#she was a big favorite when i was watching tla

[brongusthearcanist]

My favorite, and the most important part of any redemption story is what I call "the quiet". Prince Zuko is one of the best redemption arcs we have ever had on screen, and is at this point is what many of us think of first when thinking of a redemption arc. And there is a lot they do right, like one of my favorites, the relapse, but the quiet is the most pivotal in my opinion. This is when our bad-boy™ has actually achieved exactly what they've always wanted, and there is no where else to go, the fight is over, and they must now think on what they've done. For Zuko it's returning to the Fire Nation as its Prince, and having to finally sit with his culture and slowly realize where it all went wrong, and where he went wrong.

An even better example comes from the next best redemption since TLA is She-ra and the princess of power's Catra. Like Zuko she is the main antagonist for several seasons, rather than wanting honor she wants respect and control (among other things), something she never had as a child. Spoilers if you have never watched it, you should, there is very little reason not too. Season 4 ends with Catra succeeding in summoning the big boss that she believes will help her destroy the rebellion. She assumes Hoard Prime will see her as an equal, and reward her with more power. But he doesn't, Hoard Prime sees her as less than a servant, unholy and unworthy of trust or advancement. While she is repeatedly told she is an honored guest on the ship, she is more of a prisoner. She has nowhere to go, no more power to grab to distract her from her insecurities, nothing to distract her from her pain. She is forced to sit in the quiet and feel the pain and sadness she has been putting off. She has to relive everything she's done and not only understand that it was wrong, but also why she felt it was "okay" at the time, and the underlying issues that caused it. It's fucking beautiful.

Also if you've watched and enjoyed the last airbender you will probably like She-ra. I think a lot of you have avoided it because you think it's a show for little girls. Which is weird cause everyone tells you your show is just for little boys, and you understand why they're wrong but you refuse to undo the misogyny that would let you see the same is true for She-ra. It depicts a lot of adult themes, it is a little goofy and often childish, but it's depicting children so that's kinda a given. Please watch it, it's a fantastic finished animation.

[callunavulgari]

Scrapbook 2024 | February

Fuck Tumblr's absolute bullshit new formatting. I used to be able to get three-four months out of this before I hit the limit, now I get one. Seriously. Fuck them.

Anyway, for anyone that’s new to this, this is how I keep track of all of the things that I enjoy and/or create throughout the year. I have literally been doing this since I had a livejournal.

It’s a nice little snippet of my life and helps to organize my brain.

A reminder:

Normal font - Indifferent/Neutral Italicized font - Enjoyed bold font - Loved with an asterisk* - All time favorite (bracketed titles) - Re-watches/Re-reads strikethough - Disliked

Goals are: read 70 books and write at least 50k of original content.

Past Years

MOVIES

(The Breakfast Club)

(Pacific Rim)

(Dune)

TV SHOWS

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Avatar: TLA

(X-Files, s1)

Hazbin Hotel

Helluva Boss

YOUTUBE CHANNELS

Watcher: Top Five Beatdown

Try Guys? Eats Disney?

Beryl

BOOKS

System Collapse by Martha Wells

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross [Fin]

PODCASTS

Watcher Podcast

VIDEO GAMES

Stardew Valley: Dipper

POSTED FIC

you can have my isolation | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 4,618 words | “Pretty sure that I owe you a blowjob,” Eddie says flatly, eying Steve over the smoldering end of his cigarette.

baby, is he good to you? | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 9,106 words | “I don’t—” Steve sputters, setting his food aside before she jumps him. “Christ, Robin. I didn’t— I don’t have a thing for him!”

WIPS | UNPUBLISHED | ORIGINAL

February

486 words of Steddie singing neighbor meet cute

4336 words of Dead Girl Walking

1362 words of Steddie Tattoo AU

587 words of Breakfast Club AU

Fanmixes/Spotify Playlists/Graphics

February

steddie feelz: what it says on the tin

eddissy feelz: also what it says on the tin

rage mallgoth monday morning

eerie post-apocalyptic night

DELIGHTFUL FIC

February

paradise by the dashboard light. by oaseas | Stranger Things | Steddie | 154k | Things were weird in Hawkins. The fields were rotting, there was something in the woods, and Steve Harrington's Beemer had a new problem every week.

Run Me Through by GriefAbyss | Stranger Things | Steddie | 9k | Eddie and Steve have an arrangement - every Wednesday they meet up and have fantastic sex, even if they barely even talk to each other.

Shout if you want my heart by rustypeopleskillz | Stranger Things | Steddie | Eddie asks Steve to be his fake boyfriend so Wayne will stop pestering him to get out of Hawkins to stretch his wings. Steve says yes.

rising moon by jk_rockin | Stranger Things | Steddie | 13k | Steve gets bitten by a strange dog one hot summer night. It takes him a month, and a little outside help, to work out what's wrong with him.

Till I Kissed You by 96tears | Stranger Things | Steddie | 18k | When Eddie confesses he’s never got the big deal about kissing, Steve teases him about it, saying maybe it’s because Eddie’s a bad kisser.

you gotta get a reaction by jk_rockin | Stranger Things | Steddie | 10k | Steve actually likes Judas Priest.

blinking red light by cuips_not_cute | Stranger Things | Steddie | WIP | 11k | A sex tape is…crazy.

The Shire is NOT on Fire by kissesforcas | Stranger Things | Steddie | 54k | The kids convince Steve to take them all to a Renaissance Faire and LARP event.

like a heartbeat drives you mad by redbelles | Stranger Things | Eddissy | 5k | “Oh,” she squeaks out. “You mean like— like? Sex?”

Duality by broomclosetkink | Stranger Things | Eddissy | 55k | “Holy fuck, did I take acid?” he asks. Because he’s staring at himself in the mirror, but he is Chrissy Cunningham.

Big wheel keep on turning by prufrocks | Stranger Things | Steddie | 27k | A few months after Starcourt, Steve moves out of his parents' house and into a friend of a friend's empty RV.

Dying of love but it's okay by prufrocks | Stranger Things | Steddie | 16k | “But this,” Steve says, waving his hands between the two of them, “this is a one-time thing.”

Love’s A Hand-Me-Down Brew by beetlesandstars | ST | Steddie | “I think Eddie Munson flirted with me today.”

Looks like we're in for nasty weather by prufrocks | ST | Steddie | 41k | Steve doesn't know what the invisible force that attacked him in the woods is.

Right Where You Belong by WabiSabiPapi | ST | Steddie | 32k | “…Eddie?” the guy chokes out.

this time I'll sing along by jk_rockin | ST | Steddie | 7k | When Eddie laughs, it’s not a mean laugh; he’s not really laughing at Steve.

Honey, Honey (How You Thrill Me) by beetlesandstars | ST | Steddie | 5k | The second Steve steps inside, his nostrils flare, eyes widening.

Wanna See What You Can Take by a_lil_a_lot | ST | Steddie | 13k | So, never in a million years did Eddie expect to see Stevie in a random swimming pool in Indianapolis almost a decade later. Especially not like this.

soulmate soundtrack by hexiewrites | ST | Steddie | 10k | It's fucking LAST CHRISTMAS, by WHAM.

carve your name into my chest by hexiewrites | ST | Steddie | 42k | Eddie Munson just wanted to play hockey.

make some room by Adure | ST | Chrissy/Steve/Eddie | 15k | Eddie, down on his luck and back in Hawkins, crashes on his friends' couch while he licks his wounds.

don't go wastin your emotions by kissesforcas | ST | Steddie | 51k | "Steve 'the Hair' Harrington, a rage-filled barbarian, who knew?" Eddie says, like its a compliment, like Steve has ANY idea what that means.

sleep it off by Adure | ST | Steddie | 22k | "Why is this happening?" Eddie says, voice tight. Steve doesn't know. Steve barely knows what is happening, much less the why.

DELIGHTFUL FANVIDS

February

Eddie Munson || In The End

DELIGHTFUL MUSIC

February

all american bitch - olivia rodrigo

magic pill - summamore

timezone - maneskin

harder, faster - wasp

teenage dirtbag - wheatus

heaven is a place on earth - belinda carlisle

18 - anarbor

white rabbit

sweet dreams - marilyn manson

hazbin hotel soundtrack

street spirit - radiohead

troubadour - perceval

hayloft ii - mother mother

bad feeling - jagward twin

chateau - djo

gloom - djo

petite fleur - jill barber

fire eater - charming disaster

teenage dream - girl puppy

[stimboard]

Avatar Kyoshi (for the rating thing)

9/10 i need a show about her 

Send me ur favorite fictional girl and ill rate them 0-10

[headcanonthings]

A;TLA Propsal Bonus Headcanons

So while I was thinking up the Zukka and Bakoda proposals I got a little (a lot?) caught up and started thinking of the other characters and those posts are already so loooong so I didn’t include them but I really do like some of these ideas so now here’s a bonus post!

Iroh

Iroh is one of those lucky nobels where his arranged marriage is actually with a women he quite likes and it’s mutual as they have spent many years knowing of their arrangement so they agreed to try to at the very least be friends which worked and they eventually actually developed romantic feelings towards each other

So when it comes time to make the engagement official Iroh knows he’s gotta get something that she’ll actually like and wear proudly as wife of the Future Fire Lord

And long hair is a thing in the Fire Nation and Lily (who Iroh affectionately calls his Fire Lily) has really long hair that she likes to wear in elaborate braids with decorations like flowers and what not

So Iroh, newly knighted The Dragon of The West, decides this is the perfect thing to give her so he has a beautiful dragon hair pin commissioned that can be weaved in with her braid, the body of the dragon peeking out as one of the strands and the dragon’s face boldly resting at the top ruby eyes staring at all who see it

(Lu Ten thinks those are the eyes people mean when they say his mother has eyes in the back of her head)

Iroh has smaller pieces made as well, little golden flowers with tiny ruby dewdrops for when she does more elaborate elaborate styles where the dragon wouldn’t fit

Ty Lee and Mai

Ever the bold one, Ty Lee is the one to propose to Mai

Neither of them are big on jewelry so it’s takes nearly three straight days of bouncing ideas off of Zuko between meetings for her to come up with the perfect gift

Ty Lee commissions a simple pair of earrings

They’re sleek vibrant gold and are shaped like Mai’s favorite throwing knives, rubies embedded in the shapes hilts

Ty Lee proposes at the end of the Fire Lily Festival, pulling Mai to one of the smaller courtyards in the Palace, the same one where the two had first met as children

Mai can barely get any words out past the sudden swell of emotions and simply takes the earrings out Ty Lee’s hand and puts them on

Mai hopes the smile stretching her lips is enough; for Ty Lee who knows her girlfriend—now fiancée— so well it totally is

Mai doesn’t make as much of a moment when she gives her gift to Ty Lee

(Later after a night of drinking, Mai will admit to Zuko that it took everything not to just throw the gift and run struggling with the overwhelming emotions; Zuko quietly notes the way Mai idly plays with one of her earrings the entire time)

Mai has a choker made in the traditional Fire Nation Style (it’s one of the few types of jewelry Ty Lee will wear since it won’t get in the way of her gymnastics); a gold emblem designed to look like a circus tent hangs at the base of her throat the rubies dotting the top of the tent poles

Ty Lee changes the style of her tops to something with a lower neckline just to show off the necklace completely unbothered by the scandalized looks the older courtiers give her

Aang and Katara

The Air Nomads didn’t have marriages in the sense that the other nations do,there were commuted couples but no formal ceremonies and no engagement traditions at least none that Aang can recall

Katara is very supportive of Aang keeping to as many of his Air Nomad traditions as possible but Aang also knows that Katara has always dreamed of having a marriage like her parents and he wants to give that to her

He goes to Sokka and Hakoda and even Batoband Kanna to learn as much as he can about Southern Water Tribe marriage traditions as possible

That’s how Aang learns that betrothal necklaces haven’t been used in generations

He’s nervous about having to create something himself but he honestly feels good about not giving Katara another necklace considering how attached she is to her mother’s

Aang really latches on to the idea of the gift being useful and decides to create a new waterskin

Hakoda thankfully helps with procuring the materials; providing him with the tanned skin

Kanna watches over him as he sews the pouch together and embroiders a design to mark the pouch’s significance

He doesn’t posses the skills to create anything to elaborate but he creates a few bands that wraps around the pouch made up of the air nation and water nation symbols and after some thought and advice from Kanna he sews in the stylized image of a man Otter-Penguin as a reminder of the first day they met

When Aang looks at it all he can see are the imperfections noting how clear it is that he was an amateur; Kanna reassures him that it’s about the internation, the feelings put into each stitch that really matter anyone from the Southern Water Tribe would look at the waterskin and understand that it was an engagement gift

Aang and Katara share pretty much everything when they’re traveling which means keeping presents secret is basically impossible so Aang decides to not wait for any significant date; instead once he gets Kanna and Hakoda’s approval on his present he pulls Katara away from her latest project and takes her to the spot where she first showed him the otter-penguins

He had a whole speech planned out but he fumbles it after the first few words and starts rambling a bit as he tries to explain his feelings and desire to participate in some water tribe traditions since it wouldn’t be fair to her to only follow the air nations

Katara gets a little lost in all the words until Aang finally presents the waterskin to her and she understands immediately; she cuts off his rambling by tackling him to a hug, tears streaming down her face as she exclaims “ YES!”

She pulls away from the hug just as quickly to take hold of the waterskin; she compliments all of his designs and tells him how she can’t wait to show it off in the village and pulls the strap over her head so that the pouch rests on her hip like it usually dies when they’re not at the South Pole

[meg-a-million-whats]

RULES: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs you would like to get to know better.

tagged by @jeremymichaeljordan because she’s v. obviously procrastinating on her Javid fanfic

GENDER: Female

STAR SIGN: Pisces

HEIGHT: 5′4″ – average for an American basically

TIME: 12:20 am

FAVORITE BANDS: BgA

FAVORITE SOLO ARTISTS: Ariana Grande, Sam Smith, SZA, Halsey, Hozier, Jorja Smith, Sinead Harnett. But I don’t really follow any of them extensively, because I usually just let Spotify play me whatever

SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD: THANKS by SEVENTEEN, because my brother had the audacity to play at least three times yesterday, but literally just the chorus. I spent twenty minutes just now trying to find this song and didn’t even recognize the verses before that

LAST TV SHOW I WATCHED: SNL. Bill Hader looked weirdly like one of my former econ professors

WHEN DID I CREATE MY BLOG: This one was back in 2013 or so. Had another one ~2011 but deleted it

WHAT DO I POST: Mainly MCU (Captain America and recently Black Panther) and Check Please!, but with a good amount of figure skating, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Avatar TLA/LOK, the Queen’s Thief series, and various big fandoms

LAST THING I GOOGLED: “seventeen kpop live” “seventeen kpop” “seventeen live” “seventeen thanks”

DO I HAVE OTHER BLOGS: Yes actually. Mainly @lyrithim​, the writing/fanfic account. The rest are products of bad judgment/secrets/inactive and pretty boring

DO I GET ASKS: Not really. Only from @anonymousclone trying to be anon

FOLLOWING: 515

FOLLOWERS: 247, most of them pornbots

FAVORITE COLOURS: Silver and blue

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: It’s either five hours or nine hours. So basically seven hours

LUCKY NUMBERS: 17

INSTRUMENTS: lol freshman year of college I played the ukulele 24/7 and was really, really not good at it

WHAT AM I WEARING: sweater, towel around my hair (shower), a bathrobe tied around my waist because I can’t find my pajama pants

HOW MANY BLANKETS I SLEEP WITH: 1 in the summer, 3 during the winter, 2 right now

DREAM JOB: Fiction writer or an economist working in public policy

DREAM TRIP: New York, tbh. But to live there

FAVOURITE FOOD: Ice cream

NATIONALITY: American and something I’m still not going to divulge on this blog

FAVOURITE SONG RIGHT NOW: "Evergreen” by YEBBA. Such. a fucking jam

Tagging: @anonymousclone, @frxstguardian (if you don’t find this redundant lol), @laratoncita, @thefandomoftheoperaishere, any other followers who’d like to share a couple of fun facts about themselves

[diabloindigo]

Getting to Know You

Tagged by @traipsingandtroping

Rules: Answer these 92 statements and tag 20 people

1. Drink: Cherry Coke from Sonic Drive-In.

2. Phone call: Dad confirming that I was to get beans and rice for the steaks he made.

3. Text message: My brother with Rick & Morty stickers.

4. Song you listen to: “Stray” by Steve Conte 

5. Time you cried: When one of my dogs died last month. 

HAVE YOU:

6. Dated someone twice: I don’t date...the dating pool blows here as most people like going to shithole bars. I’m all for the occasional visit to bars but not all the time. Plus they’re too loud for conversation. 

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: no kisses to regret (because I’ve never had any)! <---- same 

8. Been cheated on: Yeah, that one guy back in high school...he cheated with someone underage no less. 

9. Lost someone special: Yeah, three family members passed this spring. 

10. Been depressed: Yeah, between seeing my mom slowly die from cancer and a lot of stress from work that I feel I have no control over. 

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: Years ago at a college keg party. Woke up at 3 a.m. with that awful “I don’t know which end it’s going to come out” feeling. 

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS:

12-14: Navy blue, indigo, dark red, black. 

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:

15. Made new friends: Not really. I was new at this campus and my social time was limited dealing with work stress and a sick parent. My assistant and I did go to a bar once to get drunk after seeing dismal test results from our students, does that count? 

16. Fallen out of love: nah 

17. Laughed until you cried: Yeah

18. Found out someone was talking about you: Not officially. 

19. Met someone who changed you: Yeah. My former co workers from my first campus got me into hiking and outdoorsy things. 

20: Found out who your friends are: Definitely. When Mom went into Hospice, they were the ones who called/texted me and in some cases, brought coolers with sandwiches and casseroles so we weren’t gorging on fast food while going to the hospice since there was no time nor motivation to cook. 

21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: Nope. 

GENERAL:

22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: All of them. There are a few who are friends of friends, and one person I met on Livejournal years ago, but never met in person. 

23. Do you have any pets: Just one dog now. 

24. Do you want to change your name: Not on paper (passports, driver’s licenses,..). But I would adopt pseudonyms for writing, for privacy. 

25. What did you do for your last Birthday: I don’t recall...I think a friend took me out for dinner after work. 

26. What time do you wake up: During vacations, 8-10 a.m., during work 6:30 a.m.

27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Reading on Tumblr, banking posts for my queue. 

28. Name something you can’t wait for: my next travel trip. 

29. When was the last time you saw your mom: I visited her grave on Mother’s Day. 

30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: I wish I wouldn’t get stressed so much. 

31: What are you listening to right now: The AC

32: Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Yeah, clerks and salesmen. 

33. Something that is getting on your nerves: Immaturity to the lowest degree. As in: people who snap bubblegum as if they were walking assault rifles. Inconsiderate drivers, bad parking jobs. Texting while driving. 

34. Most visited website: Amazon, GoRuck (tactical backpack pron), The Blackblood Alliance comic, Off-White comic page. 

LOST QUESTIONS. I JUST PUT IN RANDOM INFO ABOUT ME

35. Mole/s: 1

36. Mark/s: A few tiny scars, one birthmark. 

37. Childhood dream: Scientist, Vet

38. Hair color: dark brown, nearly black

39. Long or short hair: medium to short 

40. Do you have a crush on someone: Fictional characters, yeah, like Agent Simmons on Criminal Minds, Agent Reid from the same show. 

41. What do you like about yourself: I don’t know when to quit in terms of competitions and such. Even on those last 2 major shooting matches, when I kinda knew I was going to get pummeled, I never half-assed it to the end. It’s also a bit of a downside because I can overspend on the shooting galleries at carnival midways trying to beat out other people.  

My sense of humor. 

43. Blood type: O+

44. Nickname: Short version of my birth name. One guy at work referred to me as Deadpool once. I guess, in a way, I am like him. Both of us own a lot of weapons and such, yet we’re not cheesy memorabilia: Wade’s got his Voltron ring and Bernadette Peters purse, I have my San Fransokyo T-shirts and Cards Against Humanity packs. 

45: Relationship status: Single. 

46: Zodiac: Virgo

47. Pronouns: She/her

48. Favorite TV show: Criminal Minds. I’m just going to come out and say it: Beyond Borders was not that good, it’s xenophobic and formulaic, but I only watched it because Daniel Henney was one of the leads. 

F is for Family. Avatar: TLA. 

49. Tattoos: None.

50. Right or left hand: Right

51. Surgery: None.

52. Hair dyed in different color: No because I don’t want to bleach it. And dye bleeds after it’s dry apparently. I did have a mild desire to dye parts of violet kinda like Go Go from BH6. 

53. Sport: Marksmanship. I will knock around the punching bag in the garage from time to time. 

55. Vacation: Japan, Shanghai, Ireland, Scotland. The Bay Area because I want to tour SF again, go to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, go see the redwood trees...

56. Pair of trainers: For aesthetics (hipster, classic, whatever you want to call it) Converse Black Chuck Taylors. For comfort: Sketchers memory-foam insoles. 

MORE GENERAL:

57. Eating: Nothing, but I ate some Whole Foods scraps from the hot plate take out (quinoa, shrimp, a carrot, sweet and sour chicken). 

58. Drinking: Nothing, but I washed down brunch with water. 

59. I’m about to: start prepping those steaks for dinner I guess. 

61. Waiting for: my next break. I feel as if i wasted this summer. Everyone on FB and Instagram has lots of vacation porn, and I just have photos of a new den carpet and couches that ate up half my net income for the month. 

62. Want: to have fun before work starts up again. 

63. Get married: I dunno. At this point, I’d rather have a roomie or platonic relationship. Someone who likes to go hiking and to movies, but no romance. 

64. Career: Teaching. Sometimes I feel like writing and shooting are secondary jobs. :) 

WHICH IS BETTER:

65. Hugs or kisses: Hugs.   

66. Lips or eyes: Eyes 

67. Shorter or taller: Taller 

68. Older or younger: Older 

70. Nice arms or nice stomach: Arms 

71. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive

72. Hook up or relationship: Relationship

73. Troublemaker or hesitant: Hesitant

HAVE YOU EVER:

74. Kissed a stranger: I’m too withdrawn and cautious around other people to even consider it. <--- Ditto 

75. Drank hard liquor: I’ve gone through so much shit I prefer the hard stuff. But I drink about once a month.  

76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: No

77. Turned someone down: No one asks 

78. Sex on the first date: never

79. Broken someone’s heart: No 

80. Had your heart broken: Not really  

81. Been arrested: No. 

82. Cried when someone died: Yes

83. Fallen for a friend: No

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

84. Yourself: Yes

85. Miracles: nope 

86. Love at first sight: No, those are crushes. I believe in getting to know someone first. 

87. Santa Claus: I’m too old. I did for seven years as a kid, but not anymore. 

88. Kiss on the first date: See how things go. 

OTHER:

90. Current best friend name: I have a few, no names though. 

91. Eye color: brown

92. Favorite movie: 

Top 5: Big Hero 6; Balto ; The Point of No Return; Kick-Ass; The Mechanic (2011) 

[unitedspoonsofvulcan]

Thanks to @herequeeranduncomfortable for tagging me in this thing!

THE LAST:

Drink: very cheap, very flat champagne

Phone call: Technically my voicemail, but actually my Mom lol

Text message: A long text containing my conspiracy theory on how James Franco is an asshole who takes advantage of the gay community for the $$$ and how much I hate him

Song listened to: “Beth” performed by Kina Grannis

Time I cried: It’s been a stressful time for me lol. So like a few hours ago?

HAVE YOU:

Dated someone twice: I don’t have enough dating experience for that to even be a possibility ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Kissed someone and regretted it: I guess a little? Once when I was drunk I made out with a straight girl who I kinda disliked and was not attracted to. But I’m flattered that I was her first gay experience so it kinda levels out for me lol

Been cheated on: again, I haven’t dated enough for that

Lost someone special: not to death, but I’ve lost some close friends due to personal circumstances

Been depressed: Yeah for like ten years now lol

Gotten drunk and thrown up: ooooh yes. But I don’t let it stop me from continuing to drink lmao

LIST 3 FAVOURITE COLOURS:

Royal blue

uhhhh navy blue

black?

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:

Made new friends: I’ve met one or two people I’m friendly with, but we’re not *friends* friends

Fallen out of love: no

Laughed until you cried: Probably! There’s this one story I can’t tell without absolutely losing my shit laughing, so I”m sure at very least I cried at that

Found out someone was talking about you: Yeah kinda but like I could tell what she thought about me in the looks she gave, so it wasn’t really a surprise or a secret when I heard what she told other people lol

Met someone that changed you: I haven’t had a very social year, so no. Maybe in the upcoming months though? Who knows.

Found out who your friends are: I think I already knew

Kissed someone on your fb friend list: No actually! Sadly I haven’t kissed anyone all year.

GENERAL:

How many of your fb friends do you know irl: All of them except for a handful

Any pets: At “home” I have a cat named Kitty who I’m going to get to see again very soon!!!

Do you want to change your name?: I’ve always hated my first name, but I could never come up with a fitting alternative. I’m fine with just going by my last name though.

What did you do for your last birthday: Cried a lot lol. My friend did end up making me a really nice last-minute dinner but other than that it was a really bad day tbh

What time did you wake up: sometime after 4PM. I’m on that summer sleep schedule

What were you doing at midnight last night?: Definitely on the couch. Possibly napping? If not then I was watching tv or something

Something you can’t wait for: Moving out of the state of Louisiana

One thing I wish I could change in my life: Idk I guess being more personable/less hateful would probably make my life a lot easier for me.

Listening to right now: Literally at this moment? Nothing. In general in my life? Also nothing lmao I’m just listening to the same shit I have been for years

Ever talked to a Tom?: I don’t think so

Something getting on your nerves: Kinda everything lmao I’m an easily aggravated person

Most visited website: Youtube/tumblr

Moles: Yeah I have quite a few! I’ve got some little constellations on my arm, and a really cute one on my ear. My favorite is this one between my boobs tbh

Marks: I guess the only one is the skin just below my nail on my index finger, which is permanently slightly pink and swollen form years of picking at it

Childhood dream: The only thing I specifically remember wanting as a child was “a big ball of cats”

Hair colour: Kinda dark brown

Long or short hair: Short! Although it’s a little shaggy at the moment

Do you have a crush on someone: Nah I’m aromantic

What do you like about yourself: Usually almost everything but currently nothing

Piercings?: Three in each earlobe, plus my nostril

Blood type: idk

Nickname: I don’t think I have one? I had Syrup for a short period of time when I was little

Relationship status: single

Zodiac: Capricorn

Pronouns: I don’t really care what people use for me but she/her is fine

Fave TV show: I can’t really narrow it down to one but I like Pushing Daisies, A;TLA, Over the Garden Wall for a miniseries. Maybe Star Trek DS9

Tattoos: None as of now, but I’m considering getting a Sasha Velour tattoo because I’m in love with her

Right or left hand: right, although I did try to learn to be ambidextrous when I was little. It didn’t work obviously lol

Surgery: I’ve had my wisdom teeth removed, but no real surgeries

Hair dyed a different colour: I died my hair black during my goth days, and for a short while I had blue streaks in it

Sport: lol no

Vacation: I’d love one to anywhere, but probably won’t be going on one for quite a while

Pairs of trainers: I have two pairs of cheap sneakers. One is for looking cute and makes me a little taller. The other is for comfort so they get worn a lot more

MORE GENERAL:

Eating: I’m really picky about condiments I guess. Like I think they put too much sauce on almost everything that has sauce on it. I also I hate the texture of mushrooms

Drinking: I used to be really into New Amsterdam Red Berry vodka, but the smell and taste have started to make me sick. Lately I’ve been drinking cheap white rum instead.

I’m about to: Probably watch another movie and/or try to find a relaxing game

Waiting for: A good job, a workable living situation. Possible therapy? Hopefully medication

Want: To not live alone or with my family

Get married: Idk I don’t necessarily believe in romance but I like the idea of having a life partner and tax breaks. So I guess I’d like to get married but I don’t necessarily see it in my future

Career: death

Lips or eyes: idk not to be That Person but I’m usually just attracted to people who are nice lol

Shorter or taller: my height or close too. Significant height differences would cause inconveniences

Older or younger: Older with lots of money to share with me

Nice arms or nice stomach: again for me it’s mostly about personality. Although I do enjoy Muscle Girls and usually their arms are more visible

Sensitive or loud: I don’t think that these are mutually exclusive. But loudness does make me nervous

Hook up or relationship: I guess relationship but either would be nice

Troublemaker or hesitant: Hesitant I guess?

HAVE YOU EVER:

Kissed a stranger: Not a stranger, but people I barely knew

Drank hard liquor: yes lots

Lost glasses/ contacts: Yes!! The reason I stopped wearing my glasses was because I lost my favorite pair. I think I lost them in ecology class one day so they’re probably in a literal ditch on the side of the road somewhere

Turned someone down: Only once directly in the fifth grade, but I’ve also ghosted a few people

Sex on the first date: no

Broken someone’s heart: nope

Had your heart broken: no

Been arrested: nah

Cried when someone died: Yeah my literal grandpa and then my space grandpa (Leonard Nimoy). Probably other celebs too. I’m an emotional bitch

Fallen for a friend: -ish? I used to convince myself I had feelings for my friends. I was deep in denial but even at the time I knew it was bullshit

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

Yourself: Depends on what it’s in relation to. I know I’m smart but I’m also very lazy so I’m useless at go-getter-type activities

Miracles: Very unlikely coincidences are bound to happen sometimes

Love at first sight: Bruh I don’t really even believe in regular love

Santa: Welp I’m an adult so no

Kiss on the first date: If I ever go on a date we’d better bone down immediately

Angels: I’m a pretty strict skeptic, so no

OTHER:

Current best friends names: All of my friends are the best! I don’t want to have to pick lol

Eye colour: brown

Fave movie: Uhhh maybe But I’m a Cheerleader or Hard Candy or something. That’s another hard one to narrow down though

And yeah that was fun! It’s been a while since I got tagged in anything interactive lol. I’m going to tag @marlar and @smolsweetpotato, and @inthemirrordorkly. Plus anyone else who wants to participate :)

[redrobin-detective]

Not trying to get into the shipping war but I didn't get into Avatar TLA fandom until post S2 and it had never occured to me to ship Katara/Zuko. They were enemies who fought over Aang. They had the worst relationship w/each other until post TSR ep (which for a number of reasons I thought was the most anti romantic Zuko/Katara ep that also pushed why Aang was more compatible). I personally find their platonic dynamic, be it as enemies or friends, much more fascinating/better for each other.

(Just want to take a moment to say thank you anon, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to rant about Zutara when I see this in my ask. Thank you for giving me the chance to rant about something that’s bothered me for 10 years)

People are allowed to ship what they want, I can’t stop them and I generally don’t care but Zutara has bugged me since I decided to watch ATLA (the Day of Black Sun was the first live episode I watched). If you like Zutara, go ahead and please enjoy it. I strongly dislike it and I’m going to explain why. If you don’t want to see it, don’t read under the cut. I will be discussing why I dislike Zutara and why I support Maiko and Kataang (with caveats).

I think Zutara was the first, really big ship I encountered in fandom. I was blown away by how mean and intense some people were into shipping fictional characters (still am tbh). This is also probably the first real time I was exposed to the ‘Opposites Attract’ trope of shipping which. I. Utterly. Despise. Everyone was all 'oh fire and water, opposites coming together in love uwu’ and I’m like ??? Even 13 year old me who’s terrible with people and was still icked out by the idea of guys knew that opposites attract is a complete fallacy in a relationship.

People don’t fall in love with their opposite! Or maybe they feel strong attraction but to have a stable, respectful relationship you simply can’t work with someone who you can’t find common ground with. Now I know this isn’t completely true even as I type this, there are exceptions to everything but in most cases, opposites don’t work for romance. Let’s also kill the 'Oh these people hate each other, it must be sexual tension’ trope while we’re at it. Sometimes you just gotta let people hate each other.

You may argue that Katara and Zuko aren’t complete opposites and I would agree, they actually have a decent amount in common. The main problem I see with them is their complimentary traits don’t suit each other and as a couple they wouldn’t achieve a healthy, happy relationship.

- Both Katara and Zuko have unresolved anger relating to their childhoods and respective traumas. We see in TSR that Zuko is trying to reach out to her by feeding her anger and Katara very nearly does something she would have regretted later, something opposed to her basic traits while Zuko is having his father’s teaching on hatred and revenge justified to an extent. This is not a healthy thing.

- Both Katara and Zuko are compassionate and protective almost to the point of jealousy and rage. Again, that sort of personality wouldn’t promote respect but become confining. Zuko has shown that he struggles with romantic jealousy (though most of that incident was born out self-hatred, it’s still there just better controlled) and Katara has a desire to mother and protect. Those two instinct would war with each and make the relationship troubled from the start.

- Both Katara and Zuko are fiercely loyal to their people. I have never been more confused than I was by a text post saying Zutara should have been endgame because Katara “wouldn’t have had her cultural identity erased to become Aang’s baby momma” like??? Aang, for all his faults, loved Katara as she was and she maintained her Water Tribe roots even as his wife. If Katara married Zuko, she’d have been Fire Lady, loyal to the Fire Nation first and forced to live in a Palace. Katara would HATE that level of confinement and while she mightbe better with the Fire Nation now, I doubt she’d be totally cool spending the restof her life amongst the people who murdered her Mother.

Not tomention the whole animosity they had literally throughout the entire series. Ofcourse, Zuko proved himself in TSR but I don’t think Katara really accepted himuntil Sozin’s Comet. And before you cry your tears about how Zuko saved Katarafrom Azula’s lightening, I’m 100% certain given Zuko’s character that he wouldhave done that for anyone. Azula knows her brother is softhearted and we’veseen Zuko protect literal strangers when he didn’t need to. That could havebeen Old Man Li and Azula would have shot that lightening and Zuko would havethrown his stupid ass in the way.

I can see Katara and Zuko growing to begood, close friends. Because we all have those friends that we care and rely onbecause they’re different from us,think differently and bring something unique. Zuko probably relied on Katarafor counsel, advice on how to be a kind but strong ruler while Katara wouldseek him out on political manners and how best to handle Aang. Zuko is a partof the Gaang, now and forever more, he and Katara are the mature ones of thegroup, there to bring order and peace and pave the way for the new world. Butas a romantic couple, they’re simply not complementary in personality andlifestyle to have a truly happy relationship.

Whichbrings me, briefly I promise, to the relationships the two characters are in:Maiko and Kataang. I love Maiko, it’s my favorite of the ATLA ships (aside fromSokki) because I feel they do work and complement each other. I’ll start by gettingthis right out of the way; yes it’s kind of ridiculous that Mai and Zuko hadthat cute lil kiddie crush and then, 5 minutes after Zuko’s back in the FireLord’s favor, Mai makes a move. I’d have preferred if they showed more build-upto the relationship but I guess there wasn’t enough time. But I don’t get allthese accusations of Maiko being abusive. Becauselet me tell you, just because someone messes up in a relationship, makes amistake for the right reasons, that does not mean they’re abusive.

To me, Maiand Zuko are products of the same environment: emotionally stunting/abusive,rigid, accepting nothing less than perfection but they handled it differently.Zuko chose to become angry and emotional over his circumstances (I thinkbecause it’s the only way he could fuel his bending) and Mai chose to bury herfeelings. Healthy? No, Realistic? Yes. Mai liked Zuko because he was genuinelynice guy, he was expressive and open when no one else around her was andencouraged her to be more open. Zuko liked Mai because she was cool and calmbut also a bit nurturing when he needed someone to soothe his flames.

Twodamaged kids helping to repair each other’s faults, what’s better than that?Mai makes mistakes with Zuko, she doesn’t know how to handle his troubles in the Fire Nation and, frankly, she couldn’t. Zuko needed that time to self-reflect and understand that what was happening was wrong. Zuko likewise behaved badly in a few episodes when his anger and self-hatred were making him explode. They both worked through this to improve like, gee, a normal healthy relationship.

Plus Mai would make a good Fire Lady. The Fire Nation needed stability afterthe war and Mai was nothing if not stable. She comes from a good, noble family(to soothe traditionalists) and she’s experienced in keeping firebenderscontrolled (for those worried about Zuko’s youth) and experienced in the waysof the world like Zuko so he can bounce ideas off of her and have her give backa more well-rounded perspective. It’s not perfect but when the series endedthey were 16/15, they have time to learn and grow together. (also I’m ignoringthe comics after The Promise because everything after has sucked)

Kataang I’ma lot less invested in but I can still understand it. Like Zuko and Mai, Aangand Katara have a lot in common and provide a good balance for one another.They really bring out the best in each other, Aang’s encouragements and naturalcheer brighten Katara’s inner sadness/anger and Katara gives Aang a sense oflove and purpose while also gently nudging him the way he needs to go. Peoplecomplain that Kataang was pushed from the start and it was, but man if Aangdoesn’t love the hell out of Katara. He respects her and relies on her andadores her but is still able to push back when she’s out of line. My main thingwith Kataang, which will eventually resolve itself, is the ages. Aang is 12when he’s freed from the iceberg, Katara 14. Aang’s love was a kiddie puppycrush on a calming maternal figure which made me feel a bit icky during the finalepisode.

Because earlyAang did love Katara but he also needed her as a guide and a mother figurewhile Katara was nurturing Aang and making sure he’s safe and happy when hereally needed to be facing the consequences of some of his actions. I see whythe characters did what they did but it makes a romance then kind of ug. I’dhave preferred if the series ended with hints and then skipped to LOK where wesee they married and junk. Because given a few years, I can see Aang and Katarabeing a good healthy couple (with no *shudders* sweeties to be seen).

Aang has just changed the world, he needstime to settle himself as the Avatar and to help Zuko and other leaders repairthe damage done by the 100 year war. Katara needs to figure out what she’sgoing to do, go home? Travel? A romance isn’t advised, especially since they’reso young. But when they’re a few years older, Aang is more mature and iswilling to see Katara as a partner and not someone to mother him and Kataragrows into her potential and decides what she wants, yeah then they’d be happy.

TL;DR: Istrongly dislike Zutara (along with the ‘opposites attract’ and ‘animosity =sexual tension’ tropes it embodies) because it’s not a healthy, compatible shipwhile the canon ships: Maiko and Kataang are much more in line with thecharacters and their goals and have the chance to be long-lasting and happy.

[erraticfairy]

How Long-Term Friendships Enrich Our Lives

Yesterday I found myself in the familiar presence of people who have been pivotal in my life for 40 years. Like everyone else I now know and love, they were once strangers, going about their own lives, not knowing I existed either until our paths crossed. 

Most of us were college students, enrolled in psychology, sociology and teaching programs at what once was called Glassboro State College in Glassboro, NJ. The name has since been changed to Rowan University, but it will always be GSC to me.

One of the mainstays of the school was a crisis intervention/counseling center called Together, Inc. Not sure who it was that came up with the name (since we all did spend a great deal of time together in academic, work related and social interactions) or idea in the place, but I am grateful to them, since it played such an important role in my professional and personal growth. It was where I cut my teeth on crisis counseling, family therapy and adolescent treatment. Most of the staff were volunteers who were putting their Psychology 101 to practical use. I worked there initially as a volunteer and then paid staff once I graduated. 

When I look back at those days, I am amazed that I was as brazen as I was, wielding my basic skills. Now, with two degrees (BA in Psychology and Master of Social Work) and thousands of supervisory and classroom hours and PA licensure under my belt, I am actually humbler and in awe of the trust my clients place in me and the responsibility it entails to work as a psychotherapist. 

My compatriots in this endeavor were dedicated to the wellbeing of our client population; some we never met, since many called the toll-free hotline, and others we saw when they showed up for counseling sessions or walked through the door of the runaway and homeless youth shelter. Some of us were not much older than the kids we took care of, so in many ways they viewed us as peers. It was also where I had the experience of staying up all night, answering crisis calls from people who were facing their demons and were looking to us to offer support and resources. It was during those times, in between calls, that life, the Universe and everything conversations took place with my co-workers/friends. We explored the nature of existence, relationships, what makes people tick, consciousness, environmental concerns, political and social activism, music, sex and spirituality. That hasn’t changed all these years later.

One memorable episode took place when a teenaged girl came in and had a seizure and then went into cardiac arrest. Three of us began CPR after 911 was called and she was revived and then I had the lovely experience of her vomiting on me. Never was I so glad to have that happen. 

A more enjoyable activity was taking paint brushes and multi-hued paints and decorating the aging house that needed a bit of sprucing up. The stair railings and walls were rainbow splashed, as we let loose our creativity. I think we may have intentionally painted each other, too.

Weekends would sometimes take us to the TLA on South Street in Philadelphia to see the midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. We didn’t just sit back and take in the movie. We were active participants, complete with costumes, makeup and props. To this day, I can still rock a mean “Time Warp.”

One of my favorite movies is The Big Chill. It tells the tale of college friends who reunite a decade or so later at the funeral of one of their group. When we watched it, we said “That will be us.” In many ways, it was. Over the years, we have seen each other through marriages, divorces, children, grandchildren, widowhood, health crises, triumphs and tribulations and the deaths of four of our friends.

One of our circle experienced a stroke 10 years ago and as a result, it brought many of us closer, since it helped us to recognize how transient life is. He was the host of our gathering that included pot-luck food, guitar and sing-along of mostly 60s-70s era music with a few more current pieces thrown in for good measure. The daughter of one of our friends who was born right after we met was there with her four children ranging from 3-11 years old. The youngest are twins. It sets my mind awhirl to reflect the passing of time and the power of enduring friendships.

According to Martin Seligman and Ed Diener, people with supportive friends are quite simply, happier. In their research paper, called Very Happy People, they affirm this. “Our findings suggest that very happy people have rich and satisfying social relationships.”

When people have a supportive social network, they tend to live longer, per a study called Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review.  The authors report, “people with stronger social relationships had a 50% increased likelihood of survival than those with weaker social relationships.

Even though life happens in between our visits which take place every few years, we celebrate life events in person when we can or from a distance if needed. Several of our friends were not able to be there with us in person, but their names were in the air. We regaled each other with “remember when…” stories.

The wedding of the daughter of one of our circle who was born after we each graduated and moved on to the next version of adulting will be happening next month and I look forward to rejoicing together. 

I found myself sitting in reverie yesterday as the hands on my mental clock spun backward. These faces that now bore wrinkles and gray hair, and a few extra pounds than what we carried four decades ago belong to people who enrich my life in ways that I will never be able to measure.

from World of Psychology https://ift.tt/2z7ZtUw via theshiningmind.com

[rickhorrow]

15 to Watch + top tech week of 91117

• The 2017 NFL season is officially underway. This past offseason was full of drama, excitement, and big names making big headlines. The Atlanta Falcons have a new stadium that still has problems with its roof, Tom Brady and his Patriots are favorites to win it all again, and Colin Kaepernick remains a free agent. With that, the NFL is kicking off the new season with a full head of steam. According to NFL Marketability Research conducted by E-Poll Market Research, the NFL brand still has the highest awareness of all professional sports, while remaining the “most entertaining” and “better than competitors.” The New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, and Arizona Cardinals came out as the “most appealing” NFL franchises, while the two Los Angeles clubs – the Rams and Chargers – came in the bottom two slots. Individually, Larry Fitzgerald is the most appealing player in the league and Brady has the highest awareness among his peers. The NFL remains the gold standard among U.S. pro sports leagues, and actions by many, many NFL players and other athletes throughout the traumas of Hurricane Harvey and Irma – such as the Texans’ J.J. Watt raising over $30 million for Harvey relief – remind us that while every athlete can’t win an MVP award or stand atop an Olympic podium, true winners have hearts of gold.

• Sloane Stephens on Saturday defeated Madison Keys in straight sets to win the U.S. Open, capping a "remarkably rapid rise after sitting out 11 months because of foot surgery." Stephens is "only the second unseeded woman to win the tournament in the Open era," which began in 1968, joining Kim Clijsters, and Stephens’ victory came atop a U.S. Open women’s semi that featured an all-American cast for the first time since 1981. Prior to arriving in New York, the 24-year-old's 2017 earnings stood at $310,000 and her career earnings at $4.5 million, but that now stands at over $8 million after she collected a $3.7 million winner’s check. USA Today notes that Stephens has become the "new media darling of tennis.” (It doesn’t hurt that her boyfriend is soccer superstar Jozy Altidore.) And the Los Angeles Times’ Helene Elliott writes Stephens' win came at the right time for the "suddenly bright future of American women's tennis.”  Meanwhile, TLA Worldwide, which reps Stephens, sent an email congratulating her on the win and listed her marketing reps. Also in the winner’s circle: top Stephens’ sponsor Under Armour; she also stands to make millions more in endorsement deals as a result of her triumph.

• The inaugural Indy Women in Tech Championship presented by Guggenheim concluded Sunday with a victory by Lexi Thompson. Fans lined the ropes at The Brickyard Crossing Golf Course to watch 144 of the world’s best golfers compete for the IWiT Championship Title. The final stretch came down to Lydia Ko and Thompson. Ultimately, Thompson pulled away with a four shot lead over the competition to take home the inaugural Indy Women in Tech Championship presented by Guggenheim Title and the $300,000 winner’s check. Thompson joined the tradition of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway champions after her final round of the IWiT Championship by kissing the infamous Yard of Bricks, drinking milk, and receiving a victory wreath. Her win capped a successful weeklong schedule of tournament events designed to provide awareness and funding for specific women and tech initiatives, particularly those focused on robotics, STEM days, and career transitioning for those re-entering the workforce. Remarkable that this was only the first year of the Indy LPGA event, which came together under Guggenheim’s dedicated stewardship. The IWiT team has set a high bar, and look for even more women to benefit in 2018, inside the ropes and outside of them.

• Dallas Cowboys second-year quarterback Dak Prescott has leveraged his massively successful rookie campaign this offseason to expand his sponsorship portfolio. According to Yahoo Sports, Prescott inked more than a half-dozen new endorsement deals this offseason thanks to his “performance, storybook rise and relatable charisma.” Prescott is now set to make an astounding “10 times” his playing salary in endorsements this season, with Pepsi, AT&T, Frito-Lay, Beats by Dre, Campbell’s Chunky Soup, and 7-Eleven all signing on as new sponsors. On top of that, adidas, “one of his few sponsors prior to his rookie year,” decided to rip up its current contract with the Cowboys star and award him a brand new deal. Prescott recently had dinner with PepsiCo North America CEO Al Carey, who compared the quarterback to longtime PepsiCo partners Peyton Manning and Derek Jeter. On Sunday night, Prescott led his Cowboys to a marquee win over the Giants, 19-3. More high-profile primetime wins will only boost his marketability and brand value.

• After failing on a bid to buy the Houston Rockets back in 1993, Landry’s owner, CEO and billionaire Tilman Fertitta finally got what he wanted. According to ESPN.com, Fertitta has reached a deal with current team owner Les Alexander to buy the franchise for a record price of $2.2 billion. If the deal goes through, it would “eclipse the record” of $2 billion that Los Angeles Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer paid in 2014. The NBA Board of Governors will have to approve Fertitta as the next owner of the team before he officially takes control. The Houston-based billionaire has worked in sports before, as he was one of the original investors in the Texans. In 1993, Fertitta offered $81 million to buy the Rockets, but lost out to Alexander, who bought the team for $85 million. Just under 25 years later, Alexander is set to sell the team for over 27-times the price he bought it for…talk about a Return on Investment.

• Little Caesars Arena is finally open. According to the Detroit Free Press, the new home of the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons had its ribbon cut after architectural firm HOK managed to pull off a major “balancing act – creating a new mega-structure huge in its proportions that nonetheless contributes to the surrounding street life…” To build the arena and appropriately fit it into the surrounding community, the playing surface was placed about 40 feet below street level. In doing so, the profile of the arena is lower as to not “loom over its surroundings.” The deconstructed design puts all of the Red Wings’ offices, retail stores, and the box office outside the arena itself. HOK is being praised for its efforts to integrate the facility into the neighborhood in a non-dominating way. The use of varying types of brick and window treatments make the outside structure look like “a row of traditional urban buildings not unlike many others that line Woodward Avenue.” In economically challenged Detroit, a new arena to be shared by two of the city’s pro sports franchises is a welcome addition, providing economic impact as well as boosting community pride.

• The joint bid from the United States, Mexico, and Canada for the 2026 World Cup should win the hosting rights, unless a “crazy action” by President Donald Trump and his administration prevents it from doing so. According to SportsBusiness Journal, those are the paraphrased words of Relevant Sports Chair Charlie Stillitano, whose group runs the popular International Champions Cup. The joint North American bid still sits as a “firm favorite” to win over a last-minute bid submission from Morocco when a decision is announced next June. “The only thing that could possibly derail (the bid) is some crazy action on the part of our government, but I can't even imagine that,” said Stillitano. “It's ours to lose. I can't imagine we won't have the World Cup.” With an expanded field of 48 teams set to compete in the 2026 World Cup, the host of the tournament will be set to “bring in a lot of money.” With stadiums in Houston and Florida among the proposed sites to host World Cup matches, let’s hope that those traumatized communities will be able to use the ensuing years to rebuild from 2017’s terrible storms and widespread destruction.

• The Golden State Warriors may bring the Bay Area millions of dollars in positive economic impact, but that does not mean they are exempt from paying their bills. According to the East Bay Times, the reigning NBA champions “have not paid a cent” for their 2017 NBA Championship festivities in Oakland following their victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. In total, the team owes up to $816,000. The Warriors are currently questioning “how the parade bill tripled in cost from an early estimate and wants to sort out the bill with the city.” Immediately after the parade, Warriors Vice President/Communications Raymond Ridder said that the team “planned to shell out” $4 million to cover all the costs, but that has not happened yet. Oakland officials are also asking the team to pay $244,000 for the cost of their 2015 NBA Championship parade. The city sent a $1 million bill to the team on July 19, with a due date of August 18, but ‘no money has changed hands.” While the city of Oakland owes the team an explanation, the Warriors have an obligation to crack open their well-stuffed vaults and pay for their fair share of the parade, if not more.

• The WNBA continues to rise, with 2017 attendance numbers coming as the league’s highest in years. According to SportsBusiness Journal, the average attendance marker of 7,713 fans is the league’s best since the 2011 season, up 0.8% overall from last year. While this number is positive for the league as a whole, individual teams reported mixed results – some posted double-digit growth while other experienced double digit drop-offs in attendance percentage. Leading the way in the WNBA was the L.A. Sparks, with an average of 11,350 fans per game at the Staples Center, “up a league-best 17.8% from last season and the team’s highest mark since 2002.” The other teams that posted double-digit growth were the Connecticut Sun, Minnesota Lynx – who played home games at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul amidst Target Center Renovations – and the Washington Mystics. Conversely, the Indiana Fever (-12.1%), Atlanta Dream (-20.7%), and Dallas Wings (-26.9%) all experience double-digit falloffs. Athlete personalities rule pro sports, and the WNBA’s next task should be doing more to promote the personal brands of its most marketable stars – like Candace Parker, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Elena Delle Donne.

• The Miami Marlins have a new ownership group, and with that might come a significant cut to the team’s payroll. According to the Miami Herald, a potential investor who was “specifically briefed” by the Bruce Sherman/Derek Jeter ownership group noted that they spoke about drastically trimming the payroll, with or without slugger Giancarlo Stanton on the roster. Stanton is due between $25 million and $32 million for each of the next 10 seasons, which is a primary reason that the team’s payroll currently sits at $115 million. If Stanton were to remain with the Marlins, the ownership group would aim to cut the payroll to around $80-85 million, but potentially to as low as $55 million if he is traded. Whether those numbers have “changed since the investor was briefed is unclear, because those conversations happened before the Marlins surged back into wild card contention in recent weeks.” The team is on pace to lose a whopping $50 million this year – even with deeper-pocketed new owners, they may not be able to afford to keep Stanton.

• Following an increasingly popular trend, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings have become the most recent professional sports franchise to transition to paperless tickets. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Kings are making this move for the upcoming 2017-2018 season, though paper tickets will still be available for fans at a $100 fee during the regular season and at a $40 fee during the playoffs. Kings Vice President/Communications and Broadcasting Mike Altieri noted that the franchise pushed for paperless tickets last season, but the team’s efforts were confounded by the fact that they produced commemorative paper tickets for the teams 50th anniversary year. Some season-ticket holders “renewed for this season with the paper option thinking it would be a special, non-generic ticket and were disappointed.” Altieri added that season-ticket holders get a “membership card with their seat account data and a team store discount.” For many sports fans, a trip to a high profile pro game is not a regular occurrence but a bucket list check box. It’s important to keep providing them with tangible, physical mementos of their experience.

• Nike switched up its retail strategy at this year’s U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows by electing not to occupy its usual spot at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. According to the Wall Street Journal, Nike instead chose to “sell tennis gear through its suite of smartphone apps and pop-up locations” around New York. Some of Nike’s tennis sneakers could be bought at pop-up stores in Manhattan and Queens, including a special edition collaboration between Roger Federer and Air Jordan. With digital retail channels becoming more popular, Nike is attempting to stay ahead of the curve and stick to its plan of selling more wares online. Nike for years has “held prime commercial real estate outside Arthur Ashe Stadium, which it used to sell T-shirts, zip-ups and other gear worn by star players” Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, and Serena Williams, among others. Adidas had a store on the grounds this year, as did event sponsors Wilson and Polo Ralph Lauren. Best guess is that Nike rethinks their on-the-ground retail strategy and returns to the Billie Jean National Tennis Center grounds in 2018 or 2019.

• Facebook is making a new push into sports streaming with its recent bid to land the rights to Indian Premier League cricket. According to Recode, Facebook’s five-year, $600 million deal did not ultimately win the bid, but it still shows the social network’s willingness to “put up that kind of money” in an auction. This comes as a “bold declaration” that Facebook will write “real checks” to gets its hands on “must-see sports content.” Star India, a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox, “won the auction for the IPL rights,” paying about $1 billion for its 10-year contract. Facebook is trying to compete against traditional networks for streaming rights, along with companies like Amazon that are also vying to make a splash in the sports streaming marketplace. Amazon and Yahoo were reportedly interested in the IPL bid as well, though neither ultimately made a bid to land the rights. But watch all of these digital giants continue to bid.

• Moving to a new market could mean big things for Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine. According to ESPN.com, after having spent the last couple of seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the move to Chicago “meant an overnight rise in intrigue from a handful of brands looking to sign him.” Despite currently recovering from an ACL tear, LaVine is largely looked at as a player with some of the most untapped potential across the league thanks to his athleticism. His three-year deal with Nike is set to expire at the end of the month. Companies reportedly interested in signing LaVine to a shoe endorsement deal include adidas as well as Chinese brands Li-Ning, Anta, and Peak. Nike is “expected to aggressively look to make it own initial offer in the coming weeks to retain” the budding star. From a company’s perspective, LaVine has all the qualities an endorsable player needs: explosive, entertaining, “and a willingness to wear a variety of attention-grabbing sneakers.” Another important quality: LaVine has no LaVar.

• In a move to address the “hidden epidemic” of addiction to gambling in the United Kingdom, the Labour Party is pushing for English soccer clubs to stop signing gambling companies as jersey sponsors. According to the London Guardian, the proposed policy is “understood to be the first of a series of proposals to curb the power of gambling firms…” Gambling companies have had an increasingly large presence on the front of English Premier League jerseys, with Bournemouth, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Everton, Newcastle United, Stoke City, Swansea City, Watford, and West Ham all wearing betting firms on the front of their jerseys. These nine clubs represent almost half of the 20 clubs that comprise the EPL, showing a drastic shift in the demographic of kit sponsors from what it used to be. Even though many of the betting firms are not from the United Kingdom, their names “are seen on TVs every weekend, during the segments of football that break up the adverts for British bookmakers.” The betting firm genie has been out of the bottle for a long time, and she continues to grow. Don’t look for her to jump back in unless some major match-setting scandal besets the league.

  • Tech Top Five

1) The NFL, Wilson Sporting Goods, and Zebra Technologies have partnered on a project for the 2017 NFL season that will bring a new level of data to NFL teams and fans. Every NFL football this season will have a chip implanted into it that will relay data about the ball’s location, speed, and rotation metrics. The technology made its debut in the 2016 Pro Bowl and was also used in kicking balls on Thursday Night games during the 2016 NFL season. Jill Stelfox, Zebra Technologies General Manager of Locations services, had to this to say about the use of data in football: “It’s been a couple of years of an iterative process. How can we focus on the plays when it’s both fun and important? I think we’re in that early phase of looking at that for the ball. I do think data will get to fans soon, which will be fun.” Through these data points and using the chips in NFL games, fans will have a new feature to dig into while viewing. In the statistics-driven fandom of sports today, the NFL is doing all it can to quench the proverbial thirst of fans for more specific and interesting data.

2)    According to SportTechie.com. Garmin has added a new feature to its line of smartwatches that will help intense trainers conveniently make purchases. The Vivoactive 3, a new model of Garmin smartwatches, has included contactless payments into its new features. As a result, watch wearers can purchase items such as food and equipment straight from their watches. Dan Bartel, Garmin Vice President of Worldwide Sales, had this to say: “Anyone who is out and about being active can relate to the struggle of where to stash a credit card or cash, and has had to forgo a post-workout snack or coffee as a result. We’re solving that dilemma with Garmin Pay, an exciting feature on the new Vívoactive 3. Use it pretty much wherever contactless payments are accepted, and give yourself one less thing to remember when you’re leaving the house.” With new features like this, Garmin is looking to get an edge over competitors like the Apple Watch. While Garmin doesn’t have connectivity between products like Apple does between its watches and smartphones, Garmin proves its ability to stay ahead of the curve in this competitive wearables market. 3)    Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Alex Smith used a new type of helmet in the NFL season opener last Thursday night. Smith wore Vicis Zero1 helmet, which ranked first out of 33 helmets tested by the NFL and NFL Players’ Association this past year. According to CNBC, after testing the helmet in both training camp and the preseason, Smith was so impressed he not only decided to wear the helmet, he also became an initial investor in the Vicis. When asked about what benefits he sees coming from the new and improved line of helmets, Smith said, “Obviously, I’ve had a little history with head stuff, and for the first time, there seemed to be new technology in the helmet. For me, it was just finally this big science push. You actually had real scientists developing this and thinking about it.” If Vicis is successful in not only convincing NFL players to use their new helmets, but actually stopping concussions, the future of the NFL could be changed. The fear of sustaining concussions and CTE through football is very real, and youth football player numbers have decreased as a result. With a more proven means of preventing head injuries, the NFL could ensure that their sport survives in the coming years. 4)    Major League Baseball fans are now able to watch the Boston Red Sox like never before. Intel and NESN have partnered on a project to start a four-game pilot of broadcasting Red Sox games in Virtual Reality.  In June, Intel began broadcasting a game in VR every Tuesday, but now they have an agreement with a specific team. The games will be available to NESN subscribers on the NESNGo VR App. From NESN.com: “Choose your preferred camera angle, or sit back and watch a “director’s cut” of all the VR cameras, all while seeing a 180-degree camera perspective. Look all around and soak up the Red Sox and Fenway Park. Look further beyond, right or left, and you’ll see real-time team line-ups and statistics. Look up and you’ll see an expanded box score. Look down and you can select your desired camera angle.” If this is any indication, MLB could be moving toward VR sooner rather than later. MLB fans will soon have packages available to watch their favorite team from their couch as if they’re in the stadium. With more accessibility to the VR headsets, VR set-ups could become a common household appliance.  5)    The Boston Red Sox were embroiled in a cheating scandal this week as they were caught stealing signs from the New York Yankees during a game. The New York Times chronicled the controversy specifically: “The Yankees, who had long been suspicious of the Red Sox’ stealing catchers’ signs in Fenway Park, contended the video showed a member of the Red Sox training staff looking at his Apple Watch in the dugout. The trainer then relayed a message to other players in the dugout, who, in turn, would signal teammates on the field about the type of pitch that was about to be thrown, according to the people familiar with the case.” All MLB teams look to technology to give themselves an advantage. However, sometimes teams can take that initiative too far. In the case of the Red Sox, they used a member of their training staff to relay signs to players on the team. This was a clear violation of MLB rules, but it brings up an interesting discussion about what role technology will play for teams during games. Should teams be able to use Apple Watches? Should teams even have access to any video during games? Expect these questions to be discussed at length this offseason.