My friend Christina recommended getting a portable WiFi box so we will have coverage. I also got a navigation system even though the last time I rented a car in London, it didn’t work. So, I was pretty covered for our rental which totaled close to $800 for the week. I was promised to get a BMW X3 SUV or similar. This is what I got and believe me when I say, I acted like a disgusting, entitled American and threw a tantrum when I saw this Opal whatever it is. The chick at the rental place was like, “Bitch…you can walk.” So, here’s my Icelandic $800 pimped out ride. Well, at least it had a heated steering wheel.

The only place to eat that was open at 6am was disappointing Subway. Yet, after a long flight, we were starving so it was good to have something familiar. I got the “Cool American” flavor Doritos. It was insane that the sun doesn’t rise until 9 am. It was pitch black at 8 in the morning.

Guess those snow tires I paid for came in handy. They chilled in the trunk for the whole week. I think I could have been happier with the car if it was white. What color is this, depressing beige?

It was freezing by the time we arrived at the Blue Lagoon. I was worried we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the visit because of how cold it was outside.

The Blue Lagoon was breath-taking. It was cold but once you’re in the water, it’s lovely. Now I was glad I paid for all of our extra luggage because I brought our aqua sock water shoes. Bare feet in public spaces is my phobia! There is an indoor entrance in the water so you don’t have to walk outside in the cold. Kids under 8 are required to wear floaties but the water level was shallow enough for Liv to stand on her tippy toes.

Really, best day ever!! You must bring a GoPro to the lagoon. iPhones won’t cut it.

So surreal, it was so warm and beautiful. And we only had been in Iceland for five hours.

After a quick shower, we were back on the road, headed to our hotel for the first night. I booked the iconic Ion Luxury Hotel for our first night in Iceland because it is located in the middle of nowhere. Like, so much so that they don’t even have an traditional address. Of course, our rental’s navigation system took us an hour out of the way to get there. We were the only car driving on an endless stretch of road so I was pretty nervous we would get lost. Luckily, Iceland has awesome maps on the side of the roads for us clueless tourists. They are so thoughtful. I first read about the impressive hotel when it was featured in Afar magazine. It is known for being one of the best hotels for viewing the Northern Lights. Since it has the word luxury in the name, you know it’s expensive and also sold out even six months in advance. I must have called to make reservations every damn day until finally three weeks before our trip, they found a room for me. I was elated because this meant we could go to their beautiful Northern Lights bar and sit by the floor to ceiling windows to see the Northern Lights. It never occurred to me there would be a week of cloudy skies but we enjoyed our night at the hotel anyway.

This river was boiling hot. Iceland, you so crazy! There is steam coming from power plants all over Iceland. People who live there never have to pay to heat their water. Energy is also dirt cheap because they power mostly everything from steam.

Let me say, this hotel is unique and off the beaten track. It definitely had a James Bond sexy vibe to it. We were told that helicopter belonged to one of the guests, fancy! The Silfra restaurant is so reknown that tourists are bussed in from Reykjavik. We didn’t think to make a reservation since we were staying at the hotel and they almost couldn’t accommodate us.

A cool thing about the water in Iceland, it’s 100% from the natural springs. Iceland has the purest water on the planet so you can actually drink from the shower, the faucets or even the ground. We went to a store and tried to buy bottled water and the woman was like “No, you go to the hotel and fill up your water bottle from the tap!” Honestly, the best water I have ever tasted. It felt nice to take a long hot shower and not feel guilty about a drought.

We arrived at the hotel about noon but our room wasn’t ready yet so we hung out in the lobby. Our jet lag set in and we ended up falling asleep. I know I was snoring! When our room was ready, we had just enough time to change our clothes for our horseback riding tour. We booked a private tour through the hotel so a nice girl named Hannah picked us up and drove us to her family’s farm.

The two hours was over in an instant. It rained lightly but the sun peeked out. The horses were incredible, I was Snapchatting and taking photos most of the time so my horse was like “Ok, lady I guess I’ll control myself.”

When we got back to the hotel, we were starving. Silfra restaurant was packed. The hotel only has 24 rooms but there were booked for dinner. Iceland’s specialty is seafood and lamb but we had amazing sushi too. I used my charm to get us a table even though they require reservations. This was our most expensive meal during the trip.

OMG! This langoustine was heaven. Antz loved his seafood soup. Liv’s burger was meh.

After a quick FaceTime with my BFF, Aimee we went straight to bed. I’m actually relieved the Northern Lights weren’t out that night because it felt like we were awake for 24 hours straight so off to bed we went. It was incredibly hard to wake up early for our next long day.

Iceland Day One I spent hours researching our trip to the land of fire and ice, one of my highest priorities was taking phenomenal photos.

[whistlingstarlight]

Trying to think of random stex related questions hhhh

Do you have any Opal and/or Duvay Hc’s?

AH MY BELOVEDS

Opal

Opal was the newest coach to join the yard, not long after Carrie and Brandi. She's the closest with them too, although it took her a while to get used to everyone

She's scared of CoCo. The other coaches do their best to keep CoCo away from the coach yard

She's an observation car like her cousin, Pearl. Although she's a closed dome car, rather than a open balcony

Her favourite candy is marshmallows (the white ones. Pink marshmallows go to Pearl)

She initially had a crush on Rusty when she arrived at the yard, but fell for E-Lektra after they arrived

Duvay

She's the youngest sleeping car at the yard, and the first-class coach on the sleeper train

She hates bright, overhead lights

Her older sisters are Ashley and Brandi, who are sometimes a little too protective of her

She's dating all three members of Greaseball's gang, consensually ofc

Buffy is one of her closest friends