#i would love to see pass completion percentages for each player

[the-physicality]

Going into the second i would like montreal to remember how to play hockey….

[heyitsyn]

There Once Was A Man With No Arms-

Goshiki x Manager!Tendou!FirstYear!Sister!Reader

a/n: that was a mouthful

anon request: ahhh i loved your headcanons of iwaizumi dating oikawa's sister!!! this time, can i request goshiki x tendou's first year sis na manager din ng team nila? salamatttt hehe ingat ka lagiii💞

this cute little bowl cut babie

so you are the little baby sister of our favorite red hair cutie and he was the one who offered you the manager position

ofc you accepted bc hello, you get to hang out w your brother and tease semi-semi-senpai everyday

pls let semi live

everyone likes you though bc you are their manager and you do a lot of things for them even though you dont need to

like sometimes, you stop by the store and pick up all kinds of snacks and if its really hot, popsicles and ice cream

ushijima farmer-san is known to be quite stoic and serious but he’s pretty chill around you and even ruffles your hair whenever you make a stupid joke

as a tendou, you are basically like a ctrl+v  with your brother 

the same cute teasing and bubbly personality but the quick change to serious and demeaning

the team gets stressed, especially mom, bc he has to take care of not one red-head freak but two

but he liked you more though bc you were a first year and you were this short little pumpkin and you were so nice and just all around A D O R A B L E

but you just didnt rub goshiki the right way

maybe bc he thought you were just doing this as an act and no person could really be this bubbly and cheerful

or hes just jealous his senpais attention is directed to you

he will DIE FOR HIS SENPAIS

whenever he gets a good spike, you cheer him on and say things like, ‘nice spike, tsu-chan!’ and he swears youre just doing this bc you want to kill him with a heart attack and he doesnt like feeling like this but you like torturing him

boi what is with this logic

even though he lives for praises, your praises and compliments just hits different than his senpais

before he even realized it, he started all out glaring at you and tendou, being the overprotective brother he was, pointed him out on it

‘oi, little kouhai, you got a problem with our y/n?’

at the mention of your name you turned around from talking to the coach and everyone turned to goshiki, expecting him to answer

unfortunately you didnt hear what your brother said so you were just confused

‘hm? i read the room and i am not comfortable with the energy in the gym today’

someone snorted while goshiki turned red at the attention being on him with the topic of you so he just walks away back to the court

‘oh? what was that all about?’ 

semi shushes tendou and gives you a smile

‘y/n, can you help tossing the ball for us?’

you nodded and quickly ran to the chair and waddled over to put it by the net before standing on it

everyone turned red, including goshiki and even shirabu, and busted their uwus

‘okay! let’s go!’

youve always noticed tsutomu and his determination to beat ushijima which youve appreciated bc he was so hard-working and he was talented enough

‘good one, tsu-chan!’

‘t-thanks, y/n-san’

even when no one noticed it, you were always there to give him compliments and he always grows flustered and hes just a big idiot babie and doesnt realize that your praises makes his heart beat faster bc he thinks youre freaking pretty and someone pretty complimenting him in his spikes boosts his ego

but eventually, it grew on him

instead of looking around for any senpai to praise him, he now turned to you and you would give him that adorable smile and he would bite his lip to stop himself from running over and hugging the life out of you

then he remembers who your brother is, well more like how protective the boys were

‘waka-senpai, nii-chan got sick so he wants you to stop by his dorm later today!’

‘okay’

since you were their teammate’s sister, theyve known you for a while and watched you grow from being this little middle school girl to a first year high schooler 

you were practically their sister

goshiki went to a different middle school so he never really realized how the guys treated you so differently but he knew it would be difficult to win them over for your hand

oops wait what

this thought struck him just as he was drinking water and he ended up choking on water causing you to run over from talking to semi so you could pat his back

‘omg, tsu-chan, you need to be careful!’

this was only the beginning of weeks of being weird

like he was so distracted and different that shirabu actually yelled at him and refused to give him any tosses

‘you talk big about being the ace but the slightest distraction could cost you a match. are you really being serious about being the ace or is it all just talk?’

he got all sad and mopey and he had to sit on the bench 

goshiki never got benched

he was too good to be benched!

but he was and he did not like it

you went over to him and sat next to him

‘tsu-chan, can you follow me?’

he looked up from the floor and he shrugged before following you out of the door

the others watched their first years exit the gym and they contemplated following

but tendou, surprise!, actually stopped them

‘my sister can sort him out herself. trust me’

goshiki didnt exactly know where you were taking him to until you stopped by by the baseball field where there was mud

‘y/n-san, why-’

‘you always say my name formally, why is that? im a first year too, tsu-chan’

he looked down

‘um, i-i don’t know-’

‘y/n-chan, tsu-chan. try it out’

‘y-y/n-chan’

you squealed at how cute he looked w red ears and a red face but you refrained from hugging him

then you remembered why you brought him out

‘oh right! come here, tsu-chan!’

you took a branch from a nearby tree and encouraged him to crouch down with you as you began to draw on the mud

‘there was once a man with no arms-’

you started happily singing and this was when goshiki really realized the resemblance between you and your brother

you both were happy and cheerful bc you wanted to radiate the energy to the others to be happy too

and it worked

tendou’s funny songs and jokes always made the others laugh and you did too

goshiki was happy that he was able to absorb that energy and he soon completely forgot about shirabu’s comments

once you were done, you have drawn a dog on the mud and the boy was so amazed at the sudden creation

he looked up at you with wide eyes and you laughed with a wide grin at his expression

‘hehe, its cool, right? nii-chan showed me something like that before when i got sad and it made me happy again. i thought it would work on you too’

he might have questionable feelings around you bc when you mentioned being sad, he felt weird

like he was relieved he wasnt there to see you sad bc he couldnt take it seeing your usual grin into a frown and your bright shining eyes filled with tears

‘y/n-chan, when you get sad, call me, okay? so i can go to you and make you smile like you did with me’

your eyes widened in surprise but you nodded, your grin even wider

‘im counting on you, tsu-chan!’

and he did

when he received a call late at night from you, he easily snuck out from his dorm and ran to the baseball field where he saw your crouching figure aimlessly dragging the stick in circles

‘y/n-chan!’

he huffed and panted after running so fast and you looked up before running to hug him

‘im here now. youre okay’

you didnt release out your problems on him bc you didnt want to burden him

but he understood and just hugged you until you felt better enough to return to your crouching

goshiki hurriedly grabbed the stick and began to do the same thing you did for him before

‘then he jumped onto the lake and got stung by bees?’

he stopped and frowned, realizing he wasnt right

but the frown lifted when he heard your giggle

‘tsu-chan, he got stung by bees first and then he jumped on the lake!’

the corners of his mouth lifted and he chuckled

‘heh, i guess he did. but this is my version so listen closely, okay y/n-chan?’

this might be the reason you got close w the first year

the others noticed it too since you seem to pamper him and take more time taking care of him than them

like you even started wiping his sweat for him while he just giggles when you pull on the long strands of his hair

‘tsu-chan, i want to cut it!’

‘no, y/n-chan!’

‘but-!’

he grabbed your hands and your arms around his torso so he could do the same to you and gently tugged on the ends of your long hair

‘you too then, y/n-chan. your hair is long too’

you pouted then gently punched his chest

‘mean, tsu-chan’

‘heh?! mean?! how?!’

tendou is like the best big brother ever and hes just like ‘yuhhhh get it tsutomu!!!!’

eventually, goshiki began playing even better

his complete spike percentage has increased and his jumping has gotten higher

but the team predicts that this was all because he’s trying to show off to you and your praising and compliments have motivated him to play better

forget being ace, he just wants you to praise him

‘y/n-chan! y/n-chan! did you see that?’

‘wahh!!!! so cool, tsu-chan!!”

bus trips to matches are so cute but yall lowkey annoy the players a bit

yall sit next to each other and are just leaning together as you giggle over stupid cat videos

like we get, goshiki is getting some quicker than us

i feel like before moving on to relationships, goshiki and you would be best friends first and then move on to the dating stuff

tbh, theres no difference bc yall have always been like that but theres just an offical label now

‘hey, tsu-chan, wanna date?’

‘u-um,, sure?’

yall would hang out in either his dorm or yours and yall would be alone bc the team actually trusts you but you dont know that they pass by the door ever 5 minutes and listen in to just to make sure yall are not doing anything bad

smh they so nosy but we luv them

you know of his insecurities about not being enough and his fears of not being the ace and his dreams of playing to the big leagues and his passion to continue playing on the court for as long as he can and how excited he is to be able to spend all those years with you

he knows of your insecurities about the way you look and being associated with your apparent freak of a brother but you didnt care about that and even fought someone when they said something and your deep protectiveness for the boys, especially your brother but it’s all because the boys were the ones to accept you with open arms and treat you like family

yall shared a lot of secrets amongst yourselves and tbh, your communication is just *chefs kiss*

so serious fights dont happen, like ever, just stupid little arguments that are usually resolved like an hour later

since youre also a manager, its also your job to make sure the boys are maintaining their good grades and you know that shira-senpai has given up on tutoring tsutomu

i mean,,, goshiki is smart but he gets distracted easily and ends up spacing out during lessons

yknow?

thats when the little arguments bc youd be trying to teach him the damn phythagorean theorem and hed be distracted at how come your hair was styled like that today

‘goshiki tsutomu, i will leave your ass to fail right now if you dont stop touching my hair’

‘but babyyyyyy’

‘no, ‘dont baby’ me, you idiot! you’ll be crying like a baby when you fail and you’re bench during the next game!’

oof also!

hes a protective little babie and he gets jealous easily so whenever yall have games, he literally hangs all over you 

like he makes a show of putting his jacket over you and kissing your forehead so that the other teams know to stop looking over at your direction and whispering about you

ofc this gets on your nerves but you cant help but think how cute he looks when he gets jealous

he gets all pouty and touchy and youre just like, take my uwus you big babie

even tendou is like, ‘im her brother yet hes more protective than me’

he demands to be hugged 24/7 but thats not appropriate if youre in public so he ltr drags you outside and away from people just so he could hug you

he likes hugging you bc youre shorter than him and it makes him feel all special and soft since you like to burrow your face into his chest and your sweater paws are just like ugggggghhhhhhhhh

whenever he gets nervous, you kiss his fingers and his knuckles bc it soothes him and youre just his good luck charm and he feels like he can take over the world w a single kiss from you

‘baby, didja see that?! i was so cool, right?!’

‘so proud of you, tsu-chan! youre so cool!’

‘i love y/n like a sister but if she inflates his ego more, i will have to tape her mouth’

can you guess who said that?

overall a relationship i strive for and i really want a goshiki now thanks byeeeeeee

a/n: ngl goshiki’s hair lowkey triggered me when i first saw him bc why the heck does it look like that?! but now i actually like it on him and i cant imagine any other hairstyle fitting him

[sou-ver-2-0]

what do you think of anzu? she’s the sixth most likely to win and yet she’s proved completely useless in chapter three so far, which ngl seems kind of sus

The Mystery of Anzu’s High Survival Rate

Aaahh I’m happy to finally get a chance to talk about the mystery of Anzu’s high survival rate!! I have thoughts.

For those who haven’t noticed the mystery, Anzu Kinashi is the sweetheart high-school clown girl dummy who can die in our first battle with an Obstructor. None of her advice during battles is useful. She has the appearance of being extremely helpless. And yet! She is the sixth most likely candidate to win, with an 8.0% survival rate. She is the second-highest place woman candidate in the line-up, behind Sara herself. Only the big, selfish, cowardly men stand between the two girls.

Sara’s absurdly high survival rate of 15.5% has become one of the game’s central mysteries. But what about Anzu’s high rate? Why is Anzu stronger than either of the Yabusames, who become her partners? Why is she stronger than Mai, who is shown to have a ruthless streak? Surely that’s a deliberate choice! Nankidai could have placed Anzu in the third quartile like Ranmaru, another innocent-looking high-schooler, but instead he placed her somewhere odd.

I’ve seen three theories for Anzu’s high rate, and I’ll go over how I feel about each of them. The first theory is that Anzu has a dark side to her personality, a ruthlessness which hasn’t yet revealed itself. The second theory is that Anzu is good at hiding and avoiding conflict, similar to the “Foxface girl” from Hunger Games. My friend came up with a third theory, which is my favorite: that Anzu’s chances of survival skyrocket in routes where Sara Chidouin dies. That Anzu is a back-up high school girl, and Meister will rig the game to favor a high school girl, even one with a more “helpless” personality.

1. Anzu has a dark side to her personality.

A recurring theme with the characters in YTTD is being “two-faced.” Shin/Sou is the most obvious example of this. A vulnerable young man named Shin adopted the more terrifying persona of Sou. He wears a metaphorical mask to cover his weak, kind self. Another example is Reko, a selfless woman who comes face to face with her previous selfish personality when she meets her doll. Keiji is also connected to this theme; he once had an honorable personality, but now he has lost that sense of honor.

Anzu literally wears a scary clown mask! Could that scary mask symbolize a scary persona, similar to Shin’s “Sou” persona? Perhaps all Anzu needs to do is tap into the courage that comes with acting like a scary clown, and then we’d finally see a more intimidating candidate.

I like this theory for how it ties into the “two-faced” theme, and that it suits Anzu’s theatrical inclinations!

2. Anzu is good at hiding.

This theory may sound the least exciting, but I actually like it.

Remember who else was good at hiding? Alice! He was so good at hiding that he even missed the Practice Vote, where Mishima died! The Practice Vote was only based on first impressions. Considering how quick everyone was to judge Alice for being a prisoner, it’s likely that he escaped an early death by missing that vote!

Alice can become Anzu’s partner, which potentially ties them together thematically. What if Anzu throws another curveball into the plot by finding a secret hiding place? I could imagine Nankidai doing this to “reward” the Player for keeping Anzu alive after the First Obstructor Battle. I’m picturing a scenario where Anzu finds a secret room with “hidden lore” for Asu-Naro that helps our understanding of the story, even if we don’t need to know it to win the game. That’s a totally out-there theory that likely won’t happen, but it’s fun to imagine.

I like this theory because it’s fun to remember that the candidates can survive in surprising ways. Sometimes the only way to win is to not play the game. It reminds us to think outside the box.

3. Anzu’s chances of survival skyrocket in routes where Sara Chidouin dies.

I’m so proud of my friend for coming up with this one! I think it’s genius!

This ties into the larger theory that the Mastermind behind the Death Game is the Man from the Memorandum, the winner of the past Death Game. The Man grew attached to a high school girl who died in that game. The common theory is that he intends to mold Sara into that girl by having her pass through the same trials, but this time he hopes that the role of “17-year-old school girl” will win.

I wrote my thoughts about this theory back in October, in which I brought up my friend’s other, parallel theory: that Shin Tsukimi is the “back-up” candidate to replace Sou Hiyori, who was meant to play the important role of “The Man from the Memorandum” himself. The role of “The Man” is our antagonist, whereas the role of the “High School Girl” is our protagonist. If the role of “The Man” was important enough to warrant having a “back-up,” surely the role of the “High School Girl” warrants that too!

What if—to boost the chances of a high school girl surviving—Meister included a “back-up high school girl”? That way, in case our protagonist Sara dies, he still has a second chance with Anzu? If we put Sara and Anzu’s percentages together, a high school girl has a 23.5% chance of winning. That’s almost 1 in 4 games. It’s still a risky gamble, but it’s safer than merely 15.5%.

What if—in routes where Sara died—“The Man Whose Views Most Aligned with Hers” (Keiji) was directed to protect Anzu instead? What if “A Boy Even Younger Than Her” (Gin) was also directed to provide Anzu with emotional comfort? Is that possible? Could those factors help even a girl as seemingly helpless as Anzu win the Death Game?

I love this theory because it ties so well with the other theories about Meister we’ve discussed on here. It would help us understand our “Big Bad” better. It also develops the setting better in showing how Meister could rig the game in a high school girl’s favor. So much is beyond our control!

This theory does the least to characterize Anzu herself, since it’s more focused on the setting. However, it could lead to her being more important to the story than we realize! Maybe the role of “back-up high school girl” would give her a chance to do something of narrative significance.

…

Thank you so much for asking me about Anzu! I’ve wanted to write about her for a while!

[mariyekos]

Ishgardian Fangs HC

Inspired by some posts about Ishgardians having fangs (thank you @drachenblood and some twitter folks for the inspiration)... I think it’d be fun to think about how characters react to that. This will have late HW spoilers (and Stormblood for one character I guess, but you meet him in ARR), so be warned! Also this is far longer than I meant it to be, whoops. I’ll cover why they have fangs, how current elezen are influenced by it, how Nidhogg’s eye influences things, and how some of the people we know are impacted by this (Luquelot, Carvallain, Aymeric, Estinien). 

First, there’s why they’d have fangs: Ratatoskr’s Eyes. The heretics we meet in game transform into Aevises/dragon-like creatures. Very dragon-like creatures, to the point that to the uninformed, they wouldn’t appear Spoken/”human” at all. I think some sources say the blood they consume is actually more of a concoction that includes blood rather than pure blood, so this could be part of it. Point is, some dragon blood turns Ishgardian elezen into Aevises because of their relation to the knights who consumed Ratatoskr’s eyes. Which are the source of a dragon’s power. So, HC is that by consuming the eyes without the special concoction, the knights would’ve gained slightly draconic traits. Like extended canines (fangs), longer nails (claws), and some other things that dropped out of the bloodline much more quickly. Fangs stick around forever. Claws die out after a few centuries, though Ishgardians tend to have fewer broken nails than other elezen.

How they would explain this to the people I’m much more “meh” on. They could claim it was part of Halone’s blessing. Try to separate it from the dragons, or try to hide it away. But whatever the case, the original knights who consumed the blood would have definitely looked different, and this change would have been hereditary. For the first few generations, the children of the non-High House surviving knights were told to hide their draconic/Dravanian characteristics as to not draw attention to themselves. But as the children of the High Houses began to have kids of their own (whether bastards or children born in wedlock that simply didn’t inherit the title of Count and went on to be the head of their own houses), more people with fangs and claws started showing up in Ishgard, and they abandoned their attempts to hide. Especially after four of five generations when the children didn’t care so much about the warnings of their founders.

Ishgard has a huge class divide. Nobles stick with nobles, commoners are stuck with commoners. So, I’d imagine the nobles (who are very easy to identify by their fangs, which gives bastards more threat/power because if you’re a commoner with fangs you have to be some important noble’s kid) would generally marry each other. Not talking cousin with cousin, but you know. People with long fangs having kids with people with long fangs. Passing on a high percentage of Ratatoskr-fed blood to their children. So over time the non-nobles, bastards, lesser houses, and people like that would see their offspring have shorter and shorter fangs, even if the fangs never completely blunt back to traditional Wildwood elezen levels, while nobles would keep long fangs.

Implications for Seventh Era/current elezen: Easy class identification, easy Ishgardian identification. Ishgardian elezen in canon are basically just Wildwood elezen who we say are from Ishgard. Identified either by an accent if you HC that (which I do, but irrelevant here), customs/habits/actions, or them plain saying it. In fang-verse, you’d know someone has Ishgardian blood if they have fangs. Wildwood means Gridanian (as does Duskwight, but they’re clearly separate in their own way). Ishgardian elezen are just called Ishgardian elezen. Because Ishgard is traditionally isolationist, even if some of the city elezen went out into Coerthas and spread Ratatoskr-fed blood to the elezen there, they generally stayed out of Gridania/other city states, leading to 99% of elezen with fangs having at least several generations of Ishgardian/Coerthan heritage. 

Going back to what I said above, fang length is an easy way to judge class. Gridanian elezen do not have fangs. Coerthan elezen have minor fangs, very pointed and slightly elongated (all Ishgardian elezen children have to learn not to cut their own lips/tongues accidentally), but nothing super noticeable. Ishgardian elezen commoners’s teeth are just slightly longer/larger, to the point it makes some do double takes. Nobles are definitely longer and larger than the teeth nearby, being the true double-take fangs that could do serious damage if they bit someone. With the High Houses having the most prominent/noticeable fangs of all. The type that definitely go over the other row of teeth.

How this applies to some of the elezen we (the player) know:

First, some minor elezen. Luquelot is the guy in Gridania who works at the chocobo stables. He’s Ishgardian in canon, and so of course here as well. Since chocobos are from the Dravanian Forelands and are a sort of pride of Ishgard, I’d say they’d tend to be more comfortable with Ishgardians because that’s who they’re used to. The fanged elezen. So while the Gridanians tend to be somewhat wary around Luquelot because he’s kind of weird as most Ishgardians are, and he has fangs, the chocobos love him. And they especially love when he smiles. There’s something about the fangs that comforts them. So you’ll notice that Luquelot tends to have his mouth open and his fangs visible when working with the chocobos (particularly jumpy, scared, or injured ones) as that has some sort of calming effect. The Gridanian elezen don’t really get it, since they’d assume fangs mean danger and danger should be scary, but whatever. The chocobos like his fangs. He can smile like he wants. (Which he doesn’t like doing when around other people, because he’s somewhat self conscious of the fangs, but he’ll do whatever it takes to help the chocobos).

Carvallain is, as we know, Count Charlemend de Durendaire’s missing son. So a member of a High House. Thus, his fangs would be very prominent. But his whole thing is that he doesn’t want to go back to Ishgard, and he doesn’t want people to recognize him. Thus while there are two ways I could go with him, I’ll go with this: while later in life he might think back to how his fangs could have been useful/interesting intimidation tools, as of the Seventh Era he no longer has them. Or at least, no one can tell what they once were. Because soon after his ship was attacked and he changed his name, he decided to file them down to look as normal as possible, so that no one could look at him and go “oh Gods, look at those fangs, he has to have Ishgardian noble blood.” Because fangs are distinctly Ishgardian, and fangs that large mean noble. And as a kid (or 14 year old) who’d finally been afforded a chance at freedom, he’d wanted to sever all ties best he could. If he regrets it later in life, well he’s not going to grow a new pair so it’s too late. They’re filed down to normality as best as he could manage it. So what I’ll go with is that current Carvallain just has slightly odd, but not necessarily Ishgarian looking canines. Maybe a little large/sharp, but not so much so that anyone who sees him open his mouth goes “Ishgardian!!!”. (You could also say that’s part of why Charlemald dismisses the rumor that someone like his son was seen roaming around Limsa - yes they look like his son, but his son had beautiful, powerful fangs. This stranger does not.)

Now some of the more prominent elezen (not that Carvallain is unimportant, especially after Stormblood and the Firmament quetst, but eh.)

Aymeric has prominent fangs. Not as much as the high houses. But his father was from a lesser house pledged to House Durendaire, so they have noble blood, and fangs associated with it. When he was born this automatically marked him as being an important bastard. When he was adopted into House Borel, it was both good and bad. For one, he wouldn’t stand out as much among nobles because he had fangs. Conversely, it meant that anyone who knew he was adopted would know he was certainly someone’s bastard, and not just an orphan the Borels picked up, because a legitimate son of a noble would have been picked up by family, and not a childless Viscount/Viscountess. 

Side note now that I’m thinking about it. Ishgardians like showing off their fangs in arguments. Intimidation toward non-Ishgardians. But a sign of class/superiority to other Ishgardians - the bigger your fangs, the more connection you hold to the High Houses, and the more of Halone’s blessing you hold.

Aymeric doesn’t really do that. He doesn’t keep his mouth closed at all times to try to hide his fangs, but he’s not one for flashing them off either. They’re sort of like a reminder that he was not wanted by his father. But he has a habit of starind at them in the mirror, running his tongue over them, wondering when he’ll be able to confront the man who gave them to him.

Estinien has the Coerthan “extended canine” fangs. They’re pointier than Gridanians, they’re a little longer, but if he opened his mouth in a group of Gridanian elezen you wouldn’t immediately be drawn to his mouth unless you specifically looked straight at it, and even then you’d have to compare to the other elezen there to make sure his were in fact longer. (With noble Ishgardians it is very obvious they are longer/abnormal. Coerthan elezen typically give a “are they longer?” question until a comparison is made, in which case they obviously are). Estinien’s are a little thicker than most other Coerthan elezen, but he would stand firmly among or even slightly below the ranks of city-Ishgardian commoners.

He realizes this. He was teased for it while among the Temple Knights. His fangs marked him as less than a commoner, adoption by the previous Azure Dragoon (who was a hyur and thus entirely fangless) irrelevant. Some of the dragoons we meet don’t wear a helmet. Or uh. Heustienne doesn’t. Maenne and Alaimbert do but whatever. Estinien gets a little spiteful about his fangs, and so when he becomes a dragoon wears the helmet with visor down at all times to specifically draw attention to his lack of prominent fangs. You can see three things about him when he’s in his armor. 1) He has fairly light (though not the lightest) skin. 2) He’s about average height. 3) He does not have big fangs. And while the first two don’t matter to most people, that last last one certainly does. That tells you everything you ned to know about him. He is not a noble, and he worked his butt off to get to where he was. It was his own effort, not anyone else’s. 

Since we’ve finally reached Estinien, it’s time to talk about the influence of Nidhogg’s Eye.

I said above that Alberic doesn’t have fangs because he’s a hyur. Except, he kind of does. Not fang-fangs. But by the time he relinquished the Eye, his canines had extended ever so slightly. You might say, but it shouldn’t work like that! He already had teeth, how/why would they get bigger if they’re the ones he already had. And my answer is all of this is because of magic and I want that to be the case so there! They’re not super noticeable at all (as in, no one who looks at him would be able to tell the Eye lengthened them, and new people might think he just has slightly pointier than average teeth for a hyur), but Alberic notices. His canines were completely normal length and near flat-blunt before the eye. But after they got just the slightest bit longer, and just a little pointier. Mostly it made it slightly uncomfortable to close his mouth until he got used to it.

So take Estinien, a Coerthan elezen who has a small but still extant bit of Ratatoskr-fed blood in him, and add in the time spent running around Coerthas with the Eye pre-HW... 

Estinien doesn’t particularly like how his teeth lengthen the longer he has the Eye. He doesn’t care for much of Ishgard’s upper class, and fangs are the most visual sign of that. He’s becoming like them. But he doesn’t concern himself with it too much, mostly just getting annoyed when he accidentally nicks his lip/tongue while still getting used to the increased point of his canines. Other people do notice, and get a little wary. There are the uncomfortable nobles who don’t like how a commoner (or Coerthan) is noticeably looking more noble (again emphasized by his choice to wear the Dragoon helmet as he does, so the only thing you notice about his appearance is his mouth and thus canine length). Then there are those who don’t like how rapidly his teeth are changing, because people are supposed to be born with fangs. Why are his teeth becoming fangs? It’s kind of creepy. 

Then the Nidhogg incident in the Singularity Reactor (post-Thordan fight) happens. And when Estinien is freed from the Eyes... well I have a lot of HCs about what happens to his body anyway. But fang wise, where he’d previously gone from extended-canines to definitely-but-not-amazingly-large-fangs, he’s left with oh-halone-those-are-terrifying-fangs. Like, larger than any living Ishgardian has fangs. Were they alive, they’d be ever-so-slightly larger than Haldrath’s. Or the same size as Haldrath’s when he died, influenced by not only consuming Ratatoskr’s Eyes but also holding Nidhogg’s. Which are larger than the other knights. Point is, post-possesion, Estinien has fang-fangs. Ones that wold do real damage were he ever try to bite something (which is not his thing. He wouldn’t do it unless his arms were bound, his legs trapped to prevent him from jumping/kicking, and no other option available to him. In which case whoever was bitten would get some really deep puncture wounds). Upper being extremely prominent, lower being somewhat prominent (which, given only the noblest of nobles have lowers that could somewhat be considered fangs anymore, means they are a complete an utter oddity and thus extra terrifying). 

At first, it’s really annoying. First, it’s a constant reminder of what Nidhogg did to him, his failures, and his loss of control. Second, it’s uncomfortable. If you look at the dragons in game, they pretty much always have their mouths open because of how large their teeth (and fangs) are. It’s not impossible for Estinien to close his mouth fully, and it’s not as though the fangs stick out of his lips, but they’re long enough it makes it uncomfortable for him to have his lips tightly shut for long period of time. He’s not super self conscious, but he does have some standards, and so this is particularly unpleasant. Physically and mentally because of that discomfort/Nidhogg reminder combo.

It’s relieving leaving Ishgard. Eyes aren’t on him as much. He tends to leave his mouth ever-so-slightly open, enough that an outsider could see the hint of fangs (and when he does encounter people, boy do they do a double take) without putting all of his teeth on display or seeming like a complete weirdo. Sort of like the amount you open your mouth to breathe or sigh. Perfectly acceptable, but slightly odd to be the resting state rather than a closed mouth.

Over time he sort of forgets about it. Gets used to it. It’s not until he catches the Scions staring at him that he remembers and gets a little self-conscious, but decides it’s not that big of a deal. He is who he is. There’s nothing he can do about it (the thought of shaving/grinding his teeth down doesn’t even cross his mind, because fang size is a point of pride in Ishgard and most Ishgardians would be horrified to hear what Carvallain had done. Which is a side fun story, where Estinien gets to Kugane via the Misery and doesn’t realize Carvallain is Ishgardian because his teeth are shaved down whereas Carvallain looks at Estinien and thinks “what in the ever loving f*ck” because nobody should have fangs that big. His crew figures Estinien is some secret Ishgardian noble and that’s why he has big fangs, knowing Ishgardians with fangs is a thing, but as a noble himself Carvallain knows that is not normal and something really odd is going on because the dragoon has a distinctly Coerthan and thus commoner accent and giant fangs why are they on both top and bottom who even HAS bottom true-fangs.). 

People flinch when he grins since it shows off some fangs. It’s still annoying. But that’s their problem for getting scared, not his. He doesn’t like when people point it out. He’d rather no one react. But every once in a while, if someone has really annoyed him, he’ll make a point to yawn or grin very wide to show off his fangs. Only if they’d pushed him hard. Though Nidhogg may have changed him, and though he may hate the permanent reminder, he doesn’t want to allow nidhogg the victory of forever making Estinien upset at his own being. Where Nidhogg may have changed his appearance to damn him, he’ll use it as a tool instead. 

I might go into this more at some point, or proofread it, but for now this post is ridiculously long so I’ll end it here. If you’ve made it to the end, congrats! Thank you for sticking with my spur-of-the-moment rambling about Ishgardians with fangs. Maybe some day I’ll go into other HCs I have about Ishgardian dragon traits. But that’s for later. See ya!

[dismuch47]

THE BUFFER

Length: Extra Long Drabble

Timeline: Post Civil War, 5 months in...

Content: Wanda and Vision are finding it rather hard to wait for some quality face-time, especially with back-to-back missions overlapping. And to part when things were just starting to heat up...

Warnings: Spicy fluffy.

A shaky sigh escaped Wanda as her hazel eyes snapped open. How was it possible for her body to be completely sapped of strength, but her mind oppressively restless? She winched as she turned on her aching side, the derelict cot squeaking with the movement of the mattress. It felt good to lay there in the new position…her body heavy like lead... but her unblinking gaze pierced the darkness of the room.

It happened every so often. Not every night… but more than she could count. And it always made her chest constrict and her brow contort with memorized pain. No tears anymore. Just a deep ache, echoing endlessly within herself.

Tonight she had been falling, again. Endlessly. Debris circled around her, as if in a calm, slow motion… though the wind raged in her ears mercilessly. She was reaching out to a hand she knew well. Hazel eyes like her own were wide with desperation. Snowy hair lashed about as he reached back to her. They would never successfully grab hold. And the blood stains on his fitted shirt grew into gory, gaping wounds. Wanda’s heart would thunder as the broken Sokovian soil raced to collide from below. She screamed, voicelessly, as she realized that she would feel his death yet again with the impact.

Wanda finally forced her eyes closed again, breathing in and out and repeat, like Natasha had taught her. The clamminess and racing heart leveled out. She reached under the cot, finding her MP3 player among discarded clothing on the dirty floor. Music had a stimulating effect, which didn’t bother her at this point, as further sleep was now out of the question.

She would not go back to that day. She would not feel Pietro die again. Not if she could help it.

The list of music was uncategorized, so she had to skip over the loud and nonsensical, which had been her twin’s flavor more then hers. She usually found comfort in them, but tonight she needed calm. A rhythm to cling to and ward away the demons within.

It was clear why these nightmares were occurring, and with more frequency. Two whole months without Vision. They had a beautiful and tender farewell, knowing that Wanda’s next mission would take some time and focus. And then his subsequent off-world S.W.O.R.D. assignment would further expanded the impossibility of a feasible rendezvous.

Off world.

Wanda held herself. There were infinite ways Vision could communicate with her when they were apart. The advantages of a being created by and to be one with the technologic rhythms of Earth and beyond. A message on a digital board would flash with sentiments for an instant, enough for her to notice, but for others to briefly shake their heads in passing befuddlement. Vision could keep his eyes on her… though not without challenge, as her team was doing everything in their human capacity to stay OFF camera and grid for safety. If he did find her easily enough… he’d make sure to cover his digital tracks and obscure the path from anyone else. Always watchful.

Which is why the complete silence and blackout of their connection had been so disconcerting. Closer to Earth’s satellites, Vision sent small messages or emojis to an encrypted messenger program he had developed for just the two of them. It made her heart ache, sitting in the computer cafe, looking at the green pixelated hearts. Not being able to feel him.

That was 19 days ago. And his gentle, golden light and warmth was so far away that practically felt nonexistent. Allowing the icy darkness of her past to creep back into her life. It didn’t claw and tear as it once had, but it leered at her from every shadow as she laid sleepless in bed.

She fidgeted on the horrid mattress until she was flat on her back again. Finally the warm night air was getting through the initial cold-sweat that her nightmare had put her through. The music in her ears spoke of nights, love, and intimacies. It made her miss Vision more. Especially since their last parting had changed the dynamics of their unique companionship.

Kisses were innocent enough. Pecks. Affectionate rewards of thoughtful actions and reciprocated sentiments. But with each meet-up, the distance on the hotel suite couches narrowed during evening sitcom watching. Pinkies locked together with a hand graze during sight-seeing, and sharing a single bed had become an innocent, comforting norm. So when laughter had left her breathless and she planted one on the synthezoid while she was practically in his arms… it hadn’t particularly surprised either of them when they let it linger for a few steady heartbeats. And when their lips parted, and silent hesitancy emboldened to yearning…they came back together. More sure of the act. Oh so very much more sure.

There was no sex that followed. It could have. But it didn’t. It was yet another daunting human concept for him… and honestly for her too… to be saddled with right before a long stint away from each other. The kiss… kisses… had been perfect. And wandering hands memorized flesh and vibranium surface and texture. She did remove his shirt. That did happen. And maybe there had been some salacious caressing and tongue tracing of metallic striations.

They should have had sex.

Now Wanda was irritated with herself. She shut off the seductive music and tossed the device back on the messy floor. She closed her eyes and tried to take herself back to one of the numerous hotel rooms she had visited Vision with. Clean linen smells. The food. THE HOT SHOWERS. And Vision. Most of all… Vision. No night with him gave nightmares the foothold they so desired. Not with the gentle whirring of his calculating mind to sooth hers, or the gentle lilts of his humored voice, nor with the gentle stroke of his digits against her hair. This phantom Vision made the ache in her sigh, yet she smiled inwardly. Almost like he was there now. Her essence unfolding itself to his nearness. Warmth in her cheeks and heart. She basked in the feeling, amazed at it’s intoxicating realness...

That’s when she sat straight up in the bed. Blinking at the one window of the room. Wanda tore off the sheets and padded over to it, careful to be soundless in an apartment of light-sleeping soldiers and an ex-assassin. She fumbled with the latch, splotched with corrosion and non-use. The window slid up, with some exertion, and she stuck her head out, auburn hair catching in a soft cool breeze. The building was a dump, but the skies and countryside beyond the town limits was scenic, even in the moonlight. Spring touched it’s fingers upon the vegetation, pale blossoms looking like celestial creatures swaying in the wind.

“Vision.” she whispered.

She paused. Anticipating a response.

“Vision?”

Her hand clutched the bottom of the window for balance, but she squeezed tighter with rising disappointment. She had been so sure. She had wanted him so bad that she had fooled herself. Wanda’s eyes cast downward as she ducked her head back into the room, lowering the window.

“Wanda.”

The woman startled, then smiled ridiculously wide as she quickly lifted the window once more. “Vision!” She kept her voice breathy, for low volume, but it burst with excitement. She reached out to his hovering form as he emerged from the side, pulling his face towards hers for a kiss, nearly toppling out of the window in the process.

Vision chuckled, letting her have his lips, responding in kind, but holding her safely within her perch. “Wanda. I have missed your presence, considerably so-”

“I thought I was going crazy!” She kissed his nose, lips, cheeks… lips again. “I knew you were here but I didn’t see you-“

“My apologies. It appears that-“ Kiss. “… Agent Romanoff has been doing a rather competent job of establishing alarmed snares for both carbon-based intruders, and those of a more mechanized persuasion-“ His lips were stilled by another kiss.

“Sorry about that. She’s a stickler…”

“No, on the contrary, I am appreciably reassured that she goes to such great lengths for the security of her team.” He brushed some wayward hair behind her ear. “I just had to tread cautiously.”

Wanda finally detangled her arms from around his neck and leaned against the sill more comfortably. Vision propped his elbows there as well, lightly entwining his maroon fingers with hers. “When did you get back?”

“I came straight from the stars to you, Wanda.” He grinned, knowing his answer pleased her when she grinned shyly and pressed her cheek to their joined hands. “I know I should have checked-in with Stark and Dr. Cho…but yours was the company I felt I most required.”

Wanda rested her chin on his knuckles. “Two months… is WAY too long, Vis.”

“Far too long.” He echoed her ache. “You look fatigued, Wanda.”

She huffed. “Thanks. I am. Didn’t sleep well.” That’s all she would supply for now. “Did you enjoy your trip off-world?”

Vision crossed a hovering leg over the other, tilting his head thoughtfully. “A vast frontier of terrifyingly beautiful mysteries. And I occupied only a mere point percentage of our known galaxy. I will be processing my findings for days.”

“You loved it.” Wanda grinned.

“Visually it was very stimulating.”

She looked down. “So I guess that means more space assignments.” She felt him tip her face up to his, hands still locked with hers.

“It was a drone mission. Too expensive to send humans, and equipment too expensive to lose.”

“So they sent you.” Wanda said, bitterness edging through.

“I have immense respect for the current Director of S.W.O.R.D., but we both knew it was mostly a publicity stunt. Sending an Avenger to space. A S.W.O.R.D. partner project with Stark Industries. I was the logical, and really only, choice.”

She grumbled “As long as it doesn’t become a habit…”

“I assure you, I am far more inclined to be earth-bound with still so many provocative enigmas of humanity to be uncovered…” Wanda looked up at him, seeing his cerulean eyes roving not too subtly over her night shorts and how they moved across her toned thighs. Within an instant he was back to regarding her face thoughtfully.

Wanda arched a brow. “Provocative enigmas, huh?” She gently reclaimed her fingers, taking a few, slow and salacious steps away from the window. She unzipped the light sweatshirt she had on and let it fall away from her arms. A pink, loose, sleep tank glowed in the moonlight.

“Do you want to come in?”

“Wanda…” Vision’s tone smoothly protested, but his eyes didn’t leave her visage. Their soft bluish glow fluctuated as he skimmed the inside of the room. Considering. “Is that very prudent? With your team so close in proximity-“

“They’re sound asleep.” She assured him, touching each teammate’s mind with her own, making sure that they were truly unconscious. “If you try to slip me out the window, I’m bound to trip off one of the snares too. Nothing comes in… no one goes out… unless you have the unique ability of density fluctuation…” Wanda played with the hem of her pink top. Her whispered tones were now a gentle, more audible alto melody. “And as cute as it is to kiss by the window and moonlight, like two certain star-crossed lovers… I’m thinking we deserve a little more than that. After such a long time apart…”

“5,259,492 exceedingly long seconds.” Vision agreed. He took one last look outside, making sure not a soul was passing by, and then ducked his head in to avoid collision with the window frame. The rest of his form shimmered gold and passed through all matter until he was hovering in her room.

Wanda put her arms up like a ringleader at a circus, acknowledging their surroundings. “Welcome to one of many humble abodes that changes with each mission for team On-The-Run. Sorry for the mess. Wasn’t expecting company.”

The synthezoid’s pleasant expression slightly waned as he examined the room. It was dark, but he could adjust his optic settings to accommodate for the lack of light source. He couldn’t help but notice the warped boards of the floor and some exposed nails protruding up. He analyzed all the weak points where someone of Wanda’s height and build might fall through if enough force applied. The cot looked devoid of any possible comfort required for a human’s successful 7 hours of sleep needed for healthy productivity. The defunct fire alarm didn’t even have a battery in it. The amount of dust and mold alone had to be such devastating havoc on the respiratory system…

Wanda bit her lower lip to keep from laughing. Watching Vision’s expression deepen with concern as his gaze moved from one health code violation to the next was amusing to her. It fell upon the only other piece of furniture in the condemned bedroom: the wardrobe.

“Felons don’t get great incomes.” She supplied, scrunching her noise. Her eyes then narrowed as she thought about it. “In fact… I don’t think we actually get an income at all. It’s mostly favors and connections-“

“Something died in there.” Vision was fixed on that ominous wardrobe.

“Oh yeah. For sure. That smell doesn’t go away. I tried everything.” She looked down and shuffled her things on the floor around with her foot. “That’s why my stuff is everywhere. I’ll take dirt over smell…”

Vision gave her a compassionate look. “I promise to never tease your propensity for 50 minute showers when we meet up in hotels, ever again. Even though the average human only needs 15 to 20.”

“I appreciate that.” Wanda used her index finger to motion him hither. “Now come closer. I think if we play our cards right, we might find one of those ‘provocative enigmas’ you are so fond of…”

Despite the profound concern over his favorite human being confined to the condemned dwelling, the synthezoid gave a grin that made a sincere dimple appear on his chiseled face. He arched a foot and touched down on the hard floor… only for the wooden planks to let out an inane splintered groan that resonated in to room. Vision’s eyes widened with worry, and Wanda’s hand shot up to stop him in his tracks.

She reached out quickly to make sure that the noise hadn’t disturbed anyone. Sam tossed on the couch with a soft snort, but he was pretty much dead to the world. Steve’s brows knitted, but he seemed locked in a conflicting dream that he desired to stay in. Natasha, however, fully open her eyes, staring up at the ceiling and waiting for more noise before she would leap to investigate. Nothing came. And this area had big fat raccoons. Wanda could handle it. Nat’s lids drooped over her blue eyes and she let her head sink back into her stiff pillow.

“Okay… We’re good.” Wanda whispered after a long pause. She waved a hand to hold down the boards with her power while Vision retracted his foot back into the air. She carefully eased up on the wood, commanding its fibers to slide back together, stronger than before, and quiet.

Vision gave a slight grimace. “I do not think the remiss state of this apartment will accommodate for my dense weight. Not enough to be stealthy.” He offered his graceful hand down to her. “But I may have an alternative solution.”

The human smirked up at the synthezoid and gave her hand as she took a few soft steps and leaped. Vision hoisted her up and rested her into a sitting position across his lap, cradling her between firm thigh and compact core. She rested against him, slipping her arms around his waist, while he reclined their angle somewhat, allowing gravity to assist with keeping her in place upon him. They floated wordlessly  for a few moments, happily nestled against each other.

Wanda made some soft happy noises, face practically buried in his chest. She turned her head to the side, resting her cheek over his heart. “You smell amazing…. how do you smell so amazing?”

He stroked her soft hair, smiling broadly down at her. “There was an orchard along the way. I stopped, briefly, to admire the blossoms up close. I apologize if it’s overpowering. I should have phased the particulates from myself before-“

“No, I love it.” She inhaled deeply. She nuzzled her way around the gold and metallic maroon of his uniform’s crest, till she found the warmth of his neck. He tilted his head to the side, giving her free-reign over that shapely area. She pressed her lips there tenderly, breathing him in. Night, spring air, and citrus. The hand that had been resting around his waist snaked up to caress his neck, while she slowly ravaged the other side. A hicky and marks would be impossible on his vibranium infused tissue… but the administrations of her tongue and then teeth caused Vision to swallow and exhale deeply. In a way that thrilled Wanda. She planted one more kiss, incredibly pleased with herself, before moving up to his jawline.

Vision lowered his face down to her, his gaze heavy-lidded, intrigued with her sensual strategy. She reached his lips, her hand cupping his jaw, fingers stroking his textured skin. She took his lower lip in hers, consuming, wet…like lapping at a juicy fruit, and nipped as she pulled away. His lips stayed parted, perhaps caught off guard, but the hitch in the synthezoid’s chest conveyed that the assault to his mouth was indeed welcome.

Wanda licked her lips, letting out a wanton sigh. Her hazel eyes finally reopened, regarding Vision.

“Hi.” she said.

Vision was perplexed by the simplicity of her dialogue. Sexual simulation may indeed have a depleting effect on the human cerebrum’s left hemisphere; typically where language was stored. He varied infinite responses that could reciprocate an equally playful sentiment of desire as well…

“Hi.” he settled with. Not original, but it made the woman crack a sultry smile.

Wanda moved to claim his lips once more.

“Wanda” Vision broke the spell before it could swell. “…We never did have a chance to discuss…to discuss…well, what happened in-in the Netherlands.” Wanda suppressed a smile with his stuttering. A tell-tale that he was breaching a topic beyond his full understanding and had copious questions about. “Not before we had to part ways…”

Wanda cocked her head at him. “And what happened in the Netherlands?” she asked coyly.

“W-well…I am only speaking from my perspective,” he began hesitantly, eyes darting to the side. “…but my understanding was that our intimate, yet casual familiarities with one another has evolved into something more…” Vision struggled to find the right word. Not vulgar, but not chaste. “Well, more.”

Wanda caressed her thumb over his lips softly. The moonlight highlighted the pronounced bow and border of his pleasing mouth, a wet sheen over his lower lip marked where she had been.

“Well, we could talk about it…” she offered, continuing her tracing. “…or we could just continue to explore that…’more.’”

Vision’s eyes darted from her enticing gaze, contemplating the choice. A gentle rumble imitated deep in his throat, as he weighed the pros and cons of transparent communication… vs instant and gratifying, sensory study. Wanda made the choice for him, thankfully, parting his lips with her thumb. Vision’s eyes closed heavily, as he tried not to analyze this clear oral fixation, and surrendered his mouth. Her hand slipped down when she replaced it with her full lips upon his, down to rest upon his rising chest. Her other hand massaged circular patterns into the small of his back, beneath his cape.

The synthezoid raised a hand to tenderly cradle the side of her head as their mouths moved against one another. It was a thrilling sensation, whether passionate and out of tandem, or deep and focused synchronization. A maroon hand slid up from her waist, under the jersey material of Wanda’s pink tank, completely unintentional at first, but Vision savored the soft creamy expanse of her back against his digits. She softly moaned against his lips. The sound of her pleasure motivated him to hold her closer to himself. She welcomed the adjustment, slipping both her arms around his neck. Her legs crossed, toes curling, lost in bliss.

Vision’s airy cape brushed against the floor as they slowly whorled in the air, lost in each other. Oblivious that they were edging closer to the cracked and peeling wall. Their kisses became more urgent. Wanda murmured his name, which gave him validation… and an inclination to elicit more audible responses from her. He released his gentle grasp of her chin, seized a hand sliding from his neck, threading their fingers together before bringing her wrist to his lips to kiss. He had accessed data some time ago that confirmed the wrist as an erogenous zone due to the concentrated nerve endings that resided just below the epidermis. He gently rubbed with his thumb, and peppered with sweet brushes of his lips, and featherlight nips.

Wanda’s head lolled back, long auburn hair swaying in the breeze coming from the window. Vision’s splayed hand at her back kept her from losing balance. She arched into his curled arm, trusting, with lazy abandon, eyes gazing dreamily at the moldy ceiling. She felt him kissing his way up the arm he held captive. She had to let out a laugh. A callback to a time that their viewing of the “Addams Family” show had led them into a heated discussion about how impractical Gomez’s passionate displays of affection were in real-world applications. Like kissing his way up Morticia’s arm in almost every episode.

Wanda was wrong. It was nice…

More than nice.

Vision shushed softly against her skin, relishing her inviting giggles, but reminding her of the required low decibel to maintain covertness. He trailed to where her shoulder met with her neck, drawing her back towards himself, taking his time.

“Vis.” Wanda’s voice was husky. Her heart was about to leap out of her chest. She couldn’t hold out anymore. She roughly adjusted her position, allowing him to assist her, until she had him caught between her legs. The muscle and plate-infused surfacing of his lower abdominals had a delicious hardness against her tender apex.

Vision visibly gulped at new position, comprehending it’s possible implication. He didn’t realize how drastically he was backing up, being airborne.

“Wanda…perhaps we shouldn’t-“

The synthezoid’s broad back bumped into the wall of the room. And for whatever reason, that was enough to jostle the usually resistant window to slam down against the sill, the glass shattering. Wanda squeaked loudly at the sudden noise. Vision sharp attention to the noise source distracted him from the reflexive movement of his arm… which went right through the drywall behind him without effort.

Through. Not phased.

“Oh dear…” He grieved, pulling his elbow out of the hole, debris crumbling down in a dust cloud upon the squeaky floor boards.

Wanda could hear the lightening-fast thumping of bare feet and the click of a gun. Wanda’s hands glowed red and she phased through Vision, dropping to the floor with a thud and flicked  her wrist over her head, sending him soaring through the air and into the wardrobe wall. He visibly disappeared with a soft and abrupt “ah” before the door to the room flung open. Natasha stalked in, gun aimed, pointing it at every corner as she assessed the threat level. She acknowledged Wanda on the floor, resting the aim of her weapon at the destroyed window. Steven followed behind, fists poised.

“She’s unharmed.” Nat confirmed over her shoulder to Steve.

He went over to her to help the young woman up, cautiously looking around. “Wanda, you okay? What happened?”

Wanda tried to speak.

“The window is broken. Did someone try to force their way in?” Nat demanded, doubtful, as her traps outside were famously intricate. She then noticed the hole in the wall. “Maximoff?”

Wanda’s head reeled. To be pulled from paradise to this purgatory at whip-lash speed. “I… I just. I had the window open. Fell asleep… I guess I had a nightmare. Lost control.” She was breathless between excuses, pulse racing. Nat’s icy blue gaze narrowed at her younger teammate.

Steve regarded Wanda with stoic compassion. He put his hands on her shoulders. “It must have been a bad one. You still looked flushed.” The woman bit her lower lip, unable to meet her leader’s gaze.

Nat finally lowered her gun and backed away from the window. “You haven’t lost control of your powers like this in awhile. Maybe we need to adjust your training focus.” Wanda blanched inwardly. That didn’t sound good. Not coming from Natasha.

“Everything good up there??” Sam’s voice called from the livingroom couch downstairs.

“False alarm, Sam.” Steve yelled back.

“Good. Cause some of us are trying to get some shut eye.”

Steve regarded the mess, speaking more quietly this time. “We’ll patch this up in the morning. Though you’ll be happy to know that we’ll be relocating soon. Got a lead on another job.”

“Oh… yeah. That’s… that’s good.” Wanda offered.

Steve didn’t seem assured by the forced sincerity of her response. “Get some rest, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

He gave her a pat to the shoulder and strode out of the room. Natasha stood in her usual power stance, legs shoulder width apart, hands and gun clasped behind her back. The fact she was clad in a sports bra and black high-cuts didn’t  make her any less intimidating.

The bottled-blonde wasn’t leaving. Wanda cleared her throat. “I think I’ll be okay. Thank you. You’re right about the… the extra training-“

“The wardrobe has feet.” The ex-assassin stated dryly. She turned her head to the side. “Say good night… Vision.”

Natasha turned to leave, slightly smirking once she was out of the room.

[pavlmescal]

Not to start a whole discourse, but I happened upon your thoughts regarding Trevor and even though his character was pretty awful, just how rare it is for trans men to see themselves represented on TV. Trevor’s character was very flawed, he was written that way, but my dislike of Trevor isn’t because he’s a trans man, it’s that he ultimately wasn’t the right man for Ian. So I guess with Trevor it’s really don’t hate the player hate the game, but it seems like not a lot of people can do that.

Hello, anon! Let me start out by saying I am not trans, and am in no way trying to speak for or over trans people, but I welcome conversation around Trevor because I feel strongly about the importance of him as trans representation. I do disagree about him being awful, but I get it that not everyone is going to like the same characters that I like.

The issue I’ve had, that I was referencing in this post, is that I see a large percentage of the fandom completely dismissing him as awful without acknowledging the positive impact his character had on Ian’s growth, and more importantly, the importance of the character to the trans community, specifically trans men. 

It’s completely okay to have a problem with Trevor’s character, I also have a lot of issues with the way he responded to Ian’s heartbreak over his mother and the way he dealt with Ian’s manic episode. I didn’t like how angry he got with Ian when he was earnestly trying to help Geneva. I also agree that Ian and Trevor didn’t really have great chemistry, and I don’t think they were right for each other. Those are all valid complaints! But there’s not a single character on that show that hasn’t done some fucked up shit, Ian and Mickey included, so it really rubs me the wrong way that Trevor doesn’t get the same pass that other characters do. I know that he wasn’t around for that long, so we don’t have the same attachment we do to the Gallagher siblings or Mickey, Mandy, Kev and V, but it’s really frustrating to see him constantly written off as The Worst Thing to happen to Ian, when he’s been so important to trans men who love the show. 

Trevor’s introduction also exposed the show’s massive mainstream audience to a lot of information about the LGBTQ community that they may not have gotten elsewhere. The writers worked with members of the LGBTQ community on all of those scenes, and as a non-binary lesbian, I felt very represented, and was so happy to see Ian’s gay education play out the way it did. It may have felt clumsy in places, but to quote transgender writer/actress/activist, Jen Richards, “clumsy is better than nothing.” (thank you to my dear friend, Gabe, who lays out the importance of representation ((specifically trans men, who are so underrepresented in media)), clumsy or otherwise, in this fantastic video).

If you would like some input on the character from a trans man (which I am not), please check out this post.

[endlessdoom]

Dark Covenant

1996

By Keith Phipps

Doom 2.

12 maps.

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Dark_Covenant

MAP01: Suburb

Great start to a pretty damn cool WAD. This is a simplistic urban styled map with quite the punch for a starter map. Pretty fast and quite violent. The Metallica MIDI sets the perfect mood. 3/5

MAP02: Green Water

With a monumentalist architecture at times, this is a large map with a simple design but with a good layout that manages to form a fun flow. Good map. Metallica is quite the great MIDI composer! jk. 3/5

MAP03: Necropolis

Big and fun. A large-scale urban helmet through which we make our way through a fairly simple layout that combines combat with emotion. 4/5

MAP04: Forgotten Outpost

Nice and little. A simple little map that reminds me of the ‘‘good maps’‘ of shovelware compilations. Nothing particularly bad nor good, but fun enough. 3/5

MAP05: Earth Core

Interiors full of caves and some lava here and there. Pretty fun and decent with a nice layout. 3/5

MAP06: Cavern Of Doom

Like the previous one but on steroids and some more action. Quite nice. 3/5

MAP07: The Flooded Base

High altitude styled map with some neat tricks. Really nice. 3/5

MAP08: Gateway

Fantastical layout with some solid visuals and hardcore gameplay. A very fun map that allows for some good combat flow. 4/5

MAP09: The Evil Eye

Quite big yet fun enough to provide a evolving adventure. 3/5

MAP10: Research Facility

A central hub with some exploration and tough combat, alongside some varied rooms. 3/5

MAP11: Launch Control

Feeling like a proper finisher map, this is one tough little fucker with some interesting twist and exploration. A good and fun map. 4/5

MAP12: Last Ship Out

Final map. A lovely adventure in space. This map reminds me a bit of Duke Nukem 3D. It is quite fun and with some interesting design choices that evoke a good feeling. Not as frenetic as the previous one, but still solid. 3/5

End.

Overall:

» Dark Covenant (1996)By Keith Phipps

As many of us know, in over 25 years of Doom's existence, a huge, absurdly huge number of WADs have been released to the public in various forms and methods. Some manage to achieve a quite recognizable popularity either because of their superb gameplay quality or because of their dismal reputation as a bad joke. On the other hand, from time to time we have something in between, but I am not referring only to those decent WADs that manage to create a solid foundation of respect, but also to those high-quality WADs that, despite the passing of the years, still have a somewhat obscure, almost cult-like reputation. Dark Covenant is, in my opinion, one of those WADs that present a fascinating quality for its year, yet you rarely see it mentioned nowadays. Like a forgotten, dusty gem, its there, but you don’t see it. Keith Phipps is quite the interesting mapper. One of those guys that had a really solid background with level design yet didn’t push that much of maps into their catalogue. With only 5 WADs released between 1995 and 1997, the mapper is definitely not the most prolific, yet some of his levels show a very well-grounded design philosophy to which he adheres, which can be summoned up in two words: Oldschool WAD. That’s actually three words, but still.

Dark Covenant is a full episode replacement for Doom 2, offering a total of 12 maps for you to enjoy in pure Doom glory. With some simple layouts yet respectable map sizes, Keith knew his hand around mapping, that’s for sure. Taking into account that this is 1996, I have to tip my hat (maybe fedora) of to this mapper, considering that this year (and decade) wasn’t particularly remembered for offering the best of the best and still had some very primitive WADs on the making, yet despite its flaws, the 90s were still golden man, and Keith is quite golden with this mapset too. What we have here are straightforward, simple maps with quite understandable layouts that follow a linear progress system. It would be very strange if you got stuck wondering where to go or what to do. I understand that a good percentage of players find this kind of maps a bit boring, but at the same time it opens the door to a good sense of flow that allows you to play without any pause, following a sense of continuity quite enviable for the year. This is one of the main reasons why I see this mapset as a quite respectable and solid one; the simple fact that it did not made me spend a lot of time getting lost on purpose like others of the same year is already something quite positive. On another bright, lovely positive thing is the MIDI soundtrack. Lots of MIDI renditions of Metallica that actually work quite well alongside the WAD, specially for MAP12 which rocks pretty high in my opinion. On the subject of maps, the variety and overall quality of each single one is pretty damn good and lovely. Most maps are medium-sized, with some going into big town area. From the simple urban inspired map to some neat looking space stations, Dark Covenant packs a well-done variety of fully done 90s maps in the highest quality possible for a single guy doing all the work. Most of the maps tend to follow a simple, straight path that evokes a simplistic nature, yet the mapper made sure to pack as much detail and architecture as possible for vanilla-compatibility, which its quite amazing in my honest opinion, taking into account that these maps completely blew Doom 2 standard out the park. Well, that’s actually not that hard to do but you guys get the point.

Dark Covenant has a wide variety of enemies and follows a simplified combat system. Just as the layout is linear for the most part, we could say that the enemies and their positioning are also linear in a way. Simple corridors and rooms full of enemies in different positions waiting to attack us, with a few surprises from time to time (which are usually Cyberdemons) but always offering enough consistency to maintain a relevant gameplay that feels entertaining at all times. All maps feature over 100 enemies, some going up to 300, so in UV this mapset can be slightly challenging, a bit exploitative due to Chaingunner spam at times, but it doesn't feel annoying or slow at any time. Considering it has 12 maps, the average duration we can expect to complete it completely is 2 hours, so completing it in a single session is totally possible without major disruptions.

A lovely mapset that really shines among a pile of forgotten pieces. While yes, it is pretty simple and quite outdated for current times, it is quite amazing that you don’t see this piece surfacing quite that much among some other famous ‘’best WADs of the 90s’’ lists and so on. Yet, despite the lack of promotion, Dark Covenant is a damn solid job that brings good quality. A nice mapset that will flow easily through your veins, specially if you’re in the look out for some vanilla, classic goodness. Look no more, this one is worth a playthrough.

[jrpneblog]

Memories, what memories.

Fifty years ago on Saturday I experienced my greatest high watching our famous club. It took place in London on a Beautiful Spring day by the banks of the Thames. More of that later as first we must concentrate on the matters in hand with an excellent win at Coventry last Saturday and the visit of play-off achievers, Barnsley, to Deepdale on Saturday for our final home game of the season. Please God let this be the last home game ever played at Deepdale when no fans will be there to cheer the boys on.

Last Saturday we mathematically made ourselves safe from relegation and by the time Monday had come I was trying to work out if we could make the top half of the league or not if results went our way. North End beat and in form Sky Blues by one goal to nil scored by Captain Alan Browne and I think on the day North End deserved the victory. Coventry play a lovely brand of football and it is a credit to Mark Robins what he has done for them given the almost impossible circumstances surrounding the club. North End won with a stonewall penalty midway through the second half nicely put away by Browne. To be fair we should have had another but thats another story. The win left North End on fifty five points with two games to go and the real fear after the Luton defeat at home had dissipated.

On Saturday we face Barnsley at Deepdale in our final home game of the season. It has been so tough watching the boys on a computer and hopefully this will be the last time. The Tykes have done an excellent job in finishing in the top six and they have proved that money isn't everything in the Championship and their achievement should really give North End some inspiration for the next campaign. This is one of those game that you just cant judge who will do what. Will Frankie try a couple of fringe players with next season in mind or will he stick with his tried and trusted system and try to make his case to get the job full time stronger. With Barnsley you wonder will they try and keep going for fourth place to get the second semi final leg at home of will they rest one or two of the key players for the big play off games that lie ahead. I think it will either be a very boring 0-0 draw or might be a real full bloodied encounter. Lets hope its the latter.

And finally this week:-   Indulge me as I take a personal trip down Memory Lane and to an event which now seems a lifetime away. The date is Saturday 1st May 1971 and the venue is Craven Cottage, home of Fulham Football Club, in West London. The game is Fulham v Preston North End and with the home side already promoted the Football league have brought the Third Division trophy to the game to present to Fulham after they have duly won the encounter. For Alan Ball`s Preston there is a chance of automatic promotion as North End sit three points clear of their only rivals, Halifax, with just two games to play (2 points for a win in those days). The equation is quite simple for Preston - win the game and we are promoted back to the second tier at the first attempt after being relegated 12 months earlier by Blackpool at Deepdale. I cried that night as a nine year old and thought the world had ended after my beloved North End had dropped into the third division for the first time ever. Just ten years after Sir Tom had retired and we were down with the also rans. The day started around 5.30am as I excitedly scurried about bursting with anticipation and anxiously asking my Dad was it time to set off for the coach. Fishwicks ran two coaches to the game from Leyland and they were to depart at 7am prompt with the long journey to London ahead of us.Finally the clock ticked round to 6.40 and we set off on the 10 minute walk to Fishwicks to catch the coach that would take us to our destination. London seemed like the other side of the world to me and as we passed Charnock Richard I thought that we must be getting close as we had been on the road for ages. My Dad and my Uncle chatted to the others on the bus as I just looked out of the window hoping to spot a blue motorway sign saying London. We stopped at Keele for half an hour and my excitement grew as there were hundreds of other North End fans on the same pilgrimage. Off we go with the next stop being Watford Gap. Even more North End fans who were singing and shouting and even though we were 90 miles from Fulham the atmosphere was starting to build. Finally I saw a sign “London 44”, we were getting nearer as Lunchtime approached and we hit the North Circular Road to take us towards Hammersmith. It must have taken us half an hour in those days to do the mile and a half from Hammersmith to Craven Cottage as the traffic was horrendous.At last we are there and are met with a buzzing around this famous old ground the likes of which I had never heard before. The crowd was officially recorded at 25,774 but it seemed almost like Wembley on Cup Final day with the chaos and noise around the ground. The queues to get in were massive but my Uncle Charlie could get where water couldn`t get (God rest his soul). Suddenly he burst out - “stay there, Stan” (to my Dad), I will be back in a few minutes. Incredibly he was back in no time with three stand tickets for the Stevenage Road stand right in the middle of the Fulham fans. Most of the North End fans were on the open Putney End but there were pockets of Blue and White all over the place. We are in and as the clock ticks round the teams run out separately at 2.55 with North End playing in Red.The Teams are announced, Fulham first then North End …. Kelly Ross McNab Bird Hawkins Spavin Heppolette Ham Lloyd Spark and Clark, with Dave Wilson as sub. John Gow from Swansea is referee and the game kicks off to a thunderous roar as North End are cheered by about 5,000 fans.The game is cagey but quite open and North End are holding their own kicking towards the Hammersmith End in the first half. Twenty two minutes gone and North End get a corner on the right hand side. Clive Clark jogs over and takes an in-swinger which Norrie Lloyd flicks on to Ricky Heppolette who gives North End the lead with a diving header into the Fulham net. The Putney end goes mad and all round the ground the satellite groups of North End fans are dancing with delight. Fulham counter quickly but Bird and Hawkins see them off like two rocks in the middle of the North End defence. Half time comes and goes as the Preston fans start daring to dream, can we do it against the odds at the home of the league leaders. North End are on the back foot in the second half but only really have one scary moment as Fulham throw everything forward. Five minutes to go, four, three, two, one, “TIMES UP” my Dad announces to the world as half the stand give him a look of disgust. How long will Mr Gow add on as North Ends slender lead remains intact? All eyes on the man in black as the whistle goes to his mouth Yeeessss…….ah No, wait, the whistle hasn`t blown and Fulham have the ball. Suddenly, from nowhere, the long shrill blow of the three whistles and we`ve done it - yes we`ve done it, Preston are back. Alan Ball runs on to the pitch and kisses the turf as the Championship Trophy quickly disappears from out of the stand. The Putney End is going berserk and me and my Dad and my Uncle are hugging each other amid a crowd of home supporters looking slightly mystified as to why the plan has not worked out. The North End players hug and congratulate but its not euphoria just a job done by the late great Alan Ball and his boys. We come down the steps to the stand entrance and our coach is the first one we see among about 60 others the length of Stevenage Road.Its 5.50 before we move an inch but nobody seems to care as the singing goes on and on until we finally make our way back up the M1. By the time we reach Coventry it is well past 8pm but the coach is thirsty and its an ale stop for the adults and pop and crisps for the ten or so kids on the bus who are entertained by a jovial coach driver. Finally we get back to Leyland, it`s Midnight but nobody seems to care as the streets echo to the sound of “Preston, Preston” and the road back to the second division is finally complete. Without actually trying to count them I have probably seen over 2,000 North End games since then but I doubt anything will ever surpass that day in West London and if it was ever in doubt before where my footballing loyalties would lie I knew from that day that me and Preston North End would be together for a lifetime.

.

JR`s HIGH FIVES                              

West Ham to beat Burnley 6/5                        

A £5 Stake returns £11.00 on bet365                

SEASONS STATS                              

Returns  £209.75    Stake £170.00    percentage profit  + 23.4%                       

Predictions 34   won 19   lost 15

[hommedeseptiles]

IsFly Musings and In-Game Scribbles

Overtime Period One

I open the browser and see a heavy shot total.  Isles lead 44-20. And the thing has gone into overtime.  Leading three-two after leading three-one .. is fine.  So many such series end 4-2.  But.  If you let them back in after 3-1 up, especially in hockey ... it's a concern.  A hot risk.  

Varlamov is in net for Isles.  Thomas Greiss only logged one game this playoff.  Tho the 34 year-old is capable.  And could start forty a season, likely.  [Ed note: He's started 39, 38 and 49 with Isles in varying years; just 28 this year.  Varlamov is a 6M man to Greiss' 3M.  Varlamov started 39 this year and has 13 playoff starts to Greiss' one.]

I struggle with various streams ... I can't be bothered with my box downstairs.  Not now.  Not this season.  Yes, it still works.  However.  It's complicated.  

Six and forty-five.

Isles enter, the Flyers are five in the screen as they steal back and look organized.  

The Isles don't have a slick, untouchable, unrankable forward .. no franchise player.  They've come, perhaps not full circle but some kind of time-mango to the team I enjoyed about six seasons ago.  When Jack whatshisname was the coach [Jack Capuano; seven seasons with a 47-win register in 14-15].  And they were a bunch of No Names.  Buoniconti's Bees.  Or whatever.  Am-I-Rite?  [Ed note: You've confused to Miami Dolphin entities; the Buoniconti-era No Name Defence and the Woodley-era Bees]

Four and fifty.  

The Isles make comfortable ovals around the tight fingers of the cyborg orange.  Flyers are coached by still-likeable Alain Vigneault (yes, THAT Alain Vigneault) but they're still P for putrid.  

Faceoff to Carter Holt's left.  Carter Bailey?  Carter Barter?  These names.  He's good, tho.  And not a bad kid.

The Isles shot lead is now 50-20.  I've missed most of the game so I don't know what kind of 50-20 we're talking about here.  Knowing the Isles, the number probably means early-game verve and then third period Flyer Failings.  The Isles also gear down in the final frame; great goals for-against ratio in the playoff third.

Oh those Fliers.  

I'm a bit busted.  And shelved.  And so forth.  But I've been bookish.  Filmish.  Sipe.  Fouts.  Chuck Knox.  Staubach and Dorsett against Bradshaw and Franco.  

Also Ali.  Jimmy Young.  The Foreman.  Some other odds and ends including an appearance on Donahue by Norton, Holmes, Frazier and Ali.  

Two and thirty.

The Flyers seem to be waiting for Doom.  No.  Not that Doom [Ed note: Legion of Doom].  The 2020 Doom.  

Komarov fires off a drop-pass and it hits wild and high. Vigneault's suit is not as sharp as last game's but still sharper than most other coaches'.  I guess Vigneault made an insensitive remark last week that got flash-featured on RDS' Instagram feed.  Remember RDS?  Ah ha ha.  Of course you do. So do I.

Habs are still in my dawghawse.  Fire MB, bro.

Isles penalty.  Moments later, Cizikis is hauled down on a short-handed thrust... cross-check-shoved from behind by Flyer d-man Sanheim at the circle.  We go to fours.  

And 1:18 left in the period.  

The first OT period of this game (as per my feed).  My, ah, procured feed.  

<shrug>  

I've paid so much.  And what about all the dropped wifi. Fuck Rogers.  

Thirty-eight seconds.  

Leddy low behind his end line.  Back and forth.  Now they emerge.  Pelech.  Up for Pageau.  Drives left to right, crosses the crease but the puck dribbles off.  

And then the siren.

First Intermission (OT) Isles 4, Fliers 4

Do I really need to hear Vegas pronounced "VEGG-USS"?  No, I don't.  It's VAY GUSS.  Ok?

Vancouver is down 3-2 in that "series" and if anyone SHOULD tie up a series after being down 3-1 (which the Canucks WERE) it's Vancouver.  Ok?

I'm going to end each paragraph with "ok?" for now.  Ok?

Ok.  The feed fades to commercial imagery as I face a commercial break.  Ok?

I've also been watching Derek Carr games prior to the Gruden hire.  And just generally catching up on missed NFL footage.  I missed 2004-2018 as you may or may not recall.  Ok?

Hm.  I forgot about ALT-F4 but just instinctively used it to down some unwanted sprung pages from yet another feed. These feeds are reliable, yes.  I haven't decided how I want to view games at home.  Over the past six years (essentially the length of my musings absence; with the odd short exception) I've kept watching .. more each season (minus Montreal) but almost always in public.  And often with a beer involved.  Different from the coffee period.  Tonight is coffee, of course.  But you wouldn't know why it's "of course".  You THINK you know.  But you DON'T KNOW.  And you NEVER WILL.  JK.   Ok? Overtime Second Period Isles 4, Fliers 4

We resume.  A quick shot of Alain.  His usual expression for "situation" situations.  Isles have a brief advantage and they control.  Anders Lee.  Loses it on the hash.  

Fliers' number eighteen escapes [Ed note: Tyler Pitlick RW].  Wrister.  Free, a defender just out of the picture.  Varlamov extends his glove across his left post and nabs it.  Announcer says it was easy.  But I felt some quease.

Prior to the regular season, I went on record (somewhere) to say Isles would win the Cup.  My pool picks were according(ly).  Ok?

Fuck boomers, bro.

And many of my Gen X compatriots. They've forgotten what it was like to get followed around the 7-11.  Or Blockbuster.  Rogers Video.  Etc.  

And now we have Gen Z.  Yes!  As cool as millenials.  But different style.  

The penalty elapsed.  Back to fives.  Regular season OT means four-on-four. But, NHL conservatism (what remains of it) requires fives in the playoffs.  Heaven forbid that skill should settle a contest (over brawn, sistas and bruthas, over brawn).

Flyers swarm.  They close.  Varlamov is a vacuum man, lost papers, lost trinkets ... the tools twinkle and he closes the pad.  Boy does it look like a puck went in on the rear-net replay.  Nope.  That was a stick blade.  Then the helicopter view above the crease shows Varlamov's boot curvetouch the puck out.  And Pelech drops, face to boot and helps elbow the puck into exile. Clutching Varly's pad, a dainty shoeman showman.

No goal.

And that hectic moment is forgotten.  Neutral zone calm. But the Flyers accelerate.  They dare.  It's daring because any uptick from Philly results in Isle commitment.  Isles ARE the better team.  And the Flyers best hope is a languid opponent.  I wish I'd seen the first three periods.  Maybe tomorrow.  (There's a song about that)

Fourteen and fourteen left.

Oh.  And it's Carter Hart.  He's about twenty.  It's his second or so full season.  Image search shows a possibly likeable young fella.  

Shots are 52-28, Isles.

Wrap.  Whoah.  Flyers Are able to ... take advantage of fatigue.  Isles emerge. Eberle, he of Oil fame, winds and fires.  We hear a ting but not a post-ting. Eberle's wild shots are part of his charm.  Right?  

Ok?

Flyers settle in for another five-on-five unwanted visit in Islander ice.  

Nelson carries it out.  Flushed out after a shot.  Isles re-enter.  Uncle Leo.  Yes, he's an Isle now.  

So.  When we're talking about these blue-name no name Island Aislers ... lotta functional no-mistake hockey merchants ... forward names include Anders Lee, Mathew Barzal, Jordan Eberle (that's your tabbed first forward line).  Anthony Beauvillier, Brock Nelson, Josh Bailey, Derrick Brassard, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Uncle Leo.  I guess <sigh> he's not as annoying as before.  But.

Nine and twenty-five.  

Isles start to press.  Pageeau line.  He's the centre.  Brassard and Leo.  First pairing on the blue; Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock.

They're pushed back and then emerge quietly.  Sneakily.  Flyers are more concerned with maintaining their starfish five formation then just childishly lunging for the puck.  They're taking away any slot passes and happy to let Isles ping from the outside.  Seems effective.

Ok.  So Hart.  He's 21.  He started thirty last year and 40 this season.  Most teams completed 62 games before the season was postponed.  Yes.  Covid-19. If you're reading this in 2030.

He was 0.917 last year and 0.914 this season.  The bulk of starters will rank between 0.910 and 0.920.  I would suggest that increments of 0.35 are significant.  It's a team stat, too, of course.  And must be superimposed with the usual criteria; shot quality and contestation, opponent formations, opponent quality ... etc, etc, blah blah blah.  Ok?

Your friend Carter is from Sherwood Park, Alberta (just outside Edmonton).  

Six and forty.  

Flyers beat Montreal last round in what was described by some as a tight and tough series ("some" being certain interviewed Flyers).

Their captain is Claude Giroux.  Yes.  He's a captain now.  And that should tell you about the P for putrid.  Putridity varies from spot to spot in the rink, of course.  In the building(s).  But yes.  It's still the Fliers you love.  Ah ha ha.

Brian Elliott, that paragon of goaltending arrogance (not alone in the league) started 27 Flier games.  His save percentage was 0.899.   Yes.  You can laugh out loud.

Fliers score.  The puck ekes through the pads.

There will be a game seven.  

Hm.

Cuthbert cites a Mayfield broken stick as the pumpkin break.  He was shooting from their blue.  Stick broke (these dumb modern sticks .. I mean how many years have they had to get them right).  Typical Flier goal.

Just shooooooot.  Shooooooooot.  We gotta get more rubber on net.  

Some tyrannies counted bullets.  

FINAL Philadelphia Flyers 5 New York Islanders 4 (2 OT)

Series tied 3-3

NBC Stars: Provorov, Barzal, Lindblom HDS Stars: Not enough hockey viewed

[alitaimagines]

request: “takeda is a very underrated character! i stem him as a good boy in work but he’s a completely different person when he isn’t wrangling a team. do you have anything for our adorable teacher? my headcanon is a headcanon so you don’t need to use what i just said.” 

takeda ittetsu x fem! reader. requests open.

fandom: haikyuu!! 

You were one Karasuno’s on staff on staff nurses. You had been dating Takeda after meeting him while you supervised one of the boys’ games. You were there in case anyone got injured or a player needed to get bandaged their fingers bandaged. 

//

You looked at Takeda as the two of you were eating lunch in the teachers lounge. He was looking over the boys schedule when you noticed the horrible grocery store food he was eating. You had constantly told him you’d make him lunch if he asked but he always got shy and refused it. Sighing, you took out a spare utensil you had in your bag and put it on top of his notebook. 

“Take-chan, you need to start eating better.” You said as you grabbed his crappy food. “Have some of mine. I don’t care how much you protest, I’m going to start bringing you lunch.” 

Takeda wanted to argue but as he was about too, another teacher walked into the room. You smiled as you took a few last bites before shoving your lunch to Takeda and left the room. 

While the two of you had been dating for nearly three years, you still hadn’t met his team personally. Outside of that one time, you never met them again. You knew how much they meant to him and you didn’t want to overstep your boundaries. He gushed about the teams accomplishments to you and whenever he had a hard day with the team and work, you’d be there to have him relax with you.

Although you hadn’t known the boys personally, you were sure that they thought he was an innocent teacher who never did anything besides go to work and practice. They just never had known how the two of you got together. 

//

A few of the professors had went out for a night in the town. All of the younger Karasuno professors had a rule. Whatever happened during the night would not be brought into the school. It was more beneficial in case anyone did or said something embarrassing. You had seen a few teachers wildly wasted while other professors had gone home together. 

The night you decided to go out with a few professors was a night you would never forget. The western history teacher had invited you and a few professors ended up at a small high-end bar. The professors were known to the establishment so when you got there, they were taken back by the new face. 

“So, if the stories are true, by what times does everyone get shit faced?” You asked Takeda as he laughed. “You’ll know in a few minutes. It’s usually by the fourth round.” 

You smiled and the two of you continued small talk. Slowly but surely, the buzz was hitting the both of you. You stumbled up to the bar with Takeda as you screamed to bartender for the hardest western liquor they had. He handed you the hardest liquor they had on call which was a Sunset Rum. Without realizing the alcohol percentage that was actually in it, the two of you gathered around the small bottle. 

“Here’s to grading papers and never having to administer another state exam ever again!” You said before clinking shot glasses with him and downing it. The minute it hit your throat, the two of you were choking it back. Takeda looked like he was on the verge of passing out as you were holding your stomach trying not to throw it up. 

“I regret this!” You tried saying before you noticed the other professors laughing. “No one told you to get the heaviest vodka they had!” 

By the end of the night, you were holding Takeda by the shoulder as he tried to hold himself and you up. After the third Sunset shot, the two of you were getting used to the hit of the shot and downed half the bottle before the mathematics professor had to take it away. 

When he tried to put you in a cab, you hauled him inside and made it to your house. Nothing mildly sexual happened besides him confessing his love to him. For somebody of his stature, you had to give him props, he knew how to handle his alcohol. 

The next morning, the two of you woke up with the worst headaches to man kind. You weren’t able to turn to look at the window without feeling like your eyes were burning from the sunlight. Takeda although became best friends with your toilet while you drank every possible gatorade you had in your fridge. 

//

That had been nearly two years ago and now you weren’t able to drink a few beers without getting a migraine the next day. Takeda had developed a small tummy which he usually covered by his familiar green sweater. 

The next morning, you had gotten up to make not only Takeda lunch but everyone on his team a bento box. Takeda usually left before you did so he didn’t see you making everyone’s dinner. You had a knack for cooking and you didn’t mind making everyone food. 

When you got to the teachers lounge to give Takeda his lunch, you had seen that he wasn’t there. You grumbled knowing he probably forgot that you were bringing him lunch or had brought another grocery lunch and didn’t want you finding out. 

After classes were over, you hauled the dozen or more lunches into the gym. You had seen the team practicing while Takeda was going over something with one of the managers. 

“Takeda!” You whispered to him as he immediately felt a blush cross his face. “What’re you doing here?” 

You smiled and hauled in the bent boxes, “Well, I know with the big tournament coming up, all of you are going to be here really late so I made everyone small bento’s so the lot of you don’t go hungry.” 

The minute the team heard bento boxes, they immediately ran towards you. They all bombarded you with questions. Who were you? Did you know Ukai or Takeda? How did the two of you met? And so on. You instructed the team after a while of them practicing and with the permission of Ukai, you’d give them the bentos.

They all cheered as Ukai promptly told them to get back to practicing. You took out the boxes and set them out with the help of Yachi and Kiyoko. They all had small tags on them with their name written on it. 

Ukai had known about you and hung out with you a few times with Takeda but he never got to really know you. He knew the two of you were reaching three years but it didn’t really go beyond that. 

When Ukai called for a break for them to eat, he sat next to Takeda. Takeda already feeling the jokes coming to him by Ukai, he was surprised when he started talking to him in a soft spoken voice. 

“It’s nice of her to bring everyone dinner.” Ukai said as he took a bite of the food. “The two of you are going to celebrate three years, aren’t you?” 

Takeda nodded enthusiastically, “Yeah, the best three years of my life.” 

Ukai gave a small smile as he heard you asking one of the boys to help you with the drinks you had in your car, “So when are you slapping a ring on her finger? A girl like that only comes around once in a while.” 

Takeda laughed as he reached over into his backpack and took out a small box, “Her sister already gave me her ring size. Her sister pretended that she needed to get her wedding ring resized and she had the jeweler size her. It’s really just up to me and when I ask her.” 

Kiyoko noticed the small interaction and the box Takeda was holding. She immediately felt tears hitting her eyes as she nudged Yachi for attention. Yachi let out a gurgling scream which prompted half the team to notice what Takeda was holding. 

“ASK HER NOW!” Hinata screeched as Takeda was happy that you weren’t in the gym to see the scene happening. “Hinata, you dumbass. You don’t go demanding a teacher when to propose to his girlfriend.” Takeda couldn’t help but laugh at Tsukki’s statement. 

Hinata did have a point. He was surrounded by everything he loved. You, the team, and one of his best friends. When everyone that you were walking back inside, Takeda slipped the box inside his sweater as you started spreading out the juice onto the table. 

Ukai gave him the nod of approval and Takeda walked over to you. You had his back towards him as he silently asked for Kiyoko to tap your shoulder. He bent down on one knee and the face you made when you realized what he was doing would be a face he would never forget. 

“You’re the love of my life. You came at an unexpected time in my life. I would have never thought that someone like me would ever find someone like you but I did. Being surrounded by the people I love, I knew it had to be today. The love that not only do you show me on an everyday bases but the love you have for the team is something I won’t ever find in someone else. Will you do me the honor and marry me?” 

It was as time slowed down. You noticed Yachi and Kiyoko holding each other as they had stray tears coming down. Even a few of the boys were getting misty eyed as you couldn’t help but chuckle at Tanaka’s and Nishinoya’s reaction. 

“Yes, of course!” Was your response as Takeda let go of a breath he had no idea he was even holding in. He slipped the ring onto your finger before holding you and kissing the top of your head. Before you knew it, the entire team tackled the two of you and screamed their congratulations. 

Even though you didn’t know the students that well, you were sure that Takeda nor Ukai would ever find another team like this. Another thing you were sure about was the fact that you were going to invite every single person to the wedding considering they were apart of one of the biggest nights of your life thus far. 

[semicolonthefifth]

CROSS ch.3 - Sleepwalk

Many villages lined the Black Road, but much are alike in both design and reason for why they exist. Centuries of colonization, and Aurora is still untapped of what it could offer. Humanity has barely scratched a percentage of the planet, on account of both the world’s vicious sand storms and unforgiving climate. In addition, the natives practically own the mountains, and aren’t at all welcoming of humans digging too deep into their homes. Yet to this day people continue to stake their claims, coming to Aurora to find whatever section of rock or dirt that’ll hopefully grant them riches - ranging from lost Old Earth salvage, Deltan artifacts, or rich metals. When the dream dies, they settle down and try to make their fortune in another way: by settling a town.

When you travel the Road, you’ll find plenty of towns - some thriving, others dying, and many others to be completely abandoned. Often times these towns are a farm of sorts, others act as mines, and the rest offer some sort of service to travelers. You’ll have places built around a cookery, a goods store, churches, or - most commonly - a bar. When you’re living on a place like Aurora, you’ll always need a place to relax and have yourself a drink.

Jason had gotten a bad rep in a lot of the better spots along the Road. When you’ve got a habit of hunting your bounty into the one place everyone takes restage at, you tend to cause a fight or two. It doesn’t help that there’s sort of an unwritten law, that a bar is the most neutral spot you can find. So naturally, Jason had to drive for a long stretch of the road after dumping Sid’s body, all to find one bar to rest himself in. The one bar he could find a good change of getting a break was further south, in a town east off the Black Road and nearer towards Moresatta than Calberi:

A quiet little place called “Blondie”.

Population: about 48 people. Mostly men, with some women, children, and a few elderly.

It was a mining town that then turned into a wet stop for any traveling drunkard looking to stretch their legs before making the long trek for the city at the South end. From what Jason could remember off hearsay, it used to be quite the popular spot before a more easily reachable settlement was made, and the mines hit an impassable blockage that essentially killed the mining work there. It was named by its founder, for reasons that weren’t explained - save for the rare comment about an ‘inspiration’ of sorts. Besides the bar, a barber, and an alright tortilla shop, there wasn’t much else to get out of the place.

Jason met some regulars to the spot in his travelers, and they all described the bar’s selection of ales to be alright. There wasn’t anything better for miles on end - Jason couldn’t care less for quality at this point.

It took another 20 or so minutes before he would see the town coming over a hill, with a few lights twinkling to signal that any life was there. The wide swerve off the Road was rough, but after driving through some bumpy terrain he slowly came to what he assumed was the saloon. With the night still dark, and his moon dour, Jason didn’t pay much attention to the layout of the town - very few lights were set up in the town, and all Jason could care to pay mind to was where bar stood.

He slowly walked out the car and towards the large structure that acted as the town’s north-most landmark, and from a quick glance of the many lights and the muffled sound of music, he knew this was the bar. Jason made his way for the backdoor, and from the moment he steps in… he feels an all too familiar pain in his head.

Then he remembered.

Blondie was a town that greatly enjoyed the age of the Wild West from the Old Earth, from calling its bar a saloon to the style structure they built, along with all the stuff they hung on the walls of this very establishment. The place was at once a bar and a place of worship of the old. You saw posters that worshiped the heroes back in those days: legends like Wyatt Earp; Billy the Kid; and even good ol’ Harmonica. There were replica bull skulls, a set of guitars and tapestry. A table at a far off corner had a neatly made model of what those western towns looked like back in the day - all too similar to how Blondie is built, now that Jason thought about it. There were even the guns hanging around the place. Fake, of course -bought replicas from an artist, most likely.

Jason looked at it all. He observed the place, and wished even more he was elsewhere.

A music player was nestled by the hallway leading from the main bar floor to the back where Jason had entered. He have a look to see what was playing: an instrumental little thing called “Sleepwalk”. Santo & Johnny. Jason felt in a similar mood.

Then. “Jason?” He heard.

“Jason!” He heard again. “Jason, is that you?” Shouted a patron within the bar. Glancing from where he stood, Jason looked down the hall and saw a friend of his: a man by the name of Frankie Houser, seated next to a guy utterly new to this place.

Frankie was a tall, lean twig of a man at 6 feet in height. Atop his head was a set of red curls that looked like a broccoli had sprouted from his dome. His teeth angled forward whenever he spoke, and the apple in his neck stuck out for all to see. Though he made it all work with what Jason could best describe as the most honest and happiest of smiles. He wore a set of layered leggings that seemed to weigh him down, along with suspenders that hung over his gray-colored wife-beater. His boots were long and brown, almost turning red from the sand. Frankie kept a side-arm, a typical handgun, hanging off a holster to his side that kept him safe for his travels.

Beside him (on Frankie’s left) was another fellow, a curious one from appearance alone. A short, young-looking man that sat proper, unlike Frankie’s more laid back position. He was the cleanest thing in this entire bar, with a nice dark blue-colored suit that was one size too big on him - all over a light blue dress shirt with an obnoxiously green tie. He had dark brown skin, and short layer of black hair on his head, with none over his face. No dirt covered him, and no weapon was visible. Nothing except a backpack held tightly against his chest, only let go briefly so he may wave at Jason. A strange thing to see out here in some bar, Jason thought.

Making his way over, Jason took a seat beside Frankie’s right - all the while giving both men a handshake along the way. Frankie was firm and energetic, meanwhile the kid was weak-wristed but polite. Jason winced on the former more so the latter. With Jason seated, he looked to a bartender that had been waiting nearby - a grizzled, old looking man who gave a little nod to the new patron.

Jason placed his order: a glass of mildly sweet Deltan Ale, a straw, and a plate of ice.

Frankie turned to Jason, “Nice to see you, man. How’s like treatin’ ya?” He asked, with as much kindness and genuine interest. It was about the nicest thing thrown at Jason’s way today.

“Well”. Jason tsked, “Ain’t exactly going my way.”

“That about the truth for all of us, ain’t it?” Frankie responds. “Seems like nothing ever goes our way. Still, I’m sure you’ll find some good coming over yours. Just need to keep ya’ chin up.” He takes a pause to sip from his own drink - a glass of water, one for him and a similar for the friend beside him. It was then that he coughed a bit. All of a sudden a thought entered his mind and he swallows up his water before resuming his talk with Jason.

“Oh, almost forgot - rude of me. Jason, allow me to introduce to a new man here in the wastes. Kid’s name is Charlie. Charlie Wills. Landed onto Aurora, straight from Tyrell.”

Jason chuckled harshly, “Seriously? Tyrell? THE city, Tyrell?”

Charlie nodded before speaking gently. “That I am.”

With more a chuckling escaping from him, Jason then asked further of the young man, “What the heck are ya doing out here in the Black Road? Shouldn’t you be heading on over to Moresatta or something?”

With a slight hesitancy, Charlie’s response was interrupted by Frankie’s own explanation, “Actually, he’s taking the scenic route. We’ve been passing by every site we can find along the way. The kid’s loving all the villages we’ve come to visit so far - along with all the many delicacies they come to offer. Quarter of the trip’s spent trying out foods, I tell ya! Had in me now more than I have the past week!.” He lets out a long breathy laugh at that, bringing Charlie a clear look of embarrassment.

“Hilarious.” Jason comments, a tad positively at first but becomes more serious when he speaks to Charlie. “Hey, kid? Try not to waste too much time on the Black Road though. Drivers like Frankie here can’t be spending all night on the Road.”

“He’s alright, Jason!” Frankie exclaims, once more interrupting whatever reply Charlie was about to make. Frankie then continues, “He’s paying for my troubles, for starters. Plus, I’m having the time of my life. I get some moments to stretch my legs more than I would a straight drive anyhow.”

Charlie finally gets a word in, explaining that, “I’m doing my best not to take advantage of Mr. Hosier. Forgive me if I can’t help myself to stop so much, but you have a wonderful place here. Tyrell’s lovely, but Aurora certainly captures my interest far more by a great margin. Mr. Hosier here has been a great driver since he picked me up from Calberi, and all the sights I’ve seen have already made the expenses worth it. I must say, you have a beautiful world here, sir.”

“Yeah, well so is a lady with experience.” Jason remarked with a lazy grin. “Pretty to look at, but mess with her and she’s already got a knife aimed for your throat.”

Frankie stifles a chuckle, but Jason continues - again, seriously. “Listen, kid, do yourself a favor- go back home. Aside from the two cities, there ain’t nothing to see here on Aurora. It’s a wasteland, empty except for a bunch of folks killing each other all the damn time, and a lot of gangs playing dress up while proving to see who can shoot each other more.”

“Well I’m sorry to say, but t-that’s precisely why I came.” Charlie nervously shoots back, proceeding to open up his backpack and dig right in. “I’ve got - if you let me a moment - some things I wanted to see here that you don’t get in other worlds. All we ever hear about Aurora are the gangs, he natives, and the various wars. So much history bottled up in this one planet, it’s all so interesting yet nothing I’ve read at home really do it justice. Tyrell barely gets anything, and oftentimes what we do get is questionable in its legitimacy. I had to come here, to confirm it myself that it’s all true.”

He keeps on digging, prompting Jason and Frankie to side-eye each other with looks that equally find entertainment at Charlie’s naivety. They don’t say anything, however they’re somewhat intrigued by what the young man’s looking for. Eventually, Charlie produces a thick black binder. He opens it up, revealing a colorful collection of prints and photographs - to which the two natives of the planet take a gander.

Charlie flips past the first couple of pages to show off a small selection of printed replicas of old war-time posters - from the era of conflicts happening on Aurora. They depicted humans in UROE infantry gear, either lining up in inspirational formations or firing their rifles at sword-wielding giants. He turned a page, briefly pausing to let them examine each photo before continuing on to the next. The next set featured prints of a different tone: humans, holding their hands up in union with the giants, set against amber colored mountains. Additionally there were prints which shows 5 humans and one giant, all working at a construction site with words emphasizing “union” and “working to the future”. From how each print looked, it seemed that the original posters were painted before being copied for mass distribution - with a warm, inviting feeling that nostalgia-lovers would love to get their hands on.

Eventually Charlie did some commentary as he showed off the prints -  a bit of confidence making its way up the surface. “Check it out. War propaganda from around the Great Aurora War, nearly a millennium ago. Back then we didn’t know whether to trust the natives or to present them as enemies, so marketing sorta changed in those years. All of it made from a printing company in Aurora, who only got a brief clue of what Deltans looked like from news and word-of-mouth.”

He turned another page, commenting further, “Then see here: prints of the continued war with the Kronian Empire.” The young man, smiling at the two men looking down at his book, turns the page to showcase further pieces in his collection. He pointed to various prints, all of them depicting red-eyed figures, either in pale white face or under black gas-masks. There was one print in particular he directed to the most, where it featured a looming, red-eyed gas-mask wearing creature leering deviously over a group of human colonists. It displayed the text: “OUR HOMES ARE IN DANGER”

Page after page he turned, with Charlie showing off more of his historical collection. Jason was honestly interested at this point, especially when he noticed that none of it remotely mentioned the Old Earth. There were so many detailed, organized prints of Aurora history - even stuff he never heard about.

Charlie’s commentary drew Jason away from his initial cynicism - made all the better as Charlie came out of his shell and was eager to share history with a couple of locals. Though it also helped that, by the time he was listening, Jason’s plate of ice and drink had arrived. The kid kept on talking, being so open and smooth in his vocals, with all the nervousness having gone away.

He’d say this like, “This is a photo of several Deltan natives making the first trek down the Black Road; you may notice how some look uncomfortable with the surface at first.”

Or, “A print showcasing the opening of Moresatta. I managed to get this printed straight off the archives back home - it was so exciting.” He was quite captivating when was in the zone.

Frankie, out of them all, was the most absorbed into it. In between his listenings and close examinations, he’d make the passing comment of “been there” and “seen that”. Every now and then he’d even correct Charlie on something, like how the Deltans rarely fought each other in colonized lands - prompting Charlie to grab a napkin and write the info down with a pen kept in his pocket. Of course there was a disappointment in Charlie: it scratched off the goal of seeing two Deltans fighting, as he heard from the stories.

By the 30th page however, it got too personal for Jason. As they closed halfway upon the hour, Charlie began turning the pages towards more recent history - and Jason felt less enthused.

Every page was a painful memory for Jason, and especially the world.

The mass incarceration site built in off the Road to house countless numbers of UROE prisoners, only to lead into a jailbreak many years back. With it brought the near endless supply of raiders and bandits that roam the Black Road, causing so much trouble from that catastrophe.

The crackdown by the UROE, which began with arming various militia groups to fight back the raider scourge. All that did was lead to even more violence along the Road.

The deadly raid on the Black Road hospital up North, leading to dozens dead. Nobody had a chance there.

Everything that came in before or during his childhood, and yet still messing up his life to this day.

Then the photo that Jason hoped wouldn’t come… finally arrived.

Charlie turns the page, explaining at first, “Of course there were many people we saw fighting the raiders in the vids that aired in Tyrell. They were probably the most popular ones when you consider the views they got. It was a group of these cowboys, dressed up like in the Wild West - calling themselves the Crimson Crosses. See, I even got a photo of two such members right--”

He stopped right there, almost completely. Charlie took notice first of Frankie’s slight cringe, before then directing his sight at Jason.

Charlie had seen this photo about a dozen times, but a new detail emerged then. The photo showed two young men, both wearing a set of wild-west inspired outfits over their tall, powerful frames. The garments consisted of brown vests; long-sleeve collared shirts, dull dark pants, and a dark overcoat covering much of it. Atop their heads were similarly sized wide-brim hats, and around their necks a bandanna. As well, both men shared the exact same style of hair, and exact appearance of face. Between them was an overweight, gruff-looking bandit tied up with a lasso, with both men posing triumphantly beside him.

Below the photo, on a sticker Charlie used to caption his photos, it read, “The Cross Twins, Frederick and Jason, capture the Butcher of Red Peaks.”

Jason hesitantly grabs the photo - his mind felt like it was screaming ‘no’, but a part of him felt like he needed to see it. He brought it closer and looked down at the picture, and at that moment all the color and life in his face drained completely - and in its place, a flood of bad memories once walled up behind years of alcohol.

Meanwhile Charlie looked towards the stranger, studying his face in relation to the photograph. There he was: Jason Cross of the Crimson Crosses - older, stronger…

And now he’s downing an entire glass of ale.

[murasaki-murasame]

Ieyasu came for my saving-for-Gala-Luca throat and I still managed to get him with 100 of my 250-ish saved up sommons >:3c

Now to go back into saving-for-Gala-Luca mode. After the absolute nightmare that was the Gala Elly banner, I’m not taking any risks this time.

Anyway, more about my summons under the cut [TL;DR: I got more than I even wanted, and also if anyone’s feeling iffy on this banner I just wanna let you know that Chitose is basically Light!Emma and he’s probably the best new unit on the entire banner lmao]

The last few weeks of events were really generous and got me all the way up to 250 or so saved summons, and after seeing that Ieyasu was gonna be featured on this banner along with like four other units I was terrified that it wouldn’t be enough to get him, and that I’d be left with no real chance of getting Gala Luca afterward, but then I got Ieyasu after 100 summons so we’re all good, lol. Let’s just say that once I saw that rainbow blade every single muscle in my body was clenched as I faced the imminent coin toss between getting Ieyasu and Nobunaga. And thankfully I got what I wanted in the end.

I also got two copies of Mitsuhide, who I didn’t really care one way or another about, but now I have her, lmao. I honestly don’t even think she’s worth pulling for since she only seems somewhat better than Fleur, but I’m happy to have her.

The most surprising part of this banner was that I randomly got my first copy of Yaten, which I’m EXTREMELY happy about. His banner was one of the first times [along with Ieyasu, ironically] where I really felt bad about not managing to pull him while he was featured, so I’m happy he finally came home. I was seriously considering dream summoning him in the future, and now I don’t have to. I’ll probably still be dream summoning Delphi soon, though, since Cygames is doing everything in their power to make me regret initially thinking he was a bad character, lol. So yeah this banner gave me the two 5-star shadow unit dudes who I’d missed out on previously so that’s pretty nifty. I think the only shadow 5-stars I’m missing now are Summer Verica, Delphi, and I guess Veronica but I’m not really counting limited units. And out of those three I only really care about Delphi since I already have Heinwald and Gala Cleo.

I got Chitose really early in my summons, and it almost made me contemplate stopping there, but I decided to keep going until I got Ieyasu. Which thankfully happened without me using all of my summons. I do think that Chitose is the real gem of this banner, but Ieyasu’s new mana spiral upgrade also makes him noteworthy again.

I thought that maybe at most Chitose would be a light version of DY-Xanfried, but nope he’s literally a light version of Emma, lol. I thought Cygames wouldn’t put such a powerful unit behind a limited banner, but here we are. Light continues to suffer from having most of their good units being limited. At least this whole banner makes me feel a bit better about not having gotten DY-Malora.

I was kinda worried about the idea of Chitose being a curse-res light wand, since I feel like endgame curse-res light content is kinda punishing toward ranged units, but they pretty much specifically designed his kit to make him super tanky, with his +20% defense passive and his 30% Max HP shield on his S2, lmao. At least if you use Chocolatiers or something on him, using those two together is probably enough to get past HZD’s HP check, so he might actually become a really good, accessible meta unit for that fight. But in general as a strength buffbot he’s pretty much automatically one of the best light units already.

On the other hand I think Hanabusa is probably going to be inferior to Yachiyo until he hopefully gets a mana spiral upgrade that fixes his partial curse res and gives his kit some new elements to make him shine. But I think if he can get that upgrade later [or if he can manage to get by with a curse res print in HZD], he might be really good. It’s hard to tell how good his kit as a whole is at the moment, but I like that he has team strength buffs built into his kit, and some pretty high buff time increases based on his S1 skill shift.

We’ll see how it shakes out, but I feel like Mitsuhide probably isn’t going to completely erase Fleur from the meta. It’s not quite like the Thaniel-Jiang Ziya situation, since Fleur is still super strong on her own, and I feel like Mitsuhide doesn’t provide much more aside from higher stats as a 5-star.

I’m basically forcing myself to not care about Nobunaga so that i can resist the completionist urge to keep pulling for her to have her in my collection just because she exists, so I’m just going to think of her as a unit that I can live without, for my own sanity, lmao. But honestly she doesn’t stand out a whole lot, at least not after all the massive buffs the flame roster just got. Her buff dispels don’t seem very special now that Euden and Naveed can do that too, and the unique debuff on her S1 kinda seems like . . . a worse version of bleed, lol.

Daikokuten seems like a good dragon, but I’m not gonna bother chasing after him since I got Cupid a while ago and I’m working on unbinding him. He seems like he provides more raw strength than Cupid if you can maintain a high combo count, but Cupid’s heal and crit rate buff pretty much ensure that he’s still going to be a highly valued dragon in the long run, so I’m fine if I don’t get the new one.

I honestly might have done the platinum dragon summon once if it was a thing where you got a guaranteed copy of Daikokuten each time, but it’s literally just ‘you get one of the 5-star dragons and Daikokuten has the exact same appearance rate as the rest of them’, which is basically useless to me. Same with the adventurer one, but I wasn’t going to pull on that anyway since i don’t care for the two new 5-stars. I can tell that they’re trying to give people a bit more incentive to spend money on this game, but I think it’s only worth it if you’re a super new player who barely has any 5-stars at all. Some people will probably do the adventurer one because they really like the new banner units, I guess, but it’s a horrible deal.

Also on the note of Nobunaga, I’m kinda disappointed that she’s just the Year of the Horse character, lol. I would have liked it way more if she was an unofficial Year of the Cat clan leader, with Ebisu as her pact dragon, but then that would have made me want to pull for her more because I’m weak for anything that I can twist into a Fruits Basket reference, so maybe it’s a good thing that they didn’t go down that route. Either way it feels kinda weird to not have her be about the Year of the Cat when she’s being bundled with the Rat clan leader, and Ebisu is already based on that whole myth anyway. It seems like a vaguely uncomfortable and off-putting message of ‘yeah this game isn’t going to last long enough for us to actually get to the Year of the Horse so we’re giving her out early :)’. If they were gonna do it this way in order to get all of the clan leader characters released within 6-7 years rather than 12, I kinda wish they could have done that from the start so it didn’t come as a surprise now. Oh well.

Anyway, even though I’m not a fan of Nobunaga at all [and even after the event story I still don’t have any interest in her lol], I really like the rest of the new units. I could take or leave Mitsuhide in terms of her being a 5-star light dagger, but the event story actually made me like her a fair bit. Plus, her 3D model helped sell me on her design.

But mostly Chitose is my absolute son boy and I adore him. I get the feeling he’s going to be very . . . polarizing, but I love him. He’s absolutely perfect, and to top it all off he’s exactly the character that the light roster has been waiting for. As soon as he came into my summons being like ‘here comes a slice of cutie pie <3′ it was over for me.

Hanabusa’s also fun, in a surprisingly Danganronpa character writing kinda way. I think his facial expressions really gave me that sorta comparison, since it’s kinda rare for characters in this game to be that cartoon-y. But I also really love him. The fact that purple’s my favourite colour may or may not be making me extremely biased in his favour, though.

Also, Ebisu seems to be a 40% HP shadow dragon, which I think shadow’s been lacking. He’s probably not as good as a MUB NIdhogg/HZD, but I don’t have either of those so he’s nice to have. Even though I use Heinwald as my shadow healer and he prefers mixed dragons.

The new event wyrmprints also all seem pretty good. The Wyrmclan Duo basically seems to be Resounding Rendition but with crit damage instead of crit rate, and I’ll have to see how the math on that one turns out. I think most characters benefit more from crit rate than crit damage, but I’m not sure. A New Year’s Battle seems like a pretty solid print for daggers, and probably other units that can get high combo counts.

And then A Game of Cat and Boar seems like it’s gonna be the best wyrmprint for light buffers like Chitose and maybe Hanabusa. It actually has the highest buff time percentage for a wyrmprint in the game, at 25% compared to the current main ones being 20%, but it’s locked to light units. The 10% shadow res also works nicely with Chitose’s innate focus on defense, to make it easier for him to pass HP checks and whatnot. It’s a potent enough buff time increase that you can pretty easily just run something like the HZD print in his second slot without losing out on much, but outside of HZD he might just use a second buff time print anyway since there’s no real reason to bother buffing his offensive stats.

Anyway, in short, this banner was extremely gracious to me, Chitose is Best Boy, and I’m going to skip everything between now and the next gala in the hopes that we’ll finally get Gala Luca.

On that note, I thought Gala Luca might be a light dagger, but that seems a lot less likely now that Mitsuhide exists. I think he’ll probably be a light blade, or maybe a light spear, instead. I think him being a light blade would be great. We really need more of those [especially since Hanabusa’s stuck with a welfare unit kit], and it’d be great to see Luca get the vindication he deserves by getting a really strong gala alt. So until then I’m just gonna try and keep hoarding my resources until I can pull for him. I think I have a little over 150 summons worth of resources saved up, and I hope that’ll get a lot bigger over the next month.

[pass-the-bechdel]

Dollhouse full series review

How many episodes pass the Bechdel test?

96.15% (twenty-five of twenty-six).

What is the average percentage of female characters with names and lines for the full series?

45.89%

How many episodes have a cast that is at least 40% female?

Twenty.

How many episodes have a cast that is at least 50% female?

Twelve.

How many episodes have a cast that is less than 20% female?

Zero.

Positive Content Status:

Very poor - this is exactly why we don’t just rely on passing the Bechdel and having a large number of female characters in the cast as ‘guarantees’ that we’re watching feminist content. If all those female characters exist to be punished, objectified, and abused by the story’s creator as an expression of his misogynistic rage, that is not a good thing (average rating of 2.76).

Which season had the best representation statistics overall?

They’re about the same, really. The one Bechdel fail was in the first season, but season two had less female character presence overall, but it was also more balanced insofar as it scored more episodes with 40% or more on the cast. Both scored equally badly on content quality, though my feeling is that perhaps season one’s sins were the worse of the two. On the other hand, season one had more guest female characters AND it used its supporting female cast more prominently, whereas season two was more male-heavy not just in numbers but in screen time and narrative attention. At the end of the day, I’m not sure it matters which you consider to be worse.

Which season had the worst representation statistics overall?

See above. I cannot recommend this show for feminist content.

Overall Series Quality:

For a first-time viewer, there’s probably still solid potential for enjoyment, and at least some of the twists should be genuinely enjoyable. The majority of the cast is very excellent, and the idea of the show is compelling. However, the quality of the series as it turned out is negligible, full of flash and little substance, the bad apples in the cast spoil the batch while the good grapple with bad writing and the woeful underuse of their skills, and the whole thing remains far better as a thought than it is in execution. And then there’s the misogynistic rage thing. That’s a problem that really messes with the overall product, to put it lightly.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) under the cut:

For the record: I believe, sincerely and completely, that Joss Whedon hates women. Not that he doesn’t know how to relate to them or he misses ‘the old days’ or any other such placid disdain; I think he deeply and violently hates women, and I think the evidence is written all up and down his work - all of his work, but perhaps never more clearly than in this show. He can claim to be a feminist all he wants, he can put women at the forefront of his shows and talk big game about what he believes they’re capable of, but so long as the women in his stories continue to be mistreated at every turn, beaten, raped, and constantly belittled and devalued within the text, I will not be convinced that the man doesn’t resent the Hell out of women for existing - and particularly, for existing with potential for sexuality. The misogyny of the Whedonverse is rampant, unchecked, often participated in by his ‘heroes’ as much as his villains, and treated as largely incidental, rarely acknowledged and even then, gleefully delivered as ‘just the way things are’. Characters might shake their heads about how that’s unfortunate (and Whedon pats himself on the back for making such an insightful feminist statement), but the verbal denouncement doesn’t detract from the indulgent inclusion of that misogyny, the platform provided for it to roam uninhibited, and be showcased and vicariously enjoyed. For someone who claims to be a feminist, Whedon sure does seem to be fetishistically obsessed with making women suffer, and when I compare the content of his work to that of the other creators whose shows have appeared on this blog, the result is most unflattering. 

As easy as it would be to while away this post explicating the details of Whedon’s reprehensible worldview, however, I shall refrain; for one, it would be boring as Hell, it’s not a complicated reality and the truth really is in the pudding for all to see, you don’t need me for that, and for two: I already promised to at last talk about the characters and their arcs (such as they are), since that is one subject I often neglected in the posts on this show, and arguably the only subject upon which the show could hang any virtues. Naturally, we will begin at the beginning, with the much-maligned lead character: Echo. 

Eliza Dushku is not a terrible actor. But her range is pretty limited, she plays variations on the same archetype almost exclusively, and that’s a terrible fit for a show where the central caveat is supposed to be that she can take on any personality and be a complete and whole different person week by week. No one should ever expect to be able to float that idea with a lead who is so very obviously not up to the task, and while I don’t think she’s responsible for the failure of the show (all of its other flaws would have soundly sunk it even if Dushku was a crown jewel of talent), it certainly does not help that she’s easily the blandest and least compelling player in the whole sorry mess. It’s a cringe every time she utters some silly line about how powerful and badass she is, because there’s nothing convincing about it, and if the creative team really believed (and believed their audience would believe) that Echo is THAT great, they wouldn’t feel the need to have her showily declare it. When season two hits and Echo’s ‘character development’ fast-tracks to full sentience, she becomes even less dynamic: all of the things which could have provided legitimate engagement with the character’s struggle are skipped over, her process of self-actualisation (anyone who read my Farscape reviews knows my love for hard self-actualisation narratives), her navigation of her role as a developing entity in a world hostile to such things (touched on occasionally in season one, thrown to the wind in season two), anything to do with her cognitive evolution is scrapped in favour of ‘she just remembers it all now’, and there’s no arc to it. I invoked the concept of the Mary Sue in one episode post, and that is exactly the problem we end up with: a ‘perfect’ character who can do everything and anything and be ~the best~ at it, who is beloved and desired by all who meet her, except for her (mustache-twirling cliche villain) enemies, who fear her awesome powers. There is no personality in Echo, no conflict, no meaning. Wild as it may sound, you could actually remove her from the show completely and easily adapt the other characters (the ones who have personality, conflict, and meaning) to fill the space, and not only would it work, but the show would be infinitely the better for it. That’s the absolute opposite of what you want from a lead character.

The other BIG mistake in the casting for this show is Tahmoh Penikett as Paul Ballard, who plays his part with all the verve and charisma of a piece of wood with eyes drawn on (ever watch Ed, Edd, and Eddy? Plank has more dynamic personality than our boy Ballard). I’m not sure how much of it is Penikett’s fault - it has been many years since I watched Battlestar Galactica, and while I don’t remember being particular impressed by him, I don’t remember being frustrated by his inability to walk in a straight line without making it look weird, either - but whether he’s handicapped by his own acting non-prowess or not, he’s certainly fighting a losing battle with an unfocused mess of a character, and if the writing couldn’t decide what Ballard’s deal was to start with, I’m not shocked that Penikett had a hard time conveying it. Is Ballard a morally righteous hero (on a show with no moral centre for him to relate to)? Is he flawed and secretly-dark, and if he is, who recognises that, is it deliberate? Is he losing control, or is that just supposed to be ‘normal person’ behaviour? Again, who notices, does he know? How much of his interiority is a white-knight cliche, and how much is supposed to be genuine, and is any of it supposed to be subversive? I honestly can’t tell, one episode from the next. In season one, he’s garbage at his job, and some characters mention it, but then Ballard himself appears to be under the impression that he’s fighting the good fight and the tone of the show seems to agree with him rather than acknowledging his self-delusion. In season two, he joins the Dollhouse at the same time as openly declaring himself to be still against it, the plot conveniently pretends he never raped Mellie so that we can uphold the idea that he IS righteous, after all, and has no dark impulses, other characters at the Dollhouse put up with him being an obvious liability for no discernible reason, and then eventually he gets rendered brain-dead, reconstructed as a doll version of himself, and then dies a few episodes later anyway. Big whoop. It feels an awful lot like they had no long-term plan for what to do with the character, so they just focused on giving him a romance with Echo and then threw some contrived death stuff on top of that for flavour. Speaking of the romance thing: eek. Again, in season one it seemed they couldn’t decide whether or not his mounting obsession with his damsel-in-distress vision of Caroline was creepy as Hell (pro tip: it absolutely was), but then in season two it all became very simple: Ballard wants Echo, but doesn’t really believe she’s a real person (for some reason this is not a deal-breaker to her), and they dance around each other for a bit but never get together and somehow we’re supposed to interpret this as the development of a wonderful love story with a bittersweet tragic end when he dies, twice but also not really because then she downloads him into her brain anyway so they live happily ever after, sort of. It’s a fucking mess, y’all, and they don’t earn it, and the utter soup that is Ballard’s personality and motivation goes un-examined. The fact that season two tips heavily in favour of Echo/Ballard scenes is something very significantly to its detriment, because it’s the worst and most shakily-developed non-relationship of the series. Ok, that, and whatever the fuck Topher/Bennett was supposed to be.

Speaking of Topher...actually, I don’t have much to say about him. Breaking pattern with the rest of the characters, Topher shows no real sign of a personal story in season one, so it’s season two which attempts to give him some function as an individual outside of being the comic-relief tech guy. It’s not particularly successful, since the attempted character development revolves around 1) moral compunctions (which, as noted ad nauseum, this show left itself incapable of engaging with in any meaningful way back when it pretended sexual slavery was a morally grey issue), and 2) throwing a love interest at him: zero actual relationship-building ensues and it’s awkward and chemistry free and then she dies (so glad Bennett could exist to tick off a bunch of Whedon’s favourite suffering-woman tropes and then die for shock value, yay). At the end of the day, Topher was just a handful of affectations, fun to watch, but hardly amounting to more of a ‘whole person’ than the paper-thin personalities of the sex-fantasy cliches he imprinted into the dolls. 

If Topher is the character who suffers most from a lack of development in season one, Boyd is the hardest hit in season two, easily. As Echo’s handler in season one, Boyd was pleasant, mild-mannered, protective, and he had an ethos which governed his choices (imagine such a thing!). His former career as a cop was referenced variously, and it seemed clear that we should expect one day to learn how he came to leave the force and wind up as a bodyguard working for a secret organisation. Season two? Forget about it. Forget about it because of the idiotic ‘twist’ that turned Boyd into Rossum’s cuckoo founder and thereby unraveled his entire personality as a sham in one fell swoop, obviously, but forget about his character having even the appearance of development in the meantime, also. Removing Boyd from his position as Echo’s handler was a grave error, as it downgraded his importance and effectively stifled the natural bond he had developed with his charge which represented a nice, uncomplicated character dynamic (one far more welcome than that clusterfuck replacement which was Ballard as Echo’s handler, euch). Additionally, this led to Boyd being largely backgrounded for the entirety of season two, given no meaningful stories to engage with, and certainly not expanded upon or explored as a character. As noted, any such expansion would have been irrelevant anyway once the dumbass ‘big reveal’ happened, but that’s all the more reason to bemoan the loss of Boyd’s character, which essentially occurred a full season before he actually donned his suicide vest and exploded in the Rossum building. If you have to dump a character just to service your twist, don’t. Dump the twist instead. Like pretty much every other actor on this show, Harry Lennix deserved better.

And then there’s DeWitt...I largely covered the DeWitt issue back in the episode posts, really; she starts out an intriguing character (and I credit Olivia Williams with much of this, she created dynamism out of an oft-lacking script, in every case), but season two really did a number on her when it came to leaping wildly about different plot ideas that jerked DeWitt’s characterisation from one extreme to another with very little connective tissue to sell the change. If Ballard was the character whom the narrative couldn’t decide how to handle in season one, DeWitt takes up that odious mantle in season two; is she losing her grasp? Is she playing the game? Is she an evil, pragmatic genius? Is she foolish and deluded by an idealism that plainly has no basis in reality? Is she an alcoholic who spontaneously gets her shit together after a couple of other characters tell her off? Damn, that was easy. As with Ballard, the problem is not just that the story seems to change tone and purpose for DeWitt’s character from one episode to the next; it also robs her of the opportunity to be defined through consistent interaction with others - she has no one to bounce off in a manner which would create a baseline for her behaviour and how it is outwardly perceived (and thus, how the audience is intended to interpret it). 

I’m gonna talk about Sierra and Victor together, because frankly, that’s both the way the show packages them, and there’s not much to say outside of it. For the millionth time ever on this blog, I will complain that all shows ever would be improved by being ensembles; in this case, Sierra and Victor both would have benefited from a framework which allowed either one of them to take greater precedence more often, instead of having their own narratives distilled down to a single Personal Episode each in season two. I do enjoy both, and their relationship has legitimate chemistry and charm while also following a sensible plot concept through - the idea that strong emotional connections and bonds can transcend the mind wipe. Unfortunately, the show has little functional purpose for either character outside of their relationship, to the extent that it even sidelines them almost entirely in the climax of the series (pre-flashforward). Victor/Anthony is given the least plot purpose in the show proper, which is just a criminal misuse of Enver Gjokaj - Anthony is a soldier and that’s essentially his entire personality right there, and the only thing that gives them an excuse to make him do Manly Fighter Stuff in the latter stages of season two. Sierra/Priya gets more to do, but the bad news is, it’s all about being raped, and that’s her whole story - horrible possessive misogynists abusing her so that she can embody Whedon’s favourite Broken Bird trope, with the added misfortune of changing the nature of her relationship with Victor to make it a little bit about him ‘rescuing’ her with the love of a good man. Both of these actors are so good, and their characters had such potential, I can’t believe the show fucked around and wasted them like it did. 

Ok, one more before I go. I know he was never a member of the central cast, but we gotta talk about Laurence Dominic, because he was deceptively essential to the show, important to what made it work for the brief time when it could be said to work, and he was altogether the best character on the show insofar as he was the most cohesive, consistent, and logical player in the piece. I said as much when he made his welcome return in ‘The Attic’ (the best episode of season two...coincidence?), and as I noted then, it may be that Dominic’s early exit from the show was to his benefit in that he avoided being jostled across season two having all semblance of coherence torn to pieces along the way. I’m fairly certain the writer’s had no idea how valuable Dominic was to the story when they axed him (not least because they clearly had no idea how important it is to create some kind of moral framework to support a story that is inherently morally dubious), but consider the most obvious changes to the show format and the other character’s stories once Dominic was out of the picture: Boyd takes over as Head of Security, to his detriment as a character, and to the detriment of his relationship with Echo, leaving her wasting time with that dolt Ballard instead and putting audiences everywhere to sleep. And DeWitt? DeWitt loses her sounding board, the right-hand man who - for most of the first season - anchored her character by giving her someone to talk and plot and, at times, disagree with, creating that behavioural baseline that she lacked when she was being dragged all over season two. Dominic’s role was a structural pillar on the show, he held the roof up so that the rest of the characters could interact and interrelate - with each other, and with him - he had distinct relationship dynamics with pretty much all of them - and he was exactly the kind of character that you want around being a stable, unobtrusive presence. They could even have kept the idea of him being an NSA spy, just keep him working undercover, the audience knows the truth but the other characters don’t, it creates tension! Sure, it’d probably mean letting Ivy be sent to the attic under false charges, and that wouldn’t help this show’s abysmal abuse-of-women record, but considering the show did nothing of consequence with Ivy in the end anyway and she just existed to be belittled by Topher while he sent her to fetch him snacks...yeah, anyway. I could talk a lot about why Dominic was the best character on this stinking show, but it’s ultimately beside the point: the point is that nothing in this show really worked, and that had a lot to do with major conceptual issues (moral grounding is not optional! Misogyny is not tasty plot flavouring! Joss Whedon is an abomination!), and keeping Dominic around long-term would no more save the show than if Eliza Dushku possessed a modicum of acting range. It’s frustrating because there are so many good pieces there, excellent actors, intriguing character set-ups, fantastic plot possibilities, and heady existential implications. It’s just that some moron decided the best thing to do with that would be to play nasty sexual wish-fulfillment games and leave the rest to rot. I’m pretty sure the version of this show I enjoyed once was largely the version I made in my head, because the reality is a wasteful disaster. And misogynistic as Hell, too. We, the viewers, deserved better.

[soda-kpop]

Volleyball!Stray Kids AU

It’s been a hot minute since I have done one of these, so I thought I’d bring it back with one of my favorite groups Stray Kids! I have been a fan since Hellevator came out last October and they have quickly joined my two ult groups, Monsta X and NCT, at the top.

I got to see them and even got to be in their hi-touch at Kcon, and it was absolutely incredible. Everything was iconic. Legends only.

Outsides: The big guns. These boys are all about the offense. The go-to attackers ready for any set, even off of a 1-point pass. Get the most sets and make the most errors, but their kills make up for any points lost.

Kim Woojin

Woojin would definitely be the main outside hitter for the Stray Kids crew. He exudes talent but is very shy both on and off the court. He is like a silent assassin that way. He is one of the hardest hitters on the floor, but his name flies under the radar frequently despite that. It’s only when he works and creates points that brings him the attention he deserves. He’s definitely a bouncer, or at least tries to be. When he can hit a ball straight down with so much force that it almost hits the ceiling after it lands, that’s when you see him become really loud and smile really bright. It’s his favorite thing to do. However, with some of the big blocks that he faces, bouncing balls isn’t always an option so Woojin often goes for hammering balls off the opposing hands to win points. As far as blocking for himself, he doesn’t get that much more than assist blocks. It doesn’t mean he isn’t a good blocker - he has nice hands and is disciplined and strong. He just gets beat by the hitter on most one on one situations, which is okay. Out of the outsides, Woojin is ranked third out of passing ability. He probably would be substituted out when he rotates in the back row if it wasn’t for his insane back row attacks. Absolutely loves the BIC (a.k.a backrow in combination) attack and tries to run it as often as possible. The feeling of just flying behind the middles and slamming a ball down gives him chills. For these attacks, he tends to aim more for deep corners since he usually has three blockers up on him. Every other rotation, DS!Felix or even Outside!Changbin will come in to take his place in the back row. That way, he will get his back row attacks in while also giving some consistency to the defence. When he does rotate back, Woojin goes for a jump serve with topspin for sure. It’s crazy how much power he shows people on the court, but when points are scored all you see is a shy smile and a little fist pump. On the bench though, he is so into cheering for his team. He is just really grateful to have this group of boys behind him ready to face the world together.

Kim Seungmin

Seungmin would be the second starting outside! Definitely more focused on finesse and technique than power. Everyone sees his baby face and is like, “Who is this boy? He’s an outside?!” Well yeah, he is. A darn good one too. Everyone on the outside underestimates his ability, but he doesn’t listen to them. He works everyday to prove himself on the court and boy, he does. He doesn’t hit as hard as Woojin or even other outside Changbin, but he doesn’t have to. He can score points other ways. Lowkey gets goosebumps when he gets a kill off a tip like when he’s floating back down on the court and he can see the defense trying to pull out their spatulas to get that pancake, his heart is racing. When he full on swings, he’s a find the fingertips kind of man - swings towards the deep corners, but if he goes too far, as long as he finds hands he is good. He’s a pretty solid blocker himself as well and has the most solo blocks out of the outsides. He presses well and reads the setter when they are looking to dump. Where he really shines is in the back row. Seungmin is the number one ranked passer out of all of the outsides. He is in every single serve receive rotation and takes up a lot of court as well. The squad would run a 3 person serve receive, but Seungmin and Libero!Jeongin would take up the most court. The only time it would get evenly spread would be when DS!Felix is also in. A real solid defender as well, reading the hitter and reacting fast. Would make a great libero for any other club. As for his serve, this is when he pulls back. He isn’t seen as an offensive player when he rotates back so he focuses on making a difficult float serve that he’s consistent with. He doesn’t attack much out of the back row either, but it’ll come if the front line is truly struggling. He strikes me as the member of the team that would wake up early on tournament days to help back everyone’s bags and makes sure they have all their stuff and maybe packs snacks as well. Cares for his team a whole lot.

Seo Changbin

The final outside hitter for the Stray Kids Volleyball Club is Changbin! He is like a little firecracker - like literally. He doesn’t get as much playing time against the bigger (both in size and in power) opponents because of his lower blocking ability, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good player. He has a pretty decent vertical too, but it’s still a little lacking in terms of his other competition. On off days you can find him in the gym trying to improve his hops. He is actually quite a hard hitter and powers through blocks often. He usually aims for deep corners or just for people. Lowkey loves when he gives someone a facial (Lowkey as in he gets a thrill from hitting someone square in the face, but then immediately feels bad and checks on them, then returns to his team with a smug ass smile on his face). Changbin is the second ranked passer out of the three outsides, so he also finds time on the court as another defensive specialist. His passing however shines the most on defense. It’s when he completely goes all in. While the #1 passer Seungmin reacts fast, Changbin does that while also giving everything. He sacrifices his body for balls. Is also crazy fast and nimble, so at one moment he might be in middle back, then the next he’s almost in the stands, and the next he’s digging a tip out from behind Opposite!Jisung. He takes every moment he can as a moment to prove himself. As a server, he likes doing the jump topspin but he isn’t as consistent. Loves doing it wrist away down the line; it’s probably the most common way he gets aces. He doesn’t use his height as an excuse for why he doesn’t get as much playing time. He always says that he just simply isn’t as good as Woojin or Seungmin and uses that to motivate his training and practice. He is just as happy on the court as he is on the bench cheering on his family.

Middle Blockers: Part 1 of the major defense of each team. Height and speed are needed, although height can be substituted for a mad vertical. Don’t get set often but their efficiency is through the roof.

Bang Chan

Okay the loml i apologize if this is subconsciously longer than the others i absolutely do not mean to

So Chan was a toss up when he joined the squad. He has the intensity and good enough ball control that could make for a wonderful outside, but when he was thrown into the middle blocker position, he quickly found himself falling in love with it. This boy is all power all the time. One might not think Chan would be a good middle blocker because of his height, but if you saw ASC you saw his mad vertical. You’d also know about his nice body Felix was talking about, which helps contribute to his power and strength. He absolutely hammers balls. With his strength and his fast arm swing, his balls go down a very high percentage of the time. He’s another one to love that wrist away shot, but this time, when he is hitting. While everybody loves a good kill, Chan gets his high off of stuff blocks and boy, does he get them a lot. His hands are VERY strong (but also so soft like what the fuck they all have nice ass hands anyways) and he is quick to close seams, so it’s no surprise that this boy is the #1 blocker on the team. And boy, when he sees the ball bounce off his hands and hit the floor before he has even landed, that’s when you see Chan at his highest energy and volume. He’s another who does a jump serve with topspin, but he isn’t that consistent at his highest speed (or should i say pace). He usually turns down the speed when he’s missed a few and goes more for placement than power. While he is a decent passer, it is definitely where Chan lacks the most. When Libero!Jeongin goes in for him in the back row, Chris puts on his coaching cap while on the bench. He basically becomes the assistant coach; in fact, when the team walks into the gym, many think he is the coach given the vibe and appearance he gives off. He can be intimidating at times, and his words may even sound harsh, but it’s all for the team. He knows how talented these young boys are and how successful they can be. He wants to be with them every step of the way and push them to who he knows they can become.

Hwang Hyunjin

Another powerful middle! Hyunjin has something that Middle!Chan does not have and that is fluidity. Hyunjin has the height, the speed, the agility, and the strength of a great middle blocker, but what sets him apart and what makes his presence demand attention is how easy he makes everything look. He moves with a grace unlike any other and while you may be focusing on another player, your eyes will drift to him sooner or later. He’s another member to love hitting straight down, or as close to straight down as they can. With the offense Setter!Minho has the pleasure of running, it’s not uncommon for the Stray Kids’ middles to be left on a one on one situation. Boy, does Hyunjin thrive the most when that happens. He is so hungry for one on one opportunities, it gives him more (free) real estate to swing away at. He’s all about the kills, like yeah blocks are all fine and dandy but terminating a ball is what gives Hyunjin every boost of confidence he needs to succeed. He is not that good of a passer unless the ball is coming directly at him, so nothing out of the ordinary happens when he gets replaced by the libero. When he serves, he could go either way. It really is a toss up (literally aye get it) whether he’ll do a topspin or jump float. He loves serving short for some reason as well especially where the setter is supposed to transition to. Loves getting the opposition out of system with either serve. His top spin is actually in the top three most effective serves on the team, so it shocks many that he doesn’t use it as his default. ABSOLUTELY LIVES for over passes. Say Jisung or Minho (depending what lineup they use) deliver a wicked serve that just bounces against the oppositions platform, Hyunjin thirsts for that ball to pass the plane of the net just so he can smack it back down. The model of the team tbh, gets the team a lot of brand deals and commercials, makes everyone in the crowd swoon - you know, the usual for a team full of visuals.

Right Side/Opposite: Swings from behind the setter. In charge of shutting down the outside attack, which is vital since the outside gets the most sets. Does not get set often but when they do, they usually terminate.

Han a.k.a Han Jisung

To close out the pin hitters, Jisung would be the opposite/right side hitter. Opposite hitters usually do not get as much attention as their left side counterparts, but Jisung is out here to change that. He demands attention, in a good way. He has speed and power that sets him apart and makes him the star of show. As an attacker, he loves running his routes inside. While traditionally right sides are set to the pins, Jisung loves to attack the ball closer to the middle of the court. He does this by running his star play, the I set. The I set is a quick ball right behind the setter’s head. While Jisung is approaching his spot, he is able to survey the opposition and see what options he has. One blocker inside? Line is open. Two blockers up? Let’s find those hands and blast it out of bounds. He has a lot of options when he is set inside. He is also very quick on his feet; if a ball is popped up from the block, Jisung is not afraid to swing on the first touch. As a blocker, Jisung lives for one on one opportunities - more so than if he was the hitter in that situation. He LIVES for solo blocks, and the fact that he’d get them by shutting down what is traditionally deemed the best player’s position just fuels his confidence even more. I can guarantee you that after every point he scores, he’ll come together with his team with the biggest smirk on his face (just like the one in My Pace). One of the best servers on the team. His jump serve is out of this world. He gets just as excited for aces as he does for solo stuffs. He doesn’t like to pass but ironically, he is very good at it. He will instantly concede to any of the DS’s or Libero!Jeongin if they call the pass. Jisung just wants to focus on the offense, so anytime he can get back to his hitting position, he’ll take it. Carries around the first aid kit in his volleyball bag along with any medications and energy tablets. If anyone feels anything other than 100%, he’ll instantly comfort them and try to help however he can.

Setter: In charge of spreading around the ball, allowing the offense to be run. Need nice hands to deliver a clean ball to any area of the court. Speed is also vital as location of the first contact varies especially when the level of play increases.

Lee Know a.k.a Lee Minho

I see Minho as one of the best setters I have written about. Like in my entire volleyball universe, Heejun, Minho, and Jisung (Wanna One) are the three that rank above the rest. Honestly, like if Minho could be Setter!Heejun’s apprentice, then everyone in their league would be screwed. His background as a dancer is actually really useful on the volleyball court as well. He is able to contort his body into all different sorts of wacky positions in order to deliver a beautiful set. Overpass? Minho will jump up and either fight for the pass if he is in the front row, or send a one handed set towards his middles or Opposite!Jisung if in the back. Being left handed also helps these situations. When he needs to attack the ball, he can disguise it longer before slamming the ball down. What he lives for though are one handed sets, especially if he can still run his fast offense. The faster the better for Minho. The pins are probably the slowest tempo for Minho, but even then, they frequently run 3’s and/or I’s. Minho connects to all of his hitters pretty well, but the Minsung connection is where it is at the most. You know when Minho does that one-handed set with his arm bent backward that Opposite!Jisung is ready to fly in and absolutely terminate. At the service line, Minho would be another jump serve with topspin player - one of the best on the team. Lives for that cross court line shot. Like if he can land it on the ten foot line/three meter line on the opposite side of the court for an ace, you can bet he is running all around the court screaming his head off with his fists pumped in the air. Minho is a very disciplined passer as well. He is not afraid to stay back and dig some balls (or possibly even hit ;) ). He doesn’t do it often, but given the opportunity, Minho will become another attacker and bring a new level to the offense. He prefers to give the light to his team, he knows his job and wants to support the others and let them do their own duties.

Libero/Defensive Specialists: Have the best passing skill. Second part of the major defense team. Reserved as best receivers and servers. Height is not required as they don’t play at the net. Liberos do not take up substitutions and they wear an off-colored jersey. Goes into the back row for the middle. DS players do take up a substitution, wears the same color jersey as the rest of the team, and usually goes in for one of the pin hitters.

Lee Felix

This boy is the squad’s defensive specialist (or if they don’t see the need for a DS, their reserved libero)! This boy could just as easily be another opposite, but instead of focusing on hitting, this boy is all about that passing life. He usually rotates in for Outside!Woojin when he gets into the back row. One rotation, Woojin will stay in and the next Felix will come in. Loves nothing more than to get an amazing dig off of one of the other member’s hits. It fuels him more than any kill or block would and that’s why he chose to be a defender. Sure the big hits and blocks are flashy and fun, but you wouldn’t get any of it without a good pass. If he manages to keep a rally alive, he gets chills the minute he touches the ball. He’ll be diving into the deep corner saving a ball that was touched at the net, and as soon as he lands, his whole body is lightened and a sense of pride washes over him. Somehow crazy good at the one hand jabs (no matter how much Chan or his coach tells him to use two hands). Felix shines the most during serve receive. If they are struggling at all, Felix is the first player to get on the court. He brings a wave of confidence and reassurance that calms the entire team down. Gives 100% at all times - there will not be a ball on the floor without Felix there with it. He is probably the most vocal one on the court other than Middle!Chan and Setter!Minho. While other members are vocal on the court, those three are the most vocal all the time. Felix’s mouth is open almost every second of playing time, whether that’s calling the ball on serve receive, encouraging his teammates, or telling his attackers how many blockers are up, it doesn’t matter. Even on the bench, he’s up on his feet helping the team know their stack or see what’s happening on the other side of the court. His goal is to one day start at Libero and not because of an injury, but because he earned it.

I.N a.k.a Yang Jeongin

Jeongin would definitely be the libero for the squad. I was between putting him at setter and libero, but the defense role ultimately won. This way, he is still able to set, but while also giving the squad some lit passes. In fact, while Setter!Minho was injured, Jeongin stepped into the setter role giving DS!Felix the starting libero spot. When Jeongin needs to take the second ball, he definitely prefers to use his hands and run offense like normal, but with the restrictions liberos face, he cannot have both. If liberos are above the ten foot line, they cannot use their hands to set an attacker and in order to bring the speed, Jeongin has to be up there. If he gets called for a backrow violation, you can immediately see him start sulking. He doesn’t sulk for long as he puts on his smile and tries even harder to get the next one. Takes up most of the court with Outside!Seungmin in serve receive. He is a speedy one and can cover a lot of ground both on serve receive and on defence. He usually takes his defensive positions a little short. As the competition gets stronger, the hits become shorter and shorter ESPECIALLY in the middle position. He comes up a little shorter so he can take the longer shots with his hands. Once during practice, Jeongin was a little late and Chan gave him a facial that caused his braces to cut up his mouth. Chan became his personal assistant for the two weeks after that because he felt so bad. Jeongin didn’t even sweat it despite the sting in his mouth. He just jumped back up and asked Chan to do it again. During practice, Jeongin does a jump float serve. It’s simple and reliable, so Jeongin always uses it. When he joined the team, he didn’t really have a lot of confidence. After a particularly hard day in practice, the team joined together to talk about what it means to be a team. After hearing what everyone had to say about him, Jeongin has been increasingly becoming more confidence in his ability which results in better play from him and a better team overall.

Team Aspects

No one expects the squad to be as good as they are. They are all short and oh so young, but that doesn’t mean anything when you have as much talent and passion as these boys do. They definitely do not intimidate on the outside (they are the smallest group I have written for boy groups), but once warm ups are done, that’s when the murmurs really start: the “oh my god they are good,” the “how can they jump that high,” the “we’re gonna lose.” They don’t view their age and their height as a disadvantage, they see it as their charm. That mindset helps them focus on what really matters - putting in their all for the game and for each other.

Other Volleyball AUs: ASTRO | BTS | GOT7 | SEVENTEEN | GFRIEND | KNK | MONSTA X | NCT U+127 | SF9 | NCT DREAM

[easternjust]

Nfl rewind

Thursday NFL games are available shortly after the conclusion of the Thursday Night Football game telecast. Monday NFL games are available 24 hours after the conclusion of the Monday Night Football game telecast. Sunday afternoon (1PM ET & 4pm ET) and Sunday night NFL games are available following the conclusion of the Sunday Night Football game telecast. NFL Game Rewind provides on-demand online video access to NFL games after they have aired on broadcast television. I just don’t see him doing a 180 with the talent the Jets have on offense.īut is Geno Smith the right call now? And after the season if the Jets go 3-13 do they look at Teddy Bridgewater or try to trade for Kirk Cousins? If the Jets do go 3-13 I am pretty sure it won’t be Rex Ryan’s call to make any more so drafting another defensive lineman won’t happen.*Live game broadcasts are not included with the NFL Game Rewind service. It just seems that there is nothing Mark Sanchez can do to once again become the long term answer in New York. Smith should be fine as the Jets continue to try and figure out who will get to run their offense this season. I found it ironic that Geno Smith injured himself in a Mark Sanchez type of way by tripping over his own feet untouched. Then again it’s August and these so-called rankings can go out the window quickly. The AFC North you can say has three Super Bowl contenders in Baltimore, Pittsburgh and now Cincinnati so I would have to place them right with the NFC West. While both San Fran and Seattle emerged out west and St. The NFC East is big on names but last season didn’t live up to its historic past. The other three AFC divisions have the potential of having at least two weak teams each so I have them at the back. Third I would put the NFC South and then have the NFC East as the fourth best. I would rank either the NFC West or AFC North at the top and would lean towards the NFC West. Even though I should be biased I don’t even see if as one of the top three divisions in the NFL right now. I saw on NFL Network a question if the NFC East is the best division in football. Ryan got fired in Dallas after last season’s disappointment and you know he would love to prove Jerry Jones wrong by turning around the Saints defense quickly. Just like Alex Smith, Rob Ryan has important season ahead in New Orleans. They were already not that good but now have to work through a transition to a 3-4 set under Rob Ryan. There is no doubt this team has talent and we will really get to see where Smith ranks among the quarterbacks in this league.Īs for their opponent, the Saints defense could end up worst in the league. The Chiefs are picked by many to go from worst in the league to a playoff contender due to the additions of Smith and Andy Reid. The Chiefs went 80 yards in 14 plays to score an opening touchdown against the New Orleans Saints. I did like what I saw on the Kansas City Chiefs first drive with Alex Smith at quarterback. Spiller exploded onto the scene last season finally but Jackson still can be a factor in Buffalo. And we can’t forget about veteran Fred Jackson also. Good news for him is that he can do it to CJ Spiller who should continue his growth as a big play running back this season. Bills fans should get used to this kind of stat line as Manuel will likely struggle early and use the benefit of the check down. Manuel completed 16 of 21 passes for a high percentage but for only 107 yards. I do think he put together one of the weirdest stat lines of the weekend. In his first NFL action Manuel played fine in the leading the Bills offense to three scoring drives. Yesterday gave us the debut of Bills rookie quarterback EJ Manuel versus the Colts. I don’t see any negatives in signing Stokley or Clark. Obviously no one is going to question Ozzie Newsome’s track record and both of these players brought up the success of the Raven’s organization after signing. But both of these guys should help out Joe Flacco this season. If one of neither of the two pan out, the Ravens can just go their separate ways. Even though both Stokley and Clark are considered past their best days these moves are truly no risk moves which could only pay off in the long run. The Ravens had needs to both wide receiver and tight end after trading Anquan Boldin and losing Dennis Pitta to a season ending injury. Baltimore spent the weekend after their big win Tampa adding to their roster with the additions of Brandon Stokley and Dallas Clark.

[bristolpusher-blog]

Rainbow Six: Siege and why I love it.

History of Siege:

Rainbow Six: Siege is a tactical FPS game developed and published by Ubisoft (more specifically Ubisoft Montreal) during December 1st. The game is currently approaching the end of its third year and has reached around 35,000,000 (35 million) players, but it didn't start this way.

Siege's official gameplay trailer was shown at E3 is vastly different to the game upon release. The game trailer shows tactical and long rounds requiring large amounts of communication with little room for error, stunning graphics and interactive animation between the hostage and other players. No operators were shown indicating that originaly everyone would be the games current operator "Recruit" but with their own special loadout and no abilities with customisation likely being very limited.

The trailer ends with a standoff between a defender and an attacker firing shots with no answer to who won the round (probably to show that both sides are infact balanced and have equal chance of winning). You could even take a helicopter landing onto the roof which is badass (And probably would've saved us from the spawn peak craze, but more on that later) but alas the game changed vastly at some point during production.

(I can't really talk about the beta as not only do I think it's not really important to understanding the history of siege as it played almost identically to day one release but I also have never played the beta version of Siege, However I will link a video to a closed Alpha gameplay video)

1st of December 2015: Rainbow Six: Siege is released to the world with 20 operators (and everyone's favourite: Recruit of course) these included: SAS: Thatcher, Sledge, Smoke, Mute. FBI: Ash, Thermite, Castle, Pulse. GIGN: Montange, Twitch, Rook, Doc Spetsnaz: Fuze, Glaz, Tachanka, Kapkan GSG9: IQ, Blitz, Jager, Bandit

Giving two from each to the attacks and defenders. (Attackers left, Defenders right) Your starting team depended on your colour. Orange was Defence and Blue was attack with the teams rotating roles each round while maintaining their colour.

But the operators were locked behind walls of money called Renown. Luckily however this didn't effect the game too hard as within literally one match you had your first operator in that division. But the prices rose if you wanted to buy an operator in the same grouping. So if I bought SAS Thatcher all SAS ops would be more expensive (Unless using R6 credits the in game paid currency). My first operator was GIGN Montange a shield operator and my last was GIGN Rook who ironically became my most played defender so I just wish I'd bought him earlier. Each operator has a unique ability which changes the playstyle with limited resources that cannot be reloaded even in the terrorist hunt game mode which gives you ammo boxes.

Here's a link to a video containing all operator guns, and abilities:

A season pass system was also announced by Ubisoft the first being Operator Black ice giving us two Canadian operators: Frost and Buck and this is what I think makes Siege so unique from other tactical FPS. These operations unlocked cosmetic items, new weapon skins (Most noted is the black ice renowned for being the best skin in the game) here's a list by Ubisoft of all rewards for the pass.

The JTF-2 operators, Frost and Buck, the Navy SEALs operators, Valkyrie and Blackbeard, the BOPE operators, Caveira and Capitão, and the SAT operators, Echo and Hibana. 600 R6 credits, R6 icon charm, premium pass until December 1st 2016. However these operators were available to everybody if they purchased them with free renown they got from playing matches (Around 150 if you lose and around 300 if you win) these operators cost a large amount but its not impossible as I did it myself to unlock Capitao.

In July 2017 Alpha packs were introduced. These unlocked through a sort of roulette wheel at the end of a winning game. The pack (if landed on a white bar you built up by playing games) contained cosmetic headgear and weapon skins until this season where Jager received a legendary uniform in Legendary Alpha packs. These packs are blind luck and you never know what they contain until you open them. If you have the season pass the pack percentage gets a 0.30% boost and when losing it goes up by 1.5% and when winning 3%. (Of course not including the additional bonus for season passes) these can be bought for varying amounts if Renown

These season passes continue until this day with free content such as maps, cosmetics and operators being released. (8 a year) As of writing this Grim Skies (Year 3 Season 3) is ongoing and the game is definitely had a few bumps this season with the introduction of Clash who's nerf patch hasn't been released at the time of writing.

And now the siege history lesson ends and my opinion begins. I LOVE Siege. I play it basically every day and never seem to tire of this. But I don't think that's just because of me being some addicted fan boy. I think that the reason Siege has become so popular and developed such a massive community is because the huge comeback it had. It was originally a huge failure with players leaving in mass. Thousands of videos on youtube pointed out its massive flaws until instead of abandoning it... Ubi started work. Bug fixes, anti cheat, graphics improvement. You name it, if the community asked Ubi delivered and they still do to this day. Even refusing to change Tachanka despite his huge meme status as being terrible simply because fans love him that way even releasing a cosmetic bundle called "Lord Tachanka" a huge fucking meme amoungst the community that the devs love too which just shows how tight knit we are as a game. While they did take a while to do it during the big Hack period they fixed that for fans and announced they would do so even before the big Youtubers jumped in on it.

Ubi revived Siege. And I can never really express just how thankful I am for that in words. I love this game and I can't wait for the next season or the next game.

Gameplay:

Now it's time to talk about the gameplay Holy shit is this fun. When something goes well and your team just clicks you forget you're playing a game. You're a squad of 5 elite special forces soldiers who's training has lead to an unstoppable wall of fire as your tear through your enemy and it only gets better when the enemy does so too. The rush you feel when a 1v1 comes after a long gun fight is tense and nerve-wracking as you feel your whole team watching you or calling info on cams or drones (More on that later) winning is satisfying and losing is crushing but you still don't want to give up. Because you know that with the right team and the right strats you can wipe the floor with even the best of players.

Games tend to last around 15 minutes in casual with three rounds won being the win and up to 30+ in Ranked. Each round has a drone phase where little black RC drones race around the map looking for the objective while defenders quickly reinforce the room with defences such as metal wall reinforcments, barbed wire, deployable shields, nitro cells (C4 explosive) and your defenders personal gadget. You then have 4 minutes to either complete the objective as Attackers or wipe the enemy team and vice versa as defenders.

There are currently 18 maps in Siege such as, House, Oregan and Presidential Plane with another map planned next season. My personal favourite is Clubhouse.

On your gun you can add various attachments such as scopes, grips and compensators. But it's hard for me to talk about that since it's mainly personal preference I almost always use Reflex but most like the Acog scope. Here's a list of what attachments you should put on guns according to Varsity Gaming who you should check out for tips and info on actual mechanics such as damage drop off on guns.

This brings us nicely to spawn peaking. Since defenders spawn 45 seconds prior to Attackers and there's fixed spawns Defenders began opening windows to shoot people as they exited a spawn area most prominently Jager and Bandit. This resulted in their Acog scopes being removed and eventually all Acog scopes from all 2 speed and 3 speed defenders giving a large advantage on the Attackers side as in long range encounters the 2.5x zoom of an ACOG will help massively. Here's another link to a video which marks all things removed or nerfed to the current date. It's still a sensitive topic today as spawn peaking still exists but you're much more likely to miss someone or get killed yourself when you do it.

10 years of content has been announced but people do still doubt it but personally I think it can be done. Considering we're about to enter year 4 and the game is only growing in popularity I see no reason why it's going to stop any time soon. Especially now its practically one of the biggest Esports perhaps only being outdone by League and Dota with Overwatch declining it its recent years.

Not to mention the huge profit they overturn in cosmetics Ubi made pro league and elite skins, the later of which unlocks special MVP animations when equipped and winning as the largest point scorer.

How to Play the game

Now let's discus the gamemodes. You have Casual and Ranked with Custom matches and Terrorist hunt being less of a central focus and an offline Situations mode for beginners to practice.

Casual matches assign random spawns, random defence points and has a cap limit of 5 rounds with a winner being declared after someone reaches 3 otherwise resulting in a draw which effects nothing and gives bad rewards considering you just both basically won.

Ranked gives you a choice of spawns, defence points and caps at 9 rounds with a winner either being declared at 4-2> or having to go to a 5 after it reaches 4-3. After winning a defence location defenders who won may no longer use that defence point until it reaches the overtime tie breaker rounds of 4-3 onwards where everything resets basically. Drone and round times are the same however for both casual and Ranked if an objective is being complete such as Hostage being extracted, Defuser is being/ is planted or Securing objective/contesting then like casual the timer will never end until someone either leaves the room or dies. If a user leaves a ranked match their space is never filled nd they receive a ranked match ban for 15 minutes which increases each time and leave penalty

All game modes feature a DBNO (Down but not out stage) where you will be knocked to the floor and a large + icon surrounded by a white circle slowly being ticked away by a red line creeping across will appear. Your vision will be impaired and movement reduced to a crawl. You will produce a blood trail leading the enemy to you if you crawl away. You can press and hold to stop movement but hold the blood in giving you more time to wait for a teamate to come help you up. Any damage you take will probably kill you and all revives (except Docs stim pistol and Finkas adredinal surge) will get you back up on 50 health and must be done when right next you the only exception to these rules is Zofia and Doc who can get themselves up if Doc has a stim left and Zofia needs no help at all and after a brief 5 second animation can get up on 1 health and continue to fight.

Gamemodes in Ranked and Casual are:

Hostage: Hostage must be extracted from defence point and taken outside to a red flare where you will extract him/her and win you can as with teammates kill the hostage instead of the minus 100 points and ban (and an additional -100) for killing two teammates like you may expect you're hit with an instant -500 points and an almost certain ban if you're not careful. And since Renown is given based off of points this will likely screw you out of any renown if you lose the match and don't receive the +2000 points for winning.

In Secure area you must enter the room with the container automatically beginning to secure it simply by being in the room however. A loud siren goes off wherever an enemy enters with a large "Contested objective" appearing above the icon that goes through walls for both teams if a defender is inside and a "Securing..." if not.

On Bomb there are two sites near eachother [A] and [B] with Attackers having to enter the room and plant a single defuser given to one member at the start of the round taking 7ish seconds to plant and 40ish seconds to defuse the bomb entirely however the bomb defuser can be destroyed by the defence team by approaching it and holding the button to defuse with the same 7ish seconds needed to defuse however during this time the defuser still continues to tick down and can pass the threshold of defusing the bomb while a defender defuses resulting in an attacking victory.

All of these gamemodes are 5vs5

Terrorist Hunt:

Terrorist Hunt features a range of difficulties: Normal, Hard and Fucking impossible (Realistic). These missions can either be done alone or with a team. Depending on difficulty team friendly damage is reduced so I'd recommend Team play if you want a lot of renown for not very much work at all.

Situations:

These missions have fixed objectives and must be done alone in single player. After completing all situations that teach you how to play you may take part in Article 15. A difficult mission in a realistic difficulty where you and 4 others must defuse 2 bombs inside the map Bartlett University with heavily obscured vision in yellow clouds filling the map obscuring enemies and the bodies that liter the ground.

Custom Games:

These allow modifiers for a 5vs5 with friends or less even allowing you to explore the map alone. You can change health, timers such as increasing defuse time, drone time, match time and the amount of rounds. You can even turn on pro league settings to have a tournament with your friends.

Shop:

Siege has an in game shop where you can purchase the previously mentioned elite skins and various other items such as weapon skins, Pro league sets and weapon skins, charms and even the glorious Lord Tachanka sets.

Final thoughts and review:

Siege is in my opinion one of the greatest FPS games of all time. It has incredible fans, Gameplay is smooth and fun and most importantly tense. If I could play just one game with all of you then you'd know how big a difference one person can make each match, how much communication changes the game and how often friends tk each other for cheesy spiderman jokes.

I highly recommend you purchase it. Or play a free weekend. With a starter edition being so cheap right now especially when a sale comes on the only real reason to avoid the game would be the toxic team killers we have. But since the new tk ban changes I've been teamkilled only 12 times. 2 by friends, 7 accident and three being toxic players. That's not however saying it doesn't happen. But trust me. Your teammates will straight up slam the fucker who does it. I don't think I've ever been killed in a ranked match except by Mira mains who want their walls or accidents especially at the higher ranks. I hope this helped you either get a look into my perspective on Siege. Or perhaps convinced you to give it a chance or reinstall. Trust me. Give it a chance like I did and you'll never regret it.

Informative Siege Videos:

Siege Youtubers:

And of course the best Siege Youtuber of all time:

(This is my channel. Subscribe if you want I only upload for fun which I'm pretty happy with)