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libraryofloveletters · 3 years

Text

Love Delivered To Your Doorstep

Evan Buckley x Reader

Warnings: fem!reader, mentions of cheating, break ups and killing/serial killers. (<in a joking context)

Category: fluff for the most part.

Word Count: 3.9k

Author’s Note: Doesn’t follow canon, it has a little of buck begins in there but it doesn't follow a strict timeline. It also is written like Buck moves to LA and has his apartment from the moment he moves there while trying to figure out what he wants to do.

-----

Texting and calling was never your choice method of communication.

Letters had always been more of your thing.

Truthfully, they hadn't been your thing until your boyfriend moved halfway across the country for university. The two of you met in high school, freshman year and became inseparable since. Growing together and promising to always love each other no matter what -you always knew that couldn't be true but it never stopped you from telling him.

When he told you that he was going to be applying to UCLA during your senior year of high school, it came as a bit of a shock to you. The plan was always going to college together, get engaged when you were done school and then married with a house by 30.

You held out the hope of that being possible until the day he showed you his acceptance letter.

You were incredibly proud of him but it was real now, he was leaving.

You watched him pack up his entire life and uproot himself from New York and moved across the country. You sent the first letter to him at what was supposed to be his apartment.

September 30th.

‘Hi baby!

Just writing to see how you're settling in. How’s UCLA ? Have you gotten a chance to go around and get to see the place ? I know you’re there for school but you've got to live a little too. Hope your neighbours are sweet, your mom told me it’s a pretty nice place and it’s got a good view, sounds like your type of place. Hopefully I can come visit you soon.

I started my classes last week. My chem professor is a pain in my ass already, he expects us to read an entire textbook in a week - well not exactly an entire textbook but you get the point. My biology professor is a sweetheart, she showed us pictures of her kids and talked about them for an hour, I didn't realize being a mother was so interesting but she was cool. Also showed us a video of an appendectomy that one of her colleagues performed last week. How are your classes and professors ?

Did I mention I bumped into Sam at the grocery store ? Yeah, he’s back and he’s not fine to tell you the truth. He seemed like he was ready to snap but that might just be my judgment. He said to tell you hello if I spoke to you so- hello :)

I’m going to sign off here, I know this one is short but I don’t have much to update you on. Life’s been pretty dull without you. Hope you’re having fun out there, soaking up the sun for me.

Write me back soon, I love you.

Yours always, y/n’

You mailed the letter the next day, a few weeks had passed before you received a letter back. Except this letter had a different sender name but the same address.

October 22nd.

‘Hi y/n,

This isn't your boyfriend. (I'm assuming that’s who you're writing too based on the context of the letter) I’m Evan, I live in the apartment you thought belonged to your boyfriend or maybe you got the address wrong, I’m not sure. I know you were waiting for an update on all these exciting things that are happening at UCLA. I do not go to UCLA nor can I update you in anything exciting that’s happening there, sorry.

Anyways, the reason I'm writing you back is because I figured you’d want to know that this isn't the correct address and the person you were looking for isn't here before you send another letter and get no response. I was debating if I should have even written you back, but here I am, writing you back.

Your professor for chem seems like an ass to be honest (hope that’s not rude) and your biology professor sounds great, is she hot by the way ? because bonus points for that. Anyways, are you studying medicine ? I'm guessing yes because of the classes you're taking. I'm thinking of signing up to become a first responder but I haven’t decided yet on what yet or if I'm actually going to do it. Anyways, good luck on your classes and the shitty chem professor.

Hope you find your boyfriend (again, assuming)

Peace out,

Evan.’

To say you were shocked would be an understatement. How could the letter you sent to your boyfriend’s apartment belong to someone else ? Why was there someone else living in his apartment ? You dug through your apartment, searching for the paper he left you with the address, you finally found it buried in a drawer.

The address on the paper was identical to the one that Evan sent to you and to the one you sent prior to that. Either your boyfriend was lying or you were losing your mind.

November 4th.

‘Dear Evan,

I'm sorry that I sent the first letter to you and as you guessed, I was looking for my boyfriend who seems to be a bit MIA right now. His mother says that’s the right address and the place that she helped him move into. So I'm not really sure what’s happening there. Anyways, sorry for unloading all of that on you.

To answer your question, yes, I am studying medicine and no, she isn't hot. My bio professor is a 65 year old woman who loves her college aged kids very much. If that’s your definition of hot, then yes - she's got milf status

Have you decided yet if you’re going to sign up to be a first responder ? That’d be pretty cool. Imagine all the girls swoon over you and how many girls you’d pick up just for being a paramedic or a firefighter.

Wait, are you into girls ? Or guys ? You know, whoever you're into, just imagine how many of them you’d pick up.

Also, you’re not a murderer or anything right ? because I rather not answer questions when the police come asking about why I've been sending letters to a serial killer.

Anyways, signing off for now.

Yours always, y/n.

ps. if you do end up bumping into or meeting a guy that looks like my boyfriend, (tall, brown hair, brown eyes. he’s got a pierced ear and a little butterfly tattoo by his collarbone- though not sure why or how you'd see his collarbone) let me know or tell him that his girlfriend is looking for him.

Double ps, what size shirt do you wear ?’

Buck laughed at your absurd question. A person he didn’t even know was asking what size shirt he wore. The letter was set on the coffee table with the rest of the mail, getting buried under all of the stuff he had on there. It was almost the end of December when he realized that he hadn't written you back yet.

December 21st.

‘Hey y/n,

Sorry I've taken so long to get back to you. Things have been hectic over here. I’ve been doing some ‘soul-searching’ - I guess you could call it that and honestly, I don’t think if this whole first responders thing is for me.

I tried out bartending or well, the technical term is mixologist and I’m liking it so far, I think i’m going to stick with it for now.

How have you been ? How’s school ? Surely, you’re on break for the holidays right about now or at least when you get this letter. I hope that you're spending the break doing something fun.

I’m not going to make this very long, I’m sure you’ve been busy with whatever you’re doing right now.

Also, I’ve been meaning to ask. Have you located the mysteriously disappearing boyfriend yet ? I haven't seen anyone that fit your description.

well, that’s not true- I did and just to be sure I asked to see his collarbone, he looked at me like I was a mad man so I guess it wasn't him ?

Anyways, I hope you have a good holiday and you're probably gonna get this sometime between holidays, so merry belated (?) Christmas and happy New Years y/n.

Peace out,

Evan.

ps. medium or large, depending on what it is. Hopefully that answers your question weirdo.’

January 13th.

The morning of the 13th, he went down to check his mail. A box was there with his name on it, the return address was one he had only seen on an envelope. The box returned upstairs with him, setting it on the counter before opening it.

Upon opening it, there was a letter and some colourful tissue paper with what seemed like a sweater under it. He opened the letter first.

‘Dear Evan,

Happy New Years! How was your holiday going ? Did you do anything fun ?

I’ve been good and school is good too, I'm almost done my first year, isn't that crazy ? Just a few more months to go.

How’s your job as mr. mixologist going ? I'm sure you’ve met some wild people and heard some interesting stories.

As for the boyfriend situation, that's over. I’m not surprised to tell you the truth but it still kinda sucks. Anyways, so what happened was that his older brother had come home from college last year and brought a friend with him. She went to the same school as his brother but transferred to UCLA- anyways long story short, they hooked up while he and I were still together and he moved in with her after his mom helped him move into the apartment I thought he had.

But! I’m single and chilling now so it’s all good. (bonus, she cheated on him and left him so yeah)

I got you a little something for Christmas and as a “sorry for unloading all my boyfriend drama on you” present. I was in the gift shop and it made me think of you. Do you celebrate Christmas? I forgot to check oops. If you don't, count it as a just a “sorry for unloading all my boyfriend drama on you” present?

I got a large because I wasn't sure if it would fit. I hope you like it. That’s all for now.

Yours always, y/n.’

He unwrapped the tissue paper to see a blue sweater with the letters NYU on it. He smiled, he assumed that’s where you went. It was sweet that you took the time to get him something, even if it was a by the way thing. Not a lot of people would send something to a person they had been talking to via letters and halfway across the country.

February 12th.

2 days before Valentine's Day, your least favourite holiday of the year. You weren't looking forward to watching all your friends going on with their boyfriends and girlfriends. The mail had arrived while you were out, you picked it up and headed in. There were two envelopes with your name on it, a plain white one and a red one. The red envelope was more squared than rectangular, you assumed it was a card- both had the same sender name.

‘Hey y/n!

Thank you for the sweater, it was nice of you to think of me and get me something. I didn’t know we were doing gifts or I would have sent you something as well and yes, I do celebrate Christmas.

My job as ‘mr. mixologist’ was going well until I quit. It just didn’t feel like the right fit for me you know ? I'm going to see what else is out there for me.

Sorry to hear about your boyfriend, he seems like a douche. Who would cheat on you ? You seem great I mean at least you are on paper (did you get my joke, it’s hard to tell)

Also, remember how I was thinking I might actually give that first responder thing a try? Imagine me as a firefighter, that’s pretty cool right ?

So I kinda did a thing and signed up and then I got in. I started two weeks ago and it was kicking my ass at first but I've gotten a hang of it and things are going pretty well. There's three other Evans in my class so everyone calls me Buck-I kind of like it.

The other envelope, hopefully you opened this one first, is a little something for you for valentines. Hope you like it.

Peace out,

Buck’

The red envelope was on your lap, you pulled the edges carefully not wanting to rip it. Inside was a plain white card with bright red letters that made you laugh. The cover read ‘I’m not sick of you yet!” Opening the card, a $20 fell onto your lap. There was a little message inside that went along with the cash.

‘Since we aren't together and can’t spend valentines together, there’s some cash to get yourself a box of chocolates and a teddy bear. Happy Valentines Day y/n

Love, Buck.’

You smile, this was the first time that Buck had signed with ‘love, buck’ it had always been ‘peace out, buck.’ You tucked the card into the drawer, one you didn’t use very often so you knew it’d be safe there.

*4 years later*

A few weeks had passed since Buck had last heard from y/n. His last letter to her was at the end of June, telling her all about the day he had spent at Hen and Karen’s. He always described every little detail so vividly that it made her feel like she was there with him- but it was now July, end of actually and moving into August.

4 years had blown like nothing.

It felt like just yesterday he got the first letter in the mail. 4 years and they still had no idea what each other looked like but they knew every intricate and intimate detail about each other, their lives and the people in it.

Y/n and Buck had grown rather close over the last few months- more than they already were. Y/n just went through a pretty shitty break up and Buck wasn't exactly big on relationships as of right now.

He had just gotten home from work, his keys set on the counter when he realized that he forgot to check his mail. Stepping back out, there was a woman in the hallway and boxes scattered across her, leading into the apartment down the hall.

She must be his new neighbour.

He wanted to go over and introduce himself but she was busy telling the movers where to set her couch so he decided that he would check the mail and then introduce himself when he returned so he did just that.

Except, she was still busy.

She leaned against the wall, watching the movers move what looked like a coffee table. She glanced up to see Buck walking by, she smiled and he returned the smile.

Buck reaches his apartment, the mail in hand and steps in. He sorts through the pile, bills, ads, coupons and no letter from y/n.

---

Your new apartment was a mess. You decided it was time for a change. You applied to a few hospitals after your break up and the one in LA hired you. So you dropped everything and moved- no family, no ties.

A fresh start.

It was a nice neighbourhood and the building was quiet. The neighbours you met were pleasant and welcoming. When you were having the furniture moved in, there was a blonde man who smiled at you and you assumed he lived in the unit down the hall because that’s where he stepped into.

It was almost 11pm when you finally sat down. You had been on your feet all day and just wanted to eat something. The box with the dishes was beside the couch, you pulled the tape off and opened it. There was an envelope sitting on top of the stack of plates.

Buck’s last letter to you.

You must have tossed it into the boxes while packing and you forgot to write him back. Tumbling through the boxes, you find a sheet of paper and a pen from your bag. Sitting on the floor, the paper resting on an unopened box, you begin writing.

‘Dear Buck,

I’m sorry I've taken so long to get back to you. I quit my job, and uprooted my entire life. The break up sucked major ass as you know, so I decided it was time for a change.

Guess where I decided to go ?

Did you guess yet?

No, not Canada, why would you guess Canada ?

LA!

Yeah, isn't that crazy that I ended up here of all places? Maybe we could get together one day (if you haven’t turned into a crazy serial killer that is.)

Anyways, that’s why I've taken so long to write. I was packing when I got your letter and I tossed it in a box and just found it again. Anyways, I hope you’ve been good, how have things been at the station ?

I promise I'll write again with more details soon, I just have to get settled in first.

Yours always, y/n.’

Folding the paper, you slipped into an envelope. The address being scribbled into the back of the envelope. You were about to seal it when the building number caught your eye.

It was the same number as the place you moved into. The same address, the building number, the same floor.

The unit number was the only difference.

There was no way you moved into the building that Buck lived in.

You knew the address felt familiar when you saw the listing but you didn’t think anything of it nor did it occur to you that you knew the address.

Stepping out of your apartment, looking at the number on the room and back down at the envelope in your hand. Buck’s apartment was down the hall.

Part of you just wanted to mail it and keep things as it was but another part of you wanted to meet him, to see what he was really like in person. So there you were walking down the hallway at a quarter past 11 in the dead of the night to meet a man you had been sending letters to for the last 4 years.

The end of the hallway, you stared at the black wooden door in front of you. Your brain weighing the options right now: he’s a sweetheart and welcoming and makes you feel comfortable or he’s a weird guy who’s been lying to you this whole time and you told him everything about you and now he’s going to kill you.

Before you could register what you were doing, you knocked on the door.

Glancing down at yourself, you were wearing a pair of old shorts and a t-shirt from high school that you found in a drawer while packing. Not an ideal outfit, maybe he’s sleeping and you can go home and change- the door opened, a man wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt stood there. He looked like he had just woken up.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

“It's alright,” he yawned, his hand covering his mouth as he blinked away a few tears. “What can I do for you ?” he leaned against the door.

“Um, this is an odd question-” you shifted, glancing down at the envelope in your hand. “Are you Buck ?”

“I am, who are you ?”

“Y/n.”

You had never seen a man wake up that fast, he seemed surprised, confused and concerned all in one. “How- uh, are you- What ?” he mumbled.

“I found your letter in the box after I moved, I moved into the apartment down the hall” you point to your left, Buck sticks his head out of the doorway and looks at the door you were pointing to. You were the woman in the hallway that he saw earlier, he knew you looked familiar.

“I just wrote your letter and I noticed that the addresses were the same, just a different unit number so I decided to come check. Sorry if I bothered you, we can talk another day- it’s late and you probably have work” “Would you like to come in?” he opens the door a bit more, looking to you for an answer.

“Um, okay sure.” stepping in, you can’t help but glance around. The apartment was similar to yours, the layout was a bit different though. “Can I get you something to drink ? Coffee, water ? A beer ?” he rounded the kitchen counter, you took a seat on one of the chairs by the counter.

“Water’s fine, thanks”

He reached for a bottle from the fridge, sliding it over to you. You gave him a smile, he leaned against the counter and was now looking- studying you.

“I know we’ve talked to each other for 4 years but this is kinda strange” you chuckled awkwardly, Buck can't help but smile.

“Yeah, it is, isn't it? but can I ask why you moved to LA?”

“Well all of that was in the letter” you slide the envelope across the counter and he picks it up, opening it. Giving him a few moments to read, you watch his expression like you were hoping for some insight as to how he was feeling or what he was thinking. He let out a laugh, “how’d you know I'd guess Canada ?” you smiled at him, a small wave of relief washing over you for some reason. “Lucky guess I suppose”

“Do you-” “What are-” the sentences cutting each other off, the two of you awkwardly smiling at each other. “You first” looking at him, he hums.

“Do you have work tomorrow or are you busy ?” His eyes meet yours, you found yourself leaning forwards towards the counter- towards him. He made you feel comfortable, you’d go as far as to say safe, in a way you’ve never felt before.

“No, I don't start until the 21st. Why ?”

“I was thinking - if you're not busy and if you want to, of course. Maybe I could take you out for breakfast and I could show you around ? Or lunch or dinner ? Whatever works for you actually” he rambles, fiddling with his fingers to avoid eye contact.

A small laugh slips past your lips causing him to look up, his brows furrowed as he studies your face, looking for an answer.

“Breakfast sounds good, what time should I be ready for ?”

“Uh, is 10 okay ?” he asks, you nod. “I’ll be ready for 10 then.”

“Okay, I'll pick you up” he smiles.

“Buck, we live in the same building.”

“Oh right,” he chuckles, “well I'll be by yours at 10 then” the two of you smiling at each other.

“Okay.”

----

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our-heroes-rise · 5 years

Note

Maybe some Todoroki headcannons for falling in love with young s/o and how he tries to woo her?

sure thing bb. since you weren’t too specific with your request, i took a few creative liberties. and, maybe, might have strayed a bit from the prompt…? but i hope you like it! this was also another one that i had SO much fun writing, and, honestly, might write my next fic on this au, haha. *whispers* oh, and please forgive me for the terribly long wait.

(they’re both over the age of 18 to make my life a little easier)

———————————————————————

Pro-Hero Todoroki:

Shoto meets you during an evacuation mission. In the aftermath of a terrible earthquake, he finds you struggling to lift a fallen support beam off of your unconscious friend’s leg, crying for help. Honestly, he hardly pays any attention to you, he’s in full Pro mode and only calmly asks you a few evaluating questions of your friend’s current state before he sets into action, firmly ordering you to evacuate with everyone else. The job is quick and he has your friend’s leg free in less than a minute, handing them off to another Pro while he goes to respond to another cry for help.

And he doesn’t think of you at all until almost a month after the incident. At just the age of twenty-one, he leads a very busy life, already ranked as number ten in the nation and number seventeen worldwide. He’s saved a lot of people and seen millions of faces, you can’t blame him for letting one slip his mind.

It’s one of his rare days off and he decides to meet up with Yaoyorozu for coffee before she leaves for an intel mission in Europe. The cafe isn’t anything fancy, a small low-profile place in downtown Hosu where he knows they’ll be capable of having a peaceful meal to catch up. But there’s something about the barista that takes his order that seems oddly… Familiar, and he can’t for the life of him place what it is.

He’s about to give up trying to figure it out when you approach the table he and Yaoyorozu are sharing.

When you speak your voice is soft and your gaze apprehensive, cheeks dusted in a light shade of pink that has his heart fluttering in a way that’s new and confusing to him. “I-I - uh - I’m sorry if I’m interrupting you two, but I just wanted to thank you, Sh-Shoto, sir, for saving my friend a while back. I’m sure you don’t remember, but you freed my friend’s leg during that earthquake a couple weeks back, a-and I just thought I should thank you for that since they never got the chance to.”

She called me sir.

“Oh, yes, I remember,” he says, mind drawing to a brief stall as he takes you in for maybe a moment longer than he should. He’s received many thank you’s from fans and people he’s saved before, that isn’t what currently has his tongue it’s just - had you always been this pretty? “I thought I recognized you earlier. I’m - I’m glad that I was able to help you and your friend, is their leg alright?”

And that interaction is just the first (or second, really) of many more that follow.

Shoto visits the cafe more frequently now. It still isn’t often, considering his hectic schedule hardly allows enough time for him to sleep and eat on a regular basis, but whenever he gets the chance he goes to that small cozy cafe in downtown Hosu. Because the coffee is good, he tells himself the first few times he goes, even though he spends most of his time sitting at the breakfast bar doing his best to strike up a conversation with you.

Because the barista is beautiful, he finally admits to himself as he sets eyes on you for the umpteenth time during his too-far-to-count-anymore visit.

Shoto is still very much the emotionally clueless boy he was in high school and although he understands his attraction towards you, that doesn’t mean he knows exactly how to go about it. So, for a while, he simply makes it his goal to learn everything he can about you through his visits.

And that goal doesn’t really change when he figures out you’re a nineteen-year-old college student. Sure as hell makes him question his decision for a second, but he ultimately decides that your age had nothing to do with his judgment of your character. Honestly, the fact that you hadn’t ratted him out to the press was enough to tell him you were more than just trustworthy. He still loved talking with you, listening to you go on about what you wanted to do with your life, learning about your passions, your likes and dislikes.

However, it is one of the things that makes him hesitate in asking for your number. He didn’t want you to think he was weird and scare you away or anything. But when he hears he’s going to be leaving the country for a couple of weeks, unable to see you at all, he forces himself to ask during his last visit to the cafe.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” you tell him, a small frown pulling at the corner of your lips, and his chest grows cold. He opens his mouth to mumble out an apology when your face breaks into a shit-eating grin, “I wouldn’t want to be a distraction to the great Shoto Todoroki while he’s on the job. Not trying to be blamed as the reason the world’s precious Icyhot hero never came back home.”

He doesn’t feel much pressure to act older around you, since, for the most part, you two seem to share the same maturity level. You joke around a lot more than he does but he’s decided that has more to do with you not your age. He would be lying if he said he disliked that part of you though. (He loves it.)

Shoto coughs half a laugh and rolls his eyes, “I think I’m more than capable of handling myself at this point. You don’t have to worry about me, especially not when - uh, nevermind, sorry,”

“No, what were you going to say? Especially not when what? You can’t just leave me on a cliffhanger like that!”

He casts a half-hearted glare at you over the lid of his coffee as he takes a long sip, trying to hide his flushed cheeks. “Especially not when I have a reason to come back.” It’s muttered in a low breath, but you still manage to hear it all.

And that’s all it takes for you to scribble down your number on a napkin and shove it into his hand, flushed cheeks puffed out in a pout, mumbling something about how he should warn you before saying stuff like that.

Your relationship progresses slowly, but he admits that he has more to do with you this time than his busy schedule. He just wants to take it slow, he’s still unsure of many things and he understands how different the lives that you lead are. Also, that nagging worrisome feeling that he’s going to scare you away if he moves too quickly is still there, yet he’s still scared you’ll lose interest in him. That you’ll turn him down because you’ve found someone who’s your age with more time to give to you, so he does everything he can to keep you interested and to show that he cares without being too forward about it.

Shoto makes it a point to text you at least once a day to check in on you during his breaks at work and his heart sputters like a choking car engine whenever he sees your name flash across his screen.

He tries his hardest to facetime with you too, that way he can see your face and hear your voice. However, most times it’s really late at night and feels bad for keeping you up when he knows you have school in the morning. Oddly enough though, it’s also when you have your deepest conversations. He’s not sure what it is about the night, but he finds himself opening up to you more, telling you things that he hasn’t told most people he’s close with. And it scares him a little.

That is until one certain late night facetime while he’s away in another country on a mission that has his heart doing a complete 360.

“You’re such a good guy, Shoto. A good hero, not just a good guy. I wish you hadn’t had to endure so much when you were younger, but, I guess, that’s what makes you such a strong and passionate hero. This world is lucky to have you. I’m lucky to have you - uh - In my life, I mean! I-I know we’re not together or anything but - uh - I-It’s just, well, it’s crazy to think that out of all the people you’ve met, that you decided to keep me close to you. And even though you’re only, like, three years older than me, you don’t make it feel that way. I-I mean you make me feel comfortable and I enjoy talking to you, and I appreciate it a lot, really, I do. And I cherish our relationship, w-where-wherever it goes. Always.”

Shoto doesn’t know what to say. You’ve snatched the breath from his lungs and all he can do is stare at you with the most adorably love-stricken expression on his face.

You look away from the phone half a second later, pretending to find something in your lap, that’s out of sight, extremely interesting, but he can still see the red that’s stained your cheeks. At that moment, he wishes with every fiber of his being that he could reach through the phone and kiss you. That he could hold you close and confess every love written thought that’s running through his head because, shit, he hadn’t realized how hard he had fallen for you until now.

“Th-Thank you, Y/n, you don’t know how much that means to me.” He takes a moment to compose himself as you give him a small nod, still embarrassed apparently about what you said. That doesn’t deter him though, in fact, it drives him forward towards his next few words even faster. “When I get home,” he starts again, normally cool voice shaky with apprehension, “will you have dinner with me?”

“You mean, l-like a date?”

Shoto sucks in a deep breath before he nods, “Yes, a date.” He adds quickly, “If that’s alright.”

You look back at the phone looking utterly relieved and taken aback and he’s once again struck with the overwhelming want to kiss you. “Y-yes.” Your grin nearly blinds him. “Yes, Shoto, I would love to have dinner with you.”

Oh, do the tabloids have a field day with that headline. “Pro-Hero Shoto Spotted At Dinner With Young College Student; Should We Be Concerned?” “Shoto’s First Date? She’s How Old?!” “Pro-Hero Shoto Has Discovered His Type”

You especially find the tabloids amusing, taking to occasionally calling him “old man” or “old timer” as a joke. He pretends to be annoyed by it, but you know he thinks its just as funny as you do. Leave it to the press to blow a three year age difference way out of proportion. It’s fine by the both of you though because you have each other, and you both know the true nature of your relationship, which is all that matters.

———————————————————————

✨ written 10/12/19 ✨

#shoto todoroki x reader #todoroki x reader #shoto todoroki #todoroki imagines #todoroki headcanons #bnha #mha #bnha headcanons #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha scenarios #shoto todoroki bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia

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himboholhorse-moving · 5 years

Note

1 2 4 7 8 9 13 18 20 26 27 29 30 32 39 40 41 43/44 45 46 49 51 53 55 56 57 59 63 65 that is. so many dghsdghsdgv I'm sorry I just see an ask meme and go crazy aaaa go stupid aaaa. You can just answer whichever u like from those!! also 69(nice): you seem rly nice and funny from your 🅱️osts and I appreciate u... I hope you can find better irl friends who aren't trash

HDSKFJKS I completely understand but lucky for u I LOVE to talk !!

1) How are you?

Pretty good, actually!! Which is a nice change of pace. I went to Walmart with some friends yesterday and got a few things, baked a family recipe that my friends LOVE, and finally did my laundry (it’s been a couple weeks we love depression and executive dysfunction dfhkjsfd). I went to Cracker Barrel with some friends and earlier and played a 4-way game of Tetris after. :3c

2) Post a picture of yourself.

Here you go !!

4) What is your entire name?

Sierra Alexis and my last name is something constantly misspelled so I’ll give you the name of a historical figure whose name is a letter off from mine: George B. McClellan, to whom I may or may not be related because last name variations are fuckin’ WEIRD.

7) Your zodiac/horoscope and if you think it fits your personality.

I’m a Capricorn sun and moon, and Libra rising !! And from what I’ve read on Twitter from various astrologers, like Milkstrology, I LOVE her, I’d say it’s pretty accurate with my personality!! I like to say Capricorn’s aren’t cold bitches but, I Have A Tendency To Be One !!

8) What did you do on your last birthday?

God what DID I do on my last birthday… it was in January, so like, I SHOULD remember… OH I went to IHOP with my friends !! I share a birthday with another friend and I got a JoJo notebook and something called a Fuggler! They’re stuffed animals more or less but designed to be “ugly.” I got one that looks like Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty because I LOVE Gritty… he’s so fun and funky.

9) What is one thing you’d like to accomplish before your next birthday?

Get all my requests in my inbox over on my writing blog done KJHFDJKSF it’s been a few months and life has been. Hectic to say the least.

13) If you could change your eye color, would you?

There’s so much weird as hell brown-eye-phobia so like… I think blue eyes would be pretty neat. OR PURPLE… give me some unnatural eye colors pls...

18) Do you have any tattoos?

Not yet!! I’m going to get one the next time I go back home for break. :3c And I have a few ideas for other ones!! I wanna get a big-ass “Dragon Age: Origins” tattoo that’s the dragon on the cover on my thigh. I also wanna get a DA2 and “Inquisition” tattoo… and the Joestar birthmark… too many ideas…

20) Left or right handed?

Right-handed !! I could have been left-handed or ambidextrous if I broke my arm AFTER I started kindergarten, but alas that was before.

26) Something you are working on right now:

This !! But also the script for my next podcast episode that I record on uhhh Monday I think. Should probably figure that one out dsjfjhsf

27) Do you have any “rules” about food?

I answered that in the last ask !!

29) What would you say is your best quality?

I also answered this in the last ask !!

30) What do you think you’re really good at?

Writing, I’d say! And memorizing trivia about the stuff I’m super into. If it’s stuff pertaining to “M*A*S*H” or old movies or TV shows or actors or specific historical events, I will know that shit FOR LIFE. Don’t ask me to do math pls thank u

32) What talent do you wish you’d been born with?

I wish I was able to do stuff with music. That was never really in my blood, despite all the music classes they make you take in elementary school. I just never learned how to memorize or read sheet music. :/ I would have loved to play violin, tho… my friend plays and she says I would have been a good cellist.

39) Do you sleep with a stuffed toy?

YES… have for years. I still have my Care Bear from when I was 5, Gritty as mentioned above, a plush of my school’s mascot, and a little Fugo !! He’s so tiny.

40) What do you think about the most?

Everything and constantly and all at once. But the past really because I can never let stuff go and even the small things I mess up on haunt me forever… Wish that wasn’t the case but it is !!

41) Share two habits:

Biting my nails and having a very specific routine in which I get ready when I wake up. Like, I’ve gotta go brush my hair before I put my important cards in my left pocket, then put on my silver bracelet, then my beaded bracelet, then my earbuds in my right pocket, then put my earrings in. I HAVE to do it in that order…

And other oddities that include, like, if I need to go around something I HAVE to follow the urge to go one way and not the other, lest I feel the need to go back and fix it. And then which foot goes first before I reach a crack in the sidewalk, or up or down a curb, etc.

43) What are your career goals?

If I can just make people happy or get some kind of joy out of the things I do, I’d call that enough. :)

44) What is your ideal career?

Mmm, either a film historian or a film professor !! Preferably at the college I’m at right now but wherever the wind takes me, I’ll go! Or a Twitch streamer or YouTuber, it really depends on my mood jdhfjskf

45) Is your life anything like it was two years ago?

It was pretty much the same !! Freshman year was pretty lively, I didn’t have a job on campus yet though, or my podcast. Everything else is basically the same!

46) Do you replay things that have happened in your head?

CONSTANTLY… good or bad it’ll play back over and over and over again.

49) Do you have any phobias?

HOO BOY, DO I… fear of heights; fear of insects/bugs/arachnids/bees/wasps; I have a strong dislike of the number 13 but I don’t know if it’s a phobia, I just. REALLY hate it; the unknown, more or less what lurks somewhere beyond where I can see. Not so much a fear of the dark with that one, just what could BE in it.

51) Are you allergic to anything? If so, what?

I answered this in my last ask, as well!

53) Ever come close to death?

Two or three times, maybe? Two of them involved what’s called a laryngospasm, typically it can happen when your sick, which is what happened to me both times. Basically your throat just closes up on your for a hot minute and you can’t breathe. The first time I genuinely thought I was going to die (and my dad still sent me to school that day… HOE), the second time I was also sick and was losing/had lost my voice DURING A JOB RETREAT and it happened in the middle of the night so that was funny sitting there gasping for breath in the pitch dark.

At the FIRST retreat I went on for that job, you had to take pictures as part of a scavenger hunt, and the place used to be an old military fort, so there were still the old bunkers there. We had to take one on top of it and I was taking the picture, and it’s a wide shot so I go to take a step back but before I do I look behind me. If I hadn’t I would have fallen a good 10-15 feet down onto solid Civil War-era bunker concrete. I’d consider that being a “close to death” moment because I really could have died!

55) A random fact about yourself:

I have a half-brother !! My sis and I finally found him after her 23andMe results came back (which she decided to do despite us being like THE GOVERNMENT WILL COLLECT OUR DATA) and we didn’t think our mom would be happy she found him but she was !! My sis might reach out and contact him, she just wanted our mom’s permission first to do it.

56) What are three things most people don’t know about you?

Well, that I have a half-brother. I don’t mention it a lot. Aside from y’all on here and my sister, most everyone else doesn’t know I’m nonbinary! Everyone else knows I’m bi though lmao. And that there were times I’d stretch or bend the truth or lie about something just to impress someone else. It’s a… Bad Habit. Another thing is that most people don’t know I like coffee? Like I need to put a shit ton of creamer in with it because I’m a Bitch, but yeah.

57) An unknown fact about your life:

I wouldn’t call this an “unknown” fact but I’d used to go to work with my dad every now and again when he worked at the Home Depot and he was assistant manager. I’d either chill in the back room which was an office he shared with two other guys, or walk around the store with him. I had my own apron, too, which was my name with “Mini Mac” next to it, “Mac” being my dad’s nickname and something easier to say than my last name. I actually helped a few customers out so I wonder if I should have gotten paid for that despite being like, ages 9-13 when I’d go jshfkjd

And I guess I technically tested video games as a kid? Basically, when my dad was stationed at Fort Knox, they’d get demos of video games that hadn’t come out yet to test I suppose? and I still have a few somewhere. He’d hand them off to me and I’d play them so there’s that.

59) Five weird things that you like:

Eating globs of wasabi for no reason.

Scaring my friends also for no reason.

I wouldn’t say using cotton swabs to get wax out of your ears because it feels good is weird, just more medically inadvisable if anything.

When I was younger I’d like to floss really hard because the slight pain from it felt good. Young me was a #Freaque KJHDFJJDHF

I don’t know if being fond of alphabetizing and reorganizing things is considered weird but I LOVE doing that.

63) A quote you try to live by:

“It matters not how strait the gate, / How charged with punishments the scroll; / I am the master of my fate: / I am the captain of my soul.” It’s from the poem “Invictus” and the last two lines are what I’m getting tattooed !!

65) Weird things you do when you’re alone:

Practice the “Lucky Star” dance. I GOT THE LYRICS DOWN… JUST NEED TO DO THE DANCE NOW…

69) Leave me a compliment:

“you seem rly nice and funny from your 🅱️osts and I appreciate u... I hope you can find better irl friends who aren't trash”

Anon pls 🥺 I do my best to be nice but my friend really do test me sometimes... my feelings bounce back n forth like if they do something my feelings can switch to angry or like, hate, and then if they do something nice I’ll like them again. It sucks but ! I just take it one day at a time. Anon I care for u 💜💜💜

#anonymous #asks #ask games #I love u anon 💜 thank u for letting me just Talk jdhsksjf #Anonymous

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justanoutlawfic · 5 years

Text

You’ll Be In My Heart: Chapt. 3

Summary: Regina's always said she'd do anything to get her son back..but will that include marrying into the family she's despised for years?

Also on AO3

Regina had never been one for big white weddings. Her first had been a huge affair, mostly because of Cora and Daniel’s mother. She wore a dress that was carefully picked out and her father had practically drained his savings, all to give his little girl the wedding of her dreams…or his wife’s dreams. Sure, Regina wasn’t a brat about it. The wedding was beautiful and she knew she was blessed to have one so nice, she was especially lucky that her mother had blessed her marrying a teacher rather than a doctor or a lawyer like Cora had always dreamed for her. Still, it had been too hectic for her to enjoy. The dinner of salmon and fresh greens had looked delicious, but she barely had time to eat between the dances and thanking all the guests.

Still, her second wedding wasn’t exactly what she had planned either.

Robin had convinced her that the sooner they got everything done, the better. So, she had packed a bag that would last her until she could arrange with Mal to have her things shipped across the country and hastily typed an e-mail to her boss. She had worked at the muesem for 7 years and it felt so wrong to just up and leave with no notice, but she also knew it was her only shot at getting her son back.

Regina didn’t consider what she was doing was crazy until she was halfway to California, sitting first class besides Robin, a man she barely knew. She hadn’t stopped to consider that this was all some big trick. Though, what sense would that be? Flying her out first class, just to say “Gotchya!” seemed too low, even for the Locksley family. The diamond weighing down her left ring finger was another sign that it was all very real.

Still, she knew she could’ve thought it through more. If it had been for any other reason, maybe she would’ve. It was Henry, the son she hadn’t seen in 5 years. If there was even a small chance that she could get to see him for even five seconds, she’d do it.

A part of her wondered if she should’ve called Daniel. He had been Henry’s father, after all. Sure, he hadn’t been as hands on as Regina, but he clearly loved that little boy and losing him had taken a toll. At the same time, Regina knew that there wasn’t a role in his life for Henry the way things were. Robin was his father, for all intents and purposes. Bringing Daniel along would just confuse things. Besides, he had remarried, used a sperm donor with his second wife to have a child of their own. Regina could never understand how he could do that. Up until Robin knocked on her door, she never pictured having another child.

“Everyone grieves in different ways”, Regina remembered her therapist telling her when she had vented about it.

Regina looked over at Robin, taking him in. If she had to pick a husband for looks, she’d be lying if she said he wasn’t a candidate. He was truly handsome, with dreamy blue eyes and a smile that was probably responsible for global warming. It was his personality she was still iffy about. He seemed a lot better than the rest of the Locksley family that she had interacted with, but at the same time, what did that really say?

She didn’t pull herself out of her thoughts until they were landing in San Francisco. Robin had explained that he wanted to elope there and they could spend the night, before driving into Napa Valley the following day. She wanted more than anything to see Henry, but realized he was probably getting ready for bed, even with the time change factored in.

“Feeling jet lagged?” Robin asked as they walked from baggage claim to the carpark.

“Not really. I traveled a lot in college, so I’m used to bigger time changes.”

“Anywhere fun?”

“Barcelona was probably my favorite, though Tokyo was beautiful.”

“I went there just last month for business.”

Regina tilted her head. “You travel often?”

“I try not to, with Henry and all. Ever since my dad got sick, the board’s been working to find a replacement for him but it’s not easy.”

“You have no interest in taking over the family business?”

“God, no. I mean, I love working for it. It’s great, but I could never be in charge.” He paused. “I looked into some museums, along with the local colleges. If you still want to work that is.”

Regina folded her arms over her chest. defensively “Why wouldn’t I want to work? It’s not like I’m doing this for your money.”

“I just figured you’d want to reunite with Henry for a bit first is all.”

Regina frowned. Why did she always assume the worst?

Because you don’t trust this family and for good reason, she thought to herself.

“Even so, he’s in school. I’m sure I’ll want to look for a job, even if it’s just part time. I was a stay at home mom the first year, it’s just not for me.”

“I understand.” They approached a silver four door Audi and he removed his keys, clicking the unlock button. “I couldn’t do it either.”

Regina settled in on the leather seat, trying her best to become comfortable. “What’s he like…Henry?”

“Like I said earlier, he’s super smart. He’s reading at a 5th grade level, despite only being in 2nd grade, is doing math at a 3rd grader level and spelling tests…” He gave a flip of his hand as they pulled out of the carpark. “Never misses a word.”

Regina squirmed in her seat, hoping her face wasn’t too green with envy. That should’ve been her singing Henry’s praises. Heaven knows she had done it enough when he was learning how to walk and the ABC song. She knew she couldn’t be bitter, she had 5 years to catch up on.

“He has a kitten, Socks. Begged for one for over a year, finally figured he was responsible enough for one.”

“And how much work do you do?”

A smile tugged on Robin’s lips. “Just change the litterbox, he’ll feed him and refill his water.”

“Suppose that’s not the worst.”

“You’re not the one cleaning cat poop.”

“Not yet,” she corrected.

“Ah, yes. Someone to share the duties with. That’s a perk.” He glanced over at her before returning his eyes to the road. “I do have a housekeeper that comes 5 days a week.”

“You can get rid of her, I don’t mind cleaning and cooking.”

“It’s a big house. I’d want to keep her at least a few days. At least for the cleaning.”

Regina sighed, knowing it was best not to argue over that. “Who’s he staying with? A nanny?”

“No, my sister and her husband. They adore him.”

“Does he have a nanny?”

“Yes. She picks him up from school and watches him when I have meetings, but she’s been prepped for a decrease in her schedule. Ashley will work with you as needed. Same with our housekeeper, Johanna.”

“And your father?”

“Mary Margaret and David live with him at the estate, there’s also a fulltime nurse there to care for him. You won’t see him, unless you want to.”

“I think I’ve seen enough of Leopold Locksley to last me a lifetime.”

Robin nodded, clearly not feeling the need to argue. Regina found herself a bit confused at that. She wasn’t exactly close with Cora, but outside her sister, she was the only one that was allowed to say anything about her. Every family was different, she supposed. Besides…she was about to become a Locksley, wasn’t she?

Eventually, Robin pulled up in front of their hotel. He grabbed their bags from the trunk and lead them inside, checking them in.

“I got us a suite, two bedrooms,” he explained.

Regina wanted to argue that it wasn’t worth the money, but then remembered who she was talking to. “Sounds nice.”

As the bellman arrived to take their bags, they were approached by a tall man with thinning grey hair. Robin introduced him as the man that would be officiating them, a younger woman with him as a witness. They went into the business center of the hotel and were given the certificate. Robin signed it with ease, before handing the pen to Regina. It felt heavy in her hands, as she stared at the words in front of her.

Just seven hours ago, she had been home, in cozy clothes. Now she stood in the business center of a nice hotel, with three strangers by her side and she was marrying one of them. Her mother didn’t know what she was doing, hell even her friends didn’t know. They were going to say that it was crazy.

Regina’s mind flashed to Henry. The little boy she had been forced to give up, after loving for so long. The son that had never left her heart. Her mind floated to the blanket that was in her bag, the one the social worker had removed him from when she ripped him from Regina’s arms. Regina had slept with it for months, even long after it lost Henry’s scent. She had tried to replace it, but no amount of baby detergent did the trick.

She had a chance of seeing that sweet baby again, and she was going to grab it by the throat.

With a flourish, Regina signed her name to the certificate, legally binding her to Robin Locksley. She should’ve felt more nervous, but she also knew she hadn’t been more confident of anything in her life.

#you'll be in my heart verse #outlaw queen #outlaw queen au #regal believer #regal believer au

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bangtaninink · 6 years

Text

another summer day

two eight year olds grasp flowers tightly in their fists. it’s the middle of july, and they’re running around the field, watching petals fly off, trailing behind them.

“yoongi!” one cries out, laughing as she calls out to the boy running ahead of her. “yoongi, i’m getting dizzy!”

yoongi falls to the grass, clutching his stomach as he laughs heartily, the sky above him spinning.

“these are for you,” he says, holding the remnants of the flowers up above his head, now just petal-less stems.

“you’re an idiot.”

“what’s wrong? what happened? who hurt you?” concern is written all over yoongi’s face, watching as tears leave tracks down your cheeks, drops falling from your chin.

“i’m... i’m leaving,” you say, words interrupted by sobs.

“what? what do you mean, leaving? where’re you going?”

“far.”

“far, like... like, seoul?” he asks.

“no, far. like, over the ocean,” you say. it hurts to say it out loud, to let it manifest into fact instead of letting it remain as an idea.

“wh-- no. no, you can’t go. you can’t leave me.”

a hand calloused from numerous basketball drills holds one of your own tightly, squeezes around your fingers, eyes glazed over with sadness.

“dad, he... he got a new j-job, and... now we... we’re all going.” yoongi, stubborn, shakes his head before you even finish.

“no. no, i’ll... i’ll talk to your parents. i’ll tell them t-that you can stay here. with me. you can’t go, _____. we planned everything out already, remember? we... we’re gonna finish high school together, go to the same college. we’re gonna live next door to each other forever. remember?”

your sobs get louder, and by the time yoongi is finished, you feel like you can barely breathe because of how hard you’re crying. you lean over to throw your hands around him, hold him close, and gradually, you start to feel the back of your shirt start to dampen, and not because of the heat of this summer night.

silently, you watch your dad put your suitcase into the trunk of the taxi, standing on the sidewalk with yoongi beside you. you’ve kept a firm hold on the hem of his shirt since you’d stepped out of the house, and he holds an umbrella over the both of you to shield you and him from the summer rain. both your mothers are talking to each other; they’re looking very emotional -- they were childhood best friends too, after all -- and wordlessly, yoongi reaches for your hand, entwining your fingers together.

“i think that’s about everything,” your dad says, reaching out to shake yoongi’s dad’s hand, bidding him goodbye. somewhere off to the side, you hear your mother and yoongi’s sniffle softly, and you can see them embrace out of the corner of your eye, but you pay no attention to either of your parents because you’re too busy staring at yoongi’s profile, desperately trying to memorise every curve and line of his face because you have no idea how long it’ll be before you see your best friend again. yoongi stares forward, too afraid to meet your eyes, because the both of you have shed too many tears because of this, and he doesn’t want to cry anymore.

“you’ll stay in touch, right?” you ask, hating the way your voice shakes.

“always.”

yoongi is almost knocked over by the force of your embrace, but manages to catch himself in time to save the umbrella from tilting. he can feel you trembling when he wraps his free arm around you tightly, face hidden in your shirt, eyes shut tight as he wishes for this all to be one sick dream.

your father calls your name, and instinct makes you tighten your hold on yoongi just a little more.

“love you, cub,” you hear yoongi whisper in your ear, loud enough for only you to hear.

“love you too, cub,” you return, teeth digging into your lip hard enough that you almost draw blood, desperately trying not to cry.

you and yoongi lose contact.

it’s inevitable, what with international calls wracking up crazy phone bills over time, letters getting lost in the mail, and too many changed addresses to keep track of.

it hurts, it really fucking hurts to lose your best friend, to have no idea where or how they are. and in the deepest recesses of your mind, you still keep a piece of yoongi with you, where he lives as a part of your conscience, that little voice in the back of your head that helps you out when you need it most.

it’s been over a decade when you’re travelling back to korea, to your homeland, but staying in seoul. it’s close enough, you think, seoul is closer to daegu than the myriad of countries you’ve had to bounce around, and this is a step forward you’ve been wanting to take for a long time.

quiet whispers and vague conversations have told you that yoongi is here too, and he’s in the limelight now. ( you remember finding that out, the quiet chuckle you’d let out that night, knowing that he hated being the centre of attention, and how ironic life turned out to be; but then, you found yourself wondering if yoongi had changed since you’d last seen him, if maybe, somehow, he’d come to learn to love it. it scared you enough to lose sleep for a few days. )

it’d been by chance that an old classmate had found you online, linked you to the facebook page for the high school reunion for your class. you hadn’t gone, stuck on the other side of the world, but you’d refreshed and watched the page like a hawk long enough to know that yoongi hadn’t gone either. you’d searched the uploaded group photos for any signs of him and come up empty. it had taken two beers and a vodka cranberry for you to muster up the confidence to ask someone what yoongi was up to; they’d told you that no one had been able to contact him since the end of high school, when he’d left for seoul to pursue his music. it was hard, they told you, now that he was a big deal, a celebrity of all things. ( you shed happy tears after the conversation ended, overjoyed to learn that he’d still kept at it. )

your new job as a director’s assistant has you here, now, in your home country, and damn, does it feel good to be back. it’s been too hectic to find time to look yoongi up; you’ve spent too many late nights with director yang, helping him prepare for his up and coming project, a lot of overtime and extra hours under your belt that were dedicated to helping the crew get ready to leave los angeles.

you have twenty minutes to set down your personal belongings in your hotel room before you’re being driven to the set; apparently, things are happening immediately. you’ve got folders in your arms, chatting away with director yang, going over memorised details and learning new ones.

you know this: the crew will be filming a music video over the next three days. you’ve sat in with director yang for back and forth video calls with this band’s managers and bosses for the last three weeks. the band is made up of seven members. bangtan sonyeondan is their name, and you know nothing else about them except that the entire country loves them. this is, then, a big deal, having an international director be flown across the ocean to film a local act’s new video, and you’d be nervous if it wasn’t for the fact that you had no time to be.

the crew has been given a short time frame of no less than five days to have the music video filmed, and a primary edit to be done and ready for presentation to the band and their management. it’s tough, and accounts heavily for director yang’s stress and unnatural snarky attitude, fuses too short to stay calm. even now in the hired car taking you to the set, you’re forced to repeat details you’ve already gone over with him because the crew is paranoid they’re going to mess something up.

“pardon me. we’re arrived to the set,” the driver’s voice cuts in, interrupting a steadily escalating conversation over the camera equipment.

“alright,” director yang says. “i’m sure i don’t have to remind you all of how big this is. our reputation rides on this. let’s be professional. let’s be good. let’s show the world what soleil productions can do.”

the entire ocean of people on set turn their heads towards you where you stand frozen, folders and papers strewn across the floor where you’ve dropped them.

“what the fuck?” one of the sound guys whispers harshly, elbowing you hard in the side. you barely even notice the pain because...

“yoongi?”

your old friend stands not even ten feet away from you, wearing the exact same look of shock and surprise as you. you hardly register the mix of scolding and hasty apologies around you because you’re walking forward, steps getting more urgent the closer you get; you watch yoongi shove someone aside ( you’re not sure if that’s a staff member or a band member yet ), hear him whisper a, get out of my fucking way, and it’s disgustingly cliche how it feels as if time stops the moment you both meet, arms wrapping around each other without a second thought, exasperated gasps leaving the both of you.

“shit, shit, fuck, shit, fuck,” yoongi says, words rapid fire, holding onto you, your shirt held in his fist. “this is fucking real, right?”

“holy fuck, it better be,” you say, laughing with disbelief, completely unaware of the tears that fall down your cheeks.

“god. jesus fuck. god.”

“hyung?” comes a nearby voice.

“fuck off, taehyung,” yoongi says, voice muffled by your shoulder.

“hyung, you’re crying.”

“cool. leave me alone.”

“uh... okay.”

with a soft chuckle, you pull back, but only just enough to get a good look at him. his eyes are rimmed slightly red, but he’s smiling that old gummy smile of his that you’ve so fucking missed. you don’t know where to look first, your hands with a mind of their own, reaching up to run the pads of your thumbs across his cheeks, his jaw, everywhere. his hair is dyed a deep shade of pink, and his makeup ( he wears makeup now? ) is starting to smudge and run because he’s crying. you probably look a sight yourself.

“eleven y--”

“don’t,” yoongi interrupts. “don’t remind me. not right now. god, i...”

“excuse me, miss. i’m gonna have to ask you to step aside.” the both of you turn to look at the man who’s approached you, one hand firmly wrapped around your arm, thankfully not enough to hurt. yet.

“what the hell, hyung? let go of her,” yoongi says, and it might have been eleven years since you last saw him, but you can still recognise his anger when you see it. “don’t touch her. don’t even talk to her like that. what the fuck?”

“min yoongi, have you forgotten where you are? what you’re doing today?”

“listen. that can wait. i haven’t seen _____ in fucking forever, okay? no one’s ripping her away from me again, understand? go micromanage jimin or something. i know he’s your favourite.”

the muscles in the man’s jaw shift as he clenches his teeth, lips pressed in a tight line before he’s turning around to walk off, but not without a stern look over his shoulder directed at the both of you.

“you’ve gotten angrier, i see,” you say, snorting quietly. “oh, yeah. i’ve embraced my inner hulk since we’ve been separated,” he replies.

“that guy though... he was kinda right. we’re supposed to be working right now.”

“pfft. no, screw that manager. he’s just salty because i beat him at poker the other night. don’t worry about him.”

“but we do need to work.”

simultaneously, as if to prove your point, both your names are called out from different ends of the room. yoongi sighs, and hangs his head, rubbing your arms gently.

“fine,” he says. “the lunch break though. you’re all mine. we’re sitting together, okay?”

“like i’d say no to that,” you reply, rolling your eyes and smiling.

“cool.” yoongi leans forward to give you another hug. “god, it’s so fucking good to see you again, cub. you have no idea.”

“i think i do, cub.”

it’s no surprise that neither of you can keep your eyes off each other.

it doesn’t take long for you to figure out who else is in yoongi’s group and who is a staff member under their management, but for the most part, you’re glued to director yang’s side most of the time as his right hand man. the day is filled with fleeting glances, weird expressions and funny faces from a distance, shy and apologetic smiles woven in between when you’re caught not doing your jobs. it’s interesting and entertaining to watch yoongi ( you learn his stage name is suga. how cute. ) completely change demeanour in front of the camera, and you take the brief opportunities to breathe to pull your phone out and do lightning fast google searches on his group.

as it turns out, bangtan sonyeondan is a really big deal in korea, and their growing fanbase seems to expand every month, week, day even, with international prospects becoming more and more possible by the minute.

“hey!” you’re quick to snap your head up, suddenly face to face with... jimin? “are you _____?”

“uh... yeah, i am. jimin, right?” you return.

“yeah! nice to meet you! like, really nice to meet you. yoongi hyung hasn’t shut up about you since i met him, and it’s nice to know you’re, like, an actually real person, and not just someone that lives in his head.”

“oh... uh...” you have no idea how to reply to that, but it turns out you won’t have to because before you can think of something to say, jimin’s name is being called.

“oh. i need to get back. but, yeah! it was nice meeting you, _____.”

“y-yeah. you too, jimin-sshi.” a little confused, you watch him walk back, slinging his arm over another band member -- the one called v, you think -- and vaguely, you think you hear him say, “dude, that’s her.” you can’t be too sure, but the way v turns around to look back at you seems to confirm your suspicions.

the first half of the day passes in a weird blur of too much information and things to take in. it isn’t long before the set is being filled with the scent of freshly cooked meat as the caterers start to set up along the far wall, ready to feed everyone.

“oh my god, food,” someone says, running past you -- you’re almost eighty percent sure that was jeongguk. other band members call out after him, running too, ready to grab plates.

“hey,” yoongi says, sidling up beside you.

“hey yourself,” you reply, wrapping an arm around him as he wraps his around your shoulders.

“that kid eats so much. you better get your food quick. jeongguk wolfs down, like, two plates of food -- and then leftovers if there are any.”

“he’s young though.”

“the youngest, yeah. but still. a man’s gotta eat, and he makes that hard sometimes,” yoongi says, giving a small bow of his head when he’s handed a plate, easily handing it over to you.

yoongi snorts at the noises you make as you eat.

“calm down, cub,” he says, chopsticks halfway to his mouth. “the food’s not that good, is it?”

“do you know how long it’s been since i’ve eaten real korean food? i’m dying right now. this is so fucking good, i’m gonna cry,” you say, pouting, cheeks stuffed with rice and bulgogi. yoongi rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but is quick to eat another mouthful before he can be caught smiling.

“tell me everything, cub. what’ve you been doing for the last decade?”

“getting dragged all around the states and europe. life sucks when your dad’s a travelling doctor, y’know? it was so fucking hard, and like, i’d get so damn angry when our calls cut out, or letters wouldn’t get to me, like...” you don’t even realise how hard you’re holding onto your chopsticks until yoongi’s nudging your thigh with his knee gently. “sorry. i just... i just hated it so much, cub. i hated not being with you anymore, i hated wondering if you were mad at me for leaving--”

“no, what the fuck? no. no way,” yoongi interrupts, putting his food down to grab your hand. “hey. listen to me. i wasn’t mad. i never will be mad at you. shit happens that you can’t control, and it was pretty shitty that you had to leave, but we’re here now, aren’t we? we found each other again, didn’t we?” you sigh before looking up at yoongi.

“i guess so. it just sucked, cub. that was eleven years of hell.” you suddenly aren’t hungry anymore, resorting to just numbly pushing your food around with your chopsticks. “what about you though?” you ask. “how the hell did you end up here?”

“god. okay.” yoongi pulls his seat closer to you, further blocking the both of you off from the rest of the staff and crew. “so, after you left, i kind of couldn’t stay in daegu anymore because everything just reminded me of you, you know? it was hella gross and shit, like, you would’ve laughed at me for how much i cried.” you snort but let him continue. “so, like, yeah, i decided to move up to seoul to become this ‘big and successful music producer’, but you know me. i never think things through properly. so i’m out here, selling my music for free--”

“that’s not exactly selling anything, cub.”

“don’t i know it. i’m working three part time jobs, highkey dying without my best friend, and life is just t-o-u-g-h. anyway. on some weird whim, i go audition for this company, somehow fucking get in, and... yeah. that’s about it. here i am. writing pop songs and shit.”

“god, i bet you love being in front of the camera, huh.”

“oh fuck, i adore it,” he says, sarcastic.

“how’re your parents?” you laugh, changing the subject.

“they’re good, yeah. they come up here every now and again, but they’re still in daegu for the most part. they were very against everything. but now that i’m makin’ bank, your boy is suddenly the golden child.”

“i’m glad you stuck with your music. might’ve cried when i heard you did, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

“you cried?” he asks. you shrug, embarrassed. “cute. but, hey. you’re a director’s assistant now, cub. guess all those movies we stayed up all night watching actually fucking paid off.”

“hey.”

the both of you turn to watch jimin pull his chair up beside the both of you, carefree smile on his lips.

“get lost, jimin,” yoongi groans. “me and _____ are talking.”

“uh, we had to listen to you constantly yap on about your long lost best friend for years. i think we deserve to talk to her too,” jimin replies, getting comfortable.

“yeah,” another voice calls out, and then suddenly, another chair is being dragged closer. “we practically know her too with how much you talked about her. i’m v, by the way! but just call me taehyung.”

“nice to meet you. i’m _____,” you say, chuckling.

“listen. _____ is too nice to tell you guys to fuck off, but i’m not,” yoongi says. “so fuck off.” taehyung scrunches up his nose in distaste.

“i hope you’re not as mean as yoongi hyung is,” he says, looking at you.

“nah,” you say.

“coo--”

“i’m worse.”

“rest in peace, lee jumin,” yoongi says, dramatically crossing himself. “you will be missed.”

“who’s lee jumin?” jeongguk asks, sitting up, eyes wide with curiosity.

“some kid _____ cussed out in our sophomore year. it was quite the sight, man. you guys should’ve been there. she really ripped him a new one.”

“wow, okay. first of all, he deserved it,” you say, pointing a finger at yoongi. he holds his hands up and shrugs, feigning innocence. “second of all, he chose to move schools. i had nothing to do with it.”

“you made a kid transfer school? savage,” one of the group members says. “i’m namjoon, by the way.”

“nice to meet you. and, no. i didn’t make a kid move school. but it was a good thing he did, because if i caught him peeking into the girls locker room after basketball practice one more time, i swear to god...”

“but that’s the only thing that made high school bearab-- never mind. hi! jung hoseok. also known as j-hope.”

“and i’m seokjin. i have a question,” one of the members -- seokjin -- says, raising his hand. “why does yoongi call you ‘cub’?”

“oh. that’s a secret we’re taking to the grave.”

the rest of the day goes by smoothly, and by the end, everyone is ahead of schedule.

it’s crazy how easily you’re able to talk to the rest of yoongi’s bandmates, and suddenly it makes sense why he seems so comfortable with all of them when you feel the exact same way, even after a single day.

as the rest of the crew are busy packing up the equipment, yoongi comes up to you, looking like he was halfway in the process of changing.

“cub, where’re you staying?” he asks, voice lowered slightly.

“like, which hotel? the four seasons. it’s actually so cool, from what i saw when we dropped our stuff off. why?”

“let’s hang out, just the two of us. i mean, i love the guys, but i also haven’t seen you in over a decade.”

“sounds good to me, cub. pass me your phone. i’ll give you my number. surely you’re rich enough to afford international phone calls now, right?”

yoongi snorts, grinning.

“the phone plan is company subsidised, so you can thank bighit for all our future conversations.”

at around a quarter passed midnight, there’s a quiet knock on your door. so close to falling asleep, you stumble off the bed to get up and answer it. you know it’s yoongi, he’d texted you five minutes earlier to tell you he was on his way, but you can’t help the nervousness that rises, as if it’s the first time you’ll be seeing him after a long time.

“hey,” he says, smiling softly once you’ve opened the door. “sorry for stopping by so late.” you shake your head, opening the door wider to let him come in.

“it’s fine. i know you’re busy,” you say, holding back a yawn.

“and i know you’re probably tired.”

yoongi shuts the door behind him, walking over to hug you tightly. you hum softly at how warm he is, at how nice it is to be able to do this again after so long.

“god, i missed you,” he whispers, hiding his face in your hair.

“me too,” you reply. “i’m sorry we lost touch.”

“don’t be. it’s in the past now, cub.”

without letting go of you, yoongi waddles the both of you over to the bed, letting you both fall and hit the soft mattress together. he shuffles you both up until your heads touch the pillows, and this is dangerously comfortable.

“have you been happy, yoongi? in the eleven years we were separated?”

yoongi chews on his bottom lip, contemplating.

“i’ve been... content. but, no. never happy. not properly. not without you.”

you look at him wordlessly for a moment, nothing but the sound of you both breathing filling the space between you.

“me too,” you reply eventually. you shuffle forward, until your face is pressed up against the crook of his neck. “i feel like... like i never even got used to being away from you either.”

“yeah,” yoongi replies, nodding. “like i was just... constantly waiting to just run into you again.”

“and... it worked.”

you tilt your head back to look up at him, smiling back when he looks down at you.

“yeah. it did.”

you’re both woken up by the shrill ringing of a phone. yoongi groans before rolling over to grab his phone off the bedside table.

“hello?” he answers, voice still rough with sleep.

“uh... hyung? you should probably get back now. like, i’m just assuming you stayed with _____, but manager hyung just called jin hyung to ask if we were ready,” jimin says. yoongi sits up, panicked.

“oh fuck.”

“oh fuck is right, hyung. we got you covered for like, twenty minutes tops, so you better get down here. quick.”

with all the commotion, you roll over, rubbing your eyes as you start to wake.

“g’morning,” you say, mid-yawn.

“mornin’, cub. uh... i gotta go before i get my ass beaten.”

it takes a while for yoongi’s words to register, but when they do, you’re bolting upright too, now wide awake.

“shit.”

“it’s alright. jimin just called. the guys are covering for me, but, uh... i need to go,” he says.

“yeah, of course. yeah. fuck. go. i’ll see you in an hour anyways,” you reply, already climbing off the bed, yoongi right behind you.

things run just as smoothly as yesterday on day two of the music video shoot.

everything is infinitely more comfortable now that everyone knows who is who, and having left off yesterday ahead of schedule, there’s less tension in the air, and noticeably less stress floating around.

as easy as everything is today, however, you do notice that yoongi’s been acting a little... funny, not enough to raise concern, but enough that you can notice. the rest of the group seem to be fine, and nothing else seems to be out of the ordinary, so, for the most part, you think nothing of it. maybe he was still feeling a little nervy after almost being caught this morning. ( you make sure to discreetly whisper words of thanks to yoongi’s bandmates when you get the chance. )

“lunch later?” yoongi asks, a little out of breath as he takes a swig of water, having just finished a dance sequence.

“of course, cub,” you reply, looking up from the pile of papers on your lap. “as if you even had to ask.”

“hey, i’m just making sure, okay? wait. i gotta go change. i’ll see you later.”

you watch yoongi run off with little shake of your head.

at lunch, you notice yoongi constantly looking at you, trying to be discreet and failing.

“what? is there something on my face? god, you used to do this all time, making me paranoid as hell in the middle of eating, making me think there’s, like, sauce all over me and fucking messing with me. you’re the worst.”

yoongi chuckles softly, reaching out to grab your wrist to stop your hand from wiping your face.

“you’re fine. you don’t have food on your face,” he says. you narrow your eyes, not entirely convinced.

“taehyung, do i have food on my face?” taehyung looks up, eyes wide, cheeks stuffed with food.

“you look fine to me,” he mumbles. “why?”

“nothing. just checking. don’t worry about it.” yoongi lets go of your wrist with a smile, turning his attention back to his food. “why do you keep looking at me, cub?” he shrugs.

“just making up for lost time, i guess. haven’t seen your face in eleven years.”

you’re confused, but... it kind of makes sense, and yoongi’s always had his own way of going about things after all. you shrug, and go back to eating, trying to resist the urge to look back at him every time you catch him looking way in the corner of your eye.

“okay. yoongi. for real. i know we haven’t seen each other in ages, but you looking at me all the time is starting to get creepy,” you say, packing up director yang’s papers. “like, take a pic or something, cub.”

“can i?” he asks.

“can you what?”

“take a pic.”

with furrowed eyebrows, you look at him, surprised to find that he looks dead serious.

“oh, uh... sure? i mean, if you want to, i guess?”

“’kay. gimme a sec.”

you’re still confused when you watch him run off to the dressing room, where you assume he’s gone to get his phone. eventually, however, you realise you still have work to do, and rather than fussing over yoongi, you go back to doing your job, thinking you can talk to him later about his weird behaviour.

your head lifts immediately at the sound of a camera shutter.

“wh--” you look up just in time to see yoongi lowering his phone, grinning down at his screen. “yoongi!”

“nice. new wallpaper,” he says, lifting his phone once more. “gotta take one for the lock screen though.”

“wh--” he snaps a photo before you can say anything else. then he takes another photo. and another. and another, until he’s repeatedly taking photos rapid fire, thumb frantically tapping at his screen. “yoongi, for fuck’s sake,” you cry out, reaching forward to try and grab his phone, but he’s looking at you through the screen with one of his gummy smiles that you can’t help but start to laugh every time he dodges your grasp, ending up in weird positions every time. “yoongi!”

“wait! i haven’t taken one from a good angle yet,” he laughs, holding the camera under your chin.

“you fucker!”

heads start to turn towards the both of you at the ruckus, staff and crew watching you jump onto yoongi’s back, phone still out of reach, half laughing and half yelling in protest at all the photos he’s taking.

“oh, you look good in that one,” he says, holding his phone up so you can see the picture of you: blurry, your face contorted in a weird expression of half amusement-half anger, taken from a very unflattering angle. “asshole. stop taking such ugly photos,” you groan, making one last attempt to try and grab his phone.

“one more. just one more. together this time. and then i’ll stop.”

it’s a tempting offer that you’ve already agreed to in your mind, but you huff out a sigh for show.

“ugh. fine.”

yoongi grins, adjusting your position on his back before raising his phone in front of you both.

“alright. say reunited, and it feels so good,” he sings, thumb tapping at his screen in time to catch the way you laugh, hiding your face in his hair. definitely lock screen material.

“hyung, you like her, don’t you?” yoongi’s thumb freezes on his screen where he’d been busy scrolling through the photos he’d taken of you earlier, smile faltering when he turns to look at jimin, confused.

“the fuck are you talking about?”

“your friend, _____. you like her, don’t you?” jimin repeats.

“she’s my best friend, you brat. of course i like her.”

“no, i mean... you like like her. like more than a friend. romantically.”

“what the f--”

“i mean, he’s not wrong,” seokjin says, turning around in his seat to face yoongi. “you’re weren’t exactly subtle about the way you kept looking at her today.”

“hyung, we haven’t seen each other in over a decade. and what’s wrong with looking at my best friend?” yoongi asks, putting his phone down.

“nothing. until you’re looking at her like you’re in love with her,” seokjin replies, shrugging.

“in love with her?!”

“dude, you’re totally in love,” namjoon says, pulling out an earbud. “jeongguk’s usually completely oblivious when it comes to girls, but even he could tell something was up between you two.” yoongi glances over at where the youngest sits, lips slightly parted in his slumber, head resting against the window. “did you guys have sex or something when you slept over at her hotel room last night?”

“dude, what the fuck? no, we didn’t have sex! we just fell asleep together while talking. she just got off a goddamn plane from america, for fuck’s sake,” yoongi says, hostile.

“i mean, you’re being awfully defensive right now, hyung.”

“don’t you throw that psychological warfare shit on me, namjoon. you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. none of you do.”

the car falls into a heavy silence, the members who’d turned around to tune into the conversation turning back to face the front.

yoongi huffs, reaching for his earphones, ready to ignore the world. his phone chimes with a notification just as he plugs them in.

[ sms: 진형 ] what’s wrong with falling in love with your best friend, yoongi?

with furrowed eyebrows, yoongi looks up and stares at the back of seokjin’s head in front of him, the elder looking calm, acting like he hadn’t just texted his own bandmate in the same car.

[ sms: SUGA ] um. nothing?

[ sms: 진형 ] then why’re you so [ sms: 진형 ] idk [ sms: 진형 ] offended? or at least acting like you’re offended by the idea of being in love with _____?

yoongi looks back up at the back of seokjin’s head, willing his gaze to bore holes into his hyung’s head.

[ sms: SUGA ] i’m not.

yoongi watches seokjin turn his head slightly, a subtle suggestive gesture. yoongi exhales out from his nose as calmly as he can ( read: not very ).

[ sms: 진형 ] if you’re scared or something, you don’t have to be. if she’s as great as you tell us she is -- and we KNOW she is, now that we know her personally -- then shouldn’t falling in love with her be the best case scenario for your friendship?

yoongi reads the message. then, he rereads it. then, he rereads it again and again, until he’s practically memorised the words, thumbs moving of their own accord before he can stop himself.

[ sms: 진형 ] hyung. [ sms: 진형 ] i’m in love with my best friend. [ sms: 진형 ] fuck.

you’re frozen in the doorway of your hotel room.

you’d just opened the door to let yoongi in when he’d leaned forward, crossing the threshold to cup your cheeks and kiss you without warning. even after pulling away, his eyes are still shut tightly, forehead pressed against yours.

“y-yoongi?” you ask, voice nothing more than a mere whisper.

“fuck. fuck. fuck, i’m so sorry, cub,” he whispers back, shaking his head. you carefully shut the door behind him, before letting your hands find purchase on his arms. “i just... i...”

“i know.”

yoongi’s head snaps up, eyes opening immediately.

“wh-- how?”

“i know how to put two and two together. i did it on the drive back here. and i hate to break it to you, but you’re not very subtle, cub,” you say, smiling softly. “i wasn’t too sure if i was right but... i guess i am.”

“fuck,” yoongi sighs. “are you mad at me?”

“of course not. when have i ever been mad at you?”

“seven years old. i drank the rest of your apple juice without asking.”

“that was nothing, cub,” you reply, chuckling softly.

“you still got mad at me.”

“because i left to get you a glass just before you drank mine, remember?”

yoongi sighs again, hanging his head low. rubbing his arms, you bring him over to the bed, sitting down on the edge and patting the space behind you, inviting him to join you.

“i don’t get it,” he says, sitting down. “i thought i got over you years ago, cub.”

“yeah, me t-- wait. what?” now it’s your turn to be surprised. “you... all this t--”

“yeah.” yoongi furrows his eyebrows. “wait. you too?” you nod. “what the fuck? since when?”

“the school summer festival in freshman year of high school, when we stayed behind to watch the fireworks together. you?”

“middle school graduation, when we went to go eat jjajangmyeon and fried chicken. you burnt your tongue on the noodles.”

“what the fuck?” you say, sighing. “you mean we could’ve been having this conversation before i left daegu?”

“wow. i hate us,” yoongi scoffs.

“yeah, i fucking hate us too.” the both of you sit quietly, taking in the new information. “well... what do we do now?”

“i dunno.” he turns to look at you. “can i kiss you? again?”

“yeah. hell yeah. fuck yeah you can,” you say, already leaning over.

yoongi meets you halfway, one hand reaching up to hold the back of your neck gently, thumb stroking your skin as your lips touch. it’s a kiss that’s filled with relief, soft and sweet, with a gentleness that not many people get to see from yoongi. you don’t know if you kiss for five minutes or five hours, but when you both inevitably pull away for oxygen, it feels like hell, like yoongi is way too far away from you the second your lips aren’t touching anymore.

“_____?” he says, and there’s an underlying hesitation in his voice.

“yeah?”

“have you... ever... y’know...”

“um... this?” he nods. “no, never. i... i couldn’t, knowing it wasn’t you.” nervously you play with your fingers. “how about you?”

“uh... a couple times, in, like, shitty attempts to try and get over you.”

“did it work?” you ask.

“nope. didn’t stand a chance. honestly, i almost said your name one time and i was this close to getting kicked in the balls.” the both of you chuckle, but when it dies down, you look up at him shyly.

“i mean, not that i don’t trust you, but... be gentle with me, cub.”

“of course. fuck. of course, cub. the last thing i want to do is hurt you,” yoongi replies immediately, reaching up to cup your face in his palms, stroking your cheeks with his thumbs. “you have total permission to kick me in the balls if i do.” you smile and roll your eyes.

“idiot.”

“your idiot,” he corrects. “if you want me to be, that is.” it’s your turn to cup his cheeks, smiling as he lowers his hands down to rest on your hips.

“of course i do, yoongi.”

“i... i love you, cub.”

“i love you too, cub. i always have.”

yoongi smiles, unnaturally shy, before leaning forward to kiss you again, with more urgency than the last, and just like before you have no idea how much time passes before the kiss is broken briefly for breaths of air. yoongi uses his hold on your hips to hoist you up onto his lap, and you gasp with surprise against his lips when they reconnect. you’re both impossibly close, a desperation that only a decade a part can create in your body language, the way you both wrap your arms around each other as if you’re afraid the other will leave again.

you feel his hands slowly reach under your shirt, stroking the bare skin of your back, and it’s like electricity runs up your spine at how warm his fingers are. he takes his time in pushing your shirt up higher, and for the moment, the both of you forget that there’ll be work early tomorrow morning, acting as if you both had all the time in the world.

“may i?” he asks, just as his tongue brushes against your bottom lip, your shirt bunched up just under your bra. you nod, helping him pull it off of you, throwing it off to the side. his gaze falls to your chest, watching as it rises and falls with each breath you take.

your nervous when he reaches up to cup your breasts in his hands, thumbs brushing over the lace of your bra. you’re about to say something, complain about his staring, but the words die on the tip of your tongue when yoongi leans down to press kisses to the curves of your breasts, humming quietly at how soft and supple the flesh is.

you shut your eyes with a soft sigh when his hands squeeze you gently, still peppering butterfly kisses all over your skin. you don’t know how many times you’ve dreamed of this night happening, but everything is exceeding your expectations, all because it’s yoongi.

“can i take it off?” he whispers, warm breath tickling you.

“yeah,” you say, voice airy and light.

yoongi reaches around to work on the clasp of your bra, clumsy fingers struggling until you reach back with a soft smile to undo it for him, letting the straps fall off your shoulders. he presses a kiss to the corner of your lips just as he pulls your bra away to join your shirt, and when he pulls back, he feels all the wind knocked out of him when he takes a look at you.

you don’t miss the way yoongi’s eyes widen slightly at the sight of your bare chest, fingers taking their time to touch every inch of exposed skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. you shiver a little when his fingers brush against your nipples, watching them tauten under his ministrations.

and then, just like that, something snaps, and yoongi is quick to bend down and wrap his lips around your nipple, sucking without warning. you gasp, your back arching at the sensation, pushing your chest out closer to him.

“oh,” you sigh, hands gripping his shoulders as he continues to touch you, taste you. he hums against your skin with approval, squeezing your other breast gently. “yoongi.”

“okay? do you want me to stop?” he asks, lifting his head to look at you.

“no, don’t you dare,” is your hurried reply.

yoongi chuckles as he presses a kiss to the underside of your jaw, suddenly standing and turning around with you still in his embrace, lowering you down to lie on the bed. he goes back to sucking on your nipple with sporadic flicks of his tongue that don’t fail to have you squirming beneath him. one hand smooths down the flat of your stomach, nimble fingers undoing the drawstring of your shorts with ease.

letting go of your nipple with a lewd pop, yoongi sits up on his knees to allow him to pull your shorts off, throwing them off the bed. his fingers graze against the garter of your panties, and god, you curse yourself for not putting anything sexier than plain white cotton panties on earlier. he casts you a concerned gaze, making sure you’re still giving him the go-ahead; you nod when your eyes meet.

yoongi is agonisingly slow when he starts to pull your panties off, smiling when you lift your hips off the mattress to help him. your underwear doesn’t even make it off the bed like the rest of your clothes do because instantly he’s been stunned silent by your naked body. self consciousness sweeps over you, and instinct wants you to bring your legs together and cover yourself. yoongi stops you before you can.

“don’t. please don’t,” he says, not taking his eyes off of you. “you’re beautiful, _____. fuck, you’re so beautiful, cub.”

your cheeks flush red as compliment after compliment spills from yoongi’s lips as he looks at you, all of you, completely exposed. with his hands on your knees, he gently pushes your legs apart, situates himself between them, fingers skirting down the length of your thighs. you glance down, noticing the bulge that’s grown in his jeans, and you flush a deep shade of crimson at the thought that you are the cause of that.

“tell me, okay? tell me to stop if i hurt you, and i will. i promise.” you nod, unable to find your voice, watching as yoongi shoves his jacket and shirt off before laying down on his stomach between your legs.

the feeling of his warm breath brushing against you is enough to have your legs shaking a little, but nothing can prepare you for the feeling of yoongi’s tongue licking at your clit. you gasp and moan at the sensation, mouth open in a wide o, your legs torn between closing shut and opening wider. yoongi seems to sense this, however, placing his hands gently but firmly on your thighs to keep you still.

the flicks of yoongi’s tongue are a little sloppy and uncoordinated, but they don’t fail to have you moaning quickly, sounds escalating as he continues to pleasure you. he stops for a moment, pulls his mouth away, curling one arm around your thigh to rub his thumb against you as he sucks on his fingers. this sight is so embarrassingly lewd when you look down to watch him, but you don’t even get a chance to cringe before he’s slowly pushing his now-wet finger into you, eyes snapping up to watch your expression shift, cautious of any signs of pain.

you moan and arch your back off the bed, the heels of your feet digging into the mattress as your hips buck upwards.

“yoongi!” you cry out, biting down on your bottom lip.

“does it feel good, cub? or do you want me to stop?” yoongi asks, leaving a trail of kisses along your thigh.

“yes! i-i mean, no, i don’t want you to st-op! ah!”

your legs are well and truly shaking now, so overloaded with pleasure that you don’t really know how long you’re gonna last. yoongi is careful to take his time, to be thorough in stretching you out, keeping you calm and relaxed with each finger he pushes into you and each swipe of his tongue against your clit.

you almost want to cry when he pulls his fingers out, all three of them now slick with your juices, suddenly hit with this new feeling of emptiness. you watch through half lidded eyes as yoongi pushes himself back up onto his knees, undoing and unzipping his jeans, groaning softly at the loss of restriction on his crotch. he’s quick to push his pants off, thumbs hooking on the garter of his boxers to tug them off right after.

his cock is red and hard, leaking precome and looking sensitive from the lack of attention given to it this whole time. you watch him wrap his fingers around it, giving his wrist light jerks, and you marvel at the way the muscles in his stomach tighten at the sensation, hips giving an involuntary thrust forward.

“god, you’re so beautiful... so fucking beautiful, baby. i love you,” he says, looking once more down at your body before throwing his head back with a quiet groan.

“yoongi. please, baby, i want you. i need you,” you whine, reaching up to grab his free hand.

yoongi presses his lips together and suppresses another groan, giving your fingers a gentle squeeze as they entwine with his. he shuffles closer on his knees, holding the base of his cock to help guide it into you. he’s barely pushed himself into you when you arch your back so high off the bed you almost sit up.

“o-ohh!” he moans, voice shaky as he lets go of his cock to slam his hand flat on the bed to steady himself, resisting the urge to push right into you. “ohh fuck, fuck, fuck, baby, fuck, you’re so... y-you’re so...”

“o-ohh my god, yoongi, baby. god, you’re so big,” you moan, squeezing his hand tight.

yoongi lets out a breath that comes out too shaky to be called controlled, gripping the sheets in his fist because you’re so tight and warm around his cock, he’s going to go insane because of how fucking amazing it feels.

you give his hand a tug and pull him down suddenly, and he just barely manages to catch himself before he crushes you under his weight. he’s close enough that you can reach his lips, but all hope of kissing is lost when it’s something akin to panting against each other. yoongi continues to push himself into you slowly, stopping periodically to let you adjust, and it might take longer than usual, but yoongi promised not to hurt you. he’s not breaking that promise. ever.

when yoongi bottoms out, the both of you lie still, attempting to keep all semblance of self control intact for as long as you both can. it proves to be a feat, when all these new sensations make you want to just burst, but it’s comforting to know that you don’t seem to be the only one feeling that way.

“a-are you okay?” yoongi asks, pressing kisses to your jaw, hoping to relieve you of any pain you might be feeling. “am i hurting you?” you shake your head frantically. “then w-why are you crying, cub?”

oh. you hadn’t even realised you were.

“b-because,” you say, taking a shaky breath. “it feels so good. y-you feel good, yoongi. i love you. god, i love you so much.”

“i-i love you too,” he replies. “so much. i always will.” he groans softly, hiding his face in your neck. “c-can i move?”

“please.”

the first thrust has you both crying out with surprise. your legs seem to act of their own accord, immediately wrapping around his waist as if your body is so desperate to keep him inside of you. you thrusts into you again, and again, each more powerful than the last, until you have to let go of his hand to press up against the headboard and stop yourself from hitting your head.

the way you sob, frantically asking for more in his ear has yoongi’s head reeling with arousal, because he’s always loved the sound of your voice, but the way you’re saying his name right now is on a whole other level of satisfying. you’re holding onto him so tightly, it’s going to drive him crazy -- you’re going to drive him crazy.

before long, the pleasure starts to build with every thrust, and a tension starts to accumulate in your stomach, begging to be released.

“y-yoongi... baby, i-i think i’m gonna...” you say, pressing your lips to his shoulder.

“i’ve got you, cub,” he whispers. “come for me. god, i bet you’re so pretty when you come.” you shut your eyes tightly, the pressure building and building as yoongi covers your face in butterfly kisses, until you can’t hold back any longer. something seems to burst inside you and all of a sudden, everything goes tight.

you don’t even realise how loud you’re crying out yoongi’s name until he’s pressing his lips against yours in an attempt to quiet you down for the sake of the people in the neighbouring rooms ( though, truth be told, he can’t say he hates the idea of other people knowing what you two are doing right now, and there’s no denying the pride that swells in his chest, knowing that you are his, and he is yours ).

he whispers soft words of praise in your ear as you start to come down from your high, his thrusts slowing enough to avoid overstimulation. but he can’t hold back any longer, and though you whine in protest at the sudden loss, yoongi pulls out just in time to paint your stomach in streaks of white.

you don’t know how long you lie there with yoongi, legs entwined, come drying on your skin as he pets your hair as you both try to catch your breath. you can feel your eyes start to grow heavy with fatigue, and yoongi coos in your ear, assures you that he won’t be going anywhere any time soon.

the last thing you hear before you drift off to sleep is a soft, i love you, cub, whispered in your hair, and if that’s how you’re gonna end every night for the rest of your life, you’ll take it.

#min yoongi #suga #bts #bangtan #bts scenarios #childhood friends!au #idol verse #this is outrageously long i'm so sorry #this took a while yikes

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choking-on-tae · 7 years

Text

Dog cafe

Pairing: Jimin x reader

Word count: 2.5k

Summary: “You come here so often that you know all the people who work there, however, you've never seen this boy before. He can't be that much older than you. Plus he's rather cute. Really cute even. You've never seen him here before, which means he must be new.”

Genre: FLUFF

Author’s note: I’ve posted this story on wattpad before but with Hoseok instead of Jimin. So if it seems familiar that’s why. Thought it fit better with Jiminie. x

It's Saturday again, which means dog cafe day! You and your friend made it your weekly trip. You're both doing totally different things in life so you don't see each other very often. Your friend's life is a lot more hectic than yours is but she still decided to meet you every Saturday afternoon at the cafe. You really thank her a lot for that, that even though she has a super busy schedule she still makes time for you. You've been best friends since you were 4, and still are really close. Of course both of you met different people and made some other friends too but your friendship never really changed. You're still like her younger sister, and that will never change.

You're not a very social person, so you really value your friendship a lot. She's like a sister to you too, so you always make time for her when she asks. You're in college, so you're pretty busy with that too but you're currently just done with your exams and you don't have any until next semester. So you can chill out a bit, which is exactly what you need. Some relaxation. You arrive at the cafe and walk through the doors, the bell announcing a new costumer. As soon as you're in you're instantly greeted by some of the cute dogs. You put your bag on the floor as you pet a cute golden retriever, who was trying to get you to sit down so it could lay on your lap.

"Hello cutie."

It barks at you before running off again. You chuckle as you quickly pick your bag up again and make your way to a table where a French bulldog pug waiting for you. You've always wanted a dog, but your mother would never let you have one. She always told you how you'd eventually stop taking care of it and that she'd have to do everything for it in the end. When you were a little girl this made you really upset, because you really, really wanted a dog when you were 10. As you got older, you realized that having a dog is a lot of work and effort. You really have to be able to take care of it, feed it, give it attention, walk it. But since you're in college you don't have that time.

So you come here every week, to give all the puppies that are here a lot of love. Your friend isn't here yet, so you take a seat at your regular table. You've been coming here for the past year. It was your friend who mentioned the cafe and you've been coming here ever since. You come here so often that you know all the people who work there, however, you've never seen this boy before. He can't be that much older than you. Plus he's rather cute. Really cute even. You've never seen him here before, which means he must be new.

His dark hair makes his caramel skin really pop. He's truly beautiful, handsome and exactly your type. He's behind the showcase with delicious tarts and pies. They almost look as delicious as he does. Wait what? Okay focus, don't droll over him now. You don't even know his name. For all you know he could be a total jerk. Right that moment the manager starts talking to him, which causes him to smile brightly. Oh my goodness. If smiles could melt hearts, that just happened.

"Y/N-ah! How long have you been here?" Your friend's voice snaps you out of your thoughts. You look up and see her taking a seat in front of you, giving you a sweet smile.

"I haven't been here for so long. So don't worry."

You tell her as you turn your attention back to the boy behind the counter. He really is adorable.

"Have you ordered yet?" She asks as she grabs her wallet.

"No."

You say, too busy staring at the cute boy. Your friend notices and smirks wickedly.

"Ah too busy staring at the new guy over there?" You snap out of your thoughts and feel a blush creep up on your cheeks.

"He's so cute Y/F/N."

She chuckles at your words before making her way to the counter and ordering your regular things. The boy starts placing your order with that beaming smile of his. You've never felt like this before. He seems so wonderful, so nice to just be around. C'mon you haven't even talked to the guy yet. Jeez get yourself together! You shake the thoughts out of your head as your friend comes back to the table, with a smug smirk on her face.

"Oh no what did you do?" You ask, absolutely terrified of the answer.

"I talked to him, his name is Park Jimin and he works here since Wednesday. That's why you haven't seen him around yet. He's not much older than you are and he loves puppies. That's why he works here. Seems like he's perfect for you." She tells you as she takes a quick photo for her Instagram.

"Ya, Y/F/N! I don't even know him! He could be a total jerk for all I know!" She sighs deeply as she rests her face on her palm.

"Y/N, you've been so busy with school lately, live a little too!"

You let her words sink in for a moment before the guy, who's name is Jimin, apparently, brings you your order.

"Here you go. Enjoy." He says with a beaming smile.

Your friend is right. You've been so busy with college and work that you haven't done anything fun withing the past months. You don't even remember the last time you went out or went to a party. When did it get this bad? You ask yourself as you take a sip of your cappuccino. Your friend is right, you should live a little instead of always being busy with school and such. Your eyes go back to the cute boy behind the counter, who's helping a costumer. He's so cute! It wouldn't hurt to talk to him, right? As if your friend can read your mind, she gives you a nod of approval.

"Go ahead." She whispers.

As soon as you've finished your cappuccino you get up and check to see where Jimin is. Okay he's still behind the counter. Plus there's no costumers so he technically should have time to talk. What's there to lose anyways? It's just your favorite cafe where you come every week and fuck that would suck if this goes wrong. Damn it. But you gotta live from time to time too, and your friend is right so it's worth the risk. As you slowly make your way to the counter you feel your heart starting to race. Jeez you just met the guy, calm down heart. You think as you feel your whole body starting to shake. Okay you can't talk to him like this, calm down a little first. You take a deep breath as you mentally prepare yourself. It's just talking, nothing scary. You say as you try to calm yourself down.

Once you think you're doing okay you step in front of the counter, Jimin's eyes immediately finding yours.

"Can I help you?" He asks, his voice coming out a bit shakier than he intended to.

"Yes, I was wondering when your shift is over, and if you maybe wanted to grab a coffee together?" An amused grin spreads on his face as he turns off the coffee machine.

"Are you asking me out, Y/N?" Your eyes grow wide as he mentions your name.

"How do you know my name?"

You're pretty sure your eyes are ready to pop out at this point. He bites on his bottom lip before he answers you. "You've never noticed me before?"

You shake your head 'no' as you try to remember where you could've possibly ever seen him. "We take the same classes. At least almost all of them. When I first walked in I instantly noticed you, and this is gonna sound crazy but I really like you. So one time I was talking to your friend Chloe and she told me that you come here every Saturday. She told me that they were looking for employees so I applied and got the job. I suddenly realize how creepy this must sound. Damn I'm sorry. You must probably think I'm some kind of psychopath-"

"-Jimin."

You interrupt his ranting. Your cheeks are now a bright shade of pink. You've never met anyone who put this much effort into getting your attention.

"Yes?" He asks, seeming absolutely terrified for what you're about to say.

"You really wanted to get to know me that badly?" You ask him, full of amazement and confusion at the same time. Truth is you've never had this before so you don't really know how to deal with it. He gives you a soft nod, as all his confidence seems to have disappeared all of a sudden. He glances at the clock and starts to take of his apron.

"My shift is over now.. I'm sorry." He says as he folds his apron and grabs his coat, getting ready to leave.

"Wait! Don't you want to get to know me?" You ask, completely confused as to why he wants to leave so badly.

"Y/N, you don't have to be nice to me. I know you don't like me so you don't have to pretend to-

"Jimin, I do like you, otherwise I wouldn't ask you to drink coffee with me."

"Are you sure?" He asks as he starts taking of his coat again.

"Yes! Now c'mon!" You say as you grab his arm, dragging him to the table you and your friend are sitting. She gives you two an amused look as she puts her phone away. "Ah look at you two. Shall I give you two some alone time?"

"You really don't have to-" Jimin starts, but Y/F/N interrupts him.

"No I insist!" She grabs her purse and gets up, giving you space to sit down.

"Have fun you two! Y/N, I'll text you." She waves as she walks out of the cafe.

"Was she in the plot too?" You ask Jimin as he sits down. "Euhmm.. yeah.. she was."

"How much effort did you put into getting to know me?" You ask as you relax in your seat.

"A lot, and I know it sounds crazy and I'm sorry."

"Jimin wait, I actually think it's really sweet that you put so much effort into trying to get to know me. If you must know, I actually couldn't keep my eyes off of you." You confess, your cheeks turning a dark shade of pink.

"Really?" He asks as his cheeks turn the same shade of pink as yours.

"Yes, you can ask Y/F/N, she totally noticed and teased me for it." You tell him as you glance at the time on the clock. It's a little past 4, maybe he has somewhere to go?

"Jimin,I'd like to get to know you better. So maybe we can like go out on a real date?" You ask nervously, absolutely terrified for the answer. However, he gives you the brightest smile you've ever seen in your life and nods excitedly.

"Yes! That sounds amazing! Can you like meet up Tuesday after class? We've the same classes anyways so maybe we can do something fun after school?"

"That sounds lovely." You tell him, as he places his hand over your own. Finally gaining his confidence back he leans over the table to press a kiss against your cheek.

"Great, I can't wait." He says as he gets up.

"Euhm Jimin! Can I have your number?" You ask him as you nervously play with your fingers.

"Of course you can babe." Your eyes grow wide at his words as the blush creeps back again.

"Aish you're so cute jagiya." You hand him your phone as he quickly types his number in your contacts list. He hands you your phone back and gives you a wink.

"Call me."

Before he walks out of the cafe. You smile brightly to yourself as you save his number to your contacts.

"Babe? Dozed of again?"

You snap out of your thoughts as you move your eyes from the ring on your finger to Jimin, who's been staring at you this entire time.

"Yeah, sorry I just thought of how we met 4 years ago." He gently takes his hand in yours as he moves his thumb over the engagement ring he got you.

"You remember?" His eyes twinkle at the memory of how he first met you. How embarrassed he was when he confessed to you because we was sure you didn't like him, and how his heart fluttered when you told him you wanted to go on a date with him.

"Of course I remember, silly."

You say as you both take a seat on the couch. Jimin proposed to you yesterday, and it was the most amazing moment of your life. He's taken you to Paris, how classic. But he knows you and knows that you love romantic gestures, so he thought Paris would be the perfect place to propose. He took you out for dinner that day, to the fanciest and most beautiful restaurant you had ever been to in your entire life. Jimin never fails to amaze you, and he did that too this time. After dinner, you two went for a romantic walk through the streets of Paris. Instead of proposing in front of the Eiffel tower, he decided to settle for something else. You went to this park, that had the most beautiful tries and lanterns. It almost looked as if you were in a fairy tale.

There weren't that many people around, which made both of you feel a lot more comfortable. You were just walking around, hand in hand, talking about the most random things when he suddenly popped the big question. Well actually, he stopped both of you and knelt down on his knees. You were too shocked to form proper words but still managed to bring out a 'yes'. You thought you had seen the brightest smile when you asked him to go on a date, but you were wrong. This was the brightest smile you had ever seen on his handsome face. And here you are now, engaged to the most amazing person you've ever met in your entire life, and you can't wait to marry him.

#jimin #bts jimin #fluff #jimin fluff #bts fluff #jimin scenarios #bts scenarios #bts fluff scenarios #one shot #bts one shot #bts one shots #jimin one shot #jimin one shots #park jimin #jiminie fluff

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chmerkovskiyvalentin · 5 years

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You would think that someone who has walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana and Elie Tahari would be comfortable in front of an audience, but Sailor Brinkley-Cook says it is just the opposite because for runway, you only have to do one thing — walk and not fall down, but there is so much more to dancing.

“Dancing is such a different animal,” she tells Parade.com in this one-on-one interview about her experience on Dancing with the Stars. “I’ve never danced before, so that in itself is hard, and then, also, there’s the fact of performing the dance and having to memorize it. Even professional dancers, when they have a dance that they’re about to perform, have weeks and weeks to prepare for it, and with Dancing with the Stars, it’s barely even one week. It’s like four or five days to really perfect it.”

Sailor, of course, stepped in to replace her mother Christie Brinkley when Christie injured her right arm in a fall during rehearsals, which was serious enough to require a cast. So, unlike other competitors, Sailor only had days for partner Val Chmerkovskiy to teach her the first night’s dance number, but she pulled it off, even earning 18 points.

“I still feel a little behind because a lot of the work that everyone else did in those first two or three weeks, like my mom explained to me, was a lot of understanding how to dance,” Sailor says. “It’s not entirely learning the choreography from the go, it’s like, ‘Here are the exercises to help with your frame, and here are the exercises to help with launching forward or finding your footing.’ There’s a lot of little components that were taught to the other contestants that I’m just now learning while also learning choreography.”

Tonight, as has been announced, is movie night on DWTS, and while the celebs are not allowed to reveal what movie they will be dancing to, Sailor was able to share what it means to her.

“Not to give it away, but it is one of my favorite movies in the history of the world,” she says. “I love it. I really love what we’re doing. I have a whole troop with me and it’s really fun choreography that, I think, is going to make everyone smile ear to ear. It’s going to be a really fun thing to perform.”

Is it true that in elementary school you dropped out of your school recitals because of nerves?

That is true. I dropped out of all of the recitals and everything that I’ve ever done, and I think it’s this panic of doing something active in front of a group of people that aren’t also doing it. That is my deepest anxiety. I’ve done runway, but it just feels different because all you have to do literally is to walk. I’ve never been trained in runway walking or anything, so it was never something that really panicked me. I think dancing is so different because of the whole action. It really is a performance. You’re creating a character that you have to embody rather than just walking and looking pretty, you know?

That said, does it help or hurt to have your mom and your boyfriend in the audience? Do they make you feel more nervous or less nervous?

It honestly is equally as nerve-wracking as it is calming. It helps me out, because it’s nice to be able to see them before I go on, and it grounds me a bit in the whole experience, because this has all been so hectic that I’ve been like, “Is this really happening? Is this really going on? Now I’m about to go on stage.” It’s like this whole panic. So, being able to see my mom and my boyfriend and they’re like, “Okay, just do it, just have fun with it,” it helps a lot. But also, especially last week, performing the rumba in front of my whole family, a very sensual dance, finding them in the corner of my eye was like, “How am I not supposed to laugh?”

What’s the best part of having Val as a partner?

He is so patient and so talented. He owns a studio where he has taught children and adults. He’s taught so many people from so many walks of life that I think he really understands and sympathizes with people who have never danced before learning to do this.

Also, he’s from Russia, but raised mostly in Brooklyn, New York, so he’s got a lot of the same sense of humor as me, a lot of the same slang as me, and it just feels a lot more comfortable learning something so new and scary with someone who I feel understands me a bit more, my little nuances and stuff. It’s nice to have him to look at through all the craziness of performing. I just catch his face and I’m like, “Oh, I’m dancing with Val, my buddy.”

As you’re going through this process, what are you discovering about yourself?

My first reaction to this all happening was, “All right, I’m devastated that my mom can’t do this, and she’s so devastated that she can’t do this, how can I help?” Then the next day, I’m on the plane, it’s about to take off, and I got a call, “You’re the solution.” My first reaction was, “No!, because I don’t know how to dance. I have dropped out of every performance that I signed up for, and I don’t have a good track record of being a performer, so it immediately terrified me.

And then I was like, “Damn, the reason why I should do this is because of how scary it is for me.” It has turned into this massive lesson of not letting the things that you’re afraid of stand in the way of doing that thing. This has been such an incredible opportunity and such an incredible experience, just being with everyone and going to the rehearsal studio every day, pushing out incredible energy of nerves and excitement, it’s great. I really love the people that I get to work with every day on the set, and it’s so inspiring. So, it’s awesome to have learned that even though I was scared of doing it, it’s not as daunting as it seems once you just do it. Nothing is ever that scary, 99 percent of the time.

It’s like the Nike slogan, right? Just Do It.

Exactly. I literally have that reminder on my phone. At 9 a.m. every morning a reminder goes off on my phone: Just Do It.

A lot of people lose weight when they come on Dancing with the Stars. How are you doing with that, because you’ve talked before about having body image issues?

It’s only a little perk to get super fit. Dancing is an incredible workout, and, honestly, I was telling Val that I have had a lot of body image issues, and I’ve dealt with a lot of ups and downs with myself and how I’ve viewed myself and my identity, and I’ve attached that to what I look like. So, it’s like, if I’m not skinny enough, I’m not doing well enough, I’m not succeeding, you know? If I’m too big, I’m too lazy.

I’ve always attached those things to myself, and as I grow older, I am learning to stop creating those stupid boundaries for myself and those stupid ideals on myself, and to just find a balance throughout life, and to try and enjoy all the little parts of life. When you’re worrying about how many calories are in your meal, when you’re worrying about, “Oh, I’ve got to run my five miles to get skinny,” when you’re stressing out on all that, you miss out on such a massive amount of life, which are all the mistakes: the too much pasta one night, and the dance party you could have attended instead of going to the gym, you know?

So, dancing, for me, has been so monumental in my confidence and the way I view my body, because I get up, I go to work to dance, and to use my body as a tool, it’s, literally, the most fabulous thing I’ve ever done. I love it so much because I feel like at the end of the day, I am exhausted, everything is sore, I’m aching, and it’s amazing. It’s the best feeling in the world.

And you’re more in control of yourself.

Exactly. I wake up and I feel like I’m really going to a job that I have to work so incredibly hard on, not only mentally but also physically, that it’s really rewarding, and so awesome. I always had a little thing growing up that I thought I wanted to be a professional athlete because I just think it seems so rewarding, but I was never that good at any sport so that never happened for me, so this has sort of been living out my little dream of being able to go to work to move my body. That’s my job right now, and it’s so great.

You started modeling at 15. Your mom is such an icon in the modeling world. Was it hard to follow in her footsteps? Do people have unrealistic expectations of you as a result?

Definitely. I never wanted to model at all. That was never something in my game plan in terms of what I thought my life was going to be. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a comedian, I wanted to be an athlete. I had all these things in mind that were always very down in the dirt of life, you know? I wanted to be a filmmaker, I wanted to be a photographer, I wanted to make jokes, or I wanted to be working my body all day doing some type of sport. Those were always the things, so I never thought of my life turning into having to look good and be in front of the cameras and pose.

I never thought that would happen, but then as I was going to my mom’s shoots — I was visiting her on set when I was 14 or 15, people started being like, “Hey, you actually are really pretty, could I take a photo of you?” Or, “Do you want to do a shoot?” Or, “I know someone who could do really good makeup on you.” I kept getting those remarks, and I was always like, “No. That’s ridiculous. You’re kidding. Like, no.”

And then I just was like, “Why not? I’ll try it.” I loved it for the aspect of creating something with a group of other people and watching how everyone works to create a set of images, and just the whole inspiration creatively behind it.

It definitely was hard to follow in my mom’s footsteps, and that was always something that screwed with my head a bit, but at the end of the day, I show up to work, I do my best, I act myself, and I bring whatever foot forward I can bring, and that’s all that matters. Whatever door gets opened for me through my mom, I have to keep that door open or else it’ll shut. No one cares at the end of the day.

You mentioned also liking to take pictures. So, do you think long term you might end up behind the camera?

I honestly have no idea what to do long term. I’m only 21. I do enjoy bringing my camera around and taking photos of everyone. I’m very much a relationship-oriented person, I love people, and I love what makes every person different, and I like to capture that in photos. So, if I could somehow turn a very active lifestyle into something with photography aspects in it, that would be awesome. I don’t know if I would be a photographer, I just know that I think I’m always going to carry a camera around in my life and try to do something with the photos I produce.

You mentioned wanting to be a comedian. Are you funny?

I’m not that funny. Especially as a child, I would hide behind my humor, so I would always make self-deprecating jokes and always crack up about something uncomfortable. That was my defense mechanism, and it still is in a lot of ways, but I realized I could never stand in front of a crowd and try to make them laugh. That would kill me. That would literally be the worst thing ever. I just like it when I get a little whim of a funny joke and someone laughs, and I get to see their smile, and that’s fine. That dream left as quickly as it came.

Dancing with the Stars returns tonight for night three of performances at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

#val chmerkovskiy #sailor brinkley cook #dwts #dwts28 #dancing with the stars #Team SailaV #val x sailor #s28

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destinyhixon-blog · 5 years

Photo

I have sat down to write this several times, and the only words that keep coming to mind are “Holy sh*t. I did this. I finally, finally DID THIS.”

WPPI GRAND MASTER.

To explain to the muggles out there (that’s non-photography folk), WPPI is “the largest show for professional, amateur and emerging wedding and portrait photographers and filmmakers, drawing attendees from all over the world for 4 days of conference, content and business building interaction.”* It’s a convention that I’ve been attending for eighteen years. It’s a place where I’ve met friends, friends who became loves, loves who became family. It’s a hectic, batshit crazy adrenaline rush of a week with classes, parties, meet-ups, competitions, camaraderie, trade show wanderings, and so very much more.

In short, it’s one of the best weeks of the year.

I went to WPPI for the first time when I was a brand new photographer. I knew maybe two people attending, had no idea who any of the speakers were, didn’t even know what the classes were all about, but I hopped that plane to Vegas from Florida ready to learn it all. I went back the next year, when I was pregnant. I went back the next year, and the year after that, and the years after that. I learned. I made friends. I met my husband in a hallway en route to some social event or another. I met contacts at the trade show that are dear collaborators and supporters of my business to this day. Every industry friend that I have can be traced somehow back to WPPI.

I began speaking and teaching there. First small classes, then to larger ballrooms. I stepped foot on a demo stage at the trade show for the first time at WPPI, graduating to bigger stages, culminating in being a speaker for Canon USA. I fumbled with my words, my keynotes, my ability to translate technical ability into tangible takeaways for class attendees.

I also started entering print competition.

What is that? Well, to also borrow words from WPPI’s website , “WPPI’s The Annual: 16×20 Print, Album and Filmmaking competition is the most prestigious wedding, portrait and print competition in the world, and the capstone event of the WPPI Conference + Show, with an awards ceremony honoring the most illustrious photographers of the year, many of whom spend their entire year preparing for this competition. The competition culminates with live judging at WPPI’s yearly conference and a gallery exhibition at the show taking place in Las Vegas. Prizes include the Grand Awards and crystal trophies.”

Every year I took the time to sort through my images from the year prior, culling and culling again to get that final dozen or so of the best of the best. The images that made my heart sing. The images that depicted the decisive moment. The best light, best pose, best examples of my technical and artistic ability. I had them printed, packed them with gentle hands into their shipping cases, sent them to Vegas, crossed my fingers, and lived and died over the two days of judging until I saw how I did.

Sometimes I did well. My scores were great, I won awards, I managed to get two coveted Grand Awards, I gave some speeches, my trophy case grew. Sometimes I did terribly, and I’d find myself hiding in a Vegas bathroom stall angrily wiping at my eyes with tissues until the hurt of a bad score stopped stinging. Sometimes the yearly glass of champagne post-awards ceremony that I shared with my friend Justine was a glass of celebration, sometimes a “we blew it this year” drink of misery.

But you know what? Every good score, every bad score, every lovingly assembled print case – it all made me better. A better photographer, year after year. A better teacher and educator, as I balanced between entrant and judge. A better human being. A more sympathetic creator of images. A more careful holder of the frantically beating hearts of every other entrant who put their feelings and their work on the line when they dared to share their work with a panel of judges.

There is an Honors of Excellence point system with the WPPI competition. Your top four scoring entries (no matter how many you enter) go towards your Honors of Excellence point total. I could tell you about how the point system works, or you could just read it here – their site describes it better than I ever could. Your points and “wins” help you rise up through the WPPI Titles and Designations, which are:

  5 points = Associate of WPPI title.

15 additional points (for a total of 20+ points) = Master of WPPI title.

15 additional points (for a total of 35+ points) = Double Master of WPPI title.

15 additional points (for a total of 50+ points accumulated) = Triple Master of WPPI title.

15 additional points (for a total of 65+ points accumulated) = Grand Master of WPPI title. NOTE: In order to actually receive the Grand Master of WPPI, the member must have also received 5 gold awards or above and at least 1 Grand Award from The Annual: 16×20 Print, Album and Filmmaking Competition (past Premiere Grand Awards don’t count) at some point during their time in the program. The Grand Master of WPPI title holds a lot of prestige. It will be difficult to obtain because of the amount of skill and longevity that is needed to achieve it. But it is still attainable enough to encourage members to work towards that title. No one who earns this award will be unworthy of it—they will have earned it over a number of years and with consistently highest scoring prints.

I have been entering The Annual: 16×20 Print, Album and Filmmaking Competition since 2007. I have entered a total of 107 prints. I have lived, died, breathed, cried, rage-screamed, and cartwheeled over my cases of images every single year.

And this year, I became a Grand Master.

I am only the seventh person in WPPI history to do this. The second woman. And the first and only female wedding photographer.

To say I am overwhelmed is a vast understatement.

Here are some of the 107 images over the years that have helped me reach this point:

When the award was given to me at the Awards Ceremony on one of the final nights of the convention, I completely blacked out once I got up out of my chair to accept it. You see, my dear friend Melissa is the one who reads out the designations, and she’d crafted a speech that I had not been prepared to hear. It was eloquent and beautiful, spoke of me so kindly, and reduced me to a mess of tears.

Here is the aforementioned choke-crying that I was doing at this point – thank you to Gerardo Soto for capturing this so sweetly:

I am a very, very private person. My personal life is just that – personal, mine, quiet. I have tried for a long time to separate my personal life from my professional life, and I am aware that sometimes that can make me appear a little cold, a little apart, a little hard to get to know. I keep my husband and my children in a quiet place, because they’re mine-all-mine, and I don’t open up very often outside my social circle. I keep my heart to myself, it’s been kicked too many times in this difficult industry, so I hold it tight and share it infrequently. I value my reputation too much to let too much out, and as an unfortunate result, I also don’t let too much in.

It’s a long standing joke at WPPI that I don’t go to parties – and if I do? I can usually be found in a corner trying to read a book, or as an example from this year, hiding literally on the floor behind a bar. As in, tucked under a friend’s arm on the floor just away. And when there were too many people, I bolted for the quiet of a nearly empty restaurant and the dear sweetness of conversation with close friends.

However? Even though I spend a lot of time running from large gatherings, the love that I have for this industry and the people in it is so huge that sometimes it cracks me open and pours out of my eyes.

And sometimes, not often but sometimes, I am at a loss for words. I didn’t prepare a speech on awards night when that huge crazy trophy was put into my hands, I stumbled through a huge knot in my throat and a burning desire to fall into the arms of those I love and cry it out. Therefore, I left out a lot of people who needed thanking, and I wanted to take some time to put it all into words so those words will live on a lot longer than a grainy iphone video of me mumbling at a microphone ever could.

So here we go. From the beginning. With all the thanks this heart can humanly hold:

My parents, Bill and Joyce. For sending me off to theatre school without once asking “How will you make money from this?” For saying “That sounds like a good idea” when I started a photography business. For being the actual best parents that anyone has ever had – go ahead and try to fight me on this, you’ll lose.

Mitch Stripling, who made my first website and told me to go. To do it already. Who held up our family when I didn’t have a real job. Who let me turn our garage into a studio. For this and a thousand other reasons, always.

My daughters, Emma and Olivia. Who are everything. EVERYTHING. My beautiful stepdaughters, Samantha and Alison. I celebrate the four of you, the amazing women you are becoming, the incredible forces you are.

Bill Hurter, Arlene Evans, and George Varanakis. Who gave me a stage, put me in my place when I needed it, held me when I cried in the hallway over one particular print that scored badly, gave me opportunities, took a chance on me, and gave me more than you could ever, ever imagine. Bill, you are so missed. Arlene and George, you are my family forever.

Tony Hewitt, who taught me to judge. Not just with my brain and my heart, but with the kindness and love in my words and my manner. Pete Wright, who guided our panel so beautifully this year. The kind hearts that I have judged with over the years – the love and care that you so passionately feel for every single image is palpable, and it’s been an honor to work by your side for the good of the prints and the love we all have for our industry.

Dan Neri and the team at Canon USA, who have given me the most inexplicably enormous honor of my career. Being an Explorer of Light is a literal dream come true, and I cannot thank you for how you’ve quite literally changed my life. I hope I do you proud.

My fellow Explorers of Light. You awe me on the daily.

Aaron, George, and Craig who helped The Wedding School become what it is today. Thank you, thank you.

The photographers I have taken workshops from, admired from afar, learned from online, and respected for years. From my very first time in the studio of Dina Ivory in Tallahassee to reveling in the mastery of the likes of Ben Shirk and Lola Melani, you have all raised me up. I hope that I have been able to do a fraction of that for other photographers. You all mean so much.

Rocco Ancora, the glorious joy of a human who has printed my images for the past many, many competitions. Not only does he inspire me to be a better photographer, he continually reminds me what it is to be a gracious, good-hearted human. And by extension, the exquisite Tanya. Who is, quite literally, a ray of sunshine.

Sandra Krauss, the loveliest friend and studio manager in the world. She holds Susan Stripling Photography together, and has quite literally held me together for over a decade.

The vendors that have transcended vendor-ship to become friends. Fundy, Tave, Cloudspot, Finao, Good Gallery, and far too many more to count. You’ve trusted me with your business and I’ve trusted you with mine, and we’ve become family along the way.

The Grand Masters who have come before me, and taught me so many, many ridiculously incredible things. Being on a list with you – Jennifer, Jerry, Rocco, everyone – it’s hilarious that anyone would rank my name next to yours. Jerry, you’ve been a dear friend from the beginning and I’ll snuggle on a beanbag with you any day of the week. Ryan, you’re my favorite person to awkwardly share a wedding with, and seeing your images forces me to raise my own bar every time I pick up a camera.

My friends. The people who have come and gone. The people who have been there from the beginning. The table of lunatics who exploded in screams and cried and forgot to take video on awards night, the ones who screamed and danced from afar, you know who you are. I’ve eaten mochi with you, cried in your arms, shopped with you, hidden from parties with you, danced in weird bars with you at 2am and then fled when we recognized people, eaten pizza in our pajamas while wearing a Hogwarts robe, laughed hysterically in hallways, stayed in your homes, had you stay in mine, argued with you, collaborated with you, and texted with you late into the night. You know how dearly I love you, trust you with my heart, and love you for all the amazingness you put into the world, all you do to raise up women, to do the work, to be pioneers for change, to be trustworthy beautiful people. I love you, I love you.

And lastly, at the very end, when all of my words are never enough – my husband, Cliff Mautner. In the overwhelming fear of sounding foolish while crying and speaking at the awards ceremony, I omitted his name from my list of thanks. As I’ve said before, I’m private to a fault with my personal life, and my fear of embarrassment while stumbling over my words led way to not mentioning my own husband. Cliff was an inspiration to me as a photographer before he was anything more on a personal level. We met when I was a very young photographer who couldn’t master backlight or one single speedlite off camera, stumbling to make my visions a reality. He helped me become the photographer I am today, and there is no way that I’d be the human that I am without him by my side. We make each other better in so many ways, and the heart-shattering thanks that I have to him for being my partner, my love, and my confidant is simply impossible to convey in words other than I love you. And I do, and I will. Every day. The end.

Thank you all for reading this far, I know it’s a lot. But receiving this Grand Master distinction is about more than just entering print competition and racking up scores. It’s about the family that has surrounded me for years, that family that WPPI has brought me, the loves and heart-explosions and surprises along the way. It’s about over a decade of my career spent chasing a goal that has bettered me in thousands of ways.

I’ve been told that I’m an inspiration to female photographers, to photographers in general, to business owners, to people trying to navigate this difficult industry. If I am, it’s only because of everyone mentioned above, this blindingly beautiful community, this gorgeous world.

Thank you. Thank you.

The post WPPI Grand Master appeared first on Susan Stripling Photography.

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anamorales · 5 years

Text

How Kyle the Vegetarian Lost 27 Pounds and Started Crushing Pull-Ups

It is true: you really can’t outrun your fork.

I kept thinking about this – over and over – when speaking with Kyle, one of our Nerd Fitness Coaching clients.

You see, Kyle works for a non-profit that promotes bicycling as a major mode of transportation.

As part of walking the walk – er, cycling the cycle – 10 years ago Kyle gave up driving a car.

Instead, he gets around by biking, walking, or public transportation.

Since Kyle bikes most days, you might think all that riding would ensure he’d stay in shape.

However, you’re reading Nerd Fitness, which means you’re smart. So you know that people can’t outrun their fork…or out pedal their fork.

Like many others who struggle to lose weight, Kyle lived off pizza and other carb-heavy foods, which brought in a ton of extra calories.

Simply put, despite the crazy amount of exercise he did every day, he still consumed more than he was able to pedal away.

As we know from study after study after study, it is very difficult to exercise your way thin. This is why adjustments to nutrition are the key to a successful transformation.

Which is exactly what Kyle did!

I’m honored that Kyle is one of our 1-on-1 coaching clients, and that we were able to offer some tips on how to go about a vegetarian diet correctly, something many Rebels struggle with.

Switching up his diet is not the only accomplishment Kyle has made: he is also now crushing pull-ups!

Which makes me really happy.

You don’t need to hear all about it from me though: let’s bring in Kyle!

HOW KYLE STOPPED TRYING TO OUTRUN HIS FORK AND LOST 27 POUNDS

Steve: Hi Kyle! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me.

I’d love to hear from you about your past – Can you take us through a typical day before you started your journey with Nerd Fitness?

Kyle: My day would include an early morning to make breakfast and get the kids ready for school. Then I’d ride my bicycle to the office. I’d work all day – stopping to purchase and eat pizza or a sandwich for lunch. After work, I’d ride my bicycle home. Evening time would be spent hanging out with my kids until bedtime.

On days when I am traveling, substitute family time and school preparations with sitting in an airport or hotel. And I travel a lot.

Steve: Traveling can be grueling, especially when being on the road takes you from your family.

I find it interesting you bike to and from work. But from talking to you, I know it wasn’t enough to prevent you from gaining weight.

Can you tell us a little bit about your fitness journey prior to finding Nerd Fitness??

Kyle: For more than a decade, I’ve incorporated some physical activity and healthy eating into my daily routine:

I gave up driving a car as my primary mode of transportation about 10 years ago and rely on walking, biking, and public transportation to get around.

I’ve been a vegetarian for more than 15 years.

And I’ve engaged in other extracurricular activities like indoor soccer, running half marathons, or mountain biking.

I often thought that all this was enough to keep in shape without the need to adjust my diet or routine.

Steve: I hear ya – I can also see how it could be frustrating to do “all the right things” and not look the way you want to look for all that effort! You were already exercising, watching what you ate, and stayed active.

What made you decide that something needed to change?

Kyle: Last year, my wife lost 60lbs almost entirely by changing her diet.

In June, she and I had the opportunity to take a short vacation together without our kids.

We took a lot of photos during that trip and after looking at them – compared to her new, lighter, look – I realized how much weight I had personally put on over the last couple of years.

Starting a new job, moving the family across the country, and adapting to a new hectic travel schedule for work had left me 30 pounds heavier than any time previously in my life.

When we got back home, I started looking for local gyms and fitness programs that I could join, but none worked with my busy travel schedule (seriously, I travel a LOT) or weren’t convenient enough for me during the time I was home.

I didn’t want to give up the precious time with my wife and kids when I wasn’t traveling, so I began looking for alternative solutions and stumbled upon Nerd Fitness.

Steve: I’m so happy you made your way to our strange corner of the internet. We’re very lucky to have you as part of the Nerd Fitness community, and we’re glad you chose us to kickstart your journey, brother!

You’ve been working with Coach Matt M., what is he having you do?

Kyle: I asked Matt to design a workout that could be done either at my hometown gym or in any random hotel in the world with an unknown quantity of fitness equipment.

Because my environment was constantly changing, I needed a workout program that worked anywhere and everywhere.

I also stressed that my past anxieties about going to a gym centered around not knowing what to do – how many reps of what exercise, should I use the machines or not, is this too much weight or too little.

It was all just a bit dizzying.

Simply put, Matt provides a workout routine in three supersets that can be accomplished in about 60 minutes. Each exercise has one or more alternatives that can be performed depending on what equipment is available.

The supersets usually progress from core body routines, followed by heavy lifting, and concluding with lighter lifting that also engages a bit of cardio. The alternatives provided keep me on pace when I don’t have barbells or other equipment while on the road.

Since I spend about 50% of my time traveling, having nationwide access to my trainer has been a game changer.

Training while on the road works in most cases, and there have been some scenarios where the alternative training exercises Matt provided were essential to staying on track.

Being a NF client made that both easy and possible.

I’m proud to say I haven’t missed a workout since we started working together.

This has helped with the confidence that no matter where I am, I won’t fault in achieving my goals.

The consistency is paying off. For the first time in my life, I’ve been able to rock pull-ups! I’m the strongest I’ve ever been.

Steve: That’s great! Although I’m super-biased (I have a coach who programs road workouts for me too), I think NF Coaching is perfect for people who travel a lot. When you think about it, you have worldwide accountability and expertise!

What’s been the most important change you’ve made since starting this recent journey??

Kyle: Eating.

Like I mentioned before, I’ve been a vegetarian for a long time, but often resorted to carb-heavy breads, a dizzying amount of melted cheese, and chips to fill in the hunger between salads and quinoa bowls.

Matt helped me track my eating and make adjustments that still worked with my dietary preference.

Like the workouts, Matt also helped me design meal options for my busy travel schedule – protein bars and shakes – so I wouldn’t be driven to a slice from Sbarro between flights.

Being a vegetarian, I spend most of my effort maintaining consistent levels of protein intake. Since consuming protein comes along with either fat or carbs, balancing the amount each day was the biggest adjustment I made.

As we progressed beyond what foods I like to eat that work within those parameters, we began incorporating carb loading on workout days, intermittent fasting when I’m not traveling, and small dinner plate usage for portion control.

Steve: That’s amazing! I’ve written before that a common mistake vegetarians make is simply living off bread and pasta. I’m really happy that Matt was able to take an objective view of your diet and make some suggestions.

What’s a typical day for you like now? Workouts, diet strategy, and so on. Give us the details!

Kyle: On workout days, I’m normally at the gym by 5am. It’s early – but it just works for me to get the workout in first thing in the morning before my kids are awake or I go to work. The gym isn’t normally too busy then either.

After my workout, I skip breakfast and bike to my job. I’ll drink coffee and water all morning during work and usually have a light lunch around noon.

My recent go-to is a plate of raw veggies with hummus and hot sauce. A couple of hours after that I have a protein shake as an afternoon snack. Then I’ll bike home from work and begin cooking dinner for the family. This is usually my biggest meal of the day. Often it includes eggs.

We’ve also been experimenting with using cauliflower in all its forms. Since my wife is continuing the diet plan that helped her lose 60lbs, it’s really easy to keep on track by eating together.

Steve: It sounds like you have a solid routine: you’re very active and prioritizing nutritious meals. Great job dude!

Besides your routine, what else has changed about you?

Kyle: I’m definitely able to wear clothes I couldn’t have worn a year ago. Now that I’m smaller and weigh less, trying on clothes really makes me aware of how heavy I had gotten.

There’s also a joy in sharing this transformative moment with my wife.

We are both working on our selves side by side, and it adds a level of support that I find really helpful when all I want to do is eat an entire cheese pizza, lol.

Steve: I love that you guys are supporting each other – and I can’t wait to see where you are a year from now!

Do you have any words of advice for somebody who just starting out on a weight loss journey? What if they’re considering a change, but not sure where to start?

Kyle: Coach Matt helped me realize a person doesn’t have to make all the drastic changes overnight.

To anybody starting out, going one step at a time is easier than trying too much, too fast!

Even though I was prepared for a bigger shock, Matt’s coaching eased me into new routines and only after I demonstrated a commitment to those did he offer something new.

And honestly, that’s been really helpful when it comes to eating.

Also, if you travel, a remote coach you can access from anywhere is awesome! It turned out to be exactly what I needed.

Steve: Traveling can be tough to maintain healthy habits, so I’m glad you found a solution that works for you.

Okay, I’ve got to ask: where do you plant your nerddom flag?

Kyle: I’m all in for Star Wars (and a minor participant in most other fandoms).

The family and I attend cons on a regular basis and are trying our hand at cosplay for the first time this year!

I’ve also got a huge vintage Star Wars action figure collection that my kids and I add to regularly.

Steve: A Star Wars collection you let your kids even look at? Dad of the year… Some fathers won’t even let their kids in the same room as their collectibles.

Where do you go from here Kyle? What goals and habits are you still working on?

Kyle: We’re definitely working to lose a few more pounds, which would bring me down 30lbs! We’re tackling this mostly through the addition of interval cardio training and small diet alterations.

Additionally, we’re working to reach some interesting physical fitness goals.

I’ve never been able to do a pull-up, but now I’m doing two each workout (and working towards more).

I’m not sure what we’re working on next, but I’m looking forward to the next steps at getting there.

Steve: YES! Welcome to the “I love pull-ups and want to tell the world” club. It’s the best club.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story with us Kyle! Best of luck to you and the family!

THE 5 KEYS TO KYLE’S WEIGHT LOSS AND LEVEL UP SUCCESS

In speaking with Kyle, I realized he had a few key traits that helped him succeed where many others fail.

Lots of people try to get in shape.

Many of them have a lot of the same obstacles to overcome as Kyle:

A crazy travel schedule.

Responsibilities as a new dad.

A diet too dependent on carb-heavy foods.

What’s special about Kyle is not the challenges he had to face. We all have unique barriers in our lives.

What’s special about Kyle is how he went about systematically overcoming those barriers.

In speaking with him, and analyzing his choices and decisions, I think there are five traits that set Kyle apart.

Here’s what we can learn from Kyle’s success:

#1 KYLE KNEW WHEN TO ASK FOR HELP

There’s nothing quite like a spouse or partner or friend who is crushing it to motivate you to make some changes.

Kyle’s wife decided to get in shape after having their two kids – she created a plan, stuck to it, and lost 60 pounds.

When checking out photos from a recent vacation, Kyle knew his wife was on the right track.

He, however, was not.

But he didn’t know what to do: he was already eating the way he thought he should, he was biking every day, and staying very active. The results just didn’t match the effort.

And he was also stuck due to his work schedule: Traveling made any kind of fixed routine impossible. What does one even eat at an airport that isn’t pizza?

Kyle knew things had to change, so he decided to ask for help from a professional. A professional that spoke his language: a dad that loved Star Wars.

That extra pair of eyes from Coach Matt – a father of 2 (and huge nerd), which allowed Kyle to see things in a whole new way.

Asking for help was a great first step, and then he did something many people forget: he actually LISTENED!

#2 KYLE LEARNED YOU CAN’T PEDAL YOUR WAY THIN

When people want to get in shape, they often think that hours of cardio is the answer.

They’ll start a running routine, or buy a treadmill, or even start biking to work.

While exercise and movement are critical for heart health and overall happiness, we here at Nerd Fitness know “You can’t outrun your fork.”

I think it’s super awesome that Kyle works to advocate cycling as a major mode of transportation. More bikes on the road and fewer cars is great for everybody involved – including the planet.

However, Kyle learned a valuable lesson: biking miles a day, in of itself, is often not enough to get in shape – unless it’s combined with changes to nutrition too.

We highlight over and over here at Nerd Fitness that 80%-90% of the weight-loss equation comes down to a proper diet. After gaining 30 pounds as a new dad, despite pedaling his bike every single day, Kyle knew something had to give.

He lost weight – though I think maybe 1 of those pounds might be from trimming his beard! Ha 🙂

#3 KYLE ADJUSTED HIS PLANT-BASED DIET

While Kyle spent a lot of calories riding his bike everywhere, it wasn’t enough to overcome all the calories he was eating in bread and pasta.

Kyle tried whenever possible to eat healthy vegetarian dishes like salads and quinoa bowls, but they never satisfied his hunger This led to him eating bread along with “a dizzying amount of cheese” to hold him over until his next meal.

So although weight loss come down to calories in and calories out, the quality of the food can really impact how easy or tough it is to stay within your calorie goal for the day.

It took an outside pair of eyes, from Coach Matt, to point this out to Kyle.

Now, Kyle prioritizes a healthy plant-based diet.

He skips breakfast and snacks on veggies and hummus and a protein shake during the day. His big main meal at night will often include eggs, a great protein source for those on a vegetarian diet.

The fiber from the plants and the protein from the eggs help keep Kyle full from meal to meal. So he can bike around town and not be tempted by the pizza joints on every corner.

#4 KYLE MADE THE ROAD WORK FOR HIM

Traveling can make getting in shape challenging.

Your normal routine is thrown out the window.

Instead of cooking your own meals in your kitchen, your dependent on restaurants. Instead of having access to your normal fitness facility, you get the rundown treadmill the hotel keeps so they can say they have a gym.

Here’s the thing though: you don’t need a gym to train. You can work out in a nearby park, find an empty playground, or even just do bodyweight exercises in your hotel room.

The important point is consistency. To not lose momentum on the days you’re away from your home.

With Matt’s help, Kyle developed a plan on workouts to do from anywhere.

If he’s at home?

Perfect, he’s off early to the gym to crush his training.

If he’s traveling?

No problem, Matt built workouts that don’t require any equipment whatsoever.

No momentum is lost.

If you live on the road, don’t let it become an excuse to not train. If half your days are spent in hotels, that’s plenty of time to continue growing stronger.

Make exercise your one constant when living out of luggage.

#5 KYLE HAS A SUPPORT NETWORK

I’m so happy that Kyle’s wife is also on her own journey, going about things her own way. They’re also supporting the heck out of each other!

This means it’s two heads in the kitchen instead of just one.

When Kyle has to wake up early to hit the gym, his wife understands (and vice versa!).

They both want to prioritize their health, for their own future and the future of their children. Having someone in the house whose on the same fitness journey is a godsend.

Plus, it’s not the only support Kyle has.

His coach, Matt, also has his back. This non-judgemental extra pair of eyes proved critical.

Matt helped Kyle see, with a little bit of adjustment, his vegetarian diet could be a tool for weight loss. Matt helped Kyle create a plan for the gym, so he could get in, know exactly what to do, and get out.

Matt adjusts Kyle’s workout on the fly depending on his travel schedule for the upcoming month. Every day, Kyle wakes up, looks at the NF App, and knows exactly what he needs to do.

The lesson: if you can, find a fellow Jedi or a Jedi Master!

Maybe your spouse has expressed interest in getting in shape.

Maybe you have a brother or sister or roomate who wants to start strength training, and you two can share your progress with each other.

Maybe you have a coworker who also wants to go for walks at lunch with you.

Or perhaps you can hire expert guidance, like a coach, to help make plans and recommendations for you to hit your goals.

A companion can be a lifesaver for when things get difficult, so team up – even if it’s just for accountability!

WHAT SMALL CHANGES CAN YOU MAKE, LIKE KYLE, TO LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE?

The great thing about Kyle’s transformation, is he is still Kyle!

Kyle still takes his bike to work every day.

Kyle still follows a vegetarian diet.

And Kyle still shares his love of Star Wars with his kids, because kids should know about Star Wars.

Sometimes, you don’t need to do a complete life overhaul to level up your life.

Sometimes, an outside pair of eyes can point out some key changes you could make, to help you reach your goals.

No matter where you are on your fitness journey, I would encourage you to think about what made Kyle successful:

It’s okay to ask for help. You don’t know what you don’t know. Asking an expert to take an objective review of your life can be immensely valuable.

You can’t peddle your way thin. I wish getting in shape was as simple as biking to work. While it is a great lifestyle habit, diet will still be 80-90% of your success.

Be careful with a vegetarian diet. Vegetarian or not, you still need to know what you’re eating! A salad and quinoa bowl can be vegetarian, but so can pizza and donuts. You can absolutely do a vegetarian or vegan diet incorrectly. So, don’t do that!

Don’t lose momentum on the road. Staying fit while traveling can be tough. However, if you make a plan, it’s an obstacle that can be overcome.

Don’t make this journey alone. If your spouse wants to get in shape with you, great! Take them up on it! If this isn’t an option, a coach can also be a great accountability partner.

If you related to Kyle’s story, seemingly doing the right things without making any progress, think about what you can do differently.

Start by testing your assumptions:

Maybe running on a treadmill for an hour isn’t enough to burn the calories from all that pizza at lunch.

Maybe a vegetarian diet should include vegetables.

Maybe pull-ups are the best. I know Christina, another coaching success story, agrees!

As we learned from Kyle, an outside pair of eyes can be really useful for analyzing your routine. Sometimes it’s hard to look at ourselves objectionably.

Depending on your current situation, our 1-on-1 NF Coaching Program might be just the extra pair of eyes you need! Someone who can learn your life, understand your individual obstacles, and make a plan for success!

Want to learn more? Go ahead and click on the box below and schedule a call with our team!

No matter what you do, here’s what I want you to take away from Kyle’s story:

Diet is everything. You can still gain weight even if you bike to and from work. If you aren’t making the progress you’re after, look into a different nutrition strategy.

Make small changes, but make changes. Are you frustrated that what your doing isn’t working? Try something else this time!

In a year and a half, by focusing on the above two points, Kyle got within 3 pounds of his goal weight (27 pounds down at the time of this writing).

If you started focusing on your diet with small sustainable changes, I promise you in 18 months, you’ll be closer to your goal than you are today.

The important thing?

Start!

Not tomorrow. Not next week.

Today!

-Steve

PS: I want to give a special shout out to Coach Matt, who provided the non-judgemental pair of eyes Kyle needed to level up his life.

If you are somebody that wants to have your own Yoda guiding you in the ways of the Force, check out or 1-on-1 coaching program, and I could be sharing YOUR story this time next year!

PPS: Speaking of success stories…If you’ve had success with any aspect of Nerd Fitness, whether it’s our free workouts, Academy, or Coaching, email us! Send your story to contact(at)NerdFitness(dot)com and let us know so we can share your adventure with the galaxy!

How Kyle the Vegetarian Lost 27 Pounds and Started Crushing Pull-Ups published first on https://immigrationways.tumblr.com/

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fyeahcarlito · 7 years

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Sleepless nights #4 (drifted apart)

Me and the girl I talked about in my first poem haven’t talked in about a week it weird going from being real cool with someone to not knowing where you stand to …well, nothing which is where I think we’re headed but while I’m on the topic of drifting apart I thought I should go ahead and tell the story about how me and one of my best friends became not so much enemies but I don’t like that Nigga. I think this will help bridge the gap in future stories. Remember that girl was just talking about in torn well In December of I think 2012 we had been texting and I decided to change schools to be closer to her ( incase you missed it) instead of rekindling an old relationship I met a complete new group of friend most would end up being my friends even still today but one in particular named… Imma call him spaz for identity reasons or whatever I met two girls that were twins imma call them kia and kamara and I met spaz through an old friend named Lisa and on my first day Kia, Kamara and spaz all ate lunch together high school there’s shit tons of drama so we ended up having additions to the group and some people leave but ultimately those were the three that were left when we finally got out of high school. All through out school spaz had been a real loyal friend to me we barely argued and we hung out all the time that was my brother but deep down I don’t know about his intentions I’m a really laid back person and I tend to let people step on me sometimes but spaz was manipulative so it was hard to tell most of the girls that I had strong feelings for or past relationships with he ended up dating which was a red flag I didn’t really pay attention to. Fast forward to us getting out of high school I had actually dropped out so I had been out of school for a few months already, me and spaz got our own apartment with money that he had saved about two grand and money his parents gave him about six grand if I remember correctly and we paid off three months of rent in that time spaz was supposed to get a job and all I had to do was pay utilities. This is where shit starts getting hectic were spending this six grand like it’s gonna last forever a lot of shit went down in that apartment I’m not gonna even talk about all of it in hopes of a good career in the future. Three months goes by in the blink of an eye now our homie ken is living with us and at this point me and spaz start arguing a little more often over little irrelevant stuff and it’s time to pay rent for the first time and we don’t have it so spaz suggested he sell his car and get an older car that he’s wanted I wasn’t for it because in all honesty that’s stupid as hell but he went through with it sold his car and bought a new one (broke down in the same week he got it) and again we spent the money that we had left over like we were rich and had steady income when I was the only one with a job meanwhile spaz is frontin and flexin to everyone like he has unlimited cash sayin he doesn’t need a job at this point he had accused people of stealing from us, using us and he was getting out of whack with this ego. a month or 2 passes by and we are starving I’m losing mad weight because we have no food and were relying on girls and homies to help us out lease is up we don’t have the cash so we go stay at my moms crib…horrible idea this is where it started going from bad to worse let me start by saying this nigga went a whole like two months with no deodorant smelled like an onion. Literally an onion. He was arguing with my mom he had got a job but wasn’t helping out with bills things were not looking up this boy complained about everything he’d walk around hurt like all day as if he wasn’t pleased during this time it got to the point where my little brother had to give him a 2 piece combo to the head and I almost choked him luckily ken was there to stop me. I was tired of my mom being upset this nigga didn’t respect or appreciate anything so I did what I had to do to get everyone that wasn’t my little brother out of my moms house because I didn’t want to see my mom upset anymore. We get another apartment and from the jump spaz was bitchin about every thing and I couldn’t take it I rolled with my moms ex so I could get some couches and this guy is talking like “where were you” “why didn’t you tell anybody” so I decided that this time I was gonna be my own person if this dude is gonna act like this then he can just be my room mate me and Ken start distancing ourselves so we’re doing our own thing he’s doing his I’m gonna go ahead and just lay it all out this boy took mad L’s he wiped his face with cat shit, when we didn’t have water (because he didn’t want to pay his bills) instead of going to the bathroom at the store down the street this fool shit in a McDonald’s cup and left it in the bath tub, he even slept with a girl in cat piss that’s not even half of it I can’t think of everything but a few weeks in the biggest L he took was when he tried to call ken gay for sleeping in the bed with me (it sounds sus I know but he slept at the foot of the bed with different covers ,calm down ) and while trying to make a point he said “SUCK ME!” Ken was fed up with spaz being disrespectful all the Time, spaz would talk down on Ken because he didn’t have a job so ken ended up slapping the shit out of spaz it was crazy then they got into a fight which ended in spaz kicking ken out after this incident things only got worse spaz wasn’t paying his side of rent or bills it was like a repeat of what happened the first time so I decided that I was gonna find someone to take my part of the lease and go back to stay with my mom and this is why I don’t like this guy and lost all respect for him so in the days leading up to me leaving he gets my group of friends together and starts saying he can help everyone get jobs and acting all friendly asking if I need help moving and stuff and tell us he’s going to visit his parents for a week but ends up staying I’m still cool with that I kind of saw it coming so I brush it off I go to the landlords office to explain myself I go in and say “I’m not going to be able to make payments on the apartment anymore I live on blah blah blah” and the lady stops me and asks are you the one who sent the letter and I say the “what letter” she tells me I’m obviously am not the one and then she was like so tell me what happened and I explained to her that my room mate left the city while I was trying to find someone to cover my lease and I was leaving because he wasn’t paying his side of the bills and the lady pulls out the letter and says that this boy said I had “selfishly took his money” and wasn’t paying the bills when the whole two or three months we were living there he’d only given me like three hundred dollars when all the bills added up to eight hundred he was asking me to cover him while he spent all his money on drugs it was the letter that threw away every last bit of respect I had for spaz someone who I had grown for 5 years with could so easily turn on me and lie to keep the shit off if him since then I’ve learned to act as an individual and be very cautious about who I let in my life because not everyone can be trusted not even someone who was once like a family member to you. This guy was toxic and I didn’t even realize till it was too late watch who you keep in your circle your closest friend could be the one that shoots you.

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paul-patts-blog · 7 years

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Lauryl’s Wishlist and Resolutions

Berlioz

More Music Stuff: I’ve gotten to do stuff with Ber/music in the past but a lot of it has been me rping with me and sending him to festivals and concerts. I’d like to see him interact with some of the musically-inclined people in town-- maybe even collaborate? I have some subgoals for this:

Go to concert/festivals with another character: I think rping an arc would be so fun and I personally love concerts/festivals so.

Produce someone else’s music: Ber will be starting uni and having school projects...he will need guinea pigs.

Write more music blog stuff: I’ve done very few, rather casual posts in the past about artists Ber likes-- reviews etc. I would love to post more of this (maybe even through BDRP radio? /looks at radio)

Anxiety Arc: I really want Ber to start learning about his anxiety and working through it. Specifically, he needs to go to a therapist, haha.

Sexuality: Ber’s come a long way since I got him, but he still feels majorly ‘out of place’ in the LGBTQIA community. I’d like to explore more of those feelings somehow. I got a few ideas.

Kiara

Discover her passions!! Kiara doesn’t really know what she wants to do with her life and I want her to try a bunch of stuff as she figures it out. So does your character have a cool hobby? Let Kiara do that cool hobby with ur character!

Race and Identity: one important thing for me when I got Kiara and picked Halsey was dealing with her struggle with her appearance and how she felt ‘out of place’ with the Lyons and as a POC in general. I’d like to explore this conflict more.

Continue to deal with her issues: Kiara needs to keep going to therapy and she needs to admit to herself she has problems that she is denying please my daughter.

Best Friend to lovers: I think this trope would be rly good for Kiara because too often she sees people as “romantic options’ first and not as the people they really are. I would love a slow burn romance for Kiara that surprises both her and me, really.

Hades (oh boy)

Re-learn how to use his powers-- and maybe the way to do this is to like.. do something heroic tbh? instead of always burning people up and fuckin’ everyone UP. Yeah, I want Hades to do something heroic.

Leave Swynlake: I want Hades story to take him away from Swynlake and back again

Chester

Pending tbh you will all see

Milla

Board stuff: specifically, I’d like to see Milla start enacting new strictures for magicks. I’d love for her to try to manipulate this type of stuff through the other board members

Get a magical object or something magical: Whether through the Merlin’s objects or otherwise, I would love Milla to actually seek magic herself.

MILF Reigns Supreme: I love exploring Milla’s sexuality-- it’s one of my fave things that i’ve done with her. I’d love her to get more boy toys (maybe even girl toys) and tbh, I would be open, if it’s right, to have that relationship get more complicated than just sex.

Miscarriage: That being said, this is a rather dark storyline but Milla is obsessed with control and to miscarry would be-- the opposite of having control. Anyone up for it?

Nala

RP her more in general lmao

Get her more female friends!! She really doesn’t have a lot of good female relationships (part of that is because many of her relationships have ended up dropping). But Nala deserves more friendships

Take Nala on dates! I also want Nala to try to date a little. She’s so work-focused, like lots of my characters, so this would be a new side to her that I haven’t gotten to explore

Have Nala literally kick ass/para with some sort of physical/action element to it: Okay so we say it jokingly, but after Nala’s surgery and recovery I’d love for her to actually whoop somebody’s ass even if it’s just while going back to kickboxing. Nala’s identity as an athlete is super important to her-- whenever I write about Nala’s relationship to her body, I get chills, because she loves her body so much and is so centered in it. So it would be fun to do a physical-heavy para.

Smut tbh for the same reasons as i just said.

Milo

Also rp him more in general lmao

Finish merlin’s objects/write more essays

Finish Cave Excavation-- find a Merlin’s object

Desk sex

Wow these are all so specific unlike my others

Explore his sexuality: Milo is definitely somewhere on the ace spectrum (gray, demi what have u) and so exploring that with his girlfriend Jane (maybe she’s into it one night, he’s not, she wants to try stuff that he doesnt’... u know, just those kinds of conversations) would be really complicated and fun. As someone who is on the ace spectrum myself, It’s also kind of important to me to try to honor that side of him and acknowledge it in play-- along WITH the smut.

Slay a demon/be a hero: ok bc just think about nerdy milo thatch with his glasses all askew having accidentally saved the day. I love it.

Kiki

Get kidnapped: Kiki has powerful magic blood come get her

Break her broom

Best Friends to lovers/ slow burn romance: mentioning this for kiki too, since Kiki hasn’t been kissed ever and is very romantic, I’d love to play out a good ol’ teen romance with someone. But consideirng Kiki’s crazy hectic life, yeah, it’s gonna have to really evolve.

Rajah

TIGER OUT IN FRONT OF SOMEONE: For whatever reason-- to save them or because he’s scared or stressed or loses control.

Get injured: That being said, I’d love to have Raj get shot or get hurt while trying to do his job, mostly because Raj is a charge first, ask questions later type of guy but also because-- since he heals faster-- if he’s in the hospital, it could give him away. (Can anyone say hospital bREAK)

More friends! Raj has a few, but he needs 2 get out more smh

Introduce Jyoti to people: I want his little sister to come see him and I want Raj to have people to introduce her to! Jyoti will bring a lot of the past back to Raj’s life which he currently keeps super hidden.

Anita:

Biwakening. Make it happen.

Night on the town

One night stand tbh

Dating around-- specifically, blind date/double date with someone this would be hiLARIOUS for me

Stand up to someone (tbh Cruella)

Anita Explores Her Painting: Anita doesnt’ take her talent seriously and I want that to change. I’d love to do some more stuff with her art including--

Nude portraits anyone?

Anita teaches fingerpainting!! Anita gets her very own income and is thus empowered thru painting !!! ah!

Paint fight :D

More Volunteering: what i like about anita is that though she is an introvert, she loves to be involved in her community. If you have any town projects or somethin’ you need volunteers for, ask Anita!!

The Great Prince

Also get into a physical fight of some kind; i’d love for him to defend the forest or Bambi or somethin’ as the deer. I think RPing that would be really fun for me

Explore more areas of the forest: I’ve already started to invent some parts of the forest as I go, but I’d like to try to see if I can’t put Prince in some of these deeper parts. If your character wants to get lost in the woods-- hit me up.

Make more human connections/get in touch with his human side: Hopefully, Prince will be in town more and can make friends with people who are not animals haha.

Explore comic timing/situations with the Prince! The Prince doesnt’ know a lot about the human world-- like how to work technology-- so i want to put him in more situations where he is totally out of his element. The best way to do this will probably be with “The Great Prince Vs. Human-thing-here” starters. Be on the look out. (Or if u really want to have ur character help my poor deer son, message me).

Paul Pongo Patts

Okay he’s my newest babe so these r kinda repetitive from his app--

Start studying to maybe get into uni maybe ahhh my babe

Let himself go on dates: Paul kind of thinks that part of his life is over now that he has kids and he feels kind of guilty about that kind of stuff and so I want him to go easy on himself. He deserves a night out and to feel like he is handsome, young and romantic bc darling u ARE handsome young and romantic.

That being said-- get wooed. Paul is a woo-er. Someone woo my woo-er.

Also mend things with Perdita/ rp them growing back together as friends and as two people who respect and care for each other and maybe-- just maybe-- lovers again.

DAD THINGS-- shopping for his kids, dealing with baby spit-up, babyproofing his apartment wow im like turned on by this lauryl calm ur eggs

Interact with Magicks: All KINDS of magicks please throw them at Paul

Consider illegal means of getting money… Paul has grown up around shady ppl and has since stayed clean of shady business himself. But that doesnt’ mean he doesn’t feel temptations. I’d like to exploooore those temptations.

My Character’s Personal Resolutions:

Ber: “Don’t fuck up...anything.”

Kiara: “lol” (tbh kiara is so lowkey depressed she liek?? has no resolutions help her)

Hades: “Fix my mistakes.”

Chester: pending

Milla: “Make Swynlake Great Again”

Milo: “Spend as much time as I can with Jane.”

Nala: “Get the Lyons Foundation off the ground / kick my physical therapy in the ass / be running by spring”

Rajah: “Repair things with my family. Live honestly-- be proud of who I am.” (ow raJJJ)

Kiki: “Make my family proud. Make Howl proud.” (ughh)

Anita: “Cause no more harm.”

The Great Prince: “Be there for my son if he will have me.”

Paul: “Be the greatest dad / provide for my kids.”

#bdrptask #bdrptasks #i always forget which one tbh

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hamfamilyblog · 4 years

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Friday, March 27, 2020; Ham Family Update:

I have been very bad at this New Years Resolution lately, to write a weekly Ham Family update. I really should be documenting this crazy time in history!!!

So worldwide, the coronavirus is spreading around, and this week, my worst nightmare has occurred!! We are on lockdown, and I have three little boys in a three-bedroom apartment with a tiny balcony that doesn’t get much sunshine. This week really has been so emotional draining for me. At the start of the week, we started seeing some information from the government that seemed like we were going to head to some sort of lock down. After talking to people and reading everything it was decided that we weren’t on a full lock down and hopefully, the lock down would only be partial when it did occur. Partial meaning, people can still go outside within their neighborhoods to get sunshine. They have to stay in their living radius and maintain a certain distance from people. There are also certain hours people aren’t allowed to go outside. This is the lock down situation in the Philippines and many other countries. Going outside is viewed as a positive necessity of life to stay healthy and get fresh air and sunshine. Well, not in Dubai!!! As I said, my worst ever nightmare has occurred and I feel SO SO trapped. So basically, Dubai stated that all flights were going to be canceled going in or out in two days. A full lock down had not yet been announced. Mitch and I prayed about it and decided Dubai was probably heading to a full lock down, and the boys and I should get to Colorado so we could be outside daily in fresh air during this whole crisis. Well, even though flights were suppose to run for another two days, I was not able to get out of the country due to all flights being either full or canceled last minute. It was a nightmare. We had thought we had found a flight and made arrangements for my parents to pick me up in Denver, CO. Well, all of a sudden when we went to purchase the flight, it just disappeared, as well as many other flight options. Mitch spent hours on the phone with airlines and travel agents trying to get the boys and I out, but we were out of luck. The airlines never even answered due to all the craziness. It was so disheartening. I’ve been trying to stay positive about the whole thing and I am thankful we are all together. I kept trying to be positive we wouldn’t go on complete, full lock down. Well, as of yesterday, we are!!! The marina walk, where I went for a run with the boys, was being patrolled and I was told I wasn’t allowed to walk or run there. So today was our first day we’ve been home all day. The kids didn’t go outside today at all. It makes me so so sad. Luckily, today was our Sabbath, and we had church at home and made it a rest day anyway, but I don’t know how long this lockdown will go on. I don’t know how long my poor kids can tolerate this or I tolerate it. Honestly, we need fresh air, exercise and sunshine to keep ourselves healthy should this virus attack us as well. It’s frustrating as well, because Colorado’s philosophy is to spend lots of time social distancing in nature. I just feel that an accurate and clear statement about what rules we needed to follow here was never given and then adequate time was not given for people to get out of the country. I hope that the flights will open again soon, even just for a day or two to allow people to leave that would like to leave. There are also several families separated right now due to this. It’s so sad. I’ve been continuing to work at the hospital two days a week. Honestly, aside from yesterday, my life routine hasn’t changed much at all. Typically, on the days I didn’t work, I hung out around my apartment enjoying nature that is close by to us with the kids. So I definitively don’t find myself having more time on my hands like many people do during this time. I’m a firm believer in being social weekly (1-2 times a week), but then keeping life simple and chilling in nature around my apartment. So life for me has not changed or slowed down. I guess it’s now changed in the sense I have nowhere to take my kids to be enjoying the amazing Dubai weather right now. I fear that once all this is over, the weather will be too hot in Dubai!

So there was also a statement released that you cannot have more than 3 people in a vehicle at one time. It doesn’t make sense to me why a family can be stuck together all day in a small apartment, but not be able to be in a vehicle together. Well, we are contemplating trying to drive two hours to the mountains tomorrow morning to get out in fresh air and hike. It’s really hard to know what things are considered suggestions and which are considered the law. I know right now we for sure cannot go outside between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am the next morning. There are workers cleaning public transport and the streets. And I know that the marina is now closed. Basically, one is only suppose to go outside to grocery shop or go to the pharmacy. Once, again, as I said before, I really feel so so trapped. I’m the type of person that will do everything to change my situation so I don’t feel trapped or don’t feel the way I feel. I’m a doer. I don’t just accept things easily. I will try to change it. Not sure if this is a good thing or not. But I started looking into an airbnb we could rent with a garden and pool to get through this. Unfortunately, the one I found thus far is super expensive. I just can’t imagine next week though not knowing where I can take my kids day after day. Or even myself, I need exercise and fresh air as well. The only way to get in good cardio is to run the stairs in my apartment complex. I’ve been doing weights or TRX from home. All swimming pools, parks and beaches are closed. I do hope this passes. Poor Ellis keeps asking to go play with friends or go to a playground. Also, he keeps talking about his birthday party in excitement, which was scheduled for April 4th. As of now, it’s canceled, and I feel so sad for him cause he’s so excited about it as he helped me make the piñata and has seen the prep for it. I’ve prepped a lot of it in advance as originally, my parents were supposed to attend and we were all suppose to be in Egypt right before the party. Oh how things have changed so quickly! But I’m counting my blessings! I’m thankful Mitch and I have good, secure jobs during this time when lots of people are losing theirs. I’m so thankful for my children and for my husband and that we are a family. I’m thankful for my extended family and thankful they are all healthy. I hope that continues.

To make things even more hectic right now, Mitch was called last week to be the Elder’s Quorum President. I think that was a big surprise to him, but he will do amazing at it. He’s so capable and efficient at things. It’s just a challenging time with this coronavirus as some people in the ward need help with food as they have lost their job and are stuck here. I’m looking so forward to listening to conference next week. We have been trying to prepare as a family, as 2020 is the 200-year anniversary of Joseph Smith’s first vision. Conference is suppose to be special this conference due to the anniversary. We’ve been asked to study Joseph Smith’s life and read the first vision. Mitch has been working from home so it’s been nice to see more of him and for us to spend more time as a family. Honestly, I’ve been fine with all the things closing—malls, restaurants, even playgrounds and beaches. The one thing that I just cannot accept is that we aren’t suppose to be leaving our homes at all except to gather essentials! I suppose for those who have villas with yards, it wouldn’t be too bad. Lets see if much has changed in next week’s Ham Family Update…. Kids are all happy and healthy and at such fun ages. Especially Ryker. 1 ½ is honestly one of my favorite ages ever. Ryker is such a talker. He has his own little language that he will carry on in when playing and creating a narrative. He also speaks a lot where he is understood in either Chinese or English. He is really good at imitating speech. He is such an easily excited child, yet will easily anger as well. So loving, yet also willing to hit or punch you at any minute. He then will possibly turn around and kiss you right after. He definitely keeps us on our toes, as you never know how he might react. He laughs with full joy, and when he’s not happy he will whine non-stop! He’s so much fun but can also be challenging and exhausting. Flynn Flynn and Ellis are eager to learn. I’ve been doing home schooling stuff with them. Letters, numbers, basic math, and simple reading. Oh how blessed I am to be their mother and teach them and spend time with them. How blessed I am to see them learn and watch their eyes light up when they are proud of themselves for accomplishing something or creating something. They fill my soul with such joy. Thank you Heavenly Father. I look forward when we can also be reunited with my little Breck.

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fitnessexpert00-blog · 5 years

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How Kyle the Vegetarian Lost 27 Pounds and Started Crushing Pull-Ups

New Post has been published on https://fitnessqia.com/awesome/how-kyle-the-vegetarian-lost-27-pounds-and-started-crushing-pull-ups/

How Kyle the Vegetarian Lost 27 Pounds and Started Crushing Pull-Ups

It is true: you really can’t outrun your fork.

I maintained thinking about this- over and over- when speaking with Kyle, one of our Nerd Fitness Coaching clients.

You see, Kyle works for a non-profit that promotes bicycling as a major mode of transportation.

As part of strolling the walking- er, cycling the cycle- 10 years ago Kyle gave up driving a auto.

Instead, he gets around by biking, strolling, or public transportation.

Since Kyle motorcycles most days, you might believe all that riding would ensure he’d stay in shape.

However, you’re reading Nerd Fitness, which means you’re smart-alecky. So you know that people can’t outrun their fork…or out pedal their fork.

Like many others who struggle to lose weight, Kyle lived off pizza and other carb-heavy foods, which brought in a ton of extra calories.

Simply set, despite the crazy amount of exert he did every day, he still ingested more than he was able to pedal away.

As we know from study after study after study, it is very difficult to exert your route thin. This is why adjustments to nutrition are the key to a successful transformation.

Which is exactly what Kyle did!

I’m honored that Kyle is one of our 1-on-1 coaching clients, and that we were able to offer some tips-off on how to go about a vegetarian diet correctly, something many Rebels struggle with.

Switching up his diet is not the only accomplishment Kyle has attained: he is also now crushing pull-ups!

Which makes me really happy.

You don’t need to hear all about it from me though: let’s brought under Kyle!

HOW KYLE STOPPED TRYING TO OUTRUN HIS FORK AND LOST 27 POUNDS

Steve: Hi Kyle! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me.

I’d love to hear from you about your past- Can you take us through a typical day before you started your journey with Nerd Fitness?

Kyle: My day would include an early morning to construct breakfast and get the kids ready for school. Then I’d ride my bicycle to the office. I’d work all day- stopping to purchase and feed pizza or a sandwich for lunch. After run, I’d ride my bicycle home. Evening day “wouldve been” expended hanging out with my kids until bedtime.

On days when I am traveling, substitute family time and school preparations with takes part in an airport or hotel. And I travel a lot.

Steve: Traveling are likely to be grueling, especially when being on the road takes you from your family.

I find it interesting you bike to and from work. But from talking to you, I know it wasn’t enough to prevent you from gaining weight.

Can you tell us a little bit about your fitness journey prior to finding Nerd Fitness ??

Kyle: For more than a decade, I’ve incorporated some physical activity and healthy eating into my daily routine :P TAGEND

I gave up driving a automobile as my primary mode of transportation about 10 years ago and rely on stroll, biking, and public transportation to get out.

I’ve been a vegetarian for more than 15 years.

And I’ve engaged in other extracurricular activities like indoor soccer, operating half marathons, or mountain biking.

I often thought that all this was enough to keep in shape without the need to adjust my diet or routine.

Steve: I hear ya- I can also see how it could be frustrating to do “all the right things” and not look the style you want to look for all that endeavor! You were already exerting, watching what you eat, and remained active.

What constructed you decides that something needed to change?

Kyle: Last year, my wife lost 60 lbs almost entirely by changing her diet.

In June, she and I had the opportunity to take a short vacation together without our kids.

We took a lot of photos during that journey and after looking at them- compared to her new, lighter, appear- I realise how much weight I had personally put on over the last couple of years.

Starting a new job, moving the family across the country, and adapting to a new hectic traveling schedule for run had left me 30 pounds heavier than any time previously in my life.

When we got back home, I started looking for local gyms and fitness programs that I could join, but none worked with my busy traveling schedule( severely, I travel a LOT) or weren’t convenient enough for me during the time I was home.

I didn’t want to give up the precious period with my wife and kids when I wasn’t traveling, so I began looking for alternative solutions and stumbled upon Nerd Fitness.

Steve: I’m so happy you induced your way to our strange corner of the internet. We’re very lucky to have you as part of the Nerd Fitness community, and we’re glad you chose us to kickstart your journey, brother!

You’ve been working with Coach Matt M ., what is he having you do?

Kyle: I asked Matt to design a workout that could be done either at my hometown gym or in any random hotel in the world with an unknown quantity of fitness equipment.

Because my surrounding was constantly changing, I required a workout program that worked anywhere and everywhere.

I also stressed that my past anxieties about going to a gym centered around not knowing what to do- how many reps of what exert, should I use the machines or not, is this too much weight or too little.

It was all only a bit dizzying.

The supersets usually progress from core body routines, followed by heavy lifting, and concluding with lighter lifting that also engages a bit of cardio. The alternatives maintain me on pace when I don’t have barbells or other equipment while on the road.

Since I expend about 50% of my period traveling, having nationwide access to my trainer has been a game changer.

Training while on the road works in most cases, and there have been some scenarios where the alternative training exercises Matt were essential to staying on track.

Being a NF client constructed that both easy and possible.

I’m proud to say I haven’t missed a workout since we started working together.

This has helped with the confidence that no matter where I am, I won’t fault in achieving my aim.

The consistency is paying off. For the first time in my life, I’ve been able to rock pull-ups! I’m the strongest I’ve ever been.

Steve: That’s great! Although I’m super-biased( I have a coach-and-four who programs road workouts for me too ), I suppose NF Coaching is perfect for people who traveling a lot. When you think about it, you have worldwide accountability and expertise!

What’s been the most important change you’ve stimulated since starting this recent journey ??

Kyle: Eating.

Like I mentioned before, I’ve been a vegetarian for a long time, but often resorted to carb-heavy bread, a dizzying amount of melted cheese, and chips to fill in the thirst between salads and quinoa bowls.

Matt helped me track my eating and make adjustments that still worked with my dietary predilection.

Like the workouts, Matt also helped me design snack options for my busy traveling schedule- protein bars and shakes- so I wouldn’t be driven to a slice from Sbarro between flights.

Being a vegetarian, I spend most of my endeavour maintaining consistent different levels of protein intake. Since consuming protein comes along with either fat or carbs, balancing the amount each day was the biggest adjustment I attained.

Steve: That’s astonishing! I’ve written before that a common mistake vegetarians build is simply living off bread and pasta. I’m really happy that Matt was able to take an objective opinion of your diet and attain some suggestions.

What’s a typical day for you like now? Workouts, diet strategy, and so on. Devote us the details!

Kyle: On workout days, I’m normally at the gym by 5am. It’s early- but it simply works for me to get the workout in first thing in the morning before my kids are awake or I go to work. The gym isn’t usually too busy then either.

After my workout, I skip breakfast and motorcycle to my job. I’ll drink coffee and water all morning during run and usually have a light lunch around noon.

We’ve also been experimenting with using cauliflower in all its forms. Since my wife is continuing the diet plan that helped her lose 60 lbs, it’s really easy to keep on track by feeing together.

Steve: It sounds like you have a solid routine: you’re very active and prioritizing nutritious snacks. Great job dude!

Besides your routine, what else has changed about you?

Kyle: I’m definitely able to wear clothes I couldn’t have worn a year ago. Now that I’m smaller and weigh less, trying on clothes genuinely makes me aware of how heavy I had gotten.

There’s also a pleasure in sharing this transformative moment with my wife.

We are both working on our selves side by side, and it adds a level of support that I find really helpful when all I want to do is eat an entire cheese pizza, lol.

Steve: I love that you guys are supporting each other- and I can’t wait to see where you are a year from now!

Do you have any words of advice for somebody who just starting out on a weight loss journey? What if they’re considering a change, but not sure this is right to start?

Kyle: Coach Matt helped me realise a person doesn’t have to make all the drastic changes overnight.

To anybody starting out, going one step at a time is easier than trying too much, too fast!

Even though I was prepared for a bigger shock, Matt’s coaching eased me into new routines and merely after I demonstrated a commitment to those did he offer something new.

And honestly, that’s been really helpful when it comes to eating.

Also, if you travel, a remote coach-and-four you can access from anywhere is awesome! It turned out to be exactly what I needed.

Steve: Traveling can be tough to maintain healthy habits, so I’m glad you saw a solution that works for you.

Okay, I’ve got to ask: where do you plant your nerddom flag?

Kyle: I’m all in for Star Wars( and a minor participant in most other fandoms ).

The family and I attend cons on a regular basis and are trying our hand at cosplay for the first time this year!

I’ve also got a huge vintage Star Wars action figure collection that my kids and I add to regularly.

Steve: A Star Wars collecting you let your kids even look at? Dad of the year … Some fathers won’t even let their kids in the same room as their collectibles.

Where do you go from here Kyle? What objectives and habits are you still working on?

Kyle: We’re definitely working to lose a few more pounds, which would bring me down 30 lbs! We’re tackling this mostly through the addition of interval cardio training and small diet modifications.

Additionally, we’re working to reach some interesting physical fitness goals.

I’ve never been able to do a pull-up, but now I’m doing two each workout( and working towards more ).

I’m not sure what we’re working on next, but I’m looking forward to the next steps at getting there.

Steve: YES! Welcome to the “I love pull-ups and want to tell the world” club. It’s the best club.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story with us Kyle! Best of luck to you and the family!

THE 5 KEYS TO KYLE’S WEIGHT LOSS AND LEVEL UP SUCCESS

In speaking with Kyle, I realized he had a few key traits that helped him succeed where many others fail.

Lots of people try to get in shape.

Many of them have a lot of the same obstacles to overcome as Kyle:

A crazy travel schedule. Responsibilities as a new daddy. A diet too dependent on carb-heavy foods.

What’s special about Kyle is not the challenges he had to face. We all have unique barriers in our lives.

What’s special about Kyle is how he went about systematically overcoming such barriers.

In speaking with him, and analyzing his choices and decisions, I think there are five traits that set Kyle apart.

Here’s what we can learn from Kyle’s success :P TAGEND

# 1 KYLE KNEW WHEN TO ASK FOR HELP

There’s nothing quite like a spouse or partner or friend who is crushing it to motivate you to stimulate some changes.

Kyle’s wife decided to get in shape after having their two kids- she created a plan, stuck to it, and lost 60 pounds.

When checking out photos from a recent vacation, Kyle knew his wife was on the right track.

He, however, was not.

But he didn’t know what to do: he was already feeing the style he thought he should, he was biking every day, and staying very active. The outcomes just didn’t match the effort.

And he was also stuck due to his work schedule: Traveling made any kind of fixed routine impossible. What does one even eat at an airport that isn’t pizza?

Kyle knew things had to change, so he decided to ask for help from a professional. A professional that spoke his language: a dad that loved Star Wars.

That extra pair of eyes from Coach Matt- a father of 2( and huge nerd ), which permitted Kyle to see things in a whole new way.

Asking for help was a great first step, and then he did something many people forget: he actually LISTENED!

# 2 KYLE LEARNED YOU CAN’T PEDAL YOUR WAY THIN

When people want to get in shape, they often think that hours of cardio is the answer.

They’ll start a go routine, or buy a treadmill, or even start biking to work.

While exercise and movement are critical for heart health and overall happiness, we here at Nerd Fitness know “You can’t outrun your fork .~ ATAGEND”

I think it’s super awesome that Kyle works to advocate cycling as a major mode of transportation. More motorcycles on the road and fewer cars is great for everybody involved- including the planet.

However, Kyle learned a valuable lesson: biking miles a day, in of itself, is often not enough to get in shape- unless it’s be included with changes to nutrition too.

We highlight over and over here at Nerd Fitness that 80% -9 0% of the weight-loss equation comes down to a proper diet .~ ATAGEND After gaining 30 pounds as a new daddy, despite pedaling his motorcycle every single day, Kyle knew something had to give.

He lost weight- though I believe maybe 1 of those pounds might be from trimming his beard! Ha

# 3 KYLE ADJUSTED HIS PLANT-BASED DIET

While Kyle expended a lot of calories riding his bike everywhere, it wasn’t enough to overcome all the calories he was feeing in bread and pasta.

Kyle tried whenever possible to feed healthy vegetarian dishes like salads and quinoa bowls, but they never fulfilled his thirst This led to him eating bread along with “a dizzying sum of cheese” to hold him over until his next meal.

So although weight loss come down to calories in and calories out, the quality of the food can really impact how easy or tough it is to stay within your calorie goal for the working day.

It took an outside pair of eyes, from Coach Matt, to point this out to Kyle.

Now, Kyle prioritizes a healthy plant-based diet.

He skips breakfast and snacks on veggies and hummus and a protein shake during the day. His big main meal at night will often include eggs, a great protein source for those on a vegetarian diet.

The fiber from the plants and the protein from the eggs help keep Kyle full from dinner to meal. So he can motorcycle around town and not be seduced by the pizza joints on every corner.

# 4 KYLE MADE THE ROAD WORK FOR HIM

Traveling can build get in shape challenging.

Your normal routine is thrown out the window.

Instead of cooking your own snacks in your kitchen, your dependent on eateries. Instead of having access to your normal fitness facility, you get the rundown treadmill the hotel keeps so they can say they have a gym.

Here’s the thing though: you don’t require a gym to train. You can work out in a nearby park, find an empty playground, or even only do bodyweight exercisings in your hotel room.

The important phase is consistency. To not lose momentum on the days you’re away from your home.

With Matt’s help, Kyle developed a plan on workouts to do from anywhere.

If he’s at home?

Perfect, he’s off early to the gym to crush his training.

If he’s traveling?

No problem, Matt constructed workouts that don’t require any equipment whatsoever.

No momentum is lost.

If you live on the road, don’t let it become an excuse to not train. If half your days are spent in hotels, that’s plenty of time to continue growing stronger.

Make exercise your one constant when living out of luggage.

# 5 KYLE HAS A SUPPORT NETWORK

I’m so happy that Kyle’s wife is also on her own journey, going about things her own route. They’re also supporting the heck out of each other!

This entails it’s two heads in the kitchen instead of just one.

When Kyle has to wake up early to make the gym, his wife understands( and vice versa !).

They both want to prioritize their health, for their own future and the future of their children. Having person in the house whose on the same fitness journey is a godsend.

Plus, it’s not the only subsistence Kyle has.

His coach, Matt, also has his back. This non-judgemental extra pair of eyes proved critical.

Matt helped Kyle watch, with a little bit of adjustment, his vegetarian diet could be a tool for weight loss. Matt helped Kyle create a plan for the gym, so he was able to get in, know exactly what to do, and get out.

Matt adjusts Kyle’s workout on the fly depending on his traveling schedule for the upcoming month. Every day, Kyle wakes up, looks at the NF App, and knows exactly what he needs to do.

The lesson: if you can, find a fellow Jedi or a Jedi Master!

Maybe your spouse has expressed interest in getting in shape.

Maybe you have a brother or sister or roomate who wants to start strength develop, and you two can share your progress with each other.

Maybe you have a coworker who also wants to go for strolls at lunch with you.

Or perhaps you are able to hire expert guidance, like a coach-and-four, to help attain schemes and recommendations for you to hit your goals.

A companion can be a lifesaver for when things get difficult, so team up- even if it’s just for accountability!

WHAT SMALL CHANGES CAN YOU MAKE, LIKE KYLE, TO LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE?

The great thing about Kyle’s transformation, is he is still Kyle!

Kyle still takes his motorcycle to run every day.

Kyle still follows a vegetarian diet.

And Kyle still shares his love of Star Wars with his kids, because kids should know about Star Wars.

Sometimes, you don’t need to do a complete life overhaul to level up your life.

Sometimes, an outside pair of eyes can point out some key changes you could attain, to help you reach your goals.

No matter where you are on your fitness journey, I would encourage you to think about what constructed Kyle successful :P TAGEND

It’s okay to ask for help. You don’t know what you don’t know. Asking an expert to take an objective its consideration of their own lives can be vastly valuable. You can’t peddle your way thin. I wish getting in shape was as simple as biking to run. While it is a great lifestyle habit, diet will still be 80 -9 0% of your success. Be careful with a vegetarian diet. Vegetarian or not, you still need to know what you’re eating! A salad and quinoa bowl can be vegetarian, but so can pizza and donuts. You can perfectly do a vegetarian or vegan diet incorrectly. So, don’t do that! Don’t lose momentum on the road. Staying fit while traveling can be tough. However, if you make a plan, it’s an impediment that can be overcome. Don’t make this journey alone. If your spouse wants to get in shape with you, great! Take them up on it! If this isn’t an option, a coach-and-four can also be a great accountability partner.

If you related to Kyle’s story, apparently doing the right things without making any progress, think about what you can do differently.

Start by testing your hypothesis:

Maybe running on a treadmill for an hour isn’t enough to burn the calories from all that pizza at lunch.

Maybe a vegetarian diet should include veggies.

Maybe pull-ups are the best. I know Christina, another coaching success narrative, concurs!

As we learned from Kyle, an outside pair of eyes can be really useful for analyzing your routine. Sometimes it’s hard to look at ourselves objectionably.

Depending on your current situation, our 1-on-1 NF Coaching Program might be only the extra pair of eyes you need! Person who can learn their own lives, understand your individual obstacles, and make a plan for success!

Want to learn more? Go ahead and click on the box below and schedule a bellow with our squad!

No matter what you do, here’s what I want you to take away from Kyle’s story :P TAGEND

Diet is everything. You can still gain weight even if you bike to and from work. If you aren’t inducing the progress you’re after, look into a different nutrition strategy. Make-up small changes, but make changes. Are you frustrated that what your doing isn’t working? Try something else this time!

In a year and a half, by be concentrated on the above two points, Kyle get within 3 pounds of his goal weight( 27 pounds down at the time of this writing ).

If you started be concentrated on your diet with small sustainable changes, I promise you in 18 months, you’ll be closer to your goal than you are today.

The important thing?

Start!

Not tomorrow. Not next week.

Today!

-Steve

PS: I want to give a special shout out to Coach Matt, who the non-judgemental pair of eyes Kyle needed to level up their own lives.

If you are somebody that wants to have your own Yoda guiding you in the ways of the Force, check out or 1-on-1 coaching program, and I could be sharing YOUR story this time next year!

PPS: Speaking of success stories…If you’ve had success with any aspect of Nerd Fitness, whether it’s our free workouts, Academy, or Coaching, email us! Send your story to contact( at) NerdFitness( dot) com and let us know so we can share your escapade with the galaxy!