#and don't even get me started on how this positions boston as a person top thinks he can turn to to be honest with him

[sergeifyodorov]

hmm i was scrolling through Twitter earlier and as the designated leafs blog in my mind, what are your thoughts on fraser minten? like he’s so interesting to me because in the narrative i’ve created of him he was tavares’ fifth child but then was our balanced by knies being better, but then wjc happened and he still couldn’t crack it. now he’s on the blades (one of the best whl teams i think??) very interesting

NARRATIVELY he's definitely The Tavares Child -- okayyyy so. Sew. this New Generation of leafs (imho starting at Knies and including Easton Cowan as well as minten) kind of... each parallel a member of the Core: Knies is Auston's child (Arizona boy, big strong forward), Cowan is Mitch's child (London Knight, small winger with endless energy) and Minten is JT's child (Captain anywhere he goes, known for maturity and intelligence)... william child + morgan child ->

anyHWAY the real life scouting report under the cut (not too long i don't think)

Minten's a high second-rounder, which is the type of player that's generally designated as an "upper maybe" NHLer -- by which I mean odds-on he'll get NHL games (as Mints has) but it's less likely he'll become a serious full-time player (although many a second-rounder can and does do so!) The most interesting thing about his draft position was that the Leafs, under Kyle Dubas, traded DOWN to get him -- we had a low first-rounder, then traded it to Chicago to get rid of the Mrazek contract and got the pick that would become Mints in return. Many a source says that Kyle wanted Mints anyway and would have taken him with the first-round pick.

The general consensus is that Mints tops out as a middle-six centre, a 3C on a good team or a 2C on a worse one (or a 1C on the Boston Bruins.) His ceiling is probably about 40 or 50 points, maybe more depending on how much power-play usage he gets.

However, it's also noted (and was pretty obvious to me, even watching him at the WJC -- which I'll get to in a second!) that his real value is not and will likely never be in point production. He's a natural centre, good-to-great at faceoffs (a skill that he learned in part from JT!!) and very good defensively. Because he's still a kid, plays a bit physically and tends to be involved in the play at both ends, he probably takes a few too many undisciplined stick infractions, but these things of course can be straightened out with time and wisdom. Also, he's a touch of a personality hire: he was the youngest A on the all-timer Kamloops Blazers last year and was pretty much immediately named C after the Leafs sent him home this year; he was named captain of the CANADIAN WORLD JUNIORS team with zero other experience playing for Canada on the national level. He plays the piano! He's smart, polite, doesn't cause a fuss, wise beyond his years. Takes a guy far.

Anyway, the WJC: just an absolute hackjob by the coach and one of those years that really demonstrates that Hockey Canada still thinks it can get ahead by being Canada (the ol' throw bodies at the wall shtick) and not, like, because of its actual quality of development. I think bowing out when they did was a bit unlucky, but they absolutely were NOT primed to win it all -- especially because the coach basically seemed to have no concept of... line construction? or anything of the sort? Like he just tossed players together from a hat once (1) and decided they were just going to play out the tourney like that -- no real concept of "x is the playmaker, y is the shooter, z is the forechecker" or "these three are the transition line that take d-zone draws and use their speed to create rush chances/o-zone draws" or even something so simple as "this defensively-minded, slower centre is perhaps not the best match for the winger notorious for being opportunistic and shooty." Also, not to put too fine a point on it but a player can have a bad WJC and it doesn't mean anything, or a good WJC and it also doesn't mean anything -- Jesse Puljujarvi rose his draft stock by a good chunk in 2016 by having a FANTASTIC WJC, and he's currently on an AHL tryout. It's a small sample size, mostly played with teammates they barely know and against competition about a half-step up from what they're used to. Weird statlines happen.

Back to MINTS because we're still talking about him. Yess currently he's on the Blades -- traded from the Blazers because the Blazers are garbage and they want to Do Right By The Player and put him on a competitive team (done for two reasons: one, because it can be demoralizing to be the best player on a bad team, and two, because being on a good team in juniors often means you get actually good-for-your-development linemates and usage). He was generally not expected to make the Leafs at ALL this season (I mean, 20-year-old second-rounder, right?) and cracking the roster out of camp, even though he only got three games and has a rather blank statline is SUPER impressive. I'm pretty sure this is his last year of CHL eligibility, after which he'll probably either get put on the Marlies for a year to keep cooking or he'll make the Leafs again and stick around. Either way, he's slid twice I think so we burn a year of his ELC.

and my opinion of the boy? I love him. Let's go baby leafs baby leafs forevar

#asks #fraser minten

[savagebisand]

The girls are fighting but who brawled first and Who Makes Mew 180 Next Ep? From disgust and disbelief at Rays accusations to Confronting Top...

Seen a couple theories posited that the SandRay fight is actually before the RayMew fight and at first I was like there is no way buuttt now I'm thinking about it more I can see a scenario playing out

Imagine Ray is riled up by that point and hellbent on telling Mew what he discussed with Boston earlier, they argue about Rays choice to tell Mew what he knows about Top and Ton because Sand just seems the person to go that's only gonna make it worse, Ray is refusing to listen and Sand snaps with "can't you focus on me instead" and Ray who is now Decidedly Pissed Treble because Sand is not listening and agreeing, everyone is lying to his best friend and wants him to play along aNd Sand wants to ask him to pick right now to focus on their issues instead. This is quite frankly far too much for Rays smooth pretty rich brain to problem solve at once. He tells Sand he has no business in it and what even are they to each other anyway and when Sand can't really answer the question bc isn't that Rays choice, enough is enough. Sand is in his way and he's on a mission, so an already desperate and exhausted Ray shoves Sand aside. Literally. Goes in all guns blazing to tell Mew a truth he thinks Mew deserves because how can this possibly go wrong? Ray is being good. He is looking after the person he said he would save back.

Mew, on the other hand, does not want and is not ready for this truth especially not from a rowdy Ray who has always had an issue with Top and kissed him just last week anyway. This is jealousy talking right? What else should Mew think when Ray just told Mew he hasn't moved on from him in years and still loves him. Oh the tragedy. But oh the glee. Because if this is the case and Sand follows Ray back in to battle because FFS he's infuriating but he cant leave Ray in that state and seemingly picks Ray up from his mortal kombat style finish him blow from Mew (again literally and metaphorically). There is ample room for Sand taking a hurt and shell shocked Ray home and providing that oh so sweet hurt/comfort. Perhaps we will get SandRay patching bruises up together, finally. Perhaps they can finally have that communication they blocked off last ep. That is, ya know, before Ray realises without Mew as a bluff he might actually be allowed to love Sand and that's impossible, time to push Sand away with five times the force.

Sidenote: It is very interesting to observe that Nick is there as well. Now Sand did not shock me after all he's the bar singer and that is the bar, he may not be there for Mew but this is where we find Sand anyway when Ray isn't with him. But Nick? Nick has never entered that bar space before, in a way it hasn't tainted him the way it has all the others. It's another thing he hasn't been exposed to that sets him apart. But suddenly Nick is there in this world with the core four once again seeing different sides of them. Arguably, he has no business being there, he's not friends with them really and Boston has never made a point of showing him off before unless it benefits Ton to do so (e.g. the pool party where Nick was in charge of a specific job). He could be there for Sand which, again, is interesting.

Even more intriguingly, we can see Title's character in the background of the RayMew fight scene. Evidently, this character is significant somehow, enough to be in the opening credits. I'm very much side eyeing what his role is here and now of all moments. I do think there's a strong chance after Nick witnesses RayMews showdown, he takes it upon himself to confirm what Ray claims to Mew. I don't see Mew believing anyone else but someone seemingly inconsequential, with no reason to lie other than Nick. And we do have the TopMew fight in this ep as well so evidently Mew starts believing Rays talk at some point.

The only other possibility I could see right now is feral protective Sand trying to back Ray up, pissed as hell that Rays pretty face looks so beat up and devastated, by throwing an off hand comment out that makes Mew double take and realise Ray is telling the truth because again he approves of Sand, thinks Sand is lovely and doesn't see why he'd lie. Sand knows as much as Nick does so either of them have the potential to be candidates Mew would rather hear the hard truth from.

Then again, sometimes this show blindsides us into thinking there will be more drama than there really is. It's quite possible Mew only starts to believe what Ray claims because one of Tops ex flings crops up and gives mew some sort of vague warning that seems to corroborate things mew had already noticed and ignored and what Ray was accusing Top of. I'd rather it be Nick personally cause I love that crazy gone girl. But I do agree with others who have pointed out Mew and Ton have another confrontation later which is more likely to be about the cheating, in which case it makes sense for Nick to bite his tongue for now esp since Boston is currently where Nick wants and being more "coupley" toward him and if Mew and Top have relationship drama, it may only push Ton toward Top more again.

That does lead me to wonder if Sand being the one to back Ray up in this RayMew showdown and make Mew doubt Top where Ray couldn't is what prompts Nick and Sands fight where Nick claims Sand has embarrassed him and hurt his feelings and Sand argues why should you care, he's an asshole. I could see why Nick would be hurt and annoyed if Sand telling Mew causes issues for Nick and Ton because ya know Boston's in a pissy since Mew is off with him, Tops giving him shit since clearly Boston gave shit away and perhaps Sand even lets something slip like "just ask Nick" which is why HE personally is embarrassed cause now Ton is also onto him. Also Sand stands with the most to gain. It pushes Ray into his arms more to be there for him when everyone else is dismissing him, esp Mew and Sand doesn't like Top in the first place and knows Top has a habit of carelessly fucking other people and putting his feelings first.

But this is only friends, maybe in reality the argument RayMew have isn't even about Top anymore by the end of it, maybe what Ray tells Boston he knows which clearly makes Boston nervous has nothing to do with BostonTop at all. From the small snippets we have we truly have barely any context but these are some scenarios I'd like for the timeline of things.

#only friends #only friends the series #sandray #bostonnick #bostontop #mew only friends #raymew #this is literally me just waffling about ways the fights next ep could play out but it was fun djjd #i just think its intriguing mew suddenly has a change of stance and starts confronting top #in the same ep as he literally unleashes hells wrath in his fist on ray for slagging top off #like something or someone with more validity than ray to mew has to trigger the 180

[piedoesnotequalpi]

I’m apparently even bad at coming up with fake titles so based entirely on what I’m currently listening to: “anyway the wind blows” for the fake fic thingy!

Hello sorry it took me a little while to answer this; I was trying to come up with an idea and also wanted to make sure my answer to yours didn't suck. I even did an actual one-shot for this instead of a plot outline.

Anyway I have grad school on the brain since I just, y'know, finished with that. This would've been done earlier, but my parents roped me into watching a weird Australian sitcom. Enjoy!

The problem with meeting your girlfriend in grad school, Katherine had decided, was that when it came time to finish grad school and move on to postdocs there was no guarantee you'd end up in the same place as said girlfriend.

She and Sarah had applied to as many geographically convenient positions as they could find - they'd even applied to a couple of the same universities. But at the end of the day, Sarah's only offer had been at Wellesley, and now that Katherine had heard back from all her interviews, she only had one offer too...in Virginia.

Katherine knew being at UVA would be a great opportunity, and the contract only lasted three years, but it still meant three years away from the person that she knew at this point was the love of her life. Sighing, she opened a new tab to look at transportation options between Boston and Charlottesville.

We should've gotten married, Katherine thought bitterly. Postdoc positions weren't exactly known for offering spousal appointments, but she couldn't help thinking it would've somehow changed things. But between the amount of time she and Sarah had been spending on their dissertations and the enjoyment she got out of telling her parents she still wasn't married, they'd never found the time. She wasn't opposed to it, but she was definitely too busy.

She was comparing the academic calendars for her and Sarah's respective universities when she heard the door open.

"Hey," Sarah said. She kicked her shoes off by the door before she came into the living room and dropped her bag onto the floor. She threw herself onto the couch next to Katherine and kissed the top of her head. "You're home early."

"No office hours today," Katherine reminded her. "Thought I'd leave early and get started on dinner, but then..."

"You got distracted?" Sarah offered.

"Something like that," Katherine murmured.

"Distracted by - " Sarah peered over her shoulder - "Charlottesville, Virginia? You hate the south."

"At least Charlottesville still goes below freezing sometimes." Katherine knew she was avoiding the topic, but in all her browsing calendars and plane schedules, she'd forgotten about the most important part - actually telling Sarah they'd be spending the next three years in a long-distance relationship.

"Hang on a minute." Sarah elbowed her. "You got the UVA position."

Katherine looked down at her keyboard. "Yes."

"Katherine!" Sarah exclaimed. "You got a job! Congratulations!" She threw her arms around her.

"Well, yes, but - "

Sarah pulled away from her. "Yeah?"

"It's a nine hour drive," Katherine reminded her. "Or a plane ride. And it's - "

"And it's worth it," Sarah finished. "You're worth it. Unless you don't - "

"I want to stay with you," Katherine confirmed. "It's just...distance is hard. The last time I tried, it crashed and burned, and what if it - "

"It'll be different this time," Sarah said. "We know how to communicate, we already live together, and us being long distance has a set end date."

"Only if some university is willing to hire both of us," Katherine muttered. "Or two universities in the same city."

"Well..." Sarah smiled as she reached for her bag. "I'd been debating when I should do this, but I - " She pulled out a box.

"You - you - " Katherine couldn't get the words out.

Sarah dropped to the floor. "Yeah." She opened the box to reveal a small emerald ring. "I probably should've thought of something to say first, but - Katherine. I am so, so lucky to call you my girlfriend, and I don't care where I end up after Wellesley, as long as it's with you. Will you - will you marry me?"

Katherine placed her laptop on the cushion next to her before she stood up, pulling Sarah up with her. "Yes!" She stood on her tiptoes to kiss Sarah, only distantly aware of Sarah putting the ring on her ring finer. "Yes, I'll marry you."

"I was a little worried you'd say no," Sarah said sheepishly. "With your parents and all."

"I care about you more than I care about going against my parents' expectations." Katherine laughed. "Besides, our wedding doesn't have to be traditional."

"You know," Sarah said thoughtfully, "If we get married before we graduate, we could both become Dr. Plumber-Jacobs."

"The doctors Plumber-Jacobs." Katherine grinned. "I like it. Think we can plan a wedding in a month?"

Sarah pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Who said anything about us planning it?"

Katherine looked down at the screen to see that Sarah was composing a text to her brother and his boyfriend. "I like the way you think."

#asks #ask game #alex! #isabel.tex #my writing #newsbians #hope this is like...not awful #i don't have as good of a handle on newsbians' characterization/dynamic as i'd like #anyway one of my latin professors in undergrad had to do long distance with her husband while they were doing their postdocs #so it was really exciting for them when they were able to wrangle a spousal appointment at my school #anyway time to scroll aimlessly for a bit and then sleep #gotta get up early tomorrow to visit my friend's classroom and see how they do classroom management! #the learning-to-be-a-teacher grind never ends! #it's a good opportunity though i'm excited #also this was my first time writing a proposal scene be gentle with me #oh and for anyone wondering the sitcom is called fisk and it's very funny

[clonerightsagenda]

Jumping back into podcast posting with a pretty heavy one, but I was talking to someone about this phenomenon recently, and so I was thinking about how Greater Boston depicts Emily Bespin leveraging white womanhood.

To start with, I'm writing this from the position of being a dfab white person who society is going to read as female. There is a long history - continuing into the present day - of white women capitalizing on being perceived as vulnerable/delicate/innocent and using that to harm Black people, especially Black men, by casting them as dangerous aggressors. I could list several examples even from recent news stories.

Emily is a young white woman who runs a successful mayoral campaign relying heavily on racist dogwhistles and white resentment. She runs as the Red Line Bride - leaning into that pure, virginal image. She scapegoats a Black teenager to cast doubt on her opponent, his aunt. (I don't recall if she knew about the plan to frame Isaiah beforehand - either she was part of the plan from the start, or she saw a Black teen arriving at the scene of a crime and immediately named him as the likely culprit due to her biases). She calls people protesting her actions dangerous terrorists and wins votes from commuters and railway workers who are mad about being inconvenienced. Once she wins the election, she kicks people out of their homes and begins a coordinated plan to make the city unlivable for poor and working class citizens, many of whom are people of color.

Whenever anyone brings this up, Emily insists she's not racist. She's married to a Black man, after all! (Ethan interrupts to say he identifies as mixed race, but she talks over him.) She may genuinely believe she doesn't harbor any racial resentment. It doesn't matter. She is consciously using her racial position and racist stereotypes to manipulate people and secure power.

America has an (increasingly legislated) determination to view racism as an individual moral problem caused by 'bad people'. Characters like Emily are often portrayed as simple bigots. And there are plenty of those out there! There are also people who are genuinely clueless and benefit from education - American society is so segregated that some white people can get pretty far in life without ever really talking to a person of color. (And boy do our politicians want to make that even worse.) But there are also many people who know exactly what they are doing, and I think Emily is a great depiction of that. (And in turn how she is a miserable and isolated person who's being used by larger corporate and political actors, because people lacking support systems are more likely to get radicalized.) Racism isn't perpetuated just because people 'don't know better' or are 'mean'. Racism is a tool that benefits the people wielding it. Emily is chillingly familiar in a way some more over the top podcast villains aren't.

Given all that, it makes me distrustful of how to interpret her ongoing mental and emotional deterioration. Is she the neglected wife of an unloving husband? Or is she doing exactly what she has shown herself to be very good at? Emily isn't a character we get a lot of interiority from, so it's hard to say to what extent the listeners are also getting played.

#perpetual perpetual ladies night #cw for discussion of racism #greater boston

[whitewolfmoving]

Boston Burning Part Two

Explosion

Summary: Over breakfast, Nika recounts the events of the fire for Chris; afterwards, he reminds her that she is anything but useless.

Warnings: description of fire emergency, description of fire-related injuries, description of being trapped in a burning building, slight angst, description of non-sexual nakedness

Word Count: 2218

A/N: Chapter two is here! I had so much fun writing this chapter and developing Chris and Nika's relationship. For the sake of this part of the series, Chris and Nika's dynamic is just as important as Sebastian and Nika's dynamic. Happy reading!

Waking up in Boston the next morning was a breath of fresh air for Nika. While she couldn't get her mind off of the fact that she was out of work until her body healed, she had accepted the fact that she was pretty much on a paid vacation. And Chris had upgraded from his small studio apartment in downtown Boston to a fully furnished three-bedroom condo close to the firehouse since her last visit, so at least she wasn't putting him out.

It'd been days since she last talked to her brother, and Nika was more than content to continue her stay in Boston without his hovering. They had always been close, but Sebastian could be a bit overbearing at times, which was the last thing she needed right now. She wouldn't feel guilty for not checking in with him — she was a big girl,  she didn't have anything to feel guilty for...

The scent of fresh waffles wafted through the air, finally pulling Nika out of bed. She stretched, grabbed her hearing aids from the nightstand next to her bed and shoved them in the pocket of her pajama pants. No use putting them in before she was ready, sounds of the early morning were a little too  overwhelming for her and Chris knew sign anyway.

"Hey, there she is! Morning, Honeybee," Chris exclaimed once Nika had made her way downstairs. He pointed to his ear when she sat at the island across from him, she shook her head. He gave her a knowing smile. "I wondered when breakfast would get you out of bed."

"Not just any breakfast… I only get out of bed this early for your waffles." Nika laughed, stealing a strip of crispy bacon from the platter.

"How are you feeling? Sleep okay?" Leave it to Chris to make sure she was as comfortable as possible with her arm in a sling and bandages inhibiting movement even if it weren't.

She shrugged. "Slept okay for the most part, your guest bed is really comfortable. My wrist is sore but manageable, my shoulder and chest hurt more than I care to say."

Chris frowned. Nika was always an unstoppable, immovable force to be reckoned with; for her to admit to being in pain, even a little bit, things had to be worse than she'd originally let on. He took the last waffle off of the iron and set it on the platter with the others, then nodded to the dining table. "Go sit. I'll bring juice and your meds. Let's eat, then we'll see about relieving some of the discomfort on your chest and shoulder, okay?"

Nika had to hand it to him, Chris's hovering was much different than Sebastian's. Her brother often forgot that she was a grown woman who could take care of herself, that she didn't need him constantly looking out for her every second of the day like he had when they were kids. But Chris opted for a more hands off approach to everything — unless she outright stated that she needed help, he let her do her own thing for the most part. Coming to Boston was definitely the right choice.

As they sat down at the table, Nika slipped both hearing aids in and turned them on, setting the volume lower than usual since it would just be her and Chris. She took a deep breath and sighed, adjusting first thing was always the worst part. Once the ringing in her ears died down to where it was bearable, she smiled up at him.

"Why do you always make waffles and bacon my first day here?" she asked, dragging a strip of bacon through the syrup on her plate and plopping it in her mouth.

"Why do you always defile my prize-winning bacon like that?" Chris countered, scrunching his nose up in mock disgust.

"Because you make that face right there," she said, giggling around a mouthful of warm waffles.

"Because you smile that smile right there," he replied sincerely.

They'd had that conversation a billion and one times before, and each time their answers were the same.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Chris waved to get her attention. The distant look in her eyes told him that she'd been somewhere else, and he could already guess where. He poured a glass of orange juice and handed it over to her along with the medication she needed to take that morning.

"Do you wanna tell me about it?"

"Would you believe me if I said I don't?"

"Nope. You forget I know you just as well as Seb does. So, come on, out with it."

Nika exhaled deeply. "Dispatch routed Squad, Truck, and Engine to a four-story house fire on Main. By the time we got there, you just knew we only had enough time to get everyone out before the flash. Mackie and Nova went to vent the back and clear downstairs, I went up to the top. The main floor was clear, the second floor had two. Mackie got them out and I kept going to the third floor, it was also clear. Finally reached the top floor and called out, the smoke is so thick by this point that I can't see not two feet in front of me."

"Why didn't you wait for Mack or Seb?" Chris asked. He could tell where the story was headed before Nika had even started speaking again; a burning desire to kick the ass of whoever had done this to her welled up in his veins, but he held it at bay so she could finish.

"Sebastian was off for the night. We had to clear the building before the ceiling came down, Chris. What else was I supposed to do?" She wished he wouldn't look at her like that. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and continued. "I cleared the front bedrooms, the nursery, the bathroom. I kept calling out but no one responded. I made it all the way down the hall, the heat was unbearable, the smoke was dark and bitter. I could see just enough, and I only had one more room to clear when Chief Jackson made the call to evacuate, saying it was gonna come down. You don't have to tell me twice, you know? Me and Bas have been in enough flashovers to know when to get the hell out of Dodge.

I turned to leave, head back the way I came when the door to my left burst open. A body landed on top of me out of nowhere. He just kept shouting at me, saying someone had to pay for ruining his plan and that it was my lucky day. I kept trying to get him off of me but he wouldn't budge, he just kept looking up at the burning ceiling and counting down. He grabbed my helmet, my mask… I couldn't breathe, I couldn't call for help."

Chris reached across the table and took Nika's hand in his, giving her an encouraging squeeze. There was so much he wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come.

"The only thing I remember before waking up in the hospital is the whole thing coming down on top of me. I blinked and the guy wasn't there anymore; it was just me, alone, under piles of burning debris. I could feel the flames eating through my gear, burning away my skin. And I couldn't do anything except lay there helpless. Just before I blacked out I heard Bas calling me."

"What did he say?"

"What he always says whenever I'm too far away, Întoarce-te la mine, Micuță. And then I woke up in the hospital with a broken wrist and second-degree burns on my shoulder and across half of my chest. If anything else happened between the house coming down and me waking up in the hospital, I don't know."

Chris's fingers opened and closed around Nika's. He didn't have the words to express the mix of emotions running through his body, all he knew was that he wanted to get his hands on the man from the fire and make sure he didn't get to walk away again. He blew out a long breath and looked across the table at her.

"You can stay here for as long as you need to," he offered.

Nika stood, awkwardly clearing the empty plates from the table with one hand. "Thanks. But I don't know how to do this. I'm a firefighter, I don't know how to just be a regular person. Right now, I'm completely useless."

Chris couldn't believe what he was hearing. The pain etched on her face and laced in her voice was unbearable. He wanted nothing more than to take it away, and give her back that sense of purpose she always found in her career, but how could he? Until she'd fully healed, there was nothing anyone could really do. He couldn't imagine the thoughts going through her head.

He took the plates from her hand and set them in the sink, then led her from the kitchen to the bathroom. He may not have been able to change what happened, but he could help her relax.

"What are you doing?" Exhaustion settled deep within Nika's bones. It'd been the first time she'd told anyone what all she remembered from the fire, and she couldn't help feeling like she had screwed up somehow. Why else would someone have been able to get the jump on her so easily? Why else would she have gone down without a fight?

Chris stepped up behind her, positioned her in front of the mirror, and gently pulled her hearing aids from her ears. When she protested, he held his hands up signaling her to wait.

"The woman standing in front of me is far from useless." He grabbed the hem of the t-shirt she'd worn to bed, gently lifted it over her head and carefully pulled it from her injured arm. The unsightly bandages stuck out on her chest like a sore thumb, and he watched as she wrinkled her nose at her reflection in the mirror.

He slowly pulled the bandages away, the skin underneath was raw and bruised. She stood before him half-naked, a look of annoyance clouding her amber eyes.

Chris gently washed over the back of her shoulder and across the right side of her chest with warm water, careful not to agitate the wound too much. Nika's skin was warm to the touch, he often said it was because she had fire in her veins. He looked at her in the mirror as he rinsed the soap from her chest. "She's strong, she's courageous, she's stubborn, she's wild, she's a total badass."

Nika snorted, rolling her eyes. The burn would leave behind scarring along her collarbone, breast, and shoulder blade. Nothing about her currently seemed anything like what Chris had described. "Don't be stupid, Evans."

"I'm serious." Chris used a clean piece of gauze to pat the area on her chest and shoulder dry before bandaging it up again. He moved her hair off to the side and kissed the top of her head. "I see the woman who survived a freak accident, I see my best friend. She may be a little broken, a little bruised, a little scarred. But you are anything but useless, Nik. And you'll get through this."

"Being a firefighter is all I am, it's all I have," she explained sadly. She put her hearing aids back in and followed Chris from the bathroom.

"Somehow I don't think that's right, Nik. That's not all you are."

"And how would you know? You've never done anything else a day in your life either, Chris! You live and breathe being a firefighter just as much as I do."

"Maybe. But you're also my best friend, you're Sebastian's annoying kid sister. And you're a great chef, for one. You have other things you like to do in your down time. It's not the end of the world."

"Those are hobbies. Firefighting is my life. Without it, I'm nothing."

"You're talking as if you've already been told not to go back."

"We both know Bas won't want me to go back. The call was too close."

Chris sighed and pulled Nika into a hug. He didn't have the answer this time, but he wouldn't leave her to figure it out on her own.

Nika thanked whatever god was listening that she'd cried out all of her tears in the hospital bed. And maybe Chris was right. Just because she couldn't work right now didn't mean she wouldn't ever work again. And maybe the time off would do her some good, give her a chance to see what else was out there beyond the fast-pace of firefighting.

But when she thought of what the future had to offer her outside of the firehouse, that scared her more than rushing into burning buildings did. Firefighting lived in Nika's veins.

"Hey," Chris stepped back so he could look her in the eyes. He brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead and smiled. "Whatever happens back home, you know you always have a place here at 64."

Till The End of All Things Taglist: @arrowsandmixtapes @pinknerdpanda

#boston burning #sebastian stan fanfiction #chris evans fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #firefighter au

[genevievemd]

'Broke'

also do you have an angsty one shot in which there is no relationship problems between Ethan and gen (i.e. they should be a couple in it), just general sadness.

The reason I ask is because our uni surprised us with exams dates and they are A LOT sooner than we expected and I need a good cry

If you don't have it don't worry or write one on account of me

You can also light my way towards a good cry fic or movie

Broke “That's not the kind of tired I meant. Have you talked to Ethan since he broke things off?”

Send me a word, if it’s in my wip document I’ll answer your ask with the sentence that it appears in.

As for the rest of your ask, I have a couple WIPS but none that are near ready to be posted. BUT I adore you, so I’m gonna give you the super rough draft of one of the 50 ILY prompts that I think falls under what you want. 

But be warned, when I say rough, i mean rough. Like its half actually written and half shit sentences to get my point across before I go back and actually write them lol (under the read more)

She thought she was safe from him. Miles and years away from his taunts and games and tear downs. Never in a million years did Genevieve expect her ex to show up in Boston, Edenbrook no less. Her safe place. 

The darkness of the on-call room does little to ease herI h anxiety, stop the tears from falling and her chest constricting. Her eyes are still trained on the far wall, counting the minutes until her break is over, and she has to return to the demons of her past. 

Ryan Ozwell was the last person she ever expected to see again. Boston is a far cry from UPenn, 

No part of her wanted to tell him about her life and she was doing a fairly decent job at keeping the specifics from him. Until the moment Ryan asked if she was seeing someone. 

The smug, condescending look on his face like an echo from their past. His favorite insults repeating themselves over and over again in her mind. 

You’re worthless

You’re nothing

No one could ever love a piece of second class, backwater trash like you. 

So she gave in, against her better judgement, and told him she was with someone. That they were a doctor at the hospital but nothing more. But that was all he needed to break her down again, laugh in her face at the supposed absurdity that a fellow doctor would find her worthwhile. 

And In the hours between his admission and her later check in, Ryan had somehow figured out that Ethan was the man she was with, and it was like the gates of hell had opened. The fire in his eyes something unearthly, his words dripping with a deadly venom that paralyzed her. 

You’re still trying to date above your worth. 

How can you still be so naive? You really think he loves you? 

You’re a game to him, just like you were with me. Men like us get off on seeing how far we can string the pretty little thing along. 

I bet you only have the position you do because you’re sleeping with him. You were always a good fuck. 

It’s a shame you took that spot from someone who actually deserves it. 

She never showed him that it was getting to her, she kept the emotions at bay until she took her break. And went to an on call room to cry in the dark. 

She hates herself for still being affected by him, almost 9 years after they’d broken up and even after finding Ethan. 

She sees the door open, quickly shutting her eyes to make it look she’s sleeping. She hears the door shut with a soft click, the lock is turned and then slow measured footsteps walking towards her. 

Something in her tells her it’s Ethan and she’s proven right when he sits on the edge of the cot - placing a hand on her back, his fingers lightly caressing her.

Slowly Genevieve opens her eyes, but keeps her gaze trained on the invisible hole she’s been burning into the wall, afraid to see the look on his face. 

Ethan leans forward and wipes a tear from her cheek. His fingers linger on her skin before brushing a piece of hair behind her ear.He returns his hand to her back, running it up and down her spine. she can see him look at her with concern. Gen swallows back tears and reaches for his other hand, holding it tightly, but doesn’t look at him. 

After another moment, Gen takes a deep breath and turns her head to finally look at him. He gives her a reassuring smile, his face still full of concern. 

“I’m fine.” Her voice is barely above a whisper, still hoarse from crying 

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Gen.”

“I know that.” 

“Let me help.” 

She starts to tear up again and shakes her head. She bits the corner of her mouth and closes her eyes for a moment then looks back at the floor. 

“Don’t shut me out, Genevieve. Talk to me.” 

She half laughs, looking up at him with a faint smile. 

He leans in closer, placing right hand behind her and the fingers of his left hand brushing through her hair. 

“What did he say to you?” 

“How did you…” 

“I walked by his room and he very loudly yelled that he knew who I was. So I went to check his chart, saw the name and then immediately went to find you.” 

Gen sits up a little and Ethan moves his hand from her hair to her cheek. 

“Why didn’t you tell me that he was your patient? I could’ve gotten you off the case without anyone asking questions.” 

“Because you have enough to worry about. You’re the head of an entire department. Between that and Leland, Terrance and the construction, the last thing you need is a 3rd year resident crying to you about a difficult patient.”

“Genevieve…” Ethan leans forward and presses a loving kiss to her forehead. “You’re not just a resident, you’re my, as much as I hate such a juvenile term, girlfriend. Regardless of what’s going on, or how busy I am, you can always, and should always, come to me with whatever’s troubling you.” Ethan moves back to look into her eyes, “I know we try to keep the line between our work and private lives rather clear, but this is one of those times when that line should be crossed. Ryan Ozwell, isn’t just a random patient who’s being particularly difficult, he’s your borderline abusive ex. You should’ve come to me the minute you got his chart. Not just as a resident but as my girlfriend as well.”  

“You wouldn’t have been mad? I was worried you’d think I was being weak or something.” 

“Oh, I am mad, believe me. I’m irate, but not at you. Do you want me to take you off the case? Just say the word, and I’ll hand it over to a different resident or an intern. Preferably one of the less competent ones. Who’s caused the most trouble this week, it’s been awhile since I’ve given a good shake down.” 

Gen laughs, moving her hand to his chest. She fiddles with the lapel of his white coat, “No, I…” She looks down at her hand before looking back at Ethan, “I need to do this.” 

“You are absolutely certain?” 

“Yes.” She smiles softly, “You don’t need to protect me.” 

“I’m well aware that I don’t need to, Gen. I know you are more than capable of fighting your own battles, but I want to.” He strokes her cheek with his thumb, catching a wayward tear in its path. “Let me be there for you, the way you’ve always been there for me.” 

She nods

“How much time is left on your break?” 

Gen reaches for her phone, “A little over ten minutes.” 

Ethan takes off his coat, and loosens his tie. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Scoot over.” Gen does as he says but starts to cry again when she realizes he’s going to lay on the cot with her. 

Ethan lays down, leaning against the bed frame. Gen immediately wraps herself around him - practically lies on top of him. Her head is on his chest and her arm around his waist. Ethan holds her tightly, their legs tangled together. 

Thinks about how gentle and loving Ethan is, compared to her ex, how her safety and comfort are always his number one priority. How he makes her feel like the most precious thing in the world to him. How safe she feels when she’s in his arms. 

The moment is cut short when the timer on her phone goes off, Gen untangles herself enough to grab it from beside the pillow. She looks at it with a frown then looks at Ethan.

“Breaks over. I should go see if his test results are back. The sooner I figure out what’s wrong with him, the sooner he leaves.”

Gen gets up and stands, Ethan gets up as well. She hesitates, her hands shaking just the slightest bit. He steps forward to kiss her forehead, running his hand down her arm in comfort. 

“I’m coming with you.” 

“Ethan, really, you don’t -” 

“I’d like to see him try and say something while I’m in the room. He so much as looks at you the wrong way and -” 

Gen cuts him off with a kiss, leaning up on her tiptoes and holding his face in her hands. He immediately wraps his arms around her waist, holding her close. Her eyes start to water at his gentleness, never taking more than she offers. She pulls back after a moment, and looks in his eyes. They haven’t said “I love you you” yet but the way he’s looking at her says everything she needs to know. Ethan loves her more than anything. The thought makes more tears settle in her eyes and Ethan takes his hand off her waist to wipe them away. Her eyes flutter close at his touch and she leans up as he leans down, meeting her halfway as their foreheads touch. “I am so incredibly thankful for you, I…” 

“I know. I feel the same way about you.”

They share a knowing smile before fully leaving each other arms and heading for the door. ‘

I hope this helped. I promise to actually finish it at some point lol

Also, I can’t think of any movies to cry to atm. 

#ask games #fireycookie #asked and answered

[rebelcap]

We are not just friends —Part 7

Chris Evans x bi!latina!character (Sofia is a people of color, she's brown.)

Chris and Sofia meet when their best friends started dating, it all started at friends with loads of bumps on the road.  

Warnings: drinking, smoking, drug use (weed), assault, Chris being Steve Rogers, commitment issues, my girl Sofia kinda messy, lots of fucking (eventually) 

This is slow burn at its best, at least emotionally. 

Series masterlist

Part 1 — Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 4 — Part 5 — Part 6

This part contains smut ahead.

Chris was pacing on the hotel room, possible scenarios running on his head about what will happen with Sofia. He was… nervous.

“Why are you pacing like an old man?” Sofía asked him as Chris took a step backward, surprised.

“I always forgot you're so goddamn sneaky. Jesus Christ.” He put a hand on his chest and sigh, Sofía laughed taking off her backpack and hoodie.

“I'm sorry.”

“Yeah, I'm sure your sorry.” He smiled, knowing the pleasure she had on doing this on everyone. Sofía laughed as she grabbed the menu beside the tv.

“Don't know about you, but I'm kinda hungry.” She was looking at the menu that disappeared from her hands as Chris take it and put it back. She just kept looking at the empty space.

“Sofia,” Chris scold her as she puckers her lips, playing dumb and Chris laugh. “You don't make this easy.” He rubs his face and now she laughed.

“Okay, okay—” She took a deep breath. “Let's just get over with. I kissed you, pretty much I was ready to—you know, that. Thoughts?”

Chris stared at her and they started laughing again.

“Well, I kissed you back and I already told you that I wanted to do that since I meet you. thoughts?” He played along.

“Okay, being honest to… I kinda wanted it too.” She scratches the back of her neck. “Alright, now what's next?”

“I still want you.”

Sofía stare at him, some part of her didn't believe it—he's too good, he's… Chris. He's freaking hot as hell—he's. Are you stupid Sofia? Jump his fucking bo—

“Me too.” She frowns taking a step forward and kissed him, Chris waste no time and grabbed her by the back of her thighs and wraps her legs around his waist, walking towards the bed, and laid them on them, softly. Chris was grinding against her as they kissed, Sofía was pulling on his sweater until he obliged and take it off.

"Jesus fuck Chris," She looked down at his chest, abs—he was an actual Adonis, Dorito Adonis. "You have amazing tities." Sofia cupped them and Chris laughed, he laughed out loud distracting him from the task on hand.

"You're such an idiot," He pressed his lips as she smiles. "God, I adore you." Chris smile as he kept kissing her, his hands started

"You're a dork," He smiled and kissed her, lips pressing down on her as she meets him with the same passion. Sofia felt like her whole body was electrified, finally, the year-long tension pent up, it makes everything so intense.

Chris took charge as she kicked her legs out and grabbed his face to kiss him deeply. "Take it off," She murmured referring to her clothes. Chris let her go and first took off his own shirt with a swift move.

"Fuck," Sofia bit her bottom lip looking at his body, the orange light from the lamp just gives him that soft glow. He's fucking perfect.

He unbuttons her jeans and pulled them down including the panties and started running her lips on her calves and went down to kiss her once again, his hands went straight under her shirt and pulled it off and as soon it was discarded his mouth went to her breast, sucking them off.

"That piercing is so fucking sexy," He said leaping at the little silver as Sofia just shudder, she was a weak bitch for a good titty kissing. He pulled the cups of her bra up and grab them both to press her into his face.

Sofía was watching him, lip caught between her teeth and running her hands through his hair. Chris looked up as he kept kissing down, she nods at his question.

He runs his nose down her stomach and kissed her in es thighs, Sofia closed her eyes and gasp as soon his tongue lapped on her pussy, his beard felt so good against her.

Chris wrapped his arms around her legs to keep her in place as she started to move, moans escaping her lips.

She could feel every lick, every little caress of his beard, his hands pressing down on her flesh.

"Jesus Christ," She moaned, getting a hold of the sheet as he kept building up—taking his time, flicking her clit faster when she moved. "Fuck, fuck" She moaned feeling that builds upon her belly. "Don't you fucking stop," Sofia panted as Chris sucked faster.

Chris pulled his hands and grabbed her ass, burying his face in her pussy.

"You wanna cum?," He asked looking at her face as she trembles with pleasure.

"Fuck, yes,"

"Yeah, baby? all over my face?" He practically grunted as he buried his face again.

"Please," She grabbed his hair and he groaned. "Chris," her moans got louder and suddenly she went silent as her body started shaking, extending to her legs. "Oh my fucking god,"

Chris chuckles as she breathes heavily pushing him away.

"You okay, baby?"

"Yeah, just," She breathed and smile. "that was fucking intense, you eat pussy like a lesbian." She rubbed her face and chuckle, still riding out her orgasm.

Chris lean on again and started kissing her again and Sofia wrapped her legs around his waist, with one hand he undoes his jeans and started pulling them down and Sofia grabbed his dick and he gasps, he was hard and she had to peak down.

"Well, fuck," She blinked and then looked at Chris.

"What is it?"

"I just haven't had like, dick like for two years and you're big as fuck." She pointed out and Chris sat down on his heels.

"Hey, we don't need to do anything if you're not–"

"No fucking way, you're fucking me." She pulled her on her again and Chris laughed.

"Just, hold on," He said grabbing his pants again and pulled out a condom, he slides it on his shaft and grabbed her legs and position himself on her entrance and slide a bit. She nod as Chris looked at her. "Fuck, you're so fucking beautiful like this,"

"Yeah?" She asked gasping when feel Chris bottoming her. "So good."

"Yes, baby. Fuckjbg gorgeous," He kissed her and asked her, with his lips on her. "You good?"

"Move," Sofia bit her lip as he started moving and she felt the tightening on her stomach, she was cumming again. Chris thrust speed up as he fucked her through her orgasm.

Sofía was in a literal paradise, how the fuck she doubted for a second there was beyond her now, this is the only men that had her cumming and cumming all over again. He was relentless and sweet.

His thrusts became a little sloppy as he was about to finish.

"Harder," She murmured as Chris kept kissing her neck. His skin was flushed his face red as he was cumming, grunting, and grabbing her legs with force as he piston inside of her.

Holy shit.

He collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily as she wraps herself around him. He kissed her, slow, looked at her, and push her hair off her face.

"Hi," She smiles biting her lip.

"Hey," Chris smiles still caressing her face. "Come here," He kissed her again.

Chris woke up to an empty bed, the sun pouring through the white curtains and no sign of Sofia. He rubbed his eyes and sat down on the bed and let out a tentative. “Sof?” but, no answer. He grabbed his phone and there was a text from her.

I had left super early, we went to some warehouses trying to find a place to the brewery, I didn't wake you cause you look too damn cute.😚

Chris snort and quickly answered her back as he leans on the headboard.

You should have, so I could kiss you goodbye. I better head back home to feed Dodger, imma see you today?

You're so fucking corny, Christopher. Jesus Christ. Yeah, I guess. Don't know when I'm going to be free thought, I'm swimming on papers right now. I'll let you know

You like it corny, baby.😚 Alright, Hon. Is there anything I can do?

If you can convince Ron to hire another person to help us here—I'll gladly let you fuck me in the ass.

If that ain't an incentive, gimme Ron's number.

Boy, if you pull this off. I'll buy the lube myself—I'm ready. Cause he's a cheap fuck.

He laughs again and called the number she attached to the text, Ron quickly picked up.

Sofía didn't expect him to actually call her boss, right here right now. Ron was pacing on the parking lot of the diner they went in, kept glancing at her.

Get that 🍑 ready for tonight.

Ron walked back inside and sat down in front of her.

“Is really Captain America your friend?’

‘Chris? yeah.’ Sofia answered. ‘He really likes your beer—

‘Yeah, he said that—wanted to work with us as long we always send them a beer as to hire you an assistant.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Chris.” She laughed. “You know how expensive Chris is? you could easily hire like an assistant and a lawyer for all the permit shit the city of Los Angeles are marking our lives a living inferno.”

“Yeah, yeah—you're right,” He said grabbing some papers from the table. “I gotta go back to Boston, we need to close this deal as soon as possible. Can you manage here? hire the help you need.”

“Ah, yes. yes sure.” She couldn't help but smile, Ron stubble around and put some money on the table and then walked off but two steps in he turned around and pointed a finger at Sofía making her raise her brows.

“I'm giving you a raise.”

“Really?”

“You kidding? least I can do after this—my kid is going to flip out…” He said now and actually walked away, what she didn't count on was that she was stranded on here now.

“Great.” She said looking at the rental car speeding away.

So, it worked. You pulled it off, dude.

Don't you know who I am?

I didn't peg you like the name-dropper, Evans. You doing anything? Ron left me kinda stranded here.

For you I am. I'll pick you up, where you are?

Sofía texted him the address and kept working on those papers until Chris arrived. Even that her mind keeps replaying last night events—couldn't believe they actually did it and it was better than both expected.

“Hi, gorgeous.” Chris suddenly appeared to kiss her fully on the lips. Sofía was taken aback as she looked around the dinner. No one seems to give a shit.

“Hey,” She laughs as he seated himself on the seat in front of her. “Did you feed the little beast?”

“Yeah, he shit on the house—my bad, for leaving him alone last night but he did it on the bathroom.” He said.

“Aww, he tried,” Sofía put a hand on her chest. “He's such a good boy, you're very lucky.”

“Yeah, he's so precious and sleeps on my pillow and uses everyone as pillows.” He said, bashing smile as he speaks of Dodge.

“Its the perfect dog for you, since you're a Labrador.” She laughs picking up the papers from the table.

“A labrador?” He laughed.

“Yes, we had this conversation with Mandy that we compared every one with dogs—we were like super high on edibles.” She chuckles. “And she's a puddle and I'm a chihuahua, Luke's a Doberman and you're a Labrador.”

“You as a chihuahua is accurate.” He agreed.

“I know, I bite.” She winks at him and Chris bit his lip. “Ready to go?”

~~~

Thanks everyone, sorry for the delay!

Hope you guys liked it!

Tag list:

@letsdothemonstermash

@lunaticbarnes

@firstangeldragonranch

@lovepeacefood

@thegirlwithpaperheart

#chris evans #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x female reader #chris evans x latina! #chris evans x poc!reader #chris evans x y/n #chris evans fluff #chris evans x ofc #Chris Evans fanfiction #Chris Evans fic #chris evans x original female character #Chris Evans x Sofia #Chris x Sofia #My fic

[dreamofawonderfullife]

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir: "You don't get through an Olympic season without tension"

The Canadian couple started their Olympic season with the Autumn Classic International and won. Then they danced at their first grand prix assignment, Skate Canada and not only won again, but also set a record score. At the post event press conference Scott explained that they had been a bit nervous, because the choice they made for their free program [set to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack] has a personal connection for them and they really wanted it to translate to the audience and judges. It turns out it did and that promises well for the upcoming NHK Trophy, as well as the rest of the season.

Taking a break after the last Olympics the couple is back on the scene since the last competitive season. Just one day after gaining their third World title, they attended a group interview. They are punctual, polite (when they noticed there were less chairs than journalists, they immediately offered their own chairs for the journalists until their press manager found more chairs in the Helsinki mixed zone) and extremely professional. Some athletes mistake professionalism for saying long but empty sentences with a committed facial expression, however, this is not the case with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. They think about their answers, they don't avoid the unpleasant questions, but they don't miss any chance to say something funny.

You changed your coaching team before your competitive comeback. What has it brought to your skating?

Tessa : I think it was certainly time for a fresh environment, a new energy. We have had, sort of, three phases in our career. One was the inception, the first seven years of our career, and then ten years in Michigan was the next chapter. So I think it was a natural evolution for us to make a change. The dynamic Marie-France [Dubreuil], Patrice [Lauzon] and Romain [Hageenauer] have developed is incredibly unique. Technically they are so strong, so they helped us to raise our level technically and keep up with the top teams, which we needed in this comeback. There is also a vision of melding the artistic part with that, and making sure that we are also telling a story with those elements and transitions.

Did it add something specific to your skating, something that you didn't have before?

Scott: It's hard to say. We've always tried to improve our skating, throughout our career. They just have the whole package, so they helped our skating in many ways. They are so supportive, they are coaching with their hearts, so we feel very connected to them.

Previously you trained together with your biggest rivals Meryl [Davis] and Charlie [White], now you train with your biggest rivals again, this time Gabriella [Papadakis] and Guillaume [Cizeron]. What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a situation?

Scott: We see very little disadvantage, to be honest. We love training in places where there is a high energy, we find it motivating every day. The trickiest part is the competition, because often you are back to back to back [in starting order], and I think it's harder on our coaches than it is on us. The biggest advantage of training with Gabriella and Guillaume is getting to see them everyday - they are pushing and inspiring us. While we really try to focus on ourselves, it's nice to have this motivation we found with Meryl and Charlie and now we find with Gaby and Guillaume.

Do you remember the first day you met each other?

Scott: Not really.

Tessa: I don't remember it specifically. I guess it was at the first summer skating school that we did together. He played a lot of pranks on the girls.

Scott: That was the best part!

Tessa: And we had really intense ping pong tournaments.

Scott: I think lot of skating fans would laugh if they saw us in the first five or six years. It's funny to see young kids coming to the sport now, they are so serious. We never really had that, we always loved skating, we always wanted to be the best, but we were not so serious.

How has your relationship changed through the years?

Scott (laughing): Which chapter do you want to hear?

Tessa: It's changing even week by week. Not unlike many other teams we have to work very hard and we are grateful that we have such a solid foundation. We appreciate one another in a great sense of respect, but we are continually working on our communication, making sure that we are always working effectively together and we are supporting each other appropriately. We just try to raise that level. Because the stronger we are as a unit, the stronger our skating is.

At the Worlds we saw some mistakes in the ice dance competition. How hard is ice dancing compared to  single and pairs skating?

Scott: A lot of the pressure in the ice dance comes with the moment you want to create. We try not to let it affect us, but mistakes do happen. It also shows how demanding the elements are. It was a odd night for a world championships, but we relied on our training and we earned enough points to become world champions. We are proud of the year we had. And we like that now there are lot of changes in the order, it doesn't stay the same from the short dance to the free dance, it just shows that the competition is so thick and so competitive. Everyone is going for it and there comes lots of risk with this. I think it is great for the sport. We think it's going in the right direction; that is one of the reasons why we are back. A sport always has to evolve and to change. It's tough to look back when you are in it, but from our point of view as athletes we are pretty pleased.

New world records are set often. What do you think about this?

Scott: I used to hate that, but I really feel that if you are a fan and you see the men really pushing it, the ladies doing crazy things, the pairs with all those twists and stuff… It is amazing.

Tessa: [In Helsinki at the Worlds] I was really tuned to see the results from the all the other disciplines, it was extraordinary, with so many great performances.

Scott: For us a world record is fun, but we are always looking for a season's best performance, and we know that in the ending position we are not going to see the points. It is about the moment and feelings.

How much has ice dance changed since you were last competing?

Tessa: We knew what we are stepping into because we watched the world championships in Boston from a broadcasting standpoint. We knew that the level of talent is quite deep and strong.  Technically the skaters are executing the turns much clearer. But also the tech panel is observing things differently. They know exactly what they are looking for and they are extremely critical. That means everyone has to step up and raise the level to match up. As for skating, I feel that there is a little bit more freedom, from the creative point of view. I think it is evident when you watch the free dances.

What was the hardest to get used to again?

Tessa: We were so well-prepared and our training was fantastic, very consistent from the beginning to the end. But when you take to the ice for a competition, there come different expectations. For us this season was to learn to compete again, to simulate what next season will feel like. Everything is to set up ourselves to that moment at the Olympic Games. The most challenging thing was probably just channeling that fresh energy, the nerves, the pressure and reminding ourselves why we wanted to come back in first place, that we wanted to enjoy skating.

Could you describe each other? What kind of a partner is Tessa and what kind of a partner is Scott?

Scott: Oh, we don't have enough time for that! There is one thing about Tessa that people might not see, and this is how funny she is. She has a great sense of humor. It's something that takes people by surprise. Because I'm so hilarious… (laughing) But it was such a cool moment, when I almost fell in the free dance at Worlds, and I got back up and Tessa said a really funny joke to me, it automatically put me back on track and I just kept going. But I also can talk about her determination. She is really motivating me, I want to just keep up with her. But she is so fun, she can say jokes that could save a life.

Tessa: It's undeniable what kind of an athlete Scott is. People see that determination and that drive. I've never seen someone so committed to excellence and pushing to be better. But more than that, he is the most generous person on earth. And that passion you see on the ice exactly translates how he is off the ice.

What did you discover about yourselves during your two years out of the competitive world?

Scott: A lot! During this journey since our last Games we learnt a lot being out of the sport and then we learnt a lot being back in the sport. Being away has given us a fresh perspective, just to realize we've been very fortunate to have this ride and to have this together. We realized how much we still enjoy working together.

After the Olympics in Sochi, where you earned the silver medal behind Davis and White, you said at the press conference that you sometimes felt like your coach Marina Zueva wasn't in your corner. Do you regret that you hadn't changed coaches earlier?

Scott: All we look back on now is how thankful we are. We still use so many lessons that Marina [Zueva] and Igor [Shpilband] taught us. When you get into a special situation, you remember those things. We've always been honest with the media. We just said how we felt [after the free dance in Sochi]. Not that we are taking that back, we are just really thinking about positive things they gave us. As Tessa said earlier, after ten years we needed a fresh change but there is no regret. If we could go back and play it again, would we do it differently? I don't know. We were very proud of our Sochi moment and I don't think we would want to trade that for anything. We had two great skates and we had our moment. That's all we can ask for as athletes.

Do you think the tension that you felt cost you the gold?

Scott: We've played it in our minds what cost us the gold, for a long time!

Tessa: The decision that made us come back and compete was knowing that we can do better. We watched the video and analyzed how we can change our speed and power, or the way we move our bodies, or the way we interpret music, or the music we choose… There were probably a couple of reasons why we didn't win.

Scott: I don't think tension was one of them, to be honest.

Tessa: You don't get through an Olympic season without tension. That's just part of the competition.

Scott: So get prepared for it!

You are one of the favourites of the Games in Pyeongchang and if you medal there, you could be the most decorated ice dancers in the Olympic history.

Scott: Wait, be careful with that!

Tessa: Don't jinx us!

Scott: To be there is an honour. We feel happy to be part of the ice dancing family and we are still surprised to be mentioned in the same sentence as Torvill and Dean or Shae-Lynn [Bourne] and Viktor [Kraatz]. But we are not chasing that, we are chasing our moment.

Tessa: This world title means a lot to us and we are very excited about it. But there is a journey leading to moments like this and it's a good reminder that we have to enjoy the process, every single day, every training. That moment fades away so quickly. We can't set ourselves to be happy based on the outcome of Pyeongchang.  There has to be something deeper, something personally satisfying.

Titanilla Bőd, Absolute Skating, November 9th, 2017

credit photo : @danielleearlphotography, Askar Ibragimov and MG

#tessa virtue #scott moir #article #long article #but so fun

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What You Know About SEO 2019 And What You Don't Know About SEO 2019

SEO is about growing naturally, and also to develop a good effective, organic online marketing strategy, it's important to not just look at SEO, but content material marketing and social media, as well. Still, even for the particular best websites, maintaining a best organic SEO ranking requires continuous keyword monitoring and content re-doing. Writer and consultant Peter Kent provides helped businesses including Amazon plus Zillow with SEO and on the web marketing. Very first, understand that schema markup will be one of the most effective, least used parts of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION today Schema are basically short snippets of data that may give extra information to look customers and search engines. SEO is usually a marketing discipline focused upon growing visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results. Simply no matter how many times Search engines tweaks or evolves The Criteria, from Panda to Penguin in order to Polar Bear, these logical plus intuitive core SEO tips need to remain timeless. Certainly, all those searching for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION agencies will have to create their selection by passing SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION companies through careful and careful scrutiny, to ensure that all of them to get the best within search engine optimization for their particular business website. The article provides you 12 techniques for E-commerce plus establishing an SEO optimized internet site which will help you raise your business exposure and visibility upon search engines. Making use of keywords in your article name, article body and resource is usually a great SEO article composing strategy that may make your own articles more effective in bringing in attention from search engines. Use SEO strategies like as transcripts and tags in order to help your videos appear increased in search results and entice more viewers over time. The traditional strategy to SEO has been devoted to creating excellent content that will is easily searchable via lookup engine bots. To realize SEO, you'll also need in order to know how Google search functions. 2019 can still use many of these kinds of newly implemented tactics, but lookup engine optimization experts are furthermore suggesting there will be even more. Currently more than half associated with searches account for mobile products, and the number will surely proceed up in 2019. Within the remaining 2018 quarter, a person need to invest in mobile-first content that will rank a person higher in mobile search within 2019. The vast majority of your SEO learning need to come from online resources, yet there are a few textbooks that will help you conceptually understand the history of research, search engines, and how SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION has changed through the many years. There are numerous methods that webmasters use within order to entice potential clients to their site—one of the particular most important and effective associated with those being Seo (SEO). SEO is important for a lot of companies because if individuals find you with a web lookup and find what they're searching for, you can receive a lot of new web visitors that will can help you earn even more money. Good SEO follows guidelines that Search engines determines are best practices in order to have your articles ranked upon top. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION services do thorough keyword study to get a specific website, and after that optimize the information on the particular basis of these keywords plus theme of website. A great SEO service includes a great deal of research and lots associated with smart keywords application which will certainly period website at a increased notch and provide it the higher ranking in Google web search engine. Professional SEO content authors work on creating articles just after understanding the nature associated with your business, your industry, rivals and what kind of content your business might most want for maximum benefits; in the particular short-term and the long-term. Linking to other webpages inside your site, as well since linking to other sites plus getting other sites to url to yours, is a great method to improve your SEO. Influencer marketing doesn't seem in order to be slowing down anytime quickly, so it will probably obtain bigger in 2018 and actually bigger in 2019 when even more companies start to catch upon to this trend. Keeping within mind the last point, SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION agencies are fluent in navigating by way of a wide range of on the web marketing tools that helps boost the value of your marketing technique. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is definitely a powerful process that may help make you and your own research more visible to lookup engines like Google and Search engines Scholar. I have simply no clue about SEO only several basics that is available most over the place and I actually feel this article must aid as your other articles assisted me give some direction upon recovering my lost traffic plus generating more content as nicely as repurposing old content. BrightLocal offers been helping local businesses, multi-location businesses and SEO professionals realize and boost their positions in the particular local search market since yr. Gowns where search engine optimization, or even SEO, is available in. Right here are the best conferences in order to learn more about SEO (and digital marketing) in 2018 plus 2019. Every little or multi-location company can develop their business and attract even more customers using Local SEO methods In this article we describe what local search optimization will be, and why using a nearby SEO company can help enhance your online visibility. It provides an introduction in order to the basics of search motors and SEO, and then grows into more advanced topics. Black hat SEO is the group of unethical practices in order to improve rankings of the site in the search engine outcomes page. SEO Wise Links provides automatic SEO advantages for your site in add-on to custom keyword lists, from it and much more. Detailed with this Bruce Clay SEO tutorial are reliable strategies that aim to enhance both internal and external elements that influence search ranking. To demonstrate, if you we're planning to become found locally when users appear for SEO services in your own area, and you're based within Wales, one such search phrase you might look to optimize for may be "SEO wales". Search Engine Optimizers (SEO's) are people who optimize sites to make them show upward higher on search engines plus gain more website visitors. Here's a true statement a person hear as often: Your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION technique for 2018 shouldn't concentrate on keywords. (1888PressRelease) Stone Marketing, a Boston-based, full-service SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION and internet marketing firm today announces they have been positioned as the number five SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION firm in the 2010 Advertising World Top ten SEO Organization Award initiative. According to Forrester Study, the number of global mobile phone subscribers is expected to achieve 3. 5 billion by 2019, crossing the 50% mark regarding smartphone penetration by 2018, plus reaching 59% by 2019. On-page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ensures that your site can be read by both possible customers and search engine programs. In 2019, voice-search will end up being the dominant way that individuals search. But SEO is all regarding the organic” rankings, which show up in the middle of the particular search results page. The most important SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION factor for creating high-quality content material is doing good keyword analysis. Formula changes in 2018 seem in order to centre on reducing the efficiency of old-school SEO techniques, along with the May 2015 Google ‘Quality' formula update bruisingly familiar. Keep in mind in SEO article writing suggestions you keywords have to create sense too. Domain Authority within SEO is a rank that will measures how popular and reliable search engines call at your own website. If the key phrases you happen to be hoping to rank intended for don't show on the page, this will be much more difficult to achieve your goals : making on-page optimization a essential part of most SEO advertisments. There is usually no magic wand in your own hands to regulate or manage your competitors' strategies or administration, Google analytics update, or user's behavior communicate business but a person can manage your SEO. In this particular new environment, the digital online marketer who views SEO in the broader context will definitely come out there ahead of the competition within 2018 and beyond. Good SEO publications explain in detail how greatest to use keywords and exactly how to structure your entire internet site to attract the attention associated with search engine spiders and associated with human visitors, and a posting such as this cannot perform the topic justice. While businesses start on an SEO advertising marketing campaign, they should realize that a good entire marketing campaign can drop flat on its face in case a business is unable in order to reach the masses, that is definitely, their target audience. If your own pages were designed to obtain the most out of Search engines, with commonly known and right now outdated SEO techniques chances are usually Google has identified this plus is throttling your rankings within some way. Several business people find keeping upward with the "moving target" associated with SEO distracts them from everyday priorities more than they actually imagined, so it's good in order to appear closely at what can make sense for every business. The app process for the SocialSEO Electronic Marketing and SEO Scholarship is usually done 100% electronically and demands these list of materials. If you work in lookup marketing, you'll know that SMX is one of the greatest search engine marketing conferences associated with the year, covering topics which includes SEO and PPC. SEO is conducted each on-site and off-site via various resources that are the existence of your web identity associated with different social media platform plus prominent display of your cyberspace link on other well-reputed web sites. Our unique data science-driven SEO & content marketing platform can help your eCommerce business find out millions of dollars' worth of formerly untapped organic search marketing possibilities. On the other hands, if the website doesn't make use of any digital marketing strategies or even SEO services, no one troubles to search for pages plus pages on Google just in order to find your website and go to it. Some dentists, who possess tried applying SEO, have not really been very successful in moving their website to the best of Google search engine. Prior to we do, let's check away a couple essential areas with regard to SEO: social media and cellular. SEO can price between $100 and $500 for each month if you do this yourself with a keyword study tool. This SEO manual explains acquiring links from exterior domains. Let's review the basic principles of SEO (search engine optimization). SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is conducted on the knowning that webpages rank because associated with how relevant a webpage is definitely to a search query plus how many links point in order to that webpage. Business professionals try to rely on these SEO techniques intended for optimization wishing for a larger profit. SEO firms are able to track almost every aspect of their technique, like increases in rankings, visitors and conversions. The strategies which were the simplest (reciprocal links or directory submissions) perform not work anymore, therefore the particular SEOs spend a lot associated with time trying different approaches. The particular Moz Pro is another place of Tools that check the particular important factors related to your own website's search ranking. Selection of key phrases or phrases plays an important component in an SEO campaign given that it saves you the pictures in the dark. In 2019 the particular digital marketing companies can anticipate a lot of voice lookups, and by 2020, about 50 percent of the searches will become either voice searches or image-based searches. Read our Mobile SEO 2019 Checklist before you decide in order to implement. Typically the first facet of optimizing images is definitely including your keywords in this image file name (seo_guide. jpg). The inevitable modifications that will occur in SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION in the near future are usually abolition of keywords stuffing plus spam backlinks, real-time personalized customer care by online marketers, improvement within the quality of visual articles as a result of advancement of video SEO, optimization associated with websites with conversational keywords plus generating massive quantity of current data. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION remains one of the lengthy term marketing strategies that function best for companies that are usually looking to improve their on the internet visibility. The main stage of SEO is to end up being friendly both to users plus search engines. Based in Colorado springs municipal airport terminal, CO, SocialSEO has been the particular preeminent digital marketing firm within Colorado since 1996. Although the SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION experts provide great SEO providers for their clients, there are usually a few who ruin the particular internet design industry through their particular greed in marketing efforts plus manipulate search engine rank. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION may target different kinds associated with search, including image search, nearby search, video search, academic lookup, news search and industry-specific top to bottom search engines. The benefits of powerful digital marketing plans are fairly much proven throughout the board although when it comes to companies within the photography industry this SEO components of the marketing technique really do make all involving the difference to helping some sort of photographer stand out from the particular crowd. HISTORY LESSON: Old SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION advice suggested you connect along with websites and trade links along with each other True, a large reliable site linking to you may boost up your ranking, yet, it's not going to assist your relevancy score when the particular linked content isn't related in order to the website sharing it. 10. Quality back back links need to be built upward to your site for efficient SEO. SEO is about attracting individuals to your site to start with by making sure this shows up searching queries. Performing SEO upon your own websites is the great method to practice plus hone your SEO ability. We optimize your web site both of internal and exterior factors thats Google's engine rely on and reliable for top rating search result, Gurantee your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking No succeed can refundable. Looking deeper: An SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION cost often means one associated with two things: the investment within your organic search strategy, or exactly how much you pay for compensated search engine marketing (SEM) solutions like Google AdWords. We all are dealing with new methods designed to target old design SEO tactics and that concentrate around the truism that SITE ‘REPUTATION' plus Plenty of WEBPAGES plus SEO equals Plenty associated with Keywords equals LOTS of Search engines traffic. BrightonSEO is a one-day search advertising conference and series of coaching courses held, unsurprisingly, in Brighton. From narrowing straight down target markets to changing the particular way content is written, AI and voice search will possess a continuous effect on SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION moving forward. One aspect of SEO will be link building, which we will certainly discuss slightly below, which usually leads to thin content. Applications for the particular 2018-2019 cycle of the SEO Improve programme are now closed plus will re-open again in Early spring 2019. SEO could be complex because search engines are constantly reevaluating and changing how they will prioritize search engine results. Moreover, it will help SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION by gaining backlinks, likes, feedback or shares. Businesses with multiple websites and SEO-agencies can set up report themes. Its search engine marketing group provides expertise in Pay-per-click marketing services, organic SEO and sociable media optimisation. The particular ads that you often observe on various web pages proven and those that also show up on the rightmost side associated with search engine results are inorganic SEO examples. While I nevertheless see this trend in have fun with with many enterprises still within the midst of their electronic transformation, the convergence in the particular MarTech space is creating numerous synergies and opportunities and this particular should be seen as the welcome development for brands plus agencies who are looking intended for an edge in regards in order to their SEO driven content marketing and advertising or outreach strategies. Along with the only complete certainty that SEO's, Website owners may have numerous adjustments to make to web sites under their care in the particular mobile and voice search panorama. The basics of GOOD SEO hasn't changed for years - even though effectiveness of particular elements offers certainly narrowed or changed within type of usefulness - a person should still be focusing upon building a simple site making use of VERY simple SEO best practices - don't perspiration the small stuff, while all-the-time paying attention to the essential stuff - add plenty of unique PAGE TITLES and lots associated with new ORIGINAL CONTENT. Keyword research will be THE first step of any kind of SEO campaign. forty five. Use Google Analytics to determine social SEO factors like the particular number of owned and good results. The common SEO issue for e-commerce sites is that product evaluation functionality tends to rely upon AJAX, iframes, or subdomains, which usually make it very hard, or even even impossible, for search motors to fit product reviews with item pages. Local SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is an effective way in order to market your business online. Regarding more on Squarespace's SEO-friendly features plus how to use them, go to Increasing your site's visibility in order to search engines. For Ecommerce websites, SEO agencies can see which usually paths users take in purchase to complete a sale, almost all the way down to which usually keyword they used to research for you prior to buying. Continue to increase your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION to construct Blog9T business and drive traffic plus rank for more terms. SEO refers in order to the process of gaining a good impressive rank in search motor listings. Organic SEO will be also less costly long-term when you establish search credibility, as very long as you maintain it along with the consistent creation of high quality content and social media use. Within the 6th section of our SEO for beginners guide, we will discuss hyperlink building - one of the particular most important aspects of lookup engine optimization. Search engine optimization can furthermore be known as SEO plus it is defined as the technique or procedure for enhancing the website within an efficient and efficient way in purchase to make a good existence on major search engines. Screaming Frog SEO Index tool does it for you personally inside a few seconds, even regarding larger websites. SEOs also used to believe that buying links was the valid method of link developing; however, Google will now punish you for buying links within an attempt to manipulate page rank. Ultimately, achievement in SEO in 2018 plus forward will depend on producing amazing content and making this as easy as possible with regard to search engines like google in order to understand exactly what that articles is all about. Answer: When you focus about SEO for voice search anyone need to create your written content around long tail keywords since people tend to use even more words in voice search. SEO is the practice associated with increasing the search engine search positions of your webpages so that will they appear higher in lookup results, bringing more traffic in order to your website. In the particular previous example, Bob's home web page might have the title, "Bob's Soccer Store - Soccer Shoes and boots and Equipment. " The name is the most important component of SEO, since it shows the search engine exactly exactly what the page is all regarding. 47. When creating SEO content material, keep the social layer within your mind. For those who have time to get good search engine optimisation education, after that combine this knowledge with greatest practices and you are upon your way to become a good SEO expert. 46. Use SEO practices in order to optimize your social media articles. 4. Mobile SEO plus Local Business: - As we all mentioned before, users tend in order to search for local business upon the smartphones. By merging a new way to work along with SEO and prioritized lists associated with recommendations—not to mention competitor evaluation and keyword monitoring—Siteimprove SEO will be your all-in-one tool to develop traffic, prove ROI, and effortlessly create content. All the SEO tendencies listed here may have started in late 2017 or earlier 2018, but their true advantage could be reaped in 2019. Google's Ruben Mueller said on Twitter, along with the disclaimer of him placing his user hat on (ofcourse not Google hat), that relabeling older content as new, with simply no additional changes is a poor SEO hack. All of us associated with creatives, designers & developers function alongside our SEO & articles teams to ideate, research, style & create remarkable infographics and interactive content for brands that will get shared across the internet. Contemporary SEO strategy could be 10 Unbelievable Facts About SEO 2019 the process associated with organizing a website's content simply by topic, which helps search engines like yahoo realize a user's intent when looking. Page loading time is dependent upon Page Load speed, Web page loading time is one associated with the important factors in Mobile phone SEO 2017. Sociable Media as a platform are not able to be ignored in any SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION plan. Seo stands intended for search engine optimization, when a person are searching for an SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION or Search Engine Optimization Organization then you needs to appear for various factors which may have a favorable and undesirable affect on your business. Presently there are a few fundamentals that will can help boost the technique, but SEO, or seo, is usually hardly ever considered. While employing the services of a great SEO agency can get a person good marketing copy for the particular website and an effective make use of of the related keywords, getting a brilliantly designed website can help a lot when this comes to attracting people plus even the search engines in order to your website. You are able to get into important SEO-related data like the particular page title, description, and key phrases for every page or a person can have the system immediately populate this data depending upon a document name or additional fields. SEO has become broadly adopted as an online advertising strategy due to its effectiveness. Creating high-quality content along with SEO in your mind through the beginning boosts search presence. In contrast, dark hat SEO is about attempting to take shortcuts and video game search engines. You may also use Google Analytics in order to find SEO keywords for content material optimization. Keyword research is the particular process SEOs value to discover what search queries consumers get into into a search engine intended for a given topic. Within today's rapidly shifting world, SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION techniques can change on the dime—and the worst part is usually that you might not actually know it. Hacks that can have won you a front-page result as recently as 2016 are not only obsolete today, but they may even harm your website's rankings.

[wentofftoosoon]

If We Don't Take It When Will We Make It

*Balancing two carriers of coffee, a bag of pastries and talking on the phone at the same time all while winding through the packed sidewalks of LA is not an easy feat.  In fact, it is a skill to be admired, and one that I have.  Then again, after doing something at least five days a week for almost two years, it is easy to get comfortable, no matter how odd it may be. When I first started, fresh faced and about as naive as all get out, things were very, very different.  Straight out of college with the ink still drying on my bachelor’s in Music Business and Management, I had accepted the first internship I had applied for and immediately hauled my tiny ass across the country from Boston to L.A., leaving the frigid winters and colorful autumns behind in a blink.  I hadn’t looked back for even a moment since. Those two years seemed almost like a lifetime ago as I wove through the packed streets back to the building that housed Skeleton Crew records.  It wasn’t a huge label, not really, but they made good time and again with fantastic artists and an integrity that I had seen was sorely lacking in some of the other, larger names in the industry. And they managed this  while staying true to the rock and roll and punk based roots that had been their foundation since day one. I loved it, even if I didn’t really fit in all the time. The first tour I went out on as a merch manager was kind of a shock; being a five foot nothing blonde who looked at least five years younger than my actual age was both a blessing and a curse, depending on which side of the fence you stood on.  Fortunately, sweet looks aside, I could hold my own, and did more than once.  For all the chaos of my formative years, I came out a scrapper and wore the bruises and broken bones as a strange badge of honor after elbowing my way to the front of a crowd.   The memories alone brought a small smile to my face even as I pulled open the door to the building with my foot, a talent born strictly of necessity, and sighed as I stepped into the artificially cold air of the front office.  The phone tucked into my shoulder was still broadcasting half of a conference call, although I had lost the actual point of this particular train of thought two blocks ago as one of the outside vendor department heads, whom we affectionately called Paisley thanks to his atrocious taste in ties, was prattling on about paper weights and business cards.  What the hell? Rolling my eyes behind my dark RayBans, I shot a smile to the bubbly receptionist as I passed by, mouthing a ‘thank you’ as she buzzed me into the main offices.  I hummed a few vaguely affirmative sounding mumbles down the line as I finally approached the conference room where the actual meeting itself was being held. I kept quiet as I deposited my stockpile of carbs and caffeine on the table before plopping into the spare chair that had been left open for me.  Yes, I still did most of the duties I had mastered as an intern, but I was an actual, paid employee and had my own little bundle of baby bands that I was lucky enough to manage, two of whom were touring at this exact moment. Pushing my shades up on top of my head, I retrieved my own latte from the tray before settling down with a notepad and pen to try and glean some semblance of a point from Paisley’s diatribe with a smile at my co-workers.  It was going to be a long day. As it would turn out, all of the focus in the morning’s meeting was for naught, as Paisley had ended up losing his train of thought and spilling his coffee all over his phone, very effectively ending the call almost five minutes after I sat down.  There was not really a whole lot of disappointment there, to say the least and we had all taken the opportunity to book it right the hell out of there as if satan himself was on our heels. Settling down at my desk in the corner of the bullpen, more an afterthought than anything, I couldn’t help but smile at the mishmash of pictures, mementos, ticket stubs and fliers that covered the small space, the majority of which was dominated by the shiny MacBook pro that had been a graduation gift.  The entire workspace seemed a little out of place and forced, in a strange way but that is because it was.  When Bill, the label president, had finally offered me my position as one of the half dozen or so managers that he employed, he somehow seemed to be under the delusion that I would still be handling the things the same way that I had when I was managing merch and working out of a the supply room. Quite literally.  Yes, I was tiny, but that didn’t change the fact that I was balancing an almost three-thousand dollar computer on my knees, squeezed in between boxes of t-shirts and box store packs of paper towels. The day I had a box of personalized Sharpies fall from one of the rickety shelves and cover me in my own coffee was the same day I started doing all my work in the conference room. On the table, criss-cross applesauce, neat as you please. Strangely, it was also the day I stopped using headphones and took up a sudden interest in listening to ‘Hot Disco Hits’ on repeat. Somehow, Billiam managed to find a desk and space within two hours.  If I had learned anything in this business, it was that sometimes you had to think outside the box to get what you wanted. The memory brought a smile to my lips as I slipped my earbuds in and pulled up the latest tracks from one of my baby bands, nodding along to the pounding drums as I turned my attention to the neverending messages in my inbox. Life was good. Six hours, one bass related meltdown and a headache later, I finally pushed up from my chair, raising my coffee cup to my lips and frowning as I found it empty. Empty coffee cups made me sad; they were so unnatural. Pushing up from my rolling chair, I raised my arms up over my head, stretching up on my tiptoes as my back protested my hours of hunching with a series of contented pops before I settled back down and wriggled my toes inside of my worn Chucks. As much as it pained me some days, I loved my job. Trading my reading glasses for the Ray-Bans that were always on hand to fight against the L.A. sun, I swung my bag over my shoulder and grabbed the coffee list that was constantly taped to the fridge tucked in the opposite corner of the room, grabbing the hard case that housed a sparkly, Squire Signature Mustang Bass that Bill somehow pulled out of his ass to calm the panic from the biggest of my small group of bands, and fortunately one that was in L.A. instead of Boston this week.  The man was a goddamn genius, I swear to fuck. Pausing in the door, I glanced back over my shoulder at my cadre of co-workers, all guys that I would, and had, fight for anyday.*  I’ve got to drop this at Spitfire’s practice space and then I will grab coffee. Give me two hours and if I’m not back, well, I finally said fuck it and ran off to join the circus. Or become a musician. You know my mother would be equally disappointed either way.  *The familiar joke earned a round of laughter and a smattering of waves which I returned with my freehand, carefully sliding my earbuds back in and humming along to the soothing sounds of Echo and The Bunnymen as I headed back out into the blinding L.A. afternoon.* #IfWeDontTakeItWhenWillWeMakeIt