#drill bit long series sydney

[getadvanceinfo]

https://thecityquarter.com.au/innovations-in-drill-bit-steel-key-technological-advancements/

So what’s the fuss about drill bit steel, you ask? That’s the question I want to delve into in this post. I feel it’s a topic that’s not only relevant to professionals in the field – but also home improvement enthusiasts like us. After all, in our shared passion to build, create, and repair, the tools we use integrate seamlessly with our lives, shaping our experiences just as we shape our homes.

[unlikelyjapan]

s2e4 rewatch notes

I'm a bit tired, please forgive the typos:

At the intro, we get a montage of the permits and files and drills, the sense of urgency - the furiousness of the work and notes begging Carmy for something (that was probably already set on his list in the last episode). I guess I stopped paying attention to the timelines - they're now 7 weeks out with no walls and we haven't really gotten into the meat of the series yet - meaning we don't really see Carmy flake the fuck out until 1 month from opening.

Sugar's "don't tell anyone - this is my problem" bit is so sad, watching her castigate herself for bringing another her/carmy/mikey/donna/their dad into the world. I also hate the way such a heavy moment was turned into such a "womp womp - wall fell" moment, as the situation (and Sugar) deserved a lot more gravitas.

But this is a show through the male lens. Richie feels vindicated that he "guessed it". Carmy doesn't know how to show his concern (and to be fair, she'd probably pummel him if he expressed anything in that moment), but the fact that he still lets his sister shoulder so much of the restaurants burdens alone through the rest of the series shows the level he disassociates from his family (even his only caring/loving family member) at every turn.

Marcus is such a good son - I hope in season 3 we get a (posthumous, I presume) look at who his mother was, what shaped his character, how his brother/father play a role (if any) in his current family dynamic etc.

The Chester + Marcus pairing is a magical talisman that protects the show from a deluge of male-on-male emotional evasion, jousting and toxic co-dependency. I don't care that Chester is about as believable as Claire as a character, mainline that shit into my veins.

I love that Carmy ensured that Marcus would have the identical experience he had when he staged in Copenhagen (as described in Fishes to Mikey) - this is in no way coincidental, he would have had to make plenty of arrangements/requests to Marie for things to play out that way. He wanted Marcus to see Copenhagen through the same magical lens he did, knowing Marcus needed the inspiration and a break from his own version of family strife.

The invisible cat (Coco), the looming presence of Marcus' mom on the viewers minds, and the bike scene are three great examples of things that feel foreboding (like the other shoe is going to drop on Marcus) but never actually amount to anything. Whether existential or hopeful, I like it.

"Do you know how to make Shisho Gelee?" - this is such a gentle test to see how insecure Marcus is in this environment. Passing him the recipe as he's googling was an awesome act of amnesty. It immediately brings out Marcus' curiosity in the next scenes - he's asking all the right questions and looks so joyful when Luca gives him concise answers.

The scenes played out to Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long", starting with "You're tired - and you want to be free" playing as Marcus walks home. Temporarily free from the impending death of his mother at home after a long illness. Free from the constraints of the (up until now) low-level jobs Marcus' has held down in kitchens with minimal inspiration and nowhere to go. Free from loneliness? The next cut is Sydney interviewing staff, as if on cue.

The quenelle - the heavy-lovin' part of the song as Marcus' is immersed in his work with Luca, falling in love with the ritualization of his craft. Things in Marcus' life haven't exactly been going right, but this is a place of solace. He follows this up by calling his Mom - professing his love for his craft, as well as for her.

Sidebar: The minty snickers bar is almost a sexual release scene during the ballad. I get why so many folks were led down the road to hell that is Marcus x Luca fanfic, as weird as I think that is (no hate! do you!)

The song ends with the pastry dissection on the boat. This man found love/spiritual release in Copenhagen, just like Carmy. "Mission accomplished, I guess."

Fak saying "Dude! We're best friends, we don't tell secrets!" re: the alliance stuff. So....every dude at The Beef/Bear is his best friend, Sugar is Mommy, and Sydney (and Tina, for that matter) are ????

I feel like Fak may be the thing that continues to insulate The Beef/The Bear as a Berzatto clubhouse for wayward boys at this juncture, but I'm originally from Canada (and thus have been force-fed Matty Matheson a.k.a Fak-Light since the mid-aughts) so there's probably some bias creeping in here.

Luca started as a chef 14 years ago. If he entered the profession and competed against Carmy at the same level/experience as a high-school graduate, that makes him and Carmy in the rough age range of 29-32, adjusting for education sans A-levels in the UK. We can put away that screenrant article and die in peace now.

Mikey was "Really tight, but also really out of his fucking mind, and he wanted to open a bakery". Something something Berzatto parallels.

Luca says "I've got a younger sister, somewhere, yeah" after asking about Marcus' family. Luca's got a case of the family damage, the trouble in school, a past-tense case of the ferocious mopes - all the same watermarks as Carmy. Meanwhile, Marcus was just sharing his mothers prognosis, and speaks of his brother with no ill will (even though he doesn't appear to be in the caretaking position with his mom) - are they foreshadowing that Marcus' doesn't have the damage that makes a truly great/ritualized/masochistic chef in the long run?

Luca's may have learned more lessons in life than Carmy has (in part by being thwarted by Carmy) but the habits borne out of family evasion/searching for something else are so engrained with that backstory. Or maybe Marcus' represents the happier/new way of doing things, breaking the toxic cycle (more thoughts on this down the line).

Luca worked to keep up with Carmy after he came to a place of acceptance that he'd never be the best, and that ended up being enough for him. Maybe a blessing is that Marcus' gets to sidestep the whole toxic cycle and just absorb knowledge (from Luca, from Carmy, from Syd) - he's not in a running position, just like Tina.

But of course, we never worry about Tina - she's too self-possessed. Marcus is emotional and easily influenced, so I have a feeling his narrative could turn on a dime.

Luca says "At a certain stage, it becomes less about skill and more about being open....." In summary:

Marcus - Open, but I fear could easily become closed in the wrong environment/trauma.

Carmy - Closed, doesn't really understand how to open when not hiding behind the guise of the restaurant/Syd/emotional fabrications

Sydney - Wants open, but always closes instinctively for self-protection.

Natalie - Open, with the limited emotional tools she has at her disposal.

Richie - *learning* to open, but that's a long fucking road.

Tina - Open

"It helps to have good people around you, too" - see above. The Bear represents the inherent goodness of people, with familial history run roughshod over it.

Marcus asking "Was It worth it? The time you put in" quickly followed by Luca saying "I dunno....ask me tomorrow"

Isn't this the feeling of fecklessness that almost everyone has with their creative craft being converted to labor? There's been a lot of theories floating around that Carmy doesn't like cooking anymore/never liked cooking - could it just be the long-standing feeling of irrelevance when you've taken a deep-dive into your craft for so long that you can't see the forest (inspiration, caring for people) through the trees (red tape, skill level, trauma etc.)?

The man on the bike could also represent saving someone the way that Marcus can't save his mom - it alleviates some of the feelings of powerlessness, and the exchange of comfort in the hug a reciprocity he can no longer experience with her.

"Are you sure you want to get back on the bike?"

A bad thing happened, but the man feels compelled to keep moving - as Marcus said to Syd in S1 "just keep moving" - there are a bunch of metaphors for just proceeding with the restaurant here.

Syd is literally just being goofy and talking to Marcus like a friend when he first calls - I guess I imagined there being a little more heat/aloofness there on her behalf, but it's giving friend-zone. She wouldn't act so familiar if there was a crush, I don't feel its in her DNA....

Marcus sharing the nightmare about his mom's impending death with Sydney is huge (again, the other shoe dropping) - Sydney tries to give an empathetic response (she's not great at anything with a whiff of mortality to it, but she approaches the topic with optimism) and caps it off with a "ugghh - I miss you man" as a reassuring gesture - he's her friend and a great source of comfort.

He nods quietly, waits a beat, and says "I miss you too" - and you can tell the pregnant pause has let Syd know that there's gravity/consequences to her words. She diffuses with the freeze humor because what the hell else are you going to do once a guy tells you about his dying mom nightmare, you spurt out a casual "I miss you bro" and he responds back tenderly that he misses you too. Unenviable.

"Okay, goodnight dude" - Syd hangs up immediately. Oof. Everyone talks about Syd getting a love interest in season 3 to level the stakes with Carmy, but I want Marcus' to bag a hot expediter or something just so there's a bit of joy in his life without a crazy dramatic subplot ensuing.

The mild smile on Marcus' face is so peaceful when he masters the dessert. It's such a quiet satisfaction you can only get when you create things. What a nice way to end the episode.

Holy crap, this was far too long. If you stuck it out, thank you!

[balanceoflightanddark]

What Dreams May Come

When it comes to Godzilla, probably one of the last things you would expect they would tackle is mental health. Admittedly with a series as long and storied as this one it's bound to have brushed with it somewhere down the line. Though even stranger still is where we find it: a cartoon.

Godzilla: The Series is the animated continuation of the 1998 film, following the adventures of the HEAT team and the last surviving Godzilla offspring as they handle a rising surge of kaiju around the world. Despite tying in with one of the lesser regarded films in the franchise (I personally had opinions on it that soften a lot over the years), it's highly regarded among G-fans, myself included, for being a bit more faithful and respectful of the source material. While there's plenty of episodes I could talk about, "What Dreams May Come" is a personal favorite of mine.

The premise of the episode is that a mysterious kaiju suddenly appears in New York City. It first attacks an apartment complex, then a bus depot, and finally a baseball stadium. As you can see, it's...pretty freaky even by the series standards. While most kaiju from Godzilla: The Series is some mutated form of animal, this thing neither looks nor behaves like anything natural. Especially as it almost vanishes into thin air when attacking, making it hard to track down or predict where it's going to pop up next. It's even difficult to fight: Godzilla's (or Zilla Jr.) atomic breath just makes it stronger and is able to go toe to toe with him in an even fight. Couple that with a really unnerving cackling like growl and a downright bone chilling shriek when enraged, and you've got a really unnerving opponent.

Turns out though, the Crackler's origin is actually linked with a man by the name of Sydney Walker, a resident of the apartment complex that was first attacked who's residence was remained untouched. The guy was relatively quiet despite living in a rather loud and disruptive complex, and had a nasty habit of getting electrical shocks as a result of his job as a technician at the bus depot. Randy, the team's tech expert, figures that Walker may have snapped and somehow mutated into the Crackler to get revenge.

He's...half true. The Crackler is ultimately tied to Walker...but the truth is a bit more complex.

Randy and Elsie, the team's specialist in kaiju behavior, track Walker down to a laboratory where he was admitted for insomnia. Despite Randy's initial belief that Walker was some kind of madman, the resident doctors actually show that...their patient was just some guy looking for help. They managed to put him to sleep via an experimental machine, but he hasn't come to. Importantly, a psych evaluation showed that despite his quiet exterior, Walker genuinely has massive amounts of suppressed rage both from his job and crappy home life. And being hooked up to a machine, his subconsciousness is actually the one that's manifesting the Crackler. He is not doing it knowingly.

Here's where the episode really shines. They make it clear that Walker is not a bad guy, but rather his inability to process his problems in a healthy way has led to a hateful subconsciousness has manifested as a literal monster. You figure that waking him up would cause it to disappear, but being conscious actually makes the Crackler go completely berserk, attacking everything in sight. Since his subconsciousness is suppressed again, it's not able to direct Walker's inner rage. Hell, Walker doesn't even know he's connected to the Crackler and gets pretty distressed when Randy drills him for answers.

Thing is, Walker getting distressed and angry finally lets his inner rage come to the surface, which actually weakens the Crackler since its power is being redirected. Cue Randy doing everything he can to piss Walker off, much to the protest of the doctors, which results in an absolute breakdown from Walker who starts ranting at basically everything in his life. It...actually works. With his inner rage finally released, the Crackler is weakened enough for Godzilla to deliver the coup de grace. And when all is said and done, Randy's the one to gently calm Walker down and tell him it's all over.

What makes this episode great was...well, how well it addressed the core issues. Rage and anger can't just be suppressed, it'll manifest itself in some other way, often more toxic and harmful than just being mad. Neither is Walker a bad guy. Remember, he isn't even aware of what his subconscious is thinking and doing. The narrative treats him like a person as opposed to a monster. And the Crackler is ultimately defeated once that anger is finally released. Even if it's not pleasant and makes him feel like crap, it's implied he'll be able to better process what he's feeling instead of bottling it in all at once.

It's not a case of whether or not you feel angry. It's how you are able to deal and process it that affects who you are. You can say the same with all intense emotions. As somebody who has suppressed his feelings because he didn't want to be a burden, "What Dreams May Come" is a pretty impactful episode in an underrated series. And it's definitely a highlight for the cartoon as a whole in my opinion.

[mirkwoodshewolf]

My sweet buttercup; Eugene Sledge x reader

*Author’s note*

Hey guys well this only took me a couple days to write this little genius but now I’ve got it done and ready for you all to enjoy. Now I really wanted to try something different with this Eugene fic, I really wanted to DIVE right and get to the heart and root of the blossoming relationship b/t Eugene and the reader in this fic. So more n the lines of what they were like as kids together, early teen years, basically a Pre-WW2 fic mostly before the ending.

Warnings: Fluff, bit of angst, family disownment, mentions of PTSD, forbidden love.

But I hope you all enjoy this fic so much and until next time ;)

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things​

@waddles03​

@psychosupernatural​

@ixchel-9275​

@simonedk​

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels​

@dancingcoolcat​

@queensdivas​

@geek-and-proud​

@queendeakyy​

@kairosfreddie​

___________________________________________________________

*June 14th, 1928*

It was a warm summer day in Mobile, Alabama. In the center of town stood a farmer’s market shop run by Sheldon (L/n).  Sheldon (L/n) was once part of the 1st Marine division back during the Great War.  After the war he settled back home in Mobile to run himself a farm where he was known for growing the brightest, freshest, most delectable apples in the whole state of Alabama.

Why if you asked people where the stores got their apples from, nine times out of ten they would tell you they came from (L/n) farm.  Sheldon while having his shell shock moments from the war, still managed to have the American dream.

He married his high school sweetheart Marianne Lewis and they lived a good life together and had a beautiful baby girl they named (y/n) (l/n).  

Sadly though, when little (y/n) was just a year old, her mom died of breast cancer.  Sheldon was devastated but he tried to keep trudging on by being both hard working man, and loving father to his little girl.

Walking through the town was Dr. Edward Sledge, his wife Mary Frank and their two sons, Edward Jr. Sledge and Eugene Sledge.  Eugene was five years old, going on six come the fall.

His bright auburn hair bounced off the summer sun and as they came right towards Sheldon’s shop, Edward stopped his family in their tracks.

“Maybe we best find another way around.” Suggested Edward warily.

“Edward, it was five years ago, can’t you learn to let it go?” Mary Frank told her husband.

“I have, but Sheldon on the other hand…..that man’s as stubborn as an ox.” It was then Sheldon came out with some crates of food ready to be shipped off to the stores.

As soon as he saw Dr. Sledge, a gruesome scowl came across the farmer’s face.

“Just what do you think you are doing here Sledge?!”

“Now Sheldon calm down, we were only passing by.”

“If you think I’m gonna do any type of business with you, think again! After what you had done…..”

“Sheldon there was nothing my husband could do to help Marianne.”

“Mary Frank you keep out of this.” Her husband warned her cautiously.

“You best listen to him Mary Anne. This is no concern of yours. Now get yourselves as well as those little monsters of yours away from my shop!” he spat down at the ground in disgust before slamming the door of his shop closed.

“Why does Mr. (L/n) hate us so badly mama?” asked Edward Jr.

“Oh never you mind that Edward. It’s just grown up business.” Mary Frank assured her eldest son.

“Come along boys, we’re gonna head back towards the barbershop and go through the back alley there to get to the fair.” The two boys groaned.

“But that’ll take longer!” whined Edward Jr.

“Why do we have to go back!?” groaned Eugene.

“Now boys don’t argue with your father. Now come along, or else we can just head right back home and forget about the fair till next year.” Their mother scolded them.  That immediately got them to stop whining and soon they turned back around and went the long way to the fair.

They barely got a block away from Sheldon’s market shop when Eugene heard someone calling out to them.  It was a faint psst sound so he stopped right by a flower cart and soon peaking out from it was a young girl around his age.

She had curly (h/c) hair and bright (e/c) eyes that sparkled like the stars at night.  Eugene knew this girl very well, it was his best friend (well secret best friend) (Y/n) (l/n).

Yep.  Even though Sheldon has repeatedly drilled into his daughter’s mind to never, ever, ever under any circumstances go anywhere near the Sledge family.  But due to the fact that the two kids were in the same class as one another, they just—clicked immediately.

Her, Eugene, and Sydney Phillips were like the three Musketeers.  But Eugene and (y/n) well—they had a special bond with each other.  They were just like peas and carrots.  Different in every way but somehow they managed to click with each other.

“Eugene, over here!” he smiled before turning to see his parents and older brother who hadn’t noticed he wasn’t with them anymore. He smiled and ran up to (y/n) who had a basket filled with wildflowers in them.

“Hey (y/n). Mrs. Mulley said you were sick last week and that’s why you weren’t at Sunday school, what did you have?”

“Just a bad tummy ache. But I’m all better and I’ll be back in Sunday school tomorrow.”

“That’s good. What did you find?” he said gesturing to her basket.  Sometimes, if they could manage it, Eugene and (y/n) could be seen going out to the fields picking wild flowers together.  They would even have contests to see who could pick the most flowers in a certain amount of time.

“Mostly pink and blue flowers. But check this out,” she then held up a yellow buttercup flower.

“That’s a buttercup flower. My mama sometimes grows those in our garden.” Eugene said.

“Buttercup huh? I like it, it suits it.”

“You know my mama says that if you hold a buttercup under your chin, it’ll make it glow. I tried it once but it didn’t work.” (y/n) looked at it with curiosity before putting it under her chin.

“Does it work for me?” and well and behold, her chin was glowing right over the buttercup flower.

Even at the tender age of five, Eugen B. Sledge always knew he held more than a friendship feeling for (Y/n).  Whenever she’d laugh, his heart would beat faster and it felt like he was being tickled by a billion butterflies in his tummy.

His face would go red every time they would pick wild flowers together, and his heart ached every time she had to mention that her daddy didn’t want her talking to him.

“It sure does buttercup.” He said softly.

“Did you just call me a—”

“(Y/N)! Oh now where is that girl at? (Y/n)!” her father’s voice soon called out from the market.  He whistled for her like she were a dog and that’s when she turned to Eugene and whispered.

“I gotta go, see you at church Eugene, bye!” she quickly ran off with her flower basket towards her daddy.  As Eugene watched her father kneel down in front of her giving her a soft but firm lecture about running off, Eugene couldn’t help but feel those butterflies again.

“Eugene! Eugene!?” at the sound of his brother’s voice, he snapped out of his daze and quickly ran off before Mr. (L/n) could take notice of a Sledge boy staring at the two of them.

*September 17th, 1938*

It was a hard time in America.  For five years now, the whole country was under a Great Depression.  Every American was affected and of course that didn’t exclude the Sledge’s or the (L/n)’s.  Without enough payment for the extra help, it was all up to Sheldon and (Y/n) to work the farm.

And in order to help bring extra money and food on the table, the Sledge siblings both got jobs helping their dad out with his physician at home job.

Right now Sydney and Eugene were walking along the outskirts of Mobile.  Along for the ride was Eugene’s new little pup, Deacon.  He had gotten Deacon as a ‘job well done’ gift from his dad.  A client of his had a dog that recently had a litter of pups but times were tough and if they didn’t get the pups adopted soon they’d be taken to the shelter.

So Edward being the kind hearted gentleman that he was known for, got the dog and decided the pup would be a good gift for his son Eugene, as a token for being such a big help through these uncertain times.

As the two boys walked over the tall hill, they soon came upon the (L/n) farm.  Sydney and Eugene were both shocked to see just how much the Depression had affected the farm.

The soil that they remember being a rich stretch of fresh soil was now dried up and cracking.  Weeds were growing up in almost every spot imaginable.  Without the extra help, it was almost impossible to keep the weeds in check.

And of course there was hardly anymore livestock anymore.  Save for the horse, 2 cows, and the chickens.  All the other animals the (L/n)’s once had, had to be sold off in order to get the money they needed to survive.

“Man, I heard (y/n) was struggling but—never did I think it was this badly.” Sydney said with a solemn shake of his head.

“No wonder why she said she had to quit school and be with her dad.”

“Are you sure it ain’t for another reason why you miss her?” teased Sydney.  At that moment (y/n) had came out of the chicken coop with a bunch of eggs in a crate and the two of them watched her enter back into her family home.

“You wish you were right Sid.”

“Oh I know I’m right. I’m always right when it comes to you two. Don’t think I didn’t know about the time in 3rd grade when you offered to do her side of the book report when she broke her leg and had to stay at the hospital.”

“I was being polite and didn’t want her getting held back.” As the two of them bickered back and forth, the 10 month old pup had raced down the hill catching scent of the chickens and crept towards the chicken coop.

Deacon slowly stalked towards the door before entering inside of it.  The young pup stared at the chickens before one of them caught sight of the unfamiliar creature that stood in their coop.

The pup then let out a series of barks which sent the chickens running mad with fear.  From up on the hill, Eugene looked down to see Deacon was gone and from the barks that came down below, he immediately put two and two together.

“DEACON NO STOP!”

“Eugene wait you can’t go down there!” Sydney raced after him.

At that moment, Deacon came out of the coop chasing after the flock of chickens who were racing around frantically trying to escape this wolf-like creature.

(Y/n) immediately peeked out from her bedroom window and was shocked to see what was going on.  The chickens being chased by the dog, the dog being chased by Eugene, and Gene being chased by Sid.

“Oh hey (y/n).” Sid stopped by her bedroom window.

“Sid what in the samhell is going on out here!?”

“Funny you should ask, but uhh—mind helping us out?” she quickly got on her shoes and crawled out of her window before running beside Sydney to try and round up the chickens.

Running around like—well chickens with no heads, Eugene, (Y/n) and Sydney all tried to calm the situation down before he father would return home.

“WHAT’S GOING ON OUT THERE!?!?” at hearing that thunderous voice.  (Y/n) stopped running as she held a chicken in her arms and froze in fear.

“You guys need to get out of here, now!” she urged Eugene and Sydney on.  Eugene who had finally gotten hold of Deacon turned towards (Y/n) but before he could say a word, a gunshot was heard and the shot landed just a few inches away from his foot.

“C’mon Eugene lets go!” Sydney pleaded and soon the two men took off running for the hills.  The backdoor slammed open and there stood Sheldon with his shotgun in hand and his jaw dropped at the sight before him.

All the chickens out of their coop, now finally calm, the chicken coop now lay there in rubble (when (y/n) and Gene tried to wrangle Deacon and a few chickens that had gotten back into the coop, the sudden jostling and heavy weight of both humans trying to calm the situation down, forced the coop to collapse under their weight).

“What-gup—what happened here!? (Y/n) (m/n) (l/n). You were supposed to be gathering the chicken eggs!!”

“I know daddy.”

“Then why the hell are they out and about!? How did the coop get destroyed!? JUST WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU DOING GIRL!?!?”

From up on the hill, Eugene’s heart broke at hearing (y/n) getting yelled at by her own father.  She had nothing to do with this.  So getting the courage, he held Deacon once more and walked down the hill back towards the farm.

“Eugene, Gene don’t you dare! He’ll kill you if you go over there. Eugene!” Sydney hissed out quietly but Gene refused to listen to his best friend.

“I—” (Y/n) began to respond till Eugene’s voice called out.

“She didn’t do it sir.” The two of them turned around.  Gripping his gun tighter, Sheldon stood in front of his daughter and said lowly.

“What was that boy?”

“The chicken coop. And the reason why the chickens got out. It was my fault. (Y/n) had nothing to do with it. You see my dog—”

“Great, the Sledge’s have a dog. One more thing to worry about.” Sheldon muttered angrily to himself.

“Please Mr. (L/n), don’t blame (y/n) for this. She was doing her job just like you told her to do. If anyone’s the blame, it’s me. And I’ll do anything to make it up to you.” Hearing Eugene confess, it made (y/n)’s heart flutter and place her hand over her heart.

“Oh you can be damned well sure you will boy. As much as I hate to say this. You’ll be helping me out for the rest of the Harvest season, as well as repairing the chicken coop! And you young lady, come with me.”

He dragged his daughter back to the house as he whispered harshly to her.

“Throughout the time he’s here repairing and helping out, I don’t want you anywhere near him. No daughter of mine is gonna be seen with a Sledge.” As her father continue to rant out his hatred towards the Sledges, (Y/n) turned back towards Eugene and softly smiled at him and mouthed out a thank you.

Eugene smiled softly and seeing her smile it was like cupid’s arrow had struck him as he made goo-goo eyes at her.  Even as Sydney snapped his fingers in Gene’s face to get him to snap out of it, Gene was stuck under the love spell he was on.

As agreed; Eugene worked with his father helping him run the at home physician and on his breaks, he’d ride his bike over to (Y/n)’s place to repair the chicken coop, as well as pull out the weeds.

Of course that didn’t stop Eugene and (Y/n) from sneaking puppy love eyes at each other as the two teens were put to work. Throughout the harvest season, it only allowed Eugene and (Y/n) to grow closer than they ever were before.

*June 14th, 1941*

Eugene and (Y/n).  Never has there been a couple more meant for each other.  Sid always referred to them as childhood sweethearts, and now for these past several years, they’ve really seemed to just hit it off.  And with him being the only real person who knew of their ‘more than friendship’ relationship, he kept that to himself.

Of course Eugene’s parents never turned (y/n) away.  From the early days when they were kids, they welcomed her with open arms.  What they didn’t know was their blossoming relationship. Neither of their parents knew of their courting with each other, and they wanted to keep it that way for just a little while longer.

The two of them were at their favorite hillside where they once picked wildflowers when they were kids.  Splayed out along a blanket cuddled close together watching the summer sunset.  Eugene lying on his back with (y/n) lying her head against his chest, their hands intertwined with each other’s and their thumbs stroking the back of each other’s hands.

“Happy Anniversary my love.”

“What do you mean Gene?” she looked up at him.

“You heard me, happy 131, 456 hour anniversary.” Eugene said with a small grin as he picked up a buttercup flower and tucked it behind her ear.

“What? That’s way longer than when we first met.”

“I know. But it’s the anniversary of the day I first called you my buttercup.” He said as he cupped her face.  Inside (y/n) felt warm and fuzzy remembering that day by the flower cart when Eugene had called her buttercup after finding out one glow underneath her chin. “But it’s fine if you forgot and didn’t get me anything.” Teased Eugene as he sat up trying to hide a grin.  She rolled her eyes at Eugene’s teasing.

“Actually I did.” She crawled towards a log and pulled out a guitar case.  Eugene’s eyes widened and as she opened the case up he said.

“Oh darlin you shouldn’t have but uhh—I don’t really know how to play.”

“Quiet you.” she teased back as she took the guitar (which was actually hers) and she began playing a soft tune.  After letting the soft tune play for a bit she opened her mouth and began to sing.

As she sang; she began to remember all the times she and Eugene had together.  From sharing secret letters/drawings with each other (with Deacon being the messenger dog), nature walks together, or secretly waving at each other from her father’s shop.

Their times doing out to the soda shops every Saturday night to go dancing.  Always dancing together

We're far apart in every way

But you're the best part of my day

And sure as I breathe the air

I know we are the perfect pair

On a prickly path that goes on for miles

But it's worth it just to see you smile

And I cannot be pulled apart

From the hold you have on my heart

And even if the world tells us it's wrong

You're in my head like a catchy song

“I’ve always loved hearing you sing.” Sighed Eugene lovingly.

“The song’s not too gushy is it? Be honest now.”

“It’s everything but gushy, please sing more for me.” He said as he laid his head close to her thigh. (Y/n) continued to sing while Eugene just stared at her with loving eyes.

More memories came to both of them from their nature walks through any type of weather whenever they had free time.  The stargazing’s they’ve done, and even one time when (Y/n) was struggling with the farm one spring that she ended up working till nightfall.

When morning came that morning, she found herself being covered with Eugene’s jacket and just a couple feet away from her, laid an exhausted Gene.  He had actually came by and done the rest of the work for her so that she could get some sleep.  As he slept, she had sat down beside Eugene and stroked through his auburn hair.

The seasons change and leaves may fall

But I'll be with you through them all

And rain or shine, you'll always be mine

On a prickly path that goes on for miles

You're the only one who makes it all worthwhile

And you should not blame me, too

If I can't help fallin' in love with you...

At the last verse, the two of them went red. While they have called each other their love or life, and while they were technically courting, neither of them has actually those three binding words.  (Y/n) covered her mouth with her hand and looked down shyly as her face went red.

“Well that’s unfair. I was gonna tell you that first.”

“Yeah right.”

“I’m serious, I was gonna pull you up,” he stood up and helped her stand up. “Cover your eyes,” he covered her eyes. “Lead you over here.” He then guided her as he kept his hands over her eyes towards the wooded area of the fields. “And say surprise!” he uncovered her eyes and (Y/n) saw the sweetest thing she would ever see.

There along the willow tree they used to climb when they were kids, was a heart engraved at the center of the trunk and written in that heart were their initials. E.B.S + (F/I). (M/I). (L/I). She walked up towards their willow tree and placed her hand over the engravement.

“And then you’d say ‘Oh Genie. It’s—it’s so beautiful. I love it’.” He said imitating her Southern bell voice. “And then I’d say, ‘well, not as much as I love you’.”

“Guess I’m glad I beat you to it then.” She teased as she playfully bumped into him.

“I can accept that.” He said with a proud grin as he wrapped his arms around her waist while she wrapped her around his neck before the two of them finally kissed each other.

It was the kind of kiss that wasn’t deeply passionate that you couldn’t breathe.  It was the kind of kiss that just felt like you found your missing half. Gene and (Y/n) were meant to be together and right as they kissed, it felt like it was right.

They were right for each other.  And they began to dream of their bright future together. But of course no happiness lasts forever.

After returning from the fields later that evening, she came home to see her home filled to the rim with boxes.  She asked her father what was going on and that’s when her father told her the grim truth.

They were moving to North Dakota.

Her father explained to her that the property here was just too dry to farm at anymore.  Ever since the Depression decade the land hasn’t been the same.  So he hired a contractor to tear the family home and the farm down, he had sold off the rest of the animals, and in two days they were gonna get a fresh start in a new land, with new people, and most important for him it would get them away from the Sledges.

(Y/n) was devastated.  Two days and she’d never get to see Sydney Phillips, or Eugene ever again.

When she broke the news to Eugene the next day at the Willow tree, Eugene couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  He held onto his weeping girl waiting for her to calm down before he finally spoke to her.

“But you’re practically an adult now (y/n). He can’t control you anymore.”

“What do you want me to say Eugene? I love you, I really do but—he’s the only family I got. And I—I have to stay with my family. I’m sorry!” with that she took off crying, heartbroken and alone.

Eugene looked towards the carving that he had done with his father’s old doctoring knife he used in the Great war.  He placed his finger’s over (y/n)’s initials and knew what he had to do, but he knew he didn’t have much time so immediately he got on his bike and pedaled off as fast as he could into town.

By nightfall as (y/n) was solemnly packing up her stuff, Eugene came knocking at her window and he told her to come with him. He made up a story that Deacon wasn’t feeling to good and he needed his ‘mama’.  Knowing how much she loved that dog, Eugene and her rode off on his bike.

They soon arrived at the church garden, which was an odd place that Eugene would bring Deacon at, but when she saw the candles all lit up and a beautiful flower archway standing near the back entrance of the church.  

Wide eyed in awe, (Y/n) couldn’t believe what she was seeing.  When she felt Eugene take her hand he got down on one knee and said to her.

“I don’t ever want to be apart from you. I don’t know what’ll happen in the future but—all I know is now. And I know that I love you so much that I’d marry you today. If you’ll have me that is?” tears of happiness filled her eyes as she said to Eugene.

“I’d like that too.” Eugene smiled and stood up as he embraced his fiancée and spun her around, the two of them cheering and laughing with glee.

After settling down, the two of them walked arm-in-arm with each other towards the pastor (who was actually their own Sunday school teacher who had since went up the ranks and was now one of the head pastor of their church).  With Sydney Phillips as their witness and Eugene’s best man, the ceremony began.

The two young teens shared their vows together before the house of God and proclaimed their loyalty and love to each other.

“Then by the name of our Holy Father and in the eyes of the law; I now pronounce you—”

“Pastor Jacob! Pastor Jacob! Please can you help us our son is—Eugene? (Y/n)?” coming behind Sydney were Eugene’s parents.

“What is going on here?” asked Eugene’s father.

“(Y/n)!? Where are you girl you’re supposed to be packing!” soon coming up behind (y/n) from the bushes was her father.  As soon as he saw his daughter with the Sledge’s he sneered out, “What are you two doing?” As both families came closer to see just what was going on, that’s when Eugene spoke up as he wrapped his arm around his future wife.

“Mother, father, Mr. (L/n). (Y/n) and I are getting married.”

“What!?” all three parents shouted in shock.

“That’s right. And we’ll officially be married as soon as Pastor Jacob says…..” (y/n) said firmly as she looked back at the pastor.

“Oh right, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” He stepped aside as he closed his Bible.

“Mrs. (Y/n) Sledge, has a nice ring to it don’t you think?” Eugene said as he cupped his wife’s face.

“Indeed.” The two of them kissed each other finally sealing the deal.

“What are you talking about married!? You both are too young to be married!” Mary Frank scolded as she came between them and pushed Eugene aside.

“Finally something we can agree on.” Sheldon spoke as he now stood beside his daughter. “(Y/n) (m/n) (l/n) you listen to me and you listen good, girl. We’re moving and that’s final. And you have got to stick with your family! So enough of this foolish teenage fantasy and come home!” he grabbed her wrist and began to drag her away.

Finally having enough of her father’s grudge against the Sledges, she broke free of his grip and proclaimed.

“No daddy!”

“No?” her father asked as if he had been punched in the face.

“The Sledges are my family now too. In the eyes of God and the law as Pastor Jacob has said.” Eugene brushed past his mother and stood beside his wife to give her backup.

“You can’t be serious. Are you really choosing to be family with the ones responsible for your mother’s death over your own flesh and blood?!”

“Are you making me choose?” she spoke with a trembled lip as tears filled her eyes.

Her father stood there in shock and everyone around them grew tense.  Could a father really force his daughter to choose who she sides with?

“Yes. I am.” Her father demanded.  Finally hearing that answer broke (y/n)’s heart but she stood her ground as she spoke in a broken voice.

“Then yeah. I guess I am.” Her father’s face showed absolutely betrayal before his eyes grew red and he snapped at her.

“Then I guess I have no daughter anymore.” Without another word he stormed away from the church.

Heartbroken by her father’s words, (y/n) wept out a river of tears.  Eugene held his new wife close to him trying to comfort her, meanwhile Dr. Sledge walked up to the young newlyweds and placed a comforting hand to his new daughter in law’s shoulder.  She looked up at the old physician and he told her.

“You’ve always been like family to us (Y/n). You’ve always had love here with us. Right Mary Frank?” after witnessing what she had seen, she couldn’t deny the fact that ever since they were kids, her son and this young girl were just destined to be together.

“Even though I don’t condone you both being married so young while you’re still in school Eugene, there’s—I cannot stop the bond that it is you both share with each other.” Hearing those words coming from her new mother and father, it repaired some of the damage that (y/n)’s heart had taken.

“Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Sledge.” She thanked them.

“Oh sweet pea, call me mama.” Mary Frank said as she came up and cupped (y/n)’s face.

“And whenever you feel like it, you can call me dad.” Dr. Sledge said with a warm smile.  (Y/n) never felt so grateful to the Sledges, she continued to weep as she now hugged her new parents and they warmly embraced her back.  Welcoming her to the family officially.

*August 29th, 1945 1st Person POV*

I lot has happened in the past few years. Six months after Eugene and I got married, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and America was officially in the war with the Axis Powers.

Eugene wanted to enlist so badly but dad said that his heart murmur prevented him from enlisting, they knew with that he would never get it.  So he always begged his father for frequent checkups every day until one day it was gone. That was the day my life changed forever.

I begged and pleaded with Genie to not go but he kept saying he had to do this.  He’d feel like a failure if he were stuck doing bond trades or collecting scrap metal, while so many men including our dear friend Sid are fighting out in the front lines.

At that point I knew I couldn’t argue with him anymore and so he enlisted.  Of course the night before he left, we made sure to make that night extra special because we both didn’t know if this would be the last time we’d see each other.  We memorized each other’s kiss, scent, and touch (and I knew Eugene was trying much harder than I was since I knew he’d suffer the worse).

I went back to school, got my high school diploma and I’m currently now working as a teacher’s work assistant as well as a part-time librarian at the local library.  I had remained with mom and dad taking care of house as well as Deacon (God rest his little soul) just trying to distract myself from missing Eugene.

It was (for once this past few weeks) a cool Summer’s day.  I was tending to the garden outside planting a few roses, daffodils and of course buttercup flowers but I didn’t expect to suddenly get jumped by two little body masses.

Soon enough I was in the dirt and two 3 year old kids were piled on top of me.  One was a little boy who looked so much like his daddy when I first met him, except he had my hair and eye color, and the other was a girl with the same curly hair I once had as a kid and her daddy’s auburn hair and brown eyes but the rest were my looks.

“We gotcha mommy now say you surrender!” my son proclaimed as he held up his toy gun at me, while my daughter had a couple of sticks, pretending they were a bow and arrow.

“I surrender, you both got me.” I held my arms up in surrender.  They cheered as they got off of me but that’s when I tackled them both to the ground and began tickling them both.

The two of them laughed as they tried to escape my clutches but soon our moment was interrupted by one of the servants, Octavia.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Sledge?” I stopped playing with the kids and the look on her face was—unreadable.

“What is it Octavia?”

“Just come inside (y/n) dear, there’s—someone who you need to see.” Oh god please don’t tell me. Not when the war was finally over do I get the news.

“Mommy, what is it?” asked my son.

“Gene, you and your sister stay with Octavia okay?” I told him as I stood up and brushed the dirt off my dress as best as I could.  

Slowly I walked through the back entrance towards the dining room where I knew mom was at stacking the dishes.  I almost didn’t even want to turn the corner to see an officer in uniform telling us now that Eugene was dead.  Finally I worked up the courage to turn the corner and there my heart stopped.

Standing right there by his mother and father in full Marine uniform, was my Genie.

He slowly walked towards me and I him until we finally met in the middle.  For years I’ve dreamed of this day to come that—now it feels like it is a dream.  He raised his hand to my face and the moment I felt his touch, I knew this couldn’t be a dream.

“You—you’re as beautiful as the day I left buttercup.” At that moment, the tears poured down my face as I felt myself collapsing against him.  Eugene kept me steady as his head rested against mine and he rocked me back and forth.

“You’re back! You came back…..” I wept into his uniform.

“I told you I would.” He whispered to me.

“Mama?” Eugene and I separated from each other to see Octavia bringing in the kids. “Why are you crying?” asked my baby girl. When I looked up at Eugene, his eyes were wide and his body fell tense.

“Genie, I—I didn’t want to share this with you through letter. But—I’d like you to meet two very special people of mine. Kids come here.” Shyly they walked from Octavia up to me and Eugene as we now knelt down to their height.

Our kids soon came up and our daughter hid behind my back while our son fiddled with the ends of my dress as he curled himself around my arm.

“Eugene, these are our kids. The oldest of the twins is our son, Eugene B. Sledge Jr. and our baby girl, Daphne Eliza Sledge. Kids—this……is your daddy. He’s come home to us.” My son looked up at me hesitantly and I nodded to him telling him it was okay to go see him.

Little Gene walked up to his daddy and just stared up at him in both awe but a hint of fear.

“Little Gene, suits him. Guess you managed to convince Sid to not let us name our first boy after him.” Eugene teased at me as he gently ruffled his son’s hair.  Knowing that this strange man in uniform wasn’t going to hurt him, little Gene smiled and immediately embraced his daddy.

Eugene embraced his son and kissed the top of his head and it just made my heart soar at seeing both my boys finally meeting each other and already loving each other.  After giving his son some of his love, he looked behind me to our baby girl who was still shyly trying to hide from him.

“It’s okay sweetie bell. He won’t hurt you.” I assured her.  Slowly but surely, she came out till she stood by my arm and clung onto it just like her brother.

“My, my, my. You—you look exactly like your mother when I first met her. Guess now I’ve got two buttercups.”

“How did you know my name?” Eugene looked at me confused so I explained to him.

“She likes to be called buttercup. Says it sounds more prettier than her real name.”

“Well whatever name you prefer darling, it sounds beautiful. Just like your mother, and just like you.” he gently booped his daughter’s button nose which made her giggle and finally loosen up around her daddy. Before long she too cuddled into her daddy’s chest and he gave her the same love and affection he gave his son.

Seeing him hold our two kids just—finally felt right. I always knew Gene would be a natural dad, and even now after being through such hell for the past 3 years, he can finally have some peace knowing his family has now grown.

The rest of the day it was just the four of us bonding and getting to know each other.

Of course I knew life wouldn’t be the same as it was before.  For example the nightmares.  Every night Eugene would suffer terrible and horrifying nightmares.  Some nights I ended up staying awake all night just to make sure he didn’t suffer alone.

There wasn’t much I could do except to just assure him that he wasn’t there anymore and that he was home.  Sometimes the kids would ask him why they would hear their daddy scream and cry but I told them to not ask him such questions yet.

After Eugene had returned with his dad from the dove hunting, I could see from the tearstains on his face and the slight red in his eyes that it didn’t go so well and that he had suffered flashbacks (I still remember when—well my old father still suffered from them night after night).

So Eugene and I, along with the kids decided to head out to Genie and is old favorite spot out in the fields.  He and I were lying on our backs cuddled close to each other while the kids went off to pick wildflowers.

“How long till you found out about them?” he asked me.  I looked up at him before turning towards our kids.

“A couple weeks after you left for bootcamp. I just felt so sick till dad checked me out and that’s when it was confirmed that I was pregnant. I would’ve mentioned it but—something like that can’t be said through letters.”

“They’re beautiful though. Just like you.” he said as I felt his nose bury itself into my neck.

“And you.”

“Mama! Daddy!” soon our kids came running up to us and Buttercup held up a buttercup flower. “Look what I found!”

“Yes sweetheart, you found the flower you’re named after. Did you know of a legend that goes with this flower?” she shook her head no.  I took hold of the buttercup and told her, “If you hold a buttercup under your chin, it’ll make it glow. See how it works on me?” both my children looked at me in pure awe.

“Let me try! Let me try!” Little Gene called out as he reached out to take the flower.  He took it and held it under his chin asking repeatedly if it was working. When Buttercup shook her head, Little Gene pouted, god he really was just like his daddy.

“No worries little Gene. It never worked on me either when I was your age, see?” his daddy said as he held the flower under his chin.

“Can I try it next daddy?” asked Buttercup. Gene nodded and held the flower under his daughter’s chin and low and behold, it worked on her.  He smiled as he shook his head softly scoffing.

“Does it work?” she asked him.

“It sure does Buttercup. Apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, huh (n/n)?” I smiled as he picked up his daughter and began kissing her all over her cheek making her giggle.

“Mommy can you sing for us?” asked little Gene as he crawled his way into my lap.

“What would you like me to sing?”

“The catchy song!” The kids both proclaimed. I smiled and said.

“Okay. But you both know I don’t have the guitar with me to play it.”

“Please mommy!” they both gave me the puppy dog eyes they inherited from their father.

“I swear Eugene this trick came from you.”

“Uhh excuse me? You’ve done the puppy dog eye trick on me way longer than I have. Don’t you put this on just me.” Eugene said trying to point the blame on me.  I scoffed that’s when Little Gene said.

“Mommy sing for us now!”

“Now, now Little Gene, that’s not the way to get something from your mother or from anyone. If you want something you ask politely.” Eugene gently scolded his son.  Little Gene nodded and apologized to me.  I told him it was fine and that’s when I began singing the song that I had made for Eugene what felt like an eternity ago, which now became the kids’ favorite song.

Eugene set our baby girl down and laid his head across my lap while I stroked through his auburn hair as well as down his face. And every time my fingers came close to his lips, he would pucker them out and give each of my fingers or the back of my hand a kiss.  The kids all lay down close to us with my boy laying his head near my knee while our baby girl cuddled herself tight against her daddy’s side, like a little kitten.

After I finished the song, Eugene and I thought it best to head back home and put these kids down for their nap.  I grabbed our son while Eugene held our baby girl, both our kids clung onto us once they knew we had hold of them.  Eugene and I looked at each other before leaning in and giving each other a soft kiss before heading back to the house.

[goldstarnation]

JUNE 2019 GOLD STAR MEDIA SCHEDULES & REVIEW

Members may earn 3 points each (up to 6 points) for writing, by the end of June 30 KST:

A solo para of 400+ words based on their monthly schedule (does not count toward your monthly total).

A thread of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) based on their monthly schedule.

Threads do not have to take place directly during an important date listed on the schedule, but must be related to what the muse is mentioned to be doing in the paragraph explaining their schedule/the company’s schedule for the month and/or their thoughts on the mentioned activities or lack thereof.

These schedules may be updated throughout the month if new information needs to be added.

Overall Company

All artists will talk with part of a management team in charge of the organization of their upcoming company concert to discuss general plans for stage and conceptual design. Idols are given the chance to pitch special stages to management. It’s highly unlikely they’ll actually make the cut, but the illusion of the artists’ input is what’s important here.

Important dates

June 1-6: Hawaii retreat.

Gold Star Soloist 1

She continues to work on her next album behind the scenes with pressure from Gold Star to release it at just the right time, but to keep her fans engaged, the company has booked her to do a Dingo video that's sure to only get positive PR for her where she’ll surprise a fan, give her advice, and sing with her.

Important dates:

June 22: Dingo video filming.

Gold Star Soloist 2

Album recordings continue as songs are picked up and scrapped or altered and new studio time is needed, but she’s got a concert in California this month too, about two weeks after returning from Hawaii for the retreat.

Important dates:

June 22: [Gold Star Soloist 2] in California concert at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, CA, USA.

Gold Star Soloist 3

After returning from Hawaii, he’ll be back out on a flight a week later for a half a week of Australian concerts. He’ll do a little bit of radio, podcast, and local promotion while he’s there, but not anything full-out.

Important dates:

June 14: I COLOR U concert at The Triffid in Brisbane, Australia.

June 16: I COLOR U concert at Metro Theatre in Sydney, Australia.

June 17: I COLOR U concert at 170 Russell in Melbourne, Australia.

Silhouette

At the end of the month, Silhouette will hold their summer Japanese tour, where they’ll perform several of their Japanese releases and debut their new Japanese single “Trouble” which hasn’t officially been released yet. This means rehearsals and Japanese lessons between their return from Hawaii and their flight to Japan on the 19th.

Important dates:

June 21: Silhouette Trouble Japan Live Tour concert at Zepp Namba in Osaka, Japan.

June 23: Silhouette Trouble Japan Live Tour concert at Zepp Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan.

June 25: Silhouette Trouble Japan Live Tour concert at Diamond Hall in Nagoya, Japan.

June 27: Silhouette Trouble Japan Live Tour concert at Zepp Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan.

Aria

To air alongside their comeback, Aria will be shooting a short fake reality series based on Aria members’ lives in an alternate universe. Major filming will begin next month, but this month the members will be filmed an interview explaining what they think they’d be doing in a parallel universe. This must be family-friendly and different enough from being an idol to be interesting (a student or a model is okay, but a solo singer or an idol in a different group isn’t), and their answer doesn’t necessarily have to be true. Since this series will involve acting, all members will be required to take an acting class or two as well.

Important dates:

June 9: Performance at Asia Model Festival (also attending: 7ROPHY).

June 12: Aria‘s Parallel Universe series pre-filming.

Origin

They’ll finish up their American tour in the few days following the Hawaii retreat before flying back to Seoul on the 12th. After that, it’s a CF shoot and intensive rehearsals for their sixth anniversary fanmeetings in Busan and Seoul. They’ll spend the middle of the month in Korea, getting some studio recording in for potential Korean comeback album songs and final vocals on their next Japanese album in the meantime, before once again jet setting off on the 28th to end the month doing their Brazil concerts.

Important dates:

June 8: Speak Yourself Stadium Tour concert at Metlife Stadium in Rutherford, NJ, USA.

June 9: Speak Yourself Stadium Tour concert at Metlife Stadium in Rutherford, NJ, USA.

June 11: iHeart Radio Live Show in New York, NY, USA.

June 13: VT Cosmetics Spotlight Yourself L’atelier Paris CF filming.

June 15: Magic Shop Fanmeeting at Busan Asiad Auxiliary Stadium in Busan, South Korea.

June 16: Magic Shop Fanmeeting at Busan Asiad Auxiliary Stadium in Busan, South Korea. 

June 22: Magic Shop Fanmeeting at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea. 

June 23: Magic Shop Fanmeeting at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea. 

June 29: Speak Yourself Stadium Tour concert at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil. 

June 30: Speak Yourself Stadium Tour concert at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil.

Impulse

This month is for recording their next comeback album once the members have returned from the retreat. Songs have been finalized and chosen, so all recording will be finished this month to get that done before they have their first Korean comeback of the year in early August. This month also involves rehearsals for their world tour, which will immediately follow music show promotions and go until the end of the year, and a CF filming for Shinsegae Duty Free.

Important dates:

June 24: Shinsegae Duty Free CF filming.

Fuse

One festival performance, a Japanese single release, and a show filming will be slotted in between major studio time for a summer comeback. The track list is still likely to be narrowed down, so they’re recording for songs that may never see the light of day. The Stage K filming will involve judging dance groups covering several of their songs, and they’ll also give an interview with questions on their favorite Fuse choreography, the hardest Fuse choreography, and the most memorable choreography to them.

Important dates:

June 9: K-Pop World Music Festival at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines (also performing: Unity).

June 20: Release of “Sayonara” Japanese single.

June 21: Filming for Stage K episode (to be aired July 7).

Element

To milk this comeback single for all its potential, Gold Star plans to send Element out on television appearances past the end of their music show promotion period leading up to their concert in Seoul later in the summer. Gold Star has become known lately for not utilizing television appearances in the marketing of their younger, more internationally based groups like Origin, Femme Fatale, and Element, but they’re breaking that pattern for Element with an After School Club appearance and what they have faint hopes of being a breakthrough appearance on Immortal Song. Element will be performing Wingless Angel, as they’ll learn at the beginning of the month, and they’ll be drilled in continuous practice to give the best live performance they can.

Important dates:

June 15: End of music show promotions.

June 18: Live filming of After School Club episode.

June 29: Filming of Immortal Songs episode (to be aired July 6).

Femme Fatale

Once they return from the Hawaii retreat, the members will go full-force into final pre-comeback prep, making it their busiest month in a long while. On top of perfecting their performance for Ddu-Du Ddu-Du and Forever Young, they also film their comeback music video over two days of filming mid-month. They’ll then be sent out to film an Olens contact lenses CF, as well as photo shoots and interviews for High Cut and for Cosmopolitan magazines. Gold Star has every intention for going all out for likely the only comeback Femme Fatale will have this year and it seems to pay off, even from the first day of release. Gold Star has also booked arenas for their first ever tour, a Japanese arena tour, to happen in the third quarter.

Important dates:

June 14: First day of Ddu-Du Ddu-Du M/V filming.

June 15: Second day of Ddu-Du Ddu-Du M/V filming.

June 17: High Cut Magazine photoshoot (August issue).

June 21: Olens CF filming.

June 25: Cosmopolitan Korea Magazine photoshoot (August issue).

June 28: Release of “Ddu-du Ddu-du” & Square Up mini album V Live-exclusive showcase, promotions continue until July 28.

[evanstarff]

LONG BLACK, 8 & 9

Ehehehehhehhheheheh... Long Black? You mean the series I brainfarted every week at 3am and hit post without proofreading, because I feel like that's what Bucky would do? 😂

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

OOH. RIGHT THEN. Most of the fic is based in Sydney, which is where I've lived and worked my whole life.

The cafe Bucky and reader work at is based on this pretentiously fancy-ass cafe, The Grounds in the City. I used to get my (overpriced and strong af) coffee there everyday when I worked in the CBD. It really does feel like going back to old New York coffee houses when you walk in.

The island they track down Karpov's lab in Cockatoo Island, which is about a half hour ferry ride on Sydney Harbour. The pub reader is doing surveillance is this Irish pub I used to frequent while doing my postgrad once upon a time.

Reader is based on who I probably wish I was and my inability to show emotion and wanting to be alone all the time (please ask my husband how hard he has to suffer), though I infused a little of my four IRL aunts' sass and bite in her landlord 😂

I've actually scattered a slew of Sydney bits and feels throughout the fic, so.. feel free to drill me for anything specific you might want to know about!

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Not really..? I wanted to make it longer, but couldn't figure out the best way to do so, let alone to give it the time it needed to be written out the way it deserved. I had ideas of doing a drabble series where BuckySam and reader go adventuring "The Man From UNCLE" style, but maybe another time.

THANKS HANNAHCAKES I LOVE YOU 🖤🖤🖤

Send me a Fanfic Ask!

[phlyjb-blog]

Retain! Retain! Choreography stay in my brain!!!!

This is possibly the most common question that I get asked, “How do I improve at picking up choreography?” It is one of the biggest hurdles we will face as dancers when we are starting to really focus on our training. Some people will naturally be good at it, some people have been dancing their whole lives and the ability has grown with them… Some dancers may be self taught, others could just struggle with it in general we will all be at different points in our training. Myself personally I struggled a lot! I was a self-taught dancer/ freestyler and had never had to remember steps until I moved to Sydney to train full time some 9 years ago…

I don’t claim to be a beacon of light with all the answers but I have been lucky enough to travel and train with some of the best in the world. The advice that has been past on to me has helped so much and I’d love to share it, hopefully helping some aspiring dancers out there get past this hurdle.

There is no one-way fits all technique; we are all different learners so different techniques will work for different people. Here are some of my main techniques I use when learning choreography, plus little bits of advice to help.

 Treat it like a speech.

When you are remembering a speech for public speaking you don’t just read the speech directly off the palm cards every time right? When you are attempting to commit a speech to memory the main technique used it to read a line… cover it up… repeat the line as many times as it takes until you no longer need the prompt of the palm cards. This same technique can be used when learning choreography, as soon as the instructor teaches you a step look away from them, don’t rely on them, focus on remembering the choreography without the prompt of the choreographer straight away.

For myself I will learn the step and straight away look down and focus on remembering it for myself, BE VERY CAREFULL!!! This technique is great but comes with a risk, don’t be that dancer that stares at the ground the whole time, as soon as you get the step and feel confident work on pulling your focus back up and away from the floor.

NOTE: Scott Forsyth taught me this technique.

 Rhythm

Archie Burnett: “If you can sing it you can dance it”

Learn the song or at least the rhythm; there is a reason that some choreographers will teach choreography to booms and Ka’s, it is because that is the rhythm of the song that you must learn. Some people prefer counts and if this is you then figuring out the counts while the choreographer is calling out the booms and Ka’s will help as well. Instead of filling you bring with “what’s next” “arms go here” or anything like that, as you are doing the dance try and sing the rhythm, the words or the counts to yourself.

  ASAP

Whenever you start learning a new set of choreography aim to know the steps as soon as possible. Put the pressure on yourself to remember the steps after two or three run troughs. This won’t happen over night but it will help and eventually your pick up time will decrease.

In Australia and in full time courses I find that we teach a bit slower than, for instance, in the states. To be honest it was when I traveled over to the USA that I was forced to pick up choreography faster because they would just move on and you had to have the steps after two or three runs. Even if the choreography is getting taught slow aim to learn it fast. Putting yourself in the deep end may, at the time, make you feel like a magikarp (fish) out of water but in the long run it will be a massive benefit so get yourself to classes where you know it will be taught fast, go there and fail miserably until you can surpass this and grow. It will be worth it.

 NOTE: There is a fine line between healthy pressure and unhealthy pressure, for each person it varies, you need to put pressure on yourself to pick up the choreography, yes, but the minute you overanalyze/ get frustrated or get down about it then your chances of picking up the choreography have pretty much gone! You need to know your limits and what amount of pressure is good. If you get frustrated, take a step back, go get a quick drink, take a breath and then get back to it with a healthier mindset.

 Side Side Note: This sentence will appear a lot in your career “Get out of your comfort zone.” So I highly suggest doing that now! Go to a class you suck at, go be a terrible dancer in another style because contrary to what you may think it wont be easier to get out of your comfort zone later on, no, it will be harder!

 Move

This technique will help you jump out of the comfort zone multiple times during class, If you have ever taken class with Rob Mclean you will see that man casually cruising from spot to spot every 5-10minutes or so. Follow suit! Don’t wait for the choreographer to say “Switch lines” move yourself around don’t get stuck in that comfy back corner. Putting yourself around different people/ Energies will change the feel of the choreography. It will put you off balance but eventually you will get quicker at finding this balance straight away. This bit of advice is what I give to people that freak out when it comes to groups, for the most part it isn’t the fact that you are now performing in front of everyone that freaks you out. (I mean heck that is what we want to do for a living… right?)  It is a new environment, before you had people all around you now you only have a few, before you were in the back corner now your in the middle, the shock change of environment has put you off balance and you have no time to find it again, so get use to being off balance by moving around the room.

 Keep Moving

If you have a choreographer like me I will teach a few steps and then take a moment to explain them a little more in depth, if you have a choreographer that is addressing the room take that opportunity to get the dance into your muscle memory. This means separating your mind from your body, listening to the choreographer while marking the dance is a good technique to try and rid the minds power to block the choreography and just let it flow in your body. While taking class I will normally do the section of choreography we are working on 3 times for every 1 time that the choreographer runs it with the room. If there is a transitional step or series of steps that stops you every time then every second that the instructor isn’t running the routine, you drill that little segment.

 Note: Some choreographers may require a moment of stillness to explain something personal to the room it is up to you to be a good judge of energy and know when you may need to stop moving for a second. As always “READ THE ROOM”

 There is so much more to dance than learning the steps; ironically learning the steps is just the first step. If we get too caught up on steps we miss out on all the other aspects of a routine. Eventually you will find that you’re barely learning anything from your classes because all you’ve done is freak out about choreography. The brain is a muscle, you need to train it like you train your physical body and it will grow stronger. Once you get faster at picking up choreography then you can start analyzing textures, levels, performance, traveling and so much more that you’re missing out on.

 I hope some of these help you out, this is not all of the techniques I use but they are the main ones that helped me. As I stated before, different techniques work for different people as we all learn differently, so be aware of this and try them all out. Also if you are reading this and you have a different technique that you use then feel free to send me a message I would love to learn as many techniques as possible and maybe I can do a follow up blog on this topic with more techniques to help people out! Lets make this about Learning and sharing not judging and Neglecting.

JB

[getadvanceinfo]

We aim to demystify this seemingly complex task, taking you through each important consideration in an easy-to-understand narrative. This blog post will help you navigate your way through the extensive world of drill bit tiles, blaze your path towards procuring that flawless finish for your tiling project, and enable you to do so with confidence and expertise.

[ijenkins99]

Digging Around My Family Tree

Bill Simpson in his own words

I am very lucky to have Hubert’s Gallipoli diary and many letters he wrote home to my maternal grandmother (Rebie Emily Martin 1892-1940). They paint eloquent and detailed pictures of the people, places and emotional responses Bill experienced through the war.

Bill Simpson was educated at Redfern Superior Public School and worked as a clerk at the Sydney GPO prior to enlistment. His writing shows a well educated young man with a keen eye (and a bit of the casual racism of the time). 

What follows is a series of excerpts from his writings. The first describes a day’s leave when the AIF was training in Cairo. It is very similar to a scene in Peter Weir’s movie, “Gallipoli”:

We wandered round some more and as funds were getting low we decided to go home. So we hired a donkey each for ½ piastre per capita and like the man who travelled from Jerusalem to Jericho, we set out at a great bat up the street. Four of us, really eight including the four-footed ones, each pair striving to defeat or outdistance the others.

The (native) proprietors brought up in the rear belabouring our mounts with props or thereabout and beseeching us, “Don’t hit the donkey mister”. But our enthusiasm argued that considerable persuasion per medium of our parrot perches was highly necessary if anything like speed was to be maintained.

Anyhow we arrived home considerably after “lights out” in garrulous and giggling moods, our hilarity only slightly dampened by the anticipation of the blatant sound of reveille followed by the raucous voice of our Sergeant Major commanding us to, “Rise and shine”. Ah well! We have the consolation of knowing that it won’t last forever.

Sincerest regards

Hubert S. C. Simpson

Commonly “Bill” or “Sim”

The second extract comes from Hubert’s Gallipoli diary. He recounts the push on 2 May 1915 to attack the Turkish position at Baby 700. The 13th Battalion was responsible for securing Bloody Angle and the Turkish trenches of the Chessboard. Organisation and execution did not go according to plan:

Nearing the top we came upon an inferno sufficient to make you weep. Dead and wounded were lying everywhere. The roar of the machine guns and rifles was deafening, while the groans of the wounded were heartbreaking but there was no time to stop. Passed Will Pearce near the top and exchanged greetings. 

The ridge was swept by an incessant hail of bullets, and twas across this that our way lay. As we were nearing it a man who had been badly broken up, roared out, "Get into the blanks. They are playing hell up there”.

Reaching the top there was only one thing to do and that was throw one’s self down and wriggle across on one’s stomach, but half way across there was block. The whole of the ridge was covered with men lying prone on their faces and afraid to move, with the bullets whirling overhead and men being hit all around. 

I forgot to mention that each man carried a pick and shovel and while in the above described unenviable position the order came to pass them forward. It was a difficult matter to get the order carried out as most of the men would not answer when spoken to and few would move but we got them along somehow. 

On the surface a man on his hands and knees would get drilled in a second. As it was, my relief or digging mate, one Max Hannan was shot through the head as we were exchanging the shovel. The bullet entered behind the temple and embedded itself under the skin at the back of the head. Thought 'twas fatal but bandaged him up and he was able to get away to the rear safely and I was left to dig on my own, i.e. without any relief. 

Surprised myself by my resignation to what appeared inevitable. Could only see an imminent attack, which could only end disastrously to us and had my mind quite decided if the necessity arose, to save a bullet for myself and use it in preference to being taken a prisoner. 

This third excerpt is an abridged version of a passionate eulogy for Captain Basil G W Fletcher, Hubert’s best friend before and throughout WW1, who was killed at the Battle of Bullecourt:

France

April 25th 1917

(Anzac Day)

My dearest Reb,

That which became a possibility the day Bas and I went to Rosebery Park and enlisted, has happened. You have long since received the sad news. To you it was unexpected, to me, strange to say, it was perhaps more so.

His passing has upset all my dreams of the future, for I could never picture a homecoming and the subsequent “Day’s Work” without seeing Bas at my side. His loss is irreparable but he has left behind a glorious memory. 

I cannot in words express how keenly, how deeply, I feel for those he has left behind - the enormity of my own loss I cannot yet fully realise - but their’s is the greatest sorrow that mortals have to bear. It is the price of our mortality. But even through the gloom of sorrow there is brightness. He did his duty as man never did better. He lived a life that left him with nothing to reproach himself with and he has gone the way of gallant men and with gallant men.

I know Bas’ wishes in all things for we foresaw the possibility of the day when one or the other would be missing and we talked these things over during many a quiet half hour. Let us think of him as he was and the keen edge of our sorrow will be blunted and let us take comfort in the many pleasant recollections which the memory of our dearest pals so closely associated with and let us smile at those recollections just as he would wish. Perhaps, who knows, he may be smiling with us. And let us realise that these things which have happened, which are happening and which will happen (who knows what will happen?) are not whims of chance, but controlled and directed by Higher Hands than ours and must be for the best.

I have written to Mrs Fletcher by this mail. I know that you and the other girls will do what you can of comfort to all at Seivad.

Joining you in deepest sympathy and sorrow at our irreparable loss.

Fondly yours

Bill

[phooll123]

The Subaru Impreza 22B Was An 

Insane Monster That Could Never Happen Today

If you’re in the U.S. and you’re a fan of fast Subarus, you should consider yourself lucky. Very lucky. If you want a brand-new WRX STI, you can just strut into your local Subaru dealership and buy one—provided you have the money. (Or at least a pulse and a marginally decent credit score. I see how you buy cars, America.) Sure, getting your hands on a new WRX STI Type RA could be a little trickier, but a WRX STI Limited shouldn’t be a drama.

We’re talking about a 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-four engine with 305 horsepower and 290 lb-ft of torque, a manual gearbox with a proper handbrake, substantial Brembo brakes, and a user-controlled center differential. We’re also talking about a car that starts at $40,895 that’ll do zero to 60 mph in less than five seconds. Not bad at all. It wasn’t always this way, though. There was a time when very fast Subarus were a lot harder to come by, if they were sold in your market at all. And long before PlayStation games forced Subaru to sell the WRX stateside, there was the ultimate forbidden fruit—the mightiest street-legal Subaru ever, a car more rare and with even more racing heritage than some Ferraris. I am talking of course about the the giant-slaying 1998 Impreza 22B-STi.

(Full Disclosure: With the 22B this year celebrating its 20th anniversary, I asked Subaru Australia if I could get some time with the 22B it’s owned since new. They said yes, but with the car largely restricted to static display duties, I wasn’t allowed to drive it. At all. I’m as sorry as you are.) You see, 2018 is a big year for Subaru. It’s 60 years since the 1958 launch of its first series production car, the Subaru 360, and 30 years since the 1988 founding of its dedicated performance arm, Subaru Technica International—otherwise known as STI (or STi until 2006). Importantly, it’s also 20 years since Subaru released the 22B. For the uninitiated, while the first-generation Impreza WRX originally debuted in Japan in 1992 with a mighty 243 horsepower and 224 lb-ft of torque, the first WRX STi didn’t launch until 1994. Neither was available in the U.S. That would take another decade and a lot of help from video games.

Back in 1998, however, we had things better here in Australia, not to be mean about it. We had real Imprezas like the WRX Club Spec Evo 2, with its 2.0-liter-turbo spitting out 211 horsepower and 214 lb-ft of torque. These weren’t grocery-fetching sedans for cold-weather states—they were salutes to Subaru’s efforts in off-road racing with performance that the masses could enjoy.

The world was a different place back then. Presidential scandals were less terrifying, and four-second-range 0-60 mph times were the domain of road-legal weaponry such as the McLaren F1, Jaguar XJ220, Porsche 959, and Ferrari F40. And for a brief period, Subaru.

Still very much a small-time global manufacturer, Subaru wasn’t an existing supercar superpower like the brands mentioned above, but rather a humble, safe, bland option for those focussed on reliability. It wasn’t even a legit competitor to Honda or Volkswagen the way it is today. It did however, have a fair bit of momentum on its side. After making its World Rally Championship debut in 1980, Subaru had evolved its preferred combination of a turbocharged flat-four boxer engine and four-wheel drive, into a rally-winning trademark. Achieving varying degrees of success in preceding Leones, RX Turbos, and Legacys, by early 1998 Subaru was celebrating three consecutive WRC manufacturers’ titles in the Impreza and a WRC drivers’ title thanks to Colin McRae in 1995. Subaru’s domination of world rally couldn’t have come at a better time either, as the brand was also marking its 40th anniversary.

Exclusively finished in Subaru’s mandatory “74F” blue—known through the years as Sonic Blue, Rally Blue, 555 Blue Pearl, WR Blue, and WRC Blue—the 22B was an ultra-rare collection of unique elements, combined one time, with one goal in mind: ultimate performance. Unlike any other Impreza of the time, a larger-capacity turbocharged 2.2-liter flat-four engine, rather than a conventional 2.0-liter unit, was used to power the 22B. Apart from featuring a bigger bore and increased capacity, the 22B’s EJ22 engine was based on a closed-deck rather than an open-deck block, and was also home to a metal head gasket, forged pistons, sodium-filled exhaust valves, and hollow-stem inlet valves. With an 8.0:1 compression ratio and 7900 RPM factory rev limit, the engine was officially listed as having 280 horsepower at 6000 RPM and 267 lb-ft of torque at 3200 RPM. And it was fast as hell.

“Unofficially, because there is no official [0-60 mph] test, this car, unofficially, can pull, at that time, 20 years ago, [0-60 mph] in 3.9 seconds,” Subaru Australia chief engineer Hiep Bui told me. “Technically, this car is a rocket.” As you might expect, the car is truly beloved by the people within the company itself. To learn more about the car I went to meet with Bui and see Subaru Australia’s very own mint-condition 22B—a car with around 4500 miles on the clock. He speaks of it the way some people speak of their religious faith.

“Even though it’s 20 years on, [the 22B is] the statement that Subaru can punch above its weight,” Bui said. “Many years before it launched, not many people really can pronounce the ‘Subaru’ correctly. But since the launch of the 22B, it’s actually put it on the world map.”

Meeting at a suburban Sydney Subaru dealership, where the powers that be decided to have the car transported to, Bui was joined by Subaru Australia service and parts operation manager Sam Hill. Not just another Subaru employee, Hill—like Bui—is a genuine 22B maniac. “My heart skips a beat every time I see a 22B, whether it be in a showroom, or in our storage compound, or on the odd occasion when you see one in traffic,” Hill told me. “If you look at the way the car looks—particularly in that era—we didn’t have another two-door car that was anything like that. I think if this car was white or black or yellow, it wouldn’t have anywhere near the same curb appeal as that iconic blue with gold.”

“This here is a special car,” Bui said, “At that point in time, they said, we have a WRX, and we want something special—something that other people haven’t been able to achieve. It... showed that the engineers, if you give them a chance, there will be no limit. They can do a special edition, they can do a special car, and the car will last.” “I look at this car as a turning point or a line in the sand, to say this is what Subaru’s capable of to build,” adds Hill.

Compare the 22B to the latest STI and it’s easy to see how far the brand has come in 20 years. But it also highlights just how ahead of its time the limited production model was—only 400 numbered 22Bs were hand-built by STi, with another 25 unnumbered cars split between the UK and Australia, 20 and five, respectively.

That’s right. We Australians might’ve long yearned for Camaros, Corvettes, and F-Series Fords, but, in this case at least, we won out, with no 22Bs ever being officially sold in the U.S. “The 22B was the concept of, if I can use the expression, a wolf in sheep’s skin, because this may look normal, but it packs a punch in there,” Bui said.

So, while school kids argued over mega-dollar Ferraris, Jaguars, McLarens, and Porsches hitting 0-60 mph in 3.2 or 3.6 seconds, Subaru went ahead and built a car for a fraction of the price that, while perhaps not quicker, was at least fast enough to enter the debate. And in terms of production, it was just as rare. There’s a lot of ways it holds up today too, unlike many supercars from past decades.

For example, while a 2.5-liter 2018 WRX STI Limited also hits peak power at 6000 RPM, it delivers its maximum torque 800 RPM later than a 22B does. And although the new STI claims a 25 horsepower and 23 lb-ft advantage over its legendary forebear, the addition of various safety and technology paraphernalia—airbags, for example—means the modern four-door is 639 pounds heavier than its two-door ancestor.

Faster and lighter than a new STI then, with its WRC car-inspired blistered guards adding 3.1 inches to the car’s width, the 22B measures in only 1.0 inch narrower than its significantly younger counterpart. Its gold 17x8.5-inch forged-alloy BBS wheels are a whole 2.0 inches smaller in diameter than the dark gray multi-spoke items on the new STI, though they still house four-piston calipers and 11.6-inch ventilated discs up front and two-piston calipers and 11.4-inch ventilated discs out back. (Admittedly that’s a smaller setup compared with the WRX STI Limited’s six-piston fronts and two-piston rears, matched to 13.4- and 12.8-inch ventilated and cross-drilled discs).

Oh, and for context, in Oz at least, in 1999 a top-spec Subaru Impreza WRX STi Version V Coupe (with a 280 horsepower/260 lb-ft turbocharged 2.0-liter engine in it) would set you back AU$60,000. And for around the same money as a 22B—about AU$132,000—you could get yourself into a Jaguar XJ8 Sport, a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a 986 Porsche Boxster S, or an E36 BMW M3. If you’re half as obsessive as I am, it’s easy to totally nerd out over the 22B.

Its short-ratio five-speed manual transmission with hardened gears and lightweight twin-plate competition clutch; its uprated driveshafts and suspension bushes; its forged aluminium lower control arms, rose-jointed suspension links, inverted Bilstein shock absorbers, and Eibach springs; and its monster adjustable rear wing—the tallest ever fitted to a production Impreza to that point, and taller still than those fitted to the back of era-specific WRC cars.

You can spend hours picking out details and delving deeper into its hardware, but to really appreciate just what Subaru managed to do when it created the 22B back in 1998, and to understand why it remains as special as it does, think about it this way: Imagine visiting Jalopnik tomorrow and finding out that Subaru has announced a brand-new limited-edition version of the current STI. Now, it’s not cheap—in fact, it’s around double the price of any existing STI—but it’s got more than a handful of unique parts, it’s got only two doors, and, oh yeah, it’s got the performance to challenge the likes of the McLaren 720S, Ferrari 488 Pista, and Porsche 911 GT2 RS with a 0-60 mph time of around 3.0 seconds.

Seem likely to happen? Hardly. Even if Subaru wanted to build something that insane, do you really think it would or could? Hell no. And this, again, is the point. The 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B-STi remains as awesome today as it was when it was released not just because of its outright pace and ability, but because of just how unlikely its own creation was. For a brand the size and strength Subaru was 20 years ago to have even contemplated coming up with a car like the 22B is borderline ridiculous. So the fact that they bloody well built it, and built it well, will be forever impressive.

The other concrete sign of a car remaining properly special? It’s never, ever repeated. And as Subaru Australia told Jalopnik directly: “In terms of the future, we’re always open to new ideas from the factory, however the 22B was a unique and iconic vehicle and it wouldn’t do it justice to attempt to replicate the vehicle or its story.” So if there’s any justice in this world, there won’t be any milking this anniversary. No 22B-themed special editions that are just watered down versions of the original and slightly tarted up versions of the current WRX STI. That wouldn’t be right. That wouldn’t do the legend justice. You just don’t get that level of crazy twice in the same lifetime.

David Zalstein is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne, Australia. He’s a genuine spanner-spinning, petrol-sniffing car enthusiast, who sold a 9N Volkswagen Polo GTI daily driver and a hillclimb-spec S13 Nissan Sil80 to afford his new Holden Ute… but, you know, V8.

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[footyplusau]

Around the state leagues: Who starred in the twos?

• After the siren: This is Clarkson’s biggest test• Nine things we learned from round three• Fantasy form watch: Dusty cleans up again State league affiliate: Adelaide (SANFL)This weekend: Sturt v Adelaide – Sunday, April 9, 2.10pm, Peter Motley Oval Midfielder Brad Crouch showed no signs of the hamstring injury that has sidelined him since January, starring with a game-high 40 touches in the thrilling two-point win in wet conditions. The 23-year-old injured his hamstring for the third time in a kicking drill after the Christmas break, and didn’t feature in the JLT Community Series. Crouch, who also laid a team-high 10 tackles, finished 13 disposals ahead of the next Crow, rookie Hugh Greenwood (27 disposals, equal team-high two goals). Rookie Jonathon Beech (22 disposals, one goal) and yet-to-debut onballer Harrison Wigg (21 disposals) rounded out Adelaide’s best, while livewire Troy Menzel (16 disposals, two goals) wasn’t far off the mark. State league affiliate: Brisbane Lions (NEAFL)This weekend: NT Thunder v Brisbane Lions – Saturday, April 8, 6.30pm, TIO Stadium Axed midfielder Ryan Bastinac returned to form by being named the Lions’ best player in their 26-point win over the NT Thunder. After picking up 25 disposals last week, midfielder Claye Beams continued his recent run by using his skills and decision-making to good effect. Rookie Matthew Hammelmann booted three goals, while Bastinac, Beams and omitted forward Michael Close added one major each. State league affiliate: Northern Blues (VFL)This weekend: Port Melbourne v Northern Blues – Saturday, April 8, 2pm, North Port Oval Midfielder Nick Graham asserted his influence despite the Blues’ 29-point season-opening loss, amassing 37 disposals, 11 inside 50s, 10 marks and eight clearances. Ruckman Andrew Phillips was carefully managed in his comeback from a stress reaction in his left foot, and got through the match unscathed. The 25-year-old will spend more time with the Northern Blues to build match fitness before he can return to the senior line-up. Draftee Zac Fisher and swingman Kristian Jaksch kicked an equal team-high two goals each, while omitted midfielder Billie Smedts had 21 touches. State league affiliate: Collingwood (VFL)This weekend: Collingwood v North Ballarat – Saturday, April 8, 12pm, Holden Centre A five-goal display from Jamie Elliott has the forward in line for selection in the senior team next Sunday after he returned from an ankle injury in a practice match against North Ballarat on Saturday at the Holden Centre.

Elliott has not played in the AFL since 2015 after back surgery wiped out his 2016.

Silky backman Matthew Scharenberg copped a head knock in a marking contest in the second quarter and sat out the game, but VFL assistant coach Brad Gotch said there were no major concerns.

“They’re so cautious these days. He didn’t seem too badly off but you take the precautions in the right fashion these days and unfortunately for him, he had to retire at half-time,” Gotch said.

Dropped forward Jarryd Blair played through the middle and had an influence without dominating. 

American big man Mason Cox looked good in the ruck when he was in there but played mostly forward and took his fair share of marks while Lynden Dunn impressed down back. 

Onballer Rupert Wills played his first game for the year after a quad injury hampered him in the pre-season. He sat out the first quarter but his clean hands and strength in the contest were on show. 

A crunching hip-and-shoulder left his opponent on the ground for about a minute. 

“We probably need to get some running power back into him, when you’ve been out for so long. He’s had that thigh problem for a fair bit of the pre-season but you know he’s going to be good in and around the footy and I thought he was really good at that again today,” Gotch said.

Ben Crocker was lively up forward but missed a few shots in windy conditions to finish with three goals.

Collingwood led at every change on a warm day to run out comfortable winners, 19.18 (132) to 5.8 (38).

State league affiliate: Essendon (VFL) This weekend: Richmond v Essendon – Saturday, April 8, 11am, Punt Road Oval

Recruit James Stewart booted five goals as Essendon defeated Richmond by 73 points in a practice match at Punt Road Oval.

Stewart was drafted by Greater Western Sydney in 2012 and traded to the Bombers at the end of last year for a late selection. 

He is yet to debut for the Bombers. 

Jackson Merrett also kicked five while former Swan Craig Bird’s 37 disposals impressed Bombers coach Paul Corrigan.

“His contest work was really good, his ability to get to the outside and his pressure on ball was fantastic,” Corrigan told the club website.

Bullocking young tall Aaron Francis kicked a goal.

State league affiliate: Peel Thunder (WAFL) This weekend: Subiaco v Peel Thunder – Saturday, April 8, 12.05pm, Leederville Oval

Of the five omitted Dockers to line up for Peel, midfielder Darcy Tucker, defender Cameron Sutcliffe and ruckman Jonathon Griffin returned to form despite Peel’s 15-point loss.

Tucker (30 disposals, 10 marks) and Sutcliffe (28 disposals) provided drive from half-back, while Griffin (22 hit-outs, 15 disposals, one goal) also worked hard.

Midfielder Nick Suban (20 disposals) and defender Zac Dawson (11 disposals) rounded out the axed Dockers to take the field for the Thunder.

Defender Sam Collins took five intercept marks and made each of his 14 possessions count, while forward Matt Taberner was also impressive with four goals from his 17 touches and 10 marks.

State league affiliate: Geelong (VFL) This weekend: Bye

State league affiliate: Gold Coast (NEAFL) This weekend: Redland v Gold Coast – Sunday, April 9, 1.30pm, Tidbold Park

Wingman Matt Shaw was the Suns’ major ball-winner in the 92-point win with 32 disposals and six marks.

Midfielder Jesse Lonergan made an impact with his 31 touches alongside fellow onballer Mitch Hallahan, who had 30 disposals and registered two goals.

Small forward Darcy MacPherson (21 disposals) and rookie Keegan Brooksby (23 disposals) shared the spoils in attack with four goals apiece.

Omitted pair Callum Ah Chee and Jack Leslie had 20 and 10 disposals respectively, with Ah Chee booting two goals.

State league affiliate: GWS Giants (NEAFL) This weekend: GWS Giants v Sydney Uni – Saturday, April 8, 4.30pm, Blacktown International Sportspark

Key forward Jonathon Patton returned from a hip complaint he picked up in round one, kicking two goals from his 12 disposals in the Giants’ 43-point loss.

Midfielder Matthew Kennedy was the major ball-winner with a game-high 36 touches and six tackles, while former Geelong ruckman Dawson Simpson (13 disposals, seven tackles, one goal) also put in a strong performance.

Young defender Harrison Himmelberg and draftee Harry Perryman rounded out the Giants’ leaders, finishing with 30 possessions and 11 tackles each.

Academy product Zach Sproule led the goalkicking with five majors from his 12 touches, with Kennedy and Perryman adding a goal apiece. 

State league affiliate: Box Hill Hawks (VFL) This weekend: Coburg v Box Hill Hawks – Saturday, April 8, 1.30pm, Piranha Park 

An all-round game from dumped Hawthorn tall James Sicily saw him push his claim for senior selection in Box Hill’s draw with Coburg in a practice match on Saturday at Piranha Park.

Sicily, 22, was dropped after the round one loss to Essendon, but picked up 28 disposals and slotted three goals for the Hawks.

He played at both ends of the ground and his marking and clean disposal was a highlight.

Daniel Howe collected 30 disposals while Dallas Willsmore had 26 and a goal.

Kade Stewart, who was dropped from the side that lost to Adelaide last Saturday, slotted two goals.

Box Hill trailed by 23 points going into the final term but managed to tie it up with the wind at its backs, 10.11 (71) to 10.11 (71).

State league affiliate: Casey Demons (VFL) This weekend: Casey Demons v Werribee – Saturday, April 8, 2pm, Casey Fields

Ruckman Jake Spencer seems the most logical replacement for the injured Max Gawn, who sustained a right hamstring injury against Geelong.

Spencer lined up in Casey’s final pre-season practice game and had 30 hit-outs, 12 touches and kicked a goal in the 31-point win.

Casey coach Justin Plapp told AFL.com.au on Sunday that Spencer dominated the hit-outs and “was able to mark the ball really well around the ground”.

Plapp said defender Sam Frost looked a lot more comfortable in his second game back from a toe injury, as he continues to build match fitness.

The Casey coach added omitted midfielder Angus Brayshaw (25 disposals) was clean by hand at ground level and “showed signs of what we need him to be doing contest to contest”.

State league affiliate: Werribee (VFL) This weekend: Casey Demons v Werribee – Saturday, April 8, 2pm, Casey Fields

Midfielder Jed Anderson featured in the inside midfield in his fourth consecutive game since overcoming a shoulder injury.

A Werribee spokesman told AFL.com.au on Sunday that Anderson “got high game time”.

However, the practice match was called off in the opening minutes of the final quarter because of storm activity, denying Anderson more valuable on-field minutes.

Draftee forward Nick Larkey kicked three goals, taking his tally over the past three weeks to 10 majors, while rookie Cameron Zurhaar was close to North’s best.

“(Zurhaar) was really lively and created a lot of opportunities,” the Tigers’ official said.

State league affiliate: Port Adelaide (SANFL) This weekend: Glenelg v Port Adelaide – Saturday, April 8, 7.10pm, Gliderol Stadium

Returning defender Jasper Pittard collected 16 disposals in his first game back from a hamstring injury against Glenelg at Gliderol Stadium.

Pittard, who was the only Power player to make the All Australian squad of 40 last year, was solid defensively across half-back.

The 26-year-old hurt his left hamstring in the JLT Community Series against Richmond.

Big-bodied midfielder Brendon Ah Chee was Port’s standout. He picked up 30 disposals and booted three goals, with his work in stoppage situations impressive.

Exciting draftee Todd Marshall had 15 disposals and kicked two goals in a promising display in attack. At 198cm, Marshall looms as a key forward for the future.

Tough onballer Joe Atley had 23 disposals and 11 tackles and worked hard, and a couple of decision-making errors were a minor blemish on an otherwise sound game.

Glenelg held on to win after a six-goal first quarter, 15.12 (102) to 13.7 (85). 

State league affiliate: Richmond (VFL) This weekend: Richmond v Essendon – Saturday, April 8, 11am, Punt Road Oval

Midfielder Anthony Miles‘ efforts didn’t go unnoticed in the Tigers’ final practice game, with his 21 disposals (13 contested) and one goal a highlight despite the heavy 73-point loss.

Forward Sam Lloyd led the possession count for Richmond with 26 touches, while midfielder Connor Menadue (21 disposals, one goal) also found plenty of the ball.

In his second straight game since overcoming a right knee injury, defender Steven Morris began brightly with 10 of his 18 possessions coming in the first quarter. 

State league affiliate: Sandringham (VFL) This weekend: Williamstown v Sandringham – Sunday, April 9, 1pm, Burbank Oval 

Youngster Jack Sinclair featured in the second half after being an emergency for the AFL clash against the Brisbane Lions at Etihad Stadium.

“He got in his car and went to Williamstown, and in that half he performed really solidly,” Sandringham coach Lindsay Gilbee told AFL.com.au on Sunday.

Former Western Bulldog Koby Stevens found a fair amount of the ball in the wet conditions, gathering about 30 touches in his side’s 11-point loss.

The Zebras’ coach was full of praise for defender Bailey Rice, the son of former Saints and Carlton footballer Dean.

“I thought Bailey was an excellent player for us … his ball use was clean and in the conditions, he was excellent,” Gilbee said.

State league affiliate: Sydney (NEAFL) This weekend: Sydney v Southport – Saturday, April 8, 1.30pm, Blacktown International Sportspark 

A six-goal haul from rookie Toby Pink was the highlight for Sydney in its 102-point win against Southport on Saturday at Blacktown International Sportspark. 

Pink, drafted last year, presented well versus the Sharks. The 18-year-old also had 17 disposals and eight marks.

Harry Cunningham, who was dropped after round two, responded well with 25 disposals and two goals playing mainly through the midfield but also spending time up forward.

One to have impressed over the past month was Shaun Edwards. The former Giant and Bomber picked up 23 disposals, eight tackles and a goal on a wing and also as an inside midfielder.

Rookie Sam Fisher played as an onballer and racked up 34 disposals and a goal. His balance and cleanness were assets for the Swans.

Lewis Melican put his hand up for senior selection while omitted defender Jeremy Laidler had 22 disposals.

Sydney ran out comfortable winners, 20.9 (129) to 3.9 (27).

State league affiliate: East Perth (WAFL) This weekend: East Perth v Claremont – Friday, April 7, 7.10pm, Leederville Oval

Midfielder Dom Sheed put the disappointment of being axed behind him, amassing a game-high 37 disposals, eight tackles, seven inside 50s and kicking a goal in East Perth’s 36-point loss.

Defender Eric Mackenzie (21 possessions) remained composed down back by taking several intercept marks, while draftee Daniel Venables (13 possessions, two goals) continued to impress in his second WAFL appearance. 

State league affiliate: Footscray (VFL) This weekend: Bye

  The post Around the state leagues: Who starred in the twos? appeared first on Footy Plus.

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[footyplusau]

AFL: Former Hawk Jordan Lewis has no regrets about moving on with Melbourne

Hawk turned Demon Jordan Lewis has no bitterness about the way he exited his old club, saying the move offered him the chance to secure his future and tackle a new challenge.

His comments came a day after Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson conceded the club did have room in it’s salary cap to fit recruits Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara while retaining Lewis and Sam Mitchell (who was traded to West Coast).

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AFL 2017: Fairfax experts have their say

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Previous slide Next slide

AFLW plays of round 6

AFLW plays of round 6

Fremantle finally win, Brisbane seem unstoppable, the Dees upset Adelaide, Erin Phillips takes a hanger and Collingwood kick a record score.

AFL 2017: Fairfax experts have their say

Play Video Don’t Play

AFL 2017: Fairfax experts have their say

AFL 2017: Fairfax experts have their say

Ahead of the 2017 AFL season our best footy minds peer into the future offering their picks for the premiership, wooden spoon, Brownlow Medal and break-out stars.

Gold Coast welcome back Ablett, and West Coast cruise

Play Video Don’t Play

Gold Coast welcome back Ablett, and West …

Gold Coast welcome back Ablett, and West Coast cruise

Gold Coast have welcomed back Gary Ablett with a win over the Western Bulldogs, and West Coast have cruised to victory over the Melbourne Demons.

Mick Gatto confirms Bombers link

Play Video Don’t Play

Mick Gatto confirms Bombers link

Mick Gatto confirms Bombers link

The underworld figure says he was approached by Essendon during the height of the supplements saga.

Mick Gatto teases new Essendon evidence

Play Video Don’t Play

Mick Gatto teases new Essendon evidence

Mick Gatto teases new Essendon evidence

In a press conference he called in a cafe, Mick Gatto alludes to new evidence in the Essendon Bombers doping saga.

AFLW plays of round 5

Play Video Don’t Play

AFLW plays of round 5

AFLW plays of round 5

GWS open their account, Vescio takes a screamer, Alicia Eva shows Freo a clean pair of heals and Brisbane and Adelaide are the AFLW’s best teams.

Swans outlast neighbours in the wet

Play Video Don’t Play

Swans outlast neighbours in the wet

Swans outlast neighbours in the wet

Sydney slogged their way to a 12-point JLT Series pre-season victory over GWS in torrential rain at Blacktown.

AFLW plays of round 6

Fremantle finally win, Brisbane seem unstoppable, the Dees upset Adelaide, Erin Phillips takes a hanger and Collingwood kick a record score.

But Lewis says despite the disappointment of only being offered a one year contract at Hawthorn, he has no regrets about moving to Melbourne.

“My personality – and I think I get this from my dad – is just to move on,” he told SEN radio. “Whatever has happened I just move on, I just feel that life is too short to worry about what has happened in the past and as much as my wife hates that I just have that ability to move on whether it be from a win a loss, something big in my life … anything negative in my life I just forget about and try and move on.”

No regrets: Jordan Lewis. Photo: Nicole Cleary

Reflecting on the Hawks’ tumultuous off-season, Lewis said he knew when Clarkson asked to visit him at home that there was bad news coming and it likely involved being moved on.

“I’m not that sort of person ‘oh he’s coming around to give me a pat on the back and say that you are captain next year’ That’s not how I think,” he said. “I’ve been involved with football clubs for so long now you understand when he wants to come around to your house it’s not for a cup of coffee and a piece of cake.

“I spent all day going through certain scenarios. ‘Gee who do I know from other clubs if that happens to be the case’. So I’d played it over in my head for a good five or six hours.”

Lewis conceded Clarkson had been a master at future-proofing the Hawks and his move was part of that planning.

“What he’s been so good over the years is at is foreseeing what is coming in the future and I think that is maybe what he was seeing coming at the end of this year … Once Mitch left I probably didn’t feel as guilty if I was to leave as well. It wasn’t as if I was opting out of a contract. I never went to the club. They came to me so that’s how I sort of justified it to myself …they gave me the option and then I started to explore.”

On life at the Demons, Lewis said he was looking forward to watching the team develop.

“They are a playing group who are fresh,” he said. “It’s a young playing group but I think they realise they are on the verge of playing some really good football. We are coached in a really good way. So it’s about blending that talent and the team performance … but there are certainly some young kids there who show great talent.

“I’m trying to make comparisons to the Hawthorn side … I’m sort of thinking 2006, 2007 is probably where the list is at. These guys like Petracca and Hogan have had three years in the system, this is their third year, and once we get games in them that’s when we’ll see the rewards.

Lewis has already brought one training drill from Hawthorn to the Demons, which was promptly named after him, but says the most important thing he’s been able to contribute so far is the talk on the track.

“I suppose the biggest different that I’ve noticed from training is the voice and direction … probably what I’ve noticed at Melbourne is they were probably lacking that a little bit. Guys have got great knowledge but they are sometimes just afraid to speak up or they just don’t know how to do it. And that’s probably been the progress over the pre-season is really just training these guys on how to speak out on the field.

The former Hawk says he’s keen to use his premiership-winning experience to drive the Demon youngsters – even if that means ruffling some feathers.

“It’s a hard juggling act. I thought I would go in there and sort of tip toe my way around but that lasted probably a week. But then it was I’m here, I’m invested I need to start driving these kids and they need to start driving me and there was no point sitting back. So if I rub boys up the wrong way then I’ll always follow it up, but we are in a performance game and you have got to be hard on people every now and then.”

On the recent exclusion of Jack Watts from the senior side, Lewis said coach Simon Goodwin had made the right decision.

“Yeah I thought we handled it really well,” he said. “Goody was very straight in the way that we approach pre-season. If you traing with intensity then you’ll get games.

“You saw Jack on the weekend. When he’s in our 22 we’re a better side.”

The post AFL: Former Hawk Jordan Lewis has no regrets about moving on with Melbourne appeared first on Footy Plus.

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[footyplusau]

Jordan Lewis says he doesn’t feel guilty over leaving Hawthorn for Melbourne

Hawk turned Demon Jordan Lewis has no bitterness about the way he exited his old club, saying the move offered him the chance to secure his future and tackle a new challenge.

His comments came a day after Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson conceded the club did have room in it’s salary cap to fit recruits Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara while retaining Lewis and Sam Mitchell (who was traded to West Coast).

Play Video Don’t Play

AFL 2017: Fairfax experts have their say

Play Video Don’t Play

Previous slide Next slide

AFLW plays of round 6

AFLW plays of round 6

Fremantle finally win, Brisbane seem unstoppable, the Dees upset Adelaide, Erin Phillips takes a hanger and Collingwood kick a record score.

AFL 2017: Fairfax experts have their say

Play Video Don’t Play

AFL 2017: Fairfax experts have their say

AFL 2017: Fairfax experts have their say

Ahead of the 2017 AFL season our best footy minds peer into the future offering their picks for the premiership, wooden spoon, Brownlow Medal and break-out stars.

Gold Coast welcome back Ablett, and West Coast cruise

Play Video Don’t Play

Gold Coast welcome back Ablett, and West …

Gold Coast welcome back Ablett, and West Coast cruise

Gold Coast have welcomed back Gary Ablett with a win over the Western Bulldogs, and West Coast have cruised to victory over the Melbourne Demons.

Mick Gatto confirms Bombers link

Play Video Don’t Play

Mick Gatto confirms Bombers link

Mick Gatto confirms Bombers link

The underworld figure says he was approached by Essendon during the height of the supplements saga.

Mick Gatto teases new Essendon evidence

Play Video Don’t Play

Mick Gatto teases new Essendon evidence

Mick Gatto teases new Essendon evidence

In a press conference he called in a cafe, Mick Gatto alludes to new evidence in the Essendon Bombers doping saga.

AFLW plays of round 5

Play Video Don’t Play

AFLW plays of round 5

AFLW plays of round 5

GWS open their account, Vescio takes a screamer, Alicia Eva shows Freo a clean pair of heals and Brisbane and Adelaide are the AFLW’s best teams.

Swans outlast neighbours in the wet

Play Video Don’t Play

Swans outlast neighbours in the wet

Swans outlast neighbours in the wet

Sydney slogged their way to a 12-point JLT Series pre-season victory over GWS in torrential rain at Blacktown.

AFLW plays of round 6

Fremantle finally win, Brisbane seem unstoppable, the Dees upset Adelaide, Erin Phillips takes a hanger and Collingwood kick a record score.

But Lewis says despite the disappointment of only being offered a one year contract at Hawthorn, he has no regrets about moving to Melbourne.

“My personality – and I think I get this from my dad – is just to move on,” he told SEN radio. “Whatever has happened I just move on, I just feel that life is too short to worry about what has happened in the past and as much as my wife hates that I just have that ability to move on whether it be from a win a loss, something big in my life … anything negative in my life I just forget about and try and move on.”

No regrets: Jordan Lewis. Photo: Nicole Cleary

Reflecting on the Hawks’ tumultuous off-season, Lewis said he knew when Clarkson asked to visit him at home that there was bad news coming and it likely involved being moved on.

“I’m not that sort of person ‘oh he’s coming around to give me a pat on the back and say that you are captain next year’ That’s not how I think,” he said. “I’ve been involved with football clubs for so long now you understand when he wants to come around to your house it’s not for a cup of coffee and a piece of cake.

“I spent all day going through certain scenarios. ‘Gee who do I know from other clubs if that happens to be the case’. So I’d played it over in my head for a good five or six hours.”

Lewis conceded Clarkson had been a master at future-proofing the Hawks and his move was part of that planning.

“What he’s been so good over the years is at is foreseeing what is coming in the future and I think that is maybe what he was seeing coming at the end of this year … Once Mitch left I probably didn’t feel as guilty if I was to leave as well. It wasn’t as if I was opting out of a contract. I never went to the club. They came to me so that’s how I sort of justified it to myself …they gave me the option and then I started to explore.”

On life at the Demons, Lewis said he was looking forward to watching the team develop.

“They are a playing group who are fresh,” he said. “It’s a young playing group but I think they realise they are on the verge of playing some really good football. We are coached in a really good way. So it’s about blending that talent and the team performance … but there are certainly some young kids there who show great talent.

“I’m trying to make comparisons to the Hawthorn side … I’m sort of thinking 2006, 2007 is probably where the list is at. These guys like Petracca and Hogan have had three years in the system, this is their third year, and once we get games in them that’s when we’ll see the rewards.

Lewis has already brought one training drill from Hawthorn to the Demons, which was promptly named after him, but says the most important thing he’s been able to contribute so far is the talk on the track.

“I suppose the biggest different that I’ve noticed from training is the voice and direction … probably what I’ve noticed at Melbourne is they were probably lacking that a little bit. Guys have got great knowledge but they are sometimes just afraid to speak up or they just don’t know how to do it. And that’s probably been the progress over the pre-season is really just training these guys on how to speak out on the field.

The former Hawk says he’s keen to use his premiership-winning experience to drive the Demon youngsters – even if that means ruffling some feathers.

“It’s a hard juggling act. I thought I would go in there and sort of tip toe my way around but that lasted probably a week. But then it was I’m here, I’m invested I need to start driving these kids and they need to start driving me and there was no point sitting back. So if I rub boys up the wrong way then I’ll always follow it up, but we are in a performance game and you have got to be hard on people every now and then.”

On the recent exclusion of Jack Watts from the senior side, Lewis said coach Simon Goodwin had made the right decision.

“Yeah I thought we handled it really well,” he said. “Goody was very straight in the way that we approach pre-season. If you traing with intensity then you’ll get games.

“You saw Jack on the weekend. When he’s in our 22 we’re a better side.”

The post Jordan Lewis says he doesn’t feel guilty over leaving Hawthorn for Melbourne appeared first on Footy Plus.

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