#How dare a player be better than me at a game I haven't played in over a year!

[plant-droid]

I don't really know how to express this properly.

I fuckin' hate E-Liter mains so much that I need to have a rivalry with one where I can just constantly say "Fuck you, asshole!" and they're just going to be a smug bastard and brush me off. Then we make out vigorously make out in the locker rooms until one of us decides to quit, and by The Great Zapfish I am not going to fucking lose to that smug E-Liter bastard.

(Translation: I'm very mad at E-Liter mains, but I respect that other people have their own favorite weapons and that I shouldn't be too mad over someone using a specific kind of weapon...)

But if you use Respawn Punisher in Turf War, you're just an asshole /j

[darchildre]

Gentlemen and Players

(Got distracted and so didn't get to part 1 before part 2 arrived, so I am posting about both parts at once.)

Hey everybody, get excited - it's cricket time! Everything I know about cricket, I learned from E W Hornung and Dorothy Sayers. Here is the sum total of my cricket knowledge: Raffles and Lord Peter are Good At It. That's it; that's all I've got.

Thing 1:

"Cricket," said Raffles, "like everything else, is good enough sport until you discover a better. As a source of excitement it isn't in it with other things you wot of, Bunny, and the involuntary comparison becomes a bore. What's the satisfaction of taking a man's wicket when you want his spoons?

The line about the spoons is so funny to me. I realize that fancy flatware is worth stealing and fencing or whatever but it's still so funny.

Being a gentleman thief who steals jewelry: daring, classy, dare I say, 'sexy'.

Being a gentleman thief who steals spoons: just the silliest thing.

Also very funny is Raffles pouting in his terrible straw hat about the cricket not going his way not five paragraphs after saying he doesn't care at all about it. Thank god someone properly illustrated this ridiculous moment.

Thing 2: "A young gentleman of the exquisite type," huh, Bunny? Bunny my Bunny, no matter how hard you try, you are not good at pretending to be straight.

Thing 3: Oh, poor Bunny, who is now more worried about being humiliated on the cricket field than he is about committing a crime. Let's be real - I too would much rather rob someone than be watched while miserably (and inevitably) failing at a sporting event. Bunny's a better man than I, because I would probably have faked a dire illness or an overseas trip or something to get out of playing sports in front of people, no matter how in love with Raffles I was.

Thing 4: Raffles' weird moral/ethical code is so fascinating. It would be the height of rudeness to rob one's host. But if you're invited somewhere solely because you're good at cricket, then you're practically being treated as an employee which a) is an insult and b) makes you not really a guest. And therefore it's not only acceptable (if still a bit tacky) but almost compulsory to rob said host, as revenge for the insult he's given you.

Thing 5: Aww, Bunny has decided this time not to get cranky that Raffles isn't telling him things, after Raffles rescued him last time! Very cute - let's see how long that resolution lasts.

Also extremely cute is Raffles' little training regimen of fishing and impromptu games of catch. One hopes they alleviate Bunny's anxiety about sports at least a little.

Thing 6:

...we found an enormous house-party assembled, including more persons of pomp, majesty, and dominion than I had ever encountered in one room before. I confess I felt overpowered. Our errand and my own presences combined to rob me of an address upon which I have sometimes plumed myself...

Because we only ever see Bunny with Raffles and therefore almost always at some point in the commission of a crime, we always see Bunny rattled and anxious, rather than in his element. It's interesting to imagine Bunny at his ease, who is apparently charming, personable and fun at parties. Probably, were he not worried about the police, he and Miss Melhuish might have ended up having a lot of fun gossiping about everyone else at the party. Miss Melhuish is clearly having a lot of fun imagining burglars with him and thinking about whose jewelry she would steal if she had the chance.

Also, the hilarious fear-inspired arrogance of thinking that he and Raffles are "two well-known London thieves" the presence of whom the police might have been alerted to! You have pulled at most three* whole jobs together, Bunny, and haven't run into the police on any of them. You are, as yet, the opposite of "well-known thieves". Literally no one knows about you.

Thing 7: Raffles taking his shoes off so that he can pace properly without bothering other people in the house and worrying (if only a little) if smoking inside is allowed is very cute. I love how excited he gets at the idea of both observing some 'professional' criminals and also beating both them and the police.

Also very cute is Bunny replying to his "My dear Bunny" with his own "My dear A.J.", the very first time we've seen Bunny call him that.

Thing 8:

I had still enough of the honest man in me to welcome the postponement of our actual felonies, to dread their performance, to deplore their necessity: which is merely another way of stating the too patent fact that I was an incomparably weaker man than Raffles, while every whit as wicked. I had, however, one rather strong point. I possessed the gift of dismissing unpleasant considerations, not intimately connected with the passing moment, entirely from my mind. Through the exercise of this faculty I had lately been living my frivolous life in town with as much ignoble enjoyment as I had derived from it the year before; and similarly, here at Milchester, in the long-dreaded cricket-week, I had after all a quite excellent time.

A) The idea that it would be a better and almost more noble thing to actually fully commit to being a criminal rather than the wishy-washy state that Bunny currently finds himself in is going to come up more prominently in later stories, but it's interesting that Bunny is already thinking about it, at least a little.

B) Except that we are talking about Bunny 'my greatest strength is not thinking about stuff I find unpleasant until I absolutely have to' Manders, so no conclusions will be reached at this time.

Thing 9: Awww, Bunny actually does all right at cricket! Good for him. I like that he and Miss Melhuish are continuing to be house-party friends as well and that she "said pretty things to [him]" about the cricket. (Sorry, miss, he's very cute but also very taken.)

Thing 10: Awww part 2, Bunny hearing Mackenzie grabbing someone in the hallway in the middle of the night, clearly thinking it's Raffles who's been caught, and flinging the door open to valiantly rush to the rescue! I mean, it isn't Raffles needing rescuing at all, but by god, he tried. Don't worry, Bunny - someday you will actually manage to heroically come to Raffles' rescue, I promise.

And also we get our first example of Bunny being surprisingly effective at unarmed melee combat but only when he's startled/panicking.

Thing 11: And then, our first properly happy ending, where everyone gets what they wanted: Bunny gets to feel a little heroic and like he's done something good, and Raffles gets to feel clever and to walk off with the best of the shiny things, and they both presumably get enough money to continue not having real jobs. Applause all round!

Thing 12: Raffles did not in any way need Bunny for this job. He does nothing to facilitate the robbery and any help he provides in distracting or hindering the professional criminals is purely coincidental and could have been expected of any of the other members of the house party. Bunny is not useful and it is, in fact, more work to get him to the house: Raffles has to lie to his host about Bunny's cricket skills and then scurry off to clandestinely play catch with him to get him even close to faking it.

Raffles just prefers having Bunny around, is the thing. If there's a chance of something fun/exciting happening, Bunny should be around for it. And if the party turns out to be boring and there's no opportunity for crime, at least Bunny will be there to hang out with.

It's easier to tell that Bunny is smitten, because he tells us all the time, but Raffles is totally head over heels for his rabbit as well. He's just slightly subtler about it because he's not the narrator.

Both Raffles movies from the 1930s are based loosely on this story (and its sequel, "The Return Match"). I cannot in fairness recommend either of them as good adaptations - they are both so straight that they feel they have to give Raffles a girlfriend - but the 1930 version is at least kinda fun, and Bunny gets to tackle a dude in his pajamas.** The 1939 version is a remake starring David Niven and Olivia de Havilland and I love both of them but it has been hit super hard by the Hays Code - barely has a Bunny at all, and Raffles has to turn himself in at the end, because the Code didn't allow people to be shown profiting from a crime. It's a bit depressing, really.

They're not terrible movies and are a bit worth seeing as curiosities if nothing else, but maybe just watch the 1970s tv show instead.

*Depending on where you think "Out of Paradise" fits in the chronology.

**How the dude got into Bunny's pajamas, I'll never know. /Groucho Marx impression

[captainnickfoligno]

i had this revelation a couple of weeks ago during the game against the flyers. the camera was on athanasiou and he was looking up at the jumbotron and he honestly looked kind of stupid and i had this superflash of a thought--i love that guy. i love his play. he never fucking quits. tank was not in his vocabulary. i missed him a lot while he was on ltir.

and then i thought about bedard and how lightheaded i got when we drafted him and how incredible he's turned out to be, better than i had even hoped bc he plays for my team. i've already waxed poetic about the fishbowl helmet but it really does bring me a certain type of joy every time i see it, bc the sight of it means he went through something and he still came out the other side guns blazing. he's gonna win the calder but it wouldn't matter to me if he didn't bc i love him too.

korchinski and foligno and kurashev and mrazek and dickinson and entwhistle and tyjo and blackwell and reichel and murph and on and on and on. i love those guys, the ones we haven't seen for five months bc of injury and the ones who've had hot streaks this season like you wouldn't believe and the ones you lowkey forget about until you see their name on the scoresheet.

i looked at athanasiou and then i texted my partner "this team makes me aware of my capacity for love" and then they beat the flyers 5-1 and i said "i think they heard me" and he said "i think they did."

my friend, who doesn't follow hockey but checks the standings occasionally, asked me the other day, in a manner that was clearly bracing to sympathize, "so how are we feeling about the blackhawks," and i was really excited to say, i love this team so much. the doomerism of being a bottom 2 team comes so naturally for me that i think for a long time i was defaulting to it, and it was a little bit of a shock to my system to realize i don't feel that way at all. even when they get shut out. even when--forgive me--soderblom starts. there's something going on that feels really good, to say nothing of what's to come. i'm not even thinking about celebrini. they keep signing players who are so exciting. prospects whose names have become like a litany. jaxson stauber is collecting franchise firsts in rockford like someone double dog dared him to. the future looks so bright in chicago. i love this fucking team.

[tea-twords]

Group #3 for Windtrace Headcanons!

In this group: Chongyun, Diluc, Diona, and Eula

Chongyun

Lord have mercy

He heard of it from Xiangling, who was talking non-stop about how fun it was after a trip to Mondstadt with Beidou

Eventually, He, Xingqiu, and Xinyan got a chance to go see Mondstadt, and Xiangling got to come with

Windtrace was still being held, so travelers urged them to play a few games together!

At the start they were all pretty shit lmao (besides Xiangling, she played a few times with Beidou)

After a couple more rounds, they got the hang of it!

Chongyun is not the best player, I'll say that

He's not the worst either, though

He makes a much better Hunter than a Rebel

As a Hunter, he makes sure he stays alert at all times for any movement or sounds someone could make

He's pretty fast too, so it's gonna be a challenge to outrun him when trying to get away

He usually giggles a bit whenever he catches someone because I find that so cute

Then he sets off for the next person

He's not the type to tease, because, like Bennett, would only fluster himself. Unlike Bennett, he wouldn't dare try. His best friend (or bf who knows) is Xingqiu, who would never let him hear the end of it

As a rebel however

He's not too great but he's not awful

Like Barbara, picks a hiding spot and sticks with it unless he has to move

Usually gets found rather quickly, but has survived through entire games before

Just not as the only one left

He is w e a k to teasing

It could literally be Noelle fumbling over her words and he'd still go bright red in the face

He blushes so much it's so cute

And he gets really giggly

aaah

One time he was playing 1v1 with Xingqiu, With Xingqiu as the Hunter (can never end good)

Xingqiu brought out the "I'm gonna catch you! And when I do, I'll tickle-tickle you~"

My poor boy died on the spot

Chongyun started giggling and it got a little loud

At that point he just took off running (while still giggling) with Xingqiu close on his tail

It wasn't long before Xingqiu took victory and Chongyun was on the floor a laughing mess

His favorite people to play with are Xingqiu of course, Xiangling, Xinyan, Travelers, Yun Jin, and Shenhe

He loves playing with his Auntie Shenhe even though he gets wrecked almost everytime, even for a little bit

He also likes playing with Yun Jin, since she's a little new in their circle of friends, so he'd love to get to know her better!

She's been able to wreck him a whole lot too but we'll get into that more on her post

Can you tell I'm soft for this boy

We gotta move on now ok

Diluc

Holy shit these will be fun

You can't tell me he didn't play windtrace all the time with Kaeya and Jean when they were younger

It's been a really long time, but Kaeya's invited him to play once again when it's back in season with Jean

"Just like when we were younger." Kaeya said with a smile, that seemed almost sad but hopeful

Who can say no to that

And besides, he did secretly want to play again, just one more time

Out of the three of them, Diluc had always been the best Rebel, Jean being the best Hunter

Doesn't mean Diluc isn't a good Hunter though

As a Hunter, He can lowkey be kind of scary

One of the more popular locations to play windtrace is his own winery, and that's literally his turf, he knows that place

His skills haven't rusted from when he was a kid, despite it being so long ago

He's got a really good eye for movement

Like a deadly bird

Forgot what they call them

He probably won't try teasing or tickling you unless he knows you well enough and trusts you, Like travelers, Jean esp, Kaeya if he's being an ass(which he usually is), Bennett, and Razor. Venti too, sometimes!

Those probably aren't the only people, but I cant think of others rn

Oh and Amber

I like to think he's gotten closer to Amber too

Mainly because I love both of them and think they would be friends

She might be better at windtrace than him though lmao her ideas and strategies are kinda scary to him

As a rebel, he's really good too

Especially on his winery

He knows all the best spots and definitely hasn't forgotten how to hide good from his younger days

Kaeya used to never be able to catch him when they were little little

He def can now though lmao

Honestly

I think teasing would affect him to some degree

He's awfully ticklish, we all know that

So even if he doesn't make any noises to give away his hiding spot, his face is probably gonna glow pink lmao

When they were younger, regardless of whether the Hunter was Kaeya or Jean, the other was always found before Diluc and helped the Hunter wreck him if Diluc got caught

You know what

Not even for just Diluc they did that for everyone

Because I'm soft rn and I love them

So they get together in adulthood, Diluc's the Hunter, Kaeya and Jean are the Rebels.

At first he treats this all very seriously, searching like any civilized gentleman playing hide and seek would. He caught Jean after a minute, and was actively looking for Kaeya

The favor descended, and Diluc was planning to grab it to get a victory on Kaeya and Jean for their first round playing after a while

But Kaeya being the bitch he is grabbed it before Diluc could and took off with its power-up

And that's when Diluc decided

Fuck being civilized

And proceeded to book it after Kaeya with Jean standing there like 🧍‍♀️

And Kaeya giggling like a madman out of slight fear but also joy because Diluc's being just like the old Diluc

Even if he caught him after 30 seconds and wrecked the ever loving shit out of him, Kaeya was glad Diluc was slowly getting back to his old self, at least with the people he trusts

After the game ends, Diluc wins and all that, as they're going back he says "...Do not speak of how...unprofessional I had acted in this game..."

"Right..."

Kaeya and Jean say "right" in unison because I said so

But ofc they have many more games like this again because I want my people to be happy

Wait I think I accidentally wrote a fic in the bullets

I'm so fucking sorry

Back to actual Diluc headcanons

His favorite people to play with are Kaeya and Jean (OBVIOUSLY), Travelers, Bennett, Razor, Amber, Lowkey Lisa, and Venti! Sometimes Rosaria!

He probably won't act like a kid again in front of Rosaria or Lisa, he'll try not to with Venti, Bennett, Razor, or Amber, but he doesn't give a shit around Kaeya, Jean, Aether, and Lumine

I love him

Too much

Aah

I'll shut up about him because this might go on for a really long time

Diona

DIONAAAA

It is currently Diona's birthday as I'm writing this so HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY CHILD

She's actually pretty decent at windtrace for her age! And despite it being only her second time getting to play in a season

She's gone hunting with her Dad several times, so she's naturally good at that

And I feel like she'd just be a good player of hide and seek you know

Probably a better Hunter than a Rebel though

As a Hunter she's honestly really good

Some people (Lumine, Aether, Amber, Albedo, Kaeya) think hiding in the trees is enough to evade her sight for the game

They were wrong

If there's trees, that's the first place she'll go too look for people

If no one's up there, she'll use it as an advantage to get a clearer view of the area

She's lowkey a good strategist

She's learned to be really quiet when sneaking up on prey from real hunting, so sneaking up on some Rebels out of disguise and scaring them is definitely a Diona thing to do

May or may not be because I played as Diona as a Hunter today and caught everyone pretty damn quick

Don't mess with this child

As a rebel, she's also pretty good

Tries to choose which place would be best to evade the Hunter

Not always successful at that, but she's still good

When one of the travelers or Amber or Barbara or some other elder sibling person to her tries baby talking or teasing her, she holds herself still and quiet really well despite being pretty ticklish herself

Probably less than most of the people she plays with

Her favorite people to play with are the Travelers, Klee, Noelle, Barbara, Bennett, Razor, Jean, Sucrose, and Amber

Honestly I really like the idea of Diona and Klee hanging out

"I'm gonna destroy the wine industry one day!"

"KLEE WILL HELP YOU BLOW IT UP!"

"oh"

They're besties

She's unsure of whether she likes playing with Kaeya and Diluc yet, because alchohol

Klee invited her to play with some of her "other friends", but Diona didn't expect Kaeya, well known for his love of wine, and Diluc, the owner of the literal fucking wine industry she's trying to get rid of

She's real iffy on that one

Kaeya and Diluc don't really mind her though

After playing with them for a little bit with Klee, she dosen't actually mind Kaeya much

As in she can tell he's an okay person

She just dosen't like him drunk

And Diluc's pretty okay too

That was an experience for her

Another time was when she and Klee met Sayu who was visiting with Thoma and Ayaka (and probably Ayato but we know nearly nothing about him) from Inazuma

She didn't know if she'd like Sayu much, due to her being always tired, but playing windtrace with people always helps break the ice right?

They're friends now, even though Diona could absolutely not catch Sayu ever

But to be fair no one can, child's on another level

Ok that's it hehe

I'm so proud for starting and finishing on her birthday

Happy birthday Diona again

Eula

Oh my god

She's good

She's real good

Amber probably introduced her to windtrace, because no one really wanted to have anything to do with her

So the first rounds she played were 1v1s with Amber

She's naturally good at both positions, because she's just so cool

May be a better Hunter though lol

Eula as a Hunter is scary

She will literally do everything she can to hunt you down and find you

She will search every fucking inch

Test every possible disguise

Tease you in whatever way works best

To find your sneaky ass

And then if your close (which you probably will be to play with someone most people aren't a big fan of), she will wreck you

Wreck you within an inch of your life

Rip entire dragonspine gang (Travelers, Amber, Bennett, Albedo)

And especially Amber

Says it's for "vengeance, for making it too easy for me/to much trouble!"

I'm sorry but her ler energy is too much

As a rebel

She's also pretty good

Although Amber managed to catch her quite a few times lmao

Picks her hiding spots carefully and used her power-ups quite wisely

It's not impossible to catch her though

She's no Sayu

Sometimes (all the time) when she gets caught as a Rebel, she'd wreck the Hunter like "You've caused me a painstaking loss! This warrants vengeance!"

"Buhuhut that's whahahat I'm supposed to dohohoho!"

"Simple excuses"

Like I said before, rip dragonspine gang

Favorite people to play with would be Ofc Amber, Travelers, Bennett, Albedo, Kaeya, and Venti!

Ik some people would be confused about Venti being there because of the whole thing with the Lawrence clan

But in their voice lines,, Venti's pretty chill about her and Eula thinks his songs are funny so they're cool

Especially likes playing with the dragonspine gang though

She finds Albedo really entertaining, because this usually calm guy is now being the littlest shit she has ever come across

He gets wrecked for it

A lot

Like a lot

I'm sorry I just love the idea of Eula wrecking Albedo for being a bitch lmfao

Wrecks Amber and Aether the most though

I think that's what I have for Eula, so that's the end for another post!

[bruhstories]

Dazed and Confused

Summary: You and Connie have been friends for ten years, crushing on each other like a bunch of idiots who can't confess their feelings for one another. Until you go on a trip with your friends. Pairing: Connie Springer x Fem!Reader Warnings & Content: 18+, language, oral sex (female & male receiving), unprotected sex, weed smoking, alcohol consumption, f l u f f Word Count: 4.2 k

A/N: I got so pissed at that last anon that I finished this oneshot quicker lol. @fiaficsxo here it is!

You loved parties. Not the loud music and thick smoke, not the booze and smell of vomit, but your friends. Every time they gathered at someone's place, your heart fluttered, filled with happiness and content and long-lasting memories.

Connie had the brilliant idea of spending a week in the mountains during your spring break, and you wasted an entire night searching for the perfect cottage to rent. Luckily everyone was down with his suggestion, the only problem was how you'd sleep. Historia obviously wanted to share a room with Ymir. Mikasa and Eren were an item now, so they'd have to sleep together. Armin wanted to try his luck with Annie, so no one objected to that. Jean declared that he wanted to bunk with Connie, like the two eligible bachelors they were, and that left you and Sasha to share a room together. You didn't mind it, in all honesty you loved Sasha with all your heart — but you secretly hoped someone would pick up on your feelings for Connie and let you sleep with him. You weren't that lucky.

You packed your bag the night before the trip, obsessively ticking everything on your list and double checking every item and pocket. It was ready, with one item missing — the white lace babydoll smoothed on your dorm bed. You chewed the pen cap, debating whether to bring it with you or not. You bought it for special occasions, but you haven't had a dick appointment in a long time, and you doubted you'd have one this week. With a shrug, you decided to bring it — you never know what might happen. Nighttime passed quickly and you soon found yourself all dolled up, albeit still sleepy from all the tossing and turning, excited to make more memories with your friends.

The train station was packed with people, especially students who went back to their hometowns for the break, and you were relieved to find Armin and Mikasa there. You three were always punctual, followed by Jean and Annie. Eren, Sasha and Connie were always late, which is why you told them the train leaves at 7 am instead of 7:30. It was a dirty strategy, but no one wanted to miss such a fun opportunity because of those lazy fuckers. And lo and behold, they decided to appear at 7:15.

"That was some good thinking." Jean shook his head, hand sympathetically placed on your shoulder.

"I'm only glad you guys rolled with it." You laughed without noticing the way Connie stared at you, and even he didn't understand exactly what he felt. Was he grumpy because he hated morning, or was it Jean's hand on you that irked him?

"It's not polite to stare." Sasha pulled Connie out of his thoughts.

"I wasn't staring, I was looking." Connie rolled his eyes, gripping the handle of his suitcase a bit too tightly.

"I just don't get it why you don't tell her you like her." The girl popped a bubblegum baloon, proceeding to chew it very loudly.

"Are you kidding me? She obviously likes Jean. Look how she's laughing!"

Sasha placed an arm on his shoulder, a sheepish smile on her face. "You, my friend, are a dumbass."

"Takes one to know one."

To say that your friends were loud during the train ride was an understatement. They didn't really care about the nasty glares other passengers shot at them, opting to talk, sing, eat and practically embarrass themselves. But two hours later you arrived, and the fresh, crisp air of the mountains was a blessing. You didn't regret coming, all of you deserved a break after all the exams, studying and all-nighters you guys pulled.

"We could visit the military museum!" Armin suggested, but Connie scrunched his nose.

"We came here to get high, drink and spend time together, why the fuck would we visit some old ass building?"

"I'd like to go to the museum." You awkwardly smiled, earning a 'see?' from the blond. Mikasa, Eren and Annie backed you up, and since it was a democracy, you ended up leaving your bags at the cottage and touring the small town to find the military museum. The building wasn't massive, and inside it was dark, with crimson carpets and dim lights. It was actually quite a romantic atmosphere, had it not been for the weapons and armours displayed in glass cases. Connie watched you intently, taking in every movement, every flinch, every hair tucking, every scrunch of your cute nose. You absorbed the information, hungry for knowledge. This was something you and Connie didn't share — yes, you were down to drinking and smoking, but you were also eager to learn and study, while he always preached how 'you can always retake an exam but you can't relive a party.' He wasn't stupid by any means, but unlike you, Jean, Armin and Mikasa — who alwaysstudied and never skipped lectures — Connie would wing it and somehow end up getting better grades. His strategy didn't always work, and sometimes, when you were in college, he'd ask you to tutor him. Now you were second year undergraduates, and while you were studying different subjects, you still made time for each other.

"That's a nice, uhh..." Connie squinted, "...shotgun."

"It's a musket." You chuckled, your fingers accidentally brushing his as you turned around to face him.

"Shotgun, musket, same thing."

"Actually, muskets are muzzle-loaded and fire a single bullet, but shotguns pack multiple pellets in one shell." You explained. "I'm sorry, you're probably not interested in my ramblings."

"No, no, it's... interesting. I just wasn't expecting you to know so much about guns." He rubbed his nape and smiled at you.

"Well, I do study history, in case you forgot."

"How could I forget that?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" You awkwardly elbowed Connie. Why was it so hard for you to just tell him your feelings? Oh, right, because you've been friends for ten years and if he didn't like you back, it would only ruin a great friendship.

"It means you brag about it so much it's kind of hard to forget." He told you, quickly realising just how insulting that sounded.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that's how you felt..." You sighed, eyes darting back to the weapons.

"No, I didn't- forget it." Connie shook his head. Well played.

Back at the cottage, with enough food and booze to last the group a month, you decided to stay in your room for the rest of the day. It wasn't the first time you had embarrassing moments with Connie, but this particular one made you anxious to be around him. Did he really dislike you that much, or was it just friendly banter? If you were to ask him, you could find out, but every scenario in your head had a bad outcome, so avoiding him for now was the smartest choice. Sasha pleaded with you to spend the evening in the living room with everyone else, but you brushed her off, telling her you weren't feeling quite well.

"Text me if you need anything." She told you before leaving. It was immature to act this way, you knew that all too well, but it wasn't like Connie cared, right? You eventually decided to go downstairs after finishing a long episode of your favourite tv show, your stomach begging for nourishment. As silently as possible, you tiptoed behind the couch. The hallway was dim, the sun had already set, and the only lights were the ones from the wide TV screen in the living room where your friends were watching some corny horror movie. You could cut the suspense and tension with a knife, and when you dropped a teaspoon, everyone jumped.

"Sorry, sorry! It's just me!"

"Jesus Christ, Y/N, you almost gave me a heart attack." Jean got up from the floor and walked behind the couch. "How are you feeling? Sasha said you're ill."

"I'm fine, don't worry." You picked the spoon up and threw it in the sink. "It's just a headache, I'll sleep it off."

"Good, we need you here." The man wrapped an arm around you. "You're missing how Connie's crapping his pants at this shitty movie."

From the outside it would seem like you and Jean were a couple, but the truth was far from it. You two grew up together, his family was friends with your family, and what you had was nothing more than a brother-sister relationship. Jean's little remark earned a disgruntled look from Connie, you quickly picked up on that, and so you playfully jabbed him in the stomach.

"Connie's crapping his pants? You're the one who almost had a heart attack." You grinned.

"Oi, that was only because you dropped your stupid spoon. I was invested in the movie."

"Mhm, sure you were."

"Hey, you sure you don't want to join us?" Mikasa waved at you from the living room. You pondered over her question. Perhaps it wouldn't be too awkward to sit with them.

"Alright, sure, why not?"

"Come, sit next to me." Sasha shuffled to the side, but what she really meant by that was 'sit next to Connie', because she shuffled to the otherside.

The following two nights were surprisingly quiet, all you did was play board games, watch movies and walk around the town taking pictures. The tension between Connie and you seemed to dissipate, and you both forgot the unpleasant interaction you had on the first day. But on the fourth night, that's when shit hit the fan. Annie and Armin left for a date, and Eren and Mikasa wanted to spend the night alone in their room, leaving you, Sasha, Jean and Connie unsupervised, bored and tipsy. There was absolutely nothing good to watch on the TV, and you almost wanted to scream when your friends wanted to play truth or dare. It was one of those games you despised, because the whole point of it was to put the players in uncomfortable situations. And you didn't like being uncomfortable, unlike your friends.

"Jean, truth or dare?" Sasha beamed.

"Dare, duh."

"Alright, I dare you to switch roommates for the rest of the week." She sipped her blackberry cider.

"Okay? So, I'll stay with Y/N, then."

Good lord, if looks could kill, Connie's would annihilate Jean and Sasha off the face of the Earth.

"No, no, you'll stay with me. Y/N will stay with Connie."

"Eh? Why does your dare involve us?" You asked, confused and curious of your friend's proposal.

"Because." She shrugged. "Don't pussy out."

"I'm not pussying out. A dare's a dare." Jean scoffed. "I'm gonna go take my shit in your room and shower."

"Y-yeah, I'll go bring mine, too." You got up, using this time to hyperventilate alone. What the fuck was Sasha even thinking? Was this some stupid joke? But your friends wouldn't harm you, so why would she suggest such a stupid thing?

You took a quick shower before curling up in the bed, blankets covering you from neck to toe. Connie wasn't back yet, and you didn't want to go after him, that would just be odd. You were hoping you'd fall asleep before he returned, to avoid any unnecessary fuss, but just as you closed your eyes, the door opened. Maybe you could pretend you were asleep? He struggled to find his pyjamas in the dark, stumbling over furniture and knocking things down, and you turned the bedside lamp on to ease his search.

"Did I wake you up?" Connie bit his lower lip, and through the dim light you watched the way his grey eyes glistened, the way his short brown hair was ruffled, and how the sage green t-shirt hugged his toned abdomen.

"No, no, 's alright. I wasn't sleeping. I can't exactly fall asleep." You clutched the blanket at your chest as you shook the intrusive thoughts away. Connie was your friend, damn it, there was no room for romance between you.

"I can sleep on the floor if you want."

"Oh, God, no, it's... stiff."

"Um, yeah, it kinda is. Alright then, I'll jump in the shower real quick before going to bed." He stumbled into the bathroom and you really wanted to fall asleep now.

But you couldn't. Every time you closed your eyes, Connie's face popped in your head. So much for resting. You tossed and turned on the mattress, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in, but nothing helped. It didn't take long for him to finish his shower, and you mentally chastised yourself for not falling asleep when you felt him shuffle under the same blanket that was covering you. For a minute, you didn't utter a word, you barely breathed, afraid to disturb the silence in the room.

"Are you asleep?"

"Nope." You heard the click of Connie's phone and turned around. You couldn't see him, but you could hear him.

"Do you wanna talk about something? Until we fall asleep, I mean." You suggested.

"Hmm, sure." He turned on his side and you felt his breath fanning over your cheeks. You were too close to him. "Actually, d'you wanna smoke?"

"Aren't the others gonna be mad if we smoke without them?"

"They don't have to know. Besides, you and I never smoked together." Connie was already up, rummaging through his backpack with the flashlight of his phone. "And then we can talk as much as you want."

"Alright, I'm down."

You laid on the floor, your head next to Connie's as you looked at the ceiling, smoke leaving your lips. He took the joint from you, fingers touching yours and you blushed, the haze of the weed melting your worries away.

"Do you want me to skip the song?" Connie asked, and for a moment you forgot there was a song playing.

"No, I like it." You confessed. "I didn't know you liked Led Zeppelin."

"There's lots of things you don't know about me, Y/N." He passed you the joint.

"Okay, tell me something else I don't know."

"I like it when you randomly say historical or scientific facts."

"Didn't you say I brag too much about it?" You took one final drag before you stubbed the joint out in a makeshift ashtray filled with a bit of water. By this point you were high as a kite, every trace of rationality gone.

"That doesn't mean I don't like it." Connie smiled and you could feel it in his voice. "Now you tell me something I don't know about you."

"I can't sleep with open doors. It freaks me out." You sat up, a breeze blowing through the window sending shivers down your spine. "It's a bit cold, do you mind if I close the window?"

"Go ahead."

You got up and picked the ashtray up but before you could close the window, you stumbled over a chest of drawers, the ashes mixed with water spilling over your t-shirt.

"You okay?" He quickly crawled to you, concern written all over his face.

"Yeah, I'm just clumsy." You laughed it off and waved your free hand. "I'll go get changed, I should have a spare shirt."

But you didn't have a spare shirt. All you had was that stupid white babydoll, and anxiety seeped through your veins. You couldn't exactly show up in that in front of your crush. And you didn't want to ask him for a shirt either. Fuck it, what else could you do?

You peeked out the bathroom door and saw Connie back in bed, lazily scrolling through his phone. God, this was embarrassing.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." He laughed, but when your facial expression didn't change, he frowned. "Y/N?"

"Um, so, I didn't have a spare shirt and- Jesus, this is awkward." You opened the door and his eyes widened. "Is it alright if I sleep in this?"

"Oh, I get it now." Connie scoffed.

"Get what?"

"You were hoping you'd share a room with Jean, right?" He sounded almost disgusted.

"Excuse you? Where did you even get that idea?" You slammed the bathroom door shut, arms folded across your chest.

"I'm not stupid, Y/N. I've seen the way you two act. Do yourselves a favour and just fuck already."

You were speechless. Completely reactionless. The weed amplified your anger, but his words brought tears to your eyes.

"You... you fucking asshole! You think I brought this for Jean? I brought it for you!"

"Eh? M-me?" Connie was confused, and you were pissed.

"Yes, you. Jean's like a brother to me, oh my God! Ew!"

"Wait, so you and Jean are not in love with each other?"

"In love?? Connie, how high are you exactly?" You walked closer to the bed, arms still crossed.

"But- Fuck, I am stupid." He shook his head, the memories of you flirting with him flashing before his eyes. "I fucked up, didn't I?"

"A bit..." Your muscles relaxed and you sat on the mattress. "Really, Connie, I... I like you. A lot. But you're always giving me mixed signals."

"That's because I always thought you liked Jean!" He threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

"No, you're the only one."

"Huh, guess I've really been dazed and confused."

Calloused fingertips ran across your hips leaving goosebumps in their trail. Your hands roamed his back and the way Connie kissed you was better than any high you've ever experienced. He was touch-starved, and you were just as needy. His knee found its place between your thighs and you moaned when it barely brushed your cunt.

"I've been dreaming for this moment for as long as I can remember." Connie breathed into your neck, the hot breath tickling your skin.

"Me too, you blind bat." You laughed and he turned you over, hovering over you.

"'M sorry I didn't notice quicker." He kissed you again. One hand travelled lower, pushing your underwear to the side before he pushed two fingers between your folds. "Fuck, you're so wet."

"Well, at least now I don't have to finger myself thinking about you." You whimpered with a grin.

"Oh?" Connie arched a brow. "Is that what you've been doing?" He curled up his fingers and you threw your head back with a moan. "I thought you were a prude."

"T-there's lots of things you d-don't know about m-me!" You replied back between oh’sand ah’s, imitating his words from an hour ago. That only earned a sneer from Connie, his head dipping between your thighs. "Wait, what are you do- ooh fuck!"

His tongue lapped at your cunt, fingers pumping in and out of you, and you completely sunk into the mattress, moaning his name over and over again. You gripped the sheets, flexing the muscles in your legs as you squirmed and thrashed. Connie stopped and you almost crushed his skull with your thighs at the empty feeling. He pulled your underwear down and shoved the cotton panties in your mouth.

"Don't wake everyone up, Y/N. You don't want them knowing what a little slut you are, do you?"

You shook your head and Connie went back to circling your clit with his tongue, adrenaline rushing through your entire body with each lick, each suck. Tears of pleasure pooled at your eyes, nose and cheeks red from the thrill of your incoming orgasm. The way he was sloppily eating your pussy and moaning while doing it drove you insane, and within seconds you came undone, thighs trembling with delight. In fact, you were so sore you had to push his head back, begging him to stop so you could return the favour.

"You taste so sweet." Connie licked his lips. You don't know what possessed you to pull him into a kiss after you removed the makeshift gag, but he was right, you were sweet.

"Can I...?" Your eyes drifted down to his twitching cock, your voice soft and quiet.

"You wanna suck it?"

"Yes."

"Later. Right now, I wanna fuck you."

Connie gave you no time to protest, his elbow pushed one of your things to the side, the blushing tip of his cock grazing over your overstimulated clit, up and down your slit. Inch by inch it disappeared into your cunt and he let out a satisfied sigh. You bucked your hips, manicured nails digging into his shoulders with each thrust.

"Shit, you're so fucking tight!" Connie growled, head lowering to kiss you. You could still taste yourself on his lips and that only made you clench your spongy walls around his cock. That seemed to please him, because he rocked his hips harder and faster. "You like it?"

"Oh, God, yes!" You gasped, beads of sweat forming on your forehead as you clawed his back.

"Fuck, I want you to ride me." He gripped your hips tighter and turned you over. You tried your best to get in the new position without letting his cock slip out of you, and when you finally adjusted yourself, it was a whole new challenge. Gravity pulled you down, and his tip brushed your cervix, your eyes squinting at the slight pain. "If it hurts, stop-"

"No!" You cried out, your hands resting on his chest. You bounced up and down, the uncomfortable feeling slowly replaced with pleasure. Connie's hands traced your thighs as you rode him, another wave of heat flushing through your core. His palm met your cunt, thumb circling over your clit. "I can't c-come again!"

"Yes, you can. And you will cream on my cock."

The disgust words worked like magic and you flexed your thighs, bouncing faster, head thrown back, hair cascading down your back. "You're so beautiful, Y/N."

"Connie, I-" The words stopped in your throat, the pressure too much for you to handle.

"You what?"

"I'm- oh, God!"

"Atta girl!" He praised you when he felt your silken walls relaxing and your thighs quaking. The second orgasm was so intense you let yourself fall over his chest, dizzy and tired. You thought he'd give you a break, but Connie wrapped an arm around your back, holding you in place before giving your oversensitive cunt a few more thrusts. "Now you can return the favour."

You mustered up some strength to get up and kneel in front of the bed, between his legs.

"Please don't come in my mouth." You asked him before wrapping your pretty lips around his cock.

"Gotchaah-" Connie choked on his words when he felt himself in your hot mouth. You bobbed your head up and down, cheeks hollowed and eyes on him. You didn't break eye contact when you pulled away and spat on the tip, hand pumping his cock to smear the spit. "Hot." He mumbled before you went back to sucking. You felt the throbbing, tightening your lips around him and picking up the pace. "Y/N-"

It all happened in a flash — Connie yanked your hair and pulled your head back, thick ropes of milky white cum shooting all over your face and neck.

"Eew!" You scrunched your nose, hand under your chin to stop it from dripping down the floor.

"What do you mean ew? That's, like, a billion kids!"

"Actually, a fertile man produces around-"

"Don't start. Do not." He pressed his index finger over your lips. "Let's get you cleaned up."

You woke up sore, especially between your thighs, but damn, was it worth it. Connie wrapped an arm around your waist, mumbling something about how pretty you are, but you assumed he was still sleeping — or still high. The sun shone through the blinds and you squinted, annoyed by the brightness, and so you turned around, watching the way your crush snored peacefully.

"Cute." You smiled and planted a kiss on his forehead, waking him up. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

"Why?" Connie rubbed his eyes. "Waking up to you is a blessing."

You couldn't hide the tinting of your cheeks and the grin on your lips. "I didn't think you were the romantic type."

"There's lots of things-"

"I don't know about you. But I'd like to know those things. If you let me, of course." You bit your lower lip, eyes filled with hope.

"Can I be your boyfriend?" He sat up, his eyes serious.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Okay, so maybe Sasha knew a thing or two when she dared Jean to switch roommates.

You walked into the kitchen after getting ready for the day, with Connie following behind you. Everyone was eating their breakfast, and Jean instantly dashed to you.

"Connie, bro, take me back. Sasha's leaving crumbs all over the bed! I can't sleep like that!"

"I can't, man, I wanna spend the rest of the week with my girlfriend." He sneered and you elbowed him.

"I forgot to mention Jean's overprotecti-"

"Your what? Hands off my sister from another mister, you creep!"

"Creep? You're the one who was sexting someone's sister last night." Sasha chimed in, mouth full of cereal.

"Thanks, Sash." Jean rolled his eyes. "For real, how did this happen?"

"You see, mate, when a man and a woman love each other-"

"Nope. I will not hear this."

[seventhrounder]

I went thru my folder with old hockey magazines I had saved from around 2011 to 2015 and came across this one and thought it could be a fun to make a post about now in hindsight.

This is Jääkiekko magazine from May 2012, they always have a section of "99 questions with ..." and in this issue they interviewed Teräväinen.

I’ve translated the questions I found interesting under the cut! It ended up being about half of the interview. (*) are my additions.

On the cover "seuraava superjokeri" means the next super joker, he played for Helsingin Jokerit so it's a word play from that. Under, on the blue print it says: "The 17-year-old forward will become a first round draft pick in the summer. The natural goal scorer can dominate in SM-Liiga as soon as next season."

In the 2nd photo the headline and lead paragraph goes:

"A post with dents* - A year ago Teuvo Teräväinen was known only within a small number of hockey insiders. Few passers-by recognize him now either but after a flashy rookie season the Jokerit sensation is on the radar of every NHL team and is a strong contender to become a first round draft pick. Next season with Jokerit the talented second line center will be one of the main talking points in the SM-Liiga."

(*references the net Teräväinen had in his backyard and into which he practiced his shooting)

3. You've been described as a magician, top scorer, wunderkind and a prodigy. What do you think of these descriptions?

TT: Heh, those are some descriptions yeah. What can I really say? Don't really wanna comment on them much.

4. How nervous are you about the Draft?

TT: I try not to be nervous as best as I can. In a way I don't have anything to be nervous about since I don't care which team picks me or at what number I go.

6. Which is stressing you more, English interviews or physical tests?

TT: Maybe both. Bench press (laughs) and English interviews can be tough.

12. How far along have you planned your career with, for example, your parents or your agent?

TT: Haven't really planned things with others but I've thought about them myself. I try to go step by step and not jump too far ahead.

14. How does it feel to be so young with all the star players in Jokerit?

TT: How to say it? I haven't felt like I was young but a part of the team instead. The team's been very good with me and they haven't been looking down at me like: "oh he's young". It's been fun to play in an experienced team.

15. Is there a generational gap between players?

TT: You can see the age difference, older players look older but we're all childish, at least with our topics.

17. What does a 17-year-old do in the sauna nights of the team?

TT: I actually haven't been in any yet. I've always been at national team's camps or something.

19. Did you get the number you wanted?

TT: I did, yeah. I could've taken #18 but Semir (Ben-Amor) has it. But i'm happy with #86, it's good.

23. What are your strengths as a player?

TT: Offensive play and with that playing with the puck, passing, IQ, power play and skill, just the usual skill - skill with hands.

24. And weaknesses?

TT: They are to do with defensive play, strength and physicality. Battles and such but I think I took a step forward last season. That's a good thing.

25. Have you ever been "pressed into a mold" or has your playing style gotten to develop naturally?

TT: As a kid the play was mostly offensive/attacking, I didn't have to think about playing defence. Up until 15 years old, I got to attack pretty freely. Playing defence became more important when I started to play in A-juniors a couple seasons ago.

26. On a scale from 1 to 10 how determined are you?

TT: Maybe 8, feels like an 8.

32. What kind of role are you planning to take with Jokerit next season?

TT: I think a pretty big one. I try to be a top player and not just take others' example but give others example myself too. So that someone in the team can take something out of the way I do things on the ice and off the ice.

35. If you could pick anyone, who would be your car driver?

TT: Nico Manelius for sure. He's been my driver this season. I've had others too, like Riku Hahl but he's not nearly at the same level. Nico’s clearly the best.

36. What are the most important qualifications to be a good driver?

TT: The car is obviously important. Hahl's car is totally awful, he takes a lot of heat for it from the guys too. I wouldn't dare driving with him. Manelius is a steady performer, never lets you down.

38. What sports did you play as a 10-year-old?

TT: Hockey and floorball, probably football (soccer) during the summers at the time too.

42. When did you decide to focus only on hockey?

TT: So when I stopped playing other sports? Three years ago, before that floorball was kind of a side thing, I played a couple of games in the regular season and playoffs.

45. Do you follow floorball or other sports? Go to games?

TT: I don't go to games but I like to watch floorball on TV, it's an interesting sport. Sometimes I watch football too but I don't follow it much. Feels like they never score there.

47. Have you ever played with a wooden stick?

TT: As a kid I did play with a wooden stick.

49. You won the hockey players' golf tournament last summer even though there were more experienced players too. Are you good with all stick games?

TT: Well, I've been pretty good in all of them. I've played golf for a long time and still play it.

50. How is your swing?

TT: Pretty bold, kind of a hockey swing. I don't really care where the ball goes - as long as it goes far.

52. What do you think of off-ice training?

TT: Let's just say it's more stupid than being on the ice but you still gotta do it to be better on the ice.

56. Which word describes your professional relationship (with his coach, Tomek Valtonen), tranquil or colorful?

TT: Colorful of course. At times we're joking around, other times it's more serious but the relationship is really good.

57. Coaching you has been described in many words: good, bad, worse. What are they?

TT: Heh, well... I won't tell them here. He (Tomek) keeps the discipline during practices but sometimes when things haven't gone to a plan I've had to jump on an exercise bike in the middle of a practice.

58. What have been the reasons?

TT: I'll quote Tomek: "when I haven't been present".

59. Have you ever tried to turn the resistance of the bike to zero?

TT: (Laughs) Of course I have and sometimes I've even succeeded.

60. Describe your diet in three words?

TT: Greasy, healthy and good!

64. Your first name is not common for people your age. How did your parents come up with it?

TT: I actually don't even know. Maybe they didn't want a usual Ville*....

(*very common name for men of all ages in Finland)

66. Which of these is the most important: skill, unexpectedness or courage?

TT: Skill!

68. Your longest video game stint?

TT: Six hours, at least. I've played a lot of War of Duty lately.

72. The dumbest thing that has made you upset in hockey?

TT: Probably if I didn't get an assist on a goal even though I should have. Or even worse is if I score and they mark it down for someone else.

79. Have you had any concussions?

TT: I haven't had any, I've managed to always dodge them.*

(*ouch, tho it's good the recent one is his only as far as i remember)

84. In 2011 Team Finland finished in the 5th place at the U-18 tournament. Why only as 5th?

TT: Because we lost to Team Russia in the quarter final, just as well we could have won that game too.

89. You didn't get to be on the ice to accept the SM-Liiga bronze medal (because of the U-18's). When and where did you get it?

TT: I actually still haven't received it, I don't know where it is.

93. What is the population of Helsinki?

TT: There's like 5 million people in Finland so maybe around 500k in Helsinki? (to be exact 596k) Did i really get it right...?

94. Who's the mayor of Helsinki?

TT: I don't know, I barely know the president.

95. Do you think the municipalities in the capital city area should merge?

TT: Luckily I don't have to decide but they probably shouldn't.

96. What do you check first in the news paper?

TT: The sports section.

97. Your favorite tv show?

TT: Putous* was pretty good, I liked a lot of the characters. The grandma was pretty good.

(*Finnish live improvisation comedy/sketch show (there are still new seasons, the latest just finished). Every actor comes up with a humor character with a catchy phrase and one of them wins. "The grandma" is Marja Tyrni and I just got such flashbacks from typing this sentence.)

98. Last book you read?

TT: I don't read many books. The last book was a study book, a Finnish book. I wrote an essay on Tiki (Esa) Tikkanen's biography. An eventful book, great career and a lot of chirps.

99. Who should we ask the 99 questions next?

TT: Riku Hahl could have good stories, he's also seen a lot of the world.

[ninjaslegos]

reader is new and the team invites them to play video games. Jay keeps on bragging about how good he is and how he’s one of the BEST video game players out there. He competes with reader and they absolutely floor him. Headcannons

Oooh, headcanons are fun! Plus, I can get them out faster than a oneshot! Enjoy!

Jay Underestimating the New Teammate's Video Game Skills:

To get this out of the way; you joined because you had the element of health. You could heal your allies and steal health of enemies to use to bring people from death back to life, as long as they haven't started to decay. You ended up taking Lloyd's old title of Golden Ninja since he just never uses it.

You're the shy type, who is typically soft spoken and tries not to get into arguments.

Because of this; Jay thinks you're the perfect person to fight against in video games, because everyone else is sick of him beating them all the time.

On top of that, he keeps taunting you, telling you how good he is, how he got the high scores, that Zane can beat him at chess, but never video games, and specifically that you could never beat someone like him.

"You look like you haven't even touched a controller, much less seen a video game."

Finally you get ticked off, which is something no one's ever seen from you before. "Fine, Jay. Let's fight since you wanna prove your worth to me so bad."

Sure, it was just words, but damn, you've never said anything like that before. Jay rolls his eyes, now bragging about how he finally 'broke' you and 'convinced' you to fight against him.

"Since this is your first time playing, I'll let you pick."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." If he could go back in time, he would've slapped himself.

Slaughtered at a racing game you picked out. He didn't even get second place, you literally hit him before he could pass the line and he got 5th.

"Huh," he tries to play it off, "you're just really lucky. Or secretly mean, I can't tell."

Races you again, but gets 7th this time. "This game, I swear."

He's very huffy; ego hurt after losing twice in a row to someone he called a 'noob' a few hours ago. "You're pretty good at racing, my luck's just bad, let's play this one instead."

It's a puzzle mini game, where you race to get puzzles done, and you don't just beat him at it, you beat his personal record. On the first try.

Pissed is...one way to describe his mood. "Come on, you're just lucky today! What did you do, steal health from a fairy or something for the good fortune?"

"How dare you." You glare at him. "First off, my power doesn't even work like that, it's for the benefit of other people, not me. Secondly, how dare you assume I would be that petty?"

"Okay, okay," he calms down, "one game that requires no luck." He pulls up a fighting game, and you pick your characters.

Once again, he loses by a serious margin.

"WHAT?!" Outraged. Last game before he calls it quits, he picks your character, choosing the weakest one, and he picks the strongest one he knows how to play for himself. "This will prove once and for all that I am the better gamer!"

Ass handed to him.

If the others weren't there watching him get pounded, he probably would've strangled you right then and there. "How are you doing this?!"

"Dude, there's a reason why I don't play video games; my brother practically is one." You explain. "You didn't get a hint when I told you my name was (Y/N) Dyer? As in Milton Dyer's kid? I was born playing video games. You wouldn't beat me with all the luck in the world."

No more blood in him, he is pale as a sheet. How could he have been so stupid? No wonder he lost, and no wonder you didn't want to play against him; what was the point of playing when you just won every game you tried?

He still wants to play against you though, using you as competition to sharpen his own skills.

It's up to you to decide if you want to play with him still or not.

[bearpillowmonster]

Horizon Zero Dawn Review

The game that critics have been raving about for years and I just haven't played. I heard a lot of people say "this needs a movie" but they say that about any game that dares to be a little bit cinematic because I personally disagree.

That first part is rough, the story seems so in your face, predictable and bland but I think the problem is that it didn't know how to put in its exposition. I think it naturally builds up as it goes on, getting bigger and broader, it's just those first experiences that can be a slog because you're pretty much learning what style you're going to play in.

I got more or less everything I expected, crafting, a skill tree, various weapons. What I didn't expect though are dialogue options. You can choose normally up to four paths, an intelligent one, a compassionate one, and a straightforward one. You don't have to worry about the stress of trying to reach a specific ending because there's really only one, the only thing that affects it is the amount of people that are in it. So does that make the choices irrelevant? Yes and no because there are different dialogue options and like I said, which means that you can get certain characters to like you more given the option you choose but not in the same way that relationship points work and I definitely felt the draw to do that whenever I came across my first side-quest.

Side-quests are interesting, I love tracking things in games, though it's rare that you actually get the chance to do it and here you have a good amount of opportunities. Is that all though? Far from it. I actually found myself searching for side-quests because the first two were so satisfying. It really only began to show its hand a bit more after those quests. As I mentioned, there are a lot more RPG elements than I first imagined but it starts to send you on scavenger hunts, especially that Dreamwillow one, that one I actually laughed out loud at every time I was turned away. It also starts to gatekeep to where it recommends that you be a certain level which is...odd? I mean at face value it looks like you could rock basically any combat situation that isn't context sensitive. Leveling up gives you abilities but they're more like Deus Ex on that front, where it's just for preference and upgrading, not necessarily strength. The only thing you improve on offense wise basically boils down to having the right materials or units to buy weapons then a matter of finding modifications. Other than that, leveling up seems to just increase your health. It really just depends on the quest too because I'll play one above my level and be fine then play another that's actually under my level and feel stuck.

Now I only played it on normal mode so something like "Ultra Hard" is bound to be more demanding but as far as actual side quest content, I feel like they have potential but just need tweaked, give me more stuff for major characters that affects their standing with me. Rather than having each quest be contained in its own story, have it affect you later in the game, let your actions be shown, give it rewards and consequences. There are some really great side-quests but there are also some crappy ones, it doesn't pass that threshold that most RPGs fall under or anything. However, I did find myself doing side-quests at my own free will and the ones that I didn't like or couldn't do at the time, I just skipped and focused on something else, I felt a lot more freedom with this game, like I didn't feel forced to grind or do a certain number of side-quests or really do anything. It encourages you to explore and play the way you want to play and I respect the heck out of that. Maybe it's different for other players though.

Perhaps my favorite actual side thing was the Cauldrons for those who actually played this, you'll know why. For those who didn't, just know that it's cool and let it be a surprise for when you go to one. You might expect these big set-pieces and bosses like Uncharted or GoW, but it's not really like that. I genuinely think that this is more video-gamey than it lets on which certainly takes up its runtime. One addition to side-quests that I would like to see is one where you don't know it's happening. For example, in this game, you'll come across random hunters who are attacking or being attacked by machines but rather than just going on about your day and them going on about their's, I want to fight off the machine and the person say "You saved my life, my name's Jara, I live in the town nearby and want to repay you." so you go there and there's trouble so it starts up a side-quest. Now don't get me wrong, there are PLENTY of instances of people getting attacked actually being a mission but most of the time someone in town will just tell you "I haven't seen this person in a while, can you go check on them for me?" It's the art of subtlety and also just doing a good deed and getting rewarded for it. It's a conscious choice and split decision rather than just another checkmark on your list to complete.

Now I won't bother listing the characters and rating them but there's a certain aspect that has me really enthused So, Aloy is an outcast and a lot of these side missions and scenarios reflect her, you'll see the way she can relate with other characters, making it almost poetic in a subliminal kind of way. Then they add this tribal and futuristic setting to it where Aloy acts as the medium, there are parts of the game where she questions the tribe because they cut themselves off from technology and just don't know any better and we as a viewer know that but having the main character view things in 'our' lens is pretty genius. To top that off, they give her enough personality to be her own character while giving us enough power to influence her so that we ourselves can REFLECT WITH HER. It's not her character that I'm impressed with, it's the layout of the story.

So, how is the main story? It's kind of like the Flood scenario in Halo if I'm being honest. I'm not going to spoil anything but it's passable, like I said, it's not like an Uncharted and it's not like a movie. The visuals just look good at times (I took all the pictures in this review myself and so much more!). I'd call it a futuristic/tribal mix between Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Skyrim but I see elements of a lot of things. (Also since it's post apoctalypic, you find items that we see in modern day, like how they call keys, "chimes"! They think they're windchimes because there are no more cars! I love that!)

It actually does a pretty good job at being an open world considering that there are tons of things to do on your routes as well as collect but it's not so much so that it seems unfeasible, as I said, I found myself doing a good chunk of the side stuff just because it was fun to do and I'm not even close to a completionist for any game. If you mess up, healing plants will still be there. As long as you save, enemy parts will still be there. A place can be cleared out and conquered so that enemies don't come back. The actual towns are peaceful so you can't get mangled by any bots outside of scripted instances.

The graphics are pretty good but I can see some error here and there, nothing necessarily game breaking but the animations and AI are definitely janky at times. It's pretty obvious from the get-go but I'll do my best to specify and give constructive criticism on what I found wrong with certain aspects of the game. Rost is slow, like slower than walking speed but that's not to speak for all NPCs, some run, some you don't need to follow, it was really just him. I've had NPCs who fight but miss every single time on simple enemies (that might not be a bug, that might just be a funny bit that someone decided to add in). Sabretooths have jumped through walls (granted the walls were kinda broken but I'm not sure if those big boys can fit when they can barely find the entrance) I found myself jumping to a ledge or on a rope but not land it and just drop (it really boils down to loosening the hit box for that). Which to add on to that, I would like more places to climb and jump to in general (other than stupid mountains). I felt like there wasn't really enough that I could climb and the places that I could, could've been a bit more obvious that I could, maybe even make it viewable with your focus if you don't want it to be visually outstanding. There's a day and night cycle and while I like that, I found some of the contrast to be annoying because I could be staring a ladder right in the face and not even know it sometimes because it would be so dark. I'm not going to complain too much about it because I didn't turn my brightness up, I just left it at default and I would assume the PS5 version fixes some of those little things.

Now, this one is kind of a gray area: Hiking up mountains. Skyrim, Fallout, and Death Stranding went too far and gave little to no barriers. They had you looking for sweet spots that weren't there in order to cheese your way through an area either on or off a beaten path. But I would compare this to something like GTA where it's not as bad and does have its limits but might need tightened up some more because I can certainly get to places that lead to nowhere.

I've made headshots that don't make contact or damage while using precision. Part of that problem was that they could be high up in a tower (which have spikes sticking out) and I would hit ABOVE the logs, to make a headshot but since it was in that vicinity, it registered that as the spikes' hitbox so it wouldn't cause any damage and just alert the enemy (same if I was in the tower, looking down). Input lag where I hit up button on the D-Pad to regain health and I have to keep pressing it. If I had to guess, you have to meet the requirements of not taking damage, staying still, etc in order for it to actually work but it doesn't really have a reason to do that and it doesn't "tell" you that those are the requirements (as far as I know).

During the final boss, one of the enemies hit me into a rock wall, trapping me inside of it and the boss was already half health so I really didn't want to have to restart (I also didn't know how far back the checkpoint was) so I kept shooting stuff and eventually the boss destroyed the wall, allowing me to get out (timed section, by the way). There have been a few times where a tree or leaf or something is obstructing a cutscene and sometimes there will be a mech in the background screaming over the NPC talking, which I'm sure is due to the cutscenes being real-time which is still pretty impressive. Now are these errors all the time? No, not at all, I'm just pointing out that some times these things happened and that I felt it needed ironed out but I wouldn't call this half baked or an unfinished product or anything, it's nowhere near that level. I get that there are so many NPCs that it's hard to account for them all with facial animations but whenever they're talking, it seems pretty static and sometimes the lips don't line up. There's this one guy who says that he got lost in a sandstorm but he's standing in snow. Again, little nitpicks in an otherwise great game.

Now, I got this game for free as a Playstation promotion but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be great, I played a little bit of that Ratchet & Clank reboot that was offered and I wasn't impressed, I quit after the first few worlds and was glad I didn't buy it at launch, (despite being a classic PS2 R&C fan) but we're not here to review that. I also played Abzu and loved it but it was short so it was definitely worth a play but maybe not 60$ (I actually think it's 20$ at this point though). With this game, it's the whole complete edition with DLC and everything, it has the length, so it really just boils down to "Would I have spent money on it otherwise?"

I think I would've if I knew more about it because I think it just got better and better after that first part of the game. It's marketed a bit differently than what I ended up getting but I found myself pouring hours into this game and loving it for one reason or another. I actually bought Shadow of the Colossus along with it (which is considered a cult classic) but I liked Horizon so much better, definitely worth its full price in my opinion. (So your promotion worked on me Sony, congrats) It has its problems but the potential is there and I feel like a sequel would probably iron out a lot of my troubles with it, so it's definitely a franchise worth investing into.

If you're interested in what I thought of the DLC alone (if you didn't get the Ultimate edition and are wondering if the extra content is worth it) I have a separate post that goes into that here.

[danceworshipper]

Tessa and Gracie Friendship Quizzes

I've seen so many people do this (started by @hogwartsmysterystory I believe) and I wanted to try it out! Even if no one tries them it was still fun to make. Some of these aren't based in "canon" but on what I've written in my little fics.

Gracie Chiva is a deadly force to be reckoned with when she wants to be. Her loyalty to the people she loves can translate into a willingness to do anything.

Tessa Chiva is a deeply caring individual with a quick mind. Her strategizing abilities can help almost anyone in any situation, if only they know how to ask.

Meal With a Friend: Gracie

Alright, let's see how much you know about my curse.

How old was I when I was cursed?

1: 11

2: 12

3: 10

What object will kill me if I lose it?

1: My necklace

2: My wand

3: My pocket knife

What kind of intrusive thoughts does the curse give me?

1: I want to run away to the forest

2: I want to hurt people

3: I want to drown in the lake

Who is the only person who knows the full extent of my curse?

1: Rowan

2: Merula

3: Tessa

Who cursed me?

1: Mad Eye Moody

2: Patricia Rakepick

3: Peter Pettigrew

What does the curse cause me to be immune to?

1: Mind warping spells and poisons

2: Poisons and Legilimancy

3: Legilimancy and mind warping spells

Who in my family reacted worst to my curse?

1: My mother

2: Jacob

3: My father

Meal With a Friend: Tessa

What do you know about pureblood customs?

Who is typically the leader of the household?

1: The oldest member

2: The husband

3: The wife

What decides a child's importance?

1: How old they are compared to their siblings

2: How conventionally attractive they are

3: How easily manipulated they are

How is a suitable husband or wife picked?

1: There would be some benefit to each family

2: It's based on birthday

3: The children can choose for themselves

What is the most disgraceful way to die, according to pureblood customs?

1: At the hands of an assailant

2: Killing themself

3: Passing away in prison

Which of these common prejudices is not shared by my mother?

1: Prejudice against the poor

2: Prejudice against homosexuals

3: Prejudice against muggles

Which of us is the biggest disgrace, according to my father?

1: Me

2: Jacob

3: Gracie

Which of these careers would be unacceptable for me to have?

1: Magizoologist

2: Professional Quidditch Player

3: Cursebreaker

Gobstones: Gracie

I've never lost a match, just so you know.

Do you like gobstones?

1: It's the best game

2: Wizard's chess is better

3: I hate gobstones

Ugh, why do they smell so bad?

1: I can't smell anything

2: You smell worse

3: They smell great

Don't you dare try to distract me.

1: I think I just saw Jacob

2: I would never do that

3: I know what you did to Rowan

My mind is starting to wander...

1: Thinking about Merula?

2: Thinking about Charlie?

3: Thinking about Tulip?

I need to focus here.

1: I'll leave you to it.

2: Do you think Crups should be banned?

3: Do you even like sandwiches?

I can't lose this match!

1: I'll bet ten galleons you lose

2: It's only a game

3: You're terrible at this

Whose turn even is it?

1: I've already won

2: I haven't been keeping track

3: It's been your turn for five minutes

Gobstones: Tessa

I'm the absolute best at gobstones!

Are you ready to lose?

1: It's a fair game

2: I'm doomed

3: Are you?

Nothing can distract me.

1: Someone's about to spill a potion on you!

2: Barnaby is cheating on you!

3: Gracie said she hates you!

I've only ever lost to Gracie...

1: You just aren't as smart as her

2: I can believe that

3: She probably cheated

You're not playing how I expected.

1: Your Legilimancy must be weak

2: I'm not your average opponent

3: Are you insulting me?

My head kind of hurts.

1: You might need a snack

2: You might need a nap

3: You might need a drink

This is going to be humiliating.

1: More than being related to Jacob?

2: More than being in your sister's shadow?

3: More than being so weak?

I can't let you win!

1: You'll make a comeback

2: It's inevitable

3: Don't give up

Butterbeer: Gracie

How much have you learned about me?

What's my dream job?

1: A professor

2: A cursebreaker

3: A potions master

Who was my first kiss?

1: Rowan

2: Charlie

3: Merula

Who can't my crazes target?

1: Family

2: Romantic partners

3: Enemies

What noise makes me want to die?

1: Nails on a chalkboard

2: Chewing

3: Quills on parchment

What's my sexuality?

1: Bisexual

2: Lesbian

3: Pansexual

Who did I love the most as a child?

1: Jacob

2: My father

3: My grandmother

What's my favorite color?

1: Green

2: Blue

3: Purple

Butterbeer: Tessa

Let's see how well you actually know me.

What's my Animagus form?

1: A cardinal

2: An osprey

3: A sparrow hawk

What's my favorite dinner food?

1: Angel hair pasta

2: Steak tips

3: Chicken teriyaki

Who's my best friend?

1: Penny

2: Liz

3: Badeea

Who did I have a crush on before Barnaby?

1: Diego

2: Bill

3: Felix

What's my biggest insecurity?

1: Your body

2: Your intelligence

3: Your magical strength

What am I most attracted to, personality wise?

1: Kindness

2: A sense of humor

3: Sass

What Quidditch position do I play?

1: Chaser

2: Keeper

3: Beater

[bonetrader]

Unusual RPG combinations

I like to tinker with mixing and matching rpg settings and systems. I will try to collect the ones I'm most fascinated with. I haven't found the opportunity to actually try any of these combinations, but I guess it doesn't hurt to put them out there in case someone finds any of them interesting.

Shadowrun redux

Setting: Shadowrun

System: Blades in the Dark

I adore Shadowrun. It takes all the bleakness of reality, amplifies it, but also mixes it with a lot of magic and wonder. And if you read the books selectively, even with hope.

But playing it can get convoluted, especially if your group is prone to overplan. And we know that plans always go sideways. There's no such thing as a milk run. Spending an hour on planning can be annoying in itself. But it's extra painful if it has to be thrown out the window in the first five minutes of execution.

Enter Blades in the Dark that instead of planning ahead encourages to use flashbacks on the spot to reveal how you prepared in advance to get past an obstacle. That makes pulling off daring heists a lot more easier for the players. Infiltration is way less stressful on the player if they can make up any forged backstory on the go, and do a flashback to make sure it's believable. There's still some minimal planning, but it's practically just setting the starting scene of the run. You don't have to specify anything beyond that.

The concept of crew from Blades also fits nicely with Shadowrun. It can tell the GM what kind of runs the players prefer, and gives the players the ability tospecialize their team. Blades was created for a different level of technology and magic. But it mainly focuses on the hierarchy of the criminal underground, and that translates easily even to a modern world. So I expect the same crews to work with Shadowrun, but more thematic options could be added to tie it closer to the sixth world.

The concept of hunting grounds should be reconsidered. In Blades it means a specific neighbourhood the characters are more familiar with and usually target. In Shadowrun it makes more sense to make it a specific scenery they usually operate in. For example it could be a specific megacorporation they often go up against, or a type of gang that's common in the sprawls they operate in.

Blades also offers a nice subsystem for handling reputation, growth, notoriety, and even stress and trauma between runs. Incorporating a specific vice for each PC also seems completely in line with Shadowrun's concept.

The biggest difference will be in character creation. Blades' system is more abstract than Shadowrun's. In Blades you have to pick a specific playbook for your character. I think that's OK. While Shadowrun allowed building characters skill by skill, it always encouraged working toward specific archetypes like face, rigger, or adept. Your playbook determines your starting stats, but you can still somewhat specialize it. Blades also allows crossing from a playbook to a new one, but that's long term character advancement.

Adding some elements of Shadowrun might not be trivial. Spirits could be more or less handled as the ghosts in Blades. But magic and technology would have to be specifically addressed. Some of it could be treated like fluff, making it mechanically irrelevant whether your efforts are more effective because of training, because of an implant, or because you are infusing them with magic. But at least mages, riggers and deckers would probably need their own playbooks.

Twisted Houses of the Drow

Setting: any fantasy setting with drows, but I have a specific campaign idea for Spelljammer

System: Houses of the Blooded

This is a re-skin of Houses of the Blooded. The ven and the drow have different values and cultures, but I think they share a similar style. Decadence and intrigue runs deep in their societies. I'd replace the virtues (attributes) of the original game with corresponding vices. And each vice would be linked to a drow god instead of the totem animals of the original game.

Instead of the romance mechanic there would be rivalry. It would work the same way, just with a different flavour. Drows could pick someone as a rival, driving each other to greater feats. Instead of creating art drows could develop schemes. Same as the art mechanic. The scheme could give a bonus to those it was shared with. Seasons, regions, holdings, and blessings would have to be reworked, but I think renaming them would be enough in most cases.

My campaign idea is for a group of drow renegades employed by the elven admiralty as covert agents. They would be sent for long term infiltration missions to places where surface elves are not welcome. Each of them would have an affiliation with a drow god as well, and each would have their own hidden agenda. It might even work if not all characters are drows. I could imagine one or two elf, half-elf, or shapeshifter mixed in.

If I ever got to it seasons of the campaign would include: Building up a career of piracy in space (remember, Spelljammer) to get on the good side of a notorious and elusive pirate king, and lead the elven navy to its hideout. Instead of holdings the players could manage trade routes they raid, and their ships. Another would be infiltrating a drow city to stop an invasion. I think this would be the closest to the original Houses game. And finally I'd drop them in a mission to arrive as inmates to Elfcatraz, the secret prison of the admiralty (named by one of my players) to find out who's really in control there.

Around Cerilia in 80 days

Setting: Birthright

System: Primetime adventures

This one is kind of cheating, because Primetime adventures is quite setting-independent. So I rather mean it's a better fit for the kind of stories I'd like to run in this setting.

Birthright's setting works on a comprehensible scale for me. Most fantasy worlds have gigantic continents with dozens of large countries. They are too large for me, and I end up with a vast countryside where everything's the same for weeks to go. But Birthright has a small continent, maybe more like a large island with five distinct cultural regions. And each of those regions have a dozen provinces, each province described with its own flavor. It's not complicated, but colorful.

I guess it was done this way to accomodate the strategy aspect of Birthright that was one of its main features. While the concept of ruling provinces sounds great, the setting really makes me want to have a game about just travelling through this world. Not with adventurers, but rather with tourists, merchants, travelers who are going there to see a foreign place, or do business with the locals, and not just to explore a dungeon that happens to be there.

Ever since I saw the Roman Mysteries TV series I've been particularly fascinated with the idea of having a bunch of kids as player characters who are brought along by one's aunt/uncle on business trips to foreign lands, and get into trouble there. For example a trip from a frontier barony to the capital city, traveling through the woods of wary elves, then sailing down the river, stopping in a few more interesting port. Or a journey to the magnificent kingdoms in the east, although there are many perils both natural, and man-made on the way.

Thinking in Primetime adventures terms each province or city could be a separate episode. And the peculiarities of the place could be used to decide which character's spotlight episode should happen there.

Even domains of awnshegh (people and animals infected by the power of a dead god of darkness, becoming "monsters") don't have to be off limits. Some of them were quite sociable, and even more ruled over people whose perspective could be interesting.

Crown of Wings

Setting: Council of Wyrms

System: Birthright's domain management

Council of Wyrms focuses on playing dragons from various clans who work together. Despite the central role of the council, and the politics between the dragon clans, Council of Wyrms didn't touch much on the actual politics and realm management. It was the same AD&D, just scaled up to dragon PCs.

But I think there's so much more potential in the setting. I could easily imagine dragons ruling the land, managing guilds, and churches, and building out ley line networks to cast spells affecting whole realms. So everything that Birthright's system offered.

The setting isn't fully fleshed out, but it lets us fill in the land with fantastic locations. Some cities and towns were mentioned at unusual places, full of various races. So players could run wild with ideas when they create their own domain. Should their be trade routes with a merfolk city, and underwater ley lines? Absolutely. Could there be a church based on promoting the halfling lifestyle? Why not?

And then there's the Council. Domain Power could determine the character's status in it. Regency Points, and Gold Bars could be used as bargaining chips.

But what should be its purpose? I have seen enough of the trope of warring factions who have to be unified against some common threat, maybe with a traitorous faction thrown in the mix. I mean it makes for a fine story, but I'm getting a little tired of it. This time I'd rather see a council as a way to trade, to exchange ideas, and to help everybody improve their own clan. It doesn't make for a strong narrative, but I think it's a more positive message overall.

I think the biggest restriction in the setting is that dragon clans are too homogenic. Like, each clan consists of just one kind of dragon. That doesn't help in putting together a game with diverse characters. The original game concept solved that by making the PCs agents of the Council who may come from various clans.

For a more political game we could introduce mixed clans. So the characters could be part of the same clan, while still coming from various places. Maybe they are outcasts or survivors who created their own clan. Or maybe their clan was open minded, and was located in a central place, so it naturally lead to it becoming more diverse.

Or we could say that they are from different clans, but their clans are neighbours and allies of each other. At least if you're like me, and you don't want to set the players up for PvP by putting them to opposing sides of a clan feud.

Custom Quest

Setting: Your long-running campaign

System: Fiasco

I think any campaign that went on for a while should be an easy source for creating a Fiasco playset for a one-time play. Fiasco is about nobodies trying to pull off something bigger than they are. It's about petty people, and half-baked ideas going wrong. And while that might still sound like your average adventurer party, here we know they can't win. They will be lucky if they don't end up in a lot worse situation they started in.

For convenience I will refer to the PCs of the original campaign as heroes. It's okay if they are not actual heroes. That happens pretty often. But they had the greatest influence on the campaign this one shot is based on, so we have to heavily rely on them.

So the player characters in this one-shot are probably just background noise in the original campaign. I think this is a great way to explore how the actions of the heroes might affect the common people in unexpected ways. Objects driving the character dynamics could be things the heroes brought back, created, or just used in a memorable moment. Maybe an artifact they sold off is making its rounds on the blackmarket, and someone sees an opportunity in it. Or evidence surfaced that could incriminate one of the heroes.

And it's not just Objects. Their shenanigans might have brought the unwanted attention of a powerful cult to the city. Or the local barkeep loathes the heroes because they trashed his place one too many times. And he's just looking for some idiots to exact his revenge. Really, just look for whomever the heroes might have ever slighted or aided to get a plethora of petty plots and strange driving forces in the community. This can give you the Needs and Relationships between the player characters.

Locations could be places well known by the players, preferably close to a place the heroes frequent. The heroes, and the more memorable NPCs could give some enjoyable cameos. And finally they could become part of the Tilt table to turn a bad situation worse in the middle of the game.

[angelstrenchcoat-67]

Game Day - A Matchmaker's Story

Pairing: Alex x Reader

Warnings: Fluff for days

Summary: Going to the Whitecaps game to support Alex.

Author's note: This is a headcanon for my Matchmakers series but you don't have to read it to understand it (tho I highly recommended it because it's awesome). There are a few references but nothing to big.

Beta'd by @winchestersandco

"Looking good, girl" Kathryn smiles brightly at me as I take the seat between her and Katherine. Gen, Dee, and Vic couldn't be here today since they are back home with their families so the girls came to keep me company.

"Not hiding it anymore, I see" Katherine smirks as she stares at the back of my shirt where CALVERT reads in big blue letters.

"It's not like we've been secretive about it" I mutter, looking for Alex at the bench. He’s running his hand through his hair as the starting players move to the center of the field. "Besides, most of the fans have already figured it out"

"How did it happen? You haven't given us the details to your love story" Kathryn asks me as a loud whistle indicates the beginning of the game.

"I kinda knew that I liked him, I was just in denial about it and he says he knew he liked me and that he had always wanted to ask me out but never got the courage" I bite the side of my lip to hide my grin. "But when we went to the beach with the guys, they made it their mission to get us together so we ended up spending most of the time together, so it was impossible to pretend like nothing was going on between us"

"And who made the first move?" Katherine turns around to focus on me, more interested in the conversation than in the game.

"Mmm, Alex tried to kiss me first but I ran away but later I kissed him so, I don't know" I chuckle at the surprised look on both of them. "I did walk in on him when he was showering so maybe that was me making the first move.

"You saw him naked?"

"You ran away?"

They both ask at the same time, the noise of the crowd stopping the people nearby from hearing them. "I panicked when I saw him leaning in and no, I didn't see him naked. He was already walking out with a towel wrapped around him"

"Boring" Kathryn pouts before turning her eyes back to the game. "I bet he looks good naked, no offense”

"Non taken, I know what you mean" I blush, remembering all the times I've spent staring at Alex when he is shirtless or in a towel after he has taken a shower.

After a while, the game comes to its first break so I decide to get something to eat. Alex hasn't played yet but I think he is going on in the next part of the game. As I wait in line, I check for my phone only to find several tweets about how I came to the game to support Alex. There are a few hate comments but nothing too serious. I get them, I've been the fangirl with a celebrity crush before.

I get back to my seat just as the game starts again and I see Alex being called out as the camera points to him as he gets ready to enter the field. "Oh my god, he’s going in”

"What if he scores a goal and dedicates it to you?" Katherine giggles as she watches me looking at Alex.

"He’s playing defense so I don't think that's gonna happen" I smile as Alex runs for the ball, being completely focused on the game.

As Alex moves in to stop a player from scoring, the other guy hits him and he falls to the ground. A few players run to him so I cannot see what's going on.

"Is he okay?" I stand up to get a better look but I can only see his face and I can tell he is in pain.

"Yeah, I think the other guy kicked him" Kathryn stands up to watch too.

"I am going to kill him" I turn around, ready to walk down there but Katherine stops me.

"It was probably an accident. And look he’s already back on his feet" She points at Alex as he stands up, wincing a little bit as he takes his first steps. "He’s going to be fine"

"I hope so because if that guy hurt Alex, he is going to be a Hellhounds meal" I huff, flopping back into the seat.

"People are staring, Y/N" Kathryn smiles awkwardly at a girl who is frowning at us. "No more supernatural references, okay?"

The game went over pretty smoothly, Alex played really well even though it was his first time playing on such a big field. We are currently waiting for him to come join us, I even got him a beer so that he can cool off.

"Hey baby" I grin widely as I watch him walking over to us. He bends over to kiss me, a smile present on his lips. "You were amazing"

"Thanks" His eyes are soft as he watches me before giving me another kiss, deeper this time.

"Mhm" Katherine coughs, smirking when I turn to glare at her. "Get a room, Calverts"

"We are not married, you know right?" I roll my eyes as I wrap my arms around Alex.

"Yet" He winks at the girls and before I can reply, he gives me a quick peck. "So, let's get going"

"Wait, I want a picture" I give my phone to Katherine and then I turn around so I have my arms around Alex and his last name is visible in the back of my shirt. He wraps one arm around me, holding his beer in the other hand as he smiles to the camera.

"I love it" Kathryn giggles as she leans over Kat’s shoulder to look at the picture. "You guys are so cute I swear"

"I know, right?" Alex runs his hand through my hair as he looks me in the eyes. "I am one lucky guy"

"Stop it" I blush as he grabs my hand to guide through the stadium.

"Do you really want me to stop complimenting you and admiring you?" He pulls me to his side so he can wrap his arm around my shoulder as we walk, the girls following close behind.

"Okay maybe not" I turn around to look at the girls which makes them hide their phones since they were taking pictures of us. "Thank you so much for keeping me company today"

"We loved coming here" Kathryn beams at me as we say our goodbyes. "We need to see each other more often"

"Yeah, let's meet up for coffee before shooting starts again" Katherine suggests so we all nod along.

After a lot of hugs, the girls go their way, leaving Alex and I on our own. We walk hand in hand, bumping into other actors as we make our way to the car.

"Did I mention how much I love that shirt on you?" Alex pushes me slightly against the side of the car, placing on hand on the hood and the other one around my middle. "That's all I've been thinking about"

"I am glad you liked it" I whisper as he leans in to kiss me but then pulls back slightly when I reach for his lips. "Don't tease me, Alexander"

"We are in public, buttercup" He rests his lips against my forehead, holding me in place. "Whenever I kiss you, I lose track of what's happening"

"I don't mind it" I hug him against me, not caring about the fact that minutes ago he was sweating like crazy. "I actually love it"

"I know you do" He gives me a wink as he pulls back, creating a distance between us. "But I don't think the other people do, besides we don't want to end up on E! news because I couldn't keep my hands to myself"

"You take the fun out of everything" I pout as he opens the door of the passenger seat for me.

"Trust me, I'll show you fun as soon as we get home" He gives me a quick kiss, not even letting me react to it.

-

"Can you put your phone away so you can pay attention to me?" Alex pushes my phone away from my face as his head is resting on my lap.

"I am writing the caption of our photo, just give me a second" I quickly type the words before uploading the picture to my instagram. "I tagged you so you have to like it"I give him my phone so that he can look at the picture.

"Y/i/n: He might have played defense but he is a keeper. Love you, my angel 💙"

"God, you are so cheesy" He bites his lips as a smile creeps over his face. "C'mere"

I lean in to meet his lips halfway, placing my hand over his chest. He bites my lower lip, I open up my mouth so he can deepen the kiss. He sweeps the tip of his tongue over my lower lip just as I slip my hand under his shirt, feeling his muscles tense under my finger tips. He groans under my touch, running his hands through my hair to pull me closer. The position is getting a little uncomfortable so he moves to sit next to me but instead of just turning my head, I decide to straddle his hips. He brings his hands down to hold my hips as his lips move from mine to my cheek then to my jaw and finally to my neck. He knows my neck is the way to make me melt in his arms so as soon as his lips are on my skin, a deep groan escapes my mouth.

"God, you are killing me" He breathes out heavily, digging his fingers into my skin. I grab the hem of his shirt, he takes the hint and brings his arms up so I can remove it.

"Have I mentioned how much I love your abs?" I ask him as I run my hands through all the lines marked in his abdomen.

"They are all yours, babe" I can feel his breath getting harder as he reacts to my touch. Before I know it, I’m placing kisses over his shoulder then down to his chest.

"Do you want me to take the jersey off?" I ask him as I move my lips back to his face, biting him slightly under his jaw.

"Tempting, really tempting" He groans as his fingers move under my shirt. "But there's something about you in just that shirt and underwear"

"Why?" I pull back to rest my arms around his shoulder as his fingers draw lines in my back.

"I don't know, I just-" He breathes out before looking me in the eyes, a little more serious now. "I love seeing you with my last name on your back, it reminds me that I finally have you"

A silence falls between us, and I don't dare to move, I just look into his light blue eyes. I feel a lump in my throat as he reaches his hand to tuck my hair behind my ear. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have said that, I probably scared you, I-"

"Shut up" I place my hand over his mouth. "You are ruining the moment"

"Okay" He mutters when I remove my hand to place it over his cheek.

"You didn't scare me, Alex. It shows me you love me as much as I love you" I hide my head in the crook of his neck, hugging my arms around his middle. "I am keeping this shirt forever"

Half an hour later, Alex is snoozing next to me, completely exhausted by the game. I quickly snap a pic before looking at the comments on the picture I posted earlier.

"@danneelackles512: You two are killing me, I swear😍"

"@nowandgen: in love with your love❤️"

"@jaredpadalecki: You guys are adorable, I want to throw up"

"@jensenackles: I see Alex found someone just as ridiculously cheesy as him"

"@mishacollins: I am still waiting for you to properly ask for his hand"

"@kathrynnewton: Favs💕"

"@katramdeen: Adopt me please"

I laugh at all the comments, liking them before noticing one that immediately makes my heart feel like it's going to explode.

"@alex8calvert: I could watch you forever and it would still feel like the first time. I love you"

————————————————————————

Matchmakers is my baby and I don’t want to let it go so when I saw the picture Jenna posted on her instagram story, I knew I had to write something. Hope you like it:)

Also, I wrote 'Claire' insteand of Kathryn and when I was fixing it I realized that I had Kathryn and Katherine so I hope that is not too confusing. For those of you who don't know, Kathryn is the actress that plays Claire and Katherine is the one that plays Alex :)

General Tag List:

@fallenangelsneverfade @waywardwboys @thesoundofme @i-hear-crazy-calling-my-name @randomstuff-idontwannatalkboutit @josephineasting @mypassionsarenysins @bitchfacesammy @franchisefan14

Matchmakers Tag List:

@mahalaraewolfe @typicalweirdbookworm @xostephanie @sam-winchester168 @theoraeken9 @dustycelt @winter-moons @sillydecoy @in-my-heart-and-on-my-sleeves @mannls @spnjerks67 @madxhttr22 @ahopelessshipper @hortonhearsahoeblr @spnimpalaimagines @literally-just-for-fanfics @allison-rosewood-maximoff @beepbeepanna @l4life @caswinchester2000 @spn-obession @expectosel @morgannope @dpaccione @oliolioxiclean @mallorydoesstuff @meghanamrhein @s11041104 @tearsforhan @chevycastiel1967 @babydollbunny99 @maariaa-xoxo @ivyohmy @multifandomizer @fandom-menace @love-faith-and-alittle-blood @thecuriositydoorlocked @creamxpuffxchan

[dailybayonetta]

Just curious. It could be that I just haven't played 2 in a while to know the feeling, but... what ARE the changes that Bayo 2 did that upset people??? I understand Bayo 2 is more forgiving and that rubbed people the wrong way, but I would just like to know what these changes were.

THIS HAS MUCH TEXT AND CAME OUT LONGER THAN I EXPECTED I’M SO SORRY, BUT I HOPE YOU’LL ENJOY MY RAMBLINGS/

There isn’t exactly much changes, more like a design choices and I can only speak for myself, but the most complaints I have to Bayonetta 2 is it’s gameplay.

Just think for the second, in the first game dodging system and witch time worked perfecty. Incoming attack of your enemy is visualised good and the sound of it was understandable, you always knew when attack is incoming and combining with the perfect witch time it worked absolutely amazing. Wicked Waves attacks are not that powerful, but they were inside the combos, not perfomed by just pressing one button and spamming whatever weapon is currently equiped in bayo2. All the fights and order of enemy appearence made sense, chapters were most of the time balanced, portals were hidden and it made sense because they ARE a challenges where you get your rewards. Like I said, the main core of the game is in it’s gameplay, that’s why bayonetta in my opinion is undying game because there is so much content after you beat it and you want to replay it, you want to get better and here comes the main problem.

Bayonetta 2 requirements for your results are unbalanced. In the first game you can pick the set of weapons you prefer and main it, but at the same time you need other weapons to support. To do the alfheims, to do extra stuff like pulling enemies or stunning them, or using fire durga to not get damage on burning enemies. All of this are elements of gameplay. And as long as you were good in combos and not taking daming, timing isn’t that cruel to you. And here we go in bayo 2 you can literally get a gold medal just because you were late for 1 second, it doesn’t feels fair to the player. And in bayonetta 2 you don’t even need other weapons, you don’t even need to search for weapons unless you want an achivmient. All you need is the first weapon you get(for the fight you can’t skip) and the one you get in the story, which you can’t skip or miss either. This ruins everything because both of the are AoE and that basically solves your problems. After that you just go to the chapter you want to get pure platinum and hope for the best. There is no any skill involved and dare I even say you can spam lollipops because no penalty for it and it also lock your limits. While I do like the idea being good at the game by just pressing buttons, but the same time, as an example, I felt so satisfayed when I learned how to counter enemies in bayo1, it really did felt like I learned a new trick, I learned a new mechanic that helped me get better lately at the game. I don’t know if you even can do it with bayonetta 2 with all that confusiom of enemies attacks.

I could talk about this for days but, so basically the problems: a) witch time is nerfed despite enemies and bosses still requiring to do witch time to damage them b) unclear enemies attacks that are badly visualised and the sound design is poor for them c) poor and cheap enemies design that are almost forgetable d) weapons isn’t being good as it is in bayonetta 1 e) awful requiments for your scores f) torture attacks are basically not needed because angels/demons weapons are nerfed too and are garbage g) also it’s a personal one but taunts are horrible too, “ask your mum” is pretty funny because it’s the reference, but the rest GOD THEY ARE BAD IM SORRY, “YOU MAKING IT EASY” FJSLFJSL BAYONETTA JUST SHUT UP. h) difficultes are not balanced too, basically despite switch version saying “HARD” insead of “3RD CLIMAX” it’s a normal. it’s just a normal mode from bayo1. Which makes an infinite climax mode in bayonetta 2 pointless and just super hard and unfun. i) bayonetta 2 has only one portal that was a real challenge. only. one. all of them are techically just normal battles.

All the above leads to one big problem = core of the game, it’s fun badass amazing spectacular gameplay, changed. And it’s very unfunny how it made game HARDER than the first one, it’s frustating to look at this all. I do understand that it needed to change. It sure did. But it should’ve not broke the main aspects of the game that were perfect in the first game. And as I told earlier it was simply done because Hideki Kamiya wasn’t leading the project, I’m sure he would blocked all of the people who made these design choices and make it great again, but he was just a Supervisor in this project. Which also lead to the story being a mess, because Kamiya was writing it (i love him, but he can’t write for shit, trust me).

And all my words and complaints doesn’t mean I hate Bayonetta 2, no, I really don’t, I let alone enjoy it just for the tag climax it’s pretty fun and relaxing, I feel good that I can beat someone even thought I’m not that good with it. I would say it’s love-hate, that changes from time to time, the more I play Bayonetta 2 the more I find it fine action game, but everytime after that I come back to Bayo1 it just feels like home, it feels so narutal. It was so good and it sucks because fan-base preferes much more bayonetta 2, simply because the first game had a bad launch and perfomance problems, plus the time it came out. I wish people who like Bayonetta 2 more, would at least acknoweled the fact that it isn’t superior than Bayonetta 1. You can love Bayonetta 2 all you wantm but it will never be better than first. it’s not a statement, it’s a fact. Unless the third one crushes the fuck out them both, then I’ll shut up.

I’ll suggest you, after you enjoy and play Bayonetta 2 for fun and spend a few time in it, try playing Bayonetta 1 again. Just start a new file and play a few chapters, you will feel how different it is despite almost looking the same. I did it today and...Once again it made me question how we all got blind about Bayonetta 2 just because it had a pretty colours. I’m myself kind of guilty. But it’s topic for another day.