#skate america 2021

[figureskatingcostumes]

Young You skating to Les Misérables for her free program at the 2022 World Championships, 2021 Skate America and 2021 NHK Trophy. Her costume was designed by Lisa McKinnon.

(Sources: Ester Ayerdi Photography, Danielle Earl Photography, Getty Sport and sn_figure)

[rinkasisopods]

Congrats to Wakaba Higuchi for winning gold 🥇 at Skate America 2024!

This marks the first senior Grand Prix gold this season and Wakaba's first senior Grand Prix gold since her senior debut 8 years ago. This is also her first Grand Prix medal since 2021! Congrats again to Wakaba 🎉🎉

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

a list of some winter movies/series ❄️

hello! your friendly neighbourhood little organisation freak of a goblin is here again to give you a list of winter movies and series. this isn't a christmas focused list, just winter vibes, there's only a very very small handful of christmas centred stuff on here. as always, just close your eyes and point somewhere on this little list, or even put the numbers in a generator and go with whatever the result is ♡

spring | summer | autumn

🧣 ‧₊˚ ⋅ movies ⋅˚₊‧

star wars franchise (1977-)

the shining (1980)

edward scissorhands (1990)

beauty and the beast (1991)

the muppet christmas catol (1992) 

batman returns (1992)

the bodyguard (1992)

the cutting edge (1992, 2006, 2008)

while you were sleeping (1995)

titanic (1997)

anastasia (1997)

snow day (2000)

bridget jones’s diary (2001)

save the last dance (2001)

monsters, inc (2001)

peter pan (2003)

the day after tomorrow (2004)

family stone (2005)

ice princess (2005)

the chronicles of narnia: the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe (2005) 

the holiday (2006)

last holiday (2006)

eastern promises (2007)

the curious case of benjamin button (2008)

the time traveler’s wife (2009, 2022)

sherlock holms (2009)

black swan (2010)

inception (2010)

new year’s eve (2011)

the girl with the dragon tattoo (2011)

red riding hood (2011)

they grey (2011)

captain america: the first avenger (2011)

the vow (2012)

anna karenina (2012)

snow white and the huntsman (2012)

frozen (2013)

the wind rises (2013)

iron man 3 (2013)

snowpiercer (2013)

the drop (2014)

winter’s tale (2014)

the grand budapest hotel (2014)

carol (2015)

the age of adaline (2015)

the revenant (2015)

everest (2015)

krampus (2015)

split (2016)

phantom thread (2017)

wind river (2017)

murder on the orient express (2017)

atomic blond (2017)

the mountain between us (2017)

night hunter (2018)

hold the dark (2018)

the nutcracker and the four realms (2018)

alita: battle angel (2019)

anna (2019)

little women (2019)

five feet apart (2019)

last christmas (2019)

happiest season (2020)

the world to come (2020)

silver skates (2020)

spider-man: no way home (2021)

the mauritanian (2021)

black widow (2021)

something from tiffany's (2022)

ghostbusters: frozen empire (2014)

🛷 ‧₊˚ ⋅ series ⋅˚₊‧

criminal minds (2005-2020, 2022-)

downton abbey (2010-2015)

game of thrones (2011-2019)

orphan black (2013-2017)

peaky blinders (2013-2022)

critical role (2015-)

daredevil (2015-2018)

wynonna earp (2016-2021)

war and peace (2016)

godless (2017)

the punisher (2017-2019)

anne with an e (2017-2019)

the bodyguard (2018)

killing eve (2018-2022)

the mandalorian (2019-)

young royals (2021)

shadow and bone (2021-2023)

vikings valhalla (2022-2024)

the last of us (2023-)

masters of the air (2024)

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

ISU released an article about Shoma

Two-time ISU World Champion and three-time Olympic medalist Shoma Uno of Japan has announced his retirement from competitive skating after a long and distinguished career and is ready to open a new chapter in his life.

“I have decided to retire from active competition,” Uno wrote on Instagram. “I am very grateful to have been able to continue skating for 21 years since I was 5 years old, and to have had a wonderful athletic life.”

The Japanese star will talk in more detail about his retirement and future plans in a press conference scheduled for May 14.

The 26-year-old looks back at a career with many highlights and also difficult times, but he always came back, proving his talent and showing resilience. When five-year-old Shoma went to the ice rink in his hometown of Nagoya with his father to have fun, he had no idea that he would become a World Champion, Olympic medalist and super star of the sport. He only knew that the enjoyed skating and kept coming back to the rink, taking lessons. He trained with Machiko Yamada, the coach of Japanese skating icon Midori Ito and also with Mihoko Higuchi for many years and worked his way up in the skating world.

Uno debuted in the ISU Junior Grand Prix in 2011 and was so tiny that he was unable to look over the boards. He won a few medals on the Junior circuit but his breakthrough came in what was his last Junior season in 2014/15 when he qualified for the first time for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final where he claimed gold. Shoma went on to take the ISU World Junior title in 2015, in what was his fourth and final appearance at the event (climbing from 10th in 2012, 7th in 2013 and 5th in 2014).

Once at the senior level, Uno quickly became one of the top Skaters in the World. In his World debut in 2016 he placed 7th but then the next year won silver, his first of a total of four World medals. In his first Olympic Winter Games in 2018, Shoma skated off with the silver medal and returned on to the Olympic podium four years later, earning the bronze. In 2022 and 2023 Uno crowned himself ISU World Champion.

However, in between there was a time of struggle. In the 2019/20 season, for the first (and only) time in his career, Uno finished off the podium in the ISU Grand Prix Series. He had left his coaches since childhood and struggled with confidence.

“At first, to be honest, I was thinking about finishing my career,“ he said in an interview at Skate America 2021 about this time.

“I did not know how much longer I would keep going. But imaging the end (I thought) maybe I'll enjoy the rest of this career as an athlete.“

Uno started to work with two-time World Champion Stéphane Lambiel as his coach and choreographer in fall 2019 and soon came back strong. He grew as an athlete and a performer with beautiful programs that highlighted his versatility: “Turandot” (Free Skating 2017/18), “Great Spirit” (Short Program 2020/21), “Bolero” (Free Skating 2021/22) and “Spiegel im Spiegel” (Free Skating 2023/24) to name a few.

At the same time, the Japanese star always pushed the limits technically and made history by becoming the first Skater to perform a quadruple flip in competition in 2016.

“When I train and want to become better, it's not good for me to work on what I can already do. If I'm satisfied with just giving 80 per cent, I'm not good. The right training for me is to push my limits,” Uno said in an interview.

The Japanese Skater has an independent mind and a fun personality. He has a Youtube Channel where you can meet his three toy poodles Emma, Baron and Toro.

“When I am on the ice, I am totally focused on my sport, but when I'm off the ice, I am sure most people know I am just a lazy slacker, but I thought that would be a good way to show to the people how I am off the ice, but still this is Shoma Uno,” he explained.

When asked who inspires him the most, Shoma’s surprising answer was:

"Myself. Of course, I think I am inspired by many people and heard some good words from everyone, too, but in the end when you break it down, I do feel that it is myself that inspires me and sadly, I don't listen to anyone. Sometimes I listen, but mostly I go with my own mind,” he added.

For sure Uno will follow his own ideas in the years to come but you can certainly expect to see him gracing the ice in shows for a while.

[figureskatingfanblog]

Japan went 1-2 at Skate America. Wakaba Higuchi came up from fourth to win the free skate, and her first GP gold, and her first medal since 2021. Rinka Watanabe came up from third to win the silver. Isabeau Levito of the US won the bronze.

[thanktrusova]

american media: its effects on the teenage prodigy

For those who don't know, one of my favorite skaters is Alysa Liu.

Alysa is a 2x US national champion, junior and senior world bronze medalist, and 2022 Olympian.

But, one thing about her is when you look her up, one of the subheadings on her wikipedia is "2021–22 season: International senior debut, Beijing Olympics, World Championships, and retirement".

What happened to her? What was so troubling about the 2021/22 season that caused this all to happen at once, and at the age of 16?

From my limited research but somewhat extensive knowledge, the one thing I can connect this early retirement to is the American media.

Before I start, I just want to preface that I am very glad they retired on their own terms, and not due to injury or something worse. Though I do miss them.

-

Alysa was 13 when she won her first senior national title in January 2019, the youngest female to win US nationals as of today. She defended her title the next year, winning back-to-back nationals at only 14 years old.

Also in the 2019/2020 season, they had their international junior debut. During this, they became the first woman to complete a triple axel and quadruple jump in competition, as well as achieving the status of the first non-Russian girl to win a Grand Prix event for around 20 competitions. They went on to win bronze at the World Junior Championships in March 2020.

This bout of success caused eyes of every American media outlet to be focused on young Alysa. They started deeming her as an American prodigy, the only hope to have an Olympic medal in Ladies' Single Skating at Beijing 2022. This was still two years away from the Winter Olympics, and she was only 14.

The next year, 2021, Alysa underwent a growth spurt, which, obviously, is normal for a 15 year old girl. Because of this, she lost her triple axel and quadruple lutz jumps, causing American media to forget her, or worse, doubt and even berate her. If she can't beat the Russians at the next Olympics, who can? The media gave up hope on her and did not care about the effects of doing so.

Cut to the 2021/2022 season, Alysa's international senior debut. She officially secured the third spot for US ladies at the Olympics, and performed average at her Grand Prix assignments, placing fourth at both. She had to withdraw from US Nationals due to COVID, but still managed to petition for a spot on the 2022 Olympic team thanks to her performance history. Once again, she was America's "only hope" for a spot on that podium.

Overall, she placed 7th, the highest out of the three American female skaters. She claimed she was pleased with her performances, and that she was just happy to be in Beijing. A little over a month later, she won bronze at the 2022 World Championships, being the first American woman to medal since 2016.

Months later, they announced their retirement, and have not (publicly) skated competitively or professionally since.

They also archived all social media.

While other reasons can be argued for this happening, the main one is the pressure put on Alysa at such a young age to be the saving grace of American figure skating.

I know you're wondering, has the media learned and changed?

And as an answer, I will point you in the direction of 18 year old Ilia Malinin, who media has dubbed "heaven-sent for US figure skating", or even tell you to keep an eye on 15 year old Isabeau Levito, "America's new hope".

[sunskate]

CPom on Polina Edmunds's podcast pt 2:

Choreo from last year- what did it feel like to have the newness in choreography and those names inspiring you C: they're the best choreographers in the world - they produce good programs after good programs - it was a dream to work with them, they bring such a creative energy every day, from Marie-France, Madi, Sam- they have such a vision and a genius about skating. it's a dream to work with A: last year I was coming from an injury and a shortened off season, so everyone came together to strategize what the best music was and how to connect everything together. We're really happy to have had the team we had, because it made my comeback very good

Last season was a breath of fresh air after a couple challenging seasons- missing Nationals in 2020 because of covid, then 2021 finishing 7th at Nationals, Anthony's injury, though you finished the season strong at 4CC with a bronze medal- You came back brilliantly this season- you went to your first Worlds - talk about the impact-

They were in contact with someone who had covid and found out 3 days before they left, didn't have covid but couldn't go to Nationals. C: i wish my test came back positive because at least then would be missing because i was sick. perfectly healthy but had to sit at home. was crying all the time A: pretty devastating - felt like they were in the best shape they could be in. wanted to redeem themselves from not the best performance at Skate America that year. so having that opportunity taken away was devastating. that was when we made the decision to move on from Igor. hard times make better people, but it was hard. also wouldn't have my dog George if it wasn't for that. C: when they got the call [that they couldn't go, Anthony] didn't say anything, but stood up, said I'm getting a dog, and left my house A: i stayed off social media that week [of Nationals], and as soon as it was over, i drove to Ohio to get my dog, George

Support systems- what was it like to move to Michigan without your parents at a young age- how has that impacted your life? C: when I moved, I didn't really speak English (!!!) was really hard communicating with people, i missed my parents so much. now I'm grateful for the experience- I'm super independent, I can easily live by myself, it's taught me a lot, but back then it was hard A: for me I lived with a host family for 2 years. so it was definitely different but it wasn't a big shock. once i moved away around the age of 15/16, it got difficult quickly, because I missed that family dynamic. I missed my parents, my brother - I took it for granted before. time difference [to California where his parents live] made it difficult. learned a lot of valuable lessons. learned independence earlier

Anthony's injury, what was your mental state through surgery -- A: ankle - 2015 a bad sprain early in their career. neglected it. were finally getting international competitions, didn't want to take valuable time away - fought through the pain, some days it was really bad. got worse year after year. got opinion after opinion saying get surgery. then finding time to do it. figured the end of the olympic quad was the best time. and it was a great decision because able to do things now he wouldn't be able otherwise. [about mental space] - we just had had a pretty rocky season. it was a really difficult 3 months of recovery- really was unsure where the partnership was going, if I even wanted to continue skating. took a lot of evaluation of my life, where I wanted to go. beneficial to take a step back and look because i established clear goals for myself and my life To Christina, what was your mental space then- how did you approach the following season after-- C: the transition season from changing coaches was really difficult. the approach to training was so different from what we were used to. before we did it to please other people or out of fear (!!!) and then once we moved, we didn't have that aspect any more. you kind of have to do it for yourself because you like doing it and because you want to get better yourself. and learning that transition was really hard, and you saw that struggle in most competitions. and getting to Nationals, that was a really hard Nationals, The offseason was hard for me as well - there were a few shaky moments, and I was training by myself, long and sometimes it's boring, but once we made clear goals for the following season and got together, we approached training with a completely different mindset, we dove into what the coaches were saying, of trusting their process, trusting their training and really giving everything we have, and it's really paid off. I'm happy we had that rocky season because it's taught us so much, and now our mindset for training and competition is so different than before

What were the goals you set out- C: we had some results goals, but we mostly focused on trusting the process. trusting what we were given that day, if we were tired, that's ok, it's normal, just trusting what our coaches wanted. that was one of our main goals. approaching competition differently -doing it for ourselves, whatever the outcome with judges, points - as long as we're happy with what we did, that was enough. Results- make the world team. we always told ourselves, if we don't make it but we skated our best then that's ok, and it just didn't work out, we'll try harder next season. those were our goals

And you guys did it, congratulations, high five

[an-odd-idea]

Oh my gosh the men! (Figure skating)

I suppose it was about time they had the seasonally required short program flop fest (the ice demands sacrifice) Flashbacks to Skate America 2021, oh my gosh NOBODY had a clean skate, not one single person

Also what is up with the judges assigning GOE, like Jimmy Ma’s step sequence got +1 and +2 from all but one judge- what did that one see to give it -2? Also Kao Miura’s spin that got several +3’s, another random -2? And his other spin with the random -1 in a sea of high pluses? AND Koshiro Shimada’s step sequence with lots of +2’s, here comes a sudden -1. Honestly I don’t usually look at those numbers so it might be the case like that often, but it just jumped out at me this time with the bulk of sudden anomalies, all from the same judge

Judge 3 was NOT in a good mood!

(Or there may be more serious shenanigans afoot, but I’m going to wait another round before saying something like that- it is interesting, however, that it was pronounced enough for me to go “hey wait a minute-“)

He was also harsher on Matteo Rizzo’s and Liam Kapeikis’s spins than other judges, but there at least one or two others were also with him? (They truly didn’t know what to make of Matteo’s camel spin lollll, how does an element get the same number of +2 and -1? I can’t wait to see it for myself)

[doctorhelena]

Doctorhelena’s 2022 Fanfic/Fanart Roundup

It’s that time of year again! Here is my annual fanfic/fanart roundup. (And here are the 2018,  2019, 2020, and 2021 versions!)

This year I posted:

7 different stories (including two drabble collections), with a total of 49,901 words 

10 different pieces of fanart!

and 4 Action Figure Adventures, which are - also some content I created. 😂

Fanfic:

1. All I Want For Christmas (Peggy Carter / Steve Rogers) - 22649 words Perhaps this was what settling down looked like, to them.

2. Caps out of The Bag (Peggy Carter / Steve Rogers) - 9277 words Captain America and Captain Carter have been successfully hiding their romantic relationship for just over a year. Until today.

3. Comfort and Joy: The Lost Chapter (Peggy Carter / Steve Rogers) - 6042 words Chapter 9.5: In Which A Scandal is Averted and a Mission Prepared For

4. Between the Acres of the Rye (Peggy Carter / Steve Rogers) - 5606 words “Hey, Barnes stole a jeep! Come on, Steve, let's go! You, too, Carter.”

5. A Stutter in Time, chapter 15 (Peggy Carter / Steve Rogers) - 4327 words (in this chapter) 1945 Peggy Carter appears in Tony Stark’s lab, and immediately throws a wrench into everything.

6. "I’ve Got the Shield. You’ve Got the Sword" (A Collection of PeggyNat Drabbles) (Peggy Carter / Natasha Romanoff) - 1000 words PeggyNat drabbles written for the Wednesday 100 Drabble challenge on Tumblr.

7. One Hundred Words to Say "I Love You" (A Collection of Steggy Drabbles) (Peggy Carter / Steve Rogers) - 1000 words Steggy drabbles written for the Wednesday 100 Drabble Challenge on Tumblr.

Fanart:

1. Battle of the Blades (Steggy) A figure skating AU (and fic preview!)

2. “Howard, I’m going to kill you for making me wear this bloody hat.” (Peggy Carter) A celebration of Peggy’s 101st (or possibly 103rd) birthday

3. “I assure you, Private, this is not what it looks like.” (Steggy) Peggy and Steve “getting office supplies” during the war.

4. “I spent three years in the mud of the European Theatre… the Eastern Front, the Western Front, and everything in between." (Steggy, Howling Commandos) A quiet moment around the campfire.

5. Washington DC SSR Chief Peggy Carter, her mysterious husband Grant, and their possible spy baby Jane. (Steggy) A family portrait (and fic illustration!)

6. What If… Captain Carter Had Met Bernard Stark? (Peggy Carter, Natasha Romanoff, Edwin Jarvis, Bernard The Flamingo) “Bernard in accounting was asking about you.”

7.  “Peggy donned a floppy brimmed hat trimmed with red ribbon, candy-apple colored sunglasses and a new two-piece bathing suit decorated with cherries.” (Peggy Carter, off-screen Steggy) Peggy and her toddler daughter looking fabulous on the beach (a fic illustration!)

8. “I could finish this a lot faster if I didn’t keep getting kicked.” (Steggy) Steve, a very pregnant Peggy, and a Halloween art project.

9. Captain Carter and the Christmas Alligator (Peggy Carter) A Little Golden Book written and illustrated by Steve Rogers (a fic illustration!)

9. Cozy Christmas Eve (Steggy) Peggy and Steve enjoy some much-deserved Christmas Eve downtime.

Action Figure Adventures:

1. “I can do this all day.” (Steggy)

2.  “So, any plans for Saturday night?” (PeggyNat)

3.  “Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable.” (PeggyNat)

4.  “I’ve got the shield. You’ve got the sword.” (PeggyNat)

(Yeah, I don’t know what these are. Basically, playing with Barbies out loud, I guess. 😂)

[figureskatingcostumes]

Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii's Malagueña costumes at the 2021 Skate America and 2021 Internationaux de France.

(Sources: 1 and 2)

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Blacks for Trump demonstration at the Miami Federal Courthouse yesterday

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

“DONALD TRUMP UNDER ARREST, IN FEDERAL CUSTODY.”

It was quite a chyron from CNN, marking the first time in the history of the United States that a former president has been charged with federal crimes. And in this case, what crimes they are: the willful retention, sharing, and hiding of classified documents that compromise our national security. Trump’s own national security advisor John Bolton said, “This is material that in the hands of America’s adversaries would do incalculable damage to the United States. This is a very serious case and it’s not financial fraud, it’s not hush money to porn stars, this is the national security of the United States at stake. I think we’ve got to take the politics out of this business when national security is at stake.”

Cameras were barred in the courtroom as Trump pleaded not guilty to the 37 charges in Miami today. Presiding magistrate judge Jonathan Goodman ordered Trump not to communicate with witnesses about the case, including co-defendant Waltine Nauta, then released him on his own recognizance, that is, without needing to post bail. Special prosecutor Jack Smith was in the courtroom; ABC’s senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott reported that Trump did not look at Smith.

Then Trump went back to his residence in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he gave a speech that New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, who is close to the Trump camp, described as low energy, focusing on his insistence that he had a right to keep the classified documents (which experts agree is nonsense and amounts to a confession) and that the indictment was “the most evil and heinous abuse of power.” Right-wing Newsmax and the Fox News Channel (FNC) carried the speech; CNN and MSNBC did not.

FNC has been hemorrhaging viewers since it fired Tucker Carlson, a threat to its bottom line that might have been behind its chyron tonight attacking Biden by claiming “WANNABE DICTATOR SPEAKS AT THE WHITE HOUSE AFTER HAVING HIS POLITICAL RIVAL ARRESTED.”

In statements similar to the one from FNC, right-wing pundits spent the day flooding Twitter and other social media with furious insistence that Trump is being unfairly prosecuted, followed by attacks on former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and with allegations that there are tapes of President Biden accepting bribes—allegations that Biden openly laughed at this evening.

But that performative outrage among leaders did not translate into support on the ground in Miami. Law enforcement had been prepared for as many as 50,000 protesters, but only a few hundred to a thousand turned out (one wearing a shirt made of an American flag and carrying the head of a pig on a pole).

The lack of supporters on the ground was significant. Since the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, much of Trump’s power has rested on his ability to call out his base to silence opponents by threatening violence. That power was in full force on January 6, 2021, when his loyalists set out to stop the counting of the electoral votes that would make Democrat Joe Biden president, believing they were operating under the orders of then-president Trump.

Since then, though, more than 1,000 people who participated in the events of January 6 have been charged with crimes, and many have been sentenced to prison, while Trump, who many defendants say called them to arms, has skated. That discrepancy is likely dampening the enthusiasm of Trump’s supporters for protest.

Today Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo pointed out that the audacity of Nevada’s militia-related Bundy family simply grew as family members launched successive stands against the federal government without significant legal repercussions. Republican politicians cheered on their attacks on federal officials for political gain, while Democratic politicians didn’t push to go after them out of concern that a show of federal power would alienate Nevada voters.

Trump’s threats and determination to stir up his base seem to reflect a similar consideration: if he can just rally enough support, he might imagine, the federal government will back off.

Federal officials permitting politics to trump the rule of law in our past have brought us to this moment.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[lhoe]

past years: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

[click to enlarge if needed] it’s that time of year again! 2022 has been a slow but good year overall. slow... but also a year that went by so quickly. didn’t consume as much media as I would have wanted (lots of trash tv, not many movies, and the brain wasn’t able to focus on reading a book in the second half of the year;;) but I did explore some new music! changed my hair colour a ton, and saw lots of skating (short track and figure skating!) especially in the second half of the year! I even got my first professional gig(tm) as media at skate america and interviewed my fav boy jun (aka the most stressful moment of my life!) ;;

who knows if I’ll migrate back here with twitter slowly seeing its downfall thanks to incompetent rich people but!!! one thing that will always remain is the my year in a nutshell tradition <3

see you in 2023! the first three months are looking up to be a busy (and fun) for me which is great!

[the-dying-fan]

I posted 1,876 times in 2022

That's 770 more posts than 2021!

52 posts created (3%)

1,824 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@niemernuet

@whereisyourpippinnow

@wunderlichkind

@heiavikings

@pea-green

I tagged 1,871 of my posts in 2022

#gif - 501 posts

#alpine skiing - 416 posts

#ski jumping - 360 posts

#marco odermatt - 204 posts

#olympics 2022 - 191 posts

#art - 173 posts

#fanfiction - 137 posts

#figure skating - 134 posts

#funny - 113 posts

#paintings - 110 posts

Longest Tag: 134 characters

#funny how some blogs i follow often reblog posts criticising america yet i haven’t seen a songle one post about war on ukraine 🤷🏻‍♀️

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

🌞Sunshine🌞

17 notes - Posted February 28, 2022

#4

just guys being pals or as the Czech commentator said: wonderful cooperation 🤗

Downhill Kitzbühel 21.1.2022

25 notes - Posted January 21, 2022

#3

Look at these cuties 😍

27 notes - Posted January 5, 2022

#2

They are levitating :D

42 notes - Posted January 17, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Severin Freestyler Freund

62 notes - Posted January 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[mugenmine]

I posted 226 times in 2022

That's 22 more posts than 2021!

24 posts created (11%)

202 posts reblogged (89%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@fuckyeahfightlock

@destinationtoast

@buckysbaron

@luthienebonyx

@pennypaperbrain

I tagged 210 of my posts in 2022

Only 7% of my posts had no tags

#stucky - 30 posts

#writing - 28 posts

#steve rogers - 27 posts

#mwt - 24 posts

#bucky barnes - 24 posts

#true facts - 23 posts

#mugen writes things - 19 posts

#captain america - 12 posts

#what remains - 10 posts

#you may never see - 8 posts

Longest Tag: 47 characters

#and came up with a wee 2-chapter one after that

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

10 notes - Posted June 16, 2022

#4

I’ve got 50k words between two WIPs now. Six chapters deep into a long fic and two chapters into a 5-chapter novella. This time last year and for many years before that I had zero words. Things are definitely looking up. Not sure how long this writing bout will last this time, but enjoying it while it’s here.

12 notes - Posted April 14, 2022

#3

Title: You May Never See - Chapter 1 Author: mugenmine Fandom: Captain America (MCU) Pairing: Steve Rogers/James “Bucky” Barnes Rating: NC-17/Explicit Chapters: 1/4 Wordcount: @ 5000 Contains: Pre-War II Steve and Bucky, Angst, Pining (tags will grow with each chapter)

Summary: His longing for Bucky flared up like summer allergies, some years the symptoms were relentless and painful in their severity, lasting weeks before they worked through his body and he could breathe again. Other times the feelings would be fleeting and easier to swallow back down. He didn’t know why this bout had lasted longer than all the rest, why thoughts of Bucky inevitably drifted to what his mouth would taste like, or what would happen if a touch was allowed to linger. This fever had been raging for more than a month now, and he just wanted it to fucking break.

* * *

So very weird to be writing/posting/putting stories out there again! New fandom, new pairing, new words. (same kinks, yo!) The story is complete and I’ll be posting it weekly. Thanks so much for reading!

15 notes - Posted January 29, 2022

#2

10 Things I Learned From my Duran Duran Fanfic

I unearthed my Duran Duran fan fic from the closet the other night. I've been contemplating posting it on AO3 but after cringing/laughing hysterically for an hour I think it might just be better off staying in the vault. But I did learn a few things...

I was 12 when I wrote it. For some reason I thought I was older.

Prince shows up in the third act.

This might have been my first bondage fic... (Hello, Nick Rhodes!)

I wrote the entire fic in first person starring ME! (*facepalm*)

I paired my least favorite friend with Andy Taylor...

Everyone in England drives an Aston Martin.

Guess overalls are all the rage.

All of my friends grew up to be high fashion models or private investigators...

Halfway through the story everyone goes ice skating.

Somehow we all end up at Studio 54.

It clocks in at 115 handwritten pages. Yikes! Sadly I never gave the story a title.

***

I was digging though my old LJ and found this entry and it still cracks me up. I'm still seriously thinking about transcribing this pencil-on-notebook paper disaster and posting it on Ao3 and just backdating it from the '80s... I'd have to change the names of all my school pals tho.

25 notes - Posted February 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

You May Never See - mugenmine - complete

Title: You May Never See - complete Author: mugenmine Fandom: Captain America (MCU) Pairing: Steve Rogers/James “Bucky” Barnes Rating: NC-17/Explicit Chapters: 4/4 Wordcount: @18,500 Contains: Pre-War II Steve and Bucky, Angst, Pining, Body Worship, First Time, Bondage, Friends to Lovers, Pre-serum Steve, and more...

Summary: Of all the ways he’d imagined his first time with Bucky—and he’d imagined many—sitting tied up on his kitchen table in his underwear, while Bucky dug under the sink for the first-aid kit had never been one of them.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36746308/

************

And it's done! I guess I'm officially writing for a new fandom now, I've got the receipts! This is the first story in a series that I don't have a title for yet. I'm excited to start the next one...

36 notes - Posted February 19, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[ledenews]

Andrew Hollis: Always Wheelin’ Around His Favorite New Town

Andrew Hollis has ideas. Good ideas. Sure, some are impossible, “pie-in-the-sky” ideas, but they’re all “man-wouldn’t-that-be-cool” ideas. Hollis often offers these social media suggestions that deserve attention, too, because this local business owner – he purchased Wheelcraft in Elm Grove back in 2021 after working there for six years – is a native of Clairton, Pa., so his brainstorms come from a fresh, “outsider’s” perspective that once was unwelcomed in Wheeling and considered as unreliable nonsense. “We’re from here so WE know BEST.” … “You’re a transplant … what do you know?” … “You can always go back to where you came from …” Thank goodness such a moronic mindset has dissipated, and local folks now look forward to hearing creative concepts that have worked well in similarly sized towns across America. Like a skate park, bike trails, a dog park, and a splash pad, and who knows what come might next or from where the idea originated? Thanks to his social media sharing, we know Hollis is hoping for proper bike lanes in the Friendly City, more preservation before demolition, continued growth in the local bicycle community, and a renewed city-and-citizen partnership that’s every-day focus is to maintain what we have and add what we don’t. Too pie in the sky? That’s what some thought a little more than 20 years ago about Heritage Port, too. Hollis and Casey Milliken work together at Wheelcraft and, on occasion, they get to participate in biking events in the valley region. How old were you when the training wheels came off your first bike? I learned to ride without training wheels around the age of 4 or 5. My parents lived on staff at a Christian missionary school in Concord, NH at the time. After a few failed attempts in the grass, I got the hang of riding on two wheels on the gravel driveway behind the building. I was so excited at the time and remember my dad saying, “Just keep pumping the pedals.” As far as re-painting bike lanes in East Wheeling to connect the trail to Heritage Port, where and how do you recommend the City properly mark the paths? So, Wheeling previously DID have bike lanes through East Wheeling, but they had fallen into disrepair and were never repainted when 16th and 17th Street were paved in 2021. At the minimum, I would like to see the old route re-established with green paint added and intersection crossings. I would also like to see the use of flexposts on 16th and 17th Street if they decide to use those streets as bike lanes. The route I would like to personally see is: Westbound: 17th / Jacob / 14th Eastbound: Nailers Way / 16th / Jacob / 17th Andrew and his wife, Susan, take advantage of local parks, trails, and other activities during their free time. Why has the e-bike become very popular in the valley over the past couple of years? E-bikes have seen quite a boom in the past few years, and it’s nearly to the point where it’s a 50/50 chance someone is on an ebike when you see someone riding a bike. In the Ohio Valley, many of the people you see riding a bike are simply using them for transportation and a way to run errands. They also have been popular with the aging population as a less strenuous and more fun way to get exercise. What is your favorite route to travel for a bike ride around Wheeling? So, I tend to ride the local city streets more than most cycling enthusiasts. I live in Woodsdale, (so) most of my rides tend to be a variant of a downtown loop, and tend to be under 20 miles. An example ride would be: Washington Avenue to the bike trail; through Tunnel Green to Market Street; across the Suspension Bridge; then a loop around Wheeling Island and across the Fort Henry Bridge sidewalk; At this point, I would have 2 options: 1) Out to 48th Street and back home, or; 2) Up Chapline Street and back home via National Road. Of course, Hollis is hoping to help grow the biking community in the Wheeling area, and he also hopes local governments will work to make the region more bike-friendly. What are the best and worst parts of doing business in the City of Wheeling? The best part has to be all the local support we get. People love to support local businesses in Wheeling and keep money in the local economy. Also, I feel like there are growth opportunities for businesses locally. The worst part would just be an overall lack of population in the area to support more niche businesses. Read the full article

[mediaevalmusereads]

Bone Rosary. By Thomas Lynch. Godine, 2021.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Genre: poetry

Series: N/A

Summary: Thomas Lynch spent his career as an undertaker in Midwest America—and in his off-hours became a writer of exceptional insight. Publishers Weekly calls him, “A poet with something to say and something worth listening to.” This collection presents 140 of his greatest poems drawn from his previous books, Skating with Heather Grace, Still Life in Milford, Grimalkin, The Sin-Eater, and Walking Papers. This is a collection for readers who love all life’s questions and mysteries—big and small.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: references to suicide, child death, rape, animal death

I first heard of Thomas Lynch while watching interviews with the mortician Victor M. Sweeney. When recounting the story of how he became a mortician, Sweeney mentioned Lynch's books and I immediately became interested; not only is Lynch an undertaker and essayist, but he also wrote poetry. I decided to check out his work.

Overall, it's very clear that Lynch pays attention to craft. Though I normally don't enjoy modern blank verse and free verse, Lynch has an ear for language and flow, and he makes use of various techniques such as assonance, internal rhyme, etc. As a result, the poems feel more deliberately constructed - not the meaningless statements with line breaks that one tends to see nowadays.

His topics are also beautifully chosen with a lot of focus placed on the mysteries of everyday life. One might expect that Lynch would write primarily about death (given his profession), and there's some poems about that. But Lynch is clearly contemplating the vast complexities of what it means to be alive and how we come to be the way we are, all through the lens of deceptively simple, easy-going language.

Still, I can't say all the poems were for me. Some of them got sexual in a way that I don't think was wrong, it just wasn't appealing. The Catholicism, too, was not quite resonant with me, though I respect that faith means a lot of things to a lot of people.

But even if I didn't enjoy every poem, there's a lot to like about Lynch's style and his outlook on life and death. I have great respect for his craft, and I look forward to reading more from him in the future.