#just the three games in South America before the rest is held across 3 countries

[kylewalker-peters]

Another day hoping FIFA explodes and seeing it still standing 😔

[quokkacore]

LIBERALITY: starshine [oh sehun] (m)

part II of all your gods are fake

summary: sehun gives you what he can, but it’s never easy. you have to work for it as well, but effort pays off, and he rewards you so kindly.

pairing: freedomfighter!sehun x reader

genre: smut, angst, fluff, light horror towards the end?

warnings: language, descriptions of war, descriptions of cults, mentions of violence, shibari, thigh riding, handjobs, reader has nipple piercings, sensory deprivation (blindfolds and ties), seizures, knives

song rec: rosalia & ozuna - yo x ti, tu x mi ♡ taemin - never forever

word count: 4.3k

a/n: this was originally posted to my old writing blog on may 9th, 2020. if you would like to be on the taglist, pls send me an ask or a message! <3 

masterlist

He was getting agitated. You could tell this much.  

It was already bad enough that the meeting so far had lasted for over an hour and a half, but now the tension of the situation was finally settling in, as everyone realized that it was finally here.

The last stronghold. Or so they believed. Or so he believed.

The meeting was only for the highest ranking officials of the resistance, people who The Brotherhood knew they could trust—the plan was far too important to risk it falling into the hands of The Sect of Seven at the hands of double agents.

The plan that, if executed correctly, could turn the tides and cause the downfall of the Sect.

You watched, leaning against the wall as Junmyeon, leader of The Brotherhood and face of the resistance towered over the war table, talking about possible strategies to take the last major neutral city and also take control of the country.

The Sect of Seven had existed for years before the war began—its existence spanned across centuries, millenia, even; dating back to the year The Prophecy of Brothers Alike was first proclaimed in the late twelfth century, and remained strong even almost a whole century after The Great Collapse of 2050, when global society had collapsed due to war, famine and climate disasters.

Then the war broke out, some ten years ago, when the first two brothers of the Fated Fourteen first made themselves known, springing the Sect’s violent plans into action.

Since then, the resistance had been built up by The Brotherhood’s efforts, both capturing strategic cities and territories across North America. The Sect was based in the desert, with the Sanctuary based in what was once Los Angeles, their control spanning across what was western Mexico, the american south, and half of the northwest.

The resistance was based higher north, in the Citadel, which used to be Chicago, territories consisting of parts of southern Canada, the rockies, the northern midwest and what remained of the Peninsula of Yucatan. Places like Greenland, the southern east coast and northern canadian territories had either been destroyed during the collapse or had since been reclaimed by extreme climate and nature.

The only major territory that remained uncaptured by either sides, the place where many had fled to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, was the northern west coast, and that was controlled by Washington DC.

The very spot the resistance was now planning to take.

Your eyes floated up towards Sehun, who was standing right next to Junmyeon, who was now listening to Chanyeol and Baekhyun discuss the logistics of a peaceful invasion.

“Overall, I think we still need time to form a solid strategy,” Baekhyun said, “Jongdae needs to get in contact with The Agate Sisters for some more weapons—”

“Which is not very easy, might I add—” Jongdae interjected.

“And even before that…” Junmyeon’s voice was loud, taking command of the situation, “Sehun.”

All eyes in the room fell to the youngest member of The Brotherhood.

Oh Sehun. The Oracle.

Sehun had become known to the world two years after Suho and Junmyeon were proclaimed the first two brothers of the prophecy, the same time as his twin brother. Being so young, his ability of both interpreting and creating prophecies was a sight to behold, both terrifying and morbidly fascinating.

You’d known him since he and his brother were children, before the three of you realized what the future held in store—pain and suffering for Sehun and you, and nothing but pleasure and debauchery for Sehün.

“Do you think you could consult with the spirits for a minor prophecy? Or any other interpretations of the prophecy?”

Sehun shifted in his stance, leaning back and forth. “I need time.” His voice was firm and gravelly as he crossed his arms, immersed in thought. “My most recent auguries have revealed to me that DC is the last stronghold that the prophecy is talking about. But I can’t be a hundred percent sure. Prophecies love to play mind games. We all know that.”  

“Is there anything we have to be wary of when it comes to the prophecy? Double entendres, stuff like that?” Yixing asked, even though everyone in the room had heard the god-forsaken prophecy more than enough times throughout the past few years.

Sehun sighed, but closed his eyes and nodded anyway. A dramatic tension settled over the room, and Sehun began to speak.

“Cometh a day when seven sets of twins, be opposite ends of both virtue and sin—why am I going over this again, we all know this,” He huffed.

“Please just continue,” Baekhyun mumbled.

“Ugh, fine. Bearing eyes of blue and eyes of brown, cometh to tear the last stronghold down—” Sehun rolled his eyes, frustration evident in his expression. “The term stronghold has always been somewhat questionable. The prophecy was first declared in 1176, right? Early Modern English wouldn’t become a thing for another three hundred years, so most of this stems from Middle English. Some interpret stronghold as fort, or base, or holy land…”

Jongdae raised his hand before speaking, eyes flashing in alarm as he interrupted Sehun’s tangent. “Wait, wait, if others have translated it as holy land, then—”

“The Sanctuary.”

Junmyeon’s voice was quiet, but still commanded a heavy presence across the room, as a profound silence spread across the space.

“That means that the final battle could be in Los Angeles, on their turf. That would put us at a major disadvantage. We’re already at a major disadvantage.” The leader’s eyebrows were furrowed, using both hands to lean on the table as he made the connection.

The dread that followed was thick and suffocating, and you took the opportunity to speak up, wishing to rid the room of the anxiety gathering.

“But think about the implications of fighting the final battle in The Sanctuary. It would have to mean that we’ve managed to push them back sufficiently to the point where we feel confident invading their home base. Which we wouldn’t do unless we knew that we had a high possibility of winning.”

All eyes fell to you, and you crossed your arms, before meeting Sehun’s gaze. The look in his eyes was something akin to gratitude, being able to lift the sudden darkness. You lifted your hand to gesture back at Sehun. “Continue.”

He nodded, gaze stern. “Perhaps lovers lost to a most wicked brother, bringeth vengeance and hellfire upon one another… Loss could mean one of two things. Betrayal or death. But the rest of those two lines imply that the side that does the taking will suffer because of what they’ve done. That means that for now, none of us lay hands on any of the Sanctuary Queens, and those of us who have them, keep our partners close… Beware ye who heed this, for I warn thee now: suffer shall those who carelessly bow.”

“It has to be them,” A girl, Sasha, declared, “They’ve been lying to their followers for years—”

“That could mean anything. You know that.” Sehun’s voice was rough, eyes trained on the map that had been carved into the table.

A silence hung over the room, tension palpable as everyone remembered what the stakes were. These were lives and people’s free wills on the line, indescribable anguish promised by a prophecy written centuries ago to people who didn’t truly know their leaders. The end was near, but the outcome was nowhere near foreseeable.

“I’ll… I’ll try and do some more smoke readings.” It struck you how tired he sounded, watching as he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger, “Maybe I’ll ask the spirit of the Oracle for a specific prophecy on DC. For now, we just have to be cautious. Watch for any suspicious activity here in the citadel and listen to intelligence reports. Jongin, you’ve got your moles at the Sanctuary, right?”

Jongin nodded, gaze dark. “Yeah. I’m meeting with Ren in two weeks. She’s the best of the best. I’ll see what she has for us.”

Junmyeon straightened his posture, everyone quieting when he opened his mouth to speak.

“I think that’s enough worrying about that for today,” He declared, sounding grim, “Before we go, you all know that not a single word is to leave this room. This is highly classified information. Meeting adjourned.”

You watched everyone file out of the room, hoping to speak to Sehun, yet somehow didn’t catch when he left. You got the feeling that that was what he intended.

So you left too, resolving to see him that night.

—

Sehun’s room was easy to find, seeing as how it was right across the hall from yours, in the large apartment building the heads of the resistance had settled into. You knocked on his door, sighing when you didn’t hear any response. You tried one more time, then another time, finally a third time, before letting your head fall frustratedly against the wood of the door.

“Hun, I know you’re in there… please let me in.”

You heard muffled sounds of shuffling from behind the door, pulling your head away to lean it against the doorframe. Waiting, you strained your ears for a noise, hearing the occasional sound.

Eventually, you heard the telltale sound of heavy footsteps being dragged across the floor. You pursed your lips, waiting for the door to open, wondering what you would see when it did.

The door swung open slowly, and you were met with a tall figure, hunched over as he peered down at you. The exhaustion in his gaze was palpable, and you felt your heart clench in sympathy.

Sehun was 25 now. He was made known to the public some nine years ago, and on top of it all, he was the Oracle. Interpretations of any and all prophecies were up to him, a sixteen year old boy who had just discovered he was destined to spend the rest of his life fighting against his own brother, something that tore his family apart.

He was a child.

And now, here he stood, looking too worn, too hopeless for someone so young. His eyes had seen horrors he was much too young to see. Life had eaten away at the glow he’d had when you were both younger. The dark circles underneath his eyes were so pronounced, you’d think he hadn’t slept since he was a baby. His short, dark hair was greasy. You wondered if he’d been taking care of himself properly.

“Do you need anything?” His voice was raspy, quiet. You looked at him, brown eyes met yours. Your heart clenched. Here he was, mentally exhausted, and the first thing he said to you wasn’t a hello, but rather, asking quietly if you needed anything.

“Can I come inside?” You asked sheepishly, and he blinked for a second, before nodding, opening the door more for you to pass. “Go ahead.”

You stepped past him, into the hallway of his small apartment. The smell of incense invaded your nose, and you frowned. He closed the door, and crossed his arms. “What’s going on, Y/N?”

“Are you okay? You looked so tired today, you look tired now.”

“I’m fine—"

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

You refused to let him keep it all to himself. “Sehun…”

He leaned against the wall, head bowed, and you mirrored his stance, standing against the wall as well, but you didn’t look away. “Y/N, I can’t deal with that right now. People need me.”

“Sehun, you can’t force yourself like this, you’ve told me that yourself—"

“I have to make this work. I can’t fail like last time, not if DC is what we think it is.”

You sighed, taking a step forward, resting a hand on his arm. He glanced at it briefly, then raised his head to look at you. You said nothing, but guided him to sit down on the couch, and you sat next to him.

“Sehun,” You said, voice quiet, “DC is nothing but puppets right now pretending they’re actually doing anything. We have our puppets, the sect have theirs. You can’t be sure that a place like that is what determines whether we’re doomed or not. You said it yourself, there are so many possibilities that DC isn’t the place we’re thinking about.”

He took a few deep breaths, nodding to your words before rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger. He looked strained, and you moved to sit closer to him.

“Everything is so fucked up,” Sehun whispered, and you nodded in agreement. “I feel like everything is out of control. Like I can’t do anything about it. Meanwhile, Sehün—"

“Sehün has people who think he’s a god obeying his every whim, just like the rest of those—those idiots.“ Your voice was quiet, but firm, refusing to allow him to compare himself to his brother, "The only reason they look so polished and seem to have everything under control is they only leave the Sanctuary when they absolutely need to, to save face. They feel like they’re above everyone else.”

You took Sehun’s hand, carefully removing his worn, black glove before cradling it in your smaller hand, as if it were incredibly fragile. His eyes met yours, and you gave him a sad smile.

“The Brotherhood, on the other hand… You only use that title for formality’s sake. Yes, you’re all the leaders, but you see yourselves as equal to the rest of us. All of you are out there with us, on the front lines. You’re tired because you give everything you have to serve this cause, my love. You feel that everything is out of control because… well, it is. Lady Fate is a tricky one, we all know that. But you feel it even more because you’re dealing with it head on, not from some sparkly throne on a golden pedestal.”

Sehun’s eyes glittered with several emotions you couldn’t pinpoint, but you could see fondness in them. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “Starshine,” He mumbled into your hair, before resting his chin on the crown of your head, “Where would I be without you.”

You hummed, before allowing your eyes to flutter shut, and the two of you sat in silence for what seemed like hours. You reflected back to when you and Sehun both realized your feelings for one another, after a devastating battle in Salt Lake City where Sehun had given his brother the now infamous scar running down the left side of his face, some six years ago. He’d come so close to dying that day, and you’d realized just how important he was to you.

You’d been joined by the hip since you were children, and when the revelation came that he and Sehün were the brothers of liberality and greed respectively, you didn’t hesitate in taking his side, vowing to follow him until the bitter end.

It all made sense to you when you came to Sehun’s sickbed, seeing him resting and bloodied, that you’d actually been in love with the boy for a long time, perhaps ever since you’d first met him. You wouldn’t ever be able to live without him, and apparently, he felt the same way.

In this moral crisis, you were his anchor, his tether to the corporeal plane when his world was on an ethereal one.

Upon all the doubts that everyone had, as to whether the Fated Fourteen were truly gods or if they were simply men with delusions of grandeur chosen by Lady Fate for her cruel entertainment, he felt that you were what reminded him that he was human, that past gods were never truly capable of love or real emotion.

To be capable of loving you was a humbling experience, one that he treasured dearly, especially in moments like this.

“Do you remember what we did the last time you felt like you had no control?” Your voice was a whisper, full of promise and anticipation, as the hand that wasn’t holding his own came to ghost over his thigh. Sehun’s breath hitched, recalling the experience. Roughness against soft, supple skin, restraint and control, you giving yourself entirely to him before he gave himself entirely to you.

“What exactly are you proposing?” He murmured, and you exhaled as one would when they found something amusing, the ghost of a laugh. “You know what I’m proposing, Sehun. Don’t act as if I haven’t seen you teaching Chanyeol to tie his knots when he’s getting ready to go out on a field mission.”

His hand tugged yours towards him, and you moved as he sat back, resting his back against the couch as he helped you straddle his waist. You faced him, realizing with a giggle that he’d turned slightly pink at your accusation.

“Do me a favor,” He said, and you nodded, letting your free hand rest on his shoulder. “Never talk about Chanyeol when you’re trying to get me into bed again. You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on… Chanyeol, however, is the most unsexy person I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

Your head tipped back with laughter, and he joined in with you. Your heart, upon hearing this, skipped a beat. You had a hard time recalling when the last he’d laughed was. “I think Sasha would disagree.”

“Yeah, but Sasha isn’t here now, is she? It’s just you and me.” He leaned forward, trapping your waist with his hands and letting his face come close to yours. You watched his eyes flutter down to watch your lips, inches away from yours. You gulped when his lips parted, his tongue peeking out to lick the pink skin.

“So you want me to tie you up. Take control.”

Your hands wrapped around his neck, and you smiled. “Only if you want to tie me up. I want you to have at least one thing you feel you can control.”

Sehun licked his lips again, sighing in amusement as he considered the idea. “Y’know, a few weeks ago, some of the field officers came in with a bunch of fabric they managed to smuggle out of LA…” His tone was quiet, and his hands began trailing downwards, pulling you against him, voice filling you with anticipation. Comfortable fabric was so difficult to come by these days, given that the Sect had taken what were once lavish city districts.

You gasped slightly when your core came into contact with his lap, feeling he was already starting to get hard, and felt your face heat up.  

“I might’ve bought a silk tie or two off of ‘em,” He told you, eyes burning holes into your skin, “Wanted to see what my starshine would look like in pink.”

Your felt your hands tighten of their own volition against the fabric of his black t-shirt, your mind conjuring the mental image. “Fuck, Sehun. W-where’s the jute?”

He flashed a lopsided grin, and you felt the need to smack the smug look off of his face. How he could go from being so serious to this, was beyond you. You personally didn’t believe that The Brotherhood and The Lords of the Sect were gods, but Sehun’s duality, in situations like this, seemed to be supernatural at times, if you dared say so yourself.

He pressed his lips to yours briefly, before lightly nudging you to get off of his lap. “I’ll go get it, baby. Give me a second.”

He stood, catching his breath briefly, before walking down the hall, towards his closet. The hallway was slightly darker, and you stood, striding over to him as he pulled out the rope. He turned to face you, and he quickly cornered you against the wall.

“Shirt off. Bra, too.”

You grinned. “What are you gonna do this time?”

You could vaguely make out his features, but you knew his face was probably twisted up in smug satisfaction. Regardless, you obeyed silently, your chest rising and falling quickly with anticipation.

“Chest harness, for now,” He quipped, “Is that okay?”

You nodded, not breaking eye contact with him as you undressed yourself. You wanted him to realize that you weren’t backing down.

He seemed to read you perfectly, nodding in response to your answer as he watched you pull off the dark fabric, before reaching behind you to unclasp your bra. Even in the dim light of the corridor, you could see how his eyebrows raised and the way his lips parted slightly, lazy gaze falling down to your breasts. You knew what he was gawking at.

The studs embedded in your nipples were a dark stainless steel, glittering, alluring. You’d gotten them on a whim at nineteen from some clandestine tattoo artist on the way back from a field operation. He’d always had a bit of a fascination with them, the way they seemed to twinkle at him underneath the light.

"You gonna stare at me all night or will I have to tie myself up?”

Your playful jab snapped him out of his reverie, and he straightened his posture a few seconds later. “Go stand in front of the bed.” His voice was soft, but still commanding.

You stalked into the dark bedroom, standing in front of where you made the bed out to be. He followed you, before standing behind you. “Are you going to tie my hands up, too?"

"Not yet, starshine,” He declared quietly, into your left ear. You could tell he was untangling the jute, and you pursed your lips in anticipation. “You want to know what I’m about to do to you?”

“You know I do,” You whispered, a confession just for him, before lifting your arms and your hair for him to work.

“Too bad,” He sighed, ”Because I’m not telling you.”

You huffed, but didnt protest.

His arms began to wrap the rope below your ribcage, tightening the jute to the point where you could feel it digging into your skin, but enough to complicate your breathing. Taut, but not torturous. You closed your eyes, sighing quietly as he looped the jute higher up this time, just between your breasts and your collarbones, wrapping back to where he began, in the middle of your back.

The sensation of the rough fibers against your skin was by no means comfortable. It was scratchy and some stray fibers tickled at your chest. But its presence against your skin, the implications of its position and what was to come, was most definitely comforting. Intimacy with Sehun now was rare, you rarely even slept next to each other. But you knew that it wasn’t because of a strain in your relationship.

Sehun had always needed peace of mind and silence when it came to auguries and prophecy readings. Now, with the war coming so close to what seemed to be the end, he needed it more than ever, and the moments you shared with him came to a pause. You didn’t complain—the cause came before your emotions, now and always. But inside you were crying out for him; in concern, in longing, in yearning.

So maybe that’s why when he paused his ministrations and chuckled, tracing a finger down his spine, you whimpered quietly, thighs rubbing together in anticipation. “You have goosebumps,” He said, lips brushing against the shell of your ear.

“It’s been a while,” You answered, and he hummed in response, pressing a soft kiss to your nape. You sighed at the sensation.

“Drop your arms, and turn around to look at me,” Sehun whispered a few seconds later, and with some help from him to maneuver through the rope he was still trying to tie around you, you were able to complete his request.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous.” His voice was throaty, eyes scanning your body as you did the same, eyes landing on the growing bulge in his pants.

“Sehun, please just hurry.”

He shook his head, crooked smile still gracing his face. His hands worked quickly, looping the jute underneath the lowest rope, between your breasts.

“It’s not too tight, is it?” He asked, and you shook your head.

“It’s fine. Not too tight, not too loose.”

He nodded, eyebrows furrowing in concentration. “Okay. Let me know if it becomes too much at any point.”

“I know, Hun.”

Sehun’s dark eyes lifted their gaze from where his hands were working to meet your own, not saying anything. By now, the smile had faded, replaced by a stern look of concentration.

Be still, my heart, you thought, he is so beautiful.

“What?” You whispered, and he blinked.

His response was soft, gentle. “I would fucking die for you.”

You felt your face grow warm, and you lowered your gaze. “Sehun,” You murmured, “I—”

“Sh, sh,” He answered, continuing to tie the rope, “Listen to me, starshine. You’re it for me. There’s never been anyone else. A-and if anything happens, Lady Fate forbid it… There’ll never be anyone else.”

He finished his words as he tied off the final knot, and silently, you stood there, eyes shut as you pressed your forehead to his. For how long, you weren’t sure. Seconds, minutes, eons… Maybe no time had passed at all. You didn’t really care. Moments like these were never long enough, they always ended too soon. Sehun was your elixir of life, your lifeline, and in these moments, you felt immortal, invincible, powerful.

To be able to bring such a man like him to his knees, to be so ready to put himself on the line for you; you were sure it would be your ruin.

You surged forward, wrapping your arms around Sehun’s neck, and he caught you as you pressed your lips to his in a blazing kiss. His arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you impossibly closer. You whined into the kiss, the dark cotton of his t-shirt pressing against your sensitive nipples and their piercings.

“Sehun,” You moaned into the kiss, reaching down to tug at the hem of his shirt. “N-not fair, take it off.”

He hummed, pulling away to comply with your protests, revealing toned skin and the broad shoulders you so adored.

“Is it fair now?” He asked, grabbing your upper arms to pull you closer and press kisses to your collarbones and along your sternum. “I should tie your hands now, maybe then you’ll learn you’re not allowed to touch without my permission.”

“Shut up,” You said, ignoring his declaration as he pushed you onto the bed. You peered up at his broad form, towering over you in the darkness, almost trembling in anticipation, waiting for him to put his hands on you, to make a move.

A few moments later, he finally did, reaching down to pull your pants off, as well as your underwear. He pressed soft kisses to your stomach as he did. When both garments were finally tossed aside, he lifted himself up onto the bed, lips trailing up across your skin. His eyes met yours as he gazed up at you, through you, before pressing his lips to one of your breasts, your sensitive nipples hardening at the contact of his warm mouth against the cool steel embedded in it.

Your head tipped back, eyes fluttering shut, unable to keep eye contact with your lover. One of your hands came up to comb through his dark hair, whimpering as he alternated between your nipples.

“Sehun, mmph, baby…” You murmured, coming back to look at him when he let go and came back to kiss at your jawline.

“Up, starshine,” He ordered, leaving no room for protest, arms wrapping around your waist and hauling you up to sit on his lap. As you squirmed to get comfortable in his grip, one of his hands reached for his nightstand’s drawer, and he pulled out two pastel pink silk ties. Your heart leaped towards your throat in excitement when you registered what these were, hips subconsciously searching for friction against his.

“Sit still,” He huffed as he closed the drawer, before straightening his posture, dwarfing you even sitting beneath you.

Wordlessly, he brought the tie up to your eyes, covering them before tying it at the back of your head with one tie, quickly doing the same to your hands with the other, tying them tightly in front of you.

“Fuck, you’re so pretty,” He mumbled, hands raking from your hair to down your back.

His hands came to grasp at your thighs, propping them so they rested only atop one of his. You felt your core clench at what he was alluding to, inhaling sharply.

“Move your hips, baby,” He said, and you couldn’t bring it in you to deny him.

Another thing you couldn’t do was speak, you found, as you prayed you could maintain your balance and began to slowly rock your hips against the rough fabric of his dark pants and his toned thigh, your bare pussy rubbing listlessly against the coarse fabric. You didn’t mind however, perfectly content to let him speak, murmuring strange hybrids of dirty and sweet things in your ear.

The hot pleasure between your legs seemed to double at the restriction in your ribs and not being able to see or anticipate where his hands or mouth were. You buried your head into the crook of Sehun’s neck, peppering wet, opened kisses against his collarbones, your nails digging into your palms with a vengeance in hopes of anchoring yourself to something.

The movements of your hips soon became capricious, rhythmless, your whimpers becoming louder and louder as he switched between flexing his thigh and bouncing it like a restless child. In the darkness of the silk tie, you could feel the callousness of his fingertips as they dug into your hips, a guided meditation through your pleasure.

The room reeked of incense and sex, you realized as you attempted to delay your slowly building release by focusing on different things. Smells, sounds, and finally, Sehun.

This was the Sehun you loved most, the one you cherished most in your heart. The Sehun that was so willing to give, give, and give, but not to the point of recklessness, unlike the Sehun you had seen so often lately in the war room. This Sehun was yours, and yours only. And if the growing wet spot against his rough pants was any indication, then your body loved this Sehun as well.

“S-Sehun.”

“Hmm?”

“P-please let me touch you.”

“Alright, since you asked so nicely.”

You clumsily began to search for his hard bulge, and he grabbed your tied hands and guided them to something hard and hot. You jumped slightly in surprise, not realizing he had taken himself out of his pants while you were humping away at his thigh like a bitch in heat.

He laughed at your squirming, and you slowed the rhythm of your hips in annoyance, but not completely—your hips had stopped folding to you, subconsciously rutting, twitching gently against the rough, now ruined fabric, perpetually searching for release.

“S-shut up,” You panted, and he laughed again, pressing another kiss to your jawline.

“You shut up. I still have to make you come.”

His hands resumed their leisurely movement on your hips, your focus snapping back to the impending edge, thoughts blurring into incoherency as the pleasure against your core. Mindlessly, you let go of Sehun’s member to bring your hands up to your mouth, attempting to spit crudely in order to improvise lube.

Instead, your heart jumped into your throat in arousal when Sehun grabbed your free hand and did the same, keening at his actions, eyebrows furrowing. And, despite feeling a slight annoyance at the chafing of your thighs, a feral instinct took over, and your hips sped up against his thighs.

“You look perfect like this,” He told you, guiding your hand back to where he needed you most, and you began to pump him slowly. His hands moved to wrap around your waist, large hands splaying possessively across your back.

“Gods, I wish you could see how lovely you look, starshine,” He mumbled, seemingly in a daze, “All mine.”

You nodded. “Y-yours, Hunnie. Only yours.”

He pressed a kiss to your collarbone, his breath picking up as your hands did the same, pace speeding up. He groaned against your skin as you pressed your thumb into the slit of his cock. Your movements were harsh, jerking against him as you felt yourself losing yourself in his touch.

“S-Sehun, I’m gonna…”

“I’ve got you,” He whispered, his voice your only anchor, “Let go, Y/N, it’s okay.”

Finally, finally, you crested, head tipping back, mouth falling open in a silent scream, body stiffening in his arms as you were possessed by pleasure. In the dark, colors danced around you, sounds could be touched, Sehun’s hands on your body tasted exquisite.

You didn’t even realize that your display had tipped Sehun over the edge, spilling himself onto your hands while he gripped your shoulders like his life depended on it.

When you came down from your orgasm, your chest heaving, you reached up to pull the blindfold off of your face, struggling slightly as you were still restrained by the silk tie. You blinked a few times, eyes adjusting to the light of Sehun’s room, and found that he had fallen back onto the bed in the height of his orgasm.

His eyes had fluttered closed, panting furiously. He seemed loose, almost boneless, and you stifled a laugh at how much more relaxed he seemed now.

“I take it you had fun?” You asked, poking his stomach teasingly. After a moment of silence, of what you assumed to be Sehun trying to catch his breath, you furrowed your eyebrows.

“Hunnie, come on, get up. Can you untie me, please, baby?”

No response. If anything, Sehun’s pants seemed to be getting even heavier.

“Sehun?”

His eyes fluttered open, and your blood ran cold.

His eyes had rolled up into his head, mouth opening and closing as if he were trying to say something but he’d lost his voice. Around you, the temperature seemed to drop.Out of nowhere, the scent of incense returned, stronger than ever, and beneath you, Sehun tensed, muscles contracting as he began to seize.

You froze, momentarily unsure of what was happening. Here lay your lover, convulsing under you, and you were restrained to a point where it would be difficult to help him. Panic creeped into your stomach, eyes searching for something, anything, that would get you out of the grasp of the silk tie. You brought your wrists up to your teeth, frantically hoping to loosen the knot. Sehun was still convulsing. Your eyes drifted around the room, glancing at his stiff hands, gnarled into unrecognizable gestures. Your clothes were on the floor, but you had left your knife in your room.

Knife. Sehun’s knife.

You lunged for the nightstand, knowing that was where he kept his switchblade in case of an emergency, tumbling to the floor as your legs gave out, still wobbly from both panic and your previous orgasm. You managed to open the drawer, clumsily fumbling for the blade, before pulling it out, holding it between your teeth and bringing your wrists up to your mouth, beginning to saw away at the lovely, pale fabric, suddenly not caring about its softness or its illusion of luxury.

All you needed was to know that Sehun was okay.

Your eyes squeezed shut at the thought that he might be dying, and when the final strands of silk finally gave way, you practically spat out the knife, grabbing onto the nightstand for balance, turning to look at Sehun on your weak legs.

He wasn’t on the bed anymore. Your eyebrows furrowed, head spinning as you tried to figure out what was going on.

“Beware the master of tongues.”

You shrieked, eyes snapping up from where the deep, almost demonic voice had come from, and almost fainted then and there.

Because somehow, Sehun was floating above you, suspended in midair, eyes open wide but not a sliver of brown could be seen. In its place shone a bright silver, the holiest of metals for the unholiest sight.

“Beware the master of tongues,” The voice spoke again, speaking through Sehun, who was stiff as a board, face contorted into a sneer, and you realized with a chill that this wasn’t Sehun, but rather the Oracle.

“Beware the master of tongues,” He said once more, as his sneer morphed into a cruel grin, “But beware more the wrath of the faceless one.”

[edwardbailey286]

Virtual Reality in Education Market | Analysis And Opportunities During Covid-19 Pandemic

Global Virtual Reality in Education Market: Introduction

Virtual reality enables a user to communicate with a three-dimensional image or virtual world created by a machine. Virtual reality increases a student’s engagement. As a hands-on, engaging, immersive experience, it presents students with a new form of learning, providing exciting new opportunities they could not have encountered before.

The effect of Corona virus has directly affected the development of the market. As a consequence of the corona virus lockout, the majority of classrooms, colleges and educational institutions closed, which directly hindered the demand for VR in the education sector.

Global Virtual Reality in Education Market: Dynamics

Increasing adoption of virtual reality devices

Earlier, adoption of virtual reality devices was low due to their prohibitive cost. However, adoption of virtual reality gear has improved owing to technical advances and economies of scale of major businesses. The growing affordability of virtual reality devices and applications is one of the key drivers of development for virtual reality in the education field. The production of consumer models of VR headphones, such as VR Cardboard by Google and GearVR  by Samsung, which are integrated with smartphones, results in reduced price. In comparison, companies such as Oculus, HTC, and Sony have reduced the price of their VR devices. Affordability of VR hardware, combined with the emergence of easy-to-use content production tools, is projected to accelrate the VR market in the eduction sector

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North America Led the Global Market in 2019

Based on region, the global virtual reality in education market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa.

North America held a dominant share of the global virtual reality in education market in 2019. It is expected to continue its dominance throughout the forecast period. The U.S. and Canada are the major countries that drive the market in this region. Enhanced focus on the effectiveness of VR in the education industry, along with the advent of low-cost, reliable VR hardware, is expected to substantially fuel the growth of the virtual reality in education market in this region over the projected period.

The virtual reality in education market in Asia Pacific is expected to expand at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. China, India, and Japan are some of the major countries which drive the market in this region. Rising demand for advanced education programs in India, China, and Japan is likely to augment the market in the Asia Pacific region.

Key Players Operating in the Global Market

Key players operating in the global virtual reality in education market are listed below:

Alchemy Immersive

Avantis Systems Ltd.

EON Reality Inc.

Facebook Technologies, LLC.

Google

HTC Corporation

RegattaVR

Samsung

Schell Games

Sony

Unimersiv

Veative Labs

Global Virtual Reality in Education Market: Research ScopeGlobal Virtual Reality in Education Market, by Component

Hardware

Software

Services

Figure: Global Virtual Reality in Education Market, by Component

Global Virtual Reality in Education Market, by Application

K-12

Higher Education

Vocational Training

Global Virtual Reality in Education Market, by Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

South America

Middle East & Africa

U.S.

Canada

Rest of North America

Germany

France

U.K.

Italy

Spain

Russia

Rest of Europe

China

Japan

India

Australia

Rest of Asia Pacific

Brazil

Rest of South America

GCC

South Africa

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Figure: Global Virtual Reality in Education Market, by Region

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.

The study is a source of reliable data on:

Market segments and sub-segments

Market trends and dynamics

Supply and demand

Market size

Current trends/opportunities/challenges

Competitive landscape

Technological breakthroughs

Value chain and stakeholder analysis

The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industry’s value chain.

A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.

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Highlights of the report:

A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent market

Important changes in market dynamics

Market segmentation up to the second or third level

Historical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volume

Reporting and evaluation of recent industry developments

Market shares and strategies of key players

Emerging niche segments and regional markets

An objective assessment of the trajectory of the market

Recommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the market

Note:Although care has been taken to maintain the highest levels of accuracy in TMR’s reports, recent market/vendor-specific changes may take time to reflect in the analysis.

This study by TMR is all-encompassing framework of the dynamics of the market. It mainly comprises critical assessment of consumers' or customers' journeys, current and emerging avenues, and strategic framework to enable CXOs take effective decisions.

Our key underpinning is the 4-Quadrant Framework EIRS that offers detailed visualization of four elements:

Customer Experience Maps

Insights and Tools based on data-driven research

Actionable Results to meet all the business priorities

Strategic Frameworks to boost the growth journey

The study strives to evaluate the current and future growth prospects, untapped avenues, factors shaping their revenue potential, and demand and consumption patterns in the global market by breaking it into region-wise assessment.

The following regional segments are covered comprehensively:

North America

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America

The Middle East and Africa

The EIRS quadrant framework in the report sums up our wide spectrum of data-driven research and advisory for CXOs to help them make better decisions for their businesses and stay as leaders.

Below is a snapshot of these quadrants.

1. Customer Experience Map

The study offers an in-depth assessment of various customers’ journeys pertinent to the market and its segments. It offers various customer impressions about the products and service use. The analysis takes a closer look at their pain points and fears across various customer touchpoints. The consultation and business intelligence solutions will help interested stakeholders, including CXOs, define customer experience maps tailored to their needs. This will help them aim at boosting customer engagement with their brands.

2. Insights and Tools

The various insights in the study are based on elaborate cycles of primary and secondary research the analysts engage with during the course of research. The analysts and expert advisors at TMR adopt industry-wide, quantitative customer insights tools and market projection methodologies to arrive at results, which makes them reliable. The study not just offers estimations and projections, but also an uncluttered evaluation of these figures on the market dynamics. These insights merge data-driven research framework with qualitative consultations for business owners, CXOs, policy makers, and investors. The insights will also help their customers overcome their fears.

3. Actionable Results

The findings presented in this study by TMR are an indispensable guide for meeting all business priorities, including mission-critical ones. The results when implemented have shown tangible benefits to business stakeholders and industry entities to boost their performance. The results are tailored to fit the individual strategic framework. The study also illustrates some of the recent case studies on solving various problems by companies they faced in their consolidation journey.

4. Strategic Frameworks

The study equips businesses and anyone interested in the market to frame broad strategic frameworks. This has become more important than ever, given the current uncertainty due to COVID-19. The study deliberates on consultations to overcome various such past disruptions and foresees new ones to boost the preparedness. The frameworks help businesses plan their strategic alignments for recovery from such disruptive trends. Further, analysts at TMR helps you break down the complex scenario and bring resiliency in uncertain times.

The report sheds light on various aspects and answers pertinent questions on the market. Some of the important ones are:

1. What can be the best investment choices for venturing into new product and service lines?

2. What value propositions should businesses aim at while making new research and development funding?

3. Which regulations will be most helpful for stakeholders to boost their supply chain network?

4. Which regions might see the demand maturing in certain segments in near future?

5. What are the some of the best cost optimization strategies with vendors that some well-entrenched players have gained success with?

6. Which are the key perspectives that the C-suite are leveraging to move businesses to new growth trajectory?

7. Which government regulations might challenge the status of key regional markets?

8. How will the emerging political and economic scenario affect opportunities in key growth areas?

9. What are some of the value-grab opportunities in various segments?

10. What will be the barrier to entry for new players in the market?

[itsiotrecords-blog]

http://ift.tt/2sE49gH

Have you ever dreamed of getting insanely rich overnight? Well, of course you have. Everybody wishes he or she could wake up and never have to work another day, having everything one could ever want or need. That’s why the lottery and gambling are so popular and ‘get-rich schemes’ on the internet are endless. People fall for these scams in the hope that they might be the one to get lucky to find the gold to prove that the odds weren’t against them. What about searching for a hidden treasure? Wouldn’t this fulfill every childhood dream you had? You might be surprised to find out that there are still hidden treasures out there all over the world. Things that have never been found. There is gold hidden by pirates, old artifacts stolen, golden owls hidden away for fun, yellow Indian diamonds missing, crazy expensive necklaces with thousands of diamonds, and so much more, all waiting to be discovered.

#1 Forest Fenn’s Hidden Artifacts Forest Fenn was a rich collector who was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1988. So, with only a year to live, he went to the Rocky Mountains and hid many treasures and old artifacts estimated to value about one to three million dollars. It’s like an old adventure film. He left instructions in the form of a riddle to help people find his treasures. “Begin it where warm waters halt And take it in the canyon down, Not far, but too far to walk. Put in below the home of Brown.” Seriously! How generalized and unspecific did he want his riddle to be? No wonder no one has ever been able to find it.

#2 The Golden Owl Have you ever tried to drive someone crazy? Well, this is the way to do it. A man went by the name Max Valentine and in 1993, he claimed he had hidden a treasure, a golden owl in the French Country Side. He said if anyone managed to find it, he would reward them that person a million dollars. People went crazy trying to find this. Some even burned a church down in pursuit of this golden owl. In an interview, Max Valentine stated that the owl was still in place as he had gone back to check on its location. He said people had gotten close with obvious signs of searching nearby. Unfortunately, Max Valentine is now dead and no one knows whether the owl is even still hidden. Imagine if this man just made up the whole story to draw attention to himself and give the impression to everyone in the world that he had enough money to play games with it. We can only guess.

#3 Thomas Beale’s $63 Million Thomas Beale was a miner who discovered about $63 million worth of gold with a few other men in 1816. They wanted to make sure their children and all their descendants got this money so they left it hidden. Thomas Beale wrote three codes describing where the treasure was, what the treasure was, and the names of the men and their family, so that they would know who the treasure belonged to. He gave this code in a box to a man named Robert Morris who was supposed to open the box after ten years. Thomas Beale was supposed to send a key for the codes if he wasn’t able to return, but he never did. Robert and a friend tried their best to translate the code, but the best they could do was understand what the treasure was. No one has found the treasure to this day.

#4 Pearls In The Salton Sea In 1612, a ship was sailed by Juan De Iturbe across the Pacific Ocean. Rumor has it that the ship sank in what is now known as the Salton Sea, in the Mojave Desert. They say there were loads of expensive black pearls on the ship. The pearls are believed to be worth millions of dollars. The men say they were tossed off the boat into Cahuilla and had to leave the ship and hike on foot all the way to safety. No one has ever claimed to find all these pearls, so people believe that they are still out there somewhere. This legend has grown in fame, so much so that they even made a movie about the treasure being found in 1870.

#5 Diamonds In London This treasure has a greater chance of being discovered since it was only lost in 2009. Graff Diamonds is an expensive jewelry store in London that was robbed in 2009. The two men who robbed the place had extensive disguises. They had gone to a makeup artist for four hours before the robbery, changing their faces and hair. They said to each other that even their own mother wouldn’t have been able to recognize them. They went into the Graff store pretending to buy jewelry and then held an employee at gunpoint forcing the store to give them 43 pieces of jewelry worth up to about $65 million. These jewels were never discovered even though both of the men were eventually caught by police. So there is $65 million worth of jewels and diamonds out there somewhere. Although, if you did find these stolen jewels, you would still have to return them, as each one is marked and chipped with the Graff code.

#6 Flor Do Mar Put on your scuba-diving gear and get ready for the underwater experience of your life. A nobleman, Afonso de Albuquerque, had a large Carrack filled with gifts for the King of Portugal. The boat had traveled around the Indian Ocean, but unfortunately sank in November, 1511. This was one of the biggest Carracks in existence for its time, weighing 400 tons. So when you hear that it was full of treasure, you know there had to be a lot. This treasure was taken from the Sultan of Malacca’s palace. The ship sunk during a storm leaving many men dead. It sunk in the Kingdom of Aru, Sumatra off Timia Point. Alfonso lost all of the treasure. The boat and its treasure are still to be discovered. Portugal, Indonesia, and Malaysia are all fighting over who actually owns the boat if it is found, so you might have a hard time keeping this treasure even if you discover it.

#7 Mosby’s $350,000 Colonel John Singleton Mosby (is that not the longest name you’ve ever heard?), also known as the Gray Ghost because of how quickly he disappeared, was a commander in the Civil War in Virginia, fighting in the Battle of Bull Run and the Peninsular Campaign. He had outstanding skills in disappearing and blending into things to avoid being caught. As a child, he was weak and frail and was often bullied. He always tried to fight back and would lose. He shot a kid that was attacking him, without killing him, and ended up in jail for a year. Perhaps this is what taught him to disappear and hide rather than attack face on. He took $350,000, but then almost got caught so he and his men buried the treasure. He sent men back later to collect the money, but they were all caught and killed. So John Mosby never ended up going back to collect his treasure.

#8 The Irish Crown Jewels People are still trying to work out how the Irish Crown Jewels went missing back in 1907. The cleaner who worked in the Dublin Castle discovered the safe wide open with the jewels gone, while the inner door had been secured with the library key still in the lock. The Jewels were said to be worth around £1,340,000 in 2015 and contain the “jeweled star and badge regalia of the Sovereign and Grand Master of the Order of St. Patrick.” The safe was moved in 1907, but the dimensions were wrong and so it couldn’t fit in the strong room, so they had to store it in the office of the King of Arms, Arthur Vicars. The keys were all held by the Vicars and staff. They were very relaxed about this. The Vicar got drunk once and awoke with all the precious jewels on him. This might not have been an outside job. Perhaps it was carried out by those who protected the jewels. People say these jewels have probably been broken to pieces and sold off or hidden away somewhere.

#9 The Florentine Diamond This mystery feels like the sort of thing you find in many novels. The Florentine Diamond is a beautiful yellow diamond with origins from India that was valued at $750,000 during World War One. The stone dates back to at least 1476. During the 1700’s, the jewels were placed in the Hapsburg Crown Jewels after Francis Stephan of Lorraine married Empress Maria Theresa, bringing the jewel to Vienna with him. During WWI, the Austrian Empire fell. Thus, Charles I took many jewels, including the Florentine diamond, into exile to Switzerland. This diamond was stolen by an unknown subject around 1918 and was taken to South America. With no clue of its whereabouts, some claim it may have been cut up and sold in America after it was stolen in 1918. If it wasn’t cut and resold, it would be an extremely impressive jewel to discover and would be worth a great amount today.

#10 Oak Island Mystery The Oak Island Mystery is a baffling one. While many critics believe there is no treasure on this island, there have been countless books written about this mystery and even a documentary that was aired in 2014 about finding the hidden treasure of the island. The Oak Island is located in Canada in Nova Scotia’s south shore. There are so many different theories as to what’s hidden in these islands, mostly ancient artifacts and numerous locations the supposed treasures could be. Mostly, treasure hunters like to look at a few specific locations—the “Money Pit, a formation of boulders called Nolan’s Cross, the beach at Smith’s Cove, and a triangle-shaped swamp.” They say that the Money Pit has already been excavated and nothing has ever been found, but people continue to go to these islands to search.

#11 Patiala Necklace This is a pretty amazing necklace. It contains 2,930 diamonds. Not only that, but it actually holds the world’s seventh largest diamond known as the “De Beers,” some rubies, and seven more diamonds with 18 to 73 carats. The necklace was made for Bhupinder Singh of Patiala in 1928 by the House of Cartier, and then later given to Maharaja, also of the state of Patiala. Somehow, in 1948, the necklace disappeared, but the famous De Beers diamond reappeared in 1982 by itself at Geneva auction being sold for $3.16 million. The rest of the necklace later surfaced in London, but was of course missing all of its large diamonds and rubies. Cartier decided to buy the necklace and remake it. It took them four years, and they only made a replica, probably realizing the danger of making such an outrageous necklace. They filled the missing jewels with cubic zirconia and made a fake De Beers diamond for the centerpiece.

#12 Alamo Treasure In Texas USA, the lost Alamo Treasure is hidden. The Mexican army fought 100 men from Texas and destroyed every single one of them in the battle of the Alamo in 1836. Reportedly, the Alamo had hidden treasure of gold in its grounds worth millions. The treasure was brought to help free the Texas people from Mexico. They hid the treasure in case another war arose and they needed supplies. The theory is that the treasure was hidden in the bottom of the well, though others believe there isn’t any treasure and that if there were, they wouldn’t have hidden it in a well during a war, as that would have dirtied their only access to clean drinking water in the instance of a siege. The Alamo was a fortress and also used as a Roman Catholic mission. The building was actually designed for educating the newly converted Christian American natives. The front street has already been excavated in search of the lost treasure. The building is now a museum.

#13 Poland’s Royal Casket Poland’s Royal Casket was made for royalty in 1800 and was said to contain seventy-three prized relics “including gold watches, chains, silver rosaries, ivory boxes and silver cutlery.” It went missing during the World War II after it was sent to Sieniawa in Southwest Poland. They tried to hide the treasure in Poland, but ended up losing it. Some people say that its whereabouts were given away in 1939 by a local named German Miller who told the invading Nazis where to find the hidden Royal Casket. To this day, none of the missing relics have been found. It’s possible that they are all scattered throughout Germany hidden in various places.

#14 Ivory Coast Jewels $6 Million The Ivory Coast Jewels were stolen only in 2011. The museum in the capital of Ivory Coast was robbed during the Abidjan battle. They believe this robbery had help from the inside as none of the windows or glass boxes were smashed and the doors weren’t even open. The museum hasn’t been able to recover a single thing. The museum has managed to mark most of the stolen things in the Interpol database, so that if anything surfaces, they will know that it’s stolen. They didn’t just steal things of monetary value, these artifacts contain Ivory Coast’s precious history, with some of them being from as early as the 17th century. “Among the stolen artifacts were 35 gold pendants dating from the 18th Century, 12 traditional necklaces from the 17th Century, six miniature gold boxes from the 18th Century, a 19th Century royal sabre, and an Akan king headdress, which could come from the Baoule or Anyi kingdoms.”

#15 Jean Lafitte Jean Lafitte was a pirate from France. He and his brother worked together during the 19th century to steal treasure off boats in the Gulf of Mexico. They were hardcore pirates. They had a warehouse set up where they would bring the treasure to sell it. Many people believe that Jean and his brother, Pierre Laffite, had so much treasure that they weren’t able to sell it all. Instead, they began to bury the treasure to keep it safe. Whether this part is true or just a legend is hard to really know. Rumor has it that the treasure was buried in Lake Borgne and still remains there. This is located near the coast of New Orleans. Jean died in 1823, right before pirates basically became extinct in the Gulf of Mexico. There are also many rumors and legends about his death. No one is really sure how it happened.

Source: TheRichest

[zcnadm]

Yasir's five-fer to Brathwaite's sixes: Best matches of 2016

Why do fans develop an emotional and long-term attachment with sports? It is a question that doesn’t have a ready-made answer. The highs of watching your favourite cricketer crunching a six to pilot his team to a victory in the World Cup final, interspersed with lows of your sporting icon faltering at the final hurdle, brings out a cocktail of emotions in us. In short, sport is a bittersweet symphony of ecstasy and pain.

Even in the year just gone by, there were moments that elevated lovers of sport from the mundane to exalted heights. Usain Bolt sprinting to his third Gold Medal in 100 metres at the Olympics or Michael Phelps showing great reserves of willpower to add six more medals to end up with a staggering 32 Olympic medals embodied a burst of genius.

For Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, there were tears of joy as they hoisted their first major trophy by winning the Euro 2016. On the other hand, there was despair for Lionel Messi and Argentina after losing to Chile in the penalty shootout at the Copa America. In the cricketing landscape, too, the year 2016 was marked by matches that captured all the action and drama to leave the aficionados spellbound.

We at Cricbuzz have picked 10 of the best cricket matches for the year – across formats and frontiers.

West Indies vs Pakistan, Dubai, 2016

The first Test of the three-match series between Pakistan and West Indies in Dubai turned out to be a high-quality one. The fortunes of the two sides swung back and forth at its own stately pace before the hosts clinched the thriller by 56 runs. Incidentally, it also was the second Day-Night Test held in Test history.

With the continual expanse of evening sunset over the stadium, Azhar Ali etched his name in the folklore of Pakistan’s cricket by becoming only the fourth batsman from the country to notch up a triple hundred in Tests. The home side scored a monstrous 579 for 3 declared in their first innings. With his varied assortment of tricks, Yasir Shah then whirled away to a five-fer to snuff out the visitors for 357. At that juncture of the match, Pakistan had the chance to enforce the follow-on, but they decided against it.

Now, every great tale in the history of cricket has that moment where defeat is in the air, with little hope left of charting a comeback, before a talisman emerges to lift the spirits. For the visitors, it was Devendra Bishoo, who flung open the door by running through the cream of Pakistan’s batting line-up to skittle them out for a paltry 123. West Indies still needed an imposing 346 for a come-from-behind victory.

If Bishoo’s 8 for 49 was the backbone then Darren Bravo’s majestic 116 turned out to be the nerve of West Indies’ sterling show. On Day 5, he cajoled the ball through what seemed like imperceptible gaps. Roston Chase (35) and Jason Holder (40) provided Bravo with valuable support to get West Indies within touching distance of pulling a jailbreak. Yasir, however, coaxed an uppish drive from Bravo and plucked a diving catch off his own bowling to get the prized scalp. Rest of the lower-order couldn’t handle the pressure and the visitors fell short of the target by 56.

Australia vs Pakistan, Brisbane

Asad Shafiq’s sublime 137 was the genesis of Pakistan’s stunning resurgence in the first Test against Australia at the Gabba, Brisbane. While chasing down a mammoth target of 490, the visitors were precariously-placed at 220 for 6. However, Shafiq and the lower-order batsmen hauled Pakistan out of depths of despair to a position from where they could dream of victory.

The bat made a nice arc and the ball continued to scurry to the fence as the right-handed batsman explored every nook and cranny of the ground. Mohammad Amir, his partner at the other end, played without fear. Even after Jackson Bird nipped out Amir for 48, Wahab Riaz and Yasir dabbed and pinched singles and twos to leave the opposition ragged. To make matters worse, the hosts fluffed a couple of chances, including one of Shafiq.

Just in the nick of time, Mitchell Starc triggered an explosion of celebration in the Australian camp by snaring Shafiq’s scalp. Yasir then was run-out as the hosts won the thriller by 39 runs. However, the mercurial Pakistan setup won fulsome praise for bouncing back after they were bundled out for a paltry 142 in the first innings.

India vs England, Mumbai

Virat Kohli put up a performance of unparalleled conviction at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai to not just overhaul England’s sizeable first innings total of 400, but also secure India’s remarkable win. With the boisterous crowd bellowing Kohli to take charge of proceedings, he essayed wristy flicks, neatly played drives and the occasional pull. Kohli also found an able ally in Jayant Yadav as the duo shared a record stand of 241 for eighth wicket.

India took a first-innings lead of 231 before Ravichandran Ashwin dismantled the already deflated English side by bagging a six-fer. The tourists eventually crashed to an innings and 36-run loss.

Sri Lanka vs Australia, Pallekele

When Australia arrived on the shores of Sri Lanka as the No.1 ranked Test side, they were expected to bestride the hosts through the course of the series. However, the home team showed unblinking resolve to engineer an amazing win in the first Test in Pallekele. Kusal Mendis, at the age of just 21, starred for Sri Lanka with his heroic 176.

For the first two days of the match, Australia were in the ascendancy. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc had ripped through the heart of Sri Lanka’s line-up to dismantle the home team for a mere 117. The visitors then extended the advantage with a healthy lead of 86. In the second innings, too, Australia whittled away at the opposition ranks to leave them in a spot of bother at 86 for 4. Mendis, the promising batsman, then decided to raise to the occasion and compose a masterpiece.

Sinuous flicks and drives were in full flow juxtaposed by Mendis’s ability to crack daring sweeps against Nathan Lyon’s off-spin. Finally, Starc induced an outside edge to dismiss Mendis, but his 176 had laid the platform for the hosts’ recovery. Australia were set an imposing 268 on a turning track to go 1-0 up in the series. But they crumbled in face of Rangana Herath’s wily left-arm spin.

Australia, however, still had a bit of fight left in them. With the hosts just two wickets away from scripting a well-earned win, Peter Nevill and Steve O’Keefe showed dogged spirit by stonewalling Sri Lanka for 29.4 overs. But the duo’s efforts went in vain as Sri Lanka romped home to a 106-run victory.

South Africa vs England, Wanderers

The fourth One-Day International between South Africa and England turned out to be a gripping contest, with the match coming alive in the slog overs. The hosts needed a daunting 53 runs with just two wickets in hand. On the other hand, England were in a buoyant mood as they had bagged the wickets of Farhaan Behardien, David Wiese and Kagiso Rabada in quick succession to leave South Africa tottering at seven down.

Enter Chris Morris. The affable all-rounder who was recalled for the game, combined selective power and timing to crunch a stream of pulls and drives to level the scores. The significance of Morris’s knock can be exemplified by the fact that Kyle Abbott, his partner at the other end, eked out just three runs. Despite Adil Rashid castling Morris with a googly, Imran Tahir took the hosts past the finish line with a boundary.

The visitors were left to ponder about the chance Rashid grassed when Morris was on 14. England also wasted the opportunity of winning the toss and batting first on a wicket with even bounce. At one point of time, they were struggling at 108 for 6, but Joe Root’s resolute hundred (109) powered England to 262.

England vs Sri Lanka, Trent Bridge

June 21, 2016 – With chewed nails and frayed nerves, the Trent Bridge crowd watched in anticipation as Nuwan Pradeep marked his run-up to bowl the final ball of the first ODI between England and Sri Lanka. The equation had boiled down to England needing seven off one ball (six to tie) in the first game of the series. With thousands of eyes trained on the last ball, Liam Plunkett paused for a moment or two before taking strike.

With athletic strides, Pradeep bustled to the crease and attempted the yorker. Unfortunately for the bowler, he missed the toe-crusher by a few inches and Plunkett landed the decisive blow by nailing a six straight down the ground to tie the game.

Large part of the credit for ensuring a dramatic finish would have to go to the pair of Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes. At 82 for 6, chasing 287, England were in deep abyss. Buttler and Woakes, however, ran sharply between the wickets and dished out occasional big hits to keep the home side in the hunt.

The pair took the home side within 67 runs of a victory before Buttler fell for a sparky 93. Woakes and Plunkett sustained the momentum, but they required 30 off two overs, still an uphill task. In the penultimate over, Plunkett and Woakes found the boundary ropes once each as the target was reduced to 14 off the last over. In the end, the match turned out to be a nail-biting tie.

Zimbabwe vs West Indies, Bulawayo

West Indies seemed to be the clear favourites on paper when they locked horns against Zimbabwe in the third game of the tri-series (also involving Sri Lanka) in Bulawayo. However, as the cliche goes, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties.

Zimbabwe certainly proved that old maxim right by not just putting up a fine show with the bat, but also held their nerve to pinch a tie. At 220 for 2, in pursuit of 258, the visitors were in the driver’s seat. Shai Hope, the centurion, was still at the crease. However, Hope perhaps lost his concentration and soon edged one behind the stumps.

Despite Zimbabwe picking up a few scalps in the slog overs, West Indies were just four runs away from winning the game when Donald Tiripano was given the chance to bowl the final over. The lively crowd, however, still believed Zimbabwe could pull off a miracle. In the last over of the match, Tiripano tempted Carlos Brathwaite to slog a leg-cutter straight into the hands of the long-on fielder. Tiripano also deflected one onto the stumps to run out the non-striker Ashley Nurse.

The equation finally came down to one off one ball. Tiripano ushered in a slower ball outside off to beat Jason Holder’s attempt to slog. However, Holder and Jonathan Carter tried to sneak in a bye only for Peter Moor, the wicketkeeper, to effect the direct-hit at the striker’s end and catch Carter short of the crease. The entire Bulawayo stadium erupted in joy. Even the normally subdued Heath Streak, Zimbabwe’s head coach, was up on his feet.

India vs New Zealand, Delhi

New Zealand had a chastening experience in the Test series against India as they lost the rubber 3-0. The home side also won the first ODI of the five-match series convincingly in Dharamsala. The visitors’ travails looked set to continue when they took on India in the second game in Delhi. However, Kane Williamson led from the front with a superbly-paced 118 aided by a collective effort with the ball to eke out a memorable six-run victory in the final over.

If we hit the rewind button and look back at the pulsating encounter, Trent Boult’s thrifty returns with the new ball and disciplined bowling by the spinners had reduced India to 183 for 8 in pursuit of 243.

Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder, however, slogged a few boundaries to give India renewed hope. With 11 required off eight balls, Hardik had done all the ground work to carry the hosts past the finish line. But with adrenaline pumping he tried one shot too many and holed out to Mitchell Santner. Tim Southee then castled Jasprit Bumrah to hand a rare victory for New Zealand against India in their own den and level the series 1-1. Southee shattering Bumrah’s stumps also led to an almighty hush at the ground.

Ireland vs Oman, Dharamsala

Oman upsetting the apple-cart and pipping Ireland in a fairytale finish with two balls to spare in the World T20 in Dharamsala was one of the highlights of the tournament. Oman – a team made up of Sales supervises, marketing managers and accountants – were expected to be brushed aside by the Ireland outfit. However, the unheralded debutants took the cricketing world by surprise and usurped their formidable foes.

On a slow track, Ireland were initially restricted to 154 for 5. Ajay Lalcheta bowled slowly through the air to befuddle the batsmen for lack of pace. Munis Ansari, with his slingy action, troubled Ireland and snared three wickets as well. They also dived and tumbled across enthusiastically in the field. Zeeshan Maqsood flying to his left to grab a wonderful diving catch to dislodge Paul Stirling is a case in point.

Maqsood, Jatinder Singh (arguably the team’s best batsman) and Khawar Ali then raised hopes of an upset by piloting Oman to 86 for 2 in just over 12 overs. However, there was a middle-order wobble as they slipped to 90 for 5. At that point of time, Oman required a further 61 in five overs. It was the bespectacled Amir Ali who gave renewed hope for the Oman set-up with a 17-ball 32. Amir reduced the target to a gettable 14 off the final over.

The experienced Max Sorensen was given the responsibility to bowl the last over. But with the game on the line, Sorensen crumbled under pressure as he bowled a slew of full toss. The target came down to three off three. Sorensen, though, forced Amir to nick one as the Ireland camp breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately for them, the seamer undid all the good work by bowling another full toss. Ansari missed it as did the wicketkeeper and the ball raced away to the fine leg fence, leading to joyous celebrations in Oman’s dug-out.

England vs West Indies, Kolkata

As England and West Indies’ players stood still for the national anthem to be played out, there was a sense of excitement in the air that the showpiece final of the World T20 would be a thriller. It certainly turned out to be one as Carlos Brathwaite thumped four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes in the final over to secure a dramatic win.

Euphoric West Indies players celebrated in their typical Calypso style, with Dawyne Bravo’s “Champion” song filling the stadium. On the other hand, Stokes sat on the pitch vanquished. The redoubtable cricketer seemed to be gazing at the jubilant West Indies camp expressionless, wondering what might have been.

If we look back at the match, it had its share of twists and turns. Joe Root (54) and Jos Buttler’s (36) timely hands had helped England compile a competitive 155 on a slow wicket. Root continued to leave his imprint on proceedings by dismissing Chris Gayle and Johnson Charles in the second over of the game.

Marlon Samuels, though, kept West Indies in the game with a well-measured, unbeaten fifty. Despite Samuels’s best efforts, the asking rate continued to climb. Eventually, the Caribbean side needed 19 off the last over. Brathwaite then did the unthinkable by smacking four sixes to send the West Indies camp into a tizzy.

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