#( shoutout to Ale the MVP )

[vanbredevoort]

12, 19 for the character building questions!

character build time! / accepting!

12 · What’s something that makes them laugh every single time? Be specific!

It depends a lot on the verse--- on main, she's not one to laugh very often. Lydia is a 'duty above all else' gal. She's too busy researching, assisting, helping, painting. She smiles often (when she has a FACE to do so, and if not then with her eyes) but it's all politeness. You see, she's always carrying a mask. The illusion is just ironically another layer of that. She's always playing pretend-- Pretending to play her part for the Northern Realms, pretending to be nice and polite, pretending to not love her master.

A commoners silly tale would make her laugh. A farmer explaining with a tankard of beer how he chased his precious sheep singing filthy songs he knows the sheep loves would make her laugh. Love stories, IF her defenses are low, will make her giggle as someone much younger than she is.

(If she's drunk basically everything makes her laugh. Back in Aretuza she had a drunk laughing fit while staring at a fence. Just a fence with nothing out of the ordinary. She thought it was hilarious.)

19 · What would they do if stuck in a room with the person they’ve been avoiding?

Being repetitive is my jam, so I'm going to say it again: she a 'duty above all else' kind of person. If she can't stand someone but HAS to, because it is needed for Vilgefortz's sake and his cause, she will endure an eternity of it.

The list of people she wants to avoid exists, tho, and I will explain. First of all, and most importantly, she doesn't want to be in the same room as Vilgefortz's lovers. She will find a perfect excuse and leave as long as the person is staying with him. She has been exercising self control enough to keep herself from expressing her discomfort, break things or plainly cry out of jealousy, but she does not like to drag that out and put it to the test for days. Any display of affection would make her react, and if she doesn't, well, she has very expressive eyes. And Vil knows how to read them. In that case, funny, it's Vil himself she wants to avoid (it's not her intention and never would be to get in the way of Vil and his partners, if they make him happy-- she'd never meddle). Not for long tho, she can't stand being apart for too long. She'd rather take the pain and choked jealousy than leave for more than a few weeks.

Philippa is another person she likes avoiding in basically every scenario, every verse. On main, because she gives her the creeps: too powerful, too manipulative, too good at hiding her intentions, too many layers of deception. On the resurrected verse, well, Phil kinda owns Lydia's soul. It's a constant reminder that her happiness can be crushed in a second by a simple whim.

Alejandro, a sorcerer from Cidaris, is a BIG nono for Lydia. Remember everything I said about 'duty above all'? Well throw that off the window and set it on fire because if Alejandro is there, she's gon be running in the opposite direction. The other end of the continent if possible. Alejandro is very straight-forward about his attraction towards Lydia, and stubborn about it. Lydia is kind of oblivious when it comes to someone deisiring her, but Alejandro is beyond honest with his intentions and Lydia WILL escape him every chance she gets.

[coffeexpen]

Shoutout to my bro for dealing with my annoying ass as I commentated/yelled/laughed/cried throughout every single minute of voltron season 6. You the real mvp Al 💛

[michaelakhan]

My happiness is… How my varsity squash career went so wrong, but so right

Michaela here, your resident university squash player. No, squash is not the same as racquetball. No, you don’t get hit by the ball that often. But yes, it bloody hurts when you do.

I’ve grown up in what you would call the epitome of #SquashFam. My dad was (and is) pretty freaking good at squash – 2x individual and 3x team OUA champion, former #1 player in Trinidad. My sister is the current #1 player on the Western University team. Our parents actually met playing squash in the great city of London, Ontario, where I have been living for the last 6 years.

It should be no surprise that I started playing squash when an adult racquet was probably taller than me. I played recreationally throughout my childhood, but it was mostly just a place to hang out with friends. Instead, I was enjoying a rather illustrious gymnastics career, while also dabbling in a gazillion other sports. However by my mid-teens, it became evident that my time gymnastics was coming to an end (story for another day). Being the ‘all or nothing’ type of person I am, I knew I needed to find another sport that I could throw myself into. With an international coach at my fingertips (shoutout to Coach Khan aka Dad), squash seemed like a decent place to start.

One little problem. As it turned out, I really, really, really hated squash. Emphasis on the really.  

I cannot tell you how many times I threatened to quit. I would cry in the change rooms after (sometimes during) practice, thinking how anyone could enjoy this absolutely brutal sport. Chasing around a tiny, uncontrollable ball while trapped in a 4 walled room... That was supposed to be… fun?!

LOL. Apparently.  

Fast forward a few years. As much as I despised squash, I was fueled more by competitiveness than hatred. The more tournaments I entered and got my ass handed to me in, the more I desired to master the crazy game. Finally, I made the decision to try out for the squash team at the same university my Dad had played at the #1 position for.

I miraculously made it through try-outs and onto the playing team, but my first year on the team was incredibly trying. I still hadn’t fully figured out if I actually liked the sport, but I had decided I didn’t fit in on the team. New teammates, new coaches, new school. I struggled so much socially that just showing up to practice seemed like a chore. Squash may be an individual sport, but I had never felt so isolated.  

Thankfully, the ball seemed to become more controllable as I moved through university. I made the jump from the #4 player in my 1st year to the #2 player in my 3rd year, and looked set to hold down the #1 spot in my 4th year. I had made life-long friends on the team, endured punishing tournaments that pushed me to my limits, and was maintaining a solid GPA. My love for the sport was blossoming. Squash dominated my thoughts, even when I wasn’t on court.  

Life may have seemed good on the outside, but inside, a storm was brewing. One year after another, I would end the season with one of my feet in a cast. The third time I slipped on my trusty old Aircast boot, my doctor wouldn’t clear me to play. Weeks went by, then months. Finally, my injuries stretched through the seasons. Plural. It took so much of my physical and mental energy to crawl my way back to the court after so much time not being able to crawl out of bed because of the pain and heartache.    

I got there in my 6th year at Western. I rejoined the starting line-up in September 2018 - not fully functional, but at least on court.

I was out again by December 2018. Surgery scheduled for April 2019. 

‘Devastated’ doesn’t come close to describing it.  

During my recovery, I came across an article by Alex Cyr, a St FX and U Windsor track athlete (http://uwindsorlance.com/a-friendly-word-of-advice-to-fellow-student-athletes/). He talked about athletes whose lives are consumed by their sport (check), and what happens when, by cruel twists of fate, you can no longer play it anymore. He suggested that if and when that happens, to find new ways to contribute to your sport.

Looking back at my university squash career, I saw immense failure. It was painful to admit that I would never be a true #1 on the team or leave any sort of legacy. I felt like a fraud - walking around in my varsity jacket knowing how long it had been since I had played a tournament. However, after reading that article I realised that I may have still found the ‘ways’ that Alex talked about.  

I had been a 1x vice-captain and 2x captain, roles I took very seriously and still consider to be the biggest honour Western ever gave me. I had the opportunity to tour prospective high schoolers around campus. I logged hours upon hours of court time, coaching the team through drills. I cheered for my teammates in matches and travelled with them all over the province. I had the privilege of introducing players in tournaments and giving the pre-game pep talk. In the minute and a half between games, I offered teammates the best advice I had to give. Hands were held and shoulders were cried on during the hard times. Milestones – everything from first kisses to overcoming mental illnesses – were celebrated. We danced the night away at tournaments and laughed until we hit the floor. My heart would swell with pride when teammates sent me good midterm marks that had boosted their grades. My own grades had stayed consistent too – earning an OUA All-Academic Canadian certificate (and a darn good free lunch) each year and a fully funded master’s degree. I had also found my voice – less afraid to speak up when things didn’t feel right. As a 6th year veteran, I felt it was my duty to make sure that no teammate should feel like I had in my own 1st year.  

In those aspects of varsity sport life, I had not failed.  

My time on the Western University squash team will not be remembered in writing like my Dad’s achievements. My kids will not walk past squash trophies with my name on in Thames Hall or a picture of me in Western’s Student Recreation Centre. I was not an MVP, Purple Blanket winner, or an OUA All-Star. 

Did I want all those things? Hell yeah.

But things don’t always work out the way you want them to, and now I can see my gains instead of losses.

Through all my successes and failures, I will always be proud to have worn the Mustang on my chest for 6 years - as a teammate, captain, coach and, most importantly, a friend.

So for the last time - Stangs on 3.  1, 2, 3… STANGS!

Be kind to yourself, 

Michaela (aka girl who asked for a burrito immediately after her surgery but was denied this right because she threw up after chugging ginger ale)

☼ / ☾

Picture time!!!!

Yep, pretty sure the racquet’s taller than me

First OUAs at home in London - it may look like I was on top of the world here (ha ha) but I was really struggling

Dad’s picture at the Western Student Recreation Centre - I walk past this picture of my Dad each time I go to the courts on campus. It’s a good reminder that he is quite literally always looking over and out for me 

Dad and Western University’s legendary coach Jack Fairs at the Western Mustang Sports Hall of Fame Banquet, Oct 2018. Dad’s holding a picture his 2nd individual OUA championship trophy in 1990. As a coach and mentor (read “second father”), Jack changed my Dad’s life in many ways. I am always thankful to have spent many weekend afternoons with Jack and Peg, hearing stories about the glory days and indulging in Peg’s unparalleled baked goods

At Western, you receive a Bronze W award if you play on the first team for a minimum of 3 years. I was given mine exactly 25 years after my Dad earned his

I didn’t know it at the time, but this would be my last appearance as a Mustang on court, so it’s fitting it was in London. Ankle braces in tow, but I was ecstatic to be on court again! #ThatHeadbandTho

Last Athletic Banquet -  always a fun time with old and newer friends. Miss you all (and that buffet!!!!) already

I found a family on the squash team, but was also unbelievably lucky that my squash family included a member of my real life family. My sister Madison is my inspiration and I will always look up to her. Literally and figuratively – she may be younger but she happens to be much taller. Still trying to convince her to move to Vancouver with me, any help will be greatly appreciated!!! I told her she could keep kicking my butt out there but apparently that’s not enough (she’s been able to beat me for years, probably getting bored of it)

[buddyrabrahams]

10 hottest players entering the MLB postseason

The MLB regular season is nearing its end, and several division titles and playoff spots have already been clinched. We also have an idea of which players are going to be worth watching once the postseason gets underway.

Can a player’s hot streak carry over from the end of the regular season into the playoffs? It’s certainly possible, especially with baseball’s notoriously short layoffs, so it’s worth checking out which players on likely playoff teams are performing the best with the playoffs looming. Here are ten players who have dominated for their clubs in September and will be looking to do the same in October.

10. Kyle Hendricks, P, Cubs

The Cubs’ starting rotation has given them some issues this season, but they appear to rounding into form at the right time. In addition to the acquisition of Cole Hamels, Hendricks has really settled in and looked like one of the more reliable pitchers on the staff. His ERA was over 4 in mid-August, but thanks to a September that has seen him allow just six earned runs and only four walks in 32.1 innings, it’s now dropped to 3.49.

9. Justin Turner, 3B, Dodgers

Injuries hindered a lot of Turner’s season, but he got healthy in time to put up outstanding numbers down the stretch. In his last 15 games, Turner has hit .389, and nine of his 21 hits over that span have been doubles. Even if the home run power hasn’t been there — he has just one — he’s driven in eight runs and has more walks than strikeouts over that span. He’s a big reason the Dodgers have made their move in the division race.

8. Edwin Encarnacion, DH, Indians

Encarnacion isn’t going to end the year with a high average, but he is going to finish it up with a hot September. He has seven multi-hit games this month, including three since Sunday. More impressively, he’s been walking a ton to the tune of a .443 OBP over his last 16 games. The only thing missing is extra base power — he has only five extra-base hits this month. But Encarnacion has always had a lot of power and that will probably come, especially if he keeps this pace up.

7. Walker Buehler, P, Dodgers

It has been Buehler, not Clayton Kershaw, who has been the money starter for the Dodgers down the stretch. His September ERA sits at a paltry 1.95, with four of the seven earned runs allowed over the span coming in one slightly shaky start against the Colorado Rockies. He has been otherwise outstanding. Opponents are hitting just .152 off him during the last month of the season, with 42 strikeouts in 32.1 innings. He’s a huge key to the Dodgers’ playoff hopes.

6. Blake Trienen, P, Athletics

One of the big reasons the Athletics have been so surprisingly successful in 2018 has been their bullpen, and Treinen is the best they’ve got, which is saying something. He’s allowed two earned runs since the All-Star break, and none since Aug. 23, spanning 13 consecutive appearances. During that time, he’s given up three hits and one walk in 16.1 innings. Treinen has not only meant “game over” for foes, but he also means you’re probably not even getting on base to give the illusion of a rally.

5. Ender Inciarte, OF, Braves

One of the game’s most underappreciated players, Inciarte is an excellent defender. He’s also been scorching at the plate recently. Since Sept. 11, over a roughly two week span, Inciarte has hit .421 with seven multi-hit games out of 11. The Braves are taking full advantage — he’s gotten 16 hits and 7 walks, and has scored 14 runs during that time period. His OBP is a ridiculous .500, so he’s reaching base every other time he bats, essentially. He’s the ideal catalyst for the NL East champions.

4. Justin Verlander, P, Astros

Verlander has a long history of playoff success, and the late trends of the regular season are indicating there may well be more on the way. In four September starts, he’s allowed just four runs, good for an ERA of 1.33. Opponents have been limited to a .141 average against him, which translates to just 13 hits in 27 innings. The Astros have won each of those four starts. The Astros have also managed Verlander carefully — the most pitches he’s thrown over this stretch is 104 — so he’ll be ready to go for October.

3. Mookie Betts, OF, Red Sox

The potential AL MVP is certainly closing strongly. After a brief blip in early September, Betts is hitting .422 with a .518 OBP in his last 12 games. Over half of his 19 hits have been of the extra-base variety — seven doubles and three home runs, good for a .778 slugging percentage. His month has also included consecutive four-hit games, one on either side of a brief injury issue. It’s an emphatic closing statement in the AL MVP race,

2. Yuli Gurriel, 1B, Astros

On a roster that includes the likes of Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve, it has been Gurriel pacing the Astros offensively down the stretch, and it’s been happening all month. Gurriel is hitting .367 in September over a full 79 at-bats, with five home runs and 21 RBIs. He’s gotten particularly hot in the last week, with five consecutive multi-hit games to the tune of a .545 average and three of those home runs. It’s safe to say he’s locked in right now.

1. Christian Yelich, OF, Brewers

Yelich has paced the Brewers offensively to a playoff berth, and potentially an NL MVP award. It’s really picked up over the last two weeks, with Yelich going 19-for-46 with five doubles, a triple, five home runs, and 18 RBIs. He’s reached base in over half his plate appearances during that spell, which included his second cycle of the season against the Cincinnati Reds and a Baker Mayfield shoutout. He is so hot the Cardinals walked him five times on Wednesday. All eyes will be on him in the postseason.

from Larry Brown Sports https://ift.tt/2NLtHqg

[educationtopten]

khanacademy

Shoutout @khanacademy the real MVPs been my teacher since year 10 and I���m in 3rd year engineering still watching their videos bc somehow they can explain something without making it super complicated.

— Saleem Al-Odeh (@SecSeaa) September 3, 2018

via Blogger https://ift.tt/2NPsaeE https://ift.tt/2NaufoA

[junker-town]

The 2018 NBA All-Star Game mock draft you didn't know you wanted to see

Because we couldn’t wait for February.

The NBA is completely revamping its All-Star game format. The East vs. West format is gone — now the leading vote getters from each conference will act as captains and pick their teammates.

We’re so excited about the new format that we couldn’t wait until February to see how things play out. Instead, we selected our own conference pools filled with your favorite players and picked your 2018 NBA All-Star teams.

The new format will be sure to evoke some controversy about who is playing with who and why, but we’ve got it all spelled out for you here.

First things first: Here are the roster pools.

Eastern Conference Pool

LeBron James (captain)

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Kyrie Irving

John Wall

Gordon Hayward

Joel Embiid

Bradley Beal

Kemba Walker

Kyle Lowry

DeMar DeRozan

Hassan Whiteside

Al Horford

Goran Dragic

Andre Drummond

Kristaps Porzingis

Kevin Love

Otto Porter

Khris Middleton

Western Conference Pool

Stephen Curry

Russell Westbrook (Captain)

Kevin Durant

Kawhi Leonard

Draymond Green

Klay Thompson

James Harden

Paul George

Jimmy Butler

Karl-Anthony Towns

Damian Lillard

Blake Griffin

Mike Conley

Marc Gasol

Anthony Davis

DeMarcus Cousins

C.J. McCollum

Nikola Jokic

How this works

Zito Madu and I are acting as the captains. In our scenario, LeBron James is the captain of the Eastern Conference and Russell Westbrook is the captain from the Western Conference.

Zito will be playing the role of LeBron and I’ll choose Westbrook’s team. They each chose 11 players, plus a first reserve at any position, to play in the game. We didn’t break it down by position, but we did make sure that 12 players were chosen from each conference.

Here are the results, with a bit of trash talk in between:

Zito’s 1st pick for Team LeBron: Kevin Durant. Automatically I have the best two players in the NBA so I think we can end this now.

Sykes’ 1st pick for Team Westbrook: James Harden. I’m not really sure what my strategy here is right now, but I’m pretty positive James Harden is the right pick. This is going to be the year the beard finally wins MVP.

Team LeBron’s second pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo. Future MVP and light of the world. Giannis has improved every stat since he first came in the league, but I hope you understand the team that I’m building here.

Team Westbrook’s second pick: Karl-Anthony Towns. re:Future MVP and light of the world: I think you spelled Karl-Anthony Towns wrong.

Team LeBron’s third pick: Anthony Davis. Imagine the Ents from Lord of the Rings forming a basketball team. That’s what we have here.

Team Westbrook’s third pick: Kawhi Leonard. The only person who can stop Leonard is Leonard himself. Have you seen my guy’s hands? They’re huge. Don’t put the ball on the floor for your own safety.

Team LeBron fourth pick: Stephen Curry. I can’t believe you really wanted to stop my plan of building a team of Iron Giants and left Steph Curry on the board. I have the best shooter of all time surrounded by a bunch of Kaijus now.

Team Westbrook’s fourth pick: John Wall. I’m going to show the East some more love here. Wall could put together a really nice season in Washington. He was one of the only three players in the league last year to average 20 points and 10 assists, plus his curse words per 36 are through the roof. #TeamPetty

Team LeBron’s fifth pick: Paul George. Still fits my plan of having a team that looks like the monsters from “Shadow of the Colossus.” This will be the greatest team ever assembled.

Team Westbrook’s fifth pick: Kyle Lowry. Another point guard here might not be the best choice, but when he’s right and playing well he bends the floor like Steph Curry. He’s always boring as hell in All-Star games, though, so boo this pick if you want.

Team LeBron’s sixth pick: Draymond Green. I think I might have broken this game. This team feels unfair, but I’m adding Green with the express purpose of trash talking everyone on your team as we blow them out 160-32.

Team Westbrook’s sixth pick: Joel Embiid. Alright, so there’s no guarantee that Embiid will even be playing at this point in the season. But if he does? It’s curtains for your team. Y’all won’t score.

Team LeBron’s seventh pick: Damian Lillard. I probably should get a backup for Curry. So why not Steph Curry-lite with two rap albums? He’s not a giant like the other guys but he sure plays like one.

Team Westbrook’s seveth pick: Kyrie Irving. We reach and teach over here. That’s why Kyrie Irving is the perfect player for our squad. You can’t steal the ball from this guy and he lives for exhibition games like this one. Be prepared to have 50 dropped someone’s head.

Team LeBron’s eighth pick: Kristaps Porzingis. I overplayed my hand and let Embiid slip away because I wanted Dame Dolla. Such is life. One must learn to live with regrets, so we’re going with the next best thing and picking the unicorn exiled in New York. The plan here is to block out the view of the rim for your players.

Team Westbrook’s eighth pick: Gordon Hayward. I don’t really have anything great to say about this pick. He’s a good player and will make threes. Plus we’ll get a preview of this new Hayward-Irving buddy cop movie.

Team LeBron’s ninth pick: Jimmy Butler. Fine. He’s only 6’7, but I guess I’ll take him for his great two-way play or whatever.

Team Westbrook’s ninth pick: Kevin Love. Love is going to hit the glass hard for us and shoot threes. But more importantly, we’ve earned ourselves this charity check from Banana Republic.

Team LeBron’s tenth pick: DeMarcus Cousins. I know you’re expecting me to go for Nikola Jokic right here, but for now I still have to pick my talented but hot-tempered son. Just going to have to make sure he doesn’t play at the same time as Davis. Also, another giant.

Team Westbrook’s tenth pick: Bradley Beal. I’m pretty much morally obligated to do this as a Wizards fan. Beal should have a pretty good season — he should’ve been an All-Star last year. Shoutout to Carmelo Anthony though.

Team LeBron’s 11th pick: Khris Middleton. It was him or CJ McCollum but Middleton is 6’8 and still capable of shooting threes well so this was really out of my hands.

Team Westbrook’s 11th pick: Kemba Walker. Walker might be the most underrated player in the league. He’s probably good for a cool 22 points and 6 assists per game next season, plus, he’s just an all-around cool dude. I win automatically.

Team LeBron’s 12th pick: Blake Griffin. This is the All-Star game and I’ll be damned if we blow your team out without throwing a lob to Blake so he can put one of your players in the torture chamber. That’s all this team is built for. Shooting a bunch of threes or otherwise annihilating anyone in the paint.

Team Westbrook’s 12th pick: Al Horford. I don’t care if you think this pick is boring. If ‘good-but-not-great’ was a single word in the dictionary, Horford would be the definition and that’s a compliment. He doesn’t do anything wrong. And we’ll let him run point a few plays for kicks and giggles.

So, for a recap:

Zito/LeBron squad:

Kevin Durant

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Anthony Davis

Stephen Curry

Paul George

Draymond Green

Kristaps Porzingis

Damian Lillard

Jimmy Butler

DeMarcus Cousins

Khris Middleton

Blake Griffin

Sykes/Russ squad:

James Harden

Karl-Anthony Towns

Kawhi Leonard

John Wall

Kyle Lowry

Joel Embiid

Kyrie Irving

Gordon Hayward

Kevin Love

Bradley Beal

Kemba Walker

Al Horford

Let us know what you think about the rosters in the comments!

[buddyrabrahams]

Aaron Judge congratulates Jose Altuve on winning MVP

The runner-up in this year’s American League MVP Award voting gave the deserving winner a shoutout on social media not long after the announcement was made.

To cap off a great season, Jose Altuve added AL MVP honors to winning a World Series on Thursday. During the regular season, the Astros second baseman led the league in batting average and hits in addition to hitting 24 home runs and stealing 32 bases.

Altuve picked up 27 of a possible 30 first place votes to capture the award for the first time in his career. Aaron Judge, who finished in second place, was gracious in offering congratulations to the winner.

M-V-P!!! Nobody more deserving than you!! Congrats on an unforgettable 2017!! @JoseAltuve27 http://pic.twitter.com/tEMy9u8qGc

— Aaron Judge (@TheJudge44) November 17, 2017

In another year, Judge may have taken home the award with his .284/.422/.627 batting line to go along with 52 home runs and 114 runs batted in, both of which led the American League. At just 25 years old, this will likely not be the last time Judge is in the MVP discussion. Although, Altuve doesn’t show any signs of slowing down himself.

from Larry Brown Sports http://ift.tt/2hEb88D