#cyber clash

[evilhorse]

The Jaguar #03

[witchofthesouls]

The 'Humans into Cybertronians' trope overlook the massive discrepancy on how sports are approached by the the separate species.

I mean, Cybertron would most definitely have clauses that lock in very specific frames to very specific sports, like racers can only be speedsters.

Meanwhile, humans will make anything and everything into a sport as long you can survive the training and the entire run. If there was a human athlete that turned into a Cybertronian, then they would continue their progress, come hell or high water. In some cases, very literal.

Like a human into a racecar, but they're definitely continuing their surfing career. With tsunamis now.

Or someone that turns into a radio and is still killing it on the snowy mountains.

Or a tank that's taking their higher constitution to up their freerunning or parkour complexity and danger levels.

Chess boxing, underwater hockey, extreme ironing, and ferret-legging also exist.

The cyberized humans would have a lot of freedom that they didn't think they had because they never were part of such a structure as well as be far more comfortable utilizing equipment that Cybertronians thought as training aids, obsolete due to their own advances, or flatout weird to them since it's considered a nonpowered mobility aid. Like parachutes, compasses, and skateboards.

The ability to transform is such a huge social phenomenon to Cybertronians that they can't help to completely fixate on it, and get absolutely be baffled that someone that came fresh from a species swap is utterly nonchalant about it. Like, sure, there's excitement and all the mecha are nodding their heads over the newbuild's freshness, but then whiplash because they're going out into the wilds without a proper frame that's meant for it, like what do you mean you go diving into the sea!? You're an EKG machine, aren't you??? (Insert confused bot/con noises)

[of-fear-and-love]

Matthew Lillard in Hackers (1995)

[merge-conflict]

don't get me wrong I love johnny silverhand in all of his grimy emotionally stunted glory but imagine if we had more of alt. the woman who created soulkiller and then got soulkilled herself. you can have two conversations with her. she reads you a poem when it's time to die. what's she been up to? tell me more about alt!

[witheredarchives]

Zeno Clash 2

[phantom-fleetways]

Cyber Diva Mika!

Her debut performance was the best thing to happen to the Eggman Empire!

[thelofian]

Diligent Daily Booster Table (TTCC DBT) for 2024-03-12 (Week 11), Activi-Tuesday, 🌐🔓 World Day Against Cyber Censorship | 💰⚖️ Equal Pay Day

Acorn Acres and Drowsy Dreamland almost had the same Booster lineup today.

[theimpandthetumbl-r]

I feel like if MMZ!Era Zero and TP!Protoman met they'd have some MAJOR beef

[heronetworkgg]

World Cyber Games: El resurgimiento de un clásico en esports para demostrar que la pasión continúa

En medio de un año desafiante para la industria de los esports, con noticias de despidos y cierres de empresas, hay un rayo de esperanza que demuestra que nuestro mundo de entretenimiento sigue más vivo que nunca. Este año, en medio del caos, recibimos una gran noticia: el regreso de los World Cyber Games (WCG), […]

Ir a la noticia completa

[proxy616]

Nightcrawler returns to fight beside Logan and Laura in the upcoming Wolverine #6 (Dec 2024)

‘HEAVY METAL CLASH! Two WOLVERINEs and a NIGHTCRAWER versus CONSTRICTOR, CYBER and DEATHSTRIKE in a clash of the adamantium titans! United by a mysterious power, if LOGAN can't beat them... will he join them? Come for the battle — stay for the jaw-dropping surprise!’

[gremlingottoosilly]

Spitfire!Reader who has an irrational on sight hatred for König

Sometimes, there are people you just can't stand. Annoying people, loud people, angry people - or absolutely normal citizens who you just hate for no reason because a healthy girl needs her daily dosage of hate if she wants to remain sane. Konig was simply one of those people. Colonel of the mercenary group you joined as a civilian specialist - maybe it's translations, maybe it's cyber security, maybe it's therapy. Something that, unfortunately, left you on the base in a lot of occasions, so your meetings with weird commander were an often occurrence. He prides himself in being active on the battlefield, but even he has his office hours. And with you being on the base constantly, it's inevitable that you two clash. Konig is in love. You can barely stand him. He is loud - only with you, apparently, because no other person on the base would even describe the colonel as loud or obnoxious. If anything, he behaves like a creepy sleep paralysis demon, certainly not a lovesick puppy in need of guidance...but there you are, with this man basically sitting on your lap and waiting for orders. And oh, how you hate this man. For starters, he always touches you. A hand on your hip, full palm grasping your thigh, and sitting on it like it's fucking normal. His hands are always sweaty or covered in blood - and you hate hate hate the feeling but, again, there is nothing you can do. He is still your superior, and his word can fire you. So, without much to do besides just allowing him to use you as his little hugging practice, you just whispered threats into his ear. Making this horrible man chuckle. Resisting him while he is trying to touch you - a hand over your ass, bringing you closer as he is ready to latch between your legs. You can yell as much as you want to about how you hate him and hope he dies - but you both know that there really is nothing you can do. Besides just laying there and hoping he'd stop...but he wouldn't. He loves his little spitfire girlfriend as much as she loves to tell him she hates him.

[astro-royale]

AstrologyObs: Appearance

Disclaimer:my opinion

Cancers are the cutie of the zodiac!! Round facial features. Cozy, comfy, warm and inviting. They may look great in Asian make up styles or old classic make up styles. Bohemian. 70s look or even 50s.

Gemini have a cheekiness to them that’s apparent in their features. They look like troublemakers in a wholesome way. They usually have quite sharp smiles. They have a very on the go energy , and I think they can get away with being sporty or even messy. But they also look so good with a basic 90s style which reflects their logical mind.they may also have a “rebel” “punk” or even Avril Lavigne vibe.

Pisces just feel like a wave of tranquility and I just want to chill with them. They have such dreamy eyes that make you want to get lost in them. They look so good with shimmers, in make up and clothes. Also metallic colours. Glowy make up. MERMAID. They suit modern style of clothing a lot.

Sagittarius, the free spirits, can actually look great with more revealing looks. They can get away with over the top things, and they will make it look cool, like their way of dressing is part of their philosophy. I feel like Sagittarius also has a lowkey sense of humour to their style, “ I did it for the fun of it, why not” also look so good in red:::

Scorpio.. you guys just remind me of Johnny Depp in pirates of the Caribbean, looks wise that is. Very alluring, darkness around the eyes. You change and transform people so no one will ever experience another you again. Your dress sense may have elements of danger. Leather jackets. A sense of shock, uniqueness . Darkness. Alternative or femme fatale.

Aries yall look good in office things, or just sophisticated and sharp styles tbh. There’s an angularity to you but it looks very cool and dramatic, it makes you interesting and cool. Lush, and sharp.it gives lip gloss and matte outfit vibes.

Capricorn, your organisation influences your dress sense so much and i actually think that Capricorn represents a mainstream dress sense or something conventional and basic you see everyday. So you look good in that. Simple. Classy. Timeless. Capricorns with Aquarius placements may disagree

Taurus, yall look really good with heavy makeup up looks, or full face glam. you guys look good with mullets. And electric colours. Graphic liners. Cool eyeshadow looks. IG baddie make up looks. May also suit dip dye hair styles or highlights.

Virgo, I feel like many of you may have had a hipster phase, plaid shirt and boots situation. Or some kind of lowkey emo phase . Even a tomboy phase. But anyways, you look great with slicked back hairstyles, neat loose natural hair. You Look Royal, in a laid back way. No matter your aesthetic. Virgo, you look best when you take care of yourself, when you look very clean, and tidy. Clean girl aesthetic

Leo, Animal prints look so great. You’re royal in a flashy way. You may feel like you look great in designer clothing or higher end brands. The quality and brand may be of importance to you and you won’t just buy things from anywhere. You’re going to attract looks, because the planets revolve around the sun. You look good being flashy and fully expressing your authentic self and uniqueness, don’t hold back your greatness.

Libra, yall could wear a potato sack and still look great asf. Your facial features are usually very proportionate and balanced. I think your natural glow is what suits you best, and an elegant outfit. You look great showing everyone the embodiment of Venus on Earth, and I think you have “aesthetic” in your genes.

Aquarius, you look good in unisex or androgynous, long or short hair, any colour, you will make it work. Doesn’t matter if things clash, you can make it work. The innovated. Unique style. Dreamy aura, they have an intelligent vibe. You’re giving the audience a taste of the stars. Of intelligence beyond this earth. Cyber /rave styles can look great on them too. Or very artsy looks. Many of them also get into cosplay. They look ethereal so they can embody what isn’t real (anime, cartoons, movie characters etc) People may even say they look like an anime character.

[witchofthesouls]

I'm going to follow up on the fantasy-horror thoughts to be expanded Transformers, so-

Medical/Biological Horror

I haven't really seen takes about established Cybertronian medical biology and the complications with the "humans into Cybertronians" trope.

Like we see the heavy emphasis on T-cogs across the iterations and how it's deeply connected to independence, identity, and person-hood, so how about an ex-human that lacks a T-cog?

Ironically, T-cogs have a lot of emphasis on that particular organ is similar to human hearts in terms of emotional, cultural, spiritual, and physical capabilities and significance. Similar to how humans are capable of donating hearts to others, Cybertronians can perform an equivalent procedure with T-cogs. (On a related side note, the phenomenon of 'cellular memory' has to be extremely appalling to the mechanical species. Not in the sense of upcycling parts, but in the sense that the organs, frame, and equipment still retain the echos of the last person to the point that it influences the new body.)

Imagine that once human inside a medbay as the medics tutted and sadly inscribe their new medical file about their new monoformer status. What a shame, they said. They could have been an excellent addition to (insert whatever frame kibble visible that correlates to a function), they said. Poor thing! With that kind of extrasensory equipment, they'll be a walking target, they said.

So that monoformer with no kibble or those visible beastformer traits without the means to completely escape... What. A. Shame.

Until a random Cybertronian sees that monoformer casually wheeling around with heelies. It's easy to wave away as a reinvention of training wheels, but then they notice those heelies disappear back into the monoformer's frame. The ex-human still has no T-cog. Sweat breaks out because said ex-human had done the fucking impossible.

They're paying closer attention now. They're seeing little micro-transformations happening. The subtle signs of a frame shifting to accommodate an area or space, the way fingertips would sharpen too easily with a file or with a raw cut as a tip is used to scrape away at something, the seams expanding and contracting, so something is happening, they just can't tell...

While this can overlap with the body/psychological horror aspect, I say we should take it more extreme. There had been takes with dysphoria, particularly with the play between mechanical parts and human organs, the differences in senses, and if 'sticky sexual interfacing' is part of it, then sexual hardware of both sets.

However, what about acceptance? The exploration of feeling truly at home in your own new skin? Even if it's high-tech and something out of a sci-fi film/video game with a platform that's incomprehensible because you don't understand the language it uses, but guess what? You can download a packet to fully comprehend a new language. You may not be fluent or comfortably at ease with speaking, but you can read and understand what's being said. A possibility of delving into human disabilities that translate into something easily curable or nonexistent or have well-established accommodations in a Cybertronian framework. Something like hormonal disorders or gastrointestinal issues due to upset gut biome would be wiped clean. Poor/limited eyesight can be compensated with a visor that can't be easily removed or taken away or the additional sensors that provide environmental data. Cybertron has a form of sign language with chirolinguistics where communication is done "by stimulating the nervecircuits in the fingers, wrist and palm of their conversational partner. It seems to be fairly common to know at least a little hand." TFWiki page And it pairs well with internal comms that double as cell phones or an unique user on platform where a Cybertronian can live chat or text another.

A massive tradeoff for this kind of comfort? You now have a visible soul.

Think about it, your soul can be directly handled, as in someone can physically go mess with your most distilled sense of self.

Humanity had long debated the existence of it via philosophy, spiritually, scientifically as well. The heart is the most recent popular choice, but major historical contenders had been the stomach and the mind as well as arguments of the soul isn't found in one specific organ but rather the bridge between them.

People swear by souls and the afterlife. There are many myths and legends that involve souls. Even the most doubtful had been deeply raised in a cultural framework of the concept via media usage, figurative speech, religious imagery, and depictions in art.

That has to be the most mind-blowing and deeply unsettling reality a former human must accept.

I see the comparisons of sparkeaters to vampires as they both prey on the living, but the more apt description should be the product of Harry Potter with Dementors as those Dark creatures eat souls.

So this touches on another genre-

Supernatural Horror

Human adaptability combined with the Earth transformation myths/magic would deeply terrify modern Cybertronians as those new cybered beings don't fit the established medical reality they function with.

This can easily tie very well with expanding Cybertronian folklore of otherworldly beings of their version of fae, demons, spirits, or yōkai. Beautiful, terrible beings that mimick Cybertronians too well... unless to look closer: the shadow missing or not matching (can be tied to Unicron), conflicting kibble, EM fields too wild with a chaotic rhythm no one else can match, colors that change to suddenly, a strange wardrobe (made of dead creatures) that ripples and warps without a breeze, an mechanimal with too much intelligence glittering in its optics...

I'm not even fully delving into the rampant chaos of ex-humans having a host of adaptations suited for tolerating far more ranges of environmental stress and disease-resistance due to the rapid evolution by organic life compared to Cybertronian fauna. Remember, humans are animals. Highly intelligent apex predators that specialize in endurance/persistent pursuit with strong social and communal behaviors, and the cleverness to suit the environment from aquatic to deserts to wetlands to forests to grasslands to tundra. Humanity found ways to not just survive but to thrive in those biomes.

This opens a potential storyline where cybered humans become Cybertron's extremophiles, so that can easily translate into those beings capable of manipulating their own selves to a multitude of frames and shapes.

The example above with the human to monoformer was a show in how transformation mechanisms could be different between the species. If T-cogs are an inherently modern Cybertronian biological trait, then cybered!Earth natives should be either throwbacks or have another approach to it.

And that's the more muted fuckery, but what about straight-up transformations that were deemed unthinkable? Where unnatural formations keep twisting upon themselves, collapsing just to rise higher and higher? The sudden appearance of not one or two extra limbs, but dozens, even hundreds without a sequence as they try to compute how the hell they pull all that mass from nowhere? Armor plating, sure and steady, then turning into a substance that swallows everything and anything as a solid becomes a liquid.

The repression technology may or may not even work as it targets the frame's T-cog. What can it do to a mecha that doesn't have one?

Another aspect overlooked is the animal-human relationship in domestication of wild animals or how communities form symbiotic relationships with different kinds of wild fauna. Combined humanity's collective love for highly dangerous creatures... Wouldn't it be absolutely sick as hell if cyber!human got a sparkeater as their companion? It's still a wild 'animal,' not a fully tame one like a domesticated animal, so they're trying to tedtalk on a human's approach to curating a stable relationship with a predatory species while the rest of the Cybertronians are basically dead-white from sheer fright.

Or on the opposite yet equally delightful spectrum of said exhuman caring for orphaned creatures that reminds them of human pets (like a bunny or a mouse), but those 'cute babies' usually cause massive structural damage to city-states and a known mech-killer. Something like a Scraplet (because, let's be real, deep in your heart, you know a person that would try to keep it as a pet and succeed at it), so their tedtalk about behavioral training, 'reasonable precautions,' and emotional/physical fulfillment is filled with scientists who's curiosity (slightly to completely) overtakes any sense of self-preservation.

[thediaryofaurora]

General HCs

◎BEN drowned/Ben Lawman◎

- Died at thirteen, but he’s able to take form of whatever age he wants. Usually presents as sixteen to eighteen since most of his friends are in that age range. Technically he’s about sixteen now.

- About 5’8, but he can levitate when he’s a ghost.

- White with Swedish backgrounds. He was born in Idaho.

- He doesn’t constantly have blood coming out his eyes, it slowly comes out over time.

- Mainly talks to Jeff, Ben, Nina, Lost Silver, and Toby. Him, Toby, and Jeff usually hang out the most together, even though they don’t really get along most of the time. Ben’s really just the common denominator. Nina and him are both pretty internet involved, so they’re able to bond over that.

- Most of the time he chooses to be in his ghost form since he doesn’t require any sleep or food, but when he’s in his human form it’s nice to feel normal.

- When he’s human he is COLD. Constantly wears hoodies and pants, you can never catch him in t-shirts or shorts.

- He has an overwhelming amount of burner accounts that he cyber bullies people on, sometimes even the other residents. Him and Nina team up on kids on Roblox.

- Absolutely never drinks water. When he’s in his human form it would be in his best interest to, but he still doesn’t. Goes through about ten energy drinks and Mountain Dews a day.

- Him and Jeff almost exclusively eat fast food, usually together. He can steal whatever money he wants and cash it out or use it on a card, so they get whatever they want. They both get way too much food. Sonic and Wendy’s enthusiast.

- Unbearably sarcastic. You can’t say ANYTHING around this guy without getting picked on or teased, even if you’re friends. He’s more mean if he doesn’t like you, but if you’re closer he’s a little nicer.

- Completely relies on autocorrect, he can’t spell anything. Most of the time his texts are so incoherent even auto correct can’t help him, so all of his messages just look like gibberish. Nina can understand most of it, Jeff cannot whatsoever.

- He constantly has his hair in a ponytail, doesn’t wear his hat very often. He steals hair ties from pretty much every girl in the mansion, as does Jeff. They both feel awkward buying them in person so they either break into rooms and take them or they find them on the ground.

- Talks in brain rot way too often. Usually he’s being ironic, for the most part. Constantly quotes old vines or extremely niche, chronically online references.

- Actually really enjoys being around Toby, despite Jeff ranting his ear off about how much he hates him. Toby’s easy for him to get along with and he’s not as much of a douchebag as Jeff.

- When he’s human his eyes are still black and red, so if anyone asks while he’s in public he just says he’s wearing contacts.

- He doesn’t go outside very often. To him it’s the most boring thing ever, he’d rather stay in. Toby tries to get him to go out in the yard with him or go on walks, but after the first few times Ben realized it wasn’t his cup of tea.

- His room is surprisingly cool. He has a lot of trinkets and merchandise from his favorite games/ shows. His whole room is pretty much a clash of all his interests.

- Plays pretty much every genera of game. you can’t convince me he doesn’t have an established Stardew Valley file.

- Doesn’t really kill people unless they are trying to research the proxy symbol or anything else that could expose the mansion.

- He reminds me so much of Rigby from The Regular Show, it’s crazy.

៙◎៙◎៙◎៙◎៙◎៙◎៙

[heckcareoxytwit]

A preview of Wolverine #6

WOLVERINE #6

HEAVY METAL CLASH!

Two WOLVERINEs and a NIGHTCRAWER versus CONSTRICTOR, CYBER and DEATHSTRIKE in a clash of the adamantium titans! United by a mysterious power, if LOGAN can’t beat them… will he join them? Come for the battle — stay for the jaw-dropping surprise! Wolverine #6 LEGACY #398

Writer: Saladin Ahmed Artist: Martín Cóccolo Release Date: February 5, 2025

[kingpreciouswrld]

Spare Me (College!AU) Ch.2

Summary: Old flames die hard, yours is especially stubborn. However, when your rides to and from the practice fall through, you take up a sweet offer. Meanwhile you meet the rest of the coaching team on the second day of practice but not without some clashes.

A/N: Again, don't know what this is-- never written a multi-chapter fic before so I really don't know what I'm doing. Uhm...read if you want? It seems long but that's just cause there's a lot of one-liners...anyway, enjoy? Feedback is encouraged (cause...help...plz)

Your dorm room was definitely your little home away from home. It was currently a mess due to taco trash and you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

After you and Sam ate your winning tacos, you decided to do some…research…on your coach. It wasn’t weird or anything, you just wanted to know more about her, see if she was as interesting as you thought she was. No, it wasn’t weird, you just needed to know more about this woman…you just–

“Is that–”

You slammed your laptop shut, “Nothing!” you cleared your throat and tried again, “It was noth–”

“You’re looking her up?!��

“NO! No no no no, I was just looking at the school’s athletic page–”

You two started a tug-of-war with your laptop, “You were looking at google pics Y/N/N! Just let me seeeee!”

“SAM! Stop! You’re going to break my laptop!”

“Then stop fighting me and let me see what you found!”

Letting the dirty blonde win the tugging, you groaned in frustration. Sam just smirked at you and patted your head as she sat down next to you on your bed, “Don’t worry, your creepy little secret is safe with me.”

You huffed and rolled your eyes, laying on your back with a grunt.

“You know, it's kinda normal to cyber-stalk your crushes.”

“I do NOT have a crush on coach Calderu, she’s just…”

“Just, what?”

You grumbled before throwing a pillow over your face and screaming into it. It was so embarrassing that Sam caught you red-handed. You didn’t know what pulled you in to the other woman, she was just so…beautiful…and you couldn’t get her out of your head! Her short hair, her big doe eyes that could turn into a wicked glare, her bright smile that could turn into a knee-buckling snarl when she got snappy.

Coach Calderu was an enigma and you desperately wanted any information to help you piece together the kind of woman she was.

“What about this?” Sam shifted the laptop back onto your lap.

Slightly perking up, you moved to sit back up, “What is it?” you asked as you scrolled the page.

“It’s where she works, you know, when she’s not a college coach.”

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock, but what even is this place?”

“Some weird little shop, looks like it might even sell those cards you like to hog. It’s not that far from campus, we could always take a look?”

“But what if she’s actually there?” You really didn’t need to embarrass yourself in front of her. The season just started and you wouldn’t be able to take it if something happened that would make it even harder to face the older woman.

Sam rolled her eyes and got up, grabbing her jacket in the process.

“So what? We’ll just be looking for your weird cards anyway, it doesn’t need to be awkward. Just be cool about it, yeah? Come on.”

The dirty blonde grabbed your jacket and threw it at you. Your eyes widened as you felt your nerves come alive, “N-Now?!”

“I’m not going to be waiting Y/N/N!” She said as she left, leaving your dorm door open.

“Goddamnit….Sam! Wait up!”

– – – – – – – – – –

The sun was just a few hours away from setting. Although you despised Sam for being so impulsive, you knew you wouldn’t have followed through with seeing your coach outside of practices.

The walk to the shop didn’t seem too long and although it was a bit chilly, it was a nice walk.

“I can hear your mommy issues screaming from here.”

You rolled your eyes and huffed.

Sam held her hands up in surrender, “I’m not judging, I just think this would actually be good for you.”

“What? Why would you say that? She’s our coach, Sam. I highly doubt anything would happen.”

“That’s not what I meant…It’s just, after Agatha, I think you need a good distraction and if making up scenarios in your head about older women will help you, I’ll feed into your delusions!”

“Y/N!”

“Speaking of the devil…”

You didn’t know who started, but both you and Sam started to quicken your pace. You could hear heavy footsteps approaching you from behind before they fell into stride next to you.

“Please, Y/N, just hear me out–”

“Can’t you fuck off? She doesn’t want–”

“It’s alright Sam,” you sighed before linking your arm with the dirty blonde. 

Your action made Agatha stop in her tracks. You could’ve guessed that Agatha assumed you moved onto Sam but you two were just good friends, you considered her a sister even. But that didn’t mean you wouldn’t feed into Agatha’s insecurities.

“You coming or not, Harkness?” you asked, not looking behind you.

You could hear hurried footsteps approach you again before you heard them match your stride again.

“Where are we going?”

“There’s this shop we wanna check out before they close for the night, Y/N needs a new card deck.”

“They’re tarot cards Sammy,” you could practically hear Sam’s eyes roll in her head, “I didn’t know you still practice Y/N…”

“You lost the chance to know.”

As you three turned around the corner, the shop came into view.

Madame Calderu’s Psychic Readings.

Despite your nerves, you were pretty excited to get a new deck. You haven’t touched any of yours since your breakup with Agatha. Maybe Sam was right, having someone else to think of could be good for you.

When the shop came closer, both Sam and Agatha raced to see who could open the door for you and to your luck, Sam won. Rolling your eyes at their antics, the door opened, making the bell above it ring out into the small shop.

Agatha fell to the back of the group and let out a low whistle as she looked around, “Well isn’t this a swanky lil place…” she murmured.

As Agatha was caught up with the crystal ball on the main display, you were focused on the tarot cards on the wall.

“Well isn’t this a lovely surprise!”

You all whipped your heads towards the front counter to find coach Calderu in all her glory.

“Coach! What...are you doing here?” Agatha asked in surprise.

The older woman smirked, “Welcome to the curious.”

Coach Calderu walked around the counter to stand in front of you three.

“And what brings you three to my humble abode?”

Your eyes widened and you discreetly slapped Sam on her back, “Y-You live here too?”

“Well don’t seem excited by it, by all means! Is it that bad?”

“N-No! That’s not what I– I mean–”

The older woman chuckled and patted your shoulder, “I’m just pulling your leg hun, but yes! I do live here. Don’t touch that.”

Agatha, once again, snapped her hand back to her side with wide eyes, “Sorry coach, I didn’t mean–”

Coach Calderu waved her off, “No harm, no foul, just be careful, hm?”

As you turned to continue looking through the selection of tarot cards, you could smell her perfume before she draped her arm around your back, “Ohh do we have a little cartomancer in our midsts?”

You blushed and chuckled nervously, “I’m just an amateur really, I haven’t done a reading since high school…plus I’d only do personal readings or do a few readings for Sam.”

Your coach hummed, looking at the decks on the wall, before she picked one and handed it to you, “Well then I think this is what you’d like.”

The Cozy Witch Tarot Deck

It was cute and although tarot could be intimidating, the card deck looked anything but. You smiled and looked towards the older woman, “Thank you, it’s really cute. I like the aesthetic of the pictures.”

“Of course hun, only the best for my girls,” she winked.

You looked down at the deck in hand, pretending to read the packaging to hide the redness in your cheeks. In response, your coach just chuckled lowly and squeezed your arm as she moved to talk to Sam.

Oh you were definitely going to take up tarot reading again.

“Are you girls ready for practice tomorrow?”

“Oh, actually, I’ll be a little late.”

You whipped your head towards Sam with a confused look on your face. What did she mean? She was your ride to and from practice tomorrow and you sure as hell weren’t going to lug your bowling balls down 4 blocks to get to the bowling alley.

“I have family in town visiting and my grandma wants to take me to breakfast before practice. Where they’re staying is a bit out of the way so I might be late but I’ll do my best to be there on time.”

“Wait, but Sam, what about–”

“Same here actually.”

It was your turn to face Agatha with wide eyes. Well there goes your second option. Yes, asking Agatha for a ride would’ve been a stretch but you really didn’t want to walk around with your bowling balls in public.

“I also have plans for breakfast with an old friend of mine, but they’ll take me to practice from the diner. I’ll let them know that it’s important to get me to practice on time.”

“And what about you Y/N? Any plans for breakfast?” Coach asked with a raised brow.

“Uh– no, but I should say that I’ll try my best to get to practice on time…”

“Oh? And why would you need to try?”

“Because someone–” you glared at Sam who smiled innocently, “was supposed to be my ride to practice.”

The older woman looked at you two with amusement.

“Well if you need a ride hun, you just need to ask,” she said with an encouraging smile.

“Oh! I– I wouldn’t want to impose–”

Coach Calderu waved her hand, “Nonsense, I’ll be more than happy to give you a ride. You’re living on campus, right?”

“Mhm,” you nodded, still not believing you were about to spend even more time with the woman.

“Give me the name of your hall and I’ll be there bright and early.”

– – – – – – – – – –

When you finished shopping around, you ended up arguing with Agatha about who would be paying.

You honestly didn’t know what was wrong with the younger woman. Maybe she wanted to get back together and was trying to weasel her way back into your life somehow or maybe she wanted your forgiveness? You really couldn’t tell what she wanted from you.

Agatha ended up paying for your things. You got a few candles, the tarot deck that your coach had picked out, and a big dream catcher. Since Agatha paid for you, you made her carry your things too, not that she complained though, she seemed happy to help much to your annoyance.

Coach Calderu sent the three of you on your way with a wink and a wave goodbye and then the three of you started to make your way back to campus.

Sam nudged you with her shoulder, “You’re welcome by the way.”

“Why would I want to thank you? You’re ditching me AND you lied! All of your family lives within thirty minutes of campus!” 

“But now you have time with coach, so, you’re welcome.”

You punched Sam in the shoulder.

“What?”

Oh shit. You forgot Agatha was with you guys.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about Harkness,” Sam mocked. “Well would you look at the time, I want to get to the cafeteria before they run out of cheesy bread. See ya!”

And now you were alone.

With Agatha.

Sometimes you hated Sam with every fiber of your being.

“Come on superstar, I’ll walk you back to your dorm.”

You let out a sigh and reluctantly walked the rest of the way with Agatha.

The sun had set just as you and Agatha got to your dorm. The younger woman was still carrying your things as you unlocked your door.

You walked in and sighed as you took off your jacket before turning towards the open door. To your amusement, Agatha was still out in the hall. She was looking around your room but kept herself from crossing the threshold.

“You can just set those down on my desk.”

Agatha nodded before she came into the room, setting the bags down on your little desk.

“So…I– well, Y/N, I just wanted to say–”

“I didn’t say we were talking.”

“It’s been a few years, I’ve changed! Just– hear me out, please?”

You rolled your eyes before you hopped up on your bed. You gestured towards Agatha for her to continue.

“Thank you,” she sighed, “I just– well…I just want you to understand that what I did wasn’t because you weren’t enough for me, or that I don’t love you–”

“You said ‘don’t’...Ag–”

“I love you, Y/N, I still love you with all that I am and–”

“I think you should go.”

“Y/N–please, I– we need to talk this ou–”

You shook your head and let your head fall forward, your hair covering your face, “No”

“Wha–”

You whipped your head up, your eyes glossed over with fresh tears, “We don't ‘need’ to talk about anything! You threw everything out of the window when you decided to sell yourself out for some stupid-ass scholarship! Why are you even here? The head of the athletic department said he only scouted Sam and I from that Pepsi Tournament! Why choose this school? Why fight for an anchor spot when you don’t even care where you’re put in the lineup? Just– why?”

Agatha seemed shocked. She couldn’t form any words, her own eyes glossing over as she watched your tears fall silently.

“I think you should go.”

Agatha just looked at you with pleading eyes, “Y/N, please–”

“You heard her Harkness, beat it.” Sam came back from the cafeteria just in time.

You couldn’t face Agatha or Sam. You guessed that you looked a mess. It’s been a while since you cried over the younger woman. She couldn’t even answer your questions. She just stood there looking like she was the one who was hurting. She didn’t have the right to feel sorry.

The door clicked shut before you took a sharp inhale. Meanwhile, Sam looked at you with soft and understanding eyes.

“Do you want cheesy bread?”

– – – – – – – – – – – 

Last night’s sleep was rough. The talk with Agatha, if you could even call what happened a talk, still played in your head. You were obviously overthinking everything and second guessing yourself. Maybe you should’ve heard her out the first time, maybe you two would have stayed together. You didn’t know anymore.

You went around the dorm as you got yourself ready for practice. Sam was already gone when you got up and so you took a shower, got dressed, and pulled your bowling gear together. After grabbing your headphones, you headed out. The weather was nice enough that you decided to wait outside for your coach.

Putting your music on shuffle, you set the volume to the highest setting, drowning out your own thoughts. You bobbed your head along the music, your fingers subtly playing piano keys as you mouthed the lyrics.

A tap to your shoulder made you let out a startled yelp. Throwing your headphones off of your head, you turned to look at whoever dared to interrupt your little moment.

“I’m sorry to startle you, but I’ve been calling your name for a good few minutes.”

Your cheeks immediately reddened as you found coach Calderu standing behind you with an amused smile. You immediately scrambled to look at your phone. Apparently, you missed her texts and one call. 

You winced and looked back up at her, “I’m so sorry coach, I didn’t realize how much time has passed since I came downstairs.”

The older woman just chuckled, “It’s alright, I did enjoy the little show you put on,” she teased with a wink.

You didn’t know if your cheeks could turn any redder and you put your hoodie up despite it being a sunny day out. Coach Calderu watched on in amusement as you quickly placed your bowling bag into her trunk before you moved to sit in her passenger seat.

The sunglasses that were atop the woman’s head was placed over her eyes as she pulled out of the parking lot.

“Are you alright hun? You aren’t too cold or anything?”

“I’m good, coach, thank you. And thank you for the ride, I really do appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said as she patted your knee.

You turned to look out the window, your eyes practically bugging out at such a small gesture.

You felt like a very hormonal teenage boy that hasn’t even touched his first pair of boobs yet. Why did she have such an effect on you? She was literally just a woman. A woman who happened to be the most beautiful person you’ve seen in the universe. A beautiful woman who happened to be your bowling coach. A beautiful woman who was still touching your knee.

After coach Calderu let her touch linger long enough, she returned her hand to the steering wheel. “You said you liked listening to music right? What kind of music do you listen to?”

“Hm? Oh, I– a little bit of everything.”

“That’s what people say and then they completely disown two or three genres.”

“I– okay well you’re not wrong…I’ll say my top music styles would be pop, songs from the 70s, and then songs that I call ‘static oldies’ just because in some of the recordings, you can hear the scratches of the original recording.”

“Not what I expected of a 23 year-old, you do seem like an old soul.”

You just nodded in response. You had a quip on the tip of your tongue but decided to hold back due to the fact that it was a pretty dark quip and you definitely didn’t want to give your coach the wrong vibe about you.

– – – – – – – – – –

The rest of the ride was just filled with small talk; learning about the small things about each other and such. Coach Calderu asked you about your ambitions, your likes and dislikes, what made you embrace bowling, etc. It was refreshing if you were being honest and despite the crude rumors about the older woman, you couldn’t see why she easily made enemies. 

Once she parked, she let out a sigh before turning to you with a smile, “I accept debit payments. The title will say ‘Lilia’s Lyft’ but that’s just my side hustle,” she teased.

“How about just a five-star rating?” you giggled.

“As long as I get a five-star rating for both trips, then we’ll be set hun,” the older woman winked at you before she exited the car.

She unlocked the trunk and you grabbed your bowling gear before setting it on the ground so you could roll it.

“Calderu!”

You heard your coach heave a big sigh before she turned on her heel to face the voice, “Vidal, how…nice…of you to finally join us for practices.”

You weren’t paying attention to the other woman, you were paying attention to the younger woman following on Vidal’s heel.

It was Agatha, and as soon as she made eye-contact with you, you could see the panic and guilt begin to appear in her eyes.

It wouldn’t take a genius to pin together why Agatha and you guessed, the assistant coach Vidal, were together. You guessed VIdal was the one Agatha was texting during your senior year in high school and that’s how Agatha got into this school.

“Ah, and who did you bring with you? Another one of your pets? She’s a bit young for you, Calderu.”

“This,” Coach Calderu hissed, “Is Y/N, one of our team anchors for the season,” she glared at the younger woman.

Coach Vidal just raised a brow with an amused smirk before giving you a once over, “Ah, the famous Y/N L/N then…I gotta say, you give other girls a run for their money.”

You sent the assistant coach a tight lipped smile, “It’s nice to meet you Coach Vidal,” you turned towards your other coach, “I’ll head inside, I think Sam is here already.”

After turning on your heel, you trekked inside the alley, scanning the lanes to find the familiar dirty blonde.

“Y/N/N–”

The familiar husky voice made you walk away immediately.  Deciding to head to the kitchen area to grab an energy drink, you found your dirty blonde savior.

Sam was in line to get a drink and you left your bowling bag by the front desk before joining her, your arm hooking into hers.

“Witch at five o’clock, I’ll tell you what happened after practice,” you whispered to her.

Sam, the ever so helpful friend, just brought you in closer and held your hand in reassurance. It was only eight in the morning and you were already spiraling out.

The two of you got your drinks and walked over to the designated lanes for practice.

The coaches were standing and talking quietly amongst themselves while the girls were sitting at the settee area putting their shoes on. As you put on your own, you couldn’t help but glance at Coach VIdal every so often. Why would Agatha meet up with her? Were her words last night false?

On one of the glances, you saw that Vidal was already looking at you. You quickly broke eye contact and went back to tying your shoes.

It was going to be an interesting practice day.