#this is probably a sign I need to start doing my back exercises again
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I would like to file a complaint about my spine please and thank you
#share the beans#scoliosis#my spine has decided that I will not feel comfortable at all today no matter what position I’m in#floor time isn’t even helping today…..#a coworker saw me laying on the floor in an attempt to relive some back pain and it didn’t even work ugh#this is probably a sign I need to start doing my back exercises again#I got them some years ago but I always forget to continue doing the excercoses until my back starts to become or already is in so much pain#something I need to work on haha#just needed to vent real quick thanks
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Bases Loaded, Holes Filled - Kep1er Yujin, Xiaoting, Mashiro

"Hmm? Hey Yujin!"
"Oppa, you can go 3 rounds right?"
"Yeah, I do 3 sets for my exercises, why?"
"Cool thanks, I'll see you soon!"
What was that about? You wonder. Probably nothing, just Yujin being random again. She did say she was going to the gym more, maybe she wanted you to be her gym partner? You don't think too much about it. You get a message from Yujin later that week to hang out, and you happily agree.
"Hi oppa!"
"Oh hey Yujin." She pecks you on the cheek, grabbing your arm and leading you in. "Oh hi Xiaoting, Mashiro!" You wave at them happily—they were probably heading out soon right? Yujin rarely calls you over with others around.
"We're playing Switch baseball, come join us!" They certainly looked the part, all dressed in the same baseball outfit you saw them perform in a while back. You shrug and join them, watching them play and taking a few swings yourself as well. The game was fun enough, you suppose, but it felt… boring? Like they were just whiling time away. You'd much rather go on a date with Yujin, if you were honest.
"Aish this is boring!" Xiaoting shouts, loudly and unnaturally.
"Oh, should we play something else?" you ask hopefully.
"No no, we just need to spice it up!" Mashiro chimes in on cue.
"Oh, how should we do it? Loser has to buy ice cream?"
"That's too tame oppa! We can have some fun you know." You recognize Yujin's playful tone—it's one she usually reserves for the bedroom. Wth some shock, you're suddenly aware that only the four of you are here. This was planned, a set-up.
"Yujin?"
"What? We can play with Ting and Shiro too, right?"
"Can we?" you ask yourself and them rhetorically.
"Yes, we're just playing." Xiaoting answers, pouting cutely, the same way Yujin would pout.
"Mmhmm, let's just have fun together." Mashiro scoots closer to you, mimicking Yujin's playful tone the best she can. "We trust you," she adds quietly and nervously.
"I… okay then." Is this really happening?
"Great! Oppa, you should play then." Yujin hands you the controller. "How much fun we have depends on how well you do." She runs her hands down your chest, rubbing circles over them in an open display of affection, even kissing your neck, sending a shudder down your spine—yes, this is really happening.
"I-I'll do my best."
You step up to the plate, and with the controller in hand you take a wild swing. It connects poorly with the ball, but you watch your in-game character run and make it to first base.
"Ooh ok, that's a good start!"
"Is it? I didn't score though."
"You got on first base, that's good enough. First base is Shiro!" Yujin takes the controller from you, and it is quickly replaced with Mashiro's hand as she leads you to the couch. You are hesistant as Yujin and Xiaoting sit down on the floor opposite the two of you, openly watching in anticipation.
"Pretend we're not here." Yujin waves your gaze away before leaning into Xiaoting and whispering in her ear. You wonder what she could be saying in such a situation, but you are quickly distracted by Mashiro grabbing your arms and pulling you into a kiss.
"Mmph, mmph!" You're falling on to the couch, Mashiro cushioning your descent as she pulls you on top of her. You much more vividly feel her cushions as she wraps her arms around your neck, making sure you can't not feel them. You bring a hand to her waist, still over her baseball jersey, and Mashiro moans loudly, clearly already forgetting about Yujin and Xiaoting.
"Mashiro?" Her eyes are round and shiny with desire, and she nods.
"Yes, please." She emphasizes it by bringing your other hand to her chest, begging you to squeeze. That's the sign you needed. You get to first base with Mashiro, enjoying her moans as you squeeze her breast. Your other hand slips beneath her jersey, gliding over her smooth skin. Expertly you feel for her bra, unclasping it from behind.
"Y-You're good," Mashiro comments, and she turns a deeper shade of red when you slide the straps off her arms. Neither of you hear the squeal from Xiaoting as you pull the bra off and toss it to the side—you're already busy feeling Mashiro up, fingers playing with her stiff nubs and making her squirm on the sofa.
Yujin's squirming along with Mashiro, knowing how it feels all too well. She watches you slip your hand down Mashiro's shorts, and her own hand drifts down her body, only to be stopped.
"Unnie!" Xiaoting is flushed red too, but she bites her lip and shakes her head—the three of them had so much planned, it'd be a waste to get themselves off now! They settle for holding each other's hands, squeezing and squirming in place as they each imagine themselves in Mashiro's position.
Mashiro does not have the luxury of imagination though, your two fingers slipping inside her very tangible and pleasurable. Your lips are on hers, and when she feels your tongue licking her lips she lets you in, allowing you to plunder her from both ends. Mashiro's soft everywhere, even on the inside, but her teeth clatters against yours when you find her sweet spot, her head jerking forward in response to your delightful rub.
"Nngh! Uhh, uhh, ahh, ahh!" Short husky breaths escape Mashiro, her cheeks puffing out as she purses her lips, trying to swallow the moan that is eager to break out. She gets louder in more ways than one as her wetness does the talking for her. Yujin and Xiaoting watch entranced, soaking themselves as they watch their cute racoon fall into rapture, a leg dangling lewdly off the sofa, showing off your movements through the stretching of her shorts. She manages to clutch at your arm, large round eyes looking at you unfocused.
"Do it," you whisper, and they roll into her head, a strained moan announcing Mashiro's climax. She shudders on the sofa, thighs taut and trapping your hand, making sure you feel her wave of juice over your fingers. You extract yourself when she relaxes, but you also let out your own moan when Mashiro reaches for you, grabbing you over your shorts.
"S-Shiro!" This time it is Yujin shouting. "Not yet!"
"Ah? Ahh, right, sorry." Sheepishly she withdraws her hand, pushing you off lightly. "Thanks oppa."
"What's going on?"
"T-That's just first base, we should keep going." Mashiro hands you a tissue shyly, and you cough and wipe your fingers with them.
"Okay, what's next?"
"We keep going." You stand up awkwardly—you are wielding two bats as you get in the stance, but clearly no one minded. You swing, and a strike, another swing, and another strike, you make a third swing and whiff also, and with that you have your first out.

"Looks like oppa needs some motivation." Xiaoting grabs her jersey and pulls up, but instead of taking it off, she merely ties it off into a haltertop, exposing her midriff for you. "Try again." Another three whiffs and you have a second out.
"Oppa, your stance is wrong, here, let me help you." She holds you from behind, pressing herself against your body—you notice immediately her lack of a bra, and her hand slips inside your pocket, grabbing your erection as she pretends to tweak your stance with the other hand. "Like this, got it?" She gives you a firm stroke, and your legs nearly buckle from her touch.
"Nngh, right, thanks."
"Good luck."
Strike one, strike two, ball, ball, ball. You take one last swing, praying it connects. It does, and you see the ball fly further out, but it is not a home run, instead leading to a double.
"Third base, good job, Yujin can you grab the things?"
Before you can ask what said "things" are, Xiaoting has dragged you backwards on to the couch, and you're making out with her like you did with Mashiro earlier.
"I prepared a lot for you," Xiaoting whispers, inviting your hand beneath her shorts, leading you to two discoveries—not only is she not wearing a bra, she is also not wearing panties; additionally, all you feel is bare skin around her warm entrance.
"T-Thanks— Ah!" You find yourself kissing Yujin all of a sudden, her hands aggressively tugging your shorts down. With quick strokes she gets you to full hardness, and with a groan you allow yourself to get wrapped up, a condom stretched over your shaft.
"There, done, go get her. Save some for me later." Yujin pulls away, joining a red-faced Mashiro who is not staring at you, but rather right in front of you. On the ground bent over is Xiaoting, naked from the waist down. You notice the bottle in your hand, and it leads you to a third discovery.
"Fuck me from behind, fuck me… there." There is no room for misinterpretation as Xiaoting pulls on one of her cheeks. You grab the bottle of lube and slather it on your shaft, spreading some around her puckered hole for good measure.
"Have you done this before?" you had to ask, both out of concern and curiosity.
"Just toys, nothing that big, go slow." You nod and press your tip against her rear entrance, applying a little pressure. "Harder." Your head presses more firmly against her ass, and you wriggle a little to open her up. "Fuck!" Xiaoting curses as your head slips in quickly.
"Sorry, sorry!"
"No no, give me time, fuck Yujin he's big."
"Y-Yeah, are you okay?" Ever the leader, Yujin's concerned about Xiaoting even as she's turned on, watching you disappear into her ass.
"Yeah, it's… filling!" Xiaoting nods back at you, and you begin to push in bit by bit, opening her up more than any toy could. You keep a firm grip on her hips, feeling for her reactions, listening for any moan or gasp of pain, slowly drawing her on to your cock. You stop when her toned ass finally touches you, and you take the opportunity to squeeze her butt—you're fully buried inside Xiaoting now.
"Fuck you're tight…" you groan, the pressure of Xiaoting clenching around you near overwhelming.
"Yeah? Better open me up then." You make sure to rise to her challenge, pulling out before pushing back in faster than before. "Oooh fuck, yeah just like that!" You settle into a rhythm, slowly pumping into Xiaoting, but each thrust is harder than the previous one. The clash of flesh is louder each time, as is Xiaoting's cry of pleasure. Forgotten in the background Yujin and Mashiro watch the two of you go at it, rubbing themselves—without Xiaoting to keep her in check the wet spot between Yujin's legs grow darker and larger, almost matching the one on Mashiro's shorts. You had never done anal with Yujin, but watching the forbidden act unfold in front of her sends her heartrate racing—she wonders just how full Xiaoting is feeling.
"Oh my god!" Xiaoting yelps in answer as you reach around her waist, sliding a hand across her shaven mound to find her clit. She immediately begins to fall apart—pleasure rockets through her body with every thrust into her ass, and that is now supplemented by your rubbing of her sensitive nub, a constant wave of ecstasy growing in the background. What was a pulsing, slowly growing ball of joy in her core is now burgeoning rapidly, persistently pushing its way through her thoughts, much like the way you are in her ass.
Mashiro watches you bent over Xiaoting, humping her, your hand hidden between her thighs, but it doesn't take much to figure out what you're doing to her. Xiaoting's arms weaken, and only her ass remains in the air. Mashiro spies her group mate's glazed over expression, and Xiaoting has never had a lewder look on her face. Her eyes widen suddenly, staring straight through Shiro, and her arm shoots backwards, trying to grab you.
"Ah! No— Yessss!" It's too late, with a wet gush Xiaoting splatters the floor loudly, her juice covering your thighs. She wails as you continue to rub her clit, extending her orgasm with violent quivers. Her slick continues to leak and trickle along her thighs, not nearly as explosive but just as hot.
"Fuck, gonna cum!" You groan, the pressure of Xiaoting around you too much after her orgasm.
"Do it, cum in my ass, want, you, to— Ah! cum!" Xiaoting manages to gasp between your plowing thrusts, eager for you to reach your own peak—with a grunt and a growl you press your hips to hers and unload into the condom. It doesn't prevent Xiaoting from feeling you throb in her ass, and Xiaoting moans with relish at the sensation.
"Haah, hah, ha, mmm…" You find yourself kissing Xiaoting mindlessly, stifling her last few moans. When you finally slip out of her, she takes the condom off you. She brings a finger to where you were earlier, gasping in surprise—you didn't just stretch her, you gaped her open, and there is a satisfying soreness to that, one that made her— Oh my! Blushing at the mess she made Xiaoting hurries to the bathroom without another word.
"Xiaoting? Are you okay?" You call out to her retreating form, but she the door closes without an answer. Yujin follows her quickly in.
"She'll be okay oppa, I think she's just overwhelmed, she normally doesn't squirt like that, or at all." Ever thoughtful Mashiro brings some tissues and wipes to clean up.
"Thanks— Mmph!" Mashiro jumps into your lap, juicy thighs straddling you. Through her shorts that she has somehow managed to keep on, you groan at just how soaked she is.
"Get hard quickly, we can do it before— Ah!" Yujin firmly tugs Mashiro off you, tutting at her.
"Later, it's not fair if you get two rounds before I even get one in Shiro!" The younger girl merely whines, but she nods in apology to her leader.
"Is Xiaoting okay?"
"Oh yes, she was just embarrassed, she's never done that before, but she said she wanted to do it again sometime." You gulp and get hard at the prospect of that. "And now you're hard enough, good, keep playing!"
"Are we really still keeping this up?"
"Yes! Otherwise Ting and Shiro won't be happy!" Mashiro nods seriously to reinforce the point.
"Okay okay!" You take a few wild swings, figuring you'll just luck into a hit and score. But no, maybe you were too horny to do it properly—it certainly doesn't help when Yujin begins stripping, supposedly for "incentive". All it does is distract you, and you strike out multiple times through multiple innings, until you're on your last swing. Xiaoting has returned, blushing but satisfied, and Mashiro and Yujin are growing agitated and annoyed.
"Aish, do guys lose all hand-eye coordination when they're horny?!" Yujin snatches the remote from you, and skillfully smashes it out of the park, home run! Immediately she jumps on you, tossing the remote to the side as she latches her lips to your neck, leaving a dark bruise. "It's a good thing I'm so wet, I got so bored and dry watching you whiff."
"Sorry!" With a moan Yujin eases herself on to your cock, and you see Mashiro and Xiaoting on the couch, enjoying the show and slowly pleasuring themselves too.
It is a different kind of tightness compared to Xiaoting's ass, but you enjoy Yujin's snug warmth all the same. Pinning you to the floor she starts humping you, midriff moving back and forth, throwing her hips up and down on you, making sure your length slides in and out of her fully each time. Sweat and scent soak through her jersey when she ups the pace, choosing to gyrate her hips instead, grinding her own clit against you. It's almost demanding the way she rides you, as if she's putting on a show for her groupmates.
"Are you gonna cum for me oppa? Gonna cum for Yujinie?"
"Yes, fuck Yujin I'm so close!"
"Good, cum in my mou—" Yujin makes to get off, but two pairs of hands stop her, holding her down on your shaft. "What are you doing!"
"Come on unnie, when are you going to tell oppa?"
"Nngh, what are you talking about?" you manage through gritted teeth, feeling Yujin clench around you—she's equally close.
"We found Yujin unnie's browser history, do you want to know what we saw?" Mashiro teases.
"No, don't!" Xiaoting keeps her leader down, firmly keeping your bodies flush together. You're even deeper inside Yujin now.
"Shush unnie. Oppa, the term she searches for the most is breeding, all her favorite videos end in a huge creampie, or even multiple."
"Fuck…" you moan at that thought, and because Yujin gets even tighter around you.
"Yet here she wants to get off you to suck you dry, what a coward, tell him what you really want unnie." Mashiro encourages.
"Yes tell him!" Xiaoting eggs her on."Don't you want to see oppa's thick load leaking out of you when you get off him, it's going to leak everywhere. Maybe we can record it too? We won't let you move until you tell him."
"Fuck!" Yujin cries out at the thought. Xiaoting helps both of you along, making Yujin move her hips on top of you, eking out just that little bit more pleasure and getting you just a little deeper inside her.
"中に出して! I don't need to translate that for you do I unnie?" Mashiro joins in on the filthy teasing.
"N-No, nngh!"
"Yujin I can't hold on much longer!" you grunt, Yujin's dirty thoughts and newfound desires gripping you just as hard as her pussy is right now.
"Okay, okay!" With a gentle push from Xiaoting she falls on top of you, whispering directly in your ear. "I want to be bred, cum in me! Breed me, please breed me oppa, I don't care, just cum in me." Yujin's begging whimpers become sobs of pleasure as you grab her ass and take over, bringing her down on you in time with your upward thrusts.
"Oh, oh fuck, that's so deep! Ah ah ah… yes yes yes!" There's no going back, and with a few furious thrusts upwards Yujin orgasms powerfully with you, clenching around your tip blasting seed into her womb. "I-I can feel it, it's so much, mmm…" She hugs you tightly, clinging to you for all she's worth and letting out small whispers of joy. For a while all that's heard is you and Yujin's laboured moans plus Mashiro's and Xiaoting's heavy breathing. When Yujin goes limp she sags on you completely, utterly wasted by the experience—you've never seen her like this.
"Wow… Look." Xiaoting helps pull Yujin up and back slowly. Your cock slips out of her, and immediately a thick stream of white oozes out of her. "Isn't that what you wanted unnie?"
"I guess, I— Shiro!" You back up as Mashiro straddles you, bending over to lick your load oozing out of her leader. She wiggles her ass as she does so, a clear invitation to get hard again quickly. You watch in dumbfounded surprise as the quiet girl continues licking Yujin, and it is only when her hands go to her shorts you realize what she is offering. You help Mashiro out, pulling down her shorts, just enough to expose her glistening pussy for the first time.

Mashiro's first attempt earlier was stopped by Yujin, but this time, having sufficiently distracted her leader with her tongue, the co-leader grabs your hard again shaft and lines herself up with it. Her moan is muffled by Yujin's muff, but there is no hiding your groan when Mashiro takes your stiff bat up her pussy. That is something for Xiaoting to stifle as she stands over you and grabs your hair. You take a moment to admire Mashiro's ass and thighs jiggling while she bounces on you, but soon your tilt your head back, allowing Xiaoting to push herself on your face. You eat her out from below, her juices no longer squirting out, but leaking constantly down your chin instead.
The sinful scene silently simmers, each of you quieting your pleasure through a pussy in the face or a hand on the mouth. Yujin's legs tremble, Mashiro's thighs bounce and jiggle, Xiaoting's pussy quivers and leaks, but it is all whispered names and whimpered "yes" until you grope Xiaoting's ass, spreading her cheeks while eating her out. A finger into her newly un-gaped ass forces her to break the silence, crying out a ecstatic apology as she floods your mouth with more nectar.
It triggers a chain reaction—Yujin watches Xiaoting's juice splash and trickle down your chin, and it triggers her own orgasm, her hands going to her co-leader's head, forcing Mashiro's tongue deeper into her cum-filled heat. Hearing the other two members cry out, Mashiro slams herself hard on your shaft and combusts with them, clenching around you and coating your shaft with her own slick.
"Fuck, I'm going to cum!" you shout, managing to disengage from Xiaoting's pussy to warn Mashiro.
"No, wait!" She shudders and forces herself to lift off you. Turning around, she tears her jersey off and makes you feel her bustiness, trapping your slick covered shaft between her breasts. "Do it oppa, go ahead." Watching the "innocent" racoon of the group push your cock through her cleavage and feeling her soft tits squishing around you proves too much, and with a jerk of your hips you splatter her face. Your own vision goes black, and you feel hands all over your shaft as you thrust blindly upwards through their strokes, shooting shot after shot until you are fully drained, and not even the hand on your balls can coax more out of you.
"Mmmmmph…" The sudden warm mouth on your cock does though, and you whimper and squeeze off a parting shot into it. You finally manage to open your eyes, just in time to see Mashiro releasing your shaft, licking your sensitive tip for good measure. Your eyes widen at her cum-covered face, a good amount on her neck and chest too; your eyes nearly pop out of their sockets when you see Yujin and Xiaoting next to her, faces also covered with white splatters and streaks.
"Home run," Yujin whispers, and the three of them look at each other and giggle. "Come on, let's clean up." They head for the bathroom, leaving you to wonder what the fuck just happened. Groaning in exertion you reach for some wipes, cleaning their juices left all over you and the floor. Sore but satisfied, you pull on your clothes and sag into the clean end of the couch, and it feels like you've taken a short nap until you notice Yujin's weight in your lap.
"Oppa." She hugs you and nuzzles your neck.
"Hey, hmm I guess that's what you meant by 3 rounds, and here I thought you were talking about exercises."
"Oops, sorry. I mean, technically it's exercise."
"I guess, I'm pretty sore." Yujin joins you in your chuckle. "Are Mashiro and Xiaoting okay?"
"Yeah, they're both a little sore."
"Mmhmm, we normally don't have something that big to work with." The two of you are distracted by Xiaoting and Mashiro joining you. Xiaoting winces a little as she adjusts her stance slightly. "Definitely a little sore."
"It's a good sore though." Mashiro assures you. "Thanks for the fun time oppa."
"Sure, it was fun for me too." Xiaoting's glance flitters from you to Yujin, and a glance from her leader makes Xiaoting's eyes widen slightly in acknowledgement.
"We umm, we're going out to get coffee!"
"We are?" Mashiro asks. "We have a coffee machine at home though!"
"It tastes better from a cafe! Let's go. Unnie make sure you take your 'medicine'."
"Medicine? Yujin are you sick?"
"Aish, for a co-leader you are slow on the uptake sometimes!" Xiaoting grabs Mashiro by the arm and leads her away firmly. "Bye!"
"Get me something too Ting!"
"Yes unnie!" With that, you and Yujin are alone once more.
"So, about that medicine, or rather, why you would need to take something…" You trail off, allowing Yujin to pick up the thread as you watch her get off you and go take a pill, her face blushing when she settles back in your lap.
"I—I know we've been careful, but I've just been watching more umm, videos, and it's really hot. I didn't think they would find that, I wasn't planning on bringing it up with you until much later."
"Why not?" you ask, bring a hand to her cheek and finding it very warm.
"We've never discussed anything about that, I didn't want to scare you away or anything."
"Look, it's just a kink, we know what each other likes, I don't think hiding a new kink helps, I want you to feel good too when we do it." You kiss and hug her, murmuring in her ear. "We can discuss our future together and what that looks like next time, not right after you pulled me in for a foursome."
"That's fair, sorry." You peck her lips in acceptance of her apology.
"If that's a kink you have, I'm more than happy to do it. I can trust you to keep us safe right?"
"Yes, I'll make sure I stick to the schedule and remember to take it on time."
"Good, then next time I'll be sure to go three rounds again, and it'll all go into you, fill you up fully."
"Yah… you make me want to do it right now," Yujin hits you cutely on the chest and pouts, and it turns into a smirk as she slips her top slightly and reveals a shoulder.
"Hah no more today please! Besides, aren't they coming back with coffee soon?"
"Hmph fine!" You cuddle Yujin to appease her need for skinship, and it was lucky you two didn't go any further, as a few minutes later Xiaoting and Mashiro return with ice-cold drinks.
"Oppa we got something for you too!"
"Thanks a lot!" The four of you switch to playing some actual games until Yujin checks her phone.
"The members will be coming back soon, you should probably go."
"Yeah, I'll head out, thanks for having me over." It sounded insane, like you were thanking them for a quiet night in rather than a wild fuckfest. You hug Xiaoting and Mashiro goodbye, and they press themselves against you fully.
"Thanks oppa." Mashiro's cheeks are a tint of pink, to think she was writhing beneath you on the sofa earlier, and then bouncing on you later!
"Thanks oppa! Let's have more fun next time." Xiaoting waves as Yujin walks you to the door, and you kiss and hold her close.
"See you soon, remember to take your 'medicine'."
"I will I will, thanks for playing along with everything."
"As long as it doesn't become a regular thing, the three of you are a lot for me you know? I can barely keep just you satisfied."
"Oh I was definitely satisfied, and I'm sure Ting and Shiro are too. Maybe I'll listen to Ting and actually record it next time."
"From one risk to another huh?" Yujin pecks you good bye and pushes you out the door.
Weeks later you get a message from Yujin.
We're doing another baseball thing soon, you know what that means~
You start practicing the baseball game—you can't leave them waiting too long the next time after all.
A/N: Just a crazy idea I had, ever since they did the baseball thing I thought about the foursome. Finally got around to it. Little bit all over the place, thanks for reading!
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Vermillion Seas Cardinal Skies: Chapter 29 - Resonance
Training time in Toph’s gauntlet means dealing with some uncomfortable truths that have slumbered just beneath the surface for far too long.
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Hey y'all! Thursdays are coming rapidly along the path now, and it feels like I just posted the last chapter yesterday, yet here we are on the day I mentioned in chapter 28.
Today’s chapter is brought to you by the Melon Lord. May she have mercy on all our souls.
On a more serious note, #itshappening. The board is set, the pieces are in motion. We are on course to finish my first big long fic! I can’t believe I first posted this thing in October of 2023, and now we’re in 2025. It’s been a long journey, but it’s been so very enjoyable.
Thank you always, @achillmango. Your editing and support have been heaven-sent. Thank you again.
No more delays - please enjoy Chapter 29 - Resonance.
He can feel his mind struggling in the quiet calm of the night. Months of constant silence have given way to a cacophonous, gentle hum of whispered voices. The voices wake Aang in the middle of the night with his head throbbing for the fifth time in three hours after far too little sleep. It's too loud in his own mind, and it almost feels like there's an unconscious pull toward the sea, to the open, cool air above it. He opts for a glass of water instead. It's probably just a sign that he’s dehydrated. In the minutes that follow, he meditates, calming the choir in his head, then forces himself back to bed. Perhaps twenty minutes go by before he wakes again, then again. Restful sleep evades his clutches the entire night, except in the darkness just before morning, when a deep, perfect slumber claims him; complete silence embraces his body for ten minutes before the sunrise greets his room, signalling the start of his day.
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“You really outdid yourself, Toph! This is incredible!” Sokka shouts across the chasm of exposed rock. The training ground stretches along the beach before wrapping inland through a Toph-made slot canyon. The narrow vertical walls extend for several hundred feet before opening into a wider ravine where strategically placed boulders sit at uneven intervals along its slopes. At the end of the ravine lies the most surprising aspect of her creation, an obsidian platform lined with boulders soaked in oil, ready to be lit. “Where did you find a piece of obsidian this big in one piece?!” His jaw drops as he considers it. “That’s gotta be worth a fortune!” “Made it. Now, if you’re done being a slack-jawed dummy, there’s one last thing I need to do.” He refuses to close his mouth as the young girl impales a melon atop a large stone spike, then bends a pair of arms from the rock before placing it atop the obsidian platform. Toph’s excited voice betrays her attempted evil tones, “Behold! I am the Melon Lord! I will destroy everyone if you don't stop me! Beware my fire! Muahahaha!” At first, Sokka is skeptical of the melon-topped mannequin, but hearing her cackle menacingly at the end of her monologue sends a legitimate chill down his spine. He’s so glad she’s on their side. He isn’t sure the world would be able to deal with two evil maniacs. “Alright, alright! Save it for the training exercise!” He shouts, then clears his throat to address the others. “We’ve come a long way. From humble beginnings at the South Pole–” “Get to the point, Sokka.” He can see Katara’s eyes rolling as she speaks. Fine. No special pointers then. “Everyone. The comet arrives in less than a month, and for at least the next two weeks, this is going to be our home. We are going to eat, sleep, dream, and fight our way through this training ground until we’re ready to take down Fire Lord Ozai once and for all!” He pauses and lets it all sink in before continuing. “Suki, you and I will handle the beach approach, taking down enemy resistance. Katara, you and Zuko will take the assault in the canyon and ravine. You’re the most capable of covering that much ground that quickly. Aang, you’re up last for the finale. You’ll take down the…uh… Melon Lord, when we’ve opened up the path for you.” “What about Toph?” Aang asks. “Toph will be running our training program,” Sokka replies dryly. “Blame her if you get hurt.” “What he means,” Toph interjects, “Is that I’ll be handling any weak points during our actual take-down of the Loser Lord.” He’s so glad she’s not really against them. “Alright! Who's ready to kick some butt?” “I am!” Toph shouts at the top of her lungs. “You losers better prepare yourselves! I’m not going easy on you!” Great.
Continue reading on AO3.
#zutara fanfiction#zuko x katara#zuko#katara#zutara#atla#atla fanfic#avatar the last airbender#fanfiction#vermillion seas cardinal skies#Zuko's colorful fire#its back#I don't think you're ready for it because I sure wasn't#Sokka is one of my favorites to write - where else can you hear the characters *exact* intonations just by putting on caps lock?#geothewriter writes
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Landslide
credits : @uzmacchiato for the divider!!!!
a/o : no warnings but like i wanna write smut in this series. this is my first reader x ____ series. i'd love to continue this! i love tashi with my life, she is sooo gorg. there shall be no tashi erasing in any of my fanfics.
word count : 2054
Chapter 1
You couldn’t bare to look at Tashi as she came out on court. Her white Adidas tennis dress, and her white sneakers. She waved to the audience, almost light-heartedly as if she wasn’t going to demolish you. The camera turned to get a good shot of her, and then, you remembered, this was going to be on world-wide television. The whole match was going to be on television. Your fucking grandma was going to watch this, and see you lose! God bless your grandma and her retirement home.
“First set, Duncan to serve. Ready? Play.” The umpire rang out, signaling the serve.
Shit.
And then it came. Your mind had already locked in, racing. You're like a trained dog in a way. Y’know how the dogs command to the word sit and stay? It’s just like if someone gave you a racket, and threw you a tennis ball, you will play, almost unconsciously. Like you’re a software, and being coded on. That’s you, and tennis.
Tashi made you miserable, making you run across the court to receive a ball, just to make you do it all over again, and you hated it. In that whole set, you despised her with all of your being. She truly infuriated and humiliated you. It’s not like you didn’t know you were not going to be humiliated. You knew she was good, like really fucking good. And you also knew that probably all the people in the audience were cheering for her, not you.
Nobody wanted to see little miss second place, over adidas sponsorship Tashi Duncan. And sure, Reebok had sponsored you, but they didn’t host you a fucking party like Tashi was going to get. And you know what the worst thing was? She wasn’t even rich. She wasn’t like those other rich background families that already had all of the connections. No, she worked for that shit. Unlike you. You had all the money and connections in the world, but you still managed to win against someone who put in twice the amount of work to do this. It seemed that everything spelled out failure. Even the loud thumping of your heartbeat seemed to whisper ‘failure’ somehow. The cheering, the too-tight Reebok tennis dress, and your grunting, seemed to be all failure-esque to you. Your heartbeat could be faster, you told yourself. You could play harder. You could beat her if you just try enough. You’re not doing enough, you told yourself. Even when you did those breathing exercises to gain stamina with your coach in practice, you told yourself to push. Break all the boundaries. Breathe harder, or softer, or whatever the fuck you’d have to do if it mean you’d win. Breathe hard enough until you have consumed all the air within a mile, if that was even possible. Everything you did was a challenge, and you’d have to be the one to beat it.
The next set was magical. It’s like a fairy godmother went to bless you with a supernatural gift or something, nobody knew where it came from, not even you, but you started winning. Maybe it was the fury that she started within you when she made you run around the court like a hooligan, maybe it was the way you needed to win so you didn’t have to be yelled at, or maybe it was the pressure put on you before the game from your coach, Mr. Monroe, but nobody knew. Finally, you were the one making Tashi practically run around the court, and she was the one double faulting! You actually felt yourself smile for once. You looked around you, as usual no sign of your parents or Sadie. You’d think, as a younger sister, she’d be willing to come. Maybe because she was hogging all the attention from your mom and dad with her ballet performances. “Ballet is just so competitive dear,” was told to you by your mother with a not so reassuring, cold and stiff hand on your back, occasionally patting it. After finishing that set, you got a 2 minute break, per usual. When taking a break you’d think about before this match, when everyone knew you’d lose. You took out the dry and bland granola bar from your tennis bag. The simple look of it made you disgusted, you got this in all your games. Supposedly, it was vanilla flavoured, though it tasted like nothing. You checked for more snacks in your bag that your coach packed you. One banana. That’s all? You sigh, taking what you can get, and eating the banana instead of the granola bar.
Your coach was a simple man. He had two interests in life, tennis, and being the best. Mr. Monroe had no wife, or children, because of his devotion to tennis. He won the Junior Boy’s US Open at only 17. Later on, he went to win first place in the Australian open, second in the French Open, and third place at Wimbledon. He is an overachiever, and wouldn’t stop pushing himself till he won. Maybe he was just like you? He coached you your whole life, and you practically have a family bond with him, no matter how hard he was on you. Every year, you could see his hair gray, like watching the leaves turn pretty shades of red and orange in autumn. His gray hair matched his stern look. It gave him a look with purpose.
It seems like your coach thought you were going to win this game because of how hard you practiced, but you could tell he was only saying that so you believed you were going to win. He knew you weren’t going to win, because headlines were filled with Tashi. You were one to doubt yourself, and when someone was really good, you found it pointless to play against them, if you were just going to lose. You did your research about Tashi. Tashi Duncan is somehow perfect. In her free time, she volunteers for animal shelters, and raises money for sick kids in high-poverty areas. She’s also beautiful. Her jet black hair, and dreamy eyes made her undeniable. She carries herself with some kind of grace and charm, that you know everyone loves. She is the princess of tennis. There was no changing your mind about the second place, even how much your coach tried to persuade you. Winning against Tashi Duncan was practically impossible. She was just so talented and calculated. Winning even a set against her was impossible. You’d think the audience would cheer louder for you because getting a point when your opponent is Tashi Duncan was hard. Yet, you couldn’t help to notice that the cheers Tashi got were louder than yours. Are their mouths open in shock or do they just hate me? Mr. Monroe always said that no one liked underdogs, only the winner would be seen. Maybe because you were an underdog before? It made no sense.
Finally, the third set. The last one. Maybe you’d win? Since you were actually able to win the second set, it could be possible to win. You’d take a moment to savour the idea of winning. Of holding a trophy, that probably cost a few cents to make, but meant the world to you. Can you believe it? You, the winner of the Girl’s Junior Open Finals. Oh, and applause. Oh, how you longed for applause! The almost rhythmic sound of clapping and cheers was the only thing keeping you in tennis. It wasn’t the immense pressure from your coach, or your family. It wasn’t the new rackets and mystery green juices. It was the applause.
Now it was Tashi’s serve. The way she did her jump-serve looked like she was about to end you. She rose from the ashes. Like a phoenix. She wasn’t going to take the treatment she got from you anymore. She served and the ball hit the ground, bouncing back up. So you played, and received. You kept your eyes on the neon-green ball, not once breaking eye contact. You had to win. If you didn't, that was another 45 minute lecture from Mr. Monroe, and more practice issued by your mother and father. Stay collected, you told yourself as she made you pace around the court, just as she did in the first set. And then it was over. All of it. It happened so quickly? Can you change back time, and maybe try harder? Maybe try to win?
Then, they gave you your second place trophy. Second place. It took all of your strength to not break down crying out of pure embarrassment, or start abusing your racket. You promised your coach, and your parents you were gonna get first, though you were lying. How can Tashi do it? In fact, instead of crying on the court when you were beating her in the second set, like you expected her to, she smiled. A smile wider than when she received the trophy, somehow. How can she be so perfect, talented, and not a sore loser at the same time?! It just didn’t make sense to you.
“The US Girls Junior open champion, Tashi Duncan!” The umpire announced.
The audience ripped out in cheers and applause. Then the Umpire called your name. The word second rings along with it. You put on a fake smile, kiss your stupid glass trophy plate, and give it to your coach. He looked more disgusted than what I felt. He wasn’t even the one losing, and he was disgusted at the sight of second place? You shake hands with Tashi.
Locker Room
“And, you disappointed us all out there. Think of how your parents feel!” Your coach yelled.
“I’m sorry coach. It’s just, she’s really good…”
“You know what? You’re right. She is really good, and right now, you’re not. So work harder, or stop playing at all. Because at this rate, second place isn’t going to land you anywhere!”
“But, I won all my other games this season, and-”
“Well, you had to mess up on the most important one? Great job at that, really! You disappointed everyone, especially your parents-”
“My parents don’t give a fuck about me! They weren’t here for any of my games this season, and barely even call me anymore!”
Monroe’s eyes softened a bit, feeling bad.
“You know your mother is helping with your sister, and your father is on his business trip.”
“Yeah, well my mother is never not gonna help with Sadie, and my father is doing who knows what on those trips. He’s taken four trips in the past 3 months, can’t he spend at least 3 minutes on a call with me?!”
“That’s something for you to discuss with your parents, bunny.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“What, Bunny?”
“Yeah, don’t call me fucking bunny.” You snarled.
He chuckled, giving you a sly grin.
“But everyone calls you bunny.”
“Well, it’s a stupid nickname so don’t call me it.”
“What, you embarrassed of that name or something?”
“Yes, actually. It’s weird when you say ‘bunny, run five laps!’ or something.” You say, a tone of rebellion in your voice.
“Well, I’ll stop calling your bunny then.”
He grins, giving you a playful nudge.
“Okay, good.”
“Bunny~” Monroe said, in a teasing way, smirking at you again.
You roll your eyes, and get up from the wooden bench where your sweat drenched thighs stick to the wood. You grab your tennis bag and flip-phone. You shove your flip-phone into the bottom of your tennis bag, and hope that you can’t hear the ringing of your phone later. It was inevitable that your dad or mom would call you and discipline you. They only ever call you to briefly lecture you on your games, before going back into god-knows-what. Sometimes you think your dad is having an affair with the amount of times he’s gone, but, why should you care? It’s not like he cares about you.
“Wait, bunny, Rudy will get your bags.”
You look over, confused, your tennis bag already slung around your shoulder. Then, you see a boy, who looks a few years older. He had a mole near his smile line, almost touching his lip, just like Marilyn Monroe. He had a familiar feel, like you’ve known him before. Then, it clicked.
#tashi duncan#art donaldson#challengers x reader#tashi duncan x reader#art donalson x reader#challengers#challengers 2024#patrick zweig#patrick zweig x reader#fanfic#tashi#tashi challengers#tashi donaldson
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summary: you end up in one piece ?!?
*im bad at summaries and english isn’t my first language so please excuse any mistakes 🫡*
the story starts during the timeskip and will have spoilers!!!
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“Y/N! do you seriously believe that you will learn anything from just sleeping all day!?” jinbe was rambling on for the past five minutes, all because you didn’t want to get up, but was it really your fault? when yesterday he decided that a 2 hours run around the sea forest followed by a full workout would be a great idea. The whole time he was constantly yelling “ you need to get stronger blah blah blah”. and now he wants to train again?!? are you kidding this is gonna kill me before i even step foot outside of fishman island.
“mmmm let me sleep a little more” you mumbled into your pillow while pulling your blanket over your head.
Jinbei had enough of you ‘slacking off’. He was getting more and more agitated so he decided that the only way to get you out is by force. He immediately grabbed your blanket and opened the curtains to let the light shine in. It was shocking how bright the light was even when you were meters underwater.
“JINBEI!” you gasp immediately getting up. you glare at him. “Is training soo important that it can’t wait for a more reasonable time?!”
“I’ve spoiled you too much if you think this is unreasonable hurry and get ready. I’ll meet you at the seaforest.” calmly he walked out and closed the door. you only stared at the closed door ‘how did this happen’.
——————
TWO YEARS AGO…
“Hachi are you sure they found a human girl in the forest?” Jinbei said looking cautiously at the entrance to the seaforest. It has been awhile since they’ve seen a pirate ship so how could a human end up in fishman island. could she have been abandoned? did her crew all disappear?
“Yes i’m certain, they said she wasn’t awake but they were afraid to go near her.” he said nervous of accompanying Jinbei. it made since why young fish man were afraid of getting too close to humans. being told about the celestial dragons who once visited and tried to kill their queen. who knows what this human girl is capable of.
Jinbei lead the way into the sea forest trying to find where exactly this human was, but he couldn’t find anyone or anything that lead to them. everything was the same until he made it to the poneglyph and saw someone laying right beside it. immediately jinbei rushed to aid in any way and saw that this person was in fact the human girl but she didn’t seem injured anywhere in fact she looked quite healthy no scars no sign of any struggle she looked like she was just taking a nap.
“what should we do?” Hachi stared at the girl not knowing if he should come any closer.
“i have to… study…exam…” the girl said barley above a whisper jinbei immediately looked at her confused. The girl only shifted to the other side trying to find any comfort on the ground.
“i think we should bring her to some aid and see if everything internally is okay. will you help me hachi?” he asked hachi to which hachi nodded carrying her and heading to fishman island while jinbei stayed behind looking at the weird stone.
——————
PRESENT
“Do we seriously have to be here?” you groaned knowing what was come. Your body was still sore after yesterdays workout which you didn’t do often to such extreme so you knew something was wrong.
“You must be strong to find answers.” he said gently staring off into the sea forest
“i think im strong after two years of training im sure i can be of help to you.” you smiled starting to flex your nonexistent muscle to prove a point which only caused Jinbei to laugh.
“Exercising helps with improving mood you know. not just in the physical .” he said
you only stared. you knew why he said that after two years of being here you started to lose faith that you’ll return home.He was probably worried about the drinking. coming back to the house drunk and sobbing into your pillow every now and then which just so happen last night. Who could blame you? You’ve been stuck here for two years with no clue, no way out, no way back to your life. You’re thankful for jinbei who helped you, took care of you, and believed you. He always tried to search for answers when he was filling out his jobs for big mom but who listens to a fishman asking about another world, and another universe? and after studying all night for your exam you’re sure you missed it…
“Are you listening?”
“hmm, oh yeah! right! anyways so it’s been two years jinbei are we sure i didn’t somehow mess up the timeline and now the strawhats aren’t coming to fish man island?” you asked. you’ve always been scared you’ll somehow mess up the pace of the story.
“im sure they’re on their way (Y/N). don’t worry i do need to tell you that when you leave with them i will not being going with you i have business with big mom. This is why i need you to be strong i wont be there to help you. ” he said seriously
“that’s fine jinbei… wait… LEAVING WITH THEM?!? Jinbei you never said i was joining them and what exactly makes you think they’ll offer up a spot on their crew?!? Jinbei do you really think they’ll listen to my insane story!” My story might seem insane but this is crazy because how on earth can i even be allowed on the boat and even if i am ill be killed, so many devil fruits so many haki so many everything im not a main character im not even A character im a random college student who somehow ended up in this world. now i realize this is why he’s so adamant on training because HE WANTS ME TO JOIN THE STRAWHATS!!!
AUTHOR NOTES:
HII this is is my first time writing a fanfic i hope you enjoyed :) i thought it would be a fun idea
#one piece#x reader#y/n#isekai#bad at tags#monkey d. luffy#roronoa zoro#nico robin#cat burglar nami#nami#black leg sanji#vinsmoke sanji#sanji#tony tony chopper#one piece chopper#franky#one piece franky#one piece brook#first son of the sea jinbe#jinbei#usopp#god usopp#one piece usopp#revolutionary sabo
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I've been compiling a list of weird or embarrassing warning signs of ME/CFS or Long Covid. Perhaps you have noticed these in yourself, but they've seemed too minor, confusing or embarrassing to ask about or look up. In any case, I've gathered these from online posts, so you'll never know which, if any, have happened to me, which I think is a very clever move on my part. Okay I did start complaining near the end, but I added some helpful solutions you may purchase, which I had to figure out on my own.
Actually I'm gonna lead with the absolute weirdest one, because it's a sign of the initial acute Covid infection that can be hard to detect now. I've only seen a post about this once, but a bunch of people agreed with it and said it happened to them:
If the skin on the soles of your feet is suddenly super thick and dry, that is associated with the initial 'Vid infection. I don't know how long this is supposed to last, but it was vouched for by several accounts I felt were trustworthy. I had to look up "Covid feet soles" on Twitter to check for this, forgetting that Twitter search now just randomly shows you posts with only one word that you entered, and I didn't find the post I remembered but I am not going back in there.
Extremely ridged and brittle fingernails (apparently this is showing up a lot on beauty subreddits and such)
Shrinking or vanished half-moons on the fingernails (I don't know if the level of shrinking is random, or related to severity/length of time)
Thinning hair/balding: seems to follow the usual pattern of your dominant hormone, so estrogen-heavy people get thinning hair, particularly along the center of the scalp, and testosterone-heavy people get receding hairlines and bald spots. There's no single pattern that everyone with ME gets. (Although ME is much more common in AFAB people.)
Incontinence that's not associated with age or childbirth, etc. In this case it's due to nerve damage, not weakening muscles.
Pins and needles, or sharp shooting pains in your fingers and toes: this is called neuropathy and it's also a sign of nerve damage. (I got a ton of this and thought I might be pre-diabetic, because that's all that came up when I searched! I asked doctors about this and they just went "oh 😐 " so I exercised a bunch and probably made myself much sicker XD. Anyway magnesium supplements helped a lot with this! You need a magnesium complex that includes magnesium glycinate, because other types are really hard for the body to absorb.)
Sudden acid reflux and heavy gas, loss of tolerance for foods you could once eat: this is associated with aging, but if it's really really bad? Like remember a year or so ago,when suddenly everyone was posting about how their tummy hurt and they were being really brave about it, and it kind of came out of nowhere and had never been a meme before? Almost like it was sort of new for this to be so very widespread? Yeah, Covid can fuck your system up real bad, and this is a common comorbidity of ME called gastroparesis. Basically your stomach muscles are as weak and slow as your other muscles, so your food sits in there for way too long. It often comes with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, which is bad news and means a ton of new sensitivities, to food and other things. MCAS goes along with a lot of other unexplained body syndromes that doctors don't really "get" or care about.
Being super itchy in one spot for no reason: this is a histamine dump. MCAS again. I'll admit to this one too. A couple of years ago, my lower legs started getting super itchy after showers, and I would pour on the lotion, over and over, and it would do nothing. "What the heck has happened to my skin?" I would wonder. It was histamines, roaming wildly through my body from the hot water and standing up for too long!! The standard ME advice for histamine stuff is:
10mg Loratidine 2x daily (I've just discovered that this can fuck up your stomach and a bunch of other stuff though; see this Twitter thread for alternate antihistamines)
20mg Famotidine 2x
Quercetin daily (I'm doing 1000mg a day)
Some kind of Cromolyn thing. I take a NasalCrom spray a couple times a day, because my sinuses swell up when I lie down (?), which I have to do all the time now. Lol.
Anyway, your sinuses can swell up when you lie down, did you know that? At first it would just happen sometimes, and I would be like why am I suffocating? That's so crazy haha. So I got these things called nasal cones that keep your nasal passages open, and they're just a little bit too big so they slide out all the time, and it's really annoying but other than that they worked. (My brand is Max-Air, the Sinus Relief line.) Then I got reinfected this year, and now my sinuses swell up constantly when I'm lying down. Hence the Cromolyn spray so I can breathe :)
The soft tissues in your face are collapsing: I think this is also an issue for me because it's not like the cones are reaching right up into my sinuses and un-swelling them, right? Anyway other people have reported some really serious issues with eyelids and noses, etc.
Your mouth and nose no longer produce moisture: okay so I got this too, and as a result I must use Ayr brand saline nasal gel multiple times a day, or else it feels like I'm suffocating. I'm pretty sure this Sjogren's Syndrome, another common comorbidity. For me it was one of the first signs something was wrong, circa 2020. Again, I thought pre-diabetes and asked multiple doctors for input and they went "iunno 😐". For the mouth, Xylimelts are your only real choice; don't bother with anything else when it gets to this level. You keep a Xylimelt in your mouth, 24/7, stuck to your teeth, or else you experience the intense, maddening distress of a totally dry mouth. If either of those solutions wears off during the night: don't worry! You'll wake up!!! Don't worry about choking on the Xylimelt, though, it's very safe.
Skin stuff: Dark, flaky patches of skin on the torso, long dark lines around the neck, pruny fingers, skin randomly splitting like paper cuts, chilblains, nails peeling off, other weird stuff.
Swollen genitals: settle down.
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Depending on available funds, Ryker may do his first obedience trial in May. I've decided to wait for Rally since he really seems to struggle with the rapid pace and multiple back to back cues. He seems to enjoy just being given one task and then released to praise/play. So while obedience is more serious and longer time in the ring he does really seem to have more confidence with it. I'm probably just going to go straight to novice since I feel like he can handle that. If he couldn't handle novice I probably wouldn't be entering him anyways. But we will see how he does over the next month and I'll decide between BN and CD first for him.
Here is how he is doing for all the novice exercises for my notes:
Heeling on/off Leash: 8/10
We just started adding in Judge pressure to heeling and he is handling it pretty well. He finds it a little distracting if they are shuffling their feet. Otherwise he stays focused! He needs a bit of work on his slow (wants to sit) and on his halts when I do sloppy footwork. There is always a chance I mess up my footwork so I want him to feel confident in still sitting at my side while I try and work on my footwork. His turns are fantastic, so is his normal heeling and fast. I want to do some more proofing but otherwise he is coming along great. Just gotta work on the slow.
Figure 8: 9.5/10
He has been fantastic, always gets his halts and does great both with his left and right turn. If anything we just need to keep up our practice and add in a bit more proofing with distractions.
Stand for Exam: 6/10
He did his first SFE without breaking it down for the first rep yesterday. Just had him stand and had a friend approach and touch. He had a little tail wag but was calm and returned his attention back to me. He did great! He sometimes anticipates the approach and has a hard time getting his stand from the sit, so we are going to be working a lot on that and I want it more consistent before I decide to trial in novice. Then the next day he broke it for someone else on the first attempt but had success for the following 3 attempts after that.
Recall: 10/10
He has a great stay, comes in nice and straight and does a nice finish with his right finish right now. (Left needs work).
Sit Stay Get your Leash: 10/10
He doesn't move, so while we will keep proofing he does great.
Group Stays : 8/10
Just need more practice around other dogs and making sure he knows he can't sink from the sit into a down. Sometimes the pressure of other dogs he wants to offer a down. Yet overall I'm not too worried about this and I have the friends to practice with.
Stashed reinforcement is also coming along well. He is leaving the reinforcement without glancing at it or trying to get it before cued. He is able to do about half a heeling routine with enthusiasm and two exercises (heeling is only 1/2) before being sent to food or toy.
Ring Preparedness : 7/10
Ryker is really picking up on our ring entrance routine, and is entering the ring with a happy tail and lining up great. He just needs more practice and repetitions.
Exercise transitions are in progress but also need more miles. He will easily follow me and play after an exercise (exploding tree, spins and hand touches) Yet he shows some minimal signs of stress when trying to line up again after (disengaging and sniffing). So this will be big to work on multiple exercises with just play and praise as the reward until we can get our stashed reinforcement.
If we can work on what needs to be worked on over the next 8 weeks I think he can be ready for Novice! I think he could qualify right now but I want him to be confident and to really be prepared and not plan to just scrape by.
#dogblr#dog#dog training#competition obedience#ryker#Ryker's training log#there is a trial in two weeks and one in 8 weeks#debating if i should try for the april or may trial#may seems safer but there is a chance i cant go to that one#oh well#we will see
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hello hello
what do u think about recovery..im thinking about it...or atleast i did untill my brother triggered me AGAIN so im not sure yet
how are u what are u up to?
finn xoxo
hello hello to you too :D
I'm just doing my best, like always. I've been a little more successful in my creative endeavors lately, which feels awesome (writers block sucks) especially since my brain has mostly just been depressed and anxious and stuff lately :/
Recovery is a very personal decision, and I'm probably not the best person to ask about it, but I appreciate your trust in me. I've put some thought into this, I hope something I've said can help you organize your thoughts. 🧡🧡🧡🧡
If you aren't genuinely ready for it and wanting to stick with it in the long run, it will probably hit you like a truck when you change your mind. That's where the biggest issue comes from. You could consider dipping your toe in the water with a personal plan for partial recovery, some simpler steps rather than trying to quit cold turkey. I'm afraid if you're thinking of just throwing out the scales, stop counting cals, and switching to full-fat condiments in one day... Do I even need to tell you that's signing up for trouble? If you attempt to "recover" while the ed is stilI strong as ever, it's going to give you hell. If you struggle at all with binging, quitting cal counting can worsen that (in my experience, that is - for some people there's a chance it would actually help, but I can't really wrap my head around that). You quite possibly don't know how to "eat normally" anymore, and if you try to without preparing yourself, you might end up feeling horribly guilty and end up hurting yourself more trying to undo the "damage". If you're feeling truly ready and want to reach for real recovery, it's important to start with the hardest and most crucial part there is: Telling people. Tell your family, get a therapist you like and trust in on it with you, and don't hold back on the details of what you've been going through. I can't even imagine recovering all alone, and that's not necessarily because you need support (although you should have it!) but because if you're not able to open up about your ed, it probably means you aren't ready to give it up.
Some starting points you could try to make your ed less destructive (or test how you're feeling in private first):
Continue controlling your food like normal, but aim to maintain your weight or lose much more slowly (depending on your stats, this would most likely mean eating 1,300-1,900 a day).
If you tend to exercise a lot, try doing a little less of that. Don't work yourself into the ground every time you work out, don't work out every day, etc. Especially if you're underweight, harsh exercise can be very dangerous.
If you pvrge, put your best effort into quitting that. It's one of the most destructive aspects of an ed, and if you can stop that, you're already well on your way to minimizing so much of the damage.
If you want to remain on Tumblr, and let's face it, leaving Tumblr wouldn't be easy, try making another blog and interacting with other communities. Is there a fandom you can be as passionate about as you are with you ed? Try checking out the recovery communities! (Please don't interact with recovery spaces from an active ed blog - you might expose someone vulnerable to edblr content and inadvertantly harm them.)
Talk about your ed with one or two people you trust, and make sure they understand that you want to recover but aren't sure you're ready just yet. Avoid anyone who has the influence to force you into a treatment center or is likely to "out" you without consent.
I hope this helps, and appreciate you reaching out - Getting your thoughts out is a perfect first step, and I hope nothing I've said discourages you. Living with an ed means you've got real strength inside of you, never weakness, and you can put that strength towards some really great things in life, but it's so important to be ready and understand what you're trying to do and why. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. 🍀
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The Art of Redemption
(part 15)
previous // next // story index
—————
A lot can change in a week.
Beth-Anne is astounded at how much progress Nikolai has made in just seven days. Considering how goal-driven he is, she probably shouldn't be astonished, but his quick transformation is more than she could've reasonably expected. His physical recovery is on track, he's gotten back his energy and focus, and he seems far less anxious. It’s a relief to her, seeing him returning to his old self.
At his checkup on Wednesday, the doctor and the sports therapist both cleared him to walk without crutches, and the sports therapist fitted him with a compression knee sleeve that he's supposed to wear when he's active. He's allowed to walk on the treadmill for up to thirty minutes a day, broken into ten-minute sessions, and he's supposed to keep up with his physiotherapy exercises. No leg weights and no stationary bicycle, the therapist said, which he frowned at but ultimately agreed to.
The thing Nikolai appeared to be most pleased about was the fact that he no longer requires weekly checkups. The sports therapist said he'd have him come back in two weeks' time to check his progress and possibly increase his exercise level.
"You'll have to come back by yourself," Beth-Anne told him. "Or get your grandfather to bring you if you don't have your car back by then, because I'll be in South Korea with Brett."
"Junior Worlds. Right. I'm sure Grandpa can bring me." He turned his attention back to the therapist. "So, in two weeks I should be able to start running again?"
The therapist bestowed him with an amused smile. "Athletes are all the same. You're all in a rush to be rid of your restrictions. But yes, if you do everything you're supposed to, in two weeks you should be able to do some light running on the treadmill. Perhaps you can do outdoor running and use your leg weights and ride your bike a couple of weeks after that."
Nikolai's next question came as no surprise to Beth-Anne. "When can I skate?"
"Let's give that some time."
"Yes, but how much time?"
"I think he's looking for a realistic timeline," Beth-Anne intervened.
"Another six to eight weeks at the very least before I'd be comfortable clearing you for that," the therapist said. "It may be longer, depending on your progress. Ideally, I'd like to see that knee fully stable and I'd like to see you regain some muscle before you get on the ice again."
Nikolai counted on his fingers. "Eight weeks would be... mid-May?"
"About then, I think," the therapist said.
"Okay. I can live with that. I'll be busy doing my coaching certification course between now and then anyway."
That was another thing. Even before his appointment with the doctor and therapist, he'd gone ahead and signed himself up for both the basic and advanced coach training courses.
He's going to need the basic certification just to be permitted to work with kids without supervision from another professionally certified coach, and the advanced level is necessary for him to work one-on-one with students who are training to compete in officially-recognized national and international events. The basic course is just four days long and the next available one is at the end of March. The next advanced level course is taking place over the last two weeks of April and the first week of May.
The timing couldn't possibly be more fortuitous, Beth-Anne thinks. He should be able to return to the ice around the same time he receives his full certification. Most group skating programs pause for the summer, so that will free up some of her time to work with him, to help him rebuild his confidence on the ice if he needs that, and to teach him everything she knows about teaching others. With any luck, by the time group classes resume at the beginning of September, he'll be ready for a small group of his own.
As soon as they got home from the sports medicine clinic, Nikolai went straight to his room. He came back to the kitchen only a couple minutes later with his skate bag, sat himself down on a kitchen chair and promptly pulled off his socks.
"What are you doing?" Beth-Anne inquired.
He glanced up at her, his expression plainly broadcasting that it should be obvious and she she shouldn't need to ask. Still, he replied, "Putting my skates on."
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I miss them," he said.
"Okay, but don't you dare stand up in them. Just because you're not on the ice, that doesn't mean it doesn't count."
"I won't, I promise. I just want them on. I miss how they feel on my feet."
Fair enough, she thought. She watched him slip his feet into the boots and meticulously lace them up. He sat there with his skates on for the next half-hour, while she made sandwiches and they ate lunch together. After lunch, he took them off again and put them away, and she didn't make any further comment about it. The way she saw it, if it made him happy and it hadn't done him any harm, who was she to question it?
Slightly amused at the memory, she wonders how many more times she'll catch him with his skates on between now and the middle of May. She doubts it was a one-off, and she has no trouble conjuring up a mental image of him contentedly wearing his skates while he reads, or eats, or writes something for the new online blog he's created to chronicle his coaching journey.
She smiles. She's watched him grow from an impulsive and sometimes silly teenager into a mature and responsible adult, but it's gratifying to know that he hasn't completely lost his adolescent whimsy. In some ways, he's still very much a kid, and she thinks those qualities of playfulness, imagination, resilience and courage will serve him well, not just as a coach and teacher but in his personal life too. He may be going through an exceptionally difficult time at the moment, but she can see the light at the end of this dark tunnel and she's sure he can as well.
He's going to be all right, she tells herself. It's still going to take time, but he sees the way forward now, and I don't believe anything's going to stop him.
She doesn't have enough words to describe how much she admires him for that.
This morning, she'd awakened with a sense of lightness she hasn't felt in a while. Her concerns are all still there, of course, but she has the feeling this is going to be a great day despite all the problems and worries crowded at the back of her mind.
That stuff can wait.
Now that Nikolai is off his crutches, she decides today is the perfect day to get him off the bench and let him come down onto the ice with her. She can introduce him to all the kids and let him interact with them. He knows Stan's grandson Marek, and she's certain he's already bonded with little Eden, but he still hasn't met the girls, Everleigh, Madison and Sienna. There's also her Saturday preschool group for him to meet, and her two Novice division students, Katie and Ruby. She hopes all the kids like him as much as Eden seems to, both for his comfort and theirs.
She climbs out of bed and does her best to hurry through her morning routine. Regardless of her efforts, however, when she makes her way downstairs, she discovers that Nikolai has gotten out of bed ahead of her. He's already showered, dressed and in the middle of making breakfast. The scent of coffee wafts across her nostrils.
"Morning, coach," he greets her. "Your makeup looks good."
"Thanks." She gestures toward the stove. "I see my cooking lessons are already paying off."
He grins. "Well, I'm not ready to host my own cooking show or anything yet, but I think I'm doing all right."
She's treated to her favourite ham and cheese omelette, fried potatoes, and cut-up red grapefruit drizzled with honey. It may not be gourmet, but it is delicious and she enjoys every bite. It's especially pleasant to sit down to a meal she didn't have to prepare for herself.
"I could get used to this," she says, as she savours the final bite of grapefruit. "You making us breakfast, I mean."
"We can make it a regular thing," he says. “Turns out I like cooking. It’s not as daunting as I thought, so I’m sure I could be in charge of making breakfast for us.”
"Oh? So I take it you've changed your mind about going home?"
He swallows the last of his coffee and sets the mug down carefully. "I've been thinking about it. I was kind of worried that me being here was too much for you, but if you're okay with me staying, maybe I will stay."
"You're not too much. I like having you here. It's nice to have company, but like I told you before, the choice is entirely up to you."
"I'll stay for a little longer, then," he says. "Anya's staying with her grandparents for some reason. I don't know if she's planning to go home soon, but if she is, I... kinda don't want to be there."
"Understandable, but you know you'll need to deal with that situation at some point."
"I know." He rotates the empty coffee mug between his hands. "I think I'm just scared."
"Of Anya?"
He nods. "Is that stupid?"
"No, I don't think so," Beth-Anne says. "I can see how she'd be scary."
"I want a divorce, but I don't want to fight about it. All I want is the house and my cat. She can have anything else she wants. Money, furniture, the car... whatever. I just want us to live separate lives from now on."
"If you want my opinion, you'd be better off living separate lives."
"It's obvious we can't have a life together any more," he says. "The problem is, I don't want to talk to her about it because I'm scared she'll cause a scene."
"In that case, maybe you shouldn't talk about it with her. Maybe you should hire a lawyer and get them to do the talking for you."
"Maybe." He runs his thumb along the rim of his mug and doesn't meet Beth-Anne's eyes. "I just don't want any drama. You know I hate that. If I got a lawyer, I'm worried the whole thing would drag on for ages, and Anya would tell everybody about everything, every chance she got. I'd rather just agree that it's over, do the court paperwork ourselves and get it out of the way as quickly as we can."
"If that's what you want, then you'll have to swallow your fear and tell her," Beth-Anne says. "I know it's hard, but you have to believe in getting what you want. That's..."
"...that's part of how you succeed," he finishes the sentence with her. All of a sudden, he's smiling again. "You know, I told Eden that."
Perplexed, she says. "About... divorce?"
"No, about winning skating competitions. Remember, you said that to me for the first time way back when I was seventeen? When I was having that big existential crisis because you were my third coach in my first three years at Senior level.”
"You thought the problem was you."
"Well, it sort of was, according to Uncle Stan."
"But it was because you were too good, not because you weren't good enough," she reminds him.
“I know that now, but it was a struggle to get my head around it at the time. The whole thing was pretty stressful.”
"I know, but you handled it like a champion, and it didn’t take you long to settle in with me.”
“Because you promised you’d stick with me no matter what, and I trusted you. I felt safe with you. That gave me a lot of confidence, and it let me relax and enjoy myself a lot more."
“I remember. One of the first things I asked you was what you wanted, and the first thing you told me wasn't that you wanted to win. You said you wanted to be happy and have fun."
"Yeah, but I still wanted to win. I wanted it really bad, and I was frustrated because I wasn't doing as well as I thought I should with Uncle Stan or my other coach before him."
"I could tell you wanted to win," she says. "I can tell you still do."
"I do," he concedes. "Winning might look different now, but I still want to. I think if I can help somebody else the way you helped me, that'll feel like winning to me just as much as it does to them."
"I think it will too," Beth-Anne says. "It did for me when I watched you win, and it's the same with Brett and Mariah and the others."
"And they'll be more likely to win if they're happy and having fun, right?"
"Right."
"But, even if they don't win, the important thing is that they're still doing what they enjoy."
Beth-Anne nods. "You're going to be an excellent coach."
"I hope so," he says. "I want to make you proud."
"I'm already proud of you," she tells him. "You're the best son I never had."
He smiles. "The son you always wanted?"
"Not always, but definitely from the moment I realized my life would be a lot emptier without you in it," she says. "And I'm glad you're staying."
"Until I finish my coaching courses at least, if that's all right."
"Absolutely. Consider this your home for as long as you like."
"Thanks," he says.
They finish their breakfast and do the washing up as quickly as they can, and manage to get out the door right on schedule. Even with a stop at Tim Horton's for more coffee, they make it to the arena at 7:45 on the dot.
It's still not early enough to get there before her first students arrive, though.
She's torn between laughter and exasperation when she spots Eden Seong and Marek Zelenka peeking around the edge of the propped-open door from the corridor that leads to one of the practice rinks. When Marek sees her, he gives her a brief wave. Then, he leans down to say something quietly to Eden, which Beth-Anne can’t hear. The kids grin at each other.
The next thing Beth-Anne knows, the two little boys charge through the doorway and race across the foyer, straight toward her and Nikolai. They’re both shouting Nikolai's name at the top of their voices.
Nikolai reaches out to catch Marek, but both boys seem to misinterpret the movement as an invitation for a group hug. Somehow, Nikolai ends up sitting on the floor with Marek and Eden half on top of him and looking like they're competing to see who's more capable of squishing him. All three of them are laughing.
"Nikolai, it worked!" Eden practically yells.
"Yeah!" Marek chimes in. "I don't know what you said, but it totally worked!"
Beth-Anne isn't entirely sure what Eden and Marek are talking about, but she doesn't get a chance to ask before someone else appears in the doorway. It's Stan. He has a small skate bag in each hand, and several wisps of silver hair escaping from his stubby ponytail. If she didn't know better, she'd say he slept in the sweatpants and long sleeved t-shirt he's wearing.
Stan jogs over to them. "I see the chaos has manifested," he says, nodding at Nikolai, Marek and Eden. "I believe these are yours now."
"Thanks. I'm so excited," Beth-Anne says, deadpan, but she's fighting like hell to hold her laughter in and keep her face neutral. Stan looks as if he can't wait to make Marek and Eden someone else's responsibility, and she's dying to know the story behind why he has both of them, and why they're here so early.
Stan holds out the skate carriers. "Boys. Your responsibilities..."
Marek and Eden scramble to their feet. Eden takes the purple skate bag from Stan's left hand and Marek claims the blue and white one from his right.
Eden cradles his skates against his chest with both arms as if he's holding something incredibly precious. He beams at Nikolai. "You fixed everything."
"I'm glad it worked out," Nikolai says, as Stan steps forward to give him a hand up. "But I'm sure it wasn't all me. I'd say Beth-Anne had something to do with it, and I think you must've been fairly persuasive on your own."
It clicks for Beth-Anne at that moment. Nikolai must've talked to Eden's parents about his future as a skater. She hadn't realized he'd talked to them, and she guesses he must've done it the previous Saturday when they came to pick Eden up after class. She'd noticed them arriving and she'd been peripherally aware of Eden leading Nikolai out of the rink area to meet them, but she hadn't interacted with them herself as she'd been occupied with setting things up for her preschool group.
It hadn't been until later in the week, after what she thought would be Eden's next-to-last individual lesson, that she'd gotten the opportunity to bring up Eden's athletic career with them again. They seemed to have softened their position, but they still hadn't completely made up their minds at that point. Evidently, they'd given it significant consideration since then.
"No, it was definitely you, Nikolai," Eden insists. "Mommy said she was sorry because she didn't think about it from my point of view. She said she and Dad were too worried about something bad happening to me on the ice to see that something even worse would happen if they made me quit. And I think part of it was 'cause they really listened when you told them how sad and depressed you were when you thought you wouldn't be able to skate any more."
Beth-Anne turns toward Nikolai. "You told Mr. and Mrs. Seong that?"
"Yeah," Nikolai admits. "I don't know if that was overstepping, but I felt like I had to try to convince them. I didn't really know how to approach it, so I just... went with honesty."
"You probably should've mentioned it to me," Beth-Anne says.
"Sorry. It actually didn't occur to me."
"It's okay," she says. "Just let me know next time if you feel the need to speak to one of my students' family members."
"I will," he says. "But, it really didn't cross my mind to say anything about last Saturday. I assumed you would've seen me talking to Eden's parents. We were in the hallway, right outside the windows."
"Never assume anything," she says, and to Eden she asks, "Should I expect to have another chat with your mom and dad today?"
"Yeah!" Eden says enthusiastically. "Mommy told me yesterday after school that I can keep skating, and she said she'd discuss everything with you today."
"Then he called me, 'cause he was so excited," Marek adds. "And I was excited too, so I invited him for a sleepover, so we could celebrate."
"You invited both of you for a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house," Stan interjects. "Don't forget that important detail, Marek."
"I see," Beth-Anne says. "That explains why you look like you can't wait to pass them off to me."
"We had to go to Grandpa's house," Marek explains. "My parents aren't really into skating, but Grandpa gets it."
"The only thing Grandpa wants to get right now is a couple more hours' sleep," Stan says.
"Don't you have a group class this morning, Stan?" Beth-Anne asks.
"Hmm... at nine, but that gives me an hour or so to nap in the car. I might've been able to keep up with these two living hurricanes when I was your age, but us old people need proper rest, you know."
"Old people," Beth-Anne scoffs. "You can still run circles around most of us. But, go on. Nikolai and I can take these two from here."
Each of the boys grabs one of Nikolai's hands, and they start to pull him in the direction of the other practice rink. Marek glances back at his grandfather. "Yeah, don't worry Grandpa. We'll take it from here."
"Hmph. 'Don't worry, Grandpa' is a phrase that should be banned," Stan grumbles.
"Everything'll be fine, Uncle Stan," says Nikolai. "I've got them."
"Another phrase that should be illegal; 'Everything'll be fine, Uncle Stan'."
Marek's only response is a mischievous giggle, and Nikolai makes an inelegant snorting noise in his effort not to laugh.
Beth-Anne stands back and watches for a few seconds as Nikolai and the boys make their way across the foyer. He's definitely won their hearts, and it's already clear that little Eden has won his. She doesn't want to get ahead of herself, but she's thrilled at the news that Eden will be allowed to keep skating, and she envisions an amazing future for him in the sport.
For him and Nikolai. If ever two people were meant to be together as coach and student...
No. Don't let your imagination run away with you. One day at a time, and one step at a time, don't forget.
But, she can't completely suppress her elation. She'd woken up with the feeling that today would be great, and so far it's turning out exactly that way. She's glad of it. After making it through the turmoil of the last several weeks, she and Nikolai deserve to have a good day.
Stan steps up beside her and drapes an arm around her shoulders. "Well, he's a natural, isn't he? Your Nikolai, I mean. He's a hit with the kids."
"It would seem so," she agrees, smiling.
"I told you it'd all work out, didn't I?" He gives her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
#writing#the art of redemption#theartofredemption#beth-anne jones#nikolai pavlenko#eden seong#stan kovac#stargazersims
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I know your degree isn’t all maths, but do you have any tips/tools for studying maths at uni?
Hello, sorry this is a few days late, I wanted to give you a proper answer /lh
These are in no particular order of importance:
If you are having trouble with a particular concept or area, talk to someone. A fellow student, the lecturer, your academic advisor, your tutor (if you uni has stuff like tutorials), are even someone from mathblr. In one-to-one conversations, it's often easier to to ask specific questions and for the person helping you to try to frame things in a way you understand
The flip side of this is try helping other people that are stuck. Explaining things to other people helps make sure you understand them. There have been occasions where a certain proof or concept has clicked for a second time when I've explained it to someone else
Practice problems and exercises are invaluable. Not only are they great for building understanding and strengthening memory (as well as developing general mathematical rigour), they're also a pretty effecient way of identifying things you don't understand as well for you to work on. I think I've talked about this before but my revision strategy is to do problems to identify what I'm weak on, and then go over the notes of the weak points and do problems on that specific area until I'm comfortable answering questions in that area again, then repeat.
Remember to take breaks! When you're trying to tackle a particularly hard problem and you're getting nowhere, take a break and focus on something else (probably not other problems). Sometimes inspiration will hit whilst you're not actively thinking about the problem (this has happened to me many times, especially whilst I'm showering haha). Or when you then go to return to the problem, you'll get back into it and realise that the answer was actually no that hard after all, you were just fatigued by spending so long on it. Obviously this won't always be the case, there will be problems that you will need to ask for help on and that's okay too. Learning is about admitting you don't know things
Remember to have fun. University can get really intense and draining and it is good to find some balance outside of that. You might not always find that balance during term time (I'm still working on it myself but my terms are short(ish) but very dense with no reading week so it's quite intense) but even little things like setting aside an hour or two just to listen to music or play a video game can help.
Sort of related to the last point but also read about maths outside of the modules you are taking, especially if they are starting to feel like a slog. Try to find things that remind yourself why you enjoy maths and why you wanted to study it. Sometimes that won't work and it might be a sign you aren't enjoying your degree as much as you thought you would (this happened to me with physics and is part of the reason I switched to doing more maths). Something that I like to do is look at module options for later years in my degree and see what things look exciting.
Get used to self-study because it's a really helpful skill. If you're lecturer didn't explain something well or you missed a lecture because of illness or whatever, you're gonna have to catch up and the lecture notes/textbook are the first port of call (as well as a friend who did attend the lecture, but they might be busy). But developing the skill before you have to do revision for exams is quite handy and independent learning skills come in very useful when you go on later to do research projects. This also includes being able to find other resources that help you understand things, like other textbooks or YouTube videos and finding out what works before for you.
A small sidenote for studying in the UK, especially if you're starting in September/October is to expect lecturer strikes. As it currently stands, it doesn't look like universities are budging so be prepared for disruption. I can't really speak for how this affects specific universities other than my own so I don't want to make general claims.
All that said, these are what I've personally found useful so some people might disagree with me or have other things they'd also suggest (if that's the case please add onto this post).
If you're starting after summer then I sincerely hope your A Level results are what you hope for and that you get into your first choice!
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A Gift of Spring!
It's rabe season again! 💖✨
🥬
Around the beginning of last year, my heart stopped beating correctly. I've experienced this all my life, but only for split-seconds at a time, maybe two or three seconds max, and I'd always been able to stop it with auto-compression using muscles throughout my torso. But last year it started one day and wouldn't stop.
The effects were somewhat debilitating: pain and fatigue. After a few days I went to the hospital, and they told me absolutely nothing was wrong—the same gaslighting I always get when I've reported heart issues in the past. According to medical science, I have the healthiest heart in the world!
It must be true, too, because I was so mad at them that I decided to walk all the way home from the hospital and either drop dead from the exertion or not drop dead and have strong evidence that my new heart condition wasn't imminently lethal. Unfortunately, I survived.
For about two months the weird heartbeat carried on. It was annoying, painful, tiring, disruptive, and anxiety-inducing. But what was I going to do?
I tried a variety of different mineral and vitamin supplements, dietary changes, exercise...all the usual stuff. Nothing made any difference.
Then, two months later, around April I think it was, I was at the farmers' market one Saturday and I saw something called "rabe" for sale. I'd never heard of it before and didn't even know how to pronounce it. I would have paid it no heed, except underneath the name was another sign saying "A Gift of Spring!" That instantly made it Cute, and you know what a sucker I am for Cutes. :333
So I asked them about it, including how to pronounce it (it's "rob," as in "rob the bank"), and got the primer on why there were different varieties of it. Rabe is just an early, young-growth, small, tender version of various green leafy vegetables. I got some kale rabe and some broccoli rabe, and took them home and got to munching.
That same fucking day, the weird heartbeat started easing up. I didn't put two and two together until the next day, when it stopped completely. Just a few leaves of rabe—specifically the kale rabe—did what medical science had utterly failed to do, and made me feel better!
Extraordinary!
I was greatly pleased but also annoyedly amused, because green leafies had been an obvious area for me to experiment with when the weird heartbeat started and I was trying to see if it was a nutrient deficiency. I had tried quite a bit of vegetables, leafy and cruciferous and more, all to no effect whatsoever.
But the rabe cleared it right up.
I kept going back to the farmers' market for more rabe, but it really is a "gift of spring," so the season for it is very short. I ate as much as I could—tricky, because this stuff runs afoul of my many food intolerances and means I have to take Beano pills when I eat it if I don't want to end up desperately running to the bathroom.
Then, after the rabe ran out, I started regularly including ordinary kale in my diet. Kale had never really been on my radar before, but it was the one vegetable keeping me alive, so we were friends now! Apparently, there are numerous varieties of it, and I'm still not entirely sure which is superior for my needs, though I tend to go for the lacinato if I have a choice, since it looks the most similar to the rabe I had seen. Probably not the same stuff, though.
It really is the kale, too, by the way: If I go more than a few weeks without kale, I'll start getting more of the weird heartbeats. I am not cured of my underlying condition; just sustainably treated for the time being. But thankfully I've never regressed back to that state of constant wrong heartbeats for days on end. That was awful.
To this day I still don't know what it is in kale that my body needs. I can't find any nutrients listed in it that aren't also present in other vegetables that I had tried to no avail when I was experimenting. It occurred to me that the farmers' market rabe is probably more nutritious ounce-for-ounce than supermarket kale, but the supermarket kale was getting the job done too, so it's definitely a "specific to kale" thing more so than a "specific to small farms with more nutrients in their food" thing, though the latter probably has a boosting effect on the former.
Last weekend, the first rabe of the year was on sale at the farmers' market. I bought four!! It's delicious. And I commend it to you. You must try rabe!
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So I did write today. And you could get context but that would require effort on my part.
So lets just say the Isle kids decided to recreate Chaos Games in Auradon and roped good few hero kids to join. (Part one’s out there somewhere and yes I plan on finishing this damn thing.)
Audrey has yet to set out, but she has much shorter walk, nevermind the advantage of home territory.
Though she also has two very impatient Li siblings with a phone on the speaker, yelling into it in Chinese and communicating last-minute details with their parents – they agreed to lend them an unit of the Great Chinese Army, for a practical exercise.
Yes, that’s how they’re calling it.
Anything but „Crazy Death-Magic Game,“ which was Audrey’s preferred title. Or „Chaos Games,“ as they’ve apparently been dubbed by the Isle kids a long time ago.
She supposes she should call Arabella, see if the Atlantica princess is still on, too; she takes out her phone.
„What, princess, getting cold feet?“ asks Anthony Tremaine lazily from where he’s sprawled on the sofa, Ginny Gothel more or less laying in his lap. „You really should.“
„Don’t talk nonsense,“ she scoffs at him, „And if you’re only here to kick my morale under, doors are over there.“ She flicks her hand in the correct direction, ready to finally call Arabella.
„Why, sweetheart, me? Undermining your morale? I’d never!“
Ginny laughs, which has absolutely nothing to do with his statement, Audrey is sure. She glares at both of them, to absolutely no effect. One of the more unfortunate side effects of Isle upbringing, or maybe just coexisting with their unspoken girlfriend.
„You absolutely would, Tremaine,“ she answers, „And for no reason whatsoever, I’m sure. And why are you here, anyway?“
Anthony runs his hand across Ginny’s scalp – Ginny has stopped paying attention to the conversation again – and says: „You wound me, Audrey Rose, you wound me. I’m here as your advisor, and you’re so gonna need one if you want to stand a chance at this thing.“
„I do not!“ Well, now Audrey is offended.
Li siblings have hung up the phone and are now speaking to each other, still agitated. Very unconcerning thing, just as the next sentence from Anthony’s mouth.
„Oh believe me, you do. Harriet could probably take you all herself, if she wanted.“
Audrey freezes for a bit; she so didn’t sign up for this, thank you for asking. Finally, she shakes off her shock: „…Yeah,“ she says as she gestures at his expression with her pointer finger, drawing a circle in the air, „You really have to take off the heart eyes when you say stuff like that. Both of you,“ she adds with a quick glance at Ginny.
Ignoring their wide smiles, she turns around and dials Arabella. The phone rings for about a minute before announcing that the called is unreachable. What a bitch. Audrey glares at her phone for the offense and then turns around again.
„And what are you doing there, Gothel?“ she asks for lack of better things to do.
„Hmm?“
„I said, why are you here?“
„Oh,“ dismisses Ginny, „I’m a neutral party. I can do what I wanna.“ Anthony bends down to kiss her temple. Probably just because he can – Audrey looks away quickly.
„And why are you here?“ she questions again.
„I’m a medic. You’re gonna need me, sooner or later,“ Ginny says easily, as if that explained anything; she props herself up to kiss Anthony properly.
And why, yes, Audrey is starting to regret this whole thing greatly.
She shakes her head at the couple and joins Lonnie and Junior instead: They’ve got a war to plan. And maybe Arabella will finally call her back.
#disney descendants#chaos games#audrey rose#anthony tremaine#ginny gothel#idk they’re making their problems everyone’s problems as usual#Aroace audrey rose my beloved#she did not sign up for this
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You have previously said your host used to live under a rock. Well, realistically speaking, only Patrick can do that, so... What did your host do when he was "living under a rock"? (no need to answer if it's private)
Ghost:
Soph was probably talking about my childhood.
I was never a social child. I only went to public school up to, I think, 1st grade.
Now, this was in the deep South where schools are allowed to paddle children and regularly exercise their right to do so. But in theory, parents can sign notes to prevent that. Which my mom did when I was in kindergarten.
Then later that year, I got spanked by the PE teacher for not following instructions. My mom chewed the school out, and they tried to justify it by saying PE was basically its own little school. Something which sounded like bullshit when I heard it as a 6-year-old, and sounds even more like bullshit now that I'm an adult.
Then later that same year, the principal spanked me for allegedly stripping down to my underwear. Something which did not happen. What did happen was that I had a button-up shirt, was a bored six-year-old, and started unbuttoning and rebuttoning it because I was bored. That was it.
I'm pretty sure the bitch just made up an excuse to beat a child because she was pissed at being told she couldn't.
Then they tried holding me back a grade due to behavioral issues. Basically, for being autistic. And probably, I think, because the principal held a grudge about being chewed out multiple times for beating a child who she wasn't allowed to beat.
1st grade, I was moved to a different school, but had no friends and didn't get along with other kids. And mostly wanted to be left alone.
I was never actually going to stab my classmates in the eyes with a pencil if they didn't give me space. That would be wrong and I wasn't the type to hurt other people. But having grown, I can't blame the school for treating my threats as serious.
It was decided that school wasn't a good fit for me after that.
I did go back to school for about half a year in middle school but didn't connect with anyone there, and was taken out again.
That's what she means about me living under a rock.
I lived most of my youth homeschooled. I didn't have many friends my own age. I didn't join clubs. I didn't go to parties. I missed out on a lot of the connection to my generation's culture.
So sometimes Soph gets sent references to memes and stuff that I would probably know if I had a normal childhood in a normal school setting. But I never had that. I don’t know what videos people in my generation were watching back then, or what music they were listening to, or what slang they used. I spent my youth an outsider in a self-imposed exile.
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reaction part 1 to rainbow dream stay ep 1
before starting the clip, this looks like some kind of hostel roleplay lol. because you know the dreamies love to roleplay.
while the others are reading the sign about rainbow dream stay, chenji have their own local broadcast in the back
so the theme is that they have to prove their friendship level is at 825% (whatever that means lol)
jeno is here to listen to the lecturer
while mark is explaining the agenda you can still hear chattering. dreamies love chattering huhu
they are dressed as a rainbow on purpose :o mark probably loves this
chenle: jisung your hair looks so pretty jisung: why does that sound sarcastic
dream: *wrists tied together* jeno: wait let me scratch my ass first mark: LOL
they're seated in their colour order how cute <3
they get 50 points deducted if they get mad 😅
LOL the way they counteract every angry sentence with "oh my you look handsome today 😏." jisung was getting frustrated over being stretched and mark immediately saved him by being like "omg you are my pretty babies"
nahyuck flirting in the wild
so the reason they're being stretched is because jaemin at the end doesn't want to get up so they're trying to convince him with pretty words lol
mark: hey should we do the wave IS NOW THE TIME?!?!?!?!? and yet they did it anyway lmao
the way donghyuck is trying so hard to talk in his kindergarten teacher voice because otherwise he's going to beat the kids lol
this is one of those times that jeno is mischievous
me? mad? do i look mad? oh not at all!
mark: i made that beef chenle: chenle: ...then it must be SO GOOD this is just an exercise in getting the dreamies to LIE lol
haechan and jaemin are similar yet opposite people and it's so funny to watch because they are both wacky but haechan cares about winning games and jaemin doesn't care at all and the fact that they're literally at opposite ends of the spectrum just drives that point home. actually the fact that haechan and chenle are on one end and jaemin is at the other feels a bit purposeful lol.
renjun and haechan finally broke and had to yell lmao
jaemin wanted to get drinks so haechan was like ok all y'all just stay put and i'll get the drinks. he's basically that guy in the group project who does all the work because he refuses to let his group weigh him down.
eating is not as big a problem since they're all right-handed
they all have to get up since one of them needs napkins lel
while haechan was getting napkins, jeno and jaemin were eating from his plate so haechan threatened jaemin's plate by holding soy sauce over it 😭 this is really boiling down to a haechan vs jaemin war
this show is a bit trickier to film because they have to be connected by the wrists. so sometimes they have their backs to the camera and have to rely on these overhead shots. and also why i have to put in so many screenshots because it's kind of hard to explain what position they're in.
the staff gave them an option to get lobster but the guys are like "...we don't like lobster that much" because they don't want to get out of their seats again lol
jeno was like what if we just straight up pushed the tables and the rest of dream were like yeah let's, except jaemin was like guys we still have to get out of our seats to get the lobster
success via brute force, even if jaemin lost points for being grumpy
haechan losing hp because the guys didn't get their chairs
to be fair i feel like haechan and jaemin have an easier time because they only have one arm bound
jaemin got mad for getting food on his pants lol...jaemin really doesn't care about the game at all, he's just doing what he wants to do
this marksung timing was so good 😂
jaemin: MARK OPPA mark: wut jaemin: can you give me tissues pls
this corner is just having so much fun eh 😆 jaemin was saying that he'd been asking for napkins for a long time and you know he normally speaks in a very sweet tone but obviously he was miffed and markno here are laughing their little socks off
now is a dessert game? donghyuck and jeno have their eyes covered but what is jisung doing on the right
i think jisung has to prepare dessert? anyway he couldn't even put his apron on 😭😭
is chenle going to supervise :3c
jisung rejected chenle's help lol, he wants to do this on his own
chenle came back to help/tell jisung what to do but jisung's like nah i got it
chenle keeps hovering but jisung keeps telling him to go away but chenle keeps telling him what to do i love this dynamic for them lol
by the end jisung was just trying to look like a chef lol, it's all in the ✨performance✨
jaemin is NOT playing around today 😅
ok so there's one croffle made by a chef and the one made by jisung and the guys have to guess which is which
chenle was feeding haechan and jeno but he'd say "ahhhh" and then not say the person's name so they wouldn't know who he was talking to until he said their names 😅
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Just as a voice exercise, for a scene we talked about:
"We could cut and run," says Doc's voice, softer in the vowels than it usually is, latch clicking shut behind him as he leans his heel and back against the door. It's a flimsy goddamn thing, like most things on pre-fab bases. It's a bad sign, this care. Roach straightens up, slowly, from the paperwork he was mostly just pushing around. He's supposed to be studying the reports and making notes, but as much as he knows more than the 141 does he's not about to share. He knows they aren't either. It's not a feeling, not when he knows Price and Ghost the way he does. That's the problem really. "It would only take a wee round of sedatives," Doc adds, not joking. He doesn't joke, and it's true, besides. It's almost tempting, and Roach clamps down on the feeling, used to excising desire. He doesn't waste time with keeping a slackness to his shoulders, a slowness to his blink, a customary cover. He lets his face keep its eerie blankness, part beaten in habit and part nerve damage. Better than botox, he's joked before. That won't work on Luria, not now, with all their time together. Besides, he'd been expecting this little visit in his temporary office, where he's retreated to keep all the plates spinning, the delicate balance, up in the air just a little longer. Too much attention to either team would, no, will eventually bring it all down. This is, in the end, all of Roach's sins coming home to roost. He knows that. "You know we can't, Jamie," he says, just as quiet, delicately deployed. He sees it hit its mark, the coolness seeping into Doc's eyes. The negative he'd expected, probably wanted, with an endearment he wasn't. Roach is careful about using it. Roach is careful about a lot of things. Doc nods, sharp. "Well. Might still do Tex. He could use it," Luria says, almost too casual, his eyes too fixed. Roach debates using his name again, decides not to. His hook is already in, no need to risk him tearing free. "I need you with me on this, Doc," he says, and waits for the sharp nod he gets. That's the trick with him. Doc won't stand for being wanted, but he needs to be needed. "S'pose it's my job to look out after you numpties," he says, something he often says, and almost smiles. There's a twitch by his lips, anyway. And a nervous touch to the way he pushes an almost curl behind his ear. It's getting long, and it's a tell regardless. This is all very precarious, even here, and Roach needs to secure as much as he can. "Start with Tex," Roach says, and Doc knows the dismissal when he hears it. The order, the direction of his attention, the relief of having a task. But there's bait to sweeten the catch, anyway. "We'll have leave, once we get through this," he says, as if to himself, turning back. In the corner of his eye he seems Doc's back straighten, the implication delivered. The door closes quietly, for a man who usually slams them. That's one down, contained. There's more to do, more dangerous timebombs to disarm. But it's a start, and it's all Roach really needs.
[AKA local unkillable angel faced pest is a master manipulator, enjoys fishing]
ooh i love their dynamic 👀
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https://www.tumblr.com/ikram1909/757554244029136896/httpswwwtumblrcomikram1909757513505048002560
i was looking into it and gavi did go to sevilla once in a while once he was able to walk well again. the earliest i’ve found was in march, so i guess even if he was just spending the weekend the would probably go with a physio to help him with his exercises. maybe it was during that time?
also the recovery is very painful, even once you start training in grass you still feel pain. an article on gundogan’s acl recovery was very insightful about it:
Every day, for nine months, Gundogan waited for the pain. He woke up every morning knowing that was what the day would bring, what it must bring, if he was to ever have a day without pain again. Everything he did, every exercise in the gym with Baldwin, every session in the heat chamber or the pool, was designed to take him to the point of pain. The pain was not a punishment, but a reward. The pain was progress.
“You need to go until the pain starts,” he said. “You always go to the pain. The pain is a sign that this is new.”
That was true in the gym in the dead of winter, and it was true in spring and summer, when Gundogan was back out on the field, getting closer and closer to his goal. The newer exercises were tough — sprinting, passing, dancing through cones, turning, sprinting, passing — and the sense of relief he was, perhaps, anticipating was absent.
“It is a start,” he said in June. “But it is not comparable to being with the team, playing games.”
The pain reminded him of that. His knee still ached; there were still sensations to interpret; everything was fragile. Turning and jumping, in particular, were a challenge. It took a toll.
“To go to that point, and then do the same the next day, and the next day again, and again and again,” Gundogan said. “That is bad for the brain. Rehab is always up and down for the mind and for the body. And there have been points where my mind has said: ‘O.K. I have to go now.’ ”
The pain is an answer, but it is also a question. “You feel it, come home, and you do think about it,” he said. “You ask if it was good or bad pain. Even if the doctors and physios convince you it was fine, everything is O.K., you still think about it.”
Man... This is so fucking sad, he's had to suffer so much and Gundo didn't even have meniscus injury on top of the ACL tear so Gavi's pain might even be worse... I'm really not ready for him to talk about all this I know we'll all be torn apart
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