#WoD frame work

[capsensislagamoprh]

Victor looked over the garden view, wondering how Christophe managed to get a better room than he did. Pinsion Padre was a standard hotel, as places with standards go, a mere three hundred m from the Ostrava, which was nice. It also meant Yakov could time his escapades to and from to the minute. Getting to take a break with Chris was hard. They were both trying for the gold at the WFSJC, though one was bound for disappointment. Was it wrong to hope it was him? To even think about wanting it more than his friend?

"You are radiating deep, winter sleep." Christophe said quietly, propping his chin on the Ice King's shoulder. "What has you thinking?"

"I suppose," Victor hummed, "I feel constrained."

"Why?"

Victor shrugged. His eyes closed as he leaned back. "Do you think it will always be this way? Timed, carded, tracked, restrained, bound by rules?"

"It's possible. It may not be. You have to make life what you want it to be. It's not so easy to do that here. You have to fight for what you want. Through odds, preconceptions, your own doubt. There's more to life than life itself."

A silver brow rose. "Sr. Giacometti! Such a sentiment from a spring court fey lord!"

"My dear, Victor," Christophe trilled, "even a winter fey knows the value of life."

Victor scowled, pushing himself upright. "I do, and I want it, yet forever am I besieged by obstacle to my path of joy! The world rages in ice and fire, and I can't even get a room with a view! Seriously," he spun, hands pressing into Christophe's shoulders. "How did you manage it?"

"Booked ahead."

"Body parts in trade are considered taboo in the material realm." The blank, sanity considering look turned his way made Victor repent, if only for a moment. "There must be some way to feel alive while we're here and see if we can find our prey."

"Prey, is it?"

"Yuri is. Sort of. No. I just miss the whimsy."

"Min nära följeslagare... Are we planing a daring escape?"

Victor smiled. Christoph sighed. "Very well. Let us flee."

"Really?!"

"As long as we're back by check in, they need never know. After all, we're still minors here, but until that time, it's on them to know where we are, yes?"

Victor smiled. It reminded Christophe his friend was 'born' into Russia, where all fey were dangerous creatures, terrifying in there might. "Right."

"Come. We still have time to slip into the crowds, lost among disorder, to escape into the city itself," the spring fey cooed, bating Victor until he bent. Grasping the blond's arm, the Ice King beamed, ready to take on the whole of wonder if it gave him even a drop of glamour to enjoy the living.

They ran to the stairs, steps a mere memory. Jumps and laughs echoed thrugh the tunneling spiral as they dashed past doors. At the ground, they peaked out, slipped along the wall, desperate not to laugh until they were free. The outside world would know the sound of fey mischief, it would tremble, it would cry out in pleasure to know they existed. For five minutes. Their coaches caught them in the lobby. Christophe's coach raised a brow, shaking his head in sad disappointment. Yakov looked as if his head were a cartoon explosive.

The world gave them reprieve. "Let them go," Josef sighed. "They are in a new city. They are young." Yakov frowned.

"They are young! They cannot go in a new city alone!"

"Christophe, do you have your phone?"

"Yes."

"Set an alarm. You have until nine thirty this night to be back in your room. Same for Mr. Nikiforov. You will eat a balanced supper, and should I catch a wiff of junk food or you are a second late, I will let Yakov have at you both. Then Madame Baranovskaya, who is due to meet with us for lunch in less than three minutes. She is punctual."

It took the fey a second to recognize what was being offered. Victor peered at Josef for a long moment. He was emitting a rainbow halo. Christophe seemed to radiate with joy. His eyes went wide. Josef was feeding Christophe glamour based on trust! It was so potent he could barely see when he turned, arm grabbed by his friend, racing them out the door.

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16, part 17, part 18, part 19, part 20, part 21, part 22, part 23, part 24

#YoI #Yuri on Ice #yuri k #yuuri katsuki #victor nikiforov #yuri plisetsky #otabek altin #victor x yuuri #otabek x yurio #otayuri #victuuri #gay boys on ice #fey bois on ice #we live for this #WoD frame work #WE SAIL THIS SHIP TO THE STARS! #coming down from a two day migraine #little off schedule #but it's here #this one took some time #i had to look some stuff up #they are in the Czech Republic at the 2003 Jr Worlds

[kedreeva]

hi Ked! congratulations on your word count milestone! that is amazing, especially with a full time job.

I was wondering if you had any thoughts or advice on writing regularly when you're tired from work. I'm a slow writer myself, and it's very frustrating to finish a work day and realize that I gave the best of myself and my energy to my employer.

Thank you!

I can't really say what will work for you, but for me, it helped to designate a time and space for writing. Human brains LOVE a good pattern, and setting up a time and space instigates pattern recognition. It's why you're not supposed to, like, do other stuff than sleeping in your bed space, because if the only thing you do in your bed space is sleeping, then when you enter bed space at bed time, your brain goes Ah ha, it is time for sleep, PREPARE and it becomes easier to fall asleep (typically, obviously).

Designating a time and space ALSO means you are specifically making time for writing (rather than just "I'll do it at some point") and that it has a start time and a stop time. LOTS of brains don't work well without a deadline, and "I'm gonna sit down to write" doesn't push the same button as "I will sit here for 15 minutes and write, then writing time is over." It's why racing others is so effective most of the time- because there's a time limit. Often a brain can rally easier if the task has an endpoint to look forward to or "beat" so to speak.

If you don't have friends to race with (you can join my writing discord and do races there), then there's always sites or programs like written? Kitten! or 4thewords or Fighter's Block or Write Or Die. Personally I prefer WOD2, I purchased the app and it's a good way push solo. You set an amount of time, you set a word count you want to reach, and you set a stimulus you do not want to receive for stopping writing. For mine, the screen begins turning red and if I stop writing long enough, the program starts eating my words. So the task goes from "write" to "play game called keep WOD from eating my words."

The thing about the above stuff is that the ACT of writing can feel very unrewarding when you're just writing and not getting anything- it's part of why we share fanfic and stuff online, because then we're getting the reward of comments or discussion. Before you post or publish or otherwise share, you're just.... doing a task. and not getting anything from it, except getting it out of your system or getting to read what you wrote and sometimes the latter feels more like a chore than the writing did. But writing socially (finding a writer's group, finding friends to share with, finding a fandom to talk about your work with etc) or making writing a game or at the very least getting little treats for accomplishing words can alleviate some of that, and make it easier to do.

So, sometimes i do races, sometimes I play games, sometimes I give myself little pictures of kittens or puppies, sometimes I set out a row of small candies (like jellybeans or m&ms or something) and I get to eat one for every sentence I write. Sometimes I frame writing as the reward; "okay, me, we are gonna put away clean dishes, and load the dishwasher, and then we can write for 10 minutes!"

#writing #anon asks #asks

[sensarna]

Theory time (spoilers)

I honestly think that Spit was framed and is not a werewolf/ghoul. In my opinion the real culprit used Spit's drug withdrawal symptoms to make him the most obvious suspect and Spit is either experiencing Delirium from a werewolf transformation or a panic attack from the massacre.

Why kill Fatigue? If it's a werewolf then the old man is the biggest problem - he's the Lycantrophy guy after all and might've deduced werewolf's identity. He's also constantly chilling with the security and Spit acted weird enough the whole evening that he would be the most suspicious. Almost like a Red Herring.

My guess is that Matilda is the werewolf . There's a full moon outside and - if she's a werewolf - she would be constantly on edge because of it (I'm also not sure if her bold handwriting and surname - Wilde - are clues or just quirks of the character). I also think that Elise might know about it and that it's the real reason why she exchanged Git's rolls for the key to the Security room - to give Matilda something to calm her nerves....or maybe she was really just being nice to the staff. Fatigue finding out Matilda's identity might've been the last straw.

As for who the ghoul might be... I'm honestly not sure. Elise, Occam, Amanda, Git, Gloria and even Brok felt the most suspicious for me.

Elise was visibly suspicious the whole episode, but that might as well be a Red Herring for the viewers. She might just be a nice person - rolls to calm down Miranda and a room to breathe for Grimal.

Occam recovered from strangulation with no marks on his neck in the last scene (might be an animation error) and there was an additional chalice when he was found. He's also one of the highest members in the hierarchy and could get the most info.

Amanda is suspicious mostly because of how uninvolved in anything she was, but she also mentioned Baba Yaga after her brain was fried and Baba Yaga, in the WOD lore, is a powerful Nosferatu + according to Blacklaw the longer you hide the truth from his Truth Machine the worst it will be for you , and we saw that it works with Grimal so what was Amanda hiding? Miranda's Lycantrophy?

Git works with the ghouls on his day job so he would be an easy target. If Spit is actually a werewolf he might've framed his friend to redirect everyone's attention and since he was locked up he could fabricate whatever story he needs. Also his smile after he told Blacklaw about D at 99p store seemed suspicious to me, like he is using Blacklaw's obsession with D to redirect attention elsewhere... or maybe he is smiling because they are about to start bullying/torturing people for truth.

Gloria is just snorting cocaine most of the episode but it might be because she is trying to get the edge off. If she had no blood for a long time she might try it and The Police Dude said he tried drugs to stimulate the high of vampiric blood. She was also fine when checking on Occam despite having white powder on her face. Her nervousness when instructing Matilda and Harry might be from drugs and the situation as a whole.

Brok is just weirdly strong and resilient. Also Occam was strangled from behind and Brok's first course of action most of the time is to go for the neck.

In the end, considering that vampires can go invisible, shapeshift and create illusions it's possible that the suspect might not even be among the main characters. And with how strong they are there might also be no werewolf.

#hunter: the parenting

[connorhasaknife]

big theorypost for episode 3 of hunter the parenting

there was a lot in this episode! goddamn, not even just for d either. i have a lot of stuff for d, kitten and potential foreshadowing from pyotr. specifically pyotr, there's some cool stuff there that i've been thinking about. schizoposting commence BIG D more fuel to the idea that the credits sword/d's sword is a title being manifested in the fact that he clearly summons it and desummons it in the episode, and the fact that he does nothing which lines up with the legend thing

also lol get shat on idiot

where did his sword go? where did it go. it was flung in this direction. where is it. where is it dont have much else for d this episode other than that nothing contradicts the theory. it isnt less plausible, but it does only get a little bit more plausible unless ive missed things. there'll probably be shit next episode there is also the fact that he doesn't seem to know how to use an icepack- or, alternatively, he was a beast-like changeling that finds chewing on it comforting? it would line up with how he deformed last episode, but i've been considering a d fairie custodes characters (krakus, potentially waamudes and custodisi) changeling thing which might work. We'll See! KITTEN

byeah kitten is a werecat check THIS shit out

he's punched by a vampire who just committed diablerie and he's like, completely fine, which would make sense if he's a werecat considering how massively powerful shapechangers are in wod.

here's kitten with clear back hair. you may say connor those are blur lines you do animation you should know this WRONG idiot, the next few frames confirm it isn't as he uh

he's either a bastet or the worlds most dedicated catboy.

also, his 'hissing' is translated, which would make SENSE considering that bastet have a language that sounds like animal noises but is, like.. speech. i say bastet but i mean every shapechanger ever. now that we've clarified that kitten is a bastet, what does this mean? wouldn't he be hunted by the team? WRONG

before i ramble about what this means, i first need to clarify something. bastet come in tribes- most tribes are built around big cats, like lions and tigers. kitten clearly isn't one of those. even in this more catlike form, he's still very small compared to what you would expect from a bastet of any other tribe. he also lives in europe, alongside a fae.

the ceilician are a commonly thought extinct tribe of bastet. commonly found in europe, they allign themselves closely with the fae- they are smaller and weaker than most other tribes of bastet, but are exceptionally fast, intelligent and skilled with blades. due to their close proximity with fae and fae-aligned creatures, most ceilicians are skilled with some form of magic. they're also unusually skilled with computers... mmmmyeaaah but im sure it means nothing the more i theorise about this the more i feel like i'm losing iiit aaaaaaaaaaaa PYOTR

firstly; pyotr put kitten in the Shovelhead Hole to turn him. like almost certain about this, he even implies he's going to kill kitten (by turning him). pyotr horny moment

in the eyecatcher its explained how the sabbat crew got embraced. pyotr, the nosferatu and scrungly meow meow, got embraced during a deep sea mining operation. a nosferatu being embraced. underwater the concept of antediluvians is a muddled one, particularly in old world of darkness where everything has been retconned and where original books are hard to come across. what IS concrete though is the relationships that certain bloodlines (hah) have with their antediluvians. it's always absolutely awful, like completely without fail. for example, the malkavians were driven mad and are essentially waiting for malkav to eat their consciousness and assume control of their bodies. the nosferatu have a particularly bad relationship- to make a long story short (let me know if you want me to explain the lore in another post lmfao) the nosferatu antediluvian wants to kill every single nosferatu for being ugly and ruining his reputation. he's enlisted a group of nosferatu to hunt down and kill every remaining member of the clan. he can't do this himself, because he's sleeping like every other antediluvian. he's currently sleeping at the bottom of the pacific ocean, according to the gehenna (vampire apocalypse) sourcebook.. where, uh pyotr was embraced, apparently? why was a nosferatu EMBRACED down there??? of all things he should have died, what the fuck was the sabbat doing too? something fishy is going on here. maybe he was recruited to kill off a group of nosferatu, but that makes.. less sense? i don't know. something's going on there but i dont know what because i'm stupid.

also he ended up dying because he diablerised everyone, lol. eat shit enjoy the extra souls in hell pissboy

yeah thats it for now. let me know if anyone has anything else to add. loving how the werecat theory actually ends up helping the d fairie theory. if any of the ogre poppenang staff is stalking the tag ily so much babygirl please canonise my theory <3 tysm

#hunter: the parenting #htp #h:tp #hunter the parenting #alfabusa #theories

[jontheredrc]

Anyway, it's about that time again...and I'm a little bit frustrated. On my walk to work, my brain was just sort of doodling music ideas and actually came up with something I'd like to compose. The problem is, uh, I already forgot it. Even just resting in the break room, with its radio on and some alarm that's been beeping for at least a day...the melody is gone. This, if anything, is the hardest part of music composition for me, is that my ideas happen at all the worst times. I don't really think in terms of the notes, so I can't write them down. And these ideas are very ephemeral compared to, say, novel ideas...instead of having a complete scene as a goal (even if only a freeze frame) that I might at least retain part of or pursue as a concrete goal later even if I forget the rest, I have a formless bop. To say nothing of my ability to survive the work day with my memories intact...

Have a great day, everyone! Love you! I have tomorrow off, and I think there's some cowboy WoD coming up! But until then, wish me luck out there on the work floor...! 👋💕

#workday sendoff

[littleharpethcrossfit]

Saturday, 17 December, 2022.... Warmup.......Rows & Rows....... Partner WOD.

It was a freezing but warm morning at the Barn.  How can that be ??  It was sunny, very little wind, and we had 5 heaters blasting.  Nobody complained.

Larry led us off with some mobility exercises and he didn’t even have to be asked.

Warmup:

4 Rounds

5  Pulses Each Position

                I       Y        T       W

If You Know, You Know.  This is a great shoulder warmup since there is a lot of shoulder intensive work coming up.

Strength:

5 / 5  Dumb Bell Rows     ( A.H.A.P. )

SUPERSETS

7  Ring Rows

Armando/Larry/Timmy/Ed=80     WG/Coach/Lew/Tom=70     Rodney=50     Alicia/Sue=40     Sandi/Kayla=30     Elisa/Shannon/Linda=20     Sheryl=10     Warren A=P.J.  (Coach witnessed 70)

     Metabolic Conditioner

Partnered  WOD         

One Partner Works At A Time

                     50 / 40 / 30 / 20 / 10

Calories On Any Shared ERG

Seated Arnold Presses     ( 50′s / 30′s / 20 ‘s )

Bench Presses     ( E=135 / 95 / 65 ) 

ELITE:     

Armando=25:50     (1/2 solo)

Partnered RX:     

Larry/WG=21:01     Timmy/Ed=25:00

Partnered Almost RX:     

Tom/Coach=27:03

Partnered Scaled:     

Kayla/Sheryl=20:33     Alicia/Elisa=26:40      Sue/Linda=28:54    Sandi/Shannon=34:00     Rodney=32:54 (did 2/3 solo)     Lew=34:02  (P.J.)    Warren A=Seriously P.J.  

Notes:

An excellent group with good attitudes abounding except for Alicia who always reads the blog so she read that I mis-posted the start time saying it was 0900 and so she sat alone waiting for 0930.  At least she had the good sense to turn on the electric heater and stretch in front of it while she complained.

Kayla brought her Mommy (Sheryl), 2 bottles of wine, and a beautiful picture of Lou Ferrigno that was autographed personally for ME.  I’m not certain as to how that is all connected, but I think her Mom used to be Lou’s girlfriend and they drank lots of wine.  Miss Linda will get the collectable Lou Ferrigno framed and we will display it at the Barn.  You will get to meet Kayla and Sheryl at the party tonight.

Don’t forget.  The LHCF Christmas Party starts at 6 PM.  If you get here before 8 PM you can have fun before Robert gets here from coaching a basketball game in Memphis.  

For once this year, parking is allowed on the RIGHT side of the driveway where the drive straightens out.  Donuts and tire spinning are discouraged.

Tomorrow, Sunday, there is NO 0730 workout for 2 reasons.  (1)  Your Coach will want to sleep late, and (2) the World Cup Finals ( That’s Soccer ) is at 0900. Please spread the word, especially to Alicia.

Sunday at 1 PM ONLY.  

[wiverix]

Get Fit On The Beach With These Crossfit Workouts

Crossfit is a workout program that is constantly changing. It is a mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercises. It can be done on the beach or at a gym.

Get Fit On The Beach With These Crossfit Workouts

If you're looking for a great workout that won't require any equipment, you can try some of these Crossfit workouts on the beach. Whether you're working on your cardio or strength training, these exercises will work all of your muscles in a variety of ways. So bring your mat and some water, and get ready to sweat! 1. Crossfit Ball Squat This is a great way to work your lower body. Start by placing a ball at your feet, and squat down until the ball is level with your waist. Press back up to the starting position, and repeat. 2. Crossfit Jump Rope This is another great workout for your legs and core. Start by standing in front of a jumping rope, with both hands on the rope above your head. Jog forward, then jump over the rope and land in front of it again. Keep repeating this pattern until you've completed the desired number of reps. 3. Crossfit Weighted Plank If you're looking to tone your abs and core, this is the perfect exercise for you! Lie flat on your back on the ground with one hand flat on the ground next to you, and your other hand raised overhead. Hold this position for two seconds, then switch hands and repeat. 4. Crossfit Push-Up This is a great exercise for your chest and shoulders. Start by lying down on your back on the ground, with your hands at your sides. Place your palms flat on the ground next to you, and press up into a push-up position. Hold this position for two seconds, then lower back down to the ground and repeat.

What are the Benefits of Crossfit?

In today's world, more and more people are looking for ways to stay fit and healthy. Crossfit is a unique fitness program that is known for its high-intensity and challenging workouts. There are many benefits to CrossFit, including the following: 1) Crossfit can help you lose weight. The intense workouts require your body to use all of its energy, which helps you burn more calories. 2) Crossfit can improve your endurance. The high-intensity workouts will challenge your muscles in new ways, which will make them stronger and tougher. This will help you achieve longer endurance levels when participating in other physical activities later on in life. 3) Crossfit can improve your strength and tone your muscles. The high-intensity workouts will cause your muscles to become stronger and fuller. This will help you achieve a leaner physique overall.

What are the Different Types of Crossfit?

Crossfit is an intense workout that uses a variety of exercises to help you tone and sculpt your body. There are three main types of Crossfit: endurance, strength, and conditioning. Endurance Crossfit focuses on building endurance by completing long and intense workouts. Strength Crossfit uses heavier weights and more challenging exercises to build muscle. Conditioning Crossfit is designed to help you improve your overall fitness level by challenging your body in new ways. Crossfit is a fitness program that combines elements of Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics, running, and aerobic exercise. Crossfit is a fitness program that has been growing in popularity in recent years. It is a mix of strength and conditioning, aerobic exercise, and gymnastics that is often done at gyms or outdoors. There are several different types of CrossFit, each with its benefits. One type is called "WOD" (workout of the day). A WOD typically consists of a series of exercises that are all completed in a very short time frame. For example, a WOD might be to do 10 reps of squats followed by 20 seconds of rest. This type of CrossFit is challenging but also tailored to those who want to see results quickly. Another type is called "constant variation" CrossFit. This type involves doing the same workout every week but changing the exercises each time so that it remains challenging but remains familiar to the user. This allows for more long-term progress and adaptation than WODs as users get used to the routine and continue making progress even when they don't have access to new equipment or programming. There are many different types of CrossFit available, so if you're interested in trying it out there's no need to feel limited. Just be sure to talk to your doctor before starting any new workout routine – CrossFit can be a great way to improve your overall health and fitness, but it's important to be aware of the risks associated with this type of exercise.

What are the Best Crossfit Workouts for the Beach?

There are many benefits to incorporating CrossFit workouts into your beach routine. Not only will you be working up a sweat, but you'll also be getting in some great cardiovascular exercise. Plus, the sand will provide enough resistance to make you work at your best. Here are four of the best CrossFit workouts for the beach: 1) CrossFit Open: This workout is perfect for beginners. It's a mix of aerobic and strength exercises that will target all areas of your body. You'll also work on cardio by running or biking across the sand. 2) CrossFit Total: This fitness routine is designed to push your limits. You'll perform intense exercises that will test your strength, endurance, and agility. Make sure to bring plenty of water and snacks because this workout can get pretty intense! 3) CrossFit Mobility: This class is perfect for people who have trouble moving around easily. You'll learn how to do basic calisthenics such as squats and push-ups while also improving flexibility and range of motion. 4)CrossFit Endurance: This challenging workout targets your entire body including your heart and lungs. You'll complete a series of challenging exercises that will push your body to its limits. Make sure to warm up properly before starting this workout!

How to do Crossfit at the Beach?

Many CrossFit workouts can be done at the beach, depending on how busy the beach is and what equipment is available. Generally, CrossFit workouts can be completed with a few pieces of gym equipment: a weight bench, a pull-up bar, and some resistance bands. If there is no gym equipment available, people can often complete CrossFit workouts by using things like sandbags or water bottles as weights. A few modifications may be necessary, such as using heavier weights or adding more repetitions to some exercises to make them more challenging. Regardless of what equipment is available or how the CrossFit workout is completed, always be safe while exercising and make sure to consult with a healthcare professional before beginning any new fitness program.

How fast can you get in shape with CrossFit?

It typically takes about five to six months for someone who is just starting in CrossFit to see a significant improvement in their fitness level. However, if you are relatively new to CrossFit, you can improve at a much faster rate. If your current fitness level falls between 61 and 100, continuing to work hard and stay consistent is the key to raising your Fitness Level by twenty levels per year. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the time it takes to get in shape will vary depending on your level of fitness and commitment. However, some tips on how to quickly get in shape with CrossFit include incorporating these basic principles into your daily routine: 1. Make sure you are eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly. 2. Make sure you are training at the right intensity. 3. Keep a consistent workout schedule.

How many times a week should I do a CrossFit workout?

CrossFit is a great workout, but you should do it at least five days a week, with two days of rest or active recovery. Those who come to CrossFit sporadically usually see minimal improvement while those who consistently come show measurable improvements. When it comes to CrossFit, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. That said, many people find that CrossFit workouts performed on a beach provide an excellent cardiovascular workout with minimal impact on their joints.

Does CrossFit change your body shape?

While CrossFit may not be for everyone, it can change the shape of your body. If you're looking to add some muscle mass and reduce body fat, then CrossFit workouts on the beach may be perfect for you.

How should I eat while doing CrossFit?

When doing CrossFit workouts on the beach, it is important to stay hydrated and fueled. It is recommended to drink plenty of water and eat a healthy snack before starting your workout. During the workout, you will likely be sweating and eating salty foods so it is important to keep your electrolytes topped off. Additionally, try to avoid eating large meals before or after a CrossFit workout because it will make you feel sluggish. Instead, have a small meal about an hour before starting the workout and finish with a post-workout snack or drink.

How long will it take me to lose weight doing CrossFit?

It will take you about 10-15 weeks to lose weight doing CrossFit. CrossFit workouts can help people lose weight, but it will take time.  Regular CrossFit training can help people lose weight, but it will also require dedication and commitment. People who are new to the program may find it difficult to adhere to all the guidelines and workouts, which can lead to frustration. Those who are committed to working out regularly should expect to see results within 10-15 weeks.

Why is CrossFit so addictive?

What makes CrossFit so addictive is its combination of challenging exercises with constant feedback. Every workout is unique, so there is never a dull moment. And because each person's body is different, no two CrossFits are alike. This keeps each individual engaged and motivated to keep pushing themselves further.

Why do Crossfitters have big stomachs?

Crossfitters have big stomachs because they do high-intensity exercises that work their muscles and burn a lot of calories. Crossfitters are known for their big stomachs. What is the reasoning behind this? Crossfitters perform a variety of physical exercises that work the whole body, and the stomach is one of the most active muscles in the body. This type of workout has been shown to burn more calories and help build muscle, so Crossfitters’ stomachs likely get bigger because of all the extra exercise.

Why am I not losing weight doing CrossFit?

There could be a few reasons why you may not be losing weight while doing CrossFit. First, it's possible that you're not eating enough while doing CrossFit. Make sure to eat a healthy balanced diet while doing CrossFit so that you're getting the nutrients your body needs to lose weight. Second, it's possible that you're not getting enough exercise while doing CrossFit. Make sure to get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day while doing Crossfit to lose weight. Finally, it's also possible that you're not following the right CrossFit routine. Make sure to follow the CrossFit program correctly and make sure to drink plenty of water while doing CrossFit so that you're hydrated and able to lose weight. Many people swear by the benefits of CrossFit, and there are even more who believe that the workout can help you burn calories and lose weight. But for many people, results from CrossFit workouts just don't seem to match up with what they see in the mirror. The bottom line is that if you're looking to lose weight doing CrossFit, it's important to find a program that fits your specific needs and goals. If you're not seeing results yet, it might be worth considering other methods of training or adjusting your diet or lifestyle habits to see better results. - How To Do A Crossfit Handstand Push Up In Less Than 10 Seconds?

Conclusion

Crossfit is a great way to get fit on the beach. You can choose from a variety of different workouts and they are all fun and challenging. Read the full article

#Crossfit Workouts #Crossfit Weighted Plank #Crossfit Jump Rope #Crossfit Ball Squat #Crossfit Push-Up

[nikkafashionaccessory]

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[harlowdoylepi]

TA-418 SAGA PART 2: Moving forward

The evening was coming on when Richard Maxwell and Robert Mitchell took the exit to Odyssey.

Less than 10 minutes later they walked into Whit's End. They were instantly greeted by the usual bustle, laughter, and cheer of the ice cream shop.

Richard looked around. The place was almost unchanged since he had been there last. That was nearly six years ago.

Mitch walked to the front counter, where Eugene Meltsner was sitting, furiously scribbling down a mathematical formula on a piece of paper. He still wore a vest and coke bottle glasses.

"Eugene?"

Eugene looked up from his work with a start, and pushed his glasses up his nose. Then recognized him and smiled broadly.

"Why Robert Mitchell! What a pleasant surprise!"

Richard stood there smiling shyly.

His eyes brightened even more. "And Richard Maxwell! This is indeed a wonderful event!"

Yup, same old Eugene. "Thanks Eugene, it's good to see you again too."

He looked from Richard to Mitch. "Did you two come here together?"

"Yes." Mitch replied.

"That's amazing! I wasn't aware you two knew each other!" Eugene exclaimed.

Richard and Mitch exchanged glances and smiled. They had both agreed to tell no one any more than was necessary. If in time, they were required to tell Eugene of what had happened, they would, but not now. Not yet.

Mitch leaned against the counter. "So how's the family doing?"

"Quite well. Katrina is working as a substitute teacher back at Odyssey Middle School. Buck has been doing very well. I think he is finally starting to feel like he belongs here."

Eugene did a double-take, "Oh, my apologies, I suppose it has been a while since you've been here. Buck is our seventeen-year-old foster son."

"It's great that you're making an impact like that!" Mitch said.

Eugene smiled humbly. "I'm quite sure God has more to do with that than I."

"But he does use people to accomplish his will." He replied.

"You're very kind." Eugene answered courteously, " Can I get you, gentlemen, anything? Wod- Fam-Choc-Sod, raspberry ripple?"

"Nothing for me, thanks." Richard said politely.

"I'm good too. Actually, we both need to talk to Whit. Any idea where we could find him?"Mitch asked.

"He's up in his office. I'll page him for you."

Eugene pressed a red button on the answering machine, which also doubled as an intercom. It was one of Whit's many innovations around the shop.

"Mr. Whitaker? There are two men here to see you."

A kind voice intoned from the speaker. "Send them in."

They walked into the office. It was beautifully decorated. The bookcases were lined with hundreds of books, as well as a laminated map that was framed, a ship in a bottle, and a certificate of excellence from Universal Press, along with a few other things.

There was a large bay window where the golden sunset streamed through. The solid oak desk was neat with everything in its place, but it wasn't sterile.

Mr. Whitaker looked up from the paperwork he was filling out.

"Hello? Mitch? And Richard!" He beamed. "When Eugene said two men were waiting to see me, I hardly expected you two! But I'm sure glad to see you both again!"

He walked up and embraced each of them warmly. His blue eyes, though tired, were sparkling.

"It's great to see you too, Whit." Richard said, smiling. He hadn't realized how much missed the older man until he saw him again.

"Did you both happen to come here at the same time, or did you come together?"

"Together." Mitch answered.

"I wasn't aware you knew each other!"

"We only just met earlier today." Richard explained.

"How did you meet?"

Mitch laughed and shook his head. "It's a long story. But it's why we're here."

Whit chuckled and nodded understandingly. "I've got time. Why don't you have a seat?" He pulled up two guest chairs and the two men sat down, and Richard spoke up.

"Well, it all started when..."

Sometime later, they were still sitting and relaying the incredible story to Whit. He looked concerned, yet intrigued.

He shook his head. "It's hard to believe all this has happened in the last 24 hours!"

"It may sound hard to believe, but it's true." Mitch said.

Richard nodded in agreement.

"Do you have any idea what your next step is?" Whit asked.

Richard shrugged. "I decided to go under the radar for a while to lose Jellyfish. So I'll stay at the Odyssey Hotel or somewhere until I can find an apartment and then I'll find a job." Man, this is why I hate not having a solid plan! It sounds so dumb when you say it out loud. I can think on my feet, but that doesn't mean I think things through on my feet.

Whit looked at Mitchell.

"What about you Mitch?"

"I'm staying here for a few days to get some paperwork for an international criminal the police are holding here. Then another agent and I will escort her to a high-security prison in Springfield."

"Oh, you mean Mrs. Meido?"

"Yes, and actually, I need to get going. I'm meeting with my contact to confirm that I'm here." He fished in his back pocket for the car keys.

Richard hopped up. "In that case, I should get my bags out of the back of the car."

A moment later, Richard grabbed his duffle bag, and backpack, and walked to Whit.

"Do you know which way it is to the Odyssey Hotel? I can't remember."

"Do you already have a room reserved?"

Maxwell blinked. "No, I don't."

"Well, why don't you come and stay at my house? I've got the room."

"I couldn't impose like that!"

"You'd be no imposition. I'd be glad to have you with us!"

Richard smiled. "Thanks, Whit." his brow furrowed, "Us?"

"Well, I mean Me, Jason, and two children, Morrie and Suzu, who are staying with us for the time being."

Later, Whit and Richard drove to the Whitaker household. They walked inside. The house was very beautiful. The living room was very clean and neat, and it felt like home.

There was a boy, who Richard guessed was Morrie. He was about fourteen, with light brown hair that almost could pass for blond, with slate-gray eyes. He was sitting cross-legged on the couch entrenched in an article in National Geographic magazine.

A young Japanese girl who looked about thirteen drifted in from upstairs, giving a curious look at the newcomer. She was petite and fair-skinned with eyes and hair that were coal black.

This one must be Suzu. Richard thought to himself.

Whit introduced him. "Morrie, Suzu, this is Richard Maxwell. He will be staying with us for a while."

Morrie nodded politely. "Hello." He then went back to his reading.

Suzu walked lightly up to him.

"Here, allow me to take your bags!" She spoke with a Japanese accent.

Before Richard could respond, Suzu reached and took his duffle bag. He grinned. He could tell what she was doing. He reached out, gently grabbed her wrist, and held up her hand. She was holding his wallet.

"Thanks for your help, but I think I can handle carrying my wallet." He smirked."It's not that heavy."

Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened, then shut again.

Morrie, who had really been watching all this time, lowered his magazine and looked at them with new interest.

"Suzu!" Whit reprimanded. He looked at her sternly.

She looked at the floor. "Sorry! I wasn't going to steal it, I was just going to see how long it would take him to notice that it was gone."

"Well, that's not considered a good hosting, or a good way to make friends by most standards."

Morrie had lost his place in the magazine by now and was watching intently.

Suzu stared at Richard, impressed by his prowess. No one had ever caught her in the act before.

"How - how did you know?"

"That -” Richard paused, “is a very long story, which I will not jump into right now. Let's just say I know how to do a lot of things, ok?"

Suzu did not look satisfied with that answer, but she shrugged and replied; "Very well."

Jason locked up Triple J antiques and got into his car, where he sank into the driver's seat. He sighed loudly. He liked running the shop, but there were some days that were just particularly exhausting. Today was one of those days.

Jillian had noticed a problem with the shop’s computer system and then attempted to fix it herself. Needless to say, that ended in disaster, because she ended up deleting the whole system! He didn't even know how she did that. What's worse, he couldn't figure out how to recover the system.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket to see if he received a text from Dad yet, but his phone was dead.

"Rats." He muttered under his breath. "Oh well, I'll be home in no time."

He started the car, backed out, and began driving, homeward bound.

Jason pulled up and walked up the driveway. The sight of home was comforting. An evening breeze blew the sweet scent of the roses past him. He breathed in blissfully and started to feel better.

He opened the front door and walked in to see Whit, Richard, Morrie, and Suzu all sitting in the living room talking.

Richard grinned. "Hey, Jason."

Jason started. "Hey, Richard! It's been a while! I didn't know you were here."

Whit spoke up. "Didn't you get my message?"

"No, my phone died."

"He's staying with us." Morrie reported, looking up.

Jason beamed. "Cool." He looked at Richard. "Are you passing through, on vacation, or something?"

Richard smiled and held up his hands. "Sorry! I'm here to stay for a while."

"That's awesome!” Jason laughed. “Any reason why?"

"It's a long story." He replied.

Morrie studied him curiously. "Do you just say that about everything?"

Maxwell chuckled. "No. I have a good explanation for it, I promise."

That night, Morrie and Suzu were in their bedroom. Silver-white moonlight streamed through the slats of the closed blinds. Morrie was lying on his side, away from his sister. Suzu was in her bed, laying on her back and staring at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts.

Morrie rolled over to face his sister, and he rested his head on his hand.

"I like that new guy. He's fascinating!"

Suzu laid there thoughtfully. "Yes - he is." she said slowly. "I'm wondering where he learned how to pickpocket so well that he caught me in the act."

Morrie gave a low snort. "Yeah! No one has ever done that before! Not even Jason."

"And I'm wondering why he is here." Suzu continued. "He said it was a long story."

Her brother waved it off. "It's just a throwaway phrase adults use to keep from explaining things."

"No, no, I don't think it is in this instance." She had that far away look she occasionally got when she was thinking hard.

Morrie nodded understandingly. "Oh, I get it. Your spidey senses are tingling."

Suzu shrugged. "Perhaps. Maybe it's nothing."

"If you have any revelations, tell me. G'night sis." Morrie rolled back to his comfortable side and slipped off to sleep.

The next day was Sunday morning, and everyone was getting ready for the morning service at Odyssey Community Church.

Morrie was eating cereal and looking at the Sunday paper.

Jason put two slices of bread in the toaster. Richard opened the fridge and poured himself a glass of milk.

Suzu walked into the kitchen.

"Morrie, watashi no kutsu wa dokodesu ka?"

The boy swallowed. "Kanera wa dosa na soba ni imasu."

Richard nodded his head and looked impressed.

"We both speak Japanese fluently." Morrie explained.

"That's cool."

"Because we both used to live at the U.S. embassy in Japan, with our father." Suzu elaborated.

"Can you speak any languages?" Morrie asked him.

Richard shook his head. "I'm afraid not." he laughed, "It's been a long time since high school Spanish. The only other language I speak is computer code."

Morrie perked up at this. "Seriously?!"

Richard nodded. "Computers are my area of expertise."

"Oh yeah, that's right!" said Jason, "if you have the time, I could use some help with my computer system at the antique shop."

"I have all the time in the world! What's the problem?"

"Well, an employee of mine accidentally erased the entire system on my computer at the antique shop and I need help recovering it. Would you know how to do that?”

“I’d have to see it first hand, but it wouldn’t be my first time doing something like that.”

“We can work on it tomorrow morning if you like."

"Sure."

About half an hour later they all drove to Odyssey Community Church. The church was warm and welcoming, and the congregants were friendly. There was a mix of new and familiar faces. Jason introduced Richard to Reverend Wilson Knox or 'Uncle Willy' as Jason called him. Richard liked him right away. He was kind and reminded him a little bit of Jack Alan and Tom Riley.

After service, the collective Whitaker crew was out in the foyer talking with various people.

"Richard!" Connie Kendall ran up and ambush-hugged him. "You've come back!"

Richard was taken aback by this, but he really shouldn't have been. This was just Connie. She made it her job to love on everybody.

"It's great to see you too, Connie." He laughed, returning her embrace.

"Oh! This is my friend Penny Basset." She gestured to a petite blonde with glasses, "and this is my half-sister, Jules." She gestured to a brunette girl of about fifteen years.

"Hi!"

"Hello."

"It's good to meet you both."

Connie motioned to him. "This is an old friend of mine, Richard Maxwell."

He elbowed her playfully. "I'm barely three years older than you Connie!"

They all laughed.

"Hey Jules, come over here!" One of the teen girls from the youth group shouted across the room. Jules excused herself and quickly walked over.

Penny blinked for a moment, “Oh, of course! I remember you. You’re Richard Maxwell, the one who jumped out of a moving car.”

Richard laughed nervously. “My reputation precedes me.”

Penny giggled. “That’s so cool.”

“Believe me, I wouldn’t recommend it.” It had been a last ditch effort to escape being murdered by Jellyfish. It was either jump, or die, and he was willing to take his chances. He jumped out of the back door of a car. He couldn’t piece it all back together, but he knew being in a coma was one of the worst things he’d ever experienced. The paralysis, both physically and mentally still made him shudder. When he tried to recall it, he could only remember darkness, fleeting moments of consciousness. He remembered hearing different voices, mostly Jack’s, sometimes Tom’s and Lucy’s.

"I need to go find my husband, Wooton! He talks with everyone and sometimes he gets kind of lost." Penny explained, "it was great meeting you!"

"You too."

She walked into the hallway.

He turned to Connie. "Wooton got married?"

Connie nodded. "Amazing, isn't it?"

"I'll say!"

"He and Penny are quite a couple. They are great though, Wooton really found the right one when he met Penny. It was love at first sight!"

"That's great!"

Connie gave a cheeky smile. "So, do you have a significant other? Or someone you're interested in?"

Richard half smiled and shook his head. "Nope. Still single."

"We need to find you someone."

“With friends like you, who needs E-Match Up?”

“You know I’m totally serious though.”

Richard laughed and looked at her sideways. "Conn-ie." He said in mock reprimand.

Connie held up her hands in fake surrender. "Alright, alright!"

They both laughed, then were quiet for a few moments.

"By the way," Richard said, changing the subject, "Is Mr. Riley here today? I thought I would say hello."

Connie's sunny expression clouded over. "Um, Mr. Riley - er, Tom?"

"Yeah. He is here today isn't he?"

Her eyes met the floor. "Ooohhh, You don't know, do you?" She seemed to be talking more to herself than anyone else.

"Know what?"

"Richard - Tom died almost five years ago."

A pang of sadness, and even guilt hit Maxwell. His face paled. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's ok. It kinda took us all by surprise. He had a heart condition, and one day, he collapsed and the ambulance didn't get there fast enough."

"That must’ve been so hard." He said quietly.

"Yeah, it was."

"I… I should have told him... how much I appreciated..." Richard choked up and felt his throat constrict. He fought back the tears he knew were coming.

Connie hugged him comfortingly. "I think he knows." She whispered.

Richard finally let the tears spill over. Tears brimmed in Connie's eyes as they broke from her side embrace.

He sighed shakily. "But I should have told him. I know it's useless to regret things you should or shouldn't have done, or said, but-." He didn't finish his sentence. He sank down in a chair and folded his hands, resting his elbows on his knees.

Connie sat in the chair next to him. "I know how that feels. Whit once told me that we have to trust God, that He will fill in all the blanks to what we should have said."

"Yeah. We shouldn't expect him to, though." Richard said softly.

Connie gave a sympathetic smile. "That's basically what I said."

"Richard! We're going!" Suzu shouted out.

"Coming." He called back, hurriedly brushing the tears away with the back of his hand. He didn't want them to know he'd been crying.

"Thanks Connie, it was good to see you again."

"Yeah, it was great seeing you too."

Richard caught up to the rest of the Whitakers as they were walking through the parking lot.

Suzu noticed his red-rimmed eyes, but said nothing. Morrie however, spoke up.

"Are you ok Mr. Maxwell?"

"I'm alright, and you can call me Richard."

Whit looked at him like he knew what he and Connie had been talking about. Jason gave him a look of knowing sympathy.

The next morning Jason and Richard went to open Triple J antiques..

"This is a nice place." Maxwell observed. Their footsteps echoed on the hardwood floors. Sunlight shone through the front windows, catching the dust that floated around, making it look like there was golden glitter suspended in the air.

Jason flipped the open sign around. "Thanks. My employee decorated it." He gave what looked like a grimace. “You’ll meet her eventually.”

After the shop was completely opened the twosome sat down at the computer behind the front counter. Richard quickly figured out what was wrong and got to work recovering the systems.

Jason went to work in the back room.

An hour later, a woman with frazzled blonde hair burst through the door. She leaned heavily against the dresser by the door for support.

"Look Jason, I'm really, really, really, really, really, really sorry I'm so late, but my car broke down, and I had to use my curling iron to fix the-” She stopped, and straightened up with a bewildered expression. “Wait, you're not Jason."

Richard looked up and tilted his head a little. "No, I'm not. Can I help you with something?"

The woman seemed to melt on the spot.

"Oh no, I just work here, that's all." She said in a breathy voice.

"Um, I can go get Jason, if you need-” Richard started to get up.

"Oh no no no, it's ok. Um, let's talk. I'm Jillian Marshall, double L Jillian, double L Marshall."

She leaned on the counter and put her head in her hands, "So, are you new here?" Her face had a silly grin.

Richard coughed awkwardly. What did I do? "Um, I'm new to this shop, but not to Odyssey." He sat back and tipped the chair back on its hind legs, trying to make it seem as though this person did not make him feel uncomfortable.

"Really? I didn't know you lived in Odyssey and believe me, I would have noticed." She giggled and booped his nose.

Richard lurched away quickly, accidentally tipped his chair back too far, and crashed to the floor.

"Ow."

Jillian giggled. "Aww, you're LITERALLY so adorable when you're nervous!”

He rolled his eyes. LITERALLY viscerally uncomfortable is more like it.

He sat up and ran his hand through his hair. "Um, thanks." He mumbled.

Jason walked through the door. "Everything ok? I heard a crash."

"I'm fine." Richard replied as he got up.

Jason put his hands on his hips. “Jillian, where have you been? You’re over an hour late."

"I'm sorry! My car broke down and I tried to use the curling iron to fix the toaster." She looked a little sheepish, "And needless to say, I lost track of time."

"You need to learn to be on time if you're going to get a good job and keep it."

Jillian looked down penitently. "Sorry."

Jason sighed. "No real harm done, I suppose."

She straightened up."So, what should I do today?"

"You can sort the books in the book area upstairs."

"Are you sure I'm not supposed to watch the counter?"

"Yes." Jason and Richard said at the same time.

"Alright, alright..." She walked up the stairs. Jason followed.

As they walked up the spiral staircase Maxwell heard Jillian say, "Your new computer fixer guy is so cute, do you think he'd like to go out sometime?"

"NO I WOULDN'T." Richard shouted back.

Jason came back down a few minutes later. "Ahh, sorry about that. I told you you’d meet her, and sure enough..."

Richard waved it off. "It’s fine." He turned back to his work.

“Don’t take it too seriously. She flirts with any guy she sets eyes on. She even did it to me when we first met.” He rolled his eyes at the memory.

Richard smirked. “My condolences.”

That evening, a woman picked up the phone. "Yes, Agent Sierra Rolland 0987, code Tango Foxtrot, 2362….Yes, I have made contact with her….Something she has that you need?....A hard drive?...Very powerful computer program, eh?...That's a weird name, but whatever...Don’t worry. If she’s got it, I’ll find it.”

#adventures in odyssey fanfiction #adventures in odyssey #theTA418 Saga

[idreamtofmanderleyagain]

@sadnessofthings @robotslenderman @youraveragemadcourier

This is a response to @sadnessofthings post Here, it was getting super large so I figured it needed another break.

There’s a lot of stuff for me to respond to here and several different people’s viewpoints so I’m gonna try my best to keep this coherent lol.

So to start with I think I need to clarify that I actually didn’t intend to come across like I wanted to remove a ton of darkness from WOD or Strauss’s character! It’s hard to put what I meant into words, but lets just say, I’m not really discomforted by the idea that he frankensteined some tortured enemies. For context, I also write for the Hellraiser franchise. I’m not discomforted by characters who do horrific, monstrous things.

That said, when it comes to characters who I frame as protagonists or (not True Evil type villains) I just prefer to juxtapose that with exploration into their humanity. 

So in other words, I definitely see Strauss as a character with the capacity for cruelty, manipulation, violence, dispassion, the ability to torture if he sees reason to, and a lacking empathy. I also already knew that there was something gruesome involved with the creation of a Gargoyle which involved using a vampire, I just wasn’t aware of what exactly that was before you clarified and also was curious if the game was accurate to that, because that aspect seemed unclear to me and would help inform the conversation more if it was. I definitely see Strauss as a monstrous being, because that's what it means to be an elder vampire in WOD 9 times out of 10. I’m certain that he was at least 50% of the time manipulating the Fledgling because he saw her as becoming a quickly important pawn on the board against LaCroix’ rule and a potential benefit to his Clan.

The point of my take on the gargoyle is more...me finding a point of reference to explore his capacity for monstrosity and what it means to him. I think @robotslenderman was on point with the idea that he could have gone through with something monstrous and had a complex emotional reaction to it that he did not expect, which is definitely what I was getting at.

And this is major spoilers, but I should probably also point out that I’ve been percolating all that in my head specifically because I’m writing a Strauss/OC fic that involves a human woman in the place of the Fledgling. 

So basically the bare skeleton of my concept is that my main character is a human who was illegally Embraced, but that Embrace did not take. The problem here is that upon examination of the evidence, it is acknowledged that this Should Not Have Happened, which reads as highly suspicious and potentially dangerous in regards to the problem (and the apocalypse anxieties) of Thin Bloods in recent Nights. (to be clear, I’m working with the assumption that in most cases such a thing as this is impossible in WOD without it being Ominous af).

Because Strauss is the Tremere Primogen of LA, she ends up in his hands so he may interrogate her memory of events (and of the Tremere that tried to turn her), as well as so he may use his knowledge of blood magic in order to experiment upon her to report his findings to the Prince (as well as his Lord).

My reasoning for this concept is A) I really like working with powerless heroines who need to use their brains to navigate impossible situations, and B) I wanted to explore the vampire romance genre staple trope of a Special-Blooded Human Girl, but in the extreme cutthroat politics/horror universe of VTM. But I digress.

Anyway, The fact that my protagonist is so fragile is relevant to where I was coming from is because I wanted to explore the idea of this jaded, cold-hearted, manipulative elder having to contend with humanity in close quarters so directly for an extended period of time without the possibility of Ghouling (at least not one that takes for very long, same re: Dominate), and inevitably growing attached and thus forced to examine himself and his world through her lens.

And also maybe especially because I’m navigating the lacking ethics of performing any kind of experiments upon an unwilling party (even if what he does is delicate and non-violent).

Sorry if I missed a point that any of you wanted to hear my response on, that post was getting massive lol! Feel free to ask me about something if you want more follow-up.

I really appreciate your takes, it’s great to talk with people interested in this and also because it’s also helping build my informational context from VTM proper that I might otherwise be missing just from experiencing Bloodlines alone.

#Maximillian Strauss

[capsensislagamoprh]

Being the calm, cool, and collected ten-year-old that Yuuri was, he pretty much knew he had life figured out. He didn’t realize it then, but he was experiencing awe for the first time. The experience of admiration and elevation in response to physical beauty, displays of exceptional ability, or deep emotional expression being put out for the world to see sirening a song into his very being. The awe-inspiring stimulus could only be experienced as vast and difficult to comprehend for his young mind. It challenged his worldview. His limited sense of island and onsen and town, surpassing the scope of his current frame of reference. Suddenly the world was large and round and waiting.

The realization started in the distance with the sound of an oboe, it's low mournful sound calling the start to an event. It drew in the dark eyes. Ten years on this earth. Five years learning, really learning how to glide and turn, twizzle and slide. Jumps were new, and while he wasn't so bad at it, he admitted he was still learning. And thrugh it all, he'd merely done it for fun. It was a joy, just a thing that could easily become a passing phase. Then he saw Victor Nikiforov make the ice his home. The ease, the grace, the way he seemed to tell stories - older than cold itself - called to him. He turned towards his family and smiled, pointing at the television. "I'm going to skate like him!"

"You'll have to practice hard to get to that level," Mari said, staring at the screen. "Gonna be a lot of work."

"I can do it! I'm going to skate on the same ice one day."

Mari grunted, smiling when Yuuri couldn't see. "Right. Well, if you want to do that, we'll have to figure out some things."

"But I can do it right?"

"I dunno. Can you?"

Light illuminated the the determination in Yuuri's awed smile. "I can do anything! I'm gonna do it! Watch me!"

~~~

He lay on the cheep cotton sheets, his silken hair spread like a fan behind him, damp from the shower, smelling of cold and hotel soap. He'd feasted. He'd dined. He'd savored every crumb. Flowers adorned the thin dresser, lay tossed about the bed, tangled in heaps on the table. These were a mere tokens of the crowed gratitude. Tomorrow was the free skate. Tomorrow he would gorge.

As the drops of water glistening against his winter flesh crackled and steamed, evaporating into mist, Victor smiled to himself. Something was fabulous about this new feeling. Something distant and full of wonder. Perhaps his connection to the Dream was growing, becoming more stable now that he wasn't starving.

He heard what the announcers said. He listened to the cries of shock and delight. He felt the pull of there gasps, sucking life out of the room, afraid to let air back in lest it be their last breath. He'd landed a set of daring combos, wanting - no. Needing to make himself known. The shadows in the ice could echo a summers warmth all they wanted. The shred of snow from its surface could succumb to the heat of artificial lights when ever it wanted. They would not move him from his goal. He'd come here for a reason. He was going to find Yuri. Then he would return to the Dream, where precious things were safe from mundane reality.

His eyes closed, cerulean orbs ready to reflect the day in memory. Breath came in long steady pulls. His skin tingled. He lay limp, a smile tugging his lips.

From the mirror hung uselessly on the wall, far from any purposeful placement, a flicker of something darker remained. It watched, waited, and when the Ice King was well and truly in somnic dreams, it flicked with a quiet presence into dark being, watching. Waiting. When no reaction came, the thin comforter pulled itself over the sleeping teen before shimmering thrugh the shadows into a near by chamber.

~~~

"Tell me," Christophe said to the reflection of a very powerful being, "how is the plan proceeding?"

"If any harm comes to Yuri..."

"That's the mortal world, I'm afraid." Before the threat of manifestation became corporal, the spring fey held up a gentle hand. "You have to trust." The lack of response didn't change the weight in the air. It threatened to suffocate Christophe with a sulfuric caress. Gulping, he reached quickly for the dross he kept in the shape of breath mints, popping open the red and white tin. The stench of peppermint threatened to overwhelm. Despite knowing it would hurt, he crunched three quickly.

"He's here! I know he is! We'll complete him, and then he wont be so reckless. That's what you wanted isn't it? For Victor to stop putting lives at risk because he couldn't figure out what was missing?" For a precious moment he thought the shadow wouldn't listen, was to upset. Then the pressure lifted, leaving the smell of spice and warm autumn breezes. Gasping, Christophe swallowed hard. Clamoring to stand, he looked around. The shadows were merely shadows, the mirrors showing nothing more than they should. When he turned to sink into his bed, he cried out in alarm. He'd sat on a dried leaf, it's crinkling decay crunched under his weight.

He was lucky, he knew, to only receive a warning. The Hero didn't do half measures, no unseelie did. They really needed to find Yuri. And Victor's other half. He didn't know they could survive what would happen if they didn't.

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16, part 17, part 18, part 19, part 20, part 21, part 22, part 23, part 24, part 25, part 26

#YoI #!!! #Yuri on Ice #story #WoD frame work #gay boys on ice #fey bois on ice #victor nikiforov #yuri katsuki #yuuri katsuki #victor x yuuri #yuri plisetsky #otabek altin #otabek x yurio #victuuri #otayuri #changelings #WE SAIL THIS SHIP TO THE STARS! #I love this fandom #cannon compliant ships #primary cannon ship #secondary cannon OTP

[nochiquinn]

campaign 2 episode 118: good new flesh

ah shit, that's right, I moved my prime sub to shortonegaming, I have ADS now

bf found 5/8 of the pops at walmart, if they'd had the full set he'd have grabbed them

is matt wearing a four seasons total landscaping shirt

marisha's notebook lust

"think of all the money this company saves on rehearsal"

oh, new art! winter gear!

I need cad's cloak

also beau what's the point of cold clothes that leave your abs hanging out

oh no sam's moved on to a new target

it keeps looking like matt is reaching out of the frame like those gifs everybody used to make

matt's yeza voice is immediate serotonin

this is a relateable story

matony

[tips hat] m'tony

calliope!

kiriiiii

TWO? ow

I am almost tempted to give up and watch this on monday, I have processed NOTHING

oh well shit

YOU say caleb is trying to make jester feel better about looking older, I say let me have these crumbs

this is a tma statement

"one day.......more......"

is it weird flirting with your wife in character at the table???

and there goes marisha behind the notebook

travis is now the color of laura's shirt

here's how widojest can still win

(it's the same way widofjord can still win) (it's polyamory)

(I am not actually expecting canon polyamory, at least not from Travis. baby steps.)

🎶if y'all hate on the cast based on ships I will glue legos in your shoes🎶

every time there's a rickety platform/ladder situation I remember a WoD game where Mala told me "if you ever need me to come down a rickety ladder to save you please die". they were not in character.

"is he a missile"

"a baby crying but deeper" that episode of rugrats with angelica's nightmare

"death ward" I heard that taliesin

"that's a natural 19" and they never saw veth again

"thoroughly looted by multiple sources" just like ur mom

matt: that's not how numbers work

"you think this is campaign one? fuck you." no now it's chairs. much more mobile. better camoflauge.

ten pounds of good new emergency flesh

oh no I'm just picturing Atlantis now help

I don't need those crossovers

there is NOTHING stopping Vo from being a Wraith feeding colony except my incredibly flimsy self-control

this is a bloodborne fight

I hate it

I HATE it

#critical role #reaction post #liveblog #crititag #spoilers

[novoplata]

Drive and navigate.

On one of my first days at my CrossFit box, I lifted my scaled-down 60-lb barbell with great difficulty (and frustration) and asked my coach: “How long do you think it would take me to be able to Rx my workout?” He chuckled, fixing my still-stiff front rack position and told me that there’s no available statistics for how long it would take for people to be able to do things around the box. “You just come train and you will get better, 1% everyday,” he said. I agreed, but I already had a different plan. I decided that by the end of three months, I should be able to do the Bear Complex WOD with 55 lbs at least. This, however, may not quite be achievable since we’re back in quarantine (sigh!) indefinitely. I asked the same kind of question during my first few weeks of BJJ: how long do you think it would take me to get my first stripe? I later found out that grading talks are a big no-no in BJJ gyms. You’re supposed to pretend you wouldn’t mind being a white belt forever until your coach decides you’re ready. Which I think is pretty dumb. 

People are supposed to want progress! How is it better to coast rather to always strive to get better each day? For some people, it meant getting a new PR and a new stripe on their belt. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. No really, it is your fault. I briefly worked with a colleague who used to complain about how underpaid she was. At 42, she was still earning less than 2.5K a month, still lived at her parents’ house (crammed with her siblings and their spouses), still didn’t have her own car and required her siblings or parents to pick her up and drive her around if she needed to get anywhere. She would complain at least once a week about how little she gets paid and I would try my best to sympathise (thanks to my newly-acquired empathy from a season of having gained and lost weight). One day, after the recent state election, I asked her if she voted. She replied that she was not even registered to vote. I realised then that at 42, as cruel as it sounds, she really has nobody else to blame for ending up where she is apart from herself. The right to vote is a privilege that many people fought for -- and this colleague, at 42, couldn’t even be bothered to exercise hers. I honestly cannot offer any sympathy for such blatant irresponsibility.  I think many people underestimate how much control they actually have over their own lives. Like some BJJ people, some people think that they should just coast in life and pretend they don’t care whether or not they get a raise or whether or not they ever move out of their parents’ house etc., because they falsely believe that doing so proves that they’re humble -- and to have ambition, work your ass off for things you want, and subsequently have the audacity to ask for what you deserve means that you’re being prideful. 

Set healthy milestones. In the past, I’ve been made fun of due to my seemingly rigid milestone-setting habit. I have a definite goal for how much I’d want to get paid, how much I’d want to save up in a year and yes, how much more I’d like to be able to lift after a certain time frame. I’m not the kind of person who’d ‘go with the flow’ and just see what happens. I’m in control of my life and that’s that.  This kind of attitude may have caused me mouth ulcers and then some, but at least it’s prevented me from complaining about getting paid so little or having to share a bathroom with my younger siblings. A big chunk of adulthood is about accepting responsibility for yourself and making plans for what matter to you. I’ll be 37 in two weeks’ time and so far, I'm pretty happy with where my cumulative decisions have taken me to in life. And I can’t wait to attempt the Bear Complex WOD!

#life

[brooklynislandgirl]

[WOD] "So--**Miss** Izzy. What do **you** want for Christmas?"

Let It Snow || AcceptingChristmas is still a few weeks ahead, but one wouldn’t be able to tell with the state of the apartment. The tree had been delivered Thanksgiving morning. And as Andy had cooked between plays of the game he and Baz were watching, they all took turns with the lights ~Billy’s job~, and the ornaments and the garland. Of course there was that whole ten minute tinsel fight, and she’s still finding random pieces of it in places it didn’t belong but in the end, it was beautiful and well worth everything, framed as it was by the windows.So now it gleamed in the low lights. And the fireplace burned cheerily away. The air was warm and smelled like fresh coffee and the batch after batch of cookies Andy was working on. Baz sitting at the table inside his own head and half out of it, vaguely carrying on a conversation that the two of them were having that didn’t make a lick of sense to her, and the shorter of the two snacking along as different dishes were being set out. Snow starting to fall outside, instrumental carols on the house stereo. For the first time in years, everything felt like a post card, everything felt whole and hopeful. She half glides, half slides in her socks across the wood floors, managing by miracle not sloshing the two cups of cocoa in hand ~his with marshmallows, hers with whipped cream and cinnamon~ as she does so. Effortlessly, she sinks down into Billy’s lap and offers him his mug. Her lips are pursed at the very question, a sign that she’s both thinking and possibly not quite taking him half as seriously as she should.Or maybe she does. Once he’s taken hold of his cup, she insulates her own with both palms and takes a sip, which mostly means she gets a hint of the cocoa as she breathes in. A moment later the tip of her tongue darts out to chase the shape of her lips.“Uhm. I dunno. I t’ink I got every kine I should wan right here, right now.” Her gaze flickers across his face then sweeps out over the other two while encompassing her home. “Nevah was really much on…t’ings.”She lapses silent for a moment, sweet and uncomplicated and looking much younger than her actual age when the idea strikes her. “Mebbe…a sleigh ride t’rough da park. Like in all da old stories. You know. Wi’ Embumneezah Scrooch.”Not that there are sleighs in a Christmas Carol ~although, there are no carols in it either, and it’s all very confusing but she likes the ghosts~ but it hardly seems to matter in the moment. She has dreams and ideas of bygone eras where everything should look and feel like the Victorian era.“An’ den we can all come sleep out here an’ wait f’ Kanakaloka t’ come wi’ his reindeer. Leave food out f’ dem an’ treats f’ him, but not cookies, cause dats what everyone leave an’ I wanna give him like a san’wich. Somet’ing dat’ll stick to his rib ya know?”

She’s gone full tangent mode, it’s visible in the way her eyes vaguely unfocus and her smile drifts toward something shy but not in the least self conscious. “But yeah, no. Really. Got all I need right here, G’iaff. Why, wha’ ya wan yaself?”

#nolegacies #Cloak and Dagger|Billy {Riley} Manderly #The Ties that Bind|Billy and Beth #We All Have Our Secrets|WoD Verse #Mage the Ascension #Brooklyn Stories|New York Serenade #Honourable Mention|Andy Riley #Honourable Mention|Baz Barton

[littleharpethcrossfit]

Saturday, 23 January                          Wall-Balls.....Power Cleans.....”BUMPER”

The people at the Weather Channel predicted a chilly morning with “Brilliant Sunshine”, and they certainly got that right.

The Admiral Armando got us started promptly at 0930 with a 10 minute mobility/flexibility session.

 Warmup:     5 Minutes of Partner Synchronized Wall-balls.   Athletes were asked to post their numbers, but very few did:

Brendan/Shane=152     Rodney/Forrest=132     Ed/Timmy=132     ? / ?=121     Sue/Dana=108     Shannon/Linda=95     Larry/ ?? =76     The photographer apparently didn’t include all the names in his frame.     

Strength WOD:     2 Power Cleans EMOM  X  15 Minutes.    Start light and gradually increase weight.

Shane=255     Brendan=245     Super-Dave=195     Larry/Armando=190     Robert=185    Ed/Timmy=175     Nathan/Chase=165     David S=155     Dana=145     Zac=135      Rodney=130     Forrest=125     Tom=115     Coach=105     Angela=90     Linda/Sue=80     Shannon =50

“BUMPER”         5 Rounds For Time         (45/25/15/10)

Run 200m with Bumper

15 Back Raises with Bumper

15 Bumper Burpees

15 Lateral Hops Over Bumper

15 Lunge Steps With Bumper

45 Lbs:

Robert=25:41     Brendan=25:48     Timmy=29:15     Chase=29:57     Ed=31:40     David S=32:58     Armando=33:40     Super-Dave=34:49

25 lbs:

Dana=23:25     Angela=30:22     Zac=33:56

15 Lbs:

Coach=26:15

10 Lbs:

Linda=26:55

5 Lbs:

Shannon=33:45

These results include only one column of the white-board, and a few others that I knew from direct means.  It’s unfortunate that the What’s-App photographer missed the scores of 13 people, because most of them did the heaviest weight (45lbs), and several of them broke the LHCF record of 30:30.  I think the order of finish for these people was Brendan/Robert/Shane, and that they all were faster than the record.  Regrets.

Notes:

I have added several more scores to the WOD results as people are phoning them in.  Getting batch’s of results after the polls have closed is now acceptable practice.

We had Angel and Angela here today.  ALICIA just phoned in 23:24 with 26 lbs.  That’s what you get with Democrats and absentee voting.  This is not FAKE NEWS.

There was considerable grumbling during the WOD, but after it was over, most comments were favorable.

Tomorrow’s WOD is unusual.  You just lay on the ground and play with a Dumb Bell.  We’ve never attempted this one...I hope it works.

Sunday at 1 PM.    30% chance of rain.

[theweeklyryz-blog]

The most uncommonly common gym misconceptions

I know you’re probably thinking.. “here comes another blog telling us the same thing every other health and fitness blog talks about” or maybe you aren’t, and I’m wrong - I’m not really a mind reader am I? (Well not that I’m aware of), anyways, we’re going off topic, What if I told you that there are misconceptions about the gym that happen almost everyday that no one is really actually talking about? (Or maybe misconceptions that only a few are aware of).

I bet you’re all thinking “well this guy is about to feed me the biggest load of nonsense the gym has to offer” ( wow! I sure do talk a lot about what people are thinking for someone who knows nothing about what people are thinking lol), the fact that you’ve read this far means you have some sort of interest in what the blog post has to offer, so buckle up (or get extremely comfortable in your chair, couch or bed) and let’s get to what you’ve all been waiting for.

The gym world is full of the “gym bros” - as everyone likes to call them, the poor guys suffering from ILS (Invisible Lat Syndrome) and many other fascinating characters. Those looking into our world from the outside, those who are hesitant as well as those who just started their journey with us “gym folk” have some preconceived notions (assumptions) about what happens in the gym, so we’re going address those in this post starting with..

You can cheat as long as you don’t get caught

The funny thing about the gym is that it always finds a way to catch the cheaters - rep shavers, diet cheaters etc.

“Getting caught” in the gym (or the life of fitness) doesn’t always mean getting caught in the traditional sense, if you cheat your diet you won’t get the results you want, if you don’t follow the strength program your coach gives you or skip days or shave reps you won’t get as strong as you should be at the end of that program - your coach catches you at the end and you extend the time it takes to reach your goals.

Even in Crossfit, if you shave reps in the WODs during the year when it comes to annual competitions like the Open or any other friendly contest in your box you won’t do as well as you thought (or as well as those who worked hard to meet the tough standard).

The fact of the matter is, while you cheat there’s a high chance no one will see it but when it comes time for the results of the work, the gym and fitness has their own ways of showing whether you cheated or not

You don’t need to work hard to get results

Um.. yeah I wasn’t really sure if I should have addressed this topic without anyone “work smarter not harder” ambassadors shoving that phrase down my throat but YOLO right? Just read my nonsense and decide whether I’m right or wrong after.

Nowadays, if you search the internet about hard work in the gym you’ll get a lot of articles and blogs addressing the “work smarter, not harder” phrase, there is some truth to this phrase though, the misconception is how people see (perceive) it.

I see it as being smarter with the choices you make in the gym not eliminating the hard work factor needed to get result - before you exit the post 🙄 look at this horrible example of a back workout:

Lat pull down 3 x 8

Cable row 3 x 8

Hammer strength pull down 3 x 12

Hammer strength row 3 x 12

Straight-arm pulldown 3 x 12- 15

Dumbbell row 3 x 10

all of the above are mostly accessory movements that mostly work the same muscles, it’s a lot of unnecessary work, this is where the ‘work smarter’ phrase should shine, instead of spending 2 hours on unnecessary work pick compound movements that work all of those muscles groups then some accessory work to improve the growth of lacking muscle groups, an example:

Deadlift 5x5

Dumbbell row 4x8

Lat pulldown 3 x 12

Cable row 3 x 10

This kind of workout would take a lot less time but you’d still hit all the muscle groups you’d need to hit but you’d still need to WORK HARD to improve these movements and get the results you’d want, for me, I believe in Working harder and smarter, they go hand in hand.

Gym memberships guarantee results

No. Just... no, I don’t know how many people I’ve seen walk into the gym I work at, point at the fittest looking guy and tell us the want to look like him and a ridiculous time frame.

You could work out once a week and eat like you work out 5 times a week and look worse off than you did before you started - yes, yes you could look like a thick loaf of bread if you don’t train right or eat accordingly. If a membership was enough to get results, if it were that easy, everyone would join the gym.

My friend once said to me, “the gym doesn’t give you what you want, it gives you what you deserve” and this statement will always stand, no matter what excuse anyone comes up with, you will be rewarded accordingly for the work you put into the gym.

For those of you who have struggled this far lol, thank you 🙏🏽 , this is my first blog post and hope it was atleast semi-decent. I will be posting weekly - well I will try my best, don’t hold me to it lol.

Ps. This is my opinion, our opinions can differ and that’s okay, my opinions aren’t facts they’re just thoughts I wanted to share.

Follow me on Instagram if you want to DM me or take part in polls for what my next post should be about

@sean_maduna or @ryzsouthafrica

Until next week ✌🏽

#crossfit #health & fitness #health #misconceptions #fitness #gym #fitfam