#13AM games

[miloscat]

[Review] Runbow (3DS)

A slick bite-size multiplayer platformer... except on 3DS, where it's not as slick and the multiplayer doesn't work.

Knocking another one off my Wii U backlog... but I actually decided to try the 3DS version instead, just to try out the portable version and for the flexibility of being in a warmer room on one of my poor health days. Fun fact, this is also one of the very few retail-release New 3DS exclusives! Anyway, don't play the 3DS version. I'll explain why.

Runbow started as a game jam prototype by Canadian indie studio 13AM Games, before being expanded into a full game. The main idea is that the background colour periodically changes in a swiping effect, which can turn colour-coded stage hazards and platforms on and off. It's a very clever concept that gets iterated to heck and back over the run of short levels, many of which take under a minute to successfully complete.

On top of this is a party-game atmosphere with support for up to nine players, local or online... is what I would say if I weren't playing the 3DS version, which could only handle up to four. And it doesn't have local Wifi support. And the online has now been shut down (barring fan efforts to preserve a surrogate network system). I was only interested in playing by myself anyway, but there are unlockable characters and skins that require multiplayer play, which are straight up inaccessible currently in this version. Besides this, the multiplayer-exclusive arena modes do seem to be quite fun, and the core game probably shines with a bunch of friends competing in the regular levels. The Wii U version in particular also has its own mode which makes great use of the Gamepad, where the player in command of it can throw hazards at the other players!

There's a racing element to the game where everyone runs through the same little platforming challenges simultaneously, with the first to the goal being celebrated. You do lose this aspect playing solo, but you still have time goals which reward you with little shiny things and concept art unlocks for performing well. This in-built speedrunning mechanic has promise, but retrying levels felt too sluggish due to load times; even restarting after a death was just too long, a far cry from Super Meat Boy or Celeste's nigh-instant respawns. This problem is admittedly worse on 3DS, and was apparently a deliberate choice to ensure proper syncing between online players on the dinky technology. So much for that.

Although the levels are short, there's plenty of them in the Adventure mode, which has you unlocking new ones over a grid, so you can tackle them in nearly any order. DLC packs add a new adventure map along with some extra costumes, plus there's another fun mode where you undertake a longer gauntlet broken up into rooms, as you escape the belly of a beast that apparently swallowed a lot of spikes and such: there's an unlock for clearing it in 20 minutes but it took me more than 40. It's a nice change of pace.

I have to restate at this point how much mileage the game gets out of the colour-shifting mechanic. Each new level seems to have a new twist on the concept, and it constantly keeps you on your toes by upending the world around you at a snappy pace. I also liked the wide variety of character skins (in both Man and Lady varieties) that let you change up your look, on top of the beloved indie tradition of guest characters such as Shantae, Steamworld Dig's Rusty, Guacamelee's Juan and Tostada, the ubiquitous Shovel Knight, etc. etc.

But the 3DS is simply the wrong way to play Runbow. The physics feel a bit clunkier, the load times drag down the pace, you barely get to see those lovely character skins when they’re scrunched to a miniscule resolution, not to mention the disservice the 3DS screen does to the general art style with its bold poppy colours and smooth lines. Without even mentioning the now-broken multiplayer and inaccessible content, it feels like an ill-advised and highly compromised conversion to a quite unsuited system. Still, it's a strong enough game that I still got some fun out of it, but if you have the choice I'd recommend any other version first.

[satoshi-mochida]

Dawn of the Monsters ‘Arcade + Character DLC Pack’ announced

Gematsu Source

Publisher WayForward and developer 13AM Games have announced the “Arcade + Character DLC Pack” for cooperative kaiju beat ’em up game Dawn of the Monsters. It adds the new Arcade Mode, new playable character Meteor Temujin, and more. A release date was not announced.

Here is an overview of the downloadable content, via its Steam page:

About

The kaiju conflict continues with the “Arcade + Character DLC Pack”! This add-on content for Dawn of the Monsters lets you fight the Nephilim hordes in a whole new way with the remixed action of Arcade Mode; this pick-up-and-play mode features a new power-up system (with “classic” and “rogue” options), revamped scoring, unlockable Nightmare difficulty, and new ending illustrations.

Also included in this downloadable content is new playable character Meteor Temujin! Chosen by fan vote, this combining mecha wields three devastating weapons—a sword, an axe, and a hammer—to obliterate enemies in any game mode! Additionally, this expansion delivers 50 new character skins, extra gallery entries, three new archive files, and new challenges, and achievements. The titanic battle rages on!

Contents

-Arcade Mode

New power-up system with two options: classic (choose from a predetermined set) or rogue (randomly generated)

Revamped scoring

Countdown timer

Normal and Nightmare difficulties

Five unlockable ending illustrations

-New playable character Meteor Temujin -50 new character skins (18 for Meteor Temujin, 8 each for Megadon, Ganira, Aegis Prime, and Tempest Galahad) -New gallery items -Three new archive files -New challenges and achievements

*The full Dawn of the Monsters game (available separately) is required to use this content.

Dawn of the Monsters is available now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC via Steam.

Watch a new trailer below.

Announce Trailer

[celestie0]

gojo satoru x reader | college au [18+]

kickoff ch.12 how you get the girl

ᰔ pairing. college au - soccer player! gojo x film major! reader

ᰔ summary. gojo satoru is the most popular guy on your college campus. he's tall, funny, hot, not to mention he's the most talented soccer forward the school has seen in years. but he's also a frat dude, which puts him in a world very different from your own, as he spends most of his nights partying while you spend most of yours working on your annoying film major assignments. but when he reaches out to you for a favor, you realize that helping him out might have something in it for you too.

ᰔ warnings/tags. 18+, fem reader, fluff, angst, smut, college au, fraternities, sororities, partying, drinking/alcohol, romance, jealousy, pining, slow burn, opposites to lovers, friends to lovers, she falls first he falls harder, gojo being an idiot, marijuana use, sexism, sexual harassment (verbal only)

ᰔ chapter. 12/x (probably 18)

ᰔ words. 11.3k

a/n. man the color scheme for this chapter is kinda giving BRAT lolol...i mean gojo IS brat. anywho, i don't have much to say at the beginning of this chapter but i do have a LOT to say at the end of it sooo see y'all at the bottom!! hope u enjoy. also BIG THANK YOU to @whereflowerswenttodie who beta read parts of this chapter for me n convinced me not to scrap it lol

nav. masterlist

☾·̩͙꙳ moodboard no.1 :: ♬.*ﾟplaylist

11:03am you: hi! 11:03am you: good luck today 11:03am you: incase i don’t see you

11:05am Gojo Satoru: Why wouldn’t you? Aren’t you gonna be on the field for your newsletter shots?

11:07am you: i mean yes but idk where i’m gonna be stationed so 11:07am you: it might not be on UTokyo’s side of the field

11:08am Gojo Satoru: Okay then I’ll look for you before the game starts

11:10am you: no pls don’t. coach yaga thinks i distract you. i don’t want to get yelled at again. he scares me :(

11:12am Gojo Satoru: Haha you’re silly 11:13am Gojo Satoru: East side entrance at 2 11:13am Gojo Satoru: Be there

11:14am you: or be square?

11:15am Gojo Satoru: Yea whatever shape you wanna be in is fine cutie

It’s a bright sunny day outside, perfectly blue sky with a scattering of fluffy clouds seen outside the window of your shared room in your apartment, and you realize spring is fully here from the way birds chirp past the glass. You’re stuffing your camera case full of chilled Kodak film rolls, your last stash left, and it’s the last piece of equipment you pack before slinging the strap over your shoulder and heading out the door.

Mina had offered to give you a ride to the stadium since your car’s still at the shop, but you’re happy you opted for the bumpy bus ride and although you come close to low-grade concussions from the bang of your head to the window at every other speed bump, the music in your ears while someone else is operating a public transport vehicle helps you think creatively before shooting shots.

It was surprise enough that Mina of all people was going to this game, and when you questioned her about it in the morning, she looked at you like you were absurd to assume anyone from UTokyo wouldn’t be at this game, and sure enough, it’s all anyone on Instagram has been repping on their stories or talking about in the bustling minutes before lectures. Even Utahime was going to this game, and she hates all intercollegiate sports. You knew the game was a big deal, given the way Coach Yaga was yelled at via email by the Dean of UTokyo to make sure the team wins today because a multimillion dollar Nike sponsorship would be greenlit by the prospect (for some reason you were cc’d in an email chain among divisional higher-ups, but you weren’t opposed to snooping in on conversations that were entirely outside of your tax bracket).

It’s because it’s the second to last home game before the season ends, and apparently this has been statistically the best season the UTokyo D1 Men’s Soccer team has played since the new millenia. No pressure to the players on that fact, but failure wasn’t much of an option for them anymore. 

And you can feel the stakes the second you step inside the stadium. Packed would be an understatement, there were people flooding the aisles, overbooked for the sake of the university pocketing an extra buck no doubt, but spectators could care less since they were able to at least get in on the basis of that irresponsibility in the first place, despite the stadium’s capacity having long been reached before the pregame festivities even start. Banners and signs drape over railings with the school’s striking blue and golden colors, every single replay screen is lit up and brightly pixelated at every north, south, east, and west entrance for inclusive viewing. As you pass VIP security and make it into the lower field-level entry, the scattered chants from the crowd amplify in volume and you almost wince a little to yourself from the noise. The stadium felt like a living, breathing entity, pulsing with the collective heartbeat of everyone inside. 

You’ve never been more overstimulated in your life, except instead of finding it frightening, it was electrifying. And for once, you think you can understand what an athlete must feel when playing on their own home turf surrounded by those that are wholeheartedly rooting for them.

Hana is quick to spot you, panic clear across her face as she regards you with a couple pages with your assigned vantage points, a rushed briefing session, and then she’s darting down the sidelines to make sure equipment is set up appropriately where needed. She’s understaffed, given you told Utahime about Kai’s little intervention last week and she made a nasty point to the university (and possibly a handful of legal threats) and they relented in firing him. So now the three of you were down a photographer, and the extra work shows in the instructions she gave you as you skim the sheets. 

A glance at your phone tells you it’s close to 2pm, and your eyes take in the expanse of green on the field. UTokyo’s players practice kicking shots off to the right goal post, while YCU’s players practice shots off to the left. You can’t spot where Gojo is, but you faithfully head down to the East Side entrance like he asked you to. 

When you round the corner, you almost crash right into an Ichiko mascot, but swiftly dodge, and then you stop in your tracks when you see Gojo standing right at the concrete entrance. He’s leaning back against the adjacent wall, arms crossed at his chest, and he’s stretching his neck side to side with a creased brow, an intense look in his eyes, lost in serious thought, scanning the wall across from him like he’s mapping out plays in his head. 

When you approach him and catch the corner of his eyesight, he leans off the wall and flashes you one of his so extremely charmed to see you grins on reflex, and suddenly there’s nothing your senses seem to pick up on except him. Like everything else around you just disappears.

“Hey, you,” he says when he comes up to you, and you walk him like a dog back to a corner that’s tucked further away from noises and sights. You lean your back against the wall now, the coolness of concrete seeping through the fabric of your shirt, and he stands a step in front of you. Your hands toy with the strap of your camera.

“Are you ready to win today?” you ask him, and look off to the right into the flourishing seats that are still being filled to the brim, “clearly there’s no pressure.”

He breathes in deep, and releases it slowly, like there really was tension to relieve. “We’ve got no choice but to win.”

“Is that something Coach Yaga says to you guys often?” you ask him, because the man recited the same thing about five times in that email chain. “Also, apparently you take years off of his life.” Another thing he recited about five times in that email chain.

Gojo only addresses what he wants to address, as per usual. “Yeah, it’s something he says to us often.” 

“So,” you say, “what did you want to talk about?”

He looks at you puzzled, tilting his head to the side. “Nothing. I just wanted to see you.”

It’s hard to assume that he didn’t have something to talk about with the intention of telling you to meet him here, because this is the same place you confessed to him a few weeks ago, and so is also the place he so painfully rejected you. But maybe he doesn’t think about these kinds of things as much as you do. “I see.”

His tongue pokes to his cheek as he studies your anticipating expression, and then he sighs, his shoulders slumping slightly. “What are we doing? I mean, I like you, and you like me too, at least I hope you still do. Why don’t we—…why don’t we just give it a go already? I don’t see how we can move forward if you won’t at least let me take you out on a date.”

Your hands stop fidgeting with your camera strap from his words, and you lick your lips, suddenly unable to keep eye contact with him so your gaze drifts down to his chest in front of you. His uniform is clean, no smudges of dirt or grass, just pure white fabric underneath heat-pressed blue and golden accents, and of course, that signature number 10. You’re sure he’s all you’ll ever think of when you see that number now for the rest of your life. 

You know when you want something so bad you don’t know what to do once you have it? Because it almost seems too good to be true? 

“I just wanted to let stuff between us breathe for a little bit,” you confess, “it’s just, it was a lot to deal with. Being around you when I thought you didn’t want me the way I wanted you. I don’t know if this is odd to say, and maybe I’m overthinking it, but I just feel like somewhere along the way, I kind of…forgot who you were for a little bit.” This kind of vulnerability would have you running away with your tail between your legs with anyone else, but not with him. Not after everything. 

His expression softens, melting away that confrontational energy he had earlier, and he nods slowly. He opens his mouth to speak, but he can’t seem to find words. The presence of them is there, though, you can feel them. But what good are his thoughts if not voiced? 

“I just wanted to spend a little bit of time getting to know you again, I guess.” You squeeze your arm in reassurance of yourself because he wasn’t giving it to you. You let out an awkward laugh. “I don’t really know what I’m saying right now, to be honest.”

You can tell he’s at a crossroads, and you think back to this week and his efforts to get you to open up to him again. You know how he feels right now, because it’s exactly how you felt when he rejected you. Like when someone is so close, yet so far, you can feel that they’re within arms reach but never truly. And they’re slipping away for some reason that you may never know, but all you can do is assume that it’s a fault of your own. You’re not really sure what he can do to make you feel secure about this whole thing anymore, and you can see the slight panic in his eyes when he realizes that too.

“I don’t mind waiting,” he tells you, rushed with a desperation entirely contrary to his words, “what’s a week or two when I want to spend a lot more of those with you anyways.” But he takes a deep breath, like he’s already mentally preparing himself for an agonizing wait in his head.

There’s a sound over the stadium speakers, something technical and sporty and goes entirely over your head in dismissal, but to Gojo it seems to have a different effect, as he’s suddenly attentive and stands up straighter, that focused expression on his face from earlier resurfacing. You realize he needs to get back to the field. 

“Can we continue this conversation after the game?” he asks you hastily, already turning towards the center of the stadium. And he adds an obligatory, “sorry.”

“Yeah, sure,” you quickly agree, suddenly feeling like you’re taking up his time. 

He gives you a small smile, unsure in its presentation but pure in its intention. But he can only take one step towards the field before you reach out and pinch the fabric of his jersey to keep him still. He feels the tug of it and fully faces you once again. 

“Um. Just a sec,” you say, “I have something to give you before your game.”

“Oh?” he looks at you with interest, “I fucking love things.” 

“You have to close your eyes though.”

“…what is the thing…” He squints at you with a what are you up to expression.

“Just close your eyes!” you snap at him.

“Okay, okay, jeez,” he holds his hands up in front of him in surrender, shaking his head to get his hair out of his face and then he closes his eyes. “You’re scary as hell sometimes. Excuse me for being cautious.”

You roll your eyes, useless because he doesn’t see it, and then take a step towards him. You cup his jaw with the palm of your hand, his cheek twitching slightly from the unexpected contact, and then you raise on your tiptoes to press your lips to his cheek. It’s short and sweet with the sound of a peck.

“For good luck,” you whisper, then you quickly lower yourself back onto your heels, take a step back and tuck some strands of hair behind your ear. The ground suddenly interests you.

He opens his eyes, blinking a few times with shock and his hand comes up to brush the tips of his fingers against the spot you kissed him, and then his gaze goes comically dazed when he reaches out to hold you. “Alright, c’mere you,” he says, closing his eyes and puckering his lips as he leans down to kiss you but you laugh and push his face away.

“No no no, only on the cheek for now,” you say with a small laugh.

He does nothing to restrain his frustrated groan. “You can’t do something that cute and then expect me to be chill about it.”

“If you win, then, maybe I’ll let you kiss me for real.”

“Maybe?”

“Yes. Maybe.”

He’s close, towering over you near this bustling east side entrance that he seems to like so much, and his eyes drop to your lips. “Alright. I like those odds.” 

You give him a smile and slip away from him to get back towards the field, and you feel his eyes on you as you walk away.

The pregame events are a blur, with blaring music accompanied by the sounds of the sports announcers clipping across the speakers, finally quieted down in time for the players to line up on the field for the national anthem which was then followed by UTokyo’s alma mater. 

You’re stationed on the same side of the field as Minato, UTokyo’s side, while Hana is covering the sidelines of the opposite end with the opponents goal post. Minato’s filling up a cup of Gatorade for himself at the athlete’s station and then he comes back around to find you.

“Are you ready to take your shots? I see Hana wanted you to shoot on film today,” he says to you as he sloshes around Glacier Freeze in a flimsy plastic cup.

You twist your aperture dial with your thumb. “Yesss, all set. I’ll try to keep up.” 

He nods at you in approval.

The atmosphere feels nerve wracking. Something felt different about this game, the stakes feeling high. Well, of course they’re high, because if they lose today then they’re out of the tournament. But the stakes feel high for other reasons too, an energy you can pick up on but can’t quite discern. 

Your eyes drift across the field where you can see a referee placing a ball at the center of the field. Off to the right, you can see Gojo standing with a few of his other teammates, including Geto, Nanami, and Choso, and they’re all gesticulating to various corners of the field as they discuss what you can only imagine have to do with their plays for today. And you realize— it’s their last college soccer season. Their second-to-last official home match before the championship, and for those of them that haven’t qualified for the national league, it may be their second-to-last match of this caliber for the rest of their lives. One of the final chances that they have to prove something of themselves. The determination was palpable. 

The chief referee’s whistle cuts through the air with three short chirps, and that gathers the attention of all the players on the field. UTokyo wins the coin toss, choosing to kickoff, and YCU’s players choose to attack the left side goal.

Your stomach churns with anticipation, the crowd hushing too as all the players take their places on the field. If you feel nervous, you can only imagine how the athletes feel. There’s a rhythm that you’ve learned over the past couple of months getting to know the sport, where players stretch out their necks and kick out their feet and take subtle deep breaths as they survey the stands. Idle moments before the start of the match where they have no choice but to look forward and only forward, so they take a moment to stay in the present for as long as they can gather. You’ve never been much of a sports spectator, and perhaps you’ve only recently had some personal interest in the team, but you realize you feel pride in your school as you stand behind chalk sideline and see UTokyo’s colors scattered across the field in uniform. And fuck, you wanted them to win. You wanted them to win with fierceness and wrath, and it’s a desire you share with the crowd. 

Gojo spends a minute talking to the referee before the black and white striped man pats him high on the back in the good sport and urges him towards the center of the field. He lifts his foot up onto the ball, rolling it back and forth underneath the spikes of his cleat, and you can see it in his eyes, even from all the way over here, that he seems to have different ideas in mind for this game too. High stakes. Pre-determined, set with will, evident in the clench of his jaw and the concentrated furrow of his brow as he surveys the field with his eyes, and you’re lost in the sight for what feels like forever because you can hardly register the chirp of the ref’s whistle. 

And then the kickoff starts. 

The ball is tapped to Geto to start the play, and the first few minutes were intense as the ball was passed back and forth between UTokyo’s players, placing pressure on YCU’s defense as they inched closer and closer towards the goal. A pass between UTokyo’s #4 was intercepted by YCU and the ball was rushed down towards the left side, the crowd’s horror evident in the uproar as they raise to their feet in fearful anticipation, and with ruthless offense, YCU’s forward takes a clear sink shot towards the goal, and the crowd holds their breath before they watch Choso lunge for it in air, gloved hands firmly grabbing the ball and then pulling it to his chest with a possessiveness you can only expect to see from a skilled goalie, before he crashes down into the ground and the crowd releases relief in the form of rowdy roars.

Ten minutes in, with everyone on their toes, each team tested each other’s defenses. UTokyo were known for stellar offense, especially within the past few years with players like Gojo Satoru and Takuma Ino joining the league as powerful forwards, but UTokyo’s overall offense was still statistically second to none other than YCU. And the pressure YCU was putting on UTokyo’s defense was wearisome to say the least. You glance to see Nanami, who is UTokyo’s best defensive player, huffing and puffing as he stands between two light-footed YCU players in an attempt to guard, and fails an attempt to steal the ball before it gets to the feet of YCU’s striker #6, passed in a split second off to his teammate, with a fake so seamless that it has Choso just a couple inches away from touching the ball before it’s sent flying into the net. 

The noises from the crowd are still loud, but dampened in spirit. 

With the referees hand signal up in the air, the current score is confirmed. 0-1, YCU. 

Coach Yaga calls for a sub, in which he switches Nanami out for who you believe is a 2nd-year defensive player name Yuta you’ve seen around practice with a promising statistical record for interceptions, and you watch as Nanami takes the bench before he swipes the sweat off his face in exhaustion. God. Just fifteen minutes into the match, and YCU already has UTokyo’s defense winded from play. 

You bring your camera up to your face, forgetting for a moment that there was still a job to do here, and you position the direction of the lens towards the center of the field, where Gojo takes his place at the ball once more. Yuta briefly passes by him, signaling some play to him by holding up a number three, likely something Coach Yaga asked him to pass on to Gojo, and you see him briefly nod, his mouth slightly agape as he breathes slowly and pulls his jersey up to wipe at the sweat at his forehead. 

The referee chirps the whistle, Gojo taps the ball to Yuta, and the play starts. 

YCU immediately puts pressure on UTokyo’s offensive play once more, with eager movements to steal the ball, but it’s passed between UTokyo’s players with ease, more practiced and more sure. The kind of play that you and the rest of the school was used to seeing from them. However, Geto loses the ball on a left-back pass, but right when YCU makes attempts to cover field in a long-shot kick towards the left, Yuta intercepts the ball and swiftly passes it to Gojo.

The crowd immediately rises to their feet in anticipation, watching as Gojo shuffles the ball down the field, dangerously close to off-field boundaries, a signature tactic he uses because he knows there’s not a single player in the league that can match him in precision and control to keep the ball in-field on a steal, and he swiftly passes it towards Geto with a side-swept kick, beelining down towards the goal post, in perfect time for Geto pass-back to meet his feet and when Gojo was this close to a net, there was no stopping him. 

He draws his right foot back, and explosively kicks the ball forward, chipping the grass under it in the motion, and it’s sent flying towards the goal, and then threaded past the goalie right to the back of the net. The cheers that erupt across the stadium rumble the ground beneath you. 

1-1, even match.

UTokyo spends no time celebrating, other than a few pats to Gojo’s back as he nods in acknowledgement, no emotion on his face other than pure concentration and greed. The greed to win, like a righteous sin. He stretches his neck out, panting slightly as he takes his place towards the right side of the field and the referee chirps his whistle to signal YCU to start the kickoff.

They quickly make attempts in moving the ball towards their scoring-end of the field, but face push-back from UTokyo’s defense, unable to make it much further past the midfield line, and you bring your camera up to take a snap of Gojo, who you see is still standing off to the right side of the field. But when you position it and peer through the viewfinder, that space he once stood at was empty. You pull your camera down, and blink at the sight, and then the crowd is picking up in volume once more.

Gojo sprints down the flank, cutting past every defender, and moves towards YCU’s attacking goal, which was a shocking place to be for a center forward, but you could feel his desire and determination to steal this back-and-forth ball, and succeeds when YCU makes an open pass, thinking they were in the clear, only to have Gojo sneak in at the last moment and get the ball at his feet. 

The play moves by in a flash, a blur that you or anyone else in the stadium could hardly keep up with it, movements so fast you were shocked a human being was capable of even running that far in such a short amount of time, and in an almost embarrassingly easy play, Gojo makes a fool out of YCU’s defenders as he slips the ball through the legs of his last obstacle before he struck it with sharp precision, sending it soaring to the corner of the goal, past the outstretched arms of the goalie, and into the net. 

2-1, UTokyo.

It was electrifying, the feeling that strikes through the stadium, one that reaches you in your own blood. You’re shocked, standing here, after witnessing Gojo score two goals within the matter of minutes, against one of the top three teams in the league. It’s a shock that reaches everyone, including Coach Yaga who’s standing about ten feet down the line from you, his arms crossed, and you see his eyes for the first time as he takes his sunglasses off to get a better look at what he’s seeing.

You trail his sight, dragging your gaze across the field until it lands at Gojo, who is barely acknowledging the encouraging pats and shakes and goodhearted shoves that his teammates were giving him, because he was focused. It might sound crazy to say, but you swear his eyes looked like a fiercer shade of blue, like they were lit up, and you’re insanely glad you’re not one of YCU’s defensive players at the moment because you feel fearful of him even just standing on the sidelines. 

Your gaze trails back to Coach Yaga, who slowly puts his sunglasses back on but his brows are narrowed tightly as he crosses his arms over his chest tightly.

The “athletic zone”... You’ve heard of it before. A state of pure focus, of peak performance, where an athlete experiences optimal concentration and a sense of effortless control over their actions. In which they perform at their highest level, where time slows down, any and all distractions fade away, and they’re completely immersed in their sport at hand. At the task at hand.

Coach Yaga seems to pick up on the fact that Gojo was on the edge of tapping into that state. 

YCU makes a substitution, and you watch in anticipation as they begin the kickoff. 

There’s fire in their veins with desperation to even out the score once more, rushing the ball down the off-field line, one of their center forwards mimicking Gojo’s signature attack pattern, and Yuta struggles to keep up with the expert dribbling of a fourth-year player with more experience on him, so much so to where he completely leaves the ball unguarded and there’s an open shot, but Geto places pressure at the last moment, in a fierce battle for the ball, before YCU’s center forward loses the ball over the goal line. 

Choso picks the ball up, tapping on it harshly a few times as he surveys his eyes down the field, and all offensive players begin to shuffle towards their attacking goal in anticipation for the goal kick. He signals his hand down and then holds up two fingers in the air before placing the ball down on the six-yard box. He tightens the strap of one of his gloves, eyes squinting, and you follow his gaze down to a part of the field where you note UTokyo’s best aerial players are located and being guarded by YCU’s defense. And with complete trust in his team, that’s exactly where he kicks the ball. 

Geto makes first contact with the ball, his chest colliding with two other YCU players as his head comes out on top and he headbutts the ball closer towards the inner field, and Gojo immediately gains access to it with a bounce of his knee. The crowd holds their breath, fear that they’ll lose the ball to a steal in the split second it spends floating in the air, but Gojo urges it forward with a bounce off of his chest and then rushes it straight down towards the goal post. 

You wonder what sight he sees right now. Where you’re dead center, at no angle, lunging towards the sight of an open goal with a sole goalie standing in the center, anticipating to block your shot, and three defenders on your tail. There’s no room for error, no time to think, only instincts that you cultivate in the last leading milliseconds. They say that, in sports, athletes channel one hundred hours of practice in just a brief second on the field. A split second success that was years in the making. You can’t even imagine possessing that level of perfection in your body, or possessing that level of confidence that you can follow through with it in a moment as dire as this.

It was unreal, the way Gojo fades away from all the defenders, and faces no fear when confronted with the sight of the goalie in front of him while drawing his foot back to kick the ball. You lift your camera up at the last second, no time to think about aperture or ISO, just like he had no time to second-doubt a single twitch in his muscles, and his foot makes contact with the ball so harshly that you can hear the explosive sound even among the delirious cheers from the crowd, before he hook, line, and sinks it straight past the goalie’s head, rushing by like a scarcely deflected bullet, and into the net behind him. 

3-1, UTokyo.

The whole stadium is momentarily speechless, all players and referees and recruiters and reporters and coaches and employees alike, before the most deafening cheers you’ve ever heard in your life scatter across the stands.

There’s a moment of brief reprieve, where the players can catch their breath while YCU makes yet another substitution, as if they’re just trial-and-erroring it at this point, and the cheers in the stadiums remain idle as you can’t tear your gaze away from Gojo.

It’s one of those moments where you realize that someone who you thought was so familiar to you was actually someone you hardly knew at all. You knew he was a talented soccer player, everyone on campus knows it, potentially one of the best to ever grace the league, and the amount of times you passively watched his plays on a lecture hall projector screen as your professor enthusiastically broke them down during class, even before you met him, was good enough for you to realize that he was insane, a one-in-a-million, a talent you cannot replicate, one you have by divinity. One you were born with. 

And yet, somehow, getting to know him these past couple of months, he just felt so human. For someone so seemingly beyond you, he felt so…close? In those moments where it was just the two of you, it was hard to imagine that he was capable of such greatness, and that so many people were rooting for him with wholehearted tears in their eyes and cheers from their hearts, because most of the time, when he was with you, he was just a dorky idiot. You find that your heart is beating fast in your chest, that feeling of being unsure of what to do with what you’ve been wanting resurfacing powerfully. 

“This is insane,” you hear Minato say from beside you and you jump a little from your thoughts being interrupted.

You twiddle with your camera straps. “I know…almost done with the first half and we’re up 3-1…I thought YCU are number one in offense for the league?”

“Oh, yeah, I mean, yes, that is insane too. But what’s even more insane is that three of the goals so far have been scored by one player.” He tips his chin towards the right sight of the field and you trail his line of sight. “By Gojo Satoru.”

Your brow furrows as you watch Gojo, his hands on his hips and his mouth slightly open as he indulges in a few shallow breaths to gain energy while YCU prepares for kickoff. Three goals, by just one player. Your eyes widen when you realize that is insane, especially for a D1 semi-final qualifying match.

“You know what the divisional record is for most goals scored by a single player during a championship match, y/n?” Minato asks you as he lifts his camera up to take a picture of the area Gojo was standing in. 

You shake your head and wait for his response.

He drops his camera down and glances at the photo on his screen. “Four. During Keio Uni vs. Osaka Uni, near the beginning of the tournament back in 1997 by Osaka’s center forward number 24, Yuji Nakazawa. Meaning no one’s managed to beat that record since the new millenia, for a couple decades. Although a few players came close.”

You blink at him, and Minato is jerking his chin over in the direction of Gojo again.

“I think he’s trying to beat the record.”

You can only widen your eyes at Minato in realization, and then the chirp of the referee’s whistle draws everyone’s attention back to the field. 

The sports announcers go wild on the speakers, the crowd raving all the same, standing to their feet like the team just won the championship match.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!! We are watching HISTORY in the making!! Gojo Satoru, UTokyo’s very own 3-year consecutive MVP, has scored his 34th goal of the season, highest of any player in this year’s season so far, and is now on the road to beat the league’s long-standing record for most goals scored by a single player in a championship match since 1997!!” And the crowd roars even louder as you stare out at the field in awe.

YCU starts the kickoff following the prompt short chirp of the referee’s whistle, and with two minutes remaining on the clock for the first half, make desperate attempts to book it down the field towards their attacking goal, one of their midfielders making a clumsy attempt to strike the ball to the net in the final minutes of the half, and Choso easily catches it in his arms, right before the buzzer of the timer sounds, and the match moves into halftime. 

All of UTokyo’s players immediately flock towards Gojo in sportful glee, finally having a chance to surround him and harass him with harsh pats on his back and ruffles of his hair for his play in the first half. Choso even puts him in a headlock because they all don’t know what else to do with their excitement and adrenaline rushing through their bodies. Their win for today was basically confirmed with the way he was playing. 

You catch a glimpse of him through the crowd of people, and he has a boyish grin on his face, reveling in the embarrassing amount of attention from his teammates, that focused look from before dissolving into his normal self again. But you can see through him, as well enough as you’ve learned to at least, and you can tell he’s not satisfied. He’s thinking it’s not enough. There’s still more to be done, and it’s not time to celebrate yet. 

His eyes scan down the sideline until they find you. 

Your heart jumps a second in your chest. He stands up straighter, despite his teammates still clinging to him, and there’s a twinkle in his eyes when your eyes meet. 

Cheerleaders take their place out onto the field, performing their numbers with loud music blaring, and the recruiters seated at their white tables get up to roam across the sidelines in discussion with referees and with Coach Yaga and with whatever players they can sink their greedy teeth into, as well as sneak at refreshments while they’re at it. You can see off to the right that Hana has reunited with Minato and she’s showing him some of the shots she took over at the opponent's side. 

UTokyo’s players start to make their way to the benches to grab for towels and drinks of water and to sprawl across in rest, and you hear loud familiar laughter approaching as you watch the players sprawl across the benches, so you avert your eyes towards the source of the sound. 

You see Gojo approaching the benches, two of his teammates slung with their arms around him in some type of adrenaline-drunken glee as they talk dramatically and theatrically which Gojo entertains with his own drunk-off-of-adrenaline glee. And you raise an eyebrow at his demeanor when he makes eye contact with you.

“There’s my freaky little photographer,” he says, and he’s standing up straight and—wait, is he puffing his chest out as he makes his way towards you? Oh for fucks sake.

Gojo has always been confident around you, for as long as you can remember, but in the fair few moments he’s been cocky, he’s been a menace. And you can only assume the testosterone-induced high of being on the verge of breaking a league record in front of the entire school then subsequently getting homiesexually praised by his teammates for the better part of the past five minutes, not to mention with the crowd and the reporters feeding his ego with a spoon across the speakers, he’s been transformed into the final boss of cocky.

His teammates surround you too, their hands on their hips as they assess you and Gojo when he meanders right up to you, arms held out to hug you, a sleazy sight you’ve seen probably six times this week, and you feel a rush of warmth in your cheeks as you place a hand on his chest to keep him away.

“You’re sweaty and gross, please stay away from me,” you reprimand him, “this is an expensive lens that is not humidity-proof.” 

“Hey, you’re the girl that Kentaro socked in the face with a ball the other day at practice, right?” one of his teammates asks, leaning in towards you to take a closer look at your face.

“Oh yeahhh, ‘cause Satoru wasn’t paying attention,” another one of his teammates chimes in teasingly, hardly heard over the loud remix playing in the background as the cheerleaders continue to perform on the field. 

You shrink a little from where you stand. Gojo’s got an irritated look on his face and he’s shrugging his teammate’s elbow off of his shoulder.

“I really hope you’re getting my good angles,” his teammate to the left comments before winking at you, and you purse your lips together. 

The one on the right leans in too, looking at your cheek with an assessing look in his eye. “At least it didn’t leave a scar on your cute face—”

Gojo shoves the both of them back and away from you by elbowing them in the chest, and they make deep eugh noises before stepping away and rubbing at their sternums with pouts on their faces.

“Get the fuck away from her,” he grumbles, “she’s mine.”

Your cheeks flush slightly with warmth at the attention, and you watch as his teammates scurry away to adhere to some social hierarchy Gojo seems to possess over them.

You raise an eyebrow at him. “Yours?”

“Yes. Eventually. Whatever, did you see me out there?” he turns his torso towards the field and points behind himself with his thumb, “when I—”

“Oh god, you know what’s soooooooooo super sexy to me?” you interrupt him. “When guys are humble.”

“Oh c’monnn,” he curls his arm around your waist and pulls you to him, to where you stumble a little on grass and he holds you when you fall into him with more clumsiness than grace. “Tell me you aren’t at least impressed by me.”

You pout, because you are, and you’d really like to give him some reassurance and validation, but for some reason his cocky attitude is setting you off. “Satoru,” you sigh, wiggling a little in his hug, but he holds you tighter, “I’m working right now. Cut it out.”

He lets go of you at that, sober enough from the adrenaline to realize you’re being serious, but he steps into your space so only you can hear him. “What? Are you embarrassed?”

“Of what?” Your face twists with confusion.

“Of me. Are you embarrassed of me?” he asks.

“No. Why would I be embarrassed of you?” you ask with sharpness.

“I don’t know, just, sometimes I feel like you’re always annoyed by me,” he says with a sigh. “It’s like, you’re really sweet sometimes, and then kinda rude out of nowhere, and it’s sort of messing with my head.”

You pout. “You were messing with my head for weeks.”

“And I’m sorry about that,” he quickly interjects, like he already knew you were brewing up that counterargument, “but you don’t have to act like you’re all disinterested and indifferent just to get back at me for it.” He places his hands on his hips and wipes his temple on the round part of his shoulder when he feels a drop of sweat trickle down from his hairline. “You don’t have to act embarrassed around me either.”

“I’m not embarrassed,” you deny, and your cheeks feel hot, and for some reason you feel angry. “In fact, I’m the one that should be asking you that question. Because I still very clearly remember that time you said I was just someone you know in front of your friends.”

He groans and tilts his head back with frustration. “Can you just let that go? Things have changed between us since then. Move on.” 

“You kissed me and then pretended I was just a stranger to you in front of your friends,” you grit as you cross your arms. “That’s the level of sincerity that I know from you, Satoru.”

“Oh, okay, so there’s nothing else I’ve done that shows you that I’m serious about you?” he asks rhetorically with incredulity, throwing his hands up in the air in disbelief.

No. That’s not true, not true at all. But he’s pissed you off now and so all logic was to the wind. “Doesn’t matter. If you’re not embarassed of me, and if you’re really serious about me this time, then fucking prove it.” You’re speaking out of spite, and you fear you’ve just set him off too.

“Fine,” he says, and he grabs the microphone straight out from a passing reporter’s hand, replacing it with a gatorade bottle. The reporter stares at the bottle he’s now holding with confusion. “I will.”

“W-Wait—” you squeak out, feeling the hair at the back of your neck bristle in anticipation and a shiver gets sent down your spine. The cheerleaders are making their way off the field at the end of their routine, and you can hear the thumps across the loud boisterous speakers when Gojo whacks his palm to the microphone to make sure the thing was on before he jogs to the center of the field.

The crowd is already cheering, ecstatic to see the afternoon's star player and pride & joy of their school, and Gojo takes a moment to soak in all the glory in comical appreciation with bowing towards all 360 degree angles of the stadium.

“Uhhh,” you hear Choso from beside you, who’s strapping his thick goalie gloves tightly to his wrists, “Why the fuck does Satoru have a microphone while standing in the middle of the field.”

“It can’t be for any publicly decent reason,” Geto muses.

All you can do is watch.

“Hi, uh,” Gojo starts, static blaring slightly across the speakers and the crowd winces with him, “sorry. I’m Satoru, Gojo Satoru, you might know me from—uh, the game you’ve been watching?”

Cheers all around, because as if a single person wouldn’t know who he is. The stands were rowdy and most definitely drunk off of sidestep beers the stadium has been serving all afternoon long. 

Gojo is about to continue speaking, when he catches sight of the table of recruiters in the corner of his eye and he turns to face them out of respect. “Oh, yeah, uh, number 10,” he tugs his jersey up at the shoulder to stretch out the fabric, the 1 and the 0 flattened in view, “division player ID 233-997. Coach Yaga keeps my business cards in his purse if you want one.”

“SAAAAATTOOORRUUUU!!!!!” you hear Coach Yaga yell from somewhere in the distance.

“Anywho,” Gojo continues, and the music dims slightly, so he glances at the stop clock on the screen, which shows him he’s got roughly five minutes left to pull off whatever idiocracy he had in mind before the second half of the game starts. “Just here to say that there’s this girl I really like.”

The crowd gets louder, almost deafening, and sonically mostly feminine in (delusional) hope he’s gonna name call one of them.

Gojo’s voice is crisp and clear through the speakers as he clarifies. “She’s standing over there,” he says as he nonchalantly points to your exact latitude and longitudinal direction, “with the big camera slung around her neck that looks like it could pull her down to the center of the earth. Yeah. She’s super cute and I really like talking to her.”

“Uh-oh,” Geto murmurs from beside you, and you glance at him to try to get a read on the situation but you can’t.

Gojo starts to pace across the center of the field now, like he’s working the crowd. “But get this—she thinks I’m not fuckin’ serious about her!!!”

The crowd groans with him in unison. Yep, most certainly drunk. Or high off of glee. Either way, he’s playing them like a violin.

“Huh?” Gojo’s voice sounds distant now, away from the mic, and you can see on the large pixelated screen that he’s being interrupted by someone that looks like one of the videographers, “oh, what’s that? This is being broadcasted? Uh-huh. Oh. I’m not allowed to cuss? Oh fuck, okay. Er— shit, okay. Wait—shoot, okay.”

Choso’s smirk is heard from beside you, and you catch Geto and Nanami shaking their heads in your periphery.

“LIKE I SAID,” Gojo continues into the mic, “the girl I like thinks I’m just messing around, so. Uh. To show her that I’m serious about her, I’m gonna…” He looks up at the sky to ponder, and you can hear people shouting all sorts of suggestions of nonsense from the crowd. And instead of saying proclaim my undying affection for her through a romantic soliloquy straight from my heart in the presence of the entire school, he says—“I’m gonna strip. Yes. Down to my tighty whities, Imma strip.”

H–

Huh?!?!?

You don’t even have time to be horrified or scared, you’re just bewildered beyond belief that that’s what he came up with.

What the fuck kind of reassurance did you ask for. And what the fuck kind of reassurance were you about to get?

The crowd goes wild, it’s no surprise to say everyone and their mothers wants to see him naked, even the straight dudes would dig it for the gym inspo. And he points straight to you, sleazy look on his face and you’re going to ignore the fact that he just winked at you too as he crosses his arms to hold the hem of his jersey and pulls it up over his head in the most raunchy and slutty way a man can take his shirt off.

The music manager is quick with the bit, and is most definitely a fellow Gen Z college student, because Justin Timberlake’s SexyBack (ft. Timbaland) starts playing across the speakers and the crowd goes ballistic.

“Ayo why’s Satoru Magic Mike’ing the field right now?” one of his other teammates calls out through a mouthful of protein bar, “What the fuck did I miss?”

The cameraman does God’s work in a hella zoom-in of Gojo’s sweat glistened abs, then pans up the naked expanse of the perfect taut skin across his chest, and you can’t help but stare even among all your horror. It’s like when a male bird embarrasses the fuck outta himself to attract a female bird sitting on a perch, except instead of within the context of a NatGeo documentary, this was your real life. Everyone wants him, but he’s making a fool out of himself for you. 

He pretends to stretch his arms up into the air, a cover-up to flex his biceps, and then he kicks his cleats off, and the socks come off too. Entirely unnecessary, as showing one's ankles is simply too slutty, but alas he’s a whore. And when his thumbs dip into the waistband of his shorts, and there’s anticipating screeching from the crowd, he finally gets chased by security. 

Except he’s an intercollegiate D1 athlete, why the fuck wouldn’t he be able to outrun a bunch of dudes in black?

The camerawork on him is phenomenal as he runs across the sidelines of the field, eliciting a wave down the bleachers. So good in fact that you’re pretty sure the camera man could shoot for the Olympic track and field, with the way the stadium’s got a clear sight of Gojo mouthing the lyrics Them other fuckers don’t know how to act from the song still blaring with satirical rage on his face as he makes a fool of the men chasing him around the perimeter of the field.

And then he does it, drops his shorts, discards them with a kick, and he’s down to his tighty whities as promised. Cameraman has got to be displaying some previously undiscovered level of talent as he zeroes in on a shot of said tighty whities, with Gojo’s—forgive me, I need to be crass—huge bulge prominent in Big Dick Energy fashion except his tighty whities have little red hearts in rows across the fabric so do with that duality what you will.

He’s outrun security with a steady grin on his face as he eats up the drunken crowd’s cheers and riots and roars and you feel like you’re the only sane person in this stadium, or maybe you’re just not used to the fanatics of a college sports crowd. You peep the men in black trailed all the way on the left side of the field where they abandoned their pursuit of Gojo.

He taps imaginary pockets at his thighs, very muscular thighs you take indulgence in noticing, as if he expected to find something there, and he looks around when he doesn’t. He shrugs and grabs the microphone of the next passing sports commentator he spots, and then he makes his way back to you.

His breathing is a little shallow, and he inhales deep to catch his breath. “Baby.” The crowd SCREAMS at the way he purrs the word into the mic. “Will you do me the honor,” he’s huffing and puffing, heard across blaring speakers, “of being my lawfully wedded girlfriend?” And then he holds the mic to your lips.

“W-Wha—” you stutter, and there’s chanting across the crowd with words that barely make sense until you finally realize they’ve started to yell say yes! say yes! say yes! “Oh my gosh, okay, yes, fine, now please, for the love of god, put some freaking clothes on!”

The crowd goes wild with cheerful glees, and Gojo shoots fists up in the air in celebration as he runs all the way towards the center of the field with high knees, and you’re gawking at the sight, before he falls backward onto the grass and makes delirious snow angels on the ground. You see Coach Yaga’s vein popping in his neck from pure agitation as he storms off towards the center of the field to knock some sense into Gojo, but you know that Coach Yaga can’t kick him out, because they still have a game to win. The perks of being the most valued player in the league is getting to act like an absolutely insane idiot because you know they still need you in the end to bring it home.

You glance to the right, seeing his teammates nodding slowly then getting back to wrapping athletic tape around ankles and stretching out shoulders, with immediate acceptance of his actions like it wasn’t even out of character for him to do. And you realize again that you don’t know Gojo as well as you think you do.

And then the halftime timer is up.

You see Gojo approach the benches in a quick jog, squeezing some water into his mouth with his green gatorade squirt bottle, and when your eyes flit up to the screens on all four entrances, you see that the cameramen are still all focused on him accompanied by the continued buzz of conversation among the crowd following his public spectacle. But he seems to already be past any semblance of embarrassment as he takes the attention with ease, before he glances up to make eye contact with you and then lightly jogs right up to you.

“Did that prove to you that I’m not embarrassed of you?” he asks you, cocking a brow with a smug look on his face as he gets all up in your personal space. 

“I don’t know, but I’m certainly thoroughly and expeditiously embarrassed of you now,” you say, cheeks feeling flush when he leans forward so he can make eye contact with you at eye level. “I’ll have to move to a different country.”

His grin is relaxed. “Yeah well you asked for it.”

“Maybe. But I underestimated what a lunatic you are.”

“You’re my girlfriend now, you’ve gotta get used to it.”

Your heart skips a beat in your chest. “Satoru–”

“Tomorrow,” he cuts you off, “Hinode pier. I’ll pick you up at six. It’s a date, so wear something cute. And preferably easy to take off.” And then he’s attentive to the chirp of the referee’s whistle in the air before jogging backwards towards the feel and eventually turns on his heel towards the field while you’re left with warm cheeks and a heart that felt like it was moving at a mile a minute.

The timer for the second half refreshes on the screen while you loosely hold your camera in your shaking hands. It occurs to you that you haven’t taken a single photo of him before the start of the kickoff, and so you bring the piece of consolidated metal up to your eyes, peering through the viewfinder and focusing it on the center of the field. And there he was. Your muse.

Gojo lets out a breath, which you can see even from here that it’s shaky and staggered with resistance, and he lifts his jersey up to swipe at the sweat trickling down his face as he eyes the ball underneath YCU’s player’s foot just prior to the start of the second half. There it was—that look again of pure focus. 

3-1, forty-five minutes on the clock. And the referee chirps the whistle to start the second half.

It’s immediately evident that YCU has returned to the field following halftime with renewed energy, pressing high down the flank relentlessly past UTokyo’s defense, so fast it was hard for anybody to even keep a steady eye on the ball with the fluidity of their passes. The persistence pays off in the fake double-pass that slips past Geto’s feet, a moment of hesitation in the broken flow of UTokyo’s defense, and one of YCU’s strikers has the perfect line of shot towards the goal before digging his foot under the ball and sending it flying towards the corner of the goal post, scoring themselves a goal within just the first five minutes of play.

3-2.

The pressure mounts at the next kickoff, and with about seven minutes of solid play, with back-and-forth passes, multiple attempts at both goal posts to no avail on either side, it was clear that exhaustion was bustling in the veins of all the players.

One of YCU’s offensive players seems to capitalize on this, jumping on a defensive lapse of a pass Nanami attempted to make towards Yuta, and the ball is swiftly stolen then raced back towards the goal post. Choso prepared himself at the line, light on his feet paired with a solid stance, but in a millisecond of a moment, YCU’s offense unexpectedly passes the ball to a player racing up the midfield, and the player chips the ball neatly into the exposed corner of the goal despite Choso’s attempt to lunge for it in mid air.

Equalized, 3-3 game, momentary shock across the players’ faces, and the crowd bustles with something that sounds less like glee and more life fear. YCU was prepared to live up to and hold onto their title as the league’s number one offense, and as Minato explained to you during your time working in this job, an offensive team isn’t good at scoring goals, but rather exceptional at breaking down the other team’s defense.

Your eyes zero in on Geto, who stands in the center of the field for kickoff, and he’s huffing and puffing. He's the lead of defense for the team, and you can only imagine the level of pressure he feels right now. He glances around to his players, over to Nanami who seemed to share the same level of exhaustion, and then he glances towards Gojo who stood in front of him off to the right. Except you notice that Gojo looks relaxed, albeit still exhausted, but there’s a composed expression on his face even in the moment of heightened stakes. With locked eyes, Geto nods at Gojo and raises two fingers up into the air to signal a play, of which Gojo seems to respond to by closing more distance between him and the goal post prior to the kickoff, positioning himself almost directly in front of it, to which YCU’s defense immediately begin to guard him in a tight radius. 

The kickoff begins, with Geto making a few passbacks with Nanami as they close distance towards the field before passing it off to UTokyo’s string of offense and then receding back to their defending goal. UTokyo continues to close distance, raising stakes for YCU as their defense begins to falter under pressure, and the ball gets passed to Gojo, who only keeps it in possession for less than three seconds before he passes it back to Yuuji, a risky decision to make in the second half of a semifinal match, but the first-year swiftly unleashes a powerful shot that rockets past YCU’s goalkeeper, up towards the corner, except–

It bounces off the metal of the goal post, shot off with projectile speed back towards the center of the field, but with razor-sharp reflexes, Gojo headbutts the ball in air, twists his torso and strikes the ball with his foot past a dumbfounded goalie who can’t even move an inch to guard the ball that he already knew was going to sink right into the goal, and that’s exactly what it does. 

The stadium erupts with the momentum.

4-3, UTokyo. 

It was a sweet moment, one you manage to capture on camera of Gojo running up to Yuuji and ruffling his hair in reassurance, despite the missed goal. Your heart feels warm in your chest, feeling your own sense of melancholy that this was one of the last times they’ll ever get to play together on a team. 

Your eyes widen when you glance at the scoreboard, realizing that he’s tied. Gojo is tied for the most goals scored during a championship match. There were less than three minutes left on the clock. UTokyo either preserves their lead, or they risk moving into overtime, which, judging by the exhaustion on the UTokyo players’ faces in the wake of YCU’s relentless offense this entire game, moving into overtime would be a hefty, hefty risk. 

YCU’s center forward takes his place in the center of the field, fire evident in his eyes as he glances across the field. YCU are light on their feet, channeling everything in their bodies into these last moments of the game as they prepare to start the kickoff. You glance across UTokyo’s players, and although they look spent, there was a resolute look to all of them. It wasn’t the time to give up or feel at ease even near the end of this grueling battle. Now was the time to play. 

The referee chirped his whistle, and the kickoff began.

YCU immediately presses hard, as all their other plays have been all game, in their desperation to score. You can already see UTokyo’s midfielders move sluggishly in comparison to YCU’s offense, a drag to their feet as YCU pushes past the first layer of defense towards their attacking goal. Geto takes an aggressive approach, making moves to steal the ball while Nanami and Yuta guarded both flanks, and there was a relentless pass-off happening that ate up more than a minute of the remaining time.

Nanami succeeds in stealing the ball, but immediately loses it under his feet by a YCU midfielder, who makes a broad pass down the sidelines to YCU’s star forward who then powerfully kicks the ball towards the unguarded area of their goal, a dangerous shot that was clear towards the crossbar and Choso makes a leap for it, high into the air, his glove brushing against the ball, the entire crowd holding their breath in anticipation–

And the ball lands in the net. 

4-4, tied game. With one minute and seventeen seconds left on the clock. 

There was no time wasted in getting back to center field. No time spent dwelling in the horrific roars of the crowd as they watch with anxiety and fear. No time spent to process or consider or signal any plays. Not even a single second used to catch breath. When there is this much at stake, an athlete thrives on momentum. 

To your surprise, Gojo isn’t the one that takes place at the center of the field to start the kickoff. Yuta stands there instead, and you notice his eyes are erratic as he surveys all corners of the field. 

The referee chirps his whistle. 

Yuta immediately passes it off to the side to UTokyo’s midfielder, who curls it towards their attacking goal with a swift pass to Ino, who closes distance towards the goal, but one of YCU’s defender slips in, undoing any progress they had made in their offense by stealing the ball and sending it back towards mid-field. Forty-three seconds. The crowd’s roars heightened as YCU continued to push forward, thirty yards now from scoring, and UTokyo’s defense was desperate to stop them but their momentum was cracking in the wake of their exhaustion. 

It was a moment you don’t think you could ever fully or truly recall, one that you wish you had focused all your energy and attention to so that you could commit it to memory for the rest of your life. The image of Gojo pushing all the way to ten yards before their defending goal, a place where no center forward should really be at in a game like this, but it was exactly what their defense needed. It was exactly what the team needed. It was exactly what the school needed. For the ball to be in his possession.

With twenty-two seconds left on the clock, he steals the ball from right under YCU’s offensive feet, and then charges towards the opposite side of the field. The crowd rises to their feet, thunderous roaring that overtook any and all senses, as Gojo weaves through forwards, center forwards, midfielders, and defenders, covering the entire span of the field in lightning time. Fifty yards, forty yards, thirty yards, twenty hards, ten yards–

In a moment you couldn’t believe, he digs his foot underneath the ball, and sends it flying out towards the goal. There was not even a margin of an inch in which it slipped past the goalie’s hands, past his head, and swiftly flew right into the net.

With three-two-one seconds, the match was over. 

5-4, UTokyo’s win.

The final whistle blew, and for a moment, there was silence. As if the world paused to catch its breath. Then, all at once, the crowd erupted with glee that shook the entire stadium at its core. Flags waving, scarves held high, toasts of beer held up to the sky, it was deafening, and it almost makes you want to cry. Thousands of voices shouting in unison, celebrating the hard-fought victory of their school’s team. A type of pride that was fostered, and well-deserved, and long-lived.

You quickly glance towards the field again, and see Gojo standing right at the same spot where he had kicked the last and final goal, staring towards the net. You can’t see the expression on his face, but it surprises you how still he is. Like a statue, staring at the goal with the ball tucked into its corner. The very epitome of what it means to succeed in this sport was right in front of him, and it seemed like he wanted to soak the visual in for as long as he could.

His trance is abruptly interrupted when his teammates swarm in, rushing over like a wave of pure adrenaline. They slap him on the back, ruffle his hair, shout his name, the sounds of gleeful disbelief mixed with exhausted sighs of relief swarming into the air. And Gojo finally melts away from the tension of the match and into the celebration as he weakly returns the embraces of his teammates while he catches his breath. 

“IT’S OFFICIAL!! IT’S OFFICIAL!! UTOKYO’S VERY OWN GOJO SATORU HAS OBLITERATED OSAKA UNIVERSITY’S RECORD FOR MOST GOALS SCORED BY A SINGLE PLAYER IN A CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH!!” 

The speakers are blaring the voices of the sports announcers, along with ambient music to match the intensity of the match that everyone had just witnessed. 

You should probably be doing your job. You know, take a picture of the huddle of players on the field as they bask in the glory of a close victory, but instead your feet start moving on their own. Like a magnet drawn to him, you make your way towards Gojo, only a slight hesitation in your step as you stop about ten feet away, suddenly unsure. But when he makes eye contact with you, all that fear melts away.

He hastily pats the backs of some of his teammates, acknowledging their praise at the center of the huddle before tightly squeezing past them to make his way over to you. Your heart is beating fast in your chest, feeling an almost overwhelming sense of pride in your school’s team, but more importantly, in him. What was the acceptable thing to do? Run to him, into his arms, and hug him while he twirls you around? Tackle him to the grassy ground? Kiss him like your life depended on it? You have no clue what the acceptable or sane or normal thing to do is. But he’s made his decision for you when he walks right up to you, his hands holding your waist as he pulls you towards him. He smells earthy, of grass and salt and sweat and of all the hard work he poured into today, the wear and tear of the game evident in the wear and tear of his jersey. He only manages to huff out an exhale at the sight of you, like some relief washing over him just by looking into your eyes. Forget the fact that the crowd was all watching and that all of the screens you could see past his head were focused on the two of you, because all you could hear or see or think was him.

“I believe you owe me a kiss,” he says, huffing as he catches his breath but that doesn’t stop the smile that makes its way onto his face.

You nod your head, giving him your own version of a sweet smile as your arms slide up past his shoulders, crossing behind his neck, and he leans down to kiss you.

You hear a swell from the crowd, some teasing comments off in the distance from some of his teammates, you’re pretty sure you hear Coach Yaga yelling at him to get back to the benches, but it all melts away with the feeling of him smiling against your lips as he kisses you at the center of this stadium.

It was a moment so pure, so sweet, so picture perfect, and for once, you’re not the one behind the camera taking the photo. You’re the one that’s in it.

.

.

.

.

.

[end of kickoff ch12]

a/n. aaa thanks a lot for reading!! pls the fucking public stripping scene was so stupid i apologize on behalf of kickoff gojo for his behavior 😂😂 i’ll put him in his cage dw this chapter had some of what i consider to be the most challenging aspects of writing for me (internal conflict, grand public gesture, sports jargon) and so writing it felt like an uphill battle the ENTIRE time i wrote it and edited it. i considered scrapping it sooo many times cuz i just wasn't happy w it...but whatever i can't expect to be 100% happy w every chapter i put out there haha. i think kickoff has become a lil sacred for me since i've been working on it for a while now but likeee...sometimes u just gotta say fuck it we ball (tbh kickoff gojo probably says that to himself before a match) anywho, i am veryy thoroughly excited for what i've got planned for the chapters to follow, especially moving into the last angsty arc before the end of the series!! so i look forward to picking up momentum w this series again :0 honestly chapters 10 through 12 were the most difficult things i've written so far for a lot of reasons, but i have a feeling things will go more smoothly for me creatively going forward since what i've got planned falls well within my writing comfort range oh also there seems to be a little confusion about the number of chapters left, as i know i had originally said 12, but i anticipate that there will be about 18 chapters of kickoff total!! so still around six chapters left before the end :)) much lovee thanks for reading!!

OH WAIT ONE LAST NOTE I'M SORRY i didn’t really have a way of organically incorporating this into the story n i’m not sure if i’ll get a chance to in the upcoming chapters, so i just wanted to share this part of ch7 (gojo’s pov chapter) that is relevant to this chapter:

During the thrilling semifinal match between Keio Uni, Gojo’s father’s team, and Yokohama Uni during the end of his senior year, spectators witnessed a game that most college soccer enthusiasts would deem was a once-in-a-lifetime watch. Both teams engaged in relentless offense, and Gojo’s father was on his way to shatter the record of the most goals scored in a single championship match within the history of the league, but when he received a call from his wife during a timeout with the most life-altering news he could have ever heard, he abandoned everything on the field that day to go home and be with her. Grainy footage from the televised broadcast still exists online today—the moment he sprinted across the field, confused players glancing in his direction, amidst the uproar of the crowd. She called to let him know she was pregnant. 

the record that gojo broke in this chapter is the same record that his father almost broke before he got the call that he was going to be a dad :0 

➸ you're all caught up!

additional notes. please do not pressure me for updates or ask when i will next update (read rules); taglist is currently closed (consider subscribing to the story on my ao3 for email updates if you'd like! :0)

taglist:

@megumisdivinedogs @witchbybirth @avatarl0v3r @mwtsxri @asherheed

@wynney @delulux3 @higurumapet @zombriesworld @xenop0p

@phoenix-eclipses @who-can-touch-my-boob @mo0nforme @reagan707 @lost-resonance

@foulprincesscycle @luniunia @alekssashka7 @beabadobeee @thexmistress

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@ri-sa20 @thexmistress @mwtsxri @ritsatoru @sashisuslover

@chwesuh-imnida @megumisthirdog @imjustaweirdnerd @angelicscribe

[taglist is closed]

[cvlutos]

“No Nut November” Pt.2

| Repost: 01.09.23 | 1.3K | Mature |

NRC 2nd Years X GN!Reader

| CHARACTERS 18+ | Sexual Themes | Masturbation | Flirting | Sorta Creepy | Voice Kink | Etc. | Proceed with Caution, Dearest. |

♡ RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS ♡

LOSER #ONE

He honestly doesn’t know about NNN, until he heard Ace and Deuce talking about it and so he asks Trey. Who simply laughs out loud and sorta explains it. Riddle literally goes red in the face and wants to collar anyone who speaks about something that is so embarrassing. Until you casually mention it and think it’s funny. He’s sorta like that’s dumb. He’s totally not doing NNN, not even for you. But he thinks about it, various times throughout the day. I honestly believe that Riddle isn’t a very horny person, so he rarely gets hard till the most random of times. He sorta just plainly ignores it as he does homework in his bedroom. Absentmindedly chewing on his pen, think about you and how’d you touch—

He'll win, simply because he can’t bring himself to jack off. Though most likely had the most intense wet dream known to man. He woke up shaking and shuddering, sweating as if he fucked fr. He swears that would never happen. He would never put his dick in you—can’t make eye contact with you for weeks without becoming red in the face.

“Off with anyone’s head who participates in something so disgusting—No, I’m not red in the place!”

♡ RUGGIE BUCCHI ♡

LOSER #TWO

Loud and proud with “winning”. Knows all about NNN and he and his friends probably keep track to make sure each other doesn’t fail. So at the same time, he’s tryna preserve his NNN streak, he’s tryna ruin it for everyone else. He’s taking the most outta pocket pictures and will just casually show everyone, like one where you slip in a puddle, another why are you biting your lip. Leona is his biggest victim. He thinks he’s untouchable until you go outta your way to get him a gift. The only gifts Ruggie ever receives are the rare gifts from friends and family from the Afterglow Savannah, or the various things Leona “gives” him. So a gift from his crush.

He’s crashing and burning. Fumbling over his words as he darts off to his room. Tripping over himself as he struggles to unbuckle this belt, kicking his door close with a slam. He’s almost shaking from excitement, like a dog in front of a fresh meal. Leaning against his dorm and bucking wildly into his hand. Will act like he never came to the thought of you, though several say some heard him whimper your name.

“No, I didn’t lose… no, I don’t whimper.”

♡ AZUL ASHENGROTTO ♡

ULTIMATE LOSER.

I’m sorry but when it comes to you and trying to not masturbate. He’s failing. Losing before he even knew about NNN. Like, he’s so embarrassed when Floyd and Jade talk about as they walk to class, his face is pink before he’s coughing it off and calling NNN a children’s game. He’ll not participate in something so silly. Like bsfr.

As if he hadn’t his face shoved into a pillow and his blankets shoved between his legs. Hair, disheveled, and face red as he grinds into the multiple blankets, at exactly November 1st, 4:13AM. Like the sun isn’t even out.

“That is a childish game—No! I didn’t ‘jizz’—Don’t say such brash things! Especially in public, Floyd!”

♡ JADE LEECH ♡

WINNER #ONE

He wins simply because he wants to win. He has no carnal desire to ‘fuck his hand’ nor ‘ruin his bedsheets’, both kindly phrased by Floyd. Don’t be mistaken, he has before, seeing as he’s extremely interested in the human body. But he already knows what he likes and what makes him tick, of sorts. But you. What makes you hot and bothered? Are you into biting? Maybe blood? Maybe you like it rough, or maybe you like it soft. Which one is it?

This NNN isn’t going to be for him to have self-control. It’s going to be for you. He simply loves the embarrassed look you have when he gives you shy touches or whispers in your ear. He loves to see the way humans react. His goal isn’t to just make you lose NNN by cumming, he wants to be there and be the one that makes you cum.

“Please do tell, what is it you’re into? Shall we explore together?”

♡ FLOYD LEECH ♡

LOSER #FOUR

Loud and proud, this time with losing. Zero shame in talking to you about it. All in your ear, whispering about how hard you made him and how he came to you. Not even in a private place, probably during passing period when the halls were all crowded. Now don’t be mistaken, he “tried” for a good 60 minutes till you were minding your own business. Probably you yawned in his vicinity. He blames you for losing.

Floyd is such a flip-floppy person. Like he’s mad, he’s lost one moment, cause if you didn’t just walk around all alluring, then he wouldn’t have fucked his hand. But he’s also happy, cause he gets this type of reaction outta you. Plans to fuck you at the end of the month. One way or another.

“Don’t be like that Shrimpy~ I was just tryna have some funn hallway chit chat~”

♡ KALIM AL-ASIM ♡

LOSER #FIVE

Don’t feel bad for him. Everybody and their momma knew Kalim wasn’t winning. Everybody in that dorm knew that the moment he said he was doing NNN, he was going to lose. Like he’s the only one shocked when he’s having difficulty winning like he isn’t a huge simp. Like you say ‘jump’, Kalim is like ‘How high?’ He’d jump off a cliff into the ocean if you asked him to.

Lasts a day. A day. Longer than Jamil thought, who gave him 5 hours max. Others betting 20 minutes. So he shocks everyone, but at the same time is it a flex if everyone can hear you getting down and dirty in your room and everyone in a 10-mile radius can hear the person who has a crush on name being moaned. Kalim acts normally the next day, but Jamil looks so ashamed.

“Yeah, I lost, but it’s just a game. And I don’t mind losing [Name] is just so irresistible!”

♡ JAMIL VIPER ♡

UNDECIDED.

Truly can’t decide whether he would win or not. He’s only participating because of Kalim, who begged. So he’s playing. Which he’s proudly like, ‘I got this, no way I’m losing.’ Until you pull up, and around a lot more and he’s genuinely enjoying spending time with you, to the point you showing up in his dreams. One day in class he blanked out and had written your name with his last name. Suddenly he’s avoiding you like the bubonic plague. Like he sees you in the hall, he’s spinning around, dragging Kalim the other way.

I’ve changed my mind. He’s losing. He probably got a huge boner from spending time with you in his dorm room and thought that he could ease the pain and annoyance of his boner without cumming. For someone who’s in the dorm of mindfulness, why did he think that work, as he stares at his homework that’s now painted in his mess.

“I’m not avoiding them… I’m just taking a shortcut.”

♡ SILVER ♡

WINNER #TWO

He can barely stay awake to do homework. He sure ain’t staying awake to jerk off. Though he knows about NNN, because of his very loud dormmate, known as Sebek Zigvolt. Who challenges him. Silver, half awake and tired, agrees. Definitely forgets, and his only saving grace is him falling asleep mid-masturbation. Kid, you not. Has woken to his limp dick in hand on multiple occasions. Though I do believe that Silver stays very alert even in his sleep, so no one has caught him with his dick out. He’s been close.

He can barely stay awake to do homework. He sure ain’t staying awake to jerk off. Though he knows about NNN, because of his very loud dormmate, known as Sebek Zigvolt. Who challenges him. Silver, half awake and tired, agrees. Definitely forgets, and his only saving grace is him falling asleep mid-masturbation. Kid, you not. Has woken to his limp dick in hand on multiple occasions. Though I do believe that Silver stays very alert even in his sleep, so no one has caught him with his dick out. He’s been close.

“I won… oh okay…”

ⓒ 2023 love-thanatopsis — all rights reserved. Any sort of plagiarizing, copying, modifying, translating, editing of my works are strictly prohibited.

[musicforastylesrestaurant]

I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus.

masterlist || ask me anything <3

my blurb masterlist is here!

authors note - i feel like this idea is really cute and just had to be written down:)

word count - 1.4k

in which, when you and harry are putting the christmas presents under the tree on christmas eve, with harry dressed up in a santa costume just for his own novelty, and share a little moment to themselves, unbeknownst to them that there four year old son arlo, was watching the whole time.

00:13am. 25th December, 2023.

On this whimsical Christmas Eve, the air is infused with the scent of pine and anticipation as you and your husband Harry, donned in a jolly Santa suit purely for his own delight, tiptoe around the cozy living room.

The soft glow of twinkling lights casts a warm ambiance, enveloping the space in a serene holiday magic.

Upstairs in the master bed, your precious four-year-old, Arlo, is lost in dreams of sugarplums and toy-filled wonderlands.

As his dreams weave their gentle tapestry, you and Harry share mischievous smiles, conspirators in the clandestine mission to deliver presents beneath the twinkling Christmas tree.

In the quietude of the night, laughter bubbles between you and Harry, a shared joy that needs no reason. Silently, you exchange glances, finding amusement in the simple joy of being together on this enchanting night. The muffled laughter dances in the air, a secret language spoken in the hushed tones of love.

The presents, adorned with festive paper and ribbons, find their places beneath the tree like treasures awaiting discovery. With each shared giggle, you and Harry weave invisible threads of happiness, wrapping the room in the warmth of familial love.

The task at hand becomes a delightful game of stealth and joy. Harry, in his Santa suit, moves with a festive grace, and you follow suit, your hearts synchronized in the shared delight of creating magic for Arlo. Laughter, sweet and spontaneous, becomes the soundtrack to this festive ballet.

Beside the twinkling evergreen, Arlo's offerings for Santa and his reindeer beckon: a plate adorned with mince pies and a bunch of crisp carrot for Rudolph.

Harry, ever the good sport in his Santa attire, merrily takes a bite of the sweet, spiced pie, savoring the festive flavor with genuine delight.

Meanwhile, you opt for the crunchy carrots, enjoying their crisp freshness. The contrast of flavours mirrors the yuletide spirit, blending the sweetness of the mince pies with the earthy simplicity of the carrots.

The pièce de résistance, however, is the offering of milk. Harry, with a theatrical flourish, lifts the glass to his lips, only to be met with a cringe as the chilly liquid meets his tongue. The milk, left out for Santa's refreshment, bears the unmistakable chill of a night spent waiting. The internal wince is evident on Harry's face, though he valiantly soldiers on, determined not to let a bit of cold milk dampen the festive mood.

As you stand in the hushed glow of the Christmas tree, satisfied smiles exchanged with Harry, a sense of completion washes over you. The presents are arranged, the festive treats enjoyed, and the world outside is wrapped in a blanket of silent snow. It feels like the perfect moment to retire to bed, where dreams of sugarplums can join the night's symphony.

But just as you entertain the idea of slipping under the warm covers, Harry, in his Santa suit, wraps his arms around your waist with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. His lips press gentle kisses against your neck, creating a trail of warmth that contrasts the cool air of the room. You can't help but laugh, a delighted sound that dances in the quietude.

"M’not quite ready f’bed yet," he murmurs against your neck, his breath sending shivers down your spine. "If I go now, I'll just get kicked in the back by ‘Lo, and I'll end up with no quilt."

The unexpected declaration sends a ripple of laughter through you, and you playfully turn around in his embrace. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you meet his gaze with a playful glint in your eyes.

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" you tease, your lips curving into a smile.

In the gentle dance of shared laughter and lingering gazes, you both revel in the magic of the moment. The Christmas lights cast a soft glow on Harry's face, accentuating the warmth in his eyes. His lips meet yours in a brief but tender kiss, a sweet punctuation to the unspoken joy that fills the room.

"M’suppose bedtime can wait a bit longer," he concedes, his arms tightening around you. "After all, who could resist the allure f’a quiet, magical Christmas night?"

In the gentle glow, Harry's eyes meet yours with a magnetic pull, and the world outside seems to vanish. His arms envelop you, creating an intimate cocoon that shields you from the outside world. The soft strains of holiday tunes linger, providing a subtle backdrop to the unspoken language of desire that fills the room.

The air is thick with a sweet tension as Harry's lips find yours in a series of passionate kisses, each one deepening the connection between you. Both of you smiling into each others mouths, your hands find the peach fuzz at the back of head neck, whilst his find habitat on the groove of your bum.

The room transforms into a haven of shared intimacy, where the only language spoken is that of desire, and every touch is a brushstroke in the masterpiece of this moment.

The heat of the moment intensifies as you lose yourselves in the magnetic pull of each other. The world outside continues its hushed existence, oblivious to the crescendo of emotions echoing within the room.

The bed, usually shared with the comforting presence of his parents, felt empty, and a sense of curiosity tugged at his tiny heart. Arlo, with his baby blanket in tow, embarked on a solo journey down the hallway.

The plush carpet beneath his little feet muffled his steps as he approached the top of the stairs. The house was still cloaked in the tranquillity of the evening, and Arlo, with wide eyes and tousled hair, peered down into the living room below.

A strange sound caught his attention, and he instinctively clutched his blanket a bit tighter.

At the bottom of the stairs, a tableau unfolded. His mother, adorned in her pajamas, was locked in an embrace with Santa Claus—or so it seemed. Arlo's innocent gaze widened, his imagination dancing with the possibility that Santa himself had arrived early to share a moment with his mom.

The festive glow of the Christmas tree provided an ethereal backdrop to the unexpected scene.

Unaware that the figure beneath the Santa suit was, in fact, his dad, Harry, Arlo continued to observe with a mixture of awe and confusion.

08:21am. 25th December, 2023.

The Christmas morning sun spilled into the kitchen, casting a golden hue on the day's festivities. As you walked in with Arlo nestled on your hip, the air buzzed with the promise of holiday magic.

However, a quiet tension lingered as Arlo, unusually reserved, gazed around the room with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty.

Harry, donned in a festive apron, stood at the stove, the sizzle of eggs providing a comforting backdrop to the scene. Arlo's silence persisted, his little mind undoubtedly preoccupied with the mysterious encounter from the previous night.

As you settled into the kitchen routine, the atmosphere held a subtle undercurrent of curiosity. Arlo's wide eyes shifted between you and Harry, his silence becoming a palpable presence in the room.

The bewilderment in his gaze hinted at the lingering confusion from witnessing the unexpected kiss with Santa Claus.

With each passing moment, the unspoken question hung in the air. Harry, flipping eggs with a practised ease, stole a glance at Arlo, sensing the inner turmoil of his young son. The parental instinct to reassure tugged at your heart as you navigated the morning, your steps mindful of the unspoken query hanging in the air.

After the hearty Christmas breakfast, Arlo, still harbouring the mystery from the previous night, toddled over to Harry.

His little arms reached up, a silent request to be lifted. Harry, ever the doting dad, scooped him up onto his hip, planting a cascade of playful kisses on Arlo's cheek. The room echoed with the sounds of affectionate giggles.

As Arlo settled into Harry's arms, he seemed to hesitate for a moment, glancing around to ensure that you were nowhere in sight. Satisfied that the conversation would be just between him and his dad, Arlo took a deep breath, his eyes serious.

"I have something to tell you, Daddy," Arlo announced in a hushed voice, leaning in as if sharing a grand secret.

Harry, playfully intrigued, raised an eyebrow and encouraged him to spill the beans.

With an air of importance, Arlo whispered, "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus."

The words hung in the air, and a mischievous sparkle lit up his eyes. Harry's reaction, however, was unexpected.

A loud, hearty laugh erupted from Harry's chest, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Arlo, momentarily perplexed, couldn't help but join in the infectious laughter. Harry, wiping away an imaginary tear, managed to compose himself and leaned in with mock seriousness.

Harry brought his face closer to his mini-me and brought his voice to a quiet mock whisper.

“Tell m’more.”

[baddestbittyontheblock]

james potter fic recs (2)

you are responsible for the content you consume‼️

✧*:·˚ hi everyone!! here is a list of all the fics that are my favs with tagged writers/authors ✧*:·˚

✧*:·˚ remember to like and reblog the works you enjoy in order to support each writer!! ✧*:·˚

✧*:·˚ however, make sure you read the information on each story themselves such as triggers & warnings ✧*:·˚

✧*:·˚ also, if you'd like me to remove your fic from this list, message me! ✧*:·˚

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

my absolute favs: ❅

‹𝟹 6:00am by @gxtitobxby  james potter x reader

-tiny little droplets of water splash on your face and startle you from a deep slumber. with a grumpy groan, you scrunch your nose and open your eyes, squinting against the bright rays of sun sneaking through the blinds. what you see when you finally awake is a toothy grinned james staring down at you with soaked dark curls sticking to his forehead. "wha—why?"

‹𝟹 7:20am by ^ james potter x reader

-james getting the kids ready for school in the morning

‹𝟹 firefighter james by ^ james potter x fem!reader | daughter, mention of death

-a key turns in the lock and suddenly the dog is barking up a storm, you can hear his tail thumping eagerly against the hardwood floor right by the front door.

‹𝟹 james and tears by ^ dad!james potter x mum!reader

-"no no no tears, baby!"

‹𝟹 1:13am by ^ james potter x fem!reader | 18+ NSFW

-sex in the bathroom at a college party

‹𝟹 his last by ^ james potter x reader | fluff, smut mentions

-"I can't believe you've touched other girls like this."

‹𝟹 cute marauders blurb by ^ james potter x reader

-sirius and remus after james marries you

‹𝟹 james being whipped and cute by @ddejavvu james potter x reader

-james getting hit on when you're all out at the pub and as soon as a girl approaches, he's pulling out his phone, cued up with pictures of you.

‹𝟹 gossip by ^ james potter x reader

-james whos really attentive and invested with the tea from work/class that reader tells them while they cuddle like,, he has no idea who they are rlly but reader crawls up beside him in bed and is like "babe,, i have tea" or like "babe u know about..." and he's all ears, full attention nd all plus has the best reactions

‹𝟹 james blurb by ^ james potter x reader | 18+, minors dni

-It's always excruciatingly difficult to pull away from James's muscled arms.

‹𝟹 best friend james by ^ james potter x reader

-best friend james where hes won a quidditch game and everything but hes very tired and just wants to cuddle in bed with you. and hes asking for a kiss on every bruise he has all over his arms and neck. which sirius and remus watches with confusion

‹𝟹 rugby!james by ^ rugby!james x shy!reader

-despite james's many, many lectures on proper behavior, sirius feels like stirring shit. he's sure you won't freak out, he just wants to see how far your sense of humor will go. james has insisted you're shy, and that you're nervous to meet his teammates, but sirius's love language is teasing. really, you should feel very loved right now.

‹𝟹 james scenario by ^ james potter x reader

-james potter version of him having sex tapes/nudes of the both of you on your phone <3 and james is similar to remus in that he isn’t too worried about the marauders accidentally seeing because he trusts them, but anyone else is a hard no

‹𝟹 why didn't we work out? by @astonishment james potter x reader | fluff

-james potter had two girlfriends in his seventh year at hogwarts, y/n y/l/n who he dated for five months; lily evans, who he dated afterwards. when he's dared to call one of his exes, guess who's number he dials...

‹𝟹 smut fic by @lizard-on-a-window-pane james potter x reader | pure smut (NSFW (minors do not interact!), sex, p in v, mention of afab parts but no pronouns or much gendering), established relationship, cocky lovable James

-him fucking the reader senseless and him being smug about how good he can make her feel

‹𝟹 uncertainty by @randomoutsiders james potter x reader | SMUT, drinking, swearing, the boys being prats, etc, 6.2K

-they're drunk at a party and do it in a bathroom

‹𝟹 cute james fic by ^ james x pregnant!reader | fluff

-"I thought you told me you weren’t going to wear those pants anymore because of how tight they’re getting.” Your fiancé murmurs, the crescent-moons of his dull nails scratching at his scalp underneath his thick bramble of dark curls. 

‹𝟹 birth control by @berrieluv james potter x plus size! reader | birth control, hormones, weight gain, mood swings, kinda sub james if you blink but he's a soft dom, reader is just a victim of james' breeding kink, plus size reader.

-james is a simp for you, but your titties hold a place for themselves in his heart.

‹𝟹 james the mother hen by @sirisuorionblack james potter x hufflepuff!reader | minor injuries

-the reader plays quidditch and gets hurt during a gryffindor v hufflepuff game and he feels really guilty about it and is really overbearing because he wants to help her feel better

‹𝟹 never grow up by @bealovesmarauders james potter x fem!afab!reader | reader has just given birth, tons of fluff, dad!james, slight rugby!james, 1.4k

-in which james can't get enough of his newborn daughter, and you don't want her to grow up.

‹𝟹 james being a gentleman by @theemporium james potter x reader

-james potter was born and raised to be a gentleman.

‹𝟹 drunken love affair by @vxntagedior frat boy!james potter x fem!reader | fluff, drinking, everyone is drunk, james is drunk and in love, 2.2k

-college frat wedding

‹𝟹 watch over you by @scvrllet  the marauders x platonic!fem!reader | angst

-the marauders may have passed but that doesn’t mean they have left you

‹𝟹 lost by @cosmal james potter x fem!afab!reader

-you call james drunk and lost when your friends ditch you on a night out

‹𝟹 baking with james potter by @luvrsinn  james potter x reader

-safe to say, his culinary skills are not the absolute worst.

‹𝟹 dad!james blurb by @treesthatarepeachy dad!james potter x mom!lily potter

-james looked into green eyes, frowning slightly. He was disappointed, of course. How was it that a person he had lived with for over a year and a half could not recognize the atmosphere in the kitchen? “Harry,” James told him, lifting the baby onto his hip and putting the sippy cup in his hand back onto the high chair, “this is not a happy song!”

‹𝟹 dad!james drabble by @luveline dad!james potter x mom!reader

-"daddy," your daughter says seriously. james swallows his mouthful of scorching coffee very quickly and winces as he asks, "What, shortcake?"

‹𝟹 mama boy harry by @inkdrinkerworld dad!james potter x mom!black!reader

-james always joked about feeling jealous because toddler Harry was always running after his mama, but then when Harry is growing up it’s actually really sweet because he constantly sends her letters from school.

‹𝟹 bestfriend james blurb by ^ bestfriend!james x reader

-touchy bestfriend james giving u the longest hugs

‹𝟹 too many nights by @whorediaries-09  james potter x reader | 18+ content

-' love it when you act all controlling like that knowing damn well I can leave you shaking under me.'

‹𝟹 lacy, oh lacy. by @lizpottersworld james potter!bf x reader. lily evans!platonic x reader | swearing, angst, mentions of harm, trying to be someone, heart break, the need for approval

-not everyone gets their happy ending, and in this instance the beautiful, caring redhead falls behind the trail of her angelic best friend.

‹𝟹 bestfriend james by @moonstruckme bestfriend!james x fem!reader | pg-13 level smut

-when you come in, james looks nearly asleep despite the sunlight still streaming in through the windows.

‹𝟹 dizzy by @moonstruckme roommate!James x fem!reader | alcohol, 2.7k

-when your roommate james comes home after a night out with his friends, he's acting even more affectionate than usual

‹𝟹 marauders by ^ poly!marauders x fem!reader | 1.1k

-your teeth chatter as you step out of the fastest shower of your life, barely drying yourself off before starting on your makeup. you’re so dumb.

‹𝟹 my girl by @alwaysmoncheri james potter x fem!reader | cheesy writing, lots of fluff, sunshine!reader, james is whipped for the reader, based on my girl, by the temptations, implications of wolfstar, pda,

-no one makes james potter feel the way that his girlfriend does and he definitely knows it

‹𝟹 pretty boy by ^ james potter x fem!reader | implied gryffindor!reader, siruis playing matchmaker, mutual pinning, fluff, cheesy writing, kissing, public displays of affection, 1k

-you think james is really pretty—unfortunately for you, sirius notices and decides to take matters into his own hands

‹𝟹 glitch by @pretty-little-mind33 james potter x fem!reader | SMUT (NSFM), enemies to lovers, intoxication, swearing, mentions of spiking a drink, unprotected sex (but fr wrap it before you tap it besties), penetration, degradation, oral sex (m receiving), fingering, kinda dubious consent in the beginning? (James does ask for consent and reader agrees though!), kissing, premature ejaculation

-you never intended to admit you would fuck james potter. you hate him. well, turns out you hate him a little less when he's touching you in ways you'd only dreamed of.

‹𝟹 you are in love by ^ james potter x lupin!fem!reader | fluff, friends to lovers

-you never realized how much of an idiot your brother's best friend is until he becomes jealous.

‹𝟹 timeless by ^ james potter x muggle!wife!reader | fluff, hurt and comfort

-james wants to take you out to one of his families' fancy parties. However, he underestimates how cruel people can be when someone is different.

‹𝟹 king of my heart by ^ james potter x fem!reader | fluffy fluff, swearing, slut shaming, mentions of sex, pranks

-you and james are friends with benefits until daisies and an incident with one asshole Quidditch player stirs up some hidden (or not-so-hidden) feelings

‹𝟹 this love by ^ james potter x fem!reader | fluff &lt;3, swearing, discussions of consent (nothing bad happens at all!! I promise!), implied sexual relationship

-sometimes your lovely boyfriend can have a hard time with the word 'no'.

‹𝟹 hope ❅ by @fourmoony james potter x fem!reader | fluff

-james brings home a baby. A baby that is not kidnapped. part 2, part 3 , part 4

‹𝟹 hope (2) ❅ by ^ james potter x fem!reader | fluff

-james, sirius, and remus are bested by hope.

‹𝟹 hope (3) by ^ james potter x fem!reader | fluff

-james and sirius miss hope's first steps, but not her first time on a broom.

[wonuwrites]

Seventeen Vs. Silent Treatment

angsty thought I had at 4:13am before I had to work the other day. being a creative is rough~

warnings: cracky angst, not my best work but I tried my best xo

❥ S. Coups:

Seungcheol will either force you to talk to him or will give you space there is no in between. He would be like "are you tired of being mad at me yet?" If it was serious he would be so confused why you both were not being adults about it. If it was a prank he would just be pouty and be like "don't do it again."

❥ Jeonghan:

Honestly I can see Jeonghan sighing then just sit next to you and say, "I guess I will wait until you wanna be an adult and talk." He would just be near you until you were ready to talk or come clean about the prank you were attempting to pull. I don't see him be as affected as other members tbh.

❥ Joshua:

You know the Taylor Swift song "The Story Of Us?" Well basically the line "This is lookin' like a contest of who can act like they care less" represented Jisoo and you when you were doing a silent treatment. If anything, he'd be like "two can play that game baby cakes." Whole time you didn't talk to him would drive him crazy (crazier) though. Even though he hates to admit it, he would break first and try to break the treatment.

❥ Jun:

Oh if you did this to Jun, I'm sorry but you are simply an asshole. I don't make the rules just write them. Jun would be so confused and would just be trying everything to get you to talk to him. He'd feel like shit and so confused by the thought of you being upset with him. If it was a joke he'd just be like "I thought jokes were supposed to be funny, (Y/N)." LMFAOOOO

❥ Hoshi:

Soonyoung would just stare at you and keep asking why. He would get a little annoyed by it and would just keep trying to get your attention and get you to talk to him. I can see him being super super dramatic about it and just sighing hella heavy lmfaoooo. He'd just spout random bullshit and just be like "you are ignoring the last tiger in Korea. That's so rude." Just a mess.

❥ Wonwoo:

Wonwoo would just have to give you a look which would make you fold quicker than a house of cards. Between both of you, you would be more of the yapper so if you were quiet or giving him a silent treatment he would find it weird and would be even more confused if it was a joke. If it was for serious though, he'd give you a look and maybe arch an eyebrow lmaooooo

❥ Woozi:

When Jihoon noticed you were quieter than normal he would ask what was up. If you said nothing was wrong and then continued to give him the cold shoulder he would just roll his eyes. You were being petty and would come around when you were ready. It was annoying but he would respect your need for space if you needed it. If you got upset by him giving him space, he'd just tell you "well you could've used your words..."

❥ DK:

Seokmin would just talk at you and try to get your attention if you suddenly did it. He would simply be like "hey, you can't ignore me forever. Come on. Please? Baby... Babe... Y/N... lover." He would be just so confused why you would ignore him so quickly. He'd try to hide it but he would be panicking a lot on the inside.

❥ Mingyu:

Depending on the context of silent treatment is how Mingyu would react. If it was over something he found a bit silly or could tell it was in jest he would be SUCH a diva and just say shit like "I knew you didn't love me." If you were being serious I can see him being mad or annoyed. He'd be like Seungcheol and wonder why you both couldn't just be adults about it. He would do everything in his power to get you to talk.

❥ Minghao:

Minghao would just give you a look if you decided to give him a silent treatment. It would honestly piss him off a little if you were genuinely giving him the silent treatment because he would want you to be an adult and use your words that you needed space instead of just ignoring the issues. However, if it wasn't serious and he knew it, he would just ignore you back and see who would crack first.

❥ Seungkwan:

Oh Seungkwan could go two ways. He'd either call your childish or he would be on hands and knees trying to get you to talk to him. He loved talking with you, he loved being with you, so when you took away what he found comforting, he would be so annoyed and hurt by it. If you were giving him the silent treatment as a joke, he would be so annoyed if he was pranked lolol.

❥ Vernon:

ngl, Hansol might not catch on for a bit but if he does he'd find it pretty childish. He'd want to have open communication on your arguments or whatever because, how can he fix something if he doesn't know how or what is broken? If it was a silly reason he might squeeze your cheeks and just be overly flirty to get your attention which would cause you to crack lol.

❥ Dino:

Oh Channie would be so confused if you just stopped talking to him. He might go to Soonyoung or another one of his hyungs for advice. He would find you so confusing. He would apologize and bring you flowers and chocolate even though he wasn't quite sure what the fuck he was sorry about. When you would talk to him again, he would just be like "baby, can we talk it out instead of being silent next time?"

[myangelhaven]

These are my recommendations of BANGCHAN fics! It will be updated once in a while for new stories I have read. Hopefully the links work (lemme know if it doesn't)

Credits to the authors!! All information written is taken from the authors' post and has not been modified. Reminder that some fics are NOT for minors, so please read the key and avoid 18+ contents.

HAPPY READING!!

KEY

[❀]: fluff [𖦹]: humour [𖤓]: angst [☄]: sad [☾]:smut [⟡]:smau [✮]: my favs

˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖✮----------BANGCHAN-----------✮˖⁺‧₊˚ ˚₊‧⁺˖

DRABBLES & SHORT FICS

[2:13am] by @thevampywolf [❀]

7:57am by @lotus-dly [suggestive]

bf!chan by @backtocarousel NEW

boyfriend!chris by @byuntrash101 [☾] NEW

Taxi by @thevampywolf [❀][domestic][establishedrelationship][slight suggestive] NEW

Untitled by @agi-ppangx [❀]

Misunderstanding by @pnutbutter-n-j-elyy [☄] NEW

corruption kink by @moonjxsung [❀][☾] NEW

Restraining order by @hyungszn [❀][☾][establishedrelationship]

tmt (too much tank tops) by @skeezsbbygirl [❀]

A love song and a confession by @lotus-dly [❀][𖤓][f2l]

Title track: I'll always want you by @lotus-dly [𖤓][fwb]

Love me, even in my darkest moments by @lotus-dly [𖤓][hurt/comfort]

ten things bang chan says when he thinks you’re asleep by @soobnny [❀]

Surprise shower by @ch4nb4ng [☾][cheating?] w/ Changbin as bf

Teasing Chan was fun, especially with Changbin being your boyfriend, but you become surprised when you feel Chan creeping up on you in the shower instead

Myth by @astraystayyh [❀]

Skimming across the edge of being friends and something more with Chan is a dangerous game. Even more so when you're both sharing the same bed.

Confessions of a dirty mind by @minisugakoobies [❀][☾]

The absolute last thing you want is for your roommate to find out just how much you want him. Right?

Let me let you go by @ppiri-bahng [𖤓][unrequited][hopeful ending]

You find out your best friend has a girlfriend and you haven’t been the same since. Angst, unrequited, hopeful ending

Stack by @seospicybin [❀][☾][establishedrelationship]

All bets are off for a game night with Bangchan.

Help me by @bchan95 [❀]

Based on Chan's recent bubble messages.....

(him telling stay "forgot to take off my lenses hahaha, take em off for me hahaha")

Pillow by @bambikisss [❀][☾][f2l]

You're a creature of habit: you did the same thing every night. However, it seems that Chris has different plans.

Always by @hee0soo [❀][idolau]

Request: Yes please, if you can maybe make a behind the scenes after bangchan got angry at the staff during a vlive , there is a video of it, I've been wondering what it would be like after the vlive and who would calm him down ? by @sclassstay

Confiscated by @kaciidubs [❀][sexual innuendos][establishedrelationship] 791

He was going a little too crazy on the new Fans app, and you would swiftly reign that energy back in.

Not your boyfriend! by @daaawnnn [❀] 928

after attending a christmas party hosted by jisung, you were waiting for your boyfriend to come pick you up. but what if you got approached by a stranger instead? or so you thought.

You're how I pray by @inniejeonginnie [❀][suggestive] 1k

chan lies about his love life to get a reaction from you, but to him you're not only a crush, but his entire heart, faith and adoration

Not For Sale by @thevampywolf [❀] 1.1k

Always here by @sulfurcosmos [❀][𖤓][establishedrelationship][suggestive] 1.1k

Our last dance by @iridescentxstars [❀][𖤓][☄][werewolfau][immortalau][death] 1.3k

chris lived a full life, a life better than he thought he would but everything must come to an end for those who are not immortal

Can't control myself by @cosmic-railwayxo [𖤓][unrequited love] 1.3k

Stuckinmybrain by @j-onedrabbles [❀][𖤓][☄][establishedrelationship][overthinking] 1.5k

listened to STUCKINMYBRAIN AGAIN by Chase Atlantic and decided i needed to write angst + anon requests: "Hi hi! Could I request a Channie comfort drabble/fic were the gf!reader starts to distance themselves from Channie because of a really believable dating rumor they found online involving him?"

Miss you by @moonchild9350 [❀][☾][idolau][establishedrelationship] 1.59k NEW

Chan is finally home after his trip to Milan for Fendi Men's Fashion Week and has a surprise in store for you.

Ours by @thevampywolf [❀][✮][sliceoflife] 1.6k

Slow down by @joyfulhopelox [☾] 1.6k

When We See it by @changbeanie [𖤓][❀][✮] 1.6k

Six years. Six years have gone by since the day you left. Six years later, Chan opens your present and relives all the memories made with you.

no title by @suskz [☾][swimcaptain!chan][secretrelationship] 1.8k NEW

Little Red by @dwaekkicidal [☾][sizekink][stomachbulge][teratophilia] 1.8k NEW

Against the World by @astralis-ortus [❀][𖤓][𖦹][✮] 2k NEW

for as long as i love you.

horny bunny by @minniesmutt [☾][predator/prey] 2k NEW

Just Once - Say Yes by @bandgie [☾][monsterfucking] 2.5k NEW

little bit of advice, take the dare by @cattolino [☾][r2l][mature] 2.1k

Corruption by @jonespicy [❀][☾][bff2l][virgin] 2.2k

Because it's love by @imagine-a-life-like-this [fwb][suggestive] 2.7k

it was supposed to be a no strings attached arrangement, but unfortunately for her, she fell in love with him, knowing that he had someone in his heart. but what if that person was her all along?

Dimple by @forlix [❀][𖦹][hurt/comfort][smut implied] 2.8k

incurable playboy turned doting boyfriend was a character development arc nobody saw coming for christopher bang, including (especially) his frat brothers.

Wish you would by @cb97percent [𖤓][☾][☄][✮✮][boyfriend's bff][hard yearning] 2.8k

He shouldn't love you, but he doesn't know how to make it stop.

Into it by @lixiesfreckless [❀][𖤓][☾][✮][car/drunk sex][mutualpining][besties] 3k

the california sunset looks pretty damn good when you're on the hood of Chan's car.

Junkie by @cb97percent [❀][𖤓][☾][rockstarau][heavy thirsting] 3.2k

Of course he has hundreds of fans screaming his name — he's a rockstar. The problem is something happens to him every time he's performing, and you just can't stop staring.

Corruption with chan by @tasteleeknow [❀][𖤓][☾][mafiaau] 3.2k

I really fucking like you by @thevampywolf [❀][𖤓][idolau] 3.4k

Zip by @cb97percent [❀][☾][✮][fwb] 3.4k

You and Chris' understanding of what "friends with benefits" entails is different than what is commonly accepted

Stay the night by @sulfurcosmos [❀][f2l] 3.4k

being awfully nervous when they're having a sleepover because they just worry their thoughts will be wandering when they're sharing a bed

Take me back by @loveliestfelix [❀][𖤓][✮] 3.7k

Venus fly trap by @seo--changbin [❀][☾][establishedrelationship][cncroleplay] 3.9k

The hello kitty fantasy by @hee-pster [❀][𖤓][☾][✮][e2l] 4k

with a roommate like Chan, everything in life is a challenge — especially studying for your finals. he’s an annoyance, a cacophony, a statue of arrogance who likes to lounge at home, nonchalantly undressed — half dressed, in the best case scenario. but he’s not impossible to reconcile with — for this once, out of pity, he agrees to a truce with you, though he has but one wish in return: a kiss, on the lips.

Dream you by @charmercharm3r [❀][𖤓][☾] 4k

He cheated on you— in your dreams, then took kiss it better too literally.

Pretty boy; bloody nose by @biteyoubiteme [☾] 4k NEW

you're a doctor at a hospital where Chan comes after a fight. 

Sweet by @tasteleeknow [❀][☾][brother's bff2l] 4.1k

you’re his best friend’s little sister. he’s obsessed with you, and you him. he has very good self control—until he’s forced to share a tent with you. forced proximity with corruption kink.

Third wheel by @cb97percent [☾☾][3some] w/(fem)hyunjin 4.1k

It would be wrong if you were attracted to one of your best friends since they are in a relationship, but you don't know what the protocol is when you have the hots for both of them.

Koala by @tasteleeknow [❀][𖤓][✮][roomates to lovers] 4.3k

your roommate is a very physically affectionate person, you’re not. after brushing him off over and over it takes him going on a successful date for you to realise maybe the thought of him touching someone else like he did you was worse than anything. clashing love languages, jealousy and mutual pining.

Better or Worse by @jl-micasea-fics [❀][𖤓][☾][☄] 4.7k

Married life is tough, and you’re approaching your limit. Can you rekindle the flames you once had with your distant husband? Or is it already too late?

Verbatim by @cb97percent [❀][☾][✮✮][fwb] 4.8k

You both have a libido control problem around each other as it is, but when you show up at the university building with glasses for the first time, Chris becomes the human embodiment of the word unhinged.

Unexpected Alpha by @kaciidubs [𖤓][☾][werewolfau] 4.89k NEW

When an overworked Chris forgets about his rut, you're quick to help him through it

Hatefuck with Chan by @ballelino [☾][𖤓][✮] 4.9k

your love-hate relationship with chan turns more into the former than the latter

⠄･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄more to come!⠄･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄

☆--------Chan's masterlist || skz masterlist---------☆

[dhr-ao3]

The Games We Play

The Games We Play https://ift.tt/zsKdoX8 by VintageCherry It was suppose to be a silly little game, but as Draco watches Hermione dancing with Cormac, he realizes he hates silly little games. Words: 6405, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Cormac McLaggen, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley Additional Tags: Smut, Possessive Draco Malfoy, Romance, Jealous Draco Malfoy, Vaginal Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Oral Sex, vibrating charm, Wandless Magic (Harry Potter), Banter, Explicit Sexual Content, Explicit Language, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Draco fucks around and finds out, Weddings, Cormac McLaggen Being Creepy, I dont know how to tag, a fun read, HEA, POV Hermione Granger via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/jPYR0xK October 19, 2024 at 05:13AM

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Did Harry Stay at a London Hotel by Choice? by u/Cultural_Ad4935

Did Harry Stay at a London Hotel by Choice? We've heard by now that Harry chose to stay in a hotel when he was visiting London and attending the invictus games anniversary. He claims that Charles offered him a place in a royal residence but turned it down. Does anybody really believe that? It just seems so far-fetched that Harry wanted to visit Charles but didn't want to stay in a royal palace. Make it make sense. My belief is that Harry requested one but was turned down. What did Harry expect? post link: https://ift.tt/rJNpBke author: Cultural_Ad4935 submitted: May 15, 2024 at 02:13AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[popponn]

GO DOWN THE PJSK RABBIT HOLE PLEASEEEEE THERE'S MY BBG SHINONOME AKITO

On a serious note, the stories are so good (the angst is delicious and so is the fluff), the art is beautiful (both the mvs and in-game cards), music is top tier (that shit makes me ASCEND) and there's Shinonome Akito.

I'm glad you liked 8:13am ! I think it's one of my favourite works I've written (I need him so bad)

OMG THAT'S THE ORANGE GUY!!! ....he cute 😳

and....now you really tempt me!!! :""D i tried it once but holy do i suck at the rhythm game sksksk (´༎ຶД༎ຶ`) but uuuuuhhhhhhhh now i want to try it again!!!! ;;;;;;;

i love it! >:DDD banger writing <3 (...yeah i can kinda see the need. i support it)

[veraynes-blog]

currents

I was kindly tagged by @imdoingawesome, thank you! 

Current time: 9:13am 

Current mood: Sleepy, and entirely uninterested in staring at my work laptop (hence doing this instead) 

Currently thinking about: Herding cats (trying to get recruiting managers several grades higher than me to agree a reasonable interview schedule and questions that aren’t insane) 

Current favorite character: Is Simm!Master too obvious? I’ve also been having a Malcolm Tucker renaissance at the moment. I just want him to swear at me... 😳

Current favorite song: Either ‘Tongues & Teeth’ by The Crane Wives, or ‘Hatef--k’ by The Bravery. 

Currently reading: Emails. ☠️

Currently watching: Still doing a CSI binge with boyfriend, and rewatching The Thick of It on my own (because his delicate sensibilities can’t take the swearing) 

Current wips: The Game, a John Smith/Simm!Master AU. I’m just tidying up final chapters! 

tagging @roxannepolice @tardis-ghost-blog @isqueedmyself @ten-nan-th-doctor @linz33y @johnsimms @belgianreader2  and anyone else who wants to overshare! ​😊

[chaos64sprinkles]

Happy Birthday OLsgarden!

03/30/24 9:30am

Synopsis: Before OL returned home, Kyia showed up at her house at 7:13am to take a walk around and then called almost all the guests to help prepare the party for OL.

''OL rings the bell''

Sprinkles: wow, there's someone out there!

Kyia: I'll go and see… Hi OL, how was her day?

OL: Well, have you guys finished arranging my party from what I can see because I walked around thirty times, I'm tired!

Kyia: Why don't you stay by the side and wait while we finish quickly, okay?

OL: Okay. Ahhh…

Kyia: Sprinkles OL is outside waiting for her party, we have to be quick so she doesn't lose patience in waiting for more than 2 hours like I had asked her to do laps!

Sprinkles: Bark! Calm down Kyia, you must be so nervous that you didn't even notice that we're almost finished! Look, Slash has already finished filling the balloons and ribbons throughout the room, Tanya has prepared the fireworks to be released here inside the house, even though it's an illegal thing to do inside the house, when we're at the party. OL, the rules are broken!

Sprinkles: We also put a guard in place to ensure that they don't eat the treats before OL arrives and no, it's not the smoke bomb who is the watchman, it's the CF who watches over the treats, the Flat Box is the one who arranges the gifts and delivers the hats party for us and Skullck, well, he's just there to attend, we only brought him with us so we could celebrate together rather than just staying at home doing nothing, just watching Pirate stuff like that.

Sprinkles: Special Heart is the one who prepares the biscuit cake, while Handy is the one who prepares the biscuit cake with whipped cream and grape filling and Liam is the one who checks the guests as he told me that there are still more people to show up, because They're late but that's no problem because this party will last until the end of the day, it just can't wait until tomorrow or it's over, so everything is almost ready!

OL: Guys, are you done there because I'm running out of patience to wait any longer!

Kyia: Oh, she's almost knocking down the door, it almost sprinkles, what's missing to make everything complete!

Sprinkles: Look beyond the lack of guests right now, what's missing is for the birthday girl to be here for us to celebrate!

Kyia: Attention guys, go to your posts and we'll let OL in so we can celebrate her party, hide! YOU CAN ENTER NOW!!!

OL: Ahh, finally, that's why it's so dark and why it's silent here!

Kyia: Hi OL, are you ready?

OL: Prepare for what?

Sprinkles: For your biggest Big…

Almost Everyone: CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU, ON THIS DEAR DATE, MANY HAPPINESS, MANY YEARS OF LIFE!!!

Kyia: Hey OL, what did you ask for?

OL: Fame and Fortune! Hey, where's the cake that was here!

N-Slash-A: Look Sprinkles, Smoke Bomb is stealing the cake!

Sprinkles: Oh but not for long! Just take a look!

Smoke Bomb: What?!

Sprinkles: NHACK! hmmm it was delicious, it was so good!

N-Slash-A: Yeah, Sprinkles, now that you've eaten all the cake, who's going to make the other one again?

Special Heart: Don't worry guys, Handy and I are going to make another cake!

Sprinkles: It's just that when I suck something that's like food, I get embarrassed and I only did it to show Smoke Bomb what it's like to be a category bat that sucks things from afar!

Smoke Bomb: You little Batman with ram's horns, I will have my evil Revenge against you AHHHHHHHHH…

Sprinkles: What a Batman, what, if I were a Batman I would chase you all the time to stop doing bad things, what a troublemaker!

Smoke Bomb: Help me, I'm stuck in the bumper of this car, AHHH!!!

Saturn: What have we lost?

Floor Lamp: I don't know, but never mind!

Post Summary: After more guests appeared, everyone except the smoke bomb who traveled on the car's bumper and except skullck for the good reason he was watching the Pirates series, everyone celebrated and enjoyed the OL party with fireworks, barbecue, swimming pool, colorful lights, singing, modern games, of course and other things until IIEP15 rolls around and I might need to go there to see Slash and I or are they just rumors, what will happen after this rumor if it happens today same!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLsgarden!

[authorangelita]

First Sentences Game

Tagged by @disappearinginq - thank you!!

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

Tagging: @impossiblepluto, @appalachianapologies, @bloodfromthethorn, @januarydivide, @rosieblogstuff, @lailuhhh, @erinsworld, @nativestarwrites, and anyone else who wants to play! I've been traveling today, so I'm behind on posts and hope I didn't double-tag anyone.

1. From: Foster Mac 2: Mac Moves In

Mac spent several days in an emergency foster home, and there were a lot of kids there, so Mac kept to himself.  He was polite with the adults and spent most of his time working through a Calculus textbook from the library or reading ahead in his homework. 

2. From: Out Is Through Part 2

The Phoenix jet had been upgraded at some point over the last five years.  The seats were incredibly comfortable, with a plush, soft brown leather that almost felt like a hug when you sat in it.  Plus, a few of them even reclined.  Jack had claimed a recliner toward the back of the plane and sat there [redacted because I'm not sure I'm keeping this tidbit] while he watched Mac and Riley. 

3. From: Mac Drugged Jack Saves Him

Jack was woken by his ringing phone.  He rolled over, grabbed his phone, and glanced at the alarm clock.  2:37 AM.  No one in the history of the world had ever gotten a good phone call in the middle of the night.

4. From: Febuwhump 2023 Panic

A scream startled Jack awake, and he was on his feet and moving before his brain registered what was happening. 

He dashed across the hallway and through Mac's open bedroom door to find his partner frantically fighting his way out of his twisted bedsheets.  Mac made panicked, distressed sounds as he tried to push the sheets away with his left arm in a cast. 

5. From: Mac kidnapped Texas

Janie Dalton was startled awake.  Her bedroom was dark, and the clock's bright blue numbers seared 3:13am into her retinas.  It was too damn early.  She had less than two hours before she had to get up to tend to the ranch, so why was she awake now?

6. From: Mac Throat Injury (for Bad Things Happen Bingo)

Jack found Mac in the last place he expected to find him: sitting quietly in an exam room in Phoenix Medical.

"Everything all right?" Jack asked as he moved to Mac's side and looked him up and down.  There was plenty of blood on his clothes, but Jack was pretty sure it had all come from Riley.  He himself also wore a fair amount of her blood. 

7. From: Mac Sole Survivor (for Bad Things Happen Bingo)

Mac's ears were ringing from the explosion that had sent him tumbling down the stairs he'd been taking two or three at a time to get out of the building.  There was so much dust in the air that he could barely see what was in front of his face, and it was clogging his nose and throat, causing him to cough painfully with aching ribs. 

8. From: maybe not today

~~! 2036 !~~

The sun was barely over the horizon when they started their horseback ride through the pastures and trails around the Dalton family ranch.  Jack had wisely suggested they start their ride early, because it was July 4th weekend, and it would be too hot during the day.  Even ten-year-old Jay agreed, but that might have been because it was one of his favorite ranch activities.  He'd been up and dressed and ready to saddle his black and white-spotted Appaloosa before half the adults had even had their first cup of coffee.

9. From: sleepy Mac debrief

This debrief was taking far too long in Jack's opinion.  He and Mac had landed just past midnight and immediately reported to Phoenix.  They'd filed their after action reports while in flight, so he wasn't sure why it was so important that they rehash everything right now when they were both running on very little, or no, sleep.

10. From: don't be dead

The explosion knocked Jack off his feet.  He scrambled back up quickly and ran for the burning building that Mac was still inside. 

"Jack!" Riley shouted, reaching for him but missing as he dodged around her and darted through an open doorway. 

[strangersteddierthings]

Hiiiii!! I’d like these, please! 😘

🤡💋🎯 and (even tho I think I know it) ✅

Anything for you, Katy love <3

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

I was giggling to myself writing the scene in The One Where Steve Plays D&D when Steve drags Robin into his backyard so he can have a mini freak out while plotting with her how to check if Eddie likes him back. I was also cackling while writing Brave, but only because Eddie spent the whole fic working himself up just for Steve to beat him to the punch.

💋 First kiss fics. Love em or hate em?

ADORE them. When I get a new fav ship, the first thing I search for is anything tagged 'first kiss' and then devour all the ones with plots that interest me.

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

Oh all the time, especially with moots who knows me, or with people who frequently are liking/commenting on fics and seem to have gotten my vibes and are able to guess. Can't think of any particular time at the moment because it's 12:13AM and I am FULL of cold medicine.

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

Eddie or Steve cupping the others face between their hands, Steve and Robin being so codependent it's borderline obsession, Dustin and Steve are brothers AND best friends, andlike, so much more but the brain fog of sickness does not let me remember things rn.

Emoji Fanfic Ask Game

[ellies-cycling-notes]

Day 8: Baltimore to Vienna, VA

Distance Covered: 50.00 miles

Total Time (including rests): 5:07 (10:13am-3:20pm)

Time spent riding: 4:25

Average Speed: 11.3 mph

Apples Eaten: 2 (fuji - 7.5/10, fuji - 8/10)

Today's ride was a special one. I started by being driven 15 miles out of Baltimore, and then started my ride there. This was because I didn't want a repeat of how horrible yesterday's ride felt, and once you get out of Baltimore, the rest of the ride is much less hilly. Part of me feels like I cheated, but I don't regret it.

After that, the ride became the best ride I've had so far this trip. At least 75% of the ride was on various bike trails, mostly paved ones, and even when I wasn't on bike trails, the ride never got too tiring. The bike trails were mostly rail trails, which meant they were especially flat, which was a bonus.

I only stopped once on the ride, by the National Mall in DC, where I had a quick snack. I almost considered not stopping at all, due to how the ride was feeling, but I didn't want to feel terrible at the end of the ride.

Small Notes on the Ride

Abbreviated Lane - How do you abbreviate "Lane" when it comes to a road name? It's obvious that "Street" is abbreviated as "St" and "Drive" as "Dr", etc. but "Lane" is a weird one. I've always thought that it was abbreviated "Ln", and that seems to be corrected, for I saw street signs with it written that way, but I've also seen various signs on today's ride that had "Lane" abbreviated as "La". So which is it? Does it really matter? Also, I learned today that "Ct" is an abbreviation for "Court" in street names - that makes sense.

The Problem with Pictures and Bike Trails - Something that really sucks is that I never have any pics of the most beautiful parts of my rides. This is because those parts are also usually the bike trails, and are parts where I'm able to ride most smoothly, so I really don't want to stop.

Giving Up?

An update to yesterday's post, here goes. Today's ride went really well, and I no longer really feel like giving up on the trip. I'm going to be getting some repair work done on my bike tomorrow, even though I encountered no problems today - I just want to be safe. Here's to hoping my spirits stay high!

Design Notes

Some new design ideas today!

Roadtrip Games

What are roadtrip games? They are games that can easily be played in the back of a car while on a roadtrip, as a way to keep people occupied. They have no components, and are often group word games. They're really just a way for you to occupy time. Within these games, there's a subcategory of games I like most, which is the games that only work on a roadtrip. For example, the Alphabet game where you have to find every letter of the alphabet in order on billboards and such is one such game.

Similarly, there's a roadtrip counting game I've played before when I'm bicycling. It works best when on a road with a good number of bicyclists, but not too many. It's called the Helmet game, and here's how it works:

Start your count at 0.

Whenever you pass by a bicyclist who's wearing a helmet, increase the count by 1.

Whenever you pass by a bicyclist who's not wearing a helmet, decrease the count by 1.

If the bicyclist you passed by is riding a citibike, divvy, or some other ride-share style bike and is not wearing a helmet, only decrease the score by 0.5 instead.

After you're done with your ride, see what your count is, to evaluate how safe the bicyclists on your route were being.

Time loop: a board(?) Game

This is an idea for a game that takes inspiration from Groundhog Day and other time loop media. It's a cooperative board game, where players work together across the board as various hazards and dangers show up - eventually the hazards overwhelm the players, and the game is reset back to the way it was at the start, but then it starts again, in the same manner as before. However, players may take different actions on their second time around, and with their knowledge of how things will play out, they'll probably be able to get further before getting overwhelmed.

As I thought through this game on the ride, I realized that this game might need to be a game with App Assistance - that is to say that there's a downloadable app that you need to use when playing the game, as it would be able to track whatever details repeat from cycle to cycle.

As I was thinking about this game, I also thought about how the game might have some "butterfly effect" mechanism, where depending on how you take actions differently from round to round, things might change greatly further down the line. Of course, depending on how far you survived on a previous cycle, it might be difficult to tell if something is the same as it would have played out if you had just survived further.

Communication in this game - I think players should maybe be able to freely communicate to help each other out in this game, but with one limitation: note-taking. I was thinking of having a specific rule about how you take notes and how many notes you can take, so you have to try your best to remember things such as "the enemy appears is zone 5 starting on turn 3" for when the next cycle begins.

Theming - I think this game would likely be sci-fi themed. In my mind's eye, I'm currently thinking of something like Alien or Among Us, where players are just running a spaceship and things keep going wrong and have to be fixed.

Time-fuckery: So far, I've covered what I think this game will have if it follows typical time looping rules/ideas. However, I could expand on it: for example, what if each player can carry up to 1 item, and when the time reversal happens, they keep whatever item they're holding? And then, what happens when they go to the location where that item was supposed to be - what kinda time shenanigans might happen then? There's also the butterfly effect thing I mentioned earlier. I also had an idea for certain enemies/hazards going beyond the boundaries of time, but I don't know yet how that work.

Legacy game? - There's the possibility that this game might be able to be played like a legacy game, where each session you play a certain number of time loops. That would only work, though, if the game is long enough and meaningfully changes from loop to loop.

Part of me thinks the game might just be better as a video game, but I really want to try to see how much of this could be completed with only a board.

This is all for today! Tomorrow's another rest day, then I'm headed off on a several camping-day-straight ride to Pittsburgh! Here's to hoping that goes well.

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