#wg: sidelines

[traldemic6]

Jock Son to Fat Son - a Male WG Story

The town of Middlebury, Indiana, was home to a mother named Diane and her son, Mark. Mark was a handsome, athletic young man with a bright future ahead of him. He was the star of his high school football team, admired by his peers and respected by his coaches. Diane was a devoted mother, attending every one of Mark's games and cheering him on from the sidelines. Over time, however, she developed a mischievous side, and began to take a strange amusement in her son's weight.

It all started innocently enough. Mark had always been a big eater, but Diane started to sneak in extra portions to his meals. She began adding more butter, sugar, and cream to his dishes, carefully disguising the extra calories in his food. At first, she was merely curious about how he would react, but soon the idea of Mark gaining weight became an obsession for her. She would giggle to herself as she saw her son’s athletic frame begin to fill out.

As the months went by, Mark's once chiseled body started to soften. His developing gut and increasingly fat backside became more and more noticeable. Diane delighted in watching the gradual changes, and began to secretly document her son's transformation with photographs. She would capture candid shots of him eating, lounging, and even struggling to fit into his old clothes. Each photo was a testament to the success of her mischievous plan.

"Mom, do you think my clothes are shrinking? They feel tight lately," Mark asked one day, trying to button his jeans.

"Oh, honey, it's probably just a growth spurt. I'll buy you some new clothes soon," Diane replied, suppressing a grin.

One summer day, as Mark and his friends headed to the local swimming pool, Diane couldn't help but notice how his once-toned abs had been replaced by a softer, protruding belly. She tagged along, snapping pictures of her son as he struggled to hoist himself onto the diving board. His tight swimming trunks strained against his expanding waistline and his plump backside, and the way his body jiggled when he hit the water brought a smile to her face.

As the seasons changed, so did Mark's body. His once lightning-fast speed on the football field had slowed to a lumbering jog. Diane would sit in the bleachers, chuckling to herself as she captured photos of him struggling to keep up during practice. His teammates, bewildered by his rapid decline, began to lose patience with him. His coach, frustrated and concerned, urged Mark to get back in shape, but Diane's culinary temptations proved too strong for him to resist.

At home, Diane continued to cook Mark's favorite meals, but with double the portions and extra helpings of dessert. She couldn't help but notice how he would sneak into the kitchen late at night, unclothed, to scarf down slices of cake or pie. Rather than scold him, she encouraged his indulgences, even making sure to bake extra desserts just for him. Diane would hide nearby, snapping pictures of her son in his most vulnerable state, as he gorged himself on sweets.

"Mom, I can't stop eating these desserts. They're just so good," Mark said one night, his cheeks full of cake.

"I'm glad you like them, dear. It's important to treat yourself every now and then," Diane replied, hiding her true intentions behind a sweet smile.

Mark's weight continued to balloon, and he was no longer able to play on the football team. He would sit on the sidelines, his once-athletic body now struggling to fit into the team uniform. Despite the whispers and stares from his classmates, Diane couldn't help but feel a twisted sense of satisfaction. She continued her photographic documentation, capturing Mark's misery as he watched his former teammates play without him.

"Mom, I can't believe I've been benched. I used to be the star of the team," Mark lamented one day after practice, his voice tinged with sadness.

Diane placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, honey. You'll bounce back. In the meantime, let's focus on keeping you happy and healthy," she said, secretly planning to sabotage his efforts at every turn.

As Mark's health began to decline, his mother continued to encourage his weight gain. She would bring him treats and sugary drinks while he sat in front of the television, and watched as he gobbled them up without a second thought. His once-muscular legs now rubbed together when he walked, and his face had grown round and full. Diane's photo collection grew along with her son, and she carefully organized the images into albums, chronicling his descent into morbid obesity.

With each passing year, Mark's weight gain continued unchecked. His once-promising athletic career had been replaced by a sedentary lifestyle, and his health was in a state of rapid decline. Friends and family members expressed concern, but Mark found it difficult to resist the comforting meals and treats his mother continued to provide.

One evening, as Mark sat on the couch, huffing and puffing from the effort of walking across the room, he confronted his mother. "Mom, I think my weight is getting out of control. I need your help to turn things around."

Diane feigned concern, but her mind was racing with ways to maintain her twisted amusement. "Of course, dear. We'll start a new diet and exercise plan tomorrow. I promise I'll be there to support you every step of the way."

However, Diane's support was superficial at best. While she claimed to be on board with Mark's efforts, she continued to sneak calorie-laden treats into his meals and tempt him with the irresistible aroma of freshly baked goods. Mark, unable to resist the allure of his mother's culinary creations, continued to pack on the pounds.

Years passed, and Mark's weight gain continued unchecked. His dreams of athletic stardom had been replaced by a life of struggling to breathe and move under the crushing weight of his own body. And Diane, the architect of her son's downfall, would always carry the secret of her twisted amusement with her, never revealing the true extent of her role in his tragic transformation. The albums filled with photos of Mark's descent into obesity became her private, guilty pleasure – a dark reminder of the perverse joy she derived from her son's suffering.

[fountainpenguin]

Since they're similar questions, how about 16-19 for the ask?

[Current Ask game]

What is your best piece of advice for writing action scenes?

Tension, quick sentences with sharp words and snappy dialogue, and focusing on things like adrenaline, racing hearts, fear, and things that might hurt you. Bare bones description in most places (with more in areas where a character pauses to recover). Basically, keep the "camera" on the character. Unless the character is actively looking around and thinking about other things, the story shouldn't either.

Trying to put unique flair in action scenes, especially if your story has a lot of fight scenes, is a good idea too. You don't want them to feel repetitive. Also it's a good idea for your POV character to have a reason to be the POV character; i.e. let them be the one who comes up with the way to achieve victory (if they're going to win) rather than someone on the sidelines giving the winning suggestion.

If you want to have lots of description (especially if you're in a new setting or early in the story) then having your POV character be an outsider watching a fight works too, I think.

[Examples from my work + the other questions under the cut]

---

Some ways I've used this advice:

Frayed Knots - Anti-Cosmo in "Deep" witnessing Cosmo and King Northiae fight Snowball the dragon, and Anti-Cosmo committed a cultural taboo by shapeshifting (His soul strings were also tangled with H.P.'s during this time so they were stuck together). Anti-Cosmo wasn't super involved in this fight because he screwed some things up, but that's fine... this fight scene is doing everything it needs to do. It's showing the reader Anti-Cosmo's attempts to be strong, how it flops, and what he learns from this experience.

The focus here was in putting pressure on Anti-Cosmo. We see his anxiety, we see his genuinely good desire to help, and we see the moment he decides to bend the rules. He carries the consequences of his taboo situation throughout Act 3 (begging Prince Eastkal not to tell anyone he shapeshifted).

Anti-Cosmo has good ideas, but struggles to execute them and/or hurts people while executing his plans. That's his whole theme in Frayed Knots... and this one fight is a representation of that. After all, you can't say Anti-Cosmo hurts people if we don't see him hurting them! In this situation, he deliberately drew more energy from H.P. than he needed to because he got greedy... which plays into his character in general and aligns with his behavior in later chapters where Anti-Cosmo makes a lot of bad choices because of his anxiety and greed.

It's who he is and that always stays consistent. He doesn't suddenly get to be cool just so he can fight a dragon and save a city. Nope.

Factor It In - The Narrator making a suggestion to WordGirl in "Tree Diagram" but WordGirl being the one to come up with a solution that won the fight. The fight was actually split between two chapters and I used Chapter 1 ("Order of Operations") to set the scene so the reader had context before WordGirl rushed back into the fight.

The focus here was in showing WordGirl and Huggy working as a team without Kid Math (who was mind controlled and attacking them); the rest of the story focuses on how WG and KM clash emotionally.

We showed how WordGirl and Kid Math are closely matched in strength. We set the scene (winter, traffic, bystanders pulling the fallen heroes from the road). We also set up things like WordGirl's super hearing and how overwhelming that can be for her. She also had a brief moment to look at her bruises and chat with civilians (Brent and Chuck, in this case). We also see a hint of a superpower that KM has that WG has never used before.

The fight scene does a lot for the story, and I try to shift deliberately in and out of "reflective moments where we pause" and "fast-paced action moments." For example, there's a moment where WordGirl tackles Kid Math and they both go rolling in the snow and get dazed until a civilian (their art teacher) drags them to the sidewalk. That's a shift out of the action and into a reflective moment, yet it feels natural and keeps the tension high because the reader (hopefully) is wondering if they're hurt or if they're about to get hit by a car.

Dog's Life - In "Flicker," BigB stands on the sidelines fretting while Scar fights a creeper. As the outsider, BigB has the full perspective of how Scar is dancing around, and it's scary for him when Scar leaves his view. Scar keeps denying any offers of help, yet BigB and the others get increasingly anxious when Scar gets backed against a cliff. BigB also counts how many hits the creeper has taken (and loses count when Scar and the creeper go over the drop).

The focus here is in feeling out of control or feeling like you don't have information (which pairs super well with my take on BigB in this 'fic, since BigB's entire thing is "the quiet guy who knows everything about everyone"). His anxiety goes up when things get unpredictable, so this was an action scene that paired well with this particular character.

The creeper fight is also a good contrast to the opening scene for this chapter, where BigB stood at the top of a hole with his hands behind his back and watched his friends fumble against a zombie spawner... We saw him watching a fight in his element first (comfortable, keeping tabs on the situation, staying aloof) because that little skirmish wasn't something that was supposed to stress the reader. When it was time to up the tension, the fight was something that made him nervous even though he wasn't the fighter.

What is your best piece of advice for writing angst scenes?

I think the important thing for angst is the build-up: the swing before the punch. To understand the pain, you need to have seen the sweet. I personally think opening a story in the middle of an angst scene wouldn't be the best move in most cases, as I think it works best after the scene has been established as "normal."

The goal of angst isn't a jump scare... it's the layering on of things that get worse and worse. Doubt, mistrust, betrayal... these things need to stem from something else. You need to see the slow break.

What is your best piece of advice for writing hurt/comfort scenes?

For hurt: Similar to angst, build-up is important, although opening with the hurt in something that's specifically mild hurt/comfort works well, probably. I'd say take your time to show the hurt and explore the concept of the hurt before you turn it around. Focus on the pain. Emphasize what's hurting so the reader is rooting for the comfort. Hurt/comfort is all about taking the time to settle down and breathe, and you can do that by showing a slow healing process.

For comfort: Slowing down... Focusing on details, especially in regards to physical touch. This is the time for softness, paying attention to other people or objects, and roaming your eyes around the room. Thoughts can wander and you have very slow, meandering, thoughtful moments in a safe space.

What is your best piece of advice for writing comedy scenes?

I don't know if I'd say I have comedic scenes, usually, though I have jokes sprinkled in my work. For me, I try to set characters up in situations I know they work well in. H.P. is snarky and Anti-Cosmo is paranoid, so they're a great comedic pair. H.P. likes to carry a joke a little too long and Anti-Cosmo gets easily flustered. I also played Anti-Wanda as someone who uses a lot of innuendo, which is another "flustering Anti-Cosmo, which is funny" situation.

H.P. and Anti-Wanda bounce really well off each other too because they don't take anything seriously and they'll make fun of everything (There's a scene in "King Me" I've had written for like 5 years that I can't wait to share... you'll know it when you see it).

I like to put characters in funky situations that the reader doesn't commonly find themselves in... I feel like that's inherently funny. For example, in "Flypaper," WordGirl had to rescue Super Why from a vending machine. He's 3 inches tall and that was the funniest place I could think for him to get stuck. It's inherently bizarre.

Another of my favorite moments from "Flypaper" was Becky asking Rex if he wanted to go to the beach and he was like "Aww man" because "he's not supposed to fly 30 minutes after eating." I think just... thinking about what a normal human would do in a situation and then asking yourself "how can I make this funny and specific to THIS character" helps a lot.

I think Dog's Life has some good examples of larger scenes that are funny. Here are some highlights:

Scott walking with Scott down the hall to drop off paperwork and Scar spends the whole time lightly bantering and/or flirting with him in an attempt to make Scott give him "banned blocks" from outside the city walls so he can have cool ceiling tiles. Eventually Scott gives in to a little bit of roleplay and they banter back and forth, and Scott finally says the one thing that makes Scar break character, which was implying that he actually WOULD give Scar ceiling tiles if he made it worth his time. Scar gets excited and Scott has to walk away rolling his eyes... it's silly to me.

It's funny because it's... ridiculous. No reader would ever be in that situation. For ceiling tiles. And the inherently roleplay nature of these two, who live in a society where everyone switches naturally in and out of their roleplay hats, is very funny and adds layers to every interaction. But while a reader won't find themselves in this situation, this set-up is extremely in character for Scar, who's always looking for good ceiling blocks.

I'm particularly fond of a scene I'm dropping in the Tuesday chapter which involves Martyn. Martyn has a knack for being silly in serious situations, so I deliberately put him in a serious situation and made him break the tone of it. Which means he sprints across a cave in the middle of a fight, screeching at the top of his lungs that he needs a time out because he "hasn't put his crocs in speed mode yet."

It wouldn't be funny if he said that line while he was just exploring in the cave... It's the fact that he's running from a guy with a sword that seals it. It's the funniest thing I could think for him to say and I set the situation up to make it as silly as I could. Just... trying to catch the reader off guard in little ways that feel true to the character.

In each of these scenes, the funny thing matches perfectly to the character's personality. If you want to write a funny character, you should take the time to figure out what exactly they think is funny and in what situations you could put them that would let them shine.

For H.P., it's snarky deadpan, so he often gets put in serious situations (such as council meetings). For Anti-Wanda it's innuendo, so she often gets paired with Anti-Cosmo who considers himself above such humor (and gets flustered easily). For Scar it's flirting and pretending to be oblivious, so he gets juxtaposed with someone who will let him get that far without cutting him off early. For Martyn it's having the wrong vibe for the situation.

I don't plan too much humor in advance, though if I come up with something funny, I like to add it. I have a certain tone I like and then I try to think what the funniest, sensible thing that could happen in a situation is :)

[Current Ask game]

[groupfazza]

استقبل صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم، نائب رئيس الدولة رئيس مجلس الوزراء حاكم دبي “رعاه الله”، سمو الشيخ أحمد نواف الأحمد الصباح، رئيس مجلس الوزراء في دولة الكويت الشقيقة، وذلك على هامش القمة العالمية للحكومات 2023 في دبي، وذلك بحضور سمو الشيخ حمدان بن محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم، ولي عهد دبي، والفريق سمو الشيخ سيف بن زايد آل نهيان، نائب رئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير الداخلية.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, today met with H.H. Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait, on the sidelines of the World Government Summit (WGS) 2023, The meeting was attended by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior.

Monday, 13 February 2023 الأثنين

[gloryofgodsholygrace]

PROFIT FOR ALL. Holy Dissatisfaction. Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. Ecc 5| The Christian is the most contented man in the world, but he is the least contented with the world. CHS | We are still paddling on the edge of the ocean of the possibilities of grace. Put a holy dissatisfaction in us tonight. The Christian is the most contented man in the world, but he is the least contented with the world. LR | Just standing on the sidelines and cheering other saints to victory is not enough. You, too, must run the race that is set before you. WG

PROFIT FOR ALL. Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. Ecc 5 The Christian is the most contented man in the world, but he is the least contented with the world. CHS We are still paddling on the edge of the ocean of the possibilities of grace. Put a holy dissatisfaction in us tonight. The Christian is the most contented man in the world, but he is…

[majunicr]

@synthetixviola​ / cont.

          ‘  wolverine ? . . .  ’          he  repeats  under  his  breath ,  not  getting  the  reference .  that  happens  when  you  mostly  live  by  the  waterfalls . . .  regardless ,  she  sure  hadn ‘ t  lost  her  wits .

          at  the  mention  of  a  rematch ,  piccolo  gave  a  nod .  indeed ,  that  could  prove  interesting .  fighting  in  the  arena  was  but  a  warmup ,  a  way  to  see  who  could  be  worth  the  time .  lila  had  more  than  done  her  part .

         ‘   it  does  sound  good .  i  trust  you  to  not  hold  back  and  not  pull  any  punches .  if  you  want  my  honest  thoughts ,  i  believe  you  had  a  chance  at  winning .  ’

             a  genuine  compliment .  one  she  earned .  anyway . . .  his  gaze  can ‘ t  help  but  stare  back  and  forth  at  the  mess  he  left  behind .  the  destruction  of  her  stand  wasn ’ t  quite  something  he  had  planned ,  nor  that  she  needed .  awkwardness  simmers  in ,  piccolo  still  feels  obliged  to  at  least  offer  a  hand  in  that  matter .

        ‘   now ,  before  we  resume  any  chitchat  on  the  sidelines ,  maybe  i  could  help  with  that .  ’          cue  a  sharp  fingernail  pointing  towards  the  chaos  he  had  made .

[risingsouls]

             Nabooru said her goodbyes to Lila and wished her the best of luck, excited to see how her chance for redemption with play out. Her attack on Nappa did little to diminish her bias for her victory in the fight, her experience with the menace he and his fellow drones proved to be making it difficult to root for one of them. She didn’t count them as a bonafide child, either; just a miniature version of Cell. She did, at least, expect a fun match; Ceru’s first attack with a wild light show wasfar different than anything she had seen from others of his ilk or his father.

             “ What do you think, Vegeta? Do the Cell Juniors count as children? ” She bent over and scooped up the abandoned glass and bottle of cherry vodka, offering the glass she stole back to him. Pouring herself another round, she rested her free hand on her hip. 

               “ It doesn’t matter what you call him, really. ” He took the glass and refilled his glass with amber liquid. “ You’re not suddenly feeling guilty about a ‘ child ’ getting beat up, are you? ”

               “ Not really. I’m not sure I would call Ceru a kid. ” She sipped her drink. “ Even if I did, his parents entered into a fighting tournament where getting beat up is part of the game. Gerudo girls train and fight through childhood, so even if I did consider him a kid, it’s hard to feel guilty. ”

             The prince hummed, her words affirmation for the assumptions he had pieced together while observing her and the rest of her people. “ It’s the only way to train competent warriors, ” he said, “ and not unlike how Saiyans raised their young. Our power and warrior prowess was held in the highest regard. ”

@yesterxmorrow​​

[brokenxfragments]

Warrior Games Commentary

❝. . . . .❞

The barest yet unmistakable sound of hostility left the deity’s lips as she continued to watch the ring, her eyes that were normally soft or serious rather sharp in her glaring. It was directed at only one fighter in the ring, a fact that made her almost made her feel guilty that she couldn’t do better justice of observing the other. The history between herself & the shapeshifter was a long one. . . but clearly there was still a sense of ill will she had towards him, even though they were in a sort of truce after their respective home was devoured.

Her arms were crossed tightly beneath the breast of her torso, her mouth thin as her teeth gritted on occasion as she’d recognize some of the techniques Dystrial was using. Many that he had used on her, actually.

(’Not my problem...’) Though no matter how often she’d tell herself this as she reminded herself that he was seemingly serving a far kinder leader now rather than the one he had fought for before, the resentment remained.

[hopefromadoomedtimeline]

@kiealer​ - closed starter!

With the battle between his father and Honeydew, Trunks had taken it upon himself to try and get his mind off of the whole situation with Cell and his family, the winner of the round had been obvious to him regardless. It was best if for at least a couple of minutes, he separated himself from the roaring crowds to attend to more simple matters.

Matters like one he had been meaning to attend to for several minutes now, only to be put off by his attempts to recollect himself after his emotional turmoil with more recent events. He wasn’t quite sure what to say once he arrived, it had been some time since the two had seen each other, but he supposed words weren’t important. He had faced humiliation at Cell’s hands twice before, and he had known her previous experience with the monstrosity when he first roamed the world. 

With all that in mind, he would enter the infirmary that had readily accepted any of those who needed assistance in the aftermath of their matches. It was there that Trunks would lay eyes on Ninazu, still by herself after the brutal and abrupt match. Not wanting to waste any more time, Trunks would make his way to the medic, taking a moment to collect his thoughts about what to say before making himself known.

“Hello, Ninazu.” He would put a smile on, attempting to keep the mood light upon meeting his friend after some time, “It’s nice to see you again.”

[groupfazza]

التقى صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم، نائب رئيس الدولة رئيس مجلس الوزراء حاكم دبي “رعاه الله”، بحضور سمو الشيخ حمدان بن محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم، ولي عهد دبي، معالي نجوزي أوكونجو إيوالا، المدير العام لمنظمة التجارة العالمية، وذلك على هامش القمة العالمية للحكومات.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, met with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the sidelines of the World Government Summit (WGS) 2023.

Monday, 13 February 2023 الأثنين

[gloryofgodsholygrace]

PROFIT FOR ALL. Holy Dissatisfaction. Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. Ecc 5| The Christian is the most contented man in the world, but he is the least contented with the world. CHS | We are still paddling on the edge of the ocean of the possibilities of grace. Put a holy dissatisfaction in us tonight. The Christian is the most contented man in the world, but he is the least contented with the world. LR | Just standing on the sidelines and cheering other saints to victory is not enough. You, too, must run the race that is set before you. WG

PROFIT FOR ALL. Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. Ecc 5 The Christian is the most contented man in the world, but he is the least contented with the world. CHS We are still paddling on the edge of the ocean of the possibilities of grace. Put a holy dissatisfaction in us tonight. The Christian is the most contented man in the world, but he is…

[majunicr]

@atimelesslullaby​

         the  CURRENT  FIGHT  provided  quite  the  entertainment  and  a  lot  to  STUDY .  it  could  either  end  up  an  EASY  WIN  for  cell ,  OR  have  the  UNDERDOG  overcome  it .  if  the  bio -  android  won  though ,  that  would  not  be  pretty  for  ninazu  and  would  make  the  rest  of  the  competition  ROUGH .  fingers  crossed  he  won ‘ t  be  a  SORE  LOSER  again  otherwise .

           YET ,  piccolo  had  OTHER  PRESSING  INTERESTS .  such  as  his  very  next  opponent .  someone  he  never  met  prior and  seemingly  FOREIGN, not  unlike  the  gerudo .  he  saw  her  in  the  ring  and  an  extent  of  her  magical  powers .  he  also  had  time  to  hear  about  her  and  her  fabled ,  potential  other  PROWESS .  but  it  was  just  that ,  FABLES .

             that  zelda  was  shrouded  in  MYSTERY ,  and  he  wanted  to  MEET  her  in  the  flesh ,  have  a  PEEK  at  what  sort  of  character  he ‘ d  be  against .

             a  CAPED  figure  step  out  of  the  shadows ,  SLOW  steps  tapped  onto  the  cold  concrete  until  he  came  face  to  face  with  her .  he  was  SMIRKING ,  not  so  much  a  show  off  of  confidence ,  but  his  own  way  to  express  EAGERNESS .

          ‘  so .  you  are  my  next  opponent .  zelda .  isn ‘ t  it  ?  ’

[risingsouls]

Round 4 Commentary: Ninazu vs Cell

              Upon Cell’s introduction, the arena erupted into a deafening but unsurprising uproar of disapproval. Mr. Satan’s boasting of his stolen defeat of the bioandroid surprised Nabooru, a crimson brow lifting and her fingers tapping on her bicep. A bold move in light of his obvious unease in Cell’s presence who most certainly would not appreciate the likes of him claiming victory in the Cell Games. It took her months to choke down the triumph she handed to him when they met in the final round of the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament. At least he could fight, a miniscule reassurance in the face of the strings of frauds that followed. If the denizens of the planet were so easily fooled, she supposed that was on them. The money she had gotten for second place on top of the generous portion she made him agree to did wonders for their community. And second place had gotten her a fair few other opportunities for some extra zeni on top of her fights for Nappa and his DX Bomber Gym and the underground ring.

               She was silently grateful Cell was on his best behavior. Obnoxious as their colorful commentator could be, he didn’t deserve to die for it.

               Ninazu’s welcome boomed from the crowd in direct opposition to the audience’s distaste for Cell. Louder, encouraging. Good. Perhaps that would boost her confidence a little. The healer had made it all too clear that Cell was the last opponent she cared to face in this tournament, and Nabooru could not help the iota of guilt wriggling around in her heart at the healer’s predicament. And when those who personally knew her skill seemed to have little faith in her securing a win...

               Gold gaze slipped to the male who had, to her surprise, remained in her company. Stoic and content to maintain the comfortable silence between them as spectators awaiting the beginning of the match. “ So, Vegeta, was it? ” His attention drifting from the combatants to her signaled she remembered his name, no more than a flicker of annoyance crossing his features to suggest otherwise. “ Ninazu mentioned training with you. Now that she and Lila aren’t here, care to tell me how much of a fight she can put up here? ”

               “ Depends on if she stayed angry or if she found someone to coddle her and tell her how wonderful and perfect she is. She might do some damage that way, ” he responded. Pissed off as she was, he figured her rage would do her far more favors than a freak out. She didn’t realize the favor he had done her through . “ She can regenerate quickly enough, but she still feels pain. I suppose it will depend on how much Cell wants to toy with her, or if she can get any semblance of an upper hand before he can have his fun. ”

[anemcia]

𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝟑: 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒 𝐯𝐬 𝐂𝐘𝐓𝐎 - 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒚

While Honeydew had the utmost confidence in her son and his capabilities as a rising successor, her stomach twisted in knots as their fight progressed. It was only natural to fret over his well being, palms pressing against her bosom to ease the pace of her pulse. Something about the lack of supernatural blasts created more tension than she had expected, fingers digging into the fabric of her jacket. A traditional battle with blurring agility, wit, and measured movement. This was by no means anything new to Cyto, but the fact this stranger could keep up the waltz was nerve wracking.

“C’mon honey! Don’t let yer guard down for a second! You have to stay focused, watch the position of her hands!!” the farmer hollered, tone intertwined with minor hesitation. He was down one arm, a problem that will need to resolve itself with haste before she could disable him again. Honeydew would fidget in place much to the displeasure of her husband. It was bad enough that Cyto was caught up rambunctious actions to notice Valis’s rebuttals, but that misplaced anxiety of hers tested a nerve.

“Relax, woman-- He’ll figure it out soon enough. You have to let him learn how to handle his own battles, become self reliant.” Cell reminded, arms folded firmly against his chest. “We cannot hold his hand forever.”

Brown eyes would lower slightly, understanding his point and ultimately agreed with him. He’s still so young, but he’s not a normal child either. Hard to fight maternal instincts when you care so deeply, but she needed to distance those fears for the sake of giving Cyto independence. Their son would be just fine, praying he can turn the tables and set his opponent back.

“...I know, Slick. He is your son, after all, so I can count on his ability to adapt and overcome. Can’t blame me for bein’ his momma, yanno.”

“A human connection I would no less expect, but you must restrain those overbearing emotions while he fights. He cannot reach peak perfection without growing from his errors... As my heir, I cannot allow him to fall behind.”

>> OPEN FOR RESPONSES <<

[brokenxfragments]

Warrior Games Commentary

❝Memorable indeed...~❞

     Dystrial had only laid on the ground for a few heartbeats before he had managed to rise himself onto his feet, well outside of the ring. His face & parts of his front robes was still sticky with the bluish-black blood he emitted when injured, but despite the aches & pain from his ribs in particular (as well as his head from the earlier thrashing against the ground in rapid succession), he felt quite elated for having lost the match. It wasn’t about winning for him - at least when he wasn’t put in the spot to do so or else.

     He would retreat from the ring with his head high, but only after giving his victorious opponent a bow. The mirato looked forward to see how Azalea would progress through the tournament, though if she came to face Bakura at some point, she’ll just have to understand that he’d be cheering his silver-haired savior on instead of her.

[megumigender-moved]

i think matteo needed that

despite the fact that montag 15:49 was sad and uncomfortable i absolutely loved that clip. i think it’s so interesting and actually quite cathartic to have the fighting be, for lack of a better word, matteo’s choice.

bc thus far the og just sidelined us with him being outed and then getting called out on his bullshit excuses and the remakes have followed that verbatim, but druck, knowing that this is what we expect, dangles the possibility of matteo being outed over our heads w the constant reminders of how angry and upset sara is, and instead, changes the fight with the boy squad around to make it matteo lashing out at problems he’s had with them since the start of the season.

they never cared about his relationship with sara beyond their sex life. all they talk about, as soon as they show up to the wg, is girls. he tells them that his mom and exam season are stressing him out and jonas believes him, but only wants to talk about how sara and the breakup is contributing to it. and he was bottling it for so long and even though matteo is still alone and must feel terrible now, i bet the moment he said “the only thing you all wanted to know was if i fucked her” was freeing as shit.

bc not only is this narratively interesting and continues druck’s pattern of rendering our knowledge of the og fucking useless lmao, but it’s also much more respectful to matteo as a closeted gay guy to have him yell at their straight bullshit 100% on his terms, in his space.

(also like, when you consider the framing of all the characters being shaped by the perspective of the main, i’m getting the distinct impression that jonas and matteo aren’t nearly as close as jonas and isak were. in s1 we see them as this dynamic duo from hanna’s perspective, in s2 we see jonas go through hell after the breakup and matteo be his rock from mia’s, and in s3, from matteo’s pov, we’re shown that jonas is consistently misinterpreting and dismissing matteo’s problems, acting like he knows what’s best for him, pressuring him to talk. jonas was never there for matteo in the same way that matteo was for him and i hate their friendship now! even though they started off as probably my favourite jonas and isak dynamics!! and i fucking love that character development!!! and if the coming out scene happens with the whole boy squad or with carlos ‘gay rights’ schmidt then i won’t be surprised.)

[squidshadow]

sorry if this seems rude, but how are those short story prompts going? working on them, or did you end up forgetting about them? Which understandable. You got other things to do as well.

sfnksfn no im working on them!!! sorry;;; ive kind of sidelined them for wg and my physics work i promise i havent forgotten