#Ben and Rafael

[radicalrascals]

@etxrnaleclipse for a THE SOUNDS OF NIGHTMARES SENTENCE STARTER

i remember ... everything (Ben to Rafael)

Rafael stared at the bandaged thumb that still ached every time he moved it wrong. His jaw tightened as he thought about their imprisonment; the freezing air biting at his skin, the burning fangs under his skin, the metallic stink of blood, and the sound of Nick's agonised howling on the other side of the door, the beast's heavy claws thrashing against it with the one intent to rip them apart. It had been two weeks, but it might as well have been yesterday.

"Me too." Rafael let the words sit in the air for a moment, then, without thinking, he pulled the hunter into a firm embrace. "Every second of it." He didn't let go of Ben, feeling as though he needed to provide a safe space, like the big brother that he was, and he had just adopted a stray little brother. His throat tightened, but he pushed through it. "You were good in there, though. You're a good man, Ben. And you care about Nico, I can see that now." He exhaled sharply through his nose, almost a laugh. "Please look after each other. You two deserve to be happy... and safe."

[radicalrascals]

Nick tried so hard to focus on Ben's voice, but it got quieter and quieter as he was drawn further away from consciousness. The kiss to his forehead but a ghost of a touch, a last reminder to fling himself away from his lover, away from Rafa too, as he had ultimately lost his battle against the lunar substitute triggering his transformation.

His piercing scream made Rafael's blood run cold. He turned his head just in time, to watch Nick's spine convulse violently, each vertebra shifting beneath his skin like something trying to claw its way out. His back arched at a horrifying angle, bones cracking with a sound that made Rafa flinch, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. Nick's face began to warp; his jaw lengthening, teeth growing unnaturally sharp as his skull distorted with painful, jerking movements. Fur burst through his skin in uneven patches, rippling across his body as his muscles seemed to fight themselves. Groans grew into agonised roars, a sound that tore through Rafael as he stood helpless, watching his little brother writhe and twist in unbearable pain.

He would've still stood there, frozen, if Ben hadn't taken the key and urged him to come outside. As they hurried towards the door, the beast lunged itself against a wall in desperation and pain, but quickly gaining clarity. The clarity of a predator. There was the tiniest heartbeat that Rafael looked through the ajar door straight into the wolf's eyes. Nick was gone. And whatever had taken his place was jumping at them, snarling, lusting for blood - but the door closed just in time.

"Sinto muito, Nico. Eu deveria ter te protegido. Falhei com você," Rafael whispered, palm of his good hand pressed against the door. To the sound of the beast on the other side going on a rampage, Rafa turned to face Ben and without wasting a beat, he pulled the other into his embrace, hand running soothingly over his back. They were both mourning Nick's state, having both survived the torture of the true monster, and Rafael's heart had decided to adopt the hunter as a third brother, someone he could look after, so he wouldn't have to deal with his own emotions. "Thank you, Ben. For getting us out... for how beautifully you treat my brother. He's going to be alright in there, yeah? We'll wait here and he's going to be alright. Can you promise me that?"

The sight of Nick struggling with this, fighting the change that was slowly beginning to take hold, it broke Ben's heart and he could no longer fight the tears that were beginning to fall. His entire body was trembling, both from the cold and from the fear of watching his love in so much pain.

"I told you, Nick... I am never harming you. Ever." he snapped, eyes focusing on Nick's as he avoided looking at the way his partner's body was changing. He had barely seen this last time, barely registered what was happening before he had been attacked. Now, he had all the time in the world to focus on the agonising change that was happening. He felt Rafael beside him once more, seeing him working on the screws to free Ben's ankle, and all he could do was hope that this man would be ok after seeing his brother going through this. When the sound of the tiny screws hitting the floor finally sounded, Ben felt his body become free and he leaned in to kiss Nick's forehead.

"I'm not leaving you.... But-" He trailed off, glancing to the door. "We'll be right outside, ok? I love you, mi amor." With that, he moved, the chain attached to his ankle trailing behind him as he took the key from Rafael, quickly unlocking the door and shoving the other man through. Only once it was shut behind them did he drop the key, his heart pounding as he leaned against the metal, body beginning to shake with sobs.

[njnuibnuinijb]

tennis players bromances - part 1

[sofiaswaves]

Nyasha Matonhodze, Abény Nhial, Ajok Daing and Athiec Geng for W Magazine | ph. Rafael Pavarotti, stl. Katie Grand (2025)

[insidekatmind]

Girl you need to combine your master lists into one huge one, it’ll help find things easier for your readers 💕💕

Part.1

Part.2

Jobe Bellingham

Jude Bellingham P.1, P.2

Vinicius jr.

Levi Colwill

Kylian Mbappé

Rafael Leao

Noni Madueke

Virgi Van Dijk

Alejandro Balde

Trent Alexander Arnold

Jonathan Daviss

Pope Heyward P.1, P.2

Marcus Hargreeves

Ben Hargreeves

Ambrose Spellman

A/n: thanks for the feedback ❣️

[moonys-nook]

As someone who just got into tennis these are my fav moments to witness ( a non comprehensive list):

When they take out the Little Smallest Mixed Nuts Tupperwares (looks like they're in kindergarten having a snack)

Coaches gripping their racquets on the grandstands

When they take out a fistful of four to five racquets from the bag (how many do you have???? How big is the bag???????)

When they take off the clear casing on the grip (very satisfying sound mm)

Shelton and Alcaraz serves (first is power, the second's poetry)

Sinner forehands

BUBLIK UNDERARM SERVES

Just Bublik tbh

Just Medvedev tbh

When someone gets hurt and the other jumps over the net to check on them

When f1 drivers attend the match

Celebrity spotting

Casper Ruud's calming aura

When they catch the ball mid air with the racquet

Seeing them smile at each other after a hard-fought point (like, "look at the magic we made together")

Passing shots

Learning how each player builds up the serve

How the crowd starts quiet and gets rowdier as the match gets more tense

Djokovic-Sabalenka friendship

The ATPTour audition videos??? Fire (honorable mention for Texan accent Tsitsipas)

Learning about the big four. Looking back on their matches with awe (honorable mention for the nostalgia factor of the video/photo quality)

Long hair rafa

Wimbledon cardigan roger

Andy's humor

Djokovic's celebrations

Berrettini smiling at the ball boys/girls

The hand gesture they all do for the towels (looks like John Cena saying "you don't see meeee")

Seeing clay marks and stains on their kits

Feeling the energy shift with every point, it ebbs and flows like water

Cheeky swearing in their own language (especially in Italian as can understand it hehe)

Learning how they say "point, set, game" in different languages depending on where the tournament is held

[fritzes]

happy uso eve, I made another one

[rolandkaros]

tennis rivalries pairings as tumblr textposts pt. 2 [pt. 1][pt. 3][pt. 4]

[rafaelsilvasource]

RAFAEL SILVA, MELISSA BENOIST, HOLT MCCALLANY, JAKE WEARY, DANIELLE CAMPBELL, KEVIN WILLIAMSON, and BEN FAST at the ATX TV Festival - May 29, 2025

[radicalrascals]

How do you feel about Ben? (For Nick, Rafa and Valentine eheheh)

Ask my character “How do you feel about ______?” Can be an idea, person(s), place, or thing, and they’ll have to answer honestly.

"Ben is my love - meu amor. Minha vida. I want to spend the rest of my life with him. He makes me feel safe and happy and complete; And I wish I could give him back all that he does for me, and more. He's everything to me and the thought of losing him kills me. I'd lie if I said I wasn't scared every time he goes on a hunt, that every time he texts me I suspect the worst. But none of it matters anymore when we're together. We have our own time, all the other things become insignificant. And I wish those moments of togetherness could last and eternity and longer."

~

"I don't hate Ben. I don't. He seems decent and I actually have the greatest respect for the work he does. Obviously he means the world to Nico, so that should be all that matters. But if he puts him in danger, I swear, he'll get in trouble with me. Big trouble. I just don't want my brother to get hurt, you know? And I'm not yet sure if Ben's the right person to keep Nico out of harm's way."

~

"Ah, the hunter. What a puny moribund annoyance become remarkably fun little toy. I would never aim to kill what brings me this much joy watching him squirm. Although should he perish, I won't shed a tear either. Even the best toys break sometimes. And when he does, I want to be there."

[radicalrascals]

Two at the same time would be too much even for Nick, if only because he knew his brothers would inadvertently come forth with all the embarrassing childhood and youth escapades wee Nico had gone through. Oh, Rafa and Theo definitely would have a blast. Let's not overdo it.

Nick mirrored the gentle squeeze and let his thumb caress the back of Ben's hand as they looked out of the window. The smile of a man who is in love? He caught a glimpse of his own reflection right there. The smile of a man who is in love. Yes, indeed. He was about to make a soppy comment, when he registered another reflection in the window; and the waiter who brought their orders didn't hesitate speak - in a sickeningly familiar voice too:

"Are you enjoying your drinks?" It was Valentine, dressed up as a waiter. "Or should I say 'are you enjoying yourselves - comma - drinks?" The vampire flashed them a toothy grin, which was enough for Nick to flinch and almost collide with the window. "De novo não. What do you want from us?!"

"We went over that last time, didn't we? For a start, I want you to not make a fuss. Let's talk like civilised people."

Upon seeing the way Nick looked at him, almost seeming ready to rebut his observation, Ben found himself glad that the other man didn't. "Good choice." he replied, laughing slightly before linking his fingers with his partner's. He still felt a little nervous about how Rafael truly saw him, knowing that he would likely be protective over his younger brother and therefore would likely never truly like him. But he would just have to do his best to impress the older sibling.

"Come on, I can barely handle one of your brothers without feeling like a kid getting called to the principal's office. Two at the same time would be too much for me." He made it sound like he was just joking around, but in reality, meeting Nick's family was terrifying to him. Still, he gave Nick's hand a light squeeze and smiled softly. "That said, meeting anyone important to you is important to me, thank you for wanting me to know them. And wanting them to know me." Ben leaned in slight to nudge his partner with his shoulder before glancing over to the window, seeing Rafael still on the phone. "That's definitely the smile of a man who is in love. I hope it works out for him."

[rafasbiscuits]

i did a poll about this around january but it's almost the end of the year so let's do it again and see the change!! (I meant your favourite players <3)

[astridkai]

My Thoughts on the Romanceable Characters in Coral Island

This is going to be part one with the men + Raj. Merfolk will be their own post because this got long. I also start a little mean, please stay with me here-

DISCLAIMER!!: I am not done with all the heart events, so this is subject to change! I'm also still on my first playthrough. Please don't take anything personally if I don't like your favorite character, it's a game and not that serious. Most of my bad reviews are focused more on being funny than trying to prove a character is "bad". I really love this game and all the characters! These are just my current thoughts (or lack thereof) on them.

Ben

Starting off strong because I hate this man. First of all, he reminds me of an ex so I immediately dislike him a little bit. Then he was gone a whole season and had the audacity to send me an errand in the mail. But that doesn't go into my main problem with him (spoilers for his heart events).

He has a 20-some-odd year old duck named Fun Bucket. Cute, right? Well poor little Fun Bucket fall ill. Tragic! Heartbreaking! What does Ben do? Maybe take his beloved companion to the ranchers (that live like a 10 minute walk away from him) that probably know something about vet care? Maybe try getting some animal medicine? Possibly see if maybe there's food he can feed to help Fun Bucket feel better? None of the above!

This guy just wraps him in a blanket, sits him outside with a TV (which in my game was the middle of winter), and feeds the duck pizza. Pizza. Ducks, notoriously, shouldn't be eating bread! What is pizza? Bread with toppings. Then he waits an absurd amount of time to stop being in denial about Fun Bucket needing medical attention and takes the duck-- duck. D-U-C-K. Duck, the bird-- to a HUMAN DOCTOR to figure out whats wrong with him.

It made me dislike him strongly, I would not trust that man on my farm with my beloved animals. Ever.

Charles

I'm not done with his heart events, so right now he's just kinda...there? The sneezing and dying in spring and refusing to take an antihistamine (per a dialogue line from Yuri I got like once) is very real of him.

Kenny

Kenny!!! I love him so much :D! Planning on romancing him (maybe, undecided still). He won me over with a dialogue about a wasp, because I love bugs and I think people need more empathy for them. I love how he likes animals and nature so much, because so do I. And from what I can tell, he seems very sweet!

Luke

I am done with his heart events, and honestly? Just there, and has rich parents. He has a really cute dog, Taco is great. During the winter fair he has a line about staying with Taco on the beach while he takes a nap, and I thought that was cute.

Mark

I made a post about his reaction to getting a loved gift on his birthday, and it cursed him in my game forever. If I get his actual dialogue, it's a miracle sent by Hell to taunt me. His dialogue box is just a blank white screen and clicking off gives a quick flash of whatever the last NPC I talked to said. According to my save, Mark doesn't exist anymore.

Noah

He's cute and sweet! I thought the scene in the library about the fairy he was researching was fun. I was going to romance him, but he is so worried about leaving his mom alone and her possibly getting hurt that I felt bad at the idea of making him move out.

Pablo

No. The first thing he says to me is "Damn, I wasn’t expecting you to look like THIS" immediately no. Absolutely not. Then I get to his heart events and this man has atrocious listening skills! His brother doesn't want to feel ignored. What does he do? Ignores every aspect of his brother and brings him to things that Pablo, and only Pablo (exaggerated), enjoys! When finally confronted about this his first response is just "What's the difference?" WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!? Sure he fixes it in the end, but still don't like it. No.

Rafael

He seems sweet, and I relate to him a lot from what I've seen. He is also glitched- I'll probably romance him in a different playthrough. I think he's very interesting and from what I've seen on here is very husband worthy, just...he will only talk to me about the Wind Gate opening. I am so hoping for that to be fixed in a patch/update.

Raj

Almost didn't like them because of the coffee obsession. But then their dialogue lines started to be about other things, and I fell in love with them. And the coffee thing became endearing when I learned more about Raj. 100% going to marry them in my next save (I might film that one, unsure). Actively making an OC to ship them with.

Scott

I don't run into him much so he's kinda there. I do like that his personality seems a little unfit to his interest (at least that's the consensus I've seen some people have, I don't totally agree with it but moving on), I think it makes him a little more interesting. I will not be romancing him ever because he has the same name as a family member and that feels weird.

Surya

Another one I was going to romance! I really liked that he moved to the island shortly before the Farmer did, I think that it'd be fun to think about Surya and the Farmer figuring out the island together. Only reason I didn't actually romance him is I don't like having kids on my first saves in farming sims (no valid reason for that btw) and he has a line about wanting the coral reefs to be around for his future kids to enjoy so I felt bad.

Theo

I'm trying really hard to have an opinion on him that is more than just "I like that he likes music and also he's hot" but I can't right now. I'll blame this on sleep deprivation and come back in 3-5 business days if a thought forms.

Wakuu

His relationship with his dad reminds me a little of my relationship with my mom. Seeing Wakuu being able to make some amends with his dad and his dad actually acknowledging he messed up was something that made me feel hopeful for my own life. That has made Wakuu an important character to me.

Not all my ideas are fleshed out because I'm not done with all the events!! I also just don't interact much with some of them (like Theo, Scott, and Luke). If I play on a different save and romance some of them, my opinions will probably change. Thank you for reading this far, I appreciate it :)

[sailorsally]

I never knew Rafa played doubles with Ben fucking Stiller

[helioslover]

SHADOWS OF US ARE STILL DANCING (in every room and every hall)

Casting

District 1

Andrey Rublev as Glimmer

Stefanos Tsitsipas as Marvel

District 2

Alexander “Sasha” Zverev as Cato

Daniil Medvedev as Clove

District 4

Matteo Berrettini as Finnick O’Dair

District 7

Aryna Sabalenka as Johanna Mason

District 11

Coco Gauff as Rue

District 12

Carlos Alcaraz as Katniss Everdeen

Jannik Sinner as Peeta Mellark

Arthur Fils as Primrose Everdeen

Ben Shelton as Gale Hawthorne

Rafael Nadal as Haymitch Abernathy

The Capitol

Novak Djokovic as President Snow

Andy Murray as Plutarch Heavensbee

Serena Williams as Effie Trinket

Nick Kyrgios as Caesar Flickerman

Taylor Fritz as Seneca Crane

District 13

Roger Federer as President Coin

[kalibabysworld]

Tennis Players as THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT Track list

(Based purely on the title not the content)

1. Fortnight

- Novak Djokovic: He breaks a new record every two weeks (at least it feels like it)

2. The Tortured Poets Department

- Iga Swiatek: She's a Swiftie and I really want one know her reaction to the album announcement and her first listen

3. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

- Andrey Rublev: *montage of broken racquets here*

4. Down Bad

- Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter: He flew to San Diego to watch her final after he won the title in Acapulco. I've never felt so single in my life

- Taylor Fritz and Morgan Riddle

Again. I've never felt so single in my life.

5. So Long, London

- Andy Murray: He's English. And we're saying goodbye to him😭

6. But Daddy I Love Him

- Casper Ruud: My heart hurts every time he loses

- also: me whenever a player is injured

7. Fresh Out the Slammer

- Simona Halep: drug testing and trial

8. Florida!!!

- Ben Shelton: University of Florida alumni

9. Guilty as Sin?

- Alexander Zverev: Self explanatory

10. Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?

- Jannik Sinner: idk what was in the bottom of that trash bin hut I don't think anyone wants to play him now

11. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

- Andrey Rublev: (sorry for the repeat) I don't like his temper but he's hot. I could fix him.

12. loml

- Roger Federer: The love of my life my first tennis idol. Also the loss of my life

13. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart

- Rafa Nadal: He's doing it with a broken body right now. And it breaks his heart to leave

14. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

- Diego Schwartzman: For a tennis player, he's really short (I'm so sorry Diego)

15. The Alchemy

- Juan Carlo Ferrero, Darren Cahill, and Simone Vagnozzi: They have made gold in Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

16. Clara Bow

- Maria Sharapova: It girl of Hollywood and it girl of tennis