#silver medalists of my heart

[gealach-edits]

Rebecca Ghilardi & Filippo Ambrosini, “Bram Stoker's Dracula, Blood for Dracula” LP || European Championships 2024

bonus:

[carebearcody]

it’s too early to get into the narratives so i’m not going to talk about that but. australia should be so so so proud; the way they brought a whole nation together and given visibility to the game is amazing. they have so so so much talent and reaching this far on a home tournament is so so impressive

[ellianasdeadpointeshoes]

Since the Olympics are going on I would like to remind everyone that izzy attended the dsnce Olympics last summer. She waS chosen to win a medal or other special award alongside 2 other dancers (Julie Joyner and a an amazing girl from China) only for Julie to get bronze, the girlie from China to get gold andddd they skipped the silver medal but izzy got a judges encouragment award +1000 dollars and ofc I was so proud of izzy but WHO TF SKIPS 2ND PLACE.

[williamsonarssnal]

𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 | L.W (part.1)

SILVER SPRING ⸻ leah williamson x swimmer!reader.

warning: angsty, mentions of marriage, heartbroken (L & R), confused (R). English isn't my first language!

In London, the vibrant city that pulsated to the rhythm of football, Leah Williamson shone like the Sun, illuminating the Emirates Stadium with her grit and talent. Y/n, on the other hand, an Olympic swimmer, was the Moon, gliding through the crystal-clear waters of the pool with the grace and strength of a celestial body.

Leah, the fearless captain of Arsenal, was admired by crowds, her radiant smile and unwavering leadership making her an icon of the sport. Y/n, on the other hand, conquered the world with her perseverance and discipline, each stroke bringing her closer to Olympic glory.

Though Leah and Y/n admired each other from afar, their worlds seemed to coexist in different orbits, like the Sun and the Moon. Leah, always surrounded by spotlights and applause, craved a quiet and cozy love. Y/n, dedicated to her passion for swimming, saw marriage as an obstacle to her freedom and dreams.

One day, fate brought them together at a charity event. Leah, enchanted by Y/n's beauty and determination, approached timidly. Y/n, admired by Leah's strength and humility, felt an unexpected connection.

"Hi, I'm Leah," she shouted over the loud music.

"Y/n, nice to meet you, England captain."

"The pleasure's all mine, gold medalist."

Over conversations and secret meetings, Leah and Y/n discovered a deep and sincere love, a feeling that transcended societal expectations. But, like the Sun and the Moon, they also carried their own dreams and ambitions.

Leah, wanting a future with Y/n, proposed marriage. Y/n, overwhelmed by the love she felt, found herself in a dilemma. Her heart belonged to Leah, but her soul longed for the freedom of the water.

"I can't, Leah."

"What?"

"I can't focus on starting a family with you right now."

Leah was still in shock by the woman in front of her's response. She was sure Y/n loved her with the same intensity. She was sure she was doing the right thing, the woman just got up and walked towards the door, since clearly the movie had been ruined. Y/n, on the other hand, sat on the cold living room floor while her shared dog lay on her legs trying to comfort her. Marvin was a Golden Retriever that Leah had given her for her birthday after finding out how much she loved the breed, he was a constant reminder of how much Leah cared about her and how they were already a family. This crazy decision of hers was already affecting their son.

She was already regretting her actions and how she was being arrogant putting her career above her perfect relationship, but now it was too late and Leah was probably at Lia's or some teammate's house. Tears streamed down her face, she was feeling so stupid for letting the love of her life walk away.

Days went by and Leah still hadn't spoken to her or even sent a message, she was living on autopilot. She entered the club without greeting any teammates and just changed in silence, training non-stop. In addition to taking advantage of the times when Lia asked to pick up Marvin to stay with Leah for a week and since the dog was shared she agreed immediately starting to accept the end of her relationship. Lia was angry at what she did to her best friend, but sad to see her state as she packed the dog's things.

"You're an airhead, girl," she said, and you just shrugged, trying to ignore the woman's words, just smiling faintly when your dog barked trying to get your attention. "Don't ruin your family, he needs you two together." You looked at her a little surprised, not knowing what to say, just lowering your head as you both walked away.

It was exactly a week after Marvin left and without the dog at home you spent more time training until the peak of exhaustion, doing several laps of different strokes each time wanting to break your record. Your cell phone was on silent so no one could disturb you, you were swimming butterfly and it was clear how much you liked the stroke, your favorite, you had such a great facility. The adrenaline was pumping through her veins, pushing her to surpass her limits. But then, a sharp pain shot through her calf. A relentless cramp seized her, paralyzing her movements.

Panic took hold of S/n. She tried to fight the pain, but it was futile. Her arms grew heavy, her legs refused to obey. She began to sink, the crystal-clear water turning into a suffocating nightmare.

In her last moments of consciousness, images of her life floated through her mind: the Olympic glories, Leah's love, the promise of a future together. Anguish and regret gripped her. She had sacrificed everything for her dream, but now, with death lurking, she realized that Leah's love was what mattered most.

[icemankazansky]

Top 5 Iceman Kazansky eras

Oh my God, this is inspired.

Lessee.

In chronological order:

USNA Valedictorian and Most Valuable Player (Varsity Lacrosse and Intramural Sex) Era

Work hard, play hard. Ice did his share of grinding in high school, excelling in academics and balancing as many extracurriculars as possible, but now he's out of his family home, and he can come into his own. Between his Navy work and the extra rigors of playing Division 1 sports, as well as the natural effects of aging, Ice is going to bulk up, lose his puppy fat, and get Stupid Hot. Now that he doesn't have the confines of being a minor living with your parents, he's also going to have the opportunity to slut it up properly. I love this for him.

Top Gun Era

Waist: Snatched. Patience: Nonexistent. He's the best, he knows he's the best, and he's looking his best. Cannot stop serving cunt for a single second. This man is a 24/7 cunt buffet with a heart of gold and a smile made of actual sunshine.

Hot Shot Era

For several years after TOPGUN (probably at least a decade), Ice is going to spend his life as an active duty pilot, in demand and the best of the best. He gets to prove his mettle, hone his skills, and fuck Maverick in aircraft carriers and exotic locales all over the world. I believe they refer to these as glory days. You're doing amazing, sweetie.

Dad Jeans Era

As he ages and is promoted away from flying full time, Ice is going to be less competitive as a reflex. That razor's edge he's maintained so long is going to get sanded down, and he'll become more comfortable with his place in life and the people with whom he shares it, and be more comfortable going without that icy mask, be more comfortable showing his softness. He's going to buy some sweaters. He's going to take some vacations. Maybe he'll pick up some hobbies. He'll buy a bird feeder. He's going to go full DILF.

Growing Old Together

A well-earned retirement for the man who was one of the world's best pilots, one of the highest-ranked military leaders in the world, and an Olympic gold medalist in sex. Sweater Ice is going to enter silver fox mode. He's going to retire and relax for five fucking minutes. He's going to learn to use Do Not Disturb mode on his phone. He's going to install a porch swing on the front porch of his forever home with Maverick. He's going to read books for pleasure, savoring them slowly the way he hasn't been able to in years. He's going to join the AARP and get discounts at restaurants once he's able to eat normally again after cancer and chemo. He and Maverick are going to take long vacations together, just the two of them, doing things they've wanted to do their entire lives. It's well deserved, Admiral.

[formulakatya]

BLESSING IN DISGUISE | TAA

"maybe it's a blessing in disguise, i see my reflection in your eyes"

summary: where you and trent are childhood friends, you find yourself in a difficult situation, clueless on what to do, you call trent for advice.

pairing: trent alexander-arnold × freestyle skier!reader

notes: i'm back! i've been out of ideas recently but on a whim, i decided to write a story to the first audio i get on my tiktok for you page which just so happened to be reflections by the neighbourhood :) this is unedited work and a rather short story so im sorry about that!

warnings: none that i can think of, just really bad writing.

—

holding your skies tightly, you waited nervously for the score. you had given your final run your all, landing the prestigious and tricky 1620 jump. “come on,” you mumbled underneath your breath. your heart pounding, you held your breath as you glanced at the score board nervously.

93.50

you could’ve swore you felt your heart break right there and then. falling down onto the snow, you looked down at the ground as you tried to compose yourself together, desperately trying to hold back the tears threatening to flow.

it wasn’t enough.

composing yourself, you stood back up as you tried your best to smile as you congratulated the winner before walking towards your coach who engulfed you in a hug. “it wasn’t good enough,” you spoke through shaky breaths, tears spilling out.

“you tried your best,” he spoke on his attempt to comfort you. “at least you landed the 1620, first time in competition!”

“yeah,” you nodded before going back to the other two medalists, shaking hands with them as you posed for a picture.

“well done on that 1620!”

“thanks,” you smiled at eileen, your training partner and also the skier who had came in third. “well done on yours as well.”

“wanna go out for dinner later?”

“sure,” you nodded, trying to think about what you would do at dinner and during the few days extra you had in austria in a pathetic attempt to cheer yourself up.

but all you could think of was the silver medal.

—

staring at the ceiling, you wiped your tears dry as you let out a sigh.

why was it still not good enough?

turning your head, you picked up your phone to check the time before going through your notifications. you had put your phone on ‘do not disturb’, no doubt missing a couple of texts and calls.

trent: congratulations! what a performance!

staring at the message for a minute or so, you hesitated before opening the message, typing a quick ‘thank you’ and sending it before closing your phone and going back to staring at the ceiling.

what if you had done a different jump? what if you had executed the 1620 a little better?

looking back at your phone, you noticed trent had replied to your message as you unplugged your phone from the charging cable.

trent: if you wanna talk about it i’m free to call.

he knew you all too well.

deliberating whether you should take him up on the offer for a while, you finally decided to, dialling his number and putting the phone on speaker as you waited a response.

“hey,” trent’s voice could be heard from the other end of the line. “you okay?”

“could be better, honestly,” you replied. “how did you deal with it?”

“deal with what?”

“y’know…” you replied vaguely, not wanting to bring up the dreaded loss.

“oh,” he responded, picking up on what you were referring to. “not well to be honest, but talking to someone helped me. and lots of crying as well. i guess it was easier because we won the champions league and fa cup. seeing the fans at the parade helped as well.”

trent paused for awhile, nothing but a slight sigh being able to be heard on the other line.

“second place always feels the worst, i get that— especially losing by one point as well. but don’t be so hard on yourself, there’s no point y’know? you did everything you could’ve done and it was one hell of a performance,” he continued speaking. “i know you’re probably beating yourself up over it so don’t. there’s nothing you can do to change what happened and knowing you, you tried your best. you tried your best and that’s all you could really do. take a few days off, pick yourself up and come back stronger, y’know?”

“mhm,” you hummed in response. “it just hurts. it hurts a lot.”

“it’s only natural,” he responded. “you’ll bounce back, though, i know you will.”

“thanks, trent,” you smiled, taking in the words of advice. “you really helped.”

“no problem,” he laughed. “i’m always here if you need anything, alright, love?”

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Flying High…On The Bars🤸🏽‍♂️ | Top Gun Maverick Imagine (Bob Floyd) Part 1

Takes place after the events of TGM

TGM Masterlist

PART 2 HERE

Characters & Pairings: Lt. Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd x Olympic gymnast!reader (romantic), Dagger squad x reader (platonic)

Content Warnings: fluff, mentions of sporting injuries, slight profanity, recounts details of 2012, 2016, & 2020 Olympic Games. | Female!reader (she/her) | wc: 9.4k—I decided to split this into 2 parts because it was almost at 20k words.

Premise: When one sets their eyes on the Olympic dream, it becomes their life. When one falls in love with a person committed to achieving that dream, it becomes theirs as well. One year after a global pandemic shut down the world and two years after the high-risk uranium mission of the Top Gun special detachment, the dagger squad gather in Bob’s home base of Lemoore, California to witness the love of his life compete for a final shot at All-Around gold in the worlds greatest gymnastics competition. Prepping for her final Olympic Games, gold medalist Y/n L/n thinks back on her decade long career, and the moment she met the man of her dreams.

Note: Y’all I am loving these sport imagines for TGM I’ve been doing. I think imma do a soccer or tennis next 👀 now disclaimer this imagine does recount details that took place in the Olympics mentioned, but there were changes to the narrative to fit the story. Basically you’re imagining it was you on the teams instead, so don’t come at me saying, ‘that didn’t happen.’ I kept the outcomes for certain scenarios the same, but then changed others to fit Y/n’s place. Hope you enjoy and let me know your thoughts. Also like my ‘For The Gold’ imagine, I’m going off the basis that the events of TGM took place in 2019, not 2022.

I also wanna disclaim that I am very aware of scandal that took place with USA gymnastics. I have decided to not mention it in this miniseries for the sake of not triggering anyone and because I do not want to spread misinformation in case I were to miss things. Of course we know it happened, and it just makes me angry and disgusted to even think about that doctor and I do not want to trigger anyone at all. I do mention Nadia Comaneci in this (she was my idol when I did gymnastics) but do know I do not mention her coaches who were involved in the scandal. I loved Nadia, not her coaches and I’m just as disgusted with them as I am with that doctor. My heart is with all the gymnasts who were affected.

—————————-

“It’s 6:30 am Eastern time back home in the US, however it is 8:30 pm here in Tokyo on Thursday, July 29th, as we get set up to watch the final of the Women’s All-Around in artistic gymnastics. The men competed last night, and it was an unfortunate loss for both Americans after failing to medal in the Team. It was silver for the women’s two nights ago in the team final, losing to the ROC by about four points in the overall score—the first time the American’s have lost the gold in the Team since reclaiming the title after The Magnificent Seven in 1996.”

“It was a shocker to many people, John. Team USA have dominated the international level of gymnastics for over a decade now. They have been the Olympic champions in the Women’s All-Around since Carly Patterson won the title in Athens, they were the two-time gold medalists in the Team and have had someone on the podium in almost every event for the past few Games—Simone Biles dominated Rio four years ago. They were the favorite to win on the team final, but fell short and I know it must’ve been a sad loss for Y/n L/n on Tuesday after being part of both the London and Rio winning teams.” The tv screen was split with the coverage showing the commentators and footage from the 2012 London Olympics. It focused on the gymnast standing on the podium with her teammates, gold medals around their necks and waving to the crowd.

“I agree, Andrea. You know she is the first American gymnast since Dominique Dawes to make it on the team for three consecutive Olympics. After last night she became the second American, after Dawes, to medal in three consecutive Olympics—silver medal in the team final. She’s the veteran, having been in the elite stage since 2011 where she won her first World title on the bars. In London she walked away with three gold medals, the team, the uneven bars, and the balance beam. It was history for the USA gymnastics that Olympics with Gabby Douglas becoming the first African-American to win the All-Around and Y/n L/n as the first American to win gold on the bars in its individual final. L/n then repeated her victories in Rio—making Olympic history for Team USA again with back-to-back gold in the team, bars, and beam.”

“You know it was a big surprise when she appeared at the trials in June. After winning her seventh World’s title on bars in 2019 Y/n was hoping to get the gold on beam after reclaiming it in 2018, but a bad fall on the apparatus tore her ACL. It would have put her out of the trials had it taken place in 2020, but Covid canceled the entire 2020 season and the Olympics were postponed a whole year. Y/n didn’t say anything about coming back to the sport after recovering until after the VISA championships when it was revealed she petitioned for a spot in the trials. Both Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas, who were her teammates the last two Games have since retired. I really thought it would be the same for Y/n L/n, but she surprised everyone.”

“She already, Allen, has made history in her own way by becoming the first American to win the gold back-to-back on two individual events—her signature event the uneven bars that she’s got multiple world titles to as you mentioned, and the balance beam. Many predicted Simone, the favorite to win on beam, would come out on top since it’s one of her strong factors, but an unfortunate mistake cost her the gold. Then in bars Y/n unveiled a massive dismount, becoming her fifth eponymous skill rated a J-Value. The gold medal was already hers at that point. ”

Now the split screen had a reply of the stunning routine on the uneven bars. The second her feet hit the floor and her arms raised over her head, the then two-time Olympian already knew she had secured the gold.

“That was an amazing moment to witness. The entire stadium was holding their breath. Y/n had already established herself as one of the best gymnasts on the uneven bars since her debut on the national team in 2010. Her routine in London was flawless, both in the team and event finals. After the Trials her teammates selected her as the captain of this squad and has really shown true leadership in these Games—we’ve seen it during qualifications and the team finals, comforting the team when the results came in. Her and Simone shared a moment together after the vault when Simone decided to pull out for the remainder of the competition. The veteran gymnast making a statement on Twitter in defense of Simone when she was receiving criticisms for her decision. Y/n’s definitely taken the role of big sister—the oldest at aged 25– and I know the girls are likely having some difficulty without family and friends to support with the regulations set for these Games. There’s no spectators in this arena save for the media and volunteers. Each nation was only allowed to bring one coach if I’m not mistaken so all the gymnasts are having to adjust. Definitely a different feel these Games no doubt—especially for Y/n who has got to experience the energy one sees in an Olympics with a full house. She’s the fan favorite for this All-Around in Tokyo and it’s going to be interesting to see if Y/n can deliver on Sunday as well and pull a three-peat on the uneven bars—the first for Team USA.”

“It’s definitely going to be an interesting Games no doubt now that it’s been confirmed Simone Biles will not be competing in the All-Around final citing concerns with her mental health. After pulling out of the Team finals it was unknown if she would continue in the All-Around and event finals. She and Y/n were the top two Americans to qualify—the first time for Y/n in her now third Olympics after having not been selected to compete for it in the preliminaries in London and lost to teammate Aly Raisman in Rio. Sunisa Lee has replaced Simone in this final and now the two Americans will go head to head for the title of Olympic Champion.” More replays showed of not only past Olympics but also the preliminaries from Saturday showcasing the contenders for the All-Around; Suni Lee in her Olympic debut and the now three-time Olympic gymnast Y/n L/n.

Thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean where the sun is not even out as it reaches 3:30 in the morning, members of the 2019 Top Gun special detachment, Navy servicemen & women, and residents of Lemoore, California gathered in the gym of Taylor’s Elite Gymnastics Y/n spent 20 years training in.

“You excited, Bobby Boy?” Jake clapped his friends back, shaking his shoulders lightly in a playful manner. “Ready to cheer on the missus?”

Bob scoffs, but blushes nonetheless, “of course I am, Bagman. This is everything she’s trained for. If I could be there I would be the loudest in the stands” Jake makes a sound, muttering, ‘simp,’ causing Bob to brush him off. Phoenix comes over two cups of coffee, handing one over to her backseater.

“Leave him alone, Seresin,” she scolds, “if that was your wife you’d be doing the same thing.” Jake falls silent making Payback chuckle from his spot on the beanbag in front of the four, “he’s not saying anything ‘cause he knows it’s true.”

Fanboy pitches in, munching on some mini donuts, “he’s probably just still salty Y/n wouldn’t hook him up with one of her old teammates. Or that one swimmer he used to gush about.” From the side Rooster explodes in a loud laugh, causing Jake to glare at him. Coyote has to bite back a grin, not wanting to show amusement at his best friend's bad luck.

The pilot wipes a fake tear, still giggling, “Sorry, that was just really funny.” While the others began to tease Jake, Bob focused on the screen. Softness in his eyes as he watched the NBC live coverage, showing footage of Y/n warming up while in the corner of the screen had replays of her 2016 Games in Rio. His heart was hurting he couldn’t be in the stands due to Covid, but regardless Bob was over the moon with love and happiness for his wife.

Since the age of 5 the gym was her second home after her mother put her in a mommy & me gymnastics class. Bouncing on the trampoline was really what made the child fall in love. She could be there all day if they’d let her. Then after a few more classes that were meant for just some bonding time between mother and daughter, Y/n begged to be placed in the regular lessons after seeing the older girls swinging on the bars and balancing on the beam.

It was the start of a career that would span over a decade when Y/n began competing, claiming multiple national titles, world championships, and three Olympic Games.

In 2004 Y/n sat glued to the TV watching Team USA compete in the Athens Olympic Games. Carly Patterson was crowned Olympic Champion of the All-Around and Y/n knew at that moment she wanted to become an Olympian.

Her parents were hesitant, especially after talking to other parents during Y/n’s lessons, to pull her from school and dedicate all her time to training. There was also the topic of moving to find a coach. Many gymnasts they read up on had traveled to different gyms and had lifelong coaches. For Y/n, her family wanted to stay in Lemoore. Her father had done time in the Navy and was stationed there when he met Y/n’s mother. They fell in love and her father decided to end his contract with the Navy to be with her mother. Not long after he ended up getting a good civilian job on base with Y/n being born in 1996.

What made her parents decide to go through with full-time training were the owners of the gym. Mike and Mary Taylor. Husband and wife who together ran and coached the gymnasts. It was a fairly new gym—having only opened in 2000 so they never had one of their students go to the international level. “There is a fire in her, we both see it. She’s got the dedication, the spirit, and we would love to be the ones to help her achieve the dream of the Olympics. And we would do everything in our souls to make it happen. When we look at her, we see a future Olympic champion.”

So the deal was set. Y/n would become homeschooled and spend nearly 10 hours in the gym everyday. After waking up she would have breakfast with a smoothie before starting one of two 5-hour practices. Mornings were dedicated to bars and beam with Mike and afternoons with Mary on floor and vault. Lunch would be in between and then after dinner Y/n would condition with a personal trainer. Within a couple years she had worked up to level 5 and began competing in meets.

It was learned very quickly that Y/n had a talent for the uneven bars. She was strong on the beam and good on floor and vault, but bars is where she shined. An All-Around gymnast, Y/n put more focus in perfecting her bar routine than anything else. It was where she felt like she had a better chance at becoming an Olympic champion. Flying high in the air on releases brought joy and hitting a perfect handstand made Y/n feel like she was on top of the world.

Nadia Comaneci of Romania, the first gymnast in Olympic history to receive a perfect 10 in competition, was her idol and who Y/n strived to be like. She was the definition of perfection. Every moment of free time Y/n was watching reruns of the 1976 Games in Montreal where Nadia claimed the All-Around, Uneven Bars, and Balance Beam gold. Sometimes Y/n wished she could attempt to do the flawless routine, but the uneven bars were placed differently than they were in the 70s.

There was also the American Mary Lou Retton, the first American woman to win the All-Around at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Y/n admired many gymnasts from the former USSR in the 60s & 70s & 90s including Olga Korbut, Ludmilla Tourischeva, Nellie Kim, Larisa Latynina. Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina, Belarus’s Svetlana Boginskaya, and Vera Caslavska of the former Czechoslovakia were amongst Y/n’s idols in the sport.

And of course, the 1996 Magnificent Seven: Shannon Miller, Jaycie Phelps, Amanda Borden, Dominique Dawes, Dominique Moceanu, Amy Chow, and Kerri Strug. The team of women Y/n cited as her biggest inspirations. Y/n was born the year they won the US their first gold in the Women’s Team All-Around on home turf in Atlanta. Chills always appeared when watching replays of Kerri Strug landing the vault on practically one foot to secure the gold against Russia.

In 2010 at age 14 Y/n made her debut on the junior national team. She appeared in several championships, claiming titles to the uneven bars and balance beam. She never listened to commentators when watching replays of meets to see what she needed to improve, but there was always a heaviness to her heart when they would say she was unlikely to be an All-Around contender. “We’ve seen her these last competitions and there’s no doubt she will be a threat to other gymnasts when it comes to the uneven bars—her routine even here on the junior level is insane—and possibly balance beam, but there is a lot to be done for Y/n on the floor. She’s powerful on vault—as we saw in her Yurchenko 1 ½ twist, but fails to stick the landing and is always taking a large step with big deductions. She needs to control that power so she’s not catapulting forward on the landing.”

Her family and coaches reminded her to not listen to commentators or opinions of the media. It was hard first coming into the national stage, but by the 2012 U.S Olympic Team Trials Y/n was a pro at handling the them. She was 16, the reigning World Champion on the uneven bars, and looking to earn her place on the London team. The trials lasted two days with Y/n qualifying after finishing in the top 8 of the VISA Championships. 15 total girls including the Beijing All-Around Olympic Champion Nastia Liukin and member of the 2008 silver winning team Alicia Sacramone, all competed for one of the five spots on the team.

Like all the gymnasts in attendance, Y/n competed on every apparatus but it was her bars and beam routines that secured her spot for London. After a small mistake on the floor Y/n feared it would be the make or break in deciding if she would make the team since she did not rank in the top two places by the end of the trials. Her vaults were good form wise, though she needed to really work on sticking the landing better. When her name was called out in the back room Y/n burst into tears. Her coaches pulled into an embrace, crying with her, before she and the other four girls were hauled to the floor. The crowd of spectators were on their feet. Cheers from every corner.

Vision blurry, Y/n turned her gaze to the section her parents were seated in. When she found them the tears fell more rapidly at the sight of her father practically jumping up and down whistling while her mother was in her own emotional state. They blew kisses to her, Y/n returning them before waving to the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, your women’s 2012 London Olympic team!!!”

London was a dream come true.

The moment Y/n stepped into the arena she had to hold back her tears, pitching herself as though to say, ‘is this really happening?’ The smell of the chalk brought comfort. Y/n was itching to get on the bars and show the world what she was made of. Her teammates were some of the best gymnasts to exist with several World titles to their name. The pressure was on for these young women. The media and fans back home were hoping they would be the first team since the Magnificent Seven to win the gold in the team final. It was their goal, but they had tough competition against Russia and China.

The qualifications were intense, but the team as a whole managed to get the top rank to guarantee a spot in the final. After discussions with the appointed team coach, Y/n only competed on the bars and beam. Uneven bars was her strongest apparatus where she would no doubt deliver. The beam was her second strongest, with a difficult routine that when executed would bring a high score. It saddened the gymnast she would not get the chance at All-Around gold, but Y/n pushed her emotions aside to focus on the big picture. Rio was four years away, she could easily try for a spot on that team. For now, she needed to focus on getting the gold in her events.

Qualifying in the top spot on bars and beam, the next step was the Team final.

And it was one to remember.

The team kicked off on the vault where Gabby, Jordyn, and Aly gave a beautiful start to the competition. Russia was next before the second rotation: bars. Y/n was the last of the three Americans to perform after Russia went first. She kept her back to the bars when the Russian athletes were up, the golden rule of gymnastics that was learned very early on: never watch your competitors or pay attention to the standings. Very often will it jinx the performance of the gymnast who does. And Y/n was not about to let that happen.

When Kyla and Gabby were on, Y/n clapped and cheered them on alongside Aly and Jordyn. “C’mon Gabby, you got this!” Yes! Beautiful—one more big one!” “Stick it, Kyla—stick it! YEAH!!”

Then she was up.

A quick pep talk from Mike and Y/n stepped onto the platform and waited for the green light. When it appeared, she saluted the judge and faced the bars, taking a deep breath before running to punch her feet on the springboard, hitting her hands onto the low bar in a straddle position before catching the high bar. The entire routine Y/n didn’t think, she just let muscle memory take her away. Cheers from her teammates and the crowd fueled her. Release after release, handstand after handstand, kip up to the high bar from the low bar. The routine felt like forever but in reality it was only less than two minutes.

“Beautiful start off the springboard and onto the high bar—from here are a series of handstands which have become a staple in Y/n’s routines since the junior U.S Championships in 2010. Here we go on the first….hit it right on the mark, now the second…oh gorgeous form—legs are squeezed together. She will hit two more before going straight into a big release. Here it comes-over the high bar—-wow look at the height! Then straight to the low bar and back to the high into another big release. Unstoppable, this routine is jam packed with difficulty. Y/n has shown little mistakes since unveiling this routine at the beginning of the season—despite one error during the American Cup where she missed a handstand that resulted in shaky release. One more big transition from high bar to low bar and back again before falling straight into a release. Wow, that was amazing! Now she’s gearing up for the dismount—very difficult here—she’ll be doing a double twisting double layout, the same Shawn Johnson did in 2008 rated a G-Value skill. Here we go, the moment we’ve all been waiting for—and she sticks it!! Unbelievable! The crowd loved that and so did her teammates, they’re jumping for joy down below.”

Y/n finally breathes as the crowd goes wild around her. Briefly closing her eyes, she exhales before facing the judges to salute. A wide grin on her lips, Y/n claps her chalky hands covered by the grips and runs to the stairs to be embraced by her coach. Her teammates surround her, hugs and high-fives all around. “That was amazing!” “You were perfect! Absolutely perfect!”

“This is why Y/n was picked for these Games—it is that routine that secured her spot on team USA. It’s untouchable. She is the World Champion in this event, completely dominating the junior level—no one else could touch Y/n on the bars. She’s looking to become the first American to win the uneven bars on Sunday night for event finals and she is exceptional. Those handstands are perfection, the form is impeccable and the landing was perfectly executed—she would get a ten if it were the old system. Now we’re just waiting for the score, which is going to be big. Her start value is 7.1, huge for an uneven bars routine but it’s those transitions combined with the releases and of course that G dismount that really make this routine such high valued—not to mention the series of handstands at the beginning. I believe she has the highest start value in this event these Olympics—no doubt the fan favorite for Sunday night.”

Y/n downs a bottle of water, ignoring the snaps of the cameras from the press directly in front of her. She waves to a few people in the audience, a little girl shrieks when they see the gymnast noticed them. Quickly Y/n packed her bag because they were about to make the rotation to beam. They were just waiting on her score.

“For those of you at home watching for the first time who are confused on how the scoring works, the gymnasts routines used to be scored out of a 10–that’s how it was for the Magnificent Seven and Carly Patterson. But after the 2004 Olympics the Code of Points changed and now they are given a difficulty and execution score. The difficulty is set in stone by the routine, so in Y/n’s case her start value is 7.1–that is the difficulty of her routine based on all the elements put together. The execution score is out of 10–similar to the old system where the judges deduct when they catch errors, imperfect form, or the gymnast falls. After the execution score is decided it is added to the start value, and that is the score the gymnast receives. The highest score Y/n can receive is a 17.100 if she were to receive a perfect execution score of 10. On the screen now is the deduction zone and green is what these athletes want—they want little deductions as possible. Yellow is basically the caution area and red is the danger zone where the gymnast made a really bad mistake—possibly a fall off the apparatus or had too many visible errors.”

“You know, Y/n does her best to not leave room for deductions but there’s always something the judges will catch. Scoreboard is coming around and it looks….it’s a 16.541 for Y/n L/n! Holy moly that is a massive score for the Americans—it’s put them well ahead over Russia going into rotation three. She scored higher than in the qualifications which was a 16.3! I know she’s happy now—we can see her smiling from this angle as the Americans get ready to move to the balance beam. Y/n will compete on the beam along with Kyla Ross and Aly Raisman before sitting out of the floor.”

Warming up on the beam, Y/n did her spins, a couple jumps, her Arabian, and dismount. She was set to go second, giving a slight break after coming off of the high from bars since the US was set to go first in the rotation. Then in the final rotation on floor they would compete after Russia. Y/n was confident in her beam routing, having perfected it for over a year. It had lower difficulty than her bar routine but was still highly valued at 6.4. The highest Y/n had received on it was a 15.628 at the trials, usually ranging between 15.100 and 15.533 in other competitions. In the qualification round Y/n got a 15.478 and secured her place in the individual event final.

“Welcome back to our coverage of the women’s artistic all-around team final in London. We’re onto rotation three of four and it’s the balance beam for Team USA. All three Russians have competed with great performances and very little deductions. The margin between Russian and the US looks like it may be neck and neck going into the floor. Up first for the Americans is Kyla Ross—she and Y/n L/n will finish their team finals on this event. They both were chosen to compete on just the bars and beams—Jordyn Wieber will join Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman on floor after sitting out for two rotations following the vault. Up first for team USA, Kyla Ross.”

“Let’s go, Kyla!!” Y/n clapped her hands around her mouth. “You got this girl!” When the gymnast finished Y/n was immediately hauled up the stairs, high-fiving her teammate before waiting for the green light on the far right end of the beam. Once Kyla’s score was finalized and on the board, the green appeared and Y/n saluted the judge. The springboard was placed beside the middle of the apparatus, and Y/n once again took a deep breath.

“Y/n’s got the green light from the judge, and is now setting up for her mount. This is quite the skill she is about to do—Dominique Moceanu of the 1996 team performed this mount on the beam in Atlanta. Here she goes….beautiful. It’s a tricky mount but when executed right it can be stunning. Now onto this interesting spin that many gymnasts have started to use in their routines, it’s called a ‘wolf spin.’ She’ll do three full turns right here before setting up for her first big combo—Arabian into a pike jump then right to a back handspring—a little shaky right there on the landing. There will be a slight deduction for not having her chest up in time. Gorgeous spins as she walks to the opposite beam. Here is her tumbling pass, back handspring to a layout—repeating it—and she’s got it! A spin to jump combination and straight into a back tuck. Y/n has made it a habit in her beam routines to display her strength. From this handstand she will turn and split her legs down the middle before holding it at an angle so she’s not level with the apparatus. Very hard to do that could easily end in disaster, but she makes it look effortless. The crowd loves it too. Now all there’s left is the dismount—the time buzzer has sounded. An F-valued skill she’s gonna do a stretched back salto with a triple twist. And she sticks the landing once again!! Beautiful end on the beam for Y/n L/n! That is gonna be a good score I feel.”

“Great job, that was awesome!” “Well done, Yn.” “You did amazing!” Her teammates swarmed her again, followed by her coach who pressed a fatherly kiss to her forehead, “well done, well done, my little powerhouse.” Catching her breath, Y/n wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Together they looked out to the audience to try and find his wife, her other coach, and Y/n’s parents. When they found them they were on their feet clapping, waving frantically at the two. Then the score came in and Y/n visibly saw them get more excited. Rotation 3: BB—Y/n L/N (USA) 15.840

“Wow, a huge score for Y/n L/n of Team USA—15.840! That is the highest score she’s ever received now—her 15.6 at the Olympic Trials was the highest she had gotten on this routine and now it’s been replaced.”

“Well deserved too. This routine was the best she’s ever performed, John. There were those two slight errors where her chest was low on the landings, but her form is just outstanding.”

After cheering on Aly it was time for the last rotation. Y/n packed up her backpack before pulling on her Team USA sweats to cover her bear legs. Over by the floor Y/n was filled with nerves, but confidence for her teammates. After the beam there was a tight lead over Russia, but not by a large margin where anything could happen. It was gonna come down to what happens on the floor.

When the results came in and USA appeared on the #1 spot Y/n jumped for joy, interlaced hands with her teammates in the air. The entire arena was on their feet—especially those who came all the way from America to support. Y/n’s parents and coach were whistling and screaming, it was a truly golden moment for the 16-year-old from Lemmore, California. And for the girls sharing it with her.

They pulled off what they set out to do since being named at the trials. The Olympic Gold in the Women’s Team Final, making them the first team since the 1996 Magnificent Seven to win the title. It was an honor Y/n would carry for the rest of her life and got to share with her spectacular teammates. Standing on top of the podium, with a gold medal around her neck as the national anthem played, Y/n let the tears fall freely. Overwhelmed with emotion, her lips trembled as she mouthed the lyrics. The arena was quiet save for the melody, but when it ended it erupted in cheers. Together with her team Y/n raised the bouquet of flowers to the sea of spectators. Cameras flashed as they posed with the silver and bronze winning teams Russia and Romania.

Post interviews took place and Y/n was still unable to let go of the grin on their face when answering questions. “Y/n, congratulations on this amazing win. You and the team have won the gold—America’s first Team gold since 1996. Can you put into words how you’re feeling right now?”

“Honestly I can’t—I-I’m just so overcome with emotion, it still feels unreal. I want to take this moment to thank my parents who are in the crowd, they have been my strongest support system during this journey and of course my amazing coaches that are with me in London. And of course Aly, Jordyn, Gabby, and Kyla. They were spectacular tonight—I’m so proud of this team, everyone gave it their all and pulled off the best routines we could to get here. After the first rotation the energy just kept bouncing off each of us—it was a great start that flowed into every rotation.”

“I have to bring up that bars routine, Y/n, everyone is talking about it. Absolutely phenomenal. That was the best we’ve seen you do in the event—scoring higher than you did in qualifications. You’re the reigning World champion and the favorite for Sunday night’s event finals. Do you think you’ll do better than you did tonight ?”

Y/n bit her lip, offering a shrug to the reporter, “The thing about this sport is you never know if you’re gonna hit the routine each meet. The goal is to every time but you just have to go in there and give it your best. And that’s what I plan to do Sunday. My coach and I are going to work on where improvements are needed, and I hope to deliver the same way I did tonight.”

The volunteer signaled for the reporter to hurry it up. “Well we’ll be cheering you on both Sunday and Tuesday night as well for the beam finals. Congratulations again on behalf of everyone watching at home. You and the team did amazing and we hope you all have fun celebrating tonight. We’ll see you back here Sunday for the uneven bars.”

Y/n shook the reporter's hand with a grin, “Thank you so much! Have a great night,” blowing a kiss to the camera, Y/n waved to the fans shouting out to her and moved to follow the team out of the arena. The next time she was in the dome was to cheer on Aly and Gabby from the stands during the All-Around final. Kyla and Jordyn were with her, as were the coaches and parents. A wave of red, white, and blue was around them, supporters of Team USA which competed for the loudest section against others when it came to cheering on the Americans. Y/n was on her feet each time Aly or Gabby finished a routine, “Way to go, Gabby!!” “I see you, Aly, let’s go!!”

By the end of the competition Y/n was frantic with joy. Gabby’s name was at the top spot making her the All-Around Olympic champion. The entire arena was on their feet in an explosion of cheers. Unfortunately Aly missed out on the bronze, landing fourth place. Y/n shed tears for both Gabby and Aly, filled with joy for the former at winning the gold, but heartbroken for the latter.

The rest of the week flew by in a blur until it was Sunday night and Y/n was back on the mat for the women’s uneven bars final. She along with seven others would compete for the honor of Olympic champion. The last to compete, the athlete kept her back to the bars and mentally prepared—doing some handstands to pass time. When her coach came up saying it was time, Y/n shook the nerves off and blocked out the crowd.

This was the moment of her life.

“Representing the United States of America,” the crowd cheered, “Y/n L/n!” Taking her place on the mat, Y/n saluted the judges at the green light before licking the tips of her thumbs and clapping once—a ritual since she started competing. With a nod to her coach, who was set up to move the springboard upon her punch onto the bar, Y/n sprinted up and started the routine.

All throughout the routine Y/n thought of her idol Nadia, striving to have the perfect form she did when she took the gold 34 years prior in Montreal. She let her body do the work, letting it carry Y/n through the air upon releases and putting it in the right position with each move. Before long it was time to dismount. The arena was on edge, waiting for the show-stopping move that Y/n had stuck in the team final. With a deep inhale, the gymnast released her hands and twisted before opening her arms at the nick of time.

When her feet hit the mat, arms out and upright, Y/n had to hold back the tears for she knew she just pulled off the best bars routine of her life.

The audience knew it too, they were in an uproar. It continued even after Y/n saluted the judge and walked off the stairs. Her coach practically hauled her off the last step, embracing her while she cried. Of course it was bad luck to celebrate when the score hasn't come in yet, but Y/n had the highest start value of all the finalists and there was no doubt she just overtook the #1 spot. “I’m truly speechless folks, that was without question the best routine of the night. Y/n L/n promised to deliver and she did—from start to finish the routine was non-stop. Hit after hit—that landing will go down in history books. Y/n knows it too, she’s already celebrating it looks like with her coach, Mike Taylor, who’s been with her since she began her gymnastics career. The crowd is celebrating too—I can see her teammates on their feet. We’re just waiting on the score and it should be coming in at any second—-16.825! THAT’S THE GOLD MEDAL FOR Y/N L/N OF THE UNITED STATES!!! She’s the new Olympic champion on the uneven bars—the first for Team USA!!!”

Being on top of the podium felt like cloud 9. Y/n couldn't believe that after years of hard work and dedication she was the Olympic gold medalist in their favorite event. It meant more to her than when she won the World title the year before. All she pictured when the national anthem played was her at nine years old, sitting in front of the tv to watch the Athens Games. That little girl was now an Olympic champion. The best in the world on the uneven bars.

A dream that came true.

Speaking of another dream, Y/n felt all the wind leave her body when after the podium ceremony she was called over by the team’s head coach….and next to her was Nadia Comaneci. Beaming at the gymnast when they locked eyes. If the cameras were not on them her knees would’ve buckled right there. There was no stopping the tears at that point. Her idol was congratulating her, hugging her, completing her routine….it was the best moment of Y/n’s life. More so than actually winning the damn gold medal.

When Y/n repeated the glory on the beam two nights later with a 15.866, there weren't as many tears but the emotion was all the same. It had been the final night of completion for gymnastics with Aly Raisman securing the gold on the floor exercise. Team USA on top of the podium in 5 of 6 events. Y/n was over the moon.

But one question remained.

“Hello again, Y/n, wow has it been a run for you in your Olympic debut. Along with Aly Raisman you’re the most decorated American to come out of this competition. Three gold medals. The Olympic champion on the uneven bars and balance beam as well as the #1 team in the world. Unbelievable, you’ve been amazing to watch this week and everyone at home must be over the moon for you.”

“I really am—It’s so unreal to think that this time last year I was making my debut with the senior national team. I’m so filled with gratitude, my parents and coaches—this wouldn’t have been possible without them. To be called a three-time gold medalist is the biggest honor in the world and to share one of them with my team is….I’ll never be more proud than I am of them. They’ve done amazing at these Olympics—Gabby winning the All-Around, Aly with the floor and the bronze on beam. I’m just so overcome with happiness for not just myself but for them as well.”

“I gotta ask because it’s been buzzing after your win on the bars, but are you looking for a shot at the Rio team in 2016? You’re now the Olympic champion in two events—are you hoping to defend it in four years? Not to mention hopefully get the chance at competing in the All-Around since you weren't selected in the qualifications?”

This was the question that had Y/n up nearly all night thinking about. It was unspoken between her and her coaches, having wanted to focus on the current competition than set sights on the future. Now that the Olympics were technically over for her, Y/n was ready to get back in the gym for another chance at glory.

This time, her goal was the All-Around title.

“I pretty much knew regardless of the outcome of this competition that I would train for Rio. Now the motivation is tenfold really and I do hope I get the chance at the All-Around if I do make the team. For now I’m gonna celebrate with my family, coaches, and my team before getting back in the gym for next year’s Worlds.”

The 2013 to 2015 World Championships were some of the best years in Y/n’s career. Not only did she take the silver in the 2014 & 2015 All-Around next to gold medalist Simone Biles, but claimed the 2013 gold on the balance beam followed by silver in 2014 & 2015, shocked the globe by becoming the 2015 World Champion on vault, and went three for three gold on the uneven bars. By the time the 2016 Olympic trials came around, Y/n was the second ranked gymnast in the world.

The Olympic Rings were tattooed on her forearm, a reminder that she accomplished her childhood dream. Making the team for the second time that summer was beyond what Y/n could put into words. And she would not be the only returning olympian to the US team, Gabby and Aly were coming with her.

There was a lot of talk of what Y/n would bring to the Rio Games. Not only was she the defending champion on bars and beam—hoping to bring a first for the US by repeating her success in London, but she was aiming for a spot in the All-Around competition. Commentators couldn’t get enough of the impending qualifications. Simone was the top contender—the #1 gymnast in the world—and would no doubt qualify, which only left one spot. One spot that three gymnasts wanted.

Gabby, looking to defend her All-Around title.

Aly, to claim the medal she missed when placing fourth in London.

And Y/n, the reigning two-time World silver medalist.

All three members of the gold winning team in London. All three individual Olympic champions.

It would be a heated competition between athletes and friends.

When the trials concluded Y/n had a lot to think about. A lot to mentally prepare for. In the Olympics anything can happen. She witnessed that in London when Jordyn, the reigning World champion, did not qualify for the All-Around. Romania claiming the bronze in the team final over China. Then Y/n beat the leading contender for the gold on beam. Nothing was guaranteed.

As Y/n packed up her bag following interviews after the 2016 team was announced, she headed to leave for the parking lot to meet with her parents and coaches. Phone in hand, Y/n sent a message to her parents when they asked if she wanted to go out to eat to celebrate. As she came around the corner, having waited until most of the spectators had already left, the gymnast gasped when something crashed into her legs causing the phone to drop from her hands, “Oh!”

“Daisy!” A male voice shouted against the sound of feet approaching. “I told you to watch before turning—I’m so sorry ma’am. I—.” His voice stopped suddenly when Y/n lifted her head to connect with a stunning pair of blue eyes. They belonged to a young man with a baby face, roughly around her age but possibly older by a few years, who had blonde hair—stood at about 6 ft and wore a pair of glasses. “O-oh God, you’re Y/n L/n. I-I’m so sorry about my sister—she wasn’t looking.”

The little girl in question—who looked to be about 11 years old— was now in front of Y/n, mouth agape as she stood starstruck. In one hand was a handheld American flag with the event program in the other and she had team USA painted on her cheek. She looked very similar to the man behind her as she had matching hair and eyes. Daisy, as her name was shouted by her brother, looked like she could cry. “I’m so sorry, Miss. Y/n.”

“Oh it’s alright,” the woman softly smiled. Daisy had the same look of awe and emotion Y/n had when she met Nadia Comaneci in 2012 after winning the uneven bars. “Really, it’s okay. I should’ve watched where I was going.” She bent down to grab her phone, silently thankful it didn’t crack any more than it already was. The guy, however, saw the cracks and went pale.

“I’m so so sorry. O-oh gosh, I’ll pay the full amount to replace it—.” Y/n immediately cut him off.

“No, no, no, it was already like that,” Y/n lightly laughed, a little embarrassed to reveal the truth, “I promise you, I just haven’t had the time to get a new one. But it wasn’t her fault I can assure you. It was actually the locker room floor that’s responsible.” Daisy looked embarrassed and guilty at the thought she broke the Olympian’s phone, but upon Y/n’s words she visibly relaxed.

Her brother on the other hand still wasn’t sure. Internally he was freaking out. The now two-time olympian and gold medalist was right in front of him. And she was so beautiful in person it was making his brain scatter…..And his sister knocked her phone from her hands. “Are you sure? I can really write you a check right now Ms. L/n.” The woman waved a hand with a shake of the head, “You have my word. You don’t me anything, Mr……” she waited for him to say his name. A light tint of red appeared on his cheeks, “U-uh Robert, but you can call me Bob, everyone does.”

Y/n extended her hand, making Bob blush more when he went to shake it and a spark ignited causing them both to flinch. “Sorry!”

Y/n only laughed, finding him adorable, “It’s okay. It’s nice to meet you, Bob, and please call my Y/n. And it’s nice to meet you too, Miss. Daisy.” The little girl smiled wide, in a state of visible joy that she was in the presence of her idol.

“You were amazing today, Y/n,” Daisy complimented, making the woman smile.

“Thank you. Did you have fun watching the competition?”

Daisy nodded, “I had a lot of fun. My favorite was you on bars—I had my brother get seats near them so we could watch you.” Y/n couldn’t help but feel warmth in her body. Anytime she had fan interactions it reminded her how she fell in love with gymnastics. Watching the Games and competitions on tv, attending them in person to watch athletes she admired growing up. One could never get used to it. Y/n could see herself in Daisy, for she had begged her parents to always get seats by the bars when they went to watch the 2008 Team trials.

“You’re her favorite gymnast,” Bob casually said with a smile. Y/n thought at that moment, ‘wow he’s got a beautiful smile.’ Her heart picked up at the realization she was attracted to the man. There was just something about him that had her wanting to stay and talk with him.

Y/n smiled at the compliment, turning to Daisy, “I’m extremely honored to have that title, Miss. Daisy. Thank you so much for your support and coming out today. I’m happy I did not let you down,” Y/n then asked, “Are you a gymnast too?”

“Yup!” She said proudly, “I’m level five. I watched you win in London and wanted to be like you,” Y/n placed a hand on her chest, an ‘awe’ escaping her mouth as she tried to hold back the emotion. This little girl was about to capture her heart.

Her brother surly was about to.

Bob nodded his head to his sister, “Her birthday was recent and this is what she asked for. To come watch the trials—to hopefully see you make the team. C-congratulations by the way! You were incredible out there.”

“Thank you,” Y/n said to him, “It’s a privilege to get to compete for a second time. Thank you both for coming out and supporting,” she turns back to Daisy, “And happy belated birthday!”

“Thank you!” She beamed, before hesitating to hold out her hand with the program. “Could—could you please sign this?” Y/n quickly pocketed her phone, removing a sharpie from her bag, “of course. Anything for the birthday girl.” Taking the program, Y/n flipped to the page with her picture and information, scribbling a message saying, ‘Daisy, Shoot for the stars and go for the gold. Thank you for all your support. All the love, Y/n,’ with a little heart at the end. Closing it, Y/n handed it over to her just as Bob was pulling out his own phone.

“Do you mind? I know you must be on your way.”

“Oh not at all,” she said, motioning for Daisy to come closer, who politely asked, “Can I give you a hug?”

“Oh course!” Y/n opened her arms and Daisy fell into her embrace. They faced Bob, smiling at the camera and he took several photos before nodding, “perfect.” Daisy then requested a selfie, and Y/n was all too happy to say yes. Bob handed Daisy the phone who then handed it to Y/n who went, “oh you want me to take it? I’m not the best selfie taker but for you I shall.” Y/n flipped to the front camera and took several photos with Daisy. One nice one of them smiling and a few goofy faces, ending with a kissy face.

Y/n handed the phone over to Bob, but Daisy stopped them, “now you two!” Bob flushed, looking at Y/n to see she was just as suprised. He was silently embarrassed to say he too would have liked a photo, but it was getting late, the gymnast was obviously tired, and they had an early drive back home the next morning. He was due back to report on base on Monday after taking the last Thursday and Friday to take his sister to the trials. “Oh Daiz, it’s getting late. We don’t wanna hold Y/n up—.”

“C’mon, Bob,” she whined, “this way you can brag to your Navy buddies you met an Olympian. And not just any Olympian, you met Y/n L/n!” The insinuation had Bob slightly glare at his sister, finding it to be rude to say such a thing in front of the person they were referring to. He didn’t want Y/n to think it was for clout.

“Daisy—.”

“I don’t mind,” Y/n offered with a kind smile, butterflies erupting in when they made eye contact. Despite the aviator’s fears, Y/n wasn’t offended. In fact she found it amusing, wanting to do it for him. She could tell Bob was still unsure so she said, “If we do a selfie then it’s best for you to take it.” Bob gave a nervous laugh, but nodded and moved closer to Y/n. He was taller than her so Bob held the phone up higher than usual and at an angle.

After the photo Daisy insisted on taking one of them despite her brothers protest. Y/n chuckled at the banter, before pulling Bob to her and placing a hand on his back. Blushing, he put his arm around her shoulder. Daisy didn’t say how many photos she had taken, but judging by her thumb rapidly hitting the screen it was safe to say it was a lot. Feeling bold, Y/n looked up to Bob, “You know if you let me, I’d be happy to help you with the ultimate bragging rights?”

The man’s eyebrows raised, “what did you have in mind.” He wasn’t sure if he should be excited or scared by the look on Y/n’s face.

“It requires you to crouch down,” upon his wide eyes she quickly added, “I’m not gonna kiss you, but I will kiss your cheek if you let me.”

“Oh,” Bob couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but Y/n didn’t appear to be lying. “Oh—um.”

“If you’re not comfortable I totally understand.”

“No, no, no, i’m fine with that. It just threw me off for a second. But y-yeah, sure that’d be cool.” Y/n giggled, and motioned for him to bend to her level.

“Get that camera ready, Daisy.” The girl gave a thumbs up, and Y/n stood on her tippy toes while Bob hunched over so her lips were level with his cheek. She gently pressed a kiss to the skin, holding it there for a few seconds to make sure Daisy got the picture. Bob’s face was hot, obviously flustered by the contact but he managed to keep it together. Y/n was in the same boat, heart pumping at tad faster than usual. She pulled away, falling back onto her heels as Bob stood back straight.

“U-uh well thank you,” he laughed, adjusting the collar of his shirt with loopy grin. “That’s definitely the highlight of my year.”

Y/n giggled, stepping away and picking her backpack up. “Be sure to tag me if you post it,” her wink had Bob’s heart skip. His attraction to the Olympian was growing by the second, but Bob knew deep down nothing would come out of it. They were on two opposite spectrums. Y/n was a world class athlete about to compete on the worlds greatest sporting stage for the second time in just two months, while Bob was about to attend the prestigious Navy Fighter Weapon’s school. The thought of them possibly ever getting together, let alone a date, was a fantasy.

Bob snapped out of his thoughts, giving Y/n a nod, “I’ll make sure to.” He then looks to his sister briefly before back at Y/n. “Sorry for holding you up, but thank you so much for the photos and signing her program.”

“It’s a pleasure, really,” Y/n told him and Daisy when the girl thanked her after Bob, “Thank you both for coming out today again. I hope you have safe travels back home wherever you’re going. I’m so happy, Daisy, you had a wonderful time—good luck with your gymnastics. Maybe the roles will one day reverse, and I’ll be the one cheering you on from the stands,” It was evident Y/n’s words meant a lot to Daisy. The girl’s expression read a fire was beginning to ignite in her eyes. “ Oh and on that note…” Y/n removed one of the two armbands wrapped around each wrist. She’d had them since joining the Junior national team and wore them before and every meet. Almost like a good luck charm.

“This is for you, consider it my birthday gift to you. These armbands have served as a good luck charm for me, I’d like you to have one.” Daisy gasped, eyes wide as she took the band in her hand.

“But…if this is your good luck charm, shouldn’t you have it for the Olympics?”

Y/n raised her wrist with the matching band, “I still have this one to do the job.”

“What do you say, Daiz?” Bob said to his sister, who still appeared awestruck. He mouthed to the Olympian, ‘Thank you.’ Y/n gave a smile with a sly wink.

“Thank you,” Daisy finally breathed. “Thank you so so much. I’ll cherish it forever.” Y/n gave one last hug to Daisy before shaking Bob’s hand and waving goodbye to them as they went separate ways. “Good luck in Rio!” Daisy shouted after her, “Win the gold again for us!” Y/n gave the girl her word, feeling a slight sadness when she got to the parking lot where her parents were waiting for her.

“What took you so long, honey?”

“Oh I was talking with some supporters. They were really sweet and we just got carried away,” she explained before switching the conversation.

Though Y/n pushed aside her thoughts of the cute blue-eyed Bob as the days to Rio got closer, she sometimes thought of him and his sister. Y/n never wanted to let her supporters down. Some had been with her since her debut on the national team. Others were residents of her hometown, who’d known Y/n as a baby. Lots came after the London Games. Making the team for Rio was not just her dream, but the dream of the people who admired her. Wanting her to accomplish the impossible when it almost seems too good to be true. Letting them down would be something Y/n couldn’t forgive herself for. Y/n vowed to never let that happen.

And after the night of the trials, she felt that more than ever.

Read Part 2!

………………

TGM tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan

[thesolemnhour]

A slightly modified version of inspirations for my most prolific and neurotic brainchild! Reasoning under the cut:

Alase Brinz-Widowknife from Lost Kingdoms and King of Chaos.

I've waxed poetic plenty on how much I adore Wesley's interpretation of Old Sarkoris in Lost Kingdoms, but his present-day Sarkorian characters are just as definitive to me. Alase is a young woman who practices the old art of Godcalling, where Sarkorian summoners call on the ancient protectors of their communities. One of the last Sarkorian Godcallers in the last Sarkorian village still standing. Alase feels a deep desire to do something with her abilities and dreams of taking back to city of Undarin, where Clan Widowknife used to reside. Alase also wonders whether her eidolon Tonbarse truly has a touch of the divine or is simply a loyal companion.

This meditation on what it means to be a Sarkorian one hundred years after the Worldwound opened was so foundational to Agria's character that I named her mother after Alase and decided to make her family another branch of Clan Widowknife.

Aerith Gainsborough, from Final Fantasy 7 (remake).

When I was still trying to nail down Agria's voice, my trick was to imagine all of her dialogue as though Aerith were saying them. Aerith has this delightful combination of sweetness and forcefulness. She's a very nice girl, and you're going to do what she asks! Possibly my favorite line in the game is when she and Cloud are halfway through a plan to sneak into a mobster's house, and she's telling him the last thing he needs to do. Cloud is like, "Hold on a minute," and she says, "No can-do, Cloud. This is our plan, and you'll learn to love it!" I'll take "Things Agria has said to Woljif," for $100, Alex.

Emma Woodhouse from Austen's Emma.

When Jane Austen set herself to writing Emma, she wanted to create "a heroine no one but me will much like." Emma is often selfish, unkind, and thoughtless, but she also cares deeply about the people around her and is willing to change her mind to accommodate them. Agria, likewise, can be a bit too attached to her own way of thinking to consider anyone else's, and it's Emma I look to most when I think about the ways that Woljif forces her to consider other perspectives.

Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

A little bit like Emma, it's Katara's best and worst traits that make her such an influence on Agria. Katara is equally as capable of being kind, curious, and passionate as she is of being controlling and emotional. She can carry grudges and be competitive. Agria is many of these things as well, and the combination of these traits is what always brings me back to her

Kitri, from Don Quixote.

Kitri, my love! From her very first entrance to the ballet, Kitri effortlessly commands the attention of those around her. After every movement, it's like she turns to the audience to say, "Ta-DA!" She is fiery and joyful and alive! She has enormous spirit and insists on having things her way. She's a bit of a brat (affectionate). She is who I look to when I want to represent Agria being a drama queen.

Evgenia Medvedeva, Russian figure skater and Olympic silver medalist.

There is a kind of insanity at the heart of athletes that I'm obsessed with. A sense that if you just push yourself hard enough, you will accomplish everything you want. Evgenia Medvedeva has so much of this, and I am convinced she is the most intense person who has every lived. "As soon as you take it easy," she explained in one documentary, "you get nowhere. You're the same as everyone else." Are you sure about that, two-time world champion, Evgenia Medvedeva?? But it's never enough. That's Agria!

Template:

[theprinceofpeacesposts]

The Right Attitude

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Pr 23:7 NKJV

 

What separates the best from the rest? Have you ever given that some thought? What separates a gold medalist from a silver medalist in the Olympics? What separates a successful entrepreneur from someone who doesn’t make it? What makes it possible for one person to flourish after a debilitating accident while someone else gives up and dies? It’s attitude! The Bible says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Your attitude can be your greatest asset or your greatest liability. It makes you or breaks you. It lifts you up or drags you down. The right attitude may not let you do everything, but it will help you to do anything better than you would when your attitude is wrong. The happiest people in life don’t undoubtedly have the best of everything; they simply try to make the best of everything. They’re like a person in a remote village who daily goes to the well for water and says, “Every time I come to this well, I come away with my bucket full,” instead of saying, “I can’t believe I have to keep coming back to this well every day to fill up my bucket!” Your attitude has a profound influence on your approach to life. Ask a surgeon if a patient’s attitude matters when he or she is trying to save that person’s life in an emergency room. Ask a teacher if a student’s attitude has an impact before they take a test. Jesus said, “According to your faith be it unto you” (Mt 9:29). Like a magnet, faith draws on the strength which God offers.

[veryace-ficrecs]

Social Media Fic Recs

One of my guiltiest and pickiest pleasures in fic are twitter fics! This list is made up of some of my favorite in the category, including socials other then twitter.

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

The Martian:

The Mark Watney Report by AsperJasper - Rated G

Space Pirate-Ninja @MarkWatney nasa must agree with me if they only censored my f*uck a little bit last time i tried to swear at martinez they replaced it with an emoji

Space Pirate-Ninja @MarkWatney this is what power feels like: making some poor person at nasa decide which curse words are appropriate to be tweeted out over work wifi

You Know You Have a Permanent Piece of My Medium-Sized American Heart      by tricatular - Rated T

“Hey Hermes!” The ambient suspicion level in the Rec ratcheted up significantly. Kapoor was disturbingly cheerful. “We’ve sent you some mission updates in the data dump, but Mitch and I wanted to personally let you know—” Mitch visibly rolled his eyes in the background. “—That thanks to some…strong suggestions from the White House, and on Annie and Director Sanders’ recommendation, we’ve started releasing Watney’s Mars logs to the public.”

Marvel:

Caption That by maddo - Rated T

Peter’s Instagram had been pretty popular since Instagram’s account noticed and reposted one of his photos, an impossible angle of the New York skyline (thank you Spider-Man) and was floating at around twenty thousand followers.

Then suddenly, @pparker was in the top 100 most followed Instagram accounts.

Just a bunch of little anecdotes regarding our favourite spider and his Instagram account, feat. a meme-tastic Tony Stark.

The Life of Spidey (As Seen Through A Spider-Man Fan Account) by hi_im_jared_19 - Rated T

Spidey-is-a-disaster @chaoticgoodboy

Disclaimer: I appreciate Spidey stepping up to help others. If more people acted like him, the world would be a better place. He is undeniably a good person. That being said, he is an entire human disaster, and I’m here to prove it.

OR

Spider-Man's rise to popularity through the lens of a random twitter account dedicated to his dumbassery.

the conspiracy kids by tempestaurora - Rated T

Series: 3 Works

in which peter, harley and ned ask the all-important question: WHO IS SPIDER-MAN? 

one mask at a time by natelette - Rated T

Spider-Man is unmasked, and the world reacts.

Or how Peter, the internet, and the entire world deal in the wake of Mysterio’s video. Spoilers for Far From Home.

DC:

The True Identity: Bruce Wayne by November_Clouds - Rated G

makayla | sc mkyla457 @mkyla456        lmao watch him go off        [attached: Video of Bruce Wayne in business casual clothes screaming as he charges towards The Penguin brandishing a long black pipe. Behind him is the main center for the Martha Wayne Foundation, front windows shattered and reception desk on fire. The Penguin looks Scared.]      

After a tweet goes viral, people think they've finally figured it out. The real identity of Bruce Wayne.

Red Hood.

(social media fic, based off that tumblr post)

Gotham Online by julidoesnotwrite (notjuli) - Rated  T

The Waynes and the Bats as seen through social media.

gotham : a conspiracy thread by noahfense (orphan_account) - Rated T

ti(i wanna die)m @nightwingsass

the real reason Batman hasn’t responded to my conspiracy thread is because he’s jared,19,

-

in a world where Jason Todd didn't die and Tim Drake has parents that actually care about his wellbeing, Tim runs a popular batfam stan account and his followers convince him to start a YouTube channel.

Yuri on Ice:

Night is Young and the Music's High by opalish - Rated T

"Best press conference ever," the Japanese Nationals silver medalist says when asked.  “Ten out of ten, would medal again.”

"I would die for Katsuki-kun," Minami declares, with terrifying sincerity.

  On ICE!!! by Watermelonsmellinfellon - Rated M

The first time Katsuki Yuuri saw Victor Nikiforov perform, he realized he had a great desire to see figure skating in a video game. In fifteen years, his dream is realized. Little does he know that Victor's attention has been caught by the very game he unknowingly inspired. So ensues the cutest meeting ever and the relationship that follows.

Love Born in the Eye of the Storm by ScribblerQueen1 - Rated T

After a snowstorm cancels their return flight and all the hotels are overbooked, Yuuri decides to detour home to wait it out. He offers to let other stranded skaters stay at Yuu-topia, he just didn't know one of them was Victor Nikiforov. 

(i'm) the boy you'd die for by jenmishe - Rated T

v-nikiforov ✓

[Video: A short clip where Victor is laying dramatically on the couch with miserable expression. “Heartbreaker” by Marina and the Diamonds is playing.]

13,481 likes

v-nikiforov✓ Am I the another one? (((

vitYASS victor,,,, honey,,,, i lvoe you so much,,,, but WHY are you like this.

red-blue-gay but??? does that mean that somebody has broken victor’s heart???? I DON'T UNDERSTAND

christophe-gc ✓ You’re ridiculous.

starsaregay But who recorded it?? Makkachin???

vityathebabe user @starsaregay asking the real question.

--- The adventures of Yuuri "Heartbreaker" Katsuki, or: how Yuuri became known as a cold player full of himself who doesn't care about anyone. (Hint: it's an anxiety and obliviousness.)

Haikyuu:

Framing by Fayah - Rated M

At age 22, Kozume Kenma had millions of subscribers on youtube, one blissfully fucked out Hinata Shouyou on his bed, and a plan. 

conflict of interest by zukushou -Rated T

“If you are familiar with the world of D-1 volleyball, chances are you’ve heard the names Hinata Shouyou and Kageyama Tobio. Both twenty-four-year-old athletes are famous for their skill and athletic prowess, but they’ve recently become household names for their intense rivalry.

Early this year, Hinata Shouyou signed onto the MSBY Black Jackals as a wing spiker after a two-year stint in Brazil, playing beach volleyball. He was an unknown in the V-League, but he quickly proved himself with his defensive skill and incredible jumping height and speed.

It wasn’t until the fateful Schweiden Adlers vs. MSBY Black Jackals match just yesterday that viewers came to the realization that Hinata Shouyou was the long-awaited rival of Kageyama Tobio.”

OR

Kageyama and Hinata are married. The press seem to think that they’re hostile rivals who despise each other.

On Great Rivalries and General Dumbassery by NocturnalNights - Rated G

It's not exactly that they were hiding the fact that they had been married for about 7 years now. It's that no one seemed to have caught on yet.

Or: Kageyama and Hinata may have forgotten to mention one very important part of their rivalry.

Good Omens:

 it's a new craze by attheborder - Rated T

CROWLEY: I try not to make a habit of gratitude, but I must give our appreciation to everyone out there who’s been listening and subscribing to The Ineffable Plan. AZIRAPHALE: Ooh, yes, we’ve become quite popular, haven’t we? CROWLEY: Yeah, just hit number eight on the advice charts … No advertising at all. AZIRAPHALE: Mm. How … miraculous. CROWLEY: … Aziraphale. You did not.

***

Crowley and Aziraphale are very possibly the people least qualified, on the entire planet, to start up an advice podcast.

But what else is there to do when the world isn’t ending anytime soon, you’re technically on indefinite sabbatical from your lifelong careers, and you need a plausible excuse to spend more time with your best friend who you’re definitely not, absolutely not, maybe just a little, actually maybe overwhelmingly in love with?

hear that bell ringing (but won't get the door) by Rivran - Rated T

Social media: 1 Aziraphale and Crowley: 0.

These could all be read standalone, but it’s better if you read them in order. No, yeah, you should definitely read these in order. Each story features Aziraphale and Crowley, with a supporting cast of human characters for that sweet sweet outsider POV.

It (movies):

Retweet Verse by plinys - Rated T

Series: 12 works

A collection of post-It Ch2 fics that are a mix of domestic Richie/Eddie and social media interactions from all the Losers.

Buzzfeed Presents: 10 Times Richie and Eddie Tozier were Very, Very Married by kyaticlikestea - Rated T

Stanley Uris @surisaccounting I was going through my most recent photos and came across this nice one of @richietozier and @etozier at their wedding last week. Congratulations to the happy couple. They’ve never looked better. [attached image is a photo of two penguins arguing]

Richie ‘My Husband is Also A’ Tozier ✔ @richietozier replying to @surisaccounting Hey @surisaccounting take down that tweet or I’ll keep doing this [attached image is a photo of a Common Potoo, which has been incorrectly labelled ‘Crow’ in Comic Sans font]

Buzzfeed makes a list of all the times Richie and Eddie Tozier, beloved husbands of the Internet, were incredibly married. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it isn't a short list.

Nicest Celebrity You've Ever Met? by atomicteaparty - Rated G

Richie Tozier is a loudmouth guy who can’t be kept down by any woman at all! He’s a party animal who’s constantly meeting new people and living up the party lifestyle… or at least, that’s what his onstage persona is.

What if people who’ve met him realize he isn’t the same guy in real life?

Or: Some people talk about how Richie Tozier surprised them on reddit

14 Reasons Why Richie Tozier and His Husband Are #relationshipgoals by robin_hoods - Rated M

Get yourself a man who looks at you like Richie Tozier looks at Eddie. 

areas of expertise by dudski - Rated T

The Exoneration of Richie Tozier by Blissymbolics - Rated T

COMEDIAN RICHIE TOZIER VOLUNTARILY CONFESSES TO STRIKING AND KILLING AN ESCAPED CONVICT IN WHAT MAINE AUTHORITIES ARE CALLING A JUSTIFIED HOMICIDE IN DEFENSE OF ANOTHER

Tozier reportedly struck the assailant on the back of the head with a blunt object in defense of his childhood friend, Michael Hanlon, a librarian who lives in Tozier's hometown of Derry, Maine.

I killed a clown. AMA! by liesmyth - Rated T

I (39M) got stabbed twice today and now I want a divorce. Help?

Or: the one where Eddie is on Reddit.

October 14, 2016.

@PuzzleStan is:

-A puzzle enthusiast named Stan (44%, 3553 votes) -An anonymous stan of puzzles (44%, 3602 votes) -A puzzle enthusiast named Stan who is leaning into the wordplay (12%, 969 votes)

Misc - For Fandoms with only one fic:

#thatjacksonkid by The_German_Grim_Reaper - Rated G

Fandom: Percy Jackson

Following an episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved, several twitter users do their best to uncover the truth about Percy Jackson.  They get surprisingly far.

 Mr LAFD Updates Man by hammersmiths - Rated T

Fandom: 9-1-1

Series: 2 works

Eddie mans the LAFD Twitter account. Buck tries to be supportive.

Audience: 822,000 and Homeland Security by WerewolvesAreReal - Rated G

Fandom: Leverage

Hardison starts a live-stream for Dragon Age to show off his new mods. And he kicks ass. But his viewers are actually a bit more concerned about the angry guy in the background of his videos, and the blond chick who keeps peering through his windows.

"Is this some kind of performance art," asks peskytroll341.

Actually Me - Eddie Munson by Savi_Yoi - Rated G

Fandom: Stranger Things

This idea was bouncing around my brain at 3am so I just had to write it down.

Eddie is a famous musician. Gaining fame through the 90s with Corroded Coffin. Him and Steve have been together since 1987, but they were always very private about their relationship. Steve is like a cryptid in the Corroded Coffin fandom, with very little information about him, and very few pictures. Eddie is promoting a solo album in 2021, and Steve is pulled on camera to do a silly interview with him. They're about 54/55 in this fic.

This is the transcript of that interview.

[just-another-mess-in-a-dress]

Drabble #1

YOI Snz Post #4:

This one came out of nowhere and became my whole life for a few weeks. I just love them you guys, I just LOVE THEM A LOT!!

A 4+1 things style drabble/fic in the form of Viktor snz… because, and I will reiterate, fetish!Yuuri is the best goddamn thing to have ever happened. Also I headcannon that this is how Viktor finds out about Yuuri’s fetish bye.

Meet and Greet 1

The first is a quick video, shoddy at best from a fan account that has long since been abandoned… most likely. Viktor is as stunningly beautiful as ever before, his long hair tied back as he flashes that charming smile at his hoard of fans. He’s signing a few photos and random objects thrust his way.

Then he pauses, his hand still outstretched for the next item as he shakes his head. It looks like he tries to reach for it again but cannot break whatever spell possesses him.

He turns his whole body away from the crowd of fans and a soft pair of sneezes can just barely be heard.

“hesh-HETche!”

“Bless you!” The crowd responds as he turns back toward them.

“Thank you.” Viktor’s bright smile returns as he places a hand over his heart. He says something to the fan in front of him that the audio does not pick up. The video ends with the group laughing at whatever is said and Yuuri has spent years wondering what it was that got such a response.

 Interview 2

The second is a much better quality video, one of the last interviews in which Viktor had his gorgeous long locks tied back in an intricate braid. His posture was impeccable and his bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle as the interviewer retells a tale of Viktor’s success.

Yakov beside him is giving a cordial answer to the next question as Viktor’s gaze suddenly becomes distant. It’s a subtle difference, his eyes mist over and his mouth parts just the slightest bit. He blinks slowly, once, twice, then he sniffs subtly.

He gives a breathy chuckle when the interviewer makes a joke, Yakov makes another comment and Viktor’s breath jitters a bit in his chest.

“And Viktor, how do you feel moving into this next stage of competition season?” The interviewers asks brightly.

Viktor doesn’t respond at first, seemingly at a loss for words. Then he gives a stuttering, breathless, “Ho-holdon.”

In one swift motion he’s turned away from the Yakov and towards the camera where he releases two perfectly muffled sneezes into his elbow.

"Heh’MPFT! Mmmft!”

“Bless you!”

Viktor shakes his head a little before releasing one final sneeze, “Uh’Peschumff!”

“Bless you.” The interviewer chuckles, “Got anymore in there?”

“Not yet.” Viktor chuckles sniffling as he re-enters the world, “Excuse me… What was the question?”

 Podium 3

He’s just won his third consecutive world championship title and he’s so lovely on that podium. With his elaborate costume and his perfect smile. The Russian national anthem plays under the sounds of commentators talking about the incredible feat of this win, Viktor looks as proud as ever with a hand over his heart.

The camera pans back up to the flag before returning to his face. In that time, his smile has faltered and his eyes have glazed over. He isn’t mouthing the words of the anthem, he rarely does, but this time his mouth hangs open. Almost as if he’s surprised. There’s one last flash over to the flag for the conclusion of the anthem before the attention is back on Viktor.

He has his head tilted back and a hand hovering over his face that he has to snap into not a second later. The camera captures all three sneezes, unfortunately without sound.

Chris, the silver medalist, reaches up to put a hand on Viktor’s back. The commentators on the video laugh and give their blessings to each sneeze. The competitors come together for their photo op and one of the reporters says something that sticks with Yuuri to this day:

“Well, guess he isn’t a god after all if he still sneezes.” They laugh.

Yuuri isn’t certain one person has ever been more wrong…

 Instagram Story 4

It’s a different kind of video than the others, but only just slightly. Viktor is on a walk with Makka, his smile as charming as ever as he directly addresses his fans. The day seems bitterly cold, his visible breath hangs in the video, and the bright morning sun makes his skin glow.

The video itself is for a sponsorship, some airline that must have spent thousands of dollars to have Viktor speak about them.

“So if you have any suggestions of where I should go comment on my most recent post! Thanks again!”

Viktor smiles and waves at the camera as the next slide pops up. There’s text splayed across the top: BLOOPERS! The first part of the clip has Viktor tripping over Makka as she barks at another dog. Viktor gives a rumbling laugh that still sets Yuuri’s heart on fire.

“Yes, you’re a very good girl.” Viktor leans down and hugs Makka, giving her a perfect opportunity to lick his cheeks.

The slide changes then to him standing fully upright reciting a line from the advert when his brows crease together.

“And I want to know what y-you-HISHEW!” He sneezes completely uncovered onto the camera, the spray mixes together with the cloud of his breath.

“Oh no…” He gasps for breath twice, pulling his scarf up over his nose as he crumples into the next two sneezes, “Nn’gshh! I’gmfft!”

“Oh goodness, excuse me!” Viktor sniffles at the camera, “I think the cold is getting to me.”

He blots his nose with the scarf before righting himself. The video ends with Viktor looking at the scarf and laughing.

 The One He Didn’t Put There

Yuuri has, on occasion, been known to save videos to a secret folder on his phone. Maybe it’s weird and maybe it’s even weirder the lengths he goes to in order to hide his desires but he didn’t ask to be psycho-analyzed. In any case, it’s not like he’s even hiding it that hard, it’s in a folder tucked away in an obscure app so it’s not like he’ll even get found out.

So, when he goes to watch them for the first time in a few months (because having the real thing right in front of him was more than enough) he’s a little confused to see the number five next to the folder. He doesn’t remember saving a fifth video… and he can’t think of a time recently when Viktor’s sneezed that was recorded.

He’s been packing to leave for Saint Petersburg all day, his fiancé is halfway across the world already and he’d just wanted to unwind a little. But when he opens the folder to inspect the newest clip, his heart nearly gives out.

Viktor’s got a smirk on his face as the video starts, the knuckle of his index finger lazily rubs the underside of his nose.

“Hmm… I think you have something to tell me Yuuri. I am your coach and fiancé after all! I should know everything about you.” He grins at the camera and sniffs deeply as he drops his finger.

His eyes go blank as his nose twitches, “Oh… I… I need to-… Heh… Heh-HE’EPTESCHOO! Eschtuh!... there’s… there’s o-one more… Eh’PCHOO! Oh wow.”

Viktor wipes his upper lip with a single finger, “Mhm… Anyway, we should talk about your little secret my love. You may be surprised at how understanding… and accommodating I can be.”

Viktor winks at the camera before the video ends and Yuuri is pretty sure his soul has vacated this earthly plane of existence. Three things become abundantly clear then:

1)    Viktor Nikiforov is not as dumb as everyone thinks

2)    Yuuri has to password lock every piece of tech he owns

3)    He has, without a doubt, the best fiancé on earth.

All of this (and the wicked boner he’s popped from that video holy shit) to say, that Yuuri Katsuki is anxious to get to Russia. Seems that this new life he’s about to embark on has a little more in store for him than he originally thought.

[macaroni-rascal]

Skate America predictions?

Grand Prix is beginning and I am so pumped! Let's goooo!

Men: Gold is Ilia's to lose, he can take it very easily. Silver and bronze, however, are very much up for grabs for whoever skates best on the day. Aymoz could pull two very good skates and snag a medal, Shun Sato is a skater I always enjoy watching who can also be a surprise medalist. Deniss is always a good skater to watch, and I'm excited for what he can do this season, I hope shows up and shows out!

Women: I think gold is going to be a fight between Isabeau, Loena, Young, with Isabeau getting home court advantage, it will be a bit tougher for Loena and Young, but they are both capable of gold. I wish good things for Amber Glenn and Mana Kawabe, I hope they both skate well, I could see either of them getting a bronze if others make mistakes.

Pairs: With only 7 teams, it will be open season for teams who would normally be middle of the pack. Lia and Trennt have a wide open field to get their first GP medal, and I think it's very possible they can even fight for gold against Hocke and Kunkel, who are a good team, but prone to mistakes. One of the home US teams will get a boost, but who's to say which one, they are all quite mediocre. Lia and Trennt are going in as the team with the highest personal best, 193.00, which they got at worlds last year, so that's always a good sign. The only other team close to them are Hocke and Kunkel, who got their PB this season at Lombardia, with a 191.76. I'm excited to see the fight between them, either of them winning a GP gold is big for them!

Ice Dance: Chock and Bates will undoubtedly take gold, even if they fall in both programs, it is theirs by a large margin. Considering how ice dance scoring has been this season, it's hard to say who will take silver and bronze. My heart says it will be Green and Parson and Lajoie and Lagha fighting for silver, but the love the Mrazek's and the Taschler's got during the senior Bs, they will also be up in the mix, which does make it more exciting! I hope beyond hope that Marjo and Zak can get a medal here, silver if possible, but that's a tall order. I would be happy with bronze, but realistically, I think they are going to be lucky to be in the top 5.

Those are my thoughts/predictions!

[freifraufischer]

2003 Cottbus Turnier der Meister

So this is one of my favorite meets of all time and that might seem like a random thing to say about a random world cup qualifier from a non Olympic year held in March.  

First let’s just start with how stunningly amazing this field is:  

2004 Olympic vault gold medalist Monica Rosu

2001 World floor silver medalist Daniele Hypolito

2004 European AA Champion Alina Kovich

2002 World floor gold medalist Elena Gomez

2003 World floor gold medalist Daiane dos Santos

2003 World beam gold medalist Fan Ye

2000 European floor gold medalist Ludivine Furnon

2000 Olympic floor and vault gold medalist Elena Zamolodchikova 

Oksana Chusovitina, Anna Pavlova, Beth Tweddle whose resumes I do not need to list 

as well as Oana Ban a beautiful gymnast who should have had a career I did not need to list.

I love watching great gymnasts in low key low stakes meets and this is just delightful and for a meet in March there is relatively little splatting.

But the sentimental reasons have to do with the fact that @darthmelyanna wrote an entire book chapter set at this random 2003 gymnastics meet and I will have a soft spot in my heart for it forever.  I think she and I picked it just based on the date and relative location for plot purposes in the novel but that’s also when I discovered “hey this entire meet is on youtube”.  And thus the start of “OMG so many meets are just on youtube...”

[douxlen]

Why Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic Gold Medal for Pakistan Is So Significant

New Post has been published on https://douxle.com/2024/08/10/why-arshad-nadeems-olympic-gold-medal-for-pakistan-is-so-significant/

Why Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic Gold Medal for Pakistan Is So Significant

Javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan made history at the Paris Summer Olympics on Thursday, bagging his home nation its first ever Olympic track and field win. Nadeem will bring home the first gold medal the South Asian country has seen in 40 years.  

The 27-year-old athlete, hailing from Mian Channu, in Pakistan’s Punjab province, shattered an Olympic record when he launched a throw of 92.97 m on his second attempt in the men’s javelin final. Nadeem bested the previous record of 90.57 m, registered by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. 

“Our brother has won the gold medal and I’ve lost my voice because I’ve been celebrating all night,” his brother Shahid Nadeem told CNN on Friday, as celebrations continued into the night across Pakistan. Nadeem is the third of eight siblings born to Muhammad Ashraf, a retired construction worker, and Raziah Parveen. 

“When he gets home we will celebrate him in such a way that the world will never forget! We are simple people and will celebrate with kheer (rice pudding) and whatever Allah gives us, we are happy!” Shahid said.

Nadeem arrived in Paris as a silver medalist, after he became the first ever Pakistani athlete to claim a medal at the World Athletics Champions in 2023. In Thursday’s final, he beat out defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India, 26, who secured a silver medal in the final. Chopra recorded a best of 89.45 m alongside five other fouled attempts. Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters, 26, won bronze with a 88.54 m throw. 

Despite fierce competition, Nadeem and Chopra’s friendship warmed hearts as the athletes—hailing from nations with a history of conflict since the Partition of India in 1947—defy lingering tensions. The pair were seen embracing each other after claiming their medals. According to local media, Nadeem and Chopra’s mothers have each said their son’s competitor is like their own child. 

Pakistan’s sporting excellence is often concentrated in cricket, but the nation now has 11 Olympic medals across men’s hockey, men’s wrestling, and men’s boxing. The nation sent a contingent of seven athletes to Paris this year. 

Nadeem’s win breaks Pakistan’s 32-year Olympics dry spell since the men’s hockey team claimed the nation’s last medal, winning bronze at the Barcelona games in 1992. But it has been four decades since Pakistan left the games with a gold medal. The men’s hockey team won first place in Los Angeles in 1984, and prior to that the team also won gold in 1960 and 1968.  

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Nadeem on his historic win with a post on X (formerly Twitter). “You’ve made the whole nation proud young man,” he wrote.

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Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo takes subtle dig at ‘arrogant’ and ‘loud’ Noah Lyles after 200m final

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Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo takes subtle dig at ‘arrogant’ and ‘loud’ Noah Lyles after 200m final

Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo took a subtle dig at his American counterpart, Noah Lyles, after he was asked about becoming the face of men’s track following his victory in the 200-meter final on Thursday. Tebogo, making his Olympic debut, stunned the field to win gold in the men’s 200m final after failing to medal in the 100m final earlier in the week. Lyles, who won gold in that race, settled for the bronze medal in the 200m before it was later revealed that he had contracted COVID-19 days earlier. After the race, the runner from Botswana sat alongside defending silver medalist Kenneth Bednarek of Team USA to discuss his victory. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMTebogo fielded several questions, including one about his aspirations in the sport and whether his goal is to become the face of men’s track. Tebogo conceded that Lyles is better suited for that role, but he appeared to make a subtle dig at Lyles’ disposition.”I think for me, I can’t be the face of athletics because I’m not an arrogant or loud person like Noah [Lyles],” he told the room full of reporters. “So, I believe Noah is the face of athletics.”NOAH LYLES SETTLES FOR BRONZE IN MEN’S 200M, LEAVES TRACK IN WHEELCHAIR AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR COVIDBednarek did not respond to the remark made about his teammate. Lyles has not shied away from his excellence in the sport. After winning three gold medals in last year’s world championships, he received backlash for suggesting that other athletes, like NBA players, didn’t have the right to call themselves world champions. “I have to watch the NBA Finals, and they have ‘world champion’ on their head. World champion of what?” Lyles said at the time. “The United States? Don’t get me wrong. I love the U.S. at times, but that ain’t the world. That is not the world.” Lyles won the United States’ first gold medal in the men’s 100m since 2004 this week and was hoping to further stake his claim as the sport’s best by becoming the first American to win the 100m and 200m since 1984. He was unable to do so, and he will likely not participate in Friday’s 4x100m relay either. “I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics. It is not the Olympics I dreamed of, but it has left me with so much Joy in my heart,” Lyles wrote on social media Thursday. “I hope everyone enjoyed the show. Whether you were rooting for me or against me, you have to admit you watched, didn’t you?”He signed off on the message, writing: “Sincerely, Your world’s fastest man for the next 4 years!”Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.  

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Teofimo Lopez and Jamaine Ortiz Prepare for Junior Welterweight World Title Showdown

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Published: February 06, 2024

Lopez-Ortiz and Keyshawn Davis-Jose Pedraza will be broadcast THURSDAY live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT

LAS VEGAS— Teofimo Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) and Jamaine Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs) hosted their public workouts today ahead of their showdown for Lopez's WBO and Ring Magazine junior welterweight world titles this Thursday, Feb. 8 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. In the 10-round lightweight co-feature, U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (9-0, 6 KOs) faces Puerto Rican former two-division world champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza (29-5-1, 14 KOs).   Lopez-Ortiz and Davis-Pedraza will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT. Undercard action, streaming live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT, will include the following fights: George Acosta vs. Rene Tellez Giron, 8 rounds, lightweight Javier Martinez vs. Raul Salomon, 8 rounds, middleweight Abdullah Mason vs. Benjamin Gurment, 8 rounds, lightweight Charlie Sheehy vs. Abdel Sauceda, 8 rounds, lightweight Alan Garcia vs. Tomas Ornelas, 6 rounds, lightweight Antonio Zepeda vs. Lemir Isom-Riley, 6 rounds, heavyweight  Art Barrera Jr. vs. Michael Portales, 4 rounds, junior welterweight This is what the fighters had to say:

Teofimo Lopez “It’s a super fight. It’s great to be back. I’m here to do it for everyone and the next generation. I’m excited. Everybody is here to see greatness.” “Talk is cheap. He can say what he wants, but it’s a lot different when they feel these punches. I love guys like him who think they can take this. But I’m 'The Takeover.'” “I’m not one dimensional. I’m universal. I’ve got plans from A to Z. I’ve been training since last August. So, I’m ready.” Jamaine Ortiz “I’m feeling great. I’m ready to put on a show and have some fun. That’s all I’m here to do, to have some fun. I’m excited to be crowned world champion. My time is coming. This Thursday, I will be crowned the new champ at 140.” “I’m bringing my heart. I’m bringing everything, my soul, my whole body. I’m willing to risk my life in the ring. He beat me before. I still have that in mind. So, I’m going to avenge that loss.” Keyshawn Davis “I feel excited. I feel good. I can’t wait for Thursday. I’m looking forward to an amazing performance. I’m trying to stop Pedraza. He’s only been stopped once, by another Davis. Now it’s going to happen with a Davis from a new generation. I feel like this is my breakout fight. It’s going to put me at the top level.“ “He has experience, but I’ve dealt with that before. It doesn’t make a difference. It’s just another fighter and another opponent coming to win. This is going to be a fight. I finally feel like I’m going to be in there with someone who can really fight. Whatever game plan he has, I feel like he’s going to test me. And I’m going to rise to the occasion.”

Jose Pedraza 

“It’s been a year since I fought, so I'm happy to be back. I can’t wait to fight Keyshawn Davis.”

“Keyshawn is an excellent boxer, but I have more  experience. He has a lot of experience, too, but as an amateur. He has a typical North American style, so I expect a good fight from him.”

“I feel stronger at lightweight. This is my division. When I moved up to junior welterweight, it wasn’t because I couldn’t make the weight. I had a goal of becoming a three-weight world champion." Alan Garcia “I’m very excited to be on another great Top Rank card. I’m ready to show what a kid from Kansas can do. In every camp, I work on hurting my opponent, but I’m always prepared to go the distance.” Charlie Sheehy “I feel good to be fighting in my first eight-rounder. I’m meant for more rounds as I’ll be able to finally implement a game plan and break people down.” Abdullah Mason “I’ve been ready to fight eight rounds for a while now. I'm looking forward to longer fights and more durable opponents so I can work towards breaking them down.” Javier Martinez “I’ve watched a lot of film, and I’m prepared to do what I gotta do. I don’t like to predict. But with the way I’ve prepared, I’ll be looking to finish it soon.

(Featured Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)