#sports star of all time even if he mostly sat on the sidelines

[alfhildr-the-word-weaver]

I was finding a lot of Moocow text posts in the Puppy Bowl tag but not enough pictures/videos of Moocow so I went to youtube and --

https://youtu.be/JB9LMjTaSlI

Teeny tiny Moocow!!

[hawks-supremacy]

In Your Shadow

Summary: Living life in your brother’s shadow wasn’t fun, it was quite the opposite actually.

Pairings: None? Iwaizumi x Reader at the very end.

Warnings: Swearing, angst?

Genre: Mostly angst, fluff at the end

Word Count: 1.6k

Being the younger sister of Oikawa Tooru has never been easy. People worship the ground he walks on and barely even notice you’re there. Even as kids people always saw him as the pretty athletic one and you were the nerdy one who didn’t want to join a sport or club. It didn’t matter if you two practically looked like twins, he would always be the prettier one. You think it’s because he’s the star of the volleyball team while you just sat on the sidelines observing but never cheering. You were used to people using you to get close to him. Granted you didn’t realize that it was happening until you were in middle school when your friends always wanted to hangout at your place and never theirs. You were never included in plans unless they were taking place at your house. Only when your brother was home. People pretended they liked you just so they could get closer to Tooru. It was a constant cycle of this, you didn’t mind. Rather wanting to be surrounded by fake friends than have no one. Sure it hurt but you could never be mad at Tooru, he wasn’t to blame. He didn’t know he was the reason why you had new friends every month, the new ones somehow faker than the last. You kept a smile on saying you understood when people told you they didn’t want to hangout anymore.

You were never mad at Tooru, even as kids. You were never mad at the fact that your parents always forgot about your dance recitals as a kid because they would rather attend his Volleyball games. You didn’t get mad when your parents didn’t buy you new ballet shoes because they just bought a Volleyball net for Tooru to practice at home. You didn’t get mad when you told your dance teacher you were quitting dance. You didn’t get mad as you walked home as you cried because your parents forgot to pick you up from your last dance class that day.

You decided to finally join the art club during your first year, trying something for yourself. Deciding that Aoba Johsai was going to be different than when you were a kid and in middle school. You didn’t get mad when you sat surrounded by your art projects long after the art showing had been done. You didn’t get mad that your parents hadn’t shown up instead deciding to go to a practice match your brother was having with another school. You didn’t get mad as you watched them exit the school with your brother forgetting you were still at the school. You didn’t get mad because Iwaizumi, Matsukawa, and Hanamaki had shown up and complimented your work. You didn’t get mad as you cried as they pulled you into a hug offering to walk you home. You weren’t mad as you quit the art club to become the volleyball team manager instead.

You could never be mad at your brother. Not even when you started receiving his confession notes in your locker during your first year at Aoba Johsai. The false hope that filled your heart when the letter fell from your locker quickly shattered when you realized it was for Tooru. You still couldn’t bring yourself to blame him as you tucked the fifteenth love letter for Tooru in one week into the quickly growing pile at the corner of your locker. Not getting mad when one was finally addressed to you but it was someone wanting you to put in a good word for them and thought you would only talk to them if you had thought you were getting confessed to. 

You couldn’t get mad when he took the first real friends from you. Telling you that you couldn’t hang out with him and his friends because they were only his friends and not yours. So you stopped hanging out with Mastukawa and Hanamaki going back to the friends who never wanted to get to know you. You stopped hanging out with the only people who ever bothered to learn your favorite color.

You didn’t get mad when his fangirls stopped you from going into the gym during his practice. You didn’t get mad when you cried after they hurled insults at you comparing you to Tooru. You didn’t get mad when you asked him to tell them to stop coming up to you and he told you they were harmless. You didn't get mad because you didn’t tell him why you wanted them to stop.

You never got mad at Tooru. You didn’t even get mad when he yelled at you for making his fangirls cry. They just wanted to support him after all. So you ignored them during the day, only letting their harsh words sink in at night.

You didn’t get mad at Tooru when he sternly told you the Iwaizumi was off limits because he was his best friend because he had caught you staring at the ace for a second too long. You didn’t get mad as you decided to push the feelings down, trying hard to not let them resurface. You weren’t mad at Tooru when Iwaizumi had started questioning why you had grown distant from him, Matsun and Maki. 

You couldn’t get mad at Tooru. Not even if you tried, because at the end of the day it was your fault. Maybe it could’ve been stopped if you had told Tooru. If you told him what was going on. Told him he was the reason you quit dance and art. Told him he was the reason you never really had any friends. Told him his fangirls were harsh and cold towards you. Told him that Matsun and Hanamaki were your first real friends. However, you never told him. So you had no right to get mad at him, only at yourself.

You broke when one of his fangirls pushed you too far. Pulling on your hair causing you to fall and scrape your arm. You broke when he yelled at you for fighting back. You broke when he yelled at you when he caught Iwaizumi cleaning and helping bandage the deep scrape on your arm. You broke when he took Iwaizumi and silently left to go to practice. You broke when you saw how sorry Iwaizumi looked as your brother dragged him away from you. You were finally mad at Tooru.

You were mad as you angrily swiped at your face hoping to get rid of the tears. You were mad as you went to your locker and grabbed the bundle of confession notes that people had wanted you to give to him but you never did. You were mad when you harshly shoved his fangirls out of your way to the gym. You were mad as you shoved open the doors. You were mad as you walked up to Tooru, the whole gym staring at you. You were mad as you threw the letters at Tooru, watching as they went everywhere. You were mad as you were still crying. 

You were mad as you were calmly talking not finding the energy to yell, “Take your fucking letters Tooru. Take your fucking friends. Take your fucking praise. Take our fucking parents. I don’t care anymore. I don’t care that our parents never made time for me. I don’t care that I’ve never had real friends. I don’t care that I’ve never had a genuine connection with anyone. I don’t care that your fangirls were mean to me. I don’t care that you told me to stay away from the only real friends who cared about me. I don’t care. You know what I do care about? You. I care about you and you never cared about me. It’s fucking ridiculous, I’m ridiculous. I cared about someone who didn’t know they were unintentionally hurting me. I cared about someone who couldn’t open their eyes and see how selfish they were being. I don’t care anymore so just take everything Tooru. Just like you already have.” 

You were mad that you regretted saying those words. You were mad that you felt bad seeing the look of guilt and hurt on Tooru’s face as Iwaizumi led you out of the gym. You were mad that even as Iwa was wiping away your tears you told him to go make sure Tooru was okay. You were mad at yourself. You shouldn’t have been. You had every right to be mad, just maybe not at Tooru. Be mad at your parents. At the fangirls, at the fake friends you had. Not Tooru. You were still crying when Matsun and Maki took over as Iwaizumi went to go check on Tooru like you had asked. You were still crying when they took you to your favorite diner and bought you your favorite foods. 

You were still crying when you finally got home and Tooru hugged you as you walked into the living room. You cried harder when he started apologizing. Apologizing for never noticing you. Never noticing the hurt and trouble you went through just for him. Apologizing for taking your life away from you. Apologizing for always being in the limelight and never giving it to you. You cried when he apologized for taking away your first friends. You cried when he told you you could be friends with them, that he didn’t care. As long as you were happy. You cried when he gave you permission to date Iwaizumi saying the ace had feelings for you too. 

You laughed as said person smacked the back of his head. You laughed as you watched them bicker back and forth. You laughed when Matsun and Maki started making bets on who would win the argument this time. You let out a laugh that wasn’t forced for the first time in a while. You smiled genuinely for the first time in the longest time. You were happy that Tooru wasn’t mad at you for yelling at him. Happy that you had real friends. Happy when Iwaizumi asked you out. You were finally happy.

[talesofphantombandits]

Tech Whiz ~ Matt Devlin - Part 1.

Hey guys, so I recently watched all the episodes of Law and Order: UK that Matt was in and came up with this idea for a story.  Hope you all enjoy and let me know if you want to be tagged in future parts.  Edits will be made later on.

Pairing: Matt Devlin X OC. Summary: Saylor Clarke gets a new job working on the tech aspects of solving the crimes that Ronnie and Matt investigate. She swears to herself that she will not get into any office romances but the more time she spends with Matt the harder it gets not to fall for him. Someone on the sidelines however are always watching their every interacting, when things go to the next level Saylors mystery admirer will make themselves known in the worst way possible. 

Tagging those who showed interest in my post about this story, if you don’t want to be tagged in further parts let me know and i’ll untag it immediately.  Thank you for showing support though <3 @dreamingundone​ , @fyeahmeninroyalnavy​ , @alittlepronetopanic​

Saylor Clarke visuals. 

As it is for anyone, the first day of walking into a new workplace was a nerve wracking experience. It was only made more daunting as Saylor took in all the bodies dressed in various formal suits and ties, pencil skirts and blazers. 

Of course, Saylor was also dressed presentably, but the big difference between her and her new colleagues was the dip dyed shoulder length emerald hair she sported, the numerous piercings in her ears - which were mainly covered by her hair - and a small green ring through her nostril. 

She was grateful her sleeve tattoo in progress was covered under her blazer or she would have felt even more uneasy than she already did. Her only body art on show was five thin lines encircling four of her fingers. They were dainty and usually most people didn’t even notice them unless they were in close proximity to her. Even so, she loosely clasped her hands into fists in case anyone decided to peer too closely. 

Still, alternative styles evidently were not a popular sight in the The Crown office, because as Saylor walked down the aisles of cubicles, eyes zoned in on her. She tried to remind herself that this was not the first time she’d faced stares over her appearance and that it no way detracted from her professionalism or ability to do her job. That’s all that mattered, and she would remind them all of that in due course. 

Arriving at a standard looking office that overlooked the city, she met DI Natalie Chandler who went over all the necessary debriefing and documentation with her. The woman’s kind nature lifted some of the nerves rattling through her and she hoped she would get to work with Ms Chandler in the future.

Natalie then led her over to the middle of the bustling office to a set of desks where two men had their backs to her. 

“Guys! This is our new tech master, Saylor Clarke.” 

Both of them swung around in their chairs, the older gentleman who sat to the right and she shared a warm smile with him, but what caught Saylor’s was the young man on the left. “I’d like you to meet DS Ronnie Brooks and DS Matthew Devlin.” She smiled, meeting both their gazes in greeting. 

“She’ll be taking over from Angela from today.” Before Natalie walked away she gave both of them a pointed stare. “Be nice! Look after her.” 

“We’re always nice!” Matt called after her playfully then turned on Saylor and she forgot her own name for a breath. “Hey, Mathew Devlin but you can call me Matt.” He held out his hand for her to shake.  Worried her hand would be sweaty due to the first day nerves and her body’s response to meeting someone as striking as Matt before, Saylor hesitated, but suddenly she realised how rude that would look and slipped her hand into his. It enveloped hers and she hoped he didn’t hear the way her breathing jittered at the contact and noticed the electricity that skated up her skin leaving goosebumps in its wake, and she truly hoped he didn’t feel the slight moist covering on her hand. If he clocked onto anything at all, he never let it show as he gave her a friendly grin and returned to his desk. 

With ocean eyes that shamed the carribean shores, sunkissed skin that enhanced every muscular valley in his bare forearms and bone structure that rivaled the godly marbled statues she’d seen at the A&E, it was fair to say Matt might have been the most mesmerizing man she’d ever laid her eyes upon. 

One word came to her mind. Shit.

How was she going to stop herself from crushing on Mr Devlin?

“Ronnie Brooks,” The older man stated, waving a hand. “don’t worry you’ll settle in right away. If you need anything though don’t be afraid to ask us. Me and Matty will be happy to help.” They both offered her bright and reassuring smiles and she felt instantly welcome in their company.  

“Thank you, guys. It’s nice to meet you both. I guess I better go log into my computer, and get it all set up.” Ronnie pointed out her desk which was a little way across the room from theirs, she thanked him and made her way over, cursing herself on the way for being so awkward.

Her first day seemed to flash by, and before she knew it, it was dark outside and people started leaving the office in drips and drabs. Nothing too exciting had happened through the duration of the day. It wasn’t as though she had expected to be thrown straight into the middle of the chaos on day one, but admittedly, lack of productivity had her itching in her seat. 

However, her day was pleasant nonetheless; she had managed to set up her computer almost exactly the way she liked it, she’d gone and spoke to some of her other new colleagues around the office to get to know who she would be working with and had been pleasantly surprised at the warmth she was met with. She shouldn’t have assumed they would judge her based on her looks, she needed to squash that insecurity. 

But mostly, she had chatted with Matt and Ronnie. Apparently, not much was happening in the way of cases, so they had time to tell her about some of their most interesting cases and how tech had helped them catch their criminal in the end. She looked forward to being able to be a part of that team and process in the future. 

Both men were incredibly charming and sweet. She counted herself lucky that she’d been put in an office with such lovely company. Ronnie was instantly like a father figure to her, he seemed gentle and caring and she was in no doubt that he’d be the first to her aid if she needed it. Matt on the other hand spoke to her in a more flirtatious manner, which of course she could never honestly say she minded. It was actually an honour to have such a beautiful man trade playful banter with her, but she had to remind herself that this was her work place now and no matter how she may want to, nothing past friendship was to be permitted between the two of them. 

There was only one person she met in that office that first day that made her uncomfortable; Mike had walked up to her desk, and she could tell right off the bat that this man was typically shy. Knowing this feeling all too well she greeted him warmly, but as soon as he started speaking she got an unsettling feeling from the interaction. She couldn’t, however, put her finger on what exactly it was that was making her so uneasy about the man who had only said one word to her. 

After the single interaction though, she didn’t see him for the rest of the day so she brushed it off and buried herself in customising her systems to her personal preference. 

At the end of the day, she was at her desk switching everything off when she felt someone approach her from behind. She sent a silent prayer that whoever it was, it wasn’t Mike. Regardless, of the lack of action she’d seen through the day, she still felt drained from all the information she’d had to retain and had no energy left to try to understand him.

“How are you getting home?” 

Turning, a jolt of excitement spiked through her fatigue when she saw Matt standing a few feet from her wrapping his scarf around his neck. “Not to sound creepy or anything, I just thought It would be decent of me to offer you a lift seen as it’s pitch black outside and you said earlier that you live on the other side of London.” 

She smiled not only at how genuinely adorable this man was with his slight pout, but also at the fact he remembered when she’d idly said where she lived. Then she quickly reminded herself not to overthink his basic capacity to listen to information. She couldn’t let her head run amok. “Thank you Matt, that’s really nice that you thought of me. But I have my bike.” 

“Bike? As in a peddle bike? I mean I could probably fit it in the back of my car. London traffic in the dark isn’t the nicest to people on bikes.” 

“Erm, no, my motorbike.” Matt looked taken aback at this. Saylor simply laughed at his surprised expression.

They both started for the door. “Okay this I have to see!” She looked at him confused but she couldn’t hide the amusement on her face. “Oh no I didn’t mean you riding a motorbike I meant the actual bike.”  

 “Sure! You can come meet Alvin.” 

Matt stopped in his tracks in the middle of the foyer, Saylor stopping a step in front of him, eyebrows raised. “What?”

“You named your bike after a chipmunk?”

She burst out laughing at the remark, envisioning the small rodent in question. “No.” she shook her head. “I named my bike after the Glam Rock star Alvin Stardust, a childhood favourite.” Sniggering to herself as she walked out of the revolving doors. 

Matt was close on her heels as she walked to where her bike was parked on the side of the street. Stopping in front of it, she reached inside of her jacket to grab the key for the little storage box on the back of the bike.

“Matt meet Alvin, Alvin meet Matt.” 

“Wow, such a beautiful bike.” Matt slowly walked around observing every detail of the vehicle. 

“Thanks. I try to keep him in tip top shape.” Matt paused again looking over the bike to Saylor who had finally freed her helmet from the box. 

“You do maintenance on the bike yourself?” 

She looked up to find Matt staring at her in something akin to awe. “Yeah, I won't let anyone else touch him.” 

She got up on the bike and started up the engine. Itroared to life.

Putting on the helmet, she turned to Matt one last time. “If you’re lucky one day I might let you ride him, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She winked at him, closed the visor and as Matt walked back to the pavement, he watched as she safely pulled out and sped off. 

The last look on his face said it all; maybe she wasn’t the only one that was going to struggle toeing the line between friendship and something more. 

...............

The next morning was uneventful, but Saylor didn’t mind too much. It gave her additional time to settle in and socialise some more. Which included Matt.

When she got home the previous night she couldn’t shake the smile from her face. Her interactions with him the previous day had left her feeling like a campfire had ignited in her stomach and set a flock of butterflies into a frenzy above. 

“Hey, a few of us are heading out for something to eat tonight if you would care to join us?” She turned in her chair to find Matt and Ronnie stood behind her with hopeful smiles on their faces. 

“Sure, why not.” She leaned back in her chair and grinned at them both.

“I hope I’m invited too.” 

As if out of nowhere, Mike appeared beside Saylor, that uneasy feeling came back to her. She shifted in her chair then glanced at Matt who seemed to sense her unease. He moved to perch himself on the corner of Saylor’s desk, putting himself between them. She looked up at him and gave him a silent ‘Thank you!’

“Sure. Everyone's invited.” Ronnie chimed in. 

Saylor and Matt both snapped their heads to Ronnie. Obviously, he hadn’t read the room, but it was too late. Mike said he would meet them at the pizza place later and had walked off.  

Unable to pinpoint exactly what it was about Mike that gave her the creeps, she felt a little bad, but every time he was near her, the hair on the back of her neck would stand up and she had the greatest desire to be as far away from him as possible. 

“Jeez, Ronnie, why’d you invite him? Can’t you see that he makes Saylor uncomfortable?” 

Ronnie looked at Saylor, confused. 

“Does he make you uncomfortable? I can go over and uninvite him?” Ronnie started walking to Mike's desk but Saylor reached out an arm and stopped him. 

“No, no. It’s okay. I’m probably just overreacting, he’s probably a really nice person, I have to give him a chance. Besides this is only my second day, he barely said two words to me. Can’t be making enemies straightaway, can I?” She smiled at them both, trying to be as lighthearted as she could. Ronnie said a simple okay as he walked back to his desk.

“Did you bring the bike today?” Matt said still perched on her desk, she swung back round to face her computer. 

“I got a cab today actually, I never ride when it’s raining.” She chuckled to herself. “One of my mum's rules, actually. I understand though. Plus, I’d rather not turn up to work drenched.” 

“So, you’ll be getting a cab home?” 

She just nodded as she typed away on the keypad. If someone would have asked her what she was working on she wouldn’t have been able to answer. It was hard to concentrate when she had such a handsome man distracting her. 

“Or I could give you a lift after the pizza place, I mean I’m the designated driver so....” 

She stopped typing and looked up, catching his eye. “Sure, I guess it saves me some money. Unless you want gas money which I will happily provide.” 

“Don’t worry about it. Just buy me a coke at the pub.” He snapped his finger and pointed at her with a wide grin.

“You got it.” She tilted her head as she looked at him, matching his grin. 

“Great, I guess I’ll meet you back here when it’s time to leave.” Nodding again, she watched as he got up from the desk and walked away with the biggest smile on his lips.

Sighing, she knew she’d spend the rest of the day trying not to overanalyse said smile and tame the butterflies wreaking havoc inside her.

By the end of her second morning she’d already made some amazing friends. She just hoped that it would stay like that, that she wouldn’t ruin this job for herself like she did the last one.

No way would she let that happen again.

Time ticked by ever so slowly. Every time she looked at the clock, only mere minutes had passed. Now and then, she’d peer over to Matt’s desk. Most of the time he’d have his back to her, but sometimes he’d be talking to Ronnie and would catch her eye, a dazzling smile appearing on his face.

She didn’t have the adequate vocabulary to describe how adorable Matt Devlin truly was.

After her lunch, she’d been given some work to do which she became immersed in, completely forgetting about the time and what was happening around her. She only became aware of her surroundings again when Ronnie placed a warm hand on her shoulder. 

“You ready?” 

She looked up to him smiling down at her, she saved her work and switched off the computer. “More than ready.” Grabbing her bag and jacket, she met Ronnie by the door. 

“Matt just had to go drop off some paperwork, he said he’d meet us by the car.” Nodding, she followed Ronnie out to the back parking lot. 

Less than a minute later, Matt came strolling over to them smiling, swinging his keys around his finger.

Ronnie let Saylor ride shotgun, even though she insisted she would be fine in the back seat.  “It’s the most gentlemanly thing to do.”  He smiled as he got into the back. She looked at Matt over the roof of the car rolling her eyes but got in the font anyway. 

When they reached the little pizza place, they found a booth near the back and settled in. Once Matt had taken his coat and scarf off, he got the drink orders and went to the bar. 

Ronnie and Saylor were having a full blown conversation when the bell above the door chimed, indicating that someone had entered the restaurant. 

Both looking up at the noise, they could see four people entering and looking around. Saylor only recognised one of the people. Mike.

“Oh god.” 

She shook her head and looked to Ronnie.

“What is it?” She enquired. 

“That women behind Mike, she’s from the evidence team. Completely obsessed with Matt, finds any excuse to come up to the office to see him.” He sniggered, evidently amused.

“Honestly, can’t say I blame her.” Saylor laughed at the surprise on Ronnie’s face. 

“I’ll remember that remark!” He jokingly threatened her, but before Saylor could reply, the group had reached their table, and the women who Ronnie had pointed out sat down next to Saylor. 

“I’ll go help Matt with the drinks now we have more people.” Ronnie got up and headed to where Matt still stood at the bar. 

Saylor just stared after him in complete disbelief that he had left her with a bunch of strangers. 

Not even a second after Ronnie had left his seat, Mike slid in the booth next to her. She tried her damn hardest not to shift away from him when he shuffled in closer to her. 

Finally, the two men came back from the bar, hands full of drinks and distributed them out to everyone. She caught Matt's eye when he handed her, her drink then his eyes shifted to both sides of her. His eyes showed concern but he mouthed a ‘sorry’ to her. Replying with a gentle smile, she let him know she was okay. For now. 

“Hey, I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. My name is Alice! and this is Chase, we work in the evidence lab.” Alice held out her hand which Saylor shook, then proceeded to shake Chase’s hand as well, of which he held onto her hand a second longer but then just smiled at her and sat back into the booth. 

“Saylor, I’m the new tech wiz in the office.” She changed her attention back to Alice who was now sizing her up. 

“Oh, lucky you. You get to be in the office all the time and be around Matt.” Saylor looked to Matt who was conversing with Ronnie and tried to think innocent and professional thoughts. 

“He’s an amazing person. I mean I’ve only known him for two days and he’s been nothing but kind to me.” 

“He’s more than amazing. Have you seen him? He’s so yummy. If only he could see how amazing I am, I’d take him straight home and do nasty things with him.” Saylor was taken aback by the way Alice was talking about one of her coworkers. 

All she could do was laugh uncomfortably and turn away hoping to end the conversation but she forgot that the person on the other side of her was Mike. She was trapped. 

“Don’t take no notice of her, she has no filter and has been completely obsessed over Matt for years.” Chase reached over and moved Alice out of his way so he could sit next to Saylor. “I’ve heard way worse come from her mouth about that man.” Saylor gave the man a ‘oh god’ look but smiled at him anyway, glad that finally she was sitting next to someone she could converse with normally. 

The rest of the meal was relatively normal. Although she missed the time with Ronnie and Matt, she found that Chase was also someone she could see herself calling a friend in the future. He’d also saved her when Mike shifted unbearably close to her so again, but then Chase switched seats meaning she was back next to Alice, and she’d take that over sitting next to Mike any day.

When they were getting ready to leave, Chase also offered her a lift home but she had to decline, looking up to see Matt waiting for her by the door, his sparkling eyes dancing in the candlelight. “Thank you, that’s really kind, but Matt already promised me a lift home. Thank you for saving me tonight, twice!” She laughed. 

“No problem. Anytime.” Then he did something unexpected. He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. She didn’t know how to react so she just smiled and waved her goodbyes. 

“You ready?” Matt smiled at her, opening the door. 

“Yes.” She walked out into the rain, Ronnie trailing behind her and the three made their way to the car parked just outside. 

They dropped Ronnie off first and bid their goodnights to him, and then for the first time that night, it was just the two of them. 

Saylor gave him the directions to her flat before any conversations started. 

“Seems you have many admirers already!” 

Saylor chuckled and turned to look at Matt, the streetlights highlighting his sharp features as they drove. “That's funny because I hear you have admirers too!” 

“Urg, if you’re talking about Alice, I don’t want to hear about it. She’s a nice person and I respect her but agreeing to go on a date with her was one of the worst decisions I've ever made.” He glanced at Saylor in the passenger seat to see her beaming at him.

“You went on a date with her? I bet that was eventful!.” 

“Oh! it was, but I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of hearing about it.” Saylor huffed out a ‘spoil sport’ and went back to facing the front of the car.

“Did you enjoy tonight?” 

“I did, everyone’s so nice. Shame I didn’t get to speak to you and Ronnie much. I was kind of trapped between Alice and Mike, who, for some reason I can’t put my finger on why, but he gives me the creeps.” She shivered in her seat. 

“Yeah, I could see how uncomfortable you were with him earlier.” 

“Luckily Chase was there to put a barrier between us.” She didn’t look but she could tell he was glancing at her. 

“Ah Chase! think he has a thing for you.” They both looked at each other when Saylor laughed out loud. 

“Yeah well nothing will come of it. For one, he’s a nice guy, but I don’t feel any attraction towards him. And secondly, I promised myself long ago not to date coworkers.” Matt's face fell, and for a moment she thought she saw disappointment in his eyes, but it was only a flash. 

She couldn’t say anymore though as he pulled up to her apartment. 

Looking up at her door, she sighed. She’d told Matt that about coworker relationships, but every time they were close, all she wanted to do was be in his arms and just feel his arms wrapped around her.  

She opened the door but turned back to Matt. “Thank you for being so kind to me in my first few days and for dropping me off home.” 

He smiled in reply and she wondered if she’d ever get tired of that smile. She doubted it.

Without time to think it through, she reached over the centre console and kissed him on the cheek. Once she realised what she had done, she moved back a bit to read his reaction, but all she saw was shock and happiness all mixed together,  and gods, she really wanted to kiss him. She could see he wanted the same as his eyes travelled down to her lips. 

But she couldn’t let it happen. 

So, she pulled back further and finally got out of the car. 

“Goodnight Matt.”

[sparkie96]

I don't know if you ship Carlos x Leon, but if you do, prompt: "You don’t know what you do to me, do you?”

 (I do! ;) I love that ship! So, here’s a little AU where Carlos and Tyrell had previously bumped into Leon during the Raccoon City Incident and then Carlos joined the BSAA and became one of its founding members. The organizations that Leon worked for over the years frequently work with the BSAA and eventually they become a joint organization, so Carlos watches Leon grow from this naive rookie to the hot DSO Agent we know and love. 

Let’s just say, Carlos can’t keep his eyes to himself.) 

________________________________________________________________

When Carlos had first met Leon, he was this meek little rookie police officer wandering aimlessly around the RPD. It had mostly been in passing while he and Tyrell searched the place for survivors and Dr. Bard. Even from a distance, he was smitten with the beautiful man. Back then, he didn’t get anything more than “Leon” when he finally did bump into the younger, although he would later find out that he and Leon were actually the same age, the police officer had decided that it had been better to split up and cover more ground. Carlos had agreed, but felt guilty. Leon had been unaware that Carlos and Tyrell wouldn’t be sticking around the Police Station for very long, that they needed to pursue their own mission.

Carlos had wished that he had stayed by his side and helped him out. During the whole mess, the city seemed to get worse and worse, and Carlos couldn’t help but worry about the rookie. He had been haunted afterward because, after he and Jill left Raccoon, he had been left wondering if the police officer had even made it out. Leon had been doing pretty well on his own, but could he survive the city before it ate him alive? Like it ate the others? 

He had joined Jill and Chris Redfield and their merry band of leftover STARS Officers. Chris hadn’t been very happy when he had discovered that Carlos had been a part of UBCS, but after Jill talked him down and explained what had happened, Chris had calmed down and accepted his help. The man and Barry Burton had been grateful that Carlos risked his life and kept Jill safe. Although he should have felt better, he didn’t...considering what may or may not have happened to Leon and the others. 

He hadn’t felt like a lifesaver. 

But not even six months later, Carlos got the shock of his life; Leon had made it out alive after all. The rookie had somehow tracked their team down to a safehouse in France, Carlos and Chris coming back from a cafe when a blond man with shades and a brown trench coat stopped them, asking mainly for Chris. Had Carlos not recognized his facial features and the style of his hair, Chris surely would have attacked Leon. 

Apparently, Leon had survived Raccoon with the help of Claire Redfield, Chris’s little sister, and they had managed to save a little girl as well. Leon came there because Claire had gone looking for Chris and got into some trouble. At the time, she had been arrested by Umbrella and ended up in their prison on Rockford Island. Carlos had missed the smaller details, too entranced by the blond’s beauty. Once he was done conversing with Chris, Leon had turned to him with a small smile, asking Carlos how he had been. It had only been six months, but it had felt like years, so Carlos shouldn’t have been surprised that Leon remembered him. 

Over the years, Leon had gone from a distant memory to a frequent character in Carlos’s life. Leon had managed to convince the organizations that he worked with over the years to form a partnership with the BSAA. They frequently worked together to take down Umbrella and anyone else who had taken over their operations and peddled BOWs and the viruses that created them. Carlos watched Leon go from inexperienced and admittedly adorable rookie to a gorgeous seasoned agent. 

When he would flutter in and out of the office, Leon always wore a smile that lit up the room. He would work with everyone, he greeted every single person and seemingly knew everyone by name. Though, Leon’s favorite “hang-outs” were Carlos’s desk and Chris and Jill’s office. Leon would spend hours doing paperwork at Carlos’s desk, sharing conversation and bantering back and forth. Then, they would go out on a lunch break, going to the same deli for sandwiches. And Carlos looked forward to his company every day. 

It was when Leon had come back to hand in the report from Harvardville when Carlos finally asked him out on a date. Leon had been a bit taken back by that, and it probably didn’t help that Carlos had hit him with a cheesy pick-up line. The brunet blushed and didn’t give Carlos a definite answer, saying that he would have to think about it due to his busy schedule. Carlos played it off like it wasn’t a big deal and tried to be a good sport, but internally, he felt let down. 

Maybe Leon wasn’t as interested in him like he previously thought? Maybe Carlos had been wishfully thinking and read the wrong signs? 

Respecting his wishes, Carlos decided to keep his distance once more, watching from the sidelines and going back to admiring him from afar. He had heard through the grapevine that Leon was seeing someone, a mysterious woman whom the agent frequently ran into. Carlos couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy he felt, wanting to know just who this woman was. Although, Carlos technically had no right. Leon was a grown man, who was he to say who Leon could and couldn’t date? 

Regardless of what he told himself, it still didn’t ease the sting. 

The days started to blend together, and Leon still sat at his desk to do his paperwork, acting as though Carlos hadn’t asked him out. They continued their friendship, much to Carlos’s relief...and disappointment, but he had decided that he would rather Leon reject him and that they continued to be friends over Leon not wanting to see him again. 

Carlos got older and felt like he didn’t look very different from the cocky bastard he had been in Raccoon...but Leon? The agent outgrew his baby face and aged like the finest fucking wine in the cellar. He looked more fit for a runway or a magazine than a secret agent. Though, Carlos imagined Leon’s missions were like that of James Bond, a hot agent who went on adventures, got the girl and went on a sort of vacation after a job well done. 

Little did he know, Leon’s life wasn’t as interesting as he thought. 

(Read the rest here and let me know if I should make it a series or multi-chaptered! Feedback appreciated!)

[hedwigstalons]

High Expectations - Ch6

This editions of Hedwig’s scribbles brings you a young TOS Jeff.  I’ve come to the annoying realisation that my camera squashes things down so the original actually looks a bit longer and narrower than this picture.  Unfortunately my scanner makes everything too white and you lose half the image.  *Sigh*

@willow-salix​ has been her superstar self again with both the fic and the art, I don’t know what I would do without her as a sympathetic critic, putting up with all my wobbles.

Earlier parts: One, Two, Three, Four, Five

AO3 chapter link

Chapter Six

It didn’t take long for normality to return for Gordon.  He had given one or two carefully selected interviews in the lull between his medal win and the closing ceremony of the Games but any requests by magazines had been vetoed by Jeff since his return stateside.  Any approaches regarding sponsorship opportunities had been similarly turned away.  Initially the reporters clamoured for the chance to speak to the elusive young star but in the face of continued rejections the requests tailed off.  His obligations were decidedly minimal as he slipped from the public eye.  

With no school making its demands felt Gordon was able to concentrate fully on his swimming; the World Championships and a national competition were both on the horizon and gave him something to aim for.  He often found himself heading out for an additional run or putting in more time at the gym, this was partly to keep in peak condition and partly to escape the oppressive atmosphere in the apartment.  

He had gone from being surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the Games with a team mate around every corner to home with its dwindling population.  

First Virgil had returned to Denver claiming he needed access to the technical facilities, then John had gone back to campus and finally Alan had been sent off to summer camp to spend time in the great outdoors.  If the messages coming Gordon’s way were anything to go by Alan was finding outdoors to be too full of bugs and too lacking in games consoles to be considered great.  

Now it was just him and his father.  Whenever they were in the apartment together he felt like he was under the microscope.  Being judged.  Being appraised.  He tended to stay in his room to avoid the attention.  With no one else around staying in his room was becoming a habit, even when Jeff was out at work.

He vaguely registered the click of the apartment door as his father returned but it was past dinner time and he had already eaten so he didn’t feel any need to emerge.  His father would likely be reading files late into the night.  He expected his contact to be limited to the standard ‘good night’ as he brushed his teeth before bed, he was therefore surprised when a sharp rap sounded on his door.

“Gordon.  My study.”

The footsteps retreated down the corridor leaving no opportunity to ask questions and he couldn’t think of anything he had done to warrant such a summons.  He also knew it didn’t do to keep his father waiting so he paused the film he was watching and made his way to the study.

The door was open so he went straight in.  His father’s big desk faced the doorway and Jeff was already sat back down behind it by the time Gordon entered.  He stepped up and patiently waited to be acknowledged, curious as to why he had been called for.  

“Gordon, I have to go out of town for a few days.”

“Ok.”  

“So you need to decide what you would rather do.  You have two choices; either I can arrange for you to join Alan at summer camp or you can go and stay with Virgil.”

“Honestly, you don’t need to do that.  I’ll be fine by myself for a few days.”

“You are not staying here alone,” Jeff’s voice was stern and intractable.

“I’m not a kid any more Dad.”

“Then maybe you should stop acting like one.  It’s time you grew up and started planning for the future.”

The thought that his father didn’t trust him alone in the house for a few days stung, especially given the number of times he had been responsible for not only himself but Alan too when their father got held up at the office until late.  He was seventeen, he had finished school and he had a gold medal.  Apparently none of that was enough to afford him the privilege of staying home alone.  The thought of being shipped off so his older brother could do babysitting duty was pretty bad but the idea of summer camp was much worse.  Being surrounded by kids mostly Alan’s age and having to take part in enforced activities was not appealing. 

“What about my swimming?”

“I’ve already spoken to your coach.  There are no major competitions for a few months so you can afford some fallow time.”

The thought that Jeff had bypassed him and gone straight to his coach was even more belittling.  It was like being ten years old again with the schedule of events stuck to the fridge and Jeff marking off which ones he could do based on the availability of a chaperone.  

“And you might need to ease up on your swimming anyway.  Now that high school is over you need to work out where you are headed in life.”

And there it was.  The not so subtle reminder that his father didn’t consider swimming to be a viable career prospect.  Even with an Olympic gold and a world record to his name, professional athlete was not on the list of Jeff Tracy approved jobs.  Everything he had worked for just diminished and relegated to the status of hobby.  That’s not to say that his father hadn’t been genuinely proud of his success so far but it was like he had reached the pinnacle and now it was time to move on.  It was one thing to have an Olympian as a son but the next Games were four years away and there was no knowing if Gordon would maintain his position in the world rankings.  World championships had their prestige in the sporting world but didn’t have the same gravitas as the Olympics to non-sporting folks.

Even if the uncertainty of future successes could be put aside Jeff had also made it abundantly clear that he disapproved of the selfishness of the sporting world.  Athletic success didn’t improve the world beyond providing entertainment.  It wasn’t a career that would make a difference.  It wasn’t useful, and just lately usefulness had become an overriding theme in the Tracy household.  

“I’m waiting, Gordon.  Which is it to be?”

He wanted to scream and shout but if there was one way Gordon was a Tracy through and through it was in his ability to keep his emotions contained in the face of adversity, or at least repressed until he was in a safe space.  Only Alan was yet to learn the skill; his youngest sibling wore his heart on his sleeve and Gordon often admired him for the way he could express himself freely, even if it sometimes led to blazing rows with their patriarch.   His broad shoulders slumped a little.  It was a done deal that he was being sent away for the duration of his father’s business trip.  He knew there was no point arguing and antagonising his father.

“Denver, please.”  Gordon’s normally cheerful voice was carefully neutral, a testament to the feelings he was keeping in check.  He wondered if he would ever be afforded the privilege of being treated like an adult or whether he would forever be a child in his father’s eyes; a person to be managed and directed rather than trusted as an individual.

Having received an answer Jeff considered the interview concluded and turned back to his tablet to book the required flight.  He might have a private jet at his disposal but he would need that for his own trip.  Gordon would be flying commercial, as usual.  An early morning flight was soon arranged and Jeff was able to return to his work, scrolling through the multitude of files related to his latest project.  He looked up to reach for his coffee and seemed surprised that Gordon was still stood in front of him.

“Go and pack, Gordon.”

Summarily dismissed Gordon returned to his room.  Clothes and toiletries were thrown haphazardly into a bag.  He took his anger out on the drawers of his dresser, yanking them out and slamming them shut.  The clothes hangers in his closet rattled and tumbled to the floor as he yanked down shirts.  He looked at his Team USA kit; the formal blazer and whites covered in a protective dust jacket next to the tracksuit worn poolside between heats.  The uniform was a painful reminder of his achievement that already seemed to be forgotten by the father he tried so hard to please.  The garments were thrown to the floor of the closet to lay in a crumpled heap on top of his shoes.

Just a few short weeks ago those two outfits had symbolised his achievements.  Proof that, as far as America was concerned, he was worthy.  He remembered the thrill of pulling on the garments for the first time, the cut of the blazer emphasising his broad chest and shoulders.  They were his uniform.  His battle dress.  After the Games he had carefully hung them up as a reminder of everything he had worked for, a sign that all the sacrifices had been worth it.  Now they screamed failure rather than success.  Failure to live up the narrow ideals of his father.  He kicked out at a trailing sleeve that had flopped over the threshold of the closet then slammed the door on the rumpled mess.

Gordon flung himself onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.  He knew he was acting the petulant teenager his father viewed him as but sometimes it was hard not to revert to type when you never had the opportunity to prove yourself to be anything different.  Anger bubbled up inside him.   Just because he wasn’t like the others with their perfect grades and traditional life choices it felt like he would never be allowed to make his own decisions.  Even the career he had strived towards and made so many sacrifices for was being slowly taken away.  How dare his father speak to his coach about training commitments.  How dare he sideline the one talent Gordon possessed.  In all other areas he was measured up and found wanting but the medal above his bed and the world record in the history books were irrefutable evidence that he could make his mark in the world and be an individual in his own right.

The seething injustice coloured Gordon’s dreams that night.  His sleep was restless and more than once his legs became twisted in the sheets, dragging him back to wakefulness in order to free the constricting restraints.  When the morning alarm marked the end of the night, disturbing his dozing form and forcing away the last vestiges of sleep Gordon felt distinctly unrefreshed.  However, years of practice at taking himself to early morning swimming training meant he was able to resist the temptation to stay in bed and so he was ready, bag in hand, when the car arrived to take him to the airport.  Evidently his father’s commitments were too heavy to allow him to perform this duty and Gordon was graced with only a brief goodbye before being handed into the custody of a driver.

xoxoxox

Denver was tiny compared to Los Angeles.  It was still a sprawling metropolis compared to the backwater towns of Kansas but Gordon instantly felt more at home in the mid-western air.  He felt like he could finally breathe again.  He had never felt settled in Los Angeles with its inescapable traffic and permanent glow.  A city that never slept.   

When he had first been told of the move to the coast he had been excited at the prospect of living so close to the ocean that held his fascination.  It was an odd obsession for a boy brought up as far from the sea as it was possible to get but Gordon had always felt drawn to water in all its forms.  The few coastal holidays they had managed were filled with happy memories of rock pooling, snorkelling and learning the dangers of his beautiful aquatic mistress but in Gordon’s eyes the Los Angeles waterfront was a shallow imitation of what the barrier between land and sea should be.  The sculpted beaches filled with sculpted bodies held no appeal.  After one visit shortly after arriving in the city Gordon never went down to the waterfront again.

Virgil was there to meet him in the airport arrival’s lounge.  Dressed in his habitual plaid he was easy to spot.  Gordon soon found himself relieved of his bag as Virgil swung it over one shoulder with ease.  It wasn’t that Virgil thought him incapable, it was just the way he was.  Brother or not, Gordon was his guest and carrying your guest’s bag was a courtesy that had been instilled in each of them from an early age.  A brotherly arm was draped across his shoulders and he found himself drawn into a brief embrace before they walked companionably towards the taxi rank.

It didn’t take long to reach Virgil’s apartment which was situated a short stroll from campus.  The campus itself was still eerily quiet, mostly populated by faculty and a few postgrads like Virgil who had stuck around to work on projects.  Term, and the influx of undergraduates that came with it, was yet to start.  The streets surrounding the campus were free of the term time hustle and bustle created by the transient student population and the area had a calm serenity that contrasted sharply to the buzzing city Gordon had recently left.

The apartment was the epitome of masculine design, each item of furniture or decoration a clear reflection of its occupant.  There was an eclectic mix of high end items and junk store finds, set off by hand crafted pieces made by Virgil himself.  Comfortable, functional and strong, the whole ensemble coordinated perfectly.  Virgil’s habitat had grown organically over his few years of occupation, it was now as warm and friendly as its owner and a place that you couldn’t help but relax in.

It felt more homely than the Los Angeles apartment which always had an air of echoing emptiness.  Jeff had wanted to ensure that his older boys had a space to come back to and call their own and with money no object the city pad he had procured was obscenely large for a place normally occupied by just three people.  The executive styling added to the cold and impersonal air of the place.  It was an environment where people co-existed rather than lived and the extra rooms for absent siblings only seemed to enhance the feeling of loneliness.  It felt good to be in Denver rather than Los Angeles, even if the reason for the visit stung.

Gordon sat down on the couch, bouncing slightly to test its springiness.  The apartment was a compact, one bedroomed affair and he knew the couch would be his bed for the next few nights.  The sound of a coffee maker and the chink of mugs from the kitchen showed that Virgil still had his caffeine addiction and the warm aroma of good coffee was soon filling the space, adding to the general air of comfort.  Before many minutes had passed his brother was back beside him and two brimming mugs sat steaming the coffee table 

“Hey, so you decided to come check out my school.  It’s a great place here, you’ll love it.  I can show you around all the labs and things while it’s still quiet, maybe introduce you to some of the faculty depending on what area you want to specialise in.”

Virgil’s enthusiasm was met with stunned bewilderment.

“Dad said you were looking at college, right?” he probed, tentatively. 

Evidently this trip wasn’t just about Gordon not being trusted at home.  Even from afar his father was making his intentions clear and pushing his own agenda of what he expected of his sons.  Virgil watched as the teenager in front of him stiffened, a defensive shell seeming to rise up around Gordon and a sullen look appeared across the features which had seemed so relaxed and at ease until that point. 

“No, Dad just didn’t want me staying home alone.  Look, I’m sure it’s great for you but I’ve got no plans for college at all.  In case you hadn’t noticed I’m not exactly college material.”

Witnessing the self-depreciation from his brother stung.  Busy lives meant he hadn’t spent much time alone with Gordon in the last few years.  The young man in front of him was clearly hurting and Virgil’s caring nature was screaming at him to make it better but he felt woefully ill-equipped to counsel the troubled teen.  

“I’m sure that’s not true.  You’d be able to go to college if you wanted to.  You’re smart; you were hardly at school the last two years and you still managed to graduate with good marks.”

Gordon turned sorrowful eyes on his brother, he had never been able to be angry with Virgil and fighting with the gentle giant didn’t come naturally.  There was something about Virgil that reminded him of Mom; something that invited him to open up, safe in the knowledge that he wouldn’t be judged.

“And what if it’s not what I want?  Sometimes it feels like I don’t have any say in my life.  Dad wants me to stop swimming.  Do you have any idea what that feels like?”

Truth be told, Virgil didn’t.  He had only ever met encouragement for his plans, he had been supported and his passions had been indulged.  Music lessons and art classes had co-existed with school, ensuring he had a therapeutic release from his more traditional studies.  His desire to study engineering had been greeted with enthusiasm and a generous allowance.  To hear that a brother was being expected to give up their passion was a surprise to him.

“I’m sure Dad only wants what’s best for you.”

“Yeah, it always comes down to what Dad wants.”  There was a snort of derision.  “But news flash Virgil, I’m not like the rest of you.  I’m never going to get into Harvard or Yale or anywhere else Dad would approve of.  And I don’t want to.  I have one thing I’m good at and now that’s being taken away.”

“I’m sure that’s not true Gordo, there are lots of things you’re good at.  Look, maybe college isn’t the right place for you but don’t sell yourself short.  It sounds like you and Dad just need some space apart from each other for a bit.  He’s got a lot on at the moment, there’s a big project in the pipeline and you know how focussed he can get when that happens.  You know, you are always welcome here if you need some breathing space.  And I promise, no campus tour unless you want it.”

“Thanks Virg.  Maybe a break will do me good.  It’s all just so tense back home.”

Gordon felt a heavy arm slung over his shoulders as he was drawn in to a hug that held more meaning than the brief embrace of greeting he had received earlier.  Virgil had always been the most free of the siblings in showing his love physically.  With Virgil moved out Gordon couldn’t remember the last time he had received a hug from anyone other than Alan and those were becoming more rare and awkward as the pair aged. 

His initial instinct was to push away but he didn’t want to hurt Virgil’s feelings.  He could feel the beating of the larger man’s heart and he found the rhythm soothing.  The tension he hadn’t even realised he was carrying began to slowly dissipate and he melted into the soft cotton of Virgil’s shirt.  He took a few deep breaths to steady himself before slowly pushing himself out of the embrace.  

“Better?”

He nodded, not yet trusting himself to speak.

Gordon settled back and savoured the coffee.  Perhaps the time in Denver wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

[21stcenturyhope]

BTS Imagine // As your jock boyfriend (Hyung Line)

pairing: jock!bts x reader

genre: fluff, humour

notes: read maknae line here

Kim Seokjin

“Come on, Y/N! I’m a really good teacher!” 

Your boyfriend was tightly grasping both of your hands as he insisted that he should be the one to teach you.

“I’m sure you are, babe. But it’ll take you less than five minutes to get bored on the bunny hill and then you’ll be begging me to let you go do the Black Diamond trail.” 

Jin pouted because you were right. He was a competitive snowboarder while you had never really been into winter sports until you met him. You mostly preferred to cheer him on from the sidelines but you had suggested a weekend getaway at a nearby ski resort.  You had even signed up for snowboarding lessons much to Jin’s chagrin.

“Y/N, I thought this whole weekend was about spending time together.”

“Actually, this weekend was for me to learn more about what you love so much. Tell you what - when you’re all done with your fancy snowboard things, you can come join me for one last run before dinner. That way I can show you what I learned!” 

Jin knew you never changed your mind once it was set on something so he gave in. Letting out a dramatic sigh, he pulled you in for a sweet goodbye kiss. 

“Fine. But the instructor better not hit on you.”

Min Yoongi

As the buzzer rang out signalling the end of the game, your enthusiasm was uncontrollable.

“WOOHOO! That’s how we do it! Get it, Min Yoongi!” 

Your loud cheers caught the attention of your boyfriend. Making eye contact with you, he gave a quick shake of his head at your antics while that endearing gummy smile stretched across his face. You quickly ran down the bleachers to meet him on the court where you jumped into his arms for a congratulatory kiss. 

“You would think this was the Olympics and not just some intramural college basketball game with the way you were cheering. You are so embarrassing, Y/N.” 

You knew Yoongi didn’t mean it by his wide grin and the teasing lilt in his voice.

“I live to embarrass you, you should know that by now. Okay, time for celebratory milkshakes!” After letting him say quick goodbyes to his teammates, you grabbed Yoongi’s hand to drag him out of the gymnasium. 

“Y/N, is that... my name on your jersey?” 

Glancing quickly over your shoulder, you looked at your handiwork your boyfriend was referring to. 

“You like it? I did it myself.” 

Yoongi pulled you back towards him so that the two of you were now chest to chest. Reaching up, he cupped your face with both hands. 

“You must be my new lucky charm,” he grinned before capturing your lips in a kiss.

Jung Hoseok

You were not impressed with your boyfriend right now. 

He was the tennis captain of your college varsity team and the two of you had been dating for a few short months now. On this fine weekend morning, he decided it would be a good idea to wake you up early to hit a few balls. 

“Come on, Y/N. I’m the captain of the tennis team. You had to expect that I would bring you out for a few rallies eventually.” 

“I knew it was coming but foolish me always thought it would be at a reasonable hour of the day. Not at seven in the morning on a Saturday.” You continued to pout and drag your feet, readying yourself at the service line after doing some quick stretches. 

Hoseok began to pepper your face with small kisses until the frown finally left your face. Only when you were finally smiling did he get into position on the opposite side of the net. 

“So, I figured we could hit a few balls just so I know what your playing level is at and then we can go from there,” Hoseok called out. You waved your arm in response, signalling that you heard him and were ready to get started. The faster this was over, the faster you could get back to bed. 

With impressive force, you pushed off your feet as you served an ace right down the line, the ball zooming past Hoseok’s shocked expression. 

“Y/N... what the heck?! You did not tell me you could play tennis!”

“I played a little in high school,” you shrugged nonchalantly. After a couple hours of great rallies, Hoseok was finally ready to call it quits for the day. Throwing his tennis bag over one shoulder, he reached out to hold your hand on the way to your usual breakfast spot.

“That was great, Y/N! We should play more often. I’m going to book a court  for every Saturday morning until the end of the semester!” 

Oh, great.

Kim Namjoon

You loved moments like this together with Namjoon. 

Your boyfriend was the star javelin thrower on the track and field team. As a result, the two of you had frequent gym dates. But what you enjoyed most was the time the two of you got to spend together after working up a sweat. 

Now freshly showered, the two of you were cooking up a storm for your post workout meal. Well, you were cooking up a storm since Namjoon’s culinary skills still left a lot to be desired. Today’s menu featured grilled chicken with roasted vegetables while Namjoon finished blending your protein smoothies. 

“Behind you,” Namjoon said as he came up behind you. Your back was firmly pressed against his chest as he reached for the cups located in the cupboard above your head. He pressed a quick kiss to the top of your head before moving on. 

These days, the words ‘I love you’ were always on the tip of your tongue. Neither of you had said it yet but in moments like this, you came pretty damn close. It might be too soon to say it out loud but you could see yourself doing this everyday with Namjoon for the rest of your lives. 

After finishing a scrumptious meal, Namjoon pulled you into his lap and wrapped both arms tightly around your waist. You leaned into him, fully accepting his embrace as the two of you just sat there enjoying the comfortable silence.

“Hey, Y/N?” 

“Yeah, Joon?” 

“I love you.” 

Your lips stretched into a huge smile as the warmth and sincerity of his words washed over you. 

“I love you, too.”

[nctloveclub]

unexpected

→ pairing: nakamoto yuta x reader

→ prompt: (not so much) enemies-to-lovers!au

→ genre: fluff

→ words: 2k

→ a/n: oof sorry for not posting !!! also this isn’t proofread lmfao but i hope it isn’t too bad !!! also my first bulletpoint imagine and lowercase intended

so you and yuta haven’t always been so distant like ,,, you guys were like friends when you were younger

but then like you know shit happens ,, people grow apart. yuta was more outgoing and started playing sports

he was an amazing soccer player and so he got his new friends , and you felt like you got put on the sidelines ??? like “??? some type of friend you are”

so then you and yuta didn’t talk much after and you were disappointed but you slowly got over it

and now at this point he was just a face you would see

he also got his own little fanclub that would follow him around yeet

but then he started acting like an ass ??? like he got more cocky and arrogant so you just rolled your eyes whenever you heard and or saw him

but while yuta got into sports, you leaned more towards photography and journalism you know, like more fine arts

so you joined yearbook, though you were interested in newspaper, you wanted to mostly take pictures tbh

so now you’re here, a fucking senior and you’re ecstatic!!! because like it’s your last year !!!!

you joined yearbook freshman year and now that you’re a senior, you wanted your last yearbook to be the best yearbook

so you always had your camera on you and you hung out with winwin and mark. you would call them your best friends oof sorry yuta

the three of you had a couple classes together, but you had the same lunch and that was more important

you always sat together and always talked shit about other people about life and how you wanted to die from stress

you used lunch to take pictures as well, capturing everyone just talking and just taking candids

but senior-editor doyoung, he assigned you to take more pictures of sports and the teams

and you like were like ,,,, wh a t

“stop being so dramatic y/n, just take pictures of the teams. you know this involves you actually going to their games.”

and like you never wanted to punch something so much

but you just gave him a nod, it’s your last year and you should just take the damn pictures

so you told winwin and mark about what happened and wow they fucking teased you

“now you’re forced to go games. good fucking luck y/n/n”

“what do you mean ‘good luck’ im dragging your asses with me.”

“WHA T.”

“IF I’M GOING DOWN, YOU’RE ALL GOING DOWN WITH ME”

so now here the three of you were, at a soccer game and you never wanted to die more

so while you sat on the bleachers and talked with mark and winwin, yuta scanned the cheering crowd

and his eyes fell on you and his eyes widened because like ?? what are you doing here ?? you don’t like sports ??

he had a small feeling hope that you were here to see him but he won’t admit it

then he walked over to you with a smirk on his face and you looked at him with an annoyed look

“hey baby girl, you here to see me?”

you just stared at him like ‘um ,,, what ??? you wish nakamoto. i’m just here for yearbook business’

and then yutas like ‘sure you are princess’ and he winks at you and you just groan in annoyance like wOW that was horrible

mark and winwin tease you about your short interaction and you’re just like “shut the hell up before i smack the shit out of you”

you then stopped talking when you heard a whistle blow i don’t know how sports work and you then you saw people playing

so you grabbed your camera and started taking pictures of the players in action

honestly you were somewhat interested in the game but you just kept taking your pictures

after what felt like forever !! the game ended and your school had won and the whole soccer team ran towards yuta and they held him

so you snapped a picture of the action and you looked over it and you thought it looked nice

you even included yuta’s healing smile and honestly you were proud about how well it and the other pictures turned out

so next school day you show doyoung the pictures and hes like “!!! nice !!! these look really good y/n!!”

you beam like “fuck yeah im a great photographer” and then doyoung tells you something and your bubble just bursts

he tells you that he wants to have a little section to star player nakamoto, which includes an interview

now guess who’s interviewing yuta !!!! you lmfao and but you don’t argue because doyoung can be one scary motherfucker so it’s best not to speak ya know

so now you’re back at another soccer game and only mark is with you this time because winwin had to study

once again Yuta notices you at the game and he feels a bit happy

so he walks over to you and mark and he gives you his signature smile and you just roll your eyes

“hey princess, you’re here again! if i didn’t know any better i’d say you’re my good luck charm.”

does that make sense lmfao i can’t flirt

and you just like ,,, feel your cheeks heat up a bit and Yuta thinks you’re still as cute as you were as a kid

“funny Nakamoto.  i’m here to get an interview with you” and Yuta smiles

“that’s cool. just meet me after the game ends and we can grab something to eat”

you nod then yuta walks away and mark just looks at you. “I thought you didn’t like yuta???”

and you’re like “I don’t like him ??? He’s annoying” and mark just scoffs because like “It didn’t seem like it with all that flirting”

“WE WERE NOT FLIRTING !!!!”

“yeah sure.”

The game ends and mark gives you a wink before ditching you and you’re just like “dickhead. we were NOT flirting”

You see yuta in his uniform and he looks gorgeous

he sees you and waves you over and you walk towards him

“i’m ready for interview. let’s go somewhere to eat”

the two of you go to a little restaurant, like those family owned ones support small businesses!!!

the two of you order some food and yuta is just giving you a smile and you’re like

what ?? why are smiling ???

and he just shrugs and you roll your eyes, getting your interview questions ready

you ask basic questions like, what got you into soccer? what are your responsibilities as a leader? and some other personal questions

soon after, the two of you are no longer just doing the interview, as you got what you needed a while ago

so the two of you just eat and talk about what had been going on in your lives. honestly you start to warm up to yuta again and you’re just like

“why haven’t i talked to you before??? you’re still the yuta i know??? why are you so cute ???”

so it gets late and yuta walks you home and before he leaves he gives you a wink and his healing smile and you’re just like “what is this feeling ,,, in  my chest”

next day you give doyoung your interview and he doesn’t scold you and compliments you and you’re just like fuck yeah i’m the best

you continue on with your life and you and Yuta become more than acquaintances

you actually greet and smile at each other in the hallways and shit

TIME JUMP TO PROM SEASON lmfao

so you, mark, and winwin decide to go as a group

you and yuta had become friends again and it’s cliché but you developed feelings for him

but you know , we’re all filled with self depreciation and you’re like ???? he’s not gonna like me ???? we’re already great friends I don’t wanna ruin this

but you highkey lowkey wished yuta pulled a promposal and asked you

so it’s prom night and you honestly look hot as hell

you’re wearing the perfect dress that brings out your figure and you’re the fucking biggest hit

you do your hair and makeup to your liking and you’re like “why don’t i have a s/o already ????”

You, winwin and mark meet up and they were so shocked ?

mark: “wow y/n, you actually look decent for once!”

winwin: “she’s trying to impress a certain someone!!”

you scold and glare at them then yall head out to your prom

you enter the venue and wow it’s beautiful

everything is so nice and it’s decorated so well

you see a bunch of people already and there’s music playing

you look around and you spot Yuta with his friends; he sees you and makes his way towards you

mark and winwin just wink at you and walk off

yuta looks handsome as hell in a fucking tux and you just look at him with such adoration

like wow i really love this boy

wait love

yuta grins and he’s like “y/n !!!! you look amazing !!!”

you: “you don’t look too bad yourself”

yuta laughs at your comment and you smile bc he has the cutest laugh god

yuta brings out his hand and asks you to dance and you accept it

the two of you dance and mark and winwin are watching from the distance

then a slow song comes on and you and yuta just look at each other

yuta puts his hands on your waist and you bring your arms around his neck and you lean your head on his shoulder and the two of you slow dance

mark and winwin start fucking freaking out like

i !!! knew !! it !!! my ship will sail !!!

yuta suddenly speaks up

“you really do look beautiful tonight y/n”

you blush at his words and you smile

“thank you. you look handsome yuta”

yuta smiles at your words and he just looks at you with adoration

and unbeknownst to you, yuta had actually liked you as well and he really wanted to ask you to prom but you know he didn’t know if you liked him back !!!!

he found out you were gonna go as a group with mark and winwin and he just pushed the idea aside

so now he’s dancing here with you and his heart is beating fast and he’s gonna confess !!!!

“you know y/n, i miss us. I missed being friends with you.”

you look up at him and he’s looking at you. you’re quiet, letting him continue

“then i saw you at my game and wow you still looked as beautiful as ever. You were there for yearbook but i was happy you there period. We got close and became friends again. But i realized I wanted more. I don’t wanna be just friends with you. I like, hell maybe even love, you so much.”

and you’re like so close to crying because wow ,,, yuta liked,, shit fucking loved you back and you just give him the widest grin

“i love you too.” you reply and Yuta is fucking ecstatic

he takes one of his hands and cups your cheek and brings his lips to yours

mark and winwin are legit just freaking out !!! but like mark has to pay winwin bc the winwin betted that you and yuta would end up together

you and yuta pull away and your cheeks are all red from blushing and yuta is grinning

yuta: “so y/n would you be my girlfriend?”

you: “of course you dork.”

yuta smiles and kisses your lips and the two of you continue to dance

and you bet that night yuta got a stern talking to from mark and winwin, something along the lines of

“i don’t give a DAMN if you’re an athlete, if you hurt y/n, i’m hunting your ass down and beating the shit out of you!”

needless to say, the four of you have a memorable night and it was the blossom of a fun and loving relationship

i hope this wasn’t bad lmfao feedback is appreciated

[exosmelody-blog]

Who is The Monster? Chp I Part I

Chapter I: Diamond

Part 1

“Are you guys listening??!” Suho’s voice rang through the bluetooth of Chanyeol’s Toyota 86. From the backseat Sehun and Baekhyun exchanged the usual mocking expressions when Suho mom’d them. It was just after sunset and the street lights were flying past them, but Baekhyun hardly paid them any mind. His eyes were fixed glaring at the caller ID on the console of the Sports vehicle.

“Hmm.” Was all Sehun replied.

“Baekhyun! I need you listening! Not Sehun!” Suho scolded, there was more worry in his voice then frustration. Baek just slouched against the leather of his best friends backseat.

“Baekhunnie, we aren’t kidding. If you give one person the wrong look, or flirt with the wrong slut, we could allll be royally fucked.” Chanyeol added in attempts to grab Baeks attention, glancing back at them as he sped down the highway. Finally Baekhyun sighed and said,

“Shouldn’t you give Kyungsoo, this talk? I don’t give people weird looks…” He pouted, annoyed with this dragging lecture. He could occasionally hear Minseok chuckle on his end of the call.

“Kyungsoo does not cause trouble like you do!” Following Chanyeol not too far behind, Suho glanced in the rear view of his Vanquish at Jongin and Kyungsoo. The later whom was smirking at Baekhyun's complaining. He could already imagine the look of suffering on Baeks face.

“This is exactly why we haven’t brought you to this stuff, you never take it seriously enough, Baekhyun-ah… We could all get hurt or lose our cars, or tarnish our public image… or worse, we may have to ask for Kris’ help!” Chanyeol half-joked. This caused a small laugh across all three vehicles. Minseok was following close behind alone in his Subaru BRZ, but he was in the call with the other six in the event he might have something say…. Which was unlikely. This was surely amusing though!

“Look… Just don’t talk to any girls that are hanging around ANY guys. Only talk to a group of girls. Those are usually clean and not taken. Don’t challenge anyone or talk shit. Don’t sit on anyone elses car and the really rich guys, don’t give them a reason to talk to you. Easy enough, Baek?” Sehun turned to look at the bored Idol, his expression the usual indifferent and distant.

“Yeah yeah I got it…”

“If you guys want a drink, make sure you buy it from the bar! Not a random girl. Only have one or two drinks if you plan to race. Now I brought this car, so you guys could race it if you want. Now that you all have your license and have been driving for awhile, a race shouldn’t be too hard. Just don’t crash the car. Whatever you do, just don’t crash into anything or anyone. Losing is better than dying. Only bet the cash you are willing to pay!” Chanyeol also scolded. From the other end of the line, Kyungsoo and Jongin nodded, this was all along the lines of common sense but it was good to know regardless.

“Then how will we race if we didn’t bring money???!” Baekhyun protested with half hearted confusion because of course, he had brought money.

“Don’t worry, there are tons of races that don’t bet money or they bet slips but I don’t think Chan or Junmyeon would let you bet their babies….” Minseok chuckled. Baekhyun looked up at Chanyeol through the rear view, his dark bangs could not hide the growing curiosity and excitement in him.

“This….is why I brought this car instead of the Vulcan or the Mercedes. I don’t mind if you guys lose this one…. Please try not too though…” He chuckled awkwardly.

“Would you let us race your Vanquish, Junmyeon??” D.O asked with legitimate curiosity. Suho only looked in the rear view with sad eyes.

“Don’t worry, I will let you two use my BRZ… I can just win another car if you guys lose this one. No biggy.” All six could almost hear that sweet smile Minseok makes moments like this. He was too sweet sometimes.

“Thank you, Hyung~” Jongin called, the sincerity could not be more clear in his voice. Back in the Toyota, Baekhyun rolled his eyes. Even though he had been to these drag races before, he was for some reason, very nervous and doing everything in his power to hide it. Perhaps because he had never been able to race or mingle around the large crowd. He usually just sat in the passenger's seat while Chanyeol raced or watched from the sidelines. He never participated...

    Honestly, Jongin, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were all very nervous. They had never participated in this stuff unlike all the rest of EXO. But there was a first time for everything. A wednesday night was an odd choice though for their first time…

    All three newbies had no idea where they were going, only that it was on the edge of town. The rest of the ride there was in silence and its a good thing too. All seven members were trying to relax. Especially Suho. He was beyond worried. He didn’t really think they should need to experience this… it was always a risk to their livelihood. But if they were going to do it, they might as well do it together, it was safer that way…

    After what felt like an eternity to Baekhyun, they finally heard the loud reverb of engines and tires squeals. Sehun sat up from his seat enough to look out the window. Kai and D.O didn’t bother, they were too busy trying to relax and not look so tense. Easier done for Kai… Easier said for Kyungsoo..

    As they pulled up and around the large crowd, Chanyeol added some final words…

    “Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t look scared, and if you are going to race, let me know first. If you are going to pick a girl up..… find another way home.” They all snickered at his final comment. “If you can’t find any of us, call us. If you see Kris or Luhan, be nice. They will gladly hang with you. Don’t wander too far!” Suho said his last words. However Baekhyun was not paying attention, neither was Jongin.. There was too much commotion outside their vehicles. So many cars and so many...short skirts. The crowd was not that big, probably because it was a Wednesday night. However there was still a considerable amount of people. The boys were used to large crowds of course. However, they were used to crowds of love. Not strangers….potentially hostile strangers.

“They are still people… Just talk to them normally…most of the people won't recognize us... if they do, they won't really care….” Sehun whispered to Baekhyun softly after seeing the look on his face. Baekhyun was a sweetheart sure… but he could be awkward sometimes.. And he knew this. He just nodded with his usual confident, bright smile. Fake it till you make it, right??

    Before they knew it, The vehicles all came to a stop. They parked in a rather open circle, all three vehicles pointing inwards. With that said, Baekhyun didn’t hear anything Suho or Chanyeol said before they exited their supercars. As soon as they all stepped out of their vehicles, they were met with the loud music, laughter and engine revs of the usual racing area.

    Kyungsoo found this all very, interesting… The excessive noise and colors. It was like a very disorganized concert kind of…

    Jongin was very intrigued. He actually wished he had a car of his own to show off.. He watched as Minseok and Chanyeol raised their hoods and got comfortable leaning against them. They had picked a very good spot to watch the races around the loop of the highway. Kai followed their example and leaned against Suhos Vanquish, Junmyeon only raised a brow at the younger before accepting it. The Vanquish was very expensive, in fact one of his most expensive possessions. He rarely raced it. He mostly brought it for show…

    Baekhyun on the other hand was so excited now that he was in the crowd. He quickly got himself lost. As soon as he was out of the 86, he picked a direction and started to walk. He was going to explore thoroughly.. Sehun tried to keep track of him, but quickly lost him in the crowd….

    It was a little quiet tonight, but thats okay. It was a Wednesday night. No need to get too crazy right? Pfft, wrong. Every night is a good night to get into some trouble or at least have fun…. As a regular around these parts, I had already said my daily hellos and caught up with everyone. However I hadn’t raced yet tonight… I sat on top of my Black F-Type. Normally, I would be off making conversation or dancing with some other gorgeous girls, giving the boys a show. Yet, I wasn’t feeling it tonight… I felt like I needed something a bit more exciting… or just something different. The same old was you know… the same old. Thats when excitement found me…

    “Ayumi-ah!” a familiar voice called out. I turned and was met with sparkling deer eyes and a cute nose.

    “Luhan-ah! I’ve missed you!” I squealed and slid off the hood of my jag, right into the stars arms. It had been sooooo long since I had seen him. He looked just as gorgeous as ever…

    “I have missed you too! I seen you’ve made some changes to your favorite…” He said, pulling away from my embrace just enough to eye the F-Type. His eyes were full of wonder and cuteness just like they always have been, now with a small hint of fascination… “it was like a charcoal color when I last saw it…” he glanced back at me. I only smiled as he inspected further. “These lights though!” He exclaimed looking under my car and within the interior. A bright purple lined my Jaguar. It wasn’t exactly intimidating or terribly unique. But it was pretty and fun. I think that was enough for me.

    “Yeah, I thought this look would suit me more….” I nodded, leaning against the side, watching the idol with warm curiosity. He really was a sight for sore eyes. His copper hair in messy waves. Even dressed casually, a grey jacket over a plain grey shirt, and black jeans, he managed to be very handsome.

    “Dark and mysterious? No way, that's not you!” He laughed, standing back at full height and squeezing my cheeks. “You need something more colorful! Like the NSX you had! It was so pretty and you!” The Chinese idol continued to play with my face. We were very comfortable with one and other. We had both been through a lot and if there was anyone out there that I might call close to a best friend, besides Chanyeol of course, It would be Luhan….speaking of Chanyeol…

    “So if you are here, does that mean Minseok is here tonight?” I smirked and nuzzled into his hands further. His cheeks became a visible red.

    “Well...I was actually going to ask you if you had seen Chanyeol at all tonight…” He raised a brow as his lips curled into their own teasing smirk. I shook my head out of his grasp.

    “Oh don’t even! I do not look at him like that! We both just like loud and fast things……...That did not come out righ-” Too late.

    “Clearly you do! I bet that's exactly how he wants you!~” He laughed giddly to himself. I could only retort with a gentle shove as he laughed to himself.

    “No I haven’t seen Chanyeol tonight… Or in awhile for that matter. I saw Minseok last week though…” I eyed him as his laughter came to a slow. He held himself and began to scan the crowd…..seemingly looking for his thoughts within it.

    “Hmmm...well since I can’t find either of them and Kris is busy being..Kris…” Chasing tail probably…  “We should race!” He smiled bright and excited like. It had been well over six months since my last race with this cutie…

    “Hell yeah, loser buys a round!” I called, hopping into my F-type beside us. He chuckled as he ran off for his own vehicle.

    “Deal!”

“Ay! Minseok! Isn’t that Luhan’s Maserati?” Junmyeon called, pointing to one of two vehicles that lined up at the start line. Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, Jongin and most importantly Minseok all looked up to see. The spot that they picked was at the top of an incline not too far away. Overlooking the start line, giving them a clear view of every race. So far they were all very close calls. However observing strangers didn’t seem to help put the newbies at ease...

    “Looks like Ayumi is here too. I guess they are going to race~” Was all Minseok said. His eyes locked on the racers.

    “Luhan is here?” Sehun asked as he finally dragged Baekhyun back from within the crowd. Baekhyun now looking increasingly confused.

    “Luhan? Where??”

    “Shh!” Chanyeol silenced them just as the panties hit the ground, and off they went. Their engines roared through the night as they took off. The boys watched as the bright red Maserati out raced the purple lit car….or so it seemed. When they rounded the loop, the black car drifted and passed up the red. From that point on, the red was on the blacks tail. With a last push of Nitrous, the race was over and black won.

    “Oh! Damn, she’s as fast as ever…” Chanyeol laughed. Minseok, turned to give the rapper a look. Hands in pockets he said,

    “Ayumi is one of the best racers in the city… of course she would win..” Minseok laughed softly.

    “So wait, that was Luhan??” Baekhyun asked to confirm. “He lost??”

    “Yeah, but not a lot of people would’ve won that one, she is very fast.” Sehun shook his head with a small laugh.

    “Yeah, Luhan knew he was going to lose…” Chanyeol added before Kyungsoo asked,

    “So, if Luhan knew he was going to lose...he actually raced just for the sport of it.. there really are races that are purely for fun….?” He looked up at Chanyeol with some level of uncertainty in his eyes. Baekhyun and Jongin looked up with the same tension in their eyes..

    Chanyeol laughed. “Of course! We told you guys that! Anyone can race as long as the stakes are agreed on…” He smiled. The three seemed to appear more relieved.

    “I will be right back..” Minseok called softly as he started for the finish/start line where Luhan could be seen exciting his bright red car. Chanyeol raised a brow.

    “Bring them over!” was all Chan said before Xiumin disappeared into the crowd, only nodding in response.

    “Lulu! You can do better than that! I know you can!” I laughed and snuggled into him. My face barely reached his shoulder, muffling my words. He seemed to hear me fine though.

    “Oh please! You always win against me!” He laughed as we shuffled around in each others arms. We needed to move our cars from the start line for the next racers, but a cute victory hug was acceptable even for the crowd who were not surprised since this is me we are talking about. They cheered me on regardless.

    “Ayumi! Luhan…” Pulling away from Luhan, I found Xiumin approaching us rather lazily. He had a soft half smile like always and his black hair hung over his eyes, making his expression a little hard to read...as usual.

    “Minseok!” I called excited like and ran over to hug him as well. It had only been a week since I last saw the idol….but of course I hug all my friends! He returned the hug but I could feel his focus on someone else.

    “Minseok….How are you? Where are you guys at I couldn’t find you!” Luhan approached from behind and we all shared a mini group hug. I could feel Luhans breath on my ear, and Minseok across my cheek.. If I wasn’t sober I might’ve tried to take advantage of this moment… but we had to move our vehicles and there was no time to indulge in them. I sighed as I enjoyed their sculpted figures against me for a second.

    “Ill show you guys where we are at…” Xiumin pulled away from me with a knowing look...almost a smirk. He knew what I was thinking. I only giggled as Luhan and I retreated back to our vehicles, Minseok got into Luhans red Maserati Ghibli. Grrr, If only I could listen in on them! I know they have a weird… ‘unspoken’ history. But neither of them ever opened up to me about it. Oh well, one of them will tell me at some point.

    I followed behind Luhan slowly as the crowd parted for us until I could quickly spot Chanyeol’s red chrome Toyota Rocket Bunny. Of course, I got excited and parked to the left of it, following the customary circle, Luhan parking to the left of me.  

    “Ayumi-ah!” A deep voice called as I stepped out of my baby. I wasted no time running right into Chanyeol’s arms. He stood up just in time from his 86 to pick me up and swing me around. God he was so strong, I was like a rag doll in his grasp, him being so damn tall I barely reached his chest.

    “Chan!! Chann!!!! Let me gooooo!” I squealed because I knew what came next. I squirmed through my giggles as his grip grew tighter around me...and then I felt it. His fingers poked and pinched my sides. “NO! I won! I don’t deserve this!!! Minseok!!! SEHUN! Get him off!!!” I cried out between squeals and laughter. Chanyeol only laughed and continued the assault. I looked up to see Sehun shaking his head and leaving me to fend for myself. Minseok only smirked. I loved Chanyeol. He was probably the only person who didn’t treat me like…. Well everyone always felt so fake sometimes. Chanyeol was always real with me. Even if that meant suffering with pinches and tickles.

“Yeol-ah, I think she’s turning blue...hehe…” I could barely make out Junmyeon somewhere to my right. With a smile in satisfaction, finally, after squirming and me almost running out of breath, he released me.

    “That never gets old… I love hearing you scream and seeing you freak out.” The rapper snickered down at me, pinching my side one more time.

“Thank you, Suho…...Stop et!” I huffed and reached out to pinch him. He shuffled back just in time as Luhan said,

    “Chanyeol! How are you! Looks like you finally brought these cuties with you.. Have you guys raced yet?” Luhan asked as he exchanged a tight hug with…. My eyes widened as I hadn’t noticed the rest of EXO here. Personally, I was a fan of the boys, but knowing Chanyeol had really changed the way I viewed them. He was real with me and treated me like a person, not an object. So I always made it a point to treat them the same… Nevertheless I hadn’t met Jongin, Kyungsoo or Baekhyun. The last of them was in a very tight hug with Luhan. Jongin looked right at home, he looked like a racer himself the way he leaned on Junmyeon's Aston Martin. Kyungsoo was much cuter in person. His dark hair very nicely styled up in a fresh arch. He didn’t look out place, but not like he owned the place like Kai. When Luhan finally pulled away, Chanyeol introduced us.

    “Guys this is Miyamoto Ayumi. She is an alternative model from Japan. Well… at least she was. I think she just races nowadays…”Chan laughed softly, glancing back at me with uncertainty. “Ay, this is Byun Baekhyun, Do Kyungsoo and Kim Jongin…” I am not going to lie. I was nervous as fuck. Not because they were EXO, but because they were Chanyeol’s friends more than anything. Not only that but they were like fresh meat and not familiar with this scene. I didn’t want to off put them… Regardless I reached out my hand to shake theirs.

    “Its nice to meet you!” Kai leaned forward, bowing slightly and took my hand in a friendly, excited shake. He was just as handsome in person. His light brown hair looked very sexy as it framed the sides of his gorgeous smile. I did blush but it was soft and hopefully unnoticeable.

    “A pleasure.” Kyungsoo was very polite and his eyes were very...curious. Like he was drinking in information as fast and intense as possible. I smiled warmly in response. His handshake was firm and strong. His bow soon after was very formal as well... Scary for such a smol cutie…

    “Chanyeol has never mentioned you.. I think…Nice to meet you though!” Baekhyun was talkative like I had been told. More importantly, the camera didn’t seem to do him justice. He looked much more masculine in person. His jawline was sharper and his frame was more broad then it was slender. He was much more handsome than I had anticipated. His dorky smile was the killer for me in this moment. Try as I might, his smile was contagious and I broke into a bright smile in response...even if this bitch Chanyeol never spoke about me..

    “I can’t imagine he would, you kids don’t need your ears tainted with my corruptive and salacious existence…” I smirked, expecting a very different reaction then I what i recieved.

    “Ah~ Standing next to Yeol you can’t be that bad. Do you beat his ass in races? That's probably why he never talks about you…” Baekhyun laughed. He was still shaking my hand for some reason. I wasn’t about to stop him. His hands were soft and the grip was friendly and not too hard. I only laughed and looked back at Chanyeol.

    “Well its not wrong… Chan are you embarrassed that you can never win?” I returned the snicker from earlier. I knew how competitive he was… Clearly Baek knew too..

    “No no no no...no! I… Okay definitely win a lot races! You know that, don’t feed them lies!” He stood up from his Toyota to defend himself, smiling in attempt not to laugh.

    Sehun scoffed. “Yeah sure…” Chanyeol wasn’t having it.

    “It’s not like you guys ever beat her in a race! Especially not with that thing!” He motioned to my F-type. Honestly, it wasn’t my fastest, but the handling was ridiculously good on it.

    “Junmyeon could probably beat me in the Vanquish..but someone doesn’t like to race itttt..” I stuck my tongue out at Suho. He shook his head and laughed.

“You are not going to bait me into a race… I am not Chanyeol.” He gave me a firm smile. Suho wasn’t having it either. I could only giggle in response. At this point I had forgotten about my hand in Baekhyun’s. I looked back at him, he was watching me closely, still holding my hand and no longer shaking it. His eyes were fixed and curious, not like Kyungsoo’s curious… but more of a… I felt him sizing me up. Guys did this a lot, and I was used to it. The only thing to do, is to return the favor.

    “Is Kris here, too, Luhan?” I heard Junmyeon from behind me, still on the hood of his Vanquish. My eyes wandered from Baekhyun's Nikes up his torn black jeans, over his White Supreme shirt, to his eyes. I smiled once I was done checking him out and released his hand. He looked surprised but quickly returned the flirty smile. God he was beautiful, even in simple clothes and no makeup…

    “Yeah but I haven’t been able to find him…. Kai, D.O Baekhyun… You guys should race.. Or at least you Minseok. Ay-ay told me you come around the track often…” Luhan stepped forward beside Xiumin. The Korean idol only laughed and shook his head.

    “Nah, tonight is for these three….” He nodded toward the boys. I walked around and sat against my F-type, motioning Sehun to come closer. Without a word, he approached. I gave him a tight hug as I listened to Luhan try to tease Chanyeol, Minseok or Suho into a race. Unfortunately neither of them wanted to race insisting they wanted the newbies to race. Sehun silently returned my hug. He looked very good tonight. He wore a white button up, black skinnys and black converse. His brown hair with as much volume as ever. We continued to snuggle as Chan asked the newbies if they were going to race at all tonight. Sehun and I were very comfortable with each other. Honestly, I had been to a lottttt of parties with him. We partied rather frequently together and I have woken up naked beside Sehun more than once. Except I don’t think I ever had sex with him...maybe I did.. I don’t know. I just know we have partied a lot together. I loved getting high as fuck with him and Chan. Those were great nights. If Sehun wasn’t an idol……..and potentially not interested in females… I would definitely pursue him. I looked up to inspect his jawline, when an idea occurred to me..

    “Why don’t the newbies race each other?” I asked the boys. Minseok and Junmyeon seemed to be caught off guard by this idea. Chanyeol jumped up and closed the hood of his Rocket Bunny.

    “Fuck yes. Ay..this is why I love you. Great ideas. Which of you two will go first…?” I could feel Sehun rest his chin on my head as we watched the three, whom were very much in shock by this sudden shift in situation.

//Hope you guys liked it so far! Don't worry only chapter one is really about racing. Chp 2 pulls away from that lmao. I'll post part 2 in a bit ❤️

[junker-town]

How Christian Wood saved his NBA career and turned into a star for the Pistons

Wood went undrafted. He was cut by four teams. Now he’s finally having a breakout season for Detroit.

Christian Wood’s NBA career was hanging on by a thread. He had been cut by the Philadelphia 76ers (the first time) so they could bring back Elton Brand. He was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks so they could sign Pau Gasol. The Pelicans let him go following the Anthony Davis trade when they were forced to clear roster space for so many new players and draft picks.

Wood was onto his fifth team in four years as he showed up to Detroit Pistons training camp on a partially guaranteed contract. He would battle for the 15th and final spot on the roster with Joe Johnson, the 38-year-old guard coming off an MVP run in the Big 3. Johnson was fighting to prolong his NBA career; Wood was fighting to prove he ever belonged in the first place. If Wood didn’t stick in the league this time, it was impossible to know when or if he’d get another chance.

It’s inevitable that talent falls through the cracks in a league that only has room for 450 players. Wood knows this as well as anyone. A former top-100 recruit, Wood chose to play his college ball at UNLV. He would declare for the draft after a breakout sophomore year, with some outlets (including this one) projecting him as a first round pick. Instead, Wood saw his stock plummet in pre-draft workouts, showing up out of shape (with nearly 15 percent body fat) and with questions about his ability to buy-in to what an organization wanted from him.

He sat through 60 picks of the 2015 NBA Draft without hearing his name. A photo of him processing his heartbreak became one of the defining images of draft night.

This is about the saddest picture from an NBA Draft you'll ever see -- Christian Wood realizing he's going undrafted. pic.twitter.com/be7ttxLBuT

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) June 26, 2015

Wood always had the tools to be an NBA player — blessed with a 7’3 wingspan, bouncy athleticism, and a smooth shooting stroke. He was simply raw and unpolished in a league that doesn’t have much patience.

This has been the year that he’s finally put it all together. Yes, Wood beat out Joe Johnson for the Pistons’ final roster spot, but he’s also done so much more: at this point, he might be Detroit’s best player and greatest hope to develop a future star. That is provided the team can keep him: Wood is going to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and he’s likely to get paid.

Since Detroit dumped Andre Drummond at the trade deadline, Wood has been nothing short of spectacular. In his last 12 games, he’s averaging 22 points and 10.2 rebounds per game on 54 percent shooting from the field and 37.3 percent shooting from three-point range. The stretch included a new career-high of 29 points against Oklahoma City, which he happened to break again the very next game against Utah by scoring 30.

This has been another lost season for the Pistons, the emergence of Wood is a real bright spot. This is how Wood’s breakthrough season finally came to fruition.

Wood is the total package on offense for a modern big man

Wood got his first real opportunity for NBA minutes with the Pelicans at the end of last year while Anthony Davis sat out amid his trade demand. He responded by playing like ... a rough facsimile of Anthony Davis. Even though it was only an eight-game stretch at the end of the season, Wood averaged 17 points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes per night. He’s carried that with him to Detroit.

Wood does not have a hole in his offensive game — he can do everything a front court player can be reasonably asked to do. Want a big man who can roll to the hoop and finish at the basket? Wood ranks in the 95th percentile as a roll man this season, grading out as “excellent” in such situations by Synergy Sports. Rudy Gobert still doesn’t know what hit him.

Christian Wood incoming! pic.twitter.com/1OyLFhN1kJ

— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 8, 2020

Want a big man who can pop out the three-point line and stretch the floor? Wood can do that, too. He currently ranks the 85th percentile on spot-ups (which also grades out as “excellent) and is hitting 37.5 percent of his threes on the season. He’s even starting to shoot off the dribble:

*George Blaha voice* Christian Wood for the long gun...and it goes!#PistonsNow powered by @RocketFiber pic.twitter.com/8PCliDShAU

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) December 7, 2019

Want a big man who can crash the glass after missed shots and get easy points? Wood ranks in the 85th percentile on putbacks, too. Perhaps the most special part of Wood’s offensive arsenal is his ability to put the ball on the floor and create offense for himself. How many 6’10 bigs are attacking a close-out like this?

Christian Wood with an out of nowhere baseline dunk and then a tech for taunting his own bench. pic.twitter.com/jH5GvR7Wb5

— Tas Melas (@TasMelas) November 5, 2019

On the season, Wood is averaging 1.152 points per possessions, which ranks in the 94th percentile of the league. He hasn’t always had the minutes or opportunity to show the full extent of his talent, but when he’s on the court, there haven’t been many bigs better on the offensive end.

Wood is having a major impact on his team

Wood isn’t just putting up empty numbers — he’s thriving in every on-court and all-in-one metric there is that captures performance in relation to team success.

The Pistons have a net-rating of -3.3 as a team this year. Wood is the only full-time player with a positive individual net-rating. He’s at a +2.2 in his minutes this year.

Wood is also crushing it in just about every advanced metric this season. He ranks No. 21 in the entire league in this cumulative version of the catch-all stats, ahead of Kemba Walker, Paul George, Pascal Siakam, Devin Booker, and plenty more.

If you sort every NBA player w/ 500+ MIN on March 9 by the AVERAGE OF THEIR RANKS in 12 catch-alls (RPM, RAPTOR, BPM, PIPM, PIE and GmSc/36, as well as cumulative versions of each), this is the top 30... pic.twitter.com/rev7U9tZJU

— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) March 9, 2020

The secret to Wood’s success? That he rarely misses when he shoots. He has an enormous 65.4 true shooting percentage and makes 63 percent of his two-point field goal attempts. While he isn’t known for his defense, he also isn’t terrible on that end, either.

His length, quickness and competitiveness at least gives him an opportunity to deter shots at the rim.

I don't think anyone will block Giannis the rest of the season as monstrously as Christian Wood did here pic.twitter.com/aR92BMaFz8

— Mavs Draft (@MavsDraft) February 21, 2020

Wood is in for a payday in free agency

Where does Wood fit into the Pistons’ long-term plans? He should be at the forefront. Along with rookie Sekou Doumbouya, Wood could be part of a real rebuild in Detroit. He already knows what the home fans want to hear.

#Pistons Christian Wood on physical play: "I play in Detroit, so I gotta bring that Detroit grit and I'm gonna bring that every time. I did it last game; I'm gonna do it today and every other game I play in."

— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) March 9, 2020

The Pistons will have a high lottery pick in the draft where they will ideally land a playmaking point guard (LaMelo Ball, anyone?). Can Wood play center? He’s mostly played the four this season, but that’s also Doumbouya’s best spot. Don’t forget about Blake Griffin, either, who does his best work at the four and had a tremendous season last year before injuries sidelined him for most of this season.

Wood should be looking at an eight-figure annual salary in free agency. Unfortunately for him, there aren’t many teams with that type of cap space. The Pistons do have money to spend, though, and keeping Wood should be their top priority.

Development in the NBA doesn’t happen overnight. Christian Wood is proof of that.

[mikeyd1986]

MIKEY’S PERSONAL BLOG 145, February 2019

On Monday night, I went to my Boxing small group fitness class at CinFull Fitness. Tonight was much warmer than I was anticipating and I was slightly worried about passing out but I found myself to be managing okay. I also rocked my official CinFull Fintess grey activewear shirt tonight and that felt really good. We did some warm up drills, a “Line of Fire” and an AMRAP (4 rounds) consisting of: 20 high punches, 10 situps/crunches, 20 uppercuts, 10 star jumps, 20 Russian twists and 10 squat kicks. This was really tough for me but I managed to get through it.

My brain was starting to lurk back into the past a little, back when I was training with Luke and Nick at UFT Playgrounds. I was always the slowest one in the group and that fact made me feel like shit. My anxiety had a field day flooding my mind with thoughts like “you’ll never keep up with the others. Why don’t you just give up now? You’re not good enough!” It’s one of the reasons why I left because my mindset was full of self-doubt and I was left on the sidelines.

Luckily, CinFull Fitness is a very supportive and encouraging environment to train in so thoughts like those usually deflate pretty quickly like a balloon. Comparing yourself to others doesn’t get you anywhere. It’s not productive at all. And at the end of the day, who cares? I’m also feeling a lot better about the fact that I tend to sweat a lot. It should be something to celebrate, not criticise. It means that I’m working out really hard which can only be a good thing.

On Tuesday morning, I had a blood test done at Pound Road Medical Centre in Narre Warren. No matter how many times I go through this, I always seem to get myself worried for no reason over having a needle in my arm. Thankfully, the pathology clinic was quiet as when I got there and barely sat down when I got called up. I did everything I possibly could to relax my mind and body. I refuse to look at the needle because that just makes it worse for me.

I was even using mindfulness techniques like listening to the nurse’s voice and casting my gaze over the dark grey medical cabinet, signs and a generic image of smiling hospital staff. At one point I did think “Hey, I’ve got this. Maybe I won’t have a bad reaction this time.” BOW BOW! Of course I did. Here comes the spontaneous outbreak of sweat, uncontrollable fever-like symptoms and weird buzzing in my ears. https://www.labtestsonline.org.au/understanding/coping-with-discomfort-and-anxiety

I actually did a good job of acting like I was perfectly fine as I signed the blood test paperwork and left the clinic. I guess it’s similar to riding a wave. Once I’ve overcome the part of my blood getting extracted and my body has cooled off from that reaction, then I’m okay. It’s still not a pleasant experience to go through but I’m very much used to it now. Plus it’s important especially if I want to get some answers about why my sleep patterns are so messed up. https://www.clinicallabs.com.au/patient/collection-information/preparing-for-your-test/

On Tuesday afternoon, I attended an Introduction to Creative Writing session held at Balla Balla Community Centre in Cranbourne East. Writing has been a passion of mine for most of my life. I remember writing highly imaginative stories back in primary school and receiving cool looking stickers on my work. It made me proud. 25 years later, I’m still doing it through my blogs, posts and reviews because it’s something I really enjoy and my best form of self expression. But I’m by no means in the same universe as writers like J.K. Rowling, Stephen King or Matthew Reilly.

This intro session was facilitated by Roderic Grigson who is a published author himself, writing mostly on the 1980’s civil war in Sri Lanka where he was born. He broke down the main characteristics that make for a good writer including: finding the time and discipline, the importance of reading, having sources of inspiration, writing about what you know and love, doing your research, the power of words and allowing your mind to wander.

He then talked about the writing process which includes the following steps: Prewriting, Writing, Revising, Editing and Publishing. This is not a linear process as writing is often drafted and re-drafted many times before the finished product is produced. Next he went through the building blocks to a story which include: Character, Plot, Structure, Setting and Theme. Lastly, he went through the different ways of getting your work published including traditional publishing and self publishing.

The next step will be to sign up to the 8 week Creative Writing short course which will begin in Term 2 of this year. I’ve actually considered doing a course like this for a while now but found many TAFE’s and educational institutes were far too expensive, too technical and out of my league. Whereas doing it at a community centre is much more affordable and accessible for me. Plus I’ll be learning a lot of new things and hopefully improving my writing as I go along. https://www.ballaballa.com.au/programs-activities/special-interest/

On Thursday night, I attended this month’s Aspergers Victoria Young Adults Peer Group Meeting. Tonight we all learned how to play lawn bowls at Caulfield Park Sports Club. The group leaders put on a BBQ dinner when everyone arrived at the Bowling Club. Led by guest speakers David and Paul, they explained the basic rules of the game plus how to hold and release a bowl. It’s all about precision, accuracy, speed, angles and distance.

The main aim is to get your bowls as close as possible to the jack or the white ball. You also have to be mindful about the target being to the left or right of the jack and knowing how much the bowl is going to curve. Then there’s the proper bowling technique, stepping forward with the preferred side of the body then kneeling down on the opposite side before releasing the bowl in a forward motion, all in one fluid movement.

The trickiest part for all of us was knowing how much force to apply as this game is very different to ten pin bowling. It’s very technical and takes a lot of practice to get right. We had to partner up and learn the basic skills of the game. I found that I was pretty ordinary to begin with, getting lots of gutter bowls and terribly aimed shots. But slowly I was getting the hang of it.

Being something new, it can take a while for it to finally click in and happen for me. We also spent some time inside watching a professional game of lawn bowls on Fox Sports and gaining some technical insight into what goes on. I was generally feeling pretty shy tonight but I met a couple of new people and most importantly had a good time learning something that I’ve never tried before. https://aspergersvic.org.au/event-3198926

“Everybody knows. The demons come and go. To have regrets is only human. But I just can't escape. The memories of mistakes. Round and round instead of moving on.” Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Until The Starts Collide (2014)

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON IMPERIAL’S MAIN RAP, LEAD VOCAL YOUNG TAEKYOON ...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Ty CURRENT AGE: 24 DEBUT AGE: 19 TRAINEE SINCE: 18 COMPANY: KJH SECONDARY SKILL: Lyric writing

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S): t.y (fan-given), young ty (fan-given / a play on american rapper names), taekie (group-given), yoonie (group-given), tae-taek (he is not sure who started this one), taeksthetic (fan-given / taek + aesthetic), 택선/taekseon (group-given / taek + 턱선/teokseon, the korean word for jawline. ty’s fans understand the meaning of the nickname, while others wonder why they are calling him “taxi”). INSPIRATION: his biggest musical inspirations (he has many) are big bang’s (power’s?) g-dragon and t.o.p, h.o.t’s tony, epik high’s tablo, bumkey, and eminem / commitment to living his life to the fullest and never giving up on his dreams, no matter how many, how crazy, or how unattainable they may seem. SPECIAL TALENTS:

frighteningly incredible at “random play” girl dances. he seems to know them all.

does many impressions of his groupmates for both variety’s sake and purely for the laughs, but they are different each time and while they are absolutely hilarious, they are not very accurate.

freestyle rapping: seemingly even without a beat, ty is pretty good at creating impressive flow and lyrics on the spot, no matter the theme — serious, nonsensical, silly, or playfully teasing.

NOTABLE FACTS:

his fans have deemed his personal fan club name TAEKIS to allude to ty’s undying love for takis tortilla chips. he is gifted armfuls of bags at fanmeets — so many that he can’t even seem to eat them all.

he is known for both his anime-esque good looks and likeness to the character jack frost. he is aware of this, too, and dressed as both jack frost and /cardcaptor sakura/ character li syaoran for past halloweens.

whenever he is not wearing pre-coordinated clothing, he is usually wearing all black.

as a result of being forced to be mostly self-sufficient from a young age, he has learned to be quite an excellent cook. this along with his obsessive cleanliness and love of skinship has earned him an unofficial “mother” role with his groupmates.

he is a graduate of seoul’s school of performing arts. he appears to be close friends with a large portion of his old classmates in addition to his current labelmates. 

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

he wants to continue writing the lyrics for imperial’s music. soon, he would love the opportunity to produce a whole song. he knows he has a capability but it’s all in due time –––– 99’s and the universe’s, naturally. the stars can’t always align. another goal of his would be to serve as a producer/mentor/judge on a music program. he thinks all of his skills more than qualify him to counsel trainees or newer idols, helping them mold themselves into the best performers they could possibly be. he also hopes to continue honing his dancing skills, as they could always improve.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

he would love to, one day, be the record holder for the longest-standing radio host on a single program. he has been the host of night night for well over a year now, and the memories and connections he’s made has only made his love for the show stronger and he wants to continue down that path for as long as he is able. in addition to radio hosting, he yearns to produce and write lyrics for as much music as he can. he knows that he cannot be an idol forever, and that fact certainly doesn’t make him love imperial any less –––– but he needs to think for the future too. working as a well-known producer for the k-pop and k-hiphop scene is one challenge he plans to tackle and succeed in.

IDOL IMAGE

young taekyoon is, in all seriousness, the boy you’d introduce to your sister.

ty, on that note, is just the same.

he’s friendly, loyal, and fun. charming, funny, trustworthy.

he’s the guy making rounds to other idol’s dressing rooms before performances, just to say hey and congratulate them on their new music and send them his best wishes.

his off-screen appearance may scream the opposite, however; he is almost always sporting a black shirt, jacket, and skinny jeans topped off with a black cap and sunglasses. while initially seeming unapproachable, the moment one begins to talk to him and catches a glimpse of his glowing, toothy grin, all prior uneasiness seems to float into the wind. at the end of the day, black is just a color. a hood over his head is just a fashion choice, a way to keep a few extra fans from recognizing him on the streets. airport and street fashion don’t define a person, but it certainly can create an image on fansites. his fans know, though, that he is not closed off and uninterested. and in reality, the fans are who matter. but he has to create a better image for himself in the name of his career and by order of 99. luckily, he hasn’t been told to throw away his favorite black jeans –––– he’ll opt for wearing them a few hundred more times, maybe.

he’s a guy who is willing to talk to anybody. a guy who can find the good in any person, no matter how bad they actually are –––– even if he can’t necessarily find the good in himself most days. others tend to gravitate toward him. and even more so when he is around his fellow groupmate who also happens to be a rapper. when those two are in a room together they’ve got everybody rolling on the floor.

putting on a show is his specialty, and quite literally his job too. even years after debut, he tends to feel uneasiness when first hopping up on stage, but give him a few seconds and he snaps into beast mode. he may be imperial’s main rapper and lead vocalist, but he can flow to the beat of the music pretty damn well. he wasn’t trained to be a dancer, but it’s always been a bit of a talent of his. he is improving, slowly, and hopes to hone those skills (along with his variety skills) to the likeness of the dancers in his group. still, he tends to be very popular with the fans. be it his powerful stage presence, natural good looks, or his leadership and charm, he doesn’t know –––– but what he does know is that he vows to maintain his image and raise to the top.

IDOL HISTORY

trigger warnings: parent death, mentions of bullying.

1994 ; pyeonghae, south korea.

on a particularly scorching july afternoon, young taekyoon was brought into the world in the comfort of his own home. his older siblings, ages 13 and 15 at the time, respectively, were born in the same fashion. his family was old fashioned like that. he resided in a small town on south korea’s east coast called pyeonghae, but his family was even smaller. to be exact, according to a past census (as he’d later discovered), there were only around 200 households who shared his last name — nearly 15 years after that census was collected, that number had decreased drastically. the majority of those households probably belonged to his immediate family. many of his family members were well into their lives when taekyoon was born –––– his parents were already over the age of 35 and each of his aunts and uncles were even older. in some ways, it was good for him to be surrounded by older, more traditional adults. he was taught to be respectful, mind his own business, and to behave like he ought to. on the other hand, it was nearly as if his childhood was robbed from him, and even more so for his little sister, who was born a few short years after him.

early 2000s ; 100% of the time, the good things in life are destroyed.

his parents were already fairly traditional in their views on parenting — no games before homework was complete, no eating takis until every crumb was eaten off dinner plates, no sleeping until teeth were brushed with toothpaste — but having been raising two teenage boys prior to his own birth, things seemed to be even more strict than they could have been alternatively. he was encouraged — forced, really — to excel in his education: perfect marks, involvement in extracurriculars, sports, and countless music lessons, but his mother tended to always push a little harder when it came to literature and language. she always claimed it was of upmost importance that he could articulate himself correctly and well, and spending extra study time in foreign language — namely english — would, in a sense, future-proof him. he’d thank her later.

but could he actually thank her later?

read: no.

at the tender age of 9, the family of six traveled the short few miles to a beachfront condo for a family vacation. it may seem like such an easy trip to plan, but in reality, it’d taken months to coordinate work, school, and event schedules so that the family could spend the entirety of the trip together with zero distractions. the most difficult to coordinate around were taekyoon’s father, a firm executive, and his older brothers, whom had jobs and girlfriends that were attached at their hips.

on the second day, everybody was at the beach: taekyoon had spent countless hours in the ocean trying to teach his sister how to swim, his older brothers were playing volleyball on the other side of the beach, and his parents sat on the sidelines, enjoying the beach as they watched their children have fun. one sick, twisted man, however, had something else planned for the family’s day.

out of absolutely nowhere, a quick, deafening gunshot tore through taekyoon’s eardrums, and when he snapped his head in the direction of the noise, his entire world collapsed. he remembers it vividly, and yet he couldn’t ever bring himself to disclose the details to any living soul since –––– not even his little sister who can’t remember one bit of the horrible events that took place that day. his poor mother had been shot, for no reason, with a gun much too powerful to have given her more than a few seconds of life after the bullet made impact. that day, a different kind of bullet ripped through taekyoon’s heart, too.

mid 2000s ; coping mechanisms.

taekyoon often heard the words of his mother in the back of his mind, telling him the importance of literature and how rewarding it is to express oneself through nothing other than words. he kept her advice near and dear to his heart, and took to poetry and creative writing to express his sadness. there were many times where he’d come home from school, go straight to his room, and write all evening — then he’d fall asleep while writing, wake up for school, and do it all over again. for a long time after his mother’s passing, their household was often in a state of pure dejection — his father no longer tried very hard to enforce his own rules, and his older brothers had started families of their own and weren’t around very often. his father very rarely even cooked dinner for himself or his two youngest children. it was not because he resented or didn’t love them, but he lacked the drive. as a result, the two children quickly learned to be rather self sufficient. taekyoon did much of the work for his sister, though. her laundry, cooking her dinner, and helping her with her schoolwork. he didn’t want to do it just as much as his father, but he knew his mother would want him to, and that was his driving force.

taekyoon without a doubt lost a piece of himself the day his mother left him, but it didn’t take long for him to discover a map that would allow him to find what was lost. soon, he’d be himself again.

2006-2008 ; exploring uncharted territory.

one day when taekyoon was 12 years old, after a school-wide presentation on studying abroad, he decided he wanted to spend his first year of middle school studying abroad in america. he knew it was important to his mother that he studied and applied foreign language, and literally immersing himself into the culture firsthand was the best way to do it, right? naturally, his father was entirely against it, because it was a big risk. he didn’t want to lose the next closest thing to him, but still, taekyoon tried to change his mind. he spent a few weeks completing odd outdoor jobs for people around the neighborhood, walking dogs, selling baked goods he prepared in his school’s home economics classroom, and offering tutoring to his peers for what seemed like pennies. in the grand scheme of things, he did not accumulate much cash, but somehow his efforts changed his father’s mind –––– soon after, he was on an airplane heading for california.

initially, in his new school, taekyoon had some trouble making new friends. the language barrier was his first big obstacle. he truly thought he had a good handle on the language based on his successes in class back in south korea, but when living in a place where he could only use english to express himself quickly proved nearly impossible. american students were also rather brutal. some of them were quick to introduce themselves to taekyoon — being friendly with the new kid was “cool.” on the other side, he was subject to bullying. often, in class when he had to speak in front of his peers, he would be made fun of when he stumbled over his words. taekyoon handled the ridicule quite well, though. of course, he was hurt, and sometimes even cried over it, but it also gave him an extra push to study english much harder. his host family was very supportive. he confided in the young couple often, and they made sure to set time aside some time every day to help him study: they studied with flash cards, reading aloud, and anything else they could think of that would aid in improve his skills.

his second obstacle was finding the answer to the riddle on the map to finding himself — and that answer was music. he enrolled in a music class with a focus on playing and digitally composing music. it was certainly a step-up from the small-group piano, cello, and violin lessons back home. quickly, he developed a love for composing music and writing accompanying lyrics. he truly had a talent for it, although it took some getting used to. being taught in english was difficult, but with music as a universal language, it soon became taekyoon’s favorite subject.

along with some of his classmates, he discovered a newfound love for rap. before going to california he’d never heard of the “legend” marshall mathers/eminem, but he’d be forever grateful to his peers for introducing him. those same boys were the ones who gave him his nickname, ty. it didn’t take long for the name to stick, and it quickly became more than a name. it was his whole identity. over time, ty became a social butterfly, spending his summer vacation performing at small parks in los angeles and improving his flow and lyricism.

as the end of summer approached, it was time for ty to move back to south korea. time had seemed to heal the entire family. when he returned home, his father and freshly teenaged sister seemed happy, and he got to meet his two baby nephews for the first time. it was good to see.

music stayed at the forefront of his mind as he entered school again, and he continued to pursue his dream when he wasn’t studying. he’d saved any money and resources he could to get his hands on some basic recording equipment — it was cheap and basic, but it did what he needed it to — and utilized it to create covers of existing songs and create some of his own. he mostly published his tracks on soundcloud, and despite the sparse audience, the practice faired well in improving both his rap and singing skills.

2011–2012 ; the words you say shape who you will become.

in the spring of 2011, with the blessing of his father, he enrolled in seoul’s school of performing arts. the music he’d recorded over the months prior helped when he was in the application process, and he was approved for admission to their department of practical music.

after a lot of discussion and planning, ty’s father and sister ultimately decided to pack up and move to seoul so ty didn’t have to be alone in a new, and big, city.

while studying at sopa, his rapping, singing, lyrical, and composing skills were truly built to a level that would be unattainable anywhere else. before enrolling, he understood that the end-goal was scoring a career in the entertainment industry, and there was something both intriguing and terrifying about that. he worked and worked hard, trying to stay at the top of his class so the name TY was known.

while he was trained in both a few different subject areas, his first love was writing lyrics. when he was in his element, he thought of his mom, and he found a comfort in that.

2013 ; an open door. soon after the beginning of his senior year of high school, ty had a big performance scheduled for one of his classes. it took over a month of preparation and perfecting, and he was notified that recruiters from neighboring talent agencies would be in attendance. he and a few of his classmates performed together, and though he didn’t believe he did his absolute best, he was approached by one of the men afterwards. the recruiter was sent from a company called 99 entertainment, and he told ty he wanted to have a meeting with him because he thought he fit the bill for their upcoming boy group, imperial. ty was ecstatic to say the least, but he was worried that he ultimately wouldn’t be good enough to be their final pick.

his father was weary –––– the entertainment industry was wishy-washy at best, and one of the last things he wanted was to lose his son to “the man.” he was only 14 and a half. impressionable, sensitive. but mature, dedicated, and eager to learn. ultimately, his father agreed to the meeting.

after a few short days, ty and his father met with a few representatives at the company building, and together they discussed the rigorous training process, living situations, and legalities. with the debut of imperial being planned for september, only a few short months away, ty would be practicing day and night to prepare. and rightfully so, especially because he’d never had proper training in dance. sure, he had to dabble in dancing a bit in school, but it was not a main focus for him.

in the few short months he trained, he received a fair amount of ridicule, be it to his face or things he’d heard through the grapevine. many idols or trainees who had been around for a while didn’t believe it was fair that he’d get to debut after such a short period, and it made him feel a bit shorthanded. was he actually good enough for this, or were they settling for him because everything was so rushed and he was their only choice? on the other hand, some praised him, and said that he deserved his spot in imperial because his rap and vocal skills were incredible. he wasn’t the first idol to be chosen to debut after a few months, and he surely wouldn’t be the last. despite the hardships, he couldn’t have been happier.

2014 ; light at the end of a dark hall.

with their debut album also came with a cameo from ty, where he starred in the heaven’s music video for piano man. following that personal victory was an unexpected hiatus, when a member of imperial left the company, downsizing their manpower from five to four.

ty wasn’t going to let himself sit and do nothing while waiting for 99 to do something, though. he began studying at kyunghee university, taking up a major in composition with a minor in vocal music. he kept up with this along with imperial’s wishy-washy schedules up until they finally released their ep in 2016.

his loyalty never once ran thin, and that was why he ended his enrollment in university. he wanted to focus on his first commitment, even if his first commitment wasn’t necessarily always being loyal to him.

2018 ; for the long haul.

there was a specific group he spent a lot of his time with — when he wasn’t practicing or recording for his radio show night night at the sbs building — and naturally, it stirred a bit of chaos in the rumor department. there was one female in particular, although she wasn’t a member of ty’s closest friend group, that fans seemed to pay extra attention to: a member of heaven with the initials r.e.b. the rumors were shut down very quickly, though, because ty and r.e.b weren’t close for the reasons fans assumed. they were actually step siblings, and 99 made sure the public knew that. while ty was training, his father and younger sister moved to seoul, and somewhere in the mix, his dad met r.e.b’s mother, and the rest was history. the rumors still spread at times, but it’s laughable by ty.

years after debut, and years of making connections, finally getting a chance to write lyrics for imperial, and scoring the main host spot on his own radio show, ty was truly starting to love where he was in life. of course, there were things he wished he’d done differently, but he was far too busy to dwell on the “what ifs” and “could-have-beens.” with his popularity steadily on the rise, he had time to work and sleep, much less think — but that was okay. he was reminded everything would be okay every time he set foot on stage and caught sight of the beautiful sunset gold oceanin the audience.

imperial’s fandom color wasn’t quite the same color as his powder-coated fingers after inhaling a bag of takis, but it was close. he vowed to stay loyal to his fans — even more loyal than they were to him — and he knew the countless hours spent in the 99 practice rooms with special fan-gifted bags of takis would prove themselves truly worth it one day soon.

[shilpapillai]

Sporting a new look

10 Jan 2018

This is 2018. This year I am going to set some goals. Mostly short-term, which I can complete throughout the course of this year. A few that are mid-term and a couple that is long-term.

So here begins.

Today is January 10, 2018. For the month of January, my goal is to find a sport that interests me and follow it. At the end of this month, I will have a sport to follow routinely, every time I pick up a newspaper or open a news website.

I have not played any sport, not regularly and have never been one to follow tournaments or games. Not even one to follow on peer pressure. It will be interesting to find out what this passion is all about. To understand a sport, a skill, a form of art.

I feel I can do Tennis and football. Tennis because it seems so calm and rigid. It is watching a pendulum on a clock. Time stops yet it is moving. Tick-tock.

Football is constant movement. There is never a moment of rest. You follow the ball, wherever it goes. It builds focus and a strong power of attention. You forget everything else and ignore anything else that takes place around the ball.

Cricket can be quite agitating, and basketball I am clueless about. Rugby or baseball are also not options that I would want to immediately explore because of my lack of knowledge on either.

As a child, I used to watch some sport. At least more than I do now. I would watch the Olympic games – swimming was my favourite. I would also watch some tennis and of course, football – especially the world cup. Thanks to my father, we also got to watch a fair amount of wrestling, which I am not very sure was a good idea.

My school did not provide us sufficient facilities to pursue sports. Only the best were considered and offered the school’s support and facilities. The others, they may have felt, couldn’t be encouraged as the school had neither the means of skilled professionals nor the support from the board to enhance sports amenities. We had a basketball court that was used as a parking lot for school buses at the start and end of school day. We had a wide cricket/football ground that held fairs and musical shows in the evenings – perhaps what it was built for in the first place. I know there was a swimming pool somewhere in the big auditorium facility, but I have never seen it. The indoor auditorium which was used for the school assembly was converted to badminton courts during school hours. There was a section for gymnastics, karate and table tennis too.

The number of courts was shamefully disproportionate to the number of students. While the best of the lot got to continue with their practices, the less fortunate ones, those who didn’t do sports just sat or stood on the sidelines reading comics or engaging in class gossips. There were even a bunch of nerds who would bring textbooks to study during sports class.

Then soft games such as chess or caroms were also there – which I have dabbled in as well. Chess was something I remember playing since I was really little, it could very well be the first sport I played – regularly. Living with my retired grandparents in a quiet Indian town, my only access to these activities was the exposure I got when my older cousins came visiting during their school holidays. My cousin taught me chess at a very early age because he was plain bored at home and needed an opponent to play chess with. This was to my advantage because chess was something that I continued to play through my growing years.

Since I was of a generation that had no cable TV in my early childhood days, I was lucky to explore these activities which build a sort of discipline in our lives.

Having no TV meant that the only way to keep entertained was to go out and find something to play with. Our home and its surroundings become our playground. The neighbourhood I grew up in had very few children. And in this lot, there were even fewer girls. So I never had a doll party or hair braiding sessions or kitchen parties or tea sets and the likes. I only had the local boys to go play with if I wanted to. I used to be hesitant at the start and would watch them play from a distance.

One day, as I stood on the sidelines of a make-shift cricket field, one boy came up to me and told me to take a spot as a fielder. He said, “just make sure when you see the ball flying towards you, to catch it! That is all you need to do.” And well, that is all I did. I would run like the wind to catch it. I am not sure about the exact chronology of events, but I do remember at some point I was used as the batsman and bowler too!

I also played football. I was mostly the goalkeeper, I remember, and would get yelled at by the boys, but I still played. And how I ran! I didn’t care about the world! I would just run and run just so that I catch the ball and toss it back to the field. This one day, a neighbour of mine tried to cheekily get me to babysit her toddler daughter while she tended to her little baby. I cannot remember where the rest of her household was at the time (because she always had a lot of people around her all the time, having just recently delivered a baby). One of the boys shouted out to me as he galloped to the playground that we were going to start a game and to hurry up. But as I left the room after staring at the new baby for a few minutes, the mother called out to me and asked me “are you sure you want to go and play with those boys and soil yourself or would you rather spend some more time with the baby?”

I remember I felt torn. I stood there on the lawn and flicked my head left and right wondering what choice to make. I also remember, at that age (7 or 8), that it was unfair of this lady to ask me to stay back and babysit her child while I should be out and playing. So I took the right choice then and turned towards the main road and ran to the playground. Children always follow their hearts and that is the beauty of their souls.

Kabaddi. I was fire on the court! The neighbourhood boys had no chance of surviving my wrath on the field. The adults used to be shocked at how this shy, plump, Gulfie kid (a term for people who live in the Gulf who are considered to be too spoilt, too fussy and too proud to engage in local play or living) transformed into a vicious, thunderbolt on the ground. That stopped too. It could have been because our next door tenants moved to another place, or because the elders were worried about how I would end up squashing all the local thin, lanky fellows.

Then there was role play. We would play judge-lawyer, cop-robber, teacher-student and so on. I have also run restaurants where we would cook make-belief recipes using sand, mud, stones, leaves and flowers in vessels made of wood and coconut shells. Oh, how I loved them! Our restaurants were always full and popular and we always made the best food in town. Of course.

I have dabbled in some dangerous play as well. This one neighbour kid discovered from somewhere (perhaps other local boy gangs) on how to make mini bombs. He showed me the process which involved a wooden plank, a matchbox with matches and a splinter. I was really hooked! We were huddled up, this boy, his little sister and I, making short bombs one afternoon as my grandmother took a short nap and assumed I was lying down next to her in deep slumber.

The noise woke her up and checked on us from the window. She stood petrified seeing what we were up to and she yelled out to me to get back in the house. My partners in crime vanished before I blinked twice. That was the last I played with that kind of excitement, and with them. This kid later grew up to be quite notorious and infamous for his unruly behaviour. Nip it in the bud they say – this is one example.

It doesn’t end there. Sport also includes adventure and exploring the outdoors – like trekking and mountaineering. Living in the foothills meant that a hill climb is something of a norm. We climbed up the hill to visit relatives or to visit the local temple that was built on top of the hill. At her age, my grandmother would climb through rock and rubble, through dried leaves and thick shrubs to openings during her social calls like it was a cake walk. I struggled initially, tumbling down or stumbling over some long weed or having a plant stalk slap across my face and landing at our destination bruised and sore. But it soon grew on me and as I became more accustomed to the moods and manners of the hills, I was a pro. I would drag my sister and cousins on my expeditions. They would revolt and protest preferring to spend their holidays in bed or slumped in front of the TV and VCR (oh, that word! So ancient now…) but I was relentless.

Climbing up a hill isn’t a difficult task really. If you have a long, sturdy stick, safe footwear and the right spirit, you can run up the hill in no time. I speak with experience. Nowadays I cannot climb up 200 metres without gasping for air and seeing little stars revolving around my head.

Yoga is no sport, it is a way of life. I have done this too, with earnest. I know a lot of the moves, yet I haven’t been able to inculcate a habit out of it.

So, 25 years on, I think it is a good idea to rebuild an interest in sports. I may not engage as much as I involve – but that is a start. No?

[flauntpage]

Morning Wood: Right Between The Legs

This was a classic Dick Punch game. So canonical, in fact, that you’d be hard pressed to come up with any other words to describe blowing an 8-point lead in 1:39 and losing on a three-pointer at the buzzer. I just imagine that all 20,682 inside The Center actually got punched in the holy land at the exact same moment and that’s the sound you hear here:

That one kills. Devastating. http://pic.twitter.com/Cm0a6Zaf1f

— Andrew Porter (@And_Porter) October 26, 2017

Even Joshua Harris, a billionaire who one would think has never had to feel such pain, was smarting after this one*:

I enjoy Joshua Harris’ reaction http://pic.twitter.com/66HLWRgo3b

— Kyle Scott (@CrossingBroad) October 26, 2017

Gettttttttt toooooooo the choppppppppppppppper. 

*There’s this perception that Harris doesn’t care about winning. I don’t think that’s true at all. He’s very emotive on the sidelines, comes to a lot of games, and genuinely seems to care more about the Sixers than the Devils, which, from my view, are just a surrogate to owning the Prudential Center, an arena in the New York metropolitan area. I mean, he was SITTING NEXT TO MEEK MILL during the opener. Imagine that conversation. What do those two men have in common? Besides dream chasing, it may only be their love of the Sixers.

Anyway, we can react in one of two ways to the loss: we can be disappointed that the Sixers turned in several inexcusable possessions down the stretch and ask real questions to the coach about late-game scenarios, or we can, I don’t know, be Ike Reese, not believe in dinosaurs, and tweet inanities like this:

All because Simmons won't/can't pull up at 6'11 for a 15ft jump shot!!!!

— Ike Reese (@Ike58Reese) October 26, 2017

There’s plenty to dislike about those last possessions – some of which is on Simmons – but The Fresh Prince’s inability to shoot is not one of them.

The difference between Simmons’ and Markelle Fultz’s shooting woes are that one guy was drafted without a shot and could become truly great if he develops one, whereas the other, Fultz, was drafted precisely because of his shot and seems to have misplaced it.

If you want to critique Simmons or Joel Embiid, it’s worth noting that both guys make classic “rookie mistakes” and get careless with the ball. More lackadaisical than anything. This Simmons turnover with 1:42 remaining hurt in hindsight:

Those soft passes have no place in the NBA. Simmons, Embiid and Fultz (in his limited action) occasionally do stuff like this, leading to turnovers or near turnovers. This is a problem that gets fixed with experience.

Here's a sequence of @TarikBlack25 owning @JoelEmbiid http://pic.twitter.com/ne4sIXepvv

— Bean (@RipCityGoon) October 26, 2017

Embiid, to his own right, had some issues. For a stretch in the third quarter he seemed more interested in besting Tarik Black, a mostly futile effort that resulted in a block, turnover and two free throws.

Both of these sequences feel like rookie mistakes– one out aggression, the other out of nonchalance.

But spare me the Ben Simmons can’t shoot narrative. The Sixers knew that the day they drafted him. The jumper will come.

If you want to cast blame for one singular item down the stretch, then get outraged at Brett Brown for not calling a timeout after Clint Capella hit a layup to cut the lead to five with 1:03 remaining. I was already sliding off my couch to go to the bathroom expecting a timeout which never came. How, with a young team, do you not call a timeout to regroup there?

Let’s Wood!

  NBC Sports Philly

Last night was Authentic Fan night. I truly have no idea what that means, but it’s certainly part of a NBC Sports SE PA marketing initiative. There’s nothing wrong with it, I just… don’t get it. They handed out swag bags, and nothing says authentic like a sign that says “authentic”… with an NBC peacock on it.

Collars: I am secretly in love with how NBC decided to do away with CSN Sweaters in lieu of UNBUTTONED COLLARED SHIRTS. I am 98% convinced that there was a corporate mandate to wear ONLY collared shirts with the top button unbuttoned:

I’m thinking about starting a #NBCSportsCollars hashtag, but the problem is, EVERYONE LOOKS THE SAME. It’s like Rob Ellis got inside their closets and sprinkled office casual dust all over the clothes. Nothing says hip like Michael Barkann in a checked shirt and a brown blazer.

One other thing: I also enjoy how, in an effort to ESCHEW the dreaded hot take, they have just started calling inane segments HOT TAKES so they can act like they’re in on the joke when, really, it’s just the same content, but now self-aware, I guess?

  Blue

I am a BIG fan of the Sixers’ branding in almost all regards. I love the blue court and the blue uniforms. But I’ve got to be honest, I’m not sure I like them together. Now, I’m not someone who hates the colors-at-home jerseys. In fact, I like how the NBA has relaxed the rules in this regard and allows for color-on-color matchups. But the blue uniforms on the blue court lack a certain contrast. It’s too blue. The Sixers have worn their blue jerseys every game so far this year and I think it’s time to switch it up. The white or red uniforms would provide much-needed contrast against the blue court.

And you know what? I bet it would be really cool if those yet-to-be-unveiled fourth jerseys were a light-colored throwback that would really pop against the blue court. Maybe something vintage looking that loosely resembles the Declaration of Independence. That would be something.

  Forces at play

Look at the gravity Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid drew on this JJ Redick three-pointer:

There’s four guys in the paint with them and three open shooters on the perimeter, including one of the best in the league. DOWN IT GOES!

Also, Ben Simmons is fucking fast:

Look at how Simmons separates and beats everyone down the court. http://pic.twitter.com/CjYm02f8Yb

— NBC Sports Philly (@NBCSPhilly) October 26, 2017

  The stars

.@lildickytweets just beat @MeekMill in a game of basketball backstage after the Sixers game. http://pic.twitter.com/WoF8ObcCLn

— NBC Sports Philly (@NBCSPhilly) October 26, 2017

The best part of this video, by far, is Lil Dicky asking Meek for his number at the end.

Meek Mill and M. Night are locked in a fierce battle to be the Sixers’ superfan. I’d have to give Meek the edge right now based on the fact that he’s been to both games, sat next to the owner, and shot hoops with Lil Dicky. But M. Night swings big by bringing out the mega stars like Samuel L. Jackson.

  Embiid almost killed Harden

Joel Embiid on hitting floor

“Everybody gotta stop being scared. Im not made of glass”#Sixers http://pic.twitter.com/pIjnFjB6vh

— John Clark NBCPhilly (@JClarkNBCS) October 26, 2017

After the game, Brett Brown spoke about being worried about Embiid: “The thud is still in my ears.”

And the pain from this one is still in my stomach.

Morning Wood: Right Between The Legs published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[junker-town]

What's the best sports game you've ever seen in person?

One of the best feelings when watching a game has to be just sharing that experience with other people. You can watch it with friends, family, or strangers at a bar. But when something special happens, you’re all part of it. And you can do this with just a TV.

But some events are more unique just because you were at the arena or stadium. The game itself doesn’t have to be a championship game or anything. In fact, a random regular or preseason game that you remember vividly could be as important to you than any title. It’s all on how you experienced and remember it.

We asked you what was your favorite sports game you attended in person. These are our picks:

Hawks-Wizards, Game 6 2015

Paul Pierce’s buzzer-beater that wasn’t for the Wizards in 2015 was so freakin’ cool... until it was called off. This was the same series that Pierce “didn’t call bank, he called game.” I’ll never forget hearing my mom scream for like two straight minutes and the entirety of the Verizon Center shook. I wish I could forget having to explain to her that the shot didn’t count though.

- Matt Ellentuck

Heat-Lakers, Christmas Day 2004

For Christmas 2004, I got a pair of tickets for Heat-Lakers. I have no idea how my parents got me those tickets and I have never asked, but I probably should. This was Shaq’s first game back in LA after his beef with Kobe finally imploded and he was sent to the Miami Heat in exchange for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant.

My younger brother and I sat in the cheap seats before the game speculating about what would happen right before tip off. Would Shaq and Kobe acknowledge each other (they did, but barely)? Would the Lakers have an emotional video package during player introductions (duh)? Would I buy an overpriced meal from the in-arena McDonald’s (also, duh)?

I don’t remember much from the video but I do think it was mostly a bunch of people in the Lakers organization saying “Thank you Shaq.” There might have been a cute kid or two in there. It was emotional and I felt the crowd at Staples Center feel the same way.

Anyway, at some point in the game I spilled my soda on a person in front of me. He was probably mad that a dumb teenager just ruined a good blue sweater that looked to be his Christmas gift. We both got over it and focused on the game, which was great since the game was close throughout most of it.

It even went to overtime even after Shaq fouled out of the game for fouling Kobe. How perfect is that. Shaq got the admiration from the Lakers and it turned into animosity after that whistle for the sixth foul. Fans at Staples Center got to both love and hate Shaq in the span of four quarters, and I learned that basketball can tell some beautiful stories.

- Hector Diaz

UConn-Pitt, Big East Tournament 2011

Sitting in Madison Square Garden all day waiting for your team to play a rival is one of the best parts of the Big East Tournament. You get all the benefit of March Madness heating up combined with the knowledge that your favorite team might put forth a classic performance.

During the 2011 tournament, in which UConn ended up winning five games in five days to win the whole thing (in the last year it was possible), being in the room to watch the Huskies was electric. But never more so than against Pitt, which was a duel for the entire time. In the last seconds, Kemba Walker broke some ankles and sunk a basket for the win.

Every single UConn fan present went through the roof, especially since it was still the afternoon and everyone had energy to spare when rooting on their team. I only remember spilling my food everywhere, getting water spilled on me as someone in the row behind our group dumped a water bottle everywhere in their excitement, and texting my dad “OH MY GOD KEMBA I CAN’T BREATHE THAT WAS AWESOME!” By the time the celebrations were over nobody in the section had a voice left.

I found out later my dad had actually taped the game and wasn’t watching live, so he then knew Kemba did something show-stopping but didn’t get spoiled on what it was. Sorry dad!

USA-France basketball, 2000 Olympic Games

Olympic basketball doesn’t belong on this list — but this game does, because I witnessed something iconic, and a moment I will never, ever, ever forget. I saw Vince Carter “Dunk of Death” over Frederic Weis in person.

The video thumbnail above is almost the exact angle I had. I was behind the basket, just a few rows up. My mum surprised me with the best seats you could apply for in the Olympic ticket lottery.

The game had really been a disappointment up until this moment. Team USA was already pretty weak if you’re a 15-year-old who was hoping to see Kobe and Shaq make the trip, but all of that washed away when Carter didn’t just put Weis on a poster, he etched the image into stone.

The crowd exploded when this happened. Cheering and screaming was almost endless. It was a cacophony or realization that we’d all just seen something that might never happen again. The clip was replayed over, and over, and over again on the screen in the arena — each time being met with more applause.

One family in front of my friend and I said they were going to “talk to Vince” after the game. I assumed they were fans hoping to meet Carter and get his autograph. They ended up being Gary Payton’s family and extended family.

I can’t tell you much else about that game, but that dunk will be with me forever.

- James Dator

Pacers-Heat, 2013 Eastern Conference Finals Game 4

It was Game 4 of 2013 Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Pacers and the Heat, with the Heat leading the series 2-1. It was before Lance Stephenson thought he should be an All-Star. It was before Roy Hibbert fell off the earth. It was when Paul George was young enough that Pacers fans felt like we had the entire world ahead of us.

The Pacers won that game 99-92 tieing up the series, and eventually forcing a Game 7. Roy Hibbert had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Lance dropped 20 points in the most Lance way possible, and every starter for the Pacers scored in double figures. But what I will never forget as long as I live is Lance Stephenson’s corner three-pointer at the buzzer at the end of the third quarter, with Dwyane Wade flying past him, and after he hit the shot he just sat on the floor and let the Pacers fans celebrate around him. I thought Bankers Life Fieldhouse was going to explode that night.

The Pacers never won a series against LeBron and the Heat but those games, and especially this one, will always be my favorite.

- Whitney Medworth

Missouri-Nebraska, 1997

I was a freshman at Mizzou in 1997, and the school was just two years removed from getting Tyus Edney’d and seven years removed from getting Fifth Down’d. I saw all the typical “Be prepared for heartbreak” cynicism and defense mechanisms from the upperclassmen around me and brushed it off.

And then, in my fourth home game as a Mizzou student...

When the ball deflected away from Shevin Wiggins, the student section surged to rush the field, assuming victory. My seats were in the 14th row, and at one point I had my foot on the wall at the front of the stands. Attacking from the hill on the north side of the stadium, a dorm mate of mine was the first one to reach the goal posts and climb on. And while trying not to fall over and get trampled, I saw the ref’s hands signal touchdown.

The ending was a nightmare, but ... what a game. Nebraska was incredible, and Mizzou, a four-touchdown underdog, was going toe-to-toe. The touchdown the Tigers scored in the fourth quarter resulted in probably one of the two or three best crowd pops I’ve ever heard. We’ll just say the game was called after 59 minutes and 50 seconds.

- Bill Connelly

Knicks-[someone], roughly 2006

Once I attended a Knicks game at which the halftime show was people throwing frisbees for dogs, who would jump really high to catch them. During one such throw, a dog slipped on a frisbee that had been left on the floor and totally lost its footing. It ended up doing a full, accidental barrel roll in mid air, but STILL caught the frisbee it had been thrown. It was the greatest sports highlight I ever saw in person, thus making whatever shitty Knicks game that was the greatest sporting event I ever saw in person. I also attended Game 2 of the 2000 World Series.

- Seth Rosenthal

49ers-Saints, January 2012

This was the 49ers first playoff game in nine years. Jim Harbaugh took over a team that had gone 6-10, and turned into an embarrassment under Mike Singletary. The team stormed to a 13-3 record and a first round bye. The 49ers were built more on their defense than offense, but they jumped out to a 17-0 lead. The Saints stormed back to take a 24-23 lead. The 49ers recaptured the lead on a designed QB run that saw Alex Smith run 28 yards for the score. The Saints re-took the lead with 1:37 to go, but Alex Smith drove the 49ers down the field and connected with Vernon Davis for the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds to go. Given all the crap Smith went through dating back to 2005, this game felt like a catharsis for him and the fans.

It was particularly great for me because I had a chance to be down right at the goal line when he ran in his touchdown, and then again when Vernon Davis caught his game-winning touchdown. After the Davis touchdown I found myself jumping up and down hugging the 49ers team president on the sideline. It was an amazing day of football.

- David Fucillo

Seahawks-Saints, 2010 NFC wild card game

The Beast Quake game. I can't do it justice in so few words, please read about it here.

- Matt Ufford

Wizards-Celtics, 2016 NBA Playoffs Game 6

The greatest moment in sports I ever witnessed was game 6 in the Wizards vs. Celtics series last year. I covered the game and, as a Wizards fan, it was a heart attack. But at the same time, it was entertaining as hell. There were lead changes galore, but John Wall hit the eventual game winner to force a game 7 in Boston. I graduated from grad school the next morning a few hours after I finished my column on the game.

- Michael Sykes

Here are some of your answers ...

What's the best sports game you've ever seen in person?

— SB Nation (@SBNation) August 1, 2017

Kick Six. This was my view (pic taken with 0:06 left) http://pic.twitter.com/OpzBtTdIgK

— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) August 2, 2017

2015 AFC Championship - seeing Peyton Manning's final touchdown pass & @Broncos beat the Patriots!!! #PeytonManning #PFM http://pic.twitter.com/nFxuY9QFl6

— Courey (@CoureyPMarshall) August 2, 2017

As a UCF football letterman I'd have to say the '14 Fiesta Bowl. Watched in amazement sitting in that stadium with former teammates. http://pic.twitter.com/TOsg5tfm5t

— Neil Beasley (@NeilBeaz) August 2, 2017

OSU vs um 2016. http://pic.twitter.com/kJ8s0FAJmu

— Green Gold Buckets (@GatorsRaysCavs) August 1, 2017

Game 7 @Timberwolves vs. @SacramentoKings 2004 #NBAPlayoffs a.k.a. The KG game. http://pic.twitter.com/OZuaTh9lwA

— Josh Braaten (@JoshBraaten) August 2, 2017

UNC vs. Michigan State on the USS Carl Vinson in 2011 http://pic.twitter.com/g0oPd9zC2L

— Luke Myer (@LukeMyer1) August 2, 2017

[junker-town]

Clemson is in a retooling 2017, but wow, is the upside still sky-high

Why the defending champs could be anywhere from top-20 to top-four, depending on the new QB.

On the first title run, Clemson sneaked up on everybody. The Tigers had gone just 14-9 in Danny Ford’s first two seasons, and while there was some optimism — they had their most experienced team in years, and Clemson fans are always optimistic about the coming year — they had only finished ranked twice in two decades, and they were unranked to begin the year.

It wasn’t until they shut down Herschel Walker and Georgia in mid-September that anyone started paying attention.

1981 played out with two primary plot lines: heavyweights all beating each other up — Penn State, Pitt, Nebraska, etc. — and Clemson flying under the radar. The Tigers eked by Tulane, 13-5, and Georgia, 13-3. They survived No. 8 North Carolina, 10-8. They allowed under nine points per game, and a 22-15 win over Nebraska gave them a surprising national title.

There was no flying under the radar 35 years later. To deliver the school’s second title, Dabo Swinney’s Tigers had to labor under an intense spotlight.

They began No. 2, nearly lost to Troy, nearly lost to Louisville, really nearly lost to NC State, and nearly lost to Florida State before actually losing to Pitt at home in mid-November. The offense looked hungover, and the defense suffered random glitches. All the fun of 2015’s unexpected run to the title game got squashed under expectation.

The loss to Pitt, however, seemed to relax Swinney’s team. Clemson finished by crushing Wake Forest and South Carolina and easing to a 35-14 lead over Virginia Tech in the ACC title game before running out of gas, but holding on. And like a title team is supposed to do, the Tigers saved their best performances for the end.

They crushed Ohio State, 31-0, in the Fiesta Bowl, then overcame a double-digit deficit to beat Alabama, 35-31, in a classic.

Swinney is not yet 50 years old, but his coaching career already has quite a few twists.

Failed assistant. He was Mike DuBose’s receivers coach at Alabama in the late-1990s but off the sideline after DuBose was fired in 2000.

Real estate salesman. He sat out the 2001-02 seasons, working for AIG.

Clemson recruiter. When Clemson recruiting coordinator Rick Stockstill was named Middle Tennessee head coach, Tommy Bowden lured Swinney back into coaching, and Swinney became known as one of the nation’s better recruiters.

Sacrificial interim. When Bowden was fired midway through 2008, Swinney was named interim and went 3-3.

Failing head coach. Clemson stunned many by giving him the full-time job, and he went 15-12 in 2009-10. Even when he broke through with a 2011 ACC title, the season ended with a 70-35 Orange Bowl humiliation at the hands of West Virginia.

Champ. He brought in coordinator Chad Morris to modernize his offense, then Brent Venables to transform the defense. His Tigers went 32-7 with three top-15 finishes from 2012-14, then 28-2 in 2015-16. With star quarterback Deshaun Watson, he became only the third coach not named Nick Saban or Urban Meyer to win a national title since 2008.

Here’s a list of active college head coaches with a national title: Saban, Meyer, Jimbo Fisher, Swinney. And while those first three coaches lead what are probably the top three teams in the preseason polls, expectations have been dialed back a bit for Swinney’s defending champs.

That’s what happens when you lose maybe your best player in nearly every unit: quarterback (Deshaun Watson), running back (Wayne Gallman), receiver (Mike Williams), tight end (Jordan Leggett), offensive line (center Jay Guillermo), defensive tackle (Carlos Watkins), linebacker (Ben Boulware), safety (Jadar Johnson), and cornerback (Cordrea Tankersley).

Of course, when you recruit like Swinney, you won’t be expected to fall too far. Per the 247Sports Composite, the Tigers boast two four- or five-star quarterbacks, three such running backs, eight receivers, five offensive linemen, nine defensive linemen, six linebackers, and six defensive backs. There are also plenty of known quantities, from receiver Deon Cain, to all-conference offensive linemen Mitch Hyatt and Tyrone Crowder, to linebackers Kendall Joseph and Dorian O’Daniel, to safety Van Smith, to, like, 17 different defensive linemen.

Honestly, the situation is pretty much perfect. The slate has been wiped clean from an expectations standpoint, but the Tigers are still talented as hell and projected sixth in S&P+. The schedule is all sorts of dicey — home games against Auburn and Florida State, road trips to Louisville, Virginia Tech, NC State, and South Carolina — but that might serve to keep expectations loose. The Tigers can relax, find a quarterback, and play really good football.

You know, like they did in 1981.

2016 in review

2016 Clemson statistical profile.

Clemson’s 2016 really was a labor. Like Florida State’s 2014 team, the Tigers returned most of their stars from their run to the title game, but in taking everybody’s attempted knockout blow, they ended up playing in a ton of close games — eight decided by one possession, in fact.

Part of the problem was simply the schedule. Even before battling Ohio State and Alabama in the CFP, the Tigers had faced six teams in the S&P+ top 25 and 11 bowl teams. That will wear on you. Some opponents (Auburn, NC State) were better than we thought, which also impacted perceptions.

Despite the close games, though, Clemson was still mostly awesome. And down the stretch, when the Tigers found their happy place, they were more than awesome.

First 4 games (4-0): Avg. percentile performance: 91% (65% offense, 92% defense) | Avg. score: Clemson 34, Opp 11 | Avg. yards per play: Clemson 5.6, Opp 3.4 (plus-2.2)

Next 6 games (5-1): Avg. percentile performance: 91% (80% offense, 66% defense) | Avg. score: Clemson 43, Opp 23 | Avg. yards per play: Clemson 6.8, Opp 5.4 (plus-1.4)

Last 5 games (5-0): Avg. percentile performance: 96% (93% offense, 76% defense) | Avg. score: Clemson 40, Opp 17 | Avg. yards per play: Clemson 6.0, Opp 4.6 (plus-1.4)

Clemson had a bit of a turnovers problem early on — two against Auburn, three against Troy, five against Louisville, four against NC State, three against Pitt — but the Tigers were otherwise as good as they were supposed to be. And when they cut their average from 2.1 turnovers per game through 10 to 1.4 per game over the final five, things more or less fell into place.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

One of the most annoying parts of the offseason occurs when the pro scouts get involved. At that point, we get to hear all the reasons why Great College Player A is, well actually, not good at all. That was the case for Deshaun Watson, one of the greatest college quarterbacks in recent memory, when he went through the NFL draft car wash.

Whatever. Watson was everything Clemson fans could have hoped he’d become when the five-star chose Swinney’s Tigers over home-state Georgia and the rest of the universe back in 2014.

In games in which Watson threw at least 10 passes, Clemson went 31-3. The first of those three losses (at Florida State in early-2014) might have had a different result had he played the entire game. And in 2016, with the Tigers playing a relentless schedule with eight S&P+ top-25 opponents, they weren’t able to overwhelm opponents with big plays. So Watson just dinked and dunked them to death and converted seemingly every third-and-four with his legs.

The result: a devastatingly efficient attack.

Clemson had the most efficient offense in the country, and against that ridiculous schedule, Watson finished with a top-20 passer rating. To say he will be missed is an understatement.

In the battle to replace Watson, there is some symmetry. In 2014, career backup Cole Stoudt began the season on the first string before he was eventually overtaken by Watson, a blue-chip freshman. In 2017, you’ve got junior and career backup Kelly Bryant attempting to hold off, among others, blue-chip true freshman Hunter Johnson. And for good measure, 2018 blue-chipper Trevor Lawrence is also committed, just in case the plot doesn’t play out right the first time around.

Other options include sophomore Tucker Israel and redshirt freshman Zerrick Cooper, but it appears it’s Bryant’s job to lose out of the gates.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Tavien Feaster

We know next to nothing about Bryant’s passing ability, but the dude can run. And it’s not hard to see him combining with an experienced line — six returnees (including Hyatt and Crowder) have combined for 83 career starts and have an average size of 6’4, 311 pounds — and a fun stable of running backs to create a dynamic, exciting run game.

Juniors C.J. Fuller and Adam Choice and sophomore Tavien Feaster combined for 129 carries backing up Gallman, and four-star freshman Travis Etienne passes the eyeball test as well. Of those, Feaster is easily the most intriguing to me in 2017. He was the best recruit of the bunch, and he averaged 6 yards per carry to Fuller’s 4.5 and Choice’s 3.5.

Bryant and Feaster breaking explosive runs behind a big, seasoned line, with Fuller and Choice grinding between the tackles? That’ll be enough to take down a majority of opponents.

But some will force the Tigers to pass. It’s unclear how well that will go. Williams, Leggett, Artavis Scott, and Wayne Gallman combined for a massive 240 catches, 2,863 yards, and 23 touchdowns last year.

Of course, returning junior wideouts Deon Cain, Hunter Renfrow, and Ray-Ray McCloud combined for 131 catches and 1,691 yards themselves; when you play 15 games and spread the ball around a lot, plenty of targets rack up reps. None of the returning targets are taller than 6’1, so if a bigger, younger, four-star wideout like sophomore Diondre Overton or freshman Tee Higgins has a nice fall camp, there might be a role available.

The question is obvious: can Bryant get these guys the ball? And if he can’t, does the run game suffer with Johnson or someone else behind center instead? Clemson’s offense will almost certainly regress, but the ceiling’s still pretty high and the range of potential outcomes broad.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Deon Cain

Defense

Clemson’s run began the moment Swinney hired Venables. After a first-year settling-in, Venables’ defense improved from 62nd in Def. S&P+ in 2012 to 41st in 2013, then to first, sixth, and sixth the last three seasons. They lost a ton of stars from an awesome 2014 defense and still dominated; they did the same last year.

This year they don’t lose that many pieces. That should terrify every opponent. I mentioned four names in the intro — Watkins, Boulware, Johnson, Tankersley — and they are almost literally all Venables has to replace. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to recent seasons.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Clelin Ferrell (99), Dorian O’Daniel (6), and Dexter Lawrence (90)

As always, it starts up front. Tackle Dexter Lawrence and end Clelin Ferrell combined for 21.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks as freshmen, while tackle Christian Wilkins recorded 13 TFLs and a nation’s-best (for a lineman) 10 pass breakups. And the absence of Watkins and backup Scott Pagano just means more potential playing time for junior Albert Huggins or redshirt freshman Nyles PInckney.

The Tigers rounded into form in run defense as the season progressed. For the season, they finished just 25th in Rushing S&P+, but Ohio State managed just a 43 percent rushing success rate in the semifinals, and Alabama had only 38 percent. Both teams produced well below their season averages.

Clemson controlled the line against Alabama and Ohio State — a.k.a. probably the two top teams in 2017’s preseason polls — and will almost certainly do so against every team they face this fall. It’s nice having that in your back pocket, considering what Clemson has at linebacker, ready to clean up messes: Kendall Joseph (12.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks), Dorian O’Daniel (10 TFLs, 2.5 sacks), and four-star sophomores (Tre Lamar, Chad Smith) and freshmen (Shaq Smith, Justin Foster, Logan Rudolph) just waiting their turn.

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Van Smith

Even with all of these pieces up front, pass defense was a particular strength for Clemson. Granted, a top-10 pass rush had something to do with that, but Johnson, Tankersley, Van Smith, Ryan Carter, and company came up huge, holding opponents to a 52 percent completion rate, 20 interceptions, and a 100.2 passer rating.

Smith and Carter are back, at least. So are corners Marcus Edmond, Mark Fields, and Trayvon Mullen and safeties Tanner Muse, Denzel Johnson, and K’Von Wallace. Virtually all of them produced from backup roles when asked.

The offense will absolutely regress, but there’s nothing saying the defense has to. In fact, with less turnover than usual, you could make a case for the Tigers returning to the Def. S&P+ top five.

Special Teams

Clemson was a little bit lucky that a mediocre special teams unit wasn’t more costly than it could have been. The Tigers ranked just 85th in Special Teams S&P+, losing about 0.6 points per game in this department. There was only one true weakness (Andy Teasdall’s punts averaged just 38 yards and ranked 98th in punt efficiency), but there were no strengths either.

In this regard, losing Teasdall and return man Artavis Scott won’t hurt much. It’s just not guaranteed to help either.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep Kent State 123 40.4 99% 9-Sep Auburn 9 4.8 61% 16-Sep at Louisville 14 1.7 54% 23-Sep Boston College 76 27.3 94% 30-Sep at Virginia Tech 25 8.8 69% 7-Oct Wake Forest 64 22.4 90% 13-Oct at Syracuse 60 16.8 83% 28-Oct Georgia Tech 31 16.2 82% 4-Nov at N.C. State 27 10.3 72% 11-Nov Florida State 3 -0.9 48% 18-Nov The Citadel NR 39.4 99% 25-Nov at South Carolina 36 13.0 77%

Projected S&P+ Rk 6 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 28 / 5 Projected wins 9.3 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 18.6 (4) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 13 / 12 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -1 / 4.2 2016 TO Luck/Game -1.7 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 47% (32%, 62%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 13.0 (0.0)

I hate making a statement this broad, but ... it all depends on the QB, doesn’t it?

Clemson should generate a reasonably efficient run game, and Bryant and Feaster have massive potential explosiveness. The receiving corps loses a lot but returns a lot. Both lines have loads of experience and upside, and the linebacking corps is a strength. The secondary should still be good. Swinney has put together top-10 talent and should still have a top-10 team.

That’s not quite right, though. With solid QB play, Clemson should be top-five. Without it, maybe top-15 or 20. Any setback will be temporary, but ... it all depends on the QB.

S&P+ sees a team easily capable of a top-five performance. The Tigers are projected sixth, with a win probability of at least 48 percent in every game and at least 77 percent in seven.

The worst-case scenario is a reasonably successful regrouping year; the best-case is, well, another title. But if there’s a title run in store, it will require the Tigers to have that QB situation figured out immediately — CU plays three projected top-25 teams before October 1: Auburn at home and Louisville and Virginia Tech on the road.

If Clemson is 5-0 heading into October, look out, but Tiger fans probably won’t be too stressed out if that’s not the case.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.

[junker-town]

What’s the worst sports loss you experienced as a child?

Everyone who has played sports as a child or teenager has a soul-crushing defeat etched in their mind forever. Today, the SB Nation staff shares their tales of woe from fields and courts. Feel free to laugh at us. One day we might be able to do the same.

Graham MacAree: My dad was always took me to my soccer games. One day, when I was 13 or 14, he couldn't make it, so my mother did instead. She'd never seen me play before. We were on one of those horrible artificial pitches, like they'd painted the parking lot green or something. Because there was no grass the game was absurdly fast and out of control, which is exactly the opposite of how I like to play. My team lost 2-0, I was playing left back and got smoked for one of the goals. It was one of the worst games I've ever played.

When I was walking back to the car, my mother said, "I have no idea why your dad told me you were good." We drove half an hour home in silence.

Jessica Smetana: June, 2012. Benet Academy women’s soccer was on their deepest playoff run in 8 years and about the play their bitter rivals in the State Super Sectional. I had just graduated high school at Benet. This last state run was the only thing separating me from summer, college, and the start of my adult life.

I came off the bench in the first half to score the only goal of regulation for Benet. A beautiful side-net pass, taken in stride. The second half came around. I sat on the bench and watched as the other team tied it up. Then I watched as we proceeded to play four overtimes. One-hundred fifty minutes of scoreless soccer. Scoreless. Both teams’ energy drained in the scorching June heat. But, alas, I was never put back in the game. Why? I will never know. The four overtimes ended. It was time for penalty kicks.

I was naturally one of the team’s best penalty takers. I went up to the line. I lined up my ball. Hundreds of fans began to chant at me to miss. I took my shot, aiming straight for side net. I held my breath. The ball nicked the right metal post...it ricocheted to the left. The goalie wiffed. I watched as the ball skidded across the goal line behind her, in a straight line, to the left side post. It bounced off of the left post, and forward, away from the net. No goal.

It was the first PK I ever missed, at the highest stage I had ever played in. For a second, I was devastated. But then I realized, eh. fuck it. it’s summer.

Matt Brown: I once lost a churchball basketball game by 70 points when I was 14. Our team only had five players, and one of them was sick. Maybe one of us could actually dribble a ball. The other team could platoon swap, had multiple really good high school basketball players, and was all older than us. By the end of the game, they were draining shots from midcourt, just because they could. I’m pretty sure they brought in some ringers.

I did not handle the result in a Christlike manner, leaving the gym while directing some decidedly un-Mormon language to my opponents.

James Dator: Before 1998 I was a three-time All-Star in my youth league. I dominated the paint for my beloved Sonics at forward, but my league hiked its rates three-fold before the season began. As a single mother, my mom couldn’t afford for me to keep playing — but there was a solution. I could change teams and become a “mentor.” This meant that I could play for free, but would be assigned to a team needing more leadership.

Normally there was a B-League for kids without basketball skills, but there weren’t enough players that year to make one. I was assigned to the Hornets, who had seven other players, the majority of which were refugees and had never played basketball before. Three of them had never touched a basketball before our first practice.

The first game of the season was against the Sonics, my former team. All my former teammates, the same coach — everything was the same except I wasn’t with them. Ahead of the game I told Daniel and Chris, their two best players, that our team would lose. I asked my former coach if they could go a little easy on us in the second half.

40 minutes later we’d lost 142-12. I scored all 12 points for my team. I was triple-teamed for most of the game, and ended up inbounding the ball to myself after most possessions. With three minutes left Chris ran up on me and said “Wow ... you’re trash without us,” and I punched him in the dick and got ejected. It was worth it.

We didn’t win a single game all season and our closest game was a 55 point loss.

Brittany Cheng: I tackled a dude while playing tag at recess in second grade and they didn’t let me go to recess for a week. Does that count?

Adam Stites: I played water polo in high school for a team that was really, really bad. We went 0-10 in league play and 1-21 overall. That one win was against a team that traveled from another state for a tournament and I’m not sure they’d ever played the sport before.

The worst of our 21 losses was in a game to decide the team that finished 16th in a 16-team tournament. The school that won the whole thing actually fielded two teams in the tournament and the second team consisted entirely of freshmen.

Now, again, we were terrible, but the team we were playing were significantly smaller and slower than us. I’m not even a big guy myself, but I was tossing defenders out of the way like it was nothing. We should’ve won handily, but because we were water polo’s Bad News Bears, we blew it every chance we could and the game went to overtime. It took the tiny freshman team all of 20 or so seconds to score a goal in overtime and end it.

We lost a couple games by at least 15 goals that season, but losing to players half our size is the one that really felt like rock bottom.

Harry Lyles Jr.: In 2003ish when I played baseball, our team went 12-1 in the regular season and coasted throughout the tournament. Another team that coasted throughout the tournament that we met in the championship went 0-12 in the regular season. It was a double-elimination tournament — we were on the winners bracket, and they were in the losers bracket — so they had to beat us twice.

Instead of starting our best pitcher, our coach started his son in the first game, who was kinda trash. We were not happy that he was starting, and of course he got lit up. We also lost the second game, and the championship to the worst team in our league.

I never played baseball again.

Whitney McIntosh: I’ve played tennis basically my whole life, and for the most part am pretty average. But some years have been better than others based on priority, motivation, and of course luck from time to time. While on the tennis team in high school I played as a member of 1st and 2nd doubles teams, and as 3rd, 2nd, and 1st singles. Our team was only okay - and we never made a state tournament - but we pulled out thrilling wins over the years and had some genuine talent that upset various league favorites. This is not one of those anecdotes.

By the time I got to Senior year, I was playing 1st singles as more of a sacrificial lamb than an actual player. Even though in the hierarchy of our teams singles players I was the best one, I’ll fully admit that my skills couldn’t match up to most of our competitors’ entrants at the number one slot. So it mostly turned into me losing, but 2nd and 3rd hanging on and then only one doubles needing to work some magic for a win. A strategy was there, but my wins were not. Even so, many of my losses were at least respectable - a 6-4 set one day, a crazy rally that ended in an impressive shot another.

But then there was the match, about midway through our season, against a future D1 player that was the absolute most brutal and ruthless loss I had (and still have) ever experienced on a court. During the entirety of the match (which yes, was a double bagel extravaganza) I won a whopping two total points. Yes. Two. The entire time. And most of the other points weren’t even close. It got so bad about midway through the first set that even when I got my racket on the ball while returning serve (nonetheless sending it back over the net) every parent on the sideline would cheer for me. They definitely meant well but...ouch. Even though I never came close to turning pro or anything of the sort, for 42 minutes I was able to embody the spirt of a player who steps out onto a court ready to play some good tennis and gets summarily smoked like a pig in Texas.

Christian D’Andrea: I grew up in Rhode Island, which is known for one thing and one thing only: elite high school football. My father, who suffered a series of knee injuries playing the sport, had banned me from playing in pads until I got to high school, where a perpetually 2-8 Pilgrim High School team awaited. At a burly 130 pounds I was an drop back quarterback who somehow split time with a future AA-ball pitcher who could throw the ball over them mountains over there. Combined, we threw approximately six passes per game and gave our parents a collective reason to drink on Friday afternoons.

An uneventful season led us to our first big home game against an in-city rival. Bishop Hendricken was the private school a few miles away that attracted the state’s best athletes. Current Washington safety Will Blackmon was the centerpiece of their freshman team that year. Conversely, two-fifths of our starting offensive line wore Airwalks to games.

The game was the slaughter it had every right to be. Our top linebacker was ejected two plays into the game for blindsiding Hendricken’s quarterback a good six seconds after a handoff. We trailed something like 43-0 in the third quarter. That’s when I got the call.

The play, as described to me by my coach, was just “f—- it, just throw the ball as far as you can.” I rolled right, found an open receiver sprinting downfield, planted my feet, and then time-traveled several hours into the future. Video evidence would later show I got blindsided so hard I pulled nearly a square foot of sod out of the turf with my helmet when I got up. I fumbled the hell out of the ball, leading to another Hendricken touchdown. We lost something like 120-0.

But hey, for one fleeting moment, I got to feel like Rex Grossman.

Kyle Robbins: Y’all wanna hear the story of my last ever youth sporting event? The 2009 Indiana high school golf state finals? Fun! Here we go.

For a my relatively small-town, southern Indiana team, we’d had a pretty stacked roster for the past three seasons. We were highly ranked (Yes! Indiana high school golf rankings exist! Really) and all of us would basically go on to pay for pretty decent college programs, but we could never put it together in the regional round before state. Always blew it. The Sergio Garcia of high school golf teams, so to speak. I was a central reason for such failure. Extremely fun!

But, alas, that was set to change! We finally pulled through, made it to the state finals my senior year. Finally get there and it’s pouring rain, awful day. Scores are super-high, including for most of my (extremely talented) teammates. For whatever reason, I’m playing one of by better rounds of the year in the monsoon. We’re set to miss the cut as a team, but I’ve got the opportunity to make the cut as an individual start the final round a couple shots off the individual lead myself. Most of the hometown crowd starts to follow me. I make birdie on the par-5 15th. I am about three shots off the lead at the state finals. This is Valhalla.

The ensuing 16th hole is one of those big, amphitheater type par-3s — and all of a sudden I’m playing in front of easily the biggest crowd of my life. Biggest moment of my life, state title on the line, kinda playing for my entire small little town. This is my moment! I’m finally gonna Do It!

I hit a cold, hard shank. Like, almost-kill-people-walking-on-the-road type stuff. I made double bogey, sulked through the last two holes, the narrow cut line for individuals came down, and I missed it by a shot.

Never ever play a sport.