#exercise bands for seniors

[hellfirenacht]

Candygram

Summary: It's Valentine's day and you shoot your shot with Eddie by sending him a Candygram.

Tags: Eddie Munson x Reader, fluff, sfw

4.8k Words Master List

“Just do it.”  Robin said, following your line of sight to the booth in the corner of the Hawkins cafeteria. It was a simple table with a red cloth thrown over it and a handmade banner that read ‘CANDYGRAMS $1’ and was decorated with tacky hearts. 

Every time you glanced over at the booth, your heart would start pounding and your stomach would twist in knots. You had never considered yourself to be shy before, when you first moved to Hawkins a few years ago, Robin had joked that you didn’t need a welcome wagon because you had thrown yourself into band and had introduced yourself to everyone with ease. 

You had masked your anxiety over being the new kid with an overinflated sense of confidence and it had worked out really well for you until you caught feelings for the freak who sat next to you in remedial science. 

“I think... I would rather chug formaldehyde.” you said slowly, staring so hard at the offensively pink and red booth that Robin was sure it was going to catch flames. 

“Either go up there and buy a candygram or I’m going to do it for you.” Robin said. “If I have to hear you waffle about this for one more day I’m gonna rip my hair out.” 

“But if I send him one, then he might actually acknowledge me and realize I might have something resembling a feeling for him, and that’s just not really cool, you know? Goes against my chill and mysterious personality.” you said, leaning back on your chair with a cocky grin. 

“Last night I saw you and Steve cry over Bambi.” Robin deadpans. 

“Okay, so we were drunk and also shut up.” you snorted, rubbing your face. 

“How are you going to know if there’s anything there if you don’t even take the chance?” Robin scolds. “Come one, I’ve seen the way you look at him. I’m surprised the whole school doesn’t know-”

“Again, cool and mysterious personality.” you tried again. 

“Plus I know he’s just as weird as you.” Robin continued, ignoring you. “I mean, last week I saw him get Jason Carver to back off one of the freshmen by pretending to exercise a demon out of him!”

You stared at Robin for a beat before thunking your head on the lunch table. “I’m going to marry him. Holy shit, he actually tried to expel the demon lurking in Carver?” You were laughing at the thought. 

During your first senior year and his second, Eddie Munson had caught your eye when you had the same lunch period. He was loud and energetic and so fucking weird you couldn’t help but to be drawn to him. Had your parents not forced you to stick with band, you would have considered joining Hellfire. Unfortunately even with this last go-round as a super senior, they still made you stick with it despite your senioritis reaching terminal levels.

You never had a good opportunity to talk to him, and the more time passed the harder it became to justify just randomly approaching him. This semester you finally had your opportunity when you’d been put in the same class and sitting next to each other no less. Still, the most you’d been able to say was “yeah, sure” when he’d asked you for a pencil once. 

Four weeks sitting next to Eddie, and you had barely spoken to him while noticing every little thing about him. He read a lot in class when he could get away with it, and doodled in his notebooks constantly, especially dice and dragons seemed to be the biggest theme. His school notebook wasn’t nearly as filled in as his Hellfire notebook, and he was always fidgeting in class. He also didn’t talk much, and at least once a week he’d end up falling asleep in class with his head in his hand. 

“There’s not gonna be a wedding if you can’t even talk to the guy.” Robin said. “He’s not even scary! Dustin comes in to talk to Steve all the time about Hellfire. He’s just a dork.”

“I know and that’s the problem.” your voice was a strangled laugh mixed with a groan. 

“You showed up the first day of band and introduced yourself to everyone, even if they weren’t in your section. What is the hold up with you talking to Eddie?” Robin pried. 

“Because back then, it didn’t matter.” You looked over at Robin, poking at your mystery meat. “When I first got here it didn’t matter if anyone liked me or not. I was only supposed to be in this school for a few months and then graduate. Then I didn’t. I could handle it if someone didn’t like me. None of you were really supposed to matter to me. No offense.”

Thankfully, Robin didn’t seem offended. “You were just making nice with the inmates until parole.” she joked and you nodded. 

“Yup, and then when I realized that I was going to have to actually have a full other year of school, that meant that I was going to have to care if I was ever gonna graduate.” You continued. “Luckily you saw through all my bullshit bravado and started dragging me to movie nights with you and Steve.” 

“Yeah yeah, we love friendship. So what does any of this have to do with Eddie?” Robin said, not needing you to explain the backstory that she had been present for. 

“It means that with Mr. Munson, I unfortunately, care so fucking much what he thinks of me.” you relented. “He’s the biggest freak in school, and the dorkiest loser, and if I try and talk to him and he’s not interested in talking back I won’t be able to take it. Robin, I will simply lay down and be dead for the rest of my life.”

“That’s not how that works, you can’t be dead for the rest of your life.” She shook her head, her brows furrowed. “Because if you’re dead then... you’re not alive”

“Schrodinger's corpse then. Alive and dead at the same time.” 

“Look, just send him the stupid candygram. The worst he can do is say no.” She stood up from the table and grabbed your hand. “Let’s go.”

And that’s how you ended up at the booth, jotting down Eddie’s name on a piece of paper and shoving a few quarters in the till with Robin looking smug. “I doubt he’s ever gotten one anyway, if anything he should be thrilled that someone wanted to send him one.”

“If this kills me, Steve’s in charge of the music at my funeral.” you sighed. 

---

Candygrams were being handed out and delivered through the week. You weren’t paying attention to what period they were supposed to be handed out, and so when two students in obnoxious heart shirts and fake wings burst into your science class with Eddie right next to you, you were about ready to throw yourself out a window. 

No one was surprised when Janet and Charlie were tossed a few candygrams, but everyone’s head whipped around when the red heart shaped lollipop and card was set on Eddie Munson’s desk. Eddie himself seemed more surprised than anyone. 

He had the lollipop in his mouth before he even opened the note attached and you were seconds away from bolting out the door. With any luck, maybe he didn’t know your name even after weeks of sitting next to each other. 

“Who’s it from, freak?” asked Patrick, the basketball jock who sat a few rows ahead. That earned a few snickers from the class. 

“It’s from your mom.” Eddie said without missing a beat and taking out the lollipop. “Tell her I say thanks.”

More laughter from the class as Patrick stood up as if ready to fight, but the teacher quickly told him to sit down. 

Shit, this wasn’t supposed to happen. You felt a bit guilty that your candygram had kicked up a fuss, but at least Eddie didn’t out you as the person who sent it to him. In fact he wasn’t looking over at you at all. 

You watched him out of the corner of your eye as he flipped the card around, as if looking for something. All that was written was his name and “YOU’RE SWEET!” written in cheesy font and his name scribbled in your handwriting. 

And nothing else. 

You didn’t know if you should laugh or cry at your stupidity. You’d been so jumbled and nervous that you’d forgotten to sign the damn thing. Robin was gonna have a field day with this one. 

Eddie kept fidgeting with the card through the rest of class, twisting it and bending it until it was as crumpled and torn as your heart felt. He shoved it in his pocket and didn’t even glance at you as the bell rang and he stood up and tossed the eaten lollipop stick in the trash. 

It’s not personal. You told yourself. He has no idea who sent it to him.

That’s when you had a horrible idea, so stupid it might actually work. 

---

“Explain how this is going to work again?” Robin asked. “You’re going to keep sending him lollipops this week until he notices you?” 

“Sort of.” you said, buying another candygram. “I’ll just send him a few joke ones as a feeler and if he responds positively I’ll come clean. If not, I keep my dignity. It’s a win-win.”

“Since when do you care about your dignity?” Robin sorted. 

“Since I caught feelings for the least dignified guy in school, I guess.” You knew it was stupid, you knew it was ridiculous, but you already messed up once so you might as well lean into it. You scribbled his name down, this time signing it with a satisfied giggle. “This is so dumb.”

Oh, but it was so worth it. You had bought it before school started, guaranteeing that it’d be delivered the same day, handing over a crisp dollar to Nancy Wheeler who had volunteered for the booth. If Eddie had been surprised the first time, he looked almost shocked now.

Eddie, sorry I forgot to sign the first one! This card said, once again not giving away any sign of who it was actually from. You saw his eye sparkle in amusement as he ate his lollipop, and this time the card was read over a few times before being carefully tucked into his dungeon master notebook. 

By the third day, the novelty of Eddie Munson getting candygrams had worn off with the rest of your class, but Eddie’s grin only grew wider each time. 

“Anything for me, Cupid?” Eddie asked as the student council members walked back in to hand out more lollipops. 

He whooped as another one was dropped on his desk and he snatched up the card quickly and you had to cover your face and bite your lip to stop yourself from giggling at his excitement. 

Eddie, sorry I’m so bad at remembering to sign these things! I just get way too excited about sending them out that I lose focus. So anyway this card is actually from-

You had carefully spaced out your writing on the small rectangle of paper so that it left absolutely no room for you to sign your name. Eddie looked downright giddy as he read the note over and over. Seeing him so happy made your stomach burst into butterflies and even if he decided after this he wasn’t interested, this was enough. Knowing that he was smiling because of you was enough. 

Someone said your name and you looked up, surprised to see one of the student council members standing next to you and handing you a candygram. Your eyebrows shot up as you took it with a thanks and opened up the card. 

Who had sent one to you? You’d been so wrapped up in your little scheme you didn’t even consider that someone would try and send you one either. 

A smile tugged at your lips as you saw your name and a small drawing of what looked like an egg in a nest as the sender. Robin, of course. Probably making fun of you for sending candygrams to Eddie without signing either. 

You tucked the candygram in your own notebook safely and dared a glance over at Eddie again. You hadn’t expected for him to be looking back at you, and your heart jumped in your chest. He unwrapped his lollipop and lifted it slightly as if he was trying to toast. You held yours up as well to him, an off sense of camaraderie between two people who had their day temporarily disturbed for commercialized love. 

Thursday came around, Valentine's day proper, but they’d be doing one last day of candygrams on Friday as well. This was a fundraiser after all, and capitalism trumps any semblance of real sincerity. Well, you said that but that wasn’t exactly going to stop you from continuing your little plan. 

Today was the day you were going to pull out the big guns. You handed over a full $5 to have a carnation sent to Eddie, as well as a return to sender card to Robin for being a good friend. 

“Shouldn’t he be the one sending you a flower?” Nancy asked, handing you the card to write on. You wondered how Nancy had time for all of the extracurricular activities she had going on, working with the student council and the school newspaper. 

You just shrugged at the question, not realizing how wide you were smiling or how obviously warm your cheeks were. To anyone with two eyes, you were glowing and to anyone with one eye, you were phosphorescent. 

The disinterest that your classmates had from the last two rounds perked back up with a flower was delivered to Eddie that afternoon. 

“For little old me?” Eddie said, batting his eyelashes at the delivery boy as he took the carnation. You giggled to yourself as he opened the card again. 

Man, I’m bad at this aren’t I? Don’t worry, this time I’m writing very small so I have room to sign this card. Seeing you light up when these get delivered has made my whole week, and totally worth it. Anyway this is from- 

To be fair, you had actually signed your name this time. However this time you had made an attempt to erase it with one of those erasers. The horrible stiff ones that only made big smudges and made the mistake worse and nearly tore through the paper. You had carefully looked at your smudged signature for a long time before deciding it was illegible enough to send. 

Eddie faked a swoon in his seat, nearly toppling over onto the floor. “Come on!” he laughed, pushing himself back upright, smiling with his whole face. He looked over the note again, something clicking in his brain and you quickly looked down at the book you were currently pretending to read. 

“It’s someone in here.” you heard him mutter to himself and your heart started pounding in your chest. You focused on your breathing to try and stop yourself from giggling and giving yourself away. 

“Stop sending yourself stuff, Munson. It’s pathetic.” Patrick called out. 

“If you wanted me to be your Valentine, sweetheart, all you had to do was ask nicely.” Eddie said, but he sounded distracted as his eyes scanned the room for any hint of who this mysterious person is. “And next time, I’m more than happy with just the lollipop, it’s saving me on smokes.”

You didn’t even notice the lollipop on your desk until class had started back up. Unfolding the card you smiled to yourself, seeing that it was from Robin again. This time the egg in the nest had a crack in it and seemed to be hatching. You’d ask her about it later. 

Nothing said during the rest of class even registered with you, every word was in one ear and out the other. This had been a fun week sending Eddie all the lollipops and flowers but tomorrow was the last day to have something sent to him. 

Were you going to sign your name? That’s the million dollar question. You had told Robin that you would if Eddie seemed interested, and he had made it clear he was enjoying the attention. 

But would he still enjoy the attention if he learned it was from you? You two weren’t exactly friends, but not complete strangers either. He didn’t seem to dislike you, after all he’d raised a toast with you with your lollipops the other day. 

Well, if you were gonna put yourself out there, you were gonna do it on your own terms.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Robin said that Friday morning as you dropped a handful of ones on the table for one last hurrah. 

“Nope, I’ve committed.” you said, taking the small stack of cards and getting to work. 

“I’m going to have you committed.” Robin shook her head. “I mean, this is actually insane, you know that right? There’s no reason to go through all this trouble, when you could just talk to him.”

“Oh, but where’s the fun in that, Buckley?” you asked, as you added one letter of your name to each of the cards. “Gotta make him work for it.”

“So you’re gonna give him a Valentine's themed word jumble as your big sign off?” 

“Yup.” you confirmed, adding his name to each of the cards. He’d get them all in one go and then it’s up to him to unscramble your name and figure it out. 

After that... well, the ball is in his court. 

Besides, if he liked the lollipops enough that he’d reach for one instead of a cigarette then that’s good enough. 

“You’re such a weirdo. You deserve each other.” Robin went on. “The Weirdo and the Freak. It’s like Beauty and the Beast except.. Not.”

“Robin, don’t you know three languages?” you snorted finishing up your stack and handing them over to be sent. “You are so much smarter than me, but this is where you lose words?”

“It’s Friday and I haven’t had coffee.” she pointed out. “Oh, thanks for sending me one by the way.”

“Yeah, of course. I mean you sent me one so I wasn’t gonna leave you hanging.” you nudged her playfully. 

“I didn’t send you one.” Robin looked at you, confused. 

“What?” You reached into your backpack and pulled out the notebook where you had placed the card and handed it to her. “But that’s a robin’s egg...?”

“It’s an egg, probably.” Robin agreed. “But I’m broke. I didn’t send any out.” 

You stared at the card with new eyes. If she didn’t send it, then who did?

---

“Holy shit.” Eddie muttered as a bag of lollipops was dumped on his desk with no rhyme or reason, earning a round of laughter and snickers from the class. The teacher had long since given up on trying to keep the class’s attention when the Cupid’s showed up. 

He sorted through the cards, a puzzled expression on his face as he looked at the different letters on the cards until he found one that had real words on it. 

Figure it out, Sucker <3 Eddie’s face was a wonderful mixture of amusement, bewilderment, and mild offense. 

One of the Cupid’s handed you another two lollipops as well. One was actually signed by one of your friends in band, and the other had another doodle of an egg. This time the egg was completely hatched and there was some sort of weird bird flying off. 

Not a robin. You decided, trying to figure out what it was supposed to be. 

You barely paid attention in class for the rest of the hour, your attention split between the three egg Valentines you received and the man next to you. Eddie had pulled out his Dungeon Master notebook to try and decode your message. You felt flattered that he was using his favored notebook to try and figure out your puzzle. 

Eddie was sucking on one of the lollipops diligently as he scribbled down random letters. Now that you thought about it, you’d never seen him look so studious in class before. You wondered if this is what he looked like when he was working on his campaigns and your brain decided to give you a treat of a daydream where the two of you were sitting around in your room while he explained his campaign and how he’d love to have someone like you join Hellfire-

It was three minutes before the bell, and that meant just a few minutes until your last period and the weekend. With Valentine’s day falling in the middle of the week, most of your friends were going to be off doing things with their partners. Maybe you, Robin, and Steve- no wait, Steve actually got dates. Robin worked on the weekend. 

Maybe Eddie- NOPE. Not going there, you were not about to get your hopes up for this. 

You glanced over at him again, looking at his notebook to see if he was anywhere close to decoding your name. Eddie had the worst handwriting you’d ever seen and so you would be surprised if he could even figure out his own notes. Between unjumbling your letters, he had started doodling in the margins. You assumed that they were D&D monsters from the look of it, since none of them looked like actual animals except for the bats in the corner. 

The only other thing you recognized was a dragon, drawn in a larger scale on the side of the page. It’s wings were expanded and it was flying off, and from this angle it looked like a weird...

It looked like some bird

Some sort of weird bird

Your head snapped back down to the card in front of you. This wasn’t a weird bird. It was a dragon. A dragon hatching from an egg. An egg that hatched a dragon. A dragon that was drawn with the same pose as the one in Eddie’s notebook. Eddie’s notebook had your dragon no wait, your card had his dragon-

Eddie Munson had sent you the cards. 

Eddie had-

“Oh.” You said out loud. You were nearly fighting back hysterical laughter at this, and you pressed your hands against your face, with your shoulder shaking with repressed laughter. 

Why the hell had Eddie sent you those cards? The two of you had barely spoken to each other!

 You did the same damn thing, dipshit. You reminded yourself. In fact you had gone way harder than he had. But what did this MEAN? 

The bell rang and everyone scrambled to get out of the classroom, and before you could say anything, Eddie was off and running out of the classroom at the speed of light. 

What was that about?

Robin was right. If you were ever going to have a chance with him, you were going to suck it up and talk to him, even if it meant possibly embarrassing yourself. Plus, finding out why he sent you three candygrams was currently trumping any fear of rejection. Curiosity killed the cat, but at least he died satisfied. You’re pretty sure how that saying went at least. 

You knew that Eddie had Hellfire today, it was Friday and he and all of his friends had been running around in their club shirts. With a deep breath you...realized you had no idea where the hell they actually met. 

This whole thing could have been planned better, actually. 

You started walking around the school blindly for any sign of the signature baseball tee that they all wore. If you found one of them, they were sure to lead you to Eddie. God, you felt like a stalker. 

There. Long dark curls against a stark white shirt with black sleeves. Your heart leapt in your chest, and you had to make the choice now. 

“E... Eddie! Wait up!” you called out, walking quickly towards him. 

When he turned around to look at you, you felt the air disappear from your lungs. How was it possible for him to be so beautiful and why the fuck did no one in this school seem to notice? 

Eddie pulled the lollipop he’d been sucking on out of his mouth, surprised to see you. 

“Hey.” he said. “Uh... you sit next to me in class.” 

He was either playing dumb, or you were about to make an ass of yourself. But, like Robin asked, since when do you care about dignity?

You reached into your bag and pulled out the candygrams that had been sent to you and holding them out. 

To your relief he gave you a bashful smile. “Guess you caught me, huh?” he asked. “You solved my Valentine’s puzzle.” 

“I have a pretty high intelligence when I apply myself.” you said, which only made him grin wide. “But I gotta say, Munson. I’m actually a little disappointed. I mean, sadistic and scary dungeon master of the Hellfire club, and this is the best puzzle you could come up with?”

He crossed his arms and took a step towards you. “Well, I don’t know you as well as I’d like.” he said, and your stomach erupted into butterflies. “Had to start somewhere.” 

“I guess I had to be sneaky and pay attention to you to figure it out. You’re hard not to notice, you know.” you admitted, crossing your arms as well to mimic him. 

“Being The Freak means I fail most stealth checks.” he shrugged. 

“High charisma though.” you threw out there, hoping that line would land and to your delight it did.

“It’s the Munson Magic. I come by it naturally.” Eddie’s smile was so wide it was cheesy but shit, it was working on you. 

“Not great intelligence though.” you smirked at him. 

“Oh? And how do you figure that?” He looked a little offended now, and you saw his shoulder stiffen as if he was waiting for this to suddenly go south. 

“Spell my name, Eddie.” 

You could see the lightbulb go off in his mind and his eyes widened. 

“You- wait, you were the one who kept sending me the cards?” Eddie looked nothing short of bewildered and ecstatic. You had a feeling that if things went well, you wouldn’t have to worry about ever knowing what he was thinking as he wore every emotion on his sleeve. 

“Surprise?” you asked, playing with the strap of your backpack. 

Eddie licked his lips, chasing the last of the flavor of the sucker he’d been eating. He looked at you, as if searching for something, and you cut in before he had the chance to find it. 

“Do you want to hang out sometime?” you asked, a little louder than you meant to. “Like, just us.”

“Do you think you can handle a date with The Freak?” Eddie asked, standing a little straighter. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors, and I promise the worst of them are true.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Eddie, I’ve always wanted to join Hellfire.” you smirked. “I’m sure there are worse things for a first date than sacrificing someone to Satan, or summoning demons, or joining a cult.”

“I’m a gentleman, I would never ask a lady to summon demons on the first date. That’s at least a third date activity.” Eddie held his hand to his heart and raised a hand as if making an oath. 

Oh yeah, you were going to marry him. You were already picturing proposing to him and taking him away from this town. 

“Then how about dinner at Benny’s?” you suggested. “Burgers and shakes on me and you can tell me more about Hellfire and dragons and I can give you a spelling lesson.”

Eddie ran his ringed fingers through his hair and you giggled as the rings got snagged and he struggled to untangle them. 

“It’s.. a date then.” he said, but it came out as more of a question, as if he was asking if this was really happening. 

“A date.” You agreed, handing him your number, having come prepared. 

As you began to walk away, he called out after you. 

“Wait! You said you wanted to check out Hellfire, right?” Eddie said and you turned to look at him. “I’m... I’m actually running a one shot tonight. Kind of beginner friendly enough. I don’t often do this in the middle of the semester but one of our usuals dropped out because he had a date so... we have an open seat at the table. If you think you can handle it.”

Your smile widened as you walked over to him. “I think I’ll take you up on that.”

Eddie offered his arm to you, as if he were a gentleman which you took eagerly. 

“So... how do you actually spell your name?” 

---

Dear Reader, I hope you have the easiest name to spell because that would make this fic at least 3% funnier. Also, I'm proud I got this done before Valentine's day because I never even finished my Halloween or Christmas fic. Be proud of me.

Please reblog if you enjoyed it <3

Tag List: @gagasbee, @ihaventgotaclue-really @tastefullyferal @anonymouskiwi @hellfiredarling

[chiefdirector]

Can you do one with Tim Bradford and reader where they are married. His wife is a well known officer in the K-9 unit with a German shepherd that does great work catching suspects. Maybe they had to call her in for an assignment..

Dog Days | Tim Bradford | The Rookie

"You have got to be kidding me," Tim groaned as he heard the call go out of the radio.

Normally, he would be happier that the K-9 unit had been called in, even if it meant that the current case was somewhat out of their depth. He would never complain about working with his wife, except from today.

"What's wrong?" Chen asked, shooting a confused look over to her Training Officer.

"Nothing, Boot." He snapped, keeping his eyes on the road as he pulled off the freeway. "Don't be nosy."

"I'm not- it's not important. When are the K-9 unit meeting us?"

"Whenever she can be bothered." He muttered under his breath.

Chen looked over to Bradford incredulously "What?"

"What?"

--------

"Blue, sit." Officer Bradford said, calling her dog to her heel. Blue had been assigned to her care for the last three years. They ate together, exercised together, Blue slept at the end of her bed; where (Y/N) Bradford went, Blue was never too far behind. "Good boy."

Once Blue was settled, Officer Bradford reached across for her radio on her belt, lifting it up. "Control, this is Officer (Y/N) Bradford. When is patrol getting here?"

"Patrol is arriving now." The radio buzzed, causing (Y/N) to look down the road where she saw a shop approaching. It only took a few moments for two officers, one she recognised and one she didn't. to clamber on out. SHe moved, beckoning Blue to come too, to meet her collegues.

(Y/N) kept her attention on the younger officer, paying no mind to the TO next to her. "Hi, you must be Chen. Control said you were coming. I'm ready to get started when you are."

"Sure," Chen smiled, before pointing to Tim, "and this is officer Bradford."

(Y/N) cast a side to the male officer, noticing that he was doing the same. "We've... met. Let's go, we're losing daylight."

--------

Chen was quickly losing her temper with the two senior officers as the three of them, four including Blue, searched through the overgrown garden for any sign of buried narcotics. Tim had decided to only communicate with (Y/N) through snide remarks, and (Y/N) only talked to Tim through Lucy.

"Thats it!" she snapped, causing the two senior officers to stop in their tracks and turn to her. "I don't know why you two don't like each other, but you need to stop acting like children and be professional."

"The only childish one here is-" Tim tried to defend, only to be cut of by (Y/N).

"Oh please, you started it."

"I did not!"

"Oh yeah?" (Y/N) asked incredulously, her focus zeroing in on the man, "You lied, Tim. You broke my trust!"

"It was Monopoly!"

"And you CHEATED."

"I did not!" Tim sighed.

He tried to walk away, only to be stopped by Lucy calling him back. "You guys know each other?"

Instead of responding, both of the senior officers raised their left hands, showing of their wedding bands. Chen nodded in recognition, before profusely apologising for her outburst, knowing that she would suffer the wrath of a Tim Test for this entire interaction.

(Y/N) went to make another remark when Blue started tugging on his lead, pulling her due east. Tim and Lucy followed after her at a quick pace, the childish bickering forgotten, at least for now.

Masterlist

[godisshook]

Big Red

Ethan had been my boyfriend for years, and it seemed as if I were locked in with him, even going as so far as to make life plans. We communicated and understood what each other wanted out of a relationship, we truly meshed. We had been friends since childhood, and when I came out to him, he did as well, and that was history. He would grow to become your classic student-athlete, playing every sport he could, and having tons of extracurriculars. I did band and orchestra, and adored science.

As we got to senior year of high school, I noticed something weird. Ethan would focus on the gym more and more, and he would comment on how "small" he was, comparing himself to everyone else. No matter how much I would reassure him, he always felt small, comparing himself to the biggest in the gym, who were usually grown men. My protests fell on deaf ears, however, and he became hell-bent on becoming bigger.

When we got into freshman year of college, he would be at his worst when it came to his perception of his body, and that came because of his new frat president, Jaime. He joined Greek life as he felt it was a way to build bonds. The president was the biggest guy in the frat, and would constantly show his dominance over Ethan, calling him a "bitchboy" and "Little Red." I tried to keep his mood up, but it was clear he was at a low.

We were set to go to a Christmas party held by his frat, and as I get dolled up, he comes to pick me up, feeling good and generally optimistic. When we get to the party, the pledges at the gate eye me up, and I glare at them back. As the night goes on, I feel the need to stave off sobriety, so I decided to go to get a white claw from the bar. The frat guy running the bar hands me a drink and points to my left, I immediately notice the president himself walking up to me, and telling me to "come upstairs."

The walk up two flights of stairs was definitely difficult, but as we make it up, I notice a couple of the other brothers and Ethan. The president takes off his shirt and looks over at Ethan. "We don't do hazing, but just know I can always take your bitch!" As he says this, he pulls my head down to his boxers and pulls them down, beckoning me to suck his cock. As I look at Ethan pleadingly, he stares straight at the president, with a look that could kill him dead. I was ashamed after that night, but Ethan continued to reassure me, and said, "It's just how the frat rolls."

I soon became responsible for building his diet, and because I was planning on becoming an Exercise Science major, he would jokingly call himself my "guinea pig" as I would test diets and exercise methods on him. He got bigger fast, almost too fast. He started lifting more and became obsessed with his body, we barely even talked as he would spend most of his days in the gym.

We got our own apartment off-campus, and I would still try to cook for him, and he would show his appreciation by fucking my brains out. Things were still great, though, and even as he spent most of his days in the gym, he would still make time for me.

Next year, he would become frat president, and Jaime would seemingly disappear, as he would stay a regular member. Ethan was the ultimate jock now, and he would use me whenever he wanted, calling me his "good boy."

One morning, I saw a new story post from Ethan's account. The guy in the background looks familiar, and as I search for his account, I realize it was the same guy at the party. I swipe up and ask, "Who's the guy taking ur pictures?" Ethan tells me, "I have this bitchboy taking my pictures just to be near my alpha pheromones." A realization hits me as I look closer at the photos, the guy taking the photos was none other than Jaime. Now, the guy who once towered over Ethan was taking his photos.

When I get back to our apartment that night, I see no other than Ethan in the living room, and he tells me to sit down. He explains that the sudden growth he achieved was because he took muscle from the president. As his alpha pheromones strengthened, he took more and more muscle from the frat members, until he became the biggest. Little Red was now Big Red, the most dominant guy in the frat, and the main jock of the school.

Now, he had beckoned me to his feet. I was to worship him now. He would lean back casually into the couch as I sucked on his cock slowly. Climbing up onto his cock filled me with joy, and as I bounce up and down on it, I would moan into the air, even as he would take his massive hands to block my mouth from moaning. He was laser-focused on fucking me, grunting, and pushing my body on his cock. His alpha pheromones flood my body, and I get even wetter.

He took pride in dominating me, and it felt as if he was letting out his rage at Jaime on me. I knew he wasn't really mad at me, but he certainly fucked like he was. His cock filled my whole completely, and he had to stuff it in as it was so massive. Cum filled my hole as he slammed my ass against his cock with his arms, and his dick would throb in my ass, getting cum deep in me.

I rolled over to the other side, and he hugs against me with just his boxers on. As I try to settle to sleep after he ravaged my hole, I feel a hard throb against my ass. Soon, his cock is peeking through his boxers, and by the time I look back, he's staring at me with hungry eyes, and I get wet once more. Looking at him, I can tell he's in a full rut, and he won't stop until he cums as much as it takes.

His cock slides in and out of me, and my body buckles against it. He puts my body into a full bear hug and rams his cock in and out of me. His hands go over my mouth once again, suppressing my moans. We fuck until cum is all over my body, and I lay near him, as he has finally ravaged me completely.

I dreamed of him, he was mine, and our memories together just kept expanding. Waking up in his bed, I get a familiar feeling, and look over to see Ethan gone. As I look around, I see him in the bathroom biting at my thong, "Nice thong, I see you went with green, a shame you’re not getting it back." I blush at the comment and use the comforter to cover myself as I get ready, next to Big Red himself.

[amethystsoda]

lol was wondering how long it would take as a plus size person who likes cooking for someone to make a comment like this 🙄🙄

New research

Now look, I don’t owe this anon any medical history. But I feel like I gotta defend myself I guess, so buckle in…

My weight gain started with puberty and hormones. I was literally a twig as a child. My mom says they couldn’t find pants that fit me.

I was always plus size as a teen. But I rode my bike a lot as exercise. I didn’t have control over food because my mom decided what and when I was allowed to eat (and I was homeschooled). I didn’t often get snacks. The only time we usually cooked was me and my dad at night.

I have a vivid memory of my mom pulling my shirt up in the back and grabbing at my back fat telling me I was getting stretch marks.

During this time, I also developed Hidradenitis Suppurativa flares in my armpits, thighs, under boobs etc. Not as a result of being fat, but because of hormones and effed up genetics.

During flares, it hurts even to move and brush up against them. Putting band aids on sometimes makes it worse because I’m allergic to the sticky material and my skin breaks out worse.

In college I lost a ton of weight because I had to walk everywhere. Buuuut, senior year I had a lot of emotional trauma happen and moving back in with parents after college made it worse.

After college, I had major allergy outbreaks and stress related symptoms. I also got into a car crash (not my fault) that severely messed up my muscles and mobility for a while. I would often get nauseated and couldn’t eat at times because of internal injuries healing.

Also my family made me do Keto/Low Carb for a while around 2018, but then I was just starving myself, unhappy, and plateaued. I was straight up a low carb influencer for a while, but stopped when it wasn’t sustainable.

Even while low carb/a smaller weight, I still had to deal with hidradenitis flares. Because, again, hormone related, not weight based.

So now, after a long battle with myself, I try to eat balanced meals (yes, even with carbs and sweet things in the morning), get exercise (my job has me lifting heavy stuff a lot and I try to do DDR or go on walks), and try to combat allergies and mast cell activation (which has been my current biggest battle and I’m learning more about histamines).

I have no intention of being on my 600 pound life, but just because I enjoy food doesn’t mean I deserve to be yelled at.

If my genetics decided that I was a twig and I made honey toast, you wouldn’t even say anything.

So I’m going to continue fighting for respect for plus size people, making meals that I enjoy and that nourish me or treat me, and fight for my own healing and health journey.

You don’t get to tell me that I can’t love myself and you certainly don’t get to decide what I eat.

Go take your hatred elsewhere because it’s not going to work here.

[brandogenius]

hiiii!!! your ya x munagenius is so cute!!! omg i had an idea for a blurb or something!! so like ya is abt to go out on stage and all the sudden they see like an ex best friend in the audience and turn around in a panic, what would the boys and muna do!!!!1

omg hi!! thank you :D OO ideas yess hit me with them!

i can absolutely see it in a scenario where it’s one of like maybe your 5th gig so far on tour and reader is scanning the audience and somehow manages to find their ex best friend front row barricade and it’s that feeling like their blood goes cold, stomach drops you know that one ? ya gets the nerves and goes into flight or fight mode

it’s literally just a few minutes until ya’s supposed to go on stage and the boys and muna are all cheering you on. this pre show routine of high fives and cheers but youre not yourself and kinda have this distant look in your eyes.

feeling like lucy would pick up on it first and be like “what’s wrong?” and you say your ex friend is in the audience and jo’s like “which one? the one who ditched you? ghosted you? left you when they got a boyfriend” and you’re like “yeah the last one” maybe your ex friend literally ditched you in senior year cus they got a boyfriend and yeah, it hurt watching your friend grow more distant until the contact was cut. they stopped opening your messages and replying so you stopped trying

so seeing them in the audience it brought back memories good memories that hurt with a bittersweet feeling. ya who is starting to get anxious and kinda having this “i don’t want to do this anymore i can’t go out there with them there!” and katie holding onto your shoulders doing breathing exercises kinda telling you “unfortunately we can’t kick them out for something like that. that’s nothing to do with the venue. just pretend they don’t exist alright?” katie being real but also trying to be reassuring even tho everyone in the room had beef with this specfic person

going out on stage you can TELL your ex friend is shocked to see you. to make it even funnier. ya has a segment in their setlist where they hop down from stage and give the mic to a fan. they completely walk past their ex friend and give the mic to a fan that actually is happy to see them!!

going off stage and you’re done for the night, it’s now muna’s turn to open up and munagenius hyping you up for being so cool about it and not caring!

muna AND boygenius + live band also taking lead in this too! ignoring said ex friend, when throwing / handing out drum sticks / guitar picks / carnations etc they PURPOSELY ignore ex best friend. going as far as handing guitar picks to the person beside them 😭

they hold grudges alright but they are smart about it

[mariacallous]

Forget for a moment all the potential foreign-policy implications of a second Donald Trump presidency. What are the implications for U.S. foreign policy if Trump loses the election, denies its outcome, and tries to overturn it? How would the United States, longtime champion of democracy promotion abroad, be able to continue doing so when it has become clear that so much of the country has so little support for the actual exercise of democracy?

If Trump performs as he did in 2020 and narrowly loses the upcoming election—and polls suggest the race remains a toss-up—the likelihood of a repeat of the “Stop the Steal” campaign and a concerted effort to subvert the outcome again appears high. 

Both Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, have repeatedly refused to say whether they’ll accept the outcome of the election (unless they win). The mechanics for a similar challenge to the election’s outcome, focusing on replacing legitimate state electors with fraudulent electors, which was invented on the fly in late 2020, has been significantly built up. Election experts fear Trump has a more robust plan to overturn the election than his ultimately failed bid after the 2020 vote. And he’s already saying as much, launching broadsides in late October against allegedly fraudulent ballots in Pennsylvania, a critical state for both candidates.

His first effort to subvert a presidential election, culminating in the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was harmful enough to the image of the United States as a bastion of democracy. 

“Our soft power, our ability to attract and inspire, has already been damaged by all this—by the threats that Trump made in 2016 that he wouldn’t accept the election unless it went his way, and then what he did in 2020,” said Larry Diamond, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

But the Biden administration nevertheless made democracies-versus-authoritarians a guiding principle of its foreign policy during its first years in office, even convening a handful of democracy summits. It seems to be a losing battle. Illiberal and authoritarian regimes are growing in number (most recently in the republic of Georgia), while democracies and freedom are in retreat. Those regimes are banding together, whether through bilateral ties (such as Russia and North Korea), multilateral groupings (the expanded BRICS is taking an anti-Western tilt), or even inside the European Union (Hungary’s prime minister has become Russia’s new Vyacheslav Molotov).

If Trump wins the election outright, fears of another Jan. 6 are moot, and major concerns can revert to issues such as the future of NATO, the fate of Ukraine, and the promised global trade war. But a Trump victory would also severely diminish U.S. democratic credentials, Diamond argued.

“If Trump wins, particularly after the campaign of racism, misogyny, authoritarian threats and intimidation, xenophobia, and so on, if he wins after that, the damage from that compared to the fallout from a contested election will be far greater,” he said.

If Vice President Kamala Harris wins the vote—and takes office next January after a prolonged campaign to delegitimize the election—how much could U.S. democratic credentials suffer on the global stage?

“It’s a very plausible outcome, another period where we look like the problem when it comes to democratic practice,” said Richard Fontaine, chief executive of the Center for a New American Security, a D.C.-based think tank. Fontaine recently published a joint call for the next administration to revitalize democracy promotion to bolster U.S. national security.

“It would make it harder and be a major distraction. The world has become less democratic over the last 15 or so years, and I think that is a more dangerous world than otherwise,” he said. “The degree to which U.S. policy and leadership can influence that direction one way or the other is important for the world, and for our own security.”

For some 80 years, Washington has sought to promote democracy abroad as a way to boost its security and prosperity at home. More democracies generally means a more stable international order, with fewer threats to U.S. prosperity or core interests. The issue has become especially acute as illiberal and authoritarian states attempt to promote an alternative vision of the international order that would have both as its goal and its consequence a weaker United States. Democracy in disarray at home would only blunt that longtime fixture of U.S. diplomacy.

Democracy promotion “is in our DNA, so it should be part of our toolbox and a natural component because of who we are,” said Derek Mitchell, nonresident senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former president of the National Democratic Institute, a nongovernmental organization that promotes democracy globally. Mitchell also just wrote a piece underscoring the importance of democracy promotion.

“More than that, it is, I think, our comparative advantage right now in the defining question of the 21st century: What norms will guide the world in the decades ahead? The question is, are we going to be reaffirming those democratic norms both at home and abroad as something in our interest?” Mitchell said.

That’s why the risk of a repeat of a contested election, coming in a deeply polarized and paralyzed American society, would be problematic in that bigger contest.

“Obviously the brand is degraded, and the autocrats will be able to use what is happening in the United States as a cudgel against America’s pretension—I think real support—for democracy,” Mitchell said.

The other risk from a contested election and a repeat of January 2021 is the power of example. Diamond noted that former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s effort to stay in office after losing in Brazil’s October 2022 election “was completely inspired by what Trump did and even the methods. So it’s not just that our soft power will be damaged by another post-election crisis, it will also have demonstration effects.”

Perhaps concerns over the tarnish left by another messy election are overblown. After all, Woodrow Wilson pledged to make the world “safe for democracy” while championing segregation, and before women’s suffrage was real. Succeeding presidents, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Trump officials all championed democracy abroad while grappling with democratic deficits at home.

“The United States has always had flaws in its democracy even while maximally promoting democracy and human rights,” Fontaine said.

History suggests that not even overt shows of support for authoritarianism and disdain for democracy can derail that train. Just two years after the first mass Nazi rally in New York City in 1939, Freedom House was created to promote democracy around the globe—the start of a decade that culminated with Roosevelt’s “arsenal of democracy,” the creation of the United Nations, and the birth of the Marshall Plan.

The United States’ own travails with democracy could, in the event of an eventual Harris win and successful inauguration, even give Washington the ability to more effectively promote democracy abroad tempered by the experience. That could make it better able to relate to fragile democracies that struggle against the seemingly never-ending attacks they face, Mitchell said.

“The U.S. struggle only points to how difficult it is,” he said. “Institutions are vitally important—that was the lesson of 2020, and maybe of 2024.”

[munsonsreputation]

#4 taylor x stranger things 🧣

Eddie Munson with You’re On Your Own Kid?

Maybe focused about the lyrics “Writing in my room

I play my songs in the parking lot” as soon as I heard those lyrics while first listening to midnights I thought of him immediately!

hi katya!!!!!

i love this request so much and i hope you like the take that i took on your request!! it's something different, but i thought this point of view made sense <3

thank you for this request and all the sweet comments...i means the world to me!!!! 🌎💫💘

Eddie hated getting emotional, or at least he used to especially when he was a little kid still living with his drunk off his ass dad. Living in that type of environment made it hard for him to express how he felt.

If he was angry, sad, disappointed, hurt, or even over the moon happy—he didn’t quite know what to make of those feelings and instead locked them away to avoid getting a drunken lecture or a smack across the cheek for being too emotional.

It wasn’t until Eddie moved in with his uncle Wayne that he learned how to cope with these emotions. How emotions were actually a good thing, and Wayne wanted to know how Eddie was feeling. That if there was anything he could do to make him feel better, he would do it in a heartbeat. That there was no such thing as being “too” emotional. That everything feeling good or bad meant something that it was important to talk to someone about it.

But of course, Wayne wasn’t always home. He worked his ass off to pay the bills and make rent, all while making sure his nephew continued school and had a fruitful future that could get him out of this town.

But he didn’t know that Eddie had his own ticket out and it was through something deeper that would touch the lives of many.

Songwriting had become a sort of therapy for the young boy. Most times it was just random sentences, almost like a diary entry that was written across the pages of his notebook. But those sentences later turned into lyrics, those of which would be carried by a guitar that Wayne gifted him for a birthday.

It started just as simple as it sounded. Writing in his room while strumming that guitar as he sang out the words until it became something to him. Like the words and tune had taken a life of its own and, for once in his life, Eddie felt proud of himself.

He felt even prouder to know that he kept songwriting and playing that guitar going for the last ten years. In high school, he founded his own band, others who also enjoyed writing and jamming out in empty parking lots just so people could hear them. It wasn’t until their senior that they got picked up by the bar that they played out of. Offering him and his band a weekend to play, letting his lyrics be heard by many more ears.

All of it seemed like a wild dream that he was chasing without ever having a map, but he was determined, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to quit anytime soon. He had one plan in mind: to keep making music, get the hell out of Hawkins, and bring his uncle with him.

So maybe the road wasn’t smooth. The journey wasn’t easy. But it all came down to one thing, and that was feeling. Feeling like he was where he was meant to be. Feeling like he belonged. Feeling like there was a world out there where he could be heard. Feeling like everything was going to fall into place one day.

And it felt like today was one of the days.

“I’m fuckin’ nervous as shit.” Eddie’s leg shook up and down as you giggled, clutching his hand in yours while he squeezed down on it.

“Just take a deep breath in babe.” You instructed him coolly.

Repeating the breathing exercises that he mimicked, trying to get ahold of his emotions right now. Not knowing if he could keep it together any longer. It all felt too surreal. He never thought he’d be sitting in this room with a bunch of people he looked up to growing up. That the people he listened to and inspired his own writing was coming up to him and congratulating him on an exciting debut album.

“Win or lose, you’ve had a great year kid.” Wayne spoke lowly, patting him on the back where he sat on the other side of him.

Wayne was right. Eddie had an amazing year as a solo artist and while it sucked having to watch his band, go after other dreams, you were more than proud of him for sticking around and making it through, fueled by his own determination and will to pursue this career.

You just knew that he was meant for this. That the second you heard that boy in the bar singing about sprinkler splashes and fireplace ashes that he was going to be something big. Eddie Munson was more than a pretty metal head, but surely one that had something to say and deserved to be heard—and you were just grateful that you could be along for the ride to see him grow and be loved around the world, just like you and Wayne loved him.

“And the winner for album of year goes to…”

Eddie closed his eyes, clutching your hand tighter and feeling the squeeze that Wayne was giving his shoulder in anticipation for the next words the announcers would peep.

“The Banished, Eddie Munson!”

A gasp left your lips, slinging your arms across his neck as you pulled him into a hug and the arena erupted in applauses and cheers. Wayne was busy celebrating to himself, clapping his hands and hollering out the words, “I knew! I knew it, son!”

“Holy shit! I love you,” He stammered in your ear, hugging you tight, feeling the happy tears you were weeping fall across his neck.

You sniffled, pulling away, as you grabbed his cheeks and stared at him lovingly, “I love you too! Now go get your award, rockstar!”

Eddie smiled, kissing you deeply before finally standing up. Reeling in the people who were on their feet for him as he walked through the aisle and up the velvet stairs where the presenters proudly handed him his award and gave him a hug.

“Wow….Jesus, I just need a second.” Eddie shook his head, looking out into the abyss of people that extended from the floor out into the stands where the flashing of cameras and cheers never ended.

“I just gotta say thank you to everyone who voted for me…” He paused, holding up his award and shoving it towards the camera, “and this would not be possible without the fans. Without my long-time friends, Corroded Coffin…this is for you guys. I wouldn’t be here without ya’ and I miss you guys every day.”

He paused, letting everyone clap before he continued, placing the trophy down onto the glass stand as he took a moment to breathe and try to collect everything he was feeling and put it into the right amount of words.

“For a long time, I thought I was just writing out of my ass to be honest with you,” He chucked, as did everyone else who laughed along, “but, uh, I’ve noticed that every song I’ve written has correlated to something I’m feeling in the moment…and when I was younger, when this whole dream started, it was about feeling alone.”

He shook his head, looking down as he could feel the tears springing to his eyes just thinking about how far he had come.

“But I’m thankful I found songwriting because it gave me that outlet to say anything—to be heard for once. And I just want to dedicate this award to my twelve-year-old self…”

Eddie Munson looked deeply into that camera, shooting that gaze towards the thousands in attendance and the millions watching from home in awe.

“Twelve-year-old me, I’ve got a message for ya,” He sniffled, smiling as the happy tears slipped down his cheeks, “Y-you made it! You’ve got your uncle! The love of your life! People who love your music!”

His voice cracked, as the cheers got louder and everyone at home watching from their couches seemed to get choked up as well.

“You’re not alone, kid!”

And that’s when Eddie Munson knew he made it. To see himself finally up on the stage that he once dreamed of being on with his girlfriend and his uncle clapping proudly because they knew it, too. All of those empty parking lots and dingy bars brought him here. The blood, sweat, and tears poured out into something good.

Something that would last and let the outcasts like Eddie know that they weren’t alone.

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[noonaishere]

Music of the Heart [J.YH] - twenty-six | more like “drone strike parenting”

The next few months were bliss. Winter came and went and you spent almost every weekend at Yunho’s house practicing bass, normally with headphones on while he played video games or studied. Sometimes you helped him practice for a play he was in or an exercise for his acting class. Sometimes he sang along with your playing, if he knew the song. His parents didn’t bother you at all, so there wasn’t much lying either of you had to do.

You felt like things were starting to come together; all you had to do was get through senior year, and then you and Yunho would move to Seoul together where you could both pursue your dreams.

One day - you were sitting at the edge of his bed practicing and Yunho was on the floor, using the side of the bed as a backrest - he took a break from reading lines for a play he was in in the local community theater to listen to you playing. He watched you, smiling as you played along with the music you were listening to, letting the final note ring out as you finished it.

“How the hell did you get so good already?”

“Because I’m a fucking genius,” you winked.

Yunho chuckled, his ears going pink.

You started another song and Yunho watched you as you practiced, a small smile on his lips the whole time. It was nice to know that your audience of one enjoyed the show.

After you were done you put the bass down and joined him in sitting on the floor.

“So, I was on one of the library computers a couple days ago, you know, just snooping around on some music forums and stuff--”

“Was that the day you missed lunch?”

“Mhm. Anyway, I saw a band advertising that they needed a bassist.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, in Seoul.”

“Wow.”

“I sent them a message.” You smiled.

His eyebrows ticked up and he sat up straight. “Oh-- really?”

“Mhm.”

“Mmm.... What’d they say?”

“I checked today, and they said they’re excited to hear me play. They’re only a couple years older than us.”

His mouth opened, shocked. “You’re going to audition?”

You nodded.

“When?”

“Two weeks.”

“Wow… What happens if you get it?”

“I’ll move out there right after graduation. Step one of the dream. All of the timing works out perfectly.”

Yunho looked down and fiddled with the hem of his shirt. “I… I’ve been going to auditions at theaters there, but I haven’t gotten any callbacks yet…”

“So go for more. You just have to keep going and going until someone calls you back.”

“But what if no one calls me back. What if I'm not good enough to act in a real production?”

“Horseshit.”

He turned to you.

“I’ve seen every school production and community production you’ve ever been in. You’re a great actor.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. You’ll get a callback, I know it.”

He smiled and nodded.

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[dino-mp3]

blog intro :)

3-23-24

Hello I’m Dino! I wanted to make an introduction post for my tumblr since I decided I wanted to start posting to motivate myself and others! I thought it would be nice to list my personal goals, interests, etc. :)

also pls ignore any grammar issues I don’t feel like putting this through Grammarly :,)

Goals

Work towards a 4.5 gpa: I have currently maintained a 4.2 gpa for this school year I wish it was 4.5, but I have 2 b’s :( So I’m going to work towards a 4.5 for this last quarter and senior year!

Become a better speaker: My ultimate career is to be a lawyer! With that comes working to be a better speaker. I get quite nervous when it comes to taking to a large group of people and start to talk fast. On top of this at my mock trial meet I messed up my direct horribly because of how nervous I was to talk in front of the judge and jury :,)

Get best lawyer during Mock Trial Comp: I won best attorney this year, but I don’t think I deserved it…I want to be more confident in my win this time around!

4 or 5 on AP Exams: I want to get a 4 or 5 on both my AP Lang and APUSH Exams in May! I need to study and practice hard though, but I’m willing to put the hard work in ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

Practice flute more often: I play the flute for my schools band and while I have only been playing for 7 months now I have to keep up with people who have been playing for 5+ years :,) With that I want to practice more to keep up and for my personal interest of just becoming more skilled with the flute!

Turing in homework on time: I have made a bad habit of turning my homework in late which is so bad oml I need to get out of it

Exercise: I want to start working out regularly to lose some weight :) While I’m at a healthy weight I just want to lose a few pounds for aesthetic purposes, but in a healthy manner!

Love myself more: I forget to remind myself that I have gotten so far and I have evolved over the years. I want to make sure that I know that I’m worthy of love even when I’m at my lowest.

Interests

Music: I’m a big fan of all genres (even some country songs too) but I’m a big listener of k-pop! But here is a list of my favorite groups + musicians: Red Velvet, Melanie Martinez, Laufey, Idelwork, Frank Sinatra, NMIXX, Ive, Megan Thee Stallion, Flo Milli, Poppy, Lesserafim, Aespa, Newjeans, Infinity Song, Kiss of Life, and many more!

Media: I’m not going to list every kind of media I’m into but here is a small taste! Big fan of ARGs, Indie Horror games (puppet combo specifically), Mascot Horror games (FNAF + Poppy Playtime), Anime (although I haven’t watched anything recently, but my fave is TBHK), K-dramas and Thai-dramas, YouTube video essays (TRO, iNabber, Primik, Stephanie Soo), Cartoons (Owl House, Gravity Falls, Amphibia, MLP, stuff like that), RPG + Dating Sim games (Shooter game HATER here), Sitcoms, Snoopy/Peanuts, Miraculous Ladybug (biggest MariChat lvr) Twisted Wonderland (Azul my love) and a BUNCH more things I’m into, but I’m not going to list them all like I said :,)

Hobbies: Doing my nails, playing my flute, writing fanfics (don’t judge I BEGGG), reading (pls recommend books for me to read, I love the classics too), deco (for my photo cards and notebooks lol), and makeup!

I think that should suffice for my introduction, though it looks a bit long…I’m a blabber could you tell?

Anyways thank you for sticking around for the end! If you want to see any updates on my goals or read my blabber about my interests don’t hesitate to follow me! (Also follow me on Ao3 @/dino_mp3 if you’re an Azul lvr bc all my fanfics are about him) This tumblr is more of a casual stop for me to be more myself and work towards a better me :) But thank you again and I hope you have a good day/night! Don’t forget to drink water :D

-Dino

[earth-93]

Mystic’s Musings: New Warriors, the Animated Series

Hey, y'all.

Now that I got the ball rolling on this site, I want to start sharing all my other thoughts and ideas not related to Earth-93 (Though, in the case of this one, it very well might be incorporated into Earth-93 sometime down the line. We'll see). And I figured what better place to start than with the project that not only predated Earth-93, but might have been my earliest, most committed attempt at a fanwork ever: A treatment for an animated series based on the underrated Marvel super-team, the New Warriors.

HISTORY

First, come context, as there is a chance a lot of you might not know the full story.

The New Warriors first made their debut in 1989 in a two-issue arc of The Mighty Thor, where the young heroes sprang into action to assist Eric Masterson in a brawl with the Juggernaut. They would get their own series the following year, developed and written by Fabian Nicieza and drawn by Mark Bagley. Comparisons to the Distinguished Competition's own band of young superheroes have been made over the years, but more than a replication of George Perez's iconic New Teen Titans run, Nicieza described the Warriors as more of a hang-out group who sometimes fought evil and even saved the world: "The New Warriors isn't an official group with a rule book and charter and the like. They're more of a club for super-powered teens. So if Darkhawk wants to hang out on a Friday evening and talk about his powers, then he'll stop by the New Warriors' crash pad."

While the original series had a fairly solid 75-issue run, any attempts afterwards to reboot the Warriors have struggled to find any footing, up to this day. I'm sure you are all well aware of the infamous backlash for the pitch of the newest New Warriors rebrand back in 2020, but you might be surprised to know that was merely the tip of the iceberg for the team's bad luck in continuing their legacy. If not the whole "Snowflake & Safespace" debacle, you probably know of the Warriors as the reckless, fame-hungry super-team who provoked a supervillain into committing the Stamford Incident and kicking off the first Civil War. That and the entire reality show premise of that run was but one of many attempts from the late 90's all the way up into the present to relaunch the team, sometimes with a few founding members but never a full-on reunion, and all have had middling runs if not preemptively cancelled altogether, as was the case for the 2020. This bad luck extends even outside of published comics, with a Squirrel Girl-staring New Warriors live-action series getting canned before it really got off the ground.

The Warriors have existed in this strange comic-book limbo where they can never quite catch a break, yet continue to have consistent enthusiasm backing them to try again a few years down the line. The original run concluded before I was even born, so I was exposed to and became endeared with the Warriors retroactively. Going back to my senior year of high school, I was obsessed with shows like Young Justice and Spectacular Spider-Man. Around the same time, I had come upon the story bibles for Gargoyles and Batman: The Animated Series online, which gave me the drive to try my own hand out at adapting a comic property in the framework of an animated series as a writing exercise. I was too intimidated at the time to write for a big name such as Spidey, not feeling my skill and familiarity at the time was up to the task. I then thumbed through my school library’s copy of the Marvel Encyclopedia, where I first came upon the Warriors. Operating in their own little bubble, not too terribly tied to any major characters or events, they seemed ripe for adaptation, and I slowly collected the original run on eBay. I read the entire first twenty-five issues over one weekend and was hooked. To this day,  my friends among fandom spaces know me as the resident New Warriors scholar and defender.

Much like the Warriors themselves, this project has had many stops and starts since its inception. A lot of thought and effort put into it, but never really at any semblance of completion, and almost always back at a time where I was too comfortable with sharing my works with others in the first place. At best, it was more of an idle project to tinker with on my creative off-days, such energy would shuffle around to other endeavors, including what would become Earth-93. But in my boost of confidence with my writing and just wanting to make a habit of getting more material out there, I decided to dust off all my notes and give it a more proper shot. Shout out, by the way, to @spiralcass​ , whose own #New X-Men: The Animated Series project and minimalist screenplay format lit a fire under me to revisit a similar project.

If this pitch is well-received, it will become the first of a two-part entry; the second of which I will get more in-depth with recurring and supporting characters, as well as an outline to what a figurative first season of storytelling would play out as. But before we get to the cast, allow me to set the stage:

SETTING

The wider world the Warriors live in is early 90's Marvel, full stop. I would like to feel as though we have progressed past the point of making fun of Liefeld's art and can appreciate the quality content in the supposed Dark Age of Comics that existed amid the admittedly still quite embarrassing material that grabs most people's attention when looking back on that era. The Warriors are absolutely an era highlight, and as plotting and research developed the figurative show slowly evolved into a love letter to the Marvel canon as it existed in the early to mid 90's.

That's not to say the art direction to this figurative show would reflect this period or any particular artist, though I would absolutely preserve various designs and specific status quos as homages and signifiers. Reed Richards is rocking a fisherman's vest. Ghost Rider is burning a blue flame. The Hulk can be seen sporting a black tank top, and seems to have gotten his temper under control. Spidey is zipping around in the Ben Reilly suit (Is it actually Ben? We won't know, this isn't Spidey's story). Et cetra.

There will also be two major events prior to the events of the series which will significantly shape the wider world:

OPERATION: GALACTIC STORM

As the Kree-Shi'ar War begins to encroach into the Sol System, the Avengers bring on every active member they have and split into three teams. Two will enter space and sneak into both sides of the alien war to try and diffuse the conflict while one stays behind to protect the Earth. It is a prolonged effort out in space, where every hero fights and negotiates with everything they have, and it all ends up doing nothing when a bio-bomb is released that decimates the majority of the Kree race. Not too long after the heroes discover much to their horror that the bomb as well as the war itself was orchestrated by the Kree's leader, the Supreme Intelligence, who deduced that a mass culling of its people was a necessary action to jumpstart Kree’s stagnant evolution. 

This revelation shook the Avengers to their core, and while some just wanted to go home, others refused to leave until justice was served. This faction of Avengers, led by Iron Man, stormed the Supreme Intelligence's base and killed the being in retribution, while the opposing Captain America-led faction stood their ground. The heroes returned home splintered, and returned to find the Earthbound team having fallen into dysfunction.

All of this would have happened less than a year before the Warrior's formed, but it would still radically reshape the superhero community. Cap and Wasp remain leaders of the Avengers proper, holding down a new, more oddball team as many veterans stepped away following Galactic Storm. Some joined Iron Man's Force Works team in California, who took a more proactive mission statement to their duties rather than primarily intervening at the moment of crisis. Others had taken up employment at the recently expanded Heroes For Hire, and a few outright retired.

THE TAMING OF TERRAX

The Sphinx was an immortal wizard who sought to find a means of finally ending his overlong life. He menaced the hero called Nova, believing the Xandarian Worldmind might have the answer to his query, but upon tapping into the vast knowledge of the Worldmind, Sphinx swiftly changed his directive and sought to steal this power for himself and ascend to godhood. Nova failed to fight back against the Sphinx, necessitating the intervention of the Fantastic Four. The Four in turn found themselves bargaining with Galactus to overpower the Sphinx, and the eater of worlds cajoled the heroes finding him a new herald in exchange for his intervention. 

Desperate, the Four targeted Tyros the Tamer, the brutal ruler of a small planet, rationalizing he is more deserving of such a fate than others. Imbued with the Power Cosmic, Tyros became Terrax, gaining an incorporeal form that took solid shape of whatever solid matter the planet he strikes down into is composed of. Galactus slew Sphinx, hurling him into a time loop where the immortal’s consciousness would be worn down to almost nothing, and for punishment of bringing both Xandar and potentially the entire universe to the brink, Nova was stripped of his powers and sent back to Earth as an ordinary teenager, Richard Rider. 

Just a few years later, Terrax would break free of Galactus’ bonds, and crash into Manhattan, demanding the Four face him, or else he would bring the city down to rubble. It was then that six superpowered youths would take the call to protect New York...

MAIN CHARACTERS - THE WARRIORS

NIGHT THRASHER

Mix:

Fistful of Steel - Rage Against the Machine

Cult of Personality - Living Colour

Bring Da Ruckus - Wu-Tang Clan

Re-Ignition - Bad Brains

Life Goes On - House of Pain

Dwayne Taylor’s comfortable childhood as the son of a philanthropist was violently upended one night when his parents were gunned down in the street right in front of him. Taken in by his father’s war buddy Andrew Chord, Dwayne spent his adolescence honing his body and mind, channeling his grief and rage into becoming the Night Thrasher, New York’s newest costumed vigilante. Initially, Dwayne formed a partnership with the brother-sister duo of Midnight’s Fire and Silhouette, and for a time the three struck out as a trio patrolling the streets of lower Manhattan. A gang bust gone awry left Silhouette critically injured and Dwayne barely escaping with his life from the wrath of Fire, who blamed Dwayne for his sister’s paralysis. Dwayne retreated to Madame Tai, his and Chord’s enigmatic martial arts master, dejected over his failings, to which Tai merely scolded her pupil further before instructing him to lick his wounds and try again. 

When he did, Dwayne decided to dream bigger, accessing SHIELD and Hellfire data to find candidates to a super-team that could match the iconography of the Fantastic Four. Dwayne’s candidates understandably did not take well to Dwayne’s method of recruitment, assembling them at a meet-up through vague, threatening messages and testing their skills through direct combat. When Terrax suddenly menaced the city, the quartet were able to put their enmity aside for the sake of others, and through Dwayne’s tactical skills they succeeded in fending off the cosmic threat long enough for the F4 to take him down. The public gave the more famous team with the success over the fight, but none of them could deny they had a synergy capable of great feats. Dwayne propositioned the group once more, this time far less abrasively, and thus the New Warriors officially came together. 

Dwayne is steadfast, focused, and wildly competent, though a lot of that is not wholly authentic to who Dwyane truly is. He takes any failure very personally, and has low tolerance for it with those around him.  Dwayne starts off treating the Warriors more as soldiers than as teammates, to which most of them manage to tolerate with for their own reasons. This will come to a head part way through the first season, when Speedball’s mother comes under threat by a gang of eco-terrorists, and instead Dwayne is attempting to keep the Warriors on track to his ongoing plans to strike back against Midnight’s Fire. The few people whom Dwayne trusts to be vulnerable with is Chord and Silhouette, who even then Dwayne is more talking at while she remains in the coma her injury left her in. That slowly changes the more he works alongside the Warriors, and finds the affirmation that Madame Tai never provided. As the season goes on, Dwayne uncovers the conspiracy behind his parent’s murder and the devastating reveal of who had been manipulating the direction of his life into the present. With the Warriors’ help, Dwayne fights back, but in that victory he also loses that razor-sharp focus which had largely allowed him to operate through the trauma left unresolved. By the season’s end, Dwayne will pass along leadership duties to Namorita as he takes some time off with Silhouette to more properly find himself. 

FIRESTAR

Mix: 

Do You Wear The Mark - Danzig

Mary-Christ - Sonic Youth 

Velouria - The Pixies 

Crush - Smashing Pumpkins 

Angels of Deception - The The

Angelica Jones’ mutant ability to generate microwave heat first manifested through the intense grief of her beloved grandmother passing away when Angelica was fourteen. Rather than a certain man in a wheelchair entering the scene, the Jones household was instead visited by Emma Frost, the villainous White Queen of the Hellfire Club but known by the public as the headmistress to the esteemed Massachusetts Academy. Angelica’s father, well-meaning but unequipped and overwhelmed as how to nurture his daughter and her newfound powers, hastily agreed to Frost’s offer to take in Angelica and properly tutor her. Though Emma initially planned to enroll Angelica into her clique of mutant students she dubbed the Hellions, once Emma estimated the sheer scope of Angelica’s microwave powers, she instead took the young girl directly under her wing. Over the course of her adolescence, Angelica was desensitized to violence and had her devotion to Emma solidified through entrapment and emotional and psychic manipulation, all in the service of Angelica being made to be a literal nuclear option for Emma, should her feud with her fellow Hellfire members necessitate it. 

Angelica was discouraged from socializing with her fellow Hellions to ensure Emma’s direct control. When a rogue student Emplate fled the Academy, Angelica went against Emma’s orders out of her utter devotion and tracked down Emplate herself. During their fight, Emplate used his powers to unearth Emma’s exploitation of Angelica that had always been in her periphery, but could no longer deny. Her entire world shaken, Angelica was driven into a blind rage and stormed back to destroy Emma’s personal office back at the Academy. She left for home, threatening Emma to never come near her again. Angelica attempted to return to her old life, but the years of abuse had turned the shy but kindly young girl into a sullen and withdrawn teenager, unwilling to let other people in and distrustful and resentful to even her father for allowing Emma to come into her life in the first place. Then came the fateful evening where she came home to an empty house and a vaguely threatening message left by Dwayne. By the end of that night, Angelica was forced to use her powers for the first time in months for the sake of the city. 

Firestar might be my favorite characters in the whole team, and I love the backstory that Tom DeFalco had crafted for her after the decision to make her canon to the main Marvel universe. With that said, there was always one glaring thing about her that was one of my least favorable aspects of the original Warrior’s run, and that is that, for the most part, there’s no real impetus for Angel to continue with the superhero life. In both her origin story as well as the first few arcs of the series, she is portrayed as having overcome the trauma inflicted upon her by Emma Frost and is by all accounts a well-adjusted teenager. I always felt what Angel went through would have created far deeper repercussions than her initial depictions would have let on, something that Angel’s more recent depictions in the Krakoa era appear to be aware of. 

Committing to that, I decided Angel’s initial arc would be while she is still very hesitant to use her powers offensively even as a hero, she nonetheless agrees to join the Warriors because, at that time, there’s no one else she can confide in how having superpowers has affected her life. Eventually, Emma will reenter Angel’s life and will finally overcome her menace for good, but in the following episode Angel will realize how hollow her victory truly feels, and it will take more than retribution to fix her problems. From this, Angel steadily opens herself up a bit, which in turn allows her to better empathize with her teammates. She can better recognize the pain in Dwayne’s eyes, and how the brutality in his combat might stem from more than a bad attitude. She sees Vance as less of a stuffed shirt and a boy scout, and how his own trauma shaped who he is. And she becomes more receptive to Nita’s efforts at becoming a friend. In effect, Angel becomes a happier, more well-rounded person thanks to being a New Warrior. 

NOVA

Mix: 

Tear It Up - Queen 

Take Me Home - LOUDNESS 

Love Gun - KISS

Fire Your Guns - AC/DC 

Turbo Lover - Judas Priest

Richard Rider was just an average teenager before he was the unexpected bystander to Nova Corpsman Rohmann Dey’s crash-landing onto Earth. Mortally injured, Dey entrusted his powers and duties of interstellar peacekeeping to the young man, and for the next several Rich years went on high-flying adventures as Kid Nova, the human rocket. One day, however, Rich squared off with a villain far stronger than him, putting both the treasured Worldmind of the Nova Corps home planet Xandar and with it the safety of the very universe. As punishment, Rich was stripped of his rank and sent back to Earth, where he found out his prolonged time out in space left him severely behind on his schooling. No powers and no diploma, Rich is slaving away at a dead-end fast food job when Dwayne leaves his meet-up directions. Unlike Angel or Vance, Rich has no powers to test out against Dwayne, to which Dwayne retorts that his research has led him to believe Rich’s Nova powers are still within him, but as a fail-safe in a life or death situation. With this, Dwayne hurls Rich off the roof, and though Rich does find himself once more encased in his Nova armor, it was not for the reasons Dwayne stated. Rich attempts to fight Terrax on his own, but realizing how rusty he has become, allows the others to assist in spite of the power gap between him and them. 

Rich will slowly mature into the seasoned hero some of us know him to be. His time in the Warriors is that awkward middle ground between that and being the plucky new hero on the scene, a broad archetype I like to call the Washed Up High School Athlete. Having fallen so low and then seemingly reclaimed his lost glory, Rich has a bit of an ego about him. Additionally, Rich is inarguably the most experienced in the superhero game than any other Warrior. He’s gone out to space multiple times, has had tons of team-ups with major players, and has had his own robust rogues gallery. Rich’s arrogance, however, doesn’t come from an overestimation of his abilities—no, he learned that the hard way in his battle with Sphinx. Rather, it comes from the flip-side of an insecurity to prove that he’s still worthy of being Nova. He’ll pall around with Speedball, develop a teasing friendship with Justice, and butt heads repeatedly with Thrash. Part of which stems from a desire to lead the Warriors himself, but as he slowly learns humility he will concede that just because he’s the power house doesn’t mean he deserves to be running the show. This is when his bond with Nita strengthens, who previously rolled her eyes at Rich’s flirtations, but shows due respect and encouragement once Rich slowly began to take things more seriously. 

JUSTICE

Mix: 

Something I Learned Today - Hüsker Dü 

Everything Turns Grey - Agent Orange 

Outside The Trains Don’t Run On Time - Gang of Four 

Life Goes On - The Damned 

Lawless - Social Distortion 

Vance Astrovik grew up in a lonely household, with his mother having died when Vance was young and his father emotionally distant, unsupportive, and generally scolding and abusive. A chance encounter with a strange man in the park, who advised Vance to “focus” his frustrations, allowed him to first tap his mutant powers of telekinesis. As Vance got older and his father’s abuse became physical, Vance lashed out with his powers before running away from home. Vance enrolled into the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, lying about his age and utilizing his telekinesis to imitate super-strength, to make a living on his own. After winning a streak of matches under the persona of “Marvel Boy”, Vance was set up with the UCWF’s highest-profile contender: The one and only Thing, who like Vance was at the time also living a life on the road, struggling to find himself. Seeing the eyes of an angry, tortured young man staring back at him struck a chord with Ben, and he very quickly threw the fight against the promoter’s demands. Ben let Vance use him as a big, stony punching bag to let out all his emotions, and when the match was over Ben approached Vance more earnestly. 

With the senior hero’s help, Vance slowly started to get his life back together. Vance went back to New York with Ben, where he split his time between a contract with the Heroes For Hire while also catching up on his missing education. For the first time ever, Vance’s life was stable, and through the Heroes For Hire he was even able to live out his dream of being a superhero, though he longed for the gung-ho adventuring of the profession that didn’t seem to be around in his generation. It was that type of longing that made Vance the most amenable to Dwayne’s proposal, despite his unorthodox method of recruitment. When up against Terrax, Vance was directed by Dwayne to use his telekinesis in a more intangible way, and pooling his powers with Speedball’s, ended up becoming an instrumental force in disarming Terrax and saving the day. Vance’s enthusiasm continued into Dwayne’s second attempt to assemble a team, and was the first one to agree. 

Vance is the fanboy of the team, who loves all things superhero. Rather than having the plucky enthusiasm a character like Robbie might instead bring, think of Vance as the type of fan who is somewhat embarrassed or even ashamed to be a fan among his given friend group. He’s reserved and stoic a lot of the time, but the moment he’s in his element or encounters a fellow fan in the wild, a switch just goes off in him and his enthusiasm comes out. Ergo, Vance could potentially be the point of exposition in a given situation (Because he's done the research on his down time) but only if other team members such as Dwayne (The tactician) or Rich (The senior most hero) aren't around to exposit themselves, or might just be drawing a blank on the matter at hand. This close-to-the-vest behavior is extremely indicative of Vance at the beginning. He is reserved yet courteous, bashful yet determined. He believes the most in the Warriors, but because of his fledging confidence never volunteers to actually lead. 

He will start the series utilizing his powers more like Superboy, "tactical telekinesis" and all, but the more the series goes along and the more emotionally available Vance becomes, the more his mind becomes open to the more intangible aspects of his powers. Vance is patient towards Dwayne's hostilities, but less so with Rich's braggart behavior. He geeks out over Namorita at first, badgering her with questions over her famous cousin, but learns to reel back and respect Nita as a person and as a hero in her own right. He gets along well with Bobby in their mutual enthusiasm, though Bobby is significantly less mature and far more rambunctious than Vance might prefer. The only team member Vance actively comes to blows with is Firestar. They start out fundamentally disagreeing on helping others being a duty to people with powers such as themselves, but once Angelica’s abusive past comes to the forefront, it allows Vance the ability to unpack the baggage from his own abuse. He apologizes to Angelica for his confrontational attitude from before, and the two develop a bond and understanding unique from the rest of the team. 

NAMORITA

Mix:

Train of Thought - a-ha 

The Blood - The Cure 

Another Part of Me - Michael Jackson 

Dazzle - Siouxsie And The Banshees

Raspberry Beret - Prince

The “little cousin” to the tempestuous prince of Atlantis, Namorita is the daughter of Namor’s maternal cousin, Namora--more precise, Nita is her mother’s own genetic clone, conceived in such a way due to Namora’s hybrid physiology rendering her infertile. Namora died when Nita was still very young, killed in a coup against Namor orchestrated by his treacherous cousin, Byrrah. Namor was exiled and Nita was lied to by Byrrah and his conspirators that it was Namor who was the betrayer who left her mother to die. In spite of the loss of her mother and apparent betrayal of her cousin, Nita otherwise had a happy childhood as princess to the Atlantean throne. She was trained in combat by the warlord Krang, educated by the sorceress Llyra, and nurtured by the lady Dorma, all steps made to endow her with the skills necessary to be Byrrah’s eventual successor. Only when Namor returned to Atlantis decades later to challenge Byrrah for the throne did Nita understand the truth of her family, and she gallantly assisted her older cousin in reclaiming his birthright as Atlantis’ king. 

Still, the revelation left Nita troubled, and Namor recommended to his little cousin that some time away from Atlantis might help her clear her head. Namor arranged for Nita to live with Betty Prentiss, an old friend of his who had long retired to upstate New York. Nita grew to love Betty as a maternal figure, so much so that she took Betty’s name as part of her surface-world identity. Betty’s health began to fail, but she urged Nita not to hold herself back on her part, stressing that she was ready to brave the rest of the world. Nita was living in New York as a part-time college student, part-time sidekick to Namor’s new adventures, the day Terrax attacked the city. Though she was not among Dwayne’s initial recruits, she charged in and fought the good fight regardless, and it was her mastery in the water which barred Terrax from recomposing his physical form long enough for Rich to absorb his Power Cosmic directly and launch Terrax back out of the atmosphere.

Out of all the Warriors, Nita is the one who comes in the most put-together. She’s the oldest—literally. Despite physically and mentally still being around college-age, by non- Atlantean conditions she is in her 40′s—and unlike the others she joins the Warriors not out of a claim for fame or fill some existential void, but because she thought it would be fun to have a group of super-teens to become friends with. In the team’s earliest outings, Nita’s fun-loving nature comes off as flighty and vicarious to some, but as the Warriors grow more seasoned Nita demonstrates repeatedly how dedicated she is. When the chips are down, she does not make light of the crisis at hand, and is swift and unforgiving in her actions. The two big things that get under her skin are deception and not properly valuing the loved ones in one’s life. 

Nita is transparent and unapologetic in who she is, but that’s not to say she has all her issues of self-esteem squared away. Even in her time in Atlantis as next in line for the throne, there was always a pervasive contempt aimed at Nita, for no fault of her own than that she shared the pale skin of the betrayer, Namor. Additionally, later on Nita will discover the nature of her conception which will briefly throw her into an identity crisis, fretting on whether or not she is a “real” person. She constantly brings her other team-members up, yet rarely asks them to do so for her. So when Dwayne steps down by season’s end, it’s not Nita who volunteers to fill his role as leader, but her friends and teammates who rally behind her. 

SPEEDBALL

Mix: 

Stand Together -  Beastie Boys 

Molly’s Lips - Nirvana 

The Farther I Go - Mudhoney 

Lexicon Devil - The Germs 

Scenario - A Tribe Called Quest

Slacker Robbie Baldwin was working late at his custodian job at a local research laboratory when he became an accidental witness to an illegal testing of experimental energy. Robbie was bombarded with this kinetic energy, endowing him with extraordinary powers, not only generating and projecting this energy but also using it to launch and propel his own body as a kinetic force, all while his body is rendered immune from physical harm. After making a splash in his hometown of Springvale, Connecticut as the local hero Speedball, Robbie decided to strike out in the superhero capital, New York City, only to quickly realize he was a big fish in a small pond. He even attempted to make a big splash to impress the Avengers and talk them into taking him in, only to be politely but firmly rejected by Captain America himself. Robbie was nearly ready to pack it in when he just so happened to be in the city on the day of Terrax’s attack. Though at first Robbie sought to distract Terrax and keep his rampage out of the way of civilians, he rolled with Dwayne’s direction to combine his powers with Vance’s, which gave a massive blow to Terrax’s physical form and won the heroes an edge that helped to secure the fight. 

At sixteen, Robbie is the youngest of the Warriors, and by every measure the least experienced and most immature. That excitement manifests in his powers, to which Robbie has to actively exert himself to calm down and lessen his generation of kinetic energy. In his earliest outings back in Springdale, Robbie was more a showman than a proper superhero, and that class clown persona carried over as a New Warrior. Next to Namorita, Robbie is the one with the most unabashed excitement towards being a superhero, and through that ends up becoming the heart of the team. His pluckiness allows him to easily chum it up with Rich and Nita, and his light-heartedness shines through to even the most jaded members of the group, such as Angel and Vance. He’s the biggest wild card for Dwayne, but keeps him on board for his untapped potential, a call that brings Dwayne to blows with Chord and Tai, one of many as the Warriors continue to operate. 

Dwayne volunteers to train Robbie in combat as a compromise with his mentors, an arrangement Robbie isn’t initially receptive to but commits to once he understands how important it is to keeping him on the team. For outside of simply wanting to strike out as a superhero, Robbie seeks any excuse to get out of his house, as his parent’s constant bickering and intrusive opinions on what Robbie should do with his life make Springvale nigh insufferable. Getting to and from the Warriors in New York and his home in Springvale, all while concealing his identity to his parents, is a strenuous to maintain, but Robbie keeps at it. This dedication eventually pays off, granting Robbie a focus and determination that not only allows for a greater application of his powers, but makes him a more capable hero that he would have been without the support of his fellow Warriors. 

GENERAL GUIDELINES

The team are rarely all together at once.

This is both a tool to alleviate the burden of handling up to six main characters at once, as well as taking writing cues from previous shows such as Teen Titans 2003 and Justice League in juggling their own large casts. Additionally, I feel like this would help sell the Warriors' status as being a bunch of kids with their own lives and priorities. Dwayne is rich and has his own personal pilot, sure, but Angel lives in New Jersey, and Speedball in Connecticut. Rich and Vance sometimes have their own hero-work to do, as does Nita when adventuring alongside her cousin. The plan is to use this status quo to the story’s advantage, focusing generally on up to two or three characters at a time with every episode, building up on their relationship with one another in addition to individual one-offs. Whenever the Warriors are fully assembled, such as the series premiere or the season finale, it's made that much bigger of a deal.

The team is not trying to replace an established super-team, nor do they regularly rub elbows with more famous characters on a regular basis.

Not to say it never happens, but cameos should be used sparingly, especially for the first season. The Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men and Heroes for Hire, and any other big names are all out doing their own things, and so will the Warriors. Team-ups with the F4 and Avengers are planned in this first season, but that and any subsequent team-ups should always happen organically and contribute to the episode’s plot.

Every Warrior starts out incomplete in some way, and becoming a team and befriending one another slowly helps them realize their potential.

Their initial formation, banding together to fight Terrax, happens completely by accident, and not before Night Thrasher attempts to form the team forcibly, hacking the private information of Firestar, Justice and Nova. Even then, there is a period after Terrax’s attack where the group rarely see each other, and some assume it was just a one-off thing. But all six are compelled to work along with one another, and make that initial agreement with Thrash following Terrax’s invasion, based on a very specific shared circumstance: They are all young people with superpowers that have affected their lives, for either good or bad, and they don’t have anyone in their personal lives to relate to or confide in. That’s what keeps them coming back despite in some cases living across the city or whole states apart, and that budding friendship with people they never would have engaged with otherwise helps each member of the team become more complete individuals in the process. That’s the biggest through-line of this series.

[anonymusbosch]

way too long ankle thoughts

I have had fairly weak ankles for a pretty long time - I sprained one pretty badly in my senior year of high school and then kept respraining it for... at least a year after? Then I sprained my other ankle in college and made a hobby of respraining it, then I - a couple years(?) later want on one run that I went on often and ended up with acute tendinitis that became long-lasting-mystery-ankle-affliction, which lasted me more or less from 2021 to 2024 in ebbs and flows of "I think it's getting better this time" / "agh one slightly-too-long-hike set me back months again". And it's more or less much better now! Not 100%, but measurably improved (the last "I think it might be better this time!" I was topping out at 6 miles on flat ground, and I did 12 with a little elevation a few weekends ago).

Throughout these, the doctor's appointments were of middling use. I'd say a 30/30/40 mix of "making it better", "making it actively worse", and "mystifying and useless". I tried physical therapy - this did seem to help lead to improvement, but I attribute this largely to (1) having done quite a bit of research before my first visit and arriving with "The doctor said I have X, so I tried all these different exercises and stretches and I'm still getting pain" and (2) a physical therapist can be seen for an hour at a time for several weeks in a row and this makes them more vulnerable to interrogation than the average US MD, who will see you for 15 minutes of a 30-minute appointment a month from now if you're lucky. The physical therapist was also about a 70% useless woo/30% useful mix, but the duration meant that 30% was pretty impactful.

As far as I can tell, the things that worked for me were

Strengthening the ankle with various exercises like calf raises, resistance band thingamabobs, etc. A lot of these felt really easy when I looked up "exercises for ankle strength" - there are ways to modify them to make them more challenging. My understanding is that a healing ligament can't heal tightly and a sprained ankle benefits from having stronger muscles to help hold it more in place.

Balance exercises - not just standing on one foot, but doing one-foot calf raises, using a balance board/bosu ball, doing one-leg squats and such that require balance through the range of motion, etc. Messing around with my sister's slackline. Roller blading. This has to do with the proprioception thing, as far as I know.

Strengthening and stretching the muscles of the foot itself. This - I think - was the breakthrough for my particular situation. With all the staying-off-my-ankle, there were a bunch of foot muscles that help with stabilization that got very weak with disuse.

Strength stuff for hips and knees as well.

(for all the exercises, I really can't give a recommendation. Absolutely not a doctor. What I can say is that I got frustrated early about things being too easy or too hard - but almost anything can be modified to add or subtract difficulty, and I do have a decent mental catalog of the variations that I've done.)

Using hiking poles. What would have been a minor rolled ankle pre-sprain would become a re-sprain - poles helped me head off several re-sprains.

Wearing a lace-up ankle brace (from the pharmacy, like $20, nothing fancy) that helped prevent re-sprains in situations where poles wouldn't cut it or didn't apply.

Actually doing the boring exercises and shit. This was a very difficult thing even with a burning desire to banish ankle problems entirely. I had a lot more success tacking them on to the end of other exercise; dedicating solely ankle time was (is) anathema to my attention span. Small things that helped: Finding things which target some weak areas (balance, ankles, knees, hips) that aren't boring as fuck (stand up paddle board [when available], roller blades, biking, climbing, even regular gym exercises that use balance, etc). Having a buddy for accountability. Taking 20 min to get outside and do things before work. being unemployed for a couple months. leaving resistance bands out in view so I remember they exist. going on hikes and walking on my toes. walking weirdly around town (on heels, on toes, with funky stride). doing the exercises between routes at the climbing gym. standing on one foot while working. etc etc etc.

but yeah, part of what spurred my photography hobby was needing to sit down while other people hiked. might as well appreciate the beauty and look at bugs while you're waitin'

[endcant]

its almost every day that i work out and think about one incident in high school. my marching band had finally organized a block for injured/disabled kids to stretch and do yoga-like warmups instead of high impact warmups like jogging, running, and sprinting. the kids in “injury block” told me i should join bc of my asthma, and it made my practices way better.

this was because it granted me the ability to choose WHEN my asthma attacks started during rehearsal. instead of starting every rehearsal with an asthma attack, i could save my daily mandatory asthma attack for the very end of the night, when we would march our show for several minutes at a time nonstop and then be forced (not asked or permitted) to run from our instruments and grab water and run back.

weekday band rehearsals usually started around 3 and could last until 10 pm, and on weekdays i also had dance class, where i would have already gotten in my day’s serving of cardio in the form of dancing or running. so it wasn’t like running with the band was the only source of high-impact cardio jostling my lungs each day.

if i had an asthma attack at 3:15 PM, i would be woozy and sleepy and mentally and emotionally fried during the entirety of rehearsal, including blocks where we would stand still and practice the music. if i had an asthma attack at 9:50 PM however, i could get almost 7 full hours of actual high quality practicing and rehearsal in without feeling like i had half the usual amount of braincells and jello in the place of muscles. it was a huge game-changer for me as a drummer. suddenly i wasn’t making stupid mistakes that i couldn’t explain! suddenly i was able to retain new marching coordinates and exercises! suddenly i was able to march under the weight of the heaviest drums for hours without wobbling!

of course, after a couple of months of me participating in “injury block” and getting a lot out of it, our band director noticed me there and told me i needed a doctor’s note. i told him i have asthma and i have an inhaler perscription i could show him. he told me that that would be fine this week, but every rehearsal afterwards i would need a new signed and dated doctor’s note. i knew instantly that this was ridiculous and financially prohibitive. i tried to explain the asthma attack math. he did not care. so i went back to running and having asthma attacks at the beginning of each rehearsal and throughout parts of rehearsal that i now knew didn’t have to be that hard for me.

i had friends in band who would ask me on the field to chill and take a break because my asthma attacks were scaring them, but i was quick to inform them that my asthma wasn’t considered an important or serious injury or illness by the band director. it really made me bitter and i constantly found myself having out of body experiences during band in junior and senior year.

i still work out to this day and think about how few asthma attacks i have now that i am allowed to control when and how frequently i focus on high-impact exercise. and also since i no longer have to do that running on a dusty track with 100 other kids dragging their feet in front of me. i also think about how that band director was, generally speaking, the most hands-off band director i’ve ever met. he didn’t know a damn thing about marching or playing and rarely was present or tried to give us advice. his job was basically just to hire people who had specific knowledge. but still, that day, he decided to walk out on the field and specifically target me for god knows what reason and interrogate me about why i was doing yoga instead of running in circles.

i wasn’t mad about it at the time, even. i was very trusting as a kid. i’m mad about it now, though. and whenever i attend a group workout class and and the instructor tries to tell me i can cure my asthma by “pushing through”, they can be sure they’ll never see me again.

i guess part of what maddens me about it is how nearly every adult who ever taught me anything in any of the physical activities i chose to participate in treated me like i was lazy because of my asthma. and i just believed them. so i just worked harder than i should have. at the cost of my ability to actually perform well in the activity they were supposed to be instructing me in.

the incident that made me start to realize that something was wrong was when i couldnt lunge quickly for a visual move with my drum on because the drum harness fit me wrong. the drum instructors blamed it on my lack of core strength, and i believed them, even though i could feel the drums swinging and hitting my forward leg. a huge bruise-then-bump developed that was eventually visible through shorts. this did not bother me and i showed it off to friends proudly, much to their concern. one day i went to do the move and the swing of my drums knocked me right over. i don’t remember how much it hurt, but i guess i was down for awhile because a parent who volunteered with the band ran up and took my drums off of me. this guy, some other kid’s parent, saw my leg and cursed at the drum instructors for awhile until they agreed to try to fix my harness. i felt embarrassed and was certain at the time that if i had just been more firm in my core then there wouldve been no one yelling at anyone on my behalf.

i now feel bad that i let myself be so trained out of questioning why i was in pain that my drum insteuctors had to take the fall for it. i mean, the pain of that leg injury was nothing compared to having asthma attacks every time i had to rehearse with the full band.

[fuckblast]

Fag moment of the day I wore a boxing robe as my Halloween costume for senior center stuff and was getting everyone to grab an exercise band that worked for them, and said "but I'm getting the blue one, because it matches my robe😎💙" and I really saw that sentence impact the woman I was speaking to like a revelation

[mayorblogsworld]

Functional Fitness for Seniors: The Benefits of Exercise for Older Adults

Functional fitness is an exercise trend that has been gaining popularity in recent years. While it was initially aimed at athletes and fitness enthusiasts, it has since expanded to include people of all ages and fitness levels, including seniors. Functional fitness involves exercises that mimic real-life movements and activities, such as squatting, reaching, and lifting. This approach to exercise emphasizes the development of strength, balance, and flexibility, which are all essential for seniors to maintain their independence and quality of life.

A group of seniors engage in chair exercises, resistance band workouts, and balance training in a bright, spacious fitness studio

As people age, their bodies undergo various changes that can affect their ability to perform everyday activities. These changes can include loss of muscle mass, decreased bone density, and reduced flexibility. Functional fitness can help seniors counteract these changes by improving their strength, balance, and flexibility. By incorporating functional exercises into their workout routines, seniors can improve their ability to perform daily tasks such as carrying groceries, getting up from a chair, and climbing stairs.

Benefits of Functional Fitness for Seniors

Elderly individuals engaging in functional fitness exercises using resistance bands, stability balls, and light weights in a bright and spacious gym setting

Functional fitness is a type of exercise that focuses on improving the body's ability to perform everyday activities. This type of training is especially beneficial for seniors as it can help them maintain their independence and improve their quality of life.

Here are some of the benefits of functional fitness for seniors:

1. Improved Balance and Coordination

Functional fitness exercises typically involve movements that mimic everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs, and reaching for objects. These exercises can help seniors improve their balance and coordination, reducing their risk of falls and injuries.

2. Increased Strength and Endurance

As we age, our muscle mass and strength tend to decline. Functional fitness exercises can help seniors maintain and even increase their muscle mass, strength, and endurance. This can make it easier for them to perform everyday tasks such as carrying groceries or getting up from a chair.

3. Better Joint Health

Functional fitness exercises can help improve joint mobility and flexibility, reducing the risk of joint pain and stiffness. This can be especially important for seniors who may have arthritis or other joint-related conditions.

4. Enhanced Cognitive Function

Research has shown that regular exercise can help improve cognitive function in seniors. Functional fitness exercises that involve coordination and balance can be particularly beneficial for cognitive health.

5. Improved Mood and Mental Health

Exercise has been shown to have a positive effect on mood and mental health. Functional fitness exercises can be a fun and social way for seniors to stay active and engaged, improving their overall well-being.

Overall, functional fitness is a safe and effective way for seniors to maintain their physical and mental health, and improve their quality of life.

Understanding Functional Fitness

A group of seniors engage in various exercises: stretching, lifting light weights, and using resistance bands. They are in a bright, spacious room with large windows and plenty of natural light

Key Principles

Functional fitness is a type of exercise that focuses on movements that are essential for daily living. It involves training the body to perform activities such as lifting, bending, and reaching with ease. The key principles of functional fitness are as follows:

Multi-joint movements: Exercises that involve multiple joints and muscle groups are preferred over single-joint exercises. This allows for a more comprehensive workout that mimics real-life movements.

Balance and stability: Functional fitness exercises often incorporate balance and stability training, which helps improve overall coordination and reduces the risk of falls.

Progressive overload: To see improvements in strength and endurance, the body must be challenged with increasing levels of resistance or intensity over time.

Individualization: Functional fitness programs should be tailored to an individual's specific needs and abilities. This ensures that the exercises are safe and effective.

Components of Functional Fitness

Functional fitness involves a variety of exercises that target different areas of the body. The components of functional fitness include:

Cardiovascular endurance: This component involves exercises that increase heart rate and breathing rate, such as walking, cycling, or swimming.

Muscular strength: This component involves exercises that increase muscle strength, such as squats, lunges, and push-ups.

Muscular endurance: This component involves exercises that increase muscle endurance, such as holding a plank or performing multiple repetitions of an exercise.

Flexibility: This component involves exercises that increase range of motion, such as stretching or yoga.

By incorporating these components into a functional fitness program, seniors can improve their overall health and well-being. It is important to consult with a healthcare professional before beginning any exercise program, especially if there are pre-existing medical conditions or concerns.

Getting Started with Functional Fitness

A group of seniors engage in functional fitness exercises, using resistance bands and stability balls in a bright, spacious gym setting

Functional fitness is an excellent way for seniors to improve their overall health and quality of life. However, before starting any exercise program, it is essential to consult with healthcare providers to ensure that it is safe and appropriate for the individual's specific needs.

Consulting with Healthcare Providers

Seniors should consult with their primary care physician or a qualified healthcare provider before starting any functional fitness program. The healthcare provider can evaluate the individual's current health status, identify any underlying conditions that may affect their ability to exercise, and provide guidance on safe and effective exercise options.

If the individual has any chronic health conditions, such as arthritis, heart disease, or diabetes, the healthcare provider may recommend specific modifications to their exercise program to ensure that it is safe and effective. Additionally, the healthcare provider may recommend working with a physical therapist or certified personal trainer to develop a customized exercise program that meets the individual's specific needs.

Setting Realistic Goals

When starting a functional fitness program, it is essential to set realistic goals. Setting achievable goals can help seniors stay motivated and track their progress over time. Seniors should consider factors such as their current fitness level, health status, and personal preferences when setting goals.

For example, a senior who is new to exercise may start with simple exercises, such as walking or stretching, and gradually increase the intensity and duration of their workouts over time. Alternatively, a senior who has been exercising regularly may set more challenging goals, such as increasing their strength or endurance.

Seniors should also consider their personal preferences when setting goals. For example, some seniors may prefer group exercise classes, while others may prefer individual workouts. By setting realistic goals that align with their personal preferences, seniors can increase their chances of sticking to their exercise program over the long term.

Essential Functional Exercises

Functional fitness is an excellent way for seniors to maintain their independence and quality of life. The following exercises help seniors to maintain their strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance.

Balance Training

Balance training is essential for seniors as it helps to prevent falls and improves their ability to perform daily activities. Some of the balance exercises include:

Standing on one foot

Walking heel to toe

Standing on a wobble board

Tai chi

Strength Training

Strength training is vital for seniors as it helps to maintain their muscle mass and bone density. Some of the strength exercises include:

Squats

Lunges

Push-ups

Bicep curls

Tricep dips

Flexibility Workouts

Flexibility workouts are essential for seniors as they help to maintain their range of motion and prevent injuries. Some of the flexibility exercises include:

Shoulder stretches

Hamstring stretches

Calf stretches

Yoga

Endurance Activities

Endurance activities are vital for seniors as they help to maintain their cardiovascular health and improve their overall fitness level. Some of the endurance activities include:

Walking

Cycling

Swimming

Dancing

Incorporating these essential functional exercises into a senior's fitness routine can help them to maintain their independence and improve their quality of life.

Safety Measures and Injury Prevention

Functional fitness is a great way for seniors to improve their overall health and well-being. However, it is important to take certain safety measures and precautions to prevent injuries and ensure a safe workout.

Proper Warm-Up Techniques

Before starting any exercise routine, it is important to properly warm up the body. Seniors should perform dynamic stretching exercises to help increase blood flow and flexibility. This can include movements such as arm circles, leg swings, and torso twists. It is also important to start with low-intensity exercises and gradually increase the intensity to prevent sudden strain on the body.

Adaptive Equipment Use

Seniors may need to use adaptive equipment to perform certain exercises safely. This can include using a chair for support during squats or lunges, or using resistance bands instead of heavy weights. It is important to use equipment that is appropriate for the individual's fitness level and physical abilities.

Monitoring Intensity Levels

Seniors should monitor their intensity levels during exercise to prevent overexertion. This can be done by using a heart rate monitor or by using the "talk test". If the individual is unable to carry on a conversation while exercising, the intensity level may be too high. It is important to listen to the body and rest when needed.

By following these safety measures and injury prevention techniques, seniors can enjoy the benefits of functional fitness without the risk of injury.

Creating a Functional Fitness Routine

Functional fitness is especially important for seniors as it helps to improve their quality of life and maintain their independence. Here are some tips for creating a functional fitness routine.

Daily Exercise Plans

It is recommended that seniors engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, along with muscle-strengthening activities two or more days per week. Seniors should start with low-impact exercises such as walking, swimming, or cycling and gradually increase the intensity and duration of their workouts.

In addition to aerobic exercise, seniors should also incorporate balance and flexibility exercises into their routine. Yoga and tai chi are great options for improving balance and flexibility.

Incorporating Activities of Daily Living

Seniors can also incorporate activities of daily living (ADLs) into their fitness routine. ADLs are activities that are necessary for independent living, such as getting dressed, cooking, and cleaning. These activities can also provide a good workout.

For example, seniors can incorporate squats while doing household chores such as vacuuming or gardening. They can also practice standing on one leg while brushing their teeth or washing dishes to improve balance.

Overall, creating a functional fitness routine can help seniors maintain their independence and improve their quality of life. By incorporating daily exercise plans and ADLs, seniors can improve their strength, balance, and flexibility.

Tracking Progress and Staying Motivated

Seniors who engage in functional fitness exercises can benefit greatly from tracking their progress and staying motivated. It can be challenging to maintain a consistent exercise routine, but setting milestones and adjusting goals over time can help seniors stay on track and see results.

Setting Milestones

Setting milestones is an effective way to track progress and stay motivated. Seniors can set short-term and long-term goals, such as increasing the amount of weight lifted or completing a certain number of repetitions. They can also track their progress using a fitness journal or app, which can help them stay accountable and motivated.

Seniors can also set non-scale goals, such as improving flexibility or balance. These goals can be just as important as weight or strength goals and can help seniors see progress in other areas of their fitness journey.

Adjusting Goals Over Time

As seniors progress in their fitness journey, they may need to adjust their goals to continue seeing results. This can include increasing the weight lifted, changing the type of exercise, or adding new exercises to their routine.

It's important for seniors to listen to their bodies and make adjustments as needed. Working with a personal trainer or fitness professional can also be helpful in creating a personalized fitness plan and making adjustments over time.

By setting milestones and adjusting goals over time, seniors can stay motivated and see progress in their functional fitness journey.

Nutrition and Functional Fitness

Hydration and Exercise

Proper hydration is crucial for seniors engaging in functional fitness activities. Drinking enough water before, during, and after exercise can help prevent dehydration, which can lead to fatigue, dizziness, and other health issues. Seniors should aim to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water per day, and increase their intake on days when they will be exercising. It is also important to note that thirst is not always a reliable indicator of dehydration, so seniors should make a conscious effort to drink water regularly throughout the day.

Eating for Muscle Recovery

Eating a balanced diet that includes protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats is important for seniors engaging in functional fitness activities. Protein is especially important for muscle recovery and repair after exercise. Seniors should aim to consume at least 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Good sources of protein include lean meats, fish, eggs, and plant-based sources such as beans and nuts.

Carbohydrates are also important for energy during exercise. Seniors should aim to consume complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, rather than simple sugars found in processed foods.

Healthy fats are important for overall health, and can be found in foods such as nuts, seeds, avocados, and fatty fish. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish such as salmon and tuna, may also help reduce inflammation in the body.

Seniors should also be mindful of portion sizes, and aim to eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods to support their overall health and well-being.

Community and Support

Functional fitness for seniors is not just about physical exercise, it is also about building a community of like-minded individuals who can offer support and encouragement. Joining a fitness community can help seniors stay motivated and on track with their fitness goals.

Group Fitness Classes

Group fitness classes are a great way for seniors to exercise in a supportive and social environment. These classes are designed to cater to the needs of seniors and are led by qualified instructors who can modify exercises to suit individual needs. Group fitness classes can also provide a sense of accountability, as participants are more likely to attend regularly when they know others are counting on them.

Online Resources and Apps

In addition to in-person classes, seniors can also access a variety of online resources and apps to support their functional fitness journey. These resources can provide workout plans, instructional videos, and even virtual coaching. Online resources and apps can be particularly useful for seniors who may have mobility issues or live in areas without easy access to fitness facilities.

Overall, building a community of support is an important aspect of functional fitness for seniors. By joining a fitness community and utilizing online resources, seniors can stay motivated, accountable, and on track with their fitness goals.

[thegoldenestat]

9 Outdoor Activities For Seniors At Senior Living Apartments

There are genuine advantages to being outside, according to several research, regardless of your age. It can raise vigor, enhance memory, promote exercise, aid in the battle against depression, and even strengthen the immune system. Here are 10 suggestions to get you started this summer if you're seeking outdoor activities for an elderly loved one. Even if they use a wheelchair or other assistance equipment, you can both still go outdoors to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air since they can be modified to fit their degree of movement. The road through life is dynamic. Maintaining an active lifestyle becomes crucial to your health and happiness as you age. Finding enjoyable outdoor activities with senior living apartments to engage in is one of the greatest ways to keep active. In addition to keeping your body active, connecting with nature promotes mental wellbeing. There is an outdoor activity for every senior, from pickleball and yoga to nature treks and outdoor concerts.

6 Outdoor Activities for Seniors

Nature strolls

Seniors may enjoy the outdoors in a variety of ways, like taking a leisurely stroll in a park or taking a trip through a nature preserve. You may improve your mood and maintain your health by getting some fresh air, changing your surroundings, and doing some light exercise. Make it an outing with friends and family by inviting them.

Picnic

A picnic combines two of life's greatest pleasures: being outside and eating. Bring your family and friends together, pick a beautiful location, prepare some delectable snacks, and enjoy the sunshine.

Gardening

For seniors wishing to use their green thumb, gardening is a pleasant activity. You may engage in physical activity, mental challenge, and the gratification of seeing your labor grow by taking care of flowers, herbs, or vegetables.

Exterior Yoga

What could be more soothing than observing birds in the woods? Consider doing yoga outside to channel your inner serenity. Flexibility, balance, and mental clarity are all improved by yoga. There are many different schools of yoga, and many of them may be practiced outside.

Pickleball

Pickleball with senior living apartments, which is regarded as the fastest-growing sport in the country, may best be described as a mashup of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. The game is well-liked and one of the best outdoor activities for seniors searching for a pleasant workout because of its simplicity, short-sprint play, and little stress on joints.

Public Events

To find out what's going on locally, visit your neighborhood social media accounts with senior living apartments, municipal website, or local newspaper. Parades, museums, botanical gardens, and other events are all held over the holidays.

Seniors with Limited Mobility: 3 Outdoor Activities

With activities that meet your requirements and improve your wellbeing, you may still enjoy the great outdoors as a senior with restricted mobility.

Beautiful drives

With a picturesque ride, you can relax and take in the scenery. Plan your route to travel via scenic areas or neighborhoods with beautiful homes.

Summertime Concerts

Attending an outdoor performance is one of the greatest and most affordable ways to enjoy the outdoors and excellent music at the same time, whether it's a local band jamming on the gazebo, an orchestra performing music from a famous movie, or the biggest rockstar in the world at a stadium.

Bird Observation

It's calming and entertaining to discover your inner ornithologist. Place a bird feeder in your window's line of sight, or go on a nature stroll while birding. Any senior can develop a stronger connection to nature via bird watching.

Finally, The Golden Estate does not provide lifestyles that are universally applicable. You decide the assistance you require, utilize the conveniences you choose, and construct a life that — whatever you define it — feels joyous, entertaining, and adventurous. You can get extra assistance in the same community if your requirements alter. This provides comfort and might help allay any worries you may have about relinquishing control of your life or depending on loved ones for care. There is a senior living apartment for everyone, regardless of who you are and will help to make you live your best life.

[stitchthesewords]

Hi so I'm having a physically bad day and I wanna talk about it because I think this would be useful for writers and artists to know! Do not be alarmed, this is simply a Normal Part of my being disabled, I'm fine.

Before I get into it though: this post is only gonna represent my personal experiences with Good vs Bad days specifically regarding my Cerebral Palsy. All disabled people, and hell even abled people, experience good and bad days differently. I'm just kind of putting this out there as a good reference point for writing this sort of thing [And drawing it, I suppose - I'll trying to be descriptive]

So what do I mean by a physically bad day? Well - I'm doing great mentally. Quite happy in fact, working on my stories, but physically I've been in pain all day. It happens. I had a migraine earlier that caused me to go lay down and when I woke up my joints were locked up. Now, locked up means a lot of things to a lot of people. For me it means it was physically uncomfortable and even painful to move my joints, and some of them were so stiff I couldn't move them.

Also, I was stuck on my back like a turtle.

I try to keep my cane close to my bed for situations like this, just so I can sit up to massage the joints, but I didn't have it sitting nearby today. Instead I had to call someone to ask if they would help me get up and pop my joints and massage the stiffness out, which they did.

The next step in helping the stiffness was to take a hot shower, which I put off from a combination of forgetfulness and whenever I remembered, the bathroom was occupied. So, instead, I sat at my desk for a long time and found the stiffness had returned by the time I was ready to shower. What you have to understand is that the stiffness feels and sounds exactly like cracking a glowstick. Or your knuckles. But it's in your knees, your hips, your shoulders. I get it very bad on my right side since my cerebral palsy is worse on that side of my body.

Showering is another thing. I have to be careful, since falling down in the shower is a huge rick and I should PROBABLY use a shower chair if I'm honest but I'm stubborn about it and shower chairs are awkward to move into the bathroom and heavy so. Generally what I do when my joints are acting up is sit on my bathtub side and massage my joints under the running water before i fully stand inside the tub. Generally this is accompanied by a lot of popping noises - a combination of the stiffness loosening up and because my muscle's a looser my bones are sitting correctly again.

Now I'm just sat here taking a pain killer and generally keeping my joints warmer. In the winter, the cold causes my muscles to contract [in the summer the problem is dehydration] so I generally need to be pretty warm. Not like, hot, but I prefer my house be at like 70-72 and wear hoodies and long pants most of the time. I find that helps keep my muscles fairly limber.

All this to say that a bad physical day can range anywhere from a mild amount of pain all the way to being stuck in one position and can even vary throughout the day. Right now I'd say I have a pretty mild amount of pain, mostly in my neck, to the left og my back, and my ankles, whereas earlier by entire body was like a stretched out rubber band about to snap and felt like it to. I use a medicated joint pain balm to help relieve some of it now that I'm showered and I also try not to remain seated for too too long. The more movement I can get in once I've unstiffened things up the better. Water is also good for this! Hydration helps your muscles stay pliable. The sort of stuff I do to stretch out and exercise on a bad day is like what you get when you google 'exercises for seniors. - if you'd like to see what gentle exercise for mobility issues look like, or you need them yourself, i highly recommend Pahla B who has a ton of exercises I regularly use and recommend to my friends who also have mobility issues. In general, someone with mobility issues ESPECIALLY on bad days is going to look for movements that don't involve Jumping or getting down onto the floor, and slower walking around. I look for a lot of yoga and no intensity work outs. Its not about burning fat, its about moving things so I don't lock up again.

I'll probably also be a little stuff in small increments for the next few days and have some trouble getting up from seated or out of bed, but I'm pretty good about staying on top of keeping my body moving to keep it from getting too terribly stiff. Bad days that are Full Body Lock Up bad arent super common for me but stiffness overall is like a 75/25 chance so that is more easily managed....when I remember to do it.