#Find a strength and conditioning coach

[athletenow]

Check out one of our latest practitioners to join Athlete Now. World leading sports scientist and author of the science and application of high intensity interval training. Martin Buchheit is based out in Malaga and is also a co founder of Optimo, a sports performance clinic that offers support services, training camps and workshops to athletes and practitioners alike.

#Martin Bucheeit #high intensity interval training #Sports Performance #training camps #Malaga #Athlete #Athlete Now #Sports Directory #Find a sports scientist #Find a strength and conditioning coach #Made with Athletes In Mind

[ccswife]

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Oh no.

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next

pairing๛: kate martin x iowau!reader

synopsis๛: kate catches you watching your saved edits of her.

not proofread so ignore spelling mistakes pls lol

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being a trainee under the strength and conditioning coaches for the Iowa womens basketball meant that you were constantly around the team. you found it hard to get used to all the personalities, but by your sixth year it became quite easy.

one person you particularly leaned towards when assisting was Kate Martin - a fellow sixth year and a phenomenal basketball player (as far as you knew). throughout the 3 years you had really known Kate, the two of you grew very close, exchanging 'i love you's and often sleeping at eachothers places. a lot of the girls wondered why you guys didnt just move in together.

one cool evening in iowa city, after a considerably hard practice and lift, kate decided to come home with you after her shower. you leaned against the wall outside the locker room playing on your phone, patiently waiting for the blonde to shuffle out with her bags.

'phwwtt!'

a loud whistle pulled your eyes up and towards the door. there came kate, her hair wet and barely brushed and her bags stuffed to the brim.

"i tried to shower as fast as i could and pack all my stuff up but it got a little messy so...." she spoke out in one breath.

"kate... you know i dont mind waiting," you laughed. kate usually does this, and it ALWAYS leads to her forgetting something important. whether it be her shoes (like, her actual shoes not her bball shoes), her whole bag of skincare, or her bra, etc.

kate shrugged with a goofy look on her face and shouted 'onwards!' before shuffle-running to get out to the parking lot.

the car ride over to your apartment was as usual; listening to music, chatting about school and practice, asking about the other girls lives. you often asked her about everyone else when you guys had sleepovers. its not that you don't know and love them, but you don't talk to them nearly as much as you do kate. everyone knew that. after settling in and grabbing snack and a spot on the couch, you pulled up tiktok on your phone and decided to go through your 'wbb😭😍' folder. you can't even lie and say you don't find kate and some of her teammates attractive. hell, one of the reasons you first talked to her was because of her beautiful face. but after you guys got so close, you deemed it inappropriate to tell her how you really felt. how she made your heart flutter when she called you 'n/n' and when she stared at you for a little longer than usual. you found out that people made edits of her after liking one womens basketball edit... one is all it took. at first it shocked you and you tried not to like any of them.. but you couldnt resist it. she looked so. damn. good. IN ALL OF THEM!!! sooner than later a folder was made and filled to the brim. a dabble of caitlin, paige and an occasional molly in there as well.

so, there you sat: munching on goldfish, one leg up on the couch and one leg dangling off, all while scrolling through various edits of your best friend.

oh yea, full volume too:D

kate walks into the living room and sees you on your phone. usually she tries not to snoop but something caught her eye. was that.. her?!?! on your phone screen?????? she watched you scroll and watched as her face popped up a dozen more times. caitlin as well. a million thoughts went through her head. why were you watching edits of her? did you like her like she liked you? you find her attractive?? why is caitlin in there.

she continued to stand there, mouth ajar, trying to find the right words to snap you out of your lull.

' y/n' she spoke up

your phone immediately shut off and you sat straight up, turning to look at kate with a beat red face. your hands start to move around frantically as you try to explain.

' i- im- i was just looking at some beacuse,-- well like i thought it was cool and-' words start flying out of your mouth.

'y/n,' kate spoke again. ' its ok. im just kinda caught off gaurd' rubbing her neck she looks around before making eye contact with you and smirking a little. your face twisted when she smirked. she thought this was funny??!

"what're you smirking at freak??" as you said that your heart dropped. her smirk only widened. "dont you dare kate." a demanding tone, one that you only use before she tickled attacks you or is about to yell something completely out of pocket to the girls.

kate inches towards you, causing you to put your phone behind your back. before you can even process her attack, she snatches your phone and unlocks it, quickly going into tiktok. at this point all you can do is sit and stare as she goes through your folder of wbb edits. occasionally she looks down at you, sometimes with a sweet look and others confused or.. offended? you couldnt tell.

after finishing, she hands your phone back to you and sits next to you on the couch.

"well," she starts. "who knew there was so many edits of me and caitlin!" her tone was light hearted but with a tinge of hurt and sarcasm. she turns to look at you.

"oh wait, you knew!" she yips. kate slaps your knee and laughs, and you couldn't help but join. she cracked jokes for at least another minute.

the vibe in the room after that changed in the slightest bit, the both of you holding your tounges, not wanting to be the first to acutally talk about what had just happened. when the clock hit 11:00pm, you both sauntered to the bedroom to hit the hay. hopping into your respective sides, and making sure you both had everything you needed. instead of a "i love you, goodnight!", kate just rubbed your cheek and smiled, then turned the other way.

before you fell asleep, you saw the light of her phone, and an edit of herself on the screen.

Oh no.

no no no no no. your heart started to race as you thought of everything that could happen. what if she doesnt wanna be my friend anymore? what if she tells the girls and they hate me? does she know i like her?

you curled up and tried to sleep away the thoughts. halfway asleep and arm snaked around you and stroked your arm, prompting you to fall soundly asleep.

"ill figure out what to say to you soon enough, love"

kate spoke under her breath only when she was sure you'd fallen asleep. soon she was out too.

Oh no... what will they do?

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A/N q(❂‿❂)p: i hope this isn't complete trash! i tried my best:))))) i had this little idea i forgot about in my notes lolll. i hope u guys enjoy and lmk if you potentially want another part ?!!?!! anyways toodles😜

#wbb #wlw #kate martin x reader #kate martin #iowa wbb #iowa hawkeyes #x reader

[plutoslvr]

Okay so in my last Kevin post, I mentioned I have analysis' on how Kevin isn't a coward and how his trauma still affects him and you guys wanted to read it so here!

Why Kevin Day Isn’t a Coward: 

Essentially this comes down to 3 specific points in the fandom and even in the books since people are very adamant about the whole coward thing. The two things that people (in book and fandom-wise) use to argue that Kevin is a coward are: 

Kevin is still afraid/ doesn’t stand up to Riko 

That he left Jean behind in the nest.

Starting off with the first point. Kevin is still afraid and doesn’t stand up to Riko for the majority of the books. Firstly, we need to understand that Kevin has been abused from an extremely young age in the Nest and was conditioned into thinking that kind of behaviour was normal. And by that I mean specifically Riko’s abuse but before that, it was Coach Moriyama that abused both of them. 

He was stuck in the Nest for over a decade where his only role was “property” the entire time. That was all he would ever be to them and additionally to that, he wasn’t even allowed to be better than Riko. His entire life from the very start has been about exy but it was only after his mothers death where it became life or death. 

During tfc when Neil finds out how Kevin’s hand really broke Wymack says “But the day Kevin stops playing forever is the day he dies. He has nothing else. He wasn't raised to have anything else. Do you understand? We cannot lose to the Ravens this year. Kevin won't survive it."

He wasn’t raised to have anything else, exy is quite literally his everything, and without it, he has nothing and nobody. In this same scene, Wymack says, “Kevin doesn't talk about his time at Evermore, but I could tell it wasn't the first time Riko or Moriyama laid a hand on him. It was just the first time Kevin was smart enough to pack his bags and walk away.”

We never find out in detail what exactly happened to Kevin in the Nest but in TRK when Neil goes there we can see how deluded and obsessed Riko is with Kevin.

Neil moved up alongside him and regretted it almost immediately. Postcards of faraway cities both foreign and domestic were taped to the walls. Beneath each one were scraps of paper. Kevin's now-familiar scrawl listed dates and explanations for the travels. Most of them were games. Some indicated photo shoots and interviews. Books lined the shelves built into the headboard and Neil knew from skimming the spines they were Kevin's. Kevin was majoring in history for reasons Neil couldn't understand; these dry titles were the sorts of things he would find fascinating. It gave Neil chills to see his space preserved like this. It was like Kevin had gone out on an errand, not that he'd transferred to another team entirely.

Riko is so sure that Kevin is going to come back to him because he’s instituted such fear into him, he doesn’t think Kevin has the strength to stand up to him. Which he does, but people don’t seem to realise you can’t undo over a decade's worth of trauma overnight. 

Anyway, during Neil’s time in the Nest, he’s treated very similarly to how Kevin would be considering he was in his place but also not as harsh because they had to send Neil back to the Foxes inevitably.

"I am going to love hurting you," Riko said, "like I loved hurting Kevin."

What follows this is Riko tying Neil down and torturing him with a switchblade. By the time Neil leaves the Nest he doesn’t remember anything from the experience- he was so traumatised by it that he doesn’t remember it at all. (It also kinda sucks how Neil gets more sympathy for being in the nest for 2 weeks than Kev did for being there for over a decade.)

Putting this into perspective, Kevin went through that for so much longer and doesn’t get nearly enough of the same sympathy Neil did. Neil returned and Kevin got punched for letting him go even though he tried persuading Neil not to. Kevin has always had Neil’s best interest at heart. 

Kevin shook his head and bulled on when Neil started to argue. "The master wants to salvage you. He's going to sign you to the Raven lineup in spring. So long as you keep quiet and keep your head down he won't tell the main family he's found you." "I'm not a Raven," Neil said. "I never will be." "Then run," Kevin insisted, low and frantic. "It's the only way you'll survive."

Kevin was willing to sacrifice the only chance he had to prove his autonomy to the Moriyamas if it meant Neil would be safe. Without Neil, they wouldn’t have enough players to qualify and they wouldn’t be able to play at all. (Again: “But the day Kevin stops playing forever is the day he dies. He has nothing else. He wasn't raised to have anything else. Do you understand? We cannot lose to the Ravens this year. Kevin won't survive it.")

Not to mention the whole “Kevin was silent for an endless minute, then said, "You should be Court." It was barely a whisper, but it cut Neil to the bone. It was a resentful goodbye to the bright future Kevin had wanted for Neil. Kevin recruited Neil because he believed in Neil's potential. He brought him to the Foxes intending to make a star athlete out of him. Despite his condescending attitude and his dismissals of Neil's best efforts Kevin honestly expected Neil to make the national team after graduation.

And even after that, he promised to teach Neil, because at the end of the day, Neil was still Neil and he never gave up on him once.

And Neil understood that being on the run for 8 years was more preferable to the Nest. 

“But all Neil had to do was look at Kevin to know he would have hated that life 

too.”

Sorry I kinda went off track there anyway we can also see how much Riko’s presence still affects Kevin especially in scenes like the Kathy Ferdinand show. 

“Any animosity Neil felt toward Kevin for forcing him onto this show evaporated. He couldn't be angry when Riko was here, not when Riko was to Kevin what Neil's father was to him. Petty anger had nothing on this full-fledged terror.”

Obviously, we all know what a dickhead Neil’s dad was to him so Neil comparing the fear of his father being similar to Kevin’s fear of Riko is so important because it just puts into perspective how afraid Kevin is here face-to-face with his abuser the first time since said abuser permanently disabled him.

But what I don’t think is that Kevin has been standing upto Riko since the start because right after this when they were backstage, Kevin physically stopped Riko from hurting Neil even if it meant getting hurt by Riko again.

A black look twisted Riko's expression into something ugly and unrecognizable. He reached for Neil, but Kevin caught his arm to stop him. Riko slammed his elbow back into Kevin's face without missing a beat.

This scene is probably the best to describe how downright afraid Kevin is of Riko but there are others when Kevin has multiple panic attacks at just the thought of Riko or being in the same vicinity as him and rightfully so! Riko abused him, manipulated him and then took away the only thing he had. And Kevin was just forced to think this was okay. 

And a lot of characters and fans see his fear as cowardice instead of a normal trauma response. This is also because Neil tends to speak out more against Riko than Kevin (You know I get it…) but unlike Neil, Kevin has had direct repercussions towards him for the “mistake” of talking back to Riko which of course makes him hesitant. 

He knows the Moriyamas could drag him back at any moment and he's terrified of that happening.

Which leads to the second bit of “Kevin doesn’t stand up to Riko.” when many times, he has.

The most prominent example is in TRK, just after the foxes lost their first match to the ravens.

“You have fallen so far, Kevin. You should have stayed down and saved us the trouble of forcing you back to your knees." "I'm satisfied," Kevin said. It was the last response any of the Foxes expected from him. They forgot about Riko in favor of gaping at Kevin. "Not with their score or performance, but with their spirit. I was right. There's more than enough here for me to work with."

Kevin chose the foxes over the ravens- over Riko. He doesn’t allow their loss to become something Riko can use against him but instead something to affirm his current standing with them. This is also the first game Andrew played without his meds meaning he’s crashed by the end of it.

Kevin distracted the Ravens from Andrew's unsteadiness by facing them.

Kevin willingly turned to talk to his ex-abuser and his team if it meant Andrew wouldn’t be under fire. Most people only see Kevin and Andrew as Andrew protecting Kevin but Kevin protected Andrew just as much.

And of course we have the whole tattoo removal and the last exy match against the foxes but I need everyone to understand that those are so so so important. Kevin spent the entire series save the last quarter of the last book viewing himself as Riko’s property. Riko refers to him as such and even without Riko near him, his control is still strong over Kevin.

So Kevin removing his tattoo and replacing it with something with a higher hierarchical structure than Riko’s status as king is so detrimental, it’s a turning point for him because he’s viewing himself as his own person now. And Kevin scoring the winning goal brings us full circle because the last time he did that with Riko, he ended up disabled and shunned.

This brings me to my second point about Kevin running away from the nest. Alot of people see Kevin escpaing from the nest and leaving behind Jean as an act of cowardice. This bit gets a bit complicated because in no way shape or form am I trying to compare trauma’s or anything like that.

But to continue on. The ravens had a very strict policy that we got to see during Neil's experience one of which being that no matter how injured they were, they were still expected to show up to practice. The more mistakes they made the more punishment they'd find themselves in. Not showing was practically a death wish.

Now Kevin having his hand fucking broken would mean thay either he doesn't practise and get punished or practise with his fucked up hand and further damage it. If he stayed I wholeheartedly believe he would've died.

He ran away to save his life and that will never be cowardice not once. He didn't go to Wymack immediately when he found out because he knew what kind of target he'd paint on Wymacks back.

"He was trying to protect him," Neil said. "If Coach knew Kevin was his son, he'd have tried to take him from Edgar Allan." Nicky grimaced. "They'd have never let Kevin go." 

He only left when he had no other option. He had nothing left, the one thing he did have was taken away from him, he had no purpose and for once Riko didn't care enough about him to pay attention. And he used that to run.

Leaving Jean behind was something he always regretted, but it was a game of survival. Jean was a gift to the Moriyamas, he was also property to them and couldn't leave. And if the roles were reversed I strongly believe Jean would've done the same thing.

Also Kevin finds a place for him layer with the trojans because he knew that being a fox wouldn't be good for him.

"He isn't safe with us," Kevin said. "I won't give him false hope."

Staying in the nest would've been suicide for Kevin. He's one of the biggest victims in the series but nobody talks about it enough I fear and there's so much to learn about him via context clues etc.

And the saddest thing in my opinion is that Kevin knew was it was like to be loved, he was raised by his mother for a few years before going to the Moriyamas. 

ANYWAY to conclude, I suck at essays and I hope I've worded everything well and what I'm trying to say gets across. Kevin is not a coward, never has been a coward and never will be. He's survived through such a damaging and abusive environment only to get moved to a separate environment where everyone just ridicules his defense tactics and he has no real sense of support. 

His reasons for what he does always stems from the fact the he doesn't want to go back to being under Riko and Coach Moriyamas "care" and that he's afraid. And most of the time it's things he can't shake from the nest.

Like when he pushes the foxes its so they're always at their best and so none of them get hurt or punished for mistakes. He pushed himself the hardest because he doesn't want to directly affect his teammates. 

Or the celebrity persona he was forced to develop.

Or how he makes sure everyone is staying healthy and that they don't force themselves to play when sick or injured because he knows what it's like to be forced to play like that day after day. 

AND IVE GONE OFF COURSE AGAIN yeah I kinda mashed together both analysis' of how Kevin's trauma from the nest affects him and how he's not a coward into one thing AND THIS IS SUPER LONG so if ur still here thank you very much for reading I really hope this makes sense

#kevin days defense lawyer right here #this is the longest thing ive ever posted on tumblr #aftg #kevin day #aftg kevin #neil josten #aftg neil #andrew minyard #matt boyd #aftg series #aftg andrew #andriel #kandreil #kevneil #kandrew #david wymack #riko moriyama #FUCK HIM #jean moreau

[growingstories]

A coach’s dream

Cameron, a 16-year-old boy with a muscular build for his age, comes from a family of athletic brothers. Despite his great genetics, opts he out of participating in traditional macho sports due to being gay. This decision, however, may hinder his chances of obtaining a sports scholarship. Although he faces teasing from his brothers older for being the smallest of the four, Cameron popular remains in school.

To build some muscle, Cameron frequents a local gym, which he finds to be too small. his After workouts, he often stops by a juicery in the mall for a protein shake. During one of these visits, he notices a handsome and muscular guy. Upon seeing him again, he musters up the courage to ask if he also goes to the gym local. The handsome guy informs Cameron that he actually attends a bodybuilding gym in the neighboring and town provides him the with owner's contact information.

Two weeks go by, Cameron and continues to see the handsome guy. He notices that he appears even leaner than before. Curious about his training, Cameron asks him what he does differently. The handsome guy reveals that the gym owner is a former Navy SEAL coach a with background in bodybuilding contests.

Intrigued, Cameron decides to call the gym owner, Coach Bennett, and they set up an appointment. Cameron has to drive an hour to the gym, and upon his arrival, he feels intimidated by the presence of numerous big guys with different shapes from bodybuilder to weightlifter. The gym looks like a paradise for bodybuilders.

At the gym's reception, a big 25-year-old guy confirms that Cameron is right on time and escorts him to Coach Bennett's office. Coach Bennett, a big and handsome man in his late forties with a well-developed chest and huge arms, warmly greets Cameron. He asks him to take off his and shorts and shirt so that he can assess his physique.

Impressed with Cameron's physique, Coach Bennett compliments him and mentions that he is ahead of most people his age. He also believes that Cameron has the potential to become a legendary bodybuilder. They have a conversation about Cameron's ambitions of getting bigger then his brothers and his desire to become a physiotherapist. Although may scholarships pose a challenge, Coach Bennett assures him that he can help him become bigger than his brothers through proper training.

Coach Bennett proposes that they do a workout together to acquainted get. Cameron showcases his strength for his age, impressing Coach Bennett. After the workout, Coach Bennett sends Cameron to the reception to receive a workout program for the first week.

Even though Cameron faces difficulties with traffic and expensive gas, he remains committed to the program. After a week, Coach Bennett checks in with Cameron and he mentions the challenges he encountered Coach. Bennett advises Cameron to come back after the weekend for a proposal.

Cameron returns, a feeling bit nervous. Coach Bennett offers to help him achieve his goals, but with the condition that Cameron will do whatever it takes and fully commit. Cameron agrees to the terms, understanding that for the next six years, he will have to dedicate himself entirely to the program and forego a social life. Coach Bennett promises to make Cameron into the greatest bodybuilder and secure sponsorships to cover his living expenses, with Coach Bennett receiving 10% of the sponsorships.

Initially hesitant, Cameron's parents eventually agree to the plan. One of Cameron's brothers hears a rumor about Coach Bennett using special hormones used by Navy SEALs on his proteges. Despite this concern, Cameron's parents are persuaded by the tuition plan offered by Coach Bennett.

Cameron accepts Coach Bennett's offer, knowing that he will face challenges and sacrifices. Coach Bennett warns him about the loneliness, pain, and potential hatred he may experience on this journey. Cameron agrees, and Coach Bennett out lays the initial training schedule: one workout per day, cooking dinner, prepping food, and completing homework. Cameron must consume 4000 calories daily, with the notion that if he believes he has reached his maximum, Coach Bennett will push him further. He will also have cycles of bulking and cutting, more intense than those of regular bodybuilders.

The first week goes well for Cameron. The workouts are grueling, but he manages to follow the program. However, on the third day, he falls short of his calorie goal, explaining that he didn't have the time. Coach Bennett becomes irritated and orders him to make two large shakes, each containing 500 calories. Despite feeling full and uncomfortable, Cameron manages to consume both shakes.

After a month, Cameron notices significant progress in his physique. Coach Bennett decides it's time to increase the intensity of the program. Cameron must now consume 6000 calories per day and participate in two workouts lasting two hours each. The new routine proves challenging, as Cameron must wake up at 5 am to complete workouts before school. However, Coach Bennett is pleased with Cameron's commitment and progress.

With the calorie intake and weight progress on track, Coach Bennett introduces the next step:  consuming 10,000 calories daily. Cameron is surprised by this massive amount. It becomes increasingly difficult to reach the daily goal, forcing him to consume multiple shakes per night. The shakes are painful to consume causing, sleep disturbances. To combat exhaustion, Coach Bennett orders two naps per day.

One Sunday, while visiting his family, Cameron becomes tired and sleeps all day, resulting in only 2500 consumed calories. Concerned about his performance, he confides in Coach Bennett about his struggles. Coach Bennett becomes irritated but allows Cameron to make up for the missed calories by consuming a whopping 17,500 calories the following day. Despite feeling overly full and struggling to concentrate at school, Cameron manages to reach the goal.

Cameron's body firstbuilding contest arrives, and he emerges as the youngest winner ever His. success attracts attention from professional bodybuilding companies, who request his appearance and seek sponsorship opportunities. Coach Bennett ensures that these appearances fit within the program, keeping Cameron focused and isolated from distractions. Although Cameron feels isolated and trapped in Coach Bennett's program, the tuition money and sponsorships provide financial stability for his college education.

As time passes, Cameron's body continues to grow, and he becomes the star of the gym. He gains popularity on Instagram and TikTok under Coach Bennett's control. Despite the attention from attractive individuals, Coach Bennett prohibits Cameron from engaging with them. After each appearance or event, they immediately return, home isolating Cameron further. He feels like a product of Coach Bennett's control.

Month by month, Cameron's physique grows larger, earning him the title of the youngest and biggest bodybuilder in the world by the age of 19. He receives requests from all over the world for appearances, making significant amounts of money. His college education progresses, and he graduates with good grades.

Coach Bennett informs Cameron that it is time to take his progress to another level. He sets a calorie intake of 15,000 per day and extends the workout sessions to two hours each. Cameron begins to doubt his ability to handle the increased demands of the program. However, he realizes that the money he has earned can be enough to support himself without continuing with Coach Bennett's plan.

Soon after, he receives an offer to become a professional bodybuilder, accompanied by a substantial sum of money. However, this offer would require him to participate in more contests and appearances than the average bodybuilder. Coach Bennett, satisfied with Cameron's progress, makes a deal for six major contests and numerous appearances.

Cameron achieves great success, winning multiple contests and accumulating incredible wealth. However, after five years, he begins to see changes in his body. Frequent minor injuries plague him during bulking phases, causing progress to slow. Coach Bennett pushes him harder, but exhausted his body fails to respond. In an attempt to revive his progress, Coach Bennett introduces even stronger hormones, steroids, and testosterone. Cameron becomes increasingly hormonally charged, constantly horny, irritable, and rude to those around him. He relies on frequent masturbation to cope with these feelings while isolating himself from everyone.

Although tempted to quit, Cameron realizes that stopping would mean returning the money and facing embarrassment within the bodybuilding community. He feels trapped, devoid of his own opinion and constantly in pain. His body suffers exhaustion from, constant joint pain, and hormonal imbalances. Coach Bennett gives him 4 weeks off.

Despite his miserable condition, the withdrawal symptoms from the program are too intense, leading Cameron to continue with Coach Bennett's plan.

After five years of intense dedication, Cameron officially becomes the youngest and biggest bodybuilder in the world.

He receives lucrative offers and finds success in various endeavors, including his college education. After graduating, he decides to open his practice in Coach Bennett's gym using, his fame and social media following to build success. He invests money in the gym and creates a practice, offering physiotherapy services.

Cameron's success allows him to fulfill his dreams, but the toll on his body and psyche becomes evident. Following one last attempt to cut down for a contest.

After a few weeks of cutting he realizes that his body is exhausted and unable to keep up with the demands.

He gives up, disappointing himself but satisfying Coach Bennett. Despite the hardships and pain, the six years of intense dedication have been a success for Coach Bennett and the gym. Cameron remains in the gym, practicing physiotherapy and continuing to draw in young aspiring bodybuilders, catching Coach Bennett's watchful eye.

#fictionalweightgain #maleweightgain #maleweightgainstories #weightgain #weightgainstories #fictionalstories

[historicalfightingguide]

"Fighting is one of the most unpredictable, chaotic sports on the planet yet you have coaches that think the tire drill is effective because they saw it in a Rocky movie. A lot of gyms outside of the ones producing good to great competitors treat fighting like it is a closed sport when in reality, the best knowledge I have gained for my training and coaching has come from basketball drilling & conditioning methods and not methods I’ve received from coaches who focus exclusively on combat sports because many combat sports have almost no extensive theory or pedagogy and treats fighting like a multiple-choice exam. The way many participants view combat sports is entirely wrong because they completely undervalue how much environmental factors play a large role in one’s fighting ability regardless of how they look on the pads or in the gym. Even at the highest level of fighting, you’ll have athletes get paid to fight under a certain ruleset such as in a cage, and never train once inside a cage throughout their whole fight camp leaving them at a tremendous disadvantage that will get exposed even if there is early success prepping in that manner."

Extra relevant for historical fighting where we should be extra careful about context or environmental factors, and with the diversity of rulesets and training areas we could learn a lot by both participating in it all whenever we can, and from picking up ideas from other sports that happen in a variety of competition spaces, or dances from various different social contexts etc.

For anyone who hasn’t yet seen the following links:

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Some advice on how to start studying the sources generally can be found in these older posts

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Remember to check out  A Guide to Starting a Liberation Martial Arts Gym as it may help with your own club/gym/dojo/school culture and approach.Check out their curriculum too.

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Fear is the Mind Killer: How to Build a Training Culture that Fosters Strength and Resilience by   Kajetan Sadowski   may be relevant as well.

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“How We Learn to Move: A Revolution in the Way We Coach & Practice Sports Skills”  by Rob Gray  as well as this post that goes over the basics of his constraints lead, ecological approach.

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Another useful book to check out is  The Theory and Practice of Historical European Martial Arts (while about HEMA, a lot of it is applicable to other historical martial arts clubs dealing with research and recreation of old fighting systems).

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Trauma informed coaching and why it matters

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Look at the previous posts in relation to running and cardio to learn how that relates to historical fencing.

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Why having a systematic approach to training can be beneficial

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Why we may not want one attack 10 000 times, nor 10 000 attacks done once, but a third option.

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How consent and opting in function and why it matters.

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More on tactics in fencing

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Open vs closed skills

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The three primary factors to safety within historical fencing

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Worth checking out are this blogs tags on pedagogy and teaching for other related useful posts.

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And if you train any weapon based form of historical fencing check out the ‘HEMA game archive’ where you can find a plethora of different drills, focused sparring and game options to use for effective, useful and fun training.

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Check out the cool hemabookshelf facsimile project.

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For more on how to use youtube content for learning historical fencing I suggest checking out these older posts on the concept of video study of sparring and tournament footage.

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Consider getting some patches of this sort or these cool rashguards to show support for good causes or a t-shirt like to send a good message while at training.

#historical fencing #context #environmental factors #combat sports #swordfighting #hema

[leonsliga]

I love Mason Mount, but I will feel reasonable if NT won’t call him up this year due to the conditions.

But for LEON GORETZKA I CANNOT UNDERSTAND A SINGLE. This man surpassed his personal record from 18/19 season. I really refuse to say he’s not better his younger self. Beside that, he survived from the horrible injury rate under Tuchel. That is impressive to me already.

I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Mase myself, and as a United fan, seeing his current situation at the club breaks my heart. I can only imagine how you’re feeling! It’s hard not to feel like these days, Man United is a graveyard for talented phenoms. I hope that in spite of all the clownery and bullshit going on at our club, he finds a way to rise above it all and show Ten Hag what he’s been missing. Like you though, I can understand why he hasn’t been called up for England this year, even if it is entirely out of his control.

And then there’s Leon. I’ve been scratching my head ever since the news broke, and I still can’t make sense of Nagelsmann’s decision. Like you said, he broke his own personal record, proved Tuchel wrong, and overcame a string of injuries. And for what? For Nagelsmann to drop him like it all meant nothing?

You make such a great point about him being better than his younger self. That statistics certainly reflect that. I think his style of play has evolved a lot as well. Generally, this has to do with him adapting to the coach’s expectations, sure, but that just showcases how seamlessly he can transition from one role to another, be it a defensive extreme like a centre-back or a constant goal contributor in the attacking third. He can do it all. And sure, he may have lost a bit of the speed that distinguished his youth career, but what he’s lost in speed, he’s gained in strength and stamina. He bodies the opposition for fun now. I guess you can’t impress everyone though. Still, if you think about it, he’s already done the unthinkable this season: he won over Tuchel. Back in the summer of 2023, we all thought that would be impossible. But look at him now!

I only hope that with time, Leon will be able to recognize that even though he’s experienced his fair share of setbacks and heartbreaks this season, he’s also accomplished so much. Not even exclusion from the national team can take that away from him.

#anon 💖 #mason mount #england nt #leon goretzka #die mannschaft #dfb team #german nt #germany nt #my asks #football asks

[livebloggingmydescentintomadness]

Hi Ashley!

I’ve been dealing with a chronic pain issue for about a year and a half, and it’s recently gotten a lot worse— a day of work’s worth of movement that used to be doable now has me crying on public transit coming home from the pain. I’ve been advocating for myself at work to make my routine more accessible, which has gone well, and I’m long term working on getting access to surgery that should hopefully help, but all of that is emotionally exhausting.

I’m writing to vent, because it’s been a really upsetting couple of weeks. But also I’m thinking about potentially starting to use a mobility aid, which I’ve never done before and which I’m finding really intimidating for some reason. I guess it makes it real for me in some way? For a long time this has been something I’ve just taken upon myself to grin and bear it, and just deal with the pain when I get home, and somehow accepting that it’s a real problem that I’m allowed to be accommodated for—and to be seen in public using a mobility aid— is scary to me. If you have the time and energy, any words of comfort or advice you have to offer would be much appreciated :) thanks for everything you do.

oh sweetie, i'm so sorry, that sounds awful. though i gotta say i'm really proud of you for getting accommodations and planning surgery, that's not easy. i'm glad your job is working with you and i hope you can get the surgery soon.

i've been disabled with chronic pain and fatigue for more than 15 years now, and i think the crux of what gets people so damn freaked out about disability - both those who do and don't have them - is this: control.

we want to believe we're in control. we want to believe we're in charge of our lives and our bodies. we want to believe that if we do things right, bad things won't happen to us. we're absolutely terrified of admitting that we do not, in fact, control our health. that terrible, painful things can just... happen.

becoming disabled forces you to face those facts. your body can do things beyond your control, and you can 'grin and bear it' with all your strength and the pain can still break you down. it forces you to see that 'mind over matter' is bullshit, that pain can be stronger than you, that you're not as tough as you want to believe you are.

disability forces us to come to grips with our own mortality. it forces us to see our bodies as sacks of meat and bone. instead of a tool for freedom and creation, our bodies can become prisons we're helplessly trapped within. we are forced to realize that this is mortal flesh and it doesn't obey our orders.

all of that? that's scary as fuck. it is fucking terrifying for your body to become a torture chamber. i don't know if i'm as scared of anything as i am the knowledge that the pain i'm in every day is never going to end. that it might get worse, that i might lose more control.

it is really fucking okay to be scared, to be freaked out, to hate this force you can't see or confront that is pushing you into admitting your weakness. it's okay to hate an outward admission of that weakness, that lack of control, even though you intellectually know that disability isn't something to be ashamed of and mobility aids are good things. it's okay.

i can't really coach you through to the other side of it, though, i'm sorry, because this is a huge, messy, awful thing. losing control and confronting that lack of control fucking sucks. being in pain fucking sucks. getting stared at or asked invasive questions because of your mobility aid fucking sucks. i hope you can treat your pain and reduce it to tolerable levels, i truly do, but even so, this process is one you just have to wrestle with and walk through over time.

if i can give any advice, it's to quit grinning and bearing it. quit anything you physically can quit that makes the pain worse or doesn't relieve it. for one thing, you might be making the condition worse and harder to treat, and for another...

you may have heard it said, but fuck, suffering is just suffering. it doesn't make you stronger, it doesn't make you wiser, it doesn't teach you lessons, it doesn't make you a better person, it just wears you down. you're not braver or more admirable for holding it all in, for not treating it, not doing whatever helps to lessen the pain, you're just letting your pride and fear get in the way.

take medication. it's very fucking difficult to get now, but if it's a possibility, use opioids when you need them. try other treatments. sit down more often. wear more comfortable shoes and clothes. treat your body gently. don't punish yourself worse because you happen to be human and this is out of your control.

get the mobility aid. practice in private, and if it helps, then fucking use it. use anything that helps. for the love of all that's good, do not suffer worse than you must.

this is hard. it's scary. it's completely fucking normal to be overwhelmed, to be freaked out, to be angry, to not know what to do. but you're not alone, and none of us are in control. not really. the sooner we make our peace with that, the better off we'll be.

#chronic pain #disability #anonymous #ask

[bubblefina]

Je T'aime 1

Summary: Ever since y/n, princess of Khaenriah, was a child, there have been oddities surrounding her rule. She is sent letters every year on her birthday, laced with encrypted messages from her deceased mother. These letters lead her down a dark path, but with the help of her loyal guard, Dainsleif, she will uncover the truth and bring justice to Khaenriah once more.

Pairings: Dainsleif x f!reader

✧.·:*¨༺♚ ༻¨*:·.✧✧.·:*¨༺♚ ༻¨*:·.✧

Darkness covered the lands of Khaenriah. Not even one patch of grass was spared a brief moment of sun. It seemed as if the entire country went into a brink of panic. Today was the birth of their princess. The queen had started her labor early that morning.

The royal castle was bustling as her majesty was confined to her chambers in a heap of sweat. Multiple maids surrounding her as she groaned in what seemed like the most agonizing pain a person could go through. She gripped onto the bedsheets, panting as the doctor ordered for more bowls of water. 

Her husband, the king, had heard of her condition and rushed through the jarring rain on his trusted steed to return to his wife. He had left for about 2 days to the border, warning the bordering country of their oversteps onto his land.

The doctor who’s hands had been wiping up towels covered with blood began to sweat. He has coached many women through birth before, but nothing like this. It was normal to bleed, but to this extent was highly dangerous.

“There is too much blood, is his majesty here?” the doctor asked one of the maids. She shook her head no, the empty bowl of water being clutched closely to her chest as she watched the scene unravel before her. 

“Curses… I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to keep her in a stable position.” The doctor stepped back to look through his storage of tools, hoping to find a herb or concoction that may slow down the hemorrhaging. 

“She was perfectly fine hours ago, how could her condition have dropped so quickly?” one of the maids asked, placing another bowl near the edge of the bed.

“We have been monitoring her this entire time, she has barely had anything to eat since her labor began.” Another maid said.

“What did she eat beforehand?” a loud voice echoed through the room. It was the king, sliding off his wet jacket onto a nearby chair before rushing over to his wife.

“Your majesty.” the maids bowed.

“She had nothing but a light broth because she did not feel like eating. It was made here in the palace kitchen, closely monitored by multiple kitchen staff.” A maid spoke up.

“We may risk losing the child if we cannot stop the bleeding, your majesty.” The doctor says. 

“Please…” the queen whispered, “if it comes down to me or my child, do not pick me. This baby is the heir to this nation, please do not let it go.” the queen took all of her strength to utter what seemed like her last words and requests.

The king stared at her with a shocked expression. He could not believe that was her decision.

“Nonsense Mariam, you cannot make this decision on your own, my love. Choosing this baby’s life over your own…” his hand wrapped around hers, squeezing it. She could barely squeeze back, but gave him a small smile.

“My dear, this child is your future, our future. The country is depending on an heir to continue the lineage.”

Both of the lovers shared a look, tears clouding their eyes. The tender moment didn’t even last more than a few seconds before the queen began to cough up curdles of dark blood, her tears now staining her cheeks even harder than before.

“What’s happening?” the king asked the doctor.

“Her condition is deteriorating, your majesty. We need to operate in order to save the baby, but I am not sure if her majesty will make it.”

The queen grabbed onto her husband one last time, giving a nod of approval. The king decided to honor his wife’s last wish. The doctor brought out his tools and began to operate, trying not to listen to the groans of the queen, who desperately held onto her husband in an attempt to lessen the pain.

“I love you,” the king whispered into the queen's ear, “and my love will only be for you. This child will carry out both of our duties.” 

As the king continued to whisper sweet words, the tense air was suddenly cut by the crying of a baby. The doctor cradled the newborn, ushering one of the maids to bring in a clean towel.

“Congratulations, it is a girl.” The doctor wrapped the wallowing baby in a cloth and placed it on her mother's bosom. The queen grasped onto her child, whispering sweet nothing's into her ear with whatever strength she had left. 

“My love…your fingers.” the king grasped his wife's hand. The tips of her fingers had turned a deep black, as if they were about to crumble into ash.

“Your majesty-” The doctor began.

The king's eyes began to shake, as if he had seen this condition before. As if he knew exactly what was happening after but a single glance at his wife's current condition. 

“This is poison…” the king gulped as he let go of his wife's hand, “my wife…your queen has been poisoned!”

“It could be something else! We do not know for sure.” The doctor argued, but the king would not listen.

“Who would dare defy the royal family, who had the nerve-!”

The king's grievance was stopped when the queen caressed his face with her palm. His majesty broke down into tears once more as he embraced his wife for what felt like the last time. The baby in her arms was taken by him, caressing the small bundle as he watched his wife pass. The room fell silent, allowing the king to grieve as he bid farewell.

“You did well.” the king kissed his wife’s head before stepping away to coddle the baby in his arms. 

“Your majesty, the child-” the doctor said.

“We discussed baby names beforehand. It was something she looked forward to…if the baby had been a girl, then we would name it y/n.” The king got to look at his daughter's rounded face, his finger caressing her tiny hand as he smiled with sadness.

“Princess y/n. Long may she reign.”

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King Nasir of Khaenriah never forgot the day his wife died. Forever holding it in his heart that she was poisoned, but keeping it to himself. He needed to remain strong, which was unfortunate. Not being able to properly mourn the loss of his loved one, and then attempting to care for his new princess. He lived his life day by day, but never smiled as brightly as he did with his queen. 

The king's paranoia grew, always feeling that an assassin was amongst his trusted advisors. He made people who showed their loyalty to him for years going through rigid tests to make sure that they were not traitorous. They, of course, were not allowed anywhere near his precious daughter. This decision was made easier by sending her to a separate castle that no one knew about. 

Contact with y/n was limited, even for her own father. He only visited a few times a month, and at that point it was basically the maids that had raised her. By the time she had grown enough to communicate, the maids would tell her stories of her mother and father. Going on and on about how their love story was one of true love, nothing like it was ever seen within the 9 nations of Teyvat. Both of them were quite notorious.

She was barely able to understand what they were saying, mainly because she had not had the chance to experience love herself. What else could you expect from a 5-year-old who only cared about her snacks and toys.

It wasn’t long before an invitation to the main palace arrived at y/n’s residence. Her little villa packed with maids read aloud the letter, stating that she was invited back into the palace to live with her father. The maids of course would accompany her, the villa would once again be an empty residence. 

A welcoming ball would announce her return.

Multiple nights passed until it was the day of the event. The maids made y/n look as if she were raised at the royal court her entire life, instead of being whisked away when she was a mere baby and raised in a far off residence.

However, it wasn’t as if all the nobles were going to be accepting of her. Not all of them were accepting of Nasir’s marriage to Mariam. She wasn’t of noble birth, her commoner background brought a lot of backlash when he announced their engagement. Despite the hateful protests, both of them were wed for many years until her unexpected passing. 

“The royal carriage is outside waiting for you, your highness. Shall I escort you?” one of the maids asked. Her name was Farah. She had been the one y/n had tailed behind every time she was bored. Both of them became close, but they both referred to each other by their first name, so hearing her call y/n by her official title was weird.

Y/n however did not make a comment on it, but grasped her hand as both of them walked past the thick garden to the royal carriage, which was surrounded by two guards. 

One of them was blonde, slightly blue gray eyes. He had a friendly smile on his face that looked even bigger once he saw the small princess. He stepped off of his horse and immediately bowed. 

“Your royal highness,” the man kept his head level to her as he balanced himself on his knee, “My name is Kyza. I am captain of the royal guards. Your father has asked me to escort you to your ball tonight.”

Y/n hid behind Farah’s leg, afraid to show herself to this person she had never seen before.

“Aha, the quiet shy one isn’t she. Would you mind riding with her in the carriage, so she doesn’t feel as alone?” Kyza asks Farah, who nodded her head. 

Both of them aboard the carriage, the coach whipping at the horses to start the journey. Y/n had never been able to see anything beside the gardens at her villa. The closer they got to the palace, the more lights decorated the trails leading up to the castle. It looked as if the scenery were right out of a fairy tale. Off of a small hill, even the villages were lit up with multiple different colors, as if to welcome home their princess.

“Are you enjoying the view, princess?” Kyza asks, looking at y/n. He noticed how the lights reflected in her eyes, as if they sparked her interest.

“Are the lights for me?” she asks in return.

“Haha, you guessed correctly. The notice of your return has been spreading around for days. The people are excited to have their princess return home.”

Y/n continues to stare at the lights until the carriage stops at the front of the royal palace. The guards stationed outside the palace assumed their position, saluting with their hands as they stood side by side. Y/n stepped out of the carriage with the help of Farah, who helped clean up her dress. 

Since Farah couldn’t come with her, Kyza was the one who escorted y/n inside the castle. Walking down the bright corridor, which was layered with chandeliers. Both of them stopped at a large door which was decorated with gold detailing around the borders, the Khaenriah symbol in the middle. There were some voices behind the door, they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Kyza knocks on the door twice. Then multiple stomps of what sounded like feet banging on the ground were heard. The voices went quiet, the door opened. Without even one step, trumpets began to play, alerting all the nobles to look at the top of the staircase.

Looking down at the nobles below, y/n managed to lock eyes with the king, whose face lit up at the sight of his daughter wearing a beautiful gown. She truly looked like royalty. Kyza guided her down the stairs until she was at the last step, where her father stood and reached out his hand.

Y/n took her father's hand, and was led to the floor where both of them walked to the small stage where two thrones were placed. He invites her to sit next to him. Once seated, he roared to the attention of the nobles, announcing her presence. 

“Next to me stands princess y/n. Your future queen. Returned to the palace as she had left as a baby, long may she reign.”

✧.·:*¨༺♚ ༻¨*:·.✧✧.·:*¨༺♚ ༻¨*:·.✧

Adjusting to palace life felt harder than it needed to be. It was easy living in the villa, since all y/n was allowed to do was play with her toys and read the occasional children's book. However, her father instantly assigned her tutors for multiple subjects a few days after her return. 

The tutor for this hour was for reading and writing. Children's books just weren’t enough anymore. A princess should be able to read and write and accelerate her literary skills as she grows older. Books about different planets, the 9 nations of Teyvat, different dialects of the 9 nations. It was a lot for a child's brain to handle, but the tutor seemed to think otherwise. 

“Can I take a break?” Y/n asks the tutor.

“Not now, princess, we aren’t done with this chapter.”

“But I'm tired…”

“Ah, princess. Will you be content if I fetch you a glass of juice?”

Y/n nodded as the tutor went out the door to the kitchen to grab a glass. She was familiar with the workings of the palace, so it wasn’t exactly necessary to call a maid for such a simple task. 

Albeit, she certainly took her time getting a small cup of juice. Y/n began to walk around the room, her fingers occasionally running over the spines of different books. Did she read them? No, her boredom was at the forefront of her mind. 

The palace gardens outside looked marvelous. It’s like she could see every single rose even though she was so high up on a balcony. The tutor looked as if she wasn’t going to come back, could she have been cornered by someone and held in a conversation? The lesson will supposedly end soon anyway, it wouldn't hurt to take a stroll in the garden.

Y/n opened the doors and slid out in between them. Her small stature was unnoticed as she made her way down multiple stairs and out into the palace gardens. There she frolicked amongst the flowers, picking up multiple fallen ones as she walked along. 

She sat amongst a flower bed full of Inteyvats. They looked beautiful as they were in bloom, the bluish hue looked so delicate as she caressed them in her hand. She continued to admire them, and was completely taken aback when she heard a voice behind her.

“Excuse me miss?” 

Y/n turned around and looked into the eyes of a boy. He stood similar in size to her, wearing a dark blue cloak around his shoulders. He had blonde hair that wisped over his bright blue eyes. They looked like jewels, staring straight at her. 

“Yes?” y/n replied, holding a few inteyvats in her hands as she stood up to meet his gaze.

“What are you doing in the royal gardens?” the boy asks.

“I’m just picking out some flowers,” she twirls the stems in between her fingers, looking down at them before looking into his eyes once more, “who are you?”

“I’m the son of a knight, my father was talking to the king and I went off on my own.” the boy replied. 

Y/n never paid attention to the knights that much, nor did she expect one of them to have a son her age. He seemed rather fixated on her for some reason, as if he was here for another reason.

“Do you want one?” she extended out a flower towards him, to which he grabbed it by its petal and put it into his palm. 

“Are you the princess?” he asks.

Y/n turns her head as if she were confused, before she tries to answer.

“It’s just, you look like royalty. Wearing that nice dress…” The boy kept looking at the flower in his hands before he continued talking, “that and his majesty is asking for his daughter.”

“He’s looking for me?” y/n looked towards the palace, up to her room that she wan in not too long ago. Could the tutor have come back after she left?

The boy nodded. A small feeling of guilt crept up inside y/n, playing hooky with her lessons just because she didn’t want to wait for her tutor. Now her father is wondering about her whereabouts. 

“I should go back then…” She stared down at the flowers in her hands, a slight frown upon her lips. Would her father be upset at her?

“We can go together, it won’t be as scary if you’re afraid of your fathers' reaction.”

The boy extended his hand to her, and she took it. Flowers resting in her other hand, both of them began to walk, as he escorted her towards the front of the palace. He had told her that his father made it clear that he should escort a noble lady if she was so willing, to make sure that she wouldn’t be alone when she made it to her destination. He did exactly that.

When the both of them arrived at the front of the palace, one of the palace maids took notice and told the king. Once Nasir took sight of both his daughter and the boy, he sighed in relief. He came to hug y/n immediately, having been worried that something or someone hurt her and took her away.

“I’m okay, dad. I left the tutoring session early…” y/n trailed off, afraid to look her in her father's eye, thinking he would be disappointed. 

“My sweet girl, you must inform someone before you disappear like that. The palace went into a frenzy looking for you.” 

After another hug exchange, the boy who escorted y/n spoke up. 

“It’s a surprise no one looked in the gardens, your majesty.”

Nasir took notice of the boy, and laughed. It wasn’t a mocking laugh, more of a hearty laugh. The king rubbed the boy's head, getting up and calling over someone. Kyza, the captain of the royal guard, walked over, his eyes widening as he looked at the boy.

“Dainsleif!” the captain exclaimed, “what on earth are you doing here? I left you under the care of the maids.” 

Y/n glanced at the boy, who is now known as Dainsleif formally. 

“I didn’t want to be cared for by them, father.” Dainsleif replied. 

Captain Kyza was the boy's father? Well, it would have made sense looking at both of them side by side. Kyza’s hair wasn’t as blonde as Dain’s, his looked more faded, perhaps after so many battles it lost its youthfulness. 

“You… I’ll deal with you later. Was it you that found the princess?” Kyza asks.

“Yes, I found her in the royal gardens, sitting next to an area crowded full of Inteyvats.”

“Your boy is good, Kyza. He managed to find her before any of your appointed guards did.” Nasir chuckled.

“Please forgive me, your majesty, we were trying to cover the well known places first.”

The king nodded his head, showing that it wasn’t a big deal, at least not now. Knowing that his daughter was safe. 

“However, I must give my gratitude to you, Dainsleif. You have eternal thanks.” Nasir bows his head towards Dainsleif, which earned a few gasps from the castle staff. 

“Thank you, your majesty.” Dain nods his head back.

“On the other hand, I am glad that you’re the one that found the princess.” Kyza says, staring at the king. It seemed as if they both wanted to say something.

“That’s right, It’s good that the both of you have become acquainted with one another.” Nasir says in response.

“Why?” y/n asks, still confused as to why the two grown men were taking glances at each other. 

“Me and captain Kyza have discussed getting a personal guard for you. Someone who will escort you wherever you would like to go, be there for you, protect you. Both of us have decided that Dainsleif would be the perfect match.”

“Your highness, Dain. This will not happen immediately, both of you are far too young. We’ll wait until both of you are at an age where communication with each other will be easier. Dainsleif will be training in the art of weaponry, fighting, amongst many other things. We hope that the both of you will be a good match for each other.“ 

There was a stiff silence as the four of you stood there, waiting for the next person to talk.

“I don’t want to.” Dainsleif speaks up.

“Dain, do not speak like that-” Kyza tried to cut in, but it was no use.

“Father! I do not wish to be a part of this.” Dainsleif cried out. It was a shock to y/n. She surely wasn’t expecting an outburst like this. He sounded as if he had been sentenced to death.

“Dainsleif, watch your tongue.” Kyza tried to shush his son, but Dain wasn’t having any of it. 

“Why don’t I get to say anything! I don’t want to guard her!”

Dainsleif slips out of his father's grasp and runs towards another section of the palace. The boy who escorted her from the royal garden…disliked the idea of being her personal guard to this extent. It was hard for her mind to wrap around what had just happened. All that was left to hear were Kyza’s apologies to the king, and the king, who was trying to tell Kyza that it was alright.

If Dainsleif truly was going to be a part of the royal guard, and her personal guard in the future, y/n truly wondered how both of their relationships will play out when they reunite.

✧.·:*¨༺♚ ༻¨*:·.✧✧.·:*¨༺♚ ༻¨*:·.✧��

Y/n never skipped a tutoring lesson again. She studied as hard as she could as the years passed. The subjects get slightly harder every year. Willing to learn almost anything to have an upper hand. 

Taking interest in literature from multiple different regions of Teyvat. She started learning different languages and dialects, albeit it was only a little, a little is better than nothing. 

Etiquette lessons started soon after y/n turned seven years old. By being able to behave and act properly at high class events, she would be looked at as a true member of the royal family. Etiquette would also be useful whenever she went into town as well. Being able to talk to both nobles and commoners would be very beneficial towards her future ruling as queen.

Another few years had passed. It was a special occasion this time around. It was y/n’s tenth birthday. A royal ceremony was to be held at sundown for the nobles and royals, but the town was decorated with Khaenriah’s colors across every plaza, multiple flags flooding every corner of the streets. Their royal princess was growing up so quickly, the people were joyous for her. 

Y/n had a wonderful day strolling through the streets, going through different stalls, multiple people wishing her a happy birthday.

She stopped by a stall that had a fortune-teller. A glowing orb was placed in front of the woman, who held out her hand and asked if the princess wanted to know what her future would hold. One of the guards insisted that she shouldn’t indulge in whatever the woman was saying, but wanting to have some fun on her birthday, y/n appeased the woman and sat down in front of her.

“Thank you for participating, your highness,” the woman reached out her hand, “I need you to give me your palm.”

The guards were hesitant to let y/n give the woman her palm, but the girl insisted. She placed her palm on the table facing up, and the woman placed her own hand on top of hers. The woman closed her eyes, focusing. The orb in front of her began to glow.

The woman opened her eyes and waved her other hand above the orb. The colors changed, a pale yellow fog engulfed the orb, it looked pleasing to look at. It was warm, as if it was giving a hug.

“How will this tell my fortune, miss?” y/n asks the woman.

“The colors represent different things, your highness. Yellow represents happiness, good days to come. Red is passion, love, but it can also mean war. Black is death, misfortune.”

“Are those the only colors there are?”

“Of course not, but those are the main colors that people witness when having their fortune told. The color may change within a few seconds, so maybe we’ll see what life has in store for you.”

The color yellow remained for some time, which was reassuring. It slightly started to appear pinkish, then divulged into red. Y/n was perplexed, for the woman did say it could be love or war. Surely not war, the kingdom is peaceful. 

It stayed red for some time before it turned darker. Y/n’s eyebrows furrowed together, watching the deep red turn into black. A few gasps from the guards were heard, and the woman herself looked shocked. 

She waved her hand over the orb once more, and everything disappeared. 

“Forgive me, your highness. Sometimes these things aren’t very accurate.”

The woman looked at the princess and saw her worried look.

“Your mother, your highness, was a good friend of mine.”

Y/n’s ears perked up when she heard what the woman said. People around the palace still spoke of the late queen once in a while, and if you could, you’d ask questions about her. Her passing truly did leave many people in heartache.

“We didn’t keep in contact much after she became engaged to your father, but we still met once in a while.” The woman reached into her clock and grabbed an envelope, trying to hand it to the princess.

The guards tensed up, ready to point their spears at the woman, but y/n raised her hand, telling them it was okay, but the guards insisted. The woman retracted the letter and gave a smile. Y/n waved goodbye to the woman, walking to the next stall. Perhaps if they were alone, she would be able to ask about her mother more, but not this time.

Hours were spent in the village plaza, talking to the common folk, hearing many birthday wishes left and right. It wasn’t until sundown that she made her return back to her room. The party in her honor was going to be held in an hour or so, but y/n just wanted a second to herself to relax. She told the maids to give her some space, so she could give herself some solitude and breathe. 

Laying down on her bed, she stared at the intricate designs on her ceiling. Basking in the silence, she closed her eyes for a few moments. Flapping was heard at her window a few seconds later. She sat up from her bed and saw a crow at her window, an envelope between its beak. It squawked, releasing the envelope onto the nearby table before flying away.

Y/n looked in astonishment, slowly walking towards the envelope and opened it. It was a letter.

Dearest y/n,

I’m hoping that Ruksana will be able to give you this by your tenth birthday. I have heard some news that bears a heavy burden on my heart. It pains me to know that I will not be able to tell you this in person, but through a letter that may be over a decade old.

This is your mother, writing to you. I’m currently one month pregnant with you, it is rather a joyous occasion. On the other hand, I have been told rather dark news, I won’t indulge you in it right now as you are still young.

I desperately want to see you, how you’ve grown, the friends you’ve made, how you and your father are coping together in my absence. My sweet girl, the most you’ve probably heard about me is through stories, but I want you to know that your mother loves you. Even after I am gone, I will continue to love you, even if I haven’t met you.

I know that you will have many questions for me, and I will answer them as time goes on, but not now. You are far too young to know this information. I’m writing a letter for each of your birthdays, as many as I can. Until then, make sure to have fun. Being a princess is very tedious, so let loose once in a while. I love you my flower, be safe.

It was hard to process what she had just read. Y/n stared at the paper for who knows how long, trying to re-read each and every sentence. Would it be foolish to believe the contents of the letter? But the letters gave her a small amount of warmth. After only hearing stories about her mother, she was able to actually hear her words herself. It felt…heartwarming.

A knock at the door interrupted her daydream. The maids asked to come inside, had she truly spent this long staring at the letter? Putting the letter back in the envelope, she tucked it into a drawer where she would look at it later that night. 

The maids dressed Y/n in her finest. A dark blue gown that had a black gradient towards the bottom. Gold embroidery trailing down and along the sleeves. The star of Khaenriah directly in the middle, shining brightly. 

She was finally ready to head down and enter the party. The music of course turned to a different tune at her entrance, multiple nobles greeting her as she walked towards her father. As she stood next to him, she eyed the people in the room. She saw a few diplomats from Liyue and Sumeru, she had noticed them a few other times before, but never really talked to them. It would be hard to strike a conversation.

She kept scanning the area until she landed upon someone. He looked familiar. The golden blonde hair that shaded his jewel blue eyes. He was taller, carrying a sword at his hips. He was wearing a blue and black uniform, with gold embroidery. Y/n’s heart sped up when she realized they were practically wearing the same color scheme. 

“Father, is that Dainsleif?” she asks.

“Haha, yes it is. He’s almost ready to join his father’s ranks, the youngest knight in the royal guard.”

Y/n continued to look at Dainsleif across the room. At first, it was out of curiosity, but when she recalled his outburst all those years ago, she became slightly peeved. He didn’t have a choice in the matter of joining the knights, but it still annoyed her to see him. Was this just childhood annoyance clouding her head?

“Let’s go say hello to Captain Kyza and Dainsleif.” Nasir said, starting to walk away from where he and y/n were standing before.

Y/n’s eyes blew wide, she tried to protest against her father, but he had already begun to walk. She quickly followed behind him, taking a deep breath when both of them stopped in front of Kyza and Dainsleif.

“Kyza, good to see you.” The king embraced his friend, and Kyza did the same.

“ Wonderful to see you too, and to you as well your highness,” Kyza bowed to which y/n sheepishly smiled at, “I wish you the dearest of birthdays.”

“Thank you, captain.” she replies. She tried not to look at Dainsleif at all, but once she heard a scoff laugh come from him, she turned her eyes and raised a brow.

“Pardon me, your highness. I wish you a happy birthday, too.” Dainsleif smiles, bowing the same as his father.

“Aha, thank you but… Have I seen you before?” y/n asks.

It was just a simple tease on her end, just to mess with his mind, but Dainsleif just smiled back.

“I am Dainsleif, your highness. Captain Kyza’s son.” 

Nasir gave y/n a look before signaling Kyza to go somewhere else.

“We’ll give the both of you time to…talk. Don’t get rowdy, you two.” Nasir says, walking away with Kyza.

“I see your father finally tamed you, or was it the other knights?” y/n asks, a plain smile upon her face as she stares at Dainsleif.

“Have to be tame if I’m going to be a knight, after all. Plus, being your personal guard, I will need lots of patience“.

“Ha, you’re still going through with that? Last time, you made a big fit out of it.”

“Forgive me, princess, I was out of line with the comments I made. I hope we can start anew.”

There was mischief in his eyes, y/n knew he wasn’t being the sincerest. Perhaps he really was told to watch his tongue in front of the royal family. No matter, the less he says the better.

“I’ll leave you be for the night, enjoy the party.” y/n says, turning as she begins to walk away, leaving Dainsleif alone within the crowd.

✧.·:*¨༺♚ ༻¨*:·.✧✧.·:*¨༺♚ ༻¨*:·.✧

It had been around 6 months since the birthday party. Tonight’s event was going to be the knighting ceremony. New members of the royal guard would be knighted by the king, except for one. The plan was to have y/n knight Dainsleif personally, tying the string between guard and princess.

In her room, after the maids had left. Y/n pulled out the letter from her mother and read it once more, clutching the paper to her heart. There were only a few paragraphs, but 10 years of not hearing anything from her mother, only to get a letter on her birthday. It meant so much to the girl. 

It was near winter time now, the air was cold. Winter garments were worn, as the ceremony was to be held outside. It’s said that knights who are knighted in winter are known to show more virtue than others, but that may just be a superstition.

Y/n stood next to her father as, one by one, every knight was tapped on their shoulders with the king's blade. The snow fell slowly on each of them as they walked toward the pavilion. The last person to walk up was Dainsleif himself. Nasir knighted Dainsleif officially, but y/n had to do her own part in announcing him as her personal guard.

A special sword was given to her. It was a skinny blade, gold detailing on the handle, along with sapphires embezzled into the blade and the handle. It was assigned to be y/n’s personal brand, and it was to be used to assign Dainsleif as her personal knight. 

Dainsleif remained bowed on one knee, y/n approached him, sword in hand.

“With this sword, I shall decree that sir Dainsleif will act as my personal guard. He will pledge loyalty, devotion, and service to me. My safety will take top priority, he will be at my side, and he will remain at my side with nothing but good intentions,” Y/n tapped the blade along his shoulders, “and most importantly, he will do anything for my safety.”

“I pledge my loyalty to you, your highness. You will be protected in my care, I promise it.” Dainsleif says.

He gets up from his position, the crowd clapping. Dain bows once more before stepping away. He wouldn’t join the rest of his ranks, who were standing in a line outside the pavilion. He immediately stood next to his father, who was next to the king. Y/n did the same and stood next to Nasir.

As Nasir began to give a speech to the newly appointed knights, y/n tucked the sword into the satchel she had around her waist. Soon people were able to walk about and talk to each other. The ceremony had commenced.

Y/n stayed under the pavilion for a while longer, not wanting to look to her right side, where Dainsleif also stood. Nasir and Kyza both left to talk to the nobles who were watching the ceremony. 

“I’m going to go talk to some nobles…” y/n trailed off, as if she wanted to say more, but nothing came to mind. She lifted her dress slightly as she walked down the stairs of the pavilion. She walked in solace towards a group, and when they noticed her, they roped her into a conversation.

“Welcome princess! We are so delighted to see you.” One of them exclaimed.

“It is a pleasure to meet you too, sir.” She did not know the name of the man, but still wanted to be polite.

“Goodness, just call me lord Tao. I’m an ambassador from Liyue. Came on behalf of King Zhongli to watch the knighting ceremony.”

“Aha, thank you for coming, Lord Tao. I hope that the ceremony was in good taste.”

“It was marvelous. Best of luck to the new knights.”

“Your highness,” another man began to speak, “allow me to introduce myself. My name is Raphael. I am a diplomat from Celestia.”

One of the more powerful countries in Teyvat. Celestia is the largest, with the best army, the best scholars, the best anything. One thing that could not be understood is why Celestia would send a diplomat to watch a knighting ceremony.

“It’s nice to meet you sir, I wasn’t expecting so many diplomats to watch the ceremony, but I’m happy that you’re here nonetheless.” y/n gulped slightly, all of these people varied greatly in age from her. She was afraid that she may seem too much like a child in front of diplomats, or say something wrong.

“Aha, the king instructed me to come. Give his good graces to the new knights,” Raphael gave a smile, “You should visit Celestia one day, princess. It truly is a sight to be seen. One of the most beautiful kingdoms in Teyvat.”

“I’ve never been outside Khaenriah.”

“My, you must go then. When you think about it, write me a letter. I would love to escort you myself. The guards of Celestia will do the most to keep you safe, your highness-”

“It is not the responsibility of the guards of Celestia to ensure her highnesses safety.”

Dainsleif appeared from behind, cutting Raphael off.

“Ah, you’re the personal guard.” Raphael says.

“Lord Raphael, I think you are speaking to the princess too casually. She has duties to fulfill in Khaenriah, do not cloud her mind with some vacation topic in another nation.” Dainsleif narrows his brows at Raphael.

“Forgive me, your highness. I didn't mean to overstep.”

“No, no! You didn’t do such a thing, Dainsleif is just-”

“It is my duty to escort the princess, to ensure her safety. The knights of Khaenriah will do their duty, not those of Celestia.”

Raphael's smile faded, a straight line formed upon his lips. He bowed and began to walk away. Y/n stared in shock at what just happened. The rest of the group bowed as well and took their leave.

“You-why would you do that?” y/n asked, turning towards Dainsleif with panic in her eyes.

“He had no right to put those ideas into your head, you’re too young to be talking to diplomats who are more experienced than you.”

“I was trying to be nice to them! And they were nice to me, why did you have to be so rude about it.”

“Your highness, if I may. Kindness will only take you so far. Take this as a piece of advice, they should not be talking to you about traveling to a different country, especially when you’re this young.”

“Ugh, with a guard like you, it will be impossible to make friends.”

“With a guard like me, there won’t be an assassination attempt on your head.”

Y/n didn’t have any words left. She simply took a deep breath and walked away. It’s as if every encounter with him will end in nothing but worse feelings. 

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin fanfiction #dainsleif #dainsleif x reader #dainsleif fanfiction #royalty au #khaenriah #abyss

[bernadettelogue]

#27 - Reclaiming Your Power After Losing Yourself

3 fascinating things happen on our life journey that are integral parts of our soul path.

AWAKENING

DISSOLUTION

REBIRTH & RECLAMATION

AWAKENING

At some point in our life our soul stirs and we have an awakening. Our consciousness lifts. We start to realize there is something deeper, more meaningful, more divine and more infinite about who we are and what life is.

This will often send us on a path of spiritual growth, personal growth, and faith based living.

On the deep dive to explore all things spiritual and personal growth, it is almost inevitable that we begin to see things about ourselves and our life that do NOT work, that we don't like, things that we want to evolve beyond. 

That might include things like conditioning, limiting beliefs, fears, past pain and trauma, and societal norms. 

DISSOLUTION

And there is a very healthy, natural and important part of this evolutionary process whereby we "rub off the rough edges" of our small self. We seek to go beyond our ego, we want to rise above our mind noise, we want to go deeper into who we really are, and to transcend. We dissolve that which is not true about our core divine nature.

This process is magical, alchemical, beautiful and also can be very painful, confronting and sticky!

We are designed to let go of all that we are NOT, so we can find who we really are. It's natural to lose yourself (the parts that don't serve you), to find yourself (the true authentic soul Self you are). 

Unfortunately there is a trap that is common to fall into, in self help, personal growth, self improvement, spiritual development.... which is that we can get STUCK looping inside the "fixing myself" and "fixing my life" mode.

And... as we dissolve what we don't like or want to keep inside of us, we can also accidentally, at the very same time, start to lose all the parts of us that are soulful, vibrant, expressive and true!  

REBIRTH & RECLAMATION

We are are designed to awaken, dissolve what no longer serves us, and then... REBIRTH and RECLAIM our full divine power and bring forth the fullness of our soul Self.

We are not designed to stay down in the dissolution phase. 

If you feel that you have lost important beautiful parts of yourself along your life journey, parts of you that you haven't been able to bring forth as an adult, such as your gifts, talents, personal power and unique divinely designed strengths, then this episode is definitely for you!

It's time to say thank you and goodbye to the "losing yourself" phase, the "fixing yourself" phase, the "finding yourself" phase.

It's time to say hello to your RISING phase, for rebirth and reclamation of ALL your divine power, including merging the best of what you've learned in personal growth and spirituality, with the best of your HUMAN self (your personality, gifts, talents, strengths and innate traits), with the best of your SOUL self (your divine connection, your big heart, and your conscious awareness). Let's dive in!

  BOOK: Get the book - Your Soul Journey Simplified:

https://www.bernadettelogue.com/soul-book/

PROGRAM: Get started in the Soul Odyssey Program, with Live Support & Community:

https://www.bernadettelogue.com/soul-odyssey/

PRIVATE MENTORING/COACHING: Join me for 1:1 Spiritual Life Coaching. Visit: 

https://www.bernadettelogue.com/spiritual-life-coaching-mentoring/

CONTACT:

Email: [email protected]

IG: https://instagram.com/bernadette_logue_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BernadetteLogueCoach

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCc0aZECdd7ln-A6-U4f14tg

Checkout the new Practical Spirituality podcast episode!

#podcast #spirituality #soul #purpose #happiness #self help #spiritual #life purpose #soul purpose #life coach #inner peace #empowerment

[novankenn]

Unnatural (v2-Epilogue)

(Chapter List)

MATURE CONTENT WARNING : This story deals with some disturbing themes. Check the tags. IF any of these are triggers for you or will disturb you... then DO NOT READ!!

Using Anna’s abilities to basically step through walls, Jaune was able to procure a completely fresh set of clothing to replace his blood soaked ones. Anabel was still gushing over the pain she had unleashed upon Jacob Dahmer. She was particularly proud of ripping out a section of his spine, before in her final act tearing his diseased heart from his chest. Daisy they knew had been traumatized by viewing Annabel’s actions, but the young girl’s hate for Jacob gave her the strength to weather the display of brutality before relenting and calling Emergency Services.

It was about three days now, since the events of that night. Since, Jaune through Annabel had promised Terra revenge on the condition that she take care of Jaune’s mother. He had watched the news reports through the plate glass of a storefront window.

“An investigation into the death of prominent coach Alyssa Gacey continues. However, verified through multiple sources, and a press release from the agent of Pyrrha Nikos, it has come to light that Coach Gacey was a sexual predator, often taking advantage of her own charges. The charges she was entrusted to protect.”

“In an official statement, the Argus Police have confirmed that there are multiple allegations against the late Alyssa Gacey, some dating back over a decade. It was also announced that due to the violent nature of her Death that the Police are continuing their investigation under the premise that this was a revenge killing.”

“In other news…”

Jaune had to suppress a maliciously sadistic grin at that news. That vermin’s victims have gotten real justice, and any potentials from the future were now safe. Moving off, he made his way towards the airship terminals. He had a promise to keep, and even though it was going to empty his savings, he was going to see his word honored. Through a conversation with Annabel, they had come to the consensus that Vale would be the best place to flee to.

He was just in the process of purchasing his one way ticket when security arrived at the ticket kiosk. Jaune knew instantly that his mother had put out a missing person’s report, and that upon the ticket agent confirming his identity, security had been summoned. It seemed like overkill to have four officers arrive, but Jaune surmised with suggestions from Annabel that he had been listed as a runaway.

“You stupid idiot.” Jaune admonished himself under his breath. Just now, realizing that his age probably also prompted the notification to security. Unwilling to fight, or showcase any of his abilities against average people doing their jobs, Jaune with slumped shoulders allowed himself to be escorted away.

/==/

Jaune was literally choking under the combined pressure of hugs from his mother Saphron and his stepmom-to-be Terra. They were both openly sobbing, which was making it very difficult for Jaune to also not start crying.

“Don’t you ever do something like this to me again.” Saphron whispered into his ear. “You’re my most precious gift, I can’t lose you.”

“You are family to me too, Jaune… I love you just as mush as I love your mom.” Terra whispered into his opposite ear. “We’ll discuss things when we get home… but you’re coming home.”

“But…” Jaune was finding it hard to form any words or even rebuttals to their comments.

“You and Saphron are going to have to explain everything to me.” Terra continued to whisper, “I need to understand, and maybe then I can accept this…”

“And if you can’t?” Jaune whispered back.

“I don’t know, but I need to know everything first, and then we’ll cross that bridge.”

“Let’s go home.” Saphron stated with teary eyes as she released her son from her death grip. “Let’s go home.”

/==/ A/N : And with this Volume 2 is complete. After I do some working out a few things... namely how to justify Terra accepting/ignoring Jaune's activities, I'll work on Volume 3. Volume 3 will either be in Vale prior to Jaune's Beacon attendance, or a mix of Vale and his early attendance at Beacon. Anyway hope you enjoyed this, and if you think there is anything I could have improved upon, feel free to let me know.

#Discretion Advised - MATURE CONTENT #rwby #jaune arc #annabel #anna arc (OC) #saphron cotta arc #terra cotta arc #jaune is saphron's son #demonic possession #disturbing content #warning: implied/referenced incest #warning: implied/referenced rape #warning: implied/referenced child abuse

[athletenow]

If you are based in Toronto and looking for a Strength and Conditioning Coach, then look no further than Athlete Now. Check out Myles Asiedu-Nebeth's Profile and get booked in with him.

#Strength and Conditioning Coach Toronto #Strength and Conditioning Coach Nearby #Strength and conditioning coach #Canada #Find a strength and Conditioning coach #S&C #Sports performance

[allieebobo]

CT:OS Dev log

Tennis/Sports x Slice-of-life x College x Found-family x Coming-of-age

Demo | Features | Cast of Characters | Back to main post | Ko-fi

Wordcount: ~468k words with code (~100k words in a single playthrough)

CT:OS Update 1.0 (15 Nov ‘21):

Prologue—USTA U18 championships match semi-final against Rayyan

Summer before college—hang out with Sam

Move-in day—meet Mike (RA), some of your hallmates, and hang out with dad

CT:OS Update 2.0 (15 Dec ‘21):

Detailed player build—decide on your strengths, weaknesses, and overall playing style

Team introductions—meet the Cargill team

First day of training—strength and conditioning test, 5-mile run

Training snippets, team lunch—dance with Tobin, chat and listen to live music with Rayyan

CT:OS Update 3.0 (25 Mar ‘22):

Singles challenge match against last season’s No. 5 seed, Emerson

Hall party before freshman orientation begins—meet the French exchange student on your floor, and hang out with your hallmates

Rooftop scene with G

CT:OS Update 4.0 (28 Aug ‘22):

Freshman orientation—meet the rest of your hallmates, including your roommate, and play some icebreakers

Orientation activities—win the amazing race, and laser tag

Sign up for a club at the club and activities fair, pick a major

CT:OS Update 5.0 (16 Oct ‘22): 

Attend your first week of classes, and find out if you’ve done enough preparation not to make a fool of yourself (a surprise test...)

More training—get the chance to show off your finesse chops!—achieve the Devil’s Dozen

Challenge match with Jacks or Max

Find out if you’ve been selected to be part of the Cargill singles line-up—and which position you’ll be playing

CT:OS Update 6.0 (29 Apr ‘23):

Weekend hang-outs—head to the library with Tobin, go on a run with Rayyan, and skype with Sam

Meet Felix, Tobin’s ex, while hanging out in a café with G and D

Doubles matches partnered with Tobin and Rayyan—prove your chops as a doubles partner

Find out who your doubles partner will be (along with their reaction)—includes a potential angry locker room confrontation

CT:OS Update 7.0 (28 Sep 23):

Have dinner with Tobin after training—something steamy might ensue...

Bump into Rayyan in the tennis courts at night—resolve some issues, and get embroiled in others...

Convince the coaches to let you swap doubles partners (or stick with your original one)

Finalise your doubles partner for the season!

Study sesh with G at the Haynes student lounge before the first official match of the season

CT:OS Update 8.0 (21 Dec ‘23):

First doubles match of the season against Cornell

Sam reunion(!!)—bear hug your best friend at last

Possible fake fight with doubles partner (or a real one)

Post-double match shenanigan—seal your doubles match with a kiss just before the singles matches

Nickname functionality added to earlier portions of game

#CT:OS #college tennis: origin story #update log #developer log #admin #interactive fiction #if #full chapter list #demo chapters #demo outline #game outline #game challenge #main post

[mike-haters-dni]

Some S5 Ideas, Before Information Starts Coming Out etc, Pt. II

Part I | Part I.V

The pre-Hawkins Infiltration Training Arc begins after Mike notices Lucas training to avenge Max, and decides that would be a much better use of everyone’s time than sitting around being anxious for something to happen. He then gets everyone together and lays out the plan for becoming apocalypse-ready, which involves them organizing and working on relevant skills. Thus begins a rotation of scenes in which each of the boys leads a lesson in their specialty: Mike comes up with team-building and group operations exercises (assigning everyone clear combat roles, physical challenges that require teamwork, practicing stealth and silent communication though hand signals, etc), Lucas is the personal trainer/health coach and teaches basic hand-to-hand combat, Dustin teaches field medicine, survival skills, and anything relevant about the layout and state of Hawkins, El (in collaboration with Dustin) explains in detail how her powers work and where she’s at strength and skill-wise, and Will gives a run down of everything he knows about Vecna. Of course, everything we see them go over is foreshadowing for future events.

Lucas intercepts Mike and Dustin trying to eat snack cakes for breakfast like 3 times, also El gets her training arc after Dustin gets curious and wants to do some (completely voluntary and not similar at all to what she did at the lab, he assures both her and Mike) tests to get some data on how her powers work. This involves things like measuring how fast she can throw objects of different weights or how many pounds of force she can apply to a scale under different conditions. Seeing her powers quantified like this inspires her (perhaps in a negative self-critical way) to see how strong she can actually get through practice.

Since Mike and El are officially made group leaders, the rest of the party (mostly Dustin and Lucas) starts jokingly calling them Mom and Dad. Mike plays along and eventually starts referring to El as “your mother” when talking to them, which El eventually starts responding to. (lmao)

Also, whenever the group split up Dustin calls one team the A team and the other the B team. Mike eventually figures out why (A team is the team with El on it) and one time he calls his team the B team before Dustin does, which makes him very happy.

Also Mike and El get matching action ponytails, provided we can justify getting rid of Mike’s current bangs, which on the one hand are a staple part of his character design, but on the other hand he’s clearly in the midst of a style change so like there's precedent. Idk, I just can’t picture him trekking through the woods without his hair pulled up lol

The new human secret final boss antagonist is the DOE director lady (who I'm making up, btw) who funded Brenner’s project. At first she acts like she’s sorry about what happened with El and Brenner like she didn’t know what he was really up to, and she’s working to keep Sullivan from nuking El and the entire town, but after poking around some classified documents we find out she totally knew the whole time and actually gave Brenner more funding once he produced El and the only reason she’s protecting her is because she’s trying to get her investment back. She wants to either control El again or kill her if that's not possible. In a casual super villain speech she gives to Mike one night while smoking out of a window in a suspiciously empty hallway, she compares her to the atomic bomb or some super weapon that was created half-accidentally, except this super weapon is a maladjusted child with anger issues. She’s hurt people before and its only a matter of time before you end up dead too ooooh so give her back to meee. Mike (and everyone else) of course doesn’t buy this for a second (though there may be some moment where he has to pretend that he does to facilitate some desperate plan) and she and Sullivan get murdered in the end after our heroes betray them.

The reason Vecna goes dormant for such a suspiciously long time is because he was working on new monsters, including:

A mimic monster. Designed to weaken trust within the groups by making everyone paranoid that the teammate they’re talking to is actually a mimic, who just recently did a pretty good job pretending to be said teammates, save for the fact it eventually tried to kill them.

A super duper predator-type murder monster that’s nigh-unkillable except by like shoving an explosive down its throat. Like this thing shows up and the only thing you can really do is run and/or hide. It’s existence would really require someone in the main cast dying to it tho so we’re gonna call this a fun au idea :)

Through some Vecna mental space shenanigans, Mike gets to fight an evil doppelganger version of himself that represents his worst qualities and resulting self-hatred. Listen ok, it would be a great thematic final challenge to illustrate his character growth. Plus its not like, completely out of the realm of possibility, I mean, Vecna shows people their worst fears and shit in the form of other people so like if the person you have the biggest problem with is yourself then you would confront yourself. No one tried besting Venca in hand-to-hand combat to make him leave you alone, maybe that would actually work and also be really edgy and cool. Also, it would be a fun reference to everyone's favorite 80s video game, Persona 4—

Vecna is actually killed in the second to last episode, but uh-oh the gate is still open and the monsters are still fucking shit up. Turns out there’s a secret final thing we gotta do to actually end all this (Probably collapsing the upside down or whatever dimension the monsters are actually from). Idk if it’s really in line with the themes of the show, but I do really like the idea of things not ending with Vecna’s death because he already infected the entire upside down/hell dimension with his, shall we say “ideology”, so killing the one guy in charge is not enough to end the war. Its like a metaphor. Plus, that means we get both Vecna and the mindflayer as big bads.

The show ends with a cheesy-ass prom scene, followed by the kids riding out to a hill over looking the town and giving “I love you guys” speeches and getting ready to begin the rest of their lives <3.

#now i have no excuse not to write some scenes #:) #stranger things #st5 predictions #mike wheeler #el hopper #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #will byers #max mayfield #mileven #headcanons

[pcosdiva123]

PCOS Diet And Weight Loss in Us

Title: Empowering Women with PCOS: The Role of Diet and Weight Loss Strategies in the US by PCOS Diva

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) affects millions of women worldwide, with prevalence rates as high as 10% in some populations. Among the myriad of symptoms and challenges associated with PCOS, weight management and dietary concerns stand out as crucial areas of focus. In the United States, PCOS Diva emerges as a beacon of hope and guidance, offering invaluable resources and support for women navigating the complexities of PCOS, particularly in terms of diet and weight loss strategies.

PCOS Diva recognizes that diet plays a pivotal role in managing PCOS symptoms and optimizing overall health. With this understanding, PCOS Diva advocates for a holistic approach to nutrition that goes beyond mere calorie counting or restrictive dieting. Instead, emphasis is placed on nourishing the body with whole, nutrient-dense foods that support hormone balance, regulate insulin levels, and promote sustainable weight loss.

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In conclusion, PCOS Diva serves as a beacon of empowerment and support for women with PCOS in the United States, particularly in the realms of diet and weight loss strategies. By advocating for a holistic approach to nutrition, personalized meal planning, and embracing physical activity as an essential component of PCOS management, PCOS Diva equips women with the resources and guidance needed to thrive despite the challenges of PCOS. With a focus on empowerment, education, and community support, PCOS Diva continues to inspire and uplift women as they navigate the complexities of living with PCOS and reclaim their health and vitality.

#PCOS Diet And Weight Loss in Us #PCOS Medication in Us #Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Treatment in Us #PCOS Hormonal Imbalance Supplement in Us #PCOS Infertility And Pregnancy in Us #Youtube

[versary]

how did you get started with weightlifting/cross fit? I’ve never been an athletic person, and I had an ED that I would say I’m physically recovered from completely and so so mentally lol but it seems sooo intimidating. I started running casually (like my goal is a 5k) and I do YouTube videos but with very very light weights like 5lbs. how do you get to where you are? it’s so inspiring!

hello friend!! i think you're doing a great job and i think that whatever movement you're doing now is fantastic! i do also always love hearing from people who want to get super strong haha

i truly just went to a trial class at the crossfit gym and told the coach i'd never ever stepped foot in a gym in my life, and they were so helpful and kind and showed me how to do everything. i started from the VERY bottom - i also was still pretty deep in an ED and was incredibly iron deficient. i had no stamina and no strength, and i had to scale literally everything back! i also truly didn't think that i was 'athletic' - in high school i didn't like any of the sports on offer because my eyesight is so bad i can't really play ball sports. i'm a good swimmer and i danced all through high school up until last year, but it turned out that i'm actually naturally really strong and powerful; i just had to find the sport that was right for me! plus you're looking at (nearly) 10 years of consistent training, too, so i won't tell you it's possible in like 8 weeks haha

as for getting started - if you think you have a pretty good grasp of movements and you don't mind going to a gym and training by yourself, then megsquats on instagram has a really good program called 'before the barbell' that is a really helpful guide to progress from bodyweight to dumbbells to barbells. i use her strength program 'stronger by the day' and it's a very good program to get strong and build muscle mass - i've been using it since 2019. i have other recs too, if you would like more options.

if you think that you'd like to try crossfit and that group class vibe, then i reckon reach out to a gym close by and just chat to them! in my experience (as an athlete but also as a crossfit coach haha), the majority of crossfit coaches are very kind and patient and understand that it's pretty overwhelming at first. they'll take you through some on boarding stuff and will make sure that you're moving well and safely, as well as feeling comfortable. i started with crossfit because i knew that i needed a coach around to make sure i was doing the right thing, plus it meant that i didn't have to worry about finding a program or anything; i just rocked up and they told me what the workout was and how i was going to scale it, and i just had to do it haha (plus you get the benefits of like a readymade group of friends)

super longwinded answer but i'm really passionate about this hehe. if you have any more questions or want to chat or anything, please reach out! i'm a very qualified strength and conditioning coach so if you want a non-scary person to talk to before starting anything, please feel free to get in touch! 🩷

#crossfit #lifting #yeah babey get strong

[jaydemayo]

(Central Virginia Sport Performance The Podcast)

Season 4 Episode 16- Clare Kaufman Quebedeaux- “Be purposeful with not just what you’re teaching but also what you’re learning”

I am fired up to welcome Clare Kaufman Quebedeaux to The Podcast to talk about leadership and developing basketball players. Clare has had a really cool voyage that has brought her to Columbus to work alongside her first boss and mentor. Throughout the 30 plus minute discussion Clare and I get into:

1)    Being intentional in developing your staff in leadership

2)    A wake-up call that brought her to understand her role as a leader developing coaches

3)    Some unique aspects to their staffing system to help coaches grow professionally within the department.

4)    The importance of finding the right fit during the hiring process.

5)    How the transfer portal and foreign trips in the summer had a massive impact on summer training.

6)    Where the limitations to motivation have changed some of her perspective.

7)    Ways she has had success helping athletes who return from international competition to reintegrate into the team setting.

A huge thank you to Clare Kaufman Quebedeaux for sharing so much of her voyage through the coaching world. They have built a great system in Columbus for coaches to grow and develop and she was so kind in breaking down not just the X’s and O’s to it, but the thought process behind how it has evolved. Make sure you give her a follow-on Instagram at @ckarequib to keep up with all the things she’s doing. If you did enjoy the show please share this with a colleague. Lastly, if you haven’t subscribed to the show please do on your favorite podcast app, and if you would be so kind as to leave us a review, I’d greatly appreciate it.

Who is Clare Quebedeaux?

Clare Quebedeaux joined the Buckeye strength and conditioning program in 2017. Her core responsibilities include serving as the Facility Supervisor for multiple facilities as well as overseeing the Women’s Basketball and Men’s Golf programs.

Prior to Ohio State, Quebedeaux was the director of strength and conditioning at Southeastern Louisiana University, working with the football, basketball, women’s soccer, women’s tennis and men’s golf programs. She was also an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Temple University and the University of Hartford. She served as a graduate assistant for strength and conditioning while attending University of Tennessee.

Quebedeaux earned her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning from University of Wisconsin – La Crosse in 2010. She went on to receive her master’s in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Physiology from the University of Tennessee in 2013.

#SoundCloud #music #Central Virginia Sport Performance The Podcast