#everyone should watch all the interviews from that day they are so incredibly telling

[hoovesandfloorpaws]

never forget this iconic 2012 interview

the fact that Harry just flat out SAID that i'm-- (also the subtitles are fucking adorable, shoutout to Larry Stylinson Moments on YT)

i cry thinking about the fact that just 2 days prior to this interview Louis had already given Harry a Promise Ring

[norrisainz33]

Best in Show || CS55 & CL16

☆ summary: charles’ sister is headed to the olympics and she’s ready to bring things to the next level with her fwb carlos

☆ pairing: carlos sainz & olympic!leclerc!reader

☆ f/c & warnings: none; slightly suggestive & terribly translated french

☆ requested: yes!! thanks for your request 🤍

ﾟ. ✿ ୨❤︎୧⠀✿ . ﾟ

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user3: i don’t understand how all of the leclerc’s are so perfect and talented

user1: the leclerc brothers are so 🤤

user2: princess of monaco about to eat up the competition at the olympics

user8: wait that’s insane only 6 athletes? the uk sent 327… y/n must be really good

user2: she is!! she’s been to the show jumping world cup AND she won the jumping international in monte carlo (both huge accomplishments especially at her age)

user4: their genes are strong and full of sporting talent huh

user24: they should’ve gotten carlos in on this interview. he loves talking about y/n

user18: no fr he very clearly has a crush on her

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liked by charlesleclerc, scuderiaferrari, visitmonaco, carlossainz55, oscarpiastri, and 879,001 others

ynleclerc: did someone say ,, olympics? get ready to watch your favorite duo (me and [horse’s name]) take on paris 😉

view all 876 comments

user6: HI Y/N (louder than everyone else)

user7: she’s so unserious i love her

charlesleclerc: and why did you have to post the last photo

ynleclerc: because i love it frère [brother]

arthurleclerc: why didn’t i make the olympics announcement post

ynleclerc: bc you refused to put on the glasses bebe

user11: the royal family of monaco is so beautiful

juliaanalvarez: looking forward to seeing you in paris

ynleclerc: you better cheer me on julián

user88: ik carlos is shaking in his boots. he’s got competition it seems

user99: no y/n anyone but a soccer player

carlossainz55: congratulations on making it to the olympics y/n 😍

ynleclerc: thanks carly 🤭

user22: CARLY DNSKSJF

user18: i ship y/n and carlos so hard

use r23: day 124 of wondering why they aren’t together

ynleclerc has made a post

liked by alexandrasaintmleux, charlesleclerc, yourbff, landonorris, francisca.cgomes, and 534,230 others

ynleclerc: don’t worry everyone - the party has arrived in paris and we already made it through the first round 🇲🇨

view all 546 comments

user12: oh thank goodness (i wasn’t worried)! congratulations on an incredible first round

user13: what do i have to do to be that horse

landonorris: when are you gonna let me take a ride on ya?

charlesleclerc: mate that’s my sister

landonorris: i was talking abt the horse

ynleclerc: i hate you landonorris

landonorris: no you don’t ma cherry

ynleclerc: CHÉRIE

landonorris: 😘😘

user29: lando is so real for this

user24: impatiently waiting for carlos to get here

alexandrasaintmleux: the prettiest girl in all of paris. i am so proud of you 🤍

ynleclerc: please get your beautiful self here quicker 😫

carlossainz55: paris is looking real good these days 😍

ynleclerc: you should come find out just how good it looks 😏

user23: whoa get a room

arthurleclerc: please stop flirting

texts between you and carlos

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user77: my god you’re gorgeous

user99: now who … sent you those flowers ms y/n? was it charles? was it julian? was it carlos? i won’t spill the beans if u tell me i promise

user34: i’m rooting for you y/n!! you and [horses name] are going to crush it

landonorris: i know i didn’t send you flowers… so who did?

ynleclerc: wait… you didn’t send these?

landonorris: y/n/n don’t play with me. was it him?

ynleclerc: yes 🤭

landonorris: I KNEW IT. so you guys together or?

landonorris: DONT LEAVE ME ON READ TF

charlesleclerc: y/n/n - i only sent you the white ones… who are the others from?

ynleclerc: my adoring fans!

charlesleclerc: arrête! [stop it] we both know that is not the case

charlesleclerc: just tell me who they are from. i’ll be cool about it

ynleclerc: no you won’t charlie 🤍

arthurleclerc: charles sent me - tell me who those are from

ynleclerc: no! hope that helps bebe 😘

arthurleclerc: are they from a certain spanish driver or an argentinian footballer?

alexandrasaintmleux: your brothers are insufferable sometimes…. but don’t worry i didn’t tell them who sent those gorgeous flowers 😍🤭

ynleclerc: my girl 😘

user87: wagering a bet that those flowers are from carlos

ynleclerc has made a post

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ynleclerc: obviously not the result i was hoping for. we tapped the last bar on the last jump as we were about to set the fastest time. i’m gutted but at the same time i am immensely proud of everything [horse’s name] and i have accomplished. we are bringing home monaco’s only medal from the entire olympic games and for that i am elated. i think i prefer silver anyway 🥈🤍

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user67: being the reason monaco is getting a medal is still an insane serve

user87: my favorite horse girl

landonorris: a medal is a medal - proud of you punk

ynleclerc: thank you bobby

juliaanalvarez: congratulations on a hard won medal!

ynleclerc: merci julian! glad we got to catch up 🤍

user57: back!! back i said 🤺

carlossainz55: y/n/n you gave it everything you had out there and you have so much to be proud of. i am in awe of you

ynleclerc: carlos 🥹

user55: this is so sweet i’m gonna throw up

user23: day 145 of wondering why they aren’t together

arthurleclerc: good job or whatever sis

ynleclerc: thanks loser

carmenmundt: you are an absolute inspiration! congratulations on following your dreams and making them come true 🤍

ynleclerc: i love you so much carmen

charlesleclerc has made a post

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charlesleclerc: we made it to paris in time to see y/n in the final event. ma petite sœur je suis si fière de toi. je suis pour toujours et à jamais ton plus grand soutien. [my little sister, i am so proud of you. i am forever and always your biggest supporter]

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scuderiaferrari: congrats y/n on a hard fought silver! we are so proud of you

user16: wake up ! hottest photo dump of the summer just dropped 😭😫😍

user37: wow arthur is eating charles up in the 4th slide

ynleclerc: merci charlie. je t'aime jusqu'à la lune et retour. merci d'être là [thank you charlie. I love you to the moon and back. thank you for being there]

charlesleclerc: je t'aime y/n/n. i wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.

ynleclerc: btw who even invited pierre?

pierregasly: why can’t i turn up and support my favorite leclerc?

ynleclerc: i’m your favorite?

pierregasly: no , not even close

francisca.cgomes: i’m sorry y/n! he simply insisted upon tagging along 🙄

ynleclerc: i’ll let it slide because i got to see you my love 😍

user34: so special that they were all able to make it to paris

alexandrasaintmleux: my favorite girl in the whole world is an olympic medalist! monaco and all of us are so proud 🤍

ynleclerc: don’t make me cry 🥹

user76: monegasque royal family is my roman empire

ynlecerc has posted to their story

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user55: I KNOW THATS MY MAN CARLOS

user87: you ain’t slick id recognize that hand and arm anywhere. that is mr carlos sainz jr

francisca.cgomes: your brother resorted to calling me to see if i knew who was in this post 🙄

ynleclerc: of course he did…. he’ll find out soon enough 🤭

charlesleclerc: anything you want to tell me? looks a lot like a teammate of mine

ynleclerc: nothing i want to tell you charlie :)

carlossainz55: had a wonderful evening with you mi amor. let’s do it again.. and again and again and again.

ynleclerc: i had an amazing time. i’m already looking forward to our next date!! you may as well just come back to my flat now idk why you even left in the first place

carlossainz55: didn’t want to come across too clingy

ynleclerc: good thing i like clingy! get back here 😏

carlossainz55: yes ma’am

user27: begging to know how much charles and arthur are stressing over this story

ynleclerc has made a post

liked by scuderiaferrari, yourbff, carlossainz55, carmenmundt, landonorris, visitmonaco, and 789,465 others

ynleclerc: yes, you all guessed it! he’s mine 😘

view all 899 comments

user13: someone check on the user who has been counting the days since they started flirting

user23: i’ve been summoned!! all i can say is thank god

landonorris: it’s about time

arthurleclerc: i called it

user99: old money carlos is perfect for our equestrian goddess

charlesleclerc: so this is how i find out?

ynleclerc: you did say you were one of my fans so… yes?

charlesleclerc: you are on my last nerve

carmenmundt: adorable 😍

carlossainz55: my gorgeous girl 😘

ynleclerc: my man my man my man

francisca.cgomes: time for a double date 🤍

pierregasly: charles says i’m not allowed

ynleclerc: who said you were invited pierre?

user47: vibes in the ferrari garage in zandvoort are gonna be wild

user98: carlosy/n truthers our time has come

ﾟ. ✿ ୨❤︎୧⠀✿ . ﾟ

a/n: another installment of olympic reader wahooo! slowly but surely making my way through my requests. liked and reblogs are always appreciated

ﾟ. ✿ ୨❤︎୧⠀✿ . ﾟ

© norrisainz33 || please do not rewrite, translate, or copy any of my works posted here on to any other platform

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Michael Ralph, the Good Omens Production Designer, interview for Movieweb :), summer 2023

Question: What is your reaction to your fan's positivity?

Michael Ralph: It's unbelievable. To see your work reflected in the eyes of people that love it is incredibly complimentary and it feels on, you know, you're honoured by having that response .It's rare that you get to experience it. You know, I think that we were involved recently in a fans' view of the set where all the fans who'd been involved in a competition were able to walk around the set. It's extraordinary. And I got hugs and people in tears. And it is an overwhelming experience to stand in that street and be in that bookshop when you didn't think, even though you knew, but you didn't quite know it really existed as a place that you could walk around in is quite phenomenal.

Question: Do you see locations as extensions of characters?

Michael Ralph: My feeling is that we would all, if possible, choose to live where we believe and within an environment that we believe suits us, doesn't suit anyone else. It's a fingerprint thing. It's like, where are you most comfortable? Where are you most comfortable to read or to write or to watch a programme or where do you feel the most secure?That bookshop is an anchor point visually for the show and always has been an anchor point since day one. And it is where you feel most secure. It's where the door closed, you feel safe within it. And what emanates or resonates with that bookshop, not only from the character and the position or who Aziraphale is, is that everybody that walks into that bookshop feels the same thing. Everyone that walks in that bookshop, I've said it before, just want to live upstairs and drink red wine and read books all day and they feel comfortable and they feel nostalgic and it creates a sense of security and protection. And I think that if you can create that sort of sentimentality in something that you're walking around in, it must transcend the lens. And it obviously does because people feel it all the time and they want to go there and sit around in the corner and feel comfortable. So I think that from character point of view, I started really emotionally from Aziraphale. And Neil, whenever I've thought of a great idea that I tell Neil about and he tells me how amazing it might be or how fantastic or inspired it was, I suddenly start to realise it's probably in the book or it's probably in the script between the lines. What stimulates my apophenia, what stimulates my vision and my emotional motivation to design anything is what I can see in the page. So if he has written something so universally empathetic to an audience, then I'm seeing the same thing you are, in my variation, but it really is the same warp or the same sentimentality as I said, or any of those things. So if I can find how to get my fingernails under the edge of that, how I can actually depict it, then I know that it's going to work. And that's obviously... and you can believe in it then, and you can say it with all honesty, rather than impersonate your love for something or say something because your ego tells you you should, or produce something that's a duplicate of something you saw once in Italy. This is something you've got to feel that's specific to the project and specific to the written word, you know.

Question: Do you have the freedom to do what you want?

Michael Ralph: I must admit, reading the book the first time, it was difficult to get my head around how it was going to be depicted. You've got to be very careful that you don't impersonate what you've seen before, you don't copy and then call it original when it's not, because that's sort of like a cop out. You really, honestly have to live with it 24 hours a day, even while you're asleep, and search and search and search and search to find what it is that gets your fingernails under it, to find out what it is you really believe in. And it sounds so ethereal, but it's absolutely true. If you can get that, if you can openly find that, and you've got to feel that, if you can get that, then you're absolutely on something you can invest in and then something you can produce. Because then it's not something that's duplicated. All the furniture, literally all the furniture, all of the dressing on the walls, all of the bookshelves are all built but Bronwyn, a set decorator, will buy me a lot of brown furniture that she finds as really interesting furniture. Furniture that's got spindles and handcarved pieces and reliefs in it. And she gets me stuff that she believes goes with the character of the place. And then I'll break it open. This is what construction. I love working with construction with, because I'll break it open, cut it down, reattach it, and I'll remake wholewalls and bookshelves, like in the magic shop that none of it existed until we put together loads of stuff the set decorator found, that Bronwyn found. And then all that stuff ends up having a profile of the period, or echoes to you, little visual trip hazards of the period, of size and weight. But it isn't really anything you've ever seen before. It's not from a higher shop. It's not from a piece of furniture you bought, just plunk there. Because the camera sees things differently. And we have to lift all that up and make it bigger and larger in scale to punctuate the vision. So all of that is... there's all sorts of theories, I could go on forever, you know. I was saying to Bronwyn today that I think I've been working all my life on trying to raise my intellect, to be able to incorporate a vocabulary to explain what it is I do creatively. I'm not there yet.

Question: Is there something you'd like to explore in the future?

Michael Ralph: And it's funny you should say that, because that process, from what I've explained to you, doesn't originate with me. So you need to get that book or that source material, and someone has to say, you're the guide for this, I'd love to see what you see. And then it's like this massive submerge, you submerge into it. And then it's a journey, a journey that you embrace and it reveals things that I could guess maybe 15-20 things I'd like to do on Season Three, but it's not scripted. So what is that? You know, I've got imaginary things that I will adopt because I know that they've got weight or purpose that will work for Season Three. But I need to see what Neil shows me, you know, what Neil teaches and tells me, and then once I've seen that, I can run with it. He's such a wonderful appreciator of what you achieve. He's never questioned anything I've done, ever. And it's been hundreds of things, hundreds of sets and ideas. And no matter how crazy what it is, I might end up drawing the craziest things first. But he still loves them, you know. And it feels like it probably was there already between the lines. And all I've done is pick up on it. You got to really get into it to mime what it is that affects you and what moves you. What it is you love about something. You can watch a show and read a book and not love it. You don't know why you didn't love it, it's unequatable, but you just didn't connect. But what we're trying to do with everything we do cinematically is to connect, is to somehow get through the equation. So you feel it. And I got a feeling that's why Good Omens works so well. Because of the amount of love and emotion that people put into it and amount of faith people have in what they're doing, because it's only done out of joy and it's only done for the goodness of that wonderful story that is developed and matured, within it, between the characters. And because of that, you can do nothing but sprinkle magic on it all the time.

[vroom--vrooming]

Fernando Alonso x driver!Reader

Platonic. Mentor-mentee. Reader drives for McLaren

Your journey to Formula 1 was nothing short of a dream. As a kid, you had posters of Fernando Alonso on your wall, watched his every race, studied his every move. He was your hero, the driver who could make even the toughest battles on track look like art. Years later, that same hero had become your mentor, guiding you through the ups and downs of your journey in F2 and beyond.

You remember when he first noticed you, back in your F2 days. You’d just finished a race, pulling a stunning overtake in the last lap to clinch a podium. As you climbed out of your car, sweaty and exhausted, someone tapped you on the shoulder. You turned, and there he was—Fernando Alonso, congratulating you with that knowing smile. “You remind me of myself,” he’d said, and from that moment on, everything changed.

Fernando took you under his wing, giving you tips, advice, and encouragement. He was tough, but he was always fair. “Learn to protect your tires,” he’d tell you, “and don’t give up an inch if you don’t have to.” With him guiding you, you pushed harder, improved faster. Even after you made it to Formula 1, with McLaren, he was always there, just a message or a call away, ready to offer advice before every race.

Everyone knew Fernando was your mentor, and he made it clear he was proud of you. In interviews, he’d praise your progress, your determination, and whenever you crossed paths in the paddock, he’d make sure to check in. His support meant the world to you, and it kept you grounded, knowing that the man you’d looked up to all these years believed in you.

Now, driving for McLaren with Lando Norris as your teammate, you’d had an incredible season so far, and the dream of your first win felt so close. But last race, that dream had been shattered. You were leading, just a few laps away from victory, when the radio crackled with a team order that sent a chill through you.

“Let Lando through,” they’d said. “It’s for the championship.”

Your heart had sunk. You were faster, you knew it, but McLaren wanted you to move aside, to help Lando secure points. You didn’t argue, though every fiber of you had wanted to fight. Following the order, you watched as Lando overtook, stealing away the win that should have been yours.

After the race, the frustration boiled inside you. All the hard work, the sacrifices—it felt like it had been taken away in an instant. Away from the cameras, you found a quiet corner in the paddock, trying to calm yourself, but nothing helped.

That’s when you saw Fernando. He approached quietly, and from the look on his face, you knew he understood exactly how you felt. “It’s hard, isn’t it?” he asked, his voice calm. “Letting go of something that should have been yours.”

You nodded, struggling to keep your emotions in check. “It just feels… unfair. I had the win, Fernando. I could have done it.”

He placed a hand on your shoulder, his gaze steady and reassuring. “I know. And so do you. Listen, this is part of racing. Sometimes, teams will make decisions that go against everything we feel. But here’s what I want you to remember.” His voice softened, but there was a strength in his words. “Next time, don’t let anyone hold you back. Do what you do best. Race, as fast as you can. If Lando can’t beat you on his own, then he’s not ready to be champion yet.”

You felt a spark of determination reignite inside you, the frustration giving way to a quiet resolve. Fernando’s words had always had a way of grounding you, of reminding you why you loved this sport in the first place. His confidence in you was something you couldn’t shake.

With renewed focus, you entered the next race with one thing on your mind: to race without holding back. From the start, you pushed your McLaren to its limits, the car responding beautifully as you took each corner, each straight with the precision Fernando had drilled into you over the years. Every lap, you felt stronger, more in control, the distance between you and the others growing.

Then, the team radio came alive. “We need you to let Lando pass.”

This time, you didn’t hesitate. “If he’s fast enough,” you replied, your voice steady, “he can try to catch me.”

The minutes ticked by, and Lando tried—he pushed hard, but he couldn’t close the gap. You held your line, focused on nothing but the track ahead, feeling that familiar rush of adrenaline and pride with every lap. You were racing for yourself, for the win you deserved, and nothing was going to stop you this time.

The checkered flag waved, and you crossed the line in first place. Your first win in Formula 1. The realization hit you all at once, an overwhelming mix of joy, relief, and disbelief. You’d done it. You’d won.

As you climbed out of the car, the cheers from the crowd washed over you, and you felt the weight of every challenge, every sacrifice, lift from your shoulders. The team gathered around, clapping and congratulating you, but one face stood out in the crowd—Fernando.

He made his way over, his smile wide, his eyes filled with pride. Without a word, he pulled you into a hug, and for a moment, the noise and excitement faded away.

“I knew you could do it,” he said quietly, his voice warm and full of pride. “This win was all yours.”

You smiled up at him, feeling a warmth spread through you that had nothing to do with the victory celebration. “Thank you, Fernando. For everything.”

He nodded, his hand still on your shoulder. “This is just the beginning. Keep racing like that, and no one will be able to stop you.”

As you stood there beside the man who’d guided you every step of the way, you knew he was right. This was only the start of what you could achieve.

[homelanderbutbig]

Perfect Just The Way You Are (G/T Homelander x Reader)

1910 words. Pure fluff. Homelander is 8 feet tall. Reader is non-descriptive. Established relationship.

Homelander needs some serious TLC, even if he can't properly fit inside your house.

It's late in the evening, a quiet one for you. You're alone in your own house, eyes glued to your phone while you plod away mindlessly in the kitchen.

Today is Homelander's birthday, or at least the day Vought has chosen for him. He's made remarks about how it's not his real birthday, but you've never been able to get him to tell you much more than that.

He's been out all day, flying throughout the city for the schedule Vought laid out for him. Doing meet-and-greets, photoshoots, interviews, staged saves, the whole shebang. And his revelries conclude with a televised event celebrating his birthday. Since your relationship with him is still a secret, you weren't able to join him in the festivities. You promised you'd be watching the event, cheering your boyfriend on the whole time. But as the night progresses, you begin to discern the way his smile seems a tad too forced, his restless eyes betraying the cheery grin plastered across his face. You imagine as much as he likes it, being paraded around for hours with no breaks would be draining for even a normal man.

He's talked to you before about his mixed feelings towards the public; on one hand, he revels in the adoration his fans shower him in. He lives and breathes for praise, it's all he's ever known. And yet, he is always acutely aware of their fear in his presence. Everyone he meets is significantly shorter than him, even those who would be considered 'tall' by human standards.

And these feelings are amplified on his birthday, where he is forced to face his insecurities on live television. With the world's eyes solely on him, dissecting him.

On his inhuman size.

"Thanks for watching everyone, goodnight! God bless America!" Homelander salutes the audience, as the event concludes with uproarious applause. You can't help but grin at his showmanship, he just has such a way with crowds. As the event switches to listing its various sponsors, you turn your phone off and wonder what to do next. Should you call him? Catch a taxi back to Vought Tower?

Suddenly, your questions are answered as you hear the recognizable sound of Homelander touching down. Opening the front door, you see him standing on your lawn, dimly lit by the streetlights behind his form. His face is a bit hard to make out in the dark, but it's pretty obvious even from his body language that he is incredibly stressed. With his birthday finally over, the weight of the day is crashing down on him. All he wants now is to be alone with you, to have your undivided love and attention.

However, as much as you want to invite him in, you realize his height is a couple feet taller than your front door and his shoulders are quite a bit wider than the door frame. He wouldn't be able to shimmy his way in without destroying your entrance and attracting nosy neighbours. Luckily, you're quick to think of another solution.

"Follow me honey," you say, closing the door and making your way to your patio entrance nearby the kitchen. It's a sliding door, which while the same height, is twice the width. He meets you there as you open the two panels for him, giving him a wide enough entrance to crawl through. A bit undignified for the leader of The Seven, to crawl on his hands and knees like a child, but he desperately needs to be with you in this moment.

Once inside, he nestles himself into the corner of your kitchen, sitting on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees, a futile attempt to make himself smaller. It's as comfortable as he's going to get, in a space so tiny… in a normal space.

Usually, he does everything in his power to avoid going into buildings not accommodated for his height. Vought Tower was specifically designed to fit him, but the rest of the world is not. Even when he was younger in the lab, he had to bend down when he grew too tall to avoid the shorter ceilings. He always hated that, the constant reminder of his monstrous nature and how he will never be 'normal'.

And now here he is again, the claustrophobia creeping up his spine as he has to come to terms with his size. Your cramped kitchen might be fine for you, but he can't even stand up in here without breaking something.

After one last look outside to make sure nobody saw Homelander sneaking into your home, you lock the patio door and saunter over to the kitchen to see how your boyfriend is handling everything. And to be honest, you're not surprised to see him huddled in a corner dissociating. The two of you have never went anywhere else other than his penthouse, the sole place on earth built for him. You can't imagine what it's like to live an existence where everything is too small for you.

"Hey baby boy," you console him, snapping his attention back to you once you place your hand on his arm. "What's the matter?"

"I-I…" he stammers, swallowing hard as he fights back tears. He laments having to express his true feelings, admitting his faults. "I-I'm too big…"

You give him an understanding smile. It was bad enough that he had to endure his birthday being put on display for the world to gawk at him, now he has to curl up in a room not made for him just to be in your proximity.

"No you're not sweetheart. You're perfect just the way you are. If nobody else can see that, it's their loss," you reassure him, moving closer to his side to give his big head a hug. Your arms are wrapped around his neck, allowing your fingers to scratch at his undercut. He hesitates at first, but he rapidly relaxes into your affections. He inhales deep through his nose as he leans further into your chest; your scent and your heartbeat do wonders for his nerves.

Pulling away from him, you cup his cheek with your hand, feeling him gently rub into your palm. His expression is still exhausted, but his eyes shimmer with an unspoken appreciation to your compassion. You're the only one who makes him feel this way, the only person who truly cares for him and sees him for something more than just a giant freak.

"I baked you a cake, for your birthday," you explain. "But you can't have dessert until you have a proper dinner. Let me make you something quick, okay?"

Homelander watches silently as you scurry around the kitchen, filling a large pot with 3 litres of water and taking out three packets of Lipton chicken noodle soup mix from your cupboard. He knows you're just trying to be considerate, making sure he has enough to eat, but he can't help but tense his jaw knowing he can consume so much more than you. Just another reminder of how different he is from everyone else.

"This'll only take five minutes," you tell him, seeing him give you a brief nod before you turn back to keep an eye on the soup.

With you preoccupied, he decides to use his X-ray vision to look around the rest of your abode. It's not a shock to him that a simple human like yourself would operate under such a state of disarray; no place is complete without a stack of unread books, coffee cups left behind from days prior, and clothing thrown haphazardly on the ground. The way you live is a total juxtaposition to the order and neatness of his penthouse and by proxy his life. It's almost comical how he puts up with you. But at the same time, it's the mess that makes you human. He had that aspect beaten out of him as a child. He had to be 'perfect' as the world's greatest superhero, as Vought's poster boy. He was never allowed any opportunity to be anything else.

"Here you go," you abruptly pull him out of his thoughts, handing him the pot of soup with your oven mitts on. He grasps it without much thought, the heat from the stove not affecting him in the slightest. Ogling the strange concoction for a moment, he lifts the pot up to his mouth and quickly gulps down the soup. Its taste is peculiar, clearly manufactured… but somehow oddly comforting.

"Okay, now that you've eaten…" you begin, taking the pot back and leaving it in the sink. "Now it's time for dessert!"

He continues watching while you pull the cake out from your fridge. With a knife you cut two pieces and carry both plates over to where he sits, handing him the larger slice. It's a pretty plain cake considering the fancy affairs he's attended, but you made this for nobody else, it's purely for him. You poured your heart and soul into the batter, to express your love for him through food. Something nobody's ever done for him before, cooking for him not out of necessity but out of kindness.

"You can eat it hun, it doesn't taste that bad," you chuckle as you see him staring blankly at the cake. In the minute he's been eyeballing the dessert, you already finished yours. He blushes once he realizes he's just been contemplating the meaning it instead of eating it. Shaking off the awkwardness he picks up the piece of cake and fits the entire slice into his mouth. His tongue dances at the sweet taste, enraptured in a way he's never experienced. Sure, he's eaten cake before, but this is different. This was made special for his birthday.

You take the plate from him, putting the dishes into the sink before walking back over to him. He seems to be a lot calmer now, compared to when he first landed on your lawn.

"Happy birthday Homelander," you remark, kissing him. You feel him melt even further into your lips, placing one of his massive hands on your back. His fingers are strong, pulling you ever so closer to him, but still delicate enough that you feel safe with him. And that's all you've ever wanted, for him to be secure with his size around you, because you trust him. After you break from your kiss, you keep your forehead up against his. "How about we fly back to the penthouse and sleep together, huh? You can cuddle in my arms tonight."

"Hmmm… yeah. I'd like that," he hums happily, never one to pass up an opportunity to snuggle with you. "But… in a minute. I just… I just want to spend a little more time here."

It's a bizarre sensation to admit to. When he first entered your home he dreaded how miniscule it was compared to his size, but the longer he's been in here, those feelings switched entirely. He's come to notice the familiar scent of you permeating the walls, the way you've decorated each room with distinct keepsakes, how you've made this place an extension of yourself. A part of him never wants this moment to end, he wants to explore every inch of this house. Rummage through your knick knacks, flip through your photo albums, bury himself in your blankets.

He hopes sometime in the future, he can return here. And you can show him it all.

[hamiltonaf]

Oh my god I’m so excited to see your requests are open I wanted to request something for the lovely Daniel ricciardo being more handsy with reader while on the paddock and him getting interviewed about it later since the fans have been posting pictures of their intimate moments and him kind of joking in a “how could I not?” Type of way? Thank you

PDA | Daniel Ricciardo

Pairing: Daniel Ricciardo x Female Reader

Word Count: 907

Warnings: None

A/N: Hello loves ! Firstly, apologies for the delay in writing requests as I had a lot going on. If you’ve sent in a request, I’m working on it, just bear with me :) Hope you babes enjoy. Thanks anon for requesting .xx

The Monza GP was a special race weekend for Daniel, besides his home race. With his Italian roots, it’s his second home so indirectly another home race.

This special race weekend had inspired him I guess you could say for our relationship to be full on public. For the many months we’ve been together, I’ve made my few appearances in the paddock and sometimes alongside Daniel but rarely. I quite enjoy our relationship being private, but I guess if he’s happier with us being public then so be it.

Besides the rare ‘papped’ pictures of us together - which left some people to question on numerous occasions if we’re still together - we don’t even have posts of each other on our socials. It’s always the private but not secret kind of story posts…I guess that all ends now.

I only managed to arrive in Monza on race day, no pressure. Note the sarcasm. As soon as we jumped out of the car, I suddenly felt sick at the thought of all eyes on us.

Daniel noticed I zoned out, he then snapped his fingers in front of me, “Babe are you okay ?” He asked concerned. “Yeah I’m okay” I forced a smile. He grabbed a hold of my hand and I guess he noticed the clamminess. “Are you sure you’re okay ?” He furrowed his brows. “You look nervous” he added. “I’m not gonna lie…I am” I admitted with a sigh.

“Nervous about what love ?” He asked concerned. “I’m not used to attention in public” I said as I looked everywhere but him. He then grabbed a hold of my face to look at him, “Just relax. I’m with you every step of the way… I just want to show you off to the world without hiding it anymore. I want to love you publicly and not hide it anymore - not gonna lie, it’s also kind of getting hard for me to resist touching you” he smirked.

After laughing along with him, it helped a lot with easing my nerves. Thank god for sunglasses as well. As long as I had them on, the nerves didn’t exist. We walked in the paddock hand in hand, nothing major.

Up until it was time for Daniel to leave the garage, he surprised me by engulfing me in a hug and leaving a kiss on my cheek. “Good luck babe and be safe” I said softly to him before he left. I failed to realise that being a new wag means being watched at all times.

I don’t know what had gotten over me, a boost of confidence and a moment of being proud for Daniel’s great race finish had me returning the favour of engulfing Daniel in a hug and leaving a kiss on his cheek. He then lifted me up and spun me around. In that moment it felt like we were the only ones in that garage and everyone else was muted.

Before we knew it, he had to quickly leave to attend to post-race interviews. I waited patiently in his drivers room and decided to waste some time on my socials. As I was scrolling, a video was already uploaded of one of Daniel’s interviews. Out of curiosity I decided to play it.

“So Daniel, incredible result in the Alpha Tauri today ! Brilliant drive, where did that come from or perhaps should I say who helped with that ?” Natalie teased. He immediately started blushing and looked away, it was so cute to watch. “Welllll” he trailed. “Oh come on, tell us how (Y/N) motivated you today. You guys make a lovely couple and I have to ask since everyone can’t stop talking about how cute you both are, you can’t seem to leave her can you ?” Natalie joked.

“How can I not, have you guys seen her ? She just makes me so happy and she’s one of my biggest cheerleaders. I’m a really lucky guy and I just wanted her to be apart of my special weekend. Today’s result was all so I could see that reaction from her” he smiled proudly. “You mean this one ?” Natalie asked as she then showed him the array of pictures that were taken of us today. “Paddock favourite already. Well, thank you for your time and hopefully we’ll see you both at the next race weekend. Cheers !” Natalie said lastly. “Of course ! Cheers guys” Daniel said lastly before the interview ended. “Handsome guy” he said from behind me.

“Oh my god ! Dan you scared me” I said as I placed a hand on my chest. “Sorry love, let’s get going” he said as he held his hand out for me to hold. With our fingers entwined, we walked through the paddock to the car. Fans and photographers around had taken pictures, I didn’t mind since I was comfortable at this point.

Once we got into the car, I broke the silence “You really did a hard launch today” I smiled. “That wasn’t a hard launch for me” he pouted. “What was missing ?” I furrowed my brows. “This” he said as he cupped my cheeks and pulled me in for a sweet kiss. So much for thinking we were alone, I quickly broke away when I heard screaming from fangirls. “Well, that really was a hard launch” I said as I felt the heat flush my cheeks.

[cardibgans]

SMILES AND LOOKS | eddie roundtree

. ˖࣪ ⚝ cute (none warning)

. ˖࣪ ⚝ eddie roundtree x fem!oc

. ˖࣪ ⚝ 965 words . .

Y/N: Well, how I met Eddie... It's kind of funny.

EDDIE: She was still working as a waitress in a restaurant that we all went to frequently.

Y/N: And he never looked away from me, sometimes it was a little weird, because he never took any action. Until I started talking to him and found out that he had just moved to LA and was in a band.

EDDIE: Who can blame me? Have you guys looked at Y/N?

Y/N: That was right before I was working as a songwriter for the new band Teddy was creating.

EDDIE: But one day I decided to try my luck.

It was the hottest day Los Angeles had seen in years. And as it turned out, all the Californians were on the beaches to cool off. On the other hand, the Six were in the coffee shop next to the record label where they were supposed to be writing songs at that very moment, but it was too hot to think about anything.

── Here are the lemonades. ── The waitress in the vibrant blue and yellow apron took the glasses off the tray and left them on the table in front of her for all six friends.

── Thank you, Y/N. ── Eddie smiled. Of course they had talked several times, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it was funny when Y/N catches him looking at her.

── What are you guys doing today? ── S/N asked as he was tucking the huge metal tray under his arm.

── We don't know yet. ── Camila replied, shaking the straw in her glass.

── We should be working on a song, but in this heat it's almost impossible. ── Graham said.

── I'm going to have to agree. ── She gave a low laugh. ── Don't worry, folks. Soon a melody and some cool lyrics will appear for you.

── Hey. Don't you want to go to the beach with us after your shift? ── Eddie asked.

── Sure! That would be great. ── The blonde gave a big smile.

── Right!

EDDIE: It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It wasn't a real date, but it was a good start, right?

Y/N: What he didn't know was that I had a little crush on him at that time.

EDDIE: Wait, she said that?

After the end of his workday, which on weekends was shortened to after noon, Y/N was already heading down to the beach. His house was not that far from there, so it was easy to leave to change and not take so long to do so.

Karen was the first to see Y/N, he waved for her to see them and she returned the greeting. Camila pulled Eddie close to her and before the woman could reach her, she managed to whisper in his ear.

── You better act today.

EDDIE: It sounded like a threat to me... But what matters is that in the end I got the girl. Thanks, Camila, for the little push.

Y/N: Cam has always been there to take care of everyone.

After a few beers and cigarettes, Eddie and Y/N were left alone by their Roundtree band mates. Just the two of them enjoying the beach breeze hitting their faces and hair.

── And that's how he ended up with the hotel bathroom. ── Y/N gave a loud laugh. Eddie should be telling about their idiocy on The Dunne Brothers tour. ── It was good while it lasted.

── I'm sorry about that, Ed. ──── He shook his head and took the last sip of his beer.

── On the bright side, I never would have met him if the band had worked out. ── The level of alcohol in Eddie's veins was having an effect on his behavior and his attitude.

Y/N smiled watching Eddie gazing at the sunset. She gave him a slight nudge with her arm. Roundtree looked at her with a smile on his face.

── What? ── He asked, confused. Now she was looking at him in that strange way.

EDDIE: I could only think of one thing.... "Who's looking in a strange way now?"

INTERVIEWER: Is that where you knew you loved him?

Y/N: I knew the first time I saw him… Despite the strange looks we were giving each other.

EDDIE: That is still the case today, as incredible as it seems.

── Nothing. Just let it go. ── Y/N turned her gaze to the sea. But Eddie asked with his eyes that she say something. ── Thank you for inviting me, Eddie. I really needed that. ── She smiles again, looking at his face.

── God, stop doing that. ── Eddie brushes his hair back, receiving a confused look from the woman beside him. ── Every time you smile at me like that, my mind locks up and I don't know what to say. ── Y/N felt her heart racing so fast she couldn't hear anything but him. She let out a low laugh and moved closer to him.

── So you don't want me to smile closer to you? ── She whispered, looking into Eddie's eyes and then into his mouth.

── Please don't. ── He answered in a whisper, before he glued his lips to hers.

EDDIE: I kissed her. And if it were only up to me, we'd be married the next day.

Y/N: Eddie is exaggerating. He still took a long time to propose and even longer to get engaged.

EDDIE: What can I do? I wanted to keep her with me as long as possible. And it worked.

[mishaandthebrits]

The best things in life are better with you - (Pierre Gasly x Reader) ⭐️

This has been in my drafts forever and I just found it again 😅 so please enjoy 😂🙈

Pairing: Pierre Gasly x Reader

Word Count: 941

Summary: Pierre and you have a little secret.

Warnings: Teeth rotting fluff, Cute Pierre, might make you feel incredibly lonely

Pierre and you went way back. Your mothers had been friends, so the two of you grew up best friends as well. It was quite usual to find one in the others house when you grew up and even now it was unusual for you two to be far from each other. Well, unless he was in the car of course.

"I'm back.", you heard Pierre speak as he entered the room of his driver room after the media duties of the day. With a smile you locked your iPad and looked up at him.

"How was it? Did they have rumors again?", you laughed referring to the enormous amount of times the press had speculated that the both of you were in an intimate relationship.

"None this time.", he chuckled and sat down on his bed. "What're you watching? Please tell me its not that weird crime show again..."

"Excuse you?! Criminal Minds is a wonderful show and Dr. Spencer Reid is really hot!", you gasped jokingly. This was a recurring topic for you two, he jokingly bullied you for your taste in television shows and you returned the favor with his hobbies.

He rolled his eyes but had a grin on his face still. "Have you done anything nice today?", he then questioned kicking his feet up to get a little more relaxed after standing around for long doing interviews.

"Not really. Edited a few photos, scheduled some posts, replied to comments, you know, the usual.", you shrugged and got up to sit beside him. "Oh! I did read a new joke! What lies on the bottom of the ocean and twitches?"

"I don't know Y/N, but I'm sure you will tell me soon.", your best friend tilted his head watching you.

"A nervous wreck.", you replied with a giggle. It took a moment but Pierre did grin after a bit.

"Where do you always find those?", he laughed and shook his head.

"Online.", you grinned and pulled on his shoulder so his head landed in your lap. Raising your hands you started gently playing with his hair. You knew he loved that and it always helped him calm down.

"You really have to sleep more.", you mumbled and shook your head.

"I know I know... But you know I always sleep better with you beside me.", Pierre whispered back and looked at you out of the corner of his eyes.

"Text me then, I'll come over! You know, for purely selfish reasons... After all I don't want your mum to hate me if you have an accident because you're too tired.", you smiled and kept stroking his hair.

"Of course, we do wanna keep my mum happy.", he smiled knowing you way too well to believe your reasoning.

Ever since you were teenagers both of your mums hoped you would end up as a couple and well, it slowly did start to look that way.

"They tease me, you know? Daniel, Lando, even Lewis.", Pierre whispered after a while. You had actually thought he was asleep, but apparently he still had something on his chest.

"About what?", you frowned after he didn't continue speaking.

"You.", he laughed quietly confusing you even more. "You and me to be exact. They think we should be together by now and I obviously didn't tell them the truth. They would never let us hear the end of it."

"Do you think so? I think they would be happy for you. For us. Plus, I really just want to hold your hand and kiss you when we are around our friends.", you smiled softly making him look at you wide eyed. So far it had always been you that was against telling everyone of your friends, excluding Charles. Both of you just couldn't hide anything from him.

"Are you sure?", he asked with a small smile that widened further once he saw your nod.

"If you want, I'm ready to share us with the world. I love you and I know you love me too, so whenever you are ready.", you explained and gave him a gentle kiss.

"Do you think our mums will hate us if I post yesterdays photo on Instagram and don't tell them first?", he chuckled pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"I don't think so. I'm pretty certain they've known for months.", you laughed and kept stroking his hair while he typed on his phone.

Liked by y/n_dubois and 287.409 others

pierregasly: Two years, five months and 27 days. Not like I'm counting. I love you y/n_dubois

y/n_dubois: I love you so much mon amour <3

danielricciardo: I KNEW IT! HA! FINALLY!

-> landonorris: Mate! Read the caption!

-> danielricciardo: WAIT! What the hell?! You fooled us!

yukitsunoda0511: Couple goals! All the best for you two!

-> y/n_dubois: Thank you Yukino <3

-> yukitsunoda0511: You spend too much time with him.

charlesleclerc: My ship has sailed! pierregasly y/n_dubois

lewishamilton: Aww! All the best for you both! You are so cute together!

pyry.salmela: Congrats! This is no excuse to miss training though.

and 598 other comments

"Okay yeah, from the comments they are absolutely not going to let us see the end of this.", you chuckled while he still laid there with his head on your legs.

"Probably not, but at least we can show everyone how happy we are now.", Pierre smiled and gave you a soft kiss when the both of you heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

"Hey you two lovebirds.", Charles spoke as he entered the room with a grin and sat down on one of the chairs. "So, finally public hm?"

"I guess so.", Pierre laughed without sitting up and looked at his best friend.

"Charlotte was really excited when she saw the post.", Charles smiled and pulled his phone out of his pocket to show you the messages she had sent him earlier.

"Awww, this is so cute! You two really are our number one supporters.", you giggled after reading the texts and handed the phone back. "Should I also post something? What do you think?"

"That would be so cute ma petit fleur.", Pierre smiled only to hear Charles fake throw up besides the both of you.

"Disgusting.", he laughed only for you and Pierre to join right away.

Liked by pierregasly and 4.731 others

y/n_dubois: You are the people that have made me who I am today. The best things in life are better with you by my side. pierregasly Charles_leclerc charlottesiine

danielricciardo: I don't know which post is cuter. Your's or pierres

landonorris: How the heck were you able to hide this for so long when you are this cute?!

->y/n_dubois: Crazy right? I wonder myself honestly

charles_leclerc: disgusting.

->charlottesiine: 😂

->y/n_dubois: 😂

-> pierregasly: We love you too mate

lewishamilton: You two are really sweet together. Cant wait to see you more often!

[yuzurujenn]

[2024.07.19-2024.07.21] Yuzuru Hanyu: Interview two years after turning professional (Hochi)

Figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu (29), who marked two years since announcing his decision to turn pro on the 19th, agreed to an interview. He spoke at length about his two years as a professional, his present and the future, his fateful encounter with a program, and the "ideal" he is pursuing. We will be publishing Hanyu's words, who continues to evolve as an athlete and artist, for three consecutive days. The second and final instalment are a stand-alone interview. (Interviewer: Takagi Megumi)

Part 1:

Hanyu-san appeared dashingly at the studio in Sendai. As soon as he arrived, he started the interview by saying "Thank you." His quick thinking and agility were as good as ever. His black jersey looked good on him as always.

"Honestly, my first year as a professional was a bit of a trial-and-error state; I was constantly thinking about whether I should do this, whether I should do that, what I should do. But this (second year) has been a year in which I have clearly understood what I want to express, and what I want to do as a professional."

Though he was thoughtful at times and carefully choosing his words, he was smiling throughout the interview. Looking back on the past two years, his expression showed how contented he has become as a professional.

It all started with a one-man show “Prologue”. “GIFT,” the first solo Tokyo Dome performance by a skater in history, lasted two and a half hours in which he skated alone. In "RE_PRAY", the second instalment of the ice story following "GIFT", he took on his first national tour.

"In the second year, with 'RE_PRAY', the ice story was completely formed. I think the big thing about the second year was that I was able to properly establish what pieces existed in the story and what kind of story I wanted to tell."

He wrote the story himself, served as executive producer, and performed "Ice Story" by himself. With "RE_PRAY," he created a new form of entertainment that combines gaming and skating.

"It's the same when I choreograph various programs, but I think that the essence of what I want to express is always the idea of 'living' and the constant presence of something like a 'prayer' towards 'living'."

He has changed the concept of a professional skater. He can perform quadruple jumps and perform programs in a variety of genres. His evolution as an athlete and an artist continues in his third season.

"I have finally established the foundation for what I want to do, so as an extension of that, I am wondering how I can improve my skills in terms of expression. In order to convey myself, I believe that I cannot improve my level unless I have a strong technical foundation, as I have always said since my competitive days. I feel that my third year will be a time when I will be working on improving both my technique and my physical strength."

He will be turning 30 in December. He says that his present life is different from the future he envisioned as a teenager. He was supposed to have turned professional after the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and retire from skating in his 20s.

"The way my stamina and technique have developed is completely different from what I had imagined, but it gives me a real sense of how much more I can achieve, and a sense of great potential for the future. I now feel that humans can achieve much more than I had thought."

He won consecutive Olympic gold medals in Pyeongchang and after his third Olympic Games in Beijing, he turned professional. He had an incredibly intense 20s. What will his 30s be like? "Nothing in particular has changed," he continued, tilting his head.

"While still cherishing who I am, I think that showing my skills and facing skating are a big part of what makes me happy. I want to always have within myself a reason for my existence, a meaning to the past 30 years for everyone. It's not just because my fans watch me, or because skating is all I have, but I want to create more clearly within myself the core of my life in my 30s."

Skating with soul. "Pursuing the ideal," he wrote on his coloured paper. The story of professional skater Yuzuru Hanyu has just begun.

-What have the past two years been like since you turned professional?

"As an athlete, I have really thought about many things in a stoic way up until now. Of course, this is true in terms of technique, but I think I have always been thinking about victory in particular. To be honest, in my first year as a professional, I was feeling my way around; I spent the whole year constantly thinking about whether I should do this, whether I should do that, what I should do. I think this (second year) has been the year in which I have clearly understood what I want to express, and what I want to do as a professional."

-What have you come to understand clearly?

"In the first year, I had 'Prologue,' and I was feeling my way around whether I could skate solo. I was also working on 'GIFT' at the same time. At the time, I wanted to write my own story, and I wanted the audience to experience how the programs they had seen up until then would change as they watched them. This was something I had vaguely thought about since my competitive days. I was able to make this a reality in my first year. In my second year, I had 'RE_PRAY,' and I felt like I had completely formed the ice story. It wasn't just about trying to figure out how to skate by myself or changing perspectives by putting what I wanted to express into a story. I think the big thing about my second year was that I was able to properly establish that this story has these pieces, and that this is the story I would like to convey."

-What kind of year will your third year be?

"I have finally established a foundation for what I want to do, so as an extension of that, I am wondering how I can improve my skills in terms of expression. As for conveying myself, I have always said since my competitive days that I can't improve my level without having strong technique as a foundation. I feel that my third year will be a time when I will be working on improving both my technique and my physical strength."

-Memories from the past two years?

"There are a lot, of course. I can't really say just one, but I've had so many different, precious experiences. Most recently, the completion of "RE_PRAY". I had that feeling that it was received well. I'm currently in the middle of the production process (laughs). It's my motivation to keep working hard, it's my driving force."

-Are you currently working on any new projects?

"I've been creating new programs and other things. I've started digging deeper into what I want to express. Because I've been working alone for so long, the emotions that come out of me tend to be biased. My ideas haven't fundamentally changed that much, so my repertoire hasn't expanded that much. But I do feel that my experiences with 'RE_PRAY' and other such things are the driving force behind the birth of new emotions and new expressions."

-Will Ice Story continue to create themes by asking itself these questions? 　

"Whether it was when I was creating 'RE_PRAY,' or when I was choreographing programs like 'Goliath,' 'Aqua,' and others, I think that at the core of what I want to express is the idea of 'living,' and the constant presence of something like a 'prayer' towards 'living.' So, what I want to convey on top of that and what I want to dig deeper into may affect the way I present myself depending on the program at hand."

-You'll be turning 30 in December. How does it compare to how you imagined your 30 would be?

"When I was 18 or 16, to be honest, I imagined I probably wouldn't be skating anymore by 30 (laughs). I would turn professional at 24 immediately after the Pyeongchang Olympics, and I thought I'd be active for about five years and then be done with skating. But the way I've developed my stamina and technique is completely different from what I imagined, and I feel a real sense of realization that I can still do so much, and a great sense of possibility for the future. Right now, I feel that humans can still do much more than I thought."

-What kind of person do you want to be in your 30s?

"Nothing has changed in particular. However, the more I polish my way of expression and the more time I spend constantly practicing and facing myself, the stronger my sense of self is becoming, and I feel like my foundation is becoming more and more established. In this way, I will continue to cherish myself in my 30s. But I think that showing my skills and facing skating is a big part of what makes me happy. I want to always have a reason for my existence, a reason for living for the past 30 years. Not just because my fans watch me, or because skating is all I have, but I want to create a clearer core for myself in my 30s."

Part 2:

It has been two years since figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu (29) announced his professional debut on the 19th. In the second part, he spoke to Sports Hochi in an exclusive interview about his "fateful encounter" with a certain program. (Interviewer: Megumi Takagi)

-Does time pass differently now compared to when you were an athlete?

"When I was a competing athlete, I could just keep thinking about things like building my physique or practicing skating. But when I'm creating something or choreographing a program or doing things like that, I don't have time to just practice. So, I thought, 'I won’t be able to practice during this period, so I'll just try to maintain it’, or ‘I'll try to keep it to a certain level, and since I'm currently in the production period, it can't be helped if I cut down on sleep.' I want to provide something good, and when I think about all sorts of things, I can't sleep. To begin with, I'm the kind of person who tends to live an unhealthy lifestyle (laughs). I know I should sleep more for my skating, or eat more of this or that, but it just keeps falling apart."

-How much sleep do you get?

"It depends on the day. If I feel like I can't take it anymore, sometimes I'll sleep for eight or nine hours straight, and sometimes I fall asleep without realising it. On the other hand, there are also days when I'm awake all day. It's normal to stay up all night even though there's no need to. But it's at times like those that stories are born. It's hard to put into words. It's not that different from writing lyrics or composing music. I guess that's just how it is. I've accepted it and thought that this is just my style." 　

-During the rehearsals for "Notte Stellata" in March, you said you were "nervous about the new program."

"Of course, I felt nervous about performing it in front of everyone for the first time, wondering if I’ll make a mistake or if everything will be okay, but if anything, I thought it's great, and the people around also thought it's great. But when that circle expands from me to people who are close to me, and then to my fans and to the general public, honestly I'm really scared about what people will think. People have completely different values, and there's no doubt that the impression people get when they hear a program or a song is different for each person. So I do feel a bit scared that it may go in the wrong direction."

-How have you felt about that over the past two years?

"I've created a lot of programs, including 'RE_PRAY', and it makes me happy to see that people have different preferences for the programs they like. Some people say they like my self-choreographed programs, and others say they prefer programs that are properly choreographed by a choreographer. Some people say they prefer programs that are more like traditional figure skating, and conversely, some people prefer programs that are more over-the-top, like 'MEGALOVANIA', so it really varies. That's also one of my strengths. I'm really happy that everyone has different interpretations of the programs and likes them."

-What programs would you like to try in the future?

"I actually want to make a 15-minute program, but I'm worried it might be difficult."

-Is that a physical thing?

"Of course, it's physically demanding. For example, even if I don't jump that much, I don't want it to become boring. I want to create something with so-called contemporary movements, but I don't think I can keep up."

-There’s a concept.

"I have a vague idea, but I'm not sure if I can go that far yet. I don’t know. I haven't found a song that I want to skate to yet. I just don’t think I’ve found a song that I want to skate to for 15 or 20 minutes."

-"Danny Boy" (※1) has a more empathetic and gentler feel than ever before. Is this due to the fact that your range of expression has expanded over the past two years, or is it a change from within?

"I do feel like I've become able to express emotions that were already there in new ways. That's true when I skate to 'Notte' (Notte stellata) or 'Spring' (Come, Spring). I've been able to express things like compassion or prayer through the melody, the way I use my hands, the way I use my upper body, and so on. Up until now, I've been doing classical, pop, and instrumental pieces, and 'Come, Spring' was originally a pop song. This time, I used a jazz melody, which was something I hadn't done before, and I think the biggest difference is that I feel like I've finally become able to do it. Of course, I think part of it is that I'm getting older and becoming more mature, but I feel like I’m catching up a bit in the way I use my body to express that, and in my thought processes."

-"Danny Boy" was recommended to you by Hoshino Gen.

"That's right. I met Gen-san (※2) on the show and he said, ‘This is a good song’. At that moment, I had a feeling that this was it. I decided almost immediately that I was going to skate to this song."

-Did it come easily?

"It's hard to find songs that inspire me and songs that, when I first listen to them, I can imagine myself standing there and skating to them. I've been searching really hard for songs, but it's not easy to find one. But that song just came to me. I had a feeling that this was it. The melody was not something I could choreograph by myself, and I felt that this song needed to be skated over and over again to mature, so I immediately thought of David (Wilson, ※3) and asked him for help. It was a quick development with the song, and I felt like it was a fateful encounter."

[※1] Performed by Keith Jarrett. Debuted at "Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata 2024" in March this year. [※2] He appeared as a guest on Hoshino Gen's show "Ogen-san's Sabusuku-do" (NHK, broadcast last August). He played the role of "Ogen-san's younger brother" and talked about music. [※3] Canadian choreographer. Choreographed "Romeo and Juliet" for the free skating at Sochi Olympics, "Notte Stellata," and "Spring, Come", among others.

Part 3:

The final episode of an exclusive interview with figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu (29), who announced his professional debut two years ago on the 19th. He talked about "full effort," "mind, technique, and body," and his "ideal" as an athlete. (Interviewer: Megumi Takagi)

-During a press conference for "RE_PRAY," you said, "I can still improve the composition."

"Originally, in practice, I was practicing 'Messenger of Ruin' with the final axel as a 3A3T (a triple 1/2-triple toe loop combination jump). Sometimes I would also practice the first toe loop in the second half as a 4T3T (a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination jump). I probably wouldn't be able to do it in a real performance, but I was practicing it as a way to build up my stamina and improve my skills. I had some time to spare, so I thought I'd like to do it if possible. I tried it on the final day of the Miyagi performance, and there were some flaws. I guess I was hoping that if I practiced more, I'd be able to do it."

-Will there be a composition as difficult as that (※1) this season as well?

"I would like to do it. However, I think the composition will be completely different depending on what I want to express. Is the challenge a quadruple jump, or something more physically difficult? Also, I think the way it is presented will be completely different depending on whether I am challenging myself expressively. If possible, I would like to improve the composition. However, when it comes to a tour, I wonder if I am really 100% confident that I can deliver something good to everyone. I think it is necessary to always consider the balance and make sure I am not overestimating myself."

-It was the same in the ice shows and exhibitions when you were competing, and of course it's still the same now. Why are you able to give it your all every time?

"On the contrary, I feel more uncomfortable if I don’t give it my all. Performing in front of people is in itself something that may or may not please them, but in that moment, it may also be a catalyst for a change in someone’s life, even if just a little. If it were my own performance, I don't think I could show a half-hearted performance."

-Is that always the case?

"Always. I think I've been like that since I was little. I think my physical ability is pretty high, but if I didn't give it my all, I wouldn't reach that level. Therefore, I had to remove that limiter and try to catch up with my sister (Hanyu started skating because of his sister, who is four years older than him) or try to reach her level, since I couldn’t get that far unless I gave it my all. For example, when I was a novice and I couldn't jump the triple or double axel properly. Other kids could jump them, but I was flexible, didn't have much muscle strength, and wasn't blessed with a body that was so good in terms of explosive power, but when I thought about wanting to be better than everyone else, or wanting to catch up with everyone else, that's why I kept giving it my all. I removed my limiter more than other people. Because I didn't want to lose. I wanted to be praised (laughs). So, removing the limiter is normal for me probably from a young age. I have an older sister, so there’s always someone at home to aspire to. So, I guess I had to remove the limiter in everything. And now I have a sense of responsibility. Because I am Yuzuru Hanyu, the question of how far I can go in my pursuit is gradually coming into play and giving it meaning. If I were to talk about my childhood, I think that's probably what it was like."

[※1] In "RE_PRAY"'s "Messenger of Ruin," he completed a highly difficult routine just like in a competition, including a single quadruple Salchow and toe loop, five consecutive quadruple toe loops, and two triple axels.

-How do you increase your concentration before a performance?

"In my case, theoretically, I think that if I can get excited or create a situation that I find enjoyable, I will naturally be able to concentrate. So, although I don't sing it out loud, I think that getting into music is what turns on my concentration switch. It's like my blood gets pumping, or like the switch in my brain changes. I guess it's the song, the music."

-You are still a complete athlete. Athletes often use the phrase "Shin-Gi-Tai” *," but where does ‘mind, technique, and body’ fit into your perspective, Hanyu-san?

"In the end, I think there's no point if you can't find a balance. If you excel in one area… For example, if your heart becomes very strong at one point, but your technique is not strong enough to match the size of your heart, then the heart itself will probably be destroyed and you will be swallowed up. So you definitely need the technique to express your heart. Even if you spread that heart and technique widely, if you don't have the physical strength, if your body itself isn't functioning well, then you will be swallowed up by your technique and your heart. In the end, I think if you really want to level up, you have to make everything bigger."

*心技体 (Shin-gi-tai) – Shin = mind/heart, Gi= skills/technique, Tai = physique/body

-What is an athlete?

"Now, I have the opportunity to work in various professional fields and have more opportunities to come into contact with people whom I really respect, I think that the people I consider to be the very best are all athletes. For example, there is the NHK programme ‘The Professionals’, and people like that are really athletes. Personally, I think the way they use their time, or the way they use their heart and soul, to achieve a certain goal or ideal is what makes them athletes. I don't know whether to call that an athlete or a professional, but that's how I've always been since my competitive days. I think that's what I would like to call myself, an athlete."

-You've often used the word "ideal" since the latter half of your competitive days. It sounds like a declaration of determination not to compromise on that.

"The reason I started talking about my 'ideal' towards the end of my competitive days was because, well… To be honest, I wanted to perform a certain way, but after all, it didn’t always lead to positive evaluation. That's when I decided to shift towards pursuing my ideal."

-Perhaps around Autumn Classic?

"The most significant was Autumn, I guess…Autumn 2019…? At that time, I had no choice but to reconsider and realise that the most important thing was to do what I wanted to do and perform the kind of performance I was aiming for, rather than worrying about scores. I felt that this was equal to making the fans happy. From then on, I am still on that same path. After I become a professional skater, I have to pursue it even more. Because I am skating for the fans. The ideal is getting higher and higher, and I am chasing that ideal."

Post-interview notes:

Last year, one year after turning professional, Hanyu-san sent a message to his fans to Sports Hochi. "I will continue to strive for my ideal and continue to constantly renew that ideal," he wrote. I think that this past year has been exactly like that.

The path he should take must have become clearer now. His expression was bright and full of contentment. We asked him to write down his aspiration for his third year on a coloured paper. He wrote, "Pursuing the 'ideal’”. "I'm skating for my fans, so the ‘ideal’ will get higher and higher," he said. Beautiful skating that blends in with the music. A range of expression that can only be achieved with advanced technique. I hope that Hanyu-san will continue to cherish the "ideal" skating that he has carefully cultivated. (Takagi Megumi)

Source: 1. https://hochi.news/articles/20240718-OHT1T51180.html?page=1 2. https://hochi.news/articles/20240718-OHT1T51181.html?page=1 3. https://hochi.news/articles/20240719-OHT1T51148.html?page=1 4. https://hochi.news/articles/20240719-OHT1T51151.html?page=1 5. https://hochi.news/articles/20240720-OHT1T51200.html?page=1 6. https://hochi.news/articles/20240720-OHT1T51199.html?page=1

[cable-knit-sweater]

I watched this interview of Sebastian where he talks about meeting some fans in Berlin back in 2015 when they were shooting Civil War. Apparently that was their last day in Berlin and Seb was done early so he had gone back to the hotel and Joe Russo texted him telling him that some fans had been waiting outside all day to meet him. And Seb being the sweet man that he is actually went out to meet them. Do you ever think about how Chris might have fallen for Seb when he heard about that

Hi!!

I love that moment - Sebastian is such a sweetheart 🥺🥰 And I love your question - I think a lot about it actually, when things happened and feelings developed.

I’m not sure if this specific moment is when it happened, but it just as well could be. We all know how the CW era was special for them- just look at my Civil War Press Honeymoon tag 😂

But I do think it’s one of the reasons. Maybe not that night, but just the fact that Sebastian is such a sweetheart to everyone. Chris has mentioned it enough times, and the way he says it, tells me a lot 🥺

I have countless theories on how it could’ve happened during CA:TFA, CA:TWS, CA:CW, and even after.

But if this were the moment that it happened? Some thoughts below the cut.

//

I think Chris would hear about what Seb had done, maybe from one of the Russo’s, maybe from Mackie, and when he hears it he just automatically grab his chest like he does whenever he talks about Sebastian like this. He’s not even sure why he does it, it’s just because it’s a big feeling and doing this makes it easier to process, when he can’t express things in words and just has to feel.

Chris doesn’t think anything of it, at first. He’s pretty sure he’s just feeling fond of Sebastian, like he often does. It’s hard not to, he thinks, with the way Sebastian is just so fucking sweet to everyone. It’s like watching a puppy. That’s all.

But then he talks to Sebastian the next day, and asks him about it as they’re hanging out before their flights. Sebastian ducks his head a little, and mumbles something about them waiting all day and it’s the least he could do, and the feeling returns in full force, almost punching the breath out of Chris. He just stares at Sebastian, takes all of him in, and the feeling doesn’t go away, it just burns right there under the surface, bright and warm and overwhelming.

He doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t know what to say.

“Do you think I shouldn’t have?” Sebastian asks, scrunching his nose adorably, when Chris stays silent.

He doesn’t ever want Sebastian to feel like he should act any different. “No, no, I think- I think it’s sweet, must’a meant the world to them,” he says, and if you’d ask him later, he wouldn’t really remember what he says next, if he says anything at all.

Chris’s brain is too busy trying to figure out what it all means to have any recollection of what’s said next. Thinking about what those feelings mean. It’s a lie. He knows what they mean, he’s just not sure he can wrap his head around it. They’ve been friends for so long now, working together on these 3 movies.

He won’t lie to himself and say he’s not thought Sebastian was attractive, or thought he was an incredible human being, but this is different. This is very different. And he doesn’t know what to do.

“Chris?” Sebastian asks, a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”

“Huh?” Chris replies, blinking until Sebastian comes back into focus.

“You zoned out a little. And you keep touching your chest, are you okay, are you hurt?”

Chris blinks again. “I’m sorry, I’m fine, just thinking,” he says, giving Seb a dumb smile.

“That does sound like it would hurt,” Sebastian replies.

Chris chuckles, and pushes at Sebastian. “You asshole,” he says.

“I think I might be in love with you,” he thinks.

//

So there it is lol, I seem incapable of giving normal lengthy answers to these questions 😂 Thanks again for your ask, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 💗

[cynicalruins]

Changérion Bible - Aizawa Kazunari interview

Translation by Windii, scans by me

(Spoiler alert for a few episodes)

Hayami Katsuhiko is a just and handsome hero cadet who failed to become the righteous hero Changéríon. He is a hot-blooded and frank guy with seriousness as his strong point, but he is quite a klutz. He is supposed to save the day, but is instead saved, and he partners up with Akira in an odd but funny two-man team before he knows it, yet he's a superhero who dreams big… In reality, however, he is an aggressive and fiery young man who moved to Tokyo when he was drunk.

"I honestly can't believe that Changéríon was such a memorable work for so many people."

-Like Hayami, who played the role in the past, he says so with a mysterious look on his face. However, contrary to his own feelings, he says he is still receiving feedback from various sources.

"The other day, I was participating in a theater workshop."

-It was a full-fledged one, inviting a teacher from England for professionals.

"There were about 10 participants, some of whom were from Bungeiza, Daisan Erotica, and former members of Yume no Yuuminsha, so it was quite exciting. On the last day, one of them told me that they had seen Changéríon. I was surprised. They seemed to have been thinking for a long time about when they were going to say it, since it was the last day. That's when I realized that someone had seen it."

-It was the same thing on stage.

"Sometimes people who have been fans since the Changéríon days come to watch me, which is kind of incredible."

-He confesses that he never intended to become an actor in the first place.

"I know I'm being cheeky, but I just didn't like the normal routine."

-It all started with a movie. He happened to see a film on holiday that was so romantic and interesting that he wanted to play such a role.

"The name of the work is too faddist, so I won't tell you. But I like romantic stories. That's why I often watch romantic movies."

-He was born and raised in Miyagi Prefecture. After graduating from high school, he took it for granted that he would work for a local company.

"That was a very nice place to work, everyone was kind, and I was blessed."

-He was assigned to a factory. He wore a uniform and did the same work day in and day out.

"…I am embarrassed to say this, but one day I saw my reflection in the glass as I was working in my uniform. I am now living with my parents, and I can see a future where I will get a wife, build a house, and have children. And I wondered if that was what I wanted."

-He went for a drink with agonizing thoughts and then went straight into action.

"I drank until morning and took the bullet train to Tokyo first thing in the morning (laughs)."

-It was truly an "impulse."

"One thing I remember very well was the news of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait that was playing at Tokyo Station. It was still early in the morning, but people were gathering around the TVs in the storefronts, and I wondered what was going on. Oh, it's war, they said."

-That day the Gulf War broke out. Unbeknownst to others, his life also changed dramatically.

"That was when I was 20 or 21. I moved in and lived at my senior's house for a while, but my parents scolded me. They said, "It's your choice to go to Tokyo, but you should do the bare minimum as a human being," and that was a good point. I had no more money, so I went back to my parents' house to visit my workplace and sell my car to make money… It was a great place to work, and I still feel bad about it, and I am grateful to my parents for not stopping me."

-Thus, he finally arrived in Tokyo. However, even at that point, he did not have a firm goal in mind.

"Since I was tall, I had been told since high school that I should model, so I decided to try modeling in Tokyo. So I looked at magazines and looked for an agency… Then I saw a movie, and I had a goal of becoming an actor. I guess I couldn't allow myself to make an escape route, so I gave up on the modeling agency. But I didn't know how to become an actor, so I asked for introductions and auditions. When you are alone in Tokyo, you have to help yourself to survive, so in that sense it is a tough city, although you can get by with your own efforts."

-However, he decided to live here.

Scouted out in the hallway?! First serial drama!

"I went to Toei's headquarters with my office manager to say hello."

-It was on the production floor, where the desks of the producers belonging to the company were lined up.

"While the manager was greeting the executives, I was waiting in the hallway and my shoelace came undone, so I had to sit down and tie it back on."

-Then a man appeared (he seemed to be a very important guy).

"He suddenly asked me who I was, and when I told him I was an actor, he said, 'I see, now come with me.'"

-He didn't know why, but he was called in for an audition for Racing Squadron Carranger that was being prepared at the time. Unfortunately, he was too tall to fit in with the other members and was rejected. He then decided to take on Super Shining Soldier Changéríon.

"When I received the script for the first episode, I thought that if it was going to be a choice between Akira and Hayami, I should be Hayami because of my personality. I heard that the two of them were competing with each other until the very end, but they decided on me at the last minute."

-However, he confesses that he did not really feel it.

"I mean, I was readily selected to appear in a serialized drama series, and I wondered if it would be so quick and easy."

-However, after that, he ended up having to work very hard (laughs).

Changéríon was a "playground"

"At first, Hayami was supposed to be more cool and carry the shadow of not being a hero. But before I knew it, he turned out to be such a serious fool."

-It was your own fault, said scriptwriter Inoue at the time, or not (laughs).

"I guess it's my fault. I was often told by Mr. Shirakura and Mr. Inoue that Hayami was not really this kind of guy. It is true that I was a bit aware of it, and there was a part of me that got carried away. It was my first acting job, and I had the strength of not knowing, you could say, or the feeling that it would be fine if it was funny. And I went overboard."

-However, his fearless vigor has created an image of Hayami as a hot-blooded, upright, stubborn, and good-natured person. In episode 9 "The Radiant Hayami!", for example, he transforms into the long-sought Changéríon in place of Akira, but his good-naturedness causes the dark creature, who begs him to change his ways, to flee. The hero is unable to wield his sword in the face of the apologetic opponent… Akira was an unconventional hero too, but is it our imagination that Hayami has also created a stir in the image of heroes of the past? Indeed, a hero is a being who slaughters his enemies in the name of justice. The antithesis of this attitude seems to have led to the current Kamen Rider Ryuuki.

"I feel that Mr. Inoue and Mr. Shirakura have successfully created an amusement park or, well, a more primitive park or playground for us. It's like we were just playing there. For example, "We made swings. But this is a swing set, so how would you play on it?" So we all thought hard about what we would do. We were really just having fun playing. If you could see the antithesis of that, I think it was because Mr. Shirakura and Mr. Inoue were so great."

-The only regret he has is that the program, which he says he played around in with all his might, was terminated in the middle of the cour. To be precise, it was not cancelled, but rather not renewed for a fourth cour, which was a shock to him since he thought it would continue.

"I guess I wanted more of a sense of convergence from everyone, because it ended without any. But now I think that last episode was good. The idea of a loop between a carefree daily life and a serious battlefield is amazing, isn't it? But I also think that maybe that's the way life is. As for myself, I wanted to settle things as Hayami. I think Hayami has always been a guy with a very negative attitude, thinking that he was supposed to be the one to make it. Just as it would have been nice to have a hero who was not cool and had no sense of justice, which Akira symbolized, it would have been nice to have someone with darker thoughts. Likewise, I think it would have been okay for Kuroiwa (Ogawa Atsushi) to be a villain and still fall in love with Eri (Kochihira Chika). …When you think about it like that, it was certainly a work that broke a lot of stereotypes."

-Hayami, who was in the midst of a conflict, however, finally achieves his longed-for transformation in episode 32 "Enter the Second Warrior!"… but this is Changéríon, after all, and Hayami transforms by eating dried plums (is he Suppaman?).

"For a long time, there were rumors. I wondered how it would turn out, and then it happened (laughs). I like the fact that Hayami is unaware of it, it's just like him."

-We asked him about his memorable episodes.

"I was happy to see the transformation. The scene where he eats Chief Munakata's seed of darkness and gets down on his knees saying, "That was delicious!" was funny. Then there was the scene where Akira and I switched places in "The Radiant Hayami!" That was a difficult episode. We were looking at each other and laughing, thinking, "This is not how it's supposed to be!" From that time on, I learned to do small acts in the frame, and we would restlessly do things together in the background. And the dubbing was separate, so it was mostly wasted (laughs)."

-What he did not like was dubbing.

"I hated it. When I saw the first episode, I thought it was so robotic. I thought that was so bad. I had a very hard time getting into the right mood for each episode."

-It was also around this time that he received his first fan letter.

"There was a one-time event called 'Cinefan' at Toei's Ooizumi Studios, and I wasn't scheduled to perform, but I went for one day and was surprised by the huge crowd. It was the first time for me to see fans in person, and I was surprised and happy to be called Hayami by a little kid, which was a strange feeling. I didn't really feel like I was playing the hero. I was more like "Detective Story" or "Tired Detective," which Akira likes, and we had said we would do something like that. So I was unexpectedly happy."

What Aizawa, an actor, thinks

"This job is more often hard and painful than fun, and there are more times when I don't do well, but sometimes I feel very fulfilled, and I want to savor it even more. At the time of Changéríon, I didn't think about these things, I was just playing like crazy, and I probably didn't wake up until later. But I learned a lot of things to wake up. Akira really has something that only he can do. I was very jealous of him because he had something that I could never have… but I was sure that there was a role that only I could play, so I decided to find it, because no matter what I played, I would always be me. I left because I didn't want to live a normal life, but at my age, when I interact with people from different professions, I often find myself empathizing with them, and I think that being an actor is not special. I hope that this will be a source of fertilizer. For me, Changéríon is like a "park where I went to during elementary school." I remember playing in the mud in the daytime, and I remember the dusk and the night scenery—If I had to give a word to my fans… I would say thank you. That's all I have to say."

-Thank you for a good time, too. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Akira & Hayami

Akira: The snakeskin jacket I'm wearing in Kamen Rider (Asakura) right now is my own. Hayami: Oh, I've seen it before! Akira: It's in my room, you know? I'm not wearing it outside. Hayami: No, I saw it outside! You were walking around with it on. Akira: You're lying! Totally lying! Hayami: Just kidding. ♡ Akira: (laughs) You know, I was thinking that if you found out that I was playing a Rider wearing such a thing, you would say, "Akira, what the heck… I'm so upset!" (*) Hayami: You're right (laughs). Rider, huh? I'm so sad, Akira. Akira: Actually, I know you're worried. ♡

Hayami: At the time, I was just so absorbed in things, so I'm glad that people still remember me after 6 years like this. Akira: Yes. But now, when I hear people say that my acting has improved as a rider, I'm like, "What?!" But it's true, we weren't very good at acting (laughs). The director would joke that if we were better, we would be able to do the long takes on camera, and the cutaways were very detailed. Hayami: Yes, there was a time when I was quite particular about getting a long take someday. Akira: Then, in the middle of the series, Director Konaka started making long takes of your scenes. Hayami: That made the acting more exciting. Then, I would make mistakes and get yelled at. Akira: And I get depressed (laughs). And it shows on my face. I can't smile when I should be smiling, and that's not good. Hayami: But I know that he is angry with me with love. I'm going to do my best.

Hayami: We've been talking about making a movie together for a long time, but it's not easy. Akira: But I would love to make a film! Let's really make it happen. *Editor's note: Actually, there was an initial plan for Hayami to visit Akira's Rider shooting site to correct his ways (?) as a hero. But unfortunately, it did not come true.

Aizawa Kazunari: Born August 1, 1969 in Miyagi Prefecture. After working as a model, he was scouted (?) in the hallway of Toei's headquarters and auditioned, making his debut as Super Shining Soldier Changéríon's Hayami Katsuhiko. Since then, he has been active in film and stage. He appeared in the movie "Dolls" directed by Kitano Takeshi, which will be released in the fall, and in the movie "SEMI" directed by Yokoi Kenji, which will be released at the end of the year.

[topconfessions]

[ask] hi.. I’m one of the newly obsessed Tops fans after watching squid game.. since he first shows up on screen I’m like “this character seems he could be an idol…and this dude is really really good at playing an idol..very natural” and then did my little research and here I am now in your inbox.. so.. I’m same age as top so I’d say I might have considered my self too old for boy bands back in the 2010s (but I am not NOW at 37 lol) and I’ve entirely missed his golden and dark days and I genuinely want to understand what the hell is going on with him.. I’m so intrigued by what I saw TOP was when performing, how shy and posed he was off stage for example in interviews, how quirky and random (and I agree he might be high functioning neurospicy) and so talented and classy and all over the place with his interests passions and work projects.. like.. I guess I wanna know him or his story a bit more, from people who were there this whole time.. I mean.. has he really tried to unalive himself? That pic of him in a wheelchair seemed staged to me no? Like why would there be pictures of someone after something like that.. if not for spectacle or pity? I mean I don’t know what to think or what to believe.. but I’d love to know your perspective (while I keep reading your blog in search of more answers).

Also in my humble opinion his role in sg was the perfect contrast to the heavy sense of doom the rest of the players were giving off.. it made the whole thing even darker cuz he was intentionally out of place mentally basically..I reckon it was a genius move, from a cinematic standpoint.

Im not Korean so I can’t possibly understand their culture, unfortunately, nor their unforgiveness and strict morality around drugs and whole the hate towards him, but I believe the hype now and the new international fans will boost his confidence.. I’m convinced it must take a lot of courage to do what he did, despite his reasons (broke or not, fame thirst or whatever) which we’ll never know obvs.. he should show up for promotion tho.. put up a poker face and expose himself if he wants to heal the wounds..

I have felt a lot of compassion towards him and I’d love to get to know his past a bit more.. if you’d like to share some of your stories or even just recommendations of reliable sources where I can get an idea of who is was/is.

Thank you so much and sorry for my venting 😅

I think I'll have to go back and compile a list of links and sources for it all, but he did try to unalive himself when he was younger when he was briefly (and secretly) dating Kim Woo Bins current girlfriend (finance? Wife??) Shin Min Ah. They had a bad break up and everything wasn't working out well. He has some mental health struggles but he recovered a lot from that point. It was way before I'd say their big album Alive. Alive in 2012 was a turning point for their career.

Didn't he have like an anxiety attack or panic attack? Pills? Damnit. I gotta go comb through netizenbuzz blog (type netizenbuzz into google then enter T.O.P or bigbang into the search. Enter his name any way you can to see the list of stories). He did say that the industry teeats idols like Machines. He doesn't like the idol industry and made it clear how toxic the working conditions can be in that interview for the magazine where he has white hair and angel wings behind him.

He is multiple dimensional so while I do feel he was acting out an exaggerated caricature of his worse time in the industry some years ago, he really is one of the most intelligent and sophisticated men in the idol world for real, his art history and painting knowledge is incredibly expansive. I'll tell you now, my interest in him helped me land a great job once cause I learned so much about art through paying attention to him lol. I really wish he would go back to that.

I do miss the old top. But nearly everyone changes eventually while some people stay the same. I wish he was kinda like GD and consistency with his personality and interests.

What do you think of his wine so far? Like his investment in that? I think he should've pushed it harder, as hard as the space x project and create a non alcohol version of it so all fans of legal age can drink it.

Theres so much to unpack and revisit. But yes to all of this.

[dearestones]

Muscle Memory Part Four (Azul Ashengrotto and Reader)

Warnings: Exploration of merfolk culture, elaboration on certain aspects of canon lore,mentions of bullying and discrimination,twi etc. 

@lottieinlimbo Request: Hi Devin!!! Congratulations on the 750 followers :D!! Your writing is incredible, you have more than earned your success!!!! I’m here to steal the final request slot! There were a lot of cool prompts that would have been fascinating with multiple characters, it was hard to choose! But I’m thinking “why did you help me?” With Azul could be really fun, maybe something platonic? I’m really excited to see what you do with this, congrats again on 750 followers!!

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The classic mer was holed up in quarantine with security native to the euphotic zone of the Coral Sea keeping watch. Despite how quickly your supervisor discharged him from the program and separated him from all of the groups, you knew that it would take a few days before he could be cleared to go home. It was a matter of bureaucracy: your supervisor, Soren, and yourself had to make sure that all of your bases were covered. No one wanted to risk angering any of the merfolk from any parts of the oceanic zones, especially those who hailed from the deeper, darker parts of the ocean.

Furthermore, all three of you had to contend with the investigation of the matter, particularly where Azul was concerned.

Apparently, the male classic mer had accused Azul of sabotaging or bullying Adria from staying until the end of the course. (That was completely absurd! You may not have personally known Adria, but from the brief experience of teaching her how to tread water and tolerate the pain of transformation, there was more than enough evidence to show that she was not ready for such dramatic changes in lifestyle).  

Testimonies from a variety of merfolk—both from predator and prey—revealed that Azul Ashengrotto mostly spent time by himself and if he wasn't swimming up to the surface by himself or taking down notes in one of the grottos, he was flanked by two eel merfolk. In fact, those very same eel merfolk were adamant in trying to swim and save their friend, risking antagonizing Soren and had ended up getting entangled in their instructor’s restraining enchantments.

Soren would then tell you that upon reviewing all of the merfolk's profiles, the Leech twins and Azul were supposed to attend Night Raven College by the next school year. A coincidence? Perhaps not, they were all schoolmates in the Coral Sea, so it must have been a case of childhood friends (or something close to the fact when you remembered Azul calling friends "associates").

It was a strange thing: predator and prey beastfolk were arguably friendlier than the relationship between predator and prey merfolk, but you paid that no mind. Even the other merfolk noted that Azul was more than fine to be left alone with the Leeches during mealtimes or whenever they were supposed to rest after their sessions.

Further investigation also revealed that the male classic mer had a history of antagonizing predator merfolk in his hometown, which was astonishing since everyone should have been vetted beforehand. It was outrageous and revealed how discriminatory classic mers towards animalistic merfolk, but you knew that it couldn't be helped. Cultural biases and stigma were things that you could neither control nor stop. However, you noted in the margins of your case notes that some of the assembled mers, particularly the angler fish and other predator species, were distinctly uncomfortable and even apprehensive when they talked about the bullying that occurred.

Another thing to note: throughout all of the accounts submitted, it appeared that only the Leech twins were willing to stick up for Azul.

When you asked Soren what his thoughts were regarding the situation, he shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "I know we had to visit a few sites so we could acclimate to the culture and actually interact and interview various species of mer, but it's kinda like trying to gauge the political climate of the beastfolk or even among mostly human populations. It's all nuanced and there are generations of instincts and primal drives that they have to contend with. Although, if I were to dumb down the situation, I guess we could chalk it up to stress, hormones, and prejudice?" He shook his head. "Any luck talking to Azul? The twins told me... some things, but it's better to get word from the victim himself."

"He's not a victim," you couldn't help but say. Somehow, that word rubbed you the wrong way. Azul wasn't a victim. He was... You didn't know how to describe it, but it wasn't as if he was some passive doll that lay there while he had been beaten and bullied.

There was... a hidden kindness and compassion to him. He refused to hit back and even tried to defuse the situation by trying to put some distance between him and the classic mer, even if it cost him some deep scratches upon his arms.

(Gashes, Soren had told you earlier. They were deep enough to be gashes).

"Well, what do you call it when you're bleeding and rendered pretty much mute because one of your classmates bullied you?"

You thought back to Shelley, how she had a hard time making friends after moving so far away from her native homeland, how she fought to get a place in land boot camp, and the shine in her eyes whenever you decided to surprise her with a human made object.

And then you thought of the cecaelia who was currently huddled in his assigned grotto, magical poultices carefully applied onto his octopus arms, chest, and on his face.

"A survivor," you concluded. "If his treatment was so harsh even under the jurisdiction of a government facility, how much worse could it have been when he was a small child in his hometown?"

Your fellow intern's eyes widened as he pondered your train of thought.

"I think... The worst part of it, actually," he murmured, "is that he's still a child."

Later on, after you filed all of the paperwork and helped Soren tuck away the equipment and take in inventory of all the potions needed—you had to send in a request to another department to replace the water breathing potion and to replenish the medkit that Soren used—you decided to forgo going back to your dorm. 

It was late and word had spread like wildfire inside the facility. A few interns around your age sent you sympathetic looks and even a security guard—someone you only knew in passing—had even asked if you were all right. There was also a smattering of whispers of what was going to happen to the classic mer and if there was going to be retaliation from his family or worse, from the merfolk's government, but you were too drained to even think about politics.

Despite what most people thought, other land boot camps had similar rates of infighting among the mers, despite attempts to mediate and segregate threats. It was simply a matter of cultural differences. Most land dwellers were not as desensitized to violence as the majority of merfolk.

But desensitization to violence didn't make it right.

You strolled outside after telling the security guard that you needed some fresh air. 

As an intern at this particular location, you were already well aware of the paths around this tiny island. Some of them led up to a relatively small mountain that some of your more athletic peers would hike on during the weekends. Another one led to the main port where boats from the mainland would drop off potions ingredients, fresh interns, and supplies for the next two weeks. However, despite these options, you decided to head to the boardwalk where you held your sessions. 

Like yesterday, there was algae floating upon the surface. Every time there was a disturbance, they would glow bright blue and illuminate the dark expanse that was the ocean. Sighing with relief that you were no longer surrounded by the rumor mill and the exhausted expressions of your colleagues, you shucked off your shoes and dipped your feet into the water. At your touch, some algae glowed before eventually settling into its dormant state of darkness. 

Above, the moon was waning, but still full enough to look circular and bright in the sky. 

You were tired and somewhat stressed from the day’s events. Now that the adrenaline had run its course, you wanted nothing more than to slump into your bed and sleep the night away. However, the water called to you. It wasn’t that unusual; often, when you were younger, you would sneak outside to bemoan your worries about first crushes, tests, or other mundane anxieties that plagued your adolescence to Shelley. She’d tease you for being so melodramatic and open about your personal life, but she was always there to comfort you or to make you laugh with her own anecdotes. 

However, she was interning at another land boot camp situated near the Land of the Red Dragon. When she had settled, she had said that it was weird to see her homeland (well, a site close to her spawning site) from a land dweller’s perspective. She was a native from the waters bordering the country, but she mostly interacted with the locals who decided to swim or ride boats on the water. Actually walking on land and seeing what surface dwellers were actually like was eye opening. 

She shared a few stories about a few misconceptions that the land dwellers had about merfolk and in turn the both of you ended up laughing before you had to turn in for the night. 

Oh, how you missed her. 

Maybe she was awake at this time?

You were about to stretch and head back to your dorm, eager to boot up your laptop so you could properly have a video chat, when the water began to burst to life with bioluminescent brilliance. Was there a school of fish traveling underneath your feet? The tide was high, but it was strange to see fish swim so close to the shore…  

And that’s when you realized that it wasn’t a school of fish, but rather one big fish!

A big fish that had eight long appendages attached to a human torso.

A very familiar sight indeed. 

When Azul breached the surface, you were pleased to see that he still had his poultices applied to his face and on his chest. You had yet to check his octopus arms, but you hoped that he kept them on considering those were the areas that had the deepest cuts and were at the most risk of infection. 

“Good evening, Azul,” you greeted. Absent-mindedly, you allowed your feet to gently kick at the water, your continuous movement disturbing the algae so that you could somewhat see Azul with the faint, but beautiful light. “If I had known that you wanted a private tutoring session, you could have asked. Although, under the circumstances, I think it’s more appropriate for you to rest.” 

You kept your tone light and airy, but after seeing Azul regard you with a suspicious, if contemplative look, you sobered. 

“Will I be able to attend tomorrow’s session?”

You thought maybe that wasn’t the question he was going to ask, but you answered anyway. “During your morning lecture, we’ll have one of our medics look at you, but I doubt there will be too much trouble unless you find yourself unable to participate otherwise.” 

The young cecaelia looked affronted that you suggested such a possibility to him. 

Underneath the water, you could just barely make out his arms crossing tightly over his chest. It made you want to smile—he was still very much a child in many respects—but you were glad for it. Unlike the Azul you had seen bleeding out underneath the water, this one was ready to bite back. 

“But I suppose that’s not the only reason why you’re here, isn’t it?” 

He hesitated a moment, but still answered with conviction. “No, it’s not.”

Again, you were not a teacher or a guidance counselor. You were a physical therapist who was only meant to make sure that merfolk were able to coordinate and move their legs accurately and safely so that they could enjoy life on land. You wouldn’t call yourself socially inept, but you felt a little out of your depth at the silence that ensued. 

Should you push him a little to get whatever burden that was weighing him down off his chest?

Or was it better for you to wait it out?

The cecaelia looked like the sort of person who would get down to business at his earliest convenience, so you decided to let him take the lead. It felt nice, actually, to revel in the cool water while a small breeze caressed your skin. After a while, you felt a sleepy haze overtake your senses as your legs ceased kicking the water and your eyes drift shut. 

Despite the fact that you were upright and at risk for falling face forward into the ocean, you remained calm and content. 

You wouldn’t blame Azul if he left now. 

It was so soothing to bask in the moonlight. 

All too soon, though, when you were so lost in your thoughts, the young cecaelia spoke. As always, his voice was low and measured, thought out and precise. Yet, you could detect an undertone of frustration and maybe even some embarrassment. 

“Why did you help me?”

It took a moment to gather your senses, but once you did, you found Azul’s eyes glinting in the moonlight. They were predatory eyes locked on you, calculating and intelligent. 

(You had to remind yourself again, he was still a child).

“It’s my responsibility to look after my students under my care. During my orientation a few months back, we had to go through several workshops where we had to roleplay and practice several situations that may occur in our line of work. One of those roleplay sessions included cases of bullying and infighting.” 

You remembered one of those sessions clearly. 

Some of the interns at this facility were actually merfolk and they had volunteered to shed their human skin for their fins and tails. It was a relatively short exercise, and they were clearly pulling their punches, but it shocked you to see how fast they could move under water. How they seem to be ruled by instincts that most humans forgot, but most beastman and fae embraced in privacy. 

One wrong move, you realized, and even the docile classic mers could easily take you in a fight. 

The protocol was simple. Incapacitate and separate. 

If an instructor was magicless, they were supposed to alert the attention of those who were. 

But most of all, timing was of the essence. 

You acted quickly as you could, but as you surveyed the cecaelia who kept most of his torso and lower body underwater, you wondered if you could have been faster. How long did you hesitate when you realized just how brutal young classical mers could be? How much precious time did Azul have to endure thinking that no one would help him?

You shook your head. 

It was no use thinking about it.

“No, not that sort of help.” Your eyes had become somewhat adjusted to your dim surroundings, but you still had to squint to see your student still floating in the water looking straight up at you. As a question was about to spill from your lips, Azul smoothly cut in, confidence now apparent in his very being. "You didn't hesitate to get him off me. Later, after that debacle—" His voice hitched, his delivery broken, but you knew better than to say something. "—I heard you talking to security and the other instructors. You... you believed me, defended me even. W-why?"

Dark as the night may have been, you could clearly hear how he tried to regulate his voice. There was a sort of raspy scratchiness to the timbre, as if he were trying his hardest not to break down crying. Furthermore, when you happened to catch his eyes, he averted his gaze and ducked below the surface of the water.

At first, you had thought that he had gone, but a brief disturbance from below illuminated the algae. The bioluminescent glow revealed that the cecaelia was still with you, only that he had chosen to submerge himself. That's right, you couldn't help but remember. A lot of merfolk from the deeper oceanic zones were usually shy and preferred the dark.

To afford him some privacy, you averted your gaze away from the water and instead directed it to your lap.

Sound always traveled faster and louder underwater, so you knew that even if you didn't shout your words, he could still hear you.

"You know... I have a great friend, Shelley. We grew up together after she moved from the Land of the Red Dragon. She's shy and suspicious of strangers—like you—" You couldn't help but admit through a chuckle. "—but she was also loyal, dependable, and very creative. She was always self-conscious about her family history and who she was, but I always loved her, because to me, she was simply my best friend.”

You quieted for a moment and finally revealed the truth.

"She was also the first mer who I helped walk on land. Without the transformation potion." Underneath, you could practically see the cogs turning in Azul's head with the way his body perked up in curiosity. You could practically hear him ask in scandalized curiosity how that was even possible. "Not in the way you think. She's a cecaelia, just like you, actually. Late at night, I would sneak out of the house and I would help her crawl around the beach. I was her spotter, but it's not like I was much help at that age. I would keep a bucket filled with seawater with me to splash her if she felt too dried out, but for the most part, she wanted to explore and push herself to her limits—see how far she could last without going back to the ocean.

"It was no surprise when her persistence eventually paid off. She got herself into a local boot camp and I was so very proud of her."

You paused, letting the memories of her laughter and strong arms (all ten of them) squeezing you gently and with as much affection as she could muster.

"I don't think I ever grasped how different and deadly cultural divides between mer species were. Up on land, it's a bit more apparent among the different types of beastfolk and the fae. Even humans are also prone to discrimination and prejudice. But with Shelley? I loved her so much and I hadn't thought what it must have been like to be a cecaelia in a world where merfolk with animal counterparts were considered lower than classic mers."

Your fingers squeezed the wood of the boardwalk, the splinters digging into your skin.

"The first night after her land boot camp, she swam all the way over to my home island and cried in my arms. The transformation potion had caused her so much pain, even greater than the times sand would get stuck between her suckers or when the irritation of the beach grated against her skin. What was worse, most of the merfolk who attended that particular land boot camp were all classic mers who were from the euphotic zone." You bit out a harsh laugh. "Talk about a fish out of water, huh? When the instructors were out of reach, they judged her for her long arms and how it took longer than most for her to get a grasp on her limbs. They whispered insults and bullied her relentlessly. The instructors must have not suspected a thing or they ignored her because Shelley would continue visiting me every night of her land boot camp experience and every time..." Your hands tightened their grip on your uniform. "Every time she looked so heartbroken and she was so close to quitting."

You hadn't realized it at first, but then you became all too aware of the trail of tears that ran down your eyes and onto your cheeks. Hastily, you wiped the evidence away with the back of your hands, sniffing a little to try and calm yourself.

"So, I helped her. We would work on the exercises to strengthen her lower body and she bribed one of the instructors for extra doses of low grade transformation potion. We would practice together for hours until the early morning. I can't imagine how tired she must have been because she had to swim back to the land boot camp, but it was worth it in the end." You sniffled again, pride in your voice. "She graduated with flying colors and attended university with me as an anthropology major. She's not stationed here, but at another land boot camp, but she's having the time of her life."

A pause.

However, it wasn't exactly filled with silence.

Over the course of your tale, you had staunchly kept your head bowed and your eyes closed to sink deep into your memories. Despite that, you knew that Azul had begun to show himself above water if the flickering of the algae behind your eyelids was any indication. It wasn't until you felt a stray octopus arm brush against one of your legs—an accidental touch if the sudden jerk away from the contact was evidence enough—were you finally face to face with the young cecaelia.

Up close now, you saw that his cheeks were stained with ink and that his eyes were rimmed with a faint blue flush.

An instinct you fought to quell from rising out of its slumber threatened to make itself known: you wanted to pet his hair and wipe away his tears. (You had often done this for Shelley and the feeling became all the more apparent because of your recent perusal of childhood memories).

What was that called again?

Muscle memory?

Your hand twitched, but you only let your hands splay out on your lap to relieve tension.

“Did you help me because I remind you of a childhood friend? Out of pity?” He tried so hard to sound calm, but you could hear the anger at the perceived slight. 

It didn’t matter, you had foreseen this happening. 

You smiled sadly and murmured, “No, I helped you because I know that there are multiple issues regarding accessibility. Between the transformation potions that cause you guys so much pain to the inherent discrimination and segregation among merfolk, and of course, the potentially harmful misconceptions that land dwellers have about you guys… I just want to make a difference and make it easier for people like you to fulfill your dreams in a safe and encouraging environment. I can’t do much outside of this facility, at least not yet, but I want to do my part to make sure that every student who passes under my care gets to live the life that they’ve always wanted. Adria may not have been ready to become human yet, but at least she knows now the sacrifices that must be made and the hurdles that have to be crossed. And as for the other mer who bullied you,” you settled a heavy gaze at him, silently making him promise not to spread rumors, “he has been blacklisted from the program. He could try again in a couple years, but he will be put on probation first.

"So, to answer your question, I helped you because I want to do good for the sake of doing good." You placed a comforting, gentle hand upon his shoulder—the only point of contact you could make without risk of getting reprimanded. "And because it is part of my nature to help others; call it muscle memory or a reflex if you will."

Azul gazed at you for a long time after that, his bright blue eyes unmistakably wet and gleaming with an emotion that you could not pinpoint. You added just a little bit of pressure upon his shoulder before you let him go. At the loss of contact, the cecaelia drifted away from you—a clear sign that it was time for you to leave as well—but before he ducked below the surface, he had one last thing to share. 

“I won’t forget this,” he said resolutely. There it was again, the confidence of someone he was still growing into. A young man who was going to be successful and powerful—no matter what it took. “I promise, I won’t.”

And, just like that, the cecaelia was gone. 

You weren’t sure what he was promising exactly, but you had the inkling that if the both of you were to meet in the future after land boot camp, he would be in favor of helping you with your cause.

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Tagging: @missam

[PART ONE] [PART TWO] [PART THREE] [PART FOUR HERE]

If you want to donate a Ko-Fi, feel free https://ko-fi.com/devintrinidad.

TWISTED WONDERLAND MASTERLIST

[stormyoceans]

As someone who doesn't like vice versa I dare you to try make me like jimmysea

SKFGDSKFGSKDGFSKDGF I—i mean if they're not really your thing i doubt anything i could say is gonna make you like them but YEAH OKAY SURE WHY NOT I CAN TRY

let's meet our boys separately first!!!!

jimmy. actor, doctor, babygirl. frankly has my undying admiration even just for being able to juggle his acting job while also studying to become a dermatologist and somehow succeeding at both literally could never be me. people tend to dislike him for his role as wai in bad buddy, but you only need to watch any bts video from the show to see how much he is adored by everyone and if anything that should be proof of the absolute range he has as an actor. avocado enthusiast and self proclaimed extrovert (is he tho. is he really), don’t get fooled by his quiet and responsible appearance, he’s actually the most deranged man in the industry. i still remember the day an anon told me he improvised nomming on his co-star's face and using a pillow to suggest stripping said co-star down and eating him out all in the name of Acting™ because i've never been the same ever since. the me before and after i was given this information are completely different people

sea. actor, athlete, dog dad. you won't get a single objective thought out of me because i am: Disgustingly Fond. debuted with a killer performance in the show 55:15 never too late as a supporting character, the fact that he's somehow still so underrated when he's one of the best actor in GMMTV makes me want to bark bite maim kill. he is an actual ray of sunshine with a smile that could light up the entire world and also the perfect example of an introvert: he has the innate ability to somehow disappear from any social gathering, but if he wakes up in a silly goose mood you will find him shamelessly twerking in front of everyone and being an absolute goofball. he's also a great singer and goes along with everything jimmy does because he is a big Simp™ (who's more deranged, the one who noms first, or the one who noms back, this is the question)

and now onto them as a pairing!!!!!

jimmysea. with a 5 years difference between them, they are actually the pair with the biggest age gap in GMMTV, which could have come in the way of their on- and off-screen relationship, but from what we are privy of i think you can see in every interaction they have that they clearly adore and are incredibly fond of each other. maybe it's because they share the same kind of derangement, or maybe it's because they both are very hardworking and humble boys who always try to give their best, but somehow they work. as the older one jimmy is always there to help and guide sea however he can, but when he needs it sea is ready to step up and carry the weight for him. they may not possess the kind of chemistry that's all sparks and fireworks, but they have a quiet gentle intimate one that makes them look like they've been married for years, which is also helped by their insane ability of looking at each other with so much love and adoration in their eyes it feels like your heart is getting curb stomped against the sidewalk. they don't really know what fan service is and they can go weeks without seeing each other (the drought eras), but when they do hang out they usually go out to eat and swim together (preferably at the pool in sea's condo after jimmy drives him back)

..not sure why this came out as a sales pitch tbh ;;;;;; honestly there are a lot of things i could add and if i were to convince you to like them i should probably send you links to videos and stuff like that but. im not really good with this sort of things ;;;;;; (i guess i could still suggest you to watch their praew interview to have an idea of their dynamic)

in the end all i can tell you is why i personally like them, which is mainly because what transpires of their relationship feels very genuine to me and they seem to be really sweet boys who just stand in their introverted corner minding their business doing their own thing portraying high romance and giving incomprehensible levels of adoration derangement goofiness talent ability skills. THEY ARE JUST SO COMFORT SHAPED TO ME IDK WHAT ELSE TO SAY

[venusorbits]

WATCHING NOW...

uploaded on 2011 February

──── GET TO KNOW 아프로디테 - THE INTERVIEW

"Hi, everyone, 아프로디테 here. I am here with Wall Street Journal. Today, you will be getting to know me better." Clasping your hand together swaying back and forth on a swivel chair, "There are a lot of mysteries surrounding me right now and I will be letting you know about that. Let's go!"

'WHO ARE YOU?'

Laughing lightly licking your bottom lip. Keeping a bright grin on your face.

"Well-" You start, "I go by 아프로디테 but you can call me DITE, it's much more convenient than calling me Aphrodite all the time. But, my real name is Sage Park, I was born on January 1st of '96 in London, which makes me currently 15 years of age currently. I am an idol under YG Entertainment that I trained under for a year."

'WHAT DO YOU MEAN TRAINED FOR?'

"It's quite a typical process for a K-pop idol to be preparing, train in dancing, singing among other things before being introduced to the world... It's all a part of the process."

Waving your hand around as you explain.

"You can audition or you will be asked to audition for them. I was asked to audition for YG."

'CAN WE TALK ABOUT YOUR DEBUT ALBUM?'

"Sure." You agreed, gratefully taking it from a staff member's hand that popped into frame and mumbling a small 'thank you' under your breath.

"I debuted not too long ago, to be more specific, on January 16th with my album 'MEAN!'"

You held up a CD copy of your album to the camera.

"Go check that out if you want." You shrugged, "I was heavily inspired by the Canadian artist, as many of you know her by, Avril Lavinge. I wanted a pop and pop-rock elements in my music."

You look at the copy in your hand.

"I also wanted some crazy, bright-colored hair for my music videos. Play the electric guitar. Just a lot of early 2000s-esque homage. I can play the guitar so I want live music in all my performances." Nodding, "I'm trying to learn the drums to complete the set of pop-rock."

You chuckled mostly to yourself.

"As you can tell, I love pop-rock music. Although, this doesn't mean that I will be sticking only to one genre. I will be exploring other ones as well."

You point at the camera reassuringly.

"The album has elements of piano and acoustic guitar by yours truly. It discusses love through my lens and my understanding as a teenager. I have never experienced a serious relationship so, you'll get to view it as somewhat naive, immature, ignorance and in a love sick, puppy love perspective... I'd say."

You were rather impressed and satisfied with yourself with how cohesive your thoughts and explanation were in the aims and concept of your album. Rather than feeling jittery, your mind was clear, you were extremely comfortable with being in front of the camera.

'HOW DID YOU GET INTO THIS INDUSTRY AND WHY DID YOU WANT TO BECOME A PART OF IT?"

"How did I get into this industry?" You repeat, "Well, as I mentioned before, I was invited to YG to audition. But, if we're going back to where I started-"

Clasping your hand together,

"I moved to South Korea when I was about 10 years old. I could not speak a lick of Korean at all but over time... I learned. At that time, I knew... Well- I wasn't incredible at it but I knew how to play the piano and the guitar."

"I sang the song, "Heavy in your Arms" by Florence + The Machine while playing the electric guitar that my mum bought me for a Christmas present right around when I was 12."

You smirk,

"I'm sure she's very elated now that I'm out of the house. Her ears get a break from the strumming everyday."

"Soon, I had a call saying that I passed the audition and my training period will start soon. I started training... One day, I was pulled aside midst my training." You shift your sitting position, "I felt my heart just jump up to my throat and I was holding my breath."

"Then, I heard, "You're going to debut soon"" You let a sigh of relief as if you were reliving the moment with a little chuckle, "I felt like the whole world just lift off my shoulders."

"In terms of, why I want to be a part of the music industry?... That grew onto something to becoming its own thing. I love music. I want this as a job."

'WHAT MAKES YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT MUSIC?'

"I grew up watching Musicals. I even have DVD copies of it at home too of all my favourite ones. And before you ask," You put your hand up, "Yes, I do have my favourites."

"I love Chicago, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked and Lion King... You know what, I'll put Hamilton there too. I love the concept of bringing story telling and music together."

"Writing a compelling and memorable album can be similar in a way... More added different obvious layers of complication between the two writing story and song writing obviously. Different needs."

"Song writing... Is more compact and there's a catchy tune to it which makes it more memorable... Music builds a different atmosphere too that books can't replicate. Same goes for books too since we picture things differently in our head."

"It's just... So amazing." You finish.

'YOU WROTE YOUR WHOLE ALBUM. WHAT ARE YOUR ADVICE TO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DABBLE IN SONGWRITING?'

"I think..." You drag your words, "This isn't a good question for me."

Grinning.

"My song writing skills aren't up there yet. I mean, it's good, for me to put out that album but, I wouldn't take a advice from me when I'm still navigating." You add, "But, if I have to give an advice, I'd say. Go ahead and have a go."

"Regardless if you think, it's terrible. Just write and take advice from people around you. Always look for ways to improve. Improving is key."

You smile at the fond memory.

"There are so many lyrics I gave my producer to be approve of but, he read them and said 'Revise them.' It took me weeks to get the green light." You gave an encouraging nod, "Songwriting is not easy journey. Don't put a unrealistic expectation on yourself and going to compare yourself to other artist. You are not born with this skill. You develop it."

'YOU ARE CREDITED AS A CO-PRODUCER OF YOUR ALBUM 'MEAN!', WILL YOU BE COMING OUT WITH ALBUM, SOLELY PRODUCED BY YOU?'

"Well-" You smirked, "We'll see."

'WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO GO TOWARDS THE DIRECTION OF WRITING YOUR DEBUT ALBUM?'

"I want a pop-rock album. Simple as that."

"I kind of wanted to stray away from the EDM type of music that's quite trendy nowadays and focus on rocky-ish type of music. I also wanted to play music live."

'CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE GUITARS?'

"Sure." The video cuts to your collection of electric guitars on their stands all varying in colours and brands, where it was conveniently taped off.

"These are my collection, I have 4 in total; these are the brands I frequently check out and consider buying from... That I cannot mention." You look over to the camera cheekily over to your manager, "K-pop idol issues."

"I like the brands. I think they're good but... I have my issues with them like the tuning stability issues I have with this pink one." You point at the nearest to you, "From my research, it has something to do with the metals they use."

"If this is your brand... You might want to fix that."

You pick up one of them, one covered that has a white body decorated and littered with all kinds of stickers.

"This is my baby. My favourite of them all. My first guitar."

You glare at the camera.

"But, whoever recommended my mum this as a beginner guitar. I hope you don't sleep well at night." You warned earning a chorus of laughter from the staff behind the camera, "This was a struggle to figure out and not beginner friendly."

"This-" You point, "Is a floating trem complicated for baby DITE. Then was later told... This shouldn't have been recommended to me. It was pure hell and pain."

"Guitar enthusiast. If you recognise this, comment it down below because I can't mention it... No go for beginners... It almost made me quite the guitar."

'WHAT WAS THE FIRST SONG YOU LEARNED TO PLAY?'

"Twinkle, twinkle little star." You answered deadpanned causing everyone to once again erupt into laughter.

'WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES BESIDE MUSIC?'

"I don't know. My personality only revolves around music." You teased, "I'm kidding. I love cooking, reading and video games."

"I love video games. My manager does not like the fact that I love it because I stay up all night playing games and she can't wake up."

You bowed onto a perfect 90 degree angle,

'WHO DO YOU ENJOY LISTENING TO?'

"I'm sorry, Mira but you can't separate me and my one love, video games."

"I enjoy a lot of genres and a variety of artist. I do love some Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, IU, 2NE1, Florence + The Machine, Aaliyah, Avril Lavinge, Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston... I have a lot more but... I can't think off the top of my head."

"I listen to a lot of Female Artist as you can tell."

'WOULD YOU SAY THAT ALL THESE ARTIST HAVE HAD AN IMPACT ON YOUR ARTISTIC CREATIVITY?'

"Definitely." You didn't miss a beat,"I feel they had a lot of impact on how I approach music. A lot of their music style reflects my own but, I still put my own spin on it."

"That about wraps up my interview with Wall Street Journal. Thank you for joining me. Bye!" You blow a kiss before waving off.

[oh-honeyyes-youcan]

Imagine~ BlitZ DR

Me and the members are out for a walk through Seoul when we come across a group of dancers in an outdoor mall. We stand back to watch them for a moment before we realize that it’s one of those groups that do random K-Pop dances in public. The next song that comes on is one of Stray Kids’, so we walk over and ask the person controlling the music if anyone can join. They say of course, but don’t realize who we are because we’re wearing masks and baggy clothes. We immediately join the dance, everyone cheering us on, clapping and shouting from the sidelines. The other people who were dancing slowly fall back until we’re at the front, dancing our hearts out and having the time of our lives.

Coincidentally, the next song is one of ours, but it’s our hardest choreography. The DJ assumed there would be very few people, if any, that could dance to the song, but we hit every move perfectly, leading to more choruses and excitement from onlookers. After a few more dances, we leave, but loads of people come up to us and tell us how incredible of dancers we are, that we should consider doing our own idol training. We thank them and laugh it off.

The video of us dancing goes viral, millions of views in only a few hours. But our manager anticipated this, so we did one of our dances in our practice room when we got home, wearing the same clothes, even the masks, so people realize that we were the ones they danced with. After all, four randos couldn’t have gotten into a BHivee training room without authorization— right?

A few days later, we do an interview with a well-known magazine, where we each wear the same pants we had been wearing that day, just to prove to fans a little bit more that we had been the dancers in the mall. We receive a strange amount of fan mail, DMs, and tags on TikToks or Instagram posts of people saying, “I touched Eun Ae on the shoulder!” “I bumped into Seo-yun while she danced!” “I danced alongside Ja Isuel!” “I brushed hands with EK!” “We were in the presence of greatness, dancing so casually with BlitZ as if they do this every day.” And of course the usual amount of, “I’m never washing my hands again!”