#stars on ice japan

[rabidline]

2024 Stars on Ice Japan: Osaka - March 30, 2024 Kaori Sakamoto → Baby, God Bless You (Orchestral Version) by Shinya Kiyozuka, choreographed by Jeffrey Buttle

[figureskatingcostumes]

Satoko Miyahara skating to Vivaldi's Winter in the Abbotsford Stars On Ice show in 2022.

(© Tina Tyan)

[questintheskies]

SUKEBAN KNOWS HOW TO MAKE A DAMN GOOD HYPE VIDEO PACKAGE

[struwberrii]

suna headcanons 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅

here are my silly sunarin headcanons!! hope you guys likey

ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ (also is mostly relationship stuff but not all)

has the craziest sleep schedule like he stays up all night, falls asleep at 5am, wakes up at 8 am and just goes to school fine

buys you snacks from the vending machines daily

teases you a lot but is really flirty about it

probably most active at night and invites you out when it’s dark, he just likes how much emptier everywhere is

has the best music taste and always puts you onto his music

nonchalant dread head of japan

would probably sneak into your house through your window just to see you

says the funniest things with the most deadpan expression which makes it 10x

if you dont reply to his messages fast enough he hits you with the "why do you hate me"

he’s too honest sometimes and has a bad habit of saying things that are rude when he really didn’t have to

randomly tackles you and play fights

bros the type to pick you up and jump into the pool with you

does the bare minimum with all his school work

starts talking like you and using your slang when you guys hang out long enough

he’s the guy people talk shit around bc they think he’s quiet and a loner but he’s lowkey a shit starter and shares what he hears

slacks/lazy in most things but he carries you guys in fortnite

his bed is covered in stuffed animals from you, even all the cute sanrio ones

ur his profile pic online

i feel like he’d use discord and get paid as a mod on some server ����😭

calls you stupid as a term of endearment

he can always tell when something’s wrong, like he can sense if something’s off with you

probably wears a lot of sweat pants

always smells really woody and fresh (yk like generic men’s cologne idk 😭)

very touchy, loves having an arm around you waist :3

allergic to drinking water, ik his piss is acid (honestly same here….)

his sister loves you so much

lowkey the worst at soothing you/cheering you up so he just hugs you

let’s you do skincare on him, he thinks it’s relaxing

i feel like he’d own at least one of those stupid tiktok fidget toys that he swears works but everytime he uses it he can’t stop laughing thinking about how stupid he looks

has a bad diet only because he’s too lazy to actually cook

burps SO LOUD and SO OFTEN like hold it man

has a tiktok account that he rage baits people on and reads the comments to you pretending it wasn’t him who wrote them (smh)

tries to teach you volleyball so you guys can kinda play together

i feel like he’d know a lot about the stars and like the constellations

i also feel like he’d really like coke floats (ice cream + coke in a glass) a lot for some reason

acts like he doesn’t really care but he cares so much

he’s only vulnerable and emotional with you

randomly attacks you with kisses

i feel like he'd know some really good unknown dessert spots all around town

i feel like hes an adidas guy

says out of pocket stuff on purpose with no reaction just to see you panic (he thinks its funny)

[evilminji]

You know that Post about Danny becoming the False Villian, Expose?

To train all these kids, who are running around with shitty priorities and the self preservation instincts of lemmings? Because they were arrogant. Didn't listen to the concerns of those they "protect". Didn't listen to the concerns of a fellow Hero. So now, they WILL learn, at the hands of a "Villian".

Cause he TRIED pointing things out nicely.

Was met with a brick wall of condescension and dismissal.

THAT post.

You know where he would not only do that, but go APESHIT into it? Because he is a Hero and holy SHIT these kids are gonna get themselves killed? Gonna kill somebody ELSE? Have fucked up priorities and live in a fucked up system they do not even question?

Boku No Hero Academia.

Why the FUCK are you posing for the cameras? Why the absolute FUCK are you beating that man down on the worst day of his life, instead of TALKING him down? Why are you jumping too conclusions and splitting up and playing for the crowds? Why. The ABSOLUTE AND UNFORGIVING FUCK do you seem to ASSUME that every innocent soul, that doesn't look default generic human, is the AGGRESSOR in every situation you arrive at?!

Danny would have a conniption. Just a full body rage seizure, as his Ghost-y lil brain LIT UP with the BURNING NEED to fix everything, everywhere, at once. Right. Now.

But do they listen?

Ha!

Cool, cool cool cool cool..... he's gonna burn the entire country dow- No! That way lies Dan! Breathe, Fenton. Just.... Breathe. You can fix this.

The older ones may be set in their ways, but the younger ones are still learning. They can get better. BE better. They're kids. They just need opportunities to grow. And they WANT to be Heros, right? All he has to do is show them HOW. Poke their weak spots and point out their mistakes.

He can do that!

And just? Out of NO WHERE? This foreign villian decends upon Japan? What's worse, seeming to TARGET HEROS STUDENTS. Young, just debuted, Heros. Everyone freaks out. Older Heros closing rank, where they can, to try and Protect These Kids(tm).

But they can't be everywhere at once.

And this menace? Seemingly CAN be. Can make copies of himself. Use Ice. Fly. Energy beams. Intangiblity. Invisibility! What monster are they DEALING with?! That plays the flamboyant fool, dispensing deadly peril, only to then turn around, and in chilling sobriety absolutely destroy seasoned heroes?

That LECTURES them while doing it.

He's undermining the people's faith in the system!

(But should they have faith in it? Doesn't he have good points? Aren't they getting stronger, faster, better heroes for facing him? Where did he come from? Hasn't anyone else noticed that not a single civilian has gotten hurt, at his hands? That he annihilates any true villians foolish enough to think he's on their side?)

(How many "thugs" and "minor villians" have these guys not noticed, they wonder, who have just... disappeared. Come into contact with this guy and then? Stopped. Turned up somewhere else, weeks later, healthy again. Smiling with illegal lifestyle support gear, a new job, a new life, and better future. Finally free of the violence.)

Amity may be at peace by the time Danny turns 20(-ish? Maybe? Is he? Clockwork! How old IS he? You've sent him on so many of your weird timebend-y missions he lost count!). But? Danny is a Heroic Protector Spirit. His Obsession has demands. And his Human sides Space Obsession will never really be quite strong enough to support him.

You know, since it can't die.

Just because it HAS a Soul aspect to it, doesn't mean it'll ever come into practical use. So? The more powerful Heroic instincts it is! And honestly, he wasn't even planning to STAY. Just check the place out. You know, compare his options. But... *twitch*

They Are Doing It Wrong.

So now he lives here!

.....it's awful! They don't even have any space exploration! No studying, no stars, no futuristic moon base! Nothing! And he doesn't even SPEAK Japanese! In human form? He has no idea what anyone is saying! At least the Sorta-But-Not skeleton Ghost guy across the hall is helping. Dude might be taller then his DAD. Seriously ecto-starved though. It's like he somehow GAVE all his body's ecto to someone else!

How's he supposed to heal like that?! Guy really needs to learn how to take care of himself.

@hdgnj @babbling-babull @lolottes @nerdpoe @hypewinter @mutable-manifestation

[lorarri]

★ . . . 🇰🇷 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 , 𝐓𝐘𝟐𝟐

summary , the princess of kpop is on hiatus japan with a special someone but people are in denial until they publicly confirm it

pairing , yuki tsunoda x fem! kpop idol! reader

series masterlist | main masterlist | f1 masterlist | f1 grid masterlist

BABY

hey bby just booked the flight to japan

YUKI BBY

okie bby can't wait to see you

cuz dear god are the boys annoying me

BABY

what happened bae?

YUKI BBY

they were all just making fun of me for being "single" and not having dating rumors

BABY

dw bae we are gonna shut them up in a bit

YUKI BBY

okay baby

can't wait to see you

love you

yourinstagram

liked by yukitsunoda0511 landonorris 87,398,268 others

yourinstagram time I tokyo

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user UMMM SLIDE 3?!??!

user brb I'm gonna sleep on the highway tonight

pierregasly wonder who that is

user RUE WHEN WAS THIS

user pierre if you know something THEN PLEASE FUCKING SHARE WITH THE CLASS PLEASE

user who tf is he

user me as a f1 x kpop girly is laughing rn

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yukitsunoda0511 . 3hrs ago

seen by pierregasly yourinstagram 76,898,241 others

danielricciardo replied to your story!

why was I not informed there was a mrs tsunoda!?!??!

landonorris replied to your story!

simp

maxverstappen1 replied to your story!

double date soon?

pierregasly replied to your story!

when we were together you never bought me dinner yuki

youragency and yourinstagram . 1hrs ago

seen by landonorris yukitsunoda0511 32,480,563 others

─ requested by . . .

anon ─ here' a promot for S.Korea!S.Korea:Couple: Yuki x KpopPrincess!YNFace Claim: Wheein from MamamooStoryline:Yuki is being teased by a few of the drivers for staying single or having no dating rumor at all! And yuki shrugs them off. But during the summer break suddenly Dispatch/Koreaboo release an article stating that YN the princess of kpop was seen in Japan having fun during her hiatus and the photo shows YN and badly hidden Yuki Tsunoda having fun at a kartinh circuit with friendsSo, at first alot of YN and YT fans ignore dispatch's claims that the kpop super star and f1 driver are dating.But jokes on the fans because during thw remaining days of the summer break YN and YT starting posting and their friends start commenting on the posts like "Like heeey where's my invitation to get ice cream 🧐" (but yn and yuki dont confirm the relationship yet!!)Slowly a few fans start wondering if thw rumors are really true….but alooot of people still don't believe that YN and Yuki are together! That is until YN debuts in the paddock on the first race after summer break! And Yuki is holding YN at the waist as they walk towards the AT hospitality!So everyone is SHOCK!!! And Pierre is like you must really have strong rizz game because how did you bag THE YN?!!!hours after the race YN's agency releases a statement about the relationship which at the end has a note from YN saying "Please respect my relationship I'm genuinely 100% happy with Yuki"After the announcement, YN and Yuki post on their accounts about confirming their relationship

[boredbakedbeans]

class divide & struggle in haikyuu

haikyuu twitter has brought up the theme of class struggle in hq and it really got me thinking just how subtle and effective furudate is in portraying class divide throughout the story.

hinata is introduced riding a bike, seeing volleyball through a store TV (not his own like Hoshiumi, Ushijima, Kageyama), and years later he's still riding a bike up and down a mountain every day for an hour to get to school and practice. how the gyms in the public schools like nekoma and karasuno have stages because they're multipurpose, as opposed to the specific volleyball facilities that shiratorizawa and other private schools have. the bond that nekoma and karasuno have as being the public schools in their prefectures, being known as "scavengers", taking what they can get and fighting tooth and nail for it. THE DUMPSTER BATTLE.

Shiratorizawa Academy vs. Karasuno High. almost every other school (aoba johsai, shiratorizawa, kamomedai) having non-volleyball team-specific tracksuits and merch, while karasuno wears the generic "ics" athletic wear. star players like ushijima and hirugami having family that played pro-volleyball and got them started from a young age in professional spaces.

daichi's nightmare about the basketball team overtaking their gym and not letting them practice. kageyama noticing right away that the floors in the all-japan youth camp weren't wooden. takeda working overtime to try to get gyms reserved, practice matches organized, buses rented out. ukai still working at his grocery store his entire first year coaching karasuno (suggesting that karasuno couldn't afford to pay him enough).

karasuno having to adjust to the lights and the height of the ceiling at nationals, when all the other teams were used to it. karasuno renting out that little old inn for nationals, right next to the giant, 25-floor hotel that other teams were staying in. inarizaki intimidating their opponents with their huge student section, affording to literally transfer an entire student BAND from hyogo to tokyo.

it's the reason that there's something specifically annoying about ushijima when we first meet him, something off-putting as we see hinata and kageyama watching shiratorizawa practicing for the first time in their fancy gym at their huge school. something infuriating about hearing ushijima talk down to hinata and basically dismiss karasuno as a threat entirely. when ushijima says aoba johsai is "infertile soil", hinata thinks, if they are infertile soil, then I Am Hinata Shoyo from the Concrete. and our concrete school, despite all odds, despite lack of resources and funding and reputation, will still beat you. i don't have what you have and yet i will still make it to the top!!!!!!!

[eggplantgifs]

Yuzuru Hanyu: One Summer's Day » 2023 Stars on Ice Japan: Oshu

[classicjdog]

last song: cold rock it by 2 mello. honestly that whole album is so fuckin good, magic loop is one of my fav songs of last year

currently watching: nothing really. i don’t watch much regular tv and i’m not even a regular aew watcher anymore sooo i guess the g1? lol

currently reading: well not “currently” but i recently got done listening to jennette mccurdy’s book. it was really good, super super bleak though

current obsession: hiroshi tanahashi. been watching an arseload of old njpw the last couple months, and i was originally on an okada kick but i decided to watch every single okada/tanahashi match (i’ve watched 12 so far, only like 2 or 3 left unfortunately), which got me watching other tana matches and now i’m hopelessly in love with the ace

9 people you'd like to know better

I was tagged by the great @ijustthinkevilunoisneat forever and a day ago lol but finally here I go

Last Song Roxette - Listen To Your Heart

Currently Watching - It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Currently reading - The Young Bucks - Killing The Business

Current Obsession - Still Eddie Kingston lol

Tagging (no pressure)

@emberphantom @gracejones @daphne-minor @z-a-d-i-e @classicjdog @actionjeffson @ijustcantfigureout @alanangels @rockinthebeastmode

[ladykailitha]

Icarus Part 1

Hello! I know there are a few minutes left of the poll, but there is nothing that could happen in the next 15 minutes that is going to change the outcome.

3 to 1 in favor of the main story first. The only reason I asked, was because that story has been finished a long time, but this one is just getting started. But the masses have spoken.

Original prompt here.

Summary: Eddie and the Corroded Coffin boys made it big right out of high school. So big that Metallica could open for them. Outselling the biggest bands and artists. They are huge. Then a small little indy metal band called The Fallen comes on the scene. They wear hoods and masks and go by aliases. Eddie (and most of the rest of the metal scene) are dismissive of them. More splash then talent.

Only fans don't thinks so. So when Dustin takes him to one of their concerts Eddie learns two things.

One that they are super talented.

And two, that he knows at least of one the members' of the band's real identity.

@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @redfreckledwolf @emly03 @itsall-taken

****

Getting out of Hawkins had always been the dream. Being able to do it with three of the best people he had ever had the pleasure of knowing with their music? That was the cherry on top of the icing.

But Eddie never dreamed that Corroded would outsell one his favorite bands of all time. Never even crossed his mind to dream about.

But there it was in black and white. Corroded Coffin was the highest grossing band of the year. Metallica was seventh. Fuck they had outsold Taylor Swift for Christ’s sake.

Barely.

But it still counted damn it!

What was a surprise was the number nineteenth best selling band of the year. A band he’d never heard of before. The Fallen. It said the genre was metal in that little italic font.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Yeah, it was impossible to listen to every up and coming metal band. But if they had already hit this big with only their second album, surely Eddie would have heard them on the radio.

Only on their last tour Chrissy Cunningham, their beautiful and amazing manager had put an embargo on the radio because the riffs were finding their way into Eddie’s song writing. So he guessed it made sense that he hadn’t heard of them.

So he called the one person he knew who would have all the details on these guys.

“Dusty!” he greeted when the man picked up. Man. Shit, when did they all get so old?

“Eddie!” Dustin greeted back. “Finally back in town?”

Eddie grinned. “You know it. Dude, you know my tour schedule better than Chrissy does.”

“Maybe.”

He laughed. “Guess who hit the top of the most successful metal bands of the decade?”

“Oh my god!” Dustin screamed. “That’s so cool! Is the issue out on stands yet or did you get a sneaky peak for having made it to the top of their list?”

Eddie winced. “Sadly the later. But! I can bring it over to show you when I come to hang out.”

“That’s acceptable,” Dustin said. “Steve just got back in town, too. That label he works for sure does like dragging him all over the world.”

Eddie hummed. “Yeah? Where’d they send him this time?”

“Japan if you can believe it,” Dustin huffed. “He basically came home sometime around midnight and just crashed.”

Eddie didn’t know what Steve and Robin did for the studio, no one did. But the general consensus was that they were dogsbodies of some sort. Getting coffees for execs and stars, driving them places. Just stuff they didn’t want to hire out for, they made Robin and Steve do.

“I won’t be waking him up if I come over, will I?” Eddie asked, biting his lip. He had a crush on the other man. A large one. But fame and fortune kept getting in the way of something more.

“Nah,” Dustin assured him. “He woke up about an hour ago. He’s even showered and eaten. He’ll want to see you as much as I do.”

Eddie very much doubted that, but he was going to take it. “Great! This list is insane, man. I can’t wait for you to see it.”

“Come over for dinner,” Dustin suggested. “We’ll pour over the list over pizza and beer.”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re old enough for beer now.”

“Yeah, yeah, old man,” Dustin said. Eddie could feel the eye roll from here.

****

Eddie was watching Steve in interest.

He was walking around like he was used to being in high heels or something, as he would catch himself on his toes and force his feet down on his heels.

He would jump at Dustin throwing open the door. He kept touching his face and rubbing at his throat.

Robin was constantly pushing tea into his hands to get them settle. When they weren’t cradling the tea mugs, they were all over the place. Not just his face. But his back and stomach, too. Rubbing his palms on the front of his jeans.

“Dude!” Dustin hissed. “What is wrong with you? Japan can’t have been that different from America.”

Steve winced from the sound. “Bud, you are seriously being too loud. I told you that I have a migraine.”

Eddie tilted his head. “Hey do you need me to go? Butthead here said you were fine.”

Steve looked up at Eddie and his expression softened. “I’m fine as long as you aren’t yelling like Dusty Buns, here.”

Eddie chuckled. “I hear that. So how was Japan? When me and the boys went a couple years ago it was so beautiful.”

Steve rubbed his forehead between his eyebrows. “I wish I could have seen more of it. It felt like we were running nonstop. At least we aren’t roadies. I don’t think I could do the work they do. They’re the true beating heart of the operation.”

Eddie nodded. “Our last tour we had twelve trucks of roadies and equipment. It was insane.”

Robin grabbed Steve’s cold tea mug and swapped it with a warm one. Steve murmured his thanks. “I’m still not sure if I’m on this time zone yet. And I worry that this fucking migraine may throw me off even further.”

“Is that why Robin is plying you with tea?” Eddie asked. “To keep you awake enough to go bed at the right time?”

Steve nodded, humming contently over the cup of tea. “Nothing caffeinated, not really. Peppermint for the most part, honey lemon, too. She thinks I might be coming down with travelers’ cough.”

Again Steve made an aborted movement toward his face.

“Stop doing that!” Dustin hissed again. “Why do you keep touching your face like that? Did the Tibetan monks curse you or something?”

Robin smacked the back of his head. “That’s China, doofus! And no, no one has been cursed. We had to wear face masks like the surgeons wear for a lot of the trip because there had been a flu outbreak.”

Eddie nodded. “Ooh, yeah. They recommended we wear them too in certain areas, it wouldn’t surprise me if I was that twitchy when we moved to the Australian leg of the tour.”

Dustin eyed Steve warily, like he wasn’t sure if he should believe him or not, but Eddie had backed him up, so Dustin decided to let it go.

For now.

“Where were you touring again?” Steve asked Eddie after taking a long sip from his mug. “South America, wasn’t it?”

“Right in one, big boy,” Eddie enthused. “It was our first time in some of those countries so it was super exciting meeting the people, learning the culture, eating the food. I swear by the end of the tour we had all gained at least ten pounds and that was with us sweating our asses off on stage almost every night.”

Steve winced. “I don’t know how you guys do it, the stage lights we had were merciless.”

“Years and years of practice, Stevie,” Eddie said, “years and years of practice.”

Dustin turned to Eddie. “All right I think I’ve been patient enough, I want to see the top twenty money makers of metal before I vibrate out of my skin.”

Steve laughed and smacked the back of his head. “You know who number one is, why do you care about the other nineteen?”

Eddie shook his head. “Not just metal bands, my weird little friend. But out of all the bands.”

He pulled out the magazine and Dustin snatched it out of his hands, careful not to rip it.

Dustin was furiously reading the list and it was clear that he was looking for someone specific.

“Eureka!” he cried. “I knew it! I knew they were outselling other new metal bands.”

Steve looked over his shoulder. “Yeah? Who’s that, bud?”

“The Fallen!” he cried. “They are so cool man. They have these on stage personas like Daft Punk and they kick ass on stage. I was so bummed when they didn’t come to Pasadena or anywhere near there when they were doing their US leg of their tour.”

Dustin was going to school at Caltech because as much as he wanted to go to MIT his mom was worried about him being by himself, so he moved out to California to move in with Steve.

He was on campus for housing most of the year, but he came home on the weekends and that put Claudia’s mind at rest.

Steve himself had moved out to California a couple of years before. Robin and him had gotten a job at record company and had to move out there to be closer to the headquarters.

Interestingly, or at least to Dustin, Steve’s friends all found jobs out here, too.

“I saw that one,” Eddie was saying. “But I’d never heard of them are they any good?”

Dustin scoffed. “Are they any good? Holy shit are they good.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “They’re a metal band, no offense to Eddie here, but there are only three metal bands on the whole list. Most of them are pop, rap, or country. How good can they be?”

Eddie scoffed and held his hands to his heart. “You wound me!” Then he flopped on the sofa, playing dead.

“That’s what does make them so good, Steve,” Dustin insisted. “Because there are only three metal bands on the list, it means they had to work their asses off twice as hard as the others.”

Eddie popped up. “Yeah, Stevie!” He stuck out his tongue and Steve laughed.

“You got any of the albums?” Steve asked, with a flippant wave of his hand. “If they’re so good, let’s hear them then.”

A shadow crossed over Robin’s face and she looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn’t.

****

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25

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[rabidline]

2024 Stars on Ice Japan: Osaka - March 30, 2024 Kaori Sakamoto → Baby, God Bless You (Orchestral Version) by Shinya Kiyozuka, choreographed by Jeffrey Buttle

[figureskatingcostumes]

Satoko Miyahara performing on tour in Canada with Stars On Ice in 2022.

(© Tina Tyan)

[hanyjar]

do stars return?

itoshi sae x reader

summary: your childhood friend leaves, and you question if he’ll ever come back.

notes: [1.2k words.] i like to think this man has super angst potential but that won’t be unearthed today LOL no beta we die like men <3

disclaimers: childhood friends trope, angst (if u squint) to fluff, making out for a lil bit, poetic dialogue, forgiveness theme.

masterlist.

Itoshi Sae shines.

It's a truth you've come to realise at the budding age of seven. He, with his tepid stature and equally cold attitude, is destined for greatness.

A star, you whisper, once upon a time. A time where he lived without a million eyes watching his every move. You will become a star, I just know it. 

And back in the day, it wasn't just you who believed it. Everyone did. From his teachers to his classmates, to his parents and his brother. It was an indisputable fact that the boy who dedicated himself wholly to soccer, a prodigy who made the sport look like an art form, had his future set out for stardom.

So it is no surprise to anyone when your naive declaration comes into fruition.

His face is plastered on every billboard - as far as the eye can see. Japan's pride, he is known as. The Ice Prince; he who dominates the field; a force to be reckoned with.

Itoshi Sae: the star.

You are proud. No doubt. Though, it’s false to say that you aren’t envious. Sae is a trailblazer: one that surpasses all of his enemies with a nonchalant stare, and transcends into the sky with the other geniuses. He is a part of the lucky few who are destined to be gazed upon with awe. Everything and anything you have achieved pales in comparison.

(You’d surely hear reprimands if you voice those thoughts out loud, though. In your time, you have made a name for yourself. An expert in your passion at the mere age of seventeen; a trailblazer in your own right.

…It’ll just never compare to the name Sae built for himself, you think with finality.)

But above the awe and envy you feel whenever Sae’s name comes up, is love.

Love: a trap that is inevitable for a childhood friend of his. A pitfall that you have fell into. Your love for him is a bittersweet fact, one which tugs at your heartstrings whenever his face shows up on your phone. Sweet, because childhood love is a beautiful, rare thing - you’re glad that it has happened, in all honesty - though bitter all the same, because he is a star.

And stars shoot past. They never go back.

(He, will never go back.)

So for the years that Sae is gone, you float by on that knowledge. Merely acknowledging him as the one who crashed into your life, and left as turbulently as he came. You work diligently to mute the love that festered in your heart, knowing it will never be. 

You wholeheartedly believe that your life will continue in this fashion.

Then, the impossible happens.

The star returns, seven years later. On your doorstep, nonetheless.

"Itoshi?" 

Somehow, even in the ungodly hour of 12:56AM, Sae manages to look as beautiful as the day he left. It's unfair. Unfair for him to show up at your doorstep unannounced; unfair for him to have grown into his boyish looks as gracefully as he did.

It’s unfair for him to still make your heart race, even after all this time.

"Who else would it be?" He scoffs, the bite of his words not quite reaching his eyes. "And, Itoshi, seriously?"

His voice makes your heart leap. It's like you are ten again. "Well… You haven't been Sae for a while now," you say. "Not since you ghosted me, anyways."

Sae's eyes flicker with an emotion you thought he is incapable of feeling. "I didn't mean to." Regret. The Ice Prince is feeling regret, all for you. And if you were ten again, maybe that alone would shake you. But you aren't. You are several years wiser. You know better.

"It's fine if you want to be the best in the world. I don't blame you for that - not at all. But you can be number one and not neglect the ones that love you, y'know?" You slowly retreat back into the comfort of your apartment, hand creeping onto the back of the door. "Goodnight, Itoshi. You should go home; it's late."

You push the door, preparing to end the conversation then and there.

It’s not supposed to be like this, you realise. He, your first love, is supposed to stay in the past. Itoshi Sae should not be at your doorstep past midnight, suitcase in tow, as if he came straight from the airport to your house. The feelings you hold for him should be locked up within the depths of your heart - not surging in full force from just the sight of him.

But alas, fate plays its mischievous tricks once again. And Sae is not the type of person who lets blunders get away scot-free.

"…You love me?” He says, barely above a whisper, foot wedged between the door and the entrance. An impenetrable silence follows from your end. 

Seven years older, but still a fool in the face of love, it seems.

“I did,” I still do, your mind yells. “But you’re a star now, Sae. Just like I said you would be.” Your breath hitches, nails forming crescent-shaped indents within your palm. “…And stars don’t fall in love with the big, black sea of nothingness, do they?”

A beat of silence ensues from his end. You cringe at your own word choice. Maybe he left, you think. Great. Itoshi Sae was at your door, and you scared him away with your stupid love and even stupider confession. How stupid can you even get—

The door hinge creaks as you topple over, shattering your inner turmoil. Sae announces his intrusion with a loud sigh.

“Hey! What are you?— This is considered trespassing—“ You begin. Sae shuts you up with a forceful kiss, pinning you against the door that you were hiding behind minutes before. It’s messy, tantalising, addicting. The smell of his aquatic cologne fills your senses, and he cups your face in between his hands. He feels so warm. He feels like home.

Sae’s whole body screams of need. The need for you; the need to make up for the lost time. 

You hate how you are so weak for him. 

“Idiot.” He deadpans as the two of you part. “If you’re going to get all poetic on me, fine. Stars don’t fall in love with the galaxy.” 

You remove yourself from his arms, eyes scrunching in offence. Bold thing for him to say, especially after he just kissed your lips raw. “So… You’re not in love with me?”

“Let me finish.” Sae is quick to pull you back into his embrace, voice impossibly soft for the otherwise stone-faced boy. “Stars don’t fall in love with the sky. They live in it; I live with you.”

Sae hopes that the implication is clear.

You, alone, are his hope; you are the reason he sparkles as much as he does. Even while you were miles apart, his childhood friend was the sole thing on his mind. A star cannot shine without its galaxy, after all.

“You’re not off the hook, by the way.” You breathe lightly, laying your head against his chest. “Seven years is still a long time. I don’t think you can cuddle your way out of this one, Itoshi.”

A small smile elicits from his face, “I can try, can’t I?”

…And this star is willing to wait for his galaxy to forgive him, no matter how long it takes.

[grantmentis]

2024 Ice Hockey Women's World Championship: A Primer

When: April 3rd to April 14th. The schedule here will tell you when games are taking place both in your local time and venue time.

Where is it taking place?: Utica, New York

Where to watch:

For the first time, we will have ALL games broadcasted in USA and Canada. I am not sure how many games are going to be broadcasted outside North America, but we can reasonably assume they will at least carry their home country games

TSN will carry all games in canada

NHL Network and ESPN+ will carry a mix of the games together. See The Ice Garden's Michelle Jay's tweet for the schedule of which games are where.

SVT (Sweden)

Discovery (Finland)

Czech TV (Czechia)

Magenta (Germany)

TBS (Japan)

Swiss TV (Switzerland)

If you are not in any of these countries, or you are but are struggling to find a way to watch, please feel free to DM me and I will do my best to find you something

What is the tournament format?:

There are two divisions, Division A with the five ranked teams going into the tournament and Division B with the next five. Each division plays a round robin style ranking round, and at the conclusion the bottom two teams in Division B will be relegated, while the rest automatically make the quarterfinals. Quarterfinals will go A1-B3, A2-B2, A3-B1, A4-A5. In addition to the finals for gold that will take place, there will be a bronze medal game and a fifth place game for ranking. Standings will use a three point systems.

Who is in each division?:

Division A: USA, Canada, Czechia, Switzerland, Finland

Division B: Sweden, Japan, Germany, China, Denmark

Who are each teams?

Here is where it gets long. Below the cut I will tell you each teams roster, how they did last year, their reasonable goals, notable roster changes, and three players to watch. I will do my best to keep this informative, but brief.

USA

Roster:

(Text version available here)

2023 Result: Won Gold

2024 goals: Win gold again

Notable roster changes: This team continues to go very very young. Abby Roque is the most notable roster omission here. Top defender Lee Stecklein is also not on this roster, due to her taking a break from the National Team. Amanda Kessel was also left off, but she has not been active within the last year as a player, so not entirely surprising.

Three players to watch: Grace Zumwinkle has been one of the stars of the PWHL so far, and is likely to get more responsibility on the national team than ever before, so keep an eye on her and how she may translate her successful season to the tournament. Rory Guilday may only be 21, but she is heading to her third senior world championships, a long time favorite of the team USA coaching staff with her shutdown defensive skills who they'll hope can take another step this tournament with Lee Stecklein absent. Joy Dunne is the youngest player on this roster, just 18 years old coming off a 24-18-42 season in Ohio and a national championship. This will be her first senior level tournament, and I'd expect her to get ample offensive opportunities.

Canada

Roster

(text version available here)

2023 result: Silver

2024 goals: Gold

Notable roster changes: Micah Zandee-Hart is the most surprising one after being on the roster for a few years. Claire Thompson is absent as is Rebecca Johnston, but that is more expected while Thompson is finishing medical school and Johnston has not played in the past calendar year. Cousins Nicole and Julia Gosling join the team after strong rivalry series showings.

Three players to watch: Natalie Spooner is the front runner for PWHL MVP, so everyone will be watching to see if she continues to score at the rate she has been. Expected number one overall pick in the upcoming PWHL draft, Sarah Fillier, will be playing in her last showing before the draft happens as she finished out her college season. Nicole Gosling was the highest scoring defender in the NCAA this year at Clarkson, going 14-25-39 in 40 regular season games, so seeing how she impacts this blue line is a must watch.

Czechia

Roster

(Text version available here)

2023 result: Bronze

2024 goal: upset their opponent in the semifinals and make the finals

Roster changes: The bad news is top defender Dominika Lásková is out with injury. The good news is star goaltender Klára Peslarová is healthy unlike last year, as is blueline mainstay Tereza Radová. Alena Mills retired from the national team. Kristýna Pátková did not make the team this year, in her place comes Boston University commit Anežka Čabelová who had a stellar U18 worlds. Karolína Kosinová did not make the team, in her place is HV71 assistant captain Klara Seroiszková.

Three players to watch: 17 year old Adéla Šapovalivová was the highest scoring u18 player in the SDHL (Sweden's highest level league) this year and one of their top scorers in general going 11-18-29 in 32 regular season games. She was also a key part of the U18 team that upset Canada in the semifinals to advance to Czechia's first ever u18 final. With Mills retired, she will get more minutes at her third (!!!!) senior worlds. Next up is Klára Peslarová, and if you're not familiar with her game, she is straight up a top five goaltender in the world. She just came off a stellar season with Brynäs IF in Sweden where she had a .935 save percentage in 20 games, and has been consistently stellar on the international stage as well like when she had 55 saves against the united states at the olympics. Kateřina Mrázová is a fantastic playmaker has been a bright spot on a Ottawa tam that has struggled to find itself, and is also one of the most veteran members of this squad. If they win, she'll have to lead the way.

Finland

Roster

Text version available here

2023 finish: Fifth Place

2024 goals: Bronze

Roster changes: Two of their key offensive pieces Elisa Holopainen and Michelle Karvinen, are back and healthy this year! Susanna Tapani is also back on this team. Those are three absolute big pieces that completely change this roster for the better. A few depth roster forwards were left off in their place, most notably Kiira Yrjänen. Defense has more shakeups. Sini Karjalainen is a notable omission and long time defender Rosa Lindstedt retired. Eve Savander, Oona Koukkula, and Siiri Yrjölä slot in.

Three players to watch: I've consistently been a very big Elisa Holopainen fan and I think she's one of the best players in the world and not talked about nearly enough. Just as she began to really shine in the international stage, she got hit with injury, but as she's come back with year she dominated Finland's league going 32-25-57 in 19 games. I think I've put her as a player to watch like every year I've done a preview and I'm going to keep going it. Finland has faced a lot of questions about their goaltending following Räty and the team going their separate ways, but right now, it is Sanni Ahola's crease to lose. She was stellar in the three games she started last year for Finland in the world championship and was solid for st cloud state with a .935 save percentage in 17 starts this year. With Lindstedt's retirement, Krista Parkkonen will see more minutes, coming off a breakout sophomore year in a university of vermont program that's developed a decent amount of international blueliners.

Switzerland

Roster

(Text version here)

2023 result; 4th place

2024 goals: bronze

Roster changes: quite a lot of shake up. no Caroline spies as their mainstay backup, Alexandra Lehmann takes her place. No Sarah Forster, who wore an A and led their defense last time around. She only played 7 games in SWHL this year, so likely injury is at play.

Players to watch: it is, of course, the Alina Müller and Lara Stalder show until it isn’t. So, besides them, the players to watch are Andrea Brändli is another “top five goaltender in the world” to know, sporting a .937 in her first year playing in Sweden post a stellar college career. 18 year old Ivana Marie Wey just had a great year playing pro as Stalder’s teammate and will be important for the next Swiss wave. With no Forster, Lara Christen will take on a lot of the top defensive minutes most likely.

Sweden

Roster

(Text version available here)

2023 results: sixth

2024 hopes: return to group A

Roster changes: no Sarah Grahn which isn’t entirely expected but still a big change, in response Ida Boman gets the call. No Fanny Rask or Olivia Carlsson, who retired.

Three players to know: Ebba Hedqvist is a 17 year old elite center coming off a great performance at worlds and has an eye for playmaking that will be critical for Sweden. Maja Nylén Persson is the #1 defender of team Sweden that has consistently been the top defender by points in the SDHL and won defender of the year in 2022-2023, and she is only 23 years old. Another part of Sweden’s insane center depth is Lina Ljungblom, who will likely play in Montreal next year and had 46 points in 36 regular season games. In the various tournaments/friendlies that Sweden has played leading up to this (ie five nations cup), she has 10 goals in 15 games. These three players are truly some of my favorite in hockey right now

Japan

Roster

(Text version available here)

2023 result: 7th

2024 hopes: return to group A

Roster changes: honestly we mostly running this back. One or two u18 add ins but overall the same as 2023

Players to watch: stop me if you heard this before but Akane Shiga is very good. The PWHL Ottawa player is the only player from Japan to score against the USA, and will continue to be japans biggest threat. Another big player is Haruka Toko, one of the SDHL’s top scorers this year who had established herself as a top talent in the last two years. This year, the 27 year old had 13 goals and 30 assists in 36 games in Sweden this year. She was one of seven players in Japan to play in Sweden this year, a year that saw a new high in Japanese players going overseas to play. That also includes my last player to watch, Yoshino Enomoto, who played in switzerland and still put up around a point per game on a team that struggled (they folded in the offseason then came back and built their roster late and were ultimately relegated, but she was a bright spot in her first season there)

Fun fact: did you know three pairs of sisters play on this team? Akane and Aoi Shiga, Haruka toko and Ayaka Hitosato, and Rio and Riri Noro

Germany

Roster

(text version available here)

2023 Results: Eighth

2024 Goal: Make quarterfinals and avoid relegation

Roster changes: Both goalies behind Abstreiter last year, Chiara Schultes and Johanna May, did not make this roster with Hemmerle and Loist taking their place. The d core remains the same besides Daria Gleissner taking Heidi Strompf's place. National team vet Marie Delarbre is absent with injury, Sonja Weidenfelder did not play hockey this year and her status is uncertain, and Anne Bartsch did not make the roster. In their place we have Emily Nix, Lilli Welcke, and Lucia Schmitz.

Three players to watch: Luisa Welcke was with Germany last year, but has a second season in the NCAA under her belt and a nice depth player performance at Boston University. She will have more chances to show off her offense this tournament than in the NCAA, and I'm excited to see what she can show. Jule Schiefer had a revelation this year in the German league. From last year where she only scored 4 goals in 20 games, this year she scored 22 in 24. Let's see if she can continue this at worlds. Nina Jobst-Smith will play big defensive minutes for Germany after finishing her fourth season at Minnesota Duluth, this time serving as an assistant captain, and was nominated for 2023-24 All-WCHA Third Team. She's a two way defender who will be taking on big responsibility for Germany as she has in the past.

China

Roster

(Text Version available here)

2023 result: Promotion from Division I

2024 goal: Make quarterfinals and avoid relegation

Roster changes: Oh boy. So, like, a lot of people, and here is why: up until this tournament, China allowed dual citizens not born in China to play for them. This includes some players you may know from PWHL/NCAA like Leah Lum, Hannah Miller, Rachel Llanes, and Tia Chan. Going into this tournament, they changed the rules and those players will not be eligible, so it is a significant roster shakeup.

Three player to watch; This team is very young. Yifan Wang is 16 years old, and in her international debut scored 10 goals in 5 games in the WJC-D2A U18. This is obviously a gigantic step up in competition and very hard for a 16 year old to be playing against adults on the highest level stage of women's hockey, so I don't imagine she'll get a TON of ice time, but she is worth looking out for. Xin Fang is the veteran and star of this roster, who had 2 goal and 2 assists in the teams D1A tournament that earned them their promotion. 17 year old Dartmouth commit Grace Zhan is who I expect to be their starting goaltender. Born in Beijing, she spent the past year playing Minnesota High School Hockey and put up top numbers in a league that sees a lot of NCAA recruits.

Denmark

Roster

(Text version here)

2023 Results: Promotion from Division I

2024 hope: Make Quarterfinals and avoid relegation

Roster changes: Long time national team star and centerpiece of the team Josefine Jakobsen will no longer play for Denmark, though she will continue her club career.) Otherwise, despite some depth changes, it is mostly the same lineup.

Three players to watch: Frederikke Foss had a great year at Shattuck St Mary's u19 program and has committed to UMaine, and may be able to spark some offense Denmark will desperately need without Jakobsen. Silke Lave Glud will also be expected to carry the offense after her stellar year in the Tier 2 league in Sweden, and lead the way for younger players as one of the most experienced members of the team. Goaltender Emma-Sofie Nordström's performance at the D1A worlds was a big reason for their promotion, and she is coming off a great sophmore year at st. lawrence university where she had a .931 save percentage in 36 games and 7 shutouts. If Denmark wants to stay in the top division, she will need to steal a game for them.

[bri-licious08]

◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ⊹ ࣪ ˖♡The Heart Knows♡⊹ ࣪ ˖

⊹ ࣪ ˖Bakugou x Reader⊹ ࣪ ˖

Contains: Some cursing, aged up characters! 3rd years in U.A. , other than that it’s nothing but fluff :) Happy reading! /^~^/

◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜

Bakugou Katsuki wondered the halls of U.A. He walked these halls every day during the week. From going to class, the restroom, training grounds, cafeteria, the school’s gym, and the support course class. Not once has these halls ever felt different to him, different in the sense of being bare, empty or dark, scarce or lonely. But things changed, and that scared him. His life was great, he was doing great with being the greatest, but now he felt far from it. This feeling was foreign and new and he hated it. He was frustrated to no end only because he couldn't explain to himself let alone anyone why, how, or what he was feeling. He just didn’t know.

What he did know, was they started because of her. Y/n, L/n. Known for her beauty and wits, strength and grades, personality and skills, quirk and talents, she was well known within U.A. let alone the streets of Japan as an upcoming Hero. He knew that, she knew that, hell everyone knew that. Maybe that's why it made it even more difficult to be around her. The fact that everyone wanted to befriend her, talk to her, and know her. There was something special about you that everyone wanted to see, including him. Of course, he wasn't the only one, and that's what aided in the difficulty of things.

For some odd reason, Bakugou always found you, sought you, heard you. How or why he couldn’t tell, he just did. Oh, the class lost sight of you at the mall, there you were at the pet shop a few stores behind, how did they miss you? In a giant crowd at the ice rink, he peeked over a bunch of heads until he found you rather quickly, zooming through the extras trying to learn or just skating decently. Walking by the common room of the dorms, he heard you gossiping about some character from a stupid romance manga you were gushing about with Mina. Later that day he looked up the character name and found out the name of the manga.

For Christmas he happened to get you for the Secret Santa crap everyone decided to do this year, seeing how you all lived with each other and it was your first Christmas together. Of course, he bought you the new volume that was just released last week. Before he purchased it he made sure you hadn’t bought it yet through Kirishima. He also got you a basket of your favorite snacks, (he asked Kirishima who asked Mina, again) along with a soft cozy blanket with your favorite anime character. He always heard you talking about them. He considered watching that anime, but lately, he’s been too busy with life to sit down and watch it.

His spending wasn’t in vain as he watched your smile brighten to something he could only describe as bright, causing his pupils to dilate as he watched you smile. Ironically it was Christmas which supposedly made everything about the holiday “Merry and Bright”. But it was odd. Odd how his face heated so much and he wasn’t even close to the heater. His whole body went hot as his back straightened quickly. His palms grew sweatier than normal as sweat dripped down his forehead. A lump suddenly formed in his throat as he watched you jump excitedly around the room, holding the basket he gifted close to your chest. Oggling it with stars in your eyes as you squealed in absolute glee.

He looked down at you as you expressed your absolute glee about his gift and he couldn’t help but smile at you. Not smirk, smile with his dilated pupils and a faint blush on his cheeks and the tips of his ears. He believed that that moment, the way you looked up at him after jumping around happily, wide-eyed and lips slightly parted, doe innocent e/c eyes staring up at him, long curled lashes batting slowly at him, pink lips parted for a second before widening into the widest, brightest, happiest smile he’d ever seen, he believes that that moment, that exact moment was when his views of you changed. 

At first, you were a nobody, a classmate, then an acquaintance, then somewhat of a friend, and now, his gift for a long holiday during the winter seemed to have sparked something between you two, but what was the cherry on top was your gift to him. A black scarf with two orange stripes crossing into an X as it started from the top and ended at the bottom, along with a rare limited edition golden All-might figure, and two small black beads? Yeah, beads. He looked at you confused as he took the beads out of their small case, which was velvet black and had an orange X on it too.

He peered down at you puzzled, but your warm smile, made him nod his head in thanks. Your small hand carefully grasped his, as your other grabbed the case and opened it revealing the beads once again, carefully taking them out and putting them in your palm. You then looked into his eyes making him hold his breath. What were you doing? Were you going to knee his face? Slap him? What? He then realized you had put the beads in his ear as he heard a slight ringing sound that made him hiss. 

“Sorry! Wrong button!” You apologized as you tapped one of the beads in his ear and all went silent, but not too silent. This noise sounded different.

“These are special kinds of hearing aids. I had Mae Hatsume help me develop them. I had originally asked her to make grenade silencers for your grenade gauntlets, but it was taking much longer to make than we realized, Kirishima had told me that you mentioned your ears ringing sometimes during training or a fight or class and I'm guessing it was because of your explosions, so I wanted to help you with that. Your silencers are still being made, but Hatsume and I made these hearing aids for you, for the meantime. Well she made them I just designed it. They work to block out loud noises but still allow you to hear anything and everything else. They just reduce the loud noise of explosions and such. I-I umm, hope I didn’t offend you with these gifts. I just thought, that maybe, they would help, and you would appreciate them... I don’t know what you like, but, I feel like you would have liked to receive something useful rather than something that would collect dust, I just bought the Allmight figure as a failed backup... Oh! And I made the scarf myself! My grandmother helped me sew it. I-I hope you like them Bakugou! Merry Christmas!” 

That moment was the moment that changed forever. Since then he has followed you around like a lost puppy. You guys hung out 24/7. Like peas in a pod. You both became known as best friends to your classmates and the school. You were always seen together. Never one of you was ever without the other, and he’d grown very used to that. Did you want to go to 7/11? Okay, let's go. Want to try a new restaurant that opened up downtown? Let him grab the scarf you made him, it's a little cold out. Going to a family barbeque, he was invited without hesitation.

Although he was nervous about meeting your family, it ended up being a success. (meaning him beating all your little cousins in Mario Kart and your father and uncles in pool). He had to attend one of his parents' god-awful fashion shows, you're coming with him. You always had to be there, and he was okay with that. Your time together ended up being a normal thing, it was weird when you guys weren’t together. For the both of you.

At first, he just thought that the both of you spending time alone in each other's dorms playing video games or watching shows on Netflix was just a friend thing, you guys were just friends. He said it over and over and over. 

“ Heyyyy kachannnn, you and Y/n huh? Somethin’ special goin’ on there? Huh? Huhhhhh?” Denki nudged Bakugou, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Of course not you dunce, she’s just a friend you moron,”

He convinced everyone including himself you were just a friend. And of course, you were. Everything you guys do is something all friends do! Nothing special about it. That was until he experienced firsthand and realized that you’re both High School students, attending school, training to be heroes, but you attend a HIGH SCHOOL. Teenagers in school, of course, guys were going to be after you. So why was it a shocker when some stupid extra tried to fucking confess in front of him?!

Okay, maybe not in front of him, but in the empty hallway after school hours? Didn’t this moron know you both walk together? Doesn’t this fucking idiot know he doesn’t have a slight chance with you? This guy’s probably 5,5, he’s got black hair that has a lot of dandruff, which makes it look like he has lice, but it's probably from all that gel he has on. He’s got pimples on his forehead and one of his ears looks bigger than the other.

Okay, Bakugou isn’t normally that much of an asshole but come on! This guy’s arms aren’t even close to the size of Bakugou’s waist, and his waist is TINY! He couldn’t help but wait back in class 1-A and overhear what you were going to respond with.

“Huh? You- like me? I’m sorry but I don’t even know you?” You said innocently but truthfully. You were right, you didn’t know this moron, but common, couldn't you just reject his sorry ass already?

“What if you get to know me?” Is he serious? Like hell, Bakugou would let tha-

“Hmm. I’m sorry but I don’t think so. I don’t have time to go on dates right now. I also would have to turn down your offer because I don’t feel like I’d reciprocate your feelings even if we did get to know each other, have a good rest of your day though!” 

“B-But, please! Tell me this, does your heart already belong to someone?” 

Uh oh, now his heart was racing, much more with fear than curiosity.

“That’s my secret to hold and to keep, sorry. Bakugou, you can come on out now!”

“W-What?” He breathed a mere whisper out in shock and surprise.

“Hey Bakugou!” The girl smiled brightly at him. The kind of smile that would make any man or woman swoon over. 

“H-Hey, umm, how did you-” 

“I just knew, plus your massive arms and shoulders were peeking out from behind the trash can Bakugou, you’re not exactly a small person,” You giggled, placing your delicate hand over your mouth as you giggled.

You looked absolutely beautiful. Bakugou’s only wish now is to continue to make you laugh and stifle your giggles for the rest of your lives. Bakugou blushed at your comment. 

“A-anyways, let’s get a move on. 'M starving,” He grumbled as he began to walk past you.

Catching up with him you began conversing with him on the walk to the dorms. The two of you entered and headed to the kitchen where he began to cook food for the two of you. It’s been a normal thing that began after Christmas. The two of you then ate a wonderfully delicious meal. After eating and cleaning up you both headed up to your dorm to study per usual. Once you both entered you flopped onto your bed as Katsuki took a seat on your desk chair and turned it to face your bed instead of the desk, as you both always do. You started up another conversation but after a while noticed that your blonde-headed friend was quiet. To quiet.

Your brow quirked up in interest and confusion as you studied him. His brows furrowed, and his lips formed a small pout as his hands gripped his notebook and pencil tighter than usual. You observed him closely, noticing the difference in his usual expression most would see as his normal cranky self. But to you, you knew something was bothering him. 

“Bakugou,” You called his name softly, catching his attention.

“Hmph.” He grumbled as his eyes glared at his empty notebook paper.

Your brows furrowed more as your concern for your blonde friend grew. 

“Katsuki.” His ears perked at your call of his name.

You could swear you saw them twitch like a dog when called on. He visibly stiffened at your call of his first name as he gulped, causing his Adam's apple to move beautifully. His red ruby eyes stilled as they stayed locked onto the notebook in his hands. His body felt hot and cold at the same time. Nervous. He was nervous and he couldn’t understand why. Katsuki Bakugou was no coward. No pussy. Not one to succumb to fear or nerves but with you, sweet and wonderful you, seem to be the only thing that can make him freeze with just a call of his name. 

“Hmm,” He responded, choosing to hum rather than to speak knowing his voice would fail him. Why was he so, why was he acting like such a moron. He’s always been fine before. Able to pull his shit together around you. When did this happen? When did he become such a loser around you? He had a guess...

“Are…Are you okay?” Your soft voice asked, he swallowed the lump in his throat as his eyes flickered up to the bottom half of your seated body and retreated back to his empty notebook, afraid to make eye contact with you.

“ ‘M fine.” 

“Are you?”

“Why you naggin’ me,” He growled as his eyes snapped up to meet yours.

Your beautiful e/c ones. He inaudibly gulped as his sudden annoyed confidence faded under your gaze. Your concerned and saddened eyes broke his stern and aggressive wall. His lips parted to say something but his voice failed to word anything. To be fair he didn’t even know what he wanted to say. What to say?

“L/n-”

“Are you upset with me?”

“Huh-what-?”

“Are you mad at me?”

“What? No, why would you-”

“Then do you hate me? Did I annoy you?”

“What?! Of course not- No you didn’t-” “Then what did I do? You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to. You can leave you don’t have to stay with me,”

“L/n hold on-”

“I’m sorry if I annoy you by dragging you to study with me,”

“L/n easy- just let me talk-”

“I’ll stop bugging you if you want. I won’t talk anymore,”

“Y/n!” He called your name firmly with a louder tone. His hand had flown to your face as it covered your mouth.

His face was close to yours as his eyes honed into yours. Soft pools of ruby waters danced in his irises under the dim lights of your desk lamp and fairy lights around your room. You swallowed the lump of nerves caught in your throat as your eyes widened at his action. The space between the both of you was small, your bodies so close you could feel his body heat. His firm yet soft gaze sent shivers down your spine and throughout your body.The sound of his throat clearing was loud within the quiet room causing you to snap out of your little daze.

“Why’d you freak out on me huh?” He asked softly as he removed his hand from your mouth slowly.

He moved to sit down on your bed comfortably. His feet planted on the floor as he hunched his body and titled his head slightly as he looked to his right side at you. With your legs crossed and a hunched back, you turned your head to the left to speak to him.

“I-I don’t know. You’ve just been acting weird today. You’ve been quiet. It worried me.” You answered in a hushed tone. Your eyes were looking down to avoid eye contact. 

You heard him scoff a slight chuckle as your eyes flickered up to see his small smile and his eyes dimmed to a soft gaze. Your head perked up slowly at this newfound expression with curiosity. 

“You’re an even bigger idiot than I thought you were.”

“H-Hey!”

“Y/n, how could I ever hate you?” 

“Oh, I-I don’t know…”

“It’s not possible. You annoying me or upsetting me is most definitely possible-”

“Hey! Asshole-”

“But- hating you can never happen you dummy.” He smiled softly.

Your heart began to beat faster than it ever had before, and you’ve been through multiple wars against villains, and even then your heart had never beat as quickly and harshly as it was now. 

“Never?”

“Tch. Ya heard me the first time nerd.” He smirked. His response caused you to giggle airily. 

“Well, if that wasn’t the problem, then what is it that’s made you act so, weird?”

“So bein’ quiet is weird?”

“Noo but you being quiet is.”

“Well, it’s gonna stay that way.”

“Aren’t I your best friend?” you smiled like a Cheshire cat.

“Yeah, but that’s the-” Before he could finish his sentence a knock was heard at your door causing you both to look towards the noise. 

“What bad timing,” You murmured as you hopped off your bed to go and answer the knock.

“Wait- just let it-”

Before Bakugou could finish his sentence you opened your door to reveal a tall redheaded male smiling down at you nervously.

“Hey L/n, you got a minute?” Kirishima Eijiro. His strong tone was undoubtedly recognizable.

It caused Katsuki to stiffen at the sound as he hid behind your closet wall, blocking his view of the two of you and vice versa. 

“Uhh,” You started as you turned to see Bakugou missing before turning back to Kirishima. 

“Y-Yeah sure,” You stuttered as you stepped out of your room to speak to the male properly, closing your door softly behind you.

Katsuki quickly yet quietly moved to the door as he pressed his ear against it, trying to eavesdrop on you and the redhead's conversation. 

“What’s up?” You asked.

“Uhh, man I don’t know how to ask this… Would you like to go out with me?” Kirishima muttered before he spat quickly. Shutting his eyes as his shoulders stiffened nervously. 

“Oh, is the Baku-Squad hanging out?” You asked innocently and obliviously, not understanding what he was asking. 

“Huh? O-Oh! No, no I mean. Uhh- I would like to take you out…Just us…Like- like a date..” The redhead blushed as his hand scratched the back of his nape nervously.

At the realization, your eyes widened. All thoughts and concerns of Bakugou left as red alarms blared off inside your head. What.Was.Happening. After what felt like forever you closed your opened mouth to salivate the dryness of your throat and lips before opening it again to respond to your close friend before the sound of your door clicking and swinging open interrupted you. 

“She’s busy,” A gruff voice bellowed as a hand grabbed your arm and swung you back into your room. The red-headed male blinked rapidly a few times in confusion at what just happened. 

“Ow, you dick, that hurt!” You shouted as you stumbled to the floor of your room from the sheer force Bakugou threw you in with. The blonde brute just rolled his eyes as he leaned against the wall of your room, crossing his arms over his chiseled pecs. 

“You can’t date him Y/n,” He muttered. His blonde spiky locks cascaded his eyes as he looked towards the ground, avoiding eye contact.

“W-What?” You asked because you missed what he said. 

“You can’t date him…”

“O-Oh, you mean Kirishima?” He didn’t respond, just barely nodded his head once, still avoiding eye contact.

You then got yourself up and off the ground as you slowly and carefully pulled your desk chair to face you as you sat down on it. Your eyebrows creased as you noticed Bakugou’s avoidance of eye contact. 

“And why can’t I?” You asked meekly with slight confusion in your tone. You watched as he gulped and his body stiffened. He’s been doing that a lot tonight, something he never does. 

“Alright, I’m tired of this. If you’re just gonna play dumb every time I ask you something but tell me what I can and can’t do you can just leave Bakugou,” You asserted, arms crossed over your chest and your face held a stern expression. 

At this Katsuki lifted his head quickly to meet your gaze. His mouth parted as his eyebrows creased more with worry in his eyes. What was he doing? You were right. He had no right to prevent your happiness with other males, so why was he doing this? You are his best friend and so is Kirishima.

You both are amazing people and truthfully, you both would make such a great couple. Your chemistry on the battlefield would be incredible let alone your relationship. You both would set the couple standard and he could already picture the billboards of Japan plastering your bodies hugging lovingly with a giant “Japan’s Perfect Hero Couple” printed above your heads. The thought made his head dizzy and his heart constrict painfully.

He was finally understanding that he didn’t want you to have that with Kirishima or anyone but with him. He wanted to be the one jumping from building to building by your side while out on patrols. He wanted to be saving people with you as a perfect duo. He wanted to watch movies in private with a tub of your favorite ice cream to share. He wanted to get you your dream dog and cat for your birthday. He wanted to share his dreams with you as soon as he wakes up and vice versa. He wants to share every Christmas with you and be each others personal Secret Santa for the rest of his days. He wanted this feeling of loneliness when he's not with you to go away and be filled with just you. He doesn’t want these stupid extras to share any of this with you because he-

His eyes widened. His heart stopped for a second as he finally came to a realization. You’re not just a friend. You never were just a friend. Katsuki Bakugou had been in love with you for two Christmases. Two whole years. He followed you around because he loved you. He made mental notes of your favorite things because he loved you. He treasured the scarf you hand-made him because he loved you. He kept his lock screen that you jokingly changed to the both of you posing up as a badass hero duo that you both took in professional side kick photo shoots because he loved you.

Katsuki fucking Bakugou had been in love with you for years and he never realized it until some boys started to try and take you away from him. He needs to make a reminder to smack himself later for realizing so late like a dumbass, but for now, he needs to tell you before he ruins his friendship with you. 

“I’m in love with you,” He voiced.

Your heart stopped. Your body felt like it was on fire and your eyes widened larger than they ever had before. Your skin tingled and your face grew hot. What? What did he say?

“What?” You asked in a hushed tone, not quite sure if what you heard was correct.

“I love you,” He repeated softly, his gaze as soft as when he sleeps. The tips of his lips creak into a smile barely visible.

If anyone were to see him they’d see him loom calm for once, but you, you could see it clear as day, and that ever-so-tiny smile was just about one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen. He looked absolutely divine. Your dim room lighting aids in his godlike features.

This boy whom you’ve know for a few years became your everything in mere seconds, and I’m not just talking about this second. Since before your first Christmas together, this boy had been a stranger, then a friend, then a crush, then a crush within a best friend, and now, he’ll be your everything if you let him, because he so desperately wants to be.

“Don’t play with me Bakugou,”

“I’m not. ‘Dya really think I’d just go up to anyone spoutin’ this shit? I’m not a sappy guy everyone in this god damn world knows that, but fuck Y/n, you make me unable to think properly when I’m around you,”

“Is that why you think you’re in love with me?”

“No. I know. I’ve been knowing. Just been an idiot not realizing it sooner,” He muttered the last bit lowly yet still audibly. 

“ ‘M sorry…” He murmured as his hand slowly and carefully not to startle you, came up to gently clasp your hand in his.

His carmine-colored eyes gazed at your hands joined together. His fingers imprinting the feel of yours and engraving into his mind for if you reject him and his feelings, at least he’ll have this in his mind for the rest of his lonely days. You wouldn’t allow that.

The sound of your sniffles causes his head and eyes to snap back up to meet your precious e/c ones. He immediately took notice of your teared-up eyes as he visibly grew stressed.

“Hey, don’t cry. Please don’t cry. Why’re you crying?” He tried comforting you gently as he spoke ever so softly.

His rough palms met your pillowy cheeks as his thumbs reached to rub at your bottom eye socket, trying his best to soothe you.

“ ‘M not crying,” You murmured as you placed your hands on top of his that cradled your face.

Your eyes gazed up into his. The silence was so loud yet quiet. The atmosphere was no longer anxious but tranquil. Finally, finally you had this boy who held your heart all this time. 

“I’m in love with you too…Dummy,” You smiled softly at him.

He scoffed playfully as he inched his forehead to meet yours. He gazed into your eyes and just felt a spark. He leaned forward to get a better angle to press his lips onto yours. His heart and head were no longer in a battle with each other, cuz from the start his heart knew. It was always you…

“Aaaaand with that, my job here is done,” the manly red-headed male grinned as he backed away from your dorm room door. Humming a happy tune as he placed his hands behind his head and walked triumphantly down the hall…

◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞

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I hope y'all liked this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you liked this one you also might like another story of mine called “The Dare”. It can be found on my master list! Thank you for reading my story and if you liked it please let me know! I love feedback and it’s what motivates me to write more stories for y'all to enjoy! If any of y'all would like to see me write a specific kind of trope and story line please give me your ideas of what you’d want to read! Thank you and please come again! /^~^/

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[marimayscarlett]

'Reise Reise' turns 20 today 💿🎶

20 years from today, on the 27th of September 2004, Rammstein's fourth studio album 'Reise Reise' was released in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and several other countries. It was most likely named after the old saying "Reise, Reise!" as a signal for the sailors of a sailing ship to get up.

Recordings of this album took place in the El Cortijo Studio in Málaga, Spain, where the band gathered in November 2003. Producer for this record was once again Jacob Hellner, and a making of about this recording process and the band's time in Spain was released on the 'Völkerball' DVD in 2006. During interviews for this documentary, the bandmembers expressed that this recording session seemed to be more relaxed than the last ones, and thought about several alternative names for this album - Schneider liked the title "Rot", Flake rooted for "Nein", Paul thought about "Amerika" and "Amore" as titles, Olli liked "Reise Reise" and Richard, a bit clueles, refrained from making a suggestion. Till apparently wasn't asked or declined talking about his ideas. Documentary parts with english subtitles can be found here, here and here.

The album was originally planned as a double album, but this idea was ultimatly discarded. The following songs were recorded during the session for this album, but were used on 'Rosenrot' later: Rosenrot, Wo bist du, Mann gegen Mann, Zerstören, Ein Lied, Feuer und Wasser and Hilf mir. Additional demos exist for the following: Absinth, Eisenmann, Holz und Sonntag bei Omi.

The promotional photosession for this album was done by Olaf Heine and most likely was inspired by the movie "Falling down", starring Michael Douglas.

The cover for this album shows the outside of a aircraft's blackbox with the German imprint "Flugrekorder nicht öffnen" ("Do not open flight recorder") on it. Linked to this design, there is a hidden track before the first song on REISE, REISE - it can be heard on standard CD players by rewinding. It features radio messages (the black box recording) from the Boeing 747SR (Japan Airlines Flight 123), which crashed on August 12, 1985, killing 520 people. Up to now, it remains the deadliest single-aircraft crash in history. This dark aesthetic of all of this combined also suits the song "Dalai Lama" on the album. This song is based on the German ballad "Erlkönig", written in the 18th century by Goethe, and for this song the first instrumental tracks were written and finished for this album.

The limited digipack contained a picture from the above mentioned photoshoot.

The Japanese cover of the album is the same one that was later used for Rosenrot, a picture of the ice breaker USS Atka in the Antarctic from 1960.

As part of the promotion for 'Reise Reise', three additional CDs were published with interviews of the band members. CD 1 contained an interview with Till and Flake, CD2 with Olli and Paul and CD3 with Richard and Schneider. The linked videos contain the original soundtrack with the german interviews and a spoken english translation.

Regarding the success of this album: REISE, REISE reached number 1 in the album charts in seven countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Iceland, Estonia and Mexico). After the release of REISE, REISE, Billboard declared Rammstein to be the most successful German-speaking band internationally. The album achieved 1x silver, 3x gold and 6x platinum. The song 'Mein Teil' was nominated for a Grammy. All in all, Reise, Reise reached 47th place in the Top 50 album charts of 2005.

The Reise Reise tour started with one concert (September 30th 2004) at the Label showcase party "10 Jahre Motor" and marks the only acoustic concert the band has ever played. For the occasion, the band dressed up as East Berlin police women.

After that, three concerts at the Knaack club followed on the 11th, 12th and 13th of October, 2004, where the album was presented at fan club only concerts.

Two examples for tickets for the Reise Reise tour:

Sources: rammwiki, affenknecht, rammsteinworld, rammsteinblogcollection, metal-hammer, photo.sibnet