#they always say how pro work-life balance they are

[illgiveyouahint]

I can't wait to get to a new job where I hopefully won't be getting chats and calls after work hours saying that something needs to be sent right now because the deadline is today

[hylianengineer]

I ran into My Favorite PhD Student at work the other day and she said she misses me and we should have lunch sometimes and. Um. I didn't know she was fond of me too? I mean, to the extent that she'd want to go out of her way to spend time with me? That's sweet. I hope we see each other more now.

[ahqkas]

♯ I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO MY DAD . . . for teaching me everything he knows ( dick grayson & jason todd as dads ! )

— fem!reader as mom, fluff, not edited, based on this req.!!

© ahqkas — all rights reserved. even when credited, these works are prohibited to be reposted, translated or modified

. . . DICK GRAYSON !

dick was always great with kids; his natural warmth, patience, and humor made him a magnet for them, even before he became a father. he often thought back to his days as robin, remembering how bruce wayne took him in and gave him stability, and he wanted to offer that same feeling ( and definitely more ) to his children.

when you two first talked about having kids, he was equal parts excited and nervous about it. dick worried about balancing family life with his vigilante responsibilities, but he couldn’t wait to start a family with you. he knew that no matter what, you’d face it together

your first child, a boy, inherits your husband’s bright energy and natural charisma. from the moment your son was born, dick was a hands-on dad. midnight feedings? no problem. diaper changes? a breeze ( well, almost ). he approached fatherhood the same way he approached everything else—with passion and a healthy dose of humor

he’s not just the dad who builds the coolest blanket forts or makes pancakes shaped like bats; he’s the dad who listens, encourages, and shows up, no matter how tired he might be after a long night of patrol. even when exhaustion clings to him like a second skin, his kids come first. if his son wants to show him the new drawing he made, dick will sit down and marvel at it as if it belongs in a gallery. if his daughter has a nightmare, he’s at her bedside in seconds, stroking her hair and whispering how she’s okay and nothing’s gonna hurt her while he’s here until she drifts back to sleep

he’s the dad who remembers every detail about his kids’ lives—their favorite bedtime stories, their least favorite vegetables, the songs that make them smile—and makes sure they feel seen and heard every single day. when he’s with them, he’s fully present, setting aside his worries about blüdhaven or the weight of his world. to them, he’s not nightwing; he’s just dad, their safe place, the person they know will always be there no matter what

he teaches your son how to ride a bike, holding the seat steady as those wobbly first attempts make an appearance. “you’ve got this!” dick encourages his son, jogging beside him. when the first scrape happens—knees meeting pavement in a blur of surprise and pain—he’s there in an instant, crouching down with the kind of gentle urgency only a dad can master

his strong arms wrap around his son in a hug that says, i’ve got you, even as tears well up in the young eyes. he’s quick with jokes to soothe the sting, brushing dirt and pebbles off tiny palms. “hey, you know what? you’re officially a biker now. all the pros have scars to prove it.”

it doesn’t matter if he’s running on just a few hours of sleep or if his legs are sore from the night before. he’ll stay on that sidewalk all afternoon if it means helping his son find the courage to get back on the bike

when your daughter is born, it’s as if a new light ignites in dick’s heart, one that’s softer and warmer than anything he’s ever felt before. from the moment he holds her—tiny, delicate, and swaddled in pastel pink—he’s utterly smitten by the baby. his breath catches in his throat as her little fingers curl instinctively around one of his. it’s the smallest thing, but to him, it’s everything. he gazes at her with an awe that rivals the first time he stood under a gotham sunrise after a long patrol as robin

every little thing she does—every yawn, every sleepy coo, even the way she scrunches her nose—melts him completely. he’s the first to volunteer for late-night feedings, cradling her against his chest while whispering soft lullabies. “it’s okay, princess,” he murmurs, his voice low and soothing, as if the sound of it alone could shield her from the world

she’s the spitting image of you, but she’s got dick’s sense of curiosity and mischief. as she grows, it’s clear she’s a daddy’s girl through and through. dick spoils her with affection, often carrying her on his shoulders or letting her “style” his hair, even if it means showing up to patrol with hair ties

she’s the one who always convinces him to stay for “just one more bedtime story,” and dick can never say no to those puppy eyes. he does all the voices, acting out scenes with a dramatic flair that leaves her giggling uncontrollably

family movie nights are a regular occurrence. dick lets the kids pick the movie, even if it means sitting through the same animated film for the fifth time. he doesn’t mind—he’s just happy to have everyone snuggled up together

. . . JASON TODD !

jason never thought he’d be a dad. gotham wasn’t kind to kids, and in his darker moments, he felt like it had swallowed the boy he used to be whole. he worried his own traumas—nights spent cold and hungry on the streets, the ache of betrayal, the sting of abandonment—might cast shadows over the kind of father he’d want to be. how could he teach love and trust when his world had been built on survival and second chances?

the thought of holding a child, so small and fragile, scared him more than any villain ever could. what if he didn’t have it in him to be the kind of dad they deserved? what if his sharp edges cut too deep, or worse, he failed to protect them from the city that had failed him? jason had spent so long fighting his way through life that the idea of creating a safe, warm space for someone else felt like trying to plant flowers in a wasteland. and yet, the thought of building something good—something untouchable by gotham’s darkness—stirred a longing in him he couldn’t ignore.

when you told him you were pregnant with your first child, he was stunned silent for a solid minute. then came the slight tremble in his hands as he cradled your face and whispered, “we’re really doing this?” you swore you saw tears in his eyes, though he’d deny it later

he threw himself into preparing for fatherhood. between patrols, you’d catch him reading baby books, jotting down notes in that same serious way he planned missions. ( “what the hell is a diaper genie, baby? is it a genie for diapers, or does it genie them away?” )

when your first daughter was born, jason held her for the first time with an awe. he whispered promises to her, things like, “you’ll never go through what i did,” and “i’m gonna give you the world, princess.”

jason’s daughters own him. his rough, serious ide of personality melts into a puddle of mush when they so much as giggle at him. one pouty face, and he’s done for

when they’re little, he becomes a human jungle gym. they’ll climb all over him, pull on his hair, and stick stickers all over his face while he sits patiently, letting them “decorate” him. ( “you’re turning me into a unicorn, huh? cool. just don’t let your mom take pictures—too late? figures.” )

as they grow, he keeps a close eye on everything, from their friends to the neighborhoods they walk through. he’s not overbearing but has serious dad-radar. if they so much as mention a creepy guy or a mean teacher, he’s all, “do i need to handle this? no? you sure? okay, but say the word.”

by age eight, they’ve both mastered basic self-defense, thanks to “daddy’s fun time karate sessions.” he makes it a game—lots of laughter and encouragement—but underneath it, he’s deadly serious

when they’re older, he teaches them how to change a tire, handle their own money, and, much to your exasperation, how to throw a punch. ( “jason, they don’t need to know how to disarm a grown man at ten years old!” “baby, it’s gotham. yes, they do.” )

he’s the kind of dad who makes pancake breakfasts on weekends, complete with smiley faces and way too much syrup

on father’s day, his daughters surprise him with handmade cards every year. jason’s tough demeanor cracks every time he reads their scrawled messages: “daddy, you’re my hero.”

and jason as a father to teenage girls? lord, help us all.

when his eldest goes on her first date, he plays it cool—for all of two seconds. he grills the poor kid with subtle threats hidden behind a charming smile. ( “so, you like my daughter? good. treat her right, or you’ll have a real bad night. understand?” )

you have to remind him not to tail them when they go out. “jason, they’ll know you’re following them.” “i’ll stay a block behind. they’ll never see me.”

but despite his overprotectiveness, he’s their anchor during tough times. when they experience their first heartbreaks, he is there with hugs, ice cream, and the kind of pep talks that make them laugh through their tears. “anyone who doesn’t see how amazing you are isn’t worth crying over. you’re the todd girl. we don’t settle for less.”

deep down, jason worries about failing them. he knows what it’s like to lose everything, and the thought of his girls experiencing even a fraction of that makes his stomach churn

[seiwas]

papa bakugo and the thought that he intently raises his kids in ways to be unlike him.

and when they're older, asking serious questions about parenting like: why did you make sure we were friends with everyone on the playground? why did you always have to step away when you were mad? how come you don't like us seeing videos of you when you were younger?

he tells them it's because he never wanted them to turn out like him—that leading by example has always been more effective, and he wasn't exactly the best example back then. still doesn't feel like he is now but he's trying (at least, that's what you say, and it must count for something).

and his kids are confused because what does he mean he isn't the best example? all they want is to be like him.

they want the same fire, the dedication he puts in day in and day out; how he only ever gives his best and never backs down. one of the greatest lessons they've learnt from their papa is that a promise is a promise and you deliver on it. no matter what.

they want the same balance he's achieved, making time for both work and his family but especially his family—how they've never once felt second in his life; how he's managed to show up to every game, every performance like the superdad he is. and even when he doesn't make it for the entire thing, you can bet he's rushing in, all soot-covered and polo unbuttoned with the base of his suit underneath.

(you never told your kids, but on katsuki's 14th father's day, you held him while he cried, tears of relief from his eyes. he was watching their surprise, a day-in-the-life reenactment video of pro-dad bakugo katsuki, starring the kids and you).

they want to love the way he loves them, the way he loves you—attentive and all-in because bakugo katsuki never half-asses anything. he adds personal touches to each plate of breakfast he cooks: bear pancakes for his little girl, egg done scrambled and another sunny-side up for his two boys. and you always insist on having what he's having because you don't want to add to the hassle, but he knows your signature morning drink and serves it right by the plate beside his, always yours.

you always tell him that having your kids turn out like him now is all you could ever want, and he always scoffs, tuts and laughs like it can't possibly be true. but maybe if your kids tell him now, that they want to be just like their papa, he'll believe it—all the good in him that everyone sees but he can't seem to.

you hope he doesn't see it as a bad thing—that his kids have grown and chosen to in the shape of him.

[iced-if]

⋆ DEMO: TBA (sory) || FORUM: TBA (follows demo release) ⋆

When a previously-cold case sparks once more, you'll take what you can get.

You live for hockey. The ice is your home. You know it, everyone knows it.

Friends and family back at home often joke about you skating your first steps before walking. Especially your parents—with them being your biggest fans, and the ones who ignited your fire—they were the ones who helped you take both. Even when you're off the ice, your hands fidget for your stick. You itch for the rebound of the puck. You crave the chill of the rink. There is at least some truth to their statements.

That day was supposed to be a celebration, to commemorate the blood, sweat, and tears. You were supposed to end the day with a celebratory dinner after bringing home the win for your school's hockey team, not provide a witness testimony for two dead bodies.

It's been ten years since then. Your dream of winning in the major leagues has dampened. You feel mediocre for a professional, always seeming to be middle-of-the-road with no progress in sight. Everything has just been so stagnant, and you're this close to throwing in the towel altogether. Little did you know, this year's about to be the best in a long time.

Try to stay afloat in the meantime.

Iced is a work of fiction aimed towards mature audiences, and contains themes such as explicit language, substance use, murder, descriptions of murder, sexually suggestive themes, that may be triggering to some. This list is subject to change.

Play as a semi-famous pro hockey athlete, with an immense love for the sport that surpasses none. Probably.

Solve a decades old mystery and finally put all those lost souls to rest, all while finally breaking out of your progress lull to achieve what was once a distant dream. Make your parents proud, and see how far you've come.

Choose your greatest asset, and fatal flaw, on the ice. Will you rank in the top six, or at the bottom of your team, as a center player?

Be the charming stoic, the team's quiet-but-deadly comedian, the fans' favourite haughty Samaritan, and more unique personality combinations to discover.

Become world renowned, or an infamous villain in the hockey world.

A wide range of customization to choose from, that do matter (or an option to randomize everything if ya don't care).

Romance 5 ROs, and get caught in a love triangle between two of them. Or, avoid romance entirely.

Jealousy and drama abound!

Participate in tomfoolery.

Find a family within your new team, or stick to purely colleagues.

Can you juggle the responsibilities of a professional hockey player, and find the murderer behind it all?

CHARACTER MOODBOARDS

THE SUCCESSOR OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

For a detective, they sure are dense...

HIRAN/HATHAI ANUMAN (m/f) is the one who you've reached through that window of opportunity for, and arguably the most important piece to solving this puzzle.

This disheveled, crabby detective likes to say otherwise, though. With a no-nonsense attitude, Anuman likes to live inconspicuously, using the quietness and mundanity of their life to help balance the crimes they investigate. They prefer staying in their court, picking up cases that helps keep them out of the limelight. With an eye for detail, they mainly use their skills to help determine the tax of their groceries.

As much as they like to keep everyone at an arm's length, there's a hidden part of them that pushes them to ask if you'd like some water, or if you need a break. Which, may be difficult to tell at times.

That mask of indifference and professionalism has a limit. Will you be able to take it off or break it?

THE ENIGMATIC POLITICIAN

Do politicians have the time to be a fan?

KELVIN/KELSEY WEN ZHONG (m/f) is one person you would never have expected to ever meet—especially at a hockey game.

Intertwined by a chance meeting, your first impressions of Zhong don't fall short to the real deal. Intelligent, personable, composed, likeable, they make for the ideal politician. Hell, even the way they carry themselves says important. The words they say make you nod along with them, and leave you agreeing with a new perspective you've never even considered. Unexpectedly, there are times where a spirited enthusiasm exposes itself in the midst of a goal.

You find it impossible to forget the look on their face when they watch a game. An expression so foreign and childlike, but maybe it's because you haven't gotten used to it yet. Although, it fits them more than you expected it to.

And, judging by their reactions, you might just have a new fan.

THE UNSTOPPABLE FORCE

Holy crap they're good. Personality could use some improvement though.

LESTER/LYDIA RAMIREZ (gender locked based on MC) would probably benefit from daily meditation. Although, with how physical hockey can get, one could argue that they've got the perfect temperament.

Unfortunately teammates, Ramirez is quite the character. They burn with a passion so hot and overpowering, it takes up everything they do. It's not an unfamiliar concept—after all, you're here too, but the way they go about it is not giving them the brightest reputation.

They aren't shy about getting physical themselves, making them popular among your fans and despised by the rest of the league—but even they have to acknowledge their skill on the ice. Although, their tendency of getting into fights can cause a bit of a headache for your coach and the team. For Ramirez, winning comes first.

If they're not going to do it, how will you preserve the team dynamic?

THE TOUGHEST LINE OF DEFENSE

Much tougher than you remember, or maybe you hadn't noticed until now.

ELLIOTT/ELLA LAMBERT (gender locked based on MC) was the best defenseman on the team, and the only freshman to make it on.

Back in high school, no one expected the short, scrawny kid to make it on back then, nor blow most of the competition out of the water. Lambert could steal a puck like no other, and weave through bodies as if it were just another warm up. Being a sweet kid with a cheery disposition, and a toothy smile to match, they were someone you wouldn't think would be able to stand getting bodied, and get back up like it was just a small rough-and-tumble.

Not much has changed since then, except for the height. No longer the freshman who admired you with wide eyes, they've grown into an even more skilled player, and an even tougher opponent.

You don't remember a stubborn intensity being there before, but now that you stand face to face, you have a chance of getting more up close and personal than you would have all those years ago.

THE HOTTEST SINGER OF MODERN POP

How the hell do they have a natural tan at this time of year???

CITRUS/CHERRY MOORE (m/f) is the newest pop singer on the scene, and they are crushing the charts with each new release.

Or, at least they should be.

Moore can command a stage with a presence that pulls you in by the collar, and a sound that rocks you to the core. They are charismatic, fun, flirty, and bring a new kind of energy to the table. Yet, here they are, singing their heart out in a dinged out bar, the rest of the patrons too busy wasting away to hear their soul hum.

Underneath all that magic, however, it's clear that the passion in their eyes has dimmed, giving way to cynicism. With long years passed, still living from gig to gig, they feel that the years yet to come will be even longer.

Will you be the one to realize their potential?

---------

Let me know about any spelling errors, grammatical errors, story inconsistencies, incorrect information/interpretations, coding errors, and choice suggestions/feedback in a google form I haven't implemented yet. Feedback is always appreciated.

Are you ready to shake the world?

[bywons]

𖦹 ICE, ICE, BABY! — PSH

⌕ where park sunghoon takes you on an ice skating date

pairing. bf!park sunghoon x f!reader wc. 0.5k tw/cw. kissing genre. fluff sru's note. requested ( CATALOGUE?! )

¤ feedbacks and reblogs are always appreciated, PLS REBLOG if u like the fic !

the chilly winter air blooms goosebumps beneath your skin, eventually drying your lips which makes you lick them yet again. you wish you had brought lip balm with you to moisten your dehydrated lips, but a kiss from park sunghoon was just enough.

“c'mon, scared of a little ice skating?”, sunghoon smirks, suppressing a small giggle within himself as he watches you hold on to his shoulders for dear life to avoid a devastating crash against the ice floor beneath you.

“easy to say when you're a pro”, you scoff, your body gliding around the ice rink solely by the support of your boyfriend.

your ice skates did a horrible job of keeping you steady on your feet. your equilibrium constantly disrupts you, causing wobbly legs which makes you stumble, loud gasps leaving your mouth. or maybe you are at fault here really, first day at ice skating and expecting to ace it so quick? yeah, not happening.

but what did happen next had you screaming inside, and melting outside. your boyfriend of just four months, park sunghoon, kisses your cheek and paints it deeper, as he shoots the most endearing smile down at you, his hands wrapping tighter around your waist.

“does this help?”, he whispers. yeah well that does help you regain your stability and guide through the ice better indeed, your knees aren't wobbly anymore, the toe blades a lot more still.

but with that mesmerising face of his, not a single brain cell of yours could focus on the ice rink.

“kinda, i still c-can’t do it on my own though”, the stutter gives away your faux confidence and you mentally curse yourself.

“but i think you're doing just fine?”, sunghoon chuckles, letting his grip on your waist loosen up. and when you loose balance without his support again, it evolves to a laughter.

“totally not funny ‘hoon!”, you roll your eyes, your hands returning to his forearms to grip them harder, “why'd you bring me here to show off your ice skating skills and not even help me?”

“well maybe i also wanted to show off my girl at the ice rink?”, sunghoon says with a smug smile, to which he receives another eye roll from you, this time accompanied with a blush as he brings you forward face to face.

“really funny, nobody even knows us here”, you scoff.

“they don't have to”, sunghoon whispers again, his hands clasping the either sides of your face and pulling you dangerously close to his face, his starry eyes lost in yours.

and it's just a moments’ wait before sunghoons lips find yours, falling magically into puzzle pieces. it's soft, stirring and warm, immediately giving you butterflies in your stomach. you don't know how long the kiss lasted but every second of it felt so embracing. just like home.

you are the first one to pull back from the kiss, face hot and flushed from the kiss, and you try to look at his face but he's still looking at you, specifically your lips with his comforting touch lingering on your cheeks. you gulp, trying to hold back his forearms to stabilise yourself again.

but in the search of his hands, you find none on you.

“hey!”, sunghoon squeals, giving you the biggest toothy grin, “the kiss helped you skate huh?”

© bywons, 2024. do not copy, translate or upload any of my works without my permission.

(📌) :: TAGLIST IS OPEN! @euncsace @fleumiu @leaderwon @dimplewonie @yrhome @heartswonn @jwonistic @aaa-sia @ashtxrie @kgneptun @lilacnini @haechansbbg nets! @/k-labels

[weaselle]

Let's talk chef knives

somebody in the comments on a cooking post is talking to me about knives and i figure, why not make a whole post about it

I worked in restaurants for two decades, and that means i was mostly too poor to buy expensive knives.. but i did learn EXACTLY what i was looking for in a knife, and eventually i did spend about $150 on one.

Now, you can easily spend $500 or more on a chef knife if you are the kind of person who cares about having the chef knife equivilent of a porche or lamborghini and i don't think many of you are looking for that, so I'm going to tell you what i looked for in my really-good-but-not-too-expensive chef knife

First of all, you don't need that block set of knives you see in like every kitchen ever. You know, this thing

You don't need that. Listen, theoretically each of those knives has a specific thing it is used for, but in all the restaurants i worked at, 99.9% of the stuff i did was done with one of these

We didn't go looking for a specific kind of knife, we just used one of these -- often a bunch of those were all that was provided. I uh, i didn't work at a lot of high end restaurants. But even in the nicer ones, most of what we used was a chef's knife.

So. In my opinion, instead of spending $100-$200 on a bunch of kind of shitty knives, spend the same money on one really nice chef knife, and a wetstone or some other sharpener you feel you can use. But really, like, just look at a wetstone tutorial on youtube, it's not hard, and it will make your life better.

NOW let me tell you what i looked for in my knife

This is the knife i use. It's a six inch Zwilling Pro

if you shop around, you can probably find it for close to 100 bucks. It's not Fancy™, it's just Quite Good. You can, if you want, find a chef knife for a couple grand, and that plastic-handled one in the first pic will run you less than ten dollars, so, this is a pretty good price point, on the low side of middle, with a knife quality on the high side of middle. If you take care of this knife, it could last you your whole life

Now let's talk about specific features I was looking for. First, inb4, metal quality. Zwilling is a good company, so the quality of their actual metal is pretty decent, and that's all you really need to know -- if you're getting your knife from a known decent knife company it's probably good enough quality. In this case Zwilling uses forged high-carbon German steel, which are some good key words to look for. That's all i have to say about that.

Now there are four specific things i was looking for that led me to choose this specific knife

1

Depth. This refers to how far the heel of the blade juts out from the handle (the heel of the blade is the part of the blade closest to your hand). When you have the blade resting with the edge flush against the cutting board, you want there to be plenty of room for the hand gripping the handle without knocking your knuckles against the board. A classic pinch grip doesn't need much room, but that's not the only grip you'll ever use, so give yourself some decent knuckle clearance. But not TOO much. Too much and your blade will kind of feel like it wants to flop over on its side when the edge hits the board.

2

Length. As an edgy 20 year old in restaurant kitchens, i always went for the biggest knife i could find, but because you're going to be using your chef's knife for everything, you actually want it short enough to use as a paring knife or whatever. The shorter the blade, the more control over the tip you have. Me, i never really need anything longer than six inches. I was a little bit worried when i first got it, but i've never wound up wishing it was longer.

3

Weight. Even though it's just about as short as a chef's knife can be, my knife has a good amount of weight to it. A somewhat heavy blade helps with chopping, and provides a good balance for other knife skills. When you are chopping and slicing, a decent amount of weight helps a lot. It doesn't have to be heavy heavy, but when you pick it up, it should definitely feel like a chunk of steel, not like a pressed aluminum toy. Plus, some of the weight will come from thickness, and a thicker blade will stand up to more sharpening and last you longer too.

4

Bolster Shape

If you look at the Zwilling Pro's bolster, it has a bolster that is sort of beveled into the heel of the blade with a nice curve. Right right, what's a bolster, hold on, here's the anatomy of a knife

on this knife, you can see that where the bolster meets the blade it makes basically a right angle where it goes from thick to thin. This is distressingly common in chef knives

now look at the bolster on the Zwilling Pro

and here's a similar bolster shape from a different angle

First of all, the bolster is diagonal, which is the right shape for me to hold in a classic grip. Every chef has their own grip, but it's always a variation on pinching the blade just above the bolster, and a diagonal bevel works better for my grip.

And just as important to me, it might be hard to tell, but the metal curves from the thickness of the handle to the thinness of the blade instead of using a right angled edge to go from thick to thin. This curve sort of follows the movement your knife makes against the knuckle you use to guide the blade when you do this

I tend to use the deepest part of the heel a lot, and, depending on what i'm doing with the knife, my grip can often be nearly off the blade it's so far back, so i have a tendency to knock a straight bolster directly against my index knuckle. Just a little, but after a few dozen times in half a minute it starts to irritate my finger. A curved bolster like on the Zwilling Pro sort of glides to a stop against my guiding knuckle instead of banging into it, provides a comfortable pinch, and makes my life in the kitchen better.

That might not be true for everyone, it's just important to pay attention to how you use a knife, especially if you find yourself thinking something like "it would be better for me if this part of the knife was different in this way" or "this knife would be easier to grip if it was shaped like this instead" or "i wish the shape of this knife didn't mean this was always happening" or whatever. Could even be how your knife fits in your dishwasher, just pay attention to what works and doesn't work for you personally so you know What you're looking for. But you for sure want to look at the Depth, Weight, Length, and Shape.

So. There you have it. Some things to pay attention to when selecting a knife that may allow you to get a good knife for yourself without spending tooooo much money.

[martian-astro10]

SUN-MOON Aspects

Sun Conjunct Moon

These people are very focused and driven, they set extremely high goals for themselves and make sure that they achieve them. They are great leaders, as they can be both assertive and gentle. They are not afraid to take the lead. They are more likely to take on projects that have great risks but also great rewards. These people are great project managers because they are able to recognize other people's strengths and weaknesses and distribute the responsibilities accordingly. They don't like working with slow people, they want to get done with everything as fast as they can and move on to the next big thing. It's important that they surround themselves with obedient people as they don't like their decisions being questioned. They don't know how to explain others their thought process, so people around them need to be on the same wavelength.

Sun Opposite Moon

I have noticed that a lot of people with this placement have identity issues, they have difficulty in balancing their sun and moon. Studying psychology can be really helpful for people with this, as studying other people and their behaviors can help them apply those things in their own lives. Learn to trust your intuition, do self hypnosis and meditate. I have also noticed that people with this placement have trouble choosing one pile from pac readings. These people lean more towards logic and science and this weakens their moon, so meditating and practicing hypnosis will make you more comfortable with the more "mysterious" themes of life. Find a balance. These people learn their lessons by projecting their emotions and issues onto other people, this is how they understand themselves. For ex - if they're facing a problem, and someone else is facing the same problem, it's easier for them to solve the other person's problem but have a hard time applying the same solution in their own life as well.

Sun Square Moon

When people say "the head and the heart are not working together", they are referring to this placement. It's better if these people start their own business as it's not easy for them to listen to their bosses. If they are in a group project, and they work on a specific topic, they have this urge to tell everyone that they were the ones who worked on that specific topic, it's really difficult for them to share credit. They can fight with people who they think don't deserve what they've gotten. It's difficult for them to stay at one place for a long time, as they're always looking for better opportunities, many times these opportunities will turn out to be too good to be true. This placement wants you to carefully think about the pros and cons of a decision before immediately making a change based on appearances. This will ultimately help you balance what's in your heart with what's in your head and make you more successful, but you may need to face a lot of setbacks before that happens.

Sun Trine Moon

These people are popular and social, and at the same time they also know how to keep their life private. People love being friends with them, but the downside is that these people don't like being friends with everyone, they have very few close friends, others are just acquaintances. They have this talent of letting others know about their achievements without seeming to be boastful about it. They have a very strong intuition and they use it to climb the social ladder. This, in my opinion is one of the best placements to have in the birth chart. People with this placement have the potential to go from rags to riches. I have noticed that they are emotional in such a way that instead of being seen as pushovers they are seen as angels, like.. Its really surprising sometimes. These people are so lucky, the type to help an old woman cross the road and then she turns out to be the owner of a huge company and has no heirs so she adopts them and boom... Fantastic life.

Sun Sextile Moon

Very similar to the Trine. They could also have a strong intuition just not as developed as the Trine. It's easy for them to make friends, the type to still be in contact with their kindergarten friends. The mediator in a group project, other people love to have them on their team. The only thing that can be considered bad about this placement is that these people doubt themselves a lot, they think they don't have the resources and the talent but they do, be practical but also be willing to take risks, you are the only one who's holding yourself back. It's okay to ask for help. With Trine, the people have an easier time taking initiative, with sextile it's a little hard, but you are still able to do it. It's literally the same as Trine, you just need to SEE It, that's it. Oh and also, these people can be really good child psychologists, this is just an observation.

(all pictures are taken from pinterest)

© martian-astro All rights reserved, 2024

[pinazee]

Heres a few more random HC’s because i get bored at work!

TGWDLM

Paul has hiked every trail in hatchetfield. He once tried to get emma to go on a hike with him early in their relationship but when he showed up at her place at 5AM (not 5pm like she thought) she nearly ended it right there. Paul spent that day in absolute despair thinking that he ruined things with her but she texted him later and they hung out at a beach instead. He promised to never show up before 10am again- (unless he was sleeping over ;) -emma)

Bill Woodward and Mark Chasity have been in an unspoken feud for several years all because they both brought cinnamon rolls to a church bake sale and it got competitive. They, of course, were polite but would add small comments like, “oh adding orange zest was certainly an interesting choice,” and “wow, i love how large they are! Almost too large! Haha!” For years. Just petty comments.

Black Friday

Tom and Becky are karaoke royalty. It took some time for her to get used to people watching her for the right reasons again, but after tom coaxed her into singing the classic don’t go breaking my heart and receiving a standing ovation, that old cheerleader came right back out. Their most popular request is Lousiana Woman, Mississippi Man by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty as they really make it their own (tom seems like a country fan, but just the old stuff, everyone groaned at first but then they killed it).

Gary was a nerd his whole life but always managed to hang out with the popular kids and college students. He’d let them copy his homework, praise them endlessly, debase himself if he had to- all to be a part of the “right” crowd. Most of his clients are actually old “friends” that he charges up the ass (and i like to think, even if it doesn’t quite mesh with his personality, that he balances this out by doing a fair amount of pro bono).

NPMD

Ruth failed her drivers test twice because she’s too aggressive. Richie never tried, preferring to bike (and plans to move to chicago for college so why bother) Petes been able to drive since he was 13 because ted taught him in case he ever needed a designated driver (he was being responsible! What? You want him to drive drunk and hit some poor old woman just trying to cross the street at 3am?)

Detective shapiro (as a classic detective thriller trope) was secretly working on a cold case from chicago when she moved to hatchetfield. Its the one case that haunted her and forced her to seek refuge in a small island town. After the incident with max though, she finally dropped it, accepting that some things could never be explained. [And just for fun, she’s a fervent knitter. Im talking 2 full closets of just blankets ;) ]

Ruth has auditioned for the local theater 6 times, but they have no idea what she sounds like. They let her stand on stage for a minute, hand her a lollipop as they usher her off, and politely say “maybe next time, ruth.”

Richie was on a first name basis with the local comic book shop. When they heard of his murder, they put up a memorial for him with a display of (almost) all the manga he’d bought from them.

[formulakatya]

THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE | MICK SCHUMACHER

"living in a movie i've watched and funny, cause you couldn't have called it, met you at the right time, this is what it feels like"

not my gif :)

summary: where your best friend is sick of you thinking your not deserving of love and so she introduces you to a certain someone

pairing: mick schumacher x professional golfer!reader

notes: i really wanna make a part 2 of this, so if any of you guys are interested in a part 2 please comment! loosely based off 'feels like' by gracie abrams

warnings: a universe where mick is in ferrari and ferrari aren't idiots, unedited work

-

the sound of your metal club hitting the ball pierced through the quietness of the morning. the skies were still painted hues of orange as the sun was rising as you watched the direction of the ball.

using your foot to roll out another ball in front of you on the grass, you adjusted your stance as you set up. gripping the club as you gave yourself time before swinging back and hitting the white ball.

“nice one!”

turning around to see where the familiar voice was coming from, you smiled as you saw lily. you hadn’t seen her in quite sometime after she left to attend the australian grand prix to support her boyfriend and to play a tournament. “lily!”

you had known lily since childhood having met her at a small tournament. and eventually, what was just being penpals, meeting at tournaments and visiting one another with always the same talks about turning pro had turned into a life long friendship. and, truthful to your dreams, both of you turned pro at the same time and got onto the lpga tour.

“congrats on the t5 finish,” you smiled as you hugged the older girl. “i watched the highlights, you were amazing! how was australia as well?”

“australia was fun, alex bagged a p8 so he was quite happy about that,” she spoke as you two pulled away, going to her clubs which she had put at the bay next to you. “enough talk about me, how about you?”

shaking your head, you shrugged, “same stuff— golf, study, rest, the gym…finals are over now so i might go do something to reward myself.”

“i guess one of us needs to have a university degree,” she joked. you were on your final year of your mechanical engineering degree whilst she had dropped out from her course; though you couldn’t blame her for that as balancing university with being on tour was a difficult feat. “how about the rest?”

“the rest?” you asked, confused as you approached your golf bag, switching the club you were going to use. shortly, it dawned on you what ‘the rest’ meant. “still have no one, lily, you know that.”

“oh come on, (y/n)!” lily rolled her eyes, “please! i have some people that i can introduce you to!”

“lily…” you sighed, “i’m too busy with studying and practice half the time. romance just isn’t really something in the books right now and i haven’t exactly earned one.”

“how are you going to be smart enough to do engineering but dumb enough to believe that you have to earn love,” lily shook her head. “please, just let me introduce you to someone.”

“…and who is this person?”

“you’ll see, just follow me to monaco.”

“what?”

—

“lily, i hope you’re sure about this…” you mumbled as you two made your way around the paddock, the older girl clearly more familiar. “i feel a little out of place…and everyone else is—”

“quit that nonsense!” she let out a smile, “you look gorgeous! you’ve got the best paddock outfit in my opinion.”

“yeah, thanks for helping me choose an outfit,” you shyly smiled as you walked alongside lily as she showed you the ropes of navigating around a formula 1 paddock.

of course, you were familiar with the sport having been a formula 1 fan since you were young but being inside the paddock was a completely different experience for you. looking at the garages where the mechanics and engineers were hard at work, you adverted your attention to your best friend who had took your hand.

“alex!” she smiled, greeting her boyfriend before saying hi to the rest of the drivers. “oh, and i brought (y/n) with me!”

“oh my god, i’m starting to think you like her more than me! even your dog loves her more than me!” shaking his head, alex rolled his eyes, “how could you,” he playfully slapped his hand against his chest, pretending to be hurt by your invite to the weekend, “she’s literally responsible for ‘albolognese’!”

unable to hold back a laugh, you smiled, “you should take that as a compliment.”

“why?!”

“because the spaghetti was good!”

“the nickname is so bad!”

“no it isn’t!” you justified, “you had red hair and you cooked a really good spaghetti bolognese, calling you ‘albolognese’ is only acceptable.”

looking at his girlfriend hoping she would come into defence, alex let out a groan and a loud ‘come on’ upon seeing her struggle to hold back a laugh upon the interaction between her best friend and boyfriend.

“anyways,” you cleared your throat, still smiling over the dumb joke. “hi everyone, my name’s (y/n), i’m lily’s best friend. nice to meet you guys.”

“oh! you’re (y/n)!” one of the drivers which you recognised as mick could be heard. “lily always talks about you! hi, i’m mick.”

“i hope it’s all good things,” you smiled, glancing at lily who gave a playful smile and shrug. “nice to meet you.”

“mick! maybe you could show (y/n) around!” lily suggested, catching both of you off guard, taking alex's hand. "patrick is probably looking for alex, so we're going to be at the williams garage, see you!"

lily's intent crystal clear to everyone else except mick and you, everyone quickly making excuses to leave so that it was just the both of you as awkwardness settled in.

"uhm..." mick spoke, trying to figure out where to go next, "i could show you around the paddock?"

"yeah, that'd be nice. thank you, mick," you smiled as he took the lead, following behind him as he acted as your guide around the formula 1 paddock where risk met reward.

"you look really pretty- uh- your outfit is really nice," mick complimented, trying to break the awkwardness. but though the main intent of it was so there was less tension, the compliment was no less of genuine.

"thanks, lily helped me choose it," a giggle was let out, as you looked at mick who seemed to ease up as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"that's my car over there," the german spoke as he pointed towards the red car boasting the number '47' on it. "it's my first season with ferrari so i'm quite excited for the race and monaco is practically the crown jewel of formula 1...sorry i'm rambling."

"it's okay," you smiled, "it's the monaco grand prix! i mean, yeah, the track has no mercy and overtaking must be a nightmare but it's monaco. you win here, you're already one of the greats, plus ferrari has been competitive this season."

eyes widening, mick couldn't help but let out a grin, "formula 1 fan?"

"since young," you hummed as you walked next to him, "been a ferrari fan forever!"

as you continued your conversation as the german driver showed you around the paddock as both of you talked about anything from racing to your sports careers to your daily lives, you couldn't help but enjoy his company though having known him for a short time as you took in the sounds of the formula 2 and 3 cars and the smell of fuel and burnt rubber.

"hey, uhm, do you wanna go for dinner after the race on sunday?" mick asked, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "i mean it's fine if you say no-"

"i'd love to," you smiled as you soon exchanged phone numbers and social media handles with each other.

observing you two in secrecy, lily and alex watched as you became comfortable around each other.

a smile spread, "they like each other, definitely," lily sighed contently. "the eyes never lie."

[yuyu1024]

6yrs

Pairings: Yunho × y/n

Genre/tags: lovers to strangers

Warning: pet names, cursing, cheating

~~~ [lmk if i miss anything]

Words: 1.3k

Disclaimers:

- this story is just made up

- english is not my first language, please be nice 😊

A/N: i am in my down moments lately... and i want to write something a bit sad randomly

Hope you all have a wonderful day. 🖤

------------------------------------------------

6yrs. You and Yunho have been together for that long already. From college to now as adults. He is your first in everything. He is your guy, your comfort and your safezone. He is the man you always have dreamed of.

He is perfect and He's yours.

However, these past few months have been very... off for you. Well, both of you. And you know why.

A few months ago, after you guys celebrated your 6th year anniversary together, Yunho got a call from his supervisor that he is a candidate for a promotion. That his boss is rooting for him and for sure know that after a few more deliberation with the rest of the team, you will get it.

Both of you were so ecstatic. You even jumped like a kid on a trampoline after hearing his news. Coz you know how hard working and passionate your man is with his job. You know he deserves it.

It will have its pros and cons being promoted especially when it comes to time with you or whatever. But it does not matter coz you know it is his for him and it will make him happy career wise. And you know Yunho will do a good job balancing his life and work.

But then just more than a month after he got the position, it suddenly went south.

Yunho have been going home late two to three times a week. Which is not bad coz its not everyday and too extreme. However, whenever he goes home now you feel the distance building between you two. It felt like he has been coming home to you and expecting to just pick his coat and bag on the floor, make sure he eats and then let him rest.

He have gotten so cold and quiet.

You tried talking to him during his off days. Wanting to suggest to go on a date or hang out somewhere, have fun, play games, watch a movie or something. But he either rejects you because he is tired or if he agrees, it feels so forced.

What happened? You were so lost. Unsure what to do or say. But being the girlfriend, you always made sure he feels loved and taken care off. Because you also thought that he might be just having this transition in his life because of a new environment at work.

You believed that this shall pass.

But as months go by... it gotten worse.

It came to a point that you two feels like two strangera living together. That the 6yrs of being boyfriend-girlfriend was suddenly felt like nothing.

***

"You think.... it's better... that I move out?" You blurt while starting at your plate during breakfast.

Yunho pauses and slowly raise his gaze to you. "What?" He is stunned by your sudden question.

Still looking at your plate whilst poking your food you add, "Because... I feel like... I'm not needed here anymore..." then you eyes lifts up to look at him. "Nor wanted by you anymore..."

He probably stopped breathing for a second but after processing what you said, "Y/N..."

You snort an irritated laugh. "Shocker. You still know my name..." you mumble.

"I'm sorry...." he answers lowering his head. "I'm caught up so much work that I..."

"Just work?" You ask, going back to staring while poking your food.

His head snaps back up, brows rippled. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not dumb." You softly say before letting go of the fork then proceed to putting your legs up your chair and  then hugging your knees. "I know... I know everything...." your voice breaks at the end.

An important detail why something is off between the two of you this past few months is that, Yunho, cheating. A woman from his work. His teammate.

You caught him one time, as you were coming home late after having a drink or two with your friends, when you saw him walking with the woman. They are not drunk. They are casually walking together, laughing and acting like they are on a date.

At first you told yourself that they are just friends. That maybe Yunho is just being respectful to the elder girl, who is obviously into him, that he cannot just publicly embarass her to tell her to move away. But then, as you follow them even more just around corner of the next building, you see them making out.

It's not just her making moves to him. Yunho was actually kissing her back. He was kissing her the way he kisses you. 💔

"You know what hurts too...?" You begin , "is that I was standing there.... obviously and in plain sight... but you weren't able to see me... or notice that someone is watching..." you wipe the first tear that roll down on your cheek. "You were to focus on her... so... taken by her..."

"Y/N..." tears starts to build up in his eyes. "I'm sorry..."

"No your not." You say, trying to hold on a bit more to not actually break apart in front of him. "Coz if you really loved me, you would not...you would not ever...."

You fail. You can't stop yourself from crying now. You cover your face as you sob and loudly whine as you express all the pain you have been keeping in for the past months.

It hurts. So painful. And yet the man in front of you can't and won't even defend himself or try to talk.

It felt like he just confessed through his silence that he did and is cheating. And probably will not stop seeing her.

"Why?" You ask. "Am I not enough? Not successful enough...? Ugly?" You take a deep breath in, "Do I not satisfy you in bed anymore? What... w-hat did I do? What made you do it? Why? Why now?"

He becomes silent.

"For fuck sakes, Yunho! Six years! We've beem together for six years and this is what I get? I know I'm not perfect but... God!" You cry it out more, facing him away. You are crying so much that you can barely breathe now and you eyes are blood shot red.

"Y/N..." he stands up and tries to reach out to help you to breathe but you move away quickly.

You stand up and jerk away from him.

"Please..."

"Please what?" You look at him, with sad yet fiercing eyes. "Stay? Why? So you can have someone to act like your 'girlfriend' when your other woman is not around to please you?"

"I... I love you." He mumbles, "please..."

"You don't." You wipe the rest of the tears off your cheek. "You stopped loving me the second you cheated. You are just keeping me around because you are used to having me around. You are just saying you love me because you need me."

"I'm sorry...." Yunho goes down to his knees and begs. "Please don't go.... I... No... I made a mistake... I... she helped me get through all the troubles at work and... it just..."

"You confided with her and not with me? As your girlfriend?"

"I know it's wrong... but... I didn't want to burden you with my own problems..."

"And look what it caused."

"Please...." Yunho crawls closer to you and hugs you by the waist. "I'm sorry... I will stop... I already told her I can't do it... I just... had to tell her to..."

"Yeah... I think it's better if I move out..." you peel him off you. "I don't think I can do it any longer..."

He is crying, looking at you. "Babe, please."

"I'm sorry." You say as you then pull out the promise ring he gave you from your first anniversary.

[yuzurujenn]

[2024.07.03] Figure Skating Magazine 2023-2024 (BBMOOK 1649) - YUZURU HANYU INTERVIEW

Interview: Accepting the support of his fans. I felt like I could rely on him.

-It's been a long time! As you know, Figure Skate Magazine's editorial mission is to conduct interviews on behalf of its readers, so please be prepared to do the same when you answer, Hanyu-san. But please relax and speak as you normally would. Thank you.

Hanyu: Yes, please!

-There's still Fantasy on Ice left that starts in late May, but you're approaching two full seasons as a professional. How does it feel to have been a professional for almost two solid years now?

Hanyu: Well, this… If you ask me "Are you happy?", I would say that just being happy is definitely not enough. This has not changed since the competitive period. In the end, I couldn't just "enjoy the competition". I have always, how should I put it… I think I said in an interview that "I can't be happy if I can't win." In a sense, competition is "betting your life", and various things in life will change depending on the outcome of the competition. So, in this sense, I have always skated with the idea of "betting my life in competitions" and thinking "this is not the time to enjoy myself". And this feeling has not changed in a sense. So, even though there is no longer a visible "ranking", for me, the "results" are now directly related to the feedback or evaluations from everyone, and they can be seen. It's just that the format has changed in a more rigorous world. I feel this deeply again now almost two years after I turned professional.

-Honestly, I wonder if you have also felt difficulties and hardships as a professional skater?

Hanyu: Well… First of all, purely because the number of programs has increased a lot, which is… It's quite hard work indeed. I have to think about how to train for it, and also if it gets easier… It's true that if I make things easier, including the jumps, I could do some easier performances, but if I do that, it'll get boring. Or the "range of performance" that the audience wants to feel will be lost. So, in terms of difficulty, such as the difficulty of jumps, or the program itself, how should I put it… the skating, transitions, rotations, including all these difficulties, how to achieve the ultimate in both performance and technique, I have been trying to find such a balance, which is really difficult.

-In your solo ice show, Hanyu-san has to perform for two and a half hours, or two hours and forty minutes.

Hanyu: Yes (laughs).

-Figure skating is a particularly hard sport on the feet, and those who have had experience with competitive skating will find that even skating for just one minute can be quite taxing. But Hanyu-san has to perform multiple programs in a row in a single public show, which is generally impossible, and I just simply want to ask, why do you do something so hard?

Hanyu: Hmm… why is that… just like when I did Prologue, I wasn't really sure whether everyone had expectations for it, but I think it must be because of "everyone's expectations of me" and "my expectations of myself" that I felt that I had to do it. So, I have standards like "generally impossible" or "generally should be done this way" in my mind, but if I just follow those standards, it will become "normal". I felt that this was not what I expected, and everyone who has been watching me until now, and everyone who has been following my activities since I turned pro, will also feel that "this is not what they want to see from Hanyu", I felt this while trying to do it… That's the feeling.

-Hanyu-san is 29 years old now, right?

Hanyu: Yes, 29. I will be 30 after this year (birthday).

-Perhaps the peak of physical strength is still ahead, but it's generally possible that by the time one reaches their 30s, maintaining physical strength becomes difficult. At that time, what is Hanyu-san going to do?

Hanyu: That's right, what should I do? (laughs). To put it bluntly, I'm full of questions myself. For example, when it comes to holding various events, I think it's necessary to plan a blueprint. I have a vague idea that I should be thinking about what I will be doing in the next one, two, three, and eventually five years. Generally speaking, it is very necessary. This is not only for figure skating as a "job", but also for consideration as a person. But I always feel that because I always complete every performance with such enthusiasm that I don't have time to think about these things. It doesn't feel right to perform with the idea that "I should reach this point in five years, so I am at this stage now accordingly".

-Can you explain this in more detail?

Hanyu: Well… This is just an example. Suppose I already have an idea of when I will feel that my physical strength will decline or that I will not be able to do a solo performance in the future when I am in my mid-to-late 30s or 40s. Then, we discuss and make a plan, and decide to do it “until here", so then we can decide to do this performance this time, and that performance next time according to this plan, and backtrack in order to present something good in the end at the point where we planned it. It's kind of like this. If I were to do a "reverse calculation", I would have to present a "carefully calculated" performance which… how can I put it… I feel that I wouldn't be able to do my max at every point in time. For example, if I think of it as a competition, four years feels like an Olympic cycle. If I want to go to the Olympics in four years and win a gold medal, I'd think about something like, "I'll do this the year after Sochi," "I'll do this in the second year," "I'll challenge myself a little bit in the third year, and then stabilise in the fourth year". I'd think about it like that, but it won’t work now. Now I am not thinking about "I can do this kind of thing at this age", instead I am performing with the passion of "I will have no regrets even if it ends here this time". When I feel the limit of this approach, or in the process of continuing to train my body, when I feel that "I can't keep it up anymore" or "It's only going to go downhill from here on out", even if I have just a little bit of this premonition, I probably won't skate anymore (laughs). I don't know when that moment will come, and it won't help no matter how much I think about it. But anyway, this is how I feel right now. However, if I think about it from a completely different perspective, if I put aside things like "solo performance", "quadruple jump", "quadruple and a half" and think about "physical performance", how should I put it… I feel that there are still many things I can do. As I grow older, there are many aspects that can become more profound. So, in this sense, I am looking forward to what I can do in the future and how I will perform and express myself.

-Has the position of "fans" changed in your heart?

Hanyu: Well… I do feel that the form of "support" has changed. To be honest, during the RE_PRAY tour from 2023 to 2024, I was also worried about "what should I do". I think there must be some fans who were also struggling, but when the tour ended, I found an answer that satisfied myself and thought, "Ah… So that's how it is." As a performer, as a professional performer, of course I am determined to inherit what I have worked hard for as an athlete, including techniques in the world of performance, and at the same time further evolve and develop them and continue to move forward as a professional. But as for "receiving support,” if it were in the past, for example, when I was ranked high, I would be praised "Great!”, and there would always be so-called "results" like this which could be evaluated as "good" or "bad,” so I could accept everyone's support relatively easily. For example, when I received support and got good results, I'd feel that "I have properly repaid the favour." I have been thinking this way since around 2011. Then, after Gift ended and I started to create and perform the new RE_PRAY, creating a story which I wanted to express as a "work", so how should I put it… For example, when you read a novel and enjoy it, wouldn't it be a bit strange to support the novelist? It's like saying "Please work hard to write a novel!" It feels like there’s something not quite right. When we listen to concerts or songs, we don't say to the singer "Please work hard to sing!" It feels a bit like this. I also hope that everyone can enjoy the performance itself. And in a sense, this is my struggle as a professional, um… I’ve also thought about whether I can make everyone enjoy the performance itself if I do it perfectly. These thoughts were always wavering in my heart. But like this time in RE_PRAY, when there was a difficult program such as "The Messenger of Destruction”, there were still many people willing to support me and hoping that I could complete the program successfully. For a moment, I felt this very strongly, and reflected on it in my heart, and gradually felt that "Ah… maybe I can accept the support too". So far, when I am in the world of performance, the world of my profession, or the world of my ICE STORY, no matter what, when I perform in ICE STORY, I still hope that everyone can appreciate the story and the work itself. To enjoy it well, hmm, how should I put it? Because it isn’t a competition, the feeling of "I hope everyone can enjoy the story itself" is very strong in my heart, but at the same time I’m also wondering, "Then is this not support?" But I started to think that I didn’t have to be stuck in that kind of framework. In other words, unlike singers and people who write stories, there is another category called “Yuzuru Hanyu ICE STORY,” which is both a place for appreciation and a place for support. And I’m a skater who receives that support and a performer at the same time, and I think that’s fine. It took some time to figure out how the way of support has changed and how I should accept the support, and I think I found the answer.

-You always train alone at the ice rink in your hometown Sendai, which often worries me. Don’t you feel discouraged?

Hanyu: I feel very overwhelmed, every time (laughs). After all, the practice time has increased, and in a sense, there is a lack of motivation. Because even when the brain is extremely tired, I have to think about the story and the choreography, but even in that state, I can't stop training. I want to escape, but I can't, and this situation keeps continue. If the physical condition is really good, there is no such feeling at all. I will feel, "Training is so fun!", "I completed this thing today!" or "I successfully did this kind of training today". There are certainly moments when I feel a sense of accomplishment like this. However, I’ll be lucky to have such good physical condition three times a month. Considering that, it is actually more of a struggle. So, I do often collapse (laughs), and there are more days where I feel "I don't want to do it today".

-Do you have times when you dwell in the memories of the competition? Or, do you often reminisce things from the competition?

Hanyu: Well, rather than saying that I "dwell" in the memories, it is better to say that I often "recall" them. Competitions also appear in my dreams. For example, I am almost late for the 6-mins practice, and I haven't changed my clothes yet, but I am still warming up slowly. The loudspeaker shouted that the 6-mins practice had started, but I hadn’t even put on my shoes (laughs). When I hurried to join in the 6-mins practice, I heard "1 minute left". I had such a dream recently. I still have such dreams now, and sometimes the scenes in them are replaced by ICE STORY. Of course, I will also think about "Ah, this competition felt like this" or "I had such feelings during this competition", and I often think about the daily routine at that time, and there are also many memories about what kind of training I did back then. Instead of saying that I am "dwelling" in the memories, it is better to say that it is because of these memories and experiences that the “present things" are born, and I cherish these ‘children’ (memories and experiences) very much. How should I put it, it's not a very negative or backward-looking thought, but more like I'm making use of these ‘children’. So, let's say there is a table called "now", and I am at this table. I often let things from the past to exist on it, not of their own accord, but of my own volition. Because of these ‘children’, these past experiences and memories, the "now" can be so fulfilling. That’s all.

-On the last day of RE_PRAY’s Yokohama performance, didn't you say "(The performance is about to end) It's really lonely…?” I feel like that was the first time that Hanyu-kun “showed himself” in front of people. You've been working on your own as a professional, and that's been hard for you at times, so I think it's okay for you to be a little spoiled in front of your fans every once in a while! Although the word "acting like a spoiled child" may be a bit inappropriate, it's not bad to have such moments in life, isn't it? I know how precious the connection between Hanyu Yuzuru and his fans is, and because of it you've been able to achieve so many things that can be called "miracles", I've witnessed them with my own eyes.

Hanyu: As I said earlier, the meaning of the word "support" has changed a lot this year, and at the same time, the people who came to watch were not just fans but also people who wanted to watch because of the game theme, and of course, people involved in the ice show too. However, when these people came to this place and occasion, although it was hard to say whether it could be considered "acting spoiled,” I did feel that "maybe I could rely on them a little bit…" or "maybe I could trust them completely".

-Are you referring to the fans here?

Hanyu: Yes. I’ve been skating for these people so far, wanting to convey the best I can, wanting to give back all the energy and emotion they've put into me, and I've always felt like I had to work hard for that. It's not that I don't have such thoughts now, but I didn't know how to accept that support before. But through this tour, I gradually figured it out and felt that "Maybe I could rely on their strength". I think I drew this clear line in my heart during this period.

-I see. It's great that Hanyu-kun's mood has cleared up! I saw you today after a long time, and I really feel like you’ve become a "man"!

Hanyu: Do you mean I have become calmer? (laughs). Well, for example, in the case of ‘Danny Boy’, some things will live on in the program, like ‘Haru yo, koi’ and ‘Hope & Legacy’, which require genderless movements, and a sense of lightness that is not limited by age, etc. I think that as I grow older and experience various things, it will broaden my range of expression, and the "tenderness", "softness", and "ethereality" that I'm good at becomes broader as well. It goes back to what I said at the beginning: what kind of performance will I perform in my late 30s when I have experienced various things, accumulated age and experience, and experienced the physical time of "years", how much emotion I want to convey, how deep such emotions will become, how much training I have done, and how deeply I have thought about "physical expression". This makes me look forward to it with anticipation. Training is indeed painful. There is a clear change before and after Saga. The quality of training itself, the mindset, and the actual length of training have changed a lot, and it is indeed tough because there’s so much to do. However, I also feel that this has allowed me to perform well, and putting on good performances means being able to make all the fans happy. For me, this is really one of the most important happiness, and it is precisely because I feel that I have been rewarded for my efforts here that I can continue to work hard. Well, there’s a show coming up (this interview was done a few days before Fantasy on Ice). I have emotions that I want to convey and things that I want everyone to feel at every moment through my performances. Everyone has their own experiences and memories, and I hope that watching my performance can ignite some emotions in everyone's hearts. I want to continue to work hard with this commitment.

Source: https://weibo.com/6473801248/OmbzigSpE

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Postscript to the interview with Yuzuru Hanyu

TRUE WORDS.

It's been a while since our last interview, and it was a solo one. Yuzuru Hanyu appeared before us in mid-May. Until now, there was always an air of tension around him. But on this day, for some reason, I didn't feel that at all. I don't know why. I don't know, but I have a feeling inside me that maybe… Text / Shinichi Yamaguchi Photo/ Ryosuke Menju

Oh, why is that?

Hanyu-kun.

At first, I didn't understand why I said that, even though it was my own words.

Up until now, I have called him "Hanyu-senshu" in interviews, and "Hanyu-san" after he became a professional skater. In fact, I’m sure I called him "Hanyu-san" in the first half of this interview. When writing the article, I wondered what I should do, but in the end, I decided to just go with "Hanyu-kun" from the middle of the article. I don't know the reason myself. But I think there was an atmosphere on that day that made me want to call him "Hanyu-kun.

July 2022. Less than a week after Hanyu became a professional, I was taken to the hospital. Two years have passed since then, but it is still difficult for me to travel far for interviews, and in fact, the interview in Sendai was also conducted remotely. Photographer Menju took some photos after the interview. After that, Hanyu-kun said, "Now I just have to go home," and we had a chat for a while. It just so happened… really, this chat was just recorded by chance, and although I wasn't sure what to do with it, I decided to share it with you, the readers, because I thought it was worth sharing. Perhaps Hanyu-san and his staff would allow me to do so.

-Hanyu-kun, thank you so much for today! It's been a long time since we last met. I feel like you have really grown into a mature man!

Hanyu: No, I haven't changed. I’m still the same inside (laughs). But I do feel like I’ve started thinking a lot more because I’m in a world where I have to express myself.

-It's been a long time since I interviewed you. When I got sick, I thought, "Maybe I won't be able to do this kind of interview anymore." I never dreamed that I would get sick.

Hanyu: You really never know what's going to happen. I, too, have been living on the edge of death…

-During RE_PRAY's Yokohama performance, Hanyu-kun said, "Life goes on as long as you don't stop," right? Oh, I thought he was saying it to me. No, that's an exaggeration to say that you were speaking to me, but "Hanyu Yuzuru's words are the truth." I really thought so.

Hanyu: For me, well…you know, there are wars, natural disasters, and people who die suddenly…

I heard that Hanyu-kun also experienced the death of someone close to him. During the tour, he was sometimes at a loss for words on the microphone, perhaps because he was thinking of that person.

Hanyu: I was just realising that again…. So, I don't want to waste it. There are so many people who have come to be involved with me this way. I want them to be happy, even if only for that moment.

It was time for Hanyu-kun to leave. He turned around and said, “Please keep up the great work. Let's do our best! Thank you very much,” before leaving.

He is a person who cannot lie. This is what I thought after interviewing Yuzuru Hanyu. That’s why he must have been hurt by the world's comments about what he is and what he is not, and by the things he has been told since he was young. But even though he was hurt, or rather, it was because of those experiences that Hanyu-kun was able to treat others so gently. That is how I feel now.

And to all the fans of Yuzuru Hanyu. His words are truly what he means from the bottom of his heart, they are true words.

I want to shout this out loud.

Source: B.B.MOOK 1649 magazine, pg 25

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PHOTO STORY: Yuzuru Hanyu SKATE & JOURNEY

Yuzuru Hanyu as a "young man"

May 17, 2024, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture Photo & Text/Ryosuke Menju

Give it a title, okay? At the request of Editor Y, I came up with a name that would suit the occasion, but what do you think? In order to bring a "fresh breeze" that is fitting for the season of fresh greenery to our readers, I went to Sendai in the early summer of 2024.

This is the first time that Figure Skating Magazine has a solo interview. Previously we had a media day in Toronto, Canada, but that was mainly a joint interview with other companies. But this is an opportunity for Y-san, the interviewer, and me, the photographer, to meet Hanyu-senshu "one-on-one".

I have to confess that I had been feeling restless for the two months prior to the interview. I was so nervous and tense that I didn't know what to do, even though I'm 50 years old.

In March, Y-san suggested that we try to apply for an interview with Hanyu-senshu. At first, I just wanted to give it a try and thought "What would the result be?", but unexpectedly, I received a reply from Hanyu’s side very quickly, saying "OK". The two months that followed were incredibly long.

On this day, I met Hanyu-senshu for the first time in a long time, and he showed up at the venue on time.

The Q&A session with Y-san started as normal, not so much at first, but gradually, as if to match his words, he began to show his typical Hanyu-like "gaze" and "expression." I think I was able to get the shots I had in mind, both during the interview and outdoors.

On this day, I felt that I captured the appearance of Yuzuru Hanyu as "a young man". The person in front of me was not Hanyu-senshu, but “a young man”. I can't describe it well, but there was definitely such a scene in my mind.

After the shoot, I decided to fulfill a promise I made to myself. I wanted to express my gratitude to Hanyu-senshu for all he has done for me.

As a sports photographer, my career can be divided into two stages: "before I met Yuzuru Hanyu" and "after I met Yuzuru Hanyu". How can I take cool photos of Hanyu-senshu? For this reason, I competed with other photographers and prepared harder than ever before competitions, and readers started giving feedback on the photos I took. All this was because I met Hanyu-senshu.

Above all, the "voices" of the fans were especially special to me. Fans would "give their opinions," "praise," and "call out" to me, a photographer, in various places. I was able to experience things I had never experienced before as a sports photographer by getting to know "Yuzuru Hanyu". So, on this day, thanking Hanyu-senshu was more important to me than taking pictures of him. (Editor Y: Please come to the staff room later, Menju-kun)

After all the photos were taken, I had a minute or two to put down the camera and chat. It was during this time that I expressed my gratitude to Hanyu-senshu, something I had been wanting to say but had never been able to do so.

Hanyu-senshu responded with a smile.

"No, no. Everyone is working so hard to take photos of me, I’m really grateful for that."

Anyway, it was a somewhat strange day. There was me talking to him without a camera, and there was Hanyu-senshu without his skates.

And, after all, there was Yuzuru Hanyu as a "young man". That's just how I feel now.

Source: B.B.MOOK 1649 magazine, pg 26

Info: https://www.bbm-japan.com/article/detail/52774?page=1

[eddiediazismyhusband]

lmao buck didnt ditch tommy last episode, he just made a pit stop before going to spend the night with tommy, like do you think he spent the whole night there? and yeah, this episode, if he does leave tommy to go help eddie, that's what friends do ?? like what do you expect him to do, just ignore his friends life completely falling apart? buck is an adult relationship and adults respect the fact that they arent always going to be no 1 first priority ALL of the time. tommy respects that, especially because eddie is actively in a spiral, and honestly it's really refreshing to see such a healthy depiction of the balance between romantic/platonic relationships. i mean how many times have other couples been interrupted by similar emergencies, this is literally the emergency show like. yeah obviously when there is an emergency, the characters are going to drop everything and go to it. I swear you people have never had adult relationships, romantic or platonic, because you see a normal healthy relationship and are incapable of enjoying it. "not anti bi buck, just anti tommy kinard" not anti bi buck, just anti any relationship buck has with a man that isn't eddie

wow what did i say?? that was quick!

if you think buck left eddie’s house after hearing eddie say the words “yeah me too” in reference to being worried about him, then you do not know buck at all.

also when have we seen tommy respecting anything with buck? you all live in these made up scenarios that lou blabs on cameo when in reality all we have seen is tommy constantly be dismissive towards buck unless buck is actively paying sole attention to him. that is not a perfect and healthy relationship.

tommy is constantly speaking down to buck, calling him “kid” and refusing to call buck by the name he chose for himself. that is not the sign of someone who cares about buck to me.

as for being against any relationship buck is in with s man…. give me a man who actually shows that he gives a flying fuck about buck. give me a man who isn’t constantly being condescending and rude. give me a man who’s whole backstory wasn’t as a tool to put hen and chimney through hell at the 118. if buck was dating literally any other guy i wouldn’t be anywhere near as fed up with this plotline; but the fact of the matter is we have BARELY seen anything between them that isn’t tommy being a dick to buck unless buck is kissing him. that doesn’t read as a positive and healthy relationship to me. you all claim to care about buck so much, but then actively defend everything tommy does that is rude and condescending to buck as if buck somehow deserves it.

i am capable of enjoying normal healthy adult relationships because i have watched this show for seven years. i have seen these characters drop things for emergencies. i have picked up on the patterns they have laid down in previous storylines. i have experience working in filmmaking and know how to read into things.

normally i look at these asks and laugh because i don’t like to give a platform to people like you who hide begind anon to try and make buddie shippers out to be monsters but the fact that that post hasn’t even been up for ten minutes and you already felt the need to type a whole anon ask about how wrong i am when none of what you’ve pointed out has any canonical evidence of living in the truth? i have to laugh.

the block button is free. filtering out the anti tags is free. if you’re one of my followers…. when have i ever posted anything that would make you think i was pro tommy in any way that got you to follow me in the first place?

since you sent the ask on anon and i have no way of doing it myself, i invite you to go to my page and press the block button… the anti tags exist for a reason and if you don’t wanna see anti tommy content, either filter out the tags or block my blog. simple as that.

[draculasfavoritewife]

Wild Honey

Summary: Gale is one stubborn son of a bitch, but if anyone could get him to open up, it's always been you.

Pairing: Gale Hawthorne x fem!District 12!Reader

Warnings: ANGST. Idiots miscommunicating and falling out. Heavy tension, sensuality, and implied smut at the end. Also by far the most sexually charged eating scene I have ever yet written, SO sorry everyone, that really deserves its own separate disclaimer lmao. Ye have been warned.

I would like to preface this by saying I know Gale stans sometimes receive hate, and while I do not condone his more problematic actions, I do deeply understand why he is the way he is -- most of my favorite characters in any franchise have done morally challenging things, but I will always fall in love with a survivor, and most times in dystopian fiction survival is messy and comes at the cost of someone else's. It is also worth mentioning that I was watching Hunger Games during one of the most difficult periods of my life a year ago, when a loved one's life was hanging in the balance and Gale became the comfort character I turned to in order to cope. He will always hold a particularly fond place in my heart 🖤

tl;dr -- If you don't like Gale Hawthorne, feel free to not read. No reason to be mean to anyone :)

*Takes place during Catching Fire

He hasn’t been the same since she came back.

That much is clear to anyone two degrees north of blindness. But it could be anything, really. His work in the mines is draining on both body and soul, the added responsibility of being the Everdeen family’s sole provider as well as his own would exhaust anyone.

Yet Gale Hawthorne is probably the only one who could still be standing tall at this point, his proud stride never faltering, shoulders broad enough to hold up all of Panem if he had to. 

The man’s just tired, people say.

Tired and angry at the world, let him be. 

What else is new?

Gale has been wearier than a young man should be and angrier than most could know for as long as you’ve been part of his life.

It’s not that. 

No, it’s the sadness darkening his gray-blue eyes and the new tightness in his full lips that you see setting in whenever he looks at her. Whenever her eyes dart away to seek out Peeta’s instead, or stare straight through him at the phantoms of horrors he would never quite understand. You see him reaching out more often, trying anything and everything to bridge the yawning rift that has opened up between him and Katniss ever since her return, and see how with each misplaced gesture, every time he tries to be soft, another piece of him turns to stone inside. 

And it breaks you, to watch and know you can do absolutely nothing about it. 

You’re surprised to find him hunting alone the next time you go out beyond the fence; you would have assumed she was with him as she usually is. You’ve known Gale at least as long as she has, but perhaps the fact that you don’t rely on him for sustenance has made the two of you less likely to travel together.

And besides, whatever complicated relationship the two of them had, you had never wanted to insert yourself into that mess. 

But for whatever reason, today he is alone, anger and something deeper sharply visible in the movements of his nimble fingers as they field-dress a wild turkey on the floor of the small clearing you’ve emerged into, his brow furrowed and mouth harsh. 

You say nothing for several minutes as you pull your bow and quiver from their stash, testing the pull of the string, fiddling with a crooked fletching on one of your arrows. Your relationship has always been different from what he has with Katniss — you would be lying if you said you weren’t sometimes jealous of how much time she gets him to herself, but you also doubt that he talks to her the way he does to you.

There are pros and cons to not needing him in the same ways. 

“What?” he snaps when you’ve stood there too long; he knows you’re too efficient to need that much time to prepare your gear. 

You shoulder your bow, staring down at those heavy eyebrows, long ebony lashes, and the rainy-sky eyes that are still stubbornly avoiding yours.

“I don’t know, Gale. You tell me.” 

He sighs, long and annoyed. “You’re gonna stand there all day if I don’t, aren’t you.” 

You give a noncommittal noise and make a show of leaning against a tree to keep watch for Peacekeepers while he finishes his work. 

The thanks you get for that is little more than a grunt. “Well don’t get comfortable, I’m almost done. And keep up — I still need more than this or we’ll have a lean few days.” 

“When have I ever not kept up with you, Hawthorne?” You raise your eyebrows at him, playfully miffed. 

There it is, the cocky smirk that pulls one corner of his pretty mouth slightly higher than the other. “That a challenge, Spark?” 

You roll your eyes in mock disdain of the nickname he’s used forever (“because you’re small, but I know you’ve got a blaze in there somewhere” he’d half-teased). “Why, are you gonna try and run away from me?” 

It’s his turn to shrug. “How badly do you want to talk, I guess?” He’s loading the bird’s carcass into his satchel, wiping off his hunting knife and preparing to head out. 

A quick grab and you’ve shouldered the bag instead, ensuring he can’t abandon you now without also abandoning his prize. “Pretty damn badly, I guess.” 

Gale huffs a breath out through his nose. “God, you’re stubborn.” 

“Look who’s talking.” You brush past him, aiming for a deer trail that takes you through some hidden haunts that usually yield rabbits and even some bigger game on occasion. “Now come on, spill. You’ve been acting more pissed than usual, and that’s saying something.” 

“Hm. Very funny.” He easily lifts his own hunting gear once more and falls into step behind you. “Hunt first. Talk later. I’ll be even more pissed if we scare off our dinner.” 

You turn and give him a brisk nod, grinning to yourself when you face forward again. 

It may not sound like much, but that was practically a promise that he will talk to you eventually. 

And you’re nothing if not patient enough to outlast him. 

The times the two of you have hunted together, your ambition and his tenacity tend to be a deadly combination, and as luck would have it, a rare buck deer had crossed your path today, resulting in an even more substantial promise of survival than the turkey. As the two of you worked quickly to prepare the carcass for packing it out, you could feel the tension ebbing away between you, could tell by the way Gale’s strong shoulders relaxed and his jaw unclenched that the immediate worry of ensuring his mother and younger siblings had enough to eat this week had faded.

He would never say as much out loud, but you know it keeps him up at night when they do go hungry, can imagine how he must pace the floors of his house at night, cursing himself for falling short of the herculean standards that the loss of his father set upon him.

He should be able to sleep somewhat peacefully tonight, knowing they will survive another day thanks to him. 

“That was a good shot,” he says after a while of working in silence, and there’s a deep-running warmth threaded through his tone. “You really slowed him down.” 

You shove his shoulder, making him laugh and then scold you for jostling him with a knife in his hands. “Not so shabby on that killing shot yourself, Hawk-eyes. You’ll have food for awhile.” 

“You’re not getting away without some of it,” he insists. “It’s as much yours as mine.” 

And because you know refusing Gale an act of service is a surefire way to start an argument and guarantee his sullen silence again, you agree that you’ll take a sizable portion back to your family when the two of you head back. Placated for the time being, he finally lets his tongue run — about how he’s managing in the mines, what his siblings have been up to, how even in the midst of his exhaustion, he still lives for the end of the work week when he can escape to the forest again. There are new themes of thought that surface and submerge like fish between his words, murmurs of rebellion, thoughts of standing up to the Capitol at last, but they are hushed and quickly moved on from. 

No matter how much you might support him, he doesn’t want to worry you too much yet. 

“What about you and Katniss?” you finally prod, trying to ignore the familiar jolt of envy that tastes so sour on your tongue whenever you say their names together in the same breath. 

He stills; when his eyes flicker up to yours again they’re guarded and cold. “What about me and Katniss?” 

“Well, she’s conspicuously not here with you.” You flick flyaway hairs away from your face in irritation, the damp air making them cling to your skin. “Don’t be like that, Gale. I’ve been your friend long enough to not deserve your cagey act anymore. Let me in. Please.” 

He stares up at you for so long from his position kneeling on the forest floor, you standing over him, pleading him with your eyes to let someone else shoulder part of the heavy load he carries for once. And you’re struck by those traitorous thoughts again in the silvery silence — how unreasonably lovely he is, with that sharply angled jawline, and those softly curving lips, that thick dark hair you’ve always secretly wanted to tangle your fingers in as he leans down, your name on his tongue and a teasing glint in his melancholy eyes — 

“I think I made a mistake,” he finally mutters. “I know I can’t understand fully what she’s seen or who she is now, but is it completely wrong of me to just wish things didn’t have to change?” 

The man who means more to you than anything has never looked more lost and uncertain than in this moment of admission, and you sink to your knees in front of him, suddenly overtaken by a wave of softness that takes a second to fully process. “I’m sorry, Gale, I am. We all change, and I know how it feels to wonder if someone still cares or not.” You shake away your own uncertainties you’ve been having ever since she came back and he’s been chasing her attentions around.

“It’s only natural to want to pick up right where you left off, I get it.” 

His gaze sharpens, though the rest of his face remains calculated and unreadable. “Have I been ignoring you lately, Spark?”

It seems like a genuine question, as if running back through the last few months in his mind he now acutely senses your absence from them. 

You reach out, trailing the tips of your fingers ever so lightly down his cheek. The gesture isn’t novel, you’ve used it to comfort him before, especially when you aren’t sure how much physical contact he wants on a given day, but something feels different about it today, some electric shiver passing between you that makes his mouth twitch and causes you to pull your hand away as if shocked. 

“I need you too, Hawk-eyes,” you murmur, almost under your breath. “I need you.” 

To your dismay, the intimate moment abruptly ends; he tears away from the echo of your touch and is on his feet again in an instant, eyes now pale and hard as ice as he smolders down at your upturned face. 

Reeling with confusion and hurt, you try to understand what just happened. “Gale, wait! What did I —?” 

“It’s that damn word,” he half-snarls, but you hear the raw pain bubbling beneath his attempt at anger. “Need. My family needs me, the District needs me, Katniss needs me to be there when she can’t find what she needs from anyone else. Everyone needs me, Spark.” 

You stare wordlessly into his face, silently begging him to help you understand. His eyelashes glimmer with droplets from the mist and maybe something else, the anger draining away as quickly as it had appeared. 

“I would just like to be here because I’m wanted for once.” 

He’s gone in only a handful of long strides, the undergrowth rattling in his wake. 

And you’re left alone in a space all at once too cold and quiet, wondering what the hell it will finally take to make it through those impenetrable walls and at last touch his solitary wounded heart. 

The sun has sunk lower in the sky by the time you find the fallen tree beside the stream and discover its unexpected bounty. You’re not too far from where you left the deer, knowing neither you nor Gale can pack it out by yourself, but far enough away to give him space if he goes back there first. 

He and his prickly attitude leave your thoughts momentarily, however, when you see the bees returning to the gutted form of the dead tree. Where there are bees there might be honey, and your mouth waters at the distant memory of that sweet, energy-filled delicacy. You swiftly fall to the work of building a small, smoky fire and holding the billowing branches underneath their main entrance, waiting for the buzzing to slow and finally fade out before carefully peeling away some of the cracked wood and extracting your prize, leaving a piece behind of course for the hardworking insects to enjoy themselves. 

Wrapping the majority of the honeycomb in leaves that you know are safe to be in contact with food, you settle at last in a spot looking over the water, ready to enjoy a taste of your labors.

Closing your eyes, you let the first drop of sun-warmed sweetness land on your tongue, and the sound of appreciation that escapes your throat is shamelessly suggestive of something else.

So you freeze for a second in horror when Gale’s familiar voice rumbles through your senses. 

“So is this your little secret, or were you planning to share with me?” 

You compose your thudding heart and suddenly hot face, glancing up at where he now towers over you, arms crossed over his broad chest and a wicked smirk on his handsome face. By the high-tilted eyebrow that asks a sensitive question without really asking, he definitely heard you, and he wants you to know that. 

So you hold eye contact with him, even as the thick honey continues to drip down, painting your tongue in cloudy golden shades of wildflower sugar.

And to your gratification, you don’t think you imagine the way his eyes dart away ever so briefly, or how his own tongue runs across his lower lip. 

“I was gonna share,” you finally say, your own voice coming out slow and sticky after swallowing. “But I didn’t know where you’d run off to.” 

“Hm. I’m not convinced.”

He lowers his tall body to the ground beside you, reaching for your piece of honeycomb, and because he seems to have let go of his earlier flash of annoyance, you let him take it, gaze now glued to the entrancing picture of him as he opens his own mouth and lets the sweet amber substance drizzle between his parted lips, tongue lifting to capture any stray drops that threaten to escape. 

“Don’t be selfish,” you tease, but it comes out strangely heavy, and something kindles deep in your chest as his eyes slide sideways to pin themselves to yours.

It’s an oddly incriminating image almost, though you couldn’t name why, to see him stare you down like that with fresh honey glistening on his lips and fingers; he, however, doesn’t seem to feel any such sense of indignity. 

Without a word, he holds the waxy section out once more, his free hand coming up to your face so that his thumb gently coaxes your lips apart again. 

“You want more?” he asks, a silky hum. 

You have no idea if he’s even talking about the honey anymore, but you nod anyway, too breathless at how close he is, how much bigger he is than you. 

So he complies, trickles the comb’s gleaming goodness into your mouth with an intense focus that you can hear in the roughness of his hot breath as it washes across your skin. His chest is inches away from yours, one of his muscular thighs resting between your legs. You’re aware that your own breathing is turning shaky, and you gasp softly when a splash of honey rolls from the corner of your mouth and starts running down your face. 

Gale is quick, but not quick enough, and though his other hand catches some of the rogue rivulet, he can only watch as the rest rolls to your chest, landing on the stretch of exposed skin right at the tops of your breasts, a single drop of gold hovering just above the scooping neckline of your black shirt, daring him to take some sort of action to solve the predicament he has caused. 

His eyes move up from the now very rapid rise and fall of your chest to your widened, startled gaze.

You look like a wild animal he’s surprised on the hunt, and he now finds that he fiercely hopes whatever comes next doesn’t spook you away. 

“Can I?” he whispers, honeycomb now forgotten and set aside. 

You nod your assent, keeping your focus fixed on his face. 

A hand approaches your body with all of the steady patience you’ve seen him exercise when stalking his prey, and the touch of two fingers to the delicate skin below your collarbone is warm and gentle. His hands are beautiful too, broad and long-fingered, the veins that hint at his great strength clearly delineated in the low-slanting sunlight.

You watch like a fascinated outside observer as those work-roughened fingers swipe the honey away, a shiver fluttering across your flesh as you feel the way he smoothly follows the swells of your bust and the dip between. 

He catches the tremor he caused and pulls away, looking back up at your face even as he licks the honey from his fingertips, and you wonder what’s running through his mind, and if it’s nearly as incendiary as what that simple action sends through yours. 

“Alright?” 

It’s a one-word question that leaves his mouth as something like a purr, though you sense the true concern behind it.

He worries he’s gone too far, and he’d never forgive himself if he pushed you into anything you didn’t want, no matter how small. 

He cares about you too much for that. 

“Yes.” You blink and gather your scattered thoughts. “Better than alright. Gale…?” 

He leans even closer, bringing your faces only a mere breath apart.

The blue-gray eyes have gone as feathery soft as mist in the early morning, and the sight makes your chest ache with something you cannot quite name. 

“You didn’t get all of it. I’m still sticky.” 

Gale searches your expression for confirmation, wary of his next move. “You know what you’re asking?” 

Your hands are on his chest now, and you can feel that despite his much more outwardly collected demeanor, his heart is beating just as hard as yours. 

“I want your help,” you tell him firmly, and you feel the way that simple word, want, finally pierces his armor, makes him twitch like the bite of a gnat. 

So he bends down, and the moment his mouth connects with your chest, time stops. 

It’s a lightning strike, crackling through your entire body. 

His lips are cool, chilled by the evening air, and they’re every bit as perfect as you’ve always imagined. You could stay there forever in the mesmerizing trap of his kiss, but the addition of his sultry tongue, sweeping a slow track along the path his fingers had gone only a few minutes before, is what fully unravels you, sending his name from your own mouth in a whine and prompting one of your hands to slide up his neck and into his hair — and it, too, is everything you’ve dreamed of, dense and wild and begging to be tamed by your grasping desperation. He growls in surprise at the unexpected sensation of your fingernails, but you feel rather than hear it, the vibrations of his voice thrumming deep inside your body. 

You know the entire exchange must only take a few minutes, but it seems like an eternity that he’s there, sucking the honey trail from your skin, his still-sticky fingers leaving behind more prints that he also endeavors to remove. You pull his body closer to yours, until it seems you breathe one breath, share one heartbeat as he rocks you back and forth with the barely restrained desire to push you over until he can cover you completely. 

But it can be deadly to lose concentration in the woods, especially so close to nightfall, and regretfully the pair of you pull away in unspoken agreement, staring at each other and trying to understand fully what just happened. 

“We should get a move on,” Gale finally huffs. “That deer won’t carry itself.” 

Temperamental, taciturn Gale.

Always concerned with the practical side of things. 

No more words are exchanged between the two of you as you pack up the day’s yield and slip back into the somewhat relative safety of the Seam. The meat is stored away at Gale’s house (he knows you’ll come back for your share, or else he’ll find you and force you to take it) and at last there is really nothing more left to do, so you step out the door and into the lengthening shadows. 

When you look back, however, he’s still standing there in the doorframe, and there’s a tentative curiosity written across his face, a reluctance to have this be goodnight and goodbye until his next free day. 

And you could lie and say you don’t feel the same way, but you and Gale have never lied to each other. 

“What?” you tease, echoing his demand of much earlier. 

He opens his mouth, then closes it again and shrugs helplessly. “I…I don’t know, Spark. Where do you want…this…to go?” 

You ponder that, taking in the familiar sight of him with warm fondness. He looks tired, shoulders slouched and face smudged with gray dust from the mines, but there’s something different there tonight, a fragile hope behind his resting sullen expression, some aura about him that pleads with you not to leave him alone tonight. 

Even a man as strong as Gale Hawthorne has his limits. 

So you give in to temptation. 

“The washtub at my house is bigger, you know. And we both could use a hand cleaning up.” 

He steps down from the threshold to follow you back to your home. 

You know what you’re really offering to him. 

And so does he. 

When you wake with first light, he’s already long gone. Only the dip in the other side of your worn mattress remains to suggest another body was actually there. 

You’re not surprised, and not really hurt. He has his job to get back to, after all, a family to feed and a whole village to look after. But you wonder briefly, after having watched him fall asleep with his arms wrapped around you and his face hidden in your chest, long eyelashes leaving butterfly kisses against your flesh, what it would be like to watch him wake up, too. 

You imagine his eyes are even prettier then, hazy with sleep and not yet hardened to withstand the day’s toils ahead. 

Last night feels like a strange dream of lukewarm water and skin on skin, sporadically interspersed with starkly clear images of his well-muscled form and those clever hands traveling across the width and breadth of yours. When you close your eyes you can still feel his heavy weight on top of you, pressing you deeper into the mattress, and you feel oddly empty and untethered now in its absence.

Only the dark blossoms his mouth left behind on your body and a selection of new — but not unpleasant — aches tells you that what you shared was in fact as real as this morning. 

What it means going forward, you don’t know. 

But you don’t regret a single moment of it. 

As you dress and prepare to head out for the day, your mother’s voice calls you into the main room. “One of the younger Hawthorne children brought you something — said it’s from your friend.” 

You see it there on the table, a folded scrap of rough paper and a single daisy, still fresh enough to mean he probably cut it on his way back to his house. 

A small smile creeps across your lips as you unfold the note. 

Spark — 

I don’t want this to be just a one-time thing. At least, not if you feel that way too. 

Sorry I had to go. I wish I could have stayed. 

You may not need me to survive, but you made me realize something. 

I need you. 

— Gale 

Hastily re-folding the paper, you tuck it away into your shirt pocket, close to your heart. 

Stubborn Gale Hawthorne. 

He’d never been much of a talker, so you know just how much those simple three words at the end of his message really mean. 

For the man who needs no one to admit he can’t go on without you?

He might as well rival the old poets in their epic declarations of love. 

Gale is much like the wild honey that started all of this, you realize, as you snatch a piece of the comb on your way out into the harsh world beyond. Once you manage to get past his defensive sting, there are so many intoxicating flavors to taste within. 

And whatever he still needs to work out with Katniss…. 

He doesn’t want this to be a one-time thing. 

[marshmallowprotection]

what do you think saeran’s toxic traits would be in a relationship? like do you think he’d treat his gf well? (ge saeran)

GE Saeran may not be the perfect partner, but to be honest, I don't think we can quantify anyone as a "perfect partner".

Relationships are about working, learning, and growing together. Sometimes you'll say something really dumb or misunderstand your partner without meaning to, and sometimes you'll do something like peel an orange for your lover without needing to be asked because you love helping them!

It's very normal to have a relationship that flows like a river, seeming fast and slow at times, moving through rocks, fish, and sticks, too.

Now, don't let that make you think it's healthy to argument with your partner all the time. Disagreements are healthy in a relationship but not full-blown arguments and spats. You're two different people, even if you love each other, you will run into a wall sometimes, and you get moments where you learn how to concede, compromise, and adapt if and when it comes to that. There's a balance, you're looking for some kind of harmony in your partnership, but it won't always be perfect.

It isn't healthy to assume it's sunshine and roses every day, just like it isn't healthy to assume it's doom and gloom every second. It's about two or more people coming together to make it work, and as long as you have that, as long as you have communication, your relationship will thank you for it. The cornerstone of a relationship hinges on your ability to communicate your needs. If you fall to meet that, it will end up crumbling in some way, shape, or form.

So, what do I think would be unhealthy for Saeran? Well, let's blow this one out of the bag already since this seems to be a problem for many people who talk about Saeran and MC. Did you guys know in the game, V/Rika and Saeran/MC are written to to be foils? Most of all, especially in the case of Ray Route and the RAE. There's a line in which we need to draw when it comes to unhealthy attachment and dependency.

V and Rika? Codependent. They have a hard time functioning without the other even if they're both well-aware they're horrible for the other by the end. Rika feels like she needs V around no matter how much she screams in agony that she hates him because he is her Savior, her God, and her light. V feels like he needs to keep protecting Rika, in part because he doesn't want to hurt someone like he thinks he did to his mother, but because he promised her he would.

Saeran and MC? NOT CODEPENDENT. Saeran and MC work side by side, communicate, and make decisions based on what feels right to them. Saeran's actions don't hinge upon MC telling him what to do in the moment. He asks them for input but he isn't bound by it. MC isn't demanding Saeran do what they want. They tell him to think about all the options he has, and he considers what he wants before they talk it out, discussing pros and cons for everything.

The game lays this out very plainly but some people miss the point in the fact that these dynamics are meant to foil one another and show two sides of the situation and where a dynamic can be healthy and... well, where it goes wrong. Saeran and MC don't need each other to be able to function in life, but V and Rika... they have a hard time with that.

Codependency vs Interdependency.

So, with that being said, what do I think Saeran might deal with in a relationship that's not healthy, but could be worked on?

I think GE Saeran's core struggle will be trying to find a sense of individuality.

But, this is something he's already talked about in the game, and it's something he's willing to work on every day for the rest of his life. It isn't surprising to know that he values the comfort of those around him more than he values himself, but he's learning how to accept that his needs and wants matter just as much. So it's not as if this is going to be something that's happening for a long time since he's already well aware of it, but it's good to point out that it's not only something that he needs to be aware of, but you do, as well. You don't want him to focus on just what you want in life, after all.

I have a hard time imagining him struggling with most things that many people do in relationships just because he's so dedicated to working on himself and being aware of the problems that may spring up within him—it makes it hard to say something that could be toxic. His willingness to be better and to communicate squashes so many traits that can make somebody do something toxic, willfully or not.

Since communication is a cornerstone of any relationship, if there were any problems, he would work on them, and that reduces a lot of the expected "toxic" traits you see. It's so hard for me to say, "Well, he may do this or that," when I know the minute you said something, he would be researching and learning how to curb a bad behavior. He's not trying to be willfully cruel, after all!

Saeran's not perfect, is my point, but if there were any problems, he would work on them.

[foxyanon]

Get To Know…Sihtric Kjartansson

*Magazine cover by me! This is a companion piece to the collab SMAU, The Lives of Friends by myself, @legitalicat, @thenameswinter99 (fic blog @thenameswinterfics) and @zaldritzosrose!*

Word Count: 1520

Dividers by @arcielee

Interviewer: I’m Jordan Penrose from Storm Coast Boxing Magazine. We are here today with none other than Sihtric Kjartansson, world champ and co-owner of Shield Wall Boxing Club. As everyone knows, Sihtric came from less than savory beginnings and is now a man at the top of his career. How are you doing today man?

Sihtric: I’m good, happy to be here Mr. Penrose. What about yourself?

I: I am fantastic. So let’s get right to it. What prompted you to pick up gloves and step into the ring?

S: I needed a constructive way to burn off all the energy I had as a kid. Like you said earlier, my beginnings weren’t all that great before I found fighting. I was into theft, breaking and entering, and even vandalism as a teen. My home life wasn’t great, Kjartan being the man he is and naturally I fell in with the wrong crowd. That all changed when I was about 14 or 15. I decided to try breaking into the sanctuary and as luck would have it, I met my now younger sister Alisanne. She introduced me to her parents, and that moment changed my life. I will say I am forever grateful to Rickon and Gilliane Stark, because they gave me the home and family I was lacking. Rickon, my dad, actually suggested I take up fighting as a way to help process the anger I felt as a teen, and we found out I’m pretty good at it so I just kept going with it and here I am now.

I: Pretty good is an understatement, you have a nearly undefeated career and you just won your latest title fight. The last person to have a record like that is your own father-in-law, Maegor Targaryen.

S: I still have some losses on that record, whereas he has, what, maybe one? Even at pushing 70, he could still kick my ass and not break a sweat.

I: True enough, I don’t think I would want to fight him. Speaking of family, did your family and friends support your choice to go pro?

S: Excluding Kjartan, actually yes. I got really lucky to have such a solid support system when I was starting out. Mom and Dad made time to come to my matches in high school and even still come to them now that Cregan has taken over at the sanctuary. I think my biggest supporter in the beginning of my career was Alisanne, she has always been in my corner from day one. Nowadays, I’ve got my lovely wife and her family supporting me as well.

I: Good personal foundations build strong and lasting careers. But not everything is perfect and walking down an easy street. So, what challenges have you faced?

S: After getting my life straightened out as a teen, I did struggle with school and balancing my life in all areas. I ended up going to therapy at moms insistence which helped me a lot. Even though I started on rock bottom with bad grades, I was able to turn that around with a lot of summer schooling and extra credit work. I may not have graduated top of the class, but I did get that diploma which had only been a pipe dream of mine before. Then of course there’s breaking into the professional sphere, which was tough. I had to do a lot of grinding and many fights to get seen by the right people before they would consider me for the big matches. Even though I was scouted by an agency out of high school, there was a mountain between me and the life I have now.

I: And boy have you climbed that mountain quickly. You were only a little man on the totem pole for about 2 years before getting your big break at only 20 years old. That’s impressive. Almost as much as you having had a consistent win over loss streak for nearly a decade. Which leads me to my next question, what was the most significant moment in your career?

S: Honestly, I owe my big break to Maegor and Pyrling. While neither of them fight anymore, they put in some good words for me with the right people and that put me in the position to take the next step up in my career. That all pales in comparison to meeting Rhaenerys, however. She, along with my siblings, really encouraged me to take the leap and open my own gym for other troubled kids like I was. I can easily say I would not be where I am now without them, but Rhaenerys has been my rock for the last four years and the fire that has kept me going.

I: What motivates you to keep boxing?

S: Several things actually. I did briefly consider retiring early, but my wife helped me find a new direction in the gym I now run with my long-time friend Finan. But outside her and my family, it would be the knowledge I am able to provide a positive influence in these lives of the kids and really anyone who walks into Shield Wall. We get people from all walks of life, including others looking to make a career out of fighting. Knowing that I can help them and provide a safe space for them has been the biggest motivator.

I: You keep mentioning her, and of course I have to ask. Tell me about the woman herself, Dr. Rhaenerys Targaryen. What is your relationship with her like and how did you two meet?

S: How much time do we have? We could be here a while talking about her, it’s one of my favorite pastimes. In all seriousness, she is amazing. I am truly lucky to have her in my life. We actually met at one of my fights, she came along with her dad to spectate since he had been following my career. I was smitten instantly, but it definitely took me quite some time to work up the nerve to ask her out. While I know now he isn’t that scary, Maegor terrified the shit out of me in the beginning. As I understand it, he was less than thrilled with me at first. Not because he didn’t like me but more so because Rhae is his little girl and he wanted more for her. I owe a lifetime of gratitude to my mother-in-law, Elvira, on that front. She vouched for me and the rest is history. We started dating when she was still in school, but we both knew pretty quickly that we would get married one day.

I: You two have been married a year? Little more than that? Which, by the way, was a beautiful day based on the pictures the public has seen. But now that you have settled down, what does your day-to-day look like?

S: A little over a year, yeah. As for my daily life, I work the gym most days during the week and occasionally on the weekends between fights. I don’t get into the ring as often as I used to now, really only sticking to the big ones though now that I’ve won my title, I may actually hang up my gloves and just focus on the gym. After all, I’m nearly 30 now and I’m looking forward to having more time home with Rhae and our pets. Our dog, Abraxsas actually just turned 10 earlier this year and of course we have Cupcake, that little black hellion we call a cat. Now that Rhae is settled at the museum, we have started talking about having a family of our own and I want to focus on that rather than training for my next big fight.

I: Sounds like you have a rather idyllic life going on. We will miss you in the ring but you are a testament that the products of your childhood don’t need to color your future. Last question, what would you say to others who have been in a similar situation?

S: Persistence and having solid support is key. If you want to change your life, you have to change your environment and your mindset. You can’t get anywhere you want in life if you aren’t willing to do the work. Sure, there’s an aspect of luck to get like me, but you have a far better chance of becoming lucky in success if you are surrounded by others who have that same drive as you. The crowd I used to run with? Most of those guys are either dead or in prison now because they stayed in that troublemaker mentality, never growing beyond what they could have. So yeah, changing your friend group to one who supports you and I mean really supports you, and persisting in the dream you want to chase would be my advice to anyone who has lived a life similar to mine.

I: And that is all the time we have for today, thank you for the chat Sihtric.

S: Thank you as well, Mr. Penrose.