Freedom Technique: Path to Awareness
and Love with Autobiography by Lester Levenson (Spilny, Yuri)'s book
Hi. Wanted to share this with you
''WANT is a paradox. To obtain something, it is important to WANT it. However, WANT means lack of what you want. The more you WANT something, the more you affirm the lack of it. It is better not to WANT but to allow whatever you need to come to you. Otherwise WANT will sabotage you, becoming a block, a barrier. (...) And you know that WANT harbors fear and other negativity. It is better to substitute WANT with ALLOWING.
Created by Lester, the process of Releasing, consists of five steps:
1. Become aware of the emotion and lovingly accept it.
2. Feel the emotion somewhere in the body. Anger for example is often felt in the pit of the stomach or in the chest. Find that spot and feel your anger there. It won’t take too long before you notice that the more you concentrate on your anger, the weaker it becomes. This happens, because instead of “feeding” it with your energy, you are withdrawing the energy by calmly witnessing your emotion.
3. Identify the emotion as Wanting Approval (WA) or Wanting Control (WC).
4. Relax into the emotion.
5. Release the emotion.
As you keep your attention on it, let it go by asking
- Could I let it go?
Yes!
- Would I let it go?
Yes! -
When?
Now!
Inhale, while asking the last question.
Then open an imaginary window in the spot where you feel the emotion, and with exhalation, let the energy flow freely out of that window, while saying “Now!” Imagine bluish, almost transparent energy flowing out. A feeling or emotion is nothing but energy; it is neither “bad” nor “good.” We give it different names in order to relate it to different mental states. The energy flows out… It is gone! Still, ask yourself:
And More? …
Answer: Yes!
And let more of it to flow out…
And More? …
Yes!
And let even more of it out…
And even More? …
Yes! Let more of it out…
And even More? … Yes!
Let more of it out…
And even More? … Yea!
Let more of it out… Try to feel the feeling again.
Imagine situation that made you feel angry. It would help you to locate more anger within you. Keep repeating the process until you find yourself out of AGFLAP and in CAP (Courageousness Acceptance and Peace). It is important to continue releasing until you are at peace. It may take time, but time thus spent is ten times worth the effort. You will find that nothing is more rewarding than your state of peace. There should be no thinking or analyzing. You must say “yes” regardless of how you feel about it.
Lester underlined that releasing will be more effective when we are in the state of either Courageousness, Acceptance or Peace. The entire process of releasing must be always done lovingly. Therefore, before starting the releasing bring yourself into one of the states of CAP with loving attitude. It is easily done when you imagine the end result of a particular releasing: wonderful relationship, money in your account, new house, whatever you are releasing on. Remember to start with accepting and loving yourself unconditionally.
The state of loving peace is the only appropriate state to be in. If you’re not peaceful, find out what is it within you that deprives you of peace and let it go.
When we have no Resistance, no Fear and no Wants, when we don’t wish to change anything but accept everything the way it is, we are free.
Let us start with letting go of whatever we are feeling right now and move into Courageousness, Acceptance and Peace. We begin with Courageousness. It’s a wonderful place, where we are willing to do whatever it takes, no matter what: a place of absolute willingness to do anything. We are adventurous, alive, powerful, self-sufficient and secure. We have a vast vision. We have been here before in this wonderful place and can access it from our past memory, when we were in trouble. We are here right now. On the scale of action, Lester says, ‘Courageousness is a willingness to go into action without fear, to give, to correct, to change whatever needs it, the willingness to let go, to move on.’ It is a very distinct state. Notice how you are immediately becoming more aware, as you move into this state.
And from here, let’s move into Acceptance. Just a shift, a different way of a being expressing itself: Acceptance. Get the feeling: everything is OK just the way it is. On the scale of action, Lester says, ‘No need to change anything. No judgment of good or bad. It just is… It is beautiful just as it is, and it’s OK just the way it is. It is wonderful out there… I am enjoying everything just as it is. So take a look, wherever you are, sitting, driving, whatever it is that you’re doing. Can you allow it to be beautiful just as it is? Can you allow yourself to enjoy your surroundings, which includes your body, just as it is? Can you love your body just as it is? The room you are in, just as it is? The city you are in, just as it is? And will it be OK with you to make the decision, and it is just a decision, to feel about wherever you are in life, being just beautiful? Well, the mind may check on this and that, and yet, it is all Awareness, Beingness, and it is always beautiful. Other words Lester used to describe this: fullness, gentle, glowing, gracious, harmonious. And again, notice where you are right now. What it feels like. Be aware. Contrast it to the state of Courageousness… There is a cool air about this state of Acceptance. When you notice the differences between the two states it will allow you to access this state of Awareness more freely. From this place of Acceptance, where everything is OK the way it is, allow yourself to move to a state of Peace. On a scale of action, Lester describes it as I am, I am whole, complete, totally into my Self. Everyone and everything is part of my Self. It’s all perfect. Whatever you’re now feeling, whatever you’re experiencing… can you let it go and let it be even more perfect? Would it be OK with you, if you dissolve the boundaries, whatever they are: boundary of your body, your house, your car, your property, boundary of your country... Can you dissolve these boundaries, and allow everything to be seen as your Self, your own Beingness, Awareness. Immediately, everything becomes quiet, even more serene, more still. Would it be OK with you if you live in peace every day, all day? Would it be OK with you, if everyone you’ve met will be radiantly peaceful beings, a part of you, of your own Self? If everyone is seen in total serenity, total peace, the world is automatically becoming peaceful and serene. Other words to describe this: stillness, kindness, tranquility, unlimited, whole.
And check to see if our friend the mind has been active lately, trying to figure things out. Can you let go of trying to figure it out? Mind always has a list of favorite things it is trying to figure out. Could you let that process go and allow yourself just be and rest in Awareness? Let us ask the mind if it knows the solution of whatever you’re trying to figure out. Of course it doesn’t. It is one of the most pointless exercises in our lives, to keep asking the mind for an answer, when it doesn’t have an answer. And when we do this, it comes back at us with a judgment. It says, ‘beat yourself up! Is there something wrong with you? There we go again: asking me about something I don’t know!’ Is that helping us to get the solution? What it does… it keeps us on the surface of our mind: all that asking, beating ourselves up. So now we have a decision to make. Are we going to keep being negative, beating ourselves up, standing on the surface of our mind? Or, do we want to let that go and move into productivity, quietness and deepness? Of course, we want to be quieter and deeper.
From this state of wholeness look at your life and see if there is any part that you’re resisting. Anything in your life that frustrates you, irritates you that you try to exclude from your wholeness? See if there is any question, any sensation about that. And just instantly let that energy go. Let it go some more…, and more… And will it be OK with you, if you reclaim that part of your life in terms of yourself? We are responsible for our pictures: everything that we picture is part of ourselves.
Would it be OK with you if you make a decision? Irrevocable decision that says I am going for freedom, no matter what. Why not?
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BORN TO MAKE HISTORY - RIN ITOSHI
synopsis: After his brother takes a nasty fall and calls out before the new season starts, Rin has to step up as your new figure skating partner.
✰ ✰ ✰જ⁀➴ PLAYLIST.
contents: an ice skating au fic (very much yuri on ice inspired), fem!reader, ice skating terms and irl figures thrown around but not that super important, lmao probably inaccurate depictions of figure skating, sfw, kinda enemies to lovers but its really just rin being anti-social and cold, sae is a decent brother in here, characters are in their early-mid 20s, talks about ISU grand prix, mentions of mental health (depression, anxiety, burn out, imposter syndrome), heavy narration, rin centric, multiple parts will be added but no set scheduling of course
word count: 4.3K (sigh there will be more)
a/n: you know... whenever i feel like i hit a writer's block... thinking about rin always helps me break out of it so thank u...
For as long as Rin can remember, he's always followed in his brother's footsteps.
Whatever that meant being interested in the same shows, books, and sometimes even hobbies, Rin would always be one step behind. It was a long-time habit that he picked up ever since he was little. There was a small running joke that if you wanted to find Rin, all you needed to do was find Sae. If anyone were to ask him why, he would probably shrug and refuse to answer, though his parents would gush on about how much he looks up to his older brother, and… it’s not a complete tall tale.
His brother is talented and not in a ‘he can totally balance a stack of rocks in one try’ type of talented—though Rin is pretty sure that Sae can do that—but in a ‘he’s born with a natural gift to be absolutely perfect at everything he touches’ type of talented. So, regardless if Rin is always one step behind his brother, he knows deep down that it will always be Sae standing on the very top of the podium with a gold medal around his neck.
Sae delved into figure skating at the age of eight, and Rin quickly followed suit. It began on a family night in, the brothers gathered around their small, worn-out television, fixated on the Winter Olympics in muted colors. Although ice skating initially served as mere background noise while their mother knitted, they both felt an undeniable pull.
Rin was only thirteen when he first won silver at his junior debut competition. In that same year, Sae also moved up to the senior-level groups and gave his first professional appearance during the Japan Figure Skating Championships. Unsurprisingly to no one, Sae effortlessly won gold, putting the whole world on notice and overtaking the competition by over 40 points. From that moment forward, Sae was recruited by an international coach and was sent aboard to different training facilities.
It burned in Rin’s memories of all the irregular Facetime calls they would have of Sae giving him a walking tour of the cities he stayed in. New York was too loud and bright. Chongqing felt like something out of a fairytale and a cyberpunk city at the same time. Saint Petersburg was too cold but Sae liked grabbing pirozhki from a street food vendor before practice every morning. Despite being only two years older, he sometimes felt like he was worlds away from his brother’s place.
Still, after everything, Rin looks up to him. It doesn’t bother Rin that he’s always ‘second best’—according to those poorly written sports magazines—because this is something they can bond over, something that only they can understand.
And maybe this is Rin’s motivation to eventually surpass him.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t go exactly how he imagines it.
“You’re going to sub in for me.”
Sae is sitting up on his bed, his right leg bandaged tightly all the way up to his knee, and he’s saying this with his usual straight-laced expression. Their mother has always complained about being unable to read Sae’s emotions and Rin always thought it was pretty amusing growing up. But now, he finally understands what his mother was talking about.
Rin straightens his back in his seat, a colorful plastic chair from their childhood that’s now too small for a person his size, and almost drops his phone. “Did you hit your head too?”
His brother rolls his eyes and continues, “I know you’re taking a break this season but I promised one of my juniors that I would compete with them. Luckily,” and he points to his injured leg, “this isn’t a permanent issue but I think it’ll also be good for you.”
Sae’s injury happened during practice overseas at a training facility in Madrid. It’s a mild ankle and knee sprain from overexertion and stress factors from jumping too often. He was treated briefly before their parents suggested flying back to Japan to fully recover. It’s not uncommon for skaters to suffer from these types of injuries but why does Sae feel the need to bring Rin into this?
During last year’s Grand Prix Final, Rin had barely finished in the top ten. He fumbled with his short program and free skate, failed to land his quad jumps three times, and had a sloppy step sequence, both of which were supposed to be his strong suits. That day, he didn’t bother joining his coach at the kiss and tell, ignored all the swarming paparazzi self-proclaimed journalists, and uninstalled every social media app on his phone. His fans, coaches, and his family were all concerned as to how someone like him was able to fall that low compared to his higher-than-average stats. Rin had blamed it on something he can’t even remember, maybe a stomach bug, he thinks.
Obviously, that wasn’t the case, everyone could see right through the lie but not entirely the truth of it. News outlets flooded the market with headlines shaming him for not living up to his older brother’s standards, not being a good representative for his nation, and that it was all karma for having an ‘unbearable’ personality to work with. His coaches retired after his flimsy performance and all but two of his sponsorships dropped him. Rin hasn’t officially given out a statement regarding anything.
Depression is a hell of a thing to deal with. Rin’s dealt with it in the past when Sae first moved aboard. Luckily, Sae is perceptive to this kind of thing. The daily calls helped, despite the harsh timezone differences, and eventually Rin was able to move past it. The reality of it though, is that depression never really fades away, it’s almost like an addiction. Sometimes it takes hold in a moment of weakness, one that Rin doesn’t even realize he has until it’s too late. Maybe it’s all the rigorous training, all the comparisons to his brother—he tries not to think too much about it.
He didn’t know when the feeling hit him or why it decided to affect him that day.
For the past several months, he’s been spending time gliding around their local ice rink, teaching some kids on the side to keep his mind preoccupied because, if not that, then he’ll probably end up laying in his bed all day. It works and it’s at least a healthy distraction but, at the same time, he can’t shake the gnawing feeling in his chest every time someone mentions his last performance.
Rin feels like he’s hit a wall. A thick, towering, uninviting wall. And he doesn’t know if he’s ready to face his baggage yet.
“I’m not going to do that.” He finally answers and watches as his brother’s face stays unfazed.
“I need you to.” Sae presses on. “You need to get out of whatever rut you’re in. You’re not happy and going back might help. Forget about competing in singles and join pairs.”
Sae might be talented in everything else but, like Rin, he’s bad at choosing his words and comforting. Rin knows what he means though and he can’t exactly blame him. He’s lost weight, most of it being muscle, and whenever he does get back from work, Rin holes up in his room playing horror games all night long. Rinse and repeat.
At least there’s a level of concern and sincerity behind Sae’s tone, unlike the vulture-like glee from the tabloid reporters.
“I’m…” Rin’s throat feels heavy all of a sudden and he struggles to find an excuse.
Instead of answering, he fixates his attention back to his phone, it’s a news article about Sae’s injury and his withdrawal from the skating season. The article also has a photo of you posing next to his brother, elbow resting on his shoulder while your other hand raises a peace sign towards the camera. Rin hasn’t heard much about you, not that he actively keeps up with any of his competitors, but Sae has mentioned your name here and there before since you both share the same coach.
From what Rin knows, you started skating around the same age as him. You won a few local competitions and managed a bronze medal in the women’s singles category during the Japan Skating Championships. Supposedly, this year you’re attempting to take a shot at qualifying for the Grand Prix Final for pairs. With Sae out of the picture, Rin really hopes the responsibility doesn’t fall on him.
The look that Sae is currently shooting at him is making him backtrack his thoughts.
“It’ll be good for you,” his brother reiterates. Sae scoots closer to the edge and plucks the phone out of Rin’s grasp. “Plus, I already told her that you would do it.”
Rin’s eyes widen. “You did what?”
Sae hums, and taps his fingers away at the screen, before handing it back to him with your contact information placed in. “She’s actually on her way over here.”
“I haven’t even—”
Sae throws a hand up. “No, you don’t get a choice, Rin.”
Despite being three years younger than Sae, you had no issues barging into his room, suitcase in hand and hair in a frenzy. Rin is still seated, having to process his brother’s ridiculous request and now having to make himself semi-presentable to you. He also eyes the suitcase because… there’s no way that you’re actually staying with them right?
“Hope the flight here wasn’t too rough,” His brother starts casually.
Your cheeks are puffed out, eyes slightly baggy from the presumably restless flight, and you let out an exasperated sigh. “I hope you know that I didn’t tell coach about any of this.”
“Any of what?” Sae asks slowly. Now Rin is internally panicking.
Your eyes fall on him and they sparkle in recognition for a brief moment before you turn your attention back to his brother. “Um, that I flew all the way from Madrid to Tokyo?”
“I thought you said he approved of it.” Sae looks visibly annoyed.
You give a sheepish shrug and try to smile. “Yeah, I might’ve lied a bit.” It looks like you can’t decide if you want to be embarrassed by this fact or want to burst into tears.
Now it’s Sae’s turn to sigh. “Well, you’re already here so there’s no point. I’ll come up with something if Ego asks.”
You’ve made yourself practically at home within the next hour. Sae had told you that you could transform their home office space into your bedroom for the next several months in preparation for the competition, much to Rin’s protests. Right now, your makeshift living space composes of a shitty air mattress that Rin had in his closet since childhood and one of Sae’s extra pillows and blankets. You still need an actual mattress and a bedframe, and Rin doesn’t know if he wants to suggest the local hardware shop down the street. Because, if he does do that, it’ll mean he’ll be accepting his fate for the next upcoming year.
“Are you guys both hungry for dinner? I can whip up something real quick!” You’re saying this as if you’ve been living with them forever. It throws Rin off but Sae is unphased by your informality.
“Pork katsu curry sounds nice.” Sae muses from the living room couch. He’s streaming a figure skating compilation video from the previous Winter Olympics on the TV while jotting down some notes on his phone. “Why don’t you help her out, Rin?”
“Do I have to?”
“Yeah,” and Sae lifts his eyes away from the screen to give him a knowing look. “You have to.”
Three protein shakes. A pack of half-eaten grapes. And two boxes of forgotten leftovers from god knows how long ago. There’s not much in Rin’s fridge. His parents have been traveling around the world ever since he got back and usually, Rin would just get himself takeout to save some time. When he rummages through his pantry, he almost feels embarrassed by how barren it feels. A box of cup ramen, some curry cubes, and a small bag of rice on the bottom. It would honestly be better just to order takeout than to bother cooking up something less satisfying.
“We should—”
“Let’s go to the store!” Of course, you offer that up. Rin can feel his shoulders immediately tensing when he sees you grabbing your jacket and wallet.
Sae throws him another penetrating gaze and Rin recedes. “Give me a second.” And maybe a drink or two.
You’re the complete opposite of what Rin expected.
Bright, bubbly, and almost downright annoying. It reminds him of how he used to act when he was younger.
The first few minutes of the walk are silent not because Rin doesn’t know what to say but because he doesn’t want to say anything. His mind drifts off to an MMO he’s been currently playing with two of his ‘friends’ that he made during his last competition — if you count only exchanging numbers for the sake of playing games and talking about nothing else. That’s what friends do, right? It’s evening and, if it weren’t for Sae and you, he could be online right now, clearing a dungeon with them. This week is a double drop event and he’s going to miss out on it because you want to buy katsu curry ingredients.
After passing the third block in the neighborhood, you start to see a few local shops and grocery stores lined up down an alleyway. There are more locals around, some are walking their dogs, others sweeping the sides of their house entrances. You decide to take this time to finally talk to him.
“Who’s your favorite skater?” It comes out as a blurt like you’ve been holding it in.
Rin blinks. “What kind of question is that?”
“A normal one,” You pick up a small shopping cart by the entrance and make a beeline towards the produce section. “Plus it can tell you a lot about a person.”
Can it really? “You first then,” Rin tells you.
You answer without much thought, throwing a couple of apples and potatoes into the cart. “Has to be Nathan Chen! He’s super bold and flashy with his programs.” He’s heard of him before, Rin thinks he’s around the same age as his brother.
“Yuzuru Hanyu.” He answers right after.
You make a noise, and Rin assumes it’s a good one by the way you’re smiling. “I can definitely see that, he’s really elegant when he skates.”
The two of you fall silent again but it’s a bit bearable. You finish off by buying pork, onions, and a few soft drinks before heading over to the self-checkout. Rin pays for the entirety of the grocery run since it’s mainly his fault for having an empty fridge. If he had kept up with a healthier lifestyle then maybe he wouldn’t be in this current mess.
Dinner, for all things considered, doesn’t go horribly. It’s been months since Rin has picked up a knife, let alone use his cutting board, and you’re nice enough to show him how to properly score meat. And yeah, he just learned what scoring meant outside of sports. He’s learning a lot today.
Adding apple chunks to the curry really made an immense difference. Tastes a lot sweeter but also comforting. The pork comes out crispy and tender enough for him to easily bite through and practically melts on his tongue. Maybe he should get back into cooking soon.
Sae wipes his mouth before setting down his utensils. “I’ve also taken the liberty to coach you guys too, so don’t let me down.”
You blink. Rin looks like he’s going to drop his fork on his plate. He seems to catch himself though, and for just a moment. Your heads both tip to the side, and there’s a strange moment of eye contact, one where you are nervously glancing at Sae, and Sae is caught in a strange back-and-forth with Rin.
Yeah, Rin is learning more today compared to the average person.
The next day at the ice rink is a surreal experience for Rin. A year ago, when he did skate professionally, he was used to practicing alone or occasionally sharing the rink with a few other skaters, but now there's a new dynamic—a pair dynamic. You and him. The thought alone sends shivers down his spine, and not the good kind.
Sae is sitting on the side, his injured leg propped up on a chair, and he's observing with a critical eye. Rin can feel the pressure, not just from the expectation of his brother, but also from the fact that you're now involved. His comfort zone has been invaded.
“Let's start with some basic warm-up moves,” Sae suggests, and Rin reluctantly nods.
The two of you glide on the ice, trying to synchronize your movements to a random classical tune that his brother placed on shuffle. Claire de Lune—he’s warmed up to this song plenty of times before. It's awkward at first, the pacing and speed is off, and you’re both too tensed to initiate physical contact.
“You need to trust each other,” Sae instructs, his voice echoing in the cold rink.
Rin shoots him a dirty glare. Trust has never been his strong suit, especially not with someone new.
You decide to break the ice, quite literally, by attempting a lift. Rin braces himself as you come at him with speed, and then, in a moment that feels like slow motion, he lifts you off the ground. Success. You're now spinning in the air, and Rin is holding his breath, hoping he doesn't drop you.
“That was good, Rin!” you exclaim when you land back on the ice.
He's slightly out of breath, both from the physical exertion and the anxiety that came with it. “Yeah, great,” he mutters, avoiding eye contact.
After what seems like an eternity, Rin begins to find a rhythm. It's still not perfect, he’s not used to skinship so he can tell his grip around you is either too firm or barely there. Sae’s a rough teacher and quite possibly the king at micromanaging, the two of you bond quietly over the fact. Rin also learns that you’re pretty good at hydroblading and the Biellmann spin. Well, you’re pretty good at a lot of things. He’s surprised that you haven’t tried out for more international competitions prior.
By the end of the day, both of you are exhausted—well, you look fine, it’s more like Rin feels like his quads are about to burn off. This is the most he’s done physically and with his career in the last several months. Sae, with his usual unreadable expression, nods approvingly.
“You’ve got potential,” he comments, and Rin is unsure if it's a compliment or just a statement of fact. “So, what’s the theme?”
Right. They need to figure out that first before deciding on anything else. Rin has always struggled with coming up with themes and settles with essentially the same one every year since he feels comfortable with it. The past years he’s played around with ‘solitude’, ‘dormant’, and ‘night’—and all of his programs contained dark, moody instrumentals that went along with it.
You’re shuffling awkwardly by the benches, fiddling with your gym bag, and raise a hesitant hand. “How do we feel about ‘love’?”
Rin tightens his lips. “Isn’t that kind of vague?”
“Weren’t all of your themes the same?” Sae shoots back and it makes him quiet. “What songs did you have in mind?”
You’re quick to pull out your phone, a playlist pops up with songs that you’ve either wanted to skate or skated to. The song choices aren’t bad, most of them being soundtracks from musicals and pop artists.
“This Love.”
Rin lets out a loud scoff. “Guess you’re into that sappy stuff.” He remembers one of his skating colleagues was floating around the idea of skating to that song when they first jumped into a relationship but decided to shelve it once they found another person.
“It’s a good song,” You say with a huff, to which Rin only rolls his eyes.
“Guys,” Sae claps his hands three times, a signal that Rin recognizes from his earlier childhood days of basically saying ‘shut the fuck up’. “I need you to work together.”
Your index finger jabs into Rin’s ribcage. He manages to hold back every fiber in his body to not yell at you, especially not when Sae is staring right at him. “If you’re going to make a comeback, I think maybe you should get back on social media again to promote!”
“I’ll sleep on it.” He says with a clenched jaw and furrowed brow.
“We’ll see you later back home, gonna do a couple of laps around the neighborhood before we end the night.” You’re lacing up your sneakers while Sae grabs his car keys. Rin assumes his brother is just going to be ‘encouraging you’ from the driver’s seat. Classic big brother move.
“Sure thing,” It’s the tone that says he’s decided. He’s done. End of discussion. Rin just really wants to lay in his bed right now.
As he walks home, Rin mulls over your suggestion and decides to reinstall some of his social media apps. Surprisingly enough, he still remembers his passwords (he definitely does not have the same password for everything, nope) and immediately logs onto Instagram, fighting back the weird twists and turns in his stomach as the app slowly loads.
There are maybe over a hundred notifications in his DMs, most of which are from random strangers giving half-assed ‘advice’ on how he can be a better skater and some messages from people he’s skated against asking how he was doing. He starts from the bottom of his inbox and recognizes a few of their usernames.
itsyoiboi — sent ten months ago
are you doing alright?
let me know if you need anything
hyo.chigiri — sent nine months ago
Just checking up on you. Coach told me that you left.
megugu_skates— sent nine months ago
(。┰ω┰。) rinrinrin!!
dont tell me ur quitting for good?? =͟͟͞͞ =͟͟͞͞ ヘ ( ´ Д `)ノ
(⋟﹏⋞) u have to come back!!
baroushouei — sent eight months ago
Hey, get your head out of your ass. We’re all worried about you.
Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. Rin semi-appericates the sentiment but he didn’t ask for it. He doesn’t need any of them checking up on him for the sake of it. None of them were ever close to him so why bother?
He eventually reaches back to the top of his inbox. What Rin didn’t expect was to see a message from you.
yn.is.here — sent a week ago
um
hi there!!
sorry we haven’t officially met before but your brother said you’ll be able to help me compete in skate pairs?? he told me that you’re thinking about coming back this season.
sorry if this comes off as weird!
Ugh, of course, his brother would plan this whole thing behind his back. It doesn’t surprise him, and it explains why any of this is happening.
When he finally gets back home, he kicks off his shoes and heads straight to his bedroom. Rin plops and eases his back into the mattress, thumb rummaging through his photo album and trying to find a dumb professional photo to post on his page for stupid promotion purposes. He’s about to pick out an old photo from nearly two years ago when your text notification pops up. You sent over ten attachments—guess Sae took photos and videos from today’s practice run.
Rin shifts through the options before settling on a photo with the two of you in it. You’re both gliding side by side, hands barely touching. He looks scruffy, well he looks scruffy in all of them, the smile he tried to make came out more like a scowl, while you look like a complete natural—what’s new? On top of his skating, Rin needs to work on smiling and his skincare routine next.
Rin uploads the picture with a simple caption, ‘im back’, and turns off his notifications. He’ll worry about the lousy reporters tomorrow morning.
[DISCUSSION THREAD] Rin Itoshi's Icy Resurgence, Unraveling the Mystery Girl, and the Journey Without His Brother by [MOD] Dooby
In the world of figure skating, Rin Itoshi is no stranger to both triumphs and challenges. The seasoned skater, known for his graceful performances and technical prowess, recently made headlines by returning to the ice after a brief hiatus. Taking the place of his brother in the figure skating pairs category, Rin has partnered with the talented and rising star, Y/N, to form an unexpected yet promising duo.
[yurio.fan.cl0b] - 17 minutes ago
he’s going to make an embarrassment out of himself AGAIN just go back into hiding
[VICChan] - 15 minutes ago
Lololol he thinks that piggybacking off another skater it’ll guarantee a gold medal lolol who is even y/n anyway… never heard of her????
[porkkatsu] - 14 minutes ago
shes a nobody just like rin *shrugs*
[ISAGINUMBERONE] - 12 minutes ago
^ been a rin itoshi fan since day one — i believe that he’ll make a great comeback!! rin if you’re reading this please ignore the haters!
[itsJJStyleX0X0] - 9 minutes ago
are you actually an idiot? there’s no way that they’re going to take gold, not at the level he’s currently at. compared to his brother, rin’s past performance was sloppy and weak. if he’s going to win gold then he’ll probably end up doping himself
[SaeItoshisWIFE] - 7 minutes ago
Can we please refrain from spreading rumors like this? Doping is a serious accusation to make…
next rink!
a/n: ok... i meant to keep this in my drafts until i finish it but then i realized it would've been like... way too long with the number of scenes i wanted to write.... so here's some content until the next part bleh >:(( i need to fixate on one project at a time but at the same time i love sharing stuff w you guys haha
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Anya + unraveling the mystery of the Desmond family (and Damian being different)
When Melinda debuted, I wrote a post about how she was potentially a character against the Forgers because Anya hadn't met her (we gain insight into characters via our deus ex machina Anya meeting them and reading their minds). Anya has met her now and the narrative has established that she genuinely cares for Damian (even if she's still a mysterious character).
After a long time, Demetrius is finally here. He's still mysterious, but not antagonistic to his brother and still cares for him. Like I said in a previous post, Demetrius subverts what I said above because Anya cannot read him fully even if she's met him. But regardless, Demetrius is here, we've seen him, all four Desmonds have finally debuted. And in my mind, I can vaguely connect them to the Forger-Briar extended family:
Anya - Damian: The kids aiming for stella stars and seeking parental approval. Attached to their dogs. Occasionally heroic (dodgeball, handkerchief, bus hijacking), but ultimately silly kids dragged into "adult" political matters (Anya with more awareness than Damian).
Loid - Donovan: Standing in for WISE vs war, one of the central conflicts. They are fathers and authority figures. Loid, faking a job as a psychiatrist, seeks to understand people (as a fake job, but he also does this as a spy). Donovan famously declared that people would never truly sympathize with each other. A good, attentive father and a neglectful father.
Yor - Melinda: The mothers, the narrative kind of puts them in the background compared to their husbands, but we know they have plot behind them. Yor's job as an assassin is unknown to her family (sans Anya). Melinda has struggles of her own when it comes to parenting her kids / being married to Donovan.
Demetrius - Yuri: Bit of a stretch, but they're both characterized as genius brothers and on the side compared to the main father-mother-child trios. Yuri works for the SSS, in direct opposition to Loid. Demetrius is a middle schooler?? He’s a child so he’s probably not that involved in the main plot, and if he is, it’s not willingly / he was brought up that way. They're both younger (and less experienced) compared to the adults- Demetrius is still a child and Yuri is 20. Yuri's affection for Yor is overflowing and the Briar siblings are very supportive of each other. In contrast, Demetrius is passive and apathetic, but not uncaring.
Anya has met everyone except for Donovan. Anya thinks both Melinda and Demetrius are weird. And Anya thinks of Donovan as the evil super boss. To her, the Desmonds are "weird". "All of Sy-on boy's relatives are such weirdos" - not sure if it's just the translation, but this line seems to imply Anya thinks Damian is exempt to the weirdness of his family. After all, unlike Demetrius, she can read Damian's thoughts normally. And unlike Melinda (and Yuri, and Fiona), she usually doesn't get bombarded with an overwhelming wave of intense thoughts when she reads Damian's mind.
And that brings us to the next point - Damian's time in Eden and the positive influences he receives (away from his family). Damian and Anya are better friends now. E&E's loyalty and affection for him have been established countless times. Becky congratulates Damian this chapter. Despite Damian thinking people suck up to him to get close to his father, he has a group of friends who do care about him (including Becky who doesn't suck up to him). Outside of what we see from Anya's pov, Damian has teachers and his dorm mother (Jeeves too) who care for him. Damian isn't alone.
Damian is shown to be disconnected from his family for whatever reason. His parents didn't come to his orientation. Damian says he doesn't see his parents often. Melinda cares for Damian but isn't allowed to see him often / afraid to be seen with him (?). Damian has called Demetrius before but this is the first time we see him meet Demetrius in person. And we all know about Damian's goal of impressing his father. Damian seems to believe Demetrius and Donovan when close when they were younger (when Demetrius was slightly older than Damian’s age), but Damian receives no such attention. Despite this, Damian still manages to have a fairly happy school life with his friends and supportive adult figures.
I think Damian's growing friendship with Anya and the recent complete reveal of the Desmond family will push Anya into thinking Damian is not like his weird family. If anything, Damian is more like Anya and her associates. Post bus-hijacking, Damian from Anya's POV is seen as more likeable / sympathetic, even more so now that we know about his mother and brother.
Anya is a child who is exposed to some of the darkness in Melinda / Demetrius' heads (trauma from being close to Donovan?), and she doesn't really understand them. Melinda / Demetrius seem off to outsiders (we saw Yor’s reaction, Becky thinks Demetrius is creepy) but it’s only Anya who’s capable of reading their minds and knowing how weird their thoughts are. But Anya has a much better understanding of Damian, the youngest Desmond, who is a kid like her with understandable motivations (getting stars, impressing his dad) similar to Anya's own motivations.
Interesting to note that Demetrius, while at Eden, seems rather lonely and disconnected even within his peer group. When he walks down the stairs, the panel frames it as him being alone, while Damian has four friends with him. When Damian and Anya get their stars, their classmates are shown to be smiling / impressed. When Demetrius gets his stars, we see two of his peers sweatdropping, almost looking wary, while a blushing girl has her hands to her mouth. The story doesn't show Demetrius' peers celebrating his success. It feels like Demetrius' peers are used to him getting good grades but still in awe of how good he is, but... they're not really close to him. Demetrius is not social and says he doesn't understand people, and maybe he doesn't interact much with his peers.
This chapter also reveals Demetrius is not in regular contact with Donovan anymore, contrary to what Damian believed. So Demetrius seems removed from the Desmond family sphere, but also isn't super integrated into the Eden sphere (in contrast to his 6yo brother and his friends). We can believe Demetrius isn’t close to Donovan because he is annoyed (and triggered?) by the mere mention of his father. Clearly Donovan has done something scarring to both Melinda and Demetrius and their thoughts look weird to Anya. Damian, despite craving for his father's attention and being stressed about it, is still relatively unaffected.
From now on, I think we'll slowly get more information about the Desmonds while Damian remains separated from them in the narrative. Damian is introduced as a vital part of Plan B due to his connection with his father, but even Damian himself admits there's not much of a connection. Plan B is working (sort of) because Damianya are friends, but that doesn't mean it's easier for Anya to meet Donovan. I think the narrative has been pushing Damian away from being a plot device for Plan B to being Anya's genuine friend and a victim of the Desmond parenting. At this point, Damian is not really useful to the main plot and there's not much mystery to this 6yo child.
Damian still thinks of himself as a scion of the Desmonds and he’s desperately trying to get his father’s attention. But his dad doesn’t really care, his mom loves him but doesn’t want him to be near Donovan, his brother is similar and also seemingly doesn’t want anything to do with Donovan. Meanwhile, the story establishes him as a boy with a crush on Anya, a boy with friends who will readily sacrifice themselves for him, a boy who’s willing to protect his classmates. All around Damain, his peers, associates, and the story itself has long been defining Damian as someone outside of being the Desmond family. But Damian naturally holds onto it.
Damian isn’t mysterious to Anya because she can read him. Okay, she still thinks he’s a brat sometimes, but that’s Damain being Damian, not Damian being a Desmond. But everyone else in the family is mysterious and it makes Anya feel at least vaguely uncomfortable.
The Desmonds are probably connected to Project Apple, and with the recent hints of Anya’s backstory, we might get some of that. But Damian is framed as almost completely separate to whatever went on, while Melinda and Demetrius are portrayed as victims of Donovan, mysterious and a bit weird but still sympathetic.
And that’s why I think it’s coming together— hints of Anya’s backstory, Damianya becoming better friends, the Desmonds all here. We’ve scratched the surface off and we’re hopefully going to see more.
(Also, just a thought: if Damian indeed goes through a “dark arc” and becomes more like the rest of his family, Anya will know because she can read his mind. She will be able to tell if Damian’s thoughts also start being “weird”. But they are better friends now which could be a lead up to her helping Damian deal with the pressure and struggle.)
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