#serious cyclists

[garciaamber8594]

Exploring the Benefits of Folding E-Bikes

Have you ever considered the incredible advantages of folding e-bikes, particularly the innovative models from DYU?In my view, folding e-bikes are a fantastic solution for urban commuting and recreational riding. They offer remarkable convenience, allowing riders to easily store them in small spaces or take them on public transport without any hassle. DYU has truly excelled in this area, creating stylish and efficient models that make cycling accessible to everyone. Many riders appreciate the seamless blend of portability and performance that DYU folding e-bikes provide. Not only are these e-bikes great for the environment, but they also promote a healthier lifestyle by encouraging more people to get out and ride. With advanced features and user-friendly designs, DYU folding e-bikes cater to a wide audience, from casual riders to serious cyclists. What are your thoughts on the folding e-bike trend? Have you tried any models from DYU? Let's celebrate the joy of cycling together!

[modern-inheritance]

Modern Inheritance Short: Bud Like You (Eldest, semi-canon)

(A/N: So, I've been listening to Eldest on audiobook and wanted to do a few short MIC bits from around that timeline. I rewrote a reunion scene with Glen that I might be posting later, but for now have this weird short of Arya and Glen embarrassing themselves due to a promise they made decades ago. And yes. I ripped off AJR. Because I just now found their music and I'm enjoying it. I imagine this was used a lot during the Squaddies time and it's a fun little ditty that some in the Varden still use.

Also, yes, that says semi-canon because I'm not entirely sure if this is just a bit of fun or if it's considered an actual thing these two did during Eragon and Saphira's time training. I've been trying to soften some stuff for MIC for some reason and just wanted some of Arya and Glenwing being dorks.)

~~~~

Bud Like You

“Way up, way up, way up to the sky!”

“Hey! Louder!”

Eragon looked up from relacing his boots at the sound of someone yelling, confused by the intrusion. Saphira swiveled her head, tracking the source of the noise before letting out a snort of amusement. Behind Vanir the group of younger elves pointed and began snickering amongst themselves, some shaking their heads in what appeared to be disgust. 

‘What is it?’ Saphira refused to answer him, only letting out one of her peculiar coughing laughs. He stood and dusted off his knees before turning to see what exactly was going on.

He couldn’t help his own half choked off laugh, utterly bewildered.

The silver haired elf Arya had been speaking with the night of the feast was jogging backwards, keeping just out of reach of the aforementioned elf woman. Who was skipping. And yelling what seemed to be a song verse or cadence with a dark scowl on her face. 

“Way up, way up, way up to the sky! When everybody here is sneaking in and getting high! Way up, way up, way up to the moon! Boy it’s good to know I got a bud like you! Boy it’s good to know I got a bud like you!”

Across from him, Vanir pinched the bridge of his nose. “This again?”

Eragon swallowed his laughter. “This happens often?”  

“It’s apparently some ritual they picked up from their time with the humans.” The sneer was evident in the young elf’s voice. “Some sort of punishment or other.”

“Push ups, come on!” Glenwing chirped, clapping his hands enthusiastically. Even from here Eragon could see the ecstatic smile on his face. 

“I’ll bloody make you dead for real!” Arya’s snapped retort held a biting edge that was undercut by a bubble of laughter. 

“I can always add another lap! Two hundred, let’s go!”

“Bite me! Way up, way up…”

It continued like this through Eragon’s sparring session and beyond. It was a full three hours before Glen allowed his commander to slow and stop. “Okay, enough. I think you got it.”

Arya flopped onto the ground, panting. It had been months since she actually exerted herself quite so much, not in the ways they had done during their early field days. The exercise was good. But the singing had been…well. As humiliating as it was supposed to be. That’s why they had made this little pact after all. Vans had wanted a way to make sure his ragtag group of youths and men were sharing everything with the medic, and of course the slippery Withal had just the thing to reenforce the order. 

“So, what did we remember?” Glen’s grinning face filled Arya’s vision from where she squinted up into the pines above. 

“That you’re here to support me.” Arya wheezed. “And I’m here to support you.”

“Aaaand?”

“That I’m lucky to have a friend that cares so much.” 

“Aaaaaaaand?”

“That I shouldn’t try and hide new medical notes from you.”

“Why?”

“Because you give a shit.”

“And?”

“Because it’s a good way to end up dead.”

“And why don’t we want that?”

“Because the last time that happened it caused a political shitstorm.” Arya bared her teeth in a feral smile, the stitch in her side easing. “And because I’m getting really tired of hearing everyone say ‘I thought you were dead’ whenever I show up.”

Glen grabbed his CO by the wrists and hauled her to her feet. “There you go!” He let her brush herself off. “Now it’s my turn.” 

“Damn right it is.” Arya clapped her hands and made a shooing motion. “Start skipping, dumbass.”

“Way up, way up…”

[wouteke]

I AM LTIERALLY GOING THROUGH SOMETHIGNGGGGGGGGGG ITS OS FUCKING SEIROUS

[gil-estel]

me to my mom: I think you might be interested in this job that's all about educating people about bike safety —

mom: NO I DON'T LIKE TO DO THAT

me: so I'm enjoying listening to audiobooks while I ride my bike—

mom: dIDNT YOU KNOW THAT'S ILLEGAL AND DANGEROUS—

[halfelven]

once again thinking about the friend i had who hated bicycles and cyclists bc they ‘could cause accidents’ and ‘sometimes hit pedestrians in the bike lane’ and ‘the warning bell could trigger pedestrians’ and then harshly judged me for riding a bike and gave me a little lecture about it again when i was leaving a meet up on bicycle and i was like ohhh you were serious

[nelfs]

i biked 32 miles on saturday

[alpha-mag-media]

Cyclist, 50s, dies after being found in cycle lane with serious injuries in Co Sligo | December 22, 2023 at 09:08AM

Cyclist, 50s, dies after being found in cycle lane with serious injuries in Co Sligo Read More … Check full articles at Source: ALPHA MAG

[igotanidea]

A biker and a bicycler

requested by @blooming4u : reader x Jason meeting for the first time.

AKA; what happens when it rains and someone causes a little water fountain out of the puddle.

***

“HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU GOING!!”

The sudden screeching of the motorcycle wheels on the asphalt quickly made her realize that yelling at this driver might have been a bad idea.

The driver getting off the bike and striding towards her without taking off his helmet only fueled that suspicion further.

Him standing way too close, as if waiting for her to apologize made her ….

Even angrier.

The hell was he thinking?!

Speeding on the street in the rain, not giving a shit about the cyclists?! Hello?!

Not taking a second to get his head out of his ass to maybe consider that there were puddles everywhere and fucking driving too close can fucking cause someone to get all wet?!

Oh hell no, she was not backing down from this!

“You were saying something, princess?” a muffled voice, came from behind the motorcycle helmet

“Damn right I was!” she exclaimed, pointing at her drenched jeans and bicycle. “See what you did?!”

“You sure that was me?” the guy chuckled, but due to that stupid thing on his stupid head it sounded more like Lord Vader joking around. “There are plenty other people who could have done it? How do I know you are not trying to trick me into taking responsibility?”

“Huh? What—” that little speech surely took her aback. A little though, since she quickly recovered. “Are you a lawyer now?”

“Far from it, believe me! But still, I’m going to need proof to that, princess. Otherwise, I might think you are doing shit like this on purpose, cause I caught your attention. You know, if you want to ask me out, you can just ask without all those charades.” His face was still hidden, but Y/N could swear he was smirking.

“Excuse me?!”

“Oh, I guessed right? Didn’t I?”

“Ok, let’s assume for a second that you are. That I am doing it to catch the attention of random guy-”

“Hey, no judgment, there are worse deviations.” He cut her off, raising hands up in mock surrender.

“Oh yeah, right. I am that desperate” Y/N rolled her eyes in response “but clearly you got some serious issues yourself. If we do go out, are you going to stay in that helmet? Ugly much?”

“Oh, sunshine—”

“Do not call me sunshine, idiot.”

“Feisty much?” he retorted

“You ruined my jeans.” She deadpanned.

“Poor girlie.” He mocked “who rides a bike in a rain either way?”

“I’m sorry I can’t see you having a sliding roof over your bike.”

“I got a helmet though. And you don’t. Feisty and reckless.”

“Yeah, true. You got a helmet, wonder why you’re hiding under it? Kinda rude to talk to a girl like that.”

“Well if you put it that way.”

“The hell does that mean--?”

Before she could scoff further or even finish the question he took off the helmet, revealing his face. And well, um, he didn’t look ugly at all.

Quite the opposite, actually, not that she was going to admit it out loud.

The guy, whose name she still didn’t know tried to smooth out frizzy hair, but ended up only ruffling them more.

“Do you need a mirror?” she mocked, raising her eyebrows.

“Nah, not really, the admiration in your eyes is enough for me” he grinned.

“You know I’m starting to hate you.”

“Oh no! You cannot hate me before you know my name!” despite herself Y/N couldn’t hold back an  amused snort at his joke and grin. “I’m Jason.”

“Y/N.”

“So Y/N. Since apparently I ruined your jeans how about I take you for a coffee to make it up?”

“Really? A second ago you were-“

“Yeah, yeah, traumatic past, let’s not get back to it. Seriously, my treat.”

“Um… why?” it wasn’t like she was just going to go out with a stranger. Not that type of girl even if the guy was handsome. Blame the bad teenage rom-coms that made her see herself as the object of mockery, rather then possible love interest.

“Why not?” he shrugged “seriously, what do you have to lose?”

“Sanity and a sense of humor in your presence?”

“Ouch! Rough! I’m hurt!”

“And I;m not sorry.”

“Okay then, now you got a reason to grab a coffee with me.”

“And what may that be?”

“Remorse?”

“Who’s desperate now?” she smirked, shaking head and following him to a café. If nothing more, she was at least going to wait the rain in a warm place. And if the company turned out bad? Well – she would get a reason to put her sarcasm and irony to the test, cause something was telling her, that this Jason guy would be a worthy opponent on the matter.

[miss-cincaide]

Explain Yourself, Woman

Summary: It’s time to set up the Halloween decorations, and you’re excited about it. You’ve even agreed to let Yuji’s odd cousin, who’s just exited prison, help out. You could never phantom that Ryoumen Sukuna had no clue what Halloween was or why you’d put cobwebs in the ceiling. 

Pairing: Fem! reader x Yuji Itadori; Fem! Reader x (ex-con) Sukuna Kinktober prompt 9: Non-con WC: 4.6K Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI! Non-con/dub-con, quickie, unprotected P in V, fingering, cursing, alcohol,

“I promise and swear on my life he will behave, please so pretty pretty, please? I am ready to do whatever!!” 

You couldn’t see much of the pink-haired boy, except the back of his head with the newly trimmed black undercut and even fluffier pink hair, as he sat on his hands and knees in front of you, head pressed to his hands, forehead to the pavement in the most pitiful and submissive dogeza you had seen in your entire life. His whole body was in the middle of the street, with your shopping bags on either side of him, effectively blocking anyone from walking by you two in your residential area. 

A cyclist passed by, repeatedly pinging his bell to get Yuji to move from the middle of the street. When Yuji didn’t, the cyclist drove out onto the main road at the last minute, flipping both of you off as he passed you by.  

You felt your face flush slightly underneath your hands. The embarrassment of your best friend’s dogeza in the middle of a public street only amplified your overall embarrassment associated with that idiot. Your only salvation was that Yuji remembered his cousin when you were almost home and not in the middle of the packed shopping district. 

Then, you were sure you would have died of embarrassment. 

“Please?-” his voice grew louder, his tone more desperate, and if he could bury himself beneath the pavement to you, he most certainly would have. 

 You hated the emotion that stirred in the pit of your stomach. The gnawing, burning feeling that hated seeing Yuji beg for anything, especially in front of you. The side that wanted to give him whatever so he could return to his usual bright and bubbly self. “Well ye– I don’t know, Yuji” You caught yourself at the last minute before you could promise the world to your best friend and lover. “He’s.. you know, kinda scary.” 

“I swear and promise Sukuna’ll be on his best behaviour,” he reassured you in a heartbeat.”You’re the only one, YN, who isn’t completely terrified of him or judges him for his mistakes. C’mon, this is his first Halloween out, and he is entirely alone? Pretty please with a cherry on top?” 

Being alone on Halloween wasn’t a big deal unless you were an Itadori, which is worse than missing Christmas and Birthday combined. It was the celebration, the day to be with your friends and come up with mischief. The one day a year, you all were just goofy, carefree friends before life caught up to you. 

The guilt tripping worked. 

Groaning, you dropped your hands away from your face with a whiny “fiiine,” followed by a more serious, “You owe me big time, bud.”   

“You’re the best!” Yuji scrambled to his feet in seconds, and bags gathered back into his hands. A beat of awkwardness was between you, an almost embarrassed silence which Yuji instantly broke with, “Last one to your door is the rotten egg making bento for tomorrow?”

You laughed, the tension disappearing. “ I want those awesome onigiri you make with the soft-boiled egg in the middle!” You declared only for Yuji to remind you that you hadn’t won yet. 

But you may have. Your house was four blocks away, but yesterday, you found a lovely shortcut through a newly torn-down house that was just an empty, debris-filled lot, effectively cutting your getting home time in half. Even if Yuji were faster, he’d not anticipate you to take off down another route. So you’d win by taking him by surprise! So, You felt like you had this in your pocket as both of you got ready to sprint, just waiting for him to start you guys off.  

“Also, Sukuna-will-be-here-tomorrow-to-help-set-everything-up!” And then Yuji took off running as if hell hounds were after him as you stood stunned, processing his words. 

“Hey! That’s not what we agreed on!” You called after him, beginning to jog at a much slower pace, all forgotten about the shortcut, egg-filled onigiri or anything besides the fact that Sukuna would be on your doorstep tomorrow. 

“Cheater!” You yelled after him into the empty street. Earning yourself a stink eye from the nosy neighbourhood watch lady, who was peeking up at you over the hedge of her fence. You gave her a wave before your jog turned into a slow walk after Yuji. He better not think you would make tonight's dinner and tomorrow's lunch after the stunt he pulled. 

You mercilessly roped Yuji into making dinner that night, bento for the following day, and breakfast. He promised to do the week's shopping for you and be at your place the following morning. 

However, at 10:30, there was still no sign of Yuji, who had promised breakfast or shopping. But there was a roar of a motorbike that disturbed your otherwise calm suburban neighbourhood area. The motorbike drew nearer and nearer, tearing you from your monotone ranting about Yuji to no one but yourself and the cobwebs you hung up. You stood atop a ladder in the hallway, slinging the fake tangly web from the room's corners to the hallway lamp in thick white ropes to which you’d tie giant spiders and tiny ghosts. 

Another roar from the bike, as if announcing his arrival, before it stopped and grew silent outside your house- a relatively flat brick building three stories in height that held four apartment units on each floor. Something told you that noisy horror, the owner, was there for you. 

Carefully, you climbed down the ladder. Your feet made contact with your hallway floor just as heavy pounding sounded on your front door. A pause, a literal half minute before the pounding repeated with such violence, you wondered how the entire thing didn’t fly off its hinges and hit you in the face. 

 “I’m coming”, You called as the door shook and the person on the other side kicked it. A second later, you unlocked it, coming face to face with Yuji’s lookalike. The resemblance was uncanny- the same pink hair with the black undercut, the same face shape and build and even similar clothes. Hell, you swore he smelled the same way Yuji did. The glaring difference, however, was the blank tattoos that littered the man’s face and neck and snaked under his casual clothes. “Y-yuji?”

“ Gahh, You think I’m that brat?” 

Not Yuji, you concluded, as the man brushed past you into your apartment without even being welcomed in. You glared slightly as he didn’t kick his shoes off but rather strolled right in over your rugs and towards the living room, where he flopped down on the couch beside the boxes of Halloween decorations, one arm over the backseat. At the same time, the second one rested in his lap, tapping away as if expecting to be served. 

“Get me a drink” 

Your eye twitched in annoyance at the order as you headed into the kitchen and returned a moment later with a pitcher of water and a glass, which you slammed into the table in front of your unwelcome guest. “Serve yourself, or wait until Yuji shows up. I am not your servant.” 

Sukuna raised an eyebrow before he threw his head back and laughed. An unkind sound that made the hairs stand on the back of your neck. Rather than show your fear, you moved towards the bags of decorations you and Yuji had gotten the day prior and pulled out another bag of thick white cobwebs with tiny plastic spiders. You ripped the bag open, sending stapes that held the plastic bag together with the paper tag everywhere, with one landing into Sukuna’s lap. 

He stopped laughing, and you thought the ex-con was going to kill. “Yuji was right; you have guts. I respect that, woman.” You guessed ‘woman’ was a step above ‘brat’, but you weren’t wholly confident and were not about to ask him either.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw him reach over and pour himself a glass from the pitcher before downing the entire thing in one go. There wasn’t a ‘thank you’ in sight as he placed the glass back on the table. Then he reached over to the bag of trick-or-treat candy prepared for the Trick-or-Treating neighbouring kids forgotten on the table and pulled out a Snickers bar. Without asking, he tore the wrapping open, broke off a piece and ate it. He made a face, but to your surprise, he did not comment on the treat. “What’re you doing, woman?” 

You looked up from untangling the last spider before stretching out the cobwebs. “Decorating”, You answered flatly, going over to the ladder and climbing the wobbly thing towards the ceiling. You didn’t look at Sukuna as you perched on the top step's edge and put the cobwebs' first edge on the pre-prepared hook. You shifted, too lazy to climb down and move the step to reach the next hook until you practically balanced on your tip-toes, your entire body and the ladder shaking from the effort. When you missed the last hook for the third time, you huffed in annoyance and climbed down. 

“Give it here” You didn’t realise Sukuna had come up to the stairs until he was beside you. He took the remaining web from your hands and climbed confidently onto the ladder before he saddled the top stair, one leg on either side.* A second later, he angled his body and effectively walked the ladder between the cobwebs and remaining hooks, leaving you gaping like an idiot. Then, once the cobweb was hung, he beckoned with his hand. When you didn’t move, he glared at you with narrowed eyes. “Next one, woman.” 

The order snapped you out of your daze, and you rushed back to the living room to open the next bag of decorations. “Those go in the corner-” you pointed where you meant, only to receive a glare and a tsk in response as he already began hanging it up, not caring or even listening to the end of your sentence. You remained quiet after that, just passing him decoration after decoration, which he set up from the hallway to the living room, to the kitchen and the bedrooms before finally walking the stairs towards the bathroom, where he quickly took down your giraffe-themed shower curtain to replace it with a more theme-appropriate glow in the dark one with bloody handprints on.  

You quickly realised two things: Sukuna had a knack for decorating, finding ways to turn your spooky vision even more spooky than you imagined it, and second, he didn’t say much as he worked. He motioned with one hand for the next decoration and the other for the tool. It was then your job to figure out what he wanted unless you wanted to face his glare. Still, over the coming hour, you felt yourself inevitably relax. He had a sharp and rude mouth on and a mean look, but as Yuji said, he wasn’t inherently causing trouble either and not what you expected from someone who had spent his youth locked up behind bars for heinous crimes. Most certainly, you didn’t expect a violent ex-con to be in your apartment, hanging up paper cut-outs of pumpkins and ghosts.  

“Let’s take a break”, you offered from the doorway, raising a bottle of beer in silent offer for a drink. 

The sneer on Sukuna’s face made you almost drop the drink. 

You yelped loudly as he jumped from the ladder in one fleeting move before ripping the cold one out of your hands. “ Damn greedy woman, made me drink water when you had this” his scolding sounded more like a certain death if you ever served him water instead of beer. He downed the bottle in one go, then grabbed the second beer you had gotten for yourself before heading back to your couch, leaving you standing with just an empty bottle. 

“Seriously?!” you hissed to yourself, going to the kitchen and retrieving another before going where he was. You sat on the armchair opposite, your eyes on your phone as you typed out yet another message to Yuji, asking where he was. 

“So explain yourself, woman,” you looked up as Sukuna addressed you, then tilted your head to the side in slight confusion. He motioned towards the decoration, but when you still didn’t reply, he spoke with a sneer, “Why make it look like you haven’t cleaned in centuries?” 

“Because it’s gonna be a Halloween party,” You said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world,” Like our entire floor is going to be like a huge party, with different themes between each apartment.” 

When he didn’t give you any reaction, you changed the apps on your phone and opened up the pictures from the last Halloween before reaching it over and showing him. “So you see, the first apartments have a scary corridor, then in the third, there’s a huge nightclub, and here we’ll set up a drinks table and refreshments, and it’s gonna be sorta like a calm place to relax and chat–Hey!” You yelled out as Sukuna’s ice-cold hand wrapped around your wrist and tugged you into the couch beside himself with a single yank. His other arm was still wrapped around the back of the sofa; you could feel it against your neck as you hit your new seat. He didn’t heed you before bringing your phone closer to his face, flickering through the pictures. 

“So booze and bloody-murder screaming?” you nodded with a grin as he began to understand what you were getting at “ and slutty women?” 

You grimaced a little at the last description, but admittedly, you couldn’t deny the accusation. Most people who attended this four-apartment party were local unit guys and girls whose definition of modesty was non-existent. Admittedly, you weren’t much better after a few drinks. “Well…” you cut yourself off as Sukuna reached into one of the Halloween shopping bags that was half empty; the only thing remaining in that bag was a seductive cat costume that Yuji had practically drooled over when you tried it on the day prior. 

The sight of it made Sukuna burst out laughing. “ A giant pussy? How fitting.” He taunted as you reached for the costume with a bright blush. 

“Give it back!” you whined as Sukuna kept it just out of reach, one hand waving it above your head in a taunting display while the hand that had rested on the couch gripped your shoulder, preventing you from standing or launching after it. “Hey, it’s not fair!” 

Sukuna’s sadistic grin said, ‘Nothing’s fair’ as he waved the costume again in your face, then yanked it back at the last minute; “You want it back? Then you will tell me everything about this little party of yours, woman.” 

“Then ask like a normal person!” You cried and made another launch for the costume. You paused mid-way through as you heard the front door bust open, followed by the ruffling of plastic bags and pounding of feet. 

“Y/N, I'm so sorry I overslept, but I'm here now and-” Yujis cut himself, gasping for air, chopping out apologies in between breathing.

You glanced over at him. 

“ I’m still pissy with you.” You said simply before crossing your arms over your chest and leaning back against the couch. You tried to look disappointed or stern or at least annoyed at Yuji. 

Your boyfriend hung his head while slowly raising one of the heavier bags. “Brunch? And a mimosa to go with it?” The puppy dog eyes and the quivering lip won you over almost as much as the promised breakfast-turned-lunch and a drink to sweeten the deal. Your lips pulled up into a huge grin. 

“Get in the kitchen” Your tone was teasing, and Yuji responded with a salute, moving to pick up the bags again.

“Pfff, as if that brat knows how to cook anything,” Sukuna spoke up, momentarily pausing from flickering through the party pictures on your phone. 

You spun your head around to face Sukuna, a scowl on your lips. “As if you could do any better”, you huffed and saw his eyes narrow in a murderous warning glare. After being exposed to them all morning, it didn’t scare you as much anymore. So you just raised your chin, the challenge present. 

“Tsk, insolent woman, I’ll show you.” Sukuna pushed himself off the couch, throwing the costume back at you, and followed Yuji to the kitchen. A moment later, you heard Yuji’s loud voice, ‘Thanks, cousin,’ before he flew out of there as if hell’s fire was under his feet. 

Yuji made a bee-line straight for the couch, plopping down beside you. His arm reaches out and wraps around your shoulders, Coxing you away from studying your costume. “Hey,” his tone was playful, loving, as his other hand brushed some flyaway hairs off your face. 

“Hey yourself”, you returned the favour, brushing your hand through his hair, feeling the lingering waxy-sticky texture on your fingertips. “Should I be worried? You know, about my kitchen and your cousin?” 

“ Neah” Yuji brushed the tip of his nose against yours, his lips up in a slight smirk. “Thanks for getting me out of kitchen duty, by the way.” 

You couldn’t help but laugh, shoving him playfully away seconds before he could kiss you. “I didn’t ‘get you out of anything’, Sukuna volunteered.” 

“Sure he did” Yuji tried to close the distance again, only to have his lips meet the plastic packaging of your costume. “Baby~” 

“ Nope, still pissy with you. So no kisses for now,” your tone of voice dropped to a whisper, “I don’t wanna snuggle with your cousin here.” 

“You care what he thinks?” Yuji sounded doubtful, and you merely rolled your eyes. 

“No, I care about keeping decent appearances. And I doubt I’d be able to stop now, with just a kiss” You give Yuji a wink, seeing his face flush a crimson red, then duck out of the way as he dived towards you to get that kiss and a little more. “Now, c’mon, the faster we get started, the faster we’re done with party-prep.” 

Yuji whined, a pout on his face the entire time you kept setting up the last of the so-called calm corner, which would be your apartment for the upcoming party. He hadn’t stopped pouting by the time Sukuna was done with brunch, and the three of you sat down, something the older cousin remarked on. 

“The fuck’s gotten his panties in a twist?” Sukuna asked as Yuji looked like a dark cloud loomed over him, poking at his breakfast sausage with half-hearted enthusiasm. 

“Just leave him be.” You replied sharply, tense at the fact that Yuji had to be so bloody and childish and make a huge deal that you set some no-kissing boundaries in the presence of guests in your home. 

But you figured he would cheer up once the last of the party prep was finished, and you two got some alone in your bedroom. Even if Sukuna was going to crash on your couch- because you would be damned three times over before you let the ex-con land back in prison for drunk driving or crashing on his roaring horror on the way home. No, you would pretend it was just You and Yuji and forget all about the ex-con on your couch, separated only by a heavy oak door. And you’d make it up to your sulking boyfriend with a ton of kisses, you were certain of it. 

When it was finally bedtime, Yuji surprised you by showering, changing into his usual t-shirt and boxers combo and jumping into bed. However instead of laying on his back, legs spread waiting for you to crawl to him, he rolled over to his side, away from you, so he faced the bedroom door instead of you. You frowned but made an attempt to crawled closer in your silky, half sheer nightgown and specially picked skimpy panties, no bra, a sultry pouty look on your face. 

“Baby”, You purred, reaching out a hand to trace down his bicep. Yuji shook your touch off. You reeled back, hurt and confused by his reaction. “Yuji?”  

“You didn’t wanna kiss me,” Yuji stated. 

You gaped and sat down in the middle of your bed; your jaw dropped as you gathered your thoughts and the unmistakable implications of his words. Then your expression darkened. “Are you seriously punishing me for not wanting to kiss you in front of your cousin?”

Yuji shrugged in response. 

You sat in bed for a moment, the sting of rejection hurting worse than you expected. Here, you were prepared to make it up to him for no kisses all afternoon, and he acted like he didn’t care. He just sulked in bed like an immature child. 

Fine then. You got off the bed and waited a second to see if he would change his mind and pull you back into it. But Yuji didn’t move, so you threw on your silky bathrobe over yourself, tying it firmly into place. “You wanna sulk? Then sulk. I’m going downstairs to get some cooking prep done for tomorrow. You know where to find me if you want to get some!” You stomped to the door, paused and gave him another chance to stop this childish charade of pushing you away because of something so small.

But Yuji didn’t move, and you stepped out of your bedroom door and slammed the door behind you. 

You cursed when you remembered Sukuna was sleeping on the couch. But you didn’t hear him stir and walked briskly in the darkness to the kitchen. You didn’t want to wake Sukuna by turning on the light- the last thing you wanted to do was deal with his condescending glare and bossy ‘woman this- woman that’. No, you went straight to the sink to pour yourself a cup of water, your body practically shaking with rage. 

A rage that only increased as you heard footsteps walk after you into the kitchen. They stopped quickly from you, and you didn’t turn around to face him. Nothing happened, and there was silence and darkness around you. Your frustration mounted, and you brought the glass to your lips, gulping down the water and then choking on it. 

A hand tapped your back a few times until the water got out of your lungs and then lingered there. “ Thanks, baby, you changed your mind for a little late-night fun? We should go upstairs- ah!” 

You gasped as he pushed you up against the sink. Two hands firmly gripping your waist, hard cock pressed against the curve of your ass. His chest against your back, applying just the right amount of weight to have you bent slightly forward, gripping the sink. 

“Y-yuji baby-” You gasped, grinding back against him. “W-We can’t! Y-your cousin is here; he’ll hear!” 

The only response you get is a shift of clothing, feel your bathrobe get hiked up, and his hard dick slide right over the barely there panties. “Mphfmm” Your hand flies up to your mouth, your teeth biting into your fingers to keep yourself from moaning. 

Fuck Yuji’s never been this rushed. Never straight to the act, bend you over the nearest surface and fuck you like a street whore,kinda-guy.  It’s always slow and sensual to make love. Fingering, eating out, lube. Sex with Yuji is always a several-hour slow ordeal. 

This was hot and hard; the hands-on your waist kept you bent, your arm against the sink the only way you braced yourself against the motion of his hips. But goddamn, that angle made your knees weak, the way his cock slid between your slick puffy folds, the tip bullying against your clit with every thrust.

“Mmmneah Y-Yuji, he’ll hear– ahhh god, I’m close” You bite your hand hard to silence the scream as he pushes his cock inside you. The hand dropped away from your waist and grabbed your leg, throwing it up on the counter. 

“Oh fuck!” You moan, even as both hands land on your mouth. But the new angle, the speed, the slap of his balls against your ass and his bullying cock leaves you weak. The moans slip through your fingers as you cum all over him,  your body shaking like a leaf.

“Ahh, oh god, mmm” you’re moaning and cooing. He kept thrusting, each movement growing more rapid, and you’re fucking crying at how good it feels. Intense and so fucking hot. You’re not bothering to hide your moans or gasps anymore, taking every single thrust until you think that final extra hard one, followed by hot spurs of cum filling your pussy and overflowing out, making a mess between your legs. 

“Fucking hell, Yuji”, You rasped out, your hand gripping the counter as he pulled out of you. You just sat there for a moment,  high on the rush and the pleasure. A painful slap on your ass startles you out of your thoughts, and you yelp, partially in pain and partially in surprise. That’s not something Yuji did; the feeling of wrongness set over you. But your mind doesn’t let you focus on that- instead, it reminds you of Sukuna sleeping on the couch a few paces away and the horrible never-fading embarrassment if he were to wake up, go to the kitchen and find you in the very porno-like position, with a leg thrown up on the counter and hot cum flowing right out of your newly fucked pussy.

You hurriedly threw your leg back down and re-tied the bathrobe over yourself. You took another clunk of the half-abandoned glass of water, then set it in the sink before you tiptoed out of the kitchen. On your way out, you threw a glance at Sukuna but saw him fast asleep on the couch, soft snores escaping him, arm over his ears, facing the back of the sofa. You release a breath you didn’t know you were holding and head to your bathroom. 

You did a quick cleanup, just enough to remove the worst mess between your legs. Then, you headed back to your bedroom. 

You saw that Yuji was up. His hands fidgeted nervously in his lap, and his gaze was firmly planted on his hands. He didn’t say anything as you stepped towards your side of the bed and slid under the warm covers of your bed. You laid on your side, yet even before you settled down, he was on you, his hands wrapped around your side, his face buried into the crook of your neck. 

“I’m so sorry, baby”, Yuji mumbled.. “It was stupid of me to push you away. I just. I didn’t expect you to get along so well with Sukuna, but I got. I'm a little jealous.” He rubbed your side slowly until the tension finally left your body, and you breathed a sigh of relief. 

“You’re forgiven, " you mumbled, pressing your body closer against his. “No, no baby, I was a total ass; let me make it up to you, show you how sorry I am” Yuji pressed a kiss to your shoulder, his fingers making their way between your legs. “Ohh baby, damn, you’re so sticky already, so wet, my little minx.. Oh hey, is that cum inside you?” 

His words make your blood run cold; your heart drops to your feet as you realise whose dick you had inside you moments earlier. 

Author note: Did I skip days a little bit? Yes I did, but I really wanted to know what you guys would think about this more story-based smut. That's the type of fics I'd wanna publish in the future, question is, is it the type of content you'd wanna read?

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[ywpd-translations]

Ride 802: Leadership!!

Pag 1

1: The back you show is “life-sized”!! That's why people follow it

Pag 2

1: At the end of the mountain line, the course goes along the mountain ridge gently, then keeps going for a short while with ups and downs

2: It passes through a narrow tunnel

3: it reaches a three-way intersection at the “Notoge Pass”, at 700m of altitude

4: The course turns to the right and enters a serious downhill, with zigzags

Here, it enters the Oita Prefecture

Pag 5

1: Ngh...

Closing the gap on the downhill, he said....!!

Huh!?

2: Can we really do something like that!?

3: Are you stupid, Iwatani-kun?

Do you really believe Sugimoto-san!?

4: Hyaaaa

5: Kobayashi-san

This speed is scary

6: Waaaa

Pag 6

1: What!?

The guys from the selected team passed us while shrieking!!

On the downhill!?

2: “Selected team”....

3: The selected teams is the one they make every year with the guys from prominent schools who couldn't enter the race...

That's right. A ragtag team made up of cyclists with potential

4: It's an impromptu team. It's like a commemorative race

I have the idea that they end up retiring, getting cut off, or finish alone at the very end

5: But they're all in order!?

6: Maybe they have someone, senpai

Among them....

They have someone with strong leadership skills...

Pag 7

1: who could bring together such a scattered team!!

2: Sugimoto-san!!

We're going so fast it's scary!!

Pag 8

2: Fast is scary?

3: Well,...

4: This is just the right speed...

5: to catch up with the lead ahead of us!!

Pag 9

1: I told you earlier too, the lead is running on the downhill “without taking risks”

We'll do better than them. If we don't descend at a high speed, we won't make it

3: But, running while being afraid also means we're taking risks

I'll teach you, now

4: Huh!?

5: The way to ride downhill without being afraid!!

7: Is-is something like that possible?

Scary thing are just scary, aren't they?

Pag 10

1: I understand the feeling of wanting to raise your upper body and your face, but while you're on a downhill

2: Your body

3: lower it!!

4: Ugh... for the air resistance, right

Rationally, I know that, but I end up raising my face out of fear

5: The scary thing about downhills isn't the “speed”

6: Huh!?

7: I think you did it on your usual practices, too

When there are no cars or anything, going down on a wide downhill at 60km/h isn't scary

8: Ah

9: The scary things about downhills

Pag 11

1: is the fear that “we might not be able to control our bike”

2: It's like Iwatani-kun said: we also have to lower our body to resist the wind

He called my name

But, at the same time, “lowering your body”

4: also means “lowering your center of gravity”

Place of your center of gravity when your body is lowered: around 1m

Place of your center of gravity when your body is raised: around 1.5m

Pag 12

1: Center of gravity!!

2: The weight balance of a bike is 60~70kg for the person on top, while the bike is 7~8kg!! So the bike is much lighter

3: So you're saying that the weight balance of a bike changes with your own body?

4: That's right. It's the same theory of why a racing car with its low center of gravity can move faster than a truck!!

5: If you lower your center of gravity it becomes easier to move your bike as you imagine!!

6: And the control greatly increases!!

Pag 13

1: And that control is critical!! Like right now... on the downhill's zigzags, when you keep pulling the brakes over and over and accelerating in the curves

2: He's so fast!

Sugimoto-san took the curve like he was slipping!!

Pag 14

1: And once your body learns to run the the line you imagined, then your fears will naturally be erased!! Naturally!!

3: Yessir!!

Hyee!!

Our fears

4: will naturally be erased!!

Pag 15

2: I'm.... I'm taking this curve stability!!

3: It feels like I can take the curve without pulling the brakes too much!!

Pag 16

2: I can go downhill fast like this!!

3: Hyeee!!

4: It's true... if I keep my head low it's not scary anymore

5: Amazing...

Pag 17

1: You really are amazing!! Sugimoto-san!!

3: Well... I was able to realize this....

4: because I fought seriously against Danchiku for many days during the training camp!!

5: Thank you!! Danchiku!!

6: Woah, the selected team passed us!?

Huh!?

Why are they so coordinated!?

But this situation...

Pag 18

1: It's just too hard. Too hard

2: I said our goal for the first day was to be among the first ten, but to do that there are still a lot of hurdles

3: Let's switch, Sugimoto-san!!

I've gotten the hang of it!!

4: Iwatani!!

5: I'll take a turn too!!

Kobayashi-kun!?

6: But still

I'm still pulling though!

I said leave it to me!!

7: Just pull without arguing

Yessir

Yessir

I think it's not impossible

8: They say the selected team is a ragtag team

But it's also a team...

Pag 19

1: that gathere people with potential from each school!!

Hyeee

Kobayashu-saan

Come on, I said leave it to me

Ah, he moved in the front again

2: Let's go!! Let's put our strengths together!!

Pag 20

4: Slow down!!

The car for technical troubles!!

We have to brake!!

5: The support car goes to cyclists who have technical troubles

6: Technical troubles are a matter of luck

It's unfortunate... he fell back in the ranks

7: That jersey!?

8: Huh!?

He's....

Pag 21

1: The Kyofushi's.... second year!!

Kishigami Komari!!

2: Mi.... Midosuji's second in command!! The ace assistant!!

3: Huh?

It's Sohoku's... small fry meat

[koiiiji]

broooo, one, one plsssss… do one work by windbreaker, i swear, i’ve read all your works..all..😭😇😇😇🫶🏻

author’s note ; i hope you enjoying my lookism hyperfixation era bro🪄✨🤓

but i agree, it’s been a while since the last time i’ve carried entire windbreaker hashtag on my back… seems like time to finally go back to my windbreaker babies here too😌💗🎀 but for now just one-shot just to tease y’all 🤭

author’s note 2 ; okay now serious topic, empty blogs, pls update at least something in your blogs - age, some info like “here for fics/reblogs/etc/“ or at least some pfp, otherwise i will recognize you as bot blogs and will block you, thank u!

tw ; no, fluff, reassurance, established relationships, au! where hummingbird already win over monster and it’s time for final round

pairing; hyok kwon x gn!reader

“you sure he worth it?” you asked Hyok calmly, watching him practicing his balance on nearest to your apartments building playground.

playground now quiet under the twilight sky, it’s bathed in the soft glow of streetlights, casting long shadows that dance with the breeze. the air is warm, almost velvety, carrying the subtle fragrance of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass. you stand there in Hyok’s oversized jacket, its familiar fabric rustling softly with each gust of the summer breeze. his jacket envelops you, providing a comforting weight and his lingering scent. you watch him as his silhouette mixing with determination and grace, backlit by the moon light.

your voices blend with the ambient sounds of the night – the distant hum of cars, the occasional chirping of crickets, and the gentle rustle of leaves, - “it’s not about his worthiness or something…” Hyok muttered softly as he focusing on his bike and legs. - “it will be about me to show difference between me and him… that we stand on different levels…” - you can clearly hear that Hyok was tensed. you know he would never admit that - being nervous over some schooler… what a nonsense for Hyok Kwon.

you chuckled softly, looking at him and making self note that if he actually wasn’t worried about Jo Jahyon you two now would peacefully sleeping in your bed. but here you are, just came back from studying the route where tomorrow race will take place, and now watching his final practice with his tricks. but you still enjoyed your boyfriend’s company at peaceful playground at night, right?

when Hyok finally moved from place he was standing still on, he drives towards you with a relaxed yet purposeful stride. he stopped few inches away from you and without hesitation wraps his arms around you, pulling you closer. his bike was still between his legs as he wrapped his arms around your waist. embrace is warm and reassuring, and as he buries his nose in the crook of your neck, you feel his breath against your skin. you hummed softly, snuggling up to him, stroking his hair back and mumbling some words of support meant just for him, - "look at me" - you pulled his head a little, making him look straight into your eyes - "you are the most talented cyclist i ever met Hyok..." - you took a pause combing his ravenly black hair back with your fingers, placing your palm on his cheek, studying his features as if you never did it million times before. - "you will tear that hummingbird apart tomorrow, will win competitions and after..." - you pulled him closer rubbing your nose against tip of his nose, - "we will take deepest nap we've ever experienced" - you softly mumbled into his lips with a warm smile. it seemed to you that Kwon almost purred with pleasure when he closed his eyes and pressed you even tighter towards him, kissing your forehead and freezing in that position for a couple minutes, enjoying the moment. the world around seems to fade away, leaving just the two of you, connected in that perfect summer moment.

[0xstarzx0]

Don’t write it it stinks of toxic love

synopsis: Nate never found someone to love, Rafe was never loved and Y/N was never taken serious Maybe their entry into college will change their lives.

Frat Rafe x Reader x Frat Nate.

[English is not my native language❗️❗️] TW: toxic, smut, sex, penetration, fingering, non-con, manipulation , insult, fight, humiliation, misogynistic attitude. [PART1]

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

NATE 

The summer vacation had not been easy for Nathaniel Jacobs. Between the divorce of his parents, Cassie who was just stalking his and his going to college, nothing was right.

Two weeks before homecoming, he decided to go to Chris Mckay’s, he was happy that Mckay was still talking to him about what happened between him and Cassie.

They were in Mckay’s room playing a fighting game. They were focused in their game when Nate was talking. "Dude?". Mckay turned his head to look at him. "Yeah?" he said.

"How’s college, I mean is there a lot of hot chicks?" Mckay and Nate laugh, Nate laugh to hide his anxiety.

Nate wanted to leave, college was one of the best ways. What Nate was afraid of was not being number one. He was afraid that he would not be THE best football player. That he is not indispensable to his team.

"Nah, man, college is where you can fuck whoever you want, it’s not like high school, people don’t give a shit about who’s fucking who, as long as it’s not cheating." Mckay said.

"How do you get respect?" Nate asks. Mckay seems to think long." I had sex with the cheerleading captain and the opposing college captain. Nate opens his eyes wide. "Two cheerleaders but not the same team or the same college?"

"You’re gaining huge popularity and a huge repsect. You’re teammates will trust you after that." Mckay laughed." So if I understand correctly, a good fuck with a cheerleader captain is the deal?" asks Nate. "Got it all figured out, man. But one advice, close the door of your room when you’re inside."

Mckay’s expression changes, it becomes empty and hard. Filled with hate and sadness. Nate nods, and as he was about to speak the door opens. Drawing the attention of Nate and the latter.

"Chris, your aunt is here, comes to help her carry her boxes." said his mother. "Is she already there?" asked Chris sighing." Yes, she’s already here, with her daughter, so be nice and come now." Demands her mother.

Chris gets up and Nate follows him, they go outside where, his head car is parked. Chris hugs his aunt and takes boxes, Nate only says hello and helps her carry her boxes.

Nate poses where he needs to, he goes back out when he crosses a small head out of the bathroom.

Nate looks at the girl and he feels something, he doesn’t move me and she doesn’t either. He looks at the girl.

She is small, her hair is black braided, long eyelashes that put her brown hazelnut eyes in values , black skin but which shone thanks to the passage of the sunset in the long corridor. Nate begins to detail her body, she has beautiful boobs, a slim waist and beautiful hips that enhance her legs.

She’s wearing a Brazil jersey with black shorts, a cyclist? He doesn’t know, but anyway, this girl makes him feel what no other girl has ever made him feel not even Maddy.

"Y/N" says Chris enthusiastically. Y/N looks at Nate looking away at Chris. "Did you miss me?" she asks trotting towards him.

Chris laughs and hugs her. Nate remains in his thoughts for a short time.

______________________________________________

Nate learned a lot about Y/N. She’s her age, she likes to read, write and fine art, she doesn’t have a boyfriend and something that makes Nate want to have her, in two weeks, they’ll share the same campus.

They go to the same college, she looks so pure and kind, Nate intends to make sure that she lives only by him.

Nate falls in love every time she talks to him and that’s a big problem for our football star.

Especially when Y/N won’t just attract his attention.

______________________________________ [PART 2]

.

.

.

[sleepy-sham]

Having a grand time imagining AOT characters in the Olympics:

Obviously Sasha would do archery

I'm picturing Jean & Connie as a famed beach volleyball duo which brings me great joy

Bertholdt's tall ahh could play basketball. Same with Ymir (Freckles) & Yelena

Reiner as a wrestler & Annie as a boxer

Historia in artistic gymnastics. I think balance beam would be her best event. I think Pieck & Petra are also on the team: Petra's best event is uneven bars & Pieck's is vault--she's known for being tiny but still getting great height. Also I can see Marcel & Porco Galliard as male gymnasts. They're a famed duo bc they get very competitive in individual events against each other but always bring home the win for the team event

If Gabi were old enough OBVIOUSLY she'd be a sharpshooter. I think Floch would be too. Specifically Gabi doing air rifle and Floch doing air pistol.

Eren I'm struggling with. I love soccer player Eren but I kinda wanna give him something else? Something more unique since the Olympics feature such a myriad of different sports. Idk please let me know if you have thoughts on this!!!

The Ackermans I also struggle with since they would dominate at essentially anything they competed in. I like Levi as a fencer though. Mikasa I'm still ruminating on (again please tell me your thoughts if you have any). Maybe she could play indoor volleyball?

Erwin is a famed Olympic swimmer who set a lot of records in his youth. Miche was on his relay team. Erwin was the flag bearer for Paradis several years bc he was one of their most famous athletes ever. Then he was in a terrible car accident and lost his arm. Everyone assumed that was it for him but Erwin never quits. He's now the face of the Paralympic games.

Another obvious one is Zeke in baseball (which they don't have in this Olympiad☹️)

I like Nanaba as a long distance runner or triathlete

Oluo, Eld, & Gunther are all equestrians

Colt is a young swimmer. Erwin is his idol. Niccolo is also a swimmer

Idk where it came from but the words "Onyankapon" & "shotput" just popped into my head & I like it. I think he'd look sick af throwing a shotput even if doesn't have the typical build of a shotputter. Maybe a medium distance runner?

Moblit does table tennis. He seems so calm & collected & chill but he gets in a ping pong match & he's like Mose & Dwight in that one episode of The Office

Armin is a cyclist. I can't decide indoor or outdoor. But definitely normal cycling, like, not mountain biking or anything. I think he'd look so cute in a bike helmet with his face all serious & focused:3

I cannot figure out Hange. I want her to do something truly wacky. Comment what you think the craziest summer Olympic sport is

[alexbkrieger13]

Double vision

Partners on and off the pitch, Bayern pair Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson have firm convictions on all the big topics facing women’s football in an era of exciting growth and mounting pressures

In a room at Bayern München’s training ground, Magdalena Eriksson and Pernille Harder are talking bicycles. One of their favourite things about Munich, the place they have both called home since making the switch last summer from Chelsea to Bayern, is the ease of travel for cyclists in the Bavarian capital.

Eriksson: “Now we live quite centrally so we can use our bikes to get anywhere.”

Harder: “It is a bit easier to bike here in Munich than in London.”

Magda: “We even took our bikes to Oktoberfest once.” 

Pernille (laughs): “We were biking straight!”

This is the beauty of an interview with the pair (even one conducted over Zoom, as this one is): you raise a subject and they bounce it around between them, their insights and reflections interspersed with lighter moments and laughter. And, as arguably their sport’s highest-profile couple – Harder is a two-time UEFA Women’s Player of the Year, Eriksson a Sweden stalwart – they have plenty to say. 

Both care deeply about matters on and off the football pitch. They are members of UEFA’s Football Board (of which more later), they support the Common Goal project – pledging one per cent of their salaries to support football charities – and on top of that they are advocates for the LGBTQ+ community. 

But, first, back to finding their feet in Munich, where the duo bring serious know-how to a Bayern side with big ambitions, despite an early exit from the Champions League in January. In Harder’s case, the Denmark forward knew German football already from her three years with Wolfsburg between 2017 and 2020. For Eriksson, after six seasons in England with Chelsea, this is an entirely new experience – which is exactly what she was hoping for.

“I think that’s how we are as people,” says the former Blues captain. “A reason why we moved is I am really curious about a new culture and a new environment.” From the sounds of things, that decision is paying off too. Away from the pitch, she is enamoured of the local coffee shops; on it, she has been impressed by the way “a lot of the girls take responsibility around the dressing room and with how things should work around the team. There’s quite a clear structure of different responsibilities, and the players take ownership of that. That’s something more like how it was in Sweden, and not at all in England. It makes us take responsibility and it’s something I appreciate.”

As for Harder, she elaborates on the unique culture of Germany’s biggest football club – one which attempts to marry sustained success with humility. “It really is a club where you have to work hard, be humble but also know your worth,” she says. “It’s a bit weird. There is no arrogance: we know we’re good, we know we are a big club, but we know we also have to work hard. There’s a lot of respect for each other, and it’s not only in our team. When we go to the campus and meet the academy boys or some of the other staff, you have the respect. You treat others the way you want to be treated, and that’s a really good value which aligns with my values.”

Now both in their thirties – Eriksson is 30, Harder 31 – they knew the women’s game before its lift-off moments of recent years. Thus, they bring a helpful sense of perspective to any discussion of its development, and how it might evolve in years to come.

If female footballers today have opportunities beyond the dreams of previous generations, they face pressures unknown by their predecessors too, as Eriksson explains. “I think there are two sides to every story. Maybe, when we grew up, there wasn’t that much pressure, but with a growing platform [and how] the women’s game is growing, there is also growing pressure. The fans are growing, social media is growing, so there are two sides to it.

“We can really help the younger generation of today to deal with that kind of pressure, which you have to be able to manage as a footballer,” she adds. “You have to find what you need to focus on and what you should really just shut off and not focus on. You need to find the people that you talk football with and the people’s opinions you shouldn’t care about.”

Harder picks up the thread: “When we were younger, there was only one focus and that was football – to get better and to win. It was just football: that was the thing we played for. Now, there is so much more and, with social media, it’s also about a lot of individual awards, individual recognition, when the focus should be on the team. And I think it’s easier to be distracted [from] having that right focus. That’s something important to think about…”

“And to remind yourself about on a daily basis,” Eriksson cuts in. “And also to spread that within the team – that it’s a team sport and the team wins, the team loses, the team scores, the team concedes. All of those things.”

“Except when Magda scores!” adds Harder with a laugh, teasing her partner over a goal she scored in the week of this interview.

Jokes aside, the pair obviously think a lot about the game, which makes them natural choices to sit on UEFA’s Football Board, the body set up last year to draw on the knowledge of current and former players and elite coaches in the shaping of women’s football. For Eriksson, it’s “inspiring to know you get a direct line to some really big decision-makers”, and the welfare of players – “the football calendar and making football sustainable” – is something both women are keen to highlight.

“We all want a long career, but sometimes if you have to play all the time and have no break, that will shorten it,” says Harder. “Often, we have tournaments in the middle of summer or late summer, so we have four or five weeks before the tournament for our summer holiday, but then we don’t really have that time off because you train to prepare for the World Cup. And then, after the World Cup, [Magda] had ten days and I had two weeks off, and then you just go straight back into it. So, you have to put the tournaments earlier so you have at least four weeks after when you can really, medically, relax and be ready for the new season. Everything else is just too hard mentally and for the body.”

“It was the same last year with the EURO and the amount of injuries we saw after,” says Eriksson, who, ironically, just days after our interview, suffered a metatarsal fracture in her left foot. “Again, [it was] a couple of weeks off for a few, even less for others, and then you are straight back into a high-performance environment where you immediately have to play games. Finding a balance in the calendar where you get the breaks at the right time and don’t have too many games in short spaces of time is the most important thing.

“The fact we are starting now to do research on women’s bodies and women’s players is the first step. With the way we train, the way we train conditioning, everything is based on research on men’s football players, men’s athletes. We don’t know if it’s the same for us. Should we train more or less, or in a different way?”

From Harder comes further food for thought. “When you think about it, we use the same football as the men. It isn’t that I want to change it, but it’s also the same size of pitch and we don’t have the same body; we don’t have the same strength in the muscles. I don’t know the impact from every time I shoot or make a pass, if that’s actually a bigger impact on my muscles than it is on a man’s. That’s something I think it would be quite interesting to look at. I don’t know if it’s something we want to change and have a lighter ball. Maybe it’s just small percentages of how heavy the ball is that could change it.”

“There is rivalry in women’s football, but respect, love and joy always come first”

It’s fascinating to hear this to and fro on the physical side of the game they love, and it’s not the only challenge they see. We talk too about misogyny and what Harder describes as “a mindset of some people who don’t want to change [and see] that women can also play football, women can also be commentating on men’s football, that they also have knowledge about football. They have their mindset and their values about it and it’s really difficult for them to change.”

What is not in question is that women’s football has taken giant steps already in terms of status and recognition. As the commercial opportunities grow, however, neither woman wants to lose the things that make it different from the men’s game. Eriksson recalls the celebratory atmosphere in Australia and New Zealand during the last Women’s World Cup; she cites too the friendly fan dynamics in the club realm.

“We are coming off the back of a fantastic World Cup where there were only positive emotions connected to the games. Of course, some teams win, some teams lose – that’s part of football – but the way the tournament was held and the fan culture, that was amazing. So much positivity, so much joy, and that’s everywhere in women’s football fan culture right at the moment. That is what we want to keep. In women’s football, that rivalry is still there, but the respect, the love and the joy is always what comes first.”

The last word comes from Harder, ever the finisher. “It won’t be easy to keep it like that, but that at least is the aim.” 

[regalvoid]

Let's begin the second list of my Bi-Annual New Manga Recommendations

First on our list is Get Away, Matsumoto! -100 days escape-: or as I like to call it, the combination Sports and Death Game Manga. After being framed for a murder, former competitive cyclist Matsumoto is now a fugitive on the run. The real killer promises to confess if Matsumoto can survive 100 days while following various rules and completing challenges along the way. Characters are very well written and the emotional storytelling is great. Matsumoto's catchphrase is Zoom Zoom which I love and say often. Action scene are phenomenally depicted. Its a manga I sprint to as soon as it's released. Currently at 16 chapters and comes out Fridays on Jump+

If you are looking for a wholesome goofy read, check out Taro Miyao Becomes A Cat Parent?!: Author Taro Miyao is gifted a cat. Initially hesitant but quickly falls in love with the little beast and begins to form the perfect "kingdom" for Niccolo (the cat) to thrive. Lots of reoccurring gags and quirky characters. Niccolo is drawn very cute (except for when he's going to the bathroom then hes depicted deadly serious) If you are a cat owner, you will likely have a good time with this one. Currently at 27 chapters and comes out Thursdays

DRUNK BULLET is set in prohibition era America. Soldier Gary got himself through WWI by looking forward to having a nice stiff drink when he returned only to find out, uh-oh no more alcohol. His search for his drink of choice ends up with him gaining a rag-tag group of misfits that travel across the US to try as many different forms of alcohol as they can find. 1920's US is an uncommon setting for a manga which is nice change of pace. The characters are all quirky and lovable. IMO the story is just the right amount of stupid for it to be fun but not too lighthearted as to take away the drama. Historical people also show up from time-to-time making me look up every character that is introduced. Currently at 22 chapters, check it out on Saturdays

Next up is Monocrhome Days: Child Art Prodigy turned Exceptional Office Worker, Hanaichi Fudo is roped into doing the backgrounds for his coworkers manga. He begins to fall back in love with his former passion as the two begin weaving a masterpiece. The characters are written great and are very expressive, I personally love the odd, unique way the mangaka draws faces. The art itself is okay but the mangaka goes all out on the backgrounds the protag draws, they are stunning. Only 9 chapters as of writing, but I am already incredibly invested in their journey, check it out on Saturday

The last and most recent manga I'll recommend is Syd Craft: Love Is A Mystery: Raised to follow of the family legacy of being a great detective, Syd Craft is at the top of his game and puts on a very serious professional act. Unfortunately he hates being a detective and would much rather be reading a romance story and falling in love, but mysteries keep popping up where ever he goes. The art is very cute. The contrast between Syd's detective persona and his inner monologue is refreshing. The story only has 5 chapters but it has a lot of potential. It's out on Sundays.

These are just the five series debuting within the last six months I like the most. If you want more recommendations feel free to let me know : )

[alpha-mag-media]

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Cyclist, 50s, dies after being found in cycle lane with serious injuries in Co Sligo Read More … Check full articles at Source: ALPHA MAG