#this is probably the most balanced matchup we have

[homoerotic-shonen-rival-showdown]

Round One Match Sixteen: Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara (Yu Yu Hakusho) vs Gojo and Geto (Jujutsu Kaisen)

why should you vote for them?

Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara (4):

OH MY GOODNESS Kuwabara is SO whipped for Yusuke like im not kidding. he constantly is trying to beat Yusuke in strength, but most of all he seems to want his acknowledgement and attention. we see Kuwabara actually GRINNING with JOY when Yusuke remembers his name for the first time. theyre constantly at each others throats, but trust each other with their life more than anyone else. crazy kids!!!

There are a number of times where they each almost die or actually die and the other has a full breakdown about how the other's not allowed to die because then who would they beat up? The first time this happens is at the very beginning of the series before anything even happens and they're supposedly just normal middle school punks. They say they hate each other but they very clearly don't. Gay af

they start off as rivals and then go to teammates, but also in a "I will still win over you" way, and in a "no one can kick his ass but me" way, and they should kiss about it

Gojo and Geto (3):

uh...divorced. i love them

STSG ESSAY TIME >:)))))) Warning for Jujutsu Kaisen anime/manga spoilers ahead! I had to explain deep dark depths of the story to prove that they deserve to win the crown. Here I go. Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru (also known as Satosugu or simply stsg) deserve to win the crown for the following reasons. Please bear with me throughout this whole essay because I am unequivocally insane about them. First of all let's get into the rivalry side of things.

In high school, Gojo was an absolute menace. The first time Gojo and Geto met, the latter hated the former because he was annoying, rude, and arrogant. Now eventually they became best friends, but you see, their rivalry returned when Geto was exiled from the school because they had a stark disagreement in moral ideologies, which resulted in a dramatic breakup in front of a KFC (yes, this is actually canon). Gojo was supposed to execute Geto because he did some Bad Things (that we don't need to get into right now) but as Geto walked away he said (paraphrased) "Go ahead and kill me. There's meaning to that." And My Lord is that a line. So for the next ten years of their lives, these two were separated, now on opposite sides, now each others' enemies. Eventually this came to a climax when Geto declared war on Gojo, but before we get to that, let's pause for a second, and talk about the meaning behind this all. I'll try to make this part quick because without restraint this would become excessively long. So technically, Gojo and Geto's breakup directly caused the plot of Jujutsu Kaisen to unfold. If they hadn't broken up, then Geto wouldn't have declared war and then died. If they hadn't broken up, Geto's body wouldn't have been possessed; his body wouldn't have, completely against his will, trapped Gojo in a prison, as Geto sat back helpless, unable to do anything to stop his best friend from being sealed *by his own hands*. Every single other tragic event that happened in Jujutsu Kaisen would not have happened, because, assuming you have never watched/read Jujutsu Kaisen, no, Gojo and Geto are not the main characters, and the whole rest of the cast was affected by this event. Yes, this homoerotic rivalry breakup is the very Big Bang for Jujutsu Kaisen, because if it didn't happen, Jujutsu Kaisen wouldn't have the incredible plot that it has. Butterfly Effect at its finest. Anyway, now that their rivalry is out of the way, I will now get into their homoeroticism.

My first piece of evidence for their homoeroticism is that... it's in the name. Both of their first names start with "s" and end with "ru". Both of their last names start with "g" and end with "o". And both of their full names have the same amount of syllables. There is no possible way that this wasn't done on purpose to get the point across that they are literal soulmates. Do I sound insane yet? In addition, Gojo called Geto, and I quote, "my one and only". Now if that isn't some fruit ass shit then idk what is. And now the most damning evidence of homoness, comes when Geto died by Gojo's side. This was after the war that Geto declared on Gojo, and Geto ended up on the losing side. Even though they had been rivals for ten long years, they still had an important and heartfelt history together, so as Gojo walked over to his dying best friend, Geto smiled, glad to see not only an old friend, but the most important person in his life, for the last time. Gojo's last words to Geto as he died were NEVER REVEALED. Only very very few producers of the anime know the words. They will be released soon but for now we don't know. But it was confirmed that his last words were THREE WORDS. Now I don't wanna put any words in Gojo's mouth but the most obvious theory here is that he said "I love you" as his best friend and rival of 10+ years died by his side. This is even further affirmed when, after hearing those three words, Geto BLUSHED, SMILED (as he was in the process of bleeding out!) and described the words as (paraphrased) "embarrassing words that they had never said to each other before". IT'S BARELY SUBTEXT AT THIS POINT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THEY'RE GAY AS HELL!

Now before this gets any longer I will cut myself off here. Thank you for coming to my way-too-long Ted Talk about these stupid ass anime men who have been plaguing my mind for months, I hope you take my submission into consideration! I don't expect them to win but I'm just happy I get to aggressively type an essay about them in this google form :D

[hotvintagepoll]

how's everybody's Pain and Suffering going

i've actually wanted to check on everyone. Are we good with how the bracket's running so far? Do the match-ups seem balanced (most of the time)? Are you having fun?

this is probably me just being insecure but I want to make sure the organization of the tournament feels like it's running right before we get into the super heavy matchups of round 4. It's important to me to run a fair and balanced bracket :)

[charles-leclerc-official]

I still think you’re not giving Daniel and RB their credit and placing too much discredit(?) on Carlos (not that he shouldn’t be completely without accountability). I think RB just nailed the set up this week. Daniel made up a lot of time at the corners. He had better traction coming out of it and saved his battery for the straights. Ruth Buscombe said that RB specifically prioritized the corners while ferrari was more balanced. Because RB is usually slower and way behind Ferrari, isn’t today an even bigger indication that Daniel and RH did something right/better?

Again true. Like Danny was great, and VCARB did really good with the setup.

However Carlos was within DRS and had so many opportunities for that overtake, it's not like Danny got out ahead and created a gap, Carlos was within that gap for a while. Not being able to pull those overtakes isn't due to maybe being lacking in the grip on corners (we didn't see him slide that I'm aware of) so that really isn't the issue.

The matchup between cars was really unusual here. And we can see based on Yuki's placement in qualifying that is probably closer to where Danny would have been if we are going based on car setup. Danny qualified where he did because he 1. put together a good lap and 2. a lot of drivers behind him in better cars messed up their SQ3 laps (Lando being a good example) He really shouldn't have been starting P4, 50% of that is him, but the other 50% is the other drivers really messing up their laps.

If Carlos had been able to overtake him I am pretty sure Danny would have also been overtaken by Oscar.

Overtaking really does come down to skill, and he was within that range, yes defending is too, but like I said Danny wasn't doing anything crazy defending really. He was doing a good job but it wasn't like he was going crazy.

Also there were many laps where he was faster than Danny, it really is on him to overtake there. His overall pace was better and his laps (minus the ones where things were slowed down for all of them on some of those turns) were faster.

Like here his pace was consistently faster in terms of lap time. Danny had it on him only a few laps, but the Ferrari was faster. Like faster by 3 - 5 tenths. Those are laps when he really had the speed and proximity to make the pass.

And then if we want to look at the corners you are referring to we can look at the fastest lap track maps, the first is Carlos vs Danny and the second is Carlos vs Charles, and the third is Charles vs Danny.

So you are right, Carlos was struggling with grip on the corners. But compare it to Charles, Charles was doing better than Carlos and Danny on most of those same corners. It wasn't a Ferrari Vs VCARB problem, it was a Carlos vs VCARB problem.

And just to be sure here is the track map for the fastest laps of both Ferraris and both VCARBS. It's Charles outperforming the VCARBS on the corners. Again so it's not the car setup being unable to take the corners that is the issue here.

Also managing tyres is down to skill, once again this is on the driver. Carlos has had average tyre management in this car, and the car as we have seen is very gentle on the tyres. I'd say his losses are due to the temps not favoring his tyre management, thus more tyre deg.

This really was a skill issue on Carlos' part. He didn't change up the way he attempted to make that pass(we saw him try the same thing multiple times) it's no wonder Danny didn't struggle to defend against it. He should have tried to change up his approach going into the corners on the overtake to catch Danny off guard. Given how many chances he had it really is on him.

And it's also just a difference in the cars, I'm sorry but there really aren't many good excuses when Ferrari is the second best car and it's stuck behind a midfield car. I'd give him more grace if it was a Mclaren or even an Aston, but it's a VCARB, that car is not that good. I don't want to discredit Danny too much because he did drive well, but the reason he finished where he did was because Carlos couldn't overtake and he had a lucky qualifying lap.

And here's the thing, it's okay, everyone has less than optimal showings. I get that, I don't want to be too hard on him, I just lay this out because it is mostly on him.

Like we have to have space for drivers to have bad days and less than stellar performances. I look at things as a whole. And unfortunately this does continue a pattern of him not doing well overtaking in the SF-24. So this isn't just this race either, it was just highlighting a weakness more than anything.

[tigreblvnc]

BLUE LOCK MATCHUP EXCHANGE — @hidden-oracle

Your match is...

— Hiori Yo

✦ Hiori appeared to me transparently throughout my reading of your description!

✦ He is very calm, observant but can firmly assert his positions when he believes in them. I find that this creates a great balance with your tendency to become easily anxious; he knows how to stabilize and clarify the situation.

✦ Super good at problem-solving, he processes all the information behind the scenes before coming back with THE solution that will work.

✦ I suppose he adopts a similar tactic when he plays his video games, and I have no doubt that you find a lot of common ground in this area.

✦ I can see you both playing games that require a lot of tactics and cooperation.

✦ A couple of geeks at heart!

✦ I can see him loving thrill rides and wanting to challenge the haunted house with you; outwardly, you wouldn't think it, but he doesn't back down easily from adversity.

✦ The presence that always comes to take your hand when you start to panic.

✦ I imagine his voice to be very calm, composed, and gentle. The kind you love to hear.

✦ Totally the type to enjoy being with you without necessarily having to talk.

✦ He often does that when he plays his favorite games. Being with the person he feels good with is more than enough for him, and you don't need more to feel comfortable.

✦ Very attentive to what's going on despite his tendency to be a bit withdrawn, he knows your favorite foods and dishes, can describe with precision the outfits you've worn over the past seven days, and can predict what you'll need for your next outing.

✦ Speaking of outings, we know that Hiori doesn't usually like them, but for occasions like conventions, movie outings, or simply strolling with you in a slightly secluded natural spot, he gladly agrees.

✦ I don't see him particularly liking crowds, but he is very good at understanding human mentality.

✦ He MUCH prefers your honesty even if it hurts. In fact, I would even say that it gives him a boost when he starts to stagnate.

✦ Your tendency to give a lot to others makes him admire you. Deep down, it reminds him a bit of his attitude of wanting to comply with others' desires, but unlike him, you don't let yourself be pushed around and can probably tell when people start to take advantage of you. He wants to be like you and I can perfectly see him seeking your contact a bit clumsily when he needs advice but doesn't quite know how to ask for it.

✦ The boy is not used to asking for help from others.

✦ But he is very good at seeing when someone needs something.

✦ Especially when this someone is you.

✦ It's also good that you know how to take the lead in the relationship because it's not something Hiori would instinctively do, as he is more of a follower than a leader. You give him direction to follow, and he supports you in your goals.

✦ Complete evenings playing video games and watching movies will be common between you.

✦ Big fluffy blanket on your laps and room plunged into darkness.

✦ Even if you fall asleep, Hiori always keeps an eye on you in case you need something.

✦ He is not the most communicative person on earth but has a good understanding of who you are and wants to take care of you as much as you seek to ensure others are well.

✦ A bit like with Isagi, he will want to do everything to highlight your skills in what you do while acting in your shadow. Hiori's MBTI being INFJ, we know that this profile is often nicknamed "the counselor," and it's not for nothing.

A word about your match: My first thought was Chigiri because of dancing (I think that's a sport he'd really enjoy too besides soccer), but video games and not going out much definitely put Hiori on the table.

© JAE-PUDDING 2024 | INTERESTED IN A MATCHUP EXCHANGE? CHECK THIS.

[teardrop-scales]

Matchup for @babulejka

I match you with...

Douxie!

I think you'd be a very adorable and healthy couple.

Your dynamic could be interesting and cute, since you're pretty cheerful and kind, but also polite and lady-like, while Douxie tries to be this cool "emo" dude that every girl simps for but in reality he's quite a dork lol.

And he can be a bit clumsy and reckless, although he means good, so if you could keep an eye on him that would be great.

For some reason I think he'd either enjoy/be impressed with your dark and morbid sense of humor or be concerned. Like, if you throw an especially dark joke around him, I can see him not commenting on it, but thinking to himself in concern "are you okay?" Lol

You're cheerful and bubbly while Douxie is a more calm and less cheerful/energetic person in my eyes (or at least the more modern, current version of him, not the one from Camelot), so I think you two would balance each other out well.

You two would be quite pleasing to the eye and aesthetically pleasant couple- just imagine, you with your long, blond hair and your super awesome and unique clothing styles and him with his black hair with blue streaks and his kinda emo look. You and Douxie would look amazing together imo.

He'd try to be there to watch your ballet performances. He probably would not always make it because of his jobs and other duties, but he'd try! He'd love to watch you dance so gracefully and beautifully. That'd be one of the moments when he'd think how on earth did he get so lucky to have you.

Horse riding dates <3 He may not be a professional at this like you, but we have seen from Wizards that he knows how to ride a horse more or less. Besides, you could always give him some tips and pointers, right?

And of course most importantly; your shared love for music! He'd be already in love, but if you told him you play instruments and write songs? He's absolutely whipped.

I can imagine you two having a sort of music sessions when you play your instruments and try to compose and write songs together (as a fellow music lover, I think it's super romantic).

Generally I think he'd find all of your hobbies very interesting and unique. Some of them may make him feel nostalgic because of his time at Camelot, like archery or your interest in herbal medicine.

He'd love how artistic you are, not only with music but in general and think you're very cool for being so talented, knowing how to sculpt, paint and do other artistic things.

I think he'd appreciate and share your interest about the world around us and the universe. Also, he'd be absolutely delighted to show you and impress you with some of his magic.

Douxie would eat anything that you cook and/or bake, he'd absolutely love it. Tbh, he'd eat anything as long as it was made by you, even if it was burnt to a crisp, because he's just nice and considerate like that <3

You like reading? Well, you're in luck. We know he worked in that bookstore. I think Douxie would let you borrow any book without actually buying it or just straight up give some to you.

Obviously, I can't just write about Douxie and not mention Archie, right? ^^ I feel like he could be wary at first, but after seeing that you're genuine and that you really care about Douxie, he'd warm up to you and start to love you. He'd probably be grateful for not being the only one to keep Douxie out of trouble anymore. He'd love all the pets and scratches you'd give him (although he'd probably claim otherwise). Douxie wouldn't know whether to be jealous, amused or to find it adorable lol.

A.N: I feel like this isn't my best work, but I hope you're satisfied anyway! This isn't proofread and most of the time I couldn't decide whether to write in present tense or "he would", so it may sound/look weird, apologies for that and for any possible mistakes.

[sugutoad]

matchup trade for @averagetoyakinnie !

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON MATCHUP

Significant Other

I ship you with Aegon Targaryen and Aemond Targaryen. While Aegon is someone you had asked for, Aemond was alway my runner up for you. This is probably because I think you and Aemond would balance one another out - bringing out both the best and worst parts of one another. You seem like a down-to-earth person and I believe that Aemond needs someone like that. Whereas for Aegon, I see some slight potential? While he is more bitter, you see the joy in almost everything and I think that it is a beautiful dynamic to unfold. 

Runner Ups: Daemon Targaryen and Jaecerys Tarageryen 

HEAD CANONS:

While the brother’s don’t necessarily share any feelings towards one another, they are madly in love with you. While Aegon visibly appears jealous when you spend too much time with Aemond instead of him, Aemond somehow hides his jealousy until the two of you are alone

From our previous match up, I mentioned you were from Dorne and Dorne has excellent hair. After a Targeryan married a Martell, curls were introduced to the family. But let us rewrite history! Aemond loves his hair so much and pays a lot of attention to it ( I mean, have you seen it?) When you showed him how to curl his hair, he was literally in heaven! Aegon, on the other hand, still refuses to take a shower….

A lot of the relationship, especially in the beginning, was fighting for your affection. Aemond would take you on his dragon and prove that it’s better, but Aegon would say he is faster. Aegon would buy you something you like and Aemond would buy something even better.

Once while training with Criston, you were walking with Rhaenyra and stood above where they were training (in the place where Viserys was sitting and watching the kids train in ep 6). Aegon would stop training and smile brightly at you, while Aemond takes his distraction to show off and attempt to impress by attacking Aegon. That didn’t work out in favour because you ran to comfort Aegon and had the audacity to scold Aemond (not that he minded hearing you voice at all)

While Aegon spoils you endlessly, it is Aemond who pays for small details about you. You said you like yellow? He will buy yellow flowers for you. You said you like pearls? He will personally get a custom made pearl necklace. 

SFW HEAD CANONS:

Aemond’s love language is acts of service. He wholly believes that you should do things for the people you claim to love. He is always doing small little gestures for you like opening the door for you, buying you anything you like, giving you things that remind him of you etc. 

Aegon, on the contrary, is obsessed with physical touch like you. Alicent loves her kids, but she isn’t really good at expressing, especially towards Aegon; the thief of her childhood days. Small little brushes against his hand or tight hugs are enough for one lifetime according to him. He will literally melt if you let his head lay on you lap as you run your fingers through his head and softly brush his forehead with your lips

Since we know Aemond studies a lot, he definitely tried to learn all the 6 languages that you know. This man tries so hard for you and meanwhile Aegon is just like ‘you should like me as who I am’ 

Jokes aside, if you asked Aegon for the smallest of things, he would literally do it in two seconds. If you asked him to kill one person who did something horrible to you, he would slaughter their whole House for you. 

 Mornings are blissful - a state you almost never want to get up from. You're sandwiched in between the boys who are sprawled all over the place and blanket half off, the sunlight setting a warm glow on everything and Aegon placing small kisses on your back as Aemond holds you close. 

Most people look at Aemond with pity or fear when they see him passing by because of the incident that occurred when he was 10. Well, everyone except you and Aegon. The both of you look at Aemond as if he was still perfect and as an equal (even if Aegon always calls him a twat or an idiot)

NFSW HEAD CANONS:

Not only are they so different when they are having a normal day, even sex with them is so different. It’s very rarely that you would actually have sex with both of them at the same time because both of them want you as their own and only allow themselves to be vulnerable around you,

Aemond is extremely passionate. He would whisper small compliments, his lips brushing slightly over your ear and trailing down your neck. He allows himself to be very very open and vulnerable with you, telling you almost anything on his mind. 

Similar to Daemon, he is absolutely obsessed with the idea of fucking on Vhagars back, but he doubts that she would even let him. He prefers any sort of eye contact between both of you because he wants to see how you feel and how you appear rather than simply words. 

If Aemond is soft and passionate, then Aegon is rough and quick. He, like his uncle, has been in many brothels before with all the finest whores. All he needs in 5 minutes to please you. It’s more of a fun game for him rather than truly enjoying himself. He looks forward to seeing how long it will take for you to finish and everytime he would smile and tell you that you did a good job. 

Neither brothers are really the best with aftercare… Aemond would hold you in his arms for a while in silence or lay his head on your lap, thinking about whatever he did that day. Because he is more vulnerable at the moment, he also reflects about his decisions. Aegon would offer a shoulder massage at best and usually falls asleep. According to him, if you needed soft and passionate sex, you should have gone to Aemond and not him. 

How You Met

Jaxrel held his father’s hand tightly as they entered the throne room. The 10 year old boy had begged his father to take him to King’s Landing a few days ago, but at this moment, he was regretting it. The door opened and almost all eyes were on the father and son duo. Looking up at his father, Jaxrel received an assuring nod from him and that was enough for the young boy. The room was so big! Bowing down to King Viserys, Jaxrel’s eyes wandered around the room, analysing every face there. Queen Alicent stood quietly beside the stairs, her glare almost burning at the back of Jaxrel’s head. Beside her were 3 kids - a girl his age (Heleana), a beautiful boy 3 years older than him (Aegon), a sweet boy a year or two younger than him glued to his mother’s side (Aemond) and a 5 year boy hiding behind his mother’s dress (Daeron). Heleana’s eyes were glued on the floor, muttering random things to herself. Aemond was looking straight at Jaxrel, trying to figure him out as if he was a puzzle in need of solving. Aegon looked bored and tired, his hair dishevelled and eyes half closed, only looking up once at Jaxrel (he raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes - the audacity of him!) Jaxrel and his father were warmly greeted to King’s Landing by Viserys who even gave them rooms for them to stay! While being escorted to their room outside for the hall, Jaxrel looked back to see Aegon looking at him amused again and Aemond awkwardly waving. 

Confession

Over the years, both brothers grew an odd attachment towards Jaxrel. Now at 17 names days old, Jaxrel sat between the two brothers (who were now 20 and 16 respectively) under the weirwood tree. Aegon didn’t quite need to confess because he made it so obvious that he liked Jaxrel. He would randomly kiss him or hug Jaxrel - he didn’t care if others would disapprove of that behaviour. They were all idiots anyway. Glancing to Aemond, who was strangely quiet, Jaxrel cocked his head in confusion. It looked like Aemond wanted to say something, but clearly couldn’t tell Jaxrel because of Aegon’s presence. Jaxrel quickly asked to retrieve a scroll that he ‘forgot’ in the library and Aegon absolutely couldn’t refuse his orders, even if he didn’t trust Aemond being alone with Aegon. Aemond didn’t even wait for Aegon to fully disappear before he confessed. It was short and straight to the point. It would have been meaningless to create a huge scene according to him. By the time Aegon returned, he was utterly confused and upset at the sight of Jaxrel’s arms wrapped around Aemond’s neck, kissing him deeply as if their life depended upon it. 

3 ship tropes:

Sun (Aegon) x Dawn (Jaxrel) x Moon (Aemond)

Two people (Aemond and Jaxrel) gang up to tease the third (Aegon)

‘Who are those idiots? Wait! They're my idiots’ (You) x Idiots (Aegon and Aemond) 

Theme Song:

‘Young and Beautiful’ by Lana DeRay

‘Play with Fire’ by Yacht Money

Favourite Thing About You

Aemond’s favourite thing about you is your endless talent. He never knew that anyone could be so talented in so many fields like you were. As someone who strives to be better than his older siblings by studying, he was incredibly intrigued with how many languages you knew. Aegon’s favourite thing about you is your eyes. The warm hazel that contrasts the cold purple he sees on a daily basis is enough to stop him on his track. He loves the flecks of blue and green against the hazel surface especially. 

Dates

Most dates are made up of sneaking out late at night. During the day, all three of you are busy with the Septas and personal duties, but at night time, all duties are lifted off your shoulders. Aegon knows of all the secret entrances in the palace walls and leads the way to King’s landing. The three of you avoid places that you have been to a lot and can be recognized easily. Aemond and you have hoods over your head while Aegon doesn’t. If anyone truly does catch him and tell his parents, he stopped caring what they thought of him a long time ago anyways. It usually ends off with you and Aemond dragging Aegon, who is absolutely drunk and claims he is perfectly fine, down the streets. When Alicent found out about it, she simply sighed and told Aemond and you that she expected better from the two of you. It was definitely worth it though. 

Wedding - Faith of The Seven Wedding

While it is uncommon for a man to take two wives in the Tarageryen culture, no one has ever taken two husbands. Your wedding with the boys was definitely frowned upon by some, but as long as you were with them, nothing truly mattered. People from all over Westeros came to witness the ceremony with their own eyes. Rooms were filled with gifts and the halls were filled with people and food of all kinds. Though it wasn’t a typical Valyrian wedding, it was still beautiful. The boys wore shades of green and black adorned with golden highlights while you wore a soft yellow. The wedding had many prayers and ceremonies and a male septon officiated the wedding. The wedding was held in a seven sided Sept, a religious building of the Faith. The guests are separated into two sections by the aisle. Before the wedding, there were multiple festivities and grand feasts to honour the three of you. The official wedding lasted a bit longer than an hour. After announcing your vows, the septon took a green ribbon around your hand and Aemond and Aegon’s hand to show the new tighten union between your body and soul. 

Familial and Platonic Relationships 

Rhaenyra Targaryen adores you with all her heart! When you stumbled upon her by accident as a kid, she decided to keep the sweet 10 year old child by her side at all times. She buys you all your clothes and any food you are ever craving. She is your mother figure after you began to live in King’s landing. Even after the two sides split up, she forbade anyone to harm anyone and if they do, they will die from her hands. 10/10 Relationship and probably both of your healthiest ones. 

Ser Criston Cole is assigned as your sworn protector after Aegon becomes King. He was the one who trained both you and all your children. He claims that he doesn’t care much for you, but if you got even a scratch, he would go wild. 

Alicent Hightower thinks you are an excellent choice for her sons. She often fights for your affection against Rhaenyra, but as time goes on, she gives up because she knows that Rhaenyra is like your mother. The two of you don’t really cross paths or talk much at all. 

Otto Hightower was the one who got you to meet the two boys. He knows of your high status so if he gets you with one of his grandsons, he has a higher chance of getting his bloodline on the Iron Throne. 

Viserys I Targaryen is your biggest supporter. He trusts you with almost everything because you are one of his best friend’s sons and married to not one, but both of his elder boys. You remind him a lot of younger Rhaenyra so he keeps you around ever since Rhaenyra left for Dragonstone. As you grew a bit older, he made you his cup barrier like he did with Rhaenyra. 

Helaena Targaryen is your best friend. You are literally the only person who actually understands her and your bond grew stronger after your marriage with her brothers. She taught you how to sew and often makes little things for you. In return, you always sit with her while she rambles about her bugs. 

Children

Reactions: When you announced that you were with child for the first time, everyone was so shocked. Aegon held a party in your honour because of how proud he was. Viserys and Alicent were the proudest grandparents and even Heleana was associating with the family rather than her bugs. You quickly received many gifts from all the Lords and Ladies, especially from Rhaenyra , who always had a soft spot for you. When you announced your last pregnancy, everyone was so used to it and just said ‘congratulations, I guess?’ And has the audacity to continue their day? It’s mainly because they are so used to it now. 

Visenya Targaryen is the eldest child and daughter of Aemond and Jaxrel. She absolutely did not inherit any of the typic Targaryen appearance, but rather Jaxrel’s darker traits (asides some lilac hues in her hazel eyes). Though she is identical to Jaxrel, she acts similar to Aemond instead.  She isn’t the nicest person, often bullying some people and flirting with every man she sees. Her only soft spot is for her family and her cousin/beloved, Baela Tarageryen. 

Kanon Targaryen is the second child and daughter of Aegon and Jaxrel. She is a bundle of lanky energy, almost never settling in one place. Despite being known as a laid back person, she is quick to anger and slow to forgive. But if you don’t get her angry she is a really nice person. She is not afraid to show any skin (it’s not like her parents care much for that factor) and is an amazing dancer.  I absolutely know she is married to someone from House Tyrell or Martell. 

Momoe Targaryen is the third child and daughter of Jaxrel and Aegon. She is the older twin sister of Momo. She is absolutely the cutest person to ever grace the world with the biggest lilac eyes. It baffles Aegon how he can be the father of a child so pure and innocent. She is always studying many languages and only ever talks bad about others in other languages with her twin. She hosts a bunch of tea parties and makes her own clothes and accessories. She is engaged to Jacerys Tarageryen, but only to keep peace between both sides for a time being. 

Momo Targaryen is the fourth child and daughter of Jaxrel and Aegon and she is the youngest twin of Momoe! She is quite similar to her sister in the sense that they are both sweet and silly. She is the daughter almost everyone wants - the perfect lady. She is multi-talented and knows many things: fighting multiple languages, painting, drawing etc. Unlike her elder siblings who are already married, she does not wish to get married at all. 

Alhaitham Targaryen is the eldest of the triplets and is the 5th child of Aemond, Aegon and Jaxrel. While his siblings are chaotic, he is a huge sweetheart who jokes around and is always trying to learn new things. He is always munching on snacks which usually gets a scolding from  his Grandmother.

Nemesis Targaryen is the second sibling of the triplets and is the 6th child of Aemond, Aegon and Jaxrel. He's the most energetic person in the family, even more so then his elder sister. He is always travelling to different countries and playing pranks when he is home. He has a big sweet tooth and steals his older brother’s snack all the time. He is extremely competitive and plays lots of games with his siblings. 

Gemini Targaryen is the third sibling of the triplets and is the 7th child of Aemond, Aegon and Jaxrel. He's also more energetic like his brother and is a very passionate person, adoring even the smallest things in life. He is the life of the party like Jaxrel and a skilled fighter like Aemond. He is incredibly popular because of his looks. He and his siblings are always sneaking out and they got caught by Aegon, who actually sneaked out with him. He is really tall, often banging his head by accident on door frames. 

Family Life:

Family dinners don’t happen often because everyone in the family is always busy doing their own things, but once in a while, they all just sit down together and enjoy each other's company. The triplets are almost never there and when they are, they don’t even eat because they have already stuffed themselves with snacks. 

Gemini is the tallest in the family while Momo is the shortest. They have a really silly relationship. They tease one another, but in a good way and are alway trying to help one another. I feel like they have the strongest relationships among the siblings. Kind of like Benedict and Eloise’s relationship 

Everytime one of them have a new lover, the family analyzes the fuck out of the person to such an extent that it is scary. All of them sit in front of them and ask twenty questions each. Out of the lot, Visenya is the most over protective about her siblings and who they love.

Aemond is such a girl’s dad! He always lets the girls do his hair and rides on Vhagar with them (it usually receives a scolding from Jaxrel) While the parents try to not have favourites, it’s in human nature to prefer something more. Aemond’s favourite is Momoe, Aegon’s favourite is Gemini while Jaxrel’s favourite is Visenya (mainly because she was the first one he ever had and like Cersei said ‘There is no love stronger than the one a mother has for her eldest child’ or something along those lines)

Moonboard:

[smash-64]

2023 Game of the Year Countdown #5 Pokemon Trading Card Game  (and also the Pokemon Trading Card Game Neo! romhack by Cataclyptic that added Gen 2 Pokes) Nintendo GameBoy Color, 1998

This entry will include two games, but one is simply a romhack by a fan. However, that romhack is probably the best romhack I’ve ever played. First, the original.

Pokemon Trading Card Game came with the addition of GameBoy games to the Switch online subscription, and for many, it was their first experience with the TCG. My best friend and I taught ourselves to play back in the day, but we were poor kids with little allowance to spend on cards and never had any good decks. I used to read about really expensive decks filled with holographics and rares that won tournaments and always wished I could make one of my own. The pinnacle was always the Haymaker deck: a deck built around a few Pokemon with high HP and cheap attacks that could KO opponents before they could do anything about it.

The thing is, the Haymaker deck is so hilariously powerful, you can essentially stomp the CPU without even putting together a complete version of the deck. The best versions rely on Energy Removals and Super Energy Removals to hamstring opponents, and Gusts of Wind to force your opponent into switching to suit favorable matchups. I never pulled a single Super Energy Removal at all, and was lacking full sets of numerous Pokemon that were staples in the Haymaker deck, yet I was still able to absolutely blast the CPU. It was easy, but it was also fun.

However, the true experience came from the romhack created by Cataclyptic. The romhack creates a full set of new cards, removing most of the old ones from Base Set, Jungle, and Fossil. Instead, we get all the Johto Pokemon, as well as a few returning cards that have been balanced. I found the balanced cards to be wonderfully tailored to be good, but never TOO good. It was surprising to see that almost every card felt useful. Many were based on other cards, and I fell into a Meganium and Bellossom deck. There were two Meganiums, with one able to heal status conditions and the other able to shuffle energy cards among your Pokemon. Meanwhile, Bellossom was clearly based on the Do the Wave Wigglytuff of Jungle lore. However, this Bellossom felt more balanced since it was a stage 2 evolution, and the attack required grass energies, not colorless. As a result, it took longer to both fully evolve, and power up your Pokemon, since you couldn’t utilize the Double Colorless Energy.

I was also a fan of Jumpluff, as the entire evolutionary line only required a single grass energy for every attack. As a result, you had a whole line of Pokemon that felt true to their original design of being lightweight, quick Pokemon. I loved the attention to detail on this sort of thing.

Additionally, the cards themselves were created in the same GBC sprites that the original game had. Some look better than others, but I think almost all look better than their original counterparts. Clearly crafted with love by Cataclyptic.

Finally, before I get inundated with messages and comments telling me about the official TCG sequel that was only released in Japan, I did also try the fan translation of that game. However, I didn’t enjoy it much at all because they severely restricted so many things. Part of what was fun about the game to begin with was being able to get booster packs at a rate significantly above what my poor childhood self could afford. However, the very premise of Invasion of Team GR! is that they’ve taken all the Pokemon cards, making them very scarce. As a result, you can’t get cards nearly as easily. And with the extra sets added to the game, you can’t get the ones you want very easily, either. 

Additionally, the entire strategy behind most of the Team Rocket cards is to disrupt play, and while that might be similar in one way to the Haymaker strategy I previously praised, the Pokemon themselves are all pretty weak. It feels like you’re just playing Trainer cards and nothing else. I’ve seen some strategies that make people discard most of their deck instead of KOing their Pokemon. It very much fits the MO of Team Rocket, but it just isn’t quite for me. However, if you like blue decks in Magic the Gathering, you might enjoy this one. 

If you like the TCG or the original game, play Cataclyptic’s romhack! I’d buy a physical cart of it, if I could.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

This is such a wild season.

Omni-Man Vs. Bardock was a matchup people thought was gonna be balanced...at least more then Omni-Man Vs. Homelander, turns out it wasn't the case and its been one of the most controversal results so far.

Joker Vs. Giorno was a matchup everyone thought would result in all out war between the Persona and JJBA fandoms but yet when the results came out, both sides were more civil and chill then everyone expected. (Probably also helps that Persona 5 and Golden Wind have been out for ages now so a lot of the hype around them has died down.)

Bowser Vs. Eggman is the best argument that going indie doesn't mean a decrease in quality as its easily one of the best fights ever. Amazing all around and it manages to get better and better.

And now we have the most wtf matchup as we have Fall Guys vs. the Imposters. The game which had a flashpoint in during 2020 but then was ursuped by the other who stormed ahead.

No I don't know what's gonna happen next.

//Firstly, I actually didn’t mind Omni-Man Vs Bardock because I never had a problem with the scaling. Like, there WERE feats in there that didn’t make a lot of sense, sure, but I still thought the result was accurate. It is still my least favourite episode of 2024 though.

//Joker Vs Giorno’s fallout worried me not necessarily just because the Persona and JoJo fandoms are intense, but mostly because the fallout for the debut episode was pretty bad. For me personally, it was kind of like Gojo Vs Makima to me where the build up was so intense, and the episode itself ended up just being alright. I mean, it is I think within my top 15, but I had such high expectations for this matchup, and in the end, it was satisfactory.

//For Bowser Vs Eggman, I think I said this already, but I think MORO is either an alien or a god, because everything about the animation, as well as the rest of the episode, was spectacular. I think I can confidently say at this point, after rewatching it over the course of the last few days about 50 times, that it’s my favourite DB of all time. And no, that’s not because of recency bias, it’s because it’s just an absolute cinematic masterpiece.

//As for Fallmong Us…Among Guys? Regardless, while I’m not AGAINST this being a thing, because it’s really funny, AND I’m fond of both these games, truly, but my biggest problem is this isn’t a fight. It’s not ANYTHING. You get a packet of M&Ms and you took a packet of jellybeans you put them in the oven and you shake it, and that’s what this fight is. HOW in the HELL are these fucking loose brain cells supposed to kill each other?

//My legitimate prediction for this matchup is that it’ll be a stalemate, because the Fall Guys can’t kill, but they also can’t die.

//Genuinely though, the only prediction I’m going to make going forward is that Mahito Vs Shigaraki will be the 2025 debut. As for Among Guys fight, the hell if I know, lol.

-Mod

[theunbonded]

4

Garrick looked at me like I was a bug he wanted to squash underneath his boot. Not maliciously, but as a way to quickly get rid of an annoying pest. 

This was our fifth meeting and he had yet to let me touch a sword, focusing primarily on my hand-to-hand capabilities. Normally I would be complaining, but with the way he was putting me on my ass every session, this was probably for the best.

I was right that we could last a long time against each other, each dodging and making hits, but never getting the advantage. He had more muscle and weight, as well as height on his side, but I was nimble and quick on my feet. It was a constant game of cat and mouse on the mat. The bruises blooming across my ribs were courtesy of him, but my bloodied knuckles and the black eye gracing his face were reminders that this was an even matchup.

Until we got on the floor. No matter how we made it down, he got the advantage. I could have tripped him, flipped him over my shoulder, kicked out his knees, yet the minute I tried to pin him, he used his strength to steamroll me onto my back. None of my holds worked on him. It always ended with his thighs bracketing mine into place. His chest pressed against mine until the point of pain. His long, thick fingers loosely gripping my neck, a declaration of his win.

Then he would get up, wipe imaginary dust off his pants, and extend an arm to help me off the mat. Only once I was up would he begin his list of everything I could do better.

“Again,” I told him after regaining my balance, cutting off whatever rant he was about to begin. His hand stayed on my forearm until my feet were firmly on the ground, and then he quickly backed away from me. This was the third time we had gone today and it showed. His lip was split and sweat pooled at his collarbones. I’m sure my curls had frizzed into a mess at the top of my head, and my wrist felt swollen from where he had grabbed it during the previous match. 

“No.” His breath was heavy as he wiped the beads of perspiration on his forehead. “We’re done with the mat today.”

“Again,” I said, more firmly. “Until I can figure out how to get out from underneath you.”

He smirked at me, but whatever crude comment he had remained in his head at my expression. “The best possible solution for you is to never get in that position. Your size won’t give you an advantage against someone built like me.”

“But I need to learn how to get out. I won’t die because I can’t get out from underneath a pig of a man.”

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that.” Garrick ran his fingers through his hair. How his curls remained like that while mine disappeared the minute I broke a sweat was a mystery. “Don’t get on the floor. It’s as simple as that. And if you do, you don’t let them pin you. You may have the advantage on top with weaker riders, but don’t attempt to pull any tricks with riders stronger than you.” At my look, he added. “And there are people stronger than you.”

“It’s frustrating.” I ran my hands down my face, then cringed at the sticky sweat that came away. 

“It’s life.”

“I’ve won every match I’ve been here.”

“They haven’t put you against a real opponent.”

“There are no real opponents here.”

“What do you call this?” He raised that eyebrow at me, motioning to our unsanctioned practice, and there was nothing I could say to that. 

“My advice, Capplynger.” Garrick leaned in close, like it was a secret. “In a real fight, get them on the floor and kill them before they drag you down with them.”

⤧⤧⤧

I stood with my squad mates as Violet took the mat. How she had managed to continue winning was a mystery to most. Each of her challengers took ill or seemed to be out of it the day they were up against the littlest Sorrengail. I personally didn’t know how leadership hadn’t said anything to her yet.

Then again, I was the only one in the kitchen looking when she slipped roots and mushrooms into her opponents' foods.

I was once again thankful for that year of poison lessons. It had helped me keep up with the girl trained by the Scribes themselves. 

I glanced at Rhiannon as Violet’s opponent didn’t appear on the mat. She raised her eyebrow at me and I shrugged back. To everyone else, it seemed like he must have caught a sudden illness. Violet must have fucked up the timing of her poison. 

Xaden Riorson began handing his weapons to Garrick, saying he didn’t mind sparring with Violet today. It was within his right as Wingleader, and even though protests went up around the gym, Emetterio allowed him on the mat. 

Violet rushed at him, and I barely watched her humiliating attempt before discretely sliding to Garrick’s side so we could watch together. Standing like this, our height difference was much more pronounced. My head barely reached the top of his chin.  

That moment in the clearing on Conscription Day had suddenly come to mind when I saw Xaden walking towards Violet. The way he had murder in his eyes, watching the daughter of the woman who killed his father be welcomed into Basgiath. And then those hazel eyes watching me, a similar yet less dramatic story. It suddenly occurred to me that I may walked into Garrick’s trap when I asked to be trained by him. 

“Was this always the plan?” I hissed underneath my breath. “Riorson watches Violet while you watch me.”

“I don’t quite understand what you are asking me, Cadet.” He kept his eyes trained on the mat ahead of us.

“The daughters of the two biggest generals in the war are in the same year, and somehow two sons of the rebels seem to have taken an interest in them.”

“This seems to have nothing to do with that.” Humor laced his words as he continued to stare at Xaden and Violet, but when he looked down at me it all vanished. “And I seem to remember that you were the one that approached me first.”

He had a point. “Riorson didn’t plan this?”

“Apparently not.”

Interesting. I couldn’t help but feel relief. 

We watched in silence as Xaden stole each of Violet’s daggers except for one, leaving her almost defenseless. They were snapping at each other as they rolled around on the mat. From here, it looked like a lover’s spat. 

“They should keep this to themselves,” I muttered.

“Agreed.”

A moment of silence, and then:

“Did you agree to help me because of my father?” I finally blurted out.

“Did you come to me because of my rebellion mark?” He countered.

“No.”

“Exactly. I don’t believe in holding people accountable for their parents' actions. We’re all in here together now, so we might as well all try to survive.” Xaden had gotten off of Violet and started his way back to Garrick, which led Garrick to take a final look at me. “Get out of your own way, Capplynger. You’re focusing on the wrong things here.” 

He met Xaden halfway and handed him back his weapons before they both strolled out of the gym, never looking back. 

--

Masterlist

[100ducksizedfolignos]

FANTASY HOCKEY FOR TUMBLRINAS: A GUIDE

been curious about fantasy but have no idea how it works? and whatever guides google deigns to give you are not helping? do you live in canada or minnesota and have your coworkers managed to press-gang you into their fantasy hockey league and you don’t want to embarrass yourself? welcome! i have one whole season of fantasy hockey experience and managed to get second place in my league so i’m probably qualified to take you through this. strap in and hopefully this isn’t incoherent because i have extremely limited visual aids available!

PART 1: HOW IT WORKS

first, the two major fantasy sites are going to be yahoo fantasy and espn fantasy. which you use is probably determined by which one your league commissioner (person who made your league) likes better. disclaimer: basically all of my experience is with yahoo fantasy.

so before we get to talking about the draft - the first thing you do in your fantasy sports journey - let’s talk about what you’re drafting your favorite little hockey men for.

the goal of fantasy hockey is to win either head-to-head matchups or your group as a whole (depending on the settings of your league, to my knowledge head-to-head is more common) in individual stat categories that fall into two groups - skater stats and goalie stats. for instance, if all your skaters got more goals over the course of a week than your opponent’s skaters, you would win the point in that category. if your opponent’s goalies had a better average save percentage than your goalies, they would get the point in that category.

all stats are cumulative across your entire roster, for the record. even save percentage and goals allowed average for goalies, which are averaged out, use every goaltender appearance.

if your win-loss record is good enough (for some leagues, each category separately counts towards your record - for example if your league has 11 categories and you win 6, lose 4, and draw 1, your record is 6-4-1, not 1-0 - and for other leagues, each stat adds to a cumulative point total in different weights, i.e. goals worth 1, assists worth .5, etc., and whoever's total is higher wins), towards the end of the season you make your league’s playoffs, where you duke it out for the title.

there are two commonly-used sets of skater stats, which have become the ways people define fantasy hockey leagues as a whole: points leagues and “bangers” leagues.

points leagues use, as you can imagine, different points categories for skaters. the most common set of these is goals, assists, and power play points. potentially plus or minus shorthanded points depending on your league. bangers leagues, on the other hand, usually use those three stats plus shots on goal, hits, and blocked shots. this makes player selection more multifaceted and interesting and shifts the balance of who has more value in a given league. brady tkachuk is maybe the exemplar of a player who gains a ton of value in bangers leagues due to him having good points totals while also putting up a lot of value in those banger stats. i had esa lindell in my team last season, who put up a whole 24 points, none of them on the power play, but was still valuable to me because he had a lot of hits and blocked shots and helped me win those categories on a pretty regular basis.

you may be looking furiously on normal websites to figure out a player’s banger stats. you will not find them. ask me how i know this. your most reliable source of player stats is going to be the fantasy websites themselves, and you can look through player databases without having a team. yahoo, at least, even lets you do mock drafts, if you want to get cozy with the ui and the experience before you do it for realsies.

(a sample of what a fantasy stats page might look like. this particular one is displaying player stats from last season. if unfamiliar with stat abbreviations, in order, they are: games played, goals, assists, power play points, shorthanded points, shots on goal, hits, blocked shots.)

(same as above, but for goalies. stats in order: games started, wins, goals allowed, saves, shutouts, overtime losses.)

goalie stats are usually wins, goals allowed average, saves, and shutouts. plus or minus save percentage or overtime losses, depending on your site and settings. these are all pretty straightforward, with the small wrinkle of “do you take a better goalie on a worse team knowing he’ll win less but have better other stats” vs “do you take a more average goalie on a better team knowing he’ll be better supported by his system which might help his stats and definitely get him more wins”.

PART 2: THE DRAFT

now that you know what you’re looking for, let’s talk about the draft.

most fantasy drafts are “snake drafts”, meaning the pick order flips every round, in interest of fairness. while most pro sports drafts are the same order every round (1→16, 1→16, 1→16, etc.), they have history to fall back on. poor teams need better players to build around, while better teams already have those players. but in the average fantasy league, everyone is starting from zero. so the order goes 1→16, 16→1, 1→16, etc. for as many rounds as your draft goes. the person who picked last in the first round gets to pick first in the second round, and so on.

what you’re looking for here is highly dependent on your team settings. does your league just distinguish forwards from defense from goalies? or does forward position matter? (if it does, know a player is not locked into a spot once you use him there - he can play any of his listed positions at any given time, whether or not he actually plays that spot in the lineup. for instance, joe pavelski is listed as both a center and right wing - despite the fact he rarely plays center, you can deploy him there on any given night. or you could deploy him at right wing, if that’s where your opening is.)

i’m going to take you through this with the settings used by my last league.

in my league, you had 16 guys on your roster. 2C, 2LW, 2RW, 4D, 2G, and 4 guys on the bench (who, if they played that day, their stats would not be added to any of your totals, although this was rarely an issue). so on my team, i usually had 8 forwards, with at least 3 people able to play each position, 5 defensemen, and 3 goalies. your league might have a bigger roster, it might not have a bench, it might not care about where forwards play as long as they’re forwards, and this all influences the spread of who you draft and when. if your league calls for - in the case of espn’s default league settings - 9 forwards, 5 defensemen, 1 utility player (put another way, any skater), 2 goalies, and 5 guys on the bench, well, you probably take 12 or 13 forwards, 7 or 8 defensemen, and 3 goalies, and it’s on you how you prioritize the order of that.

really, the important parts of the draft are the first few rounds, when you pick the really high-end guys. later-round players are easier to swap out for each other - which you can do! any guy not drafted is considered a free agent, and if you draft a guy who’s underperforming, you can swap him out for an undrafted guy who’s doing better. so don’t sweat the later rounds too much beyond what roles you need to fill. you can let your fantasy site’s ranking board help you out there.

lightning round q&a:

when do you pick a goalie? generally people go the same way nhl teams do in the entry draft - probably not in the first round unless he’s a really sure thing to an extent that he’s more valuable than whatever top skaters are still there.

can you run with just 2 goalies? if you are extremely confident that your 2 goalies combined can match the output of other teams going with 3 goalies. if you have a vasilevskiy or a sorokin or the type of goalie who is a clear starter and plays at a high level for those starts and your other goalie is giving good starts, then yeah maybe you can run with 2. i did for a bit. take the third goalie though, it’ll make your life so much less stressful, especially if your league has a minimum amount of goalie appearances requirement (mine did - your goalies had to make 3 appearances a week for their stats to count at all).

when do banger stats become more valuable than points? i wish i had a clear answer for that. you just gotta feel it out, man. broadly, when a player’s point total starts to get into average territory, then probably start really looking for those banger stats to maximize value. but if a guy has notable banger stats then maybe you take him before point totals get average. no good answer to this one, sorry

is there any reason for mcdavid not to be 1oa, even in bangers? no, and anyone who tries otherwise is being contrarian for the sake of it. if you luck out getting 1oa just take mcdavid. come on.

if you pick last in the first round, are you boned? well i picked last and got second place, so no you are not :)

when do you make a “reach” pick? as you’re drafting, you’ll have a list of players ranked by the site in front of you. use that to help but not as a bible. you reach when you think someone will take a player before you get to pick again, and the difference between that player and the next player on your list is worth the risk.

idk if people have more questions i can make another post or something. maybe you don’t have any of these questions. i hope it was useful anyways

PART 3: FANTASYING

here’s the meat-and-potatoes nitty-gritty of it all. here’s a very retro view of what your team hub might look like - note the ui absolutely does not look like this anymore:

you can actually see on here what i was talking about earlier with that “guys who play multiple positions can be used in either/any” thing. malkin is listed as both a center and a right wing, and is deployed as a center here, but if, say, this person wanted to bring in derek roy but still use malkin, he could put roy in malkin’s center spot and move malkin to bump selanne or jagr to the bench.

good news! i did manage to find someone’s screenshot with something similar to current app ui:

player stats for the week would be under where it says no game, but you can actually see the ir+ spot in use and what the general layout looks like. actually, speaking of ir-

let’s talk about ir real quick. and this bit is all based on yahoo fantasy, so if espn does this different, i’m sorry and you’re on your own

so! if your team has a dedicated ir+ spot, you can put any guy who is officially listed as out (O, as keller is above), injured reserve (IR), or long-term injured reserve (LTIR) there, and he will not count against your roster total. you have a limited amount of these spots, so probably don’t get landeskog, confirmed to be missing the whole season, and stick him on there, although you can and it won’t affect your main team at all. it would only be a problem if with him you have more injured guys than there are ir+ spots. with this, you could even draft a guy starting the season injured, like a brandon montour, stick him on an ir+ spot, and get a fill-in guy out of free agency afterwards (since you’ll only be drafting enough players to field a team without any injuries), if you think that when he’s healthy, he’ll boost your team enough to be worth missing out on a player of the caliber of where you drafted him. so if a player on your team gets injured and you have ir+ spots, use them! pull a guy out of free agency to take the injured player’s spot and go about your merry business knowing you can still field a full team.

anyways - as before, only the players off the bench (in the white spaces on this ui) count towards your totals. so, and i cannot stress this enough, MAKE SURE YOUR PLAYING PLAYERS ARE ACTUALLY PLAYING AND ADDING TO YOUR STAT TOTALS. much heartbreak has been had by people who have forgotten to do this. yahoo has a fun little button that will automatically do this for you, but only for the week, so keep up with that, too. (for purposes of fantasy, weeks start on mondays btw.) it might also not always start the people you want starting if there’s more guys playing that night than there are spots on your starting roster, so watch for that, too. like if you have 4 defense spots and you have 5 defensemen playing that night, decide which one’s stats you’re most okay with missing out on. players only lock in once their game time comes around, so you do usually have the entire day to decide. you might be influenced by where your matchups are standing - if you’re definitely losing your assists matchup, but your hits matchup is close, you might sit your points-producing defenseman in favor of your big hitter. stuff like that.

and that’s actually pretty much it! even playoffs work the same way. once you’ve got your team, the day-to-day of fantasy is pretty simple. make sure your players are playing, adjust your team with free agents if necessary, conveniently ignore trade requests if they suck (as far as i can tell trading is more prolific in irl fantasy groups where people know each other better, we had like no trades in my online league of strangers last season), root on some guys you’ve never heard of before because you need them, and have fun!

[wsdalt]

Okay let me see what I can think of. Unfortunately everything in my brain not already in your dms is either not allowed to say for another few days orrrrrrr the Yakuza games' hostess club mini game. But you wanted entertaining so mini game it is. I have no amazing insights about it for you, but I can summarise!

So Cabaret Club Czar as it's called officially appears in 2 games - 0 (a prequel game set in the 1980s, during the heights of the Japanese bubble economy), and Kiwami 2 (a remake of the 2nd game using the same engine as yakuza 0, though I cant remember if the remakes or 0 came first). In it you are tasked with running a Cabaret Club! Which is technically not a hostess club but in my head it's the hostess club mini game so sue me. It's... I'm not good on Japanese culture, but it's like an early form of a hostess club, the partway point between a cabaret (hug big shows where the ladies on staff could be hired to provide conversation at the booths) and a hostess club (where you have a conversation over drinks with an on-staff lady). Being music and maybe a singer but not a big show on the stage. I think. Look I'm running from a video game series and wikipedia here. I am not reliable there.

What I am more reliable on is the mini game! it is probably my favourite game that can be played quickly. Unfortunately it is a mini game inside a Yakuza game, and I do NOT get on with real time action combat. So I have to get my housemate to clear the games for me so I can play a mode with no plot and just do the club. Unfortunately when he got a new playstation he didnt transfer his saves, and so I cannot play. Sad :( currently he is replaying 0 so I can play the first form again (yay!) though I doubt he'll do me the second as well :( not anytime soon at least.

So the game itself. Its... surprisingly complicated and massively sports anime in vibes. You always start off with 1 platinum ranked girl and 2 brozen ranked girls. Now, there are 4 ranks (5 in 2) - bronze, silver, gold, platinum (and in 2 only, diamond, but that's also a plot rank). It is a failing club. You are mistaken for manager material and put to work running the place! You must defeat the other clubs, who have all sold out their souls and the true meaning of the clubs for cash-dollar and many of whom are implied to be abusing the girls working for them, in battle! By earning the most money in a single night (you can repeat if you fail but failure, shock horror, loses you money. And makes your girls sad. And you lose fans. Which we will consider shortly).

Now theres a whole host of things to balance which affect your earnings.

Easiest to explain are fans. You earn fans either slowly by just playing through shifts, or else by partnering with local businesses. This either is done by befriending store owners or paying shops large amounts of money. Simple.

Then there is the evening itself. During the evening men will come to your club, and you must match them to girls on shift - while rosters are pretty big, its I think 8 girls to a shift max, and 6 tables. You do not start with enough girls to fill all the tables, meaning at first sometimes you have to turn people away. You get money by people being there and buying drinks. You get more money if the girl's stats match what they want (with richer clients demanding higher stats). You get even more money if theres a popup requesting assistance and you get it right (something like bringing another drink, which will be indicated by a hand signal and you need to remember which hand signal is which thing). You will get less money if the guy and girl get into a fight and you do not resolve it (only happens if it's a poor matchup, stepping in to defend the girl is usually the right answer).

Now, your ladies. Basics and shared with all of them are stats. They have 4 aesthetics (cute, funny, sexy, beauty) which are fixed (for everyone but platinum+ but even their bases are fixed), skills (stamina, skill, party, love, talk) which increase as xp increases. XP increases in line with how much money they specifically have made you. Stamina is important as working will tire them out, and a tired hostess cannot work! And will be miserable making her clients miserable. Look after the ladies and they look after you. The rest is stuff the clients have preferences on. Match up to avoid trouble and get more cash.

Now how to get more hostesses? Welp. Theres various ways. Basic recruiting is a little different in each game (0 you just ask people on the street or get them for achievement points, 2 you put out job ads). Then theres people who join you as substory rewards (help them and they help you), and your platiniums. You start with one platinium, and get more by defeating other clubs. They are the stars of your and other clubs, generally being mistreated somehow or needing to adjust schedules in ways their bosses dont like, though not always. They're your rewards for completing each level.

Why are diamonds so special? Well first of all you can dress them up, changing their aesthetic stats and with enough number crunching maxing them out on all four! They also have the best stats. And they have plotlines!

Yup, not only does the mini game have a plot, the platinum ladies do too.

These are explored via training session, in which you usually do dating sim style multiple choice dialogue helping them practice talk to people, their job, in a usually mentory way (regardless of if you're playing Majima in 0 or Kiryu in 2, you are an elder brother or dad figure more than date potential for these girls - that's for *other* minigames), or you take them to other mini games like karaoke. Depending how well you do at these depends how much stat increases they get, which are real helpful as they're not tied to xp. What's that good? Because theres a level cap of course! (You also get side stories with each platinium, unlocked by doing enough training. Once you finish their plots, no more traininf).

And this is too long already but there is your crash course in the yakuza cabaret club mini game from a more mechanical perspective! I hope I have entertained for at least 30 seconds. <3 (this took me half an hour and we didnt even get into any of the ladies... I guess ask sometime and I can start on them, the actual good bit. Though I do love like... cafe running speed game plus princess maker gameplay very very much)

~ Factorial

this is very interesting thank you for sharing \o/!!!

sorry I don’t really have it in me to like… add anything as a response. But I enjoyed it \o/!!!

[autisticempathydaemon]

Busybee my dear, hello from a fellow queer trans asain! i would love a matchup if its not too much trouble for you :3c

What song are you currently fixated on?

Oh my god, my friends and I have recently started making monthly playlists and it’s one of my favourite things to do; just curate a playlist over the course of a month!! currently its a load of fnaf living tombstone music BUT I’ve also been obsessed with The Distance by Cake? As a drummer, i absolutely adore the bass of this song!! Or Super Bon Bon by Soul Coughing has also some absolutely amazing drums!! Apart from that, I’m generally in love with everything Crane Wives BUT particularly for this month, the song Back to the Ground is so delicious!!I would put my fave lyrics but then i might have to transcribe the whole song lol. Just- the entire vibe and meaning of the song is so good (like most every crane wives song ill be honest)

Enneagram type?

Oof oh i havent done thay quiz in a hot minute but last i checked i was a 9w1 which definitely speaks to my lazy ass lol. I’m also an INFP?? I’m also a huge DND nerd so I have taken the alignment quiz and im chaotic good id that helps in any way HAHAH!!!

favourite Redacted audio?

100% the whole of avior and starlights playlist. absolutely devastating. i had to pause the playlist several times and lie down for a minute because i was so absolutely insane abt them. i love them so deeply. I’m definitely more drawn to the more plot heavy characters and arcs as compared to like ashers or davids which is more like cute couple moments (not that they dont have plot but its like. ashers playlist vs marcus’s ykyk) but that being said my favourite video of all time is probably elliots HBS video!! He is my favourite boy i will not lie i am so utterly obsessed with him and i would absolutely write pages upon pages abt why i love him and why his character is so my favourite for the ever.

fave platonic boy?

ASHER !! OR GUY!! I love silly dudes and they are peak silly boys. honestly i could see myself being best buds with Guy because we’re both so dirty minded and very clingy silly?? but there are also aspects where i would balance him out, like while i do love being chaotic i also understand the importance of just stfu and being silent every once in a while so i thunk there wld be times where there ARE shenanigans but also times where hes rambling my ears off and i can just sit. and listen. And I do love the hc that Guy plays DND and now i can absolutely imagine us playing dnd together OR binging dnd playthroughs. AND for asher, I feel like i wouldve had a crush on him because hes so like silly but also hes such an absolute sweetheart darling and hes so endearing that u just cant help but love him yk? but it wld be one of those friendship crushes that just means we end up being super close.

what gets the big boy a-snoozin?

anythin thay involved peoples voices. like straight up listenin to people talk absolutely sends me straight to dream land asap!! its kinda specific though like, if its a podcast? I can’t listen to those. the voice quality just sounds different from like a video of someone talking?? to me at least. And i can only fall asleep to videos of people talking (which is lowkey how. i got into boyfriend audios in the first place. amen insomnia). so now i have a sleepin playlist that consists of boyfriend (and girlfriend) audios, video essays about SCP’s and internet drama (shoutout to the right opinion) and also dnd playthroughs!

do u like long form video essays??

I LOVE VIDEO ESSAYS ABOUT SCP’S. i put them on when i cook!! I love ones that just talk abt the SCPs cause some are truly mind boggling and world shattering! I also listen to video essays abt youtuber drama because im not better then that and also a lot of them have quite impressive video editing!

Imaginary friends?

I think as someone who started watching horror movies at a very young age and is also super obsessed with horror movies/books now, i fully believe that if you had a imaginary friend as a child, you’re absolutely cursed and haunted and u need to be exorcised asap. (/j) no my parents were always super realistic with me and told me point blank that santa wasnt real, imaginary friends were only for mentally ill kids, and the only real big guy is the big boy in the sky. so. no imaginary friends BUT i did and still have a teddy bear (very creatively named bear bear) and i used to cry when i lost him.

i think thats it! i hope. thats enoigh haha. oh, some extra stuff abt me! I love cookin food, it’s very fun if not incredibly tiring, plus im perpetually broke, so tryin to cook up my favourite restaurant meals is also fun! I love drinks too (firm believer that every meal NEEDS to have a drink to accompany it) i’m a particularly huge fan of bubble tea (before it was cool ok) i did try to make my own bubble tea but it got really time consuming and not worth it. i love collecting plushies, i have about 10 in my room and yes they absolutely trigger my sinus but its so worth it. i love gamin and one of my first big boy buys was a gamin PC that i used to play Stray, Sims, Minecraft and most recently, FNAF! please pray i save up enough to get BG3. ٩( ᐛ )و

ok now thats really enough! thank you for this!! even if u dont get round to doin a matchup for me, thanks for lettin me ramble abt my interests :3 the questions are actually so fun hehe <333

Oh, I really like you. Not just because you gave me a lot of info to go on but because you and I have so much in common! Us queer, trans, Asian Type Nines have to stick together which is why I’m so pleased to pair you with Lasko.

I know I say this all the time, but it’s the perfect amount of similarities and differences that make a good pair in my opinion. I think your shared love of DnD, your introversion, your queer trans identity (because Lasko is queer and a whole allegory for a trans childhood, bless his heart) would be a great foundation for a solid relationship. Yet, it’s the differences that bring the spark like your love of horror where he would be squeamish or your chaotic good to his lawful.

I have such clear snapshots in my head of what your relationship would be like; if only I were an artist. You remind me of @itsdaifuku’s lovely piece of Dear as a guitarist and Lasko watching, starstruck, from the crowd; that would be you but as the drummer. I also love to imagine the two of you in the kitchen: you cooking, him mindlessly grading papers, an SCP video on, and Lasko looking up aghast when he finally tunes into what you’ve both been listening to.

Song:

I mean she even cooks me pancakes/ And Alka Seltzer when my tummy aches/ If that ain't love then I don't know what love is/ We even got a secret handshake/ And she loves the music that my band makes/ I know I'm young but if I had to choose her or the sun/ I'd be one nocturnal son of a gun

Sorry but not sorry, I’ve projected and given Lasko my elder emo taste in music. It’s cute, it’s iconic, and he’d know all the words- shyly, sheepishly joining in if you start rapping along with it as you cook. I like to imagine 2000’s emo music brings out a silly, karaoke-esque exuberance in Lasko, and then you could be silly together.

Runner-ups:

Milo is one of your runner-ups because (and I know I say this all the time too) it’s so fun to pair that scaredy-wolf with a horror buff. Everything he’s learned about SCPs has been against his will and because he loves you. Hudson is a runner-up because I’m obsessed with pairing musicians with DJ Anxiety; he’d love you and your drumming so much.

note: thank you so much for waiting 💕 I’m glad you had fun!

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌

[sewmice]

I am crying internally from these collaborating events like 1000% and QN, because the score is almost totally dependent on the cards your random matching teammates use. I play near perfect combo games with a maxed out UR, and someone’s level 10 R card causes the score to be nearly missing S grade (which is insane). I’ve had to abort games sometimes because of the poor team matchup, otherwise LP and items are wasted. It feels mean to be annoyed at this but I also feel like strategically, people can do better. At this point in the game, unless they’re fully new, everyone should know how score multipliers work and use the card with most helpful stats for collaboration, since it also maximises their own event points.

I feel you anon. It wasn't too bad with Starish since it was still 7 card teams and a lot of people had at least 1 half decent Starish card they were using. I also didn't notice it as much because having a Starish starter UR, I was using and getting the event bonus points too. So even if half my teammates were using Rs or a weak SR, it wasn't too noticeable (and I would've only done slightly better with my own team anyway). I completed that event easy peasy with days to spare.

But QN only giving us teams of 4, and less boys total means in theory less players have ANY good cards of them so early on. I thought, and maybe Broccoli thought, QNs extreme popularity might balance it out, but it clearly didn't. So our teams are weak, and 4 cards is just gonna be crappier. And so many people clearly don't even have a QN SR! Because they haven't pulled much and/or they've been unlucky. And that's fair! But our points are lower, less of us are probably seeing event boosts. (I've been a bit lazy) So if you're not someone with a QN UR or going nuts on the event, it's taking a bit more effort than Starish did!

People probably should've spent more resources on leveling up whatever R they're using for sure to help where they can. But resources are slim still so I kinda get not wanting to spend them.

And if you're using weak cards per boy to fill out the missions, you don't have to play the event song to do those! Easiest and quickest way to not make yourself and others suffer, go to a different song (or even the non-event version of Quartet Night) and make a team of QN (fill the other slots as you please) and play on 0 lp the 5 times needed. Or you can use lp if you want but non-event songs are worth less so maybe don't. You'll get through the missions in only 5 plays instead of 20 that way, and then you can focus on using your strongest card only for the event song!!!

I do still like these collab events though? They're cute and still not too hard (no event has been yet). I do like the idea of each player representing a boy and picking the costume. And the slight competitiveness of the badges or whatever in the end. It just needs some tweaking to how the points work, especially for QN. But again, with how low the bar is for event points, like even with crappy teams it takes some half decently consistent playing to finish out. So doubt they'll do much tweaking if any unless they change the points ladder.

Also! While these early ones suck, once we get later in the game. More boys get events and we all get the free UR from them. We do more pulls and get more URs we wanted, or didn't. Inevitably fill out our collection or initial URs that I hope to god always have a slight boost in events like they do now because that would be so nice. Then eventually everyone will always have at least one decent card per group and it won't be so bad!

Also also, I totally see where you're coming from. People in theory should know better on how the event and game works by now. But also, it's the second of this event type, 3rd event total, and the game has been out for a month and a half. Some people are still gonna be new, or not paying attention, or have bad reading comprehension, or in the case of international fans playing, can't read it and didn't look up any explanation. There are plenty of guides out there if anyone reading this does want to get more efficient/effective/whatever at playing the game! But like, give people time. I know it's frustrating. Again I'm also annoyed because like, I in theory could be done with the event by now! (I'm over 100k points but not at the 150k cap yet) But like it's okay. It's easy. It's early. There's no tiering at all in this event type. Calm down and just keep playing. Don't let your lp fill if you can help it and play only at 2 lp max if you wanna maximize points. 3-5lp are not terrible options either. And it looks like they even buffed 10lp so people in a pinch with no time are less screwed over.

I've rambled (per usual) but like. I feel you. It's annoying. But hey! People will get better over time and Broccoli will probably (hopefully) tweak things! In the mean time, I believe in you! You'll make it through! I wish you luck with better teammates!

[mikareo]

hi hi!! hope you’re doing well! thank you for opening match ups! i haven’t done any in a long time so it’s a bit exciting (≧▽≦)

may i have a blue lock personality matchup please?

desired gender/general age of the match: a guy please! 17 so we’d be the same age, but a more general bracket would be 16-18 (/∇＼*)

major personality traits: clumsy, hopeless romantic, smiley, chatty, and bubbly (especially around ppl im close to), shy, but i also like to mess around and have fun, creating a bit of chaos, and being a bit of tease,, i do get anxious and constantly stuck in the mindset of “fuck it” and “why did i do that”

um um also im an infp, a sagittarius, and i go by she/her ⸜( ˙˘˙)⸝

fav hobbies/activities: reading books and manga (and fanfiction but shhh), watching anime and kpop, listening to music, organizing, scrapbooking/card making, decorating, just anything crafty really, volunteering to teach little kids ⸜( ˙˘˙)⸝

ideal first date/dream date: smth not so uptight or high stress, smth kind of casual! so things like going to a mall/town center to shop and look through different stores (bonus points for books, stationery, and anime things hehe), maybe hit a cafe, but i also love the idea of aquarium or carnival/festival/theme park dates ∗˚(* ˃̤൬˂̤ *)˚∗

thank you thank you!! i hope this wasn’t too much, but im excited for whatever you come up with!!💓

💌 ✮⋆˙ love letter to...starglow-xx!

hellooooo!! here's your personality matchup! girl you sound like such an amazing person from your personality traits omgggggg i hope you enjoy this!!!! <3

[ ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱₊˚⊹ ᰔ ] your personality matchup results!

congratulations . . .‧₊˚🎧✩KENYU YUKIMIYA₊˚🫧⊹♡

⋆⭒˚｡⋆ chemistry analysis . . .

okay, i know there are a lot of yuki haters out there...but i think this man is so underrated. he's basically canonically the most attractive character in all of blue lock and his back story is so sad, it makes me just want to hug him and i think the two of you would be so compatible— let me explain!!!

yuki's generally known as the more gentle and calm one amongst all of the blue lock player (though he obviously gets a little aggressive on the field, but we all have our moments right?). i think this calm demeanor would be a great trait to balance your anxious mindset. while you're struggling with post-action anxiety, he would be able to talk you through what's going on and help you understand that everything you do if okay! he's made his fair share of mistakes in the past, and he knows that the only way to move forward is to acknowledge that what's done is done— what matters today will likely not matter tomorrow, and he's an ace at comforting you on that subject.

he can also be a bit of a downer sometimes...or a lot of the time. i think that your upbeat attitude could challenge this negativity that he usually feels about himself. as i said before, he would be there for you when your having difficult times and you would also return the favor. when he's in the dumps because he lost a game or feels like his football career may be over, you're the person who's there to lift him up and make him laugh. to be frank, your laugh is probably his favorite sound and he'd think of it whenever he needs to focus and remember the things that bring him joy.

the two of you would be able to be yourselves around each other with no fear of judgement. you can share hobbies— such as you showing him your favorite manga or him taking you shopping for designer clothes— and enjoy the sweet bliss of being in each other's company. any kind of date or experience you'd like to have, he'd be sure to make it happen and blow your expectations out of the roof. yuki's a romantic...and a handsome one at that, but no matter how many girls fall at his feet, you're the one for him. he has eyes on no one except you, and as long as his eyesight remains in tact— you're the most important beauty he wishes to admire.

this was so fun to do bc of how much i love yuki. i'm such an isagi fan and seeing everyone hate on yuki bc of the rivalry between them is so sad since they're just two boys who want to play soccer ajskl so it's such a treat to be able to write about him in a positive way! pls let me know what u think :)

[tigreblvnc]

BLUE LOCK MATCHUP — @harusanzuchiyo

Your match is...

— Chigiri Hyoma

✦ "I like my own company or the company of those close to me, especially my big sis since she’s like my best friend." This immediately made me think of Chigiri and his sister. They share a similar bond, even if it might not be as openly expressive.

✦ "I tend to observe others and my surroundings and always catch what others feel or things people wouldn’t notice." Again, this is something you share. Chigiri is very discreet during the early episodes, always in the background and not very involved in group activities.

✦ Yet, we quickly notice his eye for detail. He’s able to explain to Isagi how his playstyle works, how he sees the entire field as a whole, and so.

✦ "I’m not really good at expressing my own feelings so most of the time people find it hard to read me." Well, it’s the same for Chigiri.

✦ "Once you know me, I’m more laid back. I’ll make jokes and laugh a lot, even at the silliest things, and definitely tease my friends sometimes. I’m also very sarcastic." Our redhead is known for becoming one of the sassiest characters on the field later on, throwing sharp remarks at opponents who can never outrun him.

✦ Even so, I don’t see him as someone who mocks others for no reason. He knows his worth and eventually regains his confidence.

✦ Outside of matches, we know he’s pretty laid-back. He goes with the flow and doesn’t hesitate to invite other players to join when Chigiri is with the Egoist 4.

✦ In general, this echoes your tendency to switch between hyperactive and vegetative modes. It reminds me a lot of Chigiri’s ability to know when to be cheeky on the field and when to be calm and composed once his jersey is off.

✦ "More than talking, though, I tend to listen, so if you had a bad day, I’ll just sit with you in silence and keep you company, or find a way to distract you. And if you eventually want to talk about it, I’m all ears." I’ve noticed that even though the overwhelming majority of characters in the manga are all about competition and victory, there always comes a moment when a character needs to slip into an introspective episode to refocus and regain their determination. Some even feel the need to talk with someone, and I think Chigiri could be that type, especially if you’re able to speak frankly when you know something’s wrong. Chigiri is the kind of person who needs to be scolded to clear his thoughts and get back on track. That’s a role you’d fill perfectly with your ability to provide moral support to those you care about.

✦ "I’m also really disorganized and clumsy, probably because I daydream most of the time (if you catch me being clumsy, I’ll probably cringe a lot). I don’t have a schedule (I’m too lazy for that), so I tend to do everything last minute T.T." That’s probably why your house is so messy! We know the two neat freaks in Blue Lock are Isagi and Barou; without them, it’s often chaotic in the Egoists' homes.

✦ At the same time, I don’t see Chigiri complaining about it much, you know. He goes with the flow, as always.

✦ The red panther has this philosophy of "as long as you don’t slip on a banana peel while walking, it’s fine!"

✦ "On the other hand, I like people who respect boundaries, open-minded people, people who don’t jump to conclusions, and people who don’t live to please others but for themselves and don’t care about others’ opinions." Honestly, this paragraph gave me the most trouble finding the best match because when it comes to respecting boundaries, let’s just say not many characters fit the bill lol.

✦ But the "don’t care about others’ opinions," you honestly couldn’t have picked a better manga to find characters who align with that definition.

✦ All in all, Chigiri is a good balance of everything you like in someone: a respectful person who knows their worth and knows how to self-reflect.

✦ "As for hobbies, I LOVE drawing, especially creating characters." Chigiri is someone who likes taking care of himself and appreciates beautiful things, so I can easily see him leaning over your drawings to see what you’re working on. Of course, if you don’t like that: he backs off simply and waits for the moment when you’re ready to show him, if that ever happens.

✦ He knows how to keep himself busy with reading and gladly recommends titles to you.

✦ "For the love language I would like to receive, I would say quality time too, as I said earlier I just like the idea of spending time with the people I care for." Honestly, I think Chigiri is one of the best at that. Just being in the same room as you, nose deep in his books, and when a passage amuses him or gets a reaction out of him, he reads it aloud to you without taking his eyes off the page.

✦ "I have shoulder-length dark brown curly hair that I tend to style a lot (thanks, Pinterest lol)." Skincare and hair routine together <3 And I think he’d be impressed by your style; it contrasts a lot with his, which is more casual chic. When you’re out in public, people definitely turn to look at you two.

A word about your match: I thought of Isagi because he could help you organize your days and tidy up for you... But I found the balance that Chigiri brings more interesting.

© TIGREBLVNC 2024 | AUGUST '24 MATCHUPS EDITION.

[birb-tangleblog]

TTS Brotherhood Ask Game!!! :)))))

9. Who do you think is the most skilled in fighting?

14. Do you think the Brotherhood should continue with new members?

18 What is a cool headcanon that you liked from someone else?

9. Who do you think is the most skilled in fighting?

Ohhh man, this is a tough one- I see them as pretty evenly matched? I can imagine them all countering each other in different ways, and perhaps having favorable/unfavorable matchups- though I think they're all be close enough in skill that any fight would be a tossup.

Honestly, I kinda want to compare them to a starter trio from pkmn? (or rock paper scissors lmao)

Hector -> Quirin -> Adira maybe?

I feel like Hector's win condition against Quirin would be to outmaneuver and take him down before he runs out of stamina. Quirin is a tank, but also slower and the easiest to outspeed- Hector's aggression and decisiveness benefits him here.

Quirin, in turn, would win a war of attrition against Adira- if Adira didn't engage, he wouldn't burn himself out like Hector would. He can play just as defensively and patiently as she can, and out-endure.

And like we saw in the series, Adira has an excellent balance between strength, defense, and dexterity, and leverages each to her advantage. I'm not sure one member of the brotherhood is objectively the most skilled fighter, but of the three, imo she's probably the most reliable.

If we're talking canon/post-series and not hypothetical matchups, I debate on if Hector or Adira would be stronger. Quirin is obviously rusty, so he's out. Hector is isolated, and not necessarily fighting skilled opponents most of the time- but he probably practices and drills himself religiously. Adira's out in the world, so more likely to encounter trouble and test her skills- but she also might avoid fights because it's safe/practical.

We do see Adira beat Hector in a fight in RatGT, buuut I think that could've gone either way.

14. Do you think the Brotherhood should continue with new members?

Honestly, no! I think the Brotherhood, as it was, needed to come to an end. The secrecy, the demand of loyalty to the point of self-destruction and sacrifice, the legacy of the moonstone and the mindtrap talisman… it's better left in the past. (I also tend to HC that the Brotherhood favored recruiting orphans or children who otherwise had nothing, which is another reason the system would need to change in my mind.)

I think the Brotherhood could definitely reform, possibly under a new name, and become more inclusive/healthy- I really like the HC that in a canon-compliant ending, Hector goes on to be a teacher/mentor for the next gen- but part of rebuilding the DK would be starting that part of it anew.

18. What is a cool headcanon that you liked from someone else?

Xannerz has really cool thoughts on the DK and the Brotherhood!! Hard to pick just one w/ all our chatter, but I really like her headcanon that not everyone left the DK in the evacuation and a small handful of the citizens stayed behind. Ones who were older or sick, and just couldn't make the long journey, or maybe who refused to leave out of love/loyalty to their home- Edmund wouldn't have been completely alone, but it's still bleak and tragic in its own way.

Meechatuck's idea that Quirin is actually quite skilled at picking locks and Mo (rainyday-deer)'s old HC that Hector whittles are also both very cute to me!