#2022 day8

[monthofsick]

He that will not hear, must feel

Nov(emeto)ber 2022, Day 8: Torture

OCs: Jamie, Yujun

(First of all - feel free to delete this, but THANK YOU SO MUCH for your tags! They’re giving me so much life in this stressful time and I’m honestly excited for them every day. <3)

Hands down, this is the darkest story I’ve written so far. Which makes sense, given the prompt. I instantly had this scenario in mind and because of the inevitable psychological impact, I knew it had to feature new characters. Now I’m low key in love with them and want to continue their story.

TW: Vomit, force feeding, torture, manhandling

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Jamie had never been so angry before, and that was saying a lot.

Instead of living his best life, enjoying summer break to the fullest, he had been sent to a behavioral modification ranch. What a nice coincidence that his dad’s election campaign was in full swing and it didn’t hurt to have the troubled son out of the way. Or maybe it was a last attempt to fix Jamie before he was coming of age and it was bye bye parental rights. Whatever his reasons, Jamie’s father couldn’t have picked a worse time to start caring about his offspring.

Jamie wasn’t even a criminal or an addict or whatever his dad was obsessing about. Maybe he had turned up wasted in school once or twice and passed out during a boring class. Yes, there was this unfortunate incident where a teacher had been a huge pain in the ass just because Jamie was a tiny bit hungover, so he had settled the score by puking in said teacher’s bag. Which had been hilarious, by the way. Oh, and then there was the night when Jamie had borrowed and crashed the Lamborghini of a fellow party member…

Okay, maybe he deserved to be here, but it still sucked. It wasn’t like he had asked to be the flagship project of an upright local politician. Now he was stuck in this glorified boot camp where he had to get up before dawn and work all day for free while being yelled at by wannabe drill sergeants. One of them actually went by the monicker Sarge and refused to reveal his real name, which radiated maximum amounts of small dick energy. Then there was the big boss himself, Mr. Abel, who basically looked and acted like every Southern villain ever created. Last one of the top dogs was the foreman Huxley. So far, no one had found out if that was his first or last name.

Therapists and other qualified staff members were suspiciously absent.

The only bright spot in this dire situation was Yujun. The ranch inmates slept in a claustrophobic room full connected wooden bunk beds. Yujun had picked the matress right next to Jamie‘s and they hit it off right away. At night, Jamie often turned around so they could lie face to face and whisper for a while until someone complained or the steps of the night guard approached.

At first glance, Yujun looked perfectly innocent – like one of those K-Pop idols every girl in Jamie‘s class was drooling over. He had bleach blond hair and a cute little smile and didn’t feel the need to prove his superior masculinity 24/7. It felt good to have someone Jamie could share his frustration with, and this very night, his frustration level had reached an all time high.

After working on a damaged road in the sweltering heat the entire day, one of the school bully archetypes had fucked up royally when he had been caught smoking a cigarette he had smuggled in. As punishment, dinner had been cancelled for everyone. They were sent to bed with empty stomachs, bodies aching from the unfamiliar work, just because one idiot had broken the rules.

„I can’t sleep when I’m hungry“, Jamie growled.

„Same“, Yujun frowned and rubbed his belly. „And my parents wonder why I ran away from home. Twice. Might as well run away from here.“

„I’m in.“ Jamie began to chew on his lower lip. „They rarely ever check on us at night. Probably cause we’re trapped in the middle of nowhere anyways.“

„And because we’re too tired and hungry to run.“

„True that.“ Suddenly, a switch was flipped inside of Jamie’s head. His grumpy face lit up with a mischievous smile. „But we don’t have to go far to solve this part of the equation. Just a short trip to the pantry and back.“

„Are you being serious right now?“ Yujun clapped both hands in front of his mouth. „That is amazing! We have our private little midnight snack.“

„I know, right?“ Jamie snickered into his pillow to muffle the sound. „It’s just down the stairs and to the left. There’s not a lot that can go wrong.“

„I’ll keep watch.“ The hungry boys exchanged a conspiratorial glare before they snuck out of the room.

The ranch lay in silence, shadows creeping up from every corner. None of the watchdogs was in sight. Jamie and Yujun tiptoed down the staircase and towards the storage room. While Jamie went inside, Yujun stayed on the lookout. Jamie quickly collected food items that could easily be opened and consumed – granola bars, premade sandwiches, chocolate cookies – and put them in his shirt he had folded up as a makeshift bag. He took a moment to listen. Yujun hadn’t made a warning sound, so Jamie assumed it was safe to go. Quietly, he slipped back into the main hall.

Sarge was already waiting for him, covering Yujun’s mouth with one of his big hands. Jamie hadn’t heard the giant man coming, and apparently, neither had Yujun.

„Looks like we have some thieves in the house“, Sarge declared with a menacingly quiet voice. „Now what do we do with such shameless criminals?“

„We were starving“, Jamie tried to defend themselves. „I mean, we didn’t even do anything wrong and we worked so hard today.“

„You can’t avoid a penalty by committing another crime.“ Sarge’s face remained cold as stone and twice as hard. „Off to the dining room, both of you. There we will decide about the consequences of your misbehavior.“

-

The entire group of boys had been hauled out of their beds and gathered like spectators in a courtroom. Jamie and Yujun stood in front of the jury consisting of Mr. Abel, Sarge and Huxley.

„This one committed the theft“, Sarge proclaimed, pointing at Jamie. „What are we supposed to do with him?“

„Let the punishment fit the crime“, Mr. Abel announced the verdict. „Make him eat until he pukes.“

„What the fuck?“ Jamie had managed to stay quiet so far, but now it burst out of him. „You can’t do that. Pretty sure that counts as assault.“

„Oh, but your father has contractually agreed to any disciplinary measure necessary.“ The hint of a smirk curled Mr. Abel’s lips. „He that will not hear, must feel. It is one of our core principles and our success proves us right.“

„What about the other one?“, Sarge asked with a nod towards Yujun. After the first judgment, Yujun had moved closer to Jamie, looking both perplexed and frightened.

„He gets to clean up after the ringleader, now and for the rest of the night. It should teach him not to follow the wrong order.“

„You’re insane!“, Jamie blurted out while Sarge and Huxley made him sit down on a chair in front of the entire crowd. „What if I refuse to eat, huh? You can’t force me.“

„You stay right here until punishment’s completed.“ As always, Huxley sounded like he was aggressively chewing gum. „Don’t care if you sit on that chair until you piss and shit yourself or anyone else does. No one leaves until you done.“

„Sick fuck!“ Jamie tried to get up, but the two henchmen immediately pushed him back onto the seat. Both men were significantly taller and burlier than him, so his chance to escape didn’t look to bright.

„Why don’t we drop all this nonsense and get it over with?“ With a nod, Mr. Abel gave Huxley a silent command and he instantly left the room. Sarge towered over Jamie until the foreman returned with two baskets that were filled to the brim with all kinds of food. Without even looking, Sarge grabbed a glass of hotdogs, opened it up and put one of the sausages in front of Jamie’s mouth.

„Whatever“, Jamie snarled. „At least I won’t go to bed hungry.“

When Jamie opened his mouth and took the first bite, he wasn’t fully convinced that the overseers would actually go through with the absurd penalty. It was too preposterous, maybe just a scare tactic to give everyone a shot across the bow.

Unsurprisingly, the cheap frankfurters were rather bland and mushy. Good thing Jamie’s stomach was empty enough to appreciate any type of nourishment. The six sausages went down easily and were immediately followed by two ham and cheese sandwiches. Not exactly Jamie’s favorite, but at least they were soft enough to be chewed up and swallowed without much effort. Next up was a whole bag of prepackaged brownies – definitely the highlight so far. They were moist and sprinkled with chocolate chips, perfect for dessert.

Except that it wasn’t dessert, just a randomly picked part of his neverending meal. Jamie began to feel full at this point. If he had stopped eating now, he would have been perfectly content. Sarge, however, didn’t give him a break. To Jamie’s horror, the sadistic bastard pulled out a pickle in a pouch. The overpowering odor of vinegar was probably the worst possible contrast to the chocolatey aftertaste that lingered on Jamie’s tongue. He had to force himself to take a bite. The pickle was surprisingly chewy with a strong note of dill – not too bad on its own, but absolutely revolting as a brownie topper. Jamie let out a burp, which brought up even more of the acidic taste.

It was right back to sweets for him with five large macadamia chocolate cookies. At this point, Jamie had slowed down significantly. Whenever he took his time for a moment of recovery, Sarge pushed the crumbly dough against his lips. Unwillingly, Jamie ate up every single cookie, doing his best to focus on the objective deliciousness of the baked treats.

Chocolate bars with peanuts and caramel followed, then a double pack of hummus and pretzels. Sarge shoveled big heaps of the smooth paste on the salty snacks before shoving them into Jamie’s mouth. The chickpea spread seemed to swell as he chewed, making it harder and harder to swallow. Jamie moaned and put a hand on his stomach. It already felt tight and bloated, bubbling under the surface. The wild mixture of food didn’t agree with him at all.

Jamie was granted a brief pause while Sarge peeled a banana. His fingertips dug into his aching belly, treating it to a firm massage. He managed to work up a thick belch, followed by a gurgle that was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. One of the spectators chuckled. Before Jamie had a chance to glare at the culprit, Sarge held the banana in front of his mouth. Jamie sighed and took a bite. The fruit was overly ripe and intensely sweet with an alcoholic touch to it. Nausea creeped up Jamie’s throat, lingering back at his uvula. His body begged him to stop eating, but Sarge already opened a cup of vanilla pudding, feeding it to Jamie by the spoonful.

Droplets of sweat formed on Jamie’s forehead. It was sickening to feel the jiggly mass slide down his esophagus. A big, heavy lump weighed down his stomach. Another burp turned into a gag that could barely escape him before the spoon was pushed into his mouth again, setting down its artificially tasting load. There was no time for relief when the plastic cup was finally empty. The next course was a large donut, hitting Jamie’s nose with its yeasty and sugary scent.

Jamie couldn’t bring himself to go on. He pressed his lips together in a desperate attempt to keep out the fried pastry.

„My, my, what is it now?“ Mr. Abel sounded thoroughly amused. „You were so greedy before.“

„Get it in there“, Sarge commanded. Jamie frantically shook his head. Without hesitation, Sarge grabbed the boy‘s hair and held his nose shut until he had to gasp for air. As soon as he opened his mouth, the donut went in. Jamie winced in pain and disgust, but eventually he had to bite off. Greasy dough and a thick cream slipped over his tongue and Jamie’s gullet spasmed to prevent a gulp. Sarge, noticing his struggle, clamped his hand over Jamie’s lips and nostrils until the swallowing reflex took over, allowing him to breathe again. „Down the hatch it goes.“

Jamie coughed, then burped up whatever air was left inside his overstuffed belly. At this point, his churning stomach resembled a cement mixer more than a washing machine. The nausea had become excrutiating, but Jamie didn’t want to be choked again. He forced down bite after bite of the oily donut until his abdominal muscles were over it and clenched tightly. Jamie’s chest jumped with a wet gag as sour liquid flooded his mouth. He squinted his eyelids and swallowed the hot bile with some of the gelatinous custard.

„Barf bomb’s about to explode“, someone in the audience cackled.

„The next one who laughs has to eat every single chunk he pukes up“, Mr. Abel declared. It immediately became quiet again.

Out of everything in the baskets, Sarge had to pick a mini salami with cheddar dip. It was probably Jamie’s least favorite food, enough to make his stomach turn on his hungriest days. The overpowering smell of smoked meat and ammonia instantly forced out a convulsive retch. There was no way Jamie could put this nightmare into his mouth.

„I’m sorry, okay?“ Jamie couldn’t stop his voice from shaking. At this point, he wasn’t even scared of throwing up – he desperately wanted to get rid of the dense mass that tried to burst his guts. He just didn’t want to do it in front of everyone. And, most importantly, he didn’t want to add even more food to the boiling hotpot inside of his belly. Honestly, he felt like he never wanted to eat again for the rest of his life. „I am sorry and I promise I won’t cause any more trouble.“

„It’s too late now“, Sarge brushed him off. „Should have thought about that before. Now man up and stuff it down.“

Trembling all over, Jamie parted his lips and bit off the cheese-covered tip of the cured sausage. A pungent flavor of dried meat, salt and smoke overwhelmed his tastebuds. The fatty mouthfeel, combined with the gooey dip, was enough to send Jamie into a retching fit. He fought hard to keep on chewing, but his production of saliva increased rapidly until it dripped from his lower lip. Shaken by another heave, Jamie involuntarily spewed out the shredded pieces of salami before he could force them down. Sarge picked up the disgorged food and shoved it back into Jamie’s mouth.

Jamie swallowed desperately. His body lurched forward with a gag that sounded wet enough to be productive. Painful cramps stabbed his belly. And still, the sausage was right in front of his face again, dripping with even more cheddar gloop.

„At least give him a bucket!“, Yujun cried, his voice coming from a mile away.

„Is someone trying to avoid his sentence?“, Mr. Abel inquired with a feigned smile and a menacing tone.

„No, but… isn’t this punishment enough, without the extra humiliation?“

„He brought it upon himself.“ There was no hint of compassion on the man’s face. Sarge didn’t show any mercy, either. While Jamie retched helplessly, the torturer took the opportunity to push the salami between the boy‘s lips.

It was too much for Jamie. He felt thick vomit shooting up his throat, way too forceful to hold it in. Sarge stepped back just in time to avoid the massive wave of undigested food gushing out of Jamie’s mouth. His body jerked while he puked up big chunks of sausage and deep fried dough, banana pap and slimy custard. Jamie shivered with disgust as the warm mush soaked into the fabric of his clothes. The nauseating blend tasted even worse than it had going down, bringing back the rancid sibling of every single flavor component.

As his abdominal muscles clenched again, Jamie turned to the side so he wouldn’t throw up on himself again. Big, chapped hands – was it Huxley? It had to be Huxley, but when had he stepped behind him? – grabbed his head and forced him to look straight forward. Jamie could barely let out a broken groan before the next surge of lumpy vomit spilled from his lips. It had the color and texture of grainy hummus, but the pieces of cookies and pretzels were still surprisingly crispy, scratching Jamie’s raw throat. He coughed and spat, trying to expell what had been caught in his mouth.

His body didn’t let him catch his breath – it was hellbent on emptying his overstuffed stomach. Doubling over with a violent retch, Jamie gurgled up a brown mash of chocolate sponge, mixed with soggy lumps of hotdogs and cheese. He cursed himself for not having chewed more thoroughly. Brownie porridge with frankfurter nuggets was beyond disgusting and the big, mushy chunks constantly triggered his gag reflex. The cake mix from hell plopped moistly on Jamie‘s boxers and the naked parts of his thighs.

Once again, Jamie was seized from behind, this time by the shoulders, and straightened up. When his upset belly pumped up another flood of foul smelling slurry, it poured down his chin and all over his front. Jamie retched desperately and expelled two smaller waves of vomit, followed by a bitter, sticky liquid that stubbornly clung to his lower lip. His muscles convulsed under several dry heaves before his wrung out stomach finally calmed down.

„Let this be a lesson you won’t forget“, Mr. Abel lectured, his voice dripping with unabashed smugness. „And for everyone else, take it as a warning. If you engage in criminal behavior, you will have to pay the price.“

Only now Jamie noticed that tears were running down his cheeks. The entire process of being stuffed to the gills, just to puke it all back up, had been agonizing, but the feeling of total humiliation was even worse. He had been harmed in a way that went deeper than anything else he had experienced before. Jamie felt dirty to his core, and it wasn’t because he was drenched in his own sick. It was something that couldn’t be washed away with soap and water.

„Time to carry out your duty.“ Mr. Abel turned his attention to Yujun. Huxley rushed into the kitchen and returned with cleaning equipment. Apparently, he was assigned to do the legwork.

Yujun firmly pressed Jamie’s hand before he began to clean him up. There was an entire buffet spilled all over Jamie‘s body, many pieces completely undigested, so it took a while to remove the solids. Then Yujun did his best to wipe away the pulpy and liquidy stains before he subjected the floor to the same treatment.

„Can he please take a shower?“,  Yujun asked with pleading eyes when he was all done.

„Well, he’s not supposed to soil the bed, so go ahead“, Mr. Abel allowed magnanimously. „The rest of you – back to sleep. Tomorrow is another working day.“

The boys left in silence – some pale, some green, some shaken and dumbfounded, some giggling nervously. No one had expected the gruesome spectactle to actually play out in front of them to the bitter end. They had probably realized by now that they were at the mercy of the ranch leaders as well, and mercy definitely wasn’t their forte.

Yujun helped Jamie up and put an arm around his waist to support him on the way to the bathroom. He took off the vomit-soaked clothes, then guided him under one of the showers. Jamie was in a trance-like state, not putting up any resistance whatsoever. When the cold water poured down on him, he didn’t even flinch.

„It’s okay, you’re safe now, I’ll take care of you“, Yujun tried to get through to him. He gently wiped Jamie’s face, his chest, his arms and legs. Finally, he turned off the water and wrapped Jamie in one of the scratchy towels. When Jamie remained motionless, Yujun took it into his own hands to rub him dry and lead him to the sinks. „Come on, rinse your mouth. It will help you get rid of the taste.“

Just focusing on the nauseating concoction of flavors that still plagued Jamie’s tastebuds was enough to send him over the basin with a sudden lurch. He spewed bright yellow bile on the cracked porcellain. With a shaking hand, he wiped his lips.

„So-sorry“, he mumbled.

„No, it’s fine. Honestly, I’m just glad you’re talking again.“ Yujun smiled faintly and opened the tap to wash away the slimy fluid. When the sink was clean, Jamie bowed down and thoroughly rinsed his mouth at least ten times. Yujun stroked back his wet hair. „Are you a little better?“

„I… I don’t know.“ Jamie felt utterly helpless and deeply disturbed. He had no idea what to do with himself. Yujun didn’t inquire further, he just hugged him close. All of a sudden, Jamie’s legs gave in and he sank to the floor, pulling Yujun with him. He pressed his face against the smaller boy’s neck while his body was shaken by convulsive sobs.

„I’m here“, Yujun whispered, rubbing Jamie’s back in firm, soothing strokes. „I promise I’ll get you out of here. We’ll run away and they will never hurt you again.“

The words covered Jamie’s troubled mind like a comforting blanket. He clung to Yujun and cried until he ran out of tears. Everything would be alright, he told himself.

They would run away together.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Archive of our own: Up all night to get Bucky

tumblr: birdnamedenza

#submission #tw vomit #tw emeto #tw torture #tw manhandling #tw force feeding #tw humiliation #birdnamedenza #2022 day8 #prompt: torture #fandom: original characters #oh bestie i will never willingly delete kind words thank you <3 #i just appreciate you all and your talent so i'm happy to gush a bit in the tags while reading through all of these amazing fics XD #speaking of! look at this masterpiece :D #overall this is some actual nightmare fuel (affectionate) #exactly the kind of thing was hoping someone would go for with this prompt!! but better!! #the juxtapositions/contrasts in this fic are genius #and jamie and yujun are really cute :(((

[kodalacar]

MATCHing souls 👻

#inktober 2022 #inktober #day8 #match #soul eater #soul eater fanart #maka albarn #kodalacar #fanart

[kadiwright]

Day 8: Body Horror

(Prompt belongs to @notes-and-violets)

Tom @ Eddsworld

Eddsworld (C) Edd Gould

Art (C) @kadiwright

#goretober 2022 #day8 #bodyhorror #eddsworld #eddsworld fanart #ewtom #eddsworldtom #monster tom #digitalart #artist on tumblr

[snailsandpuppy-dogtails]

Centauri Shower

Flufftober day 8 Shooting stars Robinwest WC: 304

You’d think it would be boring. Blasé. So beyond. So much better happening elsewhere. But it was the comfort derived from this familiar earthen novelty that drew them in. A family of space travelers, one honorary member, a chicken, and a robot, all climbing on the roof of their new home, blankets and snacks at the ready to watch the first official Alpha Centauri meteor shower on record, dozens of shooting stars to wish on for the success of their new colony. How anachronistic, a bunch of scientists wishing on dust and rock, and yet, here they were. 

Would they burn hotter? Faster? Different colors? Would they be composed of the same particles?  

Heroki’s strong voice rang out through the neighborhood, through the comms. “5….4….3…2…” every light in the colony went out, not a lantern left shining in the dark. And then, as if on cue celestial glitter lit up the indigo sea above. Gasps and oohs and ahhs could be heard carried on the wind. Soft murmurs coasted from rooftop to rooftop around them. Cheers and shouts. Exaltation shared. Heads tilted to the sky, an arm threaded it’s way through the space created by his pocketed ones, clinging low on his back, hip leaning against hip and head coming to rest on the hollow of his shoulder.

Judy.

His shooting star.

His redeeming wish and mother of his chicken. Don looked around, taking in the sight. Not this astronomical event, but the unity and hope felt in the moment. Unity even after all that some had lost, and hope even in the face of what all had faced.

Judy hugged him closer. He dislodged his hands, wrapping her tightly to him he kissed the top of her head. Wishes falling all around them, but the only one that mattered, there in his arms.

@flufftober

#Flufftober 2022 #day8 shooting stars #lost in space #robinwest #don west #judy robinson #snail's tales

[a-fischeart]

Inktober day 8, Match

#inktober #day8 #match #2022 #ink #paper #pen #shirt

[builder051]

Whumpmas in July 2022 day 8 how did you find out about the whumblr community?

I may start posting some more handwriting photos; I am currently experiencing numbness in some of my fingers, and that’s not giving much grace for Mr. slow grammar over here. Oh well. Good vibes, as always,to you my friends.

#wij2022 day8 #whumpmas in july 2022 #wij

[yuragawa]

NRGの勝利にNAファンがなぜこれほど沸き立つのか

NRGがノックアウトステージ進出

Riot公式Flickrより

　Worlds 2023 スイスステージDay8、3勝すれば勝ち抜けの新フォーマットで激突した2勝1敗の2チーム、NRGとG2。国際大会観戦勢にとっては定番ともいえるのEU vs NAという対決が行われた。LECにおいて常に一つ抜けた強さのチームとして知られるG2と、CLGの組織を引き継いでLCSを勝ち抜けたNRG。ともに地域の第1シードチームとはいえ、下馬評ではG2が圧倒的に有利とみられていた。しかしそんな予想をNRGはあっさりと覆してG2を2-0で圧倒。3勝1敗でノックアウトステージ進出を決め、その勝利にLCSファンは熱狂した。単なる勝利、ベスト8入りに留まらないその意味について、過去を振り返りながら紹介していく。

NAの国際大会戦績

　Worldsで『NA=Near Airport』、あるいは『Last Hope C9』といった表現を見たり聞いたりしたことはあるだろうか。前者は北米からWorldsに参加するチームは空港が近い＝すぐに敗退してしまうという事を自虐的に評したミームであり、後者はそんな中で最後に残って戦うチームが毎回C9であるという事を表した言い回しだ。実際、LCSチームは過去のWorldsでは苦戦続きとなっており、C9を除いたチームがベスト8入りを確定させたのは2014年のTSM以来となっている。

　C9に限れば2018年のベスト4入りといった結果も残っているが、それ以外のチームはグループステージ敗退が常となっていたのだ。特に2020年に至っては第1シードチームが0-6で敗退という記録を残し、ファンを大いに失望させている。伝統の一戦として扱われているEU vs NAも、実績面で言えばNAは後塵を拝していた。そんな流れの中でEUの象徴ともいえるトップチームのG2をBo3で破ったという結果はNAにとって大きな勝利となった。

NAという地域の現状と熱狂

　NRGのベスト8入りについて、LCSを追ってきた人たちは大きな喜びをあらわにしたのだが、一方でいくつか特徴のある反応が見られた。

NA org owners are you watching? If this isn't proof of the possibilities with NA talent then I don't know what is. TAKE A BOW @NRGLeague

— Kobe (@esports_kobe) October 28, 2023

I remember back at Training Grounds like five years ago I was embedded with the team @palafoxlol was on Even then, he was the kid that everyone else ignored And he smashed everyone Then he went to Academy and got doubted, and crushed everyone Then he went to LCS and got…

— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) October 28, 2023

　これらのポストは、NA在野の才能とその育成について言及した内容となっている。これはLCSという地域の歴史や性質に関わる問題なので、順を追って説明していきたい。 　LCSという地域は、LoLのトップリーグの中でも���史が長く、本家であるという自負があり、また多額の資金が投じられているリーグの一つである。特に地域外選手の採用という点では最初に他地域の選手をチームに加え、地域外選手は2名までというルールを作った原因となった地域でもある。今までLCSに参加した各地のスター選手や若き才能を上げていけば、BjergsenやLustboy、Looper、Froggen、Piglet、Crown、CoreJJ、Zven……と枚挙に暇がない。

　一方で多額の獲得資金を投じてスターを揃えたはずのチームがWorldsで結果を出せないという状態も続いていた。RiotやLCSのファンは各地域の選手を育成し、地域ごとの特色を残すことを意識して下部リーグの充実を図ってきたものの、チームの側ではNAの苦境は地域選手の弱さが問題なのであり、投じた費���に見合った選手を世界中から5人集めて国際大会に勝てるチームが競うリーグにするべきだという声が表に出るようになっていた。極端に単純化すると、「我々はJDGやT1を丸ごと買う資産があるのだから、買い取ってLCSチームとしてWorlds優勝させろ」といっているのに近い。

　実際には2022シーズンにはEGからJojopyunとDannyが新星として活躍するといった反証があったものの、LCS参加チームは2023シーズンの夏スプリット開始前にアカデミー部門という「投資価値が低く負担にしかならない組織」を切り捨てる決定を行い、結果としてリーグ開催自体が危ぶまれる事態にすら発展していた。

　そんな状況の中で、2016年以降パッとした結果も無くシーズン途中に他組織へと看板を掛け変えたNRG（元CLG）がLEC最強格であるG2を破ってベスト8入りを果たした意味は大きかったと言える。

地域の可能性

　今回NAを熱狂させたNRGのメンバーを見てみよう。 　Dhoklaは2017頃からキャリアをスタート。以来アカデミーとLCSを行ったり来たりしていた。アカデミーでは悪くない結果を出すものの、LCSではそれなりで、国際大会には手が届かない中堅所だった。

　ContractsはC9での活躍で2017シーズンを華々しく終えたが、その後移籍したGoldenGuardiansでは苦戦、その後もアカデミーとLCSチームで低迷する時期が続いていた。

　Palafoxは2017のスカウティンググラウンズで見出されたプレイヤーだったが、やはりLCSでは良くて中堅所だった。

　FBIは元はオセアニアのプレイヤーで、かつては地域を代表するADCだったが、2020以降はLCSプレイヤーとして活動して2021から3年連続でWorlds出場を果たしている。とはいえ地域単位の評価で言えば、いわゆる強豪地域の出身ではなく、オセアニアは国際大会出場枠を失ってしまっている。

　IgNarはEU・NAを渡り歩いている韓国人プレイヤーで、2020シーズンからLCSチームで活動しているので4年目になる。FLYやEGといった比較的育成を重く見るチームで踏ん張ってきたベテランだが、国際大会はWorlds2020以来の出場だ。

　こうしてみると、地域外選手5人で固めるチームが想定しているであろうスターや、既にLCSで活躍しているWorlds優勝クラスのベテランたちとは毛色の違うメンバーが揃っている。彼らはLCSやその2部リーグであるアカデミーリーグで戦い、何ならSummer splitも5位でプレイオフに入ったメンバーだ。それでもLCS 2023 Championshipに勝利し、スイスステージではTL,MAD,G2を下してベスト8を勝ち取った。おそらくこの組織の強みは総勢9名のコーチ、ストラテジックコーチ、ポジションコーチ、アナリスト陣なのだろう。これは同じくWorldsに出場していたTLやC9と比べても倍に近い人数だ。

　次戦はスイスステージ初戦で敗北を喫したWBG。TheShyやXiaohu、Crispと国際大会優勝経験者を含めた強力なメンバーが揃っている。はっきり言えば苦しいゲームだろうが、LCSチームはMSI2019において前年の世界王者iGをBo5で破ったこともある。分析と対策を積み上げて勝利を掴み取ることができれば、彼らの強さが再び世界に証明されることになるだろう。

#league of legends #Worlds2023 #LCS #NRG

[loll3]

✧ I'm a bit behind with the #lolleoctobercoven...so here are the last witches:  *from the ground up* • DAY8 ~ Wicked Witch 💀 • DAY9 ~ Moon Witch 🌝 • DAY10 ~ the Herbalist 🌿 • DAY11 ~ Cursed Witch (Deidre Mayfair) 🕯 • DAY12 ~ Teen Witch (Nancy Downs) 🖤

- - - - • "October Coven" ©Lolle (2022) || media : pilot g-tec 0.4 and pilot hi-tecpoint 0.5 on light sketchbook paper (favini) + digital coloring ♡ ♡ ♡

#lolle october coven #october coven #coven #witches #witch #witchcraft #inktober #inktober 2022 #ink on paper #skechbook #ink illustration #ink #art #Illustration #full moon #herbalist #botanical #lOll3 #lOll3ART

[evelyne-am]

21st march 2023

DAY8

If you could not tell from my last post, and my thoughts are wandering back to music, life, pretentious things like hair; that I was trying to get myself out of. But I guess habit is habit. I slscked over the weekend. Instead of spending my day off focusing on my new script and having it embedded in me, or making some of the new music that Sir told me to do, I barely did anything, I barely scratched the surface of the pile of Load. Past few months I have been doing that. I’m not hard on myself because I know everyone needs downtime, but throughout a pandemic, throughout my life pre-2022, I’ve gotten used to a lot of downtime. I’ve gotten used to getting distracted, doing things that are meaningless in the long run, and also giving into temptation. It’s okay, I have taken on more than I could chew, and I have this new place, new people, new projects, I haven’t watched TV, something that I used to do every single day since August. But I am still struggling with my focus. Today is the first day that we have real rehearsals. We did a little bit of a warmup and went straight into the play. The play is made into three acts act one add two add three are very different. We worked on act one, we worked on blocking, we worked on some dialogues. At this moment the lead roles have been assigned, but Sir says that they may change, I don’t have one. However I am responsible for leading the music part and though I thought a break from music is exactly what I wanted, I realise that what is better for the play is me taking charge of the music, I wanted to be a little more selfish, the last few years I have allowed everything else to come before what I want. But in this case I don’t feel like I’m putting anyone else’s needs first, this is my play, whether I play two lines or 130. Sir is very unhappy with the way that we have started running in and out. I said in my story, this is the first day I felt like rehearsals started, that is because it is true. We’ve chalked out the way that we are going to sit to stand and move enter, it was supposed to be a 360 audience but Sir makes it into three sides instead of four. We go home realising that there is so much more to do including the music. Sir ask me about this song, and in great shame I say I have not really finished it. He didn’t yell at me, but I felt the urgency of what was happening. Maybe I should put my whole focus on making this play and its music better, but I am so enjoying challenging myself in these acting things that I also don’t want to give that up. Over the weekend my friend Shaheen who is a long-term theatre actor told me if there’s any advice that he gives me it is to trust my director. So I decided to do so.

Mum leaves for foreign lands today. The half an hour I got to see her I was very anxious and she could tell. I didn’t really get a chance to converse with her because all I had in my mind was how am I gonna balance home. I got a balance. I did not very well. I left my work to the end of the night and ended up working from midnight to 1 am again. Why am I letting emotions from my personal life comes first? . They of course deserve their space, but I have to time manage better and get my homework done before I go into other things. And though I get a little bit done, I realise I’m not behaving at my hundred percent yet. And I need to. When I’m directing and others don’t do it, I really feel bad, I can’t do that to my director.

Henceforth I will be referring to Sir As my director.

[afrikartworx]

inktober 2022 day 8 Match. #inktober2022 #day8 #match #artoftheday #artistsoninstagram #artchallenge #colourtober #procreatetober #digitaltober (at Cape Town, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjdpJ21qrtN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#inktober2022 #day8 #match #artoftheday #artistsoninstagram #artchallenge #colourtober #procreatetober #digitaltober

[tkhkisi]

I have been enjoying taking videos and hardly taking any pictures. I hope you enjoy watching my YouTube videos.

Shinetsu Trail to Amatomi Trail hiking.

Day8, 9-1. Oct. 25, 26, 2022.

#Hiking trip #Photo #YouTube #Shinetsu and Amatomi 2022 tkhkisi #Shinetsu Trail #Amatomi Trail

[iffoundreturntosea]

January 8, Day 8

Day 8 2015

Today was especially difficult to get through. I took comfort snuggled up in my quilt my grandma made me though.

#love #lovemygrandma #handsewn #quilt #quiltedwithlove #handapplique #sickofbeingsick #project365 #day8

I really miss my Grandma. She was a kind, patient, and loving woman. Not to mention an amazing quilter.

Day 8 2016

A beautiful winter sunset.

#beautiful #january #winter #sunset #texas #bluesky #colorpop #shadesofblue #blue #clouds #outdoors #nature #picoftheday #project365 #day8

This field is now part of my parents subdivision. It was a beautiful field with a beautiful view and now houses. I hate it.

Day 8 2017

Mom's tatted circle of circles

#beautiful #tatting #handwork #create #inspire #circles #circle #circleoflife #january #picoftheday #project365 #day8

And just like her mom, my mom is also amazing at anything she does with her hands. Such detail!

Day 8 2018

I wanna see what's back there...

#tree #blueskies #nature #outdoors #notrespassing #keepout #curious #caution #keyhole #cutout #differentview #january #picoftheday #project365 #day8

Day 8 2019

Frank the Freckle

#niece #hand #freckle #skin #macro #upclose #winterskinreliefday #january #nationalday #nationaldaycalendar #picoftheday #project365 #day8

Day 8 2020

My sister abandoning me :D

#goodbye #dontleaveme #goodnightsister #car #taillights #red #color #roygbiv #rainbow #january #january8 #2020 #picoftheday #project365 #day8

My sister is always down to help me get my shot! No matter how long it takes! haha

Day 8 2021

Cracked open

#cracked #mug #broken #beauty #hiddeninside #ice #frozen #rose #frozenflower #lessstressmorefun #whateverthehelliwant #january #january8 #2021 #picoftheday #project365 #day8

I love freezing flowers and seeing what I will get. This was by accident though, I did not want to crack my favorite mug! haha. It did give me a great shot.

Day 8 2022

Bumps on a log, drops from the fog.

#grass #bladesofgrass #water #dew #nature #outdoors #january #january8 #2021 #picoftheday #project365 #day8

Day 8 2023

Spent such a relaxing afternoon, just walking the beach, crunching shells, and finding interesting barnacle pieces.

#galveston #beach #jetty #water #gulf #beautifulweather #relaxing #january #january8 #2023 #picoftheday #project365 #day8

Day 8 2024

Seashells by the seashore

#seashells #dailytheme #seashore #beach #washedup #shore #clams #blackandwhite #january #january8 #2024 #picoftheday #project365 #day8

The tide was high but it was a lovely afternoon walking the beach looking for my seashells to photograph. I have so many at home but it's always fun to find more!

[likeabasyauma]

Inktober 2022 day8 Match

[cassofalltrades]

#Artvent #Cassiesartvent #day8 With bright days comes some dark days. Dec 8th 2022 marks 2 years since mom's passing. I did this portrait of her with a Derwent terracotta watercolor pencil. Not pleased with how the hair came out but at least I see some likeness with her face #derwentwatercolorpencils #terracotta #expressiveportrait #watercolorportrait #momportrait https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl6PVf7LtgI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#artvent #cassiesartvent #day8 #derwentwatercolorpencils #terracotta #expressiveportrait #watercolorportrait #momportrait

[yildizk]

inktober 2022 Day8 - by Yıldız Kırmızıbakır

Web Site: http://yildizk.com/

YouTube: bit.ly/startrail-youtube

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/star.trail/

#inktober #digitalart #quickstudy #illustration #spacegirl #characterdesign #digitaldrawing #digitalpainting #portrairt #instaart #artoftheday #original art #original character #original work #original painting #Instagram

[atticus-4c]

Day 8 Inktober 2022 - Match #inktober #inktober2022 #inktoberday8 #inktoberprompts #inktoberday8match #inktober2022day8match #inktober2022match #inktoberday8match #day8match #match #day8 #mumbai #maharashtra #india #penart #pendrawing #penartwork #artist #inkart #inkdrawing #inkartist #drawing #sketch #sketchbook #illustration #art https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjdj6zkrbvx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#inktober #inktober2022 #inktoberday8 #inktoberprompts #inktoberday8match #inktober2022day8match #inktober2022match #day8match #match #day8 #mumbai #maharashtra #india #penart #pendrawing #penartwork #artist #inkart #inkdrawing #inkartist #drawing #sketch #sketchbook #illustration #art