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prettyboyjackhughes · 3 years

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-It’ll all be worth it in the end- |M. Marner| [Part 1]

Thanks to @workhorsefromwhitehorse24 for all her help on this! I’m super proud of this and can’t wait for you guys to read it! Thank you for all the love and support!!

Carter wasn’t dumb. He knew how much I loved to push his buttons. I mean, it was kinda my job as his little sister. He’d been ridiculously protective over me since we were little. That may have been due to the fact that I was only 16 months younger than him, or just that I was his little sister, but either way, he took his job as my one and only big brother very seriously. It had always been just the two of us, growing up. We got into more than our fair share of trouble, destroying things in the process most of the time. Our mom always called us the twin terrors, even though we weren’t actually twins. But we did everything together. Nine times out of ten, if you found one of us, you found both of us. And that was how it was supposed to be tonight, the first game of the playoffs. Carter and I had a tradition that before every game, no matter what, we did a little handshake that he had claimed as his good luck charm. So before every game, I was in the locker room with Carter.

"Well I'm definitely in the wrong place." I said, glancing around at all the Leafs equipment around the hall way. I knew my way around Wells Fargo Center, but since this was an away game and we were the away team, we were playing at Scotiabank Arena which was an arena I wasn’t familiar with. When Carter had told me to meet him outside the locker room before the game, I had figured I’d be able to find my way there. But now, standing outside of what I figured out to be the Leafs’ locker room, made me realize I had no idea how to find my brother. As I glanced around, I caught sight of a guy walking away from me. As I jogged to catch up with him, I collided with a tall, brown-haired boy.

“Ouch!” I shouted, falling to the ground.

“Oh god, sorry!” The boy said, getting his balance and looking down at me as he reached down to help me up. He glances between my face and the Flyers logo on my t-shirt, finally settling on my face.

“You okay?” He asks, his eyes coming to rest on my face. I nod, pushing my hair back out of my face.

“Uh…anything I can do to make up for the fact that I took you out?” He asks, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling nervously at me. I look him up and down, having to look up a little to see the top of his head.

“You could tell me your name.” I say, smiling at him. His face looked familiar, but then again, most of the guys Carter played against in the NHL looked familiar to me But he was cute. He had dark brown hair, a kinda goofy smile, and blue eyes that pulled me in.

“Oh yeah sure. I’m Mitch. And you are…?” He said, sticking his hand out for me to shake. I shake it, nodding as I do.

“I’m Sawyer. Let me guess, you play for the Leafs?” I say, crossing my arms and pointing at the Leafs logo and the number 16 spread across the sweatshirt he was wearing. He glanced down and looked back up at me with a smile.

“Guilty. Flyers fan?” He asked, leaning against the wall.

“Well sorta. My older brother is the starting goalie for tonight. So I’m a fan because of him.” I say, turning around to show him the 79 and Hart on my back. As I turned back around, more of his teammates started to make their way out into the hallway and my phone started to vibrate.

“Oh shoot, I probably need to go find my brother. Um, it was nice meeting you, Mitch.” I said, secretly wishing I didn’t have to go. I tugged my phone out of my pocket, seeing Grace’s name on the screen. I wave goodbye to Mitch who looks like he wants to say something as I press my phone to my ear and hurry back down the hallway.

“Hey, sorry I got lost. Tell Carter I’m on my way!” I said, glancing around to figure out where I need to be going.

“You’d better hurry up. Hartsy is starting to do his freak out older brother thing.” Grace says. I roll my eyes and end the call. Grace is Carter’s girlfriend, has been since they were 18. They’ll probably get married, if Carter has anything to do with it. Grace is also one of the trainers for the Flyers so they spend practically every waking minute together. The 3 of us share an apartment, which makes things interesting. We’ve managed to find a good balance for the 3 of us though. Most of the time, Carter and Grace spend pretty much the whole day at the rink while I have classes at UPenn. Then in the evenings, on the rare occasion we’re all home at the same time, we each take turns cooking dinner. Carter is the worst cook out of the 3 of us so usually it’s Grace or I cooking. When there’s an away game, Grace travels with the team sometimes but usually she’s home with me. It’s a lot of fun living with Grace and Carter. But it’s usually not just us at the apartment. Lately, Nolan Patrick, who has claimed boy best friend for me, and a few of Carter’s other team mates have been hanging out at the apartment.

I finally find all the signs for the Flyers locker room but run into a problem. Security. I glance down and realize I forgot the pass that Grace and I had both been given before the game. I groan and walk towards the man standing by the locker room door. He glances at me, then puts his hand out to stop me.

“Sorry young lady, you can’t go in there.” I start to plead my case then see a familiar head of shaggy hair walking towards me.

“It’s okay, she’s training staff.” Nolan says, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside the locker room with him.

“Alright, sorry about that, sir.” I muffle a laugh as the man calls Nolan sir. He rolls his eyes and drags me along with him to where Grace, Carter and a few other guys are standing. Nolan is my best friend. We got really close when I first moved here, at the beginning of last year. He’s claimed me as his “Baby Cat”, which is a weird nickname that Kevin Hayes gave him, but I’ll never admit to Nolan that I actually really love the nickname. Even though he seems all dark and kinda scary sometimes, I can tell I’m a little bit of a soft spot for him. Grace leans against the wall, watching Carter and looking very amused. A few of his team mates are watching from the doorway, also looking amused. He’s doing the whole pacing, running his hand through his hair a thousand times thing he does when he’s worried about me.

“Chillax Hartsy. I’m here and I made it mostly in one piece.” He turns around, glaring at me.

“You were supposed to be here 15 minutes ago! Where were you?” I roll my eyes and reach out my hand. He points his finger at me, glaring still but softens as I nudge his finger away with my hand.

“Do the damn handshake Hartsy!” One of his team mates yells as they start to gather in the hallway to get ready to head out onto the ice for warmups. The longer he’s been in the NHL and playing for the Flyers, the more his team mates have started to pick up on how important the handshake we do is to him. They had also started to say it’s a part of their pregame routine, claiming it’s the reason they win.

“We’ll talk about this later, you’re not home free, Sawyer Mae.” He says we do our little handshake. He claims that it helps him but I think he’s just a little superstitious. I nudge Nolan as he walks past me and heads for the door. He and the boys head out onto the ice and Grace drags me with her back to where my parents are sitting.

“You should’ve seen your brother.” She says, laughing as we walk back out to our box. Usually, Grace and I would just sit in normal seats, if she wasn’t working. But since Mom and Dad were coming to the game, Carter got box tickets for all of us.

“He always freaks out before games. And always assumes I’m gonna forget to come down and meet him. This one is even worse cause it’s the freakin playoffs baby!” I say, hopping around a little and making Grace laugh. In the 3 years that Carter and Grace have been together, Grace has become the big sister I’ve always wanted. When I was younger, I loved having Carter as my big brother but I always secretly wanted a big sister. And now, I had Grace. She and I get along so well and she’s the perfect big sister. She and I would gang up on Carter, teasing him about everything when we were at home. We would watch the Bachelor and cry over sappy romance movies together. My favorite thing to do with Grace was get a little drunk, sometimes just tipsy, and sing karaoke with her when we went out. She had been there when I first moved to Philly a little over a year, helping me get to know the city and working through all my homesickness with me. She was easily my best friend.

“Earth to Sawyer, come in Sawyer.” Grace says, nudging my shoulder. I blink, bringing myself back to reality. I look down to the ice where both teams are skating around the ice, going through warmups, when a certain number 16 catches my eye. He’s skating around, weaving in and out of his teammates. He seems to talk to everybody, laughing and joking throughout all of warmups. I can hear Grace talking to my parents and the rest of my family in the box with us. She calls my name but all I can focus on or think about is the brown haired boy who I ran into today.

“Who are you watching?” Mom asks, sliding up next to me as I stand at the railing.

“Oh no one. Just Nolan.” I say, panicking and taking my eyes off of Mitch. She smiles and nudges me.

“Have you ever considered going on a date with Nolan? He’s a nice boy.” I turn to look at my mother and it takes every ounce of will in my 21 year old body not to gag.

“No Mom. Nolan and I are just friends. He’s not my type.” Mom shakes her head and walks away, leaving me at the railing by myself. I can hear Grace’s laugh before she’s even beside me.

“Shut up Grace.” I say, rolling my eyes and coughing back a laugh.

“Oh but Sawyer, Nolan is such a nice boy.” She says, still dying. This time, I actually do gag, laughing along with Grace. I let myself drift back to my imaginary land, thinking of my next way to drive Carter insane. As I watch Mitch skate around the ice after an icing, I feel like a lightbulb goes off in my head. Carter has always taught me that hockey boys were bad news, no matter who they were or what they were. He said there were no good ones, no matter who they were. I always rolled my eyes, ignored him, and have definitely dated my share of hockey boys growing up. But the one thing I will never admit to him is that most of them were just as bad as he had warned me. But do I learn from my mistakes? Nope. As a plan starts to form in my head, Grace glances at me.

“Oh no I know that look. What are you planning?” She asks, leaning over and resting her arms on my armrest.

“Nothing...Just my next way to drive Carter crazy.” She laughs and rolls her eyes.

“You’d better be careful, Sawyer. You know how on edge he’s been lately.” I nod, my eyes still on Mitch.

“Trust me, it’ll all be worth it in the end.” I said, looking over at Grace. The second the words left my mouth, I knew what I was going to do.

#carter hart #mitch marner #hockey boys #hockey #Hockey Players #nhl #nhl hockey #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagine #NHL fan fiction #mitch marner imagine

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shinymooncolor · 4 years

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Sweater weather chat #12 part 2

Hi all!!!

As promised - here’s part two to chat #12!

First of all - massive thanks to @lumosinlove for giving us this world!

Also thanks to @frombeauxbatons for giving me ideas, support and just generally letting me vent and rant <3

the amazing @paulian03 cleverly came up with Sirius giving the boys the nickname O’Knutzy in the story and that features both in this chat and the next. :)

link to part 1 here :)

So,

Sirius is hiding in a closet. Remus is sarcastic. Kris is worried. So much love for single dad Kris <3. Dumo wants to call PETA. Blizzard doesn't judge. Olli has opinions. Olli is the best. Timmy is offended. Alice is a boss. Finn has ideas. They involve glitter and rainbows. Mental health awareness is important! Natalie is precious. We establish that consent is EVERYTHING!

Sweater weather chat #12 part 2

Tuesday 2.54 pm

Sirius <3: re!!!!!! Help. I’m in the green closet.

Remus ❤️: I’m not gonna make a joke. But. It’s right there. Which green closet? I lost you around the beds. Thought you were behind me. How’re you sneaking away so quietly?

Sirius <3: someone put it on Twitter. That I’m here. These ladies followed me. Hat to throw my hat down on the floor as a way to distract them. Never seeing that again 😭

Remus ❤️: sneaky....... you could just sign their bras and get on with your life.

Sirius <3: really? Sarcasm. I was being hunted by cougars re. It’s scary. Help me.

Remus ❤️: alright. Send me a pic.

Sirius <3: *pic*

Remus ❤️: I sent you to get a lamp. You ended up on the first floor somehow? In the kids section. And no we’re not buying that massive shark.

Sirius <3: it’s for Ava. 🥺

Remus ❤️: really?

Sirius <3: she told me Jackie is her favorite (I assume Jackie is Nado?) and I need to be the favorite. Logan already beat me with the Dumais’ kids. I need to win somewhere.

Remus ❤️: and bribing her is the way?

Sirius <3: of course it is. How else? Can’t dazzle her with my hockey or money or fame. Need some real firepower and a big shark is a winner.

Remus ❤️: I’m here now. Which closet are you in?

——

Tuesday 4.31 pm

Nadotheman: guess who’s trending on twitter for hooking up in Ikea.

Blizzard: my first guess is always you? But as you’re texting you’re either oddly proud or it’s not you. Kuny?

RussianGod: not me

Timmyforrealz: @blizzard you’re not even thinking about me? Could totally have been me. Nado not the only one who’s got crazy girl skills.

Ollibear: skills? Buddy you’ve had a three month drought.

Timmyforrealz: DONT listen to Olli. He’s a baby. He’s still a little virgin.

Ollibear: first of all. There’s nothing wrong with not being into sex. Asexuality is a valid thing. Also I’m not a Virgin. I just prefer a partner who either has no idea who I am or likes me for me.

Ollibear: also, the three of you are easy @russiangod @nadotheman @timmyforrealz. You literally sell out for a pat on the ass and a wink. I could get with either of you with very little effort.

Nadotheman: oi! I’m not easy. I have an acquired taste.

Talkiewalkie: acquired taste = anything human with a pulse and the ability to consent. Literally. I’ve watched you pick up.

RussianGod: as long as consent. What’s big deal? They say yes it’s ok.

Prongstar: I JUST SAW THE PIC WTF?????

Prongstar: also, Olli? That’s the spirit.

LeWilliam: cap?!!????

Logantremblayzzz: whattttt

Talkiewalkie: HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA WELL YOU CERTAINLY CAME OUT THE CLOSET..... LITERALLY

CarbO’Hara: damn!!! I was gonna say that

Newt-leo: I said it first. You just type like a madman.

Krisvolley: is that the shark you dropped off for Ava?

DumoDad: better call peta. Poor shark.

Siriusly: it’s not whAt it looks like. Someone tweeted I was in there and the cougars descended upon me. I had to hide. Someone actually ripped my shirt and Remus was gone to look at pillows. I had to hide. It was scary.

Blizzard: so you didn’t do a quickie in Ikea with a plushie shark watching?

Siriusly: no. We didn’t, also, sirius had to put his shirt back on in a Hurry. Someone did rip it (re here)

Blizzard: I’m not judging. Whatever makes your skates fly cap. Never had Re as an exhibitionist tho .

Siriusly: he’s not. We didn’t do anything. Some lady ripped my shirt and I hid in the closet while the nice Ikea girl distracted them with some sort of family offer I think or free ice cream whatever. But they’d actually ripped my shirt. Re helped me put it back on... you guys are idiots.

Logantremblayzzz: heheheh whatever you say.

Krisvolley: so you didn’t do nasty things to or near the shark my daughter is now refusing to give up? She’s named it fluffy. I’m worried. She said it’s just smiling? Should I be worried?

Siriusly: ew no of course not. Promise.

Nadotheman: sure. Also I see what you’re doing cap. I’m favorite. Back off.😫

Siriusly: no idea what you mean. JACKIE

Blizzard: Jackie? That’s cute. How’re you today Jackie? 😘

Nadotheman: shut up kasey. Or I’m gonna spank youuuu

Krisvolley: you guys do realize she’s literally calling whoever gives in to her whims and tantrums her favorite right? Also I’m her dad. I’ll always be her number 1! ❤️

Nadotheman: awww we know. Best single dad!!!

Siriusly: we’re not trying to steal her kris! You’re doing amazing!

Ollibear: yeah man she’s so lucky she’s got you!!!

Blizzard: we love you kris 💖💖💖

—-

Wednesday 1.33

Alice: alright. Ikea confirmed that there was a situation involving fans and we were able to mostly control the narrative. You have to prepare for some chirps and a few memes.

Sirius: what’s a meme?

Alice: I swear to god sometimes you’re a grandpa stuck in a young man’s body. Ask the rookies.

Sirius: you’re really mean.

Alice: I’m also really good at my job. So suck it up captain. You’re a hockey god. I’m a PR god. We work together and magic happens.

Sirius: I’d think that was flirting but I’ve seen you make heart eyes at frank. So. We’re good right? I swear I won’t roll my eyes for the next, like, three interviews

Alice: you better not love. And yes, frank is rather into me, isn’t he? Time I put him out of his misery, I think.

Sirius: good luck! (To frank)

Alice: I’ll tell him 😜

—-

Finn: hey Alice!!

Alice: O’Hara, how can I help?

Finn: I just had an idea ok?

Alice: I hope it’s better than take your dog to work day.

Finn: that was a great idea. Not my fault that skates and jersey are easily confused for chew toys.

Finn: but I thought we could do a charity skate or something? (Need your brain here) so all Star was a massive success so maybe we could do like a charity thing soon and get money for like lgbt+ mental health awareness right? Like. Cap is of course new to this but I can speak up, my brother is happy to support too and I bet the team would too! We could invite young people on the ice and do like a you can play thing? I know it’s not pride but like. We could wear rainbows and glitttee and???? I really wanna support cap!!

Alice: I like your enthusiasm and the idea. Give me a few days with my team and we can work on something? I also believe congratulations are in order? For your and your boys?

Alice: also. you typed about 100 “like” in there. I’m worried about the state of the American school system. You're a Harvard graduate....

Finn: I love you! I’m terrified of you but I also love you and thanks. I want to get us jerseys saying O’Knutzy? That’s cute right.

Alice: it’s easy to make happen but Finn, maybe sit down with your boys and heather first ok? Maybe cap too. Coming out is a lot and I want to make sure you’re okay with the consequences. There’s a lot of bigoted people out there and it breaks my heart I can’t protect you better than I do!

Finn; hey we know you’ve got our back!

Alice: I’ll see what I can do. Is the team ok with this?

Finn: yeah most of them I’ve asked and the rest will follow I’m sure. 😀

Alice: you’re a good kid! I’ll do my best!

Finn: 😘😘😘

Alice: I’d say that’s inappropriate but I know you mean well!

——

Finn: NAT!!! She said she’ll look into it!

Nat: I love you finn and we’re gonna make this event explode in a shower of glitter, love and rainbows.

Finn: 💖🏳️‍🌈💖🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

Nat: 😘 also sent you some stuff on email about poly.

Finn: wait? You and kasey???

Nat: No but I’m a musician baby, me being in a het relationship is the weird thing in our community 😜

Finn: maybe I hang with the wrong crowds.

Nat: hopeless hockey boys ❤️

Finn: you’re dating one.

Nat: I know. And I ship your poly arrangement harder than fangirls on tumblr. If anyone says anything tell me and I’ll relieve them of their knee caps

Finn: I get why you and kasey works. His threats are also oddly specific. He made the Boston rat cry when he detailed his imminent death via goalie pads. It was eerie.

Nat: that’s my man 😍

Finn: weirdos. I’ll let you know when Alice is back ❤️

Nat: 😜🏳️‍🌈💖🙏🏻🌍😇

#lumosinlove #lumosinlove ocs #sweaterweather #sweaterweatherchats #sweaterweatherchatsnr12 #wolfstar #mental health awareness

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testedtransgressor · 5 years

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Hero of War

Category: Fanfiction - Hetalia Characters: Australia (Jett Kirkland), England (Arthur Kirkland), New Zealand (Toby Kirkland), Scotland (Allistor Kirkland) Rating: T Warnings: War, violence, offensive language Originally written: 3 September 2018

Hetalia is a manga/anime in which the various countries of the world have human representations that embody many stereotypes. While some have been given official “human” names (such as England), others have had their names left up to interpretation. For lack of character development, many fans take it upon themselves to add elements to some of the more minor characters.

It wasn't that he regretted it. No; one rule Jett Kirkland tried to live by was to never regret what had already happened. He couldn't change it, after all, and no amount of wishing or pretending would ever do it for him. All he could do was remember, and honour those memories. Once again, he ran a finger over the raised red line that spread across the bridge of his nose. Thick-skulled, Arthur had once called him - well, in this case, it had saved his vision, if not his life. He'd known Artie was in trouble as soon as he'd heard about the war. Despite their differences, Jett had volunteered immediately to help. That was, after all, the Aussie way - when your mate needs a hand, you give it to them. Sure, they didn't get along quite as well as brothers should, and Jett couldn't understand a lot of the things Artie said or did, but he blamed that on the whole "being dumped on an island" thing. He'd been left to grow up wild and free, while Artie had already been an established imperial leader with all his rules and etiquette to follow. But, despite their differences, when a mate needs help, you give it. It had been his first war, and Jett had jumped at the opportunity to get involved. He'd lied about his age along with three others - though, unlike him, they'd all been sixteen or seventeen. He looked their age, but he was already over a century old, and had even helped two of them make themselves look a little older so that they could be accepted. After all, if they wanted to help then they should be allowed to. Eight months of training and travelling. Making friends with humans wasn't really encouraged, since humans tended to notice when their friend hadn't aged after twenty years, but Jett had figured it wouldn't be an issue. Australians were a breed apart - and it was clear even when they met up with the British and French soldiers. Jett was proud of his countrymen and -women as he watched them get up to tricks with the British commanders, who were often red in the face from yelling at the larrikins to behave more soldierly. Looking back now, Jett didn't know why they'd been so surprised - it was Australia's first war, and the only fighting they'd done before that was against the blackfellas and the whole Rum Rebellion fiasco, which really, was just in-fighting with no real major cause. But there had been a tension in the air, probably from the older veterans, and the ANZACs had just sort of, well, ignored it. Of course New Zealanders had been there. That was a given - no matter how much they messed around with each other, Jett knew that, in the grand scheme of things, he and Toby would always stand together - and he knew that Toby knew this, too. That brotherly pact had been sealed on the shores of Anzac Cove when they'd landed, under a hail of bullets and shrapnel and explosives. He looked down at the sink. White porcelain, exactly what you'd expect in the house of a rich Pom. Not that he didn't appreciate the luxuries that wealth afforded - every day, he was being exposed to new and incredible things as he recovered, and even if he had well and truly worn out his welcome, Artie was too polite to actually say anything. Not when he only needed to take one look at the ugly scar on Jett's nose in order to be reminded. Again, not that Jett minded. They were brothers, after all, and what were brothers for, if not to stand side by side with a middle finger raised to the enemy? The Brits had sent the ANZACs up the strait, to a little cove at the foot of a steep, rugged hill. They hadn't expected anything easy, but they sure as hell hadn't been expecting the nightmare that greeted them before they even landed. The man beside Jett hadn't even made it to dry land. Before they'd reached the encampment, one in twenty was shot dead, and more wounded by the flying explosives and shrapnel. Jett had paused for a moment to glance back, make sure Toby's boat at least hit shore, and that split second pause probably saved his life - right where he would have been, the land suddenly exploded, sand kicked up into the sky as Jett stumbled back. He didn't waste another second. He had raced for the relative safety of the camp, and had prayed for the lives of everyone around him. That in itself had made him smile ruefully - he wasn't really a praying man, didn't exactly believe in any sort of god, but here he was promising to some celestial man in the sky that he'd go to some fancy building if only he and his allies survived. Well, God probably wasn't listening that day... He was fast, one of the fastest in his platoon. He got the job of running messages from the trenches at the front to the commanders, and back. Toby, however, was a surprisingly good shot, and so he was a rifleman. Every single time Jett heard the thunderous sound of the rifles, his heart skipped a beat for Toby. To shoot, you had to put your head above the trenches - and putting your head above the trenches was an easy way for it to get blown off. They could survive a lot, but Jett doubted that losing a head wouldn't be fatal. There wasn't much they could do about it, though - so instead, they laughed. A dark sense of humour had swept through the camp, what with the threat of death constantly looming - because the bloody Turks never once let up. Even at night, they'd shoot or try to attack, and Jett lost more than one night of sleep as he would hear a rifle shot somewhere out in the darkness. It got to a point where he slept back-to-back with Toby and one of the kids he'd helped enlist, a sixteen-year-old named Jeremy, and they'd take it in turns to keep watch while the other two slept. Jeremy put his head above the trenches in September. Toby had reported it to Jett when they next saw each other, with a grim face and streaks in the dirt covering his face. He had felt responsible, but Jett was the one that had helped him enlist. He had sent flowers to the family as soon as he'd woken up, but it would never undo the damage he'd done to them and their community. They had pushed forward in October, trying to claim a single patch of land, just any sort of victory. It was a damn near impossible hope, but damn it they had to try; and so they did. Jett had been moved to rifleman, and had literally felt his heart stop when he saw Toby drop to the ground amongst the advance team. He had ignored orders, vaulting over the trench wall and racing ahead. Bodies littered the ground in No Man's Land, and even if there was no hope, Jett wasn't going to sit by and let his little brother become one of them. The bullet had clipped the side of his head, but a second had gone into his left leg, above the knee. Jett sat by his bed in the medical tent until Toby had eventually convinced him that he would be fine - the wounds weren't turning septic, and were clearly healing, so why the hell was Jett waiting for paint to dry beside him? Artie had been there himself, had come with the British messengers who spread the order - it wasn't a retreat, it was an evacuation. Jett would have felt incredible disappointment if it weren't for the fact he had watched another kid he'd helped through enlistment die earlier that day. His platoon had been designated among the first to leave, but Jett insisted on swapping with Toby. Get his brother off that beach and out of that hell as soon as he could. Every time the platoon he switched to were told they'd be leaving, he insisted on finding someone else to switch with. He was a fast learner, and he had learned how to survive the cove and the Turks and the trenches - and he had seen too many underage kids among those doomed to wait. It was basically illegal, but he couldn't sleep knowing that there were people who shouldn't be there, stuck in place while he was being sent off. He was there right up until the last day. Jett picked up the roll of adhesive bandage, and the scissors, but hesitated. People would ask, and call it vanity or a desire to move on from the past, but Jett knew he was loathe to show off the scar. he looked at the colour of the bandage, and an idea struck him. Carefully, he began to cut the corners, rounding the end of the bandage. The Turks had caught them off-guard. A last-minute attempt to claim whatever they could. They had been loading the last of the gear into the last boat when the bastards had appeared out of nowhere, and Jett had found himself locked into a wrestle with a man twice his size, a long knife in one hand that he brought down towards Jett's face. All he could remember was the flash of the blade, a searing pain in his nose, and blood in his eyes. Artie never admitted it, and Frankie had even tried to deny it, but they were both terrible liars. Despite all the death, all the casualties, and all the suffering they had been through, it hadn't changed anything. The war was still going, and the entire Gallipoli campaign had been deemed a failure. At least we can say we tried... Satisfied with his handiwork, Jett cut off the strip of bandage and fixed it over his nose, hiding the ugly scar from view. He and Toby had been reunited, and they'd held onto each other, brotherhood renewed after the inexplicable horror that had been their first war. They had both skated by on pure luck, with injuries that could have very easily been fatal with a difference of a few millimetres. But they'd survived. It was more than could be said for over eight thousand of their fellow ANZACs. Jett knew that he'd be going back to towns that had lost entire generations of men, but try as he might, he couldn't feel bitter at Artie for it. He emerged from the bathroom, trying to slip down the hallway and into the kitchen for something to eat, but a shout called him into the sitting room. "Jett! Glad to see you're up and about!" He recognised the thick accent, and under any other situation he would have gladly faced the Scotsman - but this wasn't any other situation. Artie had reassured him that they'd all had their fair share of war injuries, but once again, that pride came into it again. "G'day! Fancy seein' you here," he forced a grin as he stepped into the room and was instantly swept into a crushing hug from the eldest of his Kirkland brothers. Allistor wasn't usually one to show affection, so it was a surprise to say the least. "Arthur was tellin' me about yer narrow brush," he explained, releasing Jett but keeping his hands on the younger's shoulders. "Looks like 'e's been takin' care o' ye. How's the cookin'?" "Hey!" "Haven't gotten sick yet," Jett chuckled, ignoring the indignant cry from the lounge. Allistor slapped him on the back, giving him a smile before his brows furrowed. "What's with the plaster? It's cut all wonky. You been lettin' 'im dress yer wounds as well now?" "Nah, I did it myself," Jett forced a grin. He knew people would be asking. "It's Ayers Rock. Right in the middle of Australia, so it's right in the middle of me face." He could see Artie's concerned frown, but refused to meet his brother's gaze. Call it a lie, but Jett had already made up his mind - he was going to stick with it until the scar faded, if it ever did. After all, not all scars fade.

#fanfiction #hetalia #aph australia #gallipoli #anzacspirit #Lest We forget #war stories #writing

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peacocksonice · 6 years

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Ask Stephane

Many years ago, on his old website, Stephane would respond to questions sent in by fans. These were later compiled & shared by a poster in the Lambiel-Ru Livejournal community. The time span is from about 2003-2007. I cherrypicked a few of my favorite responses, but there are many more at the source. Happy reading ;-) (Sorry, they’re not in chronological order.)

Taskira (Izhevsk, Russia): 1. How are you able to create such a different impression on ice from what you are off ice? I mean that when I see you on ice, you almost always have serious, tragic, dramatic programs, but in your life you seem to be so merry and funny. Well, actually I can only judge according to your answers on your site, for instance about the Swiss chocolate helping to spin. Can you guarantee that if I eat ten chocolate bars, I will be able to rock some championships in the coming years? 2. You've named Miss Spears as one of your favorite singers. Would you like to skate to her music? 3. Now that you've become really popular, what is the best thing you got from it: money, popularity, the opportunity to meet other celebrities, self-esteem or maybe just the opportunity to say that you're happy that your family can be proud of you? 4. Do you believe in destiny? SL: 1. I don't want to make a fool of myself on the ice, I'd rather let other people do that. And yes, if you eat ten bars of Swiss chocolate each day for a whole year, you'll become a world champion! [Warning: Stéphane's insurance doesn't cover the medical costs of his fans.] 2. Yes, I'd like to skate on a remix without lyrics of Britney's music. 3. The best thing is just that I can do what I love, not everybody has that chance. I don't feel so famous, people don't recognize me in the streets. 4. Yes

Guyleen (Nendaz, Switzerland): You say that Alexei Yagudin is one of your favorite skaters. Now that he's turned pro, aren't you disappointed by the fact that you won't compete against him anymore? Wouldn't you have been incredibly proud to steal "his" first place and only let him the silver medal? SL: Honestly, I never even wondered about that. I respect him very much, so I'd have been very proud to beat him, but I wouldn't have been like "yeah, cool, I beat Yagudin!" And I don't know if I'd ever been able to anyway, because we'd have grown and improved differently, it sure wouldn't have been easy!

Tatyana (Russia): 1. I read that you trained with Alexei Mishin in St-Petersburg. Has his advice helped you? Will you continue training with him? Did you like St-Petersburg? 2. You performed in difference countries. In which country do you like performing most (except Switzerland)? 3. Could you be a coach when you finish skating? SL: 1. His pieces of advice are very useful and constituent. I don't know if I'll train with him again though. St-Petersburg is absolutely amazing, a beautiful city, the most beautiful maybe, spacibo bolshoye ! 2. I love Mexico because it's very warm there ! 3. No. I have other projects, and I'd like to study at the university.

Anastasia (Russia): I saw you at the Cup of Russia and noticed that while looking at ice dancing, the only skaters you didn't clap for were the Russians, and during the exhibition, the situation was the same - you applauded Evgeni Plushenko, but not the others Russian participants. Does it mean that you don't like Russians in general and skaters in particular? SL: Are you kidding? Russian skaters are the ones I admire most, they inspire me so much! Ilia Kulik and Alexei Yagudin are among my all-time favorite skaters! So I'm sorry if I gave you that feeling, but it really isn't the case!

Terry (San Francisco, USA): I was wondering why Swiss skaters are so talented at spinning. There have been so many Swiss skaters that have excelled in spinnng over the years. Do you feel good spinning should receive more credit in the judges' marks? SL: Swiss can spin so well thanks to the good Swiss chocolate! That makes them fat, which then creates a better centrifugal force and therefore makes them spin faster!!! LOL No, seriously, Swiss skaters give more importance to the spins, already when they're really young... I think that the spins are given more credit with the new judging system, that's not too bad, but still, I wouldn't mind getting even more credit - spinning takes me more energy than jumping in my programs.

Guyleen (Nendaz, Switzerland): What's your opinion about the collaboration between Brian Joubert and Alexei Yagudin? SL: I've never seen them work together and I've never seen Alexei Yagudin supporting Brian at a competition I also skated at, so I don't really have an opinion about that.

Muriel (Zurich, Switzerland): 1. What do you think of animals? 2. Do you like going to the circus? 3. Do you speak German German or also Swiss-German [a dialect], and if so, with which accent? SL: 1. I don't like insects, spiders and such little things, except for ladybugs of course. My favorite animals are the big cats, I find them beautiful and powerful, and I also like the animals that live in the savanna. I'd love to have a cat again, because Sabri's now living at one of my mom's friends and I don't see him any longer. 2. Yes, I do, especially to the Cirque du Soleil. 3. I speak German German, and I understand Swiss German if I know the person who speaks it, if I'm used to their voice.

Elina (Latvia): 1. I am 16 years old, but unfortunately I don't know how to skate. It would be great to learn, but it would be even better if you could teach me. Could you do that? 2. Why do you usually skate in black velvet costume? SL: 1. No, sorry, I have neither the time nor the patience for that! 2. I like black, I like sobriety.

Rita Hypnarowski (California, USA):

1) Once school is over for you, how long would you delay school to keep skating full-time? Your fans want to see the incredible heights you will reach focusing solely on skating. 2) You've won over thousands and thousands of fans in North America, and with your high placement at 2004 Worlds, you will undoubtedly be asked to join one of the prestigious North American skating tours. Would you accept, or will you prefer to do only shows in Europe? 3) Do you rely on religion and spirituality to get you through your programs, or do you approach your skating *tests* with a lighter, more physical/mental approach? SL: 1. I'll focus on skating until the Olympics in Torino. Beside that, I just want to perfect my English and learn how to play the guitar. 2. I'll accept when I'll have time. 3. I don't do any kind of psychological training.

Vanessa (Portugal) Do you think that you would feel differently if Evgeni Plushenko hadn't withdrawn and you had won against him? SL: In my head, I beat him. Even if he wasn't 100%, I did beat him in the qualifying round and in the short program, and when he withdrew, I took it as a sign that he felt that he wouldn't be able to beat me during the free program.

Petra (Czech Republic) 1. You are twenty and it seems that you've already reached your biggest dreams. I hope you realise your huge luck. There are so many people who, no matter how hard they try, will never see their dreams come true. What do you think is the reason why you've crossed this personal line of success? 2. Do you still have a dream (not necessarily related to figure skating) that hasn't come true? Something that is more important for you than these moments of absolute happiness that you've lived lately? SL: 1. I've worked very hard to get there, it didn't fall down from heaven! 2. Of course, I have dreams like everybody, it's what keeps me going on. The most important, it's that my family stays healthy. And I would love to meet Britney.

Elena (Russia) I heard that you've taken some lessons from our famous Professor Alexei Mishin. Why have you decided to consult Alexei Mishin and not another coach? And what do you think of the Russian figure skating school? SL: Alexei Mishin is an excellent coach and I admire the Russian skating style. It's a very very very good school.

Gabrielle (USA) 1. Who was you favorite skater growing up? 2. Who is your favorite skater now? 3. If you could go on a date with anyone in the world who would it be and why? SL: 1. Ilia Kulik 2. Carolina Kostner 3. Britney Spears, to see if she's really the person she pretends to be.

Noémie I'm wondering if you're planning on coaching later, and I'd also like to know if it's possible to watch your practices. SL: I give advice to the skaters who train with me, but I don't think I would be patient enough to become a coach. And no, my practices are not open to the public.

Kari (Japan) Do you enjoy skating in Japan? Please tell me what you feel, eat and buy when you’re here! SL: Yes, the audience is really amazing. I love to shop in Shibuya, once I had a very expensive ice cream in the Omotesando Mall and it was the best I’ve ever tried. The Prada and Christian Dior stores are fantastic!

Erika (Sweden) I read on "Ask Stéphane" that you want to be Gabrielle's second lover in "Desperate Housewives", and that you could be her cook for example. Are you a great cook? And if yes, do your friends think so to, or is it only you? SL: I’ve learned from my grandma and I really like to bake cakes. I think the people who’ve tasted them had a nice experience…

Craig (Honolulu, Hawaii, USA) What is your interest in "The Little Prince"? Do you identify with this character and in what way? SL: I like the way he sees the world, which is totally different from how mass society sees it.

Varvara (Kiev, Ukraine) Do you have a motto? SL: Semper Profice - Always forge ahead!

#Stephane Lambiel

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from-red-string · 6 years

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Kissing Booth - Simbar Oneshot

That’s briefly inspired by the Kissing Booth Netflix movie. If you have the chance, watch it. The story is completely different from this fic.

Well, I hope you enjoy reading it! No need to watch the movie to read the fic.

Special thanks to @fangirlelliethings . Amore, you’re angel for hearing me fangirl about this story, helping and proofreading this.

A week after Red Sharks festival, the Jam & Roller team made a deal to help Blake South school; they would make a performance for the younger students and work in the promotion of the school event. In exchange, they could make some games and booths, most part of the money they raised would be theirs, just a small part would stay in the school. During the plans for the party, the school principal told them that the school already had foods sale – something about a students’ cake contest - they also had planned a ferris wheel, a bumpers cars, a dance party and many more smaller activities in the booths.

Which left the Roller team to think what they could do with the four free spaces they earned on the party. The first idea came easily, Jim just needed a look on the map and the activities/foods list to notice.

“There’s no cotton candy!” She yelled. “Who plans a party for kids without cotton candy? We should tell them…”

“No, we are making the cotton candy.” Yam interrupted. Simply like that, their first space was solved. The following spaces were as quickly to solve: Pedro and Nico would be responsible for the dunk tank and Delfi and Nina would stay at the photo booth.

The last booth was the largest space they got and it took Matteo, Luna and Simón a few days and several poor ideas like getting a firefighter truck or craft table, nothing people would pay for. The doubt last until the day Simón watch the Red Shark’s practice. Ámbar and Benício were skating together while Jose instructed. Emilia seeing that Simón was unable to keep his jealousy from showing on his face decided it would be fun to talk with him.

“They’re great.” Emilia commented stopping by his side. “Not as good as Ramiro and I but they’re enough for the team.” Simón sighed annoyed. “I think they would be so great together, don’t you think? I mean together together. Look how in love…” He couldn’t stand hearing this blabbering; he would do anything to stop her. Listening about the girl he likes with the guy he hates had the same effect of hitting his head with a chair, he felt dizzy and hurt.

“I thought you were the best team,” Simón whispered hoping to distract Emilia and probably himself, that’s something he is getting extremely used to. Only a thing he learned since their break, changing the topic was his first trick to avoid talking about Ámbar. “How are…”

“We really are the best,” Emília chatted proud. “Even you admit that. We have the best rink, management and skaters. Our coach could be better but not even…” Listening to her babbling, Simón chuckled, he couldn’t tell if she was so full of herself or just liked to talk too much. He kept imagining how would be a conversation between Jazmín and Emília it would go for hours.

Simón didn’t notice he is smiling to Emília but Ámbar saw it from across the rink. When she felt Benício holding her hips, she remembered she had to keep skating. He wasn’t smiling to her, not anymore. This simple phrase made her uneasy. She aborted Benício’s lift and they immediately separated, stopping the choreography.

“What’s your problem now?” Benício asked mad. Lucky were the days they connected while skating, Benício felt that was one of this days. He knew Simón was assisting at the rink but Benício didn’t have the regular feeling of sharing her attention today, it felt almost like she was looking only at him today. Well, until this very moment.

“Nothing.” Ámbar answered and he didn’t hear the rage often direct to him in her voice. For a second her eyes betrayed her, she looked over Benício’s shoulder, right to where Simón was standing, laughing about Emília’s chatting. He didn’t need to look to know what she was watching. Once she realized what she did, her look fell on Benício’s pettish feature.

“When you’re ready to be a real skater, call me.” Benício left bitter. Ámbar gasped and rolled her eyes. Like she cared about what he thinks about her skating. She looked to Jose, he was about to say something but her focus flew back to Simón when she heard his laughter. So she dismissed whatever he was saying and skated near where Emília and Simón were.

“What are you laughing at? No one needs more than black to look great. You should learn that.” Emília told him trying to keep her face straight but failing by almost laughing. ��Of course, I’m not giving you any advice, you’re a loser.” Simón couldn’t take seriously anything of what she was telling him. She was talking non-stop for the last 3 minutes. In the beginning, it was annoying but by the minutes passed it became hilarious.

In Emília’s head, she was talking because he had nothing that she truly wanted to hear and Ramiro left her there alone. In her heart, Emília knew that maybe she was trying to get over the fact that she felt nervous watching Benício and Ámbar skating, she still has to figure out why and she wasn’t willing to discover the result either. Talking to Simón distracted her to the point where she had her back turn to the rink, having an excuse not to watch them.

“Simón.” Ámbar grinned resting herself on the fence, watching him turn to her and shutting his smile. She expected that, all their interactions this week started with him unpleased by her presence, he still believed Ámbar and Benício are dating and she was disappointed that he simply gave up.

“Ámbar.” He replied serious while Emília felt weird out by the sudden tension between them.

“Where’s Benício? Did he already left?” Emília asked looking for Benício. “That jerk told me to wait for him and left without me?” She rolled her eyes and wondered if she should go find him but Ámbar stopped her by holding her arm.

“Ah Emília, have you heard about their festival?” Ámbar began making Emília immediately understand what she wanted.

“No!” Emília faked surprise. “The losers got envy and are trying to make a festival on their own too?”

“Not on their own. They could never.” Ámbar corrected. “They’ll help Blake South carnival.”

“Aw.” Emília eyed Simón. “Helping the school? That’s so sweet.” She frowned her forehead, Ámbar hold back a laughter. “Charity is always good. What are you doing there?” Then she smirked. “I already know! You’ll play house. Even better play chess with elders.” Simón sighed, annoyed all his calm was gone.

“Tossing paper airplanes to a target.” Ámbar added.

“A mini golf.”

“Teach kids how to skate?” Ámbar chuckled.

“Poor kids. At least, they won’t become better than their teachers.” Emília added. Simón couldn’t find the words to reply, most of those ideas showed up during planning and a few of the things they said sounded like a good idea.

“Each one is boring but you know that.” Ámbar nodded. “You need to be bolder to be the best.”

“Like making a kissing booth…” Emília continued but a hand slapped her shoulder. Ámbar shook her head.

“Look, that’s…” Simón started.

“A great idea.” Matteo’s voice came from behind the girls. Simón observed Matteo thinking the boy was finally delusional. Ámbar narrowed her eyes.

“And you think someone would pay to kiss you?” She dared glaring at Emilia to keep her quiet, she was sure her friend would pay for kissing Matteo without a second thought.

“Me or Simón.” Matteo approached Simón throwing an arm around his shoulder and grinning while watching the seconds Ámbar façade fell with the image of Simón working on the kissing booth, she was biting her cheeks on the inside of her mouth and then made a fake smile.

“Good luck with that.” She wished them, dragging Emília to the door. Simón gazed Matteo.

“Are you crazy?” Simón said touching Matteo’s forehead. “Are you sick?” Matteo laughed.

“We can get money with this.” Matteo praised trying to snap Simón’s hand away from his face. “Your pretty face will finally help us with something, guitarist.” Simón turned his back, skating to other side of the rink.

“What will Luna think about this?”

After spending another hour skating, Luna arrived. Before she was able to start skating, the boys told her about the kissing booth. Luna heard them without interrupting which made them worried. Luna staying quiet? Not a good sign. As it really was, Luna didn’t receive the idea well.

She couldn’t deny it would work well but she was worried about who would work on the booth. Well, more specifically she was worried about one person, Matteo. The thought of him at the booth made her want to buy every ticket on sale so no one could kiss him but she was aware this wouldn’t help the team at all. And she couldn’t pay for all the tickets anyway.

“Luna.” Simón gently called making Luna wake up from her thoughts. “So what do you think?” She considered telling them it wouldn’t work but instead she only spoke:

“Who will work there?”

The next days they built the booth, painted the sign, made some posters, stated the price for the tickets and a made few rules for everything to work. They didn’t define a list of who would stay on the booth, they volunteered. Luna and Matteo said they were okay with working on the booth, Jim said she was free and up to have fun, Jazmín offered to go and demand she could refuse the weirdos and Matteo appointed Simón. He wasn’t happy but had no fair reason to escape it.

By the carnival party, everything was going fine. Luna was the first one; she confessed to Simón that the earlier she goes the better, she would have less people to kiss. Simón wasn’t very fond of hearing that since he got the last hour. She was right, the hour she stayed only a few people showed up. It was too early, most people on the party were kids and their parents. Although, that first hour was already enough to lead them to a golden rule: only allow people older than 16 to get a ticket. A 13 years old boy trying to buy a ticket to kiss Luna from Simón and Matteo, made them feel truly stupid for not thinking about that before.

After Luna, it was Jasmín turn, Yam came with a blindfold to make the experience better for the person working – and possibly preventing someone’s trauma from Jazmín screaming she refuse to kiss them. Jazmín worked her hour and after left while repeating she was great. The next was Matteo and all the people who ever had a crush on him during high school showed up and were loud. Simón had to hear a lot from some kids who were too young to join. Luna excused herself by going to the dunk tank for the whole hour. Then Jim came and Luna went to the cotton candy sale. The Red Sharks arrived by this hour, Ramiro was the only one to walk to the kissing booth and observed Jim enjoying her time there. Ámbar, Emília and Benício roamed around the carnival, none of them eager to find the booth.

Benício was jealous of Ámbar, for him finding the booth is finding Simón. Emília knew Ámbar blamed her for its existence, she felt guilty for that, not that she would ever admit it. And Ámbar didn’t want to see what she called that ‘freak show’, or else see Simón kissing someone else.

In awhile they were bored and sent Ramiro a message to meet them, what he answered with ‘okay’ and didn’t move from his spot in front the kissing booth.

“We can play a game and get a teddy bear.” Emília mocked making Ámbar laugh but Benício took it as a challenge and disappeared. Both girls ignored his oddity and kept moving around the party until Emília convince Ámbar they should take a look on the losers but their timing couldn’t be worse. Jim finished and Simón’s turn just began. He couldn’t see Ámbar’s eyes on him. And even if he could see them, he still wouldn’t be able to read the clear jealousy on her face. Ramiro came closer to Ámbar and Emília used this as an excuse to quickly walk away.

“It’s been less than 15 minutes since he’s up there and he already have a long line waiting.” Ramiro commented. “I can’t believe I took a bet on Matteo.” Ámbar’s eyes widened.

“Bet?”

“Yeah, I bet Matteo would make more money than Simón.” Ramiro shook his head. “I’m afraid I’ll lose this one.” Ámbar was also afraid of this. The sweet boy up there is Simón who she is in love with. She knew he was handsome, honest, selfless, enchanting and now people paid to have a taste of him.

“Ámbar, stop the murderous stare.” Emília warned walking towards Ámbar.

“I’m not murderously looking at anyone.” Ámbar said looking for Benício.

“Oh no? So you’re just casually watching Simón at the kissing booth?” Emília dared tilting her head. “Not imaging how to kill someone?” Ámbar rolled her eyes. She wasn’t imagining how to kill the girl, she was wishing it was herself. Kissing Simón again, having his lips on hers, the feeling of his hand around her body.

“No, I just don’t like this girl.” Ámbar shrugged but she knew Emília wouldn't believe her. Ramiro chuckled and saw Jim waving for him to go talk with her, so he left the girls there.

“And what’s her name?” Emília grinned knowing Ámbar didn’t had an answer for that just by watching Ámbar sigh annoyed.

“Do I need to know her name to hate her? I don’t like this girl, I don’t need her name to know that.” Ámbar ranted turning to walk to where she saw Benício but Emília stepped in her way.

“Fix your face. You might not like Benício that way but he likes you and it’s no good to upset him.” Emília said putting a strand behind Ámbar’s ear. Emília felt nervous, Benício was becoming an important part of her life, she was worried for him, if only he liked anyone else. She could see clearly Ámbar is still in love with Simón. Ámbar changed a lot and it was no doubt for Emília but her feelings were obvious and she couldn’t close her eyes to her friend’s desire. “Here, maybe that will help you.” Said Emília before leaving and shoved a small paper to Ámbar, who frowned to Emília caring. She looked into her hand.

A ticket to the kissing booth.

For the rest of the hour, Ámbar could feel the ticket burning in her pocket. She couldn’t stop thinking about it, she was so aware of the opportunity this piece carried that when Benício gave her the teddy bear, she told him:

“Thanks, Simón.” Benício got mad, he looked like he was on the edge of screaming at her. Emília held his arm and pulled him to the other side. Ámbar closed her eyes frustrated. Simón had such a strong effect on her, he did literally nothing and she couldn’t stop thinking about him. After a deep breath, she made herself walk back to the kissing booth. Many sales and booths were already closing; she didn’t notice it was getting late until seeing Jim and Yam covering the cotton candy machine. For once, she wished it wasn’t too late.

Once she saw the crowd had vanished and no lights were on, her heart - that was previously beating loud as drum – skipped a beat and she felt the disappointment weights on her body. Her fingers reached for the ticket.

“Looking for something?” Simón’s voice made her pull the hand away from the ticket and turn to look at him.

“Someone.” She smirked. Her heart was back to beating like a drum, but an uncoordinated drum without any tempo or harmony. It was beating so strong she could feel it in her ears. The tension was getting the best of her again.

“Everyone is gone. It’s a little too late.” It wasn’t too late, he was there. Ámbar’s mind completed. Yet only one thing captured her eyes, Simón was smiling, sincerely smiling to her.

“Why are you in such a good mood?” Ámbar wondered stepping closer to him.

“The event was great, we made enough money to help the team.” Simón retorted raising his eyebrows in a challenge. Ámbar wouldn’t deny this defiance.

“You’re so humble, doing everything for your team.” Ámbar admired setting a hand on her cheek tilting her head. “What a great friend you are, Simón.” She put her chin up and layed her hand on his chest. “I’m sure you enjoyed this attention. Hm, the kisses? You loved it.” Shoving his shoulder while walking away was her perfect dramatic departure.

It only failed because Simón didn’t allow her to keep going, his arm embraced her waist making her step backwards. He held her tight. The action happened so fast that the next moment she realized Simón’s lips crashed into hers and her mind intoxicated immediately by his touch. Her eyes weren’t even shut, she was shocked, she observed each detail and feature of the face she already had perpetuate in her imagination. It took her some seconds to respond to the kiss but when she did, the once slow and sweet kiss they share got intense and lascivious. Her arms wrapped around his neck while his hands traveled freely on her body.

Ámbar felt his fingertips brush her belly beneath the shirt and shamefully moaned into his mouth, she immediately felt it was unfair that he had all this power over her body. One hand climbed to his hair pulling some strands and the other one clawed his chest through the shirt. Simón felt a shiver ran down his spine. That was the exact instant he not only knew that this kiss would mess up his feelings for her even more and he couldn’t mind less but also where they were, anyone could see them.

The air became an urge and they were forced to break the kiss. Ámbar feared what comes right after, she was sure he would reject her, she already had enough of rejection so she made the first move. Stepping away, she pulled a safe distance between them, reached for the paper in her pocket.

“I didn’t even need this.” She bragged handing him the ticket and turning her back to him. Finally, she allowed to the blissful wide smile gain her mouth.

#soy luna #simbar #ambar smith #simón alvarez #thanks for reading #💛b

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miehimys · 6 years

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hiya! idk if it's okay to send you stuff like this, but if it's not, i'm sorry and feel free to delete this lol :')but you kinda seem like a really positive guy, and i could use some contact positivity, idk? just sorta been having a bad day n a lifetime worth of misgendering within 8 hours and i'm super tired and sad, but your positive posts n stuff always makes me happy. So if it's ok, would you like to tell some positive things in your life lately maybe? :o (in any case, have a nice evenin!!)

oh!! it’s definitely ok to send these kind of asks! it makes me happy to know i can make someone feel a little better of a bad day :----)

and i’m sorry you have to go through that, i know how bad misgendering feels :/ If you need something else to think about i recommend jamming to stevie wonder, and idk daydreaming helps me handle big thoughts and feel better.

some stuff i’ve been up to lately:

i returned to roller derby and it feels pretty great to be back on eight wheels. this time the courses are once a month in 8hr days which fits my schedule a lot better. i just wish it was summer already so i could skate outside too.

i’ve lately been able to go to school more often!! my gf has been staying at my place most nights the past week and that has helped me fixing my sleeping schedule a bit. and when i came home today they were already there!!! so we did some chores together and ate. i love me some domestic everyday life type-of love shit. Also i just finished and returned an assignment several hours before the deadline which is pretty great for me. I’m proud of myself even if it might not seem like that big of a thing to an outsider.

AND i got a summerjob!!!! the place where i had my internship last autumn offered it to me!! Like they sent an email to me asking if I had any plans for the summer! So things are going very well and i feel like i’ve gained several adult points these past few weeks!! i hope you find good luck on your career path and love life too!! and you have a nice evening too

#Anonymous

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pbandjesse · 7 years

Photo

I am very tired. But I’m also really happy and Tumblr isn’t giving me issues with my post so I’m pleased. And I passed my figure skating test! It’s such an informal thing I shouldn’t even call it a test but still. Im very pleased. I didn’t get to bed last night until around 3. I just kept organizing and fussing. I just couldn’t sleep. But eventually I did get some good rest. I woke up at 7 and felt alright. I wasn’t interested in breakfast so I just took my time getting ready. I did a little bit of wings for my eye liner but I was feeling really pretty today. I was also just really comfortable and happy. I headed to work with one of the bags of stuff for the free shelf. And when I got there on the shelf there was this amazing leather suitcase. It’s missing its handle but it’s so pretty I couldn’t pass it up. I ended up cutting my hand on a nail on the side, which was disappointing, but I’m alright. Katherine freaked out over the suitcase. She just thought it was so cool and then she saw the marble paper lined interior and looked like she was going to have a panic attack. We have a lot of the same tastes and she ended up taking some of the stuff I put on the free shelf so that’s cool. I promised to give her first go with the rest of the bags. The morning was very fun. I worked on my atlantis painting some more. I added the rest of the coral and then made a little sting ray. I have that wedged up so it pops out. I like it a lot. And the kids work is just coming a long really well. I had a lot of ideas today for their projects. Including making seashell frames and then a clam shell notebook. I’m really hoping we can do that project because the kids seemed really jazzed on it. And Jonathan liked my ideas so that made me feel proud. I went to the 3d shop and Don helped me cut a bunch of cardboard for frames. And I spent a lot of time just prepping. It was a lot of fun. I love prepping, its so silly but I really enjoy it. We went outside for break and played games and painted when we went back in. I found some sheets for magnets on the free shelf and gave them to Jonathan for maybe anothe project. And I found another laundry basket I could use for organizing my move. The kids were making fun of me with my suitcase and basket and how would I get this home!! But the suitcase for in my basket and I just put the laundry basket on top. And biked home no problem. My new sunglasses came when I got back home. Feeling really cute. I organized my kitchen next. Took everything out of my cabinets and got rid of and reset and it feels so good. That took over an hour and when I was done I was starving. I made noodles and broccoli and watched some tv. I slept for a while after that. Got up and ready for skating. And headed out. Class was great. My posture is still messed up so my back hurts a lot when we’re do cross overs. But I’m getting stronger. I am getting faster going backwards. And I’m really going to miss Mark as a teacher cause he’s just so good. Holds my hands and helps me get better. But also makes fun of me and makes me laugh. I didn’t fall and I worked hard and me and Niky both passed. We are now level 5. So hopefully in a few weeks we will hopefully be at 6 but my backwards crossovers suck so well see. I thanked Mark for being my first teacher and being so wonderful and he wished me luck on my journey forwards. We practiced and I didn’t fall and I was only slightly disapointing because I was pushing myself real hard. My forwards crossovers are getting really fast and that feels great. I chatted with a little girl named Ruby and we decided her doll needed ice skates. It was a very fun day. Kea gave me a lift home. I spent the next hour organizing. I pulled all the winter clothes out from the under bed boxes and folded them and put them in the empty trunk I have. I feel like when I get back from my trip I will go through all my clothes and purge stuff but right now I feel sick over that for some reason so i will not stress over that. I had some naan and hummus and then took a bath in tea and salt. Did a face mask and listened to Tanis. I hope I can fall asleep soon. And I hope you all can too. I’m working at Mcad tomorrow and then I’m supposed to work for art rageous but Amanda hasn’t gotten back to me about where?? So I’m stressed a little about that. But it’ll be fine. Goodnight everyone.

#ootd #in progress #selfie #babe #camp #work #figure skating #thursday

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shercockadoodledoo · 7 years

Text

ballet shoes and ice skates (11)

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11

also on ao3

Safu suggested Shion put the quad axel in the first half of his free skate the way he’d promised originally, while Karan insisted the double Lutz-single axel back-to-back jump he’d done in Skate America had been perfect, and there was no need to change the program from that.

Shion continued practicing his free skate while attempting the quad axel as his final jump. He did not tell this to Safu or his mother, both of whom he knew would adamantly object, and he could not altogether fault them for their concern.

He did not tell the interviewer, either, when he was asked the day before he was to fly to Marseille, where the Grand Prix Final would be taking place in five days.

“I don’t know what my last jump will be in my free skate at the Final. I guess I’ll be as surprised as everyone else,” Shion said, laughing, and the interviewer, My-name’s-Chinami-but-everyone-calls-me-Chi-so-please-feel-free-to-do-so-as-well, smiled back.

“I can’t wait,” Chi said, adjusting her phone that was recording the conversation on the table.

They sat in Karan’s bakery, and Chi had spent the first half of the interview distracted from her questions to exclaim over the baked goods Karan delivered to their table.

“Now I want to get into something a little juicier.” Chi leaned closer to Shion across the table. “Everyone knows Marseille is the city of romance, so tell us about your romance, Shion.”

“Isn’t Paris the city of romance?”

Chi waved her hand. “Oh, they’re both in France, can they be so different?”

Shion glanced over at the counter to see his mother dealing with a customer before looking back at Chi. “I don’t really have any romance to tell you about.”

“But we know that’s not true.”

“We do?”

“What about Nezumi? He was at the hospital in Moscow after your fall.”

Shion had seen the photographs of Nezumi walking beside him when they’d left the hospital. He’d seen the articles speculating as to what the actor’s presence beside Shion during his abrupt hospital visit might mean.

“Nezumi was just making sure I was all right,” Shion said easily.

“Doesn’t he live in Tokyo? That’s a – ” Chi consulted her small notepad – “ten-hour flight, isn’t it? A long way to go for a quick check-in with a friend.”

Shion did not remind Chi that Safu had been there as well. He preferred not to start back those rumors.

He offered Chi an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry I can’t be more interesting, but Nezumi and I are not romantically involved right now.”

“Does that mean you will be in the future?”

Shion blinked. “Well, I don’t think anyone can say for sure what will happen in the future,” he said slowly.

“But you want to have a future with Nezumi, is that what you’re saying?”

“Well, no, that’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what are you saying, Shion? Everyone just wants to know the truth about you and Nezumi, so what is it? Was that kiss just a publicity stunt to gain press for Hearts of Ice, were those articles on your alleged relationship during your coaching stint just rumors, or are you really in love?”

Shion had dealt with the press and their probing questions for most of his career. He was accustomed to it, had never been bothered no matter what he’d been asked. He understood now that this was because what he’d been asked before had never truly mattered to him.

This question mattered. This answer was important – not for the world, not for Chi, not for the article she would write, but for Shion.

“Chi, can you do me a favor?” Shion asked, leaning closer to her across the table, and Chi leaned forward as well.

“I would be honored to, Shion.”

“Can you not ask me anymore questions about Nezumi? I know it’s your job, and I know that people are curious about my personal life, and I understand that, I really do. I know that as someone in the public light, I give up the right to some privacies, and I’ve always been perfectly happy to do so. But Nezumi is not a topic that I find easy to discuss, especially not with the press.”

Chi looked at Shion with wide eyes. “Even if I don’t ask, someone will,” she said, after a moment.

Shion nodded. “Yes. I know that. But you write for International Figure Skating Magazine, right? So I’m assuming this will be published in IFS, where other interviewers will read it and hopefully understand that I’m just like anyone else. And when something in my life is complicated and painful and hurts to even think about, like anyone else, I don’t really enjoy discussing it at length with strangers.”

Chi searched Shion’s face. “What’s going on between you and Nezumi is painful and hurts to think about?” she asked, almost a whisper, and then immediately she pressed her hands to her lips, then dropped them. “I’m sorry. I guess that’s exactly the kind of question you don’t want.”

Shion offered a small smile. “I know you’re just doing your job, but it would mean a lot to me if my fans could speculate on my relationship with Nezumi without involving me in their speculations.”

Chi straightened up, nodded once. “I think that’s understandable,” she replied, her tone professional again. “Let’s change the topic.”

“Thank you, Chi,” Shion said, and she smiled at him.

“So tell us, do you think you’ll try escargots when you’re in Marseille? I hear that’s a delicacy there, and I must say, I’ve always been curious.”

The interview proceeded without mention of Nezumi, and the next day, Safu emailed Shion the article Chi had published in IFS, where the interview had been posted verbatim with a small note at the bottom by Chi.

I would like to say for all readers that Shion was incredibly polite when he made the request that we as the press and his fans give him space on this particular topic. While I cannot tell any of my colleagues how to proceed with their careers, I hope they will respect Shion’s wishes. He is an incredible figure skater, but after our interview I could see that he is an incredible person as well. Shion, if you’re reading this, I wish you the best of luck at the Grand Prix Final – Please make Japan proud, we are all rooting for your success!

Shion did not read the interview itself. He did not need to, and there was not a chance to anyway – his taxi had arrived at the airport, and he and his mother were getting out to head to the gate for the plane leaving for Amsterdam, where they’d get on a connecting flight to Marseille.

Safu would be coming in a few days – December tenth – to get in the night before the Grand Prix Final would begin. Shion had requested from the FSU an extra plane ticket for the tenth of December, and he’d called Kiyoko to get Nezumi’s address in Tokyo, where he’d mailed the ticket in an envelope alongside an all access pass to the Grand Prix Final event.

He did not expect Nezumi to come. Every skater in the Grand Prix Final was allowed two complementary tickets for family and friends, and because Karan was a coach and automatically got her own ticket, Shion always had an extra ticket he never used. To send it to Nezumi meant nothing.

On the plane, Shion looked out the window as they flew over Tokyo and pretended he could see into the buildings below, pretended he could see the people inside them, pretended he could see a ballet dancer on a stage in the middle of rehearsal, lifting one leg straight back higher and higher, even past a ninety-degree angle, even more than that.

What’s that called?

What happened to just wanting to watch and not wanting to learn? It’s an arabesque.

Have I told you I find it sexy that you’re so flexible?

You’ve told me.

I could remind you.

My memory works just fine.

Hey, Nezumi, guess what? I find it sexy that you’re so flexible. Very sexy. Incredibly sexy. Intoxicatingly sexy.

That’s enough adjectives for one day, don’t you think?

Super sexy. Okay, I’m done.

You’re done making a fool out of yourself? I doubt that.

Painfully sexy.

Painful? You’re in pain right now?

Yes. It hurts me, how sexy you are. You hurt me, Nezumi.

And it hurts me, how idiotic you are.

So we both hurt each other.

Sure, Shion. We both hurt each other.

Shion closed his eyes. He hadn’t really been paying attention to what was outside the plane window anyway.

And when something in my life is complicated and painful and hurts to even think about, like anyone else, I don’t really enjoy discussing it at length with strangers.

Nezumi exited out of the article on his phone. He was walking back home from the theater, got to his building, picked up his mail from the mat outside his door, let himself in.

He put on water to boil for a cheap packet of ramen and sifted through his mail, discarding the flyer for someone’s garage band concert, glancing at a credit card bill before putting it aside, pausing at an envelope where his name and address were written in familiar handwriting.

He looked at the return address, typed out on a sticker with a puppy on the edge of it, before turning the envelope over and slipping his thumb beneath a corner of the flap to open it.

Shion must have licked it closed, because there was no tape.

Inside was a roundtrip plane ticket to Marseille, France, to leave Tokyo on the tenth of December – in three days – and return to Tokyo five days after that. There was a laminated card that read, Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, Marseille – Event Skater Special Guest – All Access Pass – December 11th-14th.

Nezumi took these items out and peered back into the envelope, but there was nothing else. He turned the envelope over again, examined the outside around his and Shion’s addresses and the stamp, then checked his kitchen floor to make sure nothing had fallen out.

He couldn’t find a note, even after getting on his hands and knees and making sure nothing had slid under his fridge when he hadn’t noticed.

Nezumi stood up again. He had rehearsal the day of his flight to Marseille and back, though like with Skate America, rehearsals on the dates of the event itself were not-so-suspiciously cancelled.

Not that Nezumi was considering going. He wasn’t. His flight to Moscow had been a mistake, a decision made when he hadn’t been thinking at all, when his mind had been completely blank, or if not, then full of static and fog and panic and fear and not much else.

Now, Nezumi was very calm. Could think rationally. Was not going to go to this event, planned on not even watching it at all. To read Shion’s interview had been an accident, something that had popped up on his Twitter, an account Kiyoko had set up for Nezumi that he hadn’t gotten around to deleting.

The popping sound of rushed bubbles brought Nezumi’s attention to his boiling water, and he reached into his cupboard for a pack of ramen. He set a timer on his phone, then emptied the noodles into the pot after putting the flavor packet aside.

That stuff has a lot of MSG. It’s really bad for you. You’re Japanese, aren’t you? You should know better than to use the flavor packets they give you and add your own seasonings. Tell me you at least add some chopped vegetables and herbs.

I happen to like MSG.

As a ballet dancer, you really need to learn to take care of your body. Especially if I’m going to be coaching you, I can’t have my student eating this type of crap. What you put in your body has a lot to do with your performance.

What I put in my body, huh?

Don’t be so immature.

What nutrients have you got, then? What’s the health benefit of putting you in my body?

Shut up, Nezumi.

I don’t know, I’m gonna have to see some nutrition facts on you before any more intercourse can be had.

You’re such a child!

I don’t know why you’re laughing. I thought what I put in my body was a serious matter.

You’re so stupid.

Stop kissing me, I haven’t seen those nutrition facts yet.

You really think you’re funny, don’t you?

It helps that my audience laughs so easily.

I’m laughing at your face.

Very well thought out comeback. I’d give it a seven out of ten, points off for lack of creativity. And that stupid grin of yours kind of ruins any possibility for a scathing delivery.

Nezumi’s phone timer went off, jolting him. He took a spoon from the drawer beside the stove and poked at the noodles to separate them from their cube. He stared down at them for a moment, then opened the flavor packet and emptied its contents into the pot.

Shion spent his first day in Marseille sight-seeing with two of his friends that were also in the event, figure skaters from Canada and China whom he’d known since he first started competing. They visited the biggest tourist attractions recommended by the concierge at the hotel and ended the day at the Old Port, sitting on the edge of a pier and watching the boats drift in water that looked black. It was chilly but not unbearable, as winter had only just hit the city, and Shion felt warm in his coat. He had tilted his head up to look at the stars, though of course, there were none, the city lights and pollution disguising them as ink.

Shion enjoyed practicing his English and trying to learn a bit of French. He’d tried escargots and had texted Safu a picture of the plate of ratatouille – another movie they’d watched together on a plane ride years before – that he’d ordered for dinner.

Once it got late, he and the other two skaters went to a bar, ordering wine because that felt properly French even though they all knew better than to drink before an event. They decided to split one glass, and sat passing it around before finishing it and ordering a second to share. Shion quickly felt sleepy.

Graeme, the Canadian skater whom Shion had stood next to on the podium in three previous years, was slurring in French while Shion sat entranced, trying to learn.

“Go slower,” Shion said, his English clumsier with wine on his lips.

“Here’s one for you. Je t’aime.” Graeme giggled and sipped from the wine glass before passing it to Jin, the oldest of the three at twenty-eight. He would be retiring after this competition, his last year representing China in the Grand Prix.

Shion frowned. He knew what Je t’aime meant. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“You men need to learn to hold your liquor. You’ve drank not a half of a glass each,” Jin chastised, his English slower than theirs, less certain.

“I’m not making fun of you. You should say that to your secret lover, French is very seductive. Repeat after me – Je t’aime.”

“I don’t love you,” Shion argued. He’d been resting his head on his arm, which had been flat across the bar, but now he straightened up

“You love that Nezumi,” Graeme said, laughing again.

Jin elbowed him. “Hey, stop that.”

Shion felt hot. He gladly took the wine glass when Jin offered it, downed a larger sip than his fair share.

“Is he coming?” Graeme was asking.

“Don’t ask him these things,” Jin interrupted.

“I don’t know,” Shion said, taking another drink of the wine, forgetting to pass it.

“Did you ask him to?” Graeme pressed.

“Yeah,” Shion whispered.

“Graeme,” Jin said, almost angrily, and Graeme didn’t ask anything else after that.

Shion got to his hotel room at four in the morning. His first day of competition wasn’t for another two days, so he didn’t bother setting an alarm. He brushed his teeth halfheartedly, forgetting the toothpaste, undid his belt, and fell onto his bed without taking off his clothes.

In total, he, Graeme, and Jin had split eight glasses of wine.

Shion laid over the bedsheets, lacking the energy to pull them down. His head was three inches lower than the pillow, but he didn’t bother to scooch up. He closed his eyes and couldn’t tell if he fell immediately asleep or just into a daydream.

You know, ballet actually originated in Italy, so it doesn’t really make sense for the terms to be French.

King Louis XIV popularized it in France.

You know the history of ballet?

Why do you sound so surprised? Just because I don’t constantly babble like you doesn’t mean I don’t also have a wide array of knowledge.

Who taught you the history of ballet?

No one you know.

Was it your mother?

Shion.

You can talk about her with me.

I don’t want to.

Okay. But you can. If you ever want to. I’d like to know about her.

Yeah. So would I.

Shion woke with a gasp, couldn’t remember what he’d been dreaming of, glanced at the clock and saw he’d only been asleep for three hours.

He got up to pee, examined his face in the mirror, came to the conclusion that he looked terrible, and returned to bed. He tried to dream of the past.

Nezumi was reading his script on the bus when a familiar voice addressed him.

“Is this seat taken?”

He looked up, saw his old agent pointing to the empty seat beside him. He closed his script as Kiyoko sat down.

“You headed home?” she asked.

Nezumi tucked his hair behind his ear. “Yeah. Don’t you live the opposite way?��

“My new client lives ten minutes from your place. I’m dropping off some contracts.”

Nezumi nodded. “Big star?”

“Could be with my help,” Kiyoko said, smiling. “So the Final is in a two days.”

Nezumi’s plane ticket was in the envelope on the counter of his kitchen, where he hadn’t moved it since opening it. The flight would leave at five the next morning. It was a fifteen-hour connecting flight. He wouldn’t get into Marseille until, with the time difference, after midnight.

It would be a long trip. There was no reason for Nezumi to take it.

“Guess so,” Nezumi said.

“You going?”

“Why would I?”

“Because the love of your life is about to compete in the biggest figure skating event of the season.”

Nezumi lifted a hand to shield his yawn. He hadn’t been getting much sleep. “You’re no longer my agent, you don’t have to keep fabricating stories.”

“Didn’t you quit the film to refocus your life? Attempt for happiness? Turn over a new leaf?”

“I thought in the resignation contract it said professional differences.”

Kiyoko sighed. “I forgot how useless it was to try and help you.”

“Glad to remind you,” Nezumi replied, glancing out the window of the bus. “My stop’s coming up.”

“I remember.”

“Good seeing you,” Nezumi said, a cue for Kiyoko to stand and let him out of his seat, but she didn’t.

“He called me for your address. I know he sent you a ticket. Just go, Nezumi, he’s not going to give you another chance.”

Nezumi tucked his script into his drawstring bag. “When you were my career agent, it was irksome that you’d attempt to get involved in my personal life. Now it’s getting invasive.”

“You don’t have a personal life. You go to work and do nothing else. You have no friends or family, you have no one, and it’ll always be that way unless you give someone a chance,” Kiyoko snapped, finally standing up, but Nezumi didn’t move.

“You’ve gotten a little rude since I last saw you,” he finally said, once he was certain he could keep his voice even. He stood up, slid out of the seat, held onto a center pole in the aisle, and waited for the bus to stop.

“Yeah, well. Only the stupidest agents actually care about their clients’ happiness in addition to their careers, but here I am, giving a damn about a guy who so adamantly insists on fucking up his own life. It makes a person bitter,” Kiyoko muttered.

“I’m not your client anymore,” Nezumi reminded.

“If I don’t care about you, Nezumi, who the fuck do you think is going to bother to do it instead?” Kiyoko said shortly, and then the bus was stopping, and Nezumi was glad to get off.

On the short walk to his building, he looked up at the sky, wishing he could see stars in the city. He’d heard that they were beautiful.

You shouldn’t be so rude to your agent, she’s just trying to help you.

She’s trying to do her job and make money off of me.

I think she actually cares about you.

Oh? Is that why she has cameramen stalk us day and night?

She came by the other day when you were in Tokyo and asked if I knew when your birthday was so she could get you something.

How nice of her.

It was nice. I promised her I wouldn’t tell you, but she’s getting you a Kindle. See, she cares.

I prefer physical books.

Nezumi, don’t be difficult. It’s the sentiment that counts.

And what sentiment is that?

I know you’re being sarcastic, but sometimes I really can’t tell. Do you really find it so impossible that people care about you? Can you really not see it?

Weren’t you supposed to be showing me a sit spin? We’re in the middle of a lesson here.

If you can’t see it, then let me tell you because it’s important that you know. Kiyoko cares about you, genuinely, as more than her client.

I hate when you say things so earnestly, it’s creepy.

And I care about you. You know that, right? You have to know that.

Shion –

I need to know that you understand. I care about you. Beyond these lessons, beyond our relationship or whatever it is we’re doing, beyond anything to do with me. I want the best for you. I want the world to be kind to you. I want you to be happy. Do you know that?

Shion.

Do you?

Yeah. Yeah, I know that.

At his apartment, Nezumi went straight to the envelope on his kitchen counter. He took out the plane ticket, examined it, replaced it in the envelope beside the event access pass, then stood in front of his trashcan, his foot on the lever and the lid open. He held the envelope over the trashcan and tried to even out his breaths, waiting for his grip to loosen.

Shion stood in the center of the rink before his short program. He could hear the announcer’s voice bellowing, but could make out none of the words.

He scanned the crowd, heard his name being chanted, saw Japanese flags being waved with two rainbow flags amongst them. He was not looking at the flags, but the faces, kept looking and looking, checked the rinkside last, the space only accessible to the press and those with full access passes.

He saw a few of his fellow skaters, their coaches, his mother and Safu. There was no one else, no one else that mattered, even though the arena was booked.

Shion’s music started, and so did he. His short program music was instrumental. He had always loved to skate during the crescendos, felt the volume of his heart echoing that of the music.

Shion couldn’t skate with his eyes closed, but he couldn’t see the crowd while he skated either. He had known Nezumi would not come, but while he skated, he pretended the actor was there. That they were alone in the rink in Shion’s hometown, that hours before Nezumi had cried into his shoulder in his bed, that Shion had held him and wondered how someone so strong could feel so breakable, huddling against his chest.

He pretended that he had just asked Nezumi if he wanted to go to the rink even though it was two in the morning, he pretended they’d walked over in the middle of the night with the windless air heavy and hot on their skin, he pretended they’d gotten to the rink and he’d just asked Nezumi if he could show him his programs.

Shion skated his short program at the Grand Prix Final pretending his only purpose in skating was to distract the man he loved from the hollow in his chest, and when Shion finished, his own chest was searing, and his own eyes were wet, and there was such a thick silence in the arena that for a startling second, Shion thought he’d lost his sense of hearing completely.

The silence lasted for no more than a few seconds, and then the cheering hit, loud and abrupt, the announcer shouting something, and Shion could make out no words at all, nothing at all.

Shion looked at the crowd that cheered for him, reached up to wipe at his eyes, and tried to smile at his audience because he loved to skate, it had always made him happy, and there was no reason for there to be a difference now.

Twenty-five is old for a competitive figure skater, isn’t it?

There are some older skaters that I know still competing.

But it’s old.

I suppose so, yes, I’m around average retirement age.

So are you going to retire?

My body feels fine, and I love it, so I don’t see why I would.

What will you do after?

After I retire? I don’t know. I can’t see myself doing anything but skating. I do like academia though, I’d be interested in going to college.

College.

Yeah. They have some good universities in Tokyo. Safu studied in the city, she loved it.

But as of now, you see yourself figure skating for, what, two more years?

I wouldn’t mind if I did it forever.

Forever.

Yeah. It’s a nice concept, isn’t it? Forever?

I prefer time spans with ending points.

If you could pick any moment to stretch out into forever, Nezumi, which one would it be?

Shion turned. Bowed to the other side of the audience. He knew from the volume of their cheers and his own knowledge of his short program that this had been his best performance of the routine yet. He was confident that he had broken a world record, but the short program record had already been set by himself two years before.

Shion turned again. Watched the asters that his fans always threw fall onto the ice like snow, as if soon they would melt. His eyes still burned. He had the strangest sense of homesickness, and found it difficult to stay standing. He tried to take deep breaths. He wanted not just to cry, but to sob.

His name was being shouted by, it seemed, everyone in the arena, but after half a minute it was one voice that he heard clearly, not as loud as the others, but known to him, familiar to him, a voice that had been whispered in his ear and been pressed to his skin and been shouted in a hotel room and been hissed in a curse and been curled in a laugh and been breathed in the latest hour of the night against his very lips.

“Hey – Shion!”

Shion turned again, and his breath shuddered out of him, his nose instantly running, his eyes dripping so that he couldn’t see, but he skated forward anyway, as fast as he could – he was not tired at all.

Nezumi opened the door of the rink even though he was not allowed to do that, and Shion crashed into him, was caught by him, held up by him, pulled forward by him into Nezumi’s body, solid and there and nowhere else.

Nezumi’s arms were around Shion, tight and fast and strong. Shion’s hands were caught between their bodies where not even air could fit. He grasped Nezumi’s jacket. He cried into Nezumi’s jacket collar, hard.

Nezumi pulled away from him, and Shion only allowed it because he couldn’t breathe. There were Nezumi’s fingers on his cheek now, wiping below his eyes.

“Why are you crying?” Nezumi asked quietly, and Shion shouldn’t have heard him because everything else was so loud, but he heard him perfectly, heard him and nothing else.

Shion didn’t have a reply for Nezumi. He was trying to stop crying but found it hard. He felt emptied out, nothing left inside of him but his heart, swelling larger and larger to fill the sudden space around it until Shion was nothing but a beating thing, shaking, shuddering with the potency of his pulse.

Nezumi stopped trying to wipe at Shion’s face. Maybe he realized it was pointless. Every time he slid his fingers or the sleeve of his jacket over Shion’s skin, Shion just cried more.

“You should stop crying,” Nezumi said.

Shion was breathing too hard. He nodded as if Nezumi’s words were easy to obey.

“I can’t kiss you like this, you look disgusting,” Nezumi said, and Shion’s exhale came out as a laugh, and then Nezumi was kissing him even though he’d said he wouldn’t.

Nezumi’s hand was in Shion’s hair. His kiss was hard and incredibly wet, and Shion felt along with the heat of Nezumi’s mouth the warmth of Nezumi’s fingers in his hair, the tightening of those fingers.

He thought, just briefly, of Nezumi’s agent, and her request that their second kiss for the press be something passionate, fervent, desperate.

Shion tightened his grip around the front of Nezumi’s jacket and pulled the man closer to him. He could not breathe at all and never wanted to again.

He had stopped crying by the time Nezumi stopped kissing him. He stood in the absence of Nezumi’s lips and wiped at his face with the sleeve of his costume, but it wasn’t absorbent, so Nezumi wiped at his cheeks again with a different part of his jacket sleeve.

“You’re here,” Shion managed, when he was dry and had enough breath in him to speak.

“Where else do you want me to be?” Nezumi asked softly.

“Is it for forever?” Shion asked, because he had to be sure, he had to know.

Nezumi looked at him with eyes that skated between Shion’s, quick and bright and silver. He didn’t say anything, but after a moment, he nodded.

To Shion, Nezumi looked terrified, hesitant to make this promise of a time without an end point, but Shion did not mind that Nezumi was scared.

Shion had time, now, to show Nezumi that there was no reason to be.

#nezushi #no.6 #no. 6

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riyuyami · 7 years

Note

here's some potential prompts, if you're interested! 1. puzzleshipping + who confesses first and how? 2. wishshipping + atem cheering on yugi to talk to jou about his Feelings 3. post-dsod yugi being successful and happy

*kicks down a door*

ANON! You are getting all three!

–

Yugi looked at the intimidating door in front of him, the one that lead to his other self’s room. He inhaled deeply, then sighed. Okay, here goes… he had to do this, he couldn’t stop avoiding this.

Tonight was the night he was going to tell the Other Yugi his feelings!

He’s been trying to do so for two weeks now, but… sadly, Yugi kept chickening out or something distracted them. But not this time! No! They were in their soul rooms, there wasn’t going to be anyway to avoid this now!

Reaching out, he opened the door and stepped inside. Luckily for Yugi, Yami Yugi was in the main room, the one that the door opened to, sitting on the floor with a deck of playing cards. Oh, he was playing solitaire. “Other Me!” Yugi announced, trying not to be nervous.

“Yes? Is there something you need?” Yami Yugi asked, looking confused.

It was now or never… “I have something very important to tell you..!”

Yami Yugi blinked, raising an eyebrow. “Yes…?”

“I-I am in love with you…! And have been for a while and I want you as my boyfriend…!”

The silence that followed was… awkward, to say the least. Finally, Yami Yugi spoke. “Oh thank the gods, I was wondering when one of us was gonna say something!”

“What?”

“I mean, I thought there was something between us, and I knew that I had feelings for you, but I’ve been too nervous to ask! And I thought you still wanted Anzu!” The other Yugi laughed. “Phew! Sure, okay, we can be boyfriends!”

Yugi blinked before dropping to the floor, okay, wow, that was… not expected. “Uhh… great! Didn’t know you liked me back, but thanks?”

“Wonderful! Want to play poker with me, boyfriend?”

“Yes, but no cheating.”

–

“Pharaoh… I can’t do this…!” Yugi whined, heading to school. The spirit of the puzzle floated next to him, smirking.

“Oh come on, Aibou. I’m sure you can do this! Actually, I KNOW you can!” The spirit grinned, giving him a thumbs up. “Besides, it’s Jounouchi! I’m sure he’ll be fine with this!”

“But… what if he makes fun of me….!”

“Aibou, he makes fun of you for silly things, how is this different?”

Yugi sighed loudly. “Other Me, come on, this is a crush confession, and Jounouchi is… Jounouchi.”

“True.” Yami Yugi nodded before perking up. “There he is!” He pointed towards the blond who stood near a mailbox, waiting for Yugi. The boy blushed deeply, seeing Jounouchi wave at him once he noticed him. “Go on,” the spirit grinned, “talk to him! I’m right here for support!”

“You’re right here to watch this disaster…” Yugi grumbled before putting on a smile as he approached his best friend. “Good morning, Jounouchi.”

“Hey! Mornin’ Yugi!” The taller boy grinned, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “Ready for another boring day of school?”

“I suppose.” Yugi nodded, trying to ignore Yami Yugi, who kept poking him in the back of the head, telling him to ‘just tell him everything’! The boy sighed, looking up at Jounouchi. “Hey, can I… tell you something?”

“Hm? Yeah, what is it?” Jounouchi asked, looking down at him.

“Jounouchi… uhh… how would you feel if someone liked you?”

Jounouchi blinked, giving this some thought, before a smile came to his face. “Well, I’d be a little startled, wondering what it was about me that they liked, then I’d get down like this,” He bent forward, getting close to Yugi’s face, “and ask the guy if he wanted to take me on a date. I’m free after class on Saturday, if you’re up for it.”

“W-what?! How did you…!”

“Oh come on, that question just screamed that you were gonna as me out! Also, the other you told me the last time I hung out with him!”

“WHAT?! Other Me…!”

“He let it slip by accident and tried to cover it up as him tripping over his own words!” Jounouchi laughed. “But seriously, I’m up for a date on Saturday. I heard of this new beef bowl place we can check out!”Yugi nodded, his face blushing as he inwardly lectured a laughing pharaoh.

–

Stretching, Yugi yawned loudly. He glanced at his clock, seeing that it was almost eleven at night. Hm, he should get ready to bed, but these sketches needed to be finished.

He had a great idea to show to Kaiba and he couldn’t just show them to him unfinished! He looked down at the sketchbook in front of him, smiling at the designs he had been drawing.

He was coming up with a new extension for the Monster World game, that Kaiba Corp had bought up. Inspired by the designs that Ryou had done for the Egypt exhibit at the museum years ago, Yugi was designing ancient civilization boards and maps for the games ‘history’ extension.

He smiled softly, looking at the design of the pharaoh figure he had been making for the ancient Egypt map. It was obvious it was based on Atemu, a design he knew Kaiba would approve of, though act like he didn’t like it.

Five years have passed since the last time he dueled with the pharaoh, against the corrupted Diva. Sometimes he thinks of taking up Kaiba’s offers to go with him to the afterlife, to see Atemu, but… Yugi wasn’t ready yet. He wanted to wait, and he knew Atemu would be fine with that.

He glanced about his desk, seeing the photos on it. There was a picture of him and Anzu, in New York. They were ice skating during winter, at that famous rink in the city. It had been a surprise visit on Grandpa’s part, a Christmas gift for Yugi to visit her, she was doing so well, she was on Broadway now! A small theater, but still part of the area, moving her way to the top.

Another photo had Honda and Jounouchi in it, Yugi stuck awkwardly in the middle as the two made strange faces at the camera. Honda was doing well for himself, having finished school and was now working in a repair shop, he even got himself a wife! He married his old high school crush, Miho!

Jounouchi was now the third best duelist in the world, after himself and Kaiba, and was doing great for himself. He isn’t a joke anymore, a lot of people respect his luck and skills, his sister is so proud and so is Yugi.

There’s a picture of Kaiba and Yugi next to that photo, it was taken by Mama when Yugi’s first game design sold at the Kame Game Shop, now the first store in the world to sell Kaiba Corp games when they’re fresh off the market. Grandpa is very pleased with this. The photo had Yugi standing with the box for the game in his hands, Kaiba standing next to him. Over the past five years, they’ve become close friends, and Kaiba has Yugi as his main game designer and developer.

Yugi smiled at the three photos, his attention soon dropping on the fourth. It didn’t have him in the photo, it was a newspaper clipping of Atemu, at the end of Battle City. There weren’t a lot of photos of the pharaoh, but this was a nice picture, and Yugi just had to frame it.

Thinking of the pharaoh, he wondered if Atemu would be proud of him, and how well he was proud of him.

“Heh, of course he’s proud. He’s always proud of me.” Yugi smiled, deciding to just finish in the morning. He closed the sketchbook and turned off the lamp.

#yugioh #yugi mutou #atemu #yami yugi #jounouchi katsuya #puzzleshipping #wishshipping #john's drabbles #Anonymous

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axellings · 7 years

Text

Worlds 2017 (Ladies)

After a long and topsy turvy road, we’ve finally made it to the culminating point of the season: the World Championships. Though Worlds is always one of the most--if not the most--important competitions of the season, this year’s Worlds held even more weight with the skaters competing, as their placements here would determine how many spots their respective countries would earn in the Olympics next season. For many skaters, this meant double the pressure, and it certainly made for an intense competition indeed. Let’s take a look at how the world’s top ladies fared in the biggest competition of the season.

The Podium

With her victory here at the World Championships, Evgenia Medvedeva (RUS) officially completed her perfect winning streak for the season. And not only has she won every competition she’s been in this season, she also beat her own world record for the free skate and total score and became the first ladies’ skater since Michelle Kwan 16 years ago to win back to back world titles. The only thing missing from her collection now is the Olympic gold--and we have no doubt that, unless something absolutely drastic happens between now and next February, it won’t be missing for very long. We certainly don’t agree with her scores quite yet (and for goodness sakes get better programs), but as long as she can keep her famed consistency (which doesn’t seem likely to fail her any time soon), Evgenia won’t be giving up her spot at the top of ladies’ skating for quite some time.

Though she trailed Evgenia by a significant number of points, Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN) more than made up for her lackluster post-injury results by rocketing onto the podium and claiming the silver--Canada’s first ladies’ world medal since 2009. Kaetlyn has a tendency to perform jumps that look horrifyingly off-axis, but she managed to land most of them (except a doubled jump and a near fall in the free), a far cry from her shaky performances earlier this season at the 4CC. It seems that her inconsistency demons were but a temporary setback, and the audience was able to enjoy two on-point performances of both her lively Edith Piaf short and serene La Boheme free. Kaetlyn first started making waves right before Sochi, and perhaps her results here will give her the jump-start she needs for this upcoming Olympic season.

This year’s world championships was a triumphant one for Canadian ladies indeed, as they found themselves with not one but two medals, the second of which went to Gabrielle Daleman (CAN). Had you asked us this time last season, Gabby would definitely not have been someone we pegged for the world medal--but that just goes to show how far she’s improved in her performance and consistency. With only one minor GOE deduction in her free program, she put together two otherwise-clean programs and came away with the bronze, 14 points clear of fourth place. Though she missed out on the podium in both of her Grand Prix events, the second half of this season has been nothing short of stellar for Gabby. This bronze medal was the icing on the cake, and we’re sure it’ll be a great confidence booster for her as she heads into the Olympic season.

The Others

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about our Lord and Savior Karen Chen (USA), it’s that, though she may not be the most consistent skater, she always knows how pull through when it matters the most. She proved that when she skated away with the national title earlier this year, and she proved it again here with a beautiful and perfect short program that netted her a personal best of nearly 70 points. She wasn’t quite as perfect in the free and had to struggle through a couple of technical hiccups in the second half; however, it was enough to land her in 4th place overall in her first senior Worlds. Not only that, she quite literally became the Lord and Savior for US ladies, as her 4th place finish helped secure them three spots for the Olympics next season after Ashley Wagner’s disappointing performance. It hasn’t been an easy season for Karen, but it’s certainly had its triumphs, and we hope to see her achieve even more in the years to come.

Speaking of triumph, newest rising star Mai Mihara (JPN) capped off her incredible senior debut season with a top 5 finish at her first world championships. After her victory at Four Continents, we predicted that Mai had more than a small chance at finishing on the podium here; unfortunately, that chance slipped away after a costly mistake in the short. She doubled out on her flip at the very end of the program (already a risky placement in and of itself), an error that cost her nearly 6 points in base value and had her all the way down in 15th heading into the free. But the consistency she’s shown us all season wasn’t for nothing, and she came soaring back with a foot-perfect Cinderella free program that earned her, not only a personal best, but also one of the highest technical scores of the night, second only to Evgenia Medvedeva. It’s hard to believe how far Mai has come after everything she had been through last season. She has such a solid and reliable jump technique, and with more polish we know she’ll get better on the performance side of things as well. We’re sure that we’ll be seeing plenty more of Mai in the seasons to come, and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for her.

Offsetting the stellar senior world debuts of the younger generation was oldie-but-goodie Carolina Kostner (ITA). We haven’t commented on her programs much this season, but while her SP music may not be for everyone, we commend her for making such an adventurous choice. Thanks to her long, decorated career--not the lowest of which being her bronze medal from the last Olympics--Caro enjoyed a significant PCS advantage over the rest of the field, even with her absence. However, her technical content was nowhere near that of the other top competitors--a disadvantage that did nothing to shield her score from the damage that various technical errors, including a botched spin in the short and popped jumps in the free, wrought. However, where Caro shines over and above her competitors is her years of experience, her ease on the ice, and the way in which she makes her skating look wonderfully light and effortless. Regardless of technical content, it is always relaxing to watch a skate by Caro, and we wish her the best of luck moving into the new season as she prepares to defend her Olympic bronze.

Defending silver medalist Ashley Wagner (USA) made herself one of the highlights of last year’s worlds when she ended the US ladies’ 10-year long medal drought. Unfortunately, her momentum ran her into a bit of a rut earlier this season when she was unable to qualify for the Grand Prix Final, a rut that she was unable to climb out of in this competition. Ashley’s short appeared perfectly clean and was an absolute joy to watch, as usual; however, anemic GOEs and a slew of underrotation calls dragged her down to 7th overall after the free. It's a pity, because Ashley’s Exogenesis free is one of the most gorgeous programs of the season, and we have had precious few chances to see it clean. We’re glad that the US ladies manage to save their 3 spots for the Olympics, but after this season, Ashley may find herself once again on the defending end of things. That is, however, where Ashley has thrived the most, and we have no doubt she’ll be filling one of those 3 spots, or at least go down trying.

After struggling with consistency and injury, Wakaba Higuchi (JPN)‘s senior debut culminated in a clean short but error-ridden free that carried her to an 11th place finish. We’ve mentioned before how glad we are that Wakaba is progressing from a jumping machine into a more artistic skater, and it is definitely to her credit that when she is on, her jumps are incredibly reassuring. Her step sequence and transitions in the short were a joy to watch as well. In the free, however, she turned a planned 3Lz combination into a solo 2Lz. Later she tried to add the missing 3T back to her final jump, a 2A, but ended up falling on the jump instead. It’s a pity, especially since she appeared to lose a lot of steam after doubling her lutz; we hope Wakaba won’t take it too hard, as she has still made plenty of strides to be proud of overall this past season. She will no doubt be facing a tremendous amount of pressure heading into the upcoming season, especially now that Japan only has two spots for ladies (their deepest field) in the upcoming Olympics, and we just hope she won’t let it get in the way of further growth as a skater.

Though this year’s Worlds was a rough competition for plenty of ladies, none had it quite so rough as defending bronze medalist Anna Pogorilaya (RUS). After the fantastic season she’s had and the incredible improvement we’ve seen in her skating, we thought Anna had finally put her disastrous days behind her. She certainly set herself up to win a medal for the second year in a row after a sizzling short program that left her less than a point shy of the top 3--lower than we had expected, admittedly, but a deservedly high score nonethless. Unfortunately, the disaster that had been holding itself back all season finally struck at the last minute during her free, where she popped her opening jump and then fell three times throughout the program, earning a total of 4 points in deductions. It seemed to be all she could do to bring herself to finish the program, a disheartening sight that we haven’t seen from Anna in a while. It’s a shame that her season had to end this way, especially now that we’ve grown to love her as a performer, but we hope she’ll come back fighting the way we know she can next season.

Credit for all images [x]

#figure skating #evgenia medvedeva #kaetlyn osmond #gabrielle daleman #karen chen #mai mihara #carolina kostner #ashley wagner #wakaba higuchi #anna pogorilaya #highlights #ladies

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rachello344 · 7 years

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Part four of my Internet Friends Pliroy AU! (This really needs a proper title... Oh well, something will come to me eventually.) Hope you guys like it! As always, comments are welcomed and encouraged!! <3

Part One, Part Two, Part Three

He woke up to a text at 9:04 a.m.

Yuratchka: FUCK WE FORGOT TO TALK ABOUT THE VIDEO

J.J. laughed around his groan. How was he already awake? They had a day off between the short program and the free skate, so why wasn’t he resting? His phone chimed again.

Yuratchka: Shit, I hope I didn’t wake you up. I had a weird dream, so I woke up kind of wired. Yuratchka: You were in it, actually. Well, kind of. I don’t know what you look like so your face was… blank, I guess? That was weird. You were taller than me in my dream, too. I don’t know if that’s true or not. How tall are you?

J.J. snickered. He might as well get up. He checked the time on his converter—1 a.m. in Montreal. He could be awake. He’d have to stop texting him for several hours after responding a few times… He could keep up the ruse. It would be fine.

Rex: You didn’t wake me up, I was getting ready for bed. Late night, haha And I’m 5’10—178 cm. Am I taller? ;) Yuratchka: … I don’t want to tell you. Rex: So how much taller am I? 5 cm? 10? Yuratchka: … I’m not going to tell you. Good night, Rex. Rex: Fine, fine, I’ll find out eventually. ;) Good morning, Yuratchka.

J.J. sighed. Time to face the day. His parents were going on a brunch date, and he didn’t need to start practicing until after lunch at the earliest. He got up and stretched, scratching his stomach as he stepped into the bathroom. Shower first, and then he could decide on what to do. It might even wake him up.

Yuri had dreamt of him. J.J. tipped his head back into the water, wetting his hair. He wondered what kind of dream he was in. Was he a large fixture? Was he in the background? Yuri noticed his height, so was he in his personal space? Close enough to…?

J.J. shook his head firmly. No. He wasn’t going to think about it. He lathered up his shampoo and focused on washing his hair. Think of nothing. Well, he could think of skating. Or what he was going to do with his day off. He had several hours to kill before he had to get back to practicing for his free skate…

He sighed, tilting his head back to rinse out the shampoo. Sightseeing was always an option. Maybe Leo was free for the day? He was an early riser, so he’d probably be awake.

As J.J. dried himself off, he typed out a quick text asking if Leo wanted to explore with him. He was pulling his shirt on when he got a reply.

Lion: Sorry, I’m busy all morning. :( I have a lot to work on for tomorrow. J.J.: No problem, just thought I’d ask, eh? Good luck with practice! ;)

J.J. fixed his hair in the mirror, losing focus as he thought. Leo was one of his only real friends competing in this round, so he’d probably just have to go alone. He sighed and smoothed out his shirt, grabbing his wallet, card key, and phone on his way to the door.

If only Yuri knew, J.J. could just ask him to show him around, or at least ask for suggestions on what to see. He pressed the button for the elevator. First thing to do was find somewhere to eat breakfast. After that, he’d figure something out.

“Oh, hello, J.J.”

J.J. glanced over his shoulder, surprised to see Otabek. “Morning. You didn’t stay the night with Yuri? He lives nearby, right?”

Otabek raised an eyebrow, but otherwise remained expressionless. “He does. I didn’t. I have a hotel room, so there’s no need for me to take up space.” He shrugged. “We ate dinner together, though. What are you doing up so early? Normally I don’t see you until after eleven on days off.”

J.J. returned his shrug. “I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep.” The elevator chimed, and they stepped in. “Ground floor?” He pressed the button at Otabek’s nod. “I was going to ask the front desk for a breakfast recommendation and maybe go sightseeing after.”

For a long moment, Otabek remained silent, considering him. “You’re not meeting up with anyone?”

“Not today, no.”

“You would be sightseeing alone?”

“That was the plan.”

“No,” Otabek decided. “You’ll join Yuri and me. I’m meeting him for breakfast, and then we’re going to do touristy things until lunch.”

“I,” J.J. tried, words failing him. “Are you sure? Yuri hates me.”

“Yuri hates everything. You’re coming.” Otabek nodded once, unwavering. “He’ll argue, but I won’t back down. It’ll be fine.”

J.J. couldn’t see how this would go well at all, but he wanted to see Yuri anyway. He needed to figure out his feelings for him, and the best way to do that was through actually speaking with him. “Well, okay. If he spends all of breakfast ignoring me or angry, I’m going to leave, though.”

“Very well.”

The elevator doors opened, and Otabek led the way out. J.J. felt more and more like laughing. How in the world did he get this lucky? Otabek really was his best chance of spending time with Yuri. Why he was helping was another matter entirely, but J.J. wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Yuri stood up when he saw them, his eyes immediately turning flinty. “Absolutely fucking not.”

“Language,” Otabek said mildly. “And yes, I’ve already decided. No one should go sightseeing alone.”

“Alone?” Yuri leveled him with an unimpressed look. “That’s pathetic.”

J.J. rolled his eyes. “Yes, thank you. Your commentary is appreciated, fée de glace.”

“Boys, boys,” Otabek scolded, motioning for them both to sit. “We’re in a restaurant.” They both sat. J.J. glanced to the other diners apologetically. Yuri scowled at his menu, arms crossed and bangs falling into his eyes. Even still, J.J. found himself struck by the urge to tuck his hair behind his ears, tilt his face back, and kiss the frown off his face.

When he tore his eyes away, he noticed that Otabek was looking at him, the expression searching. Even when J.J. met his eyes, the look persisted. J.J. had an increasingly bad feeling about that. Hadn’t he been asking questions about Rex yesterday?

There was no way he’d figured it out already, had he? No, definitely not.

“So, you have siblings, don’t you, J.J.?” Otabek asked after they all ordered their drinks. “How old are they?”

“Amelia and Mason are sixteen,” he said, the bad feeling getting worse. “They’re both still in juniors for now. My parents want them to pace themselves, so I think they’re going to keep them there until they’re at least seventeen, maybe eighteen.” He shrugged. “That’s when I moved up, but they might get in a little earlier if they start begging now.”

“Late bloomer, Leroy?” Yuri sneered.

“I was balancing school, figure skating, and a band. Besides, not all of us are in a hurry to grow up.” J.J. smiled, trying to keep his tone pleasant. He just wanted one conversation with Yuri without fighting. Just one.

“So your whole family skates, then?” Otabek asked, ignoring Yuri. “What’s that like?”

J.J. laughed, scratching the back of his head. “Honestly? Stressful. It’s a lot of pressure, especially as the oldest, but I’ve been managing. What about you, Otabek? Are you the only skater in your family?”

“Only skater and only child,�� Otabek confirmed. “Just as stressful, trying to make my skating a worthwhile investment.” He smiled, though it was understated, barely a tilt to his lips. “My parents are proud of me, even when they sometimes wish I’d done something else.”

J.J. nodded, sympathetic. “And you, Yuri? You live with your grandfather, right?”

“Yes,” Yuri said, grimacing like he’d rather swallow glass than answer. “My mother was a figure skater, though.” After that, he seemed to lose interest in the conversation, eyes falling back to his menu.

Otabek rolled his eyes. “His grandfather is very proud of him. He has all of his awards on shelves in his living room.”

“Beka,” Yuri hissed.

“Even the stuff from when he was a little kid. There are pictures,” he said, voice low and conspiring. J.J. laughed, especially when Yuri sputtered indignantly.

The waitress interrupted them to take their orders, but as soon as she left, Otabek got back to it. “You’ve seen all the cats on Yuri’s Instagram, yes?”

Ignoring the continued glaring from Yuri, J.J. nodded. “Of course. It’s most of his feed.”

“You follow me on Instagram?” Yuri asked. J.J. nodded again.

“His room is worse.”

“Hey, are you my friend or aren’t you?” Yuri shoved his shoulder, his scowl dipping closer to a pout. The way his lips were pursed was as distracting as the ice blue of his eyes.

“Of course I am. That’s why I’m warning J.J. about your obsession with cats.” Otabek waved away the next shove Yuri aimed at him.

J.J. smiled. “I have two cats at home,” he said. Yuri’s gaze zeroed in on him. His expression was more intense than the angriest glares he’d leveled at him. J.J. swallowed thickly.

“What color are they? How old are they? What are their names?” Yuri asked, barely a pause between each question.

“Rhythm is a tortoiseshell, and Melody is a grey tabby. They’re both about four years old.” J.J. pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I have pictures,” he offered. Yuri held out his hand at once. As soon as J.J. had the folder open, the phone was snatched from his hands. Otabek leaned over Yuri’s shoulder to get a better look.

“I’m going to kidnap them the next time I’m in Canada,” Yuri declared. “They’re so fluffy…”

“They love people, and I’d be happy to let you play with them, but you can’t have them.” J.J. leaned his head on his palm. “I’d miss them too much.”

“Hmm, fine, I guess.”

J.J. wondered if Yuri was aware that he’d basically invited himself to J.J.’s apartment. It didn’t seem like he’d noticed yet. He supposed he’d have to play it by ear when they were both competing in Canada in a few months. As Yuri passed him his phone, their fingers brushed; J.J. was hyperaware of the warmth in his fingers and the smooth press of his skin.

The waitress brought back their food at the perfect time for J.J. to collect himself. When he finally had a handle on himself again, he noticed Otabek looking at him. Somehow, even without any overt expression, Otabek looked smug.

He couldn’t possibly know. That was impossible.

#my fic #pliroy #let me know if anything sounds off or doesn't make sense #this is a draft so i'm more than okay with adding or removing things that make it harder to read!#i really hope you guys like it #and if you do i hope you'll consider letting me know what you like about it #comments or tags or asks or IMs or whatever~#i'm always happy to take questions as well!!#^_^#yuri on ice

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peachy-learning · 7 years

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tags!

thanks to the lovely @readingbookz for taggin me!

answer 11:

1. If you could time travel, where would you go? if i could stay in that time area, to the beginning of this semester so i can fix all my mistakes :”)

2. What do you do in your free time? i like to read, watch shows, and cry!!!

3. What is your dream job? lawyer

4. What are you most proud of? my never wavering compassion

5. Where do you live? in a lil’ house

6. Name three people you admire. @academla honestly from the bottom of my heart inspires me everyday to just keep going forward; i love edye so much. <3 also michelle obama and barbara corcoran!!

7. Has a book ever changed your life? If so, what was it and how? my heart and other black holes, also anything by rainbow rowell. both made me smile, cry, and grow as a human being. <3

8. What is a skill you would like to learn and why? how to figure skate again :(

9. What is your favourite music? k-pop or alternative!

10. What historical figure would you like to be and why? honestly none, because of how brutal things were back then. maybe elizabeth I?

11. What is your favourite quote? this one: “Don’t be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.”

—Natalie Babbit, Tuck Everlasting

ask 11:

1. what motives you to live?

2. favourite movie, and why?

3. what is your favourite pen to take notes with?

4. coffee fan or not?

5. a secret passion of yours?

6. what is your favourite kind of tea?

7. a duck walked into a school wearing a sombrero; explain why it’s here.

8. you can only save three possessions (material), what would they be?

9. do you sing in the shower?

10. have you ever been to disney land? if so, what’s your favourite attraction?

11. you can have coffee with one person, dead or alive, who would it be?

tag 11:

@leviosa-studies @get-nerdy-with-me @tearii @hotcofffee @etudias @academla @obsidianstudy @lycheestudy @studyships @universi-tea @studypetals

Good luck!

#tag #tagged #studyblr #studyspo #study motivation #studyspiration #study inspiration #study inspo #peachylearning

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survivor-iceland · 4 years

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Ep. 11 - “Just because I am loud does not mean I am good at this game.” - Raffy

Raffy

I cannot believe that plan worked out. We got out Stephen, weakening Maynor's hold on this game which means that if he doesn't win this next immunity challenge then he's screwed. However, this next one is a doozy and I don't know if I can win this, but I am going to try my best. I just hope people credit me with this move since I managed to make the right social connections to do it. Timmy is big mad, but I think that is more towards Joseph than anything else. Either way, I am proud of myself for doing THAT. Nothing in my Survivor career will ever top this moment.

Jack

So the plan worked, Stephen got voted out (love you man) and thank fuckkkk because I got 3 votes. Joseph went for Timmy and that made Timmy mad at Joseph and I'm like *very innocently whistling* This challenge now o boyyyyy, hopefully maybe i can win maybe? Also i really like Timmy and Dylan but also Timmy is gonna kill me and i know it. He was so mad in the moment mannnn.

Timmy

I am absolutely, positively livid. I’m thankful that it wasn’t me, but my god there are a lot of fake bitches here. Number 1 on that list is Raffy who was preaching about how they’re alone and there is no need to lie to them but then goes lying on all day. BITCH I WAS HONEST WITH YOU! I THOUGHT WE GOT THROUGH THAT SHIT! I guess fucking not though. I wanted an easy vote after the mess that was the last two but nope. And I get the irony here, trust me it’s not lost. I did it to them and this is karma and she’s really that bitch. But really, I’m just glad I still have my idol because I was real close to panic playing it. Number 2 is Joseph because he had the audacity to vote for me because the people who have been TARGETING HIM say that they have the numbers. And guess what, THEY LIED TO HIM. Literally a dumbass who will never win because they don’t understand any concepts of the game. Dylan is a huge threat right now because they are making moves and not staying true to alliances but being calculated about it. Dylan is riding the middle which right now seems like a good spot. I feel like it will put them in the target position that I had been in though, which could work for me. But I will not let Raffy skate by because he has people in jury who will vote for him. And raffy needs to go fast if there is another returning player just because it might be Zoe or John.

Dylan C

https://youtu.be/KkInofcSWYc

Maynor

Well. Back to the minority thanks to Joseph. Who honestly screwed over people who wanted to work with him till the end so he could help people who have said they wanted him out for forever. 🤷‍♂️ Im just whatever. Like if i dont win immunity, im most likely going home. And Joseph gets a free pass to f5 cuz the two next votes will be me and Timmy.

This challenge is just a huge ugh for me. I dont know why but everytime i have done this challenge, it always triggers a panic attack. Its a small one but affects my ability to do it when i mess up for the first time. I got to 29 sleds. Most likely not going to be enough to beat Jack or Raffy. Which sucks cuz i really needed this immunity.

Maynor

Hmm. I think i wont be able to pass my 29 sled score. Especially not in the state i am. The pressure i put on myself wasnt good. And has made me into a mess. I just feel bad. And i feel like i let Timmy down even though he has told me I didnt. For the challenge, i feel like Raffy or Jack will win. And Timmy n I will be the targets. No one in their right mind would vote off Joseph. He’s the goat people would take to the end to get zero votes. He really screwed his alliance for people who dont want to work with him. Im still going to fight but not going to fool myself its going to be tougher and gunna need lots of luck.

Raffy

This challenge broke me. I got up to mid-70s and then I fucked it up. And apparently someone was neck and neck with me. It was probably Timmy, and he is going to win immunity then use the idol on Maynor which is terrible. I fully think there is an idol in this game and it can only be used in these next two rounds so it is bound to happen. And I am just so tired and so done and so over it. I can't do it anymore. And I'm going to go to EoE and then have to battle against challenge powerhouses and I fgjkbf j, fsjfKD dkHV dhb KB If this is the challenge that causes my game to be over, I'm going to be pissed

Jack

So i somehow actually one the challenge (i legit thought I wasn't doing that well and then Jay's like "mate you're super ahead lmao") but I'm VERY glad i did, cause no way I didn't still have a target on my back. Now the likely shift will be onto Raffy, but we've got the stirrings of a plan to go for Timmy (love the guy, he just seems like he wants to murder me so) and go with the same voting block of Ellie, Raffy, Dylan and me, and then Joseph would maybe not be told the vote (sorry dude) and instead told that the votes smthn else, so in case Timmy has an idol he wont use it (but also like only 2 more councils to use it so like he might just anyways) but yeah. Also maybe spreading that were going to vote for Joseph actually tho, but idk. Gonna chat with Dylan and Ellie in the morning.

Raffy

I was so close to winning that challenge. I do not feel safe going into this round because I think that someone has an idol up their sleeve and they are bound to use it either during this round or the next. I want to split the vote between Maynor and Timmy, but last time I tried to organize a split vote, one of my closest allies went home. Ideally, we have me, Jack, and Dylan vote for Maynor while Ellie/Joseph vote for Timmy. However, Joseph probably feels betrayed after last round so he will probably join Timmy's and Maynor's side. I think we all need to stack our votes on one person for the best success, but I'm so scared of an idol rn that it is crazy. Idol paranoia is at an all-time high.

Raffy

I do not know why I am a front runner in this game when people like Dylan, Jack, and Ellie exist who are the ones doing the actual work. In fact, I should not even be a target. Just because I am loud does not mean I am good at this game. Either way, at least it means I have a good chance of victory if I make it to FTC, but that is a hard IF.

Ellie and Dylan were talking, and they determined that a split vote, while risky, is probably necessary. Our main target right now is Maynor, but we are splitting it between him and Timmy. We want to keep Joseph in the dark about who the target is because I don't necessarily trust him with that information. So, we are going to tell him that it is Timmy, but three of us are going to vote for Maynor while another one votes for Timmy. This creates a 3-2-2 if Joseph goes along with the plan. And, if he back stabs us, it creates' a 3-3-1 with a tie for insurance. This is in case of an idol because if Joseph back stabs us then that means they will think it is Timmy which means, if they have an idol, they will use it on Timmy, not Maynor. This plan has its risk, but sometimes you have to take risks in this game like last time.

Raffy

Maynor asked me to vote him out. This is strange because his reasoning is that he feels like he screwed over Timmy's game and he wants to give Timmy more chances in this game than himself. I find this incredibly suspicious because this could very well be a ploy to use the idol correctly in order to idol someone out, probably me. If this were a trick, it's a dirty trick that I cannot respect. I would like to believe him and make this an easy tribal, but this is just odd from my standpoint.

Jack

Okay so plan rn is voting 3 (Joseph, Ellie, Raffy) onto Maynor and 2 (Me, Dylan) onto Timmy, in case one had an idol. No hard feelings for either just how it goes. I'm so freaking glad i've got immunity tonight mannnn. Also I've still got my idol so that's a thing. I'm pretty confident tonight be who knows man, Joseph's a bit of a wild card and Dylan could flip. Also love Maynor but hes gonna do a win mannnn.

Raffy

I told Joseph about the split vote because I do not believe lying is necessary anymore. Maynor knows he is going home, so he is going to use an idol on himself either way. And Joseph seemed down as long as he got to vote Maynor. This could end up blowing up in my face, but this will come back to haunt these people in the form of my bitterness.

Maynor

This tribal is gunna be extremely messy and i love it cuz there is a chance that me and Timmy can stay in the game. I knew that Dylan Effie Raffy and Jack are splitting votes. Also have asked Joseph to join them. So they wanna split 3-2 with me going home. Kinda my doing cuz told Raffy to vote for me. But Joseph is gunna vote with Me and Timmy and vote Dylan. So the vote should be 3-3-1 unless they have Joseph in the majority vote if they do then the vote would end up being 3-2-2 amd Dylan goes home. Timmy says hes gunna play his idol but doesnt know on who yet. We are assuming right now that im getting the majority. So hoping so we can pull of this amazing blindside. 3 blindside in the first 4 merge vote. We are some crackheads.

Timmy

This tribal is going to be a mess. Should I play my idol, should I not, I DON'T FUCKING KNOW. And now I have to put my faith in Joseph...THE SAME JOSEPH WHO FUCKED ME OVER LAST ROUND. Like what even is this game. Either way Maynor and I want Dylan gone and everyone else except maybe Joseph wants myself or Maynor gone. If we can get through this without needing to use the idol it'll be a miracle.

Ellie

What the fuck is it with Raffy and last minute decisions???? Stick with the plan dude pretty pleaseeeeeee

Raffy

At least I was not screwed over by the idol. I still have the numbers with Jack and Ellie. So, next round I either need the idol or win immunity. Or both.

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alwayssummerblog · 6 years

Text

Hot Winter Activities To Try In Nashville This Holiday Season

Even though Music City rarely dips below freezing in winter, there’s still lots of cool activities that will delight visitors this December. Check out the list below and plan some festive fun for the whole family! We found activities perfect for the Nashville natives as well as the lucky tourists visiting Music City during the most wonderful time of the year.

1) Gaylord Opryland’s “A Country Christmas”

ICE! Ice tends to feel twice as nice inside and you’ll experience tons of bundled-up festive fun as part of “Ice!” and many more of Gaylord Opryland’s “A Country Christmas” wintry mix of events. There’s a chill in the air as you walk throughout the 2 million pounds of sculptures – and it’s not just because How the Grinch Stole Christmas is this year’s theme. The room is kept at a steady nine degrees that features four two-story tall ice slides and a crystal-clear Nativity. Other activities you’ll flip over include ice skating on an 8,000 square-foot rink, ice tubing on the lawn, carriage rides and an on-so-sweet gingerbread decorating corner. You can enjoy a delicious meal and meet the Grinch while you’re feasting! The interactive dining experience includes a buffet of Who-ville- inspired items and table-side visits with The Grinch. There’s still more to discover and too many “A Country Christmas” events for which to quite capture the essence here so please visit the resort’s official site for all of the information your holiday heart desires. Many package deals and discounts are available for adults, children, military and more.

Elsewhere on Gaylord ground, every light in and outside (there’s at least 3 million of the holiday variety) of Gaylord Opryland’s house is on as country superstar Trace Adkins performs featured standards from his 2013 release The King’s Gift on select dates in the resort’s Tennessee Ballroom through Christmas Day. There’s even a special menu – featuring fare like “Noel” chocolate custard. Get your tickets HERE!

Photo Credit: Gaylord Opryland’s “A Country Christmas” Website

2) Walmart’s Holiday Spectacular

It may not be Santa Claus or Candy Cane Lane, but on December 17 the Walmart at 204 North Anderson Lane in Hendersonville intends to festively rival these names. How? Well if you follow the wheels on the loads of tour buses that typically go round and round you’ll find that they’re opening up their doors as part of the annual Christmas 4 Kids outreach in the store’s holi-dazed paradise of a parking lot. From 5 to 9PM, fans will get an opportunity to meet some stars and climb aboard their parked tour buses. The annual bus show raises money to fund holiday shopping sprees at Walmart for more than 400 local school children. Those scheduled to appear include 3 Doors Down, Adairs Run (who recently performed on USA Network’s Real Country); talented songstress Ashton Shepherd (with top 20 singles “Takin’ Off This Pain,” “Sounds So Good,” and “Look It Up” to her credit), Craig Wayne Boyd, Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town, Tennessee favorites The Young Fables (who’ve also performed on Real Country), Lee Greenwood, rockabilly renaissance man Eric Heatherly (whose new album Matchbook Rendezvous will be released next year) and many more. Hunter Hayes will be there for one hour only from 5-6PM. For the complete list please, click HERE!

[instagram]

3) The Oak Ridge Boys’ Shine the Light On Christmas Tour

Spruce things up with a special show from some iconic country crooners. The one-of-a-kind Oak Ridge Boys are wrapping their holiday tour season up in style as their popular Shine the Light On Christmas Tour arrives on December 23 at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center. If the previews are any indication then the Boys are more prepared to pull out all the stops and then some at this jubilant event (presented without orchestra). This show is nearing sold-out status so hurry and get your tickets at nashvillesymphony.org to avoid a blue Christmas.

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With a record that sounds straight out of the early Sun Studios recordings, The Oak Ridge Boys have added to their tremendous legacy with 17th Avenue Revival. Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton) keeps the production crisp and honest, true to the live recording rooms that first waded into rock and roll’s gospel-influenced waters. ~ Matt Conner @CCMMag (Buy link in bio.)

A post shared by The Oak Ridge Boys (@theoakridgeboys) on Dec 8, 2018 at 2:01pm PST

Speaking of which – - - feeling Elv-ish? Catch some Christmas classics of The King’s (of Memphis – not Bethlehem) courtesy of Terry Mike Jeffrey and complete with symphony for only $25 on the 19th and 20th with “An Elvis Christmas” at the Schermerhorn.

4) Vince Gill and Amy Grant at the Ryman

Harmonious husband-and-wife duo Vince Gill and Amy Grant are settling in for so many of their famed Christmas shows at the “Mother Church” that they may as well be pitching a tent (or paying rent). Rodney Crowell, John Jorgensen and Hannah Sutherland open. Remaining dates of their 12 days/nights stand are December 16-20 and once more on the 23rd. “These holiday tours have become our favorites,” chimes Vince. Tickets HERE!

5) Cheekwood Botanical Gardens’ Holiday “LIGHTS” Experience

Brighten up the season: Stroll in and around Cheekwood Botanical Gardens’ Holiday “LIGHTS” experience featuring one million bright bulbs along the one -mile walking path. Visit with reindeer, enjoy seasonal drinks such as hot chocolate and cider, be crooned by carolers, see a 500+ poinsettia tree, roast a marshmallow and maybe even meet Santa! Check out the official website HERE!

Photo Credit: Cheekwood Botanical Gardens’ Website

6) The Country Music of Hall of Fame and Museum

Hall aboard! The Country Music of Hall of Fame and Museum is gifting an impressive display of offerings to visitors during its Deck the Hall events. “Tour and Concert: A Legendary Holiday” gets underway December 15 with a tour of historic RCA Studio B and music from Jason Coleman and Meagan Taylor. Shake things up and make mini-museum exhibit snow globes in the Hall’s creative zone, or take in a movie with a screening of the legendary “Whisperin’” Bill Anderson’s 1968 A Country Christmas on December 23 from 11AM to noon. More “Deck”-designed happenings HERE!

Photo Credit: The Country Music of Hall of Fame and Museum’s Website

Speaking of flicks, on a (loosely) related note we would be remiss not to mention everyone’s favorite classic Christmas film Die Hard. It’s bursting onto the Belcourt screen with a vengeance on December 15 at midnight.

7) Bring Your Pets to Meet Santa!

If you’re in the vicinity of Goodlettsville and want to extend the warm and fuzzy feelings along to your furry friend then chin up! Good tidings for you. RiverGate Mall is hosting Pet Photos with Santa in front of JCPenney on December 18 from 6-9PM. It’s a special night just for pets and you can reserve your time online HERE!

Photo Credit: Pet Photo Nights with Santa

8) The Old Crow Medicine Show

Feeling a dreary winter cold coming on? Cure it with a good fix from the Old Crow Medicine Show. On December 30 and 31 the much-beloved Americana-ian band of merrymakers are building a Nashville nest for themselves as the Opry-member and GRAMMY-winning group swoop into the Ryman Auditorium for a two-night residence to close out the year. Curious as to just what kind of raucous Ryman nights you might experience with these fowl folkists? Here’s a quote from lead vocalist Ketch Secor (upon OCMS’s Opry induction) to give a good glimpse.

“We the Old Crows are just so proud to be entrusted to carry on the traditions of the Grand Ole Opry’s good-natured riot.”

Their newest album Volunteer was released earlier this year and is available HERE. Tickets to both shows (featuring The War and Treaty) are available via Ryman.com.

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Location scouting... I’ll tell you the rest later...

A post shared by Hunter Hayes (@hunterhayes) on Dec 5, 2018 at 4:41pm PST

9) John Prine at the Opry House

Lastly but not leastly, if the thought of ringing in the new year gives you hot and cold fever (and, ya know; leaves you in a cool cool sweat) then you’re in luck. John Prine plus prime openers Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats (with special guest Iris Dement) take the Opry House stage at 8PM on December 31. More info and tickets HERE. To further set the tone you can also see performances from Prine plus Rateliff and the Sweats’ steamy number direct from the 2018 Americana Music Festival by streaming CMT’s hour-long Americana Fest special for free through select cable providers.

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Turned my back for a couple of days to go on the road and the folks at @ohboyrecords are practically giving away my favorite Christmas tree! I hear you even get a discount on shipping...get your orders in by Monday before I’m back! store.johnprine.com

A post shared by John Prine (@john_prine) on Dec 14, 2018 at 2:20pm PST

**If booking an area hotel stay, consider choosing Music City’s “Holiday Memories in Nashville Package” where you can choose from a list of area events through the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation and have a one-of-a-kind “Spirit of Music City” (including lots of sweet treats) gift box to show for it. Click HERE for more info.

#country #MegaCountry #christmas #Nashville

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