Aurora Hopkins
 Drawn by stormie#5662 | |
| No. 7 – Tallahassee Typhoons | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| Species | Somali Cat ( Felidae ) |
| Gender | Female |
| Nickname(s) | |
| Queen of Queen City | |
| The Kit | |
| Quicksilver | |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
September 7, 2004 Brisbane, QLD, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Listed height | 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m) |
| Listed weight | 115 lb (52 kg) |
| Shoots | Right-handed |
| Career information | |
| School | EFBL Paris |
| FBA draft | 2022 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall |
| Selected by the Tallahassee Typhoons | |
| Pro playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022 - present | Tallahassee Typhoons |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Contract information | |
| Contract year | 2022 |
| 2023 Salary | $4 million |
| 2024 Salary | $4 million |
| Player Contacts | |
| (IC) Agent | LunsBalloons |
| (OOC) Creator | LunsBalloons |
| (OOC) Actor | LunsBalloons |
| (OOC) Usage | Ask me before any use |
Biography
Born on September 7th,2004. Aurora was born to two aging parents and a teenaged older brother (13). Her childhood was normal up into February 21st, 2010, where her Mother was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. From then on she lost her mother figure and turned into one herself up until her mother succumbed to her illness on August 20th, 2012. Her mother's death brought on a large amount of support from the two men in her life. Some would say overbearing, that some being her. When she eventually took up the liking to sports due to being exposed to it 24/7, she would be forbidden from playing most contact sports. From a combination of being the only girl, being the youngest, and being super tiny (which was common in Australia by the way). She was only allowed to play 2 Sports...Soccer and Basketball. Before taking up basketball she'd play a little soccer as a goalkeeper which really helped with her hand eye coordination and focus, unfortunately though her Youth Soccer team was good so she grew bored. So in the Fall of 2016 she picked up basketball for the first time. What she quickly learned is that, while soccer welcomed tiny people, basketball did not. And so she was usually casted aside due to her size at an early age. It frustrated the young girl because she had immense joy while playing the game...It was like she was MEANT to play. Despite how she felt however, the world didn't seem to care...so tryout after tryout she was sent home in tears. Her brother opted for her to try to get back into soccer but her father ragged into her that he didn't raise a "Quittah". And so she gave it another go. And another, each time improving, Trying out for every team in Brisbane and even reaching out to Gold Coast and finally after a year of training and trying out, she got a call back. A small time bottom feeder team in one of the AAU Leagues, called her back hoping for a garbage time Guard. And she was just the gal. After just a day of practice her teammates would swiftly inform her that she didn't belong based on how she got in. For days she didn't know what they meant until she finally brought it up. Apparently the girl who they chose over her, opted out for financial reasons. She'd learn later that the girl's family moved to the Bahamas after winning The Lott. The sheer luck of someone having to win the lottery in order for her to even participate made for a bittersweet moment for the young girl. But it inspired her to take the chance she was given and run with it. And run with it she did. Her team jokingly gave her the Lucky #7 as her number. Despite hating the number at first, she grew to love it because that was the amount of years she saw her mother. She thought it'd be a good way to honor her.
AAU-2017-18
Once the season began Aurora was off to the races. She trained everyday, went on diets, searched up how to grow on YouTube, the whole nine yards! She was getting better at an incredible rate due to her need for correction. She never believed anything she did was perfect. Something was always able to be improved. From years of being forcibly protected by her overbearing family, she felt alive being able to stand for herself. It also brought about a slight inferiority complex that she would struggle with for years to come. By Mid Season her hard work would pay off, she had developed a killer shot, and she went from Garbage Time Guard to Off the Bench Sniper! What made her stand apart from the other's was her ability to use her speed to create space. She'd run along the three point line before suddenly stopping and pulling back making defenders stumble and fall before laying down a dagger. Plus on offense her small frame worked out as long as she was able to gain space. The ball rarely left her possession, and with her incredible ball handling she was able to limit turnovers. The only main issue was... She was a ball hog. In her mind, this was HER chance. Every time she hit the floor was another chance to prove herself. Unfortunately, while her individual skills improved, her Team Skills dwindled. And eventually team chemistry suffered when she was on the floor. She wasn't just a Score First Point Guard, she was a score only point guard. Coach attempted to put her on the 2 Guard so she didn't handle the ball much but it just made her obsessively call for the ball. Eventually the team got knocked out of the playoffs and she would go off to join another team. This time as a starter. Other teams took notice, her shot was spectacular and she had a lot of potential. So this time she received calls instead of making them. And she'd pick the closest team to her to join. The next season started and right off the bat the coach established that he was there to make them better so that her team could live out their dreams...Of winning an AAU title. Yeah maybe it was his, but the team went with it. Aurora worked even harder now as a starter than she did as a bench player, Quickly getting better up to the point where the coach had nothing to say to her. There would be practices where he'd completely go without talking or seeing Aurora. She did her own thing, was at the right place at the right times, and seemingly lived at the gym. Her home life at this point of her life started to shift. Her brother had been playing rugby semi-professionally, nothing major, but it was a part time gig that paid in fulfillment and cash. With him gone all the time it left their father to wander about alone. At this time the old man was retired and had nothing to do but sit at home and drink beer all day. He had no living friends and he wasn't one to go make more. He'd sit and watch TV constantly with some breaks for the bathroom. This made him even more clingy to his daughter and it got to the point where she had to get away. He'd invade her privacy at random times, and was down right overbearing. Aurora would naturally get snippy with the guy but he'd simply make her feel bad by sinking down and sadly walking away. So she dealt with it and took her anger out on the poor teams in her wake. 15...25...30 Point games! She was on fire! And again she felt alive! However her team still wasn't at their full potential. A stat sheet of 20+ point games in the L column became frequent and it caused a rift between her and her team. Soon enough the season ended and she had nothing to show for it. Well…
VBL - 2018
Apparently at her last game there was a scout for the Melbourne Swift, a Division I VBL team. The VBL (Victorian Basketball League) was a semi-professional league with multiple divisions. They took an intrigue in her and during the off-season they invited her to a workout. She attended and it was obvious that she had the highest potential there. So she was invited yet again for a regular practice and a meet-up with the team. First impressions were good. She vibed with her team and meshed very well with them. They were welcoming and a breath of fresh air. In the AAU there was an air of arrogance that radiated off of everyone but here…the team just wanted to win and wanted to win together. There were no ego’s to dodge, everything was fine. She was widely recognized as the best offensive threat on her team and for once she was given a leadership role. She wasn’t there from luck, there were no asterisks to her achievements, she belonged there. Despite her talents however, she struggled immensely. She couldn’t time passes, or click with the team at all. She found herself outcasted by her team and she couldn’t find out why. She once again was in her own world. At home, her life was pretty much the same. The same overbearing father bearing down his love on her. Lashing out from bottled feelings only made him get sad which made her feel worse and any mention about her problem would make the phrase “Lucky” get tossed in her face. It made it hard for her to trust anyone and she’d continue to be secretive. And eventually she was alone. She seemed to only talk when on the court, otherwise she was just stoic. She kept her head down and worked as hard as possible and got lost in the zone more often than not. Midway through the season the team decided to invite her to a team sleepover to hash out any issues they may have. The sleepover didn’t work as intended, as Aurora wasn’t even allowed to go. Her father forbade her from attending since he wanted to spend some “quality” time with her that day. Aurora realized quickly it was a ploy to get her to stop obsessing over the sport. What her father didn’t understand was that it was her escape from him. She loved him, appreciated him, and more. However she wanted space and he refused to give it. He watched every practice, every game. And it only got worse when she entered a league with older people on her team. Despite all of this off the court drama, she was still stellar on the court and fortunately that’s all scouts were able to see. And after another year of subpar team success she was approached with the largest opportunity of her life. A chance to play overseas professionally and turn her hobby into a true profession.
[July 21st,2018 08:15 AM AEST] -Subject wakes up, and goes downstairs for breakfast
[July 21st,2018 08:31 AM AEST] Subject leaves home for Basketball Practice “A friend is driving me today Dad, I’m fine bye!” *Door opens and shuts*
[July 21st,2018 16:15 PM AEST] Practice Ends however Subject is nowhere to be seen. Witnesses say she never made it to practice.
[July 21st,2018 16:58 PM AEST] A Missing Persons Report is filed.
[July 22nd,2018 07:35 AM AEST] Subject is found at the Brisbane International Airport. Subject is returned home
After her attempted escape, her father kept her on lockdown…Obviously. He was mostly confused on why she would want to run away and why leave the country? She said that she had received an offer to play for Paris. Her father was taken aback and gave her a stern talking to about her supposed plan. He informed her that she’d be unable to play without his signature anyways and that she would just be stuck in France. She explained that she felt it was her only way, and he of course questioned this. She opened up to him completely, trying to explain her lack of trust in him. He listened and he questioned if she told him at all. To him, she was just yelling at him to leave her alone. He wasn’t used to seeing her that way and he had no idea of her true feelings. He assumed it was just the normal teen phase everyone went through. The conversation was healthy and something Aurora really needed, and after a month of French studies, the Hopkins uprooted their lives in Brisbane to migrate to France.
Paris Saint-Chien F.B.- 2019-2021
Her brother stayed in Australia leaving Aurora and her Father to fend for themselves in France…Well, they were pretty much treated like Royalty while they were there. Paris supplied them with a place to stay, a meal card, and all of their essentials. Before Aurora was set to work, she was out enjoying the beautiful country of France with her father. Eventually, the grace period ended, and she was set to sign her contract, and become an official EFBL Player…Well a Junior EFBL player. She was signed to the youth squad but upon getting there, it was obvious she didn’t belong. She destroyed the competition. Older, younger, smaller and taller. It didn’t matter, she brought her A- Game and the team realized they needed someone like her in the main roster. So they called her up once the season began and she worked her way up throughout the season to gain minutes. Her Teammates always challenged her to do better and were positive influences on her game. They were true professionals. No petty drama, it was like a normal day in the office. She could work with that. She wasn’t forced to make friends, she just had to give the same respect that they gave to her. As professionals. It was safe to say she loved it. In her first Season, she aided in her team’s 1st Seed finish. They’d sweep through to the Final Four and would decisively win the Title. She never started a single Playoff game, and saw considerably less minutes, but she still contributed. This was her first Championship win in her entire life and the feeling of celebrating with those that worked just as hard as her to get there was euphoric. To top things off she was given the EFBL Rising Star Trophy and was placed on the All EFBL 2nd Team. She’d also snag a 6th Fur of the year nod for her efforts off the bench. In Year Two she was finally named starter due to her growth, and she debuted with a horrible 9 point performance as a true welcome to the EFBL. Despite early season struggles, her team still trusted her and didn’t show the same frustrations SHE would’ve shown to herself in their shoes. She reflected on her AAU days and hated the person she was back then and fully recognized that maybe if she were like her current teammates..An EFBL title would be her 2nd or 3rd championship. She strived to better herself, and she intended on starting now. With her emotional issues being slowly dealt with a new problem arose…Teams schemed against her. This had never happened to her before. Usually a team would just sit in awe as she scored all of her team’s points but for once…Someone paid attention and thought of ways to stop her. They exploited her defensive handicap, and trapped her. It was frustrating. For once she was completely powerless in a game and it hurt her psyche..but her coach was there to give her advice. “If they go after your legs, go after their eyes so they can’t see your legs”. At the time it made no sense. But as she played she realized he wanted her to exploit their exploit by hitting the weaknesses they created by focusing on her. Despite her finally understanding his wisdom, it took until the next season to really have the ability to apply it. Meanwhile, her 2nd Season was promising but swiftly fizzled out. They were the 2nd Seed this time however, unfortunately they lost in the Finals. Aurora finally figured it out too but…her team didn’t. It was a thrashing and the Russians who had beaten them all season at that point…slammed them when all eyes were on them. The 2nd Season was a failure in Aurora’s eyes despite snagging a 1st League nod and an EFBL Finals Top Scorer’s title. It was an adjustment. She had new responsibilities on the team and as the team’s star Point Guard, she had to lead this group and she failed in her first outing. For her 3rd Season, she figured out how to apply her coaches words and finally everything clicked! She was statistically better than her first and 2nd year and the eye test showed a more polished Aurora on the court. She was much more competitive now that she realized championships didn’t come easily, and she refused to fail. They captured the #1 Seed yet again, this time with Aurora as the main contributor.She led the league in scoring, being the youngest to do so. And lo and behold, they were in the Top Four for the 3rd year in a row. Her 48 Point, 9 Three game against late season opponent, London, put her on FSPN’s radar. She just couldn’t miss and from the exposure the world was introduced to the Queen of Queen City. And from that attention, more eyes were on the young lady than ever before. People were watching Paris because of the young phenom on the team…A young phenom that led the team to a title, youngest to do so in EFBL history! This game slapped her with immense pressure.
Paris wins 2nd Title in 3 Years
MAY 21st, 2022 19:00 CEST (Belgrade, Serbia) #1 Paris Saint-Chien F.B. vs #2 Athens 7,323 furs packed into Štark Arena on a chilly Serbian Night. It was 12.8 Celsius out (55 Degrees Fahrenheit)and both teams finished up their warm ups. The analysts were excited for Paris’ star Forward Nikola, however they also wanted to see what the young up and comer Aurora could do on the big stage. The game would finally tip off as hundreds of thousands around the world tuned in to watch the EFBL Finals. Within minutes…it was over. Paris, led by Nikola and Aurora, would destroy Athens in the 1st Quarter. The Greeks could only muster 11 measly points as their star player couldn’t even buy a basket. Aurora wasn’t the main scoring attraction like normal. But it wasn’t from a bad game…it was because she involved her entire team. She passed the ball expertly, from cross court, to behind the back to her target with precision. She looked flawless. Nearly every shot she attempted went in and everyone was loud…Every French at least. She didn’t show the world a scoring clinic..she showed the world flawless basketball. Shot selection was perfect, passes were perfect, mistakes were few and her team walked off the court as EFBL champions. She was Top 3 in MVP Voting…scratch that Top 2!...But the older guy won it (of course.).Her team however, would unanimously agree that she won in their hearts but unfortunately that wasn’t something to add on the ol’ Wiki Page nor on ProBasketball reference. Despite that, she was given another 1st Team all EFBL, Rounding out her count to 2.
DECLARING 2022
At first she never even thought about being drafted to the FBA, but her father brought up the opportunity. She had a large enough resume to get a true shot and her Paris contract had expired, so she ultimately decided to declare for the FBA draft just days after her big performance.
Stories
| The Great Escape Written by LunsBalloons © LunsBalloons |
|---|
| The young felidae ran and ran as if someone was chasing her. Her heart was beating quickly, but not as quick as her feet leaving the tiled floors before being forced back down onto the ground. Pat pat pat. Her paws made a fast tempo beat with a melody of "Hey's" and "Watch It's" rhythmically creating a sweet song of frantic chaos. This all would stop suddenly as a heavy paw grabbed onto the feline's shoulder.
"Hey slow down! Are you lost?..." —---------- The day prior, the young feline's world had grown in size. Australia was all she knew. The beautiful warmth of the sun greeting one's cheeks as soon as they opened the door. The laid back attitude that stained the Brisbanian air. It was her home, but for once in her life the feline saw an opportunity for more. The feline saw the opportunity and needed more. So she took it. All her life up to this point, someone was always there, forcing a paw onto her shoulder. Asking her to slow down. Asking her if she was lost. She didn't want to slow down, she wanted to be lost. But there it was. A heavy paw, forcing her to stop in place. Despite all of the running, she was still home. She was still in her own little world. Perhaps she needed to find a way out of her own world before making plans to explore another. Aurora woke up on a warm Thursday morning. The sun shone brightly and the wind was light. She went through the motions completely on auto-pilot. Shower, brush teeth, de-floofing, hair, tail, and then get dressed. Every morning was the same, every meal was the same, things were just predictable. Suddenly she'd be at school, she'd be in class and then she'd go eat the same lunch. Afterwards she'd attend a meeting for the school's Soccer Club. She didn't take it seriously, but it allowed her the most time alone whilst still playing a sport she liked. Whereas in basketball she'd be forced to speak to her classmates and that was completely illegal in her eyes. After the meeting she'd head home, take a shower, de-floof, hair, tail, and then get dressed for practice. She played for the Melbourne Swift, but despite the name, they ran training camps in Brisbane during the offseason. The season ended in disaster for them, and the young feline already wasn't too keen on the 17+ hour commute to Melbourne. It was safe to say, she was disgruntled. School life didn't help either as her big return to school after months of schooling in Melbourne,brought a lot of attention that she didn't want. She was asked questions constantly, given special treatment by some teachers, and the occasional autograph inquiry just made her want to scream. Her father informed her that it came with the job and that if she didn't want it then she should switch professions. It was fair but she didn't want to hear it so she didn't. Upon arriving at practice, things stayed pretty much the same. Awkward greetings, warm up, saying hello to the American teammate's vlog, attending team meetings, getting hype from the team captain's pep talk, and finally doing assorted drills. However towards the end of practice something different occurred. She was approached by two men in suits. They seemed to be foreign and their accent only proved it further. They'd ask the feline to step away and at this point Aurora was sure she got cut from the team due to her anti social tendencies. Butterflies littered her stomach as she was brought into an office and told to sit down. Things got even worse when they pulled out a paper and slid it on the table for her to look at. But…after a tense 5 minutes of just staring at a paper with words she didn't understand she'd finally speak up. "What's this?..." The feline asked with fear and uncertainty lightly sprinkled on top of her vocal cords. After the phrase "We're from the EFBL…" was uttered, she went into the twilight zone of sorts. It was as if she was dunked under water as soon as the words left the Scout's lips. Eventually she'd come back to earth and would excuse herself to grab her coach, who was outside the office with a concerned look on his face. She had them repeat what they said earlier so everyone was caught up, mostly herself, and would sign the contract. Sparkling Grape Juice was popped, and the celebration had begun! Aurora was officially a professional athlete.(Somewhat, her father still needed to sign) She had her coach make the announcement to her team, and it was like they actually achieved something that season. The team was ecstatic, many of the players demanded for her not to forget them as if it were possible. One by one, she'd be given a personal send off from each and every member of the team and staff. The team even posted about it on twitter, and soon all of Victoria was aware of Aurora's departure to France. The feline felt like her life was accelerating, luckily she was fast enough to keep up. It took 3 hours to leave in a manner that wasn't abrupt, rude, and or hasty. 3 hours she'd cherish forever. This was her first ever…TEAM. Real team. They cared about her, and really tried to incorporate her into their group no matter how awkward of a puzzle piece she was. They would glue her butt right into the picture any chance they got. At the time she found them somewhat overwhelming, but now…she felt like she had friends. Beep Beep Beep Her alarm rang for school the following morning. The weather was the same, her routine was the same and her breakfast was the same. But her mood…wasn't the same. She was chippy and that was an odd sight for her old man. Naturally, the elder cat was happy his daughter didn't look like a soulless husk, but it intrigued him. "You look a bit off color today, is that a smile?" He'd asked with a smirk. "Haha..Yeah it is. I feel well rested." She'd reply dryly. She hadn't told her father the big news yet. Despite his mandatory signature, she couldn't bring herself to tell him. She figured she'd just forge it so he couldn't talk her out of moving to France to pursue a dream she just recently committed to. Breaching a contract is a lot worse than any grounding he could give. He'd be forced to let her go. No need for lectures and long winded conversations about the future. She could picture the entire conversation if she were to tell him. France?! Going to Melbourne every now and then is peachy, but France?! It's too dangerous for someone your age to blah blah! Even the Melbourne Swift opportunity had complications when she brought it up to him. She figured it was easy since they could just move in with her grandmother during the season. However, her father had to make a huge deal about his daughter playing with players way older than her. Sure it was a legitimate concern, but the oldest person on the team was 19. He was the main reason she couldn't hang out with her teammates despite how cool they were. She was sure to be remembered as the girl with the helicopter dad, and she couldn't risk being known for that in Paris. Sure, she was young, but what she was doing and the talent she had overtook her in age. She didn't know how far this basketball thing would go but she'd run with it for as long as she could. She wasn't playing to make it anywhere, nor for money or fame. (Especially not fame). She purely played for the love of the game, and in each level, she'd outgrow her competition. So she needed a challenge to keep it fun. That's how she saw it. Her father just didn't get it. He only saw what the world saw in her. A small helpless girl, who can't defend herself. A fluffy stuffed toy that needed to be held. All that holding felt constrictive. Like a prison made completely out of love.
Her father would hurriedly get the door for her before redirecting her to his car. It seemed she was going to ride to school. Wonderful. One awkward Father-Daughter drive later, she was at school. She was greeted with smiling cult-like faces, and a crude hand drawn "Congratulations" banner. Her father was a bit confused but he figured this was for her VBL campaign. However, Aurora knew exactly what this was for…and this made things twenty times worse. School from then on was complete hell for the introverted cat. She turned into a celebrity and eyes were now peeled onto her at all times. Ambitious furs at her school would challenge her to 1v1's, and others would just outright fangirl over her. People claimed to be her friend, shared lunch with her, and damn near worshipped the ground she was on. However, she was also picked on and bullied by various classmates most likely due to jealousy. In one night, she went from the quiet kid to the popular kid and she wasn't the only one that found that…jarring. Rich kids would try to impress the nerds at school with their lavish lifestyle, just to be shot down because Aurora made herself rich. Charismatic kids struggled to hold a firm hold on conversations that didn't pertain to Aurora. It was social chaos, all because of her. It made a split in the school pretty quickly. 1 half was Pro-Aurora, the other half wanted her to fail. Despite all of this, Aurora tried her best to walk through the warzone she created. Her pursuit for greater competition had a giant issue that, just recently, needed to be addressed. She now realized that her father was correct. It'd get worse in Europe, and her time out of the limelight had officially come to an end. She grew scared of what was coming and honestly it was discouraging. If she couldn't handle this school drama, how could she handle the real adult drama she was going to be thrusted into. Aurora chilled in the staff bathroom and contemplated her life. She wasn't having a breakdown, but she did take a little timeout to rethink her position. The events unfolding around her, put a different perspective into her future. Was basketball so important that she'd sacrifice her privacy for it? Up to this point, she had struggled connecting with her teammates, but now she was going to be forced to connect with the world. Knock Knock Knock "You okay in there?" The feline took a deep breath and exited the bathroom, after washing her hands despite not doing anything. She'd give a thumbs up to the concerned teacher and continued about her day as normal. Eventually the day ended and the feline survived the ordeal. This marked a change in how the feline would go about her dream. She wanted to become so great that people wouldn't bother asking her any questions..Her game would answer them for her. It was a tall ask for the short cat, sure. But reaching for the stars could at least get her to the moon. That night, after another awkward dinner with her dad, she'd lay in bed and rethink her position. Her dream could live or die with just one conversation. Her father up to this point had been off and on when it came to supporting her dream. He was very conservative and didn't allow her to do anything. She was a princess stranded in a tall tower…and she had the opportunity to climb down using a rope made of her own will…and her allowance. She'd get out of bed, and hop on her computer. She had saved up money for the newest console but this was way more important…plus if the contract was what it said it was…she could buy that console a few times over just by putting pen to paper. She purchased a one way ticket to France and would contact the scouts detailing her arrival. The scouts were ecstatic that she was willing to leave so soon, and they welcomed her aboard. Now that the preparations were complete, she had a long night of packing and planning to do for phase two. She packed all the things she needed for her flight the following night. Once this was complete, she'd leave the bag outside her window so that when she left, she could grab it and go. She then scheduled a Zoober to pick her up in the morning so that when she left, she could tell her dad that a teammate was going to drop her off at school. Once she was dropped off at the airport she'd notify the team of her arrival, and would be welcomed into France with open arms…Hopefully they spoke a little English. Once her alarm went off the next morning, the sleep deprived feline would spring into action with the motor skills of a toddler. She tiredly got dressed and no matter how much water she splashed on herself, she still looked miserable. Which is how she normally looked so it worked out. She got dressed and darted to the kitchen to have her last supper with her old man. When they spoke, he kept talking about how he was getting to be a little bit more relaxed with her team. "Maybe, next time they have a sleepover, I'll let you attend…but I'll be chaperoning of course." The older cat said with a smile. Aurora played along with it and acted excited. Sure this was normally good news but the subtext was that he'd ask no questions about her teammates picking her up that morning. It was the only variable she could see that would foil her operation…but the skies were clear that day. In a mere 17 hours…she'd be in Paris.. —----------
After moments of radio silence, Giant Paw would let the feline's collar go and led her over to a seat. "You in any danger kid?" Giant Paw asked. "No." Aurora would dryly respond. "It's awfully reckless for you to run off like that..you scared your old dad half to death. Should be ashamed, really.." Giant Paw scolded The young felid just rolled her eyes. "How did you lot find me?" She asked. "Your computer..You left a few tabs open. Luckily you did…No one could help you if anything happened to ya in other countries. You could've been in real danger Miss. I know you're angry…probably mad you lost a bit of your allowance, but…We're only trying to protect ya. Please don't do this again." Giant Paw said as they cautiously put an arm around the girl. Aurora didn't move, or respond. She was honestly stunned. Not much about getting caught, in the back of her mind she always knew she would…but she was more stunned at herself. She usually always thought things through.. but this time she didn't. She tried to escape her own little world with a makeshift rocket…and luckily the launch was stopped before she exploded due to her own poor choices. She felt stupid, she felt helpless, and she felt like her dream was gone. What if Paris received word of this…That she lied to them about her father being on board, and that she hadn't even talked to him. What if her father just outright says no, just because of this incident..Her dream, the one she just figured out, was snuffed out…just like that. When she was returned home by the police, her father embraced her. Yet she was unmoving. Her father yelled at her, and cycled through every emotion in history. She felt horrible…She made her dad worry, and the last time he was worried he lost someone…they stayed lost. She never thought about how he might have felt…losing both of the girl's he cared about. At that moment, her own little world had expanded into their own little world. She no longer wanted to be apart from him, she wanted him to be there with her in Paris. "Explain yourself! I'm speaking to you! Are you there?!" "I'm here…" After minutes of berating, she had finally breached, passed her own mind and into reality. "Well?..." "You need to be less clingy…" Silence lingered in the air like a foul smell, as the two just stared at each other. Her father would be the one to break the silence.. "Me…too clingy? You bailed off towards bloody Paris earlier today! If anything, this proves I should crack down on you! What has gotten into you?" "I was scared you'd say no!" The feline said back. It wasn't much of a yell but it was the first time she's raised her voice in a long while. "No…of course I'd say no to randomly going to France! Why would I say yes to that?" He asked. "It wasn't random…I was given an offer to play in the EFBL…For Paris Saint-Chien..!" she exclaimed. Yet again, silence pierced through the air as the two glared at each other. After a few moments of tense silence, her father would speak up again. "Why…didn't you tell me?" "I was scared. You don't even let me hang out with my current teammates. I really really want to do this for a living Dad. And I can't have you holding me back from basic stuff anymore. I appreciate your care for me but I have to grow up eventually, and there'll be a day where you're not there…I have to be prepared for that day." The two sat in silence, staring off into space. They were alike in that aspect. They thought about what to say, and if they should say it. But all that could be mustered out were pathetically shallow breaths. Eventually, the older feline would embrace his daughter. He didn't say anything, but the hug spoke for him. The two were so different, yet the same. The talk would continue, as the two poured their hearts out about their struggles. From Aurora's late mother to bed times…Everything was on the table. Everything was addressed, and the next day happened. Aurora and her dream had survived a storm. Just like it did many times that week.
The small cat would smile softly. "Deal." She said as she held out her paw for a shake. The following weeks were boring, everything was the same. She went through the motions completely on auto-pilot. Shower, brush teeth, de-floofing, hair, tail, and then get dressed. Every morning was the same, every meal was the same, things were just predictable. Suddenly she'd be at school, she'd be in class and then she'd go eat the same lunch. Afterwards she'd attend a meeting for the school's Soccer Club. However, when she got home, things were different. One day she was studying French, the next she watched a movie. One weekend she'd even be allowed to have that sleepover with her teammates…it was a bit overrated, but it was an experience she'd cherish for a long time. Aurora's small world had finally grown to the size of Brisbane, and soon Europe would be added as well. |
| Aurora Breaks the Paris Scoring Record Written by LunsBalloons © LunsBalloons |
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| April 20th,2022- Reynault Arena
Paris, France London Jets (12-13) @ Paris Saint-Chien (20-4) Commentator: Frank Rawlor Pregame: Is she wearing a Golden Retriever Onesie? Haha! What a ridiculous outfit hoho!..Is it legal to warm up in a onesie? Regardless..ahem.. Aurora Hopkins, much like her outfit, has been putting on ridiculous numbers as of late.-- LDN 4 - PSC 3 1st Q 9:59 Nice steal by Henry (PSC)! He’ll coast in for an easy- whoops! He finds a small cat in the corner and splash!---Great ball discipline by Henry, as he nets an extra point from his decision to pass–- LDN 7 - PSC 6 1st Q 9:02 Hopkins, guarded by Davis (LDN), takes it up the court quickly before passing it out to Nikola (PSC) on the right wing…Jab step..And a frustrated pass back to his guard as he’s unable to make his DEFENDER MOVE and A surprise shot from Narnia! Hopkins (PSC) with the screamer from range to bag in her 2nd 3-Pointer of the match! Paris Leads!-- LDN 17 - PSC 22 1st Q 3:29 Cameron (LDN) has been struggling to put the ball in the net, as Nikola will nab the rebound for Paris. 0 for 5 for the retriever tonight, as his unreliability has surely cost his team some points this season. Hopkins with the ball. Passed back to Nikola who slings it immediately to an open Fonz (PSC) in the corner. Oh what a beautiful play! Hopkins is all alone and a classy lay-up will put a 7 point space between the teams.-- You see how bunched up they were to start? As soon as Hopkins passes this ball, she runs to the middle to lead defenders away leading to an open Fonz in the corner. As soon as the defense notices their mistake, Fonz intelligently dishes a pass back to the then wide open Hopkins as the defense closes back in. Expertly done. LDN 32 - PSC 52 2nd Q 7:21 --Another tough shot falls safely into the paws of Paris as some London players seem to be frustrated from a lack of calls. Hopkins in transition!…Give this girl a citation, cause she ran through all of the red lights! She’s one of the quickest players in the EFBL and it shows on transition offense like this. Look how simple it was for her to breeze pass the defender. Henry with the assist as Hopkins now has 10 points. LDN 40 - PSC 56 2nd Q 4:13 Another basket falls for London as the lead falls to 16. Hopkins takes it up the court…And she’s getting a tad aggressive as she crosses over and drives IN FOR A BEAUTIFUL FINISH! How did she weasel her way through to make that shot? Incredible flexibility. LDN 40 - PSC 58 2nd Q 4:01 --And the ball is loose! Hopkins slapped it away…and she retrieved it! Excellent hussle! And she’s going to pull from the logo..! WHY NOT?!....WHy not???... Listen to that crowd! I, never in a million years would tell even the best shooters to attempt a shot like that but Hopkins pulls it with such confidence! LDN 40 - PSC 61 2nd Q 3:56 Balls loose again! This time slapped away by Nikola as Hopkins will scoop it up and attempt another shot from the LOGO…COUNT IT!!!! OH MY GOODNESS! The crowd is going crazy! She has just hit two threes from my garage back in England back to back! In just 17 seconds she’s grown the lead by 8 single handedly!-- LDN 49 - PSC 70 3rd Q 10:14 --Hopkins comes off the screen…pump fake, and she sets up an easy mid ranged shot..Good! It doesn’t get easier than that! LDN 56 - PSC 72 3rd Q 6:47 London has been stagnant tonight on offense.–- Hopkins with a three and a fake…In! Tricking the defenders with her shoulders, literally shrugging them off, before laying down a routine shot from beyond the arc. She’s played brilliantly tonight. LDN 62 - PSC 77 3rd Q 5:38 Hopkins receives the ball…And here comes the double team…She’s trying to outrun the defenders and will stepback beyond the arc..IN! YOU CAN’T CONTAIN HER! That’s her sixth 3 pointer tonight and London has no answer! LDN 62 - PSC 80 3rd Q 4:59 Both teams have been in a bit of a drought ever since Hopkins brought the house down. Nikola with it and he’s dancing. Crosses…Nowhere. London has done an exquisite job containing him. However they have other issues, as Hopkins drains another shot from mid-range. Seems like some mis-communication caused a hole in the middle of the defense to open up that’d promptly get filled by Hopkins. LDN 70 - PSC 82 3rd Q 2:17 The run ends with that missed shot as Hopkins collects the rebound. That missed three could’ve been crucial, in what has been a very one sided game. Nikola….Pepe (PSC)..Hopkins…Jab step, pass..no! It’s a shot..It’s..IN! The ball went around the world 3 times before finally dropping in. Wonderful fake by the young guard! 40 Points for her tonight! LDN 72 - PSC 85 3rd Q 1:38 If London wants to claw their way back into this game, they’ll need to stop this Offense while Hopkins is on the floor. She has had her way with this defense all game and has no signs of stopping. Speak of the devil, Hopkins..drives..steps back and shoots!….AND ONE!!! The defender closed in a bit too much and didn’t leave her much room to land! And this sets up a possible 4 point play! --MVP chants are filling the air as Hopkins drains the shot. Remarkable! LDN 88 - PSC 96 4th Q 9:34 Wonderful shot! London seems to be right back in this one! Hopkins dribbles around-- A double team surrounds Hopkins! She’ll be forced to stop and is now in trouble as the defenders close in! She attempts a fadeaway! It’s IN! We have a late whistle as well…no way…was she fouled? The refs are signaling she was fouled! And One! And One! Another 4 point play! We have witnessed history! 47 Points! A Paris Saint-Chien Franchise record! 9 3 pointers will also tie the record for the most in a single game in EFBL history! Incredible! --And she cashes in on the And One! 48 Points! Holy Smokes!.... LDN 94 - PSC 110 FINAL Top performer: A.Hopkins 48pts 7Ast 3Stl 14-21 (9-16) 3p 11-12 FT
Aurora Hopkins: Everything, uhm..I believe our team has improved since then, and we have a much better mindset moving into the playoffs than last season. Reporter #2: You just broke your franchise’s scoring record with an incredible 48 points. Not only that, but you’re the youngest to put up these numbers in EFBL history. Are you feeling pressured to perform even greater when you get older? Aurora Hopkins: No. Reporter #2: It’s not everyday a teenager dominates like that in a professional competition. What makes you the outlier, and do you have any advice for up and comers like you? Aurora Hopkins: The outlier?..It’s one game at the end of the year…Not that serious. Report #3: I have a team centered question. Aurora Hopkins: Okay. Reporter #3: There were many points in this match, where London…saw the light, sort of speak. Why were they so hard to put away? Aurora Hopkins: Uhm..Well they’re better than their record. They have incredible talent, if I’m being honest I think what’s holding them back is themselves. They’re a very emotional team. They rely on momentum to come to them which is why they could get close but never finish. Since they never made the momentum, they never had a real connection with it. So it easily shattered with just one thing not going their way. Reporter #4: I want to circle back to the start of the match. You mentioned just now that they are emotional. So was that the purpose of the Golden Retriever onesie? To get in their heads? Aurora Hopkins: Oh no. It’s just the only one I could find that was my size…You see I went to the supermarket, and there was a shortage of onesies. I asked why, and the staff said that the shipments were delayed. So I bought the only onesie I could. I wanted a fish themed onesie.. Reporter #5: And what’s the story behind the London Jet’s hoodie you’re wearing? Aurora Hopkins: Ours is expensive here…and there's…isn’t. Reporter #5: So you're not sending a message about going to London after your contract is up? Aurora Hopkins: No. Reporter #6: What do you believe your odds are to make it to the FBA after this match? Aurora Hopkins: The same. Reporter #1: If an FBA team reached out right now and offered you a contract? What would you do? Aurora Hopkins: Stay in the EFBL because that’d be pretty shady. I’m not even eligible yet. Coach: Okay I think that’s enough for now |
| Inside the Mind of The Silent: September 2022 Written by LunsBalloons © LunsBalloons |
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| September 11th, 2022
Sorry I didn’t write yesterday…I just arrived in Tallahassee. Yesterday was..hectic.. I finally joined the best basketball league in the world, and I was the 6th pick…It was cathartic. But I know this is just the beginning. I have to get better, I MUST get better. After I got the call and walked the stage, Jack and Dad helped me research Tallahassee(The location of my new team The Typhoons…Kinda a cool name..). My father looked through all the safety rankings, my brother looked for places to live, and I was in charge of pricing out a budget based on my bank account. I was the only one good with math and numbers, so…I had to do it. Once those things were established, Jack found a place that was near the Stadium. After my father concluded that Tallahassee was one of the unsafest places in Florida, I ran the numbers and concluded that the place Jack picked was cheap enough for me to buy two units. So I went ahead and did just that. At first it was so my father wouldn’t room with me, but then I realized…The team is drafting my teammate who will be in the same spot as me. Scrambling for a place. So I decided to give the extra condo to my soon to be teammate. Today; I’ll find out who that teammate is. While the draft is going, I just started moving into MY condo..Where my father will be headquartered while I’m gone doing team stuff. Note: The team drafted a Bigfur named Mayzie-Mae Pelletier. The name is fun to say. Mayzie-Mae…Not as fun to write.
September 14th, 2022 Today was my first practice. And as promised from his tweet, I saw Adge first thing in the morning. In fact he was the first teammate to welcome me in person. I kept it short with him and the rest of the team, but I did have a warm feeling inside. Though, I’m sure this welcoming attitude will fade once Mayzie and I get comfortable..I know how rookie hazing works. They get you nice and comfy and then make your life miserable. I still remember being Nikola’s pet my rookie year. He gave me a collar and I was forced to follow every command or I’d be punished in some inhumane way by the team. It was that way until I finally had enough around 5 months in…I hope it’s nothing that horrid, but with how overdramatic America has been so far…I'm in for a rude awakening. The actual practice itself was…hard but standard. It was like the coach wanted to test our limits and that she did. I was exhausted by the end of it. Admittedly, the kind words of Mrs.Smoot kept me from succumbing to my fatigue. She claimed to have a daughter around my age, which I found crazy because she looks really young and athletic. After practice, Coach Tetreault called me into her office and gave me a big speech about expectations, and that she chose me because I was a winner and stuff like that. I listened. And tomorrow I will apply. But at the moment I’m dozing off just trying to write this September 15th, 2022 Today was a day of change. Two players were released mid practice..It was very awkward. The two were talking it up with the others like normal and…then they both received a tap. This wasn’t the first time I’ve seen a teammate get cut..But I haven’t seen it in the middle of a practice. It reminded me that not only is this a business…It’s a cut throat business. At any moment, your dreams can fade away with a simple tap. Just for not being good enough. In other news, Carson is back on the team..so that’s good. No pun intended. After practice, I stayed in the gym for a few extra hours to perfect my shot. It was a bit off during the scrimmages and I can’t afford to be in a slump at this time. I need to be at the top of my game. I also worked on my finishing since Mayzie blocked me a few times today..In all, today was productive, but I wasn’t pleased with my performance at all. It was my first bad practice in months and seeing Mr.Redfield and Mr.Fisher get the ax like that, didn’t help my psyche at all. I felt like I deserved to be tapped more than they did. But tomorrow is another day, and I will do my best times ten like always. I can do this. I hope I can do this. I HAVE to do this. September 16th, 2022 The weird recurring dream I've had for the past few days has finally stopped. However, in this dream..this fur named Tania was getting attention from O'Toole…Then she turned him down. I've never met this woman in my life but upon looking her up, she is indeed real..Weird. Anywho, today was weight room day. I was a bit embarrassed that my weights were significantly less than everyone else's. However, I did out pace everyone in the agility and speed drills we did. So, it balances out. I was invited by a few teammates to go to some Italian place called Paladino's. We had a day off tomorrow, and Mrs.Smoot thought it'd be nice to do some team bonding..so I went. The food was excellent, and in all honesty I had a lot of fun. However, I had to leave early because my father gave me a curfew of around 9PM. I think it went well, though I don't know how everyone else felt. I know I'm not the most vocal, nor fun, but I wasn't a buzzkill..I kinda just vibed, ate, and listened. I was like a friendly fly on the wall, though Adge and Mrs.Smoot always made excuses for me to join in the conversation. That was nice of them. Oh! And Ms.Albins actually rented the whole place out so we wouldn't be bothered. I don't know if she did it for me specifically, for herself, or if it was just a general thing someone on the team always did. No matter the reason I appreciated it. Once I got home, Dad unfortunately fixed me dinner completely forgetting that I went out for dinner..but to make him feel better I packed some for tomorrow. Tomorrow I have literally..no plans! It's the first time since…Last year's off season in France..Oh man. At around 11PM, I received a call from Blayke, who I'm talking to now whilst I write this,…He says "Hi". Anyways, he was filling me in on all the stuff going on in Pittsburgh. It's weird…having someone to talk to at hours like this. I never did this with any teammate at any level..no one at school either. I guess I never really had a legitimate friend before. It's nice. I appreciate Blayke. Okay, he's being annoying so I hung up on him. Anyways, today was great and I can't wait for tomorrow. September 17th, 2022 Today, I found my new hang out spot. It’s this nice little coffee shop called “850 Brewers” . It’s very quaint and the best part is, no one knows who I am. I went in, got some pastries and a hot chocolate, then I proceeded to watch film on my laptop in a corner. No one bothered me. I hope it stays that way. After spending all morning cringing at my faults, I decided to go to the practice facility to work on my defense. Luckily, Mrs.Smoot happened to be there as well. What a surprise. However, I was too anxious to actually ask her to help me, so I just used the Team’s simulation training in the Facility of Athletic Science..Or FAS for short. We didn’t have this type of tech in Europe, so I wanted to test it out ever since I laid eyes on it. A few of the team staff were there to help me out and eventually I got hooked up and was running defensive drills against a hologram with imported game sound and everything. It was really cool. However, mid way through my simulation run, I was tapped on the shoulder..Which freaked me out. I almost cracked onto the fur that was responsible…But, I didn’t. I just froze. Regardless, the tap came from Mrs.Smoot. Apparently, she was offended that I was practicing with a simulation of her instead of the “real deal”. Which..was fair. I apologized but it turns out she actually wasn’t angry at all and was “joshing” me. Crazy. Anyways, this ended up leading to Rosalie challenging me to a 1v1 where I was promptly destroyed. She was so much stronger, and she didn’t let me get comfortable at all. All while she was able to score whenever she wanted. I scored a few tough 3’s but she pretty much dominated me. After the lopsided affair, she took it upon herself to force me to stop her twice in a row. She never stopped trying to score, always going 100%. Even when she saw me get discouraged, she gave me encouraging words as she drained a mid ranged fade in my face. It took hours, but eventually..I stopped her 5 times in a row. I figured her out, And I worked smarter not harder. Her dribbling wasn’t the best, so I’d spin off her once she backed me down, and would swipe the ball from behind her. It worked each time. One time I ended up getting a lucky block. In all, today was wonderful. Frustratingly wonderful. Tomorrow, the team is to gather for a full team bonding activity..Yay. September 18th, 2022 They lied. Team bonding was a full day of a 110% effort Gauntlet. Nothing brought a team together like suffering together. Practice was hell. Coach was relentless, we had limited breaks, and any tiny mistake was immediately pointed out and dealt with. I LOVED IT! I don’t know if the coach was trying to start off on the write paw last week but, she was completely different today. The journey to our 2nd title starts now! After practice concluded, Adge, Rosalie and I stayed behind and worked on our respective weaknesses. Coach said I didn’t release the ball fast enough during practice. So I worked on my form. I never thought about it, but she was correct. The faster the draw, the harder it is for defenders to close in and block my shot. I need to be fast in everything I do to truly compete in this league. The only issue with changing my form's speed, was that I had to relearn my shot. So for hours, I shot the ball over and over. I had a personal trainer time my shot and work with me. It was frustrating and I never got it right..But I have a lot of time to get it before the pre season starts. I like that Tallahassee seems to really care about me. They offer a lot of avenues for me to better myself, and I appreciate it. At any time, if I wanted to work on anything, they’d have something for me. I have never felt so lucky in my life. This place is perfect…well, minus the humidity. I finally got kicked out at around 5P.M, with an entire evening to kill before tomorrow's practice. So, after my mandatory Ice bath, my father thought it’d be a good idea to actually acknowledge my fans. He was correct, I probably did need to. But I didn’t want to. I had other things to worry about. Regardless, at 7:30, I was signing jerseys and posters at a local school. I thought I’d hate it. And I thought correctly. I’m not a huge fan of kids. But..it did make me happy that my suffering was amusing them. I took a few photos with the little buggers, before returning home. Today was good. September 19th, 2022 Practice was alright. Nothing interesting happened except for Adge trying to cover up the fact he was hungover all practice. I stayed for only an extra hour this time though.(So did Adge actually…What a trooper.)And the reason is because I got invited to play in an amateur Soccer League! It happened yesterday, while meeting with the kids, some of the parents struck a conversation with me..and Soccer was brought up. And from there, I was invited to try out for their club, Tallahassee United. They sent me a kit and I'll admit it looked very cute. Anyways, the actual try out was pretty chill. They had me do standard drills, and I did pretty well despite how rusty I was. They were a bit disappointed that I was this good but going to be inactive once the season began. I found it unfortunate myself, but hey, what can I do? I get paid to play Basketball not Soccer. They had their first game this upcoming Sunday at 7, in Vero Beach. I really hope I can go. I wish I could have joined a club earlier, but unfortunately I was too busy. I intend to enjoy the small amount of time I have with this little club for as long as I can. For my first game, I decided I will be wearing the Tallahassee United Kit during warm ups. I’ll take the fine..I don’t care. I’ll never feel ashamed about supporting a local business. September 20th. 2022 Today was interesting. We ran scrimmages pretty much all day, I guess the coach was testing out different lineups. I got to play with pretty much everyone on the team. Performance wise, I did well. I could’ve done way better, but anything is better than my performance last week…Regardless, I was able to prove that I belonged today. Adge and I had a little rivalry(I’ll be honest..he won), that lasted all day. For some reason that bloke was seemingly targeting me. Any shot I put up, that was blocked, was blocked by Adge. He bullied me in the post, isolated me on defense constantly and he fouled me the most today as well. Despite him getting the better of me this time, I do pride myself on putting him on skates in our penultimate game. Not many furs know that I have good ball control, but at least my team knows now. I treat the ball like it’s another body part. I always learned to use the ball as a weapon, and I feel like I’m on my way to mastering that. Anywho after practice, I was invited to another team function, however I turned it down. I’ve been using my free time to do social activities for a while and I needed a break. Practice was actually SUPER draining today. I got a bit snippy with Adge, thinking about it. I didn’t yell or anything…But I was a little sarcastic, passive aggressive and distant with him today. I’ll have to apologize..I haven’t done anything like that since my AAU days. I’m a bit ashamed of myself for taking out my frustrations on him. He was just playing hard, and making sure I got better. He was doing his job, and being a great teammate. I let him down today. I let the team down today. I’ll show up tomorrow at 3AM instead of 4AM..So I can run laps for my behavior today. Then I’ll apologize to him. For now, I have to sleep. I just cut a whole hour out of my night. September 21st,2022 The apology was delivered, but not received. Apparently, Adge wasn’t offended nor did he even notice my shift in attitude towards him. He couldn’t tell if I was angry or not, which I don’t think..is a good thing. He told me not to worry about offending him, and that if he was REALLY bothered about something I said or did, he’d tell me. With that saga out of the way, practice came and went like normal. I’m finally starting to get the hang of the routine. I don’t have to look at the instructor during team stretches anymore, and I actually know where the bathroom is now. So yay. After practice I did nothing, I took a full on relaxation day to clear my head, and rest up my body so I’m not overworked. I took this time to binge watch a few shows on FurFlix. I won’t tell anyone..but the kids section has some pretty decent content. Not all of it..is good. But, some shows are actually grand. Honestly, ever since the Bluey team invited me to voice..myself, I’ve had an unrelenting respect for other kid shows and the work behind them. I wonder when my episode will be released…. September 22nd, 2022 I got comfortable. That was a mistake. Today during practice, Coach had Adge lead it while she went to a meeting of some sort..Weird, but believable..he and Mrs.Smoot are the team leaders after all. Adge would lead us in stretches..and then normal practice began and I was lost. He spoke in the THICKEST accent I've ever heard. It sounded like he wasn't even speaking English. Mayzie and I were completely in the dark with even the simplest drills..while everyone else seemed to have gotten the message. It took me a minute to realize that this was a joke. At the end of practice, he would drop his facade and address us all with a "Good job". This naturally prompted the place to go wild with laughter. What made matters worse, was that Coach was watching and so since Mayzie and I "slacked off" we had to stay and clean the equipment. It sucked, but I'm glad that the hazing was so tame compared to other horror stories I've heard around Europe and even from fellow draft mates…Today was great. Though I feel like it wasted a day I could've spent getting better. September 23rd,2022 The gym is starting to fill up. Today, Mr.Umaechi and Mr.Anderson-Rhodes joined the team. Their first day of practice is scheduled for the 25th. So that’s neat. Anyways, I feel like today was certainly the best day of practice. Firstly, we were split up by position all day so I only had to interact with 4 furs all day. I love my mates but, I would rather not interact with all 9..about to be 11 of them. I enjoy 1 on 1 and on occasion small groups of us, a day. When it’s everyone talking, it freaks me out a little. I wonder if my mates even like me. I don’t make it easy for them to like me, I’m very reserved. As you know..me..I’m self aware. Maybe I’ll ask everyone tomorrow, one on one. No that’s a horrible idea..I’ll write a note and drop it in everyone's locker! After practice I went to a toy drive to volunteer. Unfortunately I needed to let go of Butterscotch. I still remember when mom got me them. To this day I couldn’t decide on a gender for it. Maybe the next kid to use them will be less indecisive. (P.S DO NOT DROP A NOTE IN A FUR’S LOCKER THAT”S WEIRD) I’ll find out how to find out eventually.. September 24th, 2022 I was tricked, not only do we not have practice today; but my father decided to tinker with my alarm so I was forced to sleep in today. The sun was blinding! Seeing the sunrise every morning gave me ample time to adjust, but waking up with it already blaring in my face was just completely unnecessary. After chastising my father verbally for his blatant betrayal I finally started my day. My plans were ruined, and so I had to improvise, luckily for me that wasn’t hard. At around 2PM I received a call from Kevon..Which is weird because we never talk. He’s very polarizing, while I’m very discreet…so naturally I stay clear of him. Regardless, I answered and apparently he was choosing me to be on his team for rec league runs. He felt like it’d be a good way to get to know each other, along with giving me time to shine. So, I accepted. I needed my day to be productive somehow, and playing basketball is VERY productive. We met up at a local recreation center and immediately we drew a crowd. Lucky for me, he knew how to work a crowd so well that I was able to slip away unnoticed. Maybe I’ll be hanging with him more often. After he was done, wowing the crowd, we’d finally get to run a few games. Him and I took over the gym. It really wasn’t hard and was to be expected, but playing with Kevon was very fun. You know, I never realize how far ahead professional basketball players are until I see them in unprofessional settings. Kevon hit three fadeaway threes. I‘ve never seen him pull up beyond the free throw line. We had to leave due to things getting a bit rowdy. But it was totally HIS fault! He kept pressuring me into shooting from halfcourt. I made a few in a row and the crowd went crazy and then we were swarmed. I don’t remember what happened after that, but I woke up in my room. Weird. Was today a dream? September 25th, 2022 Practice was standard, I went through the motions before, during, and after practice. Though, I did get to meet Mr.Umaechi and Mr. Anderson-Rhodes in person. They were alright, but what got me excited was that they both were ready to win. I can get behind old guys that are ready to win. After practice I immediately had to head to Vero Beach for my soccer match. Despite some traffic I got there an hour before the game started. I wish I missed the game. I had multiple chances to score but I just..shanked it each time. I’d shake a defender, nutmeg the next and would hit the post. One of my wayward shots hit a child. I gave them an autograph and promised I’d buy them courtside tickets to my first game. We ended up drawing nil-nil against our opponents which was unfortunate. I thought I was at least a little good at soccer but today just proved that it will always be a hobby. Oh well. Next week we play at home. So maybe I’ll actually show up this time.
September 27th, 2022 Today was media day and it was a bit horrifying. The day started with me alone in the gym, and as soon as I was about to start my pre practice routine, Coach turned on the lights and screamed at me not to get all sweaty. It startled me, but it wasn’t too bad. I’d sit in the locker room bored out of mind, for hours waiting on my teammates to arrive. Coach wouldn’t let me leave except for bathroom breaks and even then I was monitored. I ended up doing my first TMI Tuesday out of sheer boredom. I got a pretty good question from Tyler. It’s why I love him. Anyways, once everyone arrived, we were given a speech about media etiquette and were told to get game day ready. So we all put on our game day jerseys for the first time since..well picture day. It was…pretty nice. I adore the jersey’s and it was cool to hang out in the locker room while wearing them. So, how the event was set up, one player would be thrown into the media room and would answer any question that was given for a total of 15 minutes. The rest of us wait in the locker room and vibe until it’s our turn. Once you’re done you’re sent to practice where your position coach will have something for you. Since my last name is Hopkins, I went 7th (Tara, Marshall, Mayzie, Carson, Quintessa, Gwenn, and then me.). That’s 105 minutes give or take of just sitting on my ass doing nothing. I decided to be productive by reading a book, but when I looked for “To Kill a Mockingbird” in my locker, it was gone! Luckily, I had “Call of The Wild” on my phone..and of course TMI Tuesday from twitter. But most of my time was spent on my book app. Once 96 or so minutes passed (The media cut some lucky furs short if they didn’t have many questions), it was my turn. When I walked across the little stage and sat in my..warm ass seat, I was greeted with surprisingly bright eyed faces. The stamina of these reporters was very commendable. Majority of my questions were speculative and a small few tried to cause drama by talking about my current roster spot which I am not even aware of, as of yet. I kept my answers quick and showed an obvious disdain to this whole entire event. But of course the questions kept coming..In all different sorts of twists and turns, they’d ask the same question to try to get the answer they wanted. It was bothersome. I felt like I was in a boxing match where my goal was to Survive and nothing else. Well..I never cracked. 15 minutes and all these guys got were what I WANTED them to get. Which is how it should be. I’d make it to practice and find out..it wasn’t much of a practice at all. It was just a shootaround with an option to go home early if one wanted. So..Long story short. Today sucked. September 28th, 2022 Hurricane Ian is approaching, and so practice was cut short today. The team and I began to donate stuff for the TyphoonAID program the team runs for hurricane relief and other natural disasters. I donated cans of soup, blankets and 10 gallons of water. Once the storm dies down, the team and I are going to take 2 days off to volunteer with the Hurricane relief team. It’s not the way I envisioned my first season in America, but life has been everything but predictable thus far. I just hope everyone is safe…I also wish furs took the storm more seriously..I saw a few..intriguing blokes at the most southern part of Florida waiting for the storm to hit. I ‘ll never understand why you’d want that..but oh well. American’s are odd. September 29th,2022 We had full practice today, and it was normal. Coach put me in with the starters during scrimmages just to try things out and it went decently well. I don’t have much chemistry with anyone but Adge but that comes with time. I had plans to go to soccer practice tonight but, apparently a resident of the condominium figured out I lived here and decided to rat me out to the media. So, I may have to relocate. I came home to a bunch of cameras shoved in my face. It scared me, I didn’t know what to do, but luckily the staff was able to rush me inside. They’ve been so supportive and nice so far…so i’m not mad about the security breach but, I’m still a bit annoyed it happened. I’m hoping whoever ratted me out steps on a lego. Sorry, that was a bit too intense..It just sucks I’ll have to cancel practice. September 30th,2022 Today is the last day of free agency and so far all over my feed has been talks of this Tyriq guy. The team and I took a bus ride to South Florida to help those affected by Ian; and the whole way there tweeter exploded with news about the Cards signing Tyriq. Apparently he burned their contract offer and insulted the entire team…Just to join the same team he spent days attacking. I don’t know what’s going on in Vegas but it saddens me. They are still one of my favorite teams…Hopefully he’ll apologize, because from personal experience, a team can’t win with a cancer on their team sapping their strength. Enough about that..The remnants of the Hurricane were..horrid. It was very rough going back to our shelter, nice and safe, while knowing that there are furs out there that didn’t know if they were going to wake up underwater or not. Not knowing if their life will ever be the same. I worked my hardest to supply furs with food and I volunteered on a single rescue mission to search for survivors so we could get them to safety. We managed to find a few furs and I nearly cried at the sight of this scared little girl who was separated from her parents. It was a painful day. I wish we could stay an extra week or month, but we have a job to do. But after coming here..We definitely have another reason to fight this season. Brisbane was my city forever…then Paris adopted me, but now I have a new city..and they need me more than ever. I want to give these furs a reason to smile again. The hurricane broke us apart but the Typhoons shall bring us back together. It’s safe to say, determination is at an all time high. |
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