#the good news is when I graduated in 2006 one of the sophomores was a black twink who wore evening gowns to school

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Or hygiene! One of the guys in my class got beat up for being "metrosexual" and his only sin was showering that morning

Which I suppose was better than the other guy who got beat up for being a fag (used scented shampoo)

Either way 0/10 stars, would rather be launched into the sun than go through that again

"I was born in the wrong generation" I mean this with all the love in my heart, but if you say you want to have been a kid in the early 2000s you're either stupid or sadistic. they called you a fag for wearing jeans.

[alexanderharveywright]

BASICS.

name: Alexander Harvey Wright (Alex, Lex, Al, Xander)

age / dob: 35 | April 20th 1988

species: Witch (aura reading, telekinesis, healing, teleportation)

hometown: Lunar Cove, Rhode Island

current residence: Downtown Lunar Cove

occupation: Film Director Artist & Coven Advisor

family: Caleb Wright (brother) + other half-siblings.

notable connections: Poppy Reed (Friend, Lover, Coven's Supreme, It's complicated) , (view wanted connections below ⬇️ )

Taurus ☀️ Gemini 🌙 Libra ⬆️

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

Coven Members - Anyone in the coven would know Alex as the Advisor of 1 year.

All Witches - Alex has tried to reach out to every witch in the city. He believes in the unity the coven brings, and has likely tried to recruit your muse.

Other Town Leaders - Alex has served as advisor to the coven for 1 year and would know other local leaders.

Locals to Lunar Cove - Alex lived in LC from birth til age 18 (1988-2006) I would love old school friends, former neighbors, and other pivotal adolescent connections

Residents of Downtown Lunar Cove - Alex lives in Downtown, close to the coven HQ, and he's certainly involved within his neighborhood.

Artists - If your muse is involved in the arts of any kind they could've met Alex at a local art event.

Other - Should nothing work for you and / or your muse, please let me know and I'd be happy to brainstorm something for us. :)

TIMELINE:

1988 - Born 4/20.

1991 - Parents Divorced. Alex starts kindergarten.

1993 - Parents remarry and have other children.

1998 - Two more of Alex's sisters are born.

2006 - Alex graduates from highschool.

2010 - Alex graduates from college.

2010-2014 - "The Lost Years"

2015 - Alex returns to Lunar Cove

2019 - Alex calls off his engagement to his fiancé and buys his home.

2022 - Alex accepts the position as Advisor to the Coven

2023 - Present Day

HEADCANONS:

Alex has a dog. She's a husky named Aurora.

Alex has lost count of how many tattoos he has.

FULL BIOGRAPHY.

TW: Divorce, Drugs, Alcohol, Infidelity, OverDose, Death, Cancer

As Aphrodite announced her return from the underworld with the promising green of Spring, a baby boy was born in Lunar Cove, Rhode Island; Alexander Harvey Wright. When he was only three years old his parents divorced. Later in life, this would come as no surprise to Alex as his father had been married before and after his mother. He was an absentee parent at his best. Now, a grown man, he doesn't hate his father, but he certainly doesn't see much good in him aside from the checks he cuts.

After his parents' divorce, Alex's mother and father both remarried and had more children. He was raised in Lunar Cove with his mother, step father, and three sisters. Alex saw his father and other half siblings on occasion, as they would visit Lunar Cove from time to time. Except for a brother who was human.

From a young age, he was a gifted witch and found the confines of the magically protected town reassuring as he stepped into his power. Aura reading came first. A gift that served him well over the years, allowing him to see others in such a real and vulnerable way. Then came healing, an important skill for a boy who sometimes acted first and thought second. In a fight with one of his sisters, Alex discovered he was a telekinetic, too. His fourth and final gift came when he joined the town's coven. Ironically, it was the one that would later make him leave it. In a meditative state, a practice he had adapted in his early teens to learn to control his emotions (read: magic), Alex teleported. A gush of wind made him aware of his change in scenery, and when his eyes opened he no longer sat in his bedroom but atop Lunar Cove's water tower.

With highschool and his hometown in the rear view, Alex studied film at a university in New York. It was just a few town hops from where he grew up, but a whole new world of discoveries. During his sophomore year he wrote a screenplay that, the following summer, he directed. For his work on the film, he was nominated for an oscar but lost. It didn't shake Alex's determination to keep creating, rather it inspired him to try again. His second nomination came shortly after he finished undergrad. It was an unexpected win. Alex never imagined, especially at a mere twenty-two, that he'd win an oscar. His elation somewhat short lived as his father's praise lasted all of one second before he had to mention one of Alex's siblings who'd accomplished something else even more spectacular.

Eventually, Alex stopped trying to prove himself to anyone but himself, and suddenly everything about his life seemed to get a whole lot easier. He gave into hedonism like never before, indulging his every whim and desire and allowing it to inspire him to create however and whatever he wished. It was the launching point for his career, and for many years Alex never stopped to rest. When he wasn't working as a director he was creating via some other medium, be that painting a new lover, or forging the curves of an old one from memory into clay. His productivity stopped only for darker debauchery; illicit drugs, alcohol, and potions fueled many a days on end benders. Experiences he used to keep his creative fuse lit.

During that time in his life, Alex did a lot of things he later would come to regret. His heart even less loyal than the body he put in bed next to a different body nearly every night. Not the kind of son any mother would be proud of, yet alone one like his with three daughters. His illicit affairs weren't his only shame, though no one knew the latter. During what he now just calls 'the lost years', a friend overdosed in front of him, and he couldn't just watch him die. So, Alex healed him; a human man. Unaware of his friend's gifts, even after he saved his life.

The accident scared him enough to sober up some, and for a moment he considered returning home to Lunar Cove. It was never his intention to be away for so long, he was close to his family there, but it was hard to resist the lure of adventure. Eventually, Alex took up a semi-permanent residence in New York when he started dating an actress from one of his films. Their life was good there. He enjoyed himself just enough not to be his family's shame, but something was calling him home, and it refused to stop until he listened.

It certainly wasn't the homecoming he'd imagined. His sisters and their mother gathered around the kitchen table of his childhood home. She was sick. The matriarch of their family; the glue. A wise woman with all the worlds answer who could sooth any care or worry with just a look. She had cancer, and the prognosis was terminal. A reality Alex struggled with for many reasons. A talented healer and absolutely useless to save his own mother. He despised himself for awhile. Loathed the limits of his magic, and the greediness of his wandering soul that kept him away for many years he could've had with his mom. Alex threw himself into his practice, focusing on magic to distract him from the inevitable.

Before she passed he proposed to his girlfriend. His mother gave him her ring from her marriage to his father, but Alex chose to buy something instead. Even then, deep down, he knew she wasn't the one. After his mom died, Alex broke off the engagement. He didn't love her like he should. The dream of marriage, of a family, weren't dreams he had with her. She was devastated, and in his villainy he felt relieved.

The return of Poppy Reed to Lunar Cove occurred some months before the engagement formally ended. She haunted him like a petulant ghost until the moment his conscience relieved him of the guilt of infidelity. A reunion that did not sooth the ache of grief within him. Though, nothing would. He'd carry it with him every day until, in time, he grew used to its weight.

Art and magic, arguably a medium that was one in the same, had always been a welcome distraction. Alexander leaned into both as he stared into the future with no direction but an openness for what fate would allow.

In downtown Lunar Cove, close to the coven headquarters, Alexander purchased a three floor tall and skinny where he could live and work. A studio for his passions on the first floor, a three bedroom living space on the second, and an attic to practice his craft up top. The extra rooms were for guests, siblings, or whoever needed it. He did what he could to support his community, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise to him when he was nominated to complete the trials for supreme. It was a title, a responsibility, a weight on his head that Alex didn't want. Yet, he accepted the challenge and gave his all. Only to be forgone at the end by the ancestors when they chose Poppy. A choice he supported from the very start, and not just because it meant he didn't have to be the supreme.

Reluctantly, he accepted his new Supreme's request to serve as advisor to the coven. A role that came with a weight and responsibility of its own, though he never envied the differences in the heaviness of their crowns.

[multi-lefaiye]

ended up spending most of today wrangling a puppy instead of outlining, but GOOD NEWS i have the official timeline at least! under the cut for mentions of triggering content <3

Also, reveal: Ink’s original name was Noah

CW: mentions of drug abuse/addiction, alcoholism, homophobia, and suicide

2006-2007 - freshman year, Noah (not using his deadname) meets Arthur

2007-2008 - sophomore year (probably skip over)

2008-2009 - junior year, Noah realizes he is trans and comes out to Arthur first

2009 - Noah comes out to his mother (with Arthur’s support)

2009-2010 - senior year, Arthur comes out as gay to Noah

2010 - graduation, Arthur is thrown out by his parents and starts living w/ Noah and his mom

2011 - Arthur asks Noah out, and Noah starts properly on T

2012 - Noah is able to have his gender changed legally and meets Lorelei (and a group of other trans folks from around the country) online

2013 - With help from Arthur and Nina (as well as Noah’s mom), Noah gets top surgery

2014 - Noah and Arthur move out and into a small town in Montana

2016 - Arthur proposes, and he and Noah are married a few months later

2017 - Noah’s mom dies in a sudden car accident, and the funeral is shortly after

2018 - Arthur dies, Noah moves to Arizona and moves in with Lorelei

2019 - Noah develops an addiction to painkillers due to chronic pain from injuries he received when Arthur died, and he meets Asa by chance and starts up a friendship with him

2020 - Noah attempts suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills, but Lorelei stops him; he is briefly hospitalized, and he begins attending support groups for his addiction and alcoholism (with Asa and Lorelei’s support), and later in the year he starts dating Asa

2021 - Noah gets a job working as a bartender at Lorelei’s bar (might seem a strange choice w/ him still recovering from alcoholism, but he enjoys the work and in a weird way being around alcohol for his job almost helps), Scarlet comes to live with Lorelei

2022 - Noah celebrates one year of sobriety, Arthur comes into the bar one day

[passable-talent]

ya boi is back with a new niche character played by hayden christensen for yall to enjoy.

CW: blood, wounds, cursing, piercings, tattoos, guns, fighting, deaths of unnamed characters

AJ x gn!reader - Takers (2010). the stupid hat grew on me.

dedicated as always to @haydens-moles and @iscariot-rising for being my friends and for appreciating hayden as much as I do

The story of your life, as you loved to explain it, boiled down to a little math joke. Excited five, you called it, or it’s official terminology- five factorial. Written as “5!”, hence the awful pun.

“Factorials,” you’d say, “for those that don’t remember, are a multiplication of every number up to the one that’s being discussed. As such, five factorial is five, times four, times three, times two, times one.”

Your life, your excited five, was as follows: five major scars, four tattoos, three piercings, two eyebrow slits.

“The one is usually ignored,” you’d say, “as it makes no multiplicative difference. That’s why I don’t have a ‘one’.”

In August, 2009, you got your ‘one’. Its a doozy. But we’re not there yet.

~~~

Five major scars.

December 25, 1983. It’s your first Christmas. Your parents think you’re just being a cranky infant, but something way more serious is going on- they find out the next day that you’ve got RSV, a respiratory virus that’s especially dangerous for infants. You spend the next three years periodically using a ventilator whenever the coughing acts up. You don’t remember much of it, other than the vaguely crayon-looking piece of the machine, but you can’t forget that it happened, due to the pretty white scar over the bridge of your nose. It’s not such a gnarly wound as it is a reminder- not of the ventilator that wore through your skin thanks to frequent use, but of the virus that almost took your life only a few months after it had begun.

July 28, 1993. You’re seven years old, staying at your grandmother’s house with your cousin, who’s six months older than you. You’re playing cops and robbers- he’s the cop. The forest streaks by as you run the length of the property, slightly faster than him, but he catches you and throws you down. You land on your back on a jagged rock, not only painfully impacting your spine but digging deeply into your muscles beside it. It was the first hospital visit you remember, and the dark, long scar halfway between your tailbone and your shoulders reminds you never to fall without controlling it.

January 15, 1998. You’re in sophomore year of high school, and not the most popular. You like to play by the rules, and some asshole junior decides that he doesn’t like the way you won’t let him cheat off of your trigonometry homework, and decides that a knife is the best way to settle the problem. Those homework answers weren’t worth the long white line over all four of the knuckles of your left hand, but it is a pretty little reminder that lowlifes do what they want. And law enforcement, or whatever your school called the ‘anti-bullying league’, does jack shit about it.

October 30, 2002. You’re almost done with your certification to become a cop- thank god. You couldn’t stand the people who were to become your graduate class. They were so ready to become cops just to bully people, just to get to weild an iron fist and hide their bloodlust behind the law. Not you- you’re here to do some real good. That’s what they don’t like about you. And that’s why Fred Young splits open your cheek when just he’s supposed to be practicing his sparring. It’s an ugly scar, needed six stitches, but it’s a reminder that even the cops aren’t always the good guys.

May 14, 2004. You’re a new cop, working under detective Wells. There’s a robbery of a jewelry store a few blocks from where you’re patrolling, and as you’re making your way to the scene, a man in a fedora runs smack into you, taking you both to the ground. Broken glass digs into your shoulder, but he apologizes, and his blue eyes look so genuine. He’s afraid. You’d not realize until a month later that he wasn’t a scared bystander, but in fact one of the thieves. The fifth of your scars matches your first meeting with AJ- who would, by the end of the summer, become one of the most important people in your life.

~~~

Four tattoos.

August 4, 1999- Left wrist, inside knob of the bone. The little symbol had represented something to you when you were sixteen, but it had long lost whatever meaning you’d given it. Now, it was just a pattern to pass your thumb over whenever you got restless.

February 16, 2002- The cap of the right shoulder. It was your bunk number, from when you were training to be a cop. Nothing extravagant, but it was supposed to represent the beginning of the rest of your life- it was supposed to represent your calling.

June 1, 2004- Left arm, the outside of the forearm. Bleeding from your first tattoo was a new one, the largest one on your body. It was geometrical and high contrast, black lines loosely following your veins up toward your elbow, as though that left hand was bringing darkness into your body. It did- you shot with your left hand.

July 17, 2004- Right collarbone. A single, circular monogram, made up of six letters.

T A K E R S.

~~~

Three piercings.

April 7, 1989. Your father took you to get your ears pierced, but insisted upon arrival that it was too expensive to get both done, so you only got your left. The assymetrical style would have to grow on you- at six years old, you hated it.

May 19, 2003. You couldn’t have piercings at the academy, they were unprofessional, they were dangerous. So the night of graduation, you went out and got a hole punched into your nostril- the pain made tears well up, but more than anything, it was the satisfaction of giving a pretty little ‘fuck you’ to your superiors, who you’d never see again.

July 18, 2006. AJ takes you to a fancy beauty salon for an eyebrow bar after hearing maybe once that you’d wanted another piercing. You knew you were in love with him- who else in your life had ever paid such close attention to you?

~~~

Two eyebrow slits.

June 23, 2004. You leave the police force. You tell Wells that it’s because you’re pissed you can’t find the guys that robbed the jewelry store, but that’s not even close to the truth. You’ve found them- hell, you got a good look at one of them on the very day of the robbery. But you’ve done the looking, and didn’t have the heart to bring them in. They had families. They donated ten percent of every heist to a charity. They did more for the community than the police you worked for, and they did it clean- they didn’t hurt anybody, if they didn’t have to. They did what you’d hoped to do, when you joined the force. What you’d never gotten to do. Eyebrow slits were considered extremely unprofessional, so the moment you were free of your two week notice, you split open your right eyebrow. It would give a good balance to the bar piercing you hoped to put through your left someday.

March 4, 2007. You’re cleaning up your slit when AJ walks into the room and stands behind you so that you can see him through the mirror. You keep your eyes on the trimmer you’re so delicately running over your skin, but when he opens up a little felt box with a pretty ring inside, you whirl around with such panic that you make the slit approximately half an inch wider than it should’ve been. Lilli helped you fill in the gap for the engagement photos, but you decided to keep a second slit on the other end of the unfortunate shave- a little reminder of the evening in which he proposed to you.

~~~

“The one is usually ignored,” you’d say, “as it makes no multiplicative difference. That’s why I don’t have a ‘one’.”

On August 27, 2009, you got your ‘one’.

You’d been out of the game for two years, choosing not to take a cut of the winnings. You’d advise, you’d plan, you’d set up, but you did not want to be on site when the heist went down. The boys had it taken care of, and you butted heads with Jesse far too often for anyone’s comfort.

You especially couldn’t work on this project, thanks to a little fucker named Ghost- he didn’t trust you, as a member of the Takers he’d never met, and you didn’t trust him, as a criminal you’d never grown to respect.

You knew that most of them didn’t trust Ghost either, but everything he brought forward checked out- AJ must’ve mumbled the plan thirty times in his sleep in the five days from its suggestion to its fruition. There were no holes. Knowing Gordon and John, they had some ‘insurance’ for Ghost, anyway. In case it went wrong.

Still, you stayed at the Hotel Roosevelt through it all. You were their sitter, keeping the hotel room warm and ready for their arrival. They arrived back one by one- and like usual, AJ got there first. He, Gordon, and John were usually the first to get out, but he always made it back to the room first, because that way he could get some time with you. That way, he could have a private reunion, fresh off of a job.

“Hey, baby,” he said as he closed the door, and you waited for him to turn his eyes to you before you gave him a smile. He threw down his bag onto one of the chairs, and it landed with a heavy thump, but you’d long grown used to the sound of the score. However much he pulled, good for him. You were just happy to slip your arms around his neck and feel him kiss the scar on your cheekbone before sliding his lips to yours.

He always kissed different right after a job- before the boys had all gotten back, before the total was counted. He had a confidence to his movement, but there was fear, insecurity, just a tinge. He wasn’t just a taker, he was a man, who had worries and risks just like every other man.

You were out of the game for a few reasons. They had it taken care of. You butted heads with Jesse. You didn’t trust Ghost. But you knew that you were AJ’s biggest fear- you knew that if you got hurt on a job, he’d never forgive himself.

So he kissed you, he held you close, he reminded himself that you were here, you were fine. His long fingers seems to take up half your back, and his hair was already in his face, as though you’d tugged it there yourself.

With just one more pass of your lips over his, you pulled away.

“How’d it go?” You asked with a soft voice, rolling your first finger through the curls at the back of his neck.

“Could’ve gone better,” he said with a chuckle, “but we got it done.” You heard a knock at the door, and Gordon was the next arrival- then John, then Jake, then Ghost. Jesse came last, and with him, a whole host of new problems.

A bullet splintered the door and caught AJ somewhere under the ribcage. Everyone hit the floor, diving behind couches, and you popped your head up long enough to see AJ launch over the kitchen island. The room shattered into gunfire and feathers from expensive pillows, glass shards littering the ground like raindrops. It all moved so fast, and the air exploded into noise. You could barely track AJ through it all, he was so far away, all the way across the room. And you wanted to keep your eye straight down the barrel of your gun.

“AJ!” Jesse called from beside you, hidden behind a brown leather couch, “You okay?” You looked around the side of it, and saw him ten feet from you, the longest ten feet of your life, behind the kitchen island. He was struggling, on his hands and knees.

“Get up,” you snarled, knowing he’d already taken a hit.

“Out the back!” John ordered from the doorway behind you, and you started to realize the moment, the dangerous, heavy moment. AJ was all the way across the room- he couldn’t cross it. Not with these mobsters holding ground.

“Let’s go!” Gordon shouted, and your eyes connected with AJ’s. He saw the same thing you did.

“Go,” he said, voice calm, and it cut through the chaos of the room, cut through every hardened lesson ever pounded into you, cut through every wall you’d ever built around you, around your heart. “I’m coming.”

AJ was a good liar. But he couldn’t lie to you.

“No,” you growled through gritted teeth, and you made a rash decision.

You’d always been good at gymnastics. You had strong control over the movement of your body, and had, ever since you’d learned from your cousin throwing you down onto that stone that split open your back. You could move and slink and roll and dive in ways that would keep you not only from falling, but even from being noticed.

Using the chaos as your cover, you did a tight diving roll across the room to him, slipping between shelters unscathed. This brought you just a bit closer to the mobsters, but further from the back door exit that Gordon had been trying to guide you toward. You’d chose AJ over your safety any day- the surprise and the fear in his eyes said that he wished you wouldn’t.

Making sure you had enough ammo, you considered your final move- this didn’t end until these mobsters did. There were five of them left, after all this commotion: four in the room, one in the hall. You couldn’t take all five, not with their guns being so much more than yours, but you could take out a few. You could shift attention, you could buy time.

And hopefully, you could stay breathing, too. That’d be nice.

“Stay down,” you hissed, leaving AJ behind the island where he’d be forgotten about, or assumed dead. Then, you rounded the corner and rolled to the feet of the closest mobster. As you came out of the roll you caught his legs in yours, wrenching them from under him and taking him to the ground with one of the first moves you’d learned in basic training. He hit the wall hard, and was unconscious by the time he landed- the same could not be said for his friends.

From your right, you could see Gordon, still firing, still hopeful for your and AJ’s escape. Your shoulders were above the couch, so you knew he saw as you turned your weapon to the second mobster before he could turn to you, and stopped his heart.

Your commotion had caught the attention of the other three who still remained. You whirled around and raised your gun to one of them, but they managed it first.

Gordon had to swallow back his horror as he saw a bullet enter the front of your side profile, and blood explode from the back. He took out the mobster who still had his attention on you- but your shoulders smacked to the ground outside of his view, and he closed the door.

Luckily, their aim was spotty. You now had a useless left arm, but you were still breathing. Not that you’d let the one remaining mobster notice that.

You and AJ played dead, only a few feet from each other, but the kitchen island becoming a thicker wall than any you’d ever been split by. As you stared blankly at the ceiling, taking shallow breaths hidden by the folds of your shirt, you hoped he didn’t think you were dead. You hoped he wasn’t bleeding out.

After what felt like agonizingly long minutes, the shooting finally stopped, and the door opened again. Gordon was the first to enter the room, and rounded the couch to you, grief in his eyes, expecting the worst.

But you could give him a smile.

“Surprise,” you groaned, and he lit up in relief, helping you sit up with your good arm.

“Look at you, playing dirty,” he said with a laugh, “I thought you were gone for sure.”

“AJ,” you heard Jake say from across the room, and finally AJ could sit up from where you’d forced him down. The two of you had both bled straight through your shirts, but there wasn’t any time for sweet reunions- everyone had to get out, and fast.

AJ left his car wherever it was. John gave the two of you a ride to the airstrip where Gordon was going to disappear for a while, and on the way you and AJ attempted to give each other first aid until the personnel on the plane could take care of it.

Eventually, you leaned against his left, and he against your right, your wounds still stinging and sticky with blood, but manageable, for as long as they needed to be.

The night didn’t get any easier, but that didn’t matter- you were home free, they’d managed the job, and Ghost was out of the picture, and neither of you were going to die.

And someday, when you felt brave enough to recount your near-death, near-loss, near-jailed experience, you’d say:

Five major scars, four tattoos, three piercings, two eyebrow slits. And one gun shot wound.

-🦌 Roe

[a-dorin]

youth | the zabrak brothers

a/n: i recently got an anon asking about the zabrak brothers in high school and college! so i am going to be answering their question! sorry if i got carried away with the headcanons! enjoy :))

high school 

all three boys weren’t together in high school until maul & feral were freshman, while savage was a sophomore 

they attended an elite private school on dathomir, a costly institution that prepared students for higher education

it was run by the nightsisters, a religious group of women  

so, the boys all had to wear uniforms that consisted of:

grey or black slacks 

polished dress shoes

a black, navy, or burgundy blazer with the school’s logo stitched on the pocket 

a freshly pressed tie 

sometimes, there were “casual” days 

where the boys could wear khakis with a black, navy, or burgundy polo

maul was the one who broke dress code the most

he either refused to wear the tie, always left the top buttons undone, wore his silver chain (”no visible jewelry allowed”), and painted his nails black (”no nail polish allowed on boys”)

as predicted, the brothers got into trouble constantly 

whether it was arriving late to class, cursing, or brawling with one another, the brothers were sent to the dean’s office often 

one time, maul prepared a speech discussing the importance of “knotting in the male zabraki species” (this was a speech performed in chemistry class) and when the teacher suggested he go to the dean’s office, a devilish smirk painted his features

“perhaps you would like to see the knot yourself, mrs. zula?” (mrs. zula was a strict, older, batty nightsister) 

needless to say, maul was the troublemaker of the group, with his main talent consisting of his sharp tongue and quick wit 

savage was your typical athletic type: involved in more than one sport, it was his only extracurricular, he would weight lift in the morning before class started, then practice for hours after school 

savage’s favorite sport was wrestling, and he was quite good at it. he tried saber wielding, but the sport was too technical, too strategic. wrestling is similar, but savage excelled at it due to his perseverance and brute strength

feral was involved in a variety of athletic activities: student council, debate team, scholastic bowl, baking club, peer mentoring, as well as the theatre troupe. he was also an active participant in art club

on the other hand, the only activity maul tended to really enjoy was saber wielding, as he had started the sport at a young age

although all of the boys were involved in different activities, they all actively supported one another

even if savage was sweaty and exhausted from wrestling or track practice, he would swing by the school’s auditorium, making it just in time for the latest fall play or spring musical 

maul always saved a seat for savage 

and the boys always brought a bouquet of flowers for every performance, just for feral

at home wrestling meets, maul would buy a decently sized portion of the bake sale table (which always earned a wide, bright, grin from feral)

savage and feral had a tendency to be the loudest at saber competitions. feral typically brought a freshly painted/drawn sign with a cheesy slogan (maul is number one! or maul will make you bawl!) 

savage and maul were exceptional athletes, earning championship titles

yes, their plaques and photos are still on the walls to this day 

since maul was a saber wielder, he was quite popular with girls. it is such a competitive and grueling sport, so many girls crushed on him 

however, he paid no mind, either just entertaining the flirting or paying no mind to it

which, savage often gave maul shit for 

“the ladies are practically drooling over you”

“i’m not interested in any of them. they just want me for my saber”

even though they were all apart of diverse friend groups, the brothers would always sit by one another at lunch, chatting about their days 

and no matter how horrible of a day they were having, the laughter and smiles couldn’t be contained at the lunch table

there were other little moments too

like all three piling into savage’s beat up honda civic to carpool, early in the morning 

feral and maul would snooze in the car while savage lifted weights before class

or helping one another get ready for homecoming and prom, straightening ties or smoothing out wrinkles in suits (cue feral frantically running around the house in his boxers the morning of prom, steamer in his hand)

the boys never really had girlfriends or boyfriends in high school, they had one another, and that was enough

at savage’s graduation, the twins were emotional, gazing at their older brother with nothing but adoration, eyes glossy with tears

savage was the class of 2005, on his way to mustafar central on a wresting scholarship 

their last summer together as a trio was bittersweet. 

even if maul and savage bickered, feral knew in his heart that it pained maul to see savage go 

when maul received his scholarship offer his senior year, feral engulfed him in a massive hug, while savage hollered on the phone 

at his signing, they were the proudest donning their “mustafar central” gear with pride (savage even came home from the midst of his freshman year to show his support)

feral brought a cookie cake, while savage brought the balloons

tears brimmed maul’s eyes when feral opened the admission letter, and savage was on the phone, eagerly anticipating the news

the whole house shook as yells of joy echoed through it 

even though feral believed that savage wouldn’t be able to make it to his last spring musical (it was beauty and a beast that year) savage was able to make it 

needless to say, feral was very surprised when he emerged from the dressing room, his older brother standing there with a bouquet of flowers

“what can i say? i couldn’t miss it.” 

at the twins’ graduation, savage sat in the bleachers, the camcorder shaky as he bawled (savage was a crybaby that day) 

maul and feral were apart of the class of 2006

 feral on his way to a culinary school in coruscant (his dream school!)

while maul had his scholarship with mustafar central, training to be a professional athlete with a major in exercise science 

college

college was a completely different ballgame for the brothers 

even though they were separated, they messaged one another constantly, whether it was texting (texting was starting to become extremely popular) or through myspace

mustafar central was not a large university, the enrollment about 6,500 students

meanwhile, feral was at a well-known culinary school in the heart of coruscant, where there were about 1,000 students at his college 

often, feral joked that maul and savage were the “country mice” while he was the “city mouse” 

from the beginning, maul was beyond elated by the sheer amount of freedom he was given

he was able to expand his style, go out and party, and the best of all, maul grew as a person

he socialized more, gaining a large social circle 

since savage was a wrestler and maul was a saber wielder, they had completely different schedules

yet, they carpooled together for target or walmart runs 

they ate together in the dining hall when they could 

however, there were mandatory dorm visits, where savage would help maul with the science classes he was struggling with, while maul helped savage with english and social science courses

“how are you a stem major yet cannot use grammar”

“before you go and chastise me, how about we discuss your organic chemistry grade?”

when he could, feral would travel to mustafar, surprising maul or savage at their meets 

maul and savage did the same, popping in at feral’s apartment unannounced, bringing pick-me-ups and other odds and ends

savage would have maul tag along to parties, as savage was actively involved in a frat 

maul had a knack for strategy, so he often was the champion of beer pong, calculating who would be his best partner, along with what angle would give him the best shot 

the best part of college for the brothers though, was the reunion during breaks 

they loved catching up with one another, sneaking in alcohol and sharing all of the stories that came to mind 

their favorite spot was on the rooftop, gazing at the stars 

life in college was good for the zabrak brothers

it was healthy for them, as they all got to explore their individuality even more, but give one another support and love while they found themselves

when feral came out to his brothers at the end of freshman year, maul and savage said nothing, but rather scooped him into their arms, in a massive cuddle pile 

his junior year, maul was gaining traction as a saber wielder, becoming well known across the galaxy 

he was undefeated, reigning victorious over not only obi-wan kenobi, an infamous saber wielder from university of corsucant, but countless others as well 

savage was winning world championships, beginning to train for the galaxy title 

feral was content at his college, earning all sorts of praise, his dream of a bakery becoming more and more of a reality 

although, one fateful evening, their lives were forever changed

*****

tagged:  @sapphicstars​  @maulieber @starflyer-104 @alwayshappysith​ @doobiwankenooku  @magicalkitkat12  @dartheldur  @princessayveke @multifandombtch  @spaghetti-666  @lis-ard  @swimmingsloths @sithmando  @mother-0f-monsters @bonniewinchester @bonesaldente @maidofsionis @bespectacled-bunny @arsonistvoyager @tinalbion @nottodaysatan-8866 @vei-saretti @maybe-your-left @isabewwwa @aki-iko @corrupt-fvcker @ranoutofideas71​

[gore-hovnd]

So a few days I posted that I’d outlined my headcanon for Jack’s life up until the events of TWS and I got some good advice to post it. So I prettied it up and fleshed out a few concepts and now I’m throwing it at tumblr

Now, these are just my headcanons, and yes I’m forcing HH into it bc I love the ship and even though it’d never happen in canon, it was fun to kinda toy with the whole “how they met” idea. So yeah, here’s this and I’m gonna go lay down lol

I’ll see about doing one for Brock too? Just depends on how long it takes for me to think of stuff up for him. 

Jack’s Timeline

      • Jack Rollins was born in 1974 to John and Leanne Rollins in the mountains of Colorado, right outside of a major city

      • At the time of his birth he was their fifth son but would end up being the middle sibling of nine

          ◦  The reason Jack’s parents had so many children was because Leanne had grown up an only child and recalled how lonely it was. She never wanted her kids to be lonely so she decided she wanted a lot of them. Originally, she’d planned to stop at five but Leanne and John decided they wanted to keep trying until they had a girl.

      • Jack’s siblings consist of: 

          ‣  Matthias - 1964

          ‣ Titus and T.J. - 1966

          ‣ Lawson - 1970

          ‣ Cooper - 1980

          ‣ Benjamin - 1982

          ‣ Samuel - 1983

          ‣ Annalise - 1985

      • Jack was born premature and doctors didn’t think he would survive

          ◦ Because of this, Leanne favored him and always kept a close eye on him

      • During Jack’s early life, his parents thought he may have had a learning disability due to the fact that he rarely, if ever spoke. 

          ◦ It turned out that Jack was selectively mute

      • John didn’t take well to this diagnosis and wanted to try to force Jack to speak

          ◦ He suggested doing this by forcing Jack to verbally ask for things like food, water, bathroom breaks, etc. 

                ‣ Leanne rejected this and instead decided that Jack would be treated by a therapist

      • Jack began to speak more in middle school

          ◦ It started out with asking / answering questions in class, asking to borrow a pencil from classmates, etc. 

      • By the time Jack was in 8th grade, while still shy, was able to speak with relative ease

      • In 1987, when Jack was 13, his mother passed away due to an ongoing heart condition

          ◦ Because of this, Jack’s family feared he would stop talking again

      • While Jack didn’t stop talking, he also didn’t seem to mourn the loss of his mother either

      • Concerned with this, John had sent Jack to a new therapist

          ◦ The new therapist claimed Jack was going through a period of dissociative shock 

                ‣ It took years of therapy and counseling for Jack to open up and properly grieve 

      • Jack ended up going to a different high school than most of his peers from middle school and had to basically start over. 

      • For a little while he would keep to himself and didn’t really take the steps to make any new friends

          ◦ Until three months into the semester when he was paired up to work on an assignment with a boy named Dalton

      • Dalton took a liking to Jack and introduced him to the rest of his friend group; consisting of Cole, Braxton, Lucan, and Matt

      • The boys grew close together; they would hang out after school together and Jack would go to their drama club performances even though he was too shy to be in one himself. 

      • During spring break of his freshman year, Jack found out and met Braxton’s two dads, Arthur and Christopher

          ◦ Before this, Jack had never met a gay couple before

                ‣ Meeting them sprung questions of Jack’s own sexuality

      • When Jack’s dad found out about Braxton’s parents, he reacted very negatively and this scared Jack back into his shell

          ◦ He rarely spoke to his father about anything after that

      • For the entirety of his sophomore year and the majority of his junior year, Jack tried to ignore his sexuality

      • Until finally, nearing the end of his junior year, he came out to Arthur and Christopher and asked them for advice

          ◦ The two of them told Jack he could always confide in them

      • At 18, Jack developed a crush on a new student who’d moved to Colorado from Los Angeles

      • This boy’s name was Christian and the two of them began to date soon after meeting

      • Jack told Christian that he didn’t want to go public about their relationship, basically stating he liked to keep his personal life private

          ◦ Christian agreed not to say anything

      • The two of them dated for a few months but that all came to a screaming halt during winter break

      • Christian had gone over to the Rollins’ home asking for him and responded with “Jack’s boyfriend” when John asked Christian who he was. 

      • John was absolutely livid and kicked Jack out without a second thought. 

          ◦ Jack and Christian got into a huge argument over this and broke up due to it

      • Jack’s uncle, Mike, had offered a place for Jack to stay

          ◦ He slept on Mike’s couch for the final semester of his senior year

      • Once Jack graduated, he enlisted in the Marines and disappeared without telling his family anything. 

      • Six weeks into boot camp, he’d given into the guilt and wrote letters to T.J., who was the only one of his siblings who still spoke to him, as well as his uncle

      • While in the Marines, Jack pretty much shed his childhood shyness entirely and grew to be more self confident. 

          ◦ He also became a trained sniper and demolitions expert

      • In late 2000, Jack was in an unfortunate accident while on deployment that left him blind in his left eye

          ◦ Because of this, Jack was discharged 

      • After being discharged, with pretty much nowhere to go, Jack spent 9 months on the streets. 

          ◦ But in August of 2001, when Jack was 27, an agent got in contact with him and told Jack he worked for a government funded agency that recruited and rehabilitated veterans for reenlistment. 

      • Jack agreed to sign a contract and go with this agent

      • During training, which was long and grueling, he met a man named Ellison Lomack and the two of them quickly became friends.

      • Jack spent five years going on missions for this agency, assuming that he was once again an active duty Marine

      • In 2006 he was given the opportunity to be brought onto an elite STRIKE team that could earn him up to $95,000 a year. 

          ◦ Jack was chosen to be the Second in Command of STRIKE Team Alpha

      • His orientation to this team was when he’d found out he was part of HYDRA

      • Being told, essentially, that he would either continue working or be killed, Jack chose the former

      • Being the chosen SIC, Jack had to go through extra training and bonding with the STRIKE team’s commander, Brock Rumlow

          ◦ Brock told Jack when they first met; “I trust you with my life, you gotta learn to trust me with yours.” 

      • In the first few months, Brock was almost glued to Jack’s hip any time they were at work or in the field

          ◦ Including times when Jack was diffusing bombs, which freaked Jack out

      • Over time, Brock and Jack began to work together like a well oiled machine, Jack’s calm and calculating personality working well with Brock’s brazen and abrasive one. 

      • And in 2009, while drinking after a highly successful mission, Brock and Jack had drunk sex in the hotel room of the British Prime Minister, hardly slipping away before they got caught

      • Jack began to recognize his feelings for Brock after this night but refused to pursue anything, feeling as though it would be safer to preserve their established relationship

          ◦ Everything pretty much went back to normal

      • Two years passed and their relationship grew stronger, but never took a romantic turn. Until one night on a particularly difficult mission where everything had gone tits up and they only had 24 hours to fix it. 

            ◦ Brock is stressed out about it and laments that he isn’t afraid to die, but admits he wished he could’ve spent more time with Jack before he did

      • Brock and Jack share a kiss under the stars in a desert and fuck on the hood of their military issued Jeep while their team sleeps in a safe house 20 feet away. 

      • After this mission, that they were able to pull off by the skin of their teeth, Brock and Jack make things official. 

          ◦ Both of them lead relatively private lives and don’t make it known to the rest of the team that they’re seeing each other

      • Three years pass and six months before Project Insight, Brock brings up the idea of getting married for the sake of spousal immunity just in case things don’t go as planned.

          ◦ So they get married, something simple at the court house and neither of them change their names. 

      • Afterward, Brock and Jack are living happily as a married couple and they fantasize about what kind of life they hope to share when Insight goes through and they’re finally free from HYDRA’s demanding grip

      • Project Insight comes along and Brock and Jack meet the infamous Winter Soldier

      • Project Insight launches and things go horribly wrong

      • Brock splits up with Jack at the Trisk, telling Jack to head back out and that he’d meet him outside. 

          ◦ Initially, Jack follows the instructions given. But a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach has him turning around to go and get Brock 

      • The helicarriers crash into the building and Jack gets caught beneath the rubble

      • He’s stuck there for two days before he finally succumbs and the entire time, all he could do was fiddle with his ring and think about Brock.

[swiftshimmy]

Dear Taylor,

I remember being 8 years old, and watching music videos on CMT. It was the fall of 2006 and the video for ‘Tim McGraw’ played a lot. I really liked her dress, and that was my first experience with Taylor Swift.

I remember being 11 years old, and sitting in my 5th grade classroom. It was the beginning of 2009 and my teacher was always playing Fearless on CD during work time. I really liked the song ‘Forever and Always.’ I would go home and look up the lyrics on the Internet.

I remember being 13 years old, and coming home from the 7th grade Valentine’s Dance in 2011. There was a boy that I really, really liked, and I worked up the nerve to tell him that night. When I got home, I ended up blasting Haunted on full volume because well...it didn’t work out.

I remember being 14 years old (about to turn 15!), and being in study hall during my freshman year of high school. It was 2012, and I was in my first real relationship ever. Wow, did I think that I was in love, so the feelings of heartbreak that were on the album Red didn’t really mean anything to me at the time; however, they sure were some great bops when I was working on Biology homework.

I remember being 17 years old, and working my first job ever as a junior in high school. The year was 2014, and I just bought tickets to my first ever concert...1989 Tour Chicago, Night 2. Section 436. 1989 was the only thing I was listening to and little did I know, in a few short months, I was going to experience my first real heartbreak that I thought I would never get over. Red helped with the heavy emotions at first, but I remember jamming to 1989 with friends on the way to prom.

I remember being 19, and trying to figure out my life as a sophomore in college. The year was 2017, the world was a mess, and I was still dealing with different heartbreak. Reputation was so new, fresh, and relatable. I remember driving home from campus late at night, screaming along to Dancing With Our Hands Tied and other favorites. It was so therapeutic. I saved my money and went to both nights of the Reputation tour in Chicago, right by b-stage 1 both nights.

I remember being 21, and starting my final semester of classes before I student teach. The year was 2019, and I was dealing with some of the worst anxiety of my life. Lover came out and I blasted it along with Maggie Rogers for months on end. I felt like not much had changed, but also everything was changing all at once.

I am 22 now. I finally get to say that I’m feeling 22 (I’ve been waiting 7 years, haha). We are on the eve of a new decade. I have a group of friends that lift me up. I am openly bisexual. I am just over a month away from student teaching, and only 6 months until I become the first person in my family to graduate college. I know now that grad school, law school, and becoming an education lawyer is in my future. I’m not sure that it will all happen within the next decade, but one thing I do know for sure is that Taylor Swift will be by my side the entire time.

Over the past 13 years, Taylor Swift and her music has been by my side for everything. Boring days in school, heartbreak, falling in love, graduation, crushes, my first traffic ticket, getting my wisdom teeth taken out, starting college, finishing up my degree, my first ever concert, late night car rides with friends, the perfect Instagram caption, teaching my first ever lesson to a class of students, and even just typical Tuesday nights in my room. All of this and everything in between. There has never been a time when a Taylor Swift song didn’t make the moment better.

You’re attached to nearly every single memory, good or bad, from the past 13 years of my life. You are the best friend that I’ve never met, but couldn’t live without. I hope you are celebrating every accomplishment that you have tonight because this is all you. You have touched countless lives over the past 13 years, and are more than deserving of Artist of the Decade. You are an artist of a lifetime.

Congratulations and thank you so much for everything.

Love ya <3

[uozlulu]

Going to stick these here for now in case I lose the file or need it to be easier to search or something.

Notes on the ES21 soulmate mark AU fic I was rambling about in this post. Just kind of organizing things so when it comes time to write it I can hopefully write it quickly. 

Some characters might not show up, others might get added to the list. Those missing so far are characters I either felt like I didn’t have confidence in writing or didn’t really remember since it’s been over 10 years since I finished the manga. Also trying to keep the cast of active characters on the small side even though a lot of characters will be there if only in general. All flashbacks/scenes/etc...will need proper fleshing out and so forth of course. These are all just my initial ideas, which are highly likely to evolve as I go as all my fics tend to do. 

Probably going to wait until I finish watching the anime before writing it. Kind of tried to be canon compliant but also didn’t want to spend oodles of time tracking down details, so just kind of setting the goal as having fun with the AU and letting it do what it wants to do

Headcanons: 

The World Bowl VI was Sunday, August 2, 2020. (It’s where the top football teams from around the world kick off the football season with a three week tournament started in 2015). The rehearsal is Friday, August 7, 2020. The wedding is Saturday August 8, 2020. Everyone goes home sometime Sunday, August 9, 2020. They have the ranch from Tuesday, August 4, 2020 – Monday, August 10, 2020.

High school football players form Japan, pro players from around the world, friends from school, friends from college are all invited along with their spouses, partners, significant others, and kids. Family members include Tetsuma’s mom who looks like him and their Seibu high school coach.

Sena –34 in December, played for Enma University from 2005 – 2009, been with the Seattle Superstars since 2009. Starting to contemplate retiring. The Seattle recruiter saw Sena’s tryout back in high school and tracked him down to beg him to sign with Seattle when Sena finally cashed in his NFL draft invitation from the Youth World Cup. Officially been in a long-distance relationship with Panther since 2010, but really they’ve kind of been a thing for longer than that.

Hiruma – 34 since February, plays for the San-Antonio Armadillos since 2006, likes to say he won’t retire until his age is his jersey number (55). Has been living with Mamori since 2006. They’re not married, but their daughter was born in 2017.

Kurita – 35 since July, played with the Tokyo Stallions, played from 2008 – 2016, works at the temple now.

Monta –34 on August 31, played for the San Antonio Armadillos from 2008 – 2013, having to retire after a career-ending injury at the start of the 2012 – 2013 season. Married Suzuna in 2008. They have a daughter born in 2010 and a son born in 2012. After retirement, he returned to Japan and he’s been coaching and teaching at Deimon ever since.

Juumonji –34 in October, Kuroki 34 on September 1, Togano 34 in October – all went on to have fairly normal jobs (banker, office worker, advertising). Kuroki is married with a kid or two, Juumonji is gay and has a partner who works the same bank and is his “roommate,” Togano is still single.

Yukimitsu – 34 since February, never played football again after high school, became a veterinarian.

Komusubi – 33 since January – never played football again after high school, became a personal trainer.

Ishimaru – 35 in October, never played football again after high school, went on to run in the Hakone Eikoden in university, has a normal job

Taki – 35 since April, played with the Orlando Divers 2004 – 2008 and then was traded to the Nashville Fighters where he’s been since 2008. Never married. Does he date anyone? Who knows. “My brother,” “my niece,” “my nephew.”

Musashi – 35 since Apirl, been playing the the Takekura Construction Babels since 2004, still working construction, personal life is pretty private, but does have a son who plays elementary school soccer.

Mamori 35 in November, ENL teacher to small children, still helps strategize football, been living with Hiruma since 2006 and had a daughter in 2017, living her best life

Suzuna 33 since March, married to Monta since 2008 with two kids, first of the group to get married, part-time matchmaker, has a decent success rate. Hiruma = You-nii, Juumonji = Monjii, Kuroki = Kurokki, Togano = Toga, Komusubi = Kamusubicchi, Yukimitsu = Yukki, Ishimaru = Tet-chan, Musashi = Musha-syan, Mamori = Mamo-nee, Kid = Kiddon,” Cereberus = Ceru, Sena has no nickname

Kid (Mushanokoji Shien) – 35 in November, comes from a noble line, at odds with parents over lifestyle choices and is now estranged, played with the Takekura Construction Babels from 2004 – 2005, played with the Tokyo Stallions from 2005 – 2010, played with the Houston Fishermen from 2010 – 2020. Started Sports Club with Tetsuma in 2012, which is a revitalization of the Boys and Girls Club concept. Hopes to keep working and growing the club in retirement. Been with Tetsuma since 2006. Wanted to enjoy being married so that’s why they waited until they were retired from pro ball.

Tetsuma – 35 since May, his mom looks just like him, played for the Tokyo Stallions from 2004 – 2008, played for the Dallas Titans from 2008 – 2020. Helps Kid run Sports Club, very good at organizing and budgeting.

Riku – turned 34 in April, played with Enma Fires from 2005 – 2009, played with the Yokohama Belugas from 2009 – 2015, still wears the team’s squid hat merch when it’s cold outside. Retired after a horrific injury which he still uses a cane for. Runs a pet bird store. Dated lots of people, still hasn’t settled for anyone.

Buffalo – 36 in October, got rid of the dreads soon after graduation in a bid to try and fit into Japanese society, now his hair is just long. Moved to the US in 2005 and ended up doing stuff like MMA, Ninja Warrior, and UFC. Has an American wife and three daughters (ages 12, 9, and 7).

Horide – no canon age, so let’s assume he’s roughly like late 50’s – early 60’s by 2020, still coaching football, but considering retirement, proud of all the kids who have ever been on his team. He’s pretty much in a parental position in the audience seating, and treated as one might treat a dad during such an event

Saba –mid-30’s, no real wiki info, became an office worker, has one child, didn’t play football after high school.

Aiuchi Hina – mid 30’s, not much wiki info, head cheerleader, Miss Seibu, probably married to an unnamed former teammate, and probably has at least one kid

Shin – 35 since July, played for Ojou Silver Knights 2004 – 2009, played for the New England Musketeers since 2009, has many Super Bowl wins, a true legend in both the US and Japan. Ignores tabloid rumors about him dating models and singers so he can enjoy some privacy with his partner, an indie rocker who preformed the half time show in 2013. They’ve been living together out in the middle of nowhere upstate New York since 2016 in a modest house that no one really would think celebrities owned. Has a condo near the Musketeers’ training facilities.

Sakuraba – 34 since March, played for the Ojou Silver Knights 2004 – 2009, played for the Seattle Superstars from 2009 – 2018, retired because he wanted to do something else with his life. Has gone on to play in a local band that’s had moderate success around the Pacific Northwest touring clubs, lounges, and bars. Keeps his private life very private.

Panther – probably 34 (no birthday given), likely graduated high school in 2005 like Sena, so probably met Sena the summer before sophomore year at high school, maybe has a summer birthday and was already 16 when they met. Nasa Aliens/Shuttles was a travel team he was in from 2001 – 2005, also played high school football with his local high school from 2001 – 2005, played with the San Antonio Armadillos since 2005, took business courses online and has a degree since he thought that might help him keep from falling into pitfalls other pro-athletes fall into with money and retirement. Didn’t have a cellphone when he met Sena, but they exchanged e-mail addresses. When Sena went to Notre Dame High School, they exchanged AIM handles and got to talk to each other more often since they were on the same time zone. Eventually exchanged numbers once Panther got a cellphone after graduating high school. Kind of were rocking the long distance relationship chic before it was an official relationship.

Jeremy – probably 34 or 35, the kid with the glasses, still close friends with Panther. Played at Stanford from 2004/2005 – 2006/2007, knows multiple languages for fun so he’s still not the best translator. Continued his degree while playing professionally because he promised. Played with the New England Musketeers since 2006/2007 and retired earlier in 2020. Has a son and daughter (ages 6 and 9). His wife is a teacher.

Homer – probably 34 or 35, the kid with the long hair, also still close friends with Panther and Jeremy, chose to go into the NFL draft upon graduating high school. Played for the Nashville Fighters from 2004/2005 – 2010/2011, and then got transferred to the Chicago Gangsters in 2010/2011 and retired in 2018 back to Houston where he helps run a charity that picks up the slack across Texas after disasters when FEMA can’t get its act together to help people. He’s currently trying to build the charity up so it can function in multiple states.

Big Brother Gonzales – probably 36 maybe about to turn 37, biggest guy from the travel team and probably the oldest member. Played with the University of Kentucky from 2002/2003 – 2006/2007, played for the Denver Pumas from 2006/2007 – 2010/2011 when he had a career ending injury. Had his kanji tattoo covered up and started collecting more tattoos. Has also gotten the correct kanji tattooed on him at some point.

Little Brother Gonzales – probably 32, never really got as big as his brother so he never played football after high school. Had a few tattoos including the dumb one from high school.

Vague Summary:

Sena/Panther soulmate fic in which Kid and Tetsuma’s wedding brings most the gang and more together. Kind of a choose to stick together thing? Idek. See where it goes. Think of it like a romcom movie maybe?

Soulmate Concept:

In this world, soulmates are considered near-extinct but they really aren’t. Lots of people have a wide variety of soulmates, it’s just that their soulmarks aren’t very obvious. For example, Mamori and Hiruma both have a splattering of freckles on their hands that are actually a continuation of each other’s pattern, but it’s too subtle and freckley to really realize what it truly means. Other people might have birthmarks that fit together or have moles placed in the exact same places or mirrored places, etc…However, there’s a subclass of soulmate marks for those who have a truly deep bond. Those marks have a more distinct look to them. Sena has what looks like roses cascading down his Soulmate marks tend to start developing upon meeting your soulmate and evolve as your relationship deepen, so Mamori and Hiruma upon meeting in first-year were probably like huh freckles, and by second year it’s like lots of freckles but who cares it’s just mysterious high school freckles.

Flashbacks:

Panther and Sena: 

2002 – Hanging out by the river bank after practice before Panther has to regroup with the others where they’re staying. Sena’s soulmate mark is on his right leg and  looks like cascading roses except more impressionist since the mark is still forming. Panther’s looks like chrysanthemums following a similar pattern on his right leg. At the time they think it’s kind of weird, but don’t over think it. Sena’s dad told him that most people develop one in high school and he has something like he and his best friend have stuff like that on their arms.

2002 – Sena asks Panther for his number after the cat incident, but Panther doesn’t have a cellphone yet. He does have e-mail and AIM, so they exchange e-mails because Sena doesn’t have AIM. By this point, their soulmate marks seem more like flowers than birthmarks, but they’re still underdeveloped.

2009/2010 – Panther and Sena meet up to celebrate New Years and Sena’s belated birthday since they’re finally both living in the states now (even if it’s an almost four hour plane ride apart), end up deciding that they’re dating. They have a good idea what they’re getting in though because they’ve been long distance friends with a fourteen hour time zone difference so at least now they can more feasibly see each other when they don’t have football commitments

Kid and Tetsuma

2006 – Kid, being the only son of a noble family was going through arranged marriage hell. Texted Tetsuma, “Save me,” both kind of half jokingly, half for serious. So Tetsuma shows up in nice clothing (because Kid’s always talking about how people get overly dressed up to come over to their estate) and kind of just showed up during a marriage prospect meeting, held Kid’s gaze a long moment, bowed on his knees to Kid’s parents like a good wedding prospect, and then promptly slung Kid over his shoulder, and rescued him. They’ve been together ever since. Honestly probably would have dated in high school but social pressure got in the way.

Venue:

It’s a large, sprawling ranch/inn in Wyoming. It’s large enough to accommodate everyone. There are horses to ride, a functioning farm, and a view of mountains in the distance. Everyone chipped in money to secure it not only because it was in a location the press wouldn’t bother all of them, but also because it sounded like a fun time no one could pass up. Kid and Tetsuma helped organize the whole thing so nobody would be priced out of coming especially if they had to fly from Japan or elsewhere to come.

Wedding:

The wedding is set up outdoors with everyone gathered around the altar so it’s les syour side and my side and more umbrella shaped. Kid and Tetsuma enter together, Tetsuma breaks off at a full run and Kid quick draws the bouquet, shoot it towards Tetsuma, who catches it and holds it through the whole ceremony. The ceremony is kind of a mix of typical American wedding stuff said by the ordained and then the vows are Shinto, though there is no sake. Kind of a mix of Kid and Tetsuma’s love of the wild west and their commitment to each other which follows more of a  love, respect, console, help, and protect than a love, honor, cherish, and obey.

Reception:

It’s in the great hall of the ranch/inn. Lots of wild west/ranch/cowboy chic happening. Variety of food, mix of American and Japanese traditions. Kid tells the flashback about Tetsuma rescuing him from an arranged marriage. Reception ends at sunset and they ride off into the sunset together, heading to a nearby campsite to kick off whatever their honeymoon will be.

[naijastudio]

Kanye West Biography, Age And Net Worth

Kanye West is a Grammy Award-winning rapper, record producer, and fashion designer who is known for his outspokenness. Kanye West: Who Is He? Kanye West first rose to prominence in the music industry as a producer for well-known acts. With his 2004 debut, College Dropout, he demonstrated his rap ability, and albums like Late Registration (2005), My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), Yeezus (2013), and Yeezus (2014) confirmed his spot atop the hip hop world (2018). West is a Grammy Award winner who is also noted for his awards show antics, excursions into fashion, and his marriage to Kim Kardashian. Kanye West Life Style And Birth Kanye Omari West was born on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia. Ray, his father, was a photojournalist for the Atlanta Journal and a member of the Black Panther Party; he eventually became a Christian counselor. Donda West, West's mother, was a teacher who went on to become a professor of English at Chicago State University and then her son's manager before dying in 2007 at the age of 58 from heart illness following cosmetic surgery. Her death would have a huge impact on West's musical career as well as his personal life. When West was three, Ray and Donda split amicably. Following that, he was reared by his mother in Chicago's middle-class South Shore neighborhood and spent summers with his father. West traveled to China with Donda when he was ten years old, where she taught as part of a university exchange program; he was the only foreigner in his class. West was lured to the South Side's hip-hop scene after returning to Chicago, and he befriended DJ and producer No I.D., who became his mentor. West received a scholarship to study at Chicago's American Academy of Art after graduating from Polaris High School, but he dropped out to pursue music full-time, a move that would later inspire the title of his first solo album. Kanye West Net Worth Net Worth: $6.6 Billion Date of Birth: Jun 8, 1977 (44 years old) Gender: Male Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Profession: Record producer, Songwriter, Singer, Actor, Film Producer, Rapper, Businessperson, Screenwriter, Fashion designer, Music Video Director Nationality: United States of America Kanye West Music Career West created a trademark sound known as "chipmunk soul," which features sped-up soul samples, after spending time producing for local musicians. Following that, in 2001, he relocated to New York. He got his big break here, working on the production for Jay-song Z's "This Can't Be Life," which debuted on the album Dynasty: Roc La Familia in 2000. He reinforced his rising fame the following year by producing four songs on Jay Z's The Blueprint, widely regarded as one of the best rap albums of all time. West went on to create for other notable artists including as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Ludacris, as well as singers Alicia Keys and Beyoncé. West, on the other hand, was not content to be a sidekick. He aspired to be the main attraction, but found it difficult to be taken seriously as a rapper at first. He begged Roc-A-Fella Records to let him rap, but as co-founder Jay-Z told Time magazine later, "We were all raised as street kids who had to do whatever it took to get by. Then there's Kanye West, who, as far as I'm aware, has never worked a day in his life. I couldn't see how it could possibly work." Other labels reacted in a similar way to West. He said, "I'd leave meetings crying all the time." Damon Dash reluctantly signed West to Roc-A-Fella in 2002, but he did so only to keep him as a producer. West was injured in a head-on vehicle incident while driving home from a recording session in a California studio in October of that year, leaving him with a cracked jaw. With his jaw still wired shut after reconstructive surgery, he wrote and recorded "Through the Wire," a song about the experience.While recuperating in L.A., he wrote the most of the rest of his debut album. However, once the album was finished, it was leaked on the internet. West chose to improve it by revising and rewriting songs and fine-tuning the production, which included the addition of heavier drums, gospel choirs, and strings (he paid for orchestras out of his own pocket). Dropout from College The album was finally published in February 2004 and quickly became a hit, selling 2.6 million copies and propelling West to stardom. The College Dropout defied the gangsta-rap mold, including topics like as consumerism (of which he was critical at the time), racism, higher education, and his religious convictions. "They say you can rap about anything but Jesus," he rapped on the tune "Jesus Walks," "That means weapons, sex, lies, videotapes/But if I talk about God, my album won't get played." The College Dropout reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart, and West garnered ten Grammy nominations, winning three of them, including Best Rap Song and Best Rap Album for "Jesus Walks." West formed his record label, GOOD music — an acronym for Getting Out Our Dreams — with Sony BMG shortly after the album's release. He'd release songs by John Legend, Big Sean, Common, Pusha-T, and others. Registration after the deadline West spent a year and $2 million on his sophomore album, enlisting the help of an orchestra and composer Jon Brion, who had never worked with a rapper before. According to the New York Times, West, the restless bourgeois-creative, wanted to "see how far he might expand" hip hop. The results were outstanding, with Best Rap Album winning again, as well as Best Rap Song for "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" and Best Rap Solo Performance for "Gold Digger," and Best Rap Song for "Diamonds from Sierra Leone." Late Registration premiered at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200, a feat West would replicate with each solo album release after that. In Rolling Stone's five-star review of the album, Rob Sheffield stated, "On Late Registration, the Louis Vuitton Don doesn't just want to create pop music — he wants to be pop music." "As a result, he improves his lyrical game, displays his epic production skills, reaches higher, pushes harder, and declares the entire world of music to be hip hop turf." West appeared on an NBC program in September 2005, a month after the release of Late Registration, to collect donations for Hurricane Katrina victims. When he declared live on air that "George Bush doesn't care about Black people," echoing widespread criticism of the president for not visiting the damaged city of New Orleans straight away, he ignited a national media storm - his first, but by no means his last. West's remark enraged Bush, who subsequently described it as a "disgusting moment." Graduation West was motivated to create hip hop more anthemic, to be performed in stadiums and arenas, after traveling with U2 in 2005-2006. He began to incorporate elements of both rock & roll (the Stones, Led Zeppelin, and the Killers) into his music (which originated in his hometown of Chicago). Graduation, his third album, was released on September 11, 2007. It was released on the same day as 50 Cent's album Curtis, in a struggle for hip-soul hop's between the educated showman and the bullet-scarred street thug. But there could only be one winner with Graduation's breakthrough (for hip-hop) palette of layered electronic synthesizers and sloganeering wordplay — "I'm like the fly Malcolm X/Buy any jeans necessary," he sneered on "Good Morning" — West's album went straight to No. 1 after selling 957,000 copies in its first six days. With the music industry wringing its hands over the internet's impact on profit margins, West simply embraced the change with his video for the single "Can't Tell Me Nothing," in which he hired comedian Zach Galifianakis to lip-sync along to the lyrics on an alternate version, resulting in a YouTube viral sensation. The Death of Kanye West Mother West was on top of the world, acclaimed as the musician who had put gangster rap on the verge of extinction. Then catastrophe happened in November 2007. Donda, his adored mother, died of a heart attack after cosmetic surgery. He dedicated a performance of "Hey Mama" to her on his first show after the funeral. West split up with his fiancée, Alexis Phifer, a few months later. 808s & Heartbreak, his next album, was released 12 months after his mother died and was laced with grief, agony, and isolation. West even gave up rapping in favor of singing through an Auto-Tune vocal processor, which gave his voice a robotic tone – a technique that is now commonplace in hip hop. "Hip hop is done for me," he declared after describing the new album as "pop art" (not to be confused with the visual art movement). (It wasn't; he won Grammys for guest raps on Estelle's "American Boy" and TI's "Swagga Like Us" that year.) Kanye West Earnings By Year Follow Money Year Earnings 2007 $17,000,000 2008 $30,000,000 2009 $25,000,000 2010 $12,000,000 2011 $16,000,000 2012 $35,000,000 2013 $20,000,000 2014 $30,000,000 2015 $22,000,000 2016 $18,000,000 2017 $22,000,000 2018 $90,000,000 2019 $100,000,000 2020 $200,000,000 Total: $437,000,000 Taylor Swift's VMA Feud and Diss The fragility of West's mental health was brought into question the following year at the MTV Video Music Awards. He stormed the stage during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for the Best Female Video award (for "You Belong to Me") at Radio City Music Hall in New York to argue that Beyoncé should have won instead. The reverberations from that moment are still being felt. West apologized, then retracted his apology in a New York Times interview in 2013. By 2015 they had become friends and were even spotted at dinner together. Then in 2016 Kanye rapped on his song "Famous": "I feel like me and Taylor might still have s*x/Why? I made that b**** famous." Swift responded from the stage at the 2016 Grammy Awards, this time unapologetically, with the words: "To all the young women out there, I want to say something: There will be people who try to undermine your success or take credit for your successes along the way... Don't let those folks get in the way." Fashion West took a break from music after the Swift fiasco to focus on fashion. Since 2006, he'd been collaborating with limited-edition sneakers with brands including A Bathing Ape and Nike. To obtain experience, he reportedly interned at Gap in 2009 and later Fendi. In 2011, he debuted his first collection in Paris, however it was critically lambasted. Long Nguyen, style director of Flaunt magazine, sniffed, "You can't just dump some fox fur on a runway and call it luxury." At the show's after-party, West delivered a wounded-sounding address. "Please take it easy," he said. "Please give me the opportunity to mature." After a lackluster response to his second collection a year later, West stated that he would no longer be presenting in Paris. In 2013, he collaborated on a capsule collection with the French label APC, and in October 2015, he struck a $10 million agreement with Adidas, launching his first sportswear collection, Yeezy Season 1, with the brand. The label has received mixed reviews, while Anna Wintour praised his Season 5 collection in February 2017. She told the New York Post, "I really liked it." "A little more attention than we've seen from him before." My Dark Twisted Fantasy West returned to music in November 2010 with his fifth album, a bombastic and towering monument to self-aggrandizement that sounded "like an instant greatest hits," according to Pitchfork. It was a bombastic and towering monument to self-aggrandizement with paranoid celebrity and rampant consumption as the dominant themes: it was a bombastic and towering monument to self-aggrandizement that sounded "like an instant greatest hits" according to Pitchfork It was Kanye West's best and worst all bundled into one: a magnum work that bordered on the insane. It spawned four songs, including "Monster," on which West, Jay Z, and Rick Ross were famously beaten into second place by Nicki Minaj's furious guest verse. In 2011, West and his old sparring partner Jay Z released Watch the Throne, a joint album that delivered seven songs, including "Otis" and "Niggas in Paris," as well as three additional Grammy awards for West and Jay Z. Relationship In 2012, West released Cruel Summer, a compilation album including artists from his GOOD Music label. However, his romance with reality-TV star Kim Kardashian, which began in April, dominated the headlines that year. They married on May 24, 2014, in the medieval Fort di Belvedere in Italy, after West proposed at the AT&T baseball stadium in San Francisco on October 21, 2013. As Kardashian came down the aisle, Andrea Bocelli performed, The designer Rachel Roy, tennis champion Serena Williams, film director Steve McQueen, and music performers Legend, Q-Tip, Rick Rubin, Tyga, and Lana Del Rey were among the visitors. North (born June 15, 2013), Saint (born December 5, 2015), and another daughter are the couple's three children (born via surrogate January 15, 2018). Psalm, the couple's fourth child, was born via surrogate in May 2019. Yeezus West's sixth studio album, Yeezus, was released in June 2013 and had little evidence that the rapper was living a happy life. West had engaged producer Rick Rubin to make sweeping alterations just days before the album's release, thus the sound was aggressive, raw, and almost entirely melody-free. On "I Am a God," which featured the iconic phrase "Hurry up with my stupid croissants," West sounded neurotic and egocentric to the point of bathos. With the exception of the excellent glam-rock-inspired hit "Black Skinhead," West stated the album was a "attack against the commercial," and it certainly included nothing that was radio-friendly (the first of only two singles from the album). Yeezus is the only album by Kanye West to have sold less than one million copies in the United States. Nonetheless, it was highly welcomed by critics, including rock veteran Lou Reed, who told Rolling Stone that "It's as if you're crafting a movie with each tune... The guy is incredibly gifted." Beef on Jimmy Kimmel In September, West and Jimmy Kimmel had a Twitter dispute after the talk-show host ridiculed an interview West had given to the BBC in the United Kingdom. On his show, Jimmy Kimmel hired young actors to recite some of West's more bombastic remarks. West, on the other hand, was not amused. One of a series of outraged tweets said, "Jimmy Kimmel is out of line to try to mimic in any manner the first piece of honest media in years." During his next episode, Kimmel happily read out West's tweets, eliciting more ire from the rapper, who shared a link to a Slate piece headed "Kanye was right." West returned on Jimmy Kimmel Live the following month, and the conversation lasted the most of the broadcast, with multiple free-flowing Kanye monologues covering everything from his career to his thoughts on the paparazzi, Steve Jobs, and Jesus. "I don't know whether you're aware of this, but a lot of people believe you're a jerk," Kimmel said, before complimenting West's portrayal. West had been hurt by Kimmel's characterization of him, as it turned out, because the two had known each other before to the disagreement. "When I'm cooking up a comedic routine," Kimmel said, "regarding a celebrity's feelings is not something that comes to mind." They had cleared the air by the end of the show. More Public Outbursts, Collaboration with Paul McCartney, and Rihanna West made history as the first rapper to collaborate with Paul McCartney, releasing the tune "Four Five Seconds" alongside the Beatles icon and Rihanna at the start of 2015. But a month later, there was yet another award-show snarl, this time at the Grammys, when West protested to Beck winning Best Album. After the ceremony, West remarked, "Beck needs to respect artistry, and he should have presented his trophy to Beyoncé." In an interview with The Sunday Times newspaper in England a few months later, he withdrew his comments. "My image of a gentleman who plays 14 instruments not respecting craftsmanship was incorrect," he admitted. West, along with other artists such as Beyoncé, Jay Z, Rihanna, Madonna, Chris Martin, and Nicki Minaj, was introduced as a co-owner of the music-streaming service Tidal in March. Despite a petition with 135,000 signatures requesting for him to be removed from the lineup, he headlined the Glastonbury festival in the United Kingdom in June. The Life of Pablo Picasso In the lead-up to his seventh album, The Life of Pablo, there was even more controversy. West made headlines before the film's release on February 14, 2016, for a series of inflammatory tweets, including one declaring Bill Cosby, who is on trial for drugging and raping women, to be innocent. He began a feud with Wiz Khalifa, a musician he mistookly believed had ridiculed his wife, Kim Kardashian ("I am your OG and I will be respected as such," West tweeted.). He also expressed regret for appearing to disparage Michael Jordan in his lyrics. West then oddly advised his fans to lobby Facebook founder Mark Zuckerber the day after his album was released. He also expressed regret for appearing to disparage Michael Jordan in his lyrics. West then oddly pushed his fans to lobby Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to spend $1 billion in West's "ideas" the day after his album was released. He also claimed to be in debt for $53 million. Thealbum was yet another departure from the norm, as well as a triumph. It has a considerably broader sound than Yeezus, integrating a wide range of sounds, styles, and inspirations, ranging from trap to gospel to Auto-Tune crooning, avant-pop, vintage soul, and dancehall. Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper, Rihanna, Desiigner, and Kid Cudi were among the guest vocalists. It was West's sixth solo album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 list in a row. Cancellation of the Tour and Return to the Spotlight West paused a show in Sacramento on November 20, 2016, while on his Saint Pablo Tour, to go on a rambling diatribe about radio playlists, MTV, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Beyoncé, and Jay Z ( "Call me, Jay Z... I know you've got killers. Please don't shoot them at me "(Imaginative+ paraphrase). He had ranted onstage and proclaimed support for Trump for the second time in a week, and this time it seemed like a public breakdown – he did not finish the act. He canceled the remaining 21 concerts of his tour the next day, citing tiredness, and spent the next eight days in the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Pusha T, the president of GOOD music, revealed in an interview in February 2017 that West was working on a new album. Rumors about the album's progress persisted, with some stories claiming that the Grammy winner had sought creative inspiration in the Rockies of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. With the announcement that he was authoring a philosophy-themed book, Break the Simulation, in April 2018, West re-entered the news cycle. Days later, he verified the rumors of new material in a rapid-fire sequence of tweets, announcing that he will release two albums in June, the second of which would feature longtime collaborator Kid Cudi. The artist then caused a sensation when his tweets turned to his admiration for President Donald Trump, referring to him as "my brother" and claiming that they shared "dragon energy," even sharing a selfie wearing Trump's "Make America Great Again" cap. West later clarified the situation by adding that he adored Hillary Clinton as well and that he didn't agree with everything the president stated. "I don't agree with anyone except myself 100 percent," he wrote. Read the full article

[your-dietician]

Who are the men behind Black Players for Change in American soccer?

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/soccer/who-are-the-men-behind-black-players-for-change-in-american-soccer/

Who are the men behind Black Players for Change in American soccer?

Before he became an executive director for a Black player coalition in Major League Soccer, Justin Morrow received death threats during high school in Cleveland when media coverage of his soccer talents became too much for some.

Before Jeremy Ebobisse became a board member for that same coalition, the Portland Timbers forward was a youngster from Bethesda, Maryland, enduring N-word taunts from opponents in his club soccer games.

Calling out systemic racism in society and vying for more opportunities for Black people in MLS is nothing new for Morrow and Ebobisse – but they used to do so on their own.

Now, as board members of Black Players for Change, an independent, player-led coalition that has more than 170 members, they are helping create tangible change for the Black community in MLS. The group, which was founded on Juneteenth one year ago, is not only impacting Black players, coaches and staff as professionals, it is also empowering members as Black men in America as they combat racial injustice.

The Black Players for Change assembled on the field July 8, 2020 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex ahead of the first match at the MLS Is Back Tournament.

Submitted: Major League Soccer

In its first 12 months, the coalition has become a force. Members protested on the field at the MLS Is Back Tournament last July, raising their fists for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to remind the nation of how long Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck, murdering him.  The group also helped transform MLS stadiums into voting polls in November. It has vowed to build 12 soccer mini-pitches for Black communities, and it established the league’s first diversity committee, which gave it a seat at the table with MLS owners and Commissioner Don Garber.

But to solely harvest one year of change as a feel-good highlight reel overlooks the emotional roller coaster the men representing the coalition are riding, as they seek to expand opportunities for Black individuals in American soccer while forging bonds as brothers.

“There’s already so much that goes into a player’s career, in terms of being successful on the field,” Morrow told The Tennessean. “But for me, this has been about leading a group of men in pursuit of a goal. We win sometimes, we fail sometimes, but we always do it together.”

Black Players for Change has grown from an Instagram group chat, started by Morrow to create a safe space for Black players expressing their frustrations after Floyd’s murder, into a fully working organization that communicates and conducts business through WhatsApp and Slack.

The byproduct has been the creation of a tight-knit organization that allows Black players such as Morrow — the Toronto FC fullback in his 12th year in MLS — to connect with some of the league’s youngest. The dynamic has created an atmosphere that encourages players to speak up and find their voices.

Justin Morrow, 33, is the executive director for Black Players for Change and is a fullback for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer.

Submitted: Black Players for Change

“If we can be the ones to empower (players) to do that,” Morrow said, “that’s exactly the reason why this organization exists.”

More than just a co-founder, Morrow, 33, is the group’s elected leader. He has perfected walking the line between a serious focus for work and keeping things light with jokes.

Those skills, along with his passion for a cause bigger than himself, comes from his father, Leroy.

Starting as a 23-year-old patrol officer for the Cleveland Division of Police, when Morrow was 2, Leroy climbed the ranks to become a lieutenant by the time Morrow was 13 and eventually became a commander.

“He was just so dedicated and rose up the ranks,” Morrow said. “&mldr; I saw that he was always trying to work harder for our family, and pull us up, so that’s always in my mind like, ‘Don’t mess around.’ ”

Morrow heeded that advice as he blossomed into a star at Saint Ignatius High School, a prominent Catholic school in Cleveland. As a junior, Morrow had helped the Wildcats win their first state championship. His prominence grew as the Cleveland Plain Dealer published stories about both his talent and his team. 

That prominence came full circle that fall, when Morrow was called to the principal’s office with one of his close friends on the soccer team. The school had received a letter with death threats addressed toward them. Police were present and the FBI was involved. 

The letter contained racist language, and according to The Athletic, it made reference to a photo that had appeared in the Plain Dealer of Morrow, his teammate and their white homecoming dates. 

FBI officials eventually identified the person who made the threat.  The person had also sent similar racist messages to professional athletes.

The incident was an eye-opener, Morrow admits, but not a detriment.

Justin Morrow, executive director for Black Players for Change

I just wanted to create something that lasts longer than I do.

“Those things happen to you and maybe you don’t consciously let it affect you, but subconsciously you know it’s always there,” he said. “It’s always there. It shapes the way you see things, so it’s just been as a steppingstone to get to where I am today.”

Morrow matriculated through majority-white Catholic schools at every level of his education. He played four seasons at Notre Dame from 2006-10 and was the treasurer of the campus NAACP chapter, which he helped start. It was his way of making change in a predominantly white environment.

“I just wanted to create something that lasts longer than I do,” Morrow said. “My time studying at Notre Dame was fantastic, but it’s always short for everyone. The same will be with Major League Soccer in my professional career.”

Ebobisse, 24, also grasped racism from an early age. Growing up in affluent Bethesda, Maryland, the Timbers forward was one of two Black kids in his grade during elementary school and was naturally exposed to politics near the nation’s capital. He played for Bethesda SC as a youth, which included Alex Van Hollen, the son of U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

“I was in and around his campaign events and got to understand from a distance what it took to run successful campaigns and to legislate,” Ebobisse told The Tennessean.

But as Ebobisse grew older, his Bethesda SC squad became more diverse with players from Potomac, Bowie and Baltimore. But he still endured gaslighting. Some of his peers in Bethesda and at Walter Johnson High School – where he graduated in three years – insisted racism didn’t exist, as they spewed the N-word in Ebobisse’s presence. 

It wasn’t until his sophomore year that Michael Williams – who played soccer at Howard University, an HBCU in Washington – became Ebobisse’s AP World History teacher. Williams, who also coached Walter Johnson’s soccer team, gave Ebobisse a new way of attacking racism and oppression.

Jeremy Ebobisse, 24, is a board member with Black Players for Change and a forward for the Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer.

Submitted: Black Players for Change

“The way he taught me to look at the world from where I was, breaking down the Eurocentrism in everything that I received up until that point, definitely set me on a course to challenge narratives as I see them and to understand biases everywhere,” Ebobisse said.  “And if I can understand the bias, then I can understand information a little bit better.”

Ebobisse is still on that course. Now as a five-year veteran with the Timbers, he collaborated with the Players Coalition, which consists of NFL players, in the spring to help pass the Juvenile Restoration Act.Maryland Senate Bill 494 would abolish life without parole for youths and institute a judicial review for sentence reduction after 20 years of confinement. In September, Morrow did the same in tandem with Players Coalition members in Ohio, helping pass Ohio Senate Bill 256.

Jeremy Ebobisse, on learning and understanding biases

The way (Michael Williams) taught me to look at the world from where I was, breaking down the Eurocentrism in everything that I received up until that point, definitely set me on a course to challenge narratives as I see them and to understand biases everywhere.

Such a platform is new to Ebobisse, who is revered by his teammates and respected by Portland’s activism community, including Rose City Justice, which led several intense protests in the city last June. In a way, Ebobisse is empowered and it’s credit to Black Players for Change.

“In 2017, 2018, 2019, I would have never had the chance to use, for example, my club in order to further my message directly or to create content or to change internal policy,” Ebobisse said. “It was pretty nonexistent, whether it was because I was a draft pick that hadn’t broken into the team yet, or because the social climate wasn’t there for it. I think it was a little bit of both. 

“Now that’s not the case. … We’re asking the tough questions, not only in Portland, but nationwide and at the league office. I think it’s really important and that’s a testament to BPC.”

Black Players for Change sparked unprecedented progress in its relationship with MLS last summer.

BPC’s board of directors secured a meeting with Garber after 10 MLS clubs chose not to play after the August shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by Kenosha police in Wisconsin. In that Sept. 24 meeting with Garber, MLS owners and BPC, the league committed to a $1 million contribution to BPC through 2024, coupled with a package of six initiatives.

The meeting accelerated MLS’ hiring of Sola Winley as vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. Winley, who is Black, had championed diversity and inclusion as executive vice president of corporate strategy at A+E Networks.

CJ Sapong talks playing for Nashville SC and Black Players for Change

CJ Sapong talks playing for Nashville SC and Black Players for Change

Jeremiah O. Rhodes, Nashville Tennessean

The meeting also helped establish the MLS Diversity Committee. Winley sits on the committee with  Morrow, Sean Johnson of New York City FC,  and Earl Edwards Jr. of the New England Revolution. Garber, a crew of MLS owners, a resource group of Black MLS employees and the Soccer Collective on Racial Equity (S.C.O.R.E) also make up the committee.

“We’re players in a room with MLS employees, front office employees and owners of our teams,” Edwards said. “In those spaces – granted, we’re players – we want to be viewed more as men, as Black men that are trying to make a change.

Earl Edwards Jr., 29, is a board member with Black Players for Change and goalkeeper for the New England Revolution.

Submitted: Black Players for Change

“I think that dynamic of us being players – feeling like players – and them being owners looking at players a certain way, being in the front office looking at players a certain way – (it’s) that border of interactions we don’t normally have. Now (they’re) taking feedback from players, specifically Black players,. I think it’s just new for them and for us to be outspoken, demanding certain things or telling them what we want is new for us, too.”

For Johnson, sitting on the committee has made an impact on him. The committee’s April 20 meeting happened as the Chauvin guilty verdict was being revealed. Chauvin killing Floyd sparked a national reckoning for social injustice and police brutality.

“I remember specifically – I shut off my (Zoom) video. I went into the living room,” Johnson said. “I took about 15, maybe 20 (minutes) which felt like forever because it was it was a very emotional moment for me, sitting there with my girlfriend and hearing the verdict.”

Johnson called BPC’s impact on him an emotional ride. For Morrow, leading the group has created a series of life lessons. And for Ebobisse, the power of the platform makes him proud.

But after a long pause, all three elected to focus on what impact Black Players for Change will have on the Black community beyond the coalition’s first year in existence.

“Youth soccer into college soccer into professional soccer has not been the most welcoming of environments for Black people in this country – Black men and women,” Ebobisse said. “So alongside BPC and other organizations, we have a big role to play in changing that and I think we’ve already put a lot of people on alert and gained a lot of collaboration as well.”

Jalil Anibaba talks playing for Nashville SC and Black Players for Change

Jalil Anibaba talks playing for Nashville SC and Black Players for Change

Jeremiah O. Rhodes, Nashville Tennessean

BPC’s work impacts stretches outside the American soccer bubble. Morrow and Ebobisse represent BPC in working with the NBA Players’ Association on advocating the passage of the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act, which prohibits racial profiling, reforms qualified immunity, bans chokeholds and federal no-knock warrants, such as the one used in the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Juneteenth is a celebration for Black liberation and the end of slavery in the U.S. To Black Players for Change, the holiday also marks the birth of a brotherhood, whose work in American soccer continues.

“If we don’t do it, nobody else is going to and that’s exactly how we feel,” Morrow said. “That’s what’s so special about this organization.

“I’m not a guy that looks back very often,” he continued. “I just turn the page and get on to the next thing. And maybe there’s a minute for us to pause and appreciate what we’ve created and at the same time, continue to teach about Juneteenth, which is only growing. So, we have a big job to connect the older generation to the current generation and understanding of how we’ve gotten here today.”

Justin Morrow, Toronto FC

Jeremy Ebobisse, Portland Timbers

Quincy Amarikwa, MLS free agent

Jalil Anibaba, Nashville SC

Earl Edwards Jr., New England Revolution

Ray Gaddis, retired MLS player

Bill Hamid, D.C United

Sean Johnson, New York City FC

Ike Opara, Minnesota United FC

CJ Sapong, Nashville SC

For stories about Nashville SC or Soccer in Tennessee, contact Drake Hills at DHills@gannett.com. Follow Drake on Twitter at @LiveLifeDrake. Connect with Drake on Instagram at @drakehillssocer.

Source link

[junker-town]

We got the greatest simulated video game ending ever with our upstart college basketball team

Western Illinois starts a new era in their quest for a national championship in ‘College Hoops 2K8’. This is Year 6 and Year 7 of the journey.

Thank you for returning to Western Illinois’ quest for college basketball immortality in College Hoops 2K8. We introduced this series a few weeks back and laid the foundation for the program with our first full recruiting class in Year 1. We finally made the NCAA tournament in Year 3, winning a thriller in the Summit League title game. Year 5 saw our program win its first NCAA tournament game.

We’ll have an announcement about the future of the series at the end of this story. But first, here’s a recap of what happened in the last post:

Finished Year 4 at 22-10. Was swept 3-0 by Oral Roberts during the season, including in the Summit League conference tournament semifinals. We ended up making the NIT, where we were blown out by Clemson.

Added two recruits after Year 4: five-star JUCO point guard Damon Hendriks, and five-star JUCO power forward Dawud Byfield.

Finished Year 5 at 28-4. Lost to Southern Utah in the conference tournament championship game, but still somehow got an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as an No. 11 seed. We earned our first NCAA tournament win, beating No. 6 Miami (Florida) in the opening round. The dream ended the next weekend against Florida State, where we lost by one damn point in the Round of 32.

Graduated my first recruiting class, led by one-time Summit League conference player of the year Bud Richards.

Added two recruits: four-star power forward Ira Willis and three-star center Burton Ballinger.

Here’s a picture of the roster heading into Year 6:

Ballinger has B potential, the highest I’ve ever had at Western Illinois. Willis — my first top-100 recruit — also looks solid at 75 overall with C+ potential. I’d love to redshirt Willis, but I would only have eight scholarship players on the roster in that case, so I decide to make him my ninth man and let him backup both forward spots. I’ll likely redshirt him a year from now.

Here’s a look at the rotation:

It feels like we’re not quite as talented as last year, and we certainly won’t have the same team unity — one of the factors teams are evaluated by based on their playing experience together. I still like what we have, though.

You already know Tracy Hehn and Wilbur Messy, a pair of four-year starters who should both be sick scorers on the wing as seniors. I’m super excited about Hendriks — my first five-star recruit as a JUCO player — and the start of his three-year stint as starting point guard. My front court is a little green, with Byfield starting in his first season eligible and Van manning the five as a redshirt sophomore. Ward, a gigantic senior center — at 7’1, 260 pounds — will come off the bench. My eight-man rotation is still pretty damn good.

My team is an 89 overall, clearly the best in the Summit League again. No other team is better than 73 — Oral Roberts and Southern Utah.

I also have six scholarships to fill

We need everything, and we absolutely cannot blow it in recruiting like we did last year when we went 2-for-5 on available scholarships. Following our recruiting struggles last season, reader James sent an email proposing I overhaul my recruiting philosophy to purposefully limit myself to 2-3 open scholarships per year. Here are his words:

As an invested fan, I wanted to volunteer one thing, considering the limited number of recruiting points at your disposal. The approach that you took in recruiting the class which included Damon Hendriks and Dawud Byfield seems like an approach you could take every year: focusing on two or three more talented guys, and utilizing the redshirt religiously. Treating recruiting and roster management this way seems like it should do two big things for WIU:

1. That you never need to land more than three guys in a given year, and can devote more attention/points to fewer and more talented guys in each recruiting class.

2. It gives you a shortcut to developing regular upper-class depth and roster balance — seven or eight rotation-worthy true upperclassmen every season AND two or three redshirt freshmen to draw from.

He then included a scholarship chart:

It’s an intriguing offer — and possibly the greatest email I’ve ever received — but I decide to recruit for all six of our open scholarships instead.

I start off targeting four-star shooting guard Lubos Hatten (No. 66 overall, No. 16 SG) and three-star power forward Denver Lane (No. 158 overall, No. 30 PF). Lane is 6’10, 242 pounds and a 45 percent three-point shooter, so I’m thinking he could potentially play three positions for me if I get him.

Here’s my full slate of offers:

Four-star shooting guard Lubos Hatten (No. 66 overall, No. 16 SG)

Three-star small forward Adham Tyler (No. 107 overall, No. 15 SF)

Three-star power forward Joseph Bowens (No. 106 overall, No. 18 PF)

Three-star point guard Armein Amous (No. 155 overall, No. 61 PG)

Three-star power forward Denver Lane (No. 158 overall, No. 30 PF)

Three-star center Harlan Fullove (No. 195 overall, No. 17 center)

First game: @ Illinois

I’m scheduling these nerds every year until I beat them. As a reminder, they whooped my ass last year. Can I get revenge this season?

The Illini are ranked No. 13 in the preseason polls and are a 95 overall. Looks like video game Bruce Weber was able to parlay that 2006 championship game run better than real life Bruce Weber.

Oh my. Blown out, 99-57. Ugly start for my post-Bud Richards era.

Next game: UW-Milwaukee. We win, 76-56. Nelke and Messy each score 15. We have local rival Illinois State after that, and get a 95-69 win. Hendriks balls out with 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three — his first signature performance in what we’re expecting to be a long line of them. Ward also chips in 13 off the bench against the Redbirds.

We face Texas A&M next. AGGIES GOING DOWN.

Look at my boy Nelke with a team-high 17 points off the bench. Dude is going to be a stud. Unfortunately, the feel-good vibes from that win are short-lived: Southern Utah beats us by three the following week.

Back on the recruiting front, we’re sitting pretty with Hatten but don’t land him at the end of the early recruiting period even though he’s at 98 percent interest. Now I’m going to have to waste points calling him the rest of the year, which could have went to other players. Denver Lane ends up getting an offer from Central Michigan, so I drop him. The tough week for recruiting continues when Tyler gets a UConn offer and Fulllove gets a Penn offer. I need to find three new recruits.

Big game against Michigan this week. We take a 77-74 loss. Tough. That drops us to 4-3 on the year. Here’s the remainder of the non-conference schedule:

We blow out South Florida.

Play No. 24 Duke at Cameron Indoor and lose a heartbreaker, 77-72. Damn. Hehn (18 points) and Van (13 points) both play well in the loss.

Beat Belmont by eight and lose to Ball State by four. The Leathernecks are 6-5 overall.

Back to recruiting, I’ve maxed out interest in both Hatten and Bowens. I’m praying Bowens doesn’t get a North Florida offer because he’s a Jacksonville kid and his No. 3 priority is being close to home. As long as they don’t get a surprise offer late in the process, I should have two really promising recruits locked up as soon as the spring signing period begins.

The rest of my class currently looks less convinced. I’m still working on Amous, a solid but unspectacular point guard I offered on the first week, and I’ve identified three-star shooting guard Ljubisa Copeland as a potential backup plan if I miss on any of my other guards.

Mcgee gets an offer the next week, so I drop him and set out to find a center. I settle on Jordi Geli Holden, who is ranked only No. 24 at the position but has the right mix of size and AAU production. Full blown conference play is about to start.

I win my next seven games in conference, highlighted by Messy dropping 28 points on Fort Wayne and Byfield scoring 21 on South Dakota State. We hang 101 points on hated enemy Oral Roberts the next game, with Hehn going off for 26 points and Van scoring 22 in the win. The Leathernecks are starting to find their stride at 13-5 overall. Next game is at North Dakota State, and we blow them out, behind 29 points from senior star Tracy Hehn.

We win out the rest of the year and finish the regular season on a 16-game winning streak. We’re 22-5 overall and the No. 1 seed in the Summit League entering the conference tournament.

Here’s what my roster looks like entering the conference tournament — some solid internal improvement from the guys this season. Hehn leads the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game.

Summit League tournament

We have South Dakota State in the opening around — and beat them, 78-57, behind 20 points from Hehn. Next up: Southern Utah. Why am I so nervous for this?

We get a huge win, 103-53. Six Leatherneck players in double-figures, led by Van with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Now I have Oakland in the title game.

We beat Oakland, 78-66. We’re going dancing for the second straight year at 25-5 overall.

We’re an 11-seed against No. 6 Washington in the first round.

NCAA tournament

Wow, Washington is a 99 overall. How are they only a No. 6 seed? Classic Lorenzo Romar ball, to be honest. We’re a 92 entering the tournament, with seven players rated in the 80s. My team has come along really well, but I still feel like I’m a huge underdog. Going to need the seniors Hehn and Messy to play the games of their lives.

I settle down to watch this game (reminder: I’m not playing any of the games during this dynasty, just watching the computer sim). That was a big mistake, because I’m never getting that hour of my life back.

Blown. The. Hell. Out. Season over. Memphis wins the title. I don’t even get any new coaching points.

Hehn and Messy both graduate. Love those dudes.

Now it’s time to restock my roster for the future with these six open scholarships.

Recruiting

We open spring recruiting by landing two studs: No. 66 overall shooting guard Lubos Hatten and No. 106 overall power forward Joseph Bowens. Hatten immediately becomes the top recruit in program history, replacing Ira Willis, who was once ranked No. 82 overall. Bowens looks fantastic, too. Look at that three-point shooting!

A week later, I win a long recruiting battle for 5’11 point guard Armein Amous, who is ranked No. 155 overall. Three-star shooting guard Ljubisa Copeland (No. 140 overall) is another guy I’ve been recruiting since the fall, and I sign him as well. Jordi Geli Holden, the No. 24 center and No. 259 overall player, also signs on as my fifth recruit in the class.

I decide to take a big swing with my one open scholarship: 6’9 small forward Phil Powell, ranked No. 103 overall and the No. 15 player at his position. For whatever reason, this guy has very little interest from other programs, which is just what Ricky Charisma wanted to see.

To be fair, this guy’s offensive stats were terrible in AAU — 7.4 points per game on 25.6 percent shooting from the field and 19.2 percent shooting from three. He has great size though and has to be rated this highly for a reason, right?

I land Powell on the last week of recruiting. Super excited to see what he’s rated and where his potential is at. And with that, I have filled all six of my scholarships.

That’s a six-man class with three players ranked in the top 110 and five players ranked in the top 155. Centers are always lower in the recruiting rankings for some reason, but I landed a top-25 guy at that position, too. Huge class!

Now I have to set the schedule for next year. I decide to play every team in Illinois, because why not? The Leathernecks want to own this state. This non-conference schedule is beautiful:

Ahead to my seventh season.

Year 7

Here’s a first look at the roster.

Nelke is actually an 86 at shooting guard, but we have to move him to small forward because I don’t have anyone else at that position and he’s big enough to do it at 6’6, 217 pounds. Also, my five best players are my five starters, which hasn’t been the case previously in this dynasty.

Waller is my best player despite the fact that he hasn’t been a starter before his redshirt senior year because I’ve had so much depth in front of him. He goes up a couple points when I move him to shooting guard. We’re going to have three natural point guards in the starting lineup this year, which sounds extremely up my alley. Waller, Nelke, and Hendriks are all rated 88 or better as three-point shooters, too. Give me all of the high-IQ ball handlers who can shoot with range. I also decide to abandon my plan to redshirt Willis because I need him as sixth man this year who could play either forward position.

Here’s a look at how the freshmen are rated:

C Jordi Geli Holden: 75 overall, C potential (No. 259 overall/No. 24 center)

SG Lubos Hatten: 75 overall, B- potential (No. 66 overall)

SF Phil Powell: 73 overall, A- potential (No. 103 overall)

PF Joseph Bowens: 73 overall, B+ potential (No. 106 overall)

SG Ljubisa Copeland: 72 overall, C potential (No. 140 overall)

PG Armein Amous: 68 overall, C+ potential (No. 155 overall)

I decide to redshirt Holden, Powell, Bowens, and Copeland. Hatten is going to the first guard off the bench and the last player in eight-man rotation. The plan is to redshirt Hatten next year when I have more depth. I’m also keeping Amous active this year as my ninth man, even though he isn’t in the rotation, just for games when guys get into foul trouble.

Here’s a look at the rotation:

Western Illinois enters the season at a 90 overall. With four redshirt juniors in the starting lineup, we should be even better next year.

I only have one scholarship to work with. Since I’m not totally sure Amous will be good enough to eventually lead a powerhouse team even as fifth-year senior, I decide to put a bunch of point guards on my target list. Eventually, I offer five-star JUCO Darrel Ogunride, a 6’3 lead guard from Chicago.

First game: @ Illinois

An opening night tradition of getting my brains beat in unlike any other. The Illini are already 2-0 and ranked No. 18 in the country when I face them. One time, Leathernecks?

OH, HELL YEAH! 69-63! Holy shit!

Look at those three point guards do work. I’m counting this as a program-defining win. Could I have a chance to crack the top 25 this year?

We beat UIC by 20 (Nelke: 17 points, Van: 15 points, 10 rebounds) then beat Loyola, 62-51, (Van: 19 points) to end the next week. As the early signing period begins, we get revenge on Northern Illinois with a 30-point win (Byfield: 26 points, four blocks) and then beat Bradley, 82-56 (Van: 16 points). We’re 5-0 to start the year.

Our first loss comes during one of these weird early conference games, where I somehow lose to South Dakota State, 65-62. We scored 16 points in the second half. Was there a killer party in Macomb last night that no one told Coach Rick about?

As early recruiting ends, I have a lead for Ogunride but Illinois is now hot on his trail, too:

Two local heavyweights on the schedule this week: Northwestern and DePaul. First up is the Wildcats.

It didn’t go so well:

DePaul also beats me, 68-66. I really thought we could go undefeated two weeks ago.

I got Southern Illinois next, and win, 83-62. Unfortunately, that didn’t impress the point guard I’m recruiting: we go from first to third for Ogunride in the course of one week. Bummer, because he seems super good. I drop him and extend an offer to my backup plan, Nikola Stockman, a 6-foot point guard from local Peoria ranked No. 104 overall

I beat Illinois State and Eastern Illinois by 21 points each. Waller pops off for 19-5-5 against EIU. I’m 11-3 as I get into the thick of conference play. Can I run the table?

We start out 5-0 with my closest win being 19 points. I end up winning out. A lot of red dubs on the schedule this year:

We enter the conference tournament at 25-3 overall. Van somewhat surprisingly leads the team in scoring (15.2 points per game) and rebounding (6.4 per game). Waller (13.1) and Nelke (12.0), and Byfield (11.7) are my other double-figure scorers. Hendriks averages 9.9 points per game.

Summit League tournament

We have Southern Utah in the first round of the Summit League tournament. And we win, 64-59. Uh, that was kind of tight?

I play Fort Wayne next in the conference semifinals. Another win, 65-53. The only team standing between Western Illinois and another NCAA tournament berth is my old nemesis, Oral Roberts. I’m a 92 overall and they’re a 70 overall, so I probably shouldn’t be as nervous for this game as I am.

We win, 82-61. WE’RE DANCING AGAIN.

This is our third straight NCAA tournament appearance. The team is 28-3 on the year. Could I finally get a seed that isn’t in the double-digits?

To find out, I actually watch the Selection Sunday show, hosted by virtual Greg Gumble. Remember when I said this game is, like, insanely deep in terms of features in Legacy mode? This is one of them. Even after I eventually start skipping ahead, the show still runs for over nine minutes.

Please, enjoy this ridiculous video game TV show with me:

NCAA tournament

We get a No. 10 seed — our best ever — and draw a first-round matchup with No. 7 seed NC State. Winner is likely getting second-seeded Georgetown in the Round of 32.

Before I do this, I check out my roster again. Waller is now a 90, making him the first player in program history to hit that mark. I have seven guys rated at least in the 80s.

My team is pretty nasty: lots of shooting and ball handling in my three-point guard lineup on the perimeter, my lowest-rated starter is an 84 overall, and I have two guys in the 80s coming off the bench.

I think I have enough to make a tournament run this year, but NC State looks tough.

Of course I’m watching this one. Music is again provided by my bud Patrick Cosmos from his album Tonal Rotors.

Let’s do this.

***

***

***

***

***

***

***

I think I’m going to throw up.

I asked my forever colleague Mike Prada to GIF my fucking heart breaking.

Manning absolutely killed me all night (37 points on 15-of-24 shooting), and he ends up hitting a 35-foot dagger at the buzzer to win it. Unreal. We end the year 28-4 overall. I’m going to need a couple days to get over this.

Maryland wins the title. Van wins Summit League Player of the Year as a junior. Here’s a look at Coach Rick’s resume after seven seasons:

I get offered the Wichita State job and turn it down. I only have one available scholarship and that gets wrapped up in the first week when Stockman accepts my offer.

Time to set my schedule for next year. I figure I’m going to have a loaded team with four redshirt senior starters, so give us a real test before conference play? I’m going at UCONN, at Michigan State, at Arizona, at North Carolina, at Notre Dame, and at Wisconsin.

Year Eight

This is going to be a special season. Here’s a first look at the roster.

To be continued

This is unfortunately the last post on Western Illinois’ chase for a championship at SB Nation. I’m going to continue writing the series entirely for free over here. Please sign up to follow along.

If you signed up for email updates here, you should be transferred over. Year 8 is going to run Saturday or Sunday at the new site. I can’t wait to see what next year’s roster can do. I hope you continue following along. Thanks for reading and engaging.

[drtswift]

Glowing up with Taylor

So, hear me out here. I’m usually never up this late, but I can’t stop listening to Reputation.

Here I describe how Taylor’s discography has helped me glow up over the past 10 years. To preface things, Taylor is 4 years older than me. Thinking about song-writing, though, she probably wrote these within 2 years of releasing the album, which only places them 2 years away from me. Basically, when each album was released we were only talking about a 2 year contextual difference.

Taylor Swift (2006): young Taylor singing about your standard teenage issues. I mean, does anything scream teenage heartbreak like “Picture to Burn?” When people actually printed out photos and could burn them. The whole album is a teenage anthem, ending with “Our Song” to describe that puppy love desire to have something special in a relationship that probably won’t matter in the long run. Honestly I wasn’t super into country music, but hey, “Our Song” was catchy.

Fearless (2008): High school freshman/sophomore Kayla was JUST starting to get that she looked like Taylor, and if Fearless isn’t one of the records that sticks with me the most. Cue buying cowboy boots and wearing sundresses because WWTD? “Hey Stephen” is the perfect song for that first high school boyfriend. “Hey Stephen I could give you 50 reasons why I should be the one you choose. Those other girls, well they’re beautiful, but would they right a song for you? *insert flirty giggle*” I was in guitar club my freshman and sophomore year of high school, so that lyric totally stood out to me. Making new friends in a big high school is soooo “Fifteen.” “You’re Not Sorry” for getting dumped by the guy who gave you your first kiss.... I mean, Fearless is the most relatable album for a high schooler, and I was no different. Also, this year Taylor came to Charleston for her concert, and I definitely got followed around the mall by a group of 8 year olds the day after the concert because they thought I was her. Honestly, this is where the obsession began.

Speak Now (2010): I was a junior/senior at a boarding school where I got a taste of freedom that would be reminiscent of Taylor’s season of life at this point. “Dear John” gave me the confidence to confront the guy who dumped me, and “Better Than Revenge” was shamelessly blasted from my dorm room because the girl he dumped me for lived on my hall 🤷🏼‍♀️. This season of my life was when I actually got vocal about things that went on in my life. “Enchanted” was my anthem when I met a new guy at none other than our back-to-school dance. I mean, it couldn’t have been more fitting. I blasted it in my dorm and danced around the room. “Last Kiss” is still one of the saddest, realest T Swift songs. Whenever I was dumped I bawled like a baby to this song. It’s still a go-to break up song when the wound is still fresh. I was still rocking the cowboy boots and sundresses, curling my hair... Speak Now is the anthem of my last two years of high school, spending more time upset with boys than I should’ve been, but that doesn’t make the emotions any less real.

Red (2012): Freshman/sophomore year of college in a different state was me spreading wings. “I Knew You Were Trouble” was literally about every single guy I was interested in my freshman year. THERE WERE JUST SO MANY BOYS EVERY WHERE, SUE ME. “State of Grace” is so carefree and confident in the face of any relationship. I stepped into my own in college. I was me because I liked me, and I was having fun in a whole new place. Being real with emotions, and having a few (okay okay, a lot) good cries to “All Too Well,” which I will still have occasionally. “Treacherous” is so passionate about breaking the rules, and being daring. These songs gave me the confidence I needed to tell a guy that I was into them, and what’s the worst that can happen? He’ll say no? But at least I did it. Red also took me to Europe for a summer of carefree living, where “Holy Ground” could’ve just as easily been about a dreamy Italian stranger as someone I’ve been interested in forever. The drift into a new genre of pop music, with ties to her roots really just screams of being adaptable and fun. “Begin Again” music video also took place in Paris, so I was able to swoon over the streets I was living in for that summer.

1989 (2014): My First year of graduate school. Another new town, and another shift for Taylor. She went from innocent to edgy. I purchased leather leggings because of 1989 because if Taylor can transition into sexy, so can I. “Blank Space” is still my anthem because who gives a crap what people say about your relationships. You can just make fun of them for it. Songs about failed relationships turned into suggestive anthems about her men being a fashion accessory “Style” and fleeting “Out of the Woods”, and that’s okay. Getting rid of old guys that have tainted every artifact of your life in “Clean,” and runnjng away with a guy because you don’t want the general public to spread false nonsense about you. That relationships can be privately sexy 😉 and that beat in “I Know Places” is a secretive sexy that makes a new relationship fun and exciting.

Reputation (2017): The rumors never stop, and when you get out of a long-term relationship people have to pull these crazy accusations from left field. People can say whatever they feel like, and you can write a song and put them back in their place. I️ mean, the genius that went into “LWYMMD” is impeccable. I’m a research scientist, but “LWYMMD” is some next level genius stuff. People want to paint this crazy picture of you? Fine, give them what they want, but you come out as the winner. “Look what you made me do...” I released a number one over night that sounds nothing like my old stuff, but my true fans still love me and make me who I am. Playing into people’s rumors and making money off of it is the ultimate jab. Like, let your success be the nail in someone else’s coffin. “Delicate” where she’s just being real about her attraction to a guy. “Is it too early for me to say that I’m into you? Oh well, I am, so I’m going to say it anyway.” Acknowledging her image (Reputation) in “I Did Something Bad,” and then OWNING the heck out of it. The sexy openness of “Dress.” Like man, that song is so honest, which makes it so hot. And can I say, I’m super thankful for that acoustic ballad “New Year’s Day.” Transitions with a guy through the party and into the new stage of her life. He’s helping her pick up the pieces. It’s beautiful, and the perfect ending to the album of rumors on her Reputation.

@taylorswift thank you for the years of songs that have helped me grow and process my current events. I love how we’re so close in age so that you were my current age when you were writing the songs. They’ve taught me to be me, and they’ve taught me to own my image. That the people who love me will know the truth. I hope you read this testimonial. Thanks for helping me “glow up” over the years to become fierce and edgy and my true self. And thanks for helping me focus on the important stuff. You’re the realest Taylor.

Sincerely,

Kayla

@taylornation

[bigyack-com]

‘Techlash’ Hits College Campuses - The New York Times

In 2006, Google bought YouTube for more than $1 billion, Apple was preparing to announce the first iPhone, and the American housing bubble began to deflate. Claire Stapleton, then a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, faced the same question over and over: What did she plan to do with that English degree? She flirted, noncommittally, with Teach for America.Then, a Google recruiter came to campus and, Ms. Stapleton said, she “won ‘American Idol.’” The company flew her out to Mountain View, Calif., which felt to her “like the promised land” — 15 cafeterias, beach volleyball courts, Zumba classes, haircuts and laundry on-site.But for Ms. Stapleton, now 34, the real appeal in a job at Google was what seemed to be a perfect balance of working for income and according to one’s conscience. Naturally, she said yes to an offer in the corporate communications department.“There was this ambient glow of being part of a company that was changing the world,” Ms. Stapleton said. “I was totally googly-eyed about it.”More than a decade later, college seniors and recent graduates looking for jobs that are both principled and high-paying are doing so in a world that has soured on Big Tech. The positive perceptions of Google, Facebook and other large tech firms are crumbling. Many students still see employment in tech as a ticket to prosperity, but for job seekers who can afford to be choosy, there is a growing sentiment that Silicon Valley’s most lucrative positions aren’t worth the ethical quandaries.“Working at Google or Facebook seemed like the coolest thing ever my freshman year, because you’d get paid a ton of money but it was socially responsible,” said Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci, 21, a senior at the University of Michigan. “It was like a utopian workplace.”Now, he said, “there’s more hesitation about the moral qualities of these jobs. It’s like how people look at Wall Street.”

Investment Banking, but Worse

The growing skepticism of Silicon Valley, sometimes referred to as the “techlash,” has spared few of technology’s major players. In 2019, Facebook was fined nearly $5 billion by the Federal Trade Commission for mishandling user data. Amazon canceled its plans for a New York City headquarters after residents, union leaders and local legislators contested the idea that the behemoth should receive $3 billion from the state to set up shop. Google, in 2018, faced internal protests over its plans for a censored search engine in China and handling of sexual harassment. (High-ranking Google employees have stated that the company never planned to expand search into China, but also that plans for a China project had been “terminated.”)The share of Americans who believe that technology companies have a positive impact on society has dropped from 71 percent in 2015 to 50 percent in 2019, according to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey. At this year’s Golden Globes, Sacha Baron Cohen compared Mark Zuckerberg to the main character in “JoJo Rabbit”: a “naïve, misguided child who spreads Nazi propaganda and only has imaginary friends.”That these attitudes are shared by undergraduates and graduate students — who are supposed to be imbued with high-minded idealism — is no surprise. In August, the reporter April Glaser wrote about campus techlash for Slate. She found that at Stanford, known for its competitive computer science program, some students said they had no interest in working for a major tech company, while others sought “to push for change from within.”Belce Dogru, who graduated from Stanford with a degree in computer science last year and is completing a master’s program at the university, said: “There has definitely been a shift in conversation on campus.”Stanford is the second-biggest feeder school for jobs in Silicon Valley, according to data from HiringSolved, a software company focused on recruiting. Some companies pay as much as $12,000 to advertise at the university’s computer science job fairs; recruiters at those events didn’t always have to make a hard sell. “It felt like in my freshman year Google, Palantir and Facebook were these shiny places everyone wanted to be. It was like, ‘Wow, you work at Facebook. You must be really smart,’” said Ms. Dogru, 23. “Now if a classmate tells me they’re joining Palantir or Facebook, there’s an awkward gap where they feel like they have to justify themselves.” Palantir, in particular, has drawn the ire of students at Stanford for providing services to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (also known as ICE). Last summer, a campus activist group, Students for the Liberation of All People, visited the company’s office, a 15-minute walk from campus, and hung a banner nearby that read: “Our software is so powerful it separates families.” Similar protests took place at the University of California, Berkeley, Brown and Yale, according to Recode. The protests, and the attitudes they reflected, were also covered in The Los Angeles Times.Audrey Steinkamp, a 19-year-old sophomore at Yale, which sends about 10 percent of each graduating class into tech, said that taking a job in Silicon Valley is seen as “selling out,” no different from the economics majors going into consulting who are “lovingly and not-so-lovingly called ‘snakes.’”That is especially true, some of the students said, when a classmate chooses to work for Facebook, whose products have spread disinformation and helped influence a presidential election.“The work you do at a place like Facebook could be harmful at a much larger scale than an investment bank,” Ms. Dogru said. “It’s in the pockets of millions of people, and it’s a source of news for millions of people. It’s working at a scary scale.”Many students still believe that technology can help change the world for good. As Ms. Glaser put it for Slate, some of them are opting out of the Big Tech pipeline and trying, instead, “to use technical skills as an insurance policy against dystopia.”“Students have an opportunity to look at where they can have the most impact that’s in line with their values,” said Leslie Miley, a former director of engineering at Google and Slack. “The fact of the matter is Google, Facebook, Twitter are not in line with those values because they’re huge companies beholden to a lot of different masters.”

Still Got That College Spirit

Anna Geiduschek, a software engineer who graduated from Stanford in 2014, was working at Dropbox last year when she received an email from an Amazon Web Services recruiter. She replied that she wouldn’t consider a job with the company unless Amazon cut its contract with Palantir.“These companies go out of their way to try and woo software engineers, and I realized it would send a powerful message for me as a potential employee to tell them no,” Ms. Geiduschek, 27, said, noting that top tech companies sometimes spend roughly $20,000 to recruit a single engineer. “You could basically cut them off at their supply.”Her recruiter responded: “Wow I honestly had no idea. I will run this up to leadership.” Days later, Ms. Geiduschek received another template email from an Amazon hiring manager, so she scheduled a call and aired her grievances by phone. Some engineers are sharing screenshots of their protest emails on Twitter with the hashtag #TechWontBuildIt. Jackie Luo, an engineer, sent an email to Google saying that she wouldn’t consider a job there given its plans to re-enter China with a censored search engine. Kelly Carter, a web developer, emailed a Tesla recruiter with her concerns about the company’s anti-union tactics. Craig Chasseur, a software engineer, emailed the H.R. department at Salesforce to critique the company’s contract with ICE.These protests echo mounting public concerns about the power of these corporations. But it’s not clear whether they have moved the needle for prospective hires. Former recruiters for Facebook told CNBC in May that the acceptance rate for full-time engineering job offers at the company had dropped precipitously, as much as 40 percent. After the article’s publication, Facebook disputed the figure; the company “regularly ranks high on industry lists of most attractive employers,” a spokesman said. Data published the same month by LinkedIn showed that tech firms continued to hire at high rates, especially for entry-level employees.But at campus career centers, students are struggling with the dual, and sometimes dueling, desires for prestige and purpose. “It started with millennials, but now Gen Z-ers are getting educated because they want to do good in the world,” said Sue Harbour, the senior associate director of the career center at the University of California, Berkeley, which is Silicon Valley’s top feeder, according to HiringSolved. “And as we’ve seen tech companies grow, we’ve also seen the need for more tech oriented to social responsibility.” Some recent graduates are taking their technical skills to smaller social impact groups instead of the biggest firms. Ms. Dogru said that some of her peers are pursuing jobs at start-ups focused on health, education and privacy. Ms. Harbour said Berkeley offers a networking event called Tech for Good, where alumni from purpose-driven groups like Code for America and Khan Academy share career opportunities. Ms. Geiduschek said she recently left Dropbox for Recidiviz, a nonprofit that builds technological tools for criminal justice reform.But those so-called passion jobs are more challenging to come by, according to Amy Binder, a sociologist at the University of California, San Diego, and the lead author of a 2015 paper about elite colleges “funneling” graduates into certain kinds of “prestigious” careers.“For other sectors like tech it’s easier to get on the conveyor belt and fill these positions,” Dr. Binder said. “I graduated from Stanford in the ’80s, and even back then there was talk on campus about people selling out and going to investment banks, but those jobs are still getting filled. The self-incrimination hasn’t stopped the juggernaut.”Dr. Binder said elite schools have long steered students toward certain “high-status” industries — the C.I.A. in the 1950s, finance and consulting in the aughts and tech today. It’s a “prestige system,” she said, that universities enable. “As tech firms get more negative reviews in the media and it becomes clear what their political toll can be, students may have more circumspection about taking these jobs,” she said. “At the same time, they’ll continue taking these jobs because of the security and reputation that comes with them. And universities will keep sponsoring all this recruitment.”

Good Luck Changing the Culture

For years, students were told they could tackle ethical concerns about technology from the inside, working within the mammoth structures of companies like Google. Ms. Stapleton said that was part of the company’s allure: its ostensible commitment to empowering even its youngest employees to weigh in on critical problems.She spent 12 years at Google and YouTube on various teams, including internal communications, where she wrote company talking points. Her weekly emails to staff, she said, were the stuff of corporate legend. At a 2012 all-hands, Larry Page, one of the company’s founders, called her onstage to celebrate her work as colleagues presented her with a wooden plaque that read: “The Bard of Google.”Then, in 2018, Ms. Stapleton helped organize a Google walkout, after reporting in The New York Times revealed that the company gave a $90 million severance package to the Android creator Andy Rubin, who was accused of sexual misconduct. Twenty-thousand workers left their desks in protest. Within six months, Ms. Stapleton said, she was demoted and pushed to resign. In December, she wrote about her experience in an essay for Elle. Google maintained that Ms. Stapleton was not sidelined for her role in the walkout. “We thank Claire for her work at Google and wish her all the best,” a Google spokesperson responded. “To reiterate, we don’t tolerate retaliation. Our employee relations team did a thorough investigation of her claims and found no evidence of retaliation. They found that Claire’s management team supported her contributions to our workplace, including awarding her their team Culture Award for her role in the Walkout.”But Ms. Stapleton said her story should give bright-eyed students pause about whether Big Tech and altruism are aligned.“I don’t know if Google can credibly sell young people on the promise of doing good in the world anymore,” she said. “That’s not to say there aren’t wonderful people there and interesting things to work on. But if you care about a company’s values, ethics and contributions to society, you should take your talents elsewhere.”Mr. Miley, who left Google in 2019, echoed her sentiment: “It’s hard to change a system from within when the system doesn’t think it needs to be changed.”A spokeswoman for Google said the company continues to see job application numbers grow annually, and noted that the practice of having employees raise concerns about policies, whether on data privacy or human rights reviews, is part of the corporate culture. The outside attention those concerns may draw is a reflection of Google’s growth and evolution from a search company to a larger entity with many products and services, the spokeswoman said. But even companies with a market cap of over $970 billion (Google’s parent company, Alphabet) or over $614 billion (Facebook) aren’t immune to the punches of potential talent. John Sullivan, a professor of management at San Francisco State University who also advises companies on recruitment, estimated that criticisms of Uber’s sexual harassment and discrimination policies cost the company roughly $100 million, largely because of talent lost to competitors.Sarah Soule, a professor and senior associate dean at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, said in an email that there is a long history of students protesting questionable corporate ethics, with several cases of protest directed toward recruiters, yielding powerful effects.Take the case of Dow Chemical Company, which in 1965 accepted a $5 million Department of Defense contract to manufacture the flammable gel napalm during the Vietnam War. When recruiters turned up at New York University, they were met with hundreds of angry student demonstrators, The Times reported.Brendon Sexton, the student government president at N.Y.U. at the time, demanded a moratorium on Dow’s campus recruitment efforts in 1968. “They don’t care that a sin is being committed here,” he told protesters near the job interview site. Public pressure continued to mount, fueled largely by young activists. The company halted its production of napalm a year later.Ms. Geiduschek said the behavior of tech companies is especially difficult to challenge because their products are ubiquitous.“It’s hard to avoid spending your money at Amazon. I sometimes do it, especially in that Christmas-season binge,” she said. “If you want to sway this company to do the right thing, you have to attack it at places that are higher leverage, where it hurts.” Read the full article

[xicaughtmyselfx-blog]

Fashion Industry Panel: SOUTHERN FASHION NOW

An exploration of trends, characteristics, and the national and international affect of modern Southern design and designers. This was the third of three fashion industry panels that were part of Lexus Nashville Fashion Week 2012. Panels were held on March 22, 2012 at the Frist Center for Visual Arts and were sponsored by Imogene + Willie.

PANELISTS: Dana Thomas, Matt and Carrie Eddmenson, Phillip Nappi, Jamie Frazier, Hannah Jones MODERATOR: Libby Callaway, writer, author and media director of Imogene + Willie

DANA THOMAS is the author of the New York Times bestseller, “Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster” published by the Penguin Press in 2007 and is a contributing editor for “WSJ,” the Wall Street Journal’s monthly magazine. She began her career writing for the Style section of the Washington Post, and from 1995 to 2011, she served as a cultural and fashion correspondent for Newsweek in Paris. She has written for the New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, the Financial Times, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Architectural Digest and Elle Décor and was the European editor of Condé Nast Portfolio. Thomas is a member of the Anglo-American Press Association in Paris and the Overseas Press Club. She taught journalism at The American University of Paris from 1996 to 1999. In 1987, she received the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation Scholarship and the Ellis Haller Award for Outstanding Achievement in Journalism. She lives in Paris. She has just completed three months as a writer in residence at the Savannah College of Art and Design, working on a new book.

PHILLIP NAPPI is co-founder of the Italian hand made boot and shoe company, Peter Nappi (named for his grandfather, an immigrant shoemaker who arrived in America in 1904). Peter Nappi offers boots, bags and other dry goods, rich in old world tradition and craftsmanship. The boots are made in Italy by a family who has been handcrafting footwear for over 60 years. The 4,000 square foot Peter Nappi studio in Nashville’s historic Germantown neighborhood showcases luxury leather boots and bags, as well as hand picked, one-of-a-kind vintage European furniture. The brand has been covered in Harper’s Bazaar, Men’s Fitness, Bon Appetit and Esquire. In January 2013, a Peter Nappi exhibit is planned Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy. Read more about Phillip Nappi’s business at www.peternappi.com.

JAMIE FRAZIER and HANNAH JONES are the Nashville fashion designers behind Jamie and the Jones. The duo discovered their mutual appreciation for slow process design as sophomores at O’More College of Design in Franklin, Tenn. The results were unanimously positive: their skill at creating clothes that combine clean silhouettes with painstaking handwork (knitting, crochet, embroidery, beading, and hand painting are all hallmarks of Jamie and Hannah’s smart, feminine wares). Since graduating in 2009, Frazier and Jones have continued to produce their line from their studio inside Local Honey, Nashville’s premiere source for independent design. Jamie and the Jones. have been featured in publications including Nylon, Elle.com, the Nashville Scene, Her Nashville, and the Tennessean. In 2011, they opened the first-ever Nashville Fashion Week. A month later, and they were awarded the Belcourt Theatre’s nD Emerging Designer Competition, through which they were awarded a stipend to produce a capsule collection that was presented alongside the work of two nationally known designers. Read more about Frazier and Jones at https://ift.tt/1O1AYaJ.

MATT and CARRIE EDDMENSON, owners of the Nashville-based fashion company Imogene + Willie, share a long and varied history both personally and professionally. Both started their careers at Sights Denim Systems, formerly the world’s preeminent denim development laboratory and premium finisher, located in Henderson, Ky. Even earlier, at age 11, they met as schoolmates in Henderson. After high school, they went their separate ways until 2003, when they found themselves back in their hometown. Love blossomed, and they were married in 2006. In 2009, Matt and Carrie left Henderson and headed to Nashville, where Imogene + Willie was born.

Matt worked in product development and design at Sights Denim Systems for four years. During this tenure, he worked with design houses including Earnest Sewn, Elie Tahari, Billy Reid, Rogan, American Rag, and RRL to develop fits, finishes and branding. Matt holds a BA in Fine Arts from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. Carrie started her career in fashion as a principal at Sights, working in product development and design with companies including Paper Denim & Cloth, Rogan, Earnest Sewn, Levis Vintage Clothing, Ralph Lauren’s RRL, Joie, and Loomstate. In the early 1990s, she worked closely with Francois Girbaud, Lee, and Levis to develop new denim processes and inventions that led to the aesthetic of modern denim finishing. Through Sights, she started a product design and development company in Istanbul, Turkey where she lived for three years. While there, Carrie worked with the companies Diesel, Replay, Pepe, and Levis Europe to design and develop products for their European market. She attended Kentucky’s Centre College, where she studied arts and humanities. Visit the I+W website at https://ift.tt/RY4upn

Panel moderator LIBBY CALLAWAY has contributed to some of the country’s most widely regarded magazines and newspapers, including the New York Post, where she was employed as a writer and editor from 1997 to 2004. Libby is an in-demand freelance fashion and travel writer, penning articles for publications and websites including Elle, the New York Times’ T Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Style.com, Travel + Leisure, Budget Travel, Self, BlackBook, Nylon and Glamour, where she was a fashion advice columnist in 2006 and 2007. In Nashville, Libby has written for a variety of publications including the Nashville Scene and the Nashville City Paper, where for two years she wrote a popular weekly style column. A former wardrobe stylist and vintage clothing dealer, Libby is a noted secondhand shopping expert; her professional advice on the subject has appeared in InStyle, Elle, Lucky, US, Nylon, Harper’s Bazaar, Budget Travel and Style.com, and on NBC’s The Today Show. Libby joined the staff of Nashville’s Imogene + Willie as media director in 2011, the same year Hyperion published her first book, “The American Pickers Guide to Picking,” a collaboration with her friend Mike Wolfe of the History Channel’s TV show American Pickers. Likes: 9 Viewed:

The post Fashion Industry Panel: SOUTHERN FASHION NOW appeared first on Good Info.

[blackkudos]

Natalie Cole

Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. The daughter of Nat King Cole, she rose to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be", "Inseparable" (1975), and "Our Love" (1977). After a period of failing sales and performances due to a heavy drug addiction, Cole re-emerged as a pop artist with the 1987 album Everlasting and her cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac". In the 1990s, she re-recorded standards by her father, resulting in her biggest success, Unforgettable... with Love, which sold over seven million copies and also won Cole numerous Grammy Awards. She sold over 30 million records worldwide.

On December 31, 2015, Cole died at the age of 65 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, due to congestive heart failure.

Early life

Natalie Cole was born at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles, the daughter of crooner Nat King Cole and former Duke Ellington Orchestra singer Maria Hawkins Ellington, and raised in the affluent Hancock Park district of Los Angeles. Regarding her childhood, Cole referred to her family as "the black Kennedys" and was exposed to many great singers of jazz, soul and blues. At the age of 6, Natalie sang on her father's Christmas album and later began performing at age 11.

Cole grew up with an older adopted sister, Carole "Cookie" (1944–2009) (her mother Maria's younger sister's daughter), adopted brother Nat "Kelly" Cole (1959–95), and younger twin sisters Timolin and Casey (born 1961).

Her paternal uncle Freddy Cole is a singer and pianist with numerous albums and awards. Cole enrolled in Northfield School for Girls, an elite New England preparatory school (since 1971 known as Northfield Mount Hermon School) before her father died of lung cancer in February 1965. Soon afterwards she began having a difficult relationship with her mother. She enrolled in the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She transferred briefly to University of Southern California where she pledged the Upsilon chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She later transferred back to the University of Massachusetts, where she majored in Child Psychology and minored in German, graduating in 1972.

Music career

Early career

Cole grew up listening to a variety of artists from soul artists such as Aretha Franklin to psychedelic blues-rock icon Janis Joplin. After graduation she began singing at small clubs with her band, Black Magic. Clubs initially welcomed her because she was Nat King Cole's daughter, only to be disappointed when she began covering R&B and rock numbers. While performing, she was noted by a couple of producers in the Chicago area, Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy, who then approached her to do records. After cutting several records together, they passed off the music to several record labels. Most labels turned them down with one exception. Capitol Records, her father's label, heard the records and agreed to sign her.

Cole, Yancy, and Jackson went into studios in Los Angeles to polish the recordings they had shipped, resulting in the release of Cole's debut album, Inseparable, which included songs that reminded listeners of Aretha Franklin. In fact, Franklin later contended that songs such as "This Will Be", "I Can't Say No", and others were originally offered to her while she was recording the You album. Franklin turned most of the songs down but agreed to record the title track for her album. Cole also recorded "You". Released in 1975, the album became an instant success thanks to "This Will Be", which became a top ten hit and later winning Cole a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. A second single, "Inseparable", also became a hit. Both songs reached number-one on the R&B chart. Cole also won Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards for her accomplishments. The media's billing of Cole as the "new Aretha Franklin" inadvertently started a rivalry between the two singers.

Initial stardom

Becoming an instant star, Cole responded to critics of an impending sophomore slump with Natalie, released in 1976. The album, like Inseparable, became a gold success thanks to the funk-influenced cut "Sophisticated Lady" and the jazz-influenced "Mr. Melody".

Cole released her first platinum record with her third release, Unpredictable, mainly thanks to the number-one R&B hit, "I've Got Love on My Mind". Originally an album track, the album's closer, "I'm Catching Hell", nonetheless became a popular Cole song during live concert shows. Later in 1977, Cole issued her fourth release and second platinum album, Thankful, which included another signature Cole hit, "Our Love". Cole was the first female artist to have two platinum albums in one year. To capitalize on her fame, Cole starred on her own TV special, which attracted such celebrities as Earth, Wind & Fire, and also appeared on the TV special, "Sinatra and Friends." In 1978, Cole released her first live album, Natalie Live!

In early 1979, the singer was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That same year, she released two more albums, I Love You So and the Peabo Bryson duet album, We're the Best of Friends. Both albums reached gold status in the U.S. continuing her popularity.

Career detour and resurgence

Following the release of her eighth album, 1980's Don't Look Back, Cole's career began to take a detour. While Cole scored an adult contemporary hit with the soft rock ballad "Someone That I Used To Love" off the album, the album itself failed to go gold. In 1981, Cole's personal problems, including battles with drug addiction, began to attract public notice, and her career suffered as a result. In 1983, following the release of her album I'm Ready, released on Epic, Cole entered a rehab facility in Connecticut and reportedly stayed there for a period of six months.

Following her release, she signed with the Atco imprint Modern Records and released Dangerous, which started a slow resurgence for Cole in terms of record sales and chart success. In 1987, she changed to EMI-Manhattan Records and released the album Everlasting, which returned her to the top of the charts thanks to singles such as "Jump Start (My Heart)", the top ten ballad, "I Live For Your Love", and her dance-pop cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac". That success helped Everlasting reach one million in sales and become Cole's first platinum album in ten years. In 1989, she released her follow-up to Everlasting, Good to Be Back, which produced the number two hit "Miss You Like Crazy"; it also achieved international success, reaching the top ten in the United Kingdom.

Cole released her best-selling album with 1991's Unforgettable... with Love on Elektra Records, which saw Cole singing songs her famous father recorded, nearly 20 years after she initially had refused to cover her father's songs during live concerts. Cole produced vocal arrangements for the songs, with piano accompaniment by her uncle Ike Cole. Cole's label released an interactive duet between Cole and her father on the title song, "Unforgettable". The song eventually reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number ten on the R&B chart, going gold. Unforgettable...with Love eventually sold more than 7 million copies in the U.S. alone and won several Grammys, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance for the top song.

Cole followed that success with another album of jazz standards, titled Take a Look, in 1993, which included her recording of the title track in the same styling that her idol Aretha Franklin had recorded nearly 30 years earlier. The album eventually went gold while a holiday album, Holly & Ivy, also became gold. Another standards release, Stardust, went platinum and featured another duet with her father on a modern version of "When I Fall in Love", which helped Cole earn another Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Later works

In 1999, Cole returned to her 1980s-era urban contemporary recording style with the release of Snowfall on the Sahara on June and second holiday album The Magic of Christmas on October, which recorded with London Symphony Orchestra. A year later, the singer collaborated on the production of her biopic, Livin' For Love: The Natalie Cole Story, which featured Theresa Randle in the role of Cole. She also released the compilation Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 to fulfill her contract with Elektra. She changed to Verve Records and released two albums. 2002's Ask a Woman Who Knows continued her jazz aspirations, while 2006's Leavin' again featured Cole singing pop, rock and R&B standards. Her cover of Aretha Franklin's "Daydreaming", became a minor hit on the R&B charts. In 2008, seventeen years after Unforgettable... with Love, Cole released Still Unforgettable, which included not only songs made famous by her father but other artists, including Frank Sinatra. The album later resulted in Grammy wins for Cole.

In April 2012, she appeared as a Pennington Great Performers series artist with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.

Television and film career

Cole carved out a secondary career in acting. She also appeared several times in live concerts or other music related programs, including the 1988 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute with sidemen Richard Campbell, Jeffrey Worrell, Eddie Cole and Dave Joyce. In 1990, she (along with jazz vocalist Al Jarreau) sang the song "Mr. President" (written by Ray Reach, Mike Loveless and Joe Sterling) on HBO's Comic Relief special, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams and Billy Crystal. After Johnny Mathis appeared on a special of Cole's in 1980, the two kept in contact, and in 1992, he invited Cole to be a part of his television special titled "A Tribute To Nat Cole" for BBC-TV in England. It had high viewer ratings and was successful. From that project, an album with the same name was released, and featured several medley and solo numbers.

In 1992, following the success of the Unforgettable: With Love album, PBS broadcast a special based on the album. Unforgettable, With Love: Natalie Cole Sings the Songs of Nat "King" Cole received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program; and Cole received a nomination for Outstanding Individual Performance, losing to Bette Midler.

In 1993, she was among the Guests of Honor attending Wrestlemania IX at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada. She was interviewed by television staff after the conclusion of the Money Incorporated vs Megamaniacs tag team match regarding her upcoming work. The same year she performed at the 65th Academy Awards performing a medley of two Oscar-nominated songs: "Run to You" and "I Have Nothing", both originally performed by Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard.

Cole made a number of dramatic appearances on television, including guest appearances on I'll Fly Away, Touched by an Angel, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2006, she made a memorable guest appearance on the ABC show Grey's Anatomy as a terminally ill patient. Her character visited Seattle Grace Hospital to have a fork removed from her neck that her husband had stabbed her with during a mishap; the couple had been having sex in public.

Cole also made several appearances in feature films, most recently in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely. She appeared in several made-for-TV movies, most notably as the lead in Lily in Winter. Cole was featured on Macy Gray's album Big, singing "Finally Make Me Happy".

In 2001, she starred as herself in Livin' for Love: the Natalie Cole Story, for which she received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special.

She also sang the national anthem with the Atlanta University Center Chorus at Super Bowl XXVIII.

On December 2, 2006, Cole performed for the first time in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, as part of the annual Cayman Jazz Fest.

On the February 5, 2007, episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Cole sang "I Say a Little Prayer" at a benefit dinner for Harriet Hayes (Sarah Paulson).

She can also be seen in the last scene of Nas' music video for "Can't Forget About You". The song uses a sample of her father's song "Unforgettable". Cole is sitting at a piano in a cabaret-style lounge mouthing her father's song with Nas standing beside her.

Cole also performed "Something's Gotta Give" on American Idol on April 29, 2009.

In September 2010, Cole performed with Andrea Bocelli in a concert at the Kodak Theatre, for his album My Christmas, in which she recorded a duet with him, and from December 10–13, 2009, she appeared with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in their annual Christmas concerts. Both were videotaped for presentation on PBS in December 2010.

On July 22, 2011, Cole appeared on the reality television series, The Real Housewives of New York City.

In February 2012, Cole appeared as a guest judge on the fourth series of reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race. The bottom two competitors lip-synced to her song This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) to decide who would stay and who would be eliminated.

On Father’s Day, 2013, Natalie was in Tina Sinatra's Father’s Day Special on Sirius Radio. It also featured Deana Martin, Monica Mancini and Daisy Torme, all reminiscing about their famous fathers.

Personal life

Cole was married three times. She married Marvin Yancy, songwriter, producer and former member of the 1970s R&B group The Independents on July 31, 1976. She had a son, Robert Adam "Robbie" Yancy (born October 14, 1977); he is now a musician who toured with her. Marvin was her producer, and an ordained Baptist minister who helped reintroduce her to religion. Under his influence, Cole changed from a lapsed Episcopalian to become a devout Baptist. Cole and Yancy got divorced in 1980 before Yancy died of a heart attack in 1985, aged 34. In 1989, Cole married record producer and former drummer for the band Rufus, Andre Fischer; they were divorced in 1995. In 2001, Cole married bishop Kenneth Dupree; they divorced in 2004.

Cole was active in the Afghan World Foundation cause, supporting Sonia Nassery Cole (no relation).

Drug abuse and recovery

In 2000, Cole released an autobiography, Angel on My Shoulder, which described her battle with drugs during much of her life, including heroin and crack cocaine. Cole said she began recreational drug use while attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She was arrested in Toronto, Canada, for possession of heroin in 1975. Cole continued to spiral out of control – including one incident during which she refused to evacuate a burning building, and another during which her young son Robert nearly drowned in the family swimming pool while she was on a drug binge. She entered rehab in 1983.

Her autobiography was released in conjunction with a made-for-TV movie, Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story, which aired December 10, 2000 on NBC and re-aired October 26, 2011, on Centric TV.

Health issues

Cole announced in 2008 that she had been diagnosed with Hepatitis C, which is a liver disease that is spread through contact with infected blood. Cole attributed having the disease to her past intravenous drug use. Cole explained in 2009 that hepatitis C “stayed in my body for 25 years, and it could still happen to...addicts who are fooling around with drugs, especially needles.”

Four months after starting treatment for hepatitis C, Cole experienced kidney failure and required dialysis three times a week for nine months. Following her appeal for a kidney on the Larry King Show, she was contacted by the organ procurement agency One Legacy, in May 2009. The facilitated donation came from a family requesting that, if there were a match, their donor’s kidney be designated for Cole.

Death and funeral

Cole canceled several events in December 2015 due to illness. It was reported on January 1, 2016, that she had died the day prior at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Her family stated that at the time of her death, Cole had "ongoing health issues". According to Cole's publicist, Maureen O’Connor, the singer's death was the result of congestive heart failure.

In official news on her cause of death, her family stated that Cole was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension after her kidney transplant in 2009.

Cole's son, along with her sisters, offered the following comment. "Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived ... with dignity, strength and honor. Our beloved mother and sister will be greatly missed and remain unforgettable in our hearts forever."

Cole's funeral was held on January 11, 2016, at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles. David Foster, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, Chaka Khan, Eddie Levert, Mary Wilson, Gladys Knight, Ledisi, Jesse Jackson, Angela Bassett, Denise Nicholas, Marla Gibbs, Jackée Harry and Freda Payne were among the mourners at the funeral. After the funeral, she was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Accolades and honorsGrammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Cole received nine awards from 21 nominations.

Latin Grammys

The Latin Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.

Wikipedia

[naijastudio]

Kanye West Biography, Age And Net Worth

Kanye West is a Grammy Award-winning rapper, record producer, and fashion designer who is known for his outspokenness. Kanye West: Who Is He? Kanye West first rose to prominence in the music industry as a producer for well-known acts. With his 2004 debut, College Dropout, he demonstrated his rap ability, and albums like Late Registration (2005), My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), Yeezus (2013), and Yeezus (2014) confirmed his spot atop the hip hop world (2018). West is a Grammy Award winner who is also noted for his awards show antics, excursions into fashion, and his marriage to Kim Kardashian. Kanye West Life Style And Birth Kanye Omari West was born on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia. Ray, his father, was a photojournalist for the Atlanta Journal and a member of the Black Panther Party; he eventually became a Christian counselor. Donda West, West's mother, was a teacher who went on to become a professor of English at Chicago State University and then her son's manager before dying in 2007 at the age of 58 from heart illness following cosmetic surgery. Her death would have a huge impact on West's musical career as well as his personal life. When West was three, Ray and Donda split amicably. Following that, he was reared by his mother in Chicago's middle-class South Shore neighborhood and spent summers with his father. West traveled to China with Donda when he was ten years old, where she taught as part of a university exchange program; he was the only foreigner in his class. West was lured to the South Side's hip-hop scene after returning to Chicago, and he befriended DJ and producer No I.D., who became his mentor. West received a scholarship to study at Chicago's American Academy of Art after graduating from Polaris High School, but he dropped out to pursue music full-time, a move that would later inspire the title of his first solo album. Kanye West Net Worth Net Worth: $6.6 Billion Date of Birth: Jun 8, 1977 (44 years old) Gender: Male Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Profession: Record producer, Songwriter, Singer, Actor, Film Producer, Rapper, Businessperson, Screenwriter, Fashion designer, Music Video Director Nationality: United States of America Kanye West Music Career West created a trademark sound known as "chipmunk soul," which features sped-up soul samples, after spending time producing for local musicians. Following that, in 2001, he relocated to New York. He got his big break here, working on the production for Jay-song Z's "This Can't Be Life," which debuted on the album Dynasty: Roc La Familia in 2000. He reinforced his rising fame the following year by producing four songs on Jay Z's The Blueprint, widely regarded as one of the best rap albums of all time. West went on to create for other notable artists including as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Ludacris, as well as singers Alicia Keys and Beyoncé. West, on the other hand, was not content to be a sidekick. He aspired to be the main attraction, but found it difficult to be taken seriously as a rapper at first. He begged Roc-A-Fella Records to let him rap, but as co-founder Jay-Z told Time magazine later, "We were all raised as street kids who had to do whatever it took to get by. Then there's Kanye West, who, as far as I'm aware, has never worked a day in his life. I couldn't see how it could possibly work." Other labels reacted in a similar way to West. He said, "I'd leave meetings crying all the time." Damon Dash reluctantly signed West to Roc-A-Fella in 2002, but he did so only to keep him as a producer. West was injured in a head-on vehicle incident while driving home from a recording session in a California studio in October of that year, leaving him with a cracked jaw. With his jaw still wired shut after reconstructive surgery, he wrote and recorded "Through the Wire," a song about the experience.While recuperating in L.A., he wrote the most of the rest of his debut album. However, once the album was finished, it was leaked on the internet. West chose to improve it by revising and rewriting songs and fine-tuning the production, which included the addition of heavier drums, gospel choirs, and strings (he paid for orchestras out of his own pocket). Dropout from College The album was finally published in February 2004 and quickly became a hit, selling 2.6 million copies and propelling West to stardom. The College Dropout defied the gangsta-rap mold, including topics like as consumerism (of which he was critical at the time), racism, higher education, and his religious convictions. "They say you can rap about anything but Jesus," he rapped on the tune "Jesus Walks," "That means weapons, sex, lies, videotapes/But if I talk about God, my album won't get played." The College Dropout reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart, and West garnered ten Grammy nominations, winning three of them, including Best Rap Song and Best Rap Album for "Jesus Walks." West formed his record label, GOOD music — an acronym for Getting Out Our Dreams — with Sony BMG shortly after the album's release. He'd release songs by John Legend, Big Sean, Common, Pusha-T, and others. Registration after the deadline West spent a year and $2 million on his sophomore album, enlisting the help of an orchestra and composer Jon Brion, who had never worked with a rapper before. According to the New York Times, West, the restless bourgeois-creative, wanted to "see how far he might expand" hip hop. The results were outstanding, with Best Rap Album winning again, as well as Best Rap Song for "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" and Best Rap Solo Performance for "Gold Digger," and Best Rap Song for "Diamonds from Sierra Leone." Late Registration premiered at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200, a feat West would replicate with each solo album release after that. In Rolling Stone's five-star review of the album, Rob Sheffield stated, "On Late Registration, the Louis Vuitton Don doesn't just want to create pop music — he wants to be pop music." "As a result, he improves his lyrical game, displays his epic production skills, reaches higher, pushes harder, and declares the entire world of music to be hip hop turf." West appeared on an NBC program in September 2005, a month after the release of Late Registration, to collect donations for Hurricane Katrina victims. When he declared live on air that "George Bush doesn't care about Black people," echoing widespread criticism of the president for not visiting the damaged city of New Orleans straight away, he ignited a national media storm - his first, but by no means his last. West's remark enraged Bush, who subsequently described it as a "disgusting moment." Graduation West was motivated to create hip hop more anthemic, to be performed in stadiums and arenas, after traveling with U2 in 2005-2006. He began to incorporate elements of both rock & roll (the Stones, Led Zeppelin, and the Killers) into his music (which originated in his hometown of Chicago). Graduation, his third album, was released on September 11, 2007. It was released on the same day as 50 Cent's album Curtis, in a struggle for hip-soul hop's between the educated showman and the bullet-scarred street thug. But there could only be one winner with Graduation's breakthrough (for hip-hop) palette of layered electronic synthesizers and sloganeering wordplay — "I'm like the fly Malcolm X/Buy any jeans necessary," he sneered on "Good Morning" — West's album went straight to No. 1 after selling 957,000 copies in its first six days. With the music industry wringing its hands over the internet's impact on profit margins, West simply embraced the change with his video for the single "Can't Tell Me Nothing," in which he hired comedian Zach Galifianakis to lip-sync along to the lyrics on an alternate version, resulting in a YouTube viral sensation. The Death of Kanye West Mother West was on top of the world, acclaimed as the musician who had put gangster rap on the verge of extinction. Then catastrophe happened in November 2007. Donda, his adored mother, died of a heart attack after cosmetic surgery. He dedicated a performance of "Hey Mama" to her on his first show after the funeral. West split up with his fiancée, Alexis Phifer, a few months later. 808s & Heartbreak, his next album, was released 12 months after his mother died and was laced with grief, agony, and isolation. West even gave up rapping in favor of singing through an Auto-Tune vocal processor, which gave his voice a robotic tone – a technique that is now commonplace in hip hop. "Hip hop is done for me," he declared after describing the new album as "pop art" (not to be confused with the visual art movement). (It wasn't; he won Grammys for guest raps on Estelle's "American Boy" and TI's "Swagga Like Us" that year.) Kanye West Earnings By Year Follow Money Year Earnings 2007 $17,000,000 2008 $30,000,000 2009 $25,000,000 2010 $12,000,000 2011 $16,000,000 2012 $35,000,000 2013 $20,000,000 2014 $30,000,000 2015 $22,000,000 2016 $18,000,000 2017 $22,000,000 2018 $90,000,000 2019 $100,000,000 2020 $200,000,000 Total: $437,000,000 Taylor Swift's VMA Feud and Diss The fragility of West's mental health was brought into question the following year at the MTV Video Music Awards. He stormed the stage during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for the Best Female Video award (for "You Belong to Me") at Radio City Music Hall in New York to argue that Beyoncé should have won instead. The reverberations from that moment are still being felt. West apologized, then retracted his apology in a New York Times interview in 2013. By 2015 they had become friends and were even spotted at dinner together. Then in 2016 Kanye rapped on his song "Famous": "I feel like me and Taylor might still have s*x/Why? I made that b**** famous." Swift responded from the stage at the 2016 Grammy Awards, this time unapologetically, with the words: "To all the young women out there, I want to say something: There will be people who try to undermine your success or take credit for your successes along the way... Don't let those folks get in the way." Fashion West took a break from music after the Swift fiasco to focus on fashion. Since 2006, he'd been collaborating with limited-edition sneakers with brands including A Bathing Ape and Nike. To obtain experience, he reportedly interned at Gap in 2009 and later Fendi. In 2011, he debuted his first collection in Paris, however it was critically lambasted. Long Nguyen, style director of Flaunt magazine, sniffed, "You can't just dump some fox fur on a runway and call it luxury." At the show's after-party, West delivered a wounded-sounding address. "Please take it easy," he said. "Please give me the opportunity to mature." After a lackluster response to his second collection a year later, West stated that he would no longer be presenting in Paris. In 2013, he collaborated on a capsule collection with the French label APC, and in October 2015, he struck a $10 million agreement with Adidas, launching his first sportswear collection, Yeezy Season 1, with the brand. The label has received mixed reviews, while Anna Wintour praised his Season 5 collection in February 2017. She told the New York Post, "I really liked it." "A little more attention than we've seen from him before." My Dark Twisted Fantasy West returned to music in November 2010 with his fifth album, a bombastic and towering monument to self-aggrandizement that sounded "like an instant greatest hits," according to Pitchfork. It was a bombastic and towering monument to self-aggrandizement with paranoid celebrity and rampant consumption as the dominant themes: it was a bombastic and towering monument to self-aggrandizement that sounded "like an instant greatest hits" according to Pitchfork It was Kanye West's best and worst all bundled into one: a magnum work that bordered on the insane. It spawned four songs, including "Monster," on which West, Jay Z, and Rick Ross were famously beaten into second place by Nicki Minaj's furious guest verse. In 2011, West and his old sparring partner Jay Z released Watch the Throne, a joint album that delivered seven songs, including "Otis" and "Niggas in Paris," as well as three additional Grammy awards for West and Jay Z. Relationship In 2012, West released Cruel Summer, a compilation album including artists from his GOOD Music label. However, his romance with reality-TV star Kim Kardashian, which began in April, dominated the headlines that year. They married on May 24, 2014, in the medieval Fort di Belvedere in Italy, after West proposed at the AT&T baseball stadium in San Francisco on October 21, 2013. As Kardashian came down the aisle, Andrea Bocelli performed, The designer Rachel Roy, tennis champion Serena Williams, film director Steve McQueen, and music performers Legend, Q-Tip, Rick Rubin, Tyga, and Lana Del Rey were among the visitors. North (born June 15, 2013), Saint (born December 5, 2015), and another daughter are the couple's three children (born via surrogate January 15, 2018). Psalm, the couple's fourth child, was born via surrogate in May 2019. Yeezus West's sixth studio album, Yeezus, was released in June 2013 and had little evidence that the rapper was living a happy life. West had engaged producer Rick Rubin to make sweeping alterations just days before the album's release, thus the sound was aggressive, raw, and almost entirely melody-free. On "I Am a God," which featured the iconic phrase "Hurry up with my stupid croissants," West sounded neurotic and egocentric to the point of bathos. With the exception of the excellent glam-rock-inspired hit "Black Skinhead," West stated the album was a "attack against the commercial," and it certainly included nothing that was radio-friendly (the first of only two singles from the album). Yeezus is the only album by Kanye West to have sold less than one million copies in the United States. Nonetheless, it was highly welcomed by critics, including rock veteran Lou Reed, who told Rolling Stone that "It's as if you're crafting a movie with each tune... The guy is incredibly gifted." Beef on Jimmy Kimmel In September, West and Jimmy Kimmel had a Twitter dispute after the talk-show host ridiculed an interview West had given to the BBC in the United Kingdom. On his show, Jimmy Kimmel hired young actors to recite some of West's more bombastic remarks. West, on the other hand, was not amused. One of a series of outraged tweets said, "Jimmy Kimmel is out of line to try to mimic in any manner the first piece of honest media in years." During his next episode, Kimmel happily read out West's tweets, eliciting more ire from the rapper, who shared a link to a Slate piece headed "Kanye was right." West returned on Jimmy Kimmel Live the following month, and the conversation lasted the most of the broadcast, with multiple free-flowing Kanye monologues covering everything from his career to his thoughts on the paparazzi, Steve Jobs, and Jesus. "I don't know whether you're aware of this, but a lot of people believe you're a jerk," Kimmel said, before complimenting West's portrayal. West had been hurt by Kimmel's characterization of him, as it turned out, because the two had known each other before to the disagreement. "When I'm cooking up a comedic routine," Kimmel said, "regarding a celebrity's feelings is not something that comes to mind." They had cleared the air by the end of the show. More Public Outbursts, Collaboration with Paul McCartney, and Rihanna West made history as the first rapper to collaborate with Paul McCartney, releasing the tune "Four Five Seconds" alongside the Beatles icon and Rihanna at the start of 2015. But a month later, there was yet another award-show snarl, this time at the Grammys, when West protested to Beck winning Best Album. After the ceremony, West remarked, "Beck needs to respect artistry, and he should have presented his trophy to Beyoncé." In an interview with The Sunday Times newspaper in England a few months later, he withdrew his comments. "My image of a gentleman who plays 14 instruments not respecting craftsmanship was incorrect," he admitted. West, along with other artists such as Beyoncé, Jay Z, Rihanna, Madonna, Chris Martin, and Nicki Minaj, was introduced as a co-owner of the music-streaming service Tidal in March. Despite a petition with 135,000 signatures requesting for him to be removed from the lineup, he headlined the Glastonbury festival in the United Kingdom in June. The Life of Pablo Picasso In the lead-up to his seventh album, The Life of Pablo, there was even more controversy. West made headlines before the film's release on February 14, 2016, for a series of inflammatory tweets, including one declaring Bill Cosby, who is on trial for drugging and raping women, to be innocent. He began a feud with Wiz Khalifa, a musician he mistookly believed had ridiculed his wife, Kim Kardashian ("I am your OG and I will be respected as such," West tweeted.). He also expressed regret for appearing to disparage Michael Jordan in his lyrics. West then oddly advised his fans to lobby Facebook founder Mark Zuckerber the day after his album was released. He also expressed regret for appearing to disparage Michael Jordan in his lyrics. West then oddly pushed his fans to lobby Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to spend $1 billion in West's "ideas" the day after his album was released. He also claimed to be in debt for $53 million. Thealbum was yet another departure from the norm, as well as a triumph. It has a considerably broader sound than Yeezus, integrating a wide range of sounds, styles, and inspirations, ranging from trap to gospel to Auto-Tune crooning, avant-pop, vintage soul, and dancehall. Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper, Rihanna, Desiigner, and Kid Cudi were among the guest vocalists. It was West's sixth solo album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 list in a row. Cancellation of the Tour and Return to the Spotlight West paused a show in Sacramento on November 20, 2016, while on his Saint Pablo Tour, to go on a rambling diatribe about radio playlists, MTV, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Beyoncé, and Jay Z ( "Call me, Jay Z... I know you've got killers. Please don't shoot them at me "(Imaginative+ paraphrase). He had ranted onstage and proclaimed support for Trump for the second time in a week, and this time it seemed like a public breakdown – he did not finish the act. He canceled the remaining 21 concerts of his tour the next day, citing tiredness, and spent the next eight days in the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Pusha T, the president of GOOD music, revealed in an interview in February 2017 that West was working on a new album. Rumors about the album's progress persisted, with some stories claiming that the Grammy winner had sought creative inspiration in the Rockies of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. With the announcement that he was authoring a philosophy-themed book, Break the Simulation, in April 2018, West re-entered the news cycle. Days later, he verified the rumors of new material in a rapid-fire sequence of tweets, announcing that he will release two albums in June, the second of which would feature longtime collaborator Kid Cudi. The artist then caused a sensation when his tweets turned to his admiration for President Donald Trump, referring to him as "my brother" and claiming that they shared "dragon energy," even sharing a selfie wearing Trump's "Make America Great Again" cap. West later clarified the situation by adding that he adored Hillary Clinton as well and that he didn't agree with everything the president stated. "I don't agree with anyone except myself 100 percent," he wrote. Read the full article