#more than a athlete

[yamnbananas]

Silent Protest from Tommie Smith & John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics Mexico. ✊🏿

[steveyockey]

the best part of challengers is how they’re all barely 32 if that and it’s like listen my better years are behind me. my wife will shoot me like a dog if I don’t make it to semis this season

[frontlinebicepsoftheninth]

one of my favorite things about gideon is the characterization of "born 2 be jock 😎🔥💪 forced 2 be goth 😔☠️🦴" like quite literally one of the funniest character choices i've seen an author make and pull off

[choccy-milky]

modern AU seb and clora's first interaction 📘📗 (and by modern AU i actually mean super trope-filled high school romance set in the 80's/90's LOL)

[alltheyoungmoons]

speaking of olympics au… remus wouldn’t be there as an athlete he’d be there as a staff member like a physiotherapist or something. the boy hates sports in every universe (but his long ass fingers work like magic on sore muscles… wink wink)

[the-broken-pen]

“You’re going to blow out your arms,” the villain observed. They watched as the hero merely grit their teeth, shoving themself through another pull-up. It looked painful, and if the sweat slicking the hero’s brow was any indication, it was.

They waited for the hero to let themself drop from the bar and accept the villain was stronger. But they didn’t.

Three more pull-ups, and the villain stepped in.

“Hero,” they said slowly. “You’re about to tear the ligaments in your arms. You need to stop.”

The hero blew out a shuddering breath. Struggled for purchase, fighting gravity—and let themself drop.

The hero’s hands were bleeding, calluses torn open by the bar. The hero didn’t seem bothered when their own hands shook so much that their blood began to splatter on the gym floor.

For a moment, the villain could only stare at them.

Shit.

They didn’t know how to handle this. They knew the hero was dedicated. They knew the hero was strong, and perpetually trying to be stronger, but they hadn’t thought…

They hadn’t thought the hero would be so willing to tear apart their own body for success.

It was supposed to be fun, the villain thought. They felt a little sick as the hero pressed their palms together to soothe the bleeding, an action that was practiced and familiar. As if they had done this before.

The hero reached for something in their bag, smearing blood on the side, and pulled out a roll of blue electrical tape. The villain didn’t understand why, until the hero tore a strip off and made to wrap their hands with it.

The hero would be the death of them.

They crouched in front of the hero, plucking the electrical tape out of their hands.

“What are you doing with this?”

The hero blinked at the villain like they were the strange one in this situation.

“Wrapping my hands?”

The villain hissed in a breath.

“With electrical tape?”

The hero flushed slightly, looking down at their bloody hands. They looked close to tears.

“It…sticks to skin, really well. And it doesn’t move, either, when you move your hands or wherever else, even if you’re fighting. Plus, blood doesn’t make it come off, at least, not for a while.”

The villain blinked at them.”

“Blood doesn’t make it come off,” the villain repeated, processing. The hero nodded, reaching for the electrical tape. The villain settled it out of reach.

“Not if you wrap it right.”

Dimly, the villain realized that meant the hero had done this enough times to have it down to a science.

“And you couldn’t use a bandaid?” The villain asked incredulously. The hero shrugged a shoulder, then winced at the motion.

Yeah, the hero had absolutely blown out their arms.

“Bandaids move—“

The villain hushed them.

“Be quiet for a second.”

The hero, wisely, went quiet.

The villain rubbed a hand over their face, then studied the hero for a moment. They took one of the hero’s hands into their own, studying the damage.

“Why did you do this to yourself,” the villain murmured.

“What do you mean, why,” the hero snapped. “It’s my job.”

“Your job is to save people,” the villain corrected. “Not destroy yourself.”

“I’m not destroying myself—“

“You are.”

“Shut up—“

“Hero.”

“I need to be better,” the hero snapped. Their voice rang out across the gym, echoing into the rafters, and they both froze. After a moment, the hero spoke again, voice soft. “I need to be better.”

They said it like they needed the villain to understand. The villain wondered who they were really saying it to—the villain, or themself.

“Better than who?”

“Everyone.” It was hushed, like a secret.

The villain watched them, waiting.

The hero took a shaky breath

“My whole thing is being the best. I have always been the best. That’s the only reason I matter. If I’m not strong enough, then I am nothing, so I need. to be. better.”

The hero had started crying, very quietly, like they were afraid to take up too much space.

The villain was not equipped to handle gifted kid burnout.

“There’s more to you than just being a good athlete,” the villain said hesitantly, and the hero shook their head.

“No. There isn’t.”

“Hero.”

“Can you give me back my electrical tape?” They hiccuped to contain a sob.

“No,” the villain said firmly, and then the hero really was sobbing.

“You don’t understand—“

The villain didn’t. Not really. They had never been the kind of talented that the hero was.

They wondered now if maybe that was a blessing.

“I don’t,” the villain agreed. “But I do understand that you’ve saved half the city, and you give everything you have to give, and you always do your best.”

“But I-“

“No.” The villain stopped them. “You are doing your best.” They tipped the hero’s chin up until they met the villain’s eyes. “And it is enough.”

The hero froze, eyes darting over the villain’s face. They wondered if anyone had ever said that to the hero, if whatever mentor they had was giving them anything other than orders to be stronger. Be better. Be more.

The villain had some new targets to take care of, it would seem.

For now, though, they had to take care of hero.

“We’re going to go wrap your hands,” they said softly. “And then we’re going to take care of your arms, and you’re going to take a nap.”

The hero nodded, watching them like they were some kind of good, selfless person.

“And if I ever catch you using electrical tape again, so help me, I will put you six feet under.”

That startled a laugh out of the hero, and they let the villain guide them to their feet.

“Fine.”

The villain turned to them. “Okay?”

Are you going to be alright?

The hero seemed to understand.

“Okay,” the hero agreed.

Yes.

And so, it was.

[silvermoon424]

You know it does kinda bother me that in basically every iteration of Sailor Moon, Usagi is an extremely chubby-coded character but is portrayed as being very thin; in the anime in manga she has the exact same body type as the rest of the girls. By "chubby-coded" I mean she loves eating, isn't very fond of physical activity, and is even teased for her weight... despite looking like a supermodel.

I really wish Naoko Takeuchi had given Usagi some chub. I understand the series was created in the 90s in Japan, but still... what a missed opportunity for some great plus-size representation!

[onlinecasualty]

do they? not have? water bottles? no this is important. how do these kids consume water on the daily? they are d1 athletes i refuse to think they all just patiently wait in line to use a fountain during practices and games. and i dont even want to think about how little water neil consumes on the run if he doesnt have a water bottle

[ghcstofutopia]

one more twunk grusha, released upon the world as he so deserves

commissioned by tvitr!

[lucky38-2077]

Night in Arroyo🌃

[babacontainsmultitudes]

I can't really draw what's on my mind so here is the blueprint of my vision instead:

[thiagodasilva]

can we stop using what Vini Jr is going through as a way to say “get him to the premier league!”? you’ve gotta be fucking kidding. the racism in Spain is similar to the racism in England, in Germany, in Italy, across Europe. The racism POC athletes experience is a global issue, and has been for a long, long time. no one is free of it.

We can criticize what La Liga is doing without trying to make it some sort of competition between leagues, it’s childish and demeaning to the bigger issue at hand. It’s not about “my favorite league is better than yours” or “come to my club, it won’t happen here.” fucking grow up.

[jrueships]

older white men who have to announce how much they prefer college sports over professional sports & obsess over it kinda creep me out idk

[thistledropkick]

After Desperado told Hiromu about his eye condition, Hiromu repeatedly said that he wanted Desperado to give him detailed updates on his health situation, and it seems like he meant it. He brought it up immediately on the first day of the current tour and hasn't given up yet.

"The backstage comments are getting stupid again"

Hiromu in the QRT said: "El Desperado, can you hear me? Your eye, your eye surgery, please tell me if it has been completed successfully and safely. ....Yeah, this part of my backstage comment will probably be put onto "X" I think. So please quote it and comment, Desperado-senshu."

Desperado quoted it to say: "You know that if you tell me to do something, I will absolutely never do it."

Undiscouraged, Hiromu continued in the next day's backstage comments:

"First things first. Desperado! Thanks for the comment! But I still want to hear how your eyes are doing, and what % of normal vision you're at right now. Please reassure me! I want to hear the words "I'm 100% healedpiii~!" directly from your mouth, please. I think this part of what I said today will be put onto 'X'"

Desperado didn't respond directly to Hiromu, but he did post an update:

"It hasn't even been a week since my surgery so I'm having terrible double vision, even worse than before the surgery

When I have both eyes open, even if I'm somewhere flat, my balance feels weighted backwards, and the visuals make me nauseous

So I've been wearing an eyepatch everywhere, and traveling by taxi and train instead of driving

But that narrows my field of vision so much that I keep crashing into things and getting in peoples' way...

This suuuucks"

Still not getting the answer he requested, Hiromu escalated.

His wrist tape for today's match read "Despe" "are your eyes" "okay?"

And in his backstage comments, he said that since Desperado isn't talking to him about this on twitter, he wants Desperado to reach out to him directly on the Japanese chat app LINE.

Desperado QRTed a reply, but to the NJPW World account instead of directly to Hiromu.

"My eyes aren't the problem, it's the muscles that move my eyes that are the problem

The muscles that move my eyes are still warming up and getting used to working

I've still got total double vision

I see two people, like the distance between a stand and their stand user"

"So basically, after the muscles that move your eyes are done warming up, you'll intensely train those eyeball-moving muscles so you'll become even stronger than before, okay 🙆 ? "

"I will not do anything to train those muscles after they're done warming up"

"Why did you suddenly start replying to me on X after I said on my backstage comment "Tell me your LINE"?

Ah, whyyy whyyy?"

[mikami1992]

I just saw a post of a FanArt of Richard Greyson winning gold medals at the Olympics…

so an idea comes to mind…

A crazy guy is stalking the US Olympic team, at first the classic letters from a disturbing stalker, worrying but not enough to do anything more than increase security and start an investigation, after all they are in the middle of the inauguration and there is not much that can be done…

they don't plan to cancel anything… until the truck where the athletes are leaving the event is sabotaged/attacked…

despite the vehicle overturning, most of them had a scare and some bruises… but there are several of them who were left with injuries that prevent them from continuing in the competition.

which should end with the withdrawal of some competitions by the United States… but luckily they meet some of the Wayne boys who came to see the event and they are willing to be substitutes, even if it's just to fill in the spots…

Meanwhile, the Batkids are taking some time off, and by unanimous decision (no one votes against Cas) they decide to go see the opening and some events of the Olympics, what they didn't expect was to find a case involving the Olympic team, where everything seems to point to someone within it, targeting other athletes.

So they decide to investigate from within.

[introloves]

CONCEPT FOR SOMETHING ILL TAKE 20 YEARS TO WRITE BUT IM PUTTING IT OUT INTO THE INTERNET IN HOPES IT GIVES ME MOTIVIATION: volley bunny