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alwritey-aphrodite · 8 months

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The Worthwhile Fight

Chapter 6 of There’s Nothing Like This

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Jamie Tartt x fem!footballer!reader

Warnings: none :)

Word Count: 2.5k

Author’s Note: we’re entering the home stretch now folks - only two more chapters!

After the gala, things seem different, on and off the pitch. While you were winning games before, now that you were truly unified and working together seamlessly as a team, you were practically unbeatable. You’d started spending more and more time with Jamie, and when you weren’t together you found yourself thinking of him, and you rationalized it by telling yourself that you thought about Mackie all the time too.

Deep down, though, you knew it was different.

More often than not, you and Jamie spend your nights together, relaxing in front of the TV and letting yourselves unwind after all the training you do during the day. You’d been trying to be better to yourself, allowing rest days at the gym and icing your body and taking it easy when you need to, but most of the time, you’re continually pushing yourself past the breaking point, and you know everyone around you notices.

Sometimes, when he sees the way you favor your left leg and how you unsuccessfully try to wiggle out the pain in your foot, Jamie will gently take your feet into his lap, kneading and soothingly rubbing at your sore muscles until you feel like you could cry from relief. You can never seem to find the words to thank him, so instead you’ve started keeping his favorite snacks around and letting him choose the movie or show you watch together.

It’s like everyone around you knows something you don’t with the looks and glances you get walking into Nelson Road as you talk with Jamie. Whenever you enter the dressing room, you feel your teammates eyes boring into the back of your head, even as you get dressed and try to ignore the uncomfortable sensation and the heaviness it creates in your chest.

As a team, you continue to do better and better, winning match after match and soaring through the ranks. The team’s very first year in the league, and you’re predicted to finish first, despite what many of the sports columnists have to say. It amazes you, how so many people could continue to say nothing but negative things about your team when you’ve been winning left and right, knocking even Arsenal back to second place.

Thankfully, everyone at Nelson Road has been doing their part in keeping the positivity alive, shouting the praises of your team whenever they’re asked. If given the opportunity, the players on the men’s team would talk about you for an entire interview, doing whatever they could to counteract the never ending criticism.

“They’re all good players, some of them are better than my teammates,” Jan Maas says currently on your TV and you can’t help but to laugh at his typical Dutch bluntness. All of the boys have gone to bat for you, whether it’s on instagram or a TV interview, a quick comment to a fan or an answer to a reporter. Sitting on your couch as you mentally prepare for the day, you’re a little overwhelmed by the love you feel from everyone at Nelson Road.

Keeley, who has been grinding nonstop ever since she came up with the idea for a women’s team, has organized a photo shoot for you and some other women in the league, as a part of a campaign to get more young girls interested in soccer. As much as you coveted these match-free weekends, you’d do anything Keeley asked and anything to hopefully improve the public’s opinion on women’s soccer.

When you arrive at Nelson Road, though, you’re shocked to see a familiar car and a familiar man coming out of the building.

“Last I checked you played on the men’s team,” you quip when you’re close enough not to yell across the parking lot. Jamie jumps, then a smile overtakes his face when he realizes it’s you that’s talking.

“I was trying to do some training, got kicked out when Keeley needed to set up the lights and shit,” he tells you, coming to a stop next to you instead of continuing on his way to his car, “want me to stick around? I can drive ya home when you’re done?” It’s a little shocking, how sweet that offer is, and you’re almost brought to tears by his thoughtfulness.

“Jamie, this could take hours, go enjoy your Saturday,” you reply, despite the strange urge to take him up on the offer.

“Maybe we could grab dinner, when you’re done?”

“That would be nice,” and it’s a little shocking how much you mean that, so he gives you one last dazzling smile before continuing on to his car and you head inside for the photo shoot.

Once inside, you’re bombarded with hair and makeup and jewelry and your Richmond kit, all thrown at you with lightning speed while you try and introduce yourself to the players around you. It’s intimidating, to say the least, being in the same room with players you still idolize, and it’s hard not to feel like an imposter, hard not to feel like you don’t belong. The girls are all very sweet, and by the time the actual photo shoot rolls around, you’re all laughing and joking like you’ve known each other for more than five minutes.

There are individual shots and group shots, shots on the pitch and shots in the dressing room, action shots and posed shots, all with Keeley shouting encouragement from behind the photographer. Even though you all play on different teams, it’s impossible not to feel a sense of comradery with the girls, all of you hyping each other up during solo shots despite the fact that when next weekend rolls around, you’ll all be willing to do whatever it takes to win.

With all the positive energy and the whirlwind of the camera flashes, the afternoon passes quickly and before you know it, you’re being shooed out of the dressing room so the camera crew can take down their equipment. When you make your way out into the parking lot, hair still styled and makeup still near perfect, you’d been so focused on the photo shoot that seeing Jamie’s car waiting for you sends a shock through your body. Before you’re able to doubt yourself, doubt if this is really a good idea or not, you clamor into the passenger's seat, still riding high on the energy of modeling.

“You look nice,” Jamie says as you buckle your seatbelt, stealing a few glances as he pulls out of the parking spot, “how did it go?”

“Really good, I think,” you reply, trying to fly past his compliment and not stray into self deprecation, “everyone was super cool and Keeley seemed happy.”

“Good, good,” he adds before you fall into a comfortable silence and you feel yourself truly relaxing for the first time since you left your house. You’re not sure what it is, but something about just being near Jamie makes you feel calm, makes you feel like nothing could possibly go wrong. It’s very similar to how you feel when you’re with Mackie, but there’s something different that you can’t quite put your finger on.

“I hope this is ok,” Jamie says, breaking the silence as he pulls to a stop outside of a little pub near the Richmond Green. It seems quiet and quaint, and just by looking at the outside you can already tell the food will be your new comfort food while you’re away from home.

“It’s fancier than we normally do,” you reply, even though you’re already reaching to open the car door and already dreaming about the meal you're about to eat, missing the way Jamie’s cheeks and nose and ears tinge pink momentarily.

“Figured we could do something other than takeout, celebrate a weekend off,” he shrugs, acting nonchalant and as if he hadn’t sat awake in his bed planning this moment the night before, planning taking you out to a real restaurant, if only to show you his favorite spots around Richmond. You don’t seem to mind, though, and the second you walk into the pub and can smell the delicious food, you’re sighing in relief and Jamie can’t help the way his heart melts a little.

The pub is busy, but the older woman behind the counter simply nods at Jamie and he directs you to a booth in the back, one that’s more secluded than the rest and you wonder how often he comes here.

“Just let me know when you know what you want, I’ll go up and order and then Mae’ll bring it over,” Jamie says, fiddling with the corner of the plastic menu while you look yours over.

Feeling a little overwhelmed and out of your element, you set your menu down and turn to Jamie, surprised to see him already staring at you with a soft gaze.

“Just get me whatever you think is the best,” you tell him, and with the way he smiles at you, half proud and half embarrassed, you’d let him make every decision for you.

Sliding out of the booth and promising to be right back, Jamie leaves you alone with your thoughts, alone to study the room you’re in. You’re not alone for long, though, before three men approach your table with varying giddy expressions.

“You’re that striker? For Richmond?” The shortest of the three asks, and you ignore the swell of pride in your chest when he doesn’t specify that you’re on the women’s team: you simply play for Richmond. Nodding, you try not to grin as the trio turns to each other in excitement, looking seconds away from bouncing up and down when Jamie approaches the table again.

“Oi, dickheads, get lost,” he tells the group, and they hurry to scramble away, waving goodbye and chattering about meeting both of Richmond’s strikers in one day.

“It’s very refreshing to cheer for a team that wins consistently,” you hear one of the three men say as they disappear back to the bar, and you’re grinning when you look back at Jamie.

Despite all the time you’ve been in Richmond, this was your first encounter with real fans, with people from the community who supported you. It didn’t matter that you played on the women’s team, it mattered that you were a Richmond player, practically a god to the fans in the pub, and it made a little bubble of hope grow in your chest that there were more people like those men out there, who supported you through and through.

Almost as soon as the men leave and Jamie gets settled again, the older woman from behind the bar, who you assume is Mae, is bringing over pints and piles of food, brushing off your thanks with a smile and a wink and you’re already planning your next visit before trying any of the food.

“I might’ve went a little overboard,” Jamie says sheepishly as he surveys the plates that take up most of your table, “I just wanted to make sure there’d be something you like.”

Your heart stutters in a way that’s been happening more and more lately, increasing with the amount of time you spend with Jamie, but you ignore it in favor of digging into the mountain of food in front of you. It’s all wonderful, the perfect comfort food to put you in a good mood to start off your week, but you might enjoy the company more than the food.

After you’re finished and Mar waves away every attempt on your end to pay the bill, Jamie drives you home as you continue your meandering conversations from earlier in the evening, and you find yourself a little sad when he pulls up outside of your door.

“Thank you, for hanging out with me and for the great dinner,” you tell him as you gather your bags, the exhaustion of the day starting to hit you.

“We’ll have to do it again sometime?” It comes out more like a question, even though you’re almost certain Jamie was trying to sound confident and sure of himself, but you nod enthusiastically anyway.

Sending you on your way with a wave and completely ignoring your insistence to pay him for half of the dinner you’d shared, Jamie drives away and leaves you all by yourself for the first time since morning. You feel calmer, though, more open to spending the rest of your Saturday evening with only your thoughts for company, so you let yourself enjoy an extra long shower while you scrub away layers of makeup and hair gel and sweat from the photo shoot.

Stepping out of the shower, you’re met with a series of texts from Keeley, along with a few of the unedited photos from earlier.

I’m not supposed to share these - oops ;)

Smiling, you scroll through the few pictures she’d sent and you almost can’t believe it’s you looking back. You look powerful and strong and badass, like the type of player a little girl could look up to, could aspire to be. It makes you more emotional than you thought, and you sniffle a little as you thank Keeley for sending you the pictures.

It’s in that moment that it hits you that you’re doing so much more than playing soccer, you’re breaking boundaries and becoming a role model and being the person that you’d used to dream about being. The thought was always dormant in the back of your mind, that being a female athlete was always about so much more than sports, but staring at a professional campaign picture of you looking tough and confident, being there for little girls to look up to, solidifies those thoughts.

Feeling a little emotional, you settle on your couch with a fluffy blanket and some snacks, flipping through channels for something comforting to watch when you accidentally land on a channel with Jamie’s face staring down at you. The clip is from yesterday, because you remember the blue hoodie he was wearing, and the reporter must have stopped him as he left training.

You’re about to text him to let him know that apparently you can’t escape him and change the channel when you hear your name and a question that makes all the joy drain from your body.

“… is the female version of you?” The reporter asks from behind the camera, and your heart sinks as you wait for Jamie’s response because as much as you want to, you’re unable to look away.

“Mate, she’s scored more than me, she’s leading in assists this season, I think I’m the man version of her,” Jamie replies before he rushes away, looking beyond irritated and upset.

It shouldn’t surprise you, his response to that question, after all the support he and the other Greyhounds have given your team, but something about that specific question made your stomach drop. Hearing Jamie’s response, though, seeing the anger flash in his eyes on your behalf, elicits a completely different feeling.

Your heart is racing and your head feels fuzzy and it’s getting a little hard to breathe and you can’t think of anything other than Jamie and that’s when it hits you like an unexpected pass, like a tackle from an aggressive defender.

You’re in love with Jamie Tartt.

Tags: @andr0medafallen @whimsical-roasting @sokkigarden @hopefulromances @buckychristwrites @guccilongboard @onceuponaoneshot @presidential-facts @yepyeahuhhuh @allthefandomtherapy @gibby31 @buddyjuststop @ellietartt @cancvr @brianandthemays @sonyume @aiyaiy @captainfrisbee @dalebo3 @theloud-yet-quietone @imsoluckyeverythingworksoutforme @rockchickrebel @legobatmans9thab @curlypeter @lostinwonderland314 @yokolesbianism @jamietarttdodo @fan-goddess @innocentbi-stander @skewedcherries

#jamie tartt #jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt x you #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt fic #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt fluff

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fuckyeahworldoftaika · 8 months

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“The biggest lesson I learned while filming ‘Next Goal Wins’ actually happened prior to the start,” Waititi says, “and it’s that you shouldn’t play touch rugby the weekend before you begin shooting, especially at my ripe age, as you may pinch your sciatic nerve and not be able to walk for your entire shoot—which makes directing a soccer movie in Hawaii really challenging.

“I also wouldn’t recommend trying to predict what might happen in the world—like, say, a natural disaster or global pandemic—because you have no control over it. And that happened directly after we finished shooting, thankfully. But that also meant I’ve been able to sit with the film for some time now, which, in retrospect, is actually quite fun, as it feels like you’re revisiting some of your past work.”

#taika waititi #tiff23 #next goal wins

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princess-dirt · 27 days

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Fan fix update:

Super busy with school, work, and other stuff. Just went to Anime Boston for the weekend and then to a soccer game Tuesday. Been putting off hw I should've finished days ago. Anyways, have about 500 words of the last A Dance with Dragons chapter.

It's gonna end quite predictably, right before the final Jon chapter. The bigger news is the Winds chapters. I am gonna write 1 and then write 2 separate endings. One that is realistic to the books and one that is pure fan fic. So bad-end and good-end.

It means the 50k word fan fic will probably become 60k words by the end. The fic itself has reached over 1400 hits on ao3 which is insane to me. I am writing a very ambitious dark souls 1 fan fic at the same time, but writing in it doesn't take away time writing for the Satin fan fic.

I have severe adhd so writing consistently is just not on the table atm.

#a song of ice and fire #asoiaf #jon snow #jon x satin #satin asoiaf #fan fic writing

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apersonwholikeslotus · 6 months

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Alfred going out of town and giving Gil a full list of all the ghosts and what they MIGHT do to bother him before he leaves;

they're ghosts so like, typical mentions of murder and sickness under the cut

"okay, we'll go oldest to youngest, first off is Harald, Björn, and Sigurd, brothers. Vikings died of hypothermia in the 1020s after getting lost and being left behind when everyone else went back to Greenland, or Iceland I don't remember don't tell them that though. If the room suddenly gets cold, like windows frosting over cold, it's them. Make sure their blanket fort didn't fall over and the space heater in their room is still on and they'll probably calm down after."

"Arthur is my great x8 grandfather, he died in 1779 from food poisoning. He built the house if you try doing any major changes while I'm not here to convince him into it or at least calm him down you are at his mercy. His major thing is he'll fuck up your cooking, but he'll also leave like trails of feathers sometimes cause he was tarred and feathered not long before his death for being a loyalist"

"Molly and Lorenzo are a pair, they're like always together they both died in 1904 of tuberculosis so y'know trauma bonding i guess. Molly was a maid and Lorenzo was a cook working for my great-great aunt, the one that left me the house. Lorenzo can move stuff but usually only when he's pissed or bored, so just leave like a soccer game or the food network on and he'll be fine. Molly is the one you can hear humming or singing sometimes, but like you should be used to that by now."

"Katya, Ivan, and Natalya. Second set of siblings in the house. They were russian nobility but fled in 1917 to the US. They came to a party held here in 1920 thrown by someone who supported "the Russian people" and were poisoned. Ivan doesn't have his head because when they went to get rid of the bodies they didn't check that he was completely dead, and cut his head off. If you hear clattering in cabinets it's Katya and Natalya looking for his head. Nothing will actually move don't worry. Uh... if you want them to be quiet they really like the movie Anastasia yes, I know it's stereotypical, make sure the switch it to Russian dub though, their English isn't top tier"

"Remember when we did a walk through of the house and they told us the floor supports were fairly new compared to the rest of the house because like 60 years ago they collapsed and some guy died in the basement? Ludwig, he usually stays in the basement and doesn't bother anyone, if you walk through him you'll end up covered in like constuction-ish dust so just be careful."

"Then there is Tolys, in 1978 he and his friends went camping somewhere around here all got high, one of his friends got paranoid didn't realize who it was and killed Tolys. They freaked out and we're pretty sure dumped his body in the lake on the other side of the property. If you walk through him you'll get high, but like super nervous and paranoid even if you're not usually like that when you're high. Y'know"

"Mei, youngest ghost in the house, was murdered while her and her boyfriend were messing around after prom. Kinda like Ludwig but she just sleeps in the attic, warning though if she does come down while i'm gone she'll start drama and again not my problem. I'm not actually sure if she has any 'powers', um just don't go in the attic and wake her up and you won't be finding out either"

Gil just standing there,,, why me,,, as predicted he's going to walk through Tolys like 3 times on accident and is going to so paranoid all weekend poor guy ;-;

#us ghosts au

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kingdomofgratia · 1 year

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15 questions, 15 mutuals. thanks @toro-y-noir~

1. Are you named after anyone?

My birth name was something my mother had written in her bible since before I was even a consideration, that's all I know? Could be yes could be no. Was taught early not to ask questions at home~

My current name was sort of given to me by my characters back when we used to talk far more than we do now, so no there too.

Wait does taking my partner's family name count???

2. When was the last time you cried?

Couple months ago when I stumbled across a song that showed me a certain character's death scene and their partner's emotions overtook me.

3. Do you have any kids?

Nope!

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

No. Absolutely not. Why would I ever use such a crass form of communication???

(yes)

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

I honestly have no idea. Being autistic and all, I pick up on A Lot, Very Quickly. Whether I'm conscious of what I've picked up on before it becomes Relevant is another story.

6. Eye colour?

Dark brown <3.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Scary movies can't have happy endings?

8. Any special talents?

Writing? Patterns. Predicting things based on observed patterns (and not being believed until they come to pass)? Hyperfocusing.

9. Where were you born?

New York.

10. What are your hobbies?

Writing, reading, gaming, competitive cycling.

11. Have you any pets?

No, but I want so many. Snakes, birds, so on.

12. What sports do you/have you play(ed)?

A surprising number, considering I was Very Large up until I moved to Japan after Uni. (Then again, I was forced to during my youth, as though making me do something I hated and felt terrible would magically make me healthier somehow~)

Baseball, soccer, wrestling, cross country (distance running), track and field (discus, shot put, 50m), volleyball, tennis, rugby, road cycling.

I actually got into cycling thanks to a family bike shop in Japan not treating me like a gross tub of lard and inviting me to join their local club and ride with them on weekends after I went to them for a bike that would actually support my weight. Turned out I liked it so much (and had enough talent in it) that I ended up losing about 50kg and going semi-pro.

13. How tall are you?

6'0" / 182cm

14. Favourite subject in school?

Science, music/band (never learned to read music, learned all my parts by ear :3c ), math (when I wasn't forced to "show your work")

15. Dream job?

Author, professional cyclist, teacher for special needs children with adequate resources to properly support them.

Or, none. Because "work" in the capitalism sense doesn't make sense to me and always becomes a struggle to perform eventually no matter how much I "enjoy" it because brain no get why do the thing for to live when there are plenty of resources for everyone to comfortably not do the thing and thrive.

Tags – You. Yes, you. No, not them, you~ <3

#me #sorry I took so long #finally logged in to a computer #wayyy too much effort to copypaste and do on a phone

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colorsinautumn · 1 year

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Do you think the USA will win the World Cup??

I have absolutely no knowledge on our soccer team so I have no idea.

However, I will make the prediction that Lewis Hamilton will win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend.

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taysui · 2 years

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🔥🔪🦇🧨🔮 — — did you see taylor sui hanging around CAYUGA HEIGHTS? i think they’ve been in town for their whole life and are a HAIRDRESSER at fringe salon. she's probably staying at bellayre. played by b.

QUICK FACTS:

full name: taylor sui

nicknames: tay

gender & pronouns: demiwoman & she/they

age & birthdate: twenty-four & april 5, 1998

zodiac & mbti: aries & esfp

hometown: ithaca, ny

current residence: bellayre in cayuga heights

occupation: hairstylist & colorist at fringe salon

+ tratis: creative, opinionated, forgiving, optimistic

- traits: unreliable, indulgent, crass, reckless

links: pinterest!

BACKGROUND & HEADCANONS:

according to her parents, taylor is a disappointment. but according to herself? she’s downright bitchin’!

growing up in ithaca, she often felt stifled by the small-town feel, the seasonal turnover of college students only seeming interesting for so long. she leapt at every chance she had to visit nyc, often taking weekend trips with friends or playing tourist in the city with family visiting from out of state. she was in love and knew it was exactly where she wanted to wind up... and yet, she never made any steps in that direction.

taylor was a chameleon in high school, racing through a million and one different phases and styles, constantly reinventing herself from week to week. while it turned her into a fearless individual who was insanely comfortable in their own skin, it freaked out her parents. “rebellious” was a favorite adjective around the sui house and taylor quickly lived up to it, rolling her eyes and talking back right up until graduation.

under the sensible pressure of her nurse mother & actuary father (“total and complete worrywarts,” according to taylor), she enrolled in business courses at ithaca college just to keep them happy. at the same time, she started working at fringe salon on the weekends. her hobby-job soon became her priority and after 3 years pursuing a degree she didn’t care about, taylor dropped out.

predictably, her parents flipped when she told them. it caused an explosive fight and tension that still lingers, no matter how much peter, her older brother, tries to play defense on her behalf. even now when they all get together for their monthly dinner, her mom will passive-aggressively ask her how classes are going as if she’s still attending lmfao

about a year into being a fulltime hairdresser, taylor is living comfortably on her own in a studio apartment at bellayre, still mooching off her parents & constantly bugging her brother in nyc

worships gregg araki

obsessed with tyler, the creator

a chronic oversharer, especially while working. exhibit a: she once rambled to a new client about how she’d spent the weekend in a fancy af hotel suite to recover from a nasty breakup, but got stuck in the massive tub bc of too much bubble bath and had to call down to the lobby for a rescue. -- they were not a repeat client after that.

played soccer all throughout high school and became rabidly competitive about it. spit-flying, screaming at the ref, and kicking shins type insanity

graphic liner 💖💖💖

taylor’s style is very grunge / goth / alt, but on hungover post-party days, you can absolutely catch her wandering through the aisles of greenstar grocer in a velour tracksuit with her lil pomeranian bertha tucked under her elbow like she’s ‘00s paris hilton

has a never-ending rotation of speeding & parking tickets that she should really pay someday....

affectionately refers to her brother as “peter bateman” and asks him what new nfts he’s traded with his wallstreet bros lately

totally unironic 2am text to receive from taylor: bae wanna watch metalocalypse w/ me?

she’s never been one to hold a grudge, but she also never takes a serious situation seriously enough. you get the good with the bad ig??

POTENTIAL CONNECTIONS:

childhood friends — anyone else who grew up in ithaca!

ex-friend(s) — aaahhhh, so i love the idea of taylor having a huge falling out with a v close friend at some point, maybe around graduation?? and things have never been the same between them since. nothing beats the heartbreak of a fractured friendship xx

clients @ fringe — pls come to taylor if u want lavender hair, she’ll set you up

fwb / hookup — open to any gender! could be as simple as a one night stand or a semi-regular occurrence between them.

exes — again, open to any gender. taylor’s been in ithaca for 24 long years, there’s plenty of rocky dating history there to explore!

friends... but are we? — any sort of relationship built out of convenience. taylor’s using them, they’re using taylor, or maybe neither are happy to hang & just tolerate one another for a third party.

and anything else!!! as always, i really love feeling out connections through dash chem, too, so feel free to lmk if you’d ever like a rando thread & we can dive straight in! 💕💕

#ithacaintro

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vampireknitting · 2 years

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Watching your love struggle with work is draining. I want nothing more than to do something helpful, but all I can do is cook and clean taking off as much stress as possible. All the while feeling like I’m watching him very slowly drowned.

Worst part is how annoyed his parents have been. He’s so scared of disappointing them, they got divorced and his step dad and step mom both suck. He would be dragged to every one of his brother’s soccer games, but they would only go to the occasional choir shows and never any of the drama things he did in school. The thing that made me believe his dad sucks as a human was when I joined the drama group, the show went on like 2ish hours longer than they had predicted, we fucking won the event and his dad told him he wasted his time because it was his weekend and waiting wasn’t worth it. We won awards for this show, one of them ended up going to me because of the set I put together for the show. His dad made him cry on the bus ride home and ended up making us both hate the whole damn thing. I lost a friend that day because she assumed it had to do with the show and was the biggest bitch about him struggling with something else entirely.

How does one help someone when the people who are supposed to love him belittle every one of his hobbies and write him off because he’s awkward and a huge nerd? All they are is a bunch of rich assholes who think throwing money at him will make him talk to them and keep them in his life. They called me a gold digger for a while because why else would an attractive woman like him? They won’t set foot in our home because it’s a small apartment. I think he’d be better off without them at this point but that’s not something he’s ready for.

#it kinda feels hopeless #the pandemic has really thrown our life through the most stressful loop #I’m really starting to hate anyone and everyone who looks at early pandemic life as good or comforting #I just want something to feel normal again #personal bullshit #i’m big sad right now #things were going so good for us until the pandemic hit

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ramtracking · 9 days

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Corner Picks, best soccer bets, predictions, odds: Barcelona and Real Madrid battle in El Clasico, and more [ UEFA Champions League ]

Corner Picks, best soccer bets, predictions, odds: Barcelona and Real Madrid battle in El Clasico, and more [Highlights] This has to be one of the oddest seasons in the history of Germany’s Bundesliga. There will be plenty of words written about how the Premier… Inter Milan is one of our main picks for a soccer parlay today along with La Liga and Bundesliga matchups. It’s a great weekend action…

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ledenews · 22 days

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Dreams Coming True at The Highlands Sports Complex

There were 2,000 wrestlers, 125 basketball teams, and two soccer clubs from several states that competed at The Highlands Sports Complex. Last month, right? In March? Wrong. In fact, those statistics were tallied just this past weekend. General Manager Harvey Greenidge reported the Viper Pit Wrestling Nationals, the Slam Jam Basketball Tournament, and the Beadling and Victory soccer clubs all competed inside and outside the $30-million, 200-square-foot facility that opened less than four years ago in the middle of The Highlands. After all, there are six basketball/volleyball courts, full-sized indoor and outdoor turfed fields, four batting cages/pitch tunnels, a play-climb area, an arcade, a café, meeting and event spaces, and a second-floor mezzanine level so parents, coaches, and college scouts can watch from above. The interior of The Highlands Sports Complex can be configured in many ways for different events. This supercenter of sports in Ohio County employs around 100 employees with 10-15 full-time positions, and this past weekend more than 5,000 individuals entered and exited the building. So, OK, just a busy couple of days, right? What about this upcoming weekend? Well, Greenidge predicts much the same foot traffic for the Wheeling Area Chamber Home & Life Expo, the KC Productions Spring Craft Show, and the 2024 OVA Country Roads Volleyball Classic. “For this time of year,” Greenidge said with a smile, “this is normal for us. We typically have two or three tournaments or programs running at a time on Saturdays and Sundays, and we’re hoping for much more this summer. We want to keep raising the bar because we know our team and this facility can handle it. “People from across the country have visited this facility since we opened, and that speaks to the quality of what we have here,” he said. “Plus, we’re surrounded by so many stores and restaurants, so it just makes sense for the folks who come here.” The Highlands Sports Complex is an enormous structure in which fields, courts, and batting cages are located. The Commercial Count Just ask her and Christine Thomas from Quaker Steak & Lube will tell you. “When The (Highlands) Sports Complex is busy, we’re really busy here at Quaker Steak & Lube,” the eatery’s marketing manager said. “It’s really easy to explain. The sports complex is the best thing that could have happened for us after the pandemic, there’s no doubt about that. “We see the teams and the parents from all over the place,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect when I first heard about it, but what a great thing it is for us here at The Highlands.” There also is a multi-purpose turf field on the exterior of The Highlands Sports Complex. The multi-purpose development site right along Interstate 70 has been growing since Cabela’s Outfitters opened in 2004, and the sports complex added a tourism dimension that packs restaurants and fills hotel rooms 12 months a year. “It’s a terrific facility for a lot of different reasons, and it’s become a great source of traffic for all of the other businesses at The Highlands,” said Don Nickerson, the president of the Ohio County Commission. “I think it's a huge benefit to the restaurants and the hotels and even to the retail operations up there. I would have never imagined the sports complex could become what it is today, but the people who were commissioners before had that vision and it’s been very successful just like The Highlands has been through the years. “From a personal standpoint, when my daughter is playing basketball or my son is shooting archery, we always visit other businesses at The Highlands before or after their competitions,” he said. “And you always see the kids in their uniforms and with their parents at the businesses and restaurants, so there’s no doubt the sports complex is having a direct impact that’s been very positive.” Supply, Demand, and The Bottom Line “Incredible.” “Awesome.” “Amazing.” The Highlands Sports Complex is pleasing and popular among AAU tournament directors, sports camp directors, exposition organizers, and professional franchises like the Wheeling Miners, and the one comment the facility’s general manager hears most is, “Sure wish we had one of these back home.” “I hear that from our out-of-town people all of the time. Everyone who comes here wants to take it home with them because it’s a very nice facility,” Greenidge said. “But these facilities are regional so the children who live locally really are the lucky ones, and we do have a lot of local student-athletes that come here because of everything you can do on the inside. Birthday parties for local children are very popular at The Highlands Sports Complex. “The Highlands Sports Complex is really a great place for birthday parties, too, because we have a great arcade and the climbing area,” he said. “Kids have a great time here, that’s for sure.” Dollars and sense, Commissioner Nickerson explained, will determine when expansion should take place. “There have been conversations about what could be next at the sports complex and we have had requests for some outdoor baseball fields,” Nickerson explained. “And we’ve heard about ice and about a fitness center, too, and right now it’s a matter of economics because the sports complex still doesn’t pay for itself. The (Ohio) County Commission still subsidizes it. “And we knew that was going to be the case for a while after it opened, and we were told it would be probably a five-year break-even point and it’s close to four years at this point,” the commissioner added. “So, it’s just a matter of the economics when it comes to expansion.” The large arcade at the sports complex adds new games as they become available. Read the full article

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vytelis · 29 days

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Sportstake 13 Fixture Weekend Predictions

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jcmarchi · 1 month

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NVIDIA’s GTC in Four Headlines

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/nvidias-gtc-in-four-headlines/

NVIDIA’s GTC in Four Headlines

Impressive AI hardware innovations and interesting software moves.

Created Using DALL-E

Next Week in The Sequence:

Edge 381: We start a new series about autonomous agents! We introdice the main concepts in agents and review the AGENTS framework from ETH Zurich. Additionally, we provide an overview of BabyAGI.

Edge 382: We review PromptBreeder, Google Deemind’s self-improving prompt technique.

You can subscribe below:

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📝 Editorial: NVIDIA’s GTC in Four Headlines

I tried to resist making this weekend’s editorial about NVIDIA because I think you might have been inundated with headlines from the GTC conference. Unable to resist, I instead decided to present the four most impactful announcements in terms of ambition and market impact. If I have to summarize two key takeaways from NVIDIA’s AI announcements this week, they would be these:

NVIDIA is not only outgrowing but also out-innovating everyone else in AI compute hardware by a large margin.

NVIDIA’s software ambitions should be taken seriously.

To put that in context, here are four key announcements from this week’s GTC:

Blackwell GPU Series: NVIDIA unveiled the Blackwell B200 GPU, optimized for trillion-parameter models. The chip can improve LLM inference by up to 30x, which is quite remarkable.

NIM Microservices: My favorite announcement of GTC was the NIM platform, which delivers models optimized for inference and packaged as containers. NIM speeds up inference by using the Triton Inference Server, TensorRT, and TensorRT-LLM.

Project GR00T: I think the coolest and most ambitious announcement was Project GR00T, which focuses on developing foundation models for humanoid robots. The stack is based on multimodal models for video, audio, and language.

Distribution: An overlooked announcement during GTC was the impressive list of strategic alliances with top software companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Dell, Oracle, and many others. NVIDIA is simply everywhere.

There were many additional announcements at GTC, but the aforementioned four are incredibly impactful. NVIDIA’s AI hardware dominance is unquestionable, but it’s quickly making inroads in the software space.

🔎 ML Research

Chronos

Amazon Science published a paper introducing Chronos, a family of pretrained foundation models for time series forecasting. Chronos models time-series data using the same techniques used by LLMs —> Read more.

Moirai

Salesforce Research also got into time series forecasting with foundation models with the publication of a paper detailing Moirai. The new model follows the paradigm of a universal forecasting model that can issues predictions across many domains and time scales —> Read more.

TacticAI

Google DeepMind published a paper detailing TacticAI, a model that can provide technical insights in football( soccer) plays, particularly corner kicks. The model uses geometric deep learning by generating possible reflections of a game situation including the player’s relationships —> Read more.

RAFT

Researcers from UC Berkely published a paper introducing retrieval-augmented fine-tuning(RAFT), a training technique that improves the ability of models to answer questions based on external data. Given a question, RAFT ignores the documents that are not relevant to formulagte the answer leading to more accurate outputs —> Read more.

Evolutionary Optimization and FM Model Merging

Researchers from Sakana AI published a paper that uses evolutionary optimization to merge foundation models. The technique attempts to harness the collective intelligence of different models to create more powerful foundation models —> Read more.

SceneScript

Meta AI Research published a paper detailing SceneScript, a method for reconstructing layouts of physical spaces. The technique can have profound implications in augmented reality scenarios that merge physical and virtual spaces —> Read more.

🤖 Cool AI Tech Releases

NVIDIA NIM

NVIDIA announced NIM, its cloud microservices endpoints for pretrained foundation models —> Read more.

Grok

Elon Musk’s xAI open sourced a version of its marque model Grok —> Read more.

Stable Video 3D

Stability AI released Stable Video 3D, an improved model that can generate 3D objects from text descriptions —> Read more.

🛠 Real World ML

AI Training Logging at Meta

Meta discusses Logarithm, their solution for AI training logging —> Read more.

GNNs at Pinterest

Pinterest details their use of graph neural networks(GNNs) for content understanding —> Read more.

RL at Lyft

Lyft discusses the architecture powering their internal reinforcement learning workloads —> Read more.

Cloud Monitoring at Microsoft

Microsoft discusses the AI used to monitor its Azure cloud services —> Read more.

📡AI Radar

NVIDIA unveiled plenty of AI hardware and software innovations at its GTC conference.

Reddit had a strong IPO debut fueled by AI data demands.

Apple is reportedly in conversations with Google to power IPhone AI features using Gemini.

On a surprising move, Microsoft hired Inflection co-founder Mustafa Suleyman and part of his team to lead its Copilot efforts.

After loosing several key people, Inflection announced a pivot into AI for business.

NVIDIA announced a series of AI partnerships with the world’s largest tech companies.

Databricks announced the acquisition of Lilac to improves its unstructure data preparation and analysis capabilities.

Astera Labs shares popped 70% in its IPO pushed by the demand of its AI data transfer features.

Roblox introduced new AI features for Avatar creation and texturing.

Anthropic, AWS and Accenture announced a strategic alliance to bring generative AI to enterprises.

ServiceNow released a new version of its Now platform for AI workflow automation.

Amazon and Snowflake announced a partnership to modernize data streaming pipelines.

TheSequence is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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kevinszabojrplumbing · 6 months

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Preparing Your Kids For A Move

Moving can be a stressful experience for children, which means parents have an important job: You get to be the ones to prepare your kids. How do you do this? What are the best ways to communicate with your children about what’s ahead? Here are some key tips for setting your kids up for a successful move.

1. Start early. Nobody likes to have something scary sprung on them suddenly. The sooner you let your kids know about an upcoming move, the better. This way, they have ample time to get used to the idea.

2. Talk openly and often. As your kids begin to process the fact that their life is changing, they’ll have questions — and you can talk through them together. When they know you’ll listen to their fears and talk through their questions, they’ll feel safer and more stable. Try to empathize with your kids, validating their feelings of fear or frustration. At the same time, work together to create solutions to challenges. Discuss what changes are coming and communicate clearly about what to expect.

3. Give them some responsibilities. School-aged children will typically prefer having some agency in the moving process. So rather than controlling every detail of their move, let them help. What parts of their room could they pack? Would your organized child like to help you plan a to-do list? Could your older kids team up to run errands for you? Being involved in the move can help make it feel less daunting.

4. Introduce them to their new home. Try to take your whole family to visit their new neighborhood and house before moving day. If it’s nearby, go spend an afternoon walking around and scoping out cool features. If it’s farther away, plan a weekend to get to know the area and find attractions that will interest your kids. This can make the prospect of moving a little more exciting and a little less scary.

5. Keep some constants. Part of what makes moves so hard is the disruption of routine. Kids thrive on predictable rhythms that make them feel safe. That said, there are lots of ways to preserve some sense of normalcy. What traditions could you continue even while you’re unsettled? Friday night pizza? Saturday park days? Tuesday tacos? Whether you keep doing soccer practice or schedule music lessons that continue into your new home, it will help your children feel more comfortable.

6. Prep an essentials bag. The moment when your long-distance or local movers arrive is not the time to look for a favorite stuffed animal or sweater. To ensure your kids have the essentials that they rely on day after day, pack a bag of essentials for each child. This bag should include necessities such as clothes and toiletries, as well as beloved toys, games and/or trinkets that will soothe stressed nerves. Bonus tip: Include a few favorite snacks to munch on while transitioning.

7. Stay positive. Kids look to parents to understand new situations. If you stay positive and upbeat during the move, they probably will, too. Pay attention to the ways you’re talking and expressing emotions about the move. Be honest, but be positive, too. This tells your kids they don’t need be afraid. You’re calm, so they can be, as well.

Relocation presents serious challenges for a family — but you will get through it together. Care about your kids’ emotions, keep an open dialogue about their concerns and prepare to create stability and comfort where you can. For more information on getting through a move with kids, take a look at the attached resource.

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brijeshtiwaripune · 6 months

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Rishi Sunak Sacked U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman following Weekend of Antisemitic and Far-Right Conflict in London

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's decision to dismiss Suella Braverman from her role as Home Secretary comes in the wake of a tumultuous weekend marked by marches and protests in London. Braverman, responsible for law enforcement in England and Wales, faced the repercussions of expressing her concerns in an op-ed for The Times of London on November 8. In this piece, she focused on the "pro-Palestine movement," predicting that "hate marchers" would exploit Armistice Day, November 11, for a demonstration in London. Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day, holds significance globally as a day to commemorate the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany. Braverman's article raised issues surrounding the perceived bias of senior police officers in dealing with various protest groups, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. She questioned the differential treatment of lockdown objectors, Black Lives Matter demonstrators, right-wing protesters, and pro-Palestinian groups. The weekend's events unfolded with clashes between right-wing protesters, soccer hooligans, and the Metropolitan Police at the Cenotaph in London, the site where Remembrance Day is observed. This resulted in 120 arrests and injuries to several police personnel. A subsequent peace march witnessed instances of antisemitism, prompting calls from the opposition for Braverman's resignation. A day after these incidents, Braverman took to Twitter, praising the professionalism of the police but condemning the inflammatory and criminal behavior displayed during the protests. She expressed concern about the rising levels of hate, violence, and antisemitism in London, emphasizing the need for further action to address these issues. On Monday, Braverman was removed from her position for the second time, with her previous dismissal occurring during Liz Truss's brief tenure as prime minister. Sunak had reinstated her six days later when he assumed office. Braverman, upon her sacking, expressed gratitude for serving as Home Secretary and hinted at providing more insight in due course. Simultaneously, a cabinet reshuffle is in progress, with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly appointed as Braverman's successor and former Prime Minister David Cameron taking over as the new Foreign Secretary. In the aftermath of Braverman's dismissal, a notable rift emerged within the Conservative party, with differing opinions on the handling of the situation. Braverman's critical remarks on the police's approach to the pro-Palestinian march, her subsequent removal, and the reshuffling of key cabinet positions have fueled controversy. Some view her sacking as a mistake, arguing that she understood the sentiments of the British public, especially on issues related to protests and policing. The events surrounding Braverman's dismissal come amidst broader discussions on protest dynamics and policing strategies, with implications for community tensions. The Metropolitan Police emphasized the intensity of the debate on these matters, possibly alluding to Braverman's criticisms of the force. The independence of British police from government influence was highlighted, and the opposition Labour Party accused Braverman of undermining her office by seemingly questioning the judgment of senior officers. Allies of Braverman, including Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns and former Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, expressed support for her, framing her sacking as a consequence of speaking out. The debate within the Conservative party raises questions about the alignment of political leaders with the sentiments of the electorate, particularly in the context of upcoming elections. Read the full article

#braverman #Britishpolitics #homesecretaryuk #Policing #raelbraverman #RishiSunak #RuleofLaw #SuellaBraverman #ukhomesecretary #UnitedKingdom

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