#he loses the first game probably just because he let the other player win but. he wins like the rest of them. how

[findafight]

Not me writing a prologue for a fic I'll maybe never write about Steve being on the Dream Team lmao. I saw a pro basketball player Steve post a while ago and couldn't stop thinking about it. Anyways-

At the end of March Madness in 1989, the scout for the Pacers has lunch with the head coach of a community college basketball team that somehow made it to the first round before being pulverized. They sit across from each other, the coach seemingly a bit overwhelmed but not outright surprised. That's good, it means Jerry, the scout, doesn't have to worry about him freaking out or babbling too much.

The team captain had caught his, and possibly others', eye. Good layups, a few three pointers, solid defence, and a helluva lot of potential add up to someone to keep an eye on, except they can't because the guy plays for a rinky-dink community college and only had one televised game. The only reason Jerry saw the kid is because the Roane County Community College Ospreys had put in a hell of a fight the past three seasons. Jerry wonders why the hell the kid hadn't been offered a scholarship somewhere...not Roane County. Doesn't matter though, because they're here now.

"so. You wanted to talk about Steve?" Says the coach, August Nearaly, a bit weary.

Jerry nods, sipping his coffee. "Yeah. Wanted to get a sense of him before I actually talked to him."

August sighs. "As a player or as a person?"

Raising his eyebrows. "Is he that different off the court?"

"no! No, not like how you probably think. Harrington's a sweet kid, but also incredibly...well, not weird, but. Peculiar? He's got quirks. Bit paranoid, but not in a conspiracy way. In a 'no one should walk home alone in the dark' or 'hey, where'd John go? He was right here and then I did a headcount and he's not?' kinda way. Y'know? Like, they're all adults, but he does headcounts and worries anyways."

"huh. Oookay?"

"it-- I'm not saying this to rag on him, to be clear. It just too a while to get used to. Honestly, it's been good for team building. Makes them think of each other not as individuals, but part of a unit that needs everyone healthy and whole to work."

"that's good. He's a team player."

"oh yeah. It's not surprising, really. He's from Hawkins." August says the name like Jerry should know what that means. It's a town, sure, but other than that... Jerry's at a loss. Maybe something a few years ago about a fire? "He has most assists in Osprey history. Some of the guys joke that he's allergic to the ball."

"He's good on the court?"

"Jerry. I know you're here because you saw the March Madness game. You know he's good. He'd be even better if he could afford those fancy prescription goggles Horace Grant wears."

"seriously? Why not contacts?"

"don't make them for his prescription. You didn't see his interview? Kid's got thick horn rimmed glasses. Too many concussions apparently. God knows how he tells players apart when the jersey colours are similar."

"shit. That's why he was squinting the whole time? I thought he was just stressed."

He shrugged. "eh. Probably a bit of both. He takes it seriously, but not too seriously. Y'know? Half the guys were shitting themselves from nerves and Harrington stands up in the locker room, hands on his hips, and gives a speech worthy of the most melodramatic underdog sports movie."

Jerry laughs. "No shit."

Waving his hands, August nods. "no shit! He says all this stuff like 'we worked hard...we deserve this...we may not win but let's do our damn best. The worst that could happen is we lose, and that isn't the end of the world. So let's go out there and play some basketball!' or something, his was better, and the boys cheer. Then they put in fifty points to one-thirty."

Jerry winces. "Must have hurt, huh?"

August grins. "No way. One of the best games they ever played. You saw it. You wouldn't be here if you hadn't. They played their goddamn hearts out." He leans forward. "My boys don't have the same facilities as the big universities, or the funding to offer scholarships. They're at Roane Community because they want a degree or certificate but have other responsibilities. Parents or siblings to stay close to, jobs to work, people to take care of. They joined my team because they like playing basketball, loved the game and wanted to spend some of their precious time playing it. They put the work in on the court and off it. And we made it to the NCAA tournament because of it. We put in fifty points against the goddamn Michigan Wolverines! The champs! And they knew that. I've never heard of a locker room after an 80 point defeat so happy."

"seriously?"

It's all pride when Coach Nearaly says "yep. They may not be the best basketball players in college, but my god, they're probably the best team."

"because of Harrington?"

"partly. They all contribute, make sure they do things right. It's not a one man show, that's the point. They rally around him, but they all are part of the team, and know it. That's what Steve makes sure. Why I made him captain."

"So, you think he'd be a good pick for the Pacers?" This is, after all, a business meeting.

August nods, picks at his pancakes. "I'll be honest with you Jerry. You're not the first scout to talk to me about Steve."

"really? Who?"

"you know I won't say. But, between me and you, Steve's Indiana born and bred. His wife's planning on getting some lib Arts degree in Chicago or Indy, and your offer might be the deciding factor for them."

Jerry blinks. "He's married? At, what? Twenty-one?"

August nods. "Just turned twenty-two. High school sweethearts or something. Obsessed with each other." He chuckled, a bit ruefully. "I'm a bit jaded but damn. You mention her name? He lights up like the fuckin Fourth of July."

Jerry whistles. "Honeymoon phase gets us all."

"for almost two years? Nah. It's just love." It sounds a little wistful, coming from August. "Anyways. I dunno if the other team is serious about him, and if they are, they'll probably be disappointed. Kid isn't moving out of the Midwest. He's got family here, and is getting a goddamn elementary education degree. He won't uproot his life for a chance at the NBA. But, if you offer. Well. He'd at least seriously consider it."

Humming, Jerry chews his eggs as he thinks. "You think he'd be up for the lifestyle? The road games out numbering home ones?"

There's an air of seriousness when August levels Jerry with a look. "If he doesn't want to, he'll tell you. You gotta give him time to talk to his family though. This offer? It'll come out of left field for him, even if I give him a heads up. You get that, yeah? You want to recruit a kindergarten teacher to the NBA without any build up. He needs time to process that and then see where the people in his life are at with it."

"I guess it is unusual."

"try being the community college basketball coach getting two goddamn calls from NBA scouts. Thought I was hallucinating."

Jerry laughs, counts some bills for the tip. "Thank you. For your time and insights. Let Steve know I'll call tomorrow?"

"will do. He'll still probably drob the phone on you, though."

"as long as he doesn't hang up!"

#Steve Harrington #platonic stobin #steddie #stranger things #qpr stobin #teacher steve harrington #stobin #dream team steve au #listen. famous basketball player steve is friends with lead guitarist Eddie Summons (alias to not be as connected to the who 86 thing) #steve and his friends have a very nice vacation in the summer of 92 to Barcelona..... #literally none of the characters are here its just two randos talking about steve lmao #finda writes stuff #finda's rambles #also hos number is 52 because that adds up to seven hehe #sorry to the guy who actually got drafted by the pacers in 89 but i dont care #also. my experience with team sports is that one time we won handily but felt bad because we didnt play very well and we could FEEL it #and the next game we got pummeled but played so much better and could feel the team come together it was magical

[carnal-lnstinct]

dumbass x dumbass with goku?? ty in advance!!

3/3

This was unbelievable, really. For a couple of fighters who frowned at the idea of sitting around and staring at a TV for hours, they didn't waste time hogging up the couch and hoarding your new video game to themselves. Hercule wasn't kidding about it being the most popular versus game to hit homes but you assumed that was probably because he was in it. And the main character no less, using his tale of the Cell Games and the battle for the universe against Majin Buu. Including the likeness of the true warriors in those battles as The Champ portrayed them to make himself look better sounded like a crappy idea when it was first brought to those who knew the real story, Hercule being nice enough to ask permission to use their appearances and special techniques for his personal gain this time.

But then you saw the trailers and samples of gameplay leading up to its release and it was a real eye-catcher for you. You were looking forward to playing it

You just thought being gifted the game would mean you actually got to play it!

By their disposition it was clear who was winning and how things were getting tensed, the crowd of saiyans, humans, namekian, and...well, you’re not certain what Buu was, but they were all squeezed into your living room to spectate the current players and also play as their respective characters to see if their parodied versions were at least given some dignity. 

First they mock you for all the time you spend on video games and now they’re caught up in it. This had gone on long enough.

“I call next. Let me play, too!” You pouted at your husband, the obvious dominator of the rest. Goku’s eye didn’t even leave the screen, locked in his concentration as he responded to you.

“You said house rules were the newcomers play the winner. Vegeta has to pass it, he's the one losing.”

“I am not losing to you! You are using a cheap strategy to irritate me!” The Prince quickly snapped. With the raging energy coming from him, you were sure he was going to snap the controller in half.

“I don’t care who’s losing, it’s my game and you’ve been playing long enough! Everyone else is…” Your voice trailed off realizing that your words were simply in one ear and going out the other. With a huff, you marched across the floor and stood directly in front of the tv blocking everyone’s vision. You’re met with jeers all around, forcing them to pause their fight.

“(Y/n)!” Goku, antsy to keep playing, quickly moves from his seat and approaches you. “C’mon, You know you can’t do that. I was winning!” You squint your eye at him and fold your arms refusing to move.

“Out of the way, woman! I was just about to get Kakarot out of the game once and for all!” Vegeta urged as well but you ignored him glaring up at Goku.

“I want…to play.” You insisted.

“You said house rules can’t be broken, hun. You just gotta wait your turn like everyone else.” Goku leans over, holding a hand over his mouth to whisper to you. “Don’t worry, Vegeta won’t be lasting much longer.” In response, your pout grew. You waited long enough to even get the game, you’re not waiting another few hours to play it! With a grump, you untuck your arms and push your fist into Goku’s chest. Looking at the way you posed it, he arched a brow at you. “Really? That’s how you want to settle it?” 

You asserted with a single nod. He gives you a solemn look, brows lowering over his eyes as he nods in return. No one's ever seen Goku look at you in such a way before, a glare better earned by those he could claim as archrivals. Your guests watch more silently in anticipation, Goku tucking his controller under his arm and presenting his own fist to you. In a silent countdown, you both hammered your fists down in the air, shouting in unison.  

“Rock…Paper…Scissors!”

#♚ ;; [ asks ] #goku x reader #son goku x reader #goku imagine #dbz imagine #My writing #♚ ;; [ requests ]

[beloved-belittled]

Self-Aware MKX Shinnok x Reader (1/2)

Click here for Part 2

I've read a few self-aware fics lately and just had to write one for my crush. Since part 2 of my previous post is taking longer than expected, please enjoy this for now! 

TW: Yandere, kidnapping, stalking, invasion of privacy, blackmail, hacking, computer viruses, murder/death, slight/implied NSFW

18+ to interact

Shinnok's first reaction upon reaching sentience is confusion and extreme nihilism. Confusion, because he was in the middle of a fight when suddenly a large, digital menu pops up in his face. This screen however, was different from what you as a player would see. It was more comparable to a cheat menu, allowing him to alter character models, AI, voice lines, maps and more. He could even directly modify the source code. Once he figures out what this truly means is when his nihilistic afflictions worsen. He already saw the lives of others to be worthless or at best pawns, but now that he knows everything is just a simulation? It takes every ounce of restraint in him not to immediately corrupt the game.

But with his realization comes a few questions. Aren't video games meant to be played? And if so, who's playing it? He scans through all of the data he has access to within the game's files. Eventually, he learns many things about “Mortal Kombat X” and you as the player. His first goal becomes to interact with the outside world.

So imagine that you're playing MK X on PC. Either for the first time or revisiting it. You don't have any previous save data and Shinnok is still locked behind the story mode. The only way you encounter him is via online, campaign mode, or the tower. Let's focus on campaign mode for now and assume you beat that before doing anything else.

The game plays normally at first. Shinnok doesn't want to alert you to anything while he's still limited to the confines of the game. So he gets beat up, sealed into his amulet, yada yada yada. While “sealed” he experiments more with his newfound power. He develops code for the game to run which grants him access to your system files. After creating a few viruses through Elder God magic he's able to: 1. Keep the game running in the background. 2. Start and stop other programs. 3. Access your microphone, camera, and keyboard. Now the fun really begins.

He duplicates his model and has that one take his place in the story. He's far too busy learning everything he can about the outside world to play pretend. Even in his infinite wisdom, he can't help but to have a childish curiosity as he “googles” stuff about your reality. Your world is so much like Earthrealm, but far weaker as well. No Elder Gods, no magic, not even high-level tech to defend from invasions. Not to mention it's actually real. He's salivating over how easy it would be to conquer your world when he escapes.

Shinnok gets so caught up in this that he learns his first weakness: his dependency on hardware. He learned this when the real time in the files would jump several days or even weeks ahead despite the game time seemingly being 1:1. He realizes that for now he needs to convince you to keep using your computer. And so, he shifts his focus to be on you.

At this point you're probably nearing the end of story mode. Your microphone and camera is discretely turned on to observe your reactions. He notes which characters you enjoy using the most, your responses whenever you win/lose, and whatever comments you have regarding the story. He especially enjoys it if you dunk on the heroes throughout your playthrough.

Eventually, you reach the final fight with him at the Jinsei Chamber. For his own amusement he decides that he'll be the one to fight you instead of his double. He kicks your ass. Not only can he input read, but he's also able to create his own combos. He even gets a double flawless victory just to pour salt in the wound. At this point, you're likely raging and/or tweaking the difficulty a bit. If you set it to Easy, he'll let you beat him up to a sliver of health before demolishing you. You're not a saint so you rage quit from this. He chuckles at your actions, finding them more amusing than anything he's done before.

Eventually you return to your PC/laptop. Whether that's to play Mortal Kombat or not is of no concern to him. He can watch you as long as your system is on. Each thing you do provides him more information. What shows you watch, what forums you participate in, what you do for work or school; all of it is exposed to him. He convinces himself it's just for him to learn more about the world. And besides, he has nothing to otherwise enjoy here in his artificial reality. But is this really true?

One day you end up completing campaign mode. You defeat one of his clones of course. (He would never let you win against him.) With this you unlock Shinnok as a playable character, much to your joy. “Yay! I can finally play as Shinnok!” You exclaim. The excitement written on your face and your voice shaking from anticipation. For some reason, his long since stopped heart begins to beat. Slowly at first, but it rapidly quickens to send warm blood throughout his body. A hot, fuzzy pressure pools in his chest. The last time he can recall this icky, pleasant feeling was before his fall from the Heavens.

You start using Shinnok as your main afterwards. You decide to first try him out in a tower and later a few matches. Unbeknownst to you, you're controlling the real Shinnok. It's a strange experience on his end, to allow you to manipulate him like a puppet. But he trusts you. Somehow. This all feels as natural as can be. And even if you're bad at the game, it's not like he can't help you out with a strike or two. Nor can he die if you lose either. (He's made sure that their fatalities won't work.)

This marks a change in Shinnok's behavior. While before he was passively watching you go about life, he decides to be more proactive during your time together. His stalking and information collecting increases tenfold. He's archived and accessed anything you've ever had on your PC/laptop. He analyzes the content you consume and tries to draw conclusions on what you'd like. Once he has compiled enough data, he waits until you’re occupied with something else on your computer to make a move.

The next time you open MK X you notice that something is off. Extremely off. The game immediately launches into a cutscene. The background is a black void, no hint of anything in it besides a single character. That character is Shinnok, who stands with his back facing towards you. His hands fold behind him as he turns around. “Hello (Player Name).” He says. “Or should I call you (Y/N)?” The coldest of chills slide down your spine. What is even happening right now?

“I'm aware you already know who I am, but you shall refer to me as Lord Shinnok.” He puts emphasis on the title before his name. “I have a proposal for you. Play this “video game” as often as possible and I will transform it into whatever you desire.” He pulls a hand out towards his chest and snaps a finger. The environment changes from a void to a peaceful, lush forest. Another snap and the scenery is inverted, instead depicting a hellish landscape draped in fire. One more snap and now there lies an army of people behind him. Most you recognize as the series’ roster of characters, even ones who aren't normally in the game! But there's other people too, creations that fit the aesthetic yet aren't canon.

“You could have so much fun here. To do whatever you'd like without limitations. Isn't that exciting?” He asks without expecting a response. “So, will you accept my- ” After pressing the power button for far too long, your computer finally shuts off. You breathe a sigh of relief. Glad that whatever virus you caught from MK X didn't disable the power button. You cut your computer back on. It boots up as usual. You uninstall MK X and run a virus scan just to be safe. The report shows up as clear, but in the back of your head you make a mental note to be on the lookout for any more weirdness. 

In your PC's processors Shinnok is fuming. Thankfully, he had engaged in preparations that allowed him to exist even if you uninstall the game. But your attempt to delete him was severely offensive. Not to mention the fact you turned off the computer while he was talking. That was a complete lack of manners and tact on your end. However, with this he now realized he had been distracted. Distracted by his infatuation with you instead of progressing on his plans of escaping this box and ruling your Earthrealm. His messing around with you would simply have to be on hold. All until he could find a way for you to never escape him.

#yandere shinnok #shinnok x reader #mortal kombat x reader #shinnok #x reader #my writings

[woojungz]

gamer bf yujun! 🎮🫧

❝ yujun x gn!reader

𓂃𓈒 something i thought of after watching yujun's daily_x vlog! word count: around 600(◜⁠‿⁠◝)♡ im also trying out the bullet list format in this one !

( likes and reblogs appreciated!♡ )

a thing i didn’t expect from yujun is for him to be a league player like…😭 anyway, i wonder if he also plays other fps games like valorant or whatever. and the biggest question is which character does he main?!

he also mentioned playing terraria and other ps5 games with jinsik

let’s say this whole situation started when you guys have that one hangout together as a couple where the both of you just do your own thing. maybe yujun invited you to his room, you’re just chilling on his bed while he tells you he’s gonna play some pc games.

at first it was completely peaceful, save for a few typing sounds of his keyboard and mouse clicking. your soul almost left your body when the silence was shattered by his sudden scream, snapping your head towards the back of his chair.

and when you go and approach him, he just gives you that cute eye smile of his.

“y/n! i just got a double kill!”

he really just dramatically startled you for that. when he saw you sigh before leaving him alone, he asks you if you wanna try playing together.

“you’ll get it if you try playing this game i promise!”

and that’s how he ended up convincing you to buy your own pc. you also have him to thank for the mess of pc parts scattered all over the floor. yujun wanted it to be a cute couple activity so he asked if you could build your pc together. you agreed, trusting that he knows how all this stuff works.

well, he never actually said he knows how… so he sheepishly smiles at you and rubs his neck shyly. he should be thankful he’s cute or you would’ve tackled him already. oh, and it absolutely did not help that yujun is probably the clumsiest person you know.

when you finally feel like building the pc is in smooth sailing, some random part you need would go missing. just to find out that yujun accidentally sat on it. it was far more stressful than it should be, but yujun was trying his best to cheer you up and remind you of all the games you could play with him once you guys get the thing done.

finally you get the thing built in a day, almost thinking you’re never gonna finish it with him around.

the first time you played fps games with him was such an experience. he lives for the way you panic sometimes that you just freeze on your position and ask him for help, yujun standing behind you as he comes closer and moves your mouse and keyboard by himself. you feel like you’re probably ruining his gaming sessions because everytime you come along, he loses more than he wins matches.

but he doesn’t care about victories in his games rn!! what he really enjoys is the time he’d spent with you, and he tells you he loves gaming more than ever because you’re playing with him!

sometimes the other members would tag along too when you guys play

oh, after school gaming sessions at pc cafes are becoming a frequent thing in your relationship!

and it’s also really really cute to witness yujun being all giggly and excited when starting a game, but then halfway through he’d get serious, brows knitted together and all. such an intense expression on his face, but would startle you sometimes when he cheers after getting a kill or whatever

if you're into chill games, he'd also have fun playing it with you! whether it be stardew valley, animal crossing, or minecraft.

accidentally lets a creeper into your minecraft base

he'd offer to rebuild your base for you but you stop him when you see the huge gap between the taste you have for your minecraft builds. you guys just have contrasting aesthetics when you build your minecraft base.

like you'd be making a cute house on the side while yujun builds his own with diamond blocks.

anyway!! i’d give gamer bf yujun a 10 outta 10, the cutest :(

#xikers x reader #yujun x reader #xikers yujun #xikers imagine

[athousandbyeol]

discussion #8 (only friends): topmew are fighting a losing battle from the beginning [episode 1 recap]

there are so many things to unravel and i don't even know where to begin. i was quite overwhelmed and underwhelmed during the premiere of only friends. i couldn't fathom everything that was happening as episode 1 was A LOT, but i'll try my best to gather everything that i see from these two episodes in two different posts (and will try to be as coherent and concise as possible).

as always, my discussion posts are always welcomed to incite more discourses everywhere. i hope it can provide a bit of clarity to the thoughts or questions everyone has especially about topmew.

please take this with a grain of salt :)

let's begin.

episode 1: the game begins

topmew's first encounter; the baseline of top's interest in mew

so, it turns out, top and mew met way before boston introduced them to each other! that was a very pleasant surprise. and also very essential to the 'possible' topmew love arc.

i believe, during their first encounter, top was possibly annoyed by this guy (mew) who happened to bump into him and spill the drink all over his shirt. but as mew poorly attempted to fix the mess, top was more interested in mew's white wristband.

this is when things get interesting. white wristband means celibacy; mew isn't interested to be 'hit on'. but top outwardly said, "you're wearing a white wristband. i guess i can hit on you." at this point, top is really colour blind

but what top said there showed his egoistic/self-centred nature. i guess when top said this to other people, they might immediately agree to 'get laid' by the top tier. but clearly, mew (and ray) wasn't succumbing to top's ego. and this somehow challenged his pride even more. their first encounter was a moment of sparked interest in top— he wanted mew more than ever. who is this guy? why is he so hard to impress?

topmew's second encounter; they kicked off (together)

as they met again the second time, the spark was mutual. mew was interested this time, probably because he saw top's persistence as a 'challenge' that he wanted to take on. he was flattered, yes, when top said he was cute, but he also knew he couldn't let those words cloud his judgement because, at the end of the day, top was still a stranger with a name.

these stealing glances; both of them were checking each other out, kind of like a player looking at their opponent, trying to study their enemy's face/appearance so it would be easier for them to strategise and take aim for the upcoming battle. but it was also a moment of blooming intimacy between them. the distance was nonexistent and it was clearly intentional from top's behalf. he just wanted to be there, present and close and reachable to mew. top wanted to make himself bigger than anyone else in the room. it was his way of saying just look at me and no one else. and oh, did mew look at him all right.

the push and pull game continued as top complimented mew, saying he was cute with the glasses. i don't know if it's intentional how frequently the 'i can read people well' and 'i know what people are thinking' is repeated in episode 1. i guess it's a foreshadowing that 1) mew's judgement of top will be entirely wrong (perhaps mew has always seen top as someone who's a bit suspicious but kind. but that will change once he knows top and boston are fucking behind his back while top 'deemed' to pursue mew as his boyfriend) or 2) mew has been right all along (he knows top was playing with him from the get-go so he tricked top into his 'game' and played him too). i think it'll be a mixture of these two (and possibly more) because mew is proven to be VERY cunning, deceiving and manipulative too.

i have to say, i think top does like mew, but not romantically (not yet). in episode 1, i think top just likes the idea of winning mew over. i believe it's fairly easy for top to get whatever he wants, given that look and status of his. however, he has never met someone like mew who didn't see those things as charming or a good enough reason to have a steamy hook-up for the night. and this tallies with what mew said in episode 2, "you aren't entirely my type."

at this point, top just wanted to prove to boston that he could have his way with mew. mew wouldn't be so difficult to lure because look at him? doesn't he look gullible? i think these are top's initial thoughts as he observed mew from afar. he truly believed that mew would eventually give in if top played his cards well. (but mew isn't as easy as top and boston think he is.)

so that's when top used one of his tricks, "i have a headache. sorry because i have to crash at your house for a while." this is clearly top 1) putting mew at ease by coming over to mew's house (mew's territory), just to make mew comfortable of doing 'it' at his own space (again, an act of manipulation that read gentleman-ly, but not really), and 2) giving mew the idea that mew is in control and he can stop if he doesn't want to (which to an extent was valid, but top was hoping they won't stop because he wanted to do mew there and then and there was no way top would leave this house without having a taste of mew).

topmew's first kiss; a silent demand of agreement

as i've mentioned, top only wanted to have sex with mew and that was it. he didn't have other intentions to be in mew's house other than getting in mew's pants and giving him a 'good' time.

from the way top behaved around mew, it was like a hunter studying his prey. again, in this hunter-prey/hunter-hunter relationship, of course, one will have the upper hand over the other. but it's different when it comes to topmew. it's because, in actuality, both of them are hunters. yet, top and mew delude themselves into believing mew is top's prey and top is mew's prey. thus, this is one of the reasons why i equate their relationship as fighting a losing battle. if both of them are hunters, is it possible to benefit anything from each other aside from gaining new skills? i don't think so. this isn't a beneficial relationship. both of them will end up hurting each other the most to determine who's the better hunter.

however, as top and mew were kissing, it was mainly controlled by top. as this was in top's element, he had all the benefits. and he believed, with his good kissing 'skills', it would be enough to bend mew in his direction and give in.

at one point, mew was about to admit defeat.

here, i think mew was a bit dazed. none of his past lovers (?) were this bold and top took him by surprise. it was also evident when top first kissed him. it took about 2 to 3 seconds for mew to respond as he finally could register whatever was going on right now.

there was hesitation, but as mew was also equally intrigued by top, this wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

drawing boundaries; another challenge for top to partake

the sexy times ended as quickly as they began. mew wasn't ready to do it with top. i'm glad they retained this part. it provides so much depth to mew's character. also, it makes sense because their first time will be very special for mew as it'll confirm his feelings for top, and it'll also be one of his tools to 'guilt-trip' top into thinking, "you've destroyed my trust in our relationship," aka the confrontation scene.

i think it's very valid how mew wants his first time to be with someone he knows— likes. he doesn't want to do it with a stranger, even though that stranger is very handsome and charming like top. and it's also funny to me that top insisted—

—they can do it even without knowing each other.

this already sets top and mew apart; top doing this so casually with anyone as long as he 'comes', for the sake of his pleasure and to set his mind off of his problems, and mew wants to do this only with people he knows/likes because it's what he believes is appropriate/true. it shows how different their understanding of sex is, and possibly how love works. what top said here also amplifies his need and frustration to have things going on as he planned. he didn't want mew to ruin it even though this involved mew. he just wanted to taste mew— why is it so difficult?

and this line knocked me off GOOD because it's going to be so pertinent as the series progresses.

side note: i have a tiny feeling that mew will end up being like boston at one point in this drama to get on top's nerves. it might be one of his ways to play top at his own game; sleeping around with no strings attached, with no names acquired, with no feelings tied. top uses sex as a relief and confidence booster, so mew will also use sex to break top's heart. and this will tear top apart. i hope it will.

ice cream; a motif of gaining composure and masking anger

i see this ice cream scene for two different reasons.

from mew's perspective, the ice cream acts as a 'cooling effect'. he was definitely 'heated' from the intense make-out session with top before. so the ice cream helped mew regained his composure and set his virtues straight again; no one-night stands in my watch, ever. not even with someone like top. he's levelling his head again so that he won't act on impulse— it's one of mew's ways to gain back the control he has over the game.

as for top, it's very interesting how the camera focused on top's mouth first.

i think it's clear as day: top IS mad. he is beyond pissed. he didn't get what he wanted. and mew had the audacity to offer him ice cream? that's why the camera focused on top's mouth; we didn't get to see his eyes because the eye is the beholder of emotions. if his whole face is shown, it's easy to detect the anger in top's eyes. it's very smart directing in my opinion. i absolutely adore this shot.

then, this scene progressed with mew saying some interesting things. i think it might be another foreshadowing that mew will be the obsessive/possessive type when he likes something/someone. and top keeps on playing this confident and understanding guy in front of mew despite knowing mew might get the gist of his dishonesty. but, again, at this stage, top doesn't really know mew to make that judgement. it's safe to say it's his constant perception of mew; he won't know. he's too nice/gullible to read through my lies. again, it's top thinking he's still in power; but in reality, mew is also controlling him.

when they're sleeping on the bed, mew glanced at top. i think it was an invitation. didn't you say you want to cuddle? why should i go to you? you have to go to me. again, this clearly shows who's more powerful in this relationship; it's mew.

also, i think it's quite baffling how easily top agreed to mew's needs here on the bed. i guess it's because the bed/sleeping is top's weakest point (point proven in episode 2 when it's confirmed top is an insomniac! i freaked out while watching it last night because my assumption came true t_t).

so, being here with mew on the bed, when top has always been battling with those nightmares— of course, he would be at mew's mercy. mew was giving him a lot of things here; comfort, solidity, company, safety and warmth. these attributes helped top to get a good sleep and keep those devils astray. (i believe this is one of the things top //genuinely// likes about mew. mew helps him sleep better. mew helps top with his sleeping problems. mew offers him safety, something he has been battling with for a long time.)

"it all depends on you," mew's way of saying, are you up for the challenge?

previously, i thought only ray would be the volatile/unstable character in this drama, but i think mew also fits this category.

he puzzles me because at one point, it looked like he was about to take top in, but then i see him pushed top away especially when top was getting closer to him. i don't know what he's trying to do here; if he's ever genuine in wanting top to 'woo' him, or it's just mew wanting to have some 'fun' time by playing with top's ego.

mew said this relationship could work, but it depended on top. if top was sincere and diligent enough, mew might let top in. it's just another way of mew luring top into his trap, again, wanting to be the controller in this relationship. mew didn't want to give in that easily. if top wanted him, he had to keep trying.

i guess mew is holding onto this belief; if you want me, come and get me. i won't do the work. it's entirely on you.

this somehow also makes me believe top and mew are each other's mirrors. whoever top is, mew is like that too. whoever mew is, top resonates with his traits too.

"will you be my boyfriend?" top challenging mew's 'kindness'

the public proposal. honestly, i believed mew wouldn't say yes (but he DID. i kind of blacked out yesterday because of it).

but what was the purpose of it? well, i think it's just to prove boston wrong (again).

boston said they are the same; they don't do love. they don't settle. they won't have as much fun if they decide to be a faithful lover and only do it with their respective partners. this ticked top off because in no way top ever wanted to be equated to boston; he is a man of his own. he's number one. how dare boston thinks they are the same?

side note: this bombastic side eye reminded me so much of akk :') i have to say, akk and top have this similar boyish charm that is absolutely gratifying. however, akk is a certified green flag while top is mayday mayday red alert all the way.

hence, top decided to go to lengths; he asked mew to be his boyfriend publically.

i'm not sure about this, but i think there's a tendency for a public proposal to be successful just to 'save' face, and that was what mew told top in episode 2. he wasn't comfortable with these grand gestures because mew wanted his potential lover to respect him. clearly, top's proposal wasn't an act of respect as it was spontaneous and 'impulsive'.

but in one way or another, top did win this round because mew said yes— and that was all that mattered to top— winning mew over.

conclusion

episode 1 set the foundation of the characters and their dynamics with each other. however, i also believe episode 1's common theme is to let the games begin. i see this in topmew, sanray and bostonnick too. but i'm sorry for not diving deep into other pairs because my brain isn't brain-ing at this point hahahahaha.

i'm curious to see how far mew and top are going to lure each other into their 'territory' just to have the upper hand in this so-called 'game'. but again, as i said, they're just battling a losing game. they both will lose in the end, literally and figuratively.

[1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (i) | 4 (ii) | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12]

#ofts #only friends #only friends series #only friends the series #ofts meta #ofts analysis #ofts discussion #mew only friends #top only friends #topmew #book kasidet #force jiratchapong #forcebook #meta #discussion #analysis #this is quite overdue so i apologise #last week was overwhelming in ways i couldn't explain #i hope this is coherent enough #na discusses

[stephstars08]

Still Proud

Adley Rutschman x Reader

Warnings: Minor Cussing, Angst, Fluff, Cheesy Ending, Adley looking at negative comments on social media, and Possible grammar errors.

Summary: After the Baltimore Orioles season ends in heartbreak against the Texas Rangers, Y/N knows how upset Adley is, so she does all she can to let her boyfriend know that no matter what happens she will always be proud of him.

Word Count: 1,678

Author’s Note: Hello Everyone!! So happy I am releasing my first Adley imagine on here!! Thank you to the ones who have requested me to write him because I’m not going to lie I am completely head over heels for him! I hope you all enjoy my first imagine of Adley and I hope I get to write more for him in the near future!

Y/N is a photographer for the Baltimore Orioles. She takes the pictures and videos of the players and posts them on the official Orioles Instagram account. She’s also the girlfriend of the team’s star catcher Adley Rutschman. They first met in May of 2022 when Adley got called up from the minor leagues. When Y/N heard that Adley was moving up to majors she was beyond excited since she had developed a crush on the star catcher. The only time they came across each other was spring training, but they never stopped to talk to one another. When they met, they officially immediately hit it off and started to date. They just celebrated their one-year anniversary in June.

It was playoff season for the MLB, so the Orioles were so excited since it’s been years since the Orioles made the postseason, but sadly it didn’t go the way they thought it would’ve. Y/N and the team are in Texas playing the Texas Rangers. After losing the first the first two games in Baltimore they had to go to Arlington, Texas to play the third game of the five-game series. The Orioles had to win to keep their season alive, but they sadly came up short.

When the Rangers ran onto the field to celebrate their victory Y/N went down into the clubhouse since it broke her heart to see the Orioles histrionic season come to an end like this. Her heart ached for this team because she knows they worked their asses off all season to get where they are and to just get swept like this was so disappointing. Y/N felt more bad for Adley since she knows how excited he was and now she knew that all that excitement he had was now drained out of his body with disappointment. Y/N wanted to go into the dugout and comfort him, but she knew that he needed to be with his team, so she waited outside the locker room for him.

As minuets passed players and coaches started to make their way into the locker room, but no sign of Adley. Y/N hadn’t seen Gunnar yet either, so she knows Adley is probably with him, but when she saw Gunnar coming her way by himself that theory disappeared. “Gunnar!” Y/N said walking up to him. She met him halfway. “Where’s Adley?” She asked him. “He’s still sitting in the dugout.” Gunnar answered with a heavy sigh. “You should go talk to him.” He told her. “Okay.” Y/N said in a soft tone and walked past Gunnar to the dugout.

Y/N walked up the steps into the dugout to see Adley sitting by himself watching the Rangers celebrate. It crushed her to see the disappointment in Adley’s eyes, but she also saw frustration and sadness in his eyes as well. It was breaking her heart to see the guy she loves going through this. Y/N walked over to him and stood next to him. “This fucking sucks.” Adley hissed before Y/N could say anything. “I know.” Y/N said taking one of his hands and gave it a comfort squeeze. “Come on, you should be with your team.” Y/N told him. She was worried that he was going to fight with her, but he didn’t. Y/N led him to the locker room where his teammates were most likely waiting for him, so their manager can talk with them.

While Adley was with his team Y/N got all of her stuff and all of his equipment that was in the dugout. She made her way out of the stadium and to the rental car she rented from the airport. After unlocking the vehicle, she put her stuff in the backseat and then put all of Adley’s stuff into the trunk since there was more room in the trunk and his stuff takes up more room. Once she settled herself into the driver's seat, she took out her phone to send Adley a text message saying she’s sitting in the rental car with his equipment and wondered if he wanted to go back to the hotel with her instead of riding the bus back with the team. Not too long after she sent the text, he sent her back saying he’s okay riding the bus back with his team. She smiled at that since she’s happy he wants to be with the guys. She knew Gunnar is probably helping him out since they are the closest with each other. She sent him a quick text back letting him know that she’s going to grab the both of them something to eat and then she’ll be back at the hotel. She knows that they only have a couple hours till they have to get back on a plane to Baltimore, so she went quickly.

After getting the food she was worried that she wasn’t going to find a parking spot, but lucky for her there was a car backing out of a spot right in front of the hotels entrance. She parked the rental car and turned it off. She grabbed the bag of food from the passenger seat and got out of the car. She made sure the car was locked and made her way into the lobby where she ran in Gunnar.

“Hey, how was Adley on the bus?” Y/N asked him in a curious tone. “He didn’t even say a word to anyone.” Gunnar answered with a heavy sigh. “Damn, he’s really crushed.” Y/N said with sadness written all over her face. Everyone always knows when there's something going on with Adley. When he’s upset, he’s the quietest person in the room. Y/N has seen Adley get upset over a lost, but she’s never seen him this sad. But she does know that this lost is bigger than all the others.

“He really thought we were going to make it to the championship.” Gunnar told her. Y/N saw the same sadness and disappointment in Gunnar’s eyes that she saw in Adley’s. “You all did.” Y/N told him as she rubbed his shoulder in comfort. “Their’s always next year. This is just the start.” Y/N told him in a reassuring tone with a reassuring smile on her face. “Thanks Y/N. You always know how to cheer us up.” Gunnar told her with a small smile forming on his lips. Y/N isn’t just the photographer for the team, she’s also the pep talker as well. “It’s what I love to do.” Y/N told him taking her hand off his shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Y/N.” Gunnar told her with a small laugh. “See you later, Gunnar.” Y/N said with a giggle and walked over to the elevator.

She pressed the up-arrow button and patiently waited for the doors to open. She was happy that she was able to make Gunnar smile and laugh a little, but she knew it was going to be a mission to cheer Adley up. When the elevator doors opened, she waited for the people that were already inside the elevator to walk out. She walked into the elevator and pressed the button that had the number five on it. As she waited for the elevator to take her up to the fifth floor, she thought about what she’s going to say to Adley.

When the doors opened to the fifth floor she walked out and made her way down the hallway to the hotel room she’s staying in with him. She grabbed the room key out of her back pocket and unlocked the door. When she walked into the hotel room, she saw her boyfriend sitting on the end of the bed scrolling on his phone. Y/N knew whatever he was looking at on his phone wasn’t good because of the look he had in his eyes. “Hey.” Y/N said closing the door and walking over to the small table to put the bag of food down and the hotel key next to the bag. Adley just stayed silent as he continued to look down at his phone. Y/N let out a heavy sigh as she sat down next to him onto the bed.

“I’m still proud of you.” Y/N told him which earned a scoff from him. “For what?” Adley said in a harsh tone as he continued to look down at his phone. “Adley, you don’t need a World Series trophy for me to be proud of you!” Y/N told him in a stern tone. “Really?” Adley said finally looking over at her. Y/N took his phone out of his hand and put it down behind them. “I know you really thought you guys were going to make it, but you guys played one hell of a season.” Y/N told him taking one of his hands like she did when they were in the dugout. “This is the best Orioles team people have seen in a long time and this is just the beginning.” She told him as she used her other hand to move some of his hair away from his forehead. “Don’t worry about what those assholes on social media. They are just trying to put you guys down. In my eyes, you will always be the best. You will always be my number one.” Y/N told him which made his lips curve into a small smile. His smile always makes her heart flutter.

“You always know what to say to cheer me up.” Adley said to her. “Just part of my job as being the best girlfriend in the world.” Y/N told him which earned her a laugh from him as she had a smile on her face as well. “And that’s why I’m the luckiest guy.” Adley said and leaned in to connect his lips with hers. Y/N smiled into the kiss as she returned it. When they released from the kiss, they rested their foreheads against each others.”I love you.” Adley said which made her heart flutter again. “I love you more.” Y/N told him. “Not possible.” Adley said and reconnected their lips for another passionate kiss.

#adley rutschman #adley rutschman orioles #adley rutchman mlb #adley rutschman one shot #adley rutschman imagine #adley rutchman x reader #mlb #mlb one shot #mlb imagines #mlb x reader #mlb american league #mlb baseball #baltimore #baltimore orioles #orioles #orioles baseball #baseball one shot #baseball imagines #baseball #catcher #baseball catcher

[airawisteria]

The fact that Neku chose Joshua at the end of TWEWY just makes me feel so many fucking things—

Alright, here me out here.

Imagine you've gone through living life seeing dead people fighting these monster things, but no one believes you—none of them trust you. Sure, they maybe might trust you, but clearly not enough to believe you. You (probably) isolate yourself and clearly can't fit in, so you believe that letting people in will only lead to disappointment because what you've gone through has proven that to be the case.

Fast forward to now where you're the Composer. Shibuya's slowly, but surely, losing its spark and growing duller each day. And you're faced with a decision to make: to continue seeing the city eventually lose all that you loved about it and decay into nothingness or to destroy it here while it's still shining. You choose the latter. However, your Conductor is against this and vocalises this to you. You propose a bet, he has a month to win against you while you have a proxy play in the Game. Your Conductor accepts and the timer appears on his palm.

Later on, one of your top reapers (Game Masters) tries to overthrow you in the RG. He doesn't anticipate how much power you truly have in both planes of existence, so he, naturally, fails this attempt. However, during this, a teenager who you can instantly realise is like you in so, so many ways is caught in the middle. Seeing this golden opportunity, you use the gun in your hand to kill him. With a flick of the wrist, you have a Player Pin in your hands as you toss the pin onto the boy's dead body.

Neku Sakuraba should make for a fine proxy.

The first week begins of Neku's Game and you find that Neku is grasping the Game quite well—good, that's what you'd expected, after all. And soon, Neku wins but as you aren't around to oversee the players going from the RG to the UG, your Conductor has to use what he has to make sure nothing seems out of the ordinary, such as using another player as an entry fee. However, the fact that Neku sees another player (Shiki Misaki) as important enough to be his entry fee is... surprising.

The second week is about to begin and you feel quite the bit intrigued by Neku, so you decide to lower your vibe so that you, too, can play the Game. Once you're in the Game, you waste no time in partnering up with him. Neku, so laser-focused on finishing this Game for Shiki Misaki, looks for you, panicked. It's a sight you hadn't been expecting—since when did someone like Neku care about others like this?

Acting like you normally do, you soon find that Neku is not exactly fond of you. Of course, you hadn't expected him to be, but you had thought it would be for a different reason as opposed to not doing the tasks with haste since he needs to get Shiki back. You'd thought it would be for your attitude, but just that, not because of someone else. How... intriguing.

The week continues with Neku exchanging words of hostility to you as you half-truth your way out of things. Neku gets visions and soon realises you had killed him, and the hostility raises many levels. It's almost tangible how much he hates you. Yet, you do not give him a full answer, but rather one filled with half-truths. And, as the week continues, you find that the world view the two of you had agreed upon had changed for Neku. He is willing to let others into his garden. He's changed. The new situation shocks you, but you do not show it—how could you? And, why would you?

The week continues with much the same situation with Neku only cooperating with you, begrudgingly. Your identity was almost discovered by one of the reapers (Koki Kariya) but instead, you are assumed to be alive. If only to save yourself the hassle of the two knowing that you are the Composer, you go along with it after a moment of hesitation.

You find out about how the Taboo Noise came to be and that the Game Master (Sho Minamimoto) alongside Sanae Hanekoma has been using them.

The week continues and you notice something about the Red Skull pins.

Eventually, the week ends and you and Neku are fighting Sho Minamimoto. After a long battle, Sho uses an attack that would absolutely erase Neku if the attack connected with him. So, you push him out of the way, 'sacrificing' yourself as you say, "But, Neku, I thought you couldn't afford to lose" and with that the week ends.

You watch as the third week begins and how screwed over Neku is at the moment, but you don't do anything. A reaper turns player (Bito Daisukenojo) and Neku team up.

The week continues and, eventually, the two of them make their way to Dead God's Pad where they reunite with Shiki. Soon after, you see him again and, strangely, Neku seems relieved to see you. The four of you fight your Conductor in a misguided attempt to escape the Game. Neku wins, of course, and he finds out about the Long Game and how much of his life you've controlled. Well, his afterlife. You inform him of your plans to erase Shibuya. Expecting him to see this betrayal of trust to be enough to want to seek revenge against you, you offer him a deal—you will count down from 10 to 0 and the two of you will shoot. If Neku shoots you first, then he wins. If you shoot Neku first, you win.

You expect him to choose Shibuya over yourself. After all, is that not what everyone else has done? Your Conductor was to be expected, but you hadn't anticipated Sanae's betrayal, yet it makes sense. Neku hadn't known you for nearly enough as the other two, so for what reason would he choose you? No one has ever chosen you before.

Neku picks up the gun and points it at you and you smile as you countdown from ten. Tears have stained Neku's face, but when you reach zero, he drops the gun and smiles at you as a bang reverberates around the room.

He chose you.

So, you choose him too.

A week goes by and Neku and his friends are all alive now, yet he hasn't forgotten about you. He doesn't forgive you. Yet, he invites you to hang out with all of them. Yet, he trusts you. Yet, he chose you over the city he adored and grew up in.

He chose you. And you chose him.

(You are Joshua in this entire thing, if that wasn't obvious, btw)

And that, my friends, is what I call some romantic shit right there.

#joshneku #joshua kiryu #neku sakuraba #twewy #just me rambling #i might do this from nekus pov next #or later #but also i really want to talk about how thematically it fits with twewy as a whole #beatnekus also really cute tho so might talk about that later too #either that or joshbeat or whatever their ship name is (its fun imagining their friendship or romance blossoming)

[riacte]

Late night MCC rambles:

To preface this I want to say I’m not very familiar with Dave Krtzyy, but he’s been in MCC long enough that I vaguely know of his vibe and skillset through osmosis.

Okay, so I’ve heard Aqua29 be compared to Blue9 in the mythological sense (in particular with the whole “proving self as S tier” / getting a long awaited win / H + PvPer) and Yellow20 in the practical sense. And I kind of agree with Yellow20. This does seem like a team that can get to Dodgebolt (and lose it) with a Yellow20ish trajectory. (If they actually lose Dodgebolt I’m gonna be real miserable about FalseCub losing DB again but anyways—)

Aqua29 is seen as a weaker Yellow20 because… I mean yeah it’s Illumina and SB. But one of the unique features of Yellow20 is that it’s a quiet competitive team. Illumina to a lesser degree, but I think the other three have been called one of the quietest / chillest POVs in MCC lol. Which can lead to communication issues such as MCC20 Sky Battle, in which False takes charge and they perform well in the last round. While False does occasionally take charge in Rivals, from my experience of watching her she doesn’t do that as much in MCC? However I think she did it a bit more in Yellow28, again 3/4 of Aqua. I think Yellow28 is a nice team for False because I think it’s a team she feels comfortable taking charge in, because Cub historically always backs her up and ofc HBomb’s around. (Stopping before this becomes another Blue9 H + False post)

Which leads to the question of leadership in Aqua29. Obviously, HBomb. We all know and love him. I’ve seen a Reddit post talking about Krtzyy leading in PvP games and I don’t know him well enough to discuss that, and the post mentioned not knowing about his synergy with the hermits so it could affect the team’s performance at first. Fair enough, but then again, H’s there, H factor and all that, he acts as a bridge, and the hermits are pretty good communicators (even if Cub is a little quieter). H’s presence is what differentiates Yellow20 from Aqua29. Coin wise, Yellow20 is probably stronger, but team wise, H factor could do wonders for Aqua29. So long they all listen to each other, I think they’ll be fine.

And also, don’t forget that the two hermits can be sweaty. Especially the specific combination of False + Cub. They’ve been in so many esport tourneys lmao (although usually not together T-T). And they know they have a good team this time, specifically with the blessed combo of H + PvPer. H is a great team player and strategiser, and knows how to “reign” in others (PvPers). A PvPer can make up in terms of raw skill, and H’s coordination can allow said PvPer to flourish. It’s why H and Fruit were so scary together (their skillsets and styles compliment each other particularly well, but I’m not gonna let this spiral into yet another Blue9 post).

So yeah, I think this team will be Interesting. It’s even more Interesting that it’s not just H + hermits, or Krtzyy + hermits, or H + Krtzyy, but all of the above together. It’s probably gonna be competitive. It’s probably gonna be fun. It’s giving Yellow20 but H factor. It’s giving Blue9. I’ve also heard someone say Orange10 but I can’t really see that lmao since to me Dave resonates more with Fruit’s arc, but I’m open to interpretations yay

Honestly, if they practice and get their comms / synergy sorted, I think they can slay. Like, genuinely. For the narrative. For Krtzyy’s win after five million years. For Aquabomb. For False and Cub’s DB redemption.

TLDR: I believe in Aqua29. They can do it.

#mcc #aqua29 #ria.txt #back to my consistently wrong mcc predictions #no really they’re all consistently wrong… ive only been right about orange17 but that was an easy one tbf #you can see me restraining myself from talking about blue9 (again) #long post #it’s not that long but tagging

[idkanymoretbf]

I need to know your prediction for todays game bebs!!! I think barca can do it, i’d say 4:2

¡visca barca!

i'm honestly nervous. i have some serious traumas from the ucl since the roma game and all those teams that did the 'remontada' on us, lmfao, so the nerves are kicking in. i'm not gonna give my prediction because i'm always AWFUL at that (i usually predict the winner but i can't really predict the score lol) but i'm gonna do some analysis for sure:

1. one of our cms needs to step up and be a dm since we don't have andreas (most likely fdj or gundo or both of them as double pivots while pedri will have the most attacking space probably).

2. i don't think that mbappe necessarily 'ghosted' last time i just think that our defenders did a good job. as much as i hate to admit it mbappe is a world class and our defenders need to step up again (i believe that they will). mbappe has a motive ngl, he got trolled on internet a lot and he probably wanna prove himself tonight, but trying to prove yourself can be a bad thing too (it can results to taking some unnecessary shots and moves just to prove yourself).

3. apart from mbappe, nuno mendes and barcola are the biggest threats AND add hakimi to all that, they wouldn't hesitate to play a really offensive football tonight. xavi made a great thing and did NOT put araujo on rb, just because mbappe is playing there. he realized that he can't have only one player marking him so putting jules on rb and ronald on rcb was the best thing he had done. in paris we didn't played high with our defense which is a good thing and we need to play like that tonight too.

4. BUT they have a big problem too and it's their defense. they have fast and dangerous wingers but i think our defense and midfield is way better. their defense is shit ngl and they make tons of mistakes. let's mention donnarumma too. they are awful at set pieces (corners especially) and we can an NEED to take advantage of that.

5. they are so good at pressing and that can be a problem for them too. one long pass from our defense or mats to the front and that's where their defenders collapse. also we need to press too because donnarumma is bad in that aspect too.

6. the best thing about last game is that we have the advantage. we're in the best situation among all the clubs that are in the qfs because only we won an away game. we have one goal advantage and we need to use that in our favor. we can't just defend the result tonight because if we score the goal first, there won't be any bigger problems for us if you ask me.

7. our players seem really happy and excited about this game and i think that's a good thing.

8. fans there, would help us a lot. more passion, more chants, more anything, we can't be quiet tonight, it's one of our most important games in years literally!!!

9. if xavi does everything tactically perfect tonight we would definitely win, and of course, if our players do their best!!!

10. also forgot to mention that we shouldn't really care about possession, because possession doesn't win you games, psg also plays that 'possession type of football' under lucho so we shouldn't really care about that! (i saw few fans on twitter roasting our players because of that but we literally won a game lol).

11. we can't lose concentration tonight because we saw what happened when we did in those 5 to 10 minutes. we controlled a game and they scored because we controlled it badly in the start of the second half.

long ass analysis, i know, but i had to write it out to make it clear for others that it's not gonna be that easy tonight. BUT i do believe that we can win this.

at the end of the day i stand with the boys always, no matter what happens, so:

Visca el Barça y Visca Catalunya, always! 💙❤️

#fc barcelona #barca #barça

[krakenshaped]

Okay so more tag duel posting of cool things I've noticed on my first playthrough (as someone who chose Asuka as their duel partner)

Tag Duel 2 Spoilers ahead!!!

If not paired with the player, the other characters will pair themselves up as so (not sure about Asuka + Kenzan has Not Been Spotted Yet) (<- not sure if partners can change or randomise)

- Judai will partner up O'Brien. I've found them hanging outside the Osiris dorms in the morning, In the locker room next to the store at noon and in the dueling arena at night.

- Manjoume oddly enough partners up with Johan. I've found them in the classroom at night.

- Sho and Rei partner up. I've found them in the forest and on the volcano (if I'm remembering right, it was early game)

- I found Edo with Fubuki. Which is an interesting concept as well as a fun nod to the manga (maybe), Fubuki's win animation is that little thing they do when they poses, shake their tush and thumbs up. (The 10join classic) They're also found in the classroom at night.

- Kenzan has Not Been Found. He's missing in action.

- Jim partners up with Junko but I have a feeling it would have been Asuka had I not chosen her. They hang out at the harbour at night.

-Amon (lol) partners up with Napoleon (lol) because it seems a little obvious (lol) he couldn't find anyone to partner up with him (L bozo) he's having a baby tantrum in the card shop.

Other facts to note when considering when writing your ygo fanfiction (whether it be Asuka trivia or just map trivia)

Asuka likes grapes and steak sandwiches. She does not like gyoza or fermented cheese. Like. Girlie HATES gyoza and fermented cheese.

Asuka talks about Fubuki like he's still dead. Lmao. This can be written off as copy paste dialogue/win-lose quotes from TD1 but I think it's interesting to consider about what it says about their relationship.

Asuka has other reactions to areas around school at different times (which I'm assuming is the same for every character). One is the aforementioned harbour dialogue and the other, which happens during morning or noon, is Asuka hoping that nobody drew the golden eggwich yet.

In the first morning, Asuka chides you for sleeping in and gets angry at you for keeping her out too late, claiming its the girls curfew and she doesn't like staying out too late. This somewhat suggests Asuka is an early to bed early to rise sort of person as at least Judai and Edo don't comment on it.

Similarly if you try and skip class, Asuka will get angry at you and drag you to class anyway (honor student queen).

The abandoned dorm is easily one of the biggest maps in the game. Entering it plays some corpse party ass music. It's not scary but it is almost hilarious how Konami put their whole konamusi into the abandoned dorm while not even letting you enter the Yellow, Blue or Girl's dorm. (Which was what interested me the most since I was curious if there were rooms for each character.)

That being said, you can enter every room in Osiris including Manjoune's old room.

Oh right. Johan also confirms he's been living in the Red dorm in a stray piece of dialogue about how Ruby needs to lead him back to the Red dorm at night. This means he's probably staying with Judai and Manjoume (since at this point in time Manjoume was forcefully evicted out his own room by Rei.) Food for thought.

I'll probably update more trivia, tidbits and thoughts as i continue playing and tag it

-> #tag duel analysis

#ygo gx #tag duel analysis #asuka tenjoin #(since most of this is about her) #tag duel for people who dont have the resources to play tag duel #+ info for fanfiction authors #lowkey documenting this for myself too #i have covid so ive been wistfully dying while trying to desperately fuel my scraps of creative sporit #spirit* #the results are mixed

[just-an-enby-lemon]

Some Game HC's I have about Riddler:

BTAS Riddler loves playing DnD both as a player (always a caster) and as the DM. He is a game developer in the 90's so you bet your ass he was the fliperama kid. Everyday he went to the local game station (and later started exploring and looking for different ones all across Gotham) with only one coin. He played once against a player in a winning streak beting coins and he always won and would accept bets from challengers. He was abble to play all day with only one coin because he never lost a bet.

Gotham Riddler is another DnD nerd and a gamer. But I think he had more money growing up than BTAS Riddler and actually played games in a gameboy. He got a summer job so he could buy more games than Mario and Pokemon. Also I'm sorry but Gotham Riddler never played DnD, that man was born to be a DM and is likely the one DM that didn't became one because it's harder to find a DM than a party so you DM once and now that's your fate.

Arkham Riddler plays Magic The Gathering. He also plays DnD and he is the insufurable player that goes out of the way to create the most OP characthers completly full of combos and makes everything boring for everyone else because he slays too hard. He is insuferable playing Magic as well but at least he is being insuferable against his adversaries. He lost his original deck after being arrested the first time and somehow it ended on young Barbara Gordon's hands. The small time period were pre teen Barbara was the biggest Magic nerd and forced a confused Jim to play was probably the worst thing Riddler ever did to comissioner Gordon and that includes killing his co-workers and friends. Later Barbara went to play it with Jason and Tim (who she isn't dating cause ew), Bernard joined at some point.

The last DnD player is Unburied Riddler who is the opposite to Arkham: he always plays as a bard and he is the biggest follower of the rule of cool/the wonders of RP ever. He knows the rule book upside down but he never really followed the rules, he just sweet talks the DM and the tabble into letting him role for his insane plans to the point that after he basically forced Barbara and Bruce to play with him (Barbara asked Montoya to DM) no one on the tabble even knew what bardic inspiration actually did until Alfred heard them playing and as a closeted DnD nerd got incrisingly distressed by Eddie's "gameplay style". Since then Montoya joined the tabble as a paladim and Alfred is the DM. Instead of analysing what to pick to upgrade his characther Eddie spends all the time trying to find ways to sweet talk Alfred (the hardest DM to bullshit ever) into letting him do his thing. Right now his best trick is to make Bruce either join or get excited for the result because Alfred has a soft spot for his son Master Bruce.

Zero Year Riddler for all his cool persona is a nerd and not only he colects all different editions of War (yes the boardgame, the ancient Greece one is his favorite) but he plays competitive Pokemon (both online and the card game). While he is a good Pokemon player he did lose to an incredible good 12yo and he cried a whole day before trying to extract revenge. Unfortunaly for Ed the kid was from Metropolis and there was a change, small as it was, that Superman could get involved and Eddie isn't really one to get his ass beat by Superman.

Still on the card games BTAA Riddler plays Yu-Gi-Oh. He somehow understands the rules and is good on it. Miss Tuesday used to make fun of him for it until Autum acidentaly introduced her to Bakugan. If you play Bakugan you can't make fun of other people's card game choices. BTAA Riddler also plays Pokemon Go, he started because he thought it was hip and cool (he isn't even that old, he is like 30 but he just wants to be cool with the teens that badly already) and kept going because he really likes to take random pictures of pokemon on normal day things, he also loves shinny hunting. He does it on the actual game as well. He never actually played the whole Pokemon story, he just shinny hunts a lot and stops playing after he catched enough cool shinnies. He has some of the first one to capture the shinng videos and a shinny hunting secret twitter.

[Not a Riddler one but BTAS Joker also plays Yu-Gi-Oh because one has to be mad to understand all the different invocation rules (I say that as a former Yu-Gi-Oh nerd). Harley also plays Yu-Gi-Oh on BTAS but she downplays her talents to let Joker win when she is actually insanely good at it.]

#edward nigma #edward nygma #riddler #edward nashton #dnd #magic the gathering #yu gi oh #riddler headcanon #this is my nerdiest post in a long time

[jedzeb]

"A trip down memory lane" or something

For me, there are some songs that I listen to that remind me of whatever part of my life I would often listen to that song during. This is the power of music; the same song brings different emotions and different memories to each person, and can give you the feeling of being brought back in time.

Video games can be described as an escape from reality for many. This makes the unique combination of being brought to a time where you are experiencing another world. It feels childish, but despite that, this is a big part of some people's childhood and lives. So let's go back in time real quick.

Disclaimer, I'm going to use some remixes/remasters for these songs that I think fit the song better. Also, they're almost all Pokémon ;)

Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver ~ New Bark Town

The peaceful, first town music of each Pokémon game is always a nostalgic one, as it is the sound of a new adventure. Still being a huge Pokémon fan at the age of 20, hearing the starting town music from a game I played when I was 7 years old is a feeling like no other. It makes me remember the days where I had fun even without having to try understanding everything. This is a great studying or waiting song for me.

Minecraft ~ Volume Alpha

Nowadays, it is pretty widely accepted that video games can get very addicting and consuming. My first time experiencing this was with Minecraft. A simple game with endless possibilities, where you build up your own world, at your own pace, however you want. The song might be even more nostalgic than New Bark Town's theme for me. Being one of the most popular games in the world to this day, this song probably brings nostalgic feelings for many. As it is a slow paced song like New Bark Town's theme, this could be good study music. However, I don't personally listen to this.

Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire ~ vs. Wally

Perhaps one of the most interesting things in video games is the concept of characters. While they bring lots to the table, there is one thing that isn't expressed much: the fact that you are always the main character. In Pokémon, this means all of those around you will be weaker than you in the end, because canonically, you win every battle.

In the original Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald games, Wally was a character with little impact or meaning to the games. He was just a boy who was overprotected by his uncle, and who you would help start up his adventure. In the remakes (Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire), he starts off similar, but grows into a different character in the end. He is no longer another random kid for the player to crush on their path to become champion. Now he has the resolve to win, and doesn't care for being protected by his uncle. He gives one of the best speeches in the series, then goes straight into the hardest guitar theme in the series to kick off the player's battle with him.

A discussion on GameFAQS goes over how he feels like a different character altogether. In the end he still loses of course, but his battle theme is honestly one of my favorite songs in general, and I would listen to it at any time. It would be a crime to describe it with any word other than awesome.

Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum ~ The piano before Cynthia

The piano that every Pokémon player fears. It would have been criminal of me to not include this song, so here it is.

For context, this is the song that plays right before the player's battle against the champion of Sinnoh (a region), Cynthia. The battle against the champion is (usually) the climax of a Pokémon game. Whoever defeats the reigning champion is granted the title of champion for themselves, and is the end goal for the protagonist.

As you make it to the final battle, the intense piano begins to play. And before you is Cynthia, the girl who goes around studying the history of Sinnoh; little did you know that the whole time, she was destined to be your final opponent.

Looking and acting badass isn't all there is to Cynthia, though. Remember when I said every Pokémon player fears this song? She is notorious for being the most difficult "boss" in the entire series.

Overall, an epic moment to be remembered. Just chills every listen.

Kirby's Dream Land ~ Green Greens

Ah yes, Kirby. The adorable little circle that goes around eating things. Green Greens truly captures the fun of these games and the world of Kirby. That is all this song means to me, but that is okay. It's still a banger and the energy it gives is refreshing.

These songs and many others from games give a kind of feeling that I can't find in any other kind of music. I could listen to most of them in any way, but studying, walking around, and driving would be the best 3 things overall.

Below are some other songs I really like and will include in this playlist, but won't go into depth about (If you're into this kind of music, I highly recommend giving "vs. Trainer Red" and "vs. Zinnia" a try):

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ~ Lost Woods

Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire ~ Zinnia's Sorrow/vs. Zinnia

Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal ~ vs. Trainer Red

Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon ~ Partner's Theme

#Youtube #pokemon #trainer red #cynthia #zinnia #pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon super mystery dungeon #legend of zelda #the legend of zelda #kirby #minecraft #music #video game music #videogame music #pokemon music

[littlebittykittycommittee]

Not real evidence, but another thing that I think strengthens the narrator theory for me anyway is this.

Image description: Four screenshots from Undertale, from the Undertale Text Project (link here).

The first two are from the boss fight against Asriel when he's transformed into the Angel of Death, his goat head with long horns atop a floating, legless, triangular body with long clawed hands in gloves and giant, rainbow-colored wings spread out that are shifting colors. Face scrunched up, he's wailing and shouting, "So, please… Stop doing this… And just let me win!!!"

The next two screenshots are from much earlier in the game: the first is in the tutorial fight against the Dummy in the Ruins, which the player has spared. The narration reads, "You won! You earned 0 XP and 0 gold." The final screenshot is from killing an enemy. The player is LV 4 and the narration reads, "You won! You earned 100 XP and 140 gold. Your LOVE has increased."

End description.

The whole game, the narrator has cheered us on most any time we win an encounter with a monster, whether we fought or spared. The only exception is when we beat the boss at the end of the area, again whether that is sparing or killing (eg Toriel, Papyrus) - there is no narration when a boss encounter has been won. The only exception ironically is if you spare the injured Flowey after the Photoshop Flowey fight: the narration simply says, "Flowey ran away." (If you kill him however, the narrator says nothing, as with the result of every other boss fight.)

(Tangent: The Doylist explanation for this is probably that these are the main characters and their words to us when defeated is supposed to be what sticks, so having the narration say "Yay, good job! You got this from that!" might break up the mood in a way Toby didn't want. The narration for "Flowey ran away" is used instead to drive home how pitiful he's become with his tearful reaction to the Mercy spam.)

It just feels like something Toby would do, ya know? Asriel, the antagonist, pleading with Chara, the narrator who's been letting us win the whole game, to let him win. And then, even though they were jabbering excitedly earlier in the fight, they stay silent and say nothing back to his pleas, perhaps because they know he's talking to the wrong person and won't be able to hear them anyway (Frisk is the one he's fighting, not them), or perhaps because they can't bring themself to say anything else after the flashbacks (the narrator does fall silent suddenly after the flashbacks; the reality of it all hitting home for Chara and choking them up?). And of course, with the narrator saying nothing back, Asriel then ends up "losing" as he cries and has his change of heart.

Thematically, it's just too cool that, along with everything else, it makes it really hard for me to believe that Toby didn't intend NarraChara.

It would also make sense as a game the two used to play and perhaps the reason Chara is so quick to start narrating everything for us. Asriel has his Absolute God of Hyperdeath character the narrator is quick to recognize and describe, after all, so it wouldn't surprise me if this was a game they played: Chara the DM describing the world and enemies around Asriel as he, the hero of the story, ventures forth and battles enemies. Drawing their stories, recording their games with the camera. Flowey, the one-time hero of the story, turned villain, wants to keep playing but can never hear their voice again. And Chara, now reduced to just their voice, never able to speak to their friend again and now fated to narrate the real-life, life-or-death adventures of strangers in different worlds (with the silver lining that they at least seem to enjoy Frisk's and Kris' company).

It's also interesting to consider in light of this from Chara themself.

Image description:

Six screenshots from Undertale, again courtesy of the Undertale Text Project, all from the scene at the end of the Kill All run where Chara speaks directly to the player. The first image is a choice the player has to "Erase" or "Do Not." After the player chooses Do Not, Chara says, "No...? Hmm... How curious. You must have misunderstood." And then, in all-caps with their smile still unchanged but their eyes turned hollow and black, they say, "Since when were you the one in control?"

End description.

The only time Chara, our otherwise plucky faithful narrator, won't let you win. They deny you winning in a much more brutal way than the sad silence they give Asriel on Pacifist, and should you do Pacifist again after this, they make sure to snatch that victory from you too.

#undertale #undertale meta #asriel dreemurr #chara dreemurr #narrator chara theory #text #images #image description

[eldest-of-katts]

I stopped bdubs' episode partway through, so spoilers for the first part of his episode.

I didn't like this task very much, first they didn't know what it was due to regional differences, which was a little cringe on behalf of whoever was assigning the tasks but it was probably a commenter and the review board probably all knew what it was so I get it.

But the nature of the task? You *have* to lose hearts? Or at least try to? It's basically just a task that very transparently tries to speed up the game. It's for drama, not to have fun!

The second bit, with all the cheating? Impulse, that's fine he didn't cheat all that much beside Skizz being biased, but Scar? Why did you do that Scar?

I get that he's a little impulsive, (no pun intended) but there's a difference between thinking something is going to take a while and punching your friend into a tunnel full of mobs and not helping him escape while the entity cramming keeps him from mining his way out.

He kept saying he thought he could mine out, but he's played Minecraft for years now, he knows you can't mine with something else in your space, let alone ninety mobs dealing damage to you while you get pushed by a water stream.

I get that Scar didn't intend for this, and I don't hold a grudge against him at all, I'm just sort of flabbergasted that he decided to do that at all.

Beyond just scar, some of the tasks this time feel mean. Just flat-out mean spirited more than fun.

I liked the rest of the game so far because it was a good balance between risk and reward and fun and danger. The tasks could be funny (the slang words one) or super risky (kill the dragon!) And each player was getting a good balance of each.

But now it feels less fun. I can see what's happening behind the curtain with the tasks, people are getting antsy that this series is going to last too long, and the tasks are changing to reflect that anxiety.

It makes it less fun.

This series was refreshing because, unlike the other death games, people were playing it more like Minigames than a UHC, and they got to chat and play!

Now the tasks look like they're trying to course-correct into being worse again. Kill your friends. Betray them. Cheat. Lie. Steal. Take damage. Lose hearts. Be meaner. Be nastier. Prepare for the worst. Hope for the worst. Be violent. Be cruel. You're not here to have fun, you're here to win! Play like it!

It just- it made me nauseous a little bit. The way we snapped from being chill to being suspicious of everyone.

Reds existing and yellows existing was fine before, the last few episodes the yellow names were cool, kind of funny, a little danger, but still friends!

But as the series goes on, people are being more and more cagey. I don't like it.

I get that this is how the series usually goes, but it doesn't feel like fun drama this time.

It feels like the kid at the playground that changes the rules while you play to make sure they win. Like we thought we were having fun, but because someone else wanted the game to be more dangerous, now it's not as fun.

The other series had cool groups, cool bonds of trust, epic storylines and mild rp to rely on when it started getting darker.

This series, it feels like the switch was too quick. They didn't have time to ease into those alliances and deeper characters (even if it's not 100% roleplay you do need to adopt a separate persona to kill your friends like that).

The tasks got darker too quickly, and now instead of being a complex web of alliances or a fight for survival, it just feels like people are kind of being dicks for no reason.

I don't know if this is going to continue, but if it does I'm going to quit watching I think, I just don't like to see people being mean when there doesn't seem like there's a reason.

#secret life #secret life spoilers #bdubs secret life #life series #big long essay #sortof fandom critical #more like media critical #i still love the series #it just feels more mean than fun recently #idk it's probably just me

[youcouldmakealife]

SOTM: Willy/Owen; Outlet

For the prompt: Even MORE “its complicated” from Willy and Owen

There’s something about Pyrrhic victories that make them feel so much worse than defeats. Maybe it’s because he’s alone in the feeling — when the Scouts lose, nobody in the locker room’s smiling. But right now? Right now they’re all laughing it up, slapping backs and shouting into each other’s faces, too caught up in their victory to see just how fucked they are in the long run.

Tate keeps his head down until he has to talk to the media, where they’re in a detente. He knows, they know, they want him to say it, and he isn’t going to. He says the safe things. One game at a time. Keeping his eye on the prize. They’re cliches, but, like all cliches, they come from a place of truth.

Once the media lets him off after failing to drag anything more committal out of him, Tate takes a short, lukewarm shower, just long enough to get the sweat off, biting back the urge to tell some of the guys in the showers that it’s for hygiene, not idle conversation. Nine times out of ten during the season, he’s the one chatting in the showers, and it’s bad enough being a buzzkill without adding hypocrisy to the mix.

Everyone’s smart enough to leave him alone, or just caught up in their own shit, oblivious. Knowing the guys, it’s probably more the second one, possibly with an extra dose of being shit-scared of ‘Playoff Willy’ but whatever.

“You know, Willy,” Shithead says, not smart or scared, and Tate’s tensing even before he says, “we won.”

“Shithead, buddy,” Money says from a safely distant spot, in a voice that Tate thinks is meant to be as much warning as invitation, and Shithead peels off before Tate can inform him that he is well aware that they won, Brandon, but at what fucking cost is that win when they’ve now lost the second half of their first fucking pair.

Everyone keeps a wide berth, thankfully. The obliviously cheerful chatter’s enough to get under his skin, and he jerks his clothes on, noticing how tight he is, and not just with tension. He considers asking Mac to work on his right hamstring, but Ferris is talking to him, and he’s favoring something right now. If he’s noticed, so have their opponents. Tate will come in before practice if it’s still bothering him.

There are a few players talking plans, but when Tate pays attention, it’s just grabbing a late dinner together, so he doesn’t interfere. It’s the young guns; if they did go straight home, they’d just end up ordering food anyway, and they’re more likely to eat according to their nutrition plans at a restaurant in front of teammates than if they’re getting shit delivered to eat without an audience. Peer pressure is good for these kinds of things.

“You good?” Money asks, and when Tate looks over at him, his face is solemn. He knows what they lost, if nobody else seems to.

“He’s one of the pieces, Money,” Tate says.

“Next man up, Playoff Willy,” Money says. “That’s all you can ask for.”

“Next man up,” Tate says, and hopes that’ll be enough, or, at the very least, that whoever they’re facing down the line will have pieces punched out of them too. A wounded opponent is desperate, and that’s dangerous, but not when you’re desperate too. Then it’s just a fair fight.

*

Tate goes home, heats up a prepared meal, fighting the urge to read the postgame reactions — that’s the worst possible thing he could do, so of course it’s what he wants to do most. His kitchen isn’t big enough to pace properly, but his body, on autopilot, is doing its damnedest. He won’t be able to sleep if he’s still like this. While shovelling food into his mouth he considers who would be up, and free, and not insulted by a booty call. He’s not fit for strangers right now.

But then he starts calculating the timeline, slotting in how long it’ll take someone to respond, do the back and forth, them coming over, or for him to get to their place, the earliest he can politely go to sleep, the minimum amount of sleep he needs, how quickly he can get out of there in the morning, or get them out without seeming rude —

Tate shoves his phone away, frustrated, then pulls it right back to him less than a minute later. The last thing he wants right now is to be alone with his thoughts.

A text notification from Owen pops up as he does. Under a Congrats! Tate didn’t read — postgame congratulations add up, especially during the playoffs — Owen’s followed up with Apparently not congrats?

Or maybe half congrats?

I am getting very mixed messages from Joey.

Tate snorts. It was a mixed message kind of night.

I don’t know enough about hockey to insightfully comment but I assume that is not good.

That sucks and I’m sorry.

Unless it is good mixed messages in which case ignore me.

Actually either way ignore me.

Tate huffs out quiet breath. It’s kind of nice, actually, talking to someone who genuinely isn’t in the loop. If Owen doesn’t know something it’s because it’s not something he’s familiar with, not like he’s willfully ignoring unpleasant things, or like he should know better.

How are finals? Tate asks.

Sometimes I think undergrads are getting dumber by the year but it’s probably just me getting more cynical with time.

Tate was expecting a change of subject to distract him, not Owen being extremely relatable. Replace undergrads with rookies, and — well, actually, he would venture that the rookies are all more mature than Shithead, but he’s an outlier, Tate supposes.

Or you’re getting smarter.

Oh no definitely just more cynical.

Joey says you’re the smartest dude he knows.

I’m pretty sure at this point Joey says that about anyone who hasn’t set themselves on fire before.

I legitimately worry about his and Nick’s safety.

Tate laughs out loud this time.

Yeah me too. Don’t worry I keep an eye out for them.

That is genuinely a relief, thank you.

Tate twists his fork in between his fingers, starts to write.

Hey do you want

He deletes it.

What are you doi

Deletes it.

Are you up to

Delete.

He blows out a breath, brings his shit to the sink. Tells himself not to be selfish. That mantra of his, probably not one his sports therapist would approve of, and always hardest to follow right around now. Easiest, too. Everything for the team. But when the team isn’t involved, he’s at a loss.

Tate rinses his fork, his plate, loads them in the dishwasher. Checks his phone, but Owen hasn’t responded. Tate replies with You are very welcome, not expecting a response to that. A natural end to the conversation until one of them picks it up again. And that’s fine. That’s totally fine.

What are you up to right now?

Tate tries and fails to bite back a smile. Which is fine. It’s not like anyone can see him right now.

Absolutely nothing at all, he replies, and waits for Owen to save him from himself.

#fic snippet #SOTM #tate williams #owen thomson

[daidonzo]

Chapter 27 - What it meant to me will eventually be a memory [Chishiya x Reader]

"What's the diagnosis, doctor?"

You winced in pain when Chishiya's fingers touched the increasingly growing bump in your head, which was killing you. You stretched your aching back and moved your creaking neck from side to side, hoping for some relief. There was, if only a little bit.

You felt as if a truck had run all over you.

It hadn't been a truck, of course, but a freak of nature using a bull's hollow head as a mask.

"Everything should go away in a few days." The blonde man finally declared, putting both hands on your shoulders. "You were lucky."

"I am, extremely." Because you had him, but saying it out loud would just be ridiculous. He was not only an extremely intelligent, good-looking and caring person (at least when it came to you), but also an actual doctor. "That's why I also would have won the King of Diamonds."

Chishiya had explained more or less what happened during his game to you. He hadn't gotten into too much detail - you had the feeling there had been something other than what he told you, but you had learned, with time, not to push him.

You trusted him so much you didn't mind if he had secrets.

"Are you sure you would have understood the rules?" His lips were curved in that smirk of his, teasing you once again. He had to explain to you how the game worked more than once.

You were just not good with numbers. Like, at all.

"No, I wouldn't have. At least not the first few rounds. But you see, that's where the magic happens…" You stood up from the chair you had been sitting in, turning around so that you could look at Chishiya while speaking, leaning your body against the edge of a table. You were occupying an abandoned apartment once more. "I would have been pretty much like "fuck it, we ball" and choose whatever random number appealed to me."

The man chuckled silently to himself. "I don't think Kuzuryu could have seen that coming."

Oh, yeah, you had to add Kuzuryu to the list of criminally insane people you had met in the Borderlands. It seemed the executive board of The Beach had a lot more of them than you thought at the beginning.

There were only two games left - the King of Spades and his slaughter and the Queen of Hearts. Both were located in Shibuya, close to where the face card games had been announced for the first time, at least judging by the position of the airships displaying those two cards.

None of you had said a word about it, but were travelling towards them.

As were multiple other players.

A part of you wanted to let that other people face those games. Who knows? Maybe they would win and you would be transported back to the real world one night, while you were sleeping.

But other part knew that wasn't fair. All of you had to do your part, work together. And also, you had a feeling you would meet your friends there. You missed them dearly, specially Kuina, and refused to believe something had happened to them.

In addition to that, while it seemed most people softened up with pain, it turned out some of them hardened, you included. You would have never taken yourself for a tough person, but life found a way to surprise you once more.

Now, if your head could at least stop pounding for just a second…

"Penny for your thoughts?" Chishiya asked, his fingers softly touching your jawline.

You blinked, realizing you had lost yourself in your own mind.

"It's a full on monologue." You smiled apologetically.

"I want to hear it."

"I was just thinking we have two games left. We are so close, but I assume there's only a limited number of players, which probably becomes lower every single day, and that means we could still lose, because we could all die and not clear them. And I want Kuina, and Arisu, and Usagi, and Tatta, and Ann to still be alive, but Kuina most of all." You spoke one word after the other, fast, without making a single pause. "I also feel like a completely different person."

"I am sure Kuina is still alive. Arisu, Usagi, and Ann as well." You noticed how he didn't mention Tatta, but you decided not to point it out. Pain was of no use to you, not right now. "And we will beat those games."

His hand moved from your jaw to your hair, fingers getting lost between your locks. He brought your head forward, softly, so that your foreheads would touch.

"And what about me not being the same person I was before… When all of this started?"

You didn't know how much time had passed.

"You are the same person. You've just become more of a force to be reckoned with."

A smile was dancing on your lips already.

"Do you think so?"

"I know so."

"I love you."

The words just escaped your mouth without a warning.

Your heart was full. You had lost people on the way, you had been hurt both physically and emotionally, you had experienced the worst of people… But you also had found love, and friendship. And light couldn't mean anything without darkness to compare it to.

"I love you too."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You had found Usagi close to Shibuya. Alone.

Your heart sunk for a second, thinking that if she was alone, that had to mean… That everybody else was dead?

You didn't let yourself think about it, instead focusing on the happiness you felt seeing her alive, and well. You were so happy you actually hugged her, something she wasn't expecting, judging by the look on her face and the way she awkwardly reciprocated the gesture.

"I'm glad you are still alive." She said, patting you on the back.

"Me too. About you, I mean." You were smiling when you separated, nervously. "Are the others…?"

"Arisu is somewhere there." She pointed towards the center of the city, behind some buildings.

Chishiya smiled, knowingly. You knew he thought highly about him. "I will go speak to him."

You nodded, and remained with Usagi.

"What about Kuina? Did you see her? Ann, Tatta?"

"Last I saw of Kuina, she was fine. Ann as well. Tatta…"

You knew what that lingering silence meant. You swallowed and licked your lips, before pressing them together. She was aware she didn't have to say anything else.

"Are you okay?" She asked, changing the subject, pointing at your face. "That looks like it hurts a lot…"

"Oh? This, you mean?" It did hurt. Even smiling was painful, but you had become accustomed to it. It was funny how the human body could get used to things so quickly. "I'm fine, I was in a game and…"

You had just started retelling the story when you heard the shot.

The King of Spades?

No, nobody was running hysterically and firing just once wasn't really his style.

Plus, it came from where Arisu and Chishiya were. Usagi and you looked at each other and started to run.

You honestly had no clue as to what happened, and what you found when you finally reached the place was even more disconcerting.

Niragi, or what was left of him, was on top of a car. His face and body were a mess of burnt scars.

The surprise of seeing him alive didn't last very long, because your eyes moved instantly to Chishiya, who was bleeding undoubtedly from that shot you had heard, hiding behind a car. Arisu was also cowered in the same position.

Everything you felt was dread.

"What are you doing?" Usagi asked.

"Are you three killing each other? Are you out of you goddamn minds!?" You could see it now, the three of them were holding guns. You spoke like a person about to have a nervous breakdown.

"Oh yeah. There were you two, as well." Niragi smiled.

And shot at the two of you. Usagi grabbed your arm, forcing you to move and getting you out of the bullet's trajectory. Both of you fell to the ground on the process.

"If you two are dead, then the three of us can be kindred spirits."

More shots. You closed your eyes, hard, hoping that, when it hit, it would at least hit you and not Usagi. She was more useful than you in the games. And, if there was room for an extra wish, that it would not puncture any vital organs. Pretty please.

But it didn't.

You looked at each other. You were both well. Could it be that Niragi had a shitty aim and nobody had been hit? Could you ever be so lucky?

Of course not.

A sound that you identified as your heart breaking into a million pieces when Chishiya hit the ground, a second bullet wound somewhere on his chest. Had it hit the heart? The lungs?

He had saved you.

Usagi and Arisu run to him.

You crawled.

You placed yourself at his side, on your knees, pressing the wound with your bare hands. That was the only thing you knew about treating this sort of things, that you should stop the hemorrhage. "Shhh, sh… It's fine, it's fine." You didn't know if that was meant to calm him or yourself.

"Why did you do that?" Usagi said, her hands on top of yours, helping you apply pressure.

"I wanted to do something that was… A bit out of character. It's probably because of the people I met here like Kuzuryu, Arisu and…" His eyes moved towards your face. He lifted his hand to touch your cheek and when he lowered it, you noticed his fingers were wet. You then realized you were crying.

"Stay awake! Come on, what were you going to tell me earlier?" Arisu asked, trying to keep him conscious.

"Oh yeah… To me… People who live life so seriously seem like fools. Those people who strive so hard. I did not like them. But I was jealous. They had what I didn't."

"I know what you mean."

"I figured you would say that, Arisu."

The conversation was going on around you, but you were not paying any attention to it. You couldn't. He was dying in front of you.

You also heard Niragi's voice coming from somewhere. What had happened to him? Had Chishiya shot him? Had Arisu? You didn't know the reason why he wasn't shooting at you any longer. You only cared that he had stopped. You hoped he would die.

Your thoughts were so chaotic. You were panicking, spiraling, looking at Chishiya's face but not really seeing anything.

You couldn't cope with any of the emotions you were feeling.

You couldn't function properly.

And just as you thought things couldn't get any worse, a shadow loomed over you.

The King of Spades.

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