#this was brilliant. incredible diversion. love him DEARLY <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[baynton]

Chris Pitt-Goddard in Spy (2011-2012) | 2x07 Codename: Ball Busted

[bigbadbarry-toyrobot]

I started writing this post back in July, so a bit out of date now, but though I best post it since I’ve spent nearly 3 months writing it! Ha!

As a result of this blog, something that started as a sort of secret diary to empty my head, I’ve met people in the flesh and online, some that live near and some on the other side of the world, some that are at a similar stage in their journey through parenting a child with additional needs and some that are just starting, I often get asked for advice about school and how it went for Bailey and I’ve been meaning to write this for months, so here it finally is, a bit about our first year at school and the things that worked for us.

The start of school for any parent is scary, even more so when your a parent of a child with additional needs, will they love school? Will they hate it? How will you all cope with this next step? How will other children react to your child? What will the parents think of them? Will he be classed as the naughty boy? Will people gossip about him; us behind our backs? Will he be included, will he make friends, will people tease him and he’ll be oblivious, the questions circled round and round my head for weeks and months, we worried, though we shouldn’t have....my sons school was recently graded outstanding, I myself have been through 3 ofsted inspections the most recent this year, it isn’t easy and I can honestly say that any grade a school gets today is mostly a fair representation of how the school works and what it rightfully deserves. We can all pull an outstanding lesson out the bag with a bit of effort but my sons school was graded outstanding in all area and I have seen first hand how outstanding their SEN provision is, in particular the schools senco has been a dream come true. She has made Baileys transition from nursery fairly smooth, there have been some bumps along the way, some pretty big ones in fact, a broken nose, some tears; mostly mine, I’ve bitten my nails down to nothing with worry and Bailey also did a bit of biting himself, which fingers crossed is now very much in the past.

The school reacted accordingly and have put in place the support that he is entitled to, deserves, and what is essentially needed for him to be in main stream education, where he currently most definitely should be. He has 1:1 support and bunch of clubs and interventions are used to support him and other students across the school that need that bit of extra help. Baileys has had Lego therapy, lunch time games clubs, SALT and a specialist autism teacher come to support staff because as a teacher you pretty much get zero training for teaching kids with ASD; ‘read that PowerPoint slide guys, now go teach’ - that’s a whole other blog post though...I only finally feel confident teaching autistic kids, because of Bailey, because I understand that what works for him won’t work for another kid, like most kids! Any way as a teacher I thought I had a good understanding of what he was entitled to and how to get it, but it’s often different from borough to borough, I can’t recommend enough getting a good understanding of what your child is entitled to, with or without a EHCP. An amazing book for this is a book called ‘How to raise a happy autistic child’ I wish someone had given it to me when he was diagnosed, its full of what you need to know for school, unfortunately I discovered the book after we’d been through it all. However we found our way and it’s not been easy, somthing that did make it a little easier was that we requested termly meetings with Baileys SENCO, the school doesn’t really have to offer that unless they have a EHCP, however these meetings were hugely beneficial, to discuss his progress but also just to immediately act on what our next step would be. We are still in the process of trying to get his EHCP, a task I’ve had to take on myself again...we have secured him a PRA- pupil resource agreement but this doesn’t even slightly cover the cost of his 1:1. There are a tonne of acronyms used in education even more in SEND, it’s extremely useful getting to know what they all mean, it’s stops you feeling so lost and definitely gives you a bit more confidence when talking to professionals because unfortunately some will talk to you like you are an idiot or fob you off, I’ve had the Borough SENCO not only take it upon themselves to make decision that had a negative impact on my sons education but also lie to me about it, so getting a understanding of education lingo is massively beneficial!

Though school has been brilliant it is decisions that we have made as a family that have also greatly impacted on his first successful year at school. We were unsure about immediately telling people he is autistic as it’s just a small part of who he is, we were scared about creating a label for Bailey, we didn’t want him to just become the ‘Autistic boy’ but equally we didn’t want people to label him the ‘naughty boy’ because he actually isn’t, being naughty generally isn’t in his nature, but even now through lack of understanding other children label him as naughty.

When Bailey started school his language delay to the untrained eye wasn’t so obvious, it still isn’t obvious unless you know what your looking for or you spend a great deal of time with him and start to spot the repetition. However language is something that is difficult for him, early in reception he found it difficult to express himself verbally and unfortunately for us and him, he took to biting as a way of keeping unwanted attention at bay...someone tickled him too much and he didn’t know how to make them stop, so he bit them, someone snatched a toy and he bit them, this happened 3 or 4 times, not loads but enough to put him on peoples radars, parents were called and I was worried it was going to start the gossiping, the stay away from that boy, he’s naughty conversations, so we made the decision that we would be open and honest and share that Bailey is Autistic, and frankly it was one of the best decisions we made. Parents mostly have responded well and I know as a result many families are talking about neuro diversity with their children and that’s fantastic.

Last April during Autism awareness week we set up Baileys just giving page, we shared it with his class group and his SENCO who then shared it with the whole school. A bunch of Baileys school friends came and supported him and it was incredible to see his friends and their parents showing their support, it was around this time in the year that the worry started to ebb away for me, I mean it never really goes, but things were starting to click into place for us, for him. He loves school and loves his friends dearly, more than they are probably even aware.

Bailey was sponsored across the school, the school shared his just giving page in the newsletter for about a month, which obviously got people talking about autism and neuro diversity. I worked with the senco and we talked about ways we could help the children gain a better understanding of what it means to be Autistic, they delivered circle time across the school tactfully and Bailey even delivered a little presentation about his walk during a whole school assembly. Bailey still struggles to tell me about his day but occasionally I hear bits through his teacher or from his friends...usually the girls and it always has me close to tears, he is so well loved and he’s done this all by himself by just being him , up until recently no one knew who me or Sam were, as he goes to breakfast and after school club we had limited contact with other parents, but as he’s constantly invited to parties I’ve got to know some parents now. I often get stopped and people say ‘oh are u Baileys mummy?!?...ohh he’s so sweet, Or I love him so much, I think being in the choir has also made him more visible to the parents and other kids of the school, which has also been a good thing, as he now has a bunch of friends across the school. I also think it’s been really good in supporting him with taking part in groups, making friends and has given him more confidence, though he’s always been pretty confident. Baileys reception choir teacher is also lovely and has gone out of her way to make sure he has a role in the choir, even though his participation is alway a bit hit or miss, the fact that he actually sings is incredible as he never did before he started school not even nursery rhymes. Baileys reception year choir dedicated and donated all the money they had raised from their first public performance, (which Bailey picked his nose the whole way through) to his just giving page, this took the total money he raised to over £1000.

The first year has not been completely smooth sailing for us always, and I’m not going to lie it can be tough and hugely over whelming juggling family, work and school, despite that Bailey has loved every minute of school so somethings going right. Being so honest means I’ve been contacted by parents who are about to embark on their scary first year with their child with additional needs and it’s been great to support them as they start their journeys, and I hope that as result of our honesty and the schools support, their children our coming into a school that respects diversity in all its forms.

Finally Bailey may not be able to read or write, but he’s nailed making friends, and that is all I ever wanted for him. I always though it was the academic things that were most important to me, but when we met the autism specialist teacher she asked us what we most wanted for Bailey and I immediately went to say that he can write and read and she looked at me, head slightly tilted with that expression...really? ..... and In that moment I immediately realised I didn’t! I couldn’t care less about those things, as long as he’s happy, I’m happy and having friends is what makes him so very happy, so reception was not about learning to read or write it was about learning to make friends and I’m happy with that. watching him with friend he actually plays with and not along side is amazing! Fuck knows how he’s learnt how to be such a social butterfly... It’s not a skill his learnt from his mum, though he definitely got the showing off from Sam!

[aelin-and-feyre]

Circumstance (Part 4)

Sorry for the wait! I made it extra long though ;)

Tagging: @autumn03 @readinggiraffe @rhysandpurred @crazybookladythings (let me know if you want to be tagged in future parts!)

Rowaelin daughter x Feysand son

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5 Part 6

When Ember wakes up the next day, there is almost no one on the street outside the window. The sun is only just raising above the mountainous skyline and from what Feyre told her last night, she's sure that morning is probably the slowest time in the Night Court. Carefully, Ember folds the nice smelling blanket and sets it on the meticulous bed that she hasn't even sat on yet.

Pulling some fresh clothes out of her suitcase, Ember puts her hair up and glances in the mirror once. It was nearing winter in Terrasen when she left so her collection of clothes are mostly long-sleeved and warm. In Velaris however, it seems incredibly warm outside, and Ember knows that she will probably have to find something else to wear.

Only Feyre, Rhysand, and the Morrigan are downstairs, all chatting around the island in the kitchen. "Good morning, Ember," Rhys greets when he sees her hesitating in the doorway. His eyes meet hers and Ember has to take a step back in surprise. Having the dream so recently brought the violet color to the forefront of her mind and she is shocked to see such similar orbs in real life for the first time. Rhys' eyes however, are just off, the ones in her dream just a bit more blue than his.

The adults don't seem to notice her shock, however, and the Morrigan skitters over to her excitedly. "Time for a girls day out!" She exclaims, looping her arm through Ember's elbow. The girl stares at her, wide-eyed.

"Don't break her, Mor, her parents expect her home in one piece." Rhys reminds his cousin with a small smirk.

The Morrigan winks. "No promises." It does not help Ember's nervousness.

"Have fun!" Feyre calls as the woman pulls Ember out of the room.

The Morrigan is practically skipping as they make their way onto the sparse street. "We'll grab some food on the way to the tailor." She tells Ember.

"The tailor, Morrigan?" The princess wonders, barely able to keep up with the woman's fast pace.

The Morrigan groans. "Do not call me that. It's just Mor." Ember nods. "We gotta get you some Night Court attire or you'll stick out like a sore thumb. Everyone already knows that a princess is visiting, we don't need them all staring at your clothes too."

Ember's face heats. She looks down at her clothes and compares it to the people around her, realizing that her tunic and thick pants really do contrast with the thin and baggy attire of others. "Well, um, okay..."

"Great! I know just the place."

"When do you think I'll start training?" Ember wonders as the short tailor measures her arm span. As her and Mor had walked through the streets of Velaris, Ember had noticed how many different kinds of Fae there were in this part of the world. The diversity truly astonished her.

Mor shrugged around her pearberry scone. "Probably in a couple days. Feyre and Rhys wanted to let you get settled before Cassian started tearing you apart." She explains.

Ember nods absently, not entirely nervous about Cassian after she had to train with her father and Uncle Lorcan. "I'm not sure Cadewyn was granted such a luxury. My uncles can be pretty harsh when it comes to training."

Mor waves a hand. "Cade can handle himself fine. He can beat Brex in hand to hand combat almost every time."

Ember raises an eyebrow, impressed after seeing how built Brexton is. "About Brexton..." She ponders, but the woman cuts her off as the tailor chuckles just a bit.

"Don't even think about it, sister. Brex found his mate three years ago and they are the sweetest couple ever. He would never betray her." Mor explains and Ember feels her cheeks heat. Obviously, she had looked too much into his kindness yesterday. "Cade on the other hand... that boy is yours for the taking, if you can get past his walls."

Ember shakes her head. "I've only been here a day and you're already trying to set me up with a guy? How do you know I don’t have a boyfriend back home?"

Mor shrugs, licking her fingers clean. "I'm just saying, you could do much worse. Cade is a looker, inherited a lot of Rhys' beauty in fact." That catches Ember's attention, and it's a good thing the tailor turned her around so Mor can't see her expression.

"Like the eyes?" She asks, feigning nonchalance, but her voice takes on a sort of squeaky quality. She winces inwardly.

Mor smiles knowingly. "Yeah, although his are a bit of a mix with Feyre's, some blue mixed in there."

Ember doesn't think she's breathing. She's not sure what it means that he has the exact color eyes as the ones she's been dreaming about since she was little. Repeatedly, her head it telling her it means nothing, but her heart is beating way to fast.

"Are you okay, Ember?" Mor asks worriedly, shaking Ember out of her inner turmoil.

The girl shakes her head. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine." However, her interest has been peaked. So when the tailor is done with the measurements and grabs a cropped red top and matching puffy pants, Ember is thankful for the curtain between them when she asks, "So... tell me more about the boy that's staying in my room."

Mor giggles a bit. "Well he's just about your age, actually. He's an amazing artist, incredibly smart as well." Ember nods along, even though the woman can't see her. "He also adores flying."

Ember opens the curtain, a confused look on her face. "He can fly?" She wonders, once again trying to act as though she doesn't care too much.

Mor nods, circling Ember as she inspects the outfit. "He can magic wings, just like Rhys, who's half Illyrian. I love this color on you!"

"And Cassian, Azriel, and Brexton are Illyrians as well, correct?" She's trying to put a wing to the name. She remembers admiring Brex's wings last night and the memory of his comment brings a blush to her cheeks. Ember will have to remember not to stare at Cade's wings if she ever meets him. Mor nods again, finally turning to face the tailor and declare that she wants five more outfits just like the one Ember is wearing in various colors.

"We'll also take this one for the road." She declares, handing over a gold mark and then slipping her arm in Ember's once again. The princess barely has time to thank the female before they are once again out on the street. Traffic has picked up, forcing the ladies to weave between the dozens of people now milling about the square. Ember almost trips over her own feet in the new flimsy sandals she's now wearing.

"So, back to the flying thing," Ember says, unable to help herself. "Do many people fly in Velaris?"

Mor stops in front of a stand selling jewelry, picking up a few items and holding them up to Ember, a comtemplative face on. "Not many in Velaris, no, but there is a whole Illyrian society to the north of us who all have wings and fly."

Ember nods, still attempting to feel out the people here, like her father had instructed. "And are people in Velaris then scared of Rhysand and Cadewyn because they can fly?"

The woman finally looks away from the jewelry and meets Ember's eyes quizzically. "No, of course not. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," Ember replies, too quickly, and curses herself for loosing her cool once again.

Mor eyes her suspiciously. "Ok.... Well, what are your other interests that you want to explore today?"

"Oh, I love to read," Ember says, suddenly remembering what she had thought of last night. "Is there a library here?"

A brilliant smile lights up Mor's face. "Definitely, and something tells me you’re going to like it."

Turns out, the cadre live up to their legends. Cade has never been more sore than he was after their first training session this morning. Lorcan had kept him to his promise and retrieved him at dawn for the long run up the Staghorn Mountains. If given the choice, Cade would have flown up the expanse, but he figured that it would have been frowned upon. Little did he know, that as he was running, two of the cadre were in fact flying up above them.

He had glanced up once and seen the osprey and hawk, but had thought nothing of it. When they made it to the top, Cade panting heavily and so dehydrated he ended up shoving a handful of snow into his mouth, the two birds flapped down and in a quick burst of light, transformed into Rowan and Vaughn. Cade was so astonished he had fallen onto his backside, thoroughly soaking the back of his pants in the foot deep snow that lay on the mountain.

The males had laughed, making Cade's ears turn pink. The young future High Lord had worked the entire day to make up for the embarrassment and had paid for it dearly. It had been weeks since he had trained with Uncle Cassian, and it showed. Cade now iced a swollen knee, nursed a roaring headache, and limped on a twisted ankle.

Luckily, the ankle had given him a good excuse for not wanting to trek down the mountain again. So, with what little dignity he had left, Cadewyn smirked at Rowan and Vaughn, positioning himself at the end of the cliff. "Care for a race?" He had said, and then tipped over the edge.

The look on each of their faces as he fell was absolutely priceless. His wings easily sprouted from his back and he soared upwards again, circling above them as they stared up in disbelief. "I believe I have a bigger wingspan than you, gentlemen." He taunted, then saluted and dove back down the side of the mountain, towards the castle.

He had found Evangeline reading a book in the courtyard and had swooped down to meet her. She hesitated, gaping a bit when she saw his wings, and then had rushed forward to help him up from the ground where he had slumped, utterly exhausted. She had helped him to the healer, muttering about how the cadre should know better than to beat him to a pulp on his first day.

While the healer had patched him up, Eva had gone to get Elide, even after Cade's insisting that it was unnecessary. Elide had been fuming when she hobbled through the door - Cade realizing for the first time that she had a mangled leg - but stopped when she noticed his wings, outstretched and looming behind him. Cade quickly apologized and made them disappear.

"I will talk to them, dear, don't you worry." The human woman had promised, going against Cade's wishes to not look like a weakling. Now, however, with a sore ankle and and pulsing knee, Cade is glad that it will be Elide telling them to dial it back a bit, so that he won't have to.

When he opens the door to the room he's staying in, and the delectable smell from yesterday envelops him, Cade smiles for the first time that day. He flops onto the bed, begging to take a short nap before having to face everyone at dinner tonight, but he really does not want a repeat of what happened yesterday with Gusty. So, instead, Cadewyn sits up with a groan, and pulls out the blank journal he had written in last night along with the quill and ink.

He flips open to a blank page and begins the write.

"Well. That was a brutal experience. I knew that the cadre would work me hard, but I really should have insisted that Cassian and Azriel work with me leading up to this. On the bright side, no one seems too bent out of shape about my wings, which mom and dad were worried about. Seems like I'm not the only one here though who has them. I've never seen someone who could shape shift other than Tamlin, and I've only ever seen that one time. I wonder who else is able to do something like that. I have still haven’t been unable to figure out what the scent that covers this room reminds me of, but I hope to figure it out soon. I also hope I get the chance to ask Aelin about her family’s eyes at some point. They are so like the ones in my paintings, I can't help but wonder what they are connected to...."

When he is done, Cade sets down the quill and journal and picks up Ember's own. He had read back a couple of days last night, but hadn't found anything terribly interesting. Getting to know her family more today, Cade can't help but become more curious about who the Crown Princess is.

Opening to the middle of the book, he reads an entry from a couple months ago.

"I finished my latest piece. I had the same dream last night that inspired me. Mom was wondering why I was holed up in my room all day, playing my piano and I stupidly told her I was working on a new song. Of course, then, she wanted to hear it, but I refused. I kind of want to keep this composition to myself, at least for a little while. It seems so much more personal to me than any of the other things I've written, and I know why, though I'm not sure I want to admit it just yet."

Quickly, Cade digs out the leather bound pages that are covered in music notes and lines. He searches for a song under the same date as the entry and finds it after a couple minutes of looking. Cade scans the notes and the pieces of lyrics idly. Its the title though that makes his breath choke.

'Violet Eyes' is written at the top of the first page in elegant, slanting script, contrasting drastically with scratched writing along the rest of the page. The paper is worn, like she played it many times over, and crinkles as if it had been wet at one point. Cade drags his fingers over the composition, wishing that he knew how to play if only to know what violet eyes had inspired.

His own violet eyes glance towards the pianoforte in the corner of the room and he can't help himself. Limping over to the bench, Cade sets the pages of music on the stand and sits down. He opens the cover and runs his fingers over the keys.

Cadewyn almost falls off the bench when three loud raps are sounded at his door. He hurriedly rushes to the bed and shoves all the journals under the pillow, stumbling towards the door and straightening his tunic along the way. When he open it, Gusty is standing there with her hands behind her back and a mischievous smile dancing across her face.

"Hello, princess," Cade greets, inclining his head slightly in respect.

"Hey, cutie, whatcha up to?" She asks, pushing past him and into the quickly darkening room. Cade hadn't realized how late it was getting. Her turquoise and gold eyes, which Cade has found oddly fascinating, scan his quarters and fall on the open piano. Cade cringes. "Do you play?" Gusty wonders, gliding across the room to sit down on the bench. "'Violet Eyes'." She reads dreamily, then looks up at him. "Much like yours. Did you write this?"

Cade is about to respond negatively, but then remembers that none of Ember's family knows that this is her piece, and she hadn't wanted any of them to know that. Gusty, he knows, however, won't let this go until she has all the details. And so Cade does the first thing that comes to mind. "Yeah, I dabble. I don't think it's much good though." He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly, hoping to get her off the scent.

Instead, the princess waves a hand. "Nonsense, would you allow me to play a few lines to see for myself?"

Cade's eyes widen. "You play too?"

Gusty laughs. "Of course I do! Mom has had Ember and me playing since we could sit up and reach the keys at the same time. Of course, Ember is a much better player and composer than I am, but that's because she can spend days in here with just her piano and books to keep her company. I actually like to do something with my life." Cade can tell she's joking but he can almost detect a sense of contempt behind it.

Before he can inquire more, the young girl places her hands on the keys and starts to play. Cadewyn barely has time to register what is happening before he is swept away with the music. It floats through his mind, the romantic and melodious rhythm resonating through his very bones. The power behind each note pierces his mind and heart straight through to his soul.

Cade doesn't realize his eyes are closed and the music has stopped until Gusty blurts, "Holy shit." His eyes snap open and he stares at the princess. "Oops, probably not meant to say that in front of males," She simpers, though not sincerely at all. "That was amazing, Cade, absolutely stunning. I'd almost say that you're better than Ember."

Cade shakes his head. "I wouldn't say that."

Gusty laughs, slinging an arm around his shoulders with some difficulty and guiding him towards the door. "I would, and everyone must know. You should tell them about it at dinner!"

Cade only has the chance to glance back at the pages sitting patiently on the stand, a longing filling his body to go over the lyrics that go along with the haunting melody, before he's being dragged away by the princess - the younger sister of a girl he has never met, but whom he starting to be extremely intrigued by.

Masterlist

[instantlit]

Book Review: Check, Please!

>Add to Goodreads<

Summary: Helloooo, Internet Land. Bitty here!

Y’all... I might not be ready for this. I may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and very talented amateur pâtissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It’s nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia! First of all? There’s checking. And then, there is Jack—our very attractive but moody captain. A collection of the first half of the megapopular webcomic series of the same name, Check, Please!: #Hockey is the first book of a hilarious and stirring two-volume coming-of-age story about hockey, bros, and trying to find yourself during the best four years of your life.

Rating: ★★★★★ - One of the best things that ever happened to me.

Continue the story and follow all of Ngozi’s updates on:

➽ Check, Please! - the brand new webside

➽ Check, Please! Tumblr - updated with the same contents, right to your dash

➽ Ngozi’s Twitter - updates from the creator

➽ Bitty’s Twitter - for a more immersive read

Full review under the cut!

 “Chirping and flirting are variants on the same idea.” Well, this was a long time in the making. I’m very emotional for several reasons, the first of which is that I’ve been following Bitty’s journey since 2015, and his story is one that I feel intimately attached to. The second is that I’ve supported Ngozi since the very beginning, so to have a physical copy of her creation in my hands makes me feel good, and proud, and so happy for her that words aren’t enough to express the intensity of the situation for me. Like I said, it's a story I love so, so dearly that revisiting it once more just makes me feel like coming home. I stand by the fact that it's literally the cutest thing I've ever had the chance to read/witness, and it simply warms me from the inside. There are several things making this comic into such a terrific story, one of the main ones being the incredible diversity of characters. You guys know it's one of the tropes that I love most, my own personal bookish wheelhouse: a group of friends forming intense and family-like bonds. You might also know that fiction centred around hockey and groups of friends was a massive and defining part of my childhood (The Mighty Ducks!), and that's what initially drew me in. Well, in case you were wondering, Ngozi delivers ten-folds with Check, Please! It's everything I could ever want it to be and I'm so grateful that she created it with so much care and attention. Of course, every character is special and unique and amazing in his/her own way, but Bitty is truly the hero of the story. It's Bitty's coming-of-age story, but with a twist. All the really bad stuff has already happened - the bullying and all that crap with the football team is completely behind him, even if you still see the ramifications of what he's been through - and it's mostly up-hill from there. Spoiler alert: Bitty wins! It's the end-goal, everyone is aware of this and Ngozi has never shied away from that, never tried to hide the fact; but it's so exciting to see the journey, to see Bitty growing into his own skin (the changes from year to year, which you can kind of glimpse from Freshman to Sophomore, but which only becomes more apparent as the years go by), learning to trust himself and, most importantly, finding support, acceptance and love all around him. The romance is just hinted at throughout most of the story, and then... And then! I'm so, so glad this volume ends here, because it's just the perfect place. Do any of you guys remember the thrill, the excitement of the moment when these chapters were released? Do any of you remember the WAIT between the last panel of Year 2 and the first panel of Year 3?!!! Because I remember it, clear as day, and it was freaking unbearable!! I just have so much love for this comic, I could word-vomit about its qualities all day long. Like I mentioned, this is the story of Bitty winning, so the tone remains light-hearted through it all, even if more serious moments are coming, but it's also one of the things I love most about Check, Please! Because, Bitty's story is also a coming-out story, and he's had to deal with a lot of crap before college. His extreme fear of bodily contact (and checking, in particular) is partially due to the times he was bullied and he doesn't trust his team-mates at first. But, as he gets to know them, he finds space to be himself, without hiding anything. Ngozi actually does a brilliant job of subverting Bro-culture. All the characters, all the boys, because it is a largely male-lead story, have depth and complexity, and they all show a rather larger range of emotions than we're expecting from jocks, especially hockey jocks. I haven't mentioned it so far, but it's also such a hilarious story. I was cackling throughout the whole thing, and it wasn't even my first time reading it! I found myself falling in love with these characters all over again (Chowder, my precious boy! Well, they're all my precious boys, I love them so much!!). Their antics are fantastic and I was so happy to follow them along once again. The artwork is gorgeous and just about everything I love when it comes to graphic styles. I loved the addition of Bitty's tweets at the end, that Ngozi kept a few extras and Hockey Shit with Ransom & Holster, and also how the first chapters were cleaned-up and coloured. Anyway, do yourself a favour, make yourself happy, and read this beauty of a comic!