#Olympic motto

[thepastisalreadywritten]

By Nicolás de Cárdenas

26 July 2024

The motto of the modern Olympic Games, “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” was coined by French Dominican friar Louis Henri Didon (17 March 1840 – 13 March 1900), who became friends with the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1 January 1863 – 2 September 1937), five years before the 1896 Athens Games.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin is known as the Father of the Modern Olympic Games. 

The motto, originally formulated in Latin as “Citius, Altius, Fortius," was used before the modern Olympic movement at St. Albert the Great School in Paris, where the Dominican friar was the principal.

Born on 17 March 1840, Didon entered the Rondeau Minor Seminary in Grenoble, France, beginning at the age of 9.

During his youth, he stood out for his ability as an athlete.

After visiting the Carthusian monastery in Grenoble, he decided to follow a religious vocation and took the habit of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) at the age of 16.

Six years later, after a period of formation in Rome, he was ordained a priest at age 22.

Military chaplain, prisoner, and refugee

Didon soon gained fame as a preacher.

During the brief Franco-Prussian War, which broke out in July 1870, he was a military chaplain and for a time was held as a prisoner.

When he fell ill, he ended up as a refugee in Geneva, Switzerland.

From there, he was sent to Marseille, where he resumed his sometimes controversial preaching activity, which led to his being sent to Corsica in 1880. 

A decade later, he was appointed principal of St. Albert the Great School in Paris where he established sports as part of the school’s educational program and promoted sports competition.

This decision was the result of the belief in the value of sports and the contact he had with Pierre de Coubertin since 1891.

In the first race they organized, the Dominican decided to embroider on the school flag the famous motto, which would become an Olympic motto during the first Olympic Congress held in Paris in 1894.

Two years later, Athens hosted the first Olympic Games, which have since been held every four years.

It was interrupted only three times due to World Wars I and II (1916, 1940 and 1944) and postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

—

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

[tedwardremus]

Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter (Jilypad Wizard Olympic AU)

Sirius Black is an Olympic athlete competing in the Wizard Pentathlon, a grueling event that consists of broom racing, wand dueling, hippogriff show jumping, sword fighting, and archery.

James Potter has already won numerous Quidditch championships and is eager to add an Olympic gold medal to his collection.

Lily Evans is a sports reporter sent to Paris to cover the events of the 2024 Wizard Olympics and is determined to leave the city of lights with a trophy of her own.

The three of them meet at the Olympic Village. And well, you know what happens at the Olympic Village…

[virtchandmoir]

flagdawg: The best day of my year! Motionball 2023 raised $400,000 for Special Olympics today! #❤️motionball

[flemingsfreckles]

New Name

Synopsis: You and Jessie find a way to subtlety announce your marriage.

WC: 2.1k

Warnings: none :)

A/N: stuff in italics is in the past, previous stuff that happened… I promise replacement and drunk dial are being worked on… just sometimes you need a little bit of a fluffy break

Jessie smirked as she walked around into the locker room, immediately making a brisk walk toward her cubby where her jersey for the game today was hung. She could see it from across the room, everyone else’s, back of the jersey facing the room, names obviously on display, except hers.

Hers had been turned around, just as she has requested. As she reached it, she took a deep breath before reaching for the hanger and turning it to look at the back. For the first time she read not only her own last name, but followed by a hyphen and your last name. Unable to contain herself Jessie felt a huge smile break across her face as she quickly grabbed out her phone snapping a photo of the back before sending it to you.

You were at home, cleaning up from the breakfast you had made for your newly made wife before she headed out for pregame work. She had told you she needed to go in for something early, you didn’t question it. Jessie often had meetings, media, little extra training she wanted to do, small stuff that she’d add on before or after her game days so this was nothing new. What she didn’t tell you was why she had gone in so early.

That surprise came in the form of a photo. You opened your phone after seeing the notification from your wife, smiling when you remembered she was your wife now, not just your girlfriend, not just your fiancée, she was your wife.

Jessie 🫎❤️: had to come in to make sure this was all set

Jessie 🫎❤️: Attachment

You clicked on the picture and your jaw dropped. You saw the all too familiar image of a jersey, Jessie’s name and number on the back. Only now, your last name sat side by side with your wife’s. You stared and stared at the image.

Jessie 🫎❤️: Hope that’s okay, I’m thinking now that I should’ve double checked that it was okay to do today. We talked about it for the first game back but, I’m sorry.

You: I’m speechless, definitely not upset

Jessie 🫎❤️: okay, I still should’ve checked with you, I just thought it would be a cool way to announce it, and I figured it’s a good time to do it.

You: So everyone will know we’re married after today, I like that.

Private but not secret has been the motto that describes your relationship with Jessie. The two of you had been dating since she was at Chelsea. Neither of you ever publicly announced you were dating, but the speculation was abundant. The two of you were always together. You posted photos of Jessie with you at farmers markets, at coffee shops, on hikes, you always attended her games and she’d come see you in the stands, you weren’t hiding it by any means. PDA was never something you were big on so it didn’t bother you to be reserved around your girlfriend when others were present. After nearly 3 years together in London, when Jessie made the move to Portland, you followed her, only solidifying the rumors and assumptions that the two of you were together when fans spotted that Jessie was still coming over to the same girl after her move.

After a year in Portland together, you proposed, Jessie said yes and the two of you slowly began planning a wedding. Unfortunately with the Olympics, international windows, the NWSL season, on top of your job, little to no wedding planning was done by either of you. Not that you minded, it was fine, you’d get to it when you did. You were committed regardless, a piece of paper and a party weren’t going to change that.

It had been an off week for Portland, you and Jessie had been having an easy morning, both of you on the couch, books in hand enjoying each other's company.

“Would you ever have considered eloping?” Jessie puts her book down looking across the couch at you and nudging her foot into your thigh.

“Hmm?” You hum, engrossed in your book not fully hearing what Jessie had said. You finish reading the sentence you were on before putting your own book down to give her your attention. “Sorry what?”

“Eloping? Would you have ever considered it before?” She asks flatly before adding. “It’s in my book, I just was curious.”

“What do you mean ‘before’?” You shifted on the couch, pulling the blanket up more.

“Like we’ve discussed having a big formal wedding obviously, I mean like, before we discussed that?” Jessie clarifies.

“I mean, sure, I think I’d still consider it honestly, easy, quick, intimate. I’m honestly surprised you were more into the idea of the big wedding.” It was true, despite the small planning you had done, the guest list had been one of the first things, when it was all said and done the two of you were looking at a couple hundred names of people you planned to invite.

“I’m not, I actually always liked the idea of eloping. Just me and my future wife, somewhere with a view. I thought you wanted to do the full formal wedding, and I think it’s just been programmed into my head that I have to invite all my teammates and by default that’s a big wedding.”

You hesitate for a moment, listening and processing Jessie’s statement. Just as she goes to reopen her book you speak up. “Want to then?” You say, raising an eyebrow at her and giving a shrug of your shoulders.

“Want to, what?” She puts the book back into her lap.

“Elope?” You say casually, unsure of how Jessie had lost her way in the conversation you were having.

“Seriously?” Jessie squints across the couch at you.

“If you are?”

“When?” She cocks her head at you.

“I’m free tomorrow or if not tomorrow I’m also available the next day?” It’s true, you both were free, no plans, no responsibilities.

You watch Jessie squint at you before a smirk begins to show on her face. “I can’t tell if you’re kidding with me or not.”

“I’m not.”

“Okay.” She sighs and laughs. “Tomorrow then.”

“Okay, let me make some calls.” You immediately hop off the couch, making a run toward your phone that sat charging. You hear Jessie laughing at the way you frantically jumped from the couch, that was a sound you were ready to listen to for the rest of your life.

It took 2 phone calls, one to Jessie’s sister and one to a local company that helped you sort out everything you’d need. Jessie’s sister had always been Jessie’s best friend and since the two of you started dating, you became closer and closer with her, she was already set to be Jessie’s maid of honor, it made sense to call her and ask if she’d be your witness. You both also knew you could trust her not to let out your little secret before you wanted everyone to know.

The following day the two of you, Jessie‘s sister, a photographer, and the man who would marry you arrived at the trailhead of a quiet path that you and Jessie frequently hiked.

The five of you hiked to a small opening within the trees, a view of a mountain in the clearing. While everyone got set up, you and Jessie walked over, hand in hand, taking a second to admire the view.

“This is perfect.” Jessie said her head resting on your shoulder as the two of you looked out.

“I know.” You let out a satisfied sigh. “I can’t believe we were going to do the big party instead.”

“I don’t know what we were thinking.”

Just minutes later you and Jessie stood hand in hand, looking at each other with stupidly happy grins on your faces and joyful tears in your eyes as you were officially pronounced as wives. The two of you had just exchanged silicone wedding bands, all you could manage with a 12 hours notice, agreeing you’d get metal ones once you broke the news to everyone.

Jessie pulled you in for a sweet kiss, sealing your marriage. “I’m your wife now.” She said quietly as she pulled away, her forehead resting on yours as the two of you looked at each other.

“You’re my wife.”

Jessie sat in her cubby, jersey still hung up behind her as she nervously bounced her leg. Her other teammates would be showing up any minute, she wasn’t sure how to go about it. Did she make it a big deal? Make a formal announcement? Did she just wait for someone to notice?

That’s when Janine came around the corner first, giving Jessie a quick smile and wave that the urge to tell someone broke. Had it been anyone else Jessie might have been able to hold the news in, but her best friend, she couldn’t do it.

“We got married!” Jessie nearly shouts at her teammate who whips her head around from where she was standing at her own cubby.

“What?”

Jessie turns, grabbing the jersey behind her and holding it out to Janine. “We, last Friday, we got married, we eloped.”

“Holy shit!” She comes up, grabbing the jersey to hold it out and look at it herself. “Wow. I can’t believe it. Shy little Jessie, married before me.” Janine teased. Jessie could feel her face flush slightly. “Is this your announcement?”

Jessie nodded. “We decided might as well let everyone know, confirm the suspicions everyone has had for years now.”

“That’s really exciting Jessie, I’m so happy for you both.” Janine pats Jessie on the back before pulling her in for a quick hug.

“What’s exciting?” The two turn to see more teammates trailing in. A couple of them looked over where Jessie and Janine were standing.

“Go ahead, show it off!” Janine hands her back the jersey and Jessie wanders over to where the group of teammates stood. She slowly starts telling her teammates the news. It's only a few minutes before her whole team knows and the locker room is filled with congratulatory applause and cheers from her teammates as they all learn the news.

A few hours later you’re standing in the family section, sporting a jersey of your own, your new shared last name across the back. When you arrived at the stadium to get your friends and family credentials, a member of the equipment staff had met you, presenting you with a jersey that matched the one in the photo Jessie had sent you. A small note from Jessie attached to it.

‘For my wife, I love you.’ You smiled at the note, the fact that wife was your official title now still had yet to set in. You thanked the staff and quickly found a restroom to change in before heading to your seat.

You found yourself sitting watching, your right index finger and thumb playing with the silicone band that now rested on your left ring finger. It felt weird. Not bad, but new and different, exciting, every time you touched it you thought of Jessie and your perfect little wedding. A few of the other player’s family had asked about the jersey, some of them making jokes that you two needed to hurry and actually get married until you told them you had. You received the same congratulations that your wife was getting from her own teammates.

When the speaker came on to announce the starting eleven for each team you nearly held your breath waiting for Jessie’s name to be called. You didn’t know if she was having them say it, maybe she’d keep it just her name for the lineup. When you heard her first name called, your ears perked up, not only was her last name announced, but your last name followed hers, just as it was written on the jersey. You noticed a murmur in the crowd after the initial cheers died down. No doubt people were confused about her name but you didn’t care.

The game was an easy one, Portland beating Seattle and you got to watch your wife score a beautiful goal. As it landed in the back of the net she immediately bolted over to where you were standing, holding out her left hand toward the direction in which you stood before kissing her ring finger. She then turned to celebrate with her teammates, but the celebration definitely got the message across.

When the game finished you made your way down to the pitch to find Jessie. “Hi wifey.” You say, coming up behind her and wrapping your arms around her to pull her close.

“Hi wife.” She says, pulling her attention away from her conversation with Quinn who quickly congratulated both of you.

“My last name looks good on you.” You say as you lean over putting a small peck on her cheek.

“I know it does, we should’ve done this years ago.”

[elennemigo]

✦ GIFTOBER 2024 (+ @mcuchallenge)| Day 13/31: OLYMPICS/SPORTS

The original Olympic motto is made up of three Latin words : Citius - Altius - Fortius.

It was first expressed by the Dominican priest Henri Didon in the opening ceremony of a school sports event in 1891. Pierre de Coubertin, who was present that day, adopted them as the Olympic motto in 1894 with the launch of the Olympic Movement.

On the 20th of July 2021, the Session of the International Olympic Committee approved a change and the word Communiter was added.

[imagineastrology]

What the Moon signs are best at! 🥇

To celebrate the beginning of the 2024 Paris Olympics! 🥇

Aries Moon: the best at putting yourself first, selective listening and ignoring your neighbour’s pleas when you blast heavy metal

Taurus Moon: the best at ALWAYS knowing what you want, organising, and ultimately having your shit together

Gemini Moon: the best at comedic timing, lightening the mood, and having a tremendous gift of the gab

Cancer Moon: the best at being passive-aggressive, positively reigniting the meaning of ‘home’, and being forthcoming with their thoughts

Leo Moon: the best at empowering others, standing your ground, channelling anger into art, and looking exquisite whilst dying inside

Virgo Moon: the best at the clean gal aesthetic, managing stress like it’s their profession, and staying true to their words and actions

Libra Moon: the best at mediating tense situations, critiquing art, considering and understanding all points of views

Scorpio Moon: the best at overcoming insane situations, living to your own definitions, and listening to your gut feelings

Sagittarius Moon: the best at adapting to anything, finding the silver lining in life, and helping others to find their own joy

Capricorn Moon: the best at working and playing hard, having tenacity to stay in positions of power as they have earned it, and living with humility

Aquarius Moon: the best at self-confidence, actively making a positive difference in the world, and giving others a subconscious boost to be themselves

Pisces Moon: the best at reminding us that sensitivity is a strength, being mindful, always knowing the best things to say, and living out the motto: “go with the flow”

[tim-official]

this AI generated rubber fetish Olympics (?) blog has produced what is possibly the most beautiful sentence in the English language. I cannot stop reciting this to myself out loud. this is my life motto

[aus-wnt]

They each live by different mottos, plate up their own unique go-to meals at home, and have varied backup career ideas if they weren’t busy guiding – or deflecting – that leather orb down the field. But what’s the one thing that three of the best defenders in Australian women’s soccer have in common? Vision. Ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Steph Catley, Ellie Carpenter and Charli Grant sit down with Women’s Health to chat about the path forward, mental clarity and putting women’s sport on the mainstream map

[girlcrushart]

I'm already missing the Olympics. Cha Yoo Jin is not an Olympian or even an athlete, but bear with me for a second. First there's the fact that she's wearing a very sporty outfit, so it matches the theme very well. But also, last night I watched the women's badminton Gold medal match because I really enjoy badminton a whole lot. And wow was it ever fantastic. It was between An Se-young from Korea and He Bingjiao from China. An Se-young was the 1st seed and #1 player in the world (at only 22 yrs old), and was the clear favourite. But He Bingjiao gave it everything she had making for some super intense and enjoyable-to-watch badminton. In the end, An Se-young won, but she had to fight hard for it. She collapsed to the floor and let the emotions run thru her when it happened. Once she'd composed herself she gave her opponent a huge hug at the net where they both acknowledged how intense the whole experience had been for them. And after that, An Se-young visibly celebrated in a big way, really soaking up the incredible energy of the audience. I feel that these games, which had the fantastic motto "wide open games" really embraced that in every aspect, and the emotions, comraderie, and friendship on display by the athletes (sidenote the medalists of the 3M diving—one Aussie and two Chinese divers were SO cute and inspiring and wonderful together). So ya, I basically wanted to say all those things about the Olympics and thought that at least Cha Yoo Jin is Korean and is wearing a sporty outfit, so at least it relates tangentally, right? Today's girlcrushart guardian is Cha Yoo Jin.

[leveloneandup]

Christen Press Is Determined to Reimagine the Way Female Athletes Are Seen

For two-time World Cup winner Christen Press, who made her debut in the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2013, it’s no surprise that women’s sports have been having their moment—both before and throughout these Paris Summer Olympics.

Press, along with her teammate and partner Tobin Heath, have bet big on the public’s love of women’s sports. The duo launched their podcast, The Re-Cap Show, during the 2023 Women’s World Cup—the highest attended in history. It wasn’t their first foray into entrepreneurship in the women’s sports space; they are co-CEOs of Re-Inc, a global community for sports fans and changemakers, which launched ahead of the 2019 World Cup. The Re-Cap Show has amassed a dedicated online fan base, with video clips circulated among Re-Inc's 49,000 YouTube subscribers and 123,000-strong Instagram following.

On The Re-Cap Show, the duo bring fans behind the scenes of professional women’s soccer, both at the international level and in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). They debrief games with high-profile guests such as defender Ali Krieger, previous national team head coach Jill Ellis, current national team captain at the Olympics Lindsey Horan, and Angel City FC co-founder Kara Nortman. Press and Heath also break down and share their own perspectives on buzzy topics like scandals in the NWSL, what it’s like to date your teammate, and the recent cheating saga with the Canadian team.

Press and Heath launched Season 3 of the podcast in June, just in time to document the national soccer team’s journey at the Paris Summer Olympics. For Press—who returned to the pitch for Angel City FC on Thursday for the first time in over two years, after four surgeries to repair her torn ACL—it's up to women’s media to meet this moment and capitalize on it.

TIME delved into the Olympics, The Re-Cap Show, and why this moment in women’s sports is so important during a video interview with Press.

TIME: The momentum for women’s sports right now is immense. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese enjoyed record-breaking performances in the NCAA last year, and the WNBA opened their 2024 season with their highest attendance in 26 years. This is also the first Olympics with gender parity. How is all of this impacting the way you cover the Paris Olympics with The Re-Cap Show?

Press: You're spot-on that women's sports are having insane momentum right now. For us, all the attention has really increased our mission to reimagine the way women are seen and experienced in sports. We started our show during the World Cup because we’re women soccer players, and that's when we committed to turning on a spotlight [and] never turning it off.

But the Olympics is this huge opportunity to inspire and reveal what's already there: lots of leagues, athletes, and players that are doing their job all-year round, but they get to be at the highest stage this summer. From a business perspective, [it’s about] bringing those supporters, fans, and community members into the women's sports world, which is the most inclusive, diverse, and interesting community that uses sport as a vehicle for change.

Take us back to creating Re-Inc with your teammates Tobin Heath, Megan Rapinoe, and Meghan Klingenberg. How far have you all come since then?

We started Re-Inc in 2019 with a single T-shirt before we went to the World Cup and it said “Liberté, Égalité, Défendez.” It was a play on the French motto [“Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”] as we had headed to France, so we switched the word “fraternity” to “defend” because as the U.S. Women's National Team, we were defending our title, but we were also defending the principles of liberty and equality.

But since then, it’s grown into a community. Watching women play sports is an act of revolution. Not so long ago, women were not allowed to play sports, and until recently, we were not paid to play sports or paid very well. And so I think as women's sports get heightened, it is just the living and breathing symbol of progress in society that women can rise and be stars on the court and on the field. With launching our media division, we saw how the coverage was failing to represent the lifestyle and culture of us, and it was just a copy and paste from the men's side. The broadcast and the commentary was so off-putting that it was spoiling the sport for us. No one knew how to talk about gal culture.

What kinds of commentary were you used to hearing while you were playing with the U.S. Women’s National Team?

Sometimes, when I'm watching people commentate, I feel like they’re a kindergarten teacher explaining the basics of soccer with the assumption that the person who's watching has no idea what they’re watching.

I think there's a lot that needs to be improved. Also, when it comes to addressing social issues and the institutional prejudice that happens within sports, especially how we talk about Black athletes… The media should make sure you're seeing this vision of a woman athlete in a way that can be a badass—not self-conscious, but laughing loud and really proud of her success. So I think all of those lifestyle and social issues are baked into the game.

And then obviously, as the game grows, we're going to have more expertise and fundamental knowledge and that will just make the broadcast so much better. Part of why the Olympics is so great is because you get the best—the best commentators, the best camera angles—and that's another reason why people will fall in love with all the sports, since it's not, you know, just an iPhone shot of the last 50 meters of a race.

Your former teammate Kelley O’Hara is working with Just Women's Sports. Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird are bringing back their podcast, A Touch More, and your former teammate Sam Mewis is also hosting her own show, The Women’s Game. Why do you think this is the moment where so many female athletes are working in media?

I haven't heard of another market that people are talking about that is successful right now, other than AI and women's sports. I feel very proud to have started this business five years ago and kind of be positioned as ready for the moment as opposed to reacting to the moment. As athletes, we're all inspiring each other and the businesses that are cropping up are inspired by a desire for all of us to raise the game and continue to have an impact. I'm very proud to be about it, to be a part of it, and to be alongside pioneering women. I think the competition is healthy, and it's necessary. It pushes us and I love that.

Many people view women’s sports as a sacred, safe space—something you talk a lot about on your podcast. Is there any fear that as the women’s game becomes more popular and more fans join, that other energies will enter into the space?

I always say the air gets thinner at the top. I think women's sports is a very diverse, inclusive space. And I actually know that members of the community feel very protective of the space. We have our membership community and our members often speak about protecting the space. There will always be challenges as it gets more mainstream.

That’s why I love doing our show: every week, we're talking about the challenges. We’re talking about how the women's sports community feels about someone's bigoted comment or someone who misrepresented them. And it's a two-way dialogue. I think that's really essential to maintain the integrity.

I remember when the social media scandal with midfielder Korbin Albert—who’s currently on the Olympic roster—came out earlier this year. You and Tobin went straight into talking about it. I think a lot of fans were curious to hear from you about it.

It was hard to talk about that, because we were afraid of someone just clipping a tiny piece of the conversation and, like, missing all the nuance and kind of misconstruing our language, but we thought it was important enough to do it anyway. Nuance is something that's consistently missing from the echo chambers.

What are you hoping the Olympics brings to the world of women’s sports?

Kara Nortman, who is the co-founder of Angel City, always tells a story that she was at the 2015 Women’s World Cup, and was completely moved and inspired by us winning. Then, she came home to try to watch us play, and couldn’t find any games, and she couldn't find jerseys. That’s why she started a women's soccer team. I think that story is so beautiful, because it really emulates what's so special at the Olympics.

I think there's a huge opportunity to uplift sports—even the sports that aren't as popular as women's soccer—and for people to go home and become lifelong fans.

[richincolor]

Ode to the Olympics: Books & Sports

I'm a big fan of the Olympics and have absolutely let responsibilities go in favor of watching amazing sport. And I thought, as the Olympics come to a close that I'd share some books that focus on athletes aiming to be their best all while dealing with the trials of adolescence. 

Rez Ball by Byron Graves

These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team—even though he can’t help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident. When Jaxon's former teammates on the varsity team offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe rez all the way to their first state championship. This is the first step toward his dream of playing in the NBA, no matter how much the odds are stacked against him. But stepping into his brother’s shoes as a star player means that Tre can’t mess up. Not on the court, not at school, and not with his new friend, gamer Khiana, who he is definitely not falling in love with. After decades of rez teams almost making it, Tre needs to take his team to state. Because if he can live up to Jaxon's dreams, their story isn’t over yet.

Check out this trailer for Rez Ball coming next month!

You Don't Have a Shot by Racquel Marie

Valentina “Vale” Castillo-Green’s life revolves around soccer. Her friends, her future, and her father’s intense expectations are all wrapped up in the beautiful game. But after she incites a fight during playoffs with her long-time rival, Leticia Ortiz, everything she’s been working toward seems to disappear. Embarrassed and desperate to be anywhere but home, Vale escapes to her beloved childhood soccer camp for a summer of relaxation and redemption…only to find out that she and the endlessly aggravating Leticia will be co-captaining a team that could play in front of college scouts. But the competition might be stiffer than expected, so unless they can get their rookie team’s act together, this second chance―and any hope of playing college soccer―will slip through Vale’s fingers. When the growing pressure, friendship friction, and her overbearing father push Vale to turn to Leticia for help, what starts off as a shaky alliance of necessity begins to blossom into something more through a shared love of soccer. . . and maybe each other.

Chasing Pacquiano by Rod Pulido

Self preservation. That's Bobby's motto for surviving his notoriously violent high school unscathed. Being out and queer would put an unavoidable target on his back, especially in a Filipino community that frowns on homosexuality. It's best to keep his head down, get good grades, and stay out of trouble. But when Bobby is unwillingly outed in a terrible way, he no longer has the luxury of being invisible. A vicious encounter has him scrambling for a new way to survive--by fighting back. Bobby is inspired by champion Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to take up boxing and challenge his tormentor. Then Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against queer people, and Bobby's faith--in his hero and in himself--is shaken to the core.

And Other Mistakes by Erika Turner

Aaliyah's home life has never been great, but she thought she'd survive her last years of high school with at least her friendships and cross-country stardom intact. That is, until junior year she got outed by a church elder and everything came undone ― including Aaliyah. Now, senior year is about to start and she is determined to come back faster and wiser. No more letting other people define her. No more losing herself to their expectations. Except... well, with new friends, old flames, nosy school counselors, and teammates who don't trust her yet, the route already feels rough. And what's with the new girl, Tessa, who gives Aaliyah butterflies every time she looks at her? Regardless, everything is fine. She'll be fine. Because this is the year to prove to everyone―and most of all, herself―that she's more than her mistakes. After all, even Aaliyah can't outrun everything.

[vidianelucivious]

How it started & Where they are at - MatsuHana

These two were definitely oblivious that they were being gay.

They really just thought it was bro things to do.

Oikawa was convinced that they were a thing. (So was the majority of the team)

They laughed when they were told.

But then they both went Wait a damn minute and boom now they are aware that they might have feeling. But do they do something about them: absolutely, they flirt even more now.

They tried to test the waters by continuously flirting with each other, seeing if the other had any reactions (they took in all the details)

They don't even know when or how they started officially dating so they just say "Eh it just kinda happened" and not elaborate.

Their hangouts just randomly started being referred to as dates in their heads and they rolled with it.

They were a fast-burn friends-to-lovers with a one-night stand vibe

Officially the residential cupids/gossip queens of Seijoh

Probably have a spreadsheet of every team member's dating history and a list of potential matches.

Have an entire agenda dedicated to making Iwaoi a thing by the end of the year.

Went on "double-dates" with Iwaoi (they didn't know what they were, they thought it was just hangouts)

They even have a backup plan in case they don't make it.

They probably tipped Watari and Kunimi in on the drama and decided to have them continue their legacy of "matchmaking volleyball players".

They probably have them collect intel in exchange of some tips and plans for the job (they take it very seriously).

After graduation, they probably lived in a one-person flat for Uni to save money.

The Matchmaking gc was still in action after the third years left (mainly filled with Watari's complaints of Kyouhaba).

Present day: Makki leaves half of his stuff at Matsukawa's house because "he can't bother with always bringing a bag when he wants to visit", but somehow always manages to haul bags upon bags of random items back to Miyagi everytime.

The Iwaoi plan did not work but they ended up telling Iwaizumi about it in hopes of something happening.

They got the call after the Argentina vs Japan Olympics match.

A celebration with Watari and Kunimi was overdue, and they had a blast (aka shit talked about people and meddled with other's love lives until 4am)

Definitely teased Kyoutani for using them as "reliable sources" for the interview (light novel 13)

Made a lot of Iwaoi references in the interview and hopes to embarrassing them. Watari was giggling the entire way with no shame, then proceeded to quote some of the "company mottos" of the matchmaking gc. The sempais were very proud.

[mask131]

I was chatting with themousefromfantasyland about the Olympic Games and you know, I do have something to point out that people not in France might not know about.

More precisely we were chatting about the situation with the river Seine. Part of the reason Hildago's government focused so much on the Seine, outside of it being - you know - one of the emblems of Paris, is also tied to her project's of sanitizing the Seine. [Note: warning, I will throw it all at the head of Anne Hildago. Maybe there are other authorities beyond her and her city-government involved in this matter, but honestly I don't care, she is a very bad mayor and might have been one of the worst mayors of Paris in modern day, and I don't like the woman, and it isn't the first time she screwed up with poorly-thought if not idiotic plans. So she'll be my go-to culprit for the sake of this post]

Because the Seine, despite being THE most iconic river of France, the heart of Paris, such an important part of the city's culture, a crucial part of its tourism industry, and one of the reasons the city got its official motto - is also dreadfully polluted, and one of the most polluted bodies of water of France. Hidalgo, who was always involved in ecological concerns and in "making Paris great again", decided that for the Olympics the Seine would be cleansed - at least enough for the Olympic athletes to be able to swim in there. She even vowed that she would take a swim in it herself before the Olympics to prove how clean it all became.

Problem is, Hidalgo is the living embodiment of something that has been unfortunately very prevalent with left-oriented politicians in France: vapid ecology. Good intentions, well-meaning projects, but behind it, it is all just superficial and empty. And the Seine purification example is such a great demonstration of this: she literaly thought that by throwing enough money and machines at the Seine, she would be able to clean it up before the Olympics. We are talking of cleaning up in a few months DECADES AND DECADES if not CENTURIES of pollution caused by an enormous city. Hidalgo literaly thought "It's fine, we will just wipe this pesky little problem in a jiffy, and I am so confident that this pollution problem is not a big deal that I will bet France's international reputation on that".

Of course, I can tell you that Hildago did took her swim - but only at the very last minute because, as it turned out, cleaning the Seine took much more time, money and effort than originally planned... and it wasn't even done! First they realized it would take more time than planned, then there was the whole fight between the Paris town hall (which claimed the waters had been purified and cleaned) and the outside health organizations (who claimed the waters would still make people who plunged in them sick), and then of course the RAINS! We are living one of the rainiest summers France knew in a long time, and of course no matter how much Hidalgo's projects clean up the Seine, with each new rain it is polluted again and everybody has to start over. Everybody in France is joking about how the Olympic swimmers will grow a third eye.

That's what I call a "vapid ecologism" - because Hildago clearly never cared very much before about cleaning the Seine, now, did she? She was there for quite a long time but oh, turns out she only puts the big guns and the big money when the Olympic games are arriving. She literaly thinks that a problem that will require years and years of hard work can just go away in a few months? Because it is a very, VERY deep and systemic problem, this Seine pollution, that requires re-organizing PARIS ITSELF!

Right now, all the news are talking about how trainings and trials are currently being pushed back because the Seine waters are, again, polluted after the rain of the opening ceremony, and people are wondering if all the games planned to take place in the Seine (instead of an Olympic pool) won't be cancelled. As such, experts talk more and more about the why and how of this pollution that won't go away, and do you want to know the fun thing? One of the main reasons rains keep polluting the Seine is because the Parisian water-evacuation system is very flawed. There are many, many "wrongs turns", purposefully created or accidentally made, that mix together the evacuation of the rain water and the evacuation of the used waters. When Hidalgo's team decided to finally get their ass on the problem, they identified roughly 23 000 "wrong turns", and by the end of their operation they claimed to have treated 80 percent of them... But what their project and investigations revealed - and that's something so typical of Parisian businesses - that there were MUCH MORE wrong turns than everybody believed. How much? Oh just between 60... AND 120 000 WRONGS TURNS! The entire system is to be remade, and them fixing 80 percent of a meager 23 000 turns when there might be up to 120 000... Yeah it is a speck of dust in a pile of sand.

However I don't want to JUST speak about the Seine. The thing my discussion made me realize is that the Seine situation is just a repetition of EVERYTHING that has been happening with the Olympic Games, and I couldn't help but draw a parallel with another scandalous business related to the organization of these games, though a scandal that has been smothered by the actuality and likely will only pop back up once everything is over. The homeless scandal.

Paris is filled with homeless people. It is a fact, and that's one of the things I myself is always shocked by every time I go to Paris, the amount of homeless people I met. Or rather that I used to meet, because of course, with the Olympics arriving, the cities were "cleaned" up and the hobos removed! I hear you gasp in shock but don't worry, it was actually done in a quite nice and humane way! I mean it: there were empty buildings and vacant lots refurbished into lasting shelters for the duration of the Olympic Games. There were all those little flats prepared for the homeless people to live for free - very tiny, and with just the bare minimum to have a decent life, but you know, it is much better than just being in the street. It doesn't remove all of the homeless people and it doesn't solve their situation, but you know, at least it is an actual improvment and a humane gesture.

Now, take a wild guess: are they going to make it last beyond the Olympic Games? Come on, we are talking about Parisian government, and about Hidalgo's team! Of course not! Once the games are over and everything has been removed, all the homeless people from those buildings will be kicked back in the street, and the shelters will turn into something else. And they were told so the minute they entered their new little temporary homes. Because again, Hidalgo's point is all about cleaning up Paris before the entire world takes a look at it. Not solving Paris problem, just making it look good for the international event.

The Seine, the homeless people - it is all the same. It is a well-meaning project poorly thought by people not actually caring about it, it is a lot of excellent effort not made to last but just to impress, it is a deep and systematic problem that they think they can wipe out in a few months, it is just putting silk paperwall over a rotten, fractured stone ; it is just hiding the dust under the rug, empty humanitarianism, vapid ecologism, fake kindness motived by a good will so detached from reality it becomes as arrogant as absurd. Forcing athletes to swim in a polluted and diseased river because you can't force yourself to admit your town has a problem ; offering with hypocrisy a home to the poor only to plan to throw them back into their misery just because nobody will be looking anymore...

[astramachina]

Weekends are sacred days for fathers and their school-aged daughters. Hospitals are holy spaces for fathers bringing sons into the world. An old, refurbished building is a mausoleum for the bastard of both.

She's a lively little critter, and every lively little critter deserves a perfectly balanced breakfast to keep them going on all cylinders.

While everything is good in moderation is the Emily household motto, Henry admits his dietary restrictions where Charlotte is concerned are a bit stricter than most. Eggs, bacon, home-style potatoes, and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice is a perfect combination for a bean sprout elementary schooler setting her classmates to shame during the Math Olympics. Breakfast of champions, that.

But it is the weekend, and weekends are sacred for anyone who's of school age. Henry remembers getting up with the sun during his preteen years, desperate to make Saturday last because Sunday sermons kept him indoors too long. The rooster would cry and his shoes would be halfway on, ready to grab his bike and ride into town to meet up with friends.

Charlotte is too young to be heading out by herself, but Henry knows what she likes best. She's also been feeling under the weather, so why not overindulge her?

"You are not going to believe this," Henry says, setting down a plastic bowl and pouring into it a heaping serving of Lucky Charms. "Are you ready?" He uncaps the milk bottle and begins to pour, lifting it to create a dramatic waterfall that splatters droplets over the table. "If you swirl it around, it turns the milk blue. Like magic."

In reality, the milk turns an ugly gray.

Chapter one of three is now up on AO3.

rated T for canonical character death and discussions of grief, trauma, and child abandonment.

[the-olympics-olympics]

Calgary 1988

Obverse: Event logo with host details surrounding it. Reverse: Two people, one wearing a laurel and the other wearing a headdress made up of winter sports equipment

St. Moritz 1948

Obverse: The Olympic torch with snowflakes in the background and the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius. Reverse: A snowflake and written host details

[alicedrawslesmis]

my final thoughts on the olympic opening ceremony, as someone who knows a little bit how the behind the scenes works for them, if there are any usamericans here that for some reason are gonna be involved next time idk the chances are null but I feel like this is my duty:

PLEASE. please please please please. learn from the Paris one. Don't start the ceremony during the day. It looks like shit. You can't control the light. It looks like shit. Cannot stress enough. Everyone who tries, fails.

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IS DIRECTING THE CAMERA. YOU NEED SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS HOW TO FILM SHIT. IF THE CAMERA LOOKS BAD THIS IS HOW 99.999% OF PEOPLE (EXACTLY) WILL EXPERIENCE THE CEREMONY.

please stop with the pre-filmed skits. this is just a preference of mine tho

do you know why they perform the ceremony in stadiums? because sailing 6km with a mechanical horse down the river Seine takes forever

I liked that they would switch between musical numbers and the teams. Made it a little less boring to watch.

You need a narrative line for the 4 hours to be interesting. You can't just do a wordmap of random concepts. That felt corporate. It had no reason. What the hell was the narrative throughline? Random french garbage??? Chat GPT suggestions for the new french motto???? Stuff that rhymes???????

DO NOT PLAY IMAGINE BY JOHN LENNON AGAIN. THIS IS THE FOURTH CEREMONY THAT DID. EMBARRASSING.