#I don’t care who wins the atp honestly

[gerrydefault]

he managed to remain calm he played good tennis he managed to control his emotions, great match yesterday great players and great mentality and improved behaviour from rublev

[psuedosugu]

You know something I've noticed? Yeah, Nifty is your typical yandere but can we talk about Vox? You technically don't even have to request him as a yandere unless you want it to be romanticized toward you and/or further explored because according to ALL of the recent regular Vox x readers (and the show itself), he clearly has many traits of one especially toward Alastor. He acts like a toxic, jealous ex 😂 He cyberstalks people for one, he's manipulative, insecure (this is where possessiveness and jealousy tends to stem from), doesn't take rejection well as we heard from Al, is capable of being obsessed with someone, and an overall control freak. He wants to keep the Vees' image and everything looking perfect. Imagine this guy being attached to you. An absolute nightmare. Never any privacy, eyes and ears everywhere, can teleport with or without a screen, blackmail is 100% on the table as well as other tactics, and constant validation for him whether your relationship is forced or not. What sucks about the last part is that it's a double-edged sword. If you fuel his ego, he's enabled but if you don't give him enough attention, he'll try harder and tighten his hold on you. So while Val absolutely horrible, it's like you can never win with Vox. Not when you don't have equal power and he's stated to be very strong. Especially these days, tech is an absolute must since even jobs heavily rely on it. Life and the afterlife here is much harder without a smartphone. He's literally a TV. He wants to be watched and noticed.

So he'll get it.

exactly brooo

cw: themes of manipulation, blackmail, and toxic, controlling relationships.

gender neutral

:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:

ੈ✧̣̇ || honestly atp he’s practically a canon yandere.

ੈ✧̣̇ || i kinda talked about this before but i feel like he would manipulate reader into thinking that they need him when its the other way around

ੈ✧̣̇ || as u said, he’s insecure as hell and he needs someone to boost his ego and make him look superior

ੈ✧̣̇ || he also needs some source of stability in his (after) life which is where you come in.

ੈ✧̣̇ || hed also never let things go or get over you.

ੈ✧̣̇ || he started beef with a dude that he hadn’t seen in 7 whole years, for gods sake 😭

ੈ✧̣̇ || bro will start fights over things that happened months ago and are over now done with

ੈ✧̣̇ || he also craves control, not only will he spy on you through your electronics but he’ll also try and control other things that he has no business controlling like what you wear, who you talk to, ect.

ੈ✧̣̇ || if you mention your concerns about it he’ll try and back off, but hes just so paranoid that something will happen to you even though he knows you’re capable of taking care of yourself.

ੈ✧̣̇ || he needs to feel like he’s needed.

ੈ✧̣̇ || he also exerts his control by threatening you with blackmail, wether it be secrets that you told him or pictures.

ੈ✧̣̇ || not like you don’t have a fair amount of dirt on him too, though.

ੈ✧̣̇ || he’d definitely fight a bitch for you, if you’re getting threatened, stalked, and/or harassed by someone (that isnt him ofc) said person better prepare for his wrath.

ੈ✧̣̇ || hes a whiny ass bitch which is either annoying or hot depending on who you ask and what the context is.

ੈ✧̣̇ || its also kind of confusing how he acts, he’ll be practically ignoring you one second and begging for your attention the next.

ੈ✧̣̇ || another reason why he’s so scared of you leaving is because of how vulnerable he’s been to you.

ੈ✧̣̇ || he’s told you things that he’s never told anyone, shown parts of him that no one has ever seen, and the thought of what you could do with this info if you ever were to turn on him makes him feel sick to the stomach.

ੈ✧̣̇ || despite how it feels sometimes he really does care about and love you, he just has an unhealthy mindset when it comes to love.

ੈ✧̣̇ || perhaps you should stay around (not like u rlly have a choice), teach him how to love someone properly. you wont regret it :)

:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:

i do requests!

check out my masterlist!

[papapoutine]

Riverdale Characters and the IDGAF War

Nana Rose: general of the idgaf war. Kept a corpse in maple syrup for decades. Sold the maple groves that her husband’s family had held for generations after Reggie flirted with her once and she heard about one maple tree not producing sap. Sat on information regarding Jason’s death for months and did not care. Had a son that disappeared and a child bride daughter who hates her and never mentions any of them and never tried to look for said child or make amends with said daughter. Was fully prepared to sacrifice her granddaughter’s situationship at a moment’s notice.

Josie: The General MacArthur of the idgaf war. Utterly annihilated Sweet Pea and Archie in the idgaf wars of season 3, and came out victorious in the Cold Idgaf War against Reginald Mantle while texting during community service in season 2. Repeatedly stayed late and walked home alone from school durinng a time where her mother was receiving death threats, a serial killer was on the loose, AND she had a stalker who had managed to break into her locker (obvi, it was Cheryl, but she had no idea atp). Pulled a Jesy Nelson on the Pussycats only to reunite the band seven years later so she could flex on her flop classmates and clear every single one of them in a single takedown. The only reason Nana Rose ranks above her is due to the sheer amount of lore that Nana Rose sits on and doesn’t talk about because she dgaf about it.

Hermione: called a hit on her husband and still slept with him later. Divorced him by declaring she had joined the real housewives. Somewhat faltered after becoming a real housewife, but until then was as cool as a cucumber.

Hiram: dgaf about anything besides Veronica, wrestling, his rum business, and palladium.

Penelope: Does not acknowledge her breaking out of prison or sending her daughter to conversion therapy before asking her daughter to start a cult with her. Key victory against Hal in the season 3 finale.

Veronica: based on how she dealt with her breakups with Archie, Reggie and Chad, would be the most successful main character in the idgaf war were it not for Hiram. However, given that Hiram’s antics nearly always pose existential threats to her dreams and happiness, she is forced to concede brief losses by circumstance.

Reggie: debated putting him above Veronica due to how he handled his breakups with Veronica as well as selling her soul to Lucifer and setting fire to the maple groves but then I remembered his Red Circle era and he def gaf way too much.

Betty: much like Alice, hard to make a verdict. If it involved someone she cared deeply about, she would honestly hide it but be upset. I personally find labelling the Mad world stripping scene as fighting in the IDGAF war very funny, but ultimately she did it because she gaf about Jughead. She did, however, win the idgaf war against TBK.

Alice: Incredibly hard to answer, because overall she gaf, but when she wins, her victories are huge. I don’t know what else you could call the Gala entrance scene other than the equivalent to dropping an atomic bomb in the idgaf war. Completely annihilated Hal in the second season finale by telling him how much he sucked and how she wanted to fuck FP while he was trying to murder-suicide them. Otherwise completely loses because she cannot mind her own business.

Tabitha: honestly has no choice but to gaf because otherwise the multiverse would literally be destroyed.

Archie: Would seem to be winning but in reality wouldn’t know the idgaf war was even occurring. The second he finds out, though, he looks all over town looking to make that apology in person, regardless of who’s at fault.

Uncle Frank: cannot STAND when people don’t want to hear him. Always involves himself in shit. I guess he won the idgaf war against his family in Canada by abandoning them???

Cheryl: believes that she’s winning the idgaf war only to lead her troops to the slaughter like the Dauphin at the Battle of Agincourt. Seemingly won the idgaf war by isolating from the world for seven years, but immediately shat on that victory the second she left the house by challenging her pregnant ex, and then a literal teenager, to a dance battle for control of a high school cheerleading team. Cursed an entire town because some of them were descended from the people who killed the witch ancestress that Cheryl had literally found out about only an hour before. Made five (I count burning down Thornhill) tributes to her dead twin only to keep his stuffed corpse in her chapel and talk to it, then created a religion with him as a Christ figure. Reacted to her ex being pregnant by building a nursery in her house. Banned her ex from wearing the colour red. Hosted a key party just to hook up with her ex. I cannot stress how much this woman gaf.

Jughead: slaughtered right off the bat like the Hunger Games tributes that step off their pedestals early and get blown up immediately. The only member of the Core Four to show up at Pop’s after college. Cannot physically resist getting baited. If any person interferes with his life he immediately imagines that they are the Big Bad whose single purpose is to eternally ruin Jughead’s life (most don’t even know who he is, much less care about him). He got so pissed about being banned from the prom that he didn’t even want to go to in the first place that he wrote a fanfic about murdering his principal. The only reason he gaf more than Cheryl is due to the sheer concentration that goes into him pretending not to gaf and be aloof.

[bohemian-nights]

i will honestly never forgive them for the whole lady danbury mess in QC. totally unnecessary and extremely difficult to sit through for so many reasons.

but yeah it’s a pattern with the writers atp to put bw in unfulfilling AT BEST situations. “but that’s how it was back then!” well i don’t want to see it! why is it only happening to the black women? and also, there is nothing realistic or period-accurate about this show, so that argument doesn’t even hold up.

i’m still holding out for black Sophie but i’m trying not to get my hopes up. i honestly thought the people latching on to the Michaela theories were just (at least some of them) racists coping with their favorite lead having a bw love interest bc it seemed totally illogical, right? like i thought they’d have to be completely insane and out of touch to actually do it. but then they did.

i’m queer! sapphic/bisexual specifically. i am always looking not just for queer representation but for good wlw love stories with happy endings bc we are severely underfed! but holy shit! bridgerton’s main audience is middle-aged heterosexual women. what the hell were they thinking???

sorry. this is getting into rant territory. i was going to ask you what chance you thought there was of us actually getting a black Sophie but then i realized i actually don’t care anymore and you probably don’t either. Bridgerton dipped majorly in quality this season anyway, imo, so it’s probably best to check out before it gets even worse.

The last part especially because there isn’t anything left enjoyable about this show. It’s quite literally gone off the rails.

I stand by that the ones who leaked this crap and are salivating over this are racist assholes who never wanted Sophie to be Black because all of them have voiced in some fashion or another their preference for a non-Black Sophie and/or how there are “too many Black people on the show.”

They’ve got their wish in part because I doubt Sophie will be Black or even Black-ish now, however, their prize isn’t anything worthwhile.

Making Benedict bi at the millionth hour when Sophie is supposed to come into the picture makes no sense unless you are going to put in a MMF love triangle which isn’t the premise of AOFAG and cheapens Benophies love story since Benedict always just wanted Sophie/TLIS.

Regardless of what they do Jess is a shit writer and show runner(I mean look what she did for Shonda’s favorite girl). Next season is hardly going to be award winning...

Now as far as this gender-bending mess goes, Franchael’s book is very gender specific and dependent on Michael being a man. So there is no way that whatever they put out will remotely resemble When He Was Wicked.

Bridgerton canon has also established that gay marriage is illegal. Not to mention that really isn’t an any reason to change it, in fact it would be be counterproductive to change that considering the basis of their society is built on women being second class citizens and the continuation of the family line through the union of a man and a woman.

You can’t exactly do that in a society that allows two women to marry. Two women in 1815 can’t make a baby either, so I really can’t see how they’ll write a happily ever after complete with a legal marriage for this OC couple they’ve created.

I should say there is nothing wrong with queer rep. That’s not why I’m disgusted and disappointed. There was a way to add it, but they went about it the wrong way

Season 1 they should’ve established that gay marriage wasn’t a problem and created an OC couple or couples which they could do a spin-off or two on or hell made Gregory bi this season(his book literally has a gay plot), but instead they went out of their way to establish that gay people were persecuted and have to hide their love which was only reinforced with Queen Charlotte.

Essentially they’ve roped people in and switched their narrative up all because Jess wants to play self-insert, Julia Quinn only sees dollar signs, and Shonda has severe self-hate issues.

Honestly at this point I feel like both of these decisions were done to keep a Black woman from playing Sophie.

The show has literally gone on 3 seasons without including Black women in a leading romantic role. We weren’t asking for much. We weren’t even breaking it up by ethnicity and saying that Shonda(who is a Blsck woman herself) needs to cast a Caribbean, an Afro-Latina, a Black American, and an African woman. We just wanted someone fully Black to play a leading woman who gets a happily ever after.

Sophie would’ve been the perfect time to include us in this supposedly progressive show that cares about diversity. Sophie’s story is really just spicy Cinderella which would’ve been a breath of fresh air, but that is too good for us apparently.

When you factor in how Lady Danbury in the other Blackish women on this show are depicted, they really seem to have a problem with showing Black women being openly loved, desired, and fought for.

It is what is though. I don’t really care what they do at this point because the show reached its peak with Queen Charlotte. The best days are behind it, but yeah, they’ve lost me as a viewer…

[effieandtim]

Sorry for saying it like that, but sometimes I would like some of your mutuals to learn to shut up. Simone has spoken several times about Kathony and not just about a dance. I know it's not their fault but now these people are saying that those "misogynists and racists fans" only care about their white man and that they will drag Simone if necessary. I know it wasn't their intention but they have given them a reason to continue criticizing Jonny. I know this sounds bad but it's always the same circle. Some fans say something, they say JB fans (even if they are also Simone's, as much or more) are shit and her anons start filling his tag. I don't even care about actors anymore, but I loved Kathony and I can't watch it the same anymore. I know it's not your fault but it's very frustrating. Simone has spoken several times about Kathony and we have a lot to thank her for and it's okay to admit it. Jonathan hasn't said anything and there is nothing wrong with that as some fans (annie and co) are trying to imply.

i get where you are coming from.

only two of the people who called that person out are my mutuals, and it is not the person annie is arguing with on twitter currently.

i honestly dont know how many times simone has or hasnt mentioned kanthony.

the reason why my mutuals called that person out is because their tweet was shady af towards jonathan - even though HE has never been asked about kanthony as much as simone has been

this isnt the first time annie and her lot have implied how simone cares more about kanthony and made it into a bad thing that jonathan supposedly does not (annie uses jonny naming violet and edmund as his favourite bridgerton couple as proof)

so this isnt new at all, and that is why they were called out.

look, annie does not need a reason to attack jonathan at this point as we all have seen. she does that every time the man moves. it looks like she is a bigger fan of him than we are bc her whole personality is about him. i know she is now calling him a rat or something and that’s not the first insult she has come up with. she will continue blaming jonathan bailey for all of the world’s problems as according to her, he is the most horrible person on this planet

she is one of the most racist and homophobic members of this fandom and she will NOT stop spreading her bigotry.

i do understand though that as a fan of jonathan is it frustrating to see him and his fans being dragged unnecessarily in the tags, especially with his new show airing and new fans joining his fandom, and have lies spread about him and his fans.

but please know that annie and her lot are a minority. a vocal one, but a minority nonetheless. they are white women who have no jobs and only token stan a woc to make themselves feel better and NOTHING MORE.

they aren’t true simone fans and thank god for that because simone deserves so much better than them.

at this point I don’t even want jonathan to speak about kanthony anymore. to hell with that show I honestly dont care. i knew annie would be pissed that he didn’t say anything - she is pissed when he does and when he doesnt, you cannot win at all bc as i said, she needs no readon to hate - hating on jonathan is her actual job atp.

i really don’t know what to tell you anon bc I completely understand your frustrations but I also cannot control what my mutuals tweet. the most i can do is show them this anon, but please be aware that annie will still hate on him and spread lies about him

[dearestclement1ne]

it’s just not stewie’s day. shit happens.

yeah that’s js the way it goes 🤷 i honestly don’t even care who’s making buckets i js want us to win atp

[thumbkenya76-blog]

4 Proven Strategies For Retaining Your Best Sales Employees

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on the Avenue Talent Partners blog here.

If you’ve been in startup leadership for any amount of time, when I say retaining sales employees is especially hard right now, you probably know exactly what I mean.

It is PAINFUL when your best people leave you and you’re left figuring out how to rebuild. But if you’ve experienced this first hand, you’re not alone – some of the data swirling around on sales retention for tech startups is a little scary:

The Tech/Software sector has the highest turnover rate of any industry (13.5%)

Salespeople turnover at twice the rate of the rest of the labor force (27%)

The average tenure of a VP of Sales has shrunk to just 19 months

Why is this so hard right now? Can you eliminate or reduce it?

Without a doubt, yes. There are ways to combat this (it’s why I founded ATP in the first place) and there are two sides to it: your processes as a company and know which people are the right ones to hire in the first place.

Each of these is a substantial topic, so in order to make this practical, I decided to split this into two articles. We’ll focus on what you can do with your business and your leadership to increase the chance that your sales reps will stick around in this one.

Let’s get into it.

Why Do Salespeople Leave?

Type that question into Google and you’ll find a variety of articles on the topic. Most of them point towards compensation as being the number one reason. However, I think compensation is just the tip of the iceberg.

Great example: while not specific for sales, a recent study on why 10,000+ professionals left their jobs by LinkedIn suggests other factors are the bigger culprits:

Compensation only comes in at #5 (Courtesy of Linkedin)

However, here’s the thing: my experience talking to people every single day about what their missing pieces are is consistent with these data points – especially for top performers. And while yes – top performing salespeople need to have top-level compensation ($ for value folks!), the real reason you’re going to actually retain them isn’t as simple as throwing money at them.

Simply put, all-star talent has a different mindset… or to paraphrase Simon Sinek, “they see compensation as a result, not an end.” They know that the real game they need to play is to better serve their customers… and that the better they do this, the better they’ll be paid (or should be).

They also know things like the mission of the company (a big piece of culture), product/service, opportunity, and leadership are the foundations for allowing them to do that. So no amount of money is going to make up for failures in those things, since it’s going to stop them from winning the game they need to play (cue Einstein’s definition of insanity).

So that said, here’s what it takes to fight the reasons for departure above and hold on to your best people.

1. Create Continuous Opportunities For Growth That All-Stars Can’t Resist.

What do most top performers in sales want? To grow – both themselves and the startups they work for. That’s what makes them top performers! So the moment that potential stops existing is the moment they’re going to get bored and start looking for something new.

This can include everything – from compensation to title to responsibilities. And to keep A+ salespeople engaged, you’ve got to keep raising the stakes for them across the board at the right frequency.

While this will look different for every team, the best way I’ve ever seen this done is with a “feeder system” of promotability – or in other words a strategically designed, transparent system of targeted milestones that increase in difficulty and responsibility over time.

An Example

If you have SDR’s, know what it takes for them to be successful and help them earn a promotion to AE inside of the first year (including a comp boost). This “quick win” for a newer hire is the way to “set the hook” in young, hungry A+ talent with the grit to succeed (it’s the reason why people who hit the jackpot at a casino often end up having gambling problems later in life).

From there, set the milestone a little bigger. Offer the opportunity to progress to Mid-Market and make it a little more difficult to achieve. And so on and so forth to Enterprise to Team Lead to Director and more.

Not only will this help you keep your talent engaged and excited, it’s also the best hiring strategy around. It promotes from within, saves a lot of $$ on churn, and you’re only hiring for a skills gap from the outside to compliment the team.

Something To Keep In Mind…

Your advnacement plan has to be fair, achievable, and you’ve got to do your part as a leader to help your people actually hit the milestones. Remember, top performers want to see and feel results. Furthermore, this has to be well-defined, easy to digest,  and transparent. You should be discussing and explaining it to those you hire in from the outside in interviews so that expectations are properly set.

2. Be A Leader All-Stars Trust.

It’s been said that “people leave bosses, not companies.” I think truer words have never been spoken. It’s really hard to do great work if you’re facing obstacles where you need to be receiving support.

I’ve written an article previously on what great leadership looks like and how it has impacted the businesses I’ve been personally involved with throughout my career. But to summarize what it’s all about, being a leader that world-class talent trusts really boils down to empowerment.

How To Be A Great Leader:

Create psychological safety. Google studied what makes teams more productive and this was the single most important factor. Essentially, this means creating an environment where your team believes they are safe to take interpersonal risks.

Become a master listener. Great leaders take their team’s contributions seriously, and go out of their way to show their people that they’re valued by truly absorbing what they say.

Communicate clearly. Keep in mind, doing this is more than just your words. It’s everything you do to connect with your team, including your presence, actions, attitude, tone of voice, the way you phrase things, your timing, and more.

Know your “why”. Inspiring leaders have well-defined, well-articulated, and unwavering vision for what needs to be achieved. After all… if you don’t know where you’re going, how will your team?

Operate with integrity. Your people can’t trust you if you don’t do what you say you’ll do. Period.

3. Build A Magnetic Culture

Nope, I’m not talking about ping-pong and free beer. Real sales culture looks like the team at Inspire, a clean tech company with a mission to help consumers and businesses tap into the power of clean, renewable wind energy led by my dear colleague Zac Lowder.

What do Zac/Inspire get so right? They have built their culture on clear and compelling mission and work their tail feathers off to make sure they hire and empower all-stars that have both the skills and desire to join them. The result? 2-3x growth (there’s a reason they call themselves Avengers).

A+ salespeople care about culture – one they can believe in, and will be excited to get out of bed in the morning for. And, one that will support them on their quest to serve your customers better. Here’s some of the best ways to do that:

Have a vision your talent can get behind. And be able to articulate it in a compelling way.

See the point on leadership above. It all starts from the top.

See the point on opportunity above. Allstars crave a bigger stage.

Set the tone with a strong candidate experience and onboarding program. This going to require an entire point all by itself…

4. Roll Out The Red Carpet During Interviews And Onboarding.

I’ve added this last point about interviews and onboarding last for one very important reason… you can do all the work on points 1, 2, and 3 above and still totally blow it on this last step if you don’t get your candidate experience and onboarding done right.

When you go to hire, you MUST make sure the things your candidates will really experience when they join you shines through transparently. Difficulties, rainbows, and all.

You can’t fake this if you want talented people to stick around… you need to give them a chance to make an honest assessment if it’s right for them. Failing (or choosing not) to do so just makes the inevitable more painful for both of you.

Not everyone always realizes this is happening, so here are a few things I’d recommend incorporating into your interview process and onboarding experience if you’re not already:

Get your candidates involved with the team pre-hire. And not just a half-hour handshake… give them a real chance to live and breathe what it’s like to truly work with you. Have them ride along for a day or jump in on a few brainstorming meetings – really try them on for size!

Answer their questions completely and honestly. Pop up the hood and show them what’s inside. Don’t deceive here – let them (no, encourage them) to ask difficult questions and give them straight, no B.S. answers in return.

Get real with them about the difficult parts of the role. Be open with them about the challenges what they will face, either through exercises during interviews or by letting them “experience it” before they have to do it.

Show them different parts of your business, not just the sales team. Have them spend time with client success, product, finance, etc. and let them see how the organization really works.

Set the tone with onboarding that matches your culture. In other words, if you expect it to be fast moving and competitive, the onboarding should mirror that. Ask for feedback and implement that which you receive. This is still a two-way street!

It doesn’t stop after offer. Get them immediately setup with a mentor. Map out their first month with the team. Have their equipment ready and waiting. Schedule proper kickoffs that first week. Have the “welcome wagon” waiting. Create a concierge type process. Remember the golden rule here, it will pay off and then some.

Final Thoughts

We’ve covered a lot here, but if you take these to heart, you’ll not only keep your best people, you’ll build a workplace environment that A+ salespeople won’t be able to resist. The reason I started here is none of that knowledge really helps you if you don’t have your company and culture solidified first… even if you find great talent, they’re still not going to stick around.

The other piece of retention is really knowing who is going to pan out in the long run and who is not. I’ll tackle that in another post, so stay tuned!

Source: https://labs.openviewpartners.com/how-to-retain-your-best-sales-employees/

[stainyourhands]

2017 Rare Pair Fest Letter

Thank you so much for participating in the Rare Pair Fest!  I'm super glad that we matched and, honestly, I'm going to love anything that you write because you love my fandoms - woohoo! - and you're writing for me *blush*

What follows is an (unnecessarily) long letter, but, please, please take all these things as completely optional.

General Likes: I love romance (first time or established relationships, doesn’t matter), especially with an earned happy ending. I adore coming out fics, fics about people (friends, family, press) finding out, outsider POV stories, future fic, h/c, fake dating, and found families. The more people involved (family/friends, the ATP/WTA tour, Stargate teams) the better. I’m down with world-building tropes that twist the world a bit but don't change it entirely, like soulbonds, name-on-wrists, and touch/emotional telepathy. 

General Dislikes: I really love slash, so gen fics aren’t my cup of tea.  Not a big fan of BDSM, unequal power dynamics, break-ups or infidelity, unhappy endings (although I'm definitely onboard with unhappy beginnings), or hate sex. First or second-person POV.

Re: real-life WAGs: I’m fine with pretending the WAG doesn’t/never has existed.  I’m also good with fics where the WAG is the player’s best friend/beard, or where they dated but now no longer date.  Any of those are cool!

Tennis RPF (Andy Murray/Rafael Nadal; Juan Martin Del Potro/Andy Murray, Roger Federer, or Novak Djokovic; Alexander Zverev/Dominic Thiem; Jamie Murray/Bruno Soares)

Re: AUs: I love AUs that allow at least one of them to still play tennis/hockey.  So, tropes/AUs that still allow for that.  I also really love alternate history fics (Rafa's knees kept him off the ATP tour!   etc...).

So many pairings I love here, but here are some specific prompts:

Andy/Rafa - My OTP.  Sigh.  There are so many fics I want, you can’t go wrong ;) Family fic would be wonderful (either deal with Judy and/or Uncle Toni, Jamie, or kids of their own someday).  I’d love a future fic (How do they settle into life after the tour? Does Rafa become Real president? Does Andy start building tennis in Scotland?).  I’d read the shit out of trope-y fic, especially soulbonds or name-on-the-wrist fic.  I’d also love alternative histories - maybe Rafa decided to play soccer instead or tennis, or maybe Andy quit after winning his first Wimbledon. I’d also love a fic that explores Rafa’s friendship with Serena (and Andy’s with Venus). 

Delpo/Andy, Roger, or Djoker - I love Delpo, and, honestly, all these pairings are about him.  Any h/c here with his injury, and coming back to the tour.  An alternate history would also work really well here.  Where Delp isn’t actually able to come back from his injury, so he becomes a tournament director or a physio or something.

Sasha/Domi - #NextGen stars who grew up so close to each other and who are rising at mostly the same time.  Anything about how they're dealing with all the pressure on thier shoulders (or, maybe, not dealing so well).  This is also one of the few pairings I could see a complete AU for.  Go wild!

Jamie/Bruno - There are literally zero fics for them, so anything.  What it's like to play doubles, to rely on someone so much on court but also be so reliant on them?  They must know each others' families pretty well at this point, and anything about Andy and Judy's takes on Bruno would be awesome.  I could also see an alternate history with them - maybe one was injured early on and now works as a trainer/physical therapist.

The West Wing (Josh Lyman/Matt Santos; Josh Lyman/Toby Ziegler)

Josh/Matt Santos - They’s been one of my strongest OTPs for as long as I can remember.  Josh built Santos from the ground up, and Matt challenged him and made Josh a better man. I want to know when they first got together. Was Josh worried about the political implications? Did Josh have a bedroom in the residence? Did they wait until Matt was out of office? Did Josh retire and move with him to Houston eight years after the series ended? What did Leo, Bartlet, CJ, Toby, Sam, Donna think when they found out?

Josh/Toby - I’ve read every existing fic of this pairing at least 20 times.  I’d love a future fic (either ignoring or not the last season security leak storyline).  I’d love kid fic.  I’d love gruff Toby fucking up and then apologizing for it.  I’d love Toby being embarrassed by Josh, only to realize that that’s what he really loves about him.  I’d love Outsider POV on their relationship.  Just give me Josh and Toby and I’ll be happy.

Stargate Universe (Everett Young/Nicholas Rush)

So, my dream fic here is a Young/Rush future!fic that takes place either back on Earth or on Atlantis.  Established relationship or first-time fic, either would be awesome!  I’d love to see Stargate Command’s response to their dynamic.  And if you wanna throw in Jack/Daniel and/or McShep, I’d love you forever.

If that’s not your thing, then I’d read the shit out of an outside POV fic or a found family (with begrudging Rush) fic.  Honestly, I love them and their dynamic, so I’ll love anything you write with them!

Stargate SG-A (Ronon Dex/Rodney McKay)

Ronon and Rodney are so different, temperament-wise, but not in terms of what they care about.  Aloof.  Fiercely loyal.  Desperate to keep their found family safe. Rodney talks a lot, Ronon likes to listen.  Rodney worries a lot, Ronon likes to belay those worries.  I'd really love anything with them, established or getting together.  How does Ronon deal with being on Earth?  Does Rodney introduce him to Jeannie?  Does Rodney bring Ronon around to all his old physics rivals to show him off? Or does Rodney kind of withdraw and hide when they get to Earth?  Or, on Atlantis, how does the team react when they find out?  Do they find out?

[redefinethegrind]

Road Trip to Tennessee 2018

This was my fear and loathing run. I was to take a road trip with the love of my life to visit her family. I had run out of needs and wants. I simply existed and observed after I had dismantled my previous way of living. It was freeing. I was finally able to experience life as it should be and planned to do so on a short excursion. I would be traversing highways and watching the mile markers pass to convince me that I had indeed moved through space. Sometimes I need cues like these to keep my shoes planted in certainty's topsoil.

As we prepared to road trip I had realized that I had become an automaton in clockwork of consumer culture. Americans exchange bits of information via chip card and superstores render goods. I am able to provide ATP to my cells through granola bars and McDonald’s coffee due to an evolutionary shift. As I write, I am at the prime of my existence and though I know it I often forget that as the machine hums around me. I entered my vacation at a point in which I had been terribly distracted from any purpose that I may have had in my life. I hoped to take time away from my usual surroundings to recover that purpose.

Status check: I can feel my ribcage which means I’m not too far down the food rabbit hole. I fit into a size large men’s shirt and sweatpants. In America we are all large. I am assimilating with my fellow beings. In this culture we are all just swallowing what we are force-fed. I am no different despite my feelings of alienation. I know that I’m an XL at heart, but the times have changed to accommodate our ever- growing frames while retaining an unearned shred of dignity. Yes, they swapped my tags for a large. In three years I will wear a medium, but it will have the same measurements. Americans preserve their self-esteem by simply relabeling and rebranding.

We were into the first leg of our journey and I was drifting in and out of daydream. Somehow highway 71 south seemed longer than I previously remembered. I had been bombarded with thoughts of escape from my daily actuality versus longing for my bed. As we moved forth I was uncertain what to take from this trip. I had feelings that my view of life and the extent to which I had been participating was is disappointing those around me, yet I rarely have felt a longing to change. I am ever confused as to what I have done to become this awkward man with so little to offer in times of angst. The difference between me now and me 5 years ago is I used to not notice how little I fit in. Maybe I hid from it.

When I burned my safety net I too let go of any sense of security. I entered this drive with nothing more than uncertainty. There was little of my life that I had control over. I am no longer uncomfortable with this. I am simply an observer. I am here, in this life, to take it all in. I am still processing and trying to make sense of it. There is no better environment to process in than a long care ride.

I am in a relationship in which I am not sure of my role. I am ever dropping the ball, yet I rarely know when it is my play. It is interesting to me. I have been leading this life now for 8 months without any expectations other than what comes to me. I have absolutely no expectations of anyone or anything. I am no longer disappointed nor am I surprised. It has become a life without hills and valleys. My life is as lackluster as Iowa, yet I am not disappointed. See, I expect nothing, and nothing is what I receive in return. Interesting is this predicament to be in: calm breeding calm.

As the trees and bridges steadily passed me in a blur I could truly say I had no idea what I was doing or why I was there. I don’t say that as a smart ass, I simply had no idea where I was going or what I was doing. I had chosen not to look past the end of my nose into the future. I wanted to just experience life as it approached. I wanted to let life have the driver’s seat while I was an unimpressed passenger for a while. I don’t know what that means but it certainly felt comfortable to me at the time.

I knew that soon enough the stress and anxiety would be back. I would be wondering where my money went and why I still didn’t have a decent job. I would still be waiting on the board of nursing to deliberate and render some sort of decision on my future. I would take it as it came. I knew all of this and remained calm and peaceful despite it. I wasn’t sure if I would ever have a position of control over my life again and honestly didn’t know if I even wanted control. It was easier and more comfortable to lay down and nap. I felt as though that was what I was longing for, sleep.

Apparently, I am as good at navigating as I am picking prize winning roses. I turned out to be a terrible wingman on this trip secondary to my overactive imagination and the flight of ideas which persisted despite the cessation of external stimuli. I had consumed sufficient amounts of caffeine to treat for ADHD but continued with a nonstop pattern of thought for the first few hours of our journey. I had also eaten meat twice in two states, though it was too early to give any input as to whether this had affected my cognition or not. I am leaning toward it had not.

I am sincerely just tied to the internal world with but a hint of an anchor to the external, and road tripping didn’t change that. I remained calm and relaxed as we continued forth. Anxiety had not been an issue whatsoever. In fact, the further I grew from my usual stomping grounds the lighter my load felt. I suppose this was just another way to prolong the inevitable, but it felt about right in our first day of travel.

I had my faithful Cyndi at my side. She was doing her best to remain confident and in good spirits. She truly loves me, this I can tell. I fear that I may be a lot more than she expected mentally. I wish it were an act or a choice when dissonance overtakes my consciousness. I wish I could just turn into the perfect partner without any cognitive restructuring or medication… but I am afraid it isn’t that simple. I do know that she understands as she deals with many of the same issues that I do. I don’t pretend, though, that this makes it any easier on her. It simply isn’t fair at times to act the way I do but I can assure you, I am as controlled at this time as I have ever been. That frightens me because I have still been having episodes of missing time, auditory hallucination (funk bass lines that pound into the night, 8-bit music that is sometimes louder than the television, and at times inaudible children’s voices). I don’t know what these symptoms mean. My ears also felt itchy the further south we trekked and were more full than usual. There was occasionally a lump in my throat and I had been producing extra phlegm. This could have been allergies I suppose, but my mental focus had been on my constellation of symptoms as a whole and what they meant.

As night fell the highway became a familiar landscape of white and yellow lines. Blinking lights from fellow traveler’s vehicles darted left and right just out of my periphery. I was blinking periodically to moisten my contact lenses. I’m not sure who these wayward voyagers were or where they were going, but I can assume that they all had a better idea of that than I did. I was hoping that somewhere along this journey I would get some idea of what the hell it was that I was supposed to be doing with my future.

I am terrified of the idea of working a 40 or 50 hour a week job that means nothing to me. I don’t care about money anymore. I have completely detached myself from the monetary system of power exchange. Possessions no longer hold any emotional value to me. Not a single item in the stores we visited enticed me in the slightest. I was only interested in the provisions of travel. My love of belongings all dissolved in mid 2018. What used to give me some sense of brief satisfaction is now just a nameless product that does little to even draw my attention. The external world has become that of gibberish and nonsense.

Save for a few interpersonal relationships I see almost no purpose in even opening my eyes at times. I don’t mean that to sound morose or depressed, it is just a simple fact. Once every piece of matter has lost all meaning to a man he does not wish to possess or even examine these substances anymore. The stuffs of materialism are simply collections of molecules and no longer hold emotional value. The only effects which provide me with emotional stimulation at this time are intangible. Relationships are where I must focus in my future. Candidly, to do that, I do not see why I would need anything other than modest shelter and food.

Conceivably, other than relationships, I am fond of nature and the beauty of natural creation. I still enjoy exploring this world with the eyes of a child and gazing first hand at the remarkable expressions of the golden ratio which nature effortlessly reproduces time and time again. If I could simply have enough means to realize my ambitions of exploration, I see no reason that I would be any less happy than the time when I earned a six-figure salary. This fact makes my goals simple and my life straight forward. God, family, friends, nature: love and cherish all of them. Occam’s razor.

We had made it soundly to our first lengthy stop on this expedition. A 3-star hotel with a pool which we were just minutes too late to enjoy. Then again, there would surely have been other confused humanoids looking awkwardly at one another as if to wonder what sort of soup they are communally fashioning from their shed cells, incalculable quantities of sweat, and the occasional two-day old Band-Aid. There would have been silver haired patriarchs scowling at their grandchildren; salt and peppered vultures looming from the rafters of their once in a lifetime megalomaniacal expressions of illusory freedom. These sorts of creatures pick apart the carcasses of family vacations in search of control. They are the kind of animals that rape the amusement from their loved-ones in the name of making good time. Yes, it was a blessing masquerading as disillusionment when the pool closed an hour before midnight.

Following a beautiful night of staring into Cyndi’s adoring eyes and genuinely appreciating even her most understated embrace, I drifted to sleep without much difficulty. I, of course, had taken my usual regimen of Benadryl to combat my higher than usual intake of caffeine. Before long I awoke well-rested with thoughts of “what in the hell will I do when this trip is over.” I tried to distract myself by entering our well-appointed bathroom which was much cleaner and more modern than what I was used to at home. I was impressed with the texture molded into the commercial grade bar of soap which is designed to keep from slipping off of the lipless ledge on which it rested. Cyndi said it was to massage the skin, but I know the passionless mind of an engineer and this explanation was not practical enough to make any sense to me. The soap ledge was low enough to be a bench but too small to label it as such. I remember being American enough to scoff as I bent at the waist to retrieve my implements of acceptable hygiene. After using my pubic mound as a white trash loofa, I washed away my feelings of angst as the speakers in my mind blared the chorus to November Rain. Within minutes I was ready to explore the extraterritorial fatherland of country music.

As day two of our road trip drew to a midpoint I had begun to feel a bit of angst. My bank account was not as flush as I had imagined it to be mentally, I had spent just a few hundred dollars more than I had intended. This was not a great deal to me, however, I intended to curtail my spending further as my future was at this point still uncertain. My approach and general word choice when presenting my conundrum to Cyndi caused dissention. It was and never has been my intent to be deliberately disrespectful, and it never is, yet I often find myself wading in the murky waters of awkward silence and inflammatory squabble. I am never sure what to make of this, though as I had been generally happy it did not affect my mood as it normally would have on a down day.

It seems that in all of my observations over the years, finances seem to cause the most arguments to otherwise close couples. I have never been preoccupied with money or the material, and as this trip pushed on I found myself even less interested in materialism. That being said, I was genuinely concerned for our future well-being and felt it necessary to at least voice my opinion on the continuation of depleting our ever-dwindling funds. In typical Ernie fashion I mentioned this in a crass and insensitive manner. It wasn’t long before I realized that regardless of my intentions, I am destined to say and do the wrong thing.

It is times of stress like the ones we lived through in 2018 that are truly trying to couples, particularly young ones. I am confident that we will work through even the toughest of times because we are truly in love. I will, no doubt, say some ignorant bullshit and she will, no doubt, have some emotional outbursts; but, we know one another well enough to give and take where necessary. I find that comforting.

At hotel number two we prepared to take Cyndi’s sisters and nephews to the heated indoor pool. Upon inspection just after check-in there were no other patrons enjoying the rectangular collection of chlorinated communal swill and we fully intended to stake our claim to the entire room despite its lack of a hot tub. My feelings of being a disenchanting life partner were again beginning to fade as I approached my evening optimistically and wearing the rose-colored glasses of vacation. Cyndi’s phone continued to tremble and chime throughout our pre-swim rendezvous, the screen ever illuminated with the names of middle-eastern and African men attempting facetime. She had made the mistake of posting a Facebook picture with a pink lollypop and forever lamented her decision as telecommunication grids bogged down from Pakistan to Nigeria.

The temperate climate of October 2018 in Tennessee had proven to be the perfect backdrop for a relaxing vacation. My mind had been browsing the local cuisine. Comfort food had long been my wheelhouse and when traveling the south, I imagined myself restaurant hopping. Pals provided a comforting lunch, and I again ignored my better instincts and consumed more animals.

As evening arrived we had made our way back to the Morristown mall to retrieve a carrot-cake inspired Persian kitten with curious and empathetic eyes. She knows the absurdity of her thumbing a ride back to Ohio with us, it is palpable in her ever-present purring and sniping meows. This is not a trip for reason, logic, paying bills, or rotating tires. This is a whimsical expedition: an escape. We dissolved into the surroundings of a Quality Inn with a faint breeze in our sails and the sunset now an hour behind us. Cable television had become a luxury to me reserved for vacation and I had left it on as mindless background chatter as I got to know my lovers family a little bit at a time.

After some small talk we settled on pizza for dinner and I drove these kind-hearted women to pick it up. We listened to Elton John’s timeless falsetto through the tinny speakers in my leased Honda Civic as I wove through smeared red and yellow lights posing as light traffic. I felt a sense of belonging in a foreign town, and frankly it was not so different from my own hometown. The highlight of my trip was seeing a genuine smile adorn Cyndi’s beautiful face as she interacted with her best friends, her two sisters. Her sincere happiness is what I had dedicated my entire life to and I knew when I saw her eyes light up and her dimples pop that everything I had traded in to be with her was worth it. Our lives culminated together in that moment, and though she didn’t know I noticed, she was truly happy. My actions this year had seemed reckless and were certainly impulsive, but they did lead to a smile on Cyndi’s face. I had achieved my goal.

From that moment on I knew that I wanted to grow deeper in love with that girl. I wanted to know every facet of her. I wanted to have the deepest connection possible between two human beings. My goal had become to share everything with her and to know everything about her. Then began my true life’s goal. I had finally found it. It was to uncover the deepest spiritual connections in this reality with my twin flame. I sought to grow closer to understanding our human experience and to share it with another human being intimately. My life’s work shifted in that moment. I then understood why Cyndi had truly crossed my path. I had touched on this before, but this trip solidified my belief in our purpose.

We woke up too late again on our final day in Tennessee and an Indian woman was pounding on our hotel room door. Cyndi, her sisters, and myself were slowly stirring. I answered the door and requested a few moments to collect our belongings. I was feeling calm and tired all at once. I showered, and we spent a slow morning bonding after negotiating a later checkout time and letting Cyndi’s nephews swim in the hotel pool. The vacation was winding down. We now had a new housemate in Cakeboss the fluffball kitten. We loaded into the Civic and headed North through a dreary and rainy evening.

The drive home proved uneventful. Cyndi and I bonded over podcasts and standup comedy. I held my new four-legged friend as she slept most of the ride in a cottony mound. The Bellville exit was a welcome site as all six of our collective eyes were weary. As I unloaded the trunk I felt a sense of calm wash over me. I quickly entered my familiar home, it was quiet and clean. I let the dogs out to do their business and my first vacation in a long time, albeit a short one, was over. I will carry several of these memories with me as they are life changing.

All in all, I learned more about myself and my relationship on this trip. That is what I wanted more than anything and I accomplished it. As for my future, I did devise a loose plan. I have also solidified new faces into my circle of those I trust which is always comforting to me. I am at a pivotal point in my existence, I can sense that. I feel the tides shifting. I am done living for anything I don’t believe in. No more phoning it in. It is a time of urgency for me. Many of the emotions I am feeling are firsts. I will turn in tonight and attempt to sleep soundly. Tomorrow I begin planning the rest of my life from my hometown.

[latestnews2018-blog]

Kyrgios tips De Minaur to give Nadal a scare

New Post has been published on https://latestnews2018.com/kyrgios-tips-de-minaur-to-give-nadal-a-scare/

Kyrgios tips De Minaur to give Nadal a scare

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios plays a shot during his second round match against Netherland’s Robin Haase, on July 5, 2018.

London: Nick Kyrgios fired a warning to Rafael Nadal after continuing to lead a strong Australian challenge at Wimbledon on Thursday.

The 23-year-old maverick kept himself under control during an impressive straight sets defeat of Dutchman Robin Haase and is a potential semi-final foe for Nadal.

But it is another young Australian, 19-year-old Alex De Minaur, who Kyrgios is predicting could cause Nadal problems.

De Minaur plays the Spaniard in the third round after beating Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

“It’s awesome. He’s going to be a guy that’s going to love playing on grass for his whole career,” Kyrgios told reporters.

“These type of balls, nightmare, so flat. He’s a great returner. I honestly think he can cause some damage the next round. I don’t think Rafa is going to be liking the ball that’s going to come at him constantly for three hours.

“It’s going to be a tough ask for him, but I think he could definitely cause a little bit of discomfort.” With 30-year-old Matthew Ebden also into the third round in the bottom half there is plenty for Australian fans to cheer, although the focus is very much on Kyrgios, who himself stunned Nadal at Wimbledon four years ago.

Kyrgios, seeded 15, arrived at Wimbledon in good form after strong runs on the grass in Stuttgart and at Queen’s Club.

And he followed a first-round win over Denis Istomin with another focused display to set up a clash with Japan’s Kei Nishikori who he is yet to beat and who he described as a ‘nightmare’ to play.

Kyrgios is one of the players being tipped as a potential champion here but said it was still too early to get excited about anyone else than the usual suspects.

“I don’t know if we can do much,” he said. “We can just take care of business every day until we meet them. Hopefully we can play our best tennis.”

Alexander Zverev avoided a shock exit as the world No. 3 battled back to beat American youngster Taylor Fritz 6-4, 5-7, 6-7, 6-1, 6-2 on Friday.

Zverev had just lost the third set when bad light forced play to be suspended late on Thursday evening.

But the 21-year-old German has plenty of practice at scrambling out of trouble after three times winning from two sets to one down at the recent French Open.

He staged another impressive escape act on Court One, winning the final two sets to move into the third round.

Zverev will face Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis for a place in the last 16.

After enjoying the best Grand Slam run of his career when he made the French Open quarter-finals last month, Zverev is hoping to reach the last eight at Wimbledon for the first time.

He was beaten in the fourth round last year.

Following early exits for Swiss 16th seed Borna Coric and Canadian world number 25 Denis Shapovalov, Zverev’s win was a boost for the group of young prodigies branded the sport’s ‘NextGen’ stars by the ATP.

South African eighth seed Kevin Anderson reached the last 16 with a straight-sets win over experienced German Philipp Kohlschreiber.

The way he played in his 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 victory suggested Anderson could go further than ever before at the All England Club.

Anderson, 32, pressured Kohlschreiber from the start and was gifted an early and decisive break as the German double-faulted and he netted a forehand in the second game.

The South African also broke at the start of the second set but Kohlschreiber hit back immediately.

Anderson bided his time and broke at 5-5 with a forehand winner and held for a two-set lead.

He got a huge slice of luck at 5-5 in the third set when his backhand return flopped off the net tape and over to earn him the break and he served out to love, clenching his first and roaring his delight as Kohlschreiber’s return flew long.

Anderson, the only African left in the singles draws, will face Frenchman Gael Monfils for a place in the last eight. Monfils American Sam Querrey 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.