#hope this qualifies as 100 winter darling

[scham-wcan]

you have been visited by the rare Smiling Winter Schnee, she only appears to people once every 137 years

write a 100 word drabble or be cursed with winter-less-ness for the next 137 years

Oh my lord the sight is one of the Ark of the Covenant she is so pretty. Very well you shall have your Drabble.

“I don’t understand what you think you’re going to accomplish.” Winter hissed, hoisting herself from the seat of her vehicle and entering the chilled air of her office’s parking garage. Though that chill lasted little as a breath of heat dragged from the passenger’s door.

Pressing herself to stand and stretch in a manner which Winter typically would be inspired to blush at, had she not been so disgruntled from their morning discussion which had led them to this point, Cinder choked out a small yawn. “If you’re so perturbed by your coworkers consistent inability to do their duties to the point of it ruining our evening plans-.”

Biting quickly, Winter stomped her booted foot for a moment as she rounded the vehicle. “What ruined the evening was your petulant interest in what I was working on that was forcing me to scowl.” Though her scowl turned to a fast roll of her eyes as she already predicted what her partner would berate about.

“Precisely. Anything that gets you to snap like that so soon into the evening and is not me clearly is someone competing for you.” Cinder smirked, wandering blissfully alongside her partner towards the proper entrance to the office. “And maybe I can set them straight, nothing like an impartial review, right, Snowflake?”

“Please, you are anything but impartial.” Winter growled, “Gods, I need coffee for this.” She shrilly cursed herself for not stopping on the way, having been to distracted by the presence of her passenger for any coherent thought. “Did you have to dress so… regally?” Cursing a glance to Cinder as she did so, taking in the blacks and golds with a sheepish anger.

Nodding quickly, Cinder scoffed. “Oh anything to make my presence well known and what it means for your people.” Placing a hand to her chest as she smiled that villainous dastardly smile with which Winter always found a flutter take hold of her chest. “Now, in which corner of this hive of paper and bureaucracy can I find the ruiner of my so few hours of time with my partner in power?”

Holding the watch of that golden eye for a moment, Winter felt the rigid nature in her form melt as she whipped out a quiet lengthy sigh. Eventually allowing it turn to a soft smile as she let their arms connect with a small playful butt against one another. “You are insufferable, you know that?”

“Believe me,” Cinder responded plenty bluntly. “I have been informed of that quality about me rather consistently, now does your office have any locks?”

“Cinder!”

[365footballorg-blog]

Boehm: What you may have missed during the MLS offseason

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February 26, 201810:34AM EST

The time is nigh.

The 2018 season is upon us, as the nine-month odyssey that culminates with one of the league’s 23 teams hoisting MLS Cup in December kicks off on Saturday.

Whether you’re new to MLS or have been around since 1996, there’s been a lot to keep up with this winter, with a new member club, three new stadiums under construction around the league and one of the busier transfer windows in recent memory.

As you gear up for opening day, here’s a primer on went down during the offseason.

Expansion: LAFC are here; welcome Nashville, Miami and …?

Carlos Vela: ready for his closeup | LAFC

The season’s onset brings the debut of the Los Angeles Football Club – better known as LAFC, of course – the hotly-anticipated expansion newcomers who aim to raise the bar much like ambitious Atlanta United did a year ago, starting with their MLS debut match at Seattle on Sunday (5 pm ET | ESPN).

The SoCal side splashed out on showcase Designated Player and Mexican international Carlos Vela, brokered several trades to gather talent from around the league and brought in former US national team coach Bob Bradley to lead the project. But their roster remains well short of full size, suggesting that the club still has some more moves to make.

The league’s 23rd team, LAFC will be followed in the next wave of expansion by Nashville and Miami, both of whom were officially added over the winter, as well as one more still-to-be-determined market, with Cincinnati, Detroit and Sacramento the three finalists for that slot. After that, a range of candidates will be in contention for two more spots which will take MLS to 28 teams at some point beyond 2020.

TAM, fam

Victor Vazquez, Ola Kamara owe their current destinations to TAM transactions | USA Today Sports Images

Targeted Allocation Money, or TAM, has become one of the league’s most commonly-uttered acronyms since it was introduced in 2015, and you’re going to hear plenty more about in the days to come.

In light of TAM’s positive impact over the past two seasons, in December the league ramped up the program. Every club will continue to receive $ 1.2 million in TAM for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and they’ll also have the ability to spend an additional $ 2.8 million in TAM if they wish, funded by the team, per year in both 2018 and 2019. It’s already fuelling new acquisitions across the league.

We sometimes risk getting lost in the weeds when talking about TAM, GAM (General Allocation Money) and other MLS roster rules. As our own Ben Baer explained, the key thing to remember here is that TAM helps teams pack more talent into the top end of their rosters, providing greater depth and an uptick in the league’s overall level of play. Another update worth noting: Teams that sell Homegrown Players abroad now receive the full amount of the transfer fee, rather than sharing a portion with the league.

Can confirm that Homegrown player sales now net @MLS teams 100% revenue share. Previously, teams received 75% percent. That means @impactmontreal will bank all of the fee from Ballou Tabla’s transfer to @FCBarcelona. Positive step as league continues to evolve.

— Andrew Wiebe (@andrew_wiebe) January 26, 2018

TFC aim for dynasty status

The TFC juggernaut aims to keep rolling | USA Today Sports Images

Speaking of TAM: It’s a big factor in why Toronto FC are planning on achieving just as much or more in 2018 as they did in last year’s impressive treble-winning campaign.

The Reds won MLS Cup, the Supporters’ Shield (awarded to the league’s top regular-season finisher) and the Canadian Championship in 2017. Over the winter they brought in reinforcements like Dutch World Cup veteran Gregory van der Wiel, Brazilian wide man Auro and Spanish playmaker Ager Aketxe.

This TFC side is loaded for bear, and it’ll take real quality to knock them off their perch. They’ve already begun their season with CONCACAF Champions League action, where they look like the best hope to become the first team in league history to win the regional championship in its current form.

Five Stripes keep going big

Barco: ATL’s newest jewel | Atlanta United

Atlanta United drew bumper crowds, charmed their city and played some of the most scintillating attacking soccer in the league in their inaugural season – not to mention qualifying for the playoffs. Their winter activity made clear that they’re not about to rest on their laurels in Year 2.

The Five Stripes doggedly pursued and completed the signing of teenage Argentinean attacker Ezequiel Barco for an MLS-record transfer fee reported to be around $ 15 million. They bolstered their defense with two more South Americans, Franco Escobar and Jose Hernandez. And they shipped what could prove to be a record amount of allocation money – a potential total of $ 1.65 million – to the Portland Timbers to acquire US international Darlington Nagbe, club executives even going the extra mile to pick him up and deliver him to the ATL in a private jet.

Now their world-famous coach, Tata Martino, must try to make sure the on-field results live up to all the excitement.

Orlando City reload for win-now 2018

Jason Kreis leads an expectant Orlando | USA Today Sports Images

While the splashy newcomers from Georgia reveled in a euphoric inaugural campaign, the frustration only grew for their budding Southern rivals Orlando City SC. The Lions fizzled in their first full season under Jason Kreis, missing out on the postseason for their third straight year since they played the role of expansion darlings back in 2015.

So the Lions responded with some aggressive moves of their own, trading for established MLS stars Justin Meram and Sacha Kljestan, signing young Paraguayan playmaker Josue Colman to a DP deal and bringing former Sporting KC midfield linchpin Oriol Rosell back to MLS, among others.

The upshot? It’s “win now” for the Lions … and Kreis won’t need to be reminded of the unspoken second half of that phrase: “or else.”

Overhauls in Colorado, Montreal, New England, LA

New bosses Hudson, Garde, Friedel and Schmid | USA Today Sports Images

Even more thorough offseason renovations unfolded for three sides under new leadership. The Rapids welcomed ex-New Zealand national team manager Anthony Hudson and promptly reconfigured their squad to play a 3-5-2 system with flying wingbacks.

The Impact hired former Olympique Lyonnais and Aston Villa boss Remi Garde, who has overseen a shift towards a more proactive, possession-oriented approach staffed by more Homegrown and Canadian players.

Having tabbed former USMNT hero Brad Friedel to steer the ship, the Revolution enter 2018 with new faces and new hope. They’ve yet to land a true head-turner of a signing thus far, however, and it being Friedel’s first head coaching job at pro level, their playing philosophy is not quite clear yet.

And the LA Galaxy took steps to rebound from the worst season in their history, bringing in Ola Kamara, Perry Kitchen and a range of other reinforcements to right the ship under Sigi Schmid’s second stint in charge and – they hope – assert themselves as the kings of SoCal as LAFC hit the scene.

Under construction in DC, LA, Minnesota

MNUFC owner Dr. Bill McGuire at under-construction Allianz Field | Minnesota United

Three gorgeous new stadiums are currently being built across MLS, with two set to be christened this year and another coming on line in 2019.

LAFC will debut their glittering downtown palace, Banc of California Stadium, on Sunday, April 29. D.C. United will move into Audi Field, their long-awaited waterfront home less than two miles south of the U.S. Capitol, in mid-July. And Minnesota United are brimming with anticipation as Allianz Field, their future home in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul, continues to take shape ahead of an opening day 2019 curtain-raiser.

If you’re seeking a big-picture affirmation of MLS’ progress, these are three more bricks-and-mortar proofs of concept.

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MLSsoccer.com News

Boehm: What you may have missed during the MLS offseason was originally published on 365 Football

[lorettalivingston6911]

U.S. Figure Skater Adam Rippon Is An Olympics Darling! Here Are 5 Fast Facts!

people always ask me if I've been getting Botox

A star is born!

On Monday, U.S. figure skater Adam Rippon spoke to Good Morning America‘s Amy Robach in PyeongChang, South Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics where he totally stole the show!

Related: 2018 Winter Olympics Have Broken The Record For Most WHAT?!

After his charming interview, Michael Strahan gushed:

"That was one of the best interviews I've ever seen."

WATCH (below) to see why:

In case you aren't familiar with the athlete, here are five fast facts!

1. Adam is making history!

When Rippon made the U.S. team, he is believed to be the first openly gay American athlete to qualify for any Winter Olympics!

2. He ALREADY won an Olympic medal, though people think he got robbed!

On Monday, the 28-year-old won a bronze medal in the figure skating team competition behind Russian skater Mikhail Kolyada and Canadian skater Patrick Chan.

However, social media users believe he should've won gold as both aforementioned skaters FELL during their routines! People on Twitter wrote:

Adam Rippon was robbed by these judges, and you cannot convince me otherwise. I have two eyes that work just fine, and I know what I saw.#PyeongChang2018 — Charlotte Clymer🏳️‍🌈 (@cmclymer) February 12, 2018

maybe i don’t understand how they judge figure skating, but how does someone who falls twice (*ahem* russia & canada) score higher on technical skill than adam rippon, who delivered a flawless, beautiful skate?!

I KNOW WHAT I SAW THEY ROBBED US Y’ALL. — cadet bone spurs ehsan (@fifimcfae) February 12, 2018

I know Adam Rippon is technically part of the US Olympics team but I'm claiming him for the gays. So I can say that yet again the gays WERE ROBBED. — Miles (@zombie_midgey) February 12, 2018

In response to the controversy, he told GMA:

"I think we need to get those people who think that I was ripped off on a judging panel immediately. Maybe before the individual competition."

Because of his award, Rippon is believed to be the first openly gay U.S. athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.

3. Adam is friends with fellow gay Olympian Gus Kenworthy!

As seen on Instagram, the figure skater and the freestyle skier have become quite the duo!

The #OpeningCeremony is a wrap and the 2018 Winter Olympic Gaymes are officially under way! I feel incredibly honored to be here in Korea competing for the US and I'm so proud to be representing the LGBTQ community alongside this amazing guy! Eat your heart out, Pence. #TeamUSA #TeamUSGay 🇺🇲🏳️‍🌈A post shared by gus kenworthy (@guskenworthy) on Feb 9, 2018 at 7:29am PST

I'm a proud dad, today. ❤️🥉💛💚💙💜A post shared by gus kenworthy (@guskenworthy) on Feb 12, 2018 at 12:22am PST

Adam even describes Gus as "such a sweetheart," "super nice," and "super cute"!

4. Adam is giving Vice President Mike Pence the cold shoulder!

Rippon has publicly criticized VP Mike Pence for his long record of anti-gay legislation, and for his reported support of gay conversion therapy, which was denied by Pence spokesman Marc Lotter, according to the New York Times in November 2016.

In an interview with USA Today in January 2018, Adam quipped:

"You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that funded gay conversion therapy?... I'm not buying it."

He also said he would NOT be open to meeting with Pence at the winter games.

"If it were before my event, I would absolutely not go out of my way to meet somebody who I felt has gone out of their way to not only show that they aren't a friend of a gay person but that they think that they're sick... I wouldn't go out of my way to meet somebody like that."

On Monday, he reiterated his position to GMA:

"I personally don't have anything to say to Mike Pence... I'm very lucky because legislation he's pushed hasn't affected my life at all. I spoke out because there are people out there whose… lives have been affected by changes that he's tried to make... Right now I have a voice, and I think it's really important for me to use it,"

Earlier this month, Pence reached out to Rippon on Twitter, saying he is "proud of [him]" and that he shouldn't believe the "fake news" suggesting otherwise.

.@Adaripp I want you to know we are FOR YOU. Don’t let fake news distract you. I am proud of you and ALL OF OUR GREAT athletes and my only hope for you and all of #TeamUSA is to bring home the gold. Go get ‘em! — Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) February 8, 2018

5. Adam has BIG plans after the Olympics!

When he returns to the States, Rippon plans to celebrate at... Target! He told GMA:

"I'm gonna go to Target, and I'm gonna get a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc Oyster Bay, with the twist top. Immediately."

Adam, you 100% deserve it!

[Image via Adam Rippon/Instagram.]

all shit of items at home is why real celebrities even some cereal killers

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