#ur whole team needs to step up as a whole to win these games and they have

[3416]

preparing myself for the inevitable continued discourse when leaf fans get bored over the next couple days about how our top players don't step up when we need them to.. despite this being the playoff point count after 4 games for every team fbnfn

[thehuggybearslover]

I wasn't totally in the mood to lb yesterday's game but I did watch, and, oh my! What a show those teams put on! I was on the edge of my seat throughout most of it haha!

Just a few opinions:

Panthers played really well but like only after having taken three goals, which was kind of a late reaction, I think. But they did have a real chance at bouncing back.

Tkachuk absolutely showed up for the series last night! That last save he made? Damn, amazing! And I don't mean to say that he's been bad or anything, just a little dorment in this series? But maybe that's cause I don't really know his game, and had big expectations because of all that they say.

Sadly, to the panthers, Mcdavid also showed up 😭 like, yeah, he had a really good game 4 but, let's face it: the panthers did make it easy then...

Another thing: Bob did some amazing saves but he still let four goals in, and, yeah, I still think he's absolutely sick but I'm thinking that game 4 really messed with his head (it'd mess with anyone's imo), and on to my next point:

The crowd wasn't helping a lot in the first half of the game either. Like, I know it's super disappointing to have ur team, especially one that's been so good, start off losing at home, and they probably felt a little humiliated after game 4 (the internet, at least, wasn't forgiving at all) but. In my humble opinion, they could've tried to cheer the team up regardless of all of that, cause, yes, Florida was terrible in game 4 but the oilers fans were all over them for that whole game, even when their team was 3 down in the series, so that also played an important part for their win that night. And, after a game 5 win, they will most definitely do it again, so if it does come down to a game 7 (fingers crossed that it won't 🤞) panthers fans will need to step it up 🙏

So, if you made it this far, thanks for coming to my ted talk (the most notable things for me taken from game 5), and let's go panthers!

Also, you go Bob!! Regardless of the series results you're awesome and should get the Vezina!

[junglesupport]

i wanna talk about humanoid as the 'ghost' captain for fnc. clearly the most experienced player on the team with lots of knowledge. my theory of him not being an official captain is that he doesn't want to do the uplifting/emotional part for the team (maybe bcs he's not good at it). IF it were true then i respect him bcs not many ppl are made to be a leader and maybe he knows his limits about being a captain and chosen not to do it idk

And here's why i think his role in the team is very important:

1. He's the only one who have an lec title. THAT info alone would make the team rely on him bcs we have a champion in our team! he can carry us in playoffs! there's some sort of comfort with having someone like him in ut team yk?

2. Fnc is a very emotional team yes, everyone and their mother knows that. but i want to highlight ivan here bcs when you're fighting over and over and OVER again to get that one title you're so desperately wanted for YEARS, you get tilted easily. what more is that it's always this one team that keeps blocking you from that trophy. seeing his post match tweets abt how he's so screwed, leaning back on the chair during the match, getting obviously frustrated in the finals. when your captain acted like that then who's leading the team? :( I'm not blaming him or anything but this is my point. It's HERE that marek steps in. his role to guide the team with macro/shotcall when ivan couldn't do it.

But then we heard from their msi vlogs that when the team is popping off, marek gets excited too bcs they're playing their best. and he's gonna get better when everyone is playing at the highest level. but when the team has a bad day? then he's not motivated too. and while yes he still can carry, you can't really do much when ur team is afk so you ended up slowly bleeding. That's what happen at msi and probably during this whole three final.

Just wanted to emphasize again that idk the reason why he didn't become a captain or how they chose one in fnc. The point before is just my theory. BUT I'm really really grateful for him. He's there to play the game. We win, he's happy. We lost, gg go next. He doesn't stuck too much on that loss like i love his mental. And he's a hardworking guy. Seeing him playing soloq alone before their match :') ppl can say that he only shows up in playoff and dgaf abt regular season but only fans and coach knows him. He's not the talkative type so it does seem like he doesn't really care but i knowwwwwww him

I'm not good at words sorry if this rant sounds incoherent but i just wanted to say that i really appreciate him being on fnc. A player that gets pumped up playing on big stage/playing internationally while also focusing only what's mattered the most. Fnatic needed someone like him so I'm really glad we have him.

[volleychumps]

hey heY HEY!!! I LOVE YOUR BLOG 🥺 requesting for iwaizumi akaashi kageyama and atsumu with a jealous s/o I love ur scenarios where the boys are jealous��� this time maybe the other way aorund?? THANK YOU SO MUCH 💗

welcome to this whirlwind of fluff, angst, and slight crack

Volley Boys with a Jealous S/O  (Iwaizumi, Akaashi, Kageyama, Atsumu)

--------------------------------------------------

Iwaizumi

The girls that came to support Seijoh practically had their distaste for you permanently etched into their features. 

Sure, most of them were really present because of Oikawa, the setter known to make the girls swoon through a simple wink in their direction. Iwaizumi, for the most part, wasn’t the one being drooled over. 

But this one damn girl. 

“Iwa-Kun! I brought you a water bottle! You did amazing out there!” 

Your boyfriend doesn’t miss the clench to your knees as Iwaizumi glances at the girl, deeming that she did indeed look a little familiar, but...

“Uh, what’s your name again?” 

You stretch your arms behind your head, biting back a smirk as Matsukawa and Hanamaki give you a double high-five. 

“Don’t be silly, it’s Yui! We had math together? You...helped me out a lot?” The girl giggles, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as you roll your eyes to the side, popping your head out from beside Iwa. 

“Hi, Yui! Fancy seeing you here!” 

Yui frowns, a smile becoming plastered over her previous emotion quickly. “Oh hi Y/N! What are you doing here?” She sits down on the other side of Iwa as the male doesn’t notice, sucking the yogurt out of a carton with his eyes trained on the match. You scoff, wishing Iwa would notice the situation he was in right now before smiling back, a bit too widely. 

“Just here to support my boyfriend and his team.” 

You don’t miss the sneer that flashes across her face as she crosses her legs, causing her skirt to rise a little higher as you sigh in slight annoyance as she returns her attention to Iwa. 

“Iwa...can we talk?” 

“Um, sure?” Your boyfriend blinks as Yui leans a little closer, practically touching Iwaizumi with her cleavage as you stand suddenly, heat risen to your cheeks as a feeling bubbles up in your stomach. A feeling you didn’t like. 

“What do you think of my outfit today?” 

“I didn’t really look.” 

“Well, you can look now!” 

You grit your teeth, slightly pissed Iwaizumi was either oblivious or too engrossed in the game to care. "I need some air.” 

Before you can walk off, Iwaizumi grabs you by the waist from doing so, snatching you into his lap with a clean sweep with his eyes still focused on the game, chin resting on your shoulder. You shift uncomfortably, and Iwa leans a little closer to your ear. 

“If you ignore it, it will go away.” 

The feeling disappears as you relax into your boyfriend’s hold, humming slightly in agreement as Yui becomes flustered, standing and claiming that her friends needed her before stomping off. You smile as Iwa scoffs from behind you, grip on your waist becoming a little tighter before he wraps his arms around you from behind, breath fanning over your ear.

“No need to get jealous, babe. You’re the only one I see, and that’s that.” 

You roll your eyes at the straightforwardness of the romatic words, but plant a kiss on his lips after turning on his lap, ignoring the groans from his teammates. Iwa blushes at the motion, but doesn’t scold you like he usually would before kissing your shoulder, away from his teammates’ view. 

“I mean it. I saw that eye roll.” 

“Didn’t doubt you for a second.” 

“Liar.” 

“Player.” 

You yelp when his hands tickle your sides, laughing and ignoring the glares from the group of fangirls nearby. You make a show of intertwining your hands with his, kissing his knuckles and jaw as Iwaizumi feeds into it with slight amusement. 

“Enjoying yourself?” 

“Maybe you’d rather it be Yui?”

Iwa pinches your side, his turn coming to roll his eyes. “Don’t even say that, princess. You’ll just get yourself all riled up again.” 

Perhaps he wasn’t as oblivious as you thought. 

Akaashi

“Keiji, you literally let her wipe the sweat off of you with a towel.” 

“Please don’t do this...she was doing it before I even realized it.” 

“Was she also kissing your cheek before you realized it too?” 

You continue your stride through the halls easily, not stopping once as Akaashi walks at your side evenly meeting your pace for when it speeds up. 

“At least talk to me? Instead of running away?” 

You stall, legs frozen mid-walk as you snap your head towards your boyfriend to scowl. You had watched from the stands of a Fukurodani match as some girls from your school ran out excitedly after a win to congratulate the boys, and one had excitedly planted a kiss on your boyfriend’s cheek after oh-so-casually helping him wipe his sweat off with a rag. To say you were beyond pissed was an understatement. 

“Sure. Let’s talk.” You say a bit too sweetly, crossing your arms as Akaashi meets your betrayed stare with an even one. What pissed you off the most was he didn’t even seem guilty or upset that you were acting out. He hardly ever showed you anything. 

“Maybe you could have pushed her off? Reminded her that you have a girfriend who watched the whole 90 minute match just to support you? Or did you forget that when you let her touch you like that?” 

Your voice cracks at the end, and a flash of guilt passes over Akaashi’s face as you spin on your heel, not allowing him to see that your eyes had filled with tears of insecurity. You bite your lip as it quivers, mad at yourself for not accepting that Akaashi hadn’t initiated any of it, but still allowed it to happen in his usual polite nature. 

“Come find me when you want to talk again.” You say lowly, beginning to walk off when Akaashi catches your wrist before you can, silence filling the empty hall. 

“Let go, Keiji.” 

The defeatedness in your voice causes Akaashi to sigh, guilt finally eating at his chest as he gently pulls you into his embrace, the setter feeling awful that he was the reason for the wetness in your eyes. The last three days of silence from you had been more unbearable than he thought.

“I’m sorry.” 

“You’re only sorry because I’m mad.” 

“No. I’m sorry.” Akaashi gently lays your head against his chest as you feel your previous anger finally simmer. “Okay? I’m sorry. If I had known in advance this would happen, I would’ve never let it. I’m loyal to you.” 

Akaashi’s lips brush the top of your head as you sniff. “So please don’t cry.” 

“I’m not crying, I just really want to punch you.” 

“You can punch me if you want.” 

Your airy laugh makes Akaashi’s chest become lighter. He cups your face carefully, tilting your head upwards as he kisses the corner of your eye, tasting saltiness on his tongue as he kisses a tear away. 

“Only you. No one else.” 

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” 

You don’t realize you chose the wrong words as Akaashi gently presses your back against a nearby locker, lips tracing from your jaw down to your neck slowly. 

“Shall I show you, then?” 

“Are you crazy?!” 

“No one’s here.” 

“Keiji, I- you know what, screw it.” 

Akaashi smiles into the kiss you pulled him into, finally feeling peace in his heart now that it was no longer at war with yours. 

God forbid if he ever makes you cry again. 

Kageyama

You would’ve never thought Kageyama would be the boy you had to shoo other girls off of, but you would’ve never also thought that he would be the boy to not realize a single bit of it. 

“Kageyama, she was flirting with you!” 

“....WHAT?!” 

“I...Tobio, what was she doing?” 

“Just stuff...she wanted to see how I set my fingers during the sets. She wanted to hold them and stuff...” 

Your blank look as he trails off makes the first year blink into realization before blue eyes snap up to meet yours with guilt brimmed in them. You groan, massaging your temples as you walk away, Kageyama catching up to you easily with his long strides. 

“I’m sorry!” 

“I don’t even have it in me to be mad at you.” You respond, a tad bit irritated that your boyfriend had let someone else fucking hold his hands. 

You brushed a lot of it off for the most part, really thinking your boyfriend couldn’t read into a lot of girls’ advances due to him being oblivious and stupid to anything not concering volleyball.

Until one match with this one girl- 

“Kageyama!! I came to today’s match too!” 

“Kageyama do your best! I’ll be cheering for you!” 

“Kageyama!!!!” 

Literally someone needs to shoot you and someone needs to do it fast. 

This one girl in particular was all over him, touching his arms before they went to warm up, fixing his hair for him when he had to change into his jersey-

you were at the brink of using mental telepathy in order to convey to Kageyama that this was happening. 

“Want me to get rid of her?” 

“Suga, you’re like the least scariest person I know.” 

“By me, I mean Daichi.” 

“Daichi-” 

“No.” 

“Please?” 

“Just talk to him, dummy.” Daichi grinds his fist into your head as you swat it away, becoming deep in thought. 

You pout from your seat in the stands between the two co-captains who were also your friends, seeing Kageyama remain indifferent as the girl leans a little closer to him. You blink away the heat in your eyes. What was wrong with you? You usually handled it so well before...

Maybe you were becoming insecure?

Kageyama’s blue eyes dart over to your seat to see you looking down at your lap with a small, defeated looking smile on your face before he begins to connect the dots, standing suddenly as he startles the seated people around him. He pulls his arm from the girl’s grasp a bit harsher than necessary before pointing a finger at you, ears reddened and panic in his expression. 

“...girlfriend!” 

“Kageyama-Kun, are you asking me...?” 

“No! I uh...my girlfriend. I have a girlfriend. So please don’t touch me like that.”

Kageyama promptly walks away from her as your jaw slackens, the setter marching his way up to you with business in his steps as he holds his hand out to you, blush set on his cheeks. 

“I...I’m sorry...again.” 

Your dumbfounded expression turns into a smile before you bust out laughing, accepting your awkward boyfriend’s hand as blue eyes dart everywhere but you. 

“I’m glad you realized, Tobio.” 

“C-Can we go somewhere else?” Kageyama flushes an even deeper shade of red, feeling multiple pairs of eyes on him from his gallant announcement. 

You nod energetically as Tobio pulls you out of your seat and into the mostly empty hallway, almost immediately letting out a large breath as his head falls on your shoulder from the height difference. 

“Were you crying...?” 

“No!” you say a little too quickly as Kageyama’s long arms wrap around your waist, burying his face in your hair as he hugs you tightly. Something he rarely did unless he was super serious, almost like when he confessed to you the first time. 

“Don’t cry because of me. I’m sorry if you were jealous...” 

“I was not jealous, and I was not crying, are you deaf-?”

“I like you!” Kageyama says suddenly, catching you off guard at the intensity of his voice. “I like you...I’m yours.” 

Your eyes widen for a moment before your arms raise to rest against his shoulder blades. You laugh a little bit, causing Kageyama to pull back with narrowed eyes and reddned cheeks. 

“What? Am I wrong?” 

“Nope.” you grin, leaning upwards to place an innocent kiss on the tip of his nose. “Same here. I’m alllll yours.” 

“Good. Then don’t sit with my captains anymore.” 

“Ohoho well look how the turntables-” 

“You did not just quote the Office in the middle of our moment.” 

Atsumu

Having a boyfriend that was known to be on the national level from his skills in volleyball? Fun...at times.

What wasn’t fun was how naturally flirtatious this boy could be sometimes. Even Osamu sent you looks of do you want me to beat up my brother when it seemed like he was being inconsiderate of your feelings. 

You roll your eyes, tapping your foot as you wait in front of the stadium, feeling a bit guilty about not being able to come see his match because of a previous engagement you couldn’t miss. Still, you wanted things to smooth over. You hated feeling jealous about girls who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.

“Y/N.” 

You blink as you look up to meet the greeting wave of Osamu, who walks up to you with a quicker pace than he usually does. “Atsumu left already. You should go.” 

“What-?” 

“Y/N please, don’t let my idiot brother mess up-”

Osamu’s quick words are cut off with a giggle. 

Multiple giggles. 

“Atsumu-Kun, you looked so cool today!” 

“If I was your girl, I would come to every match, no matter what.” 

You feel a lump grow in your throat when your boyfriend emerges with two girls on either arm, giggling and clung onto his side like they had been glued there, Osamu sighs, covering his eyes. He had tried to save you the hurt you were bound to feel, whether what was in front of you was platonic or not. 

“Hey beautiful!” Atsumu calls to you from a distance as the girls all glare daggers in your direction, and you try to smile. You really try. 

But instead, you spun on your heel and simply walked away, eyes brimming with a raging feeling of jealousy and hurt you couldn’t explain. 

Yeah. Maybe Atsumu did deserve someone who wasn’t busy all the time. 

Osamu clicks his tongue as Atsumu watches your now retreating figure in slight confusion, hand going up to wave brightly at you now slowly lowering.

“Will you ever learn?” Osamu simply questions, walking off in the opposite direction as Atsumu palms his face, realizing he had just deepened the grave he had already put himself in with your trust. 

“I appreciate the offer, ladies, but there’s only one girl I want.” Unable to help himself with the growing feeling of distaste in his stomach, he adds, “I’d rather have someone with her own schedule than someone who would cling to me all day.” 

With that, and a new douchiness engraved in the girls’ minds, Atsumu runs. He keeps running until he sees you, only stopping when he successfully blocks your path, both arms outstretched from keeping you from going anywhere. 

“Halt.” 

“I’m not in the mood for jokes.” You say quietly, going to move around him as Atsumu takes the opportunity to scoop you up, ignoring the thrash of your legs as you simply give up, the tears you were trying to hold back slipping. God, you felt like a baby who didn’t get what she wanted. 

“You’re not getting put down until we talk.” 

Atsumu continues to walk, humming slightly as you stay silent for a few minutes, exhaling deeply when your thoughts are in array. 

“Am I...not enough for you?” 

The walk stops. 

“If there’s someone else you’d rather be with-” 

“Just kidding. Worst talk ever.” Atsumu cuts you off, kissing you in order to put a stop to your words as he holds you a little tighter, guilt eating inside of him from blatantly flirting harmlessly with all those girls, not realizing he was causing an immense amount of harm to you. 

Maybe he should start learning now. 

“Listen, beautiful-wait no I’m talking stop trying to escape- you’re my girlfriend. My one and only, beautiful girlfriend that I would never let go of. I wouldn’t do things like this,” he kisses your cheek. “or this.” your forehead. “Or especially this.” 

Your lips. 

“-with someone who isn’t you. Got that, hot stuff?” 

You press your lips into a line before nodding once, causing Atsumu to offer you a bright smile, finally setting you down to hold you by the shoulders. 

“Now, what can I do to make my beautiful girl smile?” 

What he didn’t know, however, was that he had already done plenty. 

“Nothing.” 

“Don’t be like that! At least kiss me-” 

“Atsumu?” 

“Yes, love?” 

“...you might wanna tell Osamu that he took the wrong way home-” 

“oh shit.”

[daily-dose-of-imagines]

Meeting the parents

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Anon asked:  Hi I was wondering if I could request tanaka and noya (separate) going to watch his girlfriend's volleyball tournament cuz shes on karasunos girls team and after a really close match where the point go into the thirties and everyones ecstatic about karasunos win they run down to the court to give thier girlfriend a lift in the air hug and kiss only to realise that her parents hadn't met them yet and saw the whole thing and get to meet them and absolutely love them. FEEL FREE TO IGNORE THIS ASK. |  Hi again sorry I left this out but can the tanaka's girlfriend's position on the team be libero and she's just as talented as noya if not better. AGAIN SORRY IF THE ASK IS TOO LONG FELL FREE TO IGNORE IT IF IT'S STUPID love ur writing btw hun💖💜💕💖❤️💜💜💖

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Hi  and thank you for requesting with us, I know you weren’t anon before, but I forgot to tag you, so I hope you see this! This is a cute concept and I’m glad that you asked us to do it, it’s not stupid at all! It will be a collab between Admin Ko and I, so I hope you like it!

>Admin 𝕋

Thank you so much for requesting with us~! This is literally the cutest thing that we both decided to pitch in! ;; We hope you seriously enjoy these as much as we enjoyed writing them~!

» » Admin Ko

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★ 

The game was at match point. Both teams were sweaty and panting, the number going into the thirties, and it was becoming tedious to even try to run for the ball. But (y/n) didn’t want to give up, not yet, they were so close to winning, just one more point and they would have the game and the tournament. And with shaky legs, and a thundering heart, (y/n) watched as the ball fell into their court, dropping at a fast pace, but not fast enough for her to miss it, and with a gust of energy, (y/n) launched herself across the court and managed to bump the ball back into play, then watched her teammates spike it onto the other side’s court floor, thus gaining a point.

The whistle blew. They had won.

The crowd roared with noise, clapping and screaming loud. Getting up from the hardwood, (y/n) joined her teammates in a winning circle, jumping up and down in triumph. The audience got out from the bleachers and joined the players that had won, some others joining the losing side, giving them a pat on the back for their best efforts.

As (y/n) clapped and laughed with her team, she heard her name being called. Turning around, a boy just a little bit shorter than her crashed into her chest, wrapping his arms around her midsection and spun her around excitedly.

“Yuu--”

“You did it! You won! I’m so proud of you, you were so freaking cool!” Nishinoya exclaimed, setting his girlfriend down and taking her face in his hands, staring into her eyes with mirth. “I knew you would win!” he then started pressing light kisses all over face, from her cheeks to her forehead. 

“Yuu--”

“No! Let me have this, I just want to keep kissing you for all eternity!”

“Do you really want to do that in front of my parents?” she said. Nishinoya instantly stopped his incessant kissing and pulled her head back from his lips.

“Uh no? That would be incredibly weird. What kind of kinks do you have?” 

“I believe she means that we’re behind you.” a voice Nishinoya didn’t recognize; it send chills of fright up his spine. He let go of (y/n)’s face and quickly turned around to see a man and a woman, older, one with a smile and the other with a grim frown.

“Yuu, these are my parents. Parents, this is Yuu,” she told them, taking a hold of Nishinoya’s shoulders tightly so he couldn’t run. Sweat dripped off his temple as he smiled nervously, bowing slightly.

“N-nice to meet you Mister and Misses (l/n).” he greeted, stuttering a bit. He could hear (y/n) giggling quietly behind his back. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you Nishinoya. (y/n) had told us so much about you.” her mom announced, taking hold of Nishinoya’s hand and shaking it gently. (y/n)’s father, on the other hand, kept glaring at the boy.

He felt like he was turning into ant, small and could be easily stepped on, with the way he was staring him down. “Yep! Boyfriend, he is! Great, he is!”

“What are you Yoda--Ow!” Nishinoya got jabbed in the ribs by (y/n).

“How about lunch, so we can get to know each other?” her mother suggested, looking to her husband for an agreement. He was silent for a moment before grunting an affirmative and leaving, most likely to the car. “Okay! Let’s go! Nishinoya, you come with us, and (y/n) will meet us there!” Miss (l/n) said, and walked away.

“Am I okay going to be okay?” Nishinoya asked (y/n), her laughing at his scared expression. 

“You’re going to be fine. Just-- don’t talk a lot until I get there.” she warned him, pushing him on the back to make him follow her mom.

“I’m going to die.”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • · 

Adrenaline pulsed through her veins. Her gaze sharp and unrelenting as (e/c) hues bore deeply into the yellow and blue ball flying around the court. 

“One touch!” 

The call that was cried out had her shifting on her feet quickly as she settled in her position before bumping the ball over to their setter. A bright and obnoxious cheer radiated through the roaring crowds as a little grin graced her sweat matted features. 

“You really need to tell your man to take it down a notch.”

“I’ve tried to tell him to, but he kinda just...has a mind of his own.”

A light laugh escaped her lips as she apologetically smiled at her captain before turning back to give the chaotic duo a stern glare. The male in question, who was just as loud-- if not louder than his partner in crime-- gave a cheeky grin in return as he flashed her a thumbs up.

“That’s my girl! Kick their asses baby!”

“Orrraaaa!!!! This is the power of Karasuno!!!”

Another sigh left her lips as she couldn’t help but fondly shake her head at her boyfriend and his best friend. Though as the sharp squeak of the whistle resounded throughout the air, her focus returned tenfold as found her body moving on it’s own to properly prepare for the receive from the enemy team.

»»————-　♡　————-««

“Shit...”

Fatigue plagued her as her adrenaline high began to wear down on her. With the scores in the double digits and nearing the thirties,she wasn’t sure how much she could hold out before her legs gave out on her. Yet the determination that burned in her gaze gave none of it away as she focused on the ball once more. 

Suddenly, she couldn’t hear anything. Her gaze soley focused on receiving the damn power serve from the opposing team’s setter as she prepped her body as everything around her vanished. The blue and yellow ball being the only thing in her sights as she let out a slow breath before cleanly bumping the ball to the setter. The roar of the cheers almost deafening as her arms stung at the blow dealt to them.

Though she couldn’t focus on the pain as she rushed around, her eyes never leaving the ball until the chirp of the whistle echoed throughout the court. Her body relaxing as she turned to look at the score before she felt a pair of arms wrap around her tired form.

“That was so fucking amazing! My girl! My baby!”

“Ryu...you’re crying.”

“These are tears of joy! I’m so proud of you!”

The smile that graced her features had the wing spiker of Karasuno’s boys team blush as he tugged her in close. His gaze nothing but warm and loving as he grinned at her before the pair found themselves kissing one another. Her teammates cheered while cooing as Noya merely cackled. A look of pride on his face before he gulped as the libero tapped his best bro on the shoulder.

“Uh, look I don’t wanna ruin your kissing time, but I think her parents are glaring at you.”

“H..Hah?”

“Oh shit-- Babe I forgot to mention that my parents were at this game..”

“......It was nice knowing you both, tell Asahi to pray for me.”

“Babe! It’s not that bad! We’ll just explain to them!”

“I’ll be sure to give you the dopest funeral man.”

“Ryu! Yuu! It’s not that serious! I promise it won’t be that bad!”

“(y/n)! You have some explaining to do~!”

The sound of a body hit the floor as she couldn’t help but sigh exasperated at her dramatic boyfriend as Nishinoya simply prayed.

“....Nice kill.”

[multibug]

6. au day (streamers/long distance friends) - (ladynoir)

if this one gets enough love, i might turn it into a regular series! i love the idea of this and have so many ideas so please let me know if you’d like to see that!!!

this is pre reveal pre relationship by the way!

AO3

“Carapace, you better revive me this instant or we’re breaking up,” Rena Rouge screams through Adrien’s headset, virtually rendering him deaf. 

“There’s a guy on me, Rena. I’m trying,” the other boy on their team huffs, which doesn’t dissuade Rena’s yelling at all. 

In fact, she gets even louder. “Cara, he’s literally dancing on me, oh my god if somebody doesn’t save me before I get fully killed.” 

“We’re on our way,” Adrien tells her, though he’s not exactly telling the truth. 

Him and Ladybug are sitting in a small box they’ve built after finishing a fight with other players. They were about to go help their teammates when Rena started her rampage on Carapace and they decided it was more fun to sit back and watch them struggle. 

At Adrien’s words, Ladybug does an emote that makes her laugh and her character sounds like a donkey wheezing its way through a fit of giggles. Adrien copies her, and before he knows it, the two of them are laughing into their headsets which spurs on groans from Rena and Carapace. 

“Well maybe if the two of you wouldn’t have gone ahead of us without telling us,” Rena grumbles sourly. 

“Oh stop being such a crybaby, Ren,” Ladybug tells her through her laughter, her and Adrien quickly exiting their box as Nino gets hit and loses damage. “Just because you died to fall damage again and got carried into a box by another player to get danced on—”

Rena makes an inhumane noise, her character spinning on the screen as if she’s thrashing her mouse around. “Let me live, Ladybug! Not all of us have the grace you do when it comes to playing this game.” 

“True,” Ladybug agrees, managing to make her way into Rena’s box before Carapace does—Rena’s not going to let him live that down. “If you want me to revive you, say Ladybug has a thick ass and Chat Noir doesn’t.” 

It’s Adrien’s turn to groan now. “Hey, that’s not nice, Bug! My ass is thick and you know it.” 

It goes silent for a few seconds. 

“Do I, Chat? Do I really?” An ounce of amusement is evident in Ladybug’s voice as she talks, Rena’s health counter ticking close to her death. “You wish,” she says, instead.

Rolling his eyes with a grin, Adrien drops the conversation and playfully pouts after Ladybug revives Rena once Rena says her silly phrase. “Rena, I thought you loved me,” Adrien fake-cries with a pout, knowing his chat will clip it and send it to Rena. “I thought what we had was special.” 

“Sorry, cat. Carapace is the only man for me. If he ever leaves me, though,” Rena trails off, fully healing her character. 

“I’m going to build up and jump off if you keep talking like that,” Carapace replies, building up three times before Rena knocks it down, blowing a kiss at him in game.

“As if I’d ever trade you for a furry, babe.” 

The whole furry talk is so funny to Adrien, because he knows he’s not. All four of them picked animals to go by—Ladybug’s being the exception. Adrien’s secret identity is a cat, Rena’s a fox, Ladybug’s is self explanatory, and Carapace is a turtle. 

Letting go of his push to talk button, Adrien regards his chat for a moment, sending a pout their way. “I’m not a furry, right chat?” 

As always, their flood of yes doesn’t surprise him.

“Traitors,” Adrien hisses, his character getting the last kill to win the game. “The lot of you. Every single person in this chat room is a traitor."

Hundreds of variations of love me, senpai’s scroll over his screen. “I’ll turn off stream, you nasties!” 

That only encourages them more. 

 ladyboob: which one of you changed my name tell me before i rage the heat of a thousand suns

turtle boy:  wasb’t me ms. ladyboob pls don’t send me to the principal  wasn’t*

ren:  name change? whatever are you talking about?

turtle boy:  way to give yourself away there rena 

ren:  lalalala i can’t hear you

right chat: Dorks.  Wait, who changed my name? Give it baaaack. I’m not hip. I don’t know how to change nicknames. 

ren from ren and stimpy: that’s what the person who changed ladybug’s name would say okay which one of you hoes

ladyboob: definitely not the person with ladyboob as their name huh

ren from ren and stimpy: fair that’s very fair lb turtle boy are u ready to go to the movies or not we’re gonna miss it

turtle boy:  im literally outside rena 

ren from ren and stimpy: oh shit im out later ladynoir!

right chat:  Did she just call us Ladynoir? 

ladyboob:  first its ur chat and now rena’s in on it next they’re going to shove us into a room together and tell us to make out

right chat:  ;) 

ladyboob: shut up

DIRECT MESSAGES @Ladybug aka ladyboob, Ladybug, special agen…

Ladybug:  hey

Chat Noir: Bug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ladybug: too many !’s calm down tiger one day i’ll get you to drop the grandpa typing

Chat Noir: Grandpa typing???? I type exceptionally well. You’re just jealous. 

Ladybug:  jealous of sounding like a 40 yr old trying to learn how to type for the first time? no thanks

Chat Noir:  So mean, Bug!  What’s up?  Ladybug: nothing  can’t a girl talk to her best friend? 

Chat Noir: You only private message me when something’s happened. Or if it’s personal.

Ladybug: liar liar plants for hire

Chat Noir: It’s pants on fire, Patrick. 

Ladybug: ughhhhh its just stupid thirsty boys in my twitch chat they keep coming into my chat and telling me to take my shirt off or take off the mask so they can fantasize about me when they’re y’know

Chat Noir: What the hell? Do you want me to come into your chat the next time you’re streaming? I’ll say something, I don’t care.  I’m sorry, though.

Ladybug: if ur not live then could u? like i know its a lot to ask  but i trust you more than anyone so also you just being there would help

Chat Noir:  Don’t worry, Bug. I’ll be there. I’d do anything for you.

Ladybug:  thank u kitty ur the best friend a girl could ask for

Chat Noir: If anyone’s the lucky one here, it’s me.  You’re the best, Ladybug.  Such a beautiful human, inside and out.

Ladybug:  shut up u stupid cat before i cry u dont want that on ur hands do u?

Chat Noir:  Noooo!! No tears. :( 

Ladybug:  too late im a sobbing mess my makeups ruined  how can i go on like this?

Chat Noir is calling…

Ladybug’s laughter immediately fill his ears as she picks up, settling the worry lingering in Adrien’s chest. “You didn’t think I was actually crying, did you kitty?” 

“It’s hard to tell through messages,” Adrien murmurs a bit embarrassedly, rubbing at the back of his neck, even though she can’t see him. “I wanted to make sure, okay?” 

“God, you’re so sweet,” is what she replies with, in a fond tone that sinks its teeth into Adrien’s heart and does weird things to his stomach. She’s just a friend. She’s just a friend. She’s just a— “One day we’re going to meet, and I’m going to give you the biggest hug.” 

Allowing a smile to form on his face, Adrien hums, tapping his fingers into his desk. “You’ll need a step ladder to reach me, Bug.” 

“That’s it, I’m hanging up.” 

[lovelahela]

❛ it lives in the woods ❜ ─ prologue

⇢ masterlist ; check masterlist for fancast!

⇢ pairing: noah marshall x f!mc (marisol reyes)

⇢ genre: horror

⇢ chapter: zero (prologue)

⇢ words: 2687

⇢ description: something old and powerful lives in the woods surrounding the small town of westchester... something that knows their names. tensions flare, old wounds are reopened, and lives hang in the balance of one, very important question: are you scared?

⇢ notes + warning: this story will include disturbing scenes, potentially dark/triggering subjects (including but not limited to underage substance/alcohol abuse, depression, anxiety) and strong language. reader discretion is advised.

        Tonight, the moon is playing peek-a-boo, weaving in and out of ribbons of black clouds scudding across the sky. Accompanying the flickering radiance of lampposts scattered across the small town of Westchester, the light of the moon stretched across the vast cluster of trees that surrounded it and to a cosy, modern house far away from said lampposts that stood out significantly next to the worn-out, withering shack that stood meters away from it. The town was characteristically quiet, its folk invested in whatever dream of winning the lottery and marrying the most good-looking Hollywood actor they were having. It was almost peaceful.

        The functioning word here being almost.

        Inside that modern little house lay a young teenage girl, fast asleep in the comfort of her mattress and scented candles. Marisol Reyes tried very hard to be normal, thank you very much. She ran two clubs, maintained outstanding grades, and managed Westchester High's successful swimming team as an efficient captain. Some might even say she was one of the "popular kids," but she was no where near that (proven by the constant degradation courtesy of Britney and her posse), and preferred to keep it that way. All Marisol wanted was to blend, to be away from the spotlight - she had enough of it after being drowned in all the wrong kinds of attention when one of her best friends perished a decade ago. Being pointed at by judgemental kids and gossiping parents took a toll on her, and she swore to go out of her way to erase the devastating, untimely death of Jane Marshall from her life - she would never be the "best friend of that girl who died" ever again.

        Although Marisol strongly refused her mother Soledad's advice to see a child psychologist and cope with the horrible trauma that cost her her childhood, she insisted that she was able to, get over it. She pushed aside the recurrent nightmares and the obsession with self-defense and martial arts classes, plastered on a smile, and said she was fine - every single time, all through the ten years of looking over shoulder and denying just how damaged she really was.

        The sound of violent vibrations against a wooden surface startled Marisol Reyes out of her uncharacteristically peaceful slumber. She jumped out of her bed and grabbed the kitchen knife that always lied stoically on her bedside table like a war veteran, hair frazzled and muscles tense. The focus of her almond-shaped eyes darted around the room frantically, fingers tightening around the hilt of the knife as her heart beat wildly in her chest. Once she could not make out an outline of an intruder in the darkness that enveloped the area, she realized the vibrations were coming from her phone, buzzing enthusiastically with text notifications. She groaned at her overreaction to such a harmless event while rubbing the sleep from her eyes and picked up the small electronic device in her tense hands.

TEXT MESSAGE

3:12 AM

UNKNOWN NUMBER

marisol, you there?

it's dan.

i messed up. i'm sorry, i'm so sorry

Mark as spam?

Block number?

        "Oh my God..." whispered Marisol, rereading that one text over and over again to make sure she didn't imagine it.

        it's dan.

        Those two words stole the breath and heat from her very skin. Suddenly her defenses are like paper, paper being soaked by rapidly falling rain drops. Dan Pierce. They hadn't spoken since the tragic incident a decade prior - after the funeral, the eight children went their separate ways, determined carry the truth behind that catastrophe with them to the grave no matter how deep they buried it inside of them. She debated replying - she hadn't so much as greeted him in so many years, and suddenly he bombards her phone with frantic messages in the middle of the night? Something seemed off. Marisol could practically feel danger creeping up slowly but surely behind her.

TEXT MESSAGE

3:15 AM

DAN PIERCE

marisol?

MARISOL

dan, hey.

it's been a while, u okay? what's up?

DAN PIERCE

i went into the woods.

i had to be sure, i had to prove to myself that he wasn't real.

that it was all in our heads.

but he is, mari. he's real. it was all real.

read 3:16 AM

        Marisol's previously tense hands began shivering vigorously along with the rest of her limbs, all of them weakening by the second. She closed her eyes and drew in long, deep breaths, attempting to calm down and muster up whatever courage she had left. She wasn't sure if the texts she responded with were an attempt to convince Dan, or herself.

TEXT MESSAGE

3:17 AM

MARISOL

hey man, u sure ure not drunk?

DAN PIERCE

he was whispering, just like when we were kids.

MARISOL

dan, please stop.

we made all that stuff up, we were kids.

mr red was just a dumb game that spun out of control.

we made it all up.

DAN PIERCE

 he does. he's with me right now.

MARISOL

for fuck's sake dan

if ure in the woods get out NOW

it's not safe in the dark

DAN PIERCE

i can hear him in the trees.

i can hear him whispering...

read 3:18 AM

        Marisol hissed a long string of curse words, fumbling around in the dark for her jacket. It didn't matter that they lost touch with each other, she couldn't bear the thought of losing him - of losing someone else in the disbanded group that she once would have said she trusted with her life. Maybe, if you dug deep enough through the traumatic, emotional baggage she lugged around every waking moment, she still would.

        Just as she snatched the keys to her mother's car (which she was only allowed to use in the case of an emergency, much to her dismay), someone rapped the window harshly, startling a shriek out of her. Her phone slipped out of her hands and landed on the wooden floorboard with an upsetting thud, just barely illuminating the room with a disturbing glow.

        With the manner of a paranoid animal about to get preyed on viciously, Marisol snuck a peek at the window. Her blood ran cold when she made out the shape of what she was hoping was a human. Wasting no time, she jumped towards her lamp and turned it on. A yellow light filled just enough of the vicinity - enough to see that the man waiting outside her window was none other than Dan. She heaved out a relieved sigh and opened the window  (reluctantly so), ushering him inside outside of the chilly embrace of the crisp night.

        He climbed into his former friend's bedroom, hoodie dirtied by mud and hints of dead leaves. His long hair was unkempt, his eyes were accompanied by worrying and prominent bruises under them, and what used to be his beautifully tanned skin was then pale and sickly as though he was near death itself. Dan sat hunched over on the floor like a frail puppet being held up by a single fraying string. It was horribly peculiar to see him like this - he always held himself with confidence, tall and muscular frame towering over even those taller than him. To see him lying on her floor, so vulnerable and beaten down, it was heartbreaking to say the least.

        "God, Dan, what happened to you?" asked Marisol, eyes softened with concern as she scanned his body for the injuries littered on his skin and mud staining his clothes. He looked up at her, expression shallow, striking a faint but growing fear inside of her. "How... how did you even get here? We're on the second floor."

        "I climbed." His answer was curt and simple, no emotion to his voice at all. Nothing in his eyes or the tone of his voice supported the signs of terrifying struggle that blemished him. Marisol gulped.

        "Oooookay, Spider-Man!" Nervous laughter cut through the uncomfortable silence choking them. She frowned and took small, careful steps forward as to not startle him. She crouched down to look him in the eyes as calmly as she should, slowly pulling down the zipper of his hoodie.

        "Listen, bud, why don't you take a shower? I'll wash your clothes, give you some of my dad's, and you can tell me happened, yeah?" Her voice was low and soft, as though she was consoling a frightened child. Peeling the hoodie off his slouched shoulders, she avoided his eyes, which were - very creepily - trained on her paling face. She sighed, visibly relieved when he decided to focus on the string of Polaroid pictures and what looked like dozens of framed award certificates hung up on her wall, suddenly completely neglecting her physical existence next to his enfeebled body.

        "I'm fine." His words resembled that of an accused, soulless criminal awaiting his punishment in court, perfectly trained to deny his guilt to his grave no matter what the situation was — it seemed to rehearsed. Then, abruptly, his head snapped in her direction and he grabbed her forearms tightly, staring at her with wide, crazed eyes. She could have sworn she felt all of her internal organs cease functioning for a split second and yelped pathetically. "Come on! We need to get the others!"

        Her breath hitched in her throat. She searched and searched her brain for the proper response, hyper-aware of the growing madness that distorted his handsome face. When she spoke, the pitch of her voice was a bit too high for her liking. "What — What others?"

        Dan's hold on her tightened noticeably, causing her to flinch and whimper involuntarily. A curt, mad laugh that sounded like one the Joker himself would utter left his lips. "Our friends, of course! Noah, Lily, Ava, Lucas, Andy, Stacy — the whole gang!" Another laugh that deepened the pit in her stomach, a laugh that would haunt her for days.

        Suddenly, Marisol regretted turning away psychological help. The rate of her breathing quickened anxiously as she felt a gate in her mind burst open, letting unwanted memories flood it mercilessly at the mention of their names. She could not see Dan anymore, only flashing images of ruins, of an eerie forest, and of nine children irresponsibly skipping through the trees, on their way to revisit the entity that would then change their lives forever. Her eyes were coated with a glossy sheen of tears that were more than ready to flow down her cheeks against her weakening will. When she finally mustered the courage to speak again, she whispered: "I've barely spoken to them for years, Dan. Not since Jane — "

        Before she could register what was happening, Dan stood up and pulled her with him with an unimaginable force that was sure to leave bruises. Their faces were uncomfortably close, so close she could smell the scent of blood and dirt that replaced his usual cologne. He stared at her like an enraged panther, tiny bubbles of froth forming at the corners of his mouth and face contorted with a venomous outburst. Fear was struck inside her that she felt in her very core — she almost thought he would kill her right then and there. "They have to come. Everyone has to be there. That's the rule."

        She could feel the sweat trickle down her neck, the throbbing of her tear-filled eyes, the ringing screaming of a little girl in her ears, and the thumping of her horror-stricken heart against her chest. "Rule?"

        The world stilled around them. Suddenly, she could not hear a single thing, not even her own breathing — only the awfully familiar words that the boy hissed: "Everyone plays together."

        Marisol could not have been more thankful for the sound of her phone buzzing yet again against the floorboards. She took that as an excuse to gingerly wiggle out of his loosened grip and, with shaking legs, approached her cell and picked it up. A crack tarnished the previously pristine screen, but she decided to worry about that later when it was a more appropriate time to fret over a slightly broken phone. 

        But what she saw was her breaking point. Her free hand reached up to cover her mouth and stifle a sob threatening to spill out of her quivering lips and before she could control it a steady flow of salty tears coated her cheeks.

TEXT MESSAGE

3:26 AM

DAN PIERCE

are you still there?

i think i'm lost

marisol? my battery's almost dead, please help me!!

read 3:26 AM

        The shock ricocheted up her skeleton; an enormous engulfing terror made her feel so, so sick in her mind and body. She's seen darkness before, the kind that makes an empty street look like an old-fashioned photograph, but this was different — this was the kin of darkness that robbed her of her common sense and replaced it with a paralyzing fear. By her genes, she is a predator with the intelligence and perceptive eyes to hunt, but in that moment, she felt like a helpless prey. Marisol slowly rose from the illuminating screen of her phone, her wide, suspicious eyes meeting his. 

        "Dan?" She sniffled weakly.

        Although his eyes were cold an empty, right underneath them a grin stretched his lips impossibly from one ear to the other, radiating clear indications of raging madness.

        "Marisol."

        She lunged for the knife on her bedside table yet again, shrieking as he took large and quick steps towards her violently shaking form. She searched desperately for an escape route that wasn't blocked by the towering body of the intruder in front of her but to no avail. He grabbed her wrist with a bone-crushing hold, squeezing yet another helpless screech out of her. Her voice broke when she cried out: "Dan, please! Don't make me do this!"

        And he did nothing but widen the frightening smile that would permanently etch itself into her retinas, haunting her every time she closed her eyes.

        So Marisol did the only logical thing her frantic brain could come up with — with a heart-wrenching scream, pained by having to inflict pain on a friend who was once very dear to her, she drove the blade of the knife into his abdomen. Much to her increasing horror, he did not so much as flinch at the pain, only tightened the hold around her throbbing wrist. He merely growled like a feral animal, burning holes into her with his enraged gaze. "Wrong move."

        Dan tackled her effortlessly to the floor, straddling her hips and forcing her into a cage that she would never break out of in her wildest dreams. He smashed her head against the rough surface underneath her, darkening her fading vision. "We all have to go back, remember?"

        "LEAVE ME ALONE! GET — OFF — ME!" She thrashed in his hold, no longer attempting to swallow the sobs. Finally, after agonizing attempts to kick and thrash and flail, she was able to free one of her hands and in result scraped her previously perfectly manicured fingernails down the skin of his face.

         A cry of disgust and disbelief bounced off the walls of the room when it peeled right off, revealing putrid flesh under it. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, leaving her to stare into milky whiteness while the stink of stale dirt burned the  insides of her nostrils. His long, skinny fingers curled around her neck, pressing, closing with a lack of mercy or remorse, feeling like tendrils wound around her oxygen supply. Despite her lungs blazing with agony, Marisol continued to fight fruitlessly until her energy started to dissipate like water going down a drain. Her hands fell to her side and her body grew limp, using her last breath to scream for help that, somewhere in the back of her min, she knew would never come. The last thing she saw before she embraced the coming blackness of unconsciousness was the ghastly monster that rendered her powerless and savagely tore open her old wounds.

[frightgothcar]

HEY! Hey, you, reading this!!! I fuckin love writing but what I need to be able to write is a little thing called approval!! If you like this please comment and/or reblog!!!!!!!!!!

Area 51 au thingy. Danny/Wes. Songfic? Not really but the whole idea came from this song. V is based off of @its-towarzysz (main)/ @we-all-horny-here (sanders sides sideblog)/ @cockworktower (dp side blog) you should check them out, they make hella good content. Thanks to all my friends who helped me with motivation/proofreading. Tw for Death, Blood, Guns, and Violence. (Tell me if I forgot anything). I love this pairing and the lack of content sparks deep anger in my soul!! :)) Thanks for reading, enjoy!!

EDIT: Posting this on ao3 also @/godcannotdefeatfanfic 

September 20th, 10:30 am

Area 51

Wes Weston had nothing to live for. Ever since his Mom had gone out for cigarettes on his 6th birthday and never come back his life had been a constant downward spiral. Maybe that was why he was in the middle of the Nevada desert, preparing to attempt to rush a highly armed government facility with a million other suicidal Millenials.  

He fanned his face with his hand. It was over 86 degrees and he was practically melting in his Casper High spirit T-Shirt and blue jeans. He contemplated getting into his pickup truck and blasting the a/c but considering he only had a quarter tank of gas left, and it was a good 20 miles to the nearest gas station, he decided against it. Instead, he got onto his phone and texted his friends for the third time that morning. 

Basketball-Boi: where r yall? its hot.

Phurry: we’re just driving in!! Do u see us?

Basketball-Boi: uhhh whats ur car look like

Phurry: the silver one

Basketball: V there are like a million silver ones what kind of car

Phurry: uhh Val says its called a subaru we’re right by a black car

Red_Huntress: They’re standing on the roof and waving. Can you see us now?

Wes looked up from his phone to see a person, about his age, standing on the roof of a silver Subaru, wearing a black band t-shirt and neon green booty shorts. Their long blond ponytail swished around their face as they jumped up and down excitedly. A girl stepped out of the car and began scolding her friend. She was wearing a matching red pair of shorts, there was black lettering on her backside that he couldn’t quite make out. He began waving back, which only excited the blond more. They lept over the brown-skinned girl and bolted towards Wes.

“Ready to fuck some aliens, Basketball-Boi?” They pulled him into a tight embrace.

“I was born ready!” He laughed, “How are you, V?”

“Pretty gay, thanks for asking.”

Wes opened his mouth to speak but V cut him off with an excited shout.

“Oh! That reminds me!” They slipped their arms out of their backpack straps and dug through the mint green bag for a minute before pulling a pair of hot pink shorts, “I wanted us all to match! Made ‘em myself!”

They flipped the shorts around to reveal ‘100% Nasty’ embroidered onto the ass in black. They then turned around to show off their own message, that read ‘Trash Man’.

“I made one for Val too, c’mon, we have to wear them!!”

Wes grabbed the shorts and held them to his hips. “Is this what you needed my measurements for?”

They nodded enthusiastically, “I was gonna make us team jackets, but that’s so cliche.”

“Huh, I mean, don’t get me wrong, these are… great, but are you sure pink is my color?”

V rolled their eyes, “Of course I’m sure, Wes! Just put them on, you’ll see.”

Wes sighed and walked behind his red truck for some privacy, not that there was much of that, the field was crowded with cars. He pulled down his blue jeans, thankful for the breeze on his legs, and pulled on the shorts. They were a perfect fit, clinging to his waist, and resting on his barely existent hips. The feeling of showing so much skin was odd to him, he’d never worn anything that short in public, but the look on V’s face made it all worth it to him. They didn’t laugh like he’d been expecting them to, instead clapping their hands and going on about how relieved they were that the shorts actually fit. He did a quick turn for them, and they nodded in satisfaction.

“I think it’s about time we caught up to Val, did y’all remember to bring soda?”

“Only the finest Mountain Dew the 7/11 could provide, M’lady,” V grinned. 

“Than shall we be going, M’lord?” Wes held out his arm.

“Indubitably.” V linked their arm through his and they wandered through the crowd, searching for Valerie’s silver Subaru. 

“Wes! V! Over here!” Val called, waving the hand that wasn’t holding a Mountain Dew at her friends. The two of them waved back and jogged toward her. 

“Hey Val, long time no see,” Wes grinned as he pulled her into a hug.

“I missed ya, Weston,” Val reached up to ruffle his hair, but Wes dodged, pulling her into a headlock instead. 

“Missed ya too, Grey,” He gave her a noogie and released her, leaving her free to jump onto him and boost herself high enough to get revenge.

“Aww, adorable! Old lovebirds rekindling an old flame?” V fluttered their eyelashes at their friends, who immediately recoiled.

“Ew, no! Wes? If I had to pick a guy, maybe. And that’s a hard maybe. I’m too gay for this.” Valerie picked up her can from the hood of her car and took a swig.

“Yeah! She’s like my little sister!”

“Hey, I’m older than you!”

“By like two weeks!”

V broke into laughter, “Cool it lovebirds, I’m only joking.”

Val and Wes rolled their eyes at V, who was now on the ground, rolling with laughter. 

“Permission to pour some soda out onto our hilarious friend’s head?” Val asked teasingly.

“Permission granted! Fire at will!” Wes saluted. Val tipped her can enough to sprinkle V with the sticky green drink. They got to their feet, still laughing, and lunged for Val’s can. They knocked it backward, spilling soda all over Val’s shirt.

“EEK,” She squealed, “You’ll pay for this, Trash Man, If it’s the last thing I do!” 

She tried to push the can towards V, but they still had a grip on her arm. They tugged the can back and forth for a few seconds before it crumpled under the pressure.

“Shit!” Val swore, letting go of the can and cradling her palm. “I think I cut myself.”

V dropped the can, game of tag forgotten, and crowded next to their friend. Wes joined their huddle. 

“I think I have a first aid kit in my truck. How bad is it?” He asked.

Val opened her hand to reveal a small, but deep wound on the side of her palm.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, this is all my fault, if I hadn’t-” V began.

“Naw, it was as much my fault as yours. Anyway, we were having fun, and it’s really just a scratch. Keep focused on those Aliens, Private!” Val reassured them.

“Aye aye, Captain!”

Wes walked back to his truck, ignoring the stares of passerby. He grabbed his first aid kid (thank god for boy scouts) and walked back to Val’s car.

“So,” Wes ripped open a disinfecting wipe with his teeth and got to work cleaning her hand of blood. “How’s your dad?”

“He’s doing-” She drew in a sharp breath as he dabbed along the wound with a clean wipe. “Fine. The new job’s working out great, he’s happier than I’ve seen him in a while.”

Wes nodded and began wrapping her hand in gauze, “I’m glad. He wasn’t himself when you left.”

“It really all did work out for the better, didn’t it,” V smiled and handed Wes a length of medical tape. “Oh! I forgot! Val, show Wes what your ass says!”

She groaned, “Do I have to?”

V scowled, “Of course you have to, it was your idea!”

“I was just joking!”

“Tsk tsk, I think you’ve known me long enough to know that when it comes to cursed content, there are no jokes.”

“C’mon Val, it can’t be worse than ‘100% Nasty’,” Wes smirked.

V gasped dramatically and feigned offense, “You’ve wounded me! I work so hard, and for what, ungrateful friends?”

“Fine, if it’ll make you happy I’ll show him my ass. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She winked at him before turning to show her backside. Black embroidery spelled out ‘Booty Hunter’.

Wes burst out laughing, which quickly turned to hysteric noises only vaguely resembling laughter, squeals, and snorts with shrieking giggles between them. V and Val couldn’t help but join in. The second one of them stopped laughing someone would whisper Booty Hunter and it’d start all over again. 

“Okay, okay,” Wes gulped in air, “We- hic -should calm down now.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Val wiped a tear from her eye, “I am the Queen of Calm.”

V got to their feet and dusted themself off. “Totally calm. Calmer than a… something calm.”

“When does the raid start?” Wes pulled out his phone and checked the time. 12:00.

“Around, 12:30ish, we have time.” V waved their hand.

“I dunno, it’s already 12, maybe we should start getting ready.”

“What do you mean it’s already-” V snatched the phone from his hand, “Huh. Time sure flies when you’re having fun.”

“Wait, get ready for what exactly? I mean, we’re here, we’ve got our shorts on, there’s enough Mountain Dew in my car to drown an elephant, what else is there to get ready?” Val questioned.

“Uhhh, I dunno, stretch?” Wes shrugged, “It just feels like we’re forgetting something. What exactly is the plan for this whole thing anyway? Are there gonna be waves? Do we all go at once? This is a pretty poorly organized event.”

Val shrugged, clearly unphased by the lack of organization, “We’ll just go when everyone else starts running. I’m sure the start of gunfire will tell us when.”

“Look, if it’s making you so worried, we can stretch before. I’m sure everything will be fine. Plus, we all get alien Girlfriends, so it’s a win-win!” V put their hand on his arm. Wes smiled thankfully down at them.

“Yeah, that’s probably it. Yall must think I’m being a nitpick-”

“Not at all! You’re probably right, after all, it must be at least a mile to the base from here, and we can’t let cramps keep us from sweet sweet alien romance.” Val propped her leg up on the hood of her car and pressed her head to her knee, “Plus that’ll give us an advantage over the Kyles.”

V nodded and fell into a lunge, “We’ve been training since July for this, can’t let it get away now because we forgot to stretch.”

Wes bent over and touched his toes, “Thanks y’all, you’re really the best friends I could ask for.” 

The screech of a megaphone rang out through the valley. A voice came through the static, “Raiders! Get into position, we’re storming the gates in exactly fifteen minutes!” 

A cheer broke through the crowd as people began chugging what was left of their sodas and migrating towards the front lines. 

“Well, this is it I guess. If I don’t make it out of the raid, put this on my tombstone.” Wes gestured downward, where he was holding his hand in a circle. 

“Dammit!” Valerie chuckled as Wes gave her a playful punch in the arm. 

“You’ll never take me alive!” V shouted and sprinted forwards as Wes moved towards them.

“On your marks!”

“Wanna bet on that?” Wes shouted back, weaving through the crowd to catch up with them.

“Get set!”

V pushed forward, using their small frame to their advantage, easily losing the taller one in the crowd.

“Raid!”

The mob roared, then began thundering forward, but the deafening sounds of the people were nothing compared to what followed. Thousands of guns began firing at once, hitting everyone and everything in the vicinity. Wes watched with horror as the first wave of people were mowed down right before his eyes. A flash of neon green caught his eye through the carnage. He ran towards his friend, who was standing, paralyzed, next to a few other survivors. He shouted their name, and just as they turned their head another hailstorm of bullets rained down. The first one embedded itself right into V’s chest, right above their heart. Wes sprinted to catch his injured companion, but by the time he got there the life was already draining from their eyes.

“V! V, can you hear me? Don’t go into the light, hold on, ok? You’ve got this, V, answer me!”

He pressed his head to their chest, a weak heartbeat answered him. “It’s gonna be okay. Shhh, you’re okay.” 

Something wet dripped down his face, and he realized he was crying.

“...Wes,” V rasped out, then began violently coughing up blood. Little flecks of red peppered Wes’ face like freckles. “Fuck an alien for me, okay? Can you promise me that?”

Their body went limp in his arms. 

“V? V! V, wake up, please, that can’t be it, please V, you’re only 17, please!” He shook their corpse, but to no avail. V was gone. He closed his eyes and let out a shuttering breath before standing up, still clutching their body in his arms. 

“Second wave! On your marks!” The megaphone blared to life.

The crowd let out another, less confident cheer. After seeing all the carnage most of the raiders were less enthusiastic to ‘see them aliens’. But this time Wes had made up his mind. He was going to make it into that Government facility, and he was gonna burn that motherfucker to the ground.

“Get set!”

He laid his friend on the ground and pressed a kiss to their forehead. If it wasn’t for the massive amount of blood they could’ve been sleeping.

“Go!”

Wes screamed with all the anger he had in him and charged forward. Bullets rained down near him, but this time there were less of them. This time he had a chance. He saw the gate coming closer. He was only 50 feet away, he could make it! He hopped over the fence, ignoring the blaring of sirens, and kept running. He pushed his way into the building, where, surprisingly, there was no security. It looked like they had invested all their soldiers into protecting the outside of the base. His adrenaline rush began to slow down. He dragged his feet down the linoleum hallway, looking at his bloodsoaked hands. 

“What the fuck just happened?” He whispered to himself, still shellshocked. A flicker of light caught his eye. Grateful for a distraction, he turned his attention to what looked like a futuristic control panel. The buttons were labeled in some sort of code, their luminescent surfaces grinning up at him.

“Looking for me, Short-Shorts?” A calm voice echoed through the hall. Wes whipped around, ready for a fight.

“Why so on edge, Ginger? Surely I’m not that intimidating.” It purred.

“Who are you?!” Wes shouted. He winced at the echo. Did he really sound that unhinged?

“On your left.” 

He turned and found himself face to face with the most beautiful boy he’d ever seen. He looked about his age, maybe 17. His skin was tan, but had a slight blueish tint, as if he’d been without oxygen for a while. Poking from his tuft of pearly white hair was a pair of blur antenna. He had a small build, maybe 5 feet tall at best, but was floating at eye level with Wes. Speaking of his eyes, they were quite possibly the most gorgeous thing about him. He had eyes greener and glowyer (is that even a word? Either way it was true.) than toxic waste, his pupils were like a cat’s, slit down the middle. He was clothed in a baggy black prison jumpsuit. He looked almost alien. Wes realized with a start that he must be an alien. 

“Are you done staring?” The boy asked, snapping Wes out of his trance. “It won’t be long before the guards realize you’re in here, and I’d rather get out without a bullet hole.”

“I- I don’t- what are you?” Wes stammered.

“I’m Project Phantom, or Danny if you prefer. What’s your name?”

“I’m… Wes?”

[diancxs-blog]

howdy ! i’m chloe, i’m twenty, and i’m here to party! i’ll get right to it and you guys can learn just how shit posty i am on ur own time! anyways here’s diane she is the love of my life ! see you on the other side!

Rewind. Got back. Start off Sophomore year. There’s a ‘96 Jaguar pulling into the parking lot first day of school. Two weeks after moving to town from New Jersey, it was her older brother’s senior year and he was still pretty pissed to have left his girlfriend for some dinky town where nothing mattered. The two siblings managed ten feet before whispers started. Clearly they knew these were the kids from the family that bought that giant lake house. They looked rich, looked mean, and were big enough to deck anyone who stepped in their way. Diane typically had a resting displeased face that unwelcomed most. She never did anything, though. Well, did something by association. Her brother got into a fight in the parking lot after school that first day. All Diane did was peel him off and force him in the car, driving away when she clearly was not the legal age to. Turns out that gets you a stinky reputation, which, in all honesty, was refreshing. She’d never been a bad bitch before, so why fight it?

Diane had a lot to compensate for. Growing up in a family of seven, there were five Lloyd siblings all bred to compete with one another. Diane, however, being the only girl cursed with not having her mother’s metabolism, picked up the slack against her two other sisters who were naturally born pretty, short, thin, the perfect sight to be underestimated by a man, but given just enough of a chance to prove them wrong. Diane, however, had to take it by the throat herself. Specifically, occurring Junior year when her mother reminded her that her older sister had won prom queen in her high school career, Diane had spent weeks with the Rat Pack determining which football player was optimal, and stormed into the locker room before practice to shove him against a locker and demand he take her to prom. She absolutely did not win prom queen, and turns out, it’s not really a great time when you force someone to take you. 

Daddy was a lawyer, Mother got loaded off a pyramid scheme in New Jersey and bailed out when she had enough to cover her boob job. She’s been a stay at home mom since Diane when twelve. It means she’s got a lot of time to get angry over things. One of those things, being the time she called the cops on a few drunk high schoolers skinny dipping in the lake they now owned. Diane watched a few of them get taken away, recognizing them from school. The irate face on her mother tripped an idea. An idea why caused for stealing her mother’s checkbook and driving her brother’s jaguar to the station (still only with a permit, a risky business to be had considering her destination). Upon arriving, she explained that she was the daughter of Lance Lloyd, and her father had given her the blessing to bail out her friends for the night, and that no charges needed to be pressed. She was overly prepared to answer any questions they intended to ask, but when they saw her open checkbook ready, they told her just how much and she shockingly handed it over. When the still damp rag-tag-team was let go, she remembers Jude whispering “we’re not your friends” and her grabbing a towel from her car while saying, “you are now.”

Diane was known to dislike sports. Her brothers played. The second one joining the football team almost immediately after they started school. She was aware that Jude played sports, though, and she wanted to be a supportive friend, who puts aside her own disinterest to show up. it didn’t mean she watched, though. Most of the time she spent it under the bleachers smoking cigarettes and hanging out with the others who didn’t care to watch. There were a few instances of makeouts under the bleachers. Most of which she’s not particularly proud of. However, she’s always there after the games to come back and congratulate him on his win--- or loss. She never knew which it was, and didn’t think it really mattered.

~ / ~

Diane got into Yale for architecture (which was always something she and Jude had bonded over. She’d show photos of her favorite buildings back in New Jersey, as well as New York. They compared sketchbooks, helped with portfolios. There was a hope to join him at NYU but her father’s legacy got her sent into Yale). But reality set in quickly in college. She’d never allow herself to fail at her dream, so it had consumed her. Internships were stacked through the roof and Diane, like she had been doing her whole life, took her opportunities by the throat rather than batting her lashes. She blossomed into a beautiful woman with the red bottom heels and her hair pulled into a tight ponytail. She proudly rubbed it in her older sister’s face when she first landed her project director job. 

With her sister getting married to a doctor, having two kids, and the same with her oldest brother, the second brother quickly to follow with an engagement, now the competition became domesticity. Her mother was older, she wanted as many grandkids as possible. When was Diane going to catch up? Her job will make her hair fall out. She works herself too hard. She has to loosen up. The unfortunate part is, as unhealthy as the relationship is, her mother still has a grasp on her. Even living in different states, talking over the phone, her mother still knows how hit her with the ‘you sound bloated, did you try that tea detox i sent you the link to?’ it works every time. So this time, she took that to heart, too. Figured, why not? Get laid.

Unfortunately, that made her 29, taking a pregnancy test in a Target bathroom and groaning when she realized her life was fucked. 

The father was younger. She never contacted him again. Never plans to. She’ll raise her little girl all on her own, and she’ll do it better than her parents. Now her daughter Daphne is three, Diane will kill anyone that makes her life hard. Being a single mother, while also trying to be the best architect in New York City, is the most exhausting combination she could imagine. Though, she’s reaching a part in life where things are starting to get lonely. She never allowed herself to develop many relationships. There’s a couple good friends from college, but she’s hardly dated. She’s kind of at the point of regret, wishing she’d made more of her time. Jude’s death really makes the regret turn to something a bit more fearful, which is probably the first time she’s ever felt that in regards to herself.

[loisette]

SL Switch Up Challenge (Camus)

...Except I changed up some things: the “add at least one of his cards to your teams” was ignored for the most part and I picked my least favourite character (Camus, if you haven’t read the title) instead of the one that I have the lowest bond with because it seemed more fitting with the spirit of the challenge! Original ruleset can be found here!

I actually did this a while ago but I didn’t have time to post it because I was busy with uni and then decided to go for T3 UK Reiji. Maybe it’s for the best though, my perspective changed a little with time.

Day 1

First thing I’ve noticed are his heart links. I love how they progress, you can tell which one is the level 1 and which one is the level 3 or at least I think that’s the order they should be in, I’ve been avoiding Camus since I saw his Bond 50 lines. It’s how I wish heart links were the first place... well, maybe not to this extent but you know, something like an obvious fact for the first one and as it progresses you learn more less-known stuff that’s not that easy to notice.

I picked this heart links because even though I knew he had this sort of dynamic with Ran, I didn’t expect him to say it so openly. Maybe it’s a sign that he grew closer to the player and starts to admit what he truly thinks of the others (considering that first line is said in his butler voice), maybe it’s the heart links progression I was talking about or maybe a little bit of both - I’m not sure.

Day 2

Yeah, I know, it’s the last heart link lines, I’m sorry. I have everyone x everyone heart links level 3 unlocked so I spend the day trying to see if all of them follow the same pattern as Ranmaru’s. There are two characters that he compliments in all of the heart links - Ai and... Natsuki.

Ai I understand, I figured this one out but Natsuki was a huge surprise to me, especially that last line. I didn’t expect him to even be able to stand Natsuki’s personality. I’m not sure when does he show that smartness but okay, I don’t know his character that well either...

The vision of him and Natsuki just chillin’ and drinking tea is pretty cute and calming. Welp, another rare pair to the collection I guess! ...Now I lowkey regret that Butler Natsuki event didn’t feature Camus as the SR tbh. Maybe we’ll get some tea party set with the two as the URs in the future?

Day 3

He’s ticklish?! A-anyway... Overall, his reactions when poked are surprisingly soft. Aaand the pictured ones are all said in his deep voice (well, I’m not sure about the laugh). There’s this I guess...:

...But he still doesn’t use that prideful, condescending tone. He’s almost tsudere-like tbh. Well, almost.

Day 4

That was the day I realized that even though I didn’t pick Camus based on the bond, I should still probably show it to prove I’m doing something. So, here’s my bond with him as of Day 4:

As well as his heart links:

I started the challenge with him being on early Bond 65 too (or 7th based on the bond) but I unfortunately have no screenshots of that moment. Also yeah, I changed his costume and wallpaper because I’m not even sure how long he’s been left with it and I was getting tired of it. I guess he deserves better than the LtM outfit.

I should probably show the teams I use(d) too. It was after the event already but here are the event teams anyway:

I kept switching Prince Natsuki with Renarty for Seien no Brave Heart for higher score. I could have done so with Camus because they score the same so there’s something I guess? Also there’s no Shine team because my Dream used to be my Shine (UK Reiji saved it...at least for now) with two members swapped and I only played one Shine song - You’re My Life - because I needed more Shine gems for the weekly misson.

Here you can see the team I used (and still use!) outside of the events:

After unlocking everybody’s heart links level 3 I started farming Ai’s level 4 ones. Originally it was 3 Ren and 3 Syo cards but I added Camus. Honestly... I wasn’t really to try to follow the original rules.

I genuinely like the way Camus heart links work so he’s staying in there until I unlock that last heart link...which might turn out to be next year if KLab doesn’t slow down with the events. At the time of writing this their heart link is 1801 until rank up so not much progress but Syo and Ren need way less time so it should get faster once I finish theirs.

I don’t have many of lines from that day and I read all of the stories but the focusing on the teams gave me an idea. His cards.

He has some very gorgeous cards (two pictures below are taken from the wiki). I went for Mafia Camus just because I loved the theme. Idolized art still looks great after all this time too!:

I like his Halloween v2 so much that I tried scouting in his half to get him (no luck though) and unidolized is honestly one of my favourite cards in the game!:

...Welp, I think you can guess what kind of aesthetics I like.

Also...as silly as it is, I like singing karaoke (but with vocals left and it’s only at home so not really) with my sister and occasionally one of my friends and have color-coded lyrics for almost 40 songs atm. We all suck me the most but it’s fun and we don’t care. Anyways, the point was - out of 4 Utapri songs we have prepared the lyrics for (well, only I did...), somehow 2 of them feature Camus - Junketsunaru Ai -Aspiration-  and NorthWind and SunShine.

Junketsunaru is super fun to sing and it’s my favourite Camus solo but I really like Zettai Reido Emotion as well!

One of my favourite songs overall - Trois - also features Camus. Non-Fiction is a banger too! ...I’m not gonna list songs with 4 and more people because this would take way too long so I’ll stop here.

And as a side note, I really love how this line sounds (sorry for no clip, it’s sort of breathy, something in between his regular and fake voice):

Day 5

I’m not sure if the first line is mistranslation or not but I’ve chosen to believe it’s not. This sort of lines are the reason why Camus wasn’t at the very bottom of my favourite list for a short period of time.

Serious characters that act seriously or at least casually about stuff that sounds absurd or at least unfitting for them is something I find funny. I’m not sure if there’s a name for this trope, boke doesn’t exactly fit but I’m guessing I like it because I like this sort of Manzai humour Gintama uses anyways.

This also makes me chuckle but I felt like it didn’t match first two enough to get paired with them:

Aaand while this one might not seem particularly funny, it reminded me of my headcanons I first had when going through the profiles while SL was downloading - that the “fabulous hair guy” was a chuuni (because I didn’t believe his description) that loves Kuroshitsuji and tries to act like Sebastian because he think it’s cool:

I still headcanon that he’s a Sebastian stan btw. 

And while not from SL and not something new I’ve learned, I just had to put this in here because it turned so fun themed (gif taken from here):

Day 6

Time for Camus idle lines! I really tried looking for stuff he says in his natural voice but I couldn’t find anything better.

First one is very basic but I wanted to give an overview of Camus lines at Bond 65 so it had to do. Ai’s were better even as early on but I guess there’s not much to show when you have to fit in some of the butler persona lines and there’s less idle lines that the ones caused by tapping (I think?) so I’m probably being too impatient... I hope.

The last one is something that I could put as a standalone “line of the day” though. It’s so satisfying to make him swallow his pride and ask instead of demand! It’s a small step but it would be so fulfilling to teach him his place... Maybe that’s one of the reasons his fans like him - they feel like they could change somebody for the better. Or is it more like revealing his true, soft side?

I guess characters like this make the thing more “realistic” (can I even use this word while refering to Utapri and Camus? Probably not). But I feel like it’s not what they were going for, considering the way he acts towards the player.

Anyway, I used to think his lines would be more like: “How dare you ignore me, peasant?” and couldn’t get what are the reasons people like him other than them having a thing for jerks. Now I can see some more logical ones.

Day 7

Aka all the negative stuff I cut out from the other days and my final thoughts and the bond/heart links update.

If you just wanted some wholesomeness and can’t accept any negativity, you can finish reading here, no hard feelings! Thank you for reading! and remember that liking or disliking a character doesn’t define a person so please no pointless attacking me 

And if you are fine with it, thank you even more! A lot of this is speculations based on what I see in SL and I know still don’t understand Camus so feel free to try to change my mind if you know more than I do!

But first of all, here’s how my bond and heart links looked as of Day 7:

And this is how they look now, the week after the challenge:

Comparing Day 4 to Day 7, you can see that I was tapping him more than a couple times a day - he went up one whole level!

And about the current ones... I know Camus/Ai heart link barely moved but there was pretty much no downtime, my Bond/Link team is still the same! Most of the bond comes from being in my Star team.

Now that’s out of the way, here’s the line I mentioned Day 1, the very reason I Camus landed at the bottom of my list in the first place:

Yikes.

I already consider possessiveness a big flaw that they gave some characters because nobody’s perfect and some people are into that so it’s a win-win... but this is a whole another level (I’m not sure why out of all the words “can” is the one that’s capitalized though). It’s disturbing.

I do feel like there was a lot of potential in his character. They could give him some character development, make him show the side he shows to the player to the others too and I guarantee it would make him more popular.

I mean, my favourite is Ai. His attitude towards Syo and Natsuki in the early anime was pretty bad but he had changed, he even becomes friends with them and in the Denim stories it’s confirmed that they still hang out.

However... to me, even if Camus starts showing the same side he shows the player to the others, he will never make it higher than mid-tier of my list just because of this one line ...but I guess it still would be an improvement.

Also, I’ve heard that he’s no the only one that acts this way in the vn so if anyone could tell me the details that would be great... or not, depending on the boys but I’d still be grateful if you’d save me from liking someone like this!

Anyway, you could probably figure that out already but I find it awkward and uncomfortable how different he acts towards the player compared to how he acts towards the other idols, especially poor Cecil. Is there a legitimate reason he treats him this way?:

Other than simply “he dislikes him”, ofc. It’s a genuine question btw, if anyone knows more, especially from the VN, please tell me.

Don’t get me wrong, I really like the sort of rivalry between him and Ran but clearly it’s not how his relationship with Cecil works.

I might be reading too much into that but I feel like Cesshi seems aware of the side Camus shows to the player (which I didn’t catch first time I read the story tbh) and from the Camus side of the story I feel like he knows that he knows and yet, he still says this:

It’s just sad, really. Should I feel bad that he distanced himself from the others, is there any reason for that or is he making himself a victim to the player? ...Ugh, I know it’s not the case but it makes the most sense. Idk, is he too full of himself to notice? It doesn’t seem right, I mean... he called Natsuki smart... or smarter than he looks, at least.

Cecil is implied to know about his “true self” so I feel like he understands you to some extent. He’s trying to be nice to him, yet Camus refuses to acknowledge it... Here, despite the way he treats him, that poor baby still tries to (awkwardly) cheer him up:

I feel like his pride was hurt a little and Cecil did help him by saying that... but I don’t think I understand Camus enough so maybe not. Anyway, even though it was awkward, Cecil’s definitely being gentle here so I’m not sure why he can’t see that. Eh, I really don’t get this guy.

To quote best boy (who said this today as the 2nd bond boosting line so I had to put this btw):

And I doubt it’s just Cecil, it was probably implied by more people but it flew over my head because I didn’t know he’s so different when talking to the player.

Well, at least there's some improvement later in the story because he stops saying that kids like Cecil because he’s childish and instead rolls with the explanation Cecil gave him - it’s because Cecil has more experience with children.

I read those stories beforehand and it was why I was so surprised that he likes Natsuki - after all he acts the most childish and does what he wants. I’m not sure if there’s something important about Natsuki I’m missing don’t know or if talking to Alexander makes you smart in Camus eyes.

Okay, but back to his... triple-faceness, at this point? This is basically stuff I cut out of the Day 6 because I felt like it was getting too negative:

I don’t like how he’s only kinder to the player. If anything, it makes me wonder if he’s lying and picked just another mask good for geting what he wants. Ugh, I know it’s not the case again and you don’t need to convince me but with the character like this, I can’t really get rid of this feeling.

But I guess maybe it makes his fans feel truly special - characters like Otoya or Cecil are nice to everybody so the way they treat you in comparision to the others doesn’t have as much of an impact as it’s with Camus. Even Ran's softer side isn’t reserved only for the player. But ignoring how badly he treats the others just to feel special...it’s way too selfish for me but I get that some people find that attractive.

In conclusion, I didn’t have an accurate image of Camus personality before this challenge so I’m glad I did it. Now I understand that he’s way more complex, even if I don’t really get him. However I started seeing the reasons why some people might like him, so I feel like maybe I at least understood his fans better.

This challenge was pretty fun. I’m glad I learned something new, I might even do this again with Masato ...but probably without creating a post because I end up spending way too much time on it. I thought it’s gonna be way harder to pick the pictures (...though I made things easier for myself and started doing this by themes) or write anything about someone you don’t really like.

Even if I mainly focused on the negatives in the end, the things I said in the first 6 Day were important as well. He originally had his own separate “Nope” tier, now he’s in the bottom tier with Masato so it’s a bit of improvement? I still don’t like him (due to the stuff listed during Day 7 and more) but for different reasons and slightly less.

[the-real-xmonster]

The Olympic Men’s Free Skate Queue

Yuzuru’s StSq

Hello Alice! I’m sure that Seimei have gotten a level 4 Step Sequence in another competition. What do you think might cause it to get only a level 3 in the Olympics?

Why did Yuzu's StSq get a lv3? And did you see TAT and Yuzu hugging?? Sooo cute!! Did Yuzu get coached by her? They seem close, like mother and son

I’m so relieved and happy for Yuzu... I’ve seen a bunch of people complain that he got a level 3 on the stsq, but is it just me or was he a bit out of time with the music for the whole thing? Wouldn’t that downgrade him?

TAT and Yuzu hugging and she showering him with kisses was so freaking cute I had to punch a stuffed animal and down a shot of espresso (because I don’t do alcohol) to restore my cold-hearted bitchiness after I saw them. I don’t think Yuzu has ever got coached by her officially but they are quite close. He respects her a lot and she absolutely adores him, thinks the world of him really!

For the anon who asked me who TAT is: Tatiana Tarasova is a prominent Russian figure skating coach and is currently the Russian national team’s adviser. She is a legendary coach and is a highly respected authority in the figure skating world. Incidentally, she was the person who suggested Yuzuru to skate to Notte Stellata :)

So, on to Yuzu’s Seimei StSq, it got a level 3 the other day because of this turn:

This was from his first combination of difficult turns. He was going for a rocker-counter-twizzle combo there, but you can see on the close up on the right: his counter was jumped, as in he didn’t keep his blade on the ice throughout the turn. This mistake cost him an entire level, because one of the features for a level 4 StSq is you must have two valid combinations of difficult turns done on different feet. It also happens that from the 2017-2018 season, the ISU rule has changed so that only the first combination attempted on each foot can be counted. So even though in this Seimei StSq, Yuzu had an additional combination on the left foot, that one was not counted either for level purpose.

Yuzuru’s Score

Hi... If Yuzu went Clean with his free program as he planned, how much his score could be? I’ve done a rough calculation and I found that he could broke his total score record with that... what do you think about it?? Thank you ☺️ P.s : I really love ur blog

The most material mistake Yuzu made in the FS was on the second 4T. When he failed to put that jump in combination, he lost at least 11 points. The intended combo was 4T+1Lo+3S, which, in the second half, is worth 16.72 in BV. With the 4T in REP, he lost 30% of that jump’s BV and got also negative GOE for the step out, earning only 5.87 on that element. 

He also lost a couple points on the last 3Lz. So, yes, considering that his final total score of 317.85 is 12 points below his WR of 330.45, if he hadn’t made those two jump mistakes, he’d have broken that WR for sure. 

Yuzuru’s Ankle

Aaaaand back at worrying about Yuzu's ankle. Why??? :((

Alice, he was wonderful. He was so wonderful. Yuzuru Hanyu is the greatest of all time. I hope he feels all the love like a warm and soothing hug. It sounds like his ankle has ways to go, so everything crossed that he takes the time to let it heal completely. What a champion. We are not worthy. Now for the ladies. *dies a little*

So happy that Yuzuru was able to overcome his ankle injury and do THAT at the Olympics! Do you know if he plans to attend Worlds now?

did he touch his ankle bc he was in awe that it allowed to perform like this or bc it hurt?? in so emo rn ajdhsjsj

His ankle is still a cause for concern, since it obviously is far from being fully healed. Yuzuru himself said that he skated throughout this week on painkillers and he’d need to get his injury examined again after the Games. The jumps in the second half of Seimei caused him visible trouble and pain so when he went down to touch his ankle after the skate, I’m pretty sure at least half of it was because it really hurt.

I can’t believe I am actually saying this, but I sincerely hope that he would withdraw from Worlds and allow his body all the time it needs to recuperate. 

Yuzuru’s Plan

Hi, what a day! Do you think Yuzu will try to put the 4Lo back in the programs in next month's Worlds? I can't help but think that he loves SEIMEI too much to let it go without raising the difficulty one last time.

Its still hard to believe today. We all knew he was going to win yet we had our doubts. I am just wondering, if nathan continues to do 6 quads, how will yuzuru improve seimei to have a higher technical score?

Nobody knows yet whether Yuzu is planning to compete in Milan - I think even he himself cannot say that for certain right now. If he eventually decides to go to Worlds, I hope it is because he is fully fit, in which case, yes, I think he is going to bring back the 4Lo. I don’t think he needs to factor in Nathan’s 6 quads while deciding his layout. Nathan’s 6-quad free skate still ended up with a lower score than Seimei at NHK 2015, you know, the one with, like, 3 quads in it?

Nathan’s Free Skate

Thoughts on Nathan’s free skate?

It was a redemption and I am happy for him. Other than that... he landed 6 quads and that is the only thing I remember from his skate. There was hardly any connection between his jumps in transitional terms, or connection between his jumps and the music, or connection between him and the audience. To give that program anything more than 8 in any component score is utterly ridiculous. I can accept that he won the free skate, but it was by no means imaginable a 210+ program. 

I hope I won't stir up anything by asking this, but had Nathan skated a clean SP, would he have won gold in your book? I'm just curious and your personal take is always refreshing to me. I hope this question isn't annoying. Also I love your blog. I legit check it every week. I learn so much from just reading your posts. Thank you for your time and patience. :)

Yes, theoretically speaking, Nathan could have won the competition if he had skated a clean SP. But, also, theoretically speaking, Yuzuru could have skated a clean free skate too. If we continue along that line, both of them could have bombed and Javier could have won, or Shoma, or Boyang, or Vincent, or Patrick, or anyone, really. That’s what a sporting competition is all about: any competitor has a chance to win, and the result is ultimately determined by what each and everyone of them delivers, not in theory, but in reality.

Javier and Shoma’s Placements

Why was Javier behind Shoma? Asking cause I know nothing about tech and to me Javier looked like he skated a cleaner and better set of programs

It was a matter of base value. Javi was scored higher than Shoma in PCS in both the SP and FS and I think the gap more or less adequately reflected the difference in their program components. The final base value of Javi’s FS is 19 points lower than Shoma’s (a gap widened by Javi’s mistake of popping the second 4S into a double, which lost him about 10 points) and that’s the main reason he lost. 

On Shoma’s base value, though, there’s this:

Hi Alice! Sorry to bother you, but could you take a look on Shoma's quad loop (the one where he fell) in his free skate in Pyeongchang? I heard a lot of people saying that it's underrotated, and I thought that I'll ask you for an unbiased opinion. Thanks a lot!    

Yes, his 4Lo was very much under-rotated:

There you can see how he landed at over 90 degrees short of rotation. From this angle it’s hard to say for sure, but I suspect that his blade touched the ice even earlier than that, around this point:

If the tech panel is strict, this level of miss in rotation can even result in a downgrade of the jump.

As it happened, his 4T in the combo was borderline, too:

So, all else being equal, and considering how close their total scores were, if the technical panel had made these UR calls on Shoma’s jumps, the Silver very well should have gone to Javi.

[ethxndolan]

Grayson Dolan Must Die (G.D.) Part 10

Summary: Grayson Dolan is known as the schools womanizer. His ability to make a girl fall in love with him, and drop her within a week is legendary. When a series of events peaks Grayson’s interest in Y/N, she is recruited by three of his exes to break his heart in a very public way and exact revenge for all the pain he has caused. However, nothing goes according to plan… and Y/N may be in way over her head navigating the whit and charm that is Grayson Dolan.

A/N: OMG THIS IS THE LAST PART thank u so so so so so much for reading it all i love u so much for it i hope u like the ending this def could have been like three parts but whatever THANK U AGAIN also writing this might be why im swerving into grays lane? but its fine im fine 

Word Count: 4,147

Warnings: probably typos but if you’ve read up to this part im sure ur super hip to that already 

MASTERSLIST

Everyone was piling into the bleachers for the homecoming pep rally. I nervously took a seat as close to the stairs as possible, just in case our plan didn’t work and I had to get the hell out of there. I was completely engulfed in anxiety as I waited for the pep rally to start, knowing there was absolutely nothing I could do now. Either our plan worked, or it didn’t. I desperately wished that I could be with Gray right now, but as the captain of the football team, he had to be with the team on the field.

After everyone was settled, the principal finally stepped up to the microphone and started some speech about how wonderful our school was and how our football team was going to lead us to victory tonight. I didn’t hear a word of it.

My mind was all over the place, my eyes searching for every possible point of escape, should it be necessary, until Grayson stepped up to the microphone. He looked calm and collected, but I could tell by the way his fingers were twitching that he was anything but. I wondered if that had to do with speaking in front of our whole school or if he was nervous for the exact same reason I was. I wasn’t sure which option would make me feel better.

“Hey guys,” he said into the microphone, “You all better show up to the game tonight because we’re going to destroy the Herndon Falcons! I promise, as your captain, your quarterback, your favorite Dolan twin, and winner of dreamiest senior, that I will lead us to victory!” I couldn’t help but laugh a little at how ridiculous he was. “GO, BRONCOS!” he yelled. Everyone in the stands repeated his chant.

Next up to the microphone was Sabrina, the captain of the cheerleading team. Everyone seemed confused as to why she was up there, normally the cheerleaders never said anything at pep rally’s… they just cheered. Nerves and anxiety raced through my body because I knew what this meant.

I had trusted Grayson with so much, and I so wanted to believe everything he said to me, but there was a small, okay big, part of me that doubted him. There was just so much that could go wrong and he had been so vague about what he was going to do.

“Broncos!” Sabrina yelled, “A few girls and I have put together a special video to get us all hyped up for the game!” She nodded at Rachel who was standing off the side. My heart stopped beating as I watched Rachel press play on her laptop, which was hooked up to a projector. I held my breath as I waited for it to start. My body was tense and ready to bolt at any second.

As soon as I heard the moaning and heaving breathing, I let out a huge sigh of relief. Grayson had done it. He had switched the video on Rachel’s phone and convinced her that showing it at the pep rally was the best way to get back at me. Except the video wasn’t of me, it was some old cheesy porn from the 70’s.

My eyes searched out Grayson’s on the field, and when I finally found him, his huge grin was mirroring my own. He caught my eye and winked at me.

Chaos ensued right after the video had started. Rachel, Sabrina and Megan were all yelling at each other in complete shock. The Principal was sprinting towards them screaming at the top of his lungs for them to turn if off. The entire student body was cracking up when in the video a pizza delivery guy knocked on the door and asked to join the couple vigorously having sex on a coffee table.

Rachel's eyes zeroed in on me. “What the hell did you do?” she yelled, storming over to me. She was so angry her face was turning redder by the second.

I shrugged nonchalantly. “I didn’t do a single thing.”

“You fucking bitch,” she said pointing at me, “If you think this is the only way I can ruin your life, you’re dead wrong.”

I stood up from my seat and walked down the steps to face her. “Rachel, all your plotting and scheming in the world isn’t going to help you get Grayson. I know you went to him and told him all about the GDMD plan, do you know how pathetic it is that you had to orchestrate this crazy plan just to get a guys attention? Even with your psychopathic tendencies, I’m sure there’s some guy out there who can put up with you. But as for Gray? He’s mine.” Claiming Gray as mine was definitely not true, but she didn’t need to know that.

Her face twisted in rage as she let out an ear splitting shriek. She opened her mouth and was just about to say something as school security approached us. “Miss?” they said to Rachel, “You need to come with us.”

She shot me one final death glare before following after them.

Someone was finally able to pull the plug and the big screen went black, ending the wild 70’s porn. The students groaned in disappointment. Sabrina, Megan and Rachel were being escorted off of the field by school security, no doubt on their way to face punishment.

The Principal walked up to the microphone, looking extremely flustered and unsure what to do. “Well, uh…” he started, “That was… Well, I don’t really know what that was, but everyone involved will be expelled immediately. Um, GO BRONCOS… and go home.” Everyone started to stand up in the bleachers, “But come back for the game!” he quickly added, but it was mostly lost over the loud chattering over the students leaving.

I walked out to the field desperately trying to find Grayson. The principals threat about everyone involved being expelled made me nervous, I wasn’t sure exactly how involved he was. He didn’t tell me much about his part of the plan, just assured me that ‘he had it covered’.

I finally found him and his face broke out into a huge grin when he saw me. But, finding him was the easy part, getting to him was another task entirely as it seemed everyone wanted to wish him luck. I stood off to the side and waited as person after person approached him. The more time passed the more unsure I became. Did he want me to wait for him? Was whatever weird friendship we had formed done now because everything was over? I really didn’t want it to be.

A few minutes later he finally managed to get away and my favorite crooked smile was on his face made all my fears disappear, . “Hey,” I said.

“Hey? That’s it? We did it!” He exclaimed. He grabbed me and pulled me into a bone crushing hug. “I was so fucking nervous, I can’t believe that worked.”

As much as I was enjoying having his strong arms wrapped around me, I took a step back, a little worried the hug had lasted too long. “You’re not going to get in trouble or anything are you?” I asked.

He dramatically gasped and looked offend, “Y/N, of course I’m not. You’re lack of faith in me is truly disappointing, we’re really going to have to work on that,” he said. “But, seriously, every conversation I had with Rachel was in person, and I know for a fact there was a group chat between her, Sabrina, and Megan detailing their exact plans to post the video. I also made sure Rachel thought the whole pep rally thing was her idea. So, if something does come up they have no proof, and I’m confident I can talk my way out of any situation.”

I rolled my eyes at his cockiness. “You’re a regular criminal,” I teased.

“Are you coming to the game tonight?” He asked. I wasn’t sure if it was the lighting or what, but his eyes looked hopeful. I opened my mouth to reply that I wasn’t, but he cut me off already knowing what I was going to say. “Come on, partner. You have to come. How can I win if your not there cheering me on?”

“ ‘I’, isn’t it a team sport?” I asked.

“I mean, sure, I guess you could look at it that way,” he said, “But I play a very important role, a crucial role, one could say. The only role that matters, one could also say. So you see, the victory and pride of our entire school rests on your shoulders. Are you going to come or not?”

—

Naturally, Grayson led our team to victory. Throughout the whole game I was plagued with anxiety because I didn’t know what to do. As I was talking to Grayson after the pep rally, and he was staring at me waiting for my response about coming to the game or not, I realized I was in love with him. It hit me so hard and so fast I could barely breathe.

I was in love with his stupid crooked smile, I was in love with his laugh, his giggle, his wheeze when he was laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe, I was in love with his dumb cocky jokes, the way his hair was always falling into his eyes but he refused to cut it. Most of all, I was in love with the way he looked at me, like I was the only person in the world, like this was the only moment that mattered. I was in love with Grayson Dolan and I didn’t know what to do about it.

I had no idea if he felt the same. I mean, it kind of seemed like it? Sometimes? He was definitely flirty with me, but wasn’t he flirty with everyone? Wasn’t that part of his personality?
 During the whole game I was so conflicted on what to do that I barely paid attention to what was happening. My mind was racing as I kept imagining telling him how I felt and him rejecting me. I thought about how much had already happened today, and how I stood up to the GDMD girls and how good that felt, and I knew that I had to do it, had to take the risk- no matter the outcome.

So that was how I found myself standing on the sidelines waiting for Grayson after the game. I knew I had to do it now or I would lose my nerve and never be able to do it. I kept telling myself that his answer didn’t matter, that if he didn’t feel the same way it would be fine, because at least I tried. But that was such a lie.

I watched as he pulled his helmet off, revealing his sweaty hair, that somehow made him look even more attractive. My heart caught in my throat as he looked over at me and smiled. He took a step in my direction before he was swarmed by a mass of people wanting to congratulate him. I stood off to the side and watched girl after girl give him a hug, a kiss on the cheek, squeeze his muscular bicep, and I watched the same smile he always gave me on his face as he looked at them.

God, I was an idiot. Of course he didn’t like me back. I quickly turned and took off to my car as fast as I could without attracting too much attention to myself. There was no way Grayson looked at me as more than his lab partner. And even if in some remote universe he slightly liked me just a little, he clearly wasn’t into relationships as evidence by his track record with girls. That was the entire reason I got pulled into the Grayson Dolan Must Die plan after all.

I sat in my car for a moment and thought. I could tell I was on the verge of a total breakdown, so I could either go home and cry, or go to the giant field party and get drunk.

I decided getting drunk was way more fun.

—

By the time I made it to the field the party was in full swing. In typical field party fashion, there was a bon fire in the center and cars spread out everywhere with their headlights on to brighten up the dark night. Although it seemed like most people were avoiding the lights and taking advantage of the privacy of the shadows.

As I walked around, my phone started buzzing in my pocket for the third time that night. I knew without checking that it was Gray, he had been the other two calls. I ignored them, not wanting to have to face him tonight. He would probably just forget about me as soon as some other girl walked by anyway. I knew talking to him would only making getting over him worse, and I needed to move on form him. And his stupid chocolate brown floppy hair that I loved.

I made my way over to the keg and started to fill up my cup with whatever cheap beer they had. As I was concentrating on not letting it get too foamy, Connor walked up. “Hey, baby,” he said.

“Go away, Connor,” I replied dryly, not even bothering to look up at him. Just being near him made me feel uneasy.

I finished filling my cup up and started to walk away. Clearly Connor had a different idea, because he grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him. “Y/N, I know you miss me. Can’t we put the past behind us and let our bodies have the release they so desperately crave?” His words felt like a thousand bugs were crawling all over my skin.

I started at him dumbfounded, “Ew, Connor, what the fuck? That’s so gross. I actually think I just broke out into hives.” I started to check my arms for dramatic effect. I looked back up at him in disgust. “I genuinely have no idea what I ever saw in you.”

He leaned in close to my face, I could smell the cheap beer on his breath and it made me nauseous. “I was just the first guy to ever tell you you’re pretty. Your pants came flying off after that, easiest lay I’ve ever had.” Arrogance was clear across his greasy face.

I was just about to go off on him, when Grayson beat me to it. “Shut the fuck up, you prick. Leave her alone, you should feel special she even let you look at her.” He walked up and stood right behind me, his chest pressed against my shoulder. He was freshly showered and wearing his football jersey, the scent of his body wash enveloped me and immediately relaxed me.

Connor shook his head. “Oh, Dolan. You should really stay out of things that aren’t your business. Especially considering your reputation with the ladies.” Connor’s eyes shot to me, “This is the guy you want, Y/N? This douchebag? Oh man, I knew you were a slut, but I didn’t think you were dumb enough to fall for his antics, he’ll play you worse than I ever did.”

Gray stepped around me and grabbed Connor by the collar of his shirt. Grayson towered over Connor by a few inches, the hard work Gray put in at the gym was clear against all the drinking and partying Connor did. “I thought I told you to shut the fuck up,” Gray said.

“Hey man, I mean if you want my sloppy seconds, she’s -“ Connor was cut off when Gray’s fist brutally connected with his jaw.

“That was for calling her a slut,” Gray said before hitting Connor a second time, “That was for calling her sloppy seconds.” Gray hit him a third time, and the sound of bone cracking was audible as Connor fell to the ground. “And that was for that fucking pervy little video, you twisted fuck.” Gray’s voice was so deep and guttural as he spoke.

At this point we had definitely caught everyone’s attention as Grayson was standing over Connor, who was groaning loudly in pain. It was clear the dispute was about me as everyone’s eyes were staring at me, which made me extremely uncomfortable.

I turned and walked away, wanting to get as far away from this situation as possible. I chugged my beer as I walked and then tossed the cup somewhere on the ground. I started heading towards the line of trees in front of me so that I could be alone.

“Y/N!” I heard someone call from behind me. My body instantly tensed up as I recognized Gray’s voice. I ignored him hoping he would take the hint and go away, but he didn’t. He ran up next to me panting a little, “Y/N, what the hell? Why are you ignoring me? I couldn’t find you after the game, and then you ignore my calls, and now you’re literally ignoring what I’m saying right now.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. “What’s going on?” His eyes were pleading with me to explain, but I couldn’t tell him the truth.

“It’s not a whole thing like you’re making it out to be, I just want to be alone right now,” I said. I was looking anywhere but at him, knowing that it would be too painful to look him in the eyes.

“Why don’t I believe you?” he asked.

I shrugged and started to walk away again, “I don’t know, maybe because you’re conceited?” I instantly regretted it after I said it. I knew how upset Gray was with the way people viewed him, and it hurt me to think he would assume I was just like them.  

He moved lightning quick and stood right in front of me so that I ran right into his chest. I tried to take a step back to put some space between us, but he only stepped towards me again. “Do you really think that?” he asked, hurt clear in his voice. “I know you always joke around about stuff like that, but that always seemed like a joke, and I… this doesn’t seem like a joke.”

I sighed. “No, I don’t think that, I shouldn’t have said that,” I muttered, “I’m sorry. Now if you’ll excuse me,” I tried to step around him, but again he stood in my way. “Seriously, Grayson.” My voice was a lot stronger as I was growing annoyed with him. Why couldn’t he just let this go? Why did he have to be so stubborn?

“Seriously, Y/N, tell me what’s going on. I get if you’re upset about what Connor said, but I don’t get why you blew me off after the game.” His tone hinted at his anger, and his eyes were piecing into me as he silently demanded an answer.

“I didn’t blow you off, you were busy,” I shot back, bitterness clear in my tone. I hated how dramatic and petty I was being, but all I wanted was to be alone and he was clearly not giving up.

“I was trying to get to you, I thought you were waiting, and then I looked all over the place for you, but I couldn’t find you. Can you please just tell me the truth?” he begged, his voice and eyes growing softer. I knew I couldn’t lie to him, he would see right through it, but the truth wasn’t an option.

“It’s nothing, okay? It’s stupid, I’m stupid.” I was growing antsy, desperately wanting to get away from him. This conversation was far too painful and I was far too sober.

He firmly grabbed me by the chin and made me look at him. His eyes were intense as he said, “You’re not stupid. You’re anything but stupid, you’re the smartest person I know.” His voice was so confident that I almost believed him.

“Yeah, maybe at school stuff, but not at this…” my voice trailed off.

He dropped his hand from my chin and I instantly missed the contact of his skin on mine. “At what?” he asked, his face scrunched up in confusion, one eyebrow raised slightly higher than the other highlighting the scar between them.

I motioned between us. “This.” His eyebrow raised even higher in silent question. “This, relationships, people… and I’m not talking about Connor,” I elaborated, hoping he would understand without me having to admit it.

“Yeah, I still really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I cursed under my breath, why couldn’t he just let this go? I couldn’t look him in the eyes and I said, “I’m stupid because I thought there was something between us, but it’s irrelevant because I’m aware there’s not so we really don’t have to talk about. If you still need help in chemistry I’m more than happy to keep tutoring you, but that’s it. Just tutoring.” The words came tumbling out of my mouth like I had lost all control.

“Do you want to go to the homecoming dance with me tomorrow?” he asked. My eyes shot up to his in surprise.

“What?” I asked, completely dumbfounded. My mind was blank as I stared at his sparking eyes, unable to come up with a logical reason for his question.

“I meant to ask you sooner, I just didn’t want to do it while you were nervous about the whole video thing. And I tried to do it after the pep rally, but so many people were around, and then I tried to do it after the game, but you took off… So, will you go to the dance with me?” His eyes were searching my face looking for an answer that I didn’t have. I could have sworn he looked a little nervous.

“I feel like I’m missing something here,” I said.

“You’re not missing anything, you’re not stupid,” he said. He took a deep breath before continuing, “Y/N, i’ve liked you since school started. You’ve interested me since freshmen year, but I can’t say I liked you then because I didn’t really know you. But I would always see you in the library, or reading at lunch, and I thought you were absolutely breathtaking and all I wanted was to get to know you. So when I found out we had chem together, I talked Mrs.Tyler into making us lab partners. I kept asking to copy your homework because it was the only way to make you talk, everything else I said you would pretty much ignore, but asking to copy your homework always got you fired up.” I stared at him in complete disbelief, and when I was just about to protest he cut me off, “I know Rachel and all them made you change and dress different and stuff, and at first I liked it because suddenly you seemed to be interested in me, but it doesn’t matter what you wear or how you do your hair, because I like you, Y/N. I more than like you, but i’m really not trying to freak you out right now and you’re wide eyes are really starting to freak me out right now because I’ve never given one of these speeches before and so I’m kind of nervous, I’m not really sure what happens now.” The honesty in his voice and the vulnerability in his eyes as he watched me intently, made me believe him.

“I’m in love with you,” I blurted out super quickly. He probably couldn’t even understand what I was saying it came out so fast and jumbled. I didn’t even know what I was saying.

“What?” he looked as shocked and surprise as I felt.  

I didn’t hesitate for a second as I clarified. “I’m in love with you,” I said slower, making sure each word was clear.

A huge smile spread across his face, his eyes lit up in the moon light. “I love you, too,” he said. He stepped forward and closed the gap between us, placing his lips lightly on mine. I wound my hands into his jersey and pulled him even closer and intensified the kiss. It was everything I ever wanted, my toes were tingling, I swear the forest animals were singing, and I about died when Gray’s hand slid up under my shirt to rest on the bare skin of my back.

I whimpered a little when Gray pulled back a hair. He laughed and quickly kissed me one more time. “So, will you go to homecoming with me?”

I stared longingly into his eyes as I replied, “Yes.”

THE END

[allaboutwannaone-blog]

friends to lovers!guanlin

genre: fluff word count: 2.2k author’s note: ok i have decided that i’m super bad with summaries so i omitted it hAH :-) send me requests!! :))

• it’s that time of the year again…*dramatic sigh*

• yes,, it is one week before school starts!! honestly,, you’re kind of really daunted by the upcoming year because you finally were becoming a senior

• you can’t actually believe that YOU, someone who still cuddles with soft toys at night and cries like a baby will be graduating soon like hell nah i’m not ready to step out of my comfort zone, not ready for everyone to judge my ugly ass, not ready to be single yet again (not that being single is wrong!! but you just feel kinda like a loser when everyone around you is already dating 🙁)

• in order to make you feel better about yourself, you decided to go to the mall to get some clothes because,, impulsive splurging is your passion (even though you end up regretting it to the max after that) and bless the lord you need some new colours in your wardrobe because every single thing in your wardrobe is black 

• you casually stroll to the men’s section because you just like oversized shirts a lot,, they make you feel bigger and more confident and looks good too so why not!! and the staff don’t actually give a shit about who goes where in their store so nobody would judge you either famous last words

• just as you were reaching for this super cute red shirt that just calls for you, another hand came into your vision and took that last one off the rack

• startled, you spun around to see who the culprit was and got even more surprised because

• a) holy feck this guy is cute (and by cute i mean the handsomest person you’ve ever seen)

• b) holy feck this guy’s aura and face is colder than eating ice cream in the middle of the winter  

• and you just kind of slither away in fear all while keeping your eyes on him like a snake because you ARE a snake since you eat snacks at night even though you promised your diet app not to

• but that was the last of him you saw for the rest of the break (certainly not the last you thought of him tho!!)

• fast forward to the first day of school,, and you’ve guessed it!

• by some miraculous turn of fate, you spot a slightly familiar yet unfamiliar face standing right in front of the classroom beside your homeroom teacher 

• it was him

• and boi, he looked finer than a strand of hair wearing the red shirt he picked that day 

• after your teacher’s explanation, it turns out he was a transfer student from taiwan (oH NO NOT AGAIN *cues groans*) and his name was lai guanlin 

• he instantly became a favourite amongst your classmates,, a chorus of small yet audible sighs from the girls could be heard, and the guys were practically bouncing out of their seats to greet him

• after his introduction (that highlighted his super cute accent), he went to his assigned seat, which was conveniently situated behind you. you had no idea whether he actually recognised you or not,, so you gave him a small, hesitant smile but all he did was to just stare blankly at you so hAh prObabLy nOt

• days passed and he settled in pretty well,, he now was friends with this big group of boys  (including him, there are eleven, you believe) who called themselves wanna one and literally have females and males alike practically salivating at the sight of them, so naturally your hopes of getting closer to him were dashed because you weren’t part of that social circle (besides being friends with daehwi in the student council)

• that was also why you’ve decided to throw the thoughts about him to the back of your mind and busied yourself with the upcoming council president selection

• you actually didn’t want to join it at first, but with the encouragement of your peers, you decided to just wing it and yolo for your last year in high school

• but that was also how you found yourself in a battle of nerves with one of the most popular girls in your school, chaewon (ok pls just insert any name here ur enemy’s your pet’s i just randomly chose one)

• chaewon wasn’t really the baddest bitch around, though she can be a little arrogant and quip sarcastic remarks once in a while,, you don’t dislike her, but you don’t like her either 

•  but for some reason, her looks and athletic abilities (which you, for jisoo’s sake had none) have guys and girls alike, just like wanna one, falling at her feet

• it wasn’t like she was a complete airhead either, she got decent grades, is punctual in handing up her homework too,, which makes her a really strong candidate up against you

• the elections came and went, you gave your speech and she gave hers, and unfortunately, but not unpredictably, she won and got to parade around with a makeshift sash the whole day

• you were…undeniably a little sad because hey you really did put in effort to memorise the script and think about how to improve the school (you spent sleepless nights thinking about that okay) and not freak out while talking in front of so many people but you didn’t get it in the end

• but you didn’t want to sound like a sore loser either so you just kept it to yourself,, 

• hOWEveR

• just as you were about to congratulate her,,, she, in all her winning glory, went

• “honestly, you didn’t stand a chance against me but i just went along with it because it made me feel superior. but good game, you tried your best, but hey, it wasn’t enough!”

• to say that you were crushed was an understatement 

• you…had no idea how to react that, so you just stood there and froze for a while 

• but suddenly, a terse voice that sounded dangerously close to you rang out

• “to be honest, we all know you pulled some strings to win because evidently y/n has a way better personality than you.”

• you spun around (deja vu, anyone?) and lo and behold, you see this tall silhouette basked in light and hOLY MAMA that is ,,, LAI. GUAN. LIN. 

• ?1!?1!?1!??1!?1??1 <— your heart and mind at that moment

• “i hope you won’t let this ‘win’ get to your head,, because i and my friends won’t hesitate to get an appeal for her to take your position if you were to act up like this again, so do us all a favour and get out.” 

• ?1!1!1?1??1?1!1!1!!1!1!1!?1?1?1?!1!1!1!!1!1!!1!1!1!1!!1!1!1!!1!1 <— your heart, beating at a 100 miles per hour as you see him turn around and go back to his friends, not without him giving you a gentle smile (you were certain your face was red now yOu’vE beComE a tOmaTo)

• you didn’t see it but his ears had turned red from shyness aw what a cute baby (but only towards you tho 😉) 

• it was after that day,, you guys just- suddenly clicked

• he gave you a nod the next day when he walked past you to get to his seat 

• and when you turned back to thank him, a full blown smile spread across his face (tHAT SMILE,, YOU KNOW THAT SMILE WITH HIS TEETH AND GUMS) and you felt like ‘shit, i’m getting sucked into this black hole but for some reason i don’t want to come out’

• you don’t notice it but his friends sitting behind him are wiggling their eyebrows and gossiping (mmo, ring a bell??) about how cute of a couple you two would make but none of you caught it since you were busy staring at each other,, sharing a moment

• small talks became real conversations, what originally was mundane became full of laughter and funny stories he told you about his friends (he tells you deep dark secrets about them like how once daehwi was rocking out to ariana grande in the shower and slipped and fell) 

• you told him about your friends as well and how they thought he was the most good looking person they’ve ever seen,, and he just tells you to tell them that he’s not interested

• you kind of want to probe further but you didn’t want it to be awkward either so you just settled for an questioning look you hope conveyed your message but he just gave you an ambiguous smile,,, which kind of made your heart sink a little because…of course he has a crush, he could literally have anyone he wanted why would he even bother about you

• so you just,,, kept your feelings under the radar for the moment 

• but anyone, everyone could see you were heads over heels for him 

• and that he was heads over heels for you too!!!! he had never shown any interest in any girl except for you

• he dismissed any confession letters that came his way, got rid of girls who would stick to him with the very cold look that scared you in the first place

• he never had much interaction with girls 

• heck, he never even smiled that much with guys besides his friends 

• but you two,, clouded with the delusion that your crush would never like you back, continued being friends close to lovers

• until the day before the basketball finals

• yes, guanlin was part of the basketball team, and was the co-captain in fact, which is a really amazing feat considering he just entered your school a few months ago

• you were staying back in school to help settle some stuff with the council since you were still a rank higher up than the rest,, you needed to get everything right for tomorrow’s big game, make sure the ushers know their duty, the students knew where to sit, the court was decorated and at its cleanest state

• and guanlin was practising to get his shots right for tomorrow because he didn’t want to let anyone down,, and most importantly, he didn’t want to look like a loser in front of you!! after two hours of training, the coach let the players go for a thirty minute break before going back to shoot some hoops again

• wandering around the school, he saw the door of a conference room slightly ajar, and heard your melodious voice flowing from it

• peeping in, he saw you standing in front of the board, laying out the plans for tomorrow and observing how you carried yourself, your confidence, your beauty and he came to the conclusion that yo,, it was,, now or never

• clutching the extra jersey he had in his hands tightly, he opened the door, apologised for the interruption and beckoned for you to come out

• you were escorted outside with the sound of wolf-whistles and clapping but you paid no heed to them, only looking at the seemingly flustered boy standing in front of you

• guanlin: “hi?”

• you: “hey!”

• him: “okay so tomorrow is the championship right? you’ll be there right?”

• you: “yes, why do you ask?”

• him, throwing the dry-fit shirt to you: “it’syoursnowpleasewearthistomorrowand…”

• you, barely catching it and not making sense of the situation at all: “and?”

• him: “if i score the winning goal, will you date me?”

• everything went still for a second

• you looked down at the jersey that had his name proudly printed on it and supposedly belonged to you forever now, and looked up at his expectant and nervous face bewilderedly 

• you: “wait, can you repeat that again?”

* him, mildly exasperated that you were taking so long to give him an answer: “date me if i score the winning goal tomorrow.”

• honestly the stunned look on your face makes him want to just pinch your cheeks and kiss you but he’ll resist for the sake of the fact that you might not reciprocate his feelings

• but when you replied him with “okay, deal.”, he couldn’t help but just give you the biggest and loveliest hug you’ve ever experienced

• it was like,, you belonged there

• in that warm cocoon of heat and love 

• and guess what??

• the next day came and everyone, and i mEAN EVER Y ON E was looking at you striding into the venue with his jersey and the wanna one members were just like MY BABY HAS FINALLY GROWN BALLS I AM SO PROUD OF HIM *wipes tears from eyes* 

• you cheered and screamed so loudly for him you swear they could probably hear you from australia and when it came down to the last seconds, where the other team was just leading by two points,, guanlin caught the ball and dribbled it towards the other side of the court

• those seconds felt like ages and just when he was about to make the three-pointer,, he looked at you with that smile on his face

• …and sCORED!!1!1!1!1!1!!1!!1!!!!!!!!

• you jumped out of your seat and hi-fived your friends around you, celebrating their victory until you see them suddenly freezing, looking behind you

• you turned around (again, deja vu???) and saw him, guanlin, with the brightest smile that seriously could light up the universe if he tried 

• “so, date me?”

[cow3survivor]

Ep. 2: “I’m Trying To Lay Low” - Jake

JENNET

plan worked fabulously purrrrrrrrr

(a little later)

maybe its me being paranoid but why are jake,jones, and lindsay always the last three to leave calls............ when i have a f2 with all of em....

JESSICA

Song of the day is ELVIS by AOA. My favourite workout bop. Silver got voted out! So sad, I wanted to play with him. But also, kinda cool! This is the only game I have played where I truly didn't know anyone (except my very first ORG). What an experience. I know last confessional I said Sam and Shane were both kinda on the fence for me in terms of if I wanted to maybe work with them or not. An update: I think I want to work with both! Both of them, unprompted, told me they wanted to work with me if we lost immunity, and I have actually been getting along well with both of them I feel now that our conversations are moving past the sort of awkward beginning stages. I still like Sammy even though I probably should talk to him more oops... and Daisy/Lovelis/Ethan are also still in my good books. I kind of keep forgetting Pete and Cloud are on this tribe but when I remember, I am happy they are here. That being said, I think Cloud or Madison will be the first to go if we lose. Cloud is very inactive. Madison is too but she was at least on the call tonight. It might come down to how immunity goes. I want to participate because it will bond us as a team. That way even if we lose, I was a part of the team effort and won't stand out as someone who people don't know or want to work with. Also while I personally want Cloud or Madison out as I know them the least, I am not going to push it. I'll let somebody else throw out a name and as long as that name isn't Jessica then I will consider it. I sort of chilled today with the social game and only messaged people as they messaged me. The vibe of this team is very relaxed from what I can tell and I didn't want to overdo it with conversations and come across as too much. Tomorrow, my goal is to talk to every single person for at least 1 (one) whole real conversation. I might have to start using my good ol' tactic of sending people random youtube links and saying "what do you think of this" to get something going.... Honestly nothing starts a conversation like David Hasselhoff and his cinematic masterpieces that we call music videos. I hope the other tribe is full of problems so that when we eventually swap, I have a very easy time in this game.

LINDSAY

no recording tonight because i have a headache:( anyways i'm apparently not in as good of a position in the tribe as I was hoping. got left out of a six person group chat bc I was associated w Silver and people were nervous abt this vote w me. Jake luckily looped me in but I'm kind of bummed out people didn't trust me enough to let me in on this. I know it's probably just cuz Silver and I had been getting along alright the past two days but that means I'm in kind of a yucky position in the tribe that is starting to gear me up to a S6 type deal from survivor umich and I'm not fuckin' vibin. I'm gonna try to reach out (Nash appears to be ignoring me currently tho so lol) and try to fix that. I still want to work tight w Jones and Jake but I don't want them to be my only options. I need some more connections than that. ALSO WHEN SILVER DID THE THING MY HEART STOPPED LOL SO THAT MIGHT BE WHY IM BEING IGNORED also "you kept laughing at silver's jokes" was a comment someone leveled at me today and i couldn't find a good way to level and say i laugh at everything because that's how my brain is trained to react to everything. monkey brain cannot comprehend emotions so i laugh everything off. anyways i guess this is my clue i've got to step up. i mean, it's fine if i'm under the radar some because it's not merge yet so like it's fine, but i'm... worried. if nothing else we're even tho bc the galaghers got revealed as well as the six person alliance so we're all even here. bottom line is, i'm winning this fucking scavenger hunt this shit aint happening next week

JAKE

https://youtu.be/amXasrOidh0

y'all I'm still shaking from tonight tbh....

PENNINO

https://youtu.be/_26B1wn1pDw

JONES

https://youtu.be/7FngYQfYMB0

PETE

Nobody will want to vote me out if I have kittens and share pictures of them muahahahahahahahahahaha

JESSICA

Oh no, we lost! I hope that Shane and Daisy want to be a final 3 because that is what I am envisioning in my hopes, dreams, and mood board.

SHANE

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mNEOfPVwOp-ltGoNTdEq59su-9Vl_Adm/view?usp=drivesdk

ETHAN

AHH TRIBAL IS SCARY MORE TO COME SOON BUT EVERYONE IS SO QUIET AND I DON'T LIKE IT BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I AM THE TARGET BUT IF I AM I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY IT IS JUST WEIRDLY QUIET AND MY PARANOIA IS EATING ME ALIVEEE

DAISY

https://youtu.be/tBDHsLvF8W8

NICOLE

WE ARE IMMUNE!!! I’m so excited to have flipped the vote on Silver AND got us immunity but, I’m gonna have to be more careful if I’m gonna go far in this game. I know I can be strategic, I can be a comp threat but I really have to work on making myself a little dimmer in the social department. If we swap or merge obviously down the line, I feel like I’m gonna have a LOT of different potential paths to the end but, it won’t matter if they all realize that. So I really really have to be careful here. I am playing this game with a level head so far and really trying to make my rounds daily to talk to people. I am close with Jake, close with Jones and close with Nash. I am working on forming better bonds with Jabari, Lindsay and Jennet right now and honestly to me, Pennino is a non factor as well as Mikey but I am obviously going to try to maintain being on their good side. So that’s all I got for this round it’s been pretty tame except for Jennet immediately leaking our alliance by accident. At this point I really don’t think it matters.

MADISON

Okay so our tribe is not superhuman and we finally lost a challenge so we will be attending tribal tonight. Nobody is really saying much in terms of what will happen which is extremely worrisome, however, I did hear Sam on call very subtly throw Cloud out there and I'm kinda hoping that Jessica and Shane heard that too and will kind of run with it. Daisy wants both of us to be safe and I feel the same way so I'm hoping that's what will happen. In other news!!! I have officially begun the idol hunt one round too late but perhaps that works out better because if something is found, I'll know it. So because of the way things were worded during the hunt, the idol has either been found already or whoever wrote this system wanted to through a red herring in there to trick us. I'm going with the latter because I feel like Jarod would do that. That's all from this neck of the woods for now, hopefully will be writing another one of these bad bois next round :*

SAM

https://youtu.be/liGOEuFKiFo

JENNET

I WILL die for jones btw...

(a little later)

Survived the immunity challenge... at what cost

(after falling asleep on the beach)

The way we accidentally won that comp is literally a joke.... period i guess?

PETE

so we lost cus we’re the beauty tribe not the brains tribe fuck math dude anyways, it’s been hella fuckin quiet like not a lot of people are on and aren’t really talking. Up until about, 4 hours before tribal Sam comes to me and says the vote is gonna be Cloud and i’m like what who why. All he said is “that’s what he’s heard” honestly i think it’s just his own idea but whatever. I don’t know Cloud at all so it’s fine with me. Sam, myself, Jessica, and Shane apparently are all agreed to vote Cloud and with Ethan’s vote that’ll be 5.

CLOUD

i have nithing to say other than i might just be the stupidest person on the planet. absolutley nothing is happening in my head ever. if i stay its pure luck HSKSHSNSKBSKS

NASH

smiles at immunity... this is cute it feels good to not be in danger for once! i’m honestly still worried my tribe might want to cut me at next tribal but at least tonight can be chill! i hope kiki is first brookeisa boot xoxo

SAMMY

honestly there is no tea, daisy found an idol and gambles her vote but she lost her vote early so no worries w that! I love her so much and i hope she doesn’t snake me...but daisy if ur reading this, in this moment i love dont snake me mwah!! I love Jess and I love Cloud but everyone’s telling me Cloud is the vote but I’m so sad because I had such a good time with them and they are one of the few funny ones in the game!! Anyways not much is happening we lost the challenge cause we are just bad at math...blinks...I don’t think I’m in any danger and this vote should be unanimous. I was also told someone said I was one of the few active people so that’s a check in my book!

JAKE

https://youtu.be/HmtSAjyQoJI

I'm trying to lay low so if I'm not very present on Discord the next day or so that's why hehe

PETE

so ethan is down for voting Cloud, sammy too. Cool great awesome hot. i’m just sitting here vibing and suddenly Sammy tells me that my (and Madison’s) name came up for a second. He said it went away and it’s Cloud for the vote but like jskdhd why do i aaalways get targeted bitch i’m literally just sitting here whYY can’t i relax for once?! Frfr every survivor game it’s always this person or me. I’m always the other option and i just don’t get why lmao

LOVELIS

This tribes been kinda dead until like an hour ago plss, a new alliance of 5 has been organised and somehow me and Shane managed to make it seem like it was Jessica’s idea? Don’t really know how that happened in all honesty but a vibe. Then Daisy also leaked that she’s in another alliance who’s actively idol hunting so that was a lovely bit of beef that I love to see - my guess is she’s in a duo chat with Jess and they’ve tried to get this group formed with people who they think are unconnected, unbeknownst to them that me and Shane have a final two deal and I kinda have one with Sammy as well that happened on day one but it’s not really developed as of yet, he’s not really tried to talk game with me as of yet, but all in due time I suppose there’s plenty of time for more shenanigans 😂

MIKEY

HONESTLY Chile. Not much tea going around since this round we won. Im very proud of Nicole as she literally carried us and I pray she'll do it again dhbhsfg. Ive started getting really close with Jones and she's so fun to talk to, im hoping me her and nash can form a little trio and work together but who knows. Jennet STILL hasn't replied back after like a week so idk what's up w them LMAO

JABARI

So our tribe loved it when we blindsided silver, it puts me in a much better position than before. Now I have to talk more to people and take time to realize what's gonna happen. As of right now I have 2 alliances. The big majority one and the one where its just me and Jake and Jennet.

JENNET

exactly.... 

https://open.spotify.com/album/0pWu9s2gPdVgqHpMR2LDEx?si=uOqh6Ar9RiqNLUfaBZEkvw

TRIBAL COUNCIL

[alphacrone]

in which dex & bitty have a fight, bitty & ransom make out, dex comes to realize a few things, & poor nursey is ghosted for a couple hours. also pie.

[Part of the Blue-Eyed Jack ‘Verse. Set loosely between All Decked Out Like a Cowboy’s Dream and Kitty & the Biscuits]

CW: dubious consent (drunk surprise kissing), vague homophobia, coming out, canon typical alcohol abuse (they are taking very small shots i promise)

CON’T TEXT CONVERSATION BETWEEN YOU AND DEREK NURSE

WP: And then Cait said she’d call the cops and those kids ran so fast, it was hilarious.

DN: who’s Cait?

DN: also LOL

WP: Chow’s girlfriend.

DN: wait i thought you guys were all gay

WP: Why would you think that?

DN: ur the Gay Country Band i thought that meant the Whole band

WP: No.

WP: Just Bitty.

WP: I think.

WP: Chowder has a girlfriend.

WP: Ransom’s brought girls home more than once.

WP: Just Bitty.

DN: what about u?

WP: What about me?

DN: u just listed all the reasons ur bandmates aren’t gay

DN: but not urself

DN: y?

WP: I didn’t think I needed to say it.

WP: What does it matter?

DN: idk just curious

WP: Whatever.

Dex huffed and slumped back against the nasty, green couch. He knew Bitty would make a fuss about sitting on it -- the thing had been a point of contention between him and Chowder for months now -- but the only other option were the lumpy arm chairs and Dex hated those things.

“You texting with Derek again?”

Dex started; he hadn't realized Bitty was home. “Yeah. Why d’you ask?”

Bitty cast him a wry look over the back of the couch. “He stresses you out in a way only Chowder ever has.”

“That's not true,” Dex said grumpily. “You stress me out the most.”

“So kind,” Bitty teased. “Keep up that kinda sweet talk and I'll think you're flirting with me.”

Normally Dex would've laughed at the absurdity of the idea, but today it gave him pause. “Do people really think we’re the ‘gay country band?’”

Bitty’s smile fell. “Well, yeah, sort of. Why?”

Dex shrugged, glancing at his phone. “I don't know. Just something Derek said. I thought it was like...you were the ‘gay country singer’ and we were just your band.”

Bitty’s face grew steely and he crossed his arms over his chest. “I'm sorry you have to suffer through the inconvenience of people assuming you're gay, that must just be so difficult-”

“Bitty,” Dex started, but Bitty was already headed out of the room.

“I'm going to the store,” Bitty said gruffly, grabbing his wallet from the key basket. “Be back later.” Dex stood to follow, hand outstretched.

“Bits-” But the front door slammed shut. Dex huffed a frustrated sigh and punched the wall, not quite hard enough to break anything but just enough to hurt.

Why was it that Derek’s texts annoyed him so much? Dex had never minded being lumped in with the rainbow flags and hell-bound accusations before; the Biscuits were a team and a team stuck together, had each other’s backs. Bitty was the only one of them who was gay, but they all stood for his message.

Except...except maybe he wasn't the only one at all.

It had been about a year prior, and they were on the last stretch of a tour, heading from Boise to Seattle through a long stretch of absolutely nothing. Rans had picked up a thing of decent whiskey in a sketchy, Idaho liquor store and they were in the middle of a rousing game of never have I ever. Chowder was winning at this point, with only a few fingers down, but seemed to be mercilessly targeting Bitty.

(“Never ever I have ever...lived in Madison, Georgia.”

“I swear to God, Christopher-”)

Dex was doing alright himself. He'd been impacted by Bitty’s attacks against northerners and hockey fans, but not in the same way Ransom had. Now they were battling each other ruthlessly, determined not to go out first. Bitty had two fingers left; Ransom had one.

There was something dangerously smug in Ransom’s drunken gaze as he rounded on Bitty, smirk growing. “Never ever have I ever...kissed another man.”

Bitty gasped indignantly and took his shot like a champ, very reluctantly lowering a finger. Before the next turn could be taken, however, he lunged across the circle and pulled Ransom’s mouth to his.

It wasn't the most coordinated kissing Dex had ever seen. Ransom was drunk enough that the force of it knocked him over to the side, and he dragged Bitty with him. Bitty paid no mind to the fact that he was now lying on top of his best friend; they both sort of got lost in the movements of their lips, kissing languidly and sloppily for a moment, like they were the only two people on that bus.

Then Bitty pulled back with a triumphant grin and shouted, “Take a shot, Justin.”

“No!” Ransom flopped back onto the ground, covering his face in his hands. “Bits that was a dirty move. I call foul!”

“Don't be a sore loser,” Bitty chirped, filling Ransom’s shot glass halfway. Dex supposed it would've been filled all the way if Bitty hadn't spilled so much onto the floor of the tour bus.

“Bitty, that was great!” Chowder said through his laughter. “Wasn't it, Dex?”

But Dex couldn't answer, all too aware of the uncomfortable tightness of his pants. He willed himself to calm down, to not show just how much he'd been affected by the scene in front of him.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Bitty was huffing out as Ransom tried to sit on him. “Did I offend your delicate, Canadian sensibilities?”

“I'll show you delicate,” Ransom hissed, using his full body weight to squish Bitty against the floor. Bitty’s cheeks had gone bright red from the liquor and the exertion, and Dex found the sight more intoxicating than the alcohol in his bloodstream. “You're a huge cheater and I'm gonna make sure the whole world knows.” He pulled a marker from his pocket, uncapping it with his teeth.

“No you don't!” Bitty shouted, struggling against Ransom, but Ransom was twice his size and loomed over him. Dex swallowed roughly. “We have an interview tomorrow! Absolutely not! Do not draw on my face- I will call your mother right now.”

Somewhere in there, Dex excused himself to the bathroom, and hoped no one noticed when he took a little extra time and returned glassy-eyed and out of breath.

When Bitty returned from the “store” several hours later, he was met by the sight of a pie. Peaches and cream, to be exact.

It was nothing fancy, not like the salted rose and honey pie Bitty had made the day before, the crust shaped into beautiful braids and flower petals, but it was the one kind of pie Bitty could never bring himself to make, despite the fact that it was his favorite. Dex had a hunch as to why this was, but had never gotten a direct answer about it. And that didn’t matter right now.

“I didn’t…” He started as Bitty cautiously stepped into the kitchen, eyes wide as he studied the pie on the table. “I wasn’t trying to imply I was- it’s not-”

“Dex, it’s fine,” Bitty said sullenly. “You’re not the first straight guy I’ve known who’s-”

“I’m gay,” Dex blurted out, wringing his hands together. “Um. Yeah.”

Bitty’s eyes, if possible, grew wider. “Oh! Oh, Dex, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t’ve- I should’ve-”

“You didn’t know,” Dex said with a small shrug. “And honestly...I haven’t been sure about it myself. Until now.”

“Oh, hun.” Bitty surged forward and pulled Dex into a tight hug. Dex let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and rested his chin on top of Bitty’s head. “C’mon, let’s eat this pie you made and you can talk about it. Or not!” He added, pulling back with a worried expression. “You don’t have to, unless you want to, but if you want to I’m always here, please know that-”

“Bits.” Dex grabbed both of his shoulders, smiling down at him. “There’s no one else I’d want to talk to about it more.”

“Because I’m the only gay guy you know?” Bitty chirped, moving to cut two slices of pie. Dex rolled his eyes.

“I do have other friends, you know,” he said, pulling out two plates and two forks.

“Sure,” Bitty said lightly. “And I’m an NBA player.” He handed a plate to Dex with a teasing grin.

“Ass,” Dex said, but kissed Bitty’s cheek lightly in thanks. Bitty rolled his eyes but Dex felt a million pounds lighter, just from the sheer freedom of being able to do something like that without consequence, at least in the safety of their kitchen. Bitty took his own slice and shepherded Dex into the living room, chatting a mile a minute about how good the pie smelled and how impressed he was Dex had made it all on his own.

When Chowder returned from Cait’s that evening, he walked into the living room to see Bitty and Dex asleep on the couch -- on top of a beach towel, obviously -- Bitty’s legs perched in Dex’s lap and an empty pie tin sitting on the coffee table.

In Dex’s hand, about to fall to the floor, was his phone, still open to some text thread. Carefully, Chowder took the phone and set it on the table, noticing that the thread was with Derek Nurse, unsurprisingly. They’d all befriended the Falcs the evening Bitty and Jack got together; Chowder himself was frequently in contact with Snowy and Tater, and on occasion Nurse himself. He didn’t look at the thread, but if he had, it might’ve made him smile.

CON’T TEXT CONVERSATION BETWEEN YOU AND DEREK NURSE

WP: Sorry for ghosting. Had a fight with Bitty.

DN: dude u ok?

WP: Yeah, it’s all sorted out.  

WP: Also sorry for being a dick earlier. You didn’t deserve that reaction.

DN: nah im sorry for prying

WP: It’s just...not something I’m ready to talk about with most people just yet.

DN: will you don’t have to say anything you don’t want to

DN: we’re not bffs i understand

WP: No, I trust you.

WP: But it’s hard.

WP: Bitty’s a good first step I think.

WP: Then...friends.

DN: like me?

WP: Yeah. Like you.

DN: that’s

DN: that means a lot

DN: thank you

WP: Don’t let it go to your head.

DN: wouldn’t dream of it. ;)

WP: Ugh I already regret telling you this.

DN: no take backs. Ur stuck with me :D

WP: There are worse things I guess.

DN: chlamydia?

WP: Goodnight, Derek.

DN: night, will. don’t let the bedbugs bite

DN: unless ur into that ;) ;) ;)

WP: Go away

DN: :*

DN: wow did u really text jack to tell me to shut up?

DN: rude

DN: goodNIGHT will, hope bitty feeds u poisoned pie

WP: :*

DN: emoticon. can’t tell if im proud or mad

DN: u better sleep w one eye open

WP: Go to sleep. I’ll still be here to annoy in the morning.

DN: good :)

[countmohawk]

Pokemon Sun Postgame Recollections *1

In Ultra Sun, we’d just been crowned Champion of the Alolan Pokemon League after dealing with the combined threats of Team Skull, the Aether Foundation and Necrozma.

But what if events had played out a little differently?

Even after having put the games down for about a month, this line still makes me feel a little sad.

Of course, Lillie hasn’t died or anything tragic like that. Rather, in a world where the UR Squad never crossed over into Alola, Lusamine’s obsession with her Ultra Wormhole research eventually led to an unhealthy relationship with Nihilego, culminating in her fusing with one and subsequently falling into a coma when the merger was forcibly broken apart by Nebby. Lillie then decided to take her mother to Kanto in the hopes of finding a cure for the remaining damage from the experience, while simultaneously looking to start her life as a Trainer in a new place.

Anyway, enough about Lillie for now, we have a postgame to cover!

After becoming Champion, we find ourselves back at our house, as per usual for Pokemon games. Opening the door, we are greeted by a strange man, telling us to come to the motel on Akala Island on Route 8. The summons are dubious, but in the end , curiosity wins out over caution, and we enter what was formerly Gladion’s pad!

Well, hello there, Looker! I should have known it would be you.

For those uninitiated into the background lore of some of the more recent titles, the man on the right is Looker, and he’s basically the series’ go-to field agent whenever GameFreak needs to insert a government presence into their games. For example, in Platinum, his debut game, he followed the exploits of Team Galactic, remaining one step behind the team throughout most of the story but eventually catching up to the last remaining Commander at Stark Mountain and taking him off to prison. Pokemon Black and White saw him in a similar role, where after the final confrontation with N, he enlisted the player to help him arrest the rest of the Seven Sages. ...And so on.

This time around, however, Looker appears not to be acting alone. Who’s the lady in black standing next to him, then?

Ah, Looker’s boss, I presume.

To shorten a somewhat lengthy story, Looker and Anabel explain that when Lusamine forced Cosmog!Nebby to open an Ultra Wormhole, a whole bunch of other portals opened up, through which several other Ultra Beasts entered into our world. As Ultra Beasts are potentially very dangerous creatures, it falls on the pair of them to keep the populace safe while learning more about the beasts, if possible.

Thus, the obvious question:

Of course I said yes. It wouldn’t be much of a postgame if I had refused, now would it?

Anabel is delighted to have us aboard, but due to the nature of the job, she requests a battle first, to make sure it won’t be too much for us to handle.

Now, normally I would say something like “and then I proceeded to sweep her team 6-0″ or something, but I should point out something about the level progression here. In vanilla Sun, Kukui, the last fight after the Elite Four, uses a team at roughly level 57. Anabel’s team, by contrast, is in the low 60s - so if you jump straight into this fight directly after becoming Champion, you might have a bit of a hard time. My team was around level 55 after becoming Champion, so before starting the fight, I flew over to Poni Island for an impromptu grinding session, pushing most of my team into the low 60s myself.

With the initiation formally completed, Looker directs us to head for the secret labs at the bottom of Aether Paradise, to meet a contact there for additional information. Obviously this is Wicke, since she’s the highest-ranking member of Aether who isn’t either evil or in a coma.

Before we move on to our government work, however, Wicke offers us something halfway between an apology and an explanation for Lillie’s sudden departure. I’ve written pretty thoroughly about what I think of the ending of Lillie’s arc in vanilla Sun elsewhere, so I’ll leave this topic alone for now.

After Wicke finishes her talk, we can approach her in Secret Lab B.

Since normal Poke Balls have a hard time identifying Ultra Beasts as catchable lifeforms, Lusamine commissioned a new model which would be more suited for use on them. This makes sense, I suppose; the line between Pokemon and Ultra Beast is blurry at best - alien geometries and all that. The Beast Ball’s design, if you look at it in the menu, is very much inspired by the appearance of both the Ultra Wormhole (the blue square patterns) and Cosmog/Cosmoem (the gold bands encircling it).

Our business with Wicke concluded, we have one more stop to make in Aether Paradise before returning to Anabel and Looker’s motel room. Gladion is loitering around in the conservatory, in the same part of the room where we first encountered Nihilego:

In Ultra Sun, we already know about how Professor Mohn disappeared into an Ultra Wormhole and how his disappearance destabilized Lusamine. However, it takes until now for vanilla!Gladion to open up about his disappeared dad. I do like that despite his gruff demeanor, he apparently trusts us enough to tell us basically everything he knows about his family drama.

Oh yeah, and he entrusts us with one more thing, too:

Gladion mentioned there were three Type: Null made in total. One of these, obviously, is his partner Null, now a Silvally. Of the two that remain, he allows us to take one, along with literally a “whole stack” of memory drives to change its type once it evolves.

From Gladion, this is basically the highest of praise. This is also our last interaction with the guy in the game, aside from Title Defense fights at the Elite Four, so it’s fitting that there should be no loose ends between us and him at the end of it.

I may not have mentioned it before, probably because Lillie tends to take front stage whenever the Aether family’s drama gets any screentime, but Gladion gets a surprising amount of character development, all things considered. He doesn’t change in the same way that Lillie changes, per se, but as we learn more about his motivations throughout the game, the initial impression we get of him as a complete edgelord ends up almost turned on its head, while the man himself learns how to defrost around others. He’s still an edgelord, mind you - just not as big of one as it appears.

Because Type: Null was designed to be able to fight the Ultra Beasts as a “beast killer”, I thought it would be appropriate to add it to my team. It’s only Lv40 when we receive it, however, so before we return to the Interpol hut, we have a little bit of training to do to get him caught up and evolved.

Our first stop is actually the GameFreak building in Heahea City on Akala, which I completely missed on my playthrough and had to be told where it was on an online guide. After becoming Champion, we can fight Morimoto, one of the GameFreak employees, once per day.

Morimoto’s team isn’t quite as hard as Anabel’s, but their levels are about the same, so you can’t just walk in and expect a free win. Nonetheless, I did beat him, and in addition to the EXP and money, I was rewarded with the Oval Charm, which increases the likelihood of finding an Egg at the Pokemon Nursery.

The other thing we do is head towards Poni Plains, which was blocked off by an old man but is now accessible due to our Championship status. Just before we can approach him, however, who but Dexio and Sina show up for one more go-around.

I don’t think they ever found whatever it was they were looking for. That said, it’s very convenient that they should bump into me one more time before they leave. That way they can give us a Key Stone and enable Mega Evolution - not that I have any eligible ‘Mons. Still, it’s the thought that counts.

Next time, the hunt for the Ultra Beasts commences in earnest!