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biceratops7 · 1 year

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Victor nikiforov and empathy:

Following my fifth (?) rewatch I found yet another reason to be completely in love with Yuri on Ice, and that is Victor being a wonderfully accurate and non-demonized example of someone with low empathy. Seriously as someone who’s autistic and can’t relate to the influx of “actually we’re all super in tune to other’s feelings and have the MOST empathy!”, watch these scenes because this is what it’s like.

This line at first seems to be Yakov thinking that Victor is arrogant, but Yakov knows him extremely well. He knows that Victor has a hard time viscerally placing himself in another’s shoes, and that’s a major obstacle as a coach.

Victor has trouble understanding what to do in situations that are highly emotional for Yuuri. Instead of being able to directly consider things through Yuuri’s perspective, we see him rely pretty often on environment cues, behavioral cause and affect, or straightforward commands.

He gets his habit of scolding yuri after a routine from Yakov because that’s what he’s familiar with. It’s not something Yuuri responds to particularly well, but it’s only when Victor pays attention to how others react when Yuuri finishes skating that he changes tactic. Victor sees how the crowd is going wild at the (Japan nationals) and it’s only then it occurs to him that Yuuri’s confidence may be jeopardized if he chooses that moment to criticize his performance. This is something he likely would’ve realized much sooner if he could share Yuuri’s stress easier instead of merely observing that it’s happening.

Then later on in episode 7, we get to the scene that actually inspired this post.

At first Victor approached the situation almost like an experiment, trying out cause and effect to disastrous results. When you have a much lower threshold for being able to experience another’s feelings second hand, it’s difficult not to think of other’s negative emotions simply as problems that need to be solved. Problem: Yuuri won’t perform well because he’s too anxious, he will only be MORE upset if he loses, and Victor has already tried to reduce his anxiety to no avail. Idea for solution: raise the stakes and see if increased pressure can replace his nerves with resolve, causing a good performance. Afterward, Yuuri will be proud of himself and happy again. Execute plan, observe results, adjust accordingly. When comfort doesn’t come naturally, this tends to be kind of the default. From experience it comes from a genuine place of caring even when it backfires (and it actually doesn’t at times), basically trying to actually fix the thing upsetting your loved one instead of play acting feelings you don’t get.

… however Yuuri was COMPLETELY within his rights yelling at Victor because regardless of intent he picked the worst thing on planet earth to say in that exact moment. I mean I’ve had my fair share of “oh crap someone is upset and it’s my responsibility” fails but my fuck-

He’s shown to be pretty shit at comforting Yuri/ detached emotionally from the situation, but he is neither coldly unbothered nor strategically hiding it. It may appear callous to bluntly say “I don’t know how to help you” to a loved one who’s crying, but as someone who’s been there, that’s an insanely vulnerable thing to admit. “I don’t feel your pain, I don’t get it. But I love you, and just because I’m not feeling it myself doesn’t mean I don’t care that you’re hurting.”

When Yuri finally just straight up tells Victor what to do, he is relieved and simply does it. Things are different between them after this episode because Yuuri finds the power to communicate his needs clearly and effectively. Victor doesn’t speak “subtlety” well. Yakov and Yurio both speak their mind to him directly regardless of if it’s polite, Which is quite telling because they’re the two characters he has the longest history with. It shows us the kind of communication style Victor is accustomed to and needs to navigate interpersonal relationships.

I’m not making a statement that Victor is autistic or even disordered per say. I feel his unusual circumstances provide enough explanation, but I really do see that he consistently struggles with empathy in the same way I do. He’s probably the only character I’ve been able to see that aspect of myself in with scenes that aren’t played for jokes.

#yuri on ice #yoi #victor nikiforov #yuri katsuki #victuri #biceratops #meta #analysis #empathy #low empathy #affective empathy

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that-fic-girl · 10 months

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"i didn't catch your name"

PRO!!Shoto Todoroki x FIGURE SKATER!!reader NB!

sypnosis: reader is japan's applauded figure skater champion makes come back after recovering from a serious injury by practicing for nationals and comes across Pro Hero Shoto Todoroki. He is amazed by her talent's and was determined to get to know her more.

TW: mentions of injuries.

Everything was going fine that day. Your coach was happy and your body ached a little less than usual. Your jumps where being executed smoothly and you loved the program you were skating.

You've been taking a break from skating due to an injury you acquired practicing a poorly executed quad lutz, so coming back felt like a relief compared to sitting at home, rotting in your room and judging your abilities compared to other skaters. But it gave you more time to catch up on daily news and some events your friends invited you too, you didn't know it at the time, but you needed that break.

You took a deep breath, breathing in the icy air. You stood on the entrance to the rink, your hands on either side of the corner bars. The jumps you where going over today where simple, a triple lutz and a quad twist. Putting your foot forward, you skated onto the rink letting your body relax and move in the direction gravity was pushing you in. It felt good to be back again.

It had been about 45 minutes on the rink, your heart was racing and your back had a small wet patch from where the sweat built up. You didn't think you'd be opting out for a break this quickly but its whatever. You where about to turn around and skate to the direction of the exit of the rink until you felt a pair of eyes staring into you from behind. You tensed up, you didn't know for certain if someone was actually staring at you but you just became nervous, as if you where performing for judges for the first time.

As casual as possible, you decided to make a quick turn, but slow enough for you to have a good view of who was staring so intently. Surely you can make this look smooth without making it obvious you knew someone was there.

That's until you saw WHO exactly was there.

The one and THE only, fire and ice hero, Shouto todoroki.

Your mind went blank, what do you do in a situation like this? Instead of casually turning and making a swift exit, you just stood there for what felt like forever which in reality was about 7 seconds.

"sorry, you can carry on. I didn't mean to disturb you."

With that you're broken out of your trance. Letting the muscles in your face to relax and throw him a soft smile as your shoulders ceased at the tension they created.

"it's alright, i was finishing up anyways.."

A million thoughts was going through your head; did he see all of that? how long was he there for? WHY IS HE HERE?

"that's a shame, i was looking forward to seeing more."

You've lost all control at this point, your breath was heavy and your posture presented a small child seeing a spider 7 feet away. You skated closer to him, to get a better view of the long split coloured haired man.

"my name is Todoroki, Shouto."

"i know.." you said in response, to which he threw back a chuckle.

He stood there for what felt like years, staring at you with a small smile. He was captivated by you. Your talent was not like any other, he could see the passion you had for skating. He fell in love with the way you held yourself together and how gracefully you moved your body, and god how he adored that face.

"i'm here to pick up my sister, she likes to skate sometimes and i thought i'd drop by"

'so thats why' you thought, still slowly making your way towards him, having only a small wall from dividing the both of you.

He started to fumble with something in his pocket, looking down to navigate what he was trying to find before his mouth opened.

"i've got to leave though, could you give me your number?"

he said, pulling out a pen and offering you his hand to write on.

"i'd love to see one of your performances one day."

you let out a smile and grabbed the pen out of his hand, softly grazing over the back of his palm as your wrote your number down. His hand was warm but slightly rough, probably due to all the hero work he has to do.

He smiled down at you, with a soft expression.

"i'm sorry but i dont think i caught your name."

you giggles and moved your face closer to his, leaning on the edge of the semi-wall.

"that's because i didn't throw it"

do ya'll want a part 2 to this because icl i wanna make this longer but im only going to do it if you want me too. I've been so obsessed with the idea that todoroki would date a figure skater, it just makes sense in my brain for some reason but this was really rushed as i don't actually know how they would meet so this is the best i could come up with, sorry :/.

love you all though! dont forget to follow my socails;

INSTAGRAM

SNAPCHAT <3: @pimpnamedholly

TIKTOK

#shouto todoroki #shoto todoroki #todoroki #todoroki x reader #shoto todoroki x reader #shouto todoroki x reader #mha #bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #mha x reader #bnha x reader #my hero x reader #my hero academia x reader #boku no hero academia x reader

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gatitties · 11 months

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Have you’ve ever watched Kuroko No Basketball? If not it’s basically a group of middle schoolers turn high schoolers who are prodigies at basketball. They were called the Generation of Miracles. And once they enter highschool they split up to see who’s on top.

I have an request what if reader was their coach from when they were in middle school. And she coaches them again when they enter college. But when they were in high school she was working for bonten. But bonten being nosy decides to see the reason she quited and come to find out reader trained the elite team in Japan. The Generation of Miracle’s

—Bonten (slight Kuroko no basket) x reader

—Summary: homesickness makes you want to go back to your old job and your new coworkers are curious

—Warnings: none

yeeeeah, I know knb, a good series even though I didn't finish it 😔🤌🏻

You were someone young when you first met the Generation of Miracles, completely fascinated by the basketball games of that team, you could not resist asking for your internship as a coach there. When they were in middle school you had just finished your studies in sports science, so you applied to go to Teiko as your final grade internship. Many people took you as another miracle added to the team, but you did nothing more than polish those six guys flaws, and your work wouldn't have been as noticeable if it wasn't thanks to their manager Momoi.

Although you decided not to finish your studies there, also noticing how the atmosphere of what at first was a united and hard-working team gradually broke down, you did not meet any of them again after they separated to go to different high schools. So during those years you started studying a management degree while looking for a job, you ended up working for, without knowing it, the most sought after gang in all of Tokyo. It's not that you didn't know about Bonten, but when you accepted the job they obviously didn't put anything related to that mafia, since at least you were working in one of their legal premises.

How you got to know all the executives and the leader himself was through your performance, rising through the ranks quickly, since not many people wanted to work there, the truth is that you didn't either, but it was already too late and you had a confidentiality contract. The thing is... it wasn't as bad as you thought, not as bad if you take away all the illegal shit they do behind the scenes, but since you weren't involved in those problems, you took it in a better way.

Probably the one closest to you is Kokonoi or Mochizuki due to the fact that they were the ones with the least legal problems, you had a love-hate relationship with the Haitani because they liked to mess with you from time to time. Kakucho was definitely the one who calmed all your nerves for being the sanest one there, just like Takeomi, you couldn't say the same about Sanzu, he always made you nervous because he walked around with a gun like it was his dog. You didn't see Mikey much, but your relationship was mere cordiality, for the moment you hadn't bothered him and you had done your job well so he had no problems.

So from one day to the next you found yourself being friends with one of the most powerful mafias in Tokyo, putting aside that sporty side of yours for a few years until one day, while cleaning your apartment, you found a photo with Teiko's basketball team. The nostalgia hit you so hard that you spent the whole day thinking about those years, your love for basketball having only crumbled a little because of the breakup of a good team.

You spent the next few days looking for information about them, they had already finished their studies and it seems they all met again at the university, you were surprised to see all those matches in which Kuroko won and you felt completely proud to see that everyone had improved their techniques, even though Aomine didn't appear much until the end.

The thing is that its gameplay reminded you of the old team, maybe it was a hasty or impulsive choice, but your contract with Bonten ended in a week, despite having a good salary and position, you wanted to feel again what was to be a coach. The decision took everyone by surprise of course, normally employees don't usually decide to end the contract and renew for another year, or they are simply the ones who have to get rid of people who don't serve them, but they had a good relationship with you.

Mikey didn't take it too seriously, but he was curious as to why you did it, since he had some regard for your hard work even though you knew they were criminals.

"Well? Have you found any information?"

Takeomi nodded, passing a folder to his leader, although of course, he wasn't the only curious one, everyone was looking for information about you.

"Oh, basketball coach, seems to do well right?"

"Aren't those guys the generation of…? erm... yeah, whatever, they're famous."

Sanzu simply didn't care about that team, he just looked at the photos where you were smiling holding the tournament cup.

"Look, this is the most recent news, it was on yesterday's news."

Rin turned on the projector, playing an informative sports video announcing your reunion with the generation of miracles for the Japanese team.

"Looks like I'm going to have more work now..."

Kokonoi leaned back massaging his scalp, you took a lot of work off of him and now he was on his own to take care of it all.

"I hope they win."

Mikey left all the photos of old championships won, intertwining his fingers, you were a good worker, he respected your decision to return to the sport but I also hoped that you would return with them, for now he would limit himself to seeing your progress in this tournament with your old team.

#tk #tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers x reader #bonten #bonten x reader #reader insert #request #kuroko no basquet #xreader #coach reader

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iwaoiness · 5 months

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Fouling in love with you

Japan is one set ahead of Argentina; if they get the victory in this fourth set they'll advance to the final. However, Argentina is not making it easy, giving them back every point they get and pressuring especially with the blocking. Every play is getting more intense, faster, more overwhelming.

The players move with the fluidity of a river, they work as a perfect gear, there is not a single wrong step. Oikawa Tooru glances at the opponent's area, two seconds is more than enough time for his mind to plan the next move. When his libero executes a flawless pass, Oikawa swiftly moves to get under the ball, soaring skyward to deliver a precise set. Hyakuzawa jumps in front of him as Ushijima and Sunarin confront the Argentine ace; Tooru smiles hungrily through the sweat and his stance changes at the last second, hitting the ball in a powerful spike that passes by the blocker like an arrow.

The crowd in the stands buzzes with euphoria as the team secures the decisive point in this set and Oikawa is immediately placated by his teammates, who ruffle his hair and congratulate him with hearty backslaps. Between the arms of his teammates, Tooru looks over to the Japanese bench, smirking as his eyes find Iwaizumi's, who's standing in front of the bench with one hand on each side of his firm waist. He rolls his eyes, but his lips are curved in a smile.

There is a whistle blast announcing the short break before the fifth and final set. Everyone heads to their benches, Oikawa almost trotting off with his hands clasped behind his back. However, he stops in front of the opposing bench, his smile widening as Hajime meets him.

"This team isn't yours, Shittykawa" He sneers, thick arms crossed, letting the stadium lights illuminate his green orbs like genuine emeralds, casting a radiant glow.

Tooru wants to send everything hell away, throw himself at his boyfriend and kiss him until his lips hurt.

"Can't my Iwa-chan stand to have a VNL finalist in front of him?" He pretends to gasp, holding a hand to his chest.

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes, snorting. "That remains to be seen, dumbass."

"Oh! On the topic of seeing," Tooru leans in, tilting his head with a stretched smile, a gesture that immediately alerts Hajime. "Did you catch the foul in the third set?"

The athletic trainer blinks and frowns slightly, confused.

"The fuck are you talking about? What foul?"

"You know," Oikawa presses his lips together for a brief moment, withholding laughter "that foul."

"Tooru, I'm pretty sure there wasn't any foul."

Oikawa sighs, sticking out his lower lip in an endearing pout.

"Wrong! Just ask me again, Iwa-chan!"

This time, Hajime raises an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Just ask me!" he repeats, trembling in anticipation.

"I swear if this is one of your bullshits I'm going to—"

"Comeeee on, ask meee!"

"Ugh, okay" he growls, pinching the bridge of his nose "what fucking foul?"

Like a tulip bud unfurling to the world, Tooru's toothy smile blossoms once more on his face, pretty, serene, and filled with affection.

"Fouling in love with you!"

Iwaizumi's eyes widen and, for a second, he feels his heart stop completely before it bursts out in a barrage of heartbeats that rattle his ribs, rumble in his eardrums and stir his stomach.

"You... You are—" Hajime, cheeks and ears completely flushed, attempts to articulate, but only opens and closes his mouth like a fish out of water. "How—? Just—? Argh, fucking damn it!" he ends up cursing, covering his face with both hands while Oikawa laughs—loud, pure, and tender.

"Don't be shy, Hajime-chan!" He teases some more, moving closer to Iwaizumi to wrap him in a tender embrace, completely forgetting about the cameras, the fans, their teammates, their coaches and the fact that they will go viral (again) on social media.

...

yeeey first iwaoi drabble of the year

inspired by one part of this tiktok about nba moments recap!!

u can find me on my ao3

🍉

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9w1ft · 1 year

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Hey 9wing!! Hello and I hope you're doing well <3

I've seen a couple of your posts mentioning this sort of sentiment and now I'm genuinely asking with curiosity; how would one think that Kaylor is a romantic love story?

No doubt, the songs are amazing masterpieces, the long-term perseverance is admirable and there are certainly many aspects of Kaylor that are poetic and remind me of the magic of 'soulmates,' whether that is practically real or not

However, even as a third party observer who has no stakes in this, I find it bleak and tiring sometimes

Constant backlash and scrutiny from the media, the people and most often your own fans; having to communicate in cryptic language; having to engage in unpleasant PR stunts; having to hide a central part of yourself just to survive in this world; not having the liberty to be yourself and love whomever you love loudly and proudly; being constantly misunderstood by a large fraction of the world; being loved but not seen; living in uncertainty about your own rights and freedom when the political climate's so unstable

I understand that life is not without problems and sometimes you have to do what you have to do with whatever choices are at your disposal. And these two will always have my support, and I make sure to respect my own mental health and step away from this site of the internet when things get too much

But how would one see the beauty in this? The light in the darkness? I would love to know and hear your and other's perspectives and what keeps you optimistic despite it all. Thank you and good day

i would love to hear from others!

i think that everyone will have their own definitions of beauty or romance, so i understand where you are coming from, and your impressions are valid for you!

for me, there are aspects of their story that i just cannot find in other places in the world, and it’s always been something that brings me opportunities reflect on my own life and life philosophy.

i think that there is something to be said for the amount of unconditional love that they show one another that appears when picking haven for one another at the risk of their reputations. i recognize that it probably doesn’t look that way for many people but from my perspective, it’s how i see it. there is something singularly authentic about it to me. as a enneagram type 9 (where my username comes from), i gravitate to the concept of holy love like a moth to a flame, and the dynamic of seeing taylor push her lovers away all her life and then meeting karlie and being inspired by karlie but still fighting doubt and ultimately trying to push her away only for karlie to vehemently refuse to leave is just.. something that really speaks to me. it sort of embodies the human struggle not just to give love but to accept love. i’m not sure if i’m explaining it well but there is so much depth to the love that she writes about in these albums, separate from the heavy external factors that have shaped their story.

but for me, those external factors only work to heighten my interest and appreciation for their journey. in my career i’ve done a lot of executive coaching work and study in leadership theory and i find the study of defining moments (sometimes called crucible moments) incredibly interesting and for taylor and karlie, at the top of their game, the stakes could not be higher and their navigation of everything is very interesting to me.

and i think that the struggle is a part of the beauty because i don’t always find easy things beautiful, and by that i don’t mean that pain is beauty in some voyeuristic way but that success after pain feels more spectacular than success without struggle.

if you are a fan of literature or philosophy, i would recommend the seminal work of junichiro tanizaki called “in praise of shadows” — there’s a fairly well known concept in japan called wabi-sabi which is the idea that true beauty is found in the transient and the fleeting. that a falling cherry blossom is more beautiful than a tree in full bloom, or that cracks in pottery ought be to celebrated (there a tradition in japan of fixing cracks in ceramics with gold called kintsugi). tanizaki’s writing is very formative to this concept and it’s something that has giving me a heightened appreciation for things with complication and age.

#kaylor ain’t for everyone but i think it’s got incredible depth that a lot of people can appreciate

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killa-trav · 1 year

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Vettel leads race in sports nutrition

Sebastian Vettel has become the lead investor in a British sports supplement brand that has raised £1.2 million to commercialise its plant-based formula.

Bill Ronald, chairman of the Fever-Tree drinks mixer brand and a former Mars executive, is also investing and is becoming chairman of BACX, which is based in Oxford.

Vettel, 35, the four-time Formula One world motor racing champion, said he had been introduced to the supplement two years ago by Antti Kontsas, his long-time performance coach, as they explored ways to improve the driver’s hydration and energy levels during races.

“We were always looking for the next thing to get fitter and in terms of supplementation,” Vettel said. “A big one has always been fuelling during a race because it’s quite complicated in the car, you have all the G-forces. Antti brought this product along. I tried it out at home first, during exercising and training, and it worked. I felt good and energised and shortly afterwards put it in my drinks bottle.” Unlike with other products, Vettel had no stomach pain later.

He said the consumer market for BACX was broad: “It is not like this is the perfect product for Formula One drivers. This is the perfect product for anyone who cares about their wellbeing, who is active. It doesn’t need to be extreme sports.”

BACX was founded in 2020 by Jason Baits-Tomlin, a former Gallaher and Japan Tobacco International executive, who came up with the idea after breaking his hip during an endurance bike race in South Africa in 2016. He developed the formulation as part of studying for an executive MBA at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.

Baits-Tomlin, 49, said that like Vettel he had suffered side-effects from using existing sports drinks and powders and had decided to develop a natural formula using plants.

The brand’s “Performance Fuel” concentrate is sold via its website and soon will be available on Amazon. “We will then transfer the tech into a sports drink that will be launching in the summer,” Baits-Tomlin said. He expects to the product to be launched in Germany, Italy, France and Spain this year and hopes to raise another round of investment from venture capital in 12 months’ time.

Other sports stars to have gone into business have included Chris Froome, the cyclist and four-time Tour de France winner, who has a stake in Hammerhead, an American start-up that makes cycling computers, and Chris Smalling, the former Manchester United defender now playing in Italy, who co-founded ForGood, an investment firm backing environmental start-ups.

BY RICHARD TYLER VIA THE TIMES

#occasionally i venture the business section of the times #and was pleasantly surprised w this today #sebastian vettel #sebfluencer era #also obsessed w the fact that he keeps mentioning the no stomach issues #red bull gives u wings?? more like red bull gives u the shits

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no1frogfan · 1 year

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Desire lines, part 1

Kuroo x afab reader

Series synopsis: Against his wishes, Kuroo must hire a personal assistant. You’re not exactly the right person for the job, but it’s a job, and you need the money. Inspired by Robert Macfarlane’s definition of desire lines in landscapes: “paths and tracks made over time by the wishes and feet of walkers, especially those paths that run contrary to design or planning.”

Chapter word count: ~1.4k

Chapter tags & warnings: some sexually suggestive language

Note: Since I’m throwing all my half-baked series ideas out there, here’s another one. I’ve literally already written 25k for this series but I’m completely dissatisfied with most of it. So fly free, dumb little thing, and bring me back some better ways of progressing this story. Side note: small celebration for this, my 20th piece of writing posted to tumblr! It’s especially fitting since this is the first series I attempted to write when I started this blog 5 months ago, and because Kei & Tetsu are my deepest, truest loves

Series masterlist part 2

1. Best-laid plans

“I don’t want to hear any more excuses, Kuroo. You will do it, and that’s final.” Nishida states forcefully, turning his attention back to the papers in front of him. A clear sign that the conversation is over.

“Yes sir, Nishida-san.” Kuroo bows stiffly as he backs out the door.

In the privacy of his own office, Kuroo collapses behind his desk with a string of quiet curses.

Being a director comes with a lot of perks. The promotional game he’d organized a few years ago had turned out to be a massive success, reinvigorating volleyball in Japan and bringing in scores of new fans. On the back of that and a few other creative and well-executed events, he finally landed that sought-after position 3 months ago — Director of the Sports Promotion Division at the Japan Volleyball Association.

At the age of 30, he’s the youngest director in the organization.

He’d earned it with the best pitch he’s ever made — a long-term partnership with FIVB, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball, to train and support coaches and referees throughout Japan. “This partnership will require intensive investment of our time and existing resources, but the payoff will be exponentially greater. Think about how much of an impact this could have on our organization locally, nationally, and globally. On the local level, we’ll be able to improve and expand the existing leagues by increasing the caliber of current coaches and training new coaches who can build new teams and bring more young talent into the sport. On the national level, a higher quality of gameplay means more exciting games, more news coverage, and a higher profile for the sport as a whole, allowing the JVA to further build upon on the momentum of growing fan interest across Japan. Finally, on the international level, the partnership with the premier international volleyball organization would increase the visibility of the JVA and of Japan as a volleyball powerhouse around the world.” By the end of his spiel, Nishida and the other executives were practically eating out of the palm of his hand.

As Director, Kuroo’s life is not bad at all. He gets to design more impactful projects. He gets his own corner office on the 38th floor with a stunning view overlooking the city. Plus, he received a substantial raise, though he barely has time to spend any of that money. The one thing he did splurge on was a larger apartment in Kagurazaka, an eccentric neighborhood he’d always wanted to live in. The new place is closer to his grandparents and to Kenma too, not that he’s been able to squeeze in more than one brief visit a month over the past year.

Yes, there are certainly a lot of upsides to being Director. But there are a lot of downsides too.

There’s so much more administration than he ever imagined. Most of his time each week is spent in tedious managerial meetings when he'd much rather be running around, boots on the ground, meeting players and making deals. The paperwork, the departmental politicking, the boring pleasantries, the late hours almost every night… It’s all worth it to make his dream a reality, but it’s taking a toll. Even Kenma of all people chided him about it.

The thing is, getting the promotion was only the first big hurdle he had to clear on the way to his goal of expanding volleyball and truly lowering the net. He’s been working toward this FIVB partnership for almost a year now, and he’ll be reaching his second big hurdle in one month when representatives from FIVB will be visiting the JVA for the first time to officially begin talks on the details of the project.

Or at least, he thought that was his second big hurdle, but now it seems like Nishida-san has thrown a new one in front of him: find an assistant, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Kuroo tried his best to fight it. He really doesn’t need a babysitter. As long as he gets his work done and goes to his meetings, if he wants to leave early on a whim, he can do it, and he if wants to take a long lunch, he can do that too… And if Satoko needs to “double check the numbers” on the accounting sheets, or Aya wants to “talk over potential new hires,” well, nobody is the wiser. (Sure, maybe the stress is getting to him more than he wants to admit, and sure, maybe he’s not dealing with it in the best way, but he’s got needs too and this works out for everyone involved.) So why would he willingly give up that freedom and flexibility to have someone constantly watching over his shoulder, micromanaging his schedule, and reporting his whereabouts to everyone?

But that’s obviously not what he told Nishida. He informed Nishida he simply doesn’t need an assistant. That he’s handling things very well on his own and is perfectly capable of continuing to do so. Plus, think of how much money it would save the company to not have to pay an additional salary!

Unfortunately, his unfailing charisma finally failed him.

See, Nishida was concerned about optics, especially for their meetings with FIVB. How would it look to the FIVB representatives if the Director of Sports Promotion at JVA had to make his own coffee? Take his own notes? Schedule his own flights? “We can’t have one of our directors hashing out a meeting schedule with one of their interns! It would look like we’re not a serious organization. It would look like we lack the capital and leverage to hold up our end of any cooperative agreements. Listen, Kuroo, this isn’t just about what you want. It’s about the impression our entire organization makes when we negotiate with other entities.”

Nishida laid down the law: Be a team player. Find a personal assistant within two weeks or Nishida would find one for him.

So, right now, Kuroo is unquestionably more focused on the downsides of his position.

The conversation with Nishida plays over and over again in his head as he tries to figure a way out of this mess. Naturally, he dials his first port of call whenever he’s in trouble.

“Oi, I’ve got a problem.” Kuroo starts as soon as the ringing stops.

“What is it now, Kuro?” Kenma responds curtly, yells and bangs from whatever game he’s playing popping off in the background.

“It’s serious!”

“You say that every time.”

“Well it’s really serious this time.”

“Must be if you’re calling me.”

Kuroo’s voice softens. “Sorry I’ve been MIA. The prep for this FIVB meeting has been kicking my ass.”

“Good.”

“I really do need your help though.”

The game sounds stop. Kuroo knows it means fine, I’m listening.

He explains the situation with a sigh, equal parts frustrated and exhausted, “— and now I have to hire a personal assistant even though I don’t need or want one.”

The other end of the line remains silent as Kenma carefully considers the options.

Finally, landing on, “Why don’t you just hire someone?”

“Oi—” Kuroo yowls, “Were you listening? I said I don’t want an assistant!”

Kenma’s eye roll is almost audible. “I know that, but you still have to hire someone, right? Otherwise you’ll be stuck with whoever Nishida hires.”

“…Right…”

“Right. So take the initiative and hire someone. And then just have them do nothing.”

It’s Kuroo’s turn to be silent now.

“Hello?”

“I’m here.” Kuroo replies slowly, trying to decipher the plan. “What do you mean have them do nothing?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.” The sounds of his game start up again. “Whoever you hire will probably have to take notes at your meetings and do a bit of administrative work just to keep up appearances with Nishida and the others at the office, but then the rest of the time is theirs…as long as it looks like they’re working. It’s a win-win. You get to do keep doing what you’re doing and they get paid a full salary to do whatever they want.”

A sly cackle erupts from Kuroo, “As expected, another brilliant strategy from the Brain! But where am I going to find someone like that…”

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #kuroo tetsurou #kuroo x reader #kuroo tetsurou x reader #hq x reader #froggy scribbles

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stargazer-sims · 1 year

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Sebastian Fujikawa

Sebastian's just here looking like, "Ask me about my trust fund."

Actually, Sebastian feels as if people often misjudge who he is as a person simply because he seems to be a stereotypical rich kid. People are quick to assume that he’s lazy, entitled, high-maintenance, and emotionally detached from those around him.

He can concede that he’s high-maintenance and that he’s indulged by his father a bit too much, but he doesn’t think he’s entitled and he knows he’s definitely not lazy or emotionally unavailable. He feels very connected to his father and adopted sister and especially to his figure skating coach who is more of a mom to him than his own mother is. His coach would never let him be lazy, and she’d scold him if she ever caught him behaving like a brat.

Although he realizes it’s not at all funny, Sebastian often jokes that anyone looking at his life from the outside would say that it's like the script of a soap opera. When he was six, his parents went through a very messy and very public divorce. He featured heavily in the media coverage, due to the fact that custody was a hotly-contested issue. His father, a former competitive skier and current ridiculously wealthy executive of a sports equipment company, was granted sole custody of him.

Sebastian doesn't know the details of his parents' split, and he really doesn't want to know, but from what he's been led to believe, his father ended up with him because his father's lawyer was able to convince the court that his mother's lifestyle wasn't conducive to stable, healthy child-rearing. His mother works in the entertainment industry. He's always had contact with her, but it's never been on a regular schedule, and he really doesn't know her all that well.

After the divorce, Sebastian's father decided that it'd be better for Sebastian not to be an only child. He opted for adoption of an older child, so the process was accomplished far more quickly than if he'd wanted to arrange the adoption of a baby. By the time Sebastian's seventh birthday came around, he was welcoming his new sister, who's nearly the same age as him. She told her new father and brother that she wanted a name like Sebastian's instead of her Japanese birth name. Together, they came up with Sofia, and their father did the paperwork to have it legally changed. The siblings became best friends almost immediately, and took to calling themselves "adopted twins", which everyone in their circle thought was adorable.

When Sebastian and Sofia were twelve, their father sent them to boarding school in the UK, so that they could learn English in an immersive environment. Sebastian didn't see his mother for two whole years while he was away at school, but he really wasn't worried about it. In the UK is where he met his current coach, Vivienne Holmes (a.k.a. Ginger). He'd had a different coach prior to that, but because he'd started competing seriously, his father arranged for him to continue training and competing while he was away. Ginger came back to Japan with him when he was 14, and they've been together ever since.

Ginger technically lives with Sebastian, Sofia and their dad. She has her own little house on Mr. Fujikawa's property, but she's up at the main house a lot, which makes Sebastian happy.

Sebastian feels that Ginger has raised him just as much as his father has. He credits her for teaching him how to not behave like a spoiled trust fund baby. Ginger has taught him the value of working for the things he wants in life, and she's taught him how to play by the rules, respect others and to be compassionate whether he thinks people deserve it or not.

He has trouble making friends because people tend to believe he's unapproachable, and at this point he's almost given up trying. He'd like to have friends, but he's not unhappy with his life despite not really having any. As long as he's got Ginger, Sofia and his dad, he's never without love and support.

#ts4 #sims 4 #eagames #snowy escape #Sebastian Fujikawa #stargazersims

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rikeijo · 2 years

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Today's translation #108

Figure Skating Life vol. 9, The choreographer Miyamoto Kenji's commentary on all programs in Yuri!!! on ICE

Yuri Katsuki (23) Japan

Japan's Ace, who wants to overcome his heart of glass

The protagonist of the show, who was quietly rumored to be retiring soon got to spend his edge-of-the-cliff season together with his coach, Victor, who suddenly appeared uninvited in his house. Until last season, he was training in the USA, but this season he came back to his hometown, Hasetsu, where he trains supported by his ex-rinkmates. His skating [technique], which gives you the impression that his body is playing music, as well as his step sequences and spins are highly praised, but his success rate at executing quad jumps isn't very high. He trains twice as much as an average skater, and thanks to that he has both physical strength and real skills, but until now he wasn't able to show off his true abilities, because mentally he's quite weak. This season, the theme of his short program choreographed by Victor is "eros". As this theme is very different from his usual image, he decides to perform it while imagining his favorite dish, katsudon, which he can only seldom eat, because he puts on weight so easily, but...?

SP: On love ~Eros~

At that time [when Miyamoto Kenji was working on the choreography], the katsudon thing was not yet decided on. The order was "we want you to create a program addressed to something that [Yuuri] loves, something that's very important for him, but it hasn't been decided yet what that will be". I made the entry to each jump a bit more difficult and as the entry to the combination jump, I included the same entry that I actually used in the choreography I created for Takahashi Daisuke (exhibition program "Four seasons in Buenos Aires" [It seems that it was actually "Spring in Buenos Aires", and that in English this composition is known as "Primavera Porteña"?]). The piece this program is skated to is latin, so I made sure that the back line of the body is beautifully presented - by keeping the hands behind you, and not letting them go in front of you face, I made the lines of the nape and back well-visible.

FS: Yuri on ICE

I created this program with this idea of collecting from around you all the things that help you, and transforming them into the strength to skate. And then in the end, the program closes with you showing your skating to, among others, your coach who you trust, and asking them "How was it?" - this is the message I thought it would be nice to include in this program. At the beginning of the story Yuuri was in quite a tough place mentally, so in the end I wanted him to think more positively. I was working on this program with this thought that I want Yuuri to skate with a self-confidence, which would be a little bit different than Victor's self-confidence.

#yuri on ice #yoi translations #yuri on ice translation

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zazzander · 2 months

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Dogsred Disappoints – Chapter 1

So I’m a big fan of the sports manga genre and I read a lot of the new stories coming out on the Shounen Jump app. Typically, if it’s a sports manga I’ll pick it up. And I’ll stick around even if the story isn’t amazing (which I won’t do for most other genres).

Obviously, that includes Dogsred. Now, I’m not saying this is a particularly bad story, I just think it’s poorly executed. And once I started thinking about how poorly executed it is…it was hard to stop.

To begin with, Dogsred struggles to connect its reader to its characters. There are several reasons for this which I’ll get into. Getting this right is so important in a story. It’s about answering the classic “why should I care?” question. And Dogsred fumbles that answer over and over again.

Disconnect from the Main Character

This manga has a dire inability to tell us the inner thoughts of its lead and an ambivalence towards his personality and backstory. This is, by far, the greatest sin of its writing. It this begins within first few pages of chapter one.

We open at the All-Japan Junior Championships, a pretty high-level contest. Our main character, Rou, is up. He stands on the ice, determined.

So far, so good – but the second half of this page is the first of many times the author stumbles. The opening is from the POV of the crowd. Of Rou’s fans (who aren’t important enough to warrant names nor do they appear later in any importance). These girls info-dump information at us:

They are big fans of his, indicted by the photos of his face on their shirts and the banners with his name. They are all implied to know what’s happened to him – this isn’t gossip one girl is sharing. It’s just her telling phantom listener (the reader) what has happened. This is poor writing.

Now, I’m not saying an outsider POV is bad for the beginning. It isn’t. Many mangas have used this effectively to set the stage for their story. However. In this case, Rou is by the far the most likely person to be thinking about this. Instead of fan-girls chatting to each other, the opening sequence would have carried far more weight if instead, we were aware of Rou’s thoughts and feelings regarding the routine, his potential stiffness, his fear of getting the routine wrong, his desire to make this flawless to honour his mother’s memory – whatever it is.

We could have a flashback to the moment’s leading up to the crash. The trauma of that moment. Maybe he feels survivor’s guilt because she died and he didn’t! Maybe they stayed up late to train for this very competition for him. He’s probably got some stiffness still, even if his injuries were light.

The opening sequence has plenty of pages dedicated to this routine. But instead of using it to get into Rou’s head, we waste several pages looking at the crowd and hear their thoughts. Through this info dump we learn a few things:

Rou is described as shining ‘like a prince’.

Rou has a twin sister, who hasn’t come to his performances for years.

It’s possible he won’t have the funds to continue to skate, as his mother was his coach and now she’s dead.

He is ‘undiscovered’ (considering the number of fan-girls this seems like a stretch, they don’t seem to be his friends just random girls hear to watch him skate) but that is likely to change soon

People think he’s got the potential to get to the Olympics one day.

Now, this isn’t to say there is never anything given to the reader about Rou’s thoughts. He thinks, “This is the last program my mother created. I got to give it everything!”, but it literally rehashes what was already said by the girls in the crowd. He does successfully do this and is like “yes!” when he gets in first place.

BUT THEN! All of a sudden, Rou rage-quits. He goes berserk while still in front of the characters. He evens slaps a guy.

This stunt ends up on the news:

Once again, the outsider POV is used to establish what is going on. We have random reporters discussing his reasons instead of us learning it directly from him. We hear that Rou set a record for that competition – since we barely know anything about the twins and considering their later dynamic – all of this information could have been conveyed through an argument between the siblings!

Instead, all we get is shots of them both getting a plane.

Now, I know what the author was going for here: intrigue. They wanted us to ask, as the people of this world are asking: why? However, that would have been better served as the introduction for a rival, not a main character. Intrigue like this rarely works for main characters!

And so, this introduction as failed to establish the dynamics between the three pivotal characters that have so far been introduced: Rou, his twin, and his dead mum. But not to worry, we’re only on page 29! There’s plenty of room for us to learn about these characters and who they are…. Right?

You’d think.

Unfortunately, at this point, we switch to a completely different sequence and setting:

The Hockey Match

After failing to give us more indication of Rou’s emotions than simply ‘I’ve got to do this!’ and ‘I did it’, we are once more placed into the POV of the crowd. There is an unseen announcer who is explaining what is going on to the reader. As we look over a seemingly irrelevant hockey match, the announcer explains what Ice Hockey is. Once again, the reader must suspend their disbelief, because surely the people at this event (a high school hockey match) would already know.

Anyway, we learn that this high school team, Oino, is attempting to win the inter-high champions for the 20th year in a row. It takes several pages before we meet an actual character.

Keiichi Genma has come to the game to support his older brother. From some random passers-by (that’s outsider POV #4 for those keeping track) we learn that he’s a good player. More info-dumping ensues, this time about the school and the general area.

This entire section of the manga is unnecessary to the story.

It’s so frustrating. We did not need to meet Keiichi here. We did not need to know about the Oino team trying for a 20th consecutive win. Plotting wise, these pages should have been used for something else.

However, I understand why this happened. This manga is about ice hockey – chapter one should show some ice hockey. Fair.

In which case, the POV should have been drilled into Keiichi and established his personality as the principal rival (as that’s what he is). Here’s an example of how these few pages could have been used to establish setting, character, and hockey:

Keiichi is on his way somewhere (we don’t need to know where yet) BUT he gets delayed for some reason. If he’s a bit of an airhead, this could be because he forgot to set an alarm. If he’s a hot-head who gets into trouble, maybe he ends up in a fight with some locals.

Regardless, Keiichi’s bus or train, whatever it is, leaves without him! Oh no!

Now, Keiichi has a problem. He needs to get to his brother’s match. He thinks: “the next bus won’t come for another hour!” (because this is hickville) and decides instead that he’s better off running.

This establishes quickly that Keiichi’s hometown is small.

We could also have him running through the streets, attracting notice. If he’s well-liked by his neighbours, people wave at him. If he’s known to be a troublemaker (which he is), they tell him off. We can get a quick sense of who he is, and what his community is like within a page. No info dumping necessary.

After running for a while, Keiichi manages to get to the stadium. This helps establish that he’s an athlete. Since running for a long time is physically taxing.

As he runs, Keiichi thinks about why he’s going. This is his brother’s game so we can establish their dynamic! If Keiichi is close to his brother and looks up to him, maybe he’s delivering his brother something for the game. If Keiichi is a bit bratty and sees his brother as a rival, maybe his mother made him go to the watch to film it so she can watch – as she’s busy at work.

Keiichi walks into the stadium and sees his brother playing. At this point, we could have him hear the voice over from the announcer who is talking about how this victory (which is pretty assured now as it’s late in the game) is one more step towards Oino taking the championships for the 20th year in a row. Again, if Keiichi looks up to his brother, he can think “you’ve got this, bro!” or he can be arrogant, “and I’m going to get the 21st!”

In this rewrite, we learn about Keiichi’s hometown (later Rou’s), build the foundation of his dynamic with his brother, and establish his personality.

Back to the Twins

We return to the twins arriving at a small town in the north of Japan. The twins have been picked up by their granddad and now learn all how life works in small town Japan (as opposed to Tokyo) on the drive to his house.

This drive takes them passed a frozen lake where some local kids are playing. We learn that the twin’s dead mum played on this lake as a child and get some meaningful looks from the twins. All in all, their arrival to town is actually pretty good! It sets the stage for later conflicts.

Haruna, Rou’s twin, even asks Rou outright why he rage-quit. He gives no answer.

(We don’t have a real confrontation between the two of them until chapter 12! Only then do they hash out what went down.)

Then we jump forward to Rou on the lake. Personally, I think this skip needed an intersecting panel where Rou picks up his stakes and goes to the lake. Arguably more. Rou is sorely lacking in any characterisation at this point. Instead of wasting pages on the hockey match, we should have been here, working through Rou’s thought process as he decides to head down to the lake.

Upon his arrival to this new town, Rou can really be one of three things:

Regretful over losing his temper and determined to restart his figure-skating, career by whatever means possible.

Listless over what to do with his life now, wandering the town streets with a lot of sighing and introspection. He’s dedicated his entire life, all his free time, to a sport he has decided to never play again and that leaves him without a direction.

Determined to jump-start a new life in a new town. Maybe he’s excited to do regular middle-schooler things, like hanging out with friends, because that’s something he had to sacrifice in the past.

The answer is… a secret fourth option! Rou has apparently given this no thought in the days between rage-quitting and getting to Hicksville. Instead, he only started thinking about what he’s going to do now once he gets on the ice. He tells us that he doesn’t want to disappoint his mother’s memory and that he still loves skating (both of these are somewhat contradicted later in the story).

This feels a lit soulless ngl. Rou doesn’t think about what his mother’s childhood might have been like. We don’t flashback to her teaching him to skate a kid. It’s just… blah.

The good news is we finally get some Rou characterisation: flippant and vain. Which is… not the most likable set of traits but at least it’s something! I was happy to finally get to this point because those two things would definitely cause trouble if he joined a hockey team! (spoilers: it hardly comes up).

Keiichi and Rou meet

As expected, the boys meet. Rou learns from the local children that Keiichi has previously beaten up a kid for touching ‘his’ section of the ice. This is obviously an asshole thing to do and Rou decides to pick a fight over it. Again, great characterisation.

This is the best part of the chapter. The future rivals really rile each other up and we learn a lot about them both in the process. They even start a cool skate off over this previously mention section of ice. Unfortunately, the fight only a couple pages and… the chapter ends. Sigh.

Other Notes:

I really, really dislike Rou’s character design. He’s supposed to be a beautiful boy, a figure-skater who looks like a ‘prince’ yet his design doesn’t show that. Especially in the beginning, he shouldn’t look that this. There should be an opportunity to make him more rugged later, but Rou is vain, he cares about looking ugly. By manga standards though, he’s naff.

Tell me I’m wrong.

Basically:

The author relies way too much on outsider POVs to info-dump, rather than presenting the world through the eyes of the characters.

Because the story decided to make Rou’s rage-quit one big question, his entire characterisation suffers. We fail to delve deep into Rou’s relationship with his sister and mother. The story moves on after this chapter, and because these questions aren’t answered now, they have to be addressed later (chapter 12) which hampers the pacing.

Rou’s personality is difficult to figure out despite him being the main character. Only by the last few pages (of a 62-page chapter!) do we learn even a few of his key traits: vain, flippant, and righteous.

The chapter spends way too much space giving useless bits of information they can be slowly fed to the reader, to the detriment to the story.

#dogsred manga #shounen jump manga #manga review #manga analysis

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kaygroupasia · 9 months

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The Role of Professional Coaches in Personal and Career Development

Discover the transformative power of leadership coaching programs for C-suite professionals with a Certified Executive Coach. Explore how our coaching services can elevate your career and leadership skills. To know more visit our website.

#coaching for leaders #professional coaches #leadership coaching program #coach in japan #c suite executive coaching #executive coaching in japan #leadership coaching in japan #c suite professionals #Certified Executive Coach

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absolutebl · 2 years

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Hi ABL!

I have a question about workshops after reading some of your posts about the more technical side of the BL industry. Do US (or just western, I suppose, though I imagine US vs European vs Canadian might have all different standards) shows and movies have similar intimacy workshops?

I know there are fighting and action workshops and training if the actor is going to do their own stunts, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard about it for the romantic side of acting before. Honestly it seems really useful to have a chance to get acquainted with your costar and practice some of the romantic scene ‘choreography’ ahead of time.

Also thank you for your reviews and language breakdowns! As a baby BL watcher it’s so helpful to have so many references and language notes so I can at least keep an ear out for them even if I can’t speak Thai myself ☺️

Delighted to help at all with the linguistic side.

Hollywood uses something called an intimacy coordinator. It's a bit different, and it's cultural. In the USA actors are simply expected to be more physically comfortable with touch and skin contact as part of life, particularly across gender lines (men/women) than in any Asian country. That said I've never heard of Japan doing workshops.

The IC can get their talent as close to workshopping as might be needed so 9 1/2 Weeks for example, moved towards what amounts to workshopping. Because the sex was part of the plot. But if sex/romance it's not a driver, it's just a side thing (most common, Hollywood really doesn't produce many romances) they don't do much.

IC coach/supervision is not executed in quite the same way. They don't put the talent through the same kind of "games" we see Taiwan, for example, put their boys through to get them comfortable with kissing and skin to skin contact.

#asked and answered

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anotherwvba · 9 months

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Road to the Women's Circuit pt. 2

Niki Binary, dressed in her workout gear, pounded away at the heavy bag in the WVBA Academy Gym. Her eyes, however, were glued to the boxing ring where Cutie Hondo danced around, her fists flying in a mesmerizing display of grace and speed. Cutie's coach, Piston Hurricane, held the pads for her, calling out combinations that she executed flawlessly.

The more Niki watched, the more her confidence waned. Cutie was a force of nature, her movements almost poetic in their fluidity. Niki felt a knot of intimidation tighten in her stomach. Doubt crept into her mind, affecting her punches. They felt weaker, less precise.

Suddenly, the heavy bag resisted her punch more than usual. She turned to find Piston Hondo, Cutie's brother and the Minor Circuit's #1 Contender, holding the bag for her. His eyes were filled with concern. "Daijōbu ka, Niki-san?"

Niki sighed, her gloves dropping to her sides. "I'm just... I've been a fan of the WVBA for... forever. Fighting here was a dream I never thought would come true, but now that it is, I'm scared. Especially when I see how amazing Cutie is. I can't help but think she's going to wipe the floor with me on Saturday."

Piston Hondo nodded, understanding the weight of her words. "Dreams are meant to be chased, not feared." He took hold of the heavy bag as a coach would, then called, "Jab!"

Niki threw a jab, her focus shifting to the bag and Piston Hondo's instructions. "Cross! Hook! Uppercut!" he called out. As he found Niki's style and rhythm, the Minor Circuit star began matching Niki's "digital dance".

Slowly, Niki's punches gained strength and speed. Soon the sound of her gloves against the bag filled the gym. She was so engrossed that she didn't notice the growing crowd of onlookers, their eyes widening in awe at the girl from I.T. that would soon take to the ring.

"Yosh! Finish strong, Tornado Hook!" Piston Hondo shouted.

Niki pivoted, her fist flying in a whirlwind motion, connecting with the bag in a satisfying thud, spinning the heavy bag loose from Piston's grasp.

"Sugoi, Niki! You're looking scary good!" Cutie called from the ring, her voice tinged with friendly encouragement. "Saturday is going to be so awesome!"

Piston Hondo smiled at her. "You see? You have nothing to fear. My sister is excited to fight you not because it will be easy, but because it will be a challenge. In Japan, we have a word—sessatakuma. It means rival, but it also means much more. It also means 'the one who improves me.' That's how Cutie sees you."

Niki felt a warmth spread through her, replacing the doubt that had plagued her. She bowed to the elder Hondo, "Thank you, Piston. I won't let you or Cutie down on Saturday."

Piston Hondo returned the gesture. "Don't let yourself down," he said, before heading toward the locker room.

As he approached the door, he found Viktor Von Kaiser, Niki's coach, waiting and watching. The German's eyes met his, and he nodded in gratitude. "Danke, Herr Hondo. My fighter needed that."

Piston Hondo smiled, his eyes drifting back to the gym where Niki was working the heavy bag with renewed vigor and Cutie continued on the pads like an artist at her easel. "The honor is mine. They are going to do something truly special."

And as the two men watched the two young boxers that would soon break ground as the first two women to fight in a WVBA ring, one thing was clear. History was not just in the making—it was inevitable.

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