#for the record i have been a figure skating fan for only like 2 months

[ilottthepilot]

speaking my truth, i think i'm in love with the scottish figure skating commentator who does the isu livestreams on youtube. do i know who he is? no. do i know what he looks like? also no. but something about his beautiful voice, his lovely accent and how he is alwas so uplifting even when skaters don't do well has me going insane. I need him. Someone could fall during every single element of their program and he would still find something nice to say. ahhh i might be obsessed 😳

[avatar-anna]

hii so i wanted to know if you could do a frat boy harry who’s a hockey player and reader who’s a figure skater. and it’s like enemies to lovers type of thing like rivals.

idk how to feel about this one...but here you go!

Part 2

You positioned your arms in the correct position, taking some deep breaths before the music began. The opening chords sounded—a lilting, breathy harp—and when you were ready, you bent down gracefully, and started the routine you'd been perfecting for months.

Your skates glided across the ice, your body letting the music move you through each trick. Nothing else existed for the next two and a half minutes. Drowning out every single distraction was the only way to achieve perfection, in your mind.

The music finally stopped as you skated back to the center to land in your final position. Your breathing was heavy, but you tried your hardest not to let it show. The routine needed to appear effortless, and panting like you'd just run a marathon would give the opposite effect.

There was light applause from some of the other girls you skated with after you left the center of the rink, but otherwise it was still fairly quiet. That is, until Harry showed up.

“Oh, come on, Princess, you can do better than that!”

“Suck my dick, Harry!”

“I’d rather suck on something else, love, you know that. But only if you let me.”

You rolled your eyes, but didn’t look over at him once, knowing that would only give him more satisfaction.

Harry Styles was the captain of your school’s hockey team. He was the best goalie in the state, had an excellent record, had his pick of any NHL team from coast to coast, could even be selected for the Olympic team next year. He was one of the most popular guys at your school, students and professors alike wrapped around his finger, but to you he was just a cocky, arrogant son of a bitch.

You skated at the same university, but instead of holding a stick and getting into fights and shoving opponents against plexiglass, you performed. Your competitions weren't so barbaric. You were a figure skater, an excellent one at that. Not that anyone at your school really cared. If it wasn’t aired on the a big sports network, it wasn't worth talking about. It didn't matter that you were a world class figure skater, or that you were mastering tricks that only the best skaters in the world merely considered putting in their routines. It didn't matter that you'd won competition after competition. You weren’t praised for your flawless technique or your effortless grace the way that Harry was praised for blocking an impossible shot. Statistically speaking, you technically had a better record than Harry did as far as victories went, but as history has shown, boys always got more recognition.

It didn’t bother you that Harry and his teammates were more popular than you, that wasn’t your issue. The problem was that it went straight to their heads. They lorded their talent over everyone like they were God’s gift to humankind. It drove you insane, and the fact that you all practiced and trained at the same rink made it that much worse.

You skated back to the center of the rink again, more laser focused than ever now that you knew Harry was watching. The only good thing that came out of his assholish ways was that it drove you to work ten times harder. When the music started, you could feel his eyes watching your every move, but you let it fuel you. You didn't just achieve perfection, you were perfection. And where you might have bobbled a landing last go around, this time you stuck it without a hitch.

“Yeah! That’s my girl!” Harry whistled, the sound of his hands clapping bouncing off the pretty much empty rink.

At that, you turned and glared at him, only to see him smiling and wiggling his eyebrows at you. Everything about him irritated you to the highest degree, from the self-satisfied smirk to the way his dark curly hair fanned out beneath his backward baseball cap, the one that rarely left his head unless he was wearing his goalie helmet. The most annoying thing about him was how cute he was. If he wasn’t such a dick you actually might be interested.

Before you could reply with a snide remark, your coach walked over to where Harry was pressed up against the rim of the rink. “Stop distracting my skaters, Styles!”

“Sorry, Coach,” Harry called, but he didn’t look apologetic in the slightest. Winking at you, he walked off, taking his hat off for a moment to run a hand through his hair before putting it back on again.

Shaking Harry off, you finished the rest of your training in peace. It went pretty quick, which was why Harry was there in the first place. Once you and your friends got out of your skates and changed into regular clothes in the locker room, you were all on your way to the parking lot.

“I swear he’s into you or something,” Kate, one of your best friend said when she saw Harry waiting by your car, a couple of his friends/teammates with him.

“As he should, but it’s never gonna happen,” you said.

Kate nudged you. “Why? I mean he’s annoying as fuck, but he’s the hottest guy at our school. And I’ve heard he’s, like, you know, good in bed.”

“Ugh, not you too, Kate,” you groaned, though you weren’t all that surprised she was playing devil’s advocate. She went to the dark side a few months ago when one of the other boys on the hockey team asked her to to some fraternity dance and had been together ever since. “And for the record, no one our age is actually ‘good.’ According to my sister, it takes years of practice.”

“If you’re worried I don’t have any experience, you shouldn't. I have plenty of it, Princess.”

You rolled your eyes. “Your hand doesn’t count as experience, Harry,” you said, walking past him and his friends to put your things in the trunk of your car.

His friends all laughed and pushed him around, but you ignored all of it, waiting for them all to leave. From your vantage point, you saw Kate walk over to Harry and her boyfriend Zayn. She went over and gave him a hug, but you stayed where you were, not looking Harry in the eye.

“There’s a party tonight,” Zayn said to you and Kate. “You guys should come.”

Before you could say no, Kate spoke first. “Yeah, we’ll definitely be there.” After telling you that she’d be at your house to pick you up later, she and Zayn walked off, leaving you and Harry alone.

“I’m assuming you’re sticking around because you need a ride?” you asked, slowly inching forward.

Harry nodded, reaching his hand out to you. You took it reluctantly, letting him pull you closer. Once you were close enough, though, you couldn’t help yourself. You surged forward and kissed him, pressing your body against his. Harry was more than receptive, letting you take his baseball cap off and run your hands through his hair. His kiss set you on fire, and you hated how much you loved it.

“You have to stop doing that,” you said once Harry’s lips attached to your neck. You almost couldn’t get the words out because he knew exactly which spots made your breath hitch, but you managed.

“I thought we were supposed to be keeping up appearances,” he panted, speaking the words into your skin. “You’re the one who doesn’t want anyone to know we’re dating.”

“We’re not dating.” Your response was immediate. You expected Harry to stop his attack on your neck, but he didn’t. In fact, you felt him grin against you.

“Sure, whatever you say.”

Screwing around with Harry was not something you expected. He was cocky and got on your nerves constantly. But he flirted with you just as often, and one day it just got to you. You dragged him into a closet at a party, and you’d been secretly doing whatever you were doing ever since.

“No one finds out, got it?” you whispered, unbuttoning his shirt.

“Whatever you want, Princess. We done talking now?”

So you were a thing. Friends with benefits. But not really friends because outside of closed doors Harry still pissed you off to no end. Rivals with benefits? No, that didn't have the same ring to it.

It didn't really matter, though. Even giving that much thought to the situation at hand was too much.

Harry slid into the passenger seat of your car after throwing his gear in the trunk. Giving him a ride wasn't something you foresaw after that first night you spent with him, but he didn't own a car and didn't live with his friends, and after he mentioned nearly getting jumped at a bus station, you offered to drive him home. Harry was a thorn in your side, but you weren't heartless.

His hand settled comfortably on your knee as you pulled out of the parking lot, his thumb moving back and forth along the soft material of your sweatpants.

“Don’t,” you warned.

“Don’t what?” Harry asked, though you didn't even have to look over to know he was smirking at you.

“Last time you tried something in the car we almost crashed”

“That’s because your eyes were closed. I'm completely innocent,” Harry reasoned.

“You had your fingers—”

“Now, now, Princess. Stay calm before you nearly kill us again.”

You groaned in sheer annoyance. At Harry's childishness, at yourself for letting his immaturity get to you. He knew just how to push your buttons, and you absolutely despised him for it.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

“Stay with me tonight.”

“I already told Kate—”

“Tell her you’re sick,” Harry interrupted, kissing your bare shoulder. “You didn’t even want to go in the first place. Just stay here.”

You wouldn't lie, staying in Harry's bed sounded much more appealing than holding a plastic cup of stale beer and shouting over music to be heard. Parties were never really your thing, but it was something to do on the weekends, so you went. But now Harry was presenting another option, though it was one that wandered beyond the boundaries of your arrangement.

“Don’t you think people might get the wrong idea if both of us don't show up?” you asked. You felt like you needed a reason to say no, and this was the best one you could come up with.

“Everyone thinks we hate each other,” Harry replied. His voice was raspy and slow, the way it got when he was tired. You weren't sure when you started to recognize little details like that, but now you did. “Come on. My roommate is gone for the weekend. We'd have the whole place to ourselves.”

“We’d probably kill each other,” you mused, though the idea did spark something in you.

“Maybe.”

His voice was muffled as his lips dragged across your skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. One hand moved your hair to the side so he had better access to the spot just below your ear while the other traced lazy circles on your hip. You were tired, utterly spent really, but the sensation of Harry’s skin and the occasional nip of his teeth was hard to ignore. You leaned into his touch almost involuntarily, humming as his hands continued to dip and stroke apply pressure in the places he knew were your most sensitive.

“What were you gonna do at that party anyway?” he said. “Pretend to have a good time? Talk to guys who think they have a chance with you when they don't?”

“Who says they don't?” you asked, though it was mostly to egg Harry on. You didn't miss the glares pointed in your direction whenever you talked to other guys at parties. There weren't any kind of rules that the two of you abided by, but both of you were well aware of the fact that you weren't seeing anyone else. And Harry would always let you know how he felt about you flirting with other guys when he finally got you alone.

You'd hoped that your remark would set Harry's jealousy aflame and make him remind you how wrong you actually were. It was the kind of cat and mouse game you played often, but instead of responding the way he normally did, Harry did the oddest thing. He let go of you completely.

“Fine then. Go and have fun at your party.”

You were inexplicably cold as Harry's arms released their hold on you and he shuffled towards the edge of the bed so he wasn't touching you.

Totally and utterly surprised, you laid still, unsure of what was going on. Finally, you said, “Really?”

Harry shrugged as he pulled a book from his nightstand and opened it up, completely nonplussed. “If you think that anyone at that stupid party is going to measure up to me, then by all means,” he said, gesturing towards the bedroom door with his book.

Without another word, he went back to reading, leaving you virtually alone with your thoughts.

Something stirred in you. Guilt didn't feel like the right word, but you felt...kind of bad for making Harry feel that way, and even worse now that he wasn't paying attention to you. It was ludicrous, seeing as he drove you insane and you hated him, but at the moment, all you wanted to do was crawl over to him and have his attention again. At the very least to have him finish what he'd started.

So, perhaps against your better judgement, you did.

“I’m sorry,” you said, squishing your cheek against his shoulder and spreading your hand across his torso.

By now you didn't even have to look at him to know which tattoos you were tracing, so you kept your eyes on his face as your fingers traveled from the butterfly on his stomach down to the fern leaves on his hips. Up, down, lower, grazing until you got a reaction from him.

“You’re gonna have to do a lot better than that,” he mumbled. His eyes were still on his book, but he had yet to turn a page, so you knew progress was being made.

You added kisses to the mix. All across his chest you kissed him, sucking a hickey right where his heart was. You could feel Harry's heart beat faster, but he still wouldn't look at you, which made your brows furrow with mild annoyance.

“Hmm. Now we're getting somewhere,” he said, a satisfied grin on his face, when your hand finally stopped teasing and got to work.

Still, it took another couple minutes of you practically groveling for him to finally look at you. His chest was flushed, but his face still remained as calm as ever. He'd hardly reacted at all to what you were doing, which made you want to please him that much more.

Pouting at him, you took the book out of his hands and chucked it across his bedroom, then placed one of his hands on you.

With one brow raised, Harry looked down at you. “You ready to behave?”

The logical part of your brain was saying this was madness. You hated how smug he was acting, how sure of himself he was. You were stroking his ego, and he was eating it up, something you never thought you would do voluntarily. But you wanted to, and you hated how much you loved it, loved having to work for it.

You nodded, leaning towards him. He would most likely never let you live this moment down, and you would have to exact some kind of revenge on him in the future, but all of that was far from your mind. The only thing you cared about was Harry's lips meeting your own as he pushed you back against the mattress, finally ready to give you both what you wanted.

[sportparade]

The Grace of Kristie Mewis

by Grant Wiedenfeld, December 18, 2020

(Photo by Jordyn Baker / Keeper Notes)

In the spirit of the holidays, the gifts of Kristie Mewis are worth reflecting on. Most now know her tale. Select US youth player, Boston College star, drafted by FC KC, and capped by the national team. But the lack of a clear role there flattened her trajectory, as she explained to Graham Hays. She lost her only playoff game with Kansas City, played on five clubs in five years, then tore her ACL in 2018.

When asked now about those lumps of coal, Kristie expresses no resentment. Her comeback does not appear fueled primarily by anger or by the drive to outperform others (a characteristic fans might associate with Carli Lloyd or Hope Solo). So what else drives Kristie Mewis? A pride to perform at her best. And that’s no small thing. Such purposiveness without a concrete purpose is Kant’s definition of the beautiful.

(Photo by Jordyn Baker / Keeper Notes)

Pure joy has resulted from the fact that Kristie’s best was good enough to help the Dash win the Challenge Cup and to elevate her to the national squad. No blazing vengeance or redemption from injustice is necessary. Such an occurrence of the unnecessary is rightly called grace.

Andonovski said he included her on the Netherlands friendly roster based purely on her performance. “Kristie is not here because of the substitution rule” that permitted him to play extra players, he explained. “She's here because she deserved to be here, because of how she performed in the October camp, the fall series, and the Challenge Cup.” After six years away from the national team she had worked her way back.

But if Lindsey Horan had not missed the trip with covid-19 and if Catarina Macario’s Fifa approval had not been delayed, Mewis would likely not have subbed on in the 61st minute. Her extended opportunity was yet another gift.

Kristie beamed with joy when Andovoski sent her in despite the nordic November chill. Stepping beside the fourth official on the sideline, she caught her younger sister Sam’s eye. “I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I saw Sam and she was smiling at me.”

2020 is the year of kristie mewis pic.twitter.com/9rfdSEnkkh

— NWSL Offseason Edition Memes (@MemesNwsl) November 27, 2020

Sam Mewis outgrew her older sis by half a foot and became a mainstay for the national team and league leader North Carolina Courage during the period Kristie’s career plateaued. "There was never any weirdness between us," Sam said before the game. "I've always been her biggest fan and she's always been mine." Despite playing the same position and finding more success, Mewis the Younger explained, "when you're family it's not so competitive, it's mutual support."

Once on the field together Kristie said, “I felt oddly comfortable, I think because she was on the field.” They set a record for sisters playing together on the national team.

The 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ content we all deserve 😊@KristieMewie and @sammymewy back in action together for the #USWNT and a goal by @KristieMewie to top it off! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/H2WD4Pixpv

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 27, 2020

Kristie’s comeback could have been complete here. “I’m so proud and so happy that I was able to get another cap with this team,” she later said. But another unexpected, unnecessary gift would be delivered.

Her first few minutes are neither imposing nor awkward (as they were for Sophia Smith in her first cap, who forced a shot and committed two fouls). Mewis the Elder stays in her lane, playing defensively around the midfield opposite Mewis the Younger. The ball does not come Kristie’s way but she does not grow restless. Serious work has dispelled the joyful moment of introduction, which she will remember later, but now she simply plays her part.

Then goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher drops a ball from heaven that Lynn Williams touches into the space open before Kristie. Suddenly she is sprinting toward the box with a defender on her hip. Concentrating on the ball running before her, she intuitively swivels as if lining up a right-footed shot, then swivels back to the left and drills a shot past the stunned feet of the Dutch keeper, on of the world’s best. It looks like Kristie is figure skating when she scores this breakaway goal, cool as ice. Then in the celebratory embraces of Sam and her teammates comes nothing but warmth.

70' | In her first cap since 2014, @KristieMewie comes through with her second USWNT goal and first since 2013! pic.twitter.com/WdCQxW0Ade

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 27, 2020

Kristie Mewis’ goal was full of grace. Her run and left-footed strike, like Williams’ touch pass, were graceful movements. It was no easy feat. But this goal meant more.

In some religious traditions an unexpected blessing is understood as divine grace. For devotees of the Houston Dash, the Boston Breakers and Boston College, of FC KC and Kristie the icon, this goal was 2020’s finest gift. The footy gods must have been smiling.

Grace is also a name for words of thanks for a meal, fitting for a game played the day after American Thanksgiving. Thankful for a return to the national team and thankful for the team’s return to action after a nearly nine month hiatus, no better grace could be said than a goal to cement a 2-0 lead.

This rules. pic.twitter.com/Sm0qvmk2pQ

— Our Game Magazine (@OurGameMagazine) November 27, 2020

Before the game Sam Mewis had said, “To be here for Thanksgiving together is…very special.” She who currently resides in Manchester where she plays for City, an ocean away from her older sister and her family. In that holiday spirit of family and reunion, let us tell again the story of Mewis the Elder and sing a tribute version of a traditional song:

Deck the hall with boughs of collie,

Mewie, ewie, ewie, ewie, yes!

'Tis the season to be jolly,

Mewie, ewie, ewie, ewie, yes!

Don we now our gay apparel,

Mewie, ewie, ewie, ewie, yes!

Fill the meadcup, drain the barrel,

Mewie, ewie, ewie, ewie, yes!

(Photo by Gia Quilap / Keeper Notes)

[mattsammonsez]

Hockey’s Voice

Sometimes you meet people who embody everything you believe makes a good person. Mike “Doc” Emrick is one of those people, and I enjoyed the few times we interacted in the past 13 years.

Mike “Doc” Emrick in his second home. 

When you work in sports broadcasting, your path crosses with the paths of a lot of prominent people, including athletes, coaches, and executives. It’s all part of the job, and admittedly one of the many perks that comes with the territory. While it’s fun to cross paths with these people, there are a select few where you feel blessed that your paths crossed. Mike “Doc” Emrick is one of those people, and you always felt like you knew him and he knew you all your life even if your real life interaction was only 5 minutes. With the announcement from Emrick earlier this week that he is retiring from calling NHL games, I wanted to share a few stories about the times my path fortunately and blessedly crossed with Doc’s.

Like many people my age, we got to know Doc on a regular basis on national television. For me, it was his weekly appearances on the NHL on Fox game of the week in the mid 90’s, as well as numerous New Jersey Devils highlights earlier in the decade as that team was building into a dominant team. In 2005, Doc became the primary voice on the NHL on OLN broadcasts (later Versus, then NBC Sports Network). In 2006, I became the pregame host of Tampa Bay Lightning radio broadcasts, and as I started to settle into my role that season I started gaining new job duties. One of those duties was to pull together guest interviews for our weekly radio show Lightning Hockey Night. In the 2007 playoffs, the Lightning drew the Devils in the first round, and thus my first interaction with Doc would happen as I was trying to get a guest for the program.

We weren’t looking to get Doc on the show as a live guest, but with Doc at the time still calling Devils games I figured he’d be the perfect guest for the show as he was a well-known voice and face even to hockey fans in Florida. Before the morning skate of game 4 with the Lightning up 2-1 in the series, I introduced myself to Doc and asked him if I could get him for just a few minutes to talk about the series. He said he could, and we continued with our usual morning skate routine for the next couple of hours. I hung around the rink until the Devils were done with their skate, and after the locker rooms were closed to the media I approached Doc again to see if he was still able to do a quick interview. This was close to 1 p.m., and with a game starting at 7 or 7:30 that night Doc had plenty of prep to do. Plus his color analyst, the humorous Glenn “Chico” Resch was hungry and wanted lunch. Yet when I politely asked, Doc without hesitation obliged and we sat down in the stands for a few minutes to discuss the series. It was such a special moment, and such a fun interview, I’ve saved it 13 years and counting.

Emrick yucking it up as Jim Carr, the carpet-coiffed play-by-play announcer for the Johnstown Jets in the cult classic film Slap Shot, at Hockeyville USA, 2015.

Fast forward to September 2015. I’m now the Director of Broadcasting & Programming for the Lightning, and I’m on the team plane to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, as the Lightning and Penguins will be squaring off in the first Kraft Hockeyville USA preseason game. Game day was hectic, as the NHL and NBC rolled out the red carpet not only for both teams but for as much Slap Shot as possible since Johnstown was the location of the film shoot 40 years earlier. Along with being that night’s radio engineer for our broadcast, my mission was to pull together as many interviews as possible for a podcast on the event. Knowing the legendary Hanson Brothers would be there, I targeted an interview with them which I was able to score. 

The Cambria County War Memorial Arena was opened in 1950, when comforts such as being able to stretch your legs were not baked into many civic building blueprints. In a tiny locker room I waited for the Hansons to come in, and I did so next to Doc who agreed to also do an interview with me once I was done with the Hansons. The Hansons came in, and not only played the part of their characters well for my interview, but they too were incredibly friendly and great to talk to. While the interview went on, there was that brief fleeting moment in my head; “I’m interviewing three of the greatest hockey movie characters while one of the greatest hockey announcers is sitting in the background watching this.” Quite the moment to say the least. After my conversation with the Hansons, I sat down with Doc to talk to him about what the game meant to him, a former college teacher and newspaper writer in Western Pennsylvania 45 years earlier. You could sense in Doc’s eyes and voice this Hockeyville experience in his old backyard with all the Slap Shot fun and frivolity mixed in was quite the moment for him. The Hanson Brothers and Doc interviews were the cornerstone of my podcast, and all these years later it’s still one of my favorite podcasts of more than 100 I did.

Emrick could make any broadcast better, including a Morning Skate Show in desperate need of some good news in 2018.

Fast forward to May 2018. We’re not in the preseason, we’re in the thick of the postseason, and the Lightning are about to battle the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Final. Prior to game one at the morning skate, Doc and I are two of seemingly 200 people gathering around Alex Ovechkin for pregame interviews. We looked on from a distance, laughing more at the spectacle then actually listening to anything Ovechkin was saying. When the scrum was done, I casually asked Doc if we could have him as a guest on our streaming video program The Morning Skate Show when the series shifted to Washington D.C. for game 3. Doc said he wanted to, we just needed to route the request through NBC public relations, which is always a coin flip on if your wish gets granted. Thankfully for us, it was.

Never before did we need a personality like Doc Emrick like we did then. The Caps humiliated the Lightning for two easy wins in Tampa before the series went to our nation’s capital. In planning for the show, we decided to talk as little as possible about the first two games, and simply turn the show into the Doc Emrick talent show. For almost 45 minutes, Doc talked about everything from the NHL playoffs to memories of AHL games in Halifax 40 years ago when birds in the rafters of the old Halifax Forum pooped on the ice during games. At the end of the show he very quietly but confidently reminded our viewers that if any team was able to get out of 0-2 hole to the Caps, it was the Lightning. It was the reassurance and the fun story telling we all needed, and low and behold the Lightning rallied for three-straight wins before the Caps pulled it together and won the series in seven games on their way to their first Stanley Cup championship. As of 2019, it was still one of the most-watched episodes of the show.

Finally, fast forward to October 2019. Two months earlier, I was informed my position was being “eliminated” at the Lightning, but I refused to be eliminated from the scene. Newly hired to provide a weekly Metro Express podcast to the Philadelphia Flyers (and later the Capitals), I arrived at Amalie Arena for a morning skate prior to a Lightning and Penguins game that was being aired nationally on NBC that night. Once I found out Doc was on the call, I knew I needed to get him for a few minutes to talk Metropolitan Division hockey. I saw Doc sitting in the first couple of rows of seats when I arrived, and I quickly slipped in next to him and asked if I could get his thoughts real quickly. Doc was there to study lines and defensive pairings of both teams, and now at the age of 74 had to double-check all players and facts before putting on another flawless broadcast that night. I was very respectful of his time, and as always he was respectful enough to grant me a few minutes of his busy day.

While there were many similarities to that first interview with Doc in 2007, this time around technology would come back to bite me. Feeling satisfied my iPhone would work as a microphone just fine, I started the interview. Midway through Doc’s first answer, my phone started ringing, cutting off the voice memo app I was using. Thankfully I silenced my phone so it merely buzzed, but in my head I was cursing while Doc was talking. There was no way I was going to ask him to start over again, I was just going to have to eat the moment as I feverishly hung up on the call and pressed record on the voice memo again. While I did this without interrupting Doc’s thoughts, I still got a good 7-8 minutes from him and used it in that week’s show. It was special to connect with Doc again, and I was reminded even as a veteran hockey broadcaster at this time to never ever again do an important interview on my iPhone.

Doc’s retirement announcement didn’t come totally as a surprise to me. I figured with COVID-19 still a factor in our lives for at least the next year or two, the last place a 75-year-old cancer survivor needs to be is in a pressurized airplane cabin or travelling from one cold city to another in the winter. And even though Doc is a pro’s pro, it’s extremely difficult to call a game from a television screen. Whoever is named his successor at NBC has some very big shoes to fill. 

As for me, my career has moved forward from my exit with the Lightning, and while potentially great things await I don’t know if I’ll be able to cover a daily beat in an NHL arena anytime soon. That’s perfectly fine with me, as I’m always looking for a new challenge and can’t wait to see what is ahead for me and my family. That also adds even more emotional value to the times my path crossed with Doc’s path. Hockey fans have been blessed to have him as a prime voice for decades, and I was blessed to interact with him several times in my career. A visit from this doctor was always welcome in the homes and hearts of hockey fans.

[virtual-lara]

FHM - Rhona Mitra Interview

Interview appeared in the November 1997 issue of FHM magazine. Article was written up on fansite 'The Tomb Raider Archive'. VL Note: This interview is long and it is full of awful non-gaming questions with some cringey answers, but it was conducted in 1997 for a mens magazine.

Sex and videogames don't usually mix too well. Indeed, the popular view is that men who play them have such poor complexions and social skills that they've been forced to replace the pleasures of the flesh with bashing the hell out of pixellated monsters. In short, successful users of the chat-up line "I've top scored on Story Of Thor 2" are few and far between.

However, there is one exception to the rule. In November 1996, Tomb Raider appeared, featuring the adventures of Lara Croft. The premise of the game was that Lara, the daughter of an English aristocrat, had decided to forego her inheritance in favour of travelling around the world in search of ancient artefacts. As with most adventure games, this involved plenty of running, jumping, swimming and shooting. But unlike other games, its central character became the computer world's first sex symbol, and Lara Croft quickly catapulted Tomb Raider to the top of the games charts. With her ample chest and powerful thighs, Lara was created as the gamer's ultimate fantasy figure and the strategy worked.

Now, for the imminent release of the sequel, Tomb Raider 2, Lara is made flesh. And fortunately for us, it's in the form of 22-year-old actress Rhona Mitra, a woman sexy enough to equal the charms of the video character. As well as appearing in the press campaign for Tomb Raider 2, Rhona has recorded an album as Lara (produced by ex-Eurythmics guitarist Dave Stewart), from which the single, Getting Naked, is to be released next month. There is even talk of a Tomb Raider movie, for which Rhona ought to be a shoe-in for the lead role - a heady jump from her last big part, playing a teenage seductress in Jilly Cooper's The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous.

So, to celebrate the arrival of the new sexiest woman in Britain, what did we do? Take lots of fantastic pictures of her? Of course. Ask her a shed-load of questions about what it's like to play a character invented to satisfy the libido if a twenty-something programmer? Certainly. But first we took her to London's Trocadero centre to see if she could cut the mustard in the original gaming arena - an amusement arcade.

The truth is, she's pretty adept. She powers past three (male) opponents on an arm wrestling machine, gives a credible display at dynamo-hockey and is equally at ease bombing about on the virtual skate-boards. Her strongest suit, though, is the bowling range. After a slow start, three spares in a row see her powering into the lead as FHM skew another ball into the gutter.Only two consecutive(and highly suspicious) zero scores in the last two rounds barred the way to victory. And perhaps not surprising for a woman who's beaten stiff competition to play the most lusted after computer game character of all time, she doesn't accept second place for long. "I let you win, you know," she smiles triumphantly.

FHM:

Games fans are notoriously obsessive. Are you ready to be pursued by blokes thinking that you really are Lara Croft?

Rhona Mitra:

After The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous I had a lot of bizarre fan mail. I remember receiving a beautifully-typed letter from twelve boys in Exeter asking if I'd marry them all. Apparently I was supposed to be shared on some kind of weekly rota system. I was thinking, "Hmm, two a day. How am I supposed to manage that?" And I've already had people post notes on the Lara Croft website thanking me for improving their sex-lives.

FHM:

And how exactly have they done that?

Rhona Mitra:

They get their girlfriends to dress up as Lara, like I do. Apparently, it works wonders for them - maybe it's the rubber outfit.

FHM:

Do you think it's scary that there are men out there fantasising over a computer-generated character?

Rhona Mitra:

No, because men will fantasise about anything. Compared to a sheep or whatever, I think Lara's quite a healthy fantasy. What's wrong with wanting to sleep with a computer-generated character? She's got a perfect figure after all.

FHM:

Talking of perfect figures, there was a story in the tabloids about you having a breast enlargement operation performed by your dad...

Rhona Mitra:

That was rubbish. My dad is a surgeon and he does do cosmetic surgery, but he doesn't perform breast operations. I don't think he was too bothered about it, though - apparently a load of people phoned up the hospital where he works, the next day asking for tits like Rhona Mitra.

FHM:

But you have had your breasts enlarged.

Rhona Mitra:

Yes, but my dad had nothing to do with it.

FHM:

Where does the name Mitra come from?

Rhona Mitra:

It's Indian - my dad is from Calcutta. But I'm also part Irish. It's a confusing heritage. I never know if want to be running across fields with no clothes on or sitting in the pub drinking Guinness.

FHM:

The Lara Croft single is called Getting Naked. When was the last time you were naked in a public place?

Rhona Mitra:

I don't think going starkers in a public place is especially commendable. You can go to Stringfellow's for that. Although they don't get it all off there, do they? The song is really about one night stands and a woman saying that she'll go so far but not the whole hog. Why does all frolicking have to end in penetration?

FHM:

Does Lara have sex, then?

Rhona Mitra:

I should bloody well hope so. I'm sure she wouldn't be the woman she is unless she did.

FHM:

You recorded half the album sailing down the Amazon in Dave Stewert's boat. If the boat had run aground, would you have been prepared to eat him in order to survive?

Rhona Mitra:

Hmm, he hasn't really got enough fat on him...

FHM:

That beard might have been a bit tough to chew as well. Maybe you could have stuck it on your face when you'd finished eating the rest of him.

Rhona Mitra:

I would have worn the beard proudly. It's a fine feature.

FHM:

You were expelled from two boarding schools. Naughty girl, were you?

Rhona Mitra:

No, I just had a problem with complying with the rules. I went to convent school and it was totally ridiculous. We weren't even allowed to go into town at the weekend. So we used to nick holy wine from the church and drink it in the potato patch at the back of the school. I remember one time me and a few girls ended up dancing in the garden at four in the morning, wearing nothing but wellington boots.

FHM:

Is that why they kicked you out?

Rhona Mitra:

No, that was for taking a sixth former's car and driving it down to the local boys' school. I was only about fourteen. I'd left stuffing under my bedsheets but one of my friends told on me and the headmistress tracked me down. They put me in this room with bars on the windows to punish me. I was stuck in there for a whole week with just a rosary for comfort, having my dinner brought in on trays. The only time I got out was to say confession to the school priest. After that, they booted me out. Then at the next school the other girls used to blame me whenever they got caught for something, so all the parents wrote in and said they didn't want me at the school. I crammed my exams in London and did fine.

FHM:

You recently said that Lara represents the woman of the future. So what is the woman of the future going to be like?

Rhona Mitra:

She'll be more robust. In order to be strong in the mind, women are going to have to build up their bodies. Having a big arse will be alright, having a big pair of breasts will be alright, as long as they exercise as well.

FHM:

We had a discussion in the office about men of the future, and we reckon that evolution will make their heads and penises bigger.

Rhona Mitra:

Sounds good to me.

FHM:

Okay. Let's test your credentials for playing Lara Croft. To start with, when was the last time you raided a tomb?

Rhona Mitra:

Er, I haven't. I only raid my friends' wardrobes. And my dad's drinks cabinet when I was a kid.

FHM:

Would you take on a bear unarmed?

Rhona Mitra:

I'd probably try and cuddle and sweet-talk it. I've charmed men worse than bears.

FHM:

Can you handle yourself in a fight?

Rhona Mitra:

Absolutely. I had the whole Swiss army after me once. I was skiing with friends and we were getting hassled by some guys who wanted us to dance. They ended up calling us dykes and then turned nasty. I kicked one in the ribcage. It turned out that he was with a load of Swiss army guys and they chased us up the road. We ran faster than them, though.

FHM:

Some Tomb Raider websites feature a nude Lara Croft. Would you ever emulate them and do Playboy?

Rhona Mitra:

I'd never say never. But not right now. It's not even negotiable.

FHM:

What about the orgasmic noises Lara makes when she bumps into walls? Have you been perfecting those?

Rhona Mitra:

Oh yes, of course. Listen. [Makes weird orgasmic noise not unlike "Uuh!"]

FHM:

Lara spends most of her time in caves full of gun-wielding nutters. What's the most dangerous situation you've been in?

Rhona Mitra:

I got buried under sand in Tunisia. I've just shot a film there called A Kid In The Arabian Knights. We were supposed to be mocking up this sandstorm and I was buried right up past my head, but I couldn't breathe because the sand was so heavy. I had to breath through a bamboo straw for about twenty minutes. The crew were getting their cameras up and I was screaming "Hurry the fuck up, I'm dying under here."

FHM:

Did you used to play computer games when you were growing up? I remember getting hooked Jet Set Willy on the ZX Spectrum.

Rhona Mitra:

I had an Atari. I used to play that tennis game where you had two bats at either end of the screen and had to try and keep the ball in play.

FHM:

You mean Pong!

Rhona Mitra:

That's the one. But I used to do a lot of things to entertain myself. Do you remember those portable tape recorders that had flat speakers on the top? I used to put a piece of cellophane on top of the speaker and crumble biscuits on top of it. I'd then play Super Trooper by Abba at full volume and watch the crumbs jump up and down with the vibrations.

FHM:

Blimey. You were easily pleased.

Rhona Mitra:

That's not all. I loved pouring yoghurt all over my dog and watching him lick it off himself. And when my parents had dinner parties I'd chop up his dog food into chunks, put cocktail sticks in it and then walk around the living room in a sari asking if anyone wanted hors d'oeuvres.

FHM:

The guests must have loved you. Have you carried any bizarre habits or phobias into adulthood?

Rhona Mitra:

I can't sit still. That's why I'm very difficult in a relationship. Men get jealous of me travelling - they don't understand that just because I disappear on my own doesn't mean I'm going to shag someone else.

FHM:

Have you always been faithful?

Rhona Mitra:

Always. But I can appreciate why people wouldn't be. It's like ice-cream - you can really love vanilla, but you still want to try some other flavours just to make sure that you really do love vanilla best. I haven;t actually been out with that many men. I've been in two relationships which have taken up five years of my life. The second one of those recently ended and since then I've concentrated on my work.

FHM:

What kind of man do you go for?

Rhona Mitra:

I like healthy-looking guys with good, clean skin. And I like men who have brains but are still very childish. Immature guys.

FHM:

Are you actually any good at Tomb Raider?

Rhona Mitra:

Yeah. I finished it in about two weeks.

FHM:

I heard that Bruce Willis has bought the rights to the Tomb Raider movie and that Demi Moore is pencilled in to play Lara. Could you have her?

Rhona Mitra:

Oh yeah, of course.

FHM:

Be careful. After filming GI Jane, she's quite buff these days.

Rhona Mitra:

So am I. And I'm younger than her. The idea of her playing Lara is sacrilege. She has to be a posh English girl with a stiff upper lip.

FHM:

Finally, elsewhere in this issue we discuss the phenomenon of lesbianism. Have you ever been tempted by the charms of another girl?

Rhona Mitra:

Any woman who says she hasn't isn't truly a woman. Even if you don't go as far as doing something physical, you should be able to appreciate the female form. Men are beautiful too, though.

All rights belong to FHM and/or their affiliated companies. I only intend to introduce people to old articles and preserve them before they are lost.

[katemiin]

The aftermath of Helsinki GP Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2

We got an update of all the Poohs (and other plushies) that where thrown on ice. This is translation of an article about that. It was published by Ilta-Sanomat, the 5th of December. I also saw Instagram or Twitter post of this going around here.

Note: I’m not a “real” translator. Just a fan of the sport.

The end of the fan hysteria - 3 500 Japanese people flew to Helsinki behind their idol and now 700 Finnish people are going to benefit from that

(Picture: Lehtikuva, EPA / AOP)

Figure skating. The plushies donated by figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu are ending to charity by the competition organizer

The Helsinki visit from figure skating superstar Yuzuru Hanyu in October, left hundreds of plushies behind. These get to delight hundreds of children with the help of Joulupuu*- fundrasing and Hope**- association.

The dark and snowless Tuesday in December changes to bright, the minute you step inside the office of The Finnish Figure Skating Association. It is located in Sporttitalo in Helsinki, Pitäjänmäki.

A comer gets a welcome by hundreds of bright yellow Winnie the Pooh- plushies and a big bunch of other toys as well.

Also a group of Santa Claus's helpers - the staff of the Sporttitalo, which is shared by the sport governing bodys - bring light (to the darkness) by having gift wrapping bee. Poohs and other plushies are getting wrapped in gift wrapping paper.

(Picture: Jussi Helttunen)

They have a lot of wrapping to do because there is about 700 different plushies. After the work of hours, they have about eight trolleys of wrapped gifts.

"When you have five packets done you get some glogg!" Outi Wuorenheimo, the executive director of The Finnish Figure Skating Association, calls out, with humor, to the voluntaries.

The Winnie the Pooh- mountains ended up to The Figure Skating Association from the international GP competition that was held about a month ago. The biggest superstar of the sport and men’s two time Olympic Champion, Yuzuru Hanyu, also participated to the competition.

The Japanese skater pulled 3 500 fans, already only from Japan, to Helsinki behind him.

The passionate fans follow their 23-year-old idol around the world and after every Hanyu's competition performance the same unbelievable show repeats: the ice is covered by Poohs and other gifts when fans acclaim to their big favourite.

Pooh is Hanyu's luck bringing mascot and that's why most of the gifts are, precisely, these yellow fantasy characthers.

(Picture: Jussi Helttunen)

A big part of the gifts Hanyu gets in competitions, end up to charity by the competition organizer, because he naturally can't keep all the gifts. That happens also this time. From the Tuesday wrapping sessions, the wrapped Poohs travel to bring Christmas joy to children.

About 500 gifts go by the Joulupuu- fundrasing to children that are, example under the child welfare, taken in custody or in foster families. 200 gifts end up to bring joy to children by the Hope- association.

With the good agenda, The Figure Skating Association got colleagues from the other sport governing bodys to help. At least staff from The Olympic Committee and people from The Orienteering, The Handball and The Diving Unions. The wrapping papers and strings where donated by Karto Ltd. from Jyväskylä.

"The best wrapper gets tickets to the short program of the World Championships of synchronized skating", the marketing and communication leader Mila Kajas-Virtanen tells.

Nice kicker, because the home competition, that is held in April, is sold out.

The critiques of the best wrapper are occult, even when figure skating is know to be a judging sport.

"In figure skating the judge is not venal but in this it is", Wuorenheimo jokes around the wrapping desk.

More GP competitions to Helsinki?

The figure skating GP competition held in Helsinki, at the beginning of November, was a huge success regarding the Finnish organizers. The competition, that was arranged by a quick schedule got, told by Kajas-Virtanen, a lot of praises.

"Both, the athletes and the crowd, commented that it was wonderful that the competition was in Helsinki", Kajas-Virtanen tells.

(Picture: Martti Kainulainen/ Lehtikuva)

The status of, Yuzuru Hanyu, as the Worlds most followed figure skater was taken on accord. The Finnish Figure Skating Association got an extra guard at his hotel and drove the star around the venue, that he didn't need to walk in front of screaming fans.

"Yuzuru appreciated our actions, exaple that, what we did at the Ice Hall to shield his privacy", Kajas-Virtanen says.

There weren’t any problems from over excited Japanese fans and Hanyu got to properly concentrate to the competition. The result of that, was the World record score.

This was the first time Finland held seniors international GP competition. Normally, only France and Russia hold competitions in Europe, but this year Helsinki got a chance when China withdraw from arranging.

Wuorenheimo wishes that GP competitions are held over Europe at the future too.

"And of course we are ready, if we get the competition back to Finland", Wuorenheimo says.

Source

* Means Christmas tree in Finnish. The fundraising is held every year around Christmas to help to get presents to children who would not get any other way (from whatever reason).

** Registered association that volunteer works to help Finnish children to have more equality by physical donations and free time experiences.

And again, don’t be afraid to leave questions or notes of errors.

What I read in the comments of this article was that people where happy to read this kind of news, in the middle of all the bad things happening in the World.

And I kinda also would have liked to be in there. I love to wrap presents, so this would have been nice test to see how good I’m at wrapping oddly shaped Poohs.

[keep-me-inmind-kaspbrak]

You Take My Breath Away~ Reddie Fic

Summary: When DJ job opens at the local roller rink Richie takes it not knowing he would meet the possible love of his life.

AO3: {READ}

Chapters: [Chapter 1]

Notes: Beta read by @cestleprobleme Thank you all for the wonderful support!  It has really motivated me to write faster, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! <3 Also if you’d like to be added to the tag list feel free to send an ask! 

Chapter 2

WC: 4,021

It didn’t take long for Richie to hear back from the roller rink. The few days leading up to the call he would constantly fidget, bounce his leg up and down, tap his fingers on his desk, and constantly check his phone to see if he had by chance missed a call. As soon as he heard his phone ring loudly, “It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you...” Richie nearly sprang out of bed, juggling his phone frantically as he tried to answer it. As soon as he managed to swipe to answer the incoming call he calmly answered, “Hello?”

It was Ben who had called, “Hey Richie! So you got the job and boss wants you to come in to train with me starting Friday. Does that work for you?”

“Haystack! Fuck yeah that works for me! What time do I need to come in? Do I have to wear anything special? Because I swear to fuck if I have to wear a uniform I’m gonna shit.” Richie answered with his mouth running a mile a minute, par usual.

“Shit, slow down, man! No, you don’t have to wear a uniform. Does three in the afternoon work for you?” Ben asked laughing slightly at Richie’s excitement.

“Thank fucking god, I’ll be there at three on Friday!” Richie said with a smile plastered on his face. He hung up the phone and started pumping his fists while shouting out in excitement. He pranced over to his record player and placed a record on his turn table, setting the needle gently down, allowing the silent room to be filled with the sweet music of one of his favorite bands: AC/DC. The bands song T.N.T began to thunder through the room as Richie closed his eyes and flopped on his rackety dorm bed while belting out the lyrics to the song and air playing the drums and guitar at the same time, which you might think is impossible, but Richard Tozier was here to prove you wrong.

He had never been excited about a job, like ever. He fucking hated having to work because of his past experiences working in fast food and at his hometown’s local gas station. He had been fired from both those jobs within a couple months. It wasn’t because he didn’t do the work, it was for his foul mouth. He was well known for having no filter on his colorful language and that came with some consequences all too often.

After the song had finished Richie decided to whip out his phone and shoot a text to Bev.

Richie: Ya boi got the job B)

Bev: I fucking told you that you would get it!!!!

Richie: Well who wouldn’t hire this fine piece of ass!?

Bev: Whatever you say Rich, when do you start?

Richie: Friday, haystack is going to train me

Bev: Awesome! Well I gotta go work on the costumes for the play, I’ll talk to ya later! <3

Richie tossed his phone on his bed as he stood up and walked over to his closet. He grabbed his black worn-down leather jacket that once belonged to his father years ago. He decided it was time for a celebratory smoke in honor of his recent victory in scoring the job. He grabbed his pack of smokes and his lighter and headed out to his usual smoking spot. As he made his way down the softly lit walkways of campus, his mind began to wander back to that boy he saw at the roller rink, Eddie. He had never seen the boy before, not in a single class, not in the cafeteria, or even wandering the campus streets.

           Richie made it to his usual spot; a quiet cut off area behind one of the empty academic buildings, and began to light his cigarette, taking a rather long drag and allowing the smoke to fill his lungs. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back slowly exhaling the bitter smoke. Thoughts of seeing Eddie again began to flood Richie’s head and his nerves kicked in. He had never felt this way about another person ever in his life, and he’s been with plenty of boys and girls. Taking another drag from his cigarette, he knew he wanted to impress Eddie and he would do anything possible to sway the petite boy his direction. Exhaling the rest of the smoke, he dropped the butt of his cigarette and stomped it out. Pushing his hands in his pockets he hoped the week would pass quickly so he could begin working at the roller rink, and maybe, start getting a few more glimpses of Eddie.

~

           Much to Richie’s surprise, the week did not pass as quickly as he hoped. It was filled with quizzes, homework, and even a goddamn paper. As much as Richie came off as the class clown and or as the “village idiot,” grades were really important to him. It was how he was able to go to college; he was on an almost full-ride scholarship to the small university on the coast of Maine. As the week went on he was grateful when Friday rolled around, and he was fidgeting all day waiting for three o’clock to finally come. His last class was at two, which gave him little time to run back to his room to freshen up before his first day on the job. As much as he didn’t care about how others thought he looked, he wanted to make sure he looked somewhat presentable for his first day.

As his last class finished he booked it across campus to his room to quickly change out of his worn out and faded black shirt into one of his favorite t-shirts that had Def Leppard written across the front with a faded British flag behind the distinctive font. He also quickly changed into a pair of his best black skinny jeans that weren’t ripped but clearly used, with a slight fade to them. He fixed his curly locks as best as he could, which was him just running his hands through his hair until it looked somewhat tamed. Looking at the time, he had only fifteen minutes to get to the rink and the drive would take at least ten minutes, so he grabbed his leather jacket and booked it out the dorm, practically sprinting to get to his car on the other side of campus.

He stood outside the rink, gazing at the run-down place before he made his way through the door. He was greeted with sounds of shitty pop music and the smell of pizza, candy, and that musky old smell that made him smile instantly.

“Hey there, Richie!” Ben said cheerfully, greeting him with a big smile.

“Well, hey there, Haystack, fancy meeting you here.” he replied with excitement.

“Ready?”

“Hell yeah!” Richie said placing his arm around Ben as he led Richie to the skate rental area.

The first two hours Richie spent learning how to rent out skates as well as how to properly return them. He was hoping he wouldn’t be spending most his time doing this and that he would mainly be working the DJ booth, but he understood that he should know how to do both just in case it became busy and Ben or anyone else would need the extra help. Another hour passed and Ben was showing Richie how to properly clean the skates and organize them by size after they were returned. They sat together spraying the disinfectant spray in each skate while they made small talk, asking each other about school and their majors, since Richie had really had only met Ben once or twice through hanging out with Bev.

“Hey Ben, do you know that Eddie kid?” Richie asked looking over the top of his glasses as he sprayed a pair of skates.

“Uh yeah, I’ve known him since my freshman year. Why?” Ben replied stopping his work to look at Richie.

“Just curious.” Richie said bluntly, shrugging it off like it wasn’t a big deal.

Five o’clock rolled around and Ben said that they could take a 15-minute break before he would train him at the DJ booth. Richie sighed and abruptly stood up, “Thank fuck, I don’t know if I could deal with that disinfectant smell anymore.”

Ben laughed a little, patting his back, “You’ll get used to it.”

Richie saw Ben head towards the back of the building and he was about to follow until he saw a familiar face walk in with a group of boys. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to make his way over to the short figure before Ben grabbed him by his shoulder and dragged him to the break room.

“If you wanted me that bad, Ben, all you had to do was say something.” Richie joked winking at Ben.

He could see Ben blush in embarrassment, “Shut up, Richie. Here is where you’ll clock in and take lunch if you work a long enough shift.”

“Cool beans!” Richie replies while shooting Ben some finger guns.

“So, uh, yeah here’s your clock in number for the next time.” Ben handed a piece of paper to Richie.

“Knock, knock!” Bev interrupted sneaking her head in the break room.

“Beverly, darling!” Richie shouted in his proper English lady accent while running over to her giving her a big hug.

“Oh, well hello Richard!” Bev replied with the same accent pecking the each cheek making a loud kissy noise.

Richie and Bev began laughing before Ben coughed. “Oh Ben! How’s training this piece of shit going?” Bev asked as she made her way over to ben to place a small peck on his lips.

“Ouch, I am hurt, Marsh!” Richie gasped clutching his heart.

“I’ll just say he keeps it interesting.” Ben laughed.

“Hey, the rest of the losers are out waiting to meet the new DJ…” Bev started to say before Richie interrupted.

“Say no more! The fans ask and I shall give them what they want.” Richie said straightening his posture and making his way out of the break room.

Ben and Bev followed behind Richie, rolling their eyes and smiling as they watched Richie confidently make his way out to where the losers were standing in a circle. As Richie made his way to the circle of friends he cleared his throat, “I heard there was a group of fans waiting to meet me?”

“Guys, this is Richie.” Bev said as she and Ben made it to the group.

The group all said hello and introduced themselves. There was Bill, he was taller than Richie, with perfectly styled brown hair and a slight stutter to his speech. Then there was Stan, who was about average height and had curly hair and a sweet smile. Mike was a tall, athletic looking kind of guy who looked slightly familiar, like he had seen him play football or some other sport on campus. Finally there was Eddie, he quietly said his name and Richie couldn’t help but smile.

“Y-y-you b-better play some guh-good music.” Bill piped up.

“What’s wrong with the music?” Eddie exclaimed, crossing his arms standing in a defensive position.

“Its utter crap, that’s what wrong.” Stan said looking at Eddie.

“Well, I think it’s alright.” Eddie replied haughtily.

“Well, I think you’re wrong this time Eddie.” Stan spit fired back.

“Have no fear, record boy is here to save the day!” Richie said running up to the DJ booth to resolve the situation. He got to the computer and was disappointed to see that what the rink used was just a Spotify premium account to play their music. Shaking his head he got to work to find the perfect song to play. It didn’t take him long before he confidently selected Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!.

The instant he started the track he could hear the entire group scream, and he looked up to see them make their way to the rink. He could see Eddie looking up at him in the DJ booth, shaking his head and smiling as he took off in his white skates after his friends. Richie watched as they all skated in circles laughing and singing at the top of their lungs. Eddie was putting on a performance clearly enjoying the song as he sang the loudest and would get low, snapping his fingers to the beat and would occasionally begin spinning in circles while shaking his hips.

~

The song came to an end, and Eddie could feel how out of breath he was. He had to admit that Richie did have some decent taste in music, especially as the next song came on and Eddie nearly screamed.   Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar on Me blared through the speakers. Eddie took off in a hot fury letting the rock music take him over completely. As he skated away he could see Richie looking down at him smiling ear to ear and singing along to the music as well, bobbing his head back and forth to the music. He felt butterflies form in his stomach, he had never seen someone so beautiful; the way Richie’s unruly curls bounced up and down as he danced to the music and the soft smile that made Eddie feel like he couldn’t breathe anymore.

Eddie could see Richie staring down at him and Eddie decided he wanted to show off a little bit. He started to move his hips in a fluid movement and ran his hands up his side and across his chest. Weaving his skates so he was skating backwards, and that way Richie could only see the back of him. He then spun around just as the song ended and right as he reached the edge of the DJ booth.

The rest of the night seemed to fly by as Richie played a wonderful array of songs that pleased everyone. The track was getting close to shutting down and Eddie was tired, he had skated the entire time he was there, which was getting close to three hours. His legs were burning pleasantly and his hair was damp with sweat. Eddie made his way to a bench to take off his skates. He wheeled up to the dinky, small bench, sat down, and proceeded to slide his skates off, massaging his feet in hopes to dull the stinging pain from skating for so long.

“Hey, we are all going to go to the diner down the street for some food, want to tag along?” Mike said sitting down next to Eddie.

“Yeah sure, let me just finish up here and I’ll meet you there!” Eddie said enthusiastically. Even though he was very health conscious, he couldn’t pass up a strawberry milkshake every now and again. Eddie put his skates in his backpack and made his way out of the rink and walked the three blocks to the diner he was meeting everyone at. Eddie was the first to arrive at the diner and asked for a booth to hold all six of the losers.

Ten minutes passed before he heard the bell above the diner’s door jingle, and the loud voices of Ben, Bev, Stan, Bill, Mike, and Richie followed after. Eddie panicked as he saw the tall dark haired Richie walk in with the rest. He didn’t think Richie would be joining them. Eddie’s chest tightened as the group made it to the table and he could see Richie sliding in to sit right next to him.

“Well, hello, confetti Eddie with a side of Spaghetti!” Richie said placing his arm behind Eddie.

Eddie tensed up as he felt Richie’s arm lace around the top of his shoulders. He could feel his heart leap into his throat and he choked out, “Don’t call me that.”

“Sure thing, Eds.” Richie replied with a smile, giving him a little wink.

Eddie could feel himself blushing; he couldn’t help but admit to himself that he thought the nicknames Richie had already given him were quite cute, and maybe made his heart flutter a little. The waitress came over to take everyone’s orders and Eddie ordered his usual strawberry milkshake with extra whipped cream. Bill and Stan ordered a plate of fries to share, Ben and Bev both ordered a chocolate milkshake, Mike got a burger and fries, and Richie got a double cheeseburger with extra fries. The group looked at him after he stated what he wanted.

           “Jesus, Ruh-Richie, get eh-enough food?” Bill asked good naturedly.

           “I’m a growing boy, Big Bill, a young man needs his protein.” Richie stated.

           “Do you know how unhealthy all that is?” Eddie said with a bit of disgust in his voice.

           “Aw, Eds, tell me something I don’t know.” Richie replied pinching Eddie’s cheek.

           “Don’t fucking touch me!” Eddie in a playful whiny voice pushing Richie softly.

           Just as Eddie pushed Richie the waitress arrived with all their food, placing each order right in front of its respective order-er, and they all began to eat their food. Richie was talking to Bill and exchanging phone numbers so they could hang out and play video games some time. The rest were making small talk, talking about their week, classes, and cracking jokes. Eddie sipped on his milkshake silently keeping to himself as the others inter mingled. He quietly observed how the addition of Richie to the group seemed to make the group seem more complete than before. He smiled a little as he glanced over at Richie to see him throwing fries back and forth laughing.

           “Why you so quiet over there?” Ben asked.

           “Huh? Me? I’m just tired that’s all.” Eddie replied leaning on the table slowly resting his head down.

           “Do you wa-want to g-go back to your d-d-...dorm?” Bill inquired.

           “Yeah, I think I am going to head back.”

           “Do you want me to walk you back?” Mike offered with his ever-kind smile.

           “No, I think I’ll be alright.” Eddie said and started to scoot out of the booth.

           “I don’t think so, Spaghetti, I’ll give you a ride.” Richie said scooting out of the booth grabbing his keys out of his pocket.

           “No, you don’t have to do that, Richie.” Eddie objected.

           “The pleasure is mine.” He bowed dramatically, allowing Eddie to walk in front of him.

           Eddie could feel his airway tighten as he made his way out of the diner, waiting for Richie to follow behind him to his car. Richie soon caught up to Eddie after saying bye to the rest of the losers, “Ready to go, Spaghetti Man?” Richie inquired as he led the way to his beat-up, used car.

           Richie opened the passenger side door for Eddie to climb in. The smell of cigarettes and leather greeted Eddie’s nostrils, and he had hoped that the smell of cigarettes was from the previous owner and not Richie. The driver’s side door opened and Richie hopped into the car.

           “What hall do you live in?” Richie asked as he started up the car.

           “Mayfair Hall on the south side of campus.” Eddie replied pulling his sweater around his hands.

           “Alrighty, Mayfair Hall it is.” Richie backed out of the diner.

           As soon as they were out on the road Eddie saw Richie reach into his pocket and pull out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He could feel his heart drop; Eddie hated smokers, how could someone do that to their body? Eddie watched as Richie lit the cigarette while they were at a stoplight.

           “Could you not smoke in front of me please?” Eddie pleaded.

           “You’re going to make me waste a perfect cigarette?” Richie whined.

           “I will get out of this fucking car right now if you don’t.” He threatened.

           Richie just stared at him as he took a long drag from the cigarette and blew it back out the corner of his mouth. “You better fucking not.”

           “Watch me.” Eddie said as he undid his seat belt and opened the passenger side door and slammed it shut, walking as fast as he could away from the car. He had never felt so repulsed but attracted at the same time. The way Richie held the cigarette between his fingers made it look like it was meant to be there. The way Richie stared down at him as he blew the smoke out of his mouth made his breath hitch. Eddie shook away the thought and stormed down the street. He could see Richie’s car sneak up behind him and Eddie quickened his pace.

           “Eds, what the fuck, get back in the car!” Richie shouted.

           “No!” Was all Eddie felt he needed to yell back.

           “Eddie, seriously get in the fucking car, it’s freezing out!”

           “I am not getting in the car!” Eddie stopped in his tracks turning on his heel to look defiantly at Richie.

           “Eds, please…get back in the car.” Richie pleaded, hoping the sincerity of his words reached his eyes as he implored the other boy.

           Eddie just stared back at him with crossed arms. He watched in a small amount of awe as Richie took his pack of cigarettes, held them up for Eddie to see, and chucked them out the window. Eddie watched the pack of cigarettes land on the opposite side of the road, and Eddie felt his jaw drop. He barely knew Richie and he had just thrown an almost new pack of cigarettes out of his car. For Eddie.

           “Will you get in the damn car now?” Richie asked, but there was a small, hopeful smile on his lips.

           Saying nothing, but feeling his cheeks warm slightly, Eddie gave in and climbed back into the passenger side of the car. He clicked his seatbelt in and sat there with his arms crossed, waiting for the car to start moving, but they were still stopped. Eddie looked over at Richie to see him staring at him, “Well I know not piss you off.” Richie said.

           “Pick up the damn cigarettes. I won’t have you littering on my behalf. But you BETTER throw them away.” Eddie snipped quickly, looking back out the window.

           Richie just smiled at the other boy before opening his door and leaning out to grab the discarded pack.

           As Richie got back in the car Eddie could feel his eyes peering over at him. Eddie just sat there, still silent, staring out the front window as Richie took off once again, heading towards campus. Eddie could start to feel the guilt wash over him… had he been too harsh? Did Richie think he was a total ass now? Did he just ruin everything?

           These thoughts solidified deeper and deeper in his mind as the seconds went on. Eddie looked down at his hands that were resting in his lap and began to fidget with his fingers. How could he subtly let Richie know that he still wanted talk, and maybe even see him outside of the rink? Eddie wanted to know more about this trashmouth that sent his heart fluttering every time he looked at him, he wanted to know if Richie was feeling the same thing every time their eyes met. His thoughts were stopped as Richie pulled up to his hall. Eddie looked up to be greeted with Richie looking down at him with the cutest smile Eddie had ever seen. Eddie could feel a small tug at the corner of his lips.

“Uh, thank you.” He said, a little awkwardly. “I…appreciate it.”

           “Sure thing, Spaghetti head.” Richie nodded with a small smile, looking into Eddie’s eyes.

           Eddie nodded back curtly, and began to get out of the car, before he stopped again. He reached into his bag to grab a loose pen before he turned to Richie and grabbed his hand, quickly jotting down his number. He looked up to see Richie smiling, “See you around.” Eddie replied, blushing a little.

           When Richie finally got back to his own room, he chucked the pack of cigarettes into the trash.

TAGS: @eddie-kas @welcome-assholes

[axelsandwich]

yuzuru hanyu: an exhaustive introduction

YUZURU HANYU IN 8 SECONDS: A SUMMARY 

the weird goat noise crying at the end is yuzu himself basically going ‘nooo no way, no I don’t want this, that was scary, so scaryyy’

THIS IS ALSO YUZURU HANYU IN 13 SECONDS

YUZURU HANYU JUST BEING HIMSELF (PART 2)

choose your fighter

he’s happy a lot

basically the embodiment of the n__n emoji

and cute

the cutest 

ever

loves nature on the rare occasions he goes outside

hitting his coach with a fan

scaring his other coach and then running away

adorable w kids

loves teaching

but also falls down a lot. very cutely.

sometimes in a stupidly beautiful way

factual info you could probably Wikipedia but are too lazy to do so: Yuzuru Hanyu is a Japanese figure skater from Sendai, born 7 December 1994 who competes in the men's singles discipline.

PSA: YUZURU HANYU IS NOT THE MODEL FOR KATSUKI YUURI FROM YURI ON ICE (yuuri katsuki is canonically based on tatsuki machida thank u)

japanese media (esp in sendai) basically filmed him growing up and called him a young prodigy so we’re lucky to get footage of chipmunk-cheeked yuzu with his (flying) mushroom hair 

look at this tiny bean

he was interviewed in ice rink sendai with japan’s other figure skating gold medallist shizuka arakawa. to quote, when asked “can you become a gold medallist too?”, he said “probably”. and then he went and did exactly that.

he would get into fights with his rinkmates, used to ball up skate rink magazine flyers to hit like a baseball and basically had a 5min attention span after which he would get bored

he also remained top 5 in his class academically while competing internationally during high school and does online education at waseda university, which is one of the most prestigious universities in Japan (this kid was away the day God handed out laziness and procrastination I s2g)

he’s studying Human Informatics and Cognitive Sciences (ie. basically a massive maths nerd)

my favourite in-depth and extended interviews with yuzu are his press conferences with the foreign correspondents club in japan, he really lets his intelligence and thoughtfulness shine here in particular:

2014 post-sochi olympics

2018 post-pyeongchang olympics

2018 post-pyeongchang olympics (japanese media)

memelord mc memeface (no, I am serious)

literally can’t control his face

I could go on.........

for a long time

(this is my fave)

the duality of man

10 expressions for the price of one

‘yuzuru will also respond in english’

yuzuru was a victim of the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami and lived in an emergency shelter with his family for about a week. spent the summer afterwards skating 60 different ice shows to raise money for the victims. he lost his home rink because of the earthquake and so would go to the show rinks early to practice ): 

it’s heartbreaking that he’s still very affected by the memories. he’s said he doesn’t take anything for granted and is always grateful to have a rink to skate on, and the impact he had on the survivors had a profound effect on his skating

he mentioned it in his post olympics interview

if you feel like crying really really hard today, watch yuzuru visiting sendai’s disaster affected areas and where he stayed initially in the days after the disaster

he donated all his olympic winnings to helping tohoku recover

the only regular TV appearance he does every year is 24hr TV which is a charity marathon to raise money for various causes, especially for areas affected by natural disaster 

“If it is because I visited them that those who suffered from the disaster can forget about their hardships for even just a moment, to me that would be something very meaningful. Therefore, at that moment, I thought that I wanted to get another Gold medal at the next Olympics.” 

the reason why he’s going for another olympic medal. cry with us

gets on with nobunari oda like a house on fire and carries out shenanigans whenever they meet

nobu and ex-tennis player matsuoka shuzo have been his most zealous and purest hype men since he was sixteen, it’s the cutest thing in the world, they’re regularly worried about him, stunned by him and moved to tears by his performances

here they are reacting to his olympics programs

here’s yuzu thanking shuzo for his support by putting his gold medal around shuzo-san’s neck

has the cutest bromance ever with training mate javier fernandez (eg. when he cried bc he didn’t win but was also super happy for javi, and when he watched javi’s free skate)

gives the best hugs to javi

iconic(TM)

just before the Olympic medal ceremony, yuzuru cried after javi told him this would be his last olympics and saying ‘no I can’t do it without you’ wow I didn’t need my heart or anything today

has the cutest interactions with all skaters including his direct competitors

here’s boyang jin giggling about how he got a hug from ‘the guy who likes Pooh’

nathan chen commenting on yuzu & both of them complimenting each other

dodges media attempts to pit him against shoma uno as bitter rivals bc they are NOT ABOUT THAT LIFE 

olympic gold medallist checking to make sure the olympic silver medallist has his jacket on straight and teaching shoma to wave bc he is actually just a mother

the only person who has the ability to make him lose focus: his forever-idol evgeni plushenko (now in motion) 

probably the only asian boy who willingly opted for a bowl cut 

who he shamelessly cheers on during ice shows

literally not capable of not being extra as fuck

here’s his pre-competition rituals aka. lipsyncing silently at a wall

he does it a lot

where every other male skater is in sensible shirts and pants, you will find yuzu standing there BEDECKED IN SEQUINS AND FEATHERS

he don’t give a fuck about your gender norms

and looks excellent while doing so

here he is, single-handedly destroying toxic masculinity

here he is just generally being Extra, with the rest of the men, bullying junhwan, bullying boyang... speed skating

tbh his milkshake seems to bring all the boys to the yard...seriously. and obviously most of the girls...

famous for his death glare murder face of hyper-competitive intensity

scariest thing is how quickly he can switch it on

there’s literally a collection of photos of yuzu - from when he was a bb to presently - eyeing the gold medal from another podium position like ‘my precious will be mine soon’ (here’s another one)

but also for being the sweetest kid ever 

he is truly SUPER polite wherever he goes

hugging his competitors at the 2018 pyeongchang olympics

staying behind to answer all questions from media at the competition

CRAWLING ON HIS HANDS AND KNEES behind competitor shoma uno so he doesn’t get in the background of shoma’s interview

mr worldwide (he thanked reporters at the Olympics in five languages)

watch him say thank you in korean

JP TV basically had entire TV segments where they were like ‘OBSERVE HIS GOD-LIKE BEHAVIOUR’. It continues to this day

there’s literally a shrine with kanji similar to his name and fans pray for him there

he has three dedicated shrines that his fans make pilgrimmages to - yuzuruha and the two seimei shrines. 

oda nobunari visited one and basically all the ema wishes were for him (yuzuru himself also visited the shrine to pray as well)

helping people repair the rink after competitions

single-handedly keeping the winnie the pooh soft toy industry alive.  

Disney-senpai finally noticed him in 2018

he donates all the toys he gets to local orphanages and charities

gives his fans regular heart attacks

watch him save jumps that shouldn’t have been physically possible

changing program halfway through when he failed a jump to accommodate #emergencyquad and #yolotripleaxel 

casually breaks world records because he was annoyed with himself

casual jump combinations during practices

casually says shit like wanting to jump hithero impossible jumps

jumped new quad when pissed off at the world team trophy It is REALLY IMPORTANT to know that the main reason for fan heart attacks is because he’s dealt with a distressing number of injuries, illnesses and misfortunes in his skating life but has somehow managed to come back and succeed in spite of them

a really scary accident that happened at cup of china 2014 and he decided to skate anyway because he wanted to qualify for the Grand Prix Final (which he then went on to win) and he really should not have been allowed to but he.......did that > <;

he then came back a month later to win the Grand Prix Final for the 2nd year in a row

he then had abdominal pain and surgery right after winning Japanese Nationals in 2014

and after spending a month recuperating, still managed to win a silver medal at worlds 2014

this is why we don’t talk about boston

important to note he skated his iconic chopin/seimei 2015 grand prix final programs WITH THAT INJURY

but then he came back and won the world championships in Helsinki in 2017

he missed almost the entire 2017-2018 olympic season he severely injured his ankle while practising the 4Lz in practice at the NHK Trophy, while recovering from a fever

is making his comeback from injury either at the pyeongchang team event or potentially yolo-ing it and going just for the individual event, we have no idea, we just know heart attacks are imminent

update: he skipped the team event and made his COMEBACK SKATE FROM INJURY after 3 months of no competitions and 1 month of prep at the individual mens event of the pyeongchang olympics.... AND FRIKKIN WON HIS SECOND OLYMPIC GOLD 

he then...injured himself again for the 2018-19 season, went out and skated anyway, won the event and showed up to the victory ceremony on crutches. he made a comeback at the world championships 2019 on painkillers yet again and still managed to get a silver medal

is proficient at disappearing like a ninja and subjecting his fans to radio silence for months on end, usually bc he injured himself ))):

so his fans made him a banner

(he has some ridiculously talented fans tbh)

a helpful guide to stanning yuzu (warning: you may feel Attacked)

did I mention he happens to be pretty good at figure skating? 

he’s broken the world record 16 times and counting (the video is his reaction to the first 11 (most of them are his own records)

he’s the first man in 66yrs since Dick Button to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in mens figure skating (sochi 2014 and pyeongchang 2018)

I cannot emphasise HOW FRIKKIN #YOLO HIS 2018 OLYMPIC SEASON WAS. this was the medal he wanted his ENTIRE LIFE, which he had literally planned since he was a novice skater and had seriously begun planning since right after he won the gold in Sochi. this plan had to be adjusted due to the truly distressing number of injuries, illnesses and misfortunes he sustained during the last quad (his Olympic athlete profile has PARAGRAPHS dedicated to all his injuries - and note these are only the post-2014 ones). but yuzuru started the 2017-18 olympic season with a plan to basically break all 3 of his WRs at the olympics by recycling his Chopin and Seimei programs but upgrading the layout and introducing a new quad - the 4Lz - which he had been preparing for years. and then this plan was, once again, thrown out the window when he sustained the injury in NHK in early November, which was much more severe than he first thought. he sat out of competition for 3mths despite hoping to return first at Japanese Nationals and then to the Pyeongchang team event, but pulled out of both as well. yuzuru made his comeback from injury debut at the individual men’s event, aka. the BIG DEAL, after marching into the airport like a BOSS. we were told he had only recovered his triple axel 3 weeks ago and his quads 2 weeks ago, but post-Olympics, he’s slowly revealing that it was even more dire than that. he skated the entire Olympics on painkillers that were not working 100% which meant every jump landing hurt.  and he. frikkin. WON. by doing this. and this.  (it was also the 1000th medal in Winter Olympics history because destiny rewards those who are Most Extra)

seimei is arguably one of the greatest masterpieces of skating programs and yuzuru was involved in every step of putting it together

his iconic moves ; _ ; 

edges, have you seen anything more ridiculous

romeo and juliet 1.0 at worlds, less than 1yr after the tsunami disaster and really launched him onto the international stage

sochi olympic short program (the thing that won him the gold lbr)

sub point: his reaction to gold

sub point: his reactions to BOTH HIS GOLD MEDALS

chopin and seimei at Grand Prix Finals 2015/16 

WR for highest short program and total program score and he’s gonna bring them both back and try to surpass them for the Olympic season because he wasn’t already under enough pressure.........

hope and legacy FS at Worlds 2016/17 where he came back from 5th place in the short program to win the free and break his own world record yet again (annotated version)

broke his 12th WR in the first event of the 2017-2018 Olympic season at the ACI Challenger event with a sore knee and downgraded jump layout

hilariously, his coach brian orser was - uncharacteristically - warning everyone that his first skates of the season are like ‘first pancakes’ and to not expect too much from him before the SP

his fans, needless to say, were amused

he did go ahead and die in the free skate the following day though, and finished with his obligatory Canadian silver

Jumped and landed his first 4Lz in competition at the Rostelecom Cup 2017 (watch it clean - it’s a THING OF BEAUTY) and now has landed 4 types of quads in competition (4T, 4S, 4Lo and 4Lz). Has now said that being the first person ever to land the 4A - his childhood dream - is one of his key motivations. 

just go watch all his programs lol

has a majestic jump face. it’s art. literally. 

seemingly endless appetite for getting better and continually challenging himself

his favourite word: kuyashii (ie. frustrated)

one of my favourite interviews of him ever was right after his broke all 3 world records and went over 200 and 300 for the FS and total competition score for the first time at NHK 2015.  “[On losing to Patrick Chan at Skate Canada & the fact he was practising during gala rehearsal where everyone else was chilling] I thought I want to improve, even here right now.  Patrick was nearby and it was a really good motivation.   It’s like, ‘Watch me.'  I will definitely practise all kinds of jumps and I will grow for sure.  I will win the next time for sure, I have been practising with that in mind.”   Then 3 weeks later, at NHK Trophy, he had a different lay-out. Yuzu:  This is not related to Patrick anymore.  I was really fired up this time. Boyang Jin got 95 points in SP, right?  When I saw that score, I thought, wow NO MISTAKES!!  He gave the best of his abilities!  OH YES!!!! Matsu: You didn’t think OH NO!!!  You thought OH YES???? Yuzu:  I thought “It’s here!!!"  Since I was a child, I have never liked winning a competition when others made mistakes.  Everyone skates to their best, but I still come first, above all.  That is what I like. I like pushing myself to the edge—.” (translation cr: yuzusorbet) says volumes about his competitive mentality.

this is also iconic AF. ‘In your mind, what do you mean by wanting to win with a commanding lead?’ yuzuru (no hesitation and immediately): after everyone goes clean, I go clean and win. (matsuoka shuzo’s face is a MOOD)

oh, also he’s had asthma since he was two 

he talks about it here

it was referenced in a movie

he got an asthma attack 2wks before the World Championships in Helsinki 2017 and still went out and Did That

the new york times did a long feature on him and it’s mostly a pretty comprehensive article if you want an overview

has remained at number one in the world standings for the entire olympic cycle since 2013 despite aforementioned heart-attack-inducing injuries and illnesses

sucks at finding suits that fit him. because he needs one imperfection

questionable fashion sense in general (generally remains stuck at ‘japanese teenage boy circa 2005′)

he wears toe socks and has been seen wearing crocs once, ho n e st l y

Good Guy Yuzuru: doesn’t wear fitted suits often because he knows it’ll kill his fans and/or will only do so if he gets paid for it tbh

unless he’s wearing under armour

he can keep wearing under armour

seriously, why isn’t he being sponsored by under armour

why

really obsessed with earphones and has like 50 pairs, many of which are custom-made and cost over $1000. he gets really excited about sound quality & bonds with sound technicians over their headphones. basically it’s the only thing he talks about when interviewers want to know what he likes to do in his spare time

that and play games in his room by himself

he’s hyper-competitive about games too

is this a surprise at this point

he’s basically a shut in when he’s not on the ice rink, in competition or at an ice show. he is not v exciting

he got really obsessed with kendama and now has like 8 of them

can’t dance but has no shame (yeah) (YEAH. you’ve been warned). werq it boi

made his japanese film debut in a bald cap, playing the young lord of Sendai which he SORT OF BASICALLY IS

get you a man that loves you like the entire city of Sendai loves yuzuru

their cheer video for sochi and pyeongchang

as of originally writing this intro post - part of the top six men in figure skating right now. probably possesses the Most Lack of Chill, being world champion, olympic champion and holder of all 3 figure skating records. we’re all drinking heavily this olympic season, not in the least because Olympic season has been a Pretty Big Disaster So Far

BUT HE WON THE GOLD MEDAL AND THE MENS EVENT WAS - FOR THE MOST PART - PRETTY DAMN BRILLIANT, especially given all the disasters that happened this season.......so I recommend watching it all. ; __ ; 

alas Patrick Chan and Javier Fernandez have now retired ;;

he’s also b e a u t i f u l 

um excuse me, rude

VERY RUDE

apparently not interested in sex appeal......... 

‘acting’

want to research more? 

here’s a recommended watchpost

a compilation of interesting interviews by tsukihoshi14

gif cr: balladestorm

in conclusion, thank you for reading and I hope you know more about this special, brilliant boy ( : 

[ohmypreciousgirl]

Otayuri Rec List

CANON

Come Alive by Ren [1,006]

"Can I sleep with you?" Yuri asks, and Otabek's heart skips a beat.

Something More Intimate by Val_Creative [1,294]

Dating usually brings up personal stuff Yuri dreads to let anyone know. It's probably why he avoided it all together. Without trying, Otabek sees Yuri for who he is. He accepts what Yuri tells him without question or taunting.

Hamster in Kazakh is Still Hamster by mousapelli [1,498] {Part 1 of This is Otabek's Hamster}

Otabek has a hamster. Yuri regrets teaching him how to use instagram.

A Roe By Any Other Name by mousapelli [1,848]

The only thing keeping Yuri on his feet is pure spite and the promise of the 4AM Tsukiji Market trip that the first morning in Tokyo definitely necessitates.

on the verge of running into your arms by RennieOnIceCream (Hitsugi_Zirkus)   [1,876]    

“Yurio is a good boy -- uh, when he wants to be,” Yuuri said with a smile. “But in all I think he’s not very used to friends and not very...affectionate.”

“Not cute at all!” Viktor agreed, though he was grinning through the insult.

“Just be patient with him and don’t be surprised when he shows his spikes,” Yuuri said, attempting to smooth Viktor’s words over. “Either way, we’re glad you both can get along with each other and be friends.”

Otabek wasn’t quite sure what the two of them meant -- Yuri had yet to reject Otabek in any way. In fact, with everything Otabek asked, Yuri always accepted him inside his heart without question.

Unexpected by henriqua [1,902]

“Your hair,” is his simple response that definitely doesn't give any answers to the questions in Yuri's mind.

Feet first (Don't Fall) by gunboots [2,361]

Otabek wishes that he could unstick the words from his throat, that he could just explain to Yuri why he matters. The proximity of someone he's been looking at for so long, this close—makes it almost impossible.

The hotel pool by womanroaring [2,525]

“Mila was flirting with you,” Yuri burst out, flicking his eyes up to a spot on Otabek’s shoulder.

“Was she?” Otabek asked, and Yuri lifted his eyes up to his face again. Otabek’s face had relaxed a little but his eyes were even more intense than usual, like he wanted to read Yuri’s mind through his facial expression. Yuri scowled again and looked down at his shoes.

“She’s not really my type,” Otabek added lightly after a second or two.

come over here & overwhelm me by xintong [3,348]

In the summer Yuri turns 16, he grows 6 inches, drowns Viktor in his own tears, and falls in love.

Hands On Education by BewareTheIdes15 [3,945]

Sometimes Yuri forgets that Otabek is older than him. And not just in the "has four years of seniors on him" way or the "his old-ass body is going to crap out of competition before Yuri’s does" way or the "doesn’t have to go to fucking tutoring everyday because he graduated, the lucky bastard" way. Because, like, yeah, all of that’s true, but on any given day it doesn’t particularly matter. They mostly do all of the same stuff, and know all of the same people, and have the same job, so, like, what’s the big deal, right?

Tongues.

Tongues are the big deal.

💖 every time I try, every time I win bythissupposedcrime [4,715]

At least no one’s brought up couples costumes. Yuri isn’t sure how Otabek would react to a live recording of him leaping over a table to fight a reporter, a symbolic stand in for the death of Yuri’s sanity and Victor’s cutesy legacy. He guesses not well, and that is enough to hold his tongue.

Or, Otabek is naturally romantic, Yuri is naturally clueless, and somehow they work it out.

Back and Forth by kiyala [4,840]

Yuri convinces Otabek to get snapchat, just to send selfies of himself making faces at Victor and Yuuri. He gets more than he expected.

 💖 Two Make a Pair by mousapelli [5,009]

It started out as a joke, socked feet on hardwood flooring, but somehow the pair skate became something much more for Yuri and Otabek in the end.

Sequel: Come When Invited by mousapelli [4,458] Companion piece:  Good as Gold by Beltenebra [1,719]

Have not. Will not. by mongoose_bite [5,583]

Yuri knew perfectly well that Victor hadn't always been a moron; he'd looked up to him for years. As far as he was concerned all of Victor's problems stemmed from a single source.

Determined to learn from Victor's mistakes as well as his successes, Yuri took the simple vow not to follow in his footsteps.

No matter what happened, he wouldn't fall in love.

One for the Road by Lumieres [6,129]

“Please, take me away —“ Yuri’s text had been so abrupt that Otabek had to glance at his phone once more to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

(Or: Yuri is so focused on his career, he doesn’t notice Otabek slowly falling in love with him.)

I Won't Put This One on Instagram by teslatempest [6,132]

“Oh. Shit.”

Otabek sat up, a little concerned by the tone of Yuri’s voice. “Is everything alright?”

“Remember how we agreed we weren’t going to tell anyone we were dating until after this season?”

“...yes?”

Darts Made of Hummingbirds by LiviKate [6,881]

Yuri is struggling with his body as it changes. Otabek is struggling with his feelings about it.

Otabek is struggling with the fact that he even has feelings about it.

down for the count, and I’m drownin’ in ‘em byunhookingstarswithoutpermission [7,180]

“Why didn't you reply to my texts?” Yuri feels himself ask, and he immediately cringes. He almost expects Otabek to laugh at him, but what he gets is a dead-serious boy who replies, “I've forgotten my charger in Kazakhstan”, and he feels like he's going to burst either into tears or into hysterical laughter. 

“You- you are so stupid.” Yuri's voice breaks on the last syllable. “I told you, it didn't matter if you couldn't make it to my birthday.” 

Otabek lies against the door frame and raises an eyebrow at him. “You don't want me here, then?”

Sonata in A Major by Lumieres [8,035]

Yuri is like a meteorite, caught in his atmosphere. If he doesn’t take care of him, he’ll completely burn up, and there won’t be anything left for him to salvage.

(Or: Three times, Yuri and Otabek kiss, only to never speak about it again.)

5 firsts + 1 time it all made sense by aphhun [8,726]

Yuri pressed his forehead against Otabek’s and closed his eyes, nuzzling in contently. The words were unspoken, but by the way, Otabek’s arms around him tightened and drew him into the embrace further? They both knew what hung in the air between them. It didn’t need to be said; maybe it was better if it wasn’t. The easy realization they shared was more than enough.

💖 who can sing both high & low by infiniteandsmall [8,848] {Part 2 of a shore, a tide (no clock, no end, transmit: transcend!)}

Yuri likes how people guess his age right after he shaves his head. He likes how it feels when Otabek rubs his hands over the stubble on the back of Yuri’s neck.

He’d liked the feeling of Katsuki’s hands, firm but gentle, wrapped around his skull as he’d passed the clippers over Yuri’s head in smooth, practiced strokes.

It’s not until a few months after he shaves his head, when he shoots up to one-hundred-eighty-five centimeters, that he realizes he misses the quiet thrill he hadn’t even noticed he’d felt when waitresses in restaurants had called him “ma’am.”

💖 Endurance and Peach Tea by chapstickaddict [11,447]

It takes three years for Yuri to figure himself out and get his head on right. He drags everyone along for the ride. Otabek is the only one to go willingly.

💖 My soul is an empty carousel at sunset. by dawnstruck [13,857] {Part 1 of Demi!Yuri}

Yuri grows up and grows older and grows into himself. Otabek helps. It just takes a while to get there.

💖  i walk my days on a wire by idrilka [14,526] {Part 1 of in medias res}

Asia sucked without you,” Yuri admits eventually after a moment, as he falls backwards onto the bed, his t-shirt riding up. It must be still hot in Saint Petersburg, if the forecast is to be believed, but Yuri has the hood up, obscuring his face at this angle. “But we all went back to the hot spring run by Katsuki’s family after the Fukuoka show, so I guess it wasn’t that bad.”

Somebody to Love by aphhun [16,654]

They've been best friends for four years, since Barcelona. Yuri Plisetsky is positive that he's thrown it all away in one miscalculated half-drunk instant.

CANON DIVERGENCE

But I’m Not There Yet by sarahyyy [4,535] {Part 1 of songs about love}

“Are you not going to read the article?” she asks, flopping onto his bed. “Look who ranked second, just after Phichit Chulanont.”

Otabek reluctantly scrolls down, and oh.

#2 - Yuri Plisetsky

In the embedded Instagram photo just under that subheading, a very grumpy Yuri is cuddling a very grumpy-looking cat. The caption reads: I found the cat version of me at the shelter today. #iknowisaidnomorecats #canyoublameme

AU

this speed's too much to stop by sarahyyy [1,496]

“Do you…” the man trails off, frowning. “Do you dislike Prince Otabek?” he asks quietly.

Yuri arches his eyebrows. “I’ve never met Prince Otabek,” he says truthfully. “But if he has to go to all this trouble to find someone to marry him, then logically, there must be something wrong with him.”

2843 miles by henriqua [2,124]

Yuri bites his lip and glances out of the window, feeling like even the very gloomy Saint Petersburg is laughing at him and his miserable crush on Otabek, even though Yuri grimaces when he thinks of the word crush.

admiration in falling asleep by viscrael [4,000]

Rooming with Otabek is fine. It really is—they’re best friends, Otabek is the perfect roommate, and there’s nothing about each other that they don’t already know to make it weird.

💖 science of the social by aphhun [8,862]

Otabek, young CEO and darkhorse of the wildly famous Altin family, isn't exactly on top of his social media and engagement with fans and business opportunities alike. Enter Yuri Plisetsky, social media expert and his new personal advisor. Beware the comments section of Instagram.

💖 infinitesimal being by sarahyyy [9,816]

Yuri snorts, and pushes his glass of ice tea away. “Alright, it’s been fun listening to your story, but I actually do have other more important things to do than to listen to you telling me that I’m destined to be your bride.”

He stands, and Otabek follows suit. “If it’s the terminology you have an issue with-”

“It’s not,” Yuri assures him. “It’s more of the fact that everything you’ve told me so far sounds like a goddamn fairytale that only children believe in.”

💖 hood & glove by Fahye [12,473]

"I don't mess with the fae," Otabek says.

"I'm not asking you to mess with them," JJ flat-out lies.

💖 Gravity by Fahye [15,902] {Part 2 of Yuri!!! in Space}

His Grace the Archduke Yuri Plisetsky wins the Ballistic Grand Tournament in his debut year, at the age of fifteen.

Things go downhill from there.

[yukirin1408]

Yuzuru Hanyu on 24hTV 2017

Please do not use/repost my translations without my permission.

Y=Yuzuru, S=Sora, H=Host (italics indicate her narration), N=Narrator, G=Go

H: And now, appearing on 24HTV for the 4th year in a row, figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu! This year, it’s a special dream-like show with superstar Hiromi Go.

N: Sochi Olympic gold medalist, Yuzuru Hanyu, age 22. At a competition 4 years ago, an unusual event occurred. He boldly landed two quads at the start of the program. But after he finished, he collapsed on the rink. What happened to Hanyu? He confesses on TV for the first time.

Y: It’s like I can’t breathe even half as much as usual, and oxygen won’t come in at all. I always carry [an inhaler] so it’s okay if an asthma attack happens at any time. I’ve had asthma since I was 2.

N: As a child, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if he had an asthma attack. He didn’t attend most of kindergarten. His symptoms improved with his growth, but even now he has attacks and is unable to practice. However, Hanyu doesn’t use asthma as an excuse.

Y: It is painful, but from the perspective of athletes who have asthma, it’s normal. I’ve rarely thought “I have asthma so competition is this difficult.”

N: He wears a mask every day and takes prophylactic medicine, paying careful attention to preventing attacks. However, even two weeks before Worlds this year in March, he had an asthma attack.

Y: It hurts, and I can’t breathe.

N: He hid the attack and faced the competition. There is a quad loop at the start of the program, which Hanyu was the first to land in the world.

Commentator: He lands the quad loop beautifully.

N: He continued to challenge the next quads, even in the second half where fatigue begins to show. He successfully landed four quads. It was a perfect performance where he didn’t feel the asthma.

Commentator: Of course, a world record.

N: He surpassed his own world record and won. While facing asthma, he continues to win on a world stage.

3:06

H: I heard that there was a boy with the same condition as Hanyu and went to meet him.

H: Hello! Nice to meet you!

H: Sora Ikeba, a first-year in middle school. I found something in Sora’s room.

H: Is it okay if i look at this? 

S: It’s okay. (camera shows medals)

H: Amazing...

S: No, it’s not amazing at all.

H: Don’t lie!

H: Sora is a junior figure skater. He earned 3rd place at a competition in Kanto. He is single-mindedly challenging skating. However, he suffers from asthma, just like Hanyu.

S: I cough, and it becomes hard to breathe.

H: When he was four, he couldn’t breathe or sleep for multiple nights in a row, so they went to the hospital.

Doctor: Sora has pediatric asthma.

H: Even just in Japan, there have been over 430,000 cases. Because of this sickness, he was only able to participate in his school’s sports festival one time. But in 4th grade, he said he wanted to skate and started learning. The person who influenced him was of course…

H: The reason why you started skating, the skater you like the most, who is it?

S: Yuzuru Hanyu.

H: Ahh, I see. An immediate answer!

H: At an ice show in Sora’s hometown in Chiba in 2014, he watched Hanyu skate to Hiromi Go’s famous song live and was moved.

S: His jumps were amazing and high, and he was cool.

H: You really seem happy when you talk about Hanyu.

H: Sora does his best at practice six days a week. But there’s no end to his battle with asthma.

Sora’s mom: He would become unable to breathe and come off the ice. There were many times I thought continuing would be impossible.

N: Sora was presented something as encouragement.

H: There’s something I’d like to show you today.

Y: Something she’d like to show him…

N: A surprise live call with Hanyu from his training base in Canada.

H: Here it is!

Y: Hello, I’m Yuzuru Hanyu.

S: *nods and glances at host* …….Hello.

Y: You’re surprised, aren’t you? Like “what should I do in this situation?” You’re nervous, right?

S: I like Hanyu’s jumps.

Y: Thank you. I see… Which jump do you like?

S: Triple axel.

Y: Ooo that makes me happy.

N: He seems happy to have his best jump praised.

H: He’s had asthma since the beginning and is practicing with it.

Y: Do you cough a lot?

S: Yes.

Y: It’s painful, right? I’ve had a lot of experiences like that, and I still have them. We might be experiencing something different than everyone else, but to us, it’s normal right? So there’s no need to compare yourself to others. If you think that this is your normal, you can do your best to overcome it. What are you working on now? S: I’m working on my double toe loop.

Y: Oh, you’re working on your double toe loop.

H: Will you be able to practice with Sora one day in the future?

Y: Next time when I go back, let’s practice, just a little bit.

H: He said it!

S: Until then, I’ll work on jumping my double toe loop.

Y: I’m looking forward to it!

H: How was that?

S: He was cool.

H: He was cool! When you met me you weren’t this excited!

7:37

N: “Asthma is a normal thing. There’s no need to compare yourself with others.” Those words became a big encouragement to Sora. And then, one month later, Hanyu returned to Japan.

Y: I want to hurry up and see Sora.

N: Sora is in the middle of practice at the rink.

H: Ah! He’s here! It’s Yuzuru Hanyu! Finally, the two have met!

Y: Hello! Nice to meet you!

S: Hello.

Y: What do you want to practice?

S: *mimes a hydroblade*

Y: Hydroblading?

S: Yes.

Y: I’ll do it once, so watch.

H: Sora is supposed to have a special training on jumps, but he requested Hanyu’s trademark hydroblade. As expected, he knows Hanyu’s techniques well. (caption: Hanyu’s big fan)

Y: Hands in front. Yes, like that!

H: They started practicing without any nervousness. It feels like their hearts are connecting.

Y: Ok. Let’s try the toe loop.

S: *attempts and falls*

Y: Let’s try using more speed.

Y&S: *jump a single toe*

Y: Like that! With that feeling, pull in your arms like kyu with all your might, and you’ll be able to do a double.

S: *lands a double toe*

Y: Ooo you landed it! You did it! Well done. You can do it, it’s ok. You did it!

H: This is a dream-like time. (caption: best smile)

H: You worked hard. How was Hanyu’s skating classroom?

S: It was fun.

Y: It was fun? I was strict, though.

H: Ah, you were strict?

Y: I was pretty strict, right? S: *nods*

Y: Skating isn’t a scary thing, and it’s fun right? So make sure you don’t forget that fun feeling. It’s okay! You can do it.

N: Hanyu’s kind guidance is because he was encouraged by an athlete in the past.

Y: Shimizu, a speed skater, has asthma, but he won an Olympic gold medal. He fought through until the end, so I was encouraged by him.

N: Nagano Olympic speed skating gold medalist, Hiroyasu Shimizu. In fact, he also had pediatric asthma.

Shimizu: I remember that I had to practice the same as everyone else, but in any case it was hard on my lungs.

N: After his retirement, he visited Sendai Ice Rink in Miyagi for a sports event. After the event, one boy asked for his signature on his sports bag. And the boy said this.

Shimizu: He said “I want to win a gold medal too! But I have asthma so…”

N: That boy was Yuzuru Hanyu, who was 15 at the time. While signing, Shimizu replied.

Shimizu: “It’s okay! You have to practice hard to make up for your weak lungs, but if you can overcome that, you will be able to fight the world.” He looked very happy and responded “Yes!”

N: Hanyu took this message to heart and practiced more than anyone else, and he became a gold medalist. So he wants to encourage children himself this time.

Y: Through me, I hope their feelings will strengthen and they will be able to be courageous.

H: Thank you!

11:58

H: This time, there will be a special collaboration with a true artist who supports Hanyu’s feelings. It seems like he arrived just now. Let’s call him! It’s Hiromi Go! After this, Hanyu will be skating to Go’s voice! Go, a comment please.

G: I’ll send encouragement to children across Japan!

H: Hanyu, a comment please.

Y: I’ll send encouragement too! I’ll do my best.

H: Now, his warm up right before the real thing has started. In front of where Hanyu did a deep bow, Hiromi Go is heading directly towards the stage. [Hanyu] took off his jacket just now. The real thing will be starting momentarily.

H: And now, Yuzuru Hanyu and Hiromi Go are bringing you a dream-like ice show. It’s finally beginning. Hanyu, if you will.

H: Hanyu has now entered the rink. He will be sending encouragement to Sora, who is doing his best at skating while facing asthma, and children facing sickness across Japan.

H: Hiromi Go’s hit song “I Can’t Say It.” It’s a program full of memories that made Sora entranced with skating.

H: When he was younger, Hanyu would become motivated after watching difficult programs. That’s why he will jump quads in front of Sora today.

H: Continuing, an ina bauer followed by a quad toe.

H: And now, the triple axel that Sora likes.

H: Hanyu, Go, thank you very much!

17:36

G: That was wonderful, wasn’t it?

H: Thank you very much!

Y: I may have had many painful experiences, but I was able to create a work with such a great person, and I skated while thinking that I’m really happy.

H: How was seeing those jumps right in front of you?

S: The layout was more difficult than from 3 years ago.

Y: Yes, that’s right, that’s right.

G: What a professional analysis.

Y: Especially since Sora was watching and I’d be doing it right in front of him, I wanted to do something difficult. I thought it would give him a good image in practice, so I put [the quads] in.

H: Sora, if there’s anything you’ve decided on after today’s experiences, please tell us.

S: I want to become a skater like Hanyu who is always challenging more difficult things.

Y: If you rotate two more times you’ll have a quad. Just two revolutions, just two.

Words over the picture: I want to jump a quad (but first doubles). Sora Ikeba

N: On this day, Sora set a big goal.

H: After that, Sora gave me a letter, so I’d like to read it. “Thank you for the dream-like time the other day. Hanyu’s words about falling not being scary gave me a lot of courage. From now on, I want to be courageous and become able to do jumps. And, I will do my best at practice to jump quads like Hanyu one day. From Sora Ikeba.”

[theseventhmarch]

Reflection as a figure skating fan on 2017

This year has been an amazing year for me. At the end of 2016, Tumblr has introduced to me YOI, which has been a joy on its own. It has also brought me some friends on Tumblr, @boredjodyc and @pigfarts23. I would like to thank the unclear explanation of quad jumps in YOI, which prompted me to look up “quad Salchow” on YouTube - this led me to Miki Ando and Yuzuru Hanyu.

Edited: 1 January 2018 - minor grammatical errors; additional paragraphs in bold.

It took me about 4 or 5 months before I can confidently distinguish different types of jumps (I was stuck on the difference between the Flip jump and the Lutz jump in the last 2 months of that). Thanks to @pigfarts23 and their Rabbit watch-parties, I found myself falling in love with Yuzuru’s skating, and I “met” @boredjodyc , who is my partner-in-crime for all things Yuzuru then. I couldn’t stream his Four Continents short program live, but I managed to stream his free skate! That was my first introduction to Yuzuru’s emergency layouts. (I'M STILL NOT OVER TRIPLE AXEL AS THE LAST JUMP - AND THIS IS ACTUALLY THE PLANNED LAYOUT THIS SEASON.)

Early March, a few days after my birthday, I created a fandom Twitter account.

Jody was in London late-March and I suggested to meet up! We had afternoon tea (in my opinion it was disappointing) - we talked for 4 hours, if I remember correctly! This was my first time meeting an online friend, and I'm so glad I did it!

World Championships came - I pondered if I should go to Helsinki, but the Men’s Free Skate tickets were sold out on the official site (later I learnt I should have asked around on forums/twitter/tumblr) - and I died over Yuzuru’s knee down on his quad Salchow. Two days later, on April 1st, he broke another record, and it was definitely not a joke.

I jumped and screamed when he landed that quad Sal-triple Toe combo that he struggled with the whole season.

Then, World Team Trophy happened, and the men were popping their jumps left and right. LOL at Yuzuru getting that positive (+0.09) GOE for that single Axel. But it is ok, since it was a joke competition anyway.

I met up with Jody again mid-May at a pub, after she was done gallivanting around Europe, before she was headed back home. (I MISS YOU!)

Off-season, there were many ice shows. Perhaps the most important reveal of these ice shows was that Yuzuru would be repeating his Chopin short program, with a quad Loop and a back-loaded combo: quad Toe-triple Toe. After his reveal (I remember it was during my last exam and I found out about it on my way home), Jody and I frantically calculated all the possible jump layout and base values for his free skate (after staring at the jump layout rules for a while), whatever it may be. We had two different situations on our hands - with or without the quad Lutz. I don't know about Jody, I could tell that the quad Lutz was likely, looking at the base values (and the other competitors). I would realise much later (around December) that the (sad) reason for the inclusion of 4Lz was really unfair score inflation with the other competitors…

Twitter freaked out about some things that happened during the shows, including cat ears and Pooh headbands. The Twitter friends that I was beginning to make indulged in memes, and I tried my best to brush up on my knowledge of figure skating.

In August we heard about the return of Seimei for Yuzuru. Fans and observers had been going crazy with attempting to predict his programs, and what I gained from this was that I could distinguish the fans who were able to predict correctly - which meant, in my mind, that these are the fans who have been following Yuzuru’s journey (and interviews) and who could truly understand Yuzuru’s thought process.

He also told journalists that his jump layout was without 4Lz, that there will be one more quad and one less 3A. I think even a newbie fan like me treated that news with distrust - less 3A??? Are you sure the one who said it was Yuzuru Hanyu, the king of Axels???

Seeing Jody attend a figure skating competition in Hong Kong made me feel like doing the same, so very soon, at the end of August, I decided to go to Italy to watch Lombardia Trophy in mid-September. I decided on this particular competition, not because Yuzuru was there, but because it was the only competition that I could attend throughout. So I spent €€€ and 4 days freezing my butt off in a rink.

I did not regret it - I saw Wakaba skate her new free skate to Skyfall. At her opening pose in the practice run-through, it was love at first sight. Other notable skaters for me: Carolina had a queenly presence both on and off-ice, and Shoma had great speed but his free skate costume was too sparkly (but it looked great on photos).

After coming back from Italy, I decided that I wanted to attend another competition as soon as possible - preferably a competition which would allow me to see more high-level skaters compared to the small competition in Italy. So I picked the Grand Prix event in France - even though it had no Yuzuru or Wakaba in it.

A week after Lombardia, it was Autumn Classic International, the ‘B’ competition that will start off Yuzuru’s season. He (or his team) then revealed he was not going to do the 4Lz because of knee pain - which meant that, yes, the quad Lutz was there all along, he just didn’t want to tell us in August. (A few months later, with the reveal of more footage, I saw some people speculating that during the media day at the Cricket Club, the media likely saw the actual layout with a 4Lz and two 3As.) Because of the same knee pain he wasn’t going to do 4Lo either... And in his short program, with a downgraded layout by substituting 4Lo with 4S, he broke another record. Wow. The emotion I felt was just - joy tinged with disbelief.

I made a decision for some time already that I was not going to go to Moscow, because of the extra complication in trying to get the visa as well as the much higher cost of travel. But Rostelecom Cup - where both Yuzuru and Wakaba were competing - was The Competition that both of my absolute favourites were competing at, so I live-streamed as many as possible during school. Yuzuru’s first GP was always terrible compared to the rest of the season (even if it wasn’t Skate *Chanada*), but he scored the highest among previous seasons’ first GP personal scores! MOST IMPORTANTLY, HE LANDED THE QUAD LUTZ - HIS LEGS FOUGHT SO HARD TO SAVE THAT LANDING, AND IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL JUMP NEVERTHELESS.

Jody went to Cup of China and saw some skaters I would have LOVED to see - Wakaba (again, obviously), Mai, and pairs Sui/Han. Wakaba was PERFECT at the Cup of China - not that she wasn’t perfect at Lombardia - she settled into her new programs much more compared to 1.5 months before.

Then came NHK Trophy. Yuzuru injured his right ankle on an awkward fall from a 4Lz attempt. He tried so hard to compete but he wasn’t able to. So, no NHK Trophy for him, no Grand Prix Final for him. As a fan, I feel really sad that we wouldn’t be able to see his wonderful skating during this period, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, this is the Olympics season and injuries are NOT GOOD AT ALL.

With that disheartened mood, I went to GP France (its name keeps changing in recent years, so everyone kind of gave up on giving it a new acronym) in mid-November, only attending the free skates and exhibition (Saturday and Sunday). I met a fellow Wakaba fan (recent Twitter mutual), Verit, there. Unexpected podium placements in the Ladies led to the two of us agonising over Wakaba’s chances of getting into the Grand Prix Final. I loved Misha’s skating, even though he wasn’t the fastest skater, or a quad jumper. Papadakis/Cizeron was sublime too.

Then, Skate America, the last Grand Prix event before the Final, came. Ashley withdrew due to foot injury (it sounded like an injury easy to recover from, compared to ligament/whatever), and Polina was underscored, and Satoko skated her way to the top of the podium. With that, Wakaba’s in the Final. (Later, Evgenia, who is Wakaba’s best friend, withdrew due to an injury that left her in a cast, and Satoko was in the Final as well.)

At the Final, Wakaba performed… poorly, compared to the other Ladies. Her short program was fine, but her free skate faltered - she popped two triple jumps into doubles. And that’s how it is in the Ladies field now - you need to be perfect to be on the podium.

Then came a bit of rest, when there were no important competitions, before the Two Most Important National Championships That Are Almost Always Held During Christmas Weekends.

My Christmas was bad (I don’t really celebrate it but I treat it as an excuse for food and wine and partying and playing). First, Yuzuru did The Thing where he announced one week before that he just started skating and there was still a bit of pain - the knowledgeable fans could tell straight-away that it was a really long, drawn-out announcement that he would be withdrawing from the Japanese Nationals. Fine, so he officially announced his withdrawal the Monday/Tuesday of the week of the Nationals. His fans (including me) got worried about him not having a competition at all before Pyeongchang - even though there is Four Continents, the time (last week of January, basically 2-3 weeks before the actual competition dates at Pyeongchang) and place (Taiwan) of the competition was not ideal, compared to his current location of training (Toronto: far, and a very different timezone).

Wakaba skated in pain at Nationals - it turned out that she got injured shortly before her short program (but I don’t know how much before, whether the pain was there at GPF), and she ended up in 4th place. The JSF decided to send Satoko and Kaori to Pyeongchang instead, and Wakaba might have tweeted incredibly brave words about aiming for Beijing 2022, but she was crying after the exhibition on Monday.

I spent my Christmas crying, if you can’t tell already. Wakaba’s programs for this season ARE SUPERB, and they won’t be seeing the Olympics… (I’m going to cry again typing this.)

The JSF decided to send her to the World Championships in March though, where she would be fighting alongside Satoko to earn Japanese ladies 3 spots again to the next World Championships (which will be in Japan!). They would have to earn a combined placement of 13 or less, and I’m worried about burnout for Satoko and underscoring for Wakaba. I already got tickets to Milan to see the Ladies FS (as well as Men FS, and exhibition), so I’m glad JSF at least decided to send her to a competition I already decided to attend.

For the Russian Nationals, Evgenia withdrew - from what I hear on Twitter, she was so headstrong about competing at Nationals that the Federation had to send 3 men to persuade her to stay and recover and not to go. They are sending her to European Championships, which will be held in Moscow (so, good for her). The Russian team for Pyeongchang will be decided officially after Europeans. She hasn’t lost a competition in two years so her chances are good.

Yuzuru’s next competition will most likely be the team event in Pyeongchang, which will be 9th February for SP or 12th for FS (Korean time, which is a day ahead for the most of us). Hopefully he will be able to calibrate his training based on his performance in the team event, and perform satisfactorily in the actual Moment. I am hoping he will do the FS while Shoma the SP for team event. Wakaba’s next international competition will be in Milan late March, but I don’t know if she will be going to any regional competitions within Japan (likely not). Hopefully she will be able to recover quickly and prove herself to JSF.

For the new year, I am hoping for The Gold for Yuzuru. I celebrate the Lunar New Year (but it isn’t a work/school holiday in this part of the world), and I will be spending it on watching the Men’s individual competition in unholy hours of the day (damn the US for that time schedule even if the competition is in Korea).

Of course, I wish for the most important thing - good health for Yuzuru. If I’m allowed to be greedy, also: that he will choose to compete for at least another season, and land the quad Axel.

[koreankokaine]

Flights part 4

Word~1,736

We got back to the hotel El completely flipped on me.

"Amira Greene Keller, explain." We got to the room, went to our bedroom inside and shut the door. She turned on music loud enough but not disturbing and I started to explain.

"So you know my best friend from New York? Twix?"

"Yeah?"

"Wellllll..."

"What?"

"It'svernonfromseventeen." I said super fast

"What?" her face looked very confused

"It'svernonfromseventeen." I said a bit slower

"Amira?!" she warned

"It's Vernon from Seventeen."

"WHAT?!?"

"We've been friends since I was adopted. His family lived right down the road from us. Our mothers are friends."

"Omo, Kate has friends." She said seriously then we busted out laughing. My mother is very...childish.

"Yes, she does."

"Wow, anyway continue."

"When I was 2 and he was 5 he moved. He's brother figure to me more than my own brother. I was too young to communicate by speaking coherent words and write so he took it upon himself to write the best he could and would draw pictures dedicated to me. My mother would send his family pictures and vice versa. All my life we've been in some form of contact. When I was old enough, 6, his family brought me to Korea."

"So you've been to Korea????"

"Yea,"

"Bruh,"

"I know I'm sorry."

"Go on,"

"I was 12 and he was 16, he started training. I was there when he was accepted into Pledis. It was the best day in both of our lives. Hansol is a very hard worker. The other guys are too, don't get me wrong but being a foreigner and half Korean, he struggles with other things most don't deal with."

"So are you friends with the group?"

"Yes, ma'am I am. That's why I don't let you on my LINE because I talk to everyone on there. Hansol was the first "idol" I met."

"Who else do you know?"

"Well....."

"Jisoo, Amira."

"Three months for ten years amounts to a lot of time and people."

"You spend the whole summer there?!?"

"Yes and no. I would go during the school year. My parents and his have an arrangement with each other and the school. I live there with Hansol's family and several times I've stayed at another groups’ dorms."

"What groups"

"Got7 and Exo."

"For real?"

"Yeah, Mark is also my best friend."

"How many best friends do you have?"

"The ones that are as good as you are Mark, Hansol, Changkyun, Suho, and HaNee aka Honey J."

"Honey J like Jay park's backup dancer?"

"I literally ran into her at a cafe."

"Bro," she was low key jungshook we sat in silence, "Sooo question?"

"Yea?"

"Are you May?" I nodded

"You're May?" she said a bit too loud

"Shhhhh," I said hitting her lightly

"Wow, and I call myself your best friend." I laughed. "Why are you anonymous?

"What do you mean "why?"

"You're May, THE best friend of Monsta X and several others. Fans don't know what you look like or your name but the hear your voice. You're a ghost."

"Oh Yeah, we all agreed for the sake of my sanity to keep things under wrap. Yes, they still talk about me and show hosts and people bring it up but they know how to go about it."

"Gave me a rough idea of how many groups you personally hang out with?"

"I know MX, Exo, Got7, Seventeen, and several AOMG guys. Sadly, I have not had the please to meet BTS, Ikon, and others on our list."

"This is the most important question I’ve ever asked in our 8 years."

"Yes?"

"Have you met Jay Park?"

I started laughing, "Yes I have. He is annoying as hell. I love him but this man will not stop being a pain in my ass."

"How did you met all of them?"

"You know about Hansol and Honey. I met Mark while visiting California that one year when you guys went to Florida. We both went to the skate park and connected. I met Suho last year when I was shopping in Japan and EXO was there having a concert. He was in a store and I asked him a question about some clothing. We got to talking and invited me to the concert."

"So you have been to an Exo concert. Did you meet any of the other guys? It's so surprising. You are not a very outgoing or social person." she said with sarcasm and a smile. 8 years of friendship and she knows everything about me except this part of my life. I smiled

"Yes, I met the others. Actually, I'm better friends with Chanyeol than Suho."

"How did you meet Monsta X? No offense that's who I am mainly focused on now because you just allowed me to meet them."

"Hansol and I were visiting Seoul on his day off and had just gotten some street food. There was music playing and I started singing and Vernon started rapping to it and this guy heard us. It was the CEO of Starship. He came over and asked if we were signed with anybody. Hansol said yes but I said I wasn't and that I wasn't looking to be signed. He said he didn't care but that he wanted to add me to a team of private contractors. I agreed but me being 12 he told me to meet him at a location with Hansol and come see what he was working on. We went later that day and it was No Mercy live recording. There was nobody there. We sat in the back. Hyolyn and Soyou were chilling in the judge seating area. Hyolyn was so goddamn beautiful. When I met her, oh my God, she was, no, IS a goddess. The show started and the contestants performed a lot of good songs. You've seen No Mercy, so you know everything. I know this is going to be cheesy but one of the contestants really held my attention. We made eye contact. I was kinda magical."

"Was it who I think it was?" El asked knowingly

"Yes, it was Hoseok." I smiled "So there I was, 12 years old in the midst of future idols, at a live show of a company who produced one of the biggest girl groups and staring at my first crush."

"Awwww Lucky,"

"LOL, no, that was the day my life became hell. Those boys are the most irritating men I've ever met." I chuckled

"Really?" she questioned

"Oh yeah, they're the reason I can't go to one of the best restaurants in Seoul."

"Oh my Jisoo, tell me later."

"Yeah, that's a whole other story," I said recalling that event

"LOL,"

"Anyway, they finished their performances and the guy came up to us. He introduced himself to us. I was starstruck like you were tonight but I got over it pretty quick. This was when I wasn't fluent in Korean so I had Hansol translate. Hoseok asked where we were from and said that I looked a little too young to be there. The judges were still in the room conversing. Some of the other guys came over to see what Hoseok was up too. He went into a protective mode when Gun Hee asked why we were here and who we were. Hansol told them what we were there for. the guys had a few hours till the had to go so we got to know them."

"I wish I was in your head right now. That must have been cool," she said trying to imagine

"It was."

"What happened next?"

We told them how we were invited and they were like 'you need to sing a song for us' and I was not having it. I told Hansol to translate 'I'm only here to watch the show.  Hoseok asked me to sing for them. and me being me agreed instantly. I looked at Hansol for approval and he agreed. I got onstage and I picked Give It To Me by Sistar. It was the first song I knew how to sing fully in Korean. I ended and everyone in hearing range was shocked. I got a standing ovation and the producers try to get me to sign with Starship which I kindly declined. I want to be independent. Soyou and Hyolyn were impressed and praised me for doing their song. I talked for a while with the other guys and they gave me their contact info so I could contact them next time I was in Korea. I talk to Mx, Gun Hee, and Yoon Ho the most. Outside the setting of work, they are very genuine and nice people. Since MX and Seventeen have known me since I was younger they are more like brothers to me. The women of Sistar are like my older sisters and too often they act like mothers."

"Wow, that's cool."

"Yes, it is, I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I can't go around saying Hi my name is Amira. I'm also called May. I am friends with Kpop idols. What's your name?"

"I understand, I'm a little mad that you waited this long to share."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I'm glad you told me finally though." we hugged my phone dinged with a notification. Wonho texted me goodnight I replied to him. El saw me, "So another big question," she began.

"I have a feeling what it is." I was worried

"So are you and Wonho dating?"

I laughed, "No, we are not.”

“He really likes you. You can see in the way he looks at you. Amira, he's in love with you.”

“Ellie, he's 24 years old and I'm 16. He's 8 years old older than me. His fans would kill me. I can see read the headlines now, ‘Monsta X’s Wonho dating ordinary fan.’ ‘Update, Wonho’s mystery girl is their friend May.’  Oh yeah, Yep that would get me killed and my family would be pestered. If my real identity came out that would be very bad.”

“Why don't you have LDR with him and see him when you visit or at concerts?”

“My age would be frowned upon and he doesn't like me like that. It's never going to happen. Trust me.”

“You know it's true, he likes you.”

I ignored her, turning off the lights and going to bed.

[toraonice]

Yuri on Ice interview translation - PASH! 2017/05 (p24-25)

I am pleased to bring you the very first interview with director Sayo Yamamoto!!! You don’t know how much I’ve been waiting for this... This one is pretty general because of course she has never been interviewed before so they are asking her the basics, but it’s very interesting to finally hear things from her perspective too, since she’s the one who started it all. More interviews with her will be appearing in other magazines in the near future, I’m looking forward to those ones too.

Also, I believe a bright future is to be expected for Yuri on Ice, since she seems to have lots of plans...!! (I was shivering typing out the translation, lol)

Translation is under the cut.

***If you wish to share this translation please do it by reblogging or posting a link to it*** 
***Re-translating into other languages is ok but please mention that this post is the source***

Interview (first appearance in media!) The world of “Yuri on Ice” that director Yamamoto wanted to create With 8 notebooks full of notes in one hand, director Sayo Yamamoto has answered our interview for the first time. We have asked her how this new animation that no one had ever seen before was born.

I was convinced that this would become an animation work no one has seen before.

I want to turn figure skating into animation!!!

—First of all, could you tell us why you decided to create an anime about figure skating?

I’ve always liked figure skating. In the beginning I was a light fan who only watched it on TV, but little by little I started dedicating an extraordinary amount of time to it. When drawing action scenes in a storyboard I began to add figure skating elements, like “if I put a movement similar to the flying camel spin here it might be interesting” (LOL). Around the time I created “LUPIN the Third -Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna-“ (2012) I couldn’t hold back those feelings anymore, and I considered the possibility of creating an anime about figure skating to broadcast at the same time as the Sochi Olympics. However, since most people said that “figure skating requires a lot of animation frames and it would be very difficult to animate for a TV series”, I couldn’t find anyone who agreed to work on the project and two years passed. In the meantime I tried to incorporate figure skating into various works, like the OP of “Persona 5”, but I still strongly felt that I wanted to create an anime all about it. At the time of the Sochi Olympics I met a producer who was looking for a project, and when, without any expectation, I tried to propose my idea, maybe because of the Olympic mood (LOL), they told me that it sounded interesting. —Could you tell us how you decided to invite Mitsurou Kubo to join the staff?

First of all, when I came up with the idea of “a figure skater in a difficult situation and the athlete he admires, who is also his rival, becoming his coach”, I thought that Kubo-san would be able to draw it in a fascinating way. In the movie “Moteki*” (2011) she worked on the scenario in the form of a manga storyboard, and above all, I was a listener of her radio “All Night Nippon**”. I just had the feeling that with her I would be able to create an interesting story. [*translator’s note: The movie “Moteki” is based on the manga by Mitsurou Kubo] [**translator’s note: The exact name of the program is “Kubo Mitsurou, Noumachi Mineko no All Night Nippon”, it aired for almost 2 years between 2012-2014 and then for about 5 months in 2015] —What was it about her that attracted you?

I was often impressed by what she said. What I look for in an anime script is how many dialogues with a punch line you are able to insert. I can think about the outline of a story by myself, but I wanted to create it with someone who would be able to add punchy and impressive dialogues that would actually make the characters come alive. Kubo-san has done manga serializations for shounen manga magazines for a long time and also has experience drawing works created by other authors, therefore I thought that discussing together we could be able to create a powerful work. However, she was never involved in the creation of an anime, and I did understand that it would be challenging. The producer told me “wouldn’t it be better to add one more scriptwriter?”, but when I asked whether there was another person who was as passionate about figure skating as me I was told “there isn’t” (LOL). Since there was no other choice, I decided to study scriptwriting and create the series composition myself. Just at that time Kubo-san’s ongoing serialization ended, so I decided to ask her. We are also adjusting the animation based on the acting.

—How did production of the series advance, approximately?

I first came up with an outline of the full series, and talking with Kubo-san about that we decided the details and she drew the manga storyboard for episodes 1-5. But from episode 6 onwards it was like a venture into an unknown world (LOL). In the GP (Grand Prix) series I at least wanted to have 6 athletes compete in every episode. An anime episode is 20 min. 10 sec., and an actual SP (short program) is 2 min. 50 sec. When I ordered the music I had it shortened to about 2 minutes, but in the programs I wanted to incorporate all figure skating elements, so I asked the choreographer (Kenji) Miyamoto-sensei to adjust the time with transition parts and spins. However, since we still needed to make it shorter, when I created the composition first of all I calculated the exact time a character would skate, the exact time the following character would start skating and so on… all of it also considering flubbed jumps and such. Then we discussed the story more in detail and decided the elements and scenes we absolutely wanted to insert and the position of lines. Even so, when I translated this into the anime storyboard it was still too long, and editing required an exorbitant amount of time. The person who was in charge of it, Tomoki Nagasaka, is an outstanding editor who also has experience working in live action movies, so he managed to work it out somehow, but we really spent a huge amount of time on that every week. —Why did you decide to use original songs for the performances?

I thought that if we used existing songs people would already have their own impression of them based on real athletes who skated to them before, so they might end up comparing them to reality and not be able to enjoy them fully. We’re creating an original anime, it would be a pity if something like that happened and added pressure, wouldn’t it? I believed it would make more sense, as an anime, to create programs that no one has ever seen before, with songs that no one has ever heard before. —Could you tell us what you talked about with sound director Shimizu at the time of recording?

I have already worked with Shimizu-san in “LUPIN”, he’s very passionate about acting. He has the ability to organize actors, he read the story of “Yuri on Ice” enthusiastically and understood it fully, and on top of that he can even come up with things that I couldn’t think of, so I was sure I could entrust him with the job. While checking the acting, when I felt something wasn’t right most of the times Shimizu-san felt the same, therefore I trusted his judgement. “Yuri on Ice” has comical deformed parts too, but when we chose the cast we were careful to select voice actors who could act naturally. All of them were very skilled, so their acting was never drastically different from what I imagined. —Was there anything that impressed you during recording?

The voice actors always performed even better than we expected, so it happened that we changed the animation based on the acting. They were all subtle things, but that’s actually difficult. Anyone can easily be affected by a powerful line, so when a character says it you already get an impression of them, but a fine performance is what makes the difference and makes you feel that the character is really there, not just “a character inside an anime”. As long as I can I want to continue “Yuri on Ice”.

—What scenes impressed you in the anime?

What made me realize that this anime would become something amazing is Victor’s skating scene in episode 1. When we were editing this part, I was convinced that this would become an animation work no one has seen before. Of course I was confident even before that, but when I saw it turn into an actual 20 min. 10 sec. film I fully realized that we were creating something new. It’s not something I normally do, but at that time I told the producer “this anime is going to be amazing, it will definitely be successful!”. Usually, even if I think so myself, I don’t say it until the series is completed. However, their reaction was very weak, like “the schedule is already crazy, what are you saying?”… (LOL). Especially when it’s an original work, it happens often that the director is the only person who can see the whole picture. Also, if other people tell you right away “I know!”, “that’s nice!”, most of the times it means that it’s something they have already seen somewhere. That’s why on the contrary, when I got a weak response it made me confident that I was creating something new, something no one has ever imagined before. —Could you tell us about the ED?

For the ED song I ordered something that “could be played as the final song of an ice show or during the 6 minute warm-up”. Regarding the footage, first of all I reckoned it would be too much work to use skating scenes, therefore I thought we could use still pictures that had an impact and that could not fit in the actual anime. Many figure skaters use the SNS, so I thought it would be interesting to use that as a concept. For example, when we went location hunting in Karatsu I wanted to use the shower place we saw there, but since after all we couldn’t fit it in the anime, I asked to use it in the ED. In Almaty, the place where Otabek is, the subway is very deep, almost like a shelter. All the pictures were chosen based on the idea “a skater from this country could do this in this place”. (Yuuichirou) Hayashi-san took all these scattered ideas and organized them neatly. —I was a bit surprised to know that Otabek uses the SNS too.

He definitely does. Many foreign skaters have an account. For them it’s normal to show what they are doing. Otabek too is making full use of lots of SNS. I think that for skaters who have their base outside of their home country and travel the world SNS are also a way to keep connected to their friends and families. —The fireworks scene in the ED is also impressive.

That was Hayashi-san’s idea. The three of them weren’t actually together in Hasetsu in summer, so that scene is not something that happened at a certain time, it’s more like an imaginary world. Hayashi-san has good observation skills and the pictures he creates are always very convincing. He has the power to make you think that this might have actually happened. “This character might be doing this” is something that anyone could come up with, but Hayashi-san is able to show you one step ahead of that. —Could you tell us about the reading play that is going to be performed at the April 29 event?

Kubo-san and I conceived the basic ideas, and I was able to order the script from Kimiko Ueno-san, who among the people I know is the one who can write the craziest stories. I worked with Ueno-san in “Space Dandy” (2014) and I heard that she enjoyed “Yuri on Ice” until the end. I think it will be pretty crazy (LOL). —What about the future of the anime?

I’m being told “let’s continue as soon as possible” (LOL). I’ve already decided what to do next. I came up with it while doing the video editing for episode 10, but what I’m thinking is something grand, and I’m wondering, what will happen if I really do all of that…? At this moment, my intention is to continue “Yuri on Ice” as long as I can. —Could you let us know some information about the next releases?

The bonus footage of the last volume and Kubo-san’s manga that is going to be distributed as bonus for purchasing all the volumes are both awesome. The details will be announced soon, but I believe fans of Yurio and Otabek are going to be especially pleased. It will also include recording footage of Stéphane Lambiel’s appearance in the last episode! It’s precious footage that I took with my iPad during recording. Also, (character designer & chief animation director Tadashi) Hiramatsu-san and (animation director Noriko) Itou-san are doing their best fixing the animation, they’re having an immense amount of pictures redrawn. There are no ugly Victors in the BD/DVDs. In general, everything is being brushed up. It’s possible that the relationships between the characters too might look different in some instances. Therefore, if you are unsure about buying the volumes, I would recommend that you do. Thank you very much!

By the way, since she talked a lot about the ending footage, I’ll link you the interview with Yuuichirou Hayashi that I translated from Animage some time ago, as he talks more in detail about how it was created. You can find it here.

[shercockadoodledoo]

ballet shoes and ice skates (9)

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9

also on ao3

On the day before Shion’s birthday, Nezumi signed a contract releasing him from the major motion feature film, Hearts of Ice. He did not owe the production company any money as compensation and was not liable to be sued, largely thanks to Kiyoko, who argued that the money spent hiring Shion to garner publicity had not been wasted – Shion had indeed accumulated a vast amount of publicity and press for the film, largely anticipated in not only the figure skating community, but the LGBT community and supporters throughout the country.

           Nezumi had not shot enough scenes for them to be included in the film, but he signed over the few videos that Shion had taken of Nezumi during his own lessons. They’d been meant as tools for Nezumi to look back on and see where his forms and positions needed improvement, but the director said they might be useful in the film as flashbacks to the lead’s past.

           Auditions were being held for Nezumi’s replacement. While there were not many actors who looked like Nezumi, a few had similar features that with hair-dye and colored contacts could be cast and still allow Nezumi’s actual footage from his lessons to be used.

           “Why do they even want that footage?” Nezumi asked, while Kiyoko pointed to places on different documents for him to sign and date.

           “Because you’re a beautiful skater. It’s good footage. Any actor they get isn’t going to skate like that. Using those recordings as flashbacks in the film is a genius move.”

           “Was it your idea?” Nezumi asked dryly, signing the bottom of another page, letting Kiyoko flip it over and point to another blank line.

           “Of course it was. They ate it up, loved the idea. Helps publicity too – this is actual footage from your lessons under the world’s greatest figure skater. Shion’s voice might even be in some of the clips, the director will be ecstatic. Figure skating fans will go nuts to hear Shion tell you your camel pose is sexy. The videos might be more valuable than you are, kid, and that’s why you’re not being sued. You should be on your hands and knees thanking me for saving your ass.”

           “It’s called a camel position spin,” Nezumi said.

           “That’s what I said. Initial this one, and last signature here – Good, done. Happy now?”

           Nezumi peered up at his agent. They were in his apartment, Nezumi sitting at his kitchen counter with Kiyoko hovering energetically over him. “What happens to you?”

           “I get paid a mighty sum for my hard work dealing with your difficult ass.”

           “So you should be thanking me,” Nezumi proposed, and Kiyoko smiled, picked up the documents and tapped them lightly on Nezumi’s counter to straighten them into a neat pile.

           “That sense of humor of yours never does get old,” she said cheerfully, opening her briefcase that sat on the stool beside Nezumi.

           “Have you got a new client?”

           “No, but you shouldn’t worry about me. The drama with you is quite famous in the film agency world. I’m a celebrity of my own now.”

           Nezumi pushed his bangs from his forehead. “Actors quit all the time, I’m hardly the only one.”

           “Actors quit with grace, unlike you. You skipped rehearsals and line readings, made no attempt to understand the plight of your director and cast mates, and I turned your selfish quitting into a glorious win for the film. That’s big news, not that you would know a thing about it.”

           “Yeah, yeah,” Nezumi said, standing up and stretching his arms over his head, then dropping them and extending a hand to his ex-agent. “Guess this is our tearful goodbye?”

           Kiyoko smiled and took Nezumi’s hand. “I don’t think I’ll miss you.”

           “Shouldn’t you lie and pretend to like me now that we’re parting ways?” Nezumi asked dryly, shaking the woman’s hand. Her grip was firm, tighter than his.

           “To you? I didn’t peg you as someone to want fake flattery. Will you be going back to the New National Theatre?”

           Nezumi shrugged, slipping his hand into his pocket when Kiyoko released it. “I’m too late for the current production, and The Nutcracker is already in rehearsal stage, but I’m heading there this afternoon to see if they’ve got room for an understudy. They’ve got auditions for Don Quixote in a few weeks.”

           “So everything will go back to normal for you.”

           “Looks like it.”

           “Doesn’t that seem like a step back?” Kiyoko asked.

           Nezumi offered her a wry smile. “Are you done commenting on my life choices? I thought by signing those things I didn’t have to put up with you anymore.”

           Kiyoko waved her hand dismissively, picked up her briefcase, and turned from Nezumi, walking to his front door. “All right, I can take a hint. Maybe I’ll go to one of your shows.”

           “Maybe I’ll sign your playbook backstage if you ask nicely enough,” Nezumi said, while Kiyoko opened the door.

           She laughed, waved her briefcase. “I’ve got enough of your autographs. Goodbye, Nezumi. Good luck with your life.”

           She was gone before Nezumi could tell her he’d never believed in luck a day of his life.

*

For Shion’s birthday, he was sent a total of fourteen succulents.        

           He, his mother, and Safu opened the packages in Karan’s bakery, which had been closed early for the afternoon. A half-eaten cake still sat on the counter beside the register.

           “This one’s so cute,” Safu gushed, holding up a green plant whose leaves were thick with pink tips.

           “You can have it,” Shion offered, and Safu quickly placed it on the table beside her plate of crumbs.

           “I told you I don’t want your plants, Shion. I’ve watered enough of them in my lifetime.”  

           “There’s more this year than usual, isn’t there?” Karan asked, holding a plant with a tiny rainbow flag sticking out of the soil beside the long spiky leaves.

           Safu plucked out the flag and examined it. “Who knew you’d be a gay icon,” she commented, while Shion blushed.

           “I’m not,” he replied, stealing the flag from her and hiding it under one of the packages that another succulent had been shipped in.

           “Sure you are. They talk about you at the clinic all the time,” Safu said, a smile tugging at her lips that Shion worked hard to ignore, painfully aware of his mother sitting beside him.

           He pushed back his chair, stood up, grabbing the plates off the table as an excuse to escape and hide his embarrassment. He didn’t even know why he was embarrassed. He was twenty-six today – shouldn’t he have outgrown embarrassment by now?

           “I’ll just wash these up. Should I put on more tea?”

           “I can get it, hon,” Karan said, looking up at him, but Shion squeezed her shoulder.

           “I got it,” he said, and walked away before she could object, listening to Safu discuss where they could give away the new succulents as he headed back to the kitchen.

           In the kitchen, Shion washed the dishes slowly, reveling in the feeling of the warm water over his hands. He dried the dishes, put on the kettle, and stood looking down at it, not thinking too much about what he was doing when he pulled his phone out from his pocket and typed out a quick text.

           Guess how many succulents I got for my birthday.

           He reread the text, hovered his finger over the arrow to backspace it all, then sent it instead.

           A flash of heat fell through him in a wash, and Shion quickly pocketed his phone, not wanting to stare at the screen as he waited for a reply. He wished the water was already boiled so he could return to his mother and Safu, let them distract him from the regret that hit him all at once, strong and unsteadying.

*

Guess how many succulents I got for my birthday.

           Nezumi drummed his fingers on the counter beside the stovetop, waiting for the water in his kettle to boil. The shock of the text was wearing off, and he found himself trying to guess.

           Five, he thought. Ten was far too many. Seven at most.

           He glanced away from the text to his own cactus, sitting on the windowsill in his living room. He had spent the entirety of his train ride back to Tokyo on that last day in June setting alarms every ten days to remind him to water this plant. He’d gotten up to seven months in the future by the time the train pulled into Tokyo’s station. In seven months, he assumed, it would probably be instinct to water the thing. He didn’t really know how long they lived, but when he thought about it, he figured it could be forever. Plants didn’t really die of old age, at least, not that Nezumi knew of.

           It was later, while Nezumi sat on his couch reading the script for The Nutcracker that he’d gotten from the show’s producer at The New National Theatre – he’d been hired the day before as an understudy after his impromptu audition, much in part because he’d done several productions under the same producer previously – that his phone screen lit up again.

           He glanced at the notification. Another text from Shion.

           Nezumi sat up. Tucked his thumb inside his script and picked up his phone with his other hand, sliding his fingertip over Shion’s name on the screen.

           If Nezumi left it unopened, it could say anything.

           Maybe it was the answer to Shion’s challenge – Guess how many succulents I got for my birthday. The text had been sent over four hours previously. It was past midnight now. Maybe Shion didn’t want to wait for Nezumi to guess. He just wanted to tell him.

           It could have been something else entirely. Nezumi imagined Shion was in bed, but it was his birthday, after all. He might have been out. Getting drinks with Safu.

           That wouldn’t be right. He was in-season, it was unlikely he’d be getting drunk. Still, his next competition wasn’t for another month and a half. He could sacrifice a night.

           It could be a drunk text, then. Some senseless rambling. Might not even have been meant for Nezumi at all – Shion certainly hadn’t contacted him since Nezumi left at the end of June, over two months before. Why now? Very likely he was drunk.

           But maybe it was meant for him. People did things they regretted when they were drunk. Shion would wake the next morning, hungover, maybe on Safu’s couch. He would look at his phone and remember he’d texted Nezumi something nonsensical, or worse, something sane. Something that couldn’t be passed off as nonsense, something Nezumi would read and know it was true because he felt it too, he had those words too, he just knew better than to get drunk and text them.

           Shion might not have been drunk. Might have texted Nezumi sober, but it was middle-of-the-night sober, which was a different kind of sober. Not really sober at all.

           Nezumi set his script down beside his leg. Turned his phone over in his hands. Considered what the text might say, what it probably didn’t say, what he’d hate if it said and what he wanted it to say.

           He didn’t know what he wanted it to say. The number of succulents, he thought. That would be the best scenario. The safest information, the easiest truth he could take – how many plants Shion had now.

           Nezumi put his phone down without opening the text. He picked up his script again, read half a page before he was just looking at the words, not understanding any of it. He kept at it, pretending to read until a little after two in the morning, and then he took his phone and went to his bed, plugging it into his charger. He brushed his teeth, peed, returned to bed, laid down, closed his eyes, and turned over twice before flipping over, grabbing his phone, and opening the text.

           Sorry. I know I shouldn’t have texted you. Hope you’re doing all right.

           Nezumi rolled over onto his back. Held the phone still, and with his other hand he covered his eyes. He wished he hadn’t opened the text and that in his head, he could have imagined that Shion had said anything to him, anything Nezumi might have wanted.

*

Shion had gotten to the point where he could land his quad axel about fifty percent of the time within his free skate as the final jump.

           He was always left completely out of breath afterward, but it was progress. He increased his work-out regime, hitting the local gym so often he was offered his own pass to use it even after it closed. Shion knew his town supported his figure skating. He was honored to receive the support that they gave him.

           By October nineteenth, Shion was on a plane to Moscow with Karan. Safu, who usually came with Shion to his competitions, couldn’t get off work. Shion would be skating his short program in the Rostelecom Cup in two days and his free skate the day after that. He slept for the entire plane ride.

           After every competitor at the event had skated their short program, Shion’s scores put him in first. He sat with his mother at the hotel breakfast bar on the morning he was to do his free skate, poking at his blueberry pancake and not thinking of anything until his mother spoke to him.

           “Shion.”

           Shion glanced up at her.

           “Are you going to do the quad axel this afternoon?” she asked.

           Shion stared back at his pancake. He’d eaten only half of one. He wasn’t nervous so much as tired. He hadn’t slept much the night before, but then, he hadn’t been sleeping much for months.

           “I don’t know,” he answered truthfully.

           “I don’t want you to.”

           “I know.”

           “Shion.”

           Shion looked up again. His mother’s eyebrows were creased in concern.

           “Maybe you should take a nap before the competition,” she offered, and Shion chose not to argue.

           He’d been planning to practice his quad axel at the rink until his free skate, but maybe it’d be better not to tax his body before his program. He stood up, left the table, and returned to his hotel room, where he laid on his bed and stared up at the off-white ceiling.        

           After a minute or so, he closed his eyes and let himself daydream about Nezumi, the way he sometimes allowed himself – not often, but occasionally. He pretended in his head that they were at the rink, and he was showing Nezumi a scratch spin, the first spin Shion had taught him.

           The tighter you keep your arms to your body, the more speed you’ll give yourself.

           When Nezumi spun, his bangs, free from their clips, had covered his eyes. Shion had watched him, a blur of pale skin in sweats. Nezumi fell out of it after several seconds of rotations, laughing on the ice, and Shion had stared at him, unsure why Nezumi was laughing but not minding one bit, not telling him to get up and try it again, not wanting him to ever get up at all.

           Shion still didn’t know why Nezumi had laughed when he’d fallen. He’d never asked, and in his daydream, he didn’t ask either.

           He just listened to Nezumi laugh, a mess of long limbs on the ice, of scattered bangs and the rest of his hair half out of his messy bun.

           Sometimes, Shion hated that he had so many memories of Nezumi. It would take him so much longer to get tired of them, of running them through his head, of reliving them. It would take him too long to get over his man, and Shion hated that but loved it too, was so grateful for it too.

           When his alarm went off, his cue to get dressed and head to the competition rink, Shion felt as though no time had passed at all. In his head, Nezumi had only just fallen out of his scratch spin and was still laughing, and Shion still felt amazed at the sound.

*

Nezumi had rehearsal during the free skate portion of the Rostelecom Cup. The competition in Moscow was in the afternoon, but in Tokyo it was still morning, and Nezumi had only been at rehearsal for an hour.

           They’d only just begun rehearsals for Don Quixote a few days before after a week of auditions. Nezumi had been cast as the title character himself. The alarm he’d previously set on his phone went off mid-pirouette.

           “Whose phone was that?” the producer demanded, while Nezumi stopped his spin and glanced at his wrist before remembering he didn’t wear a watch and never had.

           “Sorry, mine,” he said, jumping off the stage and grabbing his phone from the pocket of his jacket, slung over an audience chair.

           “Nezumi, I know I don’t have to remind you of our phone policy.”

           “It’s the Moscow skating thing, isn’t it?”

           Nezumi glanced up at his cast member. Akihiko, a guy Nezumi had been in several productions with.

           “What skating thing?” the producer asked.

           “Shion’s in it. The world’s greatest figure skater, you know, from here. Japan. He just taught Nezumi to figure skate for that film. You’ve never heard of Shion? He’s like, the country’s pride and joy,” Akihiko continued.

           Nezumi silenced his phone.

           “Oh, yeah, white hair. You kissed that guy,” the producer said, looking at Nezumi in a sharp way Nezumi didn’t care to read.

           “We can pick up at the top of the act,” Nezumi said, pulling himself back onto the stage.

           “What, he’s got a skating thing right now?”

           “In Moscow,” Akihiko confirmed.

           “It doesn’t matter,” Nezumi said.

           “You follow this stuff?” the producer asked Akihiko, who shrugged.

           “Sure, my wife’s in love with the guy. Shion. She’s all excited that he might do some impossible quad something.”

           “Axel,” Nezumi said quietly, unintentionally.

           “That’s it. Quad axel. That’s the one.”

           “We can take a break,” another dancer in the cast said, while Nezumi strung his fingers through his bangs. “They only skate for like, five minutes, right? Isn’t that your boyfriend?”

           “He’s not,” Nezumi said, looking away from the other dancers and his producer. His hand was still in his hair, and he tightened his fingers.

           “Let’s take five,” the producer said, while Nezumi exhaled through his teeth.

           “I don’t need to – ”

           “Take five, I don’t need everyone distracted during rehearsal. Go on, get off my stage.”

           The rest of the dancers left the stage, so Nezumi had no choice but to follow. He grabbed his phone from his jacket and made to leave the auditorium, but his cast mates were surrounding him.

           “Well? You gotta get to the live feed, right?” Akihiko asked.

           “Are you serious?” Nezumi demanded.

           Akihiko smiled. “Come on, let us watch too. We all like the guy, he’s a good skater.”            Nezumi shook his head, but Shion would be on soon, and arguing would just take up time. He had the website bookmarked, went straight to the live feed and caught the announcer’s last commentary on the previous skater before Shion was skating onto the rink.

           Nezumi was acutely aware of the rest of his cast mates huddled around his back, and then Akihiko was grabbing his phone from his hand, holding it out further.

           “So everyone can see,” he said, and Nezumi couldn’t glare at Akihiko because Shion’s music had started, and Shion was starting his routine, and Nezumi couldn’t look away from him.

           Shion’s short program has him in first amongst the other skaters at the Rostelecom Cup, but the Grand Prix is just getting underway. He’ll have to retain the same excellent performance throughout his free skate, and then he’ll be moving on to Skate America in November where we’ll get to see him impress us again in New York. Moscow seems to have its own set of fans just for Shion – his popularity hardly seems any less here than it was in Manila during the Asian Open just a few months ago. And there’s his second quad of the program, the quad Salchow, gorgeously done, no surprise there, moving into a perfect crossfoot spin.

           “This guy taught you to do stuff like that?” the producer asked Nezumi from somewhere to Nezumi’s left, but Nezumi paid him no attention.

           Shion continued to skate gracefully, but Nezumi thought his breathing looked more labored than usual, and it was only the start of the second half of his program. He landed another quad, then a back-to-back jump, and Nezumi found himself wishing Shion would stop jumping altogether.

           He had too many jumps in his program. He didn’t need them. He could just skate over the ice, no spins or jumps at all, and he’d get the gold. He didn’t need to do anything, and he’d be the most incredible skater to watch.

           There was a double Lutz, and then a step sequence, and then Shion was slowing, skating in a long curve around the edge of the rink, and the last quad was next but Nezumi hoped he wouldn’t do it.

           A triple instead, like at the Asian Open. Even a double. Just a spin to end the program.

           Here comes his last jump. We saw a breathtaking triple Lutz at the end of his Asian Open performance, but we’re all still hoping for that quad axel. There he goes, a forward lift into an axel, and that’s – four rotations! Was that four rotations? I swear, that looked like four rotations to me! The crowd seems to think so too, they’re screaming so loud, and Shion landed it perfectly, is coming to the end now – A quad axel? Did we just witness the very first quad axel of figure skating competition history? But hold on, Shion doesn’t look so – Oh my goodness.

           When Shion fell to the ice, Nezumi shouted his name. He reached out, grabbed his phone. Held it closer to his face, stared at Shion’s limp body on the ice and waited for the man to get up, couldn’t hear a thing but his pulse, watched the video pan closer to Shion’s body, and then there were medical personnel skating into the camera’s view, bending over Shion, blocking the camera’s view of him.

           “Guys, shut up, we need to hear what they’re saying!” Akihiko snapped, and Nezumi realized everyone around him was talking, but then they weren’t, and Nezumi could finally make out what the announcer was saying.

           – just crumbled right in front of our eyes, still no update from the medics, but he doesn’t seem to be stirring, though of course it’s hard to see. There’s his coach and mother Karan skating onto the ice now, the medics are paying her no mind. A stretcher being brought in – Oh dear, this is not looking good, they’re skating off the ice with him – Folks, I wish I had more information to offer, but for now we’re going to ask you to standby and switch over to –

           “Nezumi.”

           Nezumi wanted to throw his phone when the feed switched to a set of commentators outside the rink. “Fuck, fuck.”

           “Nezumi.”

           “Don’t fucking touch me,” Nezumi snapped, ripping his arm away from the cast mate whose hand was on his shoulder.

           “You can leave,” the producer said, and Nezumi stared at him, tried to focus.

           “Hey, come on now,” Akihiko started, but the producer cut him off.

           “Go on, do what you have to do. We’ll resume rehearsal tomorrow. If you can’t make it, you call and let us know, and that’ll be fine.”

           Nezumi continued to stare. He was aware he was breathing hard. He didn’t know what he had to do. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He looked back at his phone and couldn’t see anything. His hand was in his hair and he was aware that he was cursing, made himself stop.

           He shook his head. “I’m not – I’m not even – I don’t – ”

           Nezumi’s producer’s hand was on Nezumi’s arm, and Nezumi couldn’t jerk away. “I don’t care if the guy’s not your boyfriend, I don’t care if he is. I’ve known you a long time, Nezumi, and I’ve never seen you so scared shitless. So you go do what you have to do, and you’ll have your place here whenever you get back. You’ve done good for this theater, and for me, personally, in all the productions we’ve done together. I’m thanking you now by telling you to get out of here. Understand?”

           The producer let go of Nezumi’s arm to push him gently, and Nezumi stepped back, then kept stepping back, then was leaving the theater, feeling numb, unsure what to do when he was outside the building, but there was Akihiko beside him, and Nezumi didn’t realized he’d been following him.

           Akihiko was on the phone, and Nezumi stared at him, unable to make out what his cast mate was saying.

           He gave up. Looked back down at his phone. Watched the commentator’s lips move. Waited for the cameras to return to Shion.

           He was still waiting when a car pulled up, and then Akihiko was pushing him gently. “It’s taking you to the airport, I’ve got one of my buddies heading to your place to grab your passport, he’ll meet you there,” Akihiko said, and Nezumi had no idea what he was talking about, didn’t think, couldn’t think, got in the car and Akihiko closed the door on him and the driver of the car pulled away from the theater.

           Nezumi closed his eyes. He felt nauseous, and the darkness didn’t help, but he was certain to open his eyes wouldn’t help either.

           Nothing would help, and Nezumi knew that more than anything.

*

When Shion opened his eyes, Nezumi was staring intently at him, so Shion figured he was dreaming.

           An odd dream, because he realized quickly that he was in a hospital room.

           “You’re up,” Nezumi said, which was wrong.

           “I’m dreaming,” Shion corrected, and Nezumi squinted at him.

           “Does your head hurt?”

           “I don’t think people can feel pain in dreams. Although there is research disputing that idea, I’ve read about it,” Shion said.

           Nezumi continued to stare.

           “It’s nice to see you,” Shion offered. “Even if I’ll wake up. I don’t usually dream about you, which is strange, seeing as you take up so much of my conscious thoughts. I daydream about you, though.”

           “I think you hit your head,” Nezumi finally said, speaking slowly.

           He was holding Shion’s hand, Shion realized. He looked down at it. There was an IV protruding from the back of it. Nezumi’s fingers were long and loosely curled around his own.

           “It doesn’t hurt,” Shion said gently, because Nezumi seemed concerned for him, and Shion didn’t want him to worry.

           Nezumi’s hand that wasn’t holding Shion’s reached up, touched Shion’s face only briefly before sliding around to the back of Shion’s head. Shion leant into the touch, felt Nezumi’s long fingers drifting through his hair, probing softly as if searching.

           “What are you doing?” Shion whispered. Nezumi’s touch felt incredibly real, the way it did when he was awake.

           It was occurring to Shion that he was awake after all, but he couldn’t piece together how this could be possible. He was meant to be at the Rostelecom Cup. Nezumi was meant to be gone from his life – or at the very least, in Japan.

           “You don’t feel any pain?” Nezumi asked, not answering Shion’s question, but Shion had already forgotten he’d asked one.

           “Where are we?” he asked, and Nezumi dropped his hand.

           “The hospital,” Nezumi said carefully, and Shion thought the word sounded clumsy on Nezumi’s lips, as if he wasn’t sure how to speak it.

           Shion tried to look more closely at the man. Noted that his eyes were a little wider than usual. His skin paler. He looked, to Shion, a little scared, and Shion’s heart beat faster.

           He wondered if he were not in a dream at all, but a nightmare. He had a strong suspicion that Nezumi’s nightmares often took place in hospitals.

           “Are we awake?” Shion asked, and he watched Nezumi breathe through his open lips, a quick breath, audible.

           “Yeah,” he finally said, his voice a little shaky.

           “Nezumi.”

           “Yeah.”

           “Are you okay?”

           “Yeah.” Nezumi’s hand was in his dark hair, pushing his bangs back.

           Shion decided he was awake. They were both awake. Nezumi was scared of hospitals, or maybe scared for Shion, who was in the hospital, or maybe it was both.

           He tried to work out how he could be awake. The last thing he remembered was the Rostelecom Cup. His free skate. Exhaustion. Gasping through his skate. Not thinking he’d make it to the end, just wanting it to end, his body searing for it to end. He’d landed his quad axel, he’d finished his free skate, he’d stood still to face the crowd and smile and bow, and then everything was black.

           He’d fainted, he supposed. This made sense. The only other option was that he’d been attacked, shot maybe, but that was such a bizarre option that Shion eliminated it.

           There was still Nezumi’s presence to figure out.

           “Are we in Moscow?” Shion asked. He spoke gently. He wanted to distract Nezumi from whatever Nezumi was scared of.

           Nezumi nodded. His fingers moved over Shion’s hand, and Shion looked down at it, watched Nezumi’s thumb rub over the back of his hand, then lift up, touch the tape that held down the IV.

           Shion followed the line of his IV. It was connected to a bag on an IV stand filled with clear liquid. Shion pointed at it with his IV-free hand.

           “Do you know what’s in there?” he asked. He liked asking Nezumi questions. He loved talking to this man. If he kept asking, then Nezumi would have to answer, and he could never leave.

           Nezumi didn’t even look at the bag. His eyes were drifting over Shion’s body and face and never left him. “No,” Nezumi said, while he seemed to be looking at Shion’s neck, then his hair, then his lips. “They told me. I couldn’t understand them.”

           “Were they speaking Russian?” Shion asked, tilting his head.

           “No. They spoke English and your mother translated for me,” Nezumi said.

           Shion looked around the room for his mother, but it was a small room, easy to see that he and Nezumi were alone.

           “Why couldn’t you understand my mom?”

           Nezumi just shook his head. Exhaled hard. “It sounded like she was talking from a long way away,” he finally managed, his voice a little shaky, and Shion sat up, was glad to find that it was painless to do so, easy to do so.

           He reached out, thinking to touch Nezumi’s face, but then he settled on Nezumi’s wrist instead, wrapped his fingers loosely around the pale skin there. He could see Nezumi’s veins beneath his skin, rivers of light green, a map he’d traced before to see where it might lead him.

           “I’m okay,” Shion insisted, even though he didn’t know why he was at the hospital in the first place. He didn’t need to know. He felt okay. Even if he wasn’t okay, he wanted Nezumi to believe he was. He wanted Nezumi to feel better. “Everything is going to be okay.”

           Nezumi didn’t say anything. His eyes were flickering between Shion’s now, fast and wide.

           “Tell me what you’re thinking,” Shion pressed. He didn’t understand how Nezumi was in Moscow. A plane, he rationalized. That was the way to get to Moscow from Tokyo. Nezumi must have gotten on a plane. Found the hospital where Shion was. Probably used the stairs to get to whatever floor Shion was, Shion knew he preferred stairs to elevators, preferred moving to standing still.

           There was still the matter of how Nezumi knew Shion was in the hospital. He must have been watching the Rostelecom Cup. He must have seen Shion black out.

           Shion felt better having pieced it together. He did not have to be dreaming. This could be real. There was a way it could all be real, and Nezumi could be sitting beside him, holding his hand with incredibly loose fingers.

           “I don’t like hospitals,” Nezumi whispered, only once Shion forgot he’d even asked Nezumi a question.

           “Why did you come?” Shion asked, even though he didn’t want to ask it.

           He wanted it to be obvious. He wanted it to be expected, that Nezumi would come, but it wasn’t, it didn’t make sense even though Shion wanted it to.

           It had been nearly four months since Shion had seen Nezumi. He couldn’t pretend it was normal to see this man no matter how much he wished it was.

           “I didn’t want you to wake up alone,” Nezumi said.

           Shion didn’t remind Nezumi that he had his mother, that there were other figure skaters at the competition Shion knew and liked who would have accompanied him to the hospital if his mother couldn’t, that Safu might even have flown from Tokyo as well if no one else could be beside him.

           Shion did not remind Nezumi that he had so many people who could have been by his side because Shion felt selfish having so many people, and besides, he didn’t want any of them.

           He wanted Nezumi.

           “I haven’t stopped missing you yet,” Shion admitted, because Nezumi had admitted that he didn’t like hospitals, and even though Shion had already guessed that, he felt it was only fair that he admitted a secret of his own.

           He thought Nezumi probably already knew his secret too, anyway.

           Nezumi didn’t say anything, but his loose fingers tightened just a little around Shion’s hand.

           Shion felt, from where they fell against his palm and the back of his hand, that Nezumi’s fingers were shaking just the smallest bit.

*

[theyoilibrary]

DJ! Otabek Masterlist

Mischievous Friends - LiviKate

The skaters play Never Have I Ever at Leo's birthday party and learn what a bad boy quiet Otabek is. Or in which Bad Boy DJ Otabek is Yuri Plisetsky's aestheti

Not your usual love story - arcsinx

Baranovskaya's new face, Yuri Plisetsky (22), who shot in Venice for Vogue's last edition, was seen accompanied by Otabek Altin (25) as they left a coffeeshop in St Petersburg yesterday. The DJ and voted 2017's hottest musician, Altin was in the city to compose for Victor Nikiforov's (30) new movie production. The couple met at the Paris Fashion Week after-party(image) and have been appointed to be secretly dating ever since. An intimate friend claims Altin to be completely besotted with the Russian beauty, having even gifted him a $35,000 diamond collar necklace! For more photos of Plisetsky's front cover shoot for Vogue, click here For more articles on Altin's new collabs with popstars, click here.

Let the Record Drop - BoxWineConfessions

“Okay,” Otabek walks back over to the daybed, and kneels beside Yuri. Carefully, Otabek combs Yuri’s hair back and away from his ears. “No one’s ever gotten a private show before.” His voice wavers as he talks. Like he thought it sounded cool and second guessed himself while he spoke. Otabek opts to interrupt himself, and kiss Yuri instead. It’s not like their previous touches. It’s thick and stifling, and Yuri’s painfully aware that he’s very naked, and Otabek is very not. “I hope you like it,” Otabek breathes against his ear. It makes Yuri shiver, and arch up into the other man. Otabek slips the headphones over Yuri’s ears.

hold my drink - vivevoce

“How do you feel about going to a club next weekend,” Otabek asks. Yuri can already tell that this is something important, by how casually he says it. Either Otabek’s gotten more transparent over the years or living together has finally made Yuri an expert on reading him. “Alright,” Yuri agrees and watches Otabek slump in relief. “Who’s playing at the venue?” Otabek hands him the flyer, and Yuri barely has time to read the top before Otabek answers, “Me.” Yuri grins.

Diary of a DJ - Phayte

DJ Beka is working at a goth club, when a certain green eyed goth catches his eye. Your usual DJ Altin fic and what he gets up to in the club as he DJs. Chapter One is Yuri, Chapter Two will be JJ.

Be The One - Hana

It doesn't take a genius to tell you that love isn't easy. Especially when you live in a world that is more concerned on how many likes they get on their selfie, than talking to the person across from them. Times have changed, and so has the dating world. Most people no longer met naturally,things like tinder and match do all the hard stuff for us. You would think this is a far better option, considering you get more variety in potential though those apps give you so many opportunities to meet people;where did the natural romance go? Yuri Plisetsky has been heart broken for 2 years and feels like he can't find love. Now bitter and angry at everyone nothing seems to make him "happy" except his cat and a radio show called The Nightly Bear. But when Yuri finally takes the advice from his favorite talk show host, and finally goes on a date things don't go well. What happens when Yuri is placed in a situation where he cussed out the person who he was suppose to go on a date on prior to it happening? And what happens when the person he went on a date with turns out to be his new boss?

we just need a human touch - aphhun

What happens on a tour stop in Almaty will stay in Almaty. Well — probably. “Give me your phone,” was the next thing out of his mouth, and Yuri found himself near squinting at the other. “What?” “Your phone. I’m going to give you my number,” persisted the DJ, and if Yuri had been more devoted to getting drunk earlier on in the evening, he knew that he would have handed it over without a second thought or a question. Sober Yuri, however, was more rational and undoubtedly skeptical. “You literally don’t even know my name."

Unsteady - otayuri_oh_nice

Otabek was going to kill JJ. He was going to take the next flight to Canada, hunt him down and kick his ass. Leo: I tried to stop him but he went and did it anyway, I’m sorry! (link)                   - Or: JJ uploads one of Otabek's remixes of Yuri's songs to YouTube and Otabek freaks out. - Or: what happens when you take episode 1, replace figure skaters with musicians and exchange Victuuri for Otayuri. Aka another strange AU no one asked for.

i got electric eyes (and i can get you high) - phylocalist

There’s a huge roar, almost as deafening as the music, when the person points at the DJ behind the turntable. Yuri can’t help but look around, bewildered. Is this the reason all these people keep talking about this club? Just for this one person? A DJ? or: Yuri Plisetsky loves clubbing. A new club is apparently all the rage, so he checks it out. He ends up finding a lot more than he bargained for.

Walk Through The Fire - HerNameIsAlice

Otabek moves to Russia for a few months to visit Yuri and practice his new pair skating program. But things take a turn when Mila develops an interest in him, as well as rumors surrounding the personal lives of Otabek and his skating partner, and Yuri becomes concerned for his friend's future as a skater. But Otabek's feelings for Yuri go beyond a simple friendship.

Beautiful Dangerous - otayuri_oh_nice

When JJ asked Otabek to come along to the club he worked at a few times a week, Otabek wasn't sure what to make of it, even more when he realized that it was a Burlesque Club. The last thing Otabek expected to see was a beautiful dancer named Kitten. AKA the Burlesque AU no one asked for.

Gods and Monsters - otayuri_oh_nice

After moving to New York City everything was supposed to be on the road to fucking amazing, but when Leo scores Otabek a DJing gig at a club downtown, Yuri finds himself having a little too much fun, which in true Plisetsky fashion ends in a disaster.

Divine - peachys

Take me to Divine's Some time in the 90's.

All Of My Firsts - Whisks_on_ice

Otabek admired Yuri from a distance Yuri didn't even know he existed The tale of a blossoming romance, a wilting romance, moving on and coming back, like ocean waves. Alternatively, Otabek and Yuri have a rocky relationship

Weak legs stand still - MadamRed

And then Yuri’s brain short-circuited because Otabek was removing his jacket. If Yuri had been sitting down, he would’ve fallen off his seat for sure. But no. He was standing in a spot where everyone in the club would’ve seen him if he were to faint right now. Otabek had already been ready to go when he told Yuri to change his outfit. And Yuri, still somewhat innocent twenty-four-year-old Yuri, had just assumed that his boyfriend was wearing one of his trademark plain, black shirts underneath the leather jacket. Oh, how deliciously wrong he  had been.

Quiet Hours - henriqua

”We have to be quiet though, it's late,” he says, and Yuri rolls his eyes. He swears Otabek is the only person in the world who spares a thought to the quality of his neighbors' sleep no matter what he's up to himself. ”Me, loud? Never,” Yuri says, dramatically faking an offended face.

Not your usual fantasy - arcsinx

Yuri's first impression of Almaty is that it's way hotter than St Petersburg. Otabek doesn't seem to be bothered much with that information when Yuri lets him know about it while fanning himself with a leaflet from their air company. He doesn't seem to be bothered either when Yuri lets him do all the work and gather their baggage from the carousel. Yuri's leopard print stroller bag stands out like a flash of neon amidst the others, but he was of the mind that since he was moving to another country while four months pregnant under his mate and his family's insistence he had the right to do whatever the fuck he wanted.

[milquetoasted]

Big People - Zijun Li: Growing and training alone, jumping until heaven falls and earth cracks. Article & video published on QQ Sports on 25 Feb 2017 (article translation below).

(t/n: Zijun’s given name is used in place of her full name for simplicity, as well as to differentiate from her mother and unrelated former coach Mingzhu Li, who both have the same family name.)

After the short program at the [2017] Asian Winter Games, standing before the camera, Zijun Li opens her mouth several times unable to make a sound.

“I am very disappointed with my placement.” Zijun’s dissatisfaction with her performance is written all over her helpless face. Despite originally choosing an easier combination jump for stability, points were still lost due to underrotation. As a favourite to win at the Asian Winter Games, Zijun’s first showing was unsatisfactory.

Going back to the Four Continents Championships a week ago, she accidentally fell and hit her head in practice, and after her ending pose on one knee, could not stand up for a while to thank the audience. While waiting for the results, the girl who is usually playful in front of the camera had an emotional outbreak, falling into her coach’s arms and bursting into tears. After the competition, Zijun told everyone that her legs were shaking on the ice, that the veteran felt an inexplicable tension.

What was she worried about? From the former prodigy to the current rising star, she has grown accustomed to a dialogue with loneliness, used to growing alone through dull training, but she knows that she has passed the age of being wayward, and now values every chance to be on the ice. She doesn’t want to let breakthrough become only a slogan, doesn’t want to lose herself again.

“Only for a song, blood dyed a lonely red; only for a dream, broke the mountains and rivers; only for a heart, loved and only met before separation.” These lyrics come from Zijun’s free skate music, “Only for Love”. Now, they also represent her state of mind. She thanks all the years where she did not easily give up, for loving yourself requires unconditional investment. Jumping again and again, she has already seen the storms of life.

Growing and training alone, jumping until heaven falls and earth cracks

At 9 AM, on the streets of snowy St.Petersburg, the sky is still dark. Wearing a black down jacket and carrying her skates, Zijun walks quickly, the red “CHINA” on her slender back standing out. At her side, a Russian man seems to tell her something, talking as they walk, following her the entire way. Her features reveal a trace of confusion and anxiety and she quickens her pace, almost jogging the rest of the way… a few minutes later, she finally arrives at her destination, Running through the doors of the rink, Zijun’s expression evidently relaxes, smiling as she greets the people she meets in English and occasionally speaking a few words in Russian.

This is her 56th day in St. Petersburg.

As the top Chinese ladies’ figure skater, 8 years since her debut, Zijun’s charming appearance, slender figure, and elegant movements have been well received with insiders’ praise and fans’ love. To further improve the level of her skating, the Chinese National Team arranged for Zijun to spend 2 months training abroad in St. Petersburg, under the tutelage of the coach of Russian “Ice Czar” Plushenko, the world-renowned figure skating coach Alexei Mishin.

In Russia, the days are exhausting and monotonous. Most times, a day includes 4 sessions of training off ice and 2 sessions on ice, often “training from dawn to dusk.” The type of “frightening” on the streets has also become commonplace. “Due to the language barrier, I don’t know what they’re saying, and it’s really quite scary.” A young girl on the streets encountering older men, she usually chooses the method of “ignore, then walk faster”.

“Compared to all the jumps and turns [I experience] on land, I suddenly feel like the ice is something that makes me feel happy and grateful…” Zijun keeps a notebook specially for recording the state of her daily training. Now, this notebook is nearly full, with careful documentation of each jump and rotation on the ice. “Once, after leaving the rink, I checked my notebook. An on ice session not including runthrough with music had a total of 65 triple-triples and lutzes… do you want to experience the ascension to the afterlife? Try his training method.” Joking through the bitterness, Zijun says she has “trained herself silly, and often can’t find where her waist and legs are.”

But compared to the training overload, her inner loneliness is more frightening. Mishin’s team is almost entirely composed of Russian girls with blond hair and high noses, with Zijun being the one that sticks out. And with the language barrier, her rinkmates not knowing English, she also has no way of joining the conversations and laughter of their “little groups”. She would rather train alone in the hallways away from the rink, thinking about the day’s training content and plans.

With heavy snow outside the window, under the dim light, her thin silhouette on the wall looks silent and lonely. Many times, she only has herself for conversation.

From the 12-year-old who journeyed alone to the US to the competitor travelling throughout different continents, Zijun’s talent for languages has always been her pride. When training in the US or Canada, basic necessities were managed by herself, but this time, in a non-English country, she feels like she “cannot handle it”.

On the first trip to the supermarket in -20°C weather, both hands carrying a large bag, she stood in the snow for over 2 hours unable to find transportation. The passerby she tried to ask for help from could not speak English, until a kind-hearted Russian youth helped her call a taxi to return to her hotel. Afterward, she learned to download the app for calling taxis, learned basic Russian words… but it was still not easy to go out, because the experience was too painful and left an impression.

Lu Chen, the only Chinese singles skater who has won an Olympic medal, has always believed in such a phrase — “to reach the peak, one must bear the loneliness”. As the “heir to Lu Chen”, Zijun also feels the impact of this phrase deeply. Since the days of the 14-year-old who defeated Liu Yan to win the national championship, becoming “sister no.1” of Chinese ladies’ singles figure skating, she has been experiencing this kind of life for 7 years.

Zijun Li and Russian rinkmate

Thankfully, the people at Mishin’s club are all very friendly to her, and coach Mishin is especially fond of this “porcelain doll” from China. Not only helping her find a hotel to stay in, but also bringing eggs from home to give to her for nutrition. “You need to eat more good things, only a strong body has the energy to jump,” are the words that coach Mishin most often tells her.

Don’t be fooled by Mishin’s appearance of a kindly Santa Claus, the training regimens he creates are not gentle in the least.

Mishin once said: “the coaches of ladies’ singles skaters have the most dangerous job in the world, because you don’t know what will happen next, there are so many possibilities.”

“Females are fragile material, many factors can affect their results, moods, and feelings in competition. Some very subtle things can also affect them. In addition, for most girls the changes from puberty are difficult to resist.” However, Zijun’s talent and hard work won the favour of this figure skating godfather. Wherever he goes, coach Mishin doesn’t forget to text her to ask about her training.

Coach Mishin’s “If you can’t hold on anymore, cry in my arms, once you stop crying start anew” text remains saved in Zijun’s phone. Whenever she is about to give up, she takes it out to read.

As “from dawn to dusk”, “turning until everything is dark, jumping until heaven falls and earth cracks”… has become the norm, there is only one motivation allowing her to persevere: “the persistence to your dreams”.

All the sacrifices will eventually pay off. On her 20th day in St.Petersburg, her lutz and flip could finally coexist on the same ice; on her 24th day, she weighed 42.9 kg, a weight she hadn’t had since puberty, “a new level of thin”…

Watch American dramas to learn English, learn to make dumplings on birthday

“Finally dinnertime after a day of training… what to eat tonight, whichever letter looks good, I’ll choose it.” she shows a Russian menu.

Russian food is monotonous and difficult to swallow, and her budget for food is limited, so she must learn to cook for herself. On December 14th, her 21st birthday, Zijun tried to make dumplings for the first time. Upon her first bite, the emotions almost brought her to tears.

This birthday, making dumplings for the first time

Apart from travel and food, she also had to face moving continually. The hotel that coach Mishin found for her only had one room with a kitchen. When other guests booked the room, she had to move out, stay in another room, and after they left, she would move back in. As a result, the place where she has lived for two months has few traces of her habitation. “Yesterday I just moved back, this is already the 4th time. It can’t be helped, since the amount we pay isn’t enough for this room, so if it gets booked I must move.” Her words carry the indifference of someone who has been through hardship.

Of course, apart from hardship, there are also things that bring her happiness, such as learning a new move, such as succeeding on all of a day’s triples… Every time this occurs, she treats herself to an ice cream. “I love eating ice cream the most in the winter, especially on snowy days.” Laughing, she takes small bites of the ice cream in her hands, happiness written all over her face.

Outside of the rink, in her daily life in St. Petersburg, Zijun mostly stays in her room, drawing, listening to music, watching American shows. Lying under the covers and watching shows is the most comfortable part of her daily routine. “Rest is one factor, 90% of my English was learned through watching shows. [I have to] know English and be to hold conversations, or else after this many years, I would really become mute.” Her favourite shows are TV dramas about school youth, such as “The Vampire Diaries” and “Pretty Little Liars”. As a professional athlete, she cannot experience school life in the way that most people of her age do. This loss of feeling is often just made up for through film.

Self-confidence, openness, bravery, thoughtfulness, these marks of someone with over 90 years all show themselves vividly on Zijun. In her free time, she goes on Weibo, chats with her friends, shows her smiles and happiness instead of bringing up the bitterness behind her. In this way, she wants to tell the friends and family in China who care about her that she’s doing well.

After years adrift, a burden weighing on one back

After the days of “butterfly on ice” Lu Chen, ladies’ singles skating in China sank into a period of drought. Although new faces showed themselves during this time, none were able to maintain the spotlight, especially on the artistic front. When Zijun came onto the scene, things began to change. The names of “skating prodigy”, “first sister of ladies’ singles”, “goddess on ice”… became the weights that 14-year-old Zijun had to carry on her back.

Zijun Li, quirky from a young age

Zijun’s fame was a product of the times. Since her debut, her grip on the top spot in Chinese ladies’ singles skating has never loosened. Despite still having a sizeable difference in level compared to the world’s top athletes, within the country no ladies’ singles skater has the abilities to challenge her. At each year’s World Championships, only Zijun has the strength to keep striving for a medal, in all these years, she has never found someone to share this burden with.

On the inside, she is suffering too. Results have yet to show substantial progress, breakthrough is still only a motto, yelled out again and again, becoming more confused and overwhelmed. And then there are the difficulties of physical changes in puberty and the issue of finding a long-term coach.

Zijun is not the type of athlete who develops muscle well, weight gain will bring her more evident changes, so in previous years coach Mingzhu Li controlled this aspect very strictly, with random weighings each day, accurate to two decimal places. Sometimes, never mind eating, even drinking too much water would be a luxury.

“Weight control is easier said than done. For a long time, she wouldn’t eat proper meals, didn’t even drink enough water. Sometimes, when she was so thirsty she couldn’t stand it, she would rinse her mouth with water and then spit it out,” said her mom, Chunyan Li. She would be able to bear it for a day or two, but they lived that way for about a year. Daughter unable to eat, she would go hungry as well. Sometimes, mother and daughter both kept awake by hunger at night, in neighbouring beds listening to each other’s stomachs growling, gathering strength and encouragement from each other.

The bitterness of weight control, the intense training, and the high expectations of her coach caused Zijun to cry “I’m not doing this anymore” daily during her “rebellious phase”, yet each morning she would pick up her skates and head back to the rink.

Depression, pressure, and irritation, in addition to exhaustion from training, quickly built up and Zijun fell ill. Continuous fevers and allergy symptoms led her mother to take her to the hospital nearly every day. “That was a period of ‘one issue cured today, another symptom pops up tomorrow’, for several days she couldn’t fall sleep all night, and I was thinking, what happened to my girl?” However, even when she returned to Changchun for treatment, her coach did not completely stop the training, persisting to get her on the ice.

If weight can be said to be a manageable issue, then the real source of unrest for Zijun would be the problem of coaching that has yet to be solved. In the year after the contract with coach Mingzhu Li expired, Zijun first trained with famed American coach Frank Carroll in California, then with choreographer Lori Nichol in Canada. Since last November, she then went under the tutelage of Mishin. Each coach could only accompany her for a few months, and without systematic training, Li had to become familiar with all kinds of different ideologies and methods. This often made it difficult for her to feel at ease. “The entire time, I haven’t been able to find a steady coach, and that might be what I need most right now.”

However, the past year’s grind let a young girl’s weak heart gradually grow stong. “Actually, with the frustration of this past while, I finally understood the things I want for myself, understood what was important to me, because there is a kind of belief that has supported me along my path. Now, I’ve become a person of steel.”

“Skating is truly my passion, but I also see it as a responsibility.” Reaching toward the sun with both hands, she writes: “Where the is shadow, there must also be light…”

Behind the brutal questioning, a consistent persistence

In February 2015, at the Four Continents Championships in Seoul, the arena was filled with thunderous applause after a performance to “Moon River”.

Takeoffs, turns, gestures, glides… Zijun carefully completed the 12 required elements, not perfectly, but without major errors. In a bit over 2 years, struggling with puberty in an almost cruel way, her efforts finally paid off. After the competition, she experienced catharsis from her pressures, hiding her tearful face. First, she bowed deeply to the audience, and then hugged her coach at the rinkside, crying.

The tears stained her makeup.

She was not the only one who teared up. Watching her performance, CCTV5 commentator Ying Chen said: “As the only ladies’ singles skater that our country really can present, a bad skate will lead to so much questioning. Even with a selfie posted on Weibo, there will be many comments saying ‘why aren’t you training properly, so vain’. In fact, isn’t that the personality that a strong performer should have?”

Too many eyes and expectations have gathered on Zijun. And because of these expectations, she has experienced mountains of adoring fans and disapproving questioners alike. Zijun enjoys sharing bits of her life on social media, often sharing some inspirational words, but is always accused of not training properly or wanting to play too much. She hopes to show a side of herself that is kind and happy, while the attention placed on achieving high and the frustrations of being unable to break through are revealed to few.

Without results to return to the expectations of the public, this is the struggle hidden beneath Zijun’s beautiful face. 20 years old is not young for a ladies’ singles skater. In Russia, those over 20 have practically all retired from this discipline, and “ET”, Elizaveta Tuktamisheva, who is the same age as Zijun, is known as the “veteran” in Mishin’s team. Even so, there are coaches who tell her, “You are still young, move little by little, there is still hope in the future.” Whenever she hears these words, Zijun will think, wronged, “I am not young, it is only my doll-like Asian face that seems so.”

She knows, if she wants recognition, she needs to prove herself as soon as possible, even just once. It could be at the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, or the World Championships in Finland, or next year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

In the two months of training in Russia, Mishin has changed almost all the jumping passes in Zijun’s free program, significantly increasing the difficulty. Although her consistency is still not high, she did not reject the changes he made. Because she knows that the Pyeongchang Olympics are less than a year away, and if she doesn’t fight now, there may not be another chance.

During interviews, journalists asked her what her goals for the Asian Winter Games were. Zijun, who was smiling sweetly, suddenly put her smile away and replied, “Strive for the top three, and then fight a bit more for higher spots. Japan, Korea, and Kazakhstan all have strong skaters, but if I put my best self out there, I can reach the podium.”

For the expectations of others, and for the efforts put forth by herself, this time, Zijun will be ruthless.

Conclusion

On the eve of Lunar New Year in 2017, Zijun and her mother buy groceries at the supermarket. She suddenly stops at a counter of fried chicken, looking at the different flavours of chicken through the window. Turning her head, she asks the reporter, “Do you know what my biggest wish in life is?” The reporter shakes their head, not knowing. Zijun smiles playfully and says, “It’s to open a supermarket! Supermarkets have all kinds of delicious food and drinks, and I can open my stomach to eat whatever I want.”

Hearing these words, her mother also replies: “Yes. Since she was young, her dream has been to open a supermarket. When we went to the US together before, the sight of Costco would maker her happiness bloom like a flower. She said she wanted to open a store like Costco, because they had the biggest packages of food.”

Zijun smiles. “That reminds me, maybe it can be my New Year’s wish this year!”