07-01-2024, 08:36 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-05-2024, 11:07 AM by wetwilleh. Edited 1 time in total.)
In the heart of the bustling coastal city of Seattle, where the salty winds from Puget Sound mimic the perennial tears of Seahawks fans, there lived a young man named Confurius Dethwilson. His name, a testament to the perplexing duality of his existence, was as unique as the path he walked. Confurius was not just any aspiring athlete; he was a maestro of movement, a virtuoso of vigor, whose every step on the football field was a dance, and every block, a brushstroke painting victory for his team.
Confurius's journey began in the humble neighborhood of Beacon Hill, where the echo of bouncing balls and the cheers of hopeful youths filled the air. His parents, former professional Ultimate frisbee players themselves, recognized early on that their son possessed a rare blend of artistic flair and athletic prowess. They nurtured his talents, encouraging him to pursue both his love for the performing arts and his passion for sports with equal fervor.
As Confurius grew, so did his reputation. At the small Overlake high school, an early growth spurt rendered him tall and lanky, primed to follow in his parents’ footsteps in Ultimate frisbee. His early athletic build helped him thrive in both Ultimate and soccer as a freshman, but by the time he entered his sophomore year, his beanpole persona had vanished. Extensive time in the gym and a nearly obsessive interest in butchery and smoked meats combined to complement his upward growth with outward girth. With his newfound strength and weight, he transitioned away from Ultimate and soccer to better leverage his build. He considered wrestling and lacrosse, but it was football’s prestige and teamwork ultimately won him over. He was invited to join the Overlake Owls junior varsity team and started as a tight end. He believed his size could help him contribute significantly to blocking while his experience Ultimate would help him be a short- or mid-field threat. He soon learned catching a disc without fear of being hit is very different from trying to pull down a pigskin between two (or three) linebackers. His receiving prowess was… prow-less. Always one to adapt to the curves of circumstance, Confurius embraced this truth and requested to be a full time offensive lineman. He quickly thrived and became known as the "Balletic Blocker," a title he earned for his elegant yet powerful playing style. He led his team to numerous victories, each game a performance that left spectators in awe. Off the field, he was equally impressive, starring in school plays and winning art competitions with his expressive paintings that captured the essence of life's struggles and triumphs.
His dedication to his team and surrounding was only surpassed by his growing love of football. The strategy, the athleticism, that singular moment of lining up at scrimmage, reading the tells of the rival defender and ready to thwart the rush or push him aside. He and his quarterback, Thaddeus Forrester, became as close as brothers. Sure, the whole team was a band of brothers, but these two appeared to communicate on the field without speech or sign. They had a seemingly preternatural connection.
Thaddeus was very similar to Confurius. He also loved the arts and the two of them found themselves on identical academic tracks, co-starring in plays, making home movies (Confurius usually the actor; Thaddeus the director), and even creating collaborative art installations for many of their final arts projects.
A tragic accident found one of their teammates, Watson Philroy, losing his parents. The custody situation was complicated, as Watson’s extended family remained in Missouri, far from the city and friends that he’d grown to love. For a while, it looked like he’d have to move away until the Forresters were able to negotiate taking him under their wing and inviting him to live with them. Theirs was a generous family, perhaps to a fault. As sophomore year concluded, it was clear that housing both teenagers would become too heavy of a financial burden. Knowing they couldn’t let their teammate and family down, Confurius and Thaddeus set to work on how they could better support their family and keep Watson in Washington and on the team. They began developing a network of community aid. It wasn’t always, or even often, about money. Sometimes the help we need is just lessening the load of worries and concerns that we carry around with us. Members of the team and neighborhoods volunteered to take care of errands and chores for the family, freeing them up to focus on making smart decisions to keep them afloat. Sometimes, the bad decisions we make are just a matter of being too caught up in the problems at hand to properly process the situation strategically.
It wasn’t long until this support translated to severely reduced stress for the Forrester family, which in turn afforded them the focus to push their careers to the next level and to escape the financial precarity that originally inspired the mutual aid campaign.
As the recipients of this kind of very uncommon care, the three athletes and their remaining parents insisted on giving back to the community that helped them through that emotionally difficult chapter. And because life is never one to let us linger for long, soon another teammate’s family was to bring their grandparents into their house for hospice, with all the monetary and emotional difficulties such a situation can entail. Once again the community sprang into action, which became a habitual motion for them as different challenges sprang up for different households or the neighborhoods at large.
This was the modus operandi for the final two years of Confurius’ highschool tenure. With the players’ happiness underpinned by the profound communal support, the Overlake Owls climbed from “good” to “dominant.” They handily took the state championship for Confurius’ & Thaddeus’ junior and senior years. There’s something about knowing, nay, seeing, that those around you are dedicated to supporting you and each other, that helps us grow from the molds we’ve crafted for ourselves.
The time came for Confurius to take his talents to the next level. Thanks to their profound impact on their community, he and Thaddeus earned a scholarship to the prestigious Alki College of the Arts, a place where they both could further refine his dual crafts. Under the tutelage of Coach Vanguard, a legend in both the sports and arts communities, Confurius's skills flourished. They became the foundation of the college’s football team, the Fighting Palettes, while also shining as a lead actor in the theater department's productions. Just as Confurius had physically grown so strikingly in early highschool, his skill and technique was his focus in college. Hand placement, footwork, leverage, and a broad knowledge of both offensive and defensive line strategy - these were the attributes that would elevate him above all the other six foot five, three hundred and fifty pound linemen that made up the competition at his position.
But it wasn't just his abilities that made Confurius stand out; it was his unyielding spirit and his commitment to his team. He believed that every player, no matter their role, contributed to the masterpiece that was a winning game. He inspired his teammates with rousing speeches that drew from Shakespeare and Vince Lombardi alike, blending the wisdom of the stage with the strategy of the field.
During one of the final games of their senior season, the unthinkable happened.
Confurius was spelled for rest during a long, grueling drive that would likely determine the outcome of the game. It wasn’t an abnormal thing when you’re eight or nine plays into a drive, but it was never easy to step off the field in an important moment. As he sat there on the bench, he heard coaches spitting tactics and spinning strategies. The linemen on the field were already kneeling at the line, fingers splayed at scrimmage, claws to scrabble the earth to fly forward and thwart their defensive counterparts’ bold ambitions to disrupt the Fighting Palettes best laid plans. Coaches hollered codewords to each other and flashed symbols to the players, focusing them on their technique and determination. Thaddeus was back in shotgun and ready for the snap for a three receiver set with a plan for a few quick “in” routes to gain the last few yards for the first down. Scanning the defense, he watched the nickel and cornerback step back several steps, while the safety stepped forward. He could see the safety watching him, watching his helmet, trying to read what he in turn was trying to read. If they continued moving as they were, this play would go exactly as planned, regardless of the talent of the defenders. They only needed to be a few steps away from their normal position for the quick route to surprise them before they could get there to break up the play.
Confurius saw it from the sideline, too.
He smiled. He’d seen Thaddeus pick apart a defensive oversight like this hundreds of times. Though he could see no smile on Thad’s poker face, he knew there’d be that wry, nearly invisible curl of a smirk that he’d get when a play just felt right. There’s still a ways down the field to go, but this first down was the next step to close out the game. The defense settled into their locations. Thaddeus settled into his zone, that zen headspace where time slows and execution is all that exists. Just before he called the snap, he noticed it. A quick twitch of the feet, a drop of the shoulders. By the time the ball was in his hands, the nickel back and cornerback had leapt forward and for all intents and purposes, the passing windows were slammed shut. Of course, it wasn’t the first time he’d misread a defense and he was quite accustomed to turning broken plays into highlight reels. Extend the play. Extend the drive.
Confurius saw it from the sideline, too.
His smile dropped to a grim line of assessment as he watched the play unfold, trying to identify the velocity and force of the various bodies on the field to predict that Thaddeus would once again pull off a stunning improvisation.
Stunning it was, as his running back broke out of his backfield blocking position into the escape valve wheel route that would bring him into the open space of the field left behind by the receivers’ other routes and the defenders chasing them. A linebacker came around the line and managed to lunge forward and grab Thaddeus’ ankle.
Confurius gasped from the sideline.
A quick push-off with the other foot sent Thaddeus into a graceful spin, shedding the defender’s grip, who fell to the ground with his helmet popping off a few feet in the same direction as Thaddeus escaped. He followed his momentum to turn out into a bootleg in the other direction, planning to mislead his opponents and draw their attention to his side of the field. It would be split seconds until the running back was ready to receive, but in the moment, it felt like minutes.
Confurius stood up on the sideline.
Thaddeus didn’t need to look. His peripheral vision had already registered the running back on his way, at the right speed and with the right timing. With his eyes kept on the strong side, he loosed a rocket of a pass across his body, over the remaining linemen, and into the leaping hands of the running back.
Confurius leapt on the sideline, too.
The receiver came down with the ball tightly held to his body, having pulled it down just as he’d been trained in every drill since he could catch a ball. The teams, the sidelines, the fans, the booth - all thrilled with the athleticism of both teams, screamed in excitement as all eyes watched the Owls gain the yardage for that valuable first down. No sooner had the play completed with a quality tackle from the weak side linebacker, than the attention returned to the rest of the team and a silence fell over the crowd.
Confurius was silent on the sideline, too.
After releasing the ball, one of the pass rushers’ momentum was too great to catch himself. A man as big as Confurius barreled down on Thaddeus, trying to twist out of the way to avoid hitting him and a costly roughing the passer penalty. He did neither. On the contrary, he caught the quarterback explosively in his right torso, torquing him around and knocking him onto the stray helmet of the defenseman who’d caught his ankle not even seconds ago. Contorted, Thaddeus landed with a scream of pain, as his lower back unnaturally bent around this high tech piece of protective gear. The scream had been drowned out the cheers of enthusiasm at the achievement of the first down and the incredible catch.
Confurius’ face was bent on the sideline, too.
He should have been there. He shouldn’t have needed to rest. If he’d been on the line, he’d have stopped that blitz.
He dashed out onto the field with his teammates to surround Thaddeus as the medical crew assembled to assess the severity of the injury. The red stretcher that appeared out of the locker room in the hands of the doctors seemed to sail like a bloody boat to his disturbingly still best friend. Thaddeus was not moving but for some twitches that echoed through his fingers and feet.
Careful to give room for the medics, Confurius moved forward to see his brother’s face, to get some sort of sign that this was only an injury and not something more ominous. He wants to see the eyes looking around. He wished he would see that wry smile.
Confurius saw a slightly open mouth. He saw closed eyes and flitting eyelids. This wasn’t a play he could analyze. He didn’t know what these signs meant.
He noticed breathing and stifled a wail of grief and relief, still hoping to see opened eyes, hoping to let Thaddeus know that he’s still here wanting to protect him. That preternatural connection people talked about suddenly felt stunningly mortal and insufficient.
Confurius felt that way right now too.
The medics whispered with Thaddeus, trying to determine the nature and severity of the injury. The players stayed silent in respect of the medical staff’s delicate work. The quarterback’s eyes started to open and his lips moved briefly. The doctors nodded to each other and the precarious work of moving him onto the stretcher began. Now that some initial conclusions seemed to have been reached, Confurius shouted to Thaddeus that he was there. He wanted him to know the whole team was witnessing his pain and he was not alone. As his friend was loaded onto the stretcher, Confurius shot a look to his head coach, and received a knowing nod. He joined the procession of coaches and caregivers as they departed the field. He imagined himself for a moment as a macabre member of a secret service, pacing alongside a presidential motorcade with his gaze glued to his friend. The steps were endless. Never had the distance from the field to the locker room been this interminable. Just before they left the field, before they moved from the stark sunlight into the shadows and pallor of the tunnel’s fluorescent lights, Thaddeus’ eyes blinked open long enough to lock on Confurius. Most everyone else was looking ahead down the tunnel or at the player’s vitals. Some were focusing on Thaddeus’ face, but only his best friend perceived the slight, wry curl that began to creep up at the corner of his mouth.
Thaddeus had broken his back in a terrible way. He would never play football again and had a years-long road to recovery, which would still see him needing a variety of mobility aids for the rest of his life. It was a heart-breaking loss for everyone in his life. For Confurius, it inspired him to newfound levels of humility and determination as he moved forward to live their shared dream for the both of them.
Confurius's journey began in the humble neighborhood of Beacon Hill, where the echo of bouncing balls and the cheers of hopeful youths filled the air. His parents, former professional Ultimate frisbee players themselves, recognized early on that their son possessed a rare blend of artistic flair and athletic prowess. They nurtured his talents, encouraging him to pursue both his love for the performing arts and his passion for sports with equal fervor.
As Confurius grew, so did his reputation. At the small Overlake high school, an early growth spurt rendered him tall and lanky, primed to follow in his parents’ footsteps in Ultimate frisbee. His early athletic build helped him thrive in both Ultimate and soccer as a freshman, but by the time he entered his sophomore year, his beanpole persona had vanished. Extensive time in the gym and a nearly obsessive interest in butchery and smoked meats combined to complement his upward growth with outward girth. With his newfound strength and weight, he transitioned away from Ultimate and soccer to better leverage his build. He considered wrestling and lacrosse, but it was football’s prestige and teamwork ultimately won him over. He was invited to join the Overlake Owls junior varsity team and started as a tight end. He believed his size could help him contribute significantly to blocking while his experience Ultimate would help him be a short- or mid-field threat. He soon learned catching a disc without fear of being hit is very different from trying to pull down a pigskin between two (or three) linebackers. His receiving prowess was… prow-less. Always one to adapt to the curves of circumstance, Confurius embraced this truth and requested to be a full time offensive lineman. He quickly thrived and became known as the "Balletic Blocker," a title he earned for his elegant yet powerful playing style. He led his team to numerous victories, each game a performance that left spectators in awe. Off the field, he was equally impressive, starring in school plays and winning art competitions with his expressive paintings that captured the essence of life's struggles and triumphs.
His dedication to his team and surrounding was only surpassed by his growing love of football. The strategy, the athleticism, that singular moment of lining up at scrimmage, reading the tells of the rival defender and ready to thwart the rush or push him aside. He and his quarterback, Thaddeus Forrester, became as close as brothers. Sure, the whole team was a band of brothers, but these two appeared to communicate on the field without speech or sign. They had a seemingly preternatural connection.
Thaddeus was very similar to Confurius. He also loved the arts and the two of them found themselves on identical academic tracks, co-starring in plays, making home movies (Confurius usually the actor; Thaddeus the director), and even creating collaborative art installations for many of their final arts projects.
A tragic accident found one of their teammates, Watson Philroy, losing his parents. The custody situation was complicated, as Watson’s extended family remained in Missouri, far from the city and friends that he’d grown to love. For a while, it looked like he’d have to move away until the Forresters were able to negotiate taking him under their wing and inviting him to live with them. Theirs was a generous family, perhaps to a fault. As sophomore year concluded, it was clear that housing both teenagers would become too heavy of a financial burden. Knowing they couldn’t let their teammate and family down, Confurius and Thaddeus set to work on how they could better support their family and keep Watson in Washington and on the team. They began developing a network of community aid. It wasn’t always, or even often, about money. Sometimes the help we need is just lessening the load of worries and concerns that we carry around with us. Members of the team and neighborhoods volunteered to take care of errands and chores for the family, freeing them up to focus on making smart decisions to keep them afloat. Sometimes, the bad decisions we make are just a matter of being too caught up in the problems at hand to properly process the situation strategically.
It wasn’t long until this support translated to severely reduced stress for the Forrester family, which in turn afforded them the focus to push their careers to the next level and to escape the financial precarity that originally inspired the mutual aid campaign.
As the recipients of this kind of very uncommon care, the three athletes and their remaining parents insisted on giving back to the community that helped them through that emotionally difficult chapter. And because life is never one to let us linger for long, soon another teammate’s family was to bring their grandparents into their house for hospice, with all the monetary and emotional difficulties such a situation can entail. Once again the community sprang into action, which became a habitual motion for them as different challenges sprang up for different households or the neighborhoods at large.
This was the modus operandi for the final two years of Confurius’ highschool tenure. With the players’ happiness underpinned by the profound communal support, the Overlake Owls climbed from “good” to “dominant.” They handily took the state championship for Confurius’ & Thaddeus’ junior and senior years. There’s something about knowing, nay, seeing, that those around you are dedicated to supporting you and each other, that helps us grow from the molds we’ve crafted for ourselves.
The time came for Confurius to take his talents to the next level. Thanks to their profound impact on their community, he and Thaddeus earned a scholarship to the prestigious Alki College of the Arts, a place where they both could further refine his dual crafts. Under the tutelage of Coach Vanguard, a legend in both the sports and arts communities, Confurius's skills flourished. They became the foundation of the college’s football team, the Fighting Palettes, while also shining as a lead actor in the theater department's productions. Just as Confurius had physically grown so strikingly in early highschool, his skill and technique was his focus in college. Hand placement, footwork, leverage, and a broad knowledge of both offensive and defensive line strategy - these were the attributes that would elevate him above all the other six foot five, three hundred and fifty pound linemen that made up the competition at his position.
But it wasn't just his abilities that made Confurius stand out; it was his unyielding spirit and his commitment to his team. He believed that every player, no matter their role, contributed to the masterpiece that was a winning game. He inspired his teammates with rousing speeches that drew from Shakespeare and Vince Lombardi alike, blending the wisdom of the stage with the strategy of the field.
During one of the final games of their senior season, the unthinkable happened.
Confurius was spelled for rest during a long, grueling drive that would likely determine the outcome of the game. It wasn’t an abnormal thing when you’re eight or nine plays into a drive, but it was never easy to step off the field in an important moment. As he sat there on the bench, he heard coaches spitting tactics and spinning strategies. The linemen on the field were already kneeling at the line, fingers splayed at scrimmage, claws to scrabble the earth to fly forward and thwart their defensive counterparts’ bold ambitions to disrupt the Fighting Palettes best laid plans. Coaches hollered codewords to each other and flashed symbols to the players, focusing them on their technique and determination. Thaddeus was back in shotgun and ready for the snap for a three receiver set with a plan for a few quick “in” routes to gain the last few yards for the first down. Scanning the defense, he watched the nickel and cornerback step back several steps, while the safety stepped forward. He could see the safety watching him, watching his helmet, trying to read what he in turn was trying to read. If they continued moving as they were, this play would go exactly as planned, regardless of the talent of the defenders. They only needed to be a few steps away from their normal position for the quick route to surprise them before they could get there to break up the play.
Confurius saw it from the sideline, too.
He smiled. He’d seen Thaddeus pick apart a defensive oversight like this hundreds of times. Though he could see no smile on Thad’s poker face, he knew there’d be that wry, nearly invisible curl of a smirk that he’d get when a play just felt right. There’s still a ways down the field to go, but this first down was the next step to close out the game. The defense settled into their locations. Thaddeus settled into his zone, that zen headspace where time slows and execution is all that exists. Just before he called the snap, he noticed it. A quick twitch of the feet, a drop of the shoulders. By the time the ball was in his hands, the nickel back and cornerback had leapt forward and for all intents and purposes, the passing windows were slammed shut. Of course, it wasn’t the first time he’d misread a defense and he was quite accustomed to turning broken plays into highlight reels. Extend the play. Extend the drive.
Confurius saw it from the sideline, too.
His smile dropped to a grim line of assessment as he watched the play unfold, trying to identify the velocity and force of the various bodies on the field to predict that Thaddeus would once again pull off a stunning improvisation.
Stunning it was, as his running back broke out of his backfield blocking position into the escape valve wheel route that would bring him into the open space of the field left behind by the receivers’ other routes and the defenders chasing them. A linebacker came around the line and managed to lunge forward and grab Thaddeus’ ankle.
Confurius gasped from the sideline.
A quick push-off with the other foot sent Thaddeus into a graceful spin, shedding the defender’s grip, who fell to the ground with his helmet popping off a few feet in the same direction as Thaddeus escaped. He followed his momentum to turn out into a bootleg in the other direction, planning to mislead his opponents and draw their attention to his side of the field. It would be split seconds until the running back was ready to receive, but in the moment, it felt like minutes.
Confurius stood up on the sideline.
Thaddeus didn’t need to look. His peripheral vision had already registered the running back on his way, at the right speed and with the right timing. With his eyes kept on the strong side, he loosed a rocket of a pass across his body, over the remaining linemen, and into the leaping hands of the running back.
Confurius leapt on the sideline, too.
The receiver came down with the ball tightly held to his body, having pulled it down just as he’d been trained in every drill since he could catch a ball. The teams, the sidelines, the fans, the booth - all thrilled with the athleticism of both teams, screamed in excitement as all eyes watched the Owls gain the yardage for that valuable first down. No sooner had the play completed with a quality tackle from the weak side linebacker, than the attention returned to the rest of the team and a silence fell over the crowd.
Confurius was silent on the sideline, too.
After releasing the ball, one of the pass rushers’ momentum was too great to catch himself. A man as big as Confurius barreled down on Thaddeus, trying to twist out of the way to avoid hitting him and a costly roughing the passer penalty. He did neither. On the contrary, he caught the quarterback explosively in his right torso, torquing him around and knocking him onto the stray helmet of the defenseman who’d caught his ankle not even seconds ago. Contorted, Thaddeus landed with a scream of pain, as his lower back unnaturally bent around this high tech piece of protective gear. The scream had been drowned out the cheers of enthusiasm at the achievement of the first down and the incredible catch.
Confurius’ face was bent on the sideline, too.
He should have been there. He shouldn’t have needed to rest. If he’d been on the line, he’d have stopped that blitz.
He dashed out onto the field with his teammates to surround Thaddeus as the medical crew assembled to assess the severity of the injury. The red stretcher that appeared out of the locker room in the hands of the doctors seemed to sail like a bloody boat to his disturbingly still best friend. Thaddeus was not moving but for some twitches that echoed through his fingers and feet.
Careful to give room for the medics, Confurius moved forward to see his brother’s face, to get some sort of sign that this was only an injury and not something more ominous. He wants to see the eyes looking around. He wished he would see that wry smile.
Confurius saw a slightly open mouth. He saw closed eyes and flitting eyelids. This wasn’t a play he could analyze. He didn’t know what these signs meant.
He noticed breathing and stifled a wail of grief and relief, still hoping to see opened eyes, hoping to let Thaddeus know that he’s still here wanting to protect him. That preternatural connection people talked about suddenly felt stunningly mortal and insufficient.
Confurius felt that way right now too.
The medics whispered with Thaddeus, trying to determine the nature and severity of the injury. The players stayed silent in respect of the medical staff’s delicate work. The quarterback’s eyes started to open and his lips moved briefly. The doctors nodded to each other and the precarious work of moving him onto the stretcher began. Now that some initial conclusions seemed to have been reached, Confurius shouted to Thaddeus that he was there. He wanted him to know the whole team was witnessing his pain and he was not alone. As his friend was loaded onto the stretcher, Confurius shot a look to his head coach, and received a knowing nod. He joined the procession of coaches and caregivers as they departed the field. He imagined himself for a moment as a macabre member of a secret service, pacing alongside a presidential motorcade with his gaze glued to his friend. The steps were endless. Never had the distance from the field to the locker room been this interminable. Just before they left the field, before they moved from the stark sunlight into the shadows and pallor of the tunnel’s fluorescent lights, Thaddeus’ eyes blinked open long enough to lock on Confurius. Most everyone else was looking ahead down the tunnel or at the player’s vitals. Some were focusing on Thaddeus’ face, but only his best friend perceived the slight, wry curl that began to creep up at the corner of his mouth.
Thaddeus had broken his back in a terrible way. He would never play football again and had a years-long road to recovery, which would still see him needing a variety of mobility aids for the rest of his life. It was a heart-breaking loss for everyone in his life. For Confurius, it inspired him to newfound levels of humility and determination as he moved forward to live their shared dream for the both of them.