#anyway dmitry's a punk i love him

[izloveshorses]

country boy i love u

modern au, 1.7k, not to be dramatic but all of my training has prepared me for city boy dmitry and weird horse girl anya so buckle up

Dmitry wasn’t good with animals.

Or dirt. Though, dirt was something he was more familiar with, living in the city streets and all. But animals? Especially big animals? Terrifying. Unpredictable. Not recommended. 

You could imagine his delight when, after another arrest, he was placed at a horse farm out in the middle of nowhere to fulfill his community service hours. 

He couldn’t figure out why they needed his help. The breeding farm seemed to be pretty efficient, considering how nice and clean the barn was with its crisp white fences, loads of stablehands running around, the lawn an unnaturally bright shade of green. The manager hardly seemed to know what to do with him either when he showed up bright and early every day, too busy to really show him how to do whatever he was told to do. She just handed him a rake and a shovel and tossed him into a smelly stall and left. Or stuck him in front of a wheel-barrow and point him in a vague direction. Sometimes he was tasked with mechanical repairs of some of the equipment, which he was more comfortable with, but usually… he was thrown right into the path of some scary animals. And people. 

The family who owned the place were pretty wealthy, clearly. The kids were obviously spoiled rotten, expecting their horses to be saddled and ready before their rides, not taking the responsibility for grooming afterwards, leaving a mess of tack in the aisle for him to clean up. He hadn’t really interacted with them much but could feel their judgemental stares burning a hole in the back of his head. Here he was, the exotic, dangerous, explosive disaster, who would never amount to anything more than a screw-up. Come look.

He wished he was in jail instead.

Today he was neck deep in mucking stalls, eyes watering as he shoveled through a particularly nasty one, hating every second and hating his father for dying and leaving him on this bottomless path and hating everyone who put him here, when he felt a tickle at the top of his head. When he looked up he jumped out of his skin— a horse in the next stall had reached its head over and started sniffing him. But, more particularly, there was a giggle.

“She likes you,” the voice said. 

He spun towards the door to see a girl leaning against the railing. The youngest daughter, he’d gathered. She was the only one he’d ever really interacted with and it didn’t go well— she’d snapped at him not to light a cigarette in a barn and maybe he was a tad annoyed that his one reprieve of this god-forsaken place was literally snuffed out. He’d been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t heard her approach. “I don’t think I even knew it was here.”

“Clearly.” She slid the door open. “You were talking to yourself and she was curious.”

He frowned. “Or she wanted to bite my head off.”

Another laugh. “No! Luna’s a big softy. Come here.”

“Oh, I’m good.” He waved the handle of his shovel. “I’m serving my community.”

She rolled her eyes. “You can take a break for one second. Or are you too scared?”

“I’m not—” she quirked a brow and he swallowed. “... scared.”

“Come on,” she grabbed his wrist and tugged him out of the stall and he was immediately relieved by the lack of smell. “I’ll show you.” Two steps over to the left and she was opening the occupied stall door and stepping inside. He slowly came closer to the railing, watching. Despite her small size the girl approached this half-ton animal like it was a bumble bee, cooing all the way, hands moving over the gray coat with confidence and familiarity. Now that he could see the horse in its entirety he noticed the belly was… swollen? Was it supposed to be that round?

“She’s gonna drop her foal any day now,” the girl said, answering his unspoken question. “That’s why she’s in here in the middle of the afternoon instead of the pasture.”

He nodded, still watching the animal with caution. 

“You can come in if you want,” the girl said casually. “You’ve been here for weeks now, surely you’ve gained some confidence by this point.”

“Actually, this is the closest I’ve been to one.”

“Really?” She stepped closer to him, the wall of the stall separating them, and she pointed at the animal’s head. “Okay, see her ears? They’re facing the side, which means she’s relaxed. If she was as grumpy as you,” she stepped back to the horse and pinned the ears flat against its neck with her hands, “they’d look like this.”

She released the ears and the horse shook its head indignantly. He allowed himself a small smile. 

“And her head is hanging low, and her back leg is resting. That means she’s totally chill and the chances of her wanting to bite your head off are slim.”

He met her eyes again, startlingly blue. Why was she so intent on getting him near her? But she did make a point, when he thought about it. “Okay.”

She grinned and pulled the stall door open a little wider. He stepped through, straw crunching under his ruined sneakers, and closed the door behind him, still keeping his distance. The large eyes were curious but sleepy, so maybe it wasn’t so bad. 

“Wanna touch her?”

He glanced down at his hands. His knuckles were still bruised from his last fight, a white scrape scarring his palm, and he saw nothing but danger. Tools of mistakes.

But a smaller hand circled his wrist and pulled him nearer, laying his palm gently onto the soft hair on the base of its neck. He blinked down and met her gaze before glancing away again. When nothing bad happened he stroked lightly for a few minutes over the hair and strong muscles. 

“Wanna see something cool?” The girl asked. He nodded and she took his hand again, letting it glide all the way over the animal’s rib cage and to the swollen part of its stomach. “You feel it?” He frowned, unsure of what she was asking, when he felt it and gasped. A small tap against his palm. The baby had kicked. He met her eyes and grinned, the first genuine smile of his in months. 

“Okay,” he admitted, “that was cool.”

“Isn’t it!”

The horse sneezed and he yanked himself back. When he was sure there were no signs of danger he returned to his spot, a little embarrassed by his own reflexes.

“You’re kinda jumpy.”

“You get jumpy when you live the way I’ve lived,” he snapped before he could think about it. 

The next minute was too quiet for his taste. Maybe he’d already ruined it. She stepped away and he almost panicked when she walked out of the stall. “Wait, where are you—”

“Relax, I’m just getting something.” She pulled a couple of brushes out of a basket and held them up for emphasis. “Since we’re in here.” He dropped his shoulders. When she came back inside she shoved his hand into a brush. “Serve your community.” He snorted and nodded, but he still must’ve looked confused because she placed her hand over his again, guiding it, and he could only focus on the coolness from the hard brush under his palm contrasting with the warmth from where she met his skin. “Brush in the direction her hair is growing.” 

When he made a few strokes on his own she nodded, passing a test, and left him while she worked on the other side. He tried to imitate her long and confident strokes, watching the hair and dirt float in the air. He cleared his throat. “I don’t see you in here very often.”

“I’m in the barn a lot more than you think.”

“Really?”

She pointed to the hayloft above the stalls across from them. “Up there, usually. It’s a good reading spot.” Like he’d know a good reading spot from a bad one. “Or outside in the sun. Or riding. Or in here. It’s just… a good place to think.”

“Hmm.” He wanted to scoff and ask what a girl like her had to think about that required this kind of quiet, but her voice sounded genuine, and she’d been so kind to him. Nothing like their first meeting, he thought. They certainly hadn’t started off on the right foot, and she must’ve wanted to make amends. He wondered what changed. “Why are you helping me?”

For a moment it was just the sound of bristles. And then, “Everyone deserves a chance.”

Well, that was a loaded answer. At least she didn’t say she pitied him. “The only thing I seem to be good at lately is messing up every chance I get, so,” he laughed bitterly. “Steer clear.”

“Well,” she circled around to his side of the horse holding out her hand for him to place his brush, “you haven’t messed this up yet.”

He ducked his head. Her eyes were too bright, too curious, too understanding for him to look at. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

“Learning is a good start. See?” He hadn’t realized his hand was resting on the horse’s shoulder until she pointed it out. “It’s already making a difference. Maybe I can show you the ropes around here.”

His back straightened, smelling a challenge. It wasn’t like he had anything to prove— he’d lived enough years on his own now to know he was tough enough— but maybe he’d met his match when it came to having a competitive streak. What did he have to lose? The car he slept in? His fabulously decorated permanent record? “I’d probably just slow you down.”

She stepped even closer. “Or you could learn to keep up.”

He raised a brow, finally letting a grin spread over his face. When he nodded once she mirrored his expression. Then she backed away, leaving him in the stall. “See you around, city boy.”

He watched her until she was out of sight, a smile lingering on his lips. Okay, maybe jail was overrated. 

[mothrite]

Dating Vance Hopper HCS (AU VER)

This is what it’s like dating Vance Hopper in my Ultim Hawkins AU (AKA an AU that’s just a whole bunch of AUs stuck together [plus OCs])

Warnings: None!<3

AN: Not proof read!! Was this an excuse to write about my AU? Oh yes absolutely. Will I regret it? NEVER. Don’t be afraid to send in a request! I don’t really have much to write so I can do more AU headcanons for like Robin or something

To start with, Vance has A-LOT of siblings.

Though he only grew up with his older sister and sadly had to watch as their younger sister passed, he now has two more sisters and three more brothers

If you decide to spend the day at his house expect ZERO privacy from Roxy barging in to ask for cash to Will gently knocking on the door asking to borrow some pencils for him and El

You two barely get a moment alone

I can also imagine one day Roxy invites you over for a family dinner and Vance is begging you not to go, but you go anyways cause you’re curious to see what’s it like when all his family is together

Btw his family consists of his father Jim Hopper and his step-mother Joyce Byers. His siblings are Leo, Valerie, Jonathan and Will Byers and Roxanne and Jane Hopper :) [Jane is adopted]

When you finally sit down it’s utter chaos

Will and El are gossiping about kids at their school and judging them

Roxy and Leo look like their about to get into a fist fight (Which Jim is betting 10 bucks Roxy’ll win)

And Joyce is talking to Valerie trying to figure out what Jonathan and Argyle’s relationship is

Needless to say you just end up eating and listening to the different conversations with your hand intertwined with Vance’s, hidden under the table

And if you’re lucky some other guests will be there! Like Murray and his daughter Noelle, Jonathan’s partners Argyle and Nancy, Will’s boyfriends Lucas and Mike, El’s girlfriend Max, Valerie’s friend Bonnie and Jim’s friend Dmitri

Luckily Joyce threatened to take Lonnie to court for mental and physical abuse towards the kids so she got enough cash to buy a big enough house for her seven children

I’d like to imagine that Jonathan brings you two places and will always remind Vance to stay safe and stay with you at all times due to the situation that happened when Vance was in Denver with his birth mom

Joyce is the best mom ever, she supports you two sm and absolutely adores you. Vance loves her more then his birth mother and it shows.

Roxy is also super cool and will dye your hair if you ask since she did her own

It’s 100% canon in this AU that Vance is a punk metal head. You can and will be forced to listen to that kind of music, but if he’s feeling nicer then usual then he’ll let you put on what you like.

Vance most likely struggles in some subjects so you’d offer to help him study, and when you get to his place and tell Joyce she just nods her head like “ya sure. Study.”

But she’s pleasantly surprised when she walks past Vance’s open door to see you and him sitting at his desk with you explaining different aspects that go into solving a two step equation for math

Before you and Vance started dating, Will and El would be with you in their living room watching some program and Vance leaves to go grab some drinks from the fridge when El turns to you and says

“You know Vance has been talking about you ALOT lately. I think he might like you.”

And as your face is turning red Will is interjecting “YOU MEAN THEY AREN’T DATING? Shit. I owe Max 10 bucks now.”

Once Vance gets back he’s confused as he sits down next to you who’s face us flushed scarlet and El who’s mouth is painted with a smug smile

Cat person. If you have a cat expect him to lay on your couch with the cat on his chest as he gently strokes its furr while talking to you

[jennibeultimate]

Personal recap Internationaux de France 2021 - Men

As always this is completely personal - bias included - and anything about scoring is always against the judges not the skaters. And you can like it or not I am mainly doing this for me and my memory anyway. Also not talking about everyone...

I was at Internationaux de France live in the arena. My 2nd GP event this season live attending and I just really love to be back in a rink.

Congratulations to Yuma, Shun and Jason! 🎉

I go by result order reversed:

Kevin Aymoz - Not gonna talk about the SP, it was just awful to watch. I am so glad he had a redemption skate. He was so full of emotions and so happy about the good performance. 😍 He doesn't have his difficulty back yet, but he is on the right trajectory. I wonder who they will chose to compete at Europeans with Kevin not in top form and Adam Saio Him Fa getting okay results this season? Both aren't too convincing...(shame that France only has one spot for Europeans but two for Olympics and Worlds)

Adam Siao Him Fa has two of the best programs this season. Exciting and a crowd pleaser. He has a unique style. He may not be elegant or anything like this, but he is interesting to watch. 100% in the performance and he is fast and crazy. Star Wars and Daft Punk and he makes it work. 😍😍😍

Actually Andrei Mozalev had the best free skate of the men. Well done! 👏 👏 👏 He was clean. He has effortless jumps and nice running edge on most of them. It was a shame that his SP completely unraveled, because otherwise he would have made the podium here. He isn't the biggest performer and has some weird music choices (especially in the past) but he is working with the music and for me he is one of the interesting guys in the Russian men team. His PCS seemed to be a bit low compared to the others, but he skated quite early and we all know that this is reflected in the scoring (even when it should not be). I mean I wouldn't give him sky high PCS but he was no worse than Shun imo.

Keegan Messing - Keegan being typically Keegan. A messy free skate, an ok SP. He can score higher, but some things always not work. I really like to watch him though. He has the charme to make his programs work on it alone. His choreo sequence is always a crowd pleaser - what a nice hydroblade! Keegan showing off his baby on screen is super adorable! 😍

Dmitri Aliev - much much much better than in Italy. He isn't back in form. I love his SP music - Child of Light videogame has wonderful music! I really like what he does for the SP! He chose the easier layouts but in his current state that's probably better anyway. His free skate had some lovely highlights like the knee slide into his 3F. This stuck out to me a lot.

Deniss Vasiljews - He was my personal highlight in both the SP and the FS! ❤️ The emotions he shows, the way he performs with his whole body.❤️❤️❤️ He had the best GP series of his life and the best placements too! His jumps are impressive, yes he does only triples but he has nice spring and height and also nice delayed rotation. If now you could only land your 4S then I would be completely happy! 😅

Jason Brown - I was really looking forward to see Jason live as he was one of the skaters I never got the chance to see. I am not a big Jason Brown fan and seeing him live didn't change this, but admittedly he has interesting choreography, he sells his music like no other, he is the performer others skaters's scores say they would be. He has two of the best choreographed programs this season. I really liked his Schindler's list program. He probably has the most complex SP of the season (but ofc he doesn't jump quads and yes it's not part of PCS but I mean a quad needs much more preparation than a triple and you can see that when Jason tries for quads or even the 3A, he also doesn't have much complicated moves before a 3A or quad). His triples do look effortless and I see why he gets good GOEs for his jumps I just still feel like he is often scored with more leniency for wrong edge on the 3Lz or wonky landings than others. It's just not true that all skaters could gain same GOEs if they would jump triples. Tell me what you want but the reputation and federation do play part in the scoring of Jason. (I think it wasn't as bad as it sometimes is here though) Seeing him live I really do get the appeal of Jason and why he has many fans, I cannot even pinpoint the reason I am not his fan, maybe his skating just doesn't touch me as much of those of other skaters. Sometimes it's not about skill, but only about preferences it seems🤷‍♀️ I do really like Jason as a person though. I always like to read his interviews and he really is super sweet, so I really wish I would have liked his skating just as much. 😅

Shun Sato - I am really happy for his silver medal! He had beautiful costumes. I like his SP better than the FS. What is up with Shun Sato's edge calls? In the SP his Lutz got the call of unclear edge, in the free skate it were his Flips??? So does he have unclear edges on both or is this just a way to minimize his TES? 🤔

It's really unfortunate that Japan has such a high level in men skating. With three Olympic medal contenders (Yuzu, Shoma and Yuma) he has it extra hard to make a case for himself. In any other country he would be a clear shoe-in for the Olympics, in Team Japan his chances aren't as high as the above mentioned.

Yuma Kagiyama - It was my 2nd time seeing him live in a row this season and my opinion on him didn't really change. I think Yuma is cute and he is indeed very good. He has good flow and smooth skating and very impressive jumps. Just I cannot see the performance level his PCS claim that he has. He is not much of a performer. The music does the trick not his performance. Especially in the free skate he is not communicating to the crowd at all. Even his cleanish free skate in Italy didn't leave much impression on me. Here in Grenoble he did have a much better SP, but does this warrant 45 PCS? 100 points with a step out? Just no. If Shoma got 102 points and 46 PCS for a clean SP, how can Yuma get 45 PCS? Like Shoma's SP is magical, he is the music, he has one of the best skating skills in the world, Yuma's short program says "Smile" but he only smiles when the word says so, he is rather emotionless in the rest. I am not sure that this fits him at all. It has Patrick Chan vibes but without the PChiddy Canadian charme. The free skate music is a much better choice imo, but I am also not sure how 90 PCS were in any way justified for this program? Skating skills alone doesn't make PCS. Also the 2nd half was rather messy with many mistakes, still more PCS than in Italy? I beg your pardon??? I think his win was well deserved, the scores however were not deserved at all. He may have better skating skills than Shun Sato but performance wise they have the same level, also Andrei Mozalev.

Those 3 competed against each other in juniors, there PCS for FS were as following and now IdF PCS in comparison:

Yuma: 75,94 (JGPF) 78,28 (Jwch) > 90,20 (IdF 2021)

Shun: 79,64 (JGPF) 71,14 (Jwch) > 82,22 (IdF 2021)

Andrei: 78,42 (JGPF) 78,56 (JWch) > 80,72 (IdF 2021)

So judges tell me Yuma improved drastically while the others almost get their junior components from 2 years ago??? I was at the JGPF 2019, I've seen them now again, frankly no there isn't that big of a difference...so what is the difference? Yuma won a Silver at Worlds 2021, while the others didn't compete and JSF seems to back Yuma up better than Shun. (I mean even Shoma antis say that Yuma gets bigger support than Shoma from JSF...and I mean they don't like Shoma at all and called his scores bought etc)

None of this is Yuma's fault, but I don't think it does him any favors either to score him this high. He isn't yet on this level and I am super sorry when I see lots or "fans" pouring their hatred now towards Yuma. He is a determined skater, who works hard, I don't want this to be overshadowed by "oh he's overscored" talk. Just to be clear I may not be sold on Yuma atm, but it doesn't mean I don't like him or mind him his win.

This has been a huge wall of text, sorry! 🙈 If you read it all, thank you, here have a well deserved cookie 🥠!

If you like tell me what you think about the men at IdF...and I am curious how you would see Yuma's or anyone else's scoring 🤔

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, February 18

Xander: And was there a lesson in all this huh? What did we learn about beer? Buffy: Foamy. Xander: Good, just as long as that's clear. Anyways, I think that the boys in the car are contained for the time being. This will give them some time to ponder the geo-political ramifications of BEING MEAN TO ME! Buffy walks up to a van and sees the Neanderthals inside. She bangs on the windows, getting their attention. Giles: Whose van is that? Xander: I dunno. Wasn't locked. Parker walks up to her alive and well. Parker: Buffy. Buffy, I dunno how to say this. I'm sorry for how I treated you before. It was wrong of me and I'm sorry. You were great tonight, really. I might not deserve this but do you think that you could forgive me? Buffy whacks him with the club again and knocks him out.

~~Beer Bad~~

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[acidcorrodes]

dying roommate [ @ofpolaroids​ ]

Rainy days were so often seen as dark and depressing to many, but to Leo, it was calming. He liked listening to the rain pelt against the window and the rooftop, and it was peaceful to watch too. It was different here at the hospital though. His roommate was on the side with the window, and he was mindful to try to give him his privacy whenever the curtain was pulled. He hadn’t had a chance to get to know him very well yet, but he knew that his name was Dmitry and he looked pretty malnourished. Leo had been too when he’d been admitted. In class, he’d found himself extremely tired and weak and lacking concentration. His coughing fits had become worse and worse, and when he finally began coughing up blood, he knew that the cancer had returned. It didn’t come as shocking news for the doctors to confirm it. He’d had it when he was little, he’d had it when he was fifteen, and now he had it again at eighteen. It was more severe than it used to be, but they seemed pretty confident that they’d be able to treat it. While he hoped it was true, they’d clearly stated that the case was worse than last time and surgery would be performed if they didn’t see improvements in the radiation therapy.

After returning to his room to see that Dmitry wasn’t around, he made his way over to the window to lean against the sill, watching the rain pelt against the window before running down and collecting at the bottom. God, he was bored here. He loathed hospitals and the shit channels they had on the televisions. It was just an overall depressing place to be. Sure, it was a place to make people well again, but yet there was so much sickness and death, and some people didn’t make it out alive. The walls were all white, there were people who were sad because they didn’t get visitors and were all alone in their room without any cards or flowers, and then there were the crying visitors as well. It could be a pretty depressing place to be. Alas, he had to stay here until he was in stable enough condition to leave, and that would be a while after the likely upcoming surgery. Bringing his arm up to cough into his sleeve, Leo turned when he heard a voice behind him. It was Dmitry, his roommate. He’d been so lost in thought that he hadn’t even heard him enter the room, but his comment about how not noticing the time passing because of the rain had gotten his attention. Blue hues locked with the others, his hands in his pockets while he slowly stepped away from the window.

“I’ve never minded the rain. My mother taught me from a young age that storms and rain aren’t anything to be feared. She said, last night the rain spoke to me slowly, saying, what joy to come falling out of the brisk cloud, to be happy again in a new way on the earth. That’s what it said as it dropped, smelling of iron, and vanished like a dream of the ocean into the branches and the grass below.” A small grin curved at his lips then as he leaned up against the wall. “That’s what she quoted about rain, anyway. I dared her to try to make lightning sound as beautiful and harmless. We never got that far.” Holding out his hand for the other to take, he figured now would probably be a good time as any for the two to introduce themselves. “We haven’t properly met, have we? I’m Leo. And our first conversation has been about the weather.”

The ghost of a smile made a brief appearance on Dmitry’s face as he listened to his roommate speak about rain. They were somehow not the kind of words he was expecting to hear, but they were exactly the kind he needed to hear. He liked how poetic they were. In general, he felt the universe itself was a very poetic sort of place. Poetry was nice. It was art, and art was soul.

“I’m Dmitry,” he answered, shaking Leo’s hand. His hand was cold and small, and his grip was weak, but he had a friendly disposition about him. His voice was quiet, in the same way that he seemed to want to disappear when no one was talking to him directly (and even, sometimes, when they were). He had something of a Russian accent, but even that was slightly corrupted by how he spoke slower and quieter than usual, far too sedated to really be his full normal self- not that he’d have had the energy anyway. 

“Weather’s nice,” he commented as a joke, wheeling himself closer to the window so he could rest against it too and look out. He stared longingly at the distance, and at the height. His mind wandered momentarily, thinking of what it would be like to jump right through and fall to the ground. Would it hurt? Would it be quick? Self-defenestration, he thought to himself, thinking of the fancy term for it. Throwing oneself out of a window. It sounded more final than jumping off a bridge into the river below it- and failing.

“I like rain,” he whispered. “It’s a miracle, like... sunrises... and stars. Stars are my favorite, but there were no stars the other night. It was too cloudy, so I thought... if the stars are gone, then...” he trailed off and shrugged.

 “I’ll get back to you on the lightning thing when I can think straight,” he added, looking at Leo. “It’s the drugs they got me on,” he explained. “They’re supposed to help, somehow, but... I just feel like a zombie. I guess you can’t have anxiety if you’re a zombie. Maybe you can’t hurt if you can’t feel, but... I think they’re missing the point.”

This was the most Dmitry had talked to anyone since being there, or even, since he’d isolated himself prior to trying to end his life. He hadn’t even really talked to the doctors just yet- he didn’t want to. He liked being quiet. Talking brought up all the memories that hurt. It was much easier to avoid them. But Leo seemed nice, from what he’d observed in the moments he’d spent awake during the two days they’d been sharing a room. He didn’t mind talking to Leo.

He brushed some of his hair away from his face. It was long and dyed black, for the most part, but it was clear he’d stopped the upkeep recently because blond roots were starting to show. He was, otherwise, devoid of his usual punk-rock kind of appearance, and his tattoos (which were covered in long sleeves and pants) were the only other indication of his usually fairly obvious style of dress. 

He wheeled back to the bed so that he could grab his blanket again. He was getting cold already- but that was hardly unusual for him. He pulled his legs up on the wheelchair, closer to his body, and wrapped the blanket over himself, covering his frail body with it. 

“I think our moms would’ve gotten along if they met. Yours sounds very creative. Mine’s a baker, and she makes cakes that take people’s breath away,” he described. “She’s a little Russian lady, about my height. I... I’ll show you when I can stand up again. And she’s very kind and very loving. I miss her, I haven’t seen her in a while. I hope she doesn’t find out I’m here, though.”